Date: December 23, 3000
Location: Maldives
Title: Apparent Catastrophe
Author: Michael A. Stackpole
Type: Novel (Apparent Catastrophe)
Synopsis: Walter informs Commissar Levine he's been approached about an escape attempt scheduled for December 25th, but claims he won't have details until later.
Walter later meets with Sophia and Ash, and provides them with civilian clothing and identification, telling them to rendezvous at tunnel 9C, in the Admin building. Then, he and Jim Conason go to the detention center, disable the guards, take their uniforms, arm themselves, and free Ivan. Walter also opens Soamstone's cell, and draws a knife as he tells the pedophile ex-Proctor that they have unfinished business.
With many of the on-duty Proctors mentally impaired by Chef Jacques' addition of jimsonweed to their food, Walter is easily able to catch up with the other escapees in the university's horticulture wing. The escapees meet up with Galarza in the vehicle garage, and Walter explains that he's been on their side since they were captured. He also reveals Ivan's true identity to the shocked group.
Galarza says their ride should be arriving soon, but instead a voice over a loudspeaker demands they surrender, passing on a message from Commissar Levine that "Wilson" isn't as smart as he thinks he is.
Levine oversees the besieged garage from his office, and tells Proctor Hazleton to proceed as necessary. The Collective forces begin peppering the garage with laser bolts. With satisfaction, Levine reviews the thought processes that led him to deduct that the escape would take place tonight, and that "Wilson" had been lying to him.
A Proctor knocks and enters, reporting that there are a dozen escapees, from the soccer teams. Levine orders him to have them executed. The Proctor, Soamstone, instead draws the knife Wilson gave him and tells the Commissar he isn't as smart as he thinks he is.
Inside the besieged garage, as the garage doors begin to melt, the group decides to fight, rather than surrender. As they prepare to go down standing, explosions announce the arrival of Galarza's transportation - a hovertank in Rangers colors scattering the Collective forces with barrages from its missile launchers. Two panel vans follow in its wake, and quickly load the prisoners aboard.
They head for the spaceport, intending to rendezvous at Landing Bay 27 Delta. Explosions rock Rivergaard's northeast quarter as anti-Collective forces launch a diversionary attack. Walter thinks he sees BattleMechs involved.
Outside the landing bay, Captain MacDonald welcomes them, explaining to Walter that she'd left the planet with the Vulture's Nest on a Federated Suns contract after the Angels were destroyed, but returned for this extraction. She gives the escapees new ID, and they pass through spaceport security without incident and proceed to the Vulture's Nest, where Ambassador Allard is waiting.
Before they can board, a Collective official and six troopers run through the checkpoint and demands they return to the terminal. He introduces himself as Captain Theodore Percival Carnarvon, and insists that all outbound traffic be suspended until the incident in the city is resolved. Quintus Allard informs Carnarvon that the landing bay is sovereign territory of the Federated Suns, since the Vulture's Nest is chartered to the Federated Suns Diplomatic Corps. Carnarvon stands his ground, noting that the Collective has not ratified any treaties signed by the previous government.
Galarza, still garbed as a Proctor, threatens Carnarvon with arrest and detention at the Golden Prosperity reeducation center, noting with malice Carnarvon's repeated use of "I" rather than the Collective-ordained "we". He claims that he has been tasked by Commissar Levine to escort Federated Suns citizens to the ship for repatriation. Carnarvon maintains his insistence on his authority to stop the ship from leaving, but his squad of guards is convinced by Galarza's threats, and they stand down.
Galarza, still playing the role of a pompous Collective Proctor, wishes Walter and the Litzaus farewell, since he will be staying on Maldives to carry on the fight. Aboard ship, Ivan swears that no matter how long it takes, he'll be coming back for Galarza.
Notes: The Rangers hovertank isn't named, but its profile description matches the J. Edgar hover craft. With the Vulture's Nest described as "egg shaped," that marks it as likely being Overlord-class. Somewhat oversized for a mercenary company, but perhaps the Angels were larger in the past.
Walter and company are certainly coming back to Maldives, since he has his Blackjack (currently in the Taurian-built 'Mech base) on Galatea in 3010.
Frankly, I'm surprised that Allard was content to try to bluff Carnarvon (probably named after the Welsh castle) with claims of diplomatic immunity when he had a fully armed Overlord at his back. I'd expected some proper gunboat diplomacy. He may have been afraid that such a move would push the Collective into a full alliance with the Capellan Confederation. (Indeed - the HBS 3025 map shows both Maldive and Valdives - whichever one corresponds to Maldives - as Capellan worlds.)
The bit with Soamstone and Levine was a bit odd. Soamstone's message from Walter ('Wilson') to the Commissar was clearly intended as a rebuttal to the Commissar's own mocking message to Walter, but there's no way Walter could have known Levine would catch them or convey such a message. My guess is that Walter didn't actually give Soamstone any message - just directed him to assassinate the Commissar in exchange for his freedom. Soamstone probably heard the "you aren't as smart..." message when it went out over the loudspeaker, and ad-libbed the "message from Wilson" on the spot.
This brings "Apparent Catastrophe" to a close. I'm hoping that the next two installments contain more of the regional politics and large-scale scheming that are what I like best about the BattleTech fiction. So far, we've had a groundhog's eye view of what's going on - a very local, personal story. Stackpole's previous works had those as well, but they were intermixed with scenes where political leaders on far-off capitals discussed operations in progress that placed the local action in a larger context. Here, we're largely lacking the larger context - getting a storyline told along the lines of "Decision at Thunder Rift," with only vague allusions made to the greater backdrop of the Succession Wars.
Getting offworld seems a good step toward rectifying that situation. It would be great if part three follows Ivan on a "exiled princeling" tour, hat in hand, to try to gain support from the Federated Suns, Taurian Concordat, Magistracy of Canopus, and Aurigan Coalition (they'll probably give Sian a pass - though it would be a fun scene to put Ivan together in a room with Victor Hargreaves, since House Hargreaves has been trying to lead an army of liberation to Chesterton since the Age of War. "Good luck, kid. You're gonna need it."). It'd be a good chance to introduce people new to the universe who are just coming for the HBS game to the local factions that will be involved in the single-player storyline, and reveal who's behind the Collective's coup. (My money's on the Aurigans.)