09:02
Ranna woke to their building shaking and an urge to use the restroom. “Diana, what was that!”
Diana paused for a moment as the sound moved and tremors lessened to a dull tremble easily offset by the buzz of the overhead light. “Tulwar Bombardment Ship.”
“How can you tell?”
“The sound moved, and it was big so it must be an aerodyne dropship. If it was loud and constant, then it would be a spheroid.
Almost all Clan combat transports are of the spheroid variety unless loaded with conventional troops or cargo and since everyone is deployed here it must be something different.
As for the Tulwar Katya probably wanted to keep it under air defense cover so it can lob Land Attack Cruise Missiles at your birthmother and keep her dropships away from Alba.
It likely arrived with damaged fighters that the Quicksilver needed to offload to a ground depot.
If it is anything like last night’s battle, there are many damaged ships, but it is hard to keep an orbital battle going if one part or another does not wish to remain engaged.”
“Hard to believe they are still fighting up there.”
“Plenty of space on the Warships for spare frames and techs to prep them. Fighters are just expensive ammunition in a battle like that, no different than missiles. Their pilots are what make them valuable, and Mongoose SAR is unmatched among the Clans, has been since our early history. If the AMC lets up Mongoose AeroWarriors would run roughshod over us.”
“Where is your team?”
“Airbase security is likely tight right now. Our shuttle is concealed in a nearby valley.
They will gather information while waiting for a lull in the action to make their move.”
“Hopefully before the Sheriff shows up and separates us.”
“This should have been an easy mission Ranna. Infiltrate via HAHO jump, disguise myself to grab you by force if you were turned, exfil, but now we are stuck here…waiting.
All because of your hunch.”
“Those were ROM agents last night Diana. COMSTAR is planning something, but nobody believes us.”
“Maybe they would if you had stayed, but that bridge is burned. Now we need to think of how we get out of this situation before either of us ends up on the wrong side of a brick wall.
I believe you but if Phelen had not told me how a ROM agent helped him, and the Hounds escape the Bears I would find it difficult as well.
Although it is within my expectations, the Watch would act similarly.”
“How did you end up in the Watch anyhow?”
“Now you want to know more about me?”
“Well, I can’t get any more sleep now that flight ops are underway.” Thrusters howled above them as fighters took off outside.
“My birthmother is a trueborn Scientist of the Pryde bloodhouse. Steel Vipers even though they have relaxed their standards are very strict on trueborns vs freeborns in frontline units, so I already had a demerit and had additionally spent to long with my mother on Tokasha.
I did not test into the primary MechWarrior program instead assigned to an experimental all-female Sibko like our AeroWarriors, which was quickly disbanded and joined with a co-ed Sibko.”
“What happened?”
“There were personality clashes that resulted in cadet casualties far exceeding expectations.
We did not play well with each other as you might say.
Nevertheless, I succeeded in our new Sibko and got a kill in my Trial of Position before Watch recruited me for my other skills. Those were still not sufficient to track down Phelen Kell in Elissa’s badlands though, much to my dismay.”
“You wouldn’t have gotten out if not for him. He said your commander might have done you in on her own.”
“That still doesn’t mean we are friendly with one another.”
“He just takes some getting used to.”
“I would rather coddle cobras.”
“That’s pretty harsh.”
“Just because you and other weak-willed women consider him a rich and handsome puppy dog. A younger version of his playboy uncle doesn’t mean anything to me.
Lieutenant Allard dispenses with all the pleasantries and just gets down to business.”
The door opened to a pair of individuals dressed in dark blue AeroTech jumpsuits and another crouched fiddling who had finished with the lock. “I told you I could get it open Caresh. All these prefabs have the same types of locks.”
“We never doubted you, Mel. now hurry up. We will keep an eye out for the Inquisitor.”
Ranna recognized Diana’s core Watch team, Caresh, Melanie, and Uther. Caresh and Uther kept their hands on the probable Gauss SMG concealed within their tool satchels and eyes low under their caps.
Mel used a master key for Patrol handcuffs to free their hands and passed them water, electrolyte powder, granola bars, and low profile micro-comm earbuds. “We can’t exfil you two yet.
Still too much activity on the tarmac but at least you will be ‘at will’ prisoners until we return.
Min(erva) and Raz(iel) are pulling as much as they can from the comms downlinks but outgoing comms are still locked down so we can’t call for help yet.
Good news is that the Sheriff and his deputies are busy hunting sensor ghosts and dealing with some sensor faults out on the plateau. The Inquisitor is sniffing for saboteurs but has a lot of other tasks on her mind presently.”
Ranna didn’t seem amused by this, “Did we cause these faults?”
“Neg, looks like COMSTAR tricks.”
Even Diana wasn’t certain what to make of it, she clenched her fists, it would be a shoot on sight order if she left this room but her team was in and in comms now so she could assign them the mission. “I don’t think it is a trick, Mel. ROM agents were at the gate last night and tried to kill us. See if Min and Raz can figure it out and keep your eyes peeled. They know we are here and sent that HPG to lure at least one General Wolf to Antares.”
She looked over the Ranna and huffed, “I didn’t want to get involved but since we are in the area of effect, we have to treat them as a hostile force and figure out what they are up to.”
“We’ll update them when we meet up in an hour. Do you have an idea of what they might be planning?”
Ranna lit up with an idea, “Katya said they tried to lure her into damaging the chemical plant like the propagandists said but it never happened. I’ve been there and talked with the security chief, so I know she was telling the truth. They had to carefully edit that reel they released on INN.”
“We will look into it and parse through to find some anomaly.”
Mel pulled out her ruggedized noteputer, "According to the Adder reports no COMGuard units have landed on-world to assist the AMC yet. Most of them are still in orbit around the Dantes.”
“Maybe those transports were meant to pull people out, not land them.
The Two-Twenty Second Division disappeared after Katya refused to take their bait.”
“If they are leaving then they might care what happens on-world.”
A knock at the door signaled time was short, and so was Diana’s patience. They had to move fast while she and Ranna held tight. “We need some kind of evidence that COMSTAR is fighting their own war. See if you can find some.”
“Aff Khan Pryde. We will find something.”
“And Mel if things get bad out there signal Savanna and get clear. Don't come back for us. Ranna and I will find our own way out if we must.”
Mel nodded and set her cap low, eyes on the noteputer as she exited. “We’ll return Diana.”
The door locked behind them as bootsteps were heard on the hard concrete outside.
Five AeroTechs gathered at the paved smoke pit beside the canal exchanging gossip to one another during their 10:00 break period. Within the canal the depth gauges reduced slowly but by the time they finished were noticeable.
If only anyone was looking.
