“So the Parrots are stuck trying to crack the second fortress?” Amelia said quietly.
“Aff, they are having problems cutting through the electronics securing the locks on the second Castle Brian.” Harlan answered her.
“It would seem that they failed to adequately scout the computer archives to secure the codes to the second fortress. With the recent attack and issues surrounding it, the archives appear to have suffered severe damage and the archivists are unable to retrieve any data.” Rory followed up on Harlan’s point.
“You boys and girls wouldn’t happen to have those codes, would you?” Amelia asked them with a predatory smile.
“Flynn did, and once we bounced a call to Paradise, he was more than happy to send an encrypted data packet to crack the doors. He also intimated that if we needed additional cracking expertise, he was about a month away.” Harlan said with a softer grin.
“He gets a gold star for being proactive. What do we need to get the place open and the defenders excised?”
“Primary computer access, coupled with a physical intrusion into the facility. One we have access to the computers, we flood the place with all sorts of non lethal solutions that should drive the defending mercenaries out of the facility. Shouldn’t take more than a couple of hours once we get there.”
“Excellent. Harlan, prep the Elementals for Breaching duty. I want this to terrify the mercenaries, and i want to catch the Jade Falcons asleep at their watches.”
“They might start shooting at us.”
“That will be a welcome mistake for them to make. We have reasonably precious cargo on board, and i need the Parrots focused on that, not battering their brains out trying to crack a 250 year old fortress.”
“Aff, I will make the preparations and sort out the drop orders.” Harlan said quietly
“How are you planning on letting everyone know we’re here?”
“Something suitably loud and violent. Avalanche Drop with musical accompaniment?” He gave her the killer’s smile and she thought Harlan might actually be having fun for the first time since they’d met. Harlan was stern, and carried himself with the seriousness of a man who knew he was good at shooting other folks.
“I Like it...Do you still have that funeral dirge?”
“The one with the chanting and those really loud and ugly sounding bells?”
“That’s the one.”
“I’ll blast it from the speakers, and have the Seer broadcast it on all military channels. Should be enough to throw them off kilter while we wreck some mercs.”
“Good...see that it’s ready, we drop in 12 hours.”
Jaxun woke with a start. He really hated being stuck on this planet, but the Keshik would not move until the Castle Brian was compromised and its contents the property of the Jade Falcons. Unfortunately, this Castle Brian used a completely different encryption system and it wasn’t in any of the archives they’d been able to access. That meant they had to go in the hard way, and the slugging match at the doors of the facility favored the mercs. Short of a nuclear device or an orbital strike, the mercs weren’t coming out.
His comm was blinking. It wasn’t supposed to do that. He tapped the button and every elemental in the barracks roused from their sleep. There was music playing through his comm link, a heavy song, wrapped in sadness. The clang of a giant bell punctuated a chorus of voices. What the hell was going on…
“Sir?”
“Something’s happening. Suit up, I’ll rouse the mechwarriors.” Jaxun said quickly. He tried to cycle the comm to another frequency, but this music was playing on all the channels. He also heard it coming from the tech bay, it was playing on all the Mech scale communication arrays. He sprinted towards the housing block where he knew Mackenzie was. She’d be able to rouse everyone else…
“What the fuck is going on?”: Mackenzie said groggily. Her radio had started blaring extraordinarily shitty music. She heard the heavy footfalls of an elemental coming down the hallway. Something was definitely up.
“I think we’re under attack.” Jaxun answered his sister. He triggered the base alerts, but the music was drowning out the klaxons, and the only indicator that something was up were the flashing red light.
“Who in their right mind would be stupid enough to attack us, here?”
“I don’t know, but we need to mount up. Grab as many mechwarriors as you can, grab the mechs that are ready 5 and form a cordon around the Khan. They may be trying to assassinate him to throw the war effort into disarray.”
“What are you going to do?”
“Grab as many elementals as i can, get the techs putting more mechs into service, and see if we can’t re-establish a communication system. Priority is the Khan, then the dropships. We may have to pull offworld.”
“We will not be abandoning this world any time soon.” Luna Hazen interrupted their conversation. “Get to your stations, we are under attack.”
“By who?”
“Currently unknown, they have a communications blackout over the Castle Brian and our base.”
“How?”
“Maybe if we shoot enough of them we can ask.” Luna answered her subordinate.
“Aff, we’ll be in the field in 3 minutes.” Jaxun answered her.
“Get it done.”
They headed in different directions, seeing to their appointed tasks. Mackenzie hopped into the cockpit of her Timber Wolf, and she saw Luna mount up in hers as well. Another trio of mechs signalled they were ready, and the ad hoc star moved into the field. Each had an elemental riding along. Whatever the jamming was, it wasn’t affecting the tight beam laser communications. Each elemental was serving as an auxiliary communication system, and the star could finally communicate.
The scene that confronted them was a horror show. Something had combat dropped directly on top of the Castle Brian. They’d been able to open the drop port doors from the outside and had landed troops directly inside the facility. There were flashes of weapons fire and the external doors facing them were opening up. Battlemechs were exiting the facility towards them, but they weren’t getting far.
Sitting in the doorway of the Castle Brian was a Warhawk of a configuration Mackenzie couldn’t place. That particular mechwarrior was putting on a clinic in precision shooting. Instead of the typical Particle Projection Cannons a Warhawk carried, it was armed with a pair of large pulse lasers in each arm. Whoever he was, he was dropping an enemy mech every time he depressed the firing studs. Mackenzie couldn’t help the feeling she knew that mechwarrior, something about the way he moved.
“Who the hell is that?”
One of the elementals sent him a point to point message which was actually prompted a change in the music. “Get Fucked, Parrots.”
“Identify yourself, or we will open fire on you.” Luna responded.
“You’re welcome to take your very best shot, but you’re outnumbered, and outclassed.” The voice came over the comm.
“Harlan?”
“Hey, Mackenzie, how are you doing?” The voice answered her. With surgical precision, the Warhawk brought down three more mechs that were trying to flee the facility.
“Harlan, what are you doing?”
“Galaxy Commander’s orders, seems like you’re having a problem at sucking at life.”
“Harlan, these aren’t the kind of people to joke about with that.”
“Identify yourself, now.” Luna Roared and targeted the Warhawk with her ER PPCs.”
“I am Star Colonel Harlan Myers, Clan Goliath Scorpion, Delta Galaxy. You can either stand down or you can get knocked down. Choice is yours.” Four more shapes emerged from the depths of the Castle Brian. Two more assault mechs and a pair of heavies were taking up position.
“I know that Victor. Amelia, is that you?”
“Hey, Mac, how’s your brother?”
“You know these people?” Luna messaged her.
“That’s my Aunt Amelia.” She turned back to the radio channel. “Where’s uncle Ivan?”
“Well that’s a funny story. Ivan did something stupid, even for him, and he’s currently in a medically induced coma. When we finish wrapping this up, I have orders from the Ilkhan directly that you are to provide us with medical assistance, or you can deal with the Ilkhan’s wrath, personally. I’m told by my people that we have the Castle Brian under control. You’re welcome.” Amelia was chuckling over the radio. The Scorpions had taken the facility in less than an hour...this wasn’t going to turn out well...
“Harlan, these aren’t the kind of people to joke about with that.”
“Identify yourself, now.” Luna Roared and targeted the Warhawk with her ER PPCs.”
“I am Star Colonel Harlan Myers, Clan Goliath Scorpion, Delta Galaxy. You can either stand down or you can get knocked down. Choice is yours.” Four more shapes emerged from the depths of the Castle Brian. Two more assault mechs and a pair of heavies were taking up position.
“I know that Victor. Amelia, is that you?”
“Hey, Mac, how’s your brother?”
“You know these people?” Luna messaged her.
“That’s my Aunt Amelia.” She turned back to the radio channel. “Where’s uncle Ivan?”
“Well that’s a funny story. Ivan did something stupid, even for him, and he’s currently in a medically induced coma. When we finish wrapping this up, I have orders from the Ilkhan directly that you are to provide us with medical assistance, or you can deal with the Ilkhan’s wrath, personally. I’m told by my people that we have the Castle Brian under control. You’re welcome.” Amelia was chuckling over the radio. The Scorpions had taken the facility in less than an hour...this wasn’t going to turn out well...
No comments:
Post a Comment