"Pride Before Destruction", Part 1
- Date: December 28, 3031
- Planet: Basalt
- Location: Aliandros Skyscapes Offices
The elderly man was sitting in front of a video pickup, gloved hands resting in his lap with a cane under his forearms. His voice was firm enough to be caught by the audio feed before him, but did not carry far. Two figures stood behind it, monitoring the recording quietly, a woman and a man in well-fitting grey suits who looked impassively at the equipment screens. A long sigh was heaved by the older man, as a hand lifted to motion. "And that, Madam Kellysson, is why we must come to the serious part of our arrangement. I have long since admired your ability to produce quality goods, but I will not carry Arden Automation equipment designed for installment on BattleMechs. I understand there is a lucrative business in propping up the weapons of war, but please apply to other companies to ship those. If I again find a shipment of actuators rated for an Assault-class chassis, even mistakenly, I will terminate our contract and seek compensation for breach of contract. You knew the stipulations and agreed to them, please follow them."
After the recording equipment powered down, the younger man spoke up. "Are you sure it is wise, sir, to be so blunt-"
"Cyrano, I do not lightly make moves like this." Anthony Aliandros slowly stood, using the cane to leverage himself up and yet walking without much aid on the way to a counter where a decanter and glass waited. As he poured himself a drink, he glanced aside and his expression softened slightly. "She knew the arrangement, and like so many others is pushing the envelope of what she thinks she can get away with. So now it is time to let her know she was caught."
"Fair enough." Cyrano nodded and shrugged a shoulder as Anthony took a drink. "Shall we move to the next message, then?"
"This would be the one to the Reisels?" A snort. "They stiffed me on the meeting, and demanded it be moved again from November to March. Again. If I was sure it wasn't the health issues they cited, I'd be offended." He took a long drink and sighed. "They can wait until I'm there in person. Next."
The woman spoke up and let out a slow breath. "The Harbingers. Your advance for the next year's operations, assuming they're still on task."
"You doubt it, Nicole?" She flinched at his chiding tone, and he glanced over. "Commander Dupree strikes me as a man who will get the task done, and damn the cost in the process. You were with me and Sandoval discussing the Cylene report." He finished his drink, walking back to the chair to sit down slowly. "The man didn't back down, an extraction under an impressive response by the defenders, and then making it out alive."
She pointed at him quietly, the frown deepening. "Not all of his people did."
"Yes." Anthony's eyes unfocused as he thought on it, then finally his gaze snapped to meet hers. "Adamant Dupree is a lot like the mythical titan Ulysses." Her eyebrows drew down in confusion. "He will succeed, and return home. No matter what happens. Lose a ship. Lose the crew. Lose everyone around you. Even, perhaps, dignity. But he will survive." He tapped the cane on the floor. "I do not expect him to succeed easily, but I know deep down he will."
"Very well. The recorder is ready."
He smoothed at the front of his suit jacket, and sighed at his gloved hands. "I swear, the cheaper unit Janus uses is so much more elegant. Sometimes more expensive is simply not an indicator-" He brushed the rest of the thought aside, and pointed at the device. As the recording light came on he smiled thinly. "Commander Dupree, let us discuss where I expect you to be when this message reaches you."
Several minutes later, he watched the light turn off and Cyrano removed a data chip, handing it to Nicole. As she left the room, the device began to whirr as it prepared another blank chip. "One more, sir, before we begin preparations to leave. I believe you had a message meant to be sent off to-"
Anthony let out an aggravated sigh. "Yes. To think all the trouble I went through for this is going to boil down to a poor ending. Nevertheless, they are forcing my hand." He motioned for the message to begin recording, and took in a deep breath. As the light came on he took on a very stern expression. It was time for another unpleasant message, this time to someone he could afford to annoy. "Lord Madeira, I really did expect you to understand my position. Since you seem unable to grasp the limitations I spelled out in my contract, I find myself needing to spell it out for you precisely. I do not lend my ships to deliver, escort, or otherwise enable weapons of war to go from one location to another. Please inform your mistress I will not agree to any special dispensation for your people, no bending my principles for your cause. I have it on good authority the High Lady made this mess, and if she wants my help cleaning it up she will abide by my rules or find someone else to bring goods from the Inner Sphere. I also have it on good authority you will not receive a more favorable offer, so I present to you the following terms..."
- Date: Janurary 12, 3032
- Planet: White Reach, Orenn Continent
- Location: Calderon Firebase, 'Mech Bays
Commander Dupree and C stood overlooking the four new vehicles as they were settled into their proper places following a shakedown test. It was amazing they were able to find all these, considering they ran to the heavier side of combat vehicles, and even more amazing they had been able to afford them. For certain, it was not easy and the head technician had screamed about the liquidation of all their spare parts for the 'Mechs to make this happen. But the vehicle support now was in place and would mesh well with their forces. The Behemoth and Von Luckner Heavy Tanks, Schrek PPC Carrier, and LRM Carrier would serve as proper support for the heavier BattleMechs. After admiring the new paint jobs, he turned to C and noticed his executive officer looking glum. "What is it?"
"I've been having these thoughts-"
Adamant pounced on it immediately, chuckling as he put a hand on the other man's shoulder. "And I told you, it's a new thing to think, but get used to it."
"Sir." C glanced at him in annoyance, and vented a breath. "We're escalating our presence here, and you had me draw up a number of plans which all assume we're in for the long haul. With two Assault-class BattleMechs, a rather rare Heavy-class BattleMechs, and a bunch of brand new or temperamental lighter 'Mechs?" He stood up, and pointed down at the vehicles. "And on top of that, these are all kind of dependent on ammunition."
The commander had a half-smug tone, motioning with a hand. "Not the Schrek."
"Not the point." C mimicked the tone and jabbed his thumb into Adamant's chest. "We had a rough time getting armor materials last year just to piece together our forces, let alone ammunition. The missile carrier alone can blow through a few tons of ammunition in one engagement, the Behemoth and Von Luckner run through every different type we stock, too. If we lose access to a supply we are screwed like a legless Spider."
"Well then it's a good thing I set aside a pool for ammunition and a regular replenishment system. We buy when it's available and that'll work out for us."
"Sir, all our units except the Awesome, the Mongoose twins, and the Schrek use ammunition. I just want you to really stop and consider this fact."
Commander Dupree made a dismissive wave of his hand. "Considered. I'm okay with it. We'll make it, C, have some faith in me. We'll also take ammo off whatever we can break on the field, if it doesn't explode. And we'll use the scrap likewise to replace armor; the crews can practice dismantling the sections into parts they can use." He let out a breath. "So how are the vehicle crews?"
C stared for a moment, then let the subject change stand. "They only identify by numbers, so let's see. Crew Six and Crew Nine are good to go. Crew Thirty-Three are showing a good aptitude for the PPC Carrier, so I think they'll stay there. Crew Eleven, they're a little slow to adapt but give us a week and it'll all work out." He hesitated at a beep, and removed his comm from a pocket to look at it. "We've got a message being downloaded from the HPG station, it's from our employer. Should we maybe see what he has to say?"
"Sure. Send the message to Sassy and Deadeye to meet us in the briefing room in an hour, that'll give us time to review the message first." As they walked away, Adamant nudged C in the ribs lightly. "Lighten up. It's not that bad."
"Yet."
The firebase layout had been left mostly alone, in the core buildings. This meant Adamant and C had to pull jackets tight as they jogged the gravel path towards the command building. They were close enough to the equatorial region there wasn't snow, but it was still cold and windy. Occasionally a dust storm would kick up, which was why there were solar-powered lights planted in the path which would light up once they lost the sunlight. For a week Sassy had the Bannister kids convinced it was secret lostech salvaged from a facility in the Capellan March until C made her drop the charade; Adamant still didn't know where Pryde's Crucible had gotten them, but was very grateful for the crate having been forgotten about in the storage area.
The briefing room, however, he was less grateful for. Cramped and lit only by a two-dimensional screen without trivid capability, it was clearly not meant for general purposes. C had tried to find a means of picking up a display table or something, before coming back with a number ten times what Adamant felt like paying. And so briefings were officers-only for the future as far as they could guess. The maddening part was how the screen interfaced with the communication system perfectly enough to translate into two-dimensional display from a three-dimensional feed, but trying to do standard briefing displays caused it to display test patterns and blinking error codes.
A few minutes later, the message began to play and showed their employer sitting at a table. Anthony Aliandros, owner of Aliandros Starscapes, considered a major part of shipping business through the Federated Commonwealth and beyond. Silently making sure things got from system to system and profiting from using his small fleet of JumpShips and a few DropShips modified to maximize cargo capacity, it was not a glamorous business but it was making some people very rich indeed. The old man began speaking slowly. "Commander Dupree, let us discuss where I expect you to be when this message reaches you." He seemed to consult something off to one side, then resumed speaking. "Your task was to prepare the way for Sandoval's arrival. He should be arriving on the planet surface within the next couple weeks should my calculations be correct. I have authorized the release of another four million C-Bills to your account as discussed, but now I find I must alter our contract very slightly."
C's frown returned, but the message continued unhindered. "There are indications other powers in the Inner Sphere have been drawn to bring their attention to White Reach. I'm uncertain of exactly what each of them are investing in the situation, but data suggests the Lyran arm of the Federated Commonwealth has invested some loyalist unit to the task of pacifying White Reach. To the tune of at least two full companies, verified by my sources. Similarly, the Draconis Combine has invested a significant portion as well - a battalion of units, including ground support. I want you to be on the lookout for these forces, as they will undoubtedly have an intent to seize what I intended Sandoval to protect."
There was a silence, and Anthony's eyes were seen to narrow. "When the time comes, Sandoval will make a move for his objective, and you are to support him in this against any forces in the way. It will be on the Orenn continent, and Sandoval should provide the coordinates once you find contact with him. Until then, I think it best you focus on digging in and ensuring you are prepared to assist him."
The message ended, and Adamant sucked air through his teeth. "Sandoval didn't contact us yet. I'd heard rumors there were Lyrans around, but none of the rest." He sat back in the chair, looking at C quietly. "The Free Worlds League and Capellan Confederation sending people here? That's a long trip. What do you think?"
"I think this is a lot of trouble for ten million."
"C-"
"Sir, you keep me around because I refuse to talk around the problem. And because I can spot a line of crap a kilometer away. This?" He pointed a thumb at the silent screen. "Feels wrong. I've heard of merc outfits being used as advance vanguards, but almost every time they're the ones paying the steep price. We're being pushed into the role even further than before. I don't like it."
"Got other ideas?"
"Seeing what's on the other side of the Inner Sphere sounds good. Maybe we get some jobs in the Magistracy, or the Concordat, away from the big players." C grumbled, turning the chair away, then sighing. "Of course, they can't pay as well." He was quiet for a while, and turned around to point an index finger steadily into Adamant's face. "And you'd never leave the Federated Commonwealth anyway."
Adamant smirked, and shook his head slowly. "Don't be so sure. I mean, I grew up in it, but what's it done for me?"
"Given you 'Mech training, a job, an education so you can add two and two without using fingers. Oh, security and safety from pirates."
"I mean lately."
"They threw a hell of a wedding celebration?"
"Wasn't invited."
"Well, one of the people who was now is going to be giving you a DropShip if we don't screw this up." C poked Adamant in the chest. "So let's not screw this up."
An hour later, the founding members of the Harbingers were in the briefing room watching the video play over the table's flat display. After it finished, Sassy looked like she'd bit into a lemon, and Deadeye had taken on a stony impassive look usually reserved for the battlefield. After the message finished playing, Sassy raised her hand. "So, sir, do we know if anyone else is here looking for this thing we're not being told anything about?"
"I guess there's at least one other force interested in it. Whomever we tangled with in the city." Adamant spread his hands. "But they haven't come looking for us, so it's probably a coincidence."
"Hell of a coincidence."
"These things do happen." Deadeye spoke up, and looked over at Sassy. "Sometimes it's not all connected." He looked back at Adamant. "What's the plan, though? We have anything from Sandoval yet?" At the headshake, Deadeye finally frowned and settled back in his seat. "Since Pryde's people took everything out of the computers here, we're out of reliable intelligence on the area. We're going hunting, aren't we?"
"Pretty much. I know there's probably local habitations nearby, but I have no idea where they are. The plan is to try to spread out and find anything we can use, and that includes potential allies. After the vehicle teams get a chance to get used to the hardware, we're going on patrol." Adamant stood up. "C and I are going to split the Harbingers into two forces, one heading north and the other heading south. A show of force will make it less likely any enemy will make a move, but we'll send two of the scout craft to take a look before we leave."
As the meeting broke up, Deadeye lagged behind to look directly to Adamant. "I have concerns." As Adamant sighed, Deadeye shut the door and sat down again. "First, I think you shouldn't be out in the field with us on these patrols. To put it bluntly, your Atlas is too valuable to risk being caught in an ambush, and I'm sure any other mercenary groups on the planet would love to catch you." He pointed two fingers at his commander, cutting off the reply. "Second, if you were in reserve then you could perhaps move to assist either force caught in a trap and give them a real nasty surprise. So I have a proposal. We use whatever we find from the ultralights to plan our patrols, like you intended. But you stay here until we know more."
Adamant opened his mouth to argue, then hesitated. It was a good plan, and there was a solid reasoning in place. "Good thinking. So now you get to lead one of the patrols." He clapped Deadeye on the shoulder. "I'll let Sassy lead the other one, she can take the Hatchets out for a spin with her." He grinned. "If worse comes to worse, we can always regroup back here and any enemies we find? Can get stomped by a full-force deployment."
"I'm going to hope that won't be necessary."
Characters Appearing
HarbingersCivilians
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