"It All Began With..." (Part 9)

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• Date: December 28, 3028
• Planet: Twycross
• Location: Trellshire Heavy Industries

It had been five days since transmitting the request to Trellshire Heavy Industries and working out an agreement to service parts of the Warhammer and get the parts needed to return it to service. In the time since Mikell had left Twycross, apparently someone had begun poking around and discovered the mistake made concerning the BattleMaster. Nobody brought it up, but the negotiations over price and timing were met with a firm resistance and invitations to ask other people for help. And so another two million C-Bills were spent making that Warhammer edge closer to readiness.

He noticed a shorter, stout man approaching with a datapad in hand. "You must be the Priam Company person." He held it out. "Remarkably patient for a merc."

"I was under the impression patience was required if I wanted your help fixing it." Mikell regarded the datapad and reached for his stylus.

"Isn't my job. I work quality control."

"And your opinion of the work so far?"

The other man looked thoughtful, then shrugged. "They should have told you no and sent you back to work with whatever monkeys messed it up."

"I bought it from a salvage yard on Galatea. It was in exactly the shape you folks got it in when I bought it, minus the packing material."

"Yeah, that didn't help. The fibers wound up caught in one of those leg actuators and we had to replace it."

"I'm sorry about that. I would have done some preliminary work, but I'm not too good with tools and I don't have a team."

The other man looked him over for a moment. "I'm not for hire."

"I didn't suggest-"

"You were going to."

"-hiring you, but if you're anywhere near as talented as you sound you'd make a good addition to the roster." Mikell finished slowly. "Could get off quality control."

"Merc work doesn't appeal."

"Quality control does?"

A shrug. "Not being shot at appeals, sure."

"Why is it everyone thinks I am hiring them for the front lines?" Mikell rolled his eyes. "I am planning on picking up other people for that, not DropShip pilots shoved into BattleMechs or given pistols and told to go shoot at tanks. Not technicians who should be working on figuring out repairs instead with a rifle and trudging through mud. I can hire a platoon for that, if I really needed it. And I don't. I need talented people, who can do the work." He shut his mouth and sighed, signing the datapad with the stylus. "Here."

"Thank you. So you're about twice as smart as some of the other merc outfit commanders I've talked to who seem to think knowing how to fix something means knowing how to use it in combat."

"Thanks?"

"Of course, you're about half as smart as most of the others who keep their mouth shut and just deal with everything." He squinted. "So what are you going to do once the Warhammer is fixed?"

"I'm not even remotely close to doing anything other than still building my outfit. I have to get some people hired, and go look for the fourth of a Lance." Mikell frowned, thinking. "Might have to go without."

"And you don't have any tech crews."

"That's part of the hiring I talked about."

"Well." The shorter man shook his head. "I'll talk to you in three weeks after we finish your Warhammer. Quality control is getting boring and stressful, lately. You know they wanted to ship half our output off to the First Regulars?"

"I heard something about it, vague details."

"They're planning on taking back Romulus. And with fresh 'Mechs that means I have people on my back making sure I get them through the process quickly. They also want me to make sure there's no errors. Guess what? Can't do both." He shrugged and turned around. "So in three weeks, I figure I'll have had enough of their crap. Figure out what your pay offer is before then, Commander."

"What's your name?"

"Louis Sands. And we never had this conversation."

"What conversation?"

---

• Date: January 15, 3029
• Location: Salmacis Base, Conference Chamber

The room was still fresh, with the small group around the table fresher still. Mikell looked over at Reginald and Olivia on his right, then over at Louis and Irene on his left. Jade was sitting in the chair across the table, looking as though she wasn't quite certain why she was present at all. Mikell cleared his throat, and nodded to himself. "Okay, this is our first actual meeting to discuss where things are going. You're all essentially officers for Priam Company. Olivia and Reginald are my officers on the forces side."

"Which is kind of weird, because we're practically all the forces." Olivia piped up, drinking her coffee slowly. Mikell glared briefly at her, and she shrugged. "What?"

"Anyway. Jade Denvers is in charge of the technical matters, setting up our computers and getting everything in order there."

The blonde woman nodded, and waved a hand vaguely at the rest of the table. "So please stop breaking them, thank you."

"Aren't we paying you for fixing them?" Olivia muttered, and she got a long stare in return. "What?"

"Do you know how many ways I can have revenge on you? Should I make your comms sound like you swallowed a helium tank?" She sipped from her coffee, and smiled thinly at Olivia. "I write the encoding for that, you know."

Mikell tapped the edge of the table. "Olivia." She muttered into her cup and sat back. "Irene Dreissen is our medical officer, and she tells me the medical team is almost up to readiness."

Irene nodded. "The team is handpicked from the people I have information on, and I'm slowly instructing them on treatments for neurohelmet malfunctions and nerve damage resulting from the more common effects of piloting a BattleMech in a combat situation. I also am instructing them on the sedatives which are fast-acting and can leave no taste difference in coffee." She took a drink, staring across the table at Olivia.

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

"You may want to look into being in your quarters within ten minutes following this meeting. Clear the rest of your afternoon, too."

"Commander?"

"Olivia, this is why I tell you not to be a nuisance to people who can get back at you." He paused. "Irene, please don't dose my officers without telling me?"

Her eyebrow twitched, though she kept her gaze on Olivia. "If I tell you now, does that count?" He shook his head at her. "Don't worry, there's nothing in the cup this time. But in the future I would remember, MechWarrior Garrido, just what we can all do to someone who doesn't show respect."

"Also, I would suggest you don't drink coffee from the Mech Bays." Louis said, stirring at his cup. "We have those coffee makers calibrated very specifically, for a blend I find is remarkably stimulating and not at all something which reacts well with people who don't drink it regularly."

"Louis Sands is going to be our head technician." Mikell said, motioning with his hand. "And he brought over a tech crew from his job at Trellshire. Contacts he has with people working on Hesperus II also has given us some other hires we can hopefully rely on." Olivia and Reginald exchanged glances, then began to applaud slowly, joined after a moment by Irene and Jade.

"I can't tell if this is sarcasm or real."

"If it was sarcasm, we'd be clapping slower." Olivia said softly. "Defiance? Really?"

"I trained under someone there." Louis waved that off easily. "I touched base, and there's a couple people who would like to work for us mercs so long as they get paid. If they can properly fit a gyro without screwing up the balance, then I can use them."

"And we will need them soon. I have a report about some people on Blackjack, concerning a couple BattleMechs they may be able to sell us." There was a shifting from Louis, Reginald, and Olivia. "Oh?"

"You know how hard it is to get your hand on BattleMechs?" Louis looked over. "Are these going to be in the same shape as the Warhammer?"

"I don't know yet. I'm still asking about details, and working exactly what they have on hand. But given the source, I'm inclined to say 'no'. I'm also inclined not to ask too closely about where they got it from."

"Who is going along this time?" Reginald asked quietly. "Because you're not going alone."

"To talk with Ebony Knave? Oh no, not remotely alone." Mikell nodded agreeably. "So I need to find someone who knows BattleMechs and can play the role I need them to. Someone who is flippant but deferential to me when I make a decision, but has no problem questioning others independent of me."

As everyone turned to look at her, Olivia's attention focused back from trying to figure out if her cup had been tampered with. She seemed to be thinking back to what was said before her eyes widened. "Oh no."

"Why, Olivia, thank you for volunteering. We'll start making the plans soon as we have everything ready here. I expect we will leave in a month."

---

• Date: March 2, 3029
• Planet: Blackjack, Vada Continent
• Location: Ebony Knave Salvage Yards, Sales Offices

"You know, I think this is quite a long ways to go just for a single 'Mech." Olivia said softly as she paced the floor. Mikell sat in one of the chairs, browsing data on his pad and trying to ignore her pacing. "Are you sure you want to get one from here?"

"Two jumps isn't far, all things considered. And yes, Corey put me on to this place saying he could find a lot of things here. And he gave me a heads-up it was close and I could probably find what I'm looking for. We're new, don't have an established record yet with the Mercenary Review Board, and I'm expecting we'll have someone try to sell us something we don't want by trying to get us to think we want it. Stick to the plan, Olivia."

"I'd rather stick to a bar somewhere."

"Also, stop drinking so often, it dulls the reaction time."

"I can stop any time I want, and I don't go to bars to drink." She smirked. "I go to try to convince people to drink PPCs." An infamous concoction, four shots of whatever grain alcohol the local bar had plus one of Peppermint Schnapps from Tharkad. Reginald once said it was the easy way to tell a rookie from a veteran; veterans rarely drank it, but rookies believed the trivid fiction which made it seem like the drink of choice for MechWarriors.

Louis had opined it was more fun tricking people to drink it at the bar while watching Solaris VII recordings of BattleMech combat. "The fun part is, they want to prove they're every bit as macho as they think their hero gladiator is and will do any dumb thing. Want to know the most fun I've had? Tricking a guy into drinking an Eight-Queue Challenge. No, that's not eight of those things, that's named after the Awesome BattleMech. Three PPCs on it, so you drink three of them in rapid succession, then three more, and then two before you stop." He'd laughed. "They never make it past the second round."

Mikell stood up as two people entered the waiting area, drawing Olivia's attention. "Good afternoon, sir, madam." The speaker was a woman with short black hair, her demeanor unhurried as she approached with a friendly smile. She was dressed in a sharp grey suit, accompanied by a young man with black hair slicked back from his face and looking almost bland. He was dressed in a looser-fitting jacket, matching the same fabric as the woman and left open while his tie was held in place with a circular tack. A glance between Olivia and Mikell shared the same thought with just the eyes; this was a bodyguard as well as an assistant. She continued, hands pressed together before her. "I'm sorry for keeping you waiting."

"It's quite all right. Given the budget we sent you, I would have forgiven you not seeing us at all." Mikell nodded. "I'm Mikell Sethan, this is my associate Olivia Garrido." Olivia bowed her head slightly, tilting it to one side at how the assistant's eyes followed her motion.

"Susanna Brighton. This is my assistant, Mister Jackson."

"Are you sure it's not Johnson?" Olivia asked quickly, and the assistant's eyebrows twitched. "That's usually the name we get."

"Jackson, not Johnson." He said, deep voice annoyed.

Susanna sighed, and her eyes dismissed Olivia's intrusion quickly so she could focus on Mikell. "I have three units to show you today, all of which fall into your budget. Recently liberated from a Draconis Combine unit who didn't understand where the borders were."

"They're perfectly capable of understanding, they just keep drawing them in the wrong places." Mikell said back, drawing a smirk and nod from Susanna. "I know your time is valuable, let's move to the field shall we?" The foursome walked along another corridor, Mister Jackson taking up the rear despite Olivia trying more than once to stop and check pockets or 'tie her boot laces'. The annoyed look on his face had darkened considerably by the time they emerged into a glass-enclosed room with a handful of plastic chairs affixed to the floor.

Standing on the field were the three BattleMechs, and Mikell glanced them over as he checked his memory of what these should be. Given the small stature and slim construction of the one, along with only one visible weapon on the right arm, told him this was possibly a Stinger. The next one in line was taller, heavier in construction with a shoulder-mounted autocannon, but the size of it had Mikell think for a moment before pegging it as a Shadow Hawk. The last in line was only slightly taller than the first, but its right arm ended in the laser weapon and the left torso had a blast door concealing a missile launcher of some sort. That was what he was looking for, he was pretty sure, a Valkyrie.

"We'll demonstrate for you three models we think the budding mercenary outfit can really use." Mister Jackson was saying, Susanna more intent on watching the field at the moment. He touched a spot on his lapel where a barely-visible comm pickup was placed. "Mechwarrior Drummond, please begin the demonstration."

The first 'Mech stepped forward, and braced itself before jets fired from its back. Three metal containers had been placed on the field, painted with target rings, as Drummond sighted along his arm and fired as soon as he landed. The laser went slightly wide, but two barely-visible apertures on either forearm showed muzzle flashes briefly as machine guns opened up. This time the whole of the target ring was painted with a broad swath of hits. Olivia nodded after a moment, glancing to Mikell but saying nothing.

"The STG-3R Stinger is a fairly light BattleMech but it is a valuable asset for most beginning outfits." Mister Jackson folded his hands in front of him as he spoke, nodding out to the field. "It isn't heavily armed, but for its size it has six standard Jump Jets and General Motors 120-rating engine allows it to be quite maneuverable. The armament consists of one medium laser and two machine guns, making it capable against most softer targets such as enemy vehicles or foot infantry."

"Because we expect to be fighting a lot of those." Olivia put in, shaking her head. "It's nice, but we might need something a little better-armed for the weight." Mikell was almost proud about how she was leading him along.

Mister Jackson, for his part, seemed to expect this, nodding and touching the comm unit again. "MechWarrior Drummond, please leave the range. MechWarrior McNeil if you wouldn't mind?" The other smaller 'Mech moved forward. "Then I present to you a rare opportunity at something from across in the Federated Suns. The VLK-QA Valkyrie."

This 'Mech also fired its jump jets, not getting the same distance but lining up a shot and landing it closer to the center of the target before letting the missile launcher show - and not fire. Susanna's eyes narrowed and she glanced to Mister Jackson. "My apologies, it seems we have yet to finish system checks since we acquired it."

"Quite all right, these things happen." Mikell nodded, smiling amiably. "Tell me about it, all the same?"

"Right." Mister Jackson cleared his throat. "The Valkyrie comes from Federated Suns factories on New Avalon, and is not quite as fast as the Stinger. It trades some of the speed so it can have the long-range missile launcher you saw, as well as the medium laser built into the right arm. Five Norse Industries 3S Jump Jets and its Omni 150 engine allow it to retain a still-respectable amount of maneuverability, and many units in the Federated Suns field this instead of the Stinger."

"And what's good for the ol Davion try is good for us?" Olivia tilted her head one way and then the other. "I don't know, the problem with the launcher is something to consider. We could have our tech work on it, of course, but I would rather buy something which is fully functional."

"I understand completely, and we did save the best for last." Mister Jackson tapped his comm again. "MechWarrior McNeil, please step back to the ready area. MechWarrior Morrow, please prepare to demonstrate your 'Mech." The largest BattleMech stepped forward, and Mister Jackson began speaking again. "The SHD-2H Shadow Hawk is a very dependable machine with an assortment of weapons to cover any engagement distance. For longer ranges it is armed with a Class Five Autocannon and a five-shot long-range missile launcher - both mounted in the body." The 'Mech stopped well short of where the other two machines had, and opened fire on the last target. This time, the weapon fire was more accurate and Olivia pursed her lips in modest approval. "For shorter-range engagements, it is armed with a two-tube short-range missile launcher affixed to the side of the head and a medium laser in the right arm." The Shadow Hawk quickly moved into motion, sprinting up to the same distance the Stinger and Valkyrie had fired from to demonstrate its weaponry - one of the short-range missiles struck as the medium laser impacted where the autocannon had struck and burned a hole through the metal.

"This is MechWarrior Morrow. All weapons fire concluded." Mikell fought the reaction down to show surprise, thinking for a moment. This pilot was probably their best shot, and this was being staged for their benefit. Naturally they'd allow him to speak and show pride, though the voice didn't seem to have much satisfaction in it. It sounded as merely an acknowledgement of the test having finished.

Olivia clapped, despite herself. "At least this gentleman can hit the target. And it moves fairly quickly as well?"

"Yes, comparable speed to the Valkyrie. It has a Core Tek 275 engine, manufactured on New Avalon much like the Valkyrie, and is equipped with a trio of Pitban LFT-50 Jump Jets."

"Remarkable indeed." Mikell looked at Susanna. "I believe I have seen enough, shall we talk pricing?"

"Of course." She nodded, and motioned. "Please, this way to my office." As they walked, Olivia seemed to be thinking as well, glancing at Mikell who simply gave a small shake of the head. They were going to stick to the plan.

The office was tasteful, Mikell would say, except for the large potted plants in either corner. He suspected there would be audio pickups there, hidden behind the large leaves. As she seated herself at the desk, she looked to Mister Jackson. "Please fetch our guests some water?"

Olivia frowned, glancing at the assistant as he walked to some cabinets to one side. "Only water?"

"Oh yes, never drink when money is involved of the sums we'll be discussing." Susanna chirped happily. "Don't you agree, Mister Sethan?"

"Oh I do. So let's start with the Stinger?"

"The Stinger is our budget option, of course, and will run you one point five." She pulled up a file on a datapad before handing it over for him to read. "Naturally, we will supply you with all paperwork to have it transferred to your outfit with all due haste should you choose to purchase it."

"One point five is a bit steep for a well-used unit. It says here this particular model has been in service for three hundred years?"

"The extra value is for the charm of an antique, then?" Olivia took her water and studied the label before sipping it. "Flat water, not sparkling?"

"We're not that fancy here, dear." Susanna said offhandedly in reply, almost dismissively as she focused on Mikell. "The extra value is because we have ensured the hip actuators have not been damaged due to, let's say, improper maneuvers."

"The jump-kick." Olivia put in. "I've seen people try that, for style points. Never ends well."

"Indeed." Susanna acknowledged her with a glance, but continued speaking to Mikell. "Such maneuvers put a lot of stress on the leg assemblies, especially the hip. If done improperly, it can cause the connection to be subjected to more stress than it can take and the actuator will shear apart. We certify such damage has not happened to these units, but the tests and labor can be expensive."

"You can't just look and tell the actuator's intact?"

"No. It could have simply been reaffixed rather than rebuilt, the proper procedure to prevent any unfortunate equipment failure on the battlefield."

Mikell held up his hand. "Moving on? Is the file here for the Valkyrie?" She nodded and tapped one corner, causing the display to change. "Ahh, and this one is billed at one point seven."

"Yes, well, this one would be higher if it weren't for it being salvaged off the Combine forces. This means it also was salvaged off a battlefield against the Federated Suns." She glanced at her own copy. "Ah, yes, on Ozawa in fact. Charming. Nevertheless, that manner of acquisition tends to be rough on the chassis and we are more than fair with our pricing it to seventy-five percent the value of a new unit."

"That's not seventy-five, that's seventy-seven, and new units wouldn't be sold by you but by Corean Enterprises." Mikell said softly, reading. "And the problem with the missile launcher will also need to be inspected, meaning we will lose money having to handle that."

"Did I say seventy-five percent?" Susanna's voice remained sweet, but she twitched in a way Mikell knew he'd hit the mark. She definitely had not expected him to be aware of the math on the value. "I'll drop it to sixty-eight percent then, and call it one point five. In apologies for the equipment malfunction, we will also see about removing the defective launcher entirely."

"So you knew it was defective, or are you assuming that's the case?" Olivia asked, and this time Susanna simply stared at her steadily for a long moment.

"Enough, Olivia." Mikell looked to her, and tapped the same corner again without prompting. "And we get to the Shadow Hawk, your prized sale, yes?" He glanced at the numbers and data. "Two hundred years in service, how nice. But the Combine tends to favor the 2K model over this one, which is good for me. I think the 2K is more of an underarmed Griffin. I think this is another twice-salvaged unit, and I'm betting if I put this serial number into a search with ComStar they'd tell me it was built on Orestes to Odin Manufacturing."

Mister Jackson cleared his throat. "I beg your pardon, but Orestes is a Combine world."

"Was. We took it recently." Olivia tilted her head back a bit to look at him. "I don't know how you missed it, there was a big media production about the successes of the war."

Mikell looked at her, and shook his head slowly. "It was two hundred years ago, Olivia, as I'm sure our host will feel free to point out." Susanna smiled and nodded, as Mikell looked back to her. "But it wasn't. It was still in the Tamar March two hundred years ago, so this was Lyran-made and salvaged. Then salvaged back. So the price of three point five is a bit high for what you agreed was seventy-five percent."

"Mister Sethan-"

"It is also, unfortunately, outside our budget for this year." He cut her off, and flipped the datapad to display the Valkyrie. "However, we will buy the Valkyrie for one point nine and you will replace the launcher with a working unit before we take possession of it. If that is agreeable, Miss Brighton?"

Her face had stopped being warm and inviting, but she still smiled as she took the datapad back. "Yes, I think it will be. And I shall investigate the error in records you pointed out, Mister Sethan, to see if it really is a twice-salvaged unit. Is that satisfactory?"

"Of course it is, but the Shadow Hawk is - as I said - off the table for now." He stood up, Olivia standing as well. "Thank you for your time, the Valkyrie will be ready in one week?"

"Yes, thank you for your business." Suzanna held out her hand, and Mikell shook it. "I did not expect you to be quite so difficult to bargain with."

"I? Difficult?" He feigned shock. "Madam, I paid over your requested price and helped you identify an error in your records which should be corrected. My, if this is difficult then I will have to see to it I am much better for you when I next return. I'll be sure to let Corey know to pass along my apologies for being so troublesome."

As they left the office, Olivia let out a breath. "You overpaid."

"They were trying to sell us the Shadow Hawk, not the Valkyrie. Stick to the plan, Olivia, and don't get distracted. By playing hardball for the Shadow Hawk they were set to argue on that one, but we really wanted the Valkyrie in the first place. I'm lucky it was so easy, though we'll have to have Louis do a long maintenance shift on it once it arrives on Twycross."

"And bottled water? Really?" She looked at the bottle again. "Do they think we're on the Periphery or something, to be impressed by water? And look at the brand-"

"Yes, yes, I noticed too. Not very imaginative to call it Aqua Marine, but I would hazard a guess it is indeed seawater having the salt and traces removed so it's freshwater instead. Focus, Olivia. We've got a long way to go before you get your Warhammer."

"If you keep overpaying, we might not be able to afford it."

Mikell smiled at her, and folded his hands before him. "Patience, Olivia, and watch me manage it."

"If you do that, I'll dance naked on the surface once we get back."

He chuckled. "You are so lucky I won't hold you to that."