| abstract
| - By David Wainio Lieutenant Colonel John Linna looked around the table as he took a brief pause in his summation of the unit’s current status. To his left MechWarriors Major Gracie Aukland and Captain Sven Jorgenson were listening to him but happened to have their eyes cast downward as they studied details of his report on their datapads. To his right, armor Captain Ben Runeburg and infantry Captain Karl Fosters where both looking directly at him, expectantly waiting for John to continue. AeroSpace Major Jeffery Tapiovarra and VTOL Captain Jennifer Laidie were across the table from him, one making notes into a small computer and the other rolling a stylus absently between two fingers but alert and following their CO’s words. Captain Osmo Woods was standing behind John preparing to make his presentation while John’s sister, currently flagged as a Lieutenant, sat next to Jennifer across from the Lieutenant Colonel. Holly Linna was doodling on the tabletop with her writing stylus. Boredom cascaded off of her slumped form as she made a silent show of how little she cared about her brother’s summation. “So that’s our status as I see it,” John continued as he frowned slightly at Holly. “Our helicopter and armor forces faired very well. We only lost one VTOL and one tank – and the tank was from a mechanical problem we should be able to fix now that we’ve made planetfall. Discounting the walking wounded our ground troops are at 82% active. But remember that over half of those are home guard sections that we usually keep back on Sampsa for security. I’m not sure how much longer we can keep them away from their normal duties considering what we’re potentially facing. While we only lost one of our six AeroSpace fighters our ‘Mech status has taken a pounding. With Basem and Naoko gone we’re down their two ‘Mechs. Add the two we lost as casualties that puts us down one third from our starting baseline. Lieutenant Linna’s remaining three free-lancers all took heavy damage but between what we salvaged and can trade for here getting both our and her machines on line shouldn’t be much of an issue. Pilots will be tougher though. Gracie won’t be able to pilot for a while yet, putting us down four pilots total. That League pilot we rescued from Yu-shan has asked to join our unit but we haven’t had time to check his history out yet. If we had to we could fight again fairly quickly…but we’ll need a refit period before we can launch a real attack of any sort. However, I’m not sure if launching an attack is an option at this point. Captain Woods, if you would please.” Osmo flicked on the large flatscreen monitor mounted on the wall and activated his electronic pointer as he indicated various photos, charts, and data lines while speaking. “Thank you Sir. Before we start, I wish to formally remind everyone present that the following information is secret and not to be discussed with others. As a few of you already know we have completed our evaluation of the data gathered from Yu-shan. We have used that information, interrogation results, earlier data from the Blitzkrieg attack and Hamano battle, and other investigations to gain an understanding of the big picture. My conclusion is that everything that has befallen us since Hamano and up to the Yu-Shan attack is related to a Inner Sphere spanning extortion and terror scheme for profit that is headed by one man. Except for the Clan scuffle with the Nova Cats- that was a chance encounter.” Osmo paused briefly to hit a button that brought up an image then continued. “On the screen now is a recent public relations shot of Edward Miller, Chairman of the Rold Investment Group. The Rold Group is an interstellar investment and holding company that essentially owns and controls other businesses. Miller has been using money and influence for decades to cause brush wars and stage pirate raids that created climates in which his companies could generate extra profit. He has also bankrolled pirates and hired mercenaries to attack his economic foes, and it was just such an operation we stumbled into back at Hamano. It was also he who hired the Blitzkrieg Company to attack us on Sampsa and hired the assassin group that has made several attempts on the Lieutenant Colonel’s life. Additionally it was Miller who was the money behind the kidnap attempt against Sandi Linna.” Osmo paused to take in a breath and Captain Ladie seized that moment to interject a question. “So after you guys messed up his plans at Hamano,” she wanted to know, “why has he been hounding the Warders so hard? I’d think that a guy who has been cagey enough to pull off this kind of crap for years would have just chalked up Hamano as a loss and moved on. The more he came after us, the more likely we would figure out who was dogging us and go after him.” A slight smile creased Osmo’s face as he turned to look over at the VTOL leader. She was pretty quick on the uptake. It seemed that she had also taken to thinking of the Warders as “we” even though her helicopter company had come into the picture after Hamano. Jennifer Ladie was somewhat right but she didn’t have the full picture yet. “Under most circumstances I would agree with you, “ answered Woods. “Normally it would be smarter to lay low and write off your losses. But in Miller’s case he had a piece of back history with the Linna family that changed the equation. He knew that the Lieutenant Colonel was a rich and powerful man who had spent a great amount of time and effort searching for his lost sister and who had taken over a mercenary outfit with the goal of finding the pirates that had attacked the Starcade. Miller was afraid of what our Commander might already know and what he might be planning. Around ten years ago Chairman Miller had been trying to start a war between Sampsa and the Andurien Duchy. He helped fund and organize the peace movement that placed all those Sampsa delegates on the Starcade and then hired the pirates that attacked it and killed those same delegates. He was the one most responsible for the Starcade massacre and Miller undoubtedly worried that when our Lieutenant Colonel found the pirates, he would find Miller. Which is exactly what has happened.” For the first time in over forty minutes Holly Linna was paying attention as a shocked silence swept through the meeting room. The butcher of the Starcade finally had a name and face. “So let’s go kill the bastard,” Holly announced firmly into the silence. “I’m afraid that it’s not going to be that easy,” sighed John. He nodded towards Osmo to continue. “Miller lives on Drayson in the Free Worlds League,” explained Woods. “Drayson is within the Andurien Duchy and the Duchy has always had spotty relations with House Marik and with the Sampsa government. His place of work is a state of the art office building with extremely good security measures. It appears that we have him worried. Not only does he have his corporate security types and the Drayson planetary militia to hide behind, he has hired an entire regiment of Wolf’s Dragoons. They are on station at Drayson as we speak. Gamma Regiment to be exact.” “With all due respect Sir,” said Sven into the quiet that followed Osmo’s second bombshell, “there’s no way we can take on those kinds of odds and win. Even at full strength we barely rate a full regiment with all the companies combined. The Dragoon’s Gamma probably has more heavy and assault BattleMechs than we have tanks and VTOLs put together. And that’s not counting the local militia who will probably have something to say about us dropping in unannounced on their planet.” Gracie cleared her throat to gain everyone’s attention. She shared Sven’s opinion of their odds but was unwilling to leave John hanging in the wind unsupported. “Well, the Dragoons are Clan-spawn. Maybe we can use some sort of ritual combat set up to reduce the odds,” she ventured trying to sound certain of the idea. John nodded at Gracie to acknowledge her attempt at support then locked eyes with Sven as he answered. “No, Lawman here is absolutely correct,” John watched the tension drain a bit from the huge MechWarrior’s frame. “There will be no ‘I’m going in and whoever dares can follow’ speech from me this time. They’re too big and too good for us to tackle on a planet like Drayson. It just can’t be done with a unit our size.” “I hate to suggest this,” offered Captain Fosters, “especially after the casualties they suffered infiltrating Yu-shan. But maybe we could sneak First Platoon in dressed in civvies and take care of this Miller guy quietly.” John was somewhat surprised that his infantry commander had made such a suggestion. Not that John hadn’t already worked up a few scenarios with Osmo regarding just that thought. It was just that Karl was about the last person he would have expected to suggest a black op to assassinate Miller. “It’s an option,” John admitted, “but the risk is very high and I’m not ready to turn any part of the Warders into an assassination squad.” “I take it a legal solution is out of the question?” asked Captain Tapiovarra. “Possible but unlikely. Little if any of our evidence will stand up to courtroom maneuvering within the League Stellar Court system. Plus Miller will have the best barristers available. In the meantime he’ll be free to continue with assassination or kidnapping attempts against us,” John replied. “Legally he’s almost untouchable.” “Then what do you suggest oh Great Leader,” snapped Holly in frustration. The others present glared at her for her tone. She was not part of the Warder command team and was only present as a courtesy as she was a directly involved party. “Well,” breathed John slowly, “Osmo and I have been going over a few things and I think with some luck we can make a deal…” “Make a deal!” exploded Holly as she shot up from her seat. “That rat bastard killed our parents and you want to make a deal with him! I cannot believe what a sniveling coward you are. Just because some jumped up Dragoons….” But Holly’s shrill voice was over-ridden by the deeper rumble of her brother as he rose from his seat to return her glare. “You are junior in rank here and a guest to boot. I suggest you sit down and be quiet long enough to hear…” But Holly just raised her own voice even higher. “I am done listening to your crap. I survived for years on my own in hell holes you wouldn’t last a day in. If you don’t have the guts to deal with Miller then I know who does. Me!” With that she slammed her notebook computer down on the table and stormed out the door. Gracie rose from her seat in one fluid motion despite her inured foot, the outrage clear on her face. “I swear I am going to pound some sense into that girl personally this time….” “Gracie,” John said quietly. She paused halfway to the door to look back at him. “Let her go. I pretty much expected something like this.” John pulled out a small communicator and opened the channel. “Sergeant Cascade?” “On line and in position Sir,” snapped back the crisp response. “My sister should be storming towards you right about now. Have your people follow her but stay out of her way until she cools down. However under no circumstances is she to use any communications devices or be allowed to leave the station. Should she attempt either you may use any means short of lethal force to place her under arrest for security violations.” “Understood Sir. Bronski and Harper are on it. We’ll keep her contained until you call us off.” “Thank you Sergeant.” John turned his attention back to his command staff. There were uncomfortable looks on most everyone’s faces mixed with surprise at the orders they had just overheard. John took a moment to breath deeply and exhale his anger. His could still feel a quiver in his muscles but he forced his voice to a calm and measured tone. “My apologies for the outburst. Although I can sympathize with her feelings, as you all have noted I will not tolerate anyone’s actions endangering Warder personnel – even my own sister. If necessary she will be confined to ensure security. And I have to admit, the thought of coming to any sort of agreement with Miller makes my stomach heave. But I can’t see any reason to loose more good people if I don’t have to and hopefully it will be the Free World’s League intelligence folks I’ll be cutting a deal with. If that won’t work I’ll try his own Board of directors to try to end run him. But the League intel types should be eager to see the data we have on Miller’s involvement with the Andurien revolt and it’s possible that we might have something else of high value to House Marik available to us as well. But a quick side trip will be required to see if what we have is of any value to House Marik. Most of the unit will stay here for some R & R while we’re gone.” Major Aukland had been close to John long enough to know that ‘we’ would mean ‘him’. “Please don’t tell me you’re leaving me here to drown in paperwork while you go haring off across the cosmos,” pleaded Gracie. “I’m afraid so Mother Goose,” grinned John apologetically. “And see about doing some horse trading while I’m gone. Try to score us some functional ‘Mechs from the planetary militia in my absence.” “I don’t know anything about salvage exchanges,” complained Gracie. John just shrugged. “As XO then it’s time you learned. I’m sure Sergeant Harding can be a big help in that department. And don’t look too smug over there Sven. You’re in charge of training so you’ll be staying too.” “May I ask who you are planning on taking with you?” Karl Fosters wanted to know. “My sister for one - even if I have to wrap her in strapping tape and carry her through the airlock. I can’t risk her running off and doing something that will endanger my plans or get herself killed. I’ll need a pilot and maybe a crewperson or two for that executive DropShip we captured. It’s going to be our ride for this trip.” “I can handle that,” smiled Jeffery Tapiovarra. “Don’t be so quick to volunteer,” warned John. “If you go it’s likely that you’ll have to stay with the Warders rather than return to General Harrisburg and the Sampsa Defense Force. We might not be sharing our find with Sampsa.” Jeffery just smiled and waved off his warning. “Like I could make myself return to a desk after having a ship under my command – much less an entire areospace wing. I’m afraid you’re stuck with me Lieutenant Colonel. Besides, I was always a sucker for a good mystery. Sisu Sir – I’m in. I’m sure most of the aerospace pilots feel the same way if you want to take a fighter escort.” “Thanks, I’ll keep that in mind. The only other personnel I’ll need are a few zero-G trained folks.” Sven snorted in amusement. “Then it sounds like our ‘special mission specialist’ Jason Nellson is in for another secret trip.” “I figured I might ask him,” admitted John. “I can’t let you in on specifics because frankly I don’t know what might be out there. But we have some coordinates to an uninhabited system that might be Star League related and if there’s anything of value at all out there then I figure I can get some action out of League military intel. It might take a while, but one way or another Miller is going down.” Murmurs began around the table as people made quiet comments to those next to them. Everyone wanted to know more of what the LC might have in mind but knew that they had heard all they were going to hear. John stood and all the others jumped to attention. “That will be all for now. Company Leaders can start working out rotations for shore leave. The Suomi Warders will be staying here for at least a month, maybe two. Now if you will all excuse me, I believe I have an appointment with my sister.” John approached the doorway where Sergeant Cascade stood leaning casually against the hallway wall. His sister had stayed on the grav deck after storming from the meeting and wandered aimlessly for a while before entering a conference area and breaking the latch on one of the thin doors to get into one of the modular rooms. A small waiting niche with two chairs – one over turned – and a small table with it’s potted plastic plant laying on the floor nearby was across from the door. There was no need for him to ask the Sergeant if his sister was still inside. A wrenching crack sound from behind the door indicated she had managed to break something within. “The furniture is all dura-mold,” observed Sammi Cascade. “I’m impressed that she managed to break some of it.” “Is she armed?” John wanted to know. “She’s got her belt knife. Maybe another hidden someplace. She might have just made a club as well,” opined Cascade, all business now. “Do you want me to go in and subdue her?” “No, it wouldn’t really help in the long run. It’s finally time the two of us hashed some things out I guess. I saw Bronski at the intersection I came from. You have the other side marked too?” “Harpers got it,” nodded Cascade. “We can keep any station security types at bay for a while if your family discussion gets a little noisy Sir.” “Thanks. Here, hold this stuff for me if you would,” said John as he unbuckled his holster belt and offered it to the Sergeant. Both his side arm – the ancient slug thrower of his grandparent- and the tanto knife Naoko had given him hung from it in their respective holsters. He then took his uniform jacket off and handed that over as well before undoing the Lieutenant Colonel’s insignias from his shirt collars. Cascade took the items with care, gazing down at the insignia tabs in her palm for a moment before closing her hand over them. For what John figured was the first time in the years he had known her, Samantha Cascade looked a bit embarrassed. “I’m sorry it had to come to his Sir. I had thought she would come around and understand.” “Thanks Sammi. I know you feel a kinship for her with your similar experiences. But you had several years of loving care from a kind couple and the stoic friendship of the tribal people to help you regain your perspective. Holly and I don’t have the luxury of time. After Miller is dealt with the healing can begin. Until then, I’ll just have to shoot for reluctant cooperation.” With that John slipped into the room with all of the caution befitting a man entering a lion’s den or rattlesnake mound. He saw that the floor space was open in the middle as she had tipped up the conference table and used it like a battering ram to push most of the chairs across to the other wall in what must have been a most satisfying crashing sound. It was a wonder that station security hadn’t responded already. His sister was pacing back and forth across the far end of the room. “You!?,” she demanded. “What the hell do you want?” “To talk some sense into you,” he responded quietly. There was one chair that remained close at hand after her table sweep. She snatched it up and threw it at him snarling “just get the hell out of here”. He side stepped out of the way and it clattered off the sound cushioned wall. “Not this time Holly,” he informed her. “I’ve been giving you room and giving you room hoping you’d come around. But we’re done with that. We need to settle some things.” “The only thing I need is for you to call off Cascade and her goon squad so I can finish the business I started at Circinus. Now get out of my way, I’m leaving.” “No,” he replied firmly and stepped between her and the door to emphasis his statement. Holly balled her fists with a predatory smile on her face. She could feel the rage now. It had sputtered now and again- the rage that was her constant friend melting under the compassion offered by others. But now it was roaring in full fury, ready to be channeled as it had always had before her brother showed up and started confusing her with his stupid plans and promises. The anger needed release and she was more than pleased to vent it towards him. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you brother dear,” she snarled before suddenly charging him. He had been expecting something like this by her stance and fists. She threw a right handed roundhouse, fast and with good power, as she closed in. But she had telegraphed the strike all the way and John was able to step inside her attack and block it without a problem. Being taller, he was able to bring a knee up and catch her in the stomach driving the wind out of her and forcing her to back up. He gave her a little push with his free hand to make sure a little space opened up between them. “Now if you’re ready to listen…” he started as calmly as he could manage. “Always…the same…” she spat as she sucked in breath. “Always your way…other people…that have to listen. I’m done with listening.” That pulled John up short. She had a point. She had never really indicated she was ready to talk – but maybe he had never really stopped to listen hard enough. “Okay, I’m listening then. I’d like to try to understand your perspective.” She looked at him in mild surprise, but none of the fury had drained from her eyes. “My perspective?” Holly scoffed. “You want to know my perspective? My perspective is that my two brothers left me for dead after I was kidnapped and raped and then I lost my only friend escaping from the pirates to the hell hole I spent my childhood in. My perspective is that I managed to lie and steal and kill my way back to a chance to pay back the rat bastards that ruined my life while you lived in luxury and got married and had a kid. I had learned never to trust but then you suddenly re-appeared with promises of helping avenge our parent’s death and I started thinking that maybe you were good on your word. But I eventually find out you see yourself as some sort of Knight in Shining Armor do-gooder. Hero of the Starcade and CO of the saintly Suomi Warders and all that crap. Like I fool I continued to trust you anyway. And my trust is rewarded with my big bad-ass MechWarrior brother deciding the game’s too rough and he wants to buy his way out and make a deal. It’s all just money to you isn’t it mister big shot. After all, C-Bills are thicker than blood huh?” “Are you through?” he asked coldly as he struggled to keep his own fury in check. “Through? I’m just starting ! You got Leena killed and then steal the rest of my lance so I’m all alone then trap me on this stupid station so you can play your money games. What’s wrong with you – don’t you care about anything except yourself? Don’t you care about what happened to our parents? About what happened to me?” “I got Leena killed?” exploded John. “Do I care? Do you know how many Warder people have died trying to find you? Do you know? Thirty seven Holly. Thirty seven people I knew, people that worked for me, have died in missions I took trying to find you. Do you want to know their names? I can recite them all for you…” “I don’t care what their friggen names were,” she screamed, breaking into his response. “That’s right,” he growled back. “You don’t care about anything or anyone do you? Not even yourself. Well I don’t have the luxury of working that way Holly. I don’t have the solace of telling myself that I don’t care. Mom literally died in my arms Holly. I found her and the others shot to hell and bleeding their life away. Dad laid on top of her – he must have tried to shield her from the bullets with his own body. With her husband dead in her embrace and blood bubbling from her mouth as she coughed her eyes focused and recognized who I was as I touched her cheek. She only said two words before she died. Two words. You want to know what they were?” Holly had closed her eyes and clutched her hands over her ears against the imagery that was blossoming in her mind. She had not seen the devastation. She had already been dragged away. But her mind had made a picture of the scene anyway. She didn’t want this extra detail adding to the horrors that were already of her own devising. But John was past the point of no return. He’d only ever told one other person what his mother had said. Holly became the second. “Find Holly!” he barked at her. “Her last words were to find you. You were her world Holly, the little girl she always wanted. I tried…” “STOP IT!” shouted Holly as she launched herself sobbing at John. “Just…stop!” This time she caught him off guard and the two off them bounced off the walls in a tangle of elbows and fists then stumbled across the floor. Holly struck out repeatedly in blind anger while initially John responded with the same – releasing his own pent up fury as they pummeled each other with strong but untargeted blows. Survival instincts cut in within John as the rasp of a blade leaving it’s scabbard kicked in his training. His hand clamped around the wrist controlling the knife in Holly’s hand almost before he thought about it and the wild struggle of knees and elbows became a focused one of controlling the knife. Outside the door, Major Aukland started to step forward as Holly’s demand to ‘stop’ was followed by the sounds of struggle. Not long ago and topside by two levels Sven had tried to wave her off, but she had ignored the huge MechWarrior and followed John down here anyway. Preoccupied, he had not noticed. Sergeant Cascade was a different matter however. Worried about what was going on in that room or not, the Sergeant placed a hand forcefully on Gracie’s sternum and pushed back against the Major. It was the first time Gracie could remember Sammi Cascade ever touching her. “I’m sorry Ma’am. But I can’t allow it. His orders,” explained the Sergeant. Gracie saw the apology in Sammi’s eyes – and also that the Sergeant was not going to let her through that door. Despite her own combat training and massing close to half again what the Sergeant massed, Gracie had no doubt that Cascade could easily keep her from entering. Hate it as much as she did, discretion was the better part of valor this time. Whatever happened inside that room was only going to happen between John and Holly. Inside John had controlled the knife hand and pinched the wrist nerves hard enough to make Holly drop the weapon onto the floor. She continued to buck and try to strike wildly, but he controlled her body shifts and re-positioned himself so that he was behind her with a solid choke hold. It was a Judo and Jiu-Jitsu type hold, the type police agencies often called a ‘sleeper hold’, where the blood to the brain was closed off in the side of the neck rather than trying to close off the airflow of the esophagus. Under optimal circumstances a target can be rendered unconscious in less than eight seconds. John didn’t want her out cold just yet. “A little free advise sister-mine,” he hissed into her ear. “Cold, calculating and controlled anger beats wild fury every time.” Her struggles started to grow weaker as her brain started to starve for oxygen. “Now that I have your attention Sis, let me make a few things perfectly clear for you. I know all about that fire for revenge that burns in you because it’s burned in me for just as long. I’ve done things in it’s pursuit that are assuredly as low and wrong as anything you’ve done. Except I’m not proud about those things. But to try to do what Mom asked with her dying breathe I’d do them again and even worse. But I will not let you get yourself killed foolishly, nor will I let you screw up my plans for Miller. If you had ever learned to keep your temper in check you would have stayed in that meeting long enough to find out that it is not Miller I hope to make a deal with. He’s going down Holly. Because I want him to pay for all that he has done. Justice be damned – I want revenge! You can be there or you can be in a cell. But you’re not running around loose anymore. It’s taken a long time but I finished my promise to Mom. Now I finish the one to myself. So what’s it going to be? Are you going to control yourself or are you spending the next few months in a padded cell?” Bright stars over a black background had started to pop before Holly’s eyes but she had enough presence of mind left to understand his words and indicate that she would cooperate. He released her and she slumped to the ground, gulping in air as her lungs tried to rush replacement oxygen back to her brain while rubbing at the sore side of her neck. His tone turned from one of anger to sadness as he continued. “I know I failed you Holly. I won’t say I’m sorry because I know how meaningless those words would be. If you want me out of your life when this is through with Miller…I understand. Mom and Dad loved you very much Holly. I think maybe they loved you the most. And for what it’s worth, I love you too.” Her voice was raw and shaky, but as she nursed her aching neck and wounded pride it had returned. “Funny way of showing it big Brother. That headlock bit is an interesting way to have a discussion. No wonder your wife left you. Now you had your say so here’s mine. I’ll play along this one last time. Then I’m on my own. Like I’ve always been. And just for the record: I hate you. And I always will.” Her brother had regained a tight control over himself and suppressed his reaction to her spiteful words fairly well. But not well enough. It was the only way left for her to hurt him and she could see in his eyes that she had scored deep. He turned silently away, leaving her panting on her knees in the trashed room wondering why she had felt such a strong need to strike out in any way possible. John blinked in surprise to find himself almost nose to nose with Gracie as he exited the room. But in retrospect he realized he shouldn’t be surprised at all. He nodded silently to acknowledge her presence then collected his offered things from Cascade. He stared at his rank tabs blankly for a moment then just shoved them in a pocket as he turned to go. “John,” Gracie said as she tentatively laid a hand on his shoulder. “She didn’t mean it.” He stopped and reached up to pat her hand but didn’t turn to face her. “Yes she did Gracie,” he sighed quietly. “But it’s no big deal. At least she’s in good company.” Then he lightly pushed her hand away and walked away down the hallway. “Now what’s that supposed to mean?” Gracie wanted to know but he ignored further questions. The Major looked questioningly at Cascade. “I’d imagine he means himself,” opined the Sergeant quietly. “I’ve never met a commander yet that didn’t hate themselves from time to time. Goes with the job.” “That’s the biggest load of bull…,” fumed Gracie to herself. She stood there undecided about what to do. Her heart wanted to go comfort John. But her brain told her that he wouldn’t be open to that right now. Without further comment Sergeant Cascade simply walked off in the opposite direction as if nothing had happened and Gracie found herself alone in the hallway. That left one person still nearby that could use a piece of her mind Gracie decided. Resolve firm, she pushed open the door and stepped into the room John had just left. Holly looked up from the floor, where she remained splayed on all four. Blinking through the tears Holly recognized Major Aukland. “You want to rough me up some more too?” Looking into the disheveled, tear streaked face Gracie saw for the first time a lost little girl rather than a hard case MechWarrior . A girl alone and scared. “No,” Gracie responded softly as her own anger bled from her. “I just thought…maybe you could use a hand.” “No, just go away. I don’t need anybody.” “Yes you do,” countered the other gently as she eased back out the door. “Everyone does. They just don’t always realize it. When you do, we’ll still be here for you.” “Yeah, whatever,” grunted Holly as she turned away. Flustered, saddened, and frustrated that there seemed to be nothing she could do to help either Linna sibling at the moment Gracie slipped out the door. Holly obviously wanted no comforting from her while it would be awkward to approach John for a heart to heart talk with Naoko barely off the station. Sometimes there were no good answers. Unable to think of anything more productive to do Gracie headed off to find a beer. That wasn’t a good answer for the trouble in her heart but it was something to do. She could start writing up a shore leave rotation or something while at the bar to try to occupy her mind. As he entered the mess hall, John saw that Holly had removed the other chairs from her table in an attempt to ensure that she ate alone. The precaution was unnecessary as no one else besides John was willing to tempt her temper. Holly was getting all the ‘alone’ time she wanted with a little more added for good measure. Sympathy for her history not withstanding, the men and women of the Suomi Warders were far more favorably disposed to John than to Holly. Luckily no one knew about the knife incident or there might have been words exchanged – or worse. But John had decided that enough was enough and the two of them couldn’t go on ignoring each other. The feud was affecting the rest of the unit by decreasing moral. In the .8 g provided by the rotating gravity deck it was a simple matter for him to balance his meal tray in one hand and carry a chair in the other. He slid it up to the table and dropped down across from her. “I won’t bother asking if you mind if I join you,” he said as he set his tray down before him. She spared him one look then returned her attention to her food. Since their encounter two days ago she hadn’t spoken to him at all. In fact, she hadn’t spoken out loud to almost anyone at all. “Look Sis, it’s been two days. I can live with not being your favorite person but how long is this silent business going to last? We’re shoving off in sixteen hours for the unknown and it’s going to be a long trip in tight quarters.” Holly made a show of ignoring him as she toyed with her food. John sighed heavily. “Look, maybe things are never going to be … comfortable … between us. But it’s like I’ve already tried to explain to you. I’m not going to feed the Warders into a meat grinder on the off chance I live long enough to lob a few PPC shots into Miller’s office building. I’ve already gotten enough of them killed in my personal vendettas. It’s time to take an oblique approach. If we find something worthwhile we can see what kind of action we can get out of the League intel types. Trust me Holly, I want Miller taken down as bad as you do.” “I doubt it,” seethed Holly. But after Leena’s death and their ‘talk’ two days ago Holly was finding it difficult to keep a full steam of anger going. A new emotion had crept into her even if she hadn’t fully recognized it yet. Guilt. She felt guilty about her parting verbal shot at her brother and her resentment of his accomplishments. Especially when she knew that John and the others were right about attacking Drayson. None of them would ever get close enough to kill Miller against those kind of odds. Still, this whole Star League cache plan smelled of desperation on her brother’s part. “What if there’s nothing out there John? Or what if the FWL brass tells you to go pound sand? Then what big brother of mine?” “I…don’t know,” admitted John. “Maybe the advanced C3 systems we already have will be worth something to them. But…my word holds. If this plan falls through then I you’ll be free to do whatever it is you feel you have to do. House arrest will be over. Holly, I don’t want to lose you again after finally getting you back. But it seems pretty obvious now that despite the times we almost connected – I’ve already lost you. So if this scheme backfires on me I hope you’ll give me time to come up with a new plan - but I won’t try to stop you from charging off on your own. I won’t like it but I won’t stand in your way.” “Your word?” she pressed. “Your word that you’ll call off Cascade and her goons if there’s nothing but empty space out there or the League won’t help you? No hired detectives to follow me, no freezing my assets, no tricks and no strings at all?” “If the League people won’t cooperate in a satisfactory way then I won’t have much choice,” agreed John with a heavy heart. “I can’t lock you up forever. You have my word that I won’t interfere with any plans you might make if my plan falls through.” For the first time in months Holly smiled. It was not a touching image however. “Deal then,” she nodded in agreement. “If your way doesn’t work then you stay out of my way. He’s an old guy in a wheelchair. How far can he go. He oughta still be there waiting for me once this wild goose chase of yours is over. Pass the salt.” John handed over the small plastic container as he contemplated the new contentment that had settled over his sister’s features. While it was better than the open hostility she had been displaying, it was far more chilling. A large amount was riding on his gamble that something worthwhile had been hidden at the coordinates. Now his sister’s life was added to the pot. John had no doubt that she would try to kill Miller and he knew in his heart that she would die in the attempt. She might actually pull it off. Holly had shown that she was resilient and resourceful to have survived on her own in the Periphery as she had. But she wouldn’t be worried about surviving the attempt. To her, it was worth her own life if she took Miller with her. To John, Chairman Miller had already caused enough pain and loss to his family. Miller wasn’t worth another drop of Linna blood – nor any of his trooper’s blood either. But was it possible to take down Miller without shedding more Warder blood? He certainly hoped so – but he had his doubts. Holly ate quickly without another word to her brother, then stood and departed without a ‘good bye’ either. Gracie Aukland happened to come in just as Holly was leaving and Holly found that she couldn’t look the older woman in the eye as they passed. There was embarrassment, as the other had seen Holly on the floor crying like a weak baby. There was also shame, for Gracie knew how spitefully Holly had lashed out at her brother - something Holly was still uneasy about in her own heart. She’d idolized her oldest brother as a girl. He was on his way to being everything thing she wanted to be when she grew up. Yet she had spent so many years convincing herself that her brothers had abandoned her she despised him as well. In truth, she did not know what she truly felt so she tried to feel nothing. There was nothing left to her life other than vengeance. There as no point in trying to sort her conflicting emotions out. Emotions just got in the way. Her brother had recently given her a telling demonstration on why cold and calculated actions could overcome the flame of emotional rage. It was one lesson she was trying to take to heart. Gracie watched Holly go then slipped over to take the seat the younger Linna had vacated. “Well, that’s a hopeful sign. It looked like she was talking to you finally. A little anyway.” John gave Gracie a tight smile as she settled down. “She still hates me Gracie. She hates almost everything. It’s her one universal constant. Her Starcade vengeance wasn’t finished at Yu-shan and she lost Leena there as well –one of the few things she didn’t hate. With the Bahti sisters petitioning for Warder membership she’s alone again. Hate can keep you going when you have nothing else.” “You’re her blinking brother John. Her own blood. She can’t truly hate you,” argued Gracie. “Don’t let it get you down. She’s not the first woman who didn’t know her own heart.” He smiled bitterly. “Ever hear of Cain and Able? She can hate me if she wants. It’s doesn’t matter. I lost any right to claim otherwise when I failed to save her on the Starcade.” “That’s a load of bull John. Of course it matters. And you did everything you could. More than anyone else could have accomplished. Damn near got yourself killed and rescued a bunch of kids that would have been dead without you. I have been here the whole time since then John – you never gave up and you never quit on her. You can’t keep blaming yourself, and she shouldn’t be blaming you either.” “Ours is not to question why, only but to do or die,” he quoted softly to himself. Gracie looked up in alarm. She knew the reference. The Charge of the Light Brigade. “John, promise me you aren’t planning on anything suicidal out there.” He reached over and patted her hand. “I promise Gracie. It’s all exactly like I laid it out in the meeting. If we find anything good I’ll try to use it to get someone else to do my dirty work for me. My daughter will still have a parent when this is all through. One that’s not always off chasing whispers and rumors across the cosmos either. I’ve screwed up a lot of things Gracie, but I won’t screw up my daughter’s life anymore.” “You always sell yourself short John. And I guess you always will. But I believe you when you say you’re coming back. Hell, you always do.” “I always do,” mused John. And it was true. Somehow he had survived numerous situations that should have been his death to come back. Fate? A destiny to fulfill? Blind Luck? He didn’t bother to think about it anymore. “And since I am coming back sooner or later I suppose we should talk about duty plans and general orders for your stint as acting CO.” Gracie groaned inwardly but let John change the subject on her. Besides, he was right. There were all kinds of things she needed to be briefed on if she was going to run the outfit for a month or two. Sixteen hours later they were gone quietly, stealing away during the station’s ‘night’. John, his sister, MechWarrior Jason, Sergeant Cascade, Major Tapiovarra and a few flight personal slipped away in the corporate DropShip they had captured to link with an outbound DEW Industries JumpShip for parts unknown to the rest of the galaxy. Gracie was left behind, in charge of the Warders and feeling very lonely. There had been so many things she had wanted to say to John before he had left, but she had not been able to bring herself to do so. He had become quiet and withdrawn like he had been in the first year after losing his parents. Almost grim. He’d lost so much to gain so little. She ached to help him, to comfort him in some way; but she knew that she could not. Not anymore. Too much water had passed under the bridge as her Grandmother used to say. Now all she could do was to tend to the unit while he was away and try to lose herself in the daily grind of keeping a mercenary company intact far from home. Be careful what you wish for thought Gracie as she recalled how she had planned on throwing herself into running the Warders to keep her thoughts off of John. Somehow this hadn’t been what she had in mind. Blinking hard and focusing her concentration back on the matter at hand, Gracie scrolled through the new information that Sergeant Harding had just transmitted to her portable computer and did her best to withhold a deep sigh. John was out there soaring among the stars someplace with who knew what on his mind while she had been locked in the same drab conference room with the Maxwell Militia delegation all morning with little sign that things would change for the better going into the afternoon. Blinking a few times to bring the screen back into focus she saw that Harding was suggesting she try for a derelict Atlas the militia owned to be used as spare parts to rebuild the one the Warders now had. Several possible trades were listed including a Panther that wasn’t in to bad of shape, various salvaged weapons, and a power plant that would fit several of the BattleMechs the militia owned. “Master Yording,” she announced in her best polite tone, using the chief procurement manager’s proper title, “you have an Atlas missing it’s powerplant and a number of other secondary systems on your lists. Perhaps you would be interested in trading it to us for a Panther that operates but has little armor and minor structural damage? We have a GM 180 power plant and a pair of LRM-15 systems we can add to balance the salvage values.” As she had expected, Yording first bent over to whisper to the bland looking woman sitting on his left, then bent over to whisper with the bland looking man on his right. That man then had a whispered conversation with a seasoned looking guy who had a computer in front of him. In a few minutes he would come up with the comparative values and make his suggestion to the bland guy who would tell the chief procurement manager who would run it by the lady assistant and then finally share the answer with Gracie. The answers were often maddeningly non-specific. So she would end up glancing at Osmo Woods to see if the Captain had anything to add – he usually didn’t – then wait for Sergeant Harding to consider the new information and send her a suggested response via the portable computer units the three Warder folks had laying on the long table. “We would be willing to part with the Atlas,” began Yording, “but have no need for long range missile systems at this time.” Gracie smiled and nodded, waiting for more but that was all Yording had to say. Did that mean they were interested in the power plant or not? She took a deep breath and fought down the impulse to shake the elderly looking man by the front of his jacket until he told her what exactly it was they would be interested in. Looking up at the wall mounted clock she saw that it was pushing noon local time. Presumably the old coot would call a break for lunch soon with practically nothing to show for the hours they had all spent sitting at this clunky metal table. How in the heavens John managed to put up with this kind of crud she had no clue. There was no way she could take a full afternoon of the same thing. Looking over at Osmo she contemplated pulling rank and dumping the entire matter in his lap after lunch – but that probably wouldn’t play too well with the locals who had turned out their office chief for the occasion. Protocol and all. But she had to do something before she started chewing the paint off the walls. Then inspiration hit. Try honesty. A bit desperate perhaps, but she couldn’t see any harm if the bid failed. It wasn’t as if they were making any headway as it was. Gracie cleared her throat, catching everyone’s undivided attention. “Master Yording, we have both been here all morning doing the same thing. You check with your people who see what your Mister Leong down there at your end of the table has to say and then I check with my Captain then waiting for what my Chief Tech Sergeant Harding has to say. And after all this back and forth whispering and almost four hours of time all we have to show for our efforts is an agreement on exchanging some ammunition. You strike me as a wise and intelligent man Master Yording; what I am recommending is this. How about if we all just leave and let Mister Leong and Sergeant Harding iron out all the details? They seem to be the ones that actually know what our respective sides actually need and – truth be told – I suspect they can do just fine without us anyway. When they are done we can review it for anything that bothers us and do all the official legal paperwork stuff. What do you say Master Yording?” The chief negotiator for Maxwell sat up straight in his seat and fixed his eyes upon the mercenary officer as his aids looked at him expectantly. It seemed to Gracie that they didn’t know how he would react to her idea either. It was almost as bad as waiting for the first exchange in a ‘Mech firefight as the entire room froze in silence hanging on the old man’s reaction. “I would say,” began Yording after due contemplation, “that you are very unlike the League military officials I usually have to deal with. Which is, I believe, a good thing. Mister Leong holds his post because he is an excellent scrounger and I have no doubt that your Sergeant Harding is adept as well. Let us leave them to the scrap swapping. I am sure that a number of items that neither you or I even know exists will be working into the deal and in the end all parties will be satisfied.” The two bland people were looking at their boss in shocked amazement while Harding and Leong were looking at each other with a mix of relief and the sizing up of a worthy opponent. “Then let us adjourn,” smiled Gracie as she stood up. “Tell me Major,” said Yording as he rose as well. “Do they have the game of bowling on your world?” She searched her memory for a brief moment. “I’m afraid I am not familiar with the game,” she admitted. “We had a few bowling lanes on Outreach,” offered Osmo. “I’ve played before.” “I ask because I now find myself with an unexpectedly open calendar for this afternoon. Bowling is something of a national pastime on our planet and I am quite fond of the game. I was thinking that perhaps in the spirit of interstellar friendship you would care to join me for a few games?” Gracie’s rising spirits sunk a bit. Her escape had not been complete. Still, whatever this bowling was had to be better than sitting in here. “I would be honored Master Yording. When did you have in mind?” “Please Major, call me Jim,” smiled the wizened figure. “Bowling is best with teams of four. Dour though they are, my aids Esla and Darrin here will fit the bill and my chauffer Mezlo can be my fourth. Quite a character that Mezlo, I think you’d like him. If you could come up with a few warm bodies we can pop over to the city lanes right now and have lunch while we play.” The mischievous twinkle that had come into the old man’s eyes reminder Gracie of her favorite uncle. She was starting to warm up to the chief procurement manager after all. “And I’m just ‘Gracie’. Luckily my rank isn’t just for show Jim, I should be able to rustle up a few extra bowlers. Starting with Osmo here since he knows what bowling is. How about it Osmo, you know of any other bowlers in the unit?” Captain Woods nodded. “I believe that I have overheard some of the VTOL crewpersons mention the game from time to time. Perhaps we could invite Captain Laidie and her exec?” “Works for me,” agreed Gracie. “Excuse me Gracie,” interjected Yording, “but this VTOL Captain…she wouldn’t happen to fly those large helicopters you have with you would she?” “Indeed she does. Are the Redhawks of special interest for some reason?” Gracie asked. “I was a helicopter pilot myself before I retired from the military for the civil service,” explained the Maxwell official. “I don’t suppose that maybe later we could…. “Take a little ride in the VTOLs?” supplied Gracie. “Why certainly Jim. You can tour the city and take along over twenty of your closest friends in one of those birds.” Yes, she decided, she was going to like this old gentleman after all. “Major Aukland?” Gracie turned to look over at her Sergeant. “Yes?” “Do you think it would be permissible for Mister Leong and I to conduct our negotiations elsewhere than in this room. We might want to actually go out and inspect things, kick the tires, and such.” She turned to Yording. “I can’t see any problems with that? Do you Jim?” “None at all,” agreed the other. He turned towards the end of the table where the pair of true negotiators sat. “Feel free to go where ever you feel most conducive for your business.” Leong and Harding stood as the others made their good-byes and filed out of the room to leave the pair alone. As soon as the door shut Asnel Leong reached down and picked up his portable computer. “Shall we go find some beer?” asked the civil servant. “My thoughts exactly,” agreed the mercenary non-comm with a grin as he scooped up his own computer. With the brass out of the way they could finally get down to some serious horse trading. This should turn out to be a profitable stop-over. The sleek delta winged star yacht powered through the eternal night near Abby’s Star. At one time the craft had been a corporate DropShip capable of whisking executives across a planet or out to a JumpShip for a longer trip. Then it had been stolen and employed as the personal ship of an assassin who kept it with a pirate outfit. Now it found itself the property of a mercenary group and slipping into an uninhabited star system on a treasure hunting trip. John Linna had originally intended to return it to it’s rightful owner – until a records search revealed that the ship belonged to a Rold Enterprises company that had folded two years ago after listing the Star Stream III as destroyed in an accident and collecting the insurance money. By placing a salvage claim against the wreckage, the small DropShip found itself the newest member of the Warder aerospace fleet. John had left naming the craft to it’s current pilot, Major Jeffery Tapiovarra, who had named it in honor of the first aerospace pilot to be killed wearing Warder blue. The Suomi Fenris had proven to be a remarkable and reliable craft. The seven people aboard came close to filling out the available living quarters. Major Jeffery Tapiovarra had brought along his engineer and a co-pilot from the crew of the Warder Leopard class fighter carrier to assist with operating the Suomi Fenris. Lt. Colonel Linna had brought MechWarrior Jason Nellson for his experience in space having grown up on a JumpShip, Sergeant Cascade as a security specialist and his sister Holly Linna mainly to keep her from doing anything rash while he was away. The younger Linna sibling had spent most of the trip sulking in her quarters. Holly sat in one of the reader chairs in the main recreation cabin, her eyes set on the small screen built into the chair’s arm although her mind was wandering free. Luxurious as it was, the ship was still rather small. It was hard to be anyplace aboard without someone else wandering by in a short amount of time except for her own cabin. But even Holly was starting to get stir crazy looking at the same four bulkheads and with the craft on it’s final leg towards her brother’s great wild hope Holly had found herself unable to remain cooped up. This cabin was not huge – but was notably bigger than her sleeping quarters. On the plus side it had food, drink, and the best entertainment devices within the ship. On the down side it was where other people tended to go as well. Jason undoubtedly thought that she couldn’t tell he was staring at her – but she could and it was getting on her nerves. A rather easy task considering her temperament of late. “Would you stop staring at me,” she finally growled without looking up. Still, out of the corner of her eye she could see the embarrassment flash across his face as he looked away. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to bother you,” he mumbled by way of apology. The combination of hurt and apology in his tone made her finally look up at him. He was close to her age and she knew that his parents were spacers and that he had been detached from pilot duty with his lance to accompany Cascade and her commandos on their recon raid. She had never really paid much attention to him but now that she looked back on the past few months it seemed that he had often been around in the background whenever she had been interacting with the Warder MechWarriors. Always studying her, always keeping an eye on her now that she thought about it. “What’s your story anyway?” she suddenly asked. “How’d you come to be here?” Jason almost eeped in panic as his CO’s sister turned her attention on him for the first time since they had been introduced. To him she had always been breathtakingly beautiful. Tragic and forlorn yet strong and unbroken. More than once he had thought about approaching her to maybe just talk. About what he had never really decided. Maybe about Barny’s parents on the Starcade. Trooper Barney Jenkins had been part of the team that went to find Holly before he had been killed on Yu-shan. But Jason’s chances had been few and for the most part Holly made herself well nigh unapproachable. He doubted that he would have been able to recover and find his voice back in those earlier days. But the maturity he had gained from the recent actions and loss of close friends had hardened him enough to mentally regroup. He knew he wasn’t as hard a case as her, but he wasn’t some stupid star-jumping kid anymore either. “I lived most of my life in space,” he replied with a shrug. “I’m familiar with most station and ship tech, practiced with space borne industrial gear, and good in zero-G. I guess you’d say I’m a mission specialist for this trip.” Holly considered him for a moment. There was a toughness to him that she hadn’t seen before in his face. Not directed at her, just the guarded look of someone who had seen or done things they would rather have not endured. It was a look she knew well from her time in the Circinus Federation. She still thought of him as an inexperienced kid compared to herself – but he seemed capable enough. And somehow he seemed to have become a favorite of both her brother and Sergeant Cascade. Considering how different those two were, that was some accomplishment. Although it made him doubly suspect in her book. For that matter, Holly couldn’t fathom why Cascade was so loyal to John. Gangly limbed Major Aukland she could understand. As far from being socially adept as Holly was, even she could see that Gracie Aukland had the hots for her brother. But Sergeant Cascade? Definitely something else involved there. “No, I meant how did you end up a MechWarrior for my brother. Not why are you on this ship,” she clarified. “Oh,” chirped a surprised Jason. “I suppose because Sergeant Cascade didn’t shoot me when she broke into my ‘Mech cockpit. I happened to mention you when I heard the Lieutenant Colonel’s name and so the Warders decided to sign me up. To keep me close by more than because they wanted me as a MechWarrior I would imagine.” His delivery had been so deadpan serious that Holly just stared at him for a moment trying to decide if he was jesting with her. She didn’t recall seeing him before John took her back to Sampsa for one matter. The other matter involved the unlikelihood of breaking into cockpits. Then again – it was that hard ass Cascade he was talking about. “So Cascade captured your BattleMech intact and almost shot you as an enemy warrior I take it?” He actually chuckled at that, making Holly frown. She wasn’t sure if she was the butt of some joke or not but this yahoo was going to be sorry if she was. Jason saw the storm clouds gathering on her face and hastened to explain. “Yes, she captured my ‘Mech. Although I was trying to surrender it as I had decided that I didn’t want to start out my MechWarrior career as a pirate. I laughed because I think that after about ten minutes she was probably thinking about shooting me just to shut me up. I was blathering like an idiot. But somehow in my stream of consciousness babbling it came out that I had seen a Holly Linna loading cargo once. That was my ticket to an interview and from there the command staff decided to give me a chance as a MechWarrior. The short form is that I became a Warder by starting out working for the bad guys but had a change of heart and turned out to be a clue to looking for you. So I guess I’m a Warder MechWarrior because of you.” “I had to work my way to Circinus itself from another planet when I was trying to track my abductors,” Holly thought out loud. “We must have crossed paths then. I’m surprised you remembered me.” “You just sort of … stuck in my mind I guess,” responded Jason. Even back then he’d thought she was a real cutie. That’s why he had bothered to find out her name. But they had not crossed paths until years later and then as MechWarriors rather than cargo handlers. They fell silent as Sergeant Cascade appeared. She glanced at the two of them then pushed off and drifted through the cabin towards her intended destination without comment. Jason could see the plain disdain on Holly’s face. That and read her lips when she whispered “bitch” to herself. “You don’t like her very much do you?” he asked. She snorted. “She rubs me the wrong way. At first I thought she would understand…but I was wrong.” “Understand what?” Holly almost gave him a truthful answer but at the last instant decided there wasn’t any real point in it. “Stuff you could never understand. Stuff you wouldn’t want to understand.” “Oh,” he replied after a moment. He really didn’t have anything else that felt right to say. Ship’s Captain Tapiovarra’s voice suddenly rang out over the PA system. “Jason Nelson, please report to the bridge for sensor duty.” He cleared his throat and unstrapped himself then braced his hands against the ceiling to hold himself in place. “Sorry, gotta go. My shift on the bridge.” She shrugged in disinterest. “My brother’s lacky calls. Time to do you duty and all that.” That seemed to push one of his buttons. “Why do you always have to give the Lieutenant Colonel such a hard time?” “Why do you hero worship him?” she shot back. “Because he’s a real hero,” Jason replied without missing a beat with challenge in his voice. Holly noted the blush of anger in his cheeks with wry amusement. “How so?” “Because…because…,” Jason was about to start with a list of all the LC had accomplished but realized that Holly would not be impressed with it. “Because he’s selfless and risks his life for others, and because when he could have easily brushed me aside or ignored me for his own interests he gave me a chance to take stock of where I had come from and decide where I wanted to go with my life then helped me get there. So that makes him a hero to me and I don’t care what anyone else has to say about it.” She could tell that he did care – that it was important to him that other people thought his personal hero was a hero to them too. But she let the matter slide. Teasing the guy wasn’t really much fun while discussions about her brother forced her to examine her conflicting feelings on the subject and she really didn’t want to go there again right now. She just nodded at him to indicate she had heard what he said but wasn’t going to agree or disagree and he seized the moment to turn and leave for the bridge. Six hours later Jeff, John and Jason were crammed into the small piloting cabin with Jeffery at the controls while Jason kept an eye on the sensor equipment. Although unarmed, this particular Star Stream III had been retrofitted before the Warders got her with high definition, military grade sensory gear. The sensors were of little use for shuttling executives but helpful for corporate espionage. Or for seeking lost Star League bases. “You have anything yet Jason?” asked John for about the tenth time in the last ten minutes. “No Sir, if there is something in that debris ring I’m not picking it up yet,” replied the young ‘Warrior. “Be patient John,” advised Tapiovarra from the controls, “the coordinates were time encoded allowing us to determine where in orbit the designated location would be. But if there is a powered down base of some sort in that ring we’re going to have to be much closer than this to find it. We’re still four hours away from entering the ring.” John looked out from the viewport at the vista beyond. The sun blazed high and center while the debris from a planet that never quite formed stretched away in a wide ring before them. “If the coordinates are not correct and we end up in the wrong part of the ring we aren’t going to find it are we?” “It would take use weeks if not months to travel completely around that ring,” agreed Jeffery. “We don’t have that kind of endurance in this yacht. Nor do I think we have that much time to be away. This is pretty much a one shot deal. Assuming anything is there to be found.” “Then we’ll just have to get lucky,” sighed John. “Any space-jock will tell you, it’s better to be lucky than good,” quipped the Major commanding the ship. “Now would you mind sitting down before you wear a hole in the deck plates? It’s not lucky to make the pilot nervous by pacing back and forth behind his seat.” John snorted. “I think I’ll go below and wait with Sergeant Cascade. She’s too polite to tell her CO he’s annoying her. Call me the second… “…that we detect anything,” Tapiovarra finished for him. “Aye Sir.” After navigating the special airlock that allowed the entire control cabin to rotate 90 degrees to deal with the fact that the pull of ‘gravity’ could either be towards the bottom of the ship or the rear depending on if the craft was in an atmosphere or under thrust in space, John found his trustworthy Sergeant Cascade carefully checking through the environmental suits near the main airlock. Each was tethered to the wall as she inspected smaller pieces and moved them from one net bag to a second after they had passed inspection. A brace of oversized laser carbines was magnetically attached to the floor near her feet, the large grips being sized for gloved hands. At the moment they were ‘gliding’ to conserve fool and reduce their electronic signature. Once the engines cut in again the feeling of having gravity would return. John’s magnetic boots allowed him to pace about this area as well as he had the small cockpit suite, which the good sergeant silently endured without comment after greeting and saluting him. After what seemed like an eternity during which Cascade finished with the suits, stripped down and rebuilt the lasers, then started on the suits again word came over the comms to secure for powered flight. The Suomi Fenris was about to maneuver toward a slight contact. Though she rarely showed any sign of emotion, Sammi Cascade was greatly relieved when her fretful CO rushed back to the control cabin and left her in peace. By the time the small craft had approached visual range Holly had finally let curiosity overtake stubborn pride and had crowded onto the control deck as well. There was something out there all right. Although it didn’t seem to her that it was anything of special use to anyone. Two space stations, some sort of charger array, a smallish looking JumpShip and what were obviously two uncompleted ships of some type. Plus something that was just girders in space. An unfinished station she guessed. “Are you picking up any power readings?” asked Tapiovarra of his Engineer. He had returned to the bridge as soon as the initial contact had been reported and taken over for the less experienced Jason. “Negative Sir. No reactors. If that charging station has functional batteries we wouldn’t be able to tell however. No radio traffic. Just that one low-power homing ping we picked up once we got close enough. I’d say that it has all been abandoned for a long time.” “Long enough for any automated defenses to fail I hope,” breathed the Major to himself from the ship’s controls. “Okay, we’re easing in. Nellson, stand by with those old Star League comm codes I gave you.” “Aye Sir,” responded the MechWarrior, easily falling back into the shipboard routines of his youth. “Communications computer standing by.” “Look at those hydroponic domes,” pointed John. “It looks like an Invader class DropShip to me.” “I’d tend to agree Sir,” nodded Major Tapiovarra. “They’ve been around forever. The SLDF had large numbers of them. The big cylinder station is obviously a housing habitat. There’s an open space shipyard scaffolding and that other station is probably some sort of manufacturing plant. Both those two ships over to the left seem to be in disrepair, but I’d bet that the one on the left is an Essex class WarShip while the smaller one is a Vincent corvette. If it is I think it’s the first Vincent seen outside a Clan navy in centuries.” John let out a slow whistle on appreciation. This could be the jackpot he was praying for. “A couple of busted up ships and a closed factory,” hissed Holly in frustration. “That junk isn’t going to be useful to anyone.” But Jeffery and John had already exchanged knowing and appreciative looks. They had a far better understanding of the possible stakes then Holly did. “The factory?” asked Jeffery Tapiovarra. “The factory,” confirmed John Linna. “It’s about time we tried out those space suits I bought.” Although Holly had suited up and floated out to the docking bay along with her brother, Major Tapiovarra, Sammi Cascade and the Nellson kid after only twenty minutes she had elected to return to the DropShip. The confining grasp of the environmental suit had been too much for her. Plus she was untrained and awkward in the suit. Feeling foolish was something Holly could not abide and after enough pratfalls and hang-ups trying to get around in the suit she had had enough. John had burned though all the fuel in his thrust pack and most of his oxygen exploring the facility. Reluctant to leave the main computer core once he found it, Cascade had eventually returned to the ship for an auxiliary tank to attach to his suit in preference to physically hauling her protesting CO back to the Star Stream. The Sergeant was preparing to go back for a second oxy tank when John finally looked up from his absorbing work and announced that he had spliced out everything they needed for now. His initial excitement had turned to quiet thoughtfulness as he had worked over the ancient memory core. He was convinced that with great expense the plant could be made operational again. And once it was, the fate of worlds might eventually be affected by what was produced here. On board the executive DropShip Holly waited impatiently as the returning party shucked their space gear. Finally her brother appeared in the dining room cabin carrying a portable computer case. “Well,” she demanded, “is it anything useful like a ‘Mech factory?” “No,” he replied solemnly. “It’s a propulsion system factory. WarShip drives. Probably only one or two others like it in the entire Inner Sphere. Put those drives inside a WarShip and you can control the destiny of entire systems.” “So how does that help us? DEW Industries is rich – but no where near rich enough to build a WarShip. It’s not like you can whip up the WarShip Suomi Warder and go blast Miller’s office building from orbit.” “No, we can’t whip up a WarShip,” agreed John as he contemplated the long range ramifications of what he planned to do. “But we know people who can. House Marik for one. Or House Liao if Marik won’t cooperate.” Holly was dubious, but she had come to know the introspective and calculating look her brother now wore. He was convinced that the old factory was worth something to the Great Houses. While it infuriated it her to admit, he had been right about most everything since the day he had dropped unexpectedly back into her life. Maybe he was right this time too. Majors Aukland stared incredulously at Tapiovarra and his flight crew as they sat next to MechWarrior Nellson across from her, Lawman, and Woods. “John, Holly and Cascade took off for Atreus and the only thing he told you was we’re to pack up and go home because the campaign is over?” “He did specify the minimum time he’d like to pass before we get home,” offered Tapiovarra. “So he’ll have time to finish his plans.” “Which are?” prompted Gracie in exasperation. Jeffery could only shrug apologetically. “He didn’t say. I don’t know anything more than the general plan he laid out to all of us before we left.” Technically that was a lie. He knew about the space factory and the ships and how much the League navy would want both. But he had been sworn to secrecy. Gracie eyed the DropShip commander. She and the rest of the command staff knew that John hoped to broker some sort of help from the Free Worlds League intelligence arm in dealing with Miller. But it seemed that John planned to keep the specifics of his plans to himself now that he had whatever it was he had to trade. Damn that man, thought Gracie furiously to herself as she ground her teeth. He could be so.. so.. infuriatingly John-like at times. There was only one reason he would lock Sven, Osmo and herself out of the loop like this. He was going to do something either very dangerous, morally ambiguous – or both. He wouldn’t want to drag his friends into it so he’d go it as alone as he could. Obviously he couldn’t leave Holly behind. At least he’d had the good sense to take Cascade with him. Or more likely the Sergeant had caught wind of the Lieutenant Colonel’s plans and declined to have herself be dealt out. Sammi had been in the physical position to do that. John had made sure that the rest of them had not by switching to public transit lines before coming back to the unit. “Lord help him,” sighed Gracie. “He should have known that he didn’t have to carry this all alone. We’d have backed him.” Sven rested his huge hand on her shoulder. “He does know Gracie. And that’s why he’s not letting us. It’s not a matter of honor or justice anymore. It’s about blood and money. It’s become a personal matter.” She reached up and placed one of her hands over his. “I know Sven. I know. Which is why I can’t help but think that this is when he needs us most.” Silently he agreed, but the matter had been removed from their hands. “Some responsibilities and decisions a person must face in their soul alone. This we cannot help. But at least we know that whatever physical dangers lay in his path he will not face alone. For now all we can do is shoulder the responsibility he has entrusted to us to bring our people home. And to be ready, should he call for us.” Most of the time Arterus Dent was a mellow guy with a happy-go-lucky attitude. An Under-Secretary of the Free World’s League Naval Procurement Office he spent his office hours tallying numbers from reports and inspecting manifests from the numerous dealers and contractors that the FWL navy bought goods and services from. His was a nice and large corner office complete with secretary equipped antechamber with a nice view of the park across the street. His was an ordered and quiet life which was the way Arterus preferred things. Happy-go-lucky was certainly not the way he would describe himself right now as he stole another glance at the prim looking young naval officer that sat stiffly on one of his office couches sipping at a cup of tea. Arterus sharply reminded himself that the “young naval officer” was in fact Vice Admiral Heather Alexander. Third in charge of the League Naval Intelligence service. One of the youngest Vice Admirals in the service, she had shot up through the intel ranks as one of the brightest stars to serve House Marik in many years. She was 41, although these days Dent tended to think of anyone under 50 as “young”. What he could not afford to do was think of her as harmless. He had no doubt that she could wreck the remainder of his career. What he didn’t know was why she was in his office. Well, that wasn’t entirely true. He knew she was here to meet with one John Linna of Sampsa. John’s family ran a group of companies that was highlighted by Daniel Electronics and Weaponry. DEW Industries had several sub-contract and supply deals with the League Navy. John’s father had been a friend of Arterus’ and when the son had sent word via ComStar that he was on his way to the capitol planet with important information that he would like to give to the highest ranking naval intelligence officer Dent could find Arterus was pleased to do the Linna family a little favor and contacted his cousin at fleet intel. Arterus had expected some Lt. Commander – or at most a Commander – to be dispatched to his office to listen to whatever Linna had to say. What had possessed the Vice Admiral to take notice was totally beyond him. John Linna was a rich man with his own small mercenary outfit – but he was a level three personality at most. Maybe even level four. Level Ones were the various Lords and top generals of the Inner Sphere. People that could start wars and affect interstellar diplomacy all on their lonesome. Level Twos were movers and shakers within the League. People that could directly affect internal politics such as prominent military commanders, regional Lords, etc. Threes could have indirect affect on regional politics within an area of the FWL. It seemed unfathomable that such a high ranking meber of naval intel had arrived to meet a planetary industrial leader. But there she sat. Her reputation was that she knew everything that was important to know. He could only assume that she knew something about whatever John Linna had been up to recently that was not in the small amount of data John Linna had sent. He hoped that Linna wasn’t suspected of any subversive activities. The fact that John had contacted him would then make Arterus himself suspect in the eyes of people like Alexander. The little voice box on his desk buzzed and his secretary announced that Mr. Linna and his aid were here to see him now. He almost jumped out of his seat at the sudden interruption and fumbled with the switch as he thanked her and informed the secretary to send Mr. Linna in right away. The Vice Admiral rose in a fluid motion and turned expectantly towards the door as it opened. John stepped in wearing a freshly purchased business suit. Behind him his sister Holly edged into the office, looking uncomfortable in her gray skirt and white blouse. Her hand rested on her hip as if it was seeking something that was habitually there but now missing. Arterus was feeling pretty uncomfortable himself and he didn’t doubt that he looked a bit nervous as he introduced the Vice Admiral. Heather Alexander offered her slim hand to John and the brief shake between them was firm and unyielding as the two locked eyes. John knew who she was and was mildly surprised that his vague request had brought such a high ranking response. He could see in her eyes that she was a person used to making hard decisions and getting what she wanted. She saw in his that he was a man set on accomplishing a mission and that was unaccustomed to failure. There was a subtle byplay between the two that Arterus sensed but couldn’t comprehend. Holly understood intuitively what had passed between the pair as she herself was wondering the same thing that John and Heather were. Would they be allies or enemies this day. When warriors met that unspoken question always hung between them. “A pleasure Vice Admiral,” smiled John from behind his carefully bland “C-3” face he had worked many years to cultivate. He changed his mind about what the “C”s stood for from time to time but generally he called this face his Calm, Courteous, and Caring look. One designed to set the other party at ease while masking his own intentions. “The pleasure is mine Mr. Linna. Or should I say Lieutenant Colonel?” Her expression and tone was a near mirror of his. Neither of them relaxed one iota despite the pleasant tone of their voices. “Definitely just Mr. Linna,” John assured her. “This is not a military visit. May I introduce my sister Holly Linna?” As the two women shook hands and then Holly shook Arterus Dent’s hand John noticed the slight rise of eyebrow and increased attention the Vice Admiral gave Holly upon introduction. It seemed that the Vice Admiral was up on her homework and appreciated the significance of his sister being with him. No doubt she had been briefed on the public information that had been released about his recent trip into Circinus space as well. “Well Mr. Linna,” began the Vice Admiral. “You prevailed upon Arterus here for the highest ranking officer he could produce. I hope that I will suffice?” “Indeed yes, Madam Vice Admiral. I truly am pleased to see you as it will save me hours if not days of arguing my way up the chain of command. In truth, I am surprised that someone of your standing is here today. However this should expedite matters a great deal.” She smiled, a genuine one John thought. “Sometimes I play a hunch Mr. Linna. I had a hunch that you weren’t the kind of person that would approach any League intelligence agency lightly. That you specified naval intelligence sparked my interest shall we say. Especially with your family history. And I do love to be expedient” “Then as my grandmother used to say, let’s get down to brass tacks. What would you say if I knew where a salvageable Essex class destroyer was floating about?” He handed her a thin file with several shots of the destroyer that had been shot from space. The background stars had all been carefully wiped out to protect the location. “I would say that you had made yourself a richer man for that location would be of great value to us. However, I would also think that you must have more on your mind than an old destroyer to come here to the capitol.” John smiled himself. “Very true. What would you do to get your hands on a Star League era production facility for WarShip propulsion units? Salvageable with functional computer memory cores. Install rigging and several partially completed drives are still on the line.” He handed over a second file, this one of stills outside and inside the production facility. They showed John in many of them to prove that he was actually there. “If it’s real,” answered the Vice Admiral slowly, “I’d make my own mother disappear for those coordinates.” John studied her carefully. She wasn’t joking. He sensed that they had better come to a deal over the location coordinates or he might not be leaving that planet ever again. “Funny you should put it like that,” replied John tonelessly as he handed her yet another photo-still. This one was of Chairman Miller. “I recognize this person,” she mentioned casually. Then she turned to look at Arterus Dent where he hovered near his desk and nearly gave the poor man a coronary on the spot with her gaze. “Arterus, be a dear and go take a long lunch please? Take your charming secretary with you. Mr. Linna and I have some private things to discuss.” “Certainly Madam Vice Admiral,” chirped Arteus as he hastened to vacate his office. He was more than pleased to get out of there before he heard anything more. He was already worried that he had heard too much. After he had gone Heather motioned around the office with one hand while helping herself to Arterus’ wetbar selection. “Don’t worry about the office. It’s clean. The only bugs in here are the one’s my people listen to. Would either of you care for a drink?” “I’m fine thank you,” replied John. Holly simply shook her head in the negative. “I must admit that I am surprised,” continued the Vice Admiral. “Our evaluation of you indicates that you’re not the type to go for assassination of business rivals. Although perhaps there is yet more to be revealed?” John handed her his last file. “Miller’s a traitor to the League, an agitator for Andurean separatism, and a common murdered and thief to boot. It’s all there in that folder. But he’s also beyond civil law.” “Why tell me? Sampsa isn’t exactly a hotbed of League loyalty. A rather independent minded location as I recall.” “Miller set up the Starcade Massacre. He tried to kill me and kidnap my daughter. His people did … unkind … things to my sister. I could deal with him myself and perhaps start an international incident within the League. Or I can see what the League is willing to do about him.” Alexander was flipping through the Miller file as Linna spoke. Miller’s name had surfaced attached to various incidents in the past but it was never anything concrete. The work in this file was very good. It was the type of information that could be double checked. Much of it anyway. Things like the purported connection to the DC’s Black Dragon Society would be much harder to trace. But that was really small potatoes compared to the Andurien succession movement ties. “The carrot and the stick eh.” She mused. “You bring evidence of treason and a prize to offer should we act.” John shrugged. “I figured that the evidence would help convince whatever powers need convincing that Miller needs to be stopped. Killed, arrested, ‘disappeared’ … whatever the League deems appropriate. The drive factory is to expedite the process along. Plus there are a few other small tidbits I’d like other than just Miller before I hand over the coordinates.” “Such as?” asked Heather warily. “Nothing big. A guarantee against conscription of Warder troops by any League offices. Inroads into contracting for naval work associated with that propulsion yard. Some immigration assistance for some Periphery friends of mine. Help with conditioning a minor naval asset and a blind eye towards it’s existence. That’s about it.” “Very well then. Let’s hammer out the specifics of your secondary requests. Then I’ll convene a tribunal to determine what we’re prepared to do about Miller and get back to you by tomorrow morning. Will that be ‘expedited’ enough for you Mr. Linna?” “That will suite nicely Madam Vice Admiral,” he agreed. A short discussion later and the Vice Admiral was picking up the desk phone to make some calls as she nodded good-bye to the Linnas as they slipped out the office door. John Linna had obviously given his pitch and preparation a great deal of thought. His intelligence sources appeared to be rather extensive for a private citizen. She was also impressed with the way he had held what must have been a great deal of personal rage in check for so long while he pursued his parent’s killers and then with his goal in sight had put regional politics and League stability before revenge and personal interest. He had obviously been calculating how far he could go before he started a war while currying favor from both planetary and House leaders. No doubt the Kurita folks will be happy to get whatever information Linna sent with those DC born MechWarriors he sent back to Combine space. Alexander doubted Linna knew that she was aware of their departure and assumed that Linna must have had more info about the Black Dragon society than the little bit included in the list of crimes Miller had been involved with. It was too bad the mercenary leader hadn’t cut her in on that deal too. The League would have gained more political juice from handing over the data directly than it will get from having one of it’s citizens do so. At least the Kurita analyst folks would likely assume that Linna must have acted with Marik’s approval when he sent the info. Who knows, maybe that whole ‘liaison officer’ thing had been a set up from the start. She’d have to see what she could do about putting someone in the Suomi Warders to keep an eye on John Linna now that the he seems to have taken an interest in interstellar politics and gained the favor of House Kurita in the process. “Welcome to level two, Mr. Linna,” she mused to herself before turning her attention to the keypad and dialing a secret number. Out on the steps the Linna siblings walked through the work-day crowd towards a waiting car. Behind the wheel sat Sergeant Cascade, dressed in local civilian garb with a hastily purchased laser pistol stashed under the seat. Long hair was in style at the capitol at the moment and her military style buzz cut made her stand out in a crowd so she was wearing what she considered to be a ridiculous looking blue bonnet that might be silly looking but happened to be traditional local head-gear for ladies. “Well, what do you think?” asked Holly Linna of her brother after they had slipped into the backseat. John glanced up at the huge office complex in contemplation before answering. “I think that the Vice Admiral is going to get her hands on that production facility regardless of who she has to kill to get it. And I doubt that it will ever show up on the official League production rosters either. Which means it will cross her mind to wonder who else I might try to sell the location to. We’ll get some action about Miller. But I’ve opened a Pandora’s Box that’s going to have life long repercussions. I also think that we’re about to find out how much I’ve learned from Sergeant Harding about buying illegal goods and smuggling and how much I’ve learned from Captain Woods about counter-intelligence and security work.” “I take it we’re going shopping then Sir?” asked Sammi Cascade from the front seat. “Indeed we are. There’s a military surplus yard in this city that sells to mercenary outfits. I doubt they have anything we need but they can probably send us towards the people that do if approached in the right way. I believe it’s off City Byway Fifteen, east of here. Let me know if you think we have a tail.” “Roger Sir,” replied the Sergeant as she directed the car through traffic. “Just like that time back at Ramala.” That made John snort in amusement. “Except this time I hope we can take a pass on the riots and fire bombings.” “Roger that Sir,” agreed Cascade. Holly studied her brother for a moment, resisting the urge to ask about Ramala. The past really didn’t matter to her anymore anyway. All that mattered was the immediate future and seeing the end of Chairman Miller. After that… she never really thought about an ‘after that’. Like the past, ‘after that’ really didn’t matter much either. She wondered what her brother had in mind for ‘after that’ and as she did was struck with the realization that she cared. For the first time she could remember since returning, she actually cared about the future of her brothers. What that meant about herself she wasn’t sure. No one in the car spoke another word for the rest of the trip to the surplus yard. Three dark colored hover vans maneuvered slowly through the underground parking area of the Rold Building, sliding up to an unmarked elevator door and pulling to a stop. Members of the Drayson Security Directorate immediately spilled out of the front and rear one, scanning the poorly lit garage for any sign of activity. The private section of the parking levels was unoccupied and the security agents waved out those under their protection. John Linna stepped out onto the pavement, followed by his sister Holly from the middle door of the van. From the rear door appeared a vibrant young woman in a jaunty blue dress holding a cordless microphone bearing a small sign reading “LWNA” and a non-descript middle aged man in a gray coverall that bore a breast patch with the same letters. He carried a holo-recorder camera and had a battery and various pieces of recording equipment attached to a belt. Every piece had been gone over three times by the Drayson people and had been searched once by Rold security agents just after the vans had entered the garage as well. For the Drayson agents this was a historic and important meeting between two of the biggest industrial movers in their sector of space that could have significant impact on peace and prosperity. They would allow nothing to go wrong on their watch. For the Rold agents they were just doing what they were paid to do. Make sure that nothing dangerous got into the same room as their employer Chairman Miller. For the cameraman it was an exercise in futility. All of his equipment was exactly what it appeared to be. His weapons were his skills, training and whatever he could lay a hand on at any given moment. The cameraman had been trying in vain to catch a moment alone with John Linna every since he and League-Wide News Agency reporter Bunny Gallagher had first tried to interview Linna two days ago. For Bunny this might be her big break. LWNA had been offered exclusive coverage of the Linna-Miller summit meeting and negotiations. For reasons she couldn’t have fathomed, the assignment had gone to her despite being a junior reporter at the network with no experience covering business matters. It was not Bunny that a high ranking LWNA manager was trying to place close to Linna however. It was the cameraman. Bunny Gallagher was unlikely to notice anything amiss and – if worse came to worse – was expendable. After all, despite his primary obligations the manager did have a responsibility to LWNA stock holders. There was no reason to risk one of their star reporters even if the side effect of what was about to transpire would be ratings smashing news. Contact had been difficult however. Cameraman Kente had found the Drayson agents very protective of Linna and his ‘cousin’. There had been past attempts on Linna’s life and the director of the D.S.D. had made it clear that no foreign dignitaries would be dying on his planet. Especially one that was directly linked to a catastrophe that had almost lead to war between League worlds. In fact when the League Economic Development and Interstellar Trade Department had contacted Drayson about setting this meeting up it had been made clear that the main reason Linna had agreed to this trip was to promote peace between his world and the Andurian ones. There where three other planned stops on other planets after this one. Although “Rican Kente” shared the D.S.D.’s interest in inter-League relations it was not exactly from the same point of reference. As they all crammed into the elevator car Rican found himself next to the young woman that he had been told was a Linna cousin. There certainly was a notable family resemblance between the older Linna and the younger one. Neither of the pair ever seemed to smile. In fact, both looked rather stoically grim to him the times he had seen them. Except for when John Linna turned on his public face for the one interview bit they had shot yesterday. He wondered what they could have done to get themselves mixed up in this mess. Some very heavy action was about to go down. Rican didn’t know why of course. Only that he had a job to do and a message to deliver. It was starting to look like he would have to make up some sort of ploy pretty damn fast or he wouldn’t be able to get the Linna’s positioned correctly without dumb luck. Come on, think man he told himself. There’s got to be something! Many stories up from Rican and the elevator car Chairman Miller was pouring himself another drink with shaky hands. He washed down his heart pills and a tranquilizer for his nerves with a gulp of bourbon then rolled himself over to gaze out the wall length window behind his desk. His doctor would have a heart attacker herself if she knew how he was mixing his medications and liquor but she couldn’t possibly know what it had been like for him the past few months. No one could because he couldn’t tell anyone that he feared that a lifetime of lawlessness was trying to catch up to him. His skin was sallow now, his muscles weak from lack of exercise. Though wheelchair bound, he had always been a healthy, active man who had enjoyed his great wealth. Until he had been forced to shutter himself behind guarded doors when one of his long ago plans that had gone sour finally came back to haunt him. That damnable John Linna had followed up on miniscule clues while living up to his reputation of being unkillable by avoiding several assassination attempts. Not to mention a number of ‘Mech battles. The trail had eventually taken Linna and his private army out to where that pissant assassin Ong had his pirate gang. There John Linna’ Warders had wiped them out according to the news feeds coming from that region of space. From there Miller assumed Linna had found information pointing at him but kept it to himself. But the Chairman could have imagined in his wildest dreams the approach Linna had chosen to get close to him. Linna was arriving to ink a major cooperative deal between DEW Industries and several Rold companies to do a large amount of production and service work for the Free World’s League military. Linna had publicly announced the entire Starcade affair closed with the destruction of the Yu-shan pirates and undertaken a tour of Andurian worlds to promote peace in the wake of the long lingering accusations that it was Andurian forces behind the Starcade killings. It was unfathomable. What was the man thinking!?! Miller’s first thoughts had been that Linna had failed to piece it all together and thus believed that he had finally tracked down his parent’s killers. The Chairman had always been so clever and careful in his planning that evidence which directly linked him to any of his operations was excruciatingly rare for his foes to find. He often openly supported the very factions he was secretly attacking to avoid suspicion. Being confined to a wheelchair helped too. People just didn’t think of the handicapped as the mass murder for profit type. It was entirely reasonable to assume that Linna’s trail of evidence had finally worn out. Yet there was a part of his mind that just couldn’t let go of the thought that this was all an elaborate ruse. That somehow that bulldog Linna was coming for him. What John Linna planned to accomplish with a visit to Miller’s office beyond the stated business transaction the Chairman couldn’t guess at. There would be security people of his own and Drayson’s here, plus a holovid reporting crew. If the plan was to publicly denounce Miller in his own office it was a poor move to let the League folks set up and announce a peace tour. They’d come down on him like a ton of bricks for betraying them with such a stunt. Plus the footage would never make it out of the building. If the Drayson people didn’t seize it his own people would. No, somehow the denouncement scenario didn’t fit right. That wouldn’t be it. A sudden attempt to kill Miller with his bare hands? That fit Linna’s personality better but didn’t feel right either. The mercenary leader had been too calculating in his actions. He didn’t seem like the type to risk everything on a lucky strike before the security people piled on top of him. In this armored office with it’s chemical sniffers and energy detection grid no unauthorized weapon was making it inside. If Linna planned to blow himself up with hidden explosives he’d never make it past the security check at the elevator landing. Besides, suicide didn’t seem like Linna’s style either. He was a rich man. Rich men did not blow themselves up. They paid other people to get blown up for them. No, this had to be on the level Miller told himself as his eyes swept the vista before him. Across a vast park directly below were several other sky scrapers including one under construction that belonged to his own company. That would be the crown building of this plaza complex when it was completed in another two years. His new office would be in it, higher than this one was. He’d already redrawn some of the plans to allow for easier access including a helipad. This building lacked one which had become something of a problem when security needs had risen. No, that poor Linna sap couldn’t possibly know of Miller’s role in ordering the Starcade attack. But it wasn’t a risk that Miller was wiling to take. John Linna could not be allowed to leave this planet. It was unfortunate that his long time associate – the “Electricial Contractor” – was no longer available for hire. Ong would have been able to arrange for Linna to die here in Drayson with no difficulty what so ever. Luckily for Miller he always had more than one option available. Glev Tauren was a loyal member of Miller’s personal security team who happened to be a dyed-in-the-wool Andurien patriot that hated the supposed domination the Free World’s League held over the Duchy of Andurien. It had been a simple matter to ask the man to visit him privately early this morning and convince the simple minded fool of the evil plot poor Rold industries had been forced into to partner with Linna’s company to help supply the dangerously aggressive FWL military machine. As Miller could not stand for this as a patriotic son of Drayson, he was willing to give Glev a weapon that would pass the security scanners of this office and make arrangements for Glev to leave the planet and live in pampered exile elsewhere if he was willing to kill Linna during the signing ceremonies. Tauren was eager for the chance to strike such a blow against League domination of the homeland. The next matter to attend to was to call in the other two hand picked security members that would be in the office. Each had a private audience with Miller where he told them that he had information that there was a traitor on the security team. Miller informed each of the pair that he knew he could trust them with his life and with the fate of Rold enterprises and thus was going to give them a weapon that would not activate the security systems of the office. Should a fellow security team member attempt to harm himself or the visiting dignitary they were to shoot to kill on the spot. There was no reason to risk escape, the taking of hostages - or letting any potentially damaging testimony get out should a turncoat be caught and turned over to the regular police force. He paid his security people exceptionally well and both persons were honored by his trust in them and eager to snuff the life from any of their fellow guards that proved themselves traitors to the company. Thus the matter was taken care of. It was well established that assassination attempts had been performed against Linna and well known that certain elements of Andurien society would not welcome closer ties to other League planets or the League itself. It would be tragic to the peace mission to have Linna killed at his very first stop of course. But Miller felt he could live with the tragedy. Soon the Linna matter would be solved and he would have his life back. His worries were over. But still, there was a tremor in his hand and a fear in the blackness of his heart as he swallowed another gulp of bourbon and craned his neck trying to see if any of the BattleMechs he had employed from the Dragoons were visible on the edge of his industrial complex nearby. John Linna had a nasty habit of surviving situations that should have been his death but Miller told himself not to dwell on such thoughts. This time everything was under control. The Chairman pushed a button on the electronic pad on his wheelchair and spoke into the mic attached to the head rest. “Linda? The Linnas will be arriving shortly. Have Mister Gustav come to my office please.” Despite the bloodshed to come there were still legal matters involved in the contracts Linna carried. Directly across but a number of meters higher than Miller an electronic lens and a pair of eyes that held no fear at all were studying Miller from across the green of the park far below. Soon two very wealthy individuals would be in that same office. Once they were together, one of them would die. The employer had been quite specific that the hit must occur when the two were together and would arrange for such a meeting to occur. It would be the assassin’s responsibility to be ready when that time came. Being a consummate professional, he was already ready. Four days had passed since the information about when and where the meeting would take place had been given to the killer. It was a tight time frame to plan an untraceable murder but knowing Miller’s routine had made it easy to guess the few places that the Chairman would be willing to meet with such a person as John Linna. Having operated on this world before, the assassin knew where to find the equipment he desired and where to go to test it. A specially built two barrel sniper system lay on a tripod hidden within a machine case set at the edge of an uncompleted building floor. A powerful laser would melt through the outer shell of the bulletproof window and vaporize the bullet trapping gel that was encased between the two laser resistant clear layers of resin. The other barrel would fire a rifle round that was essentially a machinegun grade bullet from a light anti-VTOL weapon. A computer would time the staggered fire so that the travel time of the bullet would coincide with the laser hitting the window allowing the round to rip through the ionized gel in the instant it was vaporized. He’d gone through twenty two firings zeroing in the digital optics for bullet drop at the range he would be firing from. Computer calculations had provided the data required to adjust for wind sheer. As the timing was so critical that even the most fractional nudge would ruin the shot, he would not be holding the weapon when it was fired. It was too heavy anyway. It was mounted on a tri-pod anchored to the empty machine case. Several servos moved it ever so slightly in response to a joystick he held in his hand while seated in the middle of the floor. A wire brought him the optical view to a high definition screen while a little button on a plastic box next to the flatscreen display would fire the weapon. Push button killing. Just like the MechWarriors and flight crews did it. It amused the assassin that the items he used to target and fire his weapon were ‘high definition’ computer game controllers that promised the ‘ultimate in reality’. This would be ultimately real all right. What was unreal was the people who would be in the room. Lieutenant Colonel Linna and Chairman Miller. The two people that Steven Ong disliked most in the entire universe. The ‘unkillable’ man that had destroyed his pirate base and the ex-employer that had sold him out to Linna. Was this the pay meeting? A deal worth billions if not trillions between their two company holdings? Had John Linna sold out his desire for revenge for cash or did the deluded fool remain unaware of Miller’s role in his parent’s killing? No, that couldn’t be the case. The information that Ong had left behind on Yu-shan would have seen to that. Linna must have found it and used it to cut a deal with the League. For it was a well placed person in the Free World’s League espionage forces that had hired the Electrical Contractor for this job. The target was supposed to be Miller. Linna had proven cagier than Ong had expected and leveraged his information in a way to get others to do his dirty work for him. Curiously, it seemed somehow … unsporting … to Ong that Linna would do so rather than try to kill Miller personally. It was imminently more practical to set up things this way of course. After all, there was no way to know that the man who had been trying to set up Linna’s own assassination would be the very same man hired by the League to do the job on Miller. The odds were astronomical from one viewpoint. But not so high from another. There were not very many assassins good enough to do such a job so quickly and fewer still that had a long standing track record of performing the League’s dirty work. Ong was at the top of a very short list when one viewed the situation through that lens. And as Linna should believe Ong to be dead, there would be no reason for the mercenary leader to suspect he was walking under the sights of the very man who’s truest friend had been killed through Suomi Warder action at Yu-shan. Ironic didn’t come anywhere close to describing the situation. Ong had still not decided what he would do. As the League agent that had hired him on Drayson did not know how he would be killing Miller, avoiding the FWL intel folks and getting off planet should he decide to kill Linna rather than Miller would not be a problem. However the League would then decline to pay the rest of his fee. It was money he could sorely use after the damage Linna had done to his pirate band and the Triad itself. Additionally, the League would dry up as a source of future jobs. Well, the Marik government anyway. Planetary lords were a different matter. Still, it would be harder to operate within the League should he zap Linna instead. Despite the personal joy he might feel, killing Linna instead of Miller just wouldn’t do professionally. His reputation for infallibility only held because Miller had not leaked to anyone yet that Ong had failed to deliver the Warder CO’s head. Thus leaving Miller alive was not in Ong’s best business interest. Although technically, the contract on Linna still stood. Collecting might be an issue however. Miller might balk at completing payment. The smart money was to kill Miller and hope that Linna never figured out that Ong still lived and what his role in the Starcade affair had been. Although Linna had just shown that he was capable of playing on a level higher than Ong would have anticipated by maneuvering the League into acting on the mercenary’s behalf. Steven Ong might be leaving a little too much to hope if he assumed Linan knew nothing about him. Decisions, decisions. Assassination was not supposed to be this difficult. You got the assignment, killed the target, and collected your money. It was a supposed to be a straight forward and simple business arrangement. There was a third alternative though. If he removed them both then technically he would not have violated his contract and he would still have a perfect record of success. As he was supposed to kill Miller when Linna was physically near the Chairman so the murder could be passed off as yet another attempt on Linna gone wrong then if Linna was hit too that would certainly add credibility to the cover lie. Two birds with one stone so to speak. Or bullet in this case. Should a single kill shot not be possible for some reason the large bore rifle was a custom built semi-automatic with a four round clip. A single shot would be more artistic and easier to explain away to the League representative but if necessary Ong was willing to fire a second shot. A professional always completed the task at hand no matter the job’s requirements after all. “Nice set up you have there. Don’t move by the way. I have a silenced sub-m with an active laser site trained on the back of your head and from this range I don’t miss. Teflon coated bullets alternating with pin headed split-blade ammo by the way in case you’re thinking that any body armor you might be wearing will save you should you suddenly roll from that chair.” Ong froze in place at the sound of the female voice, his muscled tenses for action but his mind biding it’s time while he accessed the situation. He didn’t waste any time wondering how anyone could have known he was here nor how they had defeated his heat sensors and then approached so close without him hearing anything. Had this person wanted him dead he would be dead already. What he needed to know was if she was alone, what her intentions were, and if she would come close enough that he had a chance to try something. The voice moved directly behind and came a bit closer. “Video feed with a big red targeting circle. So simple even a child could do it,” the voice mused. That stung Ong’s professional pride a bit so he felt obligated to respond. Plus the more she talked the more time he had to formulate a plan of action. “Assuming that the child was capable of designing and building the weapon system, making the ballistic calculations, hand loading the shells, and then perform the testing required to assure that the separate damage elements arrive at the exact same instant then yes – it is all very simple.” “A killer with a dry sense of humor,” mused the voice from behind Ong. “I never acquired much of a sense of humor myself. So I’ll spare you any more banter and come to the point. It is Lieutenant Colonel Linna’s assumption that you have been hired to kill Chairman Miller, however the Lieutenant Colonel was unwilling to bet his life on the League playing square with him so a little insurance has been arranged. I am part of that insurance package.” Ong was filled with a mix of admiration for the way in which Linna had assumed the League might double cross him and taken steps to nullify that chance and anger at himself for getting caught flat footed with his butt firmly planted in a folding chair. He had studied the Warder roster in detail for the aborted mission to their home world and his instincts told him that the woman behind him was the recon specialist sergeant named Cascade. Experienced and capable - for it had been her leading the team that had infiltrated his island base not so long ago – she was reputed to be a high level master in close quarters combat. His own skills were formidable in that area as well. Already he had positioned a foot so that with a twisting roll he could fling the light metal chair towards the sergeant to distract or potentially injure her. Obviously, she would not be amenable to his plan to kill both industrialists. Thus she would have to be dealt with in the next ten to fifteen minutes before the office meeting took place. At the moment she was hovering just out of what he considered effective range to attempt an attack without getting shot. However for her to get a good look at who was under the targeting crosshair she would have to be quite a bit closer. Patience was a virtue. One of the few Ong could be said to possess. Deep within the center of the Rold building the express elevator had reached the secure level of the most important Rold offices. Those within exited and went through yet another search – although this one was more formality than security. John then asked if there was a washroom nearby he could use and one of the Rold staffers – followed by a Drayson security agent – lead him to one. Kente seized this as his last chance to pass a message to John and joined the group. Inside the room John washed his hands then adjusted his tie in the mirror while the cameraman made a show of using the urinal then cleared his throat to get John’s attention as the two security types stood near the door looking on. “Excuse me, Mr. Linna Sir?” asked Kente. “If it would be possible, do you think you could stand close to Mr. Miller at some point. It would make a great shot, the two of you side by side an all. A rare opportunity.” During any type of intelligence or security training, one thing they hammered into you was never try to talk around a subject. It was often too obvious. But Kente didn’t have a choice now. He hoped that the security guards wouldn’t be suspicious as they didn’t know an assassination was about to occur while if Linna was as sharp as he was supposed to be the message should be clear. The barest hint of a change in Linna’s expression made Kente believe that the mercenary - businessman had understood the meaning. “I’m not used to thinking in terms of photo-ops,” replied Linna seemingly with little interest in the cameraman’s request, “but I’ll try to cozy up to him for you during the signing. Will that do?” “Yes Sir, thank you. That will be fine.” As Linna turned away his expression and body language implied that he had already dismissed the insignificant cameraman from his thoughts. Damn, he’s good thought Kente. Kente shot a nervous glance at the security agents – something certainly within character for the role he played – and it seemed to him that neither guard seemed unduly interested in the quick exchange. They were both probably used to having media types around. John returned to the waiting area where his sister fidgeted and glared about her. The Drayson guards had been keeping a wary eye on her since they had all loaded up in the vans, probably wondering what she was so keyed up about. Her body language continued to hint that she was keyed for trouble. Since they had entered the building the Rold guards were glancing at her with interest, her open hostility a cause for concern. He would have preferred to have left Holly with Sergeant Cascade – but that would have just interfered with Sammi’s mission and the Sergeant’s part of this deal was tough enough as it was. He walked up to his sister and patted her arm. “Relax, nothing’s going to happen here. A quick signing and we’re on our way.” She looked hard at him for a moment, then managed to relax a little at his words. It was a code phrase they had set up between them. However the Free World League planned to kill Miller was going to happen soon. Which meant she should get to finally see what she had been waiting for all these years. That made her feel a little better. As she glanced around the opulent surroundings she was filled with disgust at how many had suffered so this Miller guy could stuff his office building full of fancy junk. It would be better if Miller’s blood was shed by her own hands but Holly was finally learning to be a little pragmatic. Dead was dead – as long as Miller was removed from this universe she would be content. For his part John had gone from the mildly keyed state he was often in before deploying for battle to the more heightened state of adrenaline spurred alertness that came with the first surge of a combat contact. He had know about the sniper set up across the park before getting into the vans today. Cascade had reasoned out the most likely avenue of attack and then discovered the equipment yesterday. What John hadn’t expected was that the Vice Admiral would actually place an agent so close to the action. He wondered if the cameraman was supposed to be protection for himself or was a backup plan in case the sniping attempt missed. Perhaps he was part of it, somehow signaling when it was time to take the shot. As John was used to being in charge and knowing the action plan it vexed him a little to be left out of the details – but he knew he couldn’t expect the League people to let him in on their plans. Although it seemed that the precaution of having Cascade find the sniper would end up a moot point as it didn’t stand to reason that the League would slip an agent in to warn him of the impending strike if he were the target rather than Miller. “The Chairman is ready for you,” announced the pretty but vapid looking secretary seated next to a huge set of mahogany doors. Led by two Rold guards the news team entered first followed by the Linnas. Two Drayson agents trailed the dignitaries while a third Rold guard trailed in last and closed the doors behind the group. Chairman Miller turned in place slightly next to his desk as a form of nod and extended his hand towards the figure he recognized as John Linna. He had looked over the others as they had entered and the look of pure venom he received from the Linna cousin was palatable. As for John Linna himself, there was a mildly pleasant business expression on his face. Miller knew the look well as he had employed his own version of that face for decades. “We meet at last,” nodded John as he took Miller’s hand. “I’ve been looking forward to this moment. I expect nothing but good can come of it for the people of both our planets.” “Likewise,” Miller managed to reply as John’s strong grip made him wince. Despite the cool temperature in the palatial office the Chairman was sweating and he mopped at his brow with his other hand. He resisted the urge to rub his sore hand with the good one after John released him. “My I introduce my lead legal council, Mr. Marco Gustav. He has studied the proposed joint ventures and is most impressed with the incentives you managed to get from House Marik.” John exchanged greetings with the thin, cadaverous looking barrister and returned his attention to the Chairman. “House Marik has a strong interest in easing tensions between member worlds of the League as well as a strong desire to increase the League’s military capability. Considering the history between our worlds I was surprised when they approached me about this tour but the deal they were offering….as you can see it was too good to pass up.” The two business leaders made some more small talk for the holo-vid crew, which then set up in a corner of the office out of everyone’s way. Miller then rolled over to be behind his desk – taking a position of authority over the meeting that John did not care to challenge. John had much more on his mind than the etiquette of who sat where in the office. He chose to remaining standing, as did his sister and the guards. Gustav withdrew to a side couch off to Miller’s right where he would be available if called for but otherwise was not a prominent part of the proceedings. As he resettled his weight in his powered wheel chair Miller was still unsettled. John Linna didn’t seem to be harboring any ill will towards him. As the man was prone to occasional flashes of anger and had pursued his parent’s killers for almost ten years it seemed unlikely the mercenary leader would be able to stand so calmly in the same room as one he blamed for his parent’s death. Miller was starting to think that perhaps this whole friendship tour visit was on the level. At least as far as Linna was concerned. It was likely that House Marik had some secret reason for wanting to wed two of the League’s richest military industrial conglomerates together on a host of aerospace and BattleMech projects. That kind of intrigue was Miller’s bread and butter. For the first time in months he started to relax a little bit. It was almost too bad that Linna was going to be killed as he left the building. Still, the cousin was troubling. His people had no record of this person yet she was obviously related to John. “I’m afraid you neglected to introduce your cousin,” invited Miller with a nod in her direction. John smiled a real smile for the first time since entering the office. One that Miller definitely didn’t like the looks of. “Truth be told Chairman Miller, I have a little confession to make. This young woman is not actually my cousin. Chairman, Mr. Gustav, and viewers of LWNA, “ he nodded into the camera then turned his attention back to Miller, “I take great pleasure in introducing my sister Holly Linna. To paraphrase a great writer of Terra’s past – the stories of her death were greatly exaggerated.” For about five seconds Miller thought his heart had burst as it started thumping wildly and he found his lungs seemingly frozen. A shocked silence settled over the office as everyone within had been versed on the legend of the Starcade killings, Holly’s abduction and John’s decade long search for a sister that assuredly was dead. Bunny Gallagher almost yipped in excitement at the incredible scoop she had just gotten while her cameraman Kente wondered what else control had not told him (or didn’t know) about Linna. Miller was astounded. Literally speechless. But Ong promised she was dead he thought to himself furiously. What did this mean? How could she still be alive and what did she know? Those daggers in her eyes took on an entirely more unsettling feel. John Linna had shown nothing in his face but Miller could see that Holly knew. Her eyes spoke of retribution against him. But how and when? Obviously not here with a camera crew on hand. They must be trying to rattle him into making a mistake. Or maybe, though Miller, she hadn’t told her brother. Maybe she was playing her own game. If she was then Holly Linna was going to find out she was woefully ill equipped to take on a man like himself. With any luck Tauren would take it upon himself to kill her as well. Yes, it was time to pull the plug on this family line. The brother and daughter back on their home world would be killed as quickly as he could arrange it now that his main assassin contact had left his employ. “That’s.. astounding news,” the Chairman managed at last as his thoughts settled on the comforting thought of the Linna line dead and buried. “Are you all right Chairman Miler?” asked John in a concerned purr, “ if I may say so; you don’t look so well.” “I’ve been a bit under the weather lately,” allowed Miller. “But with your schedule so tight I felt I owed it to the people of the League to come in and meet with you for an official signing.” “Most gracious of you,” nodded John. “And speaking of signing – I have the data pad with the contract right here.” John pulled out the electronic scribe machine and approached the desk. Miller tried to remain calm, knowing that the device would have been checked out by two different security forces many times over and therefore could not be anything other than what it appeared to be. Leaning on the side of the desk John placed the item before Miller and handed him an electronic stylus. “Here, allow me”, added John as he reached in front of Miller and tapped three keys causing the screen to light up. Miller looked down to see the contract title appear before him along with the preamble text and a signature box at the bottom of the touch sensitive screen. As he started to reach over to sign the letters started to rapidly fade away except for a few. In stark contrast against the blank electronic slate it was easy to pick out the small letters remaining. s t A r C a d E Pulling his hand away with a sharp intake of breath, Miller turned his head to look up at John who was now leaning down over the desk toward him. Out of the corner of his eye Miller saw that the screen had blinked back to the original text as John asked innocently, “is there a problem Chairman?” As they locked eyes and Miller started to answer the sharp tinkling of a spray of glass and a whump like someone hitting a watermelon with a bat cut off any answer as blood, brains, and bone fragments exploded outward from the desk. Miller’s and Linna’s bodies were pushed in opposite directions from the impact as the round blasted through a skull and the desk itself only to ricochet off the armored floor and skip up into Bunny. She fell back with a shredded shoulder and a scream of pain. Everyone froze in shock at the sudden violence as Miller’s practically headless form lolled in it’s chair and John staggered next to the desk bent over and holding his own head with blood and gore dripping off of him. Almost no one else had even registered what had happened, but Glev Tauren was galvanized into action as he realized that his beloved Chairman was dead. He had planned to kill Linna after the meeting. Glev’s heart screamed in pain as he felt that had he acted before the meeting then surely the Chairman would still. The would be assassin whipped out the flechette pistol that Miller had given him and stepped towards John Linna as he raised it to fire. “Die John Linna!” he screamed as he aimed at the stumbling figure’s head and squeezed back on the trigger. Holly had recovered from the surprise as quickly as Glev did. As he stepped by and raised the pistol she lunged forward a step and kicked out. Her foot caught the edge of a coffee table but still hit him in the side with enough force to knock him a step away from her and spoil his aim as the plastic flechettes chewed another great gouge in the desk. The room that had been shocked into stillness exploded into activity as everyone else started to react. Unarmed for the meeting, one of the Drayson planetary agents rushed Glev who managed to kick the coffee table into Holly to trip her up then turn and fire a blast into the agent’s throat killing her instantly. The body’s forward momentum carried the agent into Glev who was unbalanced while one of the Rold guards pulled his weapon thinking to fire on Glev only to be tackled by the second Drayson agent who assumed the Rold guards all planned to kill the Linnas. Kente was momentarily torn between checking on Bunny and going after Glev – but training kicked in and he decided to go after Glev as he saw the female agent get killed before getting to the gunman. But Kente was all the way across the office and unable to close the distance with the heavy camera gear strapped to his body before Glev regained his feet and turned his attention to Holly. “Your turn to die Linna witch,” he snarled at her. Holly had just regained her feet but was out of arm’s reach and had no place to go as the pistol leveled on her. Then just before he fired a heavy force slammed into her from the side and brought her down just as the gun fired. She heard a woof of exhaled breath and realized that whomever had just tackled her had been hit. She rolled free of the person and looked back to see John laying next to the low table unmoving. Blood covered him from head to shoulder and it was impossible to tell how much of it was his own. Glev was adjusting his aim when a thrown holo-vid camera crashed painfully into his left shoulder. He turned to shoot the offender that had hurt him and Kente made a desperate diving roll to one side to avoid the shot … but it never came. The second Rold guard had finally gotten a clear shot and drilled a neat hole through Glev’s head with his laser pistol. “Condition Delta!” shouted the guard into his collar mounted microphone as he charged across the room to make sure Glev was dead and to see if there was any hope the Chairman was alive. “Repeat Condition Delta in the Chairman’s office. Three others down including Mr. Linna. Medical emergency response Blue One!” He didn’t bother to count Glev. The fracking traitor was dead. But so was the Chairman. He had been right – there had been a traitor within his own security. More than one as the kill shot had come from outside. The two agents wrestling over the laser pistol ceased as they realized they neither was planning to hurt anyone in the room. They all then turned their attention to providing what medical aid they could to those still alive. Holly knelt over her brother’s still form unwilling to touch him and confirm what she feared. She’d told him she hated him – yet he was willing to trade his life for hers. Before she could order her emotions and decide what she was feeling Holly became aware of another person squatting next to her. She realized it was the cameraman from the news team as he gingerly probed her brother with his hands and checked for a pulse on his neck. “Here, put pressure on the shoulder,” ordered Kente as he stripped the fabric slip off a throw pillow from the couch to use as a makeshift bandage. “Looks like some flechettes got through the light ballistic weave that’s sewn into this suit coat. Most of that blood on his head is Miller’s. There’s a gash and lump near his temple that I think is from hitting the corner of the table as he went down.” “He’ll live?” Holly demanded to know. “Probably. We’ll know when the med teams get here. Just keep the pressure on that shoulder wound and let me know if he starts coughing up blood or foam.” Then Kente was off to see how Bunny had fared. An emergency team was stationed in the building and arrived quickly. As a med-tech worked on her brother Holly left him in peace once he finally told her that it looked good for John’s chances. She walked over to Miller’s desk and looked down at the now shroud covered form of the beast that had haunted her dreams for so long. Her hatred had been aimed at a figure that had turned out to be a worn out looking old man in a wheel chair. Holly didn’t know what she had been expecting but it certainly had not been this. Looking at her hands she saw that they were covered with blood. Her brother’s blood. That was something else she had never expected. Sure, she’d resented him and loathed him at times. And been jealous of him she admitted to herself. But she hadn’t really wanted his blood on her hands either literally or figuratively. No, the blood she wanted was there in stark scarlet all over the teak desk. She reached down and swiped a finger through Miller’s blood, studying the fluid closely as it dripped off back to the desk. So much blood. So like her brother’s and yet somehow she felt it was also very different. “Excuse me, Miss Linna? We’re transporting your brother to a hospital flight that will land in the park. Did you want to go with him?” She turned her steely gaze upon the orderly. “He’s not leaving my sight. Do you know who has his hand-cell? I have some calls to make on the way.” Across from the blood splattered office a figure slipped from the seat before the video monitor and reached down to set the timer on a small explosive device. Then she knelt at the still form of a would be assassin and injected a compound into his arm. “You’ll be able to move again in about three minutes.” With that Sergeant Cascade left Steven Ong behind her as she jogged over to the elevator rig and kicked the coiled rappel rope off the edge. She had maybe eight to ten minutes to vacate the area before it was locked down tight by the local police. The League killer would have three minutes less but that was his problem. Her orders had been to only interfere if she felt a double cross was being pulled by the Admiral. Sammy had decided to forgo all possibility of a double cross and make the shot herself. She was worried that she had blown it as it looked like John had been injured when she killed Miller and then a scuffle had ensued. She had been about ready to shoot the guy with the pistol when someone else got him. But her angle was too poor to see very far into the room. She thought that the L.C. had gone down. Then again the Lieutenant Colonel was a hard kill. He’d be all right. For now she had herself to worry about. The first thought after he blinked his eyes open and the ceiling started to come into focus was that he didn’t feel that bad. A bit groggy and achy but not too bad. Then the headache kicked in and John revised his assessment. He felt like crap actually. The smartest thing to do might be to stay asleep. Then again, his instincts were telling him to get off of Drayson as soon as physically possible. That’s when he became aware of the weight on his right thigh. Lifting his head to look down he saw the back of Holly’s head and her shoulder. Judging by her breathing she must have fell asleep at his bedside. Which would mean he was in a medical ward someplace. A faint “beep - beep” drifted into his consciousness at that point confirming his assumptions. Rolling his head to the left he saw a young man in body armor sitting in a chair by the window. He noticed that John was awake and stood but didn’t say anything. Looking the other way he saw the familiar figure of Sergeant Cascade standing at parade rest a few feet behind his sister where she could see the body armor guy, the window, the door in, and John himself. She saw John looking at her and cocked her head to one side a bit. “Sir?” “I got shot again didn’t I?” he asked matter-of-factly. “Yes Sir. Flechette load from a pistol in the back of your shoulder,” she replied in the same conversational tone. He touched his head gingerly. “And the head wound?” “Coffee Table Sir,” she supplied. That made John chortle in amusement, which proved a painful exercise he quickly decided to avoid until his headache went away. “Riots, ‘Mech battles, assassins, inferno missiles, and I get taken out by a table…” he mused. “It was a very solid table Sir,” deadpanned Cascade. John eyed her suspiciously. That almost sounded like a joke the Sergeant had just issued. She must be relieved he was talking. “Was I hurt that bad this time?” “Could have been much worse,” shrugged Sammy Cascade. “At first they thought a few flechettes had pierced your lung. Turned out they were seeing old shrapnel you’ve already healed around. They did some surgery to make sure the shoulder would heal correctly. The table wound was a serious concussion but there was no skull damage.” He glanced at the unfamiliar guard. “What’s your story?” “I’m here for your protection Mr. Linna,” supplied the young man in a crisp military police manner. “What happened? Last thing I remember something blew out a window and then some madman was waving a pistol around.” John had directed the question to the guard at the window rather than Sammi. He wanted to hear what the official story was. The guard looked a bit embarrassed and hung his head a bit but answered. “A sniper with a special laser rifle combination weapon took a shot at you through the window. His accomplice tried to finish you off when the sniper missed. I’m afraid the Chairman Miller was killed as was one of our special agents and the accomplice. You were rushed to Halistone Memorial by chopper along with the reporter lady.” “Did you get the sniper?” John wanted to know. “Uh…not yet Sir,” admitted the guard reluctantly. “I see,” sighed John in a show of exasperation. In truth he was relieved the assassin had escaped. That would keep the Admiral’s fingerprints off the situation. He’d probably never know for sure but John assumed that the Rold guard that attacked Holly was under Miller’s orders. John felt a little better about setting up this hit. Miller had made it a duel through proxy and his hired killer had been more capable than Miller’s hired gun. Made it feel a bit less like coldly calculated murder. There were people that would be a might upset about Miller’s death however. It would be best to put some cold vacuum between those people and himself. Holly stirred at the sound of the voices and sat back. “It’s about time you woke up,” she scolded him. “Sorry. Tripped over a table. A very solid one I am informed. What time is it anyway?” “Twenty Three hundred, twenty six minutes local time Sir,” supplied Cascade. “I feel mobile. Any reason you two can think of I can’t walk?” asked John. “No serious internal damage was noted on your medical sheet. You should be good to go.” It was Cascade again. “A bit unsteady I would imagine though,” added his sister. John sat up, examining the wrist monitor they had strapped to him. “Do I have any clothes here?” “Sammy picked up some work out sweats on her way over,” replied Holly. John smiled to himself. It was “Sammy” now rather than “That Sergeant of Yours” or “Bitch”. “I’d say it’s time to go then,” sighed John as he thought of his headache amping up once he started trying to walk. As he swung his legs over the side of the bed the guard surged to his bed in alarm. “I’m afraid I can’t let you do that Sir.” “Am I under arrest?” John wanted to know. “No…nothing like that. But the hospital is secure. We can protect you here.” “Miller’s office was secure too. Nope, a stationary target is a dead target. Nothing against you or your superiors but I’m calling off the rest of this trip and heading home. I’ll send some expendable company Vice President to finish this Marik peace visit tour.” The guard reached out and placed a restraining hand on John. It was a gentle grip as the young guard had no desire to hurt the person he had been assigned to protect. But he knew that it would no go well downtown if he allowed Mr. Linna to walk out of this room. John sighed, looked him right in the eye, and said one word. “Sammy.” The guard never even saw her move. He sensed danger a split second before a solid punch to his side where the body armor seam was drove the wind from his lungs. Then he was being bodily spun around and a vice clamped down on his neck in a sleeper hold. Five seconds of feeble struggling later his world blacked out. John stood up on shaky legs. “Lay him out on the bed. He can wear this and be my stand in.” John lifted his arm to indicate the wrist monitor that was tracking his heartbeat and skin temperature. A few minutes later John was dressed and leaning against the wall. “We ready to roll?” “There are two more in the hallway outside,” Sammy informed him. “After that we should be able to walk out using the staff halls and elevator. Their security here is piss poor. I have a vehicle parked in the staff parking lot.” He nodded. “Then if you two ladies would do me the favor of knocking out our last two protectors we can be on our way. I think I’ll just hold up the wall for a few more moments.” John found the nod of cooperation and understanding that flashed between his sister and the Sergeant heart warming – which made him snort at how absurd his life had become when he was touched by two people happily agreeing to take down a couple of innocent planetary security agents that were technically on their side so he could work on putting some distance between themselves and a murder scene. Not exactly what he had imagined when he first took up Engineering at the Academy. Five minutes later there were two more unconscious bodies in his room and the three Warders were off on their trek to Sammy’s waiting car. The next day the three were up early and went cruising around in Sammy’s car to kill time. They had arrived with false identities already prepared for use on departure and during the wee hours of the morning John had managed to book an expensive but no-questions-asked lift off the planet. Drayson security was going to be rather annoyed with him for going on the run like this but he had left them a message from a pay phone explaining that he just didn’t feel safe on the planet and would be arranging for his own departure. There probably wasn’t a good reason for bailing on the Drayson officials like this as the local news reports indicated that everyone believed that a failed assassination against him had accidentally killed the wrong target. John was just in a contradictory mood and had had his fill of secret agent types and planetary politics. He just wanted to go home and be with his daughter and let himself take the time to truly mourn for those lost on Yu-shan. “Hey Sammy,” he said suddenly as activity outside his window caught his attention, “pull over for a moment.” With a frown to indicate what she thought of the idea she complied. John popped open the door and walked over to the chain link fence that separated the sidewalk from the grounds of some industrial plant or other. The bulbous nose of a DropShip pointed up into the sky from behind some buildings and the unmistakable forms of BattleMechs were lumbering about as they formed for departure. John whistled to himself as Holly slipped up beside him, her eyes fixed on the same sight as his. “Would you look at that. An actual Clan Timberwolf. Or Mad Cat as we dubbed them,” John said in wonder. “I’ve never seen so many assault Mechs together,” breathed Holly. “And what are those things with the winglets mounted up high?” “The rest of it looks like a Marauder so I guess it’s some sort of modified one the Dragoons have whipped together. Probably for jump stability.” The pair stood silently watching the dark blue might of Wolf’s Dragoons Gamma Regiment as it mustered to leave the planet with it’s contract cancelled. After a short while a utility vehicle pulled near them on the inside of the fence and the huge barrel chested figure of an unarmored Clan Elemental hopped out of the passenger side and strode up to face them. “This is a restricted area. Move off,” he growled. The two Linnas exchanged a glance then returned their gaze to the Dragoon soldier, obviously unimpressed by his glowering. “Listen Major... uh … Winters,” John read off the giant’s name strip, “as far as I have been informed we happen to be standing on a public sidewalk.” “Then I am informing you differently,” shot back the Major. “Remove yourselves or I shall personally scale this fence and break your other arm.” John glanced down at the sling his arm was in to ease the pressure on his shoulder. But before he was able to respond Holly stepped protectively in front of her brother. “Try it and you’ll have to come through me first,” she warned the Elemental. Major Leon Winters stared at the defiant wisp before him for a few moments then broke out in a wide grin. Somewhat of a rarity among Clan bred officers he had a broad sense of humor. While he had no doubt he could pull the young lady’s arms off her spunk amused him. And he had to admit that these two had called his bluff. As long as they stayed on that side of the fence and carried no weapons his orders would keep him at bay. “And whom is this one armed man that deserves such fierce protection?” Winters wondered out loud. “He’s my brother,” Holly informed the towering warrior. “It’s a family thing. You wouldn’t understand.” The huge grin flashed again. “No, I imagine that I would not little one. You two look to be MechWarriors. Militia or mercenary?” “Merc. Lieutenant Colonel John Linna of the Suomi Warders.” “I have never heard of your unit,” shrugged the Elemental officer. “No reason you would have,” he shrugged back in return. “You have stopped to observe the might of Gamma Regiment. Perhaps we shall meet in battle some day and then you can observe our prowess in a more personal manner.” John just smiled, failing to rise to the bait. “Perhaps. One never knows where his next battle lays. Well, it’s been a pleasure meeting you Major but we have a DropShip to catch as well. Fare travels to you.” But as he and Holly turned away John couldn’t resist slipping in a little dig. Speaking to Holly but loud enough that the Major could hear he told her “that guy looks almost as tough as our Captain Jorgenson.” As they got back into the car Sergeant Cascade shot her commander a reproving look as she casually slipped her laser pistol back under the seat. “I know,” sighed John in response to the Sergeant’s scowl. “Don’t poke at bee hives with a stick and don’t taunt Elementals. Won’t do it again.” With the time worn look all Sergeants have when they know their officers aren’t actually going to wise up and change their ways Cascade slipped the car into gear and eased back out into morning the traffic. Holly was still looking out the window at the Dragoon ‘Mechs. “I think you were right,” she said matter of factly. “About what?” John wanted to know. “If we would have dropped against them they would have kicked our asses.” “Yep. But we would have given them a run for their money.” John turned to look at his sister, who was still looking out the window. He had noticed the use of “we” just then. Not to mention the “he’s my brother” part a few moments ago. But he’d learned long ago that prodding her was the wrong way to get cooperation or information from her. He turned his attention back out his own window and they rode in silence for a moment. “Do you feel any better?” she asked quietly. “Now that he’s dead, is it .. better inside you?” John considered the question. He hadn’t really let himself contemplate how he felt. There was no question in his own mind that what he had just been part of was a killing without honor. Basically a murder. It was revenge – not justice. Yet he had no doubt that not only was Miller guilty of planning their parent’s deaths for his personal gain but had also tried to have John himself and his daughter killed. Undoubtedly Miller would have continued to do so. He didn’t know if God would see his actions as justified but in John’s mind it was a justifiable homicide if such a thing could be said to exist. Self defense even if he was emotionally wrapped up in the act. Yet he’d tried hard to treat the entire episode like a military exercise with the minimal emotional involvement that such exercises implied. “I think,” he started haltingly, “that someplace on Yu-Shan something changed inside me. Mom and Dad were gone and nothing would change that. You were back so that was taken care of. Getting the person behind it all became more a matter of safeguarding Sandi and the Warders from more attacks than a revenge vendetta thing. Or at any rate the price I was willing to pay in my friend’s blood for Miller’s blood was greatly lowered. But to be totally honest with you – yes I feel a little better. I know it’s wrong to take pleasure in another’s death but I find pleasure in the thought that he’s rotting in hell now.” “It’s all I’ve wanted for all my life,” sighed Holly as she continued to face out the window. “To run my finger through his blood and know he was dead while I survived was an incredible feeling of triumph. But now? Now I have nothing to hate. Now I feel kinda ... empty. Elated and empty at the same time I guess. It’s odd. Better but odd.” John rested his hand lightly on her shoulder. “I know, me too.” She couldn’t make herself face him but she reached up and rested her hand on his. “John…I’m sorry about what I said back on the station. I don’t hate you. I think I thought I did…but I don’t.” “It’s all right,” he soothed. The cynical part of his mind smirked at the thought that there was nothing like plotting an assassination for a little brother-sister bonding but he choked the idea back and locked it away in the back of his mind. There were enough negatives in his life without creating more for himself. “So what are you going to do now?” Holly asked. “Besides go home? Spend time with Sandi. Redirect the unit back more towards a training stance than combat one. Maybe open a special officer training program. Or a special forces school. I still have my promise to the Coleson’s Orb folks to work on about getting their planet back. And who knows what type of trouble Sammy’s Clan Bondsman may have gotten into while we’ve been away. But I’m done chasing pirates if that’s what you mean. I won’t be looking for any off world contracts for quite a long while either. What about yourself? Have you given it any thought?” She hesitated a moment, afraid of how he might respond. Then she sucked up a lungful of air and took the plunge. “I was thinking I might see if I could get into the academy back home as a Junior or Senior. Maybe join the Sampsa Defense Force if they’ll have me. Try to get used to our home in a controlled environment.” John looked at her in amazement. This was about the last thing he would have expected to hear from her. But it made sense in a lot of good ways if she could adjust to academy life. “If you want I could probably pull a few strings and get you in,” he offered. She finally turned to face him. “I’ll take the help,” she said with the hint of a wry smile. “Makes more sense than taking up some lame secret identity to try to somehow prove myself. I’ve already proved myself five times over. What I need to do is find myself. Find the Holly Linna I could have been had I never been taken away. The Holly I should have come back to be when I had the chance to choose between going home or chasing my revenge.” “Done deal then,” smiled John. “What about you Sergeant? A big early retirement bonus is yours if you want to hang up your combat boots when we get back.” Sammy glanced in the mirror back at her CO then returned her eyes to the road. “No can do on the retirement bit Sir. Guess I’m just a twisted soul but I like doing the things I do. Besides, the Warders are the only family I have and First Platoon are my brothers and sisters. You’re stuck with me Sir. Until it’s my turn to join the Command Post anyway.” In the back seat John could have done without the reminder of the memorial duties that lay waiting for him back home but was comforted to know that the ever vigilant Sammy Cascade planned to soldier on in Warder Blue for quite a while yet. Up front behind the wheel Sammy had been concerned that her commanding officer might decide to retire now that this Starcade business was finally wrapped up. She was relieved that he planned to stay at the helm. The Suomi Warders had been other things in the past and would be different things in the future – but right now the Warders were John Linna. Sergeant Samantha Cascade wouldn’t want it any other way.
|
![[RDF Data]](/fct/images/sw-rdf-blue.png)