Down & Out in Temp Town
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| Down & Out in Temp Town | |
|---|---|
| Story information | |
| Author | Scott Jenkins |
| Pages | 3 |
| Type | Short story |
| Product | 1993 Update Flyer |
| Content | |
| Era | Clan Invasion era |
| Timeline | (see text) |
Down & Out in Temp Town is a 3-page BattleTech short story by Scott Jenkins. It was published in the 1993 Update Flyer and also in Life Support, Issue #5 (translated into German on 4 pages).
No dates are given, but the context implies the story to take place during the early stages of the Explorer Corps' cooperation with House Kurita to find Strana Mechty, between 3052 and ca. 3055.
Plot summary[edit]
Narrating in the first person while seated at a bar, the unnamed protagonist is a down-on-his-luck MechWarrior who inherited his Wolverine, "Mary Anne", from his father who was killed in battle. Over his mother's objections, the protagonist elected not to sell Mary Anne but to follow in his father's mercenary footsteps, hiring out from Outreach. After a successful ten-year career, Mary Anne was severely damaged while pirate hunting in the Capellan Confederation and his companion Skeets' Rifleman was equally mauled. Skeets accepted the Capellan offer to fix up her Rifleman but found herself company stored for it. The protagonist returned to Outreach where he was unable to procure a contract with his badly damaged 'Mech, stranding him in his current situation.
Just as the protagonist tells the bartender that he has finally decided to sell his 'Mech, Skeets unexpectedly appears and tells him of a top secret but highly lucrative contract offer with fifty percent paid up front, enough to repair Mary Anne. The protagonist is skeptical when Skeets mentions the contract is not offered through the hiring hall, but she explains that Theodore Kurita is personally hiring mercenaries for service with ComStar's Explorer Corps and an eventual strike at Strana Mechty. At this, the protagonist orders another round of drinks in celebration and affirms that he will participate in the contract.