Editing Under the Shadows of the Stars
Warning: You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you log in or create an account, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.
The edit can be undone.
Please check the comparison below to verify that this is what you want to do, and then save the changes below to finish undoing the edit.
Latest revision
Your text
Line 30:
Line 30: ==Plot summary== ==Plot summary== === 01 Jan 3059 === === 01 Jan 3059 === − DCMS Supply Station ''Roku'' is located on the [[Deep Periphery]] world of [[Durham]], and performs a vital role: It's the logistical hub for supplies moving out to forty-seven assorted [[Draconis Combine Mustered Soldiery]], [[Internal Security Force]] and [[Explorer Corps (ComStar)|Explorer Corps]] operations being conducted in the spinward [[Periphery]] as part of the campaign against the [[Clan]]s. Elsebeth van Tassel — former [[Leftenant Colonel]] in the [[Armed Forces of the Federated Commonwealth]], and a countess in her own right — has been hired along with her mercenary unit, the [[Hessian Horsemen]], because ''[[Tai-i]]'' Samuel Cooper, the commanding officer of the outpost, has a problem. A local pirate band approximately a [[company]] in size watches for the [[DropShip]]s arriving and leaving, and regularly raids ''Roku''. By concealing supplies and keeping his personnel in bunkers, ''Tai-i'' Cooper has managed to keep the operation running, but the pirates are showing up like clockwork, killing those they find in the open, taking any prisoners found in detention cells as slaves, ransacking the administration building and blowing up the sewage processing plant. The pirates are placing operations in jeopardy, and the Horsemen have been hired to stop them. Complicating the Hessian's mission is that no-one knows where the pirates are operating from — but there are nineteen habitable systems within a thirty light year radius of Durham, and forty within two jumps... of which only four have been explored. + DCMS Supply Station ''Roku'' is located on the [[Deep Periphery]] world of [[Durham]], and performs a vital role: It's the logistical hub for supplies moving out to forty-seven assorted [[Draconis Combine Mustered Soldiery]], [[Internal Security Force]] and [[Explorer Corps]] operations being conducted in the spinward [[Periphery]] as part of the campaign against the [[Clan]]s. Elsebeth van Tassel — former [[Leftenant Colonel]] in the [[Armed Forces of the Federated Commonwealth]], and a countess in her own right — has been hired along with her mercenary unit, the [[Hessian Horsemen]], because ''[[Tai-i]]'' Samuel Cooper, the commanding officer of the outpost, has a problem. A local pirate band approximately a [[company]] in size watches for the [[DropShip]]s arriving and leaving, and regularly raids ''Roku''. By concealing supplies and keeping his personnel in bunkers, ''Tai-i'' Cooper has managed to keep the operation running, but the pirates are showing up like clockwork, killing those they find in the open, taking any prisoners found in detention cells as slaves, ransacking the administration building and blowing up the sewage processing plant. The pirates are placing operations in jeopardy, and the Horsemen have been hired to stop them. Complicating the Hessian's mission is that no-one knows where the pirates are operating from — but there are nineteen habitable systems within a thirty light year radius of Durham, and forty within two jumps... of which only four have been explored. === 02 Jan 3059 === === 02 Jan 3059 === − Having planted a prisoner in the cells ready for the pirate arrival, the morning of the 2nd of January finds Elsebeth and her command concealed outside the base, waiting. A [[company]] of Horsemen armor are guarding her grounded DropShips, while her six ''[[Thunderbird (Aerospace Fighter class)|Thunderbird]]'' [[aerospace fighter]]s are lurking in the skies above. Her two ''[[Invader]]''-class [[JumpShip]]s had already positioned themselves in the system while the Hessians were on approach to Durham, one JumpShip moving to each of the nadir and zenith [[jump point]]s and depositing an ''[[Intruder]]''-class assault ship with a contingent of marines aboard them. There, they wait for signs of the pirates emerging at either jump point. Inside the prison cell, [[Leftenant]] Indri Marcus is settling into her role, and making her feelings for her cellmate clear; Jiro, caught raping a seventeen-year-old girl from [[Rasalhague]] who worked as a part of the supply ship's crew, has been sentenced to return to the [[Draconis Combine]] for execution, and still bears the markings of the beating given to him by the squadmates who caught him. + Having planted a prisoner in the cells ready for the pirate arrival, the morning of the 2nd of January finds Elsebeth and her command concealed outside the base, waiting. A [[company]] of Horsemen armor are guarding her grounded DropShips, while her six ''[[Thunderbird]]'' [[aerospace fighter]]s are lurking in the skies above. Her two ''[[Invader]]''-class [[JumpShip]]s had already positioned themselves in the system while the Hessians were on approach to Durham, one JumpShip moving to each of the nadir and zenith [[jump point]]s and depositing an ''[[Intruder]]''-class assault ship with a contingent of marines aboard them. There, they wait for signs of the pirates emerging at either jump point. Inside the prison cell, [[Leftenant]] Indri Marcus is settling into her role, and making her feelings for her cellmate clear; Jiro, caught raping a seventeen-year-old girl from [[Rasalhague]] who worked as a part of the supply ship's crew, has been sentenced to return to the [[Draconis Combine]] for execution, and still bears the markings of the beating given to him by the squadmates who caught him. The pirates duly arrive, approaching from a pirate point close enough to the planet that the Hessian's satellites and orbiting ''Thunderbirds'' receive little warning, but the warning they receive is enough to ensure that the ground forces are ready. Elsebeth and her lancemates ambush a pair of pirate 'Mechs—a ''[[Bombardier]]'' and a ''[[Guillotine]]''—before deliberately breaking off to lead them towards the administration building, where the two pirate DropShips have grounded. While the [[MechWarrior (pilot)|pilot]] of a pirate [[Star League Defense Force]]-vintage ''[[Sentinel]]'' arrives in the detention center in time to watch Indri bludgeoning her unpleasant cellmate unconscious, Elsebeth ambushes the two pirate 'Mechs for a second time, destroying the ''Guillotine'' and sending the ''Bombardier'' scurrying for the pirate landing zone. The pirates duly arrive, approaching from a pirate point close enough to the planet that the Hessian's satellites and orbiting ''Thunderbirds'' receive little warning, but the warning they receive is enough to ensure that the ground forces are ready. Elsebeth and her lancemates ambush a pair of pirate 'Mechs—a ''[[Bombardier]]'' and a ''[[Guillotine]]''—before deliberately breaking off to lead them towards the administration building, where the two pirate DropShips have grounded. While the [[MechWarrior (pilot)|pilot]] of a pirate [[Star League Defense Force]]-vintage ''[[Sentinel]]'' arrives in the detention center in time to watch Indri bludgeoning her unpleasant cellmate unconscious, Elsebeth ambushes the two pirate 'Mechs for a second time, destroying the ''Guillotine'' and sending the ''Bombardier'' scurrying for the pirate landing zone. Line 46:
Line 46: === 19 Jan 3059 === === 19 Jan 3059 === − Taking just a day to rendezvous with their JumpShip, the pirates and Indri are in the city of Kerman on [[Isfahan]], a planet located barely a week from its own jump points. The pirate cantonment is located outside the city, kept clear of the local population by a high wall and a daytime 'Mech patrol, and the world is bright, hot and dusty, with wind from the desert bringing grit into the city on a regular basis. Indri is struck by the contrast between Kerman and the cities she knew on [[Hamilton (LC)|Hamilton]], but spends an hour exploring the market with Blanton as escort. The market is a mix of sundries from a dozen worlds and the merchandise she expected to see in a pirate stronghold—guns, knives, slaves, spare parts. Some of the items on sale are surprisingly new, like the latest Imperator AX-22 assault rifle, sold by ''khat''-chewing armorers. + Taking just a day to rendezvous with their JumpShip, the pirates and Indri are in the city of Kerman on [[Isfahan]], a planet located barely a week from its own jump points. The pirate cantonment is located outside the city, kept clear of the local population by a high wall and a daytime 'Mech patrol, and the world is bright, hot and dusty, with wind from the desert bringing grit into the city on a regular basis. Indri is struck by the contrast between Kerman and the cities she knew on [[Hamilton]], but spends an hour exploring the market with Blanton as escort. The market is a mix of sundries from a dozen worlds and the merchandise she expected to see in a pirate stronghold—guns, knives, slaves, spare parts. Some of the items on sale are surprisingly new, like the latest Imperator AX-22 assault rifle, sold by ''khat''-chewing armorers. − Exposed to the caged slaves—referred to as "pongoes" by Blanton—Indri learns a little of how the local economy works; the local currency is the bit, representative of the grain-sized particles of gold collected once a year from areas of the desert where the plates rise and the sand can be sifted with water to extract the valuable metal. A single coin worth less than a Lyran [[kroner]] has an equivalent value of three to four thousand bits on Isfahan, and a nineteen-year-old slave girl has a selling price of four hundred bits. Blanton uses the old adage about life being cheap while 'Mechs aren't to make a point—on Isfahan, life isn't cheap, because something has to have a value to be cheap. + Exposed to the caged slaves—referred to as "pongoes" by Blanton—Indri learns a little of how the local economy works; the local currency is the bit, representative of the grain-sized particles of gold collected once a year from areas of the desert where the plates rise and the sand can be sifted with water to extract the valuable metal. A single coin worth less than a Lyran kroner has an equivalent value of three to four thousand bits on Isfahan, and a nineteen-year-old slave girl has a selling price of four hundred bits. Blanton uses the old adage about life being cheap while 'Mechs aren't to make a point—on Isfahan, life isn't cheap, because something has to have a value to be cheap. === 27 Jan 3059 === === 27 Jan 3059 === Line 56:
Line 56: Indri finally gets to meet Salander White, the captain of the Cossacks—[[Corazon's Cossacks]], as she finally learns. Pushing White, Indri argues for the chance to pilot a 'Mech, while White confirms that although the pilots might drive the 'Mechs, every 'Mech on Isfahan is ''his''—and that while Blanton has tested her in the simulators and thinks she has potential, White will meet her demands to not go into the pens by simply executing her if she fails his assessment. Indri finally gets to meet Salander White, the captain of the Cossacks—[[Corazon's Cossacks]], as she finally learns. Pushing White, Indri argues for the chance to pilot a 'Mech, while White confirms that although the pilots might drive the 'Mechs, every 'Mech on Isfahan is ''his''—and that while Blanton has tested her in the simulators and thinks she has potential, White will meet her demands to not go into the pens by simply executing her if she fails his assessment. − Indri's test is simple; to take the aging ''[[Striker (BattleMech)|Striker]]'' that was Blanton's ride before he moved into the ''Sentinel'', go out into the training area and fight a lance of Cossacks already there. All she has to do is defeat two of them to pass. Indri's opponents are a ''[[Mongoose]]'', an ''[[Exterminator]]'' and a pair of ''[[Crab]]s''. The pirate 'Mechs work well together using decent tactics, but Indri manages to destroy the ''Exterminator'' and the ''Mongoose'' before being felled in turn, gaining membership of the Cossacks. + Indri's test is simple; to take the aging ''[[Striker]]'' that was Blanton's ride before he moved into the ''Sentinel'', go out into the training area and fight a lance of Cossacks already there. All she has to do is defeat two of them to pass. Indri's opponents are a ''[[Mongoose]]'', an ''[[Exterminator]]'' and a pair of ''[[Crab]]s''. The pirate 'Mechs work well together using decent tactics, but Indri manages to destroy the ''Exterminator'' and the ''Mongoose'' before being felled in turn, gaining membership of the Cossacks. === 24 Feb 3059 === === 24 Feb 3059 === Line 62:
Line 62: === 04 Mar 3059 === === 04 Mar 3059 === − Indri and the other Cossacks are at a smelting plant outside Santin on Labbezanga, delivering slave labor and collecting booty when they detect airborne forces approaching—despite the fact that there should be nothing on the world that can fly other than pirates. Realizing that the VTOLs are from the Hessians, Indri tries to find a way to get their attention without falling victim to them. + Indri and the other Cossacks are at a smelting plant outside Santin on Labbezanga, delivering slave labor and collecting booty when they detect airborne forces approaching—despite the fact that there should be nothing on the world that can fly other than pirates. Realising that the VTOLs are from the Hessians, Indri tries to find a way to get their attention without falling victim to them. Flying through the pirate position on a fast recon run, Warrent's Cavalry VTOLs confirm the presence of a dozen Cossack 'Mechs on the ground, six active and six warming up; wanting to inflict at least some damage, he orders a strike on Indri's ''Striker'', even as Indri misleads the Cossacks with genuine-sounding advice on Elsebeth's tactics, forcing them to split their attention. Flying through the pirate position on a fast recon run, Warrent's Cavalry VTOLs confirm the presence of a dozen Cossack 'Mechs on the ground, six active and six warming up; wanting to inflict at least some damage, he orders a strike on Indri's ''Striker'', even as Indri misleads the Cossacks with genuine-sounding advice on Elsebeth's tactics, forcing them to split their attention. Line 71:
Line 71: === 05 Mar 3059 === === 05 Mar 3059 === − While Blanton leads the Cossacks through the jungle parallel to the road back to Santin, Indri is goaded constantly by Hendricks, the pilot of the ''Exterminator'' she defeated during the training exercise. The pirates make reasonable time, but don't realize that infantry scouts from the Hessians are lurking in the woods, and have detected them. + While Blanton leads the Cossacks through the jungle parallel to the road back to Santin, Indri is goaded constantly by Hendricks, the pilot of the ''Exterminator'' she defeated during the training exercise. The pirates make reasonable time, but don't realise that infantry scouts from the Hessians are lurking in the woods, and have detected them. − At the DropPort, Elsebeth and her officers firm their plan up; leaving two 'Mech lances in the forefront as bait, with a heavier lance waiting further back to reinforce them, Elsebeth wants to lure the Cossacks in and inflict enough damage that they'll only be able to make a grab for the grounded ''[[Mule]]''-class DropShip, rather than the ''[[Union]]''. The ''Raven'' has deliberately left a ''[[Scout (JumpShip class)|Scout]]''-class JumpShip intact and unmolested at the nadir jump point for the pirates to retreat to, and has deliberately had her guards on the ''Mule'' let slip to the pirates that the ''Merchant'' at the zenith jump point had been captured. + At the DropPort, Elsebeth and her officers firm their plan up; leaving two 'Mech lances in the forefront as bait, with a heavier lance waiting further back to reinforce them, Elsebeth wants to lure the Cossacks in and inflict enough damage that they'll only be able to make a grab for the grounded ''[[Mule]]''-class DropShip, rather than the ''[[Union]]''. The ''Raven'' has deliberately left a ''[[Scout]]''-class JumpShip intact and unmolested at the nadir jump point for the pirates to retreat to, and has deliberately had her guards on the ''Mule'' let slip to the pirates that the ''Merchant'' at the zenith jump point had been captured. The pirates camp for the night, and Indri discusses the upcoming battle with Blanton, struggling with her growing attraction for the pirate; against her better judgement, she sleeps with him, despite knowing that she's going to betray him and the rest of the Cossacks. The pirates camp for the night, and Indri discusses the upcoming battle with Blanton, struggling with her growing attraction for the pirate; against her better judgement, she sleeps with him, despite knowing that she's going to betray him and the rest of the Cossacks. Line 83:
Line 83: === 24 Apr 3059 === === 24 Apr 3059 === − Having captured the ''Scout'' and escaped using its preprogrammed jump to a small star barely an hour ahead of a pursuing Hessian ''Intruder'', the Cossacks are finally back on Isfahan, trying to explain to an outraged White how they've returned with seven 'Mechs missing along with their ''Union'' and the expected booty. + Having captured the ''Scout'' and escaped using its pre-programmed jump to a small star barely an hour ahead of a pursuing Hessian ''Intruder'', the Cossacks are finally back on Isfahan, trying to explain to an outraged White how they've returned with seven 'Mechs missing along with their ''Union'' and the expected booty. One of the pirate lance commanders, Morrissey, confirms to White that he destroyed Santin to punish the locals for cooperating with the Hessians, only for White to call for his immediate execution, incensed at the destruction of a friendly city. The Cossacks had been using Santin for resupply, confident that they wouldn't have to deal with hostile defenses, and the loss of Santin means the loss of the ore they traded for—ore that they needed to trade with the Harwell family on [[Cable]] for ammunition. With no other easy source within a hundred light years, Morrissey's intemperate actions have made life harder for the Cossacks, and Indri—who would already have killed Morrissey on Labbezanga, if she'd had an opportunity—quickly puts a bullet in his head. Indri's swift action both amuses White and convinces him of her version of events, and he begins reorganizing the Cossacks while planning his next move. One of the pirate lance commanders, Morrissey, confirms to White that he destroyed Santin to punish the locals for cooperating with the Hessians, only for White to call for his immediate execution, incensed at the destruction of a friendly city. The Cossacks had been using Santin for resupply, confident that they wouldn't have to deal with hostile defenses, and the loss of Santin means the loss of the ore they traded for—ore that they needed to trade with the Harwell family on [[Cable]] for ammunition. With no other easy source within a hundred light years, Morrissey's intemperate actions have made life harder for the Cossacks, and Indri—who would already have killed Morrissey on Labbezanga, if she'd had an opportunity—quickly puts a bullet in his head. Indri's swift action both amuses White and convinces him of her version of events, and he begins reorganizing the Cossacks while planning his next move. Line 109:
Line 109: * [[Cable]] (mentioned) * [[Cable]] (mentioned) * [[Durham]] (deep periphery) * [[Durham]] (deep periphery) − * [[Hamilton (LC)|Hamilton]] (mentioned) + * [[Hamilton]] (mentioned) * [[Isfahan]] * [[Isfahan]] * [[Labbezanga]] * [[Labbezanga]] Line 116:
Line 116: == Featured BattleTech == == Featured BattleTech == === BattleMechs === === BattleMechs === − {{div col|colwidth=25em}} * ''[[Banshee (BattleMech)|Banshee]]'' * ''[[Banshee (BattleMech)|Banshee]]'' * ''[[Black Knight]]'' * ''[[Black Knight]]'' Line 138:
Line 137: * ''[[Wyvern]]'' * ''[[Wyvern]]'' * ''[[Zeus]]'' * ''[[Zeus]]'' − {{div col end}} === JumpShips === === JumpShips === * ''[[Invader]]'' * ''[[Invader]]'' * ''[[Merchant]]'' * ''[[Merchant]]'' − * ''[[Scout (JumpShip class)|Scout]]'' + * ''[[Scout]]'' === DropShips === === DropShips === Line 152:
Line 150: * ''[[Union]]'' * ''[[Union]]'' * unspecified class (''[[Ramshackle]]'') * unspecified class (''[[Ramshackle]]'') − === Aerospace Fighters === === Aerospace Fighters === − * ''[[Thunderbird (Aerospace Fighter class)|Thunderbird]]'' + * ''[[Thunderbird]]'' === Combat Vehicles === === Combat Vehicles ===
The edit can be undone. Please check the comparison below to verify that this is what you want to do, and then save the changes below to finish undoing the edit.
| Latest revision | Your text | ||
| Line 30: | Line 30: | ||
==Plot summary== | ==Plot summary== | ||
=== 01 Jan 3059 === | === 01 Jan 3059 === | ||
| − | DCMS Supply Station ''Roku'' is located on the [[Deep Periphery]] world of [[Durham]], and performs a vital role: It's the logistical hub for supplies moving out to forty-seven assorted [[Draconis Combine Mustered Soldiery]], [[Internal Security Force]] and [[ | + | DCMS Supply Station ''Roku'' is located on the [[Deep Periphery]] world of [[Durham]], and performs a vital role: It's the logistical hub for supplies moving out to forty-seven assorted [[Draconis Combine Mustered Soldiery]], [[Internal Security Force]] and [[Explorer Corps]] operations being conducted in the spinward [[Periphery]] as part of the campaign against the [[Clan]]s. Elsebeth van Tassel — former [[Leftenant Colonel]] in the [[Armed Forces of the Federated Commonwealth]], and a countess in her own right — has been hired along with her mercenary unit, the [[Hessian Horsemen]], because ''[[Tai-i]]'' Samuel Cooper, the commanding officer of the outpost, has a problem. A local pirate band approximately a [[company]] in size watches for the [[DropShip]]s arriving and leaving, and regularly raids ''Roku''. By concealing supplies and keeping his personnel in bunkers, ''Tai-i'' Cooper has managed to keep the operation running, but the pirates are showing up like clockwork, killing those they find in the open, taking any prisoners found in detention cells as slaves, ransacking the administration building and blowing up the sewage processing plant. The pirates are placing operations in jeopardy, and the Horsemen have been hired to stop them. Complicating the Hessian's mission is that no-one knows where the pirates are operating from — but there are nineteen habitable systems within a thirty light year radius of Durham, and forty within two jumps... of which only four have been explored. |
=== 02 Jan 3059 === | === 02 Jan 3059 === | ||
| − | Having planted a prisoner in the cells ready for the pirate arrival, the morning of the 2nd of January finds Elsebeth and her command concealed outside the base, waiting. A [[company]] of Horsemen armor are guarding her grounded DropShips, while her six ''[[ | + | Having planted a prisoner in the cells ready for the pirate arrival, the morning of the 2nd of January finds Elsebeth and her command concealed outside the base, waiting. A [[company]] of Horsemen armor are guarding her grounded DropShips, while her six ''[[Thunderbird]]'' [[aerospace fighter]]s are lurking in the skies above. Her two ''[[Invader]]''-class [[JumpShip]]s had already positioned themselves in the system while the Hessians were on approach to Durham, one JumpShip moving to each of the nadir and zenith [[jump point]]s and depositing an ''[[Intruder]]''-class assault ship with a contingent of marines aboard them. There, they wait for signs of the pirates emerging at either jump point. Inside the prison cell, [[Leftenant]] Indri Marcus is settling into her role, and making her feelings for her cellmate clear; Jiro, caught raping a seventeen-year-old girl from [[Rasalhague]] who worked as a part of the supply ship's crew, has been sentenced to return to the [[Draconis Combine]] for execution, and still bears the markings of the beating given to him by the squadmates who caught him. |
The pirates duly arrive, approaching from a pirate point close enough to the planet that the Hessian's satellites and orbiting ''Thunderbirds'' receive little warning, but the warning they receive is enough to ensure that the ground forces are ready. Elsebeth and her lancemates ambush a pair of pirate 'Mechs—a ''[[Bombardier]]'' and a ''[[Guillotine]]''—before deliberately breaking off to lead them towards the administration building, where the two pirate DropShips have grounded. While the [[MechWarrior (pilot)|pilot]] of a pirate [[Star League Defense Force]]-vintage ''[[Sentinel]]'' arrives in the detention center in time to watch Indri bludgeoning her unpleasant cellmate unconscious, Elsebeth ambushes the two pirate 'Mechs for a second time, destroying the ''Guillotine'' and sending the ''Bombardier'' scurrying for the pirate landing zone. | The pirates duly arrive, approaching from a pirate point close enough to the planet that the Hessian's satellites and orbiting ''Thunderbirds'' receive little warning, but the warning they receive is enough to ensure that the ground forces are ready. Elsebeth and her lancemates ambush a pair of pirate 'Mechs—a ''[[Bombardier]]'' and a ''[[Guillotine]]''—before deliberately breaking off to lead them towards the administration building, where the two pirate DropShips have grounded. While the [[MechWarrior (pilot)|pilot]] of a pirate [[Star League Defense Force]]-vintage ''[[Sentinel]]'' arrives in the detention center in time to watch Indri bludgeoning her unpleasant cellmate unconscious, Elsebeth ambushes the two pirate 'Mechs for a second time, destroying the ''Guillotine'' and sending the ''Bombardier'' scurrying for the pirate landing zone. | ||
| Line 46: | Line 46: | ||
=== 19 Jan 3059 === | === 19 Jan 3059 === | ||
| − | Taking just a day to rendezvous with their JumpShip, the pirates and Indri are in the city of Kerman on [[Isfahan]], a planet located barely a week from its own jump points. The pirate cantonment is located outside the city, kept clear of the local population by a high wall and a daytime 'Mech patrol, and the world is bright, hot and dusty, with wind from the desert bringing grit into the city on a regular basis. Indri is struck by the contrast between Kerman and the cities she knew on [[ | + | Taking just a day to rendezvous with their JumpShip, the pirates and Indri are in the city of Kerman on [[Isfahan]], a planet located barely a week from its own jump points. The pirate cantonment is located outside the city, kept clear of the local population by a high wall and a daytime 'Mech patrol, and the world is bright, hot and dusty, with wind from the desert bringing grit into the city on a regular basis. Indri is struck by the contrast between Kerman and the cities she knew on [[Hamilton]], but spends an hour exploring the market with Blanton as escort. The market is a mix of sundries from a dozen worlds and the merchandise she expected to see in a pirate stronghold—guns, knives, slaves, spare parts. Some of the items on sale are surprisingly new, like the latest Imperator AX-22 assault rifle, sold by ''khat''-chewing armorers. |
| − | Exposed to the caged slaves—referred to as "pongoes" by Blanton—Indri learns a little of how the local economy works; the local currency is the bit, representative of the grain-sized particles of gold collected once a year from areas of the desert where the plates rise and the sand can be sifted with water to extract the valuable metal. A single coin worth less than a Lyran | + | Exposed to the caged slaves—referred to as "pongoes" by Blanton—Indri learns a little of how the local economy works; the local currency is the bit, representative of the grain-sized particles of gold collected once a year from areas of the desert where the plates rise and the sand can be sifted with water to extract the valuable metal. A single coin worth less than a Lyran kroner has an equivalent value of three to four thousand bits on Isfahan, and a nineteen-year-old slave girl has a selling price of four hundred bits. Blanton uses the old adage about life being cheap while 'Mechs aren't to make a point—on Isfahan, life isn't cheap, because something has to have a value to be cheap. |
=== 27 Jan 3059 === | === 27 Jan 3059 === | ||
| Line 56: | Line 56: | ||
Indri finally gets to meet Salander White, the captain of the Cossacks—[[Corazon's Cossacks]], as she finally learns. Pushing White, Indri argues for the chance to pilot a 'Mech, while White confirms that although the pilots might drive the 'Mechs, every 'Mech on Isfahan is ''his''—and that while Blanton has tested her in the simulators and thinks she has potential, White will meet her demands to not go into the pens by simply executing her if she fails his assessment. | Indri finally gets to meet Salander White, the captain of the Cossacks—[[Corazon's Cossacks]], as she finally learns. Pushing White, Indri argues for the chance to pilot a 'Mech, while White confirms that although the pilots might drive the 'Mechs, every 'Mech on Isfahan is ''his''—and that while Blanton has tested her in the simulators and thinks she has potential, White will meet her demands to not go into the pens by simply executing her if she fails his assessment. | ||
| − | Indri's test is simple; to take the aging ''[[ | + | Indri's test is simple; to take the aging ''[[Striker]]'' that was Blanton's ride before he moved into the ''Sentinel'', go out into the training area and fight a lance of Cossacks already there. All she has to do is defeat two of them to pass. Indri's opponents are a ''[[Mongoose]]'', an ''[[Exterminator]]'' and a pair of ''[[Crab]]s''. The pirate 'Mechs work well together using decent tactics, but Indri manages to destroy the ''Exterminator'' and the ''Mongoose'' before being felled in turn, gaining membership of the Cossacks. |
=== 24 Feb 3059 === | === 24 Feb 3059 === | ||
| Line 62: | Line 62: | ||
=== 04 Mar 3059 === | === 04 Mar 3059 === | ||
| − | Indri and the other Cossacks are at a smelting plant outside Santin on Labbezanga, delivering slave labor and collecting booty when they detect airborne forces approaching—despite the fact that there should be nothing on the world that can fly other than pirates. | + | Indri and the other Cossacks are at a smelting plant outside Santin on Labbezanga, delivering slave labor and collecting booty when they detect airborne forces approaching—despite the fact that there should be nothing on the world that can fly other than pirates. Realising that the VTOLs are from the Hessians, Indri tries to find a way to get their attention without falling victim to them. |
Flying through the pirate position on a fast recon run, Warrent's Cavalry VTOLs confirm the presence of a dozen Cossack 'Mechs on the ground, six active and six warming up; wanting to inflict at least some damage, he orders a strike on Indri's ''Striker'', even as Indri misleads the Cossacks with genuine-sounding advice on Elsebeth's tactics, forcing them to split their attention. | Flying through the pirate position on a fast recon run, Warrent's Cavalry VTOLs confirm the presence of a dozen Cossack 'Mechs on the ground, six active and six warming up; wanting to inflict at least some damage, he orders a strike on Indri's ''Striker'', even as Indri misleads the Cossacks with genuine-sounding advice on Elsebeth's tactics, forcing them to split their attention. | ||
| Line 71: | Line 71: | ||
=== 05 Mar 3059 === | === 05 Mar 3059 === | ||
| − | While Blanton leads the Cossacks through the jungle parallel to the road back to Santin, Indri is goaded constantly by Hendricks, the pilot of the ''Exterminator'' she defeated during the training exercise. The pirates make reasonable time, but don't | + | While Blanton leads the Cossacks through the jungle parallel to the road back to Santin, Indri is goaded constantly by Hendricks, the pilot of the ''Exterminator'' she defeated during the training exercise. The pirates make reasonable time, but don't realise that infantry scouts from the Hessians are lurking in the woods, and have detected them. |
| − | At the DropPort, Elsebeth and her officers firm their plan up; leaving two 'Mech lances in the forefront as bait, with a heavier lance waiting further back to reinforce them, Elsebeth wants to lure the Cossacks in and inflict enough damage that they'll only be able to make a grab for the grounded ''[[Mule]]''-class DropShip, rather than the ''[[Union]]''. The ''Raven'' has deliberately left a ''[[ | + | At the DropPort, Elsebeth and her officers firm their plan up; leaving two 'Mech lances in the forefront as bait, with a heavier lance waiting further back to reinforce them, Elsebeth wants to lure the Cossacks in and inflict enough damage that they'll only be able to make a grab for the grounded ''[[Mule]]''-class DropShip, rather than the ''[[Union]]''. The ''Raven'' has deliberately left a ''[[Scout]]''-class JumpShip intact and unmolested at the nadir jump point for the pirates to retreat to, and has deliberately had her guards on the ''Mule'' let slip to the pirates that the ''Merchant'' at the zenith jump point had been captured. |
The pirates camp for the night, and Indri discusses the upcoming battle with Blanton, struggling with her growing attraction for the pirate; against her better judgement, she sleeps with him, despite knowing that she's going to betray him and the rest of the Cossacks. | The pirates camp for the night, and Indri discusses the upcoming battle with Blanton, struggling with her growing attraction for the pirate; against her better judgement, she sleeps with him, despite knowing that she's going to betray him and the rest of the Cossacks. | ||
| Line 83: | Line 83: | ||
=== 24 Apr 3059 === | === 24 Apr 3059 === | ||
| − | Having captured the ''Scout'' and escaped using its | + | Having captured the ''Scout'' and escaped using its pre-programmed jump to a small star barely an hour ahead of a pursuing Hessian ''Intruder'', the Cossacks are finally back on Isfahan, trying to explain to an outraged White how they've returned with seven 'Mechs missing along with their ''Union'' and the expected booty. |
One of the pirate lance commanders, Morrissey, confirms to White that he destroyed Santin to punish the locals for cooperating with the Hessians, only for White to call for his immediate execution, incensed at the destruction of a friendly city. The Cossacks had been using Santin for resupply, confident that they wouldn't have to deal with hostile defenses, and the loss of Santin means the loss of the ore they traded for—ore that they needed to trade with the Harwell family on [[Cable]] for ammunition. With no other easy source within a hundred light years, Morrissey's intemperate actions have made life harder for the Cossacks, and Indri—who would already have killed Morrissey on Labbezanga, if she'd had an opportunity—quickly puts a bullet in his head. Indri's swift action both amuses White and convinces him of her version of events, and he begins reorganizing the Cossacks while planning his next move. | One of the pirate lance commanders, Morrissey, confirms to White that he destroyed Santin to punish the locals for cooperating with the Hessians, only for White to call for his immediate execution, incensed at the destruction of a friendly city. The Cossacks had been using Santin for resupply, confident that they wouldn't have to deal with hostile defenses, and the loss of Santin means the loss of the ore they traded for—ore that they needed to trade with the Harwell family on [[Cable]] for ammunition. With no other easy source within a hundred light years, Morrissey's intemperate actions have made life harder for the Cossacks, and Indri—who would already have killed Morrissey on Labbezanga, if she'd had an opportunity—quickly puts a bullet in his head. Indri's swift action both amuses White and convinces him of her version of events, and he begins reorganizing the Cossacks while planning his next move. | ||
| Line 109: | Line 109: | ||
* [[Cable]] (mentioned) | * [[Cable]] (mentioned) | ||
* [[Durham]] (deep periphery) | * [[Durham]] (deep periphery) | ||
| − | * [[ | + | * [[Hamilton]] (mentioned) |
* [[Isfahan]] | * [[Isfahan]] | ||
* [[Labbezanga]] | * [[Labbezanga]] | ||
| Line 116: | Line 116: | ||
== Featured BattleTech == | == Featured BattleTech == | ||
=== BattleMechs === | === BattleMechs === | ||
| − | |||
* ''[[Banshee (BattleMech)|Banshee]]'' | * ''[[Banshee (BattleMech)|Banshee]]'' | ||
* ''[[Black Knight]]'' | * ''[[Black Knight]]'' | ||
| Line 138: | Line 137: | ||
* ''[[Wyvern]]'' | * ''[[Wyvern]]'' | ||
* ''[[Zeus]]'' | * ''[[Zeus]]'' | ||
| − | |||
=== JumpShips === | === JumpShips === | ||
* ''[[Invader]]'' | * ''[[Invader]]'' | ||
* ''[[Merchant]]'' | * ''[[Merchant]]'' | ||
| − | * ''[[ | + | * ''[[Scout]]'' |
=== DropShips === | === DropShips === | ||
| Line 152: | Line 150: | ||
* ''[[Union]]'' | * ''[[Union]]'' | ||
* unspecified class (''[[Ramshackle]]'') | * unspecified class (''[[Ramshackle]]'') | ||
| − | |||
=== Aerospace Fighters === | === Aerospace Fighters === | ||
| − | * ''[[ | + | * ''[[Thunderbird]]'' |
=== Combat Vehicles === | === Combat Vehicles === | ||