A Thing to be Done

A Thing to be Done
Short story by Jason Schmetzer
Publication
Published23 August 2013
Published inBattleCorps Anthology, Volume 4: Fire for Effect
PublisherCatalyst Game Labs
Pages40
Chronology
EraJihad era
Timeline21 March 3068


A Thing to be Done is a short story by Jason Schmetzer published exclusively in the BattleCorps print anthology, BattleCorps Anthology, Volume 4: Fire for Effect. Unlike all other stories in the book, it has not been previously published online via BattleCorps.

The story details the 3068 rescue of Wolf's Dragoons survivors and civilians from Word of Blake-held Outreach by a combined Dragoons/Clan Wolf-in-Exile task force, focusing on the separate perspectives of the last surviving member of the Dismal Disinherited and an elite but relatively unseasoned Exiled Wolf ristar.

Plot Summary[edit]

In a Wolf's Dragoons encampment, Captain Alfie Walker awakens. He was the last known survivor of the Dismal Disinherited mercenary group, left behind in a Outreach hospital when his unit joined the Battle of Mars. He had joined the Dragoons local resistance, and leads a lance. Their group, coming from all Wolf's Dragoons units and other mercenary groups, had been fighting the Blakist occupation units from months, but a relief force arrives to evacuate them.

Not too far away, the relief force, a joint force of Dragoons and Clan Wolf-in-Exile units has landed. With them was MechWarrior Thomas, a Wolf ristar, like his BattleMech, (an Orion IIC), a present from Wolf saKhan) proves, but he didn't respect the Dragoons, and don't understand why the Wolves were there, helping them.

Meanwhile, Draggon's battalion are on the way to the relief force Landing Zone, finding Blakist opposition all the way and ambushes everywhere. Between the attackers, was "Red," a Blakist Red Shift pilot who had been harassing them for months, and no one had managed to even damage the little Mech.

The first combat between Blakists and Wolves finished with the victory of the seconds, but a Wolf was killed, and Thomas cannot understand the Blakist tactics, as they charge without any consideration for their own survival, only trying to kill them.

The lance of Walker, in several combats against Blakists, was half destroyed, but the rest survived, causing much more casualties to their enemies. The resistance unit was in way to take a Blakist camp. In the way, Walker thinks how he feel like a orphan child. Despite the months fighting, for he, Outreach was not his home, and the Dragoons aren't his family... but every comrade loss hurts him. While Walker's people take the camp, the Wolves charge on a superior Blakist force and made them flee, leaving both forces to join.

After joining both groups, the Dragoon commander, Major Samson Furey, an old Clan Smoke Jaguar warrior, orders the Wolves to return at their landing zone, explaining them that the Blakists will follow them with all their force to attempt annihilate them, as they hate so much the Clans. While the Dragoons destroy any downed 'Mech, to deny the Blakists the salvage, Thomas finally understand that war and their enemies: they attack using childlike tactics and attack blindly because they're religious zealots, and the Jihad is a Trial of Annihilation against the Clans, and the Wolf Khan had sent their men at Outreach to learn that and educate the other Wolves.

When the Dragoons were arriving at the landing zone, they suffer a last attack of the Blakist, led by "Red," managing to kill Furey, but Walker, experienced, intercepts Red and downs the little 'Mech.

After executing his old nemesis, Walker takes the command of their men and leads them to the DropShips.

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