Airs Above the Ground

(Redirected from Airs Above Ground)
Airs Above the Ground
Short story by Jason Hansa
Shrapnel Magazine 001 (Cover).jpg
First Publication
Published15 June 2020
Published inShrapnel Issue 1
PublisherCatalyst Game Labs
Pages29
Chronology
EraClan Invasion era
Timeline24 September 3050 — 2 December 3050

Airs Above the Ground is a short story by Jason Hansa that was published in the first issue of Shrapnel.

Plot Summary[edit]

The story follows Point Commander Lauren of Clan Ghost Bear, stationed on the recently conquered world of Vipaava. Lauren, recovering from leg injuries sustained during the planet's invasion in August 3050, leads a garrison of wounded warriors, including Elementals, and is supported by a Clan Steel Viper Star under Star Commander Antoinette. The garrison is facing continuing resistance. Daily mortar attacks from local Rasalhagian rebels cause increasing frustration. Local police, led by Captain Jošt Koren, are working with the Clanners to track the attackers. Lauren's bondswoman Zala, a former KungsArmé MechWarrior, uses her local knowledge and family ties to help with the investigation. The group uncovers that the mortar attacks are being executed from disguised dump trucks using buried tubes and pre-set angles, a resistance tactic dating back to the Ronin War.

Seeking further insight, the team visits Zala's family estate in the mountains. Zala's father, Sergei Kotnik, a former resistance leader and horse breeder, helps analyze the attacks and confirms the mortar strategy. During the visit, Zala's brother Matevž Kotnik shows hostility toward her allegiance to the Clans, and their argument reveals deep family tensions and rivalry over their legacy as MechWarriors.

Later that day, Zala and her lover Point Commander Benjamin, an Elemental, are found murdered. Evidence points to her brother Matevž as the perpetrator, now piloting a Warhammer and believed to be part of a rebel group that uncovered a cache of ten long-lost BattleMechs. When the rebels move to attack the planetary capital of Bled, Lauren, climbs into a Wyvern, recently refitted with Clan technology. She is joined by Antoinette's Clan Steel Viper forces in intercepting the rebel 'Mechs. Lauren personally challenges Matevž Kotnik to single combat. Despite being wounded in the fight, she defeats him, incinerating him with her ’Mech's flamer after he ejects. Ultimately, the rebels are eliminated without any Clan casualties.

Lauren, critically wounded in the battle, awakens weeks later in a medical bed. She learns from Star Captain Tseng that due to compounded injuries and a rare medical condition, she is no longer fit to serve as a MechWarrior. As Zala’s bondholder and executor, she assumes stewardship of the Kotnik family estate, which is notable for its genetically valuable Terran Lipizzaner horses, and prepares to support the Clan in a non-combat capacity.

Featured Characters[edit]

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Featured BattleTech[edit]

BattleMechs[edit]

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