Almost Sounds Like the Guns Themselves

Almost Sounds Like the Guns Themselves
Short Story by E. Clark Avery
Published in	Shrapnel Issue 6
Chronology
Era	Succession Wars era
Timeline	30 November 3025 — 23 June 3027

Almost Sounds Like the Guns Themselves is a short story by E. Clark Avery that was published in the sixth issue of Shrapnel.

Plot summary

Walther Suydam, born on on the Aurigan Coalition world of Itrom, used to pilot the only Sitwell Powerman IndustrialMech in the rimward Periphery for House Gallas. Eager for greater glory, he had responded to the Aurigan Directorate's call for MechWarriors against the Arano Restoration. However, he became the sole survivor of his command when an elite mercenary unit in House Arano employ brutally attacked his garrison unit protecting a vital mineral silo.

Surviving the war but battling severe PTSD, a desperate Walther prematurely stops treatment for a high-paying three-month job on Coromodir to support his mother and sister, again piloting the Powerman and aiding in salvaging the crashed DropShip Iberia. Struggling with PTSD triggers, a tortured Walther secures life insurance to provide for his family, contemplating a fatal on-the-job accident to bypass the suicide moratorium. When tensions between Directorate and Restoration supporters overflow in the commissary, Walther seizes his chance to attack former Restoration soldier Yuri Warren, who responds with brutal force.

The anticipated fatal blow never materializes, and to Walther's astonishment, once he recovers he is introduced to Directorate remnant Ibex Rampant, led by the presumed-dead Alistair Haust. Mistakenly thinking Walther is loyal because of his assaulting the Restoration soldier, Haust discloses their plan to salvage the Iberia's mostly intact Long Tom artillery cannon to attack the Arano Palace. Seeking redemption, Walther agrees to help. With the Powerman, they swiftly reconstruct the cannon. However, unbeknownst to Ibex Rampant, Walther plants demolition charges which he triggers before they can fire the Long Tom, a massive explosion annihilating the worksite and the cannon.

Ultimately Walther Suydam survives the worksite blast but suffers severe injuries, losing an arm and a leg and his ability to hear and speak. Having sent what he assumed would be a posthumous recording revealing the plot to the authorities, Walther's family receives a full military pension for his apparent loyalty and sacrifices for House Arano and the Aurigan Coalition. At a small ceremony in his honor Lady Arano promises that no expense will be spared on bionics to make him whole, where he unsuccessfully tries to suggest she spend her money instead on the less fortunate on Itrom. Able to resume his medication now he is unable pilot the destroyed Powerman, and unable to hear any noises to trigger memories of the war, Walther Suydam finally achieves a measure of peace.

Featured characters

• Walther Suydam
• Lieutenant Vanzant
• Sergeant Emilo Delahoya
• Private First Class Abdul Wilders
• Lance Corporal Sergei Momoa
• Cuervo Hazama
• "Yuri Warren"
• Captain Alistair Haust
• High Lady of the Aurigan Coalition Kamea Arano
• Samuel Ostergaard (mentioned)
• Marlene Suydam-Scott (mentioned)
• Beatrix Suydam (mentioned)
• Isaka Suydam (mentioned)
• Doctor Kala'iki
• Section Chief Carioca

Featured BattleTech

• Blackjack
• Centurion
• Commando
• Fortress (Iberia)
• Griffin
• Highlander
• JagerMech
• Kintaro
• Powerman
• Shadow Hawk
• SRM Carrier
• Wolverine

Featured planets

• Coromodir V
• Coromodir VI
• Itrom
• New Avalon (mentioned)
• Perdition (mentioned)

Notes

• The title is identical to a quote from a standup comedy routine by George Carlin.
• While lightly touching portions of the House Arano (The Aurigan Coalition), the story integrates and further canonizes numerous aspects of the 2018 BattleTech video game, with the flashback portion specially being an adaption of the Liberate: Itrom mission with Walther and his unit being the defending Directorate forces the player encounter at Silo Alpha, with the unusually pristine Highlander received as a reward following the Escape mission.
• The description of the Shadow Hawk from the Itrom battle matches the unique Umbra skin given to 2015 BattleTech Video Game Crowdfunding Campaign backers, purchases of the delxue edition of the game or as the separate [Shadow Hawk DLC].
• The MechWarrior piloting the Blackjack in Liberate Itrom is given the surname "Hazama", which is also the name of the main character in the manga series Black Jack by Osamu Tezuka.