BattleTech: The Animated Series/No Guts, No Galaxy

This transcript of episode 5A of BattleTech: The Animated Series, No Guts, No Galaxy, is based off a VHS recording from the initial airing.

Scene 1

Twycross

[As the Kwaidan prepares to launch, Frestadt sees Elementals approaching on his monitor.]

Frestadt: Commence liftoff procedure, now!

[The Elementals grab onto the hull and begin cutting into it with their lasers. They jump clear as the ship rockets skyward.]

Scene 2

[At the jump point, the Kwaidan docks with the Katana.]

Adam: Great work, Strikers. We got the Clan technology we came here for. Now, maybe, we can use it to slow down the invasion force threatening our galaxy.

[Adam approaches Rachel as she's examining the Elemental armor.]

Adam: Rachel, I'm gonna need a complete breakdown on the battlesuits. Unlocking their secrets is the key to defeating the Clans.

Rachel: All right. I'll get started working on it right away, Adam.

Scene 3

[Aboard the Jade Falcon WarShip Falcon's Nest, Vandervahn Chistu chews out Nicolai Malthus via remote transmission.]

Vandervahn: Star Colonel Nicolai Malthus, you dishonor your Clan with failure. While you were wasting valuable time and resources chasing that miserable Major Adam Steiner other warriors were achieving glory for their bloodline.

[Scene cuts to Trell I, where FedCom 'Mechs are desperately trying to hold a bridge against advancing Falcon OmniMechs.]

Vandervahn: The barbarians on these pathetic worlds are no match for our forces.

[Scene cuts to a Timber Wolf battling two Inner Sphere 'Mechs at a spaceport.]

Vandervahn: We are genetically superior and possess far more advanced technology. There is no way they can stand against us. Soon, the entire Inner Sphere will be ours.

Scene 4

[JumpShip Katana, Twycross System Orbit, April 18, 3050]

Frestadt: JumpShip crew is prepared for hyperspace jump.

Adam: Thank you, Captain.

Scene 5

[ Butler Star System, Nadir Jump Point]

Adam: This is Major Adam Steiner, reporting to the Archon, Melissa Steiner-Davion. To our knowledge, we're the only ones who have confronted the Clans without being taken prisoner or being destroyed. We've learned many things about our enemy, the Jade Falcon Clan. They engage in formal warfare, attacking in strangely ritualistic manner. The leaders begin each battle with a completely unknown challenge called a batchall.

[Flashback to Somerset]

Nicolai: I am Nicolai Malthus of Clan Jade Falcon. What forces oppose us on this planet?

[The Somerset cadets attack]

Nicolai: So, you Inner Sphere barbarians wish to forgo the formality of a batchall? Very well. All units, initiate enhanced imaging.

[The Clan forces destroy the Inner Sphere garrison]

Nicolai: Galaxy Commander, these Inner Sphere barbarians have no honor. They refuse the ritual of the batchall.

[Flashback to the invasion of Somerset]

Nicolai: Attention, Somerset, I am Star Colonel Nicolai Malthus of the Jade Falcon Clan. A full Trinary stands ready to conquer your planet. What forces dare oppose us?

Andrew Steiner: Is this some kind of joke?

Nicolai: You dare to refuse my batchall?

Andrew: Refuse your what?

Nicolai: Prepare to feel the wrath of the Falcon's Claws.

Scene 6

[Scene cuts back to Vandervahn and Nicolai's conversation]

Vandervahn Chistu: Perhaps they do not understand the bidding process.

Nicolai: These animals fight without form, relying on total anarchy. They are completely without honor.

[Flashback to the fight on Dustball

Kristen Redmond: Bah! Freeborn cowards. How dare they turn their backs on honorable combat? Take heart, little freeborn warrior, unlike your cowardly allies, you will perish stout of heart.

[The Strikers join the fight to help Ryder]

Nicolai: They stoop to deception!

Kristen: These forces were never part of the bid!

Nicolai: Using more 'Mechs than they bid. A direct violation of martial protocol.

[Scene cuts back to Nicolai's conversation with Vandervahn]

Nicolai: And the lower castes are every bit as dishonorable as their pathetic warriors. Galaxy Commander, members of the Labor Caste actually take up arms against our Trueborn warriors!

[Flashback to Romulus]

Nicolai: Inner Sphere warriors, by hiding in this farmhouse, you endanger its occupants and incite my wrath. Stand and fight. Their fate will be on your hands.

Hartmann: Threaten my family? I'll give you a fight!

Nicolai: A Labor Caste drone taking arms against a Trueborn warrior? Obliterate this place.

[Scene returns to Nicolai's briefing with Vandervahn]

Nicolai: We were forced to destroy them, as examples to any who would defy us.

Scene 7

[Scene cuts to Adam's report to Melissa]

Adam: It appears the Clans have a rigid caste system. Understanding it might be the key to figuring out how they fight.

Scene 8

[Vandervahn/Nicolai]

Vandervahn: The deciding factor in many recent battles has been the superior power of the armor worn by our Elemental infantry. They can withstand explosions, missiles, any form of punishment that a full-size BattleMech can inflict upon them. Now, thanks to your base incompetence, the Inner Sphere barbarians have stolen that technological edge from right under your very nose.

Nicolai: But, Galaxy Commander, they do not know how to use the targeting system, the Enhanced Imaging that makes victory possible. Therefore, the armor is useless to them.

Scene 9

[Adam]

Adam: We learned the hard way that their 'Mechs are superior to ours in every respect. They can withstand our firepower, they don't overheat, and they have three times our targeting range, but we found a way to level the playing field. We infiltrated a Clan installation and downloaded some of the Clan's technical files.

[Flashback to Twycross]

Rachel: Now, if I can just get the system to download the coordinates of their armory, I might just find out where their suits are stored. Bingo!

Adam: Let's move, Strikers.

[Adam]

Adam: And, we were able to liberate three of their armored battlesuits.

[Flashback to Twycross]

Val: These babies ought to come with an instruction manual.

Rachel: There's got to be some way to adjust them.

Adam: I don't see any controls…huh?

[Adam]

Adam: I've got to admit, those battlesuits are pretty impressive. They pack almost as much firepower as a full-sized BattleMech, and they're every bit as effective against the Clans as they are against us. Though, at present, our Tactical Operations Officer is trying to decipher their secrets.

Rachel: Adam, I found something. It's a vid-file I downloaded on Twycross.

[Cut to clip of the Somerset fight in Enhanced Imaging]

Adam: This is astonishing. It looks like a whole new kind of tactical imaging system.

Rachel: Adam, that's Somerset Academy!

Adam: Yeah, and those are training 'Mechs. Those cadets don't stand a chance!

Rachel: Adam, that Wolfhound? It's your brother's!

Adam: Yeah, and that Clan 'Mech is Malthus! Andrew! How could anyone have survived that? I don't see how Andrew could have survived.

Rachel: Adam, remember that FedCom intelligence agent we met on Dustball?

[Flashback to Dustball]

Juan Martinez: Juan Martinez, FedCom Intelligence. I was about to nail Tybus when your buddy, here, shot me down. See, I found out Tybus was going to keep FedCom off his back by striking a little deal with the Jade Falcon Clan.

Adam: Jade Falcon Clan?

Juan: That's the name of the invasion force, Major Steiner.

Nakamura: You knew his name?

Juan: I know a lot of things, Dr. Nakamura.

Adam: What do you know about Somerset?

Juan: Not much, although my ComStar contact tells me your brother's alive.

Adam: Andrew? Alive?

[Adam]

Adam: But who knows what kind of condition he's in.

Adam: Continuing my report, your highness. Please convey my condolences to the family of Lieutenant Ciro Ramirez. He was a valiant warrior, and his loss was a severe blow to us.

[Flashback to Romulus]

Computer: Warning. Fusion reactor breached. Critical failure in fourteen seconds.

Scene 10

[Nicolai/Vandervahn]

Nicolai: You will note, Galaxy Commander, that my efforts have gained us a valuable new bondsman named Ciro. Ciro is a spirited warrior. Once we bring him into the way of the Clan, he will be a valuable asset. Why, his family was honored with the Order of the Star by General Aleksandr Kerensky himself.

[Flashback to Twycross]

Nicolai: Tell me once more about honor, Ciro. I mean, what passes for honor in the Inner Sphere.

Ciro: They're gonna come back, you know. The descendants of Kerensky. When his army returns, you're gonna pay for invading us.

Nicolai: Are you so totally incapable of perceiving the obvious? We are the descendants of Kerensky!

[Nicolai/Vandervahn]

Vandervahn: How ironic. These savages honor the name of Kerensky, but do not understand his principles.

Nicolai: This Ciro will shed some light on the deceitful tactics of his former commander, Adam Steiner.

[Flashback to Twycross]

Nicolai: Major Adam Steiner of the First Somerset Strikers? My, my. I believe that he recently requested I take up my quarrel with him personally.

Adam: Open up these bracelets, pal, and we'll get real personal.

Scene 11

[Adam]

Adam: I am pleased to report the First Somerset Strikers are shaping up into a crack unit.

[Flashback to Twycross]

Rachel: Cough!

Nicolai: And what does this one have to say?

Rachel: Three…two…one…now! Funny what a little corrupted code will do to a complex run by a computer.

[Adam]

Adam: Lieutenant Rachel Specter has proven herself to be indispensable, not only as my Tactical Operations Officer, but also in the field. She is the most valuable member of my team. Now, Captain Valten Ryder is the newest member, with a very colorful past.

[Flashback to Dustball]

Hawk: We did some research on you, pal. Strong service record, but you got drummed out for insubordination.

[Adam]

Adam: He helped us bust a major crime lord named Tybus, who was actually in league with the Jade Falcon Clan.

[Flashback to Dustball]

Val: Not so fast, bossman. You and me got a score to settle.

[Adam]

Adam: Captain Ryder has a very interesting operating style…

[Flashback to Twycross]

Rachel: What's he doing?

Val: Say, buddy, which way is sector D?

Val: Medipatches! Don't leave home without them.

[Adam]

Adam: …but I hate to think where we'd be without him.

Adam: And our aerospace pilot, Cadet Kate Kylie, well, she's been the key to victory on more than one occasion. She's as skilled as she is courageous. She's got a lot of initiative.

[Flashback to Hamilton]

Adam: Does the Nagelring know you've gone AWOL?

Kylie: It's not AWOL if you drafted me into your unit.

Adam: You forged my name?

Hawk: Begging the Major's pardon, sir, but it's not forgery if you don't report it.

Adam: Welcome to the First Somerset Strikers.

[Adam]

Adam: Captain Miles Hawkins, formerly of the Intelligence Secretariat, and a veteran of the War of '39 as well. He was a real bonus for the Strikers. He's been invaluable in helping defeat our new enemies in the Jade Falcon Clan. I just wish he could overcome his distrust for our former enemies, the Kuritists of the Draconis Combine. The Kuritists were, to say the least, reluctant to be a part of the mission.

[Flashback to Tharkad]

Franklin: We would rather eat Vegan slug rats than serve with filthy FedCom sleaze.

[Flashback to Hamilton]

Franklin: I am retaking possession of this craft.

[Adam]

Adam: The hardest to convince has been their leader, Franklin Sakamoto.

[Flashback to Tharkad]

Franklin: I am a businessman, not a warrior. When this mission ends and the invaders are gone, what happens to us?

Adam: You'll be free to return to the Draconis Combine, along with your ship.

Franklin: In that case, Major, my answer is "yes."

[Flashback to Hamilton, during the mercenary attack]

Rachel: They're shooting at a JumpShip? That's a violation of the Ares Convention.

Adam: Who are these maniacs?

Franklin: Mercenaries, Adam-san, in the employ of my company.

Adam: What do you know about this?

Franklin: Only that this ship is going back where it belongs, the Draconis Combine.

Adam: They're taking it back in pieces?

Franklin: This is Franklin Sakamoto! I told you this ship was not to be damaged!

Mercenary: We have our orders, Franklin-san. Your traitorous crew is to be eliminated.

[Adam]

Adam: Now, all that changed when the Clans attacked the Draconis Combine and he realized we had a common enemy.

[Flashback to Hamilton]

Franklin: Giri demands that I honor the wishes of my Coordinator. I will serve under you, for now.

[Adam]

Adam: On Twycross, he saved our lives and we learned he is a skilled aerospace pilot.

[Flashback to Twycross]

Hawk: Sakamoto? What are you doing in a Banshee?

Franklin: By all appearances, Hawk-san, I am saving your life.

[Adam]

Adam: If the Intelligence Secretariat has any further information on him, I'd be grateful for it.

Scene 12

[Vandervahn/Nicolai]

Vandervahn: The fact remains, Nicolai, that you have jeopardized this campaign by losing those battlesuits.

Nicolai: I assure you, we have nothing to fear. They will never make use of that technology because they are too busy fighting among themselves. I have learned from bondsman Ciro that their ranks are splintered with dissent. The mongrel Freeborns do not trust each other. In the heat of battle, their deceptions and their chaotic ways may have won them a few small victories, but now their supplies are depleted. They will cease to be a factor once their limited weaponry is destroyed.

Vandervahn: I hope so, Nicolai, for your sake.

Scene 13

[Adam]

Adam: I regret to report, your highness, that our armaments have been badly depleted in battle. Captain Ryder's Centurion was destroyed on Romulus, and we lost Lieutenant Ramirez and his Wolfhound. My Axman has also suffered significant damage, while Captain Hawkins' Mauler was damaged in an avalanche. Our aerospace support has not fared much better. One Banshee is under repairs, and our only official pilot is temporarily out of commission. If we are to continue this mission, we will require additional supplies.

Scene 14

[Vandervahn/Nicolai]

Nicolai: His forces are low, vulnerable. Major Adam Steiner and his pathetic band of warriors will be mine.

Scene 15

[Adam]

Rachel: Adam, without supplies, how will we fight?

Adam: Any way we can. These animals attacked our home planet, ruthlessly, and without provocation. No part of the Inner Sphere is safe from the menace of the Clans. Now, I don't know what we'll find waiting for us when we reach Somerset, but I do know this, somehow we're gonna beat Malthus and all the Clans, no matter what it takes, no matter how long we have to fight. There's something my brother Andrew always used to say: "No Guts, No Galaxy."