Editing Blue Waters

{{otheruses|the short story|other uses|Blue Water}}

{{InfoBoxProduct
| image               = 
| name                = 
| type                = Short story (2 parts)
| author              = [[Steven Mohan Jr.]]
| development         = 
| primarywriting      = 
| pages               = 41
| cover               = 
| interiorart         = 
| illustrations       = 
| publisher           = [[BattleCorps]]
| productioncode      = 
| year                = 6 May 2008 (part 1)<br />13 May 2008 (part 2)
| ISBN10              = 
| ISBN13              = 
| MSRP                = 
| content             = 
| era                 = [[Jihad era]]
| timeline            = 30 June-3 July [[3069]]
| series              = 
| precededby          = 
| followedby          = 
}}
'''''Blue Waters''''' is a short story by [[Steven Mohan Jr.]] that was published online on [[BattleCorps]] in two parts in May 2008. It was also published in print in the fifth BattleCorps print anthology, ''[[Counterattack]]'', in 2014.

==Plot summary==
===Part 1===
:published 6 May 2008
{{quote|''The [[Periphery Star Guard]] has had a long and fruitful association with [[Interstellar Expeditions]], and their current contract is no exception. Deep in the shoals of the [[Periphery]], alone on a forgotten world, they must be extra vigilant.''}}

===Part 2===
:published 13 May 2008
{{quote|''Far away from any help, with her unit spread across the atolls of [[Monthey]], Colonel Annapoulis must make do with what she can against whatever force appears to challenge her.''}}

As of 30 June [[3069]], the Periphery Star Guard, after disastrous deployments on [[Poulsbo]] and [[Khon Kaen]] that cost the [[mercenary unit]] some two thirds of its strength, are supporting a dig supervised by the Interstellar Expeditions researcher Dr. Richard Wallace in the [[periphery]]. Dr. Wallace is convinced that the wreckage of a ''[[Union]]''-class [[DropShip]] on the otherwise deserted planet [[Blue Water]] (since discovered to be the ancient [[Rim Worlds Republic]] planet [[Monthey]], though most keep referring to it as Blue Water) belonged to the mysterious [[Minnesota Tribe]].

Periphery Star Guard [[Colonel]] [[Janice Annapoulis]] does not get along well with Dr. Wallace. She uses every opportunity to train her unit in new battle tactics (including naval battles), declaring the exercises as patrols, while Dr. Wallace feels they are neglecting their security duty in embarking on maneuvers. A mysterious stranger with Polynesian features, initially mistaken as Dr. Wallace's aide, introduces himself as Maka Launa during an argument. He is derisively critical of Dr. Wallace behind his back, and tells Annapoulis in passing that he is not working for Dr. Wallace. Only later does Annapoulis learn that Maka Launa is really not Dr. Wallace's aide, but a [[Dig Gypsy]]—one of a group of adventurers and hobby archaeologists who are allowed to privately travel along with Interstellar Expeditions teams for a large fee. Alarmed, Annapoulis tries to find him in the gypsy camp and is given a data cube that he left specifically for her. The data turns out to be "Jihad Hot Spots".

On 3 July, a scheduled supply DropShip arrives but it unexpectedly launches an attack on the research base. Annapoulis thinks that Dr. Wallace must have a spy on his team, as he had previously said he was close to retrieving the DropShip's memory core.

The Periphery Star Guard forces, although outmatched, mount a spirited but ultimately unsuccessful defense, suffering heavy losses. The memory core is stolen by the mystery attackers.

In the aftermath, Dr. Wallace accuses Annapoulis of incompetence and tries to lay the blame at her feet. She angrily retorts that the recovered artifacts clearly suggests the wrecked DropShip was not from the Minnesota Tribe after all, but a [[Lyran Commonwealth]] vessel, and thus more or less worthless. After Dr. Wallace has left, Maka Launa approaches Annapoulis again and freely admits that he expected the attack, but claims he has nothing to do with the attackers. He then makes the angry and frustrated Colonel, who may nor may not continue to work for Interstellar Expeditions, an offer on behalf of his (unspecified) master.

==Featured BattleTech==
{{columns-start|num=3}}
===BattleMechs===
* ''[[Atlas (BattleMech)|Atlas]]''
* ''[[Flashman]]''
* ''[[Hammer (BattleMech)|Hammer]]''
* ''[[JagerMech]]''
* ''[[Javelin]]''
* ''[[Zeus]]''

===DropShips===
* ''[[Mule]]''
* ''[[Union (DropShip class)|Union]]''
{{column}}
===Vehicles===
* [[Blizzard]] hover transport
* [[Fulcrum]] hovertank
* [[Leopard Seal]] submarine
* [[Mauna Kea]] patrol boat
* [[Monitor Naval Vessel|Monitor]] patrol boat
* [[Sea Skimmer]] hydrofoil (referred to as "Skimmer")
* [[Silverfin]] hydrofoil
* [[Waterspout]] strike hydrofoil
{{columns-end}}

==Notes==
* The content snippets given about the "Jihad Hot Spots" file featured in this story suggest that it is in fact an in-universe appearance of the ''[[Dawn of the Jihad]]'' and ''[[Jihad Hot Spots: 3070]]'' sourcebooks (or parts thereof).
* ''[[Jihad Secrets: The Blake Documents]]'', p.  71 (Janice Annapoulis profile) establishes that the decimated Periphery Star Guard under Annapoulis was approached by an operative of [[Peter Abdulsattah]] (himself a right-hand man for [[Chandrasekhar Kurita]]) and signed on for [[Operation Angel Requiem]]. This strongly implies Maka Launa was Abdulsattah's (and thus by extension, Kurita's) operative.

[[Category:BattleCorps publications]]
[[Category:Short Stories]]
[[Category:Works by Steven Mohan Jr.]]