Filthy Plight
Sarna News
| Filthy Plight | |
|---|---|
| Short story by Geoff Swift | |
| First Publication | |
| Published | 1 April 2016 |
| Published in | Combat Manual: Mercenaries |
| Publisher | Catalyst Game Labs |
| Illustrator(s) | Jeff Porter |
| Pages | 6 |
| Chronology | |
| Era | Succession Wars era |
| Timeline | 31 December 3049 — 1 January 3050(see notes) |
Filthy Plight is a short story by Geoff Swift that was published as introductory fiction for Combat Manual: Mercenaries.
Plot Summary[edit]
On the eve of an ending contract with the Federated Commonwealth, Major Myron Carpathia of The Filthy Lucre mercenary command fights on Dixie against Langendorf Lancers, a raiding party under contract of the Free Worlds League. After his Warhammer is damaged in combat, Carpathia fails to stop an enemy Grasshopper that flees into a residential area of a nearby city. Bound by their contract to protect civilians, Carpathia halts his battalion's pursuit and contacts command. To his surprise he is not met by his superior, Colonel Karl Timson, but by Kommandant Mandingo Gluck, the temporarily highest ranking officer of their employer. Gluck orders him to continue the pursuit into the city, but Carpathia refuses. Upon returning to base, Carpathia and his entire command, "Blood Money Battalion", are arrested for dereliction of duty, breach of contract, and cowardice by order of Gluck.
Colonel Timson returns from a field exercise to find members of his unit imprisoned. He confronts Gluck, who attempts to coerce the Filthy Lucre into joining the Armed Forces of the Federated Commonwealth by leveraging their debt to the Federated Commonwealth and threatening to court-martial the prisoners. Instead of succumbing to Gluck's demand, Timson signs a new contract with the Free Worlds League and activates "Condition Dragoon", a pre-planned evacuation protocol for The Filthy Lucre.
At midnight on New Year's Eve, as fireworks obscure a covert rescue operation, Timson confronts Gluck at gunpoint, demanding the release of his men and their 'Mechs. During the heated conversation Timson reveals that their debt has been paid with the signing bonus from their new employer, and that their dependents have already been evacuated. Faced with overwhelming leverage, Gluck complies to release the prisoners.
The story ends with Timson departing, reflecting that no one truly won in the confrontation.
Featured Characters[edit]
- Colonel Karl Timson
- Major Myron Carpathia
- Kommandant Mandingo Gluck
- Deeley, contract negotiator of The Filthy Lucre
- Hauptmann-General Miguel James (mentioned)
- Leutnant-General Jean Andrews (mentioned)
Featured Units[edit]
Featured Places[edit]
Featured BattleTech[edit]
BattleMechs[edit]
DropShips[edit]
Notes[edit]
- The short story itself is undated. However, the date of the event can be found in Combat Manual: Mercenaries, p. 38: "Force Brief: The Filthy Lucre".