Difference between revisions of "The Fox Patrol"

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| author              = [[Bryan Young]]
 
| author              = [[Bryan Young]]
 
| pages              = 35
 
| pages              = 35
| type                = [[Novelette]]
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| type                = [[Short Story]]
 
| product            = Shrapnel Issue 5
 
| product            = Shrapnel Issue 5
 
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| illustrations      =  

Revision as of 07:14, 24 January 2022

Shrapnel Cover (Issue 5).jpg
The Fox Patrol
Story information
Author Bryan Young
Pages 35
Type Short Story
Product Shrapnel Issue 5
Content
Era Dark Age Era
Timeline 22 May 3145
Preceded by The Secret Fox
Followed by The Fox and the Bear

The Fox Patrol is a short story by Bryan Young that was published in the fifth issue of Shrapnel on 15 June 2021.

Plot summary

In the two years since Katie Ferraro found her Kit Fox in Jerangle's wilderness, she has become the commanding officer of her own mercenary unit, the Fox Patrol. Leading two men older and more experienced than her, lovers Arkee Colorado and Evan Huxley, she tries to keep the Fox Patrol solvent, but the profit margins are painfully slim.

By 22 May 3145, the Fox Patrol is employed by Mayor Reif Becker of Gothenburg to protect the city from the Jerangle Raiders. The Patrol's patrols lead to trouble, as Arkee's Quickdraw is ambushed and hit; the 'Mech is left needing repairs. While working on the repairs, Katie receives a message from the Raiders: a challenge to a three on three battle at sundown. Cautious, the mercenaries do what they can to prepare before heading out for battle, only to face three heavy 'Mechs, a force that should outmatch theirs. They fight anyway, and quickly discover that two of the three are decoys, scrap left running with engines hot - the fight is a feint, a distraction from a raid on Gothenburg. After dispatching the enemy Marauder, the unit rushes to Gothenburg to fend off the core Raiders attack, and after some struggle, the Fox Patrol claims victory.

The Fox Patrol's profit margins are tight, however, and salvaging six 'Mechs will make them even tighter.

Featured characters

Featured BattleTech

Featured units

Featured planets