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> Operation XI: Paradise Lost
Captain Garrett Garland
post Dec 10 2006, 09:15 PM
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____________________________

- Incoming Coded Message -- Command Instruction Follows -
- Decode Pegasus Protocol - fOxTRotOmega 17Cayn: 11th -
- Disseminate by need only -

____________________________



Operation Codename: Paradise Lost

Planet: Vivarais, Magistracy of Canopus



NARRATIVE:

Due to recent hostilities with the Marian Hegemony, the Magistracy of Canopus has hired us to garrison a geodesic dome several hundred kilometers distant of Paradise Valley on Vivarais. We are to garrison the world in conjunction with a Canopian Battlemech company while a Canopian battalion, augmented by an additional mercenary battalion, commences raids on Marian worlds. It is unclear as to whether or not the battalions will return in time to counter any counter-raids done by the Hegemony.

MISSION OBJECTIVES:

-Protect geodesic dome from raiders.
-Commence field drills and readiness preparations

FORCE COMPOSITION:

-Dropship
Dauntless | Fortress Class

-Vehicle Motor Pool
3x Savannah Master
3x LRM Carrier
2x Arrow IV Carrier
1x Battlemech recovery vehicle
1x MASH

-Battlemech Company
Recon Lance [Fox]
•Phoenix | Wasp
•Lieutenant Frank Reade | Hollander
•Nick Schuster | Locust

Command Lance [Wolf]
•Captain Garrett Garland | Warhammer
•Corporal James Norrington | Centurion
•Sergeant Alex Thorn | Assassin
•Charles Maxwell | Bushwacker

Battle Lance [Kodiak]
•Captain Desperado | Marauder
•Sergeant Jason Harris | Rifleman
•Lieutenant Ian Reilley | Phoenix Hawk
•Sona | Uziel

-Infantry
1x Platoon

Planet details: Vivarais



Star Type: G2V & K1III
Position in System: 4 (of 7)
Number of Moons: 0
Days to Jump Point: 4
Rotational Period: 26.4 hours
Surface Water: 11%
Atm. Pressure: Varying from 5 kPa to 109.2 kPa
Surface Gravity: 0.98
Equatorial Temp: -12° C
Highest Native Life: Bioluminescent Bacterium
Population: 45,000 (Permanent) 600,000 (Transient)
Governess: Beatrix Maddox

OVERVIEW:

One of the Magistracy’s more recently acquired worlds, Vivarais is a small planet, permanently trapped part-way through the terra-forming process within a binary star system. In an effort to further diversify and expand their entertainment industry, the Canopians founded Vivarais as an entertainment world, creating an alternative to Hardcore, their primary entertainment center. Originally settled to lure pleasure seeking Marians due to its close proximity to the Marian Hegemony, the recent tensions between the Magistracy and the Hegemony have turned the world into a source of friction between the two Periphery states. Surprisingly, the world’s pleasure trade has not significantly declined since the tensions; many come to the world not for its exotic pleasures, but to catch a glimpse of a Marian raid.

The world’s terra-forming machines were destroyed over a century ago, but while they were still active they managed to create Paradise Valley, a gash in the planet’s surface filled with lush forests, sprawling plains and well-stocked streams, with the planet’s capital residing in its very center. However, outside of the Valley, the planet’s surface is barren and near inhospitable. A human being can survive for only a few hours in the oxygen depraved environment, and any elevation above sea-level can sustain human life for only mere minutes. Adventurous tourists occasionally take hikes to remote pressure-cabins within the mountains, finding the barren landscape more beautiful than the forests of Paradise Valley. The planet also has several geodesic domes housing several thousand citizens, the domes allowing terra-forming research to continue along with providing sensor data on the rest of the planet’s surface. To preserve the pristine nature of Paradise Valley, all of the spaceports are located outside of the Valley with pressurized tubes large enough for two Battlemechs to walk abreast serving as a connector between the harsh surface and the waterfall city Zephyranth, the planetary capital.

Militarily, the world could easily serve as a forward base in any conflict with the Hegemony, but the Marians have not seen to outfit the world as anything more than a staging point for raids. Currently, the world is protected by a company of Marian Regulars, but a full mercenary battalion was recently hired to augment an additional Marian battalion for a soon to be launched raid. Rumor has it that a small mercenary company has been hired to augment the Regulars in case of a Marian counter-raid, and to protect any outlying settlements—a favored raid point due to their distance from any primary planetary defenses.

_______________________________________________

COMMANDER’S NOTES

Jade Machiavelli, commander of the mercenary battalion Cavilers, has offered to have a little battle simulation with us. We’re going to face her command company for practice when we’ve settled in. The Canopians haven’t given me a time schedule, but I think that we’ll be on planet with the Canopian raiding battalions for a good week or so before they launch. Legionnaires, I know that we haven’t done garrison before, but I expect the best from each of you. Treat the locals with respect and everyone will be getting their weekend passes. This is a mighty fine world to garrison, and I know that we won’t actually be in Paradise Valley, but I have no qualms if you take the ‘Masters over there when you’re off-duty. I suspect that this is going to be pretty light duty, so we’re going to spend a lot of time training.

-Garland

- TRANSMISSION ENDS -

____________________________
Sender: Captain Garrett Garland
Encryption Priority: HIGH
HPG Relay 44YJH2343-JULIET-1928
Recieved: OP Comp. 1425 Standard Terran Time
____________________________




This post has been edited by Captain Garrett Garland: Dec 23 2006, 07:29 PM


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Position : Captain | LEGIONNAIRES
Callsign : Fox
Current BattleMech : Shadow Hawk [55 tons] [97.2 km/h max] [120 meter jump range]
Loadout : [1x Rotary AC5] [1x LRM-20] [1x Medium Pulse Laser] [2x Streak SRM-2] [AMS] [CASE] [ECM] [JumpJets]
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Captain Garrett Garland
post Dec 15 2006, 07:28 AM
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Dauntless
En route to Lightrider
Galatea System
_______________________________________

The Dauntless’s briefing room was small, but surprisingly lavish as far as dropship briefing rooms went. There was a small synth-wood podium with a screen behind it, and several rows of leather-lined chairs. I suspected that it was much like the pre-flight briefing rooms pilots of ancient terra received their briefings in. Behind me rotated a three-dimensional model of Vivarais, the Paradise Valley gash clearly visible on the planet’s eastern side. Glancing at my watch, I saw that the minute hand was at its apex.

“Alright people, it’s time.”

The room’s lights dimmed and I began to go over our operational readiness with those seated in the room. I was pleased to see that our new uniforms were going well, the dark leather with red trim was formal enough for a uniform, but could worn off-duty as well. As the briefing continued, the screen behind me changed at various cues, showing maps and technical readouts.

“That’s it. Questions?”


--------------------
Position : Captain | LEGIONNAIRES
Callsign : Fox
Current BattleMech : Shadow Hawk [55 tons] [97.2 km/h max] [120 meter jump range]
Loadout : [1x Rotary AC5] [1x LRM-20] [1x Medium Pulse Laser] [2x Streak SRM-2] [AMS] [CASE] [ECM] [JumpJets]
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John Maxwell
post Dec 15 2006, 07:09 PM
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"That's it? Garrison duty? You've got to be kidding me!" my fath - Charles moaned, burying his head in his hands.

"Shut up, dad," I snarled, glaring with steely eyes at the dethroned General. Charles' head snapped up, his eyes narrowing into deadly slits as he stared at me.

"How dare you speak to me in such a disrespectful tone? Benjamin would never - "

"As you so correctly pointed out," I deadpanned, "I'm not Benjamin."

A shell-shocked expression crossed Charles' face. I had been overtly disrespectful, and I knew it, but somehow, the apologetic remorse that I knew should have been there - the remorse that Benjamin would have felt - was absent. Glancing back at Captain Garland, I caught a glimpse of a similar expression, though it quickly washed away as he realized I was looking at him.

"I apologize for my father's...behavior," I growled, nodding to Garrett. Garland tipped his head.

"Don't worry about it. Did you have a question - Phoenix?"

"Actually, a point of clarification. I noticed an error on my BattleMech assignment - I believe I had put in a request for an UrbanMech. Were there none available - even on this shithole of a planet?"

Garland glanced over the roster.

"I'll look into that. You may have to take what you've been assigned."

I nodded.


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Position : MechWarrior | LEGIONNAIRES
Callsign: Fox-1
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Current Loadout: TBD
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Corporal Nick Schuster
post Dec 15 2006, 08:37 PM
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I raised a hand.

"Let's talk about intel for a minute. What are the odds of our garrison actually getting hit? I've spoken to some of my LIC contacts and they seem to think it's remote, at best. What's in the dome? Something worth outsourcing the defenses for?"


--------------------
Position : Tech Specialist | LEGIONNAIRES
Callsign : MANTIS
Current BattleMech : LGN-01 Kit Fox [Light -35 Tons - 96.75 km/h max]
Loadout : [1x ER Large Laser] [1x Small Pulse Laser] [1x LB-X Autocannon/5 - Ammo: Slug (20 rounds)] [1x Streak SRM-2 (Improved OS) - Ammo: 50 Acid SRM-2 | 50 Anti-Personnel SRM-2] [CASE] [FireScan II with Multi-Trac II & IndirecTrac]
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Wedge Lourde
post Dec 16 2006, 09:19 PM
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I struggled with the thought. For 2 months, I served as a technician for a Word Of Blake prison defense crew. My own name, to my own battalion, had been changed to Sona. My birth and namerights were now sold to my Blake name. I was even listed as "Sona" on the squadron assignment... I had to accept it. Wedge was dead to me, as was my family, whose roots dig deep into Word of Blake soil.

I shook the idea from my head, as I pressed out my leather tunic.



"Let's talk about intel for a minute. What are the odds of our garrison actually getting hit? I've spoken to some of my LIC contacts and they seem to think it's remote, at best. What's in the dome? Something worth outsourcing the defenses for?" said a man new to me, of unknown orgin.

I recorded the question in my new PDA that I had looted from a crate in the WoB weapons cache back on Deneb Kaitos.

I then searched for a picture of Paradise Valley, perhaps snapped by a local tourist. This is the picture which resulted, titled "A beautiful Waterfall."


IPB Image


This is an image from World of Warcraft. It was taken ingame, in a region called Stranglethorn Vale. I decied I might submit some content for viewing pleasure.

This post has been edited by Sona: Dec 16 2006, 09:40 PM


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Position : MechWarrior | LEGIONNAIRES
Callsign : Sabre Lead
Current BattleMech : Masakari
Loadout : ERPPC x4, LRM 10 x1
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Captain Garrett Garland
post Dec 16 2006, 09:58 PM
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"Let's talk about intel for a minute. What are the odds of our garrison actually getting hit? I've spoken to some of my LIC contacts and they seem to think it's remote, at best. What's in the dome? Something worth outsourcing the defenses for?"

The man raised a valid point. "In truth, I believe that the dome really only contains a small research center. I believe that they are trying to figure out a way to get the terra-forming process restarted. As you know, the Marians are already feeling an economic drain from Vivarais; their currency is going to the entertainers on that world instead of staying inside the Hegemony. I think that they're worried that if the world can successfully establish itself as a fully hospitable planet, it could pose a serious threat to the Marian economy. But as far as we're concerned, I think that we're going to have a pretty easy time. My guess is that the Marians are going to spend most of their time dealing with those two battalions on their own worlds. As far as the outsourcing goes, you know well that the Magistracy has limited 'mech forces in comparison to any of the major Houses. They often employ more conventional armor or other tracked vehicles versus BattleMechs, but due to the hostile nature of the environment, BattleMechs are needed for a true defense. Any other questions?”

This post has been edited by Captain Garrett Garland: Dec 23 2006, 07:33 PM


--------------------
Position : Captain | LEGIONNAIRES
Callsign : Fox
Current BattleMech : Shadow Hawk [55 tons] [97.2 km/h max] [120 meter jump range]
Loadout : [1x Rotary AC5] [1x LRM-20] [1x Medium Pulse Laser] [2x Streak SRM-2] [AMS] [CASE] [ECM] [JumpJets]
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Captain Desparado
post Dec 18 2006, 04:39 AM
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I raised my hand and cleared my throat.

As Kodiak Lead, our current ly our heaviest lance, I'll assume that I will forsee the direct gaurdianship of the dome? If thats the case, I'll need to co-ordinate with Pheonix's Fox lance to establish a patrol schedule.

Pheonix's nostrils flared in annoyance, I had had no contact with him since he joined the Legionnaires. As a matter of fact, I had been keeping quite to myself and the remnants of Iron Hammer's lance. The happenings of the other crew members were a mystery to me, but not one I had cared about enough to investigate. I had eavesdropped enough to gather who Pheonix was and figured that I would just give him space. Besides, as unstable as I had assessed him to be, it was probably safer for both of us if I allowed him space. Now was our first contact, we would need to spread ourselves out efficiently if an effective defense with so few Battlemechs and that meant teamwork. I huffed audibly at his baulk at my sudden authoritative approach to our new assignment. My eyes rolled off of him and back to the Holoprojector before sweeping the room again.

And as far as co-ordination goes, whats the command structure like in this contract? Are we subordinate to the Magestracy or will we be working along our chain of command along side them?

This post has been edited by Captain Desparado: Dec 19 2006, 02:05 AM


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Position : Captain | LEGIONNAIRES
Callsign : Libra - 1
Current BattleMech : Sunder Leviathan
Loadout : 4 ER Large Lasers, 1 Clan LBX AC20, 3 ER Medium Lasers, 1 Clan LRM20, LAMS
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Wedge Lourde
post Dec 18 2006, 07:16 PM
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I set down my handeld device and raised my hand.


"Looking at this image here, it seems as though the landscape is much more fit for APC's or even water-treadding vehicles, like the Condor, or Harraser, perhaps. If there was any chance of attack, do we have the backup resources to make the best of this land? I can't see an Atlas moving about the jungle between the close hills without doing damage."

"I'm not sure what you're saying. What image do you mean?"

Realising that nobody else had any idea what I meant, I stepped out of my seat and approached the podium at which Commander Garland stood. He took a look at it, and nodded at me.

He placed the device onto some sort of port-slot on the side of the podium. The image on the screen of my handeld device played onto the screen of the breifing room. As I walked back to my seat, the Commander took a hard look at the image.


"I see what you mean, Sona."

"Will we have any smaller vehicles to manuver these steep hills or streams?"


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Current BattleMech : Masakari
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Captain Garrett Garland
post Dec 18 2006, 10:41 PM
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“As far as command goes, we will be subordinate to the Magistracy, but I’ve been assured that we will retain all tactical command. We aren’t going to be integrated into their military system, but they will have strategic command over us. That is to be expected though. Concerning organizational structure, well, we’ve got three months of transit time to prepare. We’ll be doing drills using the Dauntless’ simulation room.”

Turing to MechWarrior Sona, I answered his question. “In truth, we don’t have much in the way of fast attacking vehicles to transverse the waterways, but I’m not too worried—we shouldn’t be doing any fighting within the gash. As you know, the BattleMech is best possible tool we have for surmounting any kind of steep incline, and it’s versatile enough I believe to counter any situation. Worst case scenario is that if we need to use the waterways to transport Mech’s we walk on the riverbed. I actually believe that hovercraft would be inappropriate in this situation because the steep incline would prevent them from exiting the rivers. As you know, a hovercraft will chip its blades when serve incline is encountered or at the very least tear its own air-skirt to shreds. If I remember correctly, we were actually forced to abandon some of our hovercraft on Sheratan when we were retreating into the Cameron Mountains due to the rough roads.”

Turning to face the whole room I finished the briefing. “Alright, we’ve got three months to train and prepare ourselves in general. I’m not going to push you to your breaking point, but when we arrive on Vivarais I want them to feel confidence in those who are protecting them. I assume that we’ll do a parade through Zephyranth before taking garrison in the badlands, so techs, I want our company painted in red and gold with any embellishments you see fit. MechWarriors, tomorrow at 0800 the infantry has a little something planned for us. Meet in the training room. If there are no further questions, dismissed.”

This post has been edited by Captain Garrett Garland: Dec 23 2006, 07:34 PM


--------------------
Position : Captain | LEGIONNAIRES
Callsign : Fox
Current BattleMech : Shadow Hawk [55 tons] [97.2 km/h max] [120 meter jump range]
Loadout : [1x Rotary AC5] [1x LRM-20] [1x Medium Pulse Laser] [2x Streak SRM-2] [AMS] [CASE] [ECM] [JumpJets]
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MechWarrior Alex Thorn
post Dec 18 2006, 10:43 PM
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I looked up from my notes. This operation seemed simple enough. But like always it was the simple ones that turned out ugly. Yet it was still a good footing for the Legionnaires to get up and running again. I silently waited for everyone to finish their questions.

MechWarriors, tomorrow at 0800 the infantry has a little something planned for us. Meet in the training room. If there are no further questions, dismissed.

I stood up and walked to Garrett.

I am already wanting to get to know this new 'Mech sir. Do you mind joining me in a little simulation?

This post has been edited by Sergeant Alex Thorn: Dec 18 2006, 10:45 PM


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John Maxwell
post Dec 19 2006, 01:57 AM
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I rolled my eyes in frustration. A parade, of all things! It was bad enough that we were being asked to garrison a checkpoint whose tactical value we could only guess at - Schuster had been completely within his right to inquire about such a detail - but to top it all off, we were now going to be required to participate in a military parade before assuming our posts. As far as I was concerned, that was a grevious tactical error tantamount to handing the enemy a complete force composition report of our unit's assets.

Parades should be reserved for victory celebrations and state funerals, I say. The latter of which we certainly won't be afforded if we don't pull this off.

I slouched down in my chair, and stared blankly at the main screen, thoughts racing through my head. The mission parameters sucked - there was no doubt about it - and the fact that I would be likely operating with a BattleMech which I had no familiarity with, and which was likely held together by only a few spot-welds and some ferroglue, only added misery to the laundry list of issues I was sure I'd have with the contract by the time we made planetfall. And the matter of Recon Lance - the fact that Garrett had practically dumped command of the squad into my lap after only a few minutes of introductions and small talk - made me especially uneasy. It seamed as though the Captain had been too trusting of me - and had been much too eager to had over the reins. True, I was, in spirit, a facsimilie of Benjamin Maxwell, but the fact of the matter remained that I was, in reality, a separate individual altogether, and thus, needed to be treated as such. The raging mistrust and uneasiness toward me that Desparado made no attempt to hide was far more appropriate, and was in fact the way I'd expected Garland to react upon our first encounter.

But he hadn't. Instead, after a brief round of introductions and a few scattered questions, the Captain had merely shaken my hand and assigned me command of the recon unit, arguably one of the most valuable assets of the battlegroup.


I guess wonders never do cease, I mused, a listless expression crossing my face as I waited for the briefing to end.

This post has been edited by Phoenix: Dec 19 2006, 02:05 AM


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Captain Desparado
post Dec 19 2006, 02:03 AM
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God I hated being couped up in the breifing room. Any breifing room, not just this one. I supposed that I felt edgy or anxious not being in the seat of a battlemech, yet envsioning the upcomming duties. Shuffling out single file through the narrow door and pretending not to overhear the one person who always approached the breifer with an agenda of their own. I always dreaded sitting through a boring tactical presentation, most of which were vauge and abstract. But it had been about three years since I last shared a breifing with the Legionnares. There were new faces, sure and there were those that were sorely missed but still absent. Yet today, for the first time in my life, I enjoyed the breifing. Not in such a way as an active excitement, but more like reliving a nostalgic memory and recalling a detail long forgotten. At last, I felt as if I was truly back with the Legionnares.

We shuffled out and many headed to the mess hall to chat over what passed as "food" to indescriminate pallets. I didn't mind the poor food much. Since my time with the Clans, I eats almost nothing but rations and nutrient fortified food that probably tasted no better than livestock feed. In truth, when I did eat civilian cuisine, it was in such stark contrast the the bland and mealy eats I had become accustomed to, it was often overpowering. Neausea prevented me from finishing many of these meals. Here aboard the Dauntless, it seemed as though the food was a notch below most MREs. I shook my thoughts free of the unsatisfying food that I would be facing for the next three months of our Jump time. I headed to the Simulation chambers and began a private session. The StarLeague Era tech my lance was equipped with was quite a far cry from what I was accostommed to piloting. Even in the times where money was stretched so thin around my units, my equipment was better than this. I sighed and began the simulation with my Maurader, loaded to my dismay with no weight saving ClanTech or other frills. How did people fight wars like this? My shoulders sagged as the simulation began and one final thought flew through my mind before I took the controls and lost myself in a hopeless firefight.


Theres no place like home.

---------------------------------------------

I shot up from my sleep wide-eyed and heart racing. My hot sweat let the sheets cling to me like a spider's web. My breathing was a frantic pant as I looked around the room. I realized that I was safe in my quarters and it was quite late. I took a deep breath and held it, the room would have been silent had it not been for the thunderous roar of my pulsing blood that surged through my veins. The heart would take longer to slow down than my lungs. Ian's arm which had been drapped over my chest now lay across my lap. She stretched out and yawned slow and deep before scooting closer to me again.

Was I snoring again?

The question came as a raspy whisper that was barely audible over the decrescendo of my heart. I lay back down and pulled the sticky covers off of myself before pulling them over myself once more.

No, it was me. Go back to sleep.

I would've bet a hefty amount of C-Bills that she did not hear me because she had already fallen asleep once more. I closed my eyes again and tried to settle in once more. More dreams of Galatea awaking me. The fight club, the pilots killed in illegal battles and conceiling something from the Legionnaires that would most likely stay hidden forever. I had a large amount of guilt attatched to using the Dauntless as collateral in a match. The other pilot offered up a sum of money too big to pass up and I had volenteered the ship's KF drive without the knowledge of Charles or Captain Garland. My gamble had payed off, the fool died and we were that much closer to outfitting the others in the unit but it was a rash thing to do. At a time we had nothing except for this ship, I rolled the dice with it and won. Perhaps I should've lost but thankfully all that was lost during that match was the Jenner that I had taken to the brink of hell and sold the scrap for a very small amount. It wasn't worth repairing but it had helped me win two other matches on Galatea. I hadn't really repaired it fully after the first battle, or the second. As a matter of fact, I had entered the old mech's final battle against that fool with all the C-Bills with the damage I had sustained during my previous two battles only mended with very sloppy plate welds. His Kitfox by all rights should've easily won but that battle was an entirely different nightmare altogether.

I sighed deep, knowing that I'd carry that risk to the grave with me. True, we were one step closer to our first contract as an independent mercenary unit but it could've cost us everything. In time the heavyness on my shoulders and constriction on my lungs would fade. Until then, all I could do was sigh in my dark cabin surrounded by blissfully ignorant colleagues.


This post has been edited by Captain Desparado: Dec 19 2006, 02:08 AM


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Position : Captain | LEGIONNAIRES
Callsign : Libra - 1
Current BattleMech : Sunder Leviathan
Loadout : 4 ER Large Lasers, 1 Clan LBX AC20, 3 ER Medium Lasers, 1 Clan LRM20, LAMS
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Corporal Nick Schuster
post Dec 19 2006, 10:03 AM
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"In truth, I believe that the dome really only contains a small research center. I believe that they are trying to figure out a way to get the terra-forming process restarted. As you know, the Marians are already feeling an economic drain from Vivarais; their currency is going to the entertainers on that world instead of staying inside the Hegemony. I think that they're worried that if the world can successfully establish itself as a fully hospitable planet, it could pose a serious threat to the Marian economy. But as far as we're concerned, I think that we're going to have a pretty easy time. My guess is that the Marians are going to spend most of their time dealing with those two battalions on their own worlds. As far as the outsourcing goes, you know well that the Magistry has limited 'mech forces in comparison to any of the major Houses. They often employ more conventional armor or other tracked vehicles versus BattleMechs, but due to the hostile nature of the environment, BattleMechs are needed for a true defense. Any other questions?”

I frowned.

"Whatever it is, it's worth protecting with BattleMechs. And that puts me on edge, sir."


--------------------
Position : Tech Specialist | LEGIONNAIRES
Callsign : MANTIS
Current BattleMech : LGN-01 Kit Fox [Light -35 Tons - 96.75 km/h max]
Loadout : [1x ER Large Laser] [1x Small Pulse Laser] [1x LB-X Autocannon/5 - Ammo: Slug (20 rounds)] [1x Streak SRM-2 (Improved OS) - Ammo: 50 Acid SRM-2 | 50 Anti-Personnel SRM-2] [CASE] [FireScan II with Multi-Trac II & IndirecTrac]
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Corporal James Norrington
post Dec 19 2006, 10:10 AM
Post #14



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Rank: Corporal



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Garland appeared as a man prepared to terminate the briefing. I took an opportunity to raise a hand.

I can't help but notice, sir, that we've assigned eleven battlemechs across three lances to garrison a dome against a negligible threat. Pray tell, exactly how big is this place? What will our posts be?


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Position : Corporal | LEGIONNAIRES
Callsign : Command-2
Current BattleMech : Centurion
Loadout :
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Captain Garrett Garland
post Dec 21 2006, 02:15 AM
Post #15



Captain | LEGIONNAIRES
Rank: Captain



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From: Seattle, WA
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“Eleven BattleMechs? Ah of course, my apologies—it seems that our roster is missing something. We are going to be assigned a liaison officer to ‘watch over’ us when we arrive. Fox lance, I hate to do this to you, but you will be shouldering him. They haven’t given me a profile on our liaison officer yet, but hopefully they’ll just be another member of the lance. I was promised that we will retain full tactical control of the situation, so they may just be here to ensure that we’re fulfilling our end of the contract. Hell, they might even be a good MechWarrior.”

Looking at MechWarriors Schuster and Norrington, I addressed the dome issue. “Gentlemen, all I know is what they told me, and as far as I can see it’s the truth. We will probably take turns rotating the lances at the domes in shifts and perhaps even split the lances into pairs. I can’t imagine there would be a threat already on planet to deal with, and we will definitely see the raiders coming a few days out to prepare the full company against them. Our real purpose, I think, is to keep people feeling safe. That’s what the parade is for. Now look happy people, we’re going to be spending a few months on a pleasure world. And we’ll be jumping within the next few hours.”

After I dismissed the briefing, I was approached by Sergeant Thorn. “Certainly Sergeant, I have yet to try out my Warhammer. I’ll meet you in the simulation room after the jump. And don’t worry, we’ll be getting a lot of sim time in.” Clapping the MechWarrior on the shoulder, I saw that Phoenix had yet to leave the briefing room. “Something wrong Phoenix?” He looked… displeased. “Nothing sir, it’s just that it seems like our operation is being taken a bit too lightly.”

Sir… strange… shouldn’t I be calling him that? Looking at Phoenix, I saw little resemblance to Ben, still incapacitated within the ships infirmary. The doctors still weren’t sure if he’d live. Hopefully during the transit time he would recover enough so I could at least consult with him—I refused to think that he wouldn’t be back in command again.

“Lightly? Phoenix, all I care about right now is the men’s moral. They, we, were just captured and tortured on a foreign world. I took this assignment because it was easy and safe, and I want the men to get a chance to recover. I want them to look forward to enjoying the pleasures of the Magistracy and to, for once, not feel the scorching heat of lasers burning their flesh. Maybe you want to prove yourself somehow, see some combat to show that you are just as good as Ben—maybe even better given that you seem to be younger—and that’s why I gave you a lance, to prove yourself. Don’t think for a minute that I’ve accepted you as Benjamin Maxwell, I can tell right now that the differences are more than just physical. But if you have his experiences, then it would be a waste to give you anything less than a lance. Everyone is watching you right now, to see if you measure up, so make damn good use of his experience. And if you feel strongly about something, if you think that Ben would do something differently, let me know—he was, he is, a good commander, and I would be a fool not to listen to someone with his experiences and knowledge.”

With that I left the briefing room.

Hey guys, my internet has been out for the past few days here - we've been having really bad storms, at least I have power - so I have to use my cell-phone to make posts. I'm going to try and post as much as possible, but it might be a little bit slower. Hopefully the net will be back up in a few days and I will be able to post a lot more often (many times a day tongue.gif ).

This post has been edited by Captain Garrett Garland: Dec 23 2006, 07:35 PM


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Position : Captain | LEGIONNAIRES
Callsign : Fox
Current BattleMech : Shadow Hawk [55 tons] [97.2 km/h max] [120 meter jump range]
Loadout : [1x Rotary AC5] [1x LRM-20] [1x Medium Pulse Laser] [2x Streak SRM-2] [AMS] [CASE] [ECM] [JumpJets]
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