AWF Chpt 102

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=Chapter 102=
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===There's always some complications===
St. Ives Forward Base 
St. Ives, St. Ives Compact
June, 3030 
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Hap followed Tasja to the tech's scout car. She opened the back trunk area and pulled a large green case. She flipped the case open to reveal a large shoulder mounted rocket system.
One side had a rail designed to fit a rectangular magazine for two rockets. The system looked relatively simple with an exhaust pipe that connected to the back of the magazines. At the mid-point of the launcher was a padded shoulder rest built into the pistol grip and trigger group. The exhaust pipe also had hand guards around the shoulder rest and exhaust end of the system. Above the magazine area was a carrying handle and a video display with buttons on the side.
"How often you fire these things?" Hap asked.
Tasja removed the launcher's magazine and turned the launcher so she could expose the bottom of the shoulder rest. Where the shoulder rest met the pistol grip there was a hollow area that looked like it was a ballistic magazine well. Tasja pulled a magazine shaped power pack from the weapon case and checked it to make sure it had a full charge before slipping it into the hollow battery well. "I've fired this a few times. Once in anger."
"In anger? Can I ask what happened?"
Tasja nodded as she pulled up the packing foam from the lid in the center of the SRM's shipping container, she exposed a compartment with two blue SRMs marked "INERT TRAINER". Tasja took the blue SRMs and slid them into the magazine and locked the magazine into the launcher. Before closing the case Tasja also grabbed a small remote control device and clipped it to her belt.
Tasja and Hap started to walk away from the Valkyrie as Tasja explained, "We've been over run a few times, usually by light 'mechs. Like the Commander said, we'd hit them with a barrage of SRMs and an inferno or two. They'd lose a weapon system, get close to overheating and realize they were dealing with a bunch of people that had all the tools and know how to take apart a 'mech, so they'd turn tail and run."
"Once again proving the far reaching wisdom of Kelly McFinnigan."
"His mother didn't raise a fool, no matter what Elinor says," Tasja replied quietly, "One time though a sniper attacked us. I think we were doing a mission somewhere in the Combine. The sniper was good. He'd shoot, relocate before we could figure out where he was, then hit someone else. He wounded Drew, and then killed the medic when he tried to help."
"Next, he gut shot this new guy that had just signed on. Dad and Mike called him 'Baby Face', but he was a few years older than Masja and me. His name was Danny, and I thought he was…Well it doesn't matter what I thought, I just remember he was screaming and dying."
"I got so angry I took one of these and loaded an Inferno, and turned the rangefinder over to Infrared. I thought I saw something or someone crawling in the woods and I shot at a large tree near them. The whole forest exploded in fire. Everyone started yelling at me, we had to drag the ammo and P.O.L. away from the forest fire I started."
"Did Danny make it?" Hap asked, trying to think if any of the techs looked like a "Baby Face".
She simply shook her head as she shouldered the missile launcher.
"What about the sniper?"
"The forest burned to cinders and he didn't shoot at us again. That was enough for me."
Hap nodded, "I understand. In a strange way I was sort of in a similar situation today."
Tasja nodded, "We saw the burn marks and infantry damage to your cockpit when we were working on your hatch. After everything was said and done I was shaking with rage, and crying. Mike pulled me aside, walked me over to the burned forest and told me, 'Don't let this business change you. Protect yourself, defend the family, do your job. Lose yourself to creating or making something better, but not to this'."
"Damn." Hap whispered, "I miss Mike. If we had talked about this yesterday that would have hit differently."
"Yeah, that's Mike for you, he ignored us or treated us like garbage most of the time, but then when you didn't expect it, he'd tell you something that let you know that he cared."
"Even from beyond the grave." Hap shook his head, "I never understood why he was like that."
"Probably so we'd listen when he had something important to tell us." Tasja said as she pressed a few buttons on the side of the SRM launcher's viewfinder.
"And all this time I thought he just liked being disagreeable, and keeping people at arm's length."
"Well there was that too, the man did have a reputation to maintain." Tasja smiled. "I miss that mean old bastard. He was pretty much our uncle, you know."
Hap nodded, "When this is done we'll drink a pint in his honor, and maybe you and your sister can share more of his wisdom."
Tasja nodded as the SRM launcher made an almost happy chirp noise. "It's ready."
Hap pressed the button on the side of his radio, "We're setup and ready to go."
"Okay go ahead and do a normal engagement as a control."
thumb|Valkyrie Light Fire Support 'Mech
Hap nodded to Tasja and she pointed the SRM launcher at the hills, high above and away from anything. Two green lines formed an arrow on the SRM's rangefinder indicating it was detecting an active 'mech' to the left. The launcher also started to beep. Tasja turned and the beeping got faster until she was facing the Valkyrie. The beeping became a steady tone, and the arrow became a box that flashed around the Valkyrie's center torso.
Tasja squeezed the trigger slightly and the green box turned red and the tone changed slightly. Tasja squeezed the trigger the rest of the way, and the tone stopped. "Engagement complete."
Hap keyed his radio, "Looks like the SRM launcher is working. You ready to test?"
<<"Standby.">> Anastasia answered.
Tasja removed the missile magazine and then reloaded it, she hit a few of the buttons on the side of the rangefinder. "We're ready for round two".
After about thirty seconds Anastasia came on the net, <<"The system should now be actively canceling or 'jamming' sensors.">>
Tasja shouldered the launcher again and pointed it generally away from anything. The launcher beeped and the green arrow indicated a target for a moment, but then disappeared. Tasja turned the launcher toward the Valkyrie and the system beeped a second time but stopped before the arrows formed. Tasja pointed the launcher directly at the 'mech but the launcher made no indication of detecting it.
"It looks like it's working, Anastasia." Hap said into the radio.
"Let me stand the mech up and see if that changes anything." Anastasia said as her Valkyrie rose from kneeling to standing. The SRM launcher beeped, and the green arrow or box almost formed for a moment but it still couldn't make a lock. The arrow pointed to the right but when Tasja started to move the launcher it indicated it was detecting something above, then back to the left, then down.
"I think the launcher is malfunctioning." Tasja said.
"Anastasia can you-" Hap thought he caught a whiff of ozone but it was more acidic. "Shut it down." Hap said as he reached over grabbed the power pack from the launcher and threw it to the ground. The plastic case of the power pack expanded around the seam line and a gray-green paste boiled out.
<<"What happened?">>
"The SRM launcher cooked its battery. I don't know if you were jamming its sensors or if it's just a coincidence."
"No. I could see that I was being detected and I could see the launcher was trying to overcome the jamming. I programmed the system to keep increasing power. I believe it raised the heat in my 'mech slightly. I should have anticipated it would cause the SRM launcher to function outside its designed operational parameters."
Hap looked over at Tasja, "Do you have spare power packs?"
"Just one, and I don't think we should risk it. Also if Anastasia is going to do weird things to her 'mech that is going to break stuff I'd like to know in advance. Especially if she's going to involve me."
"Agreed." Hap said, Hap keyed the radio, "I think we're done testing Anastasia. We're out of spare SRM power packs."
<<"Very good.">> Anastasia replied, <<"I'm confident this is operating satisfactorily, but now that I'm done additional complications to this plan have occurred to me.">>
"This plan has other complications?" Tasja said as she nudged the power pack with the toe of her boot. The battery sizzled then it started sparking and burst into flames.
"There's always some complications." Hap and Tasja got a safe distance from the small fire caused by the burning power pack.
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