TEP Chpt 10

=The Eagle's Perch=
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==Chapter 10 - Vision==
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Sardis, Free Worlds League
2731 AD
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Elijah Johnson Aquino
I saw Baron Shenandoah do something from underneath his desk, and then watched as the surrounding room transformed. What was previously an office quickly turned into an armory as furniture and walls recessed, turned, and revealed hidden racks with enough weapons and equipment to outfit an entire platoon of soldiers.
 
Despite the situation, the baron was in no rush as he started stripping. "Grab a gun. We'll need it."
 
"You're joking." I was flabbergasted. What about his security detail? As a Baron and noble, he should have enough on hand to not need to arm himself personally. Not unless his intention was to personally lead the fight.
 
Shit. Right, Noble.
 
As if reading my mind, he turned away from the wall he was picking up a pair of pistols and told me, "No, you aren't going out to fight." So he was going out to fight and lead the defenders himself. "It's a long story, but I can't rule out infiltrators," with that said, he holstered a pair of pistols to his bare thighs, and adjusted the wood band around his wrist.
 
"What do you mean by that?" I asked confusedly, while taking some guns and combat vests for myself.
 
"This fight was always going to happen. They just struck today and struck first."
 
That had some terrible implications. Our assumption that the rest of Sardis would fall in line with their leader was completely wrong. Now we're stuck inside a possible Civil War with nothing to show for. Worse, all the work we put into flipping Sardis might be undone by the mystery attacker.
 
The phone rang again while my mind fell through. This time, the baron put it on the speaker while we readied ourselves against assassins and rogues.
 
A feminine voice came out the speakers in a low panic, addressing the baron, "Sweetie, the kids and I are on the escape route. We'll be waiting for you. Please, hurry."
 
"I'll be there, sweetie. Stay safe. I love you." Fully kitted out, he checked a terminal off to the side. Whatever it was, he was satisfied with the sight, and pulled a book out slightly from a bookshelf. In an instant, the lockdown of the room came undone, and Shenandoah began marching out towards the exit while talking to me. "I'll take you south towards the secret tunnels. You'll be out of the compound in fifteen or so minutes if you follow it."
 
At least the baron was sensible enough to have escape tunnels. Once I get out of here, I'll have to link up with Abdullah and the Captain to reassess our strategy with Sardis. Before he opened the mahogany doors, I interrupted him. I needed a question answered if I wanted any work done after this.
 
"Listen. Before we leave and possibly die fighting together, can you answer me a question?"
 
He gave me an annoyed look while his hand hovered over the door handle. But, crucially, he hadn't said 'No'.
 
"How willing was the rest of the Oligarchy to go through with our deal?"
 
There was a complicated look on his face as he thought about my question, before finally answering. "They were more willing than I thought was ideal, but less than I hoped. During debate, a fist fight broke out and turned into a full on brawl. It forced a recess I managed to take advantage of. That pissed off my rival, something fierce. But he's been grinding that axe against me ever since I married my wife."
 
His wife in the pictures, I recalled, wore a casual-formal wear of a three-piece suit with a pencil skirt when it was just him and her. It probably meant she wasn't a noble, as the culture of nobility is 'unique' from the 'proles'. But, while embarrassing for a Sardunian, what does Shenandoah marrying a non-noble have to do with creating a grudge this bad and this long.
 
Before I could ask, the baron pushed the door open and began marching south. A group of soldiers were waiting for us outside. They saluted and formed an escort around us without a word said. They wore a classic mottled green uniform, and on their right sleeve was a patch with a star rising from a hemisphere. This was his personal guard then.
 
While all of this happened, muffled booming interspersed the staccato of gunfire outside. Judging from the sound, both the defenders and attackers were fiercely clashing. But no BattleMechs yet. The sounds of fighting were too steady to hint at the sheer panic, or confidence, a BattleMech causes.
 
Knowing what I knew about Sardis, that meant the noble attacking was throwing the regulars in to soften up the defenses before joining the fray. Without Mech support the attackers would be dying in droves. A little cruel, but that was Sardis. No thought beyond necessary was given to the unwashed masses. The elites were truly elite, and the rabble were truly rabble.
 
As we walked down the corridors, explosions rocked the building. Turning a corner revealed what the damage was. The route South to the escape tunnels had been smashed to pieces by what looked like multiple AC/20 rounds. The damage was so bad, that the side of the building and all its ferrocrete slumped inwards to the hole ripped out of it.
 
I was shocked, and became more shocked when jump infantry bounded through the wall. The guards opened fire immediately, while I dived back behind the corner just as plasma lines seared through the air.
 
Shenandoah, smoking gun in hand, came sprinting at me, dragging me up to follow him. "Your exit has been cut off. We have to go West. The only way out now is through!" he shouted at me.
 
"Can't we win that fight?" I shouted back. Only for another violent explosion to rip through the hallway we were running away from.
 
"Suicide bombers with demo packs," the baron replied. I gasped. I know the nobles of Sardis don't particularly care for the lives of the plebs, but turning them into suicide bombers is too much. That's the type of thing you expect from the extremist Exituri on Shiloh, not a civilized world like Sardis.
 
Fuck. I'm going to have to ride the hotseat through an entire battalion of suicidally fanatical men and women.
 
A platoon of guards appeared ahead of us and immediately fell into formation to escort us. A squad of them broke off, sprinting towards the explosion.
 
"How are you with BattleMech e-warfare?" the baron suddenly interjected.
 
"I'm okay at it. I guess?" I lamely replied.
 
Sighing, Shenandoah continued, "Better than AI, I'll work with it."
 
So now I'm not just riding the hotseat, but will also participate in the battle. A battle that will apparently need something extra for e-war duty. Lovely. Absolutely, fantastic.
 
We stopped at a mahogany door in the middle of a hallway. It appeared no different from the others, but the baron took hold of the nearby wall mounted light and pulled down. A two-meter wide section of the wall centered on the door slides to the left, revealing the metal interior of the elevator within.
 
Another explosion resounded not too far off. That's another squad dead.
 
We piled into the elevator, leaving another squad of seven behind. Sixteen men and women waited in tense silence as the elevator dropped to the secret lower levels. I leaned against the elevator wall and sighed. I felt safer now, surrounded by the baron's personal guard and away from the suicide bombers, so I took a moment to relax.
 
Whatever else that can be said about Baron Shenandoah, I can at least say he is intelligent. His guards are elite, superbly well-trained. Though modest, he built his mansion compound with a secret armory and multiple hidden exits.
 
Funnily, it reminded me of Boris, though without the manic need to learn and make friends.
 
"Sir, we have an incoming transmission you might want to hear," the intercom smoothly spoke out.
 
"Patch it through."
 
<<"To Keith, it's me. I am here to claim the Barony, that which is rightfully mine. I am here to repay the humiliation you have wrought onto MY family, you fucking disgrace. But most of all, I'm here to kill you.">>
 
<<"Come out and fight me. Come out and die. End this feud once and for all">>
 
There was a tenseness in the elevator at the transmission's end. A coldness crept into the baron's eyes as he stood straighter. Somehow, he loomed inside the elevator, seeming larger than the elite infantry at our sides.
 
The elevator stopped. As the doors opened, what it revealed wasn't an underground mech bay for the baron and his mech guards, but an entire base. Men and women ran around getting into and readying the various light Mechs, APCs, and some PPC Tanks I could spy in the distance. It appeared as if the base was as large as the estate itself.
 
I blinked twice. An entire combined arms light mech battalion hidden underneath the manse. Sardis was famous for exactly two things, being the crossroads between the Eastern Province Worlds, Regulus, Gibson, and the Marik Commonwealth; and their elite light Mech regiments.
 
Additionally, for a lord of a World Province, this was an extreme display of power with how hot the market was for Mechs. Perhaps my initial panic that Sardis wouldn't fall in line behind was wrong. If he's this prepared, then his handling of the political scene must be the same.
 
As we marched towards Shenandoah's ride, I noticed a common theme among the Mechs. They all had the star rising from a hemisphere on their right pectoral, but closer to the baron's Mech they would be replaced by a stylized wolf in brown.
 
Mechs near universally have livery painted on and prominently displayed. Above all, all notable MechWarrior's livery depicted whose House they belonged to, or whose House they served. It was a way of displaying one's worth to their enemy and friends, useful for identification, duels, or ransoms. They were also a means of displaying a Lord's favor, no one painted livery they were not allowed to wear. They were coveted symbols of power and prestige, given only to the worthy.
 
I had heard before this that there was some unrest in Sardis nearly twenty years ago. Nothing was heard from since. Not unusual considering how minor Sardis is as a province. Perhaps these wolf Mechs acquitted themselves well during the unrest, and received their lords favor in turn.
 
Baron Shenandoah stopped in front of a custom third generation Firebee. We climbed aboard quickly. I sat in the hotseat and made myself familiar with the e-war controls, outside the standard sensors there were simple jammers, blinders, spoofers, and a data link to the compound's own sensors. Standard equipment for Mechs. Then I received a call from Abdullah. I answered immediately, hoping for good news.
 
"Tango Echo Foxtrot Alpha. ETA quarter bell."
 
That was good news, so I tapped the baron's shoulder to tell him, "Shenandoah, my associates will arrive in fifteen minutes. We just have to hold on until then."
 
He grunted in reply, then radioed someone else, "Timothy take command of the defense, I've got a fool I need to take care of."
 
Shortly after, the entire battalion burst into motion. The mechs with the rising star livery ran out first, followed by the tanks, the APCs, and then the artillery. Shenandoah cruised his mech forward and then right, taking a route opposite from where the main force was going.
 
"The rest will keep the rebels' main force busy. We have a date with Harper."
 
Four Mechs stepped onto a Mech elevator. We rose up, and the ceiling slid away. At the top was a clearing surrounded by the compound. We were at the center of his estate, and now ably capable of quickly responding to wherever this Harper was.
 
The compound's sensors pinged in the Western forest, several kilometers away were four Mechs moving fast Southwards.
 
"Four mechs, West, heading South at eighty-five kay per hour." I shouted.
Our lance burst outward to intercept. We moved into the trees in a rough Vic formation, with Shenandoah's Firebee taking point. We were neither quiet nor stealthy, having prioritized speed over the possibility of surprise.
 
Thankfully, being the defenders, we had both. As we ran through the forest, it was clear our quarry could not see us through any of their own sensors thanks to the compound and the forest. Watching the readouts showed a bevy of nasty things screaming and wailing at our enemy's eyes and ears. They were blinded and deafened by the works of a hundred little things hidden around the forest and estate, including the particularly obnoxious Blanket Jammers.
 
I played my own part by providing what a computer never could, true randomness. Active sensors in conjunction with whatever ECM and ECCM I had would shout, scream, and draw attention at truly random intervals and directions. I kept the enemy guessing as to where and when they should dedicate their ECCM efforts, and all but demolished their automatic computer responses with the sheer wealth of resources I had at my disposal.
 
When we finally saw them, our interception was violent and bloodthirsty. The Firebee's Large Laser shot out at long range and tagged the shoulder of an opposing Firebee. The enemy stumbled from their run and turned to face us, replying with a full Alpha Strike.
 
The baron raised his arm to defend the cockpit, but that left the rest of the body vulnerable. One or two missiles dug holes into the armor and the laser slashed into the vulnerable legs, but thankfully it did not linger long enough.
 
The sheer speed of our advance terminated in a violent flying punch, as Shenandoah threw his Firebee forward into a haymaker aimed squarely to the enemy's cockpit.
 
"HARPER!" Shenandoah screamed. And I screamed, too. What the fuck was this man doing?!
 
The fist was blocked at the last second by Harper raising his right arm. The sheer force of it reverberated through the arm and into our cockpit. I felt tingling in my bones from the hit. But with Harper's right arm raised, nothing protected his now vulnerable chest, so Shenandoah sprung his trap. All three of his Firebee's SRM-2s fired at point-blank range, gouging out the light Mechs thin armor. The heat rose, but the custom Firebee negated what would have been my death sentence.
 
We had him dead to rights before Harper responded with a kick to our wounded right leg. The Firebee was notorious for having weak legs, on top of the traditionally pathetic light Mech protection. The laser slash and the kick was enough to destroy something within. We lurched right and fell prone on our side.
 
With the rest of the lance busy with their own duels, no one could spare the time to save us. Harper raised his right arm, to aim his Large Laser. The barrel of the laser glowed a menacing sickly green as it readied for the coup de grâce. Never was something long derided as mediocre, so intimidating as now.
 
<<"This feud ends here and now…>>
 
<<...Brother.">>
 
Oh, Jesus fuck.
 
Then the laser dimmed. And, we didn't die.
 
The punch must have fucked up Harper's large laser.
 
Screaming, Keith did the Mech equivalent of a quick draw, throwing his Mech left and off his shooting arm. His own large laser was still operational, and drew a bloody gash up the leg and burrowed through a hole into the Firebees torso.
 
Harper's Firebee slumped forwards, then fell backwards in a heavy thud.
 
A laser communication was received from Harper, and Keith accepted. On the cockpit HUD, Keith's face looked back at us. At the same time, the other battles around us were dying down. Our speed, surprise, and violent entry had given us a decisive advantage. Even if this crazy fucker nearly killed me.
 
"Any last words, Harper?" asked the baron. His voice was hard and remorseless.
 
"Was her money worth it, Keith? Was abandoning the family name worth that pleb whore's attention? Was it worth stealing mother's barony from my son's, your nephew's, inheritance, because that bitch asked?" Harper was fearlessly spiteful in the face of death. Surrounded by four enemy Mechs and all of his personal lance dead, his only thought was stabbing the baron with words.
 
"Is that it? Forty years of feuding against me and my wife, when all we wanted was to be left alone, and these are your final words?" The Baron sighed heavily, pure disappointment radiating off of him. "We never wanted it. You just weren't good enough for the Conclave."
 
<<"Fuck you!">> Harper's mech began thrashing, trying to stand but failing with its gyro shot.
 
"Jamala, finish him off."
A Javelin walked forward and plastered Harper's cockpit with SRMs. The thrashing stopped.
 
"Let's not celebrate yet. We still have another battle to win."
 
The distinct distant sounds of artillery shocked us still. Heavy firepower heralded something terrible.
 
A notification from my phone pulled me and Keith out of our stupor, and we raced back as I answered. "Abdullah?"
 
"We're here! We're here check—tell the baron and his regiment to check their fire, we're coming in behind the attackers."
 
"Yes!" I yelled.
 
Keith turned around and gave me a raised eyebrow for that.
 
"Mr. Shenandoah, reinforcements have arrived. We'll rout these fuckers!"
 
He grinned viciously at that, and relayed the good news to the rest of his lance.
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