AWF Chpt 52

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=Chapter 52=
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==A Warrior's Family==
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===Aftermath of a Ambush===
Monhegan
Federated Suns
December 3029
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Hap could feel the post combat "buck fever". His hands shook and he felt sick. When he was fighting it felt like time had been stretched out and slowed down, suddenly it was back to normal. He had also been highly focused. Now he was aware of more things. He could hear the radio chatter as Grizzly was coordinating with Crow and Rolph. Tatyana had calmed down enough to just mutter what Hap was certain were Russian obscenities.
Hap stepped to the ridgeline. David's Valkyrie was destroyed. The fusion reactor had exploded and the whole right side was demolished. Hap could also see damage to the cockpit, but it was obvious David had not ejected. Hap took it all in a moment, but refused to let himself feel the impact of it.
There was a destroyed Commando 'mech broken and half underwater next to Grizzly's Wolverine. He was being harassed by a Spider and Tatyana was engaging a Vulcan. Rolph and Crow were bounding over the road and moving closer. As they moved Rolph and Crow alternated firing their missile at the Vulcan and Spider.
The Vulcan jumped close to Tatyana and raked her Kintaro with its medium laser, flamer, and machine gun. The Vulcan had its back to Hap and without thinking he dropped his crosshairs on it and fired both his PPC and missiles. The PPC's electric bolt destroyed the rear armor on the mech's left shoulder and the missiles hit all around its back. One of the missiles found the machine gun ammunition magazine and there was an explosion as the ammo cooked off.
<<"McFinigan Patrol, this is Ops, report.">> Kelly said
Hap stepped back and turned back the tank crew. The one that had stayed on the berm was now smoking. Two of the other three were trying to help one of the other burn victims. It appeared one of the burn victims had succumbed to their injuries, and so they were focused only on the one that was still moving. The burned crew member was clawing and struggling as two of the other tankers tried to hold him still. One crew member pulled out a bright red auto-injector from the med kit.
Hap knew the red auto-injectors were a powerful synthetic opioid sedative. One injector was usually sufficient to relieve pain and would often render a patient unconscious. Two would almost induce a coma, and should only be administered by a skilled medic, or preferably, a doctor. A third dose would be, in most cases, a lethal dose. Hap watched as one of the tank crews administered the first auto-injector, and pulled out a second.
"Ops, this is patrol, vicinity of Turquois lake. We've been ambushed by a lance of 'mechs and a lance tanks. One friendly 'mech destroyed. Tanks are neutralized, still engaging enemy 'mechs. Request prisoner escort."
(("Do ye require medical assistance?")) Kitty asked.
The scene in front of him changed as two tank crew members started arguing and the third pulled out another auto-injector. Hap exhaled slowly, even from his 'mech he knew he was part of this. "I have four prisoners in good condition. Need confirmation on Dullahan 4's condition."
"Need to secure the battlefield first, but Dullahan 4's 'mech was cored, cockpit destroyed. No ejection. Life signs are negative." Grizzly said flatly, "Right now I need help with this Damn Spider it won't stay still. Crow can't you hit him? Tatyana-"
"De suka shlyukha Phoenix Hawk?" Tatayan said, "Hap, you see Phoenix Hawk."
thumb|Phoenix Hawk Medium 'Mech
Hap stepped back toward the cliff edge. He could see a 'mech moving quickly south, the rangefinder indicated it was over 600 meters away. This was outside the effective range of his PPC, but he got a lock with his LRMs and took a hurried shot. The missiles struck the Phoenix hawk in the legs and back, but didn't pierce the 'mech's armor.
Crow jumped his Catapult next to Hap, "Damn, look at him run." Crow turned in place, waited a moment then launched a salvo at the Spider. Hap couldn't see the light 'mech, but the red icon on his targeting computer disappeared. "Alright, Grizzly, that solves that problem. Now about the Phoenix Hawk."
<<"I'm on it.">> Kate said. <<"Commander McFinnigan authorized the use of the Stuka. I'm preparing to launch now. I need you to vector me in on the target.">>
"You're looking for a Phoenix Hawk, moving along the road about a kilometer south of Turquoise Lake. It's probably under full throttle, I think that's about 100 kilometers an hour." Hap said.
"No, he's got a damaged leg or something, I'm keeping up with him, and I'm going 85 kilometers an hour. I just can't get him in range of my missiles." Rolph said.
<<"Hammer 3 continue to pursue.">> Kelly said. <<"Coyote 3 and 4 will be joining you soon. Need you to keep eyes on the Phoenix Hawk. I want to talk to that pilot, so take him alive. Coyote 1, Hammer 2, Dullahan 2 and 3 hold position and secure the battlefield. Escort for prisoners is enroute. Remaining Anvil, Hammer, and Coyote elements will secure the star port.">>
Hap glanced again at the prisoners. They had pulled out the emergency blankets and covered their dead. Two of the prisoners were sitting on the berm smoking, the third was next to them laying on his back with his arm covering his eyes. The fourth prisoner was a few meters from his crewmates sitting with his head between his knees. Hap could see he was holding all three bright red auto-injectors.
"Crow, what happens to these guys?" Hap asked over the radio.
"Well it depends." Crow said, "If they're mercenaries we take 'em back to base, call up the MRB, they'll talk to their holding company, bank, or employer and see if anyone will pay a ransom for 'em. ComStar does the prisoner exchange. If they're part of a Successor State military we turn them over to the local military. If they're criminals we give them to law enforcement. Roweyna handles most of it."
"Just making sure, when you're in an AFFS military unit you usually hold a prisoner until the MPs show up and they take care of the rest."
The Stuka went screaming overhead. (("Rolph, sweety, you still got a visual?")) Kate asked.
"I did, but he just went into the mountain pass. I'm trying to catch up with him." Rolph said.
"I'm headed your way too, don't let him get away Rolph." Mags said. Hap turned his 'mech's torso to watch Mags's Jenner run across the star port's runway and sail gracelessly through the air over the fence. Joker was behind her, but he was rapidly losing ground as she ran her 'mech at full throttle. They were sending 'mechs across the runways which meant the Star Port had ceased operations.
Hap watched Kate start to bank into a turn. A second aerospace fighter rocketed up from the mountains. It was climbing high and fast and away from the Stuka. Kate brought her aerospace fighter out of the turn and corkscrewed upwards, elegantly putting her Stuka into position to pursue the fighter. Hap was impressed by the Stuka's fluid maneuvers.
(("I'll be damned.")) Kate said, (("Ops, you're not going to believe this, but I got a Phoenix Hawk LAM on my scopes and it's pulling hard for black. I think all things being equal…well we're equal for thrust. If I can catch him, I can put the hurt on him, but he's got a good lead, and he's out of weapons range."))
<<"Aye.">> Kelly said. There was a pause before he spoke again, <<"Come back, Ms. Berlin. If he has friends or a drop ship waiting in orbit you'll be at a disadvantage. If he plans to run and hide in an asteroid field or on a moon, his LAM gives him some interesting tactical advantages. Stay here among friends.">>
"Acknowledge Sir. Returning to base."
<<"Loiter about the star port air space for a bit, and make sure there are no more villains about.">> Kelly said. <<"Hammer 3, Coyote 3 and 4, link up and take the long way back to the base. Look for any additional trouble. If ye run into problems, call Ms. Berlin, she'll 'put the hurt on 'em'.">>
Kate, Rolph, Joker and Mags acknowledged their orders, and Hap watched Kate send her fighter into a series of barrel rolls to drop altitude and then started taking a long lazy turn over the star port. Hap could distantly see a convoy of company vehicles driving toward them. He settled in to wait.
He wished he had Anastasia with him to talk. The "business" aspect that Crow described bothered him. Hap wasn't sure how he should feel right now. He had been irritated with David right before the ambush started, and now felt he felt guilty. Guilty he couldn't save him, guilty his leadership and skill failed him. Guilty that he had been angry with him.
Then there were the three destroyed tanks around Hap. The burned out hull of the LRM Carrier that was in TRP3, the twisted and broken SRM Carrier that he had jumped on, and still burning LRM Carrier he had shot full of missiles and ion particles. These represented a dozen men and women he had killed. This was part of the business though. Bringing a tank, especially a support vehicle like an LRM Carrier, to fight 'mechs was like bringing a knife to a gunfight. It was easier to think of it all as "just business".
Hap wondered if the tank crew hated him. As if to answer his question the prisoner with the auto-injectors stood up and started shouting at his crew mates. The smokers watched him idly, but the man on his back aggressively jumped to his feet and started stalking toward him.
Crow shot his small lasers into the berm, "Hey! Be cool, or we'll zip tie and blind fold you. Escort vehicles are on the way. Just relax." Both men responded by sitting back down.
A minute later one of the company's short flatbed truck came up and stopped about a hundred meters from the prisoners. John stepped out of the vehicle and two of the burlier techs stood up in the back. The techs both had Federated long rifles which they steadied on the truck's roof as John slowly approached the prisoners. Hap watched as John quickly searched the tank crew, and put them on the back on the flatbed. It looked like a quick and well-rehearsed POW reception and movement.
As they drove the prisoners away Kelly asked, "Can anyone confirm who attacked us?" Kelly asked.
"'Mech's were black with Liao Green trim. There symbols a skull on a green Liao triangle." Grizzly said
"Is Death Commandos camo spec." Tatyana added.
"Death Commandos, aye? So ye think this was revenge for the raid?" Kelly asked
"They do not fight like Death Commandos." Tatyana observed.
"The lads you picked up John, what did they tell you?" Kelly asked
"They are or were Mernard's Missileers. It's one of the mercenary companies based here. They claim they were hired to ambush a rogue 'mech lance."
"Death Commandos would not hire help." Tatyana said.
"Sorry, Tatyana, I forgot your beloved Capellans are the biggest bad asses in the galaxy." Grizzly said. "I'd hate to bismerch your view of the great Capellan Death Commandos with the idea that may be they might need a little help."
"I have no love for Confederation. They left me to rot in League prison. I am zhinka bez krayiny now. I have no country. I am mama to Sophie, druzhuna to James, and mercenary like you, nothing else. I tell you truthfully, Death Commandos would never trust mercenaries with their work."
"Enough you two." Kelly sounded like a father that shouldn't be questioned. I know tempers are running high because we lost one of our own, but now is not the time. John, if they're mercenaries, we treat 'em with respect. Assume nothing they did today was personal. Tatyana, return to base. I'll want you to talk with them while we get this sorted out."
"Dah" Tatyana replied.
Hap looked down into the valley to see the techs and support personnel picking through the remains of the battlefield and pulling out salvage. Hap glanced over to Crow's Catapult and saw Crow was sitting on top of his Catapult's LRM launcher. Hap cracked open his cockpit, "Crow, what are you doing out there?"
"I'm just thinking about David. Sometimes it's just good to take a moment after a battle and think about things, especially when we lose someone. It's quieter up here" Crow said.
"You mad at those guys for killing, David?"
"No." Crow said. "They're mercenaries like us. It's like Kelly said, it's not personal, just business. The MRB will tell us what to do with them. We'll give David a good send off, and we'll all feel better, eventually. We'll do more patrols, we'll get other jobs, and life will go on. I'll still miss him though."
Hap nodded, "I was about to chew him out for his obsession with Anastasia."
Crow smiled, "Yeah, he really liked her." Crow stood up and started walking along the top of his 'mech. "He was a good kid, had a lot of potential. It's like they say though, only the good die young. People like you and me we'll probably live long enough to screw up and upset the people we love. Lucky David made it out before he had the chance."
"Maybe you and I should try to do better, and not upset the people we love." Hap said.
"I'm trying, brother." Crow acrobatically slid into Catapult's access hatch, "I'm trying real hard."
Hap reached up to pull his cockpit closed, "Me too."
Hap watched as the tech crews came to pick through the wreckages littering the battlefield. Grizzly and Hap used their 'mechs to put heavy pieces onto the trucks or move some of the broken 'mechs or tanks so the techs could find useful parts among the destroyed components. Rolph came back to help too.
As the sun was setting David's Valkyrie was the last thing to load up. They carefully lifted it onto the back of one of the Company's flat bed trucks. Crow's Catapult, Rolph's Trebuchet, Grizzly's Wolverine and Hap's Griffin formed a box around the fallen 'mech as it was driven back to their base. As they escorted their fallen comrade Hap could see the Dullahan channel flashing with activity. He switched over.
"Remember how he wanted to make a Manga about his life?" Rolph asked.
"Yeah but he couldn't draw." Grizzly replied, "Gawd I'm going to miss him."
"He could write though." Crow said, "Did he show you his script for his Immortal Warrior movie."
"It wasn't that great either." Grizzly replied.
"Hey! Some parts had potential." Crow said.
"I told him to save his money, so someday he could buy his own manga or movie studio and hire people to write and draw." Grizzly said, "Damn thing was I think he actually listened to me."
"Yeah, that's what I liked about him, he always listened to us." Rolph said. "He always wanted to learn."
"I got annoyed with his questions sometimes." Grizzly said, "He was a better friend to me than I was to him." Hap could hear the emotion in Grizzly's voice.
"I was thinking the same." Hap said. "He was a good man. He looked up to me more than I deserved."
"To be fair, he was trying to steal your girl, brother." Crow said, "But yeah, he was still good people."
Patrick's Dragon appeared on their sensors coming down the road toward them, "I heard you lot over the radio and wondered why ye were talkin' like it was some funeral procession."
"The docs clear you to pilot your 'mech?" Crow asked.
"No. I didn't bother to ask. I thought 'listen to those bastards cryin' in their neuro helmets all because some little orphan died on a battlefield', and then I thought, 'how can I be part of that?' So I jumped in my 'mech and hauled ass here." As he spoke he turned his 'mech around fell in step at the front.
"To be clear," Kelly said, "When we found him, he was an orphan, but he died part of this family. Fightin' next to his brothers and sisters, and we'll see to it he's long remembered by his brothers and sisters."
"Gnó Teaghlaigh." The mercenaries replied.
"Because that's the family business." Kelly added.
As they neared the 'mech bay the other members of their company had put their mech's into a line on either side of the road. As the broken Valkyrie passed each 'mech bowed its head and fell instep behind the escorts. They all followed the fallen 'mech into the bay and parked their 'mechs.
Hap went through the shut off procedures and answered Mike's questions. Mike seemed more subdued and more business-like than usual. He took a few notes and then wandered off to do his work.
When they were done Hap grabbed his go-bag and climbed down the access ladder. As he climbed he saw something fall from his Griffin's left hand. When he got to the main floor he found a small shard of David's armor that had gotten caught in the 'mech hand when he had helped lift the Valkyrie onto the flatbed truck.
Hap rolled the armor between his fingers. He always thought the armor shards felt strangely light, even though the patches and sheets of armor were heavy and dense. This piece was painted black, and Hap could see part of one of the loops from the McFinnigan and Sons Celtic knot.
Hap dug in his bag and pulled out the cloth that he used to keep the pieces of armor from Lucky and Tuna's mechs. Hap gently laid the piece of David's armor next to the others and carefully folded the cloth. As he held the small cloth bundle he was surprised by how heavy it was.
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