AWF Chpt 109

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=Chapter 109=
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===Dealing with Zhang===
Outskirts of the Capellan Fortress 
St. Ives, St. Ives Compact 
June, 3030 
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Anastasia brought her Battlemech to a stop next to Harold's Griffin and the Compact's Urbanmech. She kneeled the mech down and deployed the 'mech's rope ladder. Anastasia started the safety procedures for putting the 'mech's reactor into standby. She took off her neurohelmet and placed it on the dashboard of her mech, and cracked open the cockpit to let cool air in.
She took out her leather journal and began to take notes on the performance of her modified sensors. She also wrote down a few additional ideas she had about what it would take to create a true electronic counter measure suite. She was certain if she saw the technical readouts on a Guardian ECM suite she could easily recreate it, or something like it. Especially if she could get someone to translate the Capellan's work into a language she could read.
She sighed as she remembered the military team she worked with at NAIS really wanted the Gauss Rifle, even the double efficient heat sinks seemed trivial to the General leading the team. She thought for a moment of Joker causing the Marauder to overheat, and it occurred to her that the General must have never been a MechWarrior, or he piloted something extremely heat efficient like a LCT-1V Locust or a CGR-1A1 Charger. She shuddered as she considered how fast and relentless the Charger pilot had been.
She finished her notes and put her journal away and rested her head on the back of the command couch. Her headache was just a dull ache now. She suspected she had a mild concussion from hitting her head when her mech fell. She sat up and reached back to feel her head and make sure there wasn't a contusion or bleeding. She couldn't feel anything as her hand passed over her hair. She had set her hair into two loose long braids that were resting on her shoulders. It had taken some trial and error to get her hair just right so it wouldn't interfere with the neurohelmet.
She quickly undid the braids and shook out her hair and dug her fingers closer to her scalp to search out any injury. As she probed the back of her head Hap's head appeared as he climbed to the top of the rope ladder.
"You okay, darlin?" Hap said.
Anastasia smiled faintly, "I believe so, Harold. I hit my head pretty hard though. Would you be so kind and make sure I'm not more seriously injured than just a slight headache? I may have a contusion."
Hap looked around her cockpit crowded with the additional displays and equipment for her experimental sensor package. "I think you'll have to come down before I can help you."
Anastasia nodded and handed Hap her go-bag and neurohelmet. He connected the helmet to her bag and slung it over her shoulder. He helped her climb out of her command couch and then descended the rope ladder and waited for her at the bottom.
She followed him down the ladder and turned her back to him so he could examine her.
"I don't feel or see any blood or bumps or bruises, but you to gotta lot of hair…" Hap said as moved her hair around, "Loosen your cooling vest and straighten your back." Hap said as he pulled on her vest. She unbuckled her vest and turned to face him. He ran his hands up and down her back as they looked each other in the eyes.
"You're back feels alright, no protruding vertebrae." He looked deeply into her eyes for a long moment, "No weird dilation with your eyes." Hap said as he put his hand under her chin and tilted her head to the side. "No weird fluids coming out this ear," He turned her head the other way and brushed her hair aside. "or this one. You look fine, at least from untrained medical opinion. We'll have the Doc check you out later."
Anastasia nodded as Hap started to turn away. They were so close she was disappointed that they didn't kiss. "Harold, would you help me with one more thing?" She asked.
"Certainly." He said as he stepped closer to her, "What do you need?"
She reached behind his head and pulled him close and stole a passionate kiss. After a moment they stopped. She had unconsciously put her hand on his chest and could feel his heart beating faster, "Merci mon amour, that's what I needed."
Hap gave her a wry smile, "You trying to start something?"
Anastasia shrugged, "More like I didn't want to miss an opportunity."
Hap handed her back her bag and helmet. "Tell you what, I'm going to go check on Joker and Mags, then maybe we can find some place quiet to give you a more thorough physical exam."
"Or skip that first step, and we could go right to the second."
Hap looked like he was seriously considering her proposal. "You and your engineering efficiency." He glanced over as Joker descended from his Firestarter, but Mags was still in her cockpit. "I'm a little worried about Mags, let me just make sure she's okay."
"Suit yourself." Anastasia said coyly. "I've been thinking about how I need to be kinder and more considerate to people, but I'm told that sometimes after a concussion one's moods can change quite suddenly and dramatically."
"Yeah, I thought it was a little odd you were considering being nicer to Joker, but you're generally good to me." Hap said, then reluctantly added, "I just want to talk to Mags real quick. I things got a little too close to her having to eject, and it's really shaken her. Give me five minutes and try not to let your mood shift."
"Me and my engineering efficiency and you always playing the odds." Anastasia held up two fingers, "two minutes."
"Three, and I'll make sure Joker comes with me, he's the most likely one to change your mood."
"True." Anastasia said. She could see that Hap was seriously considering if she was teasing him. She felt guilty as she had seen Mags struggle and Hap's reaction. She wasn't sure exactly what happened with Mags, but it had been a stressful fight for everyone. Only Joker seemed unphased, but Anastasia assumed that was because he was too foolish to recognize how close they had come to dying.
Anastasia smiled at Hap, "Go talk to Mags, I'll be here waiting. I'm glad we're all alive and not much could change my mood."
"Glad to hear it. I won't be long."
"Yes, that is wise." Anastasia set her things down and began to rebraid her hair as she surveyed her Valkyrie. It looked bad, but most of the damage was superficial. The left arm's lower actuator was ruined, but that was probably the worst of it. She sighed remembering the last time her 'mech had suffered this much damage. It was here on St. Ives, and that time they had a full tech crew. This time she was likely going to be helping with patching the armor and fixing the actuator. At least the arm was still attached this time.
Still that didn't diminish her attitude. She was glad they were back and safe. She watched Selene lope up to Hap and without missing a beat he pulled out a meat stick ration and bit off a piece for himself and gave the coyote a portion. Her tail wagged as she trotted next to Hap. Anastasia smiled. There wasn't much that could change her mood.
"Mercenary." Zhang's shrill voice immediately made Anastasia's headache return with more intensity. "You must tell me how you were able to destroy the anti-air systems."
Anastasia turned around to see Zhang standing behind her. "Quality training, taking tactical advantage of the terrain, and using our Battlemechs to their full capacity."
"I will not listen to your foolishness. Better warriors than you tried and failed to destroy that anti-air system. I must know how undisciplined and unscrupulous mercenaries happened to achieve victory."
Unconsciously Anastasia tilted her hide to the side as Zang talked. Zhang had blue bruises under both eyes and it looked like his face had been slammed into the controls of his 'mech. His nose was also crooked, but it looked like that was from a previous injury, likely when his Blackjack had been destroyed.
Zhang angrily continued to criticize Anastasia and her companions, and his angry expressions looked almost amusing to Anastasia. She debated how best to respond when, or if, he ever gave her an opportunity. Anastasia considered how Zhang was rude, impatient, and abusive. She had also never been impressed with his skill as a MechWarrior. She smiled as she could hear Kelly McFinnigan in her mind add, "and ye can safely wager, his whiskey is foul too".
The idea of insulting one's preferred drink suddenly amused Anastasia. This reminded her one time her mother made a disparaging comment about Baron Rupert's wine cellar being full of "late vintages, and bad years". Anastasia had assumed it was meant to be a critique of the Baron's "trollop of the week" who was barely older than his daughters. Now Anastasia wondered if it was meant to be a critique of both his preferred wines and his womanizing. Given her mother's penchant for wine and general cleverness, it was likely both.
"Are you even listening to me, mercenary, or were you knocked senseless in the battle?"
Anastasia straightened her head and stopped smiling her headache seemed to grow in intensity. "No." She considered for a moment about how to address Zhang. Normally she'd point out that if his "warriors" were so much better than her, why was she standing here talking after her lance and their air support had routed the Cappellan forces when his champions had failed?
Her father once warned her that being the smartest person in the room generally meant you could win any argument, but logical matches weren't like physical altercations. When you physically defeat an opponent, they generally understand they've lost, but depending on the stupidity of your logical opponent, they may never understand how badly they've been beaten. As a child Anastasia thought she knew what he meant, but it wasn't until she really got out into the galaxy and met some people that she fully understood her father's words.
Maybe it was blow to the back of her head, but she was starting to think that she needed to conduct herself more like a noble woman. Less insulting, less sarcastic, and less passive aggressive. She took a moment to consider how her mother would respond to someone like Zhang. She looked around to get her bearings then turned so she could motion to the mountain fortress.
"Lieutenant Zhang, right now we, our two lances, have denied the Capellans their last major foot hold on your planet." Anastasia gestured to the fortress, "We shouldn't be overtly concerned with how it was done. We should be celebrating this victory and the establishment of your nation. This is a great day, and you were part of it. You were at the battle that broke the back of the Capellans, this is something you can tell your grandchildren about." Anastasia stopped herself before she added, "tell them how you were piloting a Urbanmech and stepped on a mine because you were hiding behind mercenaries that you forced into conducting a suicidal frontal assault."
Zhang seemed to consider her words for a moment before he shook his head, "Do not try to change the subject or confuse me with your mercenary propaganda. I've asked you a question, and I demand you answer me, now, Mercenary."
Anastasia exhaled and looked at Zhang defiantly. She remembered now why she was usually dismissive and argumentative with people like Zhang. Good manners usually just invite them to behave poorly. Her father was correct that fools never knew when they had lost, but she was about to give Zhang the sort of argument that would leave deep psychological scars.
Before she could begin Roweyna walked up carrying a large leather briefcase. She was dressed in a smart gray business suit and skirt combo with the McFinnigans and Sons logo embroidered on the left breast pocket. She smiled as she saw Anastasia, but then her expression froze as she looked over Zhang.
Roweyna turned her attention back to Anastasia, "Ah, there ye are, I was looking for you and yer lancemates."
"Are you the owner of these Mercenaries?" Zhang said "mercenaries" like it was an insult.
"Aye." Roweyna said slowly, "I need to speak to yer contracting official or someone authorized to speak to and direct military personnel under contract."
"I know how to speak to mercenaries just as I know how to speak to any other prostitute. Whatever you have to say you can say to me."
"Well I don't much care for yer tone, or yer allusion, but if yer a bonafide contracting officer than I have a few matters we need to discuss." Roweyna pulled up the briefcase and pushed it into Anastasia's arms, "Hold that dear." She said as Anastasia held the briefcase so Roweyna could open it and pull out a thick bundle of papers. Anastasia glanced into the case to see the same combat knife Roweyna had used to kill the ROM agent, the case also contained a thermos and a scattergun that had been cut down to be illegal throughout most of the inner sphere, but instantly lethal at point blank range. There was also a sloppy stack of papers that concealed the rest of the contents of the case.
"Now then, we need to discuss the change of mission and the intelligence that was provided to accompany that change of mission." Roweyna said as began to thumb through the contract.
"I have an issue to discuss with you. Your mercenaries refused to provide air support."
"Aye." Roweyna said as she continued to thumb through the contract, "ye didn't negotiate for air support per the contract, ye requested a lance, ye were given a lance."
"You brought additional forces to the field, and we needed those forces to support us. I demand that you explain why your lance refused to provide air support to us in a timely fashion."
Roweyna glanced up from the contract. Without looking down she began to flip pages in the other direction. "Yer certain you're a contracting officer? Yer able to speak for your nation, negotiate moneys, ye've been granted fiduciary responsibility, and the like?"
"Did I not already answer this question?"
Roweyna looked at him skeptically. She folded back a few pages and handed the contract to Zhang, "Oh ye answered, but I'm not sure ye understood the question, but I'll play yer lil' game. Here is the standard contract rider. As ye can clearly read it describes the services that were negotiated for, which, as ye can read are Operational Control or OPCON of a 'mech lance with a drop weight of 155 tons, suitable for reconnaissance, screening, pursuit, and raids. Time was limited to two weeks, with an option to extend in two week increments indefinitely. You'll note air support is not included there."
Zhang seemed to be studying the contract hard looking for some type of exception or mention of additional forces.
"If it helps the same contract is in Chinese on the next page." Roweyna added.
Zhang mumbled in Chinese under his breath as he violently flipped the page.
"So's yer mother." Roweyna said as she reached into her case and started to pull out a thermos. "Anastasia, ye fancy a spot of tea?"
"What did you say?" Zhang glanced up at Roweyna.
"Oh ye heard me," Roweyna said and then spoke to him in Chinese. Zhang's face flushed as he gave Roweyna a hateful stare.
Roweyna snatched the contract back from Zhang and ignored his murderous expression, "Now back to the matter I actually came to discuss. A member of the Compact forces gave the McFinnigan and Sons lance some intel-"
"I gave these whores that intel."
"Good, that was part of what I needed, a name for the MRB." Roweyna looked over Zhang's cooling vest and then scribbled his name down in both English and the Chinese Hanzi characters at the top of the contract. "Right, so, jest to make sure I understand what happened, members of McFinnigans and Sons requested intel, specifically enemy patrol information and ye, Lieutenant Zhang, refused to give them that information."
"I didn't have it available at the time when they requested it."
"And yet you gave them explicit direction to move to a release point that ye knew would place them directly on an enemy patrol route at such a time when the enemy could be expected to be patrolling that route."
"I can't be held responsible for where the enemy patrols"
"But ye knew the patrol routes and could reasonably expect the enemy would be there."
"It was important that the actions your mercenaries were tasked to perform began before we attempted our assault. I felt the need to ensure your cowardly mercenaries didn't attempt to flee or wait until we were engaged before entering combat."
"So ye did intentionally deceive us?"
"I didn't deceive you, I was intentionally ensuring that these fools accomplished their mission."
Rowyena reached into her briefcase and pulled out a yellowed and dog-eared book marked Mercenary Review Board guide to contracts, and laws and rules of warfare. She flipped several pages and came to a section marked "Intelligence provided by employers to vendors".
Rowyena cleared her throat, "Allow me to read ye a section from my MRB handbook on contracts. 'Upon request an employer' In this case, that's you, as employer of my Mercenaries, 'must provide all pertinent known or supposed intel with levels of confidence of that intel to the vendor.' Vendor is me, and my lance as we're the ones providing services."
"Now it continues, 'If no intel is available the employer should give reasonable explanation as to why it is unavailable and prove due diligence has been attempted to achieve actionable and helpful intel. If a vendor intentionally denies, misrepresents or fails to provide reasonable information that would enhance tactical operations, risk mitigation, or force preservation this can be considered a bad faith action and subject to punishments and fines as outlined in the contract or in Appendix J TAB D."
"If an employer is suspected to have knowingly fabricated or denied intel with the purpose of deceiving, putting at risk, creating tactical failure and/or imperiling the vendor they will be subject to investigation by the MRB. If found guilty the employer will face censor, possible denial of future MRB contracting actions, and the punishments and fines as outlined in the contract or in Appendix J TAB D and TAB E."
Roweyna slammed the book shut, "So, Mr. Contracting officer, I'm putting ye on notice that I'm submitting a formal complaint to the MRB that ye have intentionally denied us intel so ye could put us at risk, potentially create tactical failure, and knowingly imperil us. Do ye think you'll have yer rebuttal ready a'fore I submit this, or are ye going to need the full 90 days? Either way I'll need you to sign and initial a few documents to acknowledge that we've had this talk."
"I think you've misunderstood me, I'm not contracting officer, I said I knew the contracting officer. I shall go get them now." Zhang said as he walked away.
"Smartest thing ye've said to me all day." Roweyna said, "Off ye go, and make sure ye hurry back. I'm already this close to given ye lessons in lawfare. Press me and I'll find a way to have yer wages garnered and I'll be sellin' yer mech for scrap to yer enemies."
Zhang looked like he was about to respond, rudely, but instead chose to turn on his heals and quickly disappear.
"That's right ye little bastard, run along now." Roweyna said under her breath as she pulled out her thermos, and produced two metallic tea cups. The cups were elegantly made to have and had the shape of a Montrose style tea cups. They were made of a dull silver metal with intricate flowers and leaves etched and molded to the cup. "Now about that tea."
"Are you going to submit an actual report to the MRB?" Anastasia asked as she set the briefcase on the foot of her Valkyrie. "Or is all this to improve your bargaining position?"
Roweyna passed a tea cup with warm tea toward I'm sorely tempted, and ye have to understand, it's not jest about us, there are other mercenaries to consider. Jest cause the Compact is now a successor state with a noble house doesn't mean they can push around honest mercenaries. Besides every house has similar complaints lodged against them from time to time. I'm honestly helping the Compact be more credible. Her Grace, the Duchess Candace Liao, can sit at the table with other house lords and compare treachery now. In truth, she should thank me."
Roweyna took a sip of her tea, "Of course trying to murder mercenaries while making it look like an accident is pretty much like planning a tea party for the Kuritans, and when you look at the work Allesandro Steiner this level of deceit and betrayal is merely a social faux pas. But it's a good start for a burgeoning young House Lady."
Anastasia shook her head, "But we took this contract outside of the MRB, I would assume they will ignore our complaint."
"Well there are provisions where a company can negotiate follow-on work under a previous contract vehicle if it's within in a given time period, or the work is related to the previous contracts objectives or mission. It does require me to give the MRB their cut though. Damn greedy wolves always want a cut."
"I still question the wisdom of bringing the MRB into this. The MRB is part of Comstar and their intelligence service is trying to kill me. Further, it wouldn't be surprised if they haven't targeted McFinnigan and Sons for destruction. Honestly it makes the most sense."
"Aye, but I still have a professional obligation to the other mercenaries, besides the MRB rarely shies away from an opportunity to get into someone's business, nor are they hesitant to shake them down for money. I'd be doin' the right thing here, I assure ye."
"Are you sure it's worth the risk?"
"Oh aye, risk." Roweyna said as she closed her briefcase and pulled out a flask and added a splash of whiskey to her tea. She offered the flask to Anastasia, but she shook her head.
"Ye have to understand there are multiple ComStars. First, there is the Comstar ye encounter when you go to send a message using their HPG. That ComStar will tell ye things like "boogety-boo if Jerome Blake wills it we'll send yer message across the inner sphere in a matter of days". These mystical idiots somehow have control of the massive HPG infrastructure and in spite of their jackassery and general asinine methods they actually manage to make it work.
"Then there is the ComStart that I actually interact with, the Mercenary Review Board. These are an army of evil bureaucrats that span the Inner Sphere. They spend their days arguing over contracts, laws, precedence, and how to accurately fill out forms. Sure they may occasionally thank their founder or some saintly member of their order for divine help, but most of their work is spent in administration and law and moving paperwork from one side of the galaxy to the other."
"Like any administrative body of that scope and span they work by the simple rule of, 'we're not happy till yer unhappy.' In other words, they're a massive bureaucracy that ensures that each and every contract contains something to disadvantage both parties, but everyone is content with the money and the labor and due to mutual mistrust, this techno-cult business gets a piece of the profits."
"Finally, there's the ComStar ye keep finding yourself interacting with. I honestly doubted that ROM even existed, except once in awhile my mother would talk about how her and her mates would be doing ah job and run afoul of them, or somethin' would happen and she'd mention how they were a capable lot prone to some nasty skullduggery. I can't figure if they've grossly underestimated you, if ye've been exceptionally lucky, or if my mother has been deceived."
"I have reason to suspect it was the former two. I've been quite lucky, and they underestimated me and sent inexperienced agents who have, thus far, been unlucky or attempted naive or foolishly contrived methods to kill me. It's quite likely the next attempt on my life will come from a more experienced and determined agent. In all probability my luck is about to run out." Anastasia said.
Roweyna topped off her tea cup with more whiskey and mumbled, "I forget to mention the explorer corps. Father thinks they'll run into some dreaded terror beyond the stars that will come to murder us all. But that's not relevant to us right now," Roweyna shrugged, "I'm not certain these three ComStars actually talk to each other in a meaningful way that would allow them to do us any real mischief. At least not quickly."
"Is that a chance you want to take though? I understand the inherent inefficiencies of massive bureaucracies, and I've seen the whimsical and ridiculous ceremonies the ComStar acolytes participate in just to turn on a simple holoprojector. However, ROM should have access to both everyone's HPG messages and the ability to track every mercenary company through the MRB, otherwise they would be incompetent and ineffectual. This seems like a great risk."
Roweyna took a long drink, "I'm a mercenary by trade, love. Risks are part of the business, jest as they are for a good AFFS or AFFC officer. I have to choose which risks to avoid and which ones to accept and mitigate. I often have to use logic, experience, and my instincts to make those choices. I also have a sense of justice, that demands I not let these bastards take advantage of us. Even if it's just one stupid little staff officer who thinks mercenaries are little more than prostitutes. Everyone needs to be reminded we're a noble professionals and deserving of respect, not abuse nor contempt."
Anastasia sipped her tea, "I appreciate your sense of justice, and I concede that ComStar has a sprawling and inefficient bureaucracy but I still question the wisdom of telling them where we are and what we are doing."
Roweyna topped off Anastasia's tea from the thermos than added a splash more to her own cup followed by a generous quantity of Whiskey. Roweyna took a long drink before continuing, "They know where we are, and if they have any people on the ground they also know what we're doing. Me submitting a grievance to the MRB doesn't change the fact there could be a ROM agent among the Compact's forces who could walk up to you right now and attempt to murder you. Are ye sure ye wouldn't like some whiskey?"
"No." Anastasia said, "I think I need to avoid risk and stay sober." Anastasia heard footsteps behind her and nearly jumped as she turned to see Mags, Joker and Hap.
"Oh that's not really avoiding risk." Roweyna said as she emptied the flask into her tea, "Avoiding risk is you hiding in yer auntie's house in a panic room."
"Hey Roweyna." Joker said, "Did you hear how we liberated this whole damn planet?"
"On the flight up, Ms. Berlin mentioned how ye were hoppin' about while she turned the course of the battle." Roweyna slipped the empty flask back into the brief case. "Though I believe she mentioned some rogues managed to break contact and flee into the mountains."
"Well yeah but-" Joker started to say.
"What's that?" Mags asked, pointing to the gun and knife in the briefcase. "You never used to carry weapons before."
"Well my mother always says, 'if a man stabs ye with a knife once, shame on him, but if he does it a second time, shame on you'."
"Didn't you kill the guy that stabbed you?" Joker asked, "How's he going to try it again?"
"Aye, I think yer missing my mother's point. I'd add though, that should I encounter another individual who wants to lay hands on my person, I'd prefer to start the interaction with something more than stern words and broken china."
Mags put her cigar in her mouth and pulled out the shotgun. She held it by the rifle stock that had been cut down to make a pistol grip. She extended her arm to feel the weight and balance of the weapon. "I don't think it'll be a very long fight, but you might break your wrist when you shoot."
"I told that auld pirate, Henry, I wanted a slug-thrower that could stop a fight before it started, and this is what he offered me. I'm hoping once I pull this out I won't have to shoot, though Henry also mentioned I should hold onto with both hands." Roweyna answered.
Mags nodded and smoked, she looked impressed with the weapon.
Zhang returned and looked at the mercenary. He seemed humbled and he only made eye contact with Roweyna. "My commander is ready to speak with you now, and he hopes that you and him can have a serious conversation like professionals.
Roweyna drained her tea cup and placed it back in her case. She then gingerly took the shotgun from Mags, placed it next to the teacup, and shut the case.
"Wait before you go, if you can speak and read Chinese why couldn't you help me with the technical manual?" Anastasia asked.
"I can speak Mandrin Chinese, and read a little, but not what ye needed, now lead the way Lieutenant Zhang."
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