DRASCTIS 6

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=Die Rettungsaktion - A Story of the Concertverse Inner Sphere - Chapter 6 -=
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=== The Steep Price for Glory ===
Dr. Nancy Corey Military Hospital
Laughlin Capital District, Roslyn, Eastern Islay
Arcadia, Arcadian Free March
Principality of Bolan/Marian Occupation Zone
26 March 3034
The darkness finally receded, and as it did, pain came. Just a general, body-wide agony, with itching that couldn't be satiated, and a weariness that made movement feel impossible.
 
Such was the way Prince Mark Proctor returned to consciousness.
 
He opened his eyes to a dimly-lit hospital room, and even that bit of light was almost too much for him. It took several seconds for his eyes to adjust. He tried to move his right hand, but strangely, the limb wouldn't respond. Even though he could swear he felt it, it seemed completely asleep.
 
His left arm responded, somewhat, and it gave him just enough leverage to sit up…
 
...and realize his left leg was gone.
 
It was from surprise more than horror that he cried out. Which, as it turned out, alerted the nurses that he was awake.
 
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Half an hour later, Mark looked up at the opening door to see his parents rush in. His mother, defying all the regal dignity demanded of her in public, rushed to his side and threw her arms around him. "Mark, you're awake. You're awake, thank the Lord!"
 
"Mum…" With his left arm in a splint and his right arm missing at the shoulder, he couldn't return the embrace. "Mum, I… my arm and leg are gone. And I can't use the ones left either, they just… they just won't…"
"I know," she said, tears running down her face. She moved enough for Mark's father to give his son a gentler embrace. It was clear Consort-Prince Thomas was struggling with his emotions, trying to maintain the proper Fordian "stiff upper lip" inherited from their English ancestors on Terra. And it wasn't entirely working. "The doctors say it will take time and therapy to regain the use of your remaining limbs. As for the others, we will see about prosthetics."
 
"Prosthetics." Mark drew in a breath. It was finally hitting home. He was a cripple. His body was broken by what happened to him. He may never ride a 'Mech again, never fight again. He'd never make captain or major, never rise like he wanted, never prove himself…
 
His control failed. He started to weep.
 
"It's going to be okay, Mark," Sara-Marie insisted, trying to console him. Her hand wiped the tears flowing from his eyes.
 
"I just wanted to show you I was a Proctor," he wept. "To show everyone… that I could be as good as Thomas… as special as Melissa… now I'm just a cripple…"
 
As his crying intensified, Sara-Marie's arms drew him closer. "No, God no, you needn't prove anything to us, Mark. We love you, it's as simple as that, and we're going to get through this. Have faith in that."
 
He wanted to. To have faith in the future he faced, a chance to be something more than the prince everyone would pity. But for the moment, all he could do was weep over his shattered body, the price of the glory he'd sought so readily.
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=== Repulsing the Raiders ===
Battle Site, near Tambov
Rosice, Arcadian Free March
12 May 3034
Corporal Danesh Marya, of the newly-formed First Bolan Irregulars, raced his patched-up Jenner alongside his other comrades in the light battalions of the regiment. "Confirmed, heat signatures from 'Mechs", a voice said over the comms. "Looks like Marian raiders."
 
"Do we have permission to engage?" asked one of Danesh's comrades.
 
"Yes," was the immediate answer. The idea of not engaging the enemies that took their homes and threatened to enslave their families was unthinkable to Danesh and so many of his comrades.
 
Indeed, with permission granted, the entire unit started dashing into range of the marauding Marian 'Mechs. They bore the colors and insignia of the Gladiators, presumably the survivors of the trouncing inflicted on them on Bolan itself. Danesh centered his crosshairs on a Marian Stinger and triggered the four medium lasers that acted as his machine's primary weapons. It was a rash attack given that at least one of his heat sinks wasn't functioning, but he wanted to put the Marian down.
 
Unfortunately his shots were not connecting. Only one of the four made any kind of hit, a glancing one that sheared some armor off an arm. The Stinger kept maneuvering, evading missiles from a Locust and a Javelin as it did. A beam of ruby red energy sizzled through the air and sheared armor and metal bone from the Locust's leg. The Stinger followed up the strike by dashing close and colliding with the light 'Mech, toppling it. Its arm-mounted weapon came up to deliver a killing shot to the Locust's cockpit.
 
Danesh fired, triggering a wave of heat and warning klaxons from his 'Mech's systems as he did. Four laser beams of the same color lashed out, catching the Stinger this time and melting copious amounts of armor off the light machine. With his comrade rescued, Danesh shouted in pure anger and fired once more, two beams connecting this time. His systems threatened to shut down.
 
He didn't have to fire again, though. Instead his overheating 'Mech slammed into the Marian machine. It lacked any arms to use for grappling, so Danesh brought the left leg up and delivered a kick that broke through half-molten, shoddy armor and into the 'Mech's fusion plant. The Stinger's power died from the critical wound.
 
Danesh exulted in victory, but it wasn't enough. Not nearly enough to make up for the loss of his homeworld Biloela. Not enough to meet his need to avenge the family he may have lost forever, still trapped in Marian territory. Like many of his escaped comrades, he had a passion to fight against those that took everything from him.
 
We'll fight for a hundred years if we must, Bolan, and Biloela, will be ours again!
 
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The rolling hills of Rosice passed quickly under the rushing feet of Drusa's newly-issued Stinger. The STG-3M model was a new build bought from Terran arms merchants on the Imperator's denarii and Avery had personally assigned it to her. Everything about the machine was new to her, even her field uniform was different, with the Terran-made cooling suit more comfortable than the combination of tank top, shorts, and cooling vest her last machine used. Her firepower was more than doubled now that each arm carried a medium laser, an extended range model from the Terran-based Krupp Armaments, with a smaller laser on the chest for a bit of extra firepower up close. At a regular run this Stinger could manage nearly a hundred and thirty kilometers in an hour, a significant speed boost made possible by the XL fusion engine, and the jump was well over two hundred meters if she pushed the eight jump jets to full.
 
Now she led a century of gladiators piloting this model towards the outskirts of Tambov. The Bolanese troops organized by the Arcadians had a supply base here that was to be stripped of all useful materials and torched by order of Praetor Augusti Yassin, and her century was tasked with dealing with the defenders before the cargo helos arrived. The collection of quonsets and low warehouses had only a fence as a perimeter, but heat signatures made clear the presence of several tanks and a lance of 'Mechs. Two Wasps, a Commando, and a Jenner. The latter machine was the biggest threat with its SRMs, but she had speed on it. "Chaka, Tiva, handle the Wasps and keep an eye on that Commando. Trajania, you and I are taking down that Jenner, get at its back and slice it open. Watkins, mind the tanks, don't worry about taking them out, just rattle their crews and let us focus on our 'Mech adversaries. And whatever else and of you do, keep moving. We have speed, let's use it!"
 
A host of affirmatives answered her as they closed the final span of distance. The enemy's machines started moving into place to intercept them. A Hunter turned on her and fired a full salvo of twenty missiles. Drusa ducked and weaved the Stinger, evading most of the entire salvo with only light damage to the shoulder. I could've never pulled that off in the old Stinger. "Focus fire on that Hunter, gladiators!" she shouted into the century commlink. She set her crosshairs on the offending tank and waited for the range to close enough that her targeting systems confirmed a solid shot. Emerald light melted armor and steel. Other laser shots converged on the machine, melting away armor until one beam made it through. Smoke and flame issued from the vehicle. The hatches opened and the crew started to clamber free of their machine. Scorpion tanks started scattering while one darted in to recover their crew. Drusa considered firing on them, but held back. She had more important targets.
 
Chaka and Tiva broke off to bring down the Wasps. Watkins lasered one of the Scorpion tanks She ignored the Commando and its short range missiles, focusing instead on the more dangerous Jenner. Two emerald beams fired at her and she retaliated in kind, jumping as four SRMs flew her way. One impacted and penetrated her armor but without damaging anything inside the Stinger. She landed behind the Jenner and swung around to fire. The Bolanese pilot was trained enough to juke to the side, avoiding her right hand laser. The left hand beam played over the armor housing protecting its left-side lasers. She followed up by triggering the small laser and was rearded with the ruby light cutting through armor and producing sparks from within. Laser hit!
The Jenner hit her with its remaining lasers. She leaned and knelt, throwing off one shot while her right arm's armor protected her from another. The final one played over a leg. No armor pens, she thought, noting her displays. The sensors still showed those limbs as red; the laser shots had degraded the armor integrity to make them unable to resist further fire.
 
Before she could get a shot off, warning klaxons sounded. Drusa's feet slammed her pedals and launched her Stinger into the air a split second before ten SRMs passed through the air she'd been in. One clipped her 'Mech's right foot, triggering an actuator damage warning light as she settled back down with her jump jets nearly exhausted. The Stinger's weight started to shift and she fought against it, keeping the light 'Mech standing despite the foot damage. Had that entire barrage hit me… still, the Jenner is more dangerous. She turned to engage it again.
 
She needn't have bothered. Trajania's Stinger was behind the Bolanese 'Mech and her shot was perfect. Twin medium lasers bore through the Jenner's weak rear armor in an emerald flash, drawing forth a massive fireball that blew the 'Mech apart, pilot and all. "Good kill!" she shouted before turning her weapons on the Commando that'd tried to kill her. It maneuvered, the pilot trying to buy time for a fresh salvo of SRMs to load, but she refused to give the Bolanese MechWarrior the time they needed. She rushed at the 'Mech and shoulder-checked it hard. The five tons of difference was off-set by her speed and timing. The Commando fell over on its side. Without hesitation Drusa directed all of her lasers at its back. A moment later she jumped backward, getting the distance she needed as the Commando likewise blew apart from its SRM magazine cooking off. "That one's for you, Cornelia," she said quietly. "Even if it's not a damned Griffin." Your century needs you she reminded herself. She turned towards one of the Bolanese Wasps and directed her crosshairs on the machine, rejoining the fray.
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===Optional Courses of Action===
Ducal Palace
Roslyn, Eastern Islay
Arcadia, Arcadian Free March
28 June 3034
Taking time away from Mark's recovery always gave Sara-Marie guilt. Her son needed her, clearly, and his emotional state was still fragile. But her responsibilities to their people could not be avoided.
 
Today was an important meeting in particular. The Marian attacks on Drosendorf and Rosice were over and done with, but the leaders of the Free March had to decide on how to proceed. She had to decide. So she called a meeting of her realm's foremost planners and experts. The Dukes of Togwotee and Dar-es-Salaam were present, as was Lord Prestwick and Sir James Bronson of SIS. Lord Alexander and his sister Lady Tabitha appeared with General Harding and the Duchess of Hyde, the leader of the Navy.
 
"The Marians have given a shot in the arm to the insurgents on Drosendorf," Tabitha reported in a bitter tone. "Their new surfeit of weapons is bringing them volunteers, or in some cases forced conscripts I'd say. Toyama's cult is becoming particularly aggressive. We're going to need a larger garrison than the 1st Regiment, and another year minimum to put them down."
 
Her brother went next. "The action at Rosice cost some damage as well, but the 1st Bolan Irregulars kept it from being worse. For all the unit's poor equipment and inexperience, they made up for it with spirit."
 
"So the question is how we respond," said Duke Abdulla Rayhan. Here he was dressed in Arcadian style business attire, unlike the robes he'd wear back on his homeworld, save for the traditional keffiyeh. "Another strike, perhaps? We could call off the planned attack on Alula Borealis. The Arcadian Rangers and Proctor Light Horse would make short work of these gladiator units, Inshallah."
 
"A reprisal attack is certainly to be considered," Alexander agreed. "Anything less and they will think we are afraid. I say gather our top units and hit them again, harder this time. Without the need to run a rescue mission we could wipe the floor with one of their legions."
 
"And have them retaliate in kind? A smaller demonstration, more in line with their actions, might be better," suggested Duke Simon Allen of Togwotee. "As Duke Abdullah suggested, we could launch a counter-raid. There are still some insurgent elements on Bolan we could arm."
 
"I suggest we do nothing.", Sir James offered
 
Sir James' words spread silence through the room like an ink drop filling a vessel of water. Every set of eyes focused on the spymaster. Sara-Marie pre-empted her more bellicose advisors by asking, "You would have us do nothing?"
 
"These attacks are a relief for us, Serene Highness," Sir James said. "If the Imperator's forces could do more, they would. We anticipated a larger response, up to a full-scale assault on Gypsum. Instead they sent harassing raids. Word is they may deploy the Terror from the Deep mercenary unit against us as well, but so far, no indications show a more substantial campaign. This is a sop for Sean O'Reilly's reputation, nothing more. He has no means to prosecute a war against us at this time. Not with the damages taken fighting Bolan, or the costs fo resupply. This is how he can justify a lack of further attacks to his people."
 
"And if you're wrong, and he intends to attack?" Alexander asked pointedly.
 
"Given his personality, he is unlikely to hold back for misdirection." Sir James folded his hands on the table. "I suggest we send the Guardian and her battlegroup back toward the area. Commence naval patrols moving through all of our systems. If they send the mercs in, we might catch them. Either way, doing more would be foolhardy. We have stepped away with a lighter price for our deeds than we anticipated. Let's be thankful for that and move on with more pressing matters, like the renewal of the Skye War."
 
"We'll still have the Legions on our Anti-Spinward front," said Harding. "We can't ignore the problem."
 
"We won't, but we don't let obsession ruin our freedom of action. Sean will be facing other matters, I suspect, and we have time before he moves again. We have other matters that will demand our energies."
 
While many of the others were displeased, Sara-Marie thought the SIS Director's appraisal sounded authentic. "For the time being, we will follow Sir James' proposal. Our other operations will go as planned."
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DRASCTIS 6