CHS-1

==Chapter 1 – Chappy's Howling Siegers==
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Unity City, Terra
SLDF Base
Strait of Juan de Fuca
Officers lounge
October 11th, 2780
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Time: 07:00 GST
Major Matthew Chapman looked out of the panoramic view overlooking the Strait of Juan de Fuca. He had always been a history buff, so he knew that this area used to be part of the United States before the Terran Alliance. He was drinking his beer while recalling what happen the day before, the High Council and their petty difference could not agree on making Kerensky the First Lord of the Terran Alliance even after all he did to help save it. Matthew was one of the few surviving company officers of the 151st Royal BattleMech Division, the civil war had taken its toll and even though it was over, every night when he closed his eyes all he had was nightmares about the war. Most of his friends were dead, most of the members of the battalion were dead, but his side had won the battle and the war, so what was left of the 151st was on some well-deserved R/R around the world. Ordering another beer, he heard a person walk up to him, the sound was familiar and the air in the lounge went cold. It could only mean one thing; his pompous father had entered the room. Basil Chapman the Vice Admiral, Commander of the 171st Reconnaissance Squadron of the 17th Fleet was in Matthew’s opinion arrogant, self-righteous, and out of touch with the real war man.
 
“Father, what brings you to the lounge of MechWarrior scum?” Matthew said without turning around.
“Major Chapman, I would have appreciated it if you call me by my rank while on-duty”
Matthew then slowly turned around, “Admiral…sorry, but I am not on-duty. So, say what you have come to say and then leave me alone…Admiral.”
“Major…. Um son the 151st is dead I am going to transfer you to a proper position with me at the 171st. There are things in play in the background and I need to make sure you are with me when it comes to pass.”
“No, Admiral if you gave such order I will resign, I have seen the way you operate, and I don’t want to be part of it.” With that Matthew walked away, the unfinished beer sitting on the table.
Matthew left the lounge angry at the world upset at his father but more than anything angry at the truth his father had said about the 151st. Matthew decided to take a walk to clear his head, but he started to remember again the next to last battle he was involved in, the one in which he lost most of his unit all because of his father.
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July 2779 - Colombia River, Terra
It was the hardest fought battle to date. At the time he was a Captain in charge of the 101st Company, but after the last failed attempt at a direct assault against the fortified position on the other side of the river he had lost two of his lance commanders, and his battalion commander was also dead, the Archer was still face down in the water just meters away from the enemy’s banks. Matthew’s mech, a Nightstar-9J, was beat the hell up, the techs currently were retrofitting armor from a destroyed Longbow on both his arms in attempt to give the inner systems some protection. As Matthew walked through the crumpled and destroyed town in which his unit was resting, he notices yet another horror from this war. The scene was gruesome, a Civilian wife holding the head of her half burnt and destroyed body of her husband. Simply, because missiles had missed their mark and destroyed their home. A child that looked just like him sat on the ground in front of them sobbing because his dad was dead, as the child looked into the eyes of the soldier that was walking by, he broke out in a scream and ran toward the burning house. Matthew right then had a moment of worry; his family had moved to New Earth last year but still he worried about his children and wife and wondered what they were doing. His communicator went off, “Chapman here”“Sir, this is HQ, General Hayes wants all commanders at the briefing room for details on the next push” “Roger HQ, I am on my way.”
Running to the makeshift command tent Matthew started to question the sanity of command. He understood that the enemy needed to be defeated, but there must be a better way than just run up to them only to get destroyed because they are fortified.
Captain Chapman was the first one to the brief room and took his seat so that he could cool down from the five-mile run he just performed. Slowly the commanders that were still alive arrived. Out of the three regiments in this AOR (Area of Responsibility) only 4 out of 9 Battalion commanders showed up, out of the 27 company commanders only 15 showed up for this brief meaning, the others were dead. Everyone stood up when the call for commander on deck was announced, Major General Lauren Hayes walked in the room, while everyone in the audience were dirty-up, messy, and sweaty she was in pristine military blues.
“Have a seat, we have a lot to go over.” Hayes said.
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30 minutes later
As the General finished her plan, which was really the same plan 6 times over, Captain Chapman raised his hand when she asked if there were any questions.
“Yes, Captain?”
“Ma’am, Captain Chapman here we have tried this plan six other times with no success, is there any other possibility? Could we have the fleet bombard the area for a while to soften them up?”
“Mmm Captain Chapman, you are the son of Vice Admiral Chapman, aren’t you? It is amazing that your father had the same suggestion. He is moving into position, but we are attacking before he does, is that final?”“Yes, Ma’am!!!!” said all her commanders.“Oh, and by the way, Captain I am in need of Battalion leaders stand up and let me pin Major on you.”
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20 minutes later
“101st and Alpha Battalion, saddle up we are attacking again” Matthew said to his company, and his battalion.
Ten minutes later his forces along with the rest of the regiment was pushing into the river firing at the fortified bunkers, a mech next to Matthew just went down with a PPC to the head, his own mech has already lost the use of the left arm, things were not looking good. Then out of the sky the bombardment started, but whoever was up there did not care who was down here in the water since the weapon fire was all over the place.
“Actual, actual this is the Alpha Battalion the bombardment is hitting friendlies I repeat friendly fire!!” Major Chapman said over the command net.
“Roger that Alpha Battalion, be advise bombardment has started we informed them of friendlies in the bombardment area and they did not care, now there is a radio silence in affect with the fleet” the General announced.
 
“Damn it” Matthew said to himself out loud. Right then two more of his troops were destroyed in their mechs.
“Back up back up!!” Matthew yelled into the com net. As a laser from space hit right in front of his mech knocking him over and causing a blackout, when Matthew came-to a few moments later he righted his mech and took stock of the battlefield. He was down another 4 'mechs that gave him a total of 5 mechs but of those only two besides himself was functional. His communication system was down though and there was a hole in his canopy so that could be dangerous. Even with this Matthew started forward to see what the bombardment did to the enemy, sure enough as he approached the other side of the riverbank everything was destroyed. Arms, legs, heads of both 'mechs and humans laid scatter across the banks of Columbia so much so that the blue color of the river was turning a rusty red due to blood, and hydraulic fluid.
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Present time
Matthew shivered as he remembered that scene, he shook himself out of the memory and realized he was walking in the water on the beach, “Man” he thought, “these shoes are destroyed with salt water.”
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151st Royal BattleMech Division home base
Buenos Aires, Terra
August 12, 2781
News was spreading like wildfire, the Council Lords after stripping General Kerensky of all titles 10 months earlier, just announced that the Star League and the Council Lords were dissolved due to differences in picking a new First Lord.
It has been 10 months of rebuilding and still the 151st was only 70% strength Major Chapman thought, now this, wondering what was going to happen to the Army made him lose sleep that night.
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Hilton Head Island
South Carolina, Terra
COMSTAR Headquarters
October 2783
Major Matthew Chapman was at the grand opening gala to commemorate the completion of the Hilton Head HPG complex, as he was sipping on the Champaign Matthew noticed the COMSTAR leader Jerome Blake and General Kerensky go into a room and then security securing the door. Odd thought Matthew very odd what would those two be doing meeting all secret like, he then turned back to his wife and asked her to dance with him.
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February 25, 2784
The defection of the 91st Heavy Assault Regiment to the Federated Suns was disturbing to Matthew, but he could understand. The Army was falling apart, gone was the Star League. Now they were now part of the Terran Hegemony even though they still went by SLDF but even that was shaky with the five great houses ever increasing hostilities. Then the message came, one hour after his commanding officer returned from a meeting with Kerensky on Terra, it was a message calling for all members of the SLDF to abandon the Inner Sphere and join Kerensky on a quest to find better worlds and build a better life. In a public message his commanding officer General Hayes sent out a message to Kerensky and to her troops stating that the 151st was staying on Terra. Shortly after that he received a call from his father begging him to come with him to the unknown. Gladly, Matthew told his father that his unit was staying on Terra and so was he and his family, sadden Vice Admiral Basil Chapman left for the unknown with the rest of the SLDF without most of his family only Matthew’s younger brother went with him.
A few months later Major Matthew Chapman resigned his commission due to his commander General Hayes making the unit into the military arm of COMSTAR. His mother also died due to the heartbreak of her husband, his father leaving without taking her.
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Two weeks after the funeral
Dallas, Terra
14 Dec 2784
In a rare snowstorm Matthew looked out of a window in his now past mom’s house, things never happen the way you plan. He was a rising star in the SLDF due to his skills and not his name, and then it fell apart with the civil war. When General Kerensky left with 80 percent of the SLDF, and his old commander decided to make his unit a COMSTAR unit his career was over. Losing focus, thinking about past decisions and whether or not they will end up as regrets the snow started to kick up then Matthew regains focus when he heard the familiar chop chop chop of a VTOL. Matthew looked up into the dusk sky to see what was flying so low, then he caught a glance, it was a Cobra Transport VTOL command version by the look of the antennas protruding out of it. Once it landed. a three-person contingent un-boarded, Matthew took his laser rifle out of the front closet, checked the power level, and open the door.
“Is that anyway to treat your three best friends?” ask the tall man in the middle.
“Gee I know you kept saying no to my advances but really? A rifle? Can’t you forgive me” said the now identify as a woman to the right.
The man on the left was silent but reached up pulled the covering off his head and the snow googles to which then Matthew recognized as Dalton Tournier, with that blast from the past Matthew then recognized the other two since they never went anywhere without Dalton.
“Haleigh, Ethan, Dalton it’s been a few months how have you been? Please come inside.” As Matthew lowered his rifle.“Thanks” said Ethan “it's cold out here and we have a lot to talk about.”
As Matthew closed the door the three guests took off their coats and he could not help but notice the uniform on them, which was not a uniform he recognized, and a suitcase that Haleigh was carrying.
“What’s up with the digs? What unit is that?” Matthew said.
Haleigh spoke up first as she sat down the suitcase, “Well it’s our own uniform one we hope that you will wear also” right then she opens the case, and it was one of those uniforms in Matthew’s size.
“Like I said, Chappy, we have a lot to talk about.” Ethan said.
“Man, I have not heard my callsign in months, sounds kind of weird.” Matthew said
“The universe is falling apart with the General’s abandonment every little and big ass is fighting over everything.” Dalton said, “In fact there have been cases of the Great Houses slaughtering those who were in the SLDF that stayed behind if they would not join them. We each have a lance willing to form a group and there are three other past subordinates that want to work with you in your command lance if you want.”
Matthew thought for a second to process what was just said, “Wait, what? Command lance? You have a company size unit ready to go and be what? Mercenaries. A Command lance that would follow… you want me in charge? I don’t know.”
Haleigh just looked at Matthew with her long brown/reddish hair and her deep blue eyes and said “yes Matthew at one time or another you have been in charge or over every single person that is ready to start this merc unit. We even have a name Chappy’s Howling Siegers.”
Matthew was shocked a command of his own, but he knew there was a lot more to a unit than just MechWarriors. “What about support personnel and transport?”
“We got that all cover, or should I say the Chief does” Ethan said with a smile.“The Chief? He left the 151st also? And he wants to be part of us? Well, I guess I cannot say no. When do we start?”
Ethan got up and said “Well, right now of course”
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