TLR Chpt 10

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==Chapter 10 - The Lucky RegimentThe Reunion==
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Fort Adams military base
Solaris VII, Lyran Commonwealth
November 23rd, 3026 - 16:00hrs local time
Supply dropships didn't normally attract an audience, but word had got round that this one was bringing a lance of lostech Battlemechs. With just two hours notice a crowd of over two hundred personnel had gathered in a fortified hanger close to the landing pads, most were Mechwarriors or technicians and since the garrison CO was with them he was not able request that they disperse.
 
This was an easy job, two battalions of the Third Lyran Guards had arrived for warm up training in anticipation of the vast Operation Thor exercise due to begin in the following year. His company and most of the local garrison were serving as the hostile force in a long series of company and battalion level exercises. His formation, or more importantly the mechs were a proxy for a certain large well equipped mercenary formation currently in the service of House Kurita. That regiment also fielded substantial quantities of lostech, and the Archon apparently wanted strategies her forces could use to better handle the likely threat.
 
As he watched the Union class dropship make its descent he was as comfortable as he could be about the business, he had about three months of paid training to bed in the replacements and the already healthy finances were set to improve as they auctioned a few bits of lostech they couldn't find an easy use for themselves. The one challenge was the was the return of Victoria, much had changed since they last met and his relationship track record had started with an expulsion and moved onto someone who had tried to kill him. The only upside was that his parents were so in awe of his unexpected success and land grant that they were now quite happy to refrain from trying to use him in a dynastic marriage.
 
The large dropship made its usual dramatic landing in the morning drizzle, despite Solaris's reputation as a destination to visit it still had a rainy season in the region near the capital and this was it. The fire of the landing jets was soon obscured by the cloud of smoke and steam as it touched down, whilst in the background he could the conversation between the tower and the pilot over the speaker system. As the smoke dissipated the ground crew headed towards the egg like ship on several small open backed trucks. He didn't envy those sitting in that rain, but as his drill sergeant had once said, skin is waterproof.
 
As it was a non-combat drop the exterior of the doors received a safety check and time was taken for the landing area to cool to a safe temperature. Edmund sipped from his steaming mug of tea whilst he watched and waited. He'd been working on seeming perfectly calm under pressure, Darius had been quietly giving pointers since he took over the command slot. And whilst he was fairly sure he looked calm, his stomach felt like it was doing somersaults. Victoria had against his expectations and probably common sense decided life on the Argo was more interesting than the court life on New Avalon. She was on the dropship, and he didn't really know how he was supposed to rekindle a relationship after all she been through at his hands.
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Meanwhile..
 
Inside the dropship, Victoria watched as the flashing red lights by doors stopped and a large green light turned on. It was a lot more civilized than the two combat drops she had been on, the interior remained well lit and the passengers unstrapping was done at a leisurely pace. Crewmen were checking the cargo as the doors slowly lowered and she could suddenly see grey sky and gentle rain, beyond that she could make out the giant concrete hangar and other dark looking structures of the military base.
 
The loadmaster walked over to an intercom panel, unhooked and then pulled the microphone to his mouth.
 
"All personnel on foot will exit through Door one, vehicles and Mechs though Doors two and three. Remember you will wait till you are called by the loading marshals." She looked down at her two large green duffel bags, it wasn't all her life possessions, but it was pretty close. She watched as the marshal pointed with a green luminous stick at the pre-designated first group.
 
"Excuse ranks, Group one is to follow me in single file with two metre spacing. Trucks are en route." The man turned pointed his glowing stick towards the exit and walked down the ramp. Twenty of her future crew mates followed on behind, presumably just as glad to be getting off the ship after nearly four weeks aboard.
 
Another man stepped up in front of the gaggle of Mchwarriors and crew she was standing amidst. "Alright same as the first group, grab your gear and follow me in single file, the shower blocks beckon." A few of the older ones laughed, she knew they all stank, the transport dropship only had enough facilities for a very brief shower about once a week. It was one of the things that never seemed to be an issue in the holovids or for that matter on passenger routes, but you definitely noticed on an express military transit route.
 
Her group was quickly counted and then their truck arrived and turned to have its rear end facing the dropship, it was a standard military design with a removable canvas layer covering the rear. She passed up both her bags and was then helped up by one of the Mechwarriors already on board.
 
"Looks like the mechs are disembarking." One of the other pilots was watching as a Marauder came slowly out. It was wasn't just any Marauder, it was a genuine SLDF 'Royal' model, designed to be just that bit better than anything anyone outside the Hegemony worlds could build. "They sure don't make em like that anymore."
 
They really didn't she thought, double heat sinks alone made those designs superior to anything built today. And then you add in the extra range of an ER version of a PPC and suddenly the assault mechs of today were up against something that outranged them and was faster. She could see why Hanse had been so excited to refit an elite regiment.
 
There was a metallic thud as the rear of the truck was lifted up and closed. She looked around, everyone appeared relieved to be on solid ground again with normal gravity. Ardan Sortek had been right, her fellow new joiners were still looking at her with a degree of suspicion. A lot of mercenaries had strange life stories, or pasts they preferred not to talk about, but it seemed she still stood out. She'd consistently topped the leader boards in the combat simulators on the journey, so she had earned a bit of respect, unfortunately it was combined with the sort of caution one showed one's boss's mistress.
 
As the truck moved away from the dropship she saw more 'mechs disembarking, five more belonged to the company but the others were a mix of designs destined for use either in the service of House Steiner or the arenas. The arenas of Solaris were a frivolous use of 'mechs in her view, but the demand was evidently there along with the C-Bills to pay for them.
 
The truck motored on for a couple of minutes, Victoria spent the time musing about how this one military base contained more firepower than any of the big houses in the Reach, and the world's garrison was probably more potent than the entire force that her father had been able to field at his peak.
 
The truck then entered the large fortified 'hangar' that was really a giant Star League era bunker capable of supporting a large formation in a building that could survive a near miss from a nuclear weapon. The accounts of the sheer number used during the first succession still filled her with revulsion, luckily Solaris had somehow survived the worst of it.
 
The truck came to a gentle stop near a crowd of onlookers, for a brief moment she thought they might be waiting for the trucks before realizing they were admiring the approaching column of mechs. She wasn't surprised, lostech usually brought out curious onlookers, and lostech 'mechs even more so.
 
There was a metallic clang as the low rear door was opened and kit bags started being passed down as the passengers climbed out. The majority of the crowd were walking up to take a look at a SLDF era Marauder that had stopped short of them, but a few were watching the arrival of the newcomers. She recognized Edmund in their midst, she suddenly felt nervous, almost as though she was a teenager again.
 
Darius was the first to come over, with Edmund and several others following behind. "Welcome all, I'll keep it brief".
 
The assembled mercenaries braced slightly, all aware this was the all important XO who made things happen.
 
"You'll be taken to the accommodation blocks to shower followed by lunch in the canteen, at 14:00 hours the briefings begin. We'll be in the field in four days so make the most of civilization whilst you still can." Victoria and the others knew the rough plan, they were joining a fairly large exercise as the Lyran military built up to its own version of Operation Galahad. Apparently there were more than a few problems to iron out, the Lyran military had mixed reputation.
 
Two large looking men appeared by his side. "Ships crew will follow the Bosun here, Technicians will join Mr Yang and combat personnel will follow me." The groups separated, it evidently wasn't as formal as a regular military unit, but she could see there was a clear command structure.
 
"Once again welcome, this place is a bit of maze, but the quarters are bigger and better than on board the ship so enjoy it." She had memories of the small improvised cell she had been locked in, ironically it was far more space than most crew had on a military ship. She'd heard it said down that a person's book collection was a window into their soul, Edmund's unfortunately matched his taste in action movies. As since those had been pretty much all she had to keep herself occupied when locked up she had come to realize some men really had no taste.
 
Darius started moving off, pointing out the interesting architectural features as the group followed him. She had to admit it was an impressive building, on the outside it might have been a concrete monstrosity, but inside there were numerous mech bays and repair facilities for all manner of vehicles. The place felt like it was operating at less than half capacity, presumably a shadow of the pre-Succession War era.
 
Edmund was doing a brief meet and greet with each person as they walked along, she sensed he'd been coached. He looked a tiny bit awkward, young relative to many of the Mechwarriors and slightly more tired looking than she remembered. She hung back slightly, figuring he'd take the hint and come to her last.
 
He did, and she was his last handshake. "I'm glad you made it, I've missed you." He said softly. Apparently (according to one relationship magazine on New Avalon she had read) from a man that was on a par with a long poetic declaration of love. Other magazines suggested she should punish him, but her sense was that he had enough on his plate already.
 
"Me too" she said quietly, "It's been a long few years."
 
"Can I carry one of your bags?" She was finding them increasingly heavy, so the offer was tempting.
 
"Best not to, it'll look bad for you." She whispered, "Besides we had to work out on the dropship, so I'm in decent upper body shape."
 
"We've got a good fitness program lined up, even once we are in the field, it'll get everyone back to normal as soon as possible." That was a standard procedure, too long in space was hard on the body.
 
"Cool, I think that was my longest stint on dropship, I don't know how the spacers cope. Anyway what's the plan?"
 
"You'll get the details later in the briefing but light duties tomorrow, prepping for the field for the next two and then a series of small exercises followed by a couple of battalion ones." He looked around. "Two lances are already doing light skirmishes with our clients, we'll upgrade to company level actions in about a week."
 
"How do we compare?" She almost laughed at how easily she had decided she was one of the Marauders, in reality it was going to take a while for the new arrivals to be seen that way.
 
"Experience wise surprisingly comparable, tactically a bit more flexible at times but we've also had some missteps with fresh joiners being slow to adapt. The difference in engagement ranges is interesting, but the Lyrans are getting very creative about ways to close the distance. Don't underestimate their gunnery skills either." The Lyrans had a reputation for being a bit by the book at times, on the other hand they were also known for their aggression in exploiting weaknesses and much seemed to depend on the quality of the senior officers and how many were political appointees.
 
"Where will I fit in?"
 
"Command Lance for now, I figure a Marauder is pretty similar to your old K2, so I've got you marked down for one of those." She smiled, that was a definite sign he wanted her close. "We've got a pair of Marauders, a Phoenix Hawk and an Archer, enough to be the company reserve if anything goes wrong." It was, that lance was enough to take down an assault mech in short order and the sight of it would lead most hostile lances to back off.
 
"I'm honored."
 
"I know you commanded several lances in the past, I hope it doesn't feel like a demotion."
 
"Edmund, this a new start for me, and you can't show favoritism, watching your back will make me happy and it won't ruffle any feathers." Relationships with commanders were frowned upon for a good reason, yet happened anyway. This was not the worst solution as she had no official command authority, but if she did well the other lance mates would probably defer to her on the lance's tactical side whilst Edmund tried to manage the overall battle.
 
"Thank you, and thank you for coming out here."
 
"It was this or ask for a post in the Kell Hounds. The Kell Hounds don't have you and I don't really have any other skills apart from this." In a sad way that was true, she had been groomed from birth to run her family estate and pilot battlemechs. The estates and businesses had been broken up amongst her cousins and whilst she could probably do a passable job at managing a farm somewhere, she didn't have the formal training that would let her CV stand out for a big estate. "Colonel Sortek said I could I could have my choice of postings, so feel honored."
 
"I am." She felt a gentle pat on her back, a presence she dearly missed. "We're going to go far, I've got a good feeling about things." She remembered him being similarly optimistic before the coup, admittedly life had felt pretty good back then. It was easy to think he was tempting fate once more, but if you lacked optimism and vision you didn't tend to go far, and you certainly didn't have people follow you voluntarily.
 
"Me too." Her voice a lot more optimistic than her internal questioning of what would go wrong next in her overly eventful life.
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