HisRigHan Chpt 3

==His Right Hand - Chapter 3 -==
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The jump into the system had been uncontested. The only resistance that met the Shade aerospace fighters was a JumpShip that tried and failed to power up their jump drive. It crapped out and reset its recharge systems that would take a full week before another attempt. The shades quickly took apart any weapons that were on board then a dropship came up and drifted beside it. From there, Se'irim battle armors boarded and took control. The entire crew was interrogated and then put to the sword once it was determined it was a pirate vessel. The intel gained via the poltergeists determined a company worth of mechs were on the surface of the 2nd planet. A warning might have been sent out but it was an unknown at this point. The JumpShip systems were in a decripid state with only the jump core systems being maintained.
Two dropships and a pocket warship broke away and made their way to the 2nd planet in the system. Their escort of shades were never needed. Upon arrival at the destination, Phantom Adept Tau Gramm determined the planet was a nuclear wasteland. A former planet that might have been on the charts that simply was forgotten. From the Succession Wars? From the fall of the star league? No one knew. It was suspected it was their base due to condition of the planet and any visitor would write the system completely off and leave. The Word though had other plans to make of the pirates and any of the populace that was there.
Surface scans determined that there was one or two settlements living in various city ruins. Something of value kept the pirates here but what was it? A new objective was added to the mission.
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"Ok, Deback, now concentrate on your left arm. Flex it a bit."
The Archangel's left arm flexed and jittered. With another thought the retractable blade shot out then in.
"Whoa, getting ahead of yourself, Deback. Now power up the weapons."
Deback fired up the Heavy PPC and the Plasma Rifle. He didn't much care for this configurations lack of weapons, but since he was new to piloting mechs. Those above him deemed the use of this one due to the advanced electronics that would compensate him for his lack of experience. Moving around in the mech had been easy. Jumping though was something he never had gotten use to in battle armor and so it carried on over here. He would practice in time.
"Good. We are one hour out from landing on the planet. You have been briefed on what you are facing. Make us and Blake proud."
"Praise Blake!"
Deback waited in the stored Archangel. He was part of a smaller choir, but the number of enemy mechs would test their mettle. They suspected primitive to 3025 era mechs would be encountered. The hour seemed to take a long time, but Deback reflected on the times he and Corden traveled from city to city to cleanse Turbline of the nobles. Those were longer wait times but seemed so much shorter than this. Then the Gs increased and went in different directions. When he felt the final jolt and the VDNI pinged in his head did he know they had landed.
The outer hatch of the dropship opened and Phantom Adept Tau Gramm stepped out in his Preta Comminus. The C3i computer registered high winds with sand blowing about. They had landed near the edge of a dead city that indicated radio chatter. Gramm scanned the waves with a beagle probe trying to determine the direction of the transmissions. Unlike what Deback remembered with Corden triangulating the positions by moving around, Gramm had managed to figure it out in mere minutes with his technological electronics suite.
He directed a Bolla stealth tank to leave into the city. On board a squad of wraiths lead by Wraith Tau Atechok and a platoon of Tau Zombies. The wheeled tank activated its stealth armor and made its way into the city.
Deback finally stepped out and scanned the horizon. What met him shocked him. The sheer devastated landscape and the destroyed city. Gramm responded to him as he must of said something over the radio.
"Behold, Deback. The folly of the Successor States in their madness to become the First Lord of the Star League. Curse General Kerensky for leaving the Inner Sphere. Now you understand what The Master wrote about and taught us. THIS is a reminder to us of why we exist and wait for the sign of The Promise. Here mankind has fallen to its lowest level. Even beyond what you have told us of Turbline. If we make it back there, carry this sight and message to them by Blake."
"I understand and will do so. We are The Master's hands and we will do what must be done."
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Wraith Tau Atechok jumped off the Bolla stealth tank and made his way thru the ruins with his other squad mates. Their mimetic cloaks were activated and they proceeded towards what was likely a pirate camp. Three hundred meters behind them Zombie Tau Riddick disembarked and lead the zombie platoon while in communication with Atechok. They approached a camp that was set into a decrepit sky scrapper and there was a lot of activity.
Atechok zoomed in on various people using his multi modal eyes. From there he was able to tag two individuals who appeared to be leaders. He mentally contacted the other members of his squad and they took aim at the two targets. They aimed at legs and arms as they were to be taken alive. Atechok waited for Riddick to signal that he was ready. Three minutes passed and the signal came in. Atehcok pulled the trigger. CRACK!
Five out of six shots connected to the two targets. Both commanders fell to the ground. Then the zombie platoon fired. Twenty four individuals opened up with squad support lasers and Mauser 1200s. Pirates crumbled and other targets deemed none hostile went to ground. One pirate managed to get into a truck and started to take off. Atechok zeroed in and spotted the truck with his eyes and mentally sent a signal with C3i info to Phantom Adept Beta Richard in the Bolla stealth tank. Seconds later LRM missiles rained down on the speeding vehicle and it exploded in kind. It stood no chance against military weaponry being a civilian vehicle. Return fire was sporadic and the zombie team started to move in to mop up. More pirates died as the platoon cleared out the area and made their way into the building. Then the dismal reason for this camp came to fruition.
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Anne had been in darkness for the last 48 hours. A bucket for a toilet and a plastic plate with gruel for a meal. She hadn't remembered much from her ordeal. The weekly rapes and amusement of pirate games were what she had been kept alive for. Then the cries of screams, smell of burnt flesh, and the sound of laser fire reached her cell. Then the door creaked as the banging began. Before she knew it, the iron door crashed to the ground. Some light followed in as a man entered the cell. The outline he had was unlike any of the gaunt pirates. The bulky and unnaturally muscular man approached her and put his weapon to the side. An Elemental! A clan of some sort was here! She had heard of them and seen the holovids of the toads. They were better than this hell hole ragtag band.
He reached out his hand and she took it. Cold metal reached her hand and the first thought this was a battle armored individual. She finally broke and realized this was a rescue of some sort. Tears came to her and she reached around him to hug him. Expecting an armored torso she got combat gear and an armored vest instead. Something was amidst to her and she couldn't put it down. She didn't care at this point.
"Thank you. Thank you!" She sobbed into the combat gear.
"Fear not, child, you are free now."
"May I ask your name and what Clan you come from."
"I am not a part of those abominations. I am Zombie Tau Riddick."
Zombie Tau Riddick? Anne thought in her head. What kind of name is that? She opened her eyes and looked into the strangers. Two metallic glowing red orbs met her. Then she saw the man had a metallic face. Then she followed down the neck and then at the arms and hands. They were all metal. Horror reached from the back of her mind of past holovids from the jihad.
"NO!!! You are all dead! Impossible! No!!!"
Riddick stared at the woman as she completely lost all control. It was to be expected from frails. They did not understand nor would many ever understand his calling. He simply reached around her and picked her up as gently as the flailing body would allow. He proceeded thru the door as his squad was breaching other rooms. Weapons fire did happen here and there as resistance was met. He mentally commanded the squad as he carried her outside. Something in the back of his mind felt different for the first time in his life. He felt righteous. He felt correct. The calling was one thing, but for the first time in his life he put his skills and sacrifice for mankind into action. She would never understand and that was ok. She would never have to thank him as it wasn't expected.
Light greeted them both as they made it outside. One basked in the glory and warmth of it. The other screamed at the horror as she saw more of them. The sight of an Archangel finally seated her into unconsciousness.
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Deback had made his way into the ruins to over see the infantry that had taken the camp. Then he heard the radio chatter. Slaves. A camp held for just slaves. Of all the petty things that was kept on a hidden planet, they didn't expect something as simple as slaves. He had seen holovids of slavery still existed and the slogan. "Life is cheap. Battlemechs are not." But he had never expected to see it first hand.
The Word existed to elevate mankind and protect it from itself. Here by Blake. Here was made manifest the evil of mankind on a petty level. The orders came in that the mission would change from elimination to rescue and cleansing. No quarter was to be given even if wasn't at the beginning anyways.
Deback looked at the two pirates that were taken prisoner. They had been isolated from the others who were likely slaves or captives. Deback implemented the new orders without hesitation. He lined up the Heavy PPC and discharged it. Two men disappeared and the isolated slaves cried out in terror. Deback quickly thought and turned on the external speakers.
"Fear not children of mankind. Justice has been met out on these pirates and all others will be cleansed. For it is their mortal sin that they kept you in such bondage. You will have some choices to make that will determine your future going forward. You may join us in the glorious exultation of Blake and walk a true path. You can also join us to our homelands in a new life where you will not be harrassed and your life will have meaning. Or you may remain here in this wastelad. Dying of radiation poisoning and starvation. Last you may request Blake's mercy and your suffering will be ended. I am sorry that we can not return you to your home worlds for obvious reasons. At least you have a choice other than dying in a cell."
Deback switched off the external speakers and watched the crowds moved. He could tell they were distressed. Some he could tell would ultimately join them. Others sobbed. Others made angry hand gestures at them. In the end they would have to choose or a choice would be made for them out of necessity. Then the call he was expecting clicked in his head and he put Phantom Adept Tau Gramm on the line.
"What in Blake's name were you doing? They were not to be informed of what was to come until it was time. Your execution of the prisoners is also out of line."
"I received orders and executed them as read. As to the rescued slaves. A panic was going to happen and there might have been more deaths."
"By your hand I might add. You are as impulsive as Zaphkiel said."
"You haven't been around none Word frails Gramm. I have. An example had to be set and hope given to them. Direction and guidance. As the Right Hand of Corden I had direct experience doing this for an entire world population. Did you ever?"
Silence existed over the radio for a few seconds.
"Fine. You get to deal with them then. You expound on the frails..."
"You would have disgusted Appolyon with your arrogance Gramm. Yes they are frail, but they are mankind. We serve them. Please do not forget this." Deback pleaded. More silence came from the radio then a chirp in a low voice.
"I will attend to my own arrogance. Thank you for this some what Deback. What has transpired and what we have talked about will be in my report."
"Praise Blake and thus be it so."
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Deback forced his Archangel into a run behind a building as autocannon shells knocked chunks out of his cover. The shadow hawk had come out of no where in the sweeping of the ruins. The mech could easily out manevour him despite it being an older design. So Deback thought on his toes. He jumped backwards trying to keep distance and scanned the horizen as he came down. Freshly distrubed ruins on his right gave him an idea where his enemy had went. When he landed, he began to back up waiting for the shadow hawk to arrive. Sure enough the little hint he had seen paid off. The plasma rifle and Heavy PPC struck the shadow hawk in the torso who in turn fired its weapons scoring a few hits. Nothing to worry about Deback thought and jinked his mech left. The shadow hawk started to lose balance loosing so much armor that the pilot threw the mechs hands back into a building. Deback seized the opportunity and charged.
Upon getting into arms length. The shadow hawk took a swing with one of its arms as it came up from righting itself. Deback felt the cockpit shake as 55 tons of armored fist collided with his mech. In turn he punched down with his own fist into the center torso and extended the retractable blade. Internals got scrambled and Deback could tell he had hit the gyro. Using his VDNI he willed the Archangel to corkscrew the blade inside the shadow hawk in a clockwise motions. More internals got gutted before the mech fell back and slammed on its back. Deback put his mechs foot on one of the arms to prevent the shadow hawk from standing and took aim at the cockpit with the Heavy PPC. The inhibitors did not hold back the discharge and a pirate disappeared from the planet. More damage registed with Deback as the last gasp of the shadow hawk was a flight of SRMs. Minor damage at this point, but it would add up in the attrition to come.
So far a total of six pirate mechs had been destroyed and six more had to be found. In the communications channels the union dropship the pirates had been using was located and dealt with. Uncermoniously it was obital bombarded by the interdictor pocket warship in orbit. Grounded and hidden in the ruins it had stood no chance. Wraith Atechek had found the ship and personally guided the incoming orbital fire. After five minutes the ruins shook as the only means of escape for the pirates went up in a hydrogen tank explosion.
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Anne woke up from her feint spell after twelve hours. She was by herself in a tent. She listened to the commotion going around the tent and figured it was some kind of camp. She chilled to the bone thinking of the holovid dramatizations of the Blake re-education camps that she saw in her childhood. What awaited her here? In the distance booms could be heard and the ground shook. What was going on? She got up and sat on the edge of the cot collecting her head before the biggest explosion in her life hit. She slammed hands over her ears and screamed as the shock wave hit the tent and billowed open the flaps. They stayed open and she could see outside that there was lots of activity. There were others she recognized that were in a crowd pointing into the distance. A mushroom cloud had appeared and the first thing that came to her mind was a nuke had been used. The others in the crowd seemed unperturbed at the sight.
Then a head stuck itself into the flap door to see how she was doing. A physician of some kind came up to her and took her arm. Then started doing vitals on her. She looked at him and could see no cyber modifications on the man.
"You are doing very well despite what you have endured. Riddick has told me that you were the worst of the lot. I would have given you a month or two before you would have died from malnutrition. So far the intravenous vitamins and minerals have done well."
Anne finally noticed the IV that was in her arm. No lines were connected to it.
"Thank you I think. You are with them aren't you?"
"The Word? Yes I am. Adept Troy at your service. How do you feel?"
"I feel..." Anne clammed up realizing that the physician was humanizing himself to her.
"I see. I am not surprised at your reaction and many have gone silent with me. You have some choices to make. You will be presented with them in time, but I assure you they are better than what situation you were in. If you have any questions, I will be in the red tent. You are free to move about and go where ever you want. Just be aware you are in a warzone so apply some common sense."
Troy got up and left the tent. Anne mustered up the courage to step out and into the light. There she talked to the other survivors about what had been going on. The future of everyone was a hot topic and the choices that everyone had crossed them. Many were going to go with the Blakists due to the circumstances they had. Anne was not sure what to do. Then the camp became another flurry of activity.
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Deback felt it before it was announced. Phantom Adept Tau Gramm was dead. The C3I computer indicated an Awesome had managed to take him down and his last known position had been relayed. Deback made for the location about 3 km deep into the city. He mentally indicated to the next person in command that he was heading towards that location. Phantom Adept Omega Turst responded that he was on his way too in his Malak.
Crossing the distance was easy. Finding where the Awesome had went was not. Deback took his time searching the ruins for fresh activity but it appeared that this pirate was a seasoned vet. Likely the commander. Deback then found the ruined Preta. It was missing a leg and the center torso had been shot out. The head was crushed in by what looked like a mechs foot. He marked the location for immediate salvage or orbital bombardment. No trace of the word was to be left on this planet when they left. The last fail safe was automatic nuke detonations if they all some how died to the pirates. Deback had better things to do than die today.
His onboard computers screamed as he was being targeted and three PPC blasts rocked his Archangel. Without knowing where the target was, Deback engaged the jump jets and went forwards in the direction the blasts had come. He hoped to flush the Awesome by pushing in its direction. When he landed he skipped right and then left. Three more blasts came and missed him. Then he knew where it was. He used the onboard targeting computer to line up the shots and fired the Heavy PPC and plasma rifle. The already hot Awesome inside a ruined sky scrapper took the hits dead center and its heat spiked from the plasma spray.
The pirate commander did not panic despite his mech looking red hot in the thermals. He simply pivoted and went deeper into the sky scrapper to buy some time. Deback got acknowledgement that Turst had arrived and was now behind the same sky scrapper. Information from the C3I computer fed into Turst's Malak and he had positioned himself in an ambush. Deback noted that he would flush the mech and Turst would have an excellent angle of attack. So the Archangel went into the ruin.
When Deback caught site of the Awesome, it wasn't aiming its weapons at him. It was aiming at the base of the ruin. It fired causing the building to collapse onto him. Rubble sheered away armor and caused him to get momentarily stuck as the legs got buried. It was then Trust sprung his ambush. Five lasers opened up on the Awesome scoring its armor. In kind the Awesome twisted rapidly and fired its three PPC scoring three hits. The Malak stumbled in place as one of the legs lost one of the actuators and almost fell. The Awesome waited a considerable amount of time as it walking to the limping Malak. The thermals indicated the Awesome was cooling to the point where it would be more maneuverable again.
"Turst! Get out of here! I am almost free and can deal with him!"
He never got a response as the Malak opened up with its lasers again then started to turn to get away. The Awesome fired again and the damaged leg disappeared. Turst crashed into the ground and his signal went dead.
"NO!!!"
In the span of one hour two Word commanders were dead. This left Deback now in command by guilt of attrition. He was enraged by this scum and he would take him out. He looked over the damage schematics of the Awesome and the left torso had been savaged. Instead of freeing his Archangel furthur, he engaged the targeting computer to aiming mode. He calmed himself and lined up his only two weapons on the open area. As the Awesome turned to deal with him. He fired. The plasma rifle landed on the arm but the Heavy PPC hit the exposed torso. With a crash the left arm fell to the ground as the left torso crumpled. The only PPC left on the Awesome discharged but went wide as twenty tons of metal went missing in a second. The pirate commander raised the armored battle fist against another ruin to right himself and did not fall.
Deback twisted his mechs feet then finally got free. Taking the opportunity, he fired his jump jets and arrived within reach of the Awesome. The left arm retractable blade shot out and Deback raised it to bring it down on the Awesome's head. The Awesome simply stood there to take it and at the last moment shifted the blow to its center. With the blade buried in the armor the Awesome took the advantage and brought back its armored fist and plunged it into the Archangel's left side. Armor buckled and the fist went internal. Debacks targeting computer went dead and then the feedback hit him thru his VDNI. He felt like he had been strapped to a fusion battery and allowed to be electrocuted for hours. Deback fought back the pain knowing that unconsciousness meant his suicide charges would go off.
With a thought he retracted the blade freeing himself. He then grabbed the Awesome by the shoulder and positioned the Heavy PPC barrel on the side torso. He willed the legs of the Archangel to push and then the Awesome went backwards. The battle fist went up in a comical way to try and balance itself from falling but plasma sprayed onto the mech cooking it. Finally the Awesome came crashing to the ground and stood still for a moment. Deback pointed his Heavy PPC at the Awesome awaiting for some kind of motion but it didn't move. He wouldn't fall for the possum night haunt trick. He over rid the over load safeties for the Heavy PPC and charged it. The fight needed to be ended here and now. When the signal came he fired. The Heavy PPC blew itself apart as it cored the mech completely. Deback braced for the right arms destruction and the feedback he would feel. But it never came. Praise Blake!
Then movement registered on Debacks sensors as the pirate commander crawled out from the Awesome's head. Deback rewarded his survival with a spray from his plasma rifle and a pirate turned into carbonated sludge.
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Chapter 3