AWF Chpt 82

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=Chapter 82=
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===Bluffing the Enemy for a Ride===
DS Phaidin, Leopard Class 'Mech Carrier DropShip
Jump Point
Necromo System, Capellan Confederation
April, 3030
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Roweyna stood on the bridge of the dropship Phaidin. They were a few minutes away from docking with the JumpShip that had brought them into the Capellan's system. She knew the next few minutes would determine a lot of things for everyone on the Phaidin. Her father would describe these moments as standing on the edge of a cliff before jumping into dark waters. Her father also excelled in these situations; she'd seen him navigate occasions like this with ease.
Roweyna swallowed hard. She and the crew had come up with a plan on how they were going to deceive the crew of the JumpShip. They had determined that Ervin and Yamoti, the two pilots of the Karnov, were the most likely candidates to pilot the Leopard DropShip, so Hawkins and Kate would try to pass themselves off as them.
Roweyna was both impressed at how quickly Hawkins, Kate, Hap, and Anastasia had put together the plan to convince the JumpShip crew that the ComStar agents were successful, and they needed to jump out of the system immediately. If Roweyna was being honest she was jealous they had so quickly recovered from the near death and tragedy. She knew this was part of the military training and experience most of them had received from a Great House army. They had the storied "gallows humor" of hardened soldiers, that curious ability to distract with jokes or use sarcasm and humor to hide fears and true feelings while keeping morale high enough to keep a unit moving forward.
She had never exactly learned this ability. She'd grown up around the mercenary company. Sure, she had spent a few years away for her law school and training, but this was the only life she really knew. Roweyna had suffered through most tragedies and equally enjoyed the victories of the company, but she never felt like was part of the company like the techs or the MechWarriors.
She knew part of this was her staff role, and part of it was being the boss's daughter. She was insulated from most of the company, and no one wanted to really get close to her. Maybe she didn't let them either. She had her cousins, Patrick and Fiona, and until his death her brother, but she knew it wasn't quite the same bond.
On most days Roweyna could easily keep up with the darkest and most sarcastic of her father's employees, but this incident had really shaken her. It upset her that while she was standing between two dead bodies feeling light-headed as she wondered if she was bleeding out, they were joking and making lurid comments at each other. They were doing the things that were necessary, fixing the console and engaging the enemy, but their attitude felt off to her. It made her feel she didn't quite understand them, she felt like wasn't "one of them" exactly.
She had also received the beating of her life. When she saw what Norton was doing she knew she had seconds to prevent him from getting his weapons out. She had worked in a pub when she was in law school, and had been in a fair amount of brawls and had to put a few customers in their place, but Norton nearly killed her. He was strong, well trained, and sober, he was unlike nearly every pub regular she ever fought.
Norton was a trained killer and every time she managed to disarm him he found another weapons or put her at a disadvantage. He was also taller, stronger and faster than her. When she had finally got all his weapons from him he just resorted to strangling her. By sheer luck she found his knife and had just enough strength to plunge it into his heart before she passed out. If Norton had crossed her mother the fight would have been over in seconds, and just a little longer if it had been her father. This realization made her feel inferior. She had kept Norton's knife. It was easy enough to conceal and she'd start the next fight with more than just broken pottery and stern words.
After she got fixed up, she spent another restless six hours digging through Norton's briefcase, speaking with her father, and generally trying to figure out their next steps. When she went to find Anastasia she knew that she had stepped in between her and Hap having intimate personal time. She was jealous of that as well. She was exhausted, cold, and her arm hurt, and here they were warmly snuggled together, and doing whatever carnal desire struck their fancy. She was also aware most of the crew that wasn't on watch were probably doing the same thing. It all made her feel lonely.
She hugged herself and exhaled slowly. She was Kelly Mc-damn-Finnigan's daughter. She wasn't a victim. She also knew the crew needed her to keep her head. She just needed to focus.
"You okay, Roweyna?" Anastasia asked
Roweyna turned to Anastasia. She was sitting at the comms station. She had modified the radios so that the voice quality of transmitted radio would sound "robotic". They were hoping that if they disabled video and explained their comms and controls were damaged in the hijacking of the shuttle they could convince the JumpShip crew that everything was fine.
"Aye." Roweyna said. Anastasia's concern reiterated that Roweyna was forgetting that these people were her friends, really her extended family. She was far from alone.
Kate got out of her chair and walked over to the navigation center she flipped a few switches as she told Sarah, "I'm disabling the beacon tones and sending the star maps and astro-navigation directly to my station. I want to be able to confirm we're in the St. Ives system immediately after the jump.
"Okay." Sarah said. Without the beacon information there wouldn't be anything for the blind young woman to hear unless another JumpShip came into the system. Sarah took off the headphones and put them in her lap. She knew she wouldn't have much to do until Kate turned everything back on and they were close to another celestial navigation system.
As she passed by Roweyna, Kate put her hand on Roweyna's shoulder, "You sure about all of this? I know we're using pirated transponders and the livery was painted over before we left Daniels, but this can get us black listed and possibly never be able to jump out of system again."
Roweyna put her hand on top of Kate's hand and gave it a squeeze. The human contact was reassuring. She nodded. "Oh we'll be fine. I'm generally certain this is going to be our word against theirs. And if we're blacklisted Mother has a friend with a JumpShip that can at least get us back to Donegal."
"We have a friend with a JumpShip?" Hawkins asked as Kate squeezed into the seat next to him. "How come we've never used this friend's ship?"
"What makes you think we haven't." Roweyna asked as the radio flashed.
Hawkins looked back at Roweyna and she nodded as he touched the channel button. The speakers were filled with, <<"I say again, Leopard MCFS-61783, do you copy.">>
"This is Leopard MCFS-61783. We've had comms problems, please say all again." Hawkins said.
<<"Ervin, is that you? Your radio sounds like shit. I need you to adjust the sample rate. Also you have no video.">> This was a different voice. Roweyna assumed the first voice was the JumpShip's comm's officer, so this may be the Leopard CV's captain or comms officer.
"When we took the ship the comms got damaged, as well as our controls. We've been working to get this system to work this good." Hawkins said.
Roweyna took a step over to Anastasia and put her hand on the Mechwarrior's back and gave her a gentle rub "Well done Anastasia." She whispered. Roweyna was starting to get cautiously optimistic. She also realized a little human contact was what she needed right now.
"Acknowledge, MCFS-61783, can you bring your vessel around to hard point one and we'll initiate the docking sequence. We'll have a maintenance crew standing by."
Hap walked over to the comms station and took the mic. He cleared his throat and spoke authoritatively, "This is Norton, that's a negative. I want to leave the system immediately." Hap leaned down and looked out the window the gigantic solar collecting "sail" was still deployed. This meant at least another ninety minutes before the ship could jump.
"Acknowledge, sir. We'll need to recover the sail. We can have the crew come onboard, look over your systems and get an estimate." As he spoke the long booms for the sail bent slightly at their hinges.
"Prefer you wait on the maintenance crews." Hap said. "Some members of the mercenary crew are still hiding on the ship and we don't want to give them a chance to escape until after the jump."
"We'll send a security team." The JumpShip crewmember replied.
"I still want to wait till after the jump before we take on the techs and security." Hap said.
There was a pause, "Acknowledge sir. They'll be standing by."
"Well depending on what they bring with them that may reduce our timeline."
Hawkins guided the drop ship toward the long needle like JumpShip. For a moment it seemed like they were going to overfly the ship but then a powerful force pulled the ship down. As it descended Hawkins turned the ship so it faced the aft of the JumpShip. The drop ship settled down onto the hard point facing the Leopard CV and the jump sails.
"MCFS-61783, What just happened there, why didn't you dock perpendicular to the K-F Drive."
"Yeah, our controls have been damaged. It keeps yawing at random." Hawkins answered.
"Yeah we saw them do this a few times after the Norton's team took over." The CV pilot added.
"You sure you don't want the maintenance crews now?"
"We'll be fine." Hap said, again imitating Colonel Norton.
Roweyna waited until the channel was closed between the DropShips and JumpShips and then she got on the 1MC, "Henry, we've jest docked with the JumpShip."
There was a pause and then Henry's voice came across the intercom, "And ye want us to splice the mainbrace?"
Roweyna smirked, "Nay. There'll be time for drinkin' later. I need ye to get as many rough and tumble lads as ye can, get down to the hatch and make sure no one tries to board."
"Repel boarders, yes Mum." Henry replied.
The crew settled in for the long wait as the JumpShip crew prepared and stored the jump sail. It was strange and almost graceful to watch as the massive sail was carefully folded and pulled in before the jump.
"Hey Roweyna, what's on the menu for the next meal? When is the next meal?" Hawkins asked.
Roweyna looked at her small gold watch, "Oh I have no idea what time we're using now. Is it almost noon, or the middle night? I'll tell ye, if we escape from the JumpShip and survive, then we'll start talking about openin' up the galley."
"Remember how Jerry was always talkin' about Loaf? I could really go for some loaf." Hawkins said.
"Loaf?" Kate asked, "Like bread?"
"No. It was like a meat loaf, but not beef…but it was definitely protein based. I think it was fish."
"Fish Loaf?" Kate asked.
"Maybe it was fish." Hawkins said.
"That sounds unpleasant." Anastasia said.
"Ye have to understand Mr. Jerry Westman had spent some time in a penal colony." Roweyna said, "This loaf was some type of institutional food that he craved and was often trying to recreate. I don't think he ever managed to get it right though, or at least I never found the dish appealing."
"It, uh, it was an acquired taste." Hawkins said, "Jerry was pretty sure he got it right though, or at least as right as you could get something like that."
"Is Jerry on the Phaidin? Can we ask him to whip us some of this 'loaf'?" Kate asked. She caught the bewildered looks from around the bridge, "What? I've eaten in DEFACS and ships galleys from across the Federation, and I've had my share of good rats and bad. I like to think of myself as a gourmand or connoisseur of military and institutional food."
"I'm not sure that you can consider yourself a gourmand when you favor prepackaged rations and institutional food. It's like claiming to be a musical critic of military marches." Anastasia said.
"Hey Kate, you know who has the best marches." Hawkins asked.
"The Lyran Commonwealth?" Kate asked
"Hell yeah!" Hawkins nodded as they bumped fists.
"First, Mr. Hawkins an' Ms. Berlin," Roweyna said, "The Northwind Highlanders has the best Marches of any unit in or out of the Inner Sphere. Any fool knows when ye come against the Highlanders and their bag pipes start to hum' yer likely hearin' the last song yer mortal ears will ever know. It's terrifying and beautiful all at once. Jest to hear them pipe Scotland the Brave is worth the near-death experience."
"Second, Ms. Berlin, Mr. Westman fell on Klathandu, but sadly I'd wager his recipe for loaf could be found among our cherished recipes. If Mr. Hawkin would like to try his hand and preparing the dish, we happen to have an excess of fish protein. If he fails and it all goes to waste no one will care if it gets jettisoned in an airlock."
"Is that the Tuna we brought on?" Anastasia asked, "I can't believe there is still some of that in the ship's larder."
"I can." Hap said.
"I'll gladly make Tuna noodle casserole again and save us from the gastronomical horrors of 'loaf'." Anastasia said.
"Loaf is not a…" Hawkins paused and seem to think for a moment, "I think I'm going to bow out and let the Professor cook."
"Good." Roweyna said, "God rest Jerry's soul, but I'd prefer loaf jest as soon followed him to the grave."
"Have the family actually fought the Northwind Highlanders?" Kate asked. "One of the instructors back at NAIS that had strange respect for them. I think he got shot down fighting them, lost an arm, which is how he became an instructor at NAIS. At least that was always the rumor."
"Oh! That's how professor Rasczak lost his arm?" Anastasia asked.
"One time, Miss Berlin. We were doing a raid on, oh I believe it was Foot Fall. As I recall we were destroying some of the planet's industry. I was sitting right here on the Leopard waiting in the Drop Zone for the family to return. All was going well, and our warriors were headed back, when suddenly, o'er the guard channel, we start to hear the hum o' pipes and the beat of the drums."
"The hair on my arms and back of my neck stood up, and, I won't lie, it was grand. Then father starts telling the boys to give it the lash an' get to the Phaidin. About that time I see them crestin' a hill and behind them is two Catapults with LRM racks smokin' and Father is yellin' there was a Highlander and Thunderbolt-5SE backing them up. Every step they took after that could be measured in broken or melted armor. As we were lifting off we could see that they had sent a company to encircle us, and we were chased off by aerospace fighters, and all that for slaggin' a few factories."
"The Northwind Highlander's were as ferocious as they were talented, and oh I dare sat I've never heard pipers like that. After that Father had a stadin' rule that if we were in Capellan space and heard bagpipes we jest turned right back the hell around. I'm surprised he didn't mention it in the mission brief for Necromo."
The JumpShip's sails had now been fully recovered. There were a few of the standard warnings and alarms for an imminent jump. Hawkins got on the 1MC and warned the crew of to prepare for the jump.
Hawkins started a countdown and Roweyna closed her eyes and leaned back in her seat. She'd been on hundreds of jumps but the strange moment where reality was seemingly broken as the ship moved from one star system to another always affected her. There was a crash like thunder and a flash like lightning and Roweyna had the familiar sense of vertigo and shock that instantly moving approximately 30 lightyears always caused her. She took a few calming breaths before standing up.
"Alright everyone, let's begin."
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