ANME-7

=Chapter 7 Ancient Memories=
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==Science With Steph==
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===Act 1===
She was still alive…somehow. The laboratory was a crater, smoking and burning. This wasn't because of the bombs-those had fallen after she escaped.
'Escape' might be exaggerating. 'Hiding while someone murdered everyone you cared about' is closer to the truth.
Stephanie felt lost, horrified and alone. The attackers had killed everyone, they'd lined them up in the cafeteria, had taken a head-count…and then killed everyone.
The explosion was evidence removal, and she felt worse every time she re-lived it when her eyes closed.
Gordon had insisted it was everyone, in there, even under torture while his work was looted and dismantled.
Even while her work was looted and dismantled.
She'd been unable to act, unable to get there, watching from afar through a p-mail connection they'd somehow missed.
Hundreds of kilometers from the site, it was a smoking crater by the time she'd gotten to it.
But she'd seen the surveillance from the lab, and in her dreams, she was there, every time.
In what remained in the outskirts of the lab complex, she'd found more surveillance records.
They'd killed the ****** housekeeping staff.
And off the newsnets, she found that Gordon's wife had suffered an 'accident'.
Cut off, everything gone…and Steph didn't know why.
But they'd ****** up on one of the records. She didn't know why but she knew who.
It wasn't Capellans, and they were too well organized and coordinated to be mercs or basic pirates.
They'd gone after the research before the bodies were cold, and they'd taken the files with all their hard work, before burning the site.
But they missed her, and she could maybe…
There was no starting over.
The question of why only burned in her mind for a moment. It didn’t take take her long to figure out why. Why this lab, why such extreme measures. Now the questions in her mind were who and how.
I want to make them hurt..
It burned in her soul. 'Why' isn't difficult, they'd heard of colleagues having 'accidents', work that flickered into view, then vanished into obscurity…
Someone is killing scientists who make progress. She felt a surge of yet more rage.
It was all that was keeping her going. She’d lost track of time, growing weak.
"Then, I will make it cost them. Their experiment will have a mind of its own.". She declared it to the stars and empty skies over the former industrial park. It felt like an oath, a benediction, a declaration of…
"You have been heard. What can you pay?" The figure was blurry in her vision, backlit in gold.
"Everything I have." Steph answered weakly.
"Then, Drink." The figure came into focus as the sweet but clearly alcoholic liquid washed down her throat.
“An angel?”
“Perhaps long ago, now I am something else.”
“Who are you?”
“I am called Theresa.”
“What now?”
“Come. We will take you someplace safe, while we do we will discuss justice.”
Steph found herself buoyed up, her strength back, enough to stand and to start walking.
“Do you know who did this?” Steph asked.
“The pawns at least. Their King or queen, we are less certain.”
“It’ll do for now.”
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===Act 2===
"...who's the new girl?" Lara asked.
"Not sure, Theresa had Sheri take her on a personal trip, and when they came back, it was with the chick Mike's currently teaching to drive a Battlemech." Styles leaned back in her seat and put the reader back on the table. "Special recruit, I guess, someone with something special or she wouldn't be getting personal attention from those two."
“Well soon as she’s done for the day I’m going to do the simple thing, ask her myself.” Lara decided.
“Aw. We could get a much more interesting betting pool going if you don’t.” Styles complained.
"She might not answer." Nixon joined them at the table with a tray of hot food. "You're talking about New Girl, right?"
"You know something." Lara raised an eyebrow.
"Not my story to tell." Nixon said, "But I'll tell you this; She's a lot newer than you think-that kid grew up in a world where the Star League is a subject for history classes…and she was born in that world."
Lara looked at Styles, then Nixon. “******…”
“Yeah, freaky as hell isn’t it?” Styles nodded.
'I don't feel that old." Lara complained.
"You don't look it either. None of us do. The New Girl was born after we took out Amaris. She had time to earn a Master's Degree."
“Yeah. We’re something different now. Not sure what but we’re different.” Lara nodded.
"Styles, you still look twenty-five." Nixon said, "do the math, it's 2825 out there. You enlisted in '66."
“And it’s freaky but I also love it.” Styles nodded.
Lara looked thoughtful, "You know, that kid could be any one of our Grandkids."
“Not mine. I’ve never been pregnant. Too messy.” Styles stuck her tongue out.
"Yeah, but Nixon here, he wasn't exactly a monk or a priest, I doubt Mike's been celibate all this time either, and Johnny's kind of a womanizer even now. Maybe that's why she's here-someone's descendant?"
“Maybe. Or her blood goes back to something older. Or someone.” Lara nodded.
“Oh come on Lara, we know you were alone on New Earth for a while. You can admit it. You finally let loose.” Styles teased.
"Not that loose!!" Lara laughed, "I'd know if I spent nine months in that condition."
"She's Nick Bakeright's granddaughter." Johnny sat down at the table, "You're talking about the new kid, right? I think you might've looked up her file, seeing as we've got the file, Lara."
"Nick…Bakeright..that was Elbar, wasn't it? One of the Blackhearts with the nine-zero?"
"NOT Elbar, Demolitions guy, I think you slept with him, Styles." Lara said girmly, "He was with the Hobos for about six weeks before an Amaris funny greased him in New York. He had a wife and kids and I gave you endless shit for schtupping him."
“Bakeright… Bakeright… Oh yeah. He was good at scratching that itch.” Styles nodded.
"Yeah, wife, two kids, you were the side-piece and you set it up that way." Lara scowled, "Then he gets his cockpit creamed by two gauss rifle shots."
“It’s better that way. Less mess.”
“Damn Styles. I guess you really are only interested in scratching that itch and nothing more.” Morgan came in with a bowl full of oatmeal.
“Well yeah. I mean I’m jealous, Eckhard. You don’t even have to worry about that. I still have to worry about the slim chance that despite precautions, I can still get pregnant.” Styles nodded.
Eckhardt stuck her tongue out, and slid an inch or so closer to Nixon.
“We’re in front of the others.” Nixon said.
“So.” Eckhardt smiled.
He rolled his eyes ruefully, and wrapped an arm around her waist, "So, might as well rub it in." and gave her a kiss.
“Good man.” Eckhardt smiled.
“I’m bored enough to wonder how far we can push their PDAs.” Styles giggled.
"You can stop being bored then." Mike walked in, there were faint traces of soot on his jumpsuit.
"Meaning?"
"There's a job, finish eating, we'll go over it in the wardroom." MIke told them. "You've got an hour."
Eckhardt kissed Nixon on the cheek then dug into her bowl of oatmeal.
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===Act 3===
"...site, the objectives are the security barracks here, just north of the Hyperpulse generator." on the wall of the wardroom, was a familiar…
"We're attacking a Communications Ministry Site?"
"Yes." Mike stated, "Our targets aren't the technicians, they're a group of enhanced security personnel, we go in, we kill them, take back what they took, and leave."
"How do we know what to take?"
"I know that one." The New Girl said. "After all, they murdered forty people and took it from me."
“Okay, so how are we playing this one?” Johnny asked.
"Yarr." Mike said, holding one hand over his left eye. "We're playing pirate this time. Open field attack, shock-and-awe."
"We've got…what, seven 'mechs?" Styles asked.
"Eight, but who's counting-they've got 'mechs too, Mike." Lara added.
"We have an advantage...Steph?"
She got up, "I've made some modifications to your weapons systems, we'll do some familiarization before the drop, but you'll be…interested...and they aren't going to be ready for it."
“We’ll also need a support team. If we’re going to be liberating cargo, we’ll need people to help strap it up and get it moving.” Lara added.
“We do have a few people who have the qualifications.” Eckhardt looked out at the colony site.
"Uhm…what kind of mods?" Nixon asked.
"You know, improvements." Steph said, "Minimum range is not a problem you have to worry about, and longer ranges are no longer out of reach…in some cases."
“What are we talking here? ER weapons?” Nixon continued.
"The extended range models they had in the Star League were a start. Not the finish, I can't get TOO much additional range, but the targeting and arming systems, and tightening the focus on some energy weapons isn't exactly brain surgery once you understand the principles." Steph explained, "As for arming distances on autocannon shells, well…those aren't going to be an issue either, and missile munitions are getting upgrades in the workshops, so no fear there, either."
“Now someone is speaking my language.” Styles sat at attention.
"That's not hot-loading, is it?" Nixon probed.
"No, but it could be mistaken for it by an outside observer. The minimum distance arming circuit was an add-on, I just refined the seeker assemblies to make it irrelevant. As for the autocannons? Those took some minor machining work, but they work fine now."
“New girl’s drinks are on me.” Styles proclaimed.
"Watch your shots, while we can go back to using SLDF standard ammunition, we don't have full-on factories for this newer stuff, and the quantities are limited." Mike asserted, "it's for an advantage, so let's not leave things for others to find, hey?"
“Roger that boss.” Lara nodded.
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Scenario: HPG Assault!!
Attacking Force: Mike's Murderhobos
THG-10MH Thug - Mike G (1/2)
WVR-6MH Wolverine - Diedre Styles(2/3)
ON-1MH Orion - Carl Nixon(2/3)
GRF-1MH Griffin - Morgan Eckhardt(2/3)
GRF-1MH Griffin - Johnny Wangker(2/3)
GRF-1MH Griffin - Cham Vien(2/3)
ARC-2MH Archer - Lara Striene(2/3)
TDR-5MH Thunderbolt - Stephanie Bakeright(4/5)
Defending Force: 1 Company of "Mercenaries" (Comstar pre-ComGuards).
WVR-6R Wolverine (2/3)
WVE-5N Wyvern (3/4)
SHD-2H Shadow Hawk (3/4)
SHD-2H Shadow Hawk (3/4)
WHM-6R Warhammer (2/3)
CRB-27 Crab (3/4)
CRB-27 Crab (3/4)
CRB-27 Crab (3/4)
WTH-1 Whitworth (2/3)
WTH-1 Whitworth (3/4)
WTH-1 Whitworth (3/4)
WTH-1 Whitworth (3/4)
Objective; destroy the guard force, steal warehoused equipment.
Special conditions: Mike's Murderhobos have a technical advantage, disregard minimum range penalties on PPC, Autocannon, and LRM weapons in the hands of the Murderhobos. Autocannons (class 5) fire double-rate per the Ultra Autocannon rules and disregard minimum ranges.
Aftermath; Comstar's internal investigation pointed to simple random violence of the succession war, and a number of bounties were issued for Bandit, Pirate, and unregistered mercenaries in the region when ROM confirmed that it wasn't an action by the nearest Great Houses.
Comstar sites gained heavier protection as a direct outcome.
Map selection: Place the HPG complex on an urban mapsheet, with rolling terrain open maps on the adjoining faces. Conditions will be low light/full darkness (see 'Night Operations', 'Weather') conditions should be rainy conditions.
[Co-Author]Everything anyone should need to complete the above scenario in MegaMek. Since I don’t know how to actually script MegaMekHQ scenarios to utilize a specific map and a scripted enemy force and I can’t seem to find an option for rolling maps you’ll probably just want to use the savegame file and load that in MegaMek and use the custom designs. If I’ve done it right all you need to do is unzip, copy/paste this into your MekHQ/MegaMek directory, and say replace if prompted. If you don’t get that prompt something has gone wrong.[Co-Author]
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===Act 4===
Steph felt herself relax. The last defending mech was down. She worked the controls of her mech and dropped the arm of the Whitworth she had just used moments ago to bludgeon its former owner into submission.
Styles stood her Wolverine over the warehouse where the research was located. It wasn’t long before the flatbed truck rolled up.
They quickly used their ‘mechs to move the larger containers to the truck. The volunteers strapped them into place and grabbed the smaller items too delicate for mech hand actuators and secured those too.
To help sell the illusion that they were pirates they filled the last few bits of space on the flatbed truck with whatever else looked like it had been stolen from someone else.
“Clock’s ticking.” Mike warned.
“Last container secured. We’re good to go.” Lara confirmed.
"Job isn't finished." Vien said, “Feel it?"
It was a reminder of why they were here in the first place. Gotta get them all.
"Which ones are we missing?" This needed answers.
Johnny dismounted and went with Steph into the damaged offices, pistol and submachine-gun work, and more to the point, slicing and data acquisition work.
Confirm the targets. Confirm the kills, locate any targets that weren't on-site.
They still managed to get away from the site before forces could arrive to investigate and react.
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===Act 5===
Somewhere in the former Hegemony, 2825
"This is bigger than one raid," Johnny announced as they docked with their Jumpship. "It's bigger than one raid, or one local command."
"What are we actually looking at?" Mike asked. Steph was with them in the wardroom.
"It's a Policy, Mike," Johnny said. "They're hitting scientists, engineers, libraries, labs… they're dismantling civilization."
"Why?" Steph asked. "Why would they be doing that??"
Johnny brought up the documents they'd taken from the HPG compound's database.
"Because they think it'll end the cycle of war faster," he said. "By crippling recovery, and limiting tech, they think they can exhaust the House Lords faster, and save lives…or at least, that's what these internal documents marked 'Regular Operations Maintenance' are suggesting."
"That's… illogical."
"No, it's logical," Nixon said. "From a certain point of view. No arms limitation treaty has ever stopped a war. But it's hard to wage a technological war if… if you don't have the gear. And Lords… they're like anyone else who's at least taken a basic course in logistics-if you can't arm your troops,and you can't equip them, and you can't recover from losses… You avoid fighting until you can."
"So… what do we do, Steph? You're not just a member, you're a Client." Mike asked.
Steph frowned. "Did you get the identity of the guys who hit my lab, specifically?"
"Yeah… and the guy who gave them their orders TO hit the lab. A check on the planetary net showed the Adept who passed the order down went into a coffee shop's bathroom in town, and ate his sidearm. The hitters were at the site, we got most of them-except for the suicides."
"We can't complete the promise if they're already dead," Theresa observed.
"And the people in charge of them are out of reach… for now, at least," Steph realized. "Well, I don't want to be murdered after I surface again… and I need a job. So, can I stay?"
"I think that would be for the best," Theresa agreed. “There are many people who will need our help, and in the end I will need the help of many more people before I can exact my own justice.”
"We'll have to repair and prepare," Mike said. "We also need more intel, and do not need to be noticed by the Communications Ministry… at least, not as 'ourselves'."
“Time is our ally in this. We can afford to be patient. They will eventually forget or dismiss us as tall tales.” Theresa added.
The others thought about it, and nodded agreement.
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