FRS Chpt 3

==Falcon Rising - Chapter 3 -==
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===Taming of a Best Friend===
Unknown world, 3049
Location: Unknown Star system, Deep Periphery
"Sit," I gave the appropriate hand gesture and the eight legged wolf-like creature sat, its mouth open as it panted, eyeing the treat as I ran the trained pup through its paces. 
 
"Good girl," I tossed the piece of cooked chicken to the dog, running my fingers along the snout and scratching hard enough that two legs began to pound the floor while her tail wagged. 
 
It had been a long fifty years or so. And while I'd spent a couple of decades in Cryo, I found that I'd much rather spend time outside and learning more about this strange world I'd found myself in. 
 
The Bobby B was regularly scrubbed clean and repainted when I had the time, and the pair of tractors were highly maintained as well, with gleaming parts from the last maintenance run that I'd spent working on them. The Industrialmechs purred when I cycled them and powered them on, the fusion engines having been fine tuned over the years until I'd dialed in exactly the way I wanted them to work. 
 
This, this might not have been the life that I'd have chosen for myself. But, as I turned and considered my farm, the generations of tamed Octo-wolves guarding the chickens and the other creatures I'd trained over the years. With patrols of two or three circling the clearing while I walked Gray around. 
 
I had considered returning to the Manasses a few times to see if there were anything left that I might want to strip from the Warship, but had discarded such thoughts years ago. Instead finding solace in the machinery and animals that I was working with. 
 
"Gray," I whistled, the girl returning to my side as I walked around the fenced in perimeter of my property. "What do you say we go for a ride?" I stroked her neck as she leaned into my side. 
 
Gray barked in return and ran to the Bobby B, waiting patiently for me to begin climbing up the ladder. 
 
"Up," I instructed, and she bolted up and into the cockpit of the 'Mech.
 
"Good girl," I gave her a treat before putting the cooling vest I'd cut and fitted for her body onto her, strapping her into the jumpseat before pulling my own cooling vest on and powering on the Warhammer's reactor. 
 
"You ready, girl?" I asked as she wagged her tail excitedly, she loved being in the cockpit with me when we moved at a full run, the XL engine of the 6Rk meaning that we were faster than any heavy 'Mech had the right to be. 
Then, we stepped over the fence I'd build a few years back and walked, jogged, and ran down the now worn paths into the forests and mountains of the local region. There was more mapping to be done. And this world had so much to offer that I was surprised that it hadn't already been settled. It was obvious that DoME had spent some time terraforming it at some point and the odds were it was just another abandoned Star League Project. 
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===Dinner Time with Gray===
A few days later…
"We're home, Gray," I walked my 'Mech back into the clearing, my beard having grown a bit ragged while we were gone. "Let's get some grub and settle down."
 
Shutting down the 'Mech and opening the hatch, I unstrapped the cooling vest from the dog and climbed down the ladder. Then I whistled sharply and Gray jumped down into my arms, her tongue finding my face before I set her down as her tail wagged fiercely.
 
"Down girl," I set her down and walked her through some of our tricks again. "Let's do a quick look through and then we'll see about getting some food."
 
We made our way through the fields, making sure that everything looked good before heading for the cabin, Gray nudged the door open with a small lever I'd put in place before sitting at her spot beside the table. 
 
"What are we feeling today?" I called out as I pulled ingredients from the refrigerator. "Chicken? Some venison?"
 
I got a bark in response.
 
"Right, we had chicken while on the trip, so venison it is," I pulled out a couple of massive flank steaks and popped them on the grill after seasoning them properly. 
 
"What do we want as a side?" I asked, a smile on my face. 
 
Another bark.
 
"You're right, steak and potatoes do go really well together," I pulled out some potatoes I'd pre-sliced and salted before prepping the fryer. "And what'd ya think, beer or vodka?" 
 
"Beer it is," I answered before Gray barked, pulling a giant coffee mug out and filling it with the homemade brew. 
 
And as I cooked the food, I enjoyed the company of my dog, a guitar I'd found among the personal effects in my hand as I absentmindedly strummed through some songs I had learned and created. 
 
Checking the steaks, I pulled Gray's out, the rare, and still bloody stake just slightly warmed up while I let mine get to a perfect medium rare before pulling it and the fries. 
 
"For the lady of the house," I set the steak in the wooden bowl I'd carved before pouring some of the beer into a drinking dish. Then I sat down, said grace and dug into the food. 
 
"So," I began talking. "I was thinking about that valley to the south that we started exploring last year. I think there might be some caves there. Thought we should go check it out. What do you think?"
 
Gray seemed to raise an eyebrow at me while she licked some of the seasoning from her lips before lapping up some of the beer. 
 
"Yeah yeah, dinner first," I shrugged, stopping the conversation and just enjoying the food. "Exploration later."
 
After eating and cleaning up from dinner, I sat on the bed and patted it, Gray hopping up beside me and curling up into her regular spot as I lay down and closed my eyes. 
 
"Same thing tomorrow?" I winked at the snoring dog. "Right," I muttered. "Same thing tomorrow.
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===Would be Rescuer===
I woke up to an alarm and my dog barking, and given my phone had died twenty years ago, I didn't recognize it, scrambling into my clothes, I made my way to the old comms beacon I'd set up when I first arrived, a light flickering as it shuddered when I depressed the button to switch the speakers on.
 
"I'll have to remember to maintain that too," I glanced at Gray as her ears stopped laying down when the alarm shut off. "Now let's see what we have here."
 
<<"This is Star Colonel Marthe Pryde of the Jade Falcon Clan, responding to the emergency transponder of the SLS Last of Us.">>
 
"This is Mark Hull, last survivor of the Manassas, can I help you with something?" I responded, raising an eyebrow at the oddness of the situation.
 
<<"Our records place you and the crew of the Manassas as deserters, how do you respond, Quiaff?">>
 
"I was a civilian," I shrugged as if she could see me. "I was stuck in cryo and woke up a while ago on a ship I didn't know how to repair, I then made my way here and settled down. I'm not sure what more you want from me."
 
There was silence from the beacon for a time before a response finally came.
 
<<"Prepare yourself, Freebirth,">> the feminine voice finally spoke again. <<"I will challenge you, and if you should survive, then we will see whether you are telling the truth of the matter or not.">>
 
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===Futile Fight for Freedom===
"Well, Gray," I sighed as she made her way up the ladder and took her seat, ignoring my command to stay. "It looks like we've got a fight on our hands."
 
Shaking my head at the stubborn dog I strapped her cooling vest around her and allowed her to lick my face, a smile spreading as she did so.
 
"Good girl," I scratched her ear as I secured her harness. "You ready for this?" I sat down and keyed the start of the Bobby B, the engine rumbling to life as the ancient Gunslinger's 'Mech roared to life, the well maintained weapons and chassis nearly gleaming with a fresh coat of SLDF standard Green.
 
"Let's see what you Clan warriors have got," I muttered as I set my weapons up in a way I'd found I preferred them.
 
<{"Enemy detected,"}> Betty informed me as a Summoner stepped out of the distant trees, my eyes and aged brain reminding me of what 'mech I was facing even if the 'Hammer's warbook couldn't.
 
"This is going to go poorly," I sighed as s pair of lasers narrowly missed, carving burn marks into the my recently harvested fields and setting small fires among the dried out corn and barley husks that remained. 
 
I twisted to the side as a handful of missiles arced towards my torso, the warheads screaming past as I snapped off a PPC bolt, the shot going wide and tearing a tree in half as a slightly smaller pair of beams melted off some of my armor, a small group of missiles pockmarking different sections of my 'Mech's shoulders.
 
I cruised forward, allowing her to think my 'Hammer was stock before I slammed my feet down on the pedals and moved closer at near maximum pace for a stock 'Hammer. My SRMs were plucked from the sky by an Anti-Missile System but my lasers weren't, the medium beams burned through the air and found purchase in armor when a PPC followed up, the EMP hardened systems of the twin 'Mechs blurring out for a second before the connection was restored. 
 
Then I was in short range, and forgoing any subtlety, I tucked into a run that bordered on 86 kp/h, accelerating from my moderate pace to max in a few short seconds, and then tucking down, I slammed my 'mech's right shoulder into the Summoner, driving it back as its feet carved furrows into the ground.
 
While the Clan 'mech rocked back, I slapped the button that was carefully labeled "do not touch!", all of my weapons carving away armor and revealing the reactor on the other 'mech before a diagnostic showed that quite a few of my double heatsinks had been damaged in the engagement, I had ignored the warning signs and trusted that my near thirteen tons of armor would see me safe. But I was wrong, and my mech began shutting down from the excess heat as sweat soaked through my shirt. 
 
"You fight well for a freebirth," Marthe said as she kicked over my unresponsive 'Hammer and pointed her lasers at my cockpit. "I hereby claim you as a bondsman of Jade Falcon, Freebirth Hull. Surrender your 'mech and this world to us."
 
"Powering down now," I replied tersely, my hands shaking in anger as I began shutting down the Warhammer before popping the hatch and leaning over to unstrap Gary, the cool air washing over me as I pulled a fresh pair of jeans and flannel from my footlocker and onto my body. 
 
"Well," I sighed and looked at Gray, pulling out a pair of cigars I had held onto from the Manassas. " Gray, I Guess this is as good a time as any to enjoy one last smoke." 
 
Lighting the cigar, I puffed on it, handing the now lit cigar to Gray before lighting my own, showing the dog how to enjoy the smoke as we watched a handful of dropships began their descent, the fusion torches lighting up the atmosphere while a pair of Elementals climbed up onto my 'Hammer. 
 
"One minute," I waved them off as I leaned back. "I'm just enjoying my last taste of freedom." 
 
After I finished my cigar and stubbed out Gray's, the Elementals escorted me to the base of the Summoner." 
 
"You fight well for a freebirth and old man." a woman dropped down the ladder, her neurohelmet in hand. "You will serve the Clan well, and perhaps earn a place among our warriors eventually," she wrapped a braided and corded bracelet around my wrist. "This marks you as a Bondsman, you will be learn your place soon enough."
She surveyed the surroundings, nodding at the farmland and the status of the machines. 
 
"You have done well in maintaining this. You will find a place among the technicians if nothing else." 
 
She then waved me off and began heading for the Last of Us, she nodded at the Elementals and they began escorting me away, Gray following with her tail tucked between her legs.
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