Draconis Combine military leaders seemed to be sending Sho-sa Vance Rezak to his death when they ordered his battalion of Pesht Regulars to chase down and destroy the Band of the Damned. Later, DCMS commanders ignored Rezak’s requests for supplies, reinforcements and rescue when the Regulars’ jumpship was damaged. When Rezak finally defeated the leader of the Damned, he installed himself as head of the pirates and in good samurai fashion launched a vendetta against his betrayers. I call that justice. I also call it damned amusing.

-Paula ‘Lady Death’ Trevaline

 

 

Imperial City, Luthien

Pesht Military District, Draconis Combine

3^rd September 3068

 

“AIIEEEEE! Hentai!” Screams from the corridor outside could be heard through the open doorway as a mob of enraged female palace servants rampaged through the narrow passageway. There wasn’t a lot of them left, after the Coordinator has allowed the bulk of the household servants to melt quietly into the city. But the remainder was still a pretty substantial force.

Isis didn’t need to look out to know who they were after. She looked at the warriors gathered around the table clutching playing cards, and they ran the gamut of expressions, from Descartin’s exasperated look, Yoshino’s sheer resignation, to Secorra’s guardedly and appropriately poker face.

There was a loud thump, or more accurately, a series of thumps, and then the swarm of angry women stomped away back through the corridor, all muttering angrily amongst themselves.

A disheveled and bruised Ryo Saeba staggered into the ready room moments later, clutching the few ‘prizes’ he was able to hang on to in the face of ‘overwhelming odds’. His leg was still in bandages, but he did not seem too bothered by it. He grinned triumphantly at the two women in the room, before plopping himself beside Yoshino. He made a show of taking out the lingerie and mashing them into his face, to the groans of disgust from the other warriors.

After being baited like that, Isis had half a mind to smack the revolting DCMS mechwarrior silly herself, but it was considered below a noble like her to sully her hands with a low class pervert like him. Even Descartin had given up on trying to dissuade him. Yoshino Ihara did not even bother to try.

To make matters worse, her latest bodyguard from the Otomo, Sho-sa Eleanor ‘Red Witch’ Shimazu, did not even seem to mind. Eleanor, or Lainie as she preferred to be called by others, had been forced onto the off duty list of the Otomo roster due to her pregnancy, and she would not have been asked to escort Isis at all if not for the sheer losses the Otomo had taken.

Isis had heard many strange stories about her latest bodyguard, rumored to be the oyabun of Hachiman. The idea of a career criminal serving in such a distinguished position in House Kurita, and a woman at that, was highly confounding. Even more amazing was the identity of her husband, Takura Migaki, Assistant Director of the ISF, who had apparently swept the hard-as-nails Red Witch off her feet about ten years ago. Obviously, the two did not fit any profile of a normal Combine family. Migaki was stuck in the palace as well, doing what he did best, spreading propaganda and organizing filming teams for the defense to boost morale.

“Hah! Full house!” Daisuke Ichikawa placed his cards on the table, smiling from ear to ear, even as the other three players grunted in response and revealed their hands. He refrained from laughing at his luck though, because of the wounds that had yet to recover after he had been shot in the belly days ago. He was clad in a hospital gown, and apparently still unfit for duty.

Not for the first time, Isis wondered at the members of Descartin’s Lance Omega, which had already amassed a formidable reputation as they had repulsed one assault after another against overwhelming odds. They were a far cry from the prim and proper Knights of the Inner Sphere her father had gathered around him, yet their exploits were, even by the exacting standards of the Otomo, already legendary.

Descartin had not been hurt after the initial escape towards the palace, and the wounds on his back from the Light Anti-tank Weapon attack did not hinder his abilities in combat. He had racked up an amazing number of kills so far, but Isis worried that his luckj would run out sooner or later.

Yoshino Ihara had taken more than his share of cuts and wounds throughout the siege, as evidenced by the various small bandages over his face and arms, but he was not too troubled by them. As far as Isis could tell, Yoshino had been Descartin’s bondsman and chief henchman for a long time, and the two warriors worked together flawlessly, both on and off the field.

The solahma Secorra was an enigma. Quiet and reticent, he spoke only when talked to. Isis knew that he was once one of Descartin’s instructors, but neither man would reveal more.

Two days ago, Secorra had ejected from his shattered Black Hawk-Ku during a near suicide run by the unit on a Dragon Legion supply dump that had delayed the Black Dragons’ assault, and had almost all his limbs broken when he crashed into a building on his ejection. He was playing poker with his intact left arm, while his other limbs were all swathed with bandages. He sat on a wheelchair, and he was supposed to be in the sickbay, but had managed to persuade his nurse to let him out.

Isis wished it had been Ryo Saeba who had gotten those wounds instead. His antics were raising the blood pressure of every female left in the Palace, and only the need for every fully trained and combat-fit mechwarrior prevented the Otomo from throwing him into the brig for ‘improper conduct’. Both Descartin and Yoshino had asked him to tone it down, but Ryo claimed it eased the tension for him.

If the situation wasn’t so serious, she might have it slightly amusing.

“Fold.” Yoshino Ihara shook his head in disappointment, while Descartin and Secorra did likewise, placing their cards on the table. They all looked to the clock on one side of the wall as Daisuke gathered up the cards to shuffle them.

“What time do you think the briefing would be?” Ryo asked.

“It does not matter.” Descartin replied, the only one who did not look at the clock. “The Coordinator will call for us when we are needed.”

“Well, he had better some brilliant plan ready, or all of us are going to be dead,” Secorra stated matter-of-factly, seemingly not distressed by his pronouncement of doom.

“The Tono is a man of great skill, don’t sell him short.” Lainie retorted. “He’ll find a way out.”

Yoshino had opened his own mouth to add his two cents when the PA system blared out.

“Lance Omega, Sho-sa Eleanor Shimazu, please report to briefing room 4A. Lance Omega, Sho-sa Eleanor Shimazu, please report to briefing room 4A.”

Isis caught Descartin’s eye as he stood up, and grasped his hand. She did not speak, but tried to express her concern for him through her face and the hand contact. He nodded slightly, and squeezed her hand slightly. Then he left the room, leaving her with the two injured warriors.

He eyes seemed to tell her, everything’s going to be fine.

She certainly hoped so.

 

They entered the dimly lit briefing room together, and Descartin noted the presence of several other DCMS officers. The room was dominated by a long oval shaped conference table with a holotank in its middle, and Theodore sat at the far end, flanked by some of his closest advisors.

“Welcome, Star Captain.” Theodore said without preamble. “Please, have a seat.”

What is this about now? Descartin thought he took a place. The last time his unit had arrived for such a meeting, Theodore had sent his lance on a near impossible deep strike mission that nearly cost them Secorra‘s life, and did cost them his Black Hawk-Ku. Yes, it had been a good move on Theodore’s part, but it made Descartin remember an old adage. Take more than your fair share of objectives, and you will be given more than your fair share of objectives to take.

The holotank sprang to life. Descartin noted with some surprise that it showed the environs of the Kado-Guchi Valley, which he was quite familiar with, even if it had already been fifteen years ago since he was there. He also noted the relative absence of enemy forces in the valley.

“Our stand here is doomed.” Theodore said grimly. “We can hold out for another two weeks, but not more than that. I had thought to bunker down and wait for reinforcements, but recent messages we had received from our black boxes indicated that all nearby loyalist regiments are caught up in their own struggles, and those which are free are in no position to arrive in time. As a result, our only option is to retreat and save as much of the personnel here as possible.”

“Through the Kado-Guchi Valley,” said Descartin.

“Hai.” Theodore’s eye seemed to gleam for an instant. “We have several dropships in the Waseda Hills, and also an Invader-class jumpship hidden at a pirate point in the system. It’ll be an easy run to the jumpship once the dropships lift. Only problem is getting the evacuees to the dropship safely, and that is where your lance comes in.”

“Tono, I don’t understand,” Ryo Saeba said, his attitude dead serious, his frivolity of a moment ago gone as he glanced at the holotank. “Why not send the entire Otomo along with you? Why just us?”

Theodore exchanged looks with ISF Director Ninyu-Kerai Indrahar, who was standing impassively in one corner, before announcing, “You are mistaken. I will not be leaving Luthien.”

Yoshino blurted out, “Tono! You must retreat! The Combine depends on you!”

“Iie.” Theodore sighed heavily. “It doesn’t. Think about it, all of you. Why would the Black Dragons have left such an obvious path offworld?”

They all stared at Theodore in confusion, before Descartin spoke up. “The path offworld is relatively clear. You could leave Luthien.” Then he realized what it actually meant. “Neg, they want you to leave Luthien.”

Theodore smiled bleakly. “Duke Ricol is a clever one, I grant him that. He offers me this way out, knowing that if I should retreat, I would have lost my honor in the eyes of the Combine. Appearances are important, Star Captain, and if Luthien should fall, the Coordinator will have to fall with it, or his line will forever be disgraced for his cowardice.”

“But if you stay, you will die.”

“Hai.” Theodore nodded. “That is the deviousness of Ricol’s plans. Either way, he gets rid of me. I do not mind death, but I worry for the Combine if it should fall under the control of the Black Dragons. Because of this, I cannot run. A samurai’s death in battle. What more can I ask for?” Looking around, Descartin saw that they had all been resigned to the Coordinator’s decision, because he was right. There was no other way.

Theodore paused, “But I still have an obligation to Hohiro, which is why we will be transferring all the important data and records here away to the jumpship. He will find those files useful when he reclaims the Combine.”

“But what about the Otomo?” asked Yoshino. Then realization dawned on him as well. “Most of them will never leave your side, not even if you order them.”

“There is another reason.” Theodore said as he pressed a button on a panel in the table. The holotank image zoomed into the city. “Units leaving the Palace would be vulnerable to enemy attacks before they even reach the valley. I will be leading the Otomo to tie up the Black Dragons in their sectors for as long as possible. They would not be expecting a forward defense strategy, and that should enable us to buy you enough time.”

“You mean to say we’ll be escorting the data to the dropships,” said Ryo. “What about the rest of the Palace personnel?”

“All the wounded and injured will be on the convoy. Star Captain Winters, your lance is short one member, which is why, against my better judgment, I am posting Sho-sa Shimazu to your lance, which will be in charge of the convoy’s defense.”

“Tono!” Lainie, who had been quiet so far, started to protest. “You can’t…”

Theodore turned to Lainie. “I can, and I have. Your husband will be one of those in the convoy, and while I appreciate your courage and loyalty, the child in your womb is innocent. I would have asked you to sit this out entirely if it had been possible, but we could not break up any of the remaining Otomo units, and that left you as the last mechwarrior we have left to fill out Lance Omega.”

“Welcome aboard, Sho-sa.” Descartin spoke softly. “I do not like this any more than you do, but the Coordinator is right. This is the only way out.” He let out a long breath. “I just wish you had chosen another lance, sir.”

“Your lance is the best I have, and while I would have liked to fight alongside you, I can only entrust the safety of my grandson and the Duchess Marik to my very best, and that is you, Star Captain. And another point in your favor is that you had fought in that very same valley before, which is something that very few warriors here have done. Most of the warriors from the battle years ago had already retired.”

“I had figured as much. What else do I have, other than a lance of mechs?”

“We have about two companies of APCs, which would be deployed to transport the personnel and data, and several Maxim transport hovertanks loaded with two platoons of Raiden and Kage battlearmor. A lance of Sprint Scout Choppers would be your forward recon, with another lance of Arquebus OmniVTOLs as support, while I still have a company of aerospace fighters left to cover your run and the dropships as they lift off. Do you know how to handle vehicle units?”

Descartin nodded. For once, he was grateful for his time with the Hell’s Horses, who used combined arms tactics extensively. “Likely opposition?” He walked around the table, staring at the holographic image.

“From the interrogation of captured warriors, we know there are 3 rebel regiments present in Imperial City. The 7^th Sword, and the 1^st and 3^rd Dragon Legions. Most of them are in the city, but as you can see, there are mech units roaming around in the valley as well. Some of the captured warriors have spoken of rumors concerning a fourth regiment on world, and they might very well be lying in wait along the valley. In addition, they still have substantial artillery assets, even if you had destroyed a great number during your strike two days back.” Theodore turned his head to look at Descartin. “This will likely be your greatest challenge yet.”

Descartin looked back at him steadily. “I promise you I will do everything in my power to ensure that Kitsune gets to safety.”

Theodore smiled slightly. “I know.” He walked to a nearby closet, where he took out a clothed bundle. “For what you had done for the Combine, without asking for any reward, I can only offer you this in return. Please kneel, Star Captain.”

Puzzled, Descartin did as he was told. Then he saw Theodore unwrap the bundle, revealing two swords in their scabbards, a katana and a wakizashi, and he began to understand. This particular set looked different from the set Yoshino carried, and Descartin got the feeling there was a history behind it.

The scabbards were night black, threaded with intricate thin gold lines. The hilts were wrapped in gray cord, and the pommel-cap and crossguard were the same pattern as the scabbard. The swords looked deadly and magnificent at the same time. Descartin almost felt himself being pulled towards the blades.

Theodore presented the swords to Descartin, who stared stupidly at them for several seconds before Yoshino hissed. “Take them!”

His hands moving of their own accord, Descartin grabbed the swords. He held them in front of him, not knowing what to do next. Again, it was Yoshino who came to his aid, speaking sotto voce. “Take the swords and slide them into your belt on your left hip. Then bow, as deeply and respectfully as you can.”

Descartin did as he was told, his head almost touching the floor when he bowed. Theodore bowed back, not as deeply, but that was only to be expected. He was still master of the place.

Theodore explained, “I am sorry I can only do this with so few witnesses around, but with the majority of my men preparing for combat, the people present in this room would have to suffice. I know this might not seem like much, and I apologize if you feel this was a slight in any fashion.”

“No, sir, this is not. I am more honored than you will ever know.” Descartin could not help but feel that there was something fundamentally right about his having the katana and wakizashi. “I am just surprised by this. I am not a citizen of the Combine.”

“It does not matter. The daisho will mark you forever as a warrior of the greatest repute and skill. You may not be samurai by training, but you have shown by your actions that you are more than worthy of the title, of the path of bushido. This is just my way of validating what everybody here already knew. Stand up, Star Captain, and have a seat.”

“Sir, I thank you for the honor you have shown me.” Descartin repeated as he sat down.

Theodore said conversationally, “There is a history behind this particular set of swords, and one that you might be interested in. In many ways, it is tied to your heritage.”

His curiosity piqued, Descartin asked, “What do you mean?”

“During the age of the Star League, there were numerous mech duels amongst the ronin warriors of the Combine and the soldiers of the Star League Defense Force. Because the champions of the Dragon won with alarming ease in the beginning, many warriors from other realms would step in to help uphold the honor of the Star League.”

“In one particular duel, Teruaki Masumoto, then the Grand Champion of the Combine, and holder of the swords you now possess, faced a woman warrior from the Free Worlds League, who had offered to fight for the Star League. Her name was Julia Winters.”

“She was my ancestor?”

“Yes. Teruaki underestimated his opponent, because she was a woman, and lost his fight. More importantly, because he had boasted long and loud about how he was going to win, his loss was doubly disgraceful. Unable to take the stain on his honor, and not having earned the right to seppuku, he returned these swords to the Combine, struck away his own family name, and resolved never to return until he had redeemed his honor.”

“So what happened to him?”

Theodore offered a rare grin. “He ended up marrying Julia Winters. And he never really redeemed his honor, nor returned to the Combine.”

Everybody in the room stared at the Coordinator in disbelief before Descartin broke the silence.

“So this belonged to my ancestor.” Descartin said slowly, looking at the swords that hung at his side. It was as though they had always been there, even though he had worn them for less than five minutes.

“Yes. It was only because of the evacuation that this bit of ancient history came up, or I would have sent this daisho to the Winters bloodhouse of Clan Nova Cat years ago.”

The mention of the evacuation hinted that the time for talk was over, as Theodore continued in a business voice. “The jumpship will be jumping out to Avon, where you should be able to hold out for reinforcements.” He turned to Yoshino. “You have extensive estates there, Yoshino Ihara. In order to facilitate matters, I am naming you as the daimyo of Avon, and you will receive the papers just before you leave.” Ignoring Yoshino’s choked protests, Theodore said, “The ISF propaganda division will help you solidify your grip on the world once you get there. Avon and Kilmarnock are very critical, because any attempt to retake Luthien will depend on them as jump off points. Do you understand me, Daimyo Ihara?”

Descartin saw Yoshino swallow hard before nodding. Well, there settles the matter of his being my bondsman once and for all.

“We have two hours left. Star Captain, I suggest you get to briefing room 2F to discuss with your commanders. Meeting is adjourned.”

As they walked out of the room, all of them were aware that it would be the last time they would ever see Theodore Kurita alive again.

 

Yoshino was still grappling with his sudden ascension into the nobility when he led his Nobori-Nin out of the mechbay behind Lainie’s Mauler and Ryo’s Avatar. Daimyo of Avon? Him? A warrior who had not even been in the Combine for the past fifteen years, fighting for its enemies?

He didn’t know if he should laugh or cry. Add to that the fact that the Dragon would likely be dying this day, and he found himself dreading the uncertainty of the future.

“Attention, all warriors, this is Omega Five.” Descartin’s voice came over the comms in his neurohelmet. The entire evacuation battalion was tied into the command circuit, even the battlearmor units, which were led by Tai-sho Michael Ryan of the DEST. ”The Coordinator himself will be leading the Otomo into close combat with the enemy units in ten minutes. Our objective is to defend the APCs as they move through the city and the Kado-Guchi Valley. Twitty Five, I want your VTOLs to dash out and give us some forward cover once the attack starts. The rest of you will proceed at your best speed along the route indicated in your maps.”

Like most good plans, Descartin’s scheme was a simple one. Use the Sprints to screen for enemy units and scan for mines and other hidden obstacles. The mechs would be the heavy striking force, with the Maxims covering their flanks. The battlearmor would be deployed to clear any mines found, as well as provide close in melee ability in the forested areas of the Waseda Hills.

What could kill them was artillery, as well as aerospace fighters. And Yoshino got the feeling that just one air company was not going to be enough.

Whatever the case, Yoshino was sure his Nobori-Nin would be ready. It had been configured specially for the mission at hand, packing an LBX autocannon for dealing with aerospace fighters, as well as an array of LRM racks for general fighting. He would leave the heavy mech hunting to the others.

Furthermore, the techs had managed to plug in a C3 slave unit into the clan mech after much hard work, which allowed him to share in the targeting data from the other mechs, as long as Ryo’s Avatar did not get cut of by enemy ECM. A hastily installed secondary screen indicated the network status on his left console.

Descartin’s own Akuma was still pretty much the same. Ugly, slow, but brutally effective in the hands of a master mechwarrior like Descartin. Ryo’s Avatar had not changed much either, packing its dual PPC and C3 master array. Lainie’s Mauler was the new version rolling off the lines at Luthien Armor Works just two weeks ago. It had lost the XL engine, replaced the AC/2s with rotary autocannon technology taken from the Federated Suns, and was twice as deadly as the original.

They waited at the various exit points of the palace, waiting for the Otomo’s attack to begin. The air was thick with tension, and Yoshino imagined the various civilians and personnel packed in the APCs nervously waiting for the ball to drop. The soldiers had it easier because of their training, but he could still feel the doubts creeping up at the back of his mind.

Would I live to fight another day? What if I get captured? What if I let my comrades down? What should I do when I run out of ammo? When somebody gets into my rear? Who’s that waiting over the next hilltop?

Even though Yoshino was a battle hardened veteran of extensive combat experience, he couldn’t keep all those doubts sealed away. He tried to meditate, but the steady chatter of voices over the comms made it difficult.

Then the words they had been anticipating, had been dreading, arrived. “The Otomo has engaged.”

“Go, go, go!” Descartin yelled. The VTOLs sprang into the air from their bays, while the APCs moved into the city. The mechs followed close behind as a rearguard while in the city. The Maxims flanked the column, going down parallel streets that would also lead them out of the city.

“Omega Five, this is Twitty Two. We detect enemy vehicles in the way!” One of the Sprint pilots reported almost immediately. “About a lance, on Cherry Street!” That placed them right in the column’s path.

“Aff. Silver Five, move your vehicles up to the adjacent street and dismount your battlearmor troops.” Silver Five was the designation for the Maxim unit CO, and they probably knew what the plan was, because there were a few troopers armed with inferno rounds riding the Maxims. Descartin intended to cook the Black Dragons in flame.

The column did not slow down as the Maxims barreled ahead, while the VTOLs continued to circle around the area well out of range of their enemies, while scanning constantly for more at the same time.

The operation to take out the vehicles in their path went off without a hitch. It was barely twenty seconds before Tai-sho Ryan reported the neutralization of the enemy vehicles.

“They know what we’re doing.” Yoshino told Descartin. “I don’t think we killed them fast enough. They probably got a report off.”

“Aff. But there is no point in second guessing at this stage.”

They moved quickly but cautiously through the battle ravaged landscape of Imperial City. Once prosperous and nosy streets lined with shops were now quiet asphalt roads clogged by rubble. The Maxims had to detour several times in order to stay on the same general direction. The Sprints hovered overhead, constantly on the move to ensure maximum recon coverage.

They moved out of the city without any problems, but the dull roar of battle, even from several kilometers away, was audible. The loud thumps of artillery pieces send slight shockwaves through the ground, and more than one stray shell had almost hit the column snaking its way through the ruined city.

Like furtive thieves, they crawled across the Kado-Guchi Plains, expecting an assault from the air at any moment. Meanwhile, the chatter of radio from the ongoing battle in the city spoke well of the Coordinator’s forward defense strategy. The Black Dragons were shocked by the sudden rush of Otomo into their midst, and they seemed to be falling back even as their other units were closing in on the Otomo.

It was not long before the Kado-Guchi Valley laid ahead of them, and Yoshino tried to suppress a shudder. It was not the classic box canyon valley, being about a kilometer wide, but the slopes were close enough for a well placed ambush anyway.

But we have no other choice, Yoshino knew as the lead vehicles moved in. I hope Descartin’s plan works.

 

“Contact!” Descartin flicked his eyes over to the beeping icon from the Sprints. “This is Twitty One. Zero eight Mikes, approaching fast!”

“Affirmative. Omega move up.” Descartin snapped off orders. “Antique units, stand ready. Twitty, check the slopes.”

The lead APCs slowed down to let the mechs take the lead, and sure enough, Descartin saw 8 enemy mechs barreling down the valley. Mostly lights, with perhaps three mediums between them.

“Omega, this is Twitty Lead. Lots of Mikes on the northern slope! Also about a battalion of vehicles!”

That was expected. Descartin had figured some sort of opposition to be waiting on the slopes. Because they wanted to have Theodore run, and then cut him down before he got to safety. He would have been really worried if the enemy had crowded the valley itself proper, but their current position gave him a small window of opportunity.

“All units, this is Omega Five. Execute Case Wire.” He was not worried, having anticipated such a move from the Black Dragons. It will be different this time, he told himself, remembering the events of more than fifteen years ago. We will break through.

The Maxims sprang into action. They were all fire support versions modified to carry battle armor infantry, but here their LRM racks were the most crucial. Descartin had ordered them to carry loads of special Thunder Augmented rounds, which would prevent the enemy mechs from storming down into the valley. Well, all but the fastest jumpers, which would inevitably be the more vulnerable machines. And the ground vehicles could not jump at all.

It is never too late to learn new tricks. Descartin grinned humorlessly as the first of the LRM rounds erupted from the fast moving Maxims, even as the enemy mechs on the hills started to move forward. The Sprint Scouts were spotting for the Maxims, but Descartin was not counting on the LRM rounds to land exactly where they were aimed at. He wanted them to scatter, which would pin the enemy mechs on the slopes more effectively than deliberate shots. If they could stop the enemy mechs on the slope in time, the range would be too much for the Black Dragons to shoot at the convoy. If they wanted to get within range, they would have to traverse the minefields. Which was easier said than done.

The two enemy lances in the valley itself came within range. Four by-now ubiquitous Black Dragons, a Raptor, two Striders, and a Wolf Trap.

“Fire at will.” Descartin ordered his lance, pressing down on his firing studs immediately after sliding his targeting cursor over the Raptor.

The particle beam arced right into the middle of the Raptor, followed by a cluster salvo from his LBX cannon. The Raptor crashed to the ground in a flurry of flailing limbs, its gyro and engine shot to pieces before it had even fired off a single reply.

Lainie’s Mauler had sighted in on a Strider, and she was flensing armor off the medium omnimech with her large lasers, followed by several bursts from her RAC/2s. The rapidly firing autocannons spat out hundreds of shells per second, cutting into the Strider, which fell to the ground from the punishing fusillade.

Yoshino used his own LBX cannon to smash into a Black Dragon, hammering off the armor on the arm with the sword, even as his LRM racks shaved protection from all over the mech.

Ryo hung back, using his PPCs to help out Yoshino, the powerful energy whips flaying the Black Dragon relentlessly. It fell to the ground from the punishing assault. But it still hung very much in the fight, raising itself on one arm to fire off its MRMs in a useless gesture of defiance.

The non-battle on the slopes was proceeding as Descartin had hoped. The northern slope was steadily mined with layer after layer of thunder augmented munitions, from both the Maxims and the APC carriers that were within reach. And he still had a few more surprises waiting in store for the mechs on the hills.

“Watch your front!” Lainie shouted in warning.

“Take them down fast!” Descartin went full bore as he moved his Akuma forward, every single weapon except his pulse lasers blazing into the enemy mechs. The wounded Black Dragon on the ground was decapitated by his ER PPC, while his MRM rack and LBX cannon tore fresh holes into another charging Black Dragon. His streak launchers sent missile after missile flying unerringly into the Strider, setting off an ammunition explosion within the mech and leaving it a shattered carcass standing on the field. The heat slammed into him like a wave, as his indicators climbed into the yellow-red zone.

The others ripped into the Wolf Trap and a third Black Dragon, inflicting heavy damage on both. In return, only the Wolf Trap was able to connect with anything, its LRMs slamming into Lainie’s Mauler with little effect. But the Black Dragons were getting perilously close.

“Leave the Wolf Trap to me. The rest of you take the remaining Black Dragons!” He yelled out, while the lance of Arquebus VTOLs started dropping Arrow IV area saturation rounds into the enemy positions on the hills. Massive explosions shook the hilltops, breaking apart trees and sending up massive gouts of dirt in a thunderous roar.

His ER PPC carved away more armor from the Wolf Trap, which began to backpedal after realizing it was severely outgunned by the opposition, spinning around and scooting away at top speed. The Black Dragons kept coming on though.

Yoshino blasted apart one Black Dragon, while Lainie and Ryo managed to shoot the legs off the third one, leaving one left to get into close range.

Except that the APCs strung out behind the lance had sighted in with their LRM launchers as well.

More than a hundred missiles tore into the Black Dragon, which maintained its footing for only the barest instant before Descartin wiped it off the face of Luthien with a MRM salvo.

“More mikes incoming!” Somebody shouted. Descartin blinked sweat off his eyelids, cursing hard. “How many?” He asked.

“About a company of assaults! There’s already 2 full battalions on the hill!” The voice came back, slightly panicked. “Omega, we detect jumpers moving down the hills!”

Not a problem, Descartin forced himself to remain calm. But the sheer scale of the enemy force surprised him. It seemed that there was a full reserve regiment of Black Dragons after all, lying in wait for Theodore. Except that this time, they were facing somebody who had spent countless waking hours thinking of how to beat the valley of death.

“Silver, stay on plan. Pull in your designated fire area about 150 meters south. All Eggs, rendezvous at nav point epsilon. Antiques, do not stop firing.” The Arquebus units could sustain more than 2 minutes of Arrow IV hell.

The battalion reacted swiftly to his orders. The flare of explosions on the hill spoke of the Arrow IVs dropping right on top of the enemy units, while smaller explosions indicated minefields that were set off by the enemy mechs struggling to go down the slope. Descartin looked up to see a massive Atlas crash down the slope, its legs cut off at the knees by walking through extended thunder minefields. The mech’s head crashed into the ground, setting off even more bomblets in ground shaking detonations. There was no ejection.

He spun his attention to his radar, where he could see an assault company slowly approaching from four kilometers out from the far end of the valley, using a feed from one of the Sprints. Stravag.

 

Yoshino glared at his display screens, the images of the insignia of the enemy mechs burning themselves into his memory. It was a black V, set over a burning fire. The Band of the Damned. After so long. I don’t have to look for them at all. They came right to me.

He pressed a button on his communications console. “Omega Five, I know what we’re facing.”

“The enemy regiment?”

“They’re the Band of the Damned, a bunch of pirates led by Vance Rezak. Remember what I told you about him?” He had told Descartin of his vendetta years ago, and Yoshino had never given up hope of one day exacting his own vengeance on Vance Rezak for the death of his parents.

“And you wish to seek your revenge now,” said Descartin slowly.

“I don’t need to seek it. They are coming towards us anyway.”

“Very well.” Descartin’s voice held a steely edge. “All units, we are facing the honorless bandits known as the Band of the Damned. They have been the scourge of the Draconis Combine for years. Let us take the opportunity to teach them a lesson. Let them come to us. Silver, continue laying down your thunder minefields. I do not want mechs pressing us on one side while we tackle the assault company. Antique, fire off all your Arrow IVs. I want them dead or crippled at the least.”

Yoshino could see the assault company would take about two minutes to get into range, while the medium and light jumpers from the woods have managed to escape the cauldron of the hills by jumping through the minefields. Most of them had taken some damage, however, especially on the legs.

“Aim low, aim low!” Ryo noted as his Avatar flung its PPC bolts at a Panther, one shot missing and the other freezing the hip joint on one leg. Sent off balance by the actuator damage, the Panther cartwheeled, only to be picked up by the massed LRM fire of the APCs as the storm of missiles smashed into it, lifting it bodily up into the air for a moment before the Panther flopped down like a broken puppet.

Yoshino picked out a Lynx, his autocannon firing for all it was worth at the dangerous medium mech, supported by his missile racks. Descartin had the same idea as well, adding his own ER PPC and autocannon to the mix of munitions pummeling the Lynx. The Lynx shot back at Descartin, and Yoshino stifled a laugh. Didn’t they know better by now? Firing at Descartin, unless it was at point blank range, was practically useless!

Lainie added to the Lynx’s misery when she unloaded at it with her MRMs. More than 30 missiles struck the Lynx around the head and shoulders, wreathing the mech’s upper torso in a garland of blooming flames. They subsided to show a headless mech, which crashed onto the ground moments later.

More mechs were streaming down, and it seemed like one huge shooting gallery to Yoshino as the Maxims, having fired off all their thunder rounds, switched to loads of semi-guided ammunition, with the Sprints swooping in on selected targets to designate with their Target Acquisition Gear, braving the occasional shot by a pirate mech.

The bulk of the enemy fire was focused on Descartin’s Akuma, and all of it was missing the target as the Akuma moved with a grace that belied its size, crouching and changing the direction of its movement to thwart the enemy fire.

A tone sounded as Yoshino locked onto a Firestarter, indicating that the mech had been successfully designated by one of the Sprints. He fired off all his LRMs at the poor Firestarter, which was also the recipient of more missiles from Ryo’s Avatar. The Firestarter managed to shrug off the missile impacts, but smoke bellowed out of its central vents, indicating damage to its engine. Descartin finished it off with a lightning bolt straight through the middle.

“Brace yourselves!” Descartin warned them as a lance of battered mediums managed to break through. They went straight for the Akuma, Descartin dropping a Phoenix Hawk with his MRMs and a burst of laser fire.

A Black Dragon slashed at the Akuma, tearing off a huge chunk of armor off the right flank with the deadly sword. It followed up with a blast of laser shots, boiling away more armor off the Akuma. However, Yoshino was not worried. The Akuma was an assault mech, and more than capable of taking whatever the Black Dragon could dish out.

The Black Dragon was vaporized the next moment as Descartin turned his guns on it, while the other two mechs, a Komodo and a Wolverine, were left in twisted heaps from the combined firepower of a company of APCs and the other three Omega mechs. There were no more mechs charging down the hills, and the remaining mechs on the hills were apparently pulling back after sustaining serious damage from the Arquebus.

“Swing back along the valley to receive the assault company,” Descartin said. “I am taking the lead. Silver, inverted V formation. Antiques, if you have any missiles left, it is time to use them.”

“Omega Five, Twitty Three. At least zero six Foxtrots approaching!”

Looks like they’ve finally unleashed their fighters. Yoshino gritted his teeth. This is going to be tricky. He saw a beeping signal light up, indicating that Descartin had finally called in their own air support to cover them.

“Thinking of running away, Kurita?” A haughty voice said over the open frequency. “That was a nice trick with the thunder augmented rounds, but my fighters are on the way. It’s been fun, but it looks like you have to die now.”

“This is Tai-i Ryo Saeba of the Legions of Vega. Go fuck yourself!” Ryo shot back. Yoshino could very well imagine his friend in the Avatar giving the enemy pilot who had spoken the middle finger.

The enemy pilot laughed, and Yoshino got a feeling that this was no ordinary mechwarrior. “Go fuck myself?” The unknown pilot asked. “Why should I when the Combine had done enough of that to me and my men in the past?” He literally hissed out his next words. “I am Vance Rezak, and I have come to claim my vengeance.”

Vance Rezak! Yoshino felt a wave of hate erupting from somewhere in his belly. At last, I can have my revenge!

“Then stop jawing, and let us fight, villain.” Yoshino growled. The enemy assault company could be seen now, and while one part of him noted with dread the enemy tonnage facing them, another part was rejoicing that the time to avenge his parents had come. This moment was what he had been living for all these years!

Yet another part, the logical part of his brain, noted with interest that if he had not followed Descartin Winters, this would not have occurred. Destiny, perhaps?

A Naginata stomped into view, to be set upon almost immediately by the Arquebus, who had timed their fire in such a way that the Arrow IV rounds arrived right on time. Three of them scattered, but one hit right on top of the Naginata, staggering the heavy command assault.

A frightening parade of designs appeared next. A Battlemaster, a Sunder, and a Cerberus. Followed by two Crocketts, a Highlander, and two Thugs. A Cyclops marched close behind, together with a Gunslinger and an O-Bakemono.

Yoshino swallowed dryly at the sight of so much hardware in their way, even as sirens warned of the fighters sweeping down on a strafing run.

“All units, scatter! Lance Omega, keep the fighters away from the APCs at all costs!” Descartin’s voice, for the first time, held traces of fear. Yoshino understood it was not for himself, but for the charges under their care.

“Run, run, run! But you’ll just die tired!” Rezak taunted while the fighters burst through the heavy cloud cover above the valley. Four Shilones and two Slayers angled their way down.

“On five!” Descartin called out. “Mark! Four, three, two,” the fighters approached at breakneck speeds, and Yoshino toggled his LBX cannon over to cluster ammunition for a better chance at hitting, “One!”

The ground in front of them burst from a cascading wall of ruby light from the fighters, the Maxims throwing up a wall of LRMs at the same time. The Arquebus had scattered, being highly vulnerable to fighter attacks. The mechs of Lance Omega had coordinated a crossfire, relying on Ryo’s C3 computer to get them the best odds possible.

Descartin managed to down a Slayer all by himself, his ER PPC clipping one wing just before his LBX cannon hit the same spot, followed by the majority of his MRMs. The Slayer veered off to crash into the plains beyond the valley, before it was able to reach the convoy and its protectors.

Yoshino fought with his control sticks as his Nobori-Nin was bathed in energy beams and autocannon fire, shaving away almost twenty percent of his armor protection. A Maxim behind him exploded under the hideous barrage.

“Frackencrack!” Yoshino cursed as he saw that the Shilone he had fired upon still flying, albeit heavily damaged, trailing smoke as it pitched up and away from the battlefield.

The fighter run had inflicted severe damage on all their mechs, and two Maxims were down, while two more were crippled. The APCs had been spared the brunt of the strafing attack, but Yoshino wasn’t sure their luck was going to hold for long. The only consolation was that the enemy fighters did not carry external bomb racks.

Descartin’s Akuma was suddenly enveloped in two massive explosions, courtesy of the Arrow IVs from the O-Bakemono. Armor sloughed off the Akuma in piles of broken armor plates. The rest of the enemy assault company tried to take advantage of the weakened assault mech, but their shots, not surprisingly, missed.

However, Yoshino realized that the O-Bakemono was the biggest threat on the field, even more so than the Cerberus and Gunslinger, both headhunter mechs with dual gauss rifles. Descartin knew it as well.

“All units, take the O-Bakemono!” Descartin shouted. Its Arrow IVs were the only weapons capable of hitting the APCs at virtually any range, and the vehicles were now quite clearly in the sights of the artillery design in the clear terrain valley. If it decided to stop going for the Akuma, and aimed for the APCs instead…

The O-Bakemono staggered as Descartin hit back hard with his weapons, with the rest of Lance Omega followed up with autocannons, more particle beams, and missiles. Several MRMs from Lainie’s Mauler went into the O-Bakemono’s new ventilation, and the assault mech shuddered as one of the missiles found an ammunition bay. The O-Bakemono began to shake faster and faster from the explosions wrecking it from the inside out, to be eventually flung onto the ground as the CASE vented the ammunition out from one side. Yoshino sighed in relief.

“Which mech do you think Rezak is in?” Asked Lainie. “If we can take him down, they’ll probably let us through.”

“The Naginata is too obvious a choice. I’d say the Cyclops.” Ryo answered. Sirens began blaring again, warning of the fighters returning for another run.

Only to be denied their prey as a company of Tatsu omnifighters bore in from the city, forcing them into a furious dogfight.

Which leaves us with the mechs in front of us, Yoshino thought. Eleven of them, against four mechs, and a full battalion of vehicles. All too easy.

Descartin apparently agreed with Ryo because his next orders were, “Take the Cyclops!” His battered Akuma started moving forward, in order to provide C3 telemetry for the others.

The Cyclops design was well known in the Inner Sphere for being a superior command vehicle, equipped with state of the art communications and coordination gear. Yoshino had heard rumors of a special variant mounting two C3 masters, but those were just rumors. In any case, the Cyclops would be going down.

“Not bad, for a bunch of cowards running away from Luthien!” Rezak crowed out.

You won’t be singing that tune for much longer, Yoshino clenched his fists on his control sticks as Lance Omega used the information from Descartin’s charging Akuma to savage their chosen target.

Again, Descartin managed to evade most of the enemy fire, while the thinly armored Cyclops went down with one entire flank shot off, the attached arm and leg both blown away. But Rezak continued to taunt them. “Nice guess, trying to take me down! But too bad, you guessed wrong! And I’m going to make you pay for that.”

“He is getting on my nerves,” Descartin snarled. “Forget about picking him out. Just take them down, one by one. The Gunslinger now.”

It was turning into a brutal slugging match with Descartin taking point while the rest of the lance hung behind. The Damned were trying their best to make Descartin pay for his audacity, but he was not cooperating.

“Volley at a hundred paces!” Ryo shouted out inexplicably. And indeed, the Damned were getting really close to Descartin’s lone Akuma.

The Gunslinger was one of the most heavily armored mechs in existence, but it was of no consequence as they sheared through its side torso, dumping it on the ground and proving the vulnerability of XL engined designs. As it went down, it managed to connect with a gauss slug on the Akuma, and Yoshino felt a wave of panic as the mech staggered. Descartin’s been taking a lot of hits…

The flash of lasers at his Nobori-Nin told him he wasn’t exempt from their fire either, but then again, he was further away. A large laser boiled off armor on his legs, which the Nobori-Nin took easily.

“Stand back!” Descartin yelled.

“No can do. You’re taking too much fire,” Lainie said as her Mauler walked up, to provide another target for the Damned to shoot at.

“Cerberus.” Descartin said in reply.

For the next minute, Yoshino could recall little as the two sides pounded away at each other. It was with almost total disinterest that he observed the loss of the left arm of his mech, because he was so intent on destroying the next target.

Throughout the entire exchange, Rezak would cut in with some snide comment, obviously trying to put them off their stride, but Descartin would invariably refocus them by calling out the next mech to go down. His Akuma was savaged beyond belief, as the elite Band pilots were able to connect by the sheer number of shots they threw at him. The rest of the lance was not better off by much, but every shot that came their way also meant that there was less shooting at the APCs, and that went doubly as important for ammunition based weapons.

Descartin’s Akuma lost an entire torso to enemy fire, reducing its firepower by half. By that time, however, the result of the battle was almost certain. Most of the enemy mechs had withdrawn or destroyed, leaving only three mechs left. The Battlemaster, Highlander, and a Thug.

“It seems I’ll just have to let you go another day,” Rezak cursed them. Then the Battlemaster started moving back as the words came over the comms, and Yoshino finally realized which mech Rezak was in. Never mind the other two mechs which were turning to follow it away.

“I’m going for the Battlemaster!” Yoshino informed his lancemates, his Nobori-Nin already jumping towards the backs of the three mechs. He fired his autocannon, but it barely scratched the rear of the Battlemaster, which had been untouched so far.

“Who is this annoying imprudence?” Rezak asked. “I will enjoy tearing you apart without your lancemates.” The Battlemaster spun around with deceptive ease for its size, and Yoshino jumped off to one side as it slashed at him with its ER PPC.

“I am Yoshino Ihara, and I have come to claim my vengeance.”

“So I killed somebody close to you, eh?” Rezak laughed. “Not exactly the first time it happened. I killed everybody else who tried! Come on then if you think you’re any different!”

Narrowing his eyes, Yoshino ignored the insistent beeping tone on his console that indicated a transmission from Descartin. He had turned the lance frequency channel off the moment he had gone for Rezak, because he knew the others would not approve of his going it alone.

Yoshino’s Nobori-Nin shuddered from several laser hits, but he fired back with his own lasers, which stabbed into armor over the Battlemaster’s heart. Rezak was hardly fazed, and replied with a spread of SRMs, which sent Yoshino’s ears ringing with their stinging impacts.

Somehow, Descartin managed to get to the open channel. “Yoshino, break off!”

His ears burned as he shook his head inside the cockpit. “Neg. I have waited too long for this.”

“You cannot beat him.” Descartin pointed out calmly. “All of our mechs are too badly damaged to chase him down, and there is still the matter of our duty.”

Duty? To the Nine Hells with duty! There was the chance to avenge his parents right here right now! A red haze started to bleed into his vision, as he continued to trade shots with the Battlemaster, stubbornly refusing to acknowledge the hits he was taking, and the words coming from his comrades.

“Yoshino! Ninjo and giri, dammit!” Ryo shouted, “Have you forgotten everything sensei Tomasson taught us? Always giri first. Always!”

The status light for his autocannon turned red as Rezak’s lasers washed over his mech again. The LRM rack lights blinked yellow, indicating their lack of ammo. “Argh!” Yoshino raged as he felt doubt enter his mind. What can I do with just my lasers?

“Pull back.” Descartin said again. “There will be another time, another day for your vengeance. Duty before all else. Pull back now.”

Yoshino felt like wrenching his joysticks out of their sockets as he wrestled within himself for control.

“Hahaha!” Rezak taunted him. “Listen to your friends, samurai! Flee like the dog you are away from this world! Follow Teddy Kurita as he is shamed forever for abandoning the Black Pearl.”

Yoshino did not know why, but those words managed to punch through his anger, quenching the fury that threatened to overwhelm him. He murmured, “If you only knew…”

He let the Battlemaster go, jumping away back to the convoy while avoiding another PPC bolt. Another time, another day, another place, Rezak. I will have my revenge. One day.

“Good call, Yoshino, good call.” Descartin said, almost quietly. “Let us leave this place as soon as possible. The dropships await.”

 

Coordinator Theodore Kurita ignored the blood flowing down one side of his head as he surveyed the damage wrought around his Masakari.

He could feel the omnimech dying under him, the excess heat and radiation from the shattered engine behind him bleeding into the cockpit, killing him as surely as a bullet or a laser beam. The leg actuators were almost all shot away, and his HUD flickered with static as he tried to reorganize what was left of the Otomo, which wasn’t much.

There was nothing left now except one final stand, one final show of defiance to show the determination of the Dragon against all foes, internal or external.

The buildings in the combat operations area had all been hammered flat, the rubble spilling out onto the streets to form an treacherous, shaky footing for any mech that would walk into the area.

The near decimated company of Otomo remaining to him formed up, ready to fulfill their sworn duty. He saw two battalions of Black Dragon rebels inching forward cautiously, shaken by the destruction of so many of their machines in the past two hours of heavy fighting.

Theodore charged the pulse laser capacitors on his mech’s right arm, the left torso having been destroyed by countless attacks. He had acquitted himself well, he felt, even for a Kurita, taking out more than a company of Black Dragon mechs personally.

He was not afraid of death. For the past few days, he had felt it more of a release than anything else. He had lost so much these past few years, and he yearned for the chance for peace. The peace of death.

But before he could die, he still had a few last things to do. He had to make sure Hohiro was as prepared as possible to succeed him, which was why he had ordered Descartin Winters to take young Kitsune and as much data as they could transport from the Imperial archives away from Luthien. It was the only thing left he could do for his son.

The thought of Kitsune reminded him of his daughter Omi, and Theodore felt tears in his eyes as she in turn reminded him of his beloved Tomoe, dead due to treachery and manipulation. For years he had dreamed of a time when he could hand over the reigns of the realm over to their children, and the two of them could wander the Inner Sphere and sample the many delights out there which they had never had a chance to see or taste while trapped by their roles within the Combine.

How had it come to this? He wanted nothing more than for the Combine to be strong, its people proud, its planets at peace in an universe gone mad. Not this civil war of citizen against citizen, of cities smashed by warring battlemechs. Not lives ruined by a war that should never have happened.

“Looks like this is our very last stand, Coordinator,” Ninyu-Kerai Indrahar coughed hard as his Kage battle suit limped over several heaps of concrete slabs. Theodore noted the burnt wings, and the melted armor over his friend’s suit.

“Hai, Ninyu-kun. It has been an honor.”

“Maybe it is the wrong time for this, but I would like to make one thing clear just before we pass into the next life.”

“And that is?”

“Remember when we were on Marduk, trying to make something out of our careers and the Legion of Vega? Times were so simple then. You watched my back, and I watched yours.”

“I never asked you what changed between us, but that is what you are hinting at, isn’t it?”

“I could not help it. The demands of my position meant that I had to keep at a distance from all others. The creed of the ISF never placed the good of the Coordinator above the good of the Combine, and I had to maintain the tradition.”

“I understand.” Theodore sighed wistfully. “Appearances and deception. How strange that we should end up like this at the very end. I only hope you have your affairs well ordered.”

“Indeed they are. The next Director shall be Omi Dashani, with Takura Migaki as her second in command. Migaki will not like it, but he will follow his duty.”

Theodore closed his eyes for a while. Then he opened them, and spoke in a clear voice.

“Snow Dragon stands tall

In a land of broken swords

Falling into night.”

A light blinked on his console, and Theodore smiled in satisfaction as he heard the words from the techs remaining in the Imperial Palace. “Tono, Star Captain Winters reports mission accomplished, that they have lifted off.”

The bright flare of dropship drives in the darkening sky told him all he needed to know. Of course, there was the chance that the Black Dragons would be able to intercept and destroy the dropships, but he did not think it likely, since they did not have any warships around. And the Tatsu fighter escort should be enough to handle any fighters that tried to take them.

He wondered if the Black Dragons have realized that he was leading this last stand, but in the end, it did not really matter. He was here, and they were there, and that was all they needed.

As the Black Dragons came into range, Theodore began to laugh as he began firing at a Ninja-To. It was the laughter of a strong samurai, of a warrior confident and proud. He saw Ninyu’s Kage suit tearing into the knee joint of an Atlas before being vaporized by a particle beam that ended up tearing through the joint as well. The enemy mechs surrounded his Masakari, and Theodore barely felt nor heard the wail of sirens and alarms in his cockpit as he continued laughing, blowing away one enemy mech after another with unerring accuracy.

Tomoe, Omi, wait for me just a little longer!