KIMI II
The Aurigan Reach
"I want this one clean and by the numbers," Hysteria said as the Leopard lifted away into the sky, a maelstrom of snow and ice particles swirling in her wash, "our target is considered an assassin by the Theocracy, and his crew are Taurian mercs. I suspect we're in for a bit of a surprise." She felt the HGN-732B shudder to life beneath her. The Highlander was a relic; a museum piece from the Star League era, but Yang assured her the Assault Mech was terrifyingly formidable and an excellent replacement for the Jagermech she'd lost back on Artru. Although she liked the inclusion of the Gauss Rifle, the rare piece of LosTech did cause her more anxiety than the threat of losing her Kali Yama used to.
"This should be a milk run," Apex countered from her seat in the Hunchback 4P, "according to the MRB rating." Her tone was cocksure; in the months during Riana's recovery she'd proven her deadly marksmanship time and again. There were even betting pools aboard the Argo now for who was a better sniper shot; her or Glitch. Recently, Apex was winning.
"Don't get overconfident," Kru warned her, "we all know the MRB rating isn't gospel." He moved the Thunderbolt SE forwards, heading for a small, wooded overlook. The TDR-5SE was a long-range missile boat and, ever since they acquired it at the Outpost Castle, Kru had been its pilot. He was still very mistrustful of Apex; she had this weird obsession with Riana that just made him uncomfortable. 'Riana,' he thought, wistfully, 'Why won't you just tell me?' Ever since he'd put the pieces together and figured out that Riana was pining for Lady Arano he'd felt a bit... used. As a grown man he was well able to handle being a side thing, even a one night stand, but what rubbed him the wrong way was the secrecy of it all and Yang's overprotective attitude. Since the incident in the MedBay he'd not had more than a few minutes alone with Riana, even when she was convalescing, without Yang hovering nearby.
"Is okay," Vamp chuckled inside the refitted Banshee 3E Assault Mech that Yang had spruced up for him. Sporting an insane amount of armor, two rocket-fired arm modifications, and a battery of flamers, the Banshee had been kitted out with Vamp's melee skills in mind. "Whatever zey throw at us, just get me close."
The team advanced, with the smaller Hunch taking the lead. Vamp broke to the left of the hill that Kru was ascending but Riana, in the Highlander, ambled slowly behind. She liked to consider this Mech a 'finisher' of sorts. Vamp, with all his excessive armor, was usually bait while Apex would play the harasser. Kru provided long range support and, by the time the Highlander got to the AO, it was time to mop up. "I've got contacts," Apex reported as she moved past the hill at full throttle, counting two to the northwest. One's a vehicle."
"Use caution," Hysteria warned her, "get in cover and paint me a target."
"I'm heading for cover now," Apex reported as she moved across open ground, "first target coming online now."
"You're out in the open," Kru warned her, locking onto the Shadowhawk that popped up on his screen, "let Assault take the lead!"
"Relax," she waved off his concern, "the Hunch has the armor to take it." Just then a cavalcade of warning light appears in her cockpit. "Looks like they've got a sensor lock on me."
"Leave ze reckless driving to me!" Vamp yelled as he surged ahead at full throttle, racing at the Shadowhawk. "Kommander, I've got a trace on another vehicle and it looks like zis one is a Manticore."
"Take a walk on him," Riana confirmed. She was still far from the battle but she could see the LRMs sailing through the sky from both the north and the east. "Skirmish, you've got incoming... a lot of incoming!"
"I see 'em!" Apex leaned back in the cage as the first volley of missiles hit her at full sprint. The Hunch wobbled on its feet, trying to compensate when the second volley impacted. Her momentum faltered as she regained control. "I lost a bit of armor but I'm okay," she reported just as another impact from the Shadowhawk's AC 10 hit her. "They're really gunning for me!" she said, but instead of resuming her speed she slowed and swiveled, lining up her precision mount for an Alpha Strike at the Hawk's left shoulder and the cannon mounted there. "Let's see how you like it!" She squeezed the trigger and the massive battery of medium and heavy lasers fired. "Ha!" she said with triumph as the Hawk's shoulder exploded, dislodging its right arm in the process, "How'd you like those Christmas lights?"
"Apex, brace!" Kru yelled as more missiles raced in from the west, "you gotta lot more incoming!" But it was too late; a hail of LRMs from an unseen carrier rained down on the Hunch. She was still moving at a jog as they hit but when her laser array detonated the entire Mech became unbalanced and she went down. "Apex!!" Kru yelled, targeting the LRM carrier for a full volley, "You alright?"
"Zat's Corsair's favorite Mech!" Vamp reminded her.
"That hurt," she groaned, "Commander, I lost my weapons system. All I have is one medium laser on my left arm!"
"Get to your feet and fall back," Riana commanded, using the targeting data to fire her Long Twenties on the LRM carrier, "I want you in cover and using sensor lock only; Vamp, get your ass out in the open and tango with that Manticore!"
"You got it, boss," Apex grunted, trying to get the Hunch to respond. Just then, however, another volley of missiles rained in from the north and east. "Commander, I'm gonna get hit again. Bracing for impact!"
"The rest of the team watched as the missiles tore the downed Hunch apart. Both legs flew off and the left arm was thrown clear but when her CT detonated the terrified horror in her scream curdled their blood.
"Apex!!" Riana called to her, but the Hunch's com was dead. She tore her attention away long enough to fire an Alpha Strike at the Shadowhawk, the Gauss Rifle punching a deadly hole in its CT.
"Zat was a terrible hit," Vamp said as he crushed the Manticore underfoot, "I don't know if she survived zat."
"Commander," Kru interrupted, "I've got a trace in the east; looks like it might be our target... and there's a Trebby inbound from the north."
"Vamp, take out the Trebby on your way to intercept," Riana began, "Kru; get your ass to Apex and get her out." She fired another volley of her LRM 20s at the enemy carrier, putting an end to it. "I'm moving full throttle to intercept; if we don't hit this guy hard he'll rabbit."
"Commander," Kru began as diplomatically as he could, "with all due respect; if you take me outta this fight now, the target will rabbit... and he'll get away. If we're gonna take this mook down we're gonna need to target the legs to prevent him from running." He took a deep breath. "I know you don't know her well, but Apex is a merc, the real deal... she'll understand."
"I don't like losing people," Riana gritted her teeth, "even part-timers. Get to the Hunch, Fire Support; that's an order."
"Understood," Kru acknowledged, "I'll move to her location and lay eyes. Get me some targeting data so we can trip this bastard up!" He switched coms; "Envoy, spool up a medical evac. I'm gonna clear your LZ, come in low from the west, say again, slow and low from the west, you copy?"
"了解," Sumire replied, "I'm en route but if the AO is still hot I'm gonna be a big, low-flying target up here."
"Don't vorry," Vamp reassured her, punching through the Trebuchet's CT, his armor smoking and dented but still holding strong, "by ze time you get here ze target vill be on his back!"
"We're on the clock, people," Hysteria reminded them, let's take this bastard down!"
:
I ended up getting a Grasshopper (above) from the assassin! I heavy Mech designed to be a "hunter" of lighter Mechs. I managed to kit it out as a replacement 'Vindy' for Glitch, making her useful as a PP-Wielding sniper once more! Speaking of Apex, she really is the apex sniper in my group now, when it comes to single targeting of a part that just has to be hit, I can count on her. But the drama I've been building up with her is going to have to go somewhere. Speaking of drama:
:
"Unsalvagable??" Corsair exclaimed, looking at the ruins of the Hunchback 4P on the
bay floor, "Oh man! I liked that Mech!"
"Hysteria says it will cost too much to replace the parts," Yang shrugged, "I agree."
"Man, I let her drive my Hunch one time!"
"Relax," Kru said as he approached the pair, "she'll survive, by the way. I can tell youse guys were worried..." the sarcasm hung thick in the air.
"Stow it, Kru," Yang barked at him, "nobody here wishes her ill will."
"Really?" Death Krusade chuckled, leaning back against the rail and taking a swig of his canned drink, "You sure about that?"
"Take off, Chris," Yang said dismissively to Corsair. The command in his voice was undeniable.
"You got it, Chief." He mock saluted and turned on his heel, happy to be away from Yang's foul mood.
"You gotta problem?" Kru folded his arms, sitting his drink on the rail.
"Yeah, I got a problem," Yang moved up into Kru's space, near nose-to-nose, "it's about six feet and two-twenty of mind-your-own-fucking-business!"
"I know you're looking out for her," Kru cut to the chase, "and you got eyes on her for the same reason I do; something don't sit right about Apex. She's got this weird obsession about Riana."
"Maybe it's not as weird as yours!" Yang countered, his hackles still raised.
"Yeah, you're real protective of her," Kru said, still as cool as ice, "and you protect her secrets too, even the ones she keeps from you. So what is it then?" he held one hand up, inquisitively, "Is it a paternal longing or are you just hoping that, one day, she'll realize what a good man you are?"
"You motherfucker!!" Yang seized Kru's shirt in his mechanical arm and pulled him up to his toes, shaking him violently.
"Careful, Chief," Kru cautioned him, "everybody's watching here."
Yang paused, scanning the area to see if anyone had, indeed, seen his outburst. He released Death Krusade and took a step back. "What the fuck do you want, Todd?"
"I want the same thing you want, Yang," Kru replied, straightening out his clothes and brushing off, "I want her to be safe. She's a remarkable woman and, I admit, I got feelings for her. That's why I can't stay."
"Wait," the Chief's expression washed over with confusion, "What?"
"My plan was never to find a permanent home here," he explained, "maybe you don't know, but I was a detective back on Solaris. I was working a case..." he let his gaze drift to the side for a moment, "suffice to say I got things left undone. I still have a woman to find and, no matter how I feel about her, Riana ain't her."
"What... what are you going to do?" Yang asked, his anger evaporating, "This is gonna hit her like an AC shot."
"Yeah, I know," he nodded his head and looked down, "and to be honest, if she felt the same way then maybe I'd stay... but I know who has her heart, and I can't compete with that!"
"Well," Yang began, his own head and heart confused now, "don't be too hasty. I'm not really sure that can go anywhere. I mean, she's royalty."
"Eh, that's above my paygrade, Chief," Todd shook his head and grinned, "I'm just a common grunt, I can't get entangled with nobility... I'd just drag her down."
"Kru," Yang began, "I'm... I'm sorry, maybe I misjudged you."
"Nah, Chief," he put a hand on Yang's shoulder, "I'm just a Merc. A Mechwarrior, like Apex. I go from job to job sos I can eat, you know? Now maybe it's time for me to move on, but you... you gotta keep on looking out for her. That woman, Apex, I know there's something funny about her. I can't say what but..."
"Two sets of eyes and better than one," Yang cut him off, "you don't have to go."
"No," Kru shook his head, "I really do."
Yang looked down, ashamed of how he'd been treating Kru lately. "Why?" he asked.
"Because, my friend," Kru nodded almost imperceptibly, "if I don't go now, then I might never leave."
:
Riana was in her quarters when a soft knock called her attention. "Come in," she called, turning just as Death Krusade entered the room.
"You got a minute?" he asked, standing in the doorway.
"Hmm," she smirked, her lips pulling up in one corner, "finally managed to slip away and make some time for lil' ol' me, huh?"
"I wish it was like that," Kru said as he moved into the room, letting the door shut behind him. "Commander, I got an offer from another company." Riana's smile disappeared. "The Gray Death Legion," he continued, "Their CO, Grayson Carlyle, is paying top dollar for mercs. He's even offering a kickback to any company he poaches from... it's a hundred thousand C-bills."
"Poaches," she echoed, wrapping her arms around her chest, "That's unusual." She turned and pulled up an image of Carlyle on the compad. "That's a pretty famous outfit. I hear they call him a tactical genius."
"Yeah, he's got something of a pedigree, I suppose," Kru admitted, "to be honest, there's no shortage of professional mercs who'd love to get into the Gray Death Legion."
"Professionals like you, I suppose," her tone chilled as she looked back up at him. "Go on."
"Carlyle's something else," Kru spoke with excitement in his voice, "I played his message over and over. The way he talks... I know he could really shake up the galaxy... and I wanna be part of that." He smiled at her bitter-sweetly, "But this crew is like my family and leaving... well, leaving ain't so easy. Leaving you ain't so easy."
"But you'd do it," she said flatly.
"Riana," Kru looked at her plaintively, "You and I both know what this was; you're a great commander and a wonderful friend. When we're together, it's like..." he paused, "it's like love... but it ain't. And you know it ain't because you don't love me." She opened her mouth to speak but then he added: "You're in love with someone else, someone beautiful. Someone who deserves your love more than I do and, no matter what I do, I'm never gonna be able to replace her."
Riana deflated. She hated to lose Kru, but how could she deny what he'd said? He was a diversion at best; a placeholder for a dream that might never come true. "I... I'm sorry," she looked down at the floor, "I didn't mean to lie to you."
"You never did," he smiled warmly at her as he lifted her chin with his hand, "I'm a detective, remember? How long did you really think you'd hide it from me?"
She returned his smile and caressed his hand in her own. "I'm really gonna miss you, fucker." They both chuckled. "You sound really fired up. This isn't easy to say, but you should take Carlyle's offer. Hell, you can keep the kickback for yourself. You've earned it." She took a step back and presented her hand to shake.
Kru took her hand but then, unexpectedly, pulled her into an embrace. "I won't forget you, any of youse. Commander, you taught me everything I know about leadership." When he pulled back his eyes were moist and tears ran down her cheeks. "And you know we can throw a killer party with this cash! With your permission, of course!
"Granted," she smiled at him, drying her eyes, "let's go inform the crew; we're gonna have an unforgettable night that no one will be able to remember!"
"I can drink to that!" he wrapped an arm around her as they headed for the door together.
"One condition," Riana grinned up at him.
"Name it." He said.
"Tonight, after the party," she bit her lower lip, "you're gonna love me apocalyptic."
"Like it was the last night in the Universe!" he grinned back.
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