“Brother Pilot, did you consider the possibility that had you called for backup, or a Shogunate delegate first, instead of allowing the situation to escalate as it did, you may not be in this position?” Wocky asked me.
She had zero personality and even less conversational skills but what she did have was a point. One I couldn’t argue very well.
“Yes now that it is all said and done and a Shogunate rep is already dead, and his brother wants my head on a plate I have considered that, thank you very much for asking! Now power down, run your system checks give me some peace and quiet.”
“Acknowledged,” was her reply.
A million thoughts were going through my head, none of them pleasant. The Meiji Shogunate had a history going back to the old Earth days, a reputation of swift and violent retribution and justice to any who crossed them. Cross them I did, I killed ones brother. Oh never mind the guy had a stocked garrison full of enough ammunition to wipe out the planetoid a couple times over. Or that he was argumentative from the word go. Or even that his pilots powered up their mechas weapons first. But I pull the trigger to defend in what I think is an ambush situation, and give the order to defend ourselves and I’m the scrapping bad guy! Nothing to be done about it now, well nothing except try not to die.
Many hours and system checks later I finally grabbed a couple of hours sleep. I awoke to the Clan Security Chief knocking on my door.
“It’s time Brother,” was all he said.
I couldn’t believe it was already almost noon so quickly. It seemed so much had happened in such a short period of time. I got my gear together and opened my door to my quarters. There wasn’t anything being said from the Security Chief. The halls of the base were empty and the entire atmosphere of the place was like a tomb. I made my way down through the bases many corridors to reach the hanger where my Regis Mecha awaited. I climbed into the cockpit and started up Jabberwocky.
The double armor plated hanger bay doors started to open as Wocky came online and got everything in order in record time. As we moved out of the hanger into the Garhan station gate room headed for Sector-8214 I saw my clan mates lined up holding their guns high standing still as statues giving me a silent salute.
“Thanks gents, see you on the other side. If this goes wrong happy hunting, over and out,” was all I could say.
We got to Sector-8214 much faster than I would have liked, there was nothing to break up the journey action wise and nothing to look at, just the steady thud of Jabberwocky moving us closer to our destination and ultimately our opponent.
“Contact at three o clock Brother”. Wocky informed me pulling me out of my own thoughts.
I turned her in that direction and saw that the enemy was piloting a very highly customized Boreas. Oh it had the standard Winter's Grasps on it, but also from what I could see it packed a couple Frozen Winds, as well as a Polar Vortex or two. Those were the weapons I could see, it was what I couldn’t see that worried me. It had unfamiliar configurations and protrusions along the mechas spine and down cockpit canopy.
I didn’t have to wait very long to see what those were or how they were used. The spine seemed to open up on the mecha and unfold into almost a solar panel looking armor down the back and wrapping around it like a mummy. A chuckle came over the comm system as the Boreas took two steps and literally vanished.
“This one cloaks ...!?” I yelled into Wockys interface microphone. “Find me a way to track it now or we are dust!”
“Running visual spectral filters, analyzing background energy and radiation levels, searching, searching..” Was her ever so cool and calm reply.
My mind was whirling trying to decrypt the multitude of data Jabberwocky took in. That was when we took the first hit. Jabberwocky’s Left knee servo got slammed hard by a punishing volley from the twin Winter Grasp ice cannons. I turned her as fast as I could and opened fire in that general direction. We hit nothing but air.
“Wocky got anything yet?” I Asked.
“Searching, searching..” Was her annoying reply.
Our back rear hip joint got hit by a second blast from the Grasp. Jabberwocky started to wobble a little but her armor was holding. I laid down what I thought was a good amount of suppression fire in the direction of the last blast. Which was then answered by another blast to the hip joint, this time from one of the Polar Vortex guns.
“Wocky you are going to get us killed! Give me something!” I was going mad with desperation. It seemed every time I turned and fired he was already gone and answering my shots.
“No data received still searching”
It was then that I had an epiphany. “Wocky give me all available sensors, reroute them down and search for seismic tremors in the ground! The damned thing may be cloaked but it still weights a good 95 tons basic non loaded configuration, running that much weight while firing is going to make some disturbance.”
This time instead of hearing Wocky come back with just telling me she is searching I heard those two words I just cannot get enough of come out of her speakers, ‘Target Acquired”.
“Well let’s not keep the good gentleman waiting send him to meet his brother!” I told her as I brought the Flavian Spears, Twin Grazers, and Archfiend systems to full charge and fired. Turns out my timing was about as good as ever. The shots when they landed were aimed low due to the targeting systems and sensors routed to read seismic disturbance. The entire volley landed just as the Boreas was pivoting to fire. Just like a man, it leaned slightly to one side to adjust its weight before pushing off again, which is when its leg supporting its weight went out in one massive explosion.
The Boreas instantly dropped its cloak and I dropped hell on the fallen Mecha. I wasn’t stupid, this guy wanted to kill me so no way was I going to let him live out of some misplaced mercy just to have him hunt me down later and do the job right. I was a member of The Brotherhood we just don’t give second chances. His mecha when I was done firing wasn’t even fit for scrap. Jabberwocky was beat up and needed repairs but she would fight another day, so would I.
I got back to base, limped Jabberwocky into her hanger and headed off for the main comm room of the base. I called the Meiji Shogunate and reported the loss of yet another one of their Lieutenants at my hands. I also then informed them if they would like to have any members of this last fella’s family fight me they had best do it according to their own honor code and do so in an uncloaked Mecha! I flipped off the comm smirked at the rookie on duty and walked out. I had many rounds of drinks to buy, many clan brothers to celebrate another day with, and best of all I was still breathing.
End
Submitted by Pat Willis#224534