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Battletech meets Jurasic Park
by Demun God |
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Donovan reached the fall back 'base', a small cabin more near the south side of the city. As he got to the base, he was shocked at the amount of armed people located there.
Donovan looked for a familiar face, but regrettably didn't find one, "What are you doing here?" he asked the crowd in general.
"We've come to help you fight!" a stocky muscular man said, stepping forward and raising his fist. "Time we join together and kick these mercenary scumbags off our home!"
"Yeah!" the crowd yelled in unison.
Pride swelled in Donovan's chest, as he realized these people would risk their lives to take back their town and keep it free from any oppression.
Donovan nodded his head, "OK, does anybody know the status of the people held prisoner on the DropShip?"
The man smiled, "We were the people held prisoner on that damn DropShip! As soon as we heard explosives were set to make that ship a scrap-metal yard, we did everything in our power to get the hell out!"
A short blonde-haired woman stepped forward, "Donovan, I'm sure I speak for everyone here, when I say 'thank you', for fighting to keep our planet free."
Donovan stared for minute, lost in time as memories flooded through his mind,
"You're very welcome, Sara. I'm sure everyone here would do the same thing, if they had an 85-ton weapon on them."
The man smiled, "I don't mean to break up this little reunion, but it seems we have a planet to liberate!"
"Yeah!" the crowd yelled again.
"Hold on!" Donovan shouted. "There are a lot more of you here now, but do any of you have combat experience?"
One by one, people started yelling out different forms of military, military auxiliary, or police services they had provided.
The stocky man spoke up again, "This ain't all, Lieutenant. We got others in the city, in cells, just waiting for orders."
"OK folks. Here's where we go for broke. With this next engagement, we liberate our planet, or this planet definitely falls under Steiner rule."
With that said, a lot of boos and hisses sounded.
"OK." Donovan pointed at the man, "Get in touch with those people, tell them to take out any mercenary targets of opportunity, keep collateral damage to a minimum."
He then looked at the rest of the crowd, "Form up into platoons. We move out, when formed up!"
Suddenly, a sentry radioed in, "Lieutenant! War Dog approaching! He's alone! And it looks like its about to fall apart!"
Before Donovan could reply, a hysterical voice yelled through the open frequency, "MacAllister! Get them away from me! I'll do anything!"
The Mech was smashing through the jungle, chunks of armor and other mechanical components being ripped off in a shower of sparks and thick black smoke, as Colonel Donald Moore ran his Mech hell-bent through the jungle. Donovan knew that some of the SVR's were behind him, "Everybody form up in a line! Do not fire at the Mech. Fire at the creatures chasing it!"
Confused, questionable looks were thrown Donovan's way.
"Come on! We don't have much time!"
Donovan darted back to his Stalker as the leader of the city rebels formed his 'troops' up in a line in front of the cabin. Donovan walked his Mech around, and stood in front of the line.
"Moore, when I say break right, I mean break right!"
"Yes! Yes! Yes! Hurry up!"
Donovan flicked on his external speakers, to talk to the people behind him,
"Get ready!"
All sorts of weaponry were loaded and aimed in the general direction, of the on-coming, thrashing Mech.
"Break right!"
The War Dog broke right on wobbly legs, almost tipping the Mech over. Little black dots were seen jumping through the jungle, trying to follow the mercenary commander's ride, "Now!" Donovan yelled, as he triggered all of his weapons: an extended-range large laser, twelve SRM's, twenty LRM's, and four medium lasers, it what was known as an Alpha Strike. There were a few massive explosions, as some of the lasers and missiles converged on locations, blowing 200-year old trees into so much kindling. The added hand-held firepower of the city rebels reduced the forward area into an open field, as all trees within a 90-meter range disintegrated into wood chips. A few squeals could be heard, as the SVR's were killed in the process, either caught in the explosions, or killed outright by the combined small arms fire.
Still on the external speakers Donovan said, "Scan the area! Kill any of those things still alive! I'm going after the mercenary!"
The rebel nodded, as Donovan turned his Mech torwards the swath the enemy Mech had made. He didn't have to go far, as he soon came upon what remained of the 75-ton war machine. Donovan's infrared sensor showed the Mech to be white-hot. To avoid the fusion engine from self-destructing from the heat, the War Dog must have gone into automatic shutdown.
"Moore, can you hear me?" Donovan said, back on the general communications channel.
Between quick breaths, Moore answered, "Yes… I'm here."
Donovan smiled under his nuerohelmet, "I believe we had a deal?"
***************
Epilogue
It took a few more days, for the city's armed populace to round up the rest of Mobile Fire's personnel. Mobile Fire equipment was confiscated and would be sold at an auction. The city would use the money, along with generous donations from the prideful citizens, to help rebuild Graham City.
Within the crowd of prisoners, Donovan pointed to a solitary figure standing torwards the back, "Bring him forward."
Two newly-christened Guiasar Defense Force members brought the prisoner forward. Donovan shook his head, as he stared into the eyes of James Sheraton.He wanted to unholster his side arm and do the exact same thing Sheraton had done to Blackstone.
"Why James."
Defiance raged in Sheraton's eyes, "Why what, pig."
Donovan shook his head even more, pointing out to the sides of him, "Why…Why this whole thing! Why did you jump sides! Why did you kill Ray? Why James!"
Donovan, in an outburst of anger, screamed in Sheraton's face, "Why!"
Sheraton smiled, "You'll never know, pig."
Donovan took a step back, and took a formal stance, "Mr. Sheraton, you are a prisoner of war. You will be tried under the laws of war as a traitor to the planet of Guaisar, and the Free Worlds League, in general. Your military record will also show this treason. May God have mercy on your soul, 'cause I sure as hell won't."
Donovan stared angrily at Sheraton, "Get him out of my sight, before I save some court secretary some paperwork."
Sheraton was dragged away, and thrown into the back of a police van. Donovan walked over to a field tent, where Lieutenant Colonel Donald Moore waited under guard.
Donovan motioned to the metal folding chair in front of him, "Have a seat Colonel."
Moore sat as ordered, then Donovan followed suit, on the other side of the table. He then picked up a formal document, and held it in his hand as he stared into Moore eyes, "This document is to be signed by you, who represents the mercenary unit known as Mobile Fire as a whole in this signing. It states that the mercenary unit known as Mobile Fire will never enter the Guiasarian planetary system again."
Donovan shrugged his shoulders, "Simple as that, Colonel. We let you and your personnel go, save a selected few, and you give this planet your word of honor as a military officer that you will never come into this system again."
Donovan handed the document to Moore, who after a long pause, regrettably signed it. Visions of what overall commanding officer of Mobile Fire, Colonel Fred Laurencin would do to him, flooded into his mind. He would have to break from Mobile Fire.
With his DropShip, Infantry and few remaining Dispossessed MechWarriors, he could start anew. Although most employers looked down on MechWarriors who didn't have their own Mechs, some still had a heart and would give the Mech-less Dispossessed 'Warriors a break…for a price, of course.
Donovan was unconcerned with the fate of the mercenaries. He just wanted them off Guiasar.
After the signing, most of the POW's were released, and escorted to their awaiting DropShip.
Not having to load a lot of equipment, the ship was ready to take off within an hour. Donovan smiled, as the Excalibur-class DropShip took off on six white-hot plasma streams of engine exhaust. Sara walked up to Donovan, putting her arm around his waist, "What are you smiling at, Don?"
Donovan looked down at the young blonde woman, "I gave them a going-away present."
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A crewman was going through the cargo bay, making sure what few remaining pieces of equipment they had, were properly secured, when he heard a low whining-scratching noise. The crewman flashed a face of concern as he approached an unfamiliar metal crate. With curiosity getting the better of him, he unlocked the metal hooks and swung open the metal door. Out of the darkness of the crate, a four-stiletto-tipped claw reached out, slicing through the man's throat, even before he knew he was about to die. |
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