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Angel 6
by David Wainio |
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Mercy Rose Hospital Complex
Roseville, Tukayyid
28 May 3052
The device had survived him, and the last recording Angel One had made was one explaining that he had purposely sent his youngest pilot away on a fool’s quest to seek a pass where sat recon had already shown none to exist. When Doctor Paolo had been courtesy contacted about the pending inquest of one of his patients he had been able to play the tape for Command. Paolo still felt a chill down his spine whenever he remembered hearing the dead man’s voice coming over the tiny speakers of the device.
“This will probably be the last recording I’ll have time to make. I can’t contact the Tamo Bunker – or anyone else from HQ for that matter – so these will be my final words. With Blake’s blessing they’ll survive me. The 12th has been shattered by Ghost Bear forces. My Six of ‘Mechs is still operational, mainly because we’ve been lucky and hit only minimal Bear forces so far. We managed to make radio contact with a few infantry and vehicle units which will be joining up with my ‘Mech force soon. But they all report Clan forces chasing them so we’re bottled up against the side of a hill range with nowhere to go.
“Sat recon marks the hill range as impassable. But I’ve sent our lightest unit to scout for a way through anyway. The truth is, I expect him to fail. My hope is that he’ll either get stuck in a crevasse out there someplace or return long after the Bear have come and gone.
“Yeah, I know it’s not operational procedure. So put a bad mark on my record. I talked it over with the other Angels and they all agreed. We didn’t want his life to be thrown away in a hopeless cause. He’s a good kid with a good heart and we just can’t face knowing that we let him down and led him out to be slaughtered. His Hussar’s down to about three salvos and banged up pretty bad already so it’s not like we’re loosing any serious fighting power. I’m not going to buy an extra 30 seconds of life by using him as a targeting decoy.
“For the record let it be known that although I asked the other’s opinions, I did this of my own accord. Terry has no knowledge of my reasons for sending him away. And if any of the infantry get here in time I’ll send them scurrying into the hills too. The rest of us Angels, and any combat worthy vehicles that roll in, will fight to the last and take as many of these damn Ghosties with us as we can. I don’t have anyone back home to say good bye to. So my final words are just to say give em hell and finish kicking their sorry Clan asses off Tukayyid for us. Some of my Six do have family back home so I’m now going to record their last messages off the comm line. Somebody make sure this recording gets forwarded.”
It seemed that Foster had wanted to ensure that at least one person from his unit survived. The others were all in on it. As things had turned out the infantry had never survived to arrive although five tanks had joined the Angels for their final stand. Terry had lucked onto a barely passable exit and then returned just in time to get zapped by a Bear mop up patrol. For once Command had done the sensible thing and closed the case on the spot, canceling the inquest. There wasn’t even any rumbling about a posthumous blemish on Foster’s record for depleting his fighting ranks in the face of an enemy.
“Thanks. I was aware,” The Doctor commented about the cancelled inquest. And with nothing more to say to the attendant the Doctor turned back to the Sun Room.
The Sun Room had one wall that was comprised of windows that ran up into the arched ceiling. During the mornings and mid-day the room was awash in natural light with a small,neat
garden kept just outside the glass walls. Paolo found Terry alone in the room hard at work over the keyboard of a noteputer. The young MechWarrior looked up when the Doctor entered.
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