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Dragon Quest
A short BattleTech novel by RogueBaron
by Roguebaron |
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Aswan suburb area,
Caph, Chaos March,
August 1, 3060
Atami crouched behind his tank, scanning the bottom of his Vedette. Oil and coolant dripped from several cracks in the hull, and Atami knew his tank wouldn’t survive Caph. He just hoped that it would survive at least to get them safely to the dropship. The Vedette had been fighting with him for 5 years, and Atami had a feeling that it was the last time he fought with it.
“How bad is it?” Kikuchi stood beside him, watching the stream of fluid streaked from the tank.
“Bad,” Atami sighed. “It won’t survive Caph, I’m sure of it. I hope it can at least take us to the dropship safely to complete our mission. How’s our guest?”
“He refuses to eat but he’s taking water,” Kikuchi informed him. “I think he can survive another 24 hours without food, if that’s what he chooses.”
“We’ve got less than 20 hours until our dropship come,” Atami glanced at his watch. “It’s not his pig-headedness that I’m worried about. I’m afraid my tank can’t survive 20 hours against the Word of Blake.”
“About the scientist, Chu-i,” Kikuchi asked in agitation. “What’s he doing that deserves him this attention? Did he invent some kind of super weapon? More powerful than nukes?”
“It’s not ours to fret, Kikuchi-san,” Atami said while averting his eyes. “We’re just soldiers. We do what we’re told to do. If you start asking questions about your mission, you’re second-guessing your own judgment. We’re trained in Bushido, Kikuchi-san, and asking questions is not a part of it.”
“Hai, Chu-i,” Kikuchi bowed in respect.
By that time, Shinoyama and Yamada arrived in the Chevalier from scouting the area. By the looks on their fatigue faces when they dismounted the tank, Atami could tell that the situation had become worse than he could’ve imagine.
“The Blakists barricade our exits, Chu-i,” Shinoyama reported. “They placed two companies of Longinus, plus an additional lance of Initiate battlemech. We can’t possibly break the Longinus with only 2 tanks, let alone a medium-mech lance.”
“The leader of the Longinus unit we fought yesterday, Precentor Saweeny, had issue a martial law on Aswan,” Yamada asked. “They will kill Aswan citizens unless we hand in the scientist.”
“Saweeny, saite-dana!” Atami hissed in disgust. It was not enough that he had to take care of 4 people’s lives, and his own, along with the success with his mission. Now the citizens of Aswan lied in his hand too. Atami leaned on his tank, thinking of the best course of action he could do. He knew that his mission was a priority, but he couldn’t let the Blakists butcher Aswan’s citizen. Suddenly he remembered that he had one more ace up his sleeve.
“Wait here,” Atami ordered his men then went into his Vedette. He flipped his binder open and looked for some frequency channel, then dialed it in his comlink. A burst of static flooded his receiver, followed by a faint woman’s voice. Atami connected his mike to the comlink and said, “This is Chu-i Atami, Dieron Red Brigade, DCMS. I wish to speak to Colonel Sarah Lindon, please.”
“This is Sarah,” a firm voice now sprung on the comlink. “What can I do for you, Chu-i?”
“I am on a mission, and we need to catch a flight to get off Caph by 1300 hours tomorrow. But the Blakists are blocking our exits and will start killing civilians to prevent us from completing our mission. Is there something you can do to distract the Blakists, Colonel?”
“You can expect that from those Blakist animals, can’t you Chu-i?” she jested. “Anyway, I have two lances of mechs stationed near Aswan. I can order them to attack the Blakist strongholds, just enough to draw their attention. You’ll have to fight your way by yourself. Is that fair, Chu-i?”
“Yes, Colonel.”
“Good! I need a complete reconnoiter on their positions, and your pick-up site. Every little detail will help me create an effective diversionary attack, which ultimately will help you too. I hope my two lances can destroy enough Blakists to spoil their massacre plan.”
“Domo-arigato-gozaimashita!” Atami said exuberantly.
“Hey, don’t thank me. Thank Hohiro for putting me on Caph. This is not a free service, by the way. I will bill your boss later. But I’m always glad to help my contractors! Lindon out!”
Atami turned off his comlink, a smile of satisfaction sprung on his lips. He always despised mercenaries, but today, he was glad that he knew one. It changed his perspective toward them. Getting out of his Vedette, he went back to his platoon who was waiting anxiously.
“The Lindon Battalion will help us create a hole in the Blakist barricades,” Atami briefed his troops. “I want all of you to ride on the Chevalier, including the scientist. I don’t think my tank will make it to the pick-up site. Whatever happens tomorrow, don’t wait for me. Your order is to bring Haney-sensei alive to the dropship, and do what it takes to keep him alive until Dieron. This might be my last order for you, so do it with all your heart.”
“Hai, Chu-i!” Shinoyama, Yamada, and Kikuchi replied in unison.
“Alright, get some rest.” |
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