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Dragon Quest
A short BattleTech novel by RogueBaron
by Roguebaron |
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Aswan suburb,
Caph, Chaos March,
August 2, 3060
The city of Aswan went alive with fire as Lindon’s Battalion marched into the city, and went head-to-head with the Word of Blake. Two lances of Lindon’s Striders traded fires with four Initiates and two-dozen Longinus battlearmors from the Word of Blake. Flashes of lasers, ballistics, missiles, and explosions painted the city like a firework gala on an independence day. The explosion sound echoed throughout the maimed city, and the smell of gunpowder was imminent long before the city came into view.
Atami, Kikuchi, Shinoyama, and Yamada observed the downtown from the suburb, watching the enraging battle from the distance. It was two hours before pick up, and they had to go across the blazing Aswan downtown to get into the pick up site.
“This is it,” Atami said. “Go flank speed to the pick up site. Do not stop for anything, including me. I want you to know that it’s been a privilege to serve House Kurita with you.”
“The honor is ours, Chu-i,” Yamada replied, followed by approving nods from the others.
“Alright then, let’s get it done,” Atami jumped into his Vedette. He checked the oil gauges, wincing upon noticing that his tank was almost running dry. He pushed the throttle forward, and hoped that his tank would go as close to the pick up site as possible. Atami was ready to die. As his Bushido training dictated, dying for the Kanrei in battle was the highest honor a warrior could ever achieve.
Atami drove his Vedette through debris-marred streets of Aswan, with Yamada’s Chevalier on his back. Infantries monopolized the streets, shouting and shooting at anything that moved. It was almost impossible to see whether they were Lindon’s, Gustafson’s, Denebola’s, or Blake’s. Their insignia and uniforms were smeared by soot and oil. Atami blazed his machine gun, driving the infantries away from the tanks and preventing them from taking pot shots at him. Bullets ricocheted along the hull of his Vedette. Sometimes missiles from shoulder-mounted SRM whizzed just a mere centimeter above the turret, but lucky for him, none of them hit his tank or the Chevalier.
Downtown was where the mech action took place. Explosions roared one after another, and visibility was extremely low because of the smoke. Tongues of fire licked from burning buildings, destroyed mechs, and mauled tanks. Dead bodies littered the ground. Atami maneuvered through the debris on the street, and took a detour when an intense mech fight took place in front of him. The mechs were too busy fighting each other, no one paid attention to the two small tanks tiptoeing on the ground.
The Kuritans had passed the downtown and on the verge of leaving Aswan when a dozen Longinus battlearmors blocked their way. Atami knew who the leader was. He could feel the heat sprouting from the eyes of the Longinus leader when he zoomed in to the battlearmor.
“So, Kuritan gooks, you decided to be reasonable,” Saweeny’s voice boomed. “Give me the scientist, and you’re free to go.”
“I don’t trust you, Blakist! First, let the Chevalier go,” Atami said. “When it reaches a safe distance from Aswan, you’ll have your scientist.”
“Don’t contest my patience, Kuritan!” Saweeny yelled. “Give me the scientist now!”
“It’s clear to me that you’re not a man of his word,” Atami clutched his joysticks. “You want the scientist? Then come and get him yourself with honor! In the name of Theodore Kurita, I challenge you!”
“Fine!” Saweeny dashed forward and charged Atami. “Stupid gook, you’ll die eating my laser!”
“Yamada, Saweeny doesn’t know that I don’t have the scientist!” Atami changed to private frequency. “Get out of here and go to the pick up site before he realizes it!”
Yamada swung his Chevalier to his left, leaving Atami facing the Longinus horde alone. Atami fired all guns in unison. Tangerine fireball blossomed from the ground, wiping out one-third of the Longinus. Saweeny leapt into the sky and fired his laser, melting half a ton of armor on the Vedette. Atami squeezed the trigger for his machine gun, spreading a hail of bullets to a wide area. They were not powerful enough to dig into the Longinus’s armor plating, but they were annoying enough that the Blakist battlearmors had to crisscross their path to dodge the bullet. Two Longinus sacked a good salvo into the thread, stopping the Vedette in his path.
Atami knew his life was numbered in seconds, but he wouldn’t go down without a fight. He fired his main gun one more time. Two Longinus engulfed in flames. Saweeny retaliated with his twin SRMs straight into the hull. The explosion swept away the last remaining armor and cracked the internal structure. The Vedette caught fire. Atami gritted his teeth and fired his autocannon at Saweeny, but the Blakist leader ducked, letting the high-explosive round wheezed above his head and slammed into a building. He fired his laser at the immobilized tank, torching the coolant system. Atami’s tank turned into a bonfire. Atami took one last defiant blast, killing two more Longinus, before the heat forced him to exit his tank. The fire spread to the power generator, and the Vedette exploded.
Outside, two Longinus snatched Atami from the ground, and brought him to the leader. Saweeny ordered his men to search the remains of the Vedette, then scanned Atami from head to toe. He cocked his hand and launched his mighty hook at Atami’s jaw. Atami’s head jerked behind, and he felt blood spurting into his throat, along with unbearable pain in his jaw. But he fought the pain and shot a defiant stare at the Longinus. Saweeny fired up his uppercut into Atami’s side, breaking two ribs at once. Atami choked, his breath came in short gasps, but again, refused to give Saweeny the satisfaction. He rose up, staring at the depth of Saweeny’s eyes.
“Precentor,” one Longinus reported. “We searched the remains of the Vedette. We can’t find the remains of the scientist. I think he’s been lying the whole time. He’s in the other tank!”
Saweeny clutched his hands in wrath, but he knew there was nothing he could do. The Chevalier had reached a save distance, and there was no way his Longinus could catch up with it. He was outsmarted by Atami. Overwhelmed by shame and rage, he drew his laser and aimed it at Atami’s head. “Die, you worthless slime! Die in dishonor!”
But Atami knew it wasn’t true. He knew that Kikuchi, Shinoyama, and Yamada were on their way to the dropship, along with the coveted scientist. He accomplished his mission, no matter what would happen to him. Mustering every bit of energy he had left to pose a mocking smile, Atami whispered in his wheezing breath, “It doesn’t matter anymore. My mission is complete. You lose… bakayaro!”
Saweeny triggered his laser.
DCMS Headquarters,
Dieron, Al Na’ir Perfecture,
Dieron Military District,
August 21, 3060
“Chu-i Atami is a very brave warrior,” Sho-sa Martinez stated while debriefing Kikuchi, Shinoyama, and Yamada. “He set the example of how a Draconis Combine soldier must act in the battlefield. He put his mission, and the lives of his subordinates, in a higher priority than his own safety. It’s hard to find a warrior his quality. I’m sad that he did not make it. The Draconis Combine Mustered Soldiery will miss him dearly.”
“We are honor to fight alongside with him, Martinez-Sho-sa,” Shinoyama replied.
“His struggle will be our memento on how we should fight the Ghost Bear,” Yamada added.
“Very good,” Martinez concluded his debriefing. “The first dropship to Kiesen will depart in 36 hours. Get your gears ready and check with Sho-sa Anderson for your departing time. You’re dismissed.”
THE END
FOR NOW |
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