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[MechWarrior4Lover]

Before Reading: This is a quite long story so be prepared. I will be posting new chapters as often as possible. I don't know whether to classify it as a novel or not so I'm just playing it safe. Please correct me if I make any mistakes. I made up the planet name and the entire story (this is fan fiction after all) so don't criticize me. I also prefer to have my storytelling 'Mechs weaker than the in-game 'Mechs(for storytelling purposes). From one reading to another, thigs may change. Now this is in a drafting stage. Happy reading!

Chapter 1

December 21, 3049

Balten, planet in Periphery

31^st Ranger Company

Wolf's Dragoons

Times are tough here. This planet is so cold that the frosts will chew you up and spit you out again. In fact, I think the record high was 279 degrees kelvin. Man, you get used to seeing ice here. It's everywhere. Right now I think it's about 232 degrees. You have to make sure to clean the ice off your 'Mechs before getting in them. Coldest place I've seen in my whole career as a Dragoon. Anyway, Company Commander Jennings has been hard on us lately. She's a tough girl, though. Now's usually holiday season, but we don't get to celebrate much. No one has really been edgy. Those pirate rumors don't seem to amount to much. Well, this planet has a day of 28.25 Terran hours, and right now it's about 2700 hours in. On a side note, I can't believe how we are able to keep the date right. Wake-up call's at 0730 hours, so I better get some rest.

Lance Commander John Hoskins

Edited by MechWarrior4Lover, 03 February 2012 - 03:03 PM.

[MechWarrior4Lover]

Chapter 2

"Why on Terra is a diary beside your bed?"

"Huh?" I emerged from my slumber at the sound of a familiar voice. As soon as my eyes opened, I recognized who was at my bedside. "Oh, hey Gnat. I'm just keeping records in my journal." Gnat was my nickname for Private Jaysen Olnat, one of the troops in my lance. Olnat was a courageous guy, but he was also young, a mere 21 years, and was offended without too much effort. He had light brown hair that went down to about eyebrow-level. His eyes were an innocent shade of blue, but the guy sure was a warrior.

"I told you! Its Olnat, not Gnat!" Olnat sounded offended, but it sure was funny.

"What time is it anyways?" I had to chuckle a little bit before speaking. I liked to keep a more positive outlook on things. Kept me from going depressed, insane even.

"0730 hours. Wake up call! Get up!" Gnat shouted right in my ear!

"Okay, okay." I shifted out of the warm comfort of my bed. Of course, a civilian bed would have been nicer, but we made due with what we had. I proceeded to put on my waterproof, insulated, snow-white coat and pants. The coat had a fur-lined hoodie, and it kept me warm enough. I then started to brush my teeth and wash my face. The ice-cold water was a perfect way to keep me awake and alert; I learned the trick three days ago, right after we got here. "So, what drills are we doing today?" I asked as I stepped out of the bathroom.

"We have to report to the 'Mech bays. Calibration and target practice, I think."

"Good report, Gnat." I had to admit it; he was an early bird and was always up-to-date.

"Whatever." Olnat had gotten used to his pet name by now.

I then prepared to go and wake my other two lancemates, but then I realized it. They were already awake and gone. "Seriously, what are you guys up to?" I asked, unamused.

"Just get ready," Olnat sighed.

Edited by MechWarrior4Lover, 24 December 2011 - 09:30 AM.

[MechWarrior4Lover]

Chapter 3

I went into the hall. Surprise, surprise. My lance was waiting for me, fully awake and all. I wasn't mad, just a little irritated.

"Wake up, sleepyhead!"

Noah Wellington. A fun kind of guy. His jet-black hair was the same length as Olnat's, but his eyes were different. They were a bright hazel green. He liked to be a close fighter with his Wolfhound.

"Nice to see you up!"

Derek Tennet. He, too, had short hair like Wellington, but his was brown. He was very disciplined and was my best lancemate in combat, aside from my other Lance Commander and Company Commander Jennings. Derek liked a Locust.

"I read your entry. I wanted to keep an upbeat mood, if that's okay. The holidays can't mean much to us, sadly."

And back to Olnat again. He used a mobile Jenner.

Normally I would be furious at Gnat, but he was right. This made the mood upbeat. However, we had 'Mech bays to go to."Alright guys, let's go to the 'Mech bays." I had to get my team on the move. My own Eagle Lance couldn't be late.

When we arrived at the 'Mech bays, the entire company was there.

Company Commander Sally Jennings was a southern woman with a prominent accent. She used a Grand Dragon as her 'Mech. She drove us hard to the point of perfection.

The other Lance Commander, Nolan Smith, used a Hunchback to lead his troops. He was of Hispanic descent and didn't mess around on the battlefield.

I, myself, used a Dragon. I liked the reliability of the arm-mounted AC/5. An LRM 10 launcher gave me good long-range capabilities. Of course, mine was slightly modified. Instead of one rear facing medium laser and one front facing one, I put both in the front. That increased my firepower.

Each Lance Commander, including Company Commander Jennings, had three troops. One Wolfhound, one Locust, and one Jenner. I wasn't too familiar with the other new recruits. I didn't get to talk with them much. Well, that day was calibration and target practice, probably the most exciting training day. That kept everyone a little cheery.

Edited by MechWarrior4Lover, 31 January 2012 - 06:37 PM.

[MechWarrior4Lover]

Chapter 4

"Alright people. Most of you know this already, but if you don't, today is calibration and target practice.
Hoskins, you get Eagle Lance and go to course two. Smith, take Hurricane Lance and prepare for a run on course one. I'll take Inferno Lance and go for a spin on track three. Let's go!" Everyone was silent as Jennings gave us a run-down like only a Texan could.

My lance had course two. Course two is missile calibration. Sadly, I was the only one in my lance with missiles. The others tried to count how many missed the target. Awfully nice of them. Yet it seemed to be a favorite activity of theirs. Oh well.

I got in my Dragon, put on my neurohelmet, and let it power up. Each display blinked bright green as the 'Mech powered up. Radar, weapons, et cetera. A soothing voice made me aware of the status of the Dragon. "Reactor, online. Sensors, online. Weapons, online. All systems nominal."

"Disable weapons," I ordered. The speech-regocnition software understood my command and powered down the weapons. I didn't want to shoot my lancemates, after all. My Dragon was upgraded with speech-recognition, too. I pushed the throttle on the left to about half-speed so I could move but not run. The hangar doors opened and I walked out.

"Friendly 'Mechs are in your lance." A green, translucent display came up and showed the friendly 'Mechs as blue dots. Below each one was a yellow ID. Locust, Jenner, and Wolfhound.

"Communications channel activating." Suddenly, a view of Olnat, Wellington, and Tennet came up in the lower-left corner of my display.

"You know what to do, guys. Get to course two," I ordered.

I plotted a course to training course two by simply saying, "Plot a course to Gamma quadrant." A map came up in the same manner as the display had previously and a yellow line came up, leading right to course two. The display did the same for my lancemates, and it moved to the top of the screen. It was, more or less, a straight path. A couple of small turns led us around other hangar doors and 'Mech bays.

When we arrived, the target was ready.

Edited by MechWarrior4Lover, 24 December 2011 - 11:36 AM.

[MechWarrior4Lover]

Chapter 5

An unknown 'Mech was at course two. Suddenly, a red box formed around it, designating that it had not registered in the IFF system.

"Designation: Firefly. Weight: Light. Weapons: Three Medium Lasers, One LRM 5. Defenses: Star Slab Armor, AMS." The computerized voice told me everything I needed to know. But I needed confirmation.

"Open up a comm line to Company Commander Jennings."

"Scanning... Scanning... Company Commander Jennings identified. Opening comm line." Jennings joined my lancemates in the bottom left corner. The map appeared once more, this time without the gold line but with me, my lance, the Firefly as a red dot, and Jennings as a blue one. She seemed to be a kilometer south of me, seperated by the base.

"Jennings, we have an unidentified 'Mech at course two. It's not on IFF. Orders?" My request was simple, and the answer was as well.

"Treat anything unknown like a hostile. I'll contact Hurricane Lance and come over as soon as possible. Jennings out."

"Guys, I'll try to contact the 'Mech. Give me a minute," I told my lance. I opened a comm line to the 'Mech.

"Unidentified 'Mech, power down or we will use deadly force, over."

"I'd like to see you try," came the harsh response, in a gritty, deep voice.

"Eagle Lance, open fire!" My lance started strafing, circling, and performing other combat maneuvers as well as the Firefly. I was the first to fire, attacking with my AC/5. It fired quickly, but still packed a punch. My Dragon shook with every bullet. The enemy Firefly got hit hard. Its legs had lost some armor, and the cockpit was struggling to resist the impending shells. Then, Olnat fired his Jenner's four medium lasers while on the move, hitting the Firefly in the rear torso. A small flame burst out but was quickly extinguished. The Firefly leaned over, but the gyro kept it stabilized and upright. I ceased fire, waiting for a better shot.

The Firefly then attempted to return fire. It simoltaneously fired its three medium lasers at Tennet's Locust, but the lasers narrowly missed and drilled a hole right into the base. Thankfully, it was just in the storage area and didn't do any major damage.

Wellington shot his Wolfhound's large laser at the Firefly's cockpit, but he was slightly off. He instead hit the missile storage directly to the right of the cockpit, and bright blue sparks showered out. The real damage was when an LRM prematurely detonated, and the explosion engulfed one side of the Firefly in flames. The 'Mech toppled to its left, the gyro failing to do its part. The half-destroyed, inert husk of the 'Mech showed no signs of life.

Edited by MechWarrior4Lover, 26 December 2011 - 11:57 AM.

[MechWarrior4Lover]

Feedback Please?

[MechWarrior4Lover]

Chapter 6

"What in the blazes is this?" Jennings and the rest of the Company members had arrived together.

"Correction. You mean 'What's in blazes?', right?" Smith liked to joke around every once in a while.

"Alright, alright. That wasn't half-bad. Superior to your usual puns, though. But back to business. Hoskins, you have an ID on this person, or does the forensics team need to figure this out?" Jennings wasn't always serious-minded, but she did what needed to be done.

"Negative. The person kinda just showed up here and didn't take kindly to us."

"I can tell, from both the scrap pile on the ground and the half-melted wall of the storage room." Smith was a critical thinker with a side of jokester outside of battle.

"What? Storage room?" Jennings twisted the torso of her Grand Dragon just enough to see the storage room 90 degrees to her right. "Aww man. That's gonna take a while to fix." That was true, because half the wall had melted and was now a solidified, puddle-shaped mass on the ground. Parts around the melted portion were red-hot, and only a small portion of the wall remained its original shade of grey.

"Well, we did have a small talk of sorts," I reported, remembering those six words. "Want me to re-broadcast it from my transmission memory?" My 'Mech kept a record of the last twenty transmissions that were recieved in order to enhance recognition of comm chatter.

"Sure. Give it a whirl." Jennings was determined to understand this ordeal.

"I'd like to see you try." The gritty voice sounded again, this time not just in my 'Mech but in everyone's.

The lower ranks didn't speak because they knew that this was a serious matter. Plus, Jennings would not be happy if she was rudely interrupted by anyone without a valid point to make.

"Where have I heard that voice before?" Jennings presumably mulled over her memory at the time.

"Jennings? You've heard that voice?" I asked, shocked.

"Yes. I heard the voice when researching... wait... the Nomads?"

"With all due respect, who are the Nomads?" I was still clueless.

"Yes. Barely known extremist group. Became sworn enemies of us, the Wolf's Dragoons, after we completed a contract that killed many civilians in a 'Mech core overload accident. Chances are, they've been scouring the Periphery looking for anything they can find, exterminating anyone along the way. They send that messsge every time they engage in contact with a Dragoon. That wasn't that Nomad's voice, but the leader's, James Grogonoff's. That means Nomads are on this very planet."

Edited by MechWarrior4Lover, 24 December 2011 - 03:36 PM.

[MechWarrior4Lover]

I was messing around with Bing Translator. Look how the last paragraph came out.

"Yes". Little known extremist group. We Wolf Dragoon mortal enemies we agreements concluded after the killing of many civilians one ' overload of core accidents. Around, it searches the scouring chance after all [how someone can be found there. If they engage in contact with the Dragoons, Messsge sends each time. This was the nomadic voice leader James Grogonoff. In other words, this very Earth "nomads".

[MechWarrior4Lover]

Chapter 7

December 22, 3049

Balten, planet in Periphery

31^st Ranger Company

Wolf's Dragoons

The drama today was odd. That Firefly came out of nowhere. Jennings said something about a group called the Nomads. I still don't get it, but then again I haven't studied armed forces in Periphery. She later told us to remain on full alert. The hole in the wall is currently being repaired by the construction team. These Nomads seem dangerous. I mean, look at the wall. I wonder just how many are here, and what kind of threat they pose. Jennings called in to command and demanded for a shipment of LRM turrets, laser turrets, and a crew to man them. She spent 10 million C-bills, but she thinks it's worth it. I'm not sure what to make of that. The shipment should be here tommorrow. That's it for tonight, I guess.

Lance Commander John Hoskins

Edited by MechWarrior4Lover, 26 December 2011 - 01:51 PM.

[Mikhal Rain Longcut]

not bad I enjoyed the read

[MechWarrior4Lover]

Mikhal Rain Longcut, on 26 December 2011 - 11:20 AM, said:

not bad I enjoyed the read

Thanks. I have been updating often so check back when you can!

[MechWarrior4Lover]

Chapter 8

The next day, I thankfully awoke on my own before wake-up call. I got dressed and followed my morning routine, as per usual. I checked the time. 0640 hours. I thought that it would be a good time to check if the new turret gunners and defenses were here. I noticed that everyone else was still sleeping as I walked into the hall.

I took a left turn, which led to Jennings's quarters. I knew that she was a morning person and wouldn't mind if I stepped in with a question. I opened the door and saw Jennings in a chair near her computer, which displayed a red message. It read, "DELIVERY STATUS: COMPLETE".


"Jennings, I was wondering about the status of our new fortifications. Can you give me an update?"

"They're right outside. Maybe you could be our welcoming party. I'm a little tired because I stayed up later than usual while monitering the status of our shipment." You could tell that she was tired. However, I respected her and thought that being a welcoming party would be a nice way to meet our new coworkers.

"Alright. I'll be right out." I then left the room, shut the door, and walked back down the hall. I passed the 'Mech bays, which were on my left, and turned left. I walked out of the doors in normal clothing, as Balten's atmosphere contained an amount of nitrogen and oxygen similar to Terra.

There it was. A Mule class dropship with numerous Powerman industrial 'Mechs delivering the load. A ramp was extended from the ship's side as a means of getting goods on and off the ship. Each item was packed in a metal container with the contents posted on the side.

The 20-ish new crewmen must have been cold. They had on only light jackets. I decided to help them in.

"Hey guys! Over here! Come with me and I'll get you inside!" The crowd walked toward me, eager to get warm.

"Alright guys, just step inside," I announced as I opened the door to the base. The people flooded inside. I managed to catch a conversation with one.

"So, how'd you get here so fast?" I asked.

"Well, you guys ordered the premium service. That means a prototype JumpShip equipped with multuple Lithium-Fusion Batteries makes the delivery. The prototype can make voyages in hours that would take most ships months. You were lucky, being in close Periphery space, that we only needed three jumps. Still, a 20 million C-bill fee is added to each additional jump, so your fee is 50 million C-bills." His voice was a bit burly, yet friendly.

"What? I thought Jennings used 10 million C-bills!" I was unamused. However, I then realized that command would never pay that much. Jennings must have paid for it out-of-pocket. She really wanted these turrets here.

"No, no. 10 million C-bills was the item cost. The person then ordered premium shipping."

"Okay," I sighed. "Let's just go inside."

Edited by MechWarrior4Lover, 30 January 2012 - 12:24 PM.

[MechWarrior4Lover]

Chapter 9

I decided to talk with Jennings. I walked into her room and started the conversation.

"Hey Jennings, ya realize that those turrets cost ya 50 million C-bills, right?"

"Don't worry. I used the extra money from my last contract." Her answer relieved me. My suspicions were correct.

"So, why are we here again?" I really wasn't sure at the time.

"Command gave us a job. Apparently, pirates have been interfering with our supply routes. They have been tracked to here and command has given us a base, adequate forces, and 20 million C-bills in spending money. Of course, I used it up for a good reason. Command says that we can keep anything that we buy. So, those turrets will be used later. I ordered premium shipping as I intend for this base to be intact by the end of the week, not plundered by those Nomads. I really fear for our subordinates. They're going up against a force that even we do not know the strength of. I think that we should pool our money, buy a Union and some AeroSpace fighters, and be the deadliest company in the whole of Wolf's Dragoons!" She showed great passion in talking, and showed her as-of-yet unrevealed ambitious and productive side.

"Where do you plan to get this money?" I was a little confused but I also agreed.

"Contracts. If we save up a little bit every time we can get lots of upgrades."

"Okay. I'll leave you to yourself now."

I left and saw that the mass of turret gunners was gone. I went back outside to the sight of 10 LRM turrets and 10 laser turrets-fully unpacked. The Mule was taking off in a brilliant flame, leaving a small, circular patch of greenish-blue grass exposed. I went inside once more, and I looked at today's assignments posted on the wall. Blank. I finally had a day of rest. I went back into the quarters, pulled back the covers, got in to the warm comfort of my bed once more, pulled the covers up, and went to sleep.

Edited by MechWarrior4Lover, 26 December 2011 - 08:55 PM.

[Mikhal Rain Longcut]

Like the plot line, keep it up you got some twist and turn coming up I can feel it

[HyPheR]

love it! keep it going please.

[MechWarrior4Lover]

Sorry I haven't been posting lately, be back soon!

[MechWarrior4Lover]

Chapter 10

I woke up only a couple hours later. I rose from my bed and decided to take a walk outside. I put on my heavy coat and winter gear and I walked out the door. No one was in sight, so I took a right and walked; I went out the door when I arrived.

The exposed patch of grass had been covered up by even more snow and ice. The turrets were gone as well, and I started walking around the perimiter. As I toured in the less-than-ideal snowfall, I saw 14 barely-raised platforms with turrets on them, alternating between laser and LRM each time. As I took a glance back to the base, I noticed three laser and three LRM turrets sitting atop their thrones at the command center. They seemed to be placed in an effective pattern.

I was near the door when I heard a less-than-pleasing sound. Not just any sound, but the booming falsetto of pulse lasers. At the time, I thought that it might just be turret calibration, but my thoughts were proven to be wrong when I heard an equally unpleasant noise. It was the alarm. It went off in short bursts, starting off as a low tone, going a little higher, and reverting back to a similar, but different, low tone. I acted quickly. I dashed inside and took a right to go to the 'Mech bays. I heard Jennings call over the intercom, "This is not a drill! All personnel, man your battlestations! I repeat, this is not a drill!" In an action of survival, I climbed up my Dragon's ladder at double my normal speed.

Quickly, and slightly sloppily, I put on my neurohelmet. "Reactor, online. Systems, online, Weapons, online. All systems nominal." This was not the time for petty luxuries of peace. We had a base to defend. I took a look out my cockpit window and saw Smith powering up right beside me.

"Open a comm channel to Smith," I ordered.

"Opening," the voice replied.

"Okay, buddy. Let's do this!" I heard Smith talk as I saw his face pop up. "Poor Tennet's out there alone. Let's stop the spider from eating the Locust, huh?"

"It'd be best if we got moving," I commanded as my 'Mech started out the door. "Map," I told the system. The map display popped up in its familiar manner, and it showed me that Tennet was slightly outside the base perimiter. It also had some transmitted data from Tennet, but it was a little unclear. It seemed to show multiple hostiles a mere 500 meters from Tennet. I ramped my Dragon up to full speed and as I was hurrying there, I was informed by my computer system that Tennet was retreating and that four 'Mechs and over twenty ground armor units were closing in on Tennet. I had to take action quickly. Then I got an idea. "Open a comm line to Tennet, now."

"Opening." Tennet popped up on my neurohelmet's screen and I needed him to talk to me.

"What kinds of 'Mechs are there? Lights, mediums, what's going on?" I asked with impending force in my voice, as this was important.

"Not sure," came the wavering reply. "Something I've never seen before is leading 'em. It's a good 60 tonner. It seems to be called the Double Sabre. It's a melee 'Mech. The thing's faster than me and wields two good-sized blades, with no ranged capability. I also see one medium and two lights, but I can't tell just what they are. Now would you get over here?" He was obviosly doubting his safety.
I made it over there in less than a minute after the conversation. There he was, still intact, and by that time everyone was on his or her way. The turret grid was firing laser after laser, missile after missle. The smaller red dots disappeared, one after the other. The turrets were taking out the light ground armor. Then I got a glimpse. A light Commando 'Mech came over the nearby hill, and I did what I could as a red box surrounded it. I blasted my AC/5 at the target, only a mere 300 meters away from me. It seemed that I missed the first few shots, but I knew I hit it when its arm went flying off in a brilliant shower of sparks. It fired its large laser and hit me in the torso, but the cold weather and my armor whittled down the normally-fatal blast to a mere dent on my 'Mech's looming stature. I retaliated by firing my two medium lasers after the clumsy pilot managed to get stuck in some foliage on the outskirts of a coniferous forest near the hill. The commander of the beast's own klutziness was his downfall as his fiery Commando toppled into thick shrubs and trees, which camoflagued it well until they, too burst into a fierce yet short-lived flame.
.
By that time, the rest of the company had arrived. Jennings suddenly burst out, "Three on the hill!"

I looked over to observe the cause for commotion, and saw three 'Mechs coming over the snow-capped hilltop. One appeared to be a large trash can with legs and stub arms mounting weapons. An UrbanMech, I thought to myself. Use its slow speed to your advantage, and don't let it hit you because it packs a large punch for its decievingly small frame. The medium Tennet told me about was a Vindicator. And as soon as I saw a large, streamlined figure with a sleek and tall build wielding two Flea sized swords, I knew that this would not be an easy fight.

Edited by MechWarrior4Lover, 01 February 2012 - 12:01 PM.

[MechWarrior4Lover]

I will try to fix the formatting of the previous chapter but as of now I cannot.

EDIT: Fixed DOUBLE EDIT: Not fixed

Edited by MechWarrior4Lover, 31 January 2012 - 06:42 PM.

[MechWarrior4Lover]

Chapter 11

The enemies had red boxes surround them simoltaneously. The commanding 'Mech appeared to be a larger version of a Vindicator with modified arms to hold fearsome blades. The torso was especially large to fit an advanced engine to make it move as fast as a light 'Mech. It was most definitely the toughest looking opponent I had ever seen.

It approached in no fear of the incoming missiles and lasers that came within meters of it. The UrbanMech got smashed by an LRM to the cockpit and and was not able to absorb the shock so it backpedaled down the hill in the opposite direction. It seemed to be down for good. The Vindicator fired a surge of electric death at a friendly Jenner, but it was one of Hurricane Lance. It exploded in a lighning-blue cloud and it easily took down the friendly 'Mech. It fell over like a domino and the cockpit was ripped to metallic shreds as small sparks were still showering out.

"Nooooooo! MacErricton!" Smith mourned the loss of his possibly-deceased lancemate. However, I knew to focus on surviving myself. I decided to fire my AC/5 and my LRM 10 at the Vindicator and it seemed to faceplant on the hilltop as the explosion scorched it, the explosives' paths revealed by the numerous contrails that were fading away at that point. The entire company backpedaled as it began to glow in a blinding white light. I looked away to shield my eyes. It exploded in a deafening boom, blasting a good-sized crater into the hill.

The Double Sabre was only slightly riveted by the blast, and kept approaching. It came too close for comfort in Wellington's eyes, for sure. Only seven or eight meters away, it skewered the Wolfhound with its right-hand blade.

"Aaaaahh!" Wellington screamed as his picture turned to static. Jennings took the initiative and blasted the immobile enemy with her PPC, blowing its head off. I looked over and saw the Grand Dragon's PPC arm steaming.

"One down, let's do some medical searches for our people, okay?" By that time all of the the red dots were gone and the area was clear. The base was intact and undamaged. A Jenner was lying on the ground in a cloud of smoke and Wellington's Wolfhound was on top of the relativly intact Double Sabre. "Come on salvage people, let's move!"

"Hey, Hoskins, ya think MacErricton made it?" Smith asked me, obviously concerned.

"It's possible," I replied. "But I think the only thing wrong with Wellington is that his 'Mech is trashed." That was true, as the metal blade still was not removed from the Wolfhound. "The only thing we can do is wait and find out."

Edited by MechWarrior4Lover, 03 February 2012 - 03:05 PM.

[MechWarrior4Lover]

Hi guys. I hope you liked what I have so far. I am thinking about creating a sequel (after this is over) called First Contact. Remember to keep checking back!