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[Orcinus]

Prologue -- Hunter and Hunted
Planet Orestes
5 km east of Kiertenbach
1 July, 3034
1843 Hours


My feet hurt.

The sun blazed bright orange as it hugged the horizon line of the mountains behind me. The clouds around it took in the color and made it their own. The trees remained black against brutal rays of sunlight wrapped around them.

I paid attention to none of it as I ran. Rather, I looked behind me. She was still there. Still clasping my right hand. Still keeping up with my pace.

I looked past the mane of raven-black hair flowing behind her into the forest. Nothing came through the woods to pursue us. I breathed a sigh of relief.

She must have heard me, for she looked up. Her eyes were still rimmed with red, but the tears were long since cuffed away. The look she gave told me all that I needed to know. I looked ahead again and we continued to run.

A shell flew high above and crashed into the trees ahead of us. Instinctively, I pulled in my right hand, twisted to grab her shoulders with my left arm, and flung us aside. Unfazed by the rough landing, we quickly made our way into a shrub to hide.

It wasn’t long before we heard the heavy footsteps and the crashing of trees. And it wasn’t long after that when we saw it.

The pursuer towered above us, painted a simple bright red. Its head jutted out slightly forward from its torso. Neither of its arms had hands; rather, it had multiple barrels on one arm and what appeared to be small fuel tanks on the other. Two more barrels protruded from the sides of its waist. Later, I would learn that it was a Vulcan VL-2T, but now it was merely yet another threat.

A threat that did not seem to notice us. In fact, it didn’t appear to be looking for us at all. Instead, it kept looking up into the sky. The barrel on its right torso fired another round ahead of it.

After firing a second round, it started to walk backwards. From somewhere up ahead, a flurry of missiles had been launched in response. Four explosions rocked the ‘mech, though it remained standing. The fifth hit a nearby tree and we crouched and covered our heads.

When I looked back up, there was another ‘mech descending onto the spot the Vulcan had just vacated. The head sat on top of the torso and had a small structure with five holes attached to it—an LRM-5 launcher. Each of its arms had hands and a single barrel, augmented by two more such barrels on the sides of its body. The center of its chest had a single hole in the center.

The colors on the mech were much more elaborate. Its body was a dark blue-green set off with stripes of bright green and blue. While the right arm maintained the scheme, the stripes on the left arm were bright orange and yellow. On its left breast, there was a picture of a shield, also orange and yellow, with crossed axes. The head also brandished a pair of horns, curving up so their points jutted directly into the air. It would be a few years until I learned that such horns are, in fact, not standard equipment on the Grasshopper GHR-5H.

Now this new ‘mech stood before us, facing down the Vulcan, which was still retreating. The Grasshopper paused for a second. Then a bright red beam shot out from the barrels on its arms and sides. Then another, even larger, beam shot out of the hole in its chest.

The Vulcan didn’t stand a chance. The medium lasers took off entire chunks of armor, the internals exposed in several places. The large laser was much less forgiving, shearing the left arm straight off.

She clung to my arm, unsure what to make of this newcomer. I wanted to say something reassuring, but instead I just gazed at the ‘mech. I wasn’t sure what the Grasshopper would do when it was done, but I figured that neither I nor she was in any shape to continue running much longer. So we stayed in our hiding spot and waited it out.

After all, my feet still hurt.

[Orcinus]

1 -- Law and Disorder, Part 1
Planet Orestes
Home, Outskirts of Lotta
22 February, 3034
0816 Hours


I don’t like cake.

Dad still insisted on at least a simple one. I had eaten cake before and learned that my stomach doesn’t respond well to consuming large amounts of sugar all at once. Naturally, at the time, that would only be fancy-talk for “It makes my tummy hurt.”

I sat in front of the cake. Or rather, the cake sat in front of me. It was rather small, not even as big as my head. The candles were arranged neatly on top; five pink-and-white candles formed a circle on top of the blue icing.

“Go ahead,” Dad urged. His face wore its usual stern expression, but his mouth curved into a slight grin.

Neither of us bothered with pictures. After all, it was exactly the same as last year. Except that Mom was also with us back then. But ever since she passed away, we never talked about such things.

I blew out the candles. One stubbornly stayed lit, but a second breath took care of that.

“So do you want to eat? Or would you rather open your present first?”

I looked up and grinned in response. He knew the answer just as well as I did. His smile broadened slightly as he chuckled.

“Alright, then. Give me a second…”

Dad reached down and picked up the box that was waiting next to his chair. He placed in onto the table next to the cake, and then adjusted the items so that the box was sitting in front of me. It was a wooden cube measuring one foot on each side. The side facing me had two large doors which would open outwards. I reached for the two tiny handles and paused before opening them. Dad nodded.

My dad was a skilled craftsman and carpenter. With the wood easily acquired from the trees around our home, he could make anything: tables, chairs, cupboards, footstools, counter-tops, benches. My present wasn’t any of those things, of course.

I took my present out of the box and held it up.

“Do you know what that is?”

I studied it as it sat in my hands. The broad shoulders. The claw on the left arm. The barrel that comprised the right arm. The jutting chest marked with ten dots on the front. The round canopy nestled on top.

“It’s your Dragon!”

Dad simply grinned.

In my excitement, I continued. “Now I can be just like you, Dad!”

He chuckled again as he patted my head. “That’s right.”

Dad’s years as a ‘mech pilot were definitely showing. He had several wrinkles around his eyes and clean-shaven face; his hands were calloused after years at the controls followed by years of woodwork. His hair was still the same dark-brown as mine, though a silver hair could be found here and there. Whenever he talked—and he didn’t talk a lot—he always sounded tired.

Setting the toy Dragon aside, I placed my hands on the edge of the table, ready to push back my chair and—

“Slow down, now. You will have plenty of time to play with your present later. You should eat your cake.” Dad cut the cake into slices as he berated me.

Pouting, I stayed in my chair and watched as he placed one of the slices onto a plate and passed it to me.

“If it makes you feel better, I’ll have some too.” As if to reassure me, Dad’s slice was about twice the size of mine. I picked up my fork and took a bite. It was delicious, so I went for another bite.

Nevertheless, I still don’t like cake.

[Orcinus]

1 -- Law and Disorder, Part 2
Planet Orestes
Home, Outskirts of Lotta
13 March, 3034
0900 Hours

Quote

“…and so, of this time and of this place, the thirteenth of March, 3034, these worlds are held not by another’s power or authority but by our own. For today shall be known and celebrated as the rebirth of the Rasalhague people! Today sees the creation of the Free Rasalhague Republic! Today we enter the future of our own accord! Today we hold our own fate in our own two hands! Today we may walk under our sun and stars and know that we are beholden to no man, no nation whose rule shall oppress us! Today we declare our freedom!”
~Elected Prince Haakon Magnusson’s Declaration of Freedom

It was quiet.

Dad sat in front of the holovid projector. I watched him from a short distance away, sitting with my toy Dragon and its ‘mech hangar (the wooden box it came in). I wasn’t sure what had just happened, as my Dad held his head in his left hand.

He turned to me, his face bearing a slight grin.

“I never thought I would live to see this day.”

I tilted my head to the left, confused. He turned away and sighed, lightly chuckling to himself. As I went back to the Dragon, he reached over and patted my head.

Dad’s hand came away abruptly when a loud chirping sound emanated from another room. I followed as he ran into the room, leaving the door slightly ajar. I peeked inside; he had the radio receiver in the hand and was listening in.

“I saw it.” “Wasn’t it?” “Wait…”

His shoulders tensed.

“What?” “They can’t—!” “But what about—?”

A long pause.

“I understand.” “Yes, sir.” “On my way.”

He put down the receiver, and then turned to leave the room. Startled, I withdrew from the doorway. It’s bad form for a kid to be caught spying on his parents, after all.

Dad came out and closed the door behind him. He turned towards me, a slightly pale complexion on his face.

“We need to go. Now.”

“What’s going on, Dad?” His sudden change in disposition confused me further.

“There isn’t time to explain. Get your bag.”

After about 10 minutes of frantic packing, we were on our way to the car. Dad had his duffel bag slung over his shoulder. I was wearing my backpack and had the Dragon—in its wooden box—cradled in my arms. He had initially insisted on leaving it home, but I wasn’t about to go anywhere without it and he wasn’t about to waste time trying to convince me otherwise. We tossed our bags into the truck and then promptly left, barely even taking time to fasten our safety belts.

The sun was feeling shy today, hiding in a sky gray with clouds. The forest thinned out as home receded in the distance. As there was nobody else on the road—a scratch in the dirt, for what it was worth—Dad had no compunctions with keeping his foot on the gas pedal, releasing pressure only to negotiate the rare turns that showed up.

I saw the dish first, a massive structure pointing at an angle into the sky. The rest of the complex spanned before us. The cluster of buildings set around the dish was abuzz with people running back and forth. Vehicles large and small were making their way into and out of the facility.

And standing in the middle of the hustle and bustle was a ‘mech. It stood still and slowly rotated its torso from side-to-side. In lieu of a head, the top was a perfect dome topped with a pair of antennae projecting backwards. The right arm was much larger than the left, both merely barrels set into the sides.

“An Urbanmech UM-R60…” Dad intoned, more to himself than to me. “The Blood Suckers are going to have a field day with that one…”

I didn’t like the sound of these “Blood Suckers,” so I kept to myself and clutched my box tightly.

The car passed the first set of buildings, only to come to another set. These buildings were much taller, however. They were much like my box, except they were the real deal. There were about four of these structures, all of the doors were open. Three of the buildings were occupied and Dad drove up to one of these.

It was quiet again as I saw it.

[Orcinus]

1-- Law and Disorder, Part 3
Planet Orestes
Hyperpulse Relay Station, 30 km north of Lotta
13 March, 3034
1024 Hours

There was a lot of noise.

The buildings were a hive of activity as everybody ran around. Components were being examined. Stations were being manned. And standing in the middle of it all was bewildered little me.

After seeing that his Dragon DRG-1N was ready to go, Dad parked the car and went to talk to some people that were making final preparations. Naturally, I followed, still clutching the mini-Dragon in my arms.

“Good to see you, sir,” one man said, staring into a computer monitor.

Dad nodded in reply. “What’s the situation?”

The man tapped the monitor a few times and a map appeared. “We’ve got reports of the Hussars making their way from the east. We confirm a lance of ‘mechs, but there will probably be more.”

He tapped the monitor some more and the map was replaced by ‘mech schematics. “We already have the Urbanmech keeping tabs on the approach path. Other than that, we have an Assassin, a Crusader, and your ‘mech.”

I knew about my Dad’s Dragon. The other names flew over my head.

Dad thought for a moment. “Alright. Get everybody into position.”

“Yes, sir.” The man turned back to the monitor and proceeded to talk into his headset.

Dad and I continued along when another man walked up to us. He was a head taller than Dad, also clean shaven, and had blond hair. Dad turned to him and spoke. “Ah. You made it.”

They shook hands. “Greetings, old friend. How are things?”

“Rough. And it’s only going to get rougher.” Dad turned to me. “Mr. Hansson here is a friend of mine. He’s going to take care of you while I’m gone.”

The blond man—Mr. Hansson—also turned to me, beaming a smile much larger than I’ve ever seen on Dad. We shook hands. “Nice to meet you. Call me Pehr.”

Dad chuckled and patted my head. “Don’t give him any ideas, now. He’s a clever one.”

Mr. Hansson chuckled in reply. “Oh, don’t worry about me. I know all about caring for the clever ones.”

Dad looked toward the direction of the sun, watching the horizon. “Well, it’s about time I should get going.”

Mr. Hansson nodded. “You watch yourself out there.”

It was Dad’s turn to nod. “Of course. And tell your family I said hello.”

Mr. Hansson smiled in response. Dad turned to me and squatted so we were eye-to-eye.

We were silent for a few seconds, and then Dad smiled and patted my head. “Take care.”

“You too, Dad.”

He stood back up, nodded to the two of us, and walked off towards the Dragon waiting in the distance.

“Well, kid, ready to go?”

“Yes, Mr. Hansson.”

“No need for formalities. Call me Pehr.”

I frowned, not entirely comfortable with calling someone a pear. He just sighed, chuckled, and we kept walking.

We exchanged some small talk as we got to Mr. Hansson’s car and climbed inside. I just sort of mumbled out answers the whole time, however, as I wondered how Dad was doing.

There was a lot of noise as the first shots were fired.

[Orcinus]

1 -- Law and Disorder, Part 4
Planet Orestes
Hyperpulse Relay Station, 30 km north of Lotta
13 March, 3034
1042 Hours

They all came in fast.

I had asked Mr. Hansson to drive to a place where we could watch the battle. At the time, I had assumed that we could go back once the ‘mech business was finished. By staying closer to the station, Dad wouldn’t have to wait so long for us to return.

He seemed hesitant. “Are you sure?”

“Yes. Dad doesn’t like to be kept waiting, after all.”

The smile that Mr. Hansson had earlier was long gone. “No… he doesn’t.”

He already knew what we would see, but he didn’t have the heart to say anything.

We parked on a smaller hill nearby. Other cars passed by, but none stopped to ask why we just waited there. Mr. Hansson turned off the vehicle and we just sat and watched. In silence.

The field was spread out ahead of us. Four ‘mechs were advancing across it.

“Shadow Hawk SHD-2H. Whitworth WTH-1. Blackjack BJ-1. Sentinel STN-3K.” I wasn’t surprised that Mr. Hansson could name all of the ‘mechs. After all, he was friends with Dad, who must have known every BattleMech by heart.

On the hills guarding the approach to the station, the Urbanmech was dug in as the Assassin jumped up to join it. The medium ‘mech quickly moved on, though, as the four attackers began to fire at the hill, peppering the Urbie with autocannon and missile fire.

Then four became twelve.

Mr. Hansson continued to list out the ‘mechs as they appeared. Another Whitworth (but the -1S variant) led a Phoenix Hawk PXH-1 and a pair of Crab CRB-20s. Behind them followed a Hunchback HBK-4J leading a Trebuchet TBT-5N and two Griffin GRF-1Ns.

The Urbanmech stood up in preparation to abscond. No sooner was it on its feet, however, than it was met with withering weapons fire. Autocannon shells ripped the right arm out of its socket. Lasers of various sizes tore into the ‘mech’s left leg. Missiles pounded on the front side as PPCs glanced off the right leg. An ejection seat flew out of the ‘mech as the husk lost its balance and began to roll down the hill.

It got quiet again as the Assassin jumped out of sight and the twelve ‘mechs—a company, as Mr. Hansson called it—continued their advance on the station. I saw Dad’s Dragon and the Crusader hiding behind the hills the Urbie had been standing on, out of sight from the attackers. The first lance of ‘mechs (with the Shadow Hawk) were starting to climb those hills. The second lance led by the Whitworth went off in pursuit of the Assassin. The Hunchback was taking the third lance to backup the first, which was just about to crest the first hill.

After a few seconds, the Assassin came back into view. It had maneuvered around the hills and was coming back to rendezvous with the heavy ‘mechs, with the Phoenix Hawk and Whitworth in hot pursuit. At the same time, the first lance had reached the top of the hill and began to fire at the Dragon and Crusader. As the two heavy ‘mechs attempted to position themselves to meet the attack coming from all directions, the Phoenix Hawk jumped in between them, temporarily isolating them as laser and missile fire continued to pour onto them. Before either ‘mech could turn to face it, however, the smaller ‘mech jumped away, continuing to chase the Assassin that had passed them.

The two Crabs returned to the hill and fired a flurry of large lasers at the Crusader. It was those shots that finally punched through the heavy ‘mech’s armor, igniting its store of LRM ammunition. Almost simultaneously, the Phoenix Hawk fired one last salvo of lasers into the badly damaged Assassin, setting off its SRM ammo.

The Dragon was shaken heavily by the two explosions but managed to remain standing as it stood against the company of ‘mechs closing in from all sides. But all of their weapons remained silent.

The third lance crested the hill, closing off the circle around the lone heavy. The Hunchback stepped in front of the other three ‘mechs.

“That must be the company commander.” Mr. Hansson’s voice was almost a whisper.

Everyone stood silently for a long while, the Dragon facing the Hunchback in a staring contest of sorts. They were probably conversing via their radios.

Then they all fired.

[Bronsk]

Wow Orc, this is good stuff man. Can't wait to read the rest of it.

[Orcinus]

1 -- Law and Disorder, Part 5
Planet Orestes
Hyperpulse Relay Station, 30 km north of Lotta
13 March, 3034
1045 Hours

The Dragon was all that was left.

An autocannon round, a laser, and three missiles hit the Whitworth, forcing it back a pace. Afterwards, I lost sight of the Dragon as the other ‘mechs fired upon it.

When the smoke cleared, it was missing its right arm. The Dragon stood for another second, then swayed and fell over onto its side.

The Hunchback appeared to waste no time gesturing to the other ‘mechs, who dispersed around the station. The Dragon still lay motionless where it fell.

I felt Mr. Hansson’s hand on my shoulder. I shook my head.

“Dad’s not finished yet.”

The hand went away and we continued to watch. I tightened my grip on the box still in my arms.

After about 30 seconds, the Dragon tried to get back up. However, the best it could manage was propping itself up on its remaining arm. The Hunchback stood in front of it as the Trebuchet and the two Griffins formed a loose half-circle behind it.

They paused for a second, and then the Dragon loosed a volley of missiles towards the Hunchback. The range was too close for them to be effective, however, so the missiles flew harmlessly past the smaller ‘mech.

The Hunchback stepped forward again, pointing its weapons at the Dragon. The rest of the ‘mechs remained motionless.

“I spent my life fighting to achieve independence for my homeland.”

Dad’s voice made Mr. Hansson pause with his hand on the ignition. “He must be using the external speaker, but why—?” He glanced towards me.

I leaned forward in my seat. Dad’s voice continued.

“And now you seek to take it all away.”

The Dragon flexed its elbow, lowering itself.

“For centuries, blood has been shed as the people of Rasalhague cried out for independence. Almost 700 years have passed before we finally attained the freedom we sought after, a freedom that has even been backed by your own Coordinator. And yet you still insist on marching against Rasalhague.”

It paused as it touched the ground.

“You have betrayed your own nation as well as mine.”

One of the Griffins glanced towards the Hunchback, who remained still.

“Xin lỗi, con.” My hand began to hurt as my grip tightened.

Suddenly, the Dragon pushed off with its arm. With another push from its legs, the battered ‘mech took to the air and leapt towards the Hunchback.

“Do your worst, traitorous scum!”

The other ‘mechs snapped to attention, but the Hunchback fired first. Six lasers punched into the flying Dragon, shredding the remnants of its armor. One of the shots must have hit ammunition as the Dragon was soon enveloped in a violent explosion.

At that point, Mr. Hansson started the car and swerved away, rejoining the main road.

“I’m sorry. It’s time to go.”

I slumped into my seat. I didn’t know what to say—what to do.

As Mr. Hansson drove on, I just stared down at the box in my arms.

My Dragon was all I had left.

[Orcinus]

2 -- Arrivals and Departures, Part 1
Planet Orestes
Park on the Outskirts of Lotta
30 April, 3034
1432 Hours

I stumbled as I was dragged along the path.

She giggled while she helped me up again. “We’re gonna miss it if you keep being clumsy.”

I brushed myself off. “Miss what?”

Ever mischievous, she just continued her brisk pace once I was back on my feet. As her hand was firmly clasped to mine, I didn’t have much choice but to follow, lest I fall flat on my face for a third or fourth time.

It had been over a month since Mr. Hansson took me into his home. We didn’t bother stopping at my house—Dad had already arranged everything beforehand.

Mr. Hansson chose to live amongst Lotta’s suburbs. From the front, his house appeared simple but spacious. His years of experience in the military—which numerous scars and medals attested to—paid off its dividends. Now, he put that experience to use in law enforcement. As it turned out, he had no business being at the Relay Station, were it not for Dad’s request.

His wife greeted us at the door. She was almost the same height as my dad and had shoulder-length raven-black hair. She wore a plain white Sunday dress and had a red ribbon in her hair. She introduced herself as Mizuki Kawakami, having chosen to retain her surname name upon marriage.

She offered me a plate of orange slices. I turned them down. Noticing her concern, Mr. Hansson whispered something into his wife’s ear. A worried expression spread onto her face, but she remained silent.

“Papa!”

The voice came from the adjacent hall. A small figure ran across the hall and leaped into Mr. Hansson’s arms.

“What have I told you about running indoors, young lady?”

She loosened her hug to pout in her father’s face. Then she noticed me and was subsequently set down on her feet, the discussion topic discarded.

Her hair—the same color as her mother’s—flowed down to the small of her back. Two bright blue ribbons adorned her hair and she wore a dress covered in flower prints. She stood at the same height as me, wearing a smile on her face. I just stared back blankly, my possessions still on my back and in my arms.

She crossed her hands in front of her and bowed, as if greeting a guest.

“Hello. Nice to meet you. I’m Umeko.”

My thoughts returned to Dad’s last moments. My eyes blinked but remained trained on hers. My lips remained still.

She was undeterred. “Do you need help putting those away?”

I nodded absentmindedly. She smiled.

She wore that same smile as she dragged me along the gravel path.

We paused briefly to look behind us, where Mr. Hansson waved from some distance on the path. Despite her enthusiasm with running off ahead, Umeko always made sure that her parents were in sight.

A few more minutes passed when she announced, “We made it!”

As she finally let go of my hand, we stood at the edge of a large chasm. A waterfall roared before us. She stood on a rock that was next to me. I held my Dragon in my right hand.

I looked up at her. “This is what you wanted to show me…?”

She merely put a finger to her lips, and then pointed out to the waterfall.

I set the wooden ‘mech onto the ground and raised my hand over my eyes. I tried to get a closer look at the waterfall. Perhaps there was something that I had missed.

“I don’t see anything.”

I stumbled as a pair of arms flew around me in an embrace.