Chapter 19
An Open Grave
Coromodir
27th October, 3024
"She was supposed to be dead." Victoria hissed as they looked at the incoming intelligence. Her father sighing as he studied the intelligence in the assault on Weldry. "And what is with these cursed machines!" She said picking up various pieces of intelligence that had been sent from the ComStar station.
"I wish I knew daughter." Santiago said as he studied the files. "I've heard claims that these tanks here are hundreds of tonnes. And the footage from he attack on the Icebox is even worse. I've been making some inquiries, and I haven't discovered anything good to come of it. Apparently my Niece has secured the Raven Guard, and they've made a few waves with how quickly they've grown and I'm not entirely sure we can withstand this without the aid of our allies in the Taurian Concordat."
"Let me get her. She won't be able to resist the chance to get back at my 'betrayal' father." Victoria said angrily.
"Victoria, according to my contacts, this Raven Guard have access to three Star Lords, an Invader as well as powerful dropships like an Overlord and Fortress. I've been in contact with Ostergaard, and though he has no difficulty with his son commanding the Newgrange on its black ops runs, he says the Concordat is not content with the idea of acting directly at this point." Santiago stood up and moved towards the window. "Victoria, I have a task for you."
"What is it?"
"Ostergaard only has his son, and his son is due for a supply run in two weeks. I want you to get a few of the Star League mechs from Castle Trilobite(1). Paint them up in the Raven Guard colours and blow apart the Dropship Newgrange." He faced the window preventing her from seeing his face.
"If they ever find out what we..."
"If they ever find out it will be nothing compared to if they discover we were responsible for the gas attack. I can't trust anyone else for this, you and your unit will have to do this if we're to survive." He said turning to face her, a look of concern on his face. "Meanwhile i'm going to send a message to the Capellans, my spies tell me that the Raven Guard made a powerful enemy amongst the Thuggees and they might be willing to lend us force to even the field."
Victoria nodded. "I still believe we can do this on our own father. But if you will it, for the Directorate." Standing she saluted and left.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Newgrange sat on it's pad. People moving back and forth unloading cargo and loading other cargo as the Directorate forces worked to protect the site with an almost lazy air. The medium mechs standing guard as a pair of lights patrolled the perimeter. Phillip Ostergaard supervised it all from the command bridge of the modified Union class with a bored disinterest, smuggling weapons and mechs to the Directorate wasn't exactly risky work, the up-armoured nature of the Newgrange preventing most pirates from considering an attack on it where the Concordat flag did not.
"Fuel loading?" He asked moving across to the console where his AS tech was monitoring the procedure.
"Forty percent Captain." Another of the techs spoke up, "Captain, according to sensors a Union just touched down ten klicks away."
"What? Identify it."
"IFF claims its the 'Warden's Rest'." The tech said and Phillip frowned he'd heard the name before.
"Let the Directorate forces know, and hurry up with unloading and fuelling." Phillip said as he sat back in his own chair. The price of their extra armour had come at the cost of weapons. And now he could only sit and wait as the fuel gauges rose far too slowly. "And send a message to our jumpship. Broadcast constant. They need to know what happens here."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Ok, you understand the job. Kill the defenders and blow the fuel pumps, the Newgrange is too well armoured for a blunt assault. I know these are our own people, but you know what we've done for the Directorate. Director Espinosa calls on you to do so again today. To bring in the Concordat as real allies in this conflict and help put down the Lady and her false Restoration!" The words were those of a fanatical demagogue driving her chosen warriors to fight, to the death if necessary. As she marched forwards in the Amaris' Spider(2). A hidden prototype of a superheavy mech buried in the cache. The Raven Guard's use of Superheavy vehicles would be supported by using it.
The PPC beam weapons and unprecedented speed of the mech gave her plenty of advantages. And that became more apparent as she watched the two light mechs running for the facility broadcasting alarmed transmissions.
LRM fire reached up into the sky as Victoria began to move ahead of her troops, a counter-barrage from her own LRMs reaching up into the sky. Firepower exchanged itself and the missiles fell, her own machines marching through the hellfire from the enemy craft with little to no concern. Weapons tore apart the skies and a Locust burned as it crossed one of her men in his Star League era Atlas, pulse lasers turning it into chunky salsa.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Phillip had dived to the communication station picking up the microphone. "Dawnfall, this is the Newgrange, get the hell out of here! The Raven Guard have attacked, they have deployed a new super-heavy mech of unknown design, it's... just fucking look! They've attacked with no demands, no requests, nothing." He turned the camera outside a viewport in time for a sustained PPC beam to blast their Shadow Hawk into debris.
"Tell my father I love him." He finished off as he hung up the microphone.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Fire burned as Victoria crossed the ridge, PPC beam blasting out and carving apart the fuelling depot. Chain reactions of fire reaching into the Newgrange and rendering it down to scrap and rubble as secondary explosions tore it apart from within, ignoring the extra thick armour of the dropship.
"Fall back to the dropship. Our mission is done here."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1 Month Later
Santiago stood by the window as he watched footage from the assault and the reveal of the prototype mech from their hidden cache. Wondering how he could exploit it without further giving things away. News had come back that Commodore Ostergaard had been driven into a rage-fuelled three day bender once news had reached him of his sons death at the hands of Kamea Arano and her mercenary pets.
And yet, it had the desired effect of prompting action from the Concordat, word was that Ostergaard had assembled his fleet and was en-route even now to provide aid. And still Santiago wondered if it would be enough, he'd seen the footage of the battle on Weldry and knew Kamea was piloting one of the Raven Guard's strange superheavy mechs.
"Do we know what they're bringing?"
"A Regiment." The aide said studying the data, "There are little specifics, but the Confederation refused to send anything, however the 'aggrieved party' has hired a Batallion of the Highlanders to assist us in our 'time of need'."
Santiago smiled. "An impressive show of solidarity."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Markham; New Avalon
I moved through our corporate HQ as I studied the information being passed to me with some degree of worry. The intelligence arm I had been building to support the Raven Guard had warned me about a Battalion of Northwind Highlanders that had been hired by our enemies in the Capellan Confederation to 'put down' the Arano Restoration, that when added to the Taurian Concordat's involvement and sending a Regiment may prove to be beyond merely challenging.
The meeting room was small, and well shielded against spy devices as I sat down with Otto. "Good to see you again Markham, this is a little more secure than the club, but don't you think people will notice?"
"Of course they will, but between you and Jacobs from Achernar Battlemechs, they're getting used to private meetings being held. Fact is the 'business end' of my company is heading into some royal shit thanks to the Capellans and Concordat. And I'd like to make arrangements to help them out." I poured a measure of whiskey into two tumblers and handed one to Otto.
"What sort of arrangements are you after?" Otto said taking a mouthful of it.
"Another forty mechs and fifty tanks, and a rapid delivery." Otto's eyes didn't boggle, he'd gotten used to hearing grand requests.
"That is a tall request, and not one Introtech are really suited for so I have to wonder why you've reached out to me." Otto said instead.
"You know people, ex-military types or those drummed out for the sort of infractions that are inconvenient for a nation, but tuesday for a mercenary. I know he's manufacturing new Knights and Armigers as well. So what he needs most is warm bodies capable of doing the job, or even interested in augmentation to pilot more advanced machines." I said taking a drink.
"Ah, of course I know people, we like to hire them occasionally as security for ourselves, but those are all too frequently short term, and we have little use for mech pilots as security, I can give you contacts for twenty or thirty that we've used on and off, some are young, brave and stupid, others are in retirement age and could use a little extra to retire on." Otto said interested. "And i'm happy to help out a friend, what sort of trouble are you facing?"
"Capellans and Concordat." I said plainly, there was no love lost there to be wary of. "The Cappies have hired a Battalion of Highlanders to make life difficulty, the Taurians have apparently flipped their lid over the death of a dropship driver and sent an entire regiment under Commodore Ostergaard. Warden tells me that he had no involvement in the death, and I believe it."
"Would it be so surprising if he had?" Otto asked curiously.
"No, but he wouldn't hide it either. Killing someone on the job is pretty standard fare so if he'd done it he'd have no reason to deny it. But the Taurian's won't wait to hear an explanation before they drop. And the Restoration is likely to stall without my people on the ground." Another mouthful of drink.
"And they're hesitant to drop with the possibility of a hundred and fifty + battlemechs taking the field against them." Otto nodded understanding, "Not counting infantry, armour or ASF support."
"When you've got about a quarter of that best case, yeah."
Otto thought considering the situation. "I'm going to have a word with my Cousin if I can get in to see him, I know Hanse is more than impressed by the Armiger technology and wants to see what else you lot present in the future. I'm not sure he will do anything about the Concordat, not publicly, but he might be willing to lend a Battalion of troops under the table."
"Thanks Otto, shall we finish this discussion over at the club in a couple days time?"
"I think we shall. Fare well Markham