Main event

by James D. Long

  "I'll pay for the transport of your 'Mech to Outreach. Once there transport will be part of the contract. Technically, you'll be an officer, with full rights and privileges."

  "One of how many?"

  "Myself, my exec, you, and one other lance commander."

  "You haven't got the unit put together yet, have you?" Rose considered the easy lie, but rejected it. Esmeralda was too wary.

  "Not yet. My exec is on Outreach right now getting the recruiting process started, but I haven't talked with her since arriving on Solaris."

  "You must be one rich man, Jeremiah Rose. How can you afford all this?"

  "In truth, I can't. If you sign on, it'll have to be for a percentage of the contract. I was down to almost nothing before the fight, but with some action on the side, I've got enough for the passage and a little left for expenses when we get there. The truth is that we'll need to sign a contract fast."

  "You say I'll be an officer?"

  Rose smiled, but only on the inside. So, she did have a soft spot.

  "I have to know before I leave the room, yes or no," Rose said. "As it is, we'll barely have time to book passage and load the Warhammer"

  Silence descended yet again as Rose and O'Shea stared at Esmeralda. Head buried in her chest, she sat thinking for long moments, oblivious of the two men's stares.

  "I'll go," she said at last, turning to look at Rose. "I'm a fool to follow you, but I'll go."

  "I'm going too." Rose looked over at Badicus in confusion.

  "I'm sorry, Badicus, but. . ."

  "You owe me, Rose. Essy can vouch for my abilities and I've got cash. I'm willing to pay for a spot in the unit if I'm in Essy's lance." Rose was still in shock. What little he knew about O'Shea suggested that he was good, but to take a complete unknown was risky, or stupid, or both. He looked over at Esmeralda, who nodded, but did not speak.

  Now it was Rose's turn to let the silence hang as he considered his options. He'd always put trust in his subordinate officers in the past. Now was no time to change his ways.

  "You've got a 'Mech, too?" O'Shea's head slumped forward. "No."

  "Good, I can't afford the transport costs." The big man's head shot back up. Rose looked into the bright, eager eyes and smiled. "You can pilot the Shadow Hawk you've been using for the last few months." Rose clapped his hands and stood to go. "And I guess I'll have to learn how to pilot a rebuilt Charger."

  16

  Harlech, Outreach

  24 September 3054

  Rose, Esmeralda, and Badicus finally arrived on Outreach after spending what seemed to Rose like an eternity trapped aboard the Gentle Wind. Though a civilian transport, the DropShip boasted all the inconveniences and discomforts for which military ships were famous. Overcrowding, abysmal ventilation, poor lighting—and those were just the good qualities Rose could recall.

  His companions seemed to survive the trip better, but that was because they spent most of their time in the repair bays working on their 'Mechs. Rose had tried to help out at first, but Esmeralda's skill at fine-tuning was well beyond his journeyman's ability.

  They'd also tried to fix up the Charger, but Esmeralda had been too good at demolishing the assault 'Mech in the final duel. They'd only be able to reattach the severed right leg when they could get hold of some heavy equipment simply not available on the DropShip. When they landed on Outreach, it was embarrassing to see the 'Mech being off-loaded in pieces, but Rose wasn't really worried. Once they got the right equipment it wouldn't be more than a few days before the 'Mech was again ready for action.

  While Esmeralda and Badicus went off to oversee the off-loading of the other 'Mechs and to secure spots in the repair bay for Rose's Charger, Rose spotted Rianna and Angus approaching the gate with two men in tow. Rose and Rianna had communicated several times during the Gentle Wind's inbound flight from the jump point, but she'd never mentioned a word about them.

  The two men were obviously civilians. Everything from their style of dress to the way they moved through the crowd spoke of a lifetime sitting behind desks, safely protected by a hopefully distant military. If these were potential employers, Rose wondered if he might be entering the wrong business. Steeling himself, he put on a polite face and stepped forward.

  "Jeremiah, it's good to see you again," Rianna greeted him, obviously wearing her business face too. Instead of embracing warmly, the two shook hands. Then Rose turned to Angus.

  "Good afternoon, Captain," Angus said, extending his hand. Coming from him three words strung together seemed like a speech, but the young man immediately stepped to the back of the group. The MechWarrior always seemed to shy away from attention, generally hanging back whenever Rose was around. Rianna could only shrug and say that his attitude seemed to go one hundred and eighty degrees in the other direction when he was inside his 'Mech. Strapped into the Valkyrie, Angus was invariably at the forefront of any contest, blending speed and stealth in his tactics. If the young warrior continued to show promise, Rose hoped to assign him to the pursuit lance, maybe as the leader.

  "Jeremiah, may I present Mister Wilkins and Mister Hoffbrowse? They have been most insistent about wishing to speak with you about a matter that could be mutually beneficial." Rianna gave her brother a lopsided grin that neither civilian could see. Evidently they would not be put off or else had asked to see Rose personally. In either case, Rianna obviously did not think much of the spaceport meeting.

  "Sirs, I am Jeremiah Rose. Perhaps we could go someplace private to talk?" Without waiting for a reply from either of the speechless men, he began walking toward an adjacent waiting room. With one arm around Rianna's shoulders, he pulled her a few quick paces ahead of the civilians.

  "What's all this?" he demanded in a whisper.

  "They've been on Outreach for almost seven months and can't find a unit to hire. They're offering a one-year garrison and training contract, which no commander in his right mind will touch."

  Rianna was right. Though new to the mercenary business, Rose knew that a one-year contract of that type would probably end up costing more than it paid. By the time the unit transferred to the garrison planet, served the time, then returned to Outreach, they would be severely low on funds, especially if the contract contained no incentive clauses.

  "Then why are we talking to them?"

  "They think the Clans might invade their planet, for one thing. And for another, the contract they offer contains some interesting terms. I thought you'd like to at least hear them out and decide for yourself."

  When they reached the waiting room Rose indicated a pair of chairs for the two men. Like most civilians, they took them without thought. Rose noted that Angus had followed at a slight distance and was now standing behind the civilians. The slender young man was hardly intimidating even if the other two men had realized he was there. Yet he was in good position in the unlikely event of trouble.

  "Captain Rose, if I may, I will be brief." That sounded like an excellent idea to Rose, who smiled his acquiescence.

  "Mister Wilkins and I are here as duly appointed representatives of the planet Borghese." Hoffbrowse paused for a look of recognition, which Rose provided. The small planet was in the Steiner portion of the Federated Commonwealth and very close to Clan Jade Falcon's line of advance.

  "For reasons that are unknown and unfathomable to us, the Federated Commonwealth military command has decided not to garrison our planet. Because of our proximity to the Clan front, we have decided to take matters into our own hands by hiring a mercenary unit to protect our world."

  As Hoffbrowse continued speaking, Rose studied him carefully. The man still acted like a civilian, but there was something more to him than he let on.

  "Mister Wilkins and I have attempted to hire a mercenary unit, approximately company size, to beef up our planetary defense force until we can persuade the Federated Commonwealth of the error of their ways. Which we anticipate will take no more than a year.

  "We would like to hire your unit to undert
ake this contract. Standard rates. You supply your own transport to and from Borghese."

  Rose had been warned that the two were desperate, but hadn't expected such a short sales pitch. He let the silence hang for an uncomfortably long time. Mister Wilkins looked as though he was ready to explode by the time Rose finally responded.

  "Gentlemen, I appreciate your gracious offer, but I must delay my decision until I can discuss it with my staff. I'm sure you understand. In the meantime, I assume that you can provide more details about Borghese to my executive officer?"

  Hoffbrowse nodded and Wilkins produced a data disk from the pocket of his jacket. Rianna accepted the disk wordlessly and slipped it into her thigh pocket.

  "The disk contains our Outreach address, where you can reach us at any time. Please let us know as soon as possible; we are most anxious to secure the safety of our planet."

  Rose shook hands with the two men, then remained standing there as the pair made their way out through the crowded terminal. When they'd finally disappeared from view, he turned to Rianna, gesturing her toward the main exit doors.

  "Now, what's the story on those two?" he asked.

  "Well, they've approached every respectable unit on Outreach, but nobody will bite. I did a little digging on my own and learned that Borghese has very little to recommend itself to either mercenaries or the Clans. The population is small and the planet is self-sufficient, but that's about it. Their preliminary offer was pretty laughable, but even with a good round of negotiations, any unit stuck there would just barely make a profit.

  "I'd have let them walk without bothering you but they're also offering unrestricted use of their facilities for repair and refit. In the event of any real combat, we'd also get all the salvage."

  "How did they happen to choose us?" Rose asked as they followed Angus' lead to a small car parked across the street. Without being told, Angus slipped behind the wheel while Jeremiah and Rianna climbed into the back.

  "Well, we're pretty much the bottom of the first barrel. They went first to everybody with a decent reputation, but got turned down cold. Next they hit on the new units and got a similar reception. We fall into the 'new unit looking for its first contract' class. If we say no, I imagine they'll start talking to the units with questionable reps."

  "They're not too anxious to call the wolves into the fold, are they?"

  "No, but they seem determined to hire a unit and they're bound to get to that point soon."

  Rose looked out the window at the city scrolling by, trying to put his finger on what bothered him about Hoffbrowse. Angus was evidently heading for the repair bays to meet with Esmeralda and Badicus.

  "What's our situation, besides the men from Borghese?" Rose asked, bringing his thoughts back to the present.

  "We've been officially recognized by the Mercenary Review and Bonding Commission, but like most other new units, we have a C rating. That's not real good, but it can go up quickly if we do well with our first few contracts.

  "Angus and I weren't allowed to start recruiting until we received recognition. That slowed things up quite a bit, but since then we've held preliminary interviews with several independents. We eliminated a few whose transcripts were questionable and a couple of others because they didn't have their own 'Mechs. We also rejected two who we thought were just plain crazy." She stopped and looked at Angus through the rearview mirror. He caught her glance, but did not speak. Rose decided to break the silence.

  "Which leaves us with what?"

  "Six possibles, only two of which I would say are strong contenders."

  Rose shook his head and pinched the bridge of his nose as he thought about the numbers. "When do I meet them?"

  Rianna brightened at that question. "Later tonight. I've set up interviews every hour starting in"—she glanced at her watch—"two hours.

  "On the up side, I've gotten us a spot on the Dragoons' training field for day after tomorrow. It will give us a chance to get better acquainted. Do you think everything will be ready by then?"

  Rose thought about it. "Probably. The Charger I got from that thief Carstairs was a pile of junk, but Esmeralda and Badicus have been working on it since we left Solaris. I knew it was a risky deal, but I took it anyway. The 'Mech's not as bad off as I'd feared, but it's not as good as I'd hoped either.

  "Esmeralda's Hammer and the Shadow Hawk should be ready to go by now. I'd say two days would be just about right to finish the Charger and conduct a full set of tests on the other two 'Mechs."

  "Good, we're scheduled to take on a unit called The Gargoyles and they've—"

  "We're what? You mean we're taking on another unit on our first exercise? Whose idea was that?" Rose knew the answer when his sister glared at him.

  "Mine, Captain. We had to do it to get the use of the field. Without use of the field, we can't even try out our weapons, which makes the practice rather pointless. And by the way, you'd better strap on that laser you've had tucked away in the box. Everybody on this planet goes around wearing a sidearm."

  Rose had always heard that Harlech, the capital of Outreach, was a rough place. From what Rianna was saying, it sounded like the rumors were true. The place was nicknamed Wolf City, which suddenly struck him as an ominous name for a town.

  The trio finished the ride in silence. When they reached the repair bay, Rose made a quick round of introductions, then left Angus with Esmeralda and Badicus to finish the task of unloading their 'Mechs and their gear. Esmeralda provided the kind of capable, and loud, leadership that Angus seemed accustomed to. Rose knew the three of them would have to work well into the night to get everything ready, but it couldn't be helped. Although they were not yet in the field, he had the same sense of anticipation, and the other members of the team seemed to share it.

  Rianna drove him back to the hotel and served as an assistant during the six hours of interviews Rose conducted that evening. They made offers to only three candidates. The two tagged by Rianna as strong prospects said they'd like to think over their decision but eventually decided not to join the unit.

  The third candidate's file contained only a question mark. Rianna smiled when Rose asked what that meant. It meant the man was borderline insane, she said, despite an excellent service record with the Third Lyran Regulars.

  Rose was initially put off by the man's wild personality and refusal to answer to any other name but Hawg. The more they talked, however, he saw that Hawg was also honest, capable, and very unusual. Besides, his Zeus would be a welcome addition to the unit.

  When the repair team arrived early the next morning, Rose briefed them on their newest member before sending them to get some rest. He continued wading through the files and records of the candidates until the sun rose the next day, when the recruiting interviews started all over again.

  17

  Harlech, Outreach

  25 September 3054

  By dusk of his second day on Outreach, Rose had still not seen much of Harlech except for the Hiring Hall and his hotel room. The groundwork Rianna and Angus had done in the previous weeks had just about played itself out. By mid-afternoon Rose realized that none of the remaining candidates who interested him were interested in return. His unit was simply too new to attract experienced pilots.

  He was just leaving the hall for a belated lunch when a small, dark-haired man approached, obviously wanting to talk.

  "Excuse me, but would you happen to be Captain Rose?"

  Rose gave the man a polite smile. He'd seen him enter the Hiring Hall several hours earlier, but had assumed he'd left after examining the postings.

  "Yes, I am. Can I help you?"

  Rose was surprised by the man's reaction. Taking Rose by the arm, he beckoned him closer with a crooked finger.

  "I'm a Mech Warrior in need of a unit. I thought we could discuss the matter." The man looked over his shoulder. "This is not a good place. Perhaps lunch is in order? I know a quiet spot near the spaceport."

  Rose's better judgment counseled again
st it, but he was intrigued. He gave a slight nod of the head, and the two were off.

  Rose's lunch companion had his own car and insisted on driving, which was fine with Rose. The unit's rented car had already gone back with Rianna to the repair bay where she would help out with the final work on the Charger.

  The man drove in silence, giving Rose the opportunity to look him over. He was barely over a meter and a half tall. Rianna—not to mention Hawg—would have towered over him. Despite the heavy traffic, the man seemed perfectly at ease driving through the crowded city. He glanced at Rose several times during the trip, but never spoke, which was also fine with Rose. By the time the car pulled into the parking lot of a small Mandarin Chinese restaurant, Rose would have known the man was a Mech Warrior even if he hadn't been told. His movements at the controls of the car were precise and efficient, the way only a warrior could be.

  Still following the man's lead, Rose passed into the restaurant, where they took a rear booth. Rose didn't like to sit with his back to the door, but he had no choice because his host slid silently into the seat facing it. He mentally shrugged and sat down opposite. Just when Rose was beginning to believe he must have imagined his companion's ability to speak, the waitress appeared and accepted his order. Lacking a menu and any knowledge of the Mandarin tongue, Rose gestured that he would have the same. At last, the man addressed him.

  "You are a patient man, Captain. A most desirable trait in a leader."

  Rose nodded at the compliment, but decided that if he was going to play the listening part, he would do it to the hilt.

  "My name is Ajax. It is a colorful name given to me by wishful parents. I think they thought it would inspire me to become a great warrior like the ancient Terran hero. I fear I have fallen short of their lofty dream.

  "As I have recently become unemployed, but not dispossessed, I came to Outreach seeking to serve a commander of both honor and ability."

  "And you believe I am such a man?"