[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/eLoQcAy.png[/img][/center]

[b]Fort Tie Shan
March 27, 3030[/b]

[color=Violet]"It's about time I got to speak to someone in management,"[/color] Captain Sally Roth said with a defiant grin, [color=Violet]"the accommodations here are terrible, and the service is even worse. Though by the looks of you, you've been helping yourself to the complimentary breakfasts. See if I come here again next time I visit this planet."[/color]

The room was plain concrete, lit by a single bare light bulb. In the center of room was a small floor drain, and a leaky water hose in one corner-- all the easier to clean up with after the evening's 'entertainment,' she guessed.

Seated in a plain metal folding chair with her hands cuffed behind her, Sally measured up the fat balding man who looked like he fit even worse into his own body than he did into his clothes. Though she'd never met the man before, she recognized the dead look in the man's eyes. There was no anger, no remorse, no reaction to her jeering. They were the eyes of a killer. Or, more likely, a torturer.

[color=SlateGray]"My name is Grigori Ilyanovich,"[/color] the fat man introduced himself. [color=SlateGray]"I am the head Minister of Justice for the New Democratic People's Republic of Espia. Before the revolution, I was trained in the arts of enhanced interrogation by agents of the Maskirovka."[/color]

[color=Violet]"So you were trained in how to get your asses kicked by better FedSun spies? That explains all the rumors I'm hearing about how your little war is going,"[/color] Sally sneered, but her poker face slipped just a tad. The Maskirovka were infamous as the most feared intelligence apparatuses in all of the Inner Sphere, if not for their effectiveness, then for their sheer brutality. The business of spycraft was often dirty and ugly, and agencies like the DEST and SAFE had all done more than their fair share of evil deeds in the name of their respective nations, but the horror stories surrounding the Maskirovka left them all in the dust.

Looking at the metal cart being wheeled in by a pair of assistants, and the various implements laid out in a meticulous order on it, Sally knew this Ilyanovich guy fully intended to live up to his former masters' reputation.

[color=SlateGray]"Yes, the wounds of the Fourth Succession War do sting a bit, even if I am no longer loyal to the family Liao,"[/color] Ilyanovich admitted with a sad sigh. [color=SlateGray]"Still, such pains are not to be dwelled on, as they are now in the past. I am far more interested in discovering what pains await us in the future, aren't you?"[/color]

[color=Violet]"Honey,"[/color] Captain Roth scoffed, [color=Violet]"if you think you're the first local yokel from some backwater nowhere planet to threaten me, you're in for some disappointment. I'm sorry if you flew all the way from the capital thinking you were going to scare me into cooperation, but I'm not telling you a damn thing."[/color]

[color=SlateGray]"Oh, I'm not interested in information,"[/color] the fat man waved her remarks away. [color=SlateGray]"Today's session is more of an...introduction. I want you to know who I am, what I am capable of doing, and the true nature of your situation."[/color]

The first implement Ilyanovich reached for was not a pair of pliers, a scalpel, an ice pick, or any other sharp or blunt instrument. Instead, he picked a remote control up from the cart, and turned on a small holovid projector.

The holo showed Captain Roth the raw footage of the attack on the Keahi Township. The fires, the screams, the rampaging Battlemechs all bearing the sigil of Gaius Wayne's command.

[color=SlateGray]"A truly heinous atrocity,"[/color] Ilyanovich said, his voice dripping with false admonishment, [color=SlateGray]"And one which Premier Federov and General Malenkov have already vowed to avenge. As we speak, Federov is asking ComStar's local Precentor to label the Green Knights as an outlaw command. When that happens....I'm afraid the protections granted to you and your people will be null and void."[/color]

Sally took her eyes off of the horrific footage to shoot an indignant glare at Federov. [color=Violet]"You're full of shit,"[/color] she said. [color=Violet]"You know that's not the Knights, and ComStar will know it, too. Federov, Malenkov, your corny 'Crimson Fists,' you're all full of shit and you know it."[/color]

[color=SlateGray]"Perhaps ComStar will reach a similar conclusion,"[/color] Federov's man nodded, [color=SlateGray]"or perhaps they will not care. As you said, Espia is a 'backwater nowhere planet,' and Gawain's Green Knights are a small command. In the grand scheme of things, I doubt it will matter to them who is 'right' or 'wrong,' merely who remains a paying customer. Rather than spend the time and money and effort on a lengthy investigation, perhaps they can be convinced to simply take the path of least resistance and make this problem go away. Surely a woman as well-traveled as you is aware how little the various players of the great game care about small pieces like Gaius Wayne."[/color]

[color=Violet]"So that's the play?"[/color] Sally asked. [color=Violet]"Tell me everything's hopeless, then either torture me and whoever else you can get your grubby sausage-fingers on until one of us gives up where the Knights are, or start executing hostages until Gaius gives himself up?"[/color]

Ilyanovich shrugged. [color=SlateGray]"You are free to make whatever conclusions you wish. As I said, tonight I'm merely interested in--"[/color]

[color=Violet]"An introduction, I heard you,"[/color] Roth spat. [color=Violet]"Well, while we're getting to know each other, maybe you'd like to know something about Gaius. Ever hear of the planet Sendai?"[/color]

Grigori shrugged again. [color=SlateGray]"Should I have?"[/color]

[color=Violet]"It's a Kurita world,"[/color] Sally explained. [color=Violet]"Back during the First Succession War, the Eridani Light Horse were stationed there, working under contract for House Kurita. When they heard about the massacre on Kentares IV, the Horsemen decided they couldn't work for a bloodthirsty lunatic, so they packed up their things and took off. The problem was, their civilian contingent was caught by the local Kurita troops before they could leave, and the planetary governor held them hostage. The Eridani had to either turn around and get back to work, or watch their people die."[/color]

[color=SlateGray]"And I suppose the Light Horse pulled some daring rescue to break their people out of prison?"[/color] Grigori asked.

[color=Violet]"No,"[/color] Roth answered, [color=Violet]"they called the governor's bluff. They appealed to the governor's better nature, hoping that he'd let their families go. But the governor was a true believer in the Kurita cause. All that jazz about honor and service to the Dragon, that mattered more to him than the lives of some mercenary wives and kids. So as the Eridani took off to leave Sendai, he gathered up their civilians and had them all shot, sending the footage on a tight-beam broadcast directly to the Light Horse. Once again, the message was clear: turn around and get back to work."[/color]

[color=SlateGray]"That was the Light Horse's mistake, then,"[/color] Ilyanovich scoffed. [color=SlateGray]"They needed to be taught that actions have consequences."[/color]

[color=Violet]"Oh, they learned that lesson,"[/color] Roth nodded, [color=Violet]"And they turned their ship around and they got right back to work. As soon as the Eridani Light Horse touched back down on Sendai, they went about killing every Combine official they could find. And I mean [i]every[/i] one. Every Mechwarrior, every pilot, every officer, every soldier, every government official, from the highest-ranking government brass all the way down the goddamn mail clerks. Every man and woman on Sendai who was on the payroll of Lord Kurita was in the ground by the time the Eridani Light Horse were done. A small band of mercenaries took on the government and military of an entire world, and by the time they left, that government was fucking [i]dead[/i]. Like you said, actions have consequences."[/color]

Silence hung between them for a moment, before Grigori snorted.

[color=SlateGray]"An amusing story,"[/color] he dismissed her words, [color=SlateGray]"but an irrelevant one. The First Succession War was centuries ago. And I've read Gaius Wayne's file; he never served with the Eridani Light Horse."[/color]

[color=Violet]"Oh, you're right,"[/color] Sally nodded, [color=Violet]"Gaius was never a Horseman. He's worse: he's a [i]fan.[/i] Which means he'll stop at nothing to live up to the stories of the mercenaries he's idolized. He knows the story of Sendai by heart-- hell, he's the one who told me about it."[/color]

Sally glanced at the cart, the tools that Ilyanovich had laid out, and considered all of the sinister implications of each one.

[color=Violet]"So by all means, Grigori Ilyanovich, introduce yourself to me,"[/color] she said, her expression hardening. [color=Violet]"Just know that when Gaius Wayne gets to introduce himself to you, whatever you do to me and the rest of my people? He's going to do ten times over, to you, to Federov, to the Crimson Fists, and to your entire goddamn outfit."[/color]

[hr]

[b]"Uncle Mack's" Industrial Scrapyard
Property of Maxwell Metals Incorporated
A subsidiary of the Aqua Vitae Corporation
100 km south of Geom Haebyon
150 km northwest of Fort Tie Shan[/b]

Rivers was the first to speak, followed by Daschke and Ziska. Little of it registered to Gaius, as his thoughts were filled with fire and thunder.

Pacing back and forth before his Knights, Colonel Wayne held his tongue until he could cool his mind enough. In desperate times, people tended not to rise to the occasion, but rather to fall to their training. And his years of training and experience in a Mech cockpit kept him from firing off while he was running hot.

Slowly, some of their words were penetrating the rage that clouded his thoughts.

Mount a rescue, perhaps? Unlikely; most of the people in that town were already dead, or would run screaming from the sight of the Green Knights returning.

Send exonerating footage to ComStar? Maybe, but there was no guarantee the Precentor wasn't already bought off.

Use the Davy Crockett in exchange for Sally and the others? As tempting as the thought was of erasing Federov and his goons in a mushroom cloud of righteous fire, the Crockett didn't have the kind of yield to guarantee success. And if anyone survived, that would only confirm the propaganda that the Green Knights were heartless war criminals.

Considering the possibilities cooled his thoughts, dispersed the haze of his anger enough so that he could see a course of action.

[color=Olive]"Lyons,"[/color] he called to the leader of the Mobile HQ team, [color=Olive]"Map."[/color]

[color=SkyBlue]"Ah, yes sir!"[/color] Lieutenant Lyons nodded, scrambling about her person for the control to the holo-projector she had set up outside the MHQ.

After a few moments of fumbling about, Lyons sputtered [color=SkyBlue]"Got it, sir, sorry for the wait, sir,"[/color] and activated the projection of the regional map.

[hider=Regional Map][img]https://i.imgur.com/Y1YN6Nw.png[/img][/hider]

[color=Olive]"As far as we can tell,"[/color] Colonel Wayne began, [color=Olive]"Within the past hour- give or take fifteen or twenty minutes for broadcast editing- the Crimson Fists launched a false flag attack on the township of Keahi, in sector D-14. Their assets included four Battlemechs: a [i]Firestarter,[/i] a [i]Hunchback[/i], and two heavy Mechs, a [i]Crusader[/i] and [i]Warhammer.[/i] The township had a small population, only a few thousand. It's likely that the majority of them are now dead."[/color]

The Colonel became aware of a sharp pain in his left hand. Looking down, he saw that his fist was clenched so tightly that his own fingernails were digging into his palm.

[color=Olive]"The goal of this attack was two-fold,"[/color] Gaius continued. [color=Olive]"The first was to delegitimize us in the eyes of any possible allies. The FPA, any civilian support, any surviving loyalists to the late Governor Xiu; as far as they're concerned, Gawain's Green Knights are now an outlaw command. This was a deliberate attempt to destroy our reputation. [i]My[/i] reputation."[/color]

Colonel Wayne felt his anger boil again, and he paused, holding his words until the heat passed over him.

[color=Olive]"The second goal is to goad us out,"[/color] he said once he had calmed down. [color=Olive]"In all likelihood they still think we're somewhere in the north, and that we'll pop our heads up to show that we weren't the ones who attacked Keahi...which will then let them zero their bombers in on us and flatten us. They're expecting a fight, but I don't think they'll be expecting when or where they'll get one."[/color]

Gesturing to the holo-map, Gaius pointed out another sector, north of the massive city of Geum Haebyon.

[color=Olive]"Sector K-7 has a forward operating base capable of supporting Battlemechs,"[/color] Gaius said. [color=Olive]"Going back to the Espian Guard's main headquarters would draw too much attention, but that FOB is far enough out of the way that the Fists can park their Mechs there and remove our markings from them now that they've done their dirty work. If I were a betting man, I'd put money on them heading there right now, avoiding the main roads in case they get spotted."[/color]

Tracing a zig-zag line between the two points, keeping away from main connecting highways or any other places that might draw too much unwanted attention, his finger settled on a sector not too far from them.

[color=Olive]"Sector H-13,"[/color] he said. [color=Olive]"There's a pass through the mountains where a lance of Mechs can get through without much risk of being spotted. Everywhere else is either too crowded with highway traffic from Geum Haebyon, or too steep for the non Jump-capable Mechs to traverse. The pass has a sharp drop on one side, and a rocky mountainside on the other. I'd considered using the region for training exercises before the coup, but the snowfall on the mountaintops is so heavy that there was too much risk of causing an avalanche. Given that three of their mechs top out at 64 kph, we can expect them to reach the mountain pass in just under four hours. Once our Mechs are spun up, we can be there in two."[/color]

Without a word, Crew Chief Aadil nodded, and gestured for the Mech techs to get to work. A dozen technicians got up from the briefing and ran with purpose to the salvage yard's Mech bays.

[color=Olive]"While we make our preparations to fight, I'm going to call in a favor,"[/color] Colonel Wayne continued his briefing. [color=Olive]"I'm going to ask Cassandra Jeong for a helicopter to transport a representative of the Green Knights north, and a meeting with a representative of ComStar. Assuming Jeong's connections are as good as she claims, I need someone to plead our case to the Precentor, so they'll drop Federov's petition to declare us outlaws. That will, at the very least, delay whatever abuse the NPDRE has planned for our people they've got captive. Wyatt, I want you on that helicopter. The rest of us are going to the mountain pass."[/color]

At Gaius's gesture, Lyons clicked the control of the holo-projector to zoom in on the mountain pass sector.

[color=Olive]"The Knights will set up in ambush positions and wait for the Fists to come through the mountain pass,"[/color] the Colonel stated. [color=Olive]"Set up a kill-box with overlapping fields of fire. Once they're in the box, open fire, and don't stop until all four Mechs are destroyed. Alley Cat, your mission will be to capture as much BattleROM footage as possible, and tight-beam the footage directly to the Mobile HQ, which will be positioned high enough on the ridge to send out a long-range transmission. The Mobile HQ will send that footage to Wyatt, who can then present it as exonerating evidence to ComStar."[/color]

With the plan set, the Colonel allowed himself to feel that anger again. [color=Olive]"This will be an ugly fight. Tonnage for tonnage, the Fists' lance has us outgunned. But we'll have the high ground, and the element of surprise. All else fails, we bring the goddamn mountain down on them."[/color]

Typically, Colonel Wayne liked to open the floor to questions and discussion after presenting the mission. This time, however, his word was final.

[color=Olive]"They die,"[/color] he said with finality. [color=Olive]"No prisoners, no survivors, no mercy. They die. Actions have consequences. And today, those consequences are named Gawain's Green Knights."[/color]