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Post by Dr. Jessica Saturina on Jul 16, 2005 1:39:46 GMT -5
Back on the drop ship Liberty, we all scrambled to get our wounded Legionnaires into the infirmary where I had state of the art equipment. I could do anything from remove a splinter to replace a limb or an eye. These guys would get the best of care and from the looks of them, they needed it.
Alright everybody, our guys are in serious shape, lets get them in the infirmary quickly but safely. Now let's move it.
Everyone moved quickly, Dr. Edwards, Zurichi, and Adams took Zhukov. Wyatt, Reeves and myself took Kinaru.
Finally in the infirmary we got the guys on medical tables. The tables would give us a readout of their vital signs. Both teams were working furiously over our patients. Both guys were in really bad shape.
Echo-1 to Archangel can you give me an Idea of how our guys are doing?
Sorry Echo-1 at this moment they are both in critical shape. As soon as I have a more detailed evaluation of their status I will contact you Sir.
Roger that Archangel, keep me updated. Echo-1 out.
The infirmary was a flurry of activity. Diagnostic machines going, dermal regenerators, bone regenerators, hyposprays for injections of medicine and pain killers. This was going to take awhile, but my crew and myself would not stop until we had them in stable condition.
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Post by Gen Miyamoto on Jul 16, 2005 7:20:10 GMT -5
This op was cleaning up fast. It wouldn't be long before the Legionnaires were loaded and setting a course for thier base of operations. I still had loose ends to tie up here on Hamal. I hit the echo-lance comms and explained.
"I've got to go take care of some buisness with the Davion Border Patrol. I'll be in Califa Hamal in under an hour, if you could dispatch a dropship I'd be appreciative. I've got some cargo to bring."
"Roger that Miyamoto, we've got you taken care of. I'll see you on deck."
"Roger, miyamoto out."
I throttled up and cut out, wondering what working for the Legionnaires will be like.
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Post by Wedge Lourde on Jul 16, 2005 11:47:22 GMT -5
The Op was finnaly near an end. I had many many questions. I promised i'd find the pirates, and I never did... I never saw the face of the action, just because of some stupid, weak, and dirty work 'mechs. I let the Legionnaires down...
I sat on my bed and thought... I missed it. Op IV was my time to shine, and I missed the action. I didn't cry, but I just sat there, blaming myself for letting the Legionnaires down. Damn it... I decided to return to the 'mech bay, while trying to keep my mind off of failure.
As I walked past a bulkhead, I saw Dr. Edwards and Dr. Mamba and some other medical staff furiously roll 2 bodies into the infirmary. More wounded? They had to go through what I did, but they saw some action. Wedge, don't say that. They might not have a chance. Your pod landed far away from danger, they may have been hot-rescued with 'mechs all around them.
I approached Captain Maxwell to greet him.
"Captain! I'm sorry I let you-the Legionnaires down. I...
"You couldn't do a thing if you tried. You were wounded. You couldn't have stopped Garland's death. You were trying to impress people by doing things you couldn't. You see, we are impressed. It takes guts to not explode around everywhere, finding ways to make things better.
"... But the Guila Suit. What about that incident? I also never knew the face of the enemy. At Slocum Recharge Station, I promised you I would defeat the enemy. Insted, I was destroied by WORK 'MECHS! Don't you see! I let you down! I tried to..."
"Sargeant, you did fine. You shone true at Slocum. And don't forget, you can't have all the action. I think you're just trying to impress us. Don't. I'm glad you came to me, instead of trying to make things right. Now listen. We dust off in 30 minutes. I want you to be in great shape when we return to Sheratan.
"Yes sir... and Captain Maxwell, who were the pirates? That was at least my goal. To learn who would kill civilans so cruely."
" Sargeant... General Ren of the Order of the New Republic. He was out to find the Jade Stone Map. Lieutenant Kintaru had this, and has had it since the invasion of his village. He kept it away from General Ren all his life, and now he failed: General Ren has the Jade Stone Map."
"The... Stone Map?"
"I am not liable to tell you more. If you want more information, speak to Kintaru when he is healty. He and Zhukov are currently in the Infirmary, in serious condition. Just like you were. Now, return to your quarters and we'll dust off, returning to Sharatan. I'd also like you to meet the newest Legionnaire.
"Yes sir. Thank you, Captain.
"Personal Log, DropShip Liberty."
"Op. IV is complete. I don't know if we failed or not, but that is irrelevant. What is important is that we are all alright. Those who survived, that is. Commander Garret Garland was found beheded in the ground below his 'mech. His loss will surely be mourned. Certainly whoever who would do such a thing is a wild, cold blooded killer. The Pirates, The order of the New Republic, have been found. Unfortanetly, Maxwell stated that General Ren has escaped with Lieutant Kintaru's soul boud Jade Stone Map. The wounded Lieutenant must be broken. I have seen alot myself, but not enough. At Slocum, I hacked into the main network and destroied a DropShip to board JumpShip Alliance for a first class ticket to Hamal. This Op is surely an unforgetting one. Once more, I travel with my fellow mercs into space again. Op V will surely be even more intense, for me and my fellow mercs will travel into Unknown Space once more! A handheld message from Captain Maxwell simply states:
[glow=orange,2,300]-----More to Follow-----[/glow]
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Post by Holms Net on Jul 16, 2005 12:36:24 GMT -5
I maneuvered my Raven through the rubble, trying to find anything that might be of value from any of the salvage littered about. After a few minutes, the Thor that had been assisting us started off into the distance. I had no idea where he was going, but as far as I knew he was a freelancer with a mission to be done, so he was probably off for some contracts or something.
We still had about 30 minutes until dust-off, and I really had no use around here, the salvage trucks could easily find anything of value. Not to mention I wanted to know how Kintaru and Zhukov were, I had seen them loaded on to a medical truck on strechers. I also hadn't heard from Garland since he went back to the Liberty; I had figured he would of tried to keep in contact with us. I radioed in to Captain Maxwell.
Spectre-2 to Echo-1, I don't see anything much of value around here. I don't think I'll be much more use, permission to head back to the Liberty, sir?
I still had no idea what had just happened, all I knew was there was a little glowing man running across to his DropShip, which took off into the sky, with Maxwell blasting away at it. Before I had any chance to get my weapons set on the ship, it was out of my range. Perhaps I would understand what had happened when we would be debriefed; it could have something relevant or the Captain may even explain to us what exactly had happened. I just hoped that most of all, Kintaru and Zhukov were alright.
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Post by Lance Commander Marcus Taylor on Jul 16, 2005 12:49:00 GMT -5
I sat on my mech until the salvage crews arrived. A large flatbed truck rolled up along with 2 heavy duty cranes and a slew of support personnel. Moving a mech even of a Medium size was no easy task.
The head salvage crewman approached and I slid down to meet him.
Cpl. Taylor, I'm Staff Sargeant Wilde. Now what do we have here on our hands?
Well SSgt., my mechs neurohelmet connection boards are trashed, my movement controls aren't taking any sort of imput and one of the foot actuators snapped and tore a bit of the foot with it.
Among some serious battle damage too, missing LRM-5 rack, several tons of armor missing and not to mention whatever shape the rear is in.
You've got some work cut out for us back in the Mech Bay, but rest assured she'll be back in action within the week. Sooner if I have any say in the matter.
Thank you Staff Sargeant. I'll get out of your way now.
Your most welcome Corporal.
He turned and began barking orders to the crew that had already begun to get into place to lift my battered Bushwacker and place it onto the flatbed.
After nearly 20 minutes and a few short pauses to assess the damage, I saw just how badly my mech had been hit by the Fafnir. The armor was blown away completely and the structural components were badly mauled.
They gingerly laid my mech onto the flatbed and began to secure it for transport to the Liberty.
Corporal, you are one lucky pilot if I do say so myself. Any more hits back there and you would have had the pleasure of a ride in an ejection pod or worse.
Don't I know it Staff Sargeant. I'm not too keen on having a mech's reactor go critical with me nearby, let alone my own mech going up in that fashion.
Lady luck can be so fickle.
You got that right. Remind me not to gamble with you ever. That lucky streak sure is something else.
We both laughed and hopped onto one of the departing salvage vehicles as we made our way back to the dropship. It was a long day and I intended to grab some good shut eye before overseeing my mech's repairs.
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Post by Captain Benjamin Maxwell on Jul 16, 2005 14:25:28 GMT -5
" Personal log, August 25th, 3068.
With the survivors of the Phoenix crash now safely aboard, and Soban returned to Suhdanjin, we have broken orbit of Hamal, and are en route to Slocum to complete our contract. Though the end of an Operation is typically a time for celebration, the loss of Commander Garland has weighed heavily on the crew's minds, and the atmosphere aboard the Liberty is a somber one. Even I find myself carrying out my command responsibilities in a haze, with a feeling of mental detachment so overwhelming that I've considered speaking to the ship's A.I. for an impromptu counseling session.
"Lieutenant Kintaru has also suffered a devastating loss, though of a slightly different nature. The Jade Map Stone, a family heirloom of overwhelming importance to him, was lost to General Ren. Whether the legend behind the object has merit, or is simply one of the many tales which help to weave the history of the Outworlds Alliance, is a question which may forever remain shrouded in debate. But the bloodshed the story has caused has been undeniably real." I stepped through the hatch of the Liberty's expansive infirmary, where Sergeant Zhukov and Lieutenant Kintaru remained under intensive care for the injuries suffered during their encounter with General Ren. Though Zhukov slept soundly, Kintaru was awake, and tried to sit up as he noticed my presence. He winced with pain, and I quickly motioned for him to remain still."Captain...what day is it?"I smiled, and leaned against the bulkhead that ran parallel to his biobed."It's Tuesday. You've been out for three days. We're making our final approach to Slocum now." Kintaru looked lost."But...I don't remember anything. The last memory I have...was fighting Ren...aboard the Oracle. And he took the Jade Map Stone...and I...His voice trailed off, and he looked at me imploringly. I shook my head sadly."He escaped. I did the best I could to stop him. But...he had a DropShip waiting...and my Hellhound was no match for it." Kintaru looked crestfallen. For long moments, he gazed at the ceiling, his eyes glazed over. The ticking of my ancient wristwatch, and the thrum of the Liberty's life support system, were the only sounds to break the interminable silence. At last, Kintaru took in a long breath, and spoke."And what of Soban? And Zhukov?""We returned Soban to his people. Zhukov is pretty banged up, but he'll make it." I didn't volunteer further. Kintaru gazed at the black armband on my uniform."But somebody didn't. Who?"This wasn't a conversation I was wanting to have with the Lieutenant in his current condition. But to leave him with unanswered questions would have been just as bad. It was my turn to breathe deeply."Commander Garland. By all appearances, he perished while returning to the Liberty. It looked like his final moments were...violent." I choked on the last words, but quickly regained my composure. I had ordered the Commander to the rear - had instructed him to return to the DropShip to be refit and repaired...in an attempt to save his life...and in so doing...I had ended it. It was a difficult reality to live with.
Kintaru buried his head in his hands, finally looking toward me once again after a few moments. A demeanor of absolute compassion filled his eyes, and I feared he might have seen the emotion I tried so desperately to repress.
He began to speak...[ - Soundtrack - ]
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Post by Lieutenant Kei-teh Kintaru on Jul 16, 2005 17:38:46 GMT -5
Garland… Dead?! I thought to myself as I buried my head deep into my hands. I couldn’t help but feel responsible. I had left my comrades in battle to take care of my own personal vendetta. How reckless… how ignorant of me. My own personal feelings had got in the way of doing what was right. Not only did I NOT stop Ren… but I managed to AID him. Frail images of the moment that Ren stole the Jade Map Stone rushed through my mind, inducing me into a very dizzy state. My stomach turned. I felt like vomiting. If I hadn’t broken away from the lance, Garland would be alive. I could have watched his “six” or aided him in some way. The full impact of what I had done hit me with such force that I felt as if the wind was knocked out of me. I had endangered the entire Inner Sphere now that Ren had re-captured the Jade Map Stone. I felt like taking my own life for what I had done…
I removed my head from my hands and looked up at a very saddened Maxwell. The Captain was truly shaken.
“...It’s MY fault…” I said, choking my words as I felt my heart jump into my throat. Maxwell looked at me with glazed eyes that matched my own. By the expression on his face, he didn’t seem to understand what I was going through.
“…If I hadn’t abandoned the team in the first place… Garland… he’d still… He’d still…” I couldn’t say anymore. I was too choked up. Maxwell looked back at me studded, perhaps overcome with the realisation that it WAS my fault. I swallowed hard, avoiding as much eye contact as possible.
“…NOT only did I endanger Garland and the rest of the team… but NOW I’ve endanger the ENTIRE Inner Sphere!” I moaned, tears overfilling my eyes. Ben bit his bottom lip and looked down at his feet.
For a long stretch of time we remained silent. The sounds of medical equipment that hummed seamlessly was muted out by the deafening silence.
“… In war, there are no winners. Only degrees of loss…” The Captain finally said.
“… Don’t feel responsibly for the tragedy that took place today Kintaru. If you knew before hand, you would have done everything in your power to save him.” he continued to say. It still didn’t make me feel better. Garland was gone. The Inner Sphere now faced the possibility of a threat greater than the WoB.
“Kintaru, do you know what Ren was doing on the Oracle?” Ben queried. I swallowed back my emotions and answered his question.
“No. Well… they were downloading something from the ship…”
“Any ideas what that could have been?”
“It could have been anything sir. Message recordings, ship status reports, navigation logs--”
I suddenly realised. The very ship I stood it three days ago. I recognised it from the teachings back at my home village ten years ago. The grand design, the internal structure. The ship was the same type of ship that brought the “delivers”. The “delivers” were the people that bestowed the sacred Jade Map Stone to us.
“I know what Ren was after sir…” I said, sitting up right in my biobed. Pain shot through my body, but I couldn’t remain rested for a single second.
“Kintaru? What are you doing, your in no shape to be getting up!” Maxwell said as gently climbed out of my biobed.
“He was after navigation logs! It all makes sense now…” I said removing the needles and various cables that were hooked into my body that allowed the computers to monitor my status.
“Ren couldn’t get the stone. So instead of hunting around, looking for me, he searches for the very thing that can take him straight to the Jade Stone Fortune: The Oracle. The Oracle was the ship that carried the creators of the treasure: The Reach. Of coarse, once they finished with The Oracle, The Reach hid the ship on Hamal, the least expected place to find it. Destroying The Oracle would have made large speculation, too many questions would have been asked. Hiding it would have been their next best option.”
Ben stared at me as I began to grab my gear that laid rested at the seat opposite my biobed.
“So… ?” asked the Captain.
“The Reach were the type to keep everything quiet, they were the type to make things appear to be far different from what they actually are. Look at the Oracle: it just appeared to be an ancient ship in a ruined space port. It turned out the be the only ship to contain navigational logs to the Jade Stone Fortune. So therefore, the Jape Map Stone we were given… might not have been what it first seemed.IF we can find The Reach… there is a possibility that a second Jade Map Stone was created as a “fail safe”. The Reach could of even given the Kintaru tribe an incomplete stone or a stone that required something to activate it…”
I turned to face Maxwell as I zipped up my new flak jacket and attached my “Ryu” katana across my chest vertically. Finally I tied up my head band around my forehead and locked hope filled eyes with Ben.
“…There IS still hope for the Inner Sphere Captain. Of that I am sure.”
We both stood in the medical bay as a pair of smiles cracked on our worn faces. Beside Maxwell, Zhukov opened his weary eyes and gave dreary glances at both of us.
Things were already looking hopeful…
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Post by Dr. Jessica Saturina on Jul 16, 2005 18:42:04 GMT -5
I walked into the infirmary to check on my patients. To my horror Kintaru was out of his bed with all of the IV's pulled out of his arm. Standing in front of Captain Maxwell.
Lt. Kintaru!!! Just what do you think you are doing mister? Are you under the impression that you are leaving this infirmary without my clearance? In this section of the ship....... I have the last word.
I was standing at the door, my hands on my hips, tapping my foot lightly. Both Kintaru and the Captain turned around to look at me. They both had a bit of a shocked look on their faces.
I'm not kidding Lt. Kintaru, you get back in that bed this minuet. If the Captain wishes you to leave the infirmary, I will have to check you out and make sure you can safely leave without any danger to your health.
The Captain and Kintaru exchanged glances, both tried not to look amused but didn't quite pull it off. Kintaru, climbed back onto the bed, sitting up though, not laying down. I walked over to the bed, and began examining him to assure myself that things were mending enough for his release. All was quite as I checked him over.
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Post by Captain Benjamin Maxwell on Jul 16, 2005 22:10:46 GMT -5
Twenty-four hours later...
"Yeoman Hobson...report."
I strode onto the bridge, making my way down to the navigator's station, my eyes dwelling on the vacant First Officer's chair as I did so.
"The last of the survivors have been transferred to the Mandrissa's Pride, and the vessel is en route to Slocum. We are holding position at Slocum Recharging Station pending the arrival of the Astral Voyager, which will ferry us back to Sheratan."
"We're not going back to Sheratan...just yet."
Hobson swiveled to face me.
"Sir?"
"We've received an emergency contract from the MRBC that we've been urged to take. There's a revolution taking place on Valasha...and our employer wants us to make sure that the rebels win."
Hobson raised an eyebrow.
"And the pay?"
I chuckled.
"There is a substantial return...to say the least," I replied.
"Then, with all due respect...what are we waiting for, sir?" he smiled.
"Indeed. Take us to Vashala, Mister Hobson."
Once more into the breach!
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