For Want of a War: A Battletech AU Quest

[X] A man
[X] A scrappy independent mercenary lance

A small part of your brain, the little bit marked 'officer', tells you that you should pull that soldier up, back them against the nearest wall and tear them a new one for shouting orders at their superior officer.

The larger, much smarter part of your brain tells you to ignore any feelings of breached decorum and just start running. If the enemy is out in force, this might be an opportunity to put them down properly and for good. An early end to the contract could be just the sort of windfall that Sabre Company needed after such a long string of bad luck.

Founded in the early 31st century, Sabre Company was marketed as a self-contained, self-deploying overstrength formation capable of bolstering the forces of anyone who could pay. Fortunately - or perhaps, unfortunately - between 3004 and 3040 there were plenty of paying customers. By the mid 3040's the company had gone from twenty active duty battlemechs to four on a good day, from a half dozen serviceable dropships to one hulk of a Manatee that could barely fly and from over a hundred personnel to barely more than ten. Too many clients meant too many enemies. Too many enemies meant too many battles and not enough time to maintain the unit. Sabre Company is barely a shell of what it once was.

You've dragged it on. After three years you were the second-highest ranking pilot, so when the previous commander quit you just sort of inherited the job. She'd taken a nasty head wound mid way through an op and decided to get out while the going was, well, bad. What were you gonna do, let the company collapse?

Since then it's just been one shitty contract after another, pulling in just enough cash to keep the machinery ticking over and the other members of the team from leaving. A few raids, a security job and now this wet, miserable little planet and a pirate force that had managed to hide out in caves for far longer than anyone had expected. Your employer was on the verge of retracting payment and support if you couldn't deal with this problem.

Well, now you have the opportunity to deal with the problem and, as you reach the ready line, you realise there's never been a better moment. Standing in the shadow of the spheroid Manatee, the four operational 'mechs that were all that remained of Sabre Company were being prepared for combat. Rounds were being loaded, missiles slid into magazines, fusion engines primed and lasers focused. The lance would be ready in as little as five minutes. When that time came, all they would need would be pilots.

What do you pilot?
[ ] Commando COM-3A, leading a scout lance
[ ] Wolfhound WLF-1a, leading a cavalry lance
[ ] Blackjack BJ-1, leading a fire support lance

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There are four battlemechs being readied for combat, four gigantic machines awaiting their pilots. You know each of them like a sibling, ready to fight and die in each other's company - though you would prefer if it didn't have to come to that.

Next to your machine is Corporal Gotzmans Valkyrie VLK-QA. Another light 'mech, it's your lance's long-range weapons platform and missile boat. With only ten tubes it isn't much of one but Gotzman has proved his worth time and again by delivering pinpoint strikes no matter where on the battlefield he is.

Beyond that is Corporal Sharpe's Phoenix Hawk PXH-1D. Fast, dynamic, constantly running hot and with powerful jump jets to push it even further into the red. The -1D even dumped the machine guns that gave the original version a bad reputation amongst some pilots.

The last 'mech on the ready line was the stranger of the bunch. Not the design, no, the Clint CLNT-2-3T wasn't an unusual sight on Inner Sphere battlefields. But between the unique camouflage and the pilot themselves, it stood apart from the other three machines both physically and metaphorically. No one in the company was going to complain about having another operational battlemech though, especially one providing deadly accurate supporting fire with it's ac/5. So Sergeant Boywifed was sticking with the team.

You look up at your own machine, a field-modified Wolfhound WLF-1A with improved heat dissipation and a finely tuned laser targeting system. It couldn't jump like the rest of the lance could, but it is almost as heavily armoured as the Phoenix Hawk and it has an armament suite to match. It's a hunter, a harasser, an ammunition free ranger 'mech and you fell in love with it the moment you first slid into the cockpit. It had been a gift from House Steiner to the company in the late 3030's after a particularly unfortunate contract. It's been yours ever since.

"Sergeant Kang!" You call as you climb the scaffold that allows you access to the Wolfhound's cockpit.

"Aye, Captain?"

"How's she running today? Everything in working order?" You swing a leg over the edge of the cockpit, looking ten metres down to the ground at the 'mechtech who's shading their eyes to look up at you.

"Just about. Right hip actuator is still acting up, don't put too much strain on it, but your weapon systems are green and hot."

Perfect, you think as you push a button to seal the canopy and start going through your pre-mission checklists. It's a quick process, one only made more efficient by years of experience. It's barely five minutes before you're ready to roll.

"Sabre Control, Sabre Control, this is Ranger Lead. How copy?"

"Coming in clean and clear, Captain." Corporal Orixsky, without a 'mech but with undeniable experience, had been drafted in as a mission controller until he could be found a new ride.

"Copy that, Control. What's on the menu today?" you settle back into the pilots seat as you finish the last points on the list and flick the switches that bring your neurohelmet to full activation.

"Forward scouts have five hostile vehicles moving in towards our location, mix of vehicles and 'mechs. We think it's the last of them."

"Roger that. Ranger Lead out." You flick a switch and your comms are filled with the idle chatter of the other three pilots in your lance, "Ranger Lance, shut up and sound off."

"Ranger Two, ready." Sergeant Boywifed and their Clint.

"Ranger Three, good to go Captain." Corporal Gotzman, the Valkyrie driver.

"Ranger Four, ready for action." Corporal Sharpe who pilots the Phoenix Hawk.

"Copy. Ranger Lance, move out!"

Ranger Lance is setting out to force an end to this fight. How will they engage?
[ ] An intense, decisive close assault - smash them and get this over with.
[ ] A cautious ranged battle - use the advantage your mechs give you.
[ ] Hammer and Anvil - trap them between your mobile mediums and your harasser lights.