Last NightBckstone SystemLagrange Point 1 of the Star and Pnet Bckstone

  A ship fshed into existence between the star and the Pnet Bckstone, its red paint almost seeming to be on fire from the intense radiation emitted by the star. Two red spheroid dropships detached from it, turning on their axes and igniting their main engines, accelerating at their maximum output to intercept the pnet's orbit.

  The Jumpship quickly deployed its Jumpsail, the massive collector oversized even for normal Jumpships, spanning well over a kilometre in diameter. This ship was set up to fast-charge its Kearney-Fuchida drive, its crew all veteran spacers who knew how to coax the most out of their heavily modified Intruder-css ship. It was dangerous to do, but they had survived hundreds of jumps over their years of pirating across the periphery.

  They were prepared for just about anything.

  Bckstone SystemBetween the Nadir Point and Pnet BckstoneBck Lion Css Battlecruiser Arctic Wolf

  "SaKahn Radick! I am reading an Emergence Signature. Mass says there is an 87% chance it is an Intruder Css Jumpship. I am unable to triangute its location. Wherever it is, it is not emitting further signals." A technician called out to the saKahn.

  "Launch two aerospace fighters to check the Zenith jump point. The rest of the fleet is still charging at the Nadir jump point, so if it is there, it is already destroyed." He ordered, looking over the technician's shoulder at the data, not understanding in the slightest what he was looking at. He was a Mechwarrior, not a Spacer. He trusted that if his technician said he could not find it, it could not be found.

  "Yes, saKahn!" Another technician replied.

  Shortly afterwards, two Jagatai aerospace fighters deployed and headed towards the Zenith jump point. SaKahn Garth Radick nodded in satisfaction. Soon enough, he would be close enough to issue his Batchall* to the only inhabited pnet in this system. Then he would lead Beta Gaxy** and his Silver Keshik*** to take the first blood on Operation REVIVAL.Information on the * in spoiler if you want more background.

  Spoilerspan>

  * - Batchall are challenges the cns would give to their opponents. It was so that the attackers would use approximately equal force against the defenders of a world; it was so that it wouldn't be numbers that won the war, but superior warriors. They could call down reinforcements, but that was seen as dishonourable and a mark of shame if they had to. They would also try to cheat if they thought they could get away with it; it was almost a sport to see how far they could fudge their own rules without breaking them.

  ** - Gaxies are like Battalions, made up of different Clusters. In theory, you could have between 90 and 375 mechs in a Gaxy, though the rger number was uncommon, as the support units, aerospace assets, and artillery were also part of these numbers. Not to mention Elementals, which are power-armoured infantry capable of ripping armour off a mech. A Cluster was like a regiment, usually made up of several Trinaries or Binaries, which were simir to companies. Those were made up of Stars, which were usually a group of 5 mechs in a Star, simir to the Lance. So a Binary was 10 mechs, a Trinary 15. These numbers were more like guides, as it wasn't uncommon to have more or fewer assets in any particur formation.

  *** - It is the Command Cluster of Beta Gaxy. It consists of a Trinary of Mechs (12+2 command mechs) and Elementals (20), a Star of aerospace fighters (6), and a Binary of artillery (9+1 mech guard). Going by what is on Sarnia.Net for the information from 3052.

  [colpse]

  Later That MorningPnet BckstoneFormer Pirate Base

  The morning had progressed rapidly, with John and Lucy managing to open up the main doors to the cache, much to both Abby's and Cid's delight and frustration. Abby gnced at the pile of metal cubes questioningly, but Cid dragged her inside, saving John from having to answer any questions about them. Not that he was under any obligation to; they had got what they wanted, which was to get inside the cache and collect the valuable data within. His method of gaining entry was of no concern to them.

  It contained tons of data, tools and equipment for manufacturing methods from back in the Star Leagues' heyday, not to mention thirty tanks of various csses. Sadly, they all required crews and experience to be used efficiently, something the Guards had no time or personnel to be able to manage. He could drive any of them or operate their turrets, but he couldn't do both at the same time.

  The Charger loomed over them all, the lime green monstrosity the only mech inside of the complex from what he could tell. He sighed and made the climb up into the cockpit, and, unsurprising to him at least, it fired right up. He retrieved his neurohelmet from the fallen UrbanMech, its connections plugged right into the Chargers' dataports, giving him full control of the massive machine. Just like Suzy Q, the mechanical female voice of the onboard computer spoke through his headset, letting him know the mech's status.

  Reactor: Online.

  Sensors: Online.

  Weapons: Online.

  All systems: Nominal.

  "Weapons, Hah" John ughed. For an assault mech, it was pitiful. Armed with the rgest powerpnt in any mech, it carried only five small sers, spread across its body. It even carried one in its hand, like a pistol, while the other arm had a ser cannon mounted on its forearm. Its one redeeming quality was that it could hit speeds in excess of fifty miles an hour (86 kph), making it easily able to catch much smaller mechs and was quite capable of slugging it out with them in a melee. When an assault mech like the Charger hit something, it HIT it.

  He brought Lucy and Rei up into the cockpit with him and made their way back to the camp, stopping briefly to kick all those blocks of metal to one side of the gate so as not to impede any vehicles coming in and out ter. Rei was jumping up and down in his p, excited to be inside a real mech for the first time, while Lucy was standing behind him, resting her hand on his shoulder. This cockpit was much roomier than any of the other ones he had ever been in, allowing even him to stand up straight inside of it without hitting his head on any ducts or junction boxes.

  "If we are fighting the pirates, what do you want to do about Rei?" He asked Lucy.

  "Send her with Sandy back to Bckstone? Honestly, I don't think we have a better option." She replied.

  "Hmm... Well, let's see what the old man has cooked up first, but that sounds like a good enough pn." He patted her hand, then continued up the pathway out of the cave.

  He brought the mech to a halt outside of the Grottenburg, already having announced his impending arrival on an open frequency so as not to scare the hell out of any of the Guards. James was there waiting for him, the old man standing next to an excavator and a couple of rge cargo trucks. John set his mech on the ground so they wouldn't have as long a climb down, and had Rei wrap herself around his neck and told her to hold on tight. She just giggled and did so, ughing as the chain jump dder swung in the open air.

  No fear with this little one, is there?

  "John! I see you got some good news here." James said, leaning on the Charger's leg. He looked exhausted; the st two days had taken their toll on him.

  "Yeah, the cache is open," John said, then filled him in on what they discovered in there.

  The old man just nodded, "Good enough. We can deal with that after we deal with the pirates. The Leopards caught two incoming dropships on their sensors. Union css. They will be here this afternoon." He then pointed back to the trucks. "I brought some presents I have been holding on to for a special occasion. Come, help me bury them in the path."

  With that, the Guards began to fortify the entrance of the cave. They found Sandy and gave her John's room key with instructions on how to get there. She and Rei departed on the next Leopard. A little mind-reading told John that while she was still terrified of him, she would do as they asked. He wasn't sure what to do about her, or if he was even going to do anything about her. In any case, he definitely didn't have the time to deal with it right now.

  The rest of the morning was a whirlwind of activity at the camp, with more stock being dragged out of there and ferried back to Bckstone. It was well after lunch by the time they had finished preparing the trap. The FedCom agents chose to remain in the cache, closing the doors behind them. They had brought the armoured car inside, its machine gun more than capable of preventing any dismounted pirates from coming through the opening John had made.

  The Guards had a quick meal of rations together, discussing the pn the old man had put forth, then split off to their assigned positions. John and Lucy returned to the entrance of the first tunnel they had entered, staying hidden from any eyes above.

  "Do you think this is a good idea? We won't have any idea what we will be facing until they are on top of us." Lucy asked. The pair of them stood outside their mechs near the cave where they fought the Jenner and Panther.

  "It is either genius or insanity." He replied, holding her in his arms. "Just promise me you will back off if I tell you to this time. I have a couple more tricks up my sleeve, but I will have a hard time using them if I have to worry about you as well."

  She leaned back on his chest, ughing softly. "You can heal the critically injured, cut the arms of a battlemech with a sword, and turn armour into metal blocks with little effort. Why am I not surprised my Danna has even more skills hidden away?"

  "You know, you seem to be taking this incredibly well. Most other times I have brought this up, I have received a lot of disbelief, critical questions, and distrust. This world doesn't even have magic, yet you have accepted everything I have told you without any issue."

  "Because I have faith, John-sama. You have the power to do things that only the Kami would be able to accomplish, and you used that power to save me and protect my family." She said, then looked up at him. "I have held onto my faith during these past three years, and you are my reward for not giving up and falling into despair. So even though we just met, I love you with all my heart, my Danna, and I will continue to do so for the rest of my days."

  "Lucy. I am falling in love with you, too. I have no idea when we will have a chance, but I want to officially make you my wife, my Tsuna. I want to adopt Rei and grow our family. Together." He replied, then kissed her.

  They held each other tightly while standing on that windy cliff face, talking about their past, pnning for the future, all while waiting for the inevitable hammer to drop.

  And drop it did.