Blood on the Horizon
- Chapter 38 -[]
<<Next Chapter - Return to Story Index - Next Chapter>>
Unfortunate Callsigns[]
Date: September 21, 3002
Location: Pirate Outpost Codenamed Axylus
"Remind me to check my straps every time i get into my 'Mech," I murmured to Sheppard as we popped open the cockpit of the Quickdraw I had downed earlier. "That had to be a nasty way to go."
"It was quick though," the other man shrugged. "Neck snap like that? She didn't feel a damned thing."
"Aside from the straps, this thing's remarkably well maintained," I looked around at the interior. "I'll bet you five pounds that this was the leader of this group of pirates."
"No bet," Sheppard chuckled as we carried the corpse out of the heavy 'Mech. "I'm kinda glad we didn't have to deal with her though. Her 'Mech was less dangerous than that medium that Erika brought down."
"We ever get an ID on that?" I asked, the two of us tossing the pirate's body into the trailer with the others.
"Internal warbook marks it out as a GLD-4R," Jerome McAllister called out from another part of the 'Mech bay, the giant of a man walking over to take a look at the Quickdraw, his hands wiping off some grease onto a faded gray rag slung over his shoulder. "She's one of the last ones ever built, came off the line at the end of 2494. That she's in as good shape as she is says things about her owner."
"The fuck's a Gladiator?" Sheppard arched an eyebrow as he looked between me and the burly Northwinder.
"Pretty ancient Combine 'Mech," the tech replied. "I dunno why it was abandoned in manufacturing, but the 'Mech itself ain't a bad piece of kit. It's got a PPC for a long range punch, twin Mediums, and a sixpack to round it off."
"Can we use it?" I asked. "Or will it be too costly to maintain?"
"Actuators aven't changed all that much," he shrugged. "I might have to use some Griffin parts to keep it running unless we 'ant to make this a custom rig."
"We'll hold onto it for now," I said after some thought. "We've still got to sort out the tanks and the dropship after all."
"Jus' lemme know how you want to proceed when it comes time," the giant turned and barked orders at some other techs, the swarm surrounding the Quickdraw and beginning to hoist it up in the gantries.
"How did you find him?" Sheppard asked as we meandered over to where the tanks we had snatched were being salvaged.
"He was bored," I smirked. "The guy got into college on New Syrtis, but the classes he was taking were too boring and he was way ahead of their material. So when I came into town and put out some ads he was one of the first to apply."
"And he wasn't snatched up by anyone else?" Sheppard gave me a look. "What'd you offer him?"
"He gets to tinker with whatever we find," I grinned. "The guy really does just want to be able to play with old 'Mechs like the Gladiator and whatever else we find. I told him if we acquire enough spare parts, that hes allowed to experiment with a frankenmech if he wants."
"Ahh," Sheppard nodded in understanding. "He's a gear head and you gave him the ability to do whatever he wants."
"As long as our 'Mechs and tanks stay in working condition he's allowed to do whatever he wants," I shrugged. "That's all I really care about."
.PNG){kind=link}
Manticore Heavy Tank
"Ahh, Mark, Jack," Richard spotted us from the top of the Manticore where he was leaning down to work on something. "Naomi, the Captain's here."
"They are?!" a loud clang was heard as she seemingly hit her head before the woman of Asian descent popped out. "It's good to see you guys."
"Yeah, we're making the rounds and checking that we can actually use the kit we salvaged," Jack leaned against the side of the Heavy tank.
"And in that vein, I have to ask. What are these?" I tapped the side of one of the odd looking tanks that we had salvaged from the pirates.
"They're miniature Manticores!" She pointed at the PPC on top of one of them. "Looks like they stripped out the missiles from a Hunter and threw in a Large laser or PPC and some rockets or SRM launchers, whatever it was they had available from their last raid."
"Are they functional?" I asked. "And can we maintain them?"
"They're kitbashed, together" she shrugged. "It'd be better if I had access to a full machine shop, then we could manufacture new turret housings instead of these barely holding together pieces of junk."
"But they'll be effective?" I pulled myself on top of one of the tanks to look down at the interior.
"Yeah, they will," Richard spoke up. "We'll have to recalibrate the systems if we manage to build out a standardized turret, but with the stripped out twenty pack, we've got some tonnage to play with."
"You guys really think they'll be a good addition?" I asked one last time, swinging down from the PPC barrel.
"Well," they exchanged glances. "We only salvaged two of them intact enough to repair and use. But, if we pair them up with the Scorpions and 'Manticore, we'll be in business."
"Do we have the crews to make use of them?" Sheppard stood up straight from where he'd been leaning.
"Skeleton crews for now, we'll have to expand later," Naomi replied. "Nothing to be done about it for now."
Then the comms at my belt buzzed, and then moving it out in the open, I activated it.
"This is Hull."
<<"Captain, we need your ancient ass to help with these computer systems. Rook here's good, but he's not three centuries old.">>
I grunted and shut the device off, glaring at it as closed off the temptation to throw it at the nearby tanks.
"You might want to go help, old man." Sheppard smirked. "After all, isn't it getting close to your bedtime, mom?"
"I hate that callsign." I grumbled as I turned to walk away.
"Well, if you stopped mothering us so much!" Sheppard chuckled as he began to follow behind. "You're stuck with it, and callsigns are hard to shake, believe me."
"What's the worst you've heard?" I asked as we moved to the nearby airlock and began suiting up to move to the crashed ship.
"It was definitely 'Stabber'," Sheppard sighed. "Guy was a gifted pilot, but he couldn't shoot for shit no matter how much gunnery practice he got."
"Y'all put him in front?" I raised an eyebrow.
"God I wish," he tucked his helmet under his arm and gestured for me to start checking seals. "We got transferred to a few different commands together. And none of them believed the reports on how bad he was. Wasn't until he'd accidentally tagged one of the CO's Victors that things really changed."
"Either way, better 'Mom' than 'Stabber' or something worse," Sheppard sealed his helmet and I did the same as we cycled the airlock. "Now, let's get you to those computer systems old man."
"I know where you sleep," I tried to shoot lasers out of my eyes, but my Superman powers seemed to be lacking and I settled for a glare instead.
"You don't want to start a pranking war," I could hear the grin in his voice. "Trust me, I'll end up winning that."
Disrupted attempt go to bed[]
Date: September 23, 3002
"Diagnostics are reporting green on that section," I rubbed at my eyes, the letters on the screen blurring as I helped the Dropship crew members diagnose and fix repairs, a yawn punctuating what I'd done for the last few days. "Anything else you need me to check?"
"Nah, this entire area is up and running again," a Petty Officer smirked. "At this rate, we'll be able to try and lift off from this moon in a week or so."
"Yeah," I agreed. "I'm going to bed, y'all can wake me if you need anything else."
"Captain Hull!" Rook burst into the room. "The computers on the bridge, you've got to see this! They've got something that I only got a glimpse of, but if it's accurate, we just hit the jackpot!"
"Alright," I eased myself up, the lethargy still not shaking itself loose. "Let's go see what you found."