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Chapter 30[]
Can you tell me where can we start over?[]
Butler, Clan Jade Falcon Occupation Zone
February, 3057
[...the Refusal War]
The first real opponent since Tukayyid, and it had to be Clan Wolf. A Clan opponent, refusing the judgement of a duly constituted Tribunal, supporting an ilKhan that Henry despised.
"Two, report."
"Scumdogs have formed in the treeline, I count one Trinary 'mech, with Elemental support equivalent to a full three Novas."
"Watch the epithets on open channels, some of those people might be your bondsmen by the end of the day or you might be theirs." he cautioned. "Remember, their leadership might be scumdog wardens, but that does not mean individual warriors are."
Henry's first move was not to announce anything, but instead to scout the enemy's position and composition. There was supposed to be better than a Cluster of Wolves hitting this planet. "Charlie and Alpha, maneuver six like we trained, bravo maneuver four."
He'd worked to refine a 'playbook' for his Trinary, one that took advantage of being built out of sweeps and strikers both, and one that would not appear on anyone's records.
He brought his own machine up to a jog, screening along a low ridge perpendicular to the Wolf line of advance. The Wolf commander was being cautious, rather than bold. The trial for possession of this world had been bid and they had Henry's official record, included his origins, as part of the batchall.
What they did not have, was the last six months of his training and planning efforts,and his Trinary didn't put those training plans to digital record just yet...
"Move in."
The battle joined fast. A Hellbringer seemed a little surprised at his sudden appearance out of what looked like clear territory. the Wolf pilot raised PPC's, and Henry brought his machine's boxlike body low to the ground while rushing close. Synthetic Lightning sizzled at the unexpected move, and Henry hit the jump-jets, passing within meters of the enemy's machine to land squarely behind him..or her.
Medium lasers danced over the enemy, sheathing off armor scales from the rear sides from his right hand and torso, while his left drove a fist-actuator into the wounds created with a mighty crash.
"Dezgra!!" came over the channel, and Henry grinned.
"Not my callsign, the callsign is Stravagon six." he told them, "I let you take your shot first. Honor should be satisfied." he caught the spinning 'Mech's arm, and wrenched it finishing the damage done by the salvo and the punch. Reversing it as the Wolf 'mechwarrior struggled to regain footing, Henry danced left, and brought the severed arm across in a sweeping stroke, smashing the rest of the Hellbringer's engine in with an electric crash and venting of plasma.
He fired his jump-jets again, as Shelby landed ninety meters away, to engage a second Hellbringer with similar tactics.
The key to winning a fight like this, is to keep moving, and Henry kept moving, as did the warriors from his Trinary-hit, do as much damage as quickly as possible, then move on, no gloating, no challenges, no verbal sparring and no mistakes.
The Wolf warriors had expected standard Jade Falcon ranged tactics, not an enemy that would get into their faces and use every aspect designed into their 'mechs, including capability best considered 'vestigial', such as hand actuators or armored feet.
This, he demonstrated by kicking a Wolf Elemental out of his way while dragging the broken arm of that Hellbringer through the rest of the wolf point like a golf club, before jumping away again.
In the aftermath, the Wolf survivors were collected.
"Stravagon six, really?" the seniormost captured Wolf warrior. A woman named Gail asked.
"Really. Everyone who does not know me, calls me Freebirth the first time we meet, or 'Stravag', so, it seems, I may need to 'own' that epithet." He grinned. "You were defeated by Star Commander Shelby Jade Falcon, she is your bondholder. Do you understand, Quiaff?"
"Aff."
"Good enough." he dusted his hands with a handiwipe, ran it over his face, and looked at the battlefield. The Elementals from Gamma were examining the area before bringing in techs to recover damaged machinery. Losses had been within Henry's expectations- four warriors were knocked out or shot out of their rides, but no fatalities for his unit, the Wolf casualties were relatively light, but their materiel losses would serve to restock spare parts rooms.
The Wolf forces were already retreating in good order from the system. To backstop their Khan at the next objective.
"A rule of laws, that works, a way of war that minimizes civilian casualties." he mused aloud. "This is so much better than the alternative."
"You know that some of these warriors were at Tamar?" Phillip asked.
"Aff." Henry said, "I do not want to know if they were in the specific unit that killed my brother Patrick. Please do not make inquiries. I do not want to hate them." He turned to his Alpha Star commander, "You understand my meaning, quiaff?"
"Aff. You do still hold grudges." accused Phillip
"It is a defect I am working to eliminate." Henry stated, "When you hate, you feel a powerful emotional state. Emotions cloud judgement and reason they are a weakness in battle." He took a dip of shredded tobacco and filled his lower lip, "Afterward, it is fine to feel, but during? feeling is a weakness to be purged."