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Chapter 7[]
Dead Man's Hand: The Kowloon Job[]
Militia Proving Grounds
Malibu
Jade Falcon Occupation Zone
13th April, 3054
Henry watched the fiery trail of the descending DropShip with some sense of trepidation, rain pouring down the light poncho he wore over his cooling vest and shorts
They were there for him, sent by a sister he had not seen in years, for reasons that remained unclear. Part of him yearned to return home, but he forced himself to push that part of himself deep down inside, where he could ignore it. He had been telling the truth when he had told Nathan Roshak his feelings concerning the Clans and their mission of liberation: three centuries of war had down little but prove the blind, bullheadedness of the so-called Successor Lords, and how little they cares for the people they ruled over.
His grandfather had once told him of an ancient leader, who had ruled his people through fear and terror: the man, Henry forgot his name, had infamously said "One death is a tragedy, a million is a statistic."
Dropship approaching atmosphere
Well, there were plenty of statistics in the Inner Sphere, including his own father and brother. They may have gone to their deaths believing it was for honor, or duty, or the greater good, but the truth was that they had died for the selfish, vain glory of a distant, uncaring Archon and her Husband. When he had been younger, Henry had truly believed that the Federated Commonwealth was different, and that it was the other Houses that had been the ones holding humanity back from regaining the lost glory of the Star League.
But, then again, he had also believed in Father Christmas and the Tooth Fairy.
No. Too much blood had been split across too many worlds and too many years for anything good to come out of the Succession Wars. The entire damn system was rotten to the core, and needed to be burned down and replaced with something new. And now, as a warrior of Clan Jade Falcon, he had the chance to be the one to strike the match that would start that fire. And then the Clans, who understood war should be between warriors, and kept away from innocent civilians, would reestablish the Star League as it should have been, and not just a hollow continuation of the old system under a new name.
Ducking down into the cockpit of his Nova, he secured the hatch and grabbed his neural helmet. As a Star Captain, he could have chosen a larger, more powerful design, but he had fallen in love with its rugged simplicity and its, low, agile frame. He had chosen the Primary configuration, given the close, restricted nature of the battlefield before him. Combined, the dozen ER Medium Lasers could claw through the thickest of armor, while it's jump-jets and hands left him with plenty of options.
Nathan Roshak had stated his desire to take on the woman who called herself Joker directly, leaving the others to engage whatever targets they saw fit, and Henry felt confident that they would emerge victorious.