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Aokarasu
Major Posts: 4114 Nevermore!  
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History: Originally known as the Death's Shadows Company, the Musei Yuuchi was formed from the
remnants of a 4th Pesht Regulars company. Intense fighting during the initial stages of the Clan invasion had
thrown them into the grinder time and time again. Though they had lost their share of men and 'mechs, the
command structure remained intact. In return for their exemplary service, Gunji-no-Kanrei Theodore Kurita
offered them any sort of reward they could name that he could impart. Then-commander Tai-i Brian
Hosaka put forth a bold plan. He proposed a "black ops" unit that would operate in a manner similar to a
mercenary unit; they would be accountable to the Kanrei and a few others, with the added bonus of being
completely deniable. The unit would be responsible for maintaining their assets, procuring replacements
and all of the other logistical details mercenary commands deal with. They would enjoy JumpShip and
DropShip support from the DCMS, unlike many other mercenary units. Theodore Kurita mulled it over
for some time before finally agreeing; he had already been considering forming a unit along similar lines,
but wasn't sure of where he could get the men willing to serve in such a capacity. All of the "survivors"
of the unit were officially declared dead, and the 4th Pesht Regulars' roster showed an empty company for
many months. The newly christened "Death's Shadows" were allowed to fill out their ranks, recruiting
personnel with well-rounded backgrounds, keeping an eye out for people that understood that personal
honor was to be subordinate to the greater overall honor of the unit's purpose. They conducted interviews
in great secrecy, never revealing who they were or their purpose until the person accepted. Those that
accepted were also officially declared dead.
After the retirement of Tai-i Hosaka, Masuyo Goto, former liasion for the DCMS High Command, opted
to change the unit name to more accurately reflect their Combine origins. The name chosen was Musei
Yuuchi, or "Silent Invitation." It alludes to the euphemism of those expected to commit seppuku being
"invited onward." They envision themselves as being the instrument of their opponent's seppuku.
Their paint scheme is a mixture of black and various shades of gray in a mottled pattern. They don't use
a unit insignia or any other identifying marks.
Silent Invitation Company
The Damned
Company/Regular/Fanatic
CO: Chu-sa Masuyo Goto
XO: Sho-sa Kai-Shan Huritsu
The unit hasn't focused on any particular aspect of combat, preferring to remain flexible. They are very
knowledgable of Clan weaponry and tactics, and know how to maneuver to effect against these foes.
The CO's and XO's machines have been upgraded with Clan weaponry, and other machines are slated for
upgrading, as well. They have traded a lot of their Clantech salvage for newer Inner Sphere 'Mechs, as they
are easier to maintain. Their command lance is separate from the company, itself. A unique aspect of the
unit's makeup is the appropriately named "Sorrow" lance, which is comprised of 'Mechs that all wield
hatchets: a Ti Ts'ang, a Hatchetman and two Nightskies. None of their machines utilize C3.
Nightmares
Squadron/Regular/Loyal
CO: Tai-i Hsai Minabu
XO: Chu-i Kaneda Yamazake
The two Aero lances that comprise the short squadron are primarily tasked with escort duty for their
DropShips. If they enjoy air superiorty, then they are used as ground support; if they are clearly at a
disadvantage, then they are withdrawn.
Horsemen Armor Corps
Company/Regular/Loyal
CO: Tai-i Teke Mananeyu
XO: Chu-i Tanede Yoritomo
Comprised of only two armor lances, this is actually a short company. Most of the designs are upgraded or
new, but the crews are among the least experienced of the unit. They are still treated the same as the rest of
the unit, and used to good effect.
Apparitions
Platoon/Regular/Loyal
CO (1st Squad Leader): Tai-i Jeriko Homitoya
XO (2nd Squad Leader): Chu-i Hiyata Umiko
A relatively recent addition to the unit, the two Battle Armor squads are getting used to some new suits; the
Harbinger and Adjudicator battle suits produced in the Federated Suns. They were able to purchase them
after selling off a significant portion of their Clantech salvage. There are also two squads of standard Anti-
BattleMech foot infantry.
DropShip Support
The unit has two DropShips dedicated to their unit, an upgraded Triumph-class for their vehicles, infantry,
and cargo, as well as a newly produced specialty DropShip known as the Void Dragon-class. It has the
capacity to carry all of the unit's 'mechs and fighters, with room left for more 'mechs. Its firepower rivals
that of other DropShips in common use by the militaries of the Inner Sphere. |
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Aokarasu
Major Posts: 4114 Nevermore!
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Draconis Combine space, undisclosed location
Date: 08 Apr 3069
Weight shifted slowly from foot to foot, each step gradually moving him closer.
Step; step; step; step
Pause, listen, look.
Step; step; step
Look. Pause. Listen.
Step; step Pause Step; step; step;step; step; step
Pause. Crouch. Long, slow look around.
He moved and paused this way, never rushing, always pushing his senses to their utmost. He focused his ki to keep unnecessary thoughts out of his mind. He smiled slightly as one tried to come back in. Nice try, Sho-sa.
1 day ago
"Iie, Chu-sa! I can't allow this!"
"You forget yourself, Huritsu-san. You may be a long-time friend and my XO, but there are very few things you can deny me."
"It's madness, tono. They know you'll be after them; they'll be ready for you."
"No, they'll be ready for another search by 'mechs, vehicles and maybe even battle armor. We'll give them that so they don't suspect anything." A calm, reassuring smile flashed across his face for a split second. "Besides, I'll have Tai-i Homitoya backing me up in his Void armor."
Kai-shan grumbled.
"I still don't think it's a good idea for you to go after their leaders on your own. Surely cowardly old fools like them will have lots of bodyguards?"
Masuyo nodded slightly.
"Most likely, and I've counted on that. Psychological weapons are just as effective as physical ones, no?" A grin most would have taken as being merely plastic and polite meant something else entirely to Kai-shan; his long association with his CO helped him understand his body language and other non-verbal signals in a way very few could claim. He answered the grin with a shake of the head. "Those bastards really don't know what they've gotten themselves into, do they?"
With hardly moving a muscle or changing anything else, Masuyo's grin went very cold.
"Not likely; it's almost too bad they won't live long enough to be worried."
08 Apr 3069
Masuyo checked the power meter on the HUD displayed on his goggles.
90 minutes left on the power supply; good enough.
As he moved, the suit warped his image to blend in with the foliage behind him, while the material concealed his heat emissions and sensors "listened" for any motion sensor radars. So far, he had passed undetected; his first objective was 25 meters away from him. He allowed himself a momentary smile.
2 days ago
A single, bare bulb hung from the ceiling, casting shadows on the face of the man in the chair. His eyes were baggy, his hands bound behind him; he wore nothing save the pilot shorts favored by the DCMS MechWarriors. Even if the stains didn't give enough of a hint as to their condition, the stench would.
"Start again. From the top."
A sigh, a brief shudder of the shoulders, then calmness.
"I've told you what I know. My brain's in a fog...I haven't slept in...dunno how long...hours, days?"
A man, only visible as a silhouette due to the harshness of the light from the bulb overhead, chuckled humorlessly.
"You get to sleep when we're satisfied you're being honest with us. Until then, you get to keep telling us your story."
"St-st-story!? It's no f-f-...." Sobs wracked him, and he was unable to speak.
"Some glorious warrior of the Dragon you are," said the silhouette, contempt dripping from every word. "With people like you working for them, how does the Kokurya-kai expect to win?"
The sobs abated, but he still breathed heavily.
"It doesn't take much to beat traitorous, honorless dogs like you!"
A long, humorless chuckle.
"So much energy...surely you can bear to talk to us some more?" A hint of compassion bled into his voice for just a moment.
"Will...will you let me sleep then?" All the previous vehemence evaporated like a puddle under a DropShip firing its engines.
"Yes. We will let you sleep."
"Fine."
He went on for about 20 minutes, explaining the use of a few MechWarriors to try and "escape" in the general purpose vehicles. Their mission was to decoy and delay the attacking unit long enough to give the local Black Dragons Society bigwigs time enough to escape. The others had already been broken and milked for whatever information they knew, which was less than this one did. They were already "sleeping," though he didn't know that. What he knew, and the others hadn't, was a short list of places the leaders were likely to bolt to to await offworld transportation. He went over that list for the 6th time, though he had truly lost count after the third. It matched the list he had given them the previous 5 times. A slight "buzz" sounded in the room; the person watching from the other side of the two-way mirror had evidently heard enough.
"Okay, we believe you."
A sigh and a short, quiet sob came from the broken man in the chair.
"Can I sleep now...please?"
I almost pity him, thought the interrogator. His face hardened a bit. Almost.
"Yes, you get to sleep now. This will help you sleep for a long time," he said, picking up a needle from a tray in the room. He knelt down to the prisoner's side, and injected him in the fleshy part of his left leg, where the buttock and thigh meet. "Rest well."
Shortly thereafter, the prisoner's head drooped forward, and not long after that, his chest deflated one last time and never rose again.
08 Apr 3069
Overconfident fools never thought to install perimeter sensors or bring guards. Guess they never had an escape plan ready. Fools.
Masuyo peered through the window, and saw one seated at a desk, typing something on a computer. He could see kanji flowing across the screen, but couldn't quite make out what exactly was being typed. He crept around the rear of the house, remaining alert for the slightest hint his presence had been detected. Arriving at the back door, he studied the door, looking for any signs of an alarm or other anti-intrusion devices. Finding none, he removed some lockpicks from his belt and quickly unlocked the door. Replacing the picks, he withdrew a small, oval-shaped rubber bulb; on one end it had a tube-shaped protrusion, which was capped. He removed the cap and squeezed a few drops from the small bladder onto the hinges; allowing a few sconds for the lubricating and penetrating oil to seep into the moving portions, he eased the door open, and was rewarded with silence from the hinges.
Returning the bladder to its spot on his belt, he crept into the darkened kitchen. He could hear muted conversation from the living room.
"How long til the ship arrives?"
"Three days, maybe two if they push hard enough."
"Call them up and tell them to push!" The owner of the voice wasn't far from panic.
"And risk detection of the surface to orbit transmission by the attackers? I don't think so! We're safe enough as long as we stay here."
"Safe!? Ha!"
"Calm yourself. Their forces are far from here. We've already had reports they were snooping around far to the North and East of here."
"Calm...calm, you say! They shouldn't even be here! Who are they?"
"I don't know any more than you do...except how to stay calm. I also know they aren't Pesh forces; I don't care whose colors they wear."
"I need a drink to calm my nerves; I'm going to get some sake'."
"Bring me some, too."
The panicky one merely grumbled in response. His approaching footsteps told Masuyo he was headed towards the kitchen. Without hesitation, he drew his vibrokatana and switched it on as he saw the man's silhouette appear.
"The refrigerator is acting up; sounds like it's going to die soon. It's making a strange hu-"
Masuyo's blade was designed to cut through body armor, even the armor of Clan Elementals. Cutting through flesh and bone was easy; the body tried to keep moving forward while the head lolled off and fell to the floor with a sickening thud.
"Ryozo, did you drop the sake' bottle on your foot?"
A pause.
"Ryozo?"
Masuyo switched the blade off, and flattened himself against the wall to the left of the doorway the late Ryozo had entered through. He also thumbed a button on a device carried on his belt; it hummed, barely, but otherwise didn't seem to do anything.
Curses emanted from the other room.
"Hell of a time for this comm unit to act up! Ryozo, what the hell are you do-!?"
Masuyo's blade had come up directly under his chin as the other man entered the kitchen.
"Konnichi-wa, you traitor."
The man, though obviously upset and scared, managed to keep his wits enough to not say anything back, aside from a slightly shaky, "Konnichi-wa."
"Let's go see what you were typing, neh?"
Persuaded through subtle pressure on the katana's blade, he allowed himself to be guided back into the living room and in front of the computer. Masuyo read the message over his shoulder. "...presence here is now known and this operation compromised. I await further instructions."
He noted the person the message was addressed to and felt a chill up his spine.
"Send it."
The man did as told, and both watched as the computer electronically folded, spindled and mutilated it through the encryption process.
"What's on the DropShip you're expecting?"
Swallowing shallowly to avoid losing his larynx to the blade against his throat, he responded calmly, "Reinforcements."
"How much?"
"Another company."
Most likely a Union, then. He smiled.
"I'll need its approach vectors and other pertinent information. Write them down on that pad of paper." The man did so.
"Arigato. Sayonara."
His brain had barely begun to comprehend the message and what it implied when Masuyo turned the blade edge on to his captive's throat and thumbed the switch back on. Less than a second later, he shared Ryozo's fate. Masuyo deactivated the portable radio jammer and keyed in a sequence of taps on his personal comm. A moment later, his comm squawked, [Apparition-Actual here; status?]
"All secure; come on in. I'll brief you once you're here. Let Sho-sa Huritsu know he's safe from being in charge of the whole unit for a while yet."
A quick, deep chuckle replied. [Hai]
9 Apr 3069
Two headless, male bodies were found on a country road. The kanji on their shirts, written in blood, said "Kokurya-kai."
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Last Edit by Aokarasu
11 Sep, 2007, 18:36:10 pm
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Aokarasu
Major Posts: 4114 Nevermore!
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Luthien
Date: 24 Apr 3069
He sat behind the same desk as he had two weeks before. After that last disturbing report, it had been relatively quiet, and that worried him a little. The sound of a buzzer interrupted his brooding reverie.
"Yes?" he asked brusquely.
[Warlord Pesht here to see you; you also have two priority deliveries.]
"Have the Warlord carry them in." He switched off the intercom before his adjutant could reply. A moment later, his door swung open to admit the Warlord. Though a man of power and position, and extremely knowledgable in his field of expertise, the Warlord still knew enough to be a little worried by the summons to this office. He maintained his composure, though, and walked to a spot in front of the desk, and bowed deeply. He lifted up a box and a manila envelope that obviously contained a decent amount of paper.
"Place those on my desk and be seated."
The Warlord did so, remaining silent the entire time.
"I'm going to dispense with the small talk, if you don't mind, Warlord?" the man behind the desk asked rhetorically. The Warlord simply nodded in response. "Did you or do you have any of your units out on exercise or otherwise unaccounted for?"
Doing his utmost to maintain his calm outward appearance, the Warlord weighed a few responses in his head. "I have a couple companies detached from their regiments and battalions on special duty, sir."
"What sort of 'special duty,' Warlord?"
"I'm not at liberty to discuss that with anyone outside the ISF or the Coordinator."
Watching the Warlord's face, his eyes narrowed a fraction. "Is that a fact?"
"Hai, it is."
"So-ka; we'll bypass that issue for now. What do the packages contain?"
"I don't know; I simply arrived shortly after they did."
"Well, open them so we can find out."
The Warlord picked up the bulging manila envelope, and using a pocketknife, slit open the one end. As he upended the envelope, out slid a sheaf of papers as thick as a pencil. The Black Dragon behind the desk began reading, his frown increasing the more he read; as he finished, he uttered a curse.
"The 'Lovely Butterfly' was destroyed on approach to...its assignment. This is the transcript from her flight recorder." He angrily tossed the sheaf over to the Warlord. "Looks like telemetry stopped within minutes after reporting contact with 2 hostiles broadcasting legitimate DCMS IFF code. Shortly thereafter, the larger of the contacts spawned 4 smaller contacts. They didn't last long after that; the appended telemetry is being studied as we speak."
Nodding slowly and somewhat in defeat, the Warlord acknowledged this information as stoically as possible.
"Open up the box." Using the same pocketknife, the Warlord easily sliced the packing tape securing the box lid together. Styrofoam showed from within, and a sense of cold started 'oozing' from the box onto the desktop. Gesturing with his hand at the Warlord, the Black Dragon prodded the Warlord to continue. Reaching in, the Warlord lightly gripped the edges of the styrofoam and lifted the square piece up, then moved it off to the side. Cold, clammy vapor spilled lazily over the edge of the box, swirling and keeping the contents hidden from view. Impatience growing, the Black Dragon made a brisk gesture at the Warlord, urging him to continue.
The Warlord reached in and settled his hands around an object...extremely cold to the touch...and odd feeling. Lifting it up out of the "fog," it was revealed to be the severed head of an Oriental man; his identity was unknown to the Warlord, but obviously the Black Dragon knew who he was, or rather had been, as a look of rage took over.
"Who was he?" the Warlord asked.
"My primary agent where the troubles have just started. I had just gotten a communique' from him two weeks ago." Turning his head slightly to look down in the box, he asked, "Was that all that was in the box?"
Reaching back into the box, the Warlord withdrew another head. The Black Dragon got even more irate; his face turned a red that almost matched the Draconis Combine symbol.
"Was that his second?" inquired the Warlord. A brief nod was his only reply. Leaning back in his chair ever so slightly, the Warlord began running some things through his head. He didn't like what he was thinking, in several ways. There was only one he dared give voice to at the moment.
"I would guess whoever killed these men and sent you their heads know where to find you."
Eyes full of anger, the Black Dragon's head snapped to face the Warlord dead on. "Of course they know where to find me, you dolt! Otherwise, these heads wouldn't be here, now would they!?" |
Last Edit by Aokarasu
11 Sep, 2007, 18:40:17 pm
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Aokarasu
Major Posts: 4114 Nevermore!
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Combine space
Date: 16 May 3069
Commander's diary:
While I would prefer to strike at the head of the serpent, it would simply regrow like the fabled hydra if the body wasn't also wounded. To that end, it was decided to start hitting their supply depots and repair facilities. Sho-sa Huritsu wanted to evaluate how well his second in command could handle the lance, so he sat this one out and observed. Likewise, Tai-i Mananeyu wanted to be sure Gunsho Ubrigsson was up to the task of taking over the heavy armor lance.
They approached the small facility from behind some low sand hills, hitting the defenders on their western edge. Two lances of 'mechs with two squads of Kage battle armor support were the sole protectors present. By all accounts, our forces acquited themselves well, though the armor lance seemed to take the brunt of the damage. It was primarily the enemy Akuma and Avatar, both equipped with LB-10X autocannons that really wreaked havoc. Our new Manticore heavy tanks proved their worth; I had opted to trade our Burkes to a garrisoning unit for them. While thier firepower was useful, the Burkes were just too slow. I've come to another decision; we need to upgrade or replace our Demolishers. Most likely replace, as they were both pretty well savaged in the fighting. Their range is just too limited; they can't always support the rest of the forces.
We did well wtih salvage, and what parts we didn't carry away or have a use for, we put to the torch. It was only armor damage and reloads for the 'mechs, so it seems Chu-i Yamada has a knack for command and maneuver. After repairs, we should be able to trade or sell the salvaged 'mechs to replenish stocks and get replacement vehicles.
Chu-sa Masuyo Goto
Musei Yuuchi Special Operations Command
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OOC:
Forgive the lack of a more detailed write-up of the battle, I am just too tired to do it. It was the Strike lance, minus the heavily modified Crusader, and the heavy armor lance, "War," minus one of the two Alacorns. Facing them were a BLR-K3, HTM-28T, BL-DG2W Bulldog* and a WFT-C in one lance, linked via C3. In the second 'mech lance was a AKU-1X, DAI-01, CPLT-K2K and AV1-0. Each lance had a Kage squad with support lasers attached to them. The only unit not salvageable was the Akuma, as it died towards the end from an ammo explosion.
Here's how those two lances look now:
CRD-6G Crusader 2/2 E Sho-sa Kai-shan Huritsu
DGR-3F Dragon Fire 4/4 R Chu-i Mitsuko Yamada
AV-1OMY Avatar 4/5 R Gunsho Bjorn Jokkumsson
MAD-5L Marauder 4/5 R Go-cho Ichiro Mayazaki
TYM-6G Toyama 4/5 R Gunsho Marcus Oonishi
AGS-2D Argus 4/5 G Go-cho Ayame Hidaka
Alacorn 4/4 R Tai-i Teke Mananeyu
Alacorn 4/5 R Gunjin Shigekazu Tanaka
Pilum 4/5 R Go-cho Tomo Arai
Pilum 4/5 R Gunsho Etsu Fukazawa
Manticore (3058) 4/4 R Gunsho Karl Ubrigsson
Manticore (3058) 4/5 R Gunsho Hanna Ulafsson |
Last Edit by Aokarasu
11 Sep, 2007, 18:43:25 pm
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Aokarasu
Major Posts: 4114 Nevermore!
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Combine space
Date: 27 May 3069
Commander's after-action report:
We had struck several more supply depots and repair facilities in lightning raids. We took only what we needed to repair and rearm, occasionally carrying along a little extra for trade or redistribution, much like the "Robin Hood' myth from pre-spaceflight Terra. Most of them were small and poorly defended, and barely worthy of mention. Our warriors did well. That changed with our most recent op; we had located a particularly large and important facility, that served as a storage depot, repair facility and logistics center for several units that were in collusion with the Black Dragons. Understandably, intel on what were supposed to be "friendly" troops couldn't be gathered from House sources without raising a question or two along the way. We needed to gather our own intel; to that end, I dispatched Despair and Pestilence lances for a recon-in-force. Their approach was made through a desolate wilderness area, pockmarked with dried-up lakebeds, rock deposited by the retreating water, scattered trees and small pockets of swampland; a small river crossed between their approach point and the facility. Whether by luck or a slip on our part, they had forces waiting for us.
The 'mech forces consisted of a mixed medium lance: an AV1-0 Avatar, KTO-20 Kintaro, DMO-1K Daimyo and an ASN-23 Assassin. A heavy fire support lance of two LRM launchers and two Schrek PPC carriers and four squads of battle armor backed them up. Surprisingly, two of the four battle armor squads were using the Kanazuchi suits; the other two squads were using the Kage suit, and were equipped with machine guns.
=======================================================================================================
"Reaper Actual, Pestilence-3"
[Reaper Actual here; sitrep?]
"Currently at IP-plus-20; eyes on 4 Bravo Motels, 4 Victors, 4 Tangoes, how copy?"
[Acknowledged eyes on combined arms outfit, 4-each Bravo Motels, Victors and Tangoes. Status of Despair-1?]
"All units functional, no fire exchanged yet; Despair-1 requested I handle this due to the better comm gear on our ride, sir."
[Good idea; report back periodically as able. Reaper Actual sends, out]
"Despair-1, Pestilence-3."
"Go, Pestilence."
"Reaper Actual sends; no issuance of abort code or revision of plan."
"Hai. Pestilence Lance, Despair-1, ramp up, fan out, and check our approach. Get across the river, harass and interdict as able. Pestilence-1, you are weapons free and unleashed."
"Hai, Pestilence moving out."
=======================================================================================================
The edge shifted to the defenders early on with the crippling of Chu-i Yoritomo's Regulator hovertank by an LRM salvo from the Avatar. Stopped dead in its tracks, it was easy pickings for that 'mech pilot; an LB Class 10 submunition struck the power plant, causing a massive explosion. The crew died instantly. Not even thirty seconds later, their deaths were avenged by Go-cho Maruyama as an SRM round struck the exposed rear torso, exploding the autocannon ammunition stored there. Even with CASE, the damage was too much for the 'mech's extra-large engine to stand, and it shut down.The Assassin was dealt with by Chu-i Narita in his Raijin; he savaged it with his battery of medium pulse lasers, eventually crippling the gyro, and the 'mech with it. Gunsho Mori had closed with her Spector to harass the heavy vehicles, and was unprepared for the onslaught they focused on her. Both Schreks fired at her, as did the Kanazuchi squads. Her 'mech's armor fell in molten globs, and it fell to the ground; her return fire at one of the LRM carriers did succeed in destroying the engine, making it immobile. Her glory was short-lived; even as she stood up and ran away from the vehicles and their armored infantry guardians, a salvo of missiles from one of the LRM carriers tore through the remaining parts of her 'mech, ultimately destroying the center torso. Though the 'mech is pretty much a loss, she will live to fight for the Dragon another day. She did have the last say, however, as her large laser bored into the LRM carrier and destroyed it.
Meanwhile, Go-cho Endo and his crew in their Pegasus had maneuvered into a firing position on the other LRM carrier, down in a dry gulch. A spread of SRMs pounded through the thin armor on its side, reducing it to scrap. Moments later, Tai-i Yoshida finished off the ailing Kintaro as one of her medium lasers burned through a hole in the tattered rear armor and set off the remaining LRM rounds. Both of the Pegasus scout tanks harassed the Schreks, peppering the armored hulls with pulse laser fire and SRMs; both of their tracks were destroyed either directly or due to drive wheel hits. Go-cho Maruyama kept his craft in the boresight of a Schrek for too long, however, as it managed to spear it with two of its three PPCs; some of the electrical discharge must have been conducted into the crew compartment; they appeared stunned. Of course, the enemy forces took advantage of this and reduced the craft to a smoking heap; the crew will need some time in our medical facilities to recover. One of the Kanazuchi squads capitalized on earlier damage to the other Pegasus craft, and rendered it inoperable with a salvo of medium laser blasts, although it did spray the troopers with SRMs. A well-placed kick by Narita finally finished off the Daimyo, crushing the center torso.
In a flurry of fire, Gunsho Ito's Beowulf lost its left leg to a Schrek; both of the PPC carriers were taken out of the picture either due to outright destruction, or a shot that spalled armor off the inside, killing the crew. That left the battle armor to chase down and destroy, which they finally did. When the battle was over, only two 'mechs remained mobile, and one of the four had been completely destroyed. Go-cho Kai's Regulator had 1 Gauss slug remaining in its ammo bin. They were bloodied badly, but ultimately victorious.
=======================================================================================================
(A little over 8 minutes later)
"Reaper Actual, Despair-1"
[This is Actual; sitrep?]
"[pause] Three dead, three severely wounded, one moderately wounded. All opposition destroyed or otherwise rendered inoperable. We have an Avatar we can salvage, and that's about it. Mori's Spector is very likely a loss, though our techs may be able to work a miracle. Ito's Beowulf will need help off the field; it's missing a leg...again."
[Well done; second team is already moving. Repair and recovery teams will be on their way shortly.]
"Hai, arigato, Goto-san."
=======================================================================================================
So, we will need to look into replacing the Pegasus crew, though getting a new Pegasus won't be difficult. Getting a new Spector will prove to be difficult, I think, so I'll look into what we can get for Gunsho Mori to pilot next. The men and women have really proven themselves time and again. The Regulators pack a decent punch that is hard to ignore, but it's a one-trick pony. I'm going to see what we can replace them with.
Go-cho Kai is hereby promoted to Chu-i, effective immediately. The TAG equipment on the Pegasus is of no use to us, so I'm going to have my lead vehicle mechanics look into how best we can modify them to make use of that mass that will be freed up.
Now it's time for the rest of us to deal with what is left at the base.
Chu-sa Masuyo Goto
Musei Yuuchi Special Operations Command |
Last Edit by Aokarasu
11 Sep, 2007, 18:48:06 pm
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Aokarasu
Major Posts: 4114 Nevermore!
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OOC: Here's the Pegasus mod I am going to try:
BattleTech Vehicle Technical Readout
VALIDATED
Type/Model: Pegasus Scout Hovertank (3067 Upgrade)
Tech: Inner Sphere / 3067
Config: Hovercraft
Rules: Level 2, Modified design
Mass: 35 tons
Power Plant: 140 Scarborough Fusion
Cruise Speed: 97.2 km/h
Maximum Speed: 151.2 km/h
Armor Type: Protech 12 Standard
Armament:
2 Holly-4 Pack SRM 4s
2 Sutel Precision Line Medium Pulse Lasers
1 Matabushi Guardian Guardian ECM
1 Diplan Beagle Beagle Active Probe
1 Sutel Precision Line Small Pulse Laser
Manufacturer: Scarborough Manufacturers
Location: Al Na'ir
Communications System: Scarborough Talky-3 w. Guardian ECM
Targeting & Tracking System: Scarborough Tracky-3 w. Beagle Active Probe and TAG
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==Variants:==
This is the variant used by the Musei Yuuchi Special Operations unit.
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Type/Model: Pegasus Scout Hovertank (3067 Upgrade)
Mass: 35 tons
Equipment: Items Mass
Int. Struct.: 20 pts Standard 0 3.50
Engine: 140 Fusion 0 5.00
Shielding & Transmission Equipment: 0 2.50
Cruise MP: 9
Flank MP: 14
Heat Sinks: 10 Single 0 .00
Cockpit & Controls: 0 2.00
Crew: 3 Members 0 .00
Lift Equipment: 0 3.50
Turret Equipment: 0 1.00
Armor Factor: 72 pts Standard 0 4.50
Internal Armor
Structure Value
Front: 4 18
Left / Right Sides: 4 14/14
Rear: 4 10
Turret: 4 16
Weapons and Equipment Loc Heat Ammo Items Mass
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2 SRM 4s Turret 0 25 3 5.00
2 Medium Pulse Lasers Turret 8 2 4.00
1 Guardian ECM Body 0 1 1.50
1 Beagle Active Probe Front 0 1 1.50
1 Small Pulse Laser Turret 2 1 1.00
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TOTALS: 10 8 35.00
Items & Tons Left: 4 .00
Calculated Factors:
Total Cost: 2,013,933 C-Bills
Battle Value: 554
Cost per BV: 3,635.26
Weapon Value: 244 / 244 (Ratio = .44 / .44)
Damage Factors: SRDmg = 18; MRDmg = 1; LRDmg = 0
BattleForce2: MP: 9H, Armor/Structure: 0 / 3
Damage PB/M/L: 3/3/-, Overheat: 0
Class: GL; Point Value: 6
Specials: ecm, prb
And to replace the Regulators, a modifed 3055 Fulcrum.
BattleTech Vehicle Technical Readout
VALIDATED
Type/Model: Fulcrum Heavy Hovertank (3067 Upgrade)
Tech: Inner Sphere / 3067
Config: Hovercraft
Rules: Level 2, Modified design
Mass: 50 tons
Power Plant: 265 Strand XL Fusion
Cruise Speed: 108.0 km/h
Maximum Speed: 162.0 km/h
Armor Type: StarSlab/11.5 Type HVA Standard
Armament:
1 Sutel Precision Line Large Pulse Laser
1 Delta Dart LRM 10 w/ Artemis IV
1 Matabushi Guardian Guardian ECM
Manufacturer: Alpha Trading Corporation
Location: Perdition
Communications System: O/P AIR 900
Targeting & Tracking System: RCA Instatrac Mark XII
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==Variants:==
This is the variant used by the Musei Yuuchi Special Operations unit.
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Type/Model: Fulcrum Heavy Hovertank (3067 Upgrade)
Mass: 50 tons
Equipment: Items Mass
Int. Struct.: 25 pts Standard 0 5.00
Engine: 265 XL Fusion 2 7.00
Shielding & Transmission Equipment: 0 3.50
Cruise MP: 10
Flank MP: 15
Heat Sinks: 10 Single 0 .00
Cockpit & Controls: 0 2.50
Crew: 4 Members 0 .00
Lift Equipment: 0 5.00
Turret Equipment: 0 1.50
Armor Factor: 160 pts Standard 0 10.00
Internal Armor
Structure Value
Front: 5 46
Left / Right Sides: 5 27/27
Rear: 5 20
Turret: 5 40
Weapons and Equipment Loc Heat Ammo Items Mass
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1 Large Pulse Laser Turret 10 1 7.00
1 LRM 10 w/ Artemis IV Turret 0 12 2 7.00
1 Guardian ECM Body 0 1 1.50
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TOTALS: 10 6 50.00
Items & Tons Left: 9 .00
Calculated Factors:
Total Cost: 8,901,667 C-Bills
Battle Value: 744
Cost per BV: 11,964.61
Weapon Value: 573 / 526 (Ratio = .77 / .71)
Damage Factors: SRDmg = 13; MRDmg = 8; LRDmg = 3
BattleForce2: MP: 10H, Armor/Structure: 0 / 6
Damage PB/M/L: 1/2/1, Overheat: 0
Class: GM; Point Value: 7
Specials: if, ecm |
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cawest
Captain Posts: 2015
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| good read i like it... on the pegasus have you thought about using one ton of the ammo as inforno (sp) |
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Aokarasu
Major Posts: 4114 Nevermore!
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| It only has one ton of ammo, though. |
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cawest
Captain Posts: 2015
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It only has one ton of ammo, though.
Weapons and Equipment Loc Heat Ammo Items Mass
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2 SRM 4s Turret 0 25 3
oopppes i read it as 3 tons of ammo  |
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Aokarasu
Major Posts: 4114 Nevermore!
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Combine space
Date: 27 May 3069
Commander's after-action report.
[Hai, arigato, Goto-san.]
Nodding my head inside the cockpit of "Executioner," my Axman, I toggled over to another frequency.
"Sorrow-1, Reaper-Actual; commence."
A brief, static-y "pop" signified Tai-i Matsumoto acknowledging the order. All eight of our 'mechs, Reaper and Sorrow lances, started on a southerly course towards the depot proper. A large lake was to the west, on our right, with scattered trees, low hills and some outbuildings for the complex to our immediate south. Beyond that was the main portion of the depot, and to the southwest was an area filled with woods, hills and a smaller lake.
[Recon imagery attached.]
As we got closer, we assumed our loose movement formations, while picking up 12 objects on our long-distance sensors. Recon from our aerospace cover informed us that there were 8 'mechs and 4 vehicles. Later review of the BattleROMs would show that we faced the following forces:
'Mech Lance 1:
HTM-CM Hatamoto-Hi
THS-4S Thanatos
TBT-9K Trebuchet
SR1-0D Strider
'Mech Lance 2:
SD1-0 Sunder
AV1-0 Avatar
WVN-9N Wyvern
SR1-0E Strider
Vehicle Lance:
Pilum Heavy Tank
Tokugawa Heavy Tank
Drillson Hovertank (Streak variant)
Pegasus Scout Tank (3058 spec)
[Recon imagery attached]
Initial long-range exchanges were sporadic, though I did get to claim "first blood," with a large pulse laser hit on the arm of the WVN. As the distance closed, there were more exchanges, with some weapons fire finding their marks, but no significant damage was done. A little over half a minute after we had begun our approach, Tai-i Matsumoto melted armor on the Pegasus' turret, which ran into the turret track, locking it in place. Go-cho Sato's Nightsky was a favored target at this point, and she was unable to keep it upright after losing about 4 tons of armor. It's believed that this fall is where she bruised her ribs.
Calling my attention back to my section of the battle, the Sunder's huge autocannon tore the armor off of my 'mech's left arm, and ruined the haft of the axe. At the same time, Gunsho Watanabe was lighting up the building the HTM had moved into with his pulse lasers. One of them found a hole in the rapidly weakening armor, damaging the gyro and a portion of the engine shielding. An SRM fired by the Tokugawa struck at the shoulder joint of Sato's NGS, and blew the arm from its mounting. Matsumoto continued his laser assault on the Pegasus, and the energy beams burnt through the left side, igniting the fuel tank, causing an impressive explosion. The damage done by the pulse lasers and earlier attacks weakened the building's structure enough that it collapsed; that seemed to be the icing on the proverbial cake, as the HTM lost its fight with gravity. Kashira Mayaki also failed to keep her NGS upright after it lost a little more than 2 tons of armor, though her landing was evidently softer than Sato's. His bloodthirst nowhere close to sated, Matsumoto crumpled the turret armor on the Tokugawa, enough so it ruined the track, locking it in place.
Seemingly angered at the "affront" of the locked turret, the crew of the heavy tank landed a solid AC round on the left torso of his Ti T'sang, passing through what armor remained and damaging engine shielding. In return, one of his many lasers that fired melted off a portion of the track, slowing it down. Mayaki's NGS was the focus of a lot of enemy fire, and it paid for it; the left leg was destroyed, and the 'mech had to succumb to the inevitable. I landed a solid kick on the Sunder's left leg, damaging the upper actuator; the pilot was skillful enough to keep it upright. Matsumoto continued his minor crusade against the vehicles as his hatchet drove practically all the way through the Drillson's turret, destroying the turret drive mechanism. He barely had time to override the safety systems shutting down his reactor as the overheat alarms blared in his cockpit.
Like vultures, the enemy forces poured their fire into the stricken NGS, and it disappeared briefly behind laser and missile fire; when the smoke cleared, it was a crumpled mess, though Mayaki still lived. Chu-i Inoue managed to damage the lift skirt on the Drillson at some point during this exchange, slowing it down a little.
Turning my weapons fire on the SD1, I blazed away with all of my clantech medium lasers; one of them flashed away what little armor remained on its left breast and set off the autocannon ammunition sotred there. It disappeared as a small nova consumed it, though the command chair was seen to be riding just above the smoke and fire. The AV1 pilot hit the weakened center torso of Watanabe's Men Shen with one of its pulse lasers, damaging the Beagle located there. Inoue stalked the Pilum as it took cover in a building; his fire weakened armor on the tank, and also caused the collapse of the building. The Thanatos had maneuvered behind Sato's NGS, and damaged her engine shielding severely with one of its medium pulse lasers through the rear armor of the right torso.
Tai-i Chiba had been relentlessly attacking the Hatamoto, and his persistence finally paid off as one of his many pulse laser shots wreaked havoc on the exposed center torso, ruining the gyro and critically damaging the engine shielding. My 'mech's right arm was severed at the shoulder by an autocannon blast from the Tokugawa. Go-cho Maeda had gotten on the "six" of the Avatar and set off its machine gun ammunition with one of his pulse lasers. Even with CASE, it was a lost cause as the engine shutdown from catastrophic damage. A kick to the Pilum's right glacis warped a drive wheel, slowing it down.
Passing within my field of fire, I sent medium laser fire after the Drillson; I must have struck a weak spot in its right side armor, as its fuel tanks went up spectacularly. I next engaged the Tokugawa with my medium lasers (the only weapons I had left after the loss of the arm), and melted all of the armor off of the front glacis, penetrating into the crew chamber, incinerating them. I finally moved on to engage the Pilum, sending laser fire into its weakened right side, and set off its fuel tank, leaving little but some charred metal bits on that spot. Meanwhile, the Wraith had been under heavy fire, and the WVN finished it off as one of it medium pulse lasers ruined the TR1's left torso. Chiba removed the Trebuchet from the picture when one of his pulse lasers pentrated the armor over its left rear torso and set off the MRM ammunition stored there. As with the AV1, CASE saved the 'mech, but critically damaged the extralight engine powering it. Maeda's parting shots from his dying 'mech struck the WVN's exposed center torso, damaging the gyro and a small portion of engine shielding, as evidenced by a telltale heat bloom. Unable to remain upright, between the gyro damage and loss of armor and structure, it crushed its right arm beneath itself, wrecking the large and medium pulse lasers mounted there. Matsumoto easily removed the other arm as his 'mech's heat-strengthened muscles plowed the mighty axe through it.
We began coursing the remaining foes, down to the Thanatos, the two Striders and the stricken Wyvern. The THS managed to maneuver above and behind Chiba's Penetrator and landed a kick on its weaker rear center armor. The 'mech's foot damaged the gyro and another heat bloom told of damaged reactor shielding; fighting the pull of gravity, and even with the damaged gyro hampering him, Chiba kept his 'mech standing. Matusmoto also managed to scoop up the ejected Sunder pilot around this time.
We chased the mobile 'mechs around, with the Thanatos proving to be the hardest target to pin down, but we did, eventually, though not before it destroyed my 'mech's right torso with its large laser, and wrecked the center torso of Watanabe's Men Shen with an MRM salvo.
We'll salvage what we can, probably selling most of it as parts, though the Avatar will probably fetch a decent price. Even with two of the buildings ruined due to the defenders' stupidity, we will have plenty of armor, munitions and other much-needed parts to keep ourselves going. Though two of our 'mechs are a loss, no pilots died, and we should be able to put them in new rides soon enough. As I ride out in the bed of one of our prime movers, I watched the black, turbulent smoke from the burning depot recede into the distance. This is one place they won't use again any time soon.
Chu-sa Masuyo Goto
Musei Yuuchi Special Operations Command |
Last Edit by Aokarasu
05 Aug, 2006, 17:45:27 pm
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Aokarasu
Major Posts: 4114 Nevermore!
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Combine space
Date: 11 Jun 3069
The small restaurant was dimly lit, both by the dwindling outside light and small lamps within. Uncomfortable in the civilian clothes he wore, he adjusted the smart business suit he'd chosen for the meeting. Allowing his eyes to adjust slightly, he nodded brusquely as the young, attractive hostess greeted him. Giving his assumed name, the hostess informed him he was expected, and asked him to follow her. Thanking her after she guided him to the booth where his "appointment" sat, facing away from the window, he sat down. The man sitting across from him poured him a cup of hot tea, setting the small, handleless cup in front of him. He bowed slightly, and said, "Arigato."
Masuyo nodded in return. "How is the tea?." Were you followed?
The Pesht Warlord replied, "Clear and sharp, the way I like it." To the best of my knowledge, no.
Masuyo smiled, "That is good to hear. How is the family?"
"Well enough. Our oldest son's applied to Sun Zhang; I think he'll be accepted."
"Is that Jiro? I remember giving him his first Jenner model to build. Hard to believe he's of age for the academy already."
"The years have flown by, between the Clans, the new Star League, the FedCom civil war, Operation Bulldog and Taskforce Serpent...we've never really had a chance to catch our breath."
"I thought we weren't going to talk shop just yet," Masuyo said with a hint of a smile.
The Warlord responded with a grin of his own. "It's your fault." He finished his cup of tea and set it down. "So, what are we going to talk about?"
Masuyo allowed himself a tight-lipped smile, "You forgiving me."
A look of confusion crossed the Warlord's face. "Forgiving you for what?" A slight numbness in his extremities started to niggle at his attention, but didn't quite register yet.
"For causing you any extra headaches, for putting you in a position of compromise, and for...other...more recent actions." Masuyo's eyes bored into the Warlord's. For his part, the Warlord's vision grew blurry, but for some reason, he didn't feel alarmed...though part of him knew he should. "Perhaps we should continue this conversation later, what do you say?"
The Warlord tried to form a response, but was already drifting forward, head down on the table. Masuyo had slid the teacup out of the way, activating a small transmitter as he did so. Within moments, two men came in from the back of the restaurant and lifted the Warlord up and "assisted" him out the back. Masuyo paid the tab, with more than a little extra for the accommodating staff. He looked around once more before following his men out the back. |
Last Edit by Aokarasu
04 Sep, 2006, 07:36:26 am
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Aokarasu
Major Posts: 4114 Nevermore!
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Combine space
14 Jun 3069
He had been climbing forever...upwards and upwards, through an inky blackness that allowed no sort of vision beyond a few feet ahead. He hoped to find a spot of light, shining feebly in that darkness to guide him upward, but no such beacon ever showed. He didn't remember how long he'd been climbing, just that he couldn't feel his arms and legs any more. Any lesser man would have quit long ago...but you didn't get to be a Warlord by being a lesser man. So, he kept climbing, pacing himself, telling himself he would eventually reach the top.
Masuyo stood in the darkened room, observing the medical personnel take biomedical readings from the large, coffinlike object in the middle of the small room. He stood almost rock-still, keeping his thoughts off of his face, though many raced through his mind. He let the technician do his job without interruption, and about 10 minutes later, the tech turned to face his commanding officer.
"Goto-san, the Warlord is doing well. Vitals are stable, though in a lower state than normal in all areas except alpha waves. This is normal, however, for someone in a sensory deprivation chamber. He should remain unharmed all the way to our destination."
Masuyo nodded brusquely. "So-ka. You and your team need to monitor him around the clock. I didn't bring him this far to have him die or become a vegetable. Contact me if anything of interest happens."
The technician bowed as his CO left. |
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Aokarasu
Major Posts: 4114 Nevermore!
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Combine space
22 June 3069
As a trainee agent, Harald al'Zed had been told to leave a dead drop "open" until it had been used a few times, because one never knew when it might be used - especially true with the electronic ones. He was at home, an oddity in itself, when he got a "beep" on his pager.
This is supposed to be my vacation time. He sighed. Guess once an ISF "ninja," always one, no matter the reason for the time off. He gazed briefly at a picture of his parents, set in what most would think to be a miniature shrine - and they wouldn't be completely wrong. He removed the small electronic gadget from his belt and activated the display and his resentment faded. Glancing away from the message, he looked at the "neo-modern" analog wall clock and back at the message, grabbed a light coat from the closet and walked briskly outside to his car.
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Sitting in his car on a small pull-off along a mountainside road, Harald read the message for the 5th or 6th time, still not quite believing what he had read. Closing his eyes and focusing inward for a moment, he calmed and centered himself, then opened his eyes and read the message again.
[Konnban-wa, Harald. My sincerest condolences on the death of your parents. I also regret that this communication is more business than personal, but we both understand the weight of giri. I will cut to the point, because you deserve that more than the normal "small talk." I know your parents died as a result of Black Dragon activities - being in the wrong place at the wrong time. I also know theirs, sadly, is becoming less and less of an isolated incident. I was hoping you might be in agreement that these Black Dragons need to be stopped, and not just because of the death of your parents. If so, get a message to me, if you can remember how. After all, the ISF surely knows how to get in touch with "dead" men. - Masuyo]
Harald blinked, allowing the impact to percolate through his brain. I always suspected you weren't dead, old friend. It's been a long time since we drank sake' together. Maybe we can do so again after this madness is done. Allowing himself a thin-lipped smile, Harald did his usual "casual" look around to see if there was anyone tailing him, started the car and drove back home to pack his bags. He knew what his answer was already. |
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Aokarasu
Major Posts: 4114 Nevermore!
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Combine space
5 Aug 3069
The intercom buzzed, and the man behind the desk looked at it in annoyance and pressed a button.
"I told you I was not to be disturbed."
[Hai, but your visitor has convinced me to disturb you.] The voice sounded slightly miserable.
"Fine, see him in."
The door opened a few seconds later, and the man rose in both surprise and out of respect for his visitor. The deepness of his bow was one he was used to receiving, not giving. He held the bow for a few seconds, then straightened back up.
"Can I get you some tea or coffee?" By which he meant could he get his assistant to prepare it.
"No, thank you. This meeting should be brief, I expect." His facial expression was perfectly neutral, and his eyes were locked on those of the Black Dragon member standing behind the desk. Focusing his ki, he replied.
"Please have a seat, then." So, I guess we'll be skipping the typical "small talk." That doesn't bode well at all.
"Arigato, Kenji." The use of the man's first name was a cue that wasn't missed. "I've come to see what you've managed to discover about what happened to Tai-shu Minamoto."
"The Pesht Warlord? Nothing, so far. He was last seen in early June, and hasn't been heard from or seen since." You know all of this, so why are you really here?
"Yes, I know all of that. What I want to know, is what sort of evidence...if any...you've dug up. Suspects, where he is, et cetera. Surely someone with your...resources...could have found something out by now?" The slightest hint of amusement crept on to the man's face. Kenji felt his blood pressure start to rise a little. He was far from used to being treated in such a manner; in fact, it was usually him asking questions in this vein.
"It's been a frustrating investigation. No one has taken credit for it, there hasn't even been a whisper of it in The Drake. That suggests to me it's either military forces, or former military forces. What their motive | |
