Kyle Viper and is uncharacteristically quite during the ride. He doesn't seem frightened, just thoughtful. He responds over the Coms to Wraith.
"Pride is a powerful thing. That rifleman might be a family heirloom. Although by all rights he is a pirate... We should accept his surrender for now, and determine what to do with him after."
+++ He wants to withdraw from the field.+++ Jester reminded the others how the RoE worked. +++ That means he keeps his 'Mech, and we get the salvage. I am OK with that. Not sure we need a wildcard here.+++
Once done with his spiel he turns his attention back to the Rifleman watching it closely to see how the pilot will react to the offer.
The cannons slow their spin and stop as the Rifleman takes a more relaxed posture and it's pilot turns slowly and walks away as the heat signature returns to a normal operational range.
+++Let him go, as that is usually the status quo+++
He looks over at Kyle. As they pull up next to the ship.
Well, I think we might have to deal with the rifleman soon enough, but I am glad that we got me a ride.
He then looks through the ship to see if there is anything that they can use to pull the wreckage back.
Kyle nods to Viper.
"Well, at least there is that. We should probably also check the tank for salvage as well. Might be able to get something good off of it."
Agreed on the Salvage, at the very least the PPC should be snagged. Someone will use it somewhere.
Orpheus, over the radio, "On my way back. The artillery piece cooked off, so there is nothing left - it took out the structure it was placed in, in fact. I would suggest we take the whole tank back to the dropship - we have more than enough Battlemechs to share the load - and I would imagine there will be more than enough time to stripping it down to its components while we are in transit."
+++Rodger Orpheus, we are currently working on getting equipment to bring everything back.+++
Viper then goes back to trying to find a crewman who is capable of driving one of the pieces of equipment to bring back the wreckage.
Hoffen's hired guns retrieve the tank and get it stowed before pulling heavy equipment off Jenni Lynne to drag the one legged Wasp back. By the time they've recovered the salvage Ling has opened his vault for Frau Hoffen.
There is little left of the aerotech fighter. The partial nose section and ruined cockpit has very few clues, but it does have a flight recorder and the outer markings. Where not scored by carbonization from energy weapon damage, the paint outside the missing canopy bears a SLDF crest and the call-sign of the pilot, 'Burner'.
"Damnit!" Hoffen shouts. She follows it up with a stream of serious profanity. Ling pales for a moment before she turns to address the warriors. "I expected this, but it's still frustrating. The data seems to be there, but I don't have the right interface to read it in this format. I know someone who can help, but he's..." she waves her scarred arm over her head. "His help comes with a price, I guess you could say."
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Frau Hoffen touches her index finger to the tip of her nose and gives Kyle a giggle and a wink. "I just knew there was a reason I hired you," the woman laughs as she helps secure the shuttle for launch. "My man Ling has been keeping an eye open for certain artifacts of interest to me. About a year ago he recovered a large portion of what was once a Swift class SLDF fighter with a serial number that matches what my research says was a patrol craft assigned to the Admiral Onyango. He said he'd hold the whole thing for me, but all I care about is the flight-data recorder module, which we can use to narrow down our search."
"So are you gonna need the rest of the plane or can I have it?"
The older woman looks quizzically at Wraith then turns and gives the look to Ling. "Ja, she is correct Ling, you said 'substantial portion'. Where is the rest?" she asks in a menacing tone.
"Uh, no, Molly, come on..." He backs up and stammers. "It was just a wing. And some heat sinks." He sighs and shrugs. "Aw, hell woman, there is no point lying to you. It's been a year! I can't have something like that junking up my storage. I had to sell it off. Look, I kept what you wanted. And you got rid of those jerks. Just, take..." he waves at the ruined cockpit and nose, "that and keep the C-Bills in your pocket."
"That works for me, but does it work for you, cutie?" She asks glancing back at Wraith. "Ling, we're square. But these guys ran off that gang. They saved families! You think this works for her and the boys?"
"Oh! Uh, I can patch your armor and reload your ammo?" He says with a rising inflection and a hopeful tone.
Jester grunts noncommittally in reply to Ling. "Ya, get 'er reloaded and patched up. Shouldn't take you long."
'Mech handled well for a new upgrade, 'cept for the stumble at the end. Mebbe the 'scope needs adjusting?
When he sees his handiwork of the 'Wasp he shakes his head in amusement. "Can ye slap another leg on 'er?"
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Wraith playfully winks back with an impish grin.
She looks back as Jester answers before adding her own, "All lasers an' a flawless victory because of course I did, so I just get t' be sad.
But, yeah, we handled the Wasp roughly, Centurion, so make it more gooder and we're wiz."
Wraith taps her chin cutely.
"Oy Viper. As long as we gots a guy what owes us a favor," she pauses and nods vigorously at Ling, "you want the Wasp any particular way?
Myself, I'd scrap the waste of missiles and pack the holes with two mediums. You got the heat, no reason not. Or just one laser, and paste on more armor, at least.
But that's just me."
"Yeah, yeah! I can get that sucker running again alright, well, I can repair the hardware at least, not much I can do about the current biometrics and interface interlo-"
Frau Hoffen interrupts him with some German profanity. "The sooner you get that thing running, the sooner we get off your moon. Get that your little red box and get my new scout up and running. You owe me, remember 3042?"
"Okay, whatever you want Molly." Ling holds his hands up.
Viper looks over at Wraith
I think that we should do that, after all, anything to make that unit a little more more survivable.
He then sits back and listens to what is going on.
Kyle smiles "Certainly wouldn't hurt to have another mech on our side. Looks like someone got a new toy. I'm assuming if we keep this up long enough I'll eventually get a very large martini.
Orpheus shrugs, "Leg-mounted weapons have never been a good idea - there is almost no firing arc because you cannot turn your legs - but moving weapons can unbalance a 'Mech - especially a little one like that. Also, assuming that we are speaking of a normal Wasp, one that was never upgraded to Star League tech, or better, its heat capacity is limited. Just jumping and firing its laser would be more or less the limit of its capacity to dissipate heat - which is why, I imagine, they chose to use a missile launcher. Extra armour might be the better way to go - maybe a with a pair of smalls where the launcher used to be to keep the leg balanced without worrying too much about heat."
I know it would take some engineering to do, but think we can run some power wires, and connect a medium to the hand mount like the other Martell? The remaining weight, I am thinking as armour.
Wraith, I will buy one for you soon as we are back in the ship. He pauses for a moment If the techs need a hand on that wasp, I can help.
Viper gets up and strolls calmly over to the window to look out, while still listening to what is going on.
"I think I have just the thing for that Wasp," Ling tells Viper. "Go relax, I will get you for the final inspection when ready
Frau Hoffen gives Viper a nod.
A week of pure boredom at The Dump leaves everyone ready for a change. Ling brings the Wasp out with the laser rigged to the other arm and an additional ton of armor scattered across the light scout and helps to configure it to Viper. Hoffen spends a lot of her time locked in her stateroom on Jenni Lynne, only leaving a few times a day to exercise or grab a meal.
An hour before the dropship is scheduled to depart she calls the ground crew to the cargo bay. The ruined nose section from the fighter is sitting at the feet of her Valkyrie.
"Kowloon is Jade Falcons adjacent," she begins after blowing out a cloud of cigarette smoke. "I don't expect they're interested in breaking the truce, but I just want to be up front by about it. It's also Lyran space and a total hole. Some mercenary outfit has the honor of providing garrison duty. I know someone in the capital with access to the kind of tech I need to crack this thing."
"Frau! Boss? I think you should hear this," the Jenni Lynne's captain calls out over the ship's intercom.
The comms squeal with feedback for a moment as the radio is patched in. A Capellan accented woman is mid-sentence. "-vised to respond immediately. You promised us something, we will be taking delivery whether you succeeded or not. I repeat again: This is Wokou. CyBulls, you are advised to respond immediately. We are coming for what's due. You have one week to make ready."
The captain cuts back in. "Frau Hoffen, we can make it to our ride out of system. They're nadir to our zenith, but they've got a Union and a damn Leopard CV inbound!"
Hoffen takes one last drag from her cigarette and stubs it out with her heavy boot. "I don't think we can do much more than run. This 'Wokou' is supposed to be dangerous. Get strapped in, we are going to burn hard."
As he heads to his crash couch Kyle looks over to the others. "That name mean anything to anyone? Wokou? It seems that these CyBulls have some strangely deep pockets."
"I don't know what she had to do with the CyBulls, but she's the new pirate boogeyman in this corner of space. There are a lot of rumors,but very little known facts about her. Not our problem right now, I don't think we have the firepower to stop her from doing whatever she is planning. Ling and the other big boys and girls down there will probably be fine. She didn't come in at a pirate point and she is giving them advanced warning she's coming. They can find hidey-holes for themselves. Everyone else?" Hoffen shrugs. "The Dump hardly has much in the way of defensive assets after the last few weeks."
"Sounds to me like the CyBulls bit off a tad more than they can handle here. Ya wonder how they go those fancy 'mechs, not ta mention the Shrek," Jester chomps on the end of his cigar to emphasize his point, "Now I think we know the answer. God thing we didn't bring 'em aboard...she would be on OUR arse now!"
Strapping himself into the crash couch.
I just hope that we don't get banged up to bad on the flight out. But I am hoping that they don't take it out on the populace now.
The promise of fresh air without the tang of recycler units, real gravity, and food rather than greasy, nameless protein sealed in a can has almost everyone aboard Jenni Lynne in a good mood. The dropship is expected to make landfall in about four hours.
"Just got the facts, gang," the captain's relaxed, warm voice chimes in helpfully over the intercom, "We will be landing right about lunch time locally. Ground temperature will be twenty six degrees, sunny with a light breeze. Get out there and stretch your legs, you'll thank me!"
Hoffen storms out of her stateroom wearing a practical blue jumpsuit. "Kyle! Kyle? Where the hell are you?" she shouts out as she pounds across the deck in her heavy 'mechwarrior boots. "Can you tell I'm packing?" Frau Hoffen asks Lord Lambert the moment she corners him.
Kyle sticks his head out of his room and sees Frau Hoffen approaching before ducking back in. "One moment. I'm still getting dressed." several minutes pass before the door slides open and Kyle comes out dressed in a clearly overpriced silk shirt and slacks. He looks the Frau up and down appraisingly.
"Yes, lower back, looks like a slug thrower. How about me?" "He does a brief spin to allow a full 360 view of his clothing. His pants appear to be very tight.
"Oh, he's not worried about you. Actually, he might be worried about you just not everyone else. Speaking of everyone else, where are they?" she grabs her comm and taps a few buttons opening up the Jenni Lynne's intercom system. +++ Mech jocks meet me in the cargo hold in five minutes! +++ She reaches back and fiddles with her hold-out frowning, +++ Make that ten minutes.+++ The system squeals loudly with feedback when she closes the channel and she looks Kyle over.
"Left boot. Nice pants. I am guessing I missed the other one though? Come on, he's already changed the meet time and location. Twice. I never know what to expect with this guy." She ducks back into her room and reemerges a few minutes later with her firearm in a different location then walks with Lord Lambert down to the hold where she immediately retrieves one of her cigarettes from her not-so-secret stash to await the others. After being trapped on the dropship in transit for some time her supply of tobacco seems rather low. "At least I can count on grabbing more down there. Farm worlds always have any form of vice that grows."
Viper looks up as the intercom blares.
He then keys open his storage safe, grabs his go gear, and then closes his safe.
He then walks over from where his wasp is cradled.
Offering her a light, Whats up boss
Jester hear the message from their boss and reacts with long-practiced ease. Making sure his personals are stowed away he grabs his duffel bag and hustles down to the 'Mech bay. Seeing Heinrich waiting for him he gives the man a nod, "Hurry up and wait right?"
Looking up as Jester comes in.
Yup, the lot of any troop, Hurry up and wait, but lets see what the boss lady has to say
He sits on a crate, and waits to see what the call was about.
Hoffen accepts Viper's light and glances around. "Where's manic pixie dream girl and the cold fish?" She makes an 'OK' sign with one hand and uses her other to complete the timeless and universal hand-signal asking if they're engaging in coitus. "Maybe she's just the one to warm his cl-cold heart." There is a pause. She takes a drag and shrugs then quickly changes the subject. "We need a real briefing room in here. I know we've got the space. Sorry, it's just that this...old friend of mine is...tricky and...well-informed. I'll get it together by the time we get down there."
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Alison was in the mech bay, running a redundant diagnostic--just to be sure.
"We sure should 'em," she quietly coos to the modified Falconer as a mother would to a child. "Didn't we? All them guns don't mean nuthin' if you don't know how to use 'em. And, heh, if you can fly. You can't take the sky from me.'
Her reverie is interrupted by the quasi-urgent call to arms. She ignores it for a minute, just out of habit, then finally grabs her walkin' bag from the cockpit and decides to make an appearance.
"Sorry I'm late everyone," she says, striding in wearing a standard-issue black longcoat, perfect for hiding an SMG, "I was bumping uglies with Anton," she finishes in a deadpan, offering neither expansion nor explanation.
Viper snickers slightly over the comment from Wraith.
Seeing the implied consent from the boss smoking, he lights up a smoke himself, and settles himself on a crate while waiting.
So what can you tell us about the laws on the planet. I would hate to get busted carrying an energy weapon when all they allow is a pea shooter
Viper shrugs,
In my opinion, it is better to play at least lip service to the laws. We don't need to much local problems if it can be avoided
"Depends on who is enforcin' the laws sweetheart." Jester nochalantly puffs on his cigar, blowing a smoke cloud above him. "Best to tread lightly, for starters."
"Yeah, alright." Hoffen takes a last drag and stubs the butt out on a bulkhead. "Someone catch Orpheus up on whatever he misses." She pulls her comm out to review her notes and activate the projector. An image of a green-blue planet displays on the Valk's leg.
"Kowloon. Rich in all the best elements for growing plants with an amazing bounty of fresh water running through it's landmasses. Most of the continents are part of massive megafarms, and most of it's citizens work those farms in some capacity.
"This is the main urban center and the planet's capital," she continues as the projector clicks to an image of a sprawling metropolis surrounded by rocky badlands. "It was built on one of the few areas of the planet not blessed with an abundance of carbon and nitrogen in the soil. The city is called Puerto Abundante. The spaceport sees a lot of commercial traffic, but it isn't unusual for more military cargo to stop through here. The local HPG station used to make it a good stop for pirate hunters before the clans arrived. The Green Machine is contracted with defense, and security is handled by the locals at Puerto Abundante.
"The man we came to see is one Louis "Devil" Cypher. The Devil likes to appear omniscent and in control. Sometimes he is omniscent, and I don't think I've ever seen him not in control. I met Mr. Cypher some years back and while we have some level of mutual respect, we don't have one another's trust. Cypher has access to technology and technical skills that I'm certain will crack the flight recorder. But his help will absolutely come with a cost, and more likely than not I'm going to be asking you to help pay that cost.
"Yes, small arms are legal and we have mercenary credentials, so we are authorized to carry while in Puerto Abundante. I doubt we will need them, but we need to be ready for anything. When we get down there I want all of you with me to the meet. Because we're walking into a situation where someone I do not trust has a lot of the power, I want him to remember I'm not without any myself. Questions?"
Pretty much to the point. Appreciated
Viper excuses himself, heads back to his equipment safe and keys it open.
I guess energy weapons are the way to go now.
He makes a careful but quick selection, then heads back to the group.
Kyle considers Hoffen's words for a few moments before responding, "What type of cost are we expecting, and what do we do if its too much to pay?"
She sighs heavily. "Something he'd want kept quiet. That can mean any number of things and I'd prefer not to speculate. The other half of that question? If we can't work with him, it will delay the hunt by months, maybe longer, as we dig up some other tech expert to help crack the flight recorder. That said," she sighs and looks off at nothing. "That said, I need to be prepared to walk away from the table if things go sour. Right now that flight recorder exists without any larger context and I'm counting on him having enough on his plate not to pay too much attention, but if I seem desperate he might become more interested."
So the trick is then to get the info, but without looking too interested. As for the cost, if it isn't to bad, I say we go for it, and let the chips fall where they may.
Viper leans back and takes another drag off his smoke.
As for things going sour, I hope that is not the case, shooting our way out, I hope is a last resort.
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"I'm still a bit confused about the price. Like, he's gonna want cashy-money and you'll pay him, or he's gonna wanna stick something somewhere and you'll be all nu-uh imma make Wraith take it and I'll be all ah geez.
Or do you mean he'll want something mech-stomped that might irritate green machine if we don't do it right?
And if he -does- crack it and learn about the 'Admiral, do you need us to take him out?"
Hoffen laughs, "The last one, though I doubt he cares much about the local garrison. I'm assuming he will figure out what I am doing eventually, but praying I can get a big enough lead that it won't matter. Killing him might be a dangerous proposition with long lasting repercussions. Alright, we will be down soon, someone find Orph and make sure he's alright."
Viper heads out to find Orpheus and to see whats going on with him.
Jester listens to the spiel from Frau, nodding shortly once she has finished. "Understood. We're the muscle. Play it by ear. Walk the line." He spits out the last of his cigar before standing up, "I'll bet Orph still lookin' for his 'Mech!" He sniggers softly.