The Wanderers. Part II: Flames of Rage and Rebellion

By: Flocco Wessos

Back to the balcony where a recruitment battle was going on a few clicks away, two MechWarriors had met for the first time. One warrior simply called himself "Compromise." Compromise was ruthless in a Madcat as the recruiter, NI, found out the hard way, in battle. He may have been fighting for years, as he did he studies every tactic thrown at him. Fighting numerous types of 'Mechs of varying wait classes. He knew what was coming at him from most enemies. Yet, some he did not. Today, he had met a new warrior, one, who did not intrigue him, for he had not seen his skill on the battlefield. Flocco Wessos was the new warrior he met. The future was uncertain, but held many possibilities. They could become the greatest of friends or their greatest enemies. Though Compromise was not intrigued by him, Flocco was intrigued. In his few short months of training himself to what he thought was near perfection, Flocco never met anyone like Compromise. Seeing no one with the prowess to study tactics the way Compromise did, Flocco needed to learn more. Finally Wessos spoke, "How do study the tactics like that?" Compromise later responded and carried out a conversation for an hour on this subject. They parted their ways and headed to their designated quarters to think about whether or not to join this newfound unit. On the battlefield just a few clicks away, another 'Mech challenged the Madcat. It was a Summoner armed to the teeth with LRMs and SRMs. It was a deadly configuration in the hands of a skilled 'Mech pilot. In the wrong hands, it was an expensive piece of scrap. Both were at the designated spots, each seven hundred meters away. The first volleys flew, PPCs pierced the day, and the battle had begun. Instantly the two PPCs fired off by the Madcat took of the SRM mount on the Summoner's left shoulder. The Madcat barely out maneuvered the LRM volley. Six of the missiles wear able to detonate on his skin thus damaging his 'Mech further. Six hundred meters and closing, flanking maneuvers were engaged by both pilots. The Madcat's Streaks still out of range it was forced to lead his target with the aiming reticule by 20 milliseconds, varying by up to 500 milliseconds due to the spastic jump jetting by the Summoner. That is exactly what the Madcat wanted, for him to jump into range. Five hundred forty meters and closing fast. Missile lock was achieved by both. Streaks and regular SRMs flew. The Summoner's SRMs hit the Madcat dead on, three missiles hit the cockpit nearly killing the recruiter, and five managed to hit the center torso. The missiles that hit the cockpit took out its targeting systems. The Madcat's Streaks managed to turn ninety degrees and hit the Summoner in the back, blowing out the entire right torso. Armed with only one LRM launcher he would be forced to fire them at close range or risk death. The chances of the LRMs doing significant damage were low, so he would have to maneuver his way to six hundred plus meters out. The Madcat was also handicapped, with his targeting system out, he would not be able to achieve missile lock, and his Streak SRMs were now completely useless. With one last hit of the PPCs to the Summoners back, it fell midair; luck was on the recruiter's side. With the success, he just killed a potential recruit. Flocco sat in his quarters contemplating the prospect of joining the unit. The bright sun blazing through the only window in the room hit him on the face, where he sat on his roughly made bed. A prospect unit had offered him a job; they were only a three-day journey away in the same system. He would have to decide if joining a new unit and receiving a high rank would be better than joining an experienced unit. Thinking about finances and realizing that he had originally planned this trip to be one way, but meeting an experienced fighter and the situation at hand made him forget that. He had no choice, either stay, thus becoming a member or live out a meager life as a local. Not much of a choice he thought, he came to be a MechWarrior and that is what he would do. Immediately he knew what he must to do next. Opening the steel door, he walked out into the cluttered, thin hallway. Nuclear Inferno said there was no one serving the unit, but it seemed too empty. Surely someone, anyone would have to work here. The only worker he has seen was the engineer that loaned him the Madcat for the battle and the cooks in the cafeteria. Walking down the narrow hallway, he noticed no decorations other than synthetic plants. It reminded him of barracks on the planets he had trained himself on. That's probably what this was too, the whole facility was both a headquarters and barracks all in one. Vulnerable to most any attacks, not even the MechBay was detached, this would make a counterstrike difficult if the northern end were blocked off. This planet was too remote for that to happen though. After a long walk, he saw the waiting room and the recruiters office at that end. He entered the room, not bothering knocking, surely NI would not mind such an important notice. Sitting there was Compromise and another man with long scruffy hair, much like his own. Flocco sat down in the nearest chair he could find, a blue office chair to the right of Compromise. For no reason at all, he turned his head around swiftly, looking back through the open door into the lobby; he saw nothing special but a man slightly older than NI. He was probably just another of the recruits. NI began to brief them, nervously he spoke, "As I said before Wessos entered, I am the leader of this clan and I would like to offer your uniforms. So, Wessos, what do you say? Do you want to be apart of us?" NI turned around, picked up something, cloth, most likely the uniforms, then rotated back dropping them on his desk. Dust flew up into the air, the particles able to be seen by that light shinning through the window. Whoever built this place had a thing for windows or liked watching battles going on. "So do you?" Preoccupied it took Flocco some time to answer; he sat there staring at the uniforms. The uniforms ripped up, scratched up, looked as if they had seen much action before. Slowly the sun would be setting; he was still not used to the short days on the planet. The angle of the sun now allowed him to see the color of the uniforms, a faded dark green. He thought enough, now was time to speak his fate, "Affirmative, much thought has lead me to this conclusion, I will gladly join your ranks." Laughter of joy burst out from NI, "Then it is settled Compromise, the one sitting next to Compromise, Fossil, the one in the waiting room, Mizik, and you, Flocco Wessos are now officially Deadly Nuclear Aftershock members. Welcome to the DNA." That moment the same thought ran through Compromise's and Flocco's heads, what kind of name is Deadly Nuclear Aftershock for a unit name, especially for a so-called "clan"? From the likes of many new units, they never heard a more pathetic name. Compromise let out a slight laugh, while Flocco shook his head in disgrace. The one NI called Fossil, just sat there as if nothing was said. "Here are your uniforms," he said as he gently tossed one to each. The fabric was rougher than it looked; granted, it probably felt softer once it was worn. Unexpectedly NI said some more, "Your first mission will begin at 08:00 sharp, bring a 'Mech and some extra coolant. You will be recruiting. Once we get enough members we will plan our entrance into the Great War." The sound of metal chairs sliding on the tile was the last noise heard in that room, each of them left one by one, none stopping to say anything to each other. Mizik still sitting in the hall walked off with Fossil. Once back in his quarters, which he would call a cramped home for awhile, Flocco laid his new uniform on the only table. Taking a careful look he saw a rectangular tear on the right and left shoulder, possibly an old units logo was there. Perhaps the unit was cheaper than first thought. 'Shame' he thought, 'how would this NI pay his warriors?' It was getting late, the sun now five minutes below the horizon, made him realize how hungry he really was. He missed breakfast and almost missed lunch. He would have if it weren't for Compromise. Looking around the room as if he was certain there was a refrigeration unit, he came to no prevail. Tired but hungry, he headed from his quarters to a bite to eat. Afterwards he went off to sleep. Sleep would be what he needed if he would dare fight anyone the next day. Back in his quarters he laid down, it may have only been 20:30, and that would be more sleep than needed, he would cherish every moment of it. When Flocco woke to an alarm, he did not remember setting was an unexpected waking call. It was 06:30 and the first thing he wanted was a meal. Refreshed from his long sleep he sat up in his bed, looking around. Nothing has changed since he went to sleep, all his belongings still in the bags, unpacked, not a piece of his uniform disturbed. He shrugged of the last feeling of being tired. Throwing the thin blanket off him some dust was launched in the air, nothing out of the ordinary. Everything was fine and then proceeded out of the room to the cafeteria. After breakfast all warriors met at the MechBay. Like everything, else pickings were slim. Some of the BattleMechs were destroyed in the recruitment by careless piloting. It was first come first serve, two Summoners, one Madcat and a BushWhacker. All looked as if they were recovered from battles. No matter how many new coats of paint were put on, its battle scars were stayed present. They chose their 'Mechs and went to the keeper's office to pick up the neurohelmets. Inside their 'Mechs each checked their systems, no errors. The MechBay rumbled with the purr of the fusion reactors coming online. Now the warriors were prepared for their first assignment. Traveling at top speed the BushWhacker arrived first followed by the Summoner, then the Madcat. Awaiting their arrival was a Champion, a Firefly, a Puma, and aVulture. It was hard to tell what variants each brought. The Puma and Firefly only had one stock variant, but the Puma had a lot of firepower for a light 'Mech. The Champion, almost impossible to tell by Wessos, he had hardly ever seen it in battle, he only knew it had limited armor protection. The only threat, he thought, would be the Vulture. He wondered if it would be the variant with the massive amount of LRMs, if so, he would have to always move. Compromise opened his Comm port to notify the rules of this recruitment practice, "If you had not already noticed, stock chassis will only be allowed, no other. There are three recruiters and four potential recruits, please move one point five kilometers away to the Navigation points that I have programmed into your computer. We will go one on one. Once you are downed you are out of here, unless you have severely damaged your opponent." Staring down each 'Mech, he continued, "Who will go first?" Wessos acknowledging the question replied, "I will. Who will challenge me?" The puma stepped up, thinking he was able to be a worthy opponent to the huge Summoner, "I will gladly challenge you, though I will not go easy." "Alright, it is settled, Flocco Wessos will engage the Puma." Taking on a heavier 'Mech was going to be a challenge for the thirty-five ton Puma. The Puma would be armed with two ER PPCs and a secondary weapon, one flamer. "On my mark." The adrenaline was pumping through their veins, each thought they knew the outcome, yet they needed everything they had. "GO!" In a matter of seconds the Puma was in range for an LRM lock, the Puma was running straight at Flocco firing off his PPCs as he went, missing every shot. The buzz of the missile lock pierced Flocco's ears; the adrenaline had heightened his senses. Missiles away, forty LRMs and a NARC missile beacon headed towards the small Puma. Direct hit on the right torso, an explosion engulfed its right arm, crippling a PPC. Hindered, the Puma fought on. It engaged the onboard targeting computer, found the lead spot and fired, half the particle stream scraped the Summoner's leg. It was just enough to make Flocco fall to the ground, face first. Flocco was vulnerable to any attack now, it the Puma could get close enough. The Puma pelted him with the PPC tearing up his injured leg. As he got up, he began to limp, immediately he hit his thrusters backwards, firing off his SRMs. He need to get out of range, a walking backwards it would be nearly impossible. He used his best maneuvering tactic, using his jump jets he was able to turn his 'Mech completely around, throwing off the Puma. Flocco hoped that the turning radius of the LRMs would be enough, thanks to the NARC he did not need to achieve another lock. He fired away everything he had as a PPC hit him in the back. The LRMs turned and turned; finally, they had a direct line to the Puma. Forty missiles came crashing down on the Puma's steel back. One more shot, he thought, this time the SRMs should be able to do it. One more PPC shot came from the Puma before it fell to the SRMs. Crippled but alive, Flocco did not care that that he just killed a potential recruit, he was out for blood. "Holy Crap, Wessos, did you have to kill him?" a shocked Compromise said. The way Wessos fought that small 'Mech was brutal; maybe his adrenaline had taken over. Flocco went back to the Navigation point not saying a word. He found a ridge and perched himself on it. This gave him a perfect view of the field below. Death has occurred, but the fight must go on. Compromise called upon the next fighters, "Fossil, you are next. Who would like to challenge Fossil?" Seeing what happened to the first challenger, the Firefly backed down and gave the signal for his withdrawal. The two 'Mechs left were the Champion and Vulture; the smell of their fear was in the air. This added to the adrenaline of the recruiters. Someone came up with the courage to challenge Fossil. "I will fight." the Vulture let out over the comm. "Good, on my mark. GO!" announced Compromise, signaling to begin. The two 'Mechs ran towards each other at top speed. The Vulture was the first to get a missile lock. He fired away, hitting the Summoner directly in the center torso; large pieces of armor went flying. Three-fourths of his armor had gone; Fossil launched his LRMs hitting the Vulture in the shoulder dealing minimal damage. Flocco seeing how bad Fossil was injured began shouting orders, "Flank him, flank him!" He continued shouting over the lance Comm frequency, "Move back, you need to get those LRMs in range." For every order he shouted, Fossil obeyed. He continued like this the whole battle. He could not help it; he did not want to see his lancemate go down. Flocco order Fossil to jump over ridges; making him use his jumpjets to its fullest extent. Soon, the last shots were being fired by both 'Mechs, the Vulture's rounds missed. The critical last shot by Fossil hit the sixty-ton 'Mech right on. The fatal shot demobilized him instantly. Afterwards, Compromise would win against the Champion. Months would pass; more pilots would join the ranks. In these months that would follow these, MechWarriors would become strong allies and close friends. During the months, they used the warriors that challenged them as target practice. All of their skills improved drastically. The unit leader, NI, seemed like he was on vacation. NI showed his face very few times during the months. He had placed Flocco and Fossil as heads on Intel. It was hard getting Intel on the future of the unit, as there was not leader to guide them. Almost everyday they "recruited" for the absent leader. Few were accepted. They began to become tired of the constant recruiting, having more than enough members to be able to enter the Great War. Finally, they gathered, more than twenty members showed up for a meeting called by heads of Intel. They gathered in the MechBay, the only room large enough to hold them. The sun had set and the spokesman, Flocco, gave his speech. "Are we tired of having an absent leader? Are we tired of getting low pay? Moreover, are we tired of recruiting day in and day out, never entering the Great War? Well, I am. I propose to you an option. We can either demand our leader, Nuclear Inferno, to come back. Or he can face the consequences and we will rebel." The other warriors let out a great yell of support. Fossil set up the Comm ports to access all of the units' Comms. Directed towards NI he continued his speech, "Nuclear Inferno, I demand that you show up in your office tomorrow so that we may speak with you. If you are not there by 10:00, I personally will erase all unit records. Your unit will disperse leaving you with an empty barracks, void of all your warriors. The fate of your unit relies on you and the decisions you make in the next fifteen hours." The speech was short, but it got to its point right away. For now, they would wait. The next day the first four members of the clan waited, Compromise, Fossil, Flocco Wessos, and Mizik, they waited for the clock to strike ten. For the time, until NI would arrive they discussed what they would do. The clocks struck 10 still no NI. Five minutes past ten, the door opened. Sure enough, it was NI. Before even sitting down, he gave a dishonorable remark, "Screw you, I don't even need you to run this clan. You can just go f*** off." They were all shocked, never has a leader said such harsh words to his clansmen. Mizik quickly retorted to NI's statement, "What is that supposed to mean? Without us, you wouldn't have a clan!" Mizik was furious and it showed. Fossil continued, "Yes, why would you do this? You have given your warriors little pay, and broke all promises you have made." "You are a disgrace, a dishonor to your own unit." Flocco thought long and hard about what he would say at this moment. He went on, "Either meet our demands or we will leave this forsaken planet." Compromise stayed calm, not saying a single word. He was thinking, not about this unit anymore, but about calmer waters. NI finally spoke, "I am no disgrace, dishonor or whatever else which you call me. You, all of you, are the dishonors. I can see this clan falling apart, as did the last clan I did. When that clan split, its warriors went two ways; I could not choose either. I did not want to take a side, which is why I started this clan. But because of your impatience Flocco, it is falling apart at the seams." An angry Flocco replied, "Impatient? We have waited months for you too prepare us. What has happened? We have recruited day in, day out for those months." He could not keep his cool, "You have only fought us once, that was when we were the first to be recruited, then you had no choice. Now, you make us do the fighting for you." Growing weary of this fight, his response only fuels the fire; "You are a Stravag, Wessos! Your whole bloodline is full of nothing but Stravag." Finally the fire erupts into an explosion; "No one insults my bloodline. Nuclear Inferno, I challenge you to a Trial. You can bring any 'Mech you can find. It will be your last. Your future has been written in stone, I challenge you to the death.