Battletech: The Ghost Who Walks (Battletech Isekai)

[Imperator Pax]

Son of Sam the Lost Ship
Ronin's last check in had been an hour earlier before the engineers had double checked everything, and signaled that they could move forward. The thrum of fusion engines was reassuring. The power systems needed to run Life Support systems were far less than the energy draw of other systems but it didn't change the fact he was looking at a bigger problem than he'd expected, "I don't know what he was thinking." Bahar remarked. "As limited as forces were meeting us out in the open was stupid." That really hadn't been Bauman's call.


It was true he hadn't been expecting the assault... then again the man had spent too long as the big fish in a little pond. He'd initially thrashed and raged but ultimately blubbered when the Azami commandos in their PA (L) Nighthawk armor had dragged him from ... gaudy to the say the least... office suit aboard the recovery ship. That had only been part of operations.


Gene was more concerned that Bauaman had recognized the Nighthawk power armor they had pulled from Mother Bear's groundside castle. The Dobrev was a hulk. The damage on the hull... the ones on the recordings didn't do it justice. It would never fly again.. and yet it had secure bulkheads. Ones that had needed SLDF credentials to open. "He never got this far but there are far more people inhere than necessary to crew the ship." Civilians an escape...a long march, exodus... whatever you wanted to call it.


His suit's radio crackled, "They tried to Restart the aerostar navigation program," Dante stated, "There was a hyperspace accident." The distress beacon and logs were garbled. No one had woken up the other crew in the rotation. Dante conspicuously didn't bring up the AI that would have been navigating, and Gene didn't bring it up, "The main computer core has a partition sealed by a division rank officer."


"We'd need mother bear to override it." He remarked...which was going to be troublesome... Dante Mother bear and his credentials could override. "Can we pull the main core safely?"


"The officer is in stasis." Dante informed him.


.... Gene found he had no immediate response to that. They were going to need to start waking people up and shipping them out. They couldn't hold this planet. Bauman had only had a company of 'Mechs with him and vees to support little in the way of air assets. He reached to the radio, and swapped to the tactical channel for Schiltron, "I need you over here ASAP." He glanced to Bahar, paused, "Our priority is evacuating these people that hasn't changed... but I need you to find out exactly how much material is here."


"This ship is massive."


That went without saying. It was a warship that had been converted into something else... but it was still something built with a compact K-F drive, and thus mass to spare. "We can't hold this planet from a counter attack and evacuate these people under fire. "Which meant being ready to blow the derelict in place. "If at all possible see if someone can find whatever Bauman might have gotten out of the cargo bay he was using."


"We know that the O5P is operating locally," Dante added. "The K-F Drive, and maneuver drive are wrecked," That had been obvious from overflights by their Rapiers on initial contact with Bauman's forces, "we should still place scuttling charges to be sure but it also appears that Bauman was trying to dismount weapons from the hull. Ammunition may be out in the open as a result."

Gene wondered if there had been any dropships carried by the Dobrev... but if they had survived intact Bauman had likely taken those away first thing. That might have been where the first bits of miraculous lostech had come from. Bauman had sold stuff off before Kelly had come and snatched him up. They'd taken Bauman alive, which they hadn't expected to do... the MRB had said dead or alive.
The kilted colonel rounded the bulkhead, "Colonel, another problem?"

"I'm thinking we send Bauman to Detroit," He stated voicing the thoughts racing through his head, working through how long until the first jumpship circuit was up and running, "But we get rid of him quickly and in a way that denies him access to anymore information."

"The Azami have him," in other words what did that have to do with pulling him from the Highlanders securing the perimeter. "The men are stretched thin right now, especially with you and the major here dismounted." the highlander pilot remarked underscoring the issue. "I know that he spewed some crazy shit whatever that was about Gabriel and what not, but there is a lot going on."

"I have a briefing with the marine commander when we get back to the wardroom, but it looks like there are surviving SLDF officers aboard... which means we may have information about what happened with Kerensky's exodus... and what became of the SLDF."

"Oh."

... he looked around the bulkhead, "Bahar go through whatever you can if your credentials can't open a door log it, we'll come back to it tomorrow."

The ride back to the DROST IIA nearest Dobrev's hulk took forty five minutes. The more senior of the two Azami officers had questions about leads on Kelly, but the hologramwarbled. "What did Bauman actually say the mad man was going todo?"
Gene hadn't had the time after combat operations concluded to go back to orbit attend the interrogation or to read the report just a summary from the fleet personnel. "Does Kelly have a lead on other warships?"

The Azami officer on the other end of the line's face was set in a grimace, "That is what Bauman seems to believe. He and Black Jack were arguing at their last meeting... and the influx of rabble and distributed rimworld hidden army supplies seems to have weakened McGirk's influence. He was unhappy." Black Jack's influence in the coalition of the damned as one news broadcaster had called the leadership as it was understood seemed to be waning. "He was sure that there was a Rim World Cache on Detroit as well... if there is anything left..." then it would be a prize to take.

That cache ... its existence had explained the Hidden Army's ability to destroy an SLDF Light Horse Regiment afield in the 28th​Century. Gene shook his head, deal with that later, "Tellmedical command to prepare for an influx we're going to start waking people up. To see if they couldn't get at lease some answers while they waited for the Lucre hulk and its sister ship to land.

"We should begin with the officers of rank." The marine on the other end of the line remarked.
"About that," Gene remarked, "Dante who is the officer of rank."
"That would be General McEvedy." He brought up her service jacket... and for some reason had added a copy of General Marlborough's orders from the Defense of Northwind, as well as projecting a copy of the final black watch dispatch, and appended information of the Tripitz running the Republican blockade of Terra with the twins... the last heirs of the Terran branch of house Cameron and the last legitimate link to the Hegemony and the star league... In so far as an unbound Terran AI were concerned.

Gene could already feel the headache... not the one from the post combat come down but hte one of trying to tell someone what a mess everything was, "We'll read her in. Is there anything else?"


"Bauman appears to have gotten into the NAVCOM." Navigation computer, "And Communications... which had been how he'd gone looking for mother bear, as well as started his search for that Hegemony Narukami class... that was another lead or another thread for them to chase as well, "He shipped the mobile HPG off as quickly as he could at Kelly's insistence." That was at least once less thing they needed to scuttle. "But from what we understand that ship," The Narukami, "Was making for Luxen, and the Magistracy more broadly. A stopover from what we understand but... Bauman might have relayed that to Kelly and an attack may have already been planned."

There were other questions... about whether any of the stasis tubes held people rescued from Richmond, and if the computers had offered up anything else of note... but they didn't have much so far. Gene got the feeling that there was the risk of trying to stay too long to salvage the broken warship. "It must be accounted for Colonel, that Bauman has already done significant work already."

"One thing at a time." He replied mulling the details, "I want to know when, if we can put a date to when the Narukami reached Luxen. I'm assuming this was what 2845." A couple of years after Northwind had been taken from the Capellans, "That twenty years after they arrived back in the Inner Sphere... thats a detail we can't lose track of. We've all been to Luxen, is there anywhere in system to hide a warship?" It was more of a rhetorical question... more realistically the next stop had been somewhere deeper in the Magistracy but the question then was was wherever they were heading still apart of the Modern Canopian state.

 

[Imperator Pax]

Lost Ship Interlude
This was not exactly how the journals, and holodramas made a mercenary contract in the Magistracy of Canopus out to be. Admittedly it could have been worse... they were here training troops, and here in case Royal Foxx was attacked but that left them doing less than other units of the company in terms of action... and waiting for news.

Some of the last news that they had gotten out of the Inner Sphere... last good news as far as Septim had been concerned was the report that the Archon of the Lyran Commonwealth had attempted to broker a peace to end the 3rd​ Succession War. That proposal had largely fallen on the deaf ears of the other great houses. Only House Davion building on earlier bilateral talks between the previous First Prince, Ian the older brother of the current ruler of the Federated Suns, had seemed interested.
Septim had still expected it largely came down more to money than anything else... it was about trade between the former member states of the Star League. "It was before warships came back."

He nodded to Chang's comment. The Primus of Comstar had not specifically cited the increased tempo of warfare between the great houses but did single out threats from outside the Inner Sphere as a reason for peace between the former Member States.
"Guess that means technically the Capellans jumping into Taurian space doesn't violate Comstar's call for peace." Not that Septim was real confident that ComStar would start interdicting the houses for continuing to fight.

"Those are from the Red Lancers," Bubbles responded as the holographic footage showed Capellan Dropships maneuvering


... and even though this was a recording Septim had to wonder if the Taurians were about to pop nukes. "This could have been a lot worse," He stated eyes still glued to the footage. "This is somewhere in the middle of the nebula." the Taurian heartland and Capellan fighters screaming from launch bays of Vengeance-class ASF carriers had to be a shock. More so because they were hurtling through space towards the ugly anchorage, and the hulk of the MK42 Corvette the Tauraisn had been secretly working on.

This wasn't even a two way show down, it wasn't even a 3 way which was what eroded some of the capellan narrative of their motives. The taurian navy was defending. The Capellans and pirates were both trying to salvage the warship... and the spoiler in the mix were the Vandenburg White Wings.
"We still haven't been able to reach the boss."

He shrugged, "Yeah I know, but there is a lot going on."Septim replied watching white painted factory fresh fighters come in from the other direction. IN a way sans the presence of the pirates this made it almost a repeat of the Triptiz incident. Septim wished the boss was present but he was somewhere in the space between the independent gulf of worlds ... between the concordat and the magistracy.

The multisided fracas involved masses of ASF and dropships ...four different factions shooting at everyone else. Trying to make for the warship while trying to clear the others off. It was in short, "Its such a cluster fuck." Bubbles muttered "Watching this."

... and yet, "Yeah but the flyboys are probably having the time of their lives doing it." This had to be a wet dream to be mixed up with this many other fighters. "They're mixing it up."

And yet the fighting was inconclusive... or maybe not depending on actual objectives. The White Wings weren't Impressive pilots , but their birds were pristine LosTech machines. The Cappies had the skill certainly given this was a premier Cappellan unit, but they were trying to clear the way for marines to land while the White Wings were just trying to come in to mount attack runs.
The Vincent had its fusion engine offline, and was... Septim figured... presumably stripped of ammunition.
The ROM from the News Broadcast didn't show everything. It cutout early since the capellans had been trying to shape the narrative of the Taurians supporting the rimworld... which the fighting didn't really support. It did show that the bulls had been concealing the warship for who knew how long... but that wasn't the same thing.


Being called out on the secret warship had lead to the Taurians denunciation of the Inner Sphere's aggression with the official claim that they did not support piracy. Claims that the Concordat supported a rimworld resurgence were denied as well. What they hadn't actually denied was having been trying to repair the corvette.

The situation was a mess and ComStar had demanded the corvette be permanently scuttled, "Do you think they'll do it?" He asked the magistracy liaison who'd been silent up until now.

The Major shrugged, "It may not matter. They've officially refused to do so, but you saw those aircraft go and strafe the anchorage... how much damage did they do?"
It was Septim's turn to shrug, "I don't fly Ma'am." He looked at the final still image while the newscaster said that the Primus was threatening to interdict the Concordat if the Weapon of Mass Destruction were not scuttled. Given the pirate threat Septim wasn't sure Comstar would actually follow through on denying them access to FtL comms but the Capellan ambassador wanted proof the warship was destroyed and thus couldn't be used against 'the State'. "Lot of angry noise."
Angry diplomats on all sides and the Capellans had officially pulled back to their side of the border... but only just. In the meanwhile the news broadcast shifted to elsewhere in the Capellan space... apparently the Big Mac under mean old man MacCarron had had its first major engagement against Amaris troops as well... but the elite mercenaries had thrashed the invading raiders to great aplomb in the news feed.

"That should count as good news."

"We're going to need more of that."

He couldn't disagree there, their stint of on Foxx hadn't been ashard as the others, "We need to consider whether or not we're moving to reinforce Soren and Bardiche, they're coming up on more than a month of fighting." Intensive urban warfare favored the hundred ton pillager, but a thirty days was a long stint to be on the line in an urban environment. "I know Lady Raventhir wants us to stay here in order to continue to train troops, but-"


The major shook her head, "Not going to happen. The mission is to continue to train forces here, we can't afford to strip the garrison from Royal Foxx regardless of the situation on Farandir."The optimistic argument was that Soren should have finished mopping up the Rimjobs by the time relief could arrive, and the pessimistic one was taking troops would risk losing both worlds. "I know we're thin on the ground here, but every day they get in training is the chance they survive their first real battle." Septim didn't miss how the later half of the response seemed more directed towards Chang than it was him, but let it pass without issue.


He did want to protest but Raventhir had to have reasons, and with the boss somewhere beyond HPG range there was no one to appeal the decision to, "What about the JumpShips, we were expecting new Pikes to arrive?" He had a guess already, but he wanted to be sure... and it wasn't just Pikes it was any kind of additional equipment to outfit the troops they were training here on Foxx.


"Still delayed all JumpShip traffic is pretty much shutdown."


"That can't be maintained." Septim felt himself saying, especially since, "Our JumpShips are still going out. Its not just equipment we can't just hunker down and try and wait things out. That cache on Calidasa was massive," Enough equipment to provide for neglected conventional regiments of the MAF, and the fear was if the othercaches were as large then it was a question of how much real manpower Kelly could call on. "We can't bet on them not having troops."But even the protest as much as he wanted to believe it ran head long into the memories of how the Periphery had been where even just one battlemech had been enough to scare some frontier worlds into compliance. That that was how short on material, how corps like quicksell made their script, some worlds were when you got down to it.


"The MIC is sure that the enemy is having to conscript troops from periphery worlds. The exact degree of impressment is debated, but for now the MAF strategic posture is defending the worlds we can with the resources in place." and wait basically. "We also are under strict direction to avoid risking a confrontation like the one that occurred in the Hyades nebula." Some bureaucrat had to have written that order Septim figured... unless the canopians were hiding a warship of their own, but more likely the phrasing was someone not thinking through... but the major also had it in paper as well.
Septim shook his head, but didn't verbally question it, "So MacCarron's armored cavalry just saw action," Not really 'just' it'd been a couple weeks, "we know the Red Lancers are nearby... who else? Anyone from the Free World League?"

"Officially no, but the Magestrix is opening dialogue with the Duchy of Andurien, and has offered to coordinate with the Knights of St Cameron who are being financially supported by the Captain General."

"What about the MRB?"
"They're encouraging additional mercenaries, and expanding bounty offerings against Black Jack, Kristofur Kelly," and along list of other pirates leading mid to large sized bands of cutthroats, "Natasha Kerensky's Black Widow Company has crossed the border they last stopped over at Aquagea."

He groaned, and looked at Chang, "The Wolfs Dragoons, great, and the boss is on the opposite side of the," Rimward,"Periphery." He looked at the three dimensional holo broadcast of the news. "What do we know about them?"


"They've encountered two MRB recorded and recognized," Meaning Kerensky had gotten paid a bounty by the MRB, "Actions against pirates. Small actions we assume they collected salvage, she has three Mech Lances in a Five Mech configuration plus her command lance which is also a base five. Rated Fanatical by the MRB..."

"We're going to need those BattleRoms." Chang remarked. Then less professionally, "See how they run those Fives versus Platoons or our normal lances..."

 

[Imperator Pax]

The Lost Ship
Gene's real focus was on the nearly existential dread of all the news that could potentially hit just as soon as they got back into range of the HPG Network... not that if the HPG aboard the Dobrev had been here they could have done much with it... actually if anything there was the rabbit hole of trying to tap into the shadow network... assuming any of those deep space stations were intact. He wasn't scrutinizing the launchers the Azami were working with. He wasn't an ordinance officer and all he really knew was the LRMs were better than standards... and that there were enough of them to outfit and provision his missile boats.

He leaned back and rested his head against the cool metal of the bulkhead. The Minnesota Tribe were an offshoot of Clan Wolverine...themselves largely descendants of a Terran BattleMech division. Their inventory of stored war materiel reflected that. The minnnesota tribehad divided its people and had plans to send them back to the Inner Sphere before the final break with the other clans. "This is amess," He muttered ... not really addressing any of the other officers.

If he were entirely honest it sounded like Kerensky's mad son had synthesized a new society that borrowed heavily... too heavily from the worst bits of the late star league scientific arguments, and combine's social ideas. Not that the hegemony hadn't been a martial society, but Kerensky the younger had institutionalized a caste system and relied on terran medical science to remake the 'SLDF in Exile' into a viable society... at least population wise. "It explains why they wanted the medical systems, the stasis tubes." The doctor remarked, "Of course we had already suspected that from Lockdale anchorage... they," He stumbled over the words, "or they intended to use the iron wombs to insure their various splinters could survive.".

Gene half nodded. The stasis tubes here held plenty of survivors enough for a small colony. He pushed off and stood, "IS the General awake?" He asked, when he got the nod, he moved and pushed the door open. Terran Medicine made McEvedy look only to be in her late thirties, if that. With her high cheek bones and hair cut would fit, let her pass as some neo rock donna of the late Star League.

The machines inside beeped softly, regularly.

"Colonel Shepherd." McEvedy had her father's rank credentials to bolster her date of commission and had gone into stasis after they'd split with the 'Clans of Kerensky'. She'd fought in the terran campaign against Amaris that had eventually liberated earth. She was poking at the data slate tied into the ship's wireless. "You've restricted the computer systems."

"Yes." He answered, grateful his CID credentials allowed him some leeway. He didn't want to the throw Shadow ministry's orders on the table first thing given what they knew of the exodus. "We're preparing a briefing packet now General. If necessary I'll repatriate your white shields to your command as soon as possible." He didn't want to lose Harry and the other ice cubes even without the prospect of the fight ahead. The morning strategy session suggested pushing all of the wolverine survivors to Alamut regardless... the likelihood of Clan Wolf discovering Clan Wolverine seemed likely to start a fight. "I can't risk your civilians," Either against the dragoons, as political targets by the combine or any of the great houses. "Our objective is to salvage the Dobrev and scuttle the ship," Deny anything else someone might try and repurpose. "We're on a time frame for that given," well that Bauman had been pretty convinced Stefan Amaris was operating from a JumpShip well Dropship because the Amaris heir was leading from the front in a rampage Assault Battlemech. There was also the detail that Kelly and certainly blackjack were much older than the Amaris pretender, "The neo Amaris leadership is allegedly pushing towards New Abilene on the Magistracy frontier," He continued...making a silent mental note to provide a copy of the modern periphery's borders to the general, "But my plan is to evacuate you and the remainder of Clan Wolverine to the Azami colony of Alamut in the former Alexandrian covenant,"

Which given its position in the deep periphery should keep them well clear the fighting. "That seems a waste Colonel, we've been in stasis almost two centuries." She replied, "Besides in that time frame at least part of the Star League in Exile should have reached the Magistracy of Canopus, and the outposts there."

"IF they did my command seen no concrete evidence of it. Your civilians would be safer far from the conflict zone." He didn't want this to turn into an argument, especially before could form a guess on McEvedy would react to the possibility that somehow the Cameron twins had survived their trip into the Deep Periphery.

"A conflict that involves warships, and a revitalized Rim World threat. From what I understand your RCT is already spread too thin as it is." She remarked solidly, "You can't afford to spare my warriors from this fight."

"None of your White Shields are ASF pilots, I'd regret not having mechwarriors but to fight in space I need ASF pilots, "And the dobrev's survivors... had very few naval personnel ... most of the original complement had been in the rotation crews trying to keep the ship on course.

"Which is all the more reason to search out our survivors, bolstering our forces would allow us to destroy the enemy while they continue to attack in a piecemeal fashion. Their attempts to rally the Periphery around the legacy of the original Stefan Amaris appears to have had lackluster success in terms of holding territory, we should rally support and force a confrontation."
--
Gene allowed his head to thump back against the rest. McEvedy outranked him, but she had followed Kerensky into the Exodus that he'd lead into the galactic north... and now she was adamant about trying to locate other splinters of Wolverine Exodites. In theory that potentially meant yielding up at least one WarShip... in a situation where no one else had them... that would paint a target on all their backs.

"She believes her kinsman did reach the Magistracy in the 29th​ century?" Pasha asked, he nodded, "We should be so fortunate but regardless my people would be glad to welcome her tribe with us." Not the least because McEvedy had lead the liberation at the Gulag at Richmond from the front and there were survivors there aboard the Dobrev's stasis tubes.

He sat up, glanced briefly at the late Star League era map of the Canopian frontier, "And she appreciates the offer Pasha," But was stubbornly insisting on her original course... find the other Wolverines and start stacking Sharks, "I can't just show upon Luxen with that many refugees... Raventhir would," Well actually he had no idea how the duchess would react, but he didn't want to chance it.

"If I may," Pasha spread his hands, "Perhaps it is merely my eyes, but perhaps god is merciful. The General rather resembles our Employer... if anything she quite resembles Commander Volkov."Who was Raventhir's niece... but age wise McEvedy looked like she was between the two. He bit down a comment of annoyance before he could make it. Pasha having read the reactions made another gesture, mollifying patience temperance of sorts a reminder of the Naval Officers age... and de facto role as counselor of the company leadership. "I do not say this because you are a young man. I can appreciate the general is an attractive woman," And they were near contemporaries having both been SLDF ... HAF MechWarriors at the time of the Crisis... basically the same age, "And it harms no one to look. Certainly you still have the option to marry the countess of kestrel when we return. She would be a fine choice."

Gene outright started... this had never come up before. Pasha had never brought this line of discussion up before. "We don't have time for this."

"Now is precisely the time for this." The captain answered, "You pulled her out of the line of fire on Northwind," He continued Gene's growing mortified expression. "That we are returning to the Davion is not in dispute. We must plan for these things."

"There will be fresh recruits on Northwind and Robinson."MechWarriors and tankers alike from across the federated suns, "Indeed, when we return perhaps recruits from Friesland as well... I believe that Hammer would like that. The Crucis March will likewise be glad to host our company, never mind our friends in the Draconis March. Elidere is a world we must obviously return to as soon as possible, but certainly you must return to Dieron. This is something you must do." Pasha insisted.

"This campaign isn't done yet." McEvedy had been right about their deployment, "Raventhir has the company spread out trying to protect half a dozen worlds."

"As you say, we have this son of the satan Amaris to slay first. General McEvedy is headstrong but her purpose is the same as ours. You must consider whether it is your place to stop her in your course, but we must make a decision we must commit to a course soon."

He knew that, "Bauman left a lead to follow. He told Kelly about potential leads." Gene gestured to the map of the Periphery from the end of the Star League. "He sent men ahead, but he can't use the HPG... or it had to be a lot trickier. "We have to evacuate the civilians. We have to get everyone off world sooner rather than later, which means falling back... we hash this out with Mother Bear see if we can't find a consensus."

"You speak as if Dante has already made decision." Pasha remarked contemplatively folding his hands, "As if it is one you are not sure of."

"Dante wants me to relive McEvedy of her Command, until she's fit for combat at the very latest." Part of that was that was the degree of operational breadth she was talking about as soon as she'd been told what was going on. That had made the AI uncomfortable given how many other factors were in play.

"Her sleep sickness is not so severe. You were combat capable within hours of waking up." Pasha pointed out, "Yes she has balance issues, but by the time we return to Mother Bear I would be astonished if she could not fight, even with limited memory loss." Mild and transitory amnesia was a common enough issue, and the memory loss was the least of their issues... "It is not so much of an issue I would think."

"Dante thinks she's going to go charging off and attack without considering the strategic picture... that the Great Houses aren't the old member states."

"He believes that is the sleep sickness?"

Gene shrugged, "Impaired judgement is a possible side effect. I have no idea if you can blame that on the stasis tube."

"You did drop unsupported on Luxen when you believed the first Exodus of our people were pirates. A move I would remind you that Septim attempted to convince you against as reckless."

He blew out a breath, "Are you agreeing with Dante now?" Because the First Battle of Luxen had been months after he'd come out of the Stasis Tube in the Outpost Castle.

Pasha didn't answer the question, and sidestepped, "We can supply her with a JumpShip, with void craft, and equipment but insist that the bulk of the dobrev's exodites be evacuated. Allow her to join the fight against the Satan Amaris... in the mean time what is our next course?"
"I want to get back to the ciruit, and link up with motherbeaar. We should have news," He paused, "And then I want that convoy going out to Alamut as soon as possible."


"And Detroit?"


"Sending Ali, to reinforce Detroit. He's already taking Bauman with him, but given that," he indicated the map again, "We're heading directly back to Luxen," Bauman hadn't been sure when, but he'd been confident that there were plans to attack Luxen and its HPG station.


"And if Leviathan attacks Detroit?"


Then, he took a breath regarded the captain's grave expression for another moment, "I've given Ali nuclear launch authority, and hell be taking equipment from here and mother bear's cache to try and give him the best possible odds." As it was Gene didn't like how the former DCMS pilots had been preparing for possible kamikaze attacks if no other options were available.

"The fear is that the other descendants will pursue McEvedy's people," regret tinged his voice at the idea of it, "The survivors from Richmond though they are not descendants of Kerensky's exodus."

"Still the problem of volunteering people-"

"We are at war with an heir to Amaris." Pasha interrupted, "This must be considered colonel. We are at war. I am sure given the opportunity there will be those from Richmond who would rally to the chance for battle... We cannot wait for reinforcements whether from Alamut or from the Inner Sphere. We must consider our options if the caches, if these new technologies, even if it were just LosTech that makes these outlaws that much more dangerous."