A Battletech FanFiction

With a lever big enough I can move the world

by

Andrew “MageOhki” Norris

Chapter 6

See Chapter 1 for disclaimers and other information

I would like to thank Drakensis for kibitzing and Editing, JG/Joe Gunnarson (Of Whateley fame) for the same, Valles, Case/Fosfor, Minako/Scratx for kibitizing. Y'all made this go a LOT faster than the first two, thank you. Psyckosama deserves a special shoutout for helping reinspire, some basic visualization and idea throwing.

Readers: Those of you more familiar with the HBS game setting (Battletech), or have acquired the House Aranao Sourcebook for Battletech, realize I will be taking severe liberties with the source material.   You have two choices: 1. Accept that House Aranao and other material that contradict what I have written wasn’t in my hands at the time, and pre-readers and kibitzers did not note the mistake til it was too late and accept this is a slightly altered universe.  (Writer’s note: I find the information of the Coalition’s status in 3026 laughable. Are you trying to tell me they’re weaker than the frigging MARIANS?) Or 2: Be a purist and stop reading. I honestly doubt if you’ve made it this far, if you’re a purist, so my apologies in advance.

Life is full of ups and downs.  Operation Medea, after the easy recovery of the Argo, was three disappointments after another.  No jumpships, a battle that had reminded me of the cost of war, for the first time in this universe, and then a station that we couldn’t really salvage except for an item we already had, and a long term project to destroy Comstar.  When we had bet on what Castle Watchtower would be, Case was the optimist.

The Lesson I learned at Castle Watchtower.  Yes, being a cynic or a pessimist means all your surprises are pleasant.  And that I owed Case 200 c-bills. Which I was very happy to pay.

As I’ve said before, this is a not so nice universe.  I got reminded of that, at Artu. The saddest bit, wasn’t so much the destruction, which even the locals admitted was well above historical norms, but outside the scope of the raid, how routine it was for both sides, in a lot of ways.  Piracy is a heinous crime. Yet… these people in primus had grown so used to it, it was like the weather to them. Remember, I did say this wasn’t a nice universe. Artu truly made that point. And … made me question truly what I did on Spencer.  Was it any different, admittedly in at least wanton violence, than what the pirates did to Artu, just because it was state sanctioned? I still don’t have a good answer.

From the journals and notes of Kikyo Onishi, New Avalon Press, 3291 AD, as part of the “Century of Chaos: The Movers and Shakers.” series.

A Whateley Academy Tale

Hit and Run

by

Enemyoffun

Part One

August 12, 2007

There are times in life where you bit off more than you can chew.

Whether it be a project at school or a really difficult task at work. Things you blunder into and then realize that you can’t talk your way out of.

Everyone has them.

For me it was fighting.