And here's the fourth chapter of the sequel to my (According to some of my readers) epic "The Dragon and the Wolverine" story.
Y'all should only know how much material I have for this particular "Timestream".
Well, as usual thanks to doctor anthony for proof reading.
And also, to authors like Hotpoint for basically giving me the inspiration of such a story and all the Terra Nova writers on my list and others that help keep this excellent fandom alive.
So, here's the chapter.
.
.
.
At the central Plaza of the Com Guard base
"We need to retreat off world ourselves then before those renegades show up." Another Com Guard acolyte chimed in anxiously.
"And then what? As soon as we hit orbit they'll just pick us off!" Another Com Guard soldier pointed out.
"We can try a break-out into the southern territories." Another mercenary commander proposed.
"They have a warship in orbit that apparently belonged to ComStar, that can easily sniff us out."
"Oh, Fer cryin' out loud! Wake up people, we've been abandoned here. Graham and his closest cronies used us as gunfodder so that they could flee!" Westin growled angrily at them.
"We're screwed then!" Worm exclaimed in despair…
"Calm down Worm." Westin said.
"We're doomed!" Worm whined again.
"Stop whining Worm, we've got to figure this out and we won't with all this gibber-jabber." Duke said with a stressed-out voice.
And as an answer to his words…
"Attention Com Guard and remaining mercenaries, this is Adept William Clarkson, Graham has abandoned you and you are surrounded on all sides." Clarkson commanded on an open channel.
"I'm listening." Westin responded from his mech.
"Wait a minute, we were ordered to defend this place. Are you breaking your contract mercenary?" The Com Guard acolyte asked perturbed.
"Save your breath, my contract was with Radcliff and he ain't here!" Westin retorted.
"Besides, we did not sign up to get killed over ComStar's lofty aims, we signed up for the payday." He added.
The leading Com Guard acolyte thought it over and came to a similar conclusion.
"I just picked up a large number of blips on my radar!" Someone said through the coms...
…
…
…
"Attention bandit scum. This is Knight Marcus Reynolds, your cowardly leader has abandoned you and though you do not deserve it I will offer you this chance at an honourable combat, what is your answer query?" Came the voice of this Marcus Reynolds over an open channel.
"Adept Clarkson, what do you suggest we do?" The Com Guard officer asked nervously.
"What's your name soldier?" Clarkson asked.
"Senior Acolyte Scott Picket sir." The young officer replied steadily.
"Alright, I am under a promise not to leave the slave compound so you'll have to decide if you wish to face those Dragon people or realign with my command again." Clarkson said.
After a few more minutes of pointless debate cut short by reports of advancing clan Dragon units everyone was pretty much in agreement and both Westin and Picket sent their replies to Clarkson who then immediately contacted the commander of this Clan Dragon.
"Attention Clan Dragon the Com Guard and Mercenary units have agreed to let me speak for them, what is your reply over?" He said over the com.
Soon he receives a com call.
"Greetings Adept Clarkson, this is Victor Daniels again if you remember me sir." Came the communication.
"Clarkson here, what do the Dragon Clan want?" Clarkson asked warily.
"As my impetuous friend just stated it is quite obvious that your leaders have abandoned you and your warriors, I have managed to calm the young commander that is leading the clan force down somewhat but don't try anything as he was quite annoyed at the behaviour earlier." Daniels responded.
"So? Our forces that were looking for you could be on their way for all I know." Clarkson retorted despite having serious doubts those forces was anywhere near… Or if they existed at all anymore.
"You are talking about the Phoenix Taskforce that attacked Terra Nova, don't bother they have been defeated and retreated to parts unknown we have actually been trying to hunt down any stragglers and imagine our surprise when we picked up the strange anomaly in this system on a routine scouting mission." Daniels responded.
Clarkson was dumbstruck at the words and he knew that this Operative had no reason to lie to him.
He made his decision…
…
…
…
Michaela Collins had been called to meet Clarkson and his closest officers including the few mercenaries that had joined them.
As Michaela exited the vehicle from where she had moderately led her people's fight for freedom she found Captain Frost of the Kievan Warriors mercenary command and this mysterious man Daniels talking to Adept William Clarkson now commanding the last remnants of the Com Guards on the planet that had not thrown in with Graham.
As she walked to them they stopped talking and turned toward her.
"Well what's going on?" Michaela asked as she walked over.
The tall well-dressed man that had presented himself as Daniels stepped forward to her which made Michaela back up a step.
"Please I mean no umbrage Miss Collins. My allies have come to liberate all those unjustly enslaved and also offer them a place in Clan Dragon." Daniels said extending his hand to her.
"Oh, and my name is Victor Daniels at your service." He added now with an Irish accent.
Michaela extended her hand, "And my name is Michaela Collins." She said guardedly as Victor gently took her hand and brushed his lips over her knuckles.
"I am honoured Miss Collins at making your acquaintance." Victor said and Michaela was actually blushing but did not lose her composure otherwise.
"Err, okay I'm not sure that my people wish to become part of this Clan Dragon Mister Daniels. Though I'm guessing there's not much of a choice is there?" Michaela retorted as she collected herself.
"I understand why you're suspicions but does the name Shannon mean anything to you?" Daniels asked politely smirking as Michaela's brows shot up a bit.
"Yeah and I heard they disappeared in some weird anomaly at the Panpour system." She answered insecurely not knowing exactly where this conversation was going as she shifted her body somewhat placing her right fist on the right hip.
"Well, said anomaly spat them out in the Terra Nova system a few jumps from here and months later not long before the defeat of the Phoenix Taskforce they founded Clan Dragon after the battle of Stormwind." Daniels explained.
Now Clarkson and his officers as well as Captain Frost and her closest officers raised their eyebrows while Michaela's and her second in command jaws dropped…
…
…
…
"Ye have got to be joking!?" Michaela's second in command Seamus Shackleford blurted out in disbelief and totally forgot his belligerent stance.
"As a matter of fact, I am not joking, Clan Dragon was founded by the refugees under James Shannon and his family as well as the Welsh forced labourers that were taken from Panpour by the Roma Nova Syndicate. And they are not alone two of the mercenary commands switched sides just like Captain Frost's unit though one of those commands were under a secret contract to turn on the Com Guard." He explained and then trailed off.
"So, what are the terms of this Clan Dragon then?" Clarkson asked wanting to get things over with.
"The complete surrender of the remaining Com Guard on the planet along with any mercenaries and we are willing to turn over any other Isorla to the former slaves." Daniels said with a more serious tone.
"What? That is unfair we fought against the other mercenaries!" Captain Frost said in an indignant tone.
Daniels put up his hands in a calming gesture.
"We will of course not judge everyone for the actions of some, the ones that fought against Adept Graham and his mercenaries will become bondsmen. This means they will be under the protection of the Clan that accepts their surrender." Daniels explained.
"Is there no other way?" Michaela protested she had no idea what the hell it truly meant to be a bondsman but the very word sounded little better than slave to her.
"What if you just let them leave and they promise never to return?" She added knowing full well how naive it sounded.
Clarkson truly admired this woman though he knew there was really only one realistic way off the planet for him and his people, he gently touched Michaela's shoulder and as she looked at him he shook his head slowly.
"Miss Collins I'm afraid this is the best way." He said tiredly and then turned to Daniels again with a sterner expression.
"Will your people give me back coms for the rest of my people so I can tell them the good news?" He said at which Daniels nodded…
…
…
…
At the central Plaza as well as other areas where both remaining mercenaries and Com Guard troops waited for the inevitable final assault…
"Attention, this is Adept William Clarkson to all remaining Com Guard and mercenary units!" Could be heard across an open channel as well as on speakers in the main base and outlying bases.
"All forces are to surrender their arms immediately and no sabotage just surrender peacefully." Clarkson's steady voice could be heard after a few moments.
"We have been promised civil treatment." He added.
And just as an answer Clan Dragon battlemechs came marching in and also the occasional aerospace fighter flew right over the air defences as if to mock them as only minutes earlier all over the large former slave camp remaining troops exited from their vehicles and mechs and in the command centre the last junior officer had previously shut the automatic defences down and now confirmed the order to surrender.
As Clan mechs marched into the central plaza the men and women of the Com Guard and their mercenary allies stood in the last light of the day as the sun were slowly setting over the battlefield and the base. There were wrecks of battlemechs and vehicles and bodies of the fallen littering the simple streets and the occasional plume of smoke the odd burning mech or vehicle but other than that the only sound now was of the Clan Dragon forces marching into the former base.
At the base's mech bay closest to the command centre, Clarkson and the others including Daniels had come to meet them.
One battlemech in particular drew everyone's eyes but Daniels.
It was nothing that Clarkson had ever seen, as it walked in it looked almost as if it was hunched over, it did have similar chassis as that of so called melee battlemechs like for example the quite new Axman heavy battlemech but instead of a hatchet this mech seemed to be equipped with clawed fingers on either hand, the hunched bit made it seem as if ready to lunge at any moment but as it came to a stop in front of the command centre it straightened out and the claws retracted into the powerful fingers.
While Clan Dragon warriors stood at attention some clan techs docked a ramp to the strange battlemech in the mech bay, and then the hatch opened in the back of the mech cockpit or head and a tall and reasonably muscular and very handsome young man with dark brown short cropped hair and blue-green eyes sort of stepped out and looked at them sternly until his eyes found Clarkson and walked over to him.
Clarkson saluted as he figured this young pup must be the CO of these Clan Dragon warriors.
The young man gave what had to be their kind of salute.
"I am Knight Marcus Reynolds of Clan Dragon and I give you my greetings." He said and Clarkson nodded.
"Adept William Clarkson of the Com Guard and I likewise give you greetings. And I formally offer the surrender of the Com Guard units under my command as well as the mercenaries." Clarkson said courteously.
"Then it is my honour to accept your surrender." Knight Reynolds replied…
…
…
…
Far out in the system a few days later just beyond the nearest gravity well a lone jumpship carrying Adept Graham and his closest supporters was preparing for jump.
"That was a close call Adept Graham. But it doesn't feel right abandoning our own people like this." A female officer said.
Adept Francis Graham turned toward her and made a calm gesture with his hands.
"It can't be helped we have to get back in touch with our people, besides Clarkson and the rest of those traitors was no great loss and the mercenaries… we can always hire more." He explained.
The officer nodded.
"Do you believe all that crap they said about the main Taskforce having been defeated?" She asked worriedly.
"It could be mere boasting but they did jump in here in one of our own ships after all." Graham noted.
"We just have to hope Precentor Radcliff survived and report to him about this debacle." He added.
Then the ship wide intercom blared:
"Attention prepare for hyperspace jump sequence. Hyperspace jump in… 5… 4… 3… 2… 1… And the jumpship flashed out of existence on the first of many jumps that would take it to Roma Nova…
…
…
…
.
.
.
That was chapter 4 and I hope you enjoyed it and if so please scribble down some reviews…