Chapter Five: Hostis Humani Generis
Chapter Five: Hostis Humani Generis
After a long journey, I was finally close to the end. There were quite a few SLDF outposts and hidden bases that were put in place and listed in the navigation data-banks of the Manassas. While I planned on hitting some of those for Lostech and other assorted ideas with Katrina Steiner if I could manage to catch her at some point for now I was leaving them be. Instead, I was about to set quite a few rumors of my own.
Now, there had always been strange rumors in and around the periphery, some of them had singing Texas battleships and there were always rumors of Amaris supporters doing strange things. My plan was to jump into a known source of Pirate activity and raze it to the ground while taking as many of the Jumpships hostage in the process. Tortuga was about to be wiped off of the inner sphere map.
My long year of travel and work had paid off. I had been planning for this moment for about three months of jumps now. The plan was to hit the Zenith point and destroy or force to surrender every Jumpship that was there. After I hit their ability to leave the system I was going to make my way down and use Ortillery and my long range communications systems to give them a series of ultimatums.
With everything prepped, I took a minute to breath. This was the moment in which I made my first mark on the Inner Sphere and seized my own future with both hands. Reaching down, I flipped the switch I had programmed to switch off all non essential systems. I had also suited up in the Nighthawk suit and made sure that it was set to move to it's own internal oxygen supply if the bridge was breached. I was taking no chances. "Nothing ventured, Nothing gained." I said as I pushed the button that would initiate my jump.
" Boss you've got to wake the frack up!" A voice shouted from outside of the opulently decorated room. "There's a Warship in the system and it's just taken out all of the Jumpships at the Zenith point" Lord Kalvin Bar-Dyness jolted out of bed wearing nothing but a dressing robe and hurried out of his chambers. Dumping the two whores he had been sleeping with on the ground.
"What the hell did you say?!" Kalvin roared at the lieutenant who had woken him up. "Sir, there's a Warship making it's way to Tortuga Prime now." It's taken out the Jumpships at the jump point and stayed in position for over twenty four hours. Then it started on it's way towards us taking out the other pirate bands dropships along the way. It'll be in orbit in three days."
"All of the other bands know that it's coming?" Kalvin asked as he slowly began to cam down.
"Yes sir, but we have no means of really stopping it." The older balding lieutenant replied. "Our aerospace fighters are all in need of repair due to the last raids. And a good portion of our birds were on Dropships headed towards the Jumpships to go raid. Those Dropships and birds were destroyed on it's way into the system."
"Dammit!" Kalvin roared, his anger once again rising to the peak. "Do we have any assets left that can Take something that heavy out?"
Well, if we manage to get some of our bigger dropships into the skies we might stand a chance. But we also will cripple our lifting capacity if this goes wrong. We would be trapped here on world until someone else shows up." The Lieutenant replied.
"If we don't at least try we are probably going to lose it anyway." Kalvin said as he sighed and went back into his chambers to get dressed.
72 hours later…
"Boss, we're receiving a transmission from the one overlord Dropship that was on hand." A female tech called out from he spot in the hastily cobbled together command center.
"Put it through." Kalvin said as he stood behind the people monitoring everything.
"This Captain Martinez of the Red Skulls pirate band. We are moving to engage the Warship with the rest of the Dropships." The captain of the Overlord said over the comms with a slight delay. "We're gonna drag this bastard down to hell with us!" He started with what was supposed to be an inspiring speech before the comm channel cut out.
"Boss, the Overlord is gone." The same tech that had relayed the transmission earlier now relayed the increasingly bad news to the rest of the CIC. Then she her tanned skin paled significantly "Warship is on a course that puts it directly over the palace complex. It'll be in orbital bombardment range in half an hour."
Everyone in the command center began to panic at this point. All of the senior council members were there and so were most of the pirate lieutenants. No one had a backup plan. Then the people there started to realize that their Lord Dyness had disappeared. After speaking up to put the transmissions through, he had made his exit. Already knowing how this would end he had planned to be long gone in his 'Mech while he had the chance.
After speeding through powering his Thunderbolt up, he through on his cooling vest and pushed his Thunderbolt up just above it's recommended speed in order to be out of the palace in time. He had scarcely made it fifteen Kilometers before he heard an echo and a loud crack as several Naval Autocannon rounds destroyed his seat of power. Thankfully, he still had his 'Mech and many of his rivals were now dead.
"Chaos is a ladder after all." Kalvin muttered to himself as began to pilot his 'Mech away from the ruins of the palace complex at a sedate pace. "I'll just have to climb to the top of it.