Chapter One Hundred and Twenty-Five: Blood on the Horizon

Chapter One Hundred and Twenty-Five: Blood on the Horizon

Kessel, Draconis Combine, January 3rd, 3031

"Back us up!" Carter ordered her Von Luckner's driver. "We need to get back into the cover of our artillery."

"Aye Ma'am!" The driver responded. "Reversing now." The tank lurched as the driver through the heavy tank into as fast a reverse as possible.

"Fire on the Archer!" Carter commanded. "That's the only thing in our area that has the range to touch us right now."

"Firing!" The gunner said as he pulled the trigger on his Clan Gauss Rifle and LRM20 as soon as his targeting computer gave him a lock.

"Good contact, we've got solid hits on the enemy Archer." The spotter called out. "He's backing off now."

"Good to hear," Carter said as she used her slate to relay commands to the rest of the 1st Marksman. "Keep us moving back to our lines, we overextended here and if the enemy takes advantage of it we'll be cut off."

"Colonel Carter!" Major Davis' voice cut through on the Comms systems. "We need you back at HQ now, we've got a regiment of what's called the Ryuken arriving to reinforce the forces we're currently facing."

"I'm on my way, we just entered the artillery envelope, and are going to be back at base in ten mikes." Carter replied as she double checked the maps and her math.

–

–

"Ma'am, we're outnumbered three to one right now not only in 'mechs, but also in combat vehicles." Davis briefed her as she walked into the mobile HQ. "The only thing keeping us in the fight right now is our Artillery, and the fact that we control the skies." Davis then looked at the Dropships that were all equipped with automated repair bays. "Well, that and our excellent support staff."

"We've all been pulling double shifts Davis," Carter reminded him. "If I haven't been grabbing rack time I've been pulling extra time in the repair bays, just like all of us are."

"We may need to pull back Carter," Davis cautioned. "We're all exhausted, and we're going to run out of ammo for the Arrow systems soon."

"If we take off we risk being hit on our way out." Carter stated. "And, we've already taken out all of the Training Cadre that was here along with half of the 3rd Dieron Regulars."

"Zoe, we need to either get reinforced, or back off of Kessel." Davis advised. "Because if we end up stranded here we're going to be fighting for a very long time."

"Have the senior officers come in for a quick discussion." Carter said after a moment's consideration. "I want to know what their opinions are."

Altair, February 6th, 3031

"Pull back to rally point Charlie." Stone commanded from his Marauder as he alternated fire with his Clan based ERPPCs, shredding a light 'mech in the Wolf's Dragoons Colors. "We're going to need air support to curtail some of their more aggressive people."

"I don't remember Joshua Wolf being that bloodthirsty when he last visited Kentares as a guest lecturer." Lieutenant Frank Moses said as he piloted his Clantech Von Rohrs beside Stone's Marauder. Twisting his heavy 'mech, Moses fired on a Catapult in the distance, pocketing its armor with his LRMs, and disrupting his electronics with the flash of man made lightning.

"Nice shots Lieutenant," Stone said with a grin audible in his voice. "But we still need to get back to the rally point."

"I would love to sir," Moses responded, "But they seem to be focused on me and Fireteam Sergeant Vickers right now."

"I think it's because She's in a Gladiatorand you're in a Von Rohrs." Stone said as the Ryuken and Wolf's Dragoons broke off and began falling back in an orderly fashion. Some of the larger 'mechs with hands even grabbed their own 'mechs that had fallen and began to drag them back with them rather than leave them for the Marksman to salvage.

"They do seem to be unusually focused on us." Moses replied, "Vickers and I have more damage on us then the rest of us do."

"Well, we'll have to address that later," Stone said. "For now we need to work on a new plan that doesn't involve us being ground down by superior numbers."

"Aye sir," Lieutenant Moses replied. "I'll make sure that we keep any of our Von Rohrs and Gladiators out of sight for now."

Kentares IV, March 21st, 3031

"Mark, we need to talk." Dunham said as he entered my office. "And you're going to need Natasha in here."

"What happened?" I asked, my brain immediately entering panic mode.

"Just get Natasha in here first." Dunham said with a serious expression on his face.

"Fine," I agreed anxiously as I grabbed my slate. "Nat, Dunham says that you need to be here in my office ASAP."

"I am on my way!" Natasha said into her comms device. "It shall be five minutes." She cut off her comms device.

"She was out training with the Ducal Guard and it may be a little bit before she gets here." I told Dunham.

"Do you have any alcohol in here Mark?" Dunham asked bluntly. "You may need a couple of fingers of whiskey."

–

–

"I am here." Natasha said as she entered the room. "What seems to be the problem?"

"You're going to want to sit down for this." Dunham said before grabbing his slate. "Your daughter Sapphire is presumed dead or missing."

"What happened?" I asked with what seemed a simple calm as I opened a drawer in my desk and withdrew a bottle of four hundred year old whiskey and two glasses. "She was supposed to be on Robinson making sure the Swordsman upgrades that we were planning were on schedule."

"Her Sting exploded along with the King Henry V that she was docked with." Dunham said bluntly without sparing any time. "No one is taking credit for the assassination, but some of our agents in Draconis Combine have reported that Takashi Kurita elevated your target level in the ISF, and that both you and the rest of your family were made priority targets for any cells that are along the border."

"How did they get a bomb onto one of our escorts?" I asked as I shotgunned the whiskey. "I thought we tripled checked for that sort of thing."

"We do Mark." Dunham said. "But we don't go over the outside of the Jumpships."

"Oh," My heart sank as I realized that Sapphire was more than likely dead, even if we didn't have a body. "And we had the King Henry V doing cargo contracts while Sapphire was on Robinson."

"The King Henry V's safeties should have kicked in though." Dunham said, "But according to the sensors of every single ship in the area, including the Aegis class cruiser that we sold to the Sandovals the safeties didn't engage, and the Jumpship and Dropships simply disintegrated into a massive hunk of fused metal."

Natasha just sat there unmoving, still as if a statue had replaced where my wife once was. I stood up from my chair, and moved to the sofa where she was seated. Taking her into my arms as the tears started to fall from my eyes as I realized that my baby girl wasn't going to be coming home.

"It's okay to cry sometimes Nat." I said as she began to shudder in my arms, and I looked at Dunham and he quietly left us alone in my office. "So we'll weep here in private, because there is no shame in tears." I pulled Nat's head up so that she could see my eyes as well. "Come here." I pulled her tight into my chest as we both let out deep cries and sobs.

"Why?" Natasha finally asked. "Why would someone target a ten year old girl who didn't even want to learn how to wag war?"

"Because they knew that it would hurt us, Natasha." I said sadly. "And it worked, my heart just shattered into a million little pieces all over again just like it did the first time I lost my family."

"We're going to make them pay." Natasha said as she pulled me tight. "And damn whatever Ian or Hanse say."

"Let's take care of the funeral and last rites first okay?" I stroked my wife's hair as she leaned into me. "We have to prioritize and make sure that no one knows what we're going to do until it's too late."

"We need to call David." Natasha said after we had finished crying. "He needs to be informed of this."

"I'll have Mathis bring him over from the academy. Sheppard will understand the situation." I replied.

"Does it always feel like this when you lose family?" Natasha asked, this being her first experience with this.

"No, most of the time you have family members older than you who die, and it makes it easier to rationalize in your own brain." I said with a sad smile. "But the younger the family member, the harder it hits, to the point where you feel like you're responsible for what happened even if there was nothing you could have possibly done to avert disaster."

"Family is hard." Natasha muttered into the shoulder that she still had her face buried in.

"But it's always worth it." I said as I comforted her. "Family isn't just blood Natasha, it's everyone who you choose to be your family, and them being blood just helps bind them that much closer sometimes."

Author's note: I figured it was easier to write this chapter in light of what I'm going to be going through this weekend with the death of one of our dogs and I'm literally crying right now having written the end of this chapter. There won't be any updates until Sunday evening or Monday due to what was previously said. Goodnight and have a good Father's Day Weekend.