[h2][center]I N T E R L U D E[/center][/h2] [b][i]NPDRE Forward Operating Base North Nui Awa 1800 Hours 28 March, 3030[/i][/b] [color=Gray]"What a goddamn mess,"[/color] Jester 2 muttered to herself as she read the tactical debriefing on her noteputer, detailing the ambush at the Hiyan-Chia Mountain Pass. This operation was supposed to be easy; knock over a company of mercs who weren't expecting anything more than a few angry civvies, then keep the local yokels in line until the cavalry arrived. They had an army at their back, and the "resistance" groups they faced were a joke. Two thirds of Gawain's Green Knights had been wiped out in the initial coup, and they were supposed to be down to a single lance. The Knights were supposed to be on the way out. So how the hell had they gotten the better of them twice now? [color=SteelBlue]"Excuse me, sir?"[/color] the timid voice of one of the local AsTechs came from outside of her tent, with a light tapping on the front flap the closest equivalent to knocking. [color=Gray]"What is it?"[/color] Jester 2 growled. [color=SteelBlue]"I, ah, was asked by Captain Albano to ask how long you and your [i]Warhammer[/i] were planning to, erm, 'grace us with your presence' before you rejoined your Lance, and--"[/color] The AsTech- a twentysomething blonde girl who always looked like she was trying to defuse a bomb when speaking to her- ducked with surprisingly fast reflexes as Jester 2's noteputer flew past where her head was a split-second before. [color=Gray]"I don't have a Lance anymore, you idiot,"[/color] Jester 2 spat as she fumbled around inside her tent, looking for the full-face mask she wore to cover her identity from the people of Espia. When she finally managed to pull it over her face, she opened the tent flap and stared the AsTech down. [color=Gray]"Haven't you read the reports?"[/color] The ambush in the mountain pass had been a disaster. Stroheim-- or rather, "Yellow Jester"-- had gotten too lost in his gimmick, especially after they'd stomped that village. He was always a creep and an animal, but something had finally driven him fully looney. He led her Lance mates right into a trap, and rather than withdraw until backup could arrive, he'd charged in and gotten them all killed. She didn't particularly like any of the other members of Jester Lance-- frankly, they'd all been assholes. Not that she was any better; she'd taken part in the carnage just as willingly as the rest of them. But that didn't make them any easier to get along with. She wouldn't be crying for 'Honk Honk' or 'Mister Dimples' or whatever other stupid names 'Jester' had given them. No, what got to her was the fact that if it weren't for her foot actuator acting up...she would've died right along with them. [color=SteelBlue]"N-no, sir! I-I was told anything about your unit is n-need to know!"[/color] [color=Gray]"Well,"[/color] she snarled, [color=Gray]"What you need to know is that I'm waiting for Crimson King and Fire Witch to come here, so I can rendezvous with the other Crimson Fists."[/color] The AsTech gulped. [color=SteelBlue]"Th-they're coming here?"[/color] [color=Gray]"They'll be here within 24 hours,"[/color] she said, [color=Gray]"And they're not going to like it if my [i]Warhammer[/i] still has a busted foot actuator."[/color] The blonde girl turned pale, and underneath her mask, Jester 2 grinned. Things might be getting out of hand, but it did make her feel a little better about herself to be able to make these indigs squirm. [color=Gray]"And whose responsibility is it to make sure that the Crimson King and the Fire Witch aren't upset about that foot actuator?"[/color] she said, twisting the proverbial knife a bit. [color=SteelBlue]"...th-the maintenance te--"[/color] [color=Gray][i]"Yours,"[/i][/color] she snarled. [color=Gray]"Which means if the repairs aren't done, then all of the repercussions of that are yours as well. Got that?"[/color] [color=SteelBlue]"Y-yes, sir,"[/color] the AsTech stammered. [color=Gray]"Now say it again. Whose job is it?"[/color] Jester 2 said, her hand wandering to the laser pistol by her nightstand. [color=SteelBlue]"M-mine! Mine!"[/color] the AsTech all but screamed. [color=Gray]"Good, now go,"[/color] she dismissed the shivering blonde. [color=Gray]"And tell Captain Albano-- and use [i]these exact words[/i]-- that if he has any more stupid fucking questions for his betters, he can take them up with the King."[/color] The trembling AsTech ran from her tent, and Jester 2 laughed to herself. This 'masked villain' routine was ridiculous, but she did get a kick out of scaring people like this. She could see how Captain Humphr--that is, "Crimson King"-- and the others, could buy into this act. [color=SteelBlue]"Mine...mine..."[/color] the girl kept muttering as she ran from the masked mercenary's tent. Tears flecked the corners of her eyes, and a few of the other techs sneered cruelly as she ran past. Whoever this Mechwarrior was, she was just as much of a psychopath as the stories all said... [color=SteelBlue]"...mine....mine...."[/color] ....which meant that she was going to sleep easy when the time came to kill her. [color=SteelBlue]"....mine....mine...."[/color] Since coming to North Nui Awa, the woman in the dirty faded jumpsuit had been any number of things. She'd been a hungry refugee, trying to escape the horrors of the conflict. She'd been a ditzy party girl, looking for some thrills with a hot young man in uniform. She'd been a desperate out-of-work wrench monkey who would do any job for a paycheck. And when backs were turned and guards were down, she'd been making quite a mess. [color=SteelBlue]"....mine....mine...."[/color] Killing NPDRE soldiers and officers had become almost second nature to her now, getting her the supplies she'd needed to escape Baliya Gora, the food and money to survive in a strange city, and eventually the credentials to get onto the NPDRE forward operating base without drawing attention to herself. She was getting closer and closer to her ultimate target, but it wasn't going to be easy. [color=SteelBlue]"....mine....mine...."[/color] She was thankful that the Crimson Fist Mechwarrior always wore a full-face mask. And that she was close enough to her size that she could pass for her once she put on the flight suit. But it wasn't going to be a simple matter of jumping into the cockpit and strolling away. There was a long list of checks and procedures that had to be followed. Security measures she'd need to overcome. The Neurohelmet itself was almost certainly neuro-locked to 'Jester 2,' so anyone else putting it on would likely have their brain fried. These were problems, but none were insurmountable. Just like she'd done back on Von Strang's world, if she couldn't figure out a problem herself, she had all sorts of ways to pressure the people who did know to do it for her. [color=SteelBlue]"....mine....mine...."[/color] Lena Von Kemp, 'Wrathchild' of Gawain's Green Knights, slowed her run to the collection of gantries and cranes that made the makeshift Mech bay. Pretending to be rattled and out of breath, she told the other Mech techs to double their efforts, overriding any and all security protocols if need be. When the chief tech asked who she thought she was, using the name of the Fire Witch scared him into compliance. That itself was a bitter pill for her, since she'd learned the Fire Witch was in the [i]Longbow[/i] that had killed her own [i]Wolverine[/i] during the coup. But Lena would make sure that both she and this so-called 'Crimson King' would get what's coming to them. She looked up at the 70-ton [i]Warhammer[/i], and while frightened and breathless on the outside, on the inside Wrathchild was hungry. [color=SteelBlue][i]Mine.[/i][/color]