It's been three weeks since Lance joined Ward's Cavaliers. His first payday has come, and gone, and he's already spent himself dry. Most of his earnings went back home, to pay for his mother's care that month, and a little more to start settling the debt. The rest went right back to Commander Ward, with the purpose of funding the repairs of his Hunchback. His next paycheck was in ninety days. It'll be tight again after the money he gave to his mother runs out in a month, but he's sure George will pay for those two months. Lance can repay him later. In ninety days, he'll get ninety days worth of pay, which will pay for ninety days worth of care and debt, and a little left for his 'Mech. 

His MechWarrior training is slow, but steady. Headaches and nosebleeds are his only company at night, but he has turned them from markers of pain, to markers of progress. Every day, he's able to push a little harder, run a little faster before succumbing to the strain. Cassandra is no less demanding in the training. Still a bitch, still jumping at every opportunity to humiliate him. But if he manages to become a MechWarrior, and if he could get some real skill in the craft, he could afford all his mother needs and more. He could not only settle his debts, but afford his mother some real care. Care that would reverse her condition, rather than simply minimize her symptoms and keep her alive.

He'd overheard the Commander negotiating a contract while he was talking to Haiden not too long ago. Maybe he'd get to see how they do things behind the controls. The MechWarriors seemed quite busy with prep work too. He didn't know what the nature of their mission was, who hired them, or who they were up against. Frankly, Lance didn't care. He just needed to see MechWarriors in action, to know what he aspires to become. The Mech Bays were cleared of all non-essential personnel (Lance and Michael included) as they made their descent planetside. He didn't get to see the MechWarriors ready their 'Mechs, or even see them in the Mech Bays. He moved over to the TOR where he could hopefully watch the mission unfold.

Standing over the holographic display table was a woman whose hair was cut short, and her voice radiated an ethereal calm. She had a deep scar that carved across her right cheek, and over her blinded eye. When she spoke, it was smooth, and carried purpose. "This is Jasmine assuming mission control. Do you read me ,Cavaliers?"

One by one, the MechWarriors spoke in acknowledgement. Erik spoke slower, deliberately so. His tone held sinful malice towards her. She did not react, and kept her focus on the mission displayed on the table. She looks at Lance, and mutes her mic so she can speak to him. "You're Mr. Trephore, right? The MechTech who wants to be a MechWarrior?"

Lance nodded. "Yes, ma'am. I was hoping I could watch the mission from here?"

Jasmine looked around. All the seats were full, but Lace didn't necessarily need to sit to watch the mission. "Yeah, you can watch. No available seats, but there's plenty of monitors to look at. Left side of the room has armor and structure displays for all four lancemates. Right across from it has the shoulder-mounted views for each 'Mech, and aerial view is right here in front of me on this central table."

Lance immediately stepped closer to the aerial view, but shot a glance to the shoulder-mounted views. All four of them were still in the dropship. With a sudden, quaking thud the dropship landed. The MechBay doors opened, and the Mechs all departed the dropship.

The moment the Mechs' massive metal forms made contact with the ground, Commander Ward spoke into the lance-wide comms. "Remember, Cavaliers, we've been contracted to find and kill Liam Morrison and his lance mates. Our employer's scouts have narrowed his location down to a pirate base disguised as a supply depot three klicks west of here. It's nothing short of a miracle they haven't moved on us yet." The land before them was arid. A few sparse bushes, and massive stones, but beyond that, it's just rolling hills and dry heat under a relentless sun. Heat generation from the 'Mechs is going to be a problem.

"Watch your heat," says Jacob. His 'Mech kept pace behind the Lance. "The sun is rather unkind here. Don't want anyone melting their 'Mech's frame, shutting down due to overheat, or dying of heatstroke."

"Acknowledged, MechWarrior." The Commander takes point, in his Thunderbolt, its broad, blocky form leading his lance towards the objective marker.

"Fucking traffickers..." Said Jacob. His voice carried disdain, but also lament. "You're sure we can't stay and verify the victims' safety?"

"That's not what we're here for, Thorn." Cassandra's tone was short. Her 'Mech strides just behind her father's, and to the left. "Our job is to get in, reduce them to scrap, and get the hell out before they can call for help."

The Commander interrupts, saying, "But we are getting paid extra to minimize casualties. Watch your shots, try not to pulverize any buildings, and you can sleep with a clean conscience tonight."

"Or..." Erik interjected with his usual slyness. His Centurion striding next to Cassandra's Vindicator. "It's been a while since I've lit something on fire. You're sure we can't just burn one warehouse?"

"Absolutely not!" Calls Jacob. "You don't know if the warehouse is empty. That puts the civilians at risk!"

"That's half the fun." Erik chuckles.

"Lock it down, both of you!" The Commander barks. "Thorn, it's not your place to be handing out orders. Erik, watch your trigger finger or I'm cutting it off. Every credit you cost us in civilian casualties today, I'm taking out of your ass. Understood, MechWarriors?"

"Yeah, yeah..." Erik rolls his eyes. "You're no fun."

The Commander spotted a drone flying overhead, coming from the west. Just as quickly as he spotted its approach, it retreated back the way it came. "Look alive, Cavaliers. They'll be ready for us. And they won't make this easy on us."

Jasmine spoke over the comms. "He's right. I've already got four reactor signatures on long-range scanners. Can't get any definitive IDs though. But, based on their size and intensity, I can reliably guess you'll be up against two medium 'Mechs, one heavy, and a single assault 'Mech. It's likely safe to assume Morrison is piloting the largest of the four."

"Great." Cassandra groaned. "Next thing you know, I'm being torn to shreds by a Highlander or some shit."

"That's what we're paid for, Cass." said the Commander. "We go in and do what the great houses don't want to send their own guys to do."

They drew closer to the pinpointed location. A hill stood between them and their destination. The perfect perch for Cassandra and Jacob. "Cass, Thorn, post up on this hill. Your superior range will prove most useful from here. Erik and I will advance on the enemy position, draw them out for you."

Cassandra and Jacob both acknowledged their instructions. Cassandra stood on the crest, and Jacob stood slightly behind, letting the hilltop provide some measure of cover. Jacob noticed Cassandra's position, and opened a private comm channel. "You're silhouetted against the sky. An easy target for anything with enough range. Like, say, anything with a PPC like yours? Or multiple?"

"I know what I'm doing, Thorn." Cassandra spoke plainly. "You just piss your missiles and let me do some real damage."

Jacob sighed. "Yes, ma'am." He shook his head, and cut off the private channel.

"You've got four BattleMech combatants approaching, Cavaliers." Jasmine said over company-wide comms. "Ready up."

"You heard the pretty lady," Called Erik. "Time to have some fun."

The Short-range sensors pinged the two medium 'Mechs Jasmine had warned of. The IFF tags identified them as an Assassin, and a Vulcan. The Assassin charged its way towards the Cavaliers, and fired a single laser into the Commander, carving a shallow furrow into his 'Mech's armor, and followed up with a couple missiles, leaving subtle craters in the hull. No serious damage. The Commander called the targets, and continued saying, "Focus on the Assassin. He'll fall fast. Watch your fire. Keep it away from the compound, and away from each other."

Erik barely waited for the order to register before engaging. He fired his Centurion's massive main cannon once as the Assassin ran between him and the Commander. His 'Mech's internal heat spiked, slightly, and slowly descended. The shell flew clean over the Assassin, and missed the Commander's Thunderbolt by mere inches. "The fuck did I just say, asshole?!" The commander barked, unleashing his torso-mounted lasers on the Assassin, and following up with his larger, arm-mounted laser. The heat generated by the lasers bled into the cockpit, and caused sweat to gather along the Commander's brow. Damn this dessert. The torso-mounted lasers carved deep into the Assassin's armor, focused mainly around the legs, while the arm-mounted laser carved deep into its shoulder.

"Sending fire support." Cassandra fired her PPC once, and followed up with some missiles. She could hear her armor creak as it grew very hot, very fast. The Assassin moved fast, and avoided the PPC, but the missiles left pockmarks across its chest armor. Jacob unleashed a full-force volley of his missiles, painting the Assassin in fire, and nearly stripping its armor away. Just like the others, the sudden buildup of heat from his weapons forced him to pause his shots momentarily to let his 'Mech cool itself off.

As the lance's focus was on the Assassin, the Vulcan followed. It took up a flanking position, and firing its autocannon, and a single laser into the back of Erik's centurion, where his armor is thinnest. The armor was nearly torn off completely by the attack. Erik immediately turned his attention to the new challenger. He fired once, tearing its leg clean off, and causing it to tumble to the sand. "Stay, bitch." Erik chided before marching to loom over his prey.

"Erik. Status." The commander said, waiting for his 'Mech to cool itself before firing again with his arm-mounted laser. The blue beam carved through the Assassin's armor, and damaged its frame.

"Just savoring their panic." He said. He lifted his Centurion's metal foot, and stomped on the Vulcan, caving in its torso and destroying it. The sheer impact of the blow killed the pilot instantly. Jasmine spoke into the comms. "The heavy is stepping into range. IFFs identify it as a Catapult. Plenty of missiles, but no defensive weaponry. I recommend you get within its minimum range before it shreds your armor. The assault 'Mech is close behind it."

Its attention fell on Cassandra, as she was exposed, and still. Silhouetted against the sky. It opened its side-mounted missile pods, and sent a torrent of missiles that crashed over her. She was in the middle of a backwards step when the missiles impacted her 'Mech. The force of the attack challenged her balance, and won. She fell to her back and disappeared behind the hilltop. The impact knocked the air from Cassandra's lungs. The feedback from the fall lashed through her mind. She screamed into the comms as her vision blurred, and blacked out for a split moment.

"Cass!" The Commander called. 

"I'm fine." She replied. "Fell over, behind cover."

Jacob returned the attack, sending his own volley of missiles in equal ferocity. His shot was rushed, and many of the missiles pounded the ground around the Catapult. Though, a few did strike true. The Catapult advanced to cover, where it could maintain a target lock, and only step out when ready to fire. "The Catapult's got us pinned, sir." Said Jacob. Cassandra forced her Vindicator to stand back up.

"A bit busy!" Called the Commander. The Assassin wandered a bit too close, and the Commander hooked his Thunderbolt's fist into the smaller 'Mech, caving its armor, and digging into its internal frame, damaging its engine. The force of the blow halted the Assassin's momentum, causing it to stumble. The Commander fired once into the cavity his fist had made, destroying the engine, and disabling the 'Mech entirely. His contract called for the deaths of the opposing MechWarriors. He leveled his torso-mounted lasers with the Assassin's cockpit, and fired before the pilot could eject.

His vision began to blur from the near-catastrophic heat buildup. Damn this dessert! He turned towards the Catapult, and ran for it. So too did Erik. The Catapult noticed the approach, and turned its attention to the charging mercs. It fired once at the Commander, wearing his armor thinner. "Commander," said Jasmine. "The assault 'Mech is in view now. IFFs tag it as a Charger."

Before the Commander could fully process the information, an unfamiliar, excited, male voice filled the comms. "Mercenary!" Suddenly, a wave of low-intensity lasers filled his 'Mech's right side, and were followed by a ruinous shoulder-blow that sent the Commander's Thunderbolt tumbling to the sand. The feedback from the fall brought a similar reaction as Cassandra's, but was made worse by the larger size of his own 'Mech in comparison to hers.

Noting how the Catapult's attention was now on Erik, who drew closer to the machine, Cassandra and Jacob both turned their attention to the Charger looming over the Commander. "Focus that target!" Cassandra called from fear and instinct. That thing was far too close to her father. She had to correct this. She fired her PPC, the blue bolt filling her view briefly as it screamed towards her target. Sweat dripping into, and stinging her eyes as the heat buildup was getting the better of her. She didn't care. She'd push this thing until it exploded if it meant getting that thing off her father. Jacob maintained a much more controlled attack, with measured gaps and pauses between volleys, and only firing from one pod at a time. His cockpit remained relatively cool. So too was the internal framework. The combined force of the blow caused the Charger to stumble, but didn't quite fall. The staggering allowed the Commander to stand, and back away slightly, ready to level his weapons on the Charger.

Erik ignored Cassandra's command, and fixated on the Catapult. The Catapult fired one more volley into Erik before he closed within minimum range, All that did was thin his armor. Erik fired his main autocannon once, slamming into the Catapult's leg, cratering its armor. He drew closer. The Catapult backpedaled.

That same voice spoke over open comms again, "You four have got quite the lance. I'll have fun breaking you."

"Payday says otherwise, asshole!" Called Cassandra. She fired her PPC once more, the blue bolt soaring over the Charger's head. Her 'Mech's internal heat reached critical levels, steam filled her cockpit. Warnings trilled, non-essential displays flickered and shut down. She wiped the sweat from her face, but otherwise ignored how the air around her burned.

"My, my, such a pretty little voice." The voice turned predatory, a sort similar to, but nowhere near as much as Erik's. "Spicy, too. You'll fit right in with my personal collection. Gotta keep the best for yourself, right?"

Erik chuckled to himself at the remark, envying the man. Images of debauchery flowed through his mind. He pressed closer to the Catapult, slowly. "Just punch out, dude... It's not worth it..."

"You eject, and you'll be joining my personal collection!" Morrison barked. The Catapult pilot did not eject. It continued stepping back into the compound. Erik followed. The Commander fired on the Charger, focusing his strike on its arm. The Charger thrives in melee, and he had to do everything in his power to diminish this. The torso-mounted lasers carved deep into the armor, while his arm-mounted laser tore into its arm and destroyed the laser it held. Slag fell to the ground, and all that was left was a mass of scrap metal attached to that arm. As he stepped back, the Charger pressed forward, closing once more.

Cassandra fired again, tearing the Charger's arm clean off, but pushing her 'Mech past its maximum heat threshold. Her display shut off completely, her PPC lowered, and and her 'Mech slumped forward. She's shut down. Not even the comms worked now. Jacob continued his consistent, and steady barrages of missiles. The Charger avoided most of the missiles, and grabbed the Thunderbolt's right arm. With a single jerk, he tore the 'Mech's arm clean off, pulling the Thunderbolt towards him, and then meeting the leaning machine with a backhanded strike that nearly toppled the Commander over again. The Thunderbolt's armor bent and deformed, no critically weakened, but he stayed standing, and returned a strike with his other arm. The strike did not deal nearly as much damage as the Charger's, but any damage is progress.

"Where the fuck are you, Erik?!" Called the Commander. "We need that cannon!"

"Relax, boss." Erik chuckled. "Just havin' some fun with this prey."

"Get your arrogant ass over here NOW!"

Erik disabled his comms. He was simply having too much fun with this helpless little Catapult. He fired his main cannon, caving the armor in its torso, and exposing the internal frame. Now it was time for some real damage.

'I'll wring his fucking neck.' Thought the Commander. Another wave of low-intensity lasers painted his armor, burning it open and exposing his 'Mech's inner workings. Another volley of missiles painted the Charger.

"How much abuse can that thing take?" asked Jacob. Cassandra's Vindicator was still shut down. He looked at his console, where it displayed the armor status of his target. It read the armor as red across most of the Charger's form.

The Commander's display matched. "Not much," he said. Morrison remained silent, clubbing the Commander's Thunderbolt with its own arm and sending lasers to support the beating. The Charger left itself open, and the Commander sent his remaining fist into the gap, tearing the CHarger's chest armor open. Cassandra's Vindicator powered back on, and she wasted no time, resuming her overly-aggressive barrage of PPC fire on the Charger, carving the cavity in its armor wider while Jacob painted the Charger in missiles. The combined assault on the exposed frame finally destroyed the Charger's engine, and brought the 'Mech down. The Commander raised his Thunderbolt's boot, and stomped on the Charger's cockpit before Morrison could eject.

The cockpit was engulfed in fire, the crushing force killed Morrison instantly. Erik had been nothing short of unkind to the Catapult he called "prey". Its leg was crippled, and most of its armor was gone. He'd carved deep into the internal frame and structure, and there was little he could do to savor its terror now. "Sorry, buddy," he chides. "It's been fun, but I think we gotta end it here." He fired his cannon once more. The shell sank into the Catapult's chest, caving in its nose, and then blowing it out as the shell went off. The strike blew the reactor core, and destroyed the engine. Erik saw the blue glow growing, and backed away.

"It's going loud!" he called. His voice held no fear, but anticipation. Like a child waiting for fireworks.

"Where?!" Called Jacob. He didn't notice how deep into the compound Erik had followed the Catapult. He looked and saw the blue glow right next to the warehouses. "Erik, you bastard! The victims are in there!"

"Not for much longer!" Erik just barely got out of the compound before the core overloaded, and exploded. Half the compound was engulfed in blue fire. The other half leveled by the force of the blast. No way anyone could survive that.

Jacob screamed nigh-unintelligible obscenities into the comms, all of which directed at Erik. Cassandra was speechless. The Commander turned his Thunderbolt to face Erik's Centurion. He wanted to kill him, wanted to take every C-bill lost by the victims' death out of Erik in blood. But right now? He was the only one who could pilot that Centurion. His existence was a necessary evil. Jacob opened a private comm channel to Cassandra.

"Why don't we just kill him right here and now? He's no better than the guys we just ended. He deserves it just as much as they do."

"I'm not thrilled with it either, Thorn." Cassandra replied. Her tone was flat, almost indifferent. But Jacob could see through it. She was pissed too. Be it at the lost pay, or by the lost lives, Jacob was still unsure. "But he's our only forth lance mate."

"You're correcting that soon, right?"

"Not soon, but Trephore is learning. I'm no teacher, but he can follow orders."

"That alone makes him better than Erik." Jacob cut off the private channel, and asked, "Orders, Commander Ward?" Silence. The Commander turned and began his march back to the dropship. The Cavaliers followed.

After parking his 'Mech in the designated 'Mech Bay, Erik strode past Jacob, Cassandra, and the Commander. "Hell of a job, right?" He seemed quite proud of what he'd done that day. The Commander grabbed Erik by the back of his collar, and pulled him back, nearly tossing him towards Jacob. Jacob grabbed Erik by the neck, and drove his fist across the man's jaw. The backwards stagger was met with a brutal kick from the Commander that made his vertebrae pop. He fell onto his hands and knees.

"What the actual fuck?!" Erik demanded, spitting blood from his split lips.

"You cost civilian lives out there, Erik." Jacob snarled, a rare fury laced his voice. "Hundreds of trafficking victims, gone! What if you were one of them?"

"Why do you care?" Asked Erik, looking at the Commander.

"That move cost us half a million C-bills, Erik." The Commander's tone was flat. He kicked Erik, rolling him onto his back, and pressed his boot over the guy's neck. "Half a million I am going to extract in blood. Your blood, if you disobey my orders again. I say "Jump" you say "How High?". Got it? There will not be a next time."

Erik rolled his eyes. His voice was strained. "Yeah, yeah... Just get your boot off of my neck." The Commander lifted his boot, but offered no hand to help Erik up. Once standing, Erik met Jacob's gaze. Raw fury was all Jacob held.

"You pull that again, and I won't give the Commander the chance to kill you himself." Before Erik could respond, Jacob shoved Erik back, and forced his way past him. Erik looked to Cassandra, who simply smirked at him. Erik returned the smirk, suddenly numb to the lingering soreness filling his jaw and back. Before he could speak, Cassandra spoke for him. "Next time, keep your finger off the trigger until Dad says... And don't shoot near where it'll cost him C-bills. Got it?" She turned and marched away. Erik's gaze locked on her body, his smirk sharpening, before he turned the other way.

After the MechWarriors had returned to the barracks, Lance, Michael, and the rest of the 'MechTechs entered the 'MechBays to assess the overall damage. The Thunderbolt took the worst of it. Missing its right arm and most of its armor most everywhere else. Next was the Vindicator. Its armor was thinned out, but no damage to the internal framework. Same could be said of the Trebuchet, and the Centurion.

Lance approached Haiden, and spoke plainly. "Sir, I just finished looking over the BattleMechs. There's no way we have the materials to repair all of this ourselves."

Haiden didn't look up from his data pad, typing command messages and sorting manifests. "We have the materials, lad. Our salvage crews are picking up the mess left by the Commander and his MechWarriors. Including his T-bolt's arm. Resource is not an issue, but we do lack the facilities."

"Do you know where we're going?" Lance so dearly hoped they'd be returning to Kathil. To see his homeworld grow in his viewport again, to see George and Mother again. He wanted to step off the dropship and return to the life he had before.

"There's a world just north of here called Demeter." Said Haiden. "It's got facilities just as capable as the ones you worked at, but a lot closer to where we are now."

'Dammit.' 

"How long's the travel time?"

"Two weeks." Answered Haiden. "Now off you get, boy. Those 'Mechs aren't cleanin' themselves."

"Yessir." Lance grumbled. Not at the work. That's why he was there; to earn his pay and earn it well. He grumbled at just how far from home this job takes him.