Rose smiled, but only on the inside. So, she did have a soft spot.

"I have to know before I leave the room, yes or no," Rose said. "As it is, we'll barely have time to book passage and load the Warhammer"

Silence descended yet again as Rose and O'Shea stared at Esmeralda. Head buried in her chest, she sat thinking for long moments, oblivious of the two men's stares.

"I'll go," she said at last, turning to look at Rose. "I'm a fool to follow you, but I'll go."

"I'm going too." Rose looked over at Badicus in confusion.

"I'm sorry, Badicus, but. . ."

"You owe me, Rose. Essy can vouch for my abilities and I've got cash. I'm willing to pay for a spot in the unit if I'm in Essy's lance." Rose was still in shock. What little he knew about O'Shea suggested that he was good, but to take a complete unknown was risky, or stupid, or both. He looked over at Esmeralda, who nodded, but did not speak.

Now it was Rose's turn to let the silence hang as he considered his options. He'd always put trust in his subordinate officers in the past. Now was no time to change his ways.

"You've got a 'Mech, too?" O'Shea's head slumped forward. "No."

"Good, I can't afford the transport costs." The big man's head shot back up. Rose looked into the bright, eager eyes and smiled. "You can pilot the Shadow Hawkyou've been using for the last few months." Rose clapped his hands and stood to go. "And I guess I'll have to learn how to pilot a rebuilt Charger."

16

Harlech, Outreach

24 September 3054

 

Rose, Esmeralda, and Badicus finally arrived on Outreach after spending what seemed to Rose like an eternity trapped aboard the Gentle Wind.Though a civilian transport, the DropShip boasted all the inconveniences and discomforts for which military ships were famous. Overcrowding, abysmal ventilation, poor lighting—and those were just the good qualities Rose could recall.

His companions seemed to survive the trip better, but that was because they spent most of their time in the repair bays working on their 'Mechs. Rose had tried to help out at first, but Esmeralda's skill at fine-tuning was well beyond his journeyman's ability.

They'd also tried to fix up the Charger,but Esmeralda had been too good at demolishing the assault 'Mech in the final duel. They'd only be able to reattach the severed right leg when they could get hold of some heavy equipment simply not available on the DropShip. When they landed on Outreach, it was embarrassing to see the 'Mech being off-loaded in pieces, but Rose wasn't really worried. Once they got the right equipment it wouldn't be more than a few days before the 'Mech was again ready for action.

While Esmeralda and Badicus went off to oversee the off-loading of the other 'Mechs and to secure spots in the repair bay for Rose's Charger,Rose spotted Rianna and Angus approaching the gate with two men in tow. Rose and Rianna had communicated several times during the Gentle Wind'sinbound flight from the jump point, but she'd never mentioned a word about them.

The two men were obviously civilians. Everything from their style of dress to the way they moved through the crowd spoke of a lifetime sitting behind desks, safely protected by a hopefully distant military. If these were potential employers, Rose wondered if he might be entering the wrong business. Steeling himself, he put on a polite face and stepped forward.

"Jeremiah, it's good to see you again," Rianna greeted him, obviously wearing her business face too. Instead of embracing warmly, the two shook hands. Then Rose turned to Angus.

"Good afternoon, Captain," Angus said, extending his hand. Coming from him three words strung together seemed like a speech, but the young man immediately stepped to the back of the group. The MechWarrior always seemed to shy away from attention, generally hanging back whenever Rose was around. Rianna could only shrug and say that his attitude seemed to go one hundred and eighty degrees in the other direction when he was inside his 'Mech. Strapped into the Valkyrie,Angus was invariably at the forefront of any contest, blending speed and stealth in his tactics. If the young warrior continued to show promise, Rose hoped to assign him to the pursuit lance, maybe as the leader.

"Jeremiah, may I present Mister Wilkins and Mister Hoffbrowse? They have been most insistent about wishing to speak with you about a matter that could be mutually beneficial." Rianna gave her brother a lopsided grin that neither civilian could see. Evidently they would not be put off or else had asked to see Rose personally. In either case, Rianna obviously did not think much of the spaceport meeting.

"Sirs, I am Jeremiah Rose. Perhaps we could go someplace private to talk?" Without waiting for a reply from either of the speechless men, he began walking toward an adjacent waiting room. With one arm around Rianna's shoulders, he pulled her a few quick paces ahead of the civilians.

"What's all this?" he demanded in a whisper.

"They've been on Outreach for almost seven months and can't find a unit to hire. They're offering a one-year garrison and training contract, which no commander in his right mind will touch."

Rianna was right. Though new to the mercenary business, Rose knew that a one-year contract of that type would probably end up costing more than it paid. By the time the unit transferred to the garrison planet, served the time, then returned to Outreach, they would be severely low on funds, especially if the contract contained no incentive clauses.

"Then why are we talking to them?"

"They think the Clans might invade their planet, for one thing. And for another, the contract they offer contains some interesting terms. I thought you'd like to at least hear them out and decide for yourself."

When they reached the waiting room Rose indicated a pair of chairs for the two men. Like most civilians, they took them without thought. Rose noted that Angus had followed at a slight distance and was now standing behind the civilians. The slender young man was hardly intimidating even if the other two men had realized he was there. Yet he was in good position in the unlikely event of trouble.

"Captain Rose, if I may, I will be brief." That sounded like an excellent idea to Rose, who smiled his acquiescence.

"Mister Wilkins and I are here as duly appointed representatives of the planet Borghese." Hoffbrowse paused for a look of recognition, which Rose provided. The small planet was in the Steiner portion of the Federated Commonwealth and very close to Clan Jade Falcon's line of advance.

"For reasons that are unknown and unfathomable to us, the Federated Commonwealth military command has decided not to garrison our planet. Because of our proximity to the Clan front, we have decided to take matters into our own hands by hiring a mercenary unit to protect our world."

As Hoffbrowse continued speaking, Rose studied him carefully. The man still acted like a civilian, but there was something more to him than he let on.

"Mister Wilkins and I have attempted to hire a mercenary unit, approximately company size, to beef up our planetary defense force until we can persuade the Federated Commonwealth of the error of their ways. Which we anticipate will take no more than a year.

"We would like to hire your unit to undertake this contract. Standard rates. You supply your own transport to and from Borghese."

Rose had been warned that the two were desperate, but hadn't expected such a short sales pitch. He let the silence hang for an uncomfortably long time. Mister Wilkins looked as though he was ready to explode by the time Rose finally responded.