The Few, The Lucky

The Few, The Lucky
Product information
Type	Short story
Author	Chris Hussey
Pages	26
Publication information
Publisher	BattleCorps
First published	26 February 2009
Content
Era	Jihad era
Timeline	15 - 28 November 3072

The Few, The Lucky is a short story by Chris Hussey that was published online on BattleCorps on 26 February 2009. It was also later published in print in the 2016 BattleCorps anthology Front Lines.

Teaser text

“

Not everyone can escape when an invasion hits, but that doesn’t mean that you just lay down and take it, either. Every handbook notes a tactical withdrawal... but of course, sometimes they chase you.

”

Plot summary

Following the Word of Blake's invasion of Galatea, the Last Knights mercenary unit under Captain Nevvin Kerris—whittled down from twenty-four 'Mechs plus infantry to a mere six 'Mechs as of 15 November 3072 including survivors from another destroyed mercenary command and later reinforced by more infantry and an Axman from yet another command, Gideon's Gangbusters—is under constant attack. Tired and low on supplies and ammunition they fend off one attack after another, and Kerris comes to believe that a particular enemy Toyama that has personally killed several of Kerris' people is toying with him for some reason, by not delivering killing blows when he could have.

An infantry sergeant relates a rumor about a merchant DropShip at the Mekling airpad, some four days' travel away. Kerris resolves to evacuate his command on that ship, which is practically their only hope of escape. En route, they come across a remote farm in the Fellis Fields area. Its owner, Wilkins, is rather unhappy that the fleeing Last Knights will draw Word of Blake attention to his farm now. He grudgingly reveals to be a veteran soldier owning a Templar (that he calls Steps Loudly) and joins Kerris' unit.

The Last Knights are picked off one by one in running encounters with pursuing Word of Blake forces. In the end, only Kerris and Wilkins manage to escape on the DropShip Lady Loon on 26 November, after a final encounter with the Toyama from which Kerris barely managed to disengage. Aboard the ship, he bitterly reflects about being the last surviving member of the Last Knights, and wonders why he is among the lucky ones to survive.

Featured characters

• Captain Nevvin Kerris

Featured places

• Galatea

Featured BattleTech

BattleMechs

• Apollo
• Axman
• Buccaneer
• Cestus
• Dervish
• Enfield
• Gurkha
• Hercules
• Lightray
• Nexus II
• Salamander
• Toyama
• White Flame
• Yeoman
• "Chicken Hawk", ad hoc reporting name for an unidentified 70-ton Word of Blake OmniMech, implied to be a Deva from the picture on the page where it's introduced
• "Claw Daddy", ad hoc reporting name for an unidentified light Word of Blake 'Mech, implied to be a Malak from the description of it being a light OmniMech
• "Fiend", ad hoc reporting name for an unidentified Word of Blake OmniMech

DropShips

• Buccaneer (Lady Loon)

Other

• unspecified battle armor, apparently Purifier Adaptive Armor from the context
• unspecified JumpShip The InBetween