Patriot's Stand

Patriot's Stand
Product information
Type	Novel
Author	Mike Moscoe
Pages	304
Cover Artwork	Ray Lundgren
Publication information
Publisher	Roc Books
First published	6 April 2004
ISBN-10	0451459709
ISBN-13	978-0451459701
Content
Era	Dark Age era
Series	MechWarrior: Dark Age Novels
Preceded by	Fortress of Lies
Followed by	Flight of the Falcon

Patriot's Stand, by Mike Moscoe, chronicles the attempted take-over of the planet Alkalurops.

From the back cover

“

Under assault and ill-equipped, Alkalurops has come apart since the loss of its communications grid and the inability of The Republic to reestablish it. But in a universe of powerful players, a leader has to grab power fast if she's going to survive... Grace O'Malley's people are valiantly making a stand against Loren Hanson's Roughriders, a band of mercenaries destroying everything in their path. Badly outnumbered, her forces need real BattleMechs operated by trained MechWarriors. And they're not going to be easy to afford, especially since the big mine owners refuse to offer any funds for planetary defense. But Grace will not surrender her homeland, no matter what the price. Even though the ragtag locals are putting a surprising good fight, Hanson remains confidant he can defeat them. What he doesn't count on is an opponent determined to write her planet's history in the scorched wreckage of the battlefield...

”

Summary

Initial Raid

Grace O'Malley is a miner who uses her MiningMech dubbed Pirate in the hills around her hometown of Falkirk. That future for her and the rest of the miners are in jeopardy since an unknown force has recently landed upon the world of Alkalurops. The planetary net has been screaming that the unknown attackers have 'Mechs that have been stomping through houses, their tanks shooting up shops, and infantry hijacking IndustrialMechs. The attackers have been moving closer and closer to Falkirk with each passing day; in order to protect her town and the people within it, Grace was able to persuade the menfolk of the town and the neighboring Navajo tribesmen to fight back against the invaders. With a little help from the town mechanic, they were able to put some modifications onto the 'Mechs to be more battle effective.

The unknown invaders are actually a mercenary detachment from Hansen's Roughriders being commanded by Captain Loren J. Hanson who was under contract to raid and steal any decent looking IndustrialMechs or BattleMechs that they come across. As the force was moving towards the extraction point, they notice that the people of Falkirk were trying to set up an ambush for his men. Hanson tells his men to attack feeling that it will be another easy victory and another chance to pick up any available 'Mechs.

The little skirmish between those from Falkirk and the raiding force did not go as planned for Hanson. First off, one of his Condor tanks went on to attack the infantry but ended up driving into one of the many camouflaged holes that the Navajos dug into the battlefield. This enraged Hanson who pushed the rest of his force to assault the remaining of the defenders. Loren pushes his Koshi to attack the MiningMech which, unknowingly to him, is piloted by Grace which seems to be the backbone of the defenders. As he attacks her 'Mech he comes upon issues of falling into another camouflaged hole and encroaching on a modified 'Mech with a flamethrower attached. Using the skills and training that only a true MechWarrior has, he was able to push the two 'Mechs back towards the ridgeline. Hanson decided to cut his losses and take the long way around to the extraction point after he noticed even more infantry and unmodified IndustrialMechs appearing at the top of the ridge.

Cleaning Up the Mess

Once the threat to Falkirk by the raiders was gone, the locals began the process of removing the Condor hovertank out of the pit in order to see what it was. Mick the mechanic wanted to check out the engine while someone else checked out the insides of the tank including the sensors that the tank uses. During his inspection, he noticed that the infrared scope that the tank uses measures its distance in kilometers, not meters. The locals realized that their ambush was pointless due to the raiders being able to see their positions well before the battle started.

Hours after the battle, once everyone returned to town, everyone who participated gave their recollection of the day's event. They gave their opinion that the next time raiders came that they would run for the hills and survive than have to go through that again. Others went on saying that the planetary militia should have done a better job protecting the citizens of the planet, with even more asking where was the Republic of the Sphere sponsored Legate and his BattleMech. Grace had enough and asked for a restroom break and was met with an overwhelming agreement with almost everyone heading to the bathrooms. Once the meeting room was empty save for a select few, Grace went on to ask the more serious questions about what their next move should be. Mick told the group that the tank had some nasty toys which you would only want working for you and not against. The rest of the small group do not want to go through that again, as dumb as they were. They know how to do their jobs but have no idea on how to fight a battle. Grace acknowledges that and agrees that if you don't know how to do something, you get someone else to do it or you get someone to train you on how to do it. It is agreed upon by the group to go to the capital of Allabad and demand the Legate to train the citizens of Alkalurops to do what they have always done, defend themselves.

Grace, Chato, and Jobe commence on their journey to the capital in order to show their support in the hope of hiring a mercenary group to come and defend their planet and train the citizens at the same time. On their way to the capital, they pass by a battleground with freshly laser-burned corpses and wounded militia men. The curious thing that they noted was that the soldiers still had their armor and weapons with them. Grace noted to the rest that the point of a raid is to acquire some of these supplies, why would they leave equipment that is usable. The rest ponder this and continue their journey to the capital.

Once at the capital, they find out that the Governor and the Legate have both been murdered and that the Ryoken II BattleMech has also been stolen. An emergency council meeting of town mayors has been called and to be held in order to discuss what to do in these troubling times. In the council room, it was discovered that the raiders used the disguise of an actual DropShip trading company in order to land at the port without arousing any suspicion. From there they rampaged for a week taking only the IndustrialMechs and not the other expensive equipment that they could sell to make some money. The floor was then opened up to anyone who had any ideas of what the planet could and should do.

After a couple days of discussion, Alfred Santorini steps up to the meeting and gives the planet a most generous offer. He is in the process of looking for a new planet to be the headquarters of the company he works for, Lenzo Computing Industries, which would bring millions of jobs to the planet. Alkalurops is currently at full employment for its population which means the only way to fill up those new jobs would be to allow mass immigration to their planet. When people started to realize this, the mayors from the bigger cities were excited with the thought of the influx of the extra cash they would be getting; while the mayors from the smaller cities were unhappy at the thought of the rising prices for the day to day necessities. There was a catch to his proposal. With agreeing to this transfer of the headquarters, the people of Alkalurops would also be agreeing to pledge loyalty to Jasek Kelswa-Steiner and his group of freedom fighters called the Stormhammers. In order to pay for the protection, the planet would also be agreeing to pay the Stormhammers thirty percent of their net off-world trade. Alfred went and chit-chatted with the mining corporation's representative and then left the room. Grace stood up and gave her counter-proposal of what the planet could do for itself. She told the representatives that her city was willing to give up ten percent of last year's profits in order to pay for a group of mercenaries to come and help defend and train the people of the planet in the modern military ways, and if the other towns could do the same they should be able to have enough to get the help that they need. She finishes her proposal with this, "Alkalurops takes care of its own."

Mercenaries for Hire

The following day the trio got on the next available DropShip to dock with the next available JumpShip that is heading towards the planet of Galatea, which is the closest planet with numerous mercenary companies. In order to pass the time while they wait to board the JumpShip, they studied up on old battles of Alkalurops, the tactics that were used, and they studied up on all the information they could get on BattleMechs. This information gave Grace doubt about the point in fighting. She read that the majority of the fights were won due to weather changing or that one side made a mistake which cost them. Grace became depressed the more and more she researched; how could a group of civilians with no military training ever hope to beat a well oiled war machine without pure dumb luck.

Once the DropShip docked with the first JumpShip that came in system, nine days later the jumpship was fully charged again and they made the jump to Galatea. After a confrontation with a jewel thief on board the JumpShip, Grace finds that Alfred is traveling on the same ship. He took quarters in the captain's room and stayed cooped up in the room to get some work of his that he wanted to get done. Alfred showed his anger towards Grace who he blames for wasting his time and money traveling to her world when she got the council to refuse his offer and agree to go along with her crazy plan of finding mercenaries. With that he turns around and they part ways.

When they landed at Galaport they rode an underground walkway towards the central terminal where they saw the place packed with people going in every direction. They saw the place packed with recruiters for a plethora of different companies. They saw the insignia for the Bannson's Raiders, the 21st Centauri Lancers, the Northwind Highlanders, the Eridani Light Horse, and many more which they didn't recognize. They kept their search going until they reached the end of the line and came across a pair of recruiters who spoke to them first telling them that only the best make it this far. He tells them that his unit is the Roughriders, unbeknownst to Grace and her companions, but this is the same unit that raided her home world. Grace believes that this would be a good starting mercenary group to see if they would come defend her planet. When they arrive at the Roughriders' camp, the newly promoted Major L.J. Hanson is ordered to talk to the group since he has the most knowledge of the planet. While the Major and Grace were talking to one another, Loren realizes that it was Grace who was piloting the MiningMech who he was facing in the Gleann Mor Valley. Hanson's adjutant, after a lengthy talk about her combat experience, produces a cost analysis of what a battalion-sized force would run her at the going rate; he believes that is the size that would be needed to adequately defend her planet. Grace looks at the sheet and is speechless at what the price comes out to. She tells him that the price is too much for them to be able to afford. Loren apologizes but says that there is nothing that he can do to lower the cost. Due to this, they part ways.

During this whole time, both Chato and Jobe have been carrying jewelry and sapphires around in a bag since they have no better place to stash their assets. A group of thugs realize what they are carrying must be valuable so they stage an ambush in order to steal what they are carrying. The two groups scuffle with one another and the tide of the fight turns against the group from Alkalurops. They are rescued by two unexpected helpers, Danny O'Bannon, an ex-Highlander mercenary MechWarrior, and Benjork Lone Cat, a deserter from Clan Nova Cat who is also a MechWarrior. Grace offers her thanks to the two and they talk about what each group is doing. Danny and Benjork have become the city's underground police force since the real cops do nothing to protect people. The topic changes to Grace's mission of finding a mercenary group to help defend her planet from any future attacks. Danny and Benjork inform the others of a safer place to stay where they won't have to worry about getting attacked or robbed and wish them good luck in their search.

Over the next few days, they search out a few other mercenary encampments and get the same result as the day at the Roughriders. None of the mercenaries want to train civilians as well as they charge just as much which Grace is unable to afford. Their hopes deflating, they head to a bar to try to raise their spirits. They notice that Danny is there sitting next to Benjork who is sitting with his eyes closed. Danny comes over to the group and explains that Ben isn't sleeping in the booth, he is "dreaming." The ex-Highlander goes on to ask how the searching is going. When he is told that every mercenary that they talked to did not want to train militia. Danny tells them the reason for that is the battlefield has changed drastically in the last few hundred years and they train daily with each other and feel comfortable fighting together and not with a bunch of "temps." Danny and Ben unofficially agree to become the teachers that they want due to their want of doing something more than being street cops. The two soldiers begin to convince other individuals that Ben saw in his dream as they entered the bar to join them to go train and fight with the people of Alkalurops. They are able to recruit: Victoria and Sean who are both MechWarrior pilots, George Stillwell who fights in tanks, Betsy Ross who is a specialist in infantry combat, a lady named Syn who is also a MechWarrior, and a mechanic named Sven who is said to be a master at repairing and configuring 'Mechs.

Prepping for Invasion

Before the group left the Galatea to head back towards Alkalurops, Sven got them to go to a used 'Mech parts yard in order to pick up some supplies. They did not have enough assets to purchase an actual BattleMech, but they did have enough to purchase BattleMech equipment like targeting computers and machines to make BattleMech style armor and weaponry. After paying for all the parts that they need, Grace talks to the jeweler and tells him to keep the remaining items that they have brought and to sell them, none of the mercenaries have asked about their pay and she would prefer to have money on Galatea when that time comes. They quickly board the DropShip and leave Galatea behind them.

Major Hanson was summoned to his commanding officer's tent at the Roughriders encampment. The client who issued the contract for raiding Alkalurops has used vague language hidden within the contact to extend the contract by six months as well as change the original wording in the contract. Instead of just being a raid of the planet, the client has now changed the mission to be a seize and hold. Which means the Roughriders will invade the planet and hold onto it for six months until the contract is finally ended. As well, the client has placed within the wording that says the commander of the last mission, which was Loren, will be the same commander for this mission.

Upon their return to Alkalurops, they find that not a lot has happened in the four months that they have been away. The council is still in session to see how things should be done on planet, but they were able to vote a Governor Pro Tem until the Republic of the Sphere came back and anointed one themselves. As Grace introduces the mercenaries that have accompanied her, some council member begin to question them due to their disdain that Grace has went ahead and hired people without first consulting the council. As things start to heat up, Betsy tells Grace that she is going to do some investigating on her own to see what happened to the previous Governor and the Legate; however, the meeting ended abruptly when an unknown JumpShip jumped into the system. It did not use the normal jump point, it used the pirate jump point which was closer to the planet. The JumpShip was also not responding to any of the communications that were sent to it, which meant that someone not friendly was coming.

With an unknown presence arriving on planet in two weeks, Grace and her companions take a few trucks loaded with their supplies and head towards Falkirk. After two days of driving, they arrive and the group immediately splits up and heads toward their tasks. Sven and Mick get working on integrating the new components to make better IndustrialMech MODs and increase the survivability of their jeeps and place weapons on the. Word is sent out through the grapevine to recruit anyone wanting to train to defend their planet. Other towns with special substances like the fertilizer plant and paint shops, donate supplies to create armor-piercing rounds and rockets to help in the defense. Since they will not have a force ready in two weeks, the group decides to continue the improvements and training of their recruits biding their time until they can strike at the invaders.

When the mysterious force finally landed and issued their demands for the peaceful conquest of Alkalurops; Grace became aware that the it was none other than Major Hanson and his Roughriders who were invading her planet. Due to there being no defenses left on the planet since the raid, the government of Alkalurops had no other choice but to give into the Roughriders' demands and to become a conquered planet.

Owner Un-Masked

Within two weeks of the invasion, Hanson was able to occupy half of the planet, the independent miners portion, his mysterious employer specifically said to leave the business half of the planet alone. In addition, his occupation force swelled with new recruits; however, not everything was going as how Major Hanson planned. First, his employer finally jumped into the system to claim Alkalurops; however, he was ignoring all communications from the planet. Second, the citizens were easily subdued; however, they were beginning their operation of civil disobedience. Since Loren is a man of the military and fights with honor, as long as none of his men are harmed, he has no reason to take it out on the citizenry.

With Hanson not taking any severe actions against the citizens, the resistance fighters use any means necessary to make life difficult for the invaders. They salt the gas tanks, stop the convoys, and even going as far as kidnapping some of the soldiers. When the news of the kidnapping finally reaches the ears of Hanson, he seeks out Grace and informs her that she is trekking on thin ice and that he wants his men back unharmed. Grace agrees that they will remain unharmed as long as he does not harm her people.

When the employer of the Roughriders finally makes landfall and docks at the Spaceport, the same group of mayors who were at the first meeting when Hanson made his announcement were also there to welcome the new owner. Three BattleMechs came out to welcome the attendees: a Legionnaire, a Jupiter, and a Ryoken II which bore a striking resemblance to the one that the late Legate used to pilot. The cockpit of the Ryoken II opened to show Alfred Santorini sitting behind the controls. He announces to the crowd that since they refused his original business proposal, he has no other choice to force upon them a new proposal as a conqueror. In addition, martial law will stay in effect and any infractions against his rules would be dealt with swift executions. To show that he meant what he was saying, he used the Ryoken II's autocannons to swiftly massacre twelve mayors; these mayors were the leaders of the cities where the civilians were being disobedient.

Life or Death

Alfred, the new master of Alkalurops, forced upon the citizens higher taxes and payments to him in order to pay for their "security." This included higher prices for basic necessities such as food and fuel. Alfred also had his Special Police, called the Black and Red due to the color of their uniforms, go to everyone's place of residence and take thirty percent of what it was worth, by any means necessary. If they were unable to pay the tax, then they security forces would take the residence by either evicting the residents, or by killing them.

Due to the Secret Police's ruthless tactics, the planet of Alkalurops became a powder keg that just needed the right light to explode into an all out war. That light came from a family of farmers and their AgroMechs. The family was on their way to the city to sell their produce but was instead taken by the Red and Blacks to have their goods sold to the government-owned plants. Instead, the farmer and his two kids took their 'Mechs and shredded the men to nothing. They ran northward towards Falkirk, where Grace and her army were stationed to protect the citizens of Alkalurops.

Powder Keg Explodes

Alfred immediately began a recruitment drive for his Special Police by obtaining more men as well as more firepower. He recruited men from the jails and confiscated any IndustrialMechs that they could find. Their task was to find the family and bring them back alive for Santorini to make an example of them. They went about this task with the same ruthlessness that they have been known for since the beginning. Whenever they came across a town, they demanded for information on the location of the family. If they believed that you were hiding information from them or hindering their search, they would hang the corpse of the people from the light poles.

The task force that the Black and Reds sent out to find the farmers was completely destroyed in the first battle for reclamation of Alkalurops by Grace's army. Her army showed no restraint in killing any soldier that wore the colors; they believed that since the Special Police shows no restraint killing civilians, that there should be no restraint killing them. When they fought against the Roughriders; Grace's army went about it differently. Instead of attacking with the intent to kill, they went about attacking and falling back. In the process destroying the vehicles and destroying the body armor of the men to slow them down and hope that they wont continue the assault. The resistance went to great lengths to ensure that none of them were killed.

Hanson and his Roughriders kept a methodical push towards the town of Falkirk. They were slowed down by Grace's resistance inflicting over twenty percent damage to Hanson's force without killing a single person. He was losing tank and 'Mech parts due to booby traps that were placed before the Alkalurops' defenders retreated. All was for naught for Loren Hanson, fighting against Grace has given him and the men he commands a whole new respect for the battlefield. The defenders of Alkalurops have been using anything and everything that they can to slow down and harm the Roughriders.

Alkalurops for Alkalurops

Hanson believed the climatic battle for the planet would be fought in the town of Kilkenny; however, Grace had other plans. Instead of fighting the Roughriders for the city, she communicates to Loren that she would like to discuss her terms for surrender. Hanson believes it to be a trick, but she goes on to say that she is a miner, not a killer. She also informs him that one of the mercenaries that joined up with them on Galatea, Betsy Ross, has some information which could be life saving to the Major. The information is in fact documented plans on how Alfred Santorini is going to kill Major Hanson and make the remaining Roughriders part of his army. This new information is just what Hanson needed to cut the contract with Alfred; and to thank Grace for this, he becomes part of her plan to kill Alfred and free her planet from his oppression.

The plan was to feign that the leadership of the resistance was captured and be brought close to Santorini. The "prisoners" would look to be chained but be able to freed rather quickly so they can throw bottles full of fuel and some firebombs to hopefully distract him long enough for someone to kill him. The plan goes off better than Grace ever imagined. The combination of fuel and fire was able to get inside the cockpit of the Ryoken II burning Alfred alive before the cockpit explodes from within. With his death, most of the Black and Reds surrender while the remaining had to be hunted down.

After the chaotic struggle that happened within Allabad, another council meeting was called to figure out what the people should do going forward. It was unanimously decided that Grace O'Malley should be the new Governor of Alkalurops after she gave a stunning speech about how the history of Alkalurops is chock-full of how they take care of themselves. Alkalurops is not rebelling against The Republic, they are going to show them that they can take care of themselves and does not need them in order to survive.

Featured characters

• Grace O'Malley
• Major Loren J. Hanson
• Alfred Santorini

Featured worlds

• Alkalurops
• Galatea

Featured units

• Hansen's Roughriders

Featured BattleTech

'Mechs

• Arbalest
• Atlas
• Black Hawk
• Centurion
• Jupiter
• Koshi
• Legionnaire
• Mackie
• Ryoken II
• Spider
• converted AgroMech
• converted LoaderMech
• converted MiningMech (Dark Age)

Combat Vehicles

• Condor
• Flatbed Truck
• Jeep
• unspecified command vehicle
• unspecified medical vehicle
• unspecified track vehicle
• unspecified repair vehicle
• unspecified hoverbikes

Battle Armor

• Gnome
• Cavalier

JumpShips

• unspecified JumpShips

DropShips

• unspecified DropShips