BattleTech: Shrapnel, Issue #7 (The Official BattleTech Magazine) by Philip A. Lee

Author:Philip A. Lee
Language: eng
Format: azw3
Publisher: Catalyst Game Labs
Published: 2021-12-17T05:00:00+00:00

VENGEANCE GAMES

CRAIG A. REED, JR.

PART 2 (OF 4 )

VIII

BLACK HILLS

SOLARIS CITY, SOLARIS VII

BOLAN PROVINCE

LYRAN COMMONWEALTH

25 NOVEMBER 3084

Gideon’s impression of the library was many books, bookshelves, and smaller than the ballroom. There was a fire in the fireplace, but no windows, and only two doors.

Baron Mallory motioned to Gideon. “Sit.”

Gideon chose a leather chair and slumped into it. Mallory took up a position behind the chair and put his hand on Gideon’s shoulder. Hasek claimed a couch, while Skiles went over to the fireplace. DeGea and his companion stood between Skiles and Gideon.

“What’s going on, Riordan?” Baron Hasek snarled as soon as he sat. “Is this really Wozniak?”

“It is,” Mallory replied. “As for why, the man over there you know as Victor Skiles is actually Viktor Reskov, renegade ROM agent, war criminal, and general piece of human trash.”

Hasek looked at Skiles. “Is this true, Victor?”

“Of course it isn’t!” Skiles replied, rubbing his jaw where Gideon’s punch had landed. “That man is a psycho!”

“Skiles doesn’t look anything like Reskov,” DeGea said.

Mallory shook his head slightly. “He’s had thirteen years, several hundred light-years, and access to top medical facilities to change his face and fingerprints.”

“This is outrageous!” Skiles shouted.

“So are the deaths of a thousand-plus unarmed civilians on your orders. But to make things simple, let’s concentrate on Mr. Wozniak’s reasons for killing you.”

Hasek folded his arms. “This should be good.”

“Oh, it is. I’ll give you the background, and Gideon can tell you the details in his own words. Excuse me for a moment.” Mallory released his hold on Gideon’s shoulder and stepped over to a side table with several liquor bottles. He picked one up, filled a glass halfway, then sipped the contents. “Not a bad scotch.”

“Get on with it.”

“All right. Kittery, summer of 3071. Devlin Stone’s fighting a guerrilla war against the Word of Blake and winning. Both Gideon Wozniak and Viktor Reskov were part of a guerrilla force assigned to occupy Ash Ford, a small community of about two hundred people. Gideon was the commander, Reskov his leftenant. The mission was to hold Ash Ford so Stone could take a force through it and hit a Word supply depot at Greenfield. Correct so far, Gideon?”

“Yes.”

“Something went wrong,” DeGea said, his gaze locked on Skiles.

Mallory nodded. “Viktor was an undercover ROM agent planted among the prisoners before Stone’s escape. He was feeding information to his Blakist masters, who still couldn’t stop Stone. Reskov saw Ash Ford as his chance to strike a crippling blow against the guerrillas, so he contacted the Blakists. Instead of a sleepy little village, Wozniak’s unit stumbled into a Word ambush, and all were either killed or captured.” He sipped his scotch. “Gideon can explain what happened to him and the others after that better than I can. Gideon?”

Gideon felt his right arm begin to tremble. He clenched his hand into a fist, tightening the muscles in his arm so the shaking wouldn’t be noticeable. “Reskov ordered the Word soldiers to execute the wounded guerrillas,” he said in a low, tight voice, “then had me beaten in front of the survivors and the Ash Ford residents.

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