Part 764: Let's Read: Main Event - Part 6
Let’s Read: Main Event (part 6)Chapter 6
Solaris City, Solaris
2 August 3054
Days elapsed since book start: 102
Mercenaries recruited since book start: 2
Mercenaries recruited off-screen: 1
Things accomplished since book start: 0
Protagonists introduced since book start: 3
Protagonists mentioned but not yet introduced: 1
Antagonists introduced since book start: STILL 0
Chapters Spent on Northwind: 5
Jeremiah is in rare form this chapter, he’s arguing with a steward on the dropship he’s taking to Solaris for… no reason. The steward has Rose’s bags prepared so Jeremiah can be the first one through customs and off the ship, and Jeremiah is still being an asshole for literally no reason. He even fucking says so.
Main Event posted:
Jeremiah Rose was more than prepared to argue with the steward, mostly for the fun of it
I really hope you people understand why I say I hate Jeremiah Rose. I’m not just calling him a dickhead to be cruel, he really is a colossal jerk to everyone who isn’t a member and/or future member of the Black Thorns.
Anyway, before he can really get his jerk on, the Captain of the dropship calls Jeremiah to the bridge. Why is it that all of the good exchanges in the book come from people calling Jeremiah on his idiocy? Why are we supposed to like Jeremiah again?
Rather than following the Captain’s order, Rose demands that his black case (the one with his fuckoff laser hand-cannon) be ready for him at Cargo Bay Door II, and he guesses he’s willing to wait for the rest of the stuff. Even though the steward already told him that ALL of his cargo would be ready at the cargo bay door. Rose then rants about civilians and how he doesn’t think he can trust the steward to actually do as he asked.
We then learn that Rose has stormed onto the bridge of the ship before, but this is the first time he’s been invited.
REALLY? You’ve been antagonizing a dropship captain on his own bridge, you asshole? Oh, and like everyone we’re supposed to dislike, the dropship’s captain is described as portly. Fuck you, Stackpole, you’re the one who set that precedent back in the Warrior trilogy.
Rose reaches the bridge and immediately wastes no time antagonizing Captain Waterson. The Captain has something to say, however, and since I approve of his message I’m going to include it verbatim.
Main Event posted:
“So, you’re still on the ship after all. When the crew reported you missing during the final cabin check , I thought you’d finally gotten impatient enough to walk.”
(NOTE: A passenger not in his cabin on landing is throwing off the dropship’s weight distribution and could cause it to spin catastrophically out of control and crash)
“The thought hadn’t occurred to me, Captain, but now that you mention it…”
[…]
“Well, now that you’re here, I just wanted to take the opportunity to say ‘bye.’ Not ‘goodbye.’ Not ‘God speed.’ Not ‘see you later.’ Not anything but ‘bye.’” […]
“Mister Rose, I must say that in over twenty years of commanding a DropShip, I have never, and I mean never, had the occasion to encounter a man like yourself. To say you are universally hated by my crew would be an understatement of major proportions. I am surprised they haven’t mutinied just to get you.”
“In short, Mister Rose, please take the earliest opportunity to disembark my ship and never, I mean never, return.”
They touch down without incident and the Captain has his personal steward help Jeremiah Rose off the ship immediately. We’re supposed to be left feeling like this was some well-planned victory and Rose was antagonizing the crew to get planetside as quickly as possible; but no. This was not planned. This was a spontaneous act of kindness by Captain Waterson; all to please a man who cannot be pleased.
If anyone else would like to murder Jeremiah Rose, please feel free to let me know.
Rose then explains that he’s not really an asshole, just frustrated because he was delayed for a month because his jump ship ruptured a helium seal. Now, that’s really bad, since without the liquid helium keeping the jump drive cool, the entire ship would explode if it tried to jump. In 3025, such a failure would’ve been catastrophic and tied up the jumpship for 3-6 months while they waited for another ship to come in with a new seal.
In 3054, a month is still an astoundingly quick turnaround for damage like that.
Regardless, I’m sorry, but no. Jeremiah Rose, being frustrated is not an excuse to be a dickhead. Not that he needs an excuse.
Anyway, Jeremiah considers his mission a failure since we’re in the “last week of the dueling season” and all the good ‘Mechs will have been bought up and hoarded for next season. Rose then resolves that ‘if there is a ‘Mech to be bought or stolen, he will acquire it’.
… Goddamn.
WHY is he our protagonist?
Anyway, we are then treated to a description of Solaris City (which is unimportant). Jeremiah heads into the Black Hills (Davion district) to visit a bar. We then learn that he hasn’t slept in over 40 hours.
WHY?!
Anyway, after spending three hours visiting over half a dozen bars in the Black Hills, Jeremiah still hasn’t found a ‘Mech to buy. He has, however, gotten extremely drunk and tired. He then takes personal satisfaction in how gloomy and squalid the Black Hills are (hint: all of Solaris City is gloomy and squalid, the planet’s a hellhole who’s only export is gladiator fights and organized crime (thank you, House Steiner)). He stops at one last bar, the Pelican (really?), which is apparently frequented by elite Mechwarriors (who are nonetheless too bad to get into Valhalla).
Rose then asks for a Draconis Combine beer in a Davion bar.
It nearly gets him thrown “all the way to Kobe”, but he saves by asking for a Davion drink instead.
Main Event posted:
He blamed the lack of sleep, but that was precious little consolation. Rose was still grinding his teeth at his stupidity when the beer arrived. This would definitely have to be the last stop. Any more and his fatigue could get him into real trouble.
BLATANT. FORESHADOWING.
Anyway, we are then introduced, via the bartender, to Ian Owans and Buck Blaylock, the best Davion announcers on Solaris. I wonder if they’ll be important, since they were namedropped by the bartender who has no name.
The Bartender then introduces himself, but he doesn’t matter. The bartender then gives Jeremiah some genuinely good advice (get himself some D-bills), but Rose is such a D-bag he’s not going to bother. Rose then asks the bartender for help, and gets told to go fuck himself. He then asks the bartender for some ‘information that won’t conflict in any way with his current employment in exchange for pay’, which gets better results.
Rose then asks if there’re any ‘Mech stables hiring. The bartender says he’ll help put Rose in touch with a man named Brachall, who’s a ‘broker’. The Bartender says to go back to a bar Rose already visited and ask for Brachall by name, and to not mention the bartender at all because the guy’s bad news.
Then the chapter ends. Has anything been accomplished? No.
Looking ahead, we’re not going to get off Solaris until chapter 16.
