Part 739: Let's Read Close Quarters - Part 7

Chapter 25

Masamori, Hachiman
Galedon District, Draconis Combine
15 October 3056

There’s still killing happening in the compound thanks to the ISF dressing up as blues. The Ghosts turn up to help out, the Caballeros station them to guard the infirmaries or other locations where they aren’t likely to be killed by agents of their own government so more Caballeros can root out space ninjas. Security cameras confirm a suicide van bomb blew a hole in the north wall. The Wobbies don’t know the ISF was involved, and thought the ISF was trying to prevent them from reaching Hachiman.

Cassie is hanging out with Zuma (the good mechanic salt-of-the-earth technician) and AstroZombie (the bad intellectual college graduate technician everyone hates). Cassie is watching them fix a BattleMech because sometimes things that fix BattleMechs can be used to break them.



One of the things I don’t like about the 17th Recon trilogy is that it’s fairly anti-intellectual. There’s doers and thinkers (and doers forced to be thinkers) and generally doing something is good while thinking is bad. However, the thinker Astro Zombie lives to the end of the trilogy while the doer Zuma does not. Cassie already knows that old `Mechs can be cantankerous and easy to knock offline by jolting their boards around, so she leaves to take a walk with Kali. After being emotionally destroyed by a teddy bear (the idea that someone else cares whether she lives or dies) Cassie has opened up and achieved friendship rather than steadfastly avoiding it at all costs. Progress!

We cut to Archie and Cowboy, Archie is surprised that the Caballeros are willing to help the facility play doctor to injured (non-ISF) security personnel. Raven and her husband French Fry Ames show up. They’re recurring minor characters with a shaky marriage. All this is a set up to teach Archie that ‘Sierra Foxtrot,’ the regiment’s preferred curse, is supposedly short for Santa Fe, the capitol city of Siera, one of the Trinity worlds.



Cowboy you fuckwit.

Archie immediately bites down on his cyanide tooth and dies (this does not happen).



Chapter 26

Masamori, Hachiman
Galedon District, Draconis Combine
16 October 3056

From one spy to another, Subhash Indrahar is existentially terrified by the idea that Chandrasekhar Kurita might be dealing with the Clans. The Draconis Combine is running out of resources and they’ve regimented the lives of their citizens so strictly that trying to clamp down any harder is actually making things worse. Subhash also knows he’s going to die soon (he’s correct, he will be dead by 3058) and his son Ninyu Kerai Indrahar is not ready to succeed him.

Just like Gavilan Camacho is not ready to succeed Don Carlos.

He is deeply afraid that his son will choose suicide over duty in the face of the ISF’s failure at the HTE compound leaving Subhash with no one viable to groom as his successor. Subhash Indrahar is 87, an invalid, and wants his duty to be over. He wants to die and leave everything to Ninyu Kerai, but first he has to talk him out of killing himself to atone for his failure.

Cassie is a bundle of nervous energy, she’s gotten a big emotional release in the form of some brutal violence, but it isn’t enough. She’s not ready to smoke her cigarette and cuddle.



Kali calls her on that shit instantly.



Kali is genuinely worried that Cassie is starting to get addicted to murder. We’ve already established Cassie has no emotional outlets other than violence, and Cassie seethes with rage because she thinks Kali is trying to weaken her. Cassie has another breakdown, but doesn’t resort to violence this time. She wants to know what Kali really wants, and all Kali wants is to be her friend.

Kali gives a fairly typical gaze into the abyss speech and Cassie’s got a decent retort to it.



Kali isn’t wrong. Cassie really, really wants to hit her. She doesn’t. Progress!

We cut back to Archie for some comic relief, Archie is shocked that the Caballeros have made him when he’s only a slightly more obvious spy than Bethany Cochraine. Fortunately Kali and Cassie walk past and they all go out to drinks so he can cry over his beer.



Borstal Boy is a brand of local Drac beer. Archie is upset that he’s been discovered and wants to know why they didn’t out him immediately. They didn’t want to, mostly. You’re getting a lot of quotes this chapter, but it’s a good chapter.



Cowboy.

Ninyu Kerai is not going to commit suicide, but he is utterly pissed at Enrico Katsuyama. As they’re talking, a smuggler DropShip (the same one that Cassie discovered had smuggled Clanners to Hachiman) turns up on the news. It’s had a surprise failure and fallen out of the sky on takeoff, killing all hands onboard. The ISF is mystified by this but Ninyu doesn’t care, considering it a distraction. I WONDER WHO COULD HAVE DONE IT (it was Chandrasekhar Kurita).



Chapter 27

Masamori, Hachiman
Galedon District, Draconis Combine
17 October 3056

Chandrasekhar Kurita has called Cassie to another meeting. He’s curious what she thinks and she’s certain that Ninyu Kerai is going to make another attempt. Cassie wants to seize the initiative,



Cassie asks about the destruction of the smuggler DropShip, Chandrasekhar says he has his best people on [covering] it [up]. He thinks the Clanners are a less immediate risk than Ninyu Kerai. Chandrasekhar has a plan and he wants Cassie in on it. Cassie doesn’t know what to do at this point, but Uncle Chandy wants to prove their innocence to the ISF by showing the ISF the “real” culprit. I mean, the real culprit.

Uncle Chandy claims that he thinks it’s Tanadi, his competitors. Cassie does not buy this but lets him convince her. Cassie wonders if he has actual evidence, which he doesn’t. So he wants Cassie to infiltrate Tanadi. Unfortunately, Tanadi’s CEO is out of reach, but Chandi has a different infiltration target in mind.

While Chandrasekhar is revealing his plan off-camera, the Caballeros are having a meeting. Bobby “Navajo Wolf” Begay immediately questions whether Don Carlos is still fit to command. Gabby is behind it, but pretends he isn’t. He thinks he’s being sly but he’s really bad at it. Gabby immediately shows he’s not fit to lead by figuratively tripping and falling on his face when he accuses an older Caballero of being a coward for declaring he will retire alongside Don Carlos.

Things are mostly calmed down when Lt. Colonel Marisol Cabrera voices her support for Don Carlos stepping down. Don Carlos immediately relieves her of duty. Kali calms things down by shooting her laser pistol into the ceiling and reminding everyone that they’re surrounded by Snakes and have no pick-up, so it’s work together and win together or die. Talk of Don Carlos retiring is tabled for the time being.

Archie meets up with Kali after, and reveals his uncle is the head of MI4. So he got the job on Nepotism even though he’s utter shit at being a spy. He apologizes for accusing the Caballeros of deceiving him when he was really upset by his failure to deceive them.



Chapter 28

Masamori, Hachiman
Galedon District, Draconis Combine
21 October 3056

Uncle Chandy is having a party and has invited Duke Percival Fillington III, Earl of Hachiman to attend. His butler Yoritomo is with him. Percy is infatuated with Chandrasekhar’s newest “play pretty” (Cassie).



Cassie is 5’4” tall, we learn this because Percy is apparently really, really good at estimating peoples’ exact heights. Chandy is ignoring her, and Percy is impressed that for once he is showing a classic Kurita virtue (misogyny). Percy imagines himself as a knight in shining armor (not a Samurai) rescuing Cassie from the clutches of Chandrasekhar Kurita. Percy is a “dangerous romantic” in his own words.

Cassie flirts with Percy, and reveals her name is “Jasmine.” He has to remind himself not to fall for her because “she’s only a woman.” Cowboy and a Caballero we haven’t met yet named “Man Mountain” arrive to “escort” “Jasmine” back to Chandrasekhar. They’re both playing the part of simpletons.



Yoritomo sneaks up on Percy (because he’s an asshole) and Percy laments that there are some things even he can’t have. As they leave the party via helicopter. Jasmine bursts from the complex and begs for asylum since Chandrasekhar Kurita has “gone insane.” Yoritomo gives great fucking advice considering, telling Percy not to get involved because Chandrasekhar “is a Kurita.”

“Jasmine” steals the pistol from one of Percy’s guards and shoots Man Mountain in the chest. Cowboy punches her in the face, and Percy steps in and whisks her to safety. Exfiltration complete. As they leave, Cassie is already planning to break Cowboy’s nose again.

Lt. JG Earl Willie “Man Mountain” Carter is fine, he was wearing body armor and had squib bags under his jacket. He’s a Locust pilot (which is funny as hell) and studied to be a French Chef on New Avalon. He laments that if it had been anyone else, he probably wouldn’t have let himself get shot. He trusted Cassie enough not to shoot him in the face. Cowboy laments that Cassie took his best punch and didn’t even go down.

Cowboy.