The Let's Play Archive

Battletech

by PoptartsNinja

Part 808: Let's Read Warrior: En Garde - Part 18

Let’s Read Warrior: En Garde (part 18)

Book 4
Chapter 55
Solaris VII
Rahneshire, Lyran Commonwealth
26 May 3027

Justin Xiang has blundered into an ambush by an Urbanmech and a Firestarter in his one-on-one duel with Phillip Capet. So he does what anyone in a heavy `Mech that outguns both of its opponents by a wide margin does: he walks off a cliff and avoids the fight, then kills both `Mechs one at a time when they try to chase him.

He then snarks at Philip Capet in the wordiest way possible and… ugh. Have a Stackpole-ism, everyone!

quote:

“[…] I felt compelled to watch the UrbanMech explode. It’s a pity you weren’t here.”

Capet’s laughter sounded hollow. “I’ll catch it on the replay. I warned him that you Capellan bastards are sneaky.”

Justin nodded. “That we are, Capet, but you’ll never understand the true depth of our brilliance in that department.”

I really wish there was a combination of and to properly express myself here.

Anyway, Justin is beat up so he reverses his arms and starts marching his Rifleman backwards through the Factory arena because he figures Capet will try to ambush him to attack his thin rear armor. He’s right and Capet tries to jump him, but can’t resist the opportunity to gloat because without Justin telling everyone what it was he’d done, nobody would understand what was going on because this entire scene lasts a page.

He then gets a bullshit double cockpit hit with his autocannons because Stackpole was running out of space and Patrick Kell needs to save the day die heroically, and Justin is distracting everyone from that subplot.

Anyway, speaking of wrapping things up this chapter doesn’t end with the fight but instead has Justin’s meeting with Tsen Sheng as well, wrapping up the Solaris VII subplot and preparing everyone for the next book because Chancellor Maximillian Liao has invited Justin to come be a Maskirovka operative! Except we don’t learn that yet because Tsen Sheng just drugs Justin and throws him in the trunk of his hoverlimo.



Book 4
Chapter 56
Styx
Dieron Military District, Draconis Combine
26 May 3027

We’re back to the plot that Stackpole actually cares about, the one involving his personal pet Mercenary group the Kell Hounds! Anyway, the Kell Hounds say ‘fuck the hostages’ and attack the Genyosha again, a contingency the Kurita Mechwarriors were completely unprepared for. Except for Yorinaga Kurita who just vanishes from everyone’s sensors because he’s magic.

And yeah, that’s a plot point. Patrick Kell ignores him and starts murdering all of Yorinaga’s subordinates to keep them distracted while Melissa escapes. Patrick kills a half-dozen Panthers before Yorinaga kills him. Anyway, our viewpoint character Dan Allard is forced to eject from his Valkyrie but in the postscript we learn that Melissa has been saved and House Kurita apparently decided ‘welp, we tried’ and… then they just left rather than, y’know, fighting to the last man or launching a suicide assault on the Kell Hounds’s jumpship.

Oh, and Patrick survives the battle so he can deliver some closure to the hounds. He tells Dan to tell Morgan that he’s dead, and then gives command over to Salome Ward. Then dies melodramatically.



Book 4
Chapter 57
Northwind
Draconis March, Federated Suns
5 June 3027

Quintus Allard is here with a shipment of denouement! Unlike Main Event, we get more than just a single paragraph, we get an entire chapter AND an Epilogue! That’s TEN WHOLE PAGES of closure!

Anyway, Dan Allard is here too and his arm is in a magic sling made by the NAIS that uses electricity to speed the healing of bones! The NAIS is apparently big on homeopathic medicine and figure ‘if we stimulate the nerves painfully, injured people won’t complain about regular slings as much.’ Dan and Quintus then summarize the last chapter and tell everyone what Patrick’s plan was, because we’re all fucking idiots and not because it was ill-conceived and poorly described.

We’re still viewing the world through Dan’s eyes, and upon seeing Andrew Redburn he mentally announces that Andy really deserves his promotion to Captain! ‘Cause getting yourself blown up and stabbed by a ninja is certainly proof of a person’s command ability. Just look at Patrick Kell!

Anyway, Hanse and Melissa are here too I guess and they finish summarizing Patrick Kell’s heroic defense. Wow, what a great battle! I wish we could’ve seen it. But at least Patrick will get a totally sweet statue to memorialize him.



Epilogue
Sian
Sian Commonality, Capellan Confederation
10 June 3027

HOLY SHIT GUYS, MAX LIAO! And he wants Justin to join the Maskirovka and help him KILL HANSE DAVION!

Dramatic cliffhanger! Go buy the next book guys because HOLY SHIT!



This is the end

Join me next time when I read D.R.T.