WilliamDArand

Cavalier's Gambit -ch 17-

Getting off the transport, Wayne grunted.

After spending the better part of seven hours holding the bunker as well as the anti-aircraft position, Wayne was exhausted.

After they’d knocked the battlecruiser out of the sky, nothing else had shown up. Leaving him and his people with nothing but tension, small talk, and an empty sky.

Looking one way then the other, he let out a breath he didn’t realize that he’d been holding. They were no longer in what could be called the...

Cavalier's Gambit -ch 16-

It only took two minutes to reach the ridgeline, but that was more than enough time for an entire battle to start and end.

A lifetime, one could say.

Reaching the peak, Wayne looked down into the line Michelle had been working.

He immediately saw the remains of her squad and what was happening.

Six Dashi Walkers had fanned out and had three Walkers from the Terran Confederation pinned down between some natural stone earthworks.

There were five Dashi Walkers laid ...

Cavalier's Gambit -ch 15-

Wayne had been quickly shipped off the station, transferred to a Cruiser military ship, taken elsewhere, and now was sitting in an audience hall.

He was surrounded by Walker pilots from what he could only guess was “all corners of the Confederation”. He saw men, women, old, young, and even those who looked like they’d only completed the most basic of Walker training.

“—squad three will proceed across this line, and enter the lower levels through this maintenance bay,” ...

Cavalier's Gambit -Ch 14-

Wayne’s hopes had been dashed.

The loot Tink had put together at the dump through sorting and picking through for several hours had cost nearly seventy percent of what they’d ultimately be worth if Tink tried to resell them later.

The owner of the dump seemed to focus in on the fact that Tink had pulled out particular items rather than what she’d done previously.

Pulling out entire assemblies and casings to get at pieces for later.

His awareness of that fact made...

Cavalier's Gambit -ch 13-

Over the last handful of days, Wayne had gotten some time to size Tink up.

Since hiring her, she’d been working non-stop on the ship, as well as Patchwork.

Every day he’d take Patchwork out to do some work as a loadmaster while spotting as a loader, and each evening she did repairs. She brought its efficiency up, and each time he took it out, it was simply better.

A lot of the small hangups Wayne had learned to deal with, were eliminated one by one. This last evening, th...

Cavalier's Gambit -ch 12-

Wayne looked at the email he’d received.

He read it over for perhaps the third time.

It’d only had been perhaps three Faesin days, which were almost twenty-four hours each. Each planet had their own number of hours in a day, and their own gravitational forces, though Faesin was in a rare category.

An “earth-day comparable” type of planet.

Which was something noteworthy, if only because no one knew where Earth was anymore. A planet long since forgotten as the im...

Cavalier's Gambit -ch 11-

Wayne started making his way to the door that’d lead him out of the cargo bay. Patchwork thankfully was a godsend in this regard as, regardless of what was happening, the magnetic feet kept Wayne moving smoothly.

Then the cargo bay exploded.

The side of it detonated outward with a flash of light and was explosively decompressed in the same instant.

It left Wayne standing there, staring down at the planet of his birth below him. The white and blue skies along with the open ...

Cavalier's Gambit -ch 10-

Wayne was rather disturbed.

Bothered.

Worried.

Disquieted.

The contracts were all ones that’d been left up since before he took the government contract. Not one single new contract had been put up.

There was also a sudden flurry on the job board for loading.

Just not the normal way.

From land to space elevator or land to docked ship.

A great deal less was up going the other way around.

Frowning, Wayne really didn’t know what to think o...

Cavalier's Gambit -ch 9-

Wayne had ended up with “Helm” in his cockpit with him.

The man was most definitely burned, and severely so. His wounds had been treated as best as they could, but it was obvious he was suffering.

And badly.

He’d need to get straight into an ICU with speed or there’d be no saving him.

Wheezing, and breathing hard, the mummy-like man was draped over Wayne. His head resting on Wayne’s shoulder.

In the end, the reason he’d been chosen to carry him was hi...

Cavalier's Gambit -CH 8-

Wayne didn’t delay.

Neither with moving, nor with taking shots.

Even as he exited the courtyard he saw the rest of his squad forming up.

As he did, the moment a white-box appeared with a name he recognized as anti-armor, Wayne just fired. His kinetic rifle had been put away and now his laser canon was vaporizing enemies as they showed up.

For the first time, he was appreciative of his screwed up eye and the fact that it refused to ever turn off. Always giving him inf...

Cavalier's Gambit -ch 7-

Wayne laughed, leaned back, and then looked to the older man he was drinking with. They looked to be in their fifties but were still active.

“—yeah? Yeah. I mean, I didn’t mean to. I was just new and stupid and… yeah,” David said, looking surprised.

“Oh, I totally get that. Happens… to everyone,” Wayne agreed nodding their head.

“What happens?” asked a man in his middle-age, dropping down into the seat between Wayne and David.

Wayne had met them ear...

Cavalier's Gambit -Ch 6-

Wayne made excited chattering noises as if he were a squirrel.

Or perhaps a very pleased chimpanzee.

In either case, his joy was audible and apparent.

He had no idea why but the “garage” as Horrace had called it was filled with Scout iterations of Walkers as well as several Light-Combat Walkers.

Which were bulkier Scout Walkers intended to fight in combat roles that didn’t need heavy anti-armor roles.

There was even a semi-dismantled Mid-Assault class Trail...

Cavalier's Gambit -ch 5-

Wayne stood in doorway to his garage and wanted to turn around. He wanted to walk right back out.

No matter where he looked, intrusive bits of information appeared. Endlessly providing him with information.

None of which he expected or even wanted.

He’d briefly consulted with the doctor who’d put his new eye in and he’d stated it was a bio-mechanical replacement. While it did receive data and signals from his brain as well as if he had any implants on board.

It d...

Cavalier's Gambit -Ch 4-

Pulling at the panel, Wayne grunted with all the effort that he could put into it.

With a pang, it came loose finally.

Which unfortunately sent Wayne shooting across his workshop and slamming into a several crates. Though the plate was in one hand, the pry-bar the other.

“Fuck, Patchwork. Just didn’t want to give that one up, huh? I can finally put in an armored glass canopy though. I have to get these panels off to put in the armored liner,” Wayne growled and tossed t...

Cavalier's Gambit -ch 3-

Groaning Wayne leaned to the left, then the right, and then backward.

It did almost nothing for his back at all.

He’d done what he set out to do in the end.

“Fucked up my back,” groaned Wayne, standing upright again.

In the end, he’d picked up a shift for almost every hour in the day. Earning more than enough to actually get an armory visit as well as a basic rifle and Walker-Sword.

Given the amount of strength a Walker could put out, melee weapons requir...

Cavalier's Gambit -ch 2-

Wayne frowned and picked up the weight after realizing that he wouldn’t need to brace himself against the load. His Walker’s skeletal hand closed around the large cement filled pipe and he lifted it easily.

Half of his job required him to understand just how much his Walker could hold, in what position, and what it’s relative distribution would need to be.

He’d often wondered if he’d missed his true calling as a load master for the big space cargo ships that often broke ...

Cavalier's Gambit

“CPU-online,” reported the basic VI from Wayne’s diagnostic tablet.

“Yup,” Wayne muttered, watching the tool he held in one hand. The other was pressed to the knee joint of his Walker.

Though perhaps calling it a Walker was an overstatement.

It’s missing all of the possible armor, not a hint of a weapon, and it’s power-supply unit doesn’t work.

But hey… it’s a Walker.

Kinda?

Maybe.

Though jus...