Purvo Actual

Planet Purvo, Vientiane Central Government Complex,  December 2049

Jerry Wargate stood at the edge of the open hatch, the wind of the landing platform just outside whipping his traditional Liao garb about in a frenzy as it violently blew into the open door of the extending ramp.  He turned back to the upper walkway when he heard the familiar clack of Blackhand's boots clomping and ringing as he clipped along down the steel steps to the exit hatch.  They stopped at the edge and regarded one another, and Jerry smiled that trepiditious grin he displayed when the outcome of the gambit was uncertain.

"You ready for this?" he asked, and Blackhand simply nodded as he strode down the ramp onto the landing pad.  They walked across the open platform, the wind of the elevated position making them squint their eyes as they purposefully strode toward the government building.  Jerry's hands were folded into his sleeves, and Blackhand seemed to puff up to defy the chilling wind.  No weakness could be shown, not even a mortal susceptibility to the elements.

At the entrance to the huge government arms stockpile, Sao-Wei Torturous stood waiting for them.  He had been the first to contact the ambassador of Purvo after the Liao Cháng-Chéng had saw fit to position them here, right on the edge of Davion / St. Ives space.  Torturous saluted, and Jerry and Blackhand stopped and formally saluted before Torturous placed the folder he carried in Jerry's hands.

"Good to see you guys," Torturous greeted them, and the newcomers nodded their agreement.  "They've been getting antsy in there.  I think they expected you guys earlier this morning."

"Well, now we're here."  Blackhand stated flatly as he pushed past the guards.  They only tried to stop him until they saw the insignia adorning his uniform, and moved aside quickly as he glared at them.  Torturous shot them a warning glare as they walked into the building and towards the stairs, and they backed off.  The entire building knew who was here.

As they walked, Jerry ran over the papers Torturous had handed him.  It was a basic intelligence file on Purvo, denoting large cities, industries and imports / exports.  Jerry's face was concerned, and Blackhand took it as a cue.  He turned to Torturous, and said  "Just lay it out for me."

"Well,"  Torturous began as they hit the lift.  He punched in a numeric code, and the lifts' door closed and it began to move upward.  "The capital and largest city of Purvo is Vientiane, where we are now.  The other major cities include Luang Prabang, Savannakhet and Pakse. The official language here is Min. Most people are Chinese with a significant proportion of indigenous religion as well. It is a rising power in provisioning electricity to neighboring planets such as Hustaing, Decus and Sendalor - and the economy is accelerating rapidly with the demands of its metals."

Blackhand looked at him with raised eyebrows as Jerry shuffled papers and pictures in the file.  "That was directly off Merc Net, wasn't it?"

Torturous grinned a little.  "Should I continue?"

"By all means."

"Its' thickly forested landscape consists mostly of rugged mountains, the highest of which is Phou Bia at 2,818 meters, with some plains and plateaus. The Mekonig River is the large river on world. The climate is tropical and monsoon."  Torturous continued, happy to display his studies.

"There is a distinct rainy season from May to November, followed by a dry season from December to April. Local tradition holds that there are three seasons (rainy, cold and hot) as the latter two months of the climatologically defined dry season are noticeably hotter than the earlier four months."

Blackhand nodded as he considered all that, when Jerry pulled a picture out of the file and handed it to him briskly.  Blackhand took the picture and studied it.  "What about them?" he asked as he showed Torturous the picture.  It was a unit of battlemechs, with unit insignia.

"Second Confederation Reserve Cavalry."  Torturous had that look on his face when there was something he really didn't want to talk about.  "They were deployed to Palos during the Sixth Wave of the last Succession War.  It didn't work out for them."

Blackhand gave the picture back to Jerry.  "I think I see what's happening," he said as he and Torturous shared a knowing look.  Torturous nodded gravely as Jerry shuffled the papers away.  "That definitely sheds some light on the subject of why we were repositioned here on Purvo."  The lift notification rang, and the doors came open.

A few minutes later, they were outside the governor's office.  The guards were pushy, but Blackhand just stared at them murderously as Torturous and Jerry presented the proper papers and confirmed the appointment with the secretariat.  It looked like they were going to be refused the audience, which was a mandatory greeting and strategy outline dictated as necessary by the CCAF.

All of a sudden, Blackhand spoke loudly and sternly to everyone in earshot, but focusing his menace on the secretariat.  "My name is Zvolimir Grebenschchikov, called the Blackhand.  I am Sao-Shao of the Gatekeepers Company of the Liao Cháng-Chéng, and this is my administrative staff."  He glowered at the young woman, who obviously was not used to being spoken to in such a manner.  Blackhand continued once he was sure he had her undivided attention, "I am here to see Governor Lin.  We have an appointment, and I represent the Capellan Confederation Armed Forces.  Let him know we are here."

She balked for a second as Blackhand looked around the room at the guards, who had heard him talking.  Blackhand didn't exactly "yell" yell when he spoke like that...but he didn't exactly "talk" most of the time either.  It was more of a harsh barking noise.

Torturous took the cue, and leaned toward the secretariat.  "I think he means right now, hon."  She scurried into the back room as the guards looked into the doorway.  Jerry simply returned their stare, and they moved away from the office door.

The Gatekeepers entered Governor Lin's office a short time later.  He was standing with some other high-level dignitary from his staff, and as the team entered the governor launched into a spiel about how protocols are there to be followed, but Jerry cut him off after just a few words.

"Governor!" Jerry interrupted Lin, "we are from the Liao Cháng-Chéng, a reserve company that has been assigned by the CCAF to Purvo.  As such, the Sao-Shao is the highest ranking military officer on the planet.  Perhaps the next time he asks politely to see you, you should return that same courtesy."

Lin smiled.  "Your silly Cháng-Chéng organization isn't even recognized formally by the CCAF.  Yet you want me to accord you the same privileges as a real military unit?  Please - you're lucky to even be in my presence, and I owe you no favors."  Lin kicked back in his chair.  "Now, what do you mech-rats want?"

Blackhand smiled, and walked very slowly around the desk to stand in front of Lin.  Torturous moved to block the door, and Jerry moved to the side of the other dignitary, smiling wide.  The other dignitary simply moved away and tried to become invisible, but Jerry put his hand on his shoulder and said, "Don't worry friend, we're going to be good buddies!"  He squeezed the man's shoulder very hard, and the dignitary got the point very quickly.

"For a Capellan governor with no mech units stationed on his world, you're being very flippant and dismissive to us."  Blackhand stated, leaning over Lin's chair while pushing the governor back.  It was a very threatening gesture, and it wasn't lost on Lin that Blackhand's free arm was the shiny black bionics that gave him his name.  "So I'll make this short and sweet.  My Sang-Wei has some papers for you."  Blackhand gestured at Jerry, who brought forth another folder and threw it on the desk.

"These are a list of comms stations we'll be routing through.  There's also a requisition list of supplies and support personnel you need to submit to the governance."  Jerry said, all the while with his arm around the neck of his new buddy.

"We'll also be using the Second Reserve's hangars and at least two of the bases."  Torturous reminded them.

Blackhand smiled right in Lin's face.  Lin grimaced, but began to look the papers over once Blackhand backed off a little.  Yet Blackhand was ready to get started on the work that had to be done elsewhere.

"Alright, Lin," he said as he pulled forth a long macanudo cigar from his uniform, "I think we have an understanding here..."  Blackhand lit the cigar amidst some half muted and unfinished complaints from the governor.  Lin knew there was little he could do since his grandstanding on his position failed to cow these new mechwarriors.  "Understand?"

---

A few hours later the comms net was up.  Blackhand and Torturous finished connecting the transponder array to the new base of operations the Gatekeepers had set up.  Torturous had reconnoitered three different possible bases that the Gatekeepers company had leeway to use as their base, but Blackhand had chosen the facility just outside Vientiane.  He had a feeling they would have to keep tabs on Governor Lin since the meeting had not been cordial at all.   Lin seemed to resent the fact that the Gatekeepers had been assigned here, despite the fact that the citizenry had been quite overjoyed to see them.

"Alright, fire it up."  Torturous said as he peered out from beneath the array.  Blackhand was halfway up the antenna, and turned on his mic.

"Come on in home base, this is Blackhand.  Comms are open, transponders are installed, over."  The two Gatekeepers waited patiently for a moment, hoping they hadn't installed something wrong.  Their wait was short, and then they were rewarded with the sound of the comms crackling to life.

"This is Purvo Actual.  We read you loud and clear, Blackhand."  It was Jerry Wargate's voice on the comms, and they grinned at his mirthful voice,  "Come on in, boys - I made some Xiao Long Bao while you guys were playing out there on that pole in the freezing cold."

"Good," Torturous blurted out as he and Blackhand started down the antenna array toward the bunker, "I'm starving!"  After a moment, Torturous looked at Blackhand, who's face betrayed his concern.  "Hey Jerry...you didn't use cuttlefish this time did you?"