Saturite City
Western Basin
Labrea, Labrea System
First Quarter, 3066
Under the rough illumination of cheap light fixtures, two figures sat at the small table in the corner
of the room. The larger of the two men, seated against the back wall of the bar, wore a tight
black jacket and dark blue overalls. He also sported an olive-drab hat over his balding head. A
middle-aged individual in his late 60s, the man looked down at the dish in front of him in
dissatisfaction. He slowly shifted his deep gaze from the food to the man on the other side of the
table.
The smaller man sat across the table from the older man, wearing a bright smile across his young
face. His body was concealed by an overbearing tan winter coat, with oversized overalls similar
to the larger man’s. He glanced down to his own food, then looked back at the older man once
more. The smaller man’s smile was unchanged.
“And what are you grinning about?” questioned the older man. He grimaced once more, but this
time his face lost all of its previous seriousness. He slowly began to laugh.
“Grandpa, I told you not to order the lasagne. I knew it was the one you complained about last
time!” Navin said. He shook his head. “You could’ve believed me, ya know?” He waited for
a response from his grandfather, Harry Higgins.
“Navin, I know I should have listened to you. I’ll eat it again and be happy with it.” Harry
smiled. “But next time, I’ll take your word for it.” His smile faded as he looked back at his plate
in disbelief.
The Brush with Death wasn’t busy tonight. Except for a few locals scattered across the field of
tables, the little bar was empty. The quiet shop provided Navin and Harry with a relaxed
setting. Since the two had moved to Labrea, they had frequented it to take advantage of its
unique atmosphere. Despite his worries for the owner’s financial shortcomings, Navin had
always hoped the bar would remain quiet and unpopular.
“So. What will tonight’s topic be, Grandpa?” Navin was always looking forward to his
grandfather’s stories. Harry Higgins had been through so much as a Mechwarrior. After his
recent retirement four years ago, Harry had still managed to lead an exciting life. Navin’s eyes
were full of interest as he awaited his grandfather’s reply.
“Well, let’s see. I was going to mention something that happened to me when I was younger.
However you ought to know that my old unit still knows some secrets that cannot be shared.”
Harry paused, weighing his grandson’s comprehension with a moment of observation.
“Even now? After all this time?” Navin asked. The young man’s blank face was full of surprise.
“I’m afraid so, Navin. My guess is that the majority of us Hueys will take one specific incident to
the grave.” Harry set his fork back onto the table. “As small as our unit is, most people
wouldn't guess that the Hueys were once involved in something big.” Watching his grandson’s
eyes fill with awe, Harry stretched his back and leaned his chair against the wall behind him. His
eyes scanned the area, wary of any attention his statement might have caught. However, no one
in the bar had broke from their own conversations.
“Go on, you’ve got my interest.” Navin grinned. He grabbed his fork and knife, and began
cutting his steak while he glanced back and forth between plate and storyteller.
Harry relaxed back into his seat, using his own legs to balance his weight onto the chair’s back
legs. “I remember a time almost thirty years ago, when the Hueys had allied with a mercenary
team called Llana’s Breakers. You’ve probably heard of the Breakers before. Yauri Swift used
to be a member of their team until he’d gotten into a big fight with Llana Huxley herself.”
“Yeah I remember talking with Yauri about it years ago. I’d asked him about how he’d first
been interested in piloting BattleMechs. He seemed a bit uncomfortable with discussing it so I
didn’t press for much information at the time.” Navin stopped as he put a morsel of the cheap
steak into his mouth. Despite its delicious taste, he detected something unnatural about the
aftertaste as he swallowed it. Probably genetic, Navin thought.
“Yes, I imagine he did. The Breakers and the Hueys had a very complicated, though short,
relationship. At one point, our commanders had almost melded the teams into one.” Harry
looked down to his plate again. As his face began to show another look of disgust, he
continued. “The Hueys and Breakers had joined forces as separate teams on a couple of
occasions. The disaster that ensued after one of those times is the root of all the Hueys’ current
problems.”
“So you mean to say that the partnership of the two caused the blind fear that has been
destroying Ace for so long? The fear that the Combine will retaliate against us for contract
violation?” Navin paused a moment, realizing he might have let too much of his own opinion slip
from his mouth. Regardless of the private setting and informal conversation, Navin didn’t want
to discuss the Acer’s Hueys commander and the man’s apparent mental illness.
“It is true that Ace Leghorn lives his life by fear. I can see in your eyes you regret saying that.
Don’t.” Harry smiled at his grandson. “You know for your age, you are a pretty good reader of
a person’s character.”
“Well...I suppose so. I didn’t mean to be offensive. I guess mom’s opinion has rubbed off on
me more than I realized.” Navin smiled.
Harry sat forward into his chair, obviously disturbed at the mentioning of his own daughter. Mia
Higgins had opted to live the life of a Mechwarrior while in her twenties. Harry had been
heartbroken, watching his daughter make the same decision that he had when in his youth.
These years, Harry despised his past as a Mechwarrior. More than anything else, Harry
regretted his choice of lifestyle and how much confusion and pain it had caused within his own
family. Watching his daughter make the same decision had caused the old man additional
worry. He could only pray that his grandson Navin might do something else with his life, ending
the legacy of war and fear that the boy’s mother had decided to continue.
“Yes,” Harry finally replied. “I suppose she has rubbed off on you a bit.” He paused as he
picked up his fork once more. “The partnership of the teams wasn’t the exact cause of Ace’s
fears. But it did have a lot to do with it. Working under joint contracts for the Draconis
Combine, the Hueys and Breakers ended up in a trap of sorts. Though the Combine hadn’t
actually set the trap, they had known about it and purposely sent us to our deaths.” Harry
paused once more, choosing to delay eating once again after considering the meal’s unpleasant
aroma. “The breach of contract that followed was determined by Ace to be the only way of
escape. Fearing the Combine would punish us as part of a grander scheme’s coverup, Ace
decided to go into hiding for an undetermined amount of time. When months became years and
then years became decades, many of the Hueys newer members disagreed with Ace’s policy.”
Western Basin
Labrea, Labrea System
First Quarter, 3066
Under the rough illumination of cheap light fixtures, two figures sat at the small table in the corner
of the room. The larger of the two men, seated against the back wall of the bar, wore a tight
black jacket and dark blue overalls. He also sported an olive-drab hat over his balding head. A
middle-aged individual in his late 60s, the man looked down at the dish in front of him in
dissatisfaction. He slowly shifted his deep gaze from the food to the man on the other side of the
table.
The smaller man sat across the table from the older man, wearing a bright smile across his young
face. His body was concealed by an overbearing tan winter coat, with oversized overalls similar
to the larger man’s. He glanced down to his own food, then looked back at the older man once
more. The smaller man’s smile was unchanged.
“And what are you grinning about?” questioned the older man. He grimaced once more, but this
time his face lost all of its previous seriousness. He slowly began to laugh.
“Grandpa, I told you not to order the lasagne. I knew it was the one you complained about last
time!” Navin said. He shook his head. “You could’ve believed me, ya know?” He waited for
a response from his grandfather, Harry Higgins.
“Navin, I know I should have listened to you. I’ll eat it again and be happy with it.” Harry
smiled. “But next time, I’ll take your word for it.” His smile faded as he looked back at his plate
in disbelief.
The Brush with Death wasn’t busy tonight. Except for a few locals scattered across the field of
tables, the little bar was empty. The quiet shop provided Navin and Harry with a relaxed
setting. Since the two had moved to Labrea, they had frequented it to take advantage of its
unique atmosphere. Despite his worries for the owner’s financial shortcomings, Navin had
always hoped the bar would remain quiet and unpopular.
“So. What will tonight’s topic be, Grandpa?” Navin was always looking forward to his
grandfather’s stories. Harry Higgins had been through so much as a Mechwarrior. After his
recent retirement four years ago, Harry had still managed to lead an exciting life. Navin’s eyes
were full of interest as he awaited his grandfather’s reply.
“Well, let’s see. I was going to mention something that happened to me when I was younger.
However you ought to know that my old unit still knows some secrets that cannot be shared.”
Harry paused, weighing his grandson’s comprehension with a moment of observation.
“Even now? After all this time?” Navin asked. The young man’s blank face was full of surprise.
“I’m afraid so, Navin. My guess is that the majority of us Hueys will take one specific incident to
the grave.” Harry set his fork back onto the table. “As small as our unit is, most people
wouldn't guess that the Hueys were once involved in something big.” Watching his grandson’s
eyes fill with awe, Harry stretched his back and leaned his chair against the wall behind him. His
eyes scanned the area, wary of any attention his statement might have caught. However, no one
in the bar had broke from their own conversations.
“Go on, you’ve got my interest.” Navin grinned. He grabbed his fork and knife, and began
cutting his steak while he glanced back and forth between plate and storyteller.
Harry relaxed back into his seat, using his own legs to balance his weight onto the chair’s back
legs. “I remember a time almost thirty years ago, when the Hueys had allied with a mercenary
team called Llana’s Breakers. You’ve probably heard of the Breakers before. Yauri Swift used
to be a member of their team until he’d gotten into a big fight with Llana Huxley herself.”
“Yeah I remember talking with Yauri about it years ago. I’d asked him about how he’d first
been interested in piloting BattleMechs. He seemed a bit uncomfortable with discussing it so I
didn’t press for much information at the time.” Navin stopped as he put a morsel of the cheap
steak into his mouth. Despite its delicious taste, he detected something unnatural about the
aftertaste as he swallowed it. Probably genetic, Navin thought.
“Yes, I imagine he did. The Breakers and the Hueys had a very complicated, though short,
relationship. At one point, our commanders had almost melded the teams into one.” Harry
looked down to his plate again. As his face began to show another look of disgust, he
continued. “The Hueys and Breakers had joined forces as separate teams on a couple of
occasions. The disaster that ensued after one of those times is the root of all the Hueys’ current
problems.”
“So you mean to say that the partnership of the two caused the blind fear that has been
destroying Ace for so long? The fear that the Combine will retaliate against us for contract
violation?” Navin paused a moment, realizing he might have let too much of his own opinion slip
from his mouth. Regardless of the private setting and informal conversation, Navin didn’t want
to discuss the Acer’s Hueys commander and the man’s apparent mental illness.
“It is true that Ace Leghorn lives his life by fear. I can see in your eyes you regret saying that.
Don’t.” Harry smiled at his grandson. “You know for your age, you are a pretty good reader of
a person’s character.”
“Well...I suppose so. I didn’t mean to be offensive. I guess mom’s opinion has rubbed off on
me more than I realized.” Navin smiled.
Harry sat forward into his chair, obviously disturbed at the mentioning of his own daughter. Mia
Higgins had opted to live the life of a Mechwarrior while in her twenties. Harry had been
heartbroken, watching his daughter make the same decision that he had when in his youth.
These years, Harry despised his past as a Mechwarrior. More than anything else, Harry
regretted his choice of lifestyle and how much confusion and pain it had caused within his own
family. Watching his daughter make the same decision had caused the old man additional
worry. He could only pray that his grandson Navin might do something else with his life, ending
the legacy of war and fear that the boy’s mother had decided to continue.
“Yes,” Harry finally replied. “I suppose she has rubbed off on you a bit.” He paused as he
picked up his fork once more. “The partnership of the teams wasn’t the exact cause of Ace’s
fears. But it did have a lot to do with it. Working under joint contracts for the Draconis
Combine, the Hueys and Breakers ended up in a trap of sorts. Though the Combine hadn’t
actually set the trap, they had known about it and purposely sent us to our deaths.” Harry
paused once more, choosing to delay eating once again after considering the meal’s unpleasant
aroma. “The breach of contract that followed was determined by Ace to be the only way of
escape. Fearing the Combine would punish us as part of a grander scheme’s coverup, Ace
decided to go into hiding for an undetermined amount of time. When months became years and
then years became decades, many of the Hueys newer members disagreed with Ace’s policy.”
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