Chapter 2-Torchored by dreams, living in a nightmare.

 The courtroom was not much of a site. There was no spectacular wooden bench. All there was a folding table with superior officers behind it. Anjulo sat in a small wooden chair facing them. Every muscle in his body was tight with stress. Not again.

A Colonel to the right spoke, "For the record we will state the charges brought against  Private Anjulo Marcus." his last name spoke with emphasis. The name Marcus echoes in his mind

A man to the colonel's right examined a sheet of yellow legal paper and began talking. "Anjulo Marcus is herby charged with Dereliction of duty."

When the man was finished the Colonel again. "Private Marcus you have heard the charge brought against you. How do you plead?"

Did it matter that all Anjulo ever wanted to be was a soldier? Did it matter that it was the only thing he was living for, the only thing that gave his life some meaning?

No. It did not. His worst fear was that his past would come back to haunt him they had found out his last name, Marcus, and the mistakes he tried to hide. The charges were all...

"Guilty, Sir" The trust words Anjulo had ever spoke. This is the beginning of the end.

The Colonel took off his glasses and set them down on the table. He paused for a tense second and then began, " Let the record show that the Defendant Private Anjulo Marcus pleaded guilty and no contest to the charge. As of this moment he is relieved of duty, stripped off commission, and dishonorably discharged. Case Dismissed."

'No it cant be!' Anjulo woke in his bed he was not sure if if was sweat or tears running down the side of his face. His heart was racing. He sat up instantly then flung himself out of bed. He shook his head and got his bearings as he moved toward the bathroom. Once inside he ran water from the sink till it was ice cold on his hands. He looked at his red eyes in the mirror before he splashed the water on his face. His complexion was ghost white.

He started uttering to himself, "Marcus... . Marcus... This is Anjulo Marcus...", as he thought back

Battlemechs like the Griffin stood 10 meters tall, most were built in the shape of humans. They were loaded with blistering weapons arrays, and covered in thick metal armor. At 55 tons the Griffin was able to burst through small trees like a man could burst through heavy brush. 

Anjulo had the enemy Quickdraw lined up in his sights for just a second. He fired both his PPC, Particle Pulse Cannon, and LRM, Long Range Missile System. 

The PPC was a white azure beam of light that looked like a horizontal lightning bolt. Chasing it was a swarm of 20 missiles, all with distinctive smoke trails. The hobbled Quickdraw was at the maximum range and even with its slow speed Anjulo could make neither weapon connect.

'If only I would have made that shot, things would be different now' 

The Quickdraw, a Mech similar to his Griffin, was making a move towards the city. Long ago the Ares Convections had become the official rules of war. It had placed a ban on city fighting, but the rules of war were often broken. 

Anjulo keyed in command on his StarLink Radio, "I downed a locust in the woods, but the Quickdraw just entered the city. He is going to have the location of our satellite relay station if I don't stop him."

' I just did not know when to give up. I had one kill. If I would have stopped then'

The fighting was starting to hit a lull, the Com answered back patiently, "Cadet 7 your orders are not to fire. That area is heavily populated we can not risk a firefight."

"Roger that I will not fire over."

Anjulo put the 55 ton Griffin in a full run. Anjulo felt perfect in the Griffin. Its mechanical strides were controlled by his our nuero feedback. It felt like walking, but much smoother. The Griffin had a powerful grace. 

The Quickdraw he was chasing is a fairly heavy design at 60 tons. However for it size it was quite fast and agile. It was able to run at over 80 kilometers per hour and jump almost 150 meters. It's crippled leg actuators would  slow it significantly. 

The Quickdraw's pilot had managed to lose his entire unit and the trainer who was nothing more then a worn out 'Mech jock. 

' I do not need weapons, I already damaged his leg structure all I need is one good kick.'

"Cadet 7 you were ordered, to hold back."

"Roger that, I am just trying to heard him away from the Sat Relay. Will make no fire, No Line Of Sight"

There was no answer, so that was the best Anjulo was going to get for clearance. It was good enough. Anjulo had the hobbled Quickdraw on sensors. He was circling it to its right making it look like he was making an attempt to cut it off. When actually he was trying to push the unit east.

The city streets of Imago are usually packed with people, However the raid sirens had warned everyone of the trouble. The streets were mostly barren except for the few of the adventurous and the looters. 

Suddenly the Quickdraw dropped off his sensors. Anjulo took a turn in its direction to try and bring it back into his short range sensors. After several 360 degree rotations of his radar screen, his probe re locked on the signature. It had moved a significant distance. ' It must have made a jump' 

Anjulo's plan was working. The blip  was moving away from the satellite relay and Anjulo was keeping hot on its tail. 'Once I get him in the open he is a sitting duck form my long range weaponry.' 

Suddenly without warning a Crusader with the markings of the Dragons Breath Mercenary unit stepped into his right arc. Crusaders had more impressive long and short range firepower then the Griffin, but the Crusader was much slower, and could not jump. 

The Crusader fired its wrist mounted Lasers and its Short Range Missile racks mounted on the sides of its shins. The medium lasers it fired were standard inner sphere issue, low heat moderate damage. While its short range missiles were high damage warheads capable of striking a target from almost 300 meters away. Most Crusaders were typically arrayed with six short range missiles on each shin.

One laser cut across the right flank of the Griffin leaving a molten scar across the armor. The other missed wide and cut into a structure in front of the Griffin. The two volleys of missiles followed in the lasers wake. The Griffin rattled as the high damage warheads peppered numerous armor sections of the Griffin.

After shaking off the damage Anjulo checked his HUD, a Heads Up Display that informs the pilot of all critical information. Most sections of the Griffins armor were blue, damaged sections had different shades of yellow in them. Anjulo assessed the damage as he came to a realization, 'God only 5 missile impacts. The rest probably struck..."

"Cadet 7 you were ordered to do no firing. What the hell is going on? Pull out now"

Anjulo pounded the pedal at the floor igniting the Griffins five jump jets. These powerful jets were able to carry the 55 ton  metal giant into the air. He took it back away from the crusader as he arced over nearly buildings and prepared to engage a landing thrust. 

Just as the Griffin touched down Anjulo scanned his sensor display. Something he should have done before jumping. Anjulo had came down right in front of the Quickdraw. Before he could react the Quickdraw cut loose with its complement of lasers and missiles. Anjulo turned into the assault hoping to counter the Short Range Missiles' kinetic energy.

Three medium lasers, enough to strip a ton of Ferro fibrous armor laced into the Griffin, its short range missiles followed. The Griffin rocked back and fell. It came down hard on the pavement and ripped a hole in a huge sections of the blacktop.

Anjulo's head shook. Never had his Mech been thrown around so violently. He was still  looking at his sensors to see the Crusader how long before the Crusader could seal off the other end of the street. That would trap him between the two units. 

Anjulo was able to prop the Griffin up with his arm and get it off the ground. The entire time the Quickdraw was lining up a shot at it. 

'The only way to avoid collateral damage. Is to ensure that everything hits me. ' 

Anjulo put the Griffin into a full run. Straight at the Quickdraw. The Quickdraws pilot must have known Anjulo was going to go kamikaze because it fired every weapon at its disposal trying to bring the Griffin down. This time however Anjulo was not going to fall, he was sure of it. 

Three green coherent beams connected the two 'Mechs for a split second. Superheated chunks of armor came exploding off and the concussion of the Short Range Missiles against the Griffin was enough to shatter all the windows in a 30 meter radius. The Griffin from the assault and it felt top heavy, but Anjulo was able to keep the Mech moving. He closed on the Quickdraw while staggering forward. The Griffin was going to go down, but not before it collided with the Quickdraw. 

When the two Mechs hit everything spun. Anjulo saw spots. The collision involving 100 tons of metal was far more then Anjulo had expected. He felt like teeth were rattling loose. 

Anjulo saw the Quickdraw bounce off the Griffin its arm got shook lose from the impact and huge chunks off crushed armor were forced off in every direction. The Quickdraw snapped back it hit the street hard and rolled twice right across a wide avenue. Into the side of an old brick building.

Anjulo did not fair much better. His HUD went red showing his damage and his Mech staggered off to the right. Anjulo gave up on trying to keep the Mech standing and tried to brace his fall. Anjulo rocked against his harness as his Mech again scraped across the ground. Feedback sent into his brain via his nuero helmet sent tinges of pain all over his body. 

Looking left he saw the Quickdraw trying to get up. However its damaged leg and missing limbs was making it difficult, if not impossible. The Crusader was still closing in. Anjulo knew he had to shake off the pain and get up and away before the Crusader got LOS on him. Anjulo worked the controls of his Griffin and got up in time to see the Quickdraw tumble again.

'Do you remember that, Mr. Marcus?" Anjulo thought to himself.  "The headlines:

Cadet Acting alone
Where to place the blame
Academy in question
Marcus fit to be tied
20 dead, hundreds wounded
Mechjock questionable.

'You did not think that changing your name would make them go away.'

'I did not change my name to forget. I did it for another chance. Damn it.' Anjulo swung hitting right through his mirror and into the medicine cabinet. The glass shattered and exploded cutting his first and arm bouncing fragments off his chest and face.

'There going to find you out. If they don't you are just going to fuck up again'.

'Maybe you'll kill 40 this time.'

'I did not kill them.' This time Anjulo swung around and tried to send the same right first though his door. It was hard wood the door did not give an inch.

' Those things are in the past. They have already happened. Why can't I remember to forget them?'

It had been almost 5 years since that day. Anjulo stood looking at himself in the shattered mirror. He did not know if he ever could move past that day. He was not even sure if he could make it through the night.