Closing the Doors

This is about where I end my regular weekday writing of Ten Years on Terra.  I want to thank everybody who commented, gave me ideas, and the support to keep up with this writing project over the last year.  I may make intermittent posts here to address particular subjects as they come up, but consistent updates, I'm afraid, are coming to a close.

I'm not planning on retreating from the BattleTech community at all, of course, and I have another game planned for when Interstellar Operations releases later this year; I'll likely have another blog covering the game I run for that.  In the meantime, I'm working on some plot organization with a few friends related to aerospace, which is another part of the universe near and dear to my heart.  Whenever one of these projects has a major milestone, I'll be sure to post here as well.

Once again, thanks to my players, my readers, and all the folks at Catalyst who delivered A Time of War and made this campaign possible.  It's been a blast.

Jump.

Clark's Logs, Sessions 19 & 20

VWS on a field of recently-mowed pasture at the Cameron Ranch. Galloping across the screen is FIONA, a spirited Appaloosa filly with a flowing mane. CLARK sits confidently in the saddle, and a cut-in to MS shows him leaning forward with the reins held firmly but loosely.

CLARK

Attagirl, Fiona, don’t let up!

FIONA continues to gallop on for another length of the pasture before CLARK slows her to a trot. He pats the side of her neck gently and nods in approval.

CLARK

You’re a mighty fine horse, FIONA. I’ll be doubly glad to

have you once old Rocky’s turned it in. He’s not near as young

as he used to be.

CLARK runs a hand through his hair, just starting to show real graying at the temple. He grimaces in thought.

CLARK

Neither am I, I guess. But it’s been a rough few years. More than

a few! They’ve been here, what, seven years now? That’s a

decent chunk of my life I’ve given to the Resistance. Oh, right.

I should probably get this all out of the way now, girl, so you’re

not too surprised if the Word of Blake comes kicking down the

barn door before too long.

CLARK barks a short, humorless laugh. FIONA tosses her head nervously and whickers.

CLARK

It probably won’t come to that. Probably. But it’s true! Your new

owner is a bona fide terrorist. I’ve been fighting the Word of

Blake ever since ComStar failed to kick them off my planet.

FIONA

Neigh!

CLARK

Hard to believe, I know. A mild-mannered guy like me? I’m not

even military or special ops. Neither is my friend Simon. You

remember Simon - he helped me load you up and drive you

here from the farm you used to live on. He’s a good guy,

but I’m worried about him. This fight has taken a toll on him.

More than anyone else, I think. Except Shin, but he’s gone.

CLARK looks back toward the house, lost in thought and clearly not happy.

CLARK

We can’t keep this up much longer. There’s a new guy, Alan,

who helped us destroy a Wyrm and capture some critical

intelligence. He’s a Lyran, which is a little dodgy, but I like

him. I’m glad to have him, but...we haven’t seen Cho in months.

Years, actually - we just haven’t HEARD from him in months.

What if he got eaten by a bear or something? Yeah, right.

CLARK shakes his head and slows FIONA to a walk. The horse tries to stop and begin eating grass, but CLARK clicks his teeth and gives a firm tug of the reins, steering her back towards the barn.

CLARK

I pity the bear who gets on the wrong side of David Cho. Of

course, ever since that last mission, Alexander’s been getting weird,

too. It was all so easy - the Missouri cell helped us bypass the security

on the data repository, and there was only one guard to take out before

we were free to start pillaging files. We even managed to NOT kill him!

Guess there are some benefits to not having Shin or Cho along...

FIONA

Snort!

CLARK

You’re right, girl. Best not to speak ill of the dead, or possibly-

dead. We got the info that ComStar needs to root out the double

agents in their coalition before the fleets come to retake Terra.

All that’s left to do is disable a planetary defense cannon, and then

wait for the cavalry to ride in and save our asses.

CLARK glances down and shakes his head, wry amusement written across his lined face.

CLARK

I thought I would be the cavalry, when I joined the Resistance.

Bravely coming in to save my planet where ComStar had failed.

Now I see that this thing’s way bigger than our little cell, or all

the little cells, can handle. I just have to pray that the info we

got them will be enough for them to make it through.

FIONA draws up close to the barn, and CLARK stops her and dismounts neatly, though with a small grunt as his feet hit the ground. He draws an apple out of his pocket and lets the horse eat it from his hand while he sighs.

CLARK

I’m getting too damn old for this. We’ve done the impossible

before. But with Cho missing, and Alan not being half the

fighter Shin was - even if he is twice the human being - I’m

worried. We’ve come so far. We can’t fail here. We need to

do this, and I need to survive. What’s more, I need to make

sure Simon gets out. I still feel like I’ve dragged him into this,

and now his life’s a mess. I need to look after him until he

can really get back on his feet.

CLARK lets FIONA wander over to the trough after she finishes the apple, while he sticks his hands in his pockets and stares at the horizon.

CLARK

And here’s me, pushing forty and still single. I haven’t had time

to worry about it ‘till now, but...it’s gonna be a lonely retirement,

whether the Word or ComStar are calling the shots. The only lovely

ladies I’ve had time for live in the barn or the chicken coop. Not

that I regret it, but...okay, I regret it. A bit. Hopefully it’s not too

late for me. I haven’t come this far to die alone. Right?

CLARK looks to FIONA, who ignores him in favor of drinking from the horse trough. CLARK snorts and shakes his head as he strolls back towards the house.

CLARK

Right.

Clark's Logs, Session 18

WS on CLARK kneeling in his small garden, in overalls and a long-sleeved shirt, with his sleeves rolled up.  His gloved hands are scooping out small handfuls of earth.  At the slightest sound from just offscreen, he snatches up the rifle laying on the ground next to him, and levels it at the open garden gate.  A cottontail rabbit immediately freezes, having gotten only one hop inside the gate.  CLARK sighs.

CLARK

You can come in, if you really want to.  None of the good stuff’s

grown yet.  Should’ve figured you’d waste no time if I left the

gate open.

CLARK puts the gun down and returns his attention to the soil.  Once his attention is elsewhere, the rabbit hops cautiously further into the garden, its nose twitching.

CLARK

Oh, don’t be so dramatic.  You’re far from the worst guest I’ve

ever had.  Of course, I guess I have one fewer now...

CLARK shakes his head.  The rabbit continues to explore the periphery of the garden plot, occasionally stopping to nibble at the green stem of an early weed.

CLARK

Shin...why’d he have to go and get himself blown up?  Okay, I

guess I wasn’t feeling charitable towards him before, but...he went

back because he thought it would help Simon and me.  He died

trying to protect us.  That’s got to be worth something.

The rabbit  pulls up a dandelion, which CLARK watches out of the corner of his eye.

CLARK

Hey, maybe I should keep you on as a weed-whacker  ‘Course,

once my veggies come in, I bet you’ll forget all about the weeds.

That’s fine.  The food will go farther now that Shin’s gone and

Cho is moving out.  Going on the run, I guess?  Haven’t heard

from him in months  Do I hope he’s all right?  I don’t know.

CLARK stabs the earth with particular ferocity using his trowel, and finally seems satisfied with the hole he’s dug.  He pulls a paper pouch out of a pocket in his overalls and scatters a few seeds.

CLARK

If we’re going to win this war, we’ll need him.  Win this

war...we’re not even fighting a war.  Well, I guess we are,

but it’s not one we can win.  All we can do is harry the Word

of Blake and disrupt them, so that when ComStar comes,

they’ll be that much easier to take down.  When will they come,

though?  I first got involved with the Resistance because I

was angry at what I saw happening.  I was scared for my

home.  I wanted something better for Terra.  I guess I still

do, but...I was a younger man, then.  A different man.

The rabbit hops over to CLARK, sniffing the earth carefully around where he sits.

CLARK

I don’t regret it.  We’ve achieved more than I ever thought

possible, really.  We’ve stolen terabytes upon terabytes of

sensitive data, shut down weapons programs, cured a deadly

virus, and stolen an actual BattleMech.  We have a lot to be

proud of, really.

After a pensive exhalation, CLARK scoops some dirt back into the hole and pats it down with the back of his trowel.

CLARK

But now Shin is dead, and the rest of us sure aren’t getting

any younger.  Simon might have lost his legs after our last

fiasco if I had made one misstep during the surgery.  I gotta

confess, I just needed to take some basic principles and hope they

still applied.  People are not my specialty.  No, they sure aren’t.

CLARK stands up, and the rabbit again freezes.

CLARK

Yeah, I can still see you.  It might fool the coyotes, but not

me.  Go on.  Out you go, now!

CLARK herds the rabbit out the open garden gate, then pulls it closed with a clang.  He slides the simple latch to hold it in place while he finishes.  Turning around, he takes a moment to consider his position in the fenced-in garden.

CLARK

I wonder if I might have trapped myself in more ways than one.