MechWarrior 5 Mercenaries: Dissimulate Wanderer (An Origins Series Story, #5): An Origins Series Story, #5

By Randall N. Bills

On December 10th you will take the helm of Nik's Cavaliers, a new mercenary command on a mission of vengeance that will stretch across the Inner Sphere.

The MechWarrior 5 Origins series of short stories immerses players in the backstories of the most important Cavaliers characters. Dive back into the universe you love and prepare for the coming action of MechWarrior 5!

Born among the Azami people of the Draconis Combine, Fahad Arazad has always felt out of place and angry. And that anger will lead to actions that will reshape all he's ever known.

• Language: English
• Publisher: MechaPub, INc.
• Release date: Nov 30, 2019
• ISBN: 9781393254669

Book preview

Dissimulate Wanderer

Dissimulate Wanderer

MechWarrior 5 Origins, Installment 5

Randall N. Bills

Dissimulate Wanderer

SIROCCO

ST. JAMES, MATAMORAS

BJARRED PREFECTURE, PESHT MILITARY DISTRICT

DRACONIS COMBINE

2 JULY 2995

The sun crouched, bloated in the sky, baking the landscape in an oven that soared above fifty-five degrees Celsius this day, high summer.

Fahad Arazad had worked alongside his father for over three years now, his slight frame carefully navigating the Arkab Legion’s maintenance facilities as he learned the arcane art of being a BattleMech astech. Despite such tough work, Fahad’s fifteen-year-old muscles struggled against the brutal 1.46 standard gravity of Matamoras, nearly double that of their home world. Combined with the temperature—Fahad swore he felt the wavering lines of heat sucking the moisture straight out of his pores—and the grinding weight that felt like both his older brothers were sitting on his chest, he was already exhausted. He stopped for a moment, adjusted his anti-glare goggles, feet sliding in the unfamiliar, smooth sands, and then unslung a pouch of water around his neck and took a deep draught.

Careful, Jabal Arazad said as he hopped down into the defile from the waist-high ledge, despite his large frame that cast a long shadow Fahad knew he could never fill. That is all the water you will have until tomorrow night, when they pick us up.

Fahad coughed at the surprising interruption and almost spewed the contents. The horror of wasting the resource—much less in front of his father—just kept it in. He stoppered the pouch and picked up the latticework of carbon-fiber tubing he’d been assembling.

"Aasif, Father."

We all have moments when we are sorry. What we do afterward is what matters.

A companionable silence fell as they continued working. The two parts of the latticework slowly formed into a tear-shaped half shell that they pushed into the sand once fully assembled. His father pulled out the anchor gun, placed the pronged muzzle over the bottom frame rod, and fired. The thump was shocking after the long silence only filled with occasional wind and the whisper of sand particulates grinding their endless