A bit of fiction, hope you all like it.

[Lyon]

Tales of the Black Shamrock company

We weren’t always called The Black Shamrocks. Once we were just the AFS 113th.
That was before that day, all those months back. On Foreas, on the road, heading toward Imperial Valley. It’s a day I will never forget. On one hand because it was the day that we were formed, on the other because I watched as my company was slaughtered. Sounds contradictory doesn’t it. Let me tell you the story and you will understand.
I suppose introductions are in order first. My name is Patrick Lyonesse. I was born on earth, and I, like you, are a refuge of this war. I was one of the lucky ones, I got out. I got out because I am a receptive. Funny thing is, back on earth I was a nurse. Now I’m a killer. Back there I used syringes and drugs to heal people, now I use guns and LOGOS to kill. I didn’t go the path of the medic. One of my clones can do that. I am too full of rage, loss and hurt. And so I am a soldier, a killer, a taker of lives. I am death to the bane.

Now that we know who I am, let me tell you about why I am one of The Black Shamrocks. It was a Forean spring afternoon, The 113th was on our way to Imperial Valley outpost for deployment. We were going to provide support there, and then be off to the Divide. Little did we know that the universe, as it so frequently does, had other plans for us. We were coming down the road when we came to this field, so open and green, right up against a lake. Gods, it reminded me of earth. It looked like a park that you would go to on Sunday afternoons to screw around with your friends. We all kinda stopped and looked at it for a bit in silence.
“Hey Pat, Go long!” I heard over my shoulder. It was Marks, and he had his arm cocked back in the quarterback pose ready to throw the ball. But it wasn’t a ball it was one of the used ammo canisters that we use for the flamers. Grinning, I ran hard for a count of 5 and then turned round to see the canister falling towards me. Damn Marks can throw!
I wavered back and forth under it and then realized I would be short, so I shot back in a dive, caught the canister and hit the ground. The wind was knocked out of me and I lay there for a second getting my breath. I stood up with the “ball” held high as if I had just scored the winning touchdown, my squad-mates cheering me on. Even the Captain was grinning. I started trotting back toward the line and was about to wing the canister back to Marks, when that sickening screeching sound of a Bane drop-ship coming in for deployment, started right above me.
“Lyonesse! Get Down!!” Screamed the Captain, as the whole line un-holstered their weapons and stared to fill the teleport field with rounds.
I ate the turf as fast as I could and pulled my laser pistol, rolled to my back and picked out the first thing I could see. At first I thought it was a Forean, but then I noticed the empty look in its eyes, and the “cyberising” that had been done to it. Oh hell! It was a Machena! My laser pistol was useless, so I threw out a vicious kick to its knee and was rewarded with a sickening crunch as the joint caved in. The thing went down and I jumped on it, ramming my pistol butt into its face. Hot lead and energy rounds exchanged over my head as I beat the semblance of life out of my foe. Once its head caved in, I reached in and yanked at the main control chip. I knew that if I didn’t it would be back up in moments. I wheeled around to see most of my squad down or their EMTs going off.
The Emergency Medical Teleport system is great. As long as you don’t suffer a mortal wound right off, it gets your unconscious ass off the battle field to be mended up. Like I said it works great but only if you don’t suffer a mortal wound.
Marks was not so lucky. I watched as a hole burnt its way into his skull as the Thrax energy bolt struck him in the face. He was dead before he hit the ground.
That was it, I was pissed! I turned again to the bane all around me and gathered my anger. Drawing the sigil to focus my rage and then another to whip up the debris in the area, I brought my chain gun to bear and lay full on the trigger. Running and yelling, I mowed down what ever I could get in my sights, and when I got close enough I beat them with my riffle butt. I took 4 down in a matter of seconds, by then I burned through all my rage and felt exhausted. I looked up to see the Captain and 6 others still among the living and present. We quickly tended to the dead, activating their EMTs to send them to the nearest Hospital. I took care of Marks personally. When he had vanished I noticed something had fallen from his body. I bent down to examine it. It was a necklace pendant. A shamrock, blackened with age, inside a glass capsule. I slipped it into my pocket and headed out, muttering a quick prayer for my lost comrade.

We were quiet the whole rest of the way, high strung and trigger happy. As Imperial Vally base came into view. our point held up his clenched fist, the signal to halt and stay quiet. Something was up. Gods! Now what? Suddenly the fist spread into an open hand and we all spread out and found cover. Looking for what had spooked our point, I glanced out from around the tree I had dove to. I couldn’t see what was wrong until I saw the glint of light off a weapon barrel. It was coming from just outside of the base, in the trees. It was a sentry, but not one of ours. It was a Bane Lightbender. Damn. That meant Imperial Valley was occupied.
The Captain looked grim, I was pissed, and I know after the earlier assault we were not in the mood for this shit. “Listen up men,” he whispered to us. “We are taking this base back, do you get me?!” there was a resounding “Hoah!” of assent. We all as one started to reload, and check our gear. I found Marks’ shamrock again, kissed it and put it in my pocket again. “This is for you buddy.”

Quietly we crept toward the base. Spread out at 10 meters between us, sneaking from cover to cover. First thing was to take out the sentries. Thing with Lightbenders, where there’s one, there’s 4 or 5. Once we had located them all we all got ready. The Launcher was in position, we all had our targets. The Captain held up his hand, spread his fingers wide and dropped his fingers one by one, in a slow, silent countdown. As his fist closed 4 riffles fired at once. A rocket and 2 chainguns belched forth a hot rain of death and destruction. 3 of the Lightbenders went down with out a chance. The other one ran for the base. It was caught in the explosion of the rocket finding its mark. We ran forward firing and screaming our defiance. The force field of the base rippled and out pored at least two dozen Bane. The Captain screamed orders to us as we dropped to the ground for better cover and better firing. “Take out the Caretakers and Techs ASAP!”
I found my mark. A Bane Caretaker heading toward the down form of one of the Lightbenders. “Oh no you don’t you son of a bitch!” I screamed at it as I hurled a blast of “lightning”. It’s more of a super condensed static discharge, but MAN does it pack a punch. The Caretaker was thrown back to the ground, and as it raised its head, I let loose with my chaingun. Its head exploded in a shower of ichor and gore. I heard the chirp of my chaingun’s counter confirming my kill, with no small sense of satisfaction. I searched for the next “Dead man”, but I was targeted instead. I felt the hot wave of force roll over my right shoulder as the armor’s energy field absorbed the bane energy blast. My right cheek stung where the flesh was burned from the shot. Whirling around, I dropped to a crouch and shouldered my rifle. Three quick shots put the Thrax on his ass and a forth burst his chest. Another one down. Then the world was turned upside down and I got introduced to my first Kaiel. HOLY SHIT!!!! That thing is huge!
It batted me away as if I were no more then a pesky bug. I don’t know how far I flew but I hit pretty hard. It rang my bell and I was stunned for a second. That’s all this thing needed. It charged me, moving like a giant silverback gorilla from earth. The ground shook so violently that I couldn’t stand back up. I was dead I knew it. I raised my pistol in a vain attempt to defend myself, when the Kaiel suddenly was knocked off its feet. It hit hard on the ground to my right and I jumped up and away as hard as I could. I landed on my face, rolled over and looked at the Kaiel. The Captain was standing over the big hulk’s corps, giving me the “you were this close to biting it” hand gesture. He helped me up and we rejoined the battle.

The force field was down, most of the bane were either dead or dying. Our radio man had called in for reinforcements, and we heard the blessed sound of a hedgehog rolling in, to drop troops, or a Mech, or something. Through the din of gunfire, swears and bane screams, the Captain yelled, “hold ‘em off boys! Lyonesse, you’re the receptive, let’s take this point”.
Grinning I ran up to the Eloh pylon, summoned the LOGOS within and tapped in to the control point matrix. After a few seconds of channeling, the point changed color and the bases systems came back online. Our force field was up and the bane were on the run. I began shouting my enthusiasm at our success. But my joy turned to horror. As I turned away from the control point, I saw that only 3 of the original unit were left. The Captain had taken a shot defending me so I could complete the point transition. That was the 3rd time the Captain had saved my life. I was heart sick and weary. We 3 looked up at each other, covered in grime, blood, dust, and ichor. Our armor was blackened from our ordeal, and we all knew that the 113th was history. I took Marks’ pendant out of my pocket again, and showed it to the other two.
“This is supposed to be a symbol of luck. But our luck is black. For each of us spared and “lucky” enough to be here, the rest had to fall. I will wear this mark in their memory. And I will never let the bane forget who we are! Will you?” My two companions shook their heads and we all slapped each other on the shoulders. It was then that an AFS pilot came up to us. “Man! You guys sure pulled our asses out of the fire on that one, who are you?”
With out even looking at one another we answered in unison, “We’re the Black Shamrocks.”

I still wear the pendant, and I have painted its image on my armor. So when you see one of us on the field or in the bases, or hanging around the tavern, you now know who we are. We’re the Lucky unlucky, the blessed cursed. We are the Black Shamrocks.