Текст книги "The Sword and the Dagger"

Автор книги: Ardath Mayhar

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Текущая страница: 20 (всего у книги 21 страниц)

36

It took a week before the capital city and principal towns of New Avalon returned to normal. Hanse freed the imprisoned councillors and reinstated them with more pomp than usual. He hoped in this way to make some apology to them and also to reinforce the conviction, among the populace, that a great injustice had now been corrected.

In the meantime, the Prince's investigators discovered a network of informants throughout the Palace and even in the military. These were systematically weeded out and replaced with others known to be trustworthy. Ran Felsner took complete charge of the New Avalon contingent of the Royal Brigade again. His return from Stein's Folly at the tail end of the conspirator's plot had been convenient. He went right to work.

Hanse personally took charge of reorganizing the Court on New Avalon, and when the dust settled, there were some old faces missing and many new ones come in. Argyle, too, got its shakeup. Hanse had Cleery removed from his post with speed and neatness, then appointed Fani Littek as Maître in his place. Though many were dismayed by her promotion, most agreed she'd be perfect for the job.

Ardan, meanwhile, had been dispatched to Redfield to take part in the reconquest of that world. After a successful invasion, with only minimum Davion losses, he was soon back in Avalon City again. Seeing the many changes Hanse had been making, Ardan approved and was especially glad to see Maylor Efflinger still in place as Steiner ambassador. Without that man's help, Ardan believed that their desperate attempt to regain the throne would have failed.

One evening shortly after his return, Ardan stood looking down from the terrace as the pale sun vanished beyond the distant wall of the Palace garden. It was peaceful here, and Ardan was feeling the kind of pleasurable fatigue that often follows the successful resolution of a crisis.

Footsteps on the stone pavement caught his attention, and he turned. It was Hanse approaching, and for a moment, Ardan recalled that now-distant day when so much bitterness had existed between them. How glad he was to know that was all long past

"Just the man I wanted to see," the Prince said. "I was hoping to personally hand you this invitation for tomorrow evening."

"Invitation to what?" Ardan asked, unable to keep a note of irritation from his voice. "I'm too bone-weary to attend some fancy affair, Hanse. Can't we have done with all this, and get on with other business? What in the world are you up to now?"

Hanse chuckled. "You will see what you will see, my friend. Now, don't be difficult just when everything is beginning to fall back into place." With that, he clapped the younger man on the shoulder and shoved him toward the door. "And don't be late!"

Back in his own chamber after a session in the Cleaner, Ardan stretched out on the bed in his soft robe. He picked up the invitation and slit it open, reading half-aloud:"...the Palace ballroom...eight o'clock...full dress..." Damn! he thought Formal again.

He rose the next morning full of gloom. Ardan wanted to get back to his old work, without the confusing and distracting interruptions that seemed to crop up so often lately. This formal affair was not to his liking at all.

The day went quickly, for all that He was working with Lai and Nym again, putting a new Victorinto operational condition. The fine tuning of the neural helmet was a slow matter, and he spent hours in the 'Mech, testing the polymer muscles and weapons of the huge machine.

Dusk came before he knew the day was gone. Lai called up to him, "Sir, you have an engagement tonight. Remember. . .you asked me to remind you?"

Ardan sighed and climbed slowly down from his tremendous alter ego. "So I do. Remind me tomorrow that I have enjoyed it, will you? Ill never know, otherwise."

Lai chuckled, helping him on with his fatigue uniform. But Ardan didn't feel like chuckling as he made his way up the stair into the living quarters.

He found there a new dress uniform waiting for him. Hanse had evidendy sent it during the day. It was even more elaborate than the one he had worn into the dungeons on Argyle. What a get-up for a soldier!

He went into the Cleaner and came out scrubbed but still unhappy. The thing fitted perfecdy. He cursed Hanse's tailor. If it hadn't been a fit, Ardan could have worn a plainer outfit. Ready promptly at seven-thirty, he was waiting for his friends at the foot of the stair leading onto the walkway outside the barracks.

Hearing footsteps above, he glanced up. Then his jaw dropped. Sep was wearing the elaborate dress Prillie had chosen for her and that Efflinger had insisted she keep, Ardan now realized that he must have been so tense the last time she had worn the dress that he had not really looked at his second-in-command.

That had been-a major error. Sep looked stunning. She was, after all, a handsome woman, even sweaty and dusty as she went about her work. Now, her hair done high, her skin glowing with artfully applied makeup and the jewels that were the gift of Steiner blazing at neck, ears, and fingers, she might have been one of the most sought-after women of Davion's court.

"Close your mouth!" she snapped, seeing his face. Her eyes were twinkling, however, and her tone was not angry.

Though Ardan managed to compose his expression, his heart was jumping about in his chest. He had always known that Sep was nice to look at. He hadn't known she was beautiful.

Jarlik thumped him on the shoulder. "Get a move on, Dan. We don't want to be late. I suspect that the Prince is about to explain some things. I'm told that he has been investigating everything he could possibly burrow into during these past weeks. What I want to know is how the conspirators rigged those tests. That boggles my mind."

Ardan stepped out to keep up with his long-legged friend, but he was very aware that Sep, in her gold and white splendor, was just behind him. A delicate scent of flowers kept teasing him, and he didn't know if it came from the gardens or from her.

They arrived just on time. Lackeys were opening the wide doors from the terrace into the ballroom. A small group of people could be seen inside, already holding filled glasses that glinted with shades of golden and ruby wine. The three friends mounted the broad, shallow steps onto the terrace and entered the room.

"Here they are now," Hanse said. "Come in. I want to introduce my rescuers...and those who helped them in their dangerous endeavor." The Prince clapped his hands, and the people in the room quieted.

Ardan, looking about, saw Kolek and Prillie. He recognized a few other officers of the Guard, as well as several of the staff members of the Palace, now in their best as guests instead of servitors.

He felt increasingly uncomfortable. Was this some sort of award ceremony? He didn't like those at all.

But Hanse was speaking again. "I would have preferred to publicly thank all of you who assisted me in regaining my throne, but this is a matter best kept among ourselves." He glanced about the room.

"I ask each of you to speak little, if at all, of any of the matters we have experienced together over the past months. We know the truth. We won the day. Now we must keep the enemy from profiting by so much as a rumor."

There was a murmur of agreement in the room. Ardan, looking from face to face, knew that these were people of the most solid sort, dependable to the ultimate.

"There are many matters that have been troublesome, and some seemed inexplicable as well. I know that you have wondered, as I did, what really happened. We have now ascertained, as well as will ever be done, just how this sequence of events came about" Hanse motioned to waiters with trays of glasses.

"Refresh yourselves again, my friends...it is a rather long story. I will make it as brief as possible, however." He waited while his subjects accepted glasses, found chairs about the tapestried walls, and settled themselves. Then the Prince sat on the footstool before his own great chair and stretched out his long legs companionably.

"All this began, we have learned, some years ago when the Capellan Confederation began looking acquisitively at our frontier worlds on their border. Maximilian Liao, being no man's fool, cast about for a method of weakening the power of the Federated Suns.

"He was unable to do this militarily, for obvious reasons. Therefore, he put his head together with advisors from...other Houses...and they decided to remove me from the rulership of the Federated Suns by replacing me with a false Hanse Davion, who would gradually alter my policies to further their own cause."

He clasped his hands about his knee and looked grim. "It demonstrates the wide differences between our systems when I tell you that they took a man—just an ordinary fellow who happened to be of my build and coloring—and wiped his mind clean of his own life's memories. I may have indulged in political maneuvering at times, but I have never allowed any basic interference in the personal rights of my people, and I hope that I never will."

There came a shocked murmur from the small crowd. He nodded. "They obtained, through methods that I have now blocked permanently, holographs of me in every possible place and activity. And they put that unfortunate man through extensive plastic surgery, copying every feature as far as science is now capable of doing. When they were done, he was, to any observing eye, Hanse Davion. Then through their agents in the Palace they replaced all my medical records, retinal scans, DNA, blood type, etc. with that of the imposter's."

Hanse turned toward Ardan. "Before bringing their duplicate back to consciousness, they allowed Ardan Sortek, my childhood friend, to see him. He had been captured, treated,; and held solely for that purpose. He, being the one person I know who could identify me without fail, would be the one accused of treachery, while I would be called an imposter. That would remove both of us at once. A quarrel between us, which was fomented by vicious rumors aimed at Ardan's ears alone, seemed to be a viable motive for his falseness.

"They had, however, a few strategically located people who were genuine traitors. Cleery, my Maître of the Household on Argyle, was one of them. There were even some in my own pet project, the New Avalon Institute of Science, and it was they who substituted the physical specifications of the double for my own, long before the testing that proved that I was not myself, but an imposter."

"Ah!" Jarlik sighed. "I wondered mightily about that. We thought it was impossible to fool the testing procedure."

"Within the year, it would have been. Our security system has been improved and upgraded to the point where my brainwaves would have identified me immediately and without doubt. Which is the reason for their haste to put the conspiracy into effect as soon as the duplicate was completed and trained."

Hanse now relaxed and stood before the group. "Jarlik, Septarian, Sortek, and Reflett came to my rescue in the nick of time. Officer Denek made arrangements that allowed us to travel here as soon as possible and to take our places near the false Davion on that important day of his great announcement

"Maylor Efflinger, friend and ally, managed to get them into a position to follow through on Denek's arrangements. His son and daughter-in-law were of inestimable value in that affair, and my heartfelt thanks are due them. I might interject here the news that I am attaching Kolek Efflinger to my staff as personal liaison with the Steiner interests."

The newly weds beamed, as did Maylor Efflinger, unable to hide his pleasure. Ardan felt a smile tugging at the corners of his own mouth to see the casual and effete facade fail the ambassador for once.

"The knowledge that such impersonations have taken place in the past, even into remote times when only chance caused physical similarities, should have warned us that this sort of thing might be attempted again. But we felt that our own culture was too civilized for that. We have learned differently." Hanse looked to Doctor Shali, who sat alone near the front of the room.

"I have been assured that the equipment and the technology for such transformations will be closely monitored from this time on. Not only because of its threat to any ruler, but also because of its utter devastation of the man chosen for modification into another. The person who was the imposter is innocent of any wrongdoing."

Jarlik muttered a protest, but Hanse quelled him with a glance. "This is quite true. He was chosen without his own consent His mind was emptied of all he knew. He was reeducated with the most accelerated techniques to believe himself to be the true heir of Davion.

"I have granted a pension for his care. It may not be possible to wipe his mind again and return to him his past and his own personality. It may not even be advisable to try. But he has suffered enough. He will be cared for for the rest of his life...in comfort and quiet In a remote place, where his peculiar attributes will make no problems for anyone."

Ardan was relieved, listening to his friend. This was Hanse Davion as he had always known him to be. A ruler, yes...one who must do whatever necessary to protect the interests of his sphere, but not a man who would be needlessly cruel.

Hanse was saying, "Maximilian Liao has made us much trouble in recent days, but our forces have proven their loyalty and their worth in battle once again. Stein's Folly and now Redfield are both ours again!" A smattering of spontaneous applause went around the room at those words, and the Prince smiled over at Ardan.

"Yes, Liao has been most troublesome of late," said Hanse Davion, "but if I were him, I'd watch my back."

37

Ardan Sortek was putting his unit through its nefarious paces, watching from the sidelines where he sat in his new Victor.The term 'new' was, he admitted, a misnomer. The 'Mech had been refashioned from parts of several wrecked ones, and some of its lasers were from totally dissimilar 'Mechs.

He yelled into his com, "Sep, get that monster moving! I don't know why you like that ground-hugging monstrosity when you might have had a jumper!"

"Stick to your knitting, Mother," came her drawl in return. "I manage to get there. Just you watch."

The WarHammerstalked between the jaws of the Gauntlet, dwarfed by its towering walls. Bursts of crimson light seared the armor, chatters of fire rattled from the turret and the limbs of the 'Mech she rode.

Her weapons cocked their wicked muzzles and bursts of fire raked the walls. The target areas went dark in quick succession, as she put the first segment of the Gauntlet out of commission. So that was how she did it...marksmanship. Unhurried, cool marksmanship.

Ardan resolved to begin intensive practice at once. Mobility was well and good, but that sort of quick and accurate fire would give a unit with jumping capacity even more of an edge.

He heard a heavy approach behind him. Another ‘Mech. He swiveled to see who it might be...His own unit was out on the field at work.

"Good work," said the familiar voice of Hanse Davion approvingly.

"This is a surprise," said Ardan. "I thought you hadn't time for drill nowadays."

"I haven't. But this old baby was the saving of us all. I decided I'd better sharpen up my skills again. Never know when you're going to need them in this mad universe."

Ardan knew Hanse was right If someone had forewarned him of all that had occurred within the past year, he wouldn't have believed it And, to add to the confusion, Felsa had made him an uncle. Perhaps that Sortek would also become a MechWarrior one day.

"Hey!" he yelled as Hanse stalked past him toward the hell that was the Gauntlet. "Do you want to be a godfather? My sister asked if you would consider it. I've got a nephew!"

The BattleMasterturned in its tracks. Its arm, heavy with weaponry, came up in a salute. A laser, held high, shot red light into the sky in a celebratory burst

"Of course," said Hanse Davion, Prince of the Federated Suns. "I can never have too many Sorteks in my entourage. Now come along. The Gauntlet needs a workout, don't you agree?"

Grinning, Ardan followed his friend and ruler into the mouth of hell.

GLOSSARY

Autocannon:

This is a rapid-firing, auto-loading weapon. Light vehicle autocannon range from 30 to 90 mm caliber, and heavy ‘Mech autocannon may be 80 to 120 mm or more. The weapon fires high-speed streams of high-explosive, armor-piercing shells. Because of the limitations of 'Mech targeting technology, the autocannon's effective anti-'Mech range is limited to less than 600 meters.

BattleMechs:

BattleMechs are the most powerful war machines ever built. First developed by Terran scientists and engineers more than 500 years ago, these huge, man-shaped vehicles are faster, more mobile, better-armored, and more heavily armed than any 20th-century tank. Ten to twelve meters tall and equipped with particle projection cannons, lasers, rapid-fire autocannon, and missiles, they pack enough firepower to flatten anything but another BattleMech. A small fusion reactor provides virtually unlimited power, and BattleMechs can be adapted to fight in environments ranging from sun-baked deserts to subzero arctic icefields.

BattleMaster:

A formidable assault ‘Mech, the BattleMasterweighs 85 tons and has a maximum speed of 64.8 kph. The firepower that the BattleMastercan generate in one volley is staggering and more than deadly at close range. Its main fire weapon is its right-arm PPC, and its three right-torso and three left-torso medium lasers provide close support fire. Of the six lasers, two are mounted on the 'Mech's right and left rear, making it one of the few models equipped with rear firing weapons. An SRM 6 and two machine guns complete the BattleMaster'sweaponry.

Command Circuit:

The Successor Lords maintain a series of charged JumpShips along important space routes so that the week-long wait for recharge is not necessary. Because it is expensive and JumpShips are so precious, the Command Circuit is reserved only for emergency or top-priority situations such as travel by the ruler himself or for sending a messenger across vast reaches of the Inner Sphere in less than a day.

Company:

A tactical military unit consisting of three BattleMech Lances, or for infantry, three platoons with a total of 50 to 100 men. Infantry companies are generally commanded by a Captain.

ComStar:

ComStar, the interstellar communications network, was the brainchild of Jerome Blake, formerly Minister of Communications during the latter years of the Star League. After the League's fall, Blake seized Terra and reorganized what was left of the League's communications network into a private organization that sold its services to the five Houses for a profit. Since that time, ComStar has also developed into a powerful, secret society steeped in mysticism and ritual. Initiates to the ComStar Order commit themselves to lifelong service.

Corsair:

The Corsair isa 50-ton, medium-thrust AeroSpace Fighter armed with two medium lasers, four small lasers, and two large lasers. It is especially effective at close range, and its compact laser systems make it one of the better planetary atmospheric fighters.

Crusader:

A heavy BattleMech, weighing 65 tons, with a top speed of 64.8 kph. It is heavily armed even for a 'Mech, mounting a laser, heavy machine gun, and massed LRM batteries in each arm, and SRMs on each leg. The Crusaderis capable of delivering a full spread of 42 missiles at optimum 160-180 meter range, with the potential of crippling or destroying even the mighty BattleMaster.

Dragon:

The Dragonis a well-armed 'Mech whose top speed of 86.4 kph makes it one of the fastest of the heavies. Armed with 24 rounds for its LRM and a whopping 40 rounds for its autocannon, the Dragoncan carry on sustained battles without reloading. Even if ammo does run low, the 'Mech's left-arm and left-torso medium lasers ensure that it has other weapons to fire.

DropShips:

Because JumpShips must generally avoid entering the heart of a solar system and they lie at a considerable distance from the system's inhabited worlds, DropShips were developed for interplanetary travel. As the name implies, a DropShip is attached to hardpoints on the JumpShip's drive core, later to be dropped from the parent vessel after in-system entry. Though incapable of FTL travel, DropShips are highly maneuverable, well-armed, and sufficiently aerodynamic to take off from and land on a planetary surface. The journey from the jump point to the inner inhabited worlds of a system usually requires a normal-space journey of several days or even weeks, depending on the type of star.

The Overlordis the largest military DropShip in common use. It can carry a full-strength battalion of 36 'Mechs, 6 AeroSpace Fighters, 84 men (including Pilots, Techs, astechs, and medical personnel). The Overlordcan also carry whatever infantry or vehicles the battalion owns, and sometimes even some family members.

HyperPulse Generator:

The ComStar communications net is composed of a large number of powerful HyperPulse Generators (HPGs) capable of transmitting and receiving an instantaneous signal across a distance of nearly 50 light years. About 50 of these "A" stations are scattered across the Inner Sphere. "B" stations are capable of communications over a 20– to 30-light-year span, and are located at most inhabited worlds of the Successor States. "A" stations transmit their accumulated messages every 12 to 24 hours; "B" stations much less frequently (two or three times per week).

JagerMech:

This 65-ton 'Mech mounts two light and two medium autocannon and two medium lasers. Its top speed is 64.8 kph.

JumpShips:

Interstellar travel is accomplished via JumpShips, first developed in the 22nd century. These somewhat ungainly vessels are made up of a long thin drive core and a sail resembling an enormous parasol, which can be up to a kilometer wide. The ship is named for its ability to 'jump' instantaneously from one point to another. After making its jump, the ship cannot travel until it has recharged by gathering up more solar energy again.

The JumpShip's enormous sail is constructed from a special metal that absorbs vast quantities of electromagnetic energy from the star it is near. When it has soaked up enough, the sail transfers the energy to the drive core, which converts it into a space-twisting field. An instant later, the ship arrives at the next jump point, across distances of up to 30 light years. This field is known as hyperspace, and its discovery opened to mankind the gateway to the stars.

JumpShips never land on planets, and only rarely travel into the inner parts of a star system. Interplanetary travel is carried out by DropShips, vessels that attach themselves to the JumpShip until arrival at the jump point. Most of the JumpShips currently in service are already centuries old, because the Successor Lords have been able to construct very few new ones. For this reason, there is an unspoken agreement among even these bitter enemies to leave one another's JumpShips alone.

The InvaderClass JumpShips can carry three Drop-Ships. StarLordClass JumpShips can carry six DropShips.

Jump Points:

Jumps are made from either of a Star system's two main jump points. These are located at the system's zenith and nadir, perpendicular to the plane of the system and passing through the gravitational center. These points do not change and are always at the same distance from any world in the plane of the system. Though other jump points do exist in every system, they are rarely used.

At the jump points for major worlds and along key trade routes are space stations where a DropShip can dock or orbit while making arrangements for the next jump if the owners do not possess their own JumpShip, or where they can stop over while their JumpShip recharges.

Lance:

A BattleMech tactical combat group, usually consisting of four 'Mechs.

Laser:

An acronym for "Light Amplification through Stimulated Emission of Radiation". As a weapon, it damages the target by concentrating extreme heat on a small area. BattleMech lasers are designated as small, medium, and large. Lasers are also available as shoulder-fired weapons operating from a portable backpack power unit. Certain range-finders and targeting equipment employ low-level lasers also.

LRM:

This is an abbreviation for "Long-Range Missile", an indirect-fire missile with a high-explosive warhead. LRMs have a maximum extreme range of several kilometers, but are accurate only between about 150 and 700 meters.

New Avalon Institute of Science (NAIS):

In 3015, Hanse Davion decreed the construction of a new university on New Avalon, capital of the Federated Suns. Known as the New Avalon Institute of Science (NAIS), its purpose is to recover the lost technologies and knowledge of the past. The Institute functions more like a Terran military academy than a public university. Once accepted for admission, students become 'wards' of the ducal government and must commit to ten years' service to the Federated Suns after graduation. Though the course of study is arduous, there is a heavy backlog of candidates. Both House Kurita and House Marik have followed with their own universities, but neither is as well bankrolled or staffed as the NAIS.

The Periphery:

Beyond the borders of the Inner Sphere lies the Periphery, the vast domain of known and unknown worlds stretching endlessly into interstellar night. Once populated by colonies from Terra, these were devastated technologically, politically, and economically by the fall of Star League. At present, the Periphery is the refuge of piratical Bandit Kings, privateers, and outcasts.

PPC:

This is the abbreviation for "Particle Projection Cannon", a magnetic accelerator firing high-energy proton or ion bolts, causing damage both through impact and high temperature. PPCs are among the most effective weapons available to BattleMechs. Though they have a theoretical range limited only by line-of-sight considerations, the technology available for focusing and aiming the bolt limits effective range to less than 600 meters.

Regiment:

A military unit consisting of two to four battalions, each consisting of three or four companies. A regiment is commanded by a Colonel.

Security Checks:

The most common I.D. scanners are retinal scanners and thumbprint scanners.

Sparrowhawk:

The Sparrowhawkis a 30-ton AeroSpace Fighter whose ample armor often matches that of medium fighters. It is armed with two wing-mounted small lasers and two nose-mounted medium lasers. The small lasers are the least accurate, and wing damage can cause them to lose fire control. The Sparrowhawk'shigh rate of thrust makes it a perfect first-response craft. This speed factor often permits the craft to be the first fighter to engage an enemy attack.

SRM:

This is the abbreviation for "Short-Range Missiles", direct trajectory missiles with high-explosive or armor-piercing explosive warheads. They have a range of less than one kilometer, and are accurate only at ranges of less than 300 meters. They are more powerful, however, than LRMs.

Star League:

In 2571, the Star League was formed in an attempt to peacefully ally the major star systems inhabited by the human race after it had taken to the stars. The League continued and prospered for almost 200 years, until civil war broke out in 2751. The League was eventually destroyed when the ruling body known as the High Council disbanded in the midst of a struggle for power. Each of the royal House rulers then declared himself First Lord of the Star League, and within months, war had engulfed the Inner Sphere. This conflict continues to the present day, more than two centuries later. These centuries of continuous war are now known simply as the Succession Wars.

Stuka:

The Stukais a well-armored, low-thrust 100-ton AeroSpace Fighter. It mounts two large lasers on each wing, and one nose-mounted and two rear-mounted medium lasers. It is also equipped with one nose-mounted LRM 20 and one SRM 4. With its 30 heat sinks, the Stukais capable of maximum use of its firepower for prolonged periods in battle. Its Monitor 200 guidance system also makes it a graceful vessel that can perform like a medium-weight craft in many situations.

Successor Lords:

Each of the five Successor States is ruled by a family descended from one of the original Council Lords of the old Star League. All five royal House Lords claim the title of First Lord, and they have been at each other's throats since the beginning of the Succession Wars in 2786. Their battleground is the vast Inner Sphere, which is composed of all the star systems once occupied by Star League's member-states.

Thrush:

The 25-ton Thrushis one of the fastest and most agile AeroSpace Fighters of the present day. Its Mujika Type 12 frame can withstand the gravitational forces and stress of most of the combat maneuvers it must perform. Its Rawlings 250 fusion engine also provides all the energy it needs for movement and to fire its single nose-mounted medium laser and its two wing-mounted lasers. These must be fired sparingly, however, to avoid unnecessary heat buildup.

Thunderbolt:

The Thunderboltis a 65-ton heavy 'Mech, and is one of the best-armed 'Mechs in existence. Its arm-mounted large laser packs a powerful punch. Combined with its three left-torso-mounted medium lasers and the SRM 2 mounted on its right torso, the 'Mech has ample firepower at long and medium ranges. For close combat, it mounts a torso-mounted SRM 2 and two left-arm machine guns.

Valkyrie:

A 'Mech design seen only among the forces of House Davion, the Valkyrieis a highly regarded light 'Mech. Its six tons of armor, top speed of 86.4 kph, and 150-meter jump capacity allow it to outmaneuver heavier units in battle and to absorb a fair amount of damage. Its left-torso LRM is unusual in a light ‘Mech, making it a potentially tough opponent at long range. At close range, its right-arm medium laser and super jump capacity can be a potent mix. Though no match for a medium or heavy ‘Mech in one-to-one combat, the Valkyrieis effective when part of a lance.