Текст книги "Main Event"

Автор книги: Джеймс Лонг

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28

The Cedars, Borghese

14 July 3055

 

Esmeralda and Hawg anchored the center of the Black Thorn advance, with Rose and O'Shea on either side. Watching the distance close on his scanner, Rose searched through the cedars for the first glimpse of Morgain's 'Mechs. The dense tree growth would make the fighting close and personal. Rose flexed both arms of the Charger.Physical attacks and mass could well carry the fight.

As the range closed to under a kilometer, Rose caught a glimpse of metal reflected from the rising sun. It had to be a BattleMech, but the trees hid its outline. The next instant the 'Mech had vanished. As Morgain's force drew closer, his 'Mechs shuffled positions. What had initially been a cluster altered to become a vee, with the point directed squarely at Esmeralda and Hawg. Rose had no doubt that the heaviest 'Mech in Morgain's force would be the point of the vee. Ahead, the ground began to rise slightly. Rose could tell from the scanner that Morgain was at the base of the rise on the other side.

"Battle Lance, charge!" The four 'Mechs charged up the hill, trying to gain the high ground and the advantage that went with it. Easily the fastest in his Charger,Rose reached the crest just ahead of the rest of his lance. He dropped his targeting cross hairs onto the first metal shape he saw, which happened to be the second 'Mech in line on his side. The Artemis IV confirmed a lock and Rose triggered a flight of missiles. Only after the missiles had fired did he carefully examine his opponents.

A shining Stalkerheld the point of Morgain's vee. It was this 'Mech's reflective paint that Rose had seen briefly as the two sides closed ground. The 'Mech didn't even turn in Rose's direction, but kept its attention focused on the rise where Esmeralda would soon appear.

Rose's initial target was a BattleMaster.The Charger'scomputer tagged it as a newer model, but it was impossible to confirm the identification because the 'Mech was wreathed in the smoke and flame of long-range missiles striking its head and shoulders. The pilot brought up his PPC, but the shots went wide of the Chargeras the impacting missiles spoiled the pilot's aim.

The final 'Mech in the vee on Rose's side was a Banshee.Rose didn't need the computer to tell him it was a 5S model; the multiple weapon ports were proof enough. Something about the 'Mech's movement was familiar, but Rose couldn't place it right now and he had no time to figure it out. The BattleMasterrecovered and triggered a salvo at the Chargeras Rose's missiles recycled.

The azure PPC beam caught the Chargersquarely in the chest, blasting armor into ionized flakes. Then came the aligned ruby light of a laser firing from the BattleMaster'sleft torso, gouging into the Charger'sright arm and leg an instant later. Rose fought to control his 'Mech, quickly regaining his balance and triggering another flight of missiles.

Guided by the Artemis fire-control system and Rose's gentle hand, the flight again struck the BattleMasteraround the head and shoulders. Rose knew the pilot was taking a beating from the multiple missile hits. Despite the 'Mech's thick armor, the pilot was bound to feel the effects of explosions going off just meters away from his seat. Rose topped the hill and closed the range on the BattleMasterand the Bansheejust as Esmeralda and Hawg popped over the hill. On the far side of the battle line Rose saw the brief flash of a PPC and knew Badicus had engaged the remaining 'Mech of Morgain's lance.

At virtually the same instant both sides fighting in the center of the line triggered everything they had at each other. The Stalkerand the Awesometo its right each targeted a separate 'Mech. Esmeralda and Hawg, however, ganged up on the Stalker.At close range, the hits were almost guaranteed.

The Awesomefired every one of its weapons and hit with every shot. Its pilot gambled that Hawg could not survive the salvo as its heat went from cool to critical in three seconds. Hawg took two of the PPC hits to the chest and the other to his right arm. The supporting laser and missile fire further damaged the Zeus'right arm and blew away armor plates from the left knee. Under that barrage Hawg had no chance of controlling his 'Mech, which spun partially around before crashing onto its left side. The undamaged Awesomemoved toward the fallen Zeus.

Hawg's attack on the Stalker,combined with Esmeralda's shots, had stopped the lumbering 'Mech in its tracks. Lasers and missiles streaked toward the armless machine, followed closely by PPC fire. Lasers burned and armor exploded away in a cloud of fragments as the combined firepower of the two Thorn 'Mechs breached the Stalker'sright-torso armor, ravaging its powerful legs. Like Hawg, the Stalkerpilot could not control the 'Mech during the vicious assault. Unlike Hawg's 'Mech, the Stalkerfell head-first into the slope, plowing up rocks and dirt.

Esmeralda also staggered under the Stalker'sattack, but through fate or uncanny skill, she managed to keep the Warhammerupright despite the barrage of missiles exploding across her 'Mech's chest and lower torso. As the Zeusstruggled to rise she moved to defend Hawg, leaving the flailing Stalkerto stand if it could.

Rose considered shifting targets, but abandoned the idea as the Bansheemoved to support the BattleMaster.Rose centered the cross hairs on the chest of the BattleMasterfor a third time as the missile-reload light flickered green. He was about to engage both missiles and the medium pulse lasers slaved to the same control when the BattleMasterstarted to topple forward. As Rose watched in amazement, the eighty-five ton 'Mech fell flat on its face. Unlike the other two 'Mechs that had gone down, however, the BattleMastermade no attempt to stop its fall. Rebounding off the trunk of an ancient cedar, the 'Mech crashed to the ground and then lay still.

Rose allowed himself a moment of amazement. Despite scoring only two hits, neither of which had breached the assault 'Mech's armor, he'd taken out the BattleMaster.The pilot had undoubtedly been pummeled into unconsciousness by the concussion of the missile explosions. He doubted the pilot would wake before the fight was over, but decided to make sure.

"Pursuit, swing right. One BattleMasterdown, but a Bansheehas moved to support. Make sure that 'Mech doesn't get back up. Two, protect yourself and your civilian at all costs. That's an order."

Rose swung to the left and moved toward the center of the battle line on Morgain's side of the ridge. He kept one eye on the Banshee,which had yet to fire as it moved through the trees, and the other eye on the Stalker,which was still trying to stand. As he broke through the trees, the Stalkerhad managed to make it to one knee.

Rose had always considered the Stalkera poorly designed 'Mech. Although the 'Mech mounted considerable firepower, it was slow and clumsy. Compounding the problem were two "wings" that served as arms. Though the 'Mech was regarded as a good firing platform, the lack of arms severely hampered its ability in certain situations. And this was one of them.

Without arms, it was extremely difficult to get the 'Mech back upright once it fell to the ground. If this Stalkerhadn't fallen on a slope, Rose doubted that it would have ever gotten up again without some kind of assistance. The pilot had almost succeeded, but Rose thwarted the attempt by charging across the intervening ground.

Rose fired all four of his pulse lasers as he closed, every one of them hitting the Stalker'sright side as the pilot tried to get the 'Mech's other leg underneath it. He managed to keep the 'Mech upright as Rose's lasers cut away vital armor, but he couldn't keep his footing when the Chargerslammed into his side.

Beginning to run, Rose charged the Stalker.Normally he'd have tried a shoulder slam, but with the Stalkerpartially bent over and on slightly lower ground, Rose had decided to try another tactic. As he closed the distance, he adjusted the Charger'sstride so that his left foot was planted next to the side of the Stalker.Continuing the motion, he brought the right foot forward and threw his weight backward. Like a football player blasting the ball past a defending goalie, Rose powered the right foot forward.

If the Stalker'sshape had been more human, Rose could have hit it in the ribs, but the Stalkerhad only the right wing. The Charger'sgiant foot caved in the other 'Mech's previously damaged armor and crushed the short-range missile launcher underneath. Then came a bright flash that made Rose fear he'd caused an explosion in his eagerness, but there was no chain reaction from the missiles stored in the torso. As the Stalkerrolled away from the blow, the Charger'sfoot caught on the ruptured endo-skeleton and pulled Rose off balance. The Stalkerfell again, this time taking the Chargerwith it.

Rose tried to roll with the fall, but the trapped foot made that impossible. The Chargerfell across the Stalker,further damaging the 'Mech underneath. Though Rose was able to use the Charger'soutstretched hands to absorb some of the impact, he still hit the ground hard. Armor buckled and seams popped free as Rose immediately attempted to rise. With the Chargerbeing facedown, its lightly armored back was exposed and vulnerable to Morgain's 'Mechs. Rose searched the scanner for the Banshee,his mind filled with images of when his 'Mech had been knocked over on Solaris.

The Banshee,however, wasn't close enough to take a shot through the densely packed cedars. To Rose's surprise, the 'Mech had paralleled his course, but had made no attempt to get closer. Rose continued to stare at the scanner as he tried to rise because all he could see through the main viewer was dirt and crushed cedar needles.

Esmeralda had moved closer to Hawg and was slugging it out with the Awesomewhile Hawg was still struggling to stand on the slope. The thermal readings on the two standing 'Mechs were well in the danger level, but the Awesomeseemed to be running hotter. It had obviously been firing all three of its PPCs as soon as they came back on-line. Chances were good that the waste heat generated by the weapons' fire would eventually shut down the 'Mech; in the meantime those same weapons would take a heavy toll on the mercenaries. Rose finally found Badicus still engaged with the fifth enemy 'Mech well to the left of the main line. Rianna was moving to support him, but it would be several seconds before she was clear of the trees.

The pursuit lance had moved to cover the fallen BattleMasterand were wisely staying in position. Neither of the lighter 'Mechs could stand the punishment being dished out by the heavy and assault 'Mechs of Morgain's force and they knew it. If they kept the BattleMasterout of the fight, Rose would consider it a better than even exchange and a good use of the lance. It also kept McCloud out of harm's way, no matter what happened to him.

"Battle Two, this is Command One. What is your status?"

O'Shea opened the link and a burst of static filled Rose's cockpit. "I've got him right where I want him, Command One." An explosion filled the line and Rose heard O'Shea's involuntary cry of alarm. In the background the Shadow Hawk'sheat warning bell went off.

"Cancel that last transmission, Command One. That last shot nicked the engine shielding."

"How bad?" Rose struggled harder to free his 'Mech's entangled leg. He could feel the Stalkerresisting, however, and the leg remained trapped.

"I can shut it down now, or I can blow up in three minutes."

"Shut the damn thing down, O'Shea. That's an order. " Rose heard the heat warning bell go off again.

"Command One, automated shutdown sequence has been initiated, but I don't think I'm going to be able to stick around for the finish. This guy's coming back for the kill. Sorry about the 'Mech, Rose, but I'm ejecting."

"Battle Two, what is your opponent?"

Rose heard the restraining pins explode and a split second later the cockpit rose into the sky above the battlefield. "Marauder Twooo ..." and then the connection went dead.

Rose began thrashing in a vain effort to free the Charger'strapped leg. He was about to call for Angus to help when the leg began to come free. With his other leg he kicked at the Stalkerwhile repeatedly trying to pull the trapped leg out of the Stalker'storso, but it would not come away. On the scanner the Marauder IImoved closer to the embattled Warhammerand Awesome.Its hundred-ton weight would easily swing the battle against the Thorns unless Rose could free himself. Finally Rose could wait no longer.

Throwing caution to the wind, he pushed off with his outstretched left arm. Though he could not hope to stand, the sloping ground gave him enough leverage to roll over onto his back. He was reasonably sure the maneuver would succeed, but he feared that if the foot were wedged too tightly in the Stalker'storso, the sudden movement would snap it off.

As the Chargerflopped over onto its back, Rose heard the grind of metal as armor tore free and the skeleton underneath bent, then popped free. The foot was still trapped in the Stalker,but Rosccould tell that the "toes" were pointed up. Kicking with his left leg, Rose sighted down the trapped right leg and fired the arm-mounted pulse laser. Armor boiled away, and with a heave the foot came free.

Rose rolled over to his right side and struggled to stand on the uneven ground. In doing so, he noticed the damage to the Stalker,whose torso had been reduced to bits of crushed steel by his charge and subsequent thrashing. The pilot had shut down the engine at some point in the struggle and emerged from the cockpit as the Chargerstood up.

Rose started to climb up the hill and immediately saw how severely the trapped leg had been damaged. Both the foot and knee actuators had been destroyed, reducing the Charger'sprogress to a stiff-legged shuffle. Despite the shorter distance he had to travel, Rose reached the embattled Warhammerand Awesomeimmediately after the Marauder II.

As Rose was arriving, the Zeuswas just regaining its feet. Unlike Rose, Hawg had been able to fire some of his weapons even though down, and he had evidently decided to do so. The Awesomewas little more than charred steel, the pilot having apparently decided to punch out when he could no longer ignore the heat buildup. The driverless 'Mech still showed up as a beacon on the infrared sensor; but it was no longer a threat.

Rose shouted a warning as the Marauderfired at Hawg's Zeus.Although Hawg was in the process of turning, he didn't quite make it all the way round. The LB-X autocannon sent two shells into the Zeus'back. The second shell followed the first and tore into the gyro heart of the 'Mech. The rapidly spinning gyro ground itself to death on the shards of the cannon shell.

Standing on the uneven slope, the Zeussuddenly pitched forward. Hawg tried to bring the legs under the falling body, but there wasn't a pilot in the Inner Sphere who could have accomplished the feat. As the 'Mech began to stumble-fall down the hill, Hawg struggled to keep up with the fall. Bouncing off trees as it went, the Zeusran down the hill completely out of control. When it hit the bottom of the slope the change in angle ended Hawg's attempts at control. The 'Mech fell to the ground, disappearing behind the cover of the cedars.

Rose turned to the Marauder,which showed signs of recent damage, but none of it serious. He called up the schematics for hundred-ton 'Mechs and looked for a weakness as he triggered a flight of missiles.

"Command Two, try to get behind it, and make it fast. We won't be able to hold it for long."

Rose moved away from Esmeralda's Warhammer,forcing the Marauderto choose between the two targets. For a moment the huge arms hovered between the two Thorn 'Mechs, then they zeroed in on the heavily damaged Warhammer.Esmeralda fired her PPCs as the Marauderdid the same. The Warhammer'sfire struck undamaged armor, but the thick plating resisted both shots. The Marauder'sshots were luckier, punching through the damaged right leg of the Warhammer,its armor already destroyed by the Awesome'srepeated attacks, leaving only the 'Mech's skeleton to absorb the damage. The internal structure simply disappeared under the azure beam. The Warhammerhopped once, then crashed to the ground. Rose knew that Esmeralda, whose 'Mech had guns instead of arms, would never get the Warhammerto stand without assistance. That left Rose and Rianna against the Marauderand the Banshee.

As if sensing Rose's thoughts, the Marauderpilot triggered its powerful jump jets. Guided by the thrust of the jets and the fins protruding from its back, the massive 'Mech touched down almost a hundred meters away from its previous position. Now Rianna would have to travel even further to get behind it. Rose thumbed the Artemis as the Maraudergrounded and limped to a new position, his missiles exploding along the 'Mech's elongated legs.

The LB-10 tracked the slow-moving Chargerand sent two shells streaking across the clearing. The first streaked across the clearing, one shell blowing away the remaining armor on the Charger'sright leg, scarring the skeleton underneath. The rest hit the hill behind Rose, showering the 'Mech with dirt and rocks. Shifting position, Rose tried to protect the damaged leg. Another hit like the last one and he'd suffer the same fate as Esmeralda.

Rose bracketed the Marauderwith the Shigunga and fired again. He also triggered the medium pulse lasers, but at this extreme range, only two of the four scored hits. He knew it was too little, too late. Moving to the side, he saw the Bansheeemerge from the trees and approach the Marauder.Rose knew he was finished, but something screamed at him to keep moving. He checked the scanner and saw that Rianna was still too far away for a shot.

The Marauderwas bringing up both arms and the Bansheeraising its right. Rose kept moving, but knew there was little chance either of the pilots would miss. The Shigunga was still in the midst of reload. By the time his missiles and lasers were ready to fire again, Rose wouldn't be around to press the trigger. As he took one final look out the cockpit, the Bansheeshifted its arm and fired.

Rose stopped in his tracks as the Bansheeplaced the muzzle of its right arm missile launcher lightly against the cockpit of the Marauder IIand fired. Fired at point-blank range, all six missiles ripped through the cockpit armor and shredded the inside. The controls, the command chair, and the pilot simply ceased to exist. The Marauder'slimbs locked firmly in place as the feedback circuit to the cockpit was severed.

Rose continued to stare as the Bansheelowered its arm and began to power down. Rose's scanner confirmed that the Bansheepilot had disengaged the engine and taken all weapons systems off-line. He sent a warning to Rianna not to fire as she entered the clearing, and remained watching in amazement as the Bansheecompletely shut down.

Rianna's Phoenix Hawkwalked into the battle area with both large lasers up. She too stood facing the Bansheeand waited for the pilot to emerge. It took almost five minutes, but eventually he opened the hatch at the back of the Banshee'shead and climbed around to the right shoulder. Rose didn't need to zoom in on the pilot to see that the man emerging from the Bansheehad long blond hair.

29

The Cedars, Borghese

14 July 3055

 

The militia was still closing in on the Thorns, but their progress had slowed to a crawl. Despite the battered condition of Rose's 'Mech, there was no chance he would abandon it to talk face to face with Antioch Bell. The Chargerlimped over to the still form of the Bansheeand the man sitting on the shoulder.

"Pursuit Lance, this is Command One. What's going on with the BattleMaster?"

"Command, this is Pursuit One. Ajax has exited his 'Mech and is administering first aid to the BattleMasterpilot. I can see them both from here."

"Is he crazy? The militia is still closing. Get him back into the cockpit, and scan the incoming units. Get back to me when you're finished." Rose closed the channel and fumed while he stared at the primary screen. A trained professional like Ajax would never have left his 'Mech unless something unusual was going on. Rose concentrated on breathing deeply, trying to calm his adrenaline-heightened nerves. When his heartbeat had slowed to an acceptable level, he engaged the 'Mech's external speakers.

"I'm not sure why you did it, Antioch, but thank you for saving my command, and my life." Rose zoomed in on the seated pilot. Bell gave a halfhearted salute and pulled his knees tightly to his chest.

"I take it that the Marauderwas piloted by Morgain." Bell nodded and Rose continued. "The militia is closing in. We've got to either leave or fight. Since I won't fight them, we'll leave. Will you make sure that Esmeralda, Hawg, and O'Shea are treated fairly by the militia?"

Bell lifted his chin off his knees and spoke, but the Charger'sexternal microphone did not pick up the words. Rose increased the gain. "What's that?"

Through the static Rose could just make out Bell's words. "The militia won't engage."

Rose was shocked. "Why not?" He adjusted the microphone and Bell's voice became clearer.

"I fed them the last transmission you had with Morgain. They know what's happening in Houston and they know about the arrival of the Clans." Bell paused, his chest heaving massively as he fought to control his emotions. Rose had killed men before, but he had never fired on anyone he knew. He could barely imagine what it must be like to kill a friend.

"Why, Antioch? I know that I owe you, but I want to know why."

With one last sigh, Bell unwrapped his legs and looked up at the Charger.With Rose's camera on zoom and the microphone on high, Bell seemed almost to be standing right next to Rose. On the other end, however, Rose knew his voice was coming across on an amplified mechanical speaker. Bell could see where Rose was sitting, but could not look him in the eye. Rose wanted to help his friend, but until he knew more, he could not risk leaving the , Charger.

The words came tumbling out. "I knew Morgain was up to something. I've always been able to tell when he's in over his head." Bell spoke without expressing emotion, but Rose could see the pain on his face.

"A war hero? What a pile of drek. Morgain was offered an honorable way out of the Twenty-sixth when Colonel Farnsgate discovered that he was selling stores to the black market. If the old man could have proved it, I'd be in prison right now.

"Twelve men and women in the company, and only two of us were not directly involved. Not that it really mattered, because we both knew about it and we both went along."

Rose could see the anger and frustration building in Bell as he spoke. He was standing now and had begun to pace. Rose listened, keeping his eyes on the scanner. He wanted to know why Bell had fired the missiles, not the story of his life.

"First I throw away my career for Salander Morgain and then I follow him to Borghese." Rose was impressed. He'd never heard the name pronounced with such contempt. "I signed on to form a mercenary unit, not to sit back and watch the war go by.

"You probably didn't know that he kept us virtual prisoners on the estate. Morgain held our 'Mechs to ensure our cooperation and support. The day I met you was the first time I'd been off the estate in months. I'd have carried you on my back for those recons if it would have gotten me off that property. I hated the place and the cronies Morgain surrounded himself with. I guess I even hated myself for being fooled by him." Bell sighed and ran his hand distractedly through his long hair. When he spoke again, his voice was softer. Rose could hear sorrow fill the void created as the anger drained away.

Bell looked at the immobile Marauder."I hated him, but I didn't want him dead.

"Then I found out he was involved in a scheme with Crenshaw. I knew it was bad, but I figured it must be something like a repeat of the black market. This time I decided to get to the truth before things got out of control. Which is when I found out about the Preservationists. Crenshaw is the head of the group and Morgain is, or was, the muscle.

"The Preservationists captured the Bristol and traveled to Clan-occupied space. They actually invited the Falcons to come to Borghese. Crenshaw saw it as an opportunity to make sure the planet not only survived an invasion, but to turn a profit as well. I guess he figured that if the Clans were invited, they'd treat us better, especially the planetary rulers.

"You and Cooke were the only problem. Crenshaw got rid of Cooke, and Morgain was supposed to get rid of you. I learned of the plot the night you were attacked. Morgain was furious that the soldiers didn't hit you before you got to the 'Mechs." Bell paused and rubbed his chin.

"They were supposed to attack your base before the DropShip. If the troops had been better trained, we wouldn't be having this conversation. In any event, I've spent the last few weeks trying to decide what to do.

"I could have left, but Morgain would never have let me take my 'Mech. My only other choice was to go along with them. I was going to do it, too." Bell paused and Rose realized how close he'd come to receiving that final shot instead of Morgain. Bell began to shake his head. He turned to climb down the Bansheeand Rose increased the volume of the microphone.

"Like always, Morgain got cocky. I was the second-in-command, so I knew all the frequencies we were using. It was supposed to be a private conversation between you two, but I decided to listen in. When I realized the importance, I fed the link to the militia commanders." Bell lowered himself to the Banshee'sladder and began to climb down. "The militia knows they've been played for fools. Once they're sure this is over between you and Morgain, they'll come in." As Bell started down, soon only his head was visible. "Oh, by the way, I surrender. I'll wait for you on the ground."

Rose sat in his 'Mech as Bell climbed down the Banshee,then calmly waited on the 'Mech's foot to be taken prisoner. Rianna contacted the militia leaders. Being on the opposite side of the Banshee,she couldn't see Bell, but her microphones were slightly better, so she'd heard the entire conversation. While Rose considered what to do, Rianna arranged a truce with the Green Team.

The first order of business was to inform the Thorns of what was going on. Opening the unit-wide channel, Rose gave his team a summary of their current situation. He had keyed the commlink to one-way communication because he didn't want to answer a lot of questions, but by the time he was done, every one of the pilots was signaling requests for a private line. Rose told them as much as possible, postponing further questions until they could assemble in one location.

When Colonel Bahlyard, the Green Team commander, arrived thirty minutes later, Rose was sitting on the foot of the Bansheealongside Bell. He still hadn't figured out what to do about the unit's current situation, but he hoped to get help from the sandy-haired infantryman. His first requests to the colonel were for help in retrieving the rest of the Black Thorns. Rianna, Ajax, and Angus were clustered around the Bansheeand Charger.

Hawg had crawled out of the remains of the Zeusunder his own power and taken a seat on the Banshee'sother foot. Although he looked fine physically, the death of his Zeuswas hitting him hard. Rose had seen the look before on the faces of other Mech Warriors, something between amazement and horror. At least he wasn't crying, but that would probably come later.

It would take some doing to retrieve the final two members of the team. Esmeralda would have to be cut free from her 'Mech, but only because a severed support spar had jammed the cockpit hatch shut. A 'Mech could pry the spar away, but the militia probably had the tools to do the job better and with less collateral damage to the supporting structure.

Badicus' ejection seat was still emitting a strong signal, but he'd landed in a dense copse of trees. A 'Mech could probably retrieve him, but only after battering aside the trees that hemmed him in. Rianna had requested a VTOL retrieval, which Colonel Bahlyard immediately authorized. The flight crew had found O'Shea strapped to his chair and sitting in a tree twenty meters above the ground. They were still working on the rescue.

Rianna crawled down from her Phoenix Hawkwith the unit's portable communications system slung over one shoulder. She sat it on the ground at her feet, slipped the headset over her ear, and adjusted the microphone. She could keep track of the two militia teams assisting the mercenaries and still listen to what was going on. Rose waited until Ajax and Angus joined them at the Banshee'sfeet before beginning.

"I guess we all know each other," he said. "I'm sure you all remember Commander Bahlyard, who also happens to be in charge of the force that's been making life so hard for us for the last few weeks." Rose noticed the colonel's face was slightly flushed and hoped it was the red of embarrassment instead of being his natural color. In Rose's experience no commander could accept looking like a fool, and the higher the chain of command, the worse they took it.

"Gentlemen, and lady," Rose said with a nod to his sister, "this is strictly an information meeting. We've got precious little of that right now but I need a better picture of what's going on." Rose looked around the group. The Black Thorns were practically dead on their feet from fatigue and the usual post-battle slump. "We'll make this quick," he promised, then waited until he was sure he had everyone's attention.

"We're about as far as we can be from Houston and not be under water. We know that the Clans are coming and that they'll probably be received as honored guests at the capital. Antioch, is there anything else?"

Antioch Bell rubbed his eyes and looked around at the mercenaries. "From what little I know about it, the Preservationists weren't too worried about your command. I guess they had a lot of faith in Colonel Bahlyard's men and our 'Mechs." He shrugged and smiled slightly. "Go figure."

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