Текст книги "Main Event"

Автор книги: Джеймс Лонг

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"That confirms my last orders." All heads turned to Bahlyard. "They came directly from the Council. I'm supposed to report when you either surrender or have been eliminated. They didn't seem to think an engagement would go any other way.

"I haven't heard anything about the arrival of the Clans, but it makes sense, given my latest orders. Despite three hangars full of new Rippers, we were only authorized to take one group. I was ordered to leave the rest in the hangar. I was also told to keep half the Green Team back at the capital, in case you tried a flank attack. What a crock. As far as I know, that's the first time the Council has ever dictated to a field commander what hardware he can use."

Rose picked up the scenario as Bahlyard suddenly stopped talking. "So, your best equipment is back at the base with half the troops. Very effective. Not only are we too far away to protest the landing, but the planet's own force is divided into two easily digested pieces. To top it off, the leader is sent away with the troops while the bulk of the equipment remains safely in the hangar." Rose calculated the remaining men and equipment near the capital and came to an instant and demoralizing conclusion.

"I think we can pretty well rule out any form of assistance. By the time we get back, the capital will be firmly in the hands of the Jade Falcons."

Ajax cleared his throat. Rose was mildly surprised to see that he actually wanted to address the meeting.

"Perhaps we should consider something," the Capellan said. "The Clans have been invited to Borghese by the current government. I do not suggest that their actions can be excused or justified, but the Clans are not invading."

"Ajax is right," Rianna said from the other side of the loose circle. "The Federated Commonwealth will never allow it, but the leaders of Borghese are preparing to hand the planet over to the Clans. The invaders only came to collect the passkey to the world."

"So, they're not invaders, technically," Rose put in, "but does that make any difference?"

Ajax nodded. "From what we've learned about the Clans, they do everything according to a ritual bidding process. The honor of performing any deed is bid for by the contestants until the final force is determined.

"If this were an invasion, they would bid for how many men, or OmniMechs, it would take to wrest control away from the Federated Commonwealth. If intelligence is correct, the Clans will not bid on how many OmniMechs it takes to invade, but how many it will take to accept a surrender."

Rose stared in amazement. Of course Ajax was right. He'd been at Tukayyid where the Clans had died rather than break their rules of ritual engagement. Ajax continued with a spreading smile.

"They will, if intelligence is correct, send a force capable of accepting a surrender behind enemy lines. It must be strong enough to fight its way back to Clan territory if it turns out to be a trap, but it must also be weak enough to make the taking of the planet glorious."

"Which means we have a chance," interrupted Rianna.

Ajax tilted his head and nodded slightly.

"If intelligence is correct," mimicked Rose with a smile. "You don't trust the gang in military intelligence, do you? No need to answer, I doubt any of us do, but your point is well-taken. We just may have a chance."

Bahlyard, temporarily forgotten, interrupted. "Any Clan force that lands on Borghese will have to be persuaded that it isn't a trap. Once they're convinced, the Clan that claims Borghese will have to move quickly to reinforce their foothold before the Federated Commonwealth can react. We have to get word to General Dmowski at Kelenfold. She has the authority to shift troops to our defense."

"Any chance the word has already gone out?" asked Rianna.

"Not much," Bahlyard said. "The Preservationists must know enough to restrict interplanetary messages. Breaking into the ComStar compound or protecting it from the Clans and the Council are about the only ways to make sure a message gets sent."

Several people started talking at once. Rose held up his hands for quiet and looked around the assembly. He noticed Hawg had gone to sleep. "That's enough for now. We're worn out, physically as well as mentally. A couple hours' sleep and a hot meal will do us more good than rushing into a plan of action.

"Colonel Bahlyard, no matter what we decide, we must keep the outcome of this engagement a secret." The stocky Bahlyard grinned like a wolf.

"I'm sure I can arrange for a report on the destruction of your unit and on the mauling of Morgain's command. It would be close enough to the truth. If I paint the picture pretty enough, they might agree to a couple of extra days in the field for rest and repairs before recalling us to Houston."

"That would be perfect. We'll be officially out of the way, and with luck, Crenshaw won't even consider the possibility that we're still alive." Rose checked his chronometer. "Can you meet us back here in eight hours?" Without looking at his watch, Bahlyard agreed.

"Black Thorns," Rose said, "meet back here in six hours with a full report on your 'Mechs' readiness and any ideas about raiding a hyperpulse generator station in the heart of a friendly city that's defended by Omni-Mechs."

Rose turned to Ajax. "I take it the BattleMasterpilot has been turned over to the militia medics?" Rose received the customary nod. Evidently Ajax had spoken his fill earlier.

"All right, people, you're dismissed. We have an objective and a reason to hope." The gathering broke up as the pilots drifted away. In moments only Ajax and Hawg still remained at the feet of the Banshee.As silence descended on the clearing, Ajax joined Hawg in deep, but troubled, sleep.

30

The Cedars, Borghese

14 July 3055

 

Rose looked around at the members of his unit. Badicus and Esmeralda were back, and the Black Thorns had once more gathered at the feet of the Banshee.McCloud and Antioch joined them, but Colonel Bahlyard was still with the militia. Rose looked over his unit again, but the situation wasn't any better than a few moments before.

Despite strong life signs and initial reports, Badicus was not fit for combat. When he'd ejected, one of the release clamps that anchored the cockpit to the 'Mech's head had not released properly. The Shadow Hawk,like most other 'Mechs, relied on a controlled explosion to propel the command chair clear of the 'Mech. Once the chair reached a preprogrammed altitude, the flight adjusters kicked in and controlled the descent. Under normal conditions it was all pretty simple and predictable. Even if the pilot lost consciousness after engaging the system, he stood an excellent chance of surviving the ejection.

When the clamp failed to open completely, however, the explosion ripped through the back-right quarter of the cockpit. The command chair had shielded Badicus from most of the blast and flying metal fragments, but his right side was covered with cuts. The faulty clamp had torn free, sending the chair flying skyward. But with the altitude adjuster nearest the blast completely destroyed, the ride down was anything but controlled. Badicus was lucky to have landed so high up in a cedar tree. If he'd fallen all the way to the ground, it would have killed him. As it was, the landing had broken his left hand and dislocated his right elbow. Covered with bandages, braces, and a cast, he was attending the meeting under heavy medication.

Esmeralda had fared much better, but the Warhammer'sfall had triggered a brief cockpit fire. After vainly attempting to escape the cockpit, she'd managed to put out the fire with the two emergency extinguishers. Her legs above the heavy combat boots had been badly burned during the process. She still wore her combat shorts, her burned thighs covered with a thick balm of burn gel. She had refused pain killers and faced Rose with a determined, if tense, expression. He winced every time she moved.

"Pursuit, what is your status?"

Angus drew a circle in the dirt with his toe. Knowing that the rest of the unit had suffered tremendous casualties, he was slow to report. "Both 'Mechs are fully functional, sir. Both pilots are combat-ready." Rose thought that the young man stressed the word combat too much, but he let it pass.

"Very good. Battle, give me the bad news."

Esmeralda shifted, apparently searching for a more comfortable position. Perhaps she found it because much of the pain Rose had heard in her voice earlier was gone. "Battle Three is dead. As you already know, the gyro was destroyed. But we've just found out that the remaining seven million pieces were scattered all over the engine compartment, ruining the engine shielding. Hawg did a good job of shutting down the reactor before the shielding went and the engine blew. It'll take a new gyro and the better part of a new engine to get it running again."

Rose looked at Hawg, but he remained very calm as Esmeralda described the destruction of his family heirloom. He wanted to say something, but now was not the time. Instead he just nodded as Esmeralda continued.

"Battle Two can be repaired, but not without a full electronics bay. Any ejection is hard on the system, but when the clamp failed, it destroyed most of the communications and tracking system. Houston is the only place on the planet where we can get that kind of gear."

"Can we get it mobile?"

Esmeralda considered the option. "If we took a VTOL and replaced the command chair, we could probably patch something together, but we'd have to pilot with visuals only, and shooting would be impossible.

"My 'Mech is down, too," she said. "The leg could be repaired, but again, we'd need a full repair bay to do it. The break came right about here." She drew a finger through the green gel on her leg, indicating that the break had occurred across the middle of the thigh. She left the gash in the gel as she continued talking. "We could reattach the leg and weld it back on with the vehicle repair gear the militia is carrying, but it wouldn't hold if stressed. It can walk, but that's about it. Even running would probably snap the leg in half.

"Hawg and I are combat-ready, but O'Shea is out because he can't use either arm. He could pilot the damaged Shadow Hawkif we got it going again, but it could only move at a walk and both arms would be useless."

Esmeralda finished and began smoothing out the crease in the burn gel with a careful finger. Normally Rose would have looked to Rianna to provide the report on the command lance, but he took the duty instead.

"Command Two is fully functional. Command One can be repaired, but with the tools we have available, it will take a couple of hours. The leg will be the worst problem, but I think we can get it back into operation. Rianna and I are both combat-ready."

Rose paused. The entire unit already knew they'd been mauled by Morgain and his 'Mechs, but hearing the results was a hard mental blow. Many 'Mech pilots went their entire careers without ever facing the kind of toe-to-toe fire fight they'd just been in. Of the ten engaging 'Mechs, seven had been either killed or knocked out. Rose didn't mentally count the pursuit lance since it had been kept out of the battle. Seventy percent casualties were unheard of in modern war. Hell, thought Rose in anger, seventy percent had always been unheard of, no matter what the century.

He rubbed the stubble on his chin and picked himself up off the foot of the Banshee.Despite having gone more than forty hours without sleep, he felt surprisingly alert. His unit didn't seem to share his energy, however. He'd ordered all six pilots to sleep at least four hours prior to the meeting and most of them looked as though that had only primed them for more. They didn't look like a team that had just been mauled, but they weren't especially confident about what the future held. Now was the time to rally the troops.

"All right, that means we're down to six pilots and four 'Mechs." He paused and walked into the midst of the group. "I can live with that." All eight heads came up at the same time. "You've all had a little sleep and some hot food and for the last hour you've been inspecting your 'Mechs for damage."

Rose paused and looked each Black Thorn in the eye. "Well, the light duty just ended."

With a sudden whirl he faced Esmeralda and pointed an accusing finger. "Esmeralda, forget about repairing the Warhammerfor the time being. What do you know about Marauders!"Esmeralda stood there with her mouth open. Finally she began to stammer an answer, but Rose cut her off.

"It was a rhetorical question. It doesn't matter what you know, or don't know for that matter, because you're our new Marauderpilot. The head of that beast was savaged by Mister Bell when he saved my butt from Morgain. I think it can be repaired, though. When the meeting's over, find out.

"Hawg, I know that I can't replace your 'Mech, but I'm willing to try. About five hundred meters from where we stand is a fully functional BattleMaster.You just became the new pilot."

If Rose had turned blue and floated into the air, Hawg could not have been more surprised. Rose returned Hawg's sudden smile and soon the two men were beaming at one another. "Until the Chargeris fully repaired, the BattleMasteris our best repair vehicle. The BattleMasteris the only 'Mech with two hands. We're going to need it for salvaging parts from the downed 'Mechs."

Hawg snapped Rose a formal, parade-ground salute. Rose knew the Zeuswould be missed, but for the moment Hawg would be too busy to mourn the ancient machine. That left only two items to finish.

"Black Thorns, I have the privilege of announcing that a new recruit has offered his services to the unit and has been accepted for immediate duty.

"Welcome aboard, Antioch Bell."

Now it was Bell's turn to be amazed. "I didn't volunteer for anything. Besides, even if I did, my side was taking shots at you this morning, or don't you remember?"

Rose remembered, but he knew he had little to fear from the former member of Morgain's band, and the rest of the Thorns probably felt the same way. After all, Bell had always been a friend to the unit and he hadn't fired on any of them during the fighting. "I'm sorry about that, Mister Bell. Perhaps I should explain myself better.

"Black Thorns, a Mech Warrior of considerable experience has announced his presence with uncharacteristic resolve. He saved the Black Thorns from destruction and probably saved my life in the process. Do we want that type of ability in our unit?"

"Yes!" The unanimous chorus was deafening.

"There you go, Mister Bell. A fine example of military protocol in action. You've been accepted by the Black Thorns, whether you want it or not. Consider yourself drafted."

Rose gave the unit a few moments to shake hands with the stunned Bansheepilot. Like Hawg, Rose wanted to give his friend some kind of direction, even if only temporary. As the mercenaries sat down again, Rose continued the meeting.

"With that out of the way, we have only one more thing to discuss. The Clans. While you were sleeping, Colonel Bahlyard transmitted his report to the Council. I'm sorry, but the Black Thorns were destroyed. I, of course, died fighting. The rest of you were captured." Rose stood in the middle of the unit, striking his best heroic pose. A chorus of boos made him break his pose as the mercenaries groaned at the sarcasm.

Rose checked his watch and continued, relaxing as he went. "The Bristol is leading a single Clan DropShip toward Borghese. Both ships will hit the spaceport tarmac in six hours." Rose could see McCloud light up at the mention of her ship. "Colonel Bahlyard has been summoned back to the capital, where he is ordered to turn over his prisoners. He's also been ordered not to interfere with the Clan 'Mechs he's going to find in Houston."

"How many?"

Rose turned to Esmeralda. "Unknown at this point. I'm guessing one or two Trinaries, but we shouldn't count on it until we get more information. I've thought a lot about it, however, and I agree with Ajax.

"The Clans will use some kind of bidding to determine the force they send here. Two Trinaries, or thirty 'Mechs, is about the most I think they'd send. Hopefully, they'll only send one Trinary, say, fifteen 'Mechs. We should know more when Colonel Bahlyard gets more information from his men in Houston.

"Until that time, here's the plan. We have to get word to the Federated Commonwealth before the Clans can reinforce their position. That means a raid on the hyper-pulse generator. For the time being, that's as far as we need to go in the mission.

"Getting ready is going to be difficult, to say the least. If we had to leave right now, we'd have only four 'Mechs in fighting shape and one wounded to make our run. To have any chance of success, we have to make that seven 'Mechs in fighting shape as soon as possible.

"For the time being we're going to trust the militia for security." Rose held out a stalling hand. "I know your objections, but we don't have much choice. If the militia wanted us, they'd have already made their move. The Council has nothing they can throw at us that the militia can't stop, and these trees should provide cover from the Clans if they try something."

"Captain, I don't believe the Clans even know we're here." Rose turned to Ajax and wondered why the mercenaries always waited until his back was to them to make a point. "Since the Council believes us to be destroyed, they have nothing to gain by telling the Clans we were ever here. The militia can easily be explained as being on maneuvers. The Clans aren't likely to be much interested in them, especially since we're so far from the capital."

Heads nodded in agreement and Rose's was one of them. "Even without interference, time is critical," he said. "We have to be ready to move out as quickly as possible if we're going to be successful. If things get speeded up for any reason and we want to move out, we've got to be able to do so with as large a force as possible.

"Angus, you and Ajax are going to be in charge of the surface repair. Bahlyard has already confirmed that the militia has some maintenance personnel who can help us repair our armor. Start with the worst damage and work your way down. Questions? If you need more to do, I'll have it.

"Badicus, you get ordnance."

O'Shea shook his head sadly. "I knew I'd be punished for letting your Shadow Hawkget beat up. I never knew you were so cruel, and me a cripple." Around him the mercenaries scoffed. Going through a downed 'Mech to retrieve live ammunition was dangerous work, even under good conditions. Because of the danger to the crews,

Liao ordnance crews were often composed entirely of criminals. In many cases O'Shea would have been right to consider the duty a punishment.

Rose smiled at the mock sadness in O'Shea's eyes. "Knock it off, bumblebutt. You're overseeing the militia ordnance crews. Most of them have never seen the inside of a 'Mech ammo bay, let alone worked in one. We should be able to produce some possible reloads for the working 'Mechs, but don't let them get killed in the process. Distribute any ammunition you find among the 'Mechs that can use it."

O'Shea smiled and wiped his brow with the back of his cast in exaggerated relief.

"Rianna, you and Hawg are going to assist with the repair of all internal damage. Bahlyard doesn't have anyone who can provide expertise, but he's agreed to give us a couple of assistants. Start with the Chargerand the Marauder.Esmeralda, stick with the Marauder.If time permits, and I don't think it will, work on the Shadow Hawk.

"Bell, you and I need to talk, then you can help the others. I need to know everything you know about the Preservationists. Give me another fifteen minutes, then we'll get together. I'll want you to cover the same ground for Colonel Bahlyard."

Rose looked around the circle. The mood had definitely lightened. Although the Black Thorns were still tired, they seemed to be in much better shape than at the start of the meeting.

"Questions?"

"Just one, Captain." Rose happened to be looking at Angus when he spoke. "We're relying a lot on Colonel Bahlyard. Is that wise?"

"Probably not, but we've got our backs to the wall. We're the only force on the planet that can stop the Clans and Bahlyard knows it. This is his home planet, remember?

"Most of the people of Borghese don't want the Clans and Bahlyard is a part of that majority. Unfortunately, the people in power, who represent only a very small minority, seem to have a misguided vision of life under the Clans and they're determined to drag the rest of Borghese into that vision, even if the population has to go kicking and screaming."

Rose paused again. "Anything else? No? Then get off your butts and on your feet, out of the shade and into the heat. We're wasting daylight." As the mercenaries scrambled to their various duties, Rose remained standing in the middle of the empty circle. He was looking at McCloud, who remained seated. Ajax had the presence of mind to wander away from the area.

For the first time in a long time, Rose and McCloud were alone. There was so much Rose wanted to say, but lack of time forced him to stick to the basics. When this was all over, he promised himself, then he'd tell her how he felt.

"Captain McCloud, have you ever flown a 'Mechbuster?"

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