Текст книги "Main Event"

Автор книги: Джеймс Лонг

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13

Solaris City , Solaris

9 August 3054

 

Rose walked into Carstairs' office and collapsed into the overstuffed chair facing the stablemaster's desk. In the hours since the match his wounds had become increasingly painful and now even the walk here had left him short of breath. He rubbed his side and stared at the stablemaster.

"You don't stand much on ceremony, do you, Rose?" Carstairs said. "Most people knock before they barge into a man's office."

The man seemed nervous, probably frightened about Rose's reaction to the way the two stablemasters had secretly manipulated the conditions of the 'Mech battle. But what did Rose care about any of that? He'd come to Solaris for only one reason, and at last he was going to get what he'd come for—a BattleMech.

Rose shrugged. "I thought I had a standing invitation. You did say you wanted to hear the rest of the story."

Carstairs relaxed visibly when he saw that Rose hadn't come to make a scene. "So I did, so I did," he said, perhaps a trifle too heartily. "I tell you, Rose, I always feel good after a victory, but tonight. . .tonight I feel better than I have in years. What a match!"

The stablemaster got up from his desk and walked around behind Rose, who then heard ice dropping into glasses and the sound of splashing liquid.

"I bet Warwick is still crying his beady little eyes out over this one." Carstairs gloated, returning to view and offering Rose an unrequested tumbler. Rose took it without comment and set it on the arm of his chair.

"Swing that chair around, Rose. I want to sit over here." Rose muscled the chair toward where Carstairs had taken up residence on a matching couch.

"Have you seen the replays?" Rose smiled, but did not respond. He had not seen any of the actual tapes, but he'd heard several commentators reviewing the match. By all accounts Carstairs was a genius and his team incredible.

"I've had so many calls in the last hour I've had to disconnect the service."

"So, you're set." Rose raised the glass and took a small sip. Like every hard liquor he had ever tasted, this one burned all the way down, but instead of sitting like a lead weight in the bottom of his stomach, it seemed to seep away and leave a warm glow. Surprised, he regarded his glass.

"Good stuff, eh? I've got a connection over in the Montenegro quarter who can get me a bottle every now and then. I try to save it for important occasions, and tonight I cracked the seal when the gates went up." Rose took another drink and savored the same warming effect. He knew it was only his imagination, but the pain in his side seemed more remote.

"So, Mister Rose, what now?"

"I leave Solaris tomorrow night aboard the Gentle Wind,and God willing, I'll never be back." Carstairs laughed and drank deeply.

"I don't blame you, Rose. This place is not for the weak of heart."

"Weak of heart? The people here are nothing but a pack of animals. The killing, the violence, the destruction. It's all they live for."

"Right you are, Rose, but it still served your purpose, as it does theirs. It's a necessary thing, Solaris, and I'd not live anywhere else." Rose shrugged and drank again. He would never understand this planet, but Carstairs was right. It had served the purpose.

"So, Rose, you were going to tell me a story."

"Yes, per our agreement." Rose thought for a moment about his deal with Carstairs. In his rush to acquire a 'Mech, the telling of a simple story seemed like a fool's bargain on Carstairs' part. It had been easy to say yes at that moment, but now that the time had come to tell the tale, Rose realized he had given in too easily to the stablemaster's wishes. It had been more than two years since he last fought as a member of the Com Guards. Since that day he'd never talked about the fighting on Tukayyid.

Rose had by now come to accept the guilt and frustration he felt whenever he remembered the events of the fateful battle on that world, yet the pain was fresh, undiminished by time. Looking over at Carstairs, Rose decided that if it was time to tell the story, it was not for the reasons the stablemaster thought. Confession was said to be good for the soul; now he would find out if that were true. Rose would tell Carstairs the whole story and see if that helped diminish the pain. He smiled and lifted his glass toward the couch.

"I do like a man who pays his debts." Rose drained his glass and held it up in silent request for another. Carstairs heaved himself from the couch and returned with two more full glasses. Rose took a sip and then settled back into the chair.

"I am, as you suspect, a former member of the Com Guards. For most of my adult life I have served as a member of that fighting corps, stationed on one planet or another in the Draconis Combine. I desired little more than to pilot my 'Mech, but that was not to be.

"After several years as a 'Mech pilot, I was sent to Terra to learn the art of command at the Sandhurst Royal Military College. Three years later I was reassigned to the Ninety-first Division, Visions of Words, stationed on Luthien as an officer adept. In Inner Sphere terms that would be equivalent to the rank of captain. I was on Luthien when the Clans first invaded the Inner Sphere.

"Despite what you may have heard, ComStar was as ignorant as everyone else about who and what the Clans were. We watched with growing frustration as the Clans drove further and further into Steiner and Kurita space. We drilled and we waited.

"Eventually the drive came to a halt, and we believed the Clans had ended the invasion, but still we trained and practiced. When the attacks began again the soldiers of my command felt almost a sense of relief. A sense of purpose. Finally the grim news arrived that the Clan armies intended to attack Luthien. Here, finally, was the test of our trials and efforts. We would help the Draconis Combine defend its capital world.

"When the invaders arrived, however, the Com Guard forces were ordered to return to our base. Although we were allowed to protect the ComStar compound, we were not to engage the Clans. I sat for more than fourteen hours in my cockpit listening to the Kuritans fighting and dying. I listened to the arrival of the Kell Hounds and Dragoons. I sat and looked out over a seemingly peaceful city as thousands died just a few kilometers away.

"At the time I was furious. I even attempted to resign my commission, but Precentor Commander Brockton would not accept it. He finally placed me under house discipline to keep me from leaving. Three days later I was on a ship heading for a planet called Tukayyid.

"It all seems so ironic now. I was like a caged animal on that voyage. I wanted combat with the Clans so bad I was ready to fight my commanders to get it. Six months later I had seen enough battle to last most men a lifetime."

Rose held up his empty glass and waited silently as Carstairs refilled the drinks once more. He had tried unsuccessfully for months to forget the killing and battles on Tukayyid. He had refused to talk with anyone about the fighting and the killing; now he was practically telling his life story to a complete stranger.

Rose sighed deeply and rubbed his slightly numb face. Was the liquor making him talkative? It seemed like a good excuse, but Rose knew he had carried the grief around long enough. Unexpectedly, one of his few happy memories of his father leapt into mind.

The two had been walking back from the 'Mech bay late one night. Rose was barely ten, but already he loved to explore and play around the repair bay. On this night his father had discovered him among the servo motors along a bay wall, nearly inconsolable over some childhood disappointment. His father had simply taken him by the hand and begun to walk home. They went all the way in complete silence until they came finally to the front door of the house. At that point Cornelius Rose turned to his son and said, "When something is too bad to bear, tell someone that it hurts. When you do that, it passes your pain to them. All that will remain is the memory of the pain." Without another word, his father had opened the door and gone inside.

Maybe Carstairs was the perfect person to tell. A stranger whom Rose would never see again. Let him live with the deaths; he didn't seem to have any problems with the idea of human misery. A tap on the shoulder jolted Rose back to the present moment. Carstairs stood above him with an outstretched glass. Taking the offered drink, Rose made his decision and resumed his story.

"From the time the Clans landed, we were in almost constant combat. We were initially stationed in the Dinju Mountains, such beautiful country that it was hard to imagine fighting in it. Every view was like a holopicture."

"The battle began on May first. The Smoke Jaguars were the first to land, and other elements of our troops engaged them almost immediately upon their landing. Besides six 'Mechs, my command included tanks and infantry support, but once we arrived on Tukayyid the non-'Mech elements were reassigned as part of Precentor Martial Focht's plans. The overall redeployment made good strategic sense, but, tactically, it left us undermanned. We were used to fighting with combined arms and that hurt us at first.

"Six hours into the fighting, five of the Jaguars broke through the initial battle line, a trio of those damn fast Ryokenbacked by a pair of Vultures.We outnumbered them six to five and we had position on them, but they seemed to hold us in absolute contempt."

"Two of the Ryokencharged my Shootist,firing at extreme range. The pilots were excellent marksmen, but their large lasers didn't inflict enough damage to even breach my armor before we unloaded on them. Jenkins, in a Thug,and Hopper, piloting a Crab,added their PPCs and large lasers to my lasers. By the time the first Ryokenreached me, its armor was paper-thin, but still un-breached. I slammed a full clip of depleted uranium shells smack into its center torso as Jenkins and Hopper concentrated on the trailing Ryoken.Sparks began to fly and thick smoke began boiling out of the opening I'd created. Explosions rocked the machine as it continued its charge toward me. I was just about to fire again when the entire 'Mech disintegrated before my eyes. It was almost as though we'd severed the cords that held it together."

"I charged through the wreckage to add my firepower to that of Jenkins and Hopper. Emerging from the smoke of the Ryoken,I discovered Hopper had taken much of the Ryoken'sfire. Gouges crisscrossed his 'Mech where the Clan lasers had melted away his armor. I fired as I ran, taking the other Ryokenin the leg, but failing to divert its attention. Jenkins breached the armor near the right shoulder and set off a plume of blue-white smoke that usually marks the death of a heat sink, but the Clan 'Mech continued to fire exclusively at Hopper. We gutted that 'Mech and still it clawed its way toward Hopper's Crab.As Jenkins clubbed it to death with his 'Mech's stocky arms, the Ryokenfired a final time, severing the Crab'sleft arm."

"In most fights, that would have been the end of it. Outnumbered three to six, any sane person would have turned and fled. Not these guys. The two Vultureshad been engaging the rest of my unit with LRMs, using the remaining Ryokenas a spotter. Despite repeated attempts, nobody had hit the quick 'Mech, and the missile launchers were well-concealed behind a low hillock."

"I ordered Hopper to stay back while Jenkins and I flanked the two Vultures.As we rounded the hill, I ordered the rest of the lance to charge the Vultures."

"If the tactic surprised the two, they certainly didn't act like it. They each made a half-turn and put their backs together. Jenkins and I exchanged blows with one Vultureas Morressy, Batteil, and Tiegard took on the other and the remaining Ryoken.Missiles arced toward us and we returned fire. As the range decreased, the Ryokenadded its own lasers, mostly directed at the Thug.It wasn't a fight, it was an endurance test. The two Clan pilots just sat in one spot and traded shots with us as we attempted to finish them."

"My heat was climbing fast and Jenkins was only able to fire his SRMs when Tiegard killed a Vulturepilot with a Gauss rifle shot to the head. Sometime during the fight Batteil destroyed the other Ryokenby setting off an ammunition explosion, but I didn't see that 'Mech fall."

"I offered the remaining two warriors a chance to surrender, but they didn't respond. Maybe they never heard me. Tiegard killed the other Vulturewith a shot to the back. It all seemed so stupid. We had them beat and they forced us to prove it, dying in the process."

"We were still licking our wounds when we got word that another group was on the way. We limped back to our original positions and tried to support Hopper as much as possible during the next fight, and the next, and the next. Those Clanners were like some unstoppable wave crashing into the shore. By the end of that first day we had killed fifteen Clan 'Mechs, but none as heavy as the first two Vultures."

"Night came on, and the supply trucks brought ammunition, but we stayed in the field. Batteil and I made what repairs we could, but except for simple armor repair, most of the damage was beyond our meager ability to fix. Hopper's Crablooked like a one-armed target and Morressy's Exterminatorlimped badly from a severed foot actuator. I could barely believe my 'Mech had not been touched in the fighting. Tiegard said I was marked to survive the campaign, but I laughed off her comment. The next morning she gave me a letter she asked me to open only if she did not survive."

"What do you do in a situation like that? This woman had already decided she was not going to make it and most of the unit shared her feeling. From that moment on it was as though I commanded a unit of dead men who believed that I was the only one destined to live. They had given up on themselves and were channeling all their strength into ensuring mysurvival. How do you deal with that? They don't teach you how to live with a person who already knows he's dead, not even at Sandhurst."

"The next day we remained in our position and waited. Fifteen hours later we were still hiding, waiting for the Jaguars to stumble into our position. Our power down to a trickle, communications gear set to receive only, each warrior waited alone with his or her thoughts. We listened to the progress of the battle and wondered if, and when, we would receive the call, but fate is fickle. As the sun slipped behind the mountains we received word to maintain positions. The Jaguars were on the run and it looked as though they were about to abandon their position in the mountains. If the line began to collapse, we were to add pressure and make sure they didn't try to regroup. It was just past seven when we got the order to move out."

"We were directed across the valley and toward the retreating Jaguars. Soon we passed the remains of many beaten and broken 'Mechs, Com Guards and Clan alike. We had just entered the valley floor when we saw one of their huge DropShips take off at the far end. External speakers began to pick up the sound of distant conflict. As we approached, we could see other elements of the Com Guards engaging the Jaguar rear guard. My unit broke into a run and threw its weight against the Jaguar line. Almost immediately I lost sight of everyone but Tiegard."

"Despite the press of 'Mechs around me, I fought like a man alone, screaming at my enemies and firing at any Jaguar 'Mech that moved. I fought first with the autocannon, but soon exhausted the munitions. I fought like a man possessed and all the while Tiegard was next to me, matching my fury with icy calm."

"Dozens of times the Jaguar line threatened to break, and just as often one of their warriors would stop the tide. DropShips rose into the sky above us, lifting the Jaguars out of our reach. Frustrated, we threw ourselves at the remaining defenders, but they would not be broken."

"Eventually even my battle lust abated. There was Tiegard at my side, her 'Mech gouged by laser fire and missile impacts. We began to look around for the rest of the unit, eventually discovering three of the other members standing around the remains of Morressy's blackened Exterminator.A Clan strike had bored into the heart of the 'Mech, destroyed the engine shielding and the man above it. We stood there dumbstruck until the recall sounded and the salvage crews arrived."

"Morressy had been right. He did not survive the battle. I was numb from the shock of losing my first unit member in combat. The greatest shock, however, was delivered by Hopper. As we moved out of the mountains he remarked about my 'Mech's condition. Despite having participated in the thickest part of the fighting, it had only taken damage from two Clan attacks. Switching to Hopper's video feed, I saw that a nearly perfect 'X' had been stitched across my 'Mech's chest by the fire from twin lasers."

14

Solaris City , Solaris

9 August 3054

 

Carstairs gulped for air and stood up from the couch. "You're joking."

"I'm not."

"I've been in this business nearly all my life and I've never heard anything like that. You're joking, of course. I need another drink."

"No more for me."

Carstairs disappeared behind Rose, reappearing quickly with his glass refilled. As he returned to the couch and sat, Rose abruptly stood.

"You're not leaving me, are you?" Carstairs said. "You said I'd hear the whole story."

"No, I'm not leaving," Rose told him. "Just need to stand up."

Carstairs swung his feet around on the couch and settled back into the arm. With his drink on his chest, he motioned Rose to continue.

"Before I do, where is Esmeralda tonight?"

"What? I guess she must be over at O'Shea's place. He's bound to be depressed after missing the fight. Why do you ask?"

"No reason. Just curious."

"You were saying?"

"I was saying we pulled out of the mountains and redeployed to meet the rest of the Smoke Jaguars in the Racice Delta. For the next thres and a half days I fought marsh, swamp, farmland, and river bottoms. Through it all, my 'Mech took only light damage, most of which the tech crews assigned to the unit were able to repair overnight."

"Despite some hard fighting, most of the Jaguars seemed to think the campaign was finished. They took us on at every opportunity, but not with the same intensity they'd snowed in the mountains. Seven days after landing, the Smoke Jaguars left Tukayyid."

"By that time, the Nova Cats and the Diamond Sharks were gone, too, but the Wolf Clan had arrived to take their place. What remained of my unit was now transferred into action against the Wolves. There were other Clan units still on the planet, but only the Wolves and Ghost Bears were making any headway against our forces. By the time we were redeployed, the Jade Falcons were gone and we'd backed the Steel Vipers into a corner."

"Command always kept the exact figures on our losses a secret, but we knew we were getting at least as good as we were giving. Everywhere you looked, field-rigged 'Mechs were trying to hold the line. With the chances still good that we'd lose the planet to the remaining Clans, the Com Guard warriors fought like it was the Inner Sphere's last stand."

"The night of May fourteenth my unit was deployed along a ridge line that paralleled the Porozistu Mountains. The Wolves were pulling back all along the line, and we were there to make sure they didn't try to return to the city of Brzo. Storm clouds had been gathering in the mountains all day, and as night fell they moved down into the lowlands."

"Just past midnight we started picking up sensor readings. Batteil got them first in his Black Knight.By the time the rest of us got fixes, Batteil already had them tagged. We were in over our heads, facing twice our number. Given the enemy's technological edge, I did what any sane commander would do. . . ."

As Rose continued to tell his tale, the memories replayed themselves like battle tapes against his mind's eye. The heat, the fires, the smoke, the radio chatter, he saw and heard and felt it all. . . .

* * *

"Central, this is Station Three-Seven Bravo," Rose said. "I've got multiple inbound 'Mechs. Strength is at two Stars. We cannot hold. Request permission to withdraw to coordinates Zulu Seven-Seven."

"Hold the line, Bravo. We will advise." On Rose's control panel the tactical channel blinked to life. He made the switch.

"ETA is two minutes, Adept. If we plan to leave, now's the time."

"Hold on, Tiegard, Central is on the line."

"Three-Seven Bravo, hold your position. Reinforcements are on the way."

"Central, what is the ETA on reinforcements?" Rose's stomach lurched as he thought about another engagement. Didn't these Clanners know when to quit?

"Bravo, ETA twenty minutes. Can you hold the line?"

"That's a negative, Central. We cannot hold." Suddenly a new voice was on the line.

"Bravo, this is Precentor Luarca. You were put there to hold the line, and by the Word of Blake, you'll hold the line or die trying."

"Precentor, neither your threats nor the Word of Blake is going to matter in thirty seconds. Either we pull out now or those reinforcements will be giving us last rites."

"Then the Peace of Blake be with you, Adept. Do your duty." Abruptly the channel went dead. Rose gazed through the viewscreen and watched as the first of the Clan 'Mechs came through the trees and spotted his position. Without taking his eyes off the lead machine, Rose keyed the unit comm channel.

"All right, people, we stand and fight. Reinforcements are on the way, but we've got to hold them until we get some back-up."

"Then this is the end." Rose could hear the finality in Tiegard's voice. "Here we make our last stand."

"Damp the heat, Acolyte. Just hold them until reinforcements arrive." On Rose's tactical readout the emerging red dots were tagged and identified. Most of the Clan 'Mechs looked to be lights and mediums, but the last three out of the woods were yet to be confirmed. Rose watched as a Fenriscontinued its cautious approach. Running on minimal power, it was unlikely the enemy 'Mech even knew Rose was on the other side of the hill until his Shootistopened fire.

Rose started the combat with a long, steady burst from his large laser. In the darkness he would not see the shot until the first of the autocannon shells sparked against the ferro-fibrous armor of the Fenris.Shots danced up the Fenris'leg, stopping at the hip. Sparks flew from the ravaged knee, but the pilot managed to keep the 'Mech upright. Both arms swung toward Rose, but twin beams of azure electrons shot into the damaged leg from Jenkins' Thug.The Fenris'knee buckled even as it let loose all four lasers at Rose. Three lasers missed, but the final shot tore straight through the Shootist'shead.

Rose's control panel exploded as damaged circuits overloaded and failed. Metal and ceramics ricocheted off his helmet and tore into his flight suit. Smoke filled the cockpit and triggered the automatic fire extinguisher. Halon gas robbed all oxygen from the cockpit except in the emergency line that fed directly into the neurohelmet.

The Shootiststaggered a half step, but did not fall. As Rose's vision cleared he saw the remains of the Clan force emerge from the woods at a run. Flanking well to the right, away from Rose, were two of the nimble Dashers.The Fenrislay dead at his feet, a victim of Jenkins' accurate shooting.

"Two Dashers,breaking right. Batteil, they're heading your way." Rose waited for acknowledgment, but none came. As the Dashersdisappeared over the ridge, Rose rechecked his radio. He appeared to be sending, but nobody from his unit was responding. The Clan 'Mechs moved closer as he figured it out. One of the OmniMechs must be mounting an ECM pod, its powerful electronic jamming systems effectively blocking communications among the Com Guard 'Mechs. Rose scanned the Clan ranks for the likely carrier, punching up candidates on the computer at the same time. The computer came up with nothing, leaving Rose on his own.

"It's got to be the Black Hawk,'"Rose said aloud to no one in particular. "Good armor and good protection. It's got to be the Black Hawk."

The Clan 'Mechs swarmed up the hill. Normally Rose would have defended the hill, allowing the sharp rise to shield most of his 'Mech while the attackers charged into his guns. This time the situation was too dangerous to be allowed to continue because the ECM was making it impossible to communicate with his unit.

Rose fired as he ran, but only the ER laser had the range for a successful hit against the Black Hawk,which had just thrust its boxy left hand in his direction and fired its Gauss rifle. Nickel ferrous slugs ripped at the Shootist'sleft arm, setting off a train of sparks from the 'Mech's elbow to shoulder. A flight of missiles passed over Rose's head as the Clan pilot misjudged the distance.

"That's all for you, ace!" Rose leaned forward in his seat, screaming at the Black Hawk.Despite the advances in Clan technology, Rose knew from previous experience that the Black Hawkcould mount only a single heavy Gauss rifle. He closed the distance, half-running, half-sliding down the ridge. He fired again with his large laser, burning a gash across the Black Hawk'storso. The laser's acquisition light clicked green, but Rose held off thumbing the trigger.

The Black Hawkstabbed his left arm at Rose and again tore into the Shootist'sdamaged left arm. Red lights leapt to life on the control panel as his arm-mounted heat sink collapsed. Rose knew that his 'Mech's heat was beginning to rise, but didn't bother to look at the gauges. One of the Shootist'smain advantages was its ability to run cool.

As the 'Mech reached the bottom of the hill, Rose thumbed the autocannon. Twenty explosive shells slammed into the center of the Black Hawk,completely halting its forward progress. Rose pressed his advantage with another shot from the laser. The Clan pilot, staggered by the first two shots, tried to step to the right. Rose watched with a grim smile as the Black Hawktried to plant its left leg on the rocks, only to have the leg slide out from underneath the 'Mech. A flight of SRMs rocketed skyward as the 'Mech crashed onto its back. As Rose rushed over to the 'Mech, a Thorand a Fenristurned his way. He fired his ER laser at the Thorwithout aiming, his concentration focused on the struggling Black Hawk.Laser fire answered his challenge, slicing into his 'Mech's right foot.

As Rose reached the Black Hawkit had just managed to regain its balance, but not its feet. The deadly Gauss rifle swung toward Rose, but he managed to move inside the pilot's aim. His right arm knocked away the Gauss rifle, sending the shells arcing over the ridge into the woods behind as his hand jammed into the Black Hawk'shead. Ferro-fibrous armor buckled, but did not give as the Shootist'sfist stopped just short of the cockpit. The Black Hawkstruggled to get up, but Rose blocked the attempt with his left hand, which he kept pressed against the Black Hawk'shead. The Fenrisand the Thorclosed on Rose, but could not fire for fear of hitting the struggling Clan 'Mech.

Rose looked down the Shootist'sleft arm, and with a moment's pity for the pilot trapped underneath his armored fist, fired the arm-mounted pulse laser. Red light flared briefly, then the Black Hawk'sstruggles ceased. Sounds of battle flooded the cockpit as Rose stepped away from the dead 'Mech.

"Down, Adept!" The Shootistcrouched behind the Black Hawkas Rose ducked without thought. Laser fire from the Thorand PPC fire from the Fenrisflew all around him, but didn't connect. Rose crouched lower and returned the fire, concentrating on the Fenris.

"Jenkins, report!" The Fenrissplit to the left, arcing around Rose as the Thorkept him pinned down with laser fire.

"Moderate damage all-round, Adept. We've got the crown of the ridge, but that impromptu charge of yours means you're cut off. We could abandon the crest. ..."

"Negative, Jenkins. If I keep these two busy, that leaves the last six for you. Can you handle that until help arrives?" Rose watched the screens as the Fenrisran along the fringe of his short-range scanner. In another minute Rose would be cut off and surrounded.

"We can if they don't try to rush us. I don't think they know there're only four of us up here because we're bunched so close together. What about you?"

"I'm slower than both of these guys and I've got less firepower. Other than that things are just about even. Rose out." He killed the comm, but left the line open. He needed to concentrate, but the Thorwas leaving him little time for that. The Fenrishad almost completed its looping run and would break from the trees any moment now. Unable to think of anything brilliant in the time available, Rose charged the Thor.

Weaving slightly as he ran, Rose closed the distance as quickly as possible. Within seconds he was within range of the large laser, so he triggered a long burst and was rewarded with a hit on the Thor'sright arm. The other 'Mech's large laser stopped its motion and slumped forward as his fire destroyed its housing. Rose knew he was luckier than he deserved to be, but smiled at the thought that he might live through the combat. He triggered the large laser and medium pulse lasers. Armor boiled along the Thor'storso, but the 'Mech remained firmly on its feet.

Rose closed to within sixty meters of the Thorbefore the Clan 'Mech slowly brought up its left arm. In his heart Rose knew he was dead. The other warrior was so slow and deliberate with his aim that it was obvious he had something up his metal sleeve and that Rose had just run full speed into it. Veins already filled with adrenaline received another jolt as Rose's heart leaped to his throat. Gritting his teeth against the pain to come, Rose risked all and did what he hoped was the last thing the Thorexpected.

As the Thor'sleft arm autocannon fired, the Shootistdove to the ground. Explosive shells screamed over Rose's head as his 'Mech slid face-first into the rocks and dirt. The Shootistjumped and bounced toward the Thor,pushing dirt forward and digging a furrow in the ground. His armor bent and popped free as the sliding movement ground away metal and over-stressed the seams. Over his head, Rose could hear the high-pitched whine of the autocannon as the Thorreleased an impossibly long burst. Never had he heard so many shells discharged in such a short time.