Текст книги "Wolves On The Border"

Автор книги: Robert N. Charette

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Текущая страница: 26 (всего у книги 28 страниц)

52

Opdal Glacial Fields, Misery

Galedon Military District, Draconis Combine

25 April 3028

 

Minobu stood in the open hatch of his Dragon.The cold wind whipped in eddies between the 'Mech's bulky shoulders, chilling him through the cold-weather gear he wore. He was careful to avoid contact between his exposed skin, already chafed from this brief exposure, and the cold metal of the Binox forty-powers. Through the device, he studied the serried ranks of the Dragoon BattleMechs drawn up across the principal arm of the Opdal Glacier. They stood tall among the naked fangs of dark rock jutting above the ice surface.

Motion caught his eye and he focused on it. Black 'Mechs, stark against the snow, were moving into place on the Dragoon left flank. Through the Binox, he could easily distinguish the red spider insignia, which told him that the Black Widows had arrived to join the Assault 'Mechs of Zeta Battalion. A powerful anchor for the Dragoons line.

The days of preliminary skirmishing were over. Here amid the peaks and glacial surfaces, the armies had come together, reaching an unspoken agreement on the battle site. It was not the site that either general would have chosen, but each found it acceptable. Barring static defense of an important point, Minobu knew that a commander could rarely expect to fight on terrain of his own choosing.

Minobu slid back into his 'Mech and dogged down the hatch. Out of the wind and back in the heat of the Dragon'sinterior, he found his clothes suddenly too warm. He squirmed out of the jacket and clambered into the pilot seat.

“All commands report status. Code twenty-three,” he ordered. Slipping the neurohelmet onto his shoulders and connecting his cooling system, he watched ready lights flash green on the command board his Tech had rigged over the comm board, crowding the cramped cockpit even more. Minobu bore the loss of space easily. Although the jury-rigged system offered nothing like the capabilities of a Tacticon computer, it did increase his ability to communicate with his command. That capacity more than compensated for the personal discomfort. By the time he had finished hooking up, only one light remained unilluminated. Minobu keyed open the channel to the commander of Ryuken-go.

“Tai-saSullivan, I have a no-show from Sword of Light. Explain.”

“No explanation, Tai-sho.”The reply came at once, but Sullivan sounded nervous. That was understandable, though. The Sword of Light Regiment was supposed to be in position on his flank. “My scouts have not sighted them. I will try to set up a relay.”

While Minobu waited for word, the Dragoon BattleMechs began to move, advancing en masse.

“Steady,” Minobu advised his commanders. “Hold fire till we are reasonably assured of good hits. No sniping.” He listened to the order being passed, pleased by the response of his troops. Only a few pilots in Seventeenth Galedon broke discipline by firing without permission, and their officers swiftly restored order.

Just as Minobu was about to give the command for harassing fire with energy weapons, the Dragoons stopped their advance. He watched in puzzlement as a single BattleMech continued forward from the center of the Dragoon line. The lone machine registered on his identification program as a Victor,an eighty-ton Assault 'Mech. After half a kilometer, it too stopped. The taccomm crackled as a Dragoon voice came over the open channel.

“I am Hans Vordel, Lieutenant in Wolf's Dragoons. I am a fourth-generation ‘MechWarrior. I have seen twenty-four-cycles and have fought on more worlds than I have years. Who among you has the courage to face me in single combat?”

His challenge was awkward and his Japanese abominable, but the intent was clear. Silence greeted it. No one in the Kurita force spoke, on either the open channel or any of the protected frequencies. The challenge was unexpected. A tekiacting like an ancient samurai? It shocked them into immobility.

Suddenly a Thunderboltbroke from the Kurita ranks, pounding out to within a kilometer of the Dragoon Victory.The comm channel reverberated with the pilot's response to the Dragoon.

“Villain. I am Tadashi Bolivar, a mere Chu-iin the grand forces of the Draconis Combine. I am not so old and decrepit as you, but I am a fifth-generation samurai of House Kurita and have slain three Davion ‘MechWarriors single-handedly. I accept your challenge. Pray to any gods you hold dear, teki,and prepare to die by my hand.”

A ragged cheer came from his comrades of Ryuken– san. Some of them keyed on their external speakers, and their cheers reverberated from the surrounding peaks.

Encouraged, Bolivar drove forward at his opponent. Vordel's 'Mech fairly leaped from its standing pose and accelerated rapidly. Minobu saw the flaw in Bolivar's approach vector that was sending him directly toward a zone of broken ice. Vordel must have seen it, too, because he shifted the Victorto take advantage. Bolivar reacted to his opponent's shift and headed his 'Mech further into the dangerous terrain.

When the Thunderboltstumbled, the Dragoon Victoropened fire. Its paired lasers raked the Kurita 'Mech, catching the pilot by surprise. Reacting like a novice, Bolivar decelerated to pull his 'Mech around. The moment his opponent's speed slackened, Vordel triggered a burst from the massive Pontiac 100 autocannon that was the Victor'sright arm. Shells cratered the armor across the Thunderbolt'supper surface and smashed into the cockpit area. The Kurita 'Mech shuddered and collapsed.

Dragoon cheers rang off the mountains.

The Victorraised its left arm and fired twin ruby flares into the sky before heading back toward its lines. Before it had reached them, a second Dragoon 'Mech left the line and advanced toward the center of the field.

Another challenge boomed out, as awkward as the first. In response, another Kurita 'Mech went forward to meet the Dragoon. Minobu recognized it instantly as Michi Noketsuna's Ostroc.Shouting, “I accept!” Michi roared down on the Dragoon without stopping. This fight was longer, but when it was over, the Dragoon Catapultlay broken on the field.

This time it was the Kuritans cheering the victor, rocking the mountains.

Minobu wondered what Wolf was thinking, to allow such dueling. The mercenary had probably decided that it would appeal to Minobu. Perhaps he thought that this was how one conducted a battle of honor. At one time, it had been.

Today, though, it was a luxury Minobu's forces could not afford. The Kurita forces outnumbered the Dragoons, but not overwhelmingly. Man for man and 'Mech for 'Mech, the Ryuken were no match for the mercenaries. The Galedon Regulars were even worse off. A series of duels would only deplete the Draconian resources.

There was another consideration. Sullivan reported that the Sword of Light had not yet appeared. During the duels, they should have time to break through the Dragoon delaying force and reach the battlefield. Then the Kuritans could attack with a better chance of success. In the meantime, Minobu would let the single combats continue. He hoped he would not lose too many good pilots before the Sworders put in their appearance.

The battles became a blur, one after another. Dragoon as well as Kurita 'Mechs failed to return, but far more of the latter lay shattered on the field. Few of the duels were as short as the first, but all were brutal. Minobu was gratified to see that none of the other victorious Dragoons returned unscathed.

The finale of a battle between a Dragoon Spiderand a Kurita Pantherfinally ended Minobu's waiting game. The Spiderwas on its back and the Pantherclosing in for the kill when blue lightning lanced from the Dragoon line. The beam struck the Kurita 'Mech full in the chest. Weakened armor collapsed under the hellish energies. The electric discharge from the PPC overloaded the Panther'scircuits and caused the autoloader to cycle a reload for the SRM launcher into the path of molten metal. The Panther'supper torso vanished in a fireball.

This breach of combat etiquette was too much for the Kuritans. All across the field, their BattleMechs surged forward and howls of outrage echoed from the peaks. There would be no more duels.

Like a startled flock of birds, the Dragoons turned and fled before the onrushing horde. Despite the apparent failure of morale, their fire was well-coordinated and surprisingly effective. Firing wildly, the Draconians streamed after them across the glacier's surface. From what Minobu could see the huge barrage of missiles, shells, and beams seemed to have little effect.

Uneasiness seized Minobu as he moved his 'Mech forward. If his force was advancing, he had best advance with them if he hoped to maintain even the slightest control. He was still puzzled by the Dragoon actions, which had been uncharacteristic from the first. Offering formal duels and then violating the code made no sense. The enemy's sudden flight made even less. It had to be a trap.

Almost at the moment he reached that conclusion, Minobu noticed the Dragoon left flank slowing and turning. They had reached the rocky hummocks of lesser mountains projecting through the ice and were taking cover there.

“Hold! Hold!” he screamed as he pulled his own Dragonto a halt. “Hold the advance!”

His orders went unheeded. The first Kurita 'Mechs rushed on past the original position the Dragoons had held. When the medium 'Mechs and the faster of the heavy machines hit the former enemy position, the mercenaries sprang their trap.

In a sudden burst, the ice beneath the Draconian machines lit up with blue fire, glowing like some crazy New Year's decorations. Cracks appeared in the ice, spreading across the field. In places, the ice shattered as easily as a frozen puddle. Yawning pits opened and swallowed Kurita BattleMechs.

The Draconian rush turned into chaos as two dozen 'Mechs immediately plummeted from view. Others scrambled from the crumbling surface. A few gained the safety of ice that had not been undermined, but most crashed down, along with the multi-ton blocks they gripped. Several more 'Mechs were forced over the edge by eagerly advancing fellows who were unaware of the danger. Devastated by their losses, the Kurita units were in total disarray.

A kilometer away, the Dragoons halted their feigned retreat. Weapons blazing, they turned on the Draconians. Their furious charge struck with ruinous effect.

Minobu saw now that Wolf had had his own reasons to delay the battle. While the duels were taking place, his engineers had been tunneling under the glacier's surface, preparing the pits and carefully placing the explosive triggers. In one clever maneuver, the Dragoons had cancelled out most of the Ryuken's numerical advantage.

Knots of Kurita 'Mechs were scattered across the glacier, and the Dragoons set out in pursuit over stretches of intact ice. The battle spread across the Opdal Glacial Fields. Instead of a head-on, multi-regimental battle, the fighting dissolved into a series of unconnected struggles by units of company or battalion size. Swept forward with the advance, Minobu's Dragonwas being dragged along by the ebb and flow of the Ryuken– ni’sretreat down Hamar Valley.

Pressed and harried, the Kuritans fought fiercely, but the Dragoons allowed them no quarter. In the smaller battles, most of the advantage went to the mercenaries, who had far more experience in such combat.

Disrupted by the surrounding mountains, Minobu's comm channels were filled with static, cutting him off from most of his command. When he finally managed to break free from his own pursuers, there was little he could do to reunify his forces. Minobu knew it was only a matter of time until the Dragoons reduced his troops to a point beyond effective opposition.

Suddenly, the pressure on the Draconians let up. Everywhere across the now extensive battlefield, Dragoons pulled back. Praying over the open channel, someone thanked Buddha for the miracle. From his own vantage point, however, Minobu was able to discern the true reason for Dragoons' unexpected withdrawal. The reprieve to his troops was not of supernatural origin.

The Eighth Sword of Light had finally arrived.

Faced with the arrival of fresh enemy troops, the Dragoons contented themselves with the havoc they had caused. Scattered as they had become in pursuit of the Ryuken and the Galedon Regulars, they were in danger of being defeated in detail. Rather than face the concentrated troops of the Sworders, the Dragoons retreated.

Their withdrawal was orderly. They knew, as did Minobu, that there would be other battles.

53

Trolfjel Highlands , Misery

Galedon Military District, Draconis Combine

20 May 3028

 

A pale glow on the horizon marked the coming dawn, and colors began to appear to Minobu's night-sensitive eyes. Another morning on Misery, another day of battle with Wolf's Dragoons. It was almost a month since that awful battle on the Opdal Glacier. The Kuritans had recovered somewhat from the bad beginning, but the fighting had continued week after week, with neither side gaining a clear advantage.

As the light grew, he watched men and women scurrying about the camp, stocky in their cold-weather gear. Through the speaker set into the transplex window, he could hear the faint sounds of the Techs powering up BattleMechs, getting them ready for their pilots. Reloads from the dwindling stocks of ammunition were being distributed to the machines.

He turned to the man who had stood by his side in silence for the last half-hour.

“It is time for you to rejoin your troops, Michi-san.”

“ Hai,Minobu– sensei.”

Minobu almost laughed at his protege's renewed use of the honorific. “This is hardly the time to let your rebellious streak show.”

“There may not be another time.”

Minobu's amusement evaporated. “Then you feel it, too. That this will be the last battle.”

“Hai, sensei.”

There seemed little to say.

“Fight well,” he enjoined Michi.

“I am samurai, sensei.It goes without saying.”

Michi's words pleased Minobu. The young man's inner strength had grown. He was no longer the unformed boy whom Minobu had taken on as an aide. Minobu reached out to touch the other man's shoulder. Looking down into Michi's dark eyes, he said, “I hope that each of my sons will grow to be as honorable a samurai, Michi Noketsuna.”

“Your sons should follow in your footsteps rather than mine, sensei.It is a path of great honor.”

Minobu restrained his emotion. “Enough, my young friend,” he said, dropping his hand. “There is a battle to fight and your place is out there. Go now.”

Michi bowed, deeply and respectfully. Minobu returned the bow, with proper consideration to his own superior rank.

Michi bowed again before pivoting on his heel and vanishing into the heatlock.

When next Minobu saw him, Michi was an anonymous figure under the bulk of cold-weather gear and goggled breath mask. Minobu watched through the transplex as Michi braced against the wind, heading for his 'Mech.

Like all the Kurita 'Mechs, the red Ostrocwas battered, and the hasty repairs necessary to keep it fighting showed in patches of armor coated only with dark antirust sealant. Battle and the harsh climate of Misery were taking their toll. It was small comfort to learn from the scout report that, even with their superb technical staff, the Dragoons were showing the strain as well. A month of constant skirmishes and several pitched battles had worn them all down. Neither side would be able to endure the pressure much longer.

Things might have been different if Samsonov hadn't deserted them. Twice after the disastrous first battle, Minobu had maneuvered Wolf into committing his whole force. Twice the signal for Samsonov's attack had gone out. Twice the Warlord's regiments had not arrived, and Minobu's command had barely extricated themselves before being overwhelmed.

The first time might have been an accident, a missed signal. The second left no room for doubt. The Warlord had betrayed them, abandoned them to the mercy of the Dragoons. More, Samsonov had betrayed House Kurita. The Draconis Combine could ill afford the damage the Dragoons were inflicting. Even if the Dragoons were finally put down, the cost had run too high.

Samsonov would not be allowed to escape justice this time, as he had after Galtor. There could be no pardon from the Coordinator. The crime was too blatant, Samsonov's hand in it too visible.

But that did not improve the current situation. Minobu was still bound to follow the Coordinator's orders, still committed to destroying the Dragoons. When Samsonov did not arrive with additional troops, Minobu had no choice but to make do with what he had.

Now, for the first time in weeks of struggle, there seemed to be a hope of achieving that end. Many of the 'Mechs taken out during the trap at Opdal Glacial Fields were back in the line, having been repaired with parts from other machines crippled in subsequent battles. The Kuritans were stronger than they had been since that terrible day on the glacier. Even so, this was a last gasp, their final chance at an offensive action against the Dragoons.

Wolf's main body had been maneuvered into position. Minobu's own forces were also in place, awaiting word from the Eighth Sword of Light, who should have reached their jump-off points two hours ago. Any minute now, Minobu thought, they would signal that they had begun their assault.

As if on cue, a commtech approached. He bowed deferentially and presented a message flimsy. “From Sho-shoTorisobo, Eighth Sword of Light, sir.”

Minobu ignored the outstretched hand and its paper. “What does he have to say?”

“He reports success, sir. The Dragoons are moving down onto the plain. He reports all is proceeding according to plan.”

According to plan. Such a simple phrase for something so complicated. If Torisobo's message was accurate, the Dragoons, surprised by the Sworders' assault, would be moving in front of the Ryuken and the Galedon Regulars' hidden positions. Unaware of their enemy, the Dragoons would be exposing their flank. In the usual morning snow-storm, visibility would be low. The Dragoons would move close without realizing their danger, and short-range fire would devastate their ranks. The Kuritans would be among them in the first rush. The battle would be brutal, but it would reduce the Dragoons' advantage of trained gunners, giving the Draconis forces a chance to win.

Minobu had placed all of his hopes on that slim chance.

There had been no brushes with Dragoon reconnaissance for two days. He was sure that his forces had reached their positions undetected by enemy scouts. Surely the plan would succeed. Why then, he wondered, did he feel this tremendous sense of impending disaster?

Brooding would do no good, he decided. With the Dragoons on the move, his place was in the commcenter, where he could coordinate the Draconis forces. His step was firm as he walked the corridor to the center.

The first unit he checked was his own former command, the Ryuken– ni”. It took some time, but he got Chu-saEarnst on the hard line that kept the Dragoons from intercepting Ryuken communications. The Chu-sa'svoice was confident.

“The morning snow has arrived as scheduled, Tai-sho.Visibility is less than fifty meters most of the time. No sign of ... wait.” The empty line hissed slightly. Earnst was back in a few seconds. “I see ... yes, they are ... BattleMechs, Tai-sho.The Dragoons are walking into ourtrap this time.”

“Commence the attack at your discretion, Chu-sa.Make it count,” Minobu urged.

“Understood, Tai-sho.We'll ...”

Earnst's words dissolved into static.

Minobu knew that the hard line they were using would not turn to static unless it had been cut.

Something had gone wrong.

“Break radio silence,” he ordered the commtechs. Communication with his officers was now vital. “I want all commanders in the net.”

The commtechs looked up, surprised by the vehemence in his voice.

“Move, sluggards! Open the net right now!”

The commtechs reported heavy traffic on the net. It took them several minutes to override and break in. “Ryuken– ni,” one announced as a voice came up on the speaker.

“Negative! Negative! Fire forward!”

“Where is Chu-saEarnst?” Minobu demanded.

“His 'Mech is down. We've lost contact with him.” The voice had taken on an hysterical edge.

“Calm down! This is Tai-shoTetsuhara. To whom am I speaking?”

The authority in Minobu's voice seemed to reach the man on the other end. He gobbled a couple of times before responding in a slightly steadier voice, “Chu-iBenedict Kerasu, sir.”

“Report, Chu-i.”

“It's the Dragoons, sir. They aren't fleeing. They're heading straight in on us, attacking. I don't know how, but they know our position. We haven't fooled them.” The hysteria returned to his voice. “We're being slaughtered! We're being overrun! There are Dragoon 'Mechs everywhere!”

The transmission broke up.

“Get him back,” Minobu ordered brusquely.

After several tries, the commtech reported, “Enemy jamming is blanketing Ryuken– ni's position. We can't punch through.”

“Keep trying.”

While Minobu was trying to get sense out of the distraught Chu-i,his staff had been laboring feverishly to sort through the garbled reports from the front and to update the situation map in the holotank. The link to Kerasu lost, Minobu turned to inspect their labors.

“It is very bad, Tai-sho,”Saraguchi announced. “We have break-throughs throughout the center. All Ryuken Regiments are reporting heavy Dragoon assaults. Twenty-First Galedon is completely out of touch.”

“What about Seventeenth Galedon?”

“They report their sector quiet.”

“Well, we can't afford to let them sit idle. Have them move to back up Ryuken– go. If we can stabilize that flank, it may give Sword of Light time to come to our relief again.”

Minobu didn't really think that was likely. Things had gone too far.

He spent the next two hours ordering shifts in the Kurita dispositions. Each time he thought he had gotten a unit across the enemy line of advance, a Dragoon unit would show up on the flank or in the rear, rendering the new position untenable. It was as though Wolf were reading his mind. The Dragoon assault began to seem unstoppable.

Suddenly, the command post shook with the violence of a nearby explosion. Around him, men pitched to the floor. Beating a constant tattoo under the sound of missile detonations came the familiar vibrations of high-speed 'Mech movement. Explosive thunder echoed hollowly within the walls of the center.

A nearby salvo ripped a hole in the commcenter's back wall, and the blast floored everyone in the room. When he had regained his feet, Minobu rushed to the hole, hurtling over the shattered remains of the holotank. Heedless of the frigid wind, he stared out at the BattleMechs assaulting the compound. At their head was a blue and gold Archer.

A Kurita Pantherappeared from nowhere to contest the passage of the Dragoon 'Mech. The Archerbore down on the defender, crashing its full seventy-ton mass into the lighter 'Mech. The Panther'sPPC flared, a puny beacon against the gathering storm clouds. The Archersmashed the Pantherwith its right arm, toppling the Kurita 'Mech, which crashed into a workshed and out of sight.

The Archerstrode into the main compound as though it were master of the place. Following behind, its lancemates continued to pour destruction on the compound. The Archerloomed over Minobu and halted. Its next step would have taken it into the flimsy prefabricated structure that was Minobu's headquarters.

Time seemed to stop.

Man faced machine; neither moved.

Minobu, tiny against the 'Mech's mass, looked up, searching for a glimpse of the pilot behind the cockpit screen of the silent BattleMech.

The 'Mech suddenly rocked under triple explosions on its left shoulder. White-hot fragments of ceramet showered down, forcing Minobu to take cover within the hut.

The Archerpivoted and ripped off a volley from its undamaged right-shoulder launcher. The rockets screamed wide of their intended victim, which was too close for the Dragoon ‘MechWarrior to target effectively in the little time he had. Laserfire scorched the air around the Dragoon 'Mech, and several pulses caught it cleanly.

Damaged, but still far from imperiled, the Archerbacked up. The Dragoons were outnumbered by the sudden appearance of two Kurita lances of heavy and medium BattleMechs. They moved into a mutually supporting formation and withdrew from the compound.

Minobu risked a glance outside the hut to learn who were these new arrivals. The red Ostrocin the lead was very familiar.