Текст книги "Wolves On The Border"
Автор книги: Robert N. Charette
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54
Trolfjel Highlands , Misery
Galedon Military District, Draconis Combine
20 May 3028
The effect of Michi's rescue was short-lived. In minutes, Dragoon 'Mechs renewed the attack on the command center. The blue and gold Archerwas not among them.
A quick look at the shambles in the hut's interior and the smoking wreck of the holotank told Minobu that there was little point in remaining. He scrambled across the field to his Dragon.Michi's ‘MechWarriors provided cover while he climbed aboard and powered up. Secured and ready, he opened the taccomm.
“Form on me. We will try to punch through to join the bulk of Ryuken– go.”
“What good'll that do?” asked an unfamiliar voice.
“Little. But we should then have enough force to fight our way to the bunker line. Once there, we should be able to hold till the Dragoons tire.”
The Dragonbegan to move as Minobu spoke. It lumbered past Michi's Ostroc,picking up speed. Half a dozen Kurita 'Mechs fell in behind it as Michi ordered them into a loose wedge formation.
Fire from the attacking Dragoons was light at first, for only one or two of the pilots had seen the Kurita machines start out. As soon as the Dragoon commander got word of the Kuritans' movements, however, he ordered a shift in his line of attack. BattleMechs that had been pounding the facilities of the command center moved to intercept the Kurita machines. In the sharp firelight that followed, the Kuritans lost half their number. Five of the Dragoons' own 'Mechs were smoking when their commander pulled back and let his opponent go. Only desultory long-range fire followed the Kuritans as they headed away from the command center. The morning storm finally closed in, and swirling snow hid them from view of the marauding Dragoons.
As soon as it seemed safe, Minobu ordered a standard cooling halt, which would not take long in Misery's chill climate. He really wanted to take stock of the condition of his troops and to attempt contact with Sederasu at Ryuken-go.
Minobu's Dragonhad seen less action than those he had joined. Though his 'Mech had come through the skirmish with relatively light damage, he had already used up a fourth of his autocannon ammunition. He knew that the others had to be even worse off.
He looked around at what had become, by default, his Command Lance.
Michi's red Ostrocwas the heaviest of the other 'Mechs, and it had suffered more damage in the last fight. The housing for one of the Fuersturm lasers dangled from its chest, shattered. Michi reported all other weapon systems functional, but did not mention the 'Mech's left arm, which hung loose and dysfunctional. Daylight showed through much of the shoulder assembly.
The next heaviest 'Mech was a Panther.Steam leaked from a gash in the side of its cockpit. The shredded and warped armor plates distorted the shape of the head, changing it from a hunting cat's snarl to a leering, half-decayed skull. The pilot said that he was experiencing excessive heat buildup, but that otherwise his 'Mech was functional.
The fourth of the Kurita 'Mechs was a heavily scarred Jenner.Its non-humanoid shape showed fresh damage almost everywhere. The only thing that seemed intact was the pilot's armored dome, which sat on the boom projecting from the base of the body. The ‘MechWarrior, incongruously cheerful, recited a list of ‘Mechanical failures and half-functional systems that left Minobu wondering how the machine had managed to get this far.
Survey of his tiny force complete, Minobu tried to contact Sederasu. The storm that hid them from pursuit also disrupted what little long-range communications the mountain peaks allowed. Minobu could not get through.
The commcenter was destroyed, disrupting Minobu's contact with his command. He had hoped to use the Tacticon computer and powerful communications equipment on board Sederasu's Cyclopsas a substitute. If he could call together the scattered Draconian forces and lead them to the bunker line west of Hamar Valley, the Dragoon momentum might be broken, giving the Kuritans a chance to recover.
Minobu ordered his lance into motion. Each time they crested a rise or cleared the lee of a peak, Minobu tried to reach other friendly units, but the contacts were too brief or garbled to be of any use. Finally, the wind shifted, blowing back the covering curtain of snow. Minobu hoped that it signaled a break in their luck.
It did, but not in the way he wanted. Instead of giving the Kuritans a chance for communication, the storm's capricious shift brought them a company of Dragoons.
Without conscious thought, Minobu aimed and triggered his long-range missiles at the oncoming 'Mechs. The Dragonbelched fire, but the enemy was already spreading out into an attack formation. His rockets roared past the leading pair, a white Griffin and a dark blue Shadow Hawk,and delivered their payloads to their target. Clouds of steam and smoke erupted around the shadowy shape of an Ostscout,which had been advancing cautiously in the trailing slot of the lead lance. The 'Mech staggered under the barrage and stumbled back, its upper torso savaged and one sensor arm amputated. The machine's sophisticated sensors had tracked the Kuritans, even through the blinding snow and the magnetic field distortions of the mountains. Guided by his ki,Minobu had canceled that advantage with his first shot. Now his troops had only to contend with the BattleMechs that outnumbered them three to one.
Surprise lost, the Dragoons opened fire. The Kuritans returned it.
Minobu concentrated his attacks on those enemies furthest away because his Dragonwas the best equipped to engage those targets. Any Dragoon 'Mech that he could take out before it closed to its own effective range was one less enemy to hurt the lance. He trusted Michi and the others to deal with the remainder of the leading Dragoon lance.
Minobu slipped into mushin ,thought and action becoming one. He was the Dragonand the 'Mech was the mighty Dragon of Kurita, breathing forth destruction on its enemies. He moved with a fluid grace, myomer pseudomuscles shifting his armor-clad body no more and no less than necessary to dodge enemy fire while setting up his own shots. The Dragonwas deadly. Several of the lighter Dragoon machines collapsed or withdrew from combat.
Having exhausted its long-range missiles, the Dragonturned to the closer-ranged fight and found that the odds had not improved. The Jennerlay crumpled, its cockpit dome still strangely untouched. Of the Panther,only scattered pieces were to be seen. Michi's red Ostrocremained standing, locked in a hand-to-hand struggle with the Griffin .
A blast from the Ostroc'schest-mounted lasers sent the Griffin staggering back, one hand raised as though to shield the exposed inner structure from further damage. Its foot slipped and it went down heavily.
The 'Mech's fall gave its partner the opening the pilot had been awaiting. The staccato roar of the Shadow Hawk'sautocannon drowned out the sound of its missiles launching.
The pilot was a good shot. The Ostrocshuddered as armor sprayed from its surface. Under the steady pounding, it jerked and shook.
The Dragon'sown laser hit the Shadow Hawk,breaking the pilot's concentration. The Dragoon cut his fire and rolled to cover.
The relief was too late for Michi's 'Mech. Sparking and smoking, the Ostrocbegan to topple.
Through the billowing dark cloud, a glittering package rocketed. Michi had waited a second too long to trigger the ejection system, and the chair flashed out at a dangerously low angle. The chute deployed but barely managed to slow the chair's furious speed before it plowed into the ground.
Dragoon rockets burned toward the Dragon,but the big 'Mech moved with surprising speed and grace. The missiles exploded harmlessly behind him as Minobu moved toward Michi's crash site.
A heavy laser pulse caught the Dragonin the back of his left leg. Dysfunction lights flashed red in the cockpit as the actuators froze and locked the leg in a slightly bent position. The Dragonlurched on, slowed by his wound. More and more of the Dragonlasers found enough purchase on his armor to burn through.
The interior of the Dragon'scockpit was suffused in the bloody glow of failure lights, while sensors flashed warning of an approaching mass. Minobu pivoted and twisted aside. He brought his battlefist down on the Shadow Hawkas the Dragoon 'Mech stumbled past. Tubing and framework crumpled as the fist tore across the backpack. Only the resistance provided by the Armstrong autocannon as it crumpled into uselessness saved the Shadow Hawk'scockpit from being split open. The Dragoon 'Mech crashed to the ground. It twitched once and was still.
The Dragonreturned to his course.
In the twisted wreckage of the ejection seat, he could see motion. There was movement in his three-sixty screen as well. Lost in concern over the fallen Michi, the Dragonwas slow to react.
A 'Mech crashed into his left side, but the attacker was too light to topple the Dragon'ssixty tons of mass, even had it struck cleanly. Though Minobu's reaction was slow, he sidestepped enough to reduce considerably the effect of the Dragoon's charge. The light machine clung to the Dragon'sside, punching with its fist in an effort to destroy the domed cockpit.
The Dragon'sautocannon arm swung around, shoving its muzzle into the side of the enemy 'Mech. Minobu's last shell cassette emptied into the unfamiliar machine. The pounding thunder beat against his ears as the backblast of the explosions sent shrapnel ripping into the Dragon'sside. The damage was negligible compared to what the explosions did to the Dragoon 'Mech. It fell away from the Dragonand lay on its back in the snow like a crushed insect.
The desperate maneuver had ruined the Dragon'sImperator-A autocannon. No matter. There was no more ammunition for it.
The Dragoons abandoned their physical attacks and returned to showering the Dragonwith energy beams and short-range missiles. With only one 5cm laser left in its offensive armament, the wounded Dragonstaggered forward to bring the fight to his tormentors. Close combat would be the most effective way for him to continue the fight now.
The Griffin announced its return to the battle with fire from its PPC. Electrostatic discharge ionized the air around the Dragon'scrippled leg as blue lightning tore through the weakened armor. Frayed myomer pseudomuscles ripped loose from the structural system, no longer able to bear the 'Mech's weight. The leg failed. The Dragonswayed on his good leg for a moment, listed to the left, then crashed down.
Minobu hung dazed in the restraining straps. Shaken loose from mushin ,he was once again a man piloting a machine.
Sensor warnings pinged at the approach of the Dragoon 'Mechs. He focused his kito block the pain that shot through his body. Detached, he watched the Dragon'sleft arm rise. A ruby pulse lanced out to strike one of the advancing Dragoons.
The Dragoons responded with concentrated laser bombardment.
More failure lights flashed red, telling of the accelerating weakness of the Dragon.The weapon board beeped malfunction in the laser. One by one, the tights went out as the Dragondied around him. Finally, the sensors failed, isolating Minobu in the smoky murk of the cockpit lit only by the fitful flickering of electrical fires.
The Dragonshuddered from some outside impact, throwing Minobu violently about. His head struck the side wall of the cockpit. Even through the neurohelmet, the shock doubled his vision. Blood trickled down across the bridge of his nose and over his upper lip until he could taste its sharp tang. Through the ozone-laden air, he thought he detected the scent of cherry blossoms. Before he could puzzle out that mystery, darkness claimed him.
55
Dragoon Base, Farsund, Misery
Galedon Military District, Draconis Combine
26 May 3028
“Seppuku?”Wolf repeated incredulously.
Minobu looked up with weary eyes at the man who stood over his bed. “I have no other choice, I have failed my lord.”
“Failed? You've crippled our fighting force. It'll be months before the Dragoons are ready for a major operation. Far too many of our best pilots—men and women who have been with me since we came to the Inner Sphere—are buried out there in the snow. If you call that failure ...”
Minobu turned his gaze to the ceiling. In his peripheral vision, he could see Michi Noketsuna seated at the foot of the bed, looking distinctly uncomfortable. Minobu could tell that the discomfort came not from Michi's bandaged head or the arm that hung across his chest in a sling. It was not even the raw red skin, a legacy of his exposure to the harshness of Misery after his 'Mech was destroyed. Like Minobu, he was distressed at Wolf's words. Partial success was no balm to a samurai. The warrior who did not accomplish the task set for him had failed in his duty. It was nothing more or less than that.
“I'm not going to go away because you ignore me,” Wolf said when Minobu did not respond. “Your lord can't hold you responsible for failing.”
“Can he not?”
“It wasn't your fault,” Wolf insisted. “You played by the rules and were beaten. There's no dishonor in that.”
Minobu continued to stare at the ceiling. What could he say? In Wolf's world, the attempt was enough, and partial success was often acceptable. Wolf did not understand that a samurai either succeeded or failed. There were no half-measures.
Frustrated at the lack of response, Wolf sighed, rubbing the stubble on his jaw. “Look,” he said. “You didn't have a chance. You played by the rules, but we didn't. You fell for our gambit with the duels and charged right on cue when we played that PantherJock dirty. Even that trick wasn't good enough to stop you.
“While you were following our apparent lead in not using aerospace forces, we were setting you up. We didn't want any interference with our recon satellites in orbit. They were our secret advantage. While you groped like a blind man, we knew where your troops were every minute. And you stilldamn near beat us.”
Minobu listened to Wolf's confession without interruption, disturbed by Wolf's unrelenting presentation of Minobu's difficulties and near triumph over them. Wolf had fought according to his own rules of war and maintained his own honor. His confession of not fighting by Minobu's rules changed nothing. The fact was that Minobu had not succeeded at his lord's task. And if he had succeeded, he would have brought to ruin both his friend and that friend's cherished, and almost certainly wrongly accused, Dragoons. Such a success would have been too much for Minobu.
To make things worse, many brave ‘MechWarriors on both sides had died uselessly, for neither side had achieved its avowed goal. The Kuritans had failed to destroy Wolf's Dragoons, and the mercenaries were still a functional entity.
The Dragoons had exacted a high price in blood and had scattered the Draconians, but had not been able to completely destroy the forces arrayed against them. It was true that the Twenty-first Galedon had been mauled and the Seventeenth Galedon Regulars had probably been shattered beyond recovery. The Eighth Sword of Light had survived well, however, and almost half the Ryuken ‘MechWarriors would fight again. All the survivors were now hardened veterans, forged into tempered steel by those who had fought to destroy them.
The Dragoons themselves had been mauled. Though losses varied according to the intensity of combat each regiment and independent unit had seen, some casualties ran as high as 60 percent. Despite their losses, the mercenaries managed to retain cohesion and had been able to hold the battlefield. Material losses could be replaced, but trained veterans could not. Wolf's Dragoons would no longer be able to maintain their exclusive recruitment policies if they wished to field their full forces. Still, they had won their battle for survival. Several JumpShips had already left the system, taking Dragoons to join their dependents.
When Wolf lapsed into silence, Minobu heaved himself up into a sitting position, ignoring the protest of his muscles. The sudden shift narrowed his vision into a dark-edged tunnel and made him light-headed, but his voice was steady. “Why are you telling me this?”
“I'm trying to make you see that your lord should be proud of you. You've done more than any man could be expected to do.”
“Yet I failed.”
Wolf huffed. “Unity, you're a stubborn man!”
“Tenacious is a better word,” Minobu corrected mildly. “I have lived my life trying to be a virtuous man. The Dragon admires tenacity, and the code of the samurai upholds it as well. Therefore, I have tried to cultivate it. I am loyal to the code.”
Wolf started to shake his head, then stopped. A crafty look appeared on his face. “The code values loyalty above all, doesn't it?”
“You know it does.”
“Don't you know your lord betrayed you before you had a chance to fail him?”
Michi's indrawn breath did not distract Minobu, who looked directly into Wolf's gray eyes. Reaching out with his kifor the truth in the mercenary's words, he felt the glow of conviction around the tough core of Wolf's deeper being.
“It wasn't the Dragoons who held up Torisobo and his Sworders,” Wolf said, pausing to let that sink in. “They were under orders from Samsonov to hold back and let the Ryuken get mauled. After we had kicked each other to pieces, they were supposed to step in and clean up the mess. Any inconvenient survivors, of either side, would have found themselves on the business end of a PPC.” Wolf shook his head sadly.
“It sounds crazy, but it's true. That old bastard is insane.”
Minobu knew that Samsonov was doing foolish things, but he had never thought of the Warlord as insane.
“We overran the Sword of Light headquarters before they scampered offplanet with tails between their legs,” Wolf said. “Among the captured documents were Samsonov's orders. I can show them to you.”
Minobu shook his head.
“So, you see Samsonov never meant to have a force waiting to ambush us from space. He was out there in the dark all right, but not in this system. He and his troops had other business—they were chasing our families. The big, brave Warlord wanted to kill our civilians. Not exactly the actions of an honorable man, are they? Like Akuma before him, he seems to have believed that attacking our non-combatants would distract us and weaken our resolve. He's a fool as well as cowardly betrayer.
“Samsonov is the dishonored one,” Wolf concluded. “Your lord betrayed you, failed you. Hebroke the bonds of loyalty.”
Wolf's plea was plain in his face. He was fighting to change Minobu's mind and desperately wanted to sway him from his chosen path.
Minobu could not see how he could give Wolf what he wanted and still maintain his own honor. Nothing that any other man had done could lessen his own responsibility.
Minobu stood shakily, and Michi leaped to his feet to steady him. As soon as he felt stable, Minobu removed Michi's hand from his arm. Drawing himself up, he said, “Samsonov is not the lord whom I failed.”
Wolf's disappointment was clear, but so was his determination. “He was following Takashi Kurita's orders to betray you.”
Wolf's accusation was a serious one. If the ultimate lord of all Kurita samurai had ordered dishonorable behavior, if he had himself broken the bond of loyalty, the situation would be changed. Under certain circumstances a lord who ordered his samurai to improper behavior justified rebellion against himself. Minobu drew a deep breath, ribs paining him as he did so. He let half of it out before speaking.
“Do you have proof?”
“I don't need it.” Wolf's response was quick, full of certainty.
“I do.”
The slim hopes that Wolf had raised were dashed. Even the true belief of an honored and honorable friend was not enough on which to base rebellion. Minobu stepped to the wall and leaned against it, far more tired than his brief physical exertion could justify.
Wolf hung his head and rubbed his exhaustion-smudged eyes. “Look. You don't have to do this. Give up your allegiance to House Kurita. Join us. I'll make you a place in the Dragoons.”
The offer did not surprise Minobu. Rather, it confirmed the goodness he knew dwelt in his friend's heart. Much as he wanted to accept, Minobu could not. “I understand and appreciate your offer. You must try to understand why I cannot accept it.
“From the day I saved your life on Quentin, I was responsible for you. What you did, I was accountable for. Whatever karma you earned became part of my karmic debt.
“Thus, I am responsible for all the Kurita forces your Dragoons have destroyed.”
Wolf opened his mouth to object, but Minobu shook his head.
“The Dragoons were the heart of the Combine forces in the Galedon District. Now you will be taking them away. That alone would weaken our border defense,” Minobu continued. “Our battles here on Misery have gutted the Regular troops that defend the Galedon border, leaving it nearly unguarded and open to our enemies. I am responsible for this terrible blow to House Kurita.
“Because of this failure of judgment and ability, I have no choice but seppuku.There is no other way to restore my honor. In all the time I have known you, friend Wolf, you have understood the demands of honor.”
Minobu searched Wolf's face, but found bleak despair instead of comprehension. There was nothing more to be said. It was nearly sunset, a moment Minobu did not wish to miss on this day.
He leaned away from the wall, bringing his weight back onto his feet. An ache began in his flesh leg as he stepped through the door. The guards started to block his path, but Wolf waved them away. Minobu continued down the corridor unmolested.
At the end of the hallway, there was a small lounge normally used by the soldiers assigned to the barracks in their off-duty hours. It was empty of people. Minobu limped to the transplex pane that looked onto the landing fields where Dragoon 'Mechs were boarding DropShips in the last light of day. He lowered himself into the lotus position and gazed out. The brilliant refractions of light through the layers of ice crystals in the atmosphere was soothing. Reflecting on the transient beauty of nature, he dropped into a light, meditative state.
Back in the small room, Wolf turned his attention to Michi.
“And what about you? Are you going to slit your belly, too?”
“No.”
Wolf seemed surprised at the answer. Michi had not intended to explain anything to the mercenary, but the compelling pressure of Wolf's scrutiny brought words to his lips.
“I will not follow my lord Tetsuhara at this time, for I have work to do. I will avenge my lord on those who trapped him into this dead end.”
Wolf nodded understanding. He thought for a moment before speaking. “If we leave you here, your Kurita masters will have your head. That won't give you what you're looking for. In honor of your lord, I extend my offer to you as well.
Michi bowed. Like Minobu before him, he was tempted. Also like Minobu, he was bound to the path his honor demanded.
“It is not right that I join you while this obligation remains unfulfilled.”
“Who said we'd keep you from fulfilling it? We aren't letting it stop here, you now. We are going to continue to fight Kurita. Samsonov caught some of our people before we could warn them of the change in the rendezvous star system. We want our own revenge.”
“I don't know whether I am pleased to hear you say that,” Michi said. He was still a Kuritan. His quarrel was not with the people of the Combine or the ‘MechWarriors who defended them. They would be the ones facing the Dragoon guns. “Even though you fight my enemies, my place is not at your side.”
Putting his words into action, Michi stepped into the corridor and gazed at the seated figure in the lounge. After a moment, Wolf came to stand beside him.
“What can we do for you then? You can't stay here.”
Michi thought for a few minutes, weighing his few options. No matter which path he chose, he would be outcast. Wolf was right about one thing, though. Any attempt to remain in the Combine was tantamount to suicide. “Let me travel with you to some place where I can begin my quest.”
“That's all you want?” asked Wolf incredulously.
“I cannot ask more.”
“You mean, will not?”
Michi shrugged.
“You're a crazy samurai, Noketsuna, but you've got guts.”
