Текст книги "Bloodname"

Автор книги: Роберт Торстон

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"This time?It has happened before? You two have fought before?"

Aidan recalled the time Joanna had beaten him in an honor duel within the Circle. And suddenly he saw that Horse's speculation was quite accurate. He wanted to avenge that defeat, neededto. There was a moment when, back then, he had vowed that he would. The vow was as good as a Clan oath to him.

"There is no need to discuss this further, Horse. We have a mission."

"I hate it when you turn trashborn."

"I am trashborn and you know it."

"Yes, I know it."

Horse's voice was unusually bitter as he abruptly cut his link to the commline. The one person in the universe Aidan did not want angry at him was Horse. They had been together for so long that, in a skirmish, they acted in concert without communication. They had qualified in the Trial together and had served in the same units since. He would have to make it up to him.

When he thought of Horse as the single person whose approval he needed, Aidan realized that it was not quite true. There was Marthe, too. Since the last time he had seen her on Ironhold, she had, he assumed, risen quickly in the ranks. She was probably a Star Captain by now. She had, after all, entered the warrior caste with two "kills" in her Trial, which started her at a higher rank. Aidan never asked others if they had heard about her and never checked rosters of other Clusters on other worlds for her name. They had grown up together in the sibko, and until Marthe had surged ahead of him in warrior training, had been very close, closer than most sibko members ever became. Joanna would probably know where Marthe was now. But he would have gone on his knees and begged Kael Pershaw for the information before he would ever ask Joanna anything.

12

Star Captain Dwillt Radick's BattleMech, a Viper,surged with power and what he liked to think of as confidence, as the 'Mech's own eagerness to get into battle, an alacrity that duplicated his own. As he settled into the cockpit's command couch for another check of his instrumentation, he called up terrain maps onto his secondary screen. Kael Pershaw's choice of combat site had surprised him. It was a relative flat-land, and except for a swamp into which no Mech-Warrior would take his 'Mech by choice, offered few hiding places. A lot of scrub and large clumps of shaggy bushes dotted the ugly, so-called Glory Plain. This area deserved neither the name of plain nor of Glory. Plains were meant to be magnificent, even majestic—fields of grain moving with the wind, brilliantly green grasslands, open spaces with few civilized interruptions.

From what he knew about Glory, very little of the planet reflected the honorable name given it by some mad cartographer. It was a hellhole where no sensible person would come unless he or she had a damned good reason. The Pershaw gene heritage was just such a reason. The Pershaw line was a solid one that had consistently produced the kind of warriors Clan Wolf respected. No gloryhounds, just heroes with an astonishing victory ratio. Clan Wolf scientists had sifted through Bloodnames from several Clans, and the Pershaw line had checked out as among the most superior. Because neither Radick nor even Mikel Furey was privy to the major goals of Clan Wolf, Radick could only suspect that acquiring genetic strains with a glorious tradition was part of the rumored program to make the Wolves the most powerful of the seventeen existing Clans.

Looking into the distance, Radick saw some hills to the left and Glory Station to the right, but neither landscape was any more interesting than the one before him. Behind the Clan Wolf forces, at the foot of a long slope, began the infamous Blood Swamp. Pershaw's strategy of setting the Clan Wolf forces in front of the swamp had an insidiousness to it that Radick admired. He was not especially eager to fight with a swamp at his back, but it was a drawback he could easily turn to his advantage. He had already given his Cluster a stirring speech about their having so little room behind them because Clan Jade Falcon obviously knew that Clan Wolf would never retreat. The enemy, on the other hand, had plenty of room for retreat, proof of their cowardice. But all that was mere rhetoric. Radick knew that Pershaw and the warriors of the Jade Falcon Clan were brave and famed for tenacity. Pershaw had chosen this troop deployment for some strategic purpose, perhaps related to his already-diminished manpower. Radick had already sent a couple of 'Mechs into the swamp to see what might be gained if he were forced into it. He hoped those scouts could find their way back.

"Star Commander Ward!"

"Yes, sir?"

"What do you make of the Jade Falcon deployment?"

"It is strange. It reminds me of what I have heard of ancient Terran warriors battling in front of city walls."

"Freebirth! You are improvising. City walls, indeed. Kael Pershaw would not know anything of pre-Clan military history."

"As you say, sir. It was merely an observation."

"Instead of observing, calculate. What will be the Jade Falcon's first move?"

"To wait for ours, I expect."

"No, we will wait for him. He is undermanned. It is only fair that we, out of courtesy, allow him the first move. How much time until the battle may commence? "

"Three minutes."

Radick returned his attention to the terrain, trying to find in it a clue to what Kael Pershaw might be up to.

* * *

"Lanja!"

"Yes, sir."

"Time?"

"Two minutes, sir."

"Are your Elementals ready?"

"As always."

"Yes. I need not have asked."

Kael Pershaw was performing his last prebattle checklist. He had stared at charts and screens for hours, it seemed, and no matter how he analyzed and reanalyzed, he did not have good numbers for going up against Clan Wolf. Star Captain Dwillt Radick had the extra Trinary on the field, while Pershaw's was off somewhere beyond Blood Swamp, perhaps twisted in wreckage, or disabled, or lost. And then there was Jorge's Star. Pershaw hated to admit it, but with the impressive enemy array in front of him, he would not mind having that contingent of stinking freebirths in the field right now. Lanja had told him often enough that they were good fighters—a bit unorthodox, but good. Still, he would be happier to be on a planet where there were no freebirth warriors.

"It is almost time, Colonel," Lanja said. "One of my Point says he knows of Dwillt Radick, and that the man will wait for you to make the first move."

"How civilized of him. Our first move, as you call it, must be a majestic one, quiaff?"

"Aff. We await your order. The time is up."

At the same moment Pershaw gave the order, the LRM-equipped 'Mechs in his command sent off a barrage that might have been compared to a similar massive flight of warrior arrows in some ancient battle. Unlike arrows, of course, these missiles were riding invisible beams to their targets. He had ordered half his 'Mechs to fire the long-range missiles at a flat trajectory, while the other half lobbed theirs in a high arc. If nothing else, this forced the Wolves to allocate their anti-missile systems to one group or the other, with the chance that some of the other missiles would hit without being engaged.

Even before any of the missiles had come close to their targets, Lanja—with the bloodcurdling scream that was her trademark—started her three Points of Elementals forward. Fifteen of the armored giants shot up on tongues of flame that would send them toward the Wolf Clan line.

Pershaw watched both tactics on separate screens, his head twisting back and forth to trace the dual actions. As he had expected, many of his LRMs were blown out of the air, sending up a curtain of smoke and debris that partially obscured their direct visuals of the Clan Wolf forces. The low-flying missiles were something else. Countered by the anti-missile systems, their explosions occurred closer to their targets, kicking up dust and boulders, many of which made contact with 'Mech legs, and sometimes higher. Pershaw was satisfied to see some leg armor flying, and he had hopes that these hits were the beginning of attacks that would disable 'Mech limbs.

Seeing one of the salvos make a direct hit without being engaged, Pershaw responded with a satisfied grunt. The Clan Wolf 'Mech had either used all its anti-missile ammunition or been the victim of a malfunction. The hit was not fatal, but large chunks of armor sailed outward, strong walls undergoing the first cracks of the assault.

Under cover of the explosions and smoke, Lanja's Elementals had already gone halfway across the intervening field before any Clan Wolf Elemental had even moved. Radick had bid away so many of his Points that the Jade Falcon infantry was the one battle factor where Pershaw had a slight edge. The Points of Elementals from each side were an awesome sight as they headed toward one another. In their battle suits of super-thick armor plate, they looked like alien beings from some distant corner of the universe. For a face, they had a dark, V-shaped viewport. Their feet were cloven and shod with steel. With no real neck to the suit, their heads looked like mere lumps rising from their shoulders. The right arm ended in the muzzle of a laser; a machine gun was slung under the left forearm. Mounted on the back of the suit was a boxy double-barrelled missile launcher. Bred for height and strength, these Clan infantry were supermen on the field. Clan Wolf's Elementals opened fire first, but the Jade Falcon Points were quick to retaliate. Soon crossfire seemed to weave both sides together, but not a single 'Mech from either side had yet moved.

Time, Kael Pershaw thought, to take the next step in the initiative.

"Charlie Assault Nova," he ordered, "take the right flank."

He had decided to send this detachment from his Trinary Striker Force because it had more than one reason to fight well. It had been Star Commander Bast's unit. Traditionally, units that had lost leaders (Bast had been replaced by Mech Warrior Ersik, whom Pershaw had given a field promotion to Star Commander) fought more fiercely. No one knew whether it was to impress their new commanding officer or to honor the memory of the dead one.

As Pershaw gave further moving orders and started his own unit, Alpha Striker Nova, on the attack, he saw many holes in his line of battle. These openings might be just what the Clan Wolf warriors needed to rush through and trap the Jade Falcons in a pincer movement.

* * *

Dwillt Radick was thinking trap. He knew that Pershaw was committing virtually his entire Cluster to this engagement, while Radick was able to maintain a Nova in reserve. Perhaps he should have brought in all his troops, too. Overwhelmed Pershaw, taken the contract for the genetic package, and lifted off this hellhole. But even with the troops he now commanded, he should be able to defeat Pershaw and his backwater warriors. The secret was to do so without losing too much of his own force.

Craig Ward, already in the thick of battle, firing off laser pulses as he guided his Ice Ferret'smagnificent strides forward, found himself coming under the fire of Pershaw's Charlie Nova. The Ice Ferretrocked as two Jade Falcon 'Mechs, a Summonerand a Mist Lynx,fired simultaneously trying to disable his left-arm laser cannon. Rotating his 'Mech's torso, he wheeled on them. Firing at them alternately, Ward sent shards of armor hurtling through the air. The Mist Lynx,damaged by Ward's ambuscade, wavered on its feet before it went stumbling forward. Just as Ward was ready to finish the 'Mech off, he was diverted by heavy fire from the Summoner.Peering out his viewport, he saw a thick hunk of armor fly past. It was a moment before he realized it was a slab from his own 'Mech.

* * *

Kael Pershaw had scored well in academics during warrior training, amassing some of the highest cadet ratings in the history of the Ironhold Training Center. He could see now, as the Clan Wolf 'Mechs surged forward, passing the Elementals who were engaged in a standoff in the center of the field, that the left-flank attack was failing and the center would soon be driven back. Among the Jade Falcon forces, only the right flank, apparently inspired by Charlie Assault Nova, was making any headway. Some Clan Wolf 'Mechs were being edged backward toward the slope leading to Blood Swamp. But Kael Pershaw's forces were being separated too widely, divided too much. Only disaster could come of that.

When Pershaw gave the order for strategic retreat, Lanja came quickly on the commline: "It is too soon. You will look cowardly."

"Only for the moment. We need to regroup. We discussed this in our prebattle briefing. You and I agreed that the second phase of the assault was more than likely to occur. Order your Points back, leaving the packs behind."

Pershaw knew that his next tactic might be considered questionable in some circles, but as the saying went, nothing was truly unfair in a war.

* * *

"They have their tails between their legs, Craig Ward," Dwillt Radick shouted excitedly.

"Do not be too sure of that, Star Captain."

"No. They are weak now. Pursue!"

"Perhaps we should just allow them their dignity and-"

"Dignity! What a foul word! Pursue!"

Craig Ward wondered why Dwillt Radick would place such high priority on courtesy but have no regard for dignity. Now, however, in the midst of combat was not the time to challenge his superior officer. "Yes, sir," was all he said.

As the charging Clan Wolf BattleMechs passed over the packs dropped by the Jade Falcon Elementals, the vibrations of their heavy tread set off the vibrabomb charges in the packs. The force of the explosions and the subsequent shrapnel sent armor flying through the smoke, smashed operating machinery beneath the armor, cut wires and, in one case, sent a Gargoylecrashing to the ground. The impact not only killed its pilot but crushed more than a Point of Clan Wolf Elementals that had been pursuing their Clan Jade Falcon counterparts.

In his aptly named Hellbringer,Kael Pershaw permitted himself a satisfied smile. The odds were a bit reduced now. They were still in Clan Wolf favor, but for the moment, the retreat was covered.

The next phase of the battle would be near Glory Station itself, where he could run supplies, especially ammunition, out on a shorter line while forcing the Wolves to stretch out their supply lines. He wondered if he should have set up barricades. They would have to be enormous to conceal 'Mechs, and besides, there was something distasteful about entire units firing from cover. Had there been time to construct them, he might have been tempted anyway.

Looking back as the smoke cleared, Pershaw saw the field littered not only with the ruined Gargoyleand the fallen Elementals from both sides, but also with hundreds of shards of ceramic and metal, the detritus of the battle. The Clan Wolf forces had apparently ceased their pursuit. Behind them Blood Swamp was catching the light oddly, lending a reddish glow to the entire scene.

He thought of the possible reinforcements somewhere beyond the rim of the swamp and anticipated the difference they could make to this battle. But he had heard nothing from any of them since the departure of Star Commander Jorge and the rescue Star. That meant nothing, for everyone knew how easily the swamp and the jungle beyond it distorted even those communications that did get through. Crash survivors and rescue party could both still be out there.

Kael Pershaw could never have dreamed that he would one day be so devoutly wishing to see Star Commander Jorge and his stinking freebirth miscreants taking their places in a noble Clan battle.

13

"Aid—ah, Jorge, there is something on my shoulder."

"Star Captain Joanna, in this clime some insects find their way into the cockpits, but you need not—"

"No, fool! I do not mean my own shoulder. I mean Ter's."

"Ter's?"

"I forgot, you would not know. I have named my 'Mech Ter. And make no remarks. It is not a mark of admiration, but of hate."

"I thought the two of you were close."

"I served under Ter Roshak. I did not like him."

"You went after me and brought me back to Iron-hold for Ter Roshak."

"That is true. But I did not want to do it. And I did not want you to return. That whole second-chance idea of his was madness."

"You think Ter Roshak mad?"

"Jorge, this is useless chatter. What do I do about the thing on my 'Mech's shoulder?"

"What does it look like?"

"I cannot tell. It is a large shape. I can feel the 'Mech tilt to the right because of its weight. It appears to be a catlike animal."

"Oh. That is probably a tree puma. Several of them prowl this jungle. They are black, sometimes even blacker than the jungle itself. We detect them, as you just did, and sometimes there is enough light to reflect off their eyes. It is quite eerie. No one has ever captured one. No one has ever wanted to. It will ride along for a while, then jump off onto a tree branch. They have never been detected on the ground."

Aidan noted the clamor of sounds all around them. On top of the many wildlife noises and the rustling of leaves was the almost continual crunch of the Point 'Mechs carving a path out of the jungle. Aidan had ordered the most direct route possible to the battle site, figured as accurately as distorted sensor readings could make it. Mixing with these sounds, usually preceded by light flashes, came the sounds of the battle going on in the distance. Aidan was navigating by these as much as from his own calculations.

"It is gone," Joanna said suddenly. "The tree puma. I never even felt it spring. It was there one moment, then gone the next."

Behind her, Nomad had fallen asleep, a look of pain on his face. He had said that a throbbing in his shoulder worried him, and that he hoped Joanna would rush in and save the Jade Falcons instantly so he could get some medical treatment.

Her primary screen recorded scene after scene of what looked like the same area of jungle. She wondered how anyone could find the way through this wild place. She was about to ask Aidan more questions about the swamp, when Horse's raspy, unpleasant voice cut into the open channel. "Star Commander!"

Anger rose in her at the audacity of the miserable freebirth. She, after all, was the ranking officer, and he should report to her. The naming of Aidan as guide out of the swamp was a delegation, not a substitution. Only the urgency in Horse's voice kept her from some sharp reprimand. "Report, Horse," Aidan said. "I have a pair of magnetic anomalies moving toward us right at the edge of sensor range. They could be ours, but I doubt it. One of the signatures is definitely that of a Stormcrow.The last Stormcrowwe had in the Garrison Cluster was the one that malfunctioned and was shipped out."

"They are Clan Wolf then?"

"I believe so."

"If we can see them, there is a good chance they have detected us. We will have to take them out, quiaff?"

"Aff."

"Commander, let me remind you," came Joanna's cool voice over the commlink, "that I am the ranking officer here. I am the one to decide who is to fight these intruders."

The phrase with all due respectwas becoming heavy on his tongue, but Aidan used it anyway: "With all due respect, Captain, Horse and I have experience in this locale, on this planet, in fact. We are able to compensate for its difficulties. It would be better for us to face this pair while the rest of you remain back as—"

"May I remind you, Commander, that not only are you the subordinate here, but you also wear the dark band. I have to treat any protest as a violation of the law of the band. You will come with me to face the intruders. Everyone else, remain behind."

As they moved away, heading toward the Clan Wolf 'Mechs, Horse spoke to Aidan over the private comm-line: "I'll cover you, Jorge. She won't even know I'm in the vicinity."

"Thank you, Horse. If Joanna's folly sends me into the quicksand, be sure and set a memorial stone into the nearest tree."

A quick glance at the configurations of the terrain map now on his secondary screen showed Aidan that they would undoubtedly encounter the interlopers a short distance into Blood Swamp itself. Joanna's inexperience with the jungle and the swamp was slowing them down. Aidan had to act as point and clear the way for her. The positioning might have satisfied her need for tribute, but it did not make for an efficient mission.

As they crossed into the swamp, the passage actually became somewhat easier, but no faster. Aidan was cautious, not wanting to take his Summonerinto any suddenly deep waters. On the screen he saw that the Clan Wolf 'Mechs had definitely spotted them and were heading their way.

"Jorge."

"Yes?"

"I may be having a neurohelmet malfunction. It feels as if I am walking in a dream."

"It is no malfunction. It is the sensation of the 'Mech's movement through the swamp. Basically, it is no different from a person going on foot through a swampy area. The normal stride changes, which gives a feeling of uncertainty as each foot comes down. The adjustments that a 'Mech must make are quite similar, and we feel it in our neurohelmets. Once you have been in Blood Swamp a few times, you will get used to it."

"I doubt that."

Joanna was wondering if duty at Glory Station was going to be all swamp and disorientation. A warrior was supposed to adjust to whatever conditions he or she found, but all she could see was absurdity in the prospect of battle in this godforsaken region.

As the two pairs of 'Mechs closed in on one another, the TBS began to crinkle with static. Their enemies were apparently trying to contact them, Aidan realized. Working with the controls, he tried to divert the static to another channel and keep the voices on their intended frequency. He could not completely eliminate the static, but he did manage to hear the voice of the Stormcrow'spilot.

"Identify yourself and your unit strength," he was saying. It was the tail end of a ritual of challenge.

"I am not required to—"

"Jorge, it is my right to respond."

"Suit yourself."

"We are Clan Jade Falcon," she said. "I am Star Captain Joanna, of the Falcon Guards. Our numbers do not concern you if you are Clan Wolf."

"We are proud to identify ourselves as Clan Wolf. We are scouts, searching this area. Are you bid into the battle?"

"Of course we are."

"You speak with a freebirth accent."

The insult was deep, a deliberate provocation. Even someone from Clan Wolf would know that there were no freeborns in the Falcon Guards.

Instead of responding with words, Joanna shot off several bursts from her autocannon. Aidan noted that she had obviously powered her weaponry back up. The shots went nowhere. Rustled a few leaves, maybe, woke up a tree puma, perhaps, but they were otherwise no more than the shot across the bow from ancient naval history. Horse, apparently near enough for his voice to travel over the private channel, laughed softly.

Aidan recognized that the other scout 'Mech was an Adder.Like the Stormcrow,it was lighter than either of the 'Mechs he and Joanna piloted. The swamp tended to nullify any differences in weight or weaponry, however. Of the four warriors, Aidan realized that he was the only one with experience in Blood Swamp. He was elated, thinking that he could not lose. He could, in fact, dispose of both enemies at once.

Without awaiting instructions from Joanna, Aidan literally waded into battle. When Joanna realized what he was up to, she yelled through the commlink: "Stop! I will not have this insubordination. Commander, respond."

Aidan remained silent and moved on.

"For this, Star Commander Jorge, we will meet in the Circle of Equals."

"Kael Pershaw has abolished the Circle on Glory," Aidan said, not stopping.

She watched him through the viewport as he and his Summonerdisappeared into a heavy mist. Continuing to track him, she saw that he was only thirty or so meters from the Clan Wolf 'Mechs. Following him, she next saw that he had opened fire. His first shots appeared to hit the enemy Adderdead-center.

"This is grandstanding, you freebirth filth," she muttered, knowing that Aidan would not be listening even if there had been communications between them. But someone else was, and his voice startled her. She had forgotten that Nomad was even in the 'Mech, secure in a pull-out passenger seat.

"What did you say?" he asked.

She jumped, startled.

"It does not matter what I said, Nomad. I did not say it to you. Hold on tight. We are going into combat." She headed her Hellbringertoward the fray, annoyed to see that Aidan had already succeeded with one of the Clan Wolf 'Mechs. The Adderhad fallen backward. Only the trunk of the tree kept it from lying flat in murky water. There seemed to be no movement from the 'Mech or its pilot. Aidan was exchanging laser fire with the Stormcrow,and damage reports showed, as accurately as her sensors could, that Aidan was definitely holding the advantage. The Stormcrowwas rocked by one hit after another.

Suddenly Joanna's Hellbringerslipped sideways, as its foot slid into deep muck. Then the 'Mech's other foot also slid forward and seemed about to tip backward on its heel. Using all her best concentration, melding with the pulses from the neurohelmet, Joanna steadied the machine, keeping it from landing unceremoniously on its hind end or back. However, once she was in a vertical position again, she realized that the 'Mech's foot was stuck. Nothing she did seemed to affect the suctionlike grip of the mysterious muck on her 'Mech's leg.

As she cursed her fate roundly, she saw that the battle between Aidan's 'Mech and the Stormcrowwas moving away from her, the Clan Wolf machine moving backward, either from Aidan's marksmanship or as a retreat. She slapped her throttle forward in a desperate attempt to wrench her 'Mech free. Suddenly the jury-rigged navigation and communications console exploded in a cascade of sparks and the 'Mech shut itself down. She was now on her own in a place she had never been, her 'Mech at least temporarily disabled, separated from the rest of the unit, and with no idea of how to get out of bloody Blood Swamp.

In the pale glow of the darkened screens that turned their faces an eerie gray, Nomad watched Joanna's shoulders slump heavily.

"We seem to be in a bit of trouble?" he said, barely able to keep from showing his own amusement by laughing.

Only the darkness and the restraining straps of Joanna's seat kept her from murdering Nomad on the spot.