Текст книги "Mercenary's Star"

Автор книги: Уильям Кейт

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31

 

Grayson held his hand to the side of his neurohelmet, pressing the com speaker tight against his ear. Ramage's voice was faint, routed through five separate relay stations, but his words were clear.

"It's at least a full company, Captain," he was saying. They deployed down the Rim Road in tight order, covered by infantry, and with low-level fighter cover."

"Are the fighters giving you any trouble?"

"Not so far. They've been low over the clearing where the plantation used to be, but they haven't been able to spot us yet."

"How long until the column reaches you?"

"Half an hour. Maybe less."

"Right. Play it according to plan. We'll let you know how it goes."

"Yeah, do that. Ramage out"

Grayson switched to the general combat frequency. Through the cockpit viewport of his Shadow Hawk,he could see other ‘Mechs of the hastily assembled strike force strung out along the ravine ahead of him. The Gray Death BattleMechs stood motionless close by the walls of the ravine. In the shadows beneath the trees, Verthandian rebels moved in small groups or lounged beside their camouflaged hover transports. Lori's Locuststood on the crest above the valley, its spindly form silhouetted against the orange sun of Norn. The sky was clear, which made for hazardous movement in the open. On the plus side, though, if the enemy was moving against Fox Island, Kurita air surveillance would be turned toward the jungle, not here, well into the Bluesward Plateau.

The Li Plantation lay several kilometers behind them, for Grayson did not want the rebel ‘Mechs too close to Li Wu's buildings. Instead, he had located this sheltered gully where the strike force could assemble without risking detection by satellite or Aero-Space Fighter.

He hoped this maneuver would not bring the Dracos down on the Li family. Both the elder Li Wu and his son Li Chin had already rendered invaluable service to the rebellion. It was Chin who had guided them through the jungle to Westlee after the capture of Fox Island, and Wu had brought word that the Dracos seemed to be mustering for a surprise attack. And that was exactly what Grayson had been waiting for. A surprise attack meant the Dracos would be using their three remaining AeroSpace Fighters for air cover, which gave Grayson a precious opportunity. As soon as word came that the Kurita forces were on the march, he'd mustered the rebel forces at the Li farm.

He pressed the transmit panel. "All units. Saddle up. It's time to move!"

The rebel column moved up an earth embankment to the crest of the ravine. From there, Regis lay like a distant gray forest.

"How long do we have?" Tollen asked, his voice harsh.

Grayson remembered the rebel's outburst on his return from Scandiahelm, and shuddered. Tollen Brasednewic now seemed to be a man whose emotions were held tightly in check, but only just barely. The trust between them had vanished, as if it had never been.

"Half an hour until things get hot on Fox Island," Grayson replied. "Figure ten, maybe fifteen minutes after that until it's our turn."

Racing across the Bluesward, six BattleMechs, fifteen hover transports, and two dozen skimmers carried a total of nearly two hundred troops. The ‘Mechs maintained a steady, ground-eating pace. Though moving at less than full speed to keep heat build-up to a minimum, the machines devoured the ground in five-meter strides, Grayson knew that, off to the west, the newly-arrived Kurita Drop-Ships squatted in the Regis spaceport, but he spared no time looking at them. The plan required that they cover the forty kilometers' between the Li Plantation and Regis as quickly as possible.

The chances were good that the Dracos would not observe their approach. House-sized boulders and patches of forest broke up much of this section of the plateau, offering abundant cover. What's more, the chance of a spy satellite searching their small part of the plain at that moment was relatively slim.

Hearing a rush of distant sound over his external pick-ups, Grayson swiveled his Shadow Hawk'shead in the direction indicated by his instruments—a hair south of west. "Here they come, boys and girls," he said. "Freeze! McCall! Be ready!"

The column came to a halt, remaining motionless among the boulders and a scattering of trees. McCall's Riflemanassumed a combat-ready stance, its quad weapon barrels searching the western sky.

A trio of black dots raced northward across the sky, almost touching the horizon. They moved rapidly, slipping behind the spherical shadows of the DropShips at the spaceport In the space of three heartbeats, they'd crossed the distance from Regis to the low, gray-black line of forest marking the Basin Rim and the Silvan jungle beyond. Only McCall's ‘Mech moved, its torso swivelling slowly as its weapons tracked.

'Tha' laddies missed us, sair," the Caledonian said.

"Right you are." The dots had vanished below the Basin Rim. Grayson thought about Ramage and the others waiting out the Kurita assault beneath the jungle canopy. "Step it up, everyone! We have to get in place, fast!" The remaining kilometers dwindled, and a view of Regis began to fill the ‘Mech's cockpit screens ahead.

The airfield was right where Li Chin had said it was, beneath the northeast walls of the University itself. The Kurita AeroSpace Fighters were gone, flying combat cover for the raid on Fox Island. Through telescopic imaging, Grayson could make out the ground crew and Techs moving among the buildings and stacks of supplies. The field itself was a crude affair, little more than a leveled stretch of bulldozed ground. The heavy construction ‘Mechs that had plowed the strip were still sitting in the shadow of the University wall. A Crusaderwalked sentry go. There were also human guards pacing narrow strips in front of the stockpiled caches of fuel and ammunition. Behind the airfield, a gate under the main University tower stood open. Small hover vehicles moved between the gate and the newly erected military barracks along the airstrip, and a platoon of Regis Blue militia marched in, precision-step out of the city.

It still looked as though the merc-and-rebel force had not been seen.

Grayson used BattleMech hand gestures rather than risk having his orders picked up by nearby receivers that might happen to be tuned to their combat channel. ‘Mechs and transports dispersed through the bluegrass. While the ‘Mechs lowered themselves clumsily to their hands and knees in the concealing vegetation, the troops alighted from the vehicles. They were now less than two kilometers from Regis, with the walls and towers of the University rising above them against the sky. Grayson knew they couldn't hope to remain undiscovered for long, of course. It would take only one Blue Militia sentry idly looking down from a parapet to notice the heavy gray forms of BattleMechs lying in the brush a kilometer away.

They wouldn't have long to wait, however. As Grayson lowered his Shadow Hawkinto a prone position, he switched his communicator to the relay channel. He didn't transmit, of course, not this close to the enemy's stronghold. What he could do was listen for a signal.

It came less than five minutes later.

"Strikeforce! Strikeforce! Clear sky and green!" The message repeated three times and would be repeated again at intervals. As Grayson switched back to the combat channel, battle thrill was already charging his heart and mind. At once familiar and disturbing, the fearful thumping of his heart was tinged with excitement.

"Ready!"

Three dots appeared in the northern sky, vectoring almost directly toward the ‘Mech strike force. The first of the dots grew into the shape of an SL-17 Shilone,its landing gear down as it dropped toward the runway. Its two companions, delta-shaped Slayer's,arrowed across the field and off over the city, breaking left and right to begin their own landing passes. Grayson watched carefully. There was no telling how much fuel or ammo those three fighters still carried. The assault could not begin until all three craft were on the ground.

As the Shilonerolled to a stop, Techs and astechs were already gathering around, checking for damage. Someone braced a ladder against the side of the cockpit. The whine of the Slayersdescending to the runway grew in the distance.

Grayson kept his attention focused on the runway. Then.

"Go!" he said sharply.

Six BattleMechs rose as one from the brush and bluegrass, and sprinted toward the airstrip. The distance to the field seemed suddenly far greater than it had a moment before, when every meter nearer the University walls had seemed to offer more chance of discovery. Now the remaining ground seemed endless.

Ground crews continued to work with the fighters. The Crusaderpilot had turned his ‘Mech to watch the bustle of activity. Even the sentries on the walls above were momentarily diverted

When someone looked up and saw the advancing BattleMechs, there was a shout, a warning. Grayson saw Techs gesturing wildly, saw the 65-ton Crusaderturning ponderously, its left and right arms bringing laser and LRM batteries to bear. Grayson checked his instrumentation. The Crusaderwas 300 meters distant, well within range, while the nearest of the fighters were to one side and beyond, too far to be good targets.

"Keep going, everyone!" he shouted into the command circuit "I'll hold the sentry!"

Grayson changed course slightly, swerving his Shadow Hawkto run directly toward the larger Crusader.The Kurita ‘Mech outweighed Grayson's Hawkby ten tons, but Grayson did not expect to stand and slug it out for long.

Five long-range missiles arced on twisting contrails of white smoke from the tubes set in the Hawk'sright torso. He saw one impact then another, and another, solid hits high up on the Crusader'schest. An alarm shrieked of incoming missiles and he sidestepped to the left, fast. Explosions rattled gravel from his ‘Mech's hull as he followed the missile salvo with a rapid-fire volley of laser bolts, then broke into an all-out lumbering run that hurled his ‘Mech across the remaining meters.

Something slammed into the Hawk'storso, low and to the right The explosion staggered him, but he kept the ‘Mech on its feet and moving. Other explosions bracketed the ground around him, and laser fire glanced from his left arm. He triggered the twin SRM tubes mounted on the Hawk'shead, the roar of the departing rockets thundering in the narrow cockpit. Smoke swirled in battle fog, momentarily so thick that he lost sight of the enemy. Changing direction, he lurched to the left. He considered triggering his combat radar, but quickly abandoned the idea. Using radar would give away his own position as readily as it would locate the enemy. The smoke thinned, and he stepped into the clear.

Grayson was close beside the end of the runway, the University walls above him. Flashes along the parapets showed where troops were hosing the attackers with machine gun and recoil less rifle fire, and bullets whanging off his hull armor reverberated through Grayson's ‘Mech.

McCall's Riflemanhad stepped all the way out onto the runway, twin autocannons and twin lasers flashing destruction and thunder into the hull of the Shiloneonly 250 meters away. Grayson saw part of the cockpit splinter in the flash of an autocannon shell, saw fragments of armor Vaulting into the sky. A hundred meters further on, one of the Slayer'sburned as Clay's Wolverineplied it with bolt after deadly bolt Techs and astechs scattered wildly before the onslaught. A few, braver or more foolhardy than the rest, had stopped and were blazing away at the BattleMechs along the field with rifles and hand lasers, but to no effect.

"Ain brred'ach! Sassenach!" Grayson heard the words over his battle circuit rather than through his external pick-ups, but the Caledonian's intent was plain enough. His Riflemanadvanced, weapons blazing, and the ragtag defenders threw down their weapons and fled in abject panic.

A blur of motion near the barracks on the far side of the field caught Grayson's eye. Lasers flashed, and one of the barracks took fire, throwing black smoke into the clear sky. The farthest Slayercame under a fusilade of fire that riddled wings and control surfaces, smashed at the cockpit, and pocked the hull with heat-charred streaks and craters.

Three for three. If the Kurita fighters weren't destroyed, they would be out of commission for a long, long time to come.

"Round up!" Grayson called. "Let's move out!"

Khaled's Stingerstood side by side with Lori’s Locust,spraying the parapets with laser fire. The defenders on the walls had scattered, but those two continued to lay down covering fire to protect the rebel hovercraft. Debrowski's Waspmoved northward, watching for foot soldier assault teams waiting to ambush the ‘Mechs as they withdrew.

"Way's clear, Captain," Debrowski reported. Grayson acknowledged and signaled the others. With their weapons still covering the city walls, they began to fall back to the north.

Explosions sent gouts of dirt and rock into the sky. Clay yelled a warning. "Watch the Crusader,on the right!"

The Crusaderwas 200 meters away to the east and closing, but there was nothing to block the Gray Death's retreat back toward the jungle and safety.

Grayson checked his forces, suddenly worried. All the other ‘Mechs were accounted for, but where were the rebel troops? After their sweep through the far side of the airfield, they should have been well to the north by now. Yet they were nowhere to be seen. He swung his Hawkaround, searching, and went cold inside. A pitched battle had developed close by the gate, where Brasednewic's troops had dismounted from their hovercraft and were forcing their way into the University gate. The carefully orchestrated plan was threatening to unravel before Grayson's eyes as the Verthandian rebels stormed the University tower.

Autocannon shells smashed into the Shadow Hawk'sleft side. In the east, the Crusaderwas advancing. Through the smoke and rising dust, Grayson could make out at least two more full lances of Kurita ‘Mechs in close formation less than a kilometer away. A churning dust cloud behind the ‘Mechs marked a small fleet of racing hovercraft, each loaded with Kurita line troops and Regis Blues.

The plan had definitely gone wrong.

32

 

"Brasednewic! What in the hell do you think you're doing?"

"The way's open. Captain!" the rebel commander replied. "We can push through to the University grounds!"

"And be trapped in a bottle...or can't you see that army approaching from the east?" Grayson didn't wait for an answer. "McCall! Clay! Help me hold off the Kurita ‘Mechs! Lori, Debrowski! See if you can help Brasednewic!"

Grayson's autocannon was delivering its rapid-fire thunder as he spoke, the shells smashing into the Crusader'shead and torso in a steady stream. McCall joined him, catching the enemy ‘Mech in a deadly autocannon crossfire. The range was too great for precisely aimed head shots, however, and the enemy ‘Mech too large to be felled quickly by a few lucky hits. The Crusaderstopped its advance, took a few steps backward under the withering fire, then straightened as though in a heavy wind and began to advance once more.

Grayson saw that the enemy ‘Mechs alongside were lighter machines, a scattering of Wasp's. Stingers,and Commandos,probably members of the Kurita Light Recon lance they'd encountered in the raid to free the Verthandian prisoners. They did not seem anxious to advance into the sleeting fire the three Gray Death ‘Mechs were laying down, even though most of it was concentrated on the larger Crusader.

"We're pulling out, Chief!" That was Lori's voice, and a quick glance at the gateway under the University towers showed the last of the hover vehicles pulling off on sharply tilted fans; sending rooster tails of dust high into the air behind them. The ferrocrete under the gateway arch was littered with bodies, blue Loyalist uniforms mingled with the greens, browns, and grays of the rebel troops. More blue uniforms were spilling through the gate as he watched. Lori's Locustbacked away, her machine guns raking the advancing mob until it wavered, broke, and tumbled back in disorder.

Grayson turned back to face the BattleMechs. The Crusaderwas much closer now, less than two hundred meters. This was going to be tricky.

"McCall! Clay! Fall back, but be ready to give me cover!"

The Riflemanand the Wolverineturned and lumbered north behind the Shadow Hawk.Laser bolts flashed and burned to Grayson's left. The recon ‘Mechs had spread out in a rough semicircle, and some of them were working their way to the north in an attempt to cut off the Gray Death's retreat.

Missiles smashed into the Shadow Hawk'sright arm as red lights flashed across Grayson's control panel. He brought the right arm laser into line, punched the firing control, and bit back a savage curse as the weapon refused to fire. He triggered his SRM tubes instead, and watched his last two missiles arc across the narrowing range and into the Crusader'schest.

He looked to the north. Lori was in a close-range duel with a Stinger,and Clay and McCall were exchanging shots with enemy ‘Mechs hidden by a patch of woods. Where was Debrowski?

SRMs from the Crusadersmashed close beside him and sent his Shadow Hawkinto a lumbering run. Grayson knew the slower Crusaderwouldn't be able to catch him from behind. That left only the light scout ‘Mechs ahead to worry about.

Where was Debrowski? "Strike Force Five, this is Strike Force Leader! Where the hell are you, Debrowski?"

There was no answer. He brought the Shadow Hawkalongside Lori's ‘Mech and joined her in blasting at the enemy Stingeruntil the scout ‘Mech turned, fired its jump jets, and broke free.

"Has anyone seen Debrowski's ‘Mech?" Grayson asked on the open band. "Did he get clear?"

"Captain!" Lori said. "Look south!"

Grayson spun his Hawk.The smoke from the burning Aerospace Fighter was lying low and heavy between the Gray Death ‘Mechs and the University, but Grayson could see a giant figure emerge from it, reaching forward and down. The Kurita Crusaderhad not followed Grayson after all, but had sought out another target.

Debrowski's Stingerlay full-length on the ground some distance to the east of where Grayson had held the line with Clay and McCall. Perhaps the Stingerhad gotten lost in the smoke and strayed in the wrong direction. Perhaps Debrowski had been navigating through the smoke by a compass whose reading had been jarred by weapons fire. Whatever the cause, his Stingerhad taken hits that left his ‘Mech's left leg in tatters and smashed the laser mounted on its right arm. Now Debrowski was trying to drag his helpless machine clear of the looming Crusader.Even from a range of six hundred meters, Grayson could see that the Stinger'sradio antennae had been sheared away from its head. That explained Debrowski's silence.

The Crusaderoutweighed the Stingerthree to one. One massive fist rose, paused, and descended. Lori gave a soft cry as the Stinger'shead splintered like a crystal egg.

Numb, barely able to speak, Grayson somehow managed to give the order.The surviving Gray Death ‘Mechs withdrew from the field after their hovercraft, which had long since fled north.

The Kurita ‘Mechs made no attempt to follow.

* * * *

The two men faced one another, eye level with eye. Rebels and Legion members alike surrounded them. "We barely escaped with our lives," Grayson said "Piter Debrowski didn't make it at all. And it's your fault!"

After a long and grueling trek over little-used jungle trails, the Strike Force had returned to Fox Island to find that the commando forces remaining behind had been victorious. Two full companies of BattleMechs, twenty-four machines, had raided the island, zeroing in on the small encampment that Grayson had ordered manned by a handful of volunteers. The lead Kurita ‘Mechs had blundered into the booby traps reset by Ramage's Techs, and the ordered battle formation had dissolved in chaos. Ramage's commandos had struck from the surrounding jungle, bringing down a Phoenix Hawkand a Centurionand badly damaging three more light and medium ‘Mechs.

The Kurita pilots, already nervous about operations this far into the jungle, had withdrawn. Overhead, the Slayerand Shilonehad circled helplessly above the jungle canopy.

Montido's rebel Warrior recruits had ambushed the withdrawing enemy ‘Mechs along the Rim Road as they were withdrawing from the island. They managed to claim a damaged Stingerand a pair of Commando's.Grayson's plan to destroy or cripple the fighters as they landed at their base below the University walls had succeeded as well, though at the cost of Debrowski and his Stinger.All in all, the day had gone heavily in favor of the rebel forces.

Crowding near their leaders, no one could understand what had set off the confrontation.

Tollen Brasednewic scowled back at Grayson, his dark eyes locked with the younger man’s gray ones. "And it seems to me you’re going too far telling us how to run our war! The council that hired you isn't around any more. Why don't you people go back where you came from, and leave us to settle our own affairs!"

Collin Dace stepped between the two men. 'Tollen, no! We'd never have made it this far without Captain Carlyle, and you know it!"

"Do I?" He laughed, derisively. "Do I, indeed? We were doing all right on our own. Then he comes along, and what have we lost? The whole rebel council, wiped out. And the dead... how many dead have we lost? Damn it, when the Blues scattered at the airfield today, they left that gate wide open! With our two hundred boys, we could have walked right in and taken the citadel, only hesays to pull out! Pull out, with victory right in front of us!"

Grayson crossed his arms. "Whether you like the idea or not. Colonel, we're in your war now. We've lost too many dead of our own to turn our backs on Verthandi, even if we could. But if we're going to fight together, we're going to have to pull together...with one leader."

"So it's come to that, eh? You think you're man enough to take me...here?"Tollen spat out the final word as though it were an obscenity.

"It doesn't make any sense for the two of us to fight," Grayson said carefully. He and Brasednewic were about the same height, but the rebel leader easily outweighed him by at least ten kilos. "I suggest we use common sense instead."

"Enough talk!" Brasednewic had his fingers curled into massive fists now, his scowl transformed to a snarl. "I had a chance to rescue Carlotta, and you botched it for me!"

Grayson’s eyes widened. So he'd been right about Brasednewic and Carlotta. They were lovers.

Montido looked confused. "But she was Old Family..."

"Damn you, don't talk about her as if she's dead!" Then, more quietly, "So, she's Old Family? You think that mattered...to us?"

Grayson watched something akin to embarrassment flick across the faces of some rebels. As for himself, he felt painfully out of place, as though witness to a very private family argument The rift between the descendants of the planet's first settlers and the refugees who'd come later was old and deep. Feelings about men and women who crossed that line seemed to run high on both sides.

"Damm it!" Brasednewic shouted, "Carlotta and I loved each other!" His head swiveled from side to side as though he were daring anyone to make an issue of the statement "And we still love each another! Nagumo's bastards won't have killed her yet, not if they think she might be useful to them, for propaganda, or whatever. I would have had her out of there today...only...only..."

Tears choked him. Grayson put a hand on the rebel chiefs shoulder. "I think I know how you feel," he said.

"How the hellcan you know that?" This time there was no anger in the words, only pain and loss.

"You aren't the only one who's lost someone he loves." Grayson spoke softly, remembering his father. "But you can't use your people for your own personal vendetta. Not and keep their respect!"

Brasednewic just stood there, his eyes on the ground, fists clenched at his sides. Then, without another word, he turned his back on Grayson and strode from the group. Grayson started to call after him, but Montido held up his hand. "Let him go. Captain. One of us'll talk to him later. It'll be better that way."

Dace nodded. "Meanwhile, what are your orders, Captain?"

* * * *

Later, in the dark and near-chill of Verthandi's predawn, Lori found a favorite rock among the trees beyond the plantation clearing. The Li Plantation lay at the top of the Basin Rim, amid a straggling of jungle growth that had climbed the slopes from the Silvan Basin and spread across the Bluesward. BattleMechs, their black shapes strange under the ragged cloaks of camouflage they wore among the jungle trees, loomed against a starry sky. Verthandi-Alpha had long since set.

The dream had come again, and she had decided to walk off some of the horror's edge. Listening to chirimsims keening and shrieking in the jungle basin below, she hugged herself and closed her eyes, willing the dream's terror to fade.

She loved Grayson. She was certain of that now, but somehow, somewhere deep within, she still could not trust him. That conflict in her feelings for the young BattleMech commander were tearing her apart. She had learned to override her own fears—even her terror of fire—during battle, but she had not yet managed to come to grips with the storm of her own emotions. She had been a MechWarrior long enough to know that such a tearing of mind and will would sooner or later be fatal. The time would come when she would make a mistake, and...

The dream had put her in a black mood. Would death be so unwelcome, after all? Beyond the men and women of the Legion, she had no family. Certainly she had had no romantic relationships since her closeness with Grayson on Trellwan. Somehow, every man in the Legion knew she was the Captain's woman. She laughed aloud at that. The Captain's woman!

In the weeks since Sue Ellen's rescue, the two women had become friends. Recognizing each other's loneliness, they took comfort in one another. Lori knew that Sue Ellen's loneliness was so much worse. Her man was dead.

She opened her eyes, trying to shake off these thoughts of despair and death. In the darkness and pale starlight, it was difficult to make out who they were, but she could see a man and a woman approach the clearing from another path in the distance. It was some moments before she recognized one of the Verthandian women rescued weeks before. What was her name? Janice, was it? Walking beside her, the man had his arm around her waist.

So, if Janice Taylor had found companionship among the men of the Gray Death Legion, why couldn't she? The man had both arms around the woman now. As Lori watched them embrace, then kiss, her own loneliness became suddenly overwhelming. She wondered what Grayson was doing right now. If he were awake, would he want her to come to him?

The couple drew apart after a final kiss. Janice turned then, and started across the clearing toward what was now the women's barracks on the Li Plantation. When the man turned, Lori finally saw his face clearly, too.

It was Grayson.

He saw her at the same moment. He seemed to hesitate, then started toward her. She rose from her seat on the rock and turned to pass him.

"Lori..."

"Good evening. Captain." At that moment, she felt more mixed up than ever. Was this betrayal that she was feeling? Was it jealousy? Or was it simple anger at her own confusion and distress?

"Lori, what is it...?"

"Nothing, Captain. Nothing at all. Good night." It was all she could manage to walk back toward the womens' barracks without breaking into a run. The Captain's woman, indeed!

* * * *

Not many more weeks passed before it became clear that the Second Battle of Fox Island had been an important turning point in the war. Duke Hassid Ricol had departed for his starship the Huntress,leaving Governor General Nagumo still in command. After all, Ricol admitted, the idea of attacking Fox Island had been his own, and Nagumo had deployed the two Light Recon lances with skill and dispatch during the desperate fighting outside the University walls. The rebels had been within meters of winning through the gates and into the University courtyard when the two lances and the sentry Crusaderhad arrived and forced their withdrawal. The destruction of one of the rebel ‘Mechs was a decided plus, for the rebels would be hard-pressed to replace their BattleMech losses.

Ricol was more than willing to call the battle a victory and leave Nagumo in charge. His alternatives were either to place the incompetent Admiral Kodo in command or to remain on Verthandi himself to take charge personally, neither of which the Red Duke was prepared to do. He was scheduled for an audience with Lord Kurita himself on Luthien in another two weeks. Besides, if he took command, he would have to produce a victory. At this point, Ricol wondered privately if victory were ever going to be possible on Verthandi.

He had seen the faces of the people of Regis as they watched the passage of his entourage. The Loyalists were grim and reserved, already fearful that their Kurita allies would depart, leaving them at the mercy of the rebels. Sheer, open hatred was on the faces of the rest.

For the Combine, victory might well consist of escaping Verthandi with a whole skin.

In the wake of the fiasco at Fox Island, patrols now departed less and less frequently from Regis or the other Kurita strongholds to sweep the countryside or probe the hills for rebel supply caches. The battle at the airfield had destroyed two AeroSpace Fighters completely and the third would be crippled and useless for at least three months. The remaining fighters on Verthandi-Alpha had been loaded aboard Ricol's DropShip, along with DEST 4. If it turned out that Nagumo would be unable to pacify Verthandi, at least those valuable units would not be lost. Of course, that meant Nagumo was left without their services in tracking rebels or providing air cover.

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