AUTHOR'S NOTES: Shifting scenes here to Sudeten. This was a fun chapter to write. I like the interplay between Cavell Malthus and Calla Bighorn-Vlata; hopefully this also ties up some loose ends with those two. Yes, I owe a big debt to the movie Waterloo, and the superb acting of Rod Steiger and Christopher Plummer. The Sudeten campaign will be closely based on Waterloo—to a point—with Malthus playing Napoleon and Calla Wellington. However, note that Sudeten will still fall, and as this is the last Snowbird story, no one's guaranteed to live…
Hopefully a long chapter will make up for the short ones I've been turning out lately.
Incidentally, this version of the Battle of Sudeten bears little resemblance to what is written in canon Battletech, in the books Day of Heroes and Clan Jade Falcon Sourcebook. The reason's simple: I don't have Day of Heroes and the Sourcebook is pretty screwed up. It lists Alyina and Sudeten falling in summer 3050. That's impossible, because according to the Stackpole books, Alyina doesn't go until early January 3052, and it's further "north" than Sudeten. Since the Jade Falcon Sourcebook also talks about several Clan commanders being still alive after Tukayyid, and also lists them as being killed on Tukayyid, I'm going to blame it all on ComStar's shoddy research and do my own thing.
REVIEWER'S CORNER:
Panzerfaust: Don't feel bad about the senior moment. I had one too—since it's Mimi Stykkis who first starts singing "Men of Harlech," but in 9/11/3064, Sheila says Maysa sang it. That's what I get for writing one before the other, and not checking for continuity. Glad you liked the scene with Morgan Kell.
Kat: I'd like to compile it, like you did with your stories. I'll see what I can do once it's finished.
SameReader: I'll try to keep this short. First of all, thank you for your service. Second, thanks for your complimenting my writing. I come from a military family, and my dad (23 years service, as an NCO) reads these stories too. I hope they sound at least somewhat authentic. Your comment about NCOs is a good one: my guess is that Lance Commanders serve the same role as Sergeants; Marion Rhialla is the de facto RSM for the Snowbirds, although she's a Major.
Regarding Sheila's age: you're right, to a certain extent. As you're aware, the US military has been reluctant (for understandable reasons) to allow women in combat; the Battletech universe takes place a thousand years from now in a galaxy that has been at war for 400 years. Since Sheila was raised in a mercenary regiment (which exists only to fight), it's very likely that she would have a great deal of experience coming in. Moreover, the Inner Sphere regularly starts its officers in the military academies at age 14. (In that sense, the Nagelring and NAIS serve as combination high schools and colleges.) While you're absolutely right that the great military leaders of history usually don't hit their stride until they're at least 30 (Alexander the Great being a notable exception), in the Battletech books, Victor Steiner-Davion is commanding a full battalion at age 19 and a regiment by age 21; his contemporaries, like Kai Allard, start out as company commanders. You grow up fast in the Battletech universe or you don't grow up at all. Frankly, it's sci-fi anyway: asking it to be completely realistic is probably a moot point—especially given Battletech's tendency to ignore physics in a way that would make a Trekkie cry.
When it comes to the strong women complaint, I can say nothing but "guilty as charged." I actually hadn't noticed that until you pointed it out. I've always written about strong females—it's just my way. And it's not likely to change anytime soon. I like to think of Max and Sheila being equal partners—he's strong where she isn't, and vice-versa—but he is content to sit in her shadow. To do otherwise would be to completely change the character, which wouldn't work at this late stage of the story.
All that aside, thank you for your long review and you've definitely given me food for thought…and to write on.
MUSIC DEPARTMENT: "Death Star/The Stormtroopers" from Star Wars, the theme from The Longest Day, and "Spending Time in Preparation" from Evangelion.
City Hall, Ulm
Sudeten, Tamar March, Federated Commonwealth
12 January 3052
Cavell Malthus looked in the mirror and made a minute adjustment to his cape. He wore the formal Jade Falcon uniform, dark green leather with yellow highlights and cape, and was glad to see that he could still wear the same size he had worn at twenty. He was forty now, and being able to retain his physique was one of the few bright spots left in his life.
Cavell's face darkened in anger as he remembered what had gotten him here, to Sudeten. He had been saKhan of the Jade Falcons once, considered a rising star despite what by Clan standards being somewhat middle-aged. His planning of the invasion of the Inner Sphere was considered brilliant, his execution equally so, and if the Jade Falcons had suffered reverses on Twycross and Planting, they were overall minor ones. Cavell remembered with grim satisfaction how the Clan Khan, Elias Crichell, had panicked when Twycross fell and the Falcon Guards had been annilihated. Cavell had assured Crichell that the loss of the planet was a blow, but that the Federated Commonwealth couldn't hold it—and had been proven right the next year when the invasion resumed. As for the Falcon Guards, they could be rebuilt: Aidan Pryde wasn't Cavell's first choice to command the reconstituted Guards, but he was so far proving to be a superb commander, whatever his checkered past. Planting he had never intended to hold to the death, only to allow the Inner Sphere forces to grind themselves to pieces, then withdraw and let Clan Wolf take it, with the commeasurate high casualties—and once more, he had bested his political enemies, in this case Vandervahn Chistu, who had wanted both himself and Senefa Malthus censured for "losing" Planting.
But now his enemies were on the rise. The destruction of Front Royal had not bothered the Jade Falcon high command overmuch, but it had unexpected ripple effects among the ranks, depressing morale. It had infuriated the Inner Sphere defenders, who made taking Vantaa far more difficult than anticipated. Clan Wolf had exploited the situation, and as agreed in the Trial of Possession between himself and then-Khan Ulric Kerensky of the Wolves, Vantaa had become a Wolf possession. To make matters worse, the Wolves had managed to manipulate Athena Henderson, the Butcher of Front Royal and the commander of the once-prestigious 133rd Falcon Fusiliers, into a battle with the Snowbirds SMCAT which cost Henderson her life and half the Cluster.
The worst blow to Cavell by far was the loss of Senefa Malthus. She had been a true rising star among the Jade Falcons, the youngest to win a Bloodname in the Clan, and as close to a daughter as Cavell would ever have. Cavell had been at the forefront in opposing the adoption of Phelan Kell into Clan Wolf, stating often and loudly that such an adoption set a dangerous precedent, and proved how the hated Wolves were already allowing themselves to be corrupted by the Inner Sphere. When Senefa defected to the Inner Sphere, it made his words a mockery. The Clan considered Senefa's defection to be a far greater blow than even the loss of the Falcon Guards, because her knowledge of the Clan way of war was now a weapon for the Federated Commonwealth. She was under Cavell's command, and she was his protégé, so he was ultimately responsible. He had tried to mitigate the damage by putting a kill order on Senefa, which privately tore him apart, and by stating that she had been "adopted" by the Federated Commonwealth in the same fashion as the Wolves had adopted Phelan. That "explanation" had sounded lame even to him. The vultures had already been circling, and they had pounced. Cavell had made too many enemies, and though his rank, Bloodname, and combat career had saved him from being sentenced to a solahma suicide unit, Crichell and Chistu had quickly ensured he would be demoted to Galaxy Commander. Vandervahn Chistu had taken his place as saKhan, further rubbing salt in the wound. Even the Wolves had found a way to peck at the corpse of his career: ilKhan Ulric had used the defection of Senefa to "prove" the Jade Falcons needed "help" in conquering their portion of the Inner Sphere, and had assigned Clan Steel Viper as that help. The fact that the Steel Vipers and the Jade Falcons utterly loathed each other was merely icing on the cake for Kerensky and his Clan.
All that aside, though, Cavell Malthus still wielded considerable power. He was a Galaxy Commander, after all, one of the generals of the Clan, and if Crichell and Chistu wanted to further humiliate and destroy him, Cavell invited them to try. After all, Aidan Pryde had proven one could commit the worst offenses possible against the Clan and not only survive, but prosper. Crichell was an old man who already had a reputation for being more a political general than a real one, and Chistu was an upstart, known more as Crichell's man than for his battle career. Cavell still commanded respect, if not affection, from the ranks, and unlike his rivals, Cavell was a patient man. It was a long way to Terra, and there would be plenty of opportunity to get back on top.
Cavell peered at his reflection in the mirror. He had shaved his goatee off—he looked too much like that bastard Vandervahn—and found to his satisfaction that it made him look younger. Smoothing one last minute crease in his uniform, he walked out of the room and into the main chamber of the city hall of Ulm, which was now his headquarters. Recriminations and revenge could wait: first, he needed to take Sudeten.
It wasn't as much of a prize as he had hoped. While it had been heavily fortified and built up as the focal point for the Federated Commonwealth's main line of resistance, it had been essentially outflanked by the Wolves' rapid drive through the weaker Free Rasalhague Republic and the loss of Tamar. The Jade Falcons had learned that a new line was being built from Koniz to Fort Loudon and that the flank of the Jade Falcon advance was being stripped of units—a sure sign that the Inner Sphere had at last figured out that the Clans' objective was Terra and that all else was secondary. That meant that most of the eight or so regiments committed to Sudeten's defense had been pulled back, making it a much lesser prize. As a result, Chistu had stripped out half of Cavell's Peregrine Galaxy forces, including the 4th Falcon Velites, 8th Falcon Regulars, and 89th Striker Clusters. That made sense militarily—those units would be better used taking other planets—but the fact that they were Cavell's best units made it yet another one of Chistu's humiliations. Chistu had pointedly left Cavell the Peregrine Eyrie Cluster, the Peregrine Solahma Cluster, and the 133rd Falcon Fusiliers. The Eyrie were the best of the trainee MechWarriors, mainly used as a holding unit for replacements and thus nearly useless in battle. The Solahma was made up of old warriors and freebirths suited either for suicide missions or garrisons. The 133rd had fallen far, and was also now mostly used as a Cluster of replacements, though Star Colonel Kazumi had fought hard to keep a solid core of MechWarriors and Elementals and had mostly succeeded.
So be it, Cavell thought. He would take Sudeten anyway. There was one prize neither Chistu could take from him, or the Federated Commonwealth had sought to: the two units left to oppose him on Sudeten was the Gray Death Legion and the Sentinels RCT. At the beginning of the invasion, many Clanfolk had sneered at the idea that mercenaries would prove worthy opponents. They had been badly mistaken. The Gray Death Legion had a reputation for toughness and skill, and Cavell looked forward to testing his skill against the Legion's commander, Grayson Carlyle.
But as good an opponent as Carlyle would undoubtedly prove, Cavell was far more pleased to be facing Calla Bighorn-Vlata, the Sentinels' leader, and in fact saw it as fate. Cavell's first Inner Sphere opponent had been Calla, on Persistence, a battle that Cavell had won, though it had taken some work. They had met again on Planting, which Cavell had lost, though it had been a Pyrrhic victory for Calla. Vantaa had been largely a draw. Now they could renew their rivalry on Sudeten, winner take all.
Cavell had taken his time, landing in good defensive ground, waiting for his opponents to make a mistake and attack him. It had angered his commanders, who were whispering that he was too timid, but Cavell was determined that, like a patient falcon, his first strike would be the killing one that broke his opponent's back.
As he walked into the main hall, his commanders were drawn up there, also dressed in formal uniforms. Cavell had demanded they do so, largely to make an impression on the people of Ulm. Jade Falcons had already run into resistance units from civilians on other worlds, of course, and the Front Royal Massacre had done nothing to help matters. Cavell had ordered the regional governor and mayor of Ulm to come to the hall, along with the local assembly. He intended to tell them that as long as they didn't interfere with the Jade Falcons, they would be treated correctly and all requisitioned supplies would even be paid for. It never hurt to subtly make the point that the Jade Falcons were now in charge, however, and having five Star Colonels with attendant Elemental guards in the same room would assuredly do that. Cavell silently inspected his commanders, and his spirits sank a little: it seemed that Chistu had ensured he would be stuck with the worst of the lot.
An Oriental woman with long, elegant hair glared at him immediately: this was Yesukai Shambag, whose 4th Falcon Talons had been transferred over from Omicron Galaxy, where she had gained a reputation for rigid tactics, a an irrational hatred towards all things freebirth, and, in Cavell's opinion, sheer stupidity. He was not alone in this opinion: Shambag had so irritated her superiors in Omicron that they had been glad to pawn her off on Cavell.
Abraham Chi-Li was a better commander than Shambag, and his 124th Striker Cluster was superb. Much to Cavell's annoyance, however, Chi-Li also could be quite irrational. Wheras Shambag would mulishly continue to use tactics not suited for the situation, Chi-Li so hated the Inner Sphere that he rarely took prisoners; his 124th Strikers were known as the "Blowtorch Brigade" among the Jade Falcons, and it was said you could always find the 124th by the smoke from burning villages. That too would be a problem, since the last thing Cavell needed was a mass uprising by the people of Sudeten.
Kristen Redmond was by far his best commander, and her 94th Striker Cluster was considered the best unit in Peregrine Galaxy. That said, Redmond was also nearly sixty years old, an age considered ancient among the Clans, and she was easily the oldest Star Colonel in the Clan. She kept that position because of her combat prowess, but overcompensated by taking unreasonable risks; Cavell suspected that Redmond had a death wish. Since her Cluster would follow Redmond into hell if so ordered, it also meant the 94th would take unreasonable risks.
Cewers Cavell didn't even want to look at. He stood on artificial legs, and only his eyes were visible behind a cloth mask he wore: his face was so badly scarred from an engine explosion that he refused to show it in public. Cewers had the unfortunate luck to survive the loss of nearly eight 'Mechs, three of them which had gone up in catastrophic explosions that usually killed other men. At first, he too had been a rising star because of his luck, but as he aged and lost more battles, it had landed him in command of the Peregrine Solahma Cluster, whose main purpose was to die. While Cewers didn't have a death wish as far as Cavell knew, he certainly wouldn't mind dying on Sudeten.
Kazumi, on the other hand, had proven to be a pleasant surprise. Passed over for higher command due to a lack of connections, an unremarkable career, and finally advancing age, he had been content to serve out his career as a mentor of sorts to the commanders of the 133rd Falcon Fusiliers. Senefa Malthus had embraced the older man in this role; Athena Henderson had done everything she could to get rid of him. Now that both were gone, Kazumi had ascended to command the broken remnants of the 133rd, in what in every way was a graveyard promotion. To everyone's surprise, however, Kazumi had not been satisfied to rub along until he was retired or the 133rd was finally disbanded, but had worked hard in the impossible task of getting the Fusiliers back in the Falcons' good graces. He, or his warriors, had fought ten Trials of Refusal to keep other units from raiding the Fusiliers for warriors, and had won every one. The Clan, in one final act of revenge for Senefa's defection, had intended to let the Fusiliers die by denying them replacements, but in the process had forged the unit into a tight-knit one. Cavell intended to make the 133rd's cause his own: if he won on Sudeten, Cavell intended to fill out the Fusiliers one way or another.
Though they all came to attention, Cavell wasn't surprised that Kazumi was the first to speak. "Good evening, Galaxy Commander."
Cavell nodded. "Good evening, Star Colonel—all of you. I regret that I have called you here tonight on intimidation duty. It seems we need to ensure the local population remains quiet and cowed."
"I know of a way to do that," Chi-Li answered darkly.
"I am quite sure you do, Abraham. However, I would prefer that we not have to destroy every hamlet between here and Reichenburg in the process, quiaff?"
"They are just freebirth peasants," Shambag said.
Cavell barely resisted the sudden desire to punch Shambag as hard as he could. "Yes, Star Colonel—they are just freebirth peasants." He gave her a cold glare. "Freebirth peasants that would be happy to e-mail, radio, or somehow otherwise notify our enemies of every move we make, poison our water supply and our food, and cut the throats of our sentries in the middle of the night!" She shrank back under his attack, and Cavell rounded on Chi-Li. "Which is why, unless we are provoked, we will not be killing civilians, burning villages, or stealing livestock without compensation! We are up against worthy opponents on this world, ones who have fought and even bested the Clans on occasion, and you will not give them more advantages than they already have!"
With visible effort, Cavell reined in his temper. Redmond cleared her throat. "We have some information in that regard, Galaxy Commander."
"How so?"
Redmond allowed a smile to break through. "The FedCom units have separated."
Cavell was silent for a moment. "Show me."
They went to a guarded anteroom. There was no holotank here; someone had spread a paper map over a table. Cavell found himself greatly liking that for some reason: this was the way war was done in the old days, and it was somehow comforting. Redmond's finger went to a point on the map. "Here, at Brunn. The Gray Death Legion moved forward from Olmutz yesterday."
"And where are the Sentinels?"
"Here, at Krummau—except for one battalion, which we believe is Gamma Battalion. We have no record of a Gamma Battalion last we faced the Sentinels on Vantaa, and reports from the Smoke Jaguars indicate that the Snowbirds are in the Draconis Combine. It may be a new unit." Redmond's finger moved down to the town of Budweis. "Whoever this Gamma unit is, it is here."
Cavell stared at the map. His heart had missed a beat at the news of the Snowbirds, since that was where Senefa was. He had read those reports, which had last put the Snowbirds in a death embrace with a garrison Jaguar unit on Kagoshima. Cavell had found himself hoping that Senefa would kill many Jaguars, and inwardly smiled at such a traitorious thought.
Calla and Carlyle had not contested the Jade Falcon landing on Sudeten, and so far the Falcons had only run into the occasional skirmish with the Sudeten Militia. Cavell knew why: his objective naturally had to be Reichenberg, the planetary capital, industrial center, and the largest DropPort in the Tamar March. The problem was getting to Reichenberg: the city was banded by high, rugged mountains on every side. There was rolling farmland to the south of the city with plenty of room to manuever, but landing there would be suicidal, for the Gray Death and the Sentinels had particularly large air wings, and Cavell's comparatively small ones would not be able to cover the entire drop. Even denunded of all but two mercenary units, Cavell had restricted bidding among his units because Sudeten's terrain would balance out whatever advantage the Clans had in firepower; they were already even in numbers. So he had chosen to land at Ulm, which left the Falcons with two choices in advancing to Reichenberg.
The first choice was the most obvious: a direct advance from Ulm to Budweis, then across the narrowest part of the New Bohemian Mountains at Avalanche Pass. Sudeten was in the middle of an unseasonably warm summer, so the avalanches the pass was named for would not be a problem, and in any case there was a four-lane highway tunnel under the pass. Unforunately, it was also tailor made for a tenacious defense, and the Sentinels' positions at Krummau meant that Calla knew it. Even if the Falcons took the pass, it was still another hundred kilometers to Reichenberg, though that would be over the rolling plains, and there were ridgelines in the way.
The second was an indirect approach, down the long valley of the Neuinn River, from Brunn, through Olmutz, to Troppau. From there, it was a straight shot across mostly level ground to Reichenberg, except that the "straight shot" was two hundred kilometers, and the Neuinn River valley itself was another two hundred kilometers, with plenty of places to get ambushed along the way—and an elite unit like the Gray Death Legion would hardly miss a chance to do that.
Now the situation had changed. By moving to Brunn, that put the GDL largely out of the confining terrain of the Neuinn River valley and away from the mutual support of the Sentinels; Calla's battalion at Budweis guarded the tunnel approaches, but it could be cut off. Cavell used his fingers like dividers, mentally marking off the distance, and gave a predatory smile. The Falcons were already concentrated around Ulm: if they could march to Znaim, they would put themselves between the Sentinels and the GDL. A quick strike northeast to Brunn—and the Jade Falcons were quick if nothing else—would smash the GDL. Cavell could then either make his way up the Neuinn River at his leisure, bypassing Calla's strong position at Avalanche Pass, or turn, snap up Gamma Battalion, and take the pass. Or both.
From the look on his commanders' faces, they were as surprised as Cavell was. The FedCom forces had just made one huge mistake.
"Star Colonel Cewers," Cavell spoke.
"Sir?"
"I am giving the briefing of the local politicians over to you. Be friendly and respectful, but do not wear your mask, quiaff?" Cavell smiled to show Cewers he meant no disrespect. To his other commanders, Cavell said, "Return to your commands and prepare to move out. I do not know why my old friend Calla has made such an error, but it will not take long for him to realize it. We must move quickly, Peregrines. Sudeten is in our grasp with one big battle."
Van Halen Auditorium, Reichenberg
Sudeten, Tamar March, Federated Commonwealth
12 January 3052
"This sucks," Todd Canis-Vlata grumbled. He looked around at all the uniforms crowded into the auditorium. The strains of Chopin drifted through the hall, but he had never been a classical fan, and wasn't in the mood anyway. "The Clans have dropped on Sudeten, and we're here having a damn ball. A dance ball." He sipped at his mineral water, wanted a beer, but then decided against it. Too much temptation there.
"Lighten up a bit," Major Steven Jaggar said, leaning against one of the heroic banquet tables. "The Jade Falcons haven't moved in a week."
"It's because they want us to attack them." Catherine Houndlikov walked up to the table and poured herself a glass of wine. "So far Calla's stayed put, and I think it's a good idea."
"Maybe. I still think sticking Gamma out there by its lonesome is a bad idea. The Green Chickens move quick, and if she's not watching out, Lexi Rowley's gonna be a nice snack for Cavell Malthus." He held up a hand to forestall Houndlikov's protest. "I know, I know, Cathy—we gotta guard the Avalanche Pass Tunnel on both ends. I still don't like it." He finished the water. "And I especially don't like being here. If Calla hadn't ordered me to…"
Jaggar laughed. "C'mon, Todd, don't be such a crusty old bastard. Go dance with your wife or something."
"I dance like an Atlas with a broken hip actuator."
"Well, then I will. I hate to see a beautiful woman standing around." Jaggar walked towards Mira Canis-Vlata, engaged in conversation with Richard Cannon, the Sentinels' Tank Battalion commander.
"Knock yourself out, if she doesn't!" Todd yelled after him. He began filling his plate with crab. "If I'm gonna be miserable, I don't have to be hungry at the same time."
Houndlikov leaned close. "Have you heard anything about Max and the Snowbirds? Calla's being pretty tight-lipped."
Todd nodded. "You know as much as I do. They're on Kagoshima, under Smoke Jaguar attack. We got a message from Teddy Kurita saying that he'd sent a Ryuken unit to relieve them, but that's all. ComStar's sending out our messages okay, but there's been no answer." He shrugged. "It's probably just because the robes shut down the HPG station when the Clans land. Assholes. You just know they're butt in glove with the Clanners."
Houndlikov thought a moment. "The one here on Sudeten's still open."
"Maybe because they're here in Reichenberg, and Calla would put the robes on a wall if they shut down communication." Todd glanced up from his plate. "Speak of the devil and he appears."
Calla Bighorn-Vlata had indeed appeared at the top of the stairs, in the Sentinels' white dress uniform, his chest bedecked in medals and a dark blue cape flowing behind him. Arm in arm with him was Arla Bighorn-Vlata, who had chosen to wear civilian clothes, a rather attractive floor-length dress of red with black highlights. Aside from the civilians invited to the ball put on by the Margrave of Reichenberg, of which there were many, the military people were in dress uniforms as well—except for Todd, who had come in his fatigues to show his contempt for being forced into these ridiculous things.
Calla and Arla gave their respects to the Margrave, who Todd conceded was at least a decent old stick, then made their way over to where Todd and Houndlikov stood. Mira had accepted Jaggar's invitation to dance; as they passed, she threw dagger stares at her husband. He gave her an ironic smile and refilled his water glass, noting in passing that Mira had chosen to wear what the Sentinels' lady warriors called the "sexy skirt," which was slit up the left side rather enticingly.
"Staring at my cousin's legs?" Calla asked with a grin.
"I didn't marry her for her cooking, that's for sure." His eyes flicked down to Arla's dress. "Not showing yours off tonight, Arla?"
"It's not appropriate," she snapped back, then looked down. "Sorry, Todd. You didn't deserve that."
Todd sighed and put an arm around her. "Heard anything?" he said softly.
"Nothing." Calla glanced at the wine, then grabbed a beer and twisted the top off. "I'm sure she's all right. Sheila knows what she's doing." Todd caught the look between Calla and Arla; the latter obviously didn't agree that Sheila and the Snowbirds were all right. Todd felt the familiar grinding worry about his son, but he'd been able to force it to the back of his mind. After all, they had made their peace, and a MechWarrior family learned quickly to lock personal feelings in a box, or go insane. He had always joked with Calla about Arla being infantry, which most MechWarriors considered basically suicide, but it didn't seem as funny now.
"How've you been?" Arla inquired.
"I feel like the waiter at the Last Supper right now." Todd put down his plate. "Calla, when are we going to hit the Jade Falcons?"
"I'm giving Cavell another 48 hours, then we'll march the Sentinels to Budweis." Calla didn't want to do that, since it would put his unit with its back to the mountains, but something had to be done. The AFFC had abruptly changed its plans on defending Sudeten, and pulled everyone offplanet for operations on other worlds, trying to build a more defensible line. That was the official line, in any case: before Morgan Hasek-Davion had left the planet, he had told Calla that it was also due to political pressure. Selvin Kelswa, the ruler of the Tamar March, had died defending his homeworld from Clan Wolf, but his daughter Morasha was married to Ryan Steiner, the leader of the anti-alliance faction in the Lyran side of the Federated Commonwealth. Ryan had taken over the role after the death of Samuel Bonner, and had been agitating in the Estates General, the Lyran Parliament, that Hanse Davion intended for the Lyrans to do all the work and bleeding against the Clans while the Davions reaped the rewards. Calla knew that was false—there were plenty of Davion units on the line against the Clans—but reality had never stopped Ryan Steiner. Already the rumors had surfaced that Bonner had intended to lead the Skye March in secession from the FedCom and sign a separate peace with the Clans, and certainly Ryan had made no secret of his support for the small but vocal Free Skye movement. Rather than sticking to the "flytrap" strategy—forcing the Clans to fight one large battle where the advantages were the AFFC's on Sudeten, similar to what the Combine had done on Luthien—Davion had reluctantly reinforced planetary garrisons up and down what was becoming known as the Koniz Line, and more or less abandoned Sudeten to its fate. Part of that was because the Wolves had already essentially outflanked Sudeten, part of it was to mollify Ryan and Morasha's shouting, and part of it was a show of force: Hanse Davion had used troops to put down a Skye rebellion before, and wouldn't hesitate to do it again. Calla smiled to himself. He wondered what gaskets would blow in the Estates General when they found out Hanse had sent Wolf's Dragoons and the Kell Hounds to defend Luthien, the capital of the hated House Kurita. Calla himself would probably get some fallout for that with the Snowbirds defending Kagoshima…if they survived. God, she's so young, Calla thought about his daughter. Still, she was good at what she did, when she wasn't getting in trouble, and he had to trust that she would see it through and be safe. To do otherwise would cripple him with worry. It was something he couldn't afford right now.
He allowed himself a moment to think about Cavell Malthus. He hated Cavell; Sheila's torture had come on his orders, and Calla intended to see the Jade Falcon commander done for. Yet there was still respect for the man, despite all other reasons, because his opposite number was skilled and fought hard. Calla had heard that Cavell had been disgraced for Senefa Malthus' defection, which greatly pleased Calla, but even with just a Galaxy behind him, Cavell was dangerous, more so because now he had something to prove. Calla reflected that their situations were remarkably similar: both had their commands drastically reduced, both were fighting for a planet that was rapidly becoming a sideshow, both had to factor in Sudeten's terrain, which greatly favored the defense, and both wanted the other defeated and preferably dead—Calla for what Cavell had done to his daughter, Cavell for what Calla's culture had done to a woman he obviously considered a daughter of sorts. What a tangled web we weave.
Arla saw the play of emotions on her husband's face, and grabbed his arm. "Let's go dancing, old man."
Calla nodded and finished his beer. "You're right." They turned to go, but was nearly knocked over by a young couple heading for the dance floor. The man saw who he had run into and scrambled to apologize. "I'm sorry, sir, I didn't watch where we were going."
"That's all right." Calla allowed a small smile. The young man was Michael Whelan, who had taken over Alpha Battalion's 4th Company, the company Sheila had commanded briefly until her court-martial. He didn't recognize the exceedingly pretty young woman, though she wore a Sentinels uniform. "Who's this?"
The woman—girl, Calla thought; she looked too young—came to attention and saluted. "Danielle Blackthorn, sir. Joined up three weeks ago."
"Tessya's sister?" Arla asked. "I thought you were at Sanglamore."
"Graduated early, ma'am. I want to fight." She grinned, touching her braided hair. "I want some feathers, ma'am."
"Carry on, Major Whelan." Whelan saluted, grinned, and resumed dragging Blackthorn to the dance floor; the orchestra had struck up something with a beat.
"Feathers?" he asked Arla.
It was Houndlikov who answered. "The Blackthorns are Amerinds. They wear feathers in their hair on formal occasions for 'Mechs they've killed." She rolled her eyes. Houndlikov didn't even have kill marks on her Marauder, feeling they were too ostentatious. "She should be worried more about not becoming some enterprising Clanner's kill."
"Shall we carry on ourselves, old man…" Arla's voice trailed off as she saw a dark-haired man pushing his way through the crowd towards them. He wore the uniform of the Gray Death Legion—the battle uniform, not the dress one. Seeing Calla, he finally fought free of the crowd and rushed to him. "Commander Bighorn-Vlata," he puffed out.
Calla finally recognized him: Major Thomas Leone, the Gray Death's infantry commander. "Slow down, Tom. What can I do for you?"
"The Jade Falcons, sir. They're on the move."
And so it begins, Calla thought. "Where?"
"Znaim, sir. Colonel Carlyle had me fly up here—damn taxi broke down six blocks away; I had to run."
Calla nodded, not surprised at the move to Znaim. It made perfect sense, and it was really the most direct route. Better yet, he had planned for it already. He turned to his wife. "Arla, go grab Mira. Todd, Cathy, follow me. You too, Tom." Calla crossed the floor over to the Margrave. "Your Honor, I need the use of a room. Do you have a holoprojector?"
"No, Commander," the Margrave answered. "I have a good map, though."
"That'll do just fine—better, even." Calla spotted the Sudeten Militia's commander, Daniel Pagett, and waved him over.
"Use the antechamber." The Margrave looked very worried. He had been a MechWarrior himself, a long time and many pounds ago. "Should I stop the ball?"
Calla glanced around. Already the music had faltered, and many faces were turned in his direction, fear etched on some, anticipation on others. "No, that's not necessary. I don't want a panic." The Margrave nodded and signaled the orchestra to continue, and they swung into something rather catchy and fast.
"Now I feel like a passenger on the Titanic," Todd quipped. Mira came up to his side, and they followed Calla into the antechamber. The Margrave hurriedly retrieved his map and spread it out on the table. Leone tapped the map at Znaim. "They're there, Commander. We've tentatively identified the 4th Falcon Talon and the 124th Striker Cluster."
Calla nodded at Leone. "That's impressive work, Tom."
"I saw them myself, sir."
Calla nodded again, now doubly impressed. He had never worked with the Gray Death Legion before, but Grayson Carlyle had a deserved reputation of leading from the front, and apparently had impressed that on his officers.
He regarded his own officers, plus Pagett. Pagett was a good man, enthusiastic, but inexperienced, owing his command of the Sudeten Militia more because his family had connections with the Kelswa family. Still, Calla hoped something could be made of him, and he had decent subordinates. "Here's the plan, people." He grabbed a pencil and circled Budweis. "Gamma Battalion's here, as you know. Lexi's the bait. I want her to retreat back towards Avalanche Pass. We'll bring up Alpha and Beta Battalions; that's a narrow pass, like Thermopylae. I'll be happy to play Leonidas to Cavell Malthus' Xerxes."
"Didn't Leonidas get killed?" Cannon said. The others chuckled with gallows humor.
"Well, we'll try not to go that far, but the comparison is sound. We'll make Cavell pile up his units—he can only force one Cluster through that pass at a time and take them out as they come in. Plus they'll have to get in close."
Mira traced a fingernail along the map. "Calla, there's a road that comes in from the east side of Avalanche Pass. The Falcons could use that to flank us."
"That's how the Spartans lost Thermopylae," Arla added. "They don't even need a traitor to show them—it's right there on the map."
"Ye of little faith, love. I'm hoping Cavell sees that road." Calla's fingers moved east, into the Neuinn Valley. "Because the minute he does, he's going to open his own flank." He stabbed a finger down on the town of Schonbrunn. "And that'll give the Gray Death a chance to nail him." Calla looked at Leone, and was surprised to see that the infantryman had turned pale. "What's wrong, Tom?"
"Oh, God." Leone leaned over the map. "Commander, we're not at Schonbrunn. We're at Brunn."
"What the fuck are you doing in Brunn?" Calla exploded.
"You ordered us there!" Leone shot back.
"Like hell I did!"
Leone reached into his back pocket and pulled out a datapad. He angrily hammered at it for a moment, then put it on the table. "Right there, Commander."
Calla peered at it for a second, then snatched it up and read it closer. With a vile curse, he tossed it back on the table. Leone was right: it specifically ordered the GDL to move to Brunn, not Schonbrunn. "I wrote out that damn order myself. I know I said Schonbrunn." He cursed again. Either his own staff had made a mistake, or the GDL's had. He suspected it was his own. There were too many new faces, too many Danielle Blackthorns fresh out of the academies who had to replace far more experienced warriors who were dead or in the hospital. It would be an easy mistake to make, as the two towns were separated only by fifty kilometers, but such an innocous mistake was going to cost lives and maybe the battle. For it was easy to see why Cavell Malthus was moving: the Gray Death Legion was thirty kilometers from Znaim; Gamma Battalion was nearly eighty. The Jade Falcons could concentrate first against the Legion, smash them, then turn on the Sentinels.
"All right," Calla said. "All right. Fine. We screwed up. But let's not throw in the towel yet. Tom, how's the ground around Brunn?"
"It's actually pretty decent, Commander. Colonel Carlyle thought it was a better position than Schonbrunn; that's why he didn't question the order. We've got high hills and forest on our right flank, and bogs on our left. In front of us is the Markgraf River. We can hold…but not without help, not alone."
"I know. The flank force just turned into the main line." Calla demonstrated with his hands. "The GDL holds at Brunn. Cavell attacks them, we flank him just as easy." He reconsidered. "Well, not quite as easy. He's a lot closer to the GDL than we are to the Falcons, and the Sentinels can't move as fast." He cursed again, softly. Too long, the Sentinels had been serving on the Kurita frontier for the Lyrans, and they had absorbed a lot of heavy and assault 'Mechs in place of faster lights and mediums. It had allowed them to fight well against the Clans, but it also slowed them down. Calla had wanted to "slim down" the Sentinels, but there had never been time.
"We'll hold as long as we can," Leone assured them.
"That said, we'd better have a Plan B," Houndlikov advised.
Calla stared at the map for a few moments. "If we can't hold them at Brunn and Budweis, we'll have to retreat separately—there's no way the GDL can break off and join up with the Sentinels now." Calla moved his left hand up the Neuinn Valley. "Tom, tell Grayson that I advise him to make a fighting retreat up the Neuinn if things go to hell at Brunn. Cavell will have to detail at least one Cluster to follow you; he can't just ignore the Legion."
"Damn right." Leone smiled for the first time.
"What about us?" Todd asked.
"We'll have to retreat behind Avalanche Pass. There's no good defensive ground between there at Krummau, and that's not very decent either…so we'll have to fight him here." Calla made a circle just below a ridge, fifteen kilometers south of Reichenburg: Grunwald. "In the meantime, though, I want Grayson to grab Cavell by the nose so we can kick him in the ass. Let him know, Tom."
"Done." Leone rushed out of the room.
"As for the Sentinels—Todd, Alpha's closest. Get them over the pass to Budweis fast as you can. The GDL's going to need all the help it can get."
"I'm gone." Todd tossed Calla a salute and went out the door. Mira came after him. "Sorry, babe. Guess I'll have to take a rain check on that dance."
"Next time, then." She stood on tiptoe and kissed him. "I love you, Todd Canis-Vlata. Never forget that."
"Yeah…I know." He flashed a grin at her and was gone.