Chapter Three
Schwarzwald, Maxie's Planet
Tamar March, Lyran Commonwealth
13 May 3050
Kai switched his gaze from the radar display to his surroundings and then back again. The invaders had landed on planet the day before, despite spirited resistance by the Eleventh Lyran Guards Aerospace Fighters. Outnumbered almost two to one, the enemy's heavy fighters had torn apart efforts by light interceptors to disrupt their formations and then fallen on the Lucifers closing on their dropships.
The best that could be said at this point about the airspace above the Schwarzwald was that the Jade Falcons didn't have uncontested control of it. Numbers had seemed so imbalanced that General Bryan had held back a squadron of heavy Chippewas to provide ground support. They had about an equal number of opponents left to deal with and combined with the efforts of anti-aircraft units on the ground – such as Kai's Rifleman – that was enough to curtail strafing and bombing runs by the enemy aerospace fighters.
The relatively thick woodland of the Schwarzwald was another factor, Kai suspected. Quite a lot of the time the trees towered over even ten metre tall BattleMechs and his field of vision above was quite limited.
"All clear over the next rise," reported Dave Jewell. His Wolverine was the fastest 'Mech in the lance and thus he was taking point in moving through the woods.
"Thanks, Dave." Kai pushed the Rifleman a little harder towards the rise. He wanted to be over it and back in cover before that status changed. "Fury One, this is Fury Nine. We're moving forward."
"Nine, this is Fury One. Roger that."
Behind them, the other two lances in Fury Company positioned themselves to give fire support if it was needed. Despite General Bryan's rousing speech at the start of the year, she'd ordered a slow and systematic approach as the guards' 'Mechs moved through the woods. The Schwarzwald lay directly between the Jade Falcon's landing zone and the planetary capital and it was the most likely place for an encounter – unless the Falcons were ignoring the Guards' approach entirely. It was also terrible ground for the heavy tanks and hover tanks that made up most of their supporting armoured regiments so all three armoured regiments and two of the infantry regiments were using underground transit routes constructed under the Star League to bypass the forest entirely.
If the Jade Falcons were waiting at the far edge, expecting only the 'Mechs to arrive, they'd instead find themselves facing a well-balanced battle group containing almost all the RCT's heavy firepower. If they didn't then they'd be fighting under conditions that would negate most of their range advantage and also have the tanks and infantry at their rear.
Over the ridge and Kai dropped Legendkiller to one knee, raising the large lasers and autocannon in his 'Mech's arms to cover the next ridge. Dave Jewell positioned himself to flank him, the PPC that had been fitted in place of the autocannon ready for the same mission.
A moment later and they were passed by the other half of the lance, Jack's Enforcer and Helen's Hunchback moving down to the bottom of the slope where their shorter ranged weapons could combine fire with Kai and Dave.
There was still no sign of activity. "Fury One, Fury Nine. We're clear."
Rather than acknowledgement or the arrival of the 'Mechs of the other two lances, there was nothing but static on the line for a long moment. And then: "Fury Nine, hold ground. We have reports of contact from Third Battalion but it sounds like they're being hit from behind."
Behind? "Roger, Fury One. Holding position."
"Are you picking anything up, Jack?"
The MechWarrior paused before answering Dave's question, presumably checking the active probe that should pick up anything lying in ambush among the trees – particularly the armoured infantry described in the briefings. "Nothing on my sensors."
Kai stood his 'Mech up and backpedalled slightly so his shoulders rose above the ridgeline, then rotated his left arm to bring the guns to bear directly to the rear.
"Feeling paranoid, LT?"
"Just covering the bases." Kai pulled up a map. "Given the terrain either side of the Schwarzwald, how long would you think it would take a fast force of light 'Mechs to circle around and reach the regiment's rear."
"Two, maybe three days depending on how you define fast. The old mining areas are unstable as hell and there's been a lot of flooding."
"Which would be pushing it to get someone behind us if you started from when the dropships landed," Kai concluded. "And that means they..."
"Found some other way?" asked Helen.
"They must have used the tunnels." Kai closed his map. "That would take them a day at most."
"There are entire regiments of tanks and infantry down there," she protested.
"There were entire regiments, Double-O. If they got caught at close quarters down there by the enemy's battle armour, they could still be jammed up down there – take out the tanks at the front and then roll up the column from front to back. The Elementals could even use the service side-passages to work around them and take out the tanks at the back, making it impossible to retreat."
Dave half-turned his 'Mech. "I'm thinking it might be smart for Jack and I to take a quick look over the next ridge, just in case we have to move that way in a hurry, sir. We've jump-jets so we can back up quickly if there looks to be trouble."
"Sounds good to me. Double-O, back up so we can cover each other."
The older MechWarrior started backing up in her Hunchback. "I miss my old autocannon. At the ranges in here it'd be more use than this pop-gun."
"I guess they call that progress." Helen's Hunchback had been refitted to use a heavy multi-ammunition autocannon with twice the range and ammunition load. It did give up some of the raw firepower though.
"Heh. Listen, LT, any truth to them having multi-ammunition assault autocannon on the new construction Centurions?"
Kai cleared his throat. He hadn't known his father was going to the expense and trouble of having Yen-lo-Wang refitted until it was too late and he'd been locked in as going to a regiment where he wouldn't be able to use the gift. Legendkiller was a fine 'Mech but the Centurion was the one that Justin Allard had wanted to entrust his son's safety too. Just another way I let you down, father.
"That's what I've heard, Double-O. You'll have to give up the TAG system and anti-missile turret though."
Double-O snorted. "Like I'd care if I had a gun like that to use."
"Are you sure you've not got a little Davion in you?" Jack asked over the lance frequency.
"Hell, I've never even met Prince Victor."
"Fury-Nine, we have contact," snapped Hauptmann Hendricks – Fury One. "Looks like five Kit Fox 'Mechs and a couple of dozen Elementals. Third Battalion report twice as many on them and they're being forced north. We're going to regroup on your position and play anvil while the rest of the battalion are the hammer."
"Understood, Fury One." Kai switched channel. "Dave, Jack, get back here. We have incoming."
"Roger."
Turning further, Kai brought both arms to bear in the right direction then went back to the radar. Nothing in the sky above that he could see. That was one small mercy.
Ober-Leutenant Marcone's Archer came into view, followed by a Crusader. There was something wrong with them – partly their awkward gait and partly, Kai realised, the small armoured figures clinging to them and tearing away at the 'Mechs with claws and lasers.
Although both 'Mechs were batting at the Elementals with their heavy forearms, it didn't seem to be having any great effect. "Double-O, use cluster rounds," he ordered and drew a bead with his autocannon on one of the Elementals, not wanting to use his lasers in case he over-penetrated and caused more damage to the friendly 'Mechs.
The slightly lower-pitched retorts of Helen's autocannon were a counter-point to his own guns. One burst missed both 'Mech and Elemental, but the second stream of shells caught the Jade Falcon squarely and he fell from Marcone's 'Mech.
Although he'd heard the briefing about the resilience of Elementals, a thrill of fire went through Kai as he realised the Elemental was rising to its feet and apparently game to continue the battle.
Then Marcone whirled around and lashed out with one of the Archer's blocky feet, treating the infantryman as if he were a soccer ball. The Elemental went tumbling across the forest floor and this time it didn't rise.
Continuing the turn, the Ober-Leutenant opened fire on one of the Elementals still clinging to the Crusader. Armour already pockmarked by scars from the cluster rounds fired at it by Helen's Hunchback, the Jade Falcon didn't survive hits from two 5cm lasers at point-blank range.
Kai took a moment to sigh in relief and then a 'Mech stalked out of the shadows of the trees behind Marcone.
It was sleek and predatory, muzzle-smoke rising from what was clearly a powerful autocannon in one arm. The other arm ended in a hand but it was ringed by several laser emitters. Even as Kai turned to bring his guns to bear, this arm rose and lasers flashed as megajoules of energy were pumped into the back of the Archer.
Although the Archer was notorious for its thick armour even compared to some 'Mechs ten or fifteen tons heavier, no 'Mech carried as much armor on the rear as they did on the front and flanks.
Now the rear armour of Marcone's 'Mech peeled away under the savage barrage and hidden beneath that armour were the vitals: engine, gyro, missile launchers and the ammunition bins.
One shot, at least, penetrated the latter and seventy tons of BattleMech disintegrated, the remains scattering themselves across the woods.
"That's no Kit Fox!" exclaimed Dave as he jumped his Wolverine up to join Kai and Helen at the top of the hill.
"Stormcrow. Bring it down." Kai unleashed both autocannon and the coaxial lasers at the 'Mech. Unbelievably, the intelligence on the Clans suggested that they considered the fast and deadly medium 'Mech to be aging and in need of replacement.
Sluggish as its heatsinks tried to shed the heat built up by the laser salvo, the Stormcrow side-stepped and narrowly avoided Dave's PPC shot. Armour peeled away under autocannon fire from Kai and Helen while the large lasers saved away entire plates from the left leg and left arm – at the expense of similarly raising his own internal temperature.
The Crusader added its own short-ranged weapons to the onslaught, connecting it to the Jade Falcon 'Mech with missile contrails, machinegun tracers and its own lasers.
Apparently unconcerned, the Stormcrow locked its right arm and fired a long burst from the autocannon. A torrent of shells tore into the Crusader's leg, shattering armour, blasting apart myomer bundles and finally severing the limb just above the knee.
"Blake's blood! I want a gun like that!" exclaimed Helen.
"If we don't deal with it that Falcon will give it to you muzzle first," Dave told her.
Jack Delancie's Enforcer sailed over the crest of the ridge and landed below Kai. "I'll go get our guy!" he called. "Give me cover."
"Dammit, Jack!"
The Stormcrow broke into a run, twisting between trees to mask it from return fire as it made its own run towards the fallen Crusader. Kai fired again at it, staggering laser pulses to try to bring his heat back under control.
Jack lowered his Enforcer's guns and focused them, not on the Stormcrow but on an Elemental, the second that had been clawing at the Crusader and was now trying to crack the cockpit of the fallen 'Mech. The 8cm laser severed one leg and autocannon shells finished the job, tearing through the chest armour and in some cases out through the combined missile launcher/jump pack that made up the rear of the suit.
A Sentinel burst from the trees, running towards Kai's position. Maria Edgehill, he remembered. Part of the command lance. Jack half-turned as if to fire upon her then held his fire as he recognised the Lyran Guards colours banded on the shoulders.
The hesitation cost him for there was a second 'Mech behind the Sentinel and the moment it saw Jack, the missile racks in each arm vomited a full salvo of LRMs.
Even the full fury of those missiles wasn't enough to defeat the Enforcer's armour, but caught off guard Jack staggered and only avoided a fall by catching himself with one arm against a tree.
And then the Stormcrow darted out, ignoring the punishing fire of Kai's lance to fire three lasers into the chest before adding a short burst from the autocannon.
The left arm, the one Jack was using for support, went limp as the shoulder was shattered by those impacts. He cried out as the Enforcer fell and fired the autocannon desperately, shells digging into the forest floor.
A second volley of missile arched through the Schwarzwald and the Enforcer took the full force of them to the head and shoulders.
Inside Kai's cockpit, the telemetry from Jack Delancie's 'Mech went dead.
Dropping his crosshairs slightly, Kai triggered one autocannon and then the other.
His shells smashed directly into the Stormcrow's left knee-joint and the 'Mech lurched as the joint locked.
"Fury Nine to all Fury units. Sound off."
"There's no one left." Maria Edgehill's voice was ragged. "Fury Nine, the Hauptmann and Ober-Leutenant are both down."
Kai clenched his fists around the control sticks. "Alright." It wasn't, but what else could he say?
"Daring One, Fury Nine."
The battalion command frequency gave no response.
"Fury Nine to any unit in Second Battalion."
Nothing. Maybe he was being jammed. It didn't make sense that an entire battalion could simply be wiped out so quickly.
The Stormcrow limped into the cover of the trees and the Kit Fox followed suit, launching LRMs up and over the tree branches, raining them down on what was left of Fury Company.
"We can't go back so we have to go forwards. We'll make for the rendezvous on the far side of the Schwarzwald. Best speed of the slowest 'Mechs." Which was he and Helen. "Hopefully the rest of the regiment will be doing the same." Probably the wrong orders but at least it was some direction. Better a bad plan than none.
And maybe there'll be another officer there or this will make the La Mancha scenario look like a training match between NAMA and Albion cadets.
.o0o.
Forbidden City, Sian
Sian Commonality, Capellan Confederation
14 May 3050
"You summoned me, Chancellor."
"I did, nephew." Candace gestured to the chair opposite her. "I thought you could do with a break from tedious questions regarding your sister."
"Your Maskirovka have been quite polite."
"They should be. Justin trained them so well I almost don't notice when they send him reports."
Sun-Tzu realised he hadn't quite disguised his reaction to that remark.
Chancellor Candace Liao smiled narrowly. "I love my husband but I have no illusions about his loyalties. We elect not to bring those matters into our relationship."
"And your relationship with Hanse Davion?"
"Hanse Davion and I are not friends and never will be – but he has my respect. His wife is my friend though – and she would take betrayal very poorly. Do not make the mistake of assuming Melissa Steiner-Davion is less than a full partner in the governance of the Federated Commonwealth."
"I will keep that in mind you I ever be in a position of responsibility, Aunt Candace."
She nodded. "That will be sooner than you envisage, Sun-Tzu. I have glowing reports of you and I don't intend to let that resource go to waste."
"I am at your service."
"Good. I'm going to appoint you as my special ambassador to New Avalon. We have delicate negotiations to carry out and I want a family member to represent me."
"I would have thought…" Sun-Tzu considered how to phrase this. "I had the perception, at least, that Uncle Tormano was usually your choice for such matters."
"For different reasons, neither Hanse Davion nor myself wants Tormano involved in this matter." She shook her head. "Your mother probably makes the common assumption that our alliance against her when we were younger was a matter of fondness for each other – it was more a matter of mutual contempt for her. If Tormano could supplant me as Chancellor he would. For that reason, he will always be Hanse Davion's threat to me: not one he would use only at need but… what do you know about our military deployments?"
"I've been out of circulation."
"To help me secure the worlds of the Confederation from Romano's adherents, Hanse provided twelve regiments of mercenaries, not to mention regular AFFC units to protect St Ives until the matter was settled. Those units are his guarantee that the AFFC won't be so distracted by fighting the Clans that Thomas Marik could add us to the Free Worlds League. They're also his guarantee that I won't renege on agreements made twenty years ago."
Sun-Tzu frowned. "And these agreements are what you're sending me to negotiate?"
"My concern after the Fourth Succession War was that Hanse Davion would conquer the entire Capellan Confederation and crush everything that makes us distinct. You have surely heard of how Federated Suns carpet-baggers would descend on a newly conquered world, buying up shares of business at token prices before they're seized as war booty. Nobles dispossessed and driven into exile. Schools forced to start teaching pro-Davion propaganda."
"And are you saying it isn't true?"
"Of course it was. House Hasek profited greatly over the Succession Wars from those practises, and in 3030 hundreds of worlds were open to those practises. In addition to ceding the former St Ives worlds Hanse gave me open access and an advisory position to prevent that from happening."
"That must have gone down well," Sun-Tzu smiled at the thought of the Hasek family's adherents choking on their own bile.
"If Justin hadn't already executed him, Michael Hasek might have been finished off by the idea. His son is another matter. As Duchess of Liao I was able to set an example and Melissa at least backed me to the hilt. It's somewhat Machiavellian, really. After Ridzik's rapaciousness a ruler who was neither a Davion nor trying to exploit them won Tikonov over, particularly when the trade deals with Skye were brokered."
"We're getting away from the point though – the agreement I made with Hanse Davion let me bring dozens of worlds back to Capellan rule but the price was that if Romano had to be removed I would support it and bring the Capellan Confederation into the Federated Commonwealth."
Sun-Tzu stilled. "A bold proposal."
"If the Clans had invaded then, they would have broken the Successor States with ease. Possibly, perhaps even probably, they would have failed to consolidate their rule but they explicitly want to erase our cultures in favour of their own. On the other hand, I would only have to pay out if Romano was sufficient threat that she had to be removed. Given ten more years, perhaps even just five, the AFFC would have been strong enough to support me in holding off any opportunism by Romano without compromising their ability to fight the Clans. Unfortunately, despite her insane policies that wasn't the case."
"But instead almost a dozen of our regiments have been sent to the far side of the Inner Sphere and replaced by Davion-owned mercenaries."
"It wasn't the ideal outcome, I admit." Candace folded her hands. "However, there is such a thing as winning the peace. There are already billions of people in the Federated Commonwealth who identify themselves as Capellans. Tormano employs many expatriates in companies across the Lyran Commonwealth and of course there are all the worlds that have changed hands over the years. No territorial concessions could bring them all under my rule."
"But if House Liao no longer leads an independent Capellan Confederation we can become the leaders of the Capellan people within the Federated Commonwealth and that would allow us to informally reclaim those worlds. We might not be politically reunited with Sarna or Tikonov – or Chesteron – but socially and economically those ties can be rebuilt."
"The difference between de jure and de facto authority."
"Precisely." She nodded. "And that requires the right treaty to manage how we join the Federated Commonwealth. The exact details haven't been decided yet and we need one that doesn't just look ten or twenty years in the future."
Sun-Tzu laughed. "Audacious, my Chancellor. You want to rebuild our people's pride and empire within the protection of the Federated Commonwealth."
"Twenty years from now, with our industries rebuilt, with complete access to the technology derived from the Clans, with scores of Capellan regiments inside the AFFC there may be other prospects. Fifty years from now, Capellans may even lead the entire Federated Commonwealth. The Republican brigade in Tikonov have not forgotten their roots as Capellans and that is merely the beginning."
"And if he wants a Liao to marry his heir?"
"Oh Sun-Tzu, why would I object to one of my grandchildren ruling over all the Federated Commonwealth? Hanse Davion is unlikely to outlive me and Melissa unlikely to obstruct family ties."
There was a chime from the door.
"Excuse me one moment, nephew." Candace tapped a control. "Who is it?"
"Ion Rush, ma'am."
"Send him in."
Ion Rush entered and let the door close behind him before he gave his report – ungarnished and to the point. "Chancellor, we've just had word from New Avalon. The Clans have launched a second wave of attacks."
"After only two weeks to consolidate? That's ambitious." Candace pulled up a display. "How bad is it?"
"No new attacks on us by Clan Wolf although there's no news from the Free Rasalhague Republic. However, the Jade Falcons have targeted seven worlds, roughly a line from Black Earth to Maxie's Planet."
"Maxie's Planet?" Candace's gaze flicked to Sun-Tzu for a second and then to the House Master of Imarra and the effective commander of her armed forces. "Any news from the Eleventh Lyran Guards?"
"ComStar's cut off communications, which usually means the world has fallen. There may be more news en route through other channels but as things stand, we don't know how they're doing."
Sun-Tzu was careful to show no reaction to the news. Kai Allard-Liao may not survive this war. I wonder if that is part of the Fox's plan – with one of Kai's sisters to marry Prince Victor, he will have a powerful influence over who succeeds to the throne of the 'Confederation March' after Candace dies.
.o0o.
Schwarzwald, Maxie's Planet
Tamar March, Lyran Commonwealth
14 May 3050
As Kai's battered little command reached the edge of the woods he was relieved to see 'Mechs ahead. Even better, they were marked with the blue and white of the Lyran Guards.
"Fury Nine, reporting in," he signalled with a short data burst to authenticate his identity.
"Fury Nine, this is Gambit Two." A Zeus that was missing both arms turned to cover the approach with the torso mounted lasers. "Good to see you, we were beginning to think we were the only ones to make it. How far are the rest of Second Battalion?"
Gambit Two would be Third Battalion's senior NCO. A cold trickle of fear ran down Kai's back. "So far as I'm aware we're all that's left of Fury Company. We've had no contact with Errant or Daring Company since the Clans caught up with us in the woods. Who's in command here?"
There was a stunned silence for a moment and then the Stabsfeldwebel replied: "By the book, that would be you, sir."
Stabsfeldwebel Kelvin Mackensen was a contemporary of Helen O'Connell-O'Bannon but he didn't have anything like her list of disciplinary infractions. A quiet word from Dave Jewell reminded Kai that the Stabsfeldwebel had declined a promotion because it would involve transfer away from his beloved Eleventh Lyran Guards to the reformed Fourth Royal Guards regiment.
The prospect that the Eleventh might have been reduced to the seven 'Mechs of Third Battalion he'd led out of the Schwarzwald and Kai's mismatched lance had him hollow-eyed on the screen.
Kai brought up a tactical map on the holographic display in front of him, adjusting the position so it would be visible to the camera relaying his image to the rest of what was now – God help them – his company.
"The best case scenario is that most of First Battalion and Second Battalion are still fighting in the Schwarzwald," he summarised. "However, our chances of linking up with them in time to do anything useful are slim. On the other hand, the Jade Falcon dropships are only a few kilometres away and they were the original objective."
"You're not thinking of hitting them? We'll be cut apart by their defences!"
"Given the force listings we're aware, it seems likely that most of their 'Mechs and Elementals are busy in the Schwarzwald. They've also identified themselves as the Ninety-Fourth Striker Cluster. If they're maintaining the old SLDF designations, which is fairly likely, they'll be made up of medium and light 'Mechs. That's not exactly optimal for a defensive fight, which is what we'll be forcing on them."
Kai tapped another designation on the map. "The Falcons are also operating their remaining aerospace fighters from their dropships. Take them out and we'll give the Guards back aerial dominance, which at a minimum should let our fighters re-establish contact with the rest of our 'Mechs."
Mackensen shook his head. "Respectfully, sir, there's a lot that could go wrong."
"An awful lot has gone wrong already. But we've no other instructions and this looks like the most productive course of action. Besides that, remember what the General's standing orders were."
The Stabsfeldwebel was silent.
"If in doubt, no officer can do very badly wrong if he closes with the enemy and seeks battle," Helen reminded them.
"I'm pretty sure she stole it from somewhere, but those are our orders and we have an enemy right there."
Grudgingly Mackensen brought up his own map. "That's true. And in the worst case, if the rest of the regiment is... unable to support us?"
Kai tried to hide his own doubts. "In that case we'll have control of a dropship and there's at least a chance we can get out to one of the jump-points. Our last information didn't indicate the Falcons were interdicting them and there's a regular trader from Rasalhague due in just three days. They'll need to recharge, which gives us time to reach the jump-point and arrange passage back to a friendly world."
"How do you plan to handle the defenders?" asked Dave. "Some of our 'Mechs are pretty badly shot up."
"A combination of psychology and rules lawyering." Kai had refreshed his memory on Clan customs in the few minutes he'd had to prepare this plan. "Whoever is on guard here is likely sore at not getting the glory of joining the fight and Clan Jade Falcon are reportedly very serious about their traditions of combat."
.o0o.
Jade Falcon Drop Zone, Maxie's Planet
Tamar March, Lyran Commonwealth
14 May 3050
Showtime. Kai walked Legendkiller over the hill and into view of the three dropships, making no effort to hide himself. There were four aerospace fighters grounded and being serviced by their support crews and in addition to the two 'Mechs lazily walking a perimeter, he could see three more lined up near the main hatch of the largest dropship.
"I am Kai Allard, Leutenant of the Armed Forces of the Federated Commonwealth," he announced on general broadcast as well as his external speakers, wincing at the overblown script he'd worked out. "My gene-sire was acclaimed Champion MechWarrior of the Inner Sphere and I scored three kills in my graduation testing." Which wasn't the same as the ludicrous death-duels fought by Clan Warriors, but they didn't know that. "What warrior will dare to prevent me from closing my fist around the largest of your dropships and taking its crew into my service?"
There was a rush of activity and two Clanners rushed towards the parked 'Mechs, almost tearing off their jumpsuits in order to ready themselves for the heat of their conflicts.
Kai repeated his statement twice, walking slowly closer and carefully avoiding any contractions that might cause offense, before he received a reply.
"This is Star Commander Erod of Clan Jade Falcon. Do I understand that you are challenging for possession of our Dropship and its crew?"
"That is correct, Star Commander. I am bidding myself and my BattleMech alone."
This was the tricky moment. If Erod was pragmatic he could simply bid overwhelming forces and destroy Kai's 'Mech immediately. However, if Kai had made the prospect of facing him in combat sufficiently enticing it was almost certain that a subordinate would offer a lower counterbid and that actual combat would be on more or less even terms.
Erod paused. "Very well. I propose that battle will take place upon the open space between our Dropships and your current position."
Kai stopped Legendkiller. "This is acceptable. Do you require time to decide upon your forces?"
"Aff. We shall respond within fifteen minutes."
"Very well. My subordinates will position themselves opposite your own at this end of our Circle of Equals."
On cue, the other ten Lyran Guards 'Mechs moved up. It was a calculated gamble, showing that Kai didn't have to fight alone but had specifically chosen to do so. Hopefully it would underscore this as an honour duel and not a battle, despite the stakes.
Shortly before the deadline expired, Erod announced: "MechWarrior Diana has secured the right to defend our Dropship from you." A single 'Mech moved forwards to take position between Kai and the dropships. It was a Nova, he recognised and both its arms ended in the same laser arrangement which he'd seen the day before on the just one arm of the Stormcrow. Still, that many lasers would be a massive heat burden.
The other 'Mechs moved aside and Kai waited until they were a reasonable distance away before he strode Legendkiller forwards. The other 'Mech was lighter but faster and the armour should be roughly comparable to his own – except to the rear where a Rifleman was notoriously thinly armoured.
His father had once used that to lure an opponent into a trap but here the terrain was open and there was no scope to confuse his opponent between the front and rear of his 'Mech.
Instead he opened fire with autocannon and lasers at a range of about half a kilometre, suddenly pulling his 'Mech back to keep the range open as much as possible. If he recalled correctly, the advanced laser mounts had a maximum range of four hundred and fifty meters – about comparable to an 8cm laser.
Kai only fired one laser and it scored on the side of the torso below the cockpit canopy, but his autocannon both missed as the MechWarrior, Diana presumably, skipped her Nova forwards and to the side.
She moved into range and fired three lasers from each arm. Kai was already twisting to try to avoid the fire. One shot landed on his right leg, smashing away almost all of the protection below his knee while the second scored dead centre on the chest. I can take roughly another two hits there, he thought.
Continuing to move evasively he raised his other arm, firing the laser and autocannon there and then switching to use the other autocannon once Diana had tried to evade. The initial shots both hit her Nova's left arm but in the time he used to track the other arm around she'd feinted and then darted even closer. The armour on that arm was seriously damaged but Kai dropped Legendkiller to one knee and took her return fire against the radar systems mounted above his cockpit, steadying his aim to plant the large laser and autocannon squarely into the already damaged left arm.
Sparks flew in his cockpit as the anti-aircraft sensors were destroyed but they weren't immediately vital and he saw that the Nova's left arm was out of action. It could still bring all six lasers from the right arm to bear so it wouldn't immediately reduce its firepower but it was a good start.
However, Diana still used only three lasers in her next salvo. The shots all struck home on the chest, obliterating the ghost and crosshairs heraldry painted there. Legendkiller wavered as the gyro struggled to cope with the loss of more than a ton of armour as well as most the paint decorating the frontal torso. Kai fought the controls for a moment and then switched tactics, driving the heavy 'Mech's feet deeply into the ground as he charged forwards towards the Nova.
The Jade Falcon stood her ground, bracing to aim precisely. Inexplicably she still used only three lasers and two of them struck his right leg. Armour peeled away and the systems display flashed to red but nothing critical seemed to have been hit and now he was in range for the medium lasers in his chest. Combining them with both autocannon and one of his lasers was the most his double-heatsinks could manage before he dangerously over-heated but Kai fired everything, a wave of heat baking the cockpit.
Having halted, the Nova was a relatively easy target and armour smashed away from the right side of the chest as Diana jerked the arm with what were probably her only remaining weapons out of the way of the shots. Coolant poured out of the rents carved in the 'Mech's flank and the heat profile spiked – possible damage to her reactor shielding as well as heatsinks.
The heat wasn't just causing Kai to sweat, his displays were crackling as the temperature began to interfere with the efficiency of their electronics and the myomers of Legendkiller no longer contracted as readily, forcing him to slow down.
This drop in speed seemed to throw Diana's aim off and her shots struck the ground directly before his right foot. It seemed that disabling his right leg was her strategy. It would likely only be another hit away from leaving him crippled and unable to move.
To reduce his heat he only fired his own autocannon. Ammunition in the bins was running low but better to expend it now – if she switched target to centre mass she might hit the ammunition and that would be as deadly to Kai as it had been to Ober-Leutenant Marcone.
Only one shot hit, scraping away protection on her right arm but failing to penetrate.
And then Diana struck true, lasers blazing through what remained of Legendkiller's right leg.
"No!" Kai exclaimed as he felt the 'Mech begin to fall. Failure, letting down not just his family but also the men and women counting upon him.
He drove the right arm of Legendkiller down to try to arrest the fall but the weapon barrel crumpled under the weight and he couldn't avoid crashing down in a roll that left his rear armour exposed.
"LT!" shouted Jewell from behind him.
Diana was squaring off for another shot and it was evident she knew where to shoot.
The Rifleman lay on its right side. Kai brought the left arm around like a tank's turret and fired both weapons into the Nova just as the Jade Falcon fired.
For a moment it seemed that nothing had happened, and then the Nova's cockpit canopy exploded away and the Clan MechWarrior punched out ahead of her reactor giving up the ghost and ravening heat consuming the Mech.
Kai studied his damage control system in disbelief. The lasers had penetrated the rear of Legendkiller but somehow none of the vitals had been damaged. He remembered that the aged 'Mech had received the armour upgrades now in general use, SLDF equivalent ferrofibrous protection. "I'm okay, Dave."
He rocked the 'Mech and rolled it over, using the left foot and knee as a pivot to support Legendkiller with the muzzles of his left arm as a steadying point. He could barely fight like this but he could at least bring the medium lasers to bear.
"Star Commander Erod," he gasped. "What is the status of MechWarrior Diana?"
The clansman hesitated. "She is defeated, Leutenant Kai. Victory is yours. Do you wish to claim her as your bondsman?"
Kai's first reaction was revulsion. The Clan custom was practically slavery. But pragmatism won out. Taking her as a prisoner reduced the Jade Falcon's manpower slightly and would give his father's people someone to interrogate.
"Yes," he replied. "She fought well and will be valuable to the Federated Commonwealth."
.o0o.
Dropship Raptor's Wing, Maxie's Planet
Tamar March, Lyran Commonwealth
14 May 3050
Kai knotted a three stranded set of rope around the Clan MechWarrior's wrist while Helen held the young woman's other arm locked up behind her and Mackensen covered her with his sidearm. MechWarrior Diana was probably about Kai's age, with an athletic build and the calluses on her hands suggested extensive experience of unarmed combat. He wasn't entirely sure that if she did decide to fight back that Helen and Mackensen would be sufficient restraint but thus far she'd been compliant.
Then again, punching out of a 'Mech wasn't exactly a painless experience and there were already bruises forming under her cooling vest and along her bare legs.
There was a grinding noise as Dave Jewell's Wolverine and three other 'Mechs worked to carry (and drag) Legendkiller aboard the dropship.
Mackensen looked over and then snapped his head back to keep watching Diana. "Don't worry, sir. There's plenty of tooling aboard, as well as room for all our 'Mechs. We should be able to secure your 'Mech and maybe even repair some of the damage."
Kai shrugged. That wasn't really his first concern right now. "Does it have a brig?"
"Lockable compartments. I don't guess they go for more than summary corporal punishment in the Clans."
"Okay. Lock her up until we have time to deal with her." He paused. "Actually, wait one moment. Me- Bondswoman?"
Diana hadn't stopped looking at Kai but she jerked her chin slightly.
"Why were you only firing half your lasers in each arm during our duel?" The additional firepower would almost certainly have torn Legendkiller apart.
She frowned. "I bid away the use of my jump jets and all but six lasers to win the right to participate."
Kai blinked. That was… "The bidding was fierce?"
"The Star Commander underestimated you," Diana admitted. "Cut-down was judged to be well below the tonnage of my Nova. We believed you were like the other warriors on this world."
"I'm nothing special," he protested. "Most of my family – my sibko? – are better than I am."
Mackensen chuckled. "Yes, but sir, your father was Champion on Solaris and your mother was supposed to be quite good too. It's no surprise you'd all be top-notch."
"Uh, if you say so, Stabsfeldwebel. Go lock her up, I'll check the command deck."
"Right away, sir." The NCO gestured slightly with his sidearm. "Come on, you."
The dropship – apparently the Clans called this an Overlord although it was larger and lacked any aerospace bays – was as tall as a skyscraper and the Clans also apparently didn't believe in lifts so Kai had to scale a dozen narrow flights of stairs to reach the command deck.
Despite still wearing Jade Falcon uniforms, the crew all saluted as he entered the deck. He checked the rank badges and saw that the older man at what he took to be the commander's station was a Star Captain.
"Leutenant Kai," the man said sourly. "We are yours to command."
I've just dragged these people away from their Clan, not to mention families and friends, he realised. "Thank you, Star Captain. Please have the ship made ready for take-off. It's probably we'll be doing so once the 'Mechs are secured."
"Yes sir."
"Are there any supply requirements or preparations I should be aware of?"
"The Raptor's Wing is fully ready for any orders you may give."
Kai hoped so, because if the crew decided to become uncooperative there wasn't a great deal he could do about it. "In that case, I'll also need to make use of your communications array."
The Star Captain snapped his fingers. "Technician Sharon, assist Leutenant Kai."
A slight woman in a neatly pressed uniform stood and gestured for Kai to take her seat. "Who do you want to contact, sir?"
He studied the controls which seemed to be around what he expected and adjusted the frequencies. The Jade Falcons had taken out the primary communication relay satellites, limiting him to the range of his 'Mech's on-board equipment, but the more powerful transceiver here should be more than sufficient to reach Frankfurt.
"HQ, this is Fury Nine. I repeat, HQ, this is Fury-Nine. I am unencrypted, do you read me."
After a long pause, there was a reply overlaid with the squeak of tracks. "Fury Nine, this is HQ. We copy."
"HQ, I need to speak to Leutenant-General Li or whoever's in command."
There was a muffled "General" and then a new voice took over. "What are you doing on an open channel, Fury Nine? Is that what they teach you at Albion?"
"I'm a NAMA graduate, sir. I'm not sure I have time to get the codes from my 'Mech and load them onto this transceiver."
"I was just checking, Allard." The general's voice remained grim. "You realise I can't accept at face value that you aren't under duress."
"Understood, sir. We've crossed the Schwarzwald and acquired one of the Jade Falcon dropships."
Li's voice almost broke. "You've done what?"
"We captured a dropship, sir. What are your orders?"
"Blake's beard. You really are a chip off the old block. Okay, Leutenant. Your orders are pretty simple. Bug out. I've only got two regiments of infantry and less than a company of 'Mechs that fought their way out of the Schwarzwald. Our armoured brigade is a complete loss and General Bryan is dead or captured. This fight is over but if you get off-world and back to the Federated Commonwealth you'll have more than done your duty."
"Sir, we could try a sub-orbital hop and pick you up."
"Negative, Leutenant. They have the drop port. We've disabled our dropships and blown most of the stores, but if you try to land they'll be all over you. Besides, I doubt there's room on your dropship for all of our personnel."
Physically, yes, but the life support on the ship certain wouldn't be up to more than five hundred infantry plus all the support personnel. "Understood, sir."
"General Bryan did manage to bloody them up a bit so it wasn't entirely lopsided - it just wasn't enough. We're going to ground – might be able to make life difficult for whatever garrison they post. Get back home and tell the Archon we'll hold until relieved. Out"
It was wishful thinking, both of them knew that, but what were the alternatives? Kai cut the channel and switched the frequencies randomly, just in case Technician Sharon had it in mind to inform anyone of which frequency the Eleventh Lyran Guards were using.
"Leutenant Kai, your Feldwebel Dave wishes to speak to you." The technician passed him the handset to what was probably the ship's internal intercom.
Kai put it to his hear. "Dave?"
"We're all aboard, LT, and the crew are closing the doors. We should have the 'Mechs secured in five minutes. Where next?"
He sighed. "Home, Dave. We're going home. General's orders. Finish securing the 'Mechs and then get up here. Mackensen is in charge down on the 'Mech decks for now."
Putting down the handset, he looked over at Sharon. "I have some questions."
"What do you want to know, sir?"
"Firstly, what's the Star Captain's name?"
Sharon relaxed. "His name is Raymond."
"Okay, how is it that Star Commander Erod replied to my challenge when the Star Captain was senior?"
"Star Commander Erod is in a combatant position, sir. The Star Captain could challenge him for usurping his authority but then he'd have to take your challenge himself and in augmented combat, it would be easy to bid beneath a dropship, even if he offered to refrain from using all the weapons."
"Right… and I suppose now the Star Commander will have to explain to his commander why he's short a dropship."
Sharon shivered. "Colonel Redmond will be furious. The loss of this ship will delay moving her Cluster forward to the next targeted world."
Kai gave her what he hoped was an encouraging smile. "Well… welcome to the Eleventh Lyran Guards."
The technician's body language closed up. "Uh, I should take my position for launch, sir."
"Right." He unstrapped himself and looked around – right, folding seats at the back. Dave Jewell had arrived and was already strapping into one of them. "All yours, Technician."
.o0o.
ComStar Internal Document
Personal Communication – Precentor Martial A. Focht to Primus M. Waterly
Classified – Eyes Only – Primus
Blake's Blessing upon you Primus.
I offer my sincerest apologies that I have had only limited opportunity to communicate with Our Blessed Order since making contact with elements of Clan Wolf over Verthandi towards the end of March this year. As may have been anticipated, the warriors of Clan Wolf were unprepared for diplomatic overtures and it was sometime before reports of my presence reached their leader, Khan Ulric Kerensky, who has been my host for much of the last two months. You may be gratified to learn that our Order's status as custodian of Terra and of the Star League facilities upon the home world carries considerable weight and even before the Khan's intervention, my status as your representative led to my being treated with a respect not previously shown to our order.
I have confirmed that both the missing Explorer Corps jumpships have indeed been taken into custody by the Clans. As the ships themselves have been commandeered to support the logistics of their invasion I haven't been able to arrange their release, but the crews have been liberated and I am assured that by the time you receive this message, they will be safe and sound at the HPG station on Alleghe. I am investigating the possibility that a third Explorer Corps vessel may be in the hands of one of the other Clans – as yet I have only rumours and I regret that not being familiar with past losses, I am unsure if this is the case. If so, it may shed light upon the location of the Clans' home worlds.
I have been able to verify that most of the data obtained from the AFFC about the Clans is largely accurate and discrepancies appear to be more a matter of gaps or out of date information rather than outright inaccuracies. There were indeed originally twenty clans, a number now reduced to seventeen. For reasons involving their warrior code, only four of the Clans are currently participating in the invasion although a fifth Clan currently has substantial forces en route to act as a strategic reserve. The fact that this force isn't expected for several months suggests that resistance by the Inner Sphere has been heavier than expected.
The four Clans currently in the Inner Sphere are Clan Ghost Bear, Clan Jade Falcon, Clan Smoke Jaguar and the aforementioned Clan Wolf. They are indeed the descendants of the SLDF and the history of the Star League and the SLDF is one that they hold in almost superstitious awe. Although the Clans accept the authority of an overall warlord, the ilKhan (currently a post held by one Leo Showers, of Clan Smoke Jaguar), they are to all purposes self-governing and intensely competitive between themselves. Regrettably, I have learned that Clan Smoke Jaguar are relatively dismissive of all Inner Sphere institutions and I have not been able to secure an audience with the ilKhan to pursue my primary mission objective.
I have therefore taken the course of negotiating with each Clan individually, starting with Clan Wolf. As my progress is closely tied to the specific customs and policies of each Clan, I will detail our position with regard to each Clan along with my general impression of the Clan.
Clan Wolf have been largely positively inclined towards my overtures. While the Clan includes a significant militant or 'Crusader' faction, there is also a strong counterweight grouping known as Wardens who believe their proper role is to act as protectors to the Inner Sphere. It has become quite apparent that the Clans have their own HPG network, however they haven't yet extended this to their holdings in the Inner Sphere and have been relying on HPGs fitted to their jumpships to coordinate their forces. With one of the more extensive occupation zones so far, Clan Wolf's moderates and Wardens were swayed by the logic of supplementing this with our HPGs since they are already functional and manned.
Overall, Clan Wolf appear to have the strongest foothold in the Inner Sphere, with their efforts concentrated within the Free Rasalhague Republic (although they aren't above seizing Federated Commonwealth worlds along the border if opportunities arise). They've brought large shipments of supplies and I estimate that at least a quarter of their invasion force is made up of garrison units. Because of this, they were less convinced by my arguments that our neutrality might be misinterpreted and that we would need to retain security. I've narrowly secured an agreement to maintain the status quo but behind closed doors I've been advised that they would react positively to a drawdown in the presence of BattleMechs and Aerospace Fighters in our garrisons.
The Clan with which I've had greatest success has been Clan Ghost Bear, whose new holdings straddle the old Rasalhague-Combine border. As a whole the Clan are considered conservative by their peers but they are on the best terms with my hosts out of the other invading Clans, so I've found them relatively accessible. It probably helped that I had had some weeks of adapting to Clan social niceties (they are most averse to the use of verbal contractions, for example) so I was able to make a slightly better first impression.
Unlike Clan Wolf, Clan Ghost Bear appear to have only assigned limited supplies and support units to their invasion forces, which has caused them persistent difficulties (something likely to continue for the foreseeable future). As such, they were relatively eager to explore alternatives and the proposal that ComStar might act as an intermediary for communication between their garrisons and the local governments to ease misunderstandings was quite well received. I feel that this may stretch the boundaries of neutrality and final arrangements are pending your decision on the matter, however with this in place the Ghost Bears are largely content to allow us to continue to operate as we have been.
Clan Smoke Jaguar have had to be approached carefully since their alienation would doubtless lead to a negative reaction by the ilKhan that could impact on relations with the other Clans. As persistent rivals to Clan Wolf, as well as the most distant at this time (carving their new territory out of the Draconis Combine) it's been difficult to make an approach. I regret to report this is the one Clan who have engaged in battle against the ComGuards since they assaulted and captured several HPGs on their early conquests.
With their leader, Khan Lincoln Osis, largely involved in military affairs, I've been interacting with his deputy or 'saKhan' Sarah Weaver. I've been able to secure a temporary agreement with her that will preserve our stations and their garrisons pending review by their entire Clan Council. Recent events, which I'll discuss below, may lead to saKhan Weaver's replacement. It's possible her successor will be more amenable.
At the far end of the invasion zone from the Smoke Jaguars, the Jade Falcons are also somewhat predisposed to dislike me since they have an especial rivalry with Clan Wolf. However, as strict traditionalists, they've been amenable to our Order's roots in the Star League Ministry of Communications and of regarding technical and commercial matters as somewhat beneath the regard of warriors. Armed with several historical documents referring to the Blessed Blake's place among Aleksandr Kerensky's advisors and to the ComGuards origins as SLDF divisions charged with remaining behind to protect Terra, I've been able to establish communication with their Khan, Elias Crichell.
For the moment, Khan Crichell has agreed to allow us to continue operations so long as we don't pass communications outside the Jade Falcon's occupation zone, even to other Clans. They've also agreed provisionally to leave the ComGuards in place to protect our HPGs although he seemed interested in potentially replacing them with Jade Falcon personnel at some unspecified time in the future. I regret to advise we may only have a temporary presence on worlds the Jade Falcons control. Interestingly, the Jade Falcons have taken to using the HPGs not only for military purposes but also commercially. It seems that their caste of merchants are every bit as aggressive, one might even say predatory, as their warriors.
Moving on to more current events, I was aboard the flagship of Clan Wolf (originally the SLS Kharkov, now renamed Dire Wolf, it seems very similar to the CSS Blake's Vengeance which is of the same class. This suggests that the Clans naval technology may not be as advanced as that of the other combat arms) when we received news of the Turtle Bay bombardment.
Khan Kerensky appeared quite disgusted, in part with the Smoke Jaguar's failure to realise that they had apprehended such a valuable prisoner in their hands and secondly that they so completely lost control over the city of Edo in the aftermath of Sho-sa Kurita's rescue from imprisonment. In case news of this matter has not yet reached ROM (I am sure the Combine will make much of it for morale purposes), I will summarise the facts as I am aware of them.
When the Fourteenth Legion of Vega were defeated on Turtle Bay, Hohiro Kurita, the son of the Gunji no Kanrei, was among the DCMS personnel captured. Rather than being segregated as a prisoner of importance, Kurita was confined in a local prison in the city of Edo. Surviving elements of the Legion obtained the assistance of a local Yakuza group and organised a rescue, with many of the other prisoners giving their lives to cover for Kurita's escape. It's believed that Kurita reached a hidden dropship and escaped the system aboard a smuggler's jumpship.
Subsequent to this the yakuza sponsored a widespread insurrection within the city, very probably with the assistance of Legion personnel who remained behind for this purpose. As a result of heavy-handed Smoke Jaguar occupation tactics (even by Draconian standards), local support was forthcoming and Clan Smoke Jaguar were entirely driven from the city of Edo. In response to this, the local commander (a protégé of Sarah Weaver, who I have earlier mentioned) ordered the orbital bombardment of Edo.
I must stress that this is considered an act of exceptional brutality even by the Clans. For the most part their warships have been used as mobile supply bases and command centres rather than as fighting vessels, since no Inner Sphere warships exist to challenge them. The use of warships for bombardment is largely outside of the Clans experience and, perhaps more as a political attack than out of any moral principle, Khan Kerensky has seized upon it as an example of ineptitude and wastefulness. To the Clans these are extremely strong terms to use and it is for this reason that I suspect the Smoke Jaguars will elect to dismiss saKhan Weaver, along with other officers more closely involved.
The invasion of the world of Rasalhague appears to have been all but stage-managed to highlight the differences between Clan Wolf and Clan Smoke Jaguar. To begin with, it seemed in doubt that Khan Kerensky would even oversee the invasion – as the capital of the Free Rasalhague Republic, the world is a considerable prize and Clan Ghost Bears leaders were eager to claim it for themselves. Clan traditions vested the right to seize the world to whoever was willing to attempt it with the least use of force and in bidding for the right, Khan Kerensky immediately dismissed any use of a warship and finally secured the right to invade by proposing to utilise a force I'm advised is only sixty percent of what his advisors recommended.
Despite what appeared to be extreme recklessness, Kerensky's attack was swift and decisive. Quite a number of survivors from other units already defeated by Clan Wolf and Clan Ghost Bear had been formed into a composite regiment, however far from being hardened by the experience they shattered under initial pressure. In addition, the Second Drakons regiment had been dispersed to reduce the spread of a local tropical disease and Khan Kerensky's attack arrived too swiftly for them to regroup. With two thirds of the defenders eliminated, Clan Wolf's forces were able to easily secure all but the capital city of Reyhavik. Khan Kerensky offered generous terms of surrender before ordering the attack, which were declined by Elected Prince Magnusson. Rather than a more conventional assault, the Wolves sent almost all of their battle armour into the city in a night attack with two goals: neutralizing the Kungsarme command centre and their principal aerospace base.
With their military leadership dead or scattered and no air support, the First Drakons were cut apart in detail by the Wolves, although damage to the city was unavoidably significant. Clan Wolf also secured Prince Haakon Magnusson (who is apparently in secure confinement) and his son Ragnar, who apparently faces indoctrination to become Clan Wolf's figurehead ruler. This isn't expected to lead to a general collapse of Rasalhague military resistance, but it's clear that their morale will suffer considerably until or unless a strong leader emerges to replace Magnusson.
.o0o.
Prefecture Command Centre, Albiero
Pesht District, Draconis Combine
29 July 3050
Sho-sa Hohiro Kurita bowed deeply before his father. Theodore Kurita allowed himself a proud smile before returning the bow. "I realise you have been on campaign, my son, but you really must present yourself properly uniformed to your superiors."
The younger Kurita blinked in confusion. His uniform was immaculate. "My apologies, sir."
"Here." Theodore reached out and replaced the rank pins with those of a Tai-sa, giving the old pins to his son. "Now if you'll help your aide pin these to his own uniform – you see what setting a bad example leads to? – then everything will be in order."
Hohiro saw the almost hidden grins on the faces of his father's staff and turned to Tai-i Shin Yodama. "Please permit me, Sho-sa," he said, removing the other officer's existing rank pins. "What rank did he put on me?" he asked under his breath, unable to see the rank pinned to his own collar.
"Thank you, Tai-sa, you are too kind." Yodama's voice was as perfectly respectful as any courtier's, although his background was among the yakuza of the Combine rather than one of the ancient samurai families. Or at least, that was his immediate ancestry. The Combine was over seven centuries old, after all, and more than a few dispossessed samurai had found places in the even older tradition of the yakuza, a shadowy society that crossed the lines between organised crime, interstellar business and fraternal society. House Kurita had always found them a useful outlet for the otherwise tightly regimented culture they imposed on their realm – but only Theodore Kurita had managed to harness them beyond this.
Before the two-rank promotion could fully sink in, Theodore ushered his son to the table among the other regimental commanders. "We all know how my son has wounded the pride of the Smoke Jaguars," he reminded them. "And also of the crimes that they have committed against our people. Honour demands that we punish them for their arrogance."
Narimasa Asano, the tai-sa of the famous First Genyosha regiment nodded in understanding. "Having been humiliated by Tai-sa Kurita already, the Smoke Jaguars will seek to redeem themselves by making extraordinary efforts once they learn he is on planet."
"Indeed. It seems almost inevitable that they will throw everything they possibly can at the Twenty-Fourth Yurei Regiment, once they have learned that you are in command of them, my son." Theodore's face creased into a cruel smile. "You have confirmed the information we received from Hanse Davion: the Clans issue challenges before battle and routinely share the history of their units with the enemy. The Genyosha's entire history spans less than a quarter of a century and having been disbanded by my father it could even be said that it begins with their reformation in the last few years. Similarly, not one of the three Yurei regiments present has had the opportunity to see battle in their history."
Yodama's eyes widened as he looked at a room full of hard-bitten officers, most of them seasoned in the vicious but hidden warfare of the Yakuza families. "The Clans will land, expecting that they are facing four regiments with effectively no combat experience…"
"Quite so, Sho-sa." The Kanrei gestured to the map table. "So now we must find a suitable battlefield upon Albiero where we can make them pay the price for not only their arrogance but also their unfortunate ignorance."
Hohiro stalked around the maps. "Their primary advantage in combat is in matters of range and heat dissipation," he reported. "They caught my previous command by marching through a burning oil refinery that would have shut our 'Mechs down. Fighting in a firestorm doesn't particularly appeal to me, but somewhere in the tropics where their cooling systems will be strained would be one possible avenue, particularly somewhere they won't be able to take advantage of their long-ranged weapons."
"They also seem to have quite a number of 'Mechs that are quite fast but relatively few with jump jets," suggested Yodama. "Obscuring terrain would be good but obstructive would be better."
"Swampland might be what you're looking for." Asano stroked his chin. "But wouldn't that benefit their armoured infantry? If I understand your report one of them wasn't stopped until you fired at him with a large laser. I'd rather engage such units at long range if I can."
"I've been thinking about that," agreed Hohiro. "Artillery might be preferable – it wouldn't need to score a direct hit and even if it doesn't kill them outright, it would damage their armour and leave them much more vulnerable to secondary weapons."
"Hmm. Close and accurate artillery. I think we can work with that?" The Genyosha commander shot a questioning look at Theodore Kurita.
The Gunji no Kanrei nodded in agreement. "We have a new technology of our own that the Genyosha have been testing for me. That's one reason I arranged to transfer the First Genyosha here as part of our trap."
"What we've been using is a set of dedicated transmitters and specialised computers to coordinate targeting data for a lance, or even an entire company. Properly set up, it allows a 'Mech to use triangulation of a target's location from multiple angles – which we've found can be up to a thirty percent increase in long-range accuracy. We can even engage targets that we can't see directly due to obscuring cover, so long as other networked units do have a line of sight."
"Your pardon, Tai-sa." Shin didn't take his eyes off the map. "Does that still work if the 'Mechs providing the spotting data are underwater?"
"Absolutely."
The newly promoted Sho-sa tapped the map. "If I'm reading this correctly, the river delta here is nine-tenths swamp. Perfect for high speed hover tanks – which the Smoke Jaguars don't seem to use. Does anyone know what the vegetation is like? Or how deep the water gets?"
.o0o.
Dropship Raptor's Wing, Deep Space
Tamar March, Lyran Commonwealth
6 August 3050
Kai knew as soon as he entered the dropship's rec-room that he'd made a mistake.
"It's over, Philip," his father's voice declared.
In the holodisplay, two Rifleman BattleMechs confronted each other across a gorge, each stood on a broad ledge with the walls of the labyrinthine caverns at their backs.
"Is it, Xiang?" The other MechWarrior laughed triumphantly. "Here's your surprise, Capellan. How do you like these tactics?"
Out of the shadows two more 'Mechs walked out onto the ledge, a Firestarter and an UrbanMech, blocking in the Rifleman that bore the same ghost and crosshairs Kai had been busy restoring to the chest of the 'Mech in the recording.
He froze, unable to avoid watching his father caught in an ambush by his opponent.
Philip Capet had expected Justin to give up. But Kai's father's response was scornful and defiant. "You're still no tactician, Capet!" And then he unhesitatingly strode forwards off the edge of the ledge, dropping it into the abyss below, vanishing into the darkness made deeper by the cloud of dust kicked up as the heavy 'Mech skidded down the slope.
"That coward!" The shrill cry of protest came from one of the audience and broke Kai from his near trance at the door.
"Dave."
Seated near the front, Dave Jewell jerked upright and then reached out, pausing the recording. "LT?"
Kai cleared his throat. "I'm heading over to the Katana, to soothe Captain Frestadt's feathers again. It seems our neighbours are making a fuss again about their schedule being disrupted."
"Do you want some company?" offered Dave.
"I'll be fine. Mackensen's in charge until I get back."
Dave nodded and then looked towards the source of the earlier accusation of cowardice. "Maybe you should take your bondswoman with you. Show her a little more of the Inner Sphere."
"I'm not sure showing her a jumpship is going to greatly broaden her horizons, Dave."
"Let me put that another way, sir. Take her with you. Frestadt's a bit of a limp noodle and I don't like the look of Sakamoto and his crew. He claims to be a Rasalhague merchant, but he screams Combine to me and they've never been afraid to get tough if it bolsters their profit margin. If he cuts up rough, you could do with some back-up." Dave gave Diana a pointed look. "She's gotta know that if she lets Sakamoto bag you then she's got less chance of getting back in a 'Mech's cockpit than she does of flying to Terra by flapping her arms, you get what I'm saying."
"Aff." Diana rose. "I understand, Feldwebel David. Thank you for showing me this battle recording."
Kai led the way to the docking port that connected the Raptor's Wing to the jumpship Katana. It had just been his luck that the first jumpship to arrive over Maxie's Planet had been a Rasalhague-flagged ship en route back to the border. In theory the AFFC could conscript any jumpship inside its borders, but doing so to foreign-shipping was replete with possibilities for an international incident.
Diana broke the uncomfortable silence. "I saw that your genesire painted the same emblem on the chest of your Rifleman when he piloted it. Feldwebel Dave did not explain its significance."
Given the choice between embarrassed silence and an uncomfortable story, Kai hesitated. I took her prisoner. She's my responsibility, I guess.
"The 'Mech first belonged to Gray Noton. The ghost and crosshairs were his logo from when he used it in the Solaris duelling circuit. In his day he was the Champion and even in retirement he retained a personal alcove in Thor's Shieldhall… a dining room reserved for only the most prominent MechWarriors," he clarified.
"When my father… went to Solaris, he became Noton's protégé. Solaris is an open world, because of the duellists there are powerful interests from all the Great Houses there. Politics, espionage. It used to be said that if you wanted to hire a regiment for honest work you went to Galatea, but if you wanted to hire someone for covert action then Solaris was where to spend your C-bills."
"Why would your genesire want to go to such a place? He was a great MechWarrior. Surely his Khan, his… Prince, must have valued him highly."
Kai almost snorted. Diana was a highly trained, viciously effective MechWarrior and no doubt almost as deadly as a hand-to-hand combatant. She was also very naïve. "He did. That's why he gave him such a dangerous and important assignment. My father's mission was to ensure that he was hired by House Davion's enemies so that he could sabotage their strategies from within."
"Gray Noton was a man for hire, and his most recent employers were from House Liao. In the arenas father had challenged and defeated the most prominent of the Federated Suns MechWarriors, cultivating a personal feud with their leader – you heard him back in the battle recording: Philip Capet. Out of the arena, he shared his knowledge of the Federated Suns so that Noton could become a more useful agent to House Liao."
"And then Noton was murdered. Philip Capet tried to claim Noton's alcove in Thor's Shieldhall, taking down the shield bearing Noton's heraldry. Father stopped him and challenged him to fight for the right to the alcove. Hanse Davion had promised command of a regiment to whoever could kill my father in the arena so Capet jumped at the chance. And…" He caught himself before he finished the story. That Noton had been murdered, not by Capet's coterie but by Justin Xiang-Allard, the man who ostensibly avenged him. "My father had won all his duels in a medium-weight 'Mech but the terms of the challenge were heavy 'Mechs so he used Noton's own Rifleman: Legendkiller."
"But that is dishonourable!" Diana protested. "Why would any warrior act so disgracefully? Your warriors told me that your genesire was a great hero!"
"Ultimately, he did it because Hanse Davion and his own father – my grandfather Quintus was one of the First Prince's advisors – asked him to. He put everything he had into serving House Davion. He broke friendships, he destroyed his own reputation and because of that, when the Fourth Succession War came, it was a resounding success. Half the Capellan Confederation was conquered in only two years." Kai shrugged helplessly. "I've never really asked him about it in those terms."
"And are you like your father?"
Kai gripped the side of the hatch. "If I ever find out," he said, a little thickly, "Maybe I'll tell you."
Aboard the Katana, Kai found Frestadt was already in the company of Sakamoto, who'd brought two of his own crew along. Although the merchant was dressed neatly, the suit was cut to allow freedom of movement and the other dropship crewmen were openly carrying sidearms.
"Is there a problem, captain?"
"Sakamoto-san has suggested a change of destination, Leutenant. It seems feasible to me."
Kai glanced over at the purported merchant. "I appreciate we're impacting on your schedule, Sakamoto-san, but I'd hoped we were past this argument. One more jump will take us to the Baker 3 system, where we'll be parting ways. And as I've promised, I'll arrange compensation for you and Captain Frestadt."
Sakamoto's eyes glittered. "Please understand that no monetary compensation can replace the loss to my reputation if I deliver my goods too late. What I am suggesting is a mere compromise. Rather than jumping to Baker 3, the Katana can instead reach Vantaa. From there, you can surely obtain military transport to your destination, while it would cut the impact on my schedule in half."
"Yes, you were heading for Harvest, weren't you?" Kai frowned. "Loaded with agricultural machinery? I don't think your buyers are going to be too concerned. In case you've missed it, the Free Rasalhague Republic is also being invaded and Harvest has almost certainly fallen by now."
"Even so, the invaders will want to eat, surely."
"I'm sure they will. I suppose that that would be your own risk to run, however I'm afraid Vantaa is out of the question. Even if it isn't under attack already, it will be soon and the garrison units don't have much chance of stopping the Clans when they arrive."
"Then what is different about Baker 3?"
"I'm sorry, but if you're really going to head for somewhere the Clans might get hold of you, I can't disclose military information to you."
"I am sorry too, Leutenant." Sakamoto produced a small laser pistol from his jacket pocket while his dropship crewmen also drew their weapons. "You seem like a decent enough young officer but I really don't want to delay any further. Now if you wouldn't mind coming back to my dropship with me, we'll see how cooperative your second-in-command will be. I'm sure they wouldn't want anything to happen to the heir of the St Ives Compact."
"You're making a mistake, Sakamoto."
"Perhaps. Unfortunately, I suspect that going to Baker 3 with you would be an even greater one. Ensure that the Leutenant and his pet Clanner are restrained," he added. "We don't want them wandering off and getting hurt."
"Captain Frestadt -"
"I'm not getting involved in a dispute between passengers," the man said drily. "And before you try to appeal to my patriotism..."
"Actually," Kai grabbed hold of the man approaching him and, one foot thrust through a rung to brace himself, flung him against a console, twisting the sidearm away from him. "I was about to suggest you duck." Sakamoto's crewman crashed into Frestadt's console, knocking the wind out of him.
At the same time, Diana had somehow twisted herself around the other crewman, the wrist of the hand holding the gun held in both her own hands while she'd wrapped her legs around his shoulders and neck. One sharp twist that made Kai wince and she was free and holding the gun.
Sakamoto fired his laser, the bolt coming within a centimetre of Kai's ear. "That was foolish of you," he informed them. "Do drop the weapons or I'll put the next one between the Leutenant's eyes."
Kai sighed. The laser's emitter was lined up very neatly to do exactly that. "You aren't really carrying farm tools, are you?"
The merchant's lips curled. "As expected of Justin Allard's son. No, I am not. Now, the guns."
Diana ejected the clip from the gun she held. "I am not throwing you a loaded gun," she pointed out. "It might go off by accident."
"Very prudent. Now, Leutenant -"
Diana fired the gun, the bullet catching Sakamoto's laser pistol and smashing it, as well as the finger on the trigger.
"Kuso!" he exclaimed but now Kai's weapon was pointed between his eyes.
"That was… a little reckless, Diana."
"I do not think Feldwebel David would approve of your being taken hostage," she replied. "Fortunately, this merchant did not consider that a ballistic weapon does not require a clip if a round is already chambered."
"And if you'd missed the gun?"
She considered for a moment, replacing the clip in the pistol and working the action to chamber another round. "I did not."
"Right." Kai frisked Sakamoto briefly. "Why don't we take a little walk back to our dropship, Sakamoto-san, where you can get that hand treated and we can discuss your actual cargo." He looked over at Diana. "I think I should be able to find something to cut one of those cords around your wrist, too."
Diana beamed.