Chapter Six
First Landing, Altair
Dieron District, Draconis Combine
10 November 3050
The tea house was located in a minor suburb of the capital city of Altair, an overlay of Japanese culture on the more western culture that had predominated under the rule of the Terran Hegemony. As a result, all tax records showed that it struggled to make a meagre profit from year to year.
In fact it ran at a loss, with the financial records fabricated to hide off-the-books payments that actually kept it in business. A tea house that was barely ever visited by customers made an excellent location for covert meetings. Anyone who knew the site knew also to bring their own tea as nothing too much could be expected of what was provided.
Theodore Kurita was proficient in many, although admittedly not all, of the arts expected of a Draconian gentleman. He prepared tea for himself and his guest with his own hands, as even Takashi Kurita might have.
Only when the formal obligations of this were completed did he ask: "With your wife on Sian and your master fighting a war, I am surprised that you accepted this invitation in person, Justin Allard."
Dressed in a subdued business suit, the Federated Commonwealth Minister of Intelligence bowed slightly. "Some invitations merit extraordinary responses, Lord Kurita."
"I'm gratified that you feel that way." Theodore drew one hand across a discreet panel of the table and holograms danced briefly across the air between them. "We found this information regarding the Clans quite interesting."
Justin nodded. "I'm pleased that it has served a purpose."
"Yes, although you have evidently had some of this data for years."
"Quite so."
"I suppose I should be slightly gratified that the presence of the Clans prevented Prince Davion from turning his army against the Draconis Combine."
"It is, of course, open to question how effective that would have been with your mysterious Yurei regiments." Justin sipped on his tea. "My congratulations on your son's successes against the Smoke Jaguars."
"My understanding is that your own son is doing very well, and of course there's your daughter's marriage." The Gunji no Kanrei pulled a data disc out of the table. "Some of our own data on the Clans. It isn't as wide ranging as your own gift but perhaps a little more current."
"You're more than kind." Justin tucked the disc away in his attaché case. "So, is this sufficient small talk? My experience of Kuritan social mores is largely theoretical."
"My father would probably suggest an exchange of poetry or that we step out into the garden to view them but since I don't plan to discuss this meeting with him, we can pass those." Theodore sipped on his tea and studied his guest for another moment. "To address the matter of Clan Smoke Jaguar I have decided to re-arrange certain deployments facing the Draconis March. It seems to me that the embarkation of transports by so many regiments may cause some alarm to House Sandoval."
"The Duke is quite sensitive about such matters, given the history of the region."
"It seemed to me that my assurance that the regiments would be making their way towards Luthien rather than towards, for example, Robinson might help to keep the Duke from being worried. Of course, past history suggest that he might also consider this an opportunity. Not that the First Prince would approve, but Duke Sandoval does have wide autonomy in his March."
He paused. "That would be a significant error on his part." A new hologram came to life above the table.
Justin's eyes narrowed as he examined it. "An Essex-class destroyer."
"A sister ship of the one that bombarded Turtle Bay. My son captured it on Albiero. Since the Smoke Jaguars would probably be able to engage it with multiple or larger warships, destroying it in short order, I've ordered it be deployed to the border with the Federated Suns. I'm sure you can imagine how unfortunate it would be for an invasion force to be caught by this vessel."
The other man shook his head and then chuckled.
"There's something amusing about the prospect of dropships being destroyed before they can reach the surface of Combine worlds?" Theodore folded his arms. "I assure you I am not bluffing."
"I was momentarily affected by the irony of the situation." Justin sobered. "The AFFC is withdrawing some of the regiments present in the Draconis March, as you've probably realised. To ensure the security of our borders, a small number of our own warships have been stationed in the Draconis March and the Terran March."
"A number of warships!" exclaimed Theodore.
"As you said, we've been aware of the Clans for some time," Justin told him calmly. "While the expense of constructing new warships is problematic, there are wrecks that can be restored to service if you're willing to take the time. As long as all warships remain on their side of the border, it's unlikely to cause conflict."
"I don't suppose you'd be willing to share any details of this fleet."
"A deterrent has little value if nothing is known about it. The ships assigned to the Draconis March are FCS Viking and FCS Vanguard, both of what we call the Vincent Davion-class, improvements on the SLDF's Vincent-class corvettes. The vessels in the Terran March are larger but you haven't offered me any information worth giving you those details."
Theodore scratched his upper lip. "And if you'll excuse me for saying so, I only have your word for the existence of these vessels."
"Perhaps I'm bluffing, perhaps I'm not." Justin smiled. "And after all, for a man with your resources, footage of a fairly common SLDF warship would be quite easy to obtain. But such a bluff would of course be beneath the dignity of a samurai such as yourself."
"Very true."
"And since neither you nor the rulers of the Federated Commonwealth intend to send forces across the border, neither of us will have to concern ourselves with details of these warships. Anyone they encounter will surely be renegades outside the protection of any Great House."
"One day the Clans will no longer be a concern. And on that day I'll be left to deal with a Federated Commonwealth that apparently has a small fleet of warships, not to mention one that controls the Capellan Confederation as well."
"Well." Justin lifted his tea cup in his left, artificial hand. "It may be the concern of a future generation, of course. There's really no knowing how long the Clans will dominate the concerns of the great realms. For as long as that endures, we have a mutual interest in avoiding conflict with each other."
"And if Victor Steiner-Davion decides he wishes to be First Lord of the Star League?"
"Then he will have three council votes, your highness. And neither more nor less likelihood of those votes being acknowledged on Atreus or Luthien than he does right now. However…" He trailed off in thought for a moment, covering it by finishing his tea.
"Your children may have some memory of the Fourth Succession War, Lord Kurita, but mine do not. Nor do Hanse and Melissa's children. Certainly they are trained for war – but they have never seen it until now. And have the last twenty years or so been so bad? We may not entirely have been at peace, but are our people not better off than they would have been when barely a month went by without a raid across the border?"
"We both know that it isn't that simple, Justin Allard."
Justin shrugged and rose to his feet. "Perhaps you are confusing simple with easy, Theodore Kurita. But perhaps not. I suspect neither of us will make the decision in the end."
"Have a safe journey back to New Avalon."
"And you to… Luthien? Or will it be Alshain you lead your armies to defend? Even with Regular regiments pulled from the border I doubt you can defend both." The Intelligence Minister shook his head. "I do not envy you that choice," he finished as he left the room.
Theodore Kurita poured what was rest of the tea into his cup and threw it back. "Choice," he half-snarled once Justin was out of earshot. "What choice? Alshain is a border world when all is said and done. If Luthien falls…"
He looked at the cup and almost – almost – hurled it against the wall. Instead he set it down.
"If Luthien falls…"
.o0o.
Katani Nature Reserve, Apolakkia
Jade Falcon Occupation Zone
13 November 3050
"You are going to defend this planet alone?" Perigard Zalman had asked, hours earlier.
"Aff." Timur Malthus wasn't entirely resigned to this being the end of his career, but with the losses that had been suffered over the last month of fighting he was damned if he was going to share whatever glory might be achievable.
Faced with such a challenge, the Steel Viper saKhan couldn't resist the challenge and now their OmniMechs were stalking across the hills of Katani. Precisely what nature was to be protected here wasn't something that Malthus was particularly curious about. Small reddish clay hills with occasional patches of native trees and water.
If the trees were what was being protected then the local population might be upset about the way Malthus' autocannon chewed through one of them. For his part, the Jade Falcon was more annoyed at the fact the shells had missed the Crossbow.
His Gauss Rifle had missed too and Zalman wasn't as considerate as to miss the opportunity. The Crossbow couldn't carry remotely as much firepower as Malthus' Hellbringer but in this configuration it had a pair of very accurate LRM launchers.
Malthus tried to turn the 'Mech out of the path of the salvo but Zalman had judged the shot superbly and a dense swarm of missiles caught the Hellbringer from the right side and scoured away entire tons of armour.
There was a crackle and the status of the right arm went black as the capacitor of the gauss rifle mounted in it shorted and discharged a surge of electricity through the systems. Fuses cut the limb off before the jolt of electricity could cause more damage but the Khan had to fight to retain his balance as the myomers of the arm contracted unpredictably and started it waving violently.
The two 'Mechs were the same weight and roughly equal in mobility. Neither was even a particularly advanced design by Clan standards, making it somewhat ironic that they were the choice of the two Khans.
Firing his autocannon and both his SRM launchers, Malthus rushed closer. He'd need every weapon he could use now because without his gauss rifle, the balance of the firepower had slipped to the Crossbow – which wasn't good when it also carried significantly more armour.
The good news was that Zalman had limited ammunition to work with.
The bad news was that he had more than enough if he was allowed to use it.
The Crossbow's frame was marked by explosions as SRMs pockmarked its protective shell. Cluster rounds raked across its nearer shoulder and – importantly – the head.
More LRMs tore into the frame of the Hellbringer. Malthus had angled himself to take the brunt of the damage against the useless arm and it was reduced to a blackened stump shielding the right chest – vital since it contained the pair of missile launchers that made up most of his firepower.
If he still had a working gauss rifle to open holes, the missiles would have been ideal but as it was…
The last exchange of fire may have damaged Zalman's sensors or possibly the control of the arm that contained one LRM launcher because it missed completely but the other launcher was squarely on target.
Malthus drove one foot down, pivoting his 'Mech violently to take the hits to his rear armour. While thinner than the front armour, it could take at least one salvo and he'd need the frontal armour for the close range engagement he had no choice but to go for now.
The move seemed to catch Zalman off-guard and the Steel Viper backed his 'Mech up, taking it down a slope behind a ridge and momentarily breaking contact with Malthus.
It wasn't possible for them to completely lose track of each other – the two 'Mechs were too large and too loud. More than sixty tons of metal made very noticeable noise even on fairly soft ground like this.
Being out of sight at least gave them each a momentary respite, a moment to let their 'Mechs cool down and the MechWarriors catch their breath.
"Stravag," cursed Malthus as a modest salvo of LRMs arced up and over the ridge. He'd slowed slightly to turn his 'Mech back around and before he could accelerate away the missiles crashed down, tearing away more armour and cracking some of the internal bracing on the left side of the Hellbringer.
It wasn't a particularly dense salvo though – only one missile launcher had fired. Perhaps the Steel Viper saKhan was avoiding the use of the other to preserve ammunition – it would make sense, particularly if he was right about damaging that arm.
The Jade Falcon pushed his heavy OmniMech into a run – not around the ridge but up and over it.
The other side was a steep decline and the Khan threw his 'Mech back and worked the legs, fighting for balance as he half-slid and half-ran down to the bottom of the ridge.
He'd hoped to catch Zalman facing towards the end of the ridge, expecting him to circle it rather than risk the heavier terrain, but instead the Steel Viper Khan had backed up so the only time the move bought was the time for the Crossbow to bring its arm around and…
Malthus felt his 'Mech stumble as he tried to move away from the ridge and return fire.
The timing was terrible and he saw his shots go wild as the Crossbow fired its missile launcher – only one again, and smashed away the armour plating over his chest.
Had he damaged his leg actuators as he descended the ridge? The damage display didn't show anything.
Looking down he realised that his Hellbringer was ankle-deep in thick, heavy mud. Such water as there was here evidently ran through this lower ground and rendered the clay down to something that sucked at the 'Mech's feet as he moved.
It wouldn't stop him. It couldn't stop him.
But it could slow him and Perigard Zalman fired both missile launchers this time.
Forty LRMs followed a low arc across the distance between the two of them and almost all of them hit.
Malthus managed to stagger forwards. No more autocannon – the entire left side of his 'Mech was a wreck. There had been a small laser there that he'd never even been in range to fire.
"I honour the courage of the Jade Falcons." Zalman's voice was smug on the radio and Malthus wished for a moment that he'd offered to fight unaugmented, just for the chance to drive his fist into the other man's face. "But now I must question your judgment. Your 'Mech is too badly damaged to continue, Khan Malthus."
They were over two hundred and fifty metres apart. Just barely in range of his SRMs.
He could still fight, but barring Turkina herself swooping down to deliver victory, he could not win.
And thus, between Elias Crichell and Perigard Zalman, he would lose…
Well. Not everything.
The world, the khanship. But he was still a warrior of Clan Jade Falcon and Crichell's machinations made him more enemies than friends. There might come a day to claw back what he was losing. It simply was not this day.
Malthus thumbed his radio controls. "Khan Zalman, victory is yours. This world belongs to Clan Steel Viper."
.o0o.
ComStar Compound, Hilton Head Island
North America, Terra
14 November 3050
Myndo Waterly clenched her fists where no one could see them inside the long sleeves of her robe and fought back the urge to scream.
"Almost thirty years ago, I stood where you are standing now, Sharilar, and I warned Julian Tiepolo that allowing the marriage of Steiner mercantilism to Davion's technological prowess would the greatest threat that our Order faced. Perhaps in future generations history will record me as a new Cassandra, one who warned but was not heeded!"
Sharilar Mori, Precentor Dieron and head of all ComStar operations within the Draconis Combine, bowed her head. "Dire as the news of Federated Commonwealth warships is, Primus, I am more concerned that this is the first we have heard of them."
Waterly stabbed one finger towards the other woman. "That, right there, is why you are among the few members of the First Circuit I can trust. You see the heart of this while that fool Seneca burbles about surveying ancient battlefields and categorizing wrecks that may have been removed. Only Theodore Kurita's need to bluster about being able to defend the Combine with his captured ship has forced Davion to show his hand in turn. If he had not, when would we have learned of them?"
"Most probably only when Prince Davion found it suitable to employ them in battle against the Clans." Mori bowed her head. "Of course, the Clans return must post-date the beginnings of this programme. This is the work of years so if the Clans had not invaded…"
"Then he would have turned them upon us. Oh, he probably justified them as being developed to fight against the Clans – the Lyrans must have paid the lion's share of this, given the damage caused to the Suns' economy by our Interdiction twenty years ago. But once he had sufficient forces there is only one place in the Inner Sphere that he would require such a force to attack." Waterly spread her hands above the star symbol of ComStar inlaid into the floor of the chamber. "Here."
"I am not a soldier, Primus. Could our defences hold against such an attack?"
The Primus frowned. "That is uncertain. He can hardly have a fleet the match of that required by General Kerensky to take Terra all those years ago, but our defences are also much weaker. We have none of the Caspar drones that were employed to engage vessels outside the reach of the planetary defence centres' weaponry. Even those fortifications are untested – Focht advised me that the figures our engineers claim for their performance fall short of specifications dating back to their initial construction by the Camerons."
"We have our own fleet of warships, of course."
"Yes, but Davion would have had surprise and most of the ships are based in hidden depots light years away from us. It could take days before they returned here. A swift strike, an orbital drop around Hilton Head and no doubt he has a puppet in place to assure the Precentors of our HPG stations within the Federated Commonwealth that all is well and that service would continue as normal."
"Neither Thomas Marik nor Takashi Kurita would recognise the neutrality of a ComStar under the control of the Federated Commonwealth."
"Of course not. But how would you and our Precentor in Atreus maintain the true order when Terra's factories are the only source of the most critical components needed to maintain the HPGs? Davion would sit back and do nothing as the Combine and the League slowly lost the ability to control their outlying possessions. His sons would be easily able to strip away outlying worlds and provinces until the Commonwealth could no longer be challenged even by the united efforts of all the free worlds."
"It must be said then, that we should be grateful to the Clans for arriving and forcing Prince Davion's hand."
Waterly nodded. "The hand of Blake has reached down to guard us. But now that we are not caught off guard, we must take steps to respond to this threat. I have Seneca's advice and I will question Focht at the next opportunity, but what is your advice, Sharilar?"
Adjusting her hood, the slightly older woman hesitated.
"Speak frankly, Precentor."
She clasped her hands. "Two measures suggest themselves, Primus. First we should guard ourselves here. Admit that ComStar has restored a few of the ancient warships and that they are being mobilised to defend Terra in this dangerous time. With the Clans having used a warship against Turtle Bay, no one could question the need for our own. It is unlikely that Davion will strike at us now and a few active vessels, even if they were outnumbered, would make it clear that he could not seize Terra quickly or easily."
"Vessels both here over Terra and guarding the shipyard complex at Titan," agreed the Primus. "And the second measure?"
"Where is Davion's Titan? He must have a shipyard that is restoring the salvaged warships he speaks of. It seems unlikely that he could hide more than one such facility. And there must be records at the shipyard of what they have worked on so once we have access to that we will know how many warships he has and how much of a threat they must pose."
"Very good. We can safely conclude that he does not have the warships to effectively confront Clan Jade Falcon or Clan Wolf – the other Clans would not concern him. Both have employed around ten warships, with the former largely displaying cruisers and larger vessels. We can therefore safely suggest that two warships in the Draconis March and a slightly larger force in the Terran March represent much of Davion's naval strength."
"Eight to ten vessels perhaps, with few large vessels. We should confirm this before acting, however. It is possible that some of the ships were hidden in remote systems or only minimally crewed. Prince Davion was more than willing to allow dozens of worlds to be over-run before he committed his regiments against them. If he needs time to assemble and prepare crews for a cache of warships, he is almost certainly pragmatic enough to trade worlds and even regiments to win himself that time."
"A valid point. This makes your second proposed measure all the more important – once we know where his shipyards are and can accurately assess his warship strength, we can decide on a course of action to neutralize it." Waterly turned to look out of the window. The sun was rising and for a moment she envisaged the Steiner fist laid over it as if it were the banner of the Federated Commonwealth rising over her world.
"The Federated Commonwealth must end," she murmured. "We can no longer permit them to prosper or the future Blake foresaw for us can never come to pass."
"I recognise the need, Primus. The means to accomplish it, however…"
"You need not concern yourself." Waterly smiled. "The Draconis Combine's role is to hold back the Clans and you can bend your efforts to balancing their power against the Smoke Jaguars. Since the ilKhan's Clan are not receptive to the overtures of the Precentor Martial, we need not do anything to aid them. House Marik has been untouched by the Clans and Thomas Marik is both ours and no friend to Hanse Davion."
"I would not presume to second-guess my colleague on Atreus, but rumour has it that Marik's son suffers from a form of cancer. Were he to come to Terra for treatment…"
The Primus laughed darkly. "We really do think alike, my dear friend. Alas, we have no treatment to offer Joshua Marik. Treatment for leukaemia remains a secret of Star League medical science we have not recovered."
"Perhaps the Clans have more complete records." Mori clasped her hands. "The possibility to bring the Captain-General's son and future heir here for medical treatment and… education seems that it might even be worth some concession to the Clans."
"Are you looking for a transfer to Atreus?" Waterly asked archly. "It can hurt nothing to ask the Precentor Martial to explore the possibility, I suppose…"
.o0o.
Tamar City, Tamar
Tamar March, Lyran Commonwealth
29 November 3050
"The Wolves are up to something."
Field Marshal Cynthia Franks nodded in agreement with the analyst's statement. "I can't see it any other way. The Falcons are happy to tear away at our units on the four worlds they've attacked but the situation's completely changed at this end of the defence line. They're sitting in the areas they've secured and skirmishing regularly but there's only been one major engagement this month and that was probably someone screwing up."
"Maybe they're short of supplies," suggested Richard Steiner. The Archon's first cousin commanded the Benfled operations area, which had seen almost no fighting so far, except along Defence Line Gamma which was being overseen entirely by Franks so his main concern so far was ensuring a steady flow of supplies to the embattled regiments. "The background data suggests that the Clans generally have trouble with that."
Lynn Zellner, his counterpart for Blackjack operations area, tilted her hand from side to side. "The Wolves have only taken a few worlds from us but they've always indicated a preference for swift, overwhelming attacks. This is different, I'll give you that, but we're also seeing fewer units."
"It seems to me that the Wolves have decided a slugging match for these worlds isn't worth their time." Franks steepled her fingers. "If they're pulling units off these worlds then they must be planning to strike at other worlds."
"Here?" asked Zellner drily. "Duke Kelswa seems convinced they'll land any day now."
"It's possible but they have to know that Tamar's just as well defended as the other worlds in the defence line – more so really, with three fully upgraded RCTs on world. And if they're scaling back operations on our neighbours then we can call in reinforcements."
"Bypassing the line would mean they'd threaten Sevren, Weingarten and Laurent on our side of the border." Steiner frowned. "The first two would be unfortunate but the third is a command world and one of our supply nodes. On the other side of the border, Memmingen and Vorarlberg would be under threat."
"We can send a warning to the Kungsarme," decided the Field Marshal. "We've bought them a couple of months to regroup but other than that we have enough to worry about here. What's stationed on Laurent? We pulled the Fifth Ceti Hussars out to reinforce the other end of the line…"
"Fifteenth Deneb Light Cavalry. Their Beta Combat Command was still in reserve but Alpha and Gamma took a pounding on Baker 3 and Zoetermeer so we pulled them back to reorganise. Sevren's technically part of Line Gamma but no one's taken a swing at it yet."
"The whole strategic purpose of defensive lines is to pin the Clans down on the worlds they're fighting for. If they're not hitting Sevren then it isn't a priority."
"Then the units on Mkuranga and Babaeski are available for redeployment as well. Right now, they're just sitting out on our left flank."
Franks nodded. "We're not going to fall back on Defence Line Delta at this point but I want everything in position for if they try to rush deeper. There are unconfirmed reports of another Clan in the Jade Falcon occupation zone so we could be encountering reinforcements in the near future. Richard, you have a dozen regiments in deep reserve plus the CCAF units that should arrive soon, I want you to start them digging in along the line, working from Morges to Hainfeld. That should give us enough length to still cover the full front of their invasion unless they decided to change their entire axis of advance."
"What about Sudeten? Even with the factories removed, it's an important world and Defence Line Delta is behind it."
"Lynn, move the un-upgraded RCTs from your end of Gamma line down to Sudeten to reinforce the Gray Death Legion. Consolidate the Twelfth Deneb Light Cavalry onto Parakoila – they already have one combat command there and it'll put more pressure on the Falcons."
"That leaves me the Fourth Ceti Hussars and Fifth FedCom as a reserve. Can I move them to Baker 3 and Zoetermeer? Vulcan is holding out okay with the Kell Hounds there but if more units arrive on the other worlds they could be shaky. The Lyran and Donegal Guards units on those worlds haven't been fully upgraded and they're taking a beating."
"Okay. Pull them off world and replace them with the Fourth Ceti and Fifth FedCom. Then you can use the shipping to pull the Tenth Lyran Guards and Tenth Donegal Guards to Sudeten to refit and keep the two un-upgraded RCTs on Mkuranga and Babaeski in position as a reserve in case the flank is pushed further open."
"Got it."
"Richard, I'll move the Third FedCom from Sevren to Laurent to look after the supplies and pull the Wolf Dragoon's Delta Regiment here to Tamar. That should please the Duke and they'll be in position in case the Wolves are going to focus their attention on just one world of the salient."
"If the Wolves are weakening their positions here in in the salient, would it be worth pushing for a counter-offensive? If we can drive them off even one world it could free up regiments to reinforce the others and once we get momentum going…"
The two women exchanged glances. "I think that would be premature, Richard," Cynthia said diplomatically. "The Wolves must have a reserve and that could leave us over-extended and vulnerable at the moment. Now, if they do commit elsewhere with those troops then it's possible we could bring regiments forward from the Delta line and start re-taking worlds. But please don't mention that to Duke Kelswa. If he demands an immediate counteroffensive it could cause problems on Tharkad."
.o0o.
Tamar War Collage, Tamar
Tamar March, Lyran Commonwealth
29 November 3050
The cockpit of Vlad's 'Mech stank of fear.
Actually, the stink was probably the ineradicable result of age. The Woodsman had been one of the very first OmniMechs and had been retired from active service before Vlad's sibko had been decanted. Probably before Khan Ulric or even Cyrilla Ward had been decanted in fact. No amount of cleaning could entirely rid him of the stench.
The fear wasn't Vlad's. Strapped to a jump seat behind his command couch a technician was doing his level best to restrain an almost gibbering terror. If the newly promoted Star Colonel was inclined to be fair he might have admitted that the man's training didn't include a 'Mech drop from low orbit. Since fairness didn't make up much of his world-view, he instead tried to ignore it.
"Aerospace fighters coming in from aft."
Vlad clutched the joysticks in frustration. At this point in the drop there was nothing he could do about the attack. Until the pod was ablated his 'Mech was trapped inside it and he couldn't use its weapons to fight back or even the jump-pack strapped to the rear of the Woodsman to try to evade. "Carew, take care of it."
"It is a work in progress."
Like everyone in Vlad's new command, Carew was working with hardware considerably less advanced than he would usually expect. The personnel of the Wolf Hunters had been assembled from those with bloodlines deemed questionable in light of the Wolf Dragoons' decision to fight against their parent clan. The equipment came from shipments ordered from the Home world months ago to be used by garrison units.
In poorer Clans, that might have meant equipment cached by the SLDF when Kerensky first settled the Pentagon worlds and never touched since. It was scant consolation that the Xerxes, Tyre and Chaeronea aerospace fighters issued to the Wolf Hunter's aerospace trinary were newer than that – they were still designs that dated back to the twenty-ninth century.
"Give me more detail than that!"
Carew's voice was strained by the multiple-gravities imposed by rapid manoeuvring. "An interceptor wing – warbook calls them Seydlitz, Sabre and Sparrowhawks. They are agile but we can handle them – if you do not distract us."
"Then do it!" Vlad pried one hand off his controls and punched a command into his warbook. Older designs of fighter, much older than Carew's command, but probably upgraded. The Sabre and Sparrowhawk shouldn't pose a threat unless they got close, but the Seydlitz was built around a large laser. If the upgrades encountered on other worlds held true…
After a long and terrible few moments, Carew spoke again. "You are clear. We have lost two fighters and three more will need to return to the dropships to repair."
"Do it."
"And one 'Mech pod was hit and is falling out of control."
Vlad smelt something acrid. Had the man behind him… "You cowardly surat!"
"What!?" Carew snapped back. "How dare you - !"
"Not you, the fool in my cockpit!" Vlad shook his head. "You have done well, Carew," he added grudgingly. "Who have we lost?"
"Point Commander Marcus and his wingman Jonah. I do not know which 'Mech it was."
"It was Lajos," reported Ranna from her own cockpit. "Do not be too hard on your technician, Vlad. At least he has not vomited."
"Ugh." Vlad turned his head as far as he could. "Do not even think about it!" If his 'Mech was a more modern design, with the small and efficient cockpit of newer OmniMechs, there would be no room for someone else behind him. Of course, such cockpits were less than ideal for the long running battles that the Clans found themselves engaged in against the Inner Sphere. As with many matters, what worked for a Trial that lasted only a few hours was not quite so practical when waging a major war.
Lajos… The warrior had impressed Vlad slightly and his Corvis would have been useful in what was likely to be difficult terrain once they hit the ground. On the other hand, he was a contender for the Ward bloodname left vacant by Conal's death. If he had won his next match, he would have faced Vlad in one of the semi-final matches. As it was, his opponent would have a bye before Vlad killed him.
The jump pod finally reached its limits and came apart. Vlad could see the night sky around him, lit by weapons fire around him and by the city still many thousands of metres below.
"We are right on target," he observed. Normally he would expect nothing less than perfection but clearly the support the Wolf Hunters would receive from the rest of the Clan might be deficient – for now. "Carew, you are clear to engage ground targets, quiaff?"
"Aff. Our medium Star is ahead of you and below." The diminutive Star Captain's voice was still angry. "Do not shoot them down by error – or out of pique."
"I do not make errors, Carew."
The pulse lasers of the Tyres made them good for strafing and their heavy autocannon could punch out even fortified turrets on the ground – which was a good thing since they were too slow and poorly armoured for dog-fighting. Visigoths would have been better in every respect, but despite their being gradually replaced by Jaghatai in the medium fighter role, not a single one could be spared for the Wolf Hunters.
"More fighters incoming – just air-breathers," warned Carew. "I will sweep them away. Skill, warriors."
"Skill," grunted Vlad in echo of Ranna's warmer send off. A moment later he saw brilliant lines of tracer lash through the sky as Carew's command star engaged with the massive assault autocannon built into their aerospace fighters. Unlike the fighters above, these spheroid strike fighters were vastly inferior and the Wolf aerospace fighters were sweeping them out of the sky almost as rapidly as they came into range.
The ground was approaching rapidly now and Vlad checked the landing site. Good – the maps had shown a swathe of relatively open ground with Tamar City encompassing it on three sides and that seemed to largely still be true – the training grounds of the Tamar War College were convenient to both the Drop Port and the Ducal palace, which made it ideal for this landing.
It also almost guaranteed that the landing zone would be contested by the College's training battalion but that was also ideal. If any of the AFFC's cubs survived the experience they might be worthy of consideration as bondsmen.
"Hold on." Sparing only that sharp warning for his unwelcome but necessary passenger, Vlad fired the jump-pack, both slowing and stabilising his 'Mech's fall. There were buildings down below and if he landed amongst them there was risk of damaging the 'Mech. On the other hand, there was also a chance of damaging some of the defences.
Vlad's lips drew back from his teeth as he saw that almost directly below him was a large communications dish. A second flare of his jump pack removed 'almost' and then he braced himself, waited for the altimeter to reach the correct height and hammered the controls again for one last and longest effort from the bulky pack.
He'd timed it perfectly and the pack finally ran out of fuel with the Woodsman only a meter above the dish. Using several tons of enemy equipment was not recommended in drop procedures but Vlad would have sworn it made the landing easier – or at least more satisfying.
"Are we -?"
"Shut up." He tore the Woodsman free of the wreckage and looked around. The other 'Mechs of his Nova had landed around him – Byron's Warhammer, Madison's Marauder, Egil's Glass Spider… "Garth?"
"Here." The other MechWarrior's Grizzly pushed itself through the wall of an administration block. "The roof was not as sturdy as I hoped."
"We're moving for the objective then. Carew, we are down. Refuel and rearm – I will let you know when you are needed again."
"Your will, Star Colonel."
"Status reports!"
"Baker Trinary is mounting Elementals," Samis reported. "We will be with you shortly."
Ranna chimed in: "Charlie Trinary is in position. We are short Lajos, otherwise all present. Moving for the Drop Port."
"Continue as planned."
"Beta Nova reports all well." Madison raised one of the arms of her 'Mech and pointed with the weapon pod to the south. "Gamma Nova are engaged to the south. One 'Mech and three Elementals down."
"Move then." Vlad drove his Woodsman southwards between two of the buildings, the rest of his star falling in behind him. "Samis, head around the academy complex and stand ready to the south. We will push the defenders back on you. Command Nova elementals, we will rendezvous at Gamma Star's position."
"Aff. We will be ready."
The courtyards and parade grounds of the War College had been laid out precisely to allow the movement of 'Mechs and fighting vehicles between them if need be. This allowed Vlad to make rapid progress, battering aside minor obstacles with the heavy 'Mech's feet. Closing on the gunfire he almost missed the appearance of a pair of Locust light 'Mechs until they opened fire with the lasers slung beneath their torsos.
The damage inflicted was minimal and Vlad responded with his own lasers, the much more powerful weapons peeling away the limited armour of one of the lightweight scout 'Mech.
Madison engaged the second Locust with her PPCs blasting both the right leg and the turret-like machinegun wing on that side of the 'Mech into blackened wreckage. Her target collapsed even while the other three MechWarriors moved on, looking for targets of their own. Byron kicked down an ornamental wall to make room for he and Egil to march their 'Mechs past while Garth fired his Grizzly's jump-jets and simply hurtled overhead.
The surviving Locust back-pedaled quickly, scampering for cover but Vlad dropped his crosshairs on the back of the torso and fired his lasers again, tearing through the marginal protection and deep into the interior. The 'Mech collapsed to the concrete.
"Gamma are short a 'Mech to this?"
"Some of them must be more credible opponents," offered Madison as they moved after the rest of the Star.
Vlad pushed his 'Mech, using the myomer acceleration signal circuitry to briefly supercharge the speed of the Woodsman and catch up.
They arrived in time to see Star Commander Ajax's Thresher firing a long and vicious burst from its autocannon into the already breached armour of a Crockett assault 'Mech. Almost half again the size of the secondline Clan 'Mech, the Crockett reeled and then fell onto its back, although it still raised one arm and tried to return fire with the large laser built into it.
Ajax side-stepped before raking the larger 'Mech's armour with his autocannon and pummelling it with his lasers.
Looking around, Vlad realised that Gamma Nova must have landed almost at the door to the college's 'Mech hangers. More than twenty 'Mechs were packed into the broad avenues around it, exchanging fire furiously. Zellbrigen had obviously been discarded, with the outnumbered survivors of Gamma Nova under fire from all directions.
"Concentrate your fire!" he ordered sharply. "Put them down and let the Elementals finish them."
Obediently Egil and Byron both opened fire on a Dervish that was concentrating on engaging a Wolf Hunters Griffin. Both 'Mechs mounted multiple pulse lasers, which savaged the armour before Egil used one of his PPCs to blow one arm off the smaller enemy 'Mech and spin it half-around.
An elemental bounded up and onto the damaged flank of the 'Mech and fired its missile launchers into the vulnerable missile storage bay. The resulting explosion hurled the Elemental into the building opposite but it tore the Inner Sphere 'Mech apart.
Vlad spotted Garth engaging a Phoenix Hawk and a Chameleon. With a shout he fired both missile launchers and his large lasers into the nearer of the pair. The Phoenix Hawk staggered and then continued to fire into Garth's Grizzly while the Chameleon turned its large laser upon Vlad.
Madison's Marauder was engaging the Crockett as it tried to stand so Vlad charged towards Garth alone.
The Grizzly fired the pulse lasers in one arm into the Phoenix Hawk's chest, adding to the damage Vlad had done. Then it raised the other arm and a slug from the gauss rifle cored into the vitals just as Vlad engaged again, this time with all four lasers.
The Phoenix Hawk fell and the Chameleon prudently fired its jump-jets to try to evade the incoming Woodsman. As it soared up into the air, a stream of laser pulses caught it in the right arm, severing the limb. Vlad glanced back and saw that the laser fire had come from Egil's Glass Spider.
The Chameleon's right arm was left behind as the medium 'Mech withdrew to the south.
"Let it go," Vlad ordered reluctantly. Samis' Trinary, with their lighter and faster BattleMechs, would be able to catch the Chameleon, whereas the intense melee around the 'Mech hanger had to take priority.
Rather than closing in, the two Wolves turned and engaged at long range, pouring withering fire into two Wasps and a Commando that tried to gang up on Egil. By the time that the last of the three light 'Mechs had been defeated, the rest of the battle had died down.
The ground was littered with the broken remains of Tamar 'Mechs cut down first by Ajax's Nova and then the crossfire between Vlad's command Nova and the late arrival of Beta Nova.
"S-sir, I am picking up transmissions from the planetary command centre." The technician clutched the earphones he was wearing. "We have not broken their codes but the activity level is much higher than previously. They must be aware of our presence."
"Good." Vlad walked his 'Mech across the wreckage. "Beta Nova, move south to link up with Baker Trinary. Ajax, pulse me the telemetry from your Nova."
A secondary screen lit up with the remaining strength of Gamma Nova. In addition to the earlier loss of a Hunchback, the Star had also lost a Shadow Hawk and more than half their elementals.
"Consolidate your elemental points and check for Wolf survivors," ordered Vlad. "Then take up the rear. Command Nova, form on me."
He felt his Woodsman shake as Elementals latched onto the handles fitted for them.
The Wolf Hunters loped southwards, towards Samis' Baker Trinary and beyond them to the heart of Tamar City.
.o0o.
Tamar City, Tamar
Tamar March, Lyran Commonwealth
29 November 3050
Richard Steiner felt a sick sensation as he strapped into his Zeus.
It wasn't fear – he'd faced that before. The two shots of Glengarry whisky he'd had before the raid alarms went off might have had something to do with it, but he thought it might be something more.
The doctors called it Dobrowski's Syndrome and prescribed anti-depressants but Richard believed that it was simply a label they put on something that they didn't understand. Steiners simply saw more, understood more. Some, yes, could not cope with that. It was understandable, if a weakness. Simon Steiner had even abdicated rather than face the pressures of the throne combined with what he saw. And perhaps knowing one's limits was a strength of its own.
Depression? Who wouldn't be depressed by the endless warfare that seemed to consume mankind? It wasn't pessimism, it was realism!
But he'd never felt this way before, not felt this sort of doom hanging over him.
"The Wolves have cut across the Jedborough bridge – if we push the pace, we can catch them at the junction of Atherton and Marsden," snapped Selvin Kelswa from the cockpit of his Atlas. "Are you with me, Marshal?"
"Move out." Richard punched the reactor activation button. Soon the cockpit would warm up and he'd no longer feel as if frigid worms were crawling around the inside of his coolant vest. He consulted his mental map of the city's layout. East of the junction, along Atherton Avenue, the road crossed another bridge, this one over a narrow, gullied stream that ran down from Palace Hill to the river. "I'll sweep down the Jaburo Stream in case they're trying to sneak any of their Headhunter teams up to the Palace, then hook up with your left flank."
"Good thinking. Do you want some support?"
Richard felt cold. "No, it's just a precaution and narrow as it is, if I run into trouble one 'Mech can hold that gully long enough for the Royal Guards to get here."
"I'll see you there then."
The Atlas lumbered out of the hanger and up the slope towards the palace end of Marsden Avenue, named for the long ago Archon who'd wed a Steiner and from whom Richard could claim descent. After the Duke's Mech came the rest of his personal guards. With the Archon's blessing, Duke Kelswa had been able to fill them out to a full battalion of upgraded 'Mechs – Ausf R models only but they had numbers on their side and – at the end of the day, they only had to hold until the Third and Fourth Royal Guards RCTs could bring substantial forces to bear.
Richard marched his Zeus into the brief gap between the Second and Third companies of the Kelswa Guards and then dropped out of line as they turned onto Marsden Avenue.
In the dark it took precious time for him to find the end of the Jaburo stream. He had to use his searchlight in the end, turning it on to look and then off again to avoid drawing attention to himself. The Wolf aerospace fighter cover had withdrawn for now but it would be all too easy for them to descend again.
The gully was hard going as it deepened. The massive feet of the Zeus made it stable on most ground but here he was having to jam one foot against either side of the v-shaped gully, sometimes even bracing it with the muzzle ends of each arm.
I'd better not get stuck here, he thought. It would look bad – as if I was hiding. But…
No. He wasn't here to hide. Every shadow looked like a threat until he reached it but something, that heart-felt conviction that he was sure his ancestors had followed, told him that there would be danger here. A danger that might consume him but… "Just me," he said out loud to himself and then checked self-consciously to make sure he'd not transmitted that.
A Marshal of the Federated Commonwealth shouldn't be out scouting alone, he thought. Kelswa should have had this gully blocked off. It's too narrow for most 'Mechs but Elementals could use it and since I've got this far it can't be impossible to come up the same way, just…
He broke off as weapons fire lit up the night.
Not too near him – off to the west. Duke Kelswa must have found the Wolves – or vice versa. Am I in the right place or have I made a mistake?
Richard took another heavy step and then froze as he saw metal emerge from the shadows, lit briefly by the flare of moonlight from above.
Clan Elementals!
Stabbing both arms of the Zeus forwards, Richard opened a general broadcast channel. "Clan Elementals in the Jaburo gully!" Then he pulled the triggers of his joystick and fired everything he had down the stream.
In the older models he'd piloted for most of his career this would have brutally overheated the Zeus but despite the significantly expanded weapon payload, the Zeus Ausf S's double-heatsinks could control the surge in internal heat. Extended range lasers slashed through the Elementals, who were already beginning to scatter as much as they could in the narrow confines of the gully, bounding left, right and towards him on their jump jets. A stream of cluster ammunition tore into them, gouging at the surprisingly thick armour wrapped around each infantryman and then the paired LRM launchers spat their volley into them.
It was enough firepower to have slaughtered an entire company of conventional infantry caught in these confines but despite this the Elementals kept coming, their SRM launchers firing as they came into view and picking away at his armour.
Stepping back would have been courting a fall and forwards would take him directly into their clutches so Richard held the Zeus steady and continued to fire into them as fast as his weapons would cycle, only slightly aware that he was shouting something wordless but defiant.
Elementals were falling now, but not enough and the first reached him, claw seizing the metal plates over the Zeus' left knee and jamming its laser into the joint.
Richard swung the autocannon in his 'Mech's left arm directly down and delivered the full force of its loaded ammunition directly into the top of the Elemental's head.
The distraction allowed two more to close, one on the right shoulder, separated from the canopy of his cockpit only by one of the ridges of dorsal armour that gave the Zeus its distinctive silhouette. Richard fired off the LRMs mounted in his right arm again, sweeping the arm from side to side so as to spread the salvo across the Elementals. Then the arm was torn apart as the ammunition bin detonated – the Elemental must have thought it was firing into the ammo feed but Defiance Industries had moved the entire ammunition assembly into the arm, where it could be screened from the systems of the torso by cellular storage.
The detonation ripped the Elemental into multiple fragments but more of them were crawling all over the Zeus now and at this close range, torso mounted lasers simply couldn't bear.
Richard moved the selector switch on his autocannon – cluster rounds simply weren't sufficient – and brought the autocannon around to bear as yet another of the infantry arced towards him on its jump jets. The Elemental suit disintegrated under the anti-Mech rounds.
Then there was a crash and Richard hurled his hands up over his face instinctively as the canopy tore open. It was a poor move he realised as shards dug into his bare arms. His head was already protected by the neurohelmet.
For a moment he thought the Elemental looming over him would simply empty the machinegun built into its arm through the canopy and finish him. Instead though, it kicked the breach in the canopy wider and jabbed its clawed arm into the control panel, disabling the 'Mech.
Panting, Richard watched the lights of his secondary screens reflect off the grey-white paint covering the Elemental armour. The tinted visor made it impossible to see the face behind it.
Then the machinegun lifted and levelled at his face. The neurohelmet would do nothing to save him from that, not at this range.
"Tell me where your commanders are."
Richard felt certainty. This was why he was here. Behind him, in the command centre, Cynthia Franks and Lynn Zellner were coordinating Tamar's defences. If the Elementals reached them, not only the planet but the central leadership of the entire Tamar March would be left in disarray.
The doom was for him – but in embracing it, he could spare the rest of the Federated Commonwealth.
"I am Marshal Richard Steiner," he managed between dry lips. "I am commander of the Benfled Operations Area." Two truths. "You will find no superior officer on Tamar." And one lie – although only half a lie since if they stopped looking now they certainly wouldn't find any others.
The Elemental stared down at him.
"Why is a Marshal here, alone?"
Richard grinned challengingly. "Why would a Clan Wolf Headhunter unit look for a Marshal here in a minor gully?"
The Clan warrior barked viciously and after a moment Richard realised it was a laugh. "Who can argue with victory?" Then the claw reached down and started to tear away Richard's safety harness.
.o0o.
Tamar Drop Port, Tamar
Tamar March, Lyran Commonwealth
30 November 3050
It was well past midnight when Vlad marched his battered command through the broken gates of the Drop Port's perimeter security.
The signs of a past battle were clearly in evidence – two 'Mechs lay where they had fallen and trickles of smoke still rose from an Armoured Personnel Carrier. Vlad was glad that his canopy was intact since otherwise he'd have to smell what was burning – possibly the remains of infantry aboard the APC – and he still had no confidence in the stomach of the technician behind him.
Near the control complex a pair of Wolf Hunter 'Mechs were standing on guard. Both bore the marks of combat – one missile launcher on the Lupus was a blackened ruin and the Wakazashi assault 'Mech was not only scarred by laser fire but also the grey-white paint had been almost completely covered in black stains.
"What did you do to your 'Mech, Ranna?"
"Some of the security force here were carrying inferno SRMs." Ranna seemed entirely calm about the matter, despite the subject.
Inferno warheads preyed upon the vulnerability of 'Mechs to high temperatures, coating the target with napalm. Although the weapon was mentioned in older SLDF records, Vlad hadn't encountered them until the Wolves invaded Rasalhague. He'd seen an unwary MechWarrior's Adder ablaze from head to toe, the MechWarrior unable to eject without exposing himself to the fire or to move his 'Mech until it had cooled enough for the reactor to be restarted. Two industrial 'Mechs with improvised weapon packs had smashed open the cockpit before Vlad and the rest of the Star could respond.
"You seem to have seen action yourself. Something new to boast of to your next opponent in the Trial of Bloodright?"
Vlad felt a smile creep across his face. "We have our prize. Now tell me, Star Captain Ranna, do we have a dropship?"
"We do, but it isn't a 'Mech transport." She raised the arm of her 'Mech – it was a squat, ugly machine of a Jade Falcon origin but Ranna appeared quite fond of it during their brief opportunity to train for this mission – and indicated a large aerodyne dropship near the end of the further of the two runways. "The techs I brought are pre-flighting it now but we don't have time to secure 'Mechs in decks designed to hold tanks."
"You mean we must abandon these antiquated pieces of scrap? How will I live with myself?" Vlad jogged the Woodsman over towards the dropship. "You, get ready to get out," he ordered the technician. "Then report aboard that dropship."
"Aff, Star Colonel." The technician started unbuckling himself and almost bashed his head on the back of Vlad's seat.
The warrior groaned and reached out, unlocking the canopy. "Star Captain Samis, take charge of loading the Elementals and our prize."
"We do have room for four 'Mechs in the aft bay," Ranna added. "I will be loading this one personally. If you don't want to keep yours that is your decision."
"You captured the dropship, it is fair that you choose the four 'Mechs." Vlad shook his head. "Do you have anything set up to dispose of the rest?" There were only seventeen other 'Mechs with him – the Kelswa Guards had fought ferociously until Vlad destroyed the Atlas fighting in the lead and helicopters had taken out two of the survivors before Egil's Glass Spider brought them down.
"Park them on the other runway, pull the reactor safeties and eject," replied Ranna. "It will tear up their runway and I have a couple of jeeps ready to pick up you up and bring you aboard the dropship."
Vlad nodded. "Good work. And Carew?"
"Fuelled and on his way down." Ranna's voice shifted to teasing. "If he got here before you I would not have waited."
Ranna recalled the other ten surviving 'Mechs of her Trinary while the Elementals bundled the captured AFFC officer aboard the dropship.
Walking the Woodsman into position, Vlad watched the woman march the Wakazashi up the aft ramp of the dropship. She'd picked Madison's Marauder and Byron's Warhammer, along with a Highlander from her own trinary to complete the load. They were the four heaviest surviving 'Mechs, which made sense.
The other twenty six 'Mechs stationed themselves at safe spaces along the other runway and Vlad checked his ejection systems before reaching back and opening the panel covering the magnetic containment circuitry. Quickly and methodically he yanked the circuit boards loose and felt the temperature rising as the reactor shielding was no longer protected from the direct heat of the fusion reaction. Safety warnings howled and he slammed his free hand on the over-ride.
Two circuit-boards left.
One.
Vlad snapped his arm back around without even releasing the circuit board he held and punched the eject button.
The canopy blew away and then his chair rocketed up and out of the Woodsman. Below him, the reactor finally lost containment and sucked in enough air to trigger a violent explosion that blew the seventy-five ton war machine apart.
Vlad looked at the circuit board in his hand and then discarded it as his chute deployed. On some level it was a waste to destroy so many functional 'Mechs. On the other, since they could not be taken with them on the dropship, by doing this he was denying them to the enemy.
Down below, a jeep was collecting the other ejected 'MechWarriors as they came to ground. In the distance he could see a column of blue and gold 'Mechs and tanks entering Tamar City.
Mission complete. It was time to leave.
.o0o.
Tenth Lyran Guards Headquarters, Baker 3
Tamar March, Lyran Commonwealth
7 December 3050
"We are here, Hauptmann Kai."
Stirring from a doze, Kai rubbed his face and realised he must have dozed off in the passenger seat of the jeep he'd borrowed. "Thanks Diana."
She pulled over at the guard hut and they presented their ID.
"Hauptmann Allard-Liao – it's an honour," exclaimed the guard. "I guess you're here for Legendkiller."
"Uh… yes." Does everyone know it's here?
"We kind of figured that with the Tenth shipping out soon you'd be here. You'll want Hanger Seven. Would you like me to call ahead for you?"
Kai blinked. "Uh… no, that's fine. Have a good day."
"I didn't realise us getting redeployed was such big news," he muttered once the jeep was out of the guard's earshot.
"Rumour is the only thing faster than a jumpship," Diana told him wryly.
He chuckled. "Even among the Clans?"
"Aff… that is, yes."
Hanger Seven wasn't one of a dozen largely identical workshops set up for repair and restoration of damaged 'Mechs – or one of the stores set up to contain the wrecks of machines that were as likely to be stripped for parts as they were to be put back in service. It was an operational hanger and Diana had to park the jeep thirty metres away to be out of the way as a mixed lance of Commando and Wolfhound light 'Mechs exited it to start a security patrol.
The technical crew who'd evidently been about to move on to their next job came up short as Kai walked in. "Sorry, sir, if you're looking for Ober-Leutenant Hale, she just left on patrol."
Kai shook his head. "No, I'm just here to pick up my own 'Mech." He looked around and spotted a familiar shape in one of the rear-most 'Mech bays. "It looks as if someone's been taking good care of it."
"Your 'Mech?" The technician shook his head. "Uh, sorry, there must be some mistake. That Rifleman's not open for assignment."
"He knows that, Scott." An older man walked out of the small office section of the building. "That's Kai Allard-Liao you're speaking to."
"Oh! I'm sorry sir! I didn't recognise you."
Kai was beginning to wonder what sort of reputation he was getting outside of the Tenth Lyran Guards. "It's not a big deal."
The older man pushed his arms into the sleeves of his coveralls and shrugged it up and onto his shoulders so he could zip it up, revealing a Stabsfeldwebel's epaulettes. "Don't mind the kid – he's got a good hand with myomers even if he forgets to salute officers sometimes when he's supposed to. Not now," he added as the younger man raised his hand. "We're in the workshop, I meant in general." He shot Kai a 'what can you do?' look.
"Anyway, I'm glad to see you found a leg for my 'Mech. I was half afraid we'd need to truck it onto the dropship tomorrow."
"Not a bit of it. In fact, since we had the chance, we've done some work and you should find it better than ever, sir!"
"How do you mean?"
The Stabsfeldwebel gestured for them to follow him back to the bay. "Well, for one thing there's all that Ausf S armour available now that the newer 'Mechs have so we've refitted with…" He trailed off as he saw Kai had paused and was examining a poster secured to the framework of the 'Mechbay. "Oh, look I can explain…"
"'Take your picture with Legendkiller'," Kai read out loud. "The famous 'Mech of Gray Noton, Justin Allard and Kai Allard. 5 to 8 daily, 1 kroner fee'." He looked up. "Really?"
"Well some people are interested, and if people came in just any time then it was disrupting work."
"Isn't this a secure facility?"
"Well there's a lot of people on a military base – I don't let them in and it's not my job to check ID."
"He is not supposed to do that, is he?" asked Diana, reaching for her sidearm.
Kai caught her wrist. "Easy, Diana. Not the answer here." He sighed. "Look, Stabsfeldwebel…"
"Schultz, sir."
"Mmm. I figure I could ask at the gate and get a pretty good idea how many visitors you've had for this… tourist attraction, and by extension how much you've made off it."
Schultz grimaced. "Couple of thousand, near as dammit."
"You made two thousand kroner off letting people take photos of themselves with my 'Mech? I admire your initiative – did you go to Blackjack?"
"No sir. Those amateurs get caught often enough to get a reputation."
Kai laughed. "Look, there really are people who want to kill me just because of my parents. You make a thousand kroner donation to the widows and orphans fund and we'll say no more about your little off-market business, but I'm going to need a full security sweep of my 'Mech before I take it out of here."
"Sir, I swear to God I wouldn't have let anyone meddle with it."
"It's not what you'd have let them do, Stabsfeldwebel, it's what they might have snuck past you. So while we're checking Legendkiller from top to bottom, you can tell me about the improvements you've been making."
Schultz sighed. "Fair enough, sir. Alright lads." He whistled to his team. "We're going to give the 'Mech a going over with a fine-tooth comb before the Hauptmann leaves."
As the technicians began moving cherrypickers into position, the Stabsfeldwebel gestured up towards the chest of the 'Mech. "The first thing we did, sir, was pull the entire engine and fit one of the reactors from one of the Clans' Mad Dogs that was brought in as salvage. That gives you about a twenty-five percent boost to your maximum speed and you're still two tons lighter overall."
"Those are bulkier, aren't they?"
"Yes, but they come with those wonder heatsinks and we moved the ammunition store and the heatsinks in the torso out to the arms and doubled them up with the spare tonnage. So you've two tons of autocannon ammunition and you can't tell me that extra cooling jackets isn't going to help you. You Mechjocks live and die by handling temperatures, right?"
"I see. And you were talking about armour?"
"Ah, yes. You're used to seven and a half tons of Ausf R ferrofibrous armour – well, we replaced the weapons too with the lighter models – dead convenient that salvaged lasers from the Clans are compatible with our own systems still - and now you've got another ton of armour, all of it Ausf S grade. You're still not packing the most armour of any 'Mech this size but I reckon it's just about as well protected as a Dragon would be."
"It sounds to me as if you've rebuilt Legendkiller from the engine out."
"Well… it was here for major repairs, sir. And the basic structure and myomers are all the same – not sure how useful they'll be with the extra heatsinks…"
"Somehow I think I'll be able to manage that." Kai scratched his chin. "Well, I guess you've earned what's left after you make that donation, Schultz. Now let's just make sure no one spoiled all your hard work."
.o0o.
Gamora, Twycross
Jade Falcon Occupation Zone
11 December 3050
Elias Crichell and Vandervahn Chistu both looked up as Kael Pershaw entered the room.
"Kael, I did not know you were on planet." The new saKhan rose to his feet and shook the cyborg's hand unflinchingly. They were old comrades, a point in Chistu's favour when Crichell had chosen him to replace Timur Malthus.
"I come and go somewhat irregularly." Pershaw's face creased in something that might be a smile. "Most recently in checking on Clan Steel Viper."
"We have just been discussing how they might be deployed most effectively in breaking the deadlock on these worlds."
"My Khans, Natalie Breen has no intention of doing so."
Crichell frowned. "What do you mean? That was the entire point of activating the Steel Vipers as the reserve."
Pershaw reached into the holo-display that currently showed the leading edge of the Jade Falcon's advance. One silver world amid the green of their prizes marked the Steel Viper's base of operations on Apolakkia. He expanded the display slightly to show additional worlds in all directions.
"Khan Breen is taking the position that the Steel Vipers are obligated to assist in the conquest of the invasion corridor but that she is neither entitled nor obligated to intervene in ongoing Trials of Possession. As such, she intends to leapfrog the worlds where our touman is currently engaged and strike deeper into the Federated Commonwealth."
He touched controls. "I suspect collusion with Ulric Kerensky. There has been considerable communications activity with Rasalhague and while some of this may be a matter of coming to terms with ComStar, I doubt it's coincidental that the Vipers have decided to alter their plans. Not only will they be striking at Graus and Dompaire, but with the exception of units assigned to take those worlds, the majority of their Alpha and Gamma Galaxies will be directed to take Sudeten."
"Sudeten? Why there particularly?"
"A moderately significant industrial world," Chistu answered Crichell. "However, no more so than Twycross."
"It is possible the Steel Vipers intend to develop it as their major headquarters here in the Inner Sphere." Kael Pershaw folded his arms. "However, while I cannot verify if this is the information that Khan Breen has received from the Wolves, we do know that some of the units we have encountered on Baker 3 and Zoetermeer have been withdrawn and replaced with fresh troops. I queried ComStar and they have confirmed that the units withdrawn from both worlds are now stationed on Sudeten."
"So Breen expects weaker than normal resistance."
Pershaw shrugged. "In that the Steel Vipers have no experience of fighting the Inner Sphere, I would not view it in that light. However, they might achieve a certain amount of prestige if they were able to eliminate one warrior in particular."
Chistu frowned. "The only warrior we've encountered of note so far is… Kay Liao?"
"Kai Allard-Liao." Pershaw nodded in confirmation. "We have confirmed he is part of the Tenth Lyran Guards regimental combat team, which will be refitting on Sudeten for the immediate future. If the Steel Vipers manage to defeat him where we have not it would be… unfortunate."
"I think too much is made of this warrior. He defeated one freeborn warrior on Maxie's Planet and is simply one of many warriors who has fought against us on Baker 3." Chistu shook his head. "Let the Vipers gloat if they can defeat Allard-Liao. We have more to concern ourselves with the hundreds of AFFC warriors directly fighting us."
Crichell nodded unhappily. "We have called eight additional Clusters forward with the recent agreement to increase the invasion forces of each of the Clans. If the Steel Vipers are going to deny us support on the worlds we are still contesting then I do not see that we can effectively continue the invasion until they arrive."
His saKhan studied the map. "Even once they arrive, they will likely be needed as other Clans seek to deprive us of our conquests. It seems to me that we should consolidate our control of the worlds we already hold. The Federated Commonwealth have found that this 'defensive line' strategy is effective in hampering us so they will likely use it against the Steel Vipers. Let the Vipers pay in blood to learn how to counter it and we can then use this knowledge ourselves once our time comes."
"That watching is your responsibility, Pershaw." The Khan of the Jade Falcons sat back in his chair, looking at both his subordinates. "Vahn, you resolve our current conflicts so that we are clear to repel the Home Clans when they launch their campaign here."
"In the meanwhile I will continue the conversion of the local industries to support our touman and the indoctrination of the population into the way of the Clans. There is a wealth of resources here in the Inner Sphere, sufficient to catapult us into our rightful primacy among the Clans. Neither Khan Breen nor any other Khan will see their touman upon Terra in the next year. With our position consolidated, we shall sweep forwards and bypass them."
"Seyla," Pershaw and Chistu breathed in affirmation.
A/N: If you like Battletech fanfiction then I commend to you The Ice Duchess of the Federated Commonwealth by The Frozen Guy, which can be found on .