The Last Charge

by Jason M. Hardy

  The Silver Hawks were moving south. It was an obvious choice—no other path was open to them. Vedet was going to catch them, and he fervently hoped he would get the chance to beat them just like he had battered the grocery store.

  13

  Helmdown, Helm

  Marik-Stewart Commonwealth

  28 April 3138

  On the whole, Alaric Wolf would rather have been fighting in the mud. Movement had been slow in the fields around Helmdown, but nothing compared to this slow plod through the streets of the city. He could not imagine how the inhabitants ever traveled across this city in peacetime—wandering through its maze of rough, pothole-filled roads was almost like pushing through an overgrown forest where the vegetation rarely parted to form a path.

  The Silver Hawk Irregulars were squeezing every bit of strategic value they could out of the urban jungle, hitting and running, harassing instead of fighting, just like they had done on Gannett. Their latest move had them pulling back, trying to move south, likely hoping to escape to the mountains on the other side of the broad valley.

  If they got out of the city they would revert to their guerilla ways, and Alaric had no desire to hunt down the Silver Hawks ’Mech by vehicle again. It was time for him to dictate the flow of battle.

  “Aero One, bring your units in on Pattern Gamma. Bring them in now.”

  The units were already in the air and arrived quickly. Alaric heard the roar overhead and watched the bombs fall ahead of him. They fell thick, the aerospace fighters dropping line after line onto the city. Dozens of explosions flared up, throwing debris along a kilometer-wide path. Then the first line of bombers pulled up, and the second line came in.

  The ground shook, and Alaric stood in place and watched the aeros work. Smoke and dust filled the city, billowing toward Alaric’s position. The bombers could not see what they were hitting, but that did not matter. They were not supposed to be hitting any particular buildings; they were supposed to be clearing a path.

  Travel to the heart of the city still would not be easy through the smoldering buildings and scattered debris, but Alaric would not have to follow the wandering roads, allowing him to make a more coherent advance. The wind was blowing from the mountains, and smoke was already moving away from the bombing path. Where there had been dozens of buildings, there was now a swath of bricks and smoldering wood.

  “The city is ours,” he said over the comm. “Now finish off its defenders.”

  His Mad Cat stomped ahead into the ruin he had created.

  * * *

  He hadn’t seen much actual fighting yet, but the battle had still been interesting for Roderick. It was like watching a really good war documentary holovid, one that got into the ins and outs of troop movements, of who went where and why. Between his own scanner and the reports from his spotters, Roderick was able to keep tabs on what was happening as he made his way around the back of the Clan Wolf army, and once he had a clear path to Helmdown ahead of him, he knew what he needed to do.

  “All units, we’re going to move west and move fast. Saber Company, lead the way. We get to be the ones to break the Silver Hawks’ back.”

  His Rifleman was moving now, running to get across the city as fast as he could. With its broad feet, heavy legs and stubby cannon arms, the Rifleman would never be graceful, but it was moving fast enough to suit Roderick. He’d get to where he needed to be.

  Then, to the northwest, the city erupted. He heard the explosions first, coming rapidly, like a long string of firecrackers going off but louder. He swiveled his torso a touch to look and saw aero units—were they orange and brown?—flying low over the center of Helmdown, dropping bomb after bomb.

  Roderick almost stopped in his tracks. The firepower Alaric was unleashing was devastating, and it didn’t look like the Wolf pilots were carefully choosing their targets. The bombs just fell, one after another, setting an entire swath of the city on fire. Alaric seemed to be taking out the frustrations of the past month’s wait on the citizens of Helmdown.

  Roderick hoped the natives had been smart enough to get out of the city, hoped the buildings Alaric was leveling were empty. He hoped the civilian death toll wouldn’t turn this battle into a massacre.

  When he turned his eyes forward again to watch the streets he was running over, his legs felt heavier. Much of his enthusiasm for the fight stayed behind him as he advanced.

  * * *

  The Wolf forces had gathered together, most of them concentrated in the line of destruction opened up by the bombers. Many of the fires that had flared were already barely more than embers—there had been so many bombs in one place that the blazing heat had consumed in short order most of what could be burned. The wind raced from the mountains and carried the smoke into a sky already clogged with charcoal-gray clouds.

  The Silver Hawks had changed their tactics. There was no more hitting and running—just running. They did not dare approach the Wolf forces when their enemy’s firepower was so consolidated. Alaric’s sensors said they were pulling together a little and moving south, trying to find time to regroup. Alaric would have been happy to cut them off, but that would mean abandoning the path he had just cleared. He chose to stick to his plan.

  Striker Trinary had entered the heart of the city, where the buildings were taller and the streets somewhat better maintained. There would be opportunities for ambush by the defenders here—or at least, there would have been had not Alaric forced the Silver Hawks to go on the run.

  He stepped over the rubble of buildings and furniture and whatever else had been here, grinding it into even finer dust with each stride. He had time before he engaged the Silver Hawks, so he decided to check on the status of some of the variables beyond his control.

  “Stalker One, what is the duke up to?”

  “His units were slowed by a Silver Hawks’ trap,” the scout leader reported. “They are through it now, though, and they seem to have picked up their pace. The duke seems eager to catch up to the defenders.”

  I do not blame him, Alaric thought, but kept the idea to himself. He would not have anyone hear him agreeing with Duke Vedet.

  “How far away is he from the nearest Silver Hawk units?”

  “Not much farther than we are, Star Colonel. It is possible our forces will converge as we are giving chase.”

  It was not exactly what he wanted to have happen, but it would do. As long as the defenders were routed and overwhelmed, Alaric would be content.

  “Have any of your units spotted the First Steiner Strikers’ location?”

  “Not precisely, Star Colonel. We know they are in the south part of the city, but not their heading.”

  “Keep your eyes open. We do not want to catch cross fire from them.”

  “Yes, Star Colonel.”

  Alaric flicked a few switches on his scanner. All of the units it was displaying disappeared, and he was left looking at a blank map of Helmdown. He stared at it as his Mad Cat moved ahead, his mind calling up images of the units of the four different forces in this fight. He envisioned where they would move, how others would react and how the battle would flow.

  But he did not know Roderick Steiner well enough. His acquaintance with Vedet Brewster was almost as brief, but the duke was a much simpler man—blunt, direct, easily possessed by anger. He was not sure, though, what drove Roderick, and how that would determine what choices he made. So the battle models he tried to design had a cloud at the south end, a question that had too many possible answers.

  But Alaric had been in many battles before, including plenty where he could not predict what was going to happen. He could fight the unknown almost as well as he could fight the known.

  * * *

  Saber Company was running, spread out so the Silver Hawk Irregulars wouldn’t be able to concentrate their fire. Once the First Steiner Strikers were south-southwest of downtown, they had turned and headed almost due north. Their visibility was hampered by the blowing smoke from the Clan Wolf bombing, but the Silver
Hawks would have the same problem. Roderick updated his companies on the battle plan, then moved them deeper into the heart of Helmdown.

  The smoke passed in waves, hiding and revealing the city as he moved. This section, far from the camp of the invaders, looked untouched and empty. A few lights were on here and there, but they were likely on automatic switches—Roderick had not seen a single nonmilitary person in town. Helmdown was no longer a city; it was a collection of man-made obstacles strewn on a battlefield. Roderick couldn’t guess how long it would take before it was a city again. If it ever was.

  He split his attention between watching the street and monitoring the scanner, watching the faster Saber units drawing closer to the Silver Hawks. Both were moving fast, charging toward each other as the Silver Hawks fled from the two armies giving chase. Roderick knew that, given a choice, the Marik defenders would rather run through his forces than turn to face the larger forces at their rear.

  His job was to make them regret that decision.

  The comm crackled to life, and he listened as Saber Company got within range and his forces finally joined the fight.

  “Saber Three, this is Saber One.” Trace Decker’s voice was steady and confident. “You’re going to draw the brunt of their fire. I’m sending a few units in your direction. Drop back and let them give you cover.”

  “Thanks, Saber One. They’re moving hard. They don’t want to slow down just because we’re here.”

  “Don’t stand still, Saber Three. Get your cover, then move according to the plan.”

  The smoke cleared for a moment and Roderick saw the flashes of explosions ahead. He wasn’t far off, only five kilometers from the front line. Things would happen quickly now.

  Decker spoke again. “All Saber units, we’re done. Keep moving and veer west. It’s Savage Company’s job now.”

  Roderick watched his scanner to see the Saber units start to move away from the Silver Hawks’ fire. He saw a little movement by the Silver Hawk units, some of them tracking the Saber units, hoping to get a few more shots off. But they didn’t have much time.

  “Into them, Savage units!” Jamie Kroff’s voice was intense, crackling and popping since Kroff was talking too loud into her mic. “Go right into them!”

  Now the area ahead of Roderick lit up like a fireworks display, flashes popping up everywhere. He saw a few laser shots carry up into the night sky, shots likely fired by a ’Mech as it toppled to the ground.

  “Don’t worry about the units we just passed!” Kroff yelled. “Get on the second-line units! Don’t let any of them set up a position.”

  The scanner was becoming more difficult to read, with Steiner and Marik units mixed together. Kroff and Savage Company had broken through. Now Roderick’s job was to make sure the frontline Silver Hawks didn’t turn and pin Savage down.

  He stomped through the streets, pivoting his torso, looking for targets. A Silver Hawk Stinger poked its head over a jet-black, blocky building, its antenna appearing first and catching Roderick’s attention. He pointed his left arm toward it and unleashed a torrent of autocannon rounds, most of which flattened themselves against the metal walls of the black building. A few flew over the edge, and the Stinger ducked out of sight.

  Roderick didn’t pursue it. The Silver Hawks were being squeezed and were looking for a way out; most likely they’d come to him without him having to look too hard.

  The clouds above were low, bunched together against the mountains to the south. They put a ceiling on the battle, glowing with the distant explosive lightning from the ground. It looked like it could rain at any moment, or like the heavy sky could just collapse on them.

  Roderick moved smoothly forward, watching the movement of the Silver Hawk troops. Savage Company had disoriented them, shattering their order, and they weren’t sure where to go from here.

  It was time to move a little faster. The longer the Marik troops were confused, the better.

  Roderick pushed down his pedals and the Rifleman lumbered ahead. Now that he was getting closer to the Silver Hawk lines, he could see smaller vehicles darting back and forth, looking for a way out while trying to stay hidden from the barrage of fire. Roderick added to it, peppering intersections with autocannon rounds and ripping into the sides of the Marik craft.

  Then he saw the ’Mechs.

  There were two of them. Roderick couldn’t make out their models in the smoke, but they looked shorter and spindlier than him. Meaning they were probably faster.

  After a few pounding steps he fired both autocannons, moving his arms so he could strafe the entire street around the two ’Mechs. They reacted instantly, going in different directions so he couldn’t concentrate his fire. The diagonal streets of Helmdown forced one of the ’Mechs to edge a little closer to Roderick, and he rewarded it by blasting it with pulse lasers. Waves of green throbbed into the squat head of the machine. Roderick recognized it now—a Blade. A lightning-fast machine, but one without anywhere to go.

  Roderick turned his legs to the right while keeping his torso pointed at the Blade. He moved ahead, letting his left autocannon keep the Silver Hawk ’Mech pinned down. The Blade had nowhere to go but forward, so it went into a run, the narrow thighs of the machine punching the thick lower legs into the ground as fast as they could. But forward movement only brought it closer to Roderick, who slowed down to get a better shot. He brought both autocannons into play again, and he saw the sparks as the rounds clattered into the Blade. The Blade finally got off a few shots of its own, firing autocannon rounds from its right arm. But he hadn’t seen Roderick slow his pace, and most of the rounds passed harmlessly in front of the Rifleman. The Blade then sprinted, running for its life to get away from Roderick.

  Roderick’s pulse laser was waiting for it. The beam shot right into the middle of the Blade’s torso, and something inside it went wrong. The legs wobbled, then stiffened, and the momentum of the thirty-five-ton machine made it topple on its face.

  Roderick turned away from it and advanced toward the Silver Hawk line, hoping to find the other ’Mech that had been with the Blade. But the scanner showed that the Silver Hawks were in retreat. Saber Company had returned—after angling away from the Silver Hawks, they had come around in a circle and smashed into the Mariks’ right side. The pressure was too much, and the Silver Hawks had given up trying to make a breakthrough to the south.

  “All units, form up,” Roderick said. “They’ve decided they can’t go through us, so let’s herd them to the middle.” Then, he continued silently, the remaining Silver Hawks can choose which army they want to wipe them out.

  * * *

  “What did he do then?” Alaric Wolf asked one of his scouts.

  “He appeared to be playing more of a mop-up role, staying toward the rear to make sure no one got through. The first two companies in did the real damage—the commander made sure their effort paid off.”

  “And the scout company started making its turn back toward the battle as soon as they were out of firing range, quiaff?”

  “Aff. They moved well as a unit—I would say they were following a preplanned route the whole time, and following it well.”

  “The commander—how aggressive was he in engaging enemy units that came into his range?”

  “With all due respect, Star Colonel, there are many units in this battle and most of what I saw was on my scanner. You are asking about a level of detail I cannot provide.”

  Alaric had known that as soon as he asked the question, but pressing too hard for information in battle was not something he considered to be a flaw. Battles were won first by the brave, and then by the knowledgeable. Those who were both did not often face defeat.

  But he had occupied his scouts with the Steiner commander long enough. The Silver Hawks seemed to be caught in a vise. It was time to close it swiftly and firmly.

  “Bring your units back east. And give me your evaluation of where the Silver Hawks are going.”

  “They are in disarray. Their numbers
are fewer than we expected, and the pressure has routed them. I expect the rest of the battle to be a rout.”

  Alaric nodded, but he did not agree. One thing he had learned about the Silver Hawks is that their appearance was almost always deceptive. They likely had another trick up their sleeve.

  This one, though, would be their last.

  14

  Helmdown, Helm

  Marik-Stewart Commonwealth

  28 April 3138

  The next move of the Silver Hawk Irregulars, retreating away from the attackers coming from the south, was clear. Everything after that was chaos.

  An argument had taken place over the comm while they ran from the pressure of the First Steiner Strikers. An argument! Practically every line of authority had broken down. A lot of soldiers had been following unfamiliar commanders from the beginning of the fight, and half of those commanders had fallen on the battlefield, so now no one was listening to anyone. Carleton had issued a number of orders that first had been ignored and then met with streams of curses and invective. Most of the units were going where they were supposed to be, but that was out of habit—and because, with enemies all around, they didn’t have many other options.

  “We should broadcast a surrender offer now,” said Fred Parsons, whose commander had been overrun in the Steiner breakthrough. “We’re outnumbered by at least four to one. We don’t have a chance!”

  “We never had a chance,” Carleton snapped. “We weren’t supposed to have a chance! That wasn’t our job here. We’re not saving our own skin, we’re holding them off as long as possible and taking as many of them with us as we can. None of that involves surrender!”

  “You can get yourself killed if you want, but we don’t have to,” Parsons said. “I’m making the offer.”

  “You don’t have the authority to surrender!”

  “Not for you. But I can damn sure surrender myself.”