D. R. T.

by James D. Long

  The crash site was protected by an ad hoc star of four BattleMechs and five Elementals. Not a standard Clan formation, but the Fourteenth Garrison didn't seem to fit the standard Clan mold. The Elementals normally stayed close to the base and assisted with heavy lifting as necessary, while the four BattleMechs swept the perimeter with military precision each day. Though the 'Mechs never followed the same route twice, their search area was almost always identical. As the crash site was on a broad plain, there wasn't much need for additional security. The defenders had little fear of any hostile force arriving before they had a chance to react to the situation. Although the Black Thorns could overwhelm the Nova Cat Star, the Courcheval resistance fighters hadn't the capability to even damage them. Ria doubted that the encampment had been set up to protect against the Black Thorns, but that was exactly what it was going to have to do.

  She set the map in the center of the table and collected markers for the defenders. Small stones became the Elementals and larger stones the Clan BattleMechs. Crossing to the bunk, she pulled out her duffel and extracted a small bag of coins.

  Then she spread the coins on the table and marked them with the first name of each MechWarrior in the unit. She'd just finished marking "Kitten" when Hawg arrived with the first group of warriors. Within moments her brother had joined them. He looked at the map with obvious approval, then gave his sister an appreciative smile.

  "All right, Black Thorns, let's get to it. We've got a DropShip to capture."

  28

  Courcheval

  Nova Cat Occupation Zone

  4 August 3057

  Cantrell burst into the Black Thorns' quarters and slapped on the light. "Up and at them, guys. We've got some serious trouble." She looked around the room at the mixture of postures and smiled. Although she was sure most of the Mech Warriors had been asleep for only a few hours, her noisy entrance had jarred them all awake. Several were actually on their feet, hands near their weapons. The smile disappeared when she heard the flick of a safety behind her.

  Turning slowly, she saw the recon commander, Ajax, ease his pistol back into bis holster. Till now she hadn't even seen him. "Not bad," she said when her heart left her throat and returned to its proper place. "You sure you're not in the infantry?" Ajax smiled but shook his head.

  "What's the problem?" asked Rose as he combed a hand through his hair, the gesture that was becoming an all-too-frequent substitute for sleep and a shower. He rubbed bis face and tried to wake up.

  "The Cavaliers are on the move. They've got a trinary of BattleMechs heading toward the crash site."

  "I thought this operation was being run by the garrison cluster," said Yuri. "Why would the Cavaliers be involved?"

  "You got me," said Cantrell, "but they're on the way just the same. I've got scouts at several points along the way, but once they hit the plains, we'll lose them."

  "How long ago did they leave?" asked Esmeralda.

  Cantrell looked at her chronometer. "They've been on the road for about an hour. They should pass my last scout in about thirty minutes. From there it's a four- or five-hour trip to the crash site."

  "That gives us a two- or three-hour lead," observed Rose. "What's going on at Denard's place?"

  "Nothing out of the ordinary," Cantrell said. "Except a small caravan of BattleMechs and infantry carriers packed to the gills with Elementals and support equipment."

  "It's showtime, kiddies," smiled Hawg.

  "What about the VTOLs?" asked Rose.

  Cantrell frowned. "They're ready to roll twenty-four hours a day. Both carriers are at the garrison headquarters, but we've got no way of telling whether they'll be used in the immediate future."

  "E.T.A. on the convoy?" asked Rose as he headed into the hall. Bell was right behind him and Cantrell was on his right side.

  "Less than an hour if they move at full speed," said Cantrell, hurrying to keep up with Rose's long strides "The Clan vehicles don't pack weapons, but they've got some of the fastest hovercraft you've ever seen."

  "No way we'll be able to intercept them," observed Bell as he shrugged on his cooling vest. Rose nodded. They reached the doors of the main cavern and stopped. The other Black Thorns surged around them and headed for their respective BattleMechs. The Courcheval resistance crews had replaced all the damaged armor, but the few internal components damaged in the initial fights were still off-line. The Black Thorns had worked virtually non-stop to repair the damage, but the underground simply don't have the tools or supplies to fix things even when the mercenaries could figure out what needed to be done. The loss of the Grand Dragon's long-range missile launcher was the biggest problem.

  "Everything ready?" he asked Ajax, who had just come into the cavern. The smaller man shook his head and gazed up at his commander. Although Ajax was older than Rose and doubtless had more experience as a MechWarrior, he always deferred to him. Rose sometimes wondered if Ajax didn't allow him to make mistakes just so he could learn from them.

  "You know this whole thing falls down around our heads if your team can't pull off their mission," continued Rose.

  Ajax nodded in a motion that was more like a bow than an acknowledgment. Rose patted him on the back and smiled. "Good luck."

  Ajax smiled back. "All we need is straight shooting, Captain. You're the one in need of good luck." With a parting laugh, Ajax headed toward his Raven, breaking into a trot as he cleared the first cluster of technicians. Rose was forced to agree with his recon commander's assessment of the situation. He was going to need some luck to pull off this mission.

  Cantrell punched him in the arm and headed for her Savannah Master. Rose saluted her in farewell as he watched her pulling on her helmet and raising the hovercraft's cowling. Dustin already had the fans engaged as Cantrell pulled her craft in line and headed out the doors. Rose waited until the last of the Black Thorns had entered the main cavern, then headed toward the Masakari.

  It was almost twenty minutes before the 'Mech was ready to move. Although the situation was urgent, Rose decided not to stress the machine's components by initiating a cold start of the fusion engine. The quicker process would have started the 'Mech in under five minutes, but the damage to engine components would have cost him in the long run. Assuming there is a long run, Rose told himself.

  His thoughts drifted to McCloud and his unborn child. Although his recent days had been filled with tactical sessions and meetings, his thoughts were never far from her. For the nth time he wondered what the future would hold. Would he even have a future?

  Thoughts of home evaporated when the communications channel crackled to life. "This is Rover One. How do you read me, guys?"

  Rose switched to the private channel and triggered the radio. "This is Command One. We read you fine."

  "I'm on the way to the site. Hope to see you soon. Rover One out."

  Rose killed the connection and double-checked the Masakari's instruments. He was down several missile flights, but beyond that, the OmmMech was completely operational and fully functional. As he checked the panel, Ajax and the rest of the recon lance headed for the door. They were quickly joined by Riannon, who raised the right arm of her Phoenix Hawk in salute. Rose punched a private line to his sister.

  "No problems, right, sis?" he asked when he established the connection.

  "No problems, Jeremiah. You seem a little nervous about this. Is everything all right?"

  Of course not, Rose thought, but I can't really admit that. He decided to change the subject. "Just remember, zip-squeal the message. The operational window is pretty tight, but it shouldn't be a problem."

  "You're absolutely right, big brother. It won't be a problem. Just take care of yourself till I get back." Ria killed the connection before Rose could reply. It was probably just as well, he thought. I might have said something sentimental that would have embarrassed us both.

  He checked the main viewer and examined the six remaining 'Mechs in the cavern. His sensors indicated they were all ready to go, so he
opened the command frequency, which now included the whole battle lance. 'This is Command One. Let's move them out, people." Hawg's Battlemaster broke loose at the first sound of Rose's voice and took the lead. Myoto followed just behind. The matching Mad Cats went next, followed by Rose and Bell.

  Rose had decided to break the lances into two separate groups for their mission. All the lighter 'Mechs went into the first group, while the heavy and assault 'Mechs were in the second. If their timing was right, the two groups would reach their objective at nearly the same time. Rose also organized the 'Mechs under his immediate command in three squads of two. The tactic had worked well on Borghese when the understrength Black Thorns had been forced into combat against a numerically superior foe.

  Rose followed Esmeralda up the tunnel and into the last glimmer of twilight. Courcheval's sun had all but disappeared behind the hills to the north, casting red shadows over the hills. The heavy 'Mechs turned to the north after moving well away from the cavern opening. Rose didn't hold much hope for the continued success of the resistance, no matter what the outcome of his mission, but he didn't want to insult the leaders by seeming indifferent to their situation. He was sure the only reason the Nova Cats had let them survive this long was because they hadn't become enough of a nuisance to bother eliminating. That would likely change very soon.

  Rose watched the Mad Cat's broad back as it led him through the hills into the plains beyond. By now the sun was completely gone, leaving the Black Thorn line in complete darkness. Even the stars had been obscured by the overcast sky.

  On the plains the 'Mechs spread out, each covering the other with overlapping fields of fire. Rose was in the center of the formation, not because he was the most important, but because his 'Mech packed the most firepower. He could quickly adjust to any attack. They moved toward the DropShip site at almost sixty kilometers per hour and had been traveling for almost sixty minutes when Hawg announced, "Contact."

  Rose picked up his pace and moved to right, cutting in front of Hawg. Jamshid and Esmeralda were soon by his side. The three OmniMechs moved toward Hawg's reported contacts, chewing up the soil as they sprinted toward their objective. By now Rose had a lock on the four enemy 'Mechs, the unit from the crash site on its nightly terrain sweep.

  Rose and the twin Mad Cats rushed the 'Mechs, but didn't fire. Although he was in range to use his PPCs, Rose did not trigger the weapons. Slowing slightly, he dropped the targeting cross hairs on the lead BattleMech, a Clan Battlemaster. In the low-light scope of the main viewer, he could discern no real difference between the 'Mech in his sights and the one piloted by Hawg. Rose slowed to a walk as Esmeralda and Jamshid each opened a comm channel with the Masakari. There was no need to respond; the open channel was all Rose needed.

  As he raised his 'Mech's left arm slightly, Rose centered the cross hairs on the Battlemaster's neck, just below the bulbous head. Releasing half his breath, he fired all four PPCs. Half a heartbeat later, the Mad Cats struck the same target. Then all hell broke loose.

  Until the moment he fired his weapons, Rose was sure the Clan pilots believed him to be a member of the Nova Cavaliers. Cantrell had gone to great lengths to make sure that the painted patterns matched those of the Cavaliers as much as possible. What Rose wasn't able to duplicate was the Cavaliers' radio frequency, so he was counting on closing the distance as quickly as possible. The less time the Clan pilots had to think, the better were his chances of a surprise attack. To their credit, the Clan 'Mechs returned fire almost immediately.

  Rose hit the Battlemaster with all four shots, clustering the azure beams in a diamond pattern that burned through the other 'Mech's chest and into its heart. Guaranteeing the kill were the two Mad Cats' large lasers, which burned away the engine shielding and destroyed the massive gyro. As the Battlemaster started to fall, the pilot ejected into the night.

  A Galahad similar to the one Rose had fought before triggered twin Gauss rifles. The depleted uranium slugs hammered into the Masakari's chest, staggering the 'Mech for a moment. Even as Rose fought for control of his BattleMech, he sent a volley of missiles at his attacker.

  The ten missiles sped toward the Galahad, joined by concentrated flights from the two Mad Cats. In all, ninety long-range missiles zeroed in on the Clan machine, which disappeared in a cloud of light and smoke as the missiles slammed home. Every part of the 'Mech was hit as it staggered backward and fell. Still the missiles landed around it, tearing up the soil and sending geysers of dirt into the air.

  Rose switched to a new target, selecting the nearest 'Mech. The Hellhound was in the process of reloading, having fired its entire complement of weapons at Jamshid. Rose centered the cross hairs and silently cursed as the PPCs recycled. When the indicator finally turned green, he stabbed the trigger, sending two lightning bolts at the Hellhound. One bolt missed, but the other struck the 'Mech's triangular head, blasting through the cockpit and lancing into the sky. The 'Mech's actuators locked in place, and the Hellhound tumbled forward.

  "That was for Angus," Rose spat into the commline.

  Looking over the battlefield, he saw no other opponents. The remaining Clan 'Mech had bolted for the DropShip the moment the fighting started. Rose did not blame the pilot. The Clan Peregrine weighed in at only thirty-five tons and was no match for a single Mad Cat, let alone the three 'Mechs it would have had to face on its own. Neither the Masakari nor the Mad Cats, had a chance of catching the speedy 'Mech, so Rose triggered the commline.

  "One light heading your way."

  "Already have it in the bag," came Bell's immediate response. "Chu-i Myoto's Grand Dragon ran it to ground."

  Rose was impressed. He knew the Kuritas were experimenting with extra-light engine technology, but he had no idea they could pack so much power into the frame of a 'Mech. That the Grand Dragon was as fast as the light Clan 'Mech was shocking.

  Rose glanced over the battlefield one more time and prepared to move out. As the smoke cleared around the Galahad, he was surprised to see that the Clan 'Mech was actually struggling to rise. Ninety long-range missiles had come at it, Rose thought in amazement, and it still isn't dead. He swung the Masakari's left arm toward the Galahad, but when Esmeralda suddenly appeared next to the fallen 'Mech, Rose took his hand off the trigger. The Mad Cat was well inside the firing arc of the Clan 'Mech and in no danger.

  Esmeralda lifted the Mad Cat's massive right foot and aimed it at the cockpit of the struggling Galahad. Then she slammed the foot against the Galahad's head. The giant metal foot came up again and slammed back down into the torn and twisted metal. Esmeralda ground her 'Mech's heel in the debris and stepped away, moving north without a single word to Rose.

  Apparently more than one Black Thorn pilot was to be avenged tonight.

  29

  Courcheval

  Nova Cat Occupation Zone

  4 August 3057

  Riannon moved into line with the recon lance and followed Ajax northwest. Moving at top speed, the reinforced lance was nearly twice as fast as the main Black Thorn column coming behind it. They needed every bit of speed they could muster to get into position in time and Ria knew it. Concentrating solely on piloting, she managed to keep up with the other 'Mechs of the lance.

  Once they reached the plains she slowed to a halt to consult her map. Kitten in her Panther also slowed down, but the rest of the recon lance continued to move northwest.

  "Good hunting," she called to Ajax as he led his team into the night.

  "And good luck to you," he replied. "Recon Four, keep her safe. She's an honorary member of the recon lance now and we look after our own. Got it?"

  "I got it, Recon One," laughed Kitten. "I'll guard her like she was my own sister."

  As the two MechWarriors watched, the rest of the recon lance disappeared from view, then from the scanner. Ria sighed and began to power down the Phoenix Hawk as Kitten did the same. It took only moments to shut down the engines and switch to backup power. She switched off everything but the communication syste
m and waited.

  "This is Recon Four," came the loud call in the suddenly quiet cockpit. "I'm ready to roll."

  Ria adjusted the volume and whispered into the microphone. "Command Two, confirm." Ria checked the chronometer on the Phoenix Hawk's instrument panel and marked the time. All that was left to do now was wait silently in the dark. Wait and go over her part of the plan one more time.

  Jeremiah had insisted, and she had agreed, that the Black Thorns had to get word to the waiting JumpShip in the event anything went wrong. She didn't like even contemplating that possibility, but her brother had taught her that preparing for unpleasant things sometimes prevented them from happening. The Courcheval resistance fighters didn't have the equipment necessary to get a message all the way out to the JumpShip, which left the Phoenix Hawk and its upgraded communications center to do the job. It could get word to the JumpShip, but it would be risky.

  A tight-beam message was out of the question because the message would never arrive if the angle of the beam was off by even a fraction. And since the JumpShip was certainly not going to communicate with the planet, there was no way to be sure the broadcast was successful. That left a broad-beam message.