Initiation to War

by Robert N. Charrette

  It was his misfortune that the enemy wasn't cooperating. Crawford's people, Kingston's Killers as the press was calling them now, seemed to prefer picking on Shu conventional forces and melting away from BattleMech response forces. In some ways, they were more elusive than the Kuritans. At least the Kuritans traded a few shots before bugging out.

  Two hours into their approach march, Kelly noticed that Veck had them veering away from the Green Banks region. "What's going on, Commander? This heading is taking us off our sweep path."

  "We got a lead on a Duvic supply camp," Veck replied. "We get it if we can. Intel's weak on this zone, so you 'Jocks keep your eyes open."

  Veck had replied in the clear, which made Kelly curious. The new objective was curious, too. The lance hadn't received any transmissions from base, so Veck's lead must have come up in his conference with Captain Lazlo. The commander usually covered their objective before they left camp. Something was up. Kelly wanted to question Veck, but JJ beat him to it.

  "Jurewicz," Veck snapped, cutting off JJ. "I said eyes open, not mouths. No commo unless you've got something to report."

  At 1317, JJ reported a Kuritan shadow. A Firefly.

  "Ignore him unless he starts something," Veck ordered. "We don't need distractions."

  Forty-two minutes later, the Kuritan did start something. The Firefly lit up JJ's Javelin with lasers. Armor fragmented, flowed and burned. The Javelin crouched, then launched itself into the air to escape the fire. A particle beam screamed through the space it had occupied as Namihito's Panther rose from behind rocks two hundred meters to the lance's right flank.

  "They asked for it," Veck shouted. "Hit 'em hard, Vigilantes!"

  His Vindicator's PPC crackled, burning a hole in the air between it and the Panther. But the Kuritan moved his machine with supernal grace. The charged particles ripped a scar across the Panther's left arm, but expended most of their fury on the rocks behind the 'Mech. Steam and debris billowed. The Panther disappeared into the cloud.

  Kelly launched at the Firefly, giving JJ covering fire. Craters opened in the 'Mech's armor as missiles slammed home, but the Firefly shrugged off the damage, backpedaling and launching his own salvo of LRMs amidst a trio of emerald laser bursts.

  Veck led the Vigilantes after the Kuritans. As usual, the mercenaries faded back from the fire, but the Shu MechWarriors pressed them hard, staying on their tails. They exchanged shots when the opportunity arose, but the broken terrain gave such chances only rarely. Energy weapons blasted and missiles exploded, but they mostly chewed up the landscape. With fire and movement, the Vigilantes countered every attempt by the Kuritans to slip across their front and escape. The running firefight moved down into a broad canyon. Massive columns of banded rock to either side threw deep cold shadows across the valley floor. The 'Mechs lit those shadows with fire.

  Kelly spared a glance ahead, and saw that the terrain was starting to close in. It would be taking away the Kuritans' room for maneuver. He grinned savagely. There, among the deep shadows, they would bring their opponents to bay.

  Then he saw a shadow move.

  "Ambush!" he called, seeing more shadows shifting ahead.

  A seventy-ton Cataphract emerged into the sun. A pair of Lineholders followed it. One of those two fifty-five-tonners alone matched the mass of JJ's Javelin and Kelly's Commando put together. Another 'Mech, a small bird-legged type like the Firefly, strutted behind them. The crackling sensor static which suddenly bloomed suggested that the fourth was a Raven, using its electronics to shield its companions—as though the massive machines striding toward them needed any help making scrap of the Vigilante 'Mechs.

  The Duvic regulars had finally come out of hiding.

  "We're in the pot!" JJ yelled, sounding scared.

  He had every right to be.

  29

  Shu-Duvic Border

  Epsilon Eridani

  Chaos March

  14 March 3062

  The Vigilantes broke formation without need for an order. Veck's drilling on the practice fields had built in reactions that didn't always need conscious thought. It didn't hurt that the natural human reaction to seeing that much heavy metal coming towards you was to run and hide.

  Their fast reaction to Kelly's warning made all the difference. The barrage from the Duvic 'Mechs only caught them in its periphery, which meant they were only mauled by the net of laser fire, the thunderous explosions of long-and short-range missiles, and the blasts of multiple calibers of autocannon shells, instead of being annihilated.

  "Easy," Veck called. His voice was as steady and solid as a glacier. His PPC blazed back at the ambushers. "Let them come on."

  Was he crazy? Kelly was scrambling his 'Mech out of the line of fire, too, but he was sure his voice wasn't as steady. "We can't go toe-to-toe with these guys."

  "We're not going to. Fall back on rally position zeta. Do you copy my map update on position zeta? Acknowledge." Both Kelly and JJ confirmed. "Fire at any and all targets as you go, but keep max range. Don't let them close. Don't let them sandwich you."

  They shouldn't have had much of a chance, especially with Veck keeping the Vigilantes together and tying the swifter Commando and Javelin, the fastest machines in this battle, to the Vindicator's lower—suddenly potentially lethal—top speed. Had Kelly been commanding the opposition, he would have pushed forward hard. Aside from the massive armor and weapon advantage held by the Duvics, their slowest machine was the ancient Cataphract and even it could match Veck's Vindicator. The Lineholders were swift enough to sweep over the commander's machine like he was no more than a paper tiger, leaving the surviving Vigilantes to rout, if they could survive the weight of fire that would be falling on their heads.

  But fortune favored the Vigilantes, and the Duvic commander—Veck identified him as "Red" Shang, commander of the Palatine Protectors—didn't share Kelly's tactical analysis. Or if he did, he didn't care. Shang kept the 'Mechs of his Protectors clumped together under the EW umbrella of their Raven, hording them like a fragile and precious resource.

  Kelly offered a prayer of thanks for Shang's timidity. He figured that it was the real reason the Vigilantes were still alive, though a look to their right flank told him that condition might soon change. The Kuritan Panther and Firefly were going wide, working their way around to cut off the Vigilantes.

  "Keep out in front of the Duvics," Veck ordered.

  He was gone in a blast of his Vindicator's jump jets. His particle cannon fired before he landed, catching the Firefly's pilot by surprise. The Kuritan had delayed his dodge too long. Ravening energy chewed away the armor on the Firefly's right leg and gnawed into the endosteel bones. That leg bent on the Firefly's next step. Wobbling wildly, the machine staggered sideways, leg bending more with each step, until the pilot lost control completely and the Firefly crashed to the ground.

  Namihito's Panther responded to the counterattack. Man-made lightning flared from the muzzle of the Panther's PPC. The beam caught Veck's Vindicator cleanly, high in the left chest. Kelly expected to see the commander go down, but apparently the hit was against undamaged armor. Veck kept the Vindicator upright, sending his own PPC shot back at the Kuritan. Veck's aim wasn't as good as his opponent's and he missed. Still, the shot seemed to intimidate Namihito, and the Panther eased back toward his advancing allies.

  At least the Vigilantes weren't going to get cut off.

  Veck rejoined the lance, and the sniping and skulking went on. Several times Kelly thought he saw places where there was enough cover that the Vigilantes could have made a run for it, but Veck never called for a full out retreat. Kilometer by kilometer they played their deadly hide and seek with the Duvics.

  Soon it was apparent that the reprieve Veck had bought from the Kuritans wasn't permanent. Namihito's Panther once more edged wide, threatening to make another attempt to cut around the Vigilantes' flank.

  Veck shifted more to their right flank, but he didn't go after the Panther. He just made his own threats
whenever the Panther looked to be starting a move. Mirroring Shang's caution, Namihito hung on their flanks, a distraction and potential danger.

  Kilometer by kilometer the rally point drew nearer. A shaky-voiced JJ pointed out the problem.

  "How can we rally at zeta? They're still pressing us!"

  "Steady, 'Jock. New rally point, designated X-ray. Take my feed."

  The new rally point was another kilometer away. Kelly didn't understand it. The Duvics had harried them for kilometers already. What was one more?

  Their desperate retreat continued. Kelly's head rang, not just from hits against the Commando, but from far too many near misses and just the general concussive nature of the continuous barrage. Somehow, the Vigilantes were keeping their machines moving. It was a miracle that couldn't last.

  "Steady, 'Jocks." Veck himself was starting to sound despairing. "We make it a bit further and we're free."

  A bit further? Free?

  Half a kilometer more of battering brought them to a stand of tremendous pines. The boles of the mighty trees offered a respite from the Duvic fire. Kelly's topographical map showed it would only be temporary. Beyond the pines lay a wide loop of the Barr River and open ground. Once the Vigilantes were forced onto that killing ground, it would soon be over. The enemy saw the same thing. Shang's lance upped its speed like dogs closing for the kill.

  "Make it worthwhile," Veck said quietly.

  For a moment, Kelly thought the commander was ordering a death stand, then he saw that not all the giants in this forest were trees. Massive shapes stepped from behind trunks wider than they. Kelly nearly fired on them, but stayed his finger in time as he realized that he wasn't getting a "hostile in proximity" warning. These new BattleMechs were friendlies!

  There was a Cataphract and a Lineholder, then two more Lineholders and another Cataphract. It was the Old Guard. Lazlo's First Lance was about to ambush the ambushers.

  "Well done, Vigilantes," Captain Lazlo commoed. "Leave them to us."

  The Old Guard advanced to the edge of the treeline and opened fire. Facing a new threat, one more powerful than they, the Protectors lost all interest in the Vigilantes.

  "Let's get our butts out of this losing game and deal ourselves into something more our speed. Kelly, down the riverbed at top. Jurewicz, you jump with me. Time to flush that annoying Kuritan kitty cat."

  Attempting to comply with his orders, Kelly found he couldn't bring the Commando up to full speed. Heck, he couldn't even get halfway. Each time he tried, the 'Mech's stride developed a wobble that threatened to crash him. His board showed green on gyro and leg actuators, but that couldn't be right. He had to have taken some kind of damage down below. His money was on the right knee actuators since the Commando's armor was nearly scoured off over most of that leg.

  He wouldn't be able to keep up in the slash-and-run firefight of a light 'Mech battle. Both enemy and friend would soon outdistance his weapons. -

  The day's long grueling retreat had left him seriously wanting to hurt something, and now mechanical failure was robbing him of the chance. Like it or not, he wasn't going to be part of hunting Namihito.

  He slammed his fists against the cockpit walls. There had to be something he could do! Shu BattleMechs were finally engaging their opposite numbers on something like an even basis, and he was gimped out by a bad actuator.

  He refused to be sidelined.

  Chasing fruitlessly after far more agile light 'Mechs wasn't the answer. Then he remembered that there was a light nearby. He turned his Commando around and headed back to the spot where First Lance was engaging the Palatine Protectors. He made sure he came in from behind the Protectors' position.

  The Old Guard's ambush had turned into a slug-a-thon. The Guard's gunnery didn't seem to be matching that of the Duvics. Despite their numerical advantage, they were getting the worst of it. From the crackling static on all bands, Kelly knew the Raven pilot was still jamming.

  Somebody had to do something about that.

  He found the Raven hanging back and staying low. The Duvic pilot was doing what a light 'Mech pilot ought to do during a brawl between his betters. He was using his assets to support his lancemates while keeping his own personal asset out of the line of fire.

  Kelly decided that it was time to invite the Raven to play with someone in his own tonnage class, and he knew just how to phrase the invitation. The Artemis FCS whined about lack of target lock and the Streak system refused to confirm target. Kelly dropped his crosshairs on the Raven's antennae housing, lining up the shot as well as he could. He triggered. SRMs boiled out on smoky trails and his laser flashed. At least half of the missiles splashed on rock, but his shot was good enough.

  The Raven heeled over and went down.

  Sensor channels cleared.

  Kelly felt the tightness of a grin stretch across his face.

  Lazlo's Old Guard seized the opportunity Kelly's coup offered. Their suddenly more accurate fire poured down, and all the Duvic machines took hits, even the downed Raven.

  Legs scrabbling wildly, the Raven shoved itself against a talus slope and up the incline to a favorable rock face. With a heroic effort, the light 'Mech's pilot managed to get his machine back on its feet. In a somewhat less heroic moment, he apparently decided it was time to be elsewhere. Kelly let him go. It wasn't like he could chase the fleet-footed machine.

  Free of the Raven's interference, weight of fire began to tell. The Duvic 'Mechs started a grudging retreat. But Shang wasn't going easily. The Duvic officer was fighting far better than his lancemates, and he was dishing out more than he was getting.

  Shang's Cataphract edged closer and closer to Kelly's position. Either the heavy 'Mech's pilot was unaware of the Commando or considered it an insignificant threat. Or maybe Shang just had more pressing things on his mind.

  There wasn't a lot that a Commando could do to a Cataphract, and that little had to be done from a range likely to be unfortunate for the Commando. On the other hand, Shang's Cataphract was in a place that was unhealthy for him and was starting to show it. Even a puppy could bring down a big dog if that dog was wounded badly enough. Lazlo's people were doing their best to wound the Duvic dog.

  In a sudden flash, Kelly saw opportunity. "Red" Shang was Captain Lazlo's opposite number in the Duvic 'Mech forces. If such a high-ranking MechWarrior could be captured, surely the Palatine would want him back. A prisoner exchange would be virtually certain.

  The only problem was that the Old Guard seemed intent on blowing Shang into enough pieces to send one to each of the Buddhist hells.

  Kelly started calculating. He could join the party and continue the shoot-em-up against Shang, but that course had too high a chance of losing Kelly what he wanted. If the Cataphract could be brought down, Shang would have to surrender. But how?

  Ramming or kicking a leg out from underneath it were classic ways to drop a BattleMech, but neither approach from a twenty-ton Commando would make much of a dent in a seventy-ton Cataphract. There had to be something Kelly could do, some way to take advantage of his flanking position.

  If he had a more equal 'Mech he could have tackled the Cataphract like a blitzing linebacker catching a quarterback. But he didn't. He was sitting in the equivalent of a child, not a bruising hulk of a ballplayer. He needed the solution of the weak against the powerful.

  Then he saw it. BattleMechs, with their human mimicking form, suffered some of the same weaknesses as the human form. The massive power of myomer bundles could be shocked into failure just like the muscle they emulated. A blow to the back of his knee, dropped any man, big or small. Surely a BattleMech could be dropped the same way.

  He'd find out.

  Barreling his Commando from its cover, he charged at the back of the Cataphract. He pushed his speed, trying to cover the ground before Shang could react or his lancemates cover Kelly with fire. The Commando wobbled. It listed to the right, but Kelly fought it back on course. Struggling to maintain control, he watched the distance n
arrow.

  Fifty meters!

  Forty! The Cataphract's torso started to turn.

  Thirty! Kelly goosed the Commando, reeling from the vertiginous feedback from his neurohelmet.

  Twenty! Autocannon fire ripped from the Cataphract's right arm.

  Ten! Shells cratered the ground behind the Commando.

  Five! The Cataphract's massive cannon housing shifted down.

  Three! The Cataphract's bulky, backward-jointed legs filled Kelly's view screen.

  Time stopped for him as he realized his mistake. The Cataphract's overall humanoid shaped had gulled him into forgetting that it was one of these rare hybrid-form BattleMechs. There were no vulnerable backs to this BattleMech's knees for his hurtling Commando to—

  Impact!

  Kelly's face met the visor of his neurohelmet with paralyzing force. His world somersaulted. Metal shrieked like a man under torture. He tumbled, helpless, until something whacked his helmet hard enough to send him into darkness.

  30

  Shu-Duvic Border

  Epsilon Eridani

  Chaos March

  14 March 3062

  Following the path of aches and pains to his bruised and battered body, Kelly dragged himself up out of the darkness. Time had passed. His Commando was sprawled, head turned to one side. Through the viewport he could see that he hadn't been out for long.

  The Old Guard was advancing across his position, past Shang's downed Cataphract. Had he succeeded? Or had he just distracted Shang long enough for the Old Guard to finish him?