Focht had a moment's regret at not being there with Harvison, strapped inside a 'Mech. All his life the image of being a MechWarrior had been the apex of human achievement. To be one of the best required skill, courage, and a willingness to accept the utmost in responsibility. A single BattleMech had the power to level buildings—in warfare it was implacable and all but invincible unless pitted against another ten-meter-tall 'Mech. All BattleMechs were grim, mechanical avatars Of Death, grouped into legions of automatons piloted by the finest warriors a nation could produce.
For a moment he wondered if his refusal to join the unit had come from cowardice. That specter lurked at the back of every warrior's mind, most often buried deep beneath tradition and honor, but there were times it dug itself from that grave. In those times everyone ended up wondering if it was his turn, if that next shell had her name on it, if that laser bolt was meant for him. Fear like that seemed irrational, but Focht realized it was the Only rational aspect to being a warrior. We willingly put ourselves in a position where we can be killed to protect those who cannot protect themselves. It goes against every instinct for survival we have, yet we do it. Fear reminds us we're acting in an insane manner.
He scanned the rim of the lake area, looking for any 'Mech deployed to oppose the incoming ComStar unit, but he saw none. Harvison's Black Knight came equipped with a Beagle Active probe that enhanced his ability to find hidden 'Mechs, but it detected nothing. This also did not surprise Focht, since he would have had his 'Mechs waiting back away from the rim to avoid damage. There will be time enough to move them forward when we get in range.
Focht didn't find fear inside himself. He'd made his decision to stay behind despite a desire to be there. Though he was eighty-seven years old, he was still more than capable of piloting a BattleMech. He managed to continue training and maintaining performance testing scores that kept him on ComStar's active pilot roster, but he knew his scores were closer to the minimums needed than to the highest marks he'd ever posted. His decline in skill was natural, a product of aging, and it left him far behind the best ComStar had to offer. and the best was what Harvison and his people were. They had all volunteered to be part of the company being sent against the Jade Falcons. None of them harbored illusions about how difficult the fighting was likely to be. Casualties and even fatalities were to be expected, as the Clans were fighting for their lives. And yet they volunteered.
Focht admired the way Harvison had put together his company. The 'Mechs had a decent mix of long and closer-ranged weapons, so they'd be able to engage the Clanners as they came in. All of the 'Mechs were also humanoid in configuration, so as they fanned out and around the Black Knight, moving to take advantage of the cover offered by granite boulders and outcroppings, they almost looked like a company of armored infantry. Resplendent in their white paint with the gold ComStar device worked on the left breast and the dark blue crest pf the Star League Expeditionary Force circling the arms and thighs, the 'Mechs moved forward and up the mountainside. Despite having lost a Black Knight to a hip-actuator failure as the march to the mountain began, the ComStar force was formidable indeed.
Focht caught a flicker of movement at the crest of the slope. Five Clan 'Mechs, all painted the Jade Falcon's bright green, came into view. He felt ice ripple through his guts as this first line of defense presented itself. All five of the 'Mechs—a Black Hawk, two Turkinas and two Black Lanners—all had very low profiles with back-canted bird legs. The 'Mechs could pop up to fire down at their enemies, then squat to minimize the effect of incoming shots.
The Black Hawk's pilot targeted Harvison's Black Knight. All six of the extended-range medium lasers built into the 'Mech's right wrist blazed away, but the shots went low, burning a line in the golden meadow ten meters from the ComStar 'Mech. One of the lasers in the other arm sent a shaft of ruby light stabbing at the Black Knight's head. The diagnostic icons in the corner of the view painted the 'Mech's head red, but pilot status remained green.
Harvison fired back With the particle projection cannon built into the Hawk's right arm and the large laser mounted in its right chest. The large laser's green beam missed high, but the PPC's cobalt beam drilled straight into the center of the Clan 'Meeh's torso. Half-melted armor plates dropped away; leaving a blackened scar on the Black Hawk's chest.
One of the Turkinas turned its weapons on a Grim Reaper. The medium laser built into the Turkina's left flank vaporized armor on the center of the bulky Grim Reaper's chest. The twin large lasers mounted in the 'Mech's right arm bracketed the Grim Reaper, boiling off some of the protection on both arms. One of the two large pulse lasers in the Clanner's left arm missed, but the other sent a hail of green energy darts to chew away at the armor over the Grim Reaper's right hip.
The ComStar 'Mech shuddered under the assault, but the pilot kept the machine upright. The pilot even managed to return fire. The LRM launcher built into the right side of the 'Mech's chest launched a volley of long-range missiles that streaked up at the Turkina. The majority of them blasted armor from the 'Mech's right shoulder, but two chipped away at the armor on the other arm. The Grim Reaper's large laser sizzled off armor off the Clan 'Mech's left breast, sending molten ferro-ceramics streaming down its torso. another of the ComStar BattleMechs, a broad-shouldered, bullet-headed Excalibur, chose that same Turkina as its target. The spread of LRMs it launched savaged the Turkina's left chest, ripping away at the already damaged armor there. The Gauss rifle in the Excalibur's right arm sped a silvery projectile at the Clan 'Mech. The ball smashed into the Turkina's left thigh, shivering armor plates from it, but leaving it far from unprotected.
The company's second Excalibur opened up on a small, squat, bird-legged Black Lanner. The ComStar pilot's Gauss rifle slug struck the ridge in front of the Clan 'Mech, skipping the projectile high over the target. The spray of LRMs did hit, carving armor from the Black Lanner's left chest and right leg, but really did no serious damage. Another ComStar 'Mech, a heavyset Shootist, pointed its right arm at the Black Lanner and fired with the large laser built therein. The green beam carved armor from the Clanner's right arm, leaving smoke rising from a blackened furrow.
The Black Lanner fired back at its primary tormentor, the Excalibur. The PPC in the Black Lanner's right arm sent an azure bolt of synthetic lighting out, stabbing it deep into the left side of the Excalibur's torso. Armor exploded outward, leaving the ComStar 'Mech's left flank naked, and the support structure below it blackened.
The second Jade Falcon Black Lanner drew fire from a trio of ComStar 'Mechs. The cylindrically built Spartan pointed the PPC built into the left side of its chest at the smaller 'Mech and fired. The blue bolt ruptured armor plates on the Black Lanner's left breast. A second Spartan likewise used its PPC on the Clan 'Mech, roasting a similar amount of armor on the other side of the Black Lanner's chest. The company's second Shootist fired its large laser at the Jade Falcon, but missed low, instantly igniting grasses into a smoldering blaze.
The Black Lanner answered the assaults by attacking the Shootist with its extended-range medium lasers. Of the five beams used, only three hit. Two blistered armor off the ComStar 'Mech's right flank, while the last carved a nasty scar across its left shin. The Shootist's pilot kept the 'Mech on its feet, and Focht realized, the two Black Lanners were of different battlefield configurations.
The final Clan 'Mech, a massive Turkina, vented its wrath on the second ComStar Grim Reaper. The twin large pulse lasers scattered a storm of laser needles over the Grim Reaper's chest and right arm, reducing armor to a greasy black mist. Of the two extended-range large lasers in the Turkina's right arm, only one hit. It shriveled yet more armor over the ComStar 'Mech's breast. The torso-mounted medium laser speared the 'Mech's right leg with a ruby beam, dissolving armor plates into fluid ceramic sludge.
The Grim Reaper fought back, hitting with both LRMs and its large laser. The missiles gnawed armor from both aims and blew a chunk of it off the Turkina's chest. The large laser sent a beam into
the 'Mech's right arm, slicing through armor to leave a crescent-shaped wound burned though the green paint. another ComStar Black Knight fired at the Turkina, but missed with its PPC and one of its large lasers. The second green large laser beam slagged armor on the Turkina's chest, expanding on the damage done by the missiles. The Turkina remained visible and did not shrink back despite the damage, the pilot seeming contemptuous of the ComStar efforts to kill him. as the 'Mechs set themselves for another exchange, Focht had a feeling of dread crawl up his spine. Though his people had given as good as they'd gotten in the first round of fighting, they'd only engaged half of the Jade Falcon force. ComStar's pilots had softened up the enemy, but two ComStar 'Mechs had taken serious damage, leaving the pilots very vulnerable.
The Precentor Martial frowned for a moment. The Jade Falcon commander wasn't using her Black Lanners' speed to its obvious advantage in flanking the ComStar force. Briefly, he wondered why, then cold dread filled his stomach. She doesn't need to employ them in that way. She has us at a disadvantage and is willing to fight hobbled to prove her superiority.
Focht reached out but stopped himself before he opened a radio frequency to Harvison. He wanted to advise the man to hang back. With the damage to the head of Harvison's Black Knight being so severe, another shot could wipe out the cockpit, killing him and leaving his force leaderless. He has to know that, but his 'Mech still continues to press the attack.
The Precentor Martial held back. I gave the battle to Harvison, now it is his to fight. He knows what he's doing, and concentrating fire seems to be effective. Will it be effective enough, though?
Harvison's Black Knight targeted the Black Hawk again. The PPC again struck the Clan 'Mech in the crater of the chest, all but denuding it of armor. The green beam of the large laser gobbled up armor on the Black Hawk's right arm, reducing the protection there by half.
The Black Hawk engaged the Black Knight again, cutting loose with its medium lasers. This time, however, it shot all six of the weapons built into the 'Mech's left arm, and only one from the right. The red beam in the right arm shot low again, confirming Focht's suspicions of a serious malfunction there, while five of the other beams nailed their target. Three combined to claw away all but the last of the armor on the Black Knight's right arm, while the other two ablated armor Over the center and left sides of the 'Mech's chest.
Focht's virtual world whirled. He fought vertigo, then reached up and pulled down another datafeed from the unit's other Black Knight. Off to its right he could see the smoking form of Harvison's 'Mech down on the ground. Little grass fires—-ignited by super-hot armor shards—-surrounded the 'Mech, making it look almost like an ancient knight laid out for a funeral. Harvison's 'Mech did move its arms and legs, so Focht knew the pilot was still alive, but riding a ten-meter-tall BattleMech to the ground seldom did any pilot much good.
The first Clan Turkina again shot at the Grim Reaper it had attacker earlier. Twin pulse lasers hit, peppering the 'Mech over its right and center chest with green energy darts. The pair of large laser bolts ripped along the Grim Reaper's right leg, burning away the last of the armor there, then started in on the myomer muscle fibers that allowed the 'Mech to move. The medium laser in the Turkina's left flank drilled into the Grim Reaper's right flank, leaving only the thinnest layer of armor in place.
Even as the Turkina targeted it, the Grim Reaper fired back. The LRMs swarmed from its chest-mounted launcher and rode argent jets in toward the target. The group blasted armor from the 'Mech's middle and right flank, as well as compounding the earlier damage done to the 'Mech's thigh. The Grim Reaper's large laser added to the destruction done to the Turkina's right breast, leaving the 'Mech's torso armor tattered on both flanks. Yet, despite having done that damage, the Grim Reaper's pilot could hot keep his 'Mech on its feet. It crashed down beside the Black Knight.
The Excalibur went after the Turkina again and sent a Gauss rifle slug ihto its left arm, reducing armor plates to dust. The LRMs it launched peppered the Turkina's right arm and flank, grinding away at the armor, but failing to open a breach. Regardless, the savaging the Clan 'Mech took unbalanced it enough that it went down, disappearing behind the hillcrest.
The first Clan Black lanner blazed away at the Excalibur that had attacked it before. Its first pulse laser sent a stream of scarlet energy darts through the gaping armor on the left side of the, Mech's breast melting support structures. The PPC completely vaporized the armor on the right side of the Com-Star 'Mech's torso, then the second pulse laser drilled through to seriously shred the 'Mech's frame. A huge gout of black smoke jetted from the holes, telling Focht that the Excalibur's engine shielding had been damaged, spiking the heat output and all but rendering the 'Mech useless. And yet, despite the pounding the Excalibur had taken, the pilot kept it upright and returned the Black Lanner's fire.
The Excalibur's Gauss rifle hammered a projectile into the Black Lanner's left flank, crushing the armor and seriously warping support structures. The LRM barrage scored armor on the 'Mech's left leg and over its heart and poured more damage into the naked left flank. The Black Lanner shuddered, but didn't go down under the Excalibur's assault.
The Shootist that partnered with the Excalibur shot at the Black Lanner again. The large laser raked its green beam across the Clan 'Mech's right thigh, then the heavy autocannon in the Excalibur's left breast vomited a torrent of depleted-uranium slugs that pulverized the remaining armor on that limb. Their fury unabated, they shredded the myomer muscle on the 'Mech's lower leg, yet somehow the pilot managed to keep his 'Mech upright.
The second Clan Black Lanner fired its medium lasers at the Shootist again. With the shrinking range, four of five hit in this second attack. Two melted more armor on the 'Mech's left leg, while one scored an ugly furrow over the 'Mech's right thigh. The last beam played over the centre of the 'Mech's chest and cored through. A plume of black smoke began to trail from the hole it opened, betokening another damage.
If the Shootist's pilot knew how gravely his 'Mech had been hit, his own targeting appeared not to have been affected by it at all. His large laser poked its beam into the Black Lanner's right hip, blackening armor there. The heavy autocannon also hit in the same location, tearing away the last of the armor and working on the rest of the limb.
The two Spartans again attacked the Black Lanner. Each 'Mech hit with its PPC. One azure lightning bolt skittered over the armor on the 'Mech's chest, frying all the armor it touched. The second blue beam flayed most of the armor off the Black Lanner's arm. Had either one been fortunate enough to hit the stricken 'Mech's right leg they would have burned it off, but attacking up a hill seldom allowed for precision shooting.
The final Turkina turned its weapons on the Grim Reaper it had attacked earlier. Its large pulse lasers burned away the last of the armor over the ComStar 'Mech's heart and began working on its right flank. The large lasers in its right arm played their beams over the Grim Reaper's right leg, paring away all the armor there and beginning to roast the artificial muscles beneath. The medium laser missed clearly, and the Grim Reaper's pilot kept his 'Mech from falling.
The Black Knight supplying Focht with his datafeed targeted the Turkina. Both of the large lasers hit the target, pumping kilojoules of energy into the armor on the Turkina's left arm and right leg. The Black Knight's PPC ripped a jagged gash along the Turkina's pristine right thigh, sending liquefied sheets of armor raining down the leg.
The only 'Mech in the ComStar force that had not fired yet was a humanoid Quickdraw. Its weapons were well suited to fighting closer in, and it had finally closed to where it could fire effectively at the Clan forces. It fired four medium lasers at the Turkina but hit with only three. Two melted more armor from the 'Mech's left leg while the third slashed away armor sheets from the center of the 'Mech's chest.
Finally the Grim Reaper unloaded on the Turkina. The large laser fired wide, sending its verdant beam to play along the mountainside behind the lake. Most of the LRMs missed, b
ut those that did hit only chipped away at armor on the 'Mech's left leg and flank. The heavily armored Turkina remained upright and defiant, its armor damaged, but its killing ability yet unimpaired.
Focht shook his head and felt his mouth go dry. They've put two of my 'Mechs down and severely damaged several others.
We've hurt two of theirs and put one down. Marthe has gotten the better of the battle so far, and when she commits her reserves ... He shivered. l ean only hope the others are having better success with their battles.
8
First St. Ives Lancers Headquarters, Kawlm District
Strana Mechty
Kerensky Cluster, Clan Space
23 April 3060
Kai Allard-Liao allowed himself a smile as he walked into the hangar area and saw the BattleMech he'd be piloting in the battle with the Wolves. The Inner Sphere had designated it a Ryoken, though he knew the Wolves called it a Stormcrow. Given that his force contained Raven BattleMechs that traveled as fast as the Clan 'Mech, he chose to think of it as a Stormcrow as well. It even had the appropriately styled bird legs, with a tapered cylindrical cockpit mounted above them, and arms that contained his weapons systems. The left arm had no hand and instead ended in the muzzle of a heavy autocannon, while the right arm had a swollen forearm that housed six extended-range medium lasers.
Colonel Adele Tsang, a woman in her forties who commanded the Lancers, came over to stand beside him and study the 'Mech. She had assumed command when her predecessor,
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