Flanking the Daishi came two No-Dachis. The humanoid 'Mechs were a special Combine design whose left arm ended in a PPC muzzle. The right arm bore a four-meter-long katana designed for use during close-in combat. While Hohiro had never been much of a proponent of physical combat between BattleMechs, the image the No-Dachis projected was pure samurai and heartening in battle.
The last 'Mech in his entourage likewise projected an image suited to its name. The Akuma—demon in English—had a positively diabolical cast to its head and a left arm that ended in a PPC muzzle. Like the No-Dachis, it also sported a medium-range missile system that fired unguided rockets at the enemy. While lacking the accuracy of LRMs, the MRMs were smaller in size, so more could be loaded and launched than with the smarter missiles. Because the battling with the Blood, Spirits would occur at closer ranges, the MRMs became even more potent.
The 'Mechs moved through a deep ravine choked with brush and deadfall trees. Though, the ravine had obviously been formed by seasonal runoff, only a small trickle of water now ran down the center. The trees growing up on the hillsides and above formed a green canopy, filtering the sunlight to make everything seem softer and more peaceful. Hohiro looked around, trying to burn the sights into his brain because at any second he knew a battle would transform the place from a haven for the living to a domain of death.
Ranging up over the hillside to the north came three Clan 'Mechs painted bloodied with black stripes. In his holographic display he saw another Blood Spirit 'Mech enter the ravine at the rear of his position, and a fifth topped the hill to the south. Towering above the Combine 'Mechs, the Clan machines looked magnificent and, as their weapons swung toward his force, Hohiro felt a jolt of fear.
The first of two Kingfishers on the northern slope targeted Hohiro's Daishi. The heavy autocannon that made up the Kingfisher's right forearm spatfire and shells that hit the Daishi in the center of its torso, shredding a third of the protection there. Spent shells rained out of the ejection port of the weapon, dropping steaming to the ground Hohiro wrestled with his 'Mech's controls, struggling to ride out the hideous impact of the Kingfisher's assault.
The large and medium lasers built into the Kingfisher's left arm raked their beams across the Daishi. The green beam further stripped armor from the 'Mech's chest while the red beam obliterated the Combine crest on the Daishi's right thigh. Another scarlet laser splashed out from the Kingfisher's right flank and boiled armor scales off the OmniMech's right arm. The armor monitor showed the damage to his 'Mech's chest as moderate, but the loss of armor elsewhere to be insignificant.
The Battle Cobra blocking their exit from the ravine turned its weapons on the Akuma. It missed with the PPC built into its right arm, but the left-arm PPC on the flair-shouldered, nonecked BattleMech struck the Akuma solidly. The errant beam exploded a leafy tree, casting flaming splinters all about, while the other one skewered the Akuma over its heart. The Combine 'Mech wavered, telling Hohiro that the gyro had been hit, but the pilot kept his machine on its feet.
The Crossbow on the south slope targeted the No-Dachi nearest it. The Clan 'Mech was handless, its arms ending in cylindrical forearm pods sporting a ring of missile ports surrounding the muzzle of a medium pulse laser. The beam weapons flashed with a volley of energy darts that scoured armor off the target's chest and left leg. The LRM launchers released two swarms of missiles that hit the No-Dachi in the right flank and left leg, but neither of those attacks breached the armor. The short-range missile launchers also built into those pods shot their full complement of missiles, scattering explosions all across the No-Dachi's chest.
The other Kingfisher on the north slope attacked the second No-Dachi. Twin bolts of artificial lightning ripped jagged lines through the armor on the Combine 'Mech's right leg and left arm. Ruby beams from the 'Mech's arms slashed at the No-Dachi's face and left breast, stripping away much of the armor shielding the pilot. The last two medium lasers, built into the center of the Kingfisher's torso, slashed out and melted armor from the No-Dachi's chest and right flank.
The last Blood Spirit 'Mech, a huge, ugly hunk of machinery also with handless arms, blasted away at the Dragon Fits, Hohiro had never seen that machine before, but dataflles from the Clans allowed his computer to tag it as a Blood Kite. The green beams of large lasers glowed from the weapons in the Blood Kite's head, chest, and left arm. One of them missed, transforming a fallen log into ash in a second, while the other two bubbled armor from the Dragon Fire's left leg and right arm. The LRM launchers mounted on each of the Blood Kite's shoulders sprouted fire. The missiles corkscrewed down the hillside, blasting armor from the Dragon Fire's legs, right arm, and chest.
The Akuma brought its left arm up and pointed the PPC muzzle at the Battle Cobra that had attacked it. A cobalt spear plunged into the Clan 'Mech's right thigh, ablating over half the armor covering the limb. The autocannon mounted in the Akuma's right breast vomited fire. The shells traced a line of craters up the Battle Cobra's left arm, leaving bare fragments of armor behind. Then the MRM launch pod in the 'Mech's left shoulder erupted into a fountain of smoke and flame. Nearly half the unguided rockets missed their target, sowing fire and explosions back along the ravine. Those that did hit ground away at the armor on the Battle Cobra's right arm and flank.
The No-Dachi that had been shot at by the Crossbow on the southern slope turned its attention toward its tormentor. The MRM pods in each shoulder sent a staccato stream of missiles up at the Crossbow. They blasted armor from the chest, right flank, and left arm, but failed to open any gaping rents. Three of them did detonate against the 'Mech's domed head and snapped off a decorative armor ear. The No-Dachi's red laser missed low, but the SRM launchers scattered shots over the Crossbow's right side, leg, and arm.
Hohiro twitched his right hand to float his cross hairs over the outline of the Kingfisher that had blasted his 'Mech. Now you will get a real taste of how the Combine fights. Once the gold dot pulsed at the heart of his holographic display, he tightened upon his triggers.
He fired one each of the large lasers built into the Daishi's arms. They incinerated armor on the Kingfisher's right arm and flank. Only one of the two autocannons he fired actually hit its target. Its fire cratered its way across the 'Mech's chest. The four medium pulse lasers all put their stuttering fire on target. They liquefied armor on the Kingfisher's left flank, chest, right leg, and right arm. Though Hohiro's shots failed to lay any part of the Clan 'Mech bare, he'd begun nibbling away at its protection rather significantly.
The No-Dachi on the north side of the formation likewise targeted the Kingfisher that had attacked Hohiro. The MRMs peppered the Blood Spirit 'Mech, hitting it on both flanks, the left leg, and the center chest. One of the chest shots got through, releasing a plume of black smoke trailing up from the 'Mech's angular chest. The No-Dachi's head-mounted medium lager vaporized more armor from the target's right flank. Its SRMs exploded more armor from the Kingfisher's chest and left flank, spinning broken sheets off like playing cards.
The Dragon Fire cut loose with all of its weapons, employing them against the battered Kingfisher. The Gauss rifle's silver ball smashed the Kingfisher in the left shoulder and shivered off the last of the armor over that portion of the 'Mech's body. The autocannon mounted in its right arm savaged its counterpart on the Clan 'Mech, leaving the armor on that limb in tatters. The Dragon Fire's large laser linked the two 'Mech's chests for a moment, and in its wake left molten armor running down the Kingfisher's belly; The twin pulse lasers scattered their scarlet energy needles over the Clan 'Mech, burning more armor from the right flank and drilling deep into the naked left side.
Hohiro watched with amazement as the Kingfisher soaked up damage. In the blink of an eye it had gone from pristine to a raggedy hulk cloaked in gray armor vapor. Around it, trees and bushes ignited by missiles and lasers smoldered. The Clan 'Mech wavered for a moment, then pitched over backward!
Even though the No-Dachi on that flank likewise fell— landing face-forw
ard to the ground—Hohiro barked a laugh. The Dragon is strongest when it does not allow itself to be distracted and its efforts divided. He smiled. "And against the Clans, my friends, it is very easy to be united in effort and result."
10
Bloody Basin, Lechenka District
Strana Mechty
Kerensky Cluster, Clan Space
23 April 3060
From the initial scans of the Lechenka District, Victor thought the Smoke Jaguars might have been looking for the same divide-and-conquer sort of battle it appeared the Blood Spirits wanted to offer Hohiro's people. Bloody Basin earned its name from the color of the rocks, which indicated a high iron content. That made magnetic resonance scanning useless and because of the high heat in the arid area, infrared scanning likewise was taken out of the equation.
Though the area was dry now, the canyons and hillsides had clearly been molded by thousands of years of rain and rivers. Little in the way of plant life survived here and tended to be either lichen dwelling in shadows or clusters of succulents with broad pads that held as much water as possible. The background temperature already had the heat sinks on Victor's Daishi working a bit more than the march toward the battlefield should have required, I don't think they chose this area to try and overheat our 'Mechs. At least, I hope not.
Victor felt very good about the company he was leading into battle. The core of it came from the Tenth Lyran Guards—his Revenants. They'd all been trained in anti-Clan tactics for years, and had fought with distinction against the Smoke Jaguars before and during the counter-offensive. He'd handpicked his people for the operation and was pleased that no one had refused his invitation.
One whole lance of his company came from the First Kathil Uhlans, but the only way to tell that was by identifying the golden lion crest on the 'Mechs' left breasts, since all the 'Mechs in the company had been repainted in the dark blue of the Star League Expeditionary Force. Andrew Redburn led the four of them and, along with two of Victor's own people, brought up the rear of the formation.
The only outsider in the group Victor had included for political reasons. Danai Centrella came from the Periphery state called the Magistracy of Canopus. She had petitioned to join one of the anti-Clan units and, after reviewing her records, Victor had accepted her. He'd assigned her to a Falconer, which was the closest 'Mech he had to the Banshee she normally piloted. She was a valuable addition to his force and, if she acquitted herself well on the battlefield, could be a hero for the Magistracy. And a thorn in Sun-Tzu Liao's side. Though Victor's focus during the trip to the Clan homeworlds had been on rescuing the force on Huntress and putting an end to the Clan invasion, he did, from time to time, try to imagine what was going on back in the Inner Sphere. Sun-Tzu Liao had been made First Lord of the Star League and Victor was fairly well certain that would not prevent him from committing mischief. Better that than mayhem. Having Danai in a position to rally her people to resist Sun-Tzu's influence could easily be a help upon their return.
If we make it back. The narrow draw through which Victor's people had been moving widened into a broad, red-rock valley with soaring cliffs on either side that dwarfed the BattleMechs. In an instant Victor imagined the sort of torrent of water that had carved the sinuous shapes into the rocks coursing again through the valley. We'd all be swept away in an instant—Nature again reminding man that our hopes and desires and hatreds are insignificant.
The Smoke Jaguars had arranged their line across the valley approximately two-thirds of the way into it. Victor counted only nine BattleMechs, but kicked some magnification into his vislight scan. The holographic display before him sharpened and details grew, allowing him to see the Elementals waiting in and around the Clan 'Mechs. Not a surprise. Osis is an Elemental, after all.
Victor glanced at his secondary monitor, then keyed his radio. "I've got a Cauldron-Born, a Masakari, and three Stormcrows that look the most dangerous, at least as far as I can tell here. They've got to go first."
Redburn's voice came back through the speakers. "Roger. Consider the Cauldron-Born our primary. We'll adjust depending on the performance of others."
Danai's Falconer trotted forward and pointed her left-arm PPC at a lone figure silhouetted on top of a small rock outcropping. "Single Elemental, Victor. Think that's the ilKhan?"
"Could be, but let's not make him a primary target. It would be a waste of ordnance, and splashing him might just make them angry." Victor double-checked his 'Mech's weapons status. "I am all green and good to go. Let's move." as the Revenants moved eastward, two smaller, barrel chested 'Mechs began a hook toward the south. The Jackals relied on speed to keep them safe, and a right shoulder-mounted PPC to make them dangerous. Each carried an antimissile system and a small SRM launcher, but the PPC was what they used to pack a punch: While they were not seriously powerful, if they managed to get into the rear of the Clan formation, they definitely could contribute to bringing some of the Smoke Jaguars down.
Three humanoid Clan Hankyus moved south to lengthen the Clan line and make it tough for the Jackals to roll up that flank. Steven Applegarth trotted his boxy, bird-legged Penetrator out in the Jackals' wake. The twin large lasers his 'Mech sported could provide some long-range cover for the smaller 'Mechs and, if the Hankyus didn't scatter by the time he caught up with the Jackals, the Penetrator's array of pulse lasers would prove devastating to them.
Their flanking motion left Victor's Daishi, Danai's Falconer, and the broad-shouldered Devastator as the core of the Inner Sphere front line. Redburn's four Longbows and two Rakshasas made up the second line. The movement in the Clan line brought the Cauldron-Born and Masakari to the fore, with the smaller Stormcrows and a Nova moving around toward the north. as they maneuvered, Victor could see the battle already beginning to evolve. The northern hook would pressure his left flank, forcing him to curve around south. Redburn's people would lag or be exposed to the Stormcrow and Nova attacks. If the heaviest of the Clan's 'Mechs managed to drive toward the southwest, they could sever the Jackal and Penetrator right wing, jusing the Hankyus to keep the right wing busy. The northern forces would attempt to get into his formation's rear and break up Redburn's group.
That's got to be what they're planning, but, as von Moltke noted so long ago, no plan survives contact with the enemy. Victor smiled sheepishly. Let's hope that doesn't apply to mine this time.
The Smoke Jaguars made good use of their weapons' superior range by getting off a first round of shots before the Inner Sphere troops had reached their firing ranges. Two of the Stormcrows fired large lasers at Redburn's group, cooking armor on a Rakshasa and one of the Longbows. The Cauldron-Born only hit with one of its two large lasers and sliced some armor from Victor's Daishi.
Victor looked at the damage on his monitor and laughed. "You've taken worse, Prometheus, and it'll be our turn soon."
The forces closed and the gold dot in the center of Victor's cross hairs flashed as he drifted it across targets. He let it linger for a second on the low-slung, almost insectoid outline of the Cauldron-Born, then shifted to the Masakari coming in to the right of it. The dot pulsed and he cut loose with the Gauss rifle that made up his 'Mech's left forearm and the trio of large lasers built into the right arm.
Engaging the target so far away meant only two of his four shots hit. The silver ball from the Gauss rifle blasted away over half the armor on the bird-legged Masakari's left arm. The verdant laser darts from the pulse laser scorched armor over the right flank, burning away the gray and black jaguar markings there. Neither bits of the damage was serious, but another Gauss rifle slug to the left arm and it could come off, costing the Clan 'Mech the use of two PPCs.
The Masakari fired back at Victor with three PPCs. The two in the damaged left arm missed wide, but the single beam from the right arm tagged the Daishi in the left flank. Smoking armor plates sloughed off like dead skin and littered the ground in Victor's wake.
The Cauldron-Born also shot at the Daishi. Only the large laser built into its
right arm hit its target. The beam vaporized armor on Prometheus' left arm, matching the damage previously done to the right arm. What Victor found significant about the Cauldron-Born's attack, and the Masakari's attack before it, was that the Smoke Jaguars had clearly abandoned any pretext of honor by maintaining their warrior tradition of single combat against a single foe.
Either they've decided to deny me that honor, or they figure I'm in here and want me to the here. He shrugged. No matter. Just makes what we're going to do that much easier.
He keyed his radio. "General Redburn, you are free to fire,"
The Longbows Andy Redburn commanded were vaguely humanoid in shape, at least from feet to shoulders and head, but at the arm the resemblance ended. Instead of having fully articulated arms as did so many other 'Mechs, the Longbows sported only massive cylindrical pods intended to launch LRMs. And the Rakshasas, with their forward-thrust torsos and bird legs, looked nothing like the Longbows except that on their shoulders rested boxy LRM launchers, and they carried large lasers just like the one built into the Longbow's chest.
The missile barrage arrived in waves that washed fire over the Cauldron-Born. The Clan 'Mech jerked up and down with each battering spread of missiles. The green beams of the large lasers slashed through the dust and smoke, evaporating armor and starting in on the myomers on the Clan 'Mech's left leg and arm. As the cloud surrounding it cleared the only pristine armor it still had covered its chest. Its arms had been stripped bare along with the left leg.
Danai Centrella fired at the Masakari with her ranged weapons. An argent blur sped from her Gauss rifle to crater armor on the center of the Clan 'Mech's chest. The PPC in her 'Mech's arm drilled a bolt of blue fire into the Masakari's right flank, doubling up on the damage Victor had already done. More important, the Masakari's pilot couldn't counter the devastating physical effects of Danai's shots. The Clan 'Mech crashed down on its left arm, scraping armor as it came to a sparking stop,
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