Bloodname

by Robert Thurston

  As Pershaw gave further moving orders and started his own unit, Alpha Striker Nova, on the attack, he saw many holes in his line of battle. These openings might be just what the Clan Wolf warriors needed to rush through and trap the Jade Falcons in a pincer movement.

  * * *

  Dwillt Radick was thinking trap. He knew that Pershaw was committing virtually his entire Cluster to this engagement, while Radick was able to maintain a Nova in reserve. Perhaps he should have brought in all his troops, too. Overwhelmed Pershaw, taken the contract for the genetic package, and lifted off this hellhole. But even with the troops he now commanded, he should be able to defeat Pershaw and his backwater warriors. The secret was to do so without losing too much of his own force.

  Craig Ward, already in the thick of battle, firing off laser pulses as he guided his Ice Ferret's magnificent strides forward, found himself coming under the fire of Pershaw's Charlie Nova. The Ice Ferret rocked as two Jade Falcon 'Mechs, a Summoner and a Mist Lynx, fired simultaneously trying to disable his left-arm laser cannon. Rotating his 'Mech's torso, he wheeled on them. Firing at them alternately, Ward sent shards of armor hurtling through the air. The Mist Lynx, damaged by Ward's ambuscade, wavered on its feet before it went stumbling forward. Just as Ward was ready to finish the 'Mech off, he was diverted by heavy fire from the Summoner. Peering out his viewport, he saw a thick hunk of armor fly past. It was a moment before he realized it was a slab from his own 'Mech.

  * * *

  Kael Pershaw had scored well in academics during warrior training, amassing some of the highest cadet ratings in the history of the Ironhold Training Center. He could see now, as the Clan Wolf 'Mechs surged forward, passing the Elementals who were engaged in a standoff in the center of the field, that the left-flank attack was failing and the center would soon be driven back. Among the Jade Falcon forces, only the right flank, apparently inspired by Charlie Assault Nova, was making any headway. Some Clan Wolf 'Mechs were being edged backward toward the slope leading to Blood Swamp. But Kael Pershaw's forces were being separated too widely, divided too much. Only disaster could come of that.

  When Pershaw gave the order for strategic retreat, Lanja came quickly on the commline: "It is too soon. You will look cowardly."

  "Only for the moment. We need to regroup. We discussed this in our prebattle briefing. You and I agreed that the second phase of the assault was more than likely to occur. Order your Points back, leaving the packs behind."

  Pershaw knew that his next tactic might be considered questionable in some circles, but as the saying went, nothing was truly unfair in a war.

  * * *

  "They have their tails between their legs, Craig Ward," Dwillt Radick shouted excitedly.

  "Do not be too sure of that, Star Captain."

  "No. They are weak now. Pursue!"

  "Perhaps we should just allow them their dignity and-"

  "Dignity! What a foul word! Pursue!"

  Craig Ward wondered why Dwillt Radick would place such high priority on courtesy but have no regard for dignity. Now, however, in the midst of combat was not the time to challenge his superior officer. "Yes, sir," was all he said.

  As the charging Clan Wolf BattleMechs passed over the packs dropped by the Jade Falcon Elementals, the vibrations of their heavy tread set off the vibrabomb charges in the packs. The force of the explosions and the subsequent shrapnel sent armor flying through the smoke, smashed operating machinery beneath the armor, cut wires and, in one case, sent a Gargoyle crashing to the ground. The impact not only killed its pilot but crushed more than a Point of Clan Wolf Elementals that had been pursuing their Clan Jade Falcon counterparts.

  In his aptly named Hellbringer, Kael Pershaw permitted himself a satisfied smile. The odds were a bit reduced now. They were still in Clan Wolf favor, but for the moment, the retreat was covered.

  The next phase of the battle would be near Glory Station itself, where he could run supplies, especially ammunition, out on a shorter line while forcing the Wolves to stretch out their supply lines. He wondered if he should have set up barricades. They would have to be enormous to conceal 'Mechs, and besides, there was something distasteful about entire units firing from cover. Had there been time to construct them, he might have been tempted anyway.

  Looking back as the smoke cleared, Pershaw saw the field littered not only with the ruined Gargoyle and the fallen Elementals from both sides, but also with hundreds of shards of ceramic and metal, the detritus of the battle. The Clan Wolf forces had apparently ceased their pursuit. Behind them Blood Swamp was catching the light oddly, lending a reddish glow to the entire scene.

  He thought of the possible reinforcements somewhere beyond the rim of the swamp and anticipated the difference they could make to this battle. But he had heard nothing from any of them since the departure of Star Commander Jorge and the rescue Star. That meant nothing, for everyone knew how easily the swamp and the jungle beyond it distorted even those communications that did get through. Crash survivors and rescue party could both still be out there.

  Kael Pershaw could never have dreamed that he would one day be so devoutly wishing to see Star Commander Jorge and his stinking freebirth miscreants taking their places in a noble Clan battle.

  13

  "Aid—ah, Jorge, there is something on my shoulder."

  "Star Captain Joanna, in this clime some insects find their way into the cockpits, but you need not—"

  "No, fool! I do not mean my own shoulder. I mean Ter's."

  "Ter's?"

  "I forgot, you would not know. I have named my 'Mech Ter. And make no remarks. It is not a mark of admiration, but of hate."

  "I thought the two of you were close."

  "I served under Ter Roshak. I did not like him."

  "You went after me and brought me back to Iron-hold for Ter Roshak."

  "That is true. But I did not want to do it. And I did not want you to return. That whole second-chance idea of his was madness."

  "You think Ter Roshak mad?"

  "Jorge, this is useless chatter. What do I do about the thing on my 'Mech's shoulder?"

  "What does it look like?"

  "I cannot tell. It is a large shape. I can feel the 'Mech tilt to the right because of its weight. It appears to be a catlike animal."

  "Oh. That is probably a tree puma. Several of them prowl this jungle. They are black, sometimes even blacker than the jungle itself. We detect them, as you just did, and sometimes there is enough light to reflect off their eyes. It is quite eerie. No one has ever captured one. No one has ever wanted to. It will ride along for a while, then jump off onto a tree branch. They have never been detected on the ground."

  Aidan noted the clamor of sounds all around them. On top of the many wildlife noises and the rustling of leaves was the almost continual crunch of the Point 'Mechs carving a path out of the jungle. Aidan had ordered the most direct route possible to the battle site, figured as accurately as distorted sensor readings could make it. Mixing with these sounds, usually preceded by light flashes, came the sounds of the battle going on in the distance. Aidan was navigating by these as much as from his own calculations.

  "It is gone," Joanna said suddenly. "The tree puma. I never even felt it spring. It was there one moment, then gone the next."

  Behind her, Nomad had fallen asleep, a look of pain on his face. He had said that a throbbing in his shoulder worried him, and that he hoped Joanna would rush in and save the Jade Falcons instantly so he could get some medical treatment.

  Her primary screen recorded scene after scene of what looked like the same area of jungle. She wondered how anyone could find the way through this wild place. She was about to ask Aidan more questions about the swamp, when Horse's raspy, unpleasant voice cut into the open channel. "Star Commander!"

  Anger rose in her at the audacity of the miserable freebirth. She, after all, was the ranking officer, and he should report to her. The naming of Aidan as guide out of the swamp was a delegation, not a substitutio
n. Only the urgency in Horse's voice kept her from some sharp reprimand. "Report, Horse," Aidan said. "I have a pair of magnetic anomalies moving toward us right at the edge of sensor range. They could be ours, but I doubt it. One of the signatures is definitely that of a Stormcrow. The last Stormcrow we had in the Garrison Cluster was the one that malfunctioned and was shipped out."

  "They are Clan Wolf then?"

  "I believe so."

  "If we can see them, there is a good chance they have detected us. We will have to take them out, quiaff?"

  "Aff."

  "Commander, let me remind you," came Joanna's cool voice over the commlink, "that I am the ranking officer here. I am the one to decide who is to fight these intruders."

  The phrase with all due respect was becoming heavy on his tongue, but Aidan used it anyway: "With all due respect, Captain, Horse and I have experience in this locale, on this planet, in fact. We are able to compensate for its difficulties. It would be better for us to face this pair while the rest of you remain back as—"

  "May I remind you, Commander, that not only are you the subordinate here, but you also wear the dark band. I have to treat any protest as a violation of the law of the band. You will come with me to face the intruders. Everyone else, remain behind."

  As they moved away, heading toward the Clan Wolf 'Mechs, Horse spoke to Aidan over the private comm-line: "I'll cover you, Jorge. She won't even know I'm in the vicinity."

  "Thank you, Horse. If Joanna's folly sends me into the quicksand, be sure and set a memorial stone into the nearest tree."

  A quick glance at the configurations of the terrain map now on his secondary screen showed Aidan that they would undoubtedly encounter the interlopers a short distance into Blood Swamp itself. Joanna's inexperience with the jungle and the swamp was slowing them down. Aidan had to act as point and clear the way for her. The positioning might have satisfied her need for tribute, but it did not make for an efficient mission.

  As they crossed into the swamp, the passage actually became somewhat easier, but no faster. Aidan was cautious, not wanting to take his Summoner into any suddenly deep waters. On the screen he saw that the Clan Wolf 'Mechs had definitely spotted them and were heading their way.

  "Jorge."

  "Yes?"

  "I may be having a neurohelmet malfunction. It feels as if I am walking in a dream."

  "It is no malfunction. It is the sensation of the 'Mech's movement through the swamp. Basically, it is no different from a person going on foot through a swampy area. The normal stride changes, which gives a feeling of uncertainty as each foot comes down. The adjustments that a 'Mech must make are quite similar, and we feel it in our neurohelmets. Once you have been in Blood Swamp a few times, you will get used to it."

  "I doubt that."

  Joanna was wondering if duty at Glory Station was going to be all swamp and disorientation. A warrior was supposed to adjust to whatever conditions he or she found, but all she could see was absurdity in the prospect of battle in this godforsaken region.

  As the two pairs of 'Mechs closed in on one another, the TBS began to crinkle with static. Their enemies were apparently trying to contact them, Aidan realized. Working with the controls, he tried to divert the static to another channel and keep the voices on their intended frequency. He could not completely eliminate the static, but he did manage to hear the voice of the Stormcrow's pilot.

  "Identify yourself and your unit strength," he was saying. It was the tail end of a ritual of challenge.

  "I am not required to—"

  "Jorge, it is my right to respond."

  "Suit yourself."

  "We are Clan Jade Falcon," she said. "I am Star Captain Joanna, of the Falcon Guards. Our numbers do not concern you if you are Clan Wolf."

  "We are proud to identify ourselves as Clan Wolf. We are scouts, searching this area. Are you bid into the battle?"

  "Of course we are."

  "You speak with a freebirth accent."

  The insult was deep, a deliberate provocation. Even someone from Clan Wolf would know that there were no freeborns in the Falcon Guards.

  Instead of responding with words, Joanna shot off several bursts from her autocannon. Aidan noted that she had obviously powered her weaponry back up. The shots went nowhere. Rustled a few leaves, maybe, woke up a tree puma, perhaps, but they were otherwise no more than the shot across the bow from ancient naval history. Horse, apparently near enough for his voice to travel over the private channel, laughed softly.

  Aidan recognized that the other scout 'Mech was an Adder. Like the Stormcrow, it was lighter than either of the 'Mechs he and Joanna piloted. The swamp tended to nullify any differences in weight or weaponry, however. Of the four warriors, Aidan realized that he was the only one with experience in Blood Swamp. He was elated, thinking that he could not lose. He could, in fact, dispose of both enemies at once.

  Without awaiting instructions from Joanna, Aidan literally waded into battle. When Joanna realized what he was up to, she yelled through the commlink: "Stop! I will not have this insubordination. Commander, respond."

  Aidan remained silent and moved on.

  "For this, Star Commander Jorge, we will meet in the Circle of Equals."

  "Kael Pershaw has abolished the Circle on Glory," Aidan said, not stopping.

  She watched him through the viewport as he and his Summoner disappeared into a heavy mist. Continuing to track him, she saw that he was only thirty or so meters from the Clan Wolf 'Mechs. Following him, she next saw that he had opened fire. His first shots appeared to hit the enemy Adder dead-center.

  "This is grandstanding, you freebirth filth," she muttered, knowing that Aidan would not be listening even if there had been communications between them. But someone else was, and his voice startled her. She had forgotten that Nomad was even in the 'Mech, secure in a pull-out passenger seat.

  "What did you say?" he asked.

  She jumped, startled.

  "It does not matter what I said, Nomad. I did not say it to you. Hold on tight. We are going into combat." She headed her Hellbringer toward the fray, annoyed to see that Aidan had already succeeded with one of the Clan Wolf 'Mechs. The Adder had fallen backward. Only the trunk of the tree kept it from lying flat in murky water. There seemed to be no movement from the 'Mech or its pilot. Aidan was exchanging laser fire with the Stormcrow, and damage reports showed, as accurately as her sensors could, that Aidan was definitely holding the advantage. The Stormcrow was rocked by one hit after another.

  Suddenly Joanna's Hellbringer slipped sideways, as its foot slid into deep muck. Then the 'Mech's other foot also slid forward and seemed about to tip backward on its heel. Using all her best concentration, melding with the pulses from the neurohelmet, Joanna steadied the machine, keeping it from landing unceremoniously on its hind end or back. However, once she was in a vertical position again, she realized that the 'Mech's foot was stuck. Nothing she did seemed to affect the suctionlike grip of the mysterious muck on her 'Mech's leg.

  As she cursed her fate roundly, she saw that the battle between Aidan's 'Mech and the Stormcrow was moving away from her, the Clan Wolf machine moving backward, either from Aidan's marksmanship or as a retreat. She slapped her throttle forward in a desperate attempt to wrench her 'Mech free. Suddenly the jury-rigged navigation and communications console exploded in a cascade of sparks and the 'Mech shut itself down. She was now on her own in a place she had never been, her 'Mech at least temporarily disabled, separated from the rest of the unit, and with no idea of how to get out of bloody Blood Swamp.

  In the pale glow of the darkened screens that turned their faces an eerie gray, Nomad watched Joanna's shoulders slump heavily.

  "We seem to be in a bit of trouble?" he said, barely able to keep from showing his own amusement by laughing.

  Only the darkness and the restraining straps of Joanna's seat kept her from murdering Nomad on the spot.

  14

  The hiatus in the battle gave both sides a chance
to perform field repairs and recharge weapons. The normal Clan tactic would have been for the Wolves to charge forward and take advantage of the disarray of the Clan Jade Falcon retreat. Kael Pershaw was surprised when Radick and Clan Wolf seemed to hold back. The damage done by the Elementals' subterfuge had apparently made Radick cautious, at least temporarily.

  Though the lack of pursuit allowed the Glory Station Garrison Cluster a chance to regroup, it nevertheless disappointed Pershaw. He had planned to send Charlie Assault Nova around to the left flank, where the unit would have attempted to target one or two 'Mechs at the edge, unload their weaponry on them, and take them out of action. The maneuver would have been unClanlike, because it did not pit single 'Mechs against one another, but Pershaw decided that his best chance was to attempt to reduce Clan Wolf numbers through what had once been known as hit-and-run tactics. The fight could resume more ritualistically when the odds were more even. He knew that Dwillt Radick would also improvise if he were the underdog. Situations often demanded compromise, and so he would have to save this particular tactic for another time, perhaps another war.

  Pershaw strode on foot around the open area outside Glory Station, taking the time to inspire his warriors. He climbed up to several 'Mech cockpits, disdaining the use of a field howdah. Opening hatchways and shouting through them, he told the pilots that when the battle resumed, they should fire steadily and await their chance to pounce on a weakness. Walking among the Elementals, conscious of how much each one towered over him, he congratulated them on the success of their hastily laid minefield, and urged them to fight on with their accustomed bravery.

  Lanja meanwhile left her Command Point and walked over to him. In combat, they were as formal as was appropriate for commander and aide.

  "Some news, Star Colonel," Lanja said.

  "What is it?"

  "We have two more BattleMechs to add to the Cluster. Mech Warrior Nis, one of Star Commander Jorge's warriors, has led the 'Mech of a survivor from the DropShip crash into the south gateway to the station.