Marshal Harrison Bradford leaned forward across the table and looked her straight in the eye. "This was not an attempt on MacLeod's life. This was a military strike. But know this. I will use any and all means at my disposal to enforce the will of Archon Prince Victor Steiner-Davion. This is a military operation, Colonel. We are not here to win favor or to fight some sort of Clanlike test of honor. You and MacLeod may have an understanding about how you want this battle to be waged, but I am not governed by that"
"Yes, sir." Mulvaney was having a hard time with the pressure she was under. It wasn't just that she was now supposed to be the head of one of the Inner Sphere's most important merc units, but that they were involved in a kind of civil war. The strain was a lot more than anything she'd known as an executive officer. Despite the official orders, she did not feel like the commanding officer of the Highlanders, only terribly, desperately alone. She hadn't wanted to leave Colonel MacLeod and the rest of her command.
She'd had no choice. It was a sacrifice. But whatever happened next, Chastity Mulvaney was determined to prevail. Failure was not in her makeup.
"What will you do next, sir?" she asked.
Bradford Harrison smiled, but his flat grin was one of dominance. Mulvaney was his to manipulate and control, for now at least. "That depends on you and what you think MacLeod's next move might be. I'm not going to assume that any of the key command staff were wiped out. Chances are we only managed to knock out their communications capabilities and inflicted some minor losses. So, Colonel Mulvaney, assuming that MacLeod has survived our first strike, how will your former CO respond?"
Mulvaney pondered the question for a moment, thinking about the Colonel and everything he'd ever taught her. "William MacLeod is an emotional man. The attack on the command post must have infuriated him, and now he's also frustrated by his inability to engage us over the past few days. I'd say that right now he's regrouping while preparing to launch a counterstrike. We have some time, but I'd be willing to bet he'll make his move in the next day or so. I can see him sending his troops into an escalated forward advance and catching us on the flats of the river banks. It'll be his lighter recon lances and 'Mechs. The heavies are going to get tied down in the forest, which will work in our favor."
"He'll hit our rear then," Catelli said.
Chastity shook her head. "Not necessarily. He's pretty crafty and likes keeping his opponent off balance. He might send an advance force to strike at the middle of our column. Given the thick forests and the faster rate of travel along the river banks, he may not have an option, though. I'd reinforce the north bank forces and the rear of the columns."
"Excellent. Now then, what I'd like is for us to be in a position to turn back on him and pound his forces when he engages," the Marshal said.
"With all due respect, Marshal, I don't think such a move is prudent. Even with the help of the NAIS power armor we're still outgunned and outnumbered. The river banks are wide, but cut our ability to bring our full force to bear quickly enough. By the time we turn to flank, MacLeod will have disappeared into the forests. And for each minute we're bogged down trying to engage him, he'll be able to bring more of his heavier and slower 'Mech forces to bear. Engaging him directly when he strikes could turn against us too quickly."
"What is the status of his aerospace elements?" Catelli asked.
The Marshal shuffled through the small stack of papers in front of him, scanning for the right report. Finding it, his tight grin broadened. "Last reports have them on their DropShips about a third of the way to the nadir jump point ... well beyond the point of being able to turn back to help MacLeod. I've ordered our decoy DropShips to hold their position to keep the Highlander ships moving away from Northwind."
"Marshal, aren't you worried about the damage those fighters are going to do to your reinforcements?"
The Davion Marshal's grin didn't fail at all. "Plans are in place to make sure that my unit arrives unscathed, Colonel Mulvaney. Don't worry yourself about the details of that operation. You help us deal with MacLeod's Regiment, and I'll worry about getting reinforcements onto Northwind intact.
"Up until now, this has been a conflict that could be written off as an 'incident.' If MacLeod had capitulated after last night, we could have stopped this whole thing. But if MacLeod launches an attack against loyal FedCom troops, it will be interpreted as outright insurrection."
"So what do you think, Mulvaney? Should we simply continue on toward The Castle?" Catelli asked.
This discussion was becoming more and more painful for Mulvaney, with the future of the Highlanders so obviously at stake. "Yes and no," she said slowly. "We need to plan a surprise or two for MacLeod when he shows up. Bloody his nose a little and let him pull back thinking we're in pursuit. If we do it right he'll believe we're falling into his trap. While he thinks we're coming after him, we move at full speed on to The Castle."
"Any ideas about how to slow him down?" Catelli asked.
For the first time since leaving MacLeod's Highlanders, Chastity Mulvaney smiled. "As a matter of fact I do ..."
* * *
Loren pushed the throttle forward as the Gallowglas plowed through the forest growth in virtual darkness. He and the rest of the regimental command security lance had volunteered for the duty of fire support for the raid, a duty he didn't mind. It was, after all, much better than slowly slogging his way through the forest to the river bank over the next day. With any luck they'd be flanking Mulvaney's position on the river by the time Major Huff reached his station.
The battle plan that MacLeod and Huff had pulled together was fairly sound considering the limited resources and time that had gone into planning the operation after the raid. Huff was going to move forward with a full company of light and fast-moving medium 'Mechs and strike at the rear of Mulvaney's columns from both banks of the Tilman River. According to the digital readout in his cockpit, the attack would begin in a matter of minutes.
Meanwhile Fuller's lance with Jaffray in tow was going to move further upriver through the forest. Several minutes after the initial engagement, Huff's force would try to lure Mulvaney off to the southeast. As she fell back the Security Lance would strike them square in their flank from the forest. The pincer move would hopefully crush the rear of their column and lure Mulvaney and Catelli's forces into some sort of a pursuit action ... which would lead them into the bulk of MacLeod's Highlanders.
Colonel MacLeod had again emphasized his rules of engagement. They would deal with Catelli's Consul Guards as hostile foes, no quarter given. As for the renegade Highlanders under Mulvaney's command, the rules were different. Killing was to be avoided if at all possible. Restraint was the watchword. In the heat of battle waged by BattleMechs capable of leveling an entire city, it would be impossible to prevent all losses, but MacLeod hoped to prevent as much senseless destruction as possible. It was almost as though he viewed this as a trial of honor for those who had broken ranks.
Loren ran a short-range scan but did not pick up any signs of the river or of the renegade Highlanders. The tactical map told him he was close, but thus far there was no sign of the enemy. No matter. The battle was at hand. He could feel it, smell it, hear it. It was something his grandfather had called "The Sensation"—a combination of a rush of heat and sweat, a tingle in the fingertips, and a dryness in the throat. Yes, the fighting was about to erupt. Loren reached over and ran another scan, this time finally detecting the edge of the riverbank.
"Go, Maroon. Say again, go Maroon!" came a voice over the commline. The code words from Huff's command indicated that he was engaging the rear vanguard of Mulvaney and Catelli's force. Even though the fight was at least four kilometers distant, the signal only confirmed The Sensation. Loren's heart raced faster. Per the plan, he and the rest of the Security Lance halted their advance and turned toward the river. There they were to wait a full five minutes, scanning the forest around them, ready to rush to the river and directly into the flank of Mulvaney's task force.
The pause was enough to bring Loren to the edge of a frenzy. He ran a high-level diagnostic on his Gallowglas to make sure the trek through the forest hadn't undone any of the work done by the Highlander techs. The only problems seemed minor. Despite its battleworn appearance, the 'Mech was more than ready to engage.
"Go, Gold. Security Lance Code Gold! Go, Gold!" Lieutenant Fuller's voice boomed. The time had finally come.
The forest was dense and every step toward the river bank required the pilots to use their war machines as gigantic wedges, plowing their way through the trees and thick undergrowth. Loren's short-range scanners picked up several heat images as they neared the river, and the computers identified them as a lance of Galleon light tanks as he closed on the targets. Loren picked up several other confused readings at the maximum range of his sensors, but could not yet determine what they were. It didn't matter at this point. He and the rest of the lance would know soon enough.
The Gallowglas broke through the wall of trees and onto the bright sands of the river bed, and it was obvious that the attack was going well. The lance of Galleon tanks was just downriver from Loren's position and moving in a zigzag motion that let them occasionally turn and fire at the advance 'Mechs of Huff's attack force. The light conventional tanks were not the only vehicles moving into view. Five Pegasus scout hover tanks skimmed across the surface of the Tilman, managing to keep Huff's force from totally overrunning Mulvaney and her Davion allies. Loren could tell that the tanks had not detected his Security Lance as it moved to cut off their retreat.
Then the sensors came alive with magnetic anomaly readings consistent with the containment fields of fusion reactors—'Mech engines. He turned and saw that Mulvaney and Catelli were sending reinforcements after Huff and the Security Lance. Four light and medium 'Mechs were approaching downriver, giving Fuller's Security Lance only a few short minutes to act.
"Concentrate your fire on those hovercraft and the Galleons," came Fuller's voice over the comm channel. "When I give the word we turn and hit those babies. Have at 'em, boys and girls!" Loren leveled his extended-range PPC and blasted at one of the two Pegasus hover tanks moving across to the far side of the river to flank Huff's troops. Ten years ago the hovercraft would have been out of range, but the new modifications to his PPC let Loren hit his target. The brilliant blue energy blast sheared both the hovercraft and the water, sending an explosive spray of steam and boiled-off armor into the air. The impact was so powerful that the course of the Pegasus diverted to the shore line where the craft collided with a tree stump, abruptly slamming it to a drifting halt.
The Davion Pegasus and its sister craft now knew that the Security Lance was there. Fuller's Shadow Hawk fired its jump jets and rose to meet the Galleons as they also turned to face the threat of the Security Lance. The Davion tanks and hovercraft could see that it made more sense to take on the four 'Mechs of the Security Lance than fight the full company of Huff's light BattleMechs nipping at their heels.
Loren fired his PPC again, this time feeling the full wash of heat in the cockpit as the weapon discharged. This shot hit the same craft squarely in the side as it turned upriver to face its assailant. There was a brilliant flash of light as the armor exploded off the Pegasus, showering down onto the river. The wounded hovercraft teetered slightly in the middle of its turn as the driver fought to control the craft. The driver knows the fight is almost over for him, Loren thought. Now it's only a question of whether he can survive or not.
Frutchey and Fuller had accidentally concentrated their fire at the approaching lead Galleon, raining a barrage of laser, missile, and cannon fire down on the small tank. The tank twisted under the explosions as if it were made of wax and been tossed into a cauldron. It exploded, its remains showering onto its sister tanks. The Galleons continued to press onward into the fire of the rest of the Security Lance.
From upriver Loren's sensors told him that the Davion/ Mulvaney reinforcements were still closing, but were moving somewhat slower than he would have expected. He leveled his PPC at the Pegasus he'd been battering and targeted it. As the crosshairs locked onto the craft Loren found himself wishing he could somehow spare the crew. This was not a fair fight, a 'Mech against a much lighter hovercraft. Even in a normal tank he would outmass the lighter Consul Guard vehicle and could easily outgun the smaller machine. For the driver and his crew, continuing the attack was suicide. By now the driver's own sensors would be registering the weapons lock of Loren's PPC. If there was a time for him to surrender, it was now.
Still the Pegasus did not flee. Instead the driver did exactly the opposite, accelerating to cut across the river, swinging into a direct intercept with Loren's Gallowglas. The move caught Loren off guard, but he knew that couldn't be its intent. He held his fire. What in the name of the Liao is he up to? I could see one driver and crew seeking a glorious death in a pitched fight, but this is just a raid. And it's not just one, but all of them pushing into us. Why? Unless he knows something we don't...
"Trap!" Loren transmitted to every friendly 'Mech that could hear him.
23
Tilman River Valley Northwind
Draconis March, Federated Commonwealth
29 September 3057
"It's a trap!" Loren hissed. He'd no more than uttered the words when he saw the deep waters of the Tilman open up as a lance of heavy 'Mechs rose out of them.
"Maroon and Gold Leaders, heavies in the river." He fired his PPC at the approaching Pegasus, hitting it squarely in the turret. The hover tank vaporized just as it was about to pass the concealed 'Mechs, its magazine of short-range missiles exploding all at once, disemboweling the craft and turning it inside out in a massive ball of fire and black smoke.
The heavy 'Mechs rose out of the water to standing positions and slowly moved forward, opening fire on Frutchey and Fuller with a full spread of missiles and lasers. A renegade Highlander Mauler locked onto Loren's Gallowglas with a barrage of long-range missiles and a pair of large lasers. The warning siren of the target lock had given Loren barely a moment to react by turning his 'Mech slightly into the incoming wave of fire. Only a handful of the missiles actually hit him, striking the Gallowglas in the upper right torso and battering the armor plating there. One of the large laser shots went wide alongside his cockpit, while another dug deeply into his center torso near the fusion reactor.
Loren's 'Mech reeled, stepping to the side and backward at the impact and the recoil of the exploding armor. They must have used underwater ledges to hide their reactor signatures ... pretty damned tricky.
The image of the 'Mechs rising from the water stirred Loren more than he knew. He remembered his own trap during the recent exercise on Krin for a moment, then his thoughts turned to his father. The two had never been close. As a Death Commando himself, Loren's father had been absent more than not, leaving the boy's upbringing to his grandfather. He had died in the line of duty when Loren was still a child, and for the rest of his life Loren never forgave his father for not returning. The memory rose now like a ghost from a grave.
His father had died fighting underwater.
Loren throttled his 'Mech to top speed and darted down the river bank toward what was left of the Galleon lance. Being on dry land, he could move his machine at a run, but the 'Mechs wading from the water were still moving slowly against the force of it.
Two PPC shots followed him but missed as he ran. He turned slowly to see exactly what he and the rest of the Security Lance were facing. The ambushing lance consisted of a Mauler, a Caesar, an Axman, and a Marauder II. It was the last 'Mech, the one closest to him, that caught Loren's attention. From the paint scheme and the model of the machine he knew both BattleMech and MechWarrior all too well. Mulvaney! Her 'Mech's massive PPCs turned toward him. She's mine! he exulted, partly from rivalry and partly because he hoped to break the spirit of the Highlander renegades by besting her. Loren did not want to see her dead, merely stopped. For some reason that he could not measure or touch, he wanted Chastity Mulv
aney to live and survive.
Loren's communication system barked to life. "Major Jaffray," came the voice over the cockpit speaker. "I lost to you once in a test of honor. Are you read for a reversal of fortune?" Mulvaney's voice filled the small space, cutting through the hot humid air like a stiff breeze. Loren twisted his torso to dodge a pair of SRMs fired from the ambushers, but never lifted his gaze from the Marauder's image. He admired Mulvaney's bravado and couldn't help thinking that she'd have made a superb Death Commando.
"If it's a fight you want, you've got it, lady. Prepare for a repeat of our last match," he said. Rather than simply turning and firing, Loren brought his jump jets on line and tied them to the foot pedal controls. Throttling full forward he leaped the BattleMech upward into the sky over the Tilman River. It was going to be a short jump, but his battle with Mulvaney would be up close and personal. If anybody was going to face Mulvaney in combat he wanted it to be him.
But the jump was only one of the bold actions he was going to have to make. In less than a heartbeat he came up with a plan. One that involved risk, a fight in or around the deep waters of the Tilman River. A chill ran down his spine at the thought Loren did not like fighting under water. The hardest thing he had ever done was in the training exercise just prior to this mission. But this would be different if it worked. A contest of skills in the water. I won't end up like him ... like my father. I won't die the way they said he did.
Most Mech Warriors, when they know that someone is attempting to jump on them, would fire and wait till the last minute to move and throw off their attacker. Loren was surprised when Mulvaney fired her Marauder's jump jets as well. Her 'Mech was still below him as it slowly rose out of the river and into the air. Loren pushed his jets even harder and the heat in the cockpit rose by five degrees. His eyes stung from the sweat inside his neurohelmet as he rose over the Marauder II.
Highlander Gambit Page 20
