Highlander Gambit

by Blaine Lee Pardoe

  "Sir! They're Highlanders. I show them as MacLeod's 'Mechs!" Frutchey's voice boomed.

  "Are you sure, tinhead?" cut in Fuller's voice.

  Suddenly the transmission signal was interrupted by a familiar voice that filled their cockpits and cut through the tension like a steely cold knife. "Major Loren Jaffray," came Colonel MacLeod's resonant voice.

  "Jaffray reporting, sir," Loren replied as he and Carey came to a stop just short of Frutchey's Warhammer.

  "This is MacLeod, laddie. I appreciate you holding down the front for us. Help has finally arrived." Loren let go a long sigh of relief, but that didn't release all his tension. MacLeod's arrival surprised him in more ways than one. Arriving several days early meant that MacLeod must have pushed hard to get here, perhaps even pulling 'Mechs away from the assault on The Castle. It was impressive and spoke volumes about the leadership of the Highlander CO.

  Now he would have to explain why he had sent Mister Pluncket into the mountains to MacLeod. Major Huff, he was sure, would never approve. How could Loren be sure that even MacLeod would support that desperate decision?

  33

  South of Tara Northwind

  Draconis March, Federated Commonwealth

  17 October 3057

  All four members of Jaffray's recon lance stood in the shade of a massive willow as Colonel MacLeod went over their findings. The regimental intelligence officer, Captain Dumfries, and one of his aides were there too, poring over their notes and the laser images that the lance had managed to capture during their recon of Tara. Both men seemed to treat the information as if it were some sort of treasure, precious and delicate. MacLeod was silent for a long time, apparendy thinking over his options. Several times he spoke to Captain Dumfries in a low whisper as they checked and re-checked the maps.

  "You've all done remarkably well," he said finally to Loren. "The terrain information you obtained helped us moved the regiment out days ahead of schedule. More important you've uncovered a trap that would have taken the lives of thousands of Highlanders and our kin in the city. This is no small achievement and I thank you all for the work you have done. I know the communications blackout was hard on you, but you understand that we didn't want to risk tipping off the Royals that we were underway."

  Loren relaxed slightly as he looked into the steely gray eyes of the Highlander CO. "Sir, what happened back at The Castle?"

  "It took us slightly longer than expected, but once we penetrated the upper tunnels it was only a matter of time. The Gurkhas infantry are topnotch and managed to do a pretty fair job, even though they were fighting their own kindred. I began to move some of our heavier BattleMechs out toward your position here while we secured the rest of the bunker. When all was said and done there turned out to be only ten 'Mechs and two platoons of infantry holding us at bay. As you predicted, Major, the bulk of their forces had been shuffled to the training camp in the mountains. They went there the long way, but now they're sitting on the highway only a few days outside of Tara."

  Loren felt some satisfaction at this news. Major Huff had been adamant that Catelli and Mulvaney would not head for the mountains. It was reassuring to know that he, Loren, had been right on the money in predicting their actions.

  "How did you manage to get the regiment moving this way without the Third Royals spotting you?" he asked. Loren knew that if the Royals had detected MacLeod's Highlanders closing on Tara they'd have mobilized and set out after them in force.

  The Colonel beamed with pride. "Just a little sleight of hand. We took the crippled 'Mechs from both sides and moved them about on the river banks and on the topside of the falls. Our tech crews towed them from one end of the river to the other, repositioned them, and even painted them at night. Some were outfitted with salvaged weaponry parts so that every time the Davions did a flyover it looked like many different 'Mechs were moving in and around The Castle. In reality we were sneaking through the woods on your trail."

  "So you're the vanguard of the rest of the regiment?"

  MacLeod nodded. "In a manner of speaking. You've got to remember that our ground armor isn't really suited for the terrain between here and The Castle. I sent them to the upper Tilman, where right this minute they're providing the illusion that we're heading for the camp ... just as Catelli and Mulvaney would have hoped. I had to commit some of our lighter 'Mechs to bolster the illusion, but I doubt they've pieced it together yet.

  "The only bad news is that moving an entire regiment under cover is slower than moving one recon lance. We're spread a little thin, but Major Huff has assured me that when the Fusiliers land we'll be at full force here."

  "Time's running out, sir," Captain Carey said. "Stirling's Fusiliers will be arriving on schedule and that puts them here in three days. You've seen our reports. If they get tricked into landing at the spaceport they'll be wiped out in one big blast."

  MacLeod shook his head adamandy. "I assure you, Captain, that will not happen, not as long as I'm alive and able to fight. Captain Dumfries and I have put together a plan. It's risky, though, given the odds against us."

  Loren stepped forward. "Tell us what you want us to do, sir."

  "The plan is simple really. When we first got started on this little venture, Marshal Bradford knocked out my HQ and communications system. And now I plan to return the favor in spades. We'll hit Tara from three different directions at once. Two of those will be feints designed to lure out the BattleMechs they've been hiding. The third group will drive for Peace Park.

  "Once there that force will do one of two things. Their first priority will be to take control of the communications van and transmit a warning to Colonel Stirling about the trap. If they can't take the van intact, the team will destroy it in hopes its destruction will tip off Stirling before she touches down. Frankly I'd rather use The Fort's or the spaceport's transmitter, but there's no way we can field enough forces to get either of them back in the time we've got."

  Loren was impressed by the daring plan. "Sounds good, sir." The Davion Marshal would never expect the Highlanders to hit him like that.

  "Cat Stirling is going to want some sort of verbal confirmation before landing, especially in a place as obvious as the spaceport," MacLeod continued. "I'm sure the Davion intelligence machine has come up with a way to impersonate me. The only hope we have is to get a direct warning to her—one that will make her question any other verbal orders the Davions might try to feed her."

  "But if she ignores the warnings and lands—" Loren began.

  "I've known Cat Stirling for years. She's always suspicious. I'm counting on her intuition as much as I'm counting on you."

  "We'll do whatever you require of us, sir."

  MacLeod smiled broadly. "Good. And your lance's knowledge of Peace Park and the current troop placement there makes you the best choice to lead the attack."

  Loren had been hoping MacLeod would say that. Leading an attack in a great battle is much more honorable than risking my life for a mere diversion.

  Captain Dumfries stepped forward to join the conversation, his combat kilt wrinkled and dirty from prolonged wear. "The Colonel and I feel that timing is the key to the success of this operation. Spring it too early and we risk facing the full force of the Third Royals RCT, who could wipe us out and still lure in the Fusiliers. Move too late and our brothers and sisters will be destroyed. For this to work we need to start the attack as soon as the Fusiliers begin their initial descent."

  MacLeod cut in. "We have some portable ECM gear and some light mounted sets as well. We need to get the First Gurkhas to the spaceport to make sure that nothing gets set off accidentally. But that won't change anything. We may not be able to get them through, and even if we do, they may not be able to effectively cover the entire port. If you fail to divert the Fusiliers they'll still be easy prey for the FedCom troops."

  Lieutenant Fuller let go a long whistle. "That's not going to give us much time. Once they're on approach, they'll be down in forty-five minutes time.
We have to get the warning to them pretty damn quick or they'll end up as sitting ducks on the tarmac."

  "Sir," Captain Carey cut in, "just how many troops will we have to work with?"

  MacLeod checked his electronic notepad. "If all goes as planned and we manage to keep moving undetected, I estimate a total of twenty to twenty-four 'Mechs and three platoons of supporting infantry."

  Frutchey chimed in. "Based on what we scanned in Peace Park, that should be enough to take on the park's defenders. This just might be a cake walk after all."

  MacLeod shook his head. "Sorry to burst your bubble, Lieutenant, but that is the total number of 'Mechs we have at our disposal. Some of those will have to be committed to the diversionary attacks. That trims you down by two full lances and our Gurkhas infantry support."

  Fuller raised his eyebrows and shrugged. "Maybe I spoke too soon."

  Colonel MacLeod stroked his beard as he surveyed his warriors. "As I said before, you've done remarkably well. But now I have to ask more of you. This attack won't be easy, but we've got a few days respite before we're forced into combat. Let's break camp, pull back, and conceal our 'Mechs. We have a lot of detailed planning to do if this is going to be a success." The seemingly ageless Colonel saluted the officers and dismissed them. Loren was about to go, too, but the elder Highlander gestured for him to remain.

  "You wanted to speak to me, sir?" he asked softly. This has to be about Pluncket and Mulvaney. He probably decided to reprimand me in private rather than humiliate me in front of the others.

  "I think you know what this is about."

  "Yes, sir, I think I do. And let me say that I accept full responsibility for my actions. What I did might not seem right at this time, but I firmly believe it was worth the risk. I believe that if Mulvaney knows the truth she'll cease fighting us and possibly even turn against the Davions."

  MacLeod chuckled deeply and slapped Loren on the shoulder. "You think I'm upset by your actions, lad?"

  Loren was confused. "You're not?"

  "Not at all. I never know what to expect from you, but you've proven that you're a man of honor. Even hard-liners like Huff no longer consider you a threat but an asset, though I doubt he'd ever admit it. Your move was a master stroke. Mulvaney is still a Highlander, no matter what the Davions have tried to feed her. I refuse to believe she has or can turn her back on her own people."

  "Thank you, sir."

  "No laddie, thank you." MacLeod turned to look across the low bog to where his Huron Warrior stood waiting in the mud and muck. "You reminded me of something I learned as a brash young Lieutenant training with Colonel Marion's Highlanders."

  "What was that, sir?"

  MacLeod stared off into the distance as if he were searching for his memories among the heavy woods and moors. "Marion was a devil and a half. He would drill us as new cadets day and night. All during our training he would tell us, '... the key to victory is to take the high ground. Hold the high ground and you can never lose a battle.' For two years I thought he was talking about terrain—hills and ridges and the like. It made sense at the time. I was still wet behind the ears and full of fire and spirit."

  MacLeod turned back to Loren, his eyes suddenly showing both his age and his weariness. "We got involved in a little skirmish on Ningpo before we left the Capellan Confederation during the Fourth Succession War. Nasty series of battles in the flatlands there. What strikes me as so ironic now is that the unit we faced was the Third Davion Guards RCT."

  "The same unit on its way here now."

  "Twice should be enough for any commander in a lifetime. Anyway, we were engaged with the Guards when the Colonel linked up with me in a small clearing. On the hill above us were three Davion BattleMechs that had been mauled over by another company and left for near dead. They were practically radioactive scrap when we spotted them trying to escape to their own lines. I remember locking on my Archer's, LRMs and arming them when the Colonel signaled me to shut off my T&T."

  "Why?"

  MacLeod chuckled once to himself. "He told me to 'take the high ground.' I told him that I was trying to do just that. That was when he told me what he really meant.

  "You see, Loren, he wasn't talking about the terrain. He was talking about the moral high ground. Hold a higher set of moral standards than a common Mech Warrior. Those warriors that I was locking onto did not pose a threat and they had no way to defend themselves. Colonel Marion told me the important thing was to hold myself high as a Highlander, to be an example to others. To do that was to be a leader.

  "Since then that is where I've tried to fight my battles, on the moral high ground, siding with the good. I've taken stands for right against might even though they weren't always popular at first. I've taught Mulvaney just as Colonel Marion taught me. She'll come around."

  Loren was silent for a while before speaking. "I appreciate the chances you've given me, Colonel. Things I only dreamed about as a boy; a chance to fight in our family's regiment. Not just against a common foe, but to lead Highlanders into battle. This has meant more to me than I can ever express, Colonel. I only wish my grandfather were till alive to see a Jaffray again in the ranks of the Highlanders."

  "He'd be proud, Loren. It's odd, though. You always mention your grandfather but never your father."

  Loren lowered his head and stared at the ground for several seconds before speaking. "My father and grandfather never seemed to agree. I guess that's common between fathers and sons. He thought that Grandfather put too much store in the Northwind Highlanders and not enough in House Liao and the Confederation. So when the time came my father enlisted in the Capellan Armed Forces and became a Death Commando. He was gone a lot while I was growing up. I never really go to know him. Except that they say he died with honor.

  "When the Commandos offered me a position in their ranks I accepted, especially since it was to the same unit as my father. Now I feel torn between my duty to the Confederation and to the Highlanders. I hope I can honor both my father and grandfather ... if that's possible."

  "You've done well, Loren. Don't worry about honoring the memories of your family. The time has come for you to make your own place in history. The only balance you have to strike is one with yourself. If you can't wake up in the morning and look at yourself in the mirror, then you've failed. Trying to live up to the expectations of other people is a sure way to fail.

  "You have a drive in combat and a way of creating a battle plan as you go. You seem to be able to sense your enemy and understand what's going on in their minds, and that is no small gift. You also have a knack for seeing the moral high ground yourself. Otherwise you'd never have had the sense to send Pluncket to find Mulvaney. You've proven me right all along.

  "There is only one thing that I don't understand ..."

  "What is that, Colonel?"

  "Why didn't you go find Chastity yourself?"

  Why didn't I go? Loren stared into the eyes of the Highlander Colonel, not sure how to respond. "A part of me wanted to, sir. Mulvaney and I have developed a kind of love-hate relationship. We had each other in our sights at the bottom of the river, but something kept us from killing each other.

  "I guess I knew that my duty was here. And if she was going to listen and believe anyone it would be the Sergeant Major. If I'd gone she might have felt a nagging doubt. With Mr. Pluncket she won't hesitate to accept the information he's bringing her."

  "You seem worried and I'm not sure I understand why. You've done all you could."

  "It's not just what might happen with Mulvaney, sir. I have a concern that maybe only you could understand. There was a moment there when I almost lost control of the lance. When they realized what was happening in Tara and saw their city under enemy occupation, for a minute I thought they might break ranks."

  "But you retained your command."

  "What worried me about it is that our people might fight this one more from emotion than thought when we launch our attack. Against these odds it's going to take a super
ior plan to beat the enemy. We're not going to charge into Tara to wipe out every last Davion, but some of our troops will think we should. If they do, and refuse to follow orders, this will turn into a disaster."

  "What you're saying is that they've got to push aside their feelings and do their duty. Well, Major, I can tell you they will. Not just because I order it, but for the sake of the Highlanders."

  "Then we have nothing to worry about, sir."

  MacLeod pointed to their BattleMechs looming in the swamp. "It's time for us to prepare to take that high ground I told you about and hold it against a dark foe. The odds aren't in our favor, but we've got to try."

  Loren nodded slowly in response. William MacLeod was a man living in the past, future, and present all at once. The Chancellor was right to send Loren to Northwind. The fact that the Jaffray line intertwined with MacLeod's past made Loren the perfect instrument to destroy the Highlanders. He felt the same familiar pang over what he had to do, but as in any mission he undertook, Loren knew he must succeed—or die in the attempt.

  * * *

  Colonel Drew Catelli ran across the ground at a trot to where Mulvaney stood near the sleek outline of the Rotunda armored car. Dressed in the standard shorts and cooling vest of a 'Mech pilot, she stood talking with the mysterious man who had just arrived.

  Catelli's heart was racing. He'd taken extreme measures to keep Chastity Mulvaney in the dark about what was unfolding in Tara. With the departure of Marshal Bradford, she'd been ordered to report directly to him. Now a stranger had arrived in the twilight hours and Catelli was afraid that his tight control over her might be destroyed in a matter of seconds.