Impetus of War

by Blaine Lee Pardoe

  "Affirmative, Galaxy Commander," she replied. "Then you have reached the same conclusion as I," he said coldly.

  "Indeed. The Fusiliers will cease their flight and turn to face us," she said, a hint of joy in her voice. "That is what you think?"

  "Aff, Galaxy Commander. Why else would they enter such confining terrain?"

  "You are a trueborn Smoke Jaguar, but you lack experience in battle. These Inner Spherers are tenacious, if nothing else. Colonel Stirling takes her force to the north, not to fight us, but to move up onto the continent."

  Patricia heard his words but her mind failed to grasp the concept. Such an action was illogical, given the terrain of Wildcat, yet Devon Osis spoke with utter certainty. "It is not possible that she is planning to turn and engage us?"

  "Neg, Patricia, neg. If she wanted to turn and fight, she would have accepted my earlier challenge. Neg, she hopes to flee to the uplands."

  Patricia was shocked at the thought, knowing the atmosphere on Wildcat's continental masses. "How would you have me proceed, Galaxy Commander?"

  "Speed up our pursuit. I want to be on them soon. Then, as they try to make a break for the surface of the continent, our aerospace fighters will bomb them into dust. I do not want to leave even a shred of their genetic material behind."

  "It shall be done as you command," Patricia said. In less than two days, there would be nothing left of Stirling's Fusiliers, and the honor lost by Star Colonel Roberta would fall upon her shoulders and become part of her codex. Patricia smiled thinly, thinking of the destruction she would have the honor of wreaking . . .

  * * *

  Jake Fuller studied his long-range sensors and saw the faint images of a pair of enemy Thor OmniMechs standing at the end of the runway. These were his targets, as well as the Elementals. "Sho-sa, are you in position?"

  It had taken several nights of slow and careful movement to reach the Jaguar aerospace complex. Moving only at night, by day he and his two companions had concealed their 'Mechs in the rocks and brush, draping them with thermal tarps and whatever plant life they could muster. Now they were several days' travel from the isthmus, and by now the Jaguars would surely be holding the straits.

  The base was on a flat rock of terrain, surrounded by high dune-like hills of sand common to this region. The runway ran north and south. At the north end were a series of buildings—a hangar, communications center, and a barracks. It was wide open, while from his position in the hills, he had the perfect hiding place—for now.

  They had scouted the area on foot to avoid detection by the defenders of the fighter base. Jake's plan was simple enough, but had plenty of risk. He would charge to the end of the runway, drawing them into the hills once he got their attention. Parkensen would then strike at their communications facility and hangar, taking out the OmniFighters and the base's ability to call in reinforcements. Chantilly Hamilton was hiding in the dunes, running at low power. While Jake was drawing the enemy Elementals and Thors further away from their base, she would power up and hit them on the flank. Parkensen would come down the runway and hit their rear. Boxed in, the Jaguar defenders would not survive.

  "Major Fuller," came the uniquely calm voice of Elden Parkensen, "I stand ready and await your word."

  These sleazy bastards blew up my command. They bombed my Kilsyth Guards, and my people never even knew what hit them. Now, it's payback time.

  "For our dead and those still alive, let's let them have it. See you all on the tarmac!" Jake Fuller said, throttling his Cerberus forward toward the unsuspecting Clan 'Mechs.

  40

  Deep Ellum, New Lorton

  Tarnby

  Smoke Jaguar/Nova Cat Occupation Zone

  25 July 3058

  The city of New Lorton butted up against the Blacklick River, which ran east and west. The river bank was, in essence, a massive cliff rising nearly twenty meters up from the wide, fast-moving river. Even the power of a BattleMech could not make it across the waters. It was a perfect barrier. To the north of the city, past the river, was a massive swamp. A methene-processing facility had once stood there, providing power for half the planet during the Star League era. Now the site was nothing but ruins and swamp. Again, inhospitable terrain for even the best of BattleMechs.

  The city was divided into different sectors. The Nova Cat planetary command base had been built to the south, in the wide green and open flatlands running down and away from the cliffs. Deep Ellum was the old section of the city, climbing all the way up to the cliff overlooking the river. The buildings on the cliff were old, dating back to the time when Tarnby was the furthest extent of the mighty Star League. They were well-kept, lined up along tight streets that even light BattleMechs would not be able to maneuver.

  The HPG transmitter, where messages were sent out via the same technology that let JumpShips leap between the stars, was located literally at the edge of the cliff. It had been built by ComStar centuries before the return of Kerensky's children, and was Tarnby's one link to the rest of the universe. Like many of the older ComStar stations, it boasted a vast park that extended into the city proper—a perfect makeshift LZ for a DropShip because it offered some maneuvering distance away from the tight streets of Deep Ellum.

  Loren was here to send an HPG message, a false one, outward to Wayside V. The message itself was nothing, gibberish. What mattered was that he was sending it to the planet's coordinates, and those coordinates would be left behind for the Nova Cats to find. He was literally giving them everything they needed to find the Smoke Jaguar base of Wayside.

  As the Bull Run, under Spillman's command, touched down in the HPG park, Loren entered the 'Mech bay and saw Lieutenant McBride. At first glance she looked the epitome of a Fusilier Mech Warrior, ready to jump into battle. As he drew closer, however, Loren saw that impression was totally false. Her skin was a chalky white and her eyes seriously bloodshot. Her wounds were bandaged, but blood had managed to seep through despite the thick gauze pads.

  Loren tried to hide his concern with a light tone. "I hate to say it, Lieutenant, but you look like death warmed over."

  "Ready to fight, sir," she said, but her expression looked like she might suddenly vomit at any moment.

  "Right," Loren said. "And I'm the new First Lord of the Star League."

  McBride spoke slowly, adjusting her stance as if to control her dizziness. "You need me. You bid all our 'Mechs for this fight."

  "Yes, we said we'd come with everything we had, but if you go out in your condition, it's a one-way trip. You can have a seat in the sit-rep room and do me a bigger favor feeding us tactical data."

  "Who'll pilot my 'Mech?" she asked.

  "Don't worry about that. It'll be my problem. Now go get something for the pain and nausea so you'll be able to feed me data on where the Nova Cats are."

  * * *

  "McBride isn't in any shape to be part of this fight," Loren said, standing in the doorway to Kerndon's quarters. "She wouldn't last ten minutes in the field. I've ordered her to handle tactical coordination from the ship instead. That means you're going to have to pilot her Vulture."

  "Mad Dog," Kerndon corrected, insisting on the Clan name for the OmniMech rather than its Inner Sphere name.

  "Vulture," Loren countered firmly. "Things have just changed between us, Kerndon. This is no longer a matter of you helping us impersonate Smoke Jaguars. This is about you being part of us—part of our clan, as it were. And you're going to have to drop that 'Major Loren' stuff right now. If you're going to pilot that Vulture in battle, you'll do it not for yourself or for your Clan. You'll do it for Stirling's Fusiliers of the Northwind Highlanders."

  Kerdon looked at Loren, his dark eyes narrowing slightly. "That is a high price you ask of me."

  "You are my bondsman, Kerndon. I could simply order you to do this, but I want you to do it willingly." Loren stood looking at the other man for a moment. "Decide right here and right now—are you part of the Fusiliers or not?"

  Kerndon weighed the
options. He tugged at the one remaining bond cord, the one of prowess, still circling his wrist. It was a reminder of who he was and what still stood between him and the right to again call himself a true warrior. "Very well, I am yours to command—Major Loren Jaffray."

  * * *

  Star Colonel Santin West uttered the word "screen" into the voice-command activation system of his Elemental suit and saw the small tactical display relayed from Star Captain Delaportas's sensors. The Smoke Jaguar force had moved away from the HPG compound and had taken up position less than a kilometer away.

  Though his force could not visually contact all the Jaguar BattleMechs at any given time, thanks to the protective cover of the buildings, he saw that they had moved into the city, nearly a kilometer from the park and their ship. They were deployed between his own forces and their Drop-Ship, their line running northwest to the cliff area. It was a precarious position, the DropShip offering their only hope of retreat since they would be fighting with their backs to the wall. If unable to make it to their ship, they could be driven over the cliffs and into the river. Walking slowly, he continued to study the tiny display out of the corner of his eye.

  "Battle Binary, split and deploy. Charlie Battle Star, sweep to the far west flank along Lucas Street and the cliffs. Hold that flank firm, you are the anchor. Alpha Battle, we will assume a perimeter from Schultz Street running east to the edge of the compound." His own counter-deployment was to engage the Jaguars at the cliff, where he would swing, like a giant door, parallel with their battle line.

  "Aff," came joint replies from Star Captains Delaportas and Nina. Ithon Delaportas came back on line in less than five seconds. "Awaiting your attack orders."

  Star Colonel West looked at the display one last time before uttering the command word "tactical," which brought up his heads up display inside the helmet/viewing screen of his Elemental armor. I have the Jaguars where I want them. I must hurt them, spill their blood, but not kill them. Let the wounded cat lead me to his den.

  "Charlie Star, advance two blocks, then hold there. Binary, slow advance from west to east, one block at a time. We want to wound the beast and kill some of its cubs. But we need some of these Jaguars to survive. Other than that, you may engage at will."

  * * *

  "Incoming 'Mechs at two point two one," came a call from Glenda Jura as a wave of long-range missiles streaked at her Koshi and into a cluster of old storefront buildings, setting off explosions of smoke and orange flames.

  Loren saw a number of Nova Cat OmniMechs light up on his secondary display. "Hector, your Star is the anchor. Keep our path open to the Bull Run no matter what."

  "On it," Greg Hector replied as a hail of static came over the line. "Engagement; two Huntsman and one Mad Cat."

  Loren suddenly saw a faint image down-range of his Masakari. He powered his deadly array of extended-range PPCs and braced himself for the battle. The rush that came over him, The Sensation, swept his whole body. His fingers tingled with excitement as a voice he recognized as Trisha McBride's came over the commline. "Smoke Jaguar force, the Nova Cats are concentrating on the center of your positions. Recommend that you pull back your far right flank two blocks."

  Loren checked his sensor sweep and saw that Trisha was right. "Confirmed tactical. Greg, pull your forces back, synchronized stagger block by block."

  The ugly Nova Cat Man O'War emerged from behind a building at the same time Loren saw several jets from Elemental boots light up and dart behind the same structure. The Man O'War squeezed off a pair of shots from its autocannons, spraying a stream of shells into the legs of his Masakari. Armor flew where the shells erupted, but nothing else was hit. Loren locked onto the enemy, which was behind a building now, as though waiting for Loren to come to him.

  Loren locked his quad PPCs onto the target, a target hidden by the building itself, and opened fire. At the instant he fired, the Man O'War sidestepped out of the cover of the structure. The bright blue PPC streams struck the building with a stunning force, blasting through the second floor of the structure. Fires broke out instantly, the blast consuming the building's interior like a fire-breathing dragon. There was an explosion, most likely from a gas main, then the building itself blew apart onto the street below.

  * * *

  Santin West had moved behind Star Captain Delaportas's Gargoyle as it opened fire on the Smoke Jaguar Warhawk. Suddenly he saw the building only a few meters from him erupt in a massive explosion. Knowing he had to get out of the way, he fired his jets and leaned backward even as the wall of debris began to rain on him.

  The shattering walls hit him in mid-leap, knocking him backward, and something seemed to hold his legs. He gritted his teeth as he was thrown back and then abruptly stopped, his thighs and lower back straining. Looking down, Santin West saw that he was buried in debris up to the waist. He reached down with his mechanical claw and began to dig furiously, pulling away pieces of the metal and wiring that seemed to be holding him.

  He could see that the Gargoyle had also taken some damage from the blast that had devoured the building. It lumbered out into the street, firing at the Warhawk.

  But Santin West was going nowhere. Not until he could dig himself out of this pile of scrap. This wasn't the way it was supposed to end.

  * * *

  "I'm hit," called Leigh Ann Miller as her Uller was bathed in a volley of light from a Nova Cat Huntsman, the Clan 'Mech's pulse lasers and autocannon shredding away much of her arm. She pivoted and fired her Gauss rifle at what seemed an impossibly close range. The squat-headed Huntsman took the shot squarely in the chest, reeling back for only a second.

  As Loren took another serious hit in the hip from the Man O'War, he saw out of the corner of his eye the Huntsman moving in for the kill on Leigh Ann's Uller. The Clan 'Mech fired one of its large lasers into the Uller"s already mangled leg, hitting the hip actuator, which exploded in a blast of black smoke. The Uller rocked and began to fall, just in time for the Huntsman to drive a kick into it as it dropped. Armor and internal structure caved in as the Nova Cat battered it with a series of pile-driving kicks.

  Loren was having his own problems and couldn't help out. As he and the Man O'War exchanged another salvo, his Masakari buckled under the impact of several hits. But the Nova Cat 'Mech took most of the hurt. Its already damaged arm erupted as the warheads and missiles inside it went off. The arm went flying backward into the street, leaving only a stump and a few control wires and myomer strands to indicate that anything had ever been attached there.

  On his flank he saw the Huntsman that had crushed Leigh Ann Miller's Uller still standing over her fallen 'Mech. As the Clan 'Mech lifted its foot, Loren watched in horror as he realized it was going to smash her cockpit! He began to turn the Masakari to do something about it when he saw a Vulture suddenly appear, blazing away at the Huntsman with every bit of its firepower. Kerndon!

  * * *

  "Prepare to die, Smoke Cat," came a female voice over his speakers. It was the Man O'War pilot, taunting Loren as her autocannons shredded his right arm and leg armor.

  Responding instantly, Loren fired his missiles at their minimum range, sending a spread of the deadly warheads straight into the Man O'War's already battered chest. Many ripped away at the ferro-fibrous armor while others dug deeper before going off, mangling the internal structure of the 'Mech and ripping away at the myomer muscles. Pieces of sensors, heat sinks, and other internal components were pulled free by the blast and rained down on the street. Smoke billowed from the hole, and a slight flicker of burning components showed inside.

  Loren fired one of his PPCs, the shot lancing outward like a bolt of lightning squarely into the smoldering hole from his previous hits. It dug so deeply that it burst out the back of the Man O'War, blasting away the rear armor. The missile and autocannon ammunition there erupted in a blast of incredible fury, further tearing at the internal structure of the Nova Cat 'Mech and spraying out through the CASE doors.

  The damage was so
devastating that the already battered Man O'War dropped to its knees. Loren was about to pivot, to see if he could aid Kerndon or one of the others. Suddenly a pair of short-range missiles reached out at him from behind the kneeling Nova Cat 'Mech. Loren looked up and saw an Elemental, jet black in color, rising on its jump jets and firing.

  Instinctively Loren reversed the throttle of the Masakari and pulled back, moving behind a building to block the approaching enemy's fire. Checking the tactical display for the status of his forces, he was dismayed by what he saw. The Nova Cats were pressing his perimeter, which was caving in. Several of his 'Mechs were showing as down or missing.

  They were losing this fight. The Nova Cats had also been hurt pretty bad, but not enough to stop them from shredding him and his people like a meat-grinder.

  41

  Smoke Jaguar Aerodrome

  Wayside V (Wildcat)

  Deep Periphery

  25 July 3058

  Jake Fuller's Cerberus came over the small rise overlooking the Smoke Jaguar aerodrome, firing away with both its Gauss rifles. The weapons streaked out their deadly, sluglike balls straight at the leading Thor. His shots were low, but both found their mark, hitting the legs of the Jaguar 'Mech with such force that the 'Mech fell forward as if it had been clubbed in the shins.

  As Jake had hoped, they'd caught the Smoke Jaguars totally off guard. Using the steep sand dunes and rock formations for cover and moving mostly at night, he had poised his small team perfectly. He was striking from the south, hitting the end of the runway. Meanwhile, Parkensen had made his way to the north and would be driving toward him, hopefully taking out the airbase command center in the process. Chantilly would sweep in on his flank. It was a good plan, as long as the Jaguars played along.