Looking around the room, he began to take the measure of his men. Hawg had collapsed on the floor, falling asleep with his head propped on his cooling vest. Even asleep, the man's physique was impressive. Rianna had initially paced the room, but eventually she threw herself onto a bench and tried to relax. As always, Angus seemed to come to rest next to her. Esmeralda and Badicus shared the bench with Ajax, but Rose couldn't judge their mood, even after two hours. The only thing he could tell was that this kind of treatment was probably not new to them.
Rose shifted his weight and felt the leather of his holster rub his bare thigh. The laser was still in its holster, as was his boot knife. Dragoon confidence or Dragoon arrogance? he wondered. As he pondered the question, the heavy latch on the single door slid open. Seven heads came up in unison. Hawg stretched slowly and pulled himself to a sitting position, his cooling vest now resting in his lap. The man's right hand was out of sight of the door, but Rose could see it resting on his holster. While his left hand wiped sleep from his eyes, the right unfastened the holster. As the door swung open a Dragoon security trooper slipped into the room and stood at the side of the door. Because the guard was so lightly armed, Rose assumed he was there for show only. The second man into the room was the main event. Although small, the dark-featured Dragoon exuded a presence that more than made up for his lack of height. His eyes moved from one Thorn to another, pausing slightly as he looked at Hawg. Rose stood and turned to face him.
Walking forward, the Dragoon extended his hand. Rose considered snubbing the gesture, but reconsidered giving offense. Grace under pressure always seemed to annoy people who did not have it and earned the respect of those who did. As the two shook hands, Rose realized this man fell into the latter category. Releasing his grip, Rose scanned the other's uniform. An officer and an infantryman. In his current situation that could only mean he was . . .
"Major Brubaker, I was beginning to think the Dragoons had forgotten about us."
Brubaker cocked his head and looked up at Rose. "Hardly, Captain Rose." Rose nodded and smiled, the picture of politeness, if not ignorance. "As you may have guessed, we have been detaining you because of your unit's action on the practice field."
No apology. That was typical for a Dragoon. It was even more typical for an infantryman when addressing a Mech Warrior. Rose wondered if curiosity might not be as important as he originally thought.
"I understand. I take it that we are free to go?" Rose's eyebrows popped up and he smiled as sweetly as he could.
Major Brubaker chewed his lower lip for a moment. Rose waited politely and gave the major time to speak.
"Upon further review of the holovids, we have ruled that Captain Hawkens broke the rules of engagement by striking the Warhammer." Rose heard a sharp intake of breath behind him and assumed that it was Esmeralda breathing again. Brubaker kept his eyes firmly on Rose, choosing to ignore the distraction. "Captain Hawkens will survive and possibly learn from the experience, although I wonder about his chances for further advancement.
"If it matters, the field supervisors have disqualified both teams." Rose was not surprised. They would look after their fellow Dragoons first, even those who broke the rules. "As the head of Contract Command, however, I have overridden their report and entered your unit as the victor in the engagement." Rose nodded his appreciation, not trusting his voice to contain his surprise. To his even greater surprise, Brubaker went on.
"Despite what you might believe about Wolfs Dragoons, we do not tolerate the kind of behavior displayed by Captain Hawkens this afternoon. He struck the Warhammer first, obviously aiming for the cockpit. Had his aim been better, he would be in the prison ward of the hospital charged with murder. Your retaliation does not change the fact that Captain Hawkens struck first and violated the rules. At that moment his team forfeited the contest."
Rose was impressed. The Dragoons were proving that they lived by the same standards they imposed on the other mercenaries who came to Outreach.
Brubaker had not looked away from Rose once as he spoke, but his voice carried through the entire room. Brubaker knew, as did Rose, that the contest could have gone the other way just as easily and it might have been Esmeralda in the hospital, or dead. Brubaker turned sideways half a step and looked at Angus and Rianna.
"Destroying the Crusader with a single salvo was very impressive."
Rianna blushed and smiled slightly. "Thank you."
"I'm afraid you misunderstand. I didn't say you did something good, just flashy. Throwing yourself on an opponent's sword is rarely a sound decision."
Rose could see his sister's blush turn a deeper red. Brubaker turned back to Jeremiah. "Captain Rose, Colonel Parella is going to be very upset when he discovers what you did to one of his lances." With a nod of his head, the major left the room.
They were free to go, and so Rose followed behind, but was the third one out of the room behind McCloud. By the time a security van dropped them off at the staging area, light was beginning to fade. Rose gathered his unit together around one of the Charger's enormous feet.
"Now that we're alone, we can relax. We've got a couple of hours of maintenance work to finish before we start the debriefing. Don't get your hopes up. This isn't the way we'll do it in the field, but I want to be absolutely sure we're alone. Get the 'Mechs back to the bay, then clean up and meet me in my room in three hours for dinner. Consider that an order."
Rose turned to Captain McCloud. "I know I can't order you, Captain, but I'd appreciate it if you'd join us." McCloud didn't bother with a response. For the first time in his life Rose was truly glad that looks could not kill.
Three hours later, Rose was still thinking the same thing as McCloud burst into his hotel room. The rest of the unit was scattered around the room finishing off the remains of their dinner, which had been provided by Ajax. Rose closed the door and returned to his chair.
The Black Thorns had been discussing the rapid deterioration of their current situation when the front desk announced McCloud in the lobby. Rose imagined that it was one of the benefits of command, but he had a hard time getting used to the big suite that comprised his "room." The suite consisted of a meeting room, small office, bathroom, bedroom, and kitchen. The entire unit could have stayed here, and on more than one occasion, a member had bunked on the couch after a late-night meeting. Rose had finally agreed to take the large, and expensive, lodging when Rianna pointed out that it would also serve as the Black Thorns' office. Guests staying in suites could only be bothered by visitors once they'd been cleared by the front desk. It looked like the room would not be a problem for much longer.
"Good evening, Captain," Rose said amiably, "I take it this is not a social call."
McCloud glared, and Rose dug the last piece of shrimp out of the bottom of a paper carton. He wondered how he'd ever become close to the woman and what had happened to make her change toward him so quickly. "We were just discussing our options when you arrived. It shouldn't take long, and since I understand you are grappling with the same problems, perhaps it's good you're here. Esmeralda."
Rose grasped a half-finished bottle of dark beer and sat back to listen. Esmeralda ran her hand through her hair, forcing it temporarily out of her face. "Well, as the saying goes, we won the fight, but we lost the war. Although none of the civilians has wind of it yet, we're damn near the top of the Dragoons' shit list. The officers are barely civil and the enlisted treat us with open contempt. They might consider Hawkens to be a pain in the butt, but they sure know how to stick together. I guess their own recent troubles have taught them a lot about togetherness.
"We've been challenged by how many? Eight different Dragoon units?"
"Nine," said Badicus, "if you count the armored platoons."
"Twelve." All heads turned to Rianna, who shrugged. "There were three challenges waiting at my room this afternoon."
"In short, you've offended the Dragoons and they want to make me pay for it." Rose looked at Rachel and realized it was
the first time he'd heard her speak all day. She still had a beautiful voice.
"I take it," he began cautiously, "that this treatment hasn't been confined to us?"
"The Bristol and her entire crew have been painted with the same broad brush." McCloud threw up her hands. "It isn't that they're doing anything you can put your finger on. Yes, some of the techs are rude, but plenty of techs are like that. Parts that were previously available can no longer be found, but that happens too. Service crews are unavailable . . . inspections take longer to complete, forms take longer to process. ..."
"... costs are slightly higher than estimated, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera. All right," finished Rose, "we can see that we've worn out our welcome in Harlech. We've got to turn the situation around while we still have the chance—if we wait much longer, we'll be completely out of options. Now what do we do about it?
"Rianna, what about contracts?"
"Slim and none. The only offer we've had is from the Borghese delegation. I talk with them on a daily basis, but I've managed to put them off for now. For some unknown reason, they seem to like us and have stopped looking for another unit until we make a decision. If we want it, the contract is ours."
"Anything else, even remote?"
Rianna furrowed her brow and rubbed her eyes. "Nothing. We've got an outside shot at a couple of longer-term garrison jobs, but the odds are not in our favor. There are too many beat-up units returning from the front lines and willing to accept a cushy garrison billet for us to compete with."
"Anything we can subcontract from another unit?" asked Hawg. Rose looked at the man in wonder. He hadn't thought of it himself and was surprised that the big man did.
"Nothing on the table. Some of the bigger units are offering slots to qualified units, but most of them aren't true subcontracts. Twelve months from now we'd be locked into a long-term contract with little chance of getting out." For a moment, no one spoke.
"Disband?" It was Angus who said it, but nobody looked up. Although the man had posed the single word as a question, Rose feared it was the death cry of his new unit. He decided to remain silent. Despite his contracts with the people in this room, he could not lead if they were unwilling to follow. It was better to get it out in the open now. Hawg again surprised Rose by being the first to respond.
"I said I was in and I meant it. Besides, things are just getting interesting." Standing slowly, he came to attention and threw Rose a salute. Without waiting for a response, he sat back down, grabbing one of the many paper cartons of food on the way.
"I'm not leaving unless somebody kicks me out," said Esmeralda after a brief silence. She too stood up and saluted Rose. As she was sitting down, Badicus stood up. "I've come this far and see no reason to stop now."
Ajax stood next and gave a formal Liao salute. "Though I am unbloodied as a member of the unit, it is my hope to serve as admirably as the rest." He bowed slightly from the waist and sat down.
Rianna stood up and Angus followed, each performing a classic Highlander salute. "We're family. You don't even need to ask."
Rose regained control of his breathing and tried to keep his face and manner calm. Vowing silently to be worthy of such loyalty, he stood slowly and saluted each one in turn. Finally, he looked at Rachel McCloud.
"Captain, I know that you're worried about your ship and her crew. I understand that concern, but I cannot undo what has been done, however unfair the outcome has been for you. I can promise to make the situation as bearable as possible. We need the use of a quality DropShip manned by a skilled crew. You know us, and you know me. I'll do everything in my power to make sure your ship and your crew are provided for."
While McCloud studied Rose for a moment, the rest of the Thorns watched her making up her mind, Long minutes later she rolled her head against the back of the chair and looked at Rose with shining eyes.
"God will take me for being a fool, but I accept. Every hour I spend on this planet now just brings me closer to lifting off with no cargo at all, so you're my best business. However, I must guarantee my crew's safety. You will provide the crew's protection when we reach the Clan border."
Rose smiled and his team smiled with him.
"It looks like Borghese is the only place that will have us—and as it happens, it's the very place I want to go," he said heartily.
"Beats hanging around here," McCloud said, finally returning his smile.
"Ria, get the Borghesians on the line. Tell them the Black Thorns are on the way."
Part 2
20
Houston, Borghese
13 December 3054
The trip to Borghese was every bit as uneventful as Rose had feared it would be. Life on a DropShip was always boring for the soldiers being transported. The spacers in charge had all the work, and the mercenaries were expected to keep out of the way. Several times during the trip from Outreach to the jump point, an angry Captain McCloud had called Rose to the bridge, telling him to keep his people out of the way. Ground-pounders were particularly useless in the confines of the DropShip.
Eventually the spacers and the mercenaries worked out a kind of truce that gave Rose and his people more freedom aboard the ship and the spacers less to worry about. Once they'd made the first jump from Outreach the trip settled into a steady routine. Every six to eight days the Iron Hand, the JumpShip carrying the Bristol, had to stop to recharge its jump drive via its gigantic solar sails. In those periods Rose and his mercenaries would work on their 'Mechs in the cargo bay where they were stored. Space would usually have been a problem, but because the Bristol had been forced to leave Outreach earlier than scheduled much of her cargo hold was empty.
When the engines were fully recharged, the JumpShip captain passed the word to the DropShips it was carrying that it was time to jump to the next star. Gear would be secured and the occupants of the Bristol, spacer and mercenary alike, would strap themselves in for the instantaneous jump through hyperspace that would take them some thirty light years further toward their destination. Having made the jump, the spacers would go back to whatever they'd been doing and the mercenaries would return to the cargo bays.
Just as plenty of space was available in the cargo holds, it was also available in the guest cabins. Each member of the Black Thorns actually got his or her own cabin for the trip, an unheard-of luxury aboard civilian and military DropShips. The mercenaries were as giddy as cadets at this unexpected luxury.
Because there were no regular hours for day and night aboard ship, Rose allowed the mercenaries to work when and as they pleased. They held their weekly status meetings in the galley, usually just prior to a jump. At these meetings everyone was updated on the current status of the ongoing maintenance.
Rose had never met a MechWarrior who didn't work on his own 'Mech, at least to some degree. Even House troops, whose 'Mechs were owned by the House ruler who employed them, worked to make their 'Mechs as reliable and comfortable as possible. Independent units and pilots who actually owned their own machines were even more renowned for their tinkering. For pilots like Hawg, whose 'Mech had been in the family for three generations, the amount of tinkering bordered on the insane.
Because the Black Thorns were a small unit, they could not afford the luxury of hiring a full-time technician. Rose hoped eventually to field a large unit with a complete staff of support specialists, but at the moment every warrior had to oversee the care of his own 'Mech. If the task was bigger than usual or beyond the pilot's expertise, Rose assigned other members of the team to assist. Fortunately, he'd been lucky enough to hire several warriors with excellent technical experience.
Rianna undoubtedly had the most formal training, but much of it did not apply to the kind of repairs necessary to keep a sixty-year-old 'Mech running after countless battles. Hawg, on the other hand, was a fount of information on how to by-pass damaged circuits and repair battle-damaged components. Working together, with the assistance of Esmeralda, the three kept the other four mercenaries busy for their fu
ll work cycle.
Rose insisted on working on his own 'Mech, as much to lead by example as to make sure he would know everything there was to know about the Charger before having to ride it into a real battle. His example seemed to have the desired effect, for when the Iron Hand made the final jump to Borghese, all seven 'Mechs were in excellent condition. They'd been freshly painted and renumbered according to the system devised by Rianna, and Rose had to admit the demi-company looked very sharp. Sharp enough, he hoped, to impress the local leaders of Borghese. When the mercenaries were not working on their 'Mechs, they were studying what they laughingly referred to as their play books.
Rose had devised a series of commands based on his years with the Com Guards that would allow the unit to deploy and maneuver with a minimum of confusion and conversation. Although he had originally designed the system for a full company, it had not taken long to trim down the manual for use by the smaller unit. Rose had divided the unit into three demi-lances. The pursuit lance consisted of Angus' Valkyrie and Ajax's Raven. Rianna and Rose formed the command lance, while Esmeralda's Warhammer, O'Shea's Shadow Hawk, and Hawg's Zeus made up the unit's battle lance.
The team held review sessions on a regular basis, during which Rose drilled individual members of the unit on which maneuvers would be called for during a particular action. After one or two times of being embarrassed before their comrades, the unit members began to carry the manuals with them and to quiz themselves. By the end of the trip the Black Thorns were challenging Rose with situations and commands.
Although Rose spent a considerable amount of time with his 'Mech, he also spent many of his off-duty hours with either the delegation from Borghese or Rachel McCloud. Leo Wilkins proved to be good company, despite being a civilian, but Rose considered Hoffbrowse terminally boring. The two men were well-informed about various situations on Borghese and considered it their patriotic duty to make sure Rose knew as much about the planet as they did. Despite Hoffbrowse's best efforts, Rose focused only on the major topics and ignored much of the detail.
Main event Page 17
