"The Preservationists captured the Bristol and traveled to Clan-occupied space. They actually invited the Falcons to come to Borghese. Crenshaw saw it as an opportunity to make sure the planet not only survived an invasion, but to turn a profit as well. I guess he figured that if the Clans were invited, they'd treat us better, especially the planetary rulers.
"You and Cooke were the only problem. Crenshaw got rid of Cooke, and Morgain was supposed to get rid of you. I learned of the plot the night you were attacked. Morgain was furious that the soldiers didn't hit you before you got to the 'Mechs." Bell paused and rubbed his chin.
"They were supposed to attack your base before the DropShip. If the troops had been better trained, we wouldn't be having this conversation. In any event, I've spent the last few weeks trying to decide what to do.
"I could have left, but Morgain would never have let me take my 'Mech. My only other choice was to go along with them. I was going to do it, too." Bell paused and Rose realized how close he'd come to receiving that final shot instead of Morgain. Bell began to shake his head. He turned to climb down the Banshee and Rose increased the volume of the microphone.
"Like always, Morgain got cocky. I was the second-in-command, so I knew all the frequencies we were using. It was supposed to be a private conversation between you two, but I decided to listen in. When I realized the importance, I fed the link to the militia commanders." Bell lowered himself to the Banshee's ladder and began to climb down. "The militia knows they've been played for fools. Once they're sure this is over between you and Morgain, they'll come in." As Bell started down, soon only his head was visible. "Oh, by the way, I surrender. I'll wait for you on the ground."
Rose sat in his 'Mech as Bell climbed down the Banshee, then calmly waited on the 'Mech's foot to be taken prisoner. Rianna contacted the militia leaders. Being on the opposite side of the Banshee, she couldn't see Bell, but her microphones were slightly better, so she'd heard the entire conversation. While Rose considered what to do, Rianna arranged a truce with the Green Team.
The first order of business was to inform the Thorns of what was going on. Opening the unit-wide channel, Rose gave his team a summary of their current situation. He had keyed the commlink to one-way communication because he didn't want to answer a lot of questions, but by the time he was done, every one of the pilots was signaling requests for a private line. Rose told them as much as possible, postponing further questions until they could assemble in one location.
When Colonel Bahlyard, the Green Team commander, arrived thirty minutes later, Rose was sitting on the foot of the Banshee alongside Bell. He still hadn't figured out what to do about the unit's current situation, but he hoped to get help from the sandy-haired infantryman. His first requests to the colonel were for help in retrieving the rest of the Black Thorns. Rianna, Ajax, and Angus were clustered around the Banshee and Charger.
Hawg had crawled out of the remains of the Zeus under his own power and taken a seat on the Banshee's other foot. Although he looked fine physically, the death of his Zeus was hitting him hard. Rose had seen the look before on the faces of other Mech Warriors, something between amazement and horror. At least he wasn't crying, but that would probably come later.
It would take some doing to retrieve the final two members of the team. Esmeralda would have to be cut free from her 'Mech, but only because a severed support spar had jammed the cockpit hatch shut. A 'Mech could pry the spar away, but the militia probably had the tools to do the job better and with less collateral damage to the supporting structure.
Badicus' ejection seat was still emitting a strong signal, but he'd landed in a dense copse of trees. A 'Mech could probably retrieve him, but only after battering aside the trees that hemmed him in. Rianna had requested a VTOL retrieval, which Colonel Bahlyard immediately authorized. The flight crew had found O'Shea strapped to his chair and sitting in a tree twenty meters above the ground. They were still working on the rescue.
Rianna crawled down from her Phoenix Hawk with the unit's portable communications system slung over one shoulder. She sat it on the ground at her feet, slipped the headset over her ear, and adjusted the microphone. She could keep track of the two militia teams assisting the mercenaries and still listen to what was going on. Rose waited until Ajax and Angus joined them at the Banshee's feet before beginning.
"I guess we all know each other," he said. "I'm sure you all remember Commander Bahlyard, who also happens to be in charge of the force that's been making life so hard for us for the last few weeks." Rose noticed the colonel's face was slightly flushed and hoped it was the red of embarrassment instead of being his natural color. In Rose's experience no commander could accept looking like a fool, and the higher the chain of command, the worse they took it.
"Gentlemen, and lady," Rose said with a nod to his sister, "this is strictly an information meeting. We've got precious little of that right now but I need a better picture of what's going on." Rose looked around the group. The Black Thorns were practically dead on their feet from fatigue and the usual post-battle slump. "We'll make this quick," he promised, then waited until he was sure he had everyone's attention.
"We're about as far as we can be from Houston and not be under water. We know that the Clans are coming and that they'll probably be received as honored guests at the capital. Antioch, is there anything else?"
Antioch Bell rubbed his eyes and looked around at the mercenaries. "From what little I know about it, the Preservationists weren't too worried about your command. I guess they had a lot of faith in Colonel Bahlyard's men and our 'Mechs." He shrugged and smiled slightly. "Go figure."
"That confirms my last orders." All heads turned to Bahlyard. "They came directly from the Council. I'm supposed to report when you either surrender or have been eliminated. They didn't seem to think an engagement would go any other way.
"I haven't heard anything about the arrival of the Clans, but it makes sense, given my latest orders. Despite three hangars full of new Rippers, we were only authorized to take one group. I was ordered to leave the rest in the hangar. I was also told to keep half the Green Team back at the capital, in case you tried a flank attack. What a crock. As far as I know, that's the first time the Council has ever dictated to a field commander what hardware he can use."
Rose picked up the scenario as Bahlyard suddenly stopped talking. "So, your best equipment is back at the base with half the troops. Very effective. Not only are we too far away to protest the landing, but the planet's own force is divided into two easily digested pieces. To top it off, the leader is sent away with the troops while the bulk of the equipment remains safely in the hangar." Rose calculated the remaining men and equipment near the capital and came to an instant and demoralizing conclusion.
"I think we can pretty well rule out any form of assistance. By the time we get back, the capital will be firmly in the hands of the Jade Falcons."
Ajax cleared his throat. Rose was mildly surprised to see that he actually wanted to address the meeting.
"Perhaps we should consider something," the Capellan said. "The Clans have been invited to Borghese by the current government. I do not suggest that their actions can be excused or justified, but the Clans are not invading."
"Ajax is right," Rianna said from the other side of the loose circle. "The Federated Commonwealth will never allow it, but the leaders of Borghese are preparing to hand the planet over to the Clans. The invaders only came to collect the passkey to the world."
"So, they're not invaders, technically," Rose put in, "but does that make any difference?"
Ajax nodded. "From what we've learned about the Clans, they do everything according to a ritual bidding process. The honor of performing any deed is bid for by the contestants until the final force is determined.
"If this were an invasion, they would bid for how many men, or OmniMechs, it would take to wrest control away from the Federated Commonwealth. If intelligence is correct, the Clans will not bid on how many OmniMechs it takes t
o invade, but how many it will take to accept a surrender."
Rose stared in amazement. Of course Ajax was right. He'd been at Tukayyid where the Clans had died rather than break their rules of ritual engagement. Ajax continued with a spreading smile.
"They will, if intelligence is correct, send a force capable of accepting a surrender behind enemy lines. It must be strong enough to fight its way back to Clan territory if it turns out to be a trap, but it must also be weak enough to make the taking of the planet glorious."
"Which means we have a chance," interrupted Rianna.
Ajax tilted his head and nodded slightly.
"If intelligence is correct," mimicked Rose with a smile. "You don't trust the gang in military intelligence, do you? No need to answer, I doubt any of us do, but your point is well-taken. We just may have a chance."
Bahlyard, temporarily forgotten, interrupted. "Any Clan force that lands on Borghese will have to be persuaded that it isn't a trap. Once they're convinced, the Clan that claims Borghese will have to move quickly to reinforce their foothold before the Federated Commonwealth can react. We have to get word to General Dmowski at Kelenfold. She has the authority to shift troops to our defense."
"Any chance the word has already gone out?" asked Rianna.
"Not much," Bahlyard said. "The Preservationists must know enough to restrict interplanetary messages. Breaking into the ComStar compound or protecting it from the Clans and the Council are about the only ways to make sure a message gets sent."
Several people started talking at once. Rose held up his hands for quiet and looked around the assembly. He noticed Hawg had gone to sleep. "That's enough for now. We're worn out, physically as well as mentally. A couple hours' sleep and a hot meal will do us more good than rushing into a plan of action.
"Colonel Bahlyard, no matter what we decide, we must keep the outcome of this engagement a secret." The stocky Bahlyard grinned like a wolf.
"I'm sure I can arrange for a report on the destruction of your unit and on the mauling of Morgain's command. It would be close enough to the truth. If I paint the picture pretty enough, they might agree to a couple of extra days in the field for rest and repairs before recalling us to Houston."
"That would be perfect. We'll be officially out of the way, and with luck, Crenshaw won't even consider the possibility that we're still alive." Rose checked his chronometer. "Can you meet us back here in eight hours?" Without looking at his watch, Bahlyard agreed.
"Black Thorns," Rose said, "meet back here in six hours with a full report on your 'Mechs' readiness and any ideas about raiding a hyperpulse generator station in the heart of a friendly city that's defended by Omni-Mechs."
Rose turned to Ajax. "I take it the BattleMaster pilot has been turned over to the militia medics?" Rose received the customary nod. Evidently Ajax had spoken his fill earlier.
"All right, people, you're dismissed. We have an objective and a reason to hope." The gathering broke up as the pilots drifted away. In moments only Ajax and Hawg still remained at the feet of the Banshee. As silence descended on the clearing, Ajax joined Hawg in deep, but troubled, sleep.
30
The Cedars, Borghese
14 July 3055
Rose looked around at the members of his unit. Badicus and Esmeralda were back, and the Black Thorns had once more gathered at the feet of the Banshee. McCloud and Antioch joined them, but Colonel Bahlyard was still with the militia. Rose looked over his unit again, but the situation wasn't any better than a few moments before.
Despite strong life signs and initial reports, Badicus was not fit for combat. When he'd ejected, one of the release clamps that anchored the cockpit to the 'Mech's head had not released properly. The Shadow Hawk, like most other 'Mechs, relied on a controlled explosion to propel the command chair clear of the 'Mech. Once the chair reached a preprogrammed altitude, the flight adjusters kicked in and controlled the descent. Under normal conditions it was all pretty simple and predictable. Even if the pilot lost consciousness after engaging the system, he stood an excellent chance of surviving the ejection.
When the clamp failed to open completely, however, the explosion ripped through the back-right quarter of the cockpit. The command chair had shielded Badicus from most of the blast and flying metal fragments, but his right side was covered with cuts. The faulty clamp had torn free, sending the chair flying skyward. But with the altitude adjuster nearest the blast completely destroyed, the ride down was anything but controlled. Badicus was lucky to have landed so high up in a cedar tree. If he'd fallen all the way to the ground, it would have killed him. As it was, the landing had broken his left hand and dislocated his right elbow. Covered with bandages, braces, and a cast, he was attending the meeting under heavy medication.
Esmeralda had fared much better, but the Warhammer's fall had triggered a brief cockpit fire. After vainly attempting to escape the cockpit, she'd managed to put out the fire with the two emergency extinguishers. Her legs above the heavy combat boots had been badly burned during the process. She still wore her combat shorts, her burned thighs covered with a thick balm of burn gel. She had refused pain killers and faced Rose with a determined, if tense, expression. He winced every time she moved.
"Pursuit, what is your status?"
Angus drew a circle in the dirt with his toe. Knowing that the rest of the unit had suffered tremendous casualties, he was slow to report. "Both 'Mechs are fully functional, sir. Both pilots are combat-ready." Rose thought that the young man stressed the word combat too much, but he let it pass.
"Very good. Battle, give me the bad news."
Esmeralda shifted, apparently searching for a more comfortable position. Perhaps she found it because much of the pain Rose had heard in her voice earlier was gone. "Battle Three is dead. As you already know, the gyro was destroyed. But we've just found out that the remaining seven million pieces were scattered all over the engine compartment, ruining the engine shielding. Hawg did a good job of shutting down the reactor before the shielding went and the engine blew. It'll take a new gyro and the better part of a new engine to get it running again."
Rose looked at Hawg, but he remained very calm as Esmeralda described the destruction of his family heirloom. He wanted to say something, but now was not the time. Instead he just nodded as Esmeralda continued.
"Battle Two can be repaired, but not without a full electronics bay. Any ejection is hard on the system, but when the clamp failed, it destroyed most of the communications and tracking system. Houston is the only place on the planet where we can get that kind of gear."
"Can we get it mobile?"
Esmeralda considered the option. "If we took a VTOL and replaced the command chair, we could probably patch something together, but we'd have to pilot with visuals only, and shooting would be impossible.
"My 'Mech is down, too," she said. "The leg could be repaired, but again, we'd need a full repair bay to do it. The break came right about here." She drew a finger through the green gel on her leg, indicating that the break had occurred across the middle of the thigh. She left the gash in the gel as she continued talking. "We could reattach the leg and weld it back on with the vehicle repair gear the militia is carrying, but it wouldn't hold if stressed. It can walk, but that's about it. Even running would probably snap the leg in half.
"Hawg and I are combat-ready, but O'Shea is out because he can't use either arm. He could pilot the damaged Shadow Hawk if we got it going again, but it could only move at a walk and both arms would be useless."
Esmeralda finished and began smoothing out the crease in the burn gel with a careful finger. Normally Rose would have looked to Rianna to provide the report on the command lance, but he took the duty instead.
"Command Two is fully functional. Command One can be repaired, but with the tools we have available, it will take a couple of hours. The leg will be the worst problem, but I think we can get it back into operation. Rianna and I are both combat-ready."
Rose paused. The entire unit
already knew they'd been mauled by Morgain and his 'Mechs, but hearing the results was a hard mental blow. Many 'Mech pilots went their entire careers without ever facing the kind of toe-to-toe fire fight they'd just been in. Of the ten engaging 'Mechs, seven had been either killed or knocked out. Rose didn't mentally count the pursuit lance since it had been kept out of the battle. Seventy percent casualties were unheard of in modern war. Hell, thought Rose in anger, seventy percent had always been unheard of, no matter what the century.
He rubbed the stubble on his chin and picked himself up off the foot of the Banshee. Despite having gone more than forty hours without sleep, he felt surprisingly alert. His unit didn't seem to share his energy, however. He'd ordered all six pilots to sleep at least four hours prior to the meeting and most of them looked as though that had only primed them for more. They didn't look like a team that had just been mauled, but they weren't especially confident about what the future held. Now was the time to rally the troops.
"All right, that means we're down to six pilots and four 'Mechs." He paused and walked into the midst of the group. "I can live with that." All eight heads came up at the same time. "You've all had a little sleep and some hot food and for the last hour you've been inspecting your 'Mechs for damage."
Rose paused and looked each Black Thorn in the eye. "Well, the light duty just ended."
With a sudden whirl he faced Esmeralda and pointed an accusing finger. "Esmeralda, forget about repairing the Warhammer for the time being. What do you know about Marauders!" Esmeralda stood there with her mouth open. Finally she began to stammer an answer, but Rose cut her off.
"It was a rhetorical question. It doesn't matter what you know, or don't know for that matter, because you're our new Marauder pilot. The head of that beast was savaged by Mister Bell when he saved my butt from Morgain. I think it can be repaired, though. When the meeting's over, find out.
"Hawg, I know that I can't replace your 'Mech, but I'm willing to try. About five hundred meters from where we stand is a fully functional BattleMaster. You just became the new pilot."
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