Trent. . . I've got to warn him. She raced across the street to the House of the Lazy Duck.
* * *
Both Trent and Russou pushed back out of their chairs at the same moment Judith rushed through the door. Her arrival, coupled with the sudden realization that the owners had disappeared, accompanied by the deep rumble that shook the ground, had both warriors on their feet.
"Trouble, Star Captain," Judith heaved as she tried to get her breath. "Incoming BattleMechs."
"Guerrillas?" Russou asked.
She nodded, gasping a bit from her sprint. "Out the back. Now."
Russou looked out the window but saw no sign of the approaching 'Mechs. "We do not take orders from lower caste bondsmen. We are warriors."
The ground shook even more, and the rumbling footfalls growing louder told them that the enemy 'Mech was close. "Then take it as advice from a friend," Trent said, starting for the back door. Judith hot on his heels. "I suggest we leave now."
Trent opened the restaurant's back door at the same moment a Warhammer opened fire on the place. There was a cracking sound, like lightning hitting a tree. The hairs on Trent's entire body stood up as the 'Mech's PPCs blasted the building.
He and Judith both half-fell, half-rolled next to the big dumpster opposite the back door. Russou was not as lucky. He was still standing at the door at the moment the building exploded. Like a massive phalanx shield, both the door and Russou flew back into the fence next to the dumpster.
The House of the Lazy Duck came apart as a second volley of PPC fire tore into it. The building exploded upward, probably from the burst of a gas main. Debris crashed into the dumpster where Trent and Judith had taken cover, rattling the container like thunder. Trent tried to protect himself by curling up into a ball, and his ears rang from the deafening roar of the blast. Judith was next to him, also rolled into a ball. Dust and smoke filled the air, and only the cough of Russou a few meters away told them he was still alive.
Trent now saw the Warhammer for the first time. The machine stepped through the rubble of the restaurant, its giant feet grinding any remaining shred of it into mere dust and debris. The 70-ton 'Mech was a monster at a range of less than ten meters. Its firepower included a pair of PPCs for arms and a shoulder-mounted missile rack.
Having spent his whole existence training for the life of a warrior, Trent knew there were many ways to take out a BattleMech. Bare-handed was not one them. Watching the 'Mech, he noted the markings of the Second Arkab Legion still showing through a recent paint job of dark green. On the 'Mech's right chest, just over the deadly laser and machine gun, he could just make out some words and an insignia through the smoke and dust. It was a crudely painted symbol of the Smoke Jaguar, cut across with a red slash. The words "Kat Killer Five" were painted above it.
Apparently satisfied at accomplishing its mission, the Warhammer turned and began to lumber away. Trent suddenly realized that the 'Mech must have come specifically to kill him and Russou. Cat killers, are they? he thought. They, come like bandits, when our backs are turned. Too cowardly to face us like warriors . ..
Trent rose, his whole body rippling with an excitement he had not known for some time. As Judith also stood, he went over and helped a badly battered Russou stagger to a half-standing pose. "What happened?" Russou asked, half-dazed.
"An enemy has come to break up the monotony of our routine," Trent said, giving both his companions his twisted grin. "And perhaps bringing us the chance to regain some honor."
* * *
The Hyner Planetary Command in Warrenton showed signs of life that Trent had not seen when he'd been here last time, a month earlier. As he and Russou stood on the parade grounds where Star Captain Jez had ordered them to meet her, he knew he was finally going to get orders that would lead to action. Not a mere garrison posting, unworthy of a true warrior. No, this time he would be assigned to go hunting bandits. Though still less than honorable work, it was at least a chance to take his unit into the field in battle. If nothing else, it would sharpen their skills and test them in combat.
Star Captain Jez Howell stood waiting for the two officers with hands clasped behind her back. Her dark hair was pulled back in a tight knot, and her lean, muscular frame had an arrogance about it. Trent and Russou came to attention before her. Trent looked straight ahead and made no eye contact, but this was not out of military custom but because of the contempt he felt for her.
"So, these are the brave warriors under my command who ran from a bandit enemy, quiaff?" she demanded.
Already she twists the truth, Trent thought, but he and Russou remained silent.
"The Star Colonel called in all unit commanders for the chance to bid for the right to track down these so-called Kat Killers. Such a mission is not worthy of a trueborn warrior, and at first I was insulted by the offer.
"But when Star Colonel Paul Moon pointed out that you two were present during a recent bandit raid and inflicted no damage to the enemy, he recommended that you be bid as part of the mission to apprehend and destroy this guerilla scum."
Jez Howell smiled, then licked her lips before resuming. "Thus I bid your two Stars to this mission. Your orders are to seek out these so-called Kat Killers and destroy them. You should know that not one other Star Captain wished to sully the honor of his unit by bidding for this mission. You will be briefed on all previous attacks and any other information known about these bandits in the next day."
Trent's mind and heart raced as he listened. Jez could say what she liked about the worthiness of the mission, and Russou too would probably find it disagreeable duty. But he could not wait. Bandits or no, here was a chance for him to return once again to the field, leading warriors into battle.
* * *
Judith looked at the door of the old bunkhouse that had been her home until she and the rest of the Trinary had been moved to the field location. She'd taken a walk to gather her thoughts and ended up here—mostly out of habit. It was the only place where she'd been able to be truly alone with herself and her thoughts. The Smoke Jaguars were an aggressive bunch, even for Clanners, and the warriors were dangerous in or out of battle. She who had once been a warrior was treated with scorn by those who were now her masters, but here in this bunkhouse she had learned to cope with her new place in life, her status as a member of a lower caste. The only thing that made it bearable was knowing that she had a reason to be here. A mission. If all went well, she would return to the Inner Sphere and one day be a Mech Warrior again. She was about to reach for the door of the bunkhouse when someone touched her shoulder from behind. She turned and saw the mutilated face and body of her master, Star Captain Trent.
There had been a time when the sight of him had been revolting, but Judith now saw beyond the scars. He was a skilled warrior. She had seen that in the Grand Melee. And he was a warrior who had played by the strict rules of the Clans. And yet, somehow, this great warrior did not rise. The laws and traditions of the Clans turned against him at every opportunity. There are other ways to reward such men, and when the time is right, I will make sure that Trent is honored properly.
"Did you receive our new orders, Star Captain?"
Trent's gnarled lips pulled back in a grin, his gums exposed on one side. "We are tasked with tracking these guerrillas and destroying them."
"That is good news, Star Colonel, quiaff?"
"Not exactly, Judith. Fighting bandits is generally considered Work beneath the dignity of a warrior. It is usually reserved for freebirth or solahma units. For me that matters not. I welcome the chance to once again fight battles rather than simulators."
"Guerrillas are not so easy to combat. History has shown that killing them often only breeds more rebellion," Judith said.
Trent nodded. "You can help, Judith. Some of the locals warned you the day of the attack on the House of the Lazy Duck, did they not? Such information can be of value, though once I might have scorned using it as not the way of a true warrior. Perhaps you can learn something t
hat will help us bring this battle to a climax quickly."
Judith showed no sign of the surprise she felt. He is asking me for assistance in finding the enemy. For him to do that is a sign of trust and of his willingness to work with me as a peer—whether he admits it or not. "As you command, Star Captain."
Trent reached out and took her wrist. With one finger he lifted one of the two remaining bondcords. With a quick snap of his combat knife, he cut the cord. "Your cord of fidelity has been honored. Devotion to a bondsmaster, to a Clan, is necessary. Your actions in Beaver Falls proved that you are indeed loyal. With the cutting of this cord, you move closer to your own place in the heart of the Jaguar."
Judith looked at the cut cord in his hand, then up into his face. She gazed unblinking into his eyes, the one good one, the other a replacement surrounded by mechanical controls.
"I shall not fail you, Star Captain. . . ."
8
Smoke Jaguar Planetary Command
Warrenton, Hyner
Smoke Jaguar Occupation Zone
11 November 3054
Jez stood next to the desk of Star Colonel Paul Moon at rigid parade rest as the other man entered the small office. Even seated at his desk, the massive Elemental commander of the Stormriders was nearly her height, She glanced quickly at Paul Moon, and saw that his expression was not just cold, but menacing, as if he threatened the man with death merely for saying the wrong word.
The man had short black hair and Oriental features. He wore the clothes of a common laborer, a loose-fitting brown shirt and green work pants typical of those who worked in the manufacturing plants in Warrenton. The air carried a strong scent, not the perspiration typical of a warrior, but the smell of dirt, sweat, and the stuff of back alleys. The man eyed the single chair in the room, probably wondering if it was appropriate to sit or stand before the Star Colonel. He opted to stand.
"You are the laborer Joseph, quiaff?" Star Captain Jez asked.
The man nervously nodded. "Yes, er, aff, sir."
"The duty officer indicated that you had information that would be useful to us regarding the terrorist group known as the Kat Killer Five," came the deep, almost thundering voice of Paul Moon from his seat next to Jez.
"I know where they are operating, at least lately," the man said.
"And how do you know this?" Jez put in. "Perhaps you are in league with them, quiaff?"
"No, no, that's not true," the man said, waving his hands as if to ward off her suspicions. "No. I know one of them. We met when the Second Arkab was posted here. Nasty man. He killed a friend of mine in a bar fight just before your arrival. I saw him and did some checking. He's one of them and somehow he managed to evade you when the rest of his unit left the system. I asked the right people, and they told me the location of the place he and his outfit are using as a base."
"And where might that be?" Jez demanded.
"North of the Glen where you beat them before. There's a box canyon in the hill country about seventy-five kilometers north. He and his friends are there. They're using an abandoned mining operation to hide their 'Mechs. They keep them in the mine tunnels where you can't spot them."
"Numbers?" Paul Moon asked.
"Two lances, er, eight 'Mechs, sir," the man replied, still visibly nervous. "They'll be hard to get to, from what I've been told. Those mines go back some distance."
"You can pinpoint this on a map, quiaff?" Jez asked.
"Yes sir—er, ma'am."
Paul Moon looked up at Jez, who gave him a small smile of satisfaction. Moon rose from his seat to his full height, dominating the small office. He blocked the sunlight from the window and cast a shadow over the laborer Joseph. "Why do you volunteer this information to us?"
"I don't like this guy who's one of them. Like I said, he killed a friend of mine."
Paul Moon lowered his gaze, tipping his head forward. "So, you do this for revenge, quiaff?"
"Yes, er, affirmative. That, and I thought there might be some sort of reward for the information."
"Reward?" Jez asked. "You still do not understand us despite the fact that we have held your world for some time now. We do not provide rewards to those who have an obligation to the Clan."
"But I—" Joseph tried to speak, but Paul Moon cut him off.
"Star Captain Jez will investigate your story. In the meantime, you will remain here."
"I don't—er, do not understand, Star Colonel. Why must I stay here?"'
Moon cocked his head and looked down at the other man from his towering height. "If it is a trap, Joseph, you will find the Smoke Jaguar extracts a high price for treason."
* * *
Trent stood by the mobile repair gantry where he and his Star were temporarily based. The small field camp was alive with activity, mostly warriors preparing security measures, motion and seismic sensors, and working on adjusting their portable dome-tents for the night. Judith looked at her bondsmaster and saw that in the dim twilight, his mechanically enhanced eye gave off a dim red glow from the circuitry controls deep in the back of his eye socket. In all of the time that she had known Trent, she had only noticed the glow once before. Now it was eerie, almost menacing.
"I have just returned from Planetary Command," he said. "A member of our laborer caste has volunteered the location of the rebel base. They are a ways from here, hiding in old mines in a box canyon. Star Captain Jez Howell has ordered Russou and I to secure the area and destroy the enemy forces."
"That was fast," Judith commented as she wiped the lubricant from her hands. "Maybe even too fast, quiaff?"
Trent nodded slowly. "I was thinking the same thing. Guerrilla warfare is unClanlike, but I believe I have come to understand how differently it is viewed by the people of the Inner Sphere. This planet has only been occupied by Clan Smoke Jaguar for a short time. It seems odd that any native of Hyner would volunteer such information to the commanders of the occupying force."
Judith smiled but did not answer. Trent tipped his head as if he was trying to read her expression. "You are smiling at me, Judith. Why?"
"I do not wish to overstep my place, Star Captain, but I must speak up. I would not trust that information either if I were you. A box canyon, mines ... it all smells of a trap."
Trent nodded. "Aye, it does," he said. "The attack on Russou and myself was both planned and coordinated."
"Such an action would not be undertaken lightly," Judith added. "Anyone who would carefully stage a trap to kill two officers would not likely have so weak a link in their group—not one that volunteers information."
Trent felt as if she had spoken his own thoughts. That was the problem with Jez and even Star Colonel Moon. They did not know how to think like their foes. They approached everything only from a Clan perspective. He had been that way too, but Tukayyid had changed that. Since Tukayyid, I have been treated like an outcast, and no one cares about what happened really happened between Jez and me there. Perhaps now I can prove what my true worth to the Clan is— again.
"Do not think that because we are Clan that we are too rigid. I see the signs of a trap even if my superiors do not. I have fought the Inner Sphere militaries enough to see how they wage war. Given limited resources, this is the kind of battle I would fight if I were one of these so-called guerrillas. One on my own terms, on terrain of my choosing."
"I will have your OmniMech ready for action, sir."
* * *
Trent sat in his tent in the dim glow of the lantern as he hooked up the portable vidphone to a portable generator. The vidphone was small, compact, but allowed him to send a personal message to his current commanding officer.
He adjusted the disk controls, then activated the switch on the side of the projector, which would transmit his signal to the previously entered address, Star Captain Jez's office at Planetary Command. The screen flickered to life, and he saw the shape of Jez sitting behind her desk.
"Star Captain Trent," she said almost coyly. "To what do I owe this communication?"
"I have readied my Star to link up with Charlie Assault Star tomorrow," Trent said, knowing that Jez would not like the subject of a potential ambush, given their past.
"Good. I will join you at the canyon myself to oversee operations."
Trent paused and drew a long breath. "I have reviewed the maps of the area and the information provided you by your contact in Warrenton, Star Captain Howell. I have also spoken with my bondsman, an individual with experience in Inner Sphere tactics. As a result, I believe we may be leading our forces into an ambush."
Jez crossed her arms and glared back at him for a full five seconds of silence.
"That is all?" she finally asked.
Trent nodded. "Affirmative, Jez. Consider the nature of the terrain and how you obtained the information. It sounds like a trap, and we are marching straight into it."
"And you take the opinion of a technician over mine, a trueborn and a blooded warrior?" Her mention of the bloodname was a direct jab.
Trent felt his face flush, an irritating sensation where the synthetic skin covered his face. "I have come to trust Judith, bondsman or not. Look at the maps and think about how you obtained this information. This is a trap."
Jez gave him a thin smile. "Then you will need to be careful, Star Captain."
"You will not abort the mission, quineg?"
"Neg. I will not. You are a Smoke Jaguar warrior. These are bandits. Your orders are to crush them or die in the attempt."
Either way, Jez wins. "I could challenge you on this, Jez," Trent said coolly. "I have beaten you before in a Circle of Equals." They had faced off several times in their lives, both in and out of the sibko, and Trent had always defeated her.
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