Exodus road

by Blaine Lee Pardoe

  Demi-Precentor Frakes spoke up again. "We've fought the Clans before and beat them. I can't wait to do it again." Murmurs in the room seconded his boast.

  "I agree, Demi-Precentor, but we are not going to defeat the Jaguars. We are going to pull out our agent and one warrior." Karter cocked his head slightly and narrowed his eyes. "But if we get a chance to send a few more Clanners into the great beyond, then by Blake's blood, they'll dread the day they ever met Winged Divinity."

  34

  Emerald Landing Zone

  Shenandoah River Valley

  Maldonado

  Draconis Combine

  24 May 3058

  The Smoke Jaguar DropShip opened its 'Mech deployment doors as it hovered over the LZ on the far southeastern bank of the Shenandoah River. The giant metallic echo of the doors locking into place was lost against the roar of the fusion engines. The night was lit by the brilliant fires of the thrusters burning away the sod of Maldonado as the BattleMechs jumped the short distance down to the ground, then began moving away with almost uncanny military precision.

  Trent glanced back at the DropShip as it throttled its engines and lifted off the ground and away, leaving the three Stars of his Trinary moving into position in the sudden and enveloping darkness of the Maldonado night. Somewhere in the hills across the river, the same scene was being played out by the mission's other two commands. The DropShips would continue south for another twenty kilometers, heading for the point where the troops would rendezvous with it when the raid was over. His long-range sensors silently pulsed their signals around the landing zone, confirming that everyone in his command was present, operational, and intact.

  What was not in order was the terrain feedback coming back from the sensors on his secondary display. It was not whal he expected to see. Not at all. The Shenandoah River, which should have been further away, was not. The hills off to the east rose gradually at first, then sharply into a low range of jagged rocks—impossible terrain. But it was the river that concerned him most. It was wrong, dead wrong. The surface scans he was getting off it indicated one of two things. Either his sensors were malfunctioning or the Shenandoah was much bigger than he thought.

  He activated the command channel. "Star Captain Russou," he said into his neurohelmet microphone. "Please confirm the readings I am getting on the river."

  "Working . . ." Russou said. A moment later, Trent heard him curse. "Stravag! This is impossible!"

  "Aye," Trent shook his head and closed his eyes. "That is what I thought." He switched to the channel used by the Binary and Trinary commanders. "Star Captain Nevversan, this is Star Captain Trent."

  "Go, Trent."

  "The river has apparently flooded. I show it to be almost a kilometer wide."

  "Confirmed. We cannot make it across from here. You will proceed on to the mission objective."

  The primary premise of the assault was that all three Jaguar units would combine their efforts and converge on the base of the Twelfth Dieron Regulars. Going in alone would put Trent's command at risk of being outnumbered four or five to one, and wiped out piecemeal. "Say again, Star Captain."

  "You have your orders, Beta Trinary," Nevversan replied.

  "Oleg, how can I carry out my orders if you and Supernova Striker are unable to get over to provide us the supporting fire necessary to successfully execute this assault? Sending my Trinary in alone is akin to suicide."

  "Neg, Trent. We will find another place to ford the river and join up with you. The Star Colonel's orders are clear, and I aim to fulfill them to the best of my ability. We will begin deployment within the hour, and you will also begin your approach at that time. By the time you engage these Combine surats, we should have found a place to cross."

  Trent looked at the tactical map on his secondary display. Nevvarson is ordering me to my death and he knows it. Either he is incompetent or he does this at the bidding of Star Colonel Paul Moon. Trent understood then that Moon must have known all along that the river would be much wider than indicated by the briefing material he had given Trent. That Moon would stoop to trickery and lies to kill honorable warriors only confirmed for Trent the necessity of taking the path he and Judith had chosen. It was the only way to preserve what honor was left him as a warrior of the Smoke Jaguar.

  "Aye, Star Captain," he said. There was nothing to do now but obey.

  * * *

  Judith tossed the small kit bag into the front seat of the mobile repair vehicle and prepared to hoist herself up. The small tracked vehicle had no armor to speak of but was equipped with a fast and powerful engine, towing cables, a power winch, and a cutting assembly. It was used to move rapidly onto the battlefield to perform emergency surgery on fallen 'Mechs.

  This one was ready for deployment, even if it had yet not been ordered into action. She adjusted her goggles to make sure their fit was good. Though the polarized viewscreen of a BattleMech cockpit would filter the bright light of the Maldonado sun, a quick glance at it could be blinding to an individual. It would take several more days of exposure before her eyes were adjusted enough to tolerate the sunlight on this planet.

  She put her foot on the small lip of the running board and was about to step up when she heard a voice that chilled her soul. "Judith, what are you doing? No one has ordered the recovery vehicles into action yet."

  She turned and faced Master Tech Phillip for what she knew would be the last time. He had been assigned to the operation, since it involved almost all of the Third Jaguars Cluster. Indeed, Paul Moon himself would be here if not for his bold bidding, in which he had removed himself from the bid. Judith reached into the vehicle as though seeking a grip to balance herself on the running board. Her hand closed around the laser pistol on the seat. "I was merely readying this vehicle for deployment, Master Phillip."

  "I gave no such order," Phillip said, coming closer to where she hung half out of the door of the mobile repair vehicle.

  "Aye," she said, glancing around quickly to be sure they were indeed alone. Then she swung the laser pistol and leveled it at Phillip, aiming it at the bridge of his nose—squarely between the eyes. "I do not think you will be handing out orders for some time." He was stunned by her action, his mouth dropping open at the sight of the weapon. Phillip took a step back, then stopped, apparently frozen with fear.

  "It—it is illegal for a member of the lower castes to possess a weapon," he stammered in disbelief.

  Judith smiled thinly. "Neg, you jackass. I am a warrior and something more. You tried to beat that out of me, but you could not. And soon, I will have my honor again." Then she fired the pistol. A brilliant burst of ruby-red light flashed and burned through Phillip's nose, skull, and brain. A wisp of smoke floated in the air as his body dropped back, motionless.

  Quietly she dragged his corpse into the rear of the repair vehicle. Taking him with her would mean that no one would find his body and start asking untimely questions. For now, only two techs would be missing, hardly something worth mentioning to Star Captain Newersan. Time to go home. . ..

  * * *

  As the first rays of dawn reached into the depths of the valley, melting the frost off the trees and grass, the lead elements of the Twelfth Dieron Regulars had begun their assault on Beta Striker Star. From almost half a kilometer back, Trent saw the flames and the blasted armor flying off as a barrage of enemy missiles hit Alexandra's Cauldron-Born. She fought to keep her new 'Mech upright amid the beating she was taking from the missiles.

  Bombardier, Trent concluded, identifying the enemy 'Mech from a long-range scan of the bend in the river and hills just ahead of his unit. Plus seven more—two full lances. The missile-boat 'Mech and several of the others had opened up at their maximum range, rising just above the ridge, firing, then quickly moving down to where his forces could not return the compliment.

  The progress along the river had been slow and methodical by Smoke Jaguar standards, but Trent understood the need for such caution despite several prompts from Oleg Newersan
to the contrary. "Star Commander Russou, bring Charlie Star along the river bank and provide suppression fire. Star Commander Alexandra, bring Beta Striker up onto the ridge and fire down." From what Trent saw on the tactical display, all things being equal, the Dieron Regular BattleMechs would be caught in a cross-fire ... all things remaining equal.

  Beta Striker swept up the ridge that provided cover to the Combine BattleMechs. As they reached the top Trent saw a fiery barrage of lasers, explosions, flames, and the blue beams of charged particles. Most of the volley hit the Omni-Mechs of Beta Striker like an instant tornado. Armor rained back toward his Alpha Attack Star, rattling off Mech Warrior Teej's Mad Dog and Dex's Shadow Cat. The missile salvo followed a second later, hitting Beta Striker again with a wall of fury and explosions. Alexandra's Cauldron-Born vibrated madly at the edge of the ridge, and the Hankyu piloted by MechWarrior Kutt seemed to pivot on its right leg, then stumble backward, toward Trent's Star.

  At the edge of the ridge, where it dipped downward toward the river to the west, Trent watched as Charlie Star paused and returned fire. Star Commander Russou's Mad Dog unleashed its long-range missiles, which hit behind the ridge line where Trent could not see the havoc they were wreaking. His secondary display suddenly started snowing more Combine BattleMechs on his sensors, data fed him from the tactical displays of Charlie and Beta Stars. It was not a mere two lances, but suddenly three lances—a full company of twelve BattleMechs—squaring off against his Trinary. Readings at the edge of the long-range sensors told him that even more might be hiding just beyond his sensor range, skirting the edge of the fight.

  He sent a short digital signal to Star Captain Nevversan, the pre-arranged code to let him know that Trent's command was engaging the enemy. Then he throttled up the fusion reactor in the bowels of the Cauldron-Born and moved it forward. "Charlie Star, report," he said.

  "Confirm twelve, neg, make that eleven 'Mechs," Russou said as an explosion seemed to light up the area on the other side of the ridge, making Alexandra's force stand out in silhouette for an instant.

  "Copy." Trent then opened a channel to his own Star. "Alpha Attack, move in and form up alongside Beta Striker. All units engage." He walked his 'Mech forward without fear, but he could not help wondering whether he would survive the fight. It would be ironic to die now, here, so close to escape. Neg. Today, I will not die. Today, I will become the Smoke Jaguar I always wanted to be.

  Trent reached the top of the ridge just as Alexandra's force began to start down the other side. From this vantage point he saw visually for the first time what his Trinary was facing.

  At his feet lay the burning remains of a camouflage-green Combine Panther that had apparently rushed up the hill straight into the face of Beta Striker Star. The remaining Combine 'Mechs were carefully poised at the bottom of the ridge. The two greatest threats were the mantis-like Daikyu and its sister Naginata, both of which were firing at Beta Striker and his own force as it cleared the ridge top. To Trent's left, Rupert in his Summoner took the brunt of the Daikyu's deadly PPC and autocannon fire as it slashed away at the surface armor of the Summoner's right side. Arcs of blue-charged electrical energy, residue from the PPC attack, crackled around the Summoner as it swayed under the impact of the fire.

  Rupert struggled to maintain his balance, but a blast of medium laser pulses from a SDR-9K Venom stitched the torso of the Summoner one more time, reaching deeply into the gouges already created by the first wave of damage. This time the shots were not slowed by the ferro-fibrous armor, but seared directly into the heart of the Jaguar OmniMech, hitting engine shielding and the balancing gyro that kept the machine stable. The Summoner swayed drunkenly toward the river as Trent locked his own Gauss rifle and LB5-X autocannon on the Venom.

  The Gauss rifle slug, propelled on a magnetic pulse, flashed at supersonic speeds into the Venom as the light 'Mech tried to drift back. It was just about to ignite its jump jets when the round hit the green and brown-painted 'Mech in the leg. The impact was furious, shattering the knee joint and bending it backward as the autocannon laced a series of pot holes up the 'Mech's front torso. The Combine Mech-Warrior never stood a chance as his 'Mech rattled violently and fell over, its stump of a leg leaking coolant and venting a white cloud of steam. It fell at the same time that Rupert dropped at Trent's side.

  On his right, Dex's Shadow Cat paused about twenty meters further down the hill and leveled its pair of large lasers at a retreating Wolf Trap. The Combine Mech Warrior, walking deftly backward, unleashed a deadly barrage of autocannon and missile fire that merged with a blast of LRMs from the Naginata nearby. A total of fifty-five missiles spiraled in on Dex's 45-ton; Shadow Cat, only four of them missing and plowing up the turf instead. The others did horrific damage to the cockpit and chest of the low-slung 'Mech. The eruption of the warhead sent armor-ripping shrapnel against the cockpit glass of Trent's Cauldron-Born.

  The impact on the lighter Shadow Cat was more devastating. Billows of gray and black smoke poured from the deep holes in the torso as Dex attempted to keep his 'Mech upright. Trent swung his medium long-range laser and short-range missile pack into play on an HM-1 Hitman that had broken off from the melee with Charlie Star still brewing to the west, down at the low end of the ridge not far from the river. The missiles tracked the moving Hitman, pockmarking the armor under the armpit while the laser scored only light damage on the right arm.

  Trent watched as the Shadow Cat was bathed in a blast of PPC fire from the Daikyu, taking the hits just under the already gaping damage. Dex's fight to keep his Shadow Cat upright and able to fight was coming to an obvious end as the 'Mech toppled onto its side. Dex ejected up and back, away from the falling 'Mech, rising upward into the air on a streaking cloud of solid rocket plumes until his chute deployed.

  Trent stared back down into the foothills of the small valley, then realized he was not being fired upon, not even targeted. It was as if he was not even there, totally invisible to his would-be enemies and allies. They are not firing at me. Judith's message must have gotten through. His heart lifted for a moment at that thought. Instead of firing, he started looking for an opportunity to break through the Combine line. Perhaps I could make a sprint for their base . ..

  Then a roar filled the air from behind him on the ridge. A glance at his scanners showed a massive airborne object—a DropShip—moving in swiftly from the rear. He pivoted the Cauldron-Born's torso and saw the ship looming over him, its drop bay doors open. A Broadsword ... a Smoke Jaguar Broadsword, from what he could see of the insignia in the early light of sunrise. Where had it come from?

  Then a voice came down from the ship over a wideband communications channel that everyone in his Trinary could hear.

  "Star Captain Trent, this is Star Colonel Paul Moon. You are hereby charged with treason against your caste and your Clan. Surrender or be destroyed!"

  35

  Shenandoah River Valley

  Maldonado

  Draconis Combine

  25 May 3058

  Judith saw the flashing bursts of light just ahead of her, and they told her she was closing with a battle. The tracked mobile repair vehicle was slow and loud, but she had made good time since leaving the DropShips. She slowed slightly and tried to use the limited communications set, hoping to pick up some of the combat chatter from the ridge in the distance, but thus far with no luck. Who are they fighting? The Dieron Regulars?

  She steered the vehicle to the east, toward the foothills, hoping to get to the top of one of the hills to get a better look at the battle site. That point was two kilometers away, however, and the steam of fog rising as the Maldonado sun burned away the morning frost and dew made visual sighting difficult at this distance. She kept heading north by northeast, constantly adjusting the comm set to pick up any sort of communications.

  Suddenly from in front of her she saw a squad of troopers emerge from hiding in a small trench. Most carried shoulder-launched short-range missiles and, from their aim, she was sure they
would be more than willing to blast her vehicle. The troopers did not fire, however, but held themselves steady, the reflective faceplates;under their helmets hiding their expressions. Their light green uniforms and the green and black field patches they wore made her smile. On the chest of one of the troopers she made out a familiar circular symbol with two star points dipping downward.

  "Freeze!" one of the men commanded through an amplified speaker in his face plate. She slammed the vehicle to a stop and slowly shut it off, then held her hands in front of her so the troopers could see she was making no overt moves.

  The men fanned around the vehicle, some holding the missile launchers while others switched to laser rifles. All of their weapons were trained on her. The officer in charge moved slowly and cautiously to the half-opened window of the vehicle, ready to fire his rifle at the slightest provocation. She knew these were forces friendly to her, but they still did not know that.

  "Sir, we have a body in the back," one of the men at the rear of the vehicle barked. The officer glaring at her from the side seemed to tense for a minute.

  "Hands where I can see them," he commanded. She nodded as he opened the door with one hand, keeping the laser rifle trained on her face with the other.

  "Name?"

  Judith used the code phrase and password she had sent in her covert message. "Archangel."

  "Password?"

  "Redemption," she stated firmly.

  The officer lowered his rifle and motioned to the others in the squad. They dropped their weapons aim from the transport and spread out, providing the officer and Judith with cover. The officer pulled out a small communicator from his belt and activated it. "Bear Claw, this is Rapier. Archangel is in the bag. You are clear for phase two."

  "Roger, Rapier," came a voice over the speaker. Judith looked into the distance and saw the hillside suddenly come alive with movement. Hidden until now under camouflage and sensor concealment tarps, more than two dozen BattleMechs seemed to rise out of the hillside and come alive. She smiled. Trent's force had gone right past them in the foothills, never knowing that his rescue was so close at hand.