Note: This story has been cleared for publication by the military censors of the Federated Commonwealth. Certain names and technical details have been changed to protect those involved. Major Iko fidgeted in the metal chair. She wonder how the JumpShip crew managed to keep all the metal fixtures on the ship at about twelve degrees below the ambient air temperature. It had to be some plot to keep her and the rest of the 'Mech jocks off balance so they could be taken at cards. She felt a sharp stab of pain in her side and bit back a surprised yelp. Colonel Kann, her commanding officer, had just jabbed her with his elbow to gain her notice. He was a small man, with dusky brown skin and piercing black eyes. His bald head gleamed like oiled wood in the harsh light of the briefing room; his large, slightly hooked nose looked razor sharp. He gazed at her, his eyes hypnotically intense, and directed her attention up to the podium when their liaison officer was providing a tactical update on the mission. "But I've already memorized all this!" she whispered. "We are being paid quite well for this mission. I expect my command staff to respect this." Kann's voice was a dry hiss that made Iko think of a snake crawling across stone. Kann gave Iko a case of the shudders. He was an enigmatic leader, always seeming to be in command of his emotions and a master of any situation. There were odd rumors about him in the unit, rumors of mystical rituals and his uncanny ability to predict his enemies. Others said he was deathless, having come from Old Earth during the first wave of colonization. She knew the rumors were untrue yet still... On the podium, the liaison droned on. Iko forced herself to pay attention. "We'll be jumping into the Sudeten system at 0945 today," the man said, his Federated Commonwealth Intelligence Corps uniform bright blue in the neon light. "In deference to Colonel Kann, we've delayed four days." Iko thought she detected the ghost of a smile curve Kann's thin lips. "We'll come in system here," the liaison office continued, pointing to a spot on the holographic display that hung in the air before them, "a pirate point in an asteroid belt. Drop ships will detach immediately, so all units will be in their DropShips for the jump. Once in system, we will be broadcasting signals I Ding us as a supply ship. Intel has identified the frequencies and codes used by the Clan supply forces. We hope that will keep the Clan units off our tail until after the operation is completed." The holotank image shifted, scrolling through a series of Clan 'Mechs, each decorated with a bright green bird of prey. "This is our enemy, the Falcon Guards. Specifically, the Sixth Falcon Regulars, Iota Galaxy." The image transformed into a schematic showing the 6th Falcon Guards organizational structure. Green symbols burned in the air, showing each 'Mech, aerospace, or elemental unit. "The clan military structure is somewhat flexible. Based on 90 units comprised of 3 Clusters each comprised of three binaries, we get a maximum of 375 units. Yes, that's a lot of birds. That shouldn't matter too much, we're not invading the planet. This is our objective." The holotank showed the image of a sprawling industrial complex nestled in a broad mountain valley. "What you are looking at is the last recorded image of the Olivetti Weapons manufacturing facility on Sudeten. This is a pre-Succession War factory that was state-of-the-art and, as of its loss to the Jade Falcons, was producing TDR-9S Thunderbolt and WHM-7S Warhammer BattleMechs. Intel wants some of these 'Mechs to see what the Clans have been doing with a standard design. We think it might provide a bridge to the Clan OmniMechs." Iko felt a shudder of excitement trace her spine. Set's Asps, Kann's mercenary unit, had tangled with the clans before she joined. The survivors told tales of what the Clan warriors could do with their OmniMechs. It had been a series of harrowing battles that winnowed many of the Asps. Iko was hired after the war, rising to the rank of Unit 'Mech Commander, an impressive accomplishment for a thirty year old woman who joined the Asps less than three years ago. She knew it was a measure of Kann's trust in her, or a sign of his seeming preternatural hunches. This would be her first major field action in command of all four 'Mech lances. On the surface, her assignment seemed simple. Once the drop ships grounded, she was to hold the LZ until the raiding party returned with a load of captured 'Mechs. A platoon of Federated Commonwealth scouts backed by two platoons of jump infantry equipped with heavy support weapons would acquire the'Mechs. She'd met a few of the scouts and found them secretive and almost eerie in their intensity. She thought they were a perfect match for Kann. Based on the available evidence, she deduced the scouts were from the nearly legendary Stealthy Foxes. If anyone could steal 'Mechs from under the Jade Falcon's noses, they could. Her job was to secure the line of retreat from whatever might counterattack. And she was sure it would be OmniMechs. The holotank showed the LZ. They would ground in the center of the complex, near the main warehouses. Projected paths that the complex defenders would most likely use glowed red, Iko stared at them, fixing them in her mind though she knew all the data would be in her 'Mech's onboard system. One path drew her notice, tracing from a distant barracks north east of the landing zone. The path seemed to sparkle like a glittered trail of crushed rubies, or burning blood. She felt atingle in the back of her neck as she stared at that route. She rubbed her neck and glanced suddenly at Kann, the voice of the liaison a distant drone. He stared back at her, his face as unreadable as carved stone. Yet somehow, she sensed he was pleased. Iko stared at her reflection in the polarized armored glass of her 'Mech cockpit. The woman that stared back was slender with short black hair and large deep green eyes. The bones of her face were fine and slightly up-slanted. She wore a single earring, a silver ankh with a snake winding across the crossbar, the emblem of Set's Asps. A hairline scar marred her forehead, the gift of an older brother that trained her in the arts of combat. She wondered if she looked like either of her parents but knew she would never answer that question. Her parents were a mystery that her brother had never spoken of. All she knew was that the two of them had been abandoned on the streets of Dis, a hellish mining planet on the edge of the Capellan March. Her rise to her current position had been a struggle against crushing adversity, one that she was proud of. She owed no favors that might rise from her past. Except to her brother, and he could never collect. She swallowed the thick lump in her throat and cast out thoughts of her past. Only the present mattered, only the moment. The artificial gravity of acceleration dragged at her, seeming to fill her bones with lead. She tried to cut her mind adrift from the dull aches that throbbed through her body. Through her comlink, she heard the continued chatter from the crews of the five DropShips that were burning their way towards Sudeten. As she listened, she put together an image of what was going on. The Falcons weren't reacting. Long range sensors showed a large number of JumpShips at the system zenith and nadir jump points. Based on the fragments they were picking up from the planetary telecommunications net, the Intel boys were reasonably sure the Jade Falcons were at war. And they were fighting the Wolves! Speculation was running in favor of the theory that this was some sort of testing of forces between the Wolves and the Falcons. Kann said no, and suspected this was the way the Clans kept their edge. They fought each other, so the Wolves were raiding the Falcon planet. The interesting thing was, the Wolves appeared to have landed only three days ago. If the Asps had come in on the preset schedule, they would have arrived nearly at the same time as the Clan invaders, trapping them between the two forces. Now, the Falcons and Wolves were engaged and the Asps might be able to sneak in through the back door and get out, before either side reacted. "Right," Iko muttered, "and Seker will grow wings and just fly down from orbit." Sekerwas her 'Mech, an Axman outfitted with the latest equipment that was owned by the Asps. Unlike most mercenary units, many of the Asps 'Mechs were owned by 'the company'. The Asps had bought her old Jenner when she signed up, the money was held in an account, drawing interest as well as a percentage of her pay. When and if she mustered out, she had the right to buy any unit 'Mech at a fair market price. It kept everyone interested in keeping the huge war machines in good condition and assured pilots were matched to 'Mechs they could best use. Iko ran another check of Seker's systems. All the tell tales glowed green. She switched on the heads up display and accessed the tactical map of the LZ. The projected routes defenders were apt to use showed red. Again, her attention was drawn to that one route leading north east. It mesmerized her, calling to her in an unknown tongue that was as incomprehensible as it was undeniable. Seker moaned, echoing the sound that permeated the DropShip as it plummeted through the atmosphere. Iko knew it was only her imagination, but she felt the growing heat that must be blistering the ship's skin. She repressed the sensation, knowing it was a phantom creation of her active mind bored by seeming inaction. "If the shielding was breached, the crew wouldn't be so calm," she muttered. And the com chatter was remarkably mild for a combat drop. No AeroSpace forces had picked them up yet. Intel showed that the Falcons were heavily engaged about eight hundred kilometers south of the industrial complex. It looked like the birds and the wolves were mixing it up with a vengeance. "Drop in sixty seconds from my mark." Kann's voice startled her. She hadn't realized they were that close to the drop. She quickly ran a last check, enabling the weapon systems and warming the jump jets. Her heart thundered in her chest, seeming to beat in cadence with Kann's count down. It was that pre-combat rush she always felt when battle loomed. She rode it, letting it infuse her with its wild energy. Her skin tingled and she felt as if she stood before a yawning chasm, a burning wind at her back. Darkness beckoned, promising the orchestrated savagery of war. "Launch," Kann said, his voice dead calm yet somehow still filled with the same wild magic Iko felt. A sharp jolt rocked her as explosive charges propelled her through the opened hatch into the predawn. She caught a flash of the Overlord DropShip, its heat shield glowing like an over- banked furnace. Across the ship's skin, 'Mechs popped from other hatches. Each tumbled for a moment until their gyros and jets brought them upright. Iko felt her stomach lurch as Seker straightened. She eased pressure on to the foot pedals that controlled the jets. Seker vibrated as the jets fired in long bursts. On board processors read the down-looking radar images, matching them to the tactical information. An overlay on her view screen showed her the landing zone. The plan was to drop two lances onto the field to take out any hard points that guarded the LZ. Stealth was gone: once they entered the atmosphere: anyone watching could figure out their objective. Now, it was all a matter of firepower and will. Seker descended on a column of super-heated steam. She came in hard, sacrificing a soft landing for speed. Red beams lit the night. Intel had been right. Automated laser batteries on pylons the field. Above her, brilliant light blossomed as one of the lasers found a descending 'Mech. "Where's the damned air support?", she shouted as she locked on to the nearest battery and fired. Fire gouted up as the laser exploded. "Right here, Major," a voice crackled in her ear. Four Lucifers screamed over head, peeling off to cover the four points of the compass. The lasers hunted the fast moving craft, weaving a web of crimson light. As best she could tell, none of the fighters were hit and all four dropped their bomb loads. The ground shuddered as the detonations rocked her. Nearly three quarters of the laser turrets were swept away in the walls of fire and rubble. "All right, Juarez," Iko shouted, "now clear the deck and let us mop up." She locked her large pulse laser onto another battery and fired, the stabs of light flaring like a strobe. It took only a few moments. Few of the lasers had been mounted with fields of fire that included ground based targets. The 'Mechs made short work of them. Iko took a quick head count; only one 'Mech lost. Then she set survivors into their defensive perimeter. Above, five stars grew brighter as the DropShips burned in. Each of the huge, egg shaped ships landed, shuddering the ground. Instantly, the hatches opened and reinforcements poured out. The Foxes and their support scattered, heading for their targets. Iko assigned the rest of the 'Mechs to the defense. Then she waited. News filtered in from the scattered forces. Before landing, the DropShips had launched a series of spy satellites to keep watch of the on-going battle between the Falcons and Wolves. So far, nothing was moving north. Everything was on track. The Lucifers were out about thirty kicks, watching for any incoming ground units that might escape notice of the satellites. Defense of the LZ from the factory garrison, if present, fell to Iko and the rest of the 'Mechs. Each time Iko looked at the chronometer, sure that nearly an hour had passed, she saw it had only been a few moments. Time dragged by like a crippled insect. An itch formed between her shoulder blades. She knew it was a sign of tension and tried to ignore it. The image of the holographic pathway snaking between the buildings hung at the back of her thoughts. Iko wasn't a gambler, but this hunch was so strong. "To frack with it," she muttered as she moved Seker north east across the concrete, winding between the grounded DropShips towards that dammed route. She found it guarded by the two'Mechs she'd assigned, Torn's Cicada and Dunlevi's revamped Phoenix Hawk. They were both experienced warriors, but would they be enough if a major attack came? No, Iko thought, we're all good but no two of us could hold up to a major Clan assault. The idea is to spot them coming and get more forces to the battle site as quickly as possible. So, will that work? She scanned the long dark roadway with the full range of her sensors. Low light didn't work; the floods set by the drop ship to illuminate the LZ washed out the screen. Infrared was a possible, but the cold wind would keep the heat generated by a 'Mech from being noticeable more then a few dozen meters from the 'Mech. Audio picked up the whine of the wind, and the massive, block house style buildings were hardened, toiling magnetics. With a chilling jolt, she realized that the Falcon Guards could be just beyond the edge of the light and she wouldn't know. "Chin! Dubeck! Alzarad! Ayers! Get over here!" she shouted over the comfink. Her hunch seemed a lot less ludicrous facing into the dark. The four heavy 'Mechs should shore up this flank until more Asps could arrive. But what if an attack came from a different direction? Was she focussing too much of her forces? "Is everything OK, Major?" The comlink carried the strain in Dunlevi's voice. Iko realized her outburst had spooked the young warrior. This was only Dunlevi's third combat mission, and nothing had come close to this scale. "Just playing a hunch," Iko answered. "You and Torn use the edges of the buildings for cover and watch my back. I'm going to take a look." Under her direction, Seker paced between the massive buildings. She had about ten meters of room to each side and the buildings were nearly twenty meters tall. She felt like she was walking down a firing line into unknown guns. The bright lights of the DropShips faded. Darkness enveloped her. Away from the lights and sounds behind her, she paused to assess the situation. She saw nothing to warrant her concern. "What other direction?" she wondered as she looked down the deserted road way. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the massive buildings rising to either side of her. "It's worth a look," Iko muttered. She pressed down on the foot pedals and Seker jetted up, arching over to land on the building to her right. She felt the jar of the impact, Seker flexing at the knees, and triggered a full sensor scan. Immediately, her computer identified several dozen incoming targets. Iko's pulse surged as the low light imaging painted the picture before her. Most of the approaching Falcons were armored infantry, the damned Elementals. Ten of the targets were IDed as Clan OmniMechs with projected tonnages between 30 and 65 tons. The counterattack was on. "We got Falcons coming in on the roof top!" Iko shouted over the comlink as she hit a button, transmitting the information in her computer to Kann's tactical system on his flag ship, the Sethos. Her targeting system painted the nearest Mech with a neon green outline. The computer labeled the Mech as a Dragonfly, a forty ton 'Mech that was faster and far more heavily armed then Seker. The rest of the Falcons were back at least fifty meters except for ten Elementals that were the advanced guard. They were between her and the LZ. The Dragonfly was only ten meters away from her. Apparently, the Clan pilot was startled into inaction by Seker's sudden appearance. Iko used that to her advantage. Firing the huge Luxor Devastator autocannon and her battery of medium lasers, she charged the Dragonfly. Her lasers missed, carving brilliant red lines through the night, back towards the rest of the Falcon force. Her autocannon struck the 'Mech's torso, peeling back armor and ripping into the inner systems. Laser fire scored along Seker's side. Warning lights flashed but her armor wasn't breached. She lashed out with Seker's massive battleaxe. The shock of the blade biting into the Dragonfly's right shoulder reverberated through her 'Mech. Smoke and flames blew out around the axe. She pulled back, trying to free the wedged blade. The Dragonfly kicked out and short range missiles peppered Seker's armor. Trailing a net of shredded cables, the axe ripped free. She struck out again, aiming for the same cut. She didn't have time for along fight. The Elementals had to be closing on her from behind, and soon, she'd be swamped in Clan 'Mechs. The blade bit, cleaving into the gap she'd already cut. Something inside the Dragonfly gave way in a spray of gold sparks. The 'Mech exploded, fragmenting into smoking ruin. Iko staggered. Seker was intact. But she knew that wouldn't last. Missiles exploded around her, fired by the closing 'Mechs. She snapped off shots from the Large Pulse Laser into the oncoming Falcons and she retreated, still firing. The hair on the back of neck prickled. She was sure the Elementals were right behind her but she couldn't turn her back to the Clan 'Mechs. "I could use some help up here, people," she shouted. "I read you, sir," a voice countered. Two lines of crimson stabbed past her into the leading Clan 'Mech. Dunlevi's Phoenix Hawk had joined her atop the building, along with five other Asps. Trusting them to cover her, Iko turned back for the LZ. The Elementals were nearly on her. Their lasers flicked across her. An alarm wailed. Seker's armor was opened on the left side. She swept the roof with laser fire. One Elemental was on her leg, ripping at her armor with its mechanical claw. She cut down with the axe, twisting her leg as the blade descended. She hit the Elemental, shearing the armored man in half. She triggered her jump jets, leaping over the scattered Elementals. She reached Dunlevi and they joined their fire. Other Asps landed on the roof, forming a line. The Asps strengthened their defense, pouring in their reserves once scouts confirmed that no other routes were being- used by the Falcons. It looked as if they were driving in a wedge from the northeast, concentrating the full weight of the force at a single point. The Asps fell back, surrendering ground for time. Eventhough Seker accumulated damage, Iko stayed with her command rather then retreating to the drop ships. Asps began to drop, torn to pieces by Clan fire. "Over the edge!" she shouted. "We'll hold them at the field." The Asps retreated, dragging back their injured. Iko was the last to go. She fired all her lasers then jumped back, clearing the edge in three leaps. "Everyone, turn to face the building," she said. Following her own order, she brought all her weapons to bear on the edge of the building they had just abandoned. "On my order, fire low!" Moments latter, the lead elementals reached the edge. "Wait for it!" Iko's nerves sang with tension as a few of the Elementals fired down at them. Her fingers twitched for the fire controls but she held back, knowing they had one chance for her plan to work. A hulking figure reached the edge dwarfing the Elementals around it. Her computer ID it as a Thor heavy 'Mech. She zoomed in on the torso, spotting the series of red, five pointed stars painted on the dark green armor. "A command 'Mech," Iko breathed, realizing she'd just been granted a favor by the mercurial gods of war. The battle hinged on this moment. "Fire!!" she roared, triggering all her weapons. All of the Asps fired in a single shuddering volley. The face of the building shattered, blowing back in a cloud of dust and debris. The Asps poured fire into the shattered structure. A deep rumble thundered across the field. Like ice from the edge of a glacier, the front of the building sheeted away in an avalanche. Iko saw Jade Falcon 'Mechs and elementals tumbling with the slabs of broken ferrocrete. At least forty meters of the building had collapsed. "Lances Ra and Bast, keep hitting the building, the rest of you, hammer the rubble." She targeted the command Thor that was struggling to rise from the shattered shards of concrete and twisted steel beams. "Sorry, this is war," she muttered as the heavy laser locked on. The pulsing beam speared through the Clan 'Mech. It jerked like an electrocuted man, the coherent light of laser scattering in a rainbow display. Smoking, the Thor fell back and lay still. The Falcons fell back to regroup. Iko took stock of the situation. Seven Asp 'Mechs were out of action, three were destroyed. Five MechWarriors were dead and the infantry had taken a mauling. If not for the trap she'd worked with the collapsing building, they'd have been over-run. "We can't take much more of this," she said, linking to Kann's system. "How soon can we bug out?" "Unknown. The Foxes have not yet returned. Maintain the defensive perimeter." Kann's voice was insufferably free of tension. Iko imagined him sitting at his command council, his uniform unmussed, his features impassive. "Great," she muttered as she ran a quick diagnostic on Seker's systems. "What'll we throw at them if they rush us again?" She worked a quick circuit around the LZ, checking for signs that the Falcons were coming yet again. For the moment, everything was quiet. Iko assessed the level of damage on the 'Mechs mauled in the last fight and adjusted her defensive program accordingly. Then she prowled the LZ, trying to stay calm though her nerves jumped with unspent energy. She was on edge, ridding the aftermath of the battle, refusing to let herself slide into exhaustion. She knew it wasn't over yet. And some how she was sure, they'd come from the northeast again. Fifteen minutes later, word came over the Comlink that the Foxes were inbound with over half a dozen captured 'Mechs. At the same moment, Iko spotted movement amid the rubble. Elementals were creeping up. "Incoming!" She flashed her medium lasers across the rubble, drawing attention to the invaders. Dozens of Elementals erupted from the wreckage. Most bounded out from the gaping face of the building, firing as they came. "Watch for 'Mechs! They're bound to be right behind!" Iko waded in, firing her lasers and lashing out with her axe. The Elementals moved past her towards the DropShips. "AII 'Mechs under forty tons, deal with the Elementals! The rest of you get set to fight the Falcon 'Mechs!" She was positive they were coming. Later, she could never explain why she was so sure. "The Foxes are loading, prepare to embark," Kann said. "Load by the numbers, according to plan." Tactical showed that the Elementals were being beaten back. The return of the reinforced infantry that had accompanied the Foxes tipped the balance. The first Asp 'Mechs began to retreat. Iko felt the tension rise within her. It felt as if a serpent coiled in her guts, rearing up to warn an enemy. Without pausing to think, she fired her pulse laser down the rubble strewn street. Out nearly five hundred meters, the pulsing beam struck something. The laser light scattered, painting the target long enough for her computer to register and analyze. It was a Mad Cat, the twin shoulder mounted racks of Long Range Missiles unmistakable. "Everyone, break to the sides! Intrepid, can you give me heavy PPC fire down this road on my order?" Iko's voice cracked with command. The 'Mechs still on the field parted, taking cover beside the two buildings. Missiles began to land across the LZ. "This is Intrepid, ready to fire on your command, Major." Iko brought up Seker's seismic sensors and ordered the computer to triangulate the vibrations of the approaching 'Mechs. The Falcons would be here in moments. "All right people, once the Intrepid finishes firing, pop up and fire one full volley, then bug out. Pair up. If your partner goes down, try to evac them but don't slow down. The ships can't wait for us. This is for all the marbles. Let's earn those bonuses and teach the Falcons the meaning of Inner Sphere ...... She cut her speech oft, the Falcons were less then a hundred meters away. Missiles fell in a steady rain, cratering the huge landing pad. "Intrepid, Now!" The DropShip fired. Cobalt blue spears of artificial lightning blazed down the corridor formed by the Asps' Mechs, tearing into the charging Clansmen. Powered by the ship's engines, the beams of charged particles blasted again and again. Saint Elmo's fire danced across Seker's skin. Iko shut down her electronic sensors. The static made them unreliable. "That's it, Major," the Intrepid 's fire control office said. "If we give you any more, we'll melt the charging coils." "Thanks, Intrepid. We'll finish loading in a moment. OK people, give it to them!" All of the Asps stepped into position and tired on the reeling Clansmen, then broke and ran amid sporadic fire. Iko watched them go. She knew that in only seconds, the Falcons would rally and pursue. An eye-searing blaze of light lit the field. The first DropShip lifted up on a column of silver fire. Seker jumped. She landed in the roadway, less than fifty meters from the Falcons. She saw a half dozen 'Mechs on the ground and at lest twenty more behind them. The Mad Cat was in the lead, its armor battered, one leg twisted at the hip. Iko fired without targeting. The roar of the autocannon echoed through the cockpit. The Mad Cat staggered as the slugs chewed into its torso. She twitched her hand slightly, adjusting the fire angle without really aiming. Again, the cannon roared and a red light flicked on, marking that the ammo bin was empty. But the shot did its work. The Mad Cat's head blew back in a gout of smoke and debris. A moment of frozen silence descended on the battle field as Iko stared at the massed clan 'Mechs. They respect honor and bravery, she thought as the Mad Cat toppled. She lifted her ax high above her head and swept it down, saluting her fallen foe. For a moment, all was still. Two more DropShips lifted. A Loki 'Mech with two red stars on its torso stalked forward. Iko felt her blood ice. She waited, knowing that if it came to a fight, she'd be overwhelmed in moments. The Loki stepped over the ruined Mad Cat. Time balanced on a razor edge. Iko felt like a fly trapped in amber. Then, the Loki bowed and slowly turned its back. It walked away. The rest of the Falcons followed. Another ship blasted upwards. "This is your last call, Major." Kann's voice held the same dry tone it always did. Iko shook herself back into reality. She realized she'd been mesmerized by the Loki. "I'm all over it," she countered, turned and leaped across the battle field. She passed over the ruins of war. Asps and Jade Falcons lay commingled in death, the shattered remnants of their weapons around them. Ahead, she saw the last DropShip, the Sethos. The cargo bay door beckoned and she felt the rumble from its engines as the massive fusion drive powered up. The cargo bay door began to slide shut. Iko forced Seker into a final leap. She glanced off the huge armored plate and careened into the cargo bay. Instantly, she sprawled out Seker on the floor, knowing what was coming. The shock of lift-off drove her down into the webbed straps of the cockpit. She tasted blood as her teeth cut her mouth. It felt as if someone had parked a tank on her chest. But despite the pain, she was elated, her spirit buoyed by their success. They'd won. The full debriefing took place over four days. Iko went over the battle again and again, dredging up every fragment of information she could recall about how the Jade Falcons had fought. No one seemed interested in how she figured out where the Falcons would attack. When the debriefing was finely completed, she left the military Intelligence complex with Kann. All the other Asps had been released and awaited them back at the Asps' temporary headquarters by the starport. A military transport unceremoniously dropped them at the edge of the Federated Commonwealth Tactical Center. Once they passed through the gate checkpoints, they stood on civilian soil. "A municipal ground transport should be along shortly," Kann said, consulting the timetable posted on the wall of the roadside kiosk. "Couldn't you call and have someone come pick us up?" Kann looked back at her, his face impassive. Damn it, she thought. I spend four days in a room with a half dozen FedCom Intel spooks and look like something a 'Mech stomped. He looks like he just had himself dry cleaned. "Wasteful," he answered, "And we'll get back faster this way, Major." "Permission to ask a question, sir," she said, wishing her voice was deeper and sounded less hesitant. He nodded and folded his arms across his chest. "Back on Sudeten, I played a hell of hunch. It paid off but it could just as well have led to disaster. And I think somehow, you knew I was going to, just like you knew we should delay our attack by several days. I'm uncomfortable with relying on intuition on a battle field, sir, and wonder if this is some part of the Asps' hidden protocols." This time, she was sure the ghost of a smile haunted his lips for an instant. "Well, that's not really a question but I understand what you're asking," he said. "Some call it intuition, some precognition, others, only lucky guesses. Perhaps it is just that some people are equipped with a subconscious mind that is particularly adept at collating seemingly unconnected fragments of data. The fact remains that certain individuals are better at predicting events yet to come than random chance should allow." Kann adjusted his perfectly aligned collar and flicked invisible dust from his arm. "I have made a point of finding such individuals to employ in my unit. On the battlefield, information is the key to success; not weapons, troops, or morale, but knowledge. Force is only as good as its targeting. At least, so I believe. "I think you have the talents I am looking for," Kann's gaze held her, his black eyes unblinking, "the skills of an accomplished warrior coupled with sound judgement and, well, something undefinable. I think you are an asset to the Asps and we are very lucky to have you fighting with us." He extended his hand. For a moment, Iko was startled. Kann never touched anyone. It was practically a mania. She took his gray gloved hand, feeling surprising strength to his grip. "Well, it was a great fight," she said, "but now what do we do for excitement?" Kann adjusted his tunic. "Well, an agent from Outreach is waiting to speak with us. And we have a standing offer from the Federated Commonwealth. The Combine may hold promise. In short, I suspect we will manage to keep active." He pointed down the roadway. "For now, we have the adventure of dealing with the mysteries of the public transit system. I hope we are up to the challenge." Iko laughed, the sound deep and honest. "Commander, I never realized what a dry wit you had." "I prefer to think of it as ... desiccated." He stepped to the side, allowing Iko to mount the three stairs into the hover bus. As Iko entered the bus, noting the stares of the civilians impressed by her uniform, she decided she was going to enjoy her stint with the Asps. She was going to fit right in. Back to BattleTechnology 21 Table of Contents Back to BattleTechnology List of Issues Back to MagWeb Magazine List © Copyright 1994 by Pacific Rim Publishing. This article appears in MagWeb.com (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other military history articles and gaming articles are available at http://www.magweb.com