There were five of us crammed into one of the small cubicles on board the Le'pard, an old, beat up Leopard-class dropship. The cubicle was turned into a makeshift conference room. There was Captain Wilma Jenkins, Ship's Captain, to my right, then Sergeant Amthor, second in command of my recon lance. Next came MechWarrior Brian liggman, and finally Brenda Gealgood, recently made Lieutenant jg (Captain Blackthorne's fiancee).
As I gazed around the table, I tried to read their faces. Capt Jenkins was an ace pilot with an efficient crew. She'll keep her opinions to herself until we can speak privately, I thought.
Sgt Amthor was a valiant warrior, with the hot bloodedness of his Norse ancestors. He piloted the modified Shadow HawkK awarded to us by our "Hosts" of House Kurita. Though I trusted him, his opinions could be abrasive, and could cause trouble if the CO got wind of them.
MechWarrior Iiggman was a recent graduate. With some good coaching and his better-than-normal reflexes, he would become a competent fighter. The eagerness on his face brought a smile to mine. He piloted one of my Phoenix Hawks, taking to it as easily as a bird to flight.
Then there was Lieutenant jg Gealgood. I didn't feel too comfortable about having her come along for the ride. I'd only seen her pilot that monster Atlas of hers. Since she would be piloting the other Phoenix Hawk, I wasn't sure if she could adjust to the differences. Then there was the aspect of her being the Captain's fiancee. If she got hurt, we'd be pulling KP for the rest of our lives.
"OK, people, listen up. Captain Blackthorne sent us on this mission as a reward for doing such a terrific job on Capra."
"You call this a reward," growled Amthor, picking up the orders. "This is...", I looked sharply at him, flicking my eyes to Brenda. He paused and finished, "not my idea of how I'd like to be spending my R&R." I breathed a little easier. I made a mental note to speak with Amthor about toning down his opinions around the Captain's fiancee.
"That's right, Sergeant, it's a reward to me and to this lance." I paused before continuing. "The Captain has placed great faith in us to accomplish this task. Just like he did on Capra. We didn't let him down then, and we won't now." I said, looking straight into Amthor's eyes.
"Ha, we're on this mission because you embarrassed Captain Blackthorne in front of his Draco masters. Why if it wasn't..."
"THAT WILL BE ALL, SERGEANT!", I yelled, jumping to my feet and slamming the table, making everyone jump. I winced inwardly, not wanting to overact. He had a point, though. Perhaps he hit more of a sore spot than I wanted to admit.
I slowly sat back down, wishing I hadn't done what I just did. Spreading out my hands on the table, and gazing at them, I continued in a softer tone. "Captain Blackthorne has sent us on a raid to retrieve some waterworks parts. These parts are needed on our homeworld to replace the aging waterworks they have there now. Intel places one, possibly two light to medium 'Mechs to guard the area, with no infantry or Aerospace support. As this is such a backworlds planet, Captain Blackthorne is confident that this is an accurate report. He has assured me that we will be meeting token forces only." I glanced up as I heard Amthor make choking noises.
"You have a comment to make ... Sergeant?" I asked tightly.
"Yes, sir. If that's the case, why are we making a combat drop? Wouldn't it be better to land in the Le'pard, grab the parts and be away before anyone knew we were there?", he asked with barely concealed sarcasm.Amthor was a good warrior, but I was getting tired of his flamed criticisms.
Making a supreme effort, I managed to keep my voice even and controlled."How many drops have you made, Sergeant?"
"Seven ... Sir", he replied warily.
"Correct. Brian here has dropped once, Lt Gealgood four times, and I've dropped fourteen, with the last one over a year ago. The Captain feels that we are in need of practice, and with the intel he's received, he's decided that this is as safe as we're likely to get. Therefore, we are going to get a refresher on the subject. Understood, Sergeant?" Locking eyes with him once more, I waited for him to reply.
Amthor swallowed, then staring straight ahead replied smartly, "Yes, Sir."
"Very well, any other questions?" Noting Brian's nervous gesture, I nodded.
"Ah...well, Sir, the orders say we're to drop into the area directly." He spoke with some apprehension. "Won't that be a little risky, with the buildings, hills, trees, and that large salt lake right there and all? I mean wouldn't it be safer to drop in a less populated area, as far as terrain is concerned?"
My opinion of Brian went up a notch. He'd noticed the very thing I had when I first received the orders. Ordering the unit to make a combat drop for the purpose of training in a relatively safe area was one thing, but to complicate it with uncertain terrain struck me as rather odd. Especially in light of the fact that we hadn't fought together as a unit before.
"Captain, this is after all a practice drop, no need to make it anything else. I would like you to adjust your course on final entry to take us in a quadrant 16, mark 2, opening the bay doors at Angels 10."
"Roger, quadrant 16, mark 2. Door open Angels 10, not 20."
"The dropship shouldn't be in any danger without aerospace fighters to harass you, should it?"
She shook her head. "Rendezvous unchanged?"
Captain Jenkins was definitely top notch, anticipating my next orders.
"No," I said, "I will want you in a low geosynchronous orbit, just in case we get into trouble. I want you able to get to us with the minimum amount of time. Besides, I need your "eyes up high" where they can see our situation."
There was a sour look on Lieutenant Gealgood's face.
"You have something to say, Lieutenant?"
"I don't think you ought to be changing the Captain's orders. I still don't think you should have put a Sergeant above me, second in command."
"Lieutenant, we've been in transit for five weeks, and you were promoted just before we left. Before that you too were a Sergeant. Isn't that right?" She nodded. "I've been letting your attitude slide; before we drop, I'm going to explain a few things to you. Sergeant Amthor is a permanent member of this lance. Sergeant Amthor is second in command of this lance. You were attached to this lance for this mission only; the Captain did not inform me of any changes in the lance command structure. Last, but not least, I command this lance and what I say goes. You will be Sergeant Amthor's lancemate. He remains second in command. Is that clear, Gealgood?"
She looked as if she could explode, but give her credit, she just nodded, with a dark look in her eyes. So much for making friends and influencing people. "That's all, people. We have six hours until planetfall. I suggest you get some rest before we drop". I said with a sigh, suddenly very tired.
Captain Jenkins stayed behind after the others had left. "Want to tell me what's overheating your systems?"
"Why send us way out here for something as trivial as a waterpump? Surely there are closer targets. With all the salvage money we received on the last job, the company could have just bought one. l hate this kind of raiding! It gives mercenaries a bad name! Blackthorne and I had words just before we left. He accused me of trying to usurp his command and take his company away from him. After my original unit was destroyed by Hanson's Roughriders, the Black Gorgons gave me a new lease on life. I thought I was starting to repay them for that when we captured those six 'Mechs on Capra without firing a shot. But the Dracos weren't pleased that a junior officer was responsible, instead of the Company CO. They even slapped an ISF officer on us; the Captain's sore about that."
After I was through spilling my guts, Captain Jenkins just smiled. "Feel a little better now? They're all valid points, but there's nothing we can do about them. Do you think you can concentrate on this mission now, so we can get home and get our rest and relaxation?"
"Yes," I said, really feeling much better. "Remind me to treat you to a fabulous dinner after this is all over, where you can unload whatever's on your mind, okay?"
Her laughter was genuine and pleasant sounding."Okay, you have a deal, Lieutenant."
"David," I said.
Inside
As I climbed up my 'Mech's external ladder, I admired its graceful lines and deadly demeanor. Its outward appearance resembled that of its lesser cousins, the Shadow Hawk and the Shadow Hawk LAM, but that's where the similarities ended. It had been designed to specifically to be misleading, hoping the element of surprise would give me an edge in first time encounters. A Phoenix Hawk carried a large laser, a pair of medium lasers and machine guns with eight and a half tons of armor. My `Mech, the only one of its kind, used the chassis of a Shadow Hawk with a beefed up internal structure, and by removing the troublesome conversion assembly, entered the 55 ton class. It sported a Fusigon PPC, molded to resemble the large laser on the original Hawk. It retained its medium lasers and replaced its machine guns with and LRM five pack. It also supported 10 tons of armor, making it the most armored of its class, barring the Gladiator. I called it the Screaming Hawk.
The unique design of the 'Mech, though, was its modular weapons systems. I was part of the design team which invented this while I was at the College of Military Science. This modular system allowed me to remove the LRM and replace it with an SRM four pack for an added close range punch, without much trouble or rearrangement of the 'Mech's internal structure. With another Tech, and the proper tools, it averages 24 hours to swap the weapons systems. For this particular mission I had the LRMs installed. Some day I hoped to get the backing of House Steiner, or - when and if Michael Hasek-Davion falls off the edge of the universe - House Davion, for full production.
Reaching in as I climbed up to the cockpit assembly, I switched on the power and then I pulled myself in, tugging the breaker bar down in place to close the hatch. A deeply muffled rumbling assured me that the fusion engine had come on line as I seated myself in the control couch. The power from the fusion plant powered up the console by the time I had strapped myself in, plugged in my vest and hooked up the biofeedback tabs. Checking the worry board, I smiled as all indicators showed green. I reached over and flicked a switch to pressurize the cockpit and retract the ladder. Chewing furiously on my gum, I relieved the pressure in my ears.
As I went though pattern check, code check (my father's motto: No mercy to those who embrace chaos), as I armed my weapons, switched on my monitors, and unlocked my controls. I felt the usual thrill as my machine came to life. I keyed my mike, "Hawk's Nest, this is Hawk Leader, how do you read?"
"Loud and clear, Hawk Leader. Doors open in T minus five minutes on my mark ... Mark." The reply came rather loudly. I adjusted the volume hastily and set my timer. Switching to command channel, I keyed my mike again. "Shadow Lance, report status."
"This is HawkTwo, all systems on the line and operational." Within the confines of his 'Mech, Amthor was all business.
"Hawk Three reporting in. All systems A-okay." Gealgood's electronically duplicated voice sounded a dull monotone. I wondered it it was because of the transmission or if she was still angry. I'd better keep a close watch on her.
After waiting for a handful of heartbeats, I opened a private channel to Brian. "Everything okay?"
"No, sir, I'm getting a fluctuation on my fusion engine readings. I can't seem to locate it, or lock it down," he said, his apprehension making it through transmission.
Securing one of the monitors for the channel, I instructed Brian to feed me his readings. Before he transmitted them he said, "It's all right, Sir, I found it. It was the linkage control between the engine and the jump pack. I've bypassed primary controls and am now operating on backups."
"Good" I said, "Feed me the readings anyway, okay?" I was concerned about his 'Mech's altered balance. On a hunch just before this mission I had secretly had his Phoenix Hawk configured to carry electronic warfare equipment instead of his MG's and ammo. Only Brian and I knew. It never hurts to have an ace in the hole.
"Roger, transmitting now." The monitor flicked for a moment and then steadied down to show Brian's Hawk's engine power readings. The indications looked solid, but the level of power was a little low. "Do you want to abort, Hawk Four?"
"Negative, Hawk Leader. All systems now on line. I have control." came his crisp answer.
I smiled to myself. Yes, I thought, he'll make a warrior. "Roger that, Hawk Four. Keep feeding me your power readings until after the drop."
The telemetry showed that the Le'pard was nearing its intended launch point. Glancing quickly at the countdown, I verified the indication. 30 seconds.
"Shadow Lance, doors commencing to open, T minus 30 seconds." Almost immediately there was a loud clang as the huge Mechbay door in front of my 'Mech began to open. After the dim interior, the light from outside was nearly blinding as it streaked in like a laser from underneath the door in an ever widening swath. My 'Mech's polarized canopy reduced it to a manageable amount, but not before leaving spots in front of my eyes.
Keying my mike, I ordered, "Shadow Lance, prepare to drop on a count of five, I repeat a count of five." Hawk's Nest began counting down. "T minus 20 seconds... 10 seconds..." By then the doors were completely open. I gently nudged my controls to ease my 'Mech closer to the door. "Five seconds ... good luck, Shadow Lance," Captain Jenkins' voice, but I was already counting down, "Five... Four... Three... Two... One... Jumping." I stepped out the door, and was immediately slammed to one side of my control couch by the winds and turbulence generated by the Le'pard's passing through the atmosphere. For the barest instant I saw Amthor's Shadow Hawk step from the Le'pard simultaneously with my 'Mech.
As I steadied my 'Mech into drop position, I punched up a map of the area we were supposed to drop into. I sighed, as I recognized all the landmarks. Captain Jenkins had dropped us right on target. Now it was up to us to get there in one piece.
Our forward momentum was still too great to allow a landing, so the next order of business was to slow our forward velocity. Glancing at the altimeter I saw we were at 9 kilometers.
"Shadow Lance, prepare to roll and burn on my mark... Mark." I felt my attitude through my neurohelmet and gently thumbed my controls to bring my 'Mech around so that its feet were facing into the path of travel. I hit my jump jets full on to slow my forward speed. My mech began to vibrate.
I could see my lance now, and I was proud of their neat formation. We were all within a few hundred meters of each other. At five kilometers I again activated my jump jets and noted that the rest of the lance did also. I did a double take on Brian's 'Mech; his jet stream looked odd. The monitor showed a steady drain on his power readings. It appeared that his jump jets were failing. "Sir, I'm getting an unusual drain on my power readings. It's possible that the shaking up earlier may have damaged the jump jet backups." The worst horror a pilot has to face during a combat drop is that his jump jets may fail. Brian seemed to be holding up well, despite the fear that he must be feeling. He'd need some steadying if he was to remain calm. What could I say? There was nothing I could do if his jets failed entirely. Unless...
"Brian, hold tight while I come closer. When I'm close enough, grab hold of my 'Mech."His `Mech weighed 45 tons, while mine weighed 55. Our jump jets were powerful enough to lift a `Mech off of the ground and carry it for short distances, but we won't need that extra power to lift off. Adding the power of his malfunctioning jets to mine, I might be able to assist him in slowing down his 'Mech to prevent his outright destruction on landing. It was a terrific gamble, and I had never heard of it done before, but otherwise I'd be letting Brian fall to his death without a fight.
As I maneuvered over to Brian, alight on my console flashed, indicating someone wanted to talk to me privately. I switched to the private channel. "Go ahead," I said, concentrating on the delicate moves needed to get closer and closer to Brian's Phoenix Hawk.
"Ah, Sir, is this a good idea?" I heard Amthor's voice in my headphones. You're going to get yourself and him killed trying to carry him down like that."
"Maybe," I said, "and maybe I can prevent him from being scattered all over Tancredi's surface. I appreciate your concern, but I can't just watch while he crashes. You're in command until this is over. Hawk Leader out."
We were so close that I could see Brian through our `Mech canopies. His eyes were wide open in fear and he looked to be on the very edge of panic. I gently maneuvered my `Mech closer to his, and then there was a loud screeching of metal against metal. I grabbed his 'Mech in my arms and saw him do the same with mine. We started to tumble from the impact. I quickly adjusted with my attitude thrusters, and heard them scream trying to straighten out 100 tons of tumbling metal. Slowly, agonizingly slowly, our tumbling stopped.
"We've got to stop meeting like this, Hawk Four, the rest of the lance will talk." I said in a light tone on the private channel, hearing Brian chuckle nervously.
I glanced at our altitude, less than one kilometer to go. "Fire jets, on a count of two." I said. "Two... one... fire!" I activated my jets, literally standing on the pedal controls. Brian did the same, and both our 'Mechs began to shake from the mutual thrust against gravity's pull. Metal screamed from the strain. My jump jet indicators rose into the red. Grimly I held my jets full open. Our altitude decreased. 800 meters... 700 meters. It was working, the 'Mechs were slowing. 600 meters... 500 meters... our speed was still a little fast, but we might make it. The shaking was so bad now that I had to grit my teeth to prevent them from chattering. 400 meters... 300 meters... "Okay, Brian, prepare to separate at 100 meters and good luck." 200 meters... 100 meters-separation now." We hit the ground almost immediately. I tried to hit and roll to minimize any damage. There was a moment of confusion and noise, and then quiet.
There was the taste of blood in my mouth and my shoulders hurt where the straps held me in place. I looked at my worry board, and miraculously all lights showed green. Gently, slowly, I brought my 'Mech to a sitting position and then a standing position, not quite believing my instruments. Everything seemed to be functioning okay. I was in shock at our success. It was pure luck that I survived at all.
I didn't want to move; I didn't want to turn to see if Brian had made it, but I forced myself. Nudging my 'Mech's controls I started to turn. She handled beautifully! Then I saw his 'Mech. His Phoenix Hawk was 93 meters away, on its back with one leg propped up and bent at the knee like some school boy lying under a tree. The 'Mech's legs looked crumpled. He must have landed stiff legged, instead of trying to roll with the fall like I did.
"Hawk Four, this is Hawk Leader. Do you copy?" I held my breath...
"Roger, Hawk Leader, loud and clear. What hit me?"
"Switch back to command frequency and report your status, Hawk Four." I said, trying to gain control over my reactions.
I switched back to command frequency just in time to hear Amthor saying, "Come on! I saw them hit just over that small hill. I hope they're not too badly broken up."
I heard Brian, trying not to break into laughter, say, "Hit is right! Ah... I'm okay, Lieutenant, my Hawk took the brunt of the landing on both legs. Indicators show damage to armor on both of them, I guess from buckling on impact. Otherwise, she appears to be okay. I'm going to have a hell of a bruise on my shoulders, and I think I may have lost a tooth."
I walked over to Brian's 'Mech and helped him to his feet as my scanners picked up Amthor's Shadow Hawk coming over the hill to our Northwest, with Gealgood right on his heels. We had overshot our target slightly.
"Well, Sergeant, you don't get command of my lance that easily.", I said lightly. "Let's form up the lance and do what we came here for. Hawk Two on my left, Hawk Four on my right. Hawk Three, fall in with Hawk Two on his left.
Punching up a close up of the target map, I outlined the building we were sent to raid. The computer showed it to be 5 clicks relative to our position.
I watched the lance advance as through the least obstructive path to the waterworks building. There was a road leading directly to it. When we got closer I would determine our plan of attack.
Our target was one point five kilometers directly ahead on the shores of a greenish-blue lake. A road led almost directly to it, passing slightly north of the buildings, bypassing the lake and crossing a river which fed into it. Hills and sparse woods kept pace with the road on either side. South of the road was a relatively open area dotted here and there with patches of trees. The road looked very inviting, allowing a fast and unobstructed path to our target. But somehow the road felt wrong; some sixth sense that I've learned to pay attention to screamed that something wasn't right. I adjusted my scanners to read into the infrared; two intermittent symbols flickered on my monitor. I increased the gain on my sensors, and the symbols steadied to indicate two bogies concealed in some trees near the waterworks facility, one to its north and the other directly in front of it.
The computer identified them as a Griffin and a Shadow Hawk. The Griffin was a 55 ton 'Mech armed with a PPC and an LRM ten rack. It had good speed and jump capabilities. The Shadow Hawk weighed just as much, carrying a balanced mix of long and short range weaponry. It had an Armstrong autocannon, an LRM five rack, an SRM short pack and a medium laser. These must be the token forces intel warned us about. The pair of them made a good team with formidable firepower, but nothing my lance couldn't deal with. We outnumbered them and had more than tw ice their firepower.
Again that prickly sensation drew my eyes to the road. It looked too easy, too inviting. I made a quick decision. "Shadow Lance, stay away from that road. If you have to cross it, use jump jets. We're going through the clear area to its south. Hawk Four, close the gap between us."
I watched the lance advance as ordred. "Bogies at twelve and one o'clock, range 1500 meters. Keep your eyes peeled, people. Switch to Magnetic Anomaly Detectors, and scan for mines. I don't want any surprises." I adjusted my monitor to MAD scanners and immediately lost my lance on the screen as well as the enemy 'Mechs.
"Hawk Leader, this is Hawk Two. I can't pick up anything on MAD. The lance and the rogue 'Mechs don't register. Switching back to IR."
That prickly sensation was getting worse. "Anyone else?" I asked.
"Yes, Sir," came Brian's answer. "Mine aren't functioning either. I thought it was because of the fall I took."
"What about you, Hawk Three, are our scanners operational?"
"Affirmative, Hawk Leader. I'm registering the lance, the bogies, and a large concentration of metal in our target building. The road shows no metal indications."
It might be just a coincidence, but three identical malfunctions was pushing it a bit. "Amthor, when we get out of here, I want to know who the Tech was that did our preflight."
"Roger, Hawk Leader." Amthor's voice held a note of doom.
"Keep your scanners tuned to MAD, Hawk Three, everyone else switch to IR. My scanners are out also; you'll have to be our eyes in the metal department, Brenda. Stay sharp."
This easy mission was beginning to smell. Something kept worrying in the back of my mind. What was out of place here? So far everything was fitting the information that we'd received, yet a part of me was screaming of danger. I glanced at the IR monitor once more. The two 'Mechs hadn't moved yet; surely they had us on their scanners by now. Even if they hadn't picked us up, they should at least be doing their patrols. They just stood there, generating very little heat. They looked as if they were trying to be inconspicuous. If I didn't know better, I'd say that they were expecting us and had positioned themselves for... an ambush! Something was wrong here, very wrong.
"Hawk Four, switch to private." I adjusted my radio for a tight beam transmission. "Is your EW still in the green, Hawk Four?"
"Yes, Sir," came Brian's confused reply.
"Good. On my signal, activate your equipment."
"Roger, Hawk Leader." I noted that he complied even though I knew he wanted to ask why. I smiled, glad to have him in my lance. I had a feeling that there was more to Tancredi IV than met the eye.
"Switching to combat frequency, Hawk Leader out," I said, and adjusted back to the command frequency. "Shadow Lance, prepare to use hand signals and PA broadcasts only. I smell a rat. Stay sharp and cover your lancemate. Hawk Leader out."
I looked at the map of the target area, and tried to think of where I would position forces if I were defending this area.
The 'Mechs were positioned well; one covered the field entry and the other the road. Both were in such a position as to aid each other with overlapping fire lances. If I had infantry, I would place them along the road, perhaps in some of the wooded areas to enable them to get close range shots off without being detected too soon. I'd set skirmish line in front of that hill between us and the waterworks. I'd also place artillery on that hill directly in front of us, to cover both the infantry and the 'Mechs when the time came to launch the attack.
As I thought of that, I sighted in on the hill and increased the magnification to see if there was artillery positioned there under some sort of camouflage netting. To my relief, everything looked peaceful.
We were about 600 meters away from that hill when my rear motion detectors set off an alarm. Adrenaline hit me in a wave, as I quickly adjusted a monitor for a look at my six o'clock. What I saw turned me cold inside. It was a trap! We'd walked into it pretty as you please. I cursed myself for my stupidity, especially when I had just gotten through hypothesizing an ambush.
"Hawk Leader, I detect two, no three, bogies coming out of the ground directly behind us. Range 480 meters." My ears burned.
I turned my 'Mech to engage whatever was rising forth from the ground like angry demons from hell. "I see them, Hawk Two. Shadow Lance, prepare to... Oh my god!", I said, with mixed reverence and horror.
There before me, with loose dirt and sand cascading from them like. so much water, stood a Marauder, a Thunderbolt, and another Shadow Hawk. The Marauder, resembling someone's grotesque idea of an insect, was armed with twin PPC's medium lasers and an autocannon. This one didn't carry the dorsal mounted cannon, giving it an even more ominous demeanor. I wondered what surprises it had in the cannon's place.
The Thunderbolt looked like a deformed version of a giant gorilla, with its squat torso and oversized arms. Its weapon complement consisted of a large laser, an LRM fifteen rack, three medium lasers, a SRM short pack and dual machine guns. Both 'Mechs carried massive amounts of armor. They far outclassed any of our medium 'Mechs.
"Time to meet your namesake, Lieutenant Deth, we're so glad you could drop by." I heard a voice say in my headphones as the Marauder made an awkward bow. My eyes narrowed as I saw its paint scheme. It was painted all in green with large credit symbols decorating its surface. It was the "Bounty Hunter", the most infamous of his kind, and the most dangerous.
My blood was beginning to boil at being caught like this. A storm of missiles fell about my 'Mech and the rest of the lance, causing more confusion than damage.
I resisted the temptation to turn and took a hurried glance at my rear monitor as I fired at the Marauder with my own missiles, and my PPC. Both scored with negligable damage. He returned fire, missing with one PPC and destroying some armor on my left leg with the other, causing me to step back. Then I registered what was showing in my monitor. The hill which I'd thought would be an ideal place for artillery had concealed them, inside the surface. Two slits opened to reveal what seemed to be a pair of large lasers and a very large missile launcher of the LRM twenty rack variety. The original 'token' 'Mechs had broken their concealed posts and were approaching our rear. We were caught in a crossfire!
I stabbed savagely at my transmitter, "Lance, storm that hill, we can outrun these slugs," (meaning the heavy 'Mechs) "then use the hill for cover." Then I hissed, "Eat Static, Bounty Hunter! Brian, now!" Immediately my radio started screeching and hissing with the noise generated by Brian's 'Mech. I turned down the volume and turned my 'Mech around, dodging more fire coming from the trio of 'Mechs in the Bounty Hunter's group. Stoking up the power levels on my fusion engine, I sprinted right into the waiting weapons of the hill bunker.
Although it was a risky gamble having Brian jamming communications, I was hoping that with the large force under the Bounty Hunter's control it would hurt him more than it would hurt me with my four 'Mechs. Curse me for believing that intel report! This was a recon lance, and I hadn't used it like a recon lance. I'd broken the first rule of 'Mech warfare. Scout out the area of your attack and become familiar with your opponent. I'd just waltzed in, confident of that report and of my abilities to cope with any problems. I hoped that I'd survive long enough to learn from my mistake.
Apparently, our charge caught the ambush forces flat footed. The Bounty Hunter and his two 'Mechs stood where they had come out of the ground taking ineffectual shots at our fleet 'Mechs. The fire coming from the bunker was inaccurate, causing minor damage to Amthor's 'Mech and mine. The two 'token' 'Mechs seemed confused at our charge, moving north, wide of our incoming path.
Suddenly there was a whoosh. Amthor's Shadow Hawk erupted into flames! From the middle of his chest up to his head, he was covered in clinging fire. I scanned the area and saw what I had said moments before I would use if I had been defending this place. Infantry! Apparently carrying inferno packs. Brian fired on them with his large laser and both mediums; seconds later, all that remained were the screams of dying men.Amthor, blinded by the flames, charged straight into the bunker. There was a loud crashing of metal against reinforced ferrocrete, with lots of dust, smoke and fire. He began to thrash about himself like an enraged beast. Well, so much for the bunker!
While Amthor was taking revenge, I began trading shots with the Griffin, scoring multiple hits along its right arm and torso. It fired back, the mad-made lighting of its PPC melting and destroying armor on my center torso. Its missiles went wide, missing me. I motioned Brian and Brenda to take cover behind the hill while I covered them.
The flames were beginning to subside on Amthor's Shadow Hawk now, but I knew that their heat must be causing him problems. I switched on my external speakers and shouted, "Run to the lake; we'll cover you, Hawk Two!" Instead he deliberately raised his medium laser and fired on the approaching 'Mechs we had just left, hitting the Thunderbolt in the head!
It paused a step and then continued its methodical march of death. Taking Amthor's cue, I too began to fire on the Thunderbolt, backing up slowly behind the hill that had once contained the bunker. I watched my targeting crosshairs center on the monstrous 'Mech and carressing my triggers, letting loose with everything I had. Blue lightning crossed the gap between our 'Mechs, ripping a long gash along the Thunderbolt's left shoulder, striking a weak area and causing the missile rack to twist back at an awkward angle. This was followed immediately by twin ruby beams, travelling the same path and drilling into the big 'Mech's head, splitting it apart like a melon! My missiles went wide, tearing up real estate. The temperature in my cockpit jumped 30 more degrees. The computer recommended immediate shutdown. I slapped the override switch cutting off the alarm, amazed at my luck. One down, four to go.
We had been fighting now for several minutes, managing to hold off our attackers. Our superior speed allowed us a temporary upper hand, but it couldn't last. The damage on our 'Mechs was beginning to take its toll. Amthor's damage was the worst; it seemed that enemy 'Mechs were drawn to his 'Mech as moths to the flame. Perhaps they were sensing him as crippled because of the inferno gel.
I targeted on the Marauder, triggering every weapon. A wave of heat hit me as I scored hits all over the big 'Mech, but it shrugged off the damage as a mere annoyance. If it was getting hot in my 'Mech, Amthor must be roasting. He kept taking careful aim with his medium lasers, scoring hit after hit on one of the Shadow Hawks in an uneven duel. His 'Mech was pitted and scored by the damage from incoming fire and the heat being generated by the inferno gel. If we came out of this alive, I'd recommend him for a medal.
Brian's 'Mech was trading shots with the other Shadow Hawk, giving better than he got. Although he was doing well his 'Mech wouldn't be able to take much more punishment. A Phoenix Hawk just doesn't have enough armor to sustain the type of fire my lance was receiving.
The only 'Mech doing well was Brenda's. She seemed to have stayed out of the fight altogether! I quickly glanced at the readings on the other 'Mechs in my lance and saw that we had all taken terrific amounts of damage while her 'Mech didn't have a scratch. What was going on here Had she lost her nerve?
Then, abruptly, I had troubles of my own. The Bounty Hunter was attempting to rearrange my armor displacement by carving it off with his own PPCs. I stabbed my PA system while I targeted on the advancing Marauder. "Hawk Three, engage!" I fired just my PPC, trying to give my heat sinks a chance to dump the excess heat I had built up, seeing it hit one of the Marauder's massive forearms.
"No, sir, I'm not going out there, I'll be killed." Rage engulfed me, coloring all before me red. I stepped away from the hill, wreathed in smoke from the multiple craters in my chest, and brought my weapons to bear on her 'Mech. "If you don't engage something right now, warrior, I'll kill you myself!"
I heard Brian's voice dimly in my headphones."Sir, Sir! Hawk Four to Hawk Leader! I have a HUGE tank coming out of the waterworks building! Hawk Four to Hawk Leader, do you read me?" Still covering Gealgood with my weapons, I responded, "Why have you broken EW, Hawk Four?"
I heard static; turning to where Brian's 'Mech was, I saw him on the ground and smoking. Only 180 meters away there was a nightmare. A Schrek, an 80 ton tank that carried three PPCs! How could we continue to face these kind of odds and win? Especially if someone wasn't pulling her weight? I swallowed in relief as Brian levered his 'Mech up on one arm. He fired his heavy and medium laser at the terrible newcomer.
"There, help Brian engage that tank or I swear by all that's sacred, I'll junk you here and now!" Backing away from me, Brenda turned and ran towards Brian, who was now crouched and continuing to fire while struggling to stand.
My rage still not appeased, I turned back to the battle and targeted in on the closest 'Mech, a Shadow Hawk which was closing in on Amthor. I freed the terrible energies of all my weapons and watched with a smile as they hit all along his left leg. My PPC, lasers and missiles had blasted away armor, exposing myomer cables, and destroying hip and leg actuators. That ought to slow him down! The Marauder continued to fire at me, hitting with both PPCs. I felt myself reel from the impact. My extra armor withstood the terrible pounding I was taking, but it wouldn't last much longer.
Gealgood was firing ineffectually against the heavy tank. I cursed her incompetence. Brian was standing now, contributing his laser as well. He missed as he sidestepped a trio of PPC blasts. Amthor's'Mech was blackened but the fire was out. He had climbed out of the ruined bunker and was firing a steady stream of long and short range missiles at the Griffin in an attempt at cooling down while he maintained pressure on the attackers.
I targeted in on the Griffin. When the crosshairs changed color for a lock-on, I fired my PPC and missiles. Blue fire mixed with red explosions erupting from its right shoulder, ripping the LRM launcher clean off its mounting. It staggered, firing its PPCs at me in return. It hit in my left arm destroying armor, causing red lights to flash on my worry board; he had destroyed my medium laser and the lower arm actuator.
Think, I berated myself. This is your command and it's dying. What are we facing? Bounty Hunters. What do they fight for? Money! Maybe, just maybe, we could outbid their contract. Desperate actions for desperate men; I was getting desperate.
"Shadow Lance, this is Hawk Leader. How much money can you contribute to the "Save the Lance" fund? I'm going to personally offer my entire savings." There was along pause, then "Hawk Leader, this is Amthor. I've got a little over 300,000 Cb's saved for my retirement." "I've got about 35,000 Cb's, Sir," came in Brian's voice. I didn't get a reply from Gealgood, but then, I hadn't expected any. I did some quick mental calculation. 950,000 Cb's with what I had.
I switched my transmitter to general broadcast. "This is Hawk Leader of the Shadow Lance, calling Bounty Hunter forces. Anyone who will agree to a cease fire will share in a 950,000 Cb bond for doing so."
There was a brilliant flash as the Schrek exploded. Our two Phoenix Hawks had great timing! It punctuated my offer dramatically. I held my breath. He was covered in clinging flame Odd for me to be hoping for a pilot to behave dishonorably! I hoped that just one of them would be convinced to stop firing at us. That would even up the odds...
"I will," I heard with disbelief. It was working! The Griffin raised one arm slightly. "Don't go near the road, it's heavily mined!"
"You die, traitorous scum! No one doublecrosses me! I knew I shouldn't have hired Hendrick's whelps!" To my shock, I saw the Marauder lurch into the air assisted by -jump jets! So that was his trade for the dorsal cannon! He headed right for the damaged Griffin, but something went wrong; one of his jets cut off prematurely. The big 'Mech slowly turned over and crashed. The Bounty Hunter landed upside down, sliding into the Griffin and knocking it off its feet. Neither "Mech moved. Marauders aren't meant to fly!
In the uncertain business of warfare, the battle can turn suddenly upon the actions of one person. In this case, the one person was in the enemy party, and he delivered us a victory. The two Shadow Hawks surrendered I contacted the DropShip, realizing I should have thought of that earlier. I would be cursing my own oversights for a long time because of this battle.
We salvaged the Shadow Hawk with the least damage and the Bounty Hunter's Marauder. The Marauder's can opy was crushed; there was a lot of blood, but we didn't find his body anywhere, and believe me, we looked. The Griffin's pilot was alive; he had been knocked unconscious from the fall. He'd be one of the Dispossessed now; there was no salvaging his 'Mech.
There's no easy way to tell this. There was a bounty on my lance, a bounty of six hundred thousand Cb's! Another two hundred thou for my dead body! I couldn't believe it. This was the largest bounty offered in history. When I questioned him as to who it was that had put up such an ungodly amount, his answer rocked my sense of reality. A Captain wearing the insignia of the Black Gorgons, and a man with a Sun Zhang Academy accent, attempting to disguise the bearing of an officer, had put up that huge sum. I could believe that Blackthorne had been that angry, but that our employers would go along with him! And Gealgood was their trump card. She was supposed to ensure that my body was brought back as a gift for her disgusting Captain.
I'd dreamed of having my own unit, sometime in the misty future. Here I was, betrayed by my employers just as my father had been, responsible for a lance and a dropship. It was either go back to square one, hiring on with whatever company would take me, or... start a company a little sooner than I'd intended. The lance and the ship's crew voted in my favor. We dropped Gealgood off on a little habitable planet and sent word to the Gorgons of her whereabouts. (There were more than a few votes for spacing her, but that seemed too much like what she'd tried to do to us. I wouldn't start my unit with an act like that.)
There's a new badge on my arm now. It has my Screaming Hawk standing over a Marauder, with a shadow, the outline of the Grim Reaper falling across its surface. We call ourselves the Death's Shadows. You'll be hearing from us.
David "Shadow" Deth
Lord David Deth was born in 2992, the son of Count Samuel Deth. David studied both military science and engineering, then served in the Tenth Deneb Light Cavalry. Lt Deth resigned his commission in 3017 to help his father form a planetary 'Mech Force, the First Fortymile Lancers.When Duke Michael Hasek-Davion attempted to force the Lancers into his Syrtis Fusiliers, father and son vowed formally never to return until the Duke was removed from office or dead. The company-sized unit that escaped Fortymile renamed themselves the First Fortymile Hikers. One of their first actions was against Hanson's Roughriders, an encounter the unit - and Major Samuel Deth - did not survive.
In 3023, Lt David Deth signed with the Black Gorgons as their recon lance commander. In that same year, the Death's Shadows was formed. The unit history is told on page 12. David Deth died in action in 3026, piloting a borrowed `Mech. His son Col Joshua Deth now commands the Shadows; his son Peter pilots the Screaming Hawk , and his daughter Janet serves with the unit as well.
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