Phelan again keyed the radio. "Natasha, I think this cooling vest may be defective. The circulation seems to work fine, but it does not feel as cold as it should. It is probably just old coolant."
"Negative, Phelan. Your vest is fine. The Clans perfected heat exchangers for their 'Mechs that have roughly double the capability of those you're used to. As a result, the heat output is less. What's more, the coolant in your vest works better and is not poisonous if some of it gets splashed into a wound."
Phelan let out a low whistle. With machines that ran cooler and could pump out more power, it was little wonder the Clans had fared so well in their invasion of the Inner Sphere. The decreased weight of body, engine, and armor meant these OmniMechs could support more weaponry. With all this special structure, I can't wait to see what I have online for weapons.
From a shelf above and behind the head of the command couch, Phelan drew down his neurohelmet. It was as bulky and heavy as any he remembered, and he settled it down over the padded collar of his cooling vest. He fidgeted with it until the neuroreceptors were pressed to the right spots on his head, then used the velcro fasteners to secure the helmet to the vest. Finally, he snapped the medical monitor jacks into the plate at his throat and fastened the chinstrap into place.
Phelan reached out and punched a button on the right side of the command console to start the identification sequence. A computer-generated voice sounded through the neuro-helmet's speakers. "Kit Fox 349287XL3341 online. Proceed with voice identification."
"I am Phelan Wolf."
"Voiceprint pattern match obtained. Working ..."
Panic tightened Phelan's throat. The computer would ask him to complete the initiation sequence by reciting a password of some sort. Because a 'Mech was loaded with specific data about the pilot that owned and used it exclusively, the password was usually personal and nearly impossible to guess. In training cadres, the passwords were general so that anyone could use a training 'Mech. Because no one had given Phelan the codeword for the Kit Fox,he supposed it must be one of those all-purpose ones.
Worse yet, he could not use the radio during the initiation sequence to ask Natasha for the correct code. If they handle things the way we did in the Kell Hounds, the 'Mech will freeze up and I'll be trapped in here until someone overrides the anti-intruder programming. With my luck, it'll be Vlad who shows up to let me out of this 'Mech.He rested his right hand on his pistol. Well, I can always use this to avoid the embarrassment, though shooting Vlad would be a bit drastic.
The computer came back with its flat voice, but the cadence and wording of the statement was one hundred percent Natasha. "Complete the initiation sequence, kid, and you only get one shot at this: What was the nastiest 'Mech company in the whole Inner Sphere?"
"The Black Widow Company."
"Affirmative. Welcome aboard, Phelan Wolf. Time for you to earn your pay as a MechWarrior."
Phelan laughed aloud and gave a clap of the hands. The computer shunted power to the weapon systems. The primary and auxiliary monitors filled with data as the computer checked and double-checked all systems. Phelan studied it for a moment, then opened a radio link to Natasha. "What does it mean when the weapons' initialization program says 'Verifying configuration'? That's hardwired into the system, Quiaff?"
"Neg. These are Omnis, Phelan. The weapon pods on these creatures are modular. The Kit Foxusually carries lasers, an autocannon, and a short-range missile launcher, but the one you're riding has been dolled up. For one thing, I had arms installed on your Kit Foxthis morning because you were used to running around in a Wolfhound.I figured you'd be more at home with this array than any other."
Phelan glanced over at the auxiliary monitor. Each arm ended in a large laser side by side with medium laser, or so it appeared to Phelan. "Large beamers with mediums riding sidecar, right?"
"More or less."
Phelan realized she'd not told him everything, and that Natasha was loving every minute of his wonderment at what the OmniMech had to offer. He grabbed the joysticks on the ends of the command couch arms and used the foot pedals to start the Kit Foxwalking forward. "I am ready to go. After you." By concentrating, Phelan managed to move the left arm in a fluid wave toward the far end of the 'Mech bay.
"Not bad. Are you one hundred percent operational?"
"Almost." Phelan punched a button on the left side of the command console. Instantly, a targeting display materialized about halfway between him and the rectangular viewport to the outside. Totally computer-generated, it provided a 360-degree view of his surroundings in a 160-degree arc. Gold lines broke the display into a triptych whose center portion displayed his firing arc. Two gold crosshairs floated within the display, responding to Phelan's movement of the joysticks.
Natasha's 'Mech led the way out of the BattleMech hangar and then south toward a targeting range. Her 'Mech looked akin to his Kit Fox,but the chassis was much larger and appeared to be heavier. Its arms ended in the weapon pods commonly found on a Marauder,lending the BattleMech that general look. In fact, Phelan would have classified it as a Maraudervariant, except for the LRM launcher pods mounted on each shoulder. That made it look more like a Catapult..
Something clicked in the back of Phelan's mind. "Natasha, that looks very much like the 'Mech type Vlad was piloting when he captured me."
"You've got good eyes. It's the very same. After repairs, of course."
Phelan gasped in surprise. "You dispossessed him?"
"Rank hath its privileges." Natasha's warm, throaty laughter filled his neurohelmet. "Vlad only had this Timber Wolffor the expeditionary force anyway. In the real fighting, he used another Omni that fit better with his Star's make-up."
She brought her 'Mech to a stop at the targeting range's firing line. Bringing the Kit Foxalongside her, Phelan studied the range. He immediately punched up double magnification on his vislight scan. "I mark targets out at 300 meters.
I know these weapons can do it because I saw Vlad take out some targets at this range and beyond."
"I've reviewed his battlerom, so I know what he did. I want you to shoot the nearest target. Use the medium lasers. You've still not seen everything an Omni has to offer."
Phelan dropped both crosshairs onto the ragged ferrocrete dolmen the computer marked at 305 meters. When the computer had a target lock, a gold dot pulsed in the center of the crosshairs. Flicking a glance at his control panel, Phelan saw the medium lasers were controlled by the joystick's trigger. He tightened his fingers down on them.
Used as he was to lasers that produced one sustained beam of coherent light, the Omni's weapons surprised him. Each medium laser spat out a series of micropulsed bolts that peppered the target with laser fire. Whereas normal lasers often slashed a trench through a target's armor as the target moved, this weapon chewed away at one spot, with the computer making small corrections in targeting to keep the bolts following one after the other.
"Sonovabitch! What the hell is this?"
Natasha laughed heartily. "Your medium lasers are Kolibri Pulse lasers. The problem with straight-beam lasers is that the material they vaporize helps diffuse the beam, lessening their damage. The pulses allow for vaporized material to disperse, increasing the ability to hit. The rapid cycling makes the weapon run hotter, but the higher damage potential is worth it."