"I do not have the firepower to win against a Warhawk,particularly one that has barely been in the battle and is fully charged, ammoed, and racked."
"Do not argue logic with me, Joanna. Just do it."
"I will be wiped out."
"Exactly. Keep your hand on your ejection lever, and when I tell you to eject, eject. Go."
"Aidan, if this—"
"GO!"
Joanna, mumbling to herself, started her Mad Dogtoward the formidable Warhawk.As ordered, she was firing everything. Her hands manipulated her joysticks madly. Only a few of her shots hit the mark, and then causing only minimal damage. The Warhawkpilot must have thought he was being attacked by a warrior gone berserk.
Getting closer, she took hit after hit to her torso, her limbs. But she came on. Her 'Mech's left knee was nearly shattered, but Joanna managed to keep the Mad Dogupright, and she came on. Armor fell off her 'Mech's chest like feathers off a molting bird. Her heat buildup was reaching the dangerous levels. And she came on.
"Aidan, I am close now. I am almost out of—"
"Closer."
She pushed her 'Mech on, feeling it limp and stagger beneath her. More armor flew off.
"Aidan, there is no more I can do. My weapons—"
"Keep on going. Get closer."
"Damn it, I am practically on top of him now."
"Just a few meters now. A few more. Almost there."
The pilot of the Warhawkwas just toying with her now. He knew the win was a sure thing. That was the way a warrior always felt when an opponent was no longer offering a response and becoming a closer target by the second.
"Aidan, the heat buildup is too much. I am getting dizzy. I have to—"
"Two more seconds. Keep going. Going. Good. Now, Joanna, now. Eject!"
She did not have to be told twice. She was in the ejection seat and flying over the head of the Warhawkpilot almost immediately.
At the same time, Aidan launched his six short-range missiles. The Mad Dogwas beginning to fall slowly forward now. It was between Aidan's Summonerand the Warhawk.Just where he wanted it to be. If the Warhawkhad an anti-missile system, the Mad Dogwould be in the way. That did not matter, really. The missiles were not targeted for the Warhawk.They were aimed directly at the middle of the Mad Dog'sback. The overheated, coolant-churning, tottering Mad Dog.
Joanna's BattleMech exploded in a fine mushroomlike blast, for a moment obscuring the Warhawk.
The blast, with its fierce explosion, massive shrapnel, and forward-falling 'Mech, knocked the Warhawkoff its feet, incidentally destroying its cockpit and piercing the neck and head of the pilot.
The Warhawkand the Mad Dogbecame an instant tangled, smoking mess. The techs would be weeks sorting out which part belonged to which 'Mech.
In the distance, Aidan saw Joanna's ejection seat settle almost gently onto the ground. She undid its straps and got out of it violently. It was obvious she was all right. He could turn his attention to the remaining BattleMech, the Summoner.
It stood, quiescent, a few hundred meters away, most of its weapons still fully loaded and charged. Its pilot had not yet engaged in much fighting, and the 'Mech had almost no surface damage. The odds were definitely against Aidan.
But what were odds? he thought. They had started as three BattleMechs against nine. Now there was just a one-against-one contest to settle.
Aidan had no worries now. He had piloted Summonerduring most of his career as a warrior. In his trial he had qualified in a Summoner.He knew every move that was possible with this type of 'Mech. No pilot on this planet, or even in the entire globular cluster of Clan worlds, could out-fight him in a Summoner.
Ready to engage in battle, he started toward the opposing BattleMech. If he had been the type of warrior who permitted himself a laugh just before victory, Aidan would have been laughing hard right now.
Heading toward victory, he sang softly to himself, "One little BattleMech, with nowhere else to run ..."
29
As the three victors joined one another next to Aidan's 'Mech at the center of the field, dumbfounded Jade Falcon warriors walked around the scene, surveying the damage. They had been judges and observers during the Trial. By the looks on their faces, they did not comprehend that a trio of discredited warriors could do so much havoc. BattleMechs and pieces of them lay all over the field, smoke rising from scarred chunks, little fires still going here and there, mixed odors of burning liquids and charred metal drifting on the air. Survivors of the contest sat by their 'Mechs and stared ahead, trying to analyze what they had done wrong. Those who had not survived were being carried off the field by medical techs.
Roshak was the last one to join the trio. He climbed laboriously out of his ruined Nova.
Aidan stared silently at Ter Roshak. The man looked weary and seemed to have aged another year or two since two days before in the council.
Returning Aidan's stare, the other man said, "If you do not wish to talk to me, Star Commander Aidan, I can understand why."
Aidan continued his scrutiny a moment longer, then said, "No, I do not mind talking with you, Ter Roshak. I would hope, though, that it will not happen too often."
"You wanted to be a warrior. I provided you that."
"That is true, but it does not require that I become your emotional bondsman for giving me the chance. We had it all out once before, and our testimonies only made me more aware of the price I have paid to be a warrior."
"Take it back then. Certain Jade Falcon warriors would be delighted to see you gone from their ranks."
"No, I have earned my status and my rank. Let us not continue this conversation. I wish to thank you for your actions in effecting our victory today."
"I should be thanking you. You have both reversed a harmful judgment against me."
"And ourselves," Joanna interjected.
"Nevertheless, my life would have been over, ended in a dishonorable manner. I may not be able to restore my honor even now, but winning this Trial of Refusal goes a long way toward validating my actions."
As the three of them fell silent, Aidan saw several warriors who had been inspecting the battlefield send hateful glances his way.
"Well, Star Commander Aidan," Joanna said, returning to Clan warrior formality of address, "what now?"
"Tomorrow is the Grand Melee for the thirty-second slot in the Bloodname competition. I will compete."
Joanna nodded. "I admire your willingness to enter the melee, but I must say that, no matter what your abilities, the Grand Melee champion is not necessarily the best warrior of those who go into the field. Winning the melee is more a matter of survival than skill."
"I seem to have some abilities along those lines."
Joanna's eyebrows raised. "Granted. Just remember, you can be demolishing an opponent with all the best moves you have and some other idiot with no skills can sneak up behind and lay the both of you out with a single salvo. There is no military or even common-sense logic to it. Anything can happen in a melee."