As soon as he was close enough, Aidan fired his narc missile beacon launcher at the Hellbringer.The specialized missile struck the other 'Mech and attached itself. His mission successful, Aidan jumped back to his original point near the shore of the island. He was conscious of the water lapping gently at his heels as he fired volley after volley at the Hellbringer,each missile homing in on the song that the narc beacon sang to it.
As Aidan had hoped, the battle was soon over. Machiko's Hellbringerwas so shredded by the missiles that it was not long before it was rendered completely helpless.
* * *
Watching from the command center Megasa did not hide his disgust. When the miniature figure of Ma-chiko ejected from her 'Mech, her form seemed to come close to him, and he leaned over the railing as though to catch the holographic projection in his hand.
"It is now up to me to remove this stench from our Clan," he said loudly as he turned to leave the command center.
"Do you believe Aidan can beat him?" Horse asked Joanna.
"In truth?"
"Yes."
"In truth, I did not think he would get this far."
* * *
Three days later, Aidan took a long time going to sleep after the prebattle briefing by his entourage. He lay in his bunk, endlessly fingering and moving the codex bracelet on his wrist. Wishing he could read the future in the past, he finally drifted off into a fitful sleep.
35
All the ritual words had been spoken by the Oath-master and the two participants. The coins had gone down the gravity funnel and come out again. Megasa was to be the hunter, meaning Aidan had choice of venue.
Awaiting Megasa's words, Aidan once again felt the sheer hatred emanating from the Jade Falcon warriors packed into the hall. How could so many despise him so? Inside, he was no different from the days before he had made his claim to seek a Bloodname, but sometimes he could not help but wonder if his fellow Jade Falcons might be justified in their enmity against him. Had he truly nullified his right to a Bloodname by accepting that second Trial and by posing as a freeborn?
Fortunately for Aidan, these moments of self-doubt never lasted long. He was a Clan warrior, trueborn and deserving. If he had not proven that by getting this far in the Trial of Bloodright, what had he proven?
Megasa turned to face the audience. "I realize that it is unorthodox for me to speak now of any matter except my choices as hunter," he boomed in a voice that easily reached the last row of the assembly, "but there is an issue of importance to this final Bloodname contest that must be emphasized. Important not only for myself, but for all Clan Jade Falcon. This warrior has dishonored us, and I will not permit him to further tarnish the glory of our Clan." The words drew a roar of approval from the crowd, while they made Aidan wonder if the Oathmaster could not simply scrap all the ritual and let him and Megasa slug it out here and now.
"The Pryde Bloodname is an honorable one," Megasa boomed on. "Even when we have not yet won the right to bear the Pryde name, those of us who share the bloodline venerate our heritage. Generations of our Bloodnamed warriors have fought and often died gloriously in battle. They did not die so that our line could be tainted by a warrior who, in spite of his true birth, is more freeborn than true. On the planet Hector, several fine warriors in my Star were killed in a fierce battle with the Hell's Horses Clan. To avenge their death, we wiped out the entire Cluster to which those Hell's Horses warriors belonged. That is what it means to be a Jade Falcon warrior.
"Why else would the Bloodnames of our Clan be so widely respected? Why else would the other Clans so often attempt to seize the Jade Falcon gene legacies? It is because we, of all the Clans, produce the finest warriors. We cannot condone anything that brings us shame instead of esteem. Let us not allow this warrior to disgrace us any longer."
With a nod of his head, Megasa finished his speech and turned back to the Oathmaster. Even though public displays were forbidden during the Bloodright ritual, a clamorous cheer went up in the vast audience. Risa Pryde's hand immediately shot up to quiet it, but Megasa had made his point and the warriors of Clan Jade Falcon had seconded it. Aidan was the enemy. He must be defeated. For an instant, Aidan almost believed it himself.
But he had not come this far to be demoralized by a speech just as the final Bloodright battle was about to begin. Aidan vowed that he would impose the ultimate cruelty upon Megasa. Once he had defeated the other man, he would let Megasa live, cursing him with the shame of being bested by the very warrior he had condemned so savagely.
It was no surprise that Megasa, a famed BattleMech pilot, chose a battle between 'Mechs as the style of combat. He and the Oathmaster turned toward Aidan to hear his choice of venue.
Aidan struggled to keep his voice toneless, not wanting to further incite the audience. "My choice of venue is Rhea."
A mixed reaction had greeted those words. Some warriors showed their anger, while others were visibly impressed. Rhea was Ironhold's moon. Because the combatants would fight in one-sixth gravity, Marthe calculated that this factor would diminish Megasa's combat skills enough to bring Aidan as close to even as possible with this adept warrior. Though still the underdog, he would have a fighting chance.
* * *
At Risa Pryde's behest, the warriors were allowed an hour to acclimate to Rhea's gravity. Aidan knew that Megasa had some previous low-gravity combat experience, and he also knew that the other warrior's tech had reconfigured his Mad Dogto accommodate the moon's low gravity and lack of atmosphere.
Nomad had similarly readjusted the weapons and control systems of Aidan's Summoner,but he had done it by referring to instructions from manuals. Nomad had no experience in preparing 'Mechs for low-gravity operations.
That did not trouble Nomad, however. "It should be like walking on pillows," he told Aidan. "Or flying in a dream. Just remember that the conditions are not any more natural for your foe, and you will do well."
"Strange advice from a tech, Nomad."
"In service to Star Captain Joanna, I have learned to add psychology to my skills. Serving her is something like fighting in a severe environment. Just like the contest you face now."
"You are not supposed to speak in such a way about your superior officer, especially in front of another officer."
"Well, yes, but I am difficult to punish. Ask Star Captain Joanna."
Nomad, whom Aidan had known since his cadet days, had grown old. Even more so since his injuries on Glory. Yet even though he held his arm at an odd angle to his body, his mechanical skills did not seem impaired when working on the Summoner.
When the hour of acclimation was nearly over, Aidan was finding the low-gravity conditions amenable, despite his unfamiliarity with them. He liked the light, easy way the Summonercould now move across the rugged terrain. He liked the fact that every jump felt almost like it might launch the 'Mech into space unless he held the maneuver down. He liked knowing that weapons fire would travel farther because less energy was lost resisting atmosphere. He liked the way the 'Mech sailed over the pits and gullies that dotted the moon's surface, even without the help of jump jets.
Risa Pryde, her voice sounding harsh over the commlink, announced that time was up. The contest would now begin.
Aidan was ready. Strapped into his command couch, he began marching his Summonertoward the horizon, knowing that Megasa was heading toward him from the other side.