12
Bethel
Capellan March, Federated Suns
14 April 3029
Captain Andrew Redburn stared at the auxiliary monitor in his Centurion."Say that again, Captain? What the hell are you telling me?"
The Captain of the OverlordClass DropShip gritted his teeth against the anger in Redburn's voice. "I said we've been had, Redburn. They had a goddamned Leopardhiding in the Overlord'sshadow. It's broken off and is heading back toward your base."
Andrew slammed his fist against the arm of his command couch. Andrew, you’re a flame-brained idiot! Sure, you learned how to anticipate the landing zone for incoming enemies, and you got your people here, but who taught you that little gem? Justin Xiang Allard!Andrew stiffened and clenched his fists so tight they went white. Dammit! Justin must have planned this little raid, and he knew I'd take the bait like a raw recruit. Maybe he's even on theLeopard.
Redburn looked at his primary monitor and saw that all of Delta Company, save himself and three others, had already gotten off the Defiant."Listen up, Delta Company. We've got a Leopardheading back toward our base to rip things up while we're here. Bisot, de Ridefort, St. Armand, and I haven't unloaded yet, so we'll head back. Drew, since we're pulling two of your Valkyries,fold your lance in with Archie's fireteam."
"Roger, Cap."
Redburn shifted radio frequencies to the command frequency he shared with his second in command, Leftenant Robert Craon. "Robert, this is your play. You've got twenty-three 'Mechs in perfect working order. Their Overlordcan carry thirty-six 'Mechs, though it's probably light. Hit and run until you can size them up, then hurt them. If they decide to break off, let them run. But guard any salvage."
Craon's voice came back strong and nearly devoid of nervousness. "Copy, Captain. Be careful."
Andrew nodded slowly. "Words to live by." Punching a button, Andrew brought the Defiant'sCaptain back on screen. "Captain, how about boosting us back to the western perimeter of our base, low arc, high speed."
The older man smiled. "Course plotted and locked in. We'll be there in just under fifteen minutes."
Andrew shuddered as he felt the vibrations of engine ignition thrum through the ship. Sweat trickled down his spine. They've got to be going for the lab, but how could they know about it? The garrison officer I took over from said the true identity of the lab had been passed only from commanding officer to commanding officer, Couldn't have the garrison too big because Bethel is a nothing world. All they do is raise some grain on the plains and there's that infant wine industry here in the mountains.
Andrew keyed the radio connection to the three other pilots in his hastily formed lance. "Listen up, campers. This could be nasty. A Leopardpeeled out of the Overlord'ssensor shadow and has headed off toward our base." Andrew drew in a breath. Better made this sound good."TerraDyne put out some press releases a couple of months ago talking about a breakthrough in miniaturization. Had an alert about it because they thought some local Maskirovka might take an interest. It looks like someone on Sian bought the story bigtime."
Odo St. Armand's voice crackled into Andrew's neurohelmet. "What are we looking at, Cap?"
Andrew punched some commands into his computer and patched his primary monitor into the ship's computer. The computer filled his display with a representation of the Leopard's,deceleration, handling, and energy output levels. "According to the computer, it looks like it was running with 'Mech weight, something slightly heavier than we are. Given Liao preferences, maybe a Centurion,a Vindicator,and a couple of that new thing they have . .. the Raven!"
Andrew typed in another request for information, and the computer gave him a tactical readout on the Raven.Birdlike, the 'Mech sported two medium lasers on its right wing, a six-shot SRM pod on the right side of its body, and an Electronic Counter-Measures package on its nose. Below that, the computer confirmed that his estimate of enemy strength would fit within the parameters suggested by the Leopard'sflight data.
Andrew smiled. "The computer says there's an 80 percent chance my configuration is correct. The Ravenhas tissue paper for armor, but the ECM pods make them tough to hit. Watch for them to ambush us. The Vindicator'sthe only one of their 'Mechs that can jump. Its PPC will make short work of your Jenner,St. Armand, so steer clear unless you can get inside."
"Roger, Cap." St. Armand laughed aloud. "I'll take out the Raven,guys, if you want the Vindicator.I figure the Captain will want to go mano-a-mano with the other Centurion."
Redburn chuckled lightly. "That sounds fine, St. Armand. We'll see if their new Centurionswork any better than the one I'm sitting in." Suddenly, a memory clawed its way up from where he consigned nightmares and unpleasant thoughts. Two years before, on a ship traveling from the Lyran Commonwealth to the Federated Suns, Andrew had seen the holovid of a battle on Solaris. Justin took part in that battle, and he fought in aCenturion.
The instant that thought occurred to him, he knew that Justin was the pilot of the Liao Centurion.Conflicting emotions swirled through Andrew's mind. Mostly he was angry because he saw this assault on his planet as a personal insult. He's struck back at his father and at the Prince. Just over a year and a half ago, he sent assassins to kill me and the staff of Delta Company. He rejoiced, no doubt, when he found we were here protecting his prize.
Andrew ground his teeth, then felt his stomach flip-flop. No, that can't be what happened. If nothing else, the Justin Allard I knew was not a murderer. He’d not have sent assassins. I didn't believe it then, and I have no reason to believe it now.Nausea soured the taste in his mouth. How could I think such horrible thoughts about a man who was my friend?
A third emotion seared into Andrew, and his mind recoiled against all its implications. Whether or not he's the same man you once called friend, he's still a better MechWarrior than you’ll ever be. You saw what he did with aValkyrie in combat with aRifleman. Sure, theValkyrie lost the fight, but there was enough armor blown off thatRifleman to build aJenner. You'll be going up against him in evenly matchedCenturions, which means you're still outgunned. He's forgotten more about Mech-Warrioring than you’ll ever know.
Captain Porter's face appeared on Redburn's primary monitor again. "We're coming in, Redburn. Get your people ready!"
Porter's voice shocked Andy out of his brooding. "Ready or not, gentlemen. We're on."
Porter had the 'Mech bay doors halfway open before the ship hit the planet's surface. The DropShip settled roughly to the ground, and St. Armand's Jennercleared the hatch before the ramp had fully extended. De Ridefort and Bisot likewise used their jump jets to leave the ship's hold. They set themselves up in a defensive perimeter as Redburn's Centurionlumbered from the Defiant.