The Centurionpointed west with its autocannon. "Let's move it, but stay with my speed." Redburn started his 'Mech sprinting down the road at 68 kph, its maximum speed. "You quick things can use your speed when we get into combat. Won't be long now."
Gerald de Ridefort's bass voice rumbled through the speakers in Andrew's helmet. "Rules of engagement, sir?"
Andrew swallowed hard. "If it moves, kill it. We'll sort things out and apologize later."
Around a bend in the road and up a slight incline, the Valkyriesbegan to outstrip the Centurion.From a dark copse on the left, Andrew saw a series of bright, arrowlike flashes as the two hidden Ravenslet fly with SRM volleys. Explosions battered de Ridefort's Valkyrie.Two missiles blasted armor from the 'Mech's thick left thigh while another wreathed its right ankle in a halo of orange flame. The last missile detonated beneath the Valkyrie'spointed chin, snapping the head up and around as it chipped armor plates away. The missiles that had missed peppered the hillside with brilliant bursts of vermilion and gold.
As de Ridefort's Valkyriestumbled back away from the ambush, Andrew turned his Centurionto face the shadowed grove. The Centurion'sautocannon swept up and locked on target as the targeting crosshairs shot like a meteorite across Andrew's holographic display. The golden cross flashed once, confirming target acquisition, and Andrew hit the trigger.
The Luxor autocannon growled like a wild beast as it vomited fire and metal. Phosphorescent tracer rounds drew frozen lines of light from the gun's muzzle to the target, then shot off at sharp angles as their fragments ricocheted through a cloud of armor debris. Silver light flared vividly from one Raven'sright side as autocannon shells ripped its right wing off and sent it sailing through the night sky.
St. Armand's Jennerlanced four medium laser beams through the woods, igniting the trees they touched. Three of the ruby energy lances burned into the as-yet-undamaged Raven.Two beams carved armor from its leg in long liquid ribbons, exposing the myomer muscles and ferrotitanium bones beneath them. The other beam gashed a molten scar across the 'Mech's vestigial left wing.
The second Raven,the one Andrew's computer had tagged as Beta, fired its two medium lasers at Bisot's Valkyrie.The beams raked like claws down the breast of his 'Mech. Liquefied armor ran down the furrows they ripped in the 'Mech's ceramic flesh, but failed to penetrate the Valkyrie'sthick hide.
In tandem, Bisot and de Ridefort—who had regained control of his reeling 'Mech—trained their lasers on the Beta Raven.Their lasers shot out in stuttering pulsed beams. De Ridefort's shot missed, but Bisot's aim was true. His laser stitched fire along the Raven'sleft flank, slicing off armor plates like a whittler carving wood.
The Alpha Ravenlaunched another SRM flight at de Ride-fort's Valkyrie,but the missiles passed harmlessly wide of their target. Despite apprehension about the harm that heat build-up could do to his 'Mech, Andrew linked the target for his LRMs to that of his autocannon. This has got to stop now.Dropping the crosshairs onto the Alpha Raven,Andrew let go with missiles and cannon fire.
The Centurion'sLRMs corkscrewed through the pitch-black night, then shattered the darkness with the lurid strobes of half a dozen explosions. Armor shot away from the Raven'sleft leg and arm like leaves tossed about in a strong wind. The autocannon's storm of shells peeled the armor from the Raven'sleft torso as though it were so much naranjirind. The Ravenswayed, staggered by the savagery of the assault, then sank back on its haunches.
Beta Ravenloosed a volley of SRMs at Bisot's Valkyrie.The missiles lanced up at the humanoid 'Mech in a straight line. One blasted into laser-weakened chest armor, while two exploded against the Valkyrie'sleft arm. The fourth and final missile detonated against the Valkyrie'shead, but Bisot weathered the blast that sent armor shards flying.
St. Armand's Jenneragain concentrated its fire on the Beta Raven.Only two beams hit target as the Raven'spilot moved to disengage. One light-spear stabbed through the tattered armor on the 'Mech's left wing and burst out the other side. Sparks erupted from the wound, and the wing twisted awkwardly toward the ground as its controlling myomer fibers melted.
The wing's damage and uncontrolled rotation threw the Ravenoff-balance. It pivoted on its left leg just in time for the Jenner'ssecond beam to rip a line through the armor on its right flank. De Ridefort and Bisot added their lasers to the assault, neatly slashing into the troubled Raven.Bisot's shot drilled into the 'Mech's right leg, jamming some half-melted armor into the reversed knee-joint.
The Ravenstumbled back toward the right as its damaged leg missed a step. When the motion exposed the Raven'snaked left flank to de Ridefort, he speared laser fire through the 'Mech's vitals. The coruscating scarlet beam touched off a series of explosions in the Raven'sSRM magazine. Like a string of firecrackers, the detonations flashed one after another until the roiling fireball ballooned into a brilliant sun. Its dazzling white light reduced the Raven'sskeleton to a silhouette, then consumed it hungrily.
Andrew sent his Centurionracing up the hill as the Alpha Ravenreared back up to its feet and headed back down the hill. We've lost too much time already to go after it. We have to reach the factory.Andrew keyed up the Defiant'sfrequency. "Porter, we have one heading back toward you. Kill it." Andrew switched back to his command frequency before Porter answered him. "Remember, men, they have a Leopardout here, so don't do anything foolish."
Cresting the hill, Andrew shifted his scanners from starlight to infrared. The holographic display changed from black with dark green highlights to a surreal rainbow landscape, with men and machines radiating white and yellow heat tracings. Off to his right, he saw the outline of a Vindicatorand half a dozen bobbing balls of glowing light he recognized as running men. Over at the factory, he saw a Centurionstanding next to the building and watched as a man-form leaped from the lab's roof into the 'Mech's open cockpit.
"Bisot, de Ridefort, the Vindicatoris yours. St. Armand ..." Andrew's voice died as his spirit rebelled against ordering a 'Mech to attack infantry.
"I'm off varminting, Cap," came St. Armand's voice.
The Vindicator,which looked like a Human giant except for the particle projection cannon that formed its right forearm, moved to block the Jenner'spursuit of the runners. It raised the PPC and let fly with an azure bolt of man-made lightning, but the jagged energy burst shot wide of the birdlike Jenner.The beam drilled into a pine tree, instantly igniting it into a torch, then exploding it into a million flaming splinters.