Clovis set off toward the hills ringing New Freedom's north side. He moved a short distance, then dropped into a crouch and waited. When confident he had not been seen or heard, he moved again a short distance. His back pressed to the rough bark on an evergreen tree, Clovis allowed himself a smile. Keep this up, and I'll hit the first hillside in no time.
Swirling out of the blackness, an ISF commando dropped from above him. The warrior slapped the Foxfire from Clovis's hand, then drew his katanain a single deft motion. He pressed the sword's point against Clovis's throat. "Congratulations. By getting this far, you have eluded many who are your betters. I knew I would find you out here."
ISF. They're as bad as Loki. They killed so many people at our Styx base.Clovis glanced over toward the Foxfire.
The commando's low, mocking laugh stopped him. "You are mine now, little man. I'll take you back to our headquarters and we'll see what sort of treasures you hide in that dull package." He slid the sword back into its scabbard, but his harsh cackle sliced at Clovis's spirit.
Clovis shivered as his self-image collapsed in on itself. I am done. They will break me and I will give up all I know. I have failed everyone . . .The commando's ridicule cored through the last of the dwarf's self-respect. I fooled myself into believing I was a man, but I should have known better. Blood will out. . .Clovis nodded in submission to his captor.
Suddenly, the Combine guard's laughter died. Lit by the scarlet beam of a 'Mech's medium laser, he burst into flame.
14
Lyons
Isle of Skye, Lyran Commonwealth
15 May 3029
Dan Allard growled a harsh message into his radio as he watched the ISF commando become a torch. "Better move in, Colonel. I just tipped our hand." Dan dropped his Wolfhoundto one knee and used the 'Mech's steel left hand to scoop up Clovis. "I've got Clovis, but I've attracted some notice."
The flickering muzzle flashes from the heavy machine gun emplacement on the hangar's roof pinpointed the most obvious of the enemy oppositions. Dan's auxiliary monitor noted the impacts of heavy slugs against the Wolfhound'shand, but he knew nothing would get through to hurt Clovis. As long as I don't clench my fist, friend, you’re safe as a babe in his mother's arms.
Dan swung the Wolfhound'sright arm around and extended it toward the gunners. The arm had no hand, and from the speed of their reaction, the Combine soldiers did not take long to realize why that was. Dan guided the large laser's targeting crosshairs onto their position, then sent a bloody stream of coherent light pulsing into the machine gun nest.
Kilojoules of energy fused sandbags into glass with a gentle caress and liquefied the machine gun in an instant. The heat touched off a series of explosions as machine gun ammo cooked off. The gunners, who had jumped clear of their position, avoided the laser's fury, but could not escape the chaotic hail of bullets shooting from the gun emplacement.
A new element joined the wailing alarm that Clovis had caused to be sounded. A sharp keening that built to an ear-shattering crescendo, then dropped to an inaudible level, wove through the sirens. Dan narrowed his eyes and reopened his radio channel. " 'Mech-raid siren just clicked on, Morgan. They know I'm here and they're scrambling." Dan looked up at the darkened airstrip beyond the 'Mech bay. "Looks like they're getting air cover up."
Two Sholagarlight fighters moved down the runway. The disc-winged aircraft began to pick up speed when something burned its way onto Dan's holographic display from above. White lines stabbed down into the lead Sholagar'sright wing and sliced through it like a tablesaw. Half the wing dropped off to slide along the runway on a bed of red and orange sparks.
The damaged aerofighter, still getting full thrust from the engine mounted in its left wing, spun around and into the flight path of the second fighter. Without sufficient speed, the second pilot could not take off. He did get the nose of his ship up as he tried to pull away from his crippled wingman, but the tail of his Sholagarslammed into the deck and disintegrated. The second fighter came down on top of the first, and both exploded with the brilliance of a supernova.
Dan heard the voice of Major Seamus Fitzpatrick, commander of the regiment's air battalion, crackle through the static generated by the explosion. "Good shooting, Lieutenant Kirk. We'll keep them grounded, Colonel."
Morgan Kell's reply came back edged with anger and vibrating with emotion. "Seamus, nothing leaves here. Dan, is Clovis on line?"
Dan frowned, reacting to the sound of Morgan's voice. "No. I've not gotten him inside yet."
"Good." Morgan hesitated for a moment, choosing his words carefully. "Final orders, people. O'Cieran and his ground troops confirmed what we all feared. That dug-up spot we passed isa mass grave. No compromise—no 'Mech from this company leaves New Freedom operational."
Dan let Morgan's orders echo through his mind as he raised the Wolfhound'sleft hand to its left shoulder. He punched a couple of buttons on the command console near his right hand, and a hatch on the Wolfhound'sneck opened. Dan glanced over at it as Clovis stepped through and pulled the hatch shut behind him.
Dan jerked a thumb at the area behind his command couch. "Get yourself a cooling vest from in there and a headset. You can jack into the comm-network." Clovis, pale and sweating, nodded wordlessly. He seemed so unlike himself. Does he know about the others already?Dan wondered.
Clovis pulled the oversized cooling vest on as tightly as he could and snapped the power cord into a jack on the right side of the Wolfhound'scommand couch. He settled the communications headset into place and plugged the jack into a socket beneath the command console. Adjusting the microphone, he smiled weakly. "Thanks for saving my worthless hide."
The traces of self-pity in Clovis's voice made Dan uneasy. Hiding for two days in an overrun base must have done something to him.Dan forced some levity into his own voice. "Hey, what are friends for? I'm just glad you lured him out of the tree." Dan's gaze flicked toward an area back to the right of the command couch. "We have company. Strap into that jumpseat, Clovis. The ride will get bumpy from here on."
A Kurita Clintstalked out from behind the 'Mech bay. It raised the pistol-like autocannon in its right hand, but before the pilot could pull the trigger, Dan hit two switches on the Wolfhoundcommand console. Two spotlights mounted slightly below the Wolfhound'shead flashed to life, giving the Kurita pilot a good look at the 'Mech he faced.
Humanoid in body configuration, the Wolfhoundscanned just like all other light 'Mechs on magscan or IR. Visually, however, the Wolfhoundwas a fearsome sight. The head had been designed to look like a wolf's, from jutting muzzle to high, pointed ears. Standing tall and lean, the fierce 'Mech might have been the avatar of some ancient war god.
Dan swung the Wolfhound'slarge laser around and triggered it at the same moment the Clintpilot fired his autocannon. Shocked by the Wolfhound'sappearance, or by the fact that he'd never seen a 'Mech of that design before, the Kurita pilot's shot blasted wide to Dan's left, tearing great divots from the hillside behind him. The Wolfhound'slarge laser burned through the armor over the Clint'sleft breast. In a flash of incandescent fire, the laser's beam consumed one of the Clint'smedium lasers.