Decision at Thunder Rift

The hovercraft's movement had given the Wolverinea clear line-of-fire. When a pair of SRMs hit it from the left, the HVWC vanished in white light and a hammerblow shock that smashed at Lori's crouching Locust.After the shower of dirt and debris cleared, nothing remained of the weapons carrier but a smoking hole and minute fragments of hot steel.

With the Phoenix Hawk'sdestruction, the remaining 'Mechs began pulling back. The Griffin and the Wolverineeach took one of the leg-damaged Phoenix Hawk'sarms and dragged it down the ravine. The Riflemanlimped down the hill on its own, trailing a tangle of disemboweled wiring and puddles of lubricants that steamed in the cold air.

"O.K., they're pulling out," Lori snapped. '‘Mechs, fall back to the next line. Ground troops... cover us... and watch those flankers."

Missiles firing blindly from extreme range landed among the retreating 'Mechs, but did no damage. The next line was at the very crest of the ridge, where cliff walls knifed skyward to an overhanging glacier. The Rift itself was a hundred-meter black slash in the mountain face behind them. The raw, majestic thunder of its waterfall sent tremors through the hulls of the 'Mechs as they cleared the rise. Verbal communication would be difficult here, and sound sensors useless.

The Lancers had dug earthworks along the ridge in the two days since the DropShip had launched. Each vehicle was positioned to give it a long, clear line-of-sight down into the ravine. Lori caught herself wishing for more explosives so that they could set off another mine blast or another Lance of 'Mechs — heavies this time.

With four Marauders,she could hold this hill against a BattleMech army. Watching as her hovercraft completed their withdrawal to the mouth of the Rift, she shook her head. Ammo would soon be very low, and the cabin temps of all three 'Mechs were above forty degrees. The plan had been designed to take advantage of the lake at their backs, which provided a means to cool down their 'Mechs while the attackers were forced to struggle up the hill with their internal temps rising. Beside the availability of the lake, the other advantage of the Lancers' position was the wet, cool breeze blowing steadily from the Rift mouth. As heat build-up would now be less of a problem for them than for their pursuers, Grayson had thought it might give them one slender advantage. And they certainly needed every advantage they could get now.

For several moments, it was quiet — suspiciously so. Lori watched her screens closely, alert for any movement or heat or radar image, for any sign of the approaching enemy. She wished she could hear as well, but Thunder Rift drowned out all but voices transmitted directly to her ear. Then her radar indicator flashed. Helicopter! There!

The aircraft was a large, heavy-duty transport, and was descending behind the scattered boulders beyond the bottom of the ravine. That would be reinforcements, most likely, more troops certainly, and possibly another 'Mech or two from the Castle. Lori waited with mounting dread. The attack was just beginning, she knew. That first rush had been little more than a skirmish compared with what was to come.

"Sergeant? This is Ramage, private line."

She opened a private channel. "What is it?"

"Sergeant, I just wanted to say that was a beautiful piece of work down there. It's... well, I never thought a woman could handle a 'Mech like that. Two targets down in as many minutes. That was some shooting!" '

She smiled. "Let's save the congratulations for when we get out of this, O.K.?"

Just as Lori was wondering what was happening to Grayson, an explosion echoed through the cave, drowning the thunder. It was followed by another... and another. Missiles arced high up from the ravine, then came down in shattering blasts among the rocks and ice at the Rift's mouth.

The enemy 'Mechs were visible now. The four they'd seen before plus three more. These were a Stinger,a Shadow Hawk— for one heart-leaping instant, Lori thought it was Grayson come up the hill to their rescue — and the lead 'Mech, a Marauderpainted red with black legs and trim. That one must have come in by helicopter, Lori thought, remembering well Grayson's description of it. So... Duke Ricol was here in person!

There was infantry with the group too. Crawlers chewed through dust and gravel down the ridge and into the ravine, swinging north to bring the Rift's defenders into their sight.

"Fire!" Lori shouted, but the command was lost in the first volleys of laser and missile fire. Her own laser snapped off four shots, and three of them scored on the already-damaged Griffin ,shredding armor, opening new wounds in the huge machine's arms and torso. The Duke's men were not using the scattered boulders for cover this time, but were running uphill at top speed, hoping, she realized, to overrun the Lancers' position before they took unacceptable losses.

"They're trying to swamp us!" she said. "Pour it on!"

The Griffin stumbled and fell, whether destroyed or damaged badly, she could not tell. Switching her sights to the Marauderadvancing ponderously in the vanguard, Lori watched in horror as the 'Mech's head and torso absorbed bolt after bolt, seemingly without effect.

Then she realized that the Stinger— far faster and more agile than the Marauder— was closer, was almost on top of her position. She swung her laser up and caught the 20-ton 'Mech in the leg. Then her own 'Mech reeled as the particle cannon mounted in the Marauder'sforearms loosed thunder and red blackness at the cockpit of her Locust,smashing Lori to one side in her seat and tilting the 'Mech over to its port side.

When her vision cleared, she struggled to right her machine, gasping at the sudden, stabbing pain in her side.

The Stingerwas close now, too close, its laser leveled on her Locustas it pulled its metal feet under its torso and started to rise. A laser bolt from Garik's Waspcaught the Stingeron the side, spinning it around and smashing it into a house-sized rock. When Lori fired her own laser, the Stingerstopped moving, disabled at the very least

But the Marauderwas closer now, its twin cannons of high-energy death scything through the men who crouched behind the shallow earthworks while the giant machines battled above them. Lori fired again, and struck the Marauder'shead full on, without visible effect. Its 75 tons of metal death strode closer, cannons descending for a final shot. There was one long, horrible pause as the enemy's PPCs recharged.

Then an explosion caught the Marauderabove its cockpit, followed by another and another. Dazed, Lori shook her head, struggling to clear it. The Wasp,Garik Enzelman's machine, stepped between her and the onrushing monster. Lori understood. The Waspcould not fire its missile packs while it was lying down. Garik had stood and loosed a salvo at the Marauder,was now trying to dodge behind the slower machine to strike it from behind.