The quartet of autocannons on the Jupiter’s left forearm likewise proved terrifyingly efficient. Two chewed their way into the armor on the left arm and right thigh, leaving stippled trails of granulated armor behind. The other two, however, blasted into the cockpit, obliterating the canopy. Whether it was the hail of glass ripping her to shreds, or the heavy slugs pulping her human remains, Isabel Siwek died as ugly as the treachery she’d been a party to.
Bernard’s mercenaries again launched on Catford’s command. Missile fire pounded his Jupiter, but he didn’t go down. The Militia blasted back at the incoming vehicles in Siwek’s command. While they showed little coordination in their attack, fortune smiled and their attacks knocked out several of the hovertanks while they only lost one Demon Medium Tank.
With Siwek down, her company could have buckled, but being professionals they held it together and began to maneuver cautiously to close with their former allies. Catford’s Jupiter exploded a Condor, but took some laser and autocannon fire in return, then another salvo or two of missiles.
Janella’s Tundra Wolf laced a Scimitar’s right flank with laser fire. The green and red beams turned armor molten and opened a fiery hole into the crew compartment. That hovertank slew around to the side before both fans died. Its burning hulk marked a point past which none of Siwek’s other vehicles advanced.
This was good for the Militia, but not so good for us. The remaining Scimitar and three Condors began to maneuver to focus on us. I used more missiles to rake one of the Condor tanks. I got lucky and popped the left tread off the tank, which created more of a driving hazard for the others than any serious damage. As one spun to the left to avoid the stricken tank, it plowed into the downed Black Hawk’s right arm. Neither of them benefited from the collision. The Condor remained operational, but the one I’d hit slammed into it from behind, wedging it in place.
Bernard Germayne might not have been the most politically savvy guy, but as a tactician he had some talent. The battle hinged on finishing Catford’s force as fast as possible before he had to deal with us. We were a wild card and, for the moment, we were being played in his favor. With Catford gone, he’d have his company, Siwek’s company and the remains of the Militia, against which the two of us could not possibly stand. Killing a Knight of The Republic could have repercussions, there was no doubt about it, but if he was in firm control of the planet, the chances of retribution coming swiftly given the current crisis were negligible.
His Catapult launched two more salvos that laced Catford’s Jupiter with explosions. Armor shards whirled away, shattering further on the hard ground. The Jupiter seemed to hunch down, like an old man beneath a pounding rain, then rose up again, but did not turn to face Bernard. I don’t know if, in that moment, Catford realized he was not going to walk away from this fight, or chose to die in it to avoid the humiliation of being trapped and beaten. I might even give him the benefit of the doubt and suggest he decided to save some of his people. He sent his Jupiter into the midst of Siwek’s company, blazing away with the autocannons and PPCs, laying about with his right arm, smashing the Pack Hunter.
He did make inroads into their formation, but he never made it all the way through their murderous return fire. With its armor in tatters and right arm melted beyond recognition, the Jupiter fell forward. Fire vomited from the cockpit as the command couch ejection system ignited. The rockets that should have boosted him high into the air instead smashed him into the stone crescent around Blacklake.
With Catford’s death, the Ff W left wing stopped its battle against Bernard’s Scimitars. The three remaining Jessies swiveled their SRM launchers skyward in surrender, and clearly some intense negotiation went on. When the launchers came back down and the vehicles oriented northward, I figured the negotiations had ended in Bernard’s favor.
Bernard’s mercenaries and the remains of the Ff W fighters turned toward us.
Janella’s voice came through strongly and loudly over the radio. “Lord Bernard Germayne, I am Lady Janella Lakewood, Knight of The Republic of the Sphere. You and your people are to power down immediately. You are under arrest for conspiracy to murder a Republic citizen.”
Arrogance filled Bernard’s reply. “I control Basalt. Your Republic is powerless. Your charges have no validity here. You have no authority here. You are not wanted here. Leave my planet.”
“Lord Germayne, I ask you again to surrender, for the consequences of your refusal will be most dire.” Janella kept her voice even, but a little bit of an edge crept in. “Surrender, if not for yourself, then for your people. They need not die for your foolishness.”
“Your arrogance is unbelievable, woman.” I could see the sneer on Bernard’s face as he said that. “A hundred thousand C-bills to the one who kills her.”
In saying that, he gave Janella no choice.
She employed Colonel Niemeyer’s surprise.
39
Of all the nasty surprises to be had, stumbling into a trap of your own making has to be the worst.
Obsidian Island, Blacklake District
Basalt
Prefecture IV, Republic of the Sphere
2 March 3133
Bernard Germayne had managed to make for himself two enemies, one old and one rather new. The old one, Colonel Niemeyer, disliked Bernard as much as he loved Basalt. I’d seen his love for the world in the first visit he paid me. It never occurred to me that he’d have treated anyone else less harshly than he had me when he became aware of their presence, and he had not. He’d even kept tabs on us as best his resources allowed.
Which reacquainted him with Bernard’s newest enemy. Alba Dolehide really had not appreciated Bernard’s lack of trust in her, so she ran—right to Niemeyer. She’d correctly guessed that Niemeyer could hide her until things cooled off. She wanted to see Bernard brought down—both for personal reasons and because it was no mystery to her what sort of lousy ruler he’d make.
As a brake on him she’d even absconded with the location of a mixed lance of Bernard’s toys. Once the confrontation had been set for Obsidian Island, Niemeyer rounded up a group of pilots to man those machines and they were brought to a point in the jungle just west of the killing field. Since Niemeyer’s people were handling perimeter security, all reports of contacts in that direction were edited out of data sent to Bernard.
Short-range missiles shot from Obsidian Island, corkscrewing into their targets. Their detonations blasted craters in armor, but dropped no ’Mechs. Niemeyer’s people directed their fire at Bernard’s mercenaries and the remnants of the FfW, leaving the Militia untouched. Once they’d launched their missiles, they hunkered down to let pilots waste munitions and hot light on the ancient fortress.
The long-range shots from Alba’s lance likewise pounded the mercenaries, but with far more effect. She piloted an Arbalest and its missile salvo crunched the aft armor of a Legionnaire. The missiles opened its back and the autocannon ammo in the right side of its chest cooked off. The resulting explosion tossed the humanoid ’Mech to the right, where it clipped the mercenary Arbalest standing next to it.
Bernard and his people faced some tough choices. While Bernard didn’t fear attacking a Republic Knight, others in his command were more thoughtful, and yet others utterly mindless. The eager but stupid pilot in the Hatchetman launched his ’Mech into the air on jump jets. With the club upraised, he clearly intended to strike a swift blow and earn the bounty on Janella’s head.