Warwick's crew didn't seem to mind at all, so that probably meant they were in on the private agreement. The more Rose thought about the conditions of the fight, the more he worried. Esmeralda's Warhammerlacked lower arms, hands, and jump jets, making her little more than a slow-moving target. The rest of the lance had arms and Mary's 'Mech could jump, as could his Shadow Hawk,but the lance gave away a lot of tonnage, maneuverability, and raw speed, especially against the Warhammer.It took only a few seconds for Jeremiah and Esmeralda to realize that the fight was almost over before it began. The commlink suddenly came alive with her voice.
"Listen up. We've stepped in the guano up to our knees and that's no lie. Pick your targets and give each other some support. I'll take the Charger,but the best I can hope for is a draw. It'll be up to you to do the rest."
Jeremiah felt renewed admiration for his lance commander. She knew her 'Mech was the least-suited for a slugging match and had decided to do her best before she was taken out. It was the same conclusion he had drawn, but she'd come up with it sooner. He tried to keep an eye on Esmeralda's progress as she headed toward the center of the makeshift town, but the Hatchetmanand the Javelinwere heading his way. Ignoring the sensor readings and data screens, he concentrated on the front view screens and prepared to make his move.
The Hatchetmanwas definitely the better warrior. As the duo moved closer, the Hatchetmanpilot used the bulk of the Javelinto conceal the movement of his arms, especially the one with the hatchet. When the Javelinattacked, however, the Hatchetmanwas there almost immediately. The Javelinbegan to smash down on the Shadow Hawk'shead with both arms in an attempt to finish Rose with a single raining of blows to the cockpit. Moving laterally, Rose managed to deflect the first blow with an upraised forearm and then take the second blow on the shoulder. Metal screeched in protest and he could feel the Shadow Hawklurch to the left as the second blow connected. Moving with the blow, Rose brought the Shadow Hawknearly to a crouch. He could almost hear the Javelinpilot gloating as he imagined Rose's 'Mech downed with one attack. But if there was a shout, it was one of frustration as the Shadow Hawk'sleft foot shot out and into the left knee of the Javelin.
Armored plates popped loose from the force of the blow and the frame buckled back as the joint was hyper-extended. Myomer bundles tore free from the joint, showering the sand with thousands of blue-green sparks. Rose attempted to follow up the attack with a punch, but the flashing axe of the Hatchetmanforced him to jump back. He was quick, but the axe still caught a portion of the Shadow Hawk'sright torso, burrowing into the metal, but failing to breach the thick armor.
A second blow from the axe went wide of the mark, but Rose was again forced away from the damaged Javelin.Attempting to circle the Hatchetmandid no good as the constantly moving axe threatened to strike whenever he got close. Although wounded, the Javelinwas providing effective protection to the Hatchetman'sback and being protected at the same time.
Rose was about to rush the Hatchetmanwhen much-needed assistance arrived. Little Mary in her Stingerhad managed to circle wide around the embattled pair and land near the Javelin.The Stingerwas not normally much of a threat to a Javelin,but the pilot had barely regained control of the damaged leg when Little Mary arrived. Kicking was out of the question, however, as a continued shower of sparks marked the 'Mech's every movement. Little Mary charged just as Rose feinted with a kick toward the Hatchetman'sleg. The axe flashed down, but failed to strike the Shadow Hawk.Overbalanced by the force of the swing, the Hatchetman'smisstep let the nimble Stingerthrough.
Little Mary hit the wounded 'Mech at a dead run as the Javelinattempted to limp out of the way. Her Stingercrashed into the right side of the Javelin,whose damaged leg snapped at the knee as the pilot attempted to stay upright. The two 'Mechs went down as the smaller 'Mech lost balance and crashed on top of the one-legged Javelin.
Both 'Mechs lay still for a moment, then Rose moved in on the Hatchetmanas it started toward the prone pair of 'Mechs. As the Shadow Hawk'sfoot shot forward, however, the Hatchetman'sdeadly axe swung in a backhanded arc toward the Shadow Hawk'shead. The blows struck simultaneously, but the results were dramatically different. As the kick buckled plates of steel and ceramic in the Hatchetman'sleg, the axe took off the top of the Shadow Hawk'shead. All the head armor, as well as all the communications arrays and sensor equipment, were neatly sheared away.
The force of the blow sent the Shadow Hawkstaggering backward. Rose managed to stay upright for two clumsy steps before his 'Mech fell flat on its back. As the force of the impact tore through him, he felt the wound over his ribs reopen. The cockpit immediately filled with smoke and sparks as the communications system shorted out. Rose fought for the internal fire extinguisher, but repeated attempts proved useless. He was reaching for the manual fire extinguisher when he noticed the primary screen.
The Hatchetmanwas poised above him, the axe already falling. Rose managed to move just enough to take the blow on the Shadow Hawk'sheavily armored chest. He could feel the impact of the axe, but the smoke was so thick it was becoming impossible to see the front viewscreen. Throwing caution to the wind, he ignored the pummeling hatchet and groped for the fire extinguisher. The heavy axe fell twice more before the flames were put out and the smoke had cleared enough to see. Rose immediately wondered why he'd bothered.
His front armor had been breached, lighting up the status display like Luthien on New Year's Eve. He glanced at the main view screen and noticed that the Hatchet-man'saxe dripped fluid where it had sunk into the insides of the Shadow Hawk.The axe was about to fall for the fourth time when Little Mary saved him.
Ramming the Hatchetmanfrom behind she pushed the 'Mech over the prone Shadow Hawkand sent it sprawling face-down onto the arena floor. Rose managed to regain his feet and thanked his god that the axe had not severely damaged either the Hawk'sgyro or the engine.