Main Event

"Go, go, go." Trusting the rest of his lance to follow, Rose rounded the edge of the maintenance building and ran toward the Bristol .Triggering his first salvo of long-range missiles, he could see the ship's massive legs extend as the engines began to bear the weight of thirty-five hundred tons. Smoke rolled over the Charger,obscuring the 'Mech's bottom half. Rose fired again at the Bristol 'snearest leg. Around him the Black Thorns targeted the same leg with PPCs and large lasers. Rose fought closer as the thrust of the Bristol increased. Around him the howl of the massive engines reached a deafening pitch.

The ship leaned slightly to the right, and one of the Bristol 'slegs lifted off the ground. As Rose fired again at the near leg, the Bristol finally answered. Three red beams shot from the weapons bay, striking the Chargersquarely in the chest. Armor dissolved and flowed in three separate rivulets as the intense heat of the lasers melted the ferro-fibrous plates covering the 'Mech's engine. Thrown slightly off balance by the attack, Rose tried to take a step back to steady himself.

Instantly he knew he was going to fall. Although the blasts would normally not have been enough to knock him over, the typhoon around him pushed his balance over the edge. Thick smoke rose around the view ports as the Chargerdisappeared within the smoke. The 'Mech fell hard on its right elbow, snapping off armored plates and slamming Rose onto his right side. By the time he regained his feet, the Bristol was airborne. He tried to rush forward to fire at the exposed engines, but the heat was too great.

As the Charger'sheat scale climbed into the red, he slapped the engine-shutdown override, watching in frustration as the Bristol rose in the air. Esmeralda fired a pair of PPCs as the ship continued upward, but Rose knew the fight was already lost. He didn't even bother sending another flight of LRMs after the retreating craft.

"Black Thorns, this is Command One. Group on me." Rose moved out of the rapidly diminishing smoke and led his unit back to their base. He was still trying to decide what he was going to tell McCloud when he saw that the main gate had been breached.

The main gate hung on shattered hinges. Near the guard house Rose could see the still forms of the two guards. Through the windows of the barracks and the mess hall rapidly spreading flames were visible. At first Rose thought that the heavier fortified command post was undamaged, but when he triggered the Charger'schest-mounted spot light, he saw that the doors and shuttered windows had been scored by machine gun fire. Zooming in on the post's front door, however, Rose saw that the building remained secure. He saw no signs of heavy vehicles or 'Mechs, but they could easily be hiding behind the command post or in the repair bay. As he charged through what was left of the main gate, he noticed that the protest encampment to the side of the road seemed abandoned.

"This is Command One," he said. "Seek and destroy any vehicles, but look out for peds. Battle lance, take the 'Mech bays. Pursuit lance, check the perimeter. Rianna, you stick with me."

Rose led his sister to the command center, scanning for individual heat sources. It would be nearly impossible to hide a vehicle on this side of the camp, but an infantryman with a missile, especially an inferno, could cause considerable damage. After several seconds of tense searching, Rose was about to declare the base abandoned when he caught the azure flash of a PPC.

Spinning toward the flash, Rose saw a civilian four-wheel drive vehicle streak out of the 'Mech bay. Esmeralda's shot had flushed the vehicle from its hiding place and now it was accelerating toward the main gate. The driver sent the vehicle sliding in a four-wheel drift around the edge of the flaming barracks. From the open-top cargo compartment two missiles leapt toward the Warhammer,trailing gray smoke. Esmeralda fired another PPC, but the wildly sliding vehicle eluded the shot as both its missiles struck the Warhammer'shead.

Rose tried to line a shot, but the vehicle disappeared under the cover of the command post. By the time it had cleared the corner of the building, it was pointed straight toward the main gate. Rose fired hurried shots with both arm-mounted lasers, but they struck to either side of the rapidly moving vehicle. He was about to give chase when Ajax arrived.

The Ravenbounded around the mess hall in pursuit of the fleeing vehicle. Rose also started the Chargertoward the main gate, but the Ravengot there first, its bird-like legs driving the 'Mech's small body with increasing speed. As the vehicle slowed to take the first corner in the road, Ajax fired his Harpoon Six missiles. Someone yelled a warning over the open channel, but Rose couldn't identify the anguished voice. True to their name, five of the six missiles harpooned the side of the vehicle as it slid into the turn. Powered by forward momentum and lateral explosions, the vehicle completed the turn and slid off the road. Although the low buildings between the wreck and the Chargerobscured Rose's view, the resulting explosion left no doubt about Ajax's marksmanship.

Ajax moved forward to confirm the kill and look for survivors, then reported that all four men had died in the wreck. As Ajax finished his report to Rose, Esmeralda declared the 'Mech bay clear. Angus and Ria quickly followed with identical reports, although they had discovered several of the compound guards dead at their posts, along with a handful of attackers. That left only the command post. Rose turned toward it, and activated his external speakers.

"This is Captain Rose of the Black Thorns. Open the doors of the command post and come out with your hands up. The building is completely surrounded." Rose waited and listened to the sounds of flames licking wildly at the burning mess hall. Several seconds later the door swung open.

Out stepped Rachel McCloud With a Zeus heavy rifle.

The eight-kilogram sniping rifle looked like a cannon in her small arms, but she rested the bulk easily on one hip. Rose could not help but smile at the sight. McCloud was the image of confidence and martial prowess until she suddenly collapsed in the doorway. Zooming in on her, he could see that her hair was thickly matted with blood.

"This is Command One. We've got to get out of here while there's still time. I don't know who attacked the camp, but I bet they'll be back. Without the support of the Council, we've got to assume we're on our own.

"Battle One and Three, watch the perimeter. Battle Two, salvage anything you can in the 'Mech bay. Rig it for external transport if possible. Munitions and armor have first priority.

"Recon Two, patrol outside the gate. Keep the Beagle wide open and let me know if anything comes close. If it looks even vaguely hostile, shoot.

"Command Two, Pursuit One, dismount and clear out the command post. We move out in thirty minutes, people, so hop to it." Watching the flames completely engulf the barracks, Rose suddenly felt sick. Although the building's exterior was of metal and stone, the interior burned readily.

"I'm sorry about your personal gear," he said to his people. It was a hollow statement and Rose knew it, but what else was there to say? Everything the Black Thorns owned had been in the barracks and now it was completely destroyed.

Watching the flames, Rose realized that he had made a terrible mistake. He should have known how impossible it would be to divert the attack on the DropShip, and kept part of his command back at the base. Now the base was destroyed and his warriors left only with the clothes on their backs and the 'Mechs beneath their feet. Considering the recent trail of events he told himself that their current predicament was entirely his fault.