There were more running across the garden.
"Go," Michi said again as he closed the door. "Now!"
Blake nodded curtly. He stuffed the cylinder into his waistband and pulled open the back door. "Thanks," he said as he bolted through. Michi watched him run across the garden. The house would shield him from the pursuers' sight once he left the direct line between the front and back doors. Michi swung the front door closed, then stooped and took the pistol from Kevin's holster. He stepped against the wall beside the door, well away from the frame.
He waited.
They were cautious, perhaps believing him trapped. He hoped that they would stay cautious; every second they wasted was useful. He knew they would not wait long, however. If they had suspected before, he had confirmed their fears.
A fusillade of shots splintered holes in the door and the wall on either side of it. Michi was moving forward as the door slammed open, this time dropping free from its abused hinges. He cut at the first commando as the man came through, the sword biting deep into his arm. Screaming, the man twisted away, ripping the sword grip from Michi's hand. Two shots dropped the second commando, but another one came crashing through the front window as her companion died. Forced back by fire from the two still outside, Michi was unable to halt the woman as she rolled to her feet and sprang through the open back door.
He could not know if he had delayed them long enough. He started to run after the woman, but his move was not enough of a surprise. Her companions fired on him as he cleared the edge of the house. Feeling a shock to his arm, he spun under the impact of the shot, then fell to the ground. He rolled aside and fired as one of the commandos came around the building after him. The man took the first slug and two more before he collapsed.
Michi knew that he had succeeded in his mission when he heard the mighty hyperpulse generator thrum with the sound of an outgoing pulse.
His relief almost cost him his life. The last commando had circled around the other side of the building, and only a scrape of gravel betrayed his presence. Michi was rolling before the man fired the weapon, and the slug slammed into the ground instead of into Michi. His answering shot went wide, but the man ducked back. Unfortunately for him, he moved into the path of Michi's last, unaimed shot.
Karma.
A gunshot boomed from the direction of the generator building. Michi forced himself to his feet. The gun in his hand was empty. Dropping it, he stooped to take another from one of the commandos. He nearly fainted as he straightened up. Too much blood loss and not enough concentration. He fought down the pain, banishing it beneath clarity of purpose.
He ran toward the sound of gunfire.
The door to the generator's control chamber was open when he reached it. He went in low, intending to roll into a firing position. He froze.
It was too late.
ComStar guards had weapons trained on him. They were very nervous. One attended to an acolyte who had been shot in the leg. The female commando and Stanford Blake lay in separate pools of blood that were slowly spreading toward each other.
"Drop your weapon," a guard ordered.
Michi complied.
Stanford Blake had managed to transmit the plans for Elson's final assault. Jaime Wolf would have the information he needed to unhinge those plans. Michi's part in this was over.
He fainted.
48
As I had feared, Ansell's men had been conserving their ammunition for a reason. Two days later, as our last units were moving into night laager, a bombardment began. Radar and telemetry interception told us that Arrow missile systems were being used to supplement the normal artillery, which meant that Fire Support Battalion had been brought in. At that time, they were the only Dragoon unit with that kind of firepower. Elson was getting serious.
Reports began to come in from the Home Guard units holding the front. A major attack was developing on the hinge between Twelfth and Fourteenth Armored. Elson's BattleMech forces were pushing into the gap to take advantage of the split in command zones.
"Unity! Zeta better get here soon," Grant said.
I didn't bother to answer him. Whether Zeta arrived or not, we had a lot to do. I was sure that there was action all along the front, though I had heard nothing from the other battlegroups.
Our first contact with the enemy came shortly after midnight, just outside the mock village of Potterdam. A short lance of three BattleMechs was moving along the dry river course. They were well ahead of the furthest reported thrust and that wasn't good. There being only three, we hu; them hard. I didn't want them around if there were more hostiles on the way, and our numerical superiority made taking them out easy. One blew apart in an ammunition explosion created by several volleys of missiles. The second was crippled, and the third broadcast his surrender and popped his hatch after taking cover from our onslaught. They called themselves members of Iota Battalion, but they were just hired guns. I called base to send a fast hovercraft out with one of our dismounted jocks; we could use the mere's 'Mech.
The merc was talkative. He confirmed that Elson and Fancher were the commanders in this part of the front. He also told us that another 'Mech unit, Kappa -Battalion, had been transferred to Orange Sector. It had to be the unit that recon had spotted in reserve during the early phases. Fancher wasn't the sort to weaken her command just before a major offensive. If she had dispensed with a unit now, it was likely because the main thrust would be falling elsewhere. Sending reinforcements to Alpin's forces in Orange Sector, where Maeve was defending, suggested that Alpin was leading the principal attack.
We pressed on.
Fourteenth Armored's command was in turmoil. Most of their tanks were out of commission, but they had succeeded in relinking with Twelfth Armored. Twelfth was in better shape but not by much. Beta Regiment had come forward and was pounding on the tankers. Our strategy of isolation and traps was faltering against this strategy of vigorous assault. It wouldn't be long before the enemy 'Mechs crumbled our shaky defense.
I sent my battlegroup in to blunt a thrust that was probing along Fourteenth Armored's right flank. If that flank came unglued, Alpin's troopers would have an open field and be able to slice through our scattered infantry positions and into Orange Sector behind Maeve's lines. The battlegroup turned back the enemy 'Mechs, but had to withdraw when Stars of Elementals were spotted moving into attack position along a ridgeline.
I gave the order to fall back.
On the way to our second line, I was able to break through to the Colonel. He assured me that Maeve was aware of our new position. She was under heavy pressure from Parella's Gamma Regiment, but so far had managed to hold them off by constantly shifting her battlegroup to where the fighting was hottest. I knew what a toll this must be taking on the Spider's Web; they wouldn't be able to keep up that pace forever.
There had been no sign of the Kappa Battalion in that sector.
Over in Blue Sector, there had still been no major engagements, but that was likely to change soon. The Kuritans were moving to counter a two-battalion thrust by Epsilon.
"We're doing fine," the Colonel assured me. I wanted to believe him.
I knew that BattleMech combat was not the drawn-out affair that had been a soldier's lot for so much of history. 'Mech battles couldn't be sustained for long periods of time. Too many machines carried limited supplies of ammunition, and lost effectiveness when those were gone. Even 'Mechs armed exclusively with energy weapons had limited duration; the combat was too brutal and even a BattleMech's armor can take only so much punishment. And the machines were too expensive, too hard to replace. Once a warrior's machine got mauled, he pulled out, if he was smart. Refitted and resupplied, he'd be a threat again; staying in was just asking for death.