Motion caught his eye and he focused on it. Black 'Mechs, stark against the snow, were moving into place on the Dragoon left flank. Through the Binox, he could easily distinguish the red spider insignia, which told him that the Black Widows had arrived to join the Assault 'Mechs of Zeta Battalion. A powerful anchor for the Dragoons line.
The days of preliminary skirmishing were over. Here amid the peaks and glacial surfaces, the armies had come together, reaching an unspoken agreement on the battle site. It was not the site that either general would have chosen, but each found it acceptable. Barring static defense of an important point, Minobu knew that a commander could rarely expect to fight on terrain of his own choosing.
Minobu slid back into his 'Mech and dogged down the hatch. Out of the wind and back in the heat of the Dragon'sinterior, he found his clothes suddenly too warm. He squirmed out of the jacket and clambered into the pilot seat.
“All commands report status. Code twenty-three,” he ordered. Slipping the neurohelmet onto his shoulders and connecting his cooling system, he watched ready lights flash green on the command board his Tech had rigged over the comm board, crowding the cramped cockpit even more. Minobu bore the loss of space easily. Although the jury-rigged system offered nothing like the capabilities of a Tacticon computer, it did increase his ability to communicate with his command. That capacity more than compensated for the personal discomfort. By the time he had finished hooking up, only one light remained unilluminated. Minobu keyed open the channel to the commander of Ryuken-go.
“Tai-saSullivan, I have a no-show from Sword of Light. Explain.”
“No explanation, Tai-sho.”The reply came at once, but Sullivan sounded nervous. That was understandable, though. The Sword of Light Regiment was supposed to be in position on his flank. “My scouts have not sighted them. I will try to set up a relay.”
While Minobu waited for word, the Dragoon BattleMechs began to move, advancing en masse.
“Steady,” Minobu advised his commanders. “Hold fire till we are reasonably assured of good hits. No sniping.” He listened to the order being passed, pleased by the response of his troops. Only a few pilots in Seventeenth Galedon broke discipline by firing without permission, and their officers swiftly restored order.
Just as Minobu was about to give the command for harassing fire with energy weapons, the Dragoons stopped their advance. He watched in puzzlement as a single BattleMech continued forward from the center of the Dragoon line. The lone machine registered on his identification program as a Victor,an eighty-ton Assault 'Mech. After half a kilometer, it too stopped. The taccomm crackled as a Dragoon voice came over the open channel.
“I am Hans Vordel, Lieutenant in Wolf's Dragoons. I am a fourth-generation ‘MechWarrior. I have seen twenty-four-cycles and have fought on more worlds than I have years. Who among you has the courage to face me in single combat?”
His challenge was awkward and his Japanese abominable, but the intent was clear. Silence greeted it. No one in the Kurita force spoke, on either the open channel or any of the protected frequencies. The challenge was unexpected. A tekiacting like an ancient samurai? It shocked them into immobility.
Suddenly a Thunderboltbroke from the Kurita ranks, pounding out to within a kilometer of the Dragoon Victory.The comm channel reverberated with the pilot's response to the Dragoon.
“Villain. I am Tadashi Bolivar, a mere Chu-iin the grand forces of the Draconis Combine. I am not so old and decrepit as you, but I am a fifth-generation samurai of House Kurita and have slain three Davion ‘MechWarriors single-handedly. I accept your challenge. Pray to any gods you hold dear, teki,and prepare to die by my hand.”
A ragged cheer came from his comrades of Ryuken- san. Some of them keyed on their external speakers, and their cheers reverberated from the surrounding peaks.
Encouraged, Bolivar drove forward at his opponent. Vordel's 'Mech fairly leaped from its standing pose and accelerated rapidly. Minobu saw the flaw in Bolivar's approach vector that was sending him directly toward a zone of broken ice. Vordel must have seen it, too, because he shifted the Victorto take advantage. Bolivar reacted to his opponent's shift and headed his 'Mech further into the dangerous terrain.
When the Thunderboltstumbled, the Dragoon Victoropened fire. Its paired lasers raked the Kurita 'Mech, catching the pilot by surprise. Reacting like a novice, Bolivar decelerated to pull his 'Mech around. The moment his opponent's speed slackened, Vordel triggered a burst from the massive Pontiac 100 autocannon that was the Victor'sright arm. Shells cratered the armor across the Thunderbolt'supper surface and smashed into the cockpit area. The Kurita 'Mech shuddered and collapsed.
Dragoon cheers rang off the mountains.
The Victorraised its left arm and fired twin ruby flares into the sky before heading back toward its lines. Before it had reached them, a second Dragoon 'Mech left the line and advanced toward the center of the field.
Another challenge boomed out, as awkward as the first. In response, another Kurita 'Mech went forward to meet the Dragoon. Minobu recognized it instantly as Michi Noketsuna's Ostroc.Shouting, “I accept!” Michi roared down on the Dragoon without stopping. This fight was longer, but when it was over, the Dragoon Catapultlay broken on the field.
This time it was the Kuritans cheering the victor, rocking the mountains.
Minobu wondered what Wolf was thinking, to allow such dueling. The mercenary had probably decided that it would appeal to Minobu. Perhaps he thought that this was how one conducted a battle of honor. At one time, it had been.
Today, though, it was a luxury Minobu's forces could not afford. The Kurita forces outnumbered the Dragoons, but not overwhelmingly. Man for man and 'Mech for 'Mech, the Ryuken were no match for the mercenaries. The Galedon Regulars were even worse off. A series of duels would only deplete the Draconian resources.
There was another consideration. Sullivan reported that the Sword of Light had not yet appeared. During the duels, they should have time to break through the Dragoon delaying force and reach the battlefield. Then the Kuritans could attack with a better chance of success. In the meantime, Minobu would let the single combats continue. He hoped he would not lose too many good pilots before the Sworders put in their appearance.
The battles became a blur, one after another. Dragoon as well as Kurita 'Mechs failed to return, but far more of the latter lay shattered on the field. Few of the duels were as short as the first, but all were brutal. Minobu was gratified to see that none of the other victorious Dragoons returned unscathed.
The finale of a battle between a Dragoon Spiderand a Kurita Pantherfinally ended Minobu's waiting game. The Spiderwas on its back and the Pantherclosing in for the kill when blue lightning lanced from the Dragoon line. The beam struck the Kurita 'Mech full in the chest. Weakened armor collapsed under the hellish energies. The electric discharge from the PPC overloaded the Panther'scircuits and caused the autoloader to cycle a reload for the SRM launcher into the path of molten metal. The Panther'supper torso vanished in a fireball.
This breach of combat etiquette was too much for the Kuritans. All across the field, their BattleMechs surged forward and howls of outrage echoed from the peaks. There would be no more duels.