-- Attached file included as plaintext by Listar --
-- File: TSG-27-2.txt
* * *
Musk Dynasty WarShip _Emperor Qin Shihuang_
4.15 light-seconds from planet Ryuugenzawa
18 June 3025, 01:14 Local Time
Captain Li Xinhua of the Essex Class Destroyer _Emperor Qin Shihuang_
studied his Sensory repeater displays grimly, searching for a sign of the
terrible and mighty Furinkan Combine fleet. What he saw gave him pause for
both concern and elation. Where he had expected to find a fleet of starships
led by the dreaded battleship _Imperator,_ he found instead two Invader Class
JumpShips that had apparently already launched their DropShips for the planet
- easy targets for the guns and fighters of the force at his command.
Where was the rest of fleet? he wondered. He feared a trap, that these
two JumpShips were bait to draw him in, and that the _Imperator_ and its
escorts waited for him elsewhere, concealed by the maddening solar storms
that limited the effectiveness of his radar and most of his passive sensors
to almost point-blank range.
"<Do we have any telescope images yet?>" he demanded.
"<We have resolution on Contact Victor One,>" his Sensory Officer
replied. "<Putting it up on the main display, now, Captain.>"
Li watched as the image pixelated onto the display. A JumpShip,
definitely Invader Class, was beginning to unfurl its JumpSail. He thought
that was odd, considering the levels of high energy particle flux that
permeated space even this close to the magnetosphere of the planet. A few
hours of alpha particle bombardment might render the precious and terribly
fragile photoelectric collector useless.
"<Order another radar sweep,>" he instructed his Sensory Officer. The
beams of microwave energy from his radar were certain to be detected by the
Invader at such close range, but he needed to know what else was out there
before the distance between them narrowed to the point where escaping any
traps was no longer possible. Given the pitiful armament of an Invader, it
wouldn't matter if they knew he was out there, as they would still be
destroyed quite easily.
"<At once, Captain. Radiating now.>"
Radar data posted itself smartly on his repeater display, confirming
the range and bearing of the two Combine JumpShips, and also, comfortingly,
the absense of any other ships within striking distance. He waited for
several more moments, knowing that reflected radar energy could still be
on its way back from a target light-seconds away. The pixels of colored
light on the display began to fade, with those photons of radar energy
first received also fading first. The most recent data was the brightest,
and by definition, indicated the great distance they had travelled from
his ship, out into space, and back to the passive receivers.
At the very limits of his effective range was a small clot of targets,
and they were very close to the planet.
"<Conn, Sensory; new contacts Romeo Three through Romeo Six, bearing
two-six-one plus zero, range; four point zero one light-seconds.>"
Li had his suspicions. "<Classify those contacts.>"
He waited while his sensory section examined the data.
"<Conn, Sensory; Contacts Romeo Three through Romeo Six designated as
DropShips. Romeo Three and Five are mid-displacement, possibly Union Class.
Romeo Four is light displacement, Hunter or some other type of small
infantry transport. Contact Romeo Six is mid-displacment, possibly Overlord
Class.>"
His suspicions were confirmed. These were most likely the DropShips
the two Invaders had launched. This was some advance force for the Combine,
he determined. Perhaps General Herb would get the time he needed to loot the
storehouses of Ryuugenzawa for the technology that would overthrow the hated
Elder Council without having to battle Prince Kuno over it.
"<Communications, prepare a transmission detailing the contacts we
have detected, and their intentions. Stand by to transmit it to the JumpShip
_Invictus_ on my command.>"
"<Communications, aye.>"
His eyes drifted back to the main display. The Invader had nearly
completed unfurling its JumpSail, but with the current attitude of the
starship, the sail was oriented away from the sun instead of towards it
to collect energy. He called for more magnification on the sail, wondering
if the Combine crew was simply incompetent, or if they meant something by
this bizarre state of affairs.
The smiling image of Kodachi Kuno, almost four hundred meters across
on the JumpSail, and holding out two fingers in the 'V' sign, appeared on
the display. The image of the Combine Princess was surrounded by a wealth
of dark grey roses with thorny stems.
"<The Black Rose!>" Li choked out in disbelief. The Black Rose of the
Furinkan Combine was in the system! He knew that the General would need
this information at once, as it changed everything.
"<Communications!>" he barked. "<Add that we have identified the
Combine ships as belonging to the Black Rose Terror Regiment. Request
clarification of our orders, and transmit!>"
"<Communications, aye!>"
He suspected that his orders would remain unchanged. Destroy the
Black Rose's JumpShips and leave her stranded on the planet. He would
be doing the entire Inner Sphere a great service with such an act.
He was wrong about his orders.
"<Astrogation,>" he called out as he read the printout he had received
directly from General Herb's staff. "<Plot an intercept course for contacts
Romeo Three through Six. Assume a high-gee transit.>"
"<Astrogation, aye.>"
This is absurd! Li thought in disbelief. Attack the Black Rose
DropShips when their only way out of the system was through JumpShips
that he was in position to destroy without effort?
Perhaps the General is worried about facing the Black Rose on the
surface, he decided. It was an unworthy fear from their great commander,
casting doubt upon his will to overthrow the Elder Council. Li stroked at
his chin, knowing that command of the Musk Dynasty was concentrated in one
man, General Herb, and if he were to be discredited, all power could shift
easily into the hands of the prepared.
A captain such as himself, one with the cachet of commanding a
priceless WarShip instead of one of the more pedestrian JumpShips of the
fleet, could be just such a man. And if not, then he would be a man some
other worthy would have to court for support. Power was built upon the
dependency of others, as he well knew.
"<Course plotted, Captain. Estimated time to intercept: nine hours and
twelve minutes.>"
Captain Li nodded silently, and settled down to wait.
* * *
Black Rose Terror Regiment DropShip _Thorn_
Forty thousand kilometers from planet Ryuugenzawa
18 June 3025, 9:48 Local Time
Colonel Princess Kodachi Kuno gave her DropShip Captain an impatient
look.
"Yes, Captain? I trust there is an explanation for manning
battlestations a full hour before Drop Stations?"
The man nodded.
"I apologize for the disturbance, milady, but as we cleared the solar
activity we detected a network of what appear to be defensive satellites
in orbit around the planet."
Tarou scratched his temple. "Would that explain why you've been unable
to detect the _Dragonfly_?"
"It's a possibility," the captain conceded.
"Dispatch a few of our fighter wings to destroy these satellites,"
Kodachi said brusquely. "I fail to see why you have disturbed me to report
this."
"Ma'am, that might be very difficult," the captain replied quietly.
He directed her to the Warbook display, where the Yamato-no-Orochi class
specs were detailed.
"I see your point," she replied in a whisper, her voice
uncharacteristically meek, and edged with disappointment. "Is it possible
that my quest for vengeance against Akane Tendo has been prematurely ended
by one of these... things?"
"We are unable to determine that," the captain replied diplomatically.
"However, we have detected what may be signs of human activity on the
planet's surface. We have received neutrino emissions from fusion plants
from at least two locations, though naturally we are having difficulty
pinpointing exact positions from our detectors alone."
Kodachi nibbled on her lip as she traced her riding crop across a
projection of the planet's surface below them. "There," she said suddenly.
"They'll be at this group of structures here. What looks to be a starport."
Tarou leaned over her shoulder to look. She nipped playfully at his
ear, her apprehension evaporating as a newfound confidence came over her.
"I feel it in my blood," she added coolly as she gave Tarou a heated
look. "Akane Tendo is alive, and down there on the planet. Have my staff
plan for a landing zone east of the starport. We shall set down there
- providing these 'Orochis' let us."
"We may have a way around them, milady," the captain declared. "It
appears that this unit." He pointed to the radar display. "Has not moved
or reacted to our presence in any way since we entered the planet's
magnetosphere. This is in contrast to two other satellites, which by our
projections will not be able to reach us in time to attack if we continue
on our current course and velocity."
"Make it so," Kodachi sniffed, unconcerned with the details so long
as her goals were achieved. The secrets of Ryuugenzawa paled before her
burning desire to see Akane Tendo atomized.
She turned to leave the flight deck when several alarms chirped for
attention.
"Captain!" the sensory tech cried. "Hostile contacts dead aft of us;
range sixty thousand kilometers! Contacts are illuminating us with active
radar."
"What?" the captain responded. "Classify!"
Kodachi looked on as her crew reacted to the surprise news.
"Contacts appear to be two Essex Class Destroyers, plus GunShip
escorts!"
"Essex Class?" the captain asked, stunned. "The Confederation doesn't
have any ships of that class!"
"Nor does the Magistracy of Canopus," Kodachi observed coolly. "None
of which matters if they destroy us. Now how did they approach undetected?"
"They must have tailed us through the solar storm," the captain
answered her. We could not keep our sensors trained aft for long without
running the risk of burning them out."
Kodachi was steaming with anger over being ambushed. "Prepare an
attack at once," she ordered crisply.
"Never mind that," Tarou grunted. "Our first thoughts should be of
landing on the planet with our forces intact. Let the Orochi network deal
with them."
Kodachi was about to rebuke her lover, knowing that he wanted the
treasures of Ryuugenzawa more than anything, when the captain interjected.
"He has a valid point, milady. The Orochi satellites won't be able to
reach us in time, but these interlopers won't be so lucky."
"Very well," she pouted, wanting to smash them herself. "Continue
the landing operations." A dark thought took her as she assessed their
situation. "I only hope that we'll be able to leave this accursed planet
after the Tendo witch is dead."
A beam of charged particles cut across their bow as she spoke.
"Essex Destroyer opening fire on our position!" Sensory noted.
"Second destroyer charging up main batteries..."
"_Chrysanthemum_ and _Widowrose_ reporting damage," Communications
added tensely.
Beam blasts continued to ripple through their formations.
"Evasive maneuvers!" the Captain ordered. He turned to Kodachi, who
shot an angry look at Tarou. "Milady, perhaps you should retire to the
'Mech Bay. We shall hold them off."
"Orochi contact is preparing counter barrage!" Sensory cried gleefully.
Kodachi strapped herself in as the ship began to fire its drives.
"That won't be necessary, Captain. I wish to see these ships eliminated,
one way or another."
* * *
Musk Dynasty WarShip _Emperor Qin Shihuang_
100,000 km from planet Ryuugenzawa
18 June 3025, 09:56 Local Time
The face of General Herb was blocky, and frequently derezzed on the
display as he transmitted through the intense solar radiation to the
_Emperor Qin Shihuang._ Captain Li knew his lord General was impatient
for the destruction of the Black Rose, so much so that he had dispatched
the upstart, Mousse, with the entire regiment to arrive on the heels of
his own establishment in orbit.
"<We'll be in weapons range in five minutes, my lord General,>" Li
assured him. His solitary tiger nature made him indisposed to such
interference from others, even his superiors, and it chafed him.
"<Captain,>" Sensory interrupted. "<We're detecting an unusual amount
of radar activity in the system, focused on what appears to be the
satellite network that we detected earlier.>"
"<Never mind that!>" Li hissed indignantly. He bowed to the display.
"<Forgive the interruption, my lord.>"
Herb's face crackled out of existence for a moment, his words cut
off even his as his lips moved to speak. When he did return, whatever it
was that he had said was lost.
"<Could you repeat that, my lord? We appear to be breaking up.>"
"<Captain!>" Sensory shrieked.
Li whirled on the man, his face turning purple. "<Silence!>" he
roared. "<How dare you interrupt me when I am in communication with
our honorable lord!?>"
The ashen faced tech bowed his head severely in rebuke. "<Forgive
this intrusion my lord Captain, but the reason for the communications
interferance is that we are being jammed.>"
This had Li's attention.
"<Jammed? By whom? The Black Rose's ships?>"
"<No, Captain, by one of the satellites. Since you have forbidden
us to use active sensors during our approach, we have been putting
together a composite picture of the orbital system with our passive
arrays.>"
"<Get to the point!>" Li interjected angrily. Herb's face was washed
out blues and greens on the display, which frequently buzzed into static.
There was no audio now.
The flustered tech bowed furiously in apology. "<My lord Captain,
there is a danger here. These satellites are quite large, and are likely
some form of defensive network. Our Warbook database is running through
the data now for an idea of classification.>"
Li growled. He did not like complications to his missions, and this
one had been full of them. "<The closest satellite is well out of weapon
range,>" he observed.
The tech was now wringing his hands nervously.
"<Begging your forgiveness, sir, but they are out of *our* weapon
range, which, while considerable, may not necessarily compare to anything
these satellites are carrying.>"
Li was not to be put off. "<Continue to overtake the Black Rose
ships. Do not illuminate them with active radar until we are within
weapon range, or until they attempt to launch fighters at us. We shall
deal with these other contacts after we have eliminated Princess Kuno's
fleet.>"
The tech bowed deeply, his apprehension clear. "<Of course, my
lord.>"
"<Conn, Fire Control; Target acquired and in range for Main Particle
Beam battery salvo.>"
Li grinned ferally. "<Very well, Fire Control. Communications to all
ships: permission granted for weapons-free. Fire at will. Sensory may
illuminate with active radar.>"
He watched with satisfaction as the first beams ripped into the
Black Rose fleet. It would take several direct hits to destroy the Union
Class ships, and the Black Rose's Overlord could endure considerably more
punishment, but the outcome was preordained as none of the tiny DropShips
had weaponry that could hit them back. It was almost a firing squad.
"<Conn, Fire Control; multiple hits scored. Continuing volley fire.>"
"<Conn, Sensory: energy surge from satellite bearing zero-five-six,
minus two zero.>"
Li turned to look at the holotank. The satellite was over eighty
thousand kilometers away!
"<Nothing to be concerned about,>" he assured them. Eighty thousand
klicks was well beyond beam weapon range.
A blinding bolt of annihilation proved him wrong, as it ripped into
the flank of his sister ship, the destroyer _Wrath of Heaven._ The capital
ship took the bolt amidships, huge plates of armor boiling off instantly
in an expanding cloud of gas that obscured the ship from view. When it
cleared the fireball, Li could see the jagged tear through the hull, which
flickered with raging fires fed by leaking atmosphere.
"<_Wrath of Heaven_ has dropped out of battlenet link,>" Communications
announced.
Li's stunned look gave way to fury. "<Fire Control, target that
satellite for immediate torpedo attack! Helm, change course to intercept.
Steer a zig-zag pattern to avoid fire as we approach. Signal the fleet to
launch all fighters to attack the Black Rose ships while our GunShips
follow behind us in a sphere formation!>"
"<Fire Control, aye; Firing solution for torpedo salvo set.>"
The Helmsman looked at him if he were on fire, but punched codes into
his computer to comply.
"<Helm, aye.>"
Li stood as his crew swung into action. He would not be cowed by a
mindless automaton, no matter how much firepower it had.
"<Fire torpedoes!>" he ordered. "<Maintain torpedo barrage at five
minute intervals to cover our advance, but keep the last salvo in reserve
until ordered otherwise.>"
Another bolt of particle beam fire wracked the _Wrath of Heaven,_
blasting apart one of the outboard weapon pods, and sending the destroyer
into a slow spin. He feared the worst until the flare of its maneuver drive
convinced him that the ship was still in a condition to fight. As his own
torpedoes shot away, the sister ship launched its own torpedoes in revenge.
The minutes ticked away with dreadful slowness as the Orochi satellite
shifted its fire to destroy the incoming Shark and Orca heavy antiship
missiles. This was the break he needed, as his own weapons were almost in
range. The satellite he faced was light cruiser class, just a step above
his own, but he was a human against a simple if terrifying machine. He
was confident that he could destroy it and ensure the safety of the
approaching battlemech regiment under Colonel Mousse.
General Herb would have to recognize his audacity in this attack, and
his own power within the Musk Dynasty would increase with his reputation.
As such, he was commited to destroying the accursed satellite quickly, before
his fighters could finish the Black Rose and keep the glory for themselves.
"<Two torpedoes have scored hits on hostile satellite, now identified
as Yamato-no-Orochi class,>" Sensory declared. The name meant little to
Captain Li. He knew of their reputation in Kerensky's War against Amaris,
and he also knew that the Orochis in orbit around Earth had been defeated.
These would prove no different.
"<Estimate damage inflicted,>" he ordered.
"<Target's throw weight unchanged,>" Sensory returned after a moment's
pause. The satellite's combat firepower had not changed appreciably with the
hits.
"<Fire Control reports final torpedo salvo loaded and awaiting launch.>"
"<Wait for it,>" Li advised. He wanted to let the Orochi have it at
point blank range, where its surprisingly effective point defense guns would
have the smallest amount of time available to shoot them down.
"<Fire Control reports target in range with main batteries.>"
He could see it now on his main display, an ugly thing, bristling with
firepower that now trained on his approaching ships as the last of the
torpedo salvos were dealt with. A cold shudder ran through him at the sight
of it, but he fought back the urge to withdraw. It would be his head on a
pole, figuratively if not literally, if he showed cowardice now.
"<Commence fire!>" he shouted to get his courage up. "<Fire at will!>"
The Orochi opened up at the same time as his destroyer. Its deadly
laser and particle beams sought out _Wrath of Heaven_ once again, the
combined firepower at what was for the Orochi medium range proving to be
more than the battered WarShip could bear. Li watched in disbelief as the
destroyer exploded with such fury that the expanding fireball of superheated
plasma incinerated two of his GunShip escort.
The bridge displays crashed to static for a moment as the
electromagnetic shockwave of the thermonuclear explosion washed over them,
disrupting their systems. Out of the corner of his eye he saw the gamma
radiation counter at Sensory spike, indication that his entire crew had
just been dosed with about ten-thousand millirem of acute exposure from
the dying _Wrath of Heaven._
He turned back to see the results of his own salvo. The Orochi was
hit in several places, a nimbus of ionized hull armor shrouding the hated
satellite in golden motes. The sight of it encouraged him, and he ordered
his GunShips to attack at close range from above and below in order to stay
clear of the cat's cradle of annihilation energies that crackled between
the two heavies.
Now that the _Wrath of Heaven_ was gone, the Orochi turned its full
might upon _Emperor Qin Shihuang._ Massive Naval Particle Beam turrets
trained on them, their violet beams of light roaring soundlessly through
the void to slam into the heavily armored bow. The ship rocked with each
hit, but he watched his own guns selectively targeting the turrets in
response, whittling down the Orochi's firepower with each salvo. It was a
high energy slugfest as the two vessels approached to within five thousand
kilometers on a collision course.
"<'C' and 'D' Decks report depressurization of the port compartments!>"
Engineering called out over the din Fire Control and Sensory were making.
"<Fire on 'F' Deck near the Number Three Battery!>"
Li was too absorbed with the gun battle to care about the damage. He
saw how his weapons were picking off the Orochi's main turrets and gun
directors - limiting both its throw weight and its ability to deliver fire
accurately. He knew he could win.
"<Fighters report contact with Black Rose fleet,>" Communications
announced.
Li made a fist in triumph just as a lucky beam of laser light cut a
swath through his bow. The ship recoilled from the expanding plasma cloud
of ionized armor, knocking several main systems off-line, and bringing up
his only redundancies.
"<Bow armor nearly depleted,>" Tactical advised. "<Recommend immediate
aspect change.>"
"<Are you insane?!>" Li countered. "<You saw what that thing's
guns could do to our flank armor! Continue head-on attack. Withdraw all
unnecessary personnel from Decks 'A' through 'C' instead.>" He would
minimize casualties, but he would not give up his fight.
"<Conn, Sensory; second Orochi satellite closing with our position.
Estimated time to weapon range is one-eight minutes.>"
Captain Li blanched. Eighteen minutes! Fighting one Orochi was costing
him dearly. A second was a disaster. Could he destroy this unit and still
get away in time?
"<Fire Control!>" he shouted. "<Launch final torpedo salvo!>" He
had to pray that it would do the job.
"<Fire Control, aye; torpedoes away!>"
The torpedoes slammed unchallenged into the Orochi, blasting huge
chunks of hull and superstructure off the side facing his ship and setting
it alight in the darkness. His guns continued to hammer the satellite, but
still the Orochi returned fire. They were now only two thousand kilometers
apart, and the beams were murderously accurate.
"<Deck 'A' systems offline!>" Engineering cried.
"<Number One Gun Mount destroyed!>" Fire Control added.
"<No response from Deck 'B' Port subcommand. Reaction Control System
not responding on port side.>"
The Orochi spat a final volley of fire at the _Emperor Qin Shihuang,_
setting the destroyer ablaze from stem to stern before its guns fell silent.
Li pulled himself up from the deck as his shattered Bridge tried to regain
control over the battle. Smoke filled the compartment and soot from numerous
small fires speckled his pressure suit visor. Lighting had failed, and he
was left only with the illumination provided by the control and instrumention
panels.
"<Damage reports!>" Li demanded.
"<The Helm does not respond,>" Helm answered immediately. "<Auxilliary
Steering does not answer comms from the Bridge.>"
"<Fire Control down. Weapons off-line. No response from individual
gun mounts.>"
"<Sensors down. Active radar destroyed.>"
"<Main Computer down. Attempting reboot from archives.>"
"<Internal communications system down,>" Engineering reported,
explaining why they were out of contact with the rest of the ship. "<All
sections out of contact.>"
"<Unable to reboot Main Computer,>" Astrogation updated.
They were dead in space.
Worse, they were on a collision course with their nemesis, the Orochi
satellite, whose tiny point defense mounts spat ineffectually at them like
little fireflies in the darkness. The blackened mass of the satellite
grew larger and larger in their telescope display. Apparently it too was
incapable of maneuvering.
"<Can we signal General Herb?>" Li asked evenly.
"<Commo arrays have likely been destroyed,>" Communications responded
quietly. "<We get nothing on any channel. Not even jamming effects.>"
"<I see,>" Li said wearily.
They continued to race towards the hapless Orochi. It was clear to
everyone on the Bridge what was going to happen next, but no one said a
word. Each member of the crew submerged themselves into the task at hand,
however futile they were.
Behind a thick lining of soot, hidden from view by his crew, Captain
Li began to weep. He saw at last the price to be paid for hubris as the
Orochi filled the main display without the aid of his ship's telescopes.
* * *
Star League Defense Force Proving Grounds
Bunker Nine, Test Area North
Planet Ryuugenzawa, Ryuugenzawa System
18 June 3025, 10:29 Local Time
"Node Five systems offline," Lieutenant Davidge announced gravely.
Though the Orochi Network kept them marooned on Ryuugenzawa, he felt a
terrible loss at the satellite's passing. It had taken out both Musk
Dynasty destroyers and most of their GunShips before failing, making it
their ally in the battle against their enemies. "Telemetry and sensor
datalinks offline."
Commander Malloy switched over to the nearest satellite, Node Four.
The sensor picture of medium orbit was restored, showing the ruined
Musk destroyer on a collision course with the crippled Node Five.
"Contact estimated in six minutes," he supplied dryly.
"The incoming ships are maneuvering for atmospheric interface," one
of the _Dragonfly's_ sensor techs announced. "Possible landing zones
include the starport facility at this time."
"Any identity?"
"I don't want to believe it, sir, but I'd say it was the Black Rose
Terror Regiment."
Malloy shook his head, not wanting to believe it either. "Alert
Lady Akane and Captain Grant of the _Palomino._ Give them updates on
estimated landing positions and times."
* * *
Shinnosuke looked up at the cloudless sky outside the bunker while
in the company of Konatsu. The kunoichi said nothing as they watched the
heavens, knowing that the armies of two great powers were approaching
the planet. Shinnosuke was not sure what to make of the shy but pretty
girl in his company, but she seemed to exude confidence that they would
prevail in the coming fight.
It was difficult to agree with her though, as the bunker's only
defense rested upon the two of them and the Amazon girl from the Jusenkyo
Commonwealth, who was being trusted with their only battlemech support.
The rest of the 'mechs were at the starport, protecting the DropShip
_Palomino._
He wanted to fight, to drive away the invaders to his homeworld,
but he was just a man, not a mechwarrior. He did not understand how
Konatsu could feel so confident in spite of their enormous disadvantage
in numbers and firepower. Whenever he gave her questioning looks in this
regard, she returned only coy smiles that made him quiver inside.
A brilliant flash of light lit up the sky as he turned away shyly
from one of her smiles, and he caught sight of a tremendous explosion.
At least he assumed it was tremendous. It seemed very far away.
"One of the Orochis has been destroyed," Konatsu announced softly.
Shinnosuke had almost forgotten that the pretty kunoichi had an ear bead
radio receiver, and could communicate with the people inside the bunker.
"You mean that flash of light?" he asked her. He could not imagine
that it was possible to destroy one of the satellites that had kept the
system isolated for two centuries.
Konatsu nodded. "We can expect the Combine ships to land within two
hours."
* * *
Musk Dynasty DropShip _108 Demon Princes_
Forty thousand kilometers from planet Ryuugenzawa
18 June 3025, 11:14 Local Time
Mechwarrior Colonel Mousse reviewed his last conversation with General
Herb prior to his departure with the regiment. They were scant minutes away
from a confrontation with the Orochi Network, the same one that had decimated
Captain Li's squadron, and had only the hope that the satellite they intended
to pass within a thousand kilometers of would remain dormant. The General had
ordered him to the surface of Ryuugenzawa to destroy Kodachi Kuno and her
Black Rose Terror Regiment, a task that the late Captain Li had failed to
accomplish in his foolish decision to engage the Orochi Network.
This he would do - provided that the Orochi let his forces pass as they
evidently had allowed the Black Rose to do.
"<Your orders are clear,>" General Herb had told him. "<I believe that
you have a score to settle with the Black Rose from the Capra System, do you
not? Take this opportunity to do so, and your reward shall be handsome.>"
He did have a score to settle, though killing Kodachi Kuno would be
reward enough for his efforts.
"<My lord Colonel,>" the DropShip Captain announced. Mousse looked
him over, noting the faintly rodent-like appearance of the man. What the
Breeding Program scientists had been thinking when they proposed a hybrid
of such a nature, Mousse had no idea. Perhaps his small stature was an asset
for service aboard DropShips.
"<What is it?>" he asked, pulling his glasses down off his brow and
into place over his eyes.
"<We are approaching the estimated limit of the Orochi Network's
weapons,>" the little man declared nervously. "<Contact Romeo Four continues
to remain oblivious to our approach, although other Orochi units are painting
us with radar.>"
Mousse nodded slowly. Herb had prepared a contingency plan to minimize
contact with the apparently functional components of the Orochi Network.
"<Launch the decoy wing, and have them attack the closest threat,>"
he ordered, knowing within the pit of his stomach that he was sending those
men to their deaths. He hoped a few would survive the attack, but he was not
counting on it.
"<At once, my lord Colonel,>" the Captain replied. He relayed the order
to one of his Flight Deck crew.
"<How long until Drop Stations?>" Mousse asked, knowing that he would
stay on the Flight Deck to supervise the regiment's approach to the planet's
atmosphere for as long as possible, and yet not wanting to stay any longer
than he had to.
"<Fifty-two minutes, my lord,>" came the curt reply. "<Interface in
eighty-nine minutes at present velocity.>"
Mousse nodded, watching the streaks of plasma from one of their Leopard
CV DropShip fighter carriers as the decoy wing of fighters launched on their
suicide run. He followed their departure for ten minutes with his eyes - the
time they remained in visual range, then watched on the radar scopes for
another twenty when they had passed out of sight.
The Orochi unit they were ordered to attack stirred on the sensor scopes,
pulses of light and heat from maneuvering jets were detected, as were the
probing fingers of new radar beams.
"<Contact Romeo Six has energized gun directing radar in X and T bands,>"
the Sensory tech announced.
"<Decoy wing reports ready to launch missiles,>" Communications added.
Mousse wished he could see the fight with his own eyes. The telescope
images he viewed were too hazy and indistinct to capture the wing's attack,
only the menacing bulk of the Orochi itself was clear.
"<Decoy wing reporting missiles away.>"
They were carrying Barracuda antiship missiles on external pylons,
a gamble on Herb's part, as they represented the lion's share of his
personal arsenal. He was counting on the technology they would recover
at Ryuugenzawa to make up for this costly and otherwise irreplaceable
expenditure.
Almost at once the Orochi lit up in a blaze of light, but this was not
the fiery explosions of missile contact, as he hoped, but the firing of the
many beam weapons the satellite carried. A full array of particle and laser
cannons erupted in the darkness, long lances of deadly energy that sought
out the incoming Barracudas as well as the ships that launched them.
"<Order our forces to maximum drive,>" Mousse commanded, knowing that
they had perhaps a few minutes to capitalize on the distraction before the
Orochi turned its long-range ordnance on them. It seemed a kind of insanity
to approach the planet when there were no guarantees they would be able to
leave again, but he followed his orders, trusting to General Herb to find
a way to stop the Orochi Network if the planet-bound regiment could not.
_108 Demon Princes_ surged ahead on maximum drive, the force of
acceleration pressing him into his seat. The rest of the regiment's
DropShips followed suit, making a break for the atmosphere and what they
hoped was safety. The telescope image jumped out of focus for a moment as
tracking systems compensated for the sudden change in velocity. When it
returned, he watched with satisfaction as first one, then a second
Barracuda slammed into the satellite's hull.
Two brilliant fireballs erupted from the Orochi, swelling with heat
and light until they appeared to consume the defense satellite. Mousse
found himself hoping that this was so, but as the fireballs faded, the
Orochi came back into view, its weaponry still blazing forth with
undiminished intensity. Only two blackened holes in its hull marked the
impacts, with long fingers of carbonization stretching out from them like
dark stars.
"<Report status of decoy wing,>" he heard the Captain demand over
the roar of the main engines.
There was a pause while the Communications section tried to hail the
wing.
"<No response, Captain.>"
"<Radar holds no contact,>" Sensory added grimly.
"<We knew the outcome,>" Mousse found himself saying, though the bile
stung his throat. Herb had thrown them away, and he had made it so.
"<Continue our approach.>"
Crimson beams of laser light split the void around them, visible only
through backscatter off the particulate matter that littered orbit. The
Orochi was shooting at them now.
"<Incoming fire,>" Sensory updated lamely.
Only the Overlord DropShip _108 Demon Princes_ possessed the ECM gear
that could screen them, and its coverage envelope was very small for such a
large flotilla of ships. Mousse watched in agony as a Leopard DropShip on
the fringe was vaporized by a direct hit, its crew and troops never knowing
what hit it. The deathlight filled the cramped Flight Deck, momentarily
blinding them.
"<_Talon_ destroyed by enemy fire.>"
"<Fighter carrier _Sirius_ reports heavy damage to drive section;
atmospheric insertion is doubtful.>" There was a pause as another death
light bathed them in its cold radiance. "<Contact with _Sirius_ lost.>"
"<_Sirius_ destroyed by enemy fire.>"
They were nearing the hopefully-defunct Orochi satellite the Black
Rose had used as cover. Its mass loomed before them; darkness against the
glowing blue-white of the planet beyond. Sensors did not register anything
more than faint energy readings and sporadic bursts of radio and microwaves.
The flotilla of DropShips passed it by minutes later, coming within
a thousand kilometers, as predicted. Mousse did not realize that he was
holding his breath until after they had passed without event.
"<Weapons fire has ceased,>" Sensory noted. "<We are beyond the range
of Romeo Six's weapons.>"
For the moment, Mousse knew. And there were other satellites lining
up across orbital space to take a shot at them as they descended. They
could not tarry in low orbit, but had to land, and quickly.
"<Long Range telescopes detecting Black Rose landing zone,>" Sensory
updated as the Flight Deck took a collective sigh of relief. They were past
the immediate danger.
Mousse looked over the hastily prepared map of the surface. The Black
Rose was near what appeared to be an abandoned starport facility.
"<Tactical, arrange for a landing zone on the opposite side of the
starport facility from the BRTR units. I want at least twenty kilometers
of separation between us, and a full fighter escort as we reach the
troposphere.>"
It was necessary to achieve some breathing room, both to ensure the
security of his own landing, and to allow his forces time to form up into
combat units. The loss of two DropShips and their troops would mean some
hasty reorganization before committing to battle, but this could be handled
by his staff without his intervention. That she had chosen the starport
indicated that it possessed something of value for her, and as he was
charged by General Herb to sieze Star League assets, he was duty bound
to take it from her. The only unknown he faced now was Kodachi Kuno's
intentions.
Why had she come to Ryuugenzawa? he wondered. Was this some sort of
attempt to get back in her brother's good graces, or was it another of
her defiant tantrums against him?
He did not ask how she had come by the information regarding the
Ryuugenzawa System itself, because it explained little even if the most
likely source of the data was her brother. She could have been sent by
Prince Tatewaki, or her spies could have stolen the information from him
after his meeting with Nabiki.
"<Landing Zone selected. Touchdown in forty-two minutes,>" Tactical
declared.
Mousse closed his eyes. He might never get answers to these questions,
but at least he would have his chance against the Combine.
Chapter Four
Ian Cameron Starport
Planet Ryuugenzawa, Ryuugenzawa System
18 June 3025, 12:03 Local Time
Senior Technician Akari Unryuu watched from the shoulder of Ryouga's
BattleMaster as DropShips from the Black Rose Terror Regiment descended
on columns of starflame a scant fifteen kilometers east of the starport
perimeter. The two Union Class DropShips were fearsome spheres, bristling
with weapons, and capable of carrying a full company of twelve battlemechs
plus two aerospace fighters and a covey of small vehicles and infantry as
support, but it was the massive egg-shaped Overlord that made her tremble
breathlessly in terror. A full battalion of three 'mech companies could
travel aboard an Overlord, and while Colonel Princess Kodachi Kuno's
personal ship was believed to have been modified to accommodate her
creature comforts at the expense of troop capacity, simply knowing that
the Black Rose herself was aboard was enough to make Akari fearful.
Black Rose fighters peeled over the starport a moment later, and she
could almost feel the probing arrays of their sensors as they searched the
place for a sign of their quarry. The carbon-fiber and retinyl schiff-based
camouflage nets they had spread over the _Palomino_ to protect it were
screened to some degree against radar, and Captain Grant had taken care
to place the vessel next to the overgrown hulk of her long-destroyed
sister ship to aid in her concealment, but still Akari worried that it
wasn't enough. The Black Rose would still send troops to the starport to
investigate, and there was no where else they could go.
She felt Ryouga's hands settle haltingly on her waist as she watched
the last of the Black Rose fighters recede over the horizon, and turned to
face him. He was dressed for battle; a tank top, cold-water cooling vest,
and shorts to preserve him against the tremendous heat of the BattleMaster's
cockpit. His cooling vest hoses were thrown over one shoulder to keep them
from dangling until he was strapped into his 'mech, when they could be
plugged into the cockpit refrigeration system. His eyes were clouded with
concern, though his jaw was firmly set with the determination that no Black
Rose 'mech would come within weapon range of the _Palomino_ while he lived.
"You need to get below," he admonished her gently.
"I know, Ryouga dearest," she returned. Her place was with her crew of
technicians. They and the shipwrecked engineers from the _Dragonfly_ had to
complete enough of the repairs to the reactor plant to allow the _Palomino_
to make more than short-distance hops, and that meant at least another six
hours of work. Lady Akane, Captain Saotome, Mechwarrior Kuonji, Doctor Tofu,
Commander Saotome, Master Happousai, and her beloved Ryouga all had to hold
back the Black Rose Terror Regiment for six hours...
She put her arms around his neck and stood up on her tiptoes. Ryouga
trembled at her touch, his hands moving up her waist to her back to support
her. "I want to know that you'll be all right," she whispered as she leaned
in against him.
He tried to smile for her. "I'll be all right."
"Promise me, Ryouga." Her words came out like a plea, which they
were, but she wanted to appear strong for him - as strong as he was for
her. "Promise me that you'll be all right."
"I promise," he declared solemnly, circling his arms around her now
to hold her. She buried her face in his shoulder, her lips brushing softly
against the exposed flesh at the base of his neck. He gasped lightly at
this touch and held onto her fiercely in response. She could feel the
moisture from his clenched-shut eyes as it spilled down his cheeks to his
jawline, and soaked into her hair.
They swayed together for several moments of silence. Ryouga summoned
up the courage to stroke her long fall of hair, starting at the temples,
and following the straight locks of pink that began there all the way down
to the middle of her back. She squeezed him with an urgency borne of danger
and the uncertainty that she might never get another chance.
The roar of a fighter passing nearby broke them apart, and they looked
into each other's eyes. Ryouga swallowed his anxiety first, and then dipped
his face to hers. Their kiss was brief and sweet, saying all that needed to
be said when the words wouldn't come, and then even that moment passed.
She turned reluctantly for the boarding ladder to begin the long climb
down the torso of the battlemech, then changed course for the electronics
package bay mounted just behind the large bubble cockpit canopy. She knelt
next to the battlemech's head and placed a hand reverently on the cold armor
plating, her head bowed as if in prayer.
"Keep him safe," she whispered to the BattleMaster. The 85-ton war
machine seemed to rumble a little louder in response as the turbogenerators
deep within the torso completed their programmed start-up ramp to full
operational capacity. She placed a tiny kiss of thanks upon the diamond
hard aligned-crystal steel, then climbed down the boarding ladder, her
eyes fixed upon her beloved Ryouga as she dropped out of sight.
Ukyou Kuonji watched the Black Rose fighters through her bifocal suite,
and wondered what the hell she was doing here. Her only reason for joining
the expedition was gone. Ranma and Akane were more than just reluctant
victims of their fathers' marriage schemes now, they were lovers. She had
lost Ranma once, and then lost him again. It was easy to console herself
with the idea that she really hadn't had a chance the second time around,
but such pithy statements did nothing to ease the hole she felt in her
heart.
She felt alone, even in the company of her fellow mechwarriors. She
was an outsider, having no ties to the Nerima Confederation other than
having browbeaten her way aboard the expedition to find Ryuugenzawa. The
only person whose allegience she could trust completely was Konatsu, and
he was at the bunker with Shinnosuke and Shampoo to protect Captain Hinako
and her starship crew monitoring the Orochi network for them.
For a moment, she wondered if she would have been better off back in
the Federated Shiratori. The answer to that was a resounding no. Sitting on
a backwards planet in a forgotten star system, while preparing to face both
the Black Rose of the Furinkan Combine and a regiment of pissed-off male
Amazons from the Jusenkyo Commonwealth - in a battle that would almost
certainly end in her untimely death - was much better than facing Mikado
Sanzenin and his vacuous Empress-bride.
She clenched a little tighter on the controls as intelligence data
from the satellite network posted itself on a secondary display. She could
see the Black Rose 'mechs forming up by lances at their landing zone; each
war machine an angry red dot against the light green of the terrain. Malloy
and his crew in the bunker were their ace in the hole against the Black
Rose and the Musk Dynasty. While the invaders (Ukyou had to laugh at the
term, since she and the other members of the Expedition had only been on
the planet for about ten days, and hardly qualified as natives) busied
themselves with trying to set up lines of communication and scout their
lines of advance, she and her fellow defenders enjoyed a bird's eye view
of the battlefield to see where the enemy was, predict where they would
go, and subsequently the best places to attack them. Unless the Black Rose
committed herself early to a mass attack - something history had shown that
she was reluctant to do unless the situation clearly favored her - they
would be able to multiply their meager numbers into an effective defensive
force.
It was a slim hope, but the only one they had.
Doctor Tofu Ono tried to push his glasses back up on the bridge
of his nose, and failed when his fingers struck the clear polycarbonate
faceplate of his neurohelmet. It had been years since the last time he
had been in the cockpit of a battlemech, and he had almost forgotten what
it was like. With an embarrassed and nervous oath, he slipped his hand
under the chin of the helmet and up inside to push his glasses into place.
His Centurion seemed a little clumsy to him, a factor of the long
period of dormancy, he supposed. Like the biological muscles of a sedentary
human being, the myomer bundles of a battlemech in lay-up needed a warm-up
period of light activity and stretching. It must have been a curious sight
for the crew of the _Palomino_ to see the 'mechs in their extremely-rump
company (or was it a reinforced lance?) doing slow knee bends and isometric
arm circles prior to battle.
The remarkable Star League 'mech was otherwise ready for battle. Its
primary weapon was a standard 155mm heavy autocannon: a formidable piece
that made up the entire right arm, and loaded with twenty discarding sabot
shells in the magazine ready to tear into the enemy armor. He had goggled
at the HUD display when he casually ranged in on a distant shipwreck hull
and found that his battlecomp considered it a valid target well within the
range of his weapon - a distance that was far in excess of an Inner Sphere
autocannon of similar make.
His ten-rack LRM launcher in the left torso had a similar tale to tell.
Not only were the missiles capable of hitting from a much greater distance,
they also had basic guidance packages that would afford them a measure of
terminal guidance when the target was illuminated with something called a
NARC beacon - a device that Akane currently carried on her Warhammer. The
medium lasers he mounted fore and aft were of the plain vanilla variety
- not like the high volume pulse lasers Ranma packed in his LAM - but also
had a range advantage over the weapons the Inner Sphere could produce.
He knew that they had to exploit their range advantage wherever
possible. Getting into point blank slug-fests was no way to survive a
battle where you were outnumbered ten to one or more. The problem with
this idea was that any open ground that would allow them to take advantage
of their superior range would also expose them to enemy fighters. Yuka and
Sayuri could not hope to fight off so many foes at once, and were going to
have to settle for lightning-fast raids on the fringes of the enemy's air
cover.
He studied the intelligence update from the bunker, his brow furrowing
deep in concentration. There was *one* place where they could really do some
damage. The Black Rose forces needed to cross a relatively flat space of
ground before they reached the starport, and if they positioned themselves
right inside the treeline that screened the perimeter, they could blast them
with impunity.
He keyed his commo mic to tell Akane of his plan, knowing that his
transition from mechwarrior to man of medicine had come around full circle.
He was a soldier once again.
Genma Saotome tried to relax within the roomy cockpit of his Orion.
It was the first time since Capra that he had mounted up for battle, and
the first time in many years when the odds against him had been so bad.
Unlike previous conflicts where he had fought for pay as a mercenary, this
time he felt as if he were fighting for something that was truly his.
The quest for Ryuugenzawa had started with Chance G. King, but he
had been the one to succeed where his predecessor had failed. This was
his triumph, even if they had suffered greatly in getting here, and he
considered the spoils of Ryuugenzawa rightfully his. The Furinkan Combine
and the Musk Dynasty were nothing more than vultures trying to deny him
the wealth and fame that he had struggled for all his life.
In spite of this, he knew that they could not win this fight. Their
enemies were simply too strong and too numerous to defeat. Survival was
their option now, and much of that rested upon the survival of the
_Palomino_ as a functioning DropShip. If Hinako and her crew could restore
function to the starship they had found in orbit, they would have their
means of escaping the system with at least a portion of the lostech they
had recovered.
Somehow, he had to come out of this on top. After twenty years of
being a loser, this was his chance to finally win!
Ryouga Hibiki tried to focus himself on the job at hand. It was not
easy for him, for everyone in his life that he cared about was in danger,
even... even Ranma. Watching Akari climb down the boarding ladder of his
Battlemaster was the hardest, though. He wanted her with him, where at
least in the backseat of his 'mech he had some control over her safety.
She was needed at the _Palomino_ since they were so close to being
finished with the repairs. He couldn't deny that her place was there.
His fists clenched as he begged the gods to see them through this day.
If they lived, he would propose to her!
He had wanted to propose to her before she left, but as usual, his
nerve had failed him when he needed it most. He had to trust now to fate,
and to his skill in battle to see them through to a time when he could do
so without the spectre of death hanging over them. He could care less about
Ryuugenzawa now. From what he had seen of the place, there would be no cure
for his Jusenkyo body to be found. He could not be a whole man for Akari,
at least not in his own mind, but faced with the prospect of losing her,
his pig self did not matter.
There were other concerns. The Black Rose and her Terror Regiment
were here, and that meant that Akane was in even greater peril. With Ranma
detached from the rest of the 'mechs, it was up to him to make certain that
she was protected from Kodachi Kuno. He had a terrible premonition that
something dire would happen to Akane if he failed to do so, and that he
could not bear.
All of the happiness he had enjoyed since joining the expedition, the
love that he had found, all of it was in jeopardy. There was always a price
to be paid for such things, and if he valued any of it, he must be prepared
to pay that price - even in blood.
His hands flexed on the controls. He was ready to spill blood and to
shed his own. He would not surrender what he had been given.
Happousai puffed on his pipe as he sat atop his Locust, concealed in
a quonset hut hangar near the perimeter. It was the same hangar where he
had been discovered dead drunk the day after they had been forced down on
this miserable world. He had his reasons to be here, and those reasons
were not for the chumps who presumed to command him.
He'd take orders from Akane any day of the week, but with those two
jokers, Ranma and Ryouga, in charge, he could have cared less. The punks
had no respect for their elders, and as practitioners of the Anything Goes
School of Martial Arts, they were certainly going about this the wrong
way. A true master of the School knew that altruism had no place within
his heart.
And yet he remained at the starport instead of slinking off into the
forest to ride out the storm of conflict and wait to see how it ended. If
by some chance the Orochi network was defeated, and ships could enter orbit
unmolested, he would have his ticket off this planet - and with the treasure
he had so painstakingly accumulated and secreted in a place well away from
the likely points of attack. It would be no difficult task to bribe his way
aboard, no matter who won in the end.
Though he thought of himself as the very Ideal of the School, he had
to admit that he felt bad for them. They didn't have a chance against the
Black Rose Terror Regiment, let alone the force from the Musk Dynasty. He
knew of General Herb's reputation from recent wanderings in the Rim Worlds
Alliance in the Periphery, and knew that he was a brutal tyrant who did not
offer quarter when it did not suit him. Herb would crush them under his boot
if Kodachi didn't get them first.
He didn't know exactly what it was that kept him there in the face of
these threats, but he supposed that it might have been in some small way
because of Ranma. He was a rotten little punk, but Happousai had seen the
glimmer of greatness within him, struggling to get out - with the proper
guidance, of course. Whereas his father had been a slave to his appetites
since even before he had begun his training, Ranma seemed to have at least
a little self-control borne of pride.
A true master of the Anything Goes School could work with that, could
make Ranma into a worthy successor to the School. Happousai knew that he
wasn't getting any younger, as he was often fond of pointing out, and
prospective students of the School worth their salt were now few and far
between. Ranma and his blockhead companion, Hibiki, were about the pick of
the litter. Akane was cute, but she was ultimately wanting in that she was
female. He did not consider it misogyny that she did not measure up because
of her sex. To him, it was simply common sense.
He wanted to see his chosen heirs become paragons of the school, and
hopefully sire lots of strong boys to fill the ranks of the Anything Goes
School. (Ranma he had faith in, due to recent events, but Hibiki was still
a toss-up in spite of his apparent relationship with that sweet-assed Senior
Technician, Akari.) If that was going to happen, they had to survive this
hopeless battle. To do that, they needed his help.
He wasn't going to play it their way for long. Sure, they had a few
good ideas for their defense, but clinging to the _Palomino_ was not only
moronic, it was suicidal. Telling them this wouldn't do any good. They had
to discover this for themselves, and hopefully before it was too late to
make a run for it into the woods. Let the Black Rose and General Herb duke
it out over a bunch of worthless old buildings and a handful of Star League
'mechs, and let the Orochi wipe them both out. When the dust settled and
the fires were burned out, he would have the only treasure that was worth
anything to the future of the Inner Sphere, and while he would hate to see
the Confederation swallowed up by the Combine, he could console himself
with the knowledge that he would become a very rich and influential player
in the near future.
Ranma Saotome was itching for a fight. His silver and white Phoenix
Hawk LAM seemed to be aching for one as well. He squatted in Airmech Mode
beside Akane's Warhammer, which was painted in a drab green and brown
woodland camouflage - there simply wasn't the time or the paint available
to render the 'mech in her customary red livery.
As for his own 'mech, he was glad that it couldn't be painted in time.
The sight of the Cameron Star of the Star League Defense Force glittering
in silver and black on his radome made him feel strangely patriotic for an
army that had ceased to exist over two centuries ago. This unlooked-for
patriotism had prompted him to suggest that instead of painting the proud
white and purple fishcake of the Nerima Confederation on all of their
'mechs - even the ones that had survived the expedition intact from the
beginning and were without insignia for the sake of anonymity - they should
bear Cameron Stars as well.
Akane had taken to the idea with more enthusiasm than he had expected.
It was as if his strange and sudden loyalty to a state - perhaps even an
ideal - that no longer existed, had touched her in the same way. They were
hardly in any position as the Nerima Confederation to claim the system, and
as the planet's defenders against the Furinkan Combine and the Commonwealth
faction known as the Musk Dynasty, it seemed somehow *proper* that they bear
the colors of the SLDF into this nigh-hopeless battle.
He knew their odds were bad. There was no escaping that fact. At best,
they could perhaps force their two enemies back with a preemptive strike of
such violence and ferocity that they could buy enough time to complete the
repairs to the _Palomino_ and try to escape to the other side of the planet.
The Orochi would have dealt with any starships by that point, and probably
have given the surface forces a good pounding too, and then they could all
be low-tech castaways on this mudball together. It didn't have a great deal
of appeal for him, but at least maybe he wouldn't be dead.
As long as Akane was alive at the end of all this, he would gladly
suffer the indignity of life as a farmer with her over fighting to the
death against Kodachi Kuno. If Akane... didn't make it... Well, he was
going to take a hell of a lot of people - the Princess of the Furinkan
Combine included - with him before he followed his fiancee into the beyond.
The urge was strong in him to babysit her, to watch her like a hawk
and keep her from harm. He knew that it was wrong, that no matter how much
better he considered himself in the cockpit, she was a good mechwarrior,
and she had beaten the Black Rose once before. He was needed elsewhere;
his LAM was too fast and mobile to get caught up in a static fight - not
when he could be hitting the enemy's flanks, disrupting their rear areas
and nailing their ammo and supply dumps, and generally raising hell to
blunt the force of any thrust.
Though he was Lance Commander, it was going to be up to Ryouga to
lead the 'mech lance. Akane had the command and control gear to coordinate
the battle with guidance from the bunker, so she was the strategic leader
of their defense. That left him in command of just himself, the way he
was used to doing things, and the way he preferred it. He just wished that
he could get his mind off Akane. Mechwarriors needed clear heads to control
their machines, not minds torn between conflicting priorities and clouded
with doubt.
Akane Tendo, Heir to the Nerima Confederation and de facto Defender
of the Planet Ryuugenzawa, took deep breaths to ease the butterflies in
her stomach that always surfaced right before combat. This was almost like
leading the Nerima Guards, she supposed; she was in command, with a rear
area staff that supplied her with intelligence data, officers to direct,
and troops to carry out her orders. Almost, except for the significantly
smaller scale of her army. They weren't even two full lances of 'mechs,
plus two fighters, compared to the mighty regiment she had commanded six
months ago.
She told herself to get a grip on their situation. They weren't here
to hold every last square meter of the starport. They were to fight a holding
action until the final repairs to the _Palomino_ could be completed, and
the DropShip moved to a safe haven by the time the Orochi primary satellite
was fully revived. They didn't have much longer until the battleship class
rogue satellite was ready to rain down death on the planet, and she didn't
have any illusions about Kodachi or the Musk Dynasty being able to stop it
in space.
She took another deep breath. They, on the other hand, had an option;
not one that she looked forward to under any circumstances given the nature
of their hole card - for it also meant almost certain death for Ranma - and
all with no guarantee that it would work. Their lives were in enough
jeopardy as it stood, and she was already asking the man she loved with all
her heart to take enormous risks single-handedly against the invaders. If he
survived his raiding actions against Kodachi Kuno, and then against the Musk
Dynasty as well, it would be heartless of her, a betrayal in fact, to condemn
him to death against the Orochi.
That Ranma would do it if she asked him only made the thought worse.
She could not take advantage of their relationship like that. She simply
couldn't live with herself.
She shuddered, driving away dark thoughts by sheer will as data posted
itself on her command display. Commander Malloy and the transplanted Bridge
crew from the _Dragonfly_ were making a tremendous difference with their
efforts. The planet's surveillance, communications, and signal intelligence
satellites were invaluable resources, and they were handling the network like
career pros.
Commander Malloy's voice addressed her over the command channel.
"Red Leader, Eyes Front; be advised of BRTR advanced party in company
strength approaching along the east-west roadway from LZ Black to the
eastern perimeter at map reference November-Four-Four by Oscar Six-Zero.
ETA: three-five minutes."
"Copy that, Eyes Front," she replied curtly.
Doctor Tofu Ono's face appeared on her HUD as Hinako's derezzed.
"Red Leader, Red Five; I have a suggestion to make regarding our first
line of defense."
Akane concealed a smile from behind her neurohelmet. Tofu had served
under Kasumi during the brief time when her eldest sister had commanded the
1st Nerima Guards. He had been a Mechwarrior Captain - before he resigned
his commission to go into medicine full time - and had lead in combat
during a fair share of battles. Since the Confederation had been fighting
a defensive war for far longer than she had been alive, it was a given that
Tofu's experience was often that of a commander whose force was badly
outnumbered.
"Go ahead, Red Five."
"Ma'am, I'd like to recommend an attack with long-range weapons from
the perimeter treeline, engaging the enemy with opportunity fire until we
come into range of their counterattack, then making an orderly withdrawal
by twos to our next line of defense."
She considered this. Several of their 'mechs had LRM and long range
energy weapon capacity.
"What about their fighters?" she asked. The Black Rose had several
Air Lances buzzing overhead as she spoke, and if not for their cautious
desire to remain well above a thousand meters, the _DropShip_ might have
been spotted already.
"We stay just far enough inside the treeline to give us cover," Tofu
replied evenly. "If they waste their ammo trying to dig us out, so much
the better once Ranma blows away their ready resupplies at the LZ."
It sounded reasonable. Hit the enemy from a distance, let them know
by the missiles and other weapon fire that pounds them from well outside
the range of their return fire that they are outclassed, and all without
revealing their true numbers for the abysmally understrength figures that
they were. She also had to admit that she was in love with the idea of
bearing the Cameron Star of the SLDF into battle. It might give her
enemies pause to believe that their foes were Star League.
That was a powerful psychological advantage, she knew. It would make
even the elite troops of the Black Rose overly cautious to know that they
could be gunned down _en masse_ by a clearly superior technology, and be
helpless against the barrage. Any advantage that bought time for the
_Palomino_ crew to finish the final welds, repressurize the coolant system,
and commence an emergency start-up of the fusion reactor for liftoff was
worth pursuing in her opinion.
"We'll go with it," she replied. She keyed up Ryouga on the command
channel. "Lieutenant Hibiki, advance by twos to map reference November-
Four-Four by Oscar Six-Zero. Position in the treeline to avoid exposure
to their air cover, and engage the enemy at extreme range. Withdraw to
the next line of defense as you begin to take effective answering fire."
Ryouga repeated his orders verbatim and gave her a grim nod. His
usual warm personality seemed to submerge into secret depths of being
as he took his orders, leaving only a cold and unyielding executor of
her will. She wasn't sure if she approved of his transformation. He had
always seemed to be a man of great passion.
The stress of battle affects us all in different ways, she supposed.
She turned to her right flank, where Ranma waited silently in his Super
Phoenix Hawk LAM for her command. True to form, he tossed her a casual
wave through the clear armored canopy, as if sensing that her eyes were
upon him even though her Warhammer did not move.
He could not see her in return as she put a gloved hand to her
tinted armored viewport, wanting to touch him one last time before
they were commited to battle, but perhaps he could sense this gesture,
too. She wanted to tell him how much she loved him, but her sense of
military decorum wouldn't allow it over the radio. Hers was a small
force, and even within the intimacy of such a small band, it was still
her responsibility as their leader to provide a good example.
"Red Eagle Lead, Red Leader;" she began over the tac-net. "Commence
harrassing and interdiction attacks against targets of opportunity at your
discretion."
She watched him throw his arms out, working the tension out of his
shoulders before responding.
"Copy, Red Leader," he said tersely, his voice all business. "Red
Eagle Lead to Red Eagle Flight: It's showtime, ladies."
"Red Eagle Deuce; copy and affirm," Yuka cut in.
"Red Eagle Trey; copy and affirm," Sayuri followed. The two would
blast from their positions well away from the _Palomino_ and give the
Combine fighters something to chase. Ranma would do the same. They were
to circle back at the first opportunity to challenge the air cover,
hoping to distract and draw them out to keep the heat off the starport.
She watched him look over his shoulder at her as ripples of heat
rose from the foot thrusters of his LAM. She could almost see his cocky
grin.
"Go get 'em, Tomboy," he said to her in a soft and hopeful voice,
then exploded skyward atop twin columns of plasma that seared the air
and scorched the grass beneath his battlemech.
Chapter Five
Headquarters Lance
Black Rose Terror Regiment
12:19 Local Time
Colonel Princess Kodachi Kuno scanned the Landing Zone with her
Marauder's sensors. Her troops were forming up with remarkable precision
considering that this was the first time a lot of them had ever worked
together. The surviving officers of the regiment from the disaster at
Capra were keeping things together, a good omen since almost half of her
'mechs were piloted by mercenaries.
Her lover advanced his Hunchback down the ramp from the DropShip
_Thorn._ Tarou seemed antsy for some reason, as if anticipating a combat
he had looked forward to for some time. She knew it wasn't Ranma Saotome
that he sought. To him, Ranma was merely a calculated risk in her own bid
to kill Akane Tendo.
"Looking for someone, my lover?" she asked him over the tac net.
Pansuto Tarou's handsome and haughty face appeared on her display.
"You could say that," he said tersely. His cryptic words and his
coarse demeanor were making her hot, and she bit down on her lip to quell
her desire.
"Anyone I know?"
"A mechwarrior known as Happousai," Tarou replied. "He claims to be
the master of the Anything Goes School of Martial Arts, and was the teacher
of Grand Duke Tendo and Ranma Saotome's father."
She grinned at his ambition for even considering a duel with a master
mechwarrior. "It sounds *awfully* dangerous, lover," she said dryly. "Would
you care for some company?"
"I would prefer to fight him alone," he said, drawing a sour look
from her that he noted immediately. "Of course, he may well be in the
company of the Tendo girl and Ranma Saotome."
"Say no more, lover," Kodachi said with an eyebrow raised at him.
"You settle your grudge, and I shall settle mine - and woe to anyone else
who dares cross our path!"
She opened up the command channel. "Iris and Lily companies shall
remain on perimeter patrol. Dahlia company shall accompany me as my guard.
All other companies shall carry out their preassigned searches." She
laughed maniacally. "Onward, my dears!"
* * *
Musk Dynasty Regimental Landing Zone
Star League Defense Force Proving Grounds
Test Region 4-A
13:27 Local Time
Mechwarrior Colonel Mousse marched down the ramp of his DropShip in
his mint condition Crusader. General Herb had taken the liberty of having
it painted in the same battle colors as his first 'mech; which was reduced
to scrap on the hated world of Capra. The serpentine dragon-device of the
Musk Dynasty now adorned the shoulders of his 'mech in place of the
"beckoning cat" of the Jusenkyo Commonwealth.
His mission was to secure as much of the Star League facilities as
possible for General Herb's arrival, and in the meantime, he was to find
and annihilate the Black Rose Terror Regiment. If possible, he was also
to find out if it was possible to take command of the Orochi network, which
hung over the planet with Damoclean menace. They had been fortunate to pass
by a satellite that was apparently damaged or malfunctioning during their
descent, but as the crews of their ill-fated Essex Class destroyers had
learned - as well as two of his precious DropShips, not all of the network's
units were so impaired.
His first objective was a matter of time and dispersion. Since he was
now occupying the highest density of man-made structures outside of the
starport, he had essentially taken most of the Proving Grounds by fiat.
Whether any of these old and broken structures contained anything of value,
only time would tell. It did not concern him at the moment, not with the
Black Rose loose on the planet.
Destroying Kodachi Kuno and her forces would be sweet revenge for
the casualties they had inflicted on Capra; his Crusader, Kima, and Joyful
Cloud chief among them. While his ignominious withdrawal from the planet
represented a different era from the one he now considered himself a part
of, he had always respected Kima, and Joyful Cloud was simply too young to
have died the way she did. The Black Rose would pay.
He considered the possibility that Shampoo was alive as he strode
confidently with his headquarters unit towards the distant starport and
his impending battle with the rogue Combine regiment. There had been no
sign of the _Dragonfly_ in orbit, making it likely that they had been
destroyed by the Orochi network, but there was that nagging possibility
that at least some of the crew lived.
If some of the crew lived, and they had not seen fit to kill Shampoo,
either after she had stolen the database patch which had brought the Musk
Dynasty to this place, or had executed her later in a more formal setting,
then it was possible that he might encounter her once more. A perverse
satisfaction came over him at the thought of presenting himself as one of
Herb's trusted commanders to her.
He wanted her to know that she had been the one to turn him against
his elders, the very way life that he had sworn to uphold - even if he had
been little more than an object of scorn and ridicule for them. His eyes
may have been weak, but they were open now, and he would no longer stand
for Joketsuzoku rule. He had Shampoo to thank for that, and he found
himself offering up a prayer to the gods that she was still alive, and
somewhere on Ryuugenzawa so that he could show her what he had become.
"<My lord Colonel,>" one of his commo techs on the DropShip called
to him over the tac net.
"<What is it?>" Mousse demanded, brushing away a lock of black
hair from his face as his Crusader stomped through the virgin forests of
Ryuugenzawa.
"<We are detecting more of those signals through the local sat-comm
network,>" the tech replied.
Mousse considered this. Someone was manipulating the planet's
satellite communications network, and they were doing it from the surface
of the planet. It was possible that the Saotomes had survived their
encounter with the Orochi, and were now in control of the network. They
might even have been the ones directing the Orochi to attack the incoming
ships of his fleet and that of the Black Rose.
"<I want a direction finder fix on the ground source of those
signals,>" he ordered the man. "<Relay the coordinates to me the instant
you have them.>"
* * *
Star League Defense Force Proving Grounds
Bunker Nine, Test Area North
Planet Ryuugenzawa, Ryuugenzawa System
19 June 3025, 13:30 Local Time
Shampoo's mouth gaped open at the sound of Mousse's voice. Davidge
and the communications section from the _Dragonfly_ had mastered the
communications and signal-intelligence satellite network, and transmissions
from both the Black Rose and Musk Dynasty forces were being intercepted,
their puny Inner Sphere encryption standards cracked by the advanced
computers of the Star League era, and presented to them in near-real time.
Since she spoke Chinese, she had been selected to listen in on the Musk
Dynasty transmissions if and until it became necessary for her to mount
up in her Star League Panther to defend the bunker.
Though it disturbed her that fate would see fit to have her serving
her enemies, it was even more disturbing to hear Mousse's voice over the
Musk tac-net frequencies, and addressed as a Mechwarrior Colonel no less!
There could be no doubt that he had betrayed the Joketsuzoku to Herb. She
found herself hoping that he would find the bunker, just so that she could
race out to kill him for what he had done.
The baby that was theirs seemed to stir within her at these thoughts.
Though it was still almost microscopic in size at this point, she could
somehow sense that her child did not approve - or was this simply the
nagging of her conscience calling to her in a new voice because she was
ignoring the old?
"I go prepare for battle," Shampoo said to the assembled techs in the
bunker.
"Now?" Malloy asked her dubiously.
"You have choice," she replied. "Stop transmitting, and Musk no find
this place, or else wait until they knocking on door - then it too late."
"Do what you have to then," he advised her, hoping that she had been
telling the truth, and would not betray them to the Musk Dynasty. He had
great respect an admiration for Lady Akane, but felt that she was perhaps
too trusting for her own good. In any event, he was not the one to try
and stop an Amazon warrior from doing what she wanted to.
Shampoo didn't wait for him to change his mind. "I go. Keep safe."
She wrenched open the control room door and stepped through,
stripping off her shipsuit as she went. She paused on the habitation
level long enough to pull on her cooling vest and take her neurohelm
before racing up the stairwell to the bunker entrance.
The Panther stood outside the door, waiting for her. It was not the
'mech she had left behind on Tau Ceti, the one that had been her mother's
battlemech, and her grandmother's before, but it would serve her just as
well. Its Star League armor and weapon systems would give the edge she
needed against Mousse and his forces.
The caretaker boy and the kunoichi lapdog watched her as she climbed
up the leg of the Panther to the torso, and then the cockpit hatch. She
did not spare a look for them. Her fight was coming, a battle against the
man she had once trusted - perhaps foolishly considering the way she had
always treated him - but she had trusted him, and he had betrayed her and
the rest of the clan.
Let me win this day, she prayed as her Panther's systems came on
line. Let me defeat Mousse, and let me face General Herb that I might
destroy him.
END OF PART TWENTY-SEVEN