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"There're two... repeat TWO 'Mechs at the port. They're together..."
"Feed me."
The image window opened, and Grayson saw that the Wasphad been joined by a second light 'Mech. It was difficult to see through the churning telephoto view, but the second appeared to be a Stinger.The pair of 20-ton scout 'Mechs were striding rapidly across the apron to the east.
"Striker Four, this is One."
"Go... ahead... One." Larressen must be screaming against the roar of the plenum fans in the weapons carriers' bellies. The transmission carried none of the background noise, but the sergeant's words were paced by the effort of shouting them.
"You've been seen. Two 'Mechs... I say again... two light ‘Mechs headed your way."
"We... copy... One!"
"Striker Two... feed me range figures."
Red numbers sprang into sharp relief across the image window, ticking off range and azimuth readings as the target 'Mechs moved. The two 'Mechs were three kilometers off, moving across Grayson's line-of-sight at an angle that would bring them closer to the Locust'sposition.
Grayson waited, sweltering in the rising heat. If it were this bad now...
He checked the Locust'scontrols one last time. His left hand gripped the con stick that emerged from the left arm of his chair and swung on jointed sliders across his lap. His right fingers closed on a black plastic D-grip on the chair's right arm. Slight movements on the grip moved the Locust'slaser ca
Doubt had begun to plague him as he sat in his too warm cockpit. Attacking one of the two enemy strongholds in broad daylight, with one 'Mech and half-trained men, that had to be a recipe for suicide. Grayson pushed the doubt aside, struggled to ignore it. So much depended on surprise. If they succeeded in wi
He fished in a webbing pouch at the side of the cockpit chair, and brought out a filmy, blue length of soft cloth. Mara had given it to him the period before they'd left. "I've read how the Knights of Old Earth carried their lady's favors into battle," she'd said.
Mara had handed him a piece of the gown she had worn at the reception. "You could carry this."
Grayson looked at the scrap of material for several seconds, then made his decision. Practicality over romance, he thought. Mara would understand. He used the cloth to wipe away the layer of perspiration that had beaded over his forehead and upper lip.
Watching the readouts on the target 'Mechs, he saw that the range had decreased. A quick consultation with the Locust'son-board computer showed that if the enemy 'Mechs held their course and speed, they would be at their closest point and moving away from Grayson's position just... about... NOW!
Grayson's hand pressed the Locust'scontrol stick forward, and the 'Mech leaned forward, one armored bird's foot clawing at the soft sand slope before it. The machine lurched and seemed to stumble slightly, then Grayson heard the whine of protesting servos as the 'Mech's computer drew on his sense of balance and struggled to remain upright.
One giant foot found purchase, and the other foot lifted. The 'Mech's head lurched above the rim of the canyon. Now he saw the scene directly throught the Locust'ssensors on the 180-screen. He struggled with the stick, willing the machine up and forward. One flat, four-clawed foot cleared the edge, the flanges spilling sand, and then the Locustwas up and onto the hard, flat desert surface. The Locust'sbird-like form leaned forward and its spindly legs swung up, forward, and down with shifting, mechanical movements.
In theory, Grayson knew there was no way one 'Mech could sneak up on another across open terrain. BattleMech hulls mount sensors that cover the entire spectrum, infra-red to ultra-violet, as well as sound, laser ranging, and radar. The 'Mech's computer creates a composite 360-degree scan of the entire battlefield that is instantly available to the pilot. In practice, things were not so simple. MechWarriors are human, and, caught up in the excitement of battle or the thrill of a chase, a pilot might override or ignore a computer's signals.
Grayson was counting on the huma
Grayson could see the HVWCs off to the side, turning now under a pillar of dust that mushroomed into the sky. There was a flash of light ahead. The enemy Wasphad fired its laser at long range with no visible effect. He touched a control. The screen shifted to battle mode, the landscape subdued, the enemy ‘Mechs outlined in light and bracketed by readouts giving range and sensor-detected information. Drifting red crosshairs showed the aiming point for the laser.
The decline of technology during the Succession Wars had keenly affected the science of weapons manufacture and design. No longer could the complex control systems for fire-and-forget missiles, for long-range particle beams or lasers be packed into units small enough and cheap enough to be casually expended in combat. BattleMech engagements tended to be brutal, short-range affairs, with individual ‘Mechs closing to a few tens of meters to deliver killing shots.
Theoretically, the laser under the Locust'schin could hit anything in line-of-sight clear to the horizon. That range was sharply reduced, however, by the quality of the weapons controls systems that pointed the heavy barrel. Grayson could not count on hitting anything with that laser at ranges greater than about 300 meters. He'd begun his charge when the enemy was one kilometer away. At top speed, he would close to firing range in less than 30 seconds.
The Waspwas between Grayson and the Stinger,blocking the Stinger'selectronic sca
For that reason, he was locking the crosshairs of his laser sight on the rear bit of the left hip joint on the Stinger.The experienced MechWarrior would be the more dangerous of the two.
Range 600 meters.
Well, listen to the old hand talking, Grayson thought wryly. This is YOUR first time in 'Mech combat, he told himself. Even that Wasppilot has seen more action in a 'Mech hotseat than you. Training is great, but remember what Griff was always telling you about there being no substitute for experience. Just then, a flashing blue light on his console told him he was being probed by radar.
Range 400 meters.
The Stingerwas slowing, dropping behind the charging Wasp.It pivoted on stiff legs, the long, black muzzle of its laser coming to the point.
Grayson's throat was suddenly tight, his mouth sand-dry, his nose ru
Range 300 meters.
The Stingerfired as Grayson twisted his ru