Decision at Thunder Rift

Word had come that Hendrik's pirates had surrendered the Castle rather than fight with the regiment of modern, well-equipped BattleMechs now disembarking at the spaceport. Even knowledge that the pirates were defeated, prisoners now, did not help. Grayson's right fist impacted with his left palm in an anguished smack. He'd wanted to take down that Marauderhimself. It didn't help to remember that not even his three light 'Mechs could have accomplished that

The more he thought about it, pacing his cell with the frantic circlings of his thoughts, the more he wondered if the situation were quite as clear-cut as it appeared. After all, the pirates could have withdrawn into the hills, perhaps forced enough of a stalemate to negotiate for better terms. And just what was going to happen to those of Hendrik's men who'd surrendered? Somehow, he didn't think they'd have surrendered so easily if they believed they were going to be shot or sold as slaves on some market world of the Combine's dominions.

The whole package seemed entirely too neat. And it was too great a coincidence that Duke Ricol should land here NOW... just NOW... of all possible times and places.

The plot was smelling larger and deeper, making Grayson wish desperately that there were some way he could check up on the Red Duke. The computers at the Castle would have the records he needed, unless Hendrik's men had done a full program dump, which was unlikely. Computer records of any kind were precious as military intelligence. Hendrik's men would be going through those records, but they wouldn't have destroyed them yet

He slapped his hand against a dank stone wall, letting the sudden stinging pain steady his mind. It did no good thinking in circles like that. He would not be able to think about checking records until he got out of here. Besides, if this whole thing WERE some kind of monstrous plot, it was very unlikely that he would ever get out again. A walk down that corridor... a pistol shot behind his ear... that was a far more likely fate for the Deliverer of Sarghad.

He thought of Mara. Just when he'd been wondering if Claydon was going to betray him, all along it had been Mara, Mara and her father. A number of puzzle pieces were coming together. The trap the night he had led 50 men against the supposedly damaged Shadow Hawk— had it been Sta

And there was the destruction of Berenir's house, his death in that flaming ruin. It might have been chance, but Berenir had been speaking with Sta

They wouldn't keep him here long, Grayson decided, not now that he had become inconvenient. That stroll down the passageway could come very soon. He slumped back down on the bunk, eyes burning, face wet with tears. Well, he had certainly managed to make a mess of things.

24

Grayson awoke to a sound of thunder, distant but growing nearer. Somewhere beyond the darkened corridors of the cell area, he heard men ru

The thunder came closer, a rock-splintering crash that thudded repeatedly and seemed to pound even at the wall. There was a pause in the bombardment, and then Grayson heard the harsh rattle of heavy machine guns being fired close by — perhaps just outside the building. With a start, he realized that there was a battle going on out there!

There were more thundering crashes, much closer this time. Rock and shattered stone burst through the passageway outside his cell, and the lights suddenly went out In the dark, the racket seemed even more infernal, with shouts, screams, and gunshots echoing through the corridors. Then a pair of soldiers were outside his cell, dazzling his eyes with the beam from a handtorch that probed the dust-thick air.

"Lieutenant, sir! Are you all right?"

He recognized the men. Corporal Yee and a private named Thorel. Yee used an electronic key on the lock. "Quickly, sir! The Sarge is parked illegally upstairs!" Dazed, Grayson let himself be led out of the cell, past rubble and shattered walls, and up a short flight of stairs to the building's main level.

The front wall had been smashed in, and was now draped around the hull of the Locust,which squatted in the rubble approximately where the watch sergeant's desk had been until very recendy.

Lori was there, an MP-20 cradled in her arms, waving him on.

"Lori! How..."

"Later! We've got to get out of here." She turned to the corporal. "Yee! Take your squad and head back to HQ. I’ll cover your withdrawal."

Grayson looked at Yee, and nodded. With things happening so quickly, he'd been letting himself be swept along by them. He knew he had to pull himself together now, take charge again — of himself and then of his command. First, they needed a rendezvous, somewhere to gather the unit. "You'll get there ahead of us, Corporal. Give Sergeant Ramage a message from me. Tell him to saddle up. Pull in the perimeter, load what he can on every available vehicle, and pull out We'll assemble at Thunder Rift."

"Thunder Rift, sir?"

"Right, It's marked on my maps. Avoid the spaceport and the Castle, but get to Thunder Rift. Follow the eastern flank of Mount Gayal on the other side of the Castle. The 'Mechs can make it through there. Hovercraft will have to go west of the port, ru

Yee saluted crisply, gathered up the rest of the squad, and led them into the darkness.

Grayson paced. "Now... supplies..."

Lori's teeth flashed in the dim light. "Already taken care of. We liberated a couple of HVTs behind this building when we broke in. They're on their way to HQ."

"Food?"

"We've got some. But mostly we've got ammo, some weapons, and oil."

"O.K. It'll have to do."

Ru

Lori jabbed a thumb toward the crouching 'Mech. "Let's move it, Lieutenant!"

Automatic rifle fire chopped at the rubble and squealed off the Locust'sarmor. Lori propelled Grayson toward the open ventral hatch that had been brought down to within two meters of the ground. Grayson swarmed up the chain ladder dangling below the hatch and into the 'Mech.

The Locustcockpit was cramped for one. With two, it was claustrophobic. Lori shrugged out of her coat and squeezed past him, slipping into the control seat and pulling the neural helmet down over her blond hair. Grayson was forced to stand behind the seat, crouched with his head and neck brushing against the spaghetti tangle of bundled wires and power leads ru

With the creak of grinding metal, the Locustrose to its full height, pivoting to face the attackers. Lori's right hand pulled at the machine gun controls, and glowing tracers etched trails of light across the screen. One of the glowing shapes collapsed and lay still.