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The tower was Grayson's special target. The other 'Mechs of the Lance, the 20-to
The plan called for the light 'Mechs to attack the hydrogen tanks once again, then flee. They expected most of the 'Mechs on hand to pursue the Lancers as they retreated toward the hills. Grayson was sure the Combine forces would be determined to trap the raiders this time, chase them to their camp, and destroy them once and for all.
But while the main 'Mech force was chasing the three raiders, Grayson would slip into their rear and destroy the ante
Might... might... might... Grayson rubbed his hands over his face, and tried to dispel the fears that plagued him. There were so many unknowns here. Was Tor really in command of the DropShip? Would he be able to take the Invidiouswithout interference from the Combine warship that must be somewhere in that same area? Could three light 'Mechs and a handful of half-trained troops survive an all-out attack by three full Lances of medium and heavy 'Mechs?
Once before he had mapped out a daring battle plan against superior odds, only to watch that plan dissolve in blood and fire as the Repair Bay door crashed shut behind them. Given the cu
His first suggestion at their council of war had been that he slip into the port alone. A knapsack packed with high-velocity explosives might bring the radio tower down.
Might... might...
His men had vetoed the idea. The attack against the tower HAD to succeed — and succeed immediately. If the Duke's people managed to get through a warning to either the Invidiousor the Combine warship, they would blast Tor's DropShip into meteoric fragments. Only the Shadow Hawk'sfirepower, consisting of medium laser, autoca
Tor was depending on Grayson, who, in turn, was depending on Lori, Garik Enzelman, and Yarin to buy him the time he needed to get close to that tower.
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The final seconds ticked away.
And then it was time. Grayson's external mikes picked up the swoosh of missiles, as Enzelman's Wasploosed a barrage of SRMs with smoke charges behind their warheads. They arced low and flat across the port, exploding into clouds of impenetrable white smoke. As the Duke's men returned fire with savagely interlacing beams from grounded DropShips and defensive bunkers, the air shrieked with the multiple concussions of exploding warheads.
Grayson's camera zoomed in on the low-hanging drift smoke. He could barely make out the strutting bird-shape of Lori's Locustas it moved across the screen. Somewhere, a heavy autoca
More missiles arced out of the smoke as the Wasplaid down a second barrage. A sharp, piercing tone sounded in his ear, indicating that the Lancer's ECM program was ru
Grayson detected another movement, heavy and lumbering off to the right. He swung the camera back to the east and hit the extended zoom. There! Close by the squat shapes of the grounded UnionDropShips were a pair of 'Mechs lurching toward the smoky field. The near 'Mech was a Rifleman,a 60-to
The smoke cloud was laced with flashes and stabs of light. The DropShips seemed to be firing at random into the cloud, unsure of their targets. The radar-jamming seemed to be working in the same way as the smoke cloud to block the Combine forces' use of laser targeting. It did not matter much that the Lancers' targeting countermeasures also prevented them from targeting effectively. It was no part of the plan for the Lancers' three 20-ton 'Mechs to stand and tangle with the heavies that were thundering across the ferrocrete landing area now.
Grayson's helmet crackled, then erupted in sharp, . electronic tones on the Lancers' combat frequency. "Lancer One, this is Lancer Three! I've got infantry movement on our left! They're circling behind us!"
"Roger, Three. Start your retreat,"
"Lancer One, this is Two. Three 'Mechs on this side, at 300 meters and closing! PBIs in support. Two... make that three HVTs!"
"Okay, Two. All units, pull back. Stick to..."
Lori's transmission was cut off by a savage burst of static. The smoke cloud lit up blue as a charged particle beam stabbed through its heart. Grayson swung the camera back and forth, trying hard to find the 'Mech that had fired. It had to be a big one to mount a PPC. For one horrible moment, he thought the beam had caught Lori. Then, the shrieking static of charged particles faded, and he heard her transmission again.
"All units, keep spread out! Watch your rears!"
Grayson had lost track of their position now, though more smoke rockets were lofting down into the smoke screen to keep the heavy grey-white cloud spreading across the field. He could make out the shadowy silhouettes of at least five heavy 'Mechs moving through the smoke, heading west and north.
Grayson felt a twisting sense of guilt, lying with his 'Mech camo-netted and well out of the line of fire. It could not be otherwise, but that didn't ease his soul at the moment. He had to sit by while his friends were being hard-pressed by vastly superior numbers.
The sounds of combat grew fainter within the smoke, but the electronic chatter among his Lance mates continued. Grayson could sense a growing note of urgency in their voices even through the filtering of electronic reproduction.
"This is Three! This is Three! That was Yarin in the Stinger,facing his first 'Mech combat. "Temperature's up and I've got a shutdown warning!"
"Kick in your overrides, Three, and stay cool. All units, zero check. Repeat, zero check."
Grayson reached for his controls, bringing the Shadow Hawkto its feet in an explosion of camouflage netting and sand. "Zero check" was the prearranged code to let him know that the Lance had reached the rough, boulder-strewn rise that led up the slope toward Thunder Rift. It was time to launch the next phase of their plan.
* * * *
The wind was stronger high on the slopes of the Rift mountains, and was dissolving the smoke screen as quickly as Enzelman could fire his smoke rockets. The three 'Mechs had to draw in closer, too, for the rise toward the Rift was a dried-out alluvial fan that began broad and flat, but quickly narrowed as it rose. Lori mopped sweat and strands of dripping hair from her face. The action had already been going on for almost an hour with no sign of let-up, and the internal temperatures of all three 'Mechs were rising to critical levels.