Mercenary's Star

The Li Plantation lay several kilometers behind them, for Grayson did not want the rebel ‘Mechs too close to Li Wu's buildings. Instead, he had located this sheltered gully where the strike force could assemble without risking detection by satellite or Aero-Space Fighter.

He hoped this maneuver would not bring the Dracos down on the Li family. Both the elder Li Wu and his son Li Chin had already rendered invaluable service to the rebellion. It was Chin who had guided them through the jungle to Westlee after the capture of Fox Island, and Wu had brought word that the Dracos seemed to be mustering for a surprise attack. And that was exactly what Grayson had been waiting for. A surprise attack meant the Dracos would be using their three remaining AeroSpace Fighters for air cover, which gave Grayson a precious opportunity. As soon as word came that the Kurita forces were on the march, he'd mustered the rebel forces at the Li farm.

He pressed the transmit panel. "All units. Saddle up. It's time to move!"

The rebel column moved up an earth embankment to the crest of the ravine. From there, Regis lay like a distant gray forest.

"How long do we have?" Tollen asked, his voice harsh.

Grayson remembered the rebel's outburst on his return from Scandiahelm, and shuddered. Tollen Brasednewic now seemed to be a man whose emotions were held tightly in check, but only just barely. The trust between them had vanished, as if it had never been.

"Half an hour until things get hot on Fox Island," Grayson replied. "Figure ten, maybe fifteen minutes after that until it's our turn."

Racing across the Bluesward, six BattleMechs, fifteen hover transports, and two dozen skimmers carried a total of nearly two hundred troops. The ‘Mechs maintained a steady, ground-eating pace. Though moving at less than full speed to keep heat build-up to a minimum, the machines devoured the ground in five-meter strides, Grayson knew that, off to the west, the newly-arrived Kurita Drop-Ships squatted in the Regis spaceport, but he spared no time looking at them. The plan required that they cover the forty kilometers' between the Li Plantation and Regis as quickly as possible.

The chances were good that the Dracos would not observe their approach. House-sized boulders and patches of forest broke up much of this section of the plateau, offering abundant cover. What's more, the chance of a spy satellite searching their small part of the plain at that moment was relatively slim.

Hearing a rush of distant sound over his external pick-ups, Grayson swiveled his Shadow Hawk'shead in the direction indicated by his instruments—a hair south of west. "Here they come, boys and girls," he said. "Freeze! McCall! Be ready!"

The column came to a halt, remaining motionless among the boulders and a scattering of trees. McCall's Riflemanassumed a combat-ready stance, its quad weapon barrels searching the western sky.

A trio of black dots raced northward across the sky, almost touching the horizon. They moved rapidly, slipping behind the spherical shadows of the DropShips at the spaceport In the space of three heartbeats, they'd crossed the distance from Regis to the low, gray-black line of forest marking the Basin Rim and the Silvan jungle beyond. Only McCall's ‘Mech moved, its torso swivelling slowly as its weapons tracked.

'Tha' laddies missed us, sair," the Caledonian said.

"Right you are." The dots had vanished below the Basin Rim. Grayson thought about Ramage and the others waiting out the Kurita assault beneath the jungle canopy. "Step it up, everyone! We have to get in place, fast!" The remaining kilometers dwindled, and a view of Regis began to fill the ‘Mech's cockpit screens ahead.

The airfield was right where Li Chin had said it was, beneath the northeast walls of the University itself. The Kurita AeroSpace Fighters were gone, flying combat cover for the raid on Fox Island. Through telescopic imaging, Grayson could make out the ground crew and Techs moving among the buildings and stacks of supplies. The field itself was a crude affair, little more than a leveled stretch of bulldozed ground. The heavy construction ‘Mechs that had plowed the strip were still sitting in the shadow of the University wall. A Crusaderwalked sentry go. There were also human guards pacing narrow strips in front of the stockpiled caches of fuel and ammunition. Behind the airfield, a gate under the main University tower stood open. Small hover vehicles moved between the gate and the newly erected military barracks along the airstrip, and a platoon of Regis Blue militia marched in, precision-step out of the city.

It still looked as though the merc-and-rebel force had not been seen.

Grayson used BattleMech hand gestures rather than risk having his orders picked up by nearby receivers that might happen to be tuned to their combat cha

They wouldn't have long to wait, however. As Grayson lowered his Shadow Hawkinto a prone position, he switched his communicator to the relay cha

It came less than five minutes later.

"Strikeforce! Strikeforce! Clear sky and green!" The message repeated three times and would be repeated again at intervals. As Grayson switched back to the combat cha

"Ready!"

Three dots appeared in the northern sky, vectoring almost directly toward the ‘Mech strike force. The first of the dots grew into the shape of an SL-17 Shilone,its landing gear down as it dropped toward the runway. Its two companions, delta-shaped Slayer's,arrowed across the field and off over the city, breaking left and right to begin their own landing passes. Grayson watched carefully. There was no telling how much fuel or ammo those three fighters still carried. The assault could not begin until all three craft were on the ground.

As the Shilonerolled to a stop, Techs and astechs were already gathering around, checking for damage. Someone braced a ladder against the side of the cockpit. The whine of the Slayersdescending to the runway grew in the distance.

Grayson kept his attention focused on the runway. Then.

"Go!" he said sharply.

Six BattleMechs rose as one from the brush and bluegrass, and sprinted toward the airstrip. The distance to the field seemed suddenly far greater than it had a moment before, when every meter nearer the University walls had seemed to offer more chance of discovery. Now the remaining ground seemed endless.

Ground crews continued to work with the fighters. The Crusaderpilot had turned his ‘Mech to watch the bustle of activity. Even the sentries on the walls above were momentarily diverted

When someone looked up and saw the advancing BattleMechs, there was a shout, a warning. Grayson saw Techs gesturing wildly, saw the 65-ton Crusaderturning ponderously, its left and right arms bringing laser and LRM batteries to bear. Grayson checked his instrumentation. The Crusaderwas 300 meters distant, well within range, while the nearest of the fighters were to one side and beyond, too far to be good targets.