The Price of Glory

"Form up! Form up!" Grayson yelled into his helmet mike. The Thunderboltwas firing at Lori again, ignoring the other mercenary BattleMechs in an effort to bring down at least one of its tormentors.

Lori's 'Mech took another heavy laser strike in her Shadow Hawk'sleg, almost in the same instant that the concentrated fire from all six Gray Death 'Mechs blasted through the Thunderbolt'sarmor.

The Marik pilot had had enough. With great sections of armor gaping open and trailing smoke, with his Mech's left arm hanging useless and almost dragging on the ground, he turned and struck out down the ridge to rejoin his fellows.

Grayson gave the command: "Let him go."

31

In the central depot, regimental Techs and astechs swarmed through the gantry structures housing three of the unit's 'Mechs, the two Shadow Hawksand Koga's Archer.Wavering flares of light appeared here and there at brief intervals, showering sparks as workers welded armor plate in place and attempted to restore damaged circuitry.

Grayson stood with his senior Tech at the foot of his own Marauder.The damage to the Marauder'shull had been partly repaired, though the loss of a pair of heat sinks was going to be a worry until they could be replaced.

"Koga's 'Mech will be ready to go in fifteen minutes," King was saying. "They're tacking on a new cover to his port missile battery now. He'll be a bit shy of armor to his left side, but he'll be combat-ready in all respects.

"Sharyl's Hawkis in worse shape. We found a Shadow Hawkmain cam driver for her suspension, but it'll be a few hours before she's moving at speed again. Lieutenant Kalmar's Hawkisn't in serious shape, but she lost a lot of armor. I'd say . . . two hours for her."

Grayson ran his eyes across the array of Star League BattleMechs in the depot around them. It was ironic that the Legion was fighting to keep its eight BattleMechs in fighting condition with bits and pieces and patched-together spares, when they were smack dab in the middle of a vast army of clean, new, and untouched 'Mechs.

Unfortunately, it would take days of work to get them functional, to mount their weapons, load their ammo, test their power systems, and tune their neurocircuitry. The Gray Death Legion simply did not have days.

The same problem faced their reserves down in the Vermillion Valley. DeVillar, Tracy Kent, and a couple of MechWarrior trainees were aboard the Deimosat that very moment, unpacking their 'Mechs, but it would be at least another four hours before those machines were ready for combat.

Grayson's scouts had reported a third Marik BattleMech force advancing down into Nagayan Canyon, toward the source of the Vermillion River. The Legion was going to have to fight another battle to stop this new thrust, and Grayson had only six 'Mechs with which to face them.

"So, I can take Koga with me, but both Hawksare out of action for a few more hours?"

"I'm afraid so. What's happening up there, anyway?" King asked, with a grin. "We're all starting to feel like small, burrowing animals down here."

"We've held them so far . . . but only just. Our biggest problem is that we haven't hurt them enough."

"Seven of them for none of us, so far," King said cheerfully. "Sounds like a good scorecard report to me."

"Maybe. But I've got to face six Marik 'Mechs now with six of our own, and this time, the enemy's got some heavies . . . and troops and armor, too. The ground is a lot more open than Lee's Pass. We're going to take a battering, Alard. There's no way to avoid it."

"Then we'll path it."

Grayson shook his head. "The same 'Mechs that get battered now are going to have to face the whole damn Marik army a few hours from now. Don't you understand? We're going to take losses today, Alard. Casualties."

It was hard for Grayson to say the words. He could look at the map and calculate to

Who would it be? Clay? McCall? Bear? Khaled? These were the times when he did not feel up to the job of commanding a BattleMech company. He knew and liked every one of the men in his command, yet he was going to have to give them orders certain to result in casualties. He allowed himself a brief thought that at least Lori would be out of the coming battle, then immediately felt guilty about it. He loved Lori, but could he actually choose to save her, while possibly condemning Bear or Clay or the bluff, gri

King nodded. "Yes, Colonel, it'll be rough going."

"This will be our last chance to stop the enemy before he can join forces down below. Whatever we have left after this battle—that's what we'll have to face him on the Vermillion Plains."

"That's what you mean when you say you haven't hurt him enough."

Grayson nodded "He still has twenty . . . twenty-one 'Mechs . . . minus whatever we knock off in this next battle. We have six . . . minus whatever we lose, plus four from the DropShip, if they're ready in time, plus Lori and Sharyl, if they'reready in time." Grayson shook his head. "We have to keep going . . . have to meet them on that plain with whatever we have left. There's no alternative."

He turned away from King for a moment, looking at the surrounding 'Mechs. When he turned back again, his eyes were bleak and cold. "Alard ... I think we're going to lose this one."

King shook his head. "Don't talk that way, Colonel. A lot could happen yet."

Grayson shrugged. "Maybe there comes a time when your luck runs out, when the breaks stop going your way ..." He stopped, then took King's shoulder under his hand. "I need you for a special assignment."

"Eh? Colonel . . .I'm needed here."

"No. Not as much as Ineed you. The other Techs and astechs can handle the repairs, and they've plenty of spare parts and equipment to do it. I want you to take a squad of soldiers and a couple of Techs you can trust, and head back to the East Gate.”

“The library? Why?"

"Because these—" he waved his arm at the silent, cold 'Mechs around them—"these are not what this battle is about."

"But I thought ..."

"Look at them! How many regiments might be equipped with all of these? Three? Five? Weapons for maybe five infantry regiments? A treasure . . . right?"

"By today's standards, yes. Certainly."

"Alard, the real treasure is that library. We have got to save it. Youhave got to save it."  '

"Me? Why?"

"There are memory cores here, in storage. They're up the tu

“I've seen them."

"The data stored within the library can be duplicated on one of those cores. The library itself will show you how.

"Detail one of your Techs to take over here, and get back to that library. Make the copy . . . no! Make two! Then get one aboard the Deimos,and one aboard the Phobos.”

"You . . . you think Langsdorf is going to destroy the library . . . deliberately?"

"No. Not Langsdorf. Someone else. That Precentor who Graff told us about . . . Rachan."

"The ComStar Precentor? Gods, why?"

"I don't know. I've been over it and over it, and I don't know." His fingers came together in a fist, and fist smacked into open palm. "But it was Rachan who orchestrated this whole thing, ever since Sirius V. He arranged the Legion's disgrace, so that he could get this cache. Sure, the BattleMechs are valuable, but how much of them could Rachan hope to keep? I don't see a ComStar fleet anywhere about to carry them off! My guess is that the weapons are payment to the Marik forces who are helping him!"