Warrior: En Garde

Before she could answer, Kell cut in with one last comment. "Trust me, Sarah, this'll beat anything else Pacifica has to offer in the way of nightlife."

* * *

The Kiken'spilot brought the OverlordClass DropShip to a soft landing beyond the night-cloaked hills where the main body of the Kell Hounds waited hidden. Storm clouds boiled up and quickly filled the hole burned through them by the DropShip's ion engines. Thin threads of argent lightning crackled through the clouds as the energy released into the atmosphere built and flowed through the storm system.

The egg-shaped DropShip settled down on the moist ground in an artificial fog. Its weapons turrets revolved like bug-eyes on stalks as the gu

Daniel Allard glanced over at his ops board for the fiftieth time to reassure himself that the "land-line" indicator remained lit. While it burned its cool blue, Allard's communications came and went without fear of interception on a slender optic fiber stretched out behind his Valkyrie.On the other end, Colonel Kell waited in his Thunderbolt.

"We have confirmation, Patrick. This is part of the 2nd Sword of Light. I've got a company of Panthers,a mixed medium lance of SHD-2K Shadow Hawkswith PPCs, and Griffins—twoof each."

Kell's voice crackled back into Dan's ears. "What else do they have, Dan? They should be unloading the heavy stuff now."

Dan studied his sca

Dan ordered up magnification on his main monitor and keyed the reference number—0-931787-84-Xp-74d—into his battle computer. The cursor blinked down at the bottom of the screen, then the computer redrew the complete sca

"What, Dan?" Patrick Kell's voice remained even, despite the commanding urgency in his words.

"The Panthersare forming up into a spearhead, with the medium lance on the west flank and the Grand Dragonin the middle. They're coming right at you, but the Dragon'snot moving. It seems to be waiting for something."

Kell's light laugh traveled to Dan ungarbled and brought with it the assurance of victory. "Perfect. The lighter 'Mechs are drifting out to establish a perimeter without the Dragon'sfirepower. Remember the plan, Dan. The Kuritans consider 'five' to be a lucky number and things in fives to be an omen. Let's take five 'Mechs out in the initial ambush, and it'll spook them. Coordinates transmitting .. . Now. Good luck."

"And to you, Patrick. Severing land line and returning to command of my lance." Dan punched the blue land-line button and it died. He radioed a tightbeam broadcast back to Brand, and his Lieutenant replayed it for Meg Lang and Eddie Baker. It provided them with targets for their initial attacks, and secondary targets after that. Dan quickly reviewed the assignments and shook his head. It would not be pretty.

The eastern wing of the Pantherformation came up over the hills surrounding the landing site. One Panther,which Dan's computer labeled "Able"—the last one in the wedge—stood atop the hillock, only a hundred meters from where Dan's Valkyrielay beneath a sca

Dan trained his medium laser's targeting crosshairs on "Able," but brought his LRM sight to rest and lock-on to the next Panther—"Bravo"—in line. He kept both target icons following the appropriate 'Mechs almost automatically as he focused his attention on the spearhead's lead Panther.It had stopped short and brought up the PPC on its right arm.

A light flared in Dan's cockpit, signaling the attack. "Fire!" Dan stabbed his thumb down on the left-hand joystick and launched a flight of LRMs at the further of the two Panthers.Six missiles struck their target. Five smashed into the left side of the 'Mech's chest and succeeded in chipping away armor in a glowing metal rain. The sixth missile exploded against the other side of "Bravo's" chest, but failed to check the involuntary rotation the other missiles had imparted to the Panther.

Dan's medium laser lanced into "Able" and seared an ugly scar into the armor of its right arm. SRMs, launched by Brand's Commandoand Lang's Wasppeppered the "Able" from head to toe. Medium laser fire pierced the smoke and flames left behind by the missile, and shredded the armor on the 'Mech's right leg. Dan saw myomer-fiber muscles corded around titanium 'Mech bones. Abie's doomed. That leg won't take much more damage.

He brushed the fingers of his right hand across the toggle switch, and his sca

Dan looked up and saw Cat Wilson's black and red Marauderstep from ambush. The hunched-over 'Mech thrust its right claw at the wedge's lead Panther.The Marauder'sright PPC spat a jagged bolt of man-made lighting. The blue fire licked greedily at the Panther'schest and instantly vaporized all the armor it touched. The Marauder'stwin medium lasers slashed surgically at the Panther'sleft arm and stripped it of armor as though it were so much bark off a tree. The Marauder'sautoca

Bethany Co

Fire from Ward's Assault Lance ripped mercilessly into the Pantherdesignated "Echo." Diane McWilliams's Riflemanand Mary Lasker's Trebuchetcombined their fire to strip armor off their target. The Trebuchet'stwin LRMs flights bracketed the Pantherand blasted every shred of armor from either arm. Four of the LRMs smashed into the Panther'shead and ripped away part of its armor, giving the 'Mech a torn lip and a scorched face. The Rifleman'sautoca