Main Event

Begi

If the Stalker'sshape had been more human, Rose could have hit it in the ribs, but the Stalkerhad only the right wing. The Charger'sgiant foot caved in the other 'Mech's previously damaged armor and crushed the short-range missile launcher underneath. Then came a bright flash that made Rose fear he'd caused an explosion in his eagerness, but there was no chain reaction from the missiles stored in the torso. As the Stalkerrolled away from the blow, the Charger'sfoot caught on the ruptured endo-skeleton and pulled Rose off balance. The Stalkerfell again, this time taking the Chargerwith it.

Rose tried to roll with the fall, but the trapped foot made that impossible. The Chargerfell across the Stalker,further damaging the 'Mech underneath. Though Rose was able to use the Charger'soutstretched hands to absorb some of the impact, he still hit the ground hard. Armor buckled and seams popped free as Rose immediately attempted to rise. With the Chargerbeing facedown, its lightly armored back was exposed and vulnerable to Morgain's 'Mechs. Rose searched the sca

The Banshee,however, wasn't close enough to take a shot through the densely packed cedars. To Rose's surprise, the 'Mech had paralleled his course, but had made no attempt to get closer. Rose continued to stare at the sca

Esmeralda had moved closer to Hawg and was slugging it out with the Awesomewhile Hawg was still struggling to stand on the slope. The thermal readings on the two standing 'Mechs were well in the danger level, but the Awesomeseemed to be ru

The pursuit lance had moved to cover the fallen BattleMasterand were wisely staying in position. Neither of the lighter 'Mechs could stand the punishment being dished out by the heavy and assault 'Mechs of Morgain's force and they knew it. If they kept the BattleMasterout of the fight, Rose would consider it a better than even exchange and a good use of the lance. It also kept McCloud out of harm's way, no matter what happened to him.

"Battle Two, this is Command One. What is your status?"

O'Shea opened the link and a burst of static filled Rose's cockpit. "I've got him right where I want him, Command One." An explosion filled the line and Rose heard O'Shea's involuntary cry of alarm. In the background the Shadow Hawk'sheat warning bell went off.

"Cancel that last transmission, Command One. That last shot nicked the engine shielding."

"How bad?" Rose struggled harder to free his 'Mech's entangled leg. He could feel the Stalkerresisting, however, and the leg remained trapped.

"I can shut it down now, or I can blow up in three minutes."

"Shut the damn thing down, O'Shea. That's an order. " Rose heard the heat warning bell go off again.

"Command One, automated shutdown sequence has been initiated, but I don't think I'm going to be able to stick around for the finish. This guy's coming back for the kill. Sorry about the 'Mech, Rose, but I'm ejecting."

"Battle Two, what is your opponent?"

Rose heard the restraining pins explode and a split second later the cockpit rose into the sky above the battlefield. "Marauder Twooo ..." and then the co

Rose began thrashing in a vain effort to free the Charger'strapped leg. He was about to call for Angus to help when the leg began to come free. With his other leg he kicked at the Stalkerwhile repeatedly trying to pull the trapped leg out of the Stalker'storso, but it would not come away. On the sca

Throwing caution to the wind, he pushed off with his outstretched left arm. Though he could not hope to stand, the sloping ground gave him enough leverage to roll over onto his back. He was reasonably sure the maneuver would succeed, but he feared that if the foot were wedged too tightly in the Stalker'storso, the sudden movement would snap it off.

As the Chargerflopped over onto its back, Rose heard the grind of metal as armor tore free and the skeleton underneath bent, then popped free. The foot was still trapped in the Stalker,but Rosccould tell that the "toes" were pointed up. Kicking with his left leg, Rose sighted down the trapped right leg and fired the arm-mounted pulse laser. Armor boiled away, and with a heave the foot came free.

Rose rolled over to his right side and struggled to stand on the uneven ground. In doing so, he noticed the damage to the Stalker,whose torso had been reduced to bits of crushed steel by his charge and subsequent thrashing. The pilot had shut down the engine at some point in the struggle and emerged from the cockpit as the Chargerstood up.

Rose started to climb up the hill and immediately saw how severely the trapped leg had been damaged. Both the foot and knee actuators had been destroyed, reducing the Charger'sprogress to a stiff-legged shuffle. Despite the shorter distance he had to travel, Rose reached the embattled Warhammerand Awesomeimmediately after the Marauder II.

As Rose was arriving, the Zeuswas just regaining its feet. Unlike Rose, Hawg had been able to fire some of his weapons even though down, and he had evidently decided to do so. The Awesomewas little more than charred steel, the pilot having apparently decided to punch out when he could no longer ignore the heat buildup. The driverless 'Mech still showed up as a beacon on the infrared sensor; but it was no longer a threat.

Rose shouted a warning as the Marauderfired at Hawg's Zeus.Although Hawg was in the process of turning, he didn't quite make it all the way round. The LB-X autoca

Standing on the uneven slope, the Zeussuddenly pitched forward. Hawg tried to bring the legs under the falling body, but there wasn't a pilot in the I