"A simple task," Joanna said dryly. "The only hitch is figuring out how to cross the river."
"A problem, I will admit, but I have solved it."
"Oh? What place are we using for the exercise, Star Colonel?"
"Why, right here, of course."
Though Joanna and Diana could not see each other, neither would have been surprised to find the other examining the turbulent, rocky rapids incredulously before hearing Aidan's explanation of how the exercise would work. Even then they were leery of the Star Colonel's plan.
"Assemble the Falcon Guards and the BattleMechs from the Second Falcon Cluster at this point," he ordered. Whatever her option, Joanna sent out the call.
* * *
When Aidan asked for volunteers for the first phase of Operation Skipping Stone, the names of every Clan warrior from both units appeared on his primary screen. Even all the Elementals, none of whom could be used in this phase, volunteered. He was not surprised by the number of volunteers, but the ritual had to be accomplished. Setting his computer for random selection, five Mech-Warriors were chosen, with a pair of alternates. He eliminated any 'Mechs from Trinaries Delta and Echo so that they would be free to carry their Elementals to the opposite side of the river. Joanna suggested that other Elemental units be carried on BattleMechs of various Stars. Aidan vetoed the suggestion, saying he wanted no extra weight on BattleMechs that did not normally carry Elementals. "The weight of one Elemental could throw off a pilot's control, and we cannot risk even a fraction of error." Instead, he announced a different plan.
Falcon Guard MechWarriors Ta-Ken from Trinary Bravo and Peel from Trinary Charlie were the first to jump into the middle of the Prezno River. The spot chosen for their landing was a relative shallows. Nearby rocks had slowed the current somewhat, though it still rushed violently past the 'Mechs' legs at a breakneck rate. Ta-ken's 'Mech swayed and immediately fell sideways into the water. As instructed by Aidan, Ta-ken guided the 'Mech's fall, first going down on one knee, then sliding its leg backward. He then let the 'Mech slide into the water while rotating its torso to the left so that the cockpit was still above the surface when the machine had settled into the water. Most of the 'Mech was now underwater, with only a leg, the front of the torso, and an arm above water. While Ta-ken's 'Mech went down, Peel was executing similar maneuvers so that his 'Mech came down next to Ta-ken's, with the bottom third of its legs slightly behind the upper section of the other 'Mech's torso.
In the second group of jumping BattleMechs were one from Marthe's unit, piloted by Star Commander Todik, and two more Falcon Guard MechWarriors, Fenn from Trinary Alpha and Shank from Trinary Charlie. These three made their leaps, one jumping a second after the other. Todik's 'Mech came down next to Peel's, Fenn's beside Todik's, and Shank's beside Fenn's. Then they maneuvered their machines so that each slightly overlapped the other in a line. The five 'Mechs now formed a breakwater, diverting turbulent water around each end and creating a tranquil pool in the center of the river.
But the forming of the breakwater was not without a cost. Fenn's 'Mech crashed into the river with its cockpit submerged, and when Shank landed, the fall into the river breeched his 'Mech's torso, flooding the engine compartment and killing power to the 'Mech. Trapped in their cockpits, both Shank and Fenn suffocated within fifteen minutes.
As Aidan oversaw the creation of the makeshift breakwater, Joanna lined up the other BattleMechs in groups of four. Some Jade Falcon officers, detached by the Khan to observe the operation, watched as she set several even lines of quartet groupings going back from the edge of the river, each line at about the same distance from the one in front of it.
When the last 'Mech had settled into the river and the current was obviously diverted. Aidan took stock of his creation and, in a godlike way, felt pleased. There was a kind of austere beauty to the way the visible parts of the five 'Mechs formed a thin metal island in the middle of the river. Some water sprayed over them and left droplets on their surfaces. The light on the droplets sparkled with activity. The water of the tranquil pool was clear and the underwater sections of the 'Mechs were distorted into shimmering patterns.
"Star Colonel?" Joanna said. "The first line is ready to jump at your order."
"The first one will jump after me," Aidan said, setting his Timber Wolf bythe edge of the embankment.
"You intend to be the first?"
"Who better? It is my plan. If it is poor, I should be the one to pay the consequences."
"But—"
Without waiting to hear her objection, Aidan engaged his jump jets for the leap. He had already prepared the coordinates for landing.
His stomach did its own little leap as the Timber Wolfrose into the air at a slight forward angle. It went up to the height Aidan had calculated, then came down. He could use only his primary screen to guide his fall into the chasm. Directing an external camera downward, he watched the surface of the river come toward his 'Mech's feet. It was shooting up at him faster than he wanted. At first the tranquil pool seemed like a tiny puddle that the BattleMech could not possibly hit on target, but then it enlarged in the viewport until he saw he was zeroing in correctly. His calculations had been accurate.
His hands securely on the controls, Aidan felt the Timber Wolf hitthe water, then come to a rough stop as its feet made contact with the riverbed. His secondary screen showed that, as originally estimated, the depth of the tranquil pool measured two meters.
He immediately set the jump jets for the second leap and soared upward toward the far shore. The second stage of the leap was easier, if only because he knew he would come down onto solid ground. His heart leaped, though, when the 'Mech's feet landed only centimeters from the edge of the embankment.
He moved the Timber Wolfforward a few meters to clear the way for the next 'Mech landings, then turned to observe the operation. Moving to his left, he found a slight rise that gave him a good view of the other side and the chasm, where the makeshift breakwater looked as solid as a series of rocks.
Joanna, in her usual efficient way, had started the first 'Mech of the front line forward. It soared upward—Aidan thought a bit shakily—but, with a clear shift of arc by its pilot, came down into the tranquil pool, splashing water all around its legs. Its jump to the ComStar side of the river was smoother, and it landed a few meters away from Aidan's observation point.
After several 'Mechs in a row jumped successfully, Aidan was feeling new confidence in his plan. That was when a Summoner'sjump jets malfunctioned at the top of its arc, and the 'Mech crashed heavily into the basin. It missed the breakwater but landed behind it. The rough current sent it crashing into the breakwater, where it hit with an impact that reverberated through the chasm and beyond. Aidan leaned forward to study the breakwater.
Was he mistaken, or did the middle BattleMech look damaged and ready to slip away from the others?
Joanna kept the next 'Mech from jumping until it was certain that the breakwater had held. After half a minute, a body bobbed to the surface, floating head-down. The pilot had evidently drowned. No doubt his cockpit canopy broke with the impact and water had flooded in. Checking his screen, Aidan saw that the dead man was MechWarrior Obdoff from Trinary Charlie. About all he could recall about the man was that he was one of the old ones.
When Joanna thought the maneuver was safe, she sent the next line of 'Mechs successfully over the river. As they landed on Aidan's side of the river, Star Captain Jula Huddock of Alpha Heavy assigned them defensive positions. What arrogance the ComStar forces were showing, he thought. Or stupidity. Did not their intelligence detect the Jade Falcons crossing the river, or were the rapids such an unexpected place for the move that the enemy was not maintaining vigilance on this sector of the river?