As soon as they reached orbit, the Lyran Commonwealth DropShips had made assault landings on all three of Marfik's major land masses, Yantiban and North and South Galfree. Attacked by almost twice their number, the four regiments of conventional forces defending Yantiban had been overwhelmed at once. The three regiments on South Galfree had held out for two days against the Steiner assaults. Only North Galfree had maintained opposition to the invaders. That was to be expected, for the largest concentration of the Combine's forces were on that continent.
Intel had identified at least ten conventional regiments and one BattleMech regiment among the Steiner forces on North Galfree. The twelve Kurita regiments assigned to the defense of the continent were all conventional except for Theodore's own 'Mech regiment, the Eleventh Legion of Vega.
It surprised him when the Steiner 'Mechs landed near Netaltown, a resort east of Massingham. He had also been thankful, for once, for Tomoe's stubbornness. The Legion was supposed to be conducting summer training on the dunes near Netaltown, but after another argument over her refusal to join the children, Theodore had been too annoyed to deal with the problems of running training maneuvers. Had he not canceled the Legion's exercise, the Lyrans would have come down on the Legion's heads, scattering the Kurita 'Mechs and probably eliminating them as a viable combat force. If the BattleMechs had been lost, all hope of resistance on Marfik would have gone with them.
As yet, the Legion's BattleMechs were not committed to combat. That would not last long. An overflight by Legion AeroSpace Fighters had confirmed that the Steiner forces were finally on the move. Several armored columns were striking out along the valley toward the mining town of Massingham on the far side of the vast expanse of DonnerBrau Forest. The Steiner BattleMechs were massing fifty kilometers to the east of Massingham, starting their march up the undulating plain of Massingham Valley.
A flashing light on the console demanded Theodore's attention, announcing an incoming comm laser message. He engaged the "Revenant's" autotrack system to focus the viewscreen on the source, then flicked the switch to bring the audio to his speakers. The Orion'sscreen settled on a distant hill, ten kilometers to the southwest. An increase in magnification allowed Theodore to see the kahuto-helmeted cat face on the chest of the 'Mech crouching there. It was Fuhito's Panther.
The Tai-ihad moved forward to maintain contact with his recon lance. He had been forced to sever the fiber optic line and was now using a comm laser on a direct line-of-sight to avoid intercept.
"Tai-sa,we have enemy BattleMechs coming in from the east. Eleventh Armored is moving to engage and calling for support."
"Are the 'Mechs scouts?" Theodore asked. Lighter BattleMechs usually moved ahead of the main body to determine enemy resistance and disposition. It might be possible to engage the scouting force and deny the Lyrans information about the Kurita position before the heavier forces of the main body arrived.
"No, sir. These are heavies. We've got three assault 'Mechs of at least ninety tons under observation. The remainder of the force appears to be medium and heavy machines."
"An assault force leading the advance?" That made no sense. The orbital battle was still denying full aerial reconnaissance to both sides. To commit one's main force without knowledge of the enemy was foolhardy. Unless,Theodore thought, they've outflanked us."Relay a hold order to the Eleventh. Their light armor won't stand up to those Steiner 'Mechs. Put some flankers out wide, Tai-iTetsuhara. Watch for enemy forces along the forest edge. I don't want any surprises from that direction.
"How much in the way of armor and infantry is moving up with the 'Mechs?"
"None, sir. Enemy force is ..." The transmission cut off while the Pantherducked its head as a number of missiles impacted on the hill crest, sending gouts of dirt skyward. "Say again, enemy force is unsupported. Unit markings indicate Fourth Skye Rangers," came Fuhito's calm voice as soon as he had realigned the comm laser.
"Message understood, Tai-i.Keep your eyes on them."
Theodore closed the commlink to consider the situation in the humming privacy of the "Revenant's" cockpit. An unsupported advance? The Steiner commander was either an idiot or extremely confident.The latter possibility was a serious concern.
Theodore brought up the library program on the "Revenant's" computer, calling for data on his opponents. He did not like what he saw. The Fourth Skye Rangers was a formidable unit composed of elite MechWarriors, highly trained and motivated, with an impressive record. Their commander was listed as Hauptmann-Kommandant Kathleen Heany. The records of her ability were spotty and deprecatory, but that was typical of Combine reports on female officers, especially Steiner officers.
The Rangers were from the Isle of Skye, one of the three founding states of the Lyran Commonwealth. Skye, which included about a third of Steiner space and much of its industrial might, also composed nearly half the Combine's border with the Lyrans. ISF reports claimed that Skye was as troublesome to House Steiner as Rasalhague was to House Kurita, because of a strong separatist movement there. Skye units often refused to participate in Steiner military excursions because the Skye Islanders favored a strongly defensive stance. But here were the Rangers taking part in an assault on the Kurita world Marfik, which was certainly no defensive maneuver.
Another sign that all-out war had begun.
Tourneville's voice broke in on Theodore's thoughts. "Tai-sa,our intercept units are picking up their comm channel. I don't understand it, but they're broadcasting in the clear." Tourneville paused as though not knowing how to phrase what he needed to say. "From the chatter, they are here to capture you, Tono.They are even betting on how long the Legion will last."
"Arrogant of them," Theodore remarked. The news that the Steiner forces hoped to make a prize of the heir to the Combine explained their "pirate point" gamble. As long as he thought their attack an ordinary, if strong, raid, they knew he would remain to fight them for a chance at martial glory. A normal trip into the Marfik system would have allowed time for word of the war to reach Theodore, giving him more than enough time to realize the danger and to escape their trap. They no doubt hoped to capture him in the opening battle as a way of severely embarrassing the Dragon.
That was something Theodore did not intend to see happen. "We'll just have to teach them a lesson," he said.
23
Massingham Valley , Marfik
Dieron Military District, Draconis Combine
29 August 3028
"I'll lead the 'Mechs out," Tomoe announced.
"Negative," Theodore countermanded. "I want you supervising the conventional regiments. They're still not used to operating together and will need shepherding. Take Shirakawa's lance with you."
"Hai, Tai-sa,"she replied. Theodore knew from her tone that Tomoe disliked the assignment, but she was too good a soldier to refuse. She knew as well as he that someone needed to do it, and she was his best choice.