Now, Kommandant Heany, the hunt begins.
* * *
Hauptmann-Kommandant Kathleen Heany opened the hatch of her Atlas,letting the cooler outside air flood in. She hoisted herself up into the hatchway, thanking the Lord for the relief from the oppressive heat of the cockpit. The commlines trailing from her neurohelmet pressed gently against her left leg as they stretched from their connection to the command board.
From this vantage point, she could see the last of the Kurita 'Mechs escaping toward the forest. Most had already disappeared into the blue-tinged shadows. There was no sign of the conventional troops. They had fled even before the BattleMech forces had engaged.
When the Fourth dropped on Netaltown, they had not found the Legion. It had been an embarrassing moment for the Davion advisors attached to her unit, and a frustrating one for her troops, eager for action. The Fedrats had offered no explanation for the failure of their vaunted intelligence apparatus, prompting Heany to tell them what they could do with the contingency plans they suggested.
She knew that the Fourth was more than a match for a motley collection of Kurita scum. Her MechWarriors didn't need ground-pounders or turtles to accomplish the objective. They didn't need to shelter under air cover. That kind of insecurity was Fedrat style. Her Skye Islanders were real MechWarriors.
She laughed aloud, feeling pleasure at her victory. She had been right. The Vegans were just what everyone had predicted.They had come out to meet the Fourth like some ancient samurai spoiling for a fight. What fools! Idiotic bravery was no match for a hundred tons of BattleMech.
The Snakes had turned tail, seeking safety in the forest, as soon as the Fourth demonstrated its superiority. The forest offered them false hope, however. There would be no place to organize, no way to team up against the Fourth's heavy 'Mechs. The Rangers outmatched the Legion 'Mech to 'Mech.
We shall hunt you down, Little Prince. We shall destroy your followers one by one until I get my hands on you. The Legion of Vega is doomed.
Heany opened a line to her comm officer.
"Call our Davion friends, Hauptmann. Tell them that we Skye Islanders know how to conduct an operation without their meddling advice. Tell them we'll own Theodore Kurita in a few hours."
24
Gether's Jewel, Marfik
Dieron Military District, Draconis Combine
29 August 3028
A flight of five missiles howled overhead. Colonel Randy Thompson dropped down in his commander's seat, jamming his elbow against the edge of the cupola. He yelped with pain as the hard metal slammed his bone even through the padded joint protection of his tanker uniform.
"Move out!" he yelled into the intercom. He was rocked violently into his padded chair as the driver obeyed and sent the Rommel jouncing across the field.
"Kelly, link me to all battalion COs. I want to know what in hell is going on."
"Yessir!" Without looking at his commander, the CommTech busied himself with the task.
Thunderous booms from the massive autocannons of the two other tanks in the command lance drowned out Thompson's next order. He snapped on his vision screen in time to see the second volley from his lancemates' vehicles.
Two mid-size BattleMechs were advancing toward the lance, firing as they came. The Rommels were unable to score against the fast-moving 'Mechs. The Kuritans were firing much more effectively. Particle beams ripped at the armor of Beta vehicle until the ravening energy clawed its way through to the tank's innards. Thompson imagined he heard the crew's screams as flame gouted from the wound.
"Forward, dammit! We've got to close with them!"
A sickening crash punctuated his words. A glance at the screen told him that his fears were fact. A Kurita Pantherhad landed directly atop Gamma vehicle. The thirty-five-ton BattleMech had crushed the tank's turret.
Thompson cursed as he watched the Panther'sbroad feet smash into the Rommel's upper surface. Dust raised by the 'Mech's jump jets obscured his view of the damage left by the machine's violent impact on the tank. The running 'Mechs had been a diversion to set up the Panther's"death from above" attack.
The Pantheruntangled itself from the wreckage of Gamma vehicle even as the turret of Thompson's Rommel traversed to bring its main battery to bear. The BattleMech moved in swiftly, sliding past the outthrust muzzle of the Defiance autocannon. As the 'Mech's hands seized the barrel, it froze in place, the turret's motors no match for the strength of the 'Mech's myomer musculature.
A second 'Mech, a fifty-five-ton Griffin ,landed in a flare of ion flame to join the Panther.Thompson stared helplessly as they combined their strengths to tilt the Rommel on its side. The tank's right tread dug into the earth, canting the vehicle further. Thompson was thrown from his seat as the Kurita 'Mechs began to rock the tank up and down. With a final heave, they upended the Rommel.
Seemingly content to leave the machine turtled and helpless, the two 'Mechs moved off to engage more of Thompson's regiment.
"Sir," Kelly called, hanging suspended in his restraining straps. "Are you all right?"
Thompson ached all over, but knew that complaints would do nothing to enhance his image as a tough tank commander. "I'm alive," he said flatly.
"Very good, sir," Kelly acknowledged. "I have Hauptmann-Kommandant Heany on the comm for you."
"Great." Thompson tried to switch his helmet comm to the command circuit, but all he got was a hiss of static. He ripped the faulty helmet from his head and snapped his fingers at Kelly. The CommTech nodded and handed down a headset. Thompson slid the ear piece in and opened the channel. "Thompson, Seventy-second Skye Armor, here."
"Colonel, as soon as you have secured Gether's Jewel, I want you to move your armor through DonnerBrau Forest to map reference zulu-two-three. We have broken the Legion and chased them into the forest. I have pulled Fourth Skye back to regroup and organize a net to surround the Snakes.
"Get your regiment in place along the ridge at zulu-two-three. I want to hammer them on the anvil of your tanks. Victory is near, Colonel. They are demoralized and disorganized."
"Lost the Legion in the woods, did you?”
“No need to get impertinent, Thompson," Heany retorted indignantly.
The commline hissed with electromagnetic static as a particle beam passed near Thompson's Rommel. He heard the shattering crash of a brella tree even through the hull of his tank. He knew the sound was being picked up by the comm microphone. "What the devil is going on at your end?" Heany inquired.
"Nothing much," Thompson replied sarcastically. "We're having a little visit from the demoralized and disorganized 'Mech force you lost. They're stomping my tanks into snail snot."
25
DonnerBrau Forest , Marfik