If Rose had turned blue and floated into the air, Hawg could not have been more surprised. Rose returned Hawg's sudden smile and soon the two men were beaming at one another. "Until the Chargeris fully repaired, the BattleMasteris our best repair vehicle. The BattleMasteris the only 'Mech with two hands. We're going to need it for salvaging parts from the downed 'Mechs."
Hawg snapped Rose a formal, parade-ground salute. Rose knew the Zeuswould be missed, but for the moment Hawg would be too busy to mourn the ancient machine. That left only two items to finish.
"Black Thorns, I have the privilege of announcing that a new recruit has offered his services to the unit and has been accepted for immediate duty.
"Welcome aboard, Antioch Bell."
Now it was Bell's turn to be amazed. "I didn't volunteer for anything. Besides, even if I did, my side was taking shots at you this morning, or don't you remember?"
Rose remembered, but he knew he had little to fear from the former member of Morgain's band, and the rest of the Thorns probably felt the same way. After all, Bell had always been a friend to the unit and he hadn't fired on any of them during the fighting. "I'm sorry about that, Mister Bell. Perhaps I should explain myself better.
"Black Thorns, a Mech Warrior of considerable experience has announced his presence with uncharacteristic resolve. He saved the Black Thorns from destruction and probably saved my life in the process. Do we want that type of ability in our unit?"
"Yes!" The unanimous chorus was deafening.
"There you go, Mister Bell. A fine example of military protocol in action. You've been accepted by the Black Thorns, whether you want it or not. Consider yourself drafted."
Rose gave the unit a few moments to shake hands with the stunned Bansheepilot. Like Hawg, Rose wanted to give his friend some kind of direction, even if only temporary. As the mercenaries sat down again, Rose continued the meeting.
"With that out of the way, we have only one more thing to discuss. The Clans. While you were sleeping, Colonel Bahlyard transmitted his report to the Council. I'm sorry, but the Black Thorns were destroyed. I, of course, died fighting. The rest of you were captured." Rose stood in the middle of the unit, striking his best heroic pose. A chorus of boos made him break his pose as the mercenaries groaned at the sarcasm.
Rose checked his watch and continued, relaxing as he went. "The
Bristol
"How many?"
Rose turned to Esmeralda. "Unknown at this point. I'm guessing one or two Trinaries, but we shouldn't count on it until we get more information. I've thought a lot about it, however, and I agree with Ajax.
"The Clans will use some kind of bidding to determine the force they send here. Two Trinaries, or thirty 'Mechs, is about the most I think they'd send. Hopefully, they'll only send one Trinary, say, fifteen 'Mechs. We should know more when Colonel Bahlyard gets more information from his men in Houston.
"Until that time, here's the plan. We have to get word to the Federated Commonwealth before the Clans can reinforce their position. That means a raid on the hyper-pulse generator. For the time being, that's as far as we need to go in the mission.
"Getting ready is going to be difficult, to say the least. If we had to leave right now, we'd have only four 'Mechs in fighting shape and one wounded to make our run. To have any chance of success, we have to make that seven 'Mechs in fighting shape as soon as possible.
"For the time being we're going to trust the militia for security." Rose held out a stalling hand. "I know your objections, but we don't have much choice. If the militia wanted us, they'd have already made their move. The Council has nothing they can throw at us that the militia can't stop, and these trees should provide cover from the Clans if they try something."
"Captain, I don't believe the Clans even know we're here." Rose turned to Ajax and wondered why the mercenaries always waited until his back was to them to make a point. "Since the Council believes us to be destroyed, they have nothing to gain by telling the Clans we were ever here. The militia can easily be explained as being on maneuvers. The Clans aren't likely to be much interested in them, especially since we're so far from the capital."
Heads nodded in agreement and Rose's was one of them. "Even without interference, time is critical," he said. "We have to be ready to move out as quickly as possible if we're going to be successful. If things get speeded up for any reason and we want to move out, we've got to be able to do so with as large a force as possible.
"Angus, you and Ajax are going to be in charge of the surface repair. Bahlyard has already confirmed that the militia has some maintenance personnel who can help us repair our armor. Start with the worst damage and work your way down. Questions? If you need more to do, I'll have it.
"Badicus, you get ordnance."
O'Shea shook his head sadly. "I knew I'd be punished for letting your Shadow Hawkget beat up. I never knew you were so cruel, and me a cripple." Around him the mercenaries scoffed. Going through a downed 'Mech to retrieve live ammunition was dangerous work, even under good conditions. Because of the danger to the crews,
Liao ordnance crews were often composed entirely of criminals. In many cases O'Shea would have been right to consider the duty a punishment.
Rose smiled at the mock sadness in O'Shea's eyes. "Knock it off, bumblebutt. You're overseeing the militia ordnance crews. Most of them have never seen the inside of a 'Mech ammo bay, let alone worked in one. We should be able to produce some possible reloads for the working 'Mechs, but don't let them get killed in the process. Distribute any ammunition you find among the 'Mechs that can use it."
O'Shea smiled and wiped his brow with the back of his cast in exaggerated relief.
"Rianna, you and Hawg are going to assist with the repair of all internal damage. Bahlyard doesn't have anyone who can provide expertise, but he's agreed to give us a couple of assistants. Start with the Chargerand the Marauder.Esmeralda, stick with the Marauder.If time permits, and I don't think it will, work on the Shadow Hawk.
"Bell, you and I need to talk, then you can help the others. I need to know everything you know about the Preservationists. Give me another fifteen minutes, then we'll get together. I'll want you to cover the same ground for Colonel Bahlyard."
Rose looked around the circle. The mood had definitely lightened. Although the Black Thorns were still tired, they seemed to be in much better shape than at the start of the meeting.
"Questions?"
"Just one, Captain." Rose happened to be looking at Angus when he spoke. "We're relying a lot on Colonel Bahlyard. Is that wise?"
"Probably not, but we've got our backs to the wall. We're the only force on the planet that can stop the Clans and Bahlyard knows it. This is his home planet, remember?
"Most of the people of Borghese don't want the Clans and Bahlyard is a part of that majority. Unfortunately, the people in power, who represent only a very small minority, seem to have a misguided vision of life under the Clans and they're determined to drag the rest of Borghese into that vision, even if the population has to go kicking and screaming."
Rose paused again. "Anything else? No? Then get off your butts and on your feet, out of the shade and into the heat. We're wasting daylight." As the mercenaries scrambled to their various duties, Rose remained standing in the middle of the empty circle. He was looking at McCloud, who remained seated. Ajax had the presence of mind to wander away from the area.