For the first time in a long time, Rose and McCloud were alone. There was so much Rose wanted to say, but lack of time forced him to stick to the basics. When this was all over, he promised himself, then he'd tell her how he felt.
"Captain McCloud, have you ever flown a 'Mechbuster?"
31
The Cedars, Borghese
19 July 3055
Despite nearly constant work, it took four days for the repair crews to finish work on the damaged 'Mechs. It was the BattleMasterthat had monopolized their efforts and cost them the most time.
All BattleMechs are keyed to their pilot's brain waves and unique starting sequence. They can be re-programmed, and subsequently unlocked, but only with the proper tools and time. Rose had not given the problem much thought because the current BattleMasterpilot was still alive. Unfortunately that man viewed the 'Mech as his personal property and was not about to give it up. Rose was counting on the extra firepower and refused to leave without it.
The cockpit of the 'Mech was actually a converted command module, which allowed both a pilot and a commander to ride in relative comfort. Although the commander's compartment had long ago been stripped of useful equipment, the chair and restraint system were still installed. Since Badicus had refused to accompany the militia when they left on the third morning after the battle, the heavily armed and armored 'Mech would prove particularly useful. Per their agreement, McCloud was traveling with the militia.
For several days Hawg and Rianna tried to bypass the 'Mech's security system while the rest of the mercenaries worked on the other 'Mechs, but their best efforts were defeated. Rose had tried to reason with the pilot, but he remained defiant. Finally the other repair work was done, and Rose could wait no longer. He was about to approach the pilot himself when Ajax stopped him and offered to retrieve the information.
Rose was initially skeptical, but Ajax was confident he could succeed. As Ajax and the pilot disappeared into the back of a Ripper VTOL, the mercenary smiled briefly as he pulled the door shut. Fifteen minutes later Ajax emerged with a very pale pilot and the security sequence. Rose considered asking Ajax how he'd gotten it, then decided he didn't really want to know. Once Hawg was into the BattleMaster'smain computer, he began the re-programming process.
When they finally began their trek back to Houston, Angus and Ajax were in the lead as usual. Rose and Rianna came next, followed by Hawg and Badicus. The rebuilt battle lance was covering the rear, and Esmeralda and Bell took the sides. The repair of the Marauder IIhad turned out to be surprisingly easy. Most of the internal damage had been confined to the cockpit module, which they'd completely replaced. Using the module from the Stalkerand adapting it with components from the Zeusand the Awesome,Esmeralda and Antioch had managed to put together a dependable, if unorthodox, control system.
Dodging the militia and staying out of sight turned the trip into a three-week affair. Although the mercenaries covered a lot of ground in that time, they were actually only a long day's march from the outskirts of Houston.
Rianna had kept one ear and one eye on the civilian news services, trying to stay up-to-date on events in the capital. As Rose had predicted, the Clan invaders were being treated as honored guests. The media was careful to point out that the Clan force was small, but the arrival of more troops was inevitable and there was no word about Federated Commonwealth assistance.
Colonel Bahlyard had discovered that the invading Clan was the Jade Falcons. Rose wasn't surprised. Both the Falcons and the Steel Vipers had planets within two jumps of Borghese, although the Vipers were slightly more concentrated at the head of the Clan advance than the Falcons. Initial reports put the invaders at approximately company strength, about fifteen 'Mechs, with at least twenty-five Clan Elementals, the specially armored infantry that the media called Toads. Bahlyard had been unable to get a better count than that, as the Clans had performed a combat drop on the capital rather than debarking from the DropShip. Rose knew that was standard combat procedure, but even this small force descending on the city had a profound effect on the populace.
Since the initial drop, the Clans had kept their forces on the move, making accurate estimate impossible for the militia. Resistance up to this point had been nonexistent. The Council, which meant Crenshaw, had ordered the militia to surrender instead of fighting. Colonel Bahlyard had initially refused the order, but finally agreed to return to the city with his men. It was hard on the colonel, but it was a necessary part of the plan he and Rose had cooked up the night before the militia left the mercenary's camp.
Colonel Bahlyard and his men would start back to Houston, apparently obeying the orders of the Council. Such a large body of troops was bound to attract the Falcons' attention. The Falcons would have to send part of their force to watch over the incoming soldiers, leaving the rest to keep watch on the city. Rose planned to use the distraction of the militia to cover the arrival of his force. The militia would enter the city from the east, while Rose entered from the north.
It would require icy calm on the part of the militia. When the Falcons were in range, the militia was supposed to proceed toward the capital under the invaders' guns. Once the Clansmen learned that the city was under attack, they would be looking for a reason to fire on the militia. One false move and they'd have their chance.
The Black Thorns' part in the plan called for less courage during the initial stages. As the militia got closer to the city, so did the mercenaries. When Colonel Bahlyard finally made contact with the Clans, the Thorns would race the final distance toward Houston and the hyper-pulse generator station. Timing was critical because the mercenaries didn't know just when the militia would make contact with the Falcons. If the Thorns moved too soon, they'd be discovered, and if they moved too late, the Falcons would have time to react to their approach. In addition, every step closer to the city increased the chances that they might be discovered by a Clan patrol or a passing recon flight.
Rose checked the chronometer under his display. They'd been marching for eleven hours, the last two at an infuriatingly slow pace. It was well past dark and Rose could see the lights of Houston to the south when the comm unit signaled an incoming call. Rose's hand shot out to open the channel before the light could flash a third time.
"This is Black One."
"Green One here. We have company. Three plus five."
"Three plus five, confirmed. Black One out." Rose opened the command channel.
"Move out, Thorns. Pursuit, you have the lead. Speed is six-five kph." As the mercenaries picked up their pace, Rose filled them in on Bahlyard's message.
"The militia has three 'Mechs and five Elementals providing an escort." Per their plans, Rose understood that the first number of Bahlyard's message indicated the number of 'Mechs and the second indicated the number of Elementals.
"They broke a Star?"
"Affirmative." Rose had not initially considered it, but the question made him think for a moment. The Clans operated in groups of five. Five Elementals made a Point. Five Points made a Star. The same principle held true for 'Mechs, but each 'Mech was a Point all by itself, which meant the escort group was missing two 'Mechs or five more Elementals.