The first time might have been an accident, a missed signal. The second left no room for doubt. The Warlord had betrayed them, abandoned them to the mercy of the Dragoons. More, Samsonov had betrayed House Kurita. The Draconis Combine could ill afford the damage the Dragoons were inflicting. Even if the Dragoons were finally put down, the cost had run too high.
Samsonov would not be allowed to escape justice this time, as he had after Galtor. There could be no pardon from the Coordinator. The crime was too blatant, Samsonov's hand in it too visible.
But that did not improve the current situation. Minobu was still bound to follow the Coordinator's orders, still committed to destroying the Dragoons. When Samsonov did not arrive with additional troops, Minobu had no choice but to make do with what he had.
Now, for the first time in weeks of struggle, there seemed to be a hope of achieving that end. Many of the 'Mechs taken out during the trap at Opdal Glacial Fields were back in the line, having been repaired with parts from other machines crippled in subsequent battles. The Kuritans were stronger than they had been since that terrible day on the glacier. Even so, this was a last gasp, their final chance at an offensive action against the Dragoons.
Wolf's main body had been maneuvered into position. Minobu's own forces were also in place, awaiting word from the Eighth Sword of Light, who should have reached their jump-off points two hours ago. Any minute now, Minobu thought, they would signal that they had begun their assault.
As if on cue, a commtech approached. He bowed deferentially and presented a message flimsy. “From Sho-shoTorisobo, Eighth Sword of Light, sir.”
Minobu ignored the outstretched hand and its paper. “What does he have to say?”
“He reports success, sir. The Dragoons are moving down onto the plain. He reports all is proceeding according to plan.”
According to plan. Such a simple phrase for something so complicated. If Torisobo's message was accurate, the Dragoons, surprised by the Sworders' assault, would be moving in front of the Ryuken and the Galedon Regulars' hidden positions. Unaware of their enemy, the Dragoons would be exposing their flank. In the usual morning snow-storm, visibility would be low. The Dragoons would move close without realizing their danger, and short-range fire would devastate their ranks. The Kuritans would be among them in the first rush. The battle would be brutal, but it would reduce the Dragoons' advantage of trained gunners, giving the Draconis forces a chance to win.
Minobu had placed all of his hopes on that slim chance.
There had been no brushes with Dragoon reconnaissance for two days. He was sure that his forces had reached their positions undetected by enemy scouts. Surely the plan would succeed. Why then, he wondered, did he feel this tremendous sense of impending disaster?
Brooding would do no good, he decided. With the Dragoons on the move, his place was in the commcenter, where he could coordinate the Draconis forces. His step was firm as he walked the corridor to the center.
The first unit he checked was his own former command, the Ryuken- ni”. It took some time, but he got Chu-saEarnst on the hard line that kept the Dragoons from intercepting Ryuken communications. The Chu-sa'svoice was confident.
“The morning snow has arrived as scheduled, Tai-sho.Visibility is less than fifty meters most of the time. No sign of ... wait.” The empty line hissed slightly. Earnst was back in a few seconds. “I see ... yes, they are ... BattleMechs, Tai-sho.The Dragoons are walking into ourtrap this time.”
“Commence the attack at your discretion, Chu-sa.Make it count,” Minobu urged.
“Understood, Tai-sho.We'll ...”
Earnst's words dissolved into static.
Minobu knew that the hard line they were using would not turn to static unless it had been cut.
Something had gone wrong.
“Break radio silence,” he ordered the commtechs. Communication with his officers was now vital. “I want all commanders in the net.”
The commtechs looked up, surprised by the vehemence in his voice.
“Move, sluggards! Open the net right now!”
The commtechs reported heavy traffic on the net. It took them several minutes to override and break in. “Ryuken- ni,” one announced as a voice came up on the speaker.
“Negative! Negative! Fire forward!”
“Where is Chu-saEarnst?” Minobu demanded.
“His 'Mech is down. We've lost contact with him.” The voice had taken on an hysterical edge.
“Calm down! This is Tai-shoTetsuhara. To whom am I speaking?”
The authority in Minobu's voice seemed to reach the man on the other end. He gobbled a couple of times before responding in a slightly steadier voice, “Chu-iBenedict Kerasu, sir.”
“Report, Chu-i.”
“It's the Dragoons, sir. They aren't fleeing. They're heading straight in on us, attacking. I don't know how, but they know our position. We haven't fooled them.” The hysteria returned to his voice. “We're being slaughtered! We're being overrun! There are Dragoon 'Mechs everywhere!”
The transmission broke up.
“Get him back,” Minobu ordered brusquely.
After several tries, the commtech reported, “Enemy jamming is blanketing Ryuken- ni's position. We can't punch through.”
“Keep trying.”
While Minobu was trying to get sense out of the distraught Chu-i,his staff had been laboring feverishly to sort through the garbled reports from the front and to update the situation map in the holotank. The link to Kerasu lost, Minobu turned to inspect their labors.
“It is very bad, Tai-sho,”Saraguchi announced. “We have break-throughs throughout the center. All Ryuken Regiments are reporting heavy Dragoon assaults. Twenty-First Galedon is completely out of touch.”
“What about Seventeenth Galedon?”
“They report their sector quiet.”
“Well, we can't afford to let them sit idle. Have them move to back up Ryuken- go. If we can stabilize that flank, it may give Sword of Light time to come to our relief again.”
Minobu didn't really think that was likely. Things had gone too far.
He spent the next two hours ordering shifts in the Kurita dispositions. Each time he thought he had gotten a unit across the enemy line of advance, a Dragoon unit would show up on the flank or in the rear, rendering the new position untenable. It was as though Wolf were reading his mind. The Dragoon assault began to seem unstoppable.
Suddenly, the command post shook with the violence of a nearby explosion. Around him, men pitched to the floor. Beating a constant tattoo under the sound of missile detonations came the familiar vibrations of high-speed 'Mech movement. Explosive thunder echoed hollowly within the walls of the center.
A nearby salvo ripped a hole in the commcenter's back wall, and the blast floored everyone in the room. When he had regained his feet, Minobu rushed to the hole, hurtling over the shattered remains of the holotank. Heedless of the frigid wind, he stared out at the BattleMechs assaulting the compound. At their head was a blue and gold Archer.
A Kurita Pantherappeared from nowhere to contest the passage of the Dragoon 'Mech. The Archerbore down on the defender, crashing its full seventy-ton mass into the lighter 'Mech. The Panther'sPPC flared, a puny beacon against the gathering storm clouds. The Archersmashed the Pantherwith its right arm, toppling the Kurita 'Mech, which crashed into a workshed and out of sight.
The Archerstrode into the main compound as though it were master of the place. Following behind, its lancemates continued to pour destruction on the compound. The Archerloomed over Minobu and halted. Its next step would have taken it into the flimsy prefabricated structure that was Minobu's headquarters.