"Bandits!" Grayson yelled into the command circuit. "Bandits at the tail of the column! Watch for flankers!"

He cut loose with his missiles then, which lanced on hissing white contrails into the tangle of jungle and ‘Mechs. The blasts shredded foliage and splintered trees. Struck full in the chest, the Pantherlurched backward a step before its right arm PPC swung up to answer.

Grayson triggered his ‘Mech's jump jets and vaulted into the sky. Branches and leaves smashed at his machine as it twisted in the air, threatening to send the 55-ton machine over on its side. He managed to stabilize and bring the Shadow Hawkdown for an unsteady landing further up the path. One of the LoggerMechsstood to the side of the trail, pumping machine gun fire into the advancing Marauder.

Grayson checked the number painted on the side of the AgroMech. "Olssen! Machine guns are no good against heavies! Back off!"

"I can hold 'em until you get clear!" Olssen's voice shot back.

The Marauderseemed to shake off the fury sleeting against its broad hull. As the egg-shaped torso pivoted on its support track, the ‘Mech's two massive, twin-barrelled arms dropped into line with the thin-skinned AgroMech. The Marauder'sPPCs spat man-made lightning, and the hull of the four-legged AgroMech seemed to crumple in the double blast. Forked blue bolts stabbed and flickered between the ‘Mech and the ground as the built-up charge spent itself. The Marauder's lasers added their fury to the destruction, as fire and smoke billowed from the LoggerMech'ssavaged interior.

Jenni Vikna's LoggerMechcame alongside the Shadow Hawkand seemed about to charge the enemy, but Grayson brought up one of his ‘Mech's hands. "Fall back, Jenni. That's an order!"

"But Harriman's in trouble..."

"Move out! Dammit, we can't help him!" he shouted, putting his Hawkbetween her LoggerMechand the battle. Keeping up a constant, sniping fire with his laser and missiles, he struck first at one ‘Mech, then another, and another. There was smoke boiling from the Panther'storso now, and an ugly gash where armor had peeled back and exposed the 35-ton ‘Mech's missile firing circuitry.

An Archerjoined the other three Kurita BattleMechs. With the covers already rolled back from the bulky LRM pods on each shoulder, its low-built, forward-thrusting cockpit section was menacing and somehow insect-like. With the Marauderin the lead and the PhoenixHawkclose behind, the four Kurita ‘Mechs crowded past Oissen's burning ‘Mech and started toward Grayson.

He'd thought Harriman Oissen was out of the fight, but the crippled LoggerMechseemed to pull itself together where it squatted in a half-crouch at the side of the trail. Turning, Oissen lunged into the Archeras the Kurita ‘Mech stepped past. The pair of ‘Mechs went down in a tangle of legs, the Archerhammering at the AgroMech with flailing, ineffectual hands. The Archerpilot must have screamed something over his radio, for the Marauderand the Phoenix Hawk,both further along the trail, stopped their advance and whirled to face the struggling ‘Mechs. The Panthersprang forward from the rear of the line, hammering at the thrashing tangle of metal.

In turning away from Grayson's ‘Mech, the Kurita Phoenix Hawkhad made a serious error, for its rear torso armor was extremely thin. Grayson slapped his Shadow Hawk'stargeting selector and swung his laser into line with the enemy ‘Mech's back. Laser light pulsed, struck, and a point of arc-light intensity appeared directly between the folded wing shapes of the ‘Mech's twin jump jet thrusters. His external sound pick-ups caught the rattling chatter of heavy machine guns close beside him as Jenni Vikkna added her ‘Mech's lighter firepower to his.

Armor spat from the Phoenix Hawk'sback in jagged pieces, exposing tangled wiring and the smooth, silvery polish of an internal fuel tank. Sparks from machine gun ricochets spattered and stung, smashing at the exposed wound Grayson fired again, saw wiring melt and splatter. There was a blue-white flash of short-circuiting connections as the enemy pilot mistakenly tried to fire his thrusters. Grayson knew at once what had happened, and instinctively flinched.

A ball of flame engulfed the Phoenix Hawkin an inferno that towered up through the trees, shrivelling blue-green leaves and scorching the bark of tree trunks on either side. The roar of the explosion quickly died, subsumed by the crackle of fast-burning jump fuel.

The fire cut off Grayson's view of the struggle over Olssen's ‘Mech, but it also cut the Marauderoff from the rest of the Kurita column. He shifted his aim to the Marauder'sback, aiming for the tender joint where the hull joined the leg train assembly, just below the twin power booster jet turbines on the back of the machine's hull.

He snapped off three shots with his laser, scoring close-range hits each time. Metal fragments scattered through the air, and the Marauderseemed to sag on its left leg as it turned to face him. One PPC flared...and missed. Grayson fired his laser and struck the heavier enemy ‘Mech in one arm. The other MarauderPPC fired, and Grayson's Hawkrocked as the bolt of high-energy particles smashed its leg and melted armor. Red warning lights flared. Grayson's ‘Mech was overheating from the combination of enemy hits and his free use of his own ‘Mech's laser.

He fired once more, sending his last pair of SRMs arrowing into the Marauder'shull, and following with a bolt of coherent light snapping into the gash they left. The Marauderseemed to hesitate, then spun and plunged into the dying flames alongside the charred and twisted wreckage of the Phoenix Hawk.The other two ‘Mechs had already retreated up the path, and their leader lumbered after them.

Grayson barked orders. "Everybody! All units! Keep moving, double time! I don't know if they've had enough or are just regrouping. But we're not going to hang around here to find out!"

The rebel column pressed on deeper into the jungle, heading north. On the trail behind them, they left two monuments to their close brush with the Kurita trap, the burned-out hulk of the Phoenix Hawkand the smashed and gutted corpse of Harriman Olssen's LoggerMech.

The skirmish could not really be called a victory, but it could become one if they could escape. Yet the cost of victory would be dear. Harriman Olssen had been only 15 standard years old and Grayson's personal responsibility. Worse, Grayson had liked him.

* * * *

Govemor-Nagumo studied the reports, his scowl darker than ever. Colonel Kevlavic stood at attention, grease acquired from some minor but urgent repairs to his Marauderstill fouling his usually immaculate uniform.

"Kevlavic, this is getting to be a habit with you. A very dangerous habit. They got away from you again!"

"Yes, sir." Kevlavic made no attempt to shift the blame. "Sir, I formally request replacement...and court-martial."

The request surprised Nagumo, but he held his reaction to a quick glance up from the printouts he was holding. "Court-martial? Why?"

"I...General, I don't know what else I could have done. I had limited intelligence... no clear idea of how many ‘Mechs the enemy had close at hand. I had only four ‘Mechs, with the rest deployed to guard the other approaches to Fox Island. We were set to trap the enemy when the satellite reconnaissance photos indicated that they weren't approaching the Island, but were turning off toward the north, into the deep jungle. I decided to reconnoiter in force with my lance. We blundered into a strong rear guard that was totally unexpected.