"Keep going, everyone!" he shouted into the command circuit "I'll hold the sentry!"

Grayson changed course slightly, swerving his Shadow Hawkto run directly toward the larger Crusader.The Kurita ‘Mech outweighed Grayson's Hawkby ten tons, but Grayson did not expect to stand and slug it out for long.

Five long-range missiles arced on twisting contrails of white smoke from the tubes set in the Hawk'sright torso. He saw one impact then another, and another, solid hits high up on the Crusader'schest. An alarm shrieked of incoming missiles and he sidestepped to the left, fast. Explosions rattled gravel from his ‘Mech's hull as he followed the missile salvo with a rapid-fire volley of laser bolts, then broke into an all-out lumbering run that hurled his ‘Mech across the remaining meters.

Something slammed into the Hawk'storso, low and to the right The explosion staggered him, but he kept the ‘Mech on its feet and moving. Other explosions bracketed the ground around him, and laser fire glanced from his left arm. He triggered the twin SRM tubes mounted on the Hawk'shead, the roar of the departing rockets thundering in the narrow cockpit. Smoke swirled in battle fog, momentarily so thick that he lost sight of the enemy. Changing direction, he lurched to the left. He considered triggering his combat radar, but quickly abandoned the idea. Using radar would give away his own position as readily as it would locate the enemy. The smoke thinned, and he stepped into the clear.

Grayson was close beside the end of the runway, the University walls above him. Flashes along the parapets showed where troops were hosing the attackers with machine gun and recoil less rifle fire, and bullets whanging off his hull armor reverberated through Grayson's ‘Mech.

McCall's Riflemanhad stepped all the way out onto the runway, twin autocannons and twin lasers flashing destruction and thunder into the hull of the Shiloneonly 250 meters away. Grayson saw part of the cockpit splinter in the flash of an autocannon shell, saw fragments of armor Vaulting into the sky. A hundred meters further on, one of the Slayer'sburned as Clay's Wolverineplied it with bolt after deadly bolt Techs and astechs scattered wildly before the onslaught. A few, braver or more foolhardy than the rest, had stopped and were blazing away at the BattleMechs along the field with rifles and hand lasers, but to no effect.

"Ain brred'ach! Sassenach!" Grayson heard the words over his battle circuit rather than through his external pick-ups, but the Caledonian's intent was plain enough. His Riflemanadvanced, weapons blazing, and the ragtag defenders threw down their weapons and fled in abject panic.

A blur of motion near the barracks on the far side of the field caught Grayson's eye. Lasers flashed, and one of the barracks took fire, throwing black smoke into the clear sky. The farthest Slayercame under a fusilade of fire that riddled wings and control surfaces, smashed at the cockpit, and pocked the hull with heat-charred streaks and craters.

Three for three. If the Kurita fighters weren't destroyed, they would be out of commission for a long, long time to come.

"Round up!" Grayson called. "Let's move out!"

Khaled's Stingerstood side by side with Lori’s Locust,spraying the parapets with laser fire. The defenders on the walls had scattered, but those two continued to lay down covering fire to protect the rebel hovercraft. Debrowski's Waspmoved northward, watching for foot soldier assault teams waiting to ambush the ‘Mechs as they withdrew.

"Way's clear, Captain," Debrowski reported. Grayson acknowledged and signaled the others. With their weapons still covering the city walls, they began to fall back to the north.

Explosions sent gouts of dirt and rock into the sky. Clay yelled a warning. "Watch the Crusader,on the right!"

The Crusaderwas 200 meters away to the east and closing, but there was nothing to block the Gray Death's retreat back toward the jungle and safety.

Grayson checked his forces, suddenly worried. All the other ‘Mechs were accounted for, but where were the rebel troops? After their sweep through the far side of the airfield, they should have been well to the north by now. Yet they were nowhere to be seen. He swung his Hawkaround, searching, and went cold inside. A pitched battle had developed close by the gate, where Brasednewic's troops had dismounted from their hovercraft and were forcing their way into the University gate. The carefully orchestrated plan was threatening to unravel before Grayson's eyes as the Verthandian rebels stormed the University tower.

Autocannon shells smashed into the Shadow Hawk'sleft side. In the east, the Crusaderwas advancing. Through the smoke and rising dust, Grayson could make out at least two more full lances of Kurita ‘Mechs in close formation less than a kilometer away. A churning dust cloud behind the ‘Mechs marked a small fleet of racing hovercraft, each loaded with Kurita line troops and Regis Blues.

The plan had definitely gone wrong.

32

 

"Brasednewic! What in the hell do you think you're doing?"

"The way's open. Captain!" the rebel commander replied. "We can push through to the University grounds!"

"And be trapped in a bottle...or can't you see that army approaching from the east?" Grayson didn't wait for an answer. "McCall! Clay! Help me hold off the Kurita ‘Mechs! Lori, Debrowski! See if you can help Brasednewic!"

Grayson's autocannon was delivering its rapid-fire thunder as he spoke, the shells smashing into the Crusader'shead and torso in a steady stream. McCall joined him, catching the enemy ‘Mech in a deadly autocannon crossfire. The range was too great for precisely aimed head shots, however, and the enemy ‘Mech too large to be felled quickly by a few lucky hits. The Crusaderstopped its advance, took a few steps backward under the withering fire, then straightened as though in a heavy wind and began to advance once more.

Grayson saw that the enemy ‘Mechs alongside were lighter machines, a scattering of Wasp's. Stingers,and Commandos,probably members of the Kurita Light Recon lance they'd encountered in the raid to free the Verthandian prisoners. They did not seem anxious to advance into the sleeting fire the three Gray Death ‘Mechs were laying down, even though most of it was concentrated on the larger Crusader.

"We're pulling out, Chief!" That was Lori's voice, and a quick glance at the gateway under the University towers showed the last of the hover vehicles pulling off on sharply tilted fans; sending rooster tails of dust high into the air behind them. The ferrocrete under the gateway arch was littered with bodies, blue Loyalist uniforms mingled with the greens, browns, and grays of the rebel troops. More blue uniforms were spilling through the gate as he watched. Lori's Locustbacked away, her machine guns raking the advancing mob until it wavered, broke, and tumbled back in disorder.

Grayson turned back to face the BattleMechs. The Crusaderwas much closer now, less than two hundred meters. This was going to be tricky.

"McCall! Clay! Fall back, but be ready to give me cover!"

The Riflemanand the Wolverineturned and lumbered north behind the Shadow Hawk.Laser bolts flashed and burned to Grayson's left. The recon ‘Mechs had spread out in a rough semicircle, and some of them were working their way to the north in an attempt to cut off the Gray Death's retreat.

Missiles smashed into the Shadow Hawk'sright arm as red lights flashed across Grayson's control panel. He brought the right arm laser into line, punched the firing control, and bit back a savage curse as the weapon refused to fire. He triggered his SRM tubes instead, and watched his last two missiles arc across the narrowing range and into the Crusader'schest.