Spence squinted at the screen, but he saw nothing out of the ordinary. “I don't see anything.”

“Thought I saw something move. Must have been my imagination.” Kahn rubbed his eyes with his left hand and went back to his seat. “I'm not used to the distortions on these nightscope video cams. It's not the same as the light amplification circuits on my 'Mech. Must take some getting used to.”

“Yeah, some.”

“You been working them long?”

“Longer than I like.” Any time was too long. Unity! He was tired, ready for sleep.

“Still got a haul on your shift?”

“Huh?” It was an effort to concentrate on what Kahn was saying. “Yeah, long haul.”

“Your relief will probably be late, won't he?” Kahn's voice was insistent, assured, and convincing. “La ... late ...”

“But it won't matter, will it?”

“Na ... no ...”

“The night is quiet. Nothing to be seen on the monitors. All is boringly normal.”

Kahn's voice was utterly convincing. Spence made no response.

Kahn gave a satisfied grunt and rose from his seat. He moved to the monitor console and brought an image from the bivouac area to the main screen. After adjusting the image quality, Kahn took a slim black case out of his tunic pocket. He placed the object onto the screen's casing and touched a button recessed into the upper edge. A set of small green letters and numbers began to glow at one corner of the case. They repeated the time and location codes from the video screen. Smaller letters on the case spelled out the word “recording.”

Within a minute, a figure in dark fatigues appeared on the screen. A patch on his shoulder caught a stray flash of light to reveal an open-jawed wolfs-head against a circular field.

The stocky shape walked casually past the tent bearing the personal insignia of Minobu Tetsuhara and disappeared briefly into the shadows. The man appeared again beside the tent and stepped up to the hovercar parked there. He lifted the hood and bent into the darkness beneath it. He did something and then shut the hood, looking around as though to see whether he had been observed. After a moment, the man vanished into the dark.

Kahn adjusted the controls on the console. The image he settled on showed a section of the perimeter fence. The green symbols on the box changed to match the new codes on the screen.

This time, it was nearly fourteen minutes before anything moved on the screen. The same man Kahn had just observed entered from the left, moving at a trot to the coiled wire fence. With a lithe spring, the man was over the wire, and landed in a crouch on the other side. He disappeared into the murk beyond the range of the camera.

Eight minutes later, he was back. He reentered the camp by cutting his way through the fence. Once inside, he spent a while burying small objects around the area. Still working at his task, the man moved out of the camera's field of view.

After Kahn could no longer see the man, he shut down his black case and put it back in his pocket. He took a small cylinder from another pocket and placed its end against Spence's jugular, creating a soft hiss from the cylinder. Kahn checked Spence's pulse and nodded in satisfaction as the counteragent for the drug he had administered earlier brought the Dragoon's pulse back up. The cylinder went back into Kahn's pocket. Before returning to his seat, Kahn replaced Spence's coffee with a fresh, full cup.

Kahn began to talk in a monotone. He spoke of boring things, creating clear, detailed word pictures of dull video monitors and duty shifts punctuated by cups of coffee.

“Must have faded out for a second,” Spence said eventually. His words were slightly slurred, but Kahn didn't seem to notice. He must be half-asleep himself, Spence decided. “What were you saying?”

“Wasn't important. I'm pretty beat myself. Think I'll turn in.”

“Lucky you. I can't leave till my relief signs on.”

“You'll be O.K.? Won't drift off again?”

“Naw. I just got this cup of coffee. It'll keep me going for a bit.” He took a sip. “Yuck! Must need this coffee. I was so drowsy that I forgot the sugar.”

Kahn smiled and shut the door behind himself.

Two hours later, the first explosion ripped the night.

Minobu was off his cot and dressing before the blare of the warning klaxon sounded. The blast of the first explosion had awakened him. Tunic halfway on and belt still in hand, he shouldered aside the flap of his tent and stepped into the cold, predawn air. The sounds of explosions and gunfire were coming from the southwest perimeter. The sentry 'Mech in that quadrant was flashing its searchlight around, groping to reveal the intruders. Soldiers were running in that direction. Most were half-dressed like Minobu, but all carried weapons. Among them was Kelly Yukinov. Minobu moved to intercept him.

“What is happening?”

“Not sure yet,” Yukinov said. “Looks like a commando raid on the southwest fence. Didn't think the Feds knew where we were.”

“Mechs?”

“Not that I know of. I'm on my way to check it out.”

“My skimmer will get us there faster.”

“Right.”

Michi, still rumpled from sleep but buckling on his side-arm nonetheless, stumbled from his own tent just in time to see the two officers leap aboard the hovercar. The engine roared to life, drowning out his shouted questions. Then the craft rose on its air cushion and roared away into the night, leaving Michi behind. Both disappointed and annoyed, he stood watching it go when the hovercar suddenly jerked to port and spun out. One skirt caught a boulder and the vehicle flipped high into the air. Silhouetted against the flare of a perimeter explosion, Michi saw a body tossed doll-like from the skimmer before the machine crashed heavily to the ground, where it lay in a broken, tangled mass.

Michi ran toward the wreck, stopping where he had seen the body land. Despite his prayers to Buddha, the body proved to be that of Kelly Yukinov. One leg was twisted back along itself, but the Dragoon's moan of pain showed he was alive.

“MedTech!” Michi shouted into the chaos of the night.

Michi looked about for his sensei,praying that Minobu had also been thrown free. The passing searchlight threw the scene into harsh relief. Stark whites and inky blacks chased each other across the wreck, making a grotesque picture. The hand that protruded limply from the crumpled skimmer made it all too real.

Michi left the Dragoon Major to fare for himself and dashed to the wreckage. Minobu was pinned within, and there was blood everywhere. With trembling fingers, Michi felt for a pulse. When he found none, tears flooded his eyes, but Michi did not let go of the sensei’shand.

22

South of the Shaw River, Barlow's End

Draconis March, Federated Suns

3 October 3026

 

Dragoon Lieutenant Dechan Fraser looked up at the sky and tried to decide if it was going to rain, but a careful scrutiny of the clouds left him no more enlightened than before. He walked back under the thermotec canopies that screened the waiting 'Mechs from aerial and orbital IR scanners. The shrouding diffused their heat signatures while complex camouflage patterns printed on the fabric masked the machines from optical observation.

The Lieutenant ambled over to a group of ‘Mech Warriors. Except for his own lancemates, he had never worked with any of them before. They were here in Millon's Woods on detached duty, a special “light company” assembled for the ambush from different lancers of Alpha Regiment elements present on Barlow's End. Like soldiers everywhere, the troops were grousing and trading scuttiebutt to kill time and to relieve the palpable tension that always preceded battle.

As Dechan approached, he recognized the pretty blonde ‘MechJock who was speaking as Jenette Rand, from Laskowski's Company. He'd hoped to get to know her better, but she didn't seem to have noticed him among all the other ‘MechWarriors. “Anybody know what happened to that Draco Colonel?” she was saying. “The one the Ryuken Jocks call the Iron Man?”