Regardless of his concerns, Michi was chained to the present. His loyalty to House Kurita bound him to serve under Satoh, much as he wanted to follow Minobu, to stay by his side.

A loud voice near the center of the hut caught Michi's attention. It was Dragoon Colonel Jamison approaching Satoh about his worries. “Look, the ambush has come off. It's time to give our people some cover.”

“Yourpeople, Colonel,” Satoh corrected punctiliously. “The Achernar Proving Grounds are not yet invested. Until then, your 'Mechs are to continue to participate in this portion of the operation. It is all in the master plan.”

“At least send your light 'Mechs down to cut the highway across the dam.”

“Not possible at this time, Colonel. They will go when the Achernar facility is isolated. The timing of all phases is specified in the plan.”

“Plan! Plan!” Jamison shouted. He set his jaw and breathed noisily through distended nostrils. “The plan doesn't call for unnecessary deaths. If you stick to that piece of paper, you'll be killing people.”

“There are always deaths in battle, Colonel. Once we've encircled the Achernar facility, we will proceed to the next phase of the plan.”

“Then you'd better do your part. Zeta has already taken its objectives, according to the plan.It's your troops that haven't come through.”

“I am aware of that, Colonel.” A hint of annoyance crept into Satoh's voice and one corner of his mouth dipped into a petulant frown. “The Ryuken has run into unexpected resistance. A Davion mercenary unit, previously unanticipated, has appeared in the city. There will be a slight delay in completing the encirclement.”

That was too much for Jamison. He threw down his stylus and turned his back on Satoh. The Kuritan shrugged off the Dragoon's gesture and went back to reviewing reports from the Ryuken officers and comparing them to the maps spread on the center table.

Michi took advantage of Satoh's preoccupation to catch Jamison's eye. When he had the Dragoon's attention, he pointed to the commstation, then to his own ear, and finally at Jamison. The Colonel nodded and moved to the comm-deck the Dragoons had set up to relay data from Alpha Regiment's MHQ. Jamison picked up a headset to listen, but kept his eyes on Satoh.

Once he was assured that the Dragoon was being brought up to date, Michi gave Satoh the word that the ambushers had themselves been ambushed by the Eridani Light Horse. The Tai-sa'sface was impassive as Michi relayed the request for support from the beleaguered Dragoons. When Michi finished his report, Satoh acknowledged the news with a curt nod. Dismissing Tai-iNoketsuna with a wave of his hand, he returned to study the maps.

Jamison tossed down the headset and stormed up to Satoh.

“Wasn't word from the Shaw enough to get you moving? My people tell me that it's the Eridani Light Horse that's been holding up things in Landova as well.”

“Yes, Colonel,” Satoh said in a bored voice. “I believe that was the identification from the field.”

“And do you know their strength?”

“Not exactly, Colonel.” Satoh paused to collect a flimsy and peer at it carefully. “Battlefield intelligence reports in excess of two companies in the city.”

“Two companies! Unity, man! That means there's more than a battalion of Horsemen out there! This changes everything. Give up on this sham attack in Landova and pull out! We've got to regroup our forces until we know what we're facing.”

“No.” Satoh's visage was grim and unmoved, a rock to Jamison's storm waves.

“I'm not going to wait until they hand us our heads,” Jamison warned.

“Colonel, I would think very carefully before taking action in defiance of the plan approved by your PSL officer, the Coordinator's representative. Consider your contract.”

Jamison pulled himself to full height, towering over the man he faced. In a hard-edged voice, he said, “The contract requires us to fulfill our part in any approved plan. Zeta Battalion has fulfilled its objectives in that approved plan. To. The. Letter.”

Jamison turned on his heel and signaled the other Dragoon officers in the hut. They dropped what they were doing and followed him out. The last to go pulled the commdeck behind him, not bothering to close the door.

Satoh stood stiffly, arms at his side, watching them go. When a Kurita guard closed the door, Satoh turned to Michi.

“Tai-iNoketsuna, record that the Wolf's Dragoons commander-on-planet has abandoned his post. This hour. This date.”

“Hai, Tai-sa,”Michi acknowledged. Duty compelled Michi to do as he was ordered, and Minobu had taught him that duty was all to a samurai.

* * *

Jamison's evaluation of the situation made sense. Satoh's rigid adherence to the plan went against the principles that Minobu held for the Ryuken. Things would have been different if he had been here. But Minobu was not here. Satoh was. Michi's stomach churned as he did what he was told.

24

Shaw River Valley , Barlow's End

Draconis March, Federated Suns

3 October 3026

 

“Dom, watch the left!” Dechan Fraser called, while himself firing on a Commandothat had broken cover to close for a missile volley. His Shadow Hawk'sMartell laser grazed the Eridani 'Mech. Though Dechan could see no real damage, the enemy Jock scurried his machine back for cover.

Heeding Fraser's call, Dominguez pounded 90mm shells and laser fire into a pair of hostiles trying to advance in the shadow of the embankment.

The retreat up the river valley had been underway for the better part of an hour. The Light Company and Captain Stane's people had been leapfrogging each other, by turn firing then running. Having found some cover, Light Company was providing covering fire for Stane's unit.

Early on, Captain Laskowski's 'Mech had gone down when its leg collapsed. With the Eridani 'Mechs pressing forward, Dechan had been forced to abandon the Captain or lose the company. If the Captain survived, she could surely be ransomed from the Horsemen. In the meantime, Dechan was in charge of the company.

“Yo, Fraser!” Sergeant Tennler called over the taccomm. “Where's the help?”

“How the hell should I know? Ask Major Chan. He's in charge of this operation.”

“Tried to, sweetheart. Comm channel's full of static.”

“Great.” Dechan hoped that didn't mean that Chan and the rest of the Dragoons had gotten caught. He tried to tell himself that it was just the Unity-forsaken rocks eating the comm frequencies.

The Horsemen were pressing hard and not giving him much time to worry about the others. Dechan recognized the pattern. The Eridani 'Mechs stepped up the pressure just before they got support from the high ground along the banks of the dry river bed, which meant that the White Witches, trailing along the south bank, had caught up again. He looked up. Sure enough, the pale blue Zeusthat had been spearheading the Witches all along appeared on the lip of the embankment.

“Cover, troops. Hostiles at two o'clock high!”

The Zeusand its companions concentrated on the easy prey of Stane's Company as the Dragoon 'Mechs hurried to reach the meager cover that the Light Company held. Fire poured down on the fleeing machines. Like its namesake, the Zeushurled down thunder and lightning.

A full spread of missiles caught Stane's Phoenix Hawk,sending it crashing to the ground. The 'Mech hit hard and lay still. Stane's troops reacted instantly, closing in to cover their leader. Forgotten now were the crates they had been sent to acquire. Hurrying toward their fallen Captain, a Griffin and a Wolverinegrabbed the P-Hawkand dragged it away while the rest of the company returned fire.