Chou waited a moment before clearing his throat to remind the Chu-saof his presence.

“I have not forgotten you, Sho-saChou.”

Something in Akuma's voice suddenly made Chou wish that he had.

“This is your moment of glory,” Akuma continued. “Send out the attack orders. You may personally lead the assault on Boupeig barracks.”

46

Cerant, An Ting

Galedon Military District, Draconis Combine

11 January 3028

 

Sho-saChou brought his Dragon'snose back into line with his course through the northeast quarter of Cerant. As his 'Mech pounded past apartment buildings battered by eight days of combat, bricks cascaded in a dusty roar as one wall crumbled from the vibrations created by the sixty-ton BattleMech's passage. Gray dust billowed up.

The predicted outflanking maneuver by the Dragoons had failed to materialize. Like so many reports of their movements in the last eight days, it was false. The Dragoons were phantoms, striking and disappearing. They seemed to roam the city almost at will.

It was a sorry state of affairs. An Ting was a Combine planet, and Cerant a Kurita city. Vagabond outsiders should not have so easy a time, nor should they be able to lead loyal Draconians on such a chase. Time and again, the mercenaries had drawn Ryuken 'Mechs into costly ambushes or made lightning raids against supposedly secure rear areas.

Combat in a city did not usually lend itself to such bandit tactics. It was almost as though the Dragoons could see everything that moved in Cerant, though Chou knew that was impossible. The orbital space above the city was a hotly contested no-man's-land. DropShips and fighters became instant targets, and so were unable to make surveys of the planet below. The mercenaries had to be relying on ground reconnaissance, as were the Ryuken.

If the Ryuken's reconnaissance was poor, its combat performance was worse. Chou had marshaled his 'Mechs for the assault on Boupeig barracks in textbook-perfect order, but the offensive had gone wrong from the start. Though the Kurita 'Mechs reached their jump-off points without incident, with no indication from the Dragoon commnet that they were expecting an attack, a company of BattleMechs had suddenly blasted through his lines.

The lead machine was a dark blue Shadow Hawkwhose chest was painted with a falcon. Its pilot fought with a fierce courage, outshining his fellows. The Dragoon machines swarmed through the assembling Kurita 'Mechs, catching them totally by surprise. They surprised the Ryuken pilots even more when they continued forward without stopping.

The Dragoons had created havoc in the brief fight. Two Ryuken 'Mechs were out of commission and several more damaged before the Kurita assault even got underway. If the Dragoons had sustained more than light damage, Chou did not know of it.

Though the blow to Ryuken morale was bad, the greatest harm was that the Dragoon company had alerted the barracks compound to the presence of the Kurita 'Mechs. By the time the assault forces went at them, most of the defending BattleMechs were already powered up and ready for it.

The mercenaries managed to put up strong resistance, and the Ryuken failed to achieve many of their early objectives. When the fighting became prolonged, the timetable slipped further and further. The attack finally shuddered to a halt when two mercenary 'Mech lances hit the Ryuken flank. Chou later learned that those had been simulator 'Mechs, piloted by green trainees. At the time, it hadn't mattered, for the mere appearance of fresh forces was enough to crumble his flank.

A nearby explosion brought Chou back to the present. A black cloud mushroomed ahead of him, flames licking at it. He brought up the Dragon'sspeed, heedless of the low traction on the paved city streets. Chou was afraid he knew what had happened.

Two minutes later, those fears were confirmed as he skidded the Dragonto a halt and gazed dejectedly on the scene of devastation. While he and the Ryuken had been distracted, the Dragoons had slipped in a force to hit the Ryuken field command. The command camp was a shambles, and the two little guard 'Mechs were scrap heaps. The explosion had come from an ammunition supply carrier and destroyed Chou's comm tent and Ryuken- ichi'slast coolant vehicle. The fire raged out of control, spreading eagerly to the nearby buildings. There was nothing Chou could do here.

Second Battalion had been holding the city south of First Battalion's position, but he'd received no word from them since noon. Third Battalion was engaged with Lean's Company on the far side of Cerant. To get there, First would have to cross Dragoon-held portions of the city. Considering the First's depleted force, that would be a fool's errand.

The high and mighty commander of Ryuken- ichihad been absent from the commnet all morning, attending some kind of planning session. A strategy session without the Ryuken field commander? It made no sense. Damn Akuma to all the seven hells. His machinations had inflamed the Dragoons to raw hatred and brutal savagery. How could Akuma have gotten Warlord Samsonov's approval for such wrong-headed plans? Didn't the Tai-shounderstand what he was dealing with? Did he believe that Akuma could manipulate these people at will?

The Ryuken were now in the trap Akuma had intended for the Dragoons, but Chou was not going to allow the regiment to be destroyed. What was left must be saved to fight again in service to House Kurita. With Chou unable to contact Akuma, he was in charge. For the first time, he considered Akuma's absentee generalship as a benefit.

Before Chou could save Ryuken- ichi, however, he had to save First Battalion. There hadto be a way out. Calling up a tactical map to look for a way south to join with Second Battalion, he found several paths clear of Dragoon positions. That is, they had been when the map was last updated. Chou chose to believe that it was accurate, for otherwise all hope was lost.

The Sho-sasummoned the remnants of First Battalion to rally on him. Once consolidated with Second, they could fight their way to Third and retreat from the city, leaving Cerant to the mercenaries. The Dragoons were acting as though they owned it already. To contest it would be death for the regiment.

Two lances joined him almost at once. Chou sent a Pantherahead to scout and ordered the rest to spread out and advance along parallel streets. For fifteen tense minutes, they proceeded through empty streets. Chou was sure every man was expecting to meet a Dragoon ambush at every intersection. He certainly did. It was a fear they had all lived with for days now, a fear that killed morale. The real deaths of the soldiers would follow unless Chou could get them out.

As Chou's radar pinged out warning of incoming aircraft above the city, a red blip appeared on his screen. A second later, the IFF system flashed the bogey to green. Checking the identification panel, Chou learned that it was the Kurita DropShip Alabaster.He halted the Dragonand tried to pick up a visual. The 'Mechs nearest him stopped as well.

When he finally caught sight of the ship, Chou wished he hadn't bothered. The DropShip was flying erratically, foundering and bucking as it plowed through the atmosphere. As the craft suddenly veered sharply to port, viscous black smoke began to pour from a gap that had once been covered by a cargo bay door. The DropShip disappeared from sight behind the buildings. Though it was kilometers away when it crashed, the tremor swayed Chou's BattleMech.

The Sho-sascanned the skies. He knew his eyes could not see anything that the Dragon'ssenses would miss. Perhaps, he eluded himself, he was looking for salvation. The crash of the Alabasterdid not bode well for a Kurita victory in the orbital battle.