As soon as it seemed safe, Minobu ordered a standard cooling halt, which would not take long in Misery's chill climate. He really wanted to take stock of the condition of his troops and to attempt contact with Sederasu at Ryuken-go.
Minobu's Dragonhad seen less action than those he had joined. Though his 'Mech had come through the skirmish with relatively light damage, he had already used up a fourth of his autocannon ammunition. He knew that the others had to be even worse off.
He looked around at what had become, by default, his Command Lance.
Michi's red Ostrocwas the heaviest of the other 'Mechs, and it had suffered more damage in the last fight. The housing for one of the Fuersturm lasers dangled from its chest, shattered. Michi reported all other weapon systems functional, but did not mention the 'Mech's left arm, which hung loose and dysfunctional. Daylight showed through much of the shoulder assembly.
The next heaviest 'Mech was a Panther.Steam leaked from a gash in the side of its cockpit. The shredded and warped armor plates distorted the shape of the head, changing it from a hunting cat's snarl to a leering, half-decayed skull. The pilot said that he was experiencing excessive heat buildup, but that otherwise his 'Mech was functional.
The fourth of the Kurita 'Mechs was a heavily scarred Jenner.Its non-humanoid shape showed fresh damage almost everywhere. The only thing that seemed intact was the pilot's armored dome, which sat on the boom projecting from the base of the body. The ‘MechWarrior, incongruously cheerful, recited a list of ‘Mechanical failures and half-functional systems that left Minobu wondering how the machine had managed to get this far.
Survey of his tiny force complete, Minobu tried to contact Sederasu. The storm that hid them from pursuit also disrupted what little long-range communications the mountain peaks allowed. Minobu could not get through.
The commcenter was destroyed, disrupting Minobu's contact with his command. He had hoped to use the Tacticon computer and powerful communications equipment on board Sederasu's Cyclopsas a substitute. If he could call together the scattered Draconian forces and lead them to the bunker line west of Hamar Valley, the Dragoon momentum might be broken, giving the Kuritans a chance to recover.
Minobu ordered his lance into motion. Each time they crested a rise or cleared the lee of a peak, Minobu tried to reach other friendly units, but the contacts were too brief or garbled to be of any use. Finally, the wind shifted, blowing back the covering curtain of snow. Minobu hoped that it signaled a break in their luck.
It did, but not in the way he wanted. Instead of giving the Kuritans a chance for communication, the storm's capricious shift brought them a company of Dragoons.
Without conscious thought, Minobu aimed and triggered his long-range missiles at the oncoming 'Mechs. The Dragonbelched fire, but the enemy was already spreading out into an attack formation. His rockets roared past the leading pair, a white Griffin and a dark blue Shadow Hawk,and delivered their payloads to their target. Clouds of steam and smoke erupted around the shadowy shape of an Ostscout,which had been advancing cautiously in the trailing slot of the lead lance. The 'Mech staggered under the barrage and stumbled back, its upper torso savaged and one sensor arm amputated. The machine's sophisticated sensors had tracked the Kuritans, even through the blinding snow and the magnetic field distortions of the mountains. Guided by his ki,Minobu had canceled that advantage with his first shot. Now his troops had only to contend with the BattleMechs that outnumbered them three to one.
Surprise lost, the Dragoons opened fire. The Kuritans returned it.
Minobu concentrated his attacks on those enemies furthest away because his Dragonwas the best equipped to engage those targets. Any Dragoon 'Mech that he could take out before it closed to its own effective range was one less enemy to hurt the lance. He trusted Michi and the others to deal with the remainder of the leading Dragoon lance.
Minobu slipped into mushin ,thought and action becoming one. He was the Dragonand the 'Mech was the mighty Dragon of Kurita, breathing forth destruction on its enemies. He moved with a fluid grace, myomer pseudomuscles shifting his armor-clad body no more and no less than necessary to dodge enemy fire while setting up his own shots. The Dragonwas deadly. Several of the lighter Dragoon machines collapsed or withdrew from combat.
Having exhausted its long-range missiles, the Dragonturned to the closer-ranged fight and found that the odds had not improved. The Jennerlay crumpled, its cockpit dome still strangely untouched. Of the Panther,only scattered pieces were to be seen. Michi's red Ostrocremained standing, locked in a hand-to-hand struggle with the Griffin .
A blast from the Ostroc'schest-mounted lasers sent the Griffin staggering back, one hand raised as though to shield the exposed inner structure from further damage. Its foot slipped and it went down heavily.
The 'Mech's fall gave its partner the opening the pilot had been awaiting. The staccato roar of the Shadow Hawk'sautocannon drowned out the sound of its missiles launching.
The pilot was a good shot. The Ostrocshuddered as armor sprayed from its surface. Under the steady pounding, it jerked and shook.
The Dragon'sown laser hit the Shadow Hawk,breaking the pilot's concentration. The Dragoon cut his fire and rolled to cover.
The relief was too late for Michi's 'Mech. Sparking and smoking, the Ostrocbegan to topple.
Through the billowing dark cloud, a glittering package rocketed. Michi had waited a second too long to trigger the ejection system, and the chair flashed out at a dangerously low angle. The chute deployed but barely managed to slow the chair's furious speed before it plowed into the ground.
Dragoon rockets burned toward the Dragon,but the big 'Mech moved with surprising speed and grace. The missiles exploded harmlessly behind him as Minobu moved toward Michi's crash site.
A heavy laser pulse caught the Dragonin the back of his left leg. Dysfunction lights flashed red in the cockpit as the actuators froze and locked the leg in a slightly bent position. The Dragonlurched on, slowed by his wound. More and more of the Dragonlasers found enough purchase on his armor to burn through.
The interior of the Dragon'scockpit was suffused in the bloody glow of failure lights, while sensors flashed warning of an approaching mass. Minobu pivoted and twisted aside. He brought his battlefist down on the Shadow Hawkas the Dragoon 'Mech stumbled past. Tubing and framework crumpled as the fist tore across the backpack. Only the resistance provided by the Armstrong autocannon as it crumpled into uselessness saved the Shadow Hawk'scockpit from being split open. The Dragoon 'Mech crashed to the ground. It twitched once and was still.
The Dragonreturned to his course.
In the twisted wreckage of the ejection seat, he could see motion. There was movement in his three-sixty screen as well. Lost in concern over the fallen Michi, the Dragonwas slow to react.
A 'Mech crashed into his left side, but the attacker was too light to topple the Dragon'ssixty tons of mass, even had it struck cleanly. Though Minobu's reaction was slow, he sidestepped enough to reduce considerably the effect of the Dragoon's charge. The light machine clung to the Dragon'sside, punching with its fist in an effort to destroy the domed cockpit.
The Dragon'sautocannon arm swung around, shoving its muzzle into the side of the enemy 'Mech. Minobu's last shell cassette emptied into the unfamiliar machine. The pounding thunder beat against his ears as the backblast of the explosions sent shrapnel ripping into the Dragon'sside. The damage was negligible compared to what the explosions did to the Dragoon 'Mech. It fell away from the Dragonand lay on its back in the snow like a crushed insect.