"In most fights, that would have been the end of it. Outnumbered three to six, any sane person would have turned and fled. Not these guys. The two Vultureshad been engaging the rest of my unit with LRMs, using the remaining Ryokenas a spotter. Despite repeated attempts, nobody had hit the quick 'Mech, and the missile launchers were well-concealed behind a low hillock."

"I ordered Hopper to stay back while Jenkins and I flanked the two Vultures.As we rounded the hill, I ordered the rest of the lance to charge the Vultures."

"If the tactic surprised the two, they certainly didn't act like it. They each made a half-turn and put their backs together. Jenkins and I exchanged blows with one Vultureas Morressy, Batteil, and Tiegard took on the other and the remaining Ryoken.Missiles arced toward us and we returned fire. As the range decreased, the Ryokenadded its own lasers, mostly directed at the Thug.It wasn't a fight, it was an endurance test. The two Clan pilots just sat in one spot and traded shots with us as we attempted to finish them."

"My heat was climbing fast and Jenkins was only able to fire his SRMs when Tiegard killed a Vulturepilot with a Gauss rifle shot to the head. Sometime during the fight Batteil destroyed the other Ryokenby setting off an ammunition explosion, but I didn't see that 'Mech fall."

"I offered the remaining two warriors a chance to surrender, but they didn't respond. Maybe they never heard me. Tiegard killed the other Vulturewith a shot to the back. It all seemed so stupid. We had them beat and they forced us to prove it, dying in the process."

"We were still licking our wounds when we got word that another group was on the way. We limped back to our original positions and tried to support Hopper as much as possible during the next fight, and the next, and the next. Those Clanners were like some unstoppable wave crashing into the shore. By the end of that first day we had killed fifteen Clan 'Mechs, but none as heavy as the first two Vultures."

"Night came on, and the supply trucks brought ammunition, but we stayed in the field. Batteil and I made what repairs we could, but except for simple armor repair, most of the damage was beyond our meager ability to fix. Hopper's Crablooked like a one-armed target and Morressy's Exterminatorlimped badly from a severed foot actuator. I could barely believe my 'Mech had not been touched in the fighting. Tiegard said I was marked to survive the campaign, but I laughed off her comment. The next morning she gave me a letter she asked me to open only if she did not survive."

"What do you do in a situation like that? This woman had already decided she was not going to make it and most of the unit shared her feeling. From that moment on it was as though I commanded a unit of dead men who believed that I was the only one destined to live. They had given up on themselves and were channeling all their strength into ensuring mysurvival. How do you deal with that? They don't teach you how to live with a person who already knows he's dead, not even at Sandhurst."

"The next day we remained in our position and waited. Fifteen hours later we were still hiding, waiting for the Jaguars to stumble into our position. Our power down to a trickle, communications gear set to receive only, each warrior waited alone with his or her thoughts. We listened to the progress of the battle and wondered if, and when, we would receive the call, but fate is fickle. As the sun slipped behind the mountains we received word to maintain positions. The Jaguars were on the run and it looked as though they were about to abandon their position in the mountains. If the line began to collapse, we were to add pressure and make sure they didn't try to regroup. It was just past seven when we got the order to move out."

"We were directed across the valley and toward the retreating Jaguars. Soon we passed the remains of many beaten and broken 'Mechs, Com Guards and Clan alike. We had just entered the valley floor when we saw one of their huge DropShips take off at the far end. External speakers began to pick up the sound of distant conflict. As we approached, we could see other elements of the Com Guards engaging the Jaguar rear guard. My unit broke into a run and threw its weight against the Jaguar line. Almost immediately I lost sight of everyone but Tiegard."

"Despite the press of 'Mechs around me, I fought like a man alone, screaming at my enemies and firing at any Jaguar 'Mech that moved. I fought first with the autocannon, but soon exhausted the munitions. I fought like a man possessed and all the while Tiegard was next to me, matching my fury with icy calm."

"Dozens of times the Jaguar line threatened to break, and just as often one of their warriors would stop the tide. DropShips rose into the sky above us, lifting the Jaguars out of our reach. Frustrated, we threw ourselves at the remaining defenders, but they would not be broken."

"Eventually even my battle lust abated. There was Tiegard at my side, her 'Mech gouged by laser fire and missile impacts. We began to look around for the rest of the unit, eventually discovering three of the other members standing around the remains of Morressy's blackened Exterminator.A Clan strike had bored into the heart of the 'Mech, destroyed the engine shielding and the man above it. We stood there dumbstruck until the recall sounded and the salvage crews arrived."

"Morressy had been right. He did not survive the battle. I was numb from the shock of losing my first unit member in combat. The greatest shock, however, was delivered by Hopper. As we moved out of the mountains he remarked about my 'Mech's condition. Despite having participated in the thickest part of the fighting, it had only taken damage from two Clan attacks. Switching to Hopper's video feed, I saw that a nearly perfect 'X' had been stitched across my 'Mech's chest by the fire from twin lasers."

14

Solaris City , Solaris

9 August 3054

 

Carstairs gulped for air and stood up from the couch. "You're joking."

"I'm not."

"I've been in this business nearly all my life and I've never heard anything like that. You're joking, of course. I need another drink."

"No more for me."

Carstairs disappeared behind Rose, reappearing quickly with his glass refilled. As he returned to the couch and sat, Rose abruptly stood.

"You're not leaving me, are you?" Carstairs said. "You said I'd hear the whole story."

"No, I'm not leaving," Rose told him. "Just need to stand up."

Carstairs swung his feet around on the couch and settled back into the arm. With his drink on his chest, he motioned Rose to continue.

"Before I do, where is Esmeralda tonight?"

"What? I guess she must be over at O'Shea's place. He's bound to be depressed after missing the fight. Why do you ask?"

"No reason. Just curious."

"You were saying?"

"I was saying we pulled out of the mountains and redeployed to meet the rest of the Smoke Jaguars in the Racice Delta. For the next thres and a half days I fought marsh, swamp, farmland, and river bottoms. Through it all, my 'Mech took only light damage, most of which the tech crews assigned to the unit were able to repair overnight."

"Despite some hard fighting, most of the Jaguars seemed to think the campaign was finished. They took us on at every opportunity, but not with the same intensity they'd snowed in the mountains. Seven days after landing, the Smoke Jaguars left Tukayyid."