As he and his team sat down to plan strategy early the previous evening, the odds had seemed to grow longer. By the time he told everyone to hit their racks around midnight, Rose had privately concluded that victory would be out of the question. With luck they could manage a draw.
Making last-minute adjustments to his flight suit and neurohelmet, he thought what a fool Carstairs had been to think he was getting something so dear to Rose. If Rose hadn't possessed the back-up suit, he'd never have traded away the first, no matter what the 'Mech. The suit's advanced technology was too valuable to a man in combat. Satisfied that all was ready, he opened a radio link.
"This is Thorn One. Prepare to move out. "Ajax, are you on-line?"
"I'm here, Captain."
"Is McCloud with you?"
"I'm here, Rose." Ajax and McCloud would watch the fight from the command bunker. Sensors scattered throughout the practice field were augmented by satellites to provide a full view of the action. Although McCloud had not officially signed on, she and Ajax would be able to observe the whole engagement from a perfect vantage point. Their analyses and critiques would be valuable in debriefing the unit later on.
In an actual battle Rose would have wanted his unit in constant communication with the command center, wherever that might be. On most Com Guard missions, that would have been a forward command post or else the regimental commander. If he could persuade McCloud to join the unit, he would hope to use the Drop-Ship as a command post.
"Black Thorns, move out on my command. Execute Zero One, as we planned. Maintain radio silence until you have contact with the enemy."
Rose moved to the front of the pack and looked back at the assembled 'Mechs. Each pilot was alone in a cockpit, wrestling with his or her own emotions as the countdown continued. It was a hard feeling to explain to civilians, but his prefight state of mind was always one of extreme calm. As though he was in the center of a hurricane. Planning done, there was nothing left to do but execute and adapt. The brief time passed quietly when Ajax came on the line.
"Green signal, Captain. You are free to move." Without responding, Rose stepped forward. Rianna and Angus quickly took the lead and moved ahead of the remaining 'Mechs. When they were three hundred meters ahead of Rose, they slowed their pace and kept the same distance from the rest of the pack.
Per the plan, Rose was in the center of the remaining 'Mechs, with Hawg and Esmeralda on either side. Badicus brought up the rear, occasionally sweeping the rear quarter of the moving formation in the unlikely event that an enemy was behind them. Kilometers disappeared under the giant metal feet of the Black Thorn 'Mechs.
After ten minutes the two lead 'Mechs broke sharply to the left and began a new course designed to bypass the small town. The remaining four 'Mechs followed in their wake, but Esmeralda and Badicus changed places. Hawg was now the closest to the village and the Shadow Hawkcovered the far flank. Thirty minutes later the unit had completely by-passed the town. Moving steadily, they approached the Dragoon staging area from the far side. While the main body stopped and Angus moved to protect the front, Rianna brought her Phoenix Hawkforward.
"I have six sets of tracks, moving quickly," she said. "The deep impressions look like heavies or assaults. It also looks like any of the smaller tracks got erased by the trailers. You were right, Captain. They ran straight for the town at flank speed."
"So far, so good. Let's stick to the plan and follow them in."
Rianna moved quickly to the Valkyrie'sside and the two 'Mechs led the unit toward the town along the Dragoons' path. This time, however, the two lighter 'Mechs kept well under the guns of the heavier 'Mechs that followed them. It took sixty minutes of slow maneuvering before the town registered on their long-range scanners. The tracks still led straight into it.
Rianna and Angus stopped and waited for the others to catch up. As Rose covered the distance, he motioned Esmeralda forward with a wave of the Charger'shuge hand. Despite her Warhammer'slighter weight, the 'Mech packed the heaviest armament, and Rose wanted to get it into the fight as quickly as possible.
Esmeralda took the point, with the remaining Thorns following her at a slightly staggered distance. At eight hundred meters, she broke radio silence.
"Bingo! Two targets behind Building Six." Without waiting for a reply, she broke into a run toward the distant buildings. The rest of the unit followed her at their best speeds. As they reached the three-hundred meter mark, Rose's scanner had locked on to six of the Dragoon 'Mechs. Arranged in a classic ambush position among the buildings of the town, they were—fortunately for the Thorns—also facing the wrong way.
Rose continued to close the distance and realized that the Dragoons had not even bothered to watch their backs. Screened by the buildings and with their opponents' attention in the wrong direction, the Thorns had closed to within two hundred meters before the first of the Dragoons began to move.
Rianna hit her jump jets, riding the twin columns of flame to the top of the nearest building. From the roof she had a perfect vantage point to fire at a Crusader,one of the two nearest Dragoon 'Mechs. The Valkyriejoined her on the roof as she fired both Sunbeam lasers. At pointblank range the twin lasers should have scored easy hits, but the second shot flew wide. As the target moved out of cover, Rose could see the Dragoon Crusaderreturn fire, its left torso gouged with simulated laser damage. Two flights of LRMs flew to the roof as Angus also targeted the 'Mech. The LRMs exploded around Rianna's Phoenix Hawk,sending chunks of armor into the street below. Her 'Mech staggered, but Rianna quickly brought it under control, jumping off the roof just as the second Dragoon filled the air with charged electrons. Angus followed Rianna deeper into the town.
Rose quickly lost track of the two lighter 'Mechs and concentrated on the Dragoon Crusader.Still running, he triggered the Artemis and watched with satisfaction as the computer showed his missiles blasting away armor previously weakened by Rianna's laser. Esmeralda added two solid PPC hits, and the Crusaderstaggered backward. The infrared readings On the Dragoon 'Mech shot into the red as the master computers of the practice field dictated an engine hit. The Dragoon lost his balance, the Crusadertumbling backward, out of sight.
Esmeralda tried to press the advantage, but the second Dragoon, a shiny new Zeus,lumbered into view to provide cover for his fallen comrade. Joining the fray, Hawg fired his autocannon and LRMs into his Dragoon counterpart. Badicus meanwhile had jumped to the roof recently vacated by Rianna and Angus, and was firing into the side of the Zeus.Esmeralda had just reached the nearest building when the Dragoon reinforcements arrived.
Leading the counterthrust was an egg-shaped Imp,backed by an Annihilatorand a Dragoon trademark Archer.Rose's heartbeat filled the cockpit as the two 100-ton 'Mechs tried to fire past the Zeus.
"Hawg, round the building from the side." Rose hoped Hawg was listening as he looked for cover and fired another salvo of missiles at the Zeus.Esmeralda did a good job of keeping the Zeusbetween her and the assault 'Mechs, but that only made them target Rose instead.
The Annihilatorraised both arms and fired all four autocannons. The cluster munitions scattered like a shotgun upon leaving the barrel, spraying Rose with a hail of simulated shot. The Charger'sentire right side was shredded as the shots tore into its arm, torso, and leg. The inhibitors kicked into life and the right leg went stiff for just an instant, simulating the stopping power of the deadly volley. Rose was slammed to the left of his seat as the Chargerstumbled around. He had almost brought the 'Mech under control when the Impfired both PPCs.