Captain Jenette Rand, out on point a klick forward of our positions, reported two Stalkers,a King Crab,and a BattleMasterin the first lance she spotted. Assault 'Mechs all. She observed a variety of color schemes but no unit markings. I called her back. Her Mongoosewouldn't last a minute against that kind of firepower.

The approaching 'Mechs were moving in a tight formation. They were still several minutes away, so I gave orders to take up ambush position. We might be outnumbered, but if we could get in a few shots before having to retreat, I figured we'd be ahead of the game.

Rand's Mongooseburst out of the dry streambed she'd been using for cover from the approaching assaults. "More incoming," she radioed. " 'Mechs to the southeast."

I moved my Lokialong the ledge to where I could command a view in that direction. She was right. Half a dozen light 'Mechs, mixed Omnis and old tech models, were racing toward us. There was no doubt who they belonged to; bold black betas decorated their sandy camo patterns. Several launched long range missiles at Rand's 'Mech and started hammering away with their light autocannons.

I alerted Corwyn's lance and gave them license to engage. They were in the path of the Beta 'Mechs, but the rough terrain between them and the approaching assaults would mostly screen them. I fired a seven-centimeter laser at the lead light, a Puma.The beam ripped across the broad shell of armor that shielded the boxy hunched torso. Having gotten the jock's attention, I also took a hit from a PPC, whose manmade lightning chewed armor from the left side of my Loki.The Puma'ssecond bolt missed.

Then Corwyn's lance opened up, and the Pumajock had a lot more to think about. He'd shown he was dangerous, and Corwyn's people gave him their best. Armor disintegrated und,er the barrage. The Pumastaggered, then hopped a couple of steps to the side under the pounding. A jet of steam erupted through a crack in the Puma'sright-arm armor. Joint seals blew, and the arm dropped from its extended firing position. Rand's Mongooseturned and blasted three laser beams into the crippled Omni. The Puma'scockpit blew open as the pilot ejected, his 'Mech crumpling to the ground.

The second of the Omnis, another Pumabut with a different weapons configuration, caught Rand's Mongoosewith a heavy laser, the beam of coherent light punching straight through her 'Mech's left torso. The pilot followed up with a salvo of autocannon fire that slammed the Mongoose,twisting it around. The arms of Rand's Mongoosearms flailed as it fell heavily. I didn't see her eject.

Grant moved his Archerup beside me and opened up on the Beta 'Mechs. The combined fire from Corwyn's lance and our two heavies from a superior position made the Beta warriors reconsider their position. In minutes they had gone from chasing a lone scout to a full-blown firefight against superior numbers.

They had just started to pull back when long-range missiles began to explode along the cliff face above Grant and me. A second barrage arced over the lights to impact beyond them.

The assault 'Mechs had come into range and we were exposed. I had halted and dust was starting to settle on the motionless 'Mechs. Another lance, two

Daishisand two Mad CatOmniMechs, was taking up position to the left of the first lance while another lance of mixed heavies and assaults moved into position on the right.

The quality of the 'Mechs told me that this wasn't the missing mercenary battalion. I didn't need to hear the commander's announcement to know that Zeta Battalion had arrived at long last.

"This is J. Elliot Jamison of Zeta Battalion. This has gone on long enough."

"Yeah," Grant crowed over our lance channel. "We're gonna kick some butt now!"

"Cease now, Wolf."

"What? They're supposed to be on our side!" Grant's tone was more affronted than confused.

"Why?" I asked on an open band.

"I didn't come to talk to you, Cameron. I don't know why you let the Trial of Position take place, Jaime, but now it must be upheld. So what's it going to be, Jaime Wolf?"

I realized Jamison thought he was communicating with the Colonel. Grant, in the Colonel's old Archer,was silent.

"If that's the way you want to play." There was a short pause. "I sincerely regret this. Zeta, attack."

The Zeta 'Mechs disappeared in billowing clouds of missile exhaust. The blue lightning of PPC beams and the ruby spears and eye-searing pulses of laser weapons burned through the smoke, raining onto our position.

The barrage flayed Grant's Archer,the main target of the attack, but my Lokicaught many of the shots that missed Grant. Alarms shrieking of failing systems, the Lokibegan to topple. The ammunition explosion that vaporized the Archerpicked my machine up and tossed it away. I don't remember my Lokihitting the ground.

49

The night march had been long, but accomplished with surprising ease. But afterward Dechan Fraser still could not sleep. He was tired and needed rest, but his tent was so stifling and confining that he got up to walk among the sleeping BattleMechs. In the gray light of predawn, the plain should have been quiet. Instead the million soft sounds of a MechWarrior camp buzzed, clanked, rattled, scraped, hummed, and hissed around him. It was almost as if the 'Mechs stirred restlessly in their sleep, but it was only the tech crews tending to the machines after their long march.

Dechan was staring at the sky, pondering the coming day, when a bright flash—like a shooting star but stationary—caught his attention. It was no natural phenomenon; he'd seen enough combat to know that. Making for the command center, he resisted the urge to run, as though hurrying would add too much weight to what might already be a portent.

Dechan had the tech on duty patch him through to Gamma Regiment's headquarters. When Parella finally came on the line, he didn't bother with politeness.

"What's happened?"

"Chandra's taken down a satellite," the scratchy-voiced Parella told him gruffly. "Ours or theirs?"

"What a stupid question. Since Khan Alpin wants us to play along and be nice to Chandra, it sure wasn't ours. The transmission was beamed to somewhere in Orange Sector."

Somewhere out beyond their lines, presumably directly to Wolf. Dechan's stomach churned. "Any idea what it was about?"

"We are nosy today. What's the matter? Can't wait for the morning briefing?"

"It would be nice to have some warning if we're going to be walking into more of Wolf's traps."

"And it'd be nice if Wolf laid down and died, but he ain't going to do that unless we help him along. That's what we bought you for, mere. Now you just go get your folks ready to roll."

"Let me talk to Alpin."

"That's Khan Alpin to you and he's busy," Parella snarled. "Just do your job."

The line went dead. The commtech tried but was unable to reestablish contact, though she assured Dechan that the line had not been cut. Dechan's stomach began to churn. It was never good when headquarters wouldn't talk to you. Walking to the mess tent, he began to wonder if Elson had been holding Kappa Battalion back so that he could use it up it in the grand finale. He spent two hours trying to convince his stomach to hold down some oatmeal so the acid would have something to work on, but he had no more success with that than the commtech had in raising Parella again.

The mess tent was half-full with other, more successful, diners when Alpin made a general broadcast.