Victor opened a radio link with the two 'Mechs. "Lieutenant-Colonel Allard, I've sent Kai to check on the possibility of a Clan probe into the area of the Great Gash. They may have some power armor coming through there, and perhaps a lance or two of 'Mechs."

Dan Allard's reply rumbled through the speakers in Davion's neurohelmet. "I'll have Colonel Brahe drop a lance back to cover that chance. The only good thing about that news is that it means they probably aren't going to come through the Sharkteeth. I think I can have Scott Bradley bring the Second Regiment down into their staging areas now."

Victor nodded to himself. "Excellent idea, sir. We just have to make sure they don't commit too soon. We want the Falcons in and engaged with the First Regiment before we surprise them with the Ninth F-C and the rest of the Hounds."

A note of amusement worked its way through Dan's mild rebuke. "As per the plan, Kommandant. Don't worry, I remember." The Wolfhoundturned from the other two 'Mechs and began the final descent to the floor of the plain.

Galen's 'Mech pointed toward the far end of the valley. "Our spotter at the valley mouth just said the Falcons are on their way. He reports a scattering of their unusual 'Mechs— Thorsand Lokisand something he tagged Fenris—among other, more conventional designs. It appears they don't let their garrison troops use the good stuff."

"Until now, we hadn't given them any reason to suspect that they needed 'Mechs on their conquered worlds at all." Victor glanced at his secondary monitor. "All we have to do is hold them for an hour and then the Ninth will close the trap. We'll have them and will have handed them their first defeat in this war."

"Good God willing and the pass is held," Galen murmured.

Victor turned his 'Mech to face the Plain of Curtains. "Look, Galen ... the Falcons' point-lances have found the Hounds."

The undulating curtains of wind-whipped sand played a deadly game of hide and seek with the BattleMechs. The reddish dust all but hid the scarlet torsos of Kell Hound 'Mechs until the Falcons were almost upon them. At pointblank range, the invaders' targeting edge meant nothing, reducing the battle to a contest that would be decided by the opponents' sheer firepower and the strength of their defenses.

The initial exchanges ran in favor of the Kell Hounds. Because of their superior numbers, they concentrated their fire on a single target and were able to cripple it with a salvo or two. The Falcons, in keeping with what Victor saw as their standard battle doctrine, picked out individual targets and attacked them to the exclusion of all others. The Falcon scout groups withdrew quickly at first, but slowed their retreat as the Kell Hounds failed to follow and their own reinforcements moved up.

The Kell Hounds pulled back in the face of the whole Falcon host. When various individual Falcons sprinted out away from their lines, the Kell Hounds shot them up. The Falcon commander quickly reined in his people, and the invaders began a controlled advance, willing to let the mercenaries choose their own time and place to die.

Victor's eyes narrowed. They'll make their move soon. The Hounds don't have much room left to pull back further. Once they engage solidly, then we can call in the Second Regiment.A smile lit his face with boyish delight. I think this is actually going to work!

Victor saw a blue button blinking urgently on his command console. As a wave of black and red sand washed away all sight of the battlefield, he punched it. "Davion here. What is it?"

Panic filled the comtech's voice. "Leftenant-General Milstein says to pull out, sir. Do it now!"

Victor couldn't believe his ears. "What? Why? We're set to start ripping them up!"

"Kommandant, Milstein here. You have to pull back. Your position is vulnerable, very vulnerable."

Victor's temper flared. "Explain it to me, dammit, man. What the hell has happened?" We're not going to replay Trellwan here!

"We just got a clear transmission from Hauptmann Jungblud. His company was hit by armored infantry and 'Mechs—a regiment of each! These were not garrison 'Mechs—repeat, notgarrison 'Mechs. They were Clan frontlinemachines, Kommandant. Jungblud's company is destroyed and we can't raise the demo teams."

Milstein's voice faltered. "It's over, Highness. The Clans are pouring through the Gash."

36

Sector 0227, Twycross

Tamar March, Lyran Commonwealth

10 September 3050

Because the winds had sucked away the oily black smoke from the burning armored personnel carriers, the first clue Kai Allard had about conditions in Sector 0227 was the SRM that slammed into his Hatchetman'schest. Fired by one of the half-dozen armored infantrymen, the rocket exploded against the 'Mech's left breast. The resulting shower of armor shards took away the Lyran Guard insignia, but the missile failed to hurt or stop the Hatchetman.

Kai dropped the crosshairs for his autocannon onto the nearest figure and jammed his right thumb down on the firing button. The BattleMech twisted slightly to the right as the autocannon mounted in its right breast erupted with a hail of fire and metal. The supersonic slugs blew completely through the infantryman, then ricocheted off the canyon walls in a shower of sparks.

The enemy's armored suit and its remaining missile exploded, but Kai had already turned his attention to other targets. He directed the medium lasers slung on the underside of his 'Mech's forearms at more of the metal-covered invaders. One eluded the ruby beam while the other, trapped between the APC and a small cinderblock building, just melted away.

Perhaps believing the spindly-legged 'Mech a weak foe, one warrior in powered armor leaped up toward the Hatchetman'shead. He never reached his destination, as Kai employed the most unusual element of the Hatchetman'sweaponry. The titanium-sheathed, depleted-uranium blade of the hand-held warclub that gave the 'Mech its name swatted the Jade Falcon from the air like an insect. The warrior flew, arms and legs spreadeagled, into the canyon wall, then slid lifelessly to the ground, blood and black fluids leaking from the rents in his shell.

Like a vengeful god among arrogant mortals, the Hatchetmanpounced on the remaining Jade Falcons. As the Hatchetmancrushed the life from one with its left hand, the autocannon ripped yet another apart. The last enemy warrior, aware that he was doomed, launched two SRMs into other APCs. Kai's lasers vaporized him seconds after the vehicles exploded.

Kai opened a radio link with the rest of his lance. "Get up here. Things are not normal. I just had to put down six of their Toads. Keep your eyes open and be careful." He looked out over the chaotic scene. "It's a mess up here."

Located in the middle of a canyon approximately two hundred meters wide and four times that long, the medical station consisted of two large tents on either side of a smaller truck storing the diagnostic machinery and supplies. Because of the high walls around the canyon, the air remained relatively clear, defended from the fury of the Diabolis. Curling around to the east, at a point opposite the hill Kai had climbed to reach it, the canyon narrowed down into the westernmost portion of the Great Gash. From there, the Gash traveled three hundred meters upward at a gentle slope, with the mountain shoulders rising up another four hundred meters on either side of the narrow pass. At the point where the pass began to slant back down to the east, explosives had been rigged to shut down the pass if needed.