Dan worked his Valkyrieup the muddy hillside, following the tracks made by Lang's Wasp.When the Kell Hounds headquarters came into view, he smiled. Almost home.

Far ahead of him, Lang's Waspducked into the huge blockhouse in between the Shiloneand Slayerfighters being pushed into the building. Meanwhile, the dark clouds ringing the horizon had slowly begun to drift in toward the base. To the south, beyond the blockhouse, the two barracks, and the command center, searing white lightning slashed down from distant black clouds. It took a long time for the echoes of thunder to reach the Valkyrie'saudio sensors, but Dan could see the storm boiling in swiftly. Bad omen, a storm like this.Justin always used to cite one old Capellan superstition that these storms were demons riding the clouds looking for souls to eat. Dan involuntarily crossed himself.

Turning around, he watched Baker's Jennercrest the hill. It looked ungainly without arms to balance it, and the nickname "Ugly Duckling" seemed more appropriate than ever. The Jenner,at 35 tons, was the heaviest 'Mech in Allard's scout lance, and carried the most firepower. The four launch tubes for its short-range missiles, or SRMs, ran in a line between its shoulders. Its four medium lasers fired from stubby "wings" set just above the hip joints. The way the Jenner'storso jutted forward might have been a laughable sight if its powerful weaponry had not so often turned the tide of a battle. The addition of jump jets meant that the ungainly craft was actually capable of some agile moves in battle.

Compared to the Jenner,or most other 'Mechs, for that matter, the Commandofollowing it up the hill was pure elegance. Humanoid in configuration, it carried no weapons in its open hands. Because of the camouflage patterns Brand had carefully painted on the 'Mech, the six SRM launch-tube openings in the Commando'schest and the four on the 'Mech's right wrist were barely visible. A thickness on the 'Mech's left wrist betrayed the medium laser's location, but most ‘Mech pilots regarded the Commandoas nothing more than a scout, despite its weaponry. Having seen Brand pilot his 'Mech in battle, however, Dan counted the Commandoas more than capable in combat.

Its long legs eating up the distance in an awkward jog, the Jennerlumbered on ahead of the other two 'Mechs. It reached the blockhouse just as the circle of storm clouds strangled the last of the sunlight and a light drizzle began to fall. Dan reached out and switched on his windscreen wipers. "You did well in the scouting run, Lieutenant. Scared the hell out of Baker when your SRM locked on to his left hip."

"Yeah, I guess I did." Brand's self-satisfaction came intact across the radio, then trailed off as he became more serious. "Lang's got to be more careful in that Wasp.With those SRMs, she's got more firepower than she had in her Locust,but both machines still rely on a medium laser for their main power. She's acting as though that monster makes her invulnerable."

Dan found himself nodding in agreement. "I'll have a talk with her. We could mention it to Colonel Kell, but I don't think the problem is at that point yet. Do you?"

Lightning-sparked static popped through the open radio connection. "No," Brand said, after a pause. "Maybe she's just got to get used to the Wasp'shigher profile."

Glad you see that, Austin.Dan gracefully stepped his 30-ton Valkyriearound two bulldozers set at the edge of the makeshift spaceport. Meg's bound to be angry with you because she thinks you cost her theLocust.

Out beyond the bulldozers, the Lugh,an OverlordClass Drop-Ship, squatted like a gigantic Faberge egg full of lostech wonders. Behind it, as though crouching away from the rising storm's fury, a smaller DropShip, the LeopardClass Manannan MacLir,rested on the cracked ferrocrete surface. More than enough to lift the entire Kell Hounds off Pacifica, both red and black craft were buttoned up tight in anticipation of the coming storm.

Dan trailed his Valkyriein after Brand's Commandoand marched it over to the 'Mech cocoon alongside Meg Lang's Wasp.He disconnected his neurohelmet, popped the canopy on his Valkyrie,and slid down the rope ladder just in time to hear the tail-end of the tongue-lashing Meg was handing out to one of the Techs.

"I don't give a damn if you think it's impossible, Jackson. I know you can make that 'Mech more maneuverable. My Locustcould run rings around this pile of junk!" Meg narrowed her brown eyes and brushed some strands of raven hair away from her face. "Fix it!"

Jackson, a mousy man with thick glasses, slammed his clipboard down on the ground. The papers on it exploded into a blizzard of multicolored forms, but that didn't deflect the Tech one bit. "This isn't a Locust,Sergeant! I can't make it do what a Locustcan do. Period!" Jackson looked over toward Allard, blushed, then dropped to his knees to gather up his clipboard and papers. "Sorry, Captain, for that display."

Dan Allard, towering above both Lang and Jackson, shook his head. He raked thick fingers through his light-brown hair and plucked a sodden red sweatband from his brow. "No problem, Jackson," he said calmly. As another Tech stooped to help Jackson with his papers, Dan turned to Margaret Lang and steered her away from Jackson. "A word with you."

"Yes, sir."

Out of the corner of his eye, Dan saw Brand waiting for him at the mouth of the tunnel to the command center. He waved his subordinate on ahead, then turned to Margaret Lang. "Sergeant, something's eating at you, and it has nothing to do with that Wasp'sperformance." As he walked over to lean against the leg of a Thunderbolt,he waved Lang to a seat on the heavy 'Mech's foot.

"Yes, sir." Lang looked down at her boots and scratched at the sensor-pad stuck to her right thigh. "It's Lieutenant Brand, sir. I don't know how to react around him."

Dan frowned. I was afraid of this. But dammit, they work so well together."Meg, I know Austin feels personally responsible for the fact that your Locustwas destroyed. I don't know if you're aware of it, but while you were in the hospital recovering from that broken leg, he pulled extra shifts and even went out with O'Cieran's jump troops to track down the bandits who planted that vibrabomb mine that killed your 'Mech."

Meg looked up into Dan's blue eyes and suppressed a laugh. "He was out with the jump infantry?"

Dan nodded solemnly. "As absurd as it may seem. On top of that, when he learned that the bandits had gotten a Kurita Waspfrom Combine agents provocateur, he talked Cat Wilson into trotting out his Marauderto get that 'Mech in a dawn raid on Cat's day off."

Meg's jaw dropped open. "Cat got up before noon on a day he didn't have to?"

"Yeah." Dan squatted and pulled the helmet pad off his shoulders. "Brand's really trying to make it up to you, Meg. Don't you think its time to forgive him?"

Clearly puzzled, Meg frowned. "Forgive him? I think we're not talking about quite the same thing, sir."

Now Dan was confused, too. Sitting beside her, he leaned forward companionably, elbows on his knees. The things they never bothered to teach me at the New Avalon Military Academy . . ."Well, what areyou talking about, then?"

Color rose to Meg's cheeks, and a smile stole across her lips. "At least part of his off-time was spent with me in the infirmary," she began. "Brand apologized over and over and promised to make it all up to me. He said he knew how much the Locusthad meant to me, and that he really wanted to make amends."