Grayson took another step, making certain that the unprotected humans were safely out of the way, then triggered both lasers again, this time adding the lightning fury of his twin PPCs to the barrage. Blue lightning sparked and snapped across the target. The Stinger'sright arm, already shattered, went spinning through the air, its laser still clutched in its metal fist. The 'Mech sagged backward, its gyros shrieking, smoke pouring from multiple, gaping holes in the light 'Mech's armor. Grayson added his autocannon to the barrage, and 120 mm shells slashed and chopped explosive mayhem through the Stinger'sravaged framework. Chips of armor broke free under the explosive hail and spun crazily through the air. Grayson strode in ever closer, his autocannon hammering away, spent shell casings ringing and clanging across the outer hull of his machine.

There was a flash and then a puff of smoke. The Stinger'sblocky head opened as panels broke free from one another, and the 'Mech's pilot rocketed into the sky. A far brighter flash buried in the 'Mech's torso rent metal already twisted and smashed, scattering smoking fragments on the street.

Another 'Mech, a Wasp,strode into Grayson's field of fire. He pivoted his Marauderon its forward-canted leg mount, bringing both weapons-heavy forearms into line. PPC and laser fire lanced across the street, striking the Waspand driving it down and back. Grayson saw that the Wasphad already been damaged by laser fire to its side and back.

The Wasprecovered, managing to swing its Diverse Optics medium laser into line with Grayson's cockpit.

Coherent light washed across the Marauder'souter hull, but the heavy machine's optics blanked out light that would have seared Grayson's eyes, and the massive outer armor plate dissipated the heat harmlessly. Grayson's Maraudertook six quick steps across the street, its ponderous forearms sweeping up and around. Like a massive club, the Marauder'sright arm smashed against the Wasp'sleft arm and body. Armor plate buckled with a human-sounding shriek, and the Wasptumbled backward into a crumbling pile of rubble. Three more shots from Grayson's PPCs, and the Waspwas still, a fire burning among the charred remnants of wiring and conduits exposed in its cratered center torso.

To make sure it would never rise again, Grayson unleashed one last barrage of PPC fire into the metal corpse. For the moment, he was beyond remembering, beyond reason. A berserker's rage had come upon him, a rage for vengeance, a rage to kill and kill and kill again until he had hunted down every last one of his people's murderers and their killer machines. His Marauderstalked the ruined streets of Durandel, changing the Marik 'Mechs suddenly from predators to prey.

The madness had overcome them all. Grayson came upon Lori firing bolt after blue-tinged bolt of laser light into the twisted hulk of a Phoenix Hawkthat lay sprawled in the wreckage of a house. Delmar Clay's Wolverinecharged the Marik Griffinin a fight that was almost even, until Bear's Crusaderand Khaled's Warhammerjoined Clay in an orchestrated nightmare of laser fire that all but shredded the enemy Griffin.As the Griffinwent down, it was Lieutenant Khaled who guided his Warhammerclose enough to send one massive, armored foot smashing down on the Griffin'scockpit. That pilot would not survive to pillage other towns. Once the Marik 'Mechs realized their danger, they tried to escape. Ironically, it was the rubble in the streets of the town they had destroyed that blocked them, and channeled them in directions that Grayson's raiders could predict—and intercept.

The battle, if such it was, was over in fifteen minutes. Not a single Marik 'Mech survived.

It was only after the last enemy Stingerhad exploded in a pyrotechnic flash of light, sound, and shredded metal that Grayson realized he could barely see through the heavy HUD visor of his neurohelmet because his tears were half-blinding him.

He was still crying as the 'Mechs of his company rendezvoused in the center of what had been Durandel's market square.

* * *

The Marik DropShip Assagaifell into orbit around Helm. She was an old LeagueClass ship, one outfitted as an orbital headquarters and communications relay vessel for Marik planetary operations. Dish antennae deployed from communication equipment bays high up near the armored bulge that marked the ship's bridge maintained two rigid lines of sight. One was directed at the gleaming brilliance of the ice-bound planet below, while the other was directed outward into deep space, toward the jump point where silently pulsing jets of hot plasma held the JumpShips Rapaciousand Huntressin place against the gravitational pull of the local sun.

The Assagai'scaptain was a veteran of many years' service for Janos Marik. During his forty-eight years in space, Fenric Javil had seen more than his share of radar tracks.

Weightless, he floated above and behind the boy who manned the Assagai'snumber two deep radar. His arm extended past the boy's head, one bony finger probing at the green screen. "Those tracks, son. What d'you make of 'em?"

"Uh—entry tracks, Captain," replied the youngster strapped into the radar watch seat, his voice shaking a bit as he spoke. He'd hoped to escape Captain Javil's notice a while longer.

"Entry tracks is right. Whose?"

"I heard a query from Lancelotas they went by sir. They . . . they didn't answer."

"They didn't? And didn't you find that suspicious?"

"Sir . . . the guys on Lancelotsaid it was a pair of generals going in for a tour, see? And Shiggy said ..." The boy's voice faltered and his eyes widened as he realized he had somehow slipped into the trap of speaking familiarly with the Captain.

Javil's eyes tracked across the bridge to meet the dark eyes of another deep-radar watchstander, eyes that suddenly ducked back behind a console as their owner abruptly became very busy.

"By 'Shiggy,' I assume you mean Junior Lieutenant Shigamura? Tell me, son, what did Lieutenant Shigamura tell you about those targets?"

"He . . . that is . . . that the . . . the targets were just bigwigs popping in from the new JumpShip, sir."

"New JumpShip?" Javil's eyes closed slowly. When they opened, it was with a snap that was nearly audible and a bellowing roar that rang through the bridge. “ What goddamn JumpShip?”

"Sir, Shiggy . . . Lieutenant Shigamura, I mean . . . he got an echo on deep radar that might be a new JumpShip under deployed sail at the nadir jump point. But he said it must be a new arrival to the fleet from Marik . . . maybe Duke Irian himself ..."

"Shigamura! Front and center!"

A second watch officer swam across the bridge from where he had been attempting to become invisible at his post.

"Mr. Shigamura! Would you be so kind as to explain how it is that an officer aboard a Free Worlds warship, in the middle of a complex military exercise against a possibly belligerent world, could be so ... so careless as to note the presence of an untagged JumpShip in this solar system and not report the fact to me? Or to the Exec? Or to the senior officer of the watch? Or to say any goddamned thing to anybody at all?"

"No, sir! I mean, yes, sir! I mean ..."

"Quiet! Do I further understand that the twoof you tracked a pair of unidentified DropShips in from this untagged JumpShip and let it pass right under our noses without demanding an ID of it? Or telling somebody?"

"S-sir, things were pretty confusing, right then," Lyster said. "JumpShips had been dropping in and out at the jump points for the whole watch, and we thought it was more of the same! I don't think I've ever seen so many ships in one system before . . . merchant vessels trailing the military DropShips . . . and then there was the scuttlebutt that the Duke of Irian was coming. When those two Dropships didn't respond to Lancelot'sID call, we thought ..."