There was a rippling flash, and long-range missiles lanced from the Thunderbolttoward Grayson's Marauder.Grayson twisted at his 'Mech's controls and trotted to the left. Savage explosions shredded trees and ripped across the floor of the woods. A giant boulder ahead offered shelter, and Grayson made for it.
More explosions shattered through the woods behind him. Lori's Shadow Hawkwas in the Thunderbolt'sline of fire now. Her autocannon dropped across the shoulder of her 'Mech as she engaged the heavier 'Mech in a stand-up slugging match. McCall's Riflemanstepped into line at her side, his paired autocannon and lasers hurling fire into the larger 'Mech. The Thunderboltresponded. Missiles exploded on the Rifleman'sflank and on the Shadow Hawk'sright shoulder and leg. Autocannon shells slammed into the Thunderbolt'supper chest, scoring the armor and gouging it with deep, ragged craters.
Grayson paused behind the boulder, checking his weapons systems and estimating the Thunderbolt'sposition from the sounds of gunfire and explosions. Then, when the T-Boltwas concentrating completely on Lori and Davis, he lunged around the boulder.
The Thunderboltfilled his sighting scanners, barely ninety meters away. Grayson's 120 mm autocannon began slamming high-explosive armor-piercers at the enemy machine, scoring hit after hit on its arm and upper chest. Grayson's PPCs cut loose with a twin torrent of blue-white fire that barked and crackled as discharged electrical current leapt like blue lightning from the stricken Thunderboltto the ground.
The Thunderboltturned to face this new challenge, but Grayson was already pulling back behind the boulder. Lori and McCall continued to pour fire into the enemy 'Mech, with both Khaled's Warhammerand Delmar Clay's Wolverinealso joining the action.
Grayson saw missile fire strike Clay's Wolverineon its left arm, leaving scarred and broken plates of armor. The T-Bolt'sheavy laser fired, lighting up the woods with a supernatural radiance that edged every leaf and limb in blue-white light. Grayson winced as he saw that fire touch McCall's Rifleman,melting armor across the Scotsman's torso. Swinging his Marauderaround the rock again, he targeted on the Thunderbolt,and opened fire with everything he had.
Smoke billowed from a savage gash in the Thunderbolt'sside. Autocannon shells smashed into the heavy 'Mech's right arm.
The Thunderboltpilot was quick to respond. His heavy machine spun, the right arm heavy laser swinging up to point directly at Grayson's cockpit. Looking down the black maw of that lethal weapon, Grayson knew what it was to stare into the throat of Death.
But nothing happened. Sparks arced and snapped at a power connection high up on the T-Bolt's laser mount. Either Grayson's autocannon shells or perhaps an earlier hit scored by one of the others had damaged the laser and made it inoperable.
Grayson shrieked a victory yell and fired his PPCs again. Great chunks of armor spun from the stricken Thunderbolt,which was now backing slowly toward the cover of heavier woods to its rear. Grayson urged his Marauderforward.
The two antagonists stopped, facing each other across fifty meters. For a moment, Grayson thought the other 'Mech was going to rush him, putting Grayson at a severe disadvantage in hand-to-hand combat with a handed 'Mech.
Then the Thunderboltlurched to the left, turned, and vanished into the woods in full retreat. Grayson couldn't be sure, but the 'Mech had probably taken enough hits that even this brief combat had begun to threaten the pilot with heat overload and an automatic shutdown.
The way was clear. Grayson and his seven Warriors swept through the woods and up the hill.
The DropShips were down in the valley beyond.
Accepted military doctrine had DropShips ground in a broad, open field with an unobstructed field for fire. The reason is obvious. Typical military UnionClass Drop-Ships mount as many as twenty lasers of various sizes, as well as missile launchers, PPC turrets, and autocannon. Though the range of those weapons is sharply reduced from what it would be in the free reaches of space, in strategic terms, a grounded DropShip still represents a small fortress that BattleMechs treat with great respect.
Grayson had ordered that the Deimosand the Phobosset down in the rocky notch of a saddle valley for a reason, however. With no sure knowledge of how strong were the unknown but probably hostile forces on the planet, he had to assume that an open landing could result in the LZ being surrounded by enough BattleMechs to eventually overwhelm even the DropShips' firepower and armor.
The presence of a storm system over the area around Durandel had given the DropShips pilots their chance. By plunging into the clouds during the final moments of their approach, they had been able to mask the exact point of their landing among the confusing ground clutter echos of the ridges and hills in the region. Use Martinez had spotted the rocky saddle, and Grayson had agreed to it. The DropShips' fields of fire would be sharply restricted among those boulders and ridgelines, but there was a good chance that the location of the LZ would remain secret until the Legion could figure out what was going on. If the enemy ships tracking his approach to Helm in the first place could be kept in the dark about the Legion crafts' identity and exact LZ, the DropShips might never be found. DropShips stand out like flashing red beacons in the emptiness of space, but it was a different story on the ground. Surrounded by hills, woods, and boulders, the ships became insignificant and almost impossible to find unless the searcher were using extremely sophisticated instruments with square-kilometer-by-square kilometer finesse, determination, and patience.
Altogether, it had seemed a worthwhile gamble.
As Grayson crested the ridge east of the LZ, he knew the gamble had failed. There had always been the chance that one of the Marik ships in orbit would tag the two ships by radar or other means. Perhaps they had been spotted by an orbiting picket suspicious enough of the "ducal party" to survey the area where the DropShips had gone down after the storm cleared. Or perhaps a long-range infantry patrol had seen the flare of their jets and reported it to headquarters. Any of a hundred minor giveaways could have revealed their precise LZ to the Marik forces on the planet.
And now those forces here here.
Both the Deimosand the Phoboswere fully engaged in the battle in the valley. The two ships were grounded 500 meters apart from one another, which gave them excellent control over the ground between them. Inevitably it also created "fire shadows" on either side, which meant that one ship could fire some of its weapons while the other was blocked by the first ship. The attackers were making use of this, with two groups of BattleMechs engaging the DropShips, one in each fire shadow on opposite sides of the pair. More BattleMechs still struggled along the crest of the valley's western ridge. The 'Mechs of the Gray Death's recon lance were there, firing wildly at several light enemy 'Mechs, but it was obvious that the main enemy force had swept around both flanks to attack the DropShips.
A Marik Archerand a Wolverinemoved among the boulders 300 meters in front of Grayson's Marauder.Missiles arced up and across and into Phobos'shull, smashing at laser turrets, and flashing among the damage that had already marred the armor along the Dropship's flank. A Centurionand a Panthercrouched nearby, providing supporting fire. Grayson's Marauderkicked up boiling clouds of dust as it raced down the valley's slope, his autocannon hammering into the battle's din.