Act 1 - Anger[]
With A Bared Sword[]
Chapter 5[]
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Red Clay Canyon, Blue Hole
Tamar March, Federated Commonwealth
19 June 3053
The canyon wasn’t the tight confines that Victor remembered from the mountains of Twycross, but it was still narrow enough that it would have constrained the Clans’ mobility and mitigated the reach of their weapons. Victor nodded in approval as the jeep drove up the highway.
Work crews repairing the highway, which was an important transit route, were mixed with those salvaging ‘mechs wrecked in the fighting here. The canyon floor was littered with them, like fallen giants slain in some battle of norse mythology, the scene set further by the sprinkling of snow for it was winter in this hemisphere of Blue Hole.
“This is as far as the Falcons came,” Colonel Andrea Stirling said from the front of the jeep they were riding in. “We needed to stop them before they got out onto the coast. The petro-chemical sites along there would have burned very cinematically and it would have played merry hell with the economy, never mind fuel for the garrison here.”
“I hate to think how much shipping would have been tied down bringing in gasoline and diesel for the mechanized regiments here,” agreed Galen.
Victor couldn’t help but agree, although he was also aware (since it had been quite bluntly stated in the briefing) that the people of Blue Hole would have probably been more impacted by the impaired ability to keep their power grids, trains and heavy industry going - at least at the existing prices given how much the price of the remaining sources of oil-based products would have risen.
No one in the Intelligence Secretariat was prepared to commit that the Clans didn’t know how high the stakes would have been. It was possible the Jade Falcons had just been here for what they claimed: to acquire the current oil stockpiles. They did have several tanker dropships suited to carry the refined oils, so Victor leant towards that interpretation. But they might also have been aware that a fight over the infrastructure around the oil stores could have crippled the defenses of Blue Hole and significantly undermined confidence in the AFFC’s ability to defend their people/
“Fortunately, Stirling’s Fusiliers made sure that it didn’t happen,” he said out loud. “How bad were casualties?”
The colonel reached over and tapped the driver on the shoulder, who pulled off the road onto one of the low rises that marked the canyon floor. “Meat or metal?” Stirling asked bluntly.
“Both.” Victor stood up and scanned the floor. More than thirty ‘mechs were lying in need of recovery. Most had the tartan patterns favored by Northwind Highlanders, but others had the olive green of the Jade Falcons. “I got some reports through but it was all ‘so far as we know’.” The Tenth Lyran Guards hadn’t even been scheduled to go to Blue Hole but they had been on a jumpship within range so they had diverted to arrive via pirate point within hours of the raid. Even so, they had missed the entire battle and - understandably - detailed After Action Reports had not been the first priority.
Stirling stepped out of the jeep and looked up at him. “I had a battalion covering the canyon, and they rammed ten ‘mechs and two dozen toads down it,” she said grimly. “One company of your hover cav made it here in time to die, the poor buggers. I have eleven ‘mechs still fit to fight, although with the chance to salvage, we can make that good.”
“I believe your contract covers full salvage rights,” Victor agreed immediately. “Obviously we’d like to look at - and perhaps purchase - samples of anything we haven’t seen before. But the material is yours to use and sell, take that as a given.”
“Fair and good,” the mercenary agreed. “As for my lads and lasses, I have twenty souls in hospital, most will make a good recovery in time. Your tankers were less fortunate, not one in ten made it out.”
“Clan weapons are murderous against lightly armored targets,” he agreed. Hovercraft relied heavily on speed to avoid taking shattering damage, they were usually too light to carry useful armor as well as a significant weapon payload. The Condors he could see were larger than most of their ilk but against Clan weapons… well, it would have taken top notch drivers to survive. These had been second and third line troops, doing their best.
Five deaths among the mercenaries was right around the normal level of fatality. The important thing, was that the Clans had been engaged at only three to one odds and lost. “Ten ‘mechs can’t have been their whole force.”
“They had at least two other forces,” confirmed Stirling. “Most of a Cluster. We believe they were trying to run some of the other routes through to the plains but one of those passes has been impassable for over a century - I guess they had old maps. The other, we mined it and blew.” Her face tightened. “The locals are not happy, it’ll be four months to clear and then longer to get the monorail back in service.”
“But better that than what would have happened if they broke through.”
The mercenary snorted. “Glad that you see that, Prince Victor. If you’d do us the favor of reminding the locals? They don’t have to love us, but it’d be appreciated if they’d let us do what we’re hired for.”
Victor glanced over at Galen. “Give me a list and I’ll see what I can do. I’m not saying I can work miracles, but sometimes my title counts for something. If you want me to visit your wounded, we can make a thing of it: wounded heroes in the headlines, particularly victorious heroes, can sway public opinion.”
“I’ll ask them if they mind,” Stirling said a bit grudgingly, “Don’t be surprised if some of the lasses ask for a kiss from a prince.”
“Given you all wear kilts, how can I tell if they’re lads or lasses?”
She started to laugh and turned it into a snort. “If you need the help, I fear for your ability to continue your dynasty.”
Galen stepped out of the jeep and took out a camera. “Do you want some holos for your report?”
“It wouldn’t hurt,” Victor agreed. “And I can send some to Kathy. She’d appreciate some good imagery of Clan ‘mechs.”
“Your sister?” asked Stirling. “I heard she graduated from your father’s fancy academy last month.”
“Top of her classes in mechanical engineering,” Victor agreed proudly, deciding not to mention that Kathy’s grades in battlemech combat had been significantly lower. She was certainly competent, but he was very happy she wasn’t bucking for a combat assignment the way Peter no doubt would be when he came out of the Nagelring in a couple more years - one year if he kept crunching classes as if he was afraid the Clans wouldn’t be there to fight.
Galen started snapping images of the battlefield as Victor questioned Stirling, trying to build up a picture of how the Jade Falcons had fought. He had to be careful about how he phrased some of his queries, not wishing to sound as if he was diminishing the accomplishments. The Jade Falcon forces hadn’t quite come in dumb, but at the same time it sounded like some of them had been more aggressive than was wise. Stirling pointed out elements of one Star, three of them Kit Foxes that had clearly over-extended, pushing down the canyon when they would have been better holding back and using their better weapons to bring down Highlander ‘mechs from range. Kit Foxes were only thirty tons and while the Clans could squeeze more protection per ton out of their armor materials, they weren’t that much better. It was one of the areas they’d advanced least in.
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Kit Fox Light OmniMech
Not all of the Falcons had been so careless though. It seemed to Victor as if around half the force had been inexperienced and mixed in with veterans to get their feet wet. Clan training seemed to turn out technically proficient warriors but the ability to read a battlefield and react intelligently was harder to learn than simply shooting straight or even managing one’s heat.
“I’m impressed,” he said at last, looking at the Orion that had led the Highlander’s final counter-charge. The ‘mech had gone down to an elemental swarm, but that let the three Vindicators behind it get close enough to burn down a Clan Nova that had been supporting the battle armored infantry and open up a flank for Highlander light ‘mechs to push past and threaten the Falcon’s line of retreat. “Very impressed. This was your first deployment against the Clans?”
“Aye,” the mercenary agreed. “I imagine we’ll see them again.”
“Very probably. They may even seek you out. Beating them once will mean earning a victory against you carries more prestige in their eyes.”
“Let them come,” the Highlander said pugnaciously. “We’ve two battalions ready to fight, and the other will be back at two-thirds readiness in a month.”
“Good to hear,” Victor assured her. “If you decide not to keep the omnimechs, we’re willing to negotiate payment in cash or equipment.”
“I’ll see what our techs say,” Stirling said cautiously. “If we can use it, it’d be a fine thing, but if not…” she kicked at a clod of frozen soil. “Well, we have our own engineers back on Northwind who might want to see what they can make of it.”
The prince shrugged. “Your choice.” We could do with more troops like this, he thought. I should pass the word to Morgan, if we can hire more Highlanders it will keep the Falcons guessing.