Le5783 dagger point, p.10
LE5783 - Dagger Point, page 10
Shrapnel rang off his 'Mech's armored carapace, but did him no further harm. A Bombardier from his Strike lance was not so fortunate. A heavy shell penetrated the artillery 'Mech's armor and detonated the machine's supply of long-range missiles. Only the Cellular Ammunition Storage Equipment surrounding the magazine saved the pilot's life. The special blow-out panels had directed the blast away from the Bombardier's vital systems. But the explosion shredded the internal structure supporting its right arm, where its only other offensive weapon, an SRM launcher, was mounted. With that limb useless, the sixty-five-ton machine was unarmed.
While the enemy gunners were reloading their pieces and adjusting their aim, Graeme's company charged past the few operational 'Mechs remaining to the Eighth, determined to close with the half-dozen or so Capellan BattleMechs and their supporting conventional armor and infantrymen. On his way through the Eighth's position, Graeme noticed the smoldering hulk that had once been Captain Jones's JagerMech. He later learned that Jones had tried to obey Colonel Calvin's order but had been struck by a volley of long-range missiles that ripped into his 'Mech's head, killing him instantly.
Graeme had no time to pity a fallen comrade. Their charge had carried the Sixth straight into the midst of the Capellan positions. A gangly-looking Enforcer stood in his path, as though daring him to fight. Graeme obliged the Liao warrior by unleashing a paired blast from his 'Mech's twin PPCs. The man-made lightning ripped into the lighter 'Mech, all but severing its left arm and leaving a huge blackened scar high on its chest.
Heat flooded into Graeme's cockpit, stealing his breath. He hesitated a few heartbeats until the highly efficient, Clan-designed heat sinks brought his Omni-Mech's internal temperature down to a more manageable level. Selecting a different weapon, Graeme added a series of heavy, pulsing laser bolts to the incredible energy already absorbed by the Enforcer. The reeling Capellan tried to reply, but the burst of autocannon shells only stitched a line of shallow divots across the Cauldron-Born's rounded torso, while the blast of laser energy scoured paint and armor from the bird-like machine's right leg. Another blast from Graeme's right-hand PPC smashed the tall enemy 'Mech into the ground. It did not get up again.
"Tommy, they're running!" Lieutenant John Morosini, the commander of Graeme's Strike lance, bellowed gleefully.
Indeed, the Capellan troops seemed to be in full, headlong retreat, their will to fight broken along with their defensive line.
"Tiger, this is Boxer Three-One, The Capellans are falling back in disorder," Graeme reported to Colonel Calvin. "Looks like we've got a clear road all the way to Touchstone."
14
CCAF WarShip Elias Jung
Nadir Jump Point, Maladar System
Xin Sheng Commonality
Capellan Confederation
09 February 3062
A glance through the fading afterimages of the coruscating colored lights projected on his retinas by the nothingness of hyperspace told Kong-sang-wei Tullio Kar that the Elias Jung had emerged from the void exactly where it was supposed to, at the nadir point of the Maladar system's primary star. Several billion kilometers away, a second sun gleamed dully against the black curtain of space. Due to the paradoxical nature of JumpShip travel, the actual travel time from Milos had been only a matter of seconds. But the actual journey had consumed more than two weeks. Traveling in a direct line, the Elias Jung had been forced to jump into deep space and recharge its jump engines from its own power plant, rather than collecting solar energy with its jump sail.
"Kong-sang-wei, we are in-system, and all systems are functioning properly," his First Office reported from his bridge station.
"Very well, Kong-sao-wei Yip," Kar acknowledged, turning his attention to another crewman. "Communications, establish contact with Confederation headquarters on Maladar. I wish to speak with their zampolit. Notify me when you have established a secure link. I'll be in my cabin."
Without waiting for acknowledgment from the young man seated at the communication console, Kar turned and walked casually off the bridge.
He'd only been in his cabin a few moments when the ship's intercom bleeped, and the communications tech informed him that a secure communications link had been established between the Kong-sang-wei and the zampolit—Confederation Political Officer—on Maladar.
"Greetings, Kong-sang-wei Kar," the zampolit said. "How good of you to join us. You were to be here over a week ago. Would you care to explain your dereliction of duty?"
"It was no 'dereliction of duty,' Zampolit Oroz," Kar snapped back, reading the man's name from the identification bar in the lower-right corner of the screen. Even allowing for the thirty-minute lag in communicating with the planet's surface, he was still irritated by the zampolit's insinuation. Like most active-duty combat officers, Kar disliked having a political officer looking over his shoulder at everything he did, but there was something unsettling about Oroz. The man's silky manner and slicked-back black hair reminded Kar of a shiny black viper in need of being exterminated.
"We were detained at the Milos jump point by a fleet of transport JumpShips, all bearing the crest of the Star League Defense Force. From the number and type of these vessels, and the DropShips they carried, I deemed them to be an invasion force, and I prevented them from detaching the DropShips. I remained on-station at Milos until they had recharged their engines and jumped back out of that system. Then I jumped out myself."
"Why did you not simply destroy the transports and continue your mission according to your time table?" Oroz scoffed.
"Because one simply does not open fire on SLDF JumpShips, unless one wishes to make enemies of the rest of the Inner Sphere!" Kar growled back. "And one does not destroy unarmed transports, most especially when those ships belong to the Eridani Light Horse! Have you ever heard of Sendai, Zampolit? Need I remind you of what happened when the planetary head of Sendai had helpless Light Horse personnel and dependents massacred? Do you want a force of avenging angels descending upon Milos, or Maladar, or Sian?"
"The Eridani Light Horse was at Milos, eh?" Oroz murmured, seeming to have heard only those three words. "Why did you not notify the Confederation command authority of this invasion fleet before now?"
"Have you ever heard of scanners, Zampolit?" Kar was rapidly wearying of the political officer's smarmy voice and insulting questions. "If I had sent a message to the Milos HPG station instructing them to forward my report on to the CCAF, the enemy would have been certain to intercept it. Even if it were coded, or a tight-beam transmission, no form of communication is one hundred percent secure. There is always a chance of intercept. Who can gauge the Light Horse's reaction to such a message? The size of the invasion fleet suggested nothing more than a raid in force. They may have decided to risk having me fire upon their ships and launch their invasion. Believing that I was calling for reinforcements, they may have wanted to take the planet and then hold it against a relief force. It is far easier to defend than to attack. They may have even summoned reinforcements of their own, turning Milos into the site of a major battle rather than a backwater skirmish. I was not willing to take that risk."
Oroz did not seem impressed by Kar's analysis of the situation. "You will, of course, include all details of this invasion fleet in your report," he said in a tone that suggested boredom.
"Of course, Zampolit Oroz," Kar snarled, his patience at an end. "Prepare to receive a download."
Celestial Palace
Zin-jin Cheng (Forbidden City), Sian
Sian Commonality
Capellan Confederation
"Say that again, Zahn." Sun-Tzu Liao's tone was one of mild curiosity.
"Chancellor, I said we have just received a report that a Star League Defense Force invasion fleet was sighted at Milos." San-jiang-jun Talon Zahn, Sun-Tzu's closest military advisor, repeated slowly and carefully. "The fleet was comprised of three JumpShips, one Invader, one Star Lord, and one Monolith. Each was laden with heavy 'Mech-carrier DropShips. All bore the insignia of the Eridani Light Horse."
"I see," the Chancellor of the Capellan Confederation murmured, slipping his hands into the pockets of his drab green military uniform. A solid gold pin the shape of the new Confederation crest, an armored hand clutching the hilt of a darn-dao sword, glittered from each side of his collar. No other form of decoration or insignia was to be seen, nor was any needed. Everyone in the command center knew who this green-eyed young man was, and when one held ultimate power over one of the Successor States, one had no need to shout one's importance to the world.
"Please continue."
"Kong-sang-wei Tullio Kar, commanding the War-Ship Elias Jung, ordered the invaders back outsystem, and remained on station until the Light Horse ships recharged their engines and jumped away.
"Upon arriving at Maladar, Kong-sang-wei Kar reported the situation at Milos to Desmond Oroz, the local zampolit. Oroz forwarded the report to us. The information is two weeks old at least. If the Light Horse had decided to return to Milos, possibly via a system-rim jump point, they may have been in-system for at least a week."
"Have we received any word from Milos regarding the reappearance of this invasion fleet?"
"No, Chancellor," Zahn answered. "Following the raid by your cousin, the only activity we have seen on Milos has been the odd attack by partisans and guerrillas."
"Bring up a map of the Xin Sheng Commonality," Sun-Tzu said to no one in particular, but a technician on the far side of the command center went to work. A holographic map sprang into existence against the center's blank east wall. The Capellan Confederation was displayed in a pleasant jade green, with the worlds recaptured from the rebellious Xin Sheng Compact illuminated in white. A lighter green showed worlds not yet reclaimed, while those where fighting still raged were denoted by a scarlet dot. Beyond the edge of the region of Xin Sheng was an expanse of mustard yellow, delineating the territory held by the Federated Commonwealth, the nation-state of the hated Davion family.
"Now, show me Milos."
In response to Sun-Tzu's command, a white circle glowed a little brighter, while a window opened in the lower left-hand corner of the holographic map, displaying all the pertinent data on the Milos system. For a few moments he studied the map closely, watching as the system data scrolled by, then realization flooded across his handsome features.
"Zahn, look here. This is Milos, a little nothing of a world in the center of our lines. By itself, it is of no major significance, but look." Sun-Tzu picked up a holo-pen and scribed a half-circle through the Xin Sheng Commonality, with Milos as its center point.
"Look," he said again. "These three worlds are among those that lie within one jump of Milos: Huis-tang, Harloc, Gei-Fu. And see here?" He described a second, wider circle. "If the enemy stages out of Milos and uses lithium-fusion batteries to power a double jump, they could descend upon Capella, or even Sian, with little warning."
Zahn's face paled as he grasped the situation.
"Give me the name and location of the nearest unengaged line combat unit," Sun-Tzu demanded.
St. Loris, a system nearly thirty-six light years away from Milos toward the border with the Federated Commonwealth, lit up. The insignia of MacCarron's Armored Cavalry snapped into existence next to it, along with an alphanumeric code indicating that the unit occupying that world was the MAC's Second Regiment, under Sang-shao Samuel Christobal.
Zahn studied the map briefly, working out the navigation in his head.
"Chancellor, if we dispatch Christobal's Regiment immediately, they can be on Milos in under three weeks."
Sun-Tzu nodded, refusing to give in to the frustration caused by the circumstances that were forcing him to pull a main-line combat unit away from the front in order to re-secure a supposedly pacified world.
"Do it," he ordered.
As technicians scrambled to forward the Chancellor's command across nearly eighty light years of space, Talon Zahn stepped back from the map and rested his chin in his right palm, cupping that elbow in his left hand. He stared thoughtfully ahead.
"What are you thinking, Sang-jiang?" Liao asked.
"I am thinking, Chancellor, that perhaps this is nothing more than what Kong-sang-wei Kar said it was, a massive raid in force."
"Perhaps it is, but I cannot take that chance. Cheng Shao, the garrison commander on Milos, will have only a company or two of BattleMechs at his disposal. With those few 'Mechs and such militia units as he can muster, he would stand little chance of driving any main line-of-battle 'Mech force off planet, to say nothing of the Eridani Light Horse.
"No, if it were any other world than Milos, or any other unit than the Light Horse, or even if it were a single Light Horse regiment, then I might be tempted to believe that this was only a diversionary strike. But given the target, the timing, and the invading unit, this must be a strike against the Confederation. It could be nothing else."
"But if they've withdrawn, why divert Christobal's Regiment to Milos at all?"
"Again, Zahn, this is the Eridani Light Horse. From the classes and number of JumpShips and DropShips Kong-sang-wei Kar reports, we may assume that the enemy is sending at least two regiments to Milos. If they failed to gain entry through the front door, they will attempt to break in through a window. They will be back. In fact, they probably are back already."
"In that case, Chancellor," Zahn said respectfully. "Will one regiment of MacCarron's Armored Cavalry be enough?"
Liao considered the question for a moment, then shook his head sadly.
"It is all I have to send." He brightened a bit and continued. "But I happen to know that the Light Horse suffered heavy casualties on Huntress. There are advantages to having been First Lord, you see. I also know that they have yet to make them up out of new recruits and personnel transferred in from Successor State units. So we may assume that any invasion force will be short-handed. Of the forces they do have, about half will be either untested recruits or transferees who are not yet fully integrated into the Light Horse's style of maneuver warfare.
"And, Sang-jiang, do not forget Cheng Shao. I know this man." The Chancellor paused and allowed himself the ghost of a smile. "If he survives the initial invasion, he will find some way of making life very uncomfortable for the Eridani Light Horse until Christobal's Regiment can arrive."
Sun-Tzu stopped speaking abruptly, all expression draining from his face. He reviewed the hard copy of Kong-sang-wei Kar's report that he had been handed upon his arrival in the command center, which had remained unread until now. The report was concise and clear, a commendable effort on the part of the destroyer Kong-sang-wei, but a chilling lapse in the officer's judgment and devotion to duty was obvious. If the Elias Jung had remained on station at Milos, she might have turned back any second invasion attempt, or notified CCAF command, or both.
In an instant, The Chancellor's mask of neutrality hardened.
"Zahn, send a message to Sasha Wan Li. Have the Maskirovka arrest Kong-sang-wei Tullio Kar. He is to be court-martialed for gross negligence in his duty to the Confederation."
Talon Zahn read in the Chancellor's jade-green eyes the unspoken remainder of the order. Kar was to be found guilty and executed.
15
Touchstone Spaceport, Milos
Xin Sheng Commonality
Capellan Confederation
10 February 3062
Cheng Shao took his hands from his Anvil's control sticks, stripped off his fire-resistant nomex gloves, and rubbed his sweaty palms across the rough ballistic nylon cooling vest. A few hundred meters away, a low, hunched-over Sentinel kept silent electronic watch on his northern perimeter. Aside from his own, and the medium 'Mech being piloted by Sao-wei Claus Basara, Shao had only four BattleMechs left under his command. An older-model Centurion and its complementary Trebuchet would serve as his primary base of fire. The third, a small, quick Raven, designed before the Fourth Succession War, could only act as a harrier. The last was a brand-new Exterminator seized intact from the Blackwind Lancers. This modern machine was under the command of another of Shao's Death Commandos.
Beyond this lance-and-a-half of mixed weight class machines, Shao had only a handful of conventional armored fighting vehicles and a small mob of half-trained militia infantrymen to oppose the well-equipped, superbly trained, powerful combat force that was bearing down on him.
What scouts remained to him had spotted a force of light BattleMechs, supported by a few dozen infantry carriers and light hovertanks, skirting along Touchstone's southern edge. Knowing the Light Horse from intelligence reports, Shao determined that the units closing in on the spaceport from the south were only a pinning force. The Light Horse was well known for its efforts to avoid civilian casualties and would probably not send a heavy combat unit into the city of Touchstone. Thus, the primary strike must come from the north.
Shao wiped the sweat from his hands again, pulled on the close-fitting gloves, and settled back to wait. He knew it would not be long.
* * *
From his vantage point, secure in the cockpit of his Hercules, Colonel Charles Antonescu could see little more than the low, rolling hills and thin, scrubby woods that had come to represent Milos for the Eridani Light Horse. Gray winter skies that were beginning to release wet snow completed a bleak picture. Fortunately, he was not limited to what he could observe through the armored viewscreen of his heavy BattleMech's cockpit. A small computer-controlled tactical display showed the location of each company command 'Mech in his attack force. If he set the instrument to display every war machine under his command, the small monitor screen would be flooded with tiny blue icons representing each 'Mech and armored vehicle in the One Fifty-first Light Horse Regiment.
