LE5760 - Ghost of Winter, page 13
In the middle of the room rested a large metallic turntable of sorts that held a central column with a metallic cylinder hinged to the center of it, like a stubby machine-gun mount. Tom Flannery was in the process of examining the computer readouts and displays on the nearby console.
"The techs found this a little while ago," Krenner said.
"What is it?" Sturm asked.
It was Flannery who answered, but he spoke without taking his eyes off the console. "Near as I can tell, it’s a small, highly sophisticated hyper-pulse generator, similar to the ones used by Com-Star to send interstellar transmissions."
Sturm was familiar with the principle: HPGs transmitted packets of energy that traveled faster than the speed of light, allowing communications to be beamed across the vast distances between star systems. Many of the HPGs in the Inner Sphere were controlled by ComStar, but it made sense that the Clans would have ones of their own.
"Does this mean we can send a signal to the rest of the company?" Sturm asked. If they could signal the Storm Riders and let them know their situation, then the Riders could send reinforcements. All the Lancers would have to do is hold out until they arrived.
"I’m not sure yet," Flannery said, "but I think I can get it to work."
"How do you know so much about HPGs?" Sturm asked.
Flannery shrugged a bit and smiled sheepishly. "Before I joined the Storm Riders I was a ComStar acolyte," he said. "I was just a kid then, but I really believed in the Word of Blake and ComStar. When things inside ComStar started to fall apart, I saw the light and figured out that ComStar was just like everyone else in the galaxy, looking out for number one. I figured I’d do the same, so I left and signed up with the Riders. Still, I haven’t forgotten what I learned from my ComStar training. I’m pretty sure I can use this generator to send a signal to the rest of the company."
"That’s great!" Sturm said. He turned to Krenner. "You said there was a problem?"
"There is," Flannery said, answering for the sergeant. "It looks like this particular HPG is active, and that it was activated automatically several days ago, probably right after you broke into the depot. It activated and sent out a signal, some kind of automated message."
A cold feeling clutched at Sturm’s stomach. "Where did it send the message?" he asked, already knowing what the answer would be.
"Right into the Clan Occupied Zone," Krenner said. "By now, the Steel Vipers know that someone broke into their toy box. The Clans are probably on their way here right now, and you can bet they’re not happy."
18
Shangri-la
Jotun Mountains, Kore
The Periphery
17 April 3060
"People, we have a problem," Sturm said.
They were assembled in a meeting room in the Clan ’Mech depot, sitting around an oval-shaped table with a smooth black macroplas top, six members of a unit that currently didn’t number more than a couple dozen people. Sturm stood at the head of the table, still wondering what he was doing in charge of this whole crazy situation. He looked out at the other members of the Kore Lancers who now formed what could be considered the unit’s command structure.
Sergeant Aaron Krenner sat at Sturm’s right, of course. Sturm didn’t know what he’d do without Krenner’s support and guidance. The Sarge had backed him as commander of the Lancers, firmly believing Sturm could handle the situation with the pirates, and now the looming threat of the Clans. Sturm only hoped he could justify Kren’s faith in him. The Master Sergeant didn’t speak much, but allowed Sturm to take the lead, offering only the occasional suggestion.
On the other hand, Sturm didn’t know what he was going to do about Lon Volker. He respected Volker’s abilities as a MechWarrior, but he just couldn’t find it in himself to like him. It was just as obvious that Sturm wasn’t one of Volker’s favorite people, either. Volker considered himself more experienced and senior to Sturm. But, as Sergeant Krenner pointed out, Sturm was more familiar with the ’Mech depot, more familiar with the terrain of the Jotun Mountains, and he had more of the respect and admiration of the other Lancers. Sturm hoped he could find a way to handle Volker diplomatically, because he certainly needed his help. He was the only other truly qualified ’Mech pilot left in the Lancers.
Next to Volker sat Corporal Laura Metz. Krenner had recommended that she be included in the meeting and Sturm agreed. He liked Metz, even though she’d rarely ever given him the time of day back before the arrival of the pirates. Still, she was a good and capable member of the Lancers. Sturm knew Krenner thought Metz had potential, and he could see some of it himself, but her involvement with Volker gave him pause. It could mean that Metz might side with Volker and make trouble over Sturm being in command.
Listen to me, Sturm thought. Less than a day in command and I’m already starting to sound paranoid.
Next to Krenner sat technician Tom Flannery. Flannery was definitely one of the best young techs the Lancers had. In a matter of hours he’d already figured out the Clan HPG system and was now working on getting them more technical information on the ’Mechs. Flannery was an invaluable resource as a tech, but Sturm knew he was going to need even more from him than that before all this was over.
Lastly there was Rachel Clancy, a grim-faced young woman with deep auburn hair cut military-short in MechWarrior style. Clancy, like a lot of the Lancers and other Korans, had lost part of her family in the Clan invasion. Her father was an infantryman with the Lancers who’d died defending Niffelheim from the invaders. She had only begun her training as an apprentice MechWarrior a few short weeks ago, but here she sat, looking composed and calm as she listened, as they all listened to what Sturm had to say.
I wonder if any of them are as scared on the inside as I am right now, Sturm wondered. If they were, nobody snowed it, and Sturm knew that he had to do the same. He put aside his fears and concerns and got down to the business at hand.
"The good news," he said, "is that Flannery, our resident miracle worker here, has managed to rig up the clan HPG so we can send out a message to the rest of the Storm Riders back in Lyran space. We’ve already sent out a transmission informing them of the situation here on Kore and asking for reinforcements. Our best guess is that it’ll still take at least a few weeks for them to get here, depending on which unit is the closest and has the fastest access to a JumpShip. We also haven’t gotten a response yet, so we can’t be sure the cavalry is on the way yet.
"The bad news is that the HPG has already transmitted a signal into the Clan Occupation Zone directed at Clan Steel Viper. We have to assume that the Vipers know that someone has broken into their ’Mech depot and that they’re going to respond. For all we know, a Clan force is already on its way to Kore, which is why it’s imperative that we move as quickly as we can."
"How much time have we got?" Metz spoke up.
Sturm shook his head. "There’s no way to know. They might be here in a couple weeks or a couple months. Or they might never come. For all we know, the Steel Vipers might be busy with their own problems. Things in the Clan Occupation Zone aren’t entirely stable, either. They might decide that Kore is too small and too far away to be bothered with. Hell, they may have already written the place off and maybe nobody’s even listening for a message from here. But we have to assume the worst, which means we might have to deal with some angry Clanners as well as the pirates. That makes taking care of the pirates as soon as possible and regaining control of the command center our first priority."
"What about just talking with Susie Ryan?" Volker asked. "You said Ryan probably came here looking for these Clan ’Mechs. If we tell her we’ve got the ’Mechs and that there’s a Clan force on its way here, maybe she’ll decide it’s more trouble than it’s worth and just leave."
Sturm shook his head. "No. We can’t do that. If we try to negotiate with Ryan, we’re showing our hand too soon. Right now, the only thing stopping her from mounting an attack on this place and just taking those ’Mechs is the fact that she doesn’t know where we are and she doesn’t know our exact strength. If we give away our location or the strength of our forces, Ryan will take any opportunity to crush us and get what she wants."
"You seem to know an awful lot about a woman you’ve never met," Volker said. "But I have. I talked with her. She’s ruthless, but she’s not stupid. I think she might be reasonable. She probably doesn’t want to deal with the Steel Vipers any more than we do."
Sturm was about to respond when Sergeant Krenner spoke up. "You’re talking about the woman who staged a sneak attack on this planet and killed a lot of good people from this unit, Volker. Including Lieutenant Holt and Hans Brinkmann."
"So?" Volker said. "There’s nothing we can do about that now. Do you want to be practical about this or are we just out for revenge?"
"This isn’t about revenge," Sturm said before Krenner could reply. "It’s about the fact that I don’t trust Susie Ryan further than I can throw a DropShip. I believe she’ll do anything she can to get her hands on these ’Mechs. She’s already thrown away more than enough lives trying to get at them. What are a few more? I don’t think Ryan will be reasonable any longer than it takes to get us to expose ourselves so she can strike. If we’re going to negotiate with Ryan, we need to do it from a better position, or we need to be able to take back the command center ourselves. If anyone has a better idea, I’d love to hear it right about now."
"You know what I think," Volker said. "I think it’s suicide to go up against Ryan’s Rebels with what we’ve got, a couple dozen people against what, a hundred pirates? We’re better off negotiating while we’ve still got a chance."
"Anyone else?" Sturm asked as he swept his gaze across the rest of the table. No one spoke for what seemed like a long time.
Finally Flannery said, "We’re behind you, sir. What’s the plan?"
"If we’re going to take on Ryan’s Rebels, we need ’Mechs. We’ve got them down in the ’Mech bay. What we need now are MechWarriors. That’s where you all come in."
There was a moment of stunned silence in the room before anyone gathered their wits enough to speak. Flannery was the first.
"Us? MechWarriors? Kintaro I’m a tech…"
"And a damn good one," Sturm said, leaning forward on the table and bracing himself with his palms flat on the polished black surface. "I also think you could be a damn good MechWarrior. We also don’t really have much of a choice. Volker and I are the only full ’Mech jocks left. Clancy knows enough that she can pick things up. But that still leaves us with two ’Mechs with no pilots, and we’re going to need everything we’ve got to go up against Ryan’s Rebels and have a chance of winning. They’ve got more experience and some heavier ’Mechs, but Kore is our home and the Korans our people. We’re all this planet’s got to protect it, and that’s our job. Krenner and I know you can do it, but we don’t have a lot of time."
"So what’s the plan?" Metz asked. Unlike Flannery, she looked intrigued by the idea of becoming a ’Mech pilot. Krenner had predicted she would and thought she had the stuff to do it.
"There are simulator pods in the depot. The Clans probably set this base up for some long-term postings, and they wanted their warriors to keep sharp. Krenner, Volker, and I are going to train you to be Mech Warriors. It’s going to be fast, it’s going to be hard, and it’s going to be real basic, because we don’t have time for anything fancy, but I think it’s our best shot." There was another pause as everyone thought it over. They very quickly came to the same conclusion: there wasn’t much choice.
"All right," Flannery said. "I’m in."
"Me, too," said Metz.
"You know I’m up for it," Clancy said with a small smile. "Just let me at ’em."
"All right," Sturm said, leaning back from the table into his chair. "Time to hit the simulators, people. As soon as you’re ready, we’re going to give Susie Ryan just what she wants: a shot at our ’Mechs, but she’s going to find out she can’t have them without a fight. Volker, get everyone down to the ’Mech bay and suited up for the simulators. Start them off with some basic mission scenarios and training runs."
"Yes, sir," Volker said quietly. He pushed back from the table and everyone else followed suit. As they filed out of the room, Sturm spoke to Krenner.
"Kren? Can you hold up a second?"
The big man paused by the door and waited for the others to leave before closing it and walking back over to the table where Sturm sat.
"Am I doing the right thing here?" Sturm asked, hanging his head and tracing patterns on the polished black tabletop. "I mean, is Volker right? Should we try talking to Ryan first before I start committing a bunch of green pilots with only a few hours of simulator training to fight trained pirate MechWarriors who probably have more experience than I do?"
"You said it yourself," Krenner said, looking directly at Sturm. "We can’t trust Susie Ryan for a second. She’ll turn on us at the first opportunity. The only thing we’ve got going for us is the element of surprise. Ryan doesn’t know what we have here, or what we’re going to do with it. That gives us an edge. We’d be stupid to give it away."
"I just wish I could see another way," Sturm said quietly, looking up from the table to meet Krenner’s gaze. "What if we can’t do it?"
Krenner’s gaze never wavered. "Then we go down fighting," he said. "Sometimes, when you’re in command, you have to make the hard choices, Sturm. You have to do what you think is right, no matter what." He came over and clapped Sturm on the shoulder with one massive hand.
"You’re doing okay," he said. "I think your mom would be proud."
"Thanks, Kren," Sturm said. "You get going. I’ll be right down to help out with the simulators." Krenner nodded and left the room, leaving Sturm alone with his thoughts for a moment.
I wanted to be like my mother, he thought, but I never realized until just now what she faced. His hand went to the metal piece around his neck. I only hope I can be half as brave as you were when the time comes, mom, he told her silently. His thoughts turned to his father, who was still in Niffelheim. Sturm hoped he was okay. There was so much he’d wanted to say to him in the last few days.
He pushed back from the table with a sigh. With luck, I’ll get the chance, he thought. Then he got up and headed down to help supervise his new command.
19
Kore Lancers Command Center
Outside Niffelheim, Kore
The Periphery
20 April 3060
"Still no sign of ’em, Captain, and we’re not too likely to find any out in this weather," Darnell said over the commline. "I can hardly see five meters in front of my face, and the sensors aren’t much more accurate. They could be anywhere. Over."
"All right, all right, turn it around and head back to base. As soon as you get a clear channel, signal them that we’re on our way back. Mad Cat out."
"Roger that, Captain," came the reply.
In the cockpit of her Mad Cat, Susie Ryan gave a deep and frustrated sigh. As much as she hated to admit it, Darnell was right. It had been four days since the Goshawk freed the Kore Lancers from the command center, luring two of the pirate ’Mechs off on a wild-goose chase to cover the raid.
The ’Mech and the Lancers had fled somewhere into the Jotun Mountains, but efforts to track them were first hindered by the mountains themselves and now by the foul weather sweeping down across Kore’s northern plains.
The fierce storm dumped snow across the tundra and whipped it into a solid curtain of whiteness that visual sensors could barely penetrate. The Rebels were piloting their ’Mechs almost completely by instrument readings, which was dangerous this close to the mountains. The sensors were notoriously inaccurate. Already they’d hit upon half a dozen false leads that turned out to be metallic ore deposits or volcanic vents.
Darnell’s Puma also nearly plunged into a crevasse that he didn’t see until he was practically on top of it. It was fortunate he was able to avoid it. Ryan couldn’t afford any more damage to any more of her ’Mechs at this point. The techs had the Koran Panther up and working again, but it was a poor replacement for the Uller they’d lost to the "Winter Ghost."
Since the surprise attack on the command center, the "Ghost" had vanished along with the Lancers themselves. Ryan was certain that the "Ghost MechWarrior" had to be Sturm Kintaro, the missing member of the Lancers, whose ’Mech was destroyed in the mountains. Somehow, Kintaro must have found the Clan depot she suspected was hidden on the planet.
On the one hand, Ryan was gratified to know that her suspicions were correct and the wild stories were worth what she’d paid for them. There was a secret Clan depot on Kore, set up by the Steel Vipers in the early days of the Clan invasion and later lost to Inner Sphere mercenaries and either forgotten or abandoned. Such a collection of Clan technology and military hardware was a treasure-trove for the old Bandit Kingdoms, which desperately needed more ’Mechs to fight against the Clans. Ryan would like nothing more than to use those ’Mechs against their former Clan owners and grind them into the dirt with them.
But some wet-behind-the-ears MechWarrior, barely out of training, somehow manages to stumble onto them! And he’s using them against me! The sheer nerve of this Kintaro made her blood boil. But, she did have to admit, the kid had guts, taking on a force like the Rebels on his own, and piloting an unfamiliar BattleMech to do it. Ryan couldn’t help but be impressed by what Kintaro had managed to do to the Uller, not to mention the damage he’d also done to the command center.
And Kintaro’s not alone anymore, is he, she thought. No, now he had the rest of his unit to help him out, maybe even to pilot some of the other ’Mechs he’d found. That was a serious risk; Kintaro’s people weren’t trained, Ryan knew that. He and Volker were the only qualified ’Mech pilots left alive in the wake of the attack on Kore. Still, they might be able to tutor some of the more promising members of the unit to handle a ’Mech well enough to be a threat. She was definitely taking a risk with every moment that passed.
