Chapter 10

Twelfth Star Guards Headquarters, Icar

Tamar March, Lyran Commonwealth

March 20th 3050

Hannah's life on Icar had improved since the arrival of the princess. However, getting her ass handed to her by two green-as-grass lieutenants in simulator combat was quickly getting old. It wasn't just the fancy new 'Mechs they were piloting – they were both extraordinarily skilled. Her mercenary group was solid and typically disciplined, but this NAIS Research Battalion was something else. Katherine ran a tight ship, and any thought that she would be soft due to her age or royal status had been thoroughly dispelled.

Not all the changes were great. The additional security and scanner checks were a pain, but they were understood – and hardly a high price to pay for some quality simulator time. The fidelity between simulator and 'Mech piloting was something else. Hannah had never dreamed technology could advance that far.

As the months trickled by, there was no activity from the Periphery. She knew the princess was getting annoyed—she wanted to try out her new artillery pieces. Hannah didn't mind, though; conflict was always a risk, and dealing with repair and salvage was a headache.

An incessant alarm brought Hannah fully conscious.

"HQ to Col. Caitlin, we have unidentified JumpShips in-system at Pirate Points. DropShips are coming in on a high-speed burn."

I guess she finally got her wish.

She dressed hastily and headed to Ops Control to see what was incoming, when she arrived there was an air of panic.

"Colonel, I cannot identify or pinpoint where they are going to land, but they will be landing soon. Their burn is over 4G!"

"Send word to Leftenant-General Thompson and Kommandant Steiner-Davion to ready their forces. Pinpoint where they are going to be landing!"

"Ma'am, this is crazy even for pirates. At their speeds I'm not sure they can decelerate fast enough to avoid crashing."

"That just saves us the trouble," Hannah quipped.

"Colonel, it isn't that simple, the damage a Union DropShip could do if it crashed into Fraserburg or Cuanger would be catastrophic."

"Shit… fucking pirates. Do we know where they are going?"

Another coms officer shouted, "I show multiple DropShips, I repeat, multiple DropShips. One's dropping toward Athena Magna, the others are coming down either here or Fraserburg."

Kommandant Steiner-Davion walked in. She didn't wear her dress uniform since she already had her cooling vest on. If her bared flesh discomforted her, it wasn't noticeable. At her side was the head spook herself, Ainsworth.

"DropShip is attempting to link communication with us," one of the nervous comms officers declared.

"Play it."

"Who is this?" Hannah asked when the link was established, and the Ops Control room quieted down.

A strangely accented and formal voice came on the line. "I am Star Colonel Jera Carns of the Fourth Wolf Guards. What forces defend this world?"

"I, Col. Hannah Caitlin, commander of the Third Regiment of the Twelfth Star Guards, command here and stand ready to repulse any invaders. I demand you further identify yourself. I am not familiar with a mercenary unit called the Wolf Guards. Which House do you–"

At the other end of the communication link came an angry voice. "We are not honorless mercenaries, nor are we in the employ of any of your corrupt Houses. Our identity is stated. You will either inform me immediately of the composition of your forces, or I will be forced to attack without the honor of the batchall and with all the forces at my disposal. You have one minute."

Hannah was deeply confused by the response; she was at a loss.

Katherine's voice filled the void. "What is a 'batchall' and why would we give you vital intel? What is your purpose here?"

There was a moment of silence. "Has this world truly descended into utter barbarity? You are worse than the Bandit Caste. We have come for your world, declare your assets or not."

Hannah angrily replied. "You'll find out soon enough!"

The line went dead.

The coms officer advised, "DropShips are slowing, trajectory shows they are going to drop down near or on Fraserburg."

"Numbers?" Hannah demanded.

"Uhh, not sure. These DropShips look modified. And one I've never seen before. But probably not more than a reinforced battalion."

Hannah felt a little better. Her 2nd battalion, along with two armored battalions of the armored brigade, were stationed at Fraserburg. Assuming her people got their shit together and got into their 'Mechs and vehicles, they should be able to hold.

"Orders for my unit, Colonel Caitlin?" Kommandant Steiner-Davion asked.

"Make sure they are up and ready for deployment. We don't know if they will assault Fraserburg directly or not. The words on the comms could have been a bluff. If they are trying to raid some of the outlying mines, we'll need to root them out. We'll know more soon."

The princess saluted and turned to go, "No, you can wait here Kommandant, I'm sure your people are already rearing to go, but you can wait here for confirmation." Hannah ordered.

They didn't have to wait long, for contact from Fraserburg.

"HQ, we have 'Mechs of alien design. My computer first thought it was some modified Catapult, but… HOLY SHIT, how did they hit us from that range?"

Hannah frowned in irritation; she needed information.

"How many?"

"HQ, HQ, HQ! We have armored jump infantry attacking us. No, God no, they are tearing into my 'Mech! Get them off. Get these devils off me!"

"What is happening?" Hannah's voice cracked a bit from stress.

Incoherent screaming and screeching metal could be heard over the comms.

"Get me 2nd battalion 'Mech condition report from their onboard data-relays!"

The Ops Control team went to work and a display showed the 36 'Mechs of the 2nd battalion. Five looked as if they hadn't been powered up, and twenty were already destroyed. Though perhaps the five that had never been powered up had instead been destroyed before they could, without the link being established by the 'Mech powering on, there was no way to know.

"Mother of God…" Hannah began, quite shaken by the swift destruction of over half of the battalion. "All right, I give up. Just who the hell are these guys?"

"I suspect some Periphery nation-state or even a large band of pirates have somehow found their way to a hidden Star League Defense Force cache," Kommandant Steiner-Davion replied. "Possibly even decades upon decades ago. The speech was Inner Sphere standard, but accented in a way I can't place. Based on the limited information we received from the battalion and the absurd speed they vanquished them, I would guess they are using technology that rivals that of the height of the Star League. We may outnumber them, but their 'Mechs will be far deadlier."

Hannah thought for a moment, Katherine's clear and steady voice chasing away the edges of panic she had been facing.

"If that's the case, we are going to need to hit them hard and overwhelm them. Suit up, people. I want the regiment ready to move out in five. Keep an open line and let me know their position every minute."

The last of the second battalion 'Mechs winked out as she raced for her Wolverine.

***

12th Star Guards Headquarters, Icar

Tamar March, Lyran Commonwealth

March 20th 3050

My life had been going far too well. I knew it couldn't last. Being X would never let me rest. I mean, seriously, how much more blatant can he make it that his treacherous hand is on the scale? Some lost enclave out in the Periphery finds Star League-era tech, and they choose the world I am on to attack? Out of all the worlds in the Inner Sphere? You'd think he would at least try to be subtle.

Even with Star League-era technology, our numbers and artillery could swing the difference. The enemy was clearly intending conquests rather than a raid because they didn't stick around long in Fraserburg and were instead heading straight for us and the spaceport. I attached my neurohelmet and gave the command code to begin the startup sequence.

"There's no such thing as a free lunch."

The computer dinged in acceptance, and I eased my 'Mech out of the storage bay. Fresh orders came through. The plan was simple enough – stop them at a place called Pofadder's Gully. Runoff from heavy mining had carved out an artificial gully stretching for tens of kilometers, though its sides weren't very steep. Taking a 'Mech uphill under fire was a difficult task. Colonel Caitlin's goal was to get her people in position and hit the enemy as they tried to ascend.

We moved out quickly enough, but we didn't have the two regiments of armored support we should have. Instead, we got about four battalions' worth, while the other two were still getting their act together.

Pathetic. Every single one of my 'Mechs, artillery, and armored vehicles are ready to go.

We would have to move fast to establish our artillery batteries. Based on the incoming trajectory, it would be a turkey shoot. There was literally no variance in the enemy's movement – they were taking the most direct path from Point A to Point B. We had drilled for this, so we would make it.

The majority of the brigade's armor consisted of light tanks and hovercraft, but the 24 LRM carriers in Cuanger would be a huge help, as would Leftenant-General Thompson's heavy command company of Patton tanks, at least the portions that would make it to the battle.

My upgraded battle computer was primarily linked to my own battalion, but I requested a feed to HQ that was back at the space sport. They did so and also beamed me the data for the 12th Star Guards as well. The Icar Armored Brigade didn't have access to that information, but I gathered intel from high-flying VTOLs. The Ferret Light Scout 5-ton VTOL normally carried a machine gun, but I had it removed and replaced with a more powerful lens and computer. Instead of flying within combat range, I kept those VTOLs over two kilometers above, solely relaying data.

I reminded HQ to ensure they relayed any reply from ComStar regarding the high-priority message sent to Tharkad and New Avalon about the invaders. The black box was in my cockpit, but I didn't think I needed to use it just yet. Once I did, I'd be stuck with that message until it arrived.

My artillery units deployed in a staggered formation since they had slightly different ranges. Hauptmann Wright would position her tanks to shield the artillery in case anyone broke through. The Partisan Heavy Tanks carried flak ammo, but the J27 Ordinance Transport had regular AC/5 shells. You could use flak against 'Mechs, but the damage dropped off significantly.

"Kommandant Steiner-Davion, let's not risk your company if we don't have to. Keep about two klicks back and west of our position. You can help chase down stragglers after we've broken these guys, okay?"

"Copy, will hang back. Be advised, they'll be on your position in three minutes. The armored brigade is a bit strung out, so you won't have their full firepower," I replied.

"Damn, it'll have to do. We have a company of LRM carriers. Let's see them eat hundreds of missiles while going uphill."

I settled in to wait and frowned. My VTOL pilots were telling me that only two companies were heading our way. They were also feeding me information showing the estimated weight classes, and they were moving far faster than 'Mechs of that size typically move.

Even without all our armor arriving in time, we still have over a hundred tanks, and Col. Caitlin has over 70 'Mechs. My artillery should hopefully thin them out further, but I'm nervous about the possibility of a third company wandering around using some sort of Star League ECM camouflage.

"Begin firing patterns. Make sure you don't hit our own," I ordered, and the booms of artillery echoed.

"Here they come. You may fire at will when in range," Col. Caitlin announced through our all-in Icar military band.

Explosions could be heard, and someone on the open channel cursed. "They took out four of our tanks even though they are outside of LRM range!"

"Cut the chatter, hold the line. Don't let them up these slopes!" Col. Caitlin ordered.

My artillery units delivered their payload. I was waiting for VTOL confirmation of clean strikes when the live feed flickered on one of my other screens.

Shit they took out half our LRM carriers before they could even fire? Their range is absurd.

Sitting still waiting for high damage, low armor units to get blown to shreds was not something I could let happen.

"Icar Armored Brigade, heavy tanks hold position, but LRM carriers, back up. Wait for them to crest the slope. You're sitting ducks up there!"

"Belay that order, hold fast," Col. Caitlan ordered.

"Colonel, with all due respect, those are our most damaging units, and they're getting chewed up before they can even fire," I sent over a two-way communicant signal between her and me.

"They won't make it up the slope if we hold here, and your artillery is going to force them to try."

I ground my teeth as the live images showed every one of our LRM carriers going up in smoke, with only one managing to fire a set of missiles before being torn apart by lasers, PPC blasts, and Gauss Rifles. On the plus side, my artillery had been dead on target. A zoomed in feed from the scout cameras showed a few broken bodies of armored infantry amidst tons of shattered armor.

They must have been clinging to the 'Mechs.

That's where the good news ended. Instead of a kill zone where the invaders would struggle up the hill, they charged right up it, showing no hesitation in piloting their 'Mechs through both incoming fire and steep terrain. Not a one faltered.

"I need support!" a frantic call came from one of the company commanders in the armored brigade. "They're peeling me open like a tin can, I need…"

Bedlam filled the airwaves, and the poor comms discipline made me twitch. Switching over to my battalion band, I gave instructions.

"We've seen no sign of aerospace assets, Hauptmann Wright. Switch ammunition to normal autocannon rounds and join up when finished. First and Second Company, start calculating new target areas. I'm sending you over likely coordinates. There are only a few ways this fight is going to go, so I'm sending you three firing patterns. I will want inbound hot and fast when I give the order."

At the same time, I ordered my 'Mechs to advance at top speed.

"When we get close, lance commanders call out targets, and focus your fire."

We raced forward as I pinged the Colonel of our intended arrival.

"No, get out of here. We're getting torn up. Their armored infantry is swarming us."

"If we lose the bulk of this force here and now, this planet is done. We're almost there. If we can stabilize, my artillery can thin them out further," I countered.

My emergency comms lit up. "Ainsworth here. We've got infiltrators breaching the spaceport. We picked them up on surveillance – armored infantry of some sort."

Oh fuck me. The dropships.

"Get Leftenant Rogers to secure our rides in case we need them. All my techs have laser pistols, though I don't know how well they'll do against these little monsters ripping apart 'Mechs."

"Overwatch is moving into position. I'll be escorting the DropShip crew to power up. The Unions have some weaponry that can be pointed at a ground attack. We've got a bunch of MPs here as well from the 3rd Armored Brigade. Focus on your battle, just giving you the sitrep."

I flipped the channel and came across our first opponent. A solitary 'Mech was coming in on the flank, laying down a blistering barrage of LRM fire. I opened with my ER large lasers as the enemy came into range. The bulky Catapult-looking 'Mech took a hit in the side torso right as it lashed out with 40 LRMs at a Blackjack. I winced as the 12th Star Guards' 'Mech buckled under those missiles. The MechWarrior didn't have the skill to keep his 'Mech upright, and it toppled onto its side, causing further damage.

Both of my Leftenants also fired their ER large lasers at my target. One struck the leg, the other the arm. The rest of our company didn't have weapons with range to join our fire. Three Stingers, three Spiders, and three Commandos couldn't provide much extra firepower – all of theirs was short-ranged. The 'Mech we hit started to turn toward us. In the dawning light of the new day, I could see moderate to heavy damage across much of its chassis.

As the lead 'Mech locked onto me, I zigzagged ahead, feathering my jump jets for extra speed. Two lasers streaked toward me – one struck my 'Mech's leg, peeling off nearly half of its outer armor; the other missed. The computer warned me of a missile lock, and I readied myself.

The LRMs came streaking down at me at hundreds of kilometers per hour. I jabbed my controls hard, jumped sideways, and barely dodged a cluster of them, but the remaining missiles wreathed my 'Mech in explosions. Nothing breached my internals, but my armor suffered severe degradation. I hit the ground with nearly zero control of my 'Mech, and it took every ounce of my 'mage brain'-given reflexes and coordination to keep my 'Mech stumbling and upright. A final laser pulsed out at me but missed.

Our turn.

Once again, our aim remained true, and four more lasers from my company lanced into the enemy 'Mech, sending a ton of armor sloughing off. I targeted the weakened side with my two medium lasers, cutting into it and triggering a hit on the engine. The heat signature spiked in the enemy 'Mech. My company finished closing the range, and we poured more laser and SRM fire into the 'Mech. Remarkably – and terrifyingly – it still didn't go down.

The LRM bays opened, and before they could lock on again, I was charging straight into the enemy 'Mech's face. The enemy pilot fired laser after laser at me. The barrage from my company, combined with my erratic, unexpected movement, meant I emerged nearly unscathed, only losing a little more armor to the staccato of rapid-fire lasers. One more volley from my entire company, and the 'Mech finally went down.

We had struck the flank, and now I quickly caught myself up with the chaos of the battle. The bulk of the enemy 'Mechs were advancing in a line, an inexorable wave of death. This 'Mech had tried to flank but paid the price, picked off by my company. My 'Mechs pushed in and found absolute chaos among our friendly formations. Those armored infantry were tearing through armored vehicles, ripping into 'Mech cockpits, firing lasers, and even missiles. I struck one with a laser, and to my astonishment, the damn thing rose again!

Undeterred, I charged in and kicked the damn thing. Unless physics suddenly stopped working inside that suit, it should be dead. I spotted Col. Caitlin's Wolverine swarmed by four of them. I rushed in to help, yanking one off with my 'Mech's right hand. I squeezed, feeling the carapace crack under my grip as black slime oozed out, and the heavily armored infantryman went still.

My company was missing too many shots at the hard-to-hit targets. Unacceptable.

"Use physicals on them. Pick them up, squeeze, kick, stomp, or even do this!" I shouted, slapping one down hard as it tried to jump at my cockpit.

"These bastards jump like toads," one of the MechWarriors said over the open channel, and soon others were calling them that as well.

My company must have cleared at least two dozen of the Toads out, freeing up my allies to face the enemy 'Mechs. The rest of the battle continued to go poorly. And then salvation appeared, Leftenant-General Thompson had formed up his command company of twelve Patton tanks in a solid knot of armored power.

I sent a message to command: "We need to pin them down and attrite them. I know I'm asking a lot, but I'm calling artillery basically on top of us. If we keep retreating, by the time the shells land, most of us will be out of the blast zone."

"Do what you need to, Highness," Thompson replied, and I relayed the orders. Sadly, those were his last words, as a single enemy 'Mech unleashed four PPCs, ripping straight through the 65-ton armored vehicle.

The general had been well-respected by his men, and instead of breaking, they not only held the line but charged into the enemy advance. My artillery was already firing, and I could only shake my head at their suicidal bravery. Not a single Patton tank survived, but they pinned the enemy in place while dealing with them, meaning the enemy 'Mechs were ground zero for eight Thumpers and sixteen Spitfire Cannons, raining down death. When the smoke cleared, the enemy was falling back, and my artillery reoriented its fire, trying to take them down. But now they were evading properly, no longer advancing in straight lines.

I was waiting for the order to either fall back or pursue when I realized Col. Caitlin hadn't responded to comms in some time.

***

Fraserburg, Icar

Tamar March, Lyran Commonwealth

March 20th 3050

Star Colonel Jera Carns seethed with frustration. The Inner Sphere surats were even more dishonorable than she had predicted. Violations of Zellbrigen were too numerous to count. They ganged up on single opponents with multiple BattleMechs and even resorted to stravag artillery. They even rained down artillery on their own people just to damage her forces!

Most importantly was her failure to win regardless. She had lost over two Stars of 'Mechs, and almost two full Stars of Elementals. Yes, they have destroyed over a hundred vehicles at dozens of 'Mechs, but losing ten 'Mechs and almost fifty elementals was a heavy blow. The armor on her remaining 'Mechs had been nearly completed stripped, and some of her warriors had lost whole limbs from their BattleMechs.

The three Points of Elementals she had sent to seize the enemy DropShips were slain, and she doubted she could achieve victory with her current bid. She had three options. The first was to call down forces matching Star Colonel Erik Kerensky's bid. That would bring ten fresh BattleMechs—but even that might not be enough.

The second was to seek Erik's permission to revert to her original bid, which included a Star of artillery 'Mechs – five disgusting Nagas – and a Star of aerospace fighters. Ten aerospace fighters could hunt down the freebirth artillery and eliminate it, restoring the battle's honor. But the cost would be steep – her honor tarnished, and Kerensky would claim the spoils: bondsmen, salvage, and perhaps even future favors. And if she refused his demands, he would deny her outright.

The greatest dishonor of all would be retreating off-world entirely. Such a retreat would grant Erik the right to deploy his entire Cluster, as it would be deemed a fresh battle – one she could not even bid against him for. He would likely hold back some forces to preserve his own honor, but after her failure, she doubted he would show much restraint. Khan Ulric would not relegate her to a Solahma unit, but the disgrace of failure – so early in the invasion – would be nearly unbearable.

Gritting her teeth, she chose the second option. Victory would be hers. She keyed her 'Mech's controls to open a channel to the JumpShips where Erik awaited. A slight delay was inevitable over the distance, but the link remained stable.

"Star Colonel Kerensky. It seems I have bid poorly. I request your approval to bring in my initial bid."

"That is surprising to hear Jera. Was not this world merely defended by barbarous lucrewarriors, militia and some abomination of a Science Caste unit?" his voice responded after the several second delay.

"Aff, but I underestimated just how filthy their tactics would be. I will use our own foul artillery 'Mechs and our honorable aerospace fighters to hunt down their artillery and then finish the remaining foes," she replied steadily.

"But only if I agree." He let the silence last for an uncomfortable minute. "I want all bondsmen taken, you may keep the salvage, but I also wish for Star Commander Royal Kerensky and his Star to be transferred to my Cluster. In exchange you will take Star Commander Lurline and her Star."

Damn you, you wish for my Cluster to lose a Bloodnamed warrior and a Ristar at that? But I have no choice if I am to retain my honor.

"Agreed," she said, taking pains to keep the anger from her voice.

He laughed at the other end of the line. "Bargained well and done."