BattleTech: Front Lines: BattleCorps Anthology, Volume 6, page 32
I can hold them while the others get away.
As if summoned, one of the raider hovertanks sped toward him. The Gauss rifle in the Regulator’s turret flashed, but the slug crushed a furrow in the ground before skipping between the Warlord’s legs and disappearing behind him. McShane brought his arms up and squeezed his trigger.
Both heavy PPCs took the Regulator in the bow, devouring the armor quickly and destroying the frame beneath it. McShane imagined the tankers’ expressions as the bulkheads in front of them went from warm to vaporized in a fraction of a second but didn’t linger. The tank came apart in smoke and flame. The heavy turret skidded to a stop barely a meter in front of the Warlord’s foot. He crushed it with an offhanded step as he moved forward.
His radio faithfully transmitted the signals as militiamen made a break for the highway. The first to go were the hovertanks, whose speed allowed them to retreat quickly and get away. The wheeled tanks were next, those that weren’t blocked by felled trees or immobilized by damage. A couple APCs sped past the Warlord’s feet, treads churning at the earth while infantrymen clung to the outside.
The heavy main battle tanks didn’t move. Technically they were violating orders, but McShane didn’t say anything. They weren’t any faster than his Warlord. They weren’t getting away either.
A pair of ForestryMech MODs stepped up beside him. “We’re slower than you are, sir,” one of the pilots beamed.
“Glad to have you,” McShane replied.
Wind picked up and started to clear the smoke from the field. The sounds of combat slowed, although there was no stillness. McShane’s externals picked up the screams of wounded men and the pounding of ammunition gang-firing in destroyed vehicles. His HUD painted more red icons in front of him.
The Guillotine stepped out of the smoke, stopped.
McShane studied the machine. It was black, flat-black, with red trim, but it didn’t wear any unit insignia. The Warlord’s sensors queried it, but no IFF returned. Not regular Dracs, then. Maybe not even Dracs at all.
“Do we surrender?” a tanker asked. The Warlord’s comm painted a disabled Challenger tank as the sending unit. Both its tracks had been disabled but the gunner, at least, was still in his turret.
“If we do that, they’ll just go around us and chase down those that got away,” McShane said.
He was oddly calm. He’d been a soldier for forty years, lucky enough to be a MechWarrior in Harrison Davion’s service when the Republic and its proponents were making ’Mechs more and more rare. He hadn’t expected to meet his end here, on a world not even officially Davion, against an enemy he couldn’t even put a name to.
“So we—” the tanker began, but McShane saw movement.
A pair of Regulator tanks zipped out of the rapidly clearing smoke a hundred meters to the Guillotine’s left. They saw the waiting Davion troops and angled farther away but didn’t slow down. McShane jerked his controls, snapped the Warlord’s right arm up, and fired. His shot missed, but the tanks didn’t stop.
The Challenger crew fired, a long rolling burst that slammed high-explosives into the Guillotine’s left leg. The ForestryMech MODs fired as well, adding their weight to the fray. More raider ’Mechs appeared and returned fire.
So we die, McShane finished.
HACK CURSED and snap-fired his lasers into the Challenger’s forward hull. The tank’s cannon fell silent, but the damage had been done. The whole Feddie line erupted into fire, and his Dragoons returned it.
So much for getting them to surrender.
“Major Chan,” he said. “Make sure the Donars are harassing that column that gets away. I don’t want them decisively engaged, but if the couple that make it to the capital are scared to death, that’s just fine.”
Chan acknowledged the order, and moments later the thirteen remaining attack helicopters lifted away and accelerated. Hack knew the big seven-centimeter lasers slung under the Donars’ nose would make harassing the column easy, but he didn’t want to take any more losses than absolutely necessary.
The big Warlord was moving, perpendicular to the Davion line. Nina Slade trundled past Hack’s ’Mech, arms leveled. He grimaced as she unloaded four deadly PPCs that each reached out for the Warlord. Two combined to savage the armor from its chest, while a third missed over the assault ’Mech’s shoulder. The fourth tore into the ’Mech’s right knee housing, fusing the joint straight and hobbling the already-slow machine. It staggered, overbalanced.
Caitlin Roth’s Linebacker sprinted past Hack’s Guillotine, weapons flashing. She split her fire between the two ForestryMech MODs, but it was enough. In a masterful display of gunnery she smashed both of them to the ground. One exploded, showering burning diesel fuel across the area and sending greenish-black smoke into the sky.
Davion return fire was sporadic and quickly silenced. Alpha and Bravo’s ’Mech Stars moved up from the right flank and obliterated a pair of holdout Marksman tanks, and the Elementals of Bravo-Third cracked the hatches on a DI Morgan tank and captured the crew alive.
The Warlord was the final holdout. Slade held her fire after her initial salvo, letting the Hellstar’s heat systems regain control. PPCs—especially the extended-range models the Hellstar mounted—were one of the most effective—if not the most effective—weapons a BattleMech could carry, but their price was a truly infernal cost in waste heat. Heat was every MechWarrior’s bane, deadly heat that could fry circuits, force uncontrolled shutdowns of his ’Mech’s fusion engine, even explode ordnance in its magazines. Four PPCs was a salvo that had destroyed more than one ’Mech in a single barrage—but it was almost as dangerous to Slade.
Roth’s Linebacker was closest, after her charge toward the ForestryMechs. The Warlord slammed a heavy PPC shot into the Linebacker’s high shoulder, and Roth replied with a laser that cut the Feddie ’Mech’s right arm off at the elbow.
“Try to get him alive,” Hack ordered.
“Sir,” Roth said. She scampered her Omni closer, firing smaller lasers. The Warlord twisted under her fire and replied in kind, slagging armor from the Linebacker’s legs. Hack heard Roth curse under her breath, her open comm line forgotten. She set her ’Mech’s feet and presented her weapons.
“Surrender,” she called, on an open frequency.
The Warlord charged.
The two ’Mechs were by now barely 150 meters apart. Even with a gimped knee, the Feddie ’Mech was still eighty tons of mass moving at speed, and the impact would damage both ’Mechs pretty heavily, although Roth would get the worse end of the deal. If she let him connect. Hack waited for her to sidestep and use the Linebacker’s superior speed to get out of the way.
She fired instead, lasers filling the space between the two ’Mechs.
On his secondary screen the Warlord’s infrared signature flared. Hack swore and kicked his throttles into reverse—Roth’s attacks had destroyed the magnetic shielding around the Warlord’s fusion reactor.
“Get clear!” he shouted, an instant before the world went white and a shockwave rolled over his Guillotine. When he looked again, all that remained of the Warlord were the stumps of its feet—the ’Mech was gone from the knees up. Roth’s Linebacker was lying twisted on its side, but it was already moving, trying to regain its feet.
Hack looked up.
THE JERK when his chute opened was jolt enough to shake McShane from his fugue. He rode out the buffeting when his ’Mech blew. He’d never understood the precise physics that dictated how a fusion engine lost containment and exploded without going totally nuclear, but he was thankful that the math worked even if he didn’t understand it. Despite his previous thoughts he was thankful to still be alive.
Black-painted battlesuits were waiting for him when he fell to earth, anti-personnel machine guns leveled. The lead trooper waited until he had released his harness and disentangled himself from his chute risers, then stepped forward.
“You are our prisoner, sir,” the digitized voice said.
McShane nodded. He didn’t wear a sidearm in the cockpit, so he didn’t have a token to surrender. He just sat down. The wind had blown the worst of the smoke and dust away. There were only the pyres of the destroyed vehicles remaining, each sending a column of smoke into the sky.
“Soldier,” McShane said a short time later. He was distracted by tracks in the atmosphere high above him. DropShips, he realized. A lot more than one.
“This isn’t just a raid, is it?”
“I can’t tell you that, sir,” the Elemental replied.
“It’s an invasion?”
“I can’t—”
“—tell me that, I get it.” McShane rubbed some of the soil of Marlowe between his hands. The grit tugged at the soft skin of his palms. I used to have calluses. “Can you at least tell me who you are?”
The Elemental suit turned, and the trooper inside cracked his helmet seals and cranked the bulky headpiece back. He was blond and pale, with eyes so brown they were almost black, and an expressionless face. He looked up at the DropShips, following McShane’s gaze, and then looked back down at the captured colonel.
“Wolf’s Dragoons,” he said.
LOOKING FOR MORE HARD-HITTING BATTLETECH FICTION?
* * *
WE’LL GET YOU RIGHT BACK INTO THE BATTLE!
* * *
Catalyst Game Labs brings you the very best in BattleTech fiction, available at most ebook retailers, including Amazon, Apple Books, Kobo, Google Books, Barnes & Noble, and more!
NOVELS
Decision at Thunder Rift by William H. Keith Jr.
Mercenary's Star by William H. Keith Jr.
The Price of Glory by William H. Keith, Jr.
Warrior: En Garde by Michael A. Stackpole
Warrior: Riposte by Michael A. Stackpole
Warrior: Coupé by Michael A. Stackpole
Wolves on the Border by Robert N. Charrette
Heir to the Dragon by Robert N. Charrette
Lethal Heritage (The Blood of Kerensky, Volume 1) by Michael A. Stackpole
Blood Legacy (The Blood of Kerensky, Volume 2) by Michael A. Stackpole
Lost Destiny (The Blood of Kerensky, Volume 3) by Michael A. Stackpole
Way of the Clans (Legend of the Jade Phoenix, Volume 1) by Robert Thurston
Bloodname (Legend of the Jade Phoenix, Volume 2) by Robert Thurston
Falcon Guard (Legend of the Jade Phoenix, Volume 3) by Robert Thurston
Wolf Pack by Robert N. Charrette
Main Event by James D. Long
Natural Selection by Michael A. Stackpole
Assumption of Risk by Michael A. Stackpole
Blood of Heroes by Andrew Keith
Close Quarters by Victor Milán
Far Country by Peter L. Rice
D.R.T. by James D. Long
Tactics of Duty by William H. Keith
Bred for War by Michael A. Stackpole
I Am Jade Falcon by Robert Thurston
Highlander Gambit by Blaine Lee Pardoe
Hearts of Chaos by Victor Milán
Operation Excalibur by William H. Keith
Malicious Intent by Michael A. Stackpole
Black Dragon by Victor Milán
Impetus of War by Blaine Lee Pardoe
Double-Blind by Loren L. Coleman
Binding Force by Loren L. Coleman
Exodus Road (Twilight of the Clans, Volume 1) by Blaine Lee Pardoe
Grave Covenant (Twilight of the Clans, Volume 2) by Michael A. Stackpole
The Hunters (Twilight of the Clans, Volume 3) by Thomas S. Gressman
Freebirth (Twilight of the Clans, Volume 4) by Robert Thurston
Sword and Fire (Twilight of the Clans, Volume 5) by Thomas S. Gressman
Shadows of War (Twilight of the Clans, Volume 6) by Thomas S. Gressman
Prince of Havoc (Twilight of the Clans, Volume 7) by Michael A. Stackpole
Falcon Rising (Twilight of the Clans, Volume 8) by Robert Thurston
Threads of Ambition (The Capellan Solution, Book 1) by Loren L. Coleman
The Killing Fields (The Capellan Solution, Book 2) by Loren L. Coleman
Dagger Point by Thomas S. Gressman
Ghost of Winter by Stephen Kenson
Roar of Honor by Blaine Lee Pardoe
By Blood Betrayed by Blaine Lee Pardoe and Mel Odom
Illusions of Victory by Loren L. Coleman
Flashpoint by Loren L. Coleman
Measure of a Hero by Blaine Lee Pardoe
Path of Glory by Randall N. Bills
Test of Vengeance by Bryan Nystul
Patriots and Tyrants by Loren L. Coleman
Call of Duty by Blaine Lee Pardoe
Initiation to War by Robert N. Charrette
The Dying Time by Thomas S. Gressman
Storms of Fate by Loren L. Coleman
Imminent Crisis by Randall N. Bills
Operation Audacity by Blaine Lee Pardoe
Endgame by Loren L. Coleman
A Bonfire of Worlds by Steven Mohan, Jr.
Embers of War by Jason Schmetzer
Betrayal of Ideals by Blaine Lee Pardoe
Forever Faithful by Blaine Lee Pardoe
Kell Hounds Ascendant by Michael A. Stackpole
Redemption Rift by Jason Schmetzer
YOUNG ADULT NOVELS
The Nellus Academy Incident by Jennifer Brozek
Rogue Academy: Iron Dawn by Jennifer Brozek
NOVELLAS/SHORT NOVELS
A Splinter of Hope by Philip A. Lee
The Anvil by Blaine Lee Pardoe
Not the Way the Smart Money Bets (Kell Hounds Ascendant 1) by Michael A. Stackpole
A Tiny Spot of Rebellion (Kell Hounds Ascendant 2) by Michael A. Stackpole
A Clever Bit of Fiction (Kell Hounds Ascendant 3) by Michael A. Stackpole
ANTHOLOGIES
Shrapnel: Fragments from the Inner Sphere
Onslaught: Tales from the Clan Invasion
The Corps (BattleCorps Anthology, Volume 1)
First Strike (BattleCorps Anthology, Volume 2)
Weapons Free (BattleCorps Anthology, Volume 3)
Fire for Effect (BattleCorps Anthology, Volume 4)
Counterattack (BattleCorps Anthology, Volume 5)
Front Lines (BattleCorps Anthology, Volume 6)
Legacy
Kill Zone (BattleCorps Anthology, Volume 7)
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental. The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party Web sites or their content.
If you purchased this book without a cover you should be aware that this book is stolen property. It was reported as “unsold and destroyed” to the publisher and neither the author nor the publisher has received any payment for this “stripped book.”
The scanning, uploading and distribution of this book via the Internet or via any other means without the permission of the publisher is illegal and punishable by law. Please purchase only authorized electronic editions, and do not participate in or encourage electronic piracy of copyrighted materials. Your support of the authors’ rights is appreciated.
FRONT LINES: BATTLECORPS ANTHOLOGY, VOLUME 6
Edited by Jason Schmetzer and Philip A. Lee
Design by Matt Heerdt
©2016 The Topps Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Classic BattleTech, BattleTech, ’Mech, BattleMech and MechWarrior are registered trademarks and/or trademarks of The Topps Company, Inc., in the United States and/or other countries. Catalyst Game Labs and the Catalyst Game Labs logo are trademarks of InMediaRes Productions LLC. No part of this work may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior permission in writing of the Copyright Owner, nor be otherwise circulated in any form other than that in which it is published.
Published by Catalyst Game Labs,
an imprint of InMediaRes Productions, LLC
7108 S. Pheasant Ridge Drive • Spokane, WA 99224
Jason Schmetzer, BattleTech: Front Lines: BattleCorps Anthology, Volume 6
