D. R. T.

by James D. Long

  McCloud accepted the news in silence. Rose wanted to talk to her, but this wasn't the time, she'd said so herself. He would talk to her, however. He promised himself he would get past his own emotional barrier and give McCloud the kind of love she deserved, but for now there were too many ghosts and doubts. Those would have to be banished before he could build the relationship he wanted with McCloud. The silence continued as Rose and McCloud each remained lost in thought. Finally McCloud slapped her thighs and looked at Rose.

  "We'd better head over to the mess room. I'm on a schedule and the Thorns will wait all night for you to show up." She gave Rose a smile, then held out one hand to him. They would go together to eat their goodbye dinner with the rest of the Black Thorns.

  16

  Drop Training Zone Bravo

  Wolcott, Draconis Combine

  13 July 3057

  A harsh buzzer had just begun to wail when the floor of the ship dropped away from Rose. As he slipped into free fall, his stomach lurched upward with the same familiar nausea. Next time he'd bypass breakfast, Rose promised himself, no matter how hungry he was. Within seconds, the nausea subsided and he was able to enjoy the euphoria of falling through space. This part of a drop felt like flying or floating, and it was the one time when Rose could understand why spacers acted the way they did and why aerojocks so loved their crafts.

  There was a brief lurch in his ride and a stability warning light went off on his 'Mech's control panel. He was fifty kilometers ahove Wolcott and falling fast. As the last Mech Warrior out the door of the Tracy K, Rose knew that the rest of the Thorns had been kicked loose on time and on target. Once his 'Mech left the ship, however, he lost the direct link to the bridge and was as blind as the rest of the Black Thorns.

  Checking the altimeter and flight profile readings piped in from the drop cocoon, Rose could tell that his descent was going precisely to plan. Encased in his metal cocoon, or coffin, as the aerospace pilots liked to call the drop pods, he watched as the altimeter reading continued to fall. At forty kilometers above the plains, a drogue parachute deployed with a sudden jolt that ripped through the cocoon and pushed Rose down into his seat. The chute remained deployed for almost ten seconds before releasing, and Rose had to fight back another wave of nausea. All readings were still in the green.

  At thirty kilometers, the main chute deployed. Rose could feel the drop pod swaying from the end of the giant chute as gravity tried to pull him down. The chute remained deployed for almost two minutes before Rose prepared to hit the release.

  This was the most critical time in the drop. It was certainly possible for a BattleMech to drop from an aircraft to the ground using nothing but cocoons and jump jets, but Rose felt some of his men were too inexperienced for that method. Instead of a free-fall descent in a drop pod, they were using parachutes to slow their initial descent.

  The first chute served only to stabilize the drop pod and correct any tumbling that might occur as the 'Mech exited the ship. It did very little to actually slow the descent. It was the second parachute that did all the work, serving as a safety measure that the dropping 'Mechs could keep deployed all the way to the ground. Rose paused with his hand above the parachute release and checked the gauges one last time.

  In most cases a Mech Warrior released the main chute at the designated drop altitude, which occurred somewhere between five and ten thousand meters, depending on the nature of the drop and the individual 'Mechs involved. Light 'Mechs with more reaction fuel could deploy quite low to the surface, giving them less time as an airborne target. Heavier 'Mechs required more of a safety cushion to descend safely. It was just one of many reasons why the light 'Mechs were always sent in first.

  If the pilot deployed too late, even maximum thrust from the jump jets wouldn't be enough to slow the fall, and both 'Mech and pilot would end up at the bottom of a very large crater. Deploy too soon and the reaction fuel would burn out before the 'Mech was safely on the ground. The result of deploying too high was the same as deploying too low; the only difference was that pilot had more time to think about it.

  Rose remained with his hand poised over the release button as he checked the gauges a fourth time. If any of the gauges or indicator lights showed a problem, Rose could stay with the parachute and ride it to the ground. The landing would certainly damage the 'Mech, perhaps even destroy it, but the pilot's chances of surviving were reliable.

  Every pilot knew that combat drops were the quickest way to an early and permanent retirement, and so Rose couldn't chance this mission on pilots without drop experience. No matter how dangerous it was to even practice a drop, sending an untrained crew into an actual mission was worse.

  He wasn't surprised at all to learn that of the thirteen members of the company only he, Bell, Jamshid, and Myoto were drop veterans. What did surprise him was that Myoto was among those who had earned their "drop boots," which was the reason he'd asked Myoto to sit out this particular exercise. The Tracy K could hold only twelve 'Mechs, and the other members of the company needed the experience more. He could have eliminated one of his own veterans instead, but he wanted the unit to work as a team as much as possible.

  He knew the decision had hurt Myoto, but she kept a poker face and volunteered to work with the ground crew supervising the drop. That was typical. Every day she stood shoulder to shoulder with the Black Thorns, exposing herself to the same tests they faced. Although it earned her high marks among the unit, the Thorns sometimes wondered if she were simply a little crazy for doing so. Rose technically outranked her, but Myoto's status as liaison officer gave her privileges above her rank when dealing with the mercenaries. She could have declined to follow any order, and Rose would have had to accept it.

  In the past eight weeks of training, Myoto had proved to be an excellent 'Mech pilot but a miserable marksman, completely missing easy targets that she ought to have been able to hit blindfolded. At first Rose thought it might be a problem with the targeting computer, but Hawg and Esmeralda went over the system three times and were unable to discover any problems. It was only when Riannon requested background information on Myoto that the Thorns learned that she was simply a poor shot. Bell volunteered to help her with her aim by teaching her small-arms shooting, an offer she eagerly accepted.

  An alarm in his neurohelmet suddenly jerked Rose back to the present. Parachute release in ten seconds. He checked the controls one more time. Five seconds. Another check. When a green light appeared at the top of the console, Rose triggered the release. His stomach dropped again as the chute broke away cleanly. Rose counted the seconds silently to himself, and at six hit the trigger again.

  A brief series of explosions all around his 'Mech and then he was free. The shards of the drop pod spilled away, revealing the blue sky around him and the brown-green of Wolcott below. Instantly the radio came alive, squawking in his ear as a host of connections were established. Rose checked his attitude adjusters, confirming that he wasn't in immediate danger of crashing, and then examined the short-range sensor.

  As the last pilot out of the DropShip, he was able to see the rest of the company scattered below him. He confirmed eleven other blips as he thumbed the communications channel to life. Splitting his vision between the altimeter and the scanner, he watched as the IFF, Identify Friend or Foe, beacons were identified on each 'Mech. Call names began appearing above the blips, and the computer processed information and assigned names.

  "This is Black Thorn One. Count 'em off, people, just like we planned it."

  "Recon Four, green." Rose felt himself relax slightly. Kitten was the least experienced member of the company. Also the youngest, she was everybody's little sister, even Ria's. Although a veteran, her term of service had been brief and seemed to have consisted mostly of ceremonial duties. Kitten had listed several battles on her service jacket, but Rose doubted she'd seen much in the way of real fighting. This drop concerned him because there was so much that could go wrong. If something happened, Kitten would have only
herself to rely upon. That wasn't necessarily bad, but it still worried Rose. He was glad she seemed to be handling the drop.

  "Recon Three, green." Leeza was another question mark, but like Kitten, she seemed to be handling the drop all right.

  "Recon Two, yellow." Rose started to question Yuri, but stopped with his finger over the comm channel. Yellow meant there was a problem, but not immediately life-threatening. Before the drop, Rose had made sure everybody understood that a status of red indicated a life-threatening emergency. Once the 'Mechs were free of their cocoons, any red status would have been announced immediately unless there was a problem with the radio, hence the countdown. Yuri would have to wait for the rest of the members to call in.

  "Recon One, green."

  "Battle Four, green."

  "Battle Three, green."

  "Battle Two, green."

  "Battle One, yellow." That was Esmeralda. Rose noticed that her flight path on the scanner indicated that she had released from the DropShip poorly and was scattered away from the rest of the company. Her yellow status was likely caused by the poor flight path.

  "Command Four, green."

  Silence. Rose counted to three, then hit the comm. "Command Three, what is your status?" Rose glanced at his altimeter and cursed under his breath. "Command Three, pass."

  "Command Two, green."

  Rose eyed the altimeter again and began to slow his descent while trying to find Bell on the scanner. Normally a Masakari did not mount jump jets, but a special drop pack had been rigged to the back and legs of the OmniMech, just as it had with all the other non-jumping BattleMechs. The jump packs were light on fuel and not nearly as efficient as the internal jump jets of a jump-capable 'Mech, but the bulky pack allowed the Thorns to drop all their 'Mechs into battle.

  "Lance commanders, handle yellow status and report if necessary." Rose worked the jump pack with one hand as the other flew over the scanner. He knew that dividing his concentration was dangerous, but he was responsible for every member of the team, and he wanted—no, he needed—to know what was happening with Antioch Bell. Rose triggered a series of short bursts followed by one long blast of the jump pack to slow the descent. Rotation was nominal, so he let that go and finally managed to pick up Bell on the scanner.

  Zooming in on Bell's Banshee with his visual sensors, Rose could see that the entire right side of the 'Mech's head was blackened. Despite the damage, Rose could see the telltale exhaust of the jump pack strapped to the back of the Banshee as it fired. Evidently Bell was all right but unable to communicate. Rose checked the altimeter and fired his thrusters one more time. His fuel was already running low, and his velocity was down as well. A few more quick bursts and he'd be ready for touchdown.

  Satisfied that Bell was not in danger, or at least not in a situation he could do anything about, Rose focused on the altimeter and the final stages of landing. He checked his speed and fired three quick bursts of the jump pack, killing some of his velocity and all of his spin. At one hundred meters Rose triggered the thrusters and held the button. He descended into his own smoke as the jump pack expended its remaining fuel in an attempt to fight gravity. Rose quickly lost sight of the terrain and kept his eyes glued to the altimeter as his height counted down. At ten meters he killed the thrusters, happy to see there was still a little fuel left in the tanks. Flexing at the knees, he dropped the last bit and let the OmniMech's powerful gyroscope and his own sense of balance, which was transmitted through the neurohelmet, land him safely.

  Rose felt the clawed feet of the Masakari dig into the rocky soil and grip tightly. He started to lean to the right, but a quick step in that direction corrected his balance. He took one tentative step, then another, walking out of his own exhaust to greet the other Thorns. "Status report. Recon?"

  Ajax answered immediately. "Recon down and ready. No damage sustained in transit."

  "And the yellow status?" asked Rose.

  "Nothing affecting performance, sir." That was good news. Considering the number of new recruits in recon, the results were excellent.

  "Battle?"

  "Battle down and ready. Minor failure on Battle One, but nothing affecting performance."

  "Command?" continued Rose.

  "Command down and ready, sir." Riannon's voice was clear but slightly rushed. He suspected her first experience with a drop had been anything but routine. He'd have to get the details later. "Command Three is still silent, but he gives a thumbs-up."

  "Good thing he's got a thumb."

  Rose laughed in spite of himself. Although he couldn't identify the voice, it had to be Hawg. He was the only one capable of disguising his voice to any degree. He was also the only one likely to make such a comment.

  "Cut the chatter, Thorns. We're still a long way from home. Recon lead us out of here, just like we planned. Riannon, confirm the drop with the ground crew and tell them we'll meet at the primary landing zone.

  "Good work out there today, people," said Rose with obvious pride. "Just remember, the next time you get the chance to do this, there might be Clanners shooting back."

  17

  Mercenary Garrison District

  Wolcott, Draconis Combine

  15 July 3057

  "Jeremiah, wake up."

  Rose turned over in bed and came to full alert at the sound of another person in his room. It took a second to realize that the other person was Riannon. He reached out and hit the switch on the night stand lamp. Squinting against the lights, he checked his chronometer. Four twelve a.m.

  "Trouble, sis?" he asked as he swung his legs out of bed and rubbed his hands through his hair. He didn't doubt the answer would be yes.

  "This just came over the comm, in code," she said solemnly. As Rose took the slip of paper, he noticed that Ria was dressed in her shorts and tee shirt. At first he'd assumed that they were her sleep clothes, but then quickly realized it was the attire she wore in her 'Mech under her cooling vest. His sister was already prepared for combat.

  Rose took the note and read it three times before turning back to his sister. "Anybody else know?"

  Riannon shook her head. "Priority signals are duplicated on my terminal with an alarm. Esmeralda didn't flinch when the alarm went off. I read the note and pulled the hard copy from the communications center. I decided I'd better wake you, so I came here first—or second rather." She grinned. "I got some coffee started first."

  Rose nodded. "Good thinking." He checked his watch again and reached for the communications unit on the night stand. Thumbing the system to public address, he lifted the handset to his mouth.

  "Attention, Black Thorns. Rise and shine. Our departure date has just been moved up. Repeat, our departure date has just been moved up. This is not a drill. Report to your 'Mechs at oh-five-hundred prepared for immediate departure from the compound. We will leave the compound at oh-five-thirty. Repeat, we will depart the compounds at oh-five-thirty. This is not a drill." Rose dropped the handset and turned to his sister. She beamed anticipation. Rose lifted the handset.

  "Coffee will be available in the mess room. Lance commanders, see to your command. Antioch Bell, to my quarters." Rose dropped the handset on the bed and stood. Despite the early hour, the call to action had him pumped with adrenaline and fully awake.

  "Ria, ask Myoto to come in here after Antioch and I are done. Transfer command from the base to the 'Mechs, effective oh-five-hundred. How soon can you move out?"

  "Ten, maybe fifteen minutes."

  "Get on out to the warehouse as soon as you can. Set up the communications link with the Tracy K and monitor all inbound traffic."

  "I'll check on the Bristol," said Riannon, as if reading his mind.

  Rose smiled at his sister. "Thanks, sis." There was a knock on the open door as she turned to go.

  "Antioch Bell, reporting as ordered, sir." Bell flashed the thumbs up sign to Riannon as she squeezed past him in the doorway. Rose couldn't see her face, but could easily imagine that the expression she gave in retur
n was something between the rush of excitement and fear of the upcoming mission. Rose knew the excitement couldn't be helped, especially in the early stages of a mission. He also knew Ria was veteran enough to know the danger of the situation and to temper her excitement with respect as well as a little dread for that danger. Fear was an absolute necessity if a Mech Warrior was going to survive long in the profession.

  "Antioch, Ria is going to have her hands full, so I need you to handle a couple of things." Bell nodded. "Saddle up as quick as you can and leave the compound. I want you to handle the base defenses and arm everything the minute we clear the gates. I don't expect trouble, but since McCloud isn't back yet, we don't have anybody here to mind the store."

  "I'll have to do some of the work from the ground."

  Rose nodded. "I understand. That's why I want you on the other side of the gate. You can activate everything from the outside. Remind Ria to transfer the deactivation codes to the mercenary liaison office in case something happens." Bell nodded. The thought was not a pleasant one, but it had to be considered nonetheless.

  "Anything else?" asked Bell.

  "Yes, have Hawg put together some ration packs for everybody. We know the Tracy K will fly, but I have no idea how far they've gotten with the rest of the ship. The last time I was aboard, most of the so called extras were off-line. Until now I never considered food and fresh water an extra." Bell and Rose smiled.

  "I guess you're just soft," said Bell.

  "That must be it," agreed Rose as Bell turned to leave.

  Rose reached for his flight suit and slipped it on while waiting for Myoto. Unlike the other Black Thorns, Rose did not wear standard Mech Warrior garb when at the controls of his BattleMech. Instead of shorts and tee shirt, he wore a Star League-era Mech Warrior combat suit.

  The cockpits of all 'Mechs were shielded from the intense heat created by the armored giants, but the heat levels were still high enough that the only way a pilot could remain conscious at the controls was to wear special cooling gear. Current technology called for a Mech Warrior to wear as little as possible to help keep the body cool. As a result, shorts and tee shirts were considered proper field attire. In the cockpit a Mech Warrior also wore a cooling vest over his torso. The vest circulated a chemical coolant through mesh tubes to keep the upper body cool. Although the system worked, it was not as efficient as the one used in the old Star League.