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Knyte and Holland appeared at the headquarters shortly after Arsenault had finished his report. After two days among the Amatukaze, they had nothing good to say about them. They were, said Holland, religious fanatics who hated the other enclaves as heretics. The whole concept of religion gone wild made Holland shudder. The Amatukaze dealt with the others because it was necessary for their survival, but they were engaged in a continuing war with the Usugumo over some liturgical slight the merchants had committed.

  The possibility of the DEST group turning anyone they met was reported as being low to nonexistent. The populace was so indoctrinated by religious fervor that they would be probably totally unresponsive. Some of the younger people might be receptive, but even those should not be considered reliable.

  Again, Takuda had to consider the implications that no one had even mentioned the mercenaries. This time it did not seem positive, the implication being that the mercs had made their decision to go with the Usugumo. Seagroves must have had more impact on Vost than anyone imagined. Now he had only to await the report of Sanae and Miranda.

  Johan Miranda returned just before dawn, alone except for Topi. He was still in mundane dress, having left the Usugumo enclave so quickly that he hadn't bothered to change back into his uniform. His report came in a flood of disconnected statements.

  Sanae had been captured by the Usugumo, and presumably turned over to Vost and his crew. There was no way of knowing what would happen to her, but Miranda was sure that the presence, if not the location, of the DEST group was known. Sanae had gone with Homma Sirayuki for a meeting with some of the important members of the enclave, but according to Daeka, it had been a trap. She had left instructions for Miranda to flee the city in such an event. He had disobeyed and spent time searching for her, but without success. Daeka and Pikaete had finally convinced him to return to Takuda for help.

  The people in Usugumo had made contact with the mercenaries, reported Miranda, and evidently they were about to strike a deal. The 'Mechs would make their appearance on the battlefield under the control of the Usugumo very soon. Money was the driving force behind the Usugumo. There were those at the top of the pile, and there were those at the bottom. But either way, it was wealth everyone wanted. There would be plenty of ways to overthrow those at the top, but it would be difficult to convince them that a better society existed.

  Takuda was faced with two problems, both of them immediate and imperative. By first light he could expect the mercs to attack from the Usugumo enclave. Even if they didn't know his exact location, they could make some assumptions. They would come looking for them, and they would probably have the support of the Usugumo ground troops. The infantry and vehicles would not be a problem, but he couldn't afford more casualties to his already weakened force.

  The second problem was the capture of Sanae. It was a tradition among DEST not to leave people behind, not even the dead. Now one of his team had been captured. She would have to be rescued or at least returned as soon as possible. He turned to Emmerdean Knyte, who had reappeared in the headquarters unbidden almost as though he knew his presence would be required. "Knyte," ordered Takuda, "take your section with Miranda and Topi. Get Sanae." Knyte nodded and left.

  That took care of the second problem. Now he must deal with the first, an imminent attack by the mercenaries. As far as Takuda could tell, he had two choices: fight the mercs where they were or run for the cover of the woods and ravines. If he chose the former, then Knyte and his section would know where to return, but there might not be anything left for them to come home to. If he ran, there was no assurance that the team would survive. He explained the problem to Parker Davud, hoping the former DropShip pilot might have some other ideas. He didn't, but Dakodo, listening to the discussion, did.

  He had seen the Locust stumbling around under the trees at the first camp. He had seen Mark Jacobs falling down repeatedly during the march to the enclaves. Now he asked questions about what the 'Mechs could really see. Why not, he proposed, build a fake position and let the enemy 'Mechs literally stumble into it? Not only would it give Takuda the chance to do some damage, but it might also reduce the perceived value of the 'Mechs to their prospective employers.

  Takuda considered the possibilities. He had seen the Tetatae in their digging frenzy, and they certainly were capable of excavating traps. It just might work, he thought, and it certainly was worth a try. He turned to Dakodo and gave his consent. They would fall back slightly into the woods, leaving I/R emitters behind. That would draw the mercenaries onto the position. The Tetatae would handle the construction of the traps.

  28

  "Kill her now and get it over with," said Elizabeth Hoond, her voice flat and strained. "We've got all the information out of her that we can."

  "What information?" replied Vost. "We don't know anything except that Takuda is close by. And we knew that just from catching her. There's a lot more to get."

  Hoond kicked viciously at the wooden table that held the pinioned body of Ariake Sanae. The DEST sergeant didn't respond. She was so deeply drugged that the pain from the wrist and ankle restraints didn't even penetrate. Hoond kicked again. "Look. She's so doped up now that we'll never get anything out of her. You didn't have to give her four shots. It just blacked her out."

  "We weren't getting anything out of her before the shots, either. These DEST types can stand a lot of pain. The drugs at least got her to babble about some combat she'd seen. Something about wrecked vehicles."

  "You just didn't like the screams." Hoond walked around the other side of the table so she could see Vost directly. "I thought you liked a little pain with your women. Or is it you just like women?"

  "You knew the deal when you came with us. You have no rank better than either Fiona or Michelle. And if Tami Wilson wants some of the action, she's welcome to it as well. You knew that coming in." Juggling three women, and perhaps a fourth, was harder than he'd thought it would be. The two techs had been docile about the situation, but Hoond, the navigator of the ill-fated Telendine was a different matter. Perhaps it was because she was odd man out in the organization, with nothing really to do, that made her such a witch. Vost was sorry he'd decided to add her to his list.

  "In any case, we've got enough." He stepped away from the table to gaze out the window that looked out over the early sun and the broad expanse of grasslands that stretched toward the distant forest. "You're the one with the navigation skills," he continued. "Use some of that to find out where Takuda and his people are. I'll deal with the rest of it."

  Hoond left the unconscious sergeant to come alongside Vost. She took his hand in hers. "I'm sorry I snapped at you," she said, resting her head on his shoulder. He didn't draw away, and she held him tighter. "I think she's dangerous. We know she's talked to Sirayuki. After all, he's the one who gave her to us. I think he'll use that to cut a better deal. But aside from that, she may have talked with others. It's like a virus in the body. She and it need to be destroyed. Kill her now."

  Vost turned to face her. "She's a danger only if we don't act. Find me Takuda, and we'll go stomp him. That's what will convince these people that we're the future. And an expensive future."

  Hoond rested her head on his chest. "All right, Garber," she purred. "I find them, you stomp them. But then this one is mine."

  "Done. Find them and she's yours."

  * * *

  It didn't take Elizabeth Hoond long to get a reasonable fix on Takuda and his group. She knew from the information Sanae had given to Sirayuki that they were between five to eight hours away by foot. The patrol had made it to the city in one night. She also knew that other contact patrols had been sent to the other enclaves. That put the DEST group somewhere north of the city and probably at the edge of the woods. The drugged reference to a battle gave her an even better fix. The forces of the Usugumo had been in contact with those of the Amatukaze. A few questions to the leaders of the Usugumo gave her the battle location. She had the Takuda force well located.

  The sun was
directly overhead when the BattleMechs fired up. They had made their headquarters in one of the deserted bastions of the outer wall, well separated from the rest of the defenses and outside the city proper. Seagroves and Pesht had wanted to be inside the enclave, but Vost had vetoed that idea at once. He was more interested in keeping the mercenaries separated from their possible employers until the deal was done. In any case, the bastion provided security.

  The bastion, with its towering scarp and counterscarp, would keep all but the most insistent away from the 'Mechs. The walls were no problem for the two land 'Mechs, and Seagroves' LAM could also traverse them with ease. Being isolated had the advantage of adding mystery to their presence.

  The operation against Takuda was to be a straight "brute force and ignorance" operation. Three 'Mechs against less than a dozen infantry would be a cake walk. Even a lance as weak as Vost's should be able to deal with them. Granted, Takuda's group had a short-range missile launcher, but how much did that count against the smothering fire that the Javelin could deliver at the same range? If Takuda's people had the temerity to open fire with their SRM, the Javelin would deluge the location with its own missiles. The counterfire radar on the right side of the Javelin's head could plot the location of the launcher to within twenty-five meters, and even if its missiles didn't make a direct hit against the system, the dozen explosions in the area would probably make the enemy gunner very respectful. There would be no second shot. It was BF and I all the way.

  Vost and Pesht blasted out of the bastion in boiling clouds of incandescent gas. They hunched down just outside the walls and began to make their way through the waist-high grass toward the scene of the previous day's combat. Seagroves would fly out later. Fuel for the air portion of the LAM was critical. He still had hours of flight time remaining, but the fuel he had scrounged at the DropShip would have to last until he could find a suitable local substitute. And that would have to wait until after they'd finalized the deal.

  Pesht trotted out ahead of the medium Panther, and Vost had to call him back. He wanted to hold back the Javelin's SRM armament until they'd located the targets. Vost was in the interesting position of having to lead with the medium and follow with the light 'Mech. In normal conditions the light Javelin would have been deployed in support of the two Locusts, with the Panther and the LAM as reserve. But Vost didn't have the two Locusts. No one did. Seagroves' had reported a definite kill on one of them, and the other was damaged, at best. The finest technicians in the galaxy couldn't have jury-rigged the parts to build a functioning 'Mech, and Takuda did not have the finest techs available. Nor did he have the depot workshop such repair activity would require. The mercenary settled comfortably into the Panther's command seat and let its easy gait across the savanna lull him into a feeling of euphoria.

  The scattered trash of the battlefield littered the grasslands. Patches of burned, brittle stalks marked the death throes of some giant metallic beast. This was the site of the recent and continuing combats. He knew there would be no fighting here today, however. The Amatukaze and the Usugumo were observing a one-day truce. It had all been arranged. There were, however, observers from both enclaves somewhere among the patches of trees. This would be good sales promotion. Vost turned the pair of 'Mechs toward the forest.

  The Javelin moved up to the left of the Panther, two hundred meters away and slightly behind. Vost noted the other 'Mech's position on the secondary screen as well as on the heads-up display. He wiped the information from the HUD, leaving nothing but targeting symbols. There was no use having it cluttered with extraneous data. With no other 'Mechs in the battle, the location and activity of the allied 'Mechs would just get in the way. Vost pressed forward on the throttle and felt the pressure against his back as the Panther began to gain speed.

  The Cat's Eye 5 targeting system swept the approaching wood line. No targets. Vost adjusted the sensor array to I/R maximum. Under normal conditions the infrared sensors were adjusted to react to the heat of a 'Mech rather than a human. It was only in city fighting that the presence of humans became a survival imperative. In restricted terrain, where the PNT-9R was even more dangerous than in the open, the shadowy presence of an infantryman could spell the difference between a 'Mech's survival and becoming a heap of glowing metal. The secondary screen showed the Javelin to the right rear as a bright green, its IFF identification number across the top of the image. Vost disregarded it.

  Then, emerging from the background clutter of the forest to the front, Vost saw the soft glow of an I/R signature. A human. A human lurking in a hidden bunker right on the edge of the woods. He let the cross hairs of the PPC steady on the image. At this range he could blast both bunker and the human to smithereens. His finger tightened on the trigger. No, he thought, that would be too easy. He lowered the 'Mech's right arm and accelerated. Stomp the little beggar flat, he thought. That'll show 'em who's boss.

  The Panther sprang into the air and came down on the unmoving I/R image, its right leg extended stiff and straight for the crushing blow. Just as the foot crashed through the top of the surprisingly soft bunker roof, Vost had a fleeting thought; the poor, stupid grunt had not moved. The 'Mech's foot, a three- by six-meter slab of articulated Maximilian armor, sank through the overhead cover and kept on going down. And going and going. And then stopped dead.

  The shock threw Vost against the restraining harness. The Panther's right foot was caught in an eight-meter-deep pit, off balance. The 'Mech's impetus had carried it forward. Vost brought the left leg under the toppling 'Mech, but it stubbed its toe against the ground. He fought to get it free. The 'Mech continued forward, falling. Vost swung the left arm back, trying to twist the 'Mech free, trying to throw some weight onto the immobile left leg. It was no use.

  With stately grandeur the Panther toppled forward into the scrub, the PPC driving itself into the soft earth. Then the cockpit struck, and Vost was thrown against his harness again. His feet came off the controls, his finger tightened on the firing buttons. The PPC roared to life. Great gouts of molten, incandescent, glowing dirt spewed out. The right shoulder of the thrashing 'Mech lurched backward, twisting the head face-down against the ground. Vost hung suspended by the harness as he fought to regain control.

  By the time he got the Panther upright and functioning, the Javelin was into the forest verge. Vost shouted a warning over the commline, but it was too late. He had a momentary vision of the Javelin lurching forward, its legs enmeshed in a web of vines. A tree snapped upright, his secondary screen showing the legs of the 'Mech sideways. The Javelin broke free and staggered on.

  "Where are they?" screamed Pesht into his communicator. "They're everywhere. I'm lost!"

  Vost swept the area. There were I/R signatures scattered through the trees. More signatures than Takuda could possibly have men. It was a trap. The secondary screen glowed with the identification of the incoming LAM. A heavy laser strike vaporized the ground in front of the Panther, leaving smoldering branches and glowing earth. Vost looked around for the antagonist, but it was just the LAM arcing away. "Seagroves! I'll get you for that!"

  "Sorry, boss. Thought it was one of them in front of you." There was a pause. Vost thought he heard a chuckle as the transmission ended. "I have no targets," came the next report from the LAM.

  Vost saw another I/R blur. This time I'll get you, you little crud, he thought. The signature blinked. It was retreating into the deeper forest. The Panther sprang forward. There was a slight tug on the 'Mech's legs as it passed between two trees. Damn vines, thought Vost. Gotta be careful. Then he saw the log swinging toward the Panther's torso. He braced himself, felt the shock as the wood struck home. This was madness. There were nothing but shadows to fight. "Pull back," he ordered over the commline. "We're out of here."

  29

  Remaining hidden in the patches of scrub outside the main gate of the Usugumo enclave, the four DEST members and the Tetatae watched the 'Mechs blast out of the bastion and stalk northward along the river. Knyte, Holland
, Horg, Miranda, and Topi huddled as low as they could. The plan was to enter the enclave at dawn if possible, and they had moved from the DEST position and across the open ground as fast as they'd dared. But they hadn't been quick enough. By the time they reached the outskirts of the enclave, activity had begun at the gate and on the walls, forcing them to wait until traffic around the entrance became heavy enough for their entrance to pass unnoticed.

  They'd decided to make their move just before noon, but a flurry of activity in the bastion housing the 'Mechs had driven them to cover again. Now, as the 'Mechs leaped out of their fortification, the team had their chance. The sudden explosion of the Panther and Javelin's jump jets had scattered the stray pedestrians. In the confusion Knyte gave the word, and the five rose from their positions and joined the confused throng crowding toward the main gate.

  The guards, who usually checked the identification all who passed through, were huddled in their gatehouse, peering through the vision slits at the settling dust. They waved the crowd of panicked people through the gate, the DEST group getting past them without earning so much as a glance. The guards would become officious later, making up in arrogance their lack of attention earlier. But not now.

  Topi got the four humans off the main street and into the back alleys as quickly as possible. Miranda was still in the mundane clothing he had worn during his sojourn in Usugumo, and Knyte and his section were dressed in the clothes they'd worn among Amatukaze. Now, they realized, the dress of the three enclaves was so strikingly different that they were immediately recognizable as outsiders. They scurried into an alley and huddled behind some crates.

  They didn't have to wait long. A pair of civilian humans wearing the loose jackets and trousers favored by the lower class of Usugumo approached. As the pair passed the team's hiding place, Miranda stepped out in front of them and raised his hand. The two men stopped, beginning to utter protests at this unwarranted intrusion on their lives. What was this civilian doing trying to stop them? They never got a satisfactory answer. Their necks were broken before they hit the street, and their clothes were off a moment later.