D. R. T. Read online

  Sarna March, Federated Commonwealth

  15 October 3056

  Riannon Rose walked through the side streets of Harlech and marveled at the changes a year had brought. It was not that the city had changed so much—quite the contrary. It was she who had changed, and she liked the person she had become.

  Looking back, she realized how much trust her brother had placed in her the first time she'd come here, just as he was doing today. Harlech was the capital of Outreach, homeworld of the famous mercenary unit Wolf's Dragoons. It also served as a mercenary marketplace where potential employers and mercenaries could find each other.

  Ria glanced around her, more from habit than because there was any danger. Still, it made sense to be careful, and her brother always reminded her how many mistakes it took to kill a MechWarrior: one. Of course you could get killed even if you didn't make a mistake, she thought. You could get killed just because you were following orders, like Angus.

  An extremely accurate—or lucky—blast from a Clan PPC had killed her cousin Angus and his 'Mech with a single shot in the fighting on Borghese. Ria shuddered unconsciously at the memory. There hadn't been much of Angus left to return to her uncle, but she'd made the trip back to Northwind anyway. She hadn't wanted to do it, but Jeremiah had been adamant. As commanding officer of the Black Thorns, he'd have preferred to make the trip himself, but their contract with Borghese had made that impossible. As a result it was she who'd had to face her uncle and the rest of the family.

  Just then her stomach began to rumble, reminding Ria of what had brought her outside in the first place. She glanced around again and ducked into a small restaurant, but what she'd thought at first was a second, inner door turned out to be a heavily muscled Elemental warrior on the way out. Without thinking, she stepped aside, her small body no match for the hulking brute in front of her. If the man noticed her at all, he gave no sign as he crouched low to be able to pass through the door.

  Ria began to chastise herself for having so easily given ground. Would a real MechWarrior have retreated so quickly? She couldn't say, but decided to find out. Turning on her heel, she left the restaurant. Ten meters away the giant was making his way through the crowd, apparently oblivious to the throng of people around him.

  Ria followed cautiously, maintaining the gap as she observed the man—if man was really the correct term. Elementals were Clansmen genetically engineered to be bigger, stronger, and faster than average humans, even Mech-Warriors. Trained from birth to fight in the special battle armor developed by the Clans, they were said to be unbeatable in single combat.

  Ria had seen armored Elementals in films at the academy. Working in teams of five, they could quickly strip the armor off a BattleMech, then fire their lasers at the exposed components. On Borghese her brother's Charger had been almost overcome by just such armored infantry, but skill and luck had carried the day. Watching the replays of the battle from tapes made by the Charger's external camera, she had marveled at the fearlessness of these individuals.

  When the Elemental in front of her suddenly turned to his left, Ria briefly lost sight of him, but a quick trot put her around the corner and again on his trail. Back at the academy she would never have dreamed of tailing an Elemental. She could scarcely have imagined even having the opportunity, much less the desire, but here on Outreach anything seemed possible. Wolf's Dragoons had strong ties to the Clans even though the unit was no longer a part of the Clan military. At the academy Ria had been told that captured Clan warriors would usually swear allegiance to the Clan that captured them.

  I guess that makes about as much sense as anything else about the Clans, she thought, studying the Elemental's back. Why waste a good soldier just because he's on the wrong side? And why be loyal to a side that obviously was inferior since it had been defeated in a battle?

  Academy instructors had been very certain that the Clans fought with a carefully defined code of honor. That fact had been verified countless times on dozens of worlds, but most Inner Sphere Mech Warriors had a tough time defining just what was "honorable" to a Clan warrior. Most of the time you were too busy trying not to get killed by the Clanners to have the luxury of trying to diagnose their motives, but on the few occasions when an Inner Sphere force had actually won an engagement and been able to take any prisoners, the captured Clan warriors seemed to be model P.O.W.s.

  "Take this guy," Ria said aloud. She quickly bit her lip and looked around. Nobody had heard, or if they did, more likely nobody cared. People from dozens of different walks of life passed her along the way, each one with private worries or intents. Ria walked several paces with her eyes firmly on the ground. "Careless, careless, careless," she mumbled as she mentally kicked herself. When she finally looked up, the Elemental was nowhere in sight.

  "Now where ..." she began to say, but got no further before an unseen hand grabbed her shoulder and pulled her into an adjacent doorway. She reached for the fist and pushed back, throwing her weight the opposite way, but the effort was futile. With a muffled thump, she hit the hardwood door, jarring her free shoulder and sending a pain down her side. She tried to draw a breath, but a thick hand grabbed her other shoulder and spun her around. The Elemental shoved his forearm under her chin, choking off most of her air supply.

  "I am right here. Now why are you following me?"

  Ria looked up at her assailant. He was even bigger up close, with ice-blue eyes narrowed to slits as he stared down at her. His features were perfectly formed, beautiful in every detail, but on a larger scale than a normal person's. In answer, Ria kicked out with her left foot, aiming where his knee should have been.

  She was rewarded with a solid strike. For a moment she thought she could feel the knee give way under the blow, but then nothing. The Elemental merely smiled at a kick that should have left him bawling on the floor. Even his teeth were perfect.

  "The first one was free because I judge you to be new on Outreach, quiaff?"

  Although Ria lost most of the last half of his sentence, she knew enough to nod. Her blood was pounding so loudly in her ears that she could barely think.

  "Never seen an Elemental up close," she rasped. At least not a live one, she tried to add, but she was out of air. The Elemental's forearm retreated slightly, and Ria took a lungful of air before the pressure returned. She reached for the man's arm with both hands, but her hands were too small to wrap around his giant biceps. She grabbed the front of his tunic instead.

  "I fight for Wolf's Dragoons now. I remain a warrior despite my capture. I will not be followed and I will not be mocked." The perfect smile turned into a sneer. Ria saw his lips move, but most of his words were drowned out by her own rushing blood. The Elemental's free hand drew back as Ria's vision began to narrow. She wondered if she would pass out before the Elemental's fist knocked her out, but decided that was unlikely. He obviously knew what he was doing. She kicked out again, but her foot smacked him feebly on the thigh. If he felt the attack, he gave no notice. The man's smile returned, and Riannon closed her eyes in spite of herself.

  When the blow did not come, she thought she might have passed out. Slowly opening her eyes as the pressure on her throat eased, she saw the Elemental begin to lean away from her. When he released her neck, she fell back into the door jamb and tried to re-inflate her lungs. Heaving gasps of air seemed to work best, so she sucked at it in loud gasps, resisting the temptation to lean forward. A small part of her mind told her the lungs needed to remain expanded, not contracted as they would be if she bent forward.

  After several moments, her breathing started to return to normal, and Ria looked around for the Elemental. He was already fading away in the crowd, not even deigning to look back at her. Am I so little a threat, she wondered?

  "How ya feelin'?"

  Ria rolled her head to the side and looked at the lanky redhead standing nearby. The woman was smiling from ear to ear as if she knew exactly how Ria was feeling.

  "Feel like my 'Mech just stepped on me. How do y
ou feel?"

  "Me?" The redhead just smiled wider. "Why I feel just dandy." Riannon was beginning to think she didn't like this red-haired female when a third woman joined them.

  "Can you move? If you can't, we'll help, but I think we'd best be on our way." Ria looked over at the new arrival and noticed that the holster to her pistol was undone. "He just rounded the corner, so he's out of sight, and I don't want to be around if he decides to come back. So, can you move?"

  Ria didn't really consider before answering. "Yeah, I can move."

  "Then let's be off."

  Ria walked between the two women for several blocks, concentrating mostly on trying to breathe normally. By the time they'd reached the hotel district, she had most of her breath back.

  "Thanks for the help. I guess I got careless," Ria offered.

  "I guess," said the redhead. "Either that or you like your men really big." Ria flushed as the redhead winked.

  "Don't let Kitten bother you, missy. She talks like that to everybody."

  Kitten smiled even wider. "That's right, I do, and since I saved your hide back there, I was wondering if you would answer one little question?" Ria considered refusing, but didn't have time before Kitten continued.

  "You got any brothers?" Ria's eyes went wide for a moment, but Kitten just laughed.

  "O.K., Kitten, that's enough. I think she's been through quite enough already. If you're all right, we'll be on our way," the other woman said to Ria, already turning to go.

  Ria stopped her with a hand on the sleeve. "Wait a second. I do have a brother, but he's not on Outreach."

  Kitten laughed and snapped her fingers. "Just my luck."

  "But since Jeremiah's not around, let me buy you dinner. It's the least I can do."

  Kitten didn't give her companion a chance to say no. "Free food? Well, maybe this is my lucky day. Where to?" When Ria suggested the Regalia, the restaurant at her own hotel just across the street, Kitten hooked an arm through Ria's elbow and left her companion to follow. "Sounds good to me. Let's get to it."

  Neither Ria nor her guests were properly dressed for dinner, but she assumed that would not be a problem at this early hour. The hostess at the Regalia gave them only a slight glance of disapproval as she led them to a table. Waiters and busboys hovered around the women like battlefield scavengers, then went their separate ways once the food was ordered. The wine steward returned with a bottle from an unknown Davion vineyard and poured three glasses.

  "To my rescuers, whoever they may be." Ria toasted each woman and sipped the white wine. "My name is Riannon Rose, but my friends call me Ria, as I hope you will. I am the executive officer of the Black Thorn mercenary unit, currently stationed on Borghese."

  "That's near the Clan boarder, isn't it?" asked Kitten. Riannon nodded.

  "Well, my name is Katherine Kittiallen, but everybody calls me Kitten, whether I like it or not. I pilot a Panther—as if being called Kitten isn't enough of a cat joke, but I currently"—Kitten made a great show of loosening her collar and pretending to be embarrassed—"am without benefit of employment." Ria smiled at the woman's antics and looked closely at her for the first time.

  Kitten Kittiallen was long and lanky and almost totally lacking in feminine curves. Even her face was angular. But she always seemed to be smiling, which made her eyes glisten through half-closed lids. Her hair was deep red, a long, thick mass that shimmered in the lights of the restaurant.

  "My name is Greta Podell, late of the Rasalhague Republic," said the other woman when Ria turned to her expectantly. "Like Kitten I am 'without benefit of employment,' Although I also find myself without a 'Mech." Ria studied Greta for a moment, but if the woman was embarrassed by the admission of being dispossessed, she didn't let it show. Most MechWarriors would be too ashamed to confess that they'd been shot out of their 'Mechs, especially to a complete stranger like Ria, but not Greta. "I've come to Outreach in hopes of joining a mercenary unit."

  "As have I," said Kitten. Ria looked at the pair of women. Unlike Kitten, Greta was muscular, but rounded in all the right places. She could easily imagine Hawg and Badicus fighting over Greta had they been here in her place. She smiled at the thought. Even Greta's hair, which was black threaded with silver, seemed attractive rather than old.

  "Well," said Ria as the waiters reappeared with the trays carrying their food, "I already have a unit, but I've come to Outreach in search of warriors." Neither Kitten nor Greta responded as the waiters hovered about serving them.

  "My brother is commanding officer of the Black Thorns. We're only a demi-company now, but we've got several unassigned 'Mechs." Ria pretended not to notice the sudden fire in Greta's eyes as she went on. "I've been sent to Outreach to recruit new pilots and bring us up to company strength before Jeremiah arrives with the rest of the unit."

  "You're going to do all the hiring?" asked Kitten through a mouthful of veal. "That's a pretty tall order."

  Ria picked apart her game hen and considered. "True, but that's my job. I'm the XO of the unit. Logistics are my specialty, but Jeremiah sent me ahead to recruit. If I give the green light, he approves it and that's all there is to it."

  "Why the rush?" asked Greta. "If he's going to be here in another couple of months, why not wait and let him make some of the decisions?"

  "Time is money, Greta. We've got several high-maintenance 'Mechs in the unit already, and we can't afford to go very long without a contract. As it is, we're considering selling one off to help with the maintenance costs. If we want to avoid that, we need a contract quick."

  "And the pilots to go with them, right, Ria?" asked Kitten.

  "Right."

  "So where do I sign up?" Kitten asked as she popped a final piece of meat into her mouth.

  "Sign up? But you don't know a thing about us. Why would you sign up?"

  "We know you," answered Greta, "or I guess I should say we know about the Black Thorns. You gave the Jade Falcons a black eye on Borghese a couple of months back, right?" Ria nodded silently. "Even if everything went your way— which it probably didn't—You've got to be a good unit to pull that off. The Black Thorns are good enough for us and for Leeza. The question is, are we good enough for you?"

  Ria looked at the two women, still confused by the sudden turn of events. "Who's Leeza?"

  "Leeza Rippiticue, our roommate," said Kitten. "The three of us split a room to cut overhead. We've been looking for a unit for almost four weeks, but still no luck. Leeza would have been with us this afternoon, but she had a simulator tryout with some yardbird outfit from the Periphery. Not that she'd take the offer, you understand. She just wanted the simulator time."

  "By the way, what happened this afternoon? I thought I was about to become the poster child for reconstructive surgery," Ria laughed. Greta smiled and looked at Kitten, who seemed genuinely embarrassed.

  "Well," said Kitten, "you seemed to be having some trouble, so I chucked a bit of steel at Mr. Tall, Rude, and Gorgeous."

  "A knife?"

  "Naw, it's more like a weighted stick. It sort of captures people's attention, if you know what I mean, and in an emergency it can be used as a sap. Once I had his attention, Greta pulled her pistol and told him to hit the road. You know the rest."

  "And nobody stopped to help?"

  Greta shook her head. "The Elemental backed down pretty quick once I showed the pistol. He wasn't armed, and there was no way he could get to me or use you as a shield, so he just walked away."

  Kitten leaned over to Ria. "I had my pistol pointed at his ear too, just in case he got cute, or cuter, if you catch my drift."

  Ria nodded slowly, realizing her two rescuers had put themselves in considerable danger not only from the Elemental, but the city officials of Outreach, to save her.

  "Ladies, again, my sincere thanks. Your actions prove you have what it takes to be members of the Black Thorns. If you'll forward your dossiers to my account at the Hiring Hall, I can begin the examination process. Have your friend Leeza send hers t
oo if you're willing to vouch for her." Both women nodded and Ria settled back into her chair. "And I'll also see what I can do about getting all three of you some simulator time."

  Greta lifted a glass. "I wouldn't have it any other way."

  3

  Harlech, Outreach

  Sarna March, Federated Commonwealth

  30 October 3056

  The next two weeks passed much too quickly for Ria. Long hours spent poring over MechWarrior dossiers and declassified intelligence reports kept her awake far into the night. She scheduled interviews, viewed simulation tests, and made frequent trips to the Mercenary Hiring Hall to check on new arrivals. Often she would look up from her hotel room desk to suddenly discover that it was near dawn. She slept when she could, but the hectic pace was beginning to wear her down.

  Had any of the other Black Thorns been on Outreach, it would have been a great help to Ria. Not only because of the shared workload, but because the others would have been a sounding board for her ideas. But they weren't here, and so she felt it necessary to go over every mercenary dossier three times, only to decide the document needed one more pass before she could make a decision. The benefits seemed worth the additional effort, but the weary Ria often compounded her fatigue when she decided to check yet one more time just in case she had slept through an important detail.

  Greta, Kitten, and their roommate Leeza were tentatively approved to join the unit. All that remained was Jeremiah's formal approval to make it official. Ria had also recruited another dispossessed pilot, Jamshid Al-Kalibi, hoping to put him into one of the Black Thorns' captured OmniMechs.

  Even though acquiring the trio of female recruits had made her assignment easier, Ria considered Jamshid the prize of the new pilots. He was rail-thin and approximately the same height as Ria. His black hair was always perfectly in place, and he spoke in a whisper, each word uttered with just enough breath to reach the other person's ears. He answered each question with polite, yet firm replies.