BattleTech: The Hand That Feeds: Eridani Light Horse Chronicles, Part Four by Randall N. Bills

Author:Randall N. Bills [Bills, Randall N.]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: Catalyst Game Labs
Published: 2023-02-07T00:00:00+00:00

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AURORA BADLANDS

BENET III

GALEDON MILITARY DISTRICT

DRACONIS COMBINE

27 MAY 3000

“You gotta be kidding me!” Ryana’s voice bounced inside her neurohelmet and cockpit, the echoes still not sounding right, despite weeks spent at the Thunderbolt’s helm. It was a good model. Even an excellent model. But it wasn’t her Claidheamh-mór.

“I’m not kidding, Ryana,” Captain Chloe Reed replied on the commline. Her 55-ton Shadow Hawk, a hundred meters to Ryana’s right, joined the entire line of Light Horse machines trying to scatter as the sirens of incoming target locks bellowed along comm channels.

“How did their fighters get so close? How many of these damn things do we have to slap down?”

A pair of heavy aerospace fighters swooped low, their delta-arrow look giving them a deadly profile as a bevy of medium lasers stabbed out along their line of approach. Instead of scattering, she stood still, willing to take the strafing attack in exchange for a better chance at striking back.

Ryana quickly raised her BattleMech’s right arm, barely waiting for her reticule to change to the golden hue of target lock before pulling into her primary target-interlock circuit that sent her large laser and ten long-range missiles launching toward the fighter on the right.

Lasers lanced at her Thunderbolt at the same time her own shot left a glowing furrow across the aerospace fighter’s wing, followed by missile explosions that ruptured the fine flight lines, and made the machine wobble. But the fighter flashed by in the next instant; Slayers were not brought down so easily. Meanwhile, her ’Mech’s own armor outline flashed at her with changing colors of lost protection.

Ryana typed furiously on her secondary monitor, bringing up maps of the surrounding region, along with a callout of the Sierra continent where they were fighting. The line of march led away from the heavier populated Marquis County where they’d initially grounded, and out into the hinterlands. The intent was both to lead the First Pesht Regulars on a merry goose chase to see which bits they might strip away, but also because there were heavy indications of military movement along this route. Recent movement. Meaning that secret supply cache they’d all hoped to locate.

Something itched in the back of her mind, but she couldn’t pull it together just yet…

“Brevet Major,” Major Nigel broke into her commline. It was crackling, as they were a dozen klicks farther into the valley between the Iron Mountains leading into the Aurora Badlands. They were called “Iron” for a reason, and it was playing havoc with communications unless both parties were right on top of each other.

“Yes, Major?”

“We were just struck by an aerospace attack.”

She nodded. “As were we.”

“Did you manage to damage those Shilones at all? We should be able to bring them down if they dare another pass.”

She started to nod before her mind blanked for a moment. “Wait, what? Negative. We were hit by a pair of Slayers.”

Silence fell on the line as she watched on the viewscreen the company she’d previously commanded—and now was

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