[dcs_p]Drake forgot his own fear as he prepared to order more of his men to their
death. Fate had been cruel today. Pirates or warriors, his men were his family
and none deserved to die like this. The small group’s sacrifice would be the
single hope the other pirates had for a successful escape.[/dcs_p]
[dcs_p]“Treadmark Four, move up onto the southern ridge and be prepared for extreme
range shooting. Don’t run too hot just yet. We’ll have plenty of overheating to do
when they close to shorter ranges.” Drake’s breathing began to slow. “Carrier B
and Treadmarks Ten and Seven, scatter yourselves in the trees and power
down. Be ready for a cold fusion startup and then I want to..want to… see a
constant stream of missiles coming out of those… short range launchers.”
Concentrating as hard as he could, Drake dropped to the ground as he lost his
balance. He struggled to move his face out of the snow so he could speak
clearly into the mic once more. It seemed the more he spoke, the weaker his
physical body felt. As his mind began to wander, he used Martin’s voice as a
focal point for his determination. The man’s voice faded back into his mind,
though it was difficult to make out at first. Just a little bit more…[/dcs_p]
[dcs_p]“Four to A. Get yourself into that Harasser. You won’t do anyone any good from
where you are now.” Drake cracked a tiny smile at Martin’s words. He loved
hearing advice from anyone courageous enough to second-guess their
commander. Martin, who had once almost killed Drake in an attempt to try and
gain command of the Kurakoa, was actually seeking to protect him.[/dcs_p]
[dcs_p]“Negative, Fou…rrr… Hold your pos…position until you have secured …a…a…
safe retreat, if it’s eee… even possible at that point.” He struggled to get out the
last of his crucial plan as his words began to slur together. “You are to
evacuate…through the canyon at coordinate Y…23. I want a clear destruction of
any possible scouts, with you covering the rear, Four. The canyon opens into a
wider gorge that leads back to the LZ. Got it, o…over?” Drake knew the man
had heard the message, or Martin would have physically twisted the Guillotine
‘Mech’s torso to personally check that his commander was still alive and standing.
“I hear you A. Drake, my friend, you are as stubborn as the day I met you. We’ll
do what we can to put these mercs in their graves. Treadmark Four out.” Martin
smiled.[/dcs_p]
[dcs_p]Realizing he had little time to do all that he needed, Martin gave his first orders.
“Treadmark Four to Carrier B and Treadmarks Seven and Ten. Be on your
guard. I want a cold startup on my mark. I’ve got an enemy Mongoose closing
fast, over.” Martin shifted his `Mech closer to the top of the ridge. He could feel
the wind picking up, gently rocking his Guillotine in the breeze. He watched his
enemy come into extreme range over one of the farthest ridges and fired his
large laser at the quick-moving target.[/dcs_p]
[dcs_p]Down in the clearing near the outcropping of conifers, a sudden gust knocked
pebbles of reddish rock across Drake Cully’s still form. As the first small
snowflakes of the nightly storm settled to the rocky ground of the Western
Passage, they melted in a soft twinkle on Drake’s open eyes. He had managed
another tiny smile, his eyes filled with the only fire left in his frozen body.[/dcs_p]