Flying the SLIC now as Hunter Oh-Two was Captain Kirk Walters, formerly Reaper Oh-Two. Hess had insisted on the Hunter call sign. And while the pilot formerly known as Reaper Oh-Two didn’t necessarily like the arrogant Legion officer, he seemed like he was the only one who was going to try to go in and get Amanda out of what she’d gotten herself into. Which was all that mattered to Kirk Walters. So if flying the close attack run against the mech got him a chance to pull Amanda out of this hellhole, he was taking it.
Sweating and fixated on the targeting reticle, he raked the hull of the HK-PP with a stream of blaster fire at a dangerously close range and almost ludicrous groundspeed.
“Get in closer,” berated Hess over the comm. The captain was holding onto a strap on the rear cargo deck of the SLIC. The flight crew consisted of one pilot, one co-pilot bot, and one crew chief.
Hunter Oh-Two took the dropship in closer, crabbing to slow forward motion and allow the weapon arcs of the blaster pods to still maintain a good engagement window on the walking leviathan below.
Hess knew exactly where to hit the HK-PP. The blaster pod fire from the CGS-66s destroyed the formidable mauler cannon, exposing the dorsal mounted weapon chargers that exploded and overloaded with Hess’s next shot.
Hunter Oh-Two slammed on the SLIC’s reverse as the massive cannon exploded, the heavy barrel flinging itself up and away from the walker, going end over end down to the smoke-filled streets below.
The mech wobbled awkwardly once, looked like it was going to lose its balance, and then at the last moment regained its footing. It tried to continue forward. One massive foot—really a central pad with four articulating grappling wings that secured it to the ground with each strike—rose and fell as it continued on toward its objective.
The SLIC had barely missed being hit by the exploding cannon barrel and was now hovering off the aft quarter of the HK-PP moving toward its target.
“I said,” bellowed Hess over the SLIC’s onboard comm, “take me in closer, you idiot!”
Oh-Two wiped sweat from stubble with a quick swipe and throttled up to go in closer. It would be difficult maintaining a holding altitude just above the walking war giant, but it could be done.
Whatever it takes to get Amanda out of there, he reminded himself.
Hess leaped out of the SLIC from several meters above the walker. His high-tech Legion armor absorbed the shock of the landing and with little trouble the captain was running forward along the damaged spine of the machine toward the pilot’s command cupola. A second later he was down on one knee and pulling off a small access plate atop the hull, rising and falling rhythmically as the mech lumbered on its course, oblivious to Hess’s presence. Hess stood, pulled his sidearm, and fired into the panel he’d just opened, hitting the internal system now exposed.
The mechanical leviathan began to stumble about drunkenly, and Hess pumped his fist for the dropship to come get him off the stricken iron beast.
Never mind the fact that it was stumbling and swaying all across the broad street. Pay no attention to how dangerous an extraction under these conditions is, his very stance seemed to scream at the hovering pilot.
Hunter Oh-Two pushed forward and came in close, promising himself he would only try this once. Either the Legion captain made it, or he was going down with the wounded mech.
Then the ship reacted to the added weight, and Oh-Two knew the captain was on board—or at least hanging from the cargo deck.
“Climb, you idiot!” roared Hess over the comm.
Oh-Two was already doing just that as the HK-PP keeled over and smashed into the side of a building, dragging down much of the duracrete facade with it, burying itself in a waterfall of gray dust and rubble.
56
Loth had taken the suite’s private speedlift down to the lobby when the fire alarms went off across the building. He had wanted to be in the lobby and curbside to assess the situation on the street before he committed to moving his prisoners from this location.
In the meantime he’d entrusted his best lieutenant with the task of transporting the prisoners via the stairwell. Committing them to the main elevator might get them trapped if the city’s grid went down, or if the rickety old lift just broke down all on its own. Everything in the building was badly maintained, and the last thing he needed was a hitch in getting them out.
No. That wasn’t entirely true. The last thing he needed was to disappoint Mr. Zauro by failing at his assigned tasks. That was something one did not do. Or did only once, because there wouldn’t be a second opportunity. Even for someone as dangerous as Loth.
Loth did not want to disappoint the old man. So he had the rest of his team, twenty-three shooters, ready to take charge and mount up with the convoy on the street. Ready to make the transfer to the inbound transport convoy. Add in the mobile blaster teams on the street and the sniper teams in the windows surrounding the plaza, and they were good to go if the marines had anyone on the ground. If the marines were following the inbound mech, they’d get a fight. More than enough of one for the convoy to get away.
That was all contingency. And it needed to happen because there was no chance they could stand up to the HK-PP if it cornered them in the building. They had to leave. Get to the next safe house and axe the leej first thing, captured on livestream. The holocam equipment was already waiting
