****The action in this segment takes place simultaneously with part 10 
of the battle for TRES HQ.  --Samhain

Shadow Storm
^^^^^^^^^^^^

	Mission Commander Jones crouched down low to the rocky terrain in 
his tremendous battlemech and waited.  He knew the enemy was coming, and 
coming fast; he just didn't know when exactly to expect them.  The lines of 
defenders had already fallen back almost all the way to the headquarters, 
and were making what was probably their last stand before finally 
retreating the rest of the way back behind the formidible walls of the TRES 
brain center.  Although he and his Shadowwarriors could probably have 
helped to slow the process of falling back to the base, that was not the 
way they worked.  They didn't like fighting by conventional tactics, or 
being exposed that way--they worked on stealth, surprise, firepower, and 
sheer will.  And it was his will that his men wait, so wait they did.

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	[Mistress, the defenders have fallen back yet again.  They are 
nearly to their base perimeter, and we will soon have them within our 
claws.  Our prey have almost lost.]
	[Indeed, but do not count it as over yet.  These prey. while not 
the most formidable we have seen, are quite clever and resourceful.  We 
must not rush forward too quickly, and we must be careful.  But you are 
right; it is time for us to push further ahead.  I have already placed 
a number of armored squads on standby.  Give the order for them to move in.]
	[It will be done.]

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	Jones kept his eyes glued to the various sensor displays arrayed 
around him in the control pod.  He could see that there were enemies out in 
the field, moving, but not exact locations or numbers.  What he saw, 
though, was enough to tell him that they were being very careful and 
discreet, yet bringing in significant firepower.  He estimated that there 
were somewhere between eighty and one hundred of their units nearing his 
area.  From the reports he'd received and what he'd seen so far, these 
X'hirjq or whatever they were called were operating in squads of 6.  That 
meant there were, at best, 500 lizards out there to his 48 men and 
machines.  Most of them were wearing what he would call either heavy or 
assault battlearmor, too.  Exactly his kind of odds.  It was show time.
	"Lets do the gridiron shuffle," he whispered into the secure link.  
Units 40,41,43,44,and 46 through 49 are benchwarmers.  Cornerbacks are 
1,5,29, and 30.  On my signal," he continued, giving the code for the 
coming play.  His "players" grinned from ear to ear as they heard the plan.
	"HIKE!"
	Simultaneously, forty of the remaining battlemechs all loaded and 
rapidfired their two packs of five short range missiles.  Blossoms of flame 
spurted briefly into the cold night air surrounding the "playing field," 
the corners of which had been marked by the commander through the use of 
the "Cornerbacks."

	All hell was about to break loose for the visiting team.

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	[Commander, what is that sound?] questioned one of the X'hirjq in 
the center of the field.  [It sounds like a swarm of brzzjq from home.]
	[I'm not sure, warrior, but I have no doubt it is not a good 
sound.  Remember, only fools face swarms of bzzjq; alone they are not a 
problem, but in large numbers they are deadly...]
	The commander looked towards the sky, searching for the source of 
the sound, and could only watch as hundreds of spots of light visible 
against the black backdrop of mountain sky produced by the propulsion 
sections of rockets pushed them into high arcs, then cut out, leaving only 
cold dark blothces  blocking out what little light was coming from the night 
sky.  The rockets followed their ballistic courses, freefalling to the 
ground in their programmed pattern of destruction and death.
	One of the missiles fell to the ground and impacted the commander 
directly in her chest, cutting short a small, yet crucial biology lesson 
as her armor exploded into deadly shrapnel which in turn shredded her underling.

	Elsewhere across the field, similar events were taking place.  X'hirjq 
searched for the incoming assault, only to have shells impact them directly 
or near enough to them to send shrapnel or rock ripping through their 
frames.  

	Chaos and confusion ruled the field as miniature mushroom clouds 
erupted where the 400 inbound missiles impacted all over the gridiron.

	A few of the X'hirjq attempted to flee the area targeted by the missiles, 
only to find that that was exactly what had been hoped for and anticipated 
as they were cut down either by an autocannon round or yet another SRM from the 
"benchwarmers" who were watching the perimeter.

******************************************************************

	[Mistress! Our forces are being devastated by some kind of incoming 
fire--most of the units have been hit already--of the 90 squads sent 
forward, barely a third survived!  And most of them are injured!  I have a 
report of several retreating to... Mistress!  they have been executed as 
well!  Only two and a half X'extrans(*) remain of our forces! We must pull 
back and let the air power...]
	[Silence, hatchling!] grinned the assault leader at her protege.  
While nowhere near an actual hatchling in age, she often found herself 
refering to her as such.  She had so much to learn.  [We knew that 
something like this would happen; we just didn't know when.  And we are 
prepared for it.  Now, would you care to watch as I squash these arrogant 
defenders?]
	Her protege only nodded her head in deference, and watched.

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(*) -- X'extran :  X'hirjq for a set of six.  Hence, 2.5 X'extrans = 15

To be Continued!

"Shadow Storm"
Copyright 1996
by David R. Hibbs