BattleTech Universe Series / Far Country / Peter L. Rice

A DEST (Draconis Elite Strike Team) group, accompanied by a small mercenary group, make a misjump from Kurita space and land on a planet inhabited by 500-year-old colonists and a mysterious alien lifeform. Amidst their battles to survive and return to the inner sphere, they form a bond with highly intelligent birds who see them as the fulfillment of their own prophecy.