"And that's where the Knights come in. The Knights of the Inner Sphere are a way to bring ethics and morality to bear on war and its technology. Instead of technology being the instrument of mindless destruction, it becomes the protector of mankind. The rise in moral character that I hope to see develop in my people, beginning with the Knights, can lay the foundation for the resurgence of a new Star League. Maybe not in my lifetime, but one day in the future. Another magnificent golden age." As Marik spoke, his eyes seemed to look far beyond this room, as if seeing the great day he imagined.
Harrison Kalma broke the long silence that followed. "If I understand you correctly, Thomas, you're suggesting that Victor Davion might want to destroy the Knights because of their potential as a movement for social change rather than because he wants to spark a war."
Marik nodded, obviously pleased that the General had caught his meaning.
"It's, a possibility, sire," Cherenkov said, "but I have found no evidence to support it. Davion wouldn't have let one of his own prized units like the Sixth Cruris Lancers RCT get hurt so bad. They took significant damage in the attack, and lost key officers and troops."
"So that leaves Theodore Kurita and Katrina Steiner," Harrison Kalma said. "But Kurita is too preoccupied with the Clan threat and Katrina Steiner wouldn't sacrifice her own Twenty-fourth Lyran Guards. That shortens the list considerably, and leaves the Capellan Confederation. The Capellans are the only ones who haven't been attacked so blatantly." The General paused, obviously choosing his words carefully. "This is a difficult question, Thomas, but is it possible your future son-in-law might be behind these raids?"
Thomas shook his head. "I might have suspected Sun-Tzu, except for one thing—he has nothing to gain. He and my daughter will be married soon, so why would he begin creating problems with me now?"
Rod Trane spoke almost under his breath. "He is a Liao, sire."
"Yes, he is. But he's not like any Liao we've seen in the Inner Sphere for a long time. He has given me personal assurance that he was not involved. He has even provided SAFE with intelligence reports his own people gathered after the raids on their shipments of refit kits. No, Sun-Tzu Liao is not the individual behind this."
"It's my guess we're not facing any known government or foe, Periphery or otherwise," Harrison Kalma said.
Cherenkov nodded. "And I must concur, sire. We can't identify a connection to any of the Periphery governments, and the logistics involved with these attacks would also seem to argue against it. Given the timing of the raids we've got to be dealing with three companies or more of 'Mechs. Getting them in and around the Inner Sphere, even disguised as the Knights, is no small task."
"What about the Clans?" Trane asked. "Perhaps one of them wants to use these raids to turn the other Houses against us so they can hit us more easily."
"Don't forget Cumbres," Thomas said. "A Steel Viper unit also took a beating from these raiders."
"Perhaps it's the Clan they tried to purge, the Wolverines," Cherenkov said. "We know they showed up once in the Inner Sphere as the Minnesota Tribe. Perhaps some more of Kerensky's legacy has surfaced to haunt us again."
"That's not likely if they were using 'Mechs bought and refit on Galatea," Duncan said. "And no kin of the Wolverines would get that near the Clans."
The room went quiet for a long moment before Harrison Kalma again broke the silence. "We're looking at this the wrong way."
"What do you mean?" Cherenkov said.
"We're trying so hard to figure out who's behind these raids that we're forgetting it simply doesn't matter. What's important is how do we stop the attacks? How do we expose the true origins of the raiders? Sitting and guessing about who might be behind the raids is like aiming a gun into a crowd and hoping that we hit the guilty party."
"Don't you think we've been trying to determine that, Harrison?" Wilson Cherenkov said. "I've made this Priority Alpha for every SAFE agent in the field. We've gotten some leads, but nothing solid. Even our operatives on Outreach and Solaris haven't turned up anything solid. Rumors mostly, and nothing that points even remotely at who is behind these attacks."
"What rumors have surfaced, exactly?" Harrison Kalma asked, knowing Cherenkov would hate having to reveal intelligence a rival hadn't been able to get on his own. But it was too late. The SAFE man had spoken up in front of the Captain-General and would now have to show his hand.
"One of our operatives on Outreach reports rumors of someone doing major recruiting on Galatea, far from the Dragoon hiring halls on Outreach. We got no details except that it was for a raid against a Periphery world known as Herotitus."
Duncan knew both Galatea and Herotitus well. Herotitus was a world dedicated to the pursuit of sensual pleasures, a place relatively untouched by the ravages of time and the centuries of war that had devastated the rest of human space. The old saying was, "On Herotitus anything goes, and usually does." He looked around at the little group gathered here and wondered how they'd fare on the highways and byways of such a place.
The same went for Galatea. Though it had once been the hub of mercenary hiring in the Inner Sphere, all that had changed after the Mercenary Review and Bonding Commission had been established on Outreach. Now virtually all legal and legitimate hiring was done on Outreach under the eyes and ears of the famous mercenary Wolf's Dragoons. Galatea's economy had virtually collapsed, and what passed for law and order was dealt out on its streets with guns and knives. The only mercenaries who went there were tough, desperate types who couldn't get the time of day from legitimate employers. Duncan had gone there himself looking for work more than a time or two.
"Have you sent operatives to either of those worlds?" Thomas asked.
"I have stationed several on Herotitus to learn whether a raid actually occurs, but so far things have been quiet. If the raid comes, we'll send a team to Galatea to track down whoever's doing the hiring. But this is just one of hundreds of leads, sire."
"Perhaps we could post the Knights along the jump routes a raiding force might travel," Trane suggested. "Inspections of transports in our region of space might stumble across them, though it would probably be only blind luck if we actually found them."
Duncan couldn't resist. "With all due respect, gentlemen, I suspect that neither the two of you nor the whole rest of the entire Free Worlds Militia will uncover who is behind these raids."
Cherenkov shook his head angrily. "I don't know what your father has been telling you, son, but I'd say this situation is a bit beyond your experience. This is a matter for experts in intelligence and military operations."
"And that is why you will fail," Duncan said.
The Captain-General's face showed irritation mixed with curiosity. "If you have something to say, Duncan, I suggest you do so now."
"You're all looking at this up from here, at this level"— Duncan held his hand in the air horizontally at the height of his own head. "The problem is that the people you're dealing with are working down here"—he waved his hand just slightly lower than the table surface. "They can see you, anticipate your reactions, and counter them easily. But you're too far removed from their world to do the same.
"These raiders are desperate people, not honorable warriors like the Knights of the Inner Sphere. Oh, they're probably skilled enough—hell, they took on some pretty sharp units and did them serious damage, but they aren't the kind to get work from any known agency or government.
"They operate the backwaters, probably out in the Periphery, more like pirates than warriors. Many of them probably served in our militaries and know the routines we'll use to search them out, so they'll be able to dodge those approaches right off the bat. You've been looking on Solaris and Outreach and wasting time. Anyone involved in raids like these doesn't hang around civilized places like that."
"Sounds like the scum of the galaxy," Trane said.
"Not scum. We're talking about professional soldiers who have, for whatever reason, become outlaws or desperate, or both. Scum would nev
er have been able to pull off impersonating the Knights. Scum couldn't have managed to ambush three elite regiments and a Trinary of Clan Warriors and survived without leaving so much as a trace of their true origins."
Cherenkov had been listening thoughtfully. "Interesting," he said, "but it's just more conjecture and doesn't get us any closer to stopping these raids."
"Wrong," Harrison Kalma said. "There are ways to deal with this kind of element of society." He looked to Thomas, who nodded for him to continue.
"You've heard the old saying, it takes a thief to catch a thief. If Duncan's right, we're dealing with renegades who associate only with their own kind. So if we want to catch them, we should manufacture our own team of renegade mercenaries, then infiltrate their ranks from within. From the inside, we can learn how to put an end to this dangerous game."
"I volunteer the Knights of my company to pose as such a unit," Trane said eagerly.
Cherenkov laughed softly. "My dear Captain, you and your Knights could never pose as rough and ready mercenaries living on the edge of the law. You'd be spotted light years away."
"I assure you that my people are qualified for any mission, especially one as important as this. It's not just the Captain-General's honor at stake."
Harrison Kalma held up his hands for peace. "Director Cherenkov and I are not often on the same side of any issue, Captain Trane, but in this matter I have to agree. On their own, the Knights of the Inner Sphere could not pose as outlaw mercenaries.
"However, what if the leader of such a unit were someone who had lived in the Periphery as a mercenary and knew his way around? Someone who could take even the spit and polished Knights and turn them into a team able to infiltrate whoever's running these raids." As he spoke the elder Kalma eyed his son squarely.
Duncan started to protest, but Cherenkov beat him to it.
"You can't be serious, Harrison. What this mission needs is a SAFE operative, an individual trained in intelligence and espionage. If it's your son you've got in mind, the only thing he's done until now is wander around the Periphery getting into trouble."
Thomas Marik smiled. "Actually, Wilson, you've just made a splendid case for Duncan Kalma. His experiences and knowledge of the Periphery should make him able to blend in easily with the element we're looking for."
"Sire ..." Once again Duncan was interrupted, this time by Trane.
"Captain-General, you would see fit to place my Knights under the leadership of this man?" He pointed a finger at Duncan.
"No, not yet anyway. We don't know whether or not our information about a raid on Herotitus is accurate. But what if I sent you and Duncan there to investigate and be on hand should the raid materialize? In the meantime the rest of your company will come here and await word. If there is a strike in the Periphery, we'll send a team under cover to Galatea to find out who's behind the hiring and try to infiltrate them."
Marik studied Duncan's face for a moment. "I would never force you to do this," he added.
It wasn't being sent to the Periphery that bothered Duncan. No, the issue was that he wouldn't be working for himself. He'd always been his own master. Now they wanted him to do his bit for king and country.
He stared back at the other four men who were watching him intently. Marik and his father waited expectantly, Wilson Cherenkov looked skeptical, and Trane showed that he wanted no part of Duncan. If anything, that was what finally decided Duncan.
"I will do as you ask, Captain-General, but only on the condition that I'm in charge. Period. We go to Herotitus, see if anything develops, and report to you here. Meanwhile the Knights gather here on Marik in case we need to follow up more leads on Galatea."
Trane looked nearly ready to burst with anger and frustration, yet he managed to maintain his courtly composure. "My liege, I beg you to reconsider. Duncan Kalma is not the right person for this mission. He had the chance to serve you once, but he abandoned the Free Worlds League and went off to seek his fortune in the Periphery. Now you place the future of the Knights in his hands? Surely there are others better suited than he?"
Thomas Marik seemed unmoved. "Gentlemen, I realize that this is a gamble, but right now it's the best shot we have. There may well be men better suited than Duncan Kalma for this kind of operation. But none of them are here right now. Furthermore, this mission must remain secret. I don't want to take the chance of revealing the plan to still more people. Besides, bringing in someone else would take weeks of searching and travel that we simply do not have.
"You and all the other Knights made a solemn pledge to me, Captain Trane. What I'm asking of you now is no different from any other service you have undertaken in my name."
"Of course, my liege," Trane said, bowing his head.
"Excellent," Thomas Marik returned, standing up to show that the discussion was over. "You will depart for Herotitus as soon as possible. I can put my family's own merchant ships at your disposal, plus a code that will authorize the captains of those ships to cooperate with you one hundred percent. This will also keep my enemies in Parliament from trying to interfere with the plan. In the meantime a contingent of Knights will travel here to be on hand in case you learn something there."
Duncan wasn't sure if he should be glad or sorry at the way this thing had turned out. Suddenly he was involved in affairs far beyond his ken, and he had been brash enough to ask for leadership of the operation. At the very least this little caper would take him back to the Periphery and would surely offer an adventure or two to add to his belt.
"Duncan," Thomas Marik said, startling the younger man back to reality. "Your father and I have been friends a long time. I trust you as I do him. I'm sure you would never violate that trust"
Duncan leaped to his feet and quickly bowed. "You can count on me, sire," he said, wondering what in the name of Gaffa he'd gotten himself into.
7
Cavern of the Skull
New St. Andrews, The Periphery
Rimward of the Circinus Federation
18 April 3057
The office deep in the bowels of the Cavern of the Skull was empty except for Stefan Amaris and Varas seated at the desk where they had done so much of their planning until now. Laid out before them was a boldly colored map of the Inner Sphere showing the governments and territories that had once been united under the banner of the Star League. The room was dimly lit, making it difficult to read the map. But that did not matter to Varas. They'd been over all this dozens of times. Nothing had changed—not in his mind anyway.
"The First Company of the Republican Guards is one jump from Herotitus, my lord. They can jump in, carry out the raid, and have the ship recharged within two weeks."
The self-proclaimed Star Lord was studying the map as if he could see something invisible to other eyes. He stared at the arrangement of stars in and around Herotitus, fingers drumming on the table. Amaris slowly raised his head and looked at Varas. "I am concerned."
Varas felt his anger rise immediately, but he did not give into it. He is not a military man, yet constantly questions my orders. He is a scholar, a dreamer. Military operations are my area of expertise. One day, I will not have to curb my anger. One day, I will command. "What is your concern, Star Lord?" he said mildly.
Stefan Amaris pointed to Herotitus on the map. "Security. We've been planning this raid for so long, how can we be sure the plan won't be leaked in some way? Perhaps it would be best to reschedule the attack or select another target."
"Your concern is well placed, lord," Varas replied carefully. "But I can assure you that the name of our target has not gone beyond a small number of our staff. Our recruiter on Galatea had to know since it was his job to find troops with the necessary transport. I know him well and have utmost confidence in his discretion. Also we have seen no large-scale troop movements on the part of any of the House governments.
"If someone were anticipating our action, we'd be seeing at least a regiment of front line troops moving toward Herotitus. Our operative on t
he planet has thus far reported no troop arrivals on-world. It is safe to assume, for now anyway, that no one has learned of our intentions." What Varas did not say was what he had expressed so many times before, albeit unsuccessfully. Sooner or later the leaders of the Great Houses would begin to look for them. Fortunately, he had provided a number of contingencies for when that day came. The key was to have their forces organized and well-trained by the time they came hunting.
"I have your word then. This strike will be executed like the others?"
"Of course, my liege."
"A man's word is his bond, eh, Varas? Do not fail me."
"I will not fail, lord. Herotitus is only lightly defended. The raid can't help but be a stunning success. Once again the rest of known space will blame the Knights of the Inner Sphere."
"Good." Amaris began to study the map again. "Any word from our other agents?"
"It's been several weeks since we lost contact with our team on Luthien. They've picked up none of our encoded messages."
"Do you think they've been uncovered?"
"It's possible. The ISF is everywhere. They've either been detected or are under such tight surveillance that they don't dare communicate. Either way, though, they can be assumed to be neutralized, at least for the time being."
Amaris frowned deeply. "That bodes ill for us."
"Yes. Fortunately the team that was sent in knows nothing about our base of operations or your identity. Even if tortured, there is little they can reveal. But this does hurt our timetable. It will take considerable time to recruit and prepare another team. The news from Sian, however, is very good. Our team sent a coded message that they've managed to set up operations in a small apartment only a short distance from the Celestial Palace. On New Avalon, our squad has found employment and are blending in with the locals."
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