He did nothing for a moment—confused, even frightened. Artillery. He remembered the way a round had plowed through the back of the Warhammer as it had dropped. Should he flee, try to punch out, try to stand up? He pushed at the foot pedals and could feel the massive Atlas rocking. Manipulating his auxiliary controls, he used the arms of the ’Mech to roll it over.
“This is Guard One, I am down.” Another artillery round went off, throwing dirt against his cockpit. He saw where the earlier hit had nearly penetrated the ferroglass and realized that he was lucky to be alive. “We are under artillery fire. Someone help me get up and get out of here.”
His immediate answer was another blast, this time farther away. Hauptmann Klein’s voice came back in his earpiece as he got the Atlas to a kneeling position. “Guard One, the incoming fire is friendly. Am requesting cease-fire. We are moving to assist.”
The Regulars were shooting at him? Bernard. He felt like his brain was on fire. I treated him like a son and this is how he pays me back? Hard on the heels of that thought was another that chilled him. Was this attack deliberate? Was his protégé trying to kill him? A new fear touched his nerves. Just how loyal was Bernard?
The artillery had stopped. There was another ’Mech alongside his Atlas, assisting him to stand. His damage lights flickered with a little green, a great deal of yellow and red. The fall had crumpled the armor plating on his Atlas’ front. He saw that it was a Griffin that had come to his assistance. He couldn’t remember the MechWarrior’s name, but then it came to him— Kieran.
“What is the situation?”
“The Silver Hawks that were here have broken and faded into the suburbs. The Regulars have managed to pin down one lance of them, but the others seem to be in retreat. What they did here was some sort of diversion,” Leutnant Kieran replied.
“Diversion?”
“Most of the Silver Hawks shifted to the flank and made a run for the DropShip. They will be free and clear in just a few minutes.”
“Didn’t General Nordhoff trap them?”
“Negative, sir. His forces were diverted here per your orders. They slipped through the noose.”
“Damn it!” Duke Vedet replied. They fooled us. No. It’s worse than that. They fooled me. He clenched his fists against the arms of his command couch. Then his business acumen kicked in. The blame would need to be shouldered by someone else, someone expendable— like Bernard. “Send word to General Nordhoff. Tell him to reassemble our forces. Tell him I want to meet with him.”
Five Hours Later
The duke towered over Bernard, his neurohelmet dangling from his hand. Both men wore the shorts common to MechWarriors, stained with days’ worth of sweat. The air stung with the acrid smell of unwashed bodies, spilled coolant and welding. The mood was subdued; this was the troops’ first chance in days to rest and recoup.
Both men looked exhausted. Neither smiled. They were slick with their own sweat, sore from days in the cockpit, and barely controlling their anger. The duke studied the general and again wondered—had Bernard tried to kill him?
Some of his handpicked loyalists reported that Bernard personally had ordered the barrage and set the coordinates for the attack. He knew where the duke was going to be, and had dropped the artillery on top of him. He knew friendly fire happened on battlefields, but it seemed unthinkable that it could happen accidentally to a duke.
If I die, my family’s empire would be at risk. Was he planning to seize Hesperus for himself if I fell?
Vedet hoped that his suspicions were due to a lack of sleep, and did not represent reality. “Bernard. The Silver Hawks got away?”
“Most of them. We managed to take down a few. I had a lance of them boxed in, but they chose to fight rather than surrender. The two we captured punched out and are hospitalized.”
“It was a victory,” the duke said emotionlessly. “We drove them off the world.”
Bernard’s brow furrowed with the anger he was clearly trying to hold in check. “If we had taken out that DropShip, we could have bottled up the remains of the Silver Hawks. That would have been a real victory.”
“We won a real victory,” the duke snapped back. “The Lyran people demand that we win, and we did. Once again, we drove the Irregulars into a full retreat. If you are asked, General, that is what your response will be. Do you understand?”
His answer came reluctantly. “Yes, sir. I do.”
“Good. Any hint of failure in this war will be laid at the feet of the military leadership, which means me. Don’t forget your place, and my role in this operation. We can ill-afford for public support to fade.”
“Even at the cost of the truth,” he replied half under his breath.
“Truth? The truth is what I say it is. Remember, Bernard, I made you the man you are today. I can take that away from you.” Vedet turned and walked away.
Hauptmann Hans Lanz moved to stand next to General Nordhoff as the duke walked toward his Atlas, which the repair crews had given priority. The battle was over, but Bernard’s headache remained, throbbing as he watched the duke giving orders to the technicians. Fixing his ’Mech is a priority to him, not to operations. “He’s a very different man, General,” Lanz said.
“You’re understating the obvious. He’s a politician— a businessman,” Bernard said, not shifting his gaze from the lanky royal. "He’s no MechWarrior."
“That’s what the Guards told me,” Lanz said. Bernard turned and faced his subordinate. Clearly he wanted more information, and Lanz quickly complied. “When he was slugging it out with that damn diversion, he got scared and ran for cover. In a goddamned Atlas that could smash anything on the battlefield, he ran like a first-year cadet.”
That Vedet had fallen for the diversion—a diversion that even a rookie officer could have spotted—was infuriating. I recognized it, but my advice was ignored. Bernard ground his teeth in frustration. The thought of that man leading good MechWarriors in battle and then running grated on his few remaining nerves. He had no business leading skilled men and women into battle. They deserved better than that—better than to die while a coward fled.
“Thank you, Lanz. Keep this between us for now.”
“Sir?”
“It won’t do anyone any good to know that their leader is afraid to fight. I don’t want them questioning our capabilities. We keep the lid on this for now.”
“Yes, sir.”
“There are other ways to deal with men like the duke.” He flashed a grim grin. Sometimes accidents happen on a battlefield.
14
The Royal Palace
Tharkad, Lyran Commonwealth
13 October 3137
Archon Melissa Steiner looked intently at the holographic map as the officer spoke. Standing at her side, checking his noteputer and glancing at the map every few seconds, was the head of Loki. His name was Gunter Duiven, and his interests paralleled those of the high command in this case. He also had some additional duties.
Loki was one of the branches of the LIC, the Lyran Intelligence Corps. They pursued black ops, and were infamously known as the muscle of the Lyran state’s fist. The archon knew that formal channels demanded that she meet with the LIC director, but she chose to meet with Duiven instead. This apparently innocuous choice would help keep the intelligence organization in line. I have no idea how far or deep Duke Vedet may have reached in the LIC. Having some internal tensions there will play right into my hands.
“In summary, Archon, as you can see,” said the briefing officer, Leutnant-General Maurer, pointing to the holographic image in front of her, “the Duchy of Tamarind-Abbey is reeling under our assaults. The Marik-Stewart Commonwealth is proving a more difficult enemy than we had anticipated, but the operations in Skye have netted us some unexpected gains.”
“The enemy was not engaging us on the Skye worlds,” Duvien interjected, without making eye contact with Maurer. “I would be worried if we had run into problems. After all, we were striking worlds that the Jade Falco
ns hadn’t tried to take yet.”
Maurer was prepared to make every military advance appear to be a stunning success. “Might I remind you that it was a joint military operation with The Republic on Algorab a year and a half ago that led to a near disaster? None of us expected the Jade Falcons to have a raiding party there. We were fortunate to not run into the same fate that the Algorab Defense Force faced.”
Melissa made a minute, involuntary movement at the mention of Algorab. She knew the battle all too well. It was the one in which Roderick Frost had been hung out to dry. Leaning forward in her chair, she made a note to herself to follow up on that with Duiven. “Tell me, isn’t the officer that led that operation, this Frost fellow, isn’t he leading a new unit in this assault?” It was mock ignorance, and she was always pleased that she could still fool the men around her into thinking she was less aware than she was. Melissa wanted to see if the leutnant-general might use this opportunity to question Trillian’s proposed operation or insult Roderick.
“Correct, Archon—very observant of you. His new unit should be en route to Labourgiere as we speak. In fact, they should be landing shortly. The defenses on Labourgiere should be light, and we hope we’ll seize it quickly and cleanly—which will line us up to strike at Niihau immediately afterward, though that target has been assigned to the Fifth Lyran Regulars.”
He had a chance to question Trillian and Frost and didn’t take it. That tells me a lot about him. “And the word from Duke Vedet?”
Maurer cleared his throat, using a moment to gather his thoughts and frame his words carefully. She recognized the technique; it generally meant the speaker was preparing to filter the information being conveyed to her as archon.
“Bondurant fell a week and a half ago. The First Hesperus Guards, the duke’s personal unit, suffered thirty percent casualties. The Third Lyran Regulars are now at forty percent of their regular strength. Both units are refitting and repairing.”
“And the Silver Hawk Irregulars?”
The leutnant-general shifted on his feet slightly. “The forces on Bondurant suffered extensive losses, in excess of fifty percent. Unfortunately, those forces represented only a battalion reinforced by the local militia. The survivors escaped off-world. Their destination or location is currently unknown.”
Melissa cast a glance at her intelligence director, then looked back at the leutnant-general. “I appreciate the update, and look forward to our meeting this afternoon, Leutnant-General. In the meantime, please keep me informed if there is a significant change before then.”
He bowed formally. “Yes, Your Majesty. Thank you.” He toggled off the holographic display of the worlds, gave a courtesy nod to Gunter Duiven, then left the briefing room. Duiven said nothing until he heard the door snap shut behind Maurer. Even then, he waited for Melissa to speak first.
“I read Brewster’s own report of his operation. Duke Vedet may claim that Bondurant is a stunning victory, but the military seems unwilling to slap that label on it,” she said. She knew her intelligence head understood the unspoken question in her statement. Tell me what you think, Gunter. . . .
He snugged his noteputer into the holster at his waist and crossed his arms. “I would say that because the military is not calling it a victory, that demonstrates the tension between the high command and Brewster. That might prove useful in the future.”
She nodded once. “And of that other matter I asked you to look into?”
Duiven shook his head. “Clan Wolf is keeping to itself. Our operatives have not reported on Wolf activities, which itself is strange. There have been unconfirmed, garbled reports that their civilian castes seem to have disappeared from some planets. I had one report that implied that they may have abandoned one or more of their worlds.”
“That doesn’t make sense.”
“Archon, to be honest, we don’t know what the Wolves are up to. Your query into them at a time when something apparently is happening causes me to ask: Is there something else I should know about our relationship with the Wolves?”
You live in the darkness, Gunter. Best on this subject that you stay there. “Nothing I care to share at this time. Simply curiosity on my part, and I’m glad I asked. You may wish to increase your monitoring of the Wolves from the sound of it. If I hadn’t asked you to look into them, who knows when this would have surfaced?”
Duiven remained impassive at her words. “I serve at your bidding, Archon. If you think my people are failing you, or that my leadership is not to your standards, you are entitled and required to relieve me.” There was no worry in his voice, no hint of concern.
It was one of the things Melissa liked about him. Gunter was devoted to his duty and to the Commonwealth first and foremost. “That isn’t necessary, Gunter, and you know it. I am worried when a large military and political faction simply goes silent, as should you be. That is my duty.”
He didn’t smile or give any indication of gratitude for her confidence. “I understand fully, Archon. The good news is that I think we are one of the few governments aware of these subtle changes with the Wolves. That in itself may be useful at some point.”
Yes, it might at that. She would have to mull over the possibilities of leveraging that information. “In the meantime, I think that this afternoon I will green-light a new wave of attacks in the Skye region. Denying Duke Vedet his reserve troops seems to be a good way to keep him in check and at the same time extend the Commonwealth’s influence in Skye.” Skye had once been a part of the Lyran Commonwealth. The formation of The Republic had altered that map, not to mention the ages-old push for Skye independence. The Jade Falcons had struck at these holdings but hadn’t taken them all. She had been right about one thing—her forces landing on those Skye worlds were seen as a blessing by the local governments: more troops to fight at their side should the Jade Falcons show up.
“The duke will distance himself from the situation in the Marik-Stewart Commonwealth. Knowing his personality and penchant for media opportunities, we anticipate that he will shift his troops and attempt to take down the Duchy of Tamarind-Abbey. When the final push for Tamarind comes, he will be there.”
She offered a wry grin. “All as expected, given his ego. That means that Trillian will be there too. She will move to negate him.” And that means Roderick will be there also.
“A logical move, Archon. But this war is not about Duke Vedet. It’s about protecting our people from the Free Worlds League.”
She smiled again. “Yes and no. This war is about what the people need, and what is best for the Commonwealth. Knocking out the threat of the Free Worlds League is our priority. Negating the future political threat of Duke Vedet is something I have deemed important.”
“I understand completely.”
“There is another thing I would like your people to do. We have taken Algorab in Skye. The incident there involving this Hauptmann Frost was embarrassing, particularly because the military was willing to sacrifice him in favor of his CO. I think we need to undo that wrong. I would like your agents on Algorab to track down the militia commanders involved with the fighting there. I want to give them a chance to amend their statements, see if we can set things right.”
Duiven cocked his right eyebrow as he pulled out his noteputer and jotted down her instructions. “If I may inquire, Archon, you seem to have an interest in this Roderick Frost. May I ask why?”
“You may ask, Gunter, but I won’t answer you— not now, anyway. And for the time being, I’m going to order you to not look.”
“Then may I add that we can extend the same courtesy to his former commanding officer . . . the man who benefited the most from the false testimony?”
“Do you really think you can get him to change his statement?”
Gunter smiled. “We are Loki. If you don’t ask about our methods, I can assure you that his statement this time will reflect the truth.”
“I don’t want to know what you have to do.”
“Agreed.”
Clicking his heels in a formal salute, the head of Loki pivoted with military precision and left the room.
Melissa spun her chair to look out the window into the dull gray sky. The war was going well, but it was still early in the game. Trillian might not approve of her digging into Roderick’s career blemish, but she had to know the truth. If for no other reason, she wanted to be prepared to mitigate the damage the press might do if they found out her true relationship to him. While she loved Roderick, what if he really was the failure the military had painted him? Melissa wanted the truth, no matter how painful that might be.
Trillian would not have approved of her dealing directly with Duiven instead of his boss, the director of the Lyran Intelligence Corps. She was fine with that, as well. There are a few things that separate Trillian and me. One is that I am willing to push my luck a little more than she does.
As for Duke Vedet Brewster—that was a problem with which she knew Trillian could deal.
15
Dropship Der Samthandschuh
Nadir Jump Point, Pingree
Bolan Military Province, Lyran Commonwealth
31 October 3137
The meeting had been called by—no, demanded by Duke Vedet. When word of the archon’s order for another wave of targets in the former Skye holdings had become known, the duke had been infuriated. He had channeled his anger into a request to meet with Trillian Steiner. Trillian knew he would rather have complained directly to the archon, but distance and time made that impossible. Upon receiving his curtly worded message, she had suggested that they jump to an equidistant system, which turned out to be Pingree. Her ship carried lithium batteries, so she was assured of a quick return.
Fire at Will Page 13