Masters of War

by Michael A. Stackpole

  “I see, sir.”

  “I doubt you do.” The khan clasped his hands behind his back. “You have been returned to the Wolves, but all previous status is gone. You have no rank. You have no standing. If we had time, you could test out and resume your rank. It would appear you have to remain in the rear as this final assault goes forward.”

  Alaric stared down at the deck and tried to remain still. A tremor shook him. The flutter in his stomach became a quake. He had not imagined that all he had worked for had been lost.

  He looked up quickly. “Sir, would this not be a waste of all I have learned during my captivity?”

  “Fear not on that count. I am certain our leaders will gladly listen to you in planning their assaults. Would things be better if you were available to them on an operational or tactical level? Certainly. You have leadership skills, but your position has been compromised. Fear not, however, for there will be much war in the future in which you will be able to participate.”

  Alaric shook his head to banish the wave of dizziness cresting over him. “Is this final, my Khan? Is there nothing that can be done?”

  “Nothing you would agree to.”

  Alaric’s eyes narrowed. “What would it require, sir?”

  The khan tapped on the viewport to the holotank. Donovan looked up, then nodded when the khan signaled for him to join them. “You have one chance, Alaric, only one. How much does your future mean to you?”

  The door hissed open and Donovan entered. He saluted the khan, then nodded to Alaric. “As you requested, my khan, I have researched the Right of Return in all its parameters and traditions. There was one peculiar case that is applicable here. An officer had been returned and was needed at a critical juncture to command a task force. He was allowed to assume command and acquitted himself well.”

  Alaric forced the fear from his voice. “How was it done?”

  Donovan produced a white cord from his pocket. “The pilot willingly became a bondsman. His captor bargained with him for his release and the Clan khan accepted the forthcoming battle as a proxy for rank testing.”

  “I would be your bondsman?”

  Donovan nodded solemnly. “I take no delight in this, Alaric, and would not propose it save it will enable me to accomplish what I want to do.”

  Alaric looked at Seth Ward. “You would accept any battle I am in as a proxy for my testing?”

  “I would.”

  “And, Star Colonel, what is the bargain you will offer me for my freedom?”

  “You serve as my subordinate and win the battle I set you to. Win and you will be free.”

  Alaric closed his eyes. His heart pounded swiftly, as if trying to burst through his chest. He forced himself to breathe evenly. He sought to slow his heart and calm his thoughts. A decision was required of him and though he knew what he wanted to say, he knew that haste would be his undoing.

  If he did not accept the bargain, he would not even be allowed in a war zone until after he tested out again. Given their planned move, he had no idea how long that might take. Until then he would remain in this state of limbo, and he would have to watch Donovan being lionized for his successes. And everyone would forget it was my plan that allowed him to succeed.

  If, on the other hand, he accepted the challenge, he would be a bondsman, his rank conditional. If he failed, he would have to earn his way back into the Clan, and then test out and again rise to the position where he could command. While others had done it before, it was not an easy road. Though Alaric knew he could make it—would make it—millions of things could go wrong and hamper him.

  I could be killed in combat, or I could die from others endlessly singing Donovan’s praise.

  He knew he would accept the bargain, but it was not cold calculation that cemented his decision. It was a random thought, one linked to others he’d not entertained recently, that won him over. In folklore and legend, there were gods who reduced themselves to mortality. They faced death and rose again, wiser and stronger. Odin was but one example. How appropriate to sink to the depths and rise again. It befits the legend.

  He opened his eyes and extended his wrist. “I will be your bondsman.”

  Donovan advanced and looped the cord twice around Alaric’s wrist, then knotted it off. “You will possess the rank of Star captain for our purposes. You will accompany me into the holotank and will say nothing until I give you leave to do so. Is that understood?”

  “Yes, sir.” The words tasted like dust in his mouth, but he uttered them without a trace of disgust.”

  The khan looked at Donovan. “You are ready, then?”

  “Aff.”

  The khan led them from the room and down a ladder to the deck below. They entered the holodeck where two other Star colonels waited. Hestia was a MechWarrior who wore her long black hair in a queue. Edward was the smallest of all of them, yet not of the diminutive stature marking Clan aero-jocks. His blond hair made Alaric think of pictures he’d seen of Victor Davion, but Edward’s dark eyes boasted only bovine intelligence, not the predatory gleam visible in all images of his father. Alaric dismissed Edward from consideration because he would end up with the scraps of the bidding between the other two.

  Seth Ward punched a button on his datapad, and the holotank sprang to life. Three worlds hovered in the center: Skondia, Nusakan and Alkalurops. “This wave of assaults concerns these three worlds. You have all participated in operations up to this point, but only Star Colonel Donovan has participated in every wave. Because of his success, he will bid first and you will bid against him.”

  Donovan cast a glance behind him at Alaric, then clasped his hands at the small of his back. “I will take Skondia and Nusakan with Alpha Galaxy.”

  Alaric covered his own surprise, but neither Hestia nor Edward could manage theirs. They stood there agog. They had clearly done their calculations based on what they would need to take each world, but had never considered so grand a grab. And that is why Donovan needed me. I get one of the worlds, and he gets the glory of both being taken.

  It was a brilliant bit of strategy. Donovan escalated the challenge to his rivals and caught them unprepared. They probably had no subordinates they could trust with a whole planetary assault. If they bid a Galaxy against Donovan, then the bidding would tighten as parts of it were cast away. Donovan had done the calculations and they had not. He could bid successfully and they could not. They were undone before they stepped into the holotank.

  The khan waved a hand toward the female Star colonel.

  Hestia closed her mouth and nodded. “I bid the Seventh Battle Cluster to take Alkalurops.”

  Edward swallowed hard, then ran a hand over his forehead. “I bid the Third Battle Cluster less the fighter Binary.”

  Donovan nodded and Alaric smiled. He’d won this round, but Alaric knew what would be coming next. Donovan would force him to bargain for the world he wanted, and the troops he would use. Donovan would force him to bid low, and Donovan would choose whether or not he would be allowed to bring in reinforcements. Donovan had him effectively hobbled.

  The other two Star colonels continued to bid down, with Hestia winning. She retained a Trinary of elementals, a Command Star of ’Mechs and one other Trinary of ’Mechs. That was easily enough force to take Alkalurops, though Alaric said nothing. The only way it would not work was if Anastasia was there, and he knew she would not be.

  Hestia and Edward departed, the latter clearly shaken. The khan smiled. “Very well bid, Star Colonel. You have a Galaxy to accomplish the conquest of two worlds. Do you feel it will be enough?”

  “More than enough, sir.” Donovan turned and looked at Alaric. “Star Captain, we need to decide which world you will take. Nusakan or Skondia.”

  Alaric bowed his head. “That, sir, would be your prerogative. I am your servant.”

  Donovan frowned. “I will give you the Fourth Wolf Guards and the 279th Battle Cluster. Which of the worlds would you take?”

  “You are most generous, Star
Colonel.” Alaric lifted his chin. “I would take Skondia. Anastasia Kerensky and her Wolf Hunters will be there. They are lying in wait for you.”

  “Of course. They want revenge.”

  Alaric shook his head. “Not revenge. They wish to spring the trap you stepped into on Unukalhai.”

  “What trap?”

  “Anastasia let you win. She blew up the bridge at Darien and credited you with forethought. You now underestimate her. You will deploy against her and attack her weakness, which will be no weakness at all. She will defeat you.”

  Donovan shook his head. “That is not possible.”

  “The trap, or your defeat?” Alaric smiled. “Both are true, one past, one future. On the other hand, if I am sent against her, it will not be what she expects. I will have the advantage and be able to exploit it. But if you insist on Skondia, then just give me the 278th Battle Cluster. It is all I will need on Nusakan. You will need the Guards on Skondia.”

  Donovan glanced at his datapad and punched a few keys. “She only has a mixed arms battalion. The Skondia Rangers and their militia each have barely a Trinary of ’Mechs. I will not need three Clusters to take the world.”

  Alaric frowned. “Is it that you are bidding two Clusters to take Skondia?”

  “I could take it with just one.”

  “But that is not a bid I would hold you to.” Alaric spread his hands. “Mine is to do your bidding. How would you have it? Shall I win Skondia for you, or will you prove the mercenary a fool for thinking she trapped you?”

  “You will have the 279th and the Guards.” Donovan’s eyes narrowed. “You best take Nusakan quickly. If you fail and they capture you again, there will be no return.”

  “I understand, sir. Thank you.” Alaric bowed his head, hiding his smile. I do not think, Donovan, I shall be the one who has to worry about returning.

  28

  DropShip Thylacine, Inbound, Nusakan

  Former Prefecture IX, Republic of the Sphere

  10 March 3137

  The 279th Battle Cluster had been a bit uneasy when they learned that Alaric—a disgraced bondsman—would be placed in command, but then word leaked out about how he had specifically chosen them. While he did have the Fourth Wolf Guards in reserve, he’d not released their DropShips to head in toward Nusakan. This meant if his troops got into trouble, it would take at least five days for reinforcements to arrive. This vote of confidence—along with a basic realization of how much trouble they would be in if they needed to summon reinforcements—spiked morale.

  Strapped into the cockpit of a new Mad Cat, Alaric reviewed the data about Nusakan. Cold and dry, the planet had vast ice caps north and south and tundra that dominated all but a few zones. One of those was around the equator, where year-round the temperature remained pleasantly cool. Elsewhere, tectonic activity created a volcanic zone where geothermal power stations were able to render the tundra habitable. These zones held the concentration of electronics manufacturing facilities, while the equator was home to agri- and aquaculture industries.

  The northern continent boasted two manufacturing zones and the southern three, but those were older and sorely in need of upgrades. They produced mostly consumer electronics that might be wildly popular in the Inner Sphere, but were of little use to the Clans. The northern zones were clearly the most valuable, and the ones the planet’s soldiers would have to defend.

  On his way in, and even through the initial orbits around the planet, Alaric had refused to acknowledge any calls from the defenders. He sent them scrambled messages to make it appear as if there was some sort of equipment failure, while pulling in all signals intelligence he could get from the world. The local news reports and unguarded civilian communications gave him a good picture of the situation on the ground.

  Three military units were operational on Nusakan. The Stormhammers, who still went by that name despite having been folded into the Lyran Commonwealth Armed Forces, had been there the longest and had a deservedly fierce reputation. Though Jasek Kelswa-Steiner no longer commanded them, Colonel Carl Tucker was reported to be a shrewd officer. They certainly knew the planet the best, were well suited to fighting in the cold, spare landscape; and were looking for payback against the Clans since abandoning Skye to the Jade Falcons. That they had not taken the opportunity to attack Skye while the Wolves were ripping down through Prefecture IX indicated a lack of deep thought to Alaric, though he did not make this a critical element in his assessment of that unit.

  Colton’s Screaming Demons, a mercenary group formed and led by Aynn Colton, was as long on self-promotion as it was short on actual combat experience. Colton, a tall blonde with a sharp tongue and no sense of restraint, boasted mightily about what her troops would do to the invaders. She spent a great deal of time posturing and inviting local media to watch her troops in action. Alaric and other analysts in the 279th broke down all the holovid they could get and determined the Demons were screaming because their ’Mechs were poorly maintained, undersupplied and led by a cadre of officers who made rank by sucking up to Colton.

  The La Blon Djinns also had been featured in media coverage, but Verena had remained low-key. The news commentators had played it positively, noting that she was “no-nonsense” and “all business.” This legitimized the Djinns being placed in overall command of the world’s defense. The Stormhammers’ leader took his demotion rather well, and the media enjoyed contrasting Colton and Verena as “fire and ice.”

  Alaric had no intention of letting Verena know he was leading the attack on Nusakan. He knew that would be a complicating factor for her. Even though the physical act of love and the usual attendant emotions had been severed rather sharply in the Clan culture, a certain amount of bleed-over did occur. Verena had effectively been isolated before they had come together and Alaric suspected that Kennerly would have become even more hostile to her when he learned of their liaison. Discovering that he was attacking the world she was defending would trigger feelings of betrayal for her, and would erode her concentration.

  Both of these things he could use.

  It had not been his intention to use their connection against her, even though he had known where she would be and that he would be opposing her. He would not, however, refrain from using any tool at his disposal for an advantage. Just as he knew he could upset her, he knew he could likewise discomfit Aynn Colton. A quick glance at her biography and listening to a few interviews pointed out her glaring weaknesses that, oddly enough, were not that different from those Verena possessed.

  Fatal flaws. He shook his head, then punched up a communications link. “This is Star Captain Alaric of the 279th Battle Cluster. I am seeking Colonel Aynn Colton.” He hit several buttons on his console, freezing out all other attempts to reach him, and let her face fill his secondary monitor.

  “This is Colton, Star Captain. To what do I owe this pleasure?”

  “It is my understanding that you are defending the Makonato district. With what will you defend?”

  The blonde’s face slackened. “Are you saying you want a Trial of Possession for this district?”

  “Did I not make that clear? Yes, Colonel.”

  “But aren’t you supposed to fight to possess the entire planet?”

  “I fight to possess what I need, and you are defending what I want.” Alaric smiled easily. “With what will you defend?”

  “The Demons will defend the whole district. You’ll not take a step in here without our opposition! We will fight you on the beaches. We will fight you—”

  “I am sure, Colonel, you will fight us everywhere. You might want to curtail your rhetoric, however.”

  “What? How dare you?”

  “I do not mean to be rude, Colonel, but I thought you might go on for a bit.” He glanced at the chronometer on his holographic display. “And as we will be landing in twenty-seven minutes, I thought you might want to prepare.”

  Even before the Thylacine landed, Alaric launched a single Star of aerospace fighters.
They flew cover as the DropShip came down. The pilots met no opposition in the air and reported back on the advancing Demons. They gave him excellent data, including infrared scans that showed the mercenaries heating up their ’Mechs just by the haste of their approach.

  Colton brought her entire battalion save the armor company, which remained behind to secure her base. She had forty BattleMechs in all: a company of heavy, medium and light ’Mechs, along with a command lance consisting of heavy and medium ’Mechs. The light company ranged out to the north, advancing on the far side of the river that, though covered with ice, had to be forded or crossed on a bridge. The heavies traveled on the southern riverbank, and the mediums covered their southern flank. The medium company had staggered its lances along a line running northwest to southeast, presumably to discourage Alaric from trying to flank her formation. The command lance came behind the line, near the juncture of the heavy and medium companies to strengthen that weak point.

  Alaric keyed his link to the aerospace fighters. “Star Captain Hollis, you are clear to run the north side of the river.”

  “As ordered, Star Captain.”

  He punched another button, and an auxiliary monitor filled with the image from Hollis’ targeting scanners. Because of the dim light and snow of the battlefield, the pilot switched over to infrared. The light ’Mechs came along the northern bank in three ranks—presumably one per lance. They had actually arranged themselves nicely to provide fire support, yet had not jammed up so closely that they would hamper each other when they needed to maneuver.

  They were not, however, well positioned when it came to defending themselves for a strafing run. Hollis brought his Visigoth up and around, with his wingman off to the left. He set up on the river, drifted to port just a hair, then tightened down on his trigger and made his run.