"No more dangerous a game than the one they're playing with ComStar right now," Jericho said. "About two months ago Word of Blake fanatics shot several ComStar acolytes on Harminous, effectively ending ComStar's presence on that Magistracy world."
"The Magestrix was less than thrilled," Major Wood put in. "But apparently the Blakists voluntarily removed those responsible and made reparations." She hesitated before continuing. "Of course, they still control all the HPG stations on Harminous."
"Word of Blake will do whatever is good for the Word of Blake," Marcus said. "I don't imagine they'd actually withhold the message, but I could see them conveniently misrouting one if Sun-Tzu asked Precentor Sian to do so. It will catch up with us in about a week, along with their regrets and a full refund."
Jase leaned forward and stubbed out his cigarette in an ashtray set on the desk. "I think you've got the size of it, Commander." He resettled himself in his chair. "Anyway, I hit the League-Canopus border at t'Aspropirgos system, and then traveled the Free Worlds League side all the way over to Romita. I made good time, arriving at the Romita recharge station by mid-April. Romita, I'd decided, was the best place to cross into the Marian Hegemony—the nearest point to Alphard, the Hegemony capital."
Torgensson's voice seemed to drag with fatigue. "Along the way I stopped off at a number of recharge stations, checking everything I could, from cargo manifests to message traffic. I was sure I'd find something; arms traffic has to leave a trail if it's being moved in any kind of quantity. The hardest point of concealment should have been at the local-government level, especially where shipping lanes cross a border. Local systems are required to check manifests. But if farms are flowing from inside the Free World League, it's well-hidden. I found nothing."
Marcus sat back, rubbing his hands briskly over his face. Then he looked over at the Canopians. "What do you think? Does Sun-Tzu have that kind of influence in the League? Could he hide the shipments?"
Major Wood shook her head emphatically. "I don't think Thomas Marik himself has that kind of influence in the outer reaches of the League. Sun-Tzu has supporters, yes. Short-sighted people who saw his engagement to Isis Marik as a balance to the Steiner-Davion threat. But with the split between Victor Davion and his sister, and Thomas Marik obviously cooling on Liao's marriage to his daughter, that support is limited."
"Sun-Tzu couldn't be shipping directly out from League manufacturers, could he?" Jericho said thoughtfully. "His supply DropShips riding Marik JumpShips back to his border while the weapons and supplies designated for the Capellan Confederation are switched over to an independent?" She noticed a ghost of a smile playing over Jase's lips. "That's it? But you said—"
A raised hand cut Jericho off and kept everyone else silenced. "I don't know this for sure," Jase began, "but it's t'only thing that makes sense. On the way to Romita, I was routed around the world of Campoleone. Didn't think anything of it then. It happens. A DropShip cancels its contract or needs to pick up supplies on a different world ... any number of reasons.
"Well, I made it to Romita, but I turned up absolutely nothing there. And there wasn't any way I could make it across to Alphard and then back here in time to meet up with you, so I headed back along the same route. And was routed around Campoleone again. T'explantion was plausible, but it started me to wondering. So I stopped over at Gatchina, one jump this side of Campoleone, to catch the next JumpShip normally scheduled to pass through Campoleone. It was rerouted as well, ostensibly for the purpose of picking up a DropShip full of medical supplies and personnel bound for Romita. But that was just too much, so I made a friend in the records department on the Gatchina recharge station."
Major Wood hid a smile behind a raised hand, then managed to regain her composure long enough to say, "Mr. Torgensson, you must be the friendliest person in the Inner Sphere."
"Just doing my part to make the galaxy a better place," Jase said, deadpan. "Except for Campoleone, that is. I couldn't find a way in. As near as I can tell, the system has been isolated from all regular traffic."
Charlene had remained quiet for some time, but now leaned forward with a slight frown of confusion. "I thought you said Romita was the place to cross the border?"
"For direct travel to Alphard, ja. You jump into the Niops Association and spend two weeks recharging because they won't let JumpShips wait around as part of a command circuit. Then if the circuit to Alphard is in place, you can be in the Hegemony in a matter of days."
"So, that's the direct route," Marcus said slowly, trying to put it all together. "But what you're saying is that it looks they're stopping somewhere else first?"
Both Jase and Major Wood spoke at the same time. "Astrokaszy."
"What's an Astrokaszy?" Charlene asked.
Jase nodded to Major Wood. "You probably know more than I do. Please."
"Astrokaszy is a planet sitting just off the border of the Free Worlds League, about one jump from Campoleone. It's a harsh world with lots of desert and an Arabic culture. It also has a reputation for being a very dangerous place." Wood smiled humorously. "The MAF fought the Marion Hegemony on Astrokaszy about thirty years ago. Not really for control, just to dispute the Hegemony's claim to it. Before it was over, units from the Free Worlds League and two other Periphery States were involved. They say the place is more barbaric than ever since then—a haven for outlaws and renegades." She winced. "We've also been hearing tales for the past year or so of a lost Star League production facility on Astrokaszy, supported by rumors of new 'Mechs and weapon systems seen on the planet."
"We're just hearing this now?" Marcus said.
Jase rose smoothly to the major's defense. "How many treasure-trove stories have you heard in the past year. Marc? Ten? Twenty?"
"At least that many," Marcus conceded. "But back to the arms smuggling, why would they go to this Astrokaszy?"
"It's a double-blind technique," Jase said. "Astrokaszy already has a thriving black-market operation in place. T'arms and materials are sent there, and the world acts as an isolation and distribution point. If the arms are ever traced, from either direction of the supply flow, there's no solid connection between the Hegemony and their suppliers." He paused. "Wouldn't be surprised if there was a command circuit set up. It would take a longer chain of JumpShips than from the Niops Association—four or five instead of two—all waiting in uninhabited star systems to pass the DropShips along, but if they were placed right..."
Jericho caught on to his train of thought fastest. "They would form two-thirds of a command circuit to place raiders right up against our borders. And the materiel wouldn't even have to go back to Alphard. They could resupply raiders right off Astrokaszy. Damn."
"So the only major question left is, who's trafficking through there?" Marcus said.
Jase shook his head. “That I don't know for sure. Somewhere between Romita and my return trip past Campoleone, I asked one too many questions. Or"—he gave Major Wood a slow grin—"I actually made an enemy. When I got jumped on the Gatchina station, I decided I'd worn out my welcome."
"So the final answer may lie on Astrokaszy." Marcus stood. "And even if it doesn't, the planet looks to be the critical link in the supply chain. We can go there and put a serious crimp in their operations—and maybe even find an old Star League depot of weapons and materiel. Jase, how soon till we could hit it?"
"No recharge stations out there," he said. "You're looking at three jumps through dead systems. Plus Drop-Ship travel time." He fell silent for a bit, frowning in concentration. "Hit the right stars for recharging, we could be on planet in a month and a half."
Marcus grimaced. "Ouch. That's a long walk home." He turned to Major Wood. "I'll have an official report prepared for you by the end of today. Can we arrange for extra equipment—armor, heat sinks, items we'll need for an extended campaign?"
The major nodded. "How soon until you leave?"
"Two days," Marcus said. "We can finish the minor repairs in transit. I'll want to study the charts first
, and any information you can feed us on Astrokaszy, but does anyone have questions now?"
Jericho Ryan broke the silence. "Well, nothing extremely important," she said, "but I'm curious." She turned to Jase. "You said you were attacked on the Gatchina station. How did you get out of there, and across Marik space, when somebody must have been looking for you?"
The left side of Jase's mouth turned up in a lopsided grin. "I was traveling under two names at once, paying fares for each, the extra to be assumed only in an emergency such as this. I left t'offender in a locker and arranged passage on a Kline Freighter Company Drop-Ship. Had to take the scenic route back until I could cross into Canopus space."
"And your appearance?" Jericho asked. "That didn't raise any questions?"
The grin widened. "Would you believe the freighter's medical officer was an old friend of mine?"
21
Palace of the Magestrix
Crimson, Canopus IV
Magistracy of Canopus
The Periphery
24 May 3058
The two wings of the royal residence framed a large courtyard garden where hundreds of flowers and non-blooming plants from all across the Magistracy of Canopus grew in elegant profusion. Designed by master gardeners to offer a harmonious blend of color and scent, the spot was a favorite of Emma Centrella's for informal meetings—not so much because she loved the garden but because the surroundings often had a distracting effect on her visitors.
She waited while one of the Royal Guards searched Sun-Tzu Liao for possible weapons before admitting him into her presence. Watching from her seat on a nearby bench, Emma admired the young man's stoic acceptance of what he must surely consider an impertinence. He never once glanced at her daughter Naomi, also standing nearby, though he must certainly suspect that she had reported their conversation of the other night. No one could rule a great state without making such assumptions as a matter of course.
With a curt nod to show that he was satisfied, the guard finally led Sun-Tzu into the garden. Naomi met him first, then escorted him over to where her mother sat. Emma Centrella rose as he approached, meeting him on equal footing. A concession I mean to take away very soon.
"Magestrix," Sun-Tzu said evenly, his lean frame elegant in the drapery of his silken purple robes. Although the three were alone, he kept his hands clasped behind his back in almost military fashion, though the pose was not threatening. "I was pleasantly surprised by the invitation to meet with you here. We have had little time to talk of late."
"I have had pressing matters to attend to." Emma began to lead the way down one of the garden's many cobblestone paths. Sun-Tzu fell into step alongside her, and Naomi followed behind. "Your unscrupulous acts of aggression against my realm for one." She'd insulted him openly, but the only sign was a stiffening of his shoulders and the sudden hard set of his face.
Only in private could the Chancellor of the Capellan Confederation have accepted such an offense and remained in negotiation. But here, the formalities could be dropped with no loss of face—exactly the kind of playing field Emma Centrella preferred. Continuing along the path, breathing in the heady perfume of her realm's rare and beautiful flora, she waited to see if Sun-Tzu would join the game.
When he finally spoke, it was without the slightest pretense of civility. "If I wanted to launch an aggressive campaign against the Magistracy, my forces would right now be landing on Canopus." His voice was pitched low, cold and hard. A proper voice for threats.
But a mistake if he thinks to cow me on my own home ground. Emma naturally assumed the Chancellor's Death Commandos had found their vantage point over the gardens by now, and as much as she respected their talents, they did not much worry her. Danai was safely away from the residence at the moment. And I have complete faith in my daughter's ability to rule in my place. What about you, Sun-Tzu Liao? Are you ready to hand the Confederation over to your mad sister, Kali?
"This is not Sarna, Chancellor," she said, alluding to the hostilities between the Capellan Confederation and the tiny alliance of worlds that sat on its border. "The Magistracy fields a stronger opposition, and we have resources that Sarna does not."
A short pause, then Emma resumed with an icy calmness. "You are funneling weapons into the Marian Hegemony." A full report from Avanti's Angels had come in three days before, with a cover briefing from Major Judith Wood, garrison commander of Marantha. It told her everything they thought or knew, and by now the mercenaries must surely be on their way out of the Marantha system. “To Campoleone, through Astrokaszy, and then on to Alphard. Meanwhile you have the gall to bring military forces into my realm, all the while preaching mutual assistance." The new Word of Blake representative had verified the report with copies of message traffic and JumpShip routes, and even the ComStar officials on Canopus had loosened a bit and were helping her with the investigation.
If her knowledge of the route by which arms and equipment were being smuggled surprised Sun-Tzu, it did not register as anything more than the faintest expression of curiosity. "If you have such detailed knowledge of this conspiracy, I assume you have direct proof with which to condemn me?"
He's amused? "I have enough proof to assure me that you are not trustworthy." Emma slackened her step, then brought the small retinue to a halt. "For instance, what do you have on those DropShips making planetfall tomorrow? My staff has already informed me that their thrust and trajectory indicates a payload in excess of four hundred tons! That's about three hundred and fifty more than expected."
Again she had caught him off guard, and it took him a moment to compose his face before speaking. "It was meant to be a surprise gift, Magestrix. Two lances of advanced-tech BattleMechs, including two of the new Inner Sphere OmniMechs. BJ2-0 Blackjacks. A token of my commitment to bringing the Magistracy up to a higher technological standard."
"Oh, I'm very sure it was meant to be a surprise, Sun-Tzu. But those ships will most definitely not be landing." Her voice never wavered from the calm, commanding tone with which she'd begun, and she relished his quick flash of anger over her familiar form of address. Such things were unimportant, and that they bothered him only confirmed her initial assessment. He was no more than a boy playing at being a great ruler. Now let's see how desperate you've become. "You will remove yourself and your forces from my realm at once."
She could see the calculations shifting into overdrive behind Sun-Tzu's dark eyes. Here is where you should fold your hand, Liao. Like your grandfather, you do not realize when you've lost. Like your mother, you do not use well what small victories you gain.
"Magestrix," Sun-Tzu began, keeping his voice even, though he seemed obviously concerned. "Let us say that I will agree to a skeleton crew of your troops taking over the DropShips, relieving my crew and bringing them down in a harmless shuttle. You would then be in control of the materiel and 'Mechs I have brought for you."
You're grasping. Emma steeled herself against the temptation he offered. "People are working to verify the connection through Astrokaszy right now. The same people you ordered sabotaged as they passed through Andurien."
Sun-Tzu frowned. "I gave no such order."
Naomi quickly drew the Word of Blake and ComStar documents from a small folder she was carrying and handed them to her mother. "Here's proof that you did," Emma said, brandishing them. "Notification went out to you on top-priority channels when the Canopus merchant ship Adonis passed through the Duchy of Andurien, a Free Worlds League state to which you are known to be strengthening ties."
She handed the Word of Blake report to Sun-Tzu, and gave him a moment to begin glancing through it. "And two days ago you sent out requests via ComStar, inquiring about the production of war materiel in the Free Worlds League and the ship movements for carrying it."
Sun-Tzu glanced at Naomi, suspicion and astonishment clearly evident on his lean face, then he clamped back down into a cold study of both women. Emma spoke quickly before Naomi could give anything away. "No, it wasn't my daughter who reported
that." Which was half-true. ComStar had actually turned over that information. Naomi had simply verified it from conversation she'd been having with Sun-Tzu over the past few days. "ComStar and Word of Blake have both assisted this investigation." Sun-Tzu looked crestfallen, his shoulders slumped and head shaking lightly. "It's not what you think. I am merely inquiring on your behalf, trying to confirm or refute your suspicions concerning the League."
"But I do not suspect the Free Worlds League." Emma's voice was deadly sweet. "I think you are the one responsible. And not a single HPG in my realm will allow you to communicate orders to your arms-smuggling network. By the time you can reach your own space, I will have the proof I need from Astrokaszy." She smiled fully. "I will then ask Thomas Marik to crush your operation on Campoleone." Which he will be happy to do, as your actions compromise his cherished image as a noble leader. He may even pay restitution for Canopus losses.
"May I be allowed one final observation, Magestrix? Before I am declared persona non grata?"
"Granted."
"If I were behind this, obviously it would be with the aim of destabilizing the Magistracy as a prelim to an invasion. Yes?" He waited for her curt nod, his smile most disarming. "Now that you are aware of my heinous plans, what's to keep me from launching such an attack immediately? Can you recall your forces from the border faster than mine can strike at Canopus?"
His voice took on a hard edge. "And don't go quoting me your terms of mutual defense with the Taurian Concordat. For all your mutual defense agreements, how much have they helped against the Hegemony raids?"
Emma Centrella knew her anger showed, and for the briefest moment she toyed with the idea of having Sun-Tzu shot. Yes, Kali Liao would use it as an excuse to attack the Magistracy, but under her leadership the Capellan Confederation would suffer. An intense look of caution in Naomi's eyes stayed her hand, and she nodded acceptance of her daughter's silent counsel. I called the game, she thought. I cannot react so strongly because Sun-Tzu has decided to play.
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