Victor was unimpressed. "Those fools cost me Northwind. What my father took, I lost because of petty little men wanting to play overlord. Tell the Marshal to report to his quarters and consider himself under house arrest until I say otherwise. With all that's happening the last thing I needed was some power-hungry field commander cooking up a scheme to further his career and power. Let him simmer for a few months and think about what he did. He's lucky I don't bring him up on charges of insubordination."
"I'll make sure the orders go out. I must admit that I'm shocked, though."
"Why, Jerry?"
"The Victor Davion I knew a few years ago would have stripped him of his command, publicly humiliated him."
Victor Davion looked at the electronic map built into the desk top. The former outline of the Federated Commonwealth was split down the middle. The worlds that were calling themselves independent showed up as amber. Northwind was one of those.
"If you're going to say that I've mellowed I'll have to find a new intelligence advisor as well."
"That's not it. You have matured, though."
The Prince looked around the office that had once been his father's, and lifted his hands. "This place does that to you, as have the events of the past three years. Bradford Harrison is a good field commander, he just got greedy. At some time in the future I may need his skills. And that will let him repay his debt to me and House Davion."
"Understood."
"Good. Is there anything else?"
"There still is the Sun-Tzu issue. A package arrived in system today for you. It came with full diplomatic markings from the Capellan Confederation. We scanned it thoroughly and it appears harmless. It is addressed to you personally from Sun-Tzu Liao."
The mention of the Capellan Chancellor made Victor's expression even grimmer. Galen placed the package on the table, and the Prince activated the opening hatch. The lid retracted back to reveal a stack of fine china plates. Victor pulled them out and looked at each one carefully. On the top plate was a note and two epaulettes.
"On the day your mother and father married, your father had dinner china like this made for the reception." Cranston was looking at the plates one by one. Each one had the name of a planet in the Inner Sphere. "I'll give it to Sun-Tzu," he said. "He's pretty brazen to send a gift like this."
"Why's that?"
Galen pointed to the fine lettering on each plate. "Every one of these dishes is painted with the name of a planet Sun-Tzu has either taken in this war or that we've lost to Thomas Marik." He showed Victor several of the plates, the ones showing the names of Liao and Wazan. The top plate was painted with the name of Northwind.
Victor took the plate from his intelligence advisor, then examined the epaulettes that were sitting on them. One was Marshal Bradford's—emblazoned with the golden rattlesnake of the Third Royals RCT. The other was a smaller piece of shoulder regalia with the markings of the Second NAIS training cadre. Testimony to Sun-Tzu's contribution to the loss of Northwind.
Victor's face turned red at the sight, then he read the note aloud.
" 'Now that Northwind is a free world, be assured that the Capellan Confederation not only recognizes her independence, but will assist in defense of the world should you ever challenge her right to self rule.' "
" 'These dishes represent the Sarna March and your former holdings there. Enclosed are those china plates for worlds that are already mine. In the years to come I promise to give with the rest of the set, the rest of the Inner Sphere worlds that I will take for myself. The illusion of a Star League under the thumb of a Steiner-Davion is shattered. The future is mine. Sun-Tzu Liao.' "
Victor took the epaulette and squeezed it with his fist, ignoring the pins that cut into his hand. A tiny drop of blood fell onto the desktop map.
"We must be vigilant, Jerry," he said, watching the smear of red spread across worlds that were still his. "He just might succeed ..."
Highlander Gambit Page 36