"It is strange, Kael Pershaw. I should be wounded by your words, but instead I am eager to take the command you offer me."
"Just as I suspected. Make no mistake, you will start this new assignment with several disadvantages. In addition to the stained reputation of the Guards, you are being assigned subordinate officers and warriors who are not, may I say, among the best Clan Jade Falcon has to offer. Like you, each of them has some mark against him, some blemish to his codex. Many of them you would best eliminate immediately by putting them in your front lines against formidable odds.
"But how you handle this new duty is your responsibility. My task is merely to inform you that you are detached from your present duty to meet with your new, uh, warriors. They will be assembling on Orkney's southern hemisphere, at a training field called Mudd Station. You will not have much time to form up your Falcon Guards and whip them into any kind of shape. You will soon go into battle."
"How soon?"
"That has not yet been decided. The Khan has authorized me to brief you, but until all announcements are official, you must regard our conversation as secret. I have your rede, quiaff?"
"Aff."
"ComStar is no longer neutral. The ilKhan has informed them that our objective is Terra, and they refuse to allow us to occupy their home planet."
"Then we must be concerned about the ComStar administrators on our planets rising up against us."
"No. The ComStar Precentor Martial has issued a batchall to ilKhan Kerensky, which has been accepted. ComStar has arranged with ilKhan Kerensky for a single battle between the Clans and the ComStar military forces on a planet named Tukayyid. A Clan victory will mean that the prize of Terra is ours. But if we lose, the ilKhan has agreed that our forces will not advance for a period of fifteen years. And during all that time we must be content merely holding and administering the planets we have already conquered."
"The Khans of the other Clans have accepted this?" Aidan was a bit incredulous.
"Yes. IlKhan Kerensky has called a kurultai of Clans Jade Falcon, Smoke Jaguar, Steel Viper, Ghost Bear, Diamond Shark, and Wolf. The terms of the batchall were ratified. In the bidding for objectives, Khan Chistu offered to use the Falcon Guards. That reduction in our forces earns our Clan the right to land on the first day."
As Kael Pershaw continued the briefing, it was all Aidan could do to concentrate. Already he was speculating on what he might do as commander of the new Falcon Guards.
18
Nobody knew the origin of the name Mudd Station. Before the Jade Falcons had taken it over, it was little more than an outpost constructed for some now-abandoned scientific study. Presently it served the Clan invaders' strategic purposes, with the addition of new landing areas, buildings, and the installation of a defense system.
Despite the improvements, Mudd Station was no more desirable a place than before. Every afternoon it was battered by a heavy rainstorm, whose downpour could knock to the ground anyone foolish enough to be out in it. The storm usually damaged some item whose repair took techs away from their main labors. Slogging around in the mud afterward, Aidan often wondered if the station's nearly continual ground condition had inspired someone to give the place its name.
The discomforts of Mudd Station did not, however, dampen his spirits. Each day brought new contingents for the Falcon Guards, new challenges, and new complications. DropShips seemed to transport as many problems as they did personnel. Not the least of these, in fact, was the personnel.
* * *
"Star Colonel, these are among the worst specimens of Clan warrior I have ever seen," Horse complained, as he and Aidan made their daily tour of Mudd Station. Their boots squished loudly with each step. "I wonder how anyone could ever justify the trashborn genetic programs with this bunch."
"Be careful, Horse," Aidan warned. "Let no one else hear your slurs. You are, after all, only here on my sufferance. You are the only freeborn in the Falcon Guards, and Kael Pershaw only made an exception when I referred him to your codex. That means you will have to toe the line even more than normal."
"Oh, I'll be your good little warrior, Aidan Pryde. But, to be effective, I must be honest with you."
"Please do. Just be sure that no one overhears. And I would suggest dropping the contractions. We need no unnecessary reminder of your origins among these warriors. We want to whip them into shape, not distract them with matters of less importance. They are already aggressive enough among themselves, but perhaps we can channel that energy into useful acts to restore the honor of the Falcon Guards."
Horse stared intently at Aidan. "This assignment has addled your brain. This unit is condemned, can't—cannot you see that?"
"Condemned to what?"
"I do not know what lies Kael Pershaw has poured into your head, but the scuttlebutt among the warriors and techs is clear enough. We all know that we are merely filling a slot here. There has to be a Falcon Guards, so there is one. But do not delude yourself into believing that we have some honorable goal before us. Have you not noticed the great number of old warriors assigned to us, individuals on the verge of ending their careers? That is your clue."
"You speak in riddles," Aidan said impatiently. "We are getting older warriors for one simple reason: they are among the few warriors available for reassignment."
"Is that what Kael Pershaw told you? He masks at least half his motives in the same way that he does his face. We are getting older warriors because Khan Chistu is not really concerned with our fate. If any unit was formed to be cannon fodder, solahma, it is the present Falcon Guards. They expect little of us, we are considered a dezgra unit, don't—do you not see that?"
Aidan stopped in his tracks, glanced around, then signaled to Horse to follow him to where no other Clan warrior could hear them. "Of course I know Khan Chistu is willing to write us off, Horse. He would not intentionally send us to our deaths, but he would not mourn us as trothkin lost if it happened. But you know as well as I that this is my only chance to achieve something as a Clan warrior. The Falcon Guards have been promised front-line duty. Kael Pershaw even put it in writing, and for all his devious qualities, you can trust Kael Pershaw's word. We are included in the bidding for Tukayyid. We will fight there."
"Is that what all this is about for you? Personal glory? All that contribution to the gene pool bilge that you and your—"
Aidan grabbed Horse by the shoulders. "I know what you think about Clan ways, Horse." Aidan's voice was unusually tense. "But yes, I do seek personal glory. Yes, I do wish my legacy to pass into the gene pool. Yes, I want my contribution to this invasion and the Clan goals to be both exceptional and honorable. Whatever errors my nature has led me to commit in the past, I am a Clan warrior and intend to do my part to help the Clans gain dominion over the worlds and people of the Inner Sphere. If you cannot understand because you are freebirth, then try to—"
Horse broke Aidan's grip and returned his stare with equal intensity. "What is happening to you, old friend?" he said softly. "You never call me freebirth. And you are the only trueborn I have known who never has."
"I am sorry, Horse. A slip. I was one of you once, remember."
"No, you posed as freeborn. But you were never one of us."
Aidan heard the touch of scorn in Horse's voice. "I do not wish to offend you, Horse. There has been too much between us over the years. My only wish is to succeed as commander of the Falcon Guards. If you can try to understand that, perhaps you will be able to forgive the means I use to achieve my aim."
Horse nodded. "Of course I do."
"As for the freebirth business, need I remind you that you call me trashborn on a fairly regular basis?"
Horse shook his head. "No. I call your caste trash-born. Not you. There is a difference."
"Maybe, maybe not. Let us leave it at that. As you say, our task is to make good warriors of those who are not exactly the best specimens of the type. And, Horse, I appreciate your struggle not to use contractions. Keep at it."
As they walked toward the others, Aidan thought of the many passages he had read in books in his secret library. So many stories of friendship, comradeship, between two individuals fighting for the same side. The way of the Clan, however, put service to the group above individual alliances. Yet Aidan had always known that he and Horse were just like the characters in those old tales of the Inner Sphere.
19
The codex of Star Commander Summer Mandaka was filled with notations of insubordination. How she had survived this far without some commander simply shooting her to get rid of her was a mystery to her new commanding officer. When Aidan observed her skills at manipulating a BattleMech and the growling, rude way she whipped her Star—like all the new Falcon Guards, a collection of misfits, lowlifes, and aged warriors—into shape, he realized that her bad manners disguised a supreme officer.
That did not make her any easier to take.
Summer Mandaka was of average height, with short chunky arms and a thick neck bulging with thick veins. She was fair-haired, with chiseled features and a permanently angry expression in her eyes.
Now she stood before Aidan, her body trembling visibly with anger, if that was the right word. Wrath or fury might better describe her defiant stance.
"Star Colonel, I must speak with you."
"Speak your piece, Star Commander."
"I realize that I am now a member of the Falcon Guards because I have erred in the past. The worst of my errors is having lost a string of BattleMechs in recent battles. You have seen my codex. I have been chastised for a tendency toward waste. But if so, it is waste in the service of the Clan."
"Most Clansmen would not accept your reasoning, Star Commander."
"I realize that. I have vowed never to lose another 'Mech, unless I lose my own life with it. For that reason, I have disabled the ejection seat of my Hellbringer."
"That is allowed, though I must advise you that I do not consider it a wise move."
"I take the implied criticism as well-intended, Star Colonel, but the reason I tell you of my vow is that I fear I cannot successfully live up to it with my present Star. Each one of them is sorely lacking in skill, yet not willing to train for their betterment. I have never viewed such insubordination."
How ironic, Aidan thought, that a warrior famed for her own intransigence should grouse at the same characteristic in others. He must conclude that either she was turning over a new leaf or that her crew of misfits was extraordinarily incompetent.
"Insubordination is a problem for officers at every level, Star Commander. Why do you speak to me about it?"
"Sir, I know that personnel is stretched thin in the Falcon Guards. The pool of warriors for reassignment to a new unit is not wide. And no untainted warrior would ever volunteer for duty with the Falcon Guards."
It was all Aidan could do to keep himself from wincing at her use of the word untainted. Taint was the one concept he wanted to purge from the Falcon Guards, yet it seemed to be the one word none of them could escape.
"I must declare a Trial of Grievance with MechWarrior Rollan. He has agreed. His anger is equal to mine. You must serve as Oathmaster."
Aidan racked his mind for the proper Trial of Grievance procedures. In his previous commands such disputes had been handled without formalities.
"It is my duty to hear arguments from both of you about why the Trial of Grievance must take place."
"Of course, Star Colonel. MechWarrior Rollan and I await only your word about when the interrogation will take place."
"I gather that the two of you are already avoiding contact, as dictated by Clan tradition."
"That is correct, sir."
"And you have decided the nature of the trial?"
"We have agreed on BattleMech combat in a properly defined Circle of Equals. No bidding was necessary."
"All right then. We will begin procedures immediately. "
Mandaka made to leave, then turned back again. "Actually, sir, there is little point in going through the procedures. The trial will take place."
Aidan sighed. "I am sure it will, Star Commander. I am sure it will."
* * *
Aidan soon learned that, as Star Commander Summer Mandaka had said, no peaceful resolution to the dispute was possible. Mech Warrior Rollan was just as adamant as his superior officer about the need for a Trial of Grievance. During the interrogation, each responded to Aidan 's questions with terse but polite answers. Aidan then ordered the Circle of Equals drawn in a clearing outside of Mudd Station.
As Oathmaster, he gave final instructions to the two combatants, who glared fiercely at one another throughout the ritual. When he gave the order for them to mount their 'Mechs, the eagerness of their response would have honored any warrior in battle.
Before engaging in combat, each combatant had to take a position equidistant from the other on the borders of the circle. In fact, they would be so far apart at the start that neither could gain a visual on the other.
Horse joined Aidan in the command post's upper levels. Arrayed around them were instrument panels and monitors for viewing the combat.
The other Falcon Guards arrayed themselves around a central holotank in the lower level of the command post. Battle cameras from an overhead aerospace fighter beamed a direct transmission to the tank. When the two 'Mechs reached the approximate center of the Circle, the spectators would have a god-like view of the battle.
While waiting for the two 'Mechs to engage, Aidan looked down at those Falcon Guards he could see. The sight gave him an overpowering urge to close his eyes. What he saw were surly so-called warriors whose uniforms were mud-spattered despite Aidan's regulation that they must wear clean uniforms except during exercises.
How did he imagine ever accomplishing anything significant or honorable with this bunch of misfits and chalcas? Kael Pershaw had been right about the formidableness of the task. Perhaps Horse had also been correct that they were doomed from the start. Perhaps this was a military unit not intended to succeed.
No, that made no sense. What kind of high command would order the reformation of a unit merely to kill it off? Even the Clan's use of old warriors as solahma did not justify the trouble his leaders were taking to revive the Falcon Guards. Aidan Pryde might be dispensable, but the Falcon Guards were not.
When Summer Mandaka's Hellbringer was the first 'Mech sighted, a desultory cheer went up from the spectators. One warrior, whose patch showed him to be a member of Mandaka's Star, reached out his arm to display a thumbs-down gesture. Well, Aidan thought, that tends to verify her claim that her Star is insubordinate. Her BattleMech was shiny and well-kept, except for the gobs of mud that had already collected on its feet.
When MechWarrior Rollan's 'Mech, less pristine, more muddy, came over a hill, Aidan reflected that it was a Timber Wolf, like his own, but with no curse attached. So far, though, Aidan had piloted his Timber Wolf without incident. Perhaps whatever jinx was on it would not affect him.
Aidan did not believe in jinxes. It was a pilot's skill, or lack of it, that counted. He liked his Timber Wolf already and longed to take it into battle. After so many years of garrison assignments, he anticipated frontline duty with more eagerness than some young warrior who had just won his Trial of Position.
Aidan had known many Trials of Grievance in his career—as supervising officer, as spectator, as combatant— but rarely had he seen one as quick or fierce as this between Star Commander Summer Mandaka and MechWarrior Rollan.
Summer Mandaka took the initiative, her Hellbringer coming at MechWarrior Rollan's Timber Wolf with a determination that looked almost as mean as its pilot. Firing the pair of large lasers in her 'Mech's left arm, she stitched a precise pattern on the Timber Wolfs chest, the deep lines crossing other deep lines in its armor. The MechWarriors standing around the holotank looked at each other with a bit of surprise. It seemed that the Star Commander had chosen a non-standard configuration of weapons for her Hellbringer, one that Rollan might not be ready for.
Grinding her 'Mech to a halt, Summer Mandaka did not let up for an instant on her attack. Aidan saw now that she had reconfigured her 'Mech's right arm, replacing the Hellbringer's usual PPC or autocannon with a Gauss rifle. Firing the weapons, she hit her opponent's chest with the silver streaks of the Gauss projectiles. The Timber Wolf moved forward, but uncertainly. Its movements reminded Aidan of staggering.
With one 'Mech unmoving because of the lucky leg hit, and the other severely damaged and progressing in fits and starts, it was obvious that it was only a matter of time before one or the other would fall.
For the next several minutes the two BattleMechs went at each other with all they had, neither one able to finish off the other, all the while inflicting brutal damage with an almost continual exchange of fire. At one point it looked as if the Hellbringer must surely fall as the Timber Wolf's last missile salvo nearly exposed the other 'Mech's fusion engine. Still using both her Gauss rifle and her large lasers, Mandaka suddenly forced the Timber Wolf to retreat a few steps. Aidan wondered if she knew what she was doing. Her heat levels had to be approaching the limit.
Then the battle was over almost before anyone knew it. What Aidan thought was probably the last of Mandaka's Gauss projectiles must have made a critical hit against the Timber Wolf. The Wolf had begun to tilt over backward, but the 'Mech did not quite fall.
Aidan was ready to intervene using his right to end the combat and declare Summer Mandaka the victor, when he realized that she was not yet out of Gauss ammo.
As the Timber Wolf swayed on its feet, its remaining weapons firing wildly, ineffectively, Mandaka fired one more time, the shot from the twin lasers hitting her opponent's cockpit dead-center. Its canopy exploded outward, instantly killing the pilot.
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