"Per that contract, I have begun the deployment of my force. 'Mechs are of little use sitting in the belly of a DropShip. Despite the lack of official greeting at the spaceport, I decided to press on to the seat of government and introduce myself. Having done so, I need to know where my unit will be quartered." Rose tried to make his speech sound slightly indignant, but if he was successful, it didn't show on the Council members' faces. When he looked back at Cooke, the man was smiling.
"Your quarters, and the need for them, have yet to be established," the Vulture said.
Cooke rolled his eyes again. "Mister Crenshaw, you are out of line," he said. Crenshaw backed down, but Rose could tell the confrontation was far from over.
"I take it there is some question about my contract?" Rose made it sound like a query, but he knew it was a statement of fact. A somber nodding of heads confirmed his words. "Perhaps someone could explain?"
"We can explain all right." All eyes turned toward Crenshaw, who was now standing. "Cooke's boys went to Outreach without the approval of the Council. They signed a contract without authorization and that makes it illegal and non-binding. You came a hell of a long distance out of your way, son, and all for nothing."
A heavy crack resounded through the dome. Rose jerked his head toward Cooke, expecting to see some kind of gavel. Instead he discovered the Chairman pounding on the wooden table-top with his knuckles. The volume alone brought people to attention. Rose suppressed a desire to rub his own hands. Hitting anything that hard with your bare hands had to hurt.
"Mister Crenshaw, considering the gravity of the situation before us, I acted within my rights as the leader of this Council. As required, I fully informed two members of the Council of my decision and filed the necessary papers with the Council Secretary.
"Madame Hillerman, were all papers duly recorded and accurately entered?" Cooke never took his eyes off Crenshaw.
"They were, Mister Chairman."
"Then you, Mister Crenshaw, have nothing to complain about." Except that you were flanked and busted, Rose added mentally.
Crenshaw appeared about to reply, but stopped. He nodded at Cooke and glared then sat down without another word.
"Mister Chairman, I agree that you had every right to authorize the dispatching of a delegation to Outreach, but now that the contract has been tendered, we must vote on ratification."
The new challenger to Cooke spoke calmly. Rose looked at the young woman, who was apparently the junior member of the Council. Rose guessed her age in the mid-thirties, fully ten to thirty years behind the rest of the Council members. She looked at Rose, but he could tell nothing about her opinion of the discussion going on around her.
"That's right, Cooke. If the majority votes this down, we send this boy home and take care of things ourselves."
Rose was really starting to hate being called boy. He started to say something, but the young woman interrupted.
"We've been over this for the last two, almost three hours. We know the Clans are a problem, but they do not threaten us."
"Yet," interrupted Cooke.
"The front lines are heavily fortified," she continued, giving no indication that she'd heard Cooke's rebuttal. "Even though the Federated Commonwealth has decided not to garrison Borghese as we had hoped they would, what good is a partial company if the Clans decide to attack?"
Rose watched the two argue. Cooke was getting angry, and emotion charged his every word. Thus far, his challenger had managed to keep her calm, but Rose could tell that was slipping away. The remainder of the Council seemed ready to let the two of them argue it out.
"They can make one hell of a difference. Without them the Federats will have to retake the planet. With some kind of organized defense, the defense Rose and his men will establish, we can provide some safe landing zones. Without them, the Clans would overrun the planet, and that's if there's an invasion. What about a serious raid? The militia can't hope to compete with those Omni-Mechs."
"All of that only matters if the Clans attack, which they won't, because we're below the line defined by the Treaty of Tukayyid."
"We're above the line and open to attack."
"You're on the line and you don't want the Clans to decide if you're fair game." All heads looked past Rose as someone walked down the aisle Rose had just traversed. Rose turned partially, watching the newcomer, but keeping the Chairman in his peripheral vision. The disembodied voice continued as the speaker slowly entered the light.
"If you're invaded, you don't have a chance. All due respect to the man standing before you. If you get raided, well, that's a different story." Rose watched as a pair of boots stepped into the light. "If the Clans decide to raid Borghese, this man and his troops could make all the difference." Light crept up the man's trouser legs. F-C regulation boots and britches, thought Rose.
"So," continued the voice, "I ask you again. Do you really want to take the chance? I don't know this man, or his price, but I know you'll need him if the Clans mount a serious raid." The man stepped fully into the light. "And believe me, the Clans are always serious."
Rose turned all the way around to stare at the speaker. More than two meters tall, he was broad-shouldered and slim-hipped. Although dressed in Federated Commonwealth MechWarrior fatigues, he carried himself like a man with general's stars. His thick brown hair and full beard were neatly trimmed, but gave him a wild air that only increased his appeal. Like Rose, he wore a laser pistol, but his was strapped to the right thigh.
"Salander Morgain, I did not know you were in the city." Rose did not like the respect he heard in Cooke's voice, or the way Morgain suddenly calmed the Council.
"Mister Chairman, I apologize for the dramatic entrance. I was unavoidably delayed." Rose hoped his men had something to do with it.
"Hauptmann ..."
"Please, Mister Chairman, I am just a civilian now." Rose's mind went into high gear. A recently retired MechWarrior who was still in the prime of life. He didn't look disabled, but what other explanation could there be for early retirement of one who seemed to command so much respect?
"Mister Morgain, if you insist. We asked you to come before the Council to give testimony on the Clans. We are all aware of your record against the Steel Vipers and Jade Falcons."
Morgain ascended the steps and stood beside Rose. He nodded politely and turned to face the Council. Rose followed suit.
"We've been debating the wisdom of ratifying the contract of the man you see before you, Captain Jeremiah Rose, commander of the mercenary Black Thorns." Morgain extended his hand and flashed a warm smile. Rose returned the firm handshake, but could not bring himself to return the smile. "We had hoped to hear your testimony before the arrival of Captain Rose, but now that you are both here ..." Cooke spread his hands and shrugged.
"Mister Chairman, were the Captain not here, I would say the same thing. We must fight the Clans with everything at our disposal.
"I know that I've been away from Borghese for a long time, and I feared people would forget me and the work my father and I started here. You can imagine my surprise, and joy, when I returned and discovered it was not so.
"When Father was on the Council he always stressed self-reliance and preparedness. Mister Crenshaw, you sat on the Council that ratified many of his ideas. Borghese must be prepared to defend itself against those who would steal the precious resources that are vital to us all."
Rose saw several nods of approval. Who was this guy? And who was his father, other than an ex-Council member?
"So you would fight them?" It was the young woman who spoke, but she appeared to already know the answer.
"Miss de Vilbis, although I am no longer in the military, I would fight them with my bare hands if that was all I had." Salander paused, and Rose thought he caught a wisp of a smile. "Of course," he continued, "I'd start the fight in the Marauder." The Council members laughed and Rose knew they'd made their decision.
"I returned to Borghese to find rest and recuperation from
what I suffered at the hands of the Clan invaders, but I would not, I could not, stand by and let them destroy the fairest planet in the Inner Sphere."
Rose stared at the Council members, but watched Morgain out of the corner of his eye. The speech was slick and very well received. Rose hoped the man was just a gifted speaker. There was something about him that he didn't like, but just what it was eluded him. Jealousy? Rose had always believed he was above such an emotion.
"Mister Chairman, I call the vote. Do we ratify the contract previously accepted by Captain Rose, as presented by Mister Wilkins?" Rose watched Miss de Vilbis. She had obviously been swayed by Morgain's impassioned speech.
"The vote has been called. All those in favor of the motion to accept the contract with Captain Rose indicate by saying aye." Murmured ayes filled the room. "All those opposed, same sign." Silence. "Motion carries." Chairman Cooke smiled and the rest of the Council members seemed to relax.
"Welcome to Borghese, Mister Rose. Let me show you to your quarters."
22
Houston, Borghese
14 December 3054
Rose spent the next day moving his team and what little gear they possessed into their new quarters. New, as in previously unoccupied. The brick buildings that made up the little compound were sturdy but unattractive. In addition to the barracks, which housed twelve in a single common room and two officers in separate bedrooms, there was a mess hall, supply building, command post, and—the crowning achievement—six 'Mech repair/storage bays. Chairman Cooke indicated that the remaining six bays would be constructed soon, but Rose didn't mind. The compound was perfect.
Enclosed by a wire fence, the mercenary quarters were somewhat insulated from the civilians who picketed their base on a regular basis, but not so cut off they felt isolated. They also had a small staff of locals to handle the mundane chores of cooking, cleaning, and general maintenance, plus a handful of militia soldiers to man the gate and command post. Rose knew better than to trust the guards without some proof of their political loyalties, but their services did make getting in and out of the compound much easier. Although making the mercenaries feel welcome was not part of the contract, Rose realized that somebody was trying to do it even if other factions were opposed.
After creating a duty roster and settling in, Rose requested a meeting with Chairman Cooke. To his surprise, the Chairman offered to pick him up later that same day so the two could talk. In his previous dealings with planetary officials, Rose had rarely found them civil, let alone polite and eager to help. When the Chairman's official car pulled through the main gate, Rose left Rianna in charge and went out to greet it. Again he was surprised when Chairman Cooke stepped out of the luxury car.
"Mister Chairman, what a surprise. I didn't think you'd be coming here personally."
Cooke flashed a big grin and stretched, bringing his hand down to grasp Rose's in the same motion. "Oh, I like to get away from the office every now and then. Nice day, isn't it."
Rose could readily agree that it was a beautiful day. It was the middle of spring in Houston and the weather was mild. A slight breeze blew in from the ocean, tanging the air with salt. Rose knew that spring was only a brief season on Borghese. Soon the heat and humidity of summer would sap the inhabitants of their strength as the mercury rose and the barometer fell.
"Do you like the facilities?" Cooke asked, gesturing in a sweeping motion that took in the whole compound.
"Very much. Was this your idea?" Cooke nodded and studied the repair bay where Esmeralda and O'Shea were working on the Shadow Hawk's primary display unit. "And the auxiliary personnel?"
"Hand-picked by my chief of staff. They're loyal, but don't count on them to stop a concerted attack, no matter what the source. I thought they might prove helpful, without getting in the way."
Rose nodded. "Thanks. So far they've done a good job." Rose and Cooke continued to stare at the repair bay as the conversation stopped. Abruptly Cooke slapped his thigh.
"Have you had lunch yet?"
Thinking about it a moment, Rose suddenly realized he hadn't eaten since last night, Being the commanding officer of a unit, even a small one like the Black Thorns, was time-consuming work. He shook his head.
"Good. Let's head downtown. It will give us some time to talk." Cooke opened the back door of his limo and climbed inside. Rose followed and the vehicle eased out of the compound and headed downtown. As the driver maneuvered the car between the surrounding high-rise buildings, Cooke asked, "Getting situated?"
Rose nodded. "Things are coming along very nicely. The compound is in a perfect location. It's close to the Assembly Pavilion and the spaceport, but not in a direct line between the two. I'd have chosen a similar location if it had been up to me."
Cooke chuckled. "I'll take that as a compliment. I hope you're almost ready to begin active duty."
Rose paused before speaking. There was a certain urgency in Cooke's voice and he wanted to be sure he knew the reason before answering.
"Is something going on that requires our immediate attention?"
Cooke smiled and looked out the window. "Nothing out of the ordinary. Some of the Council members want you to start producing from day one. They're stoking the media fires, and anything you can do to offset that would be a big help to your own situation."
"As well as your,own?" finished Rose.
Cooke's smile split wide open. "You sure you're not in politics?" Rose shook his head. "Well, you've got it right. Crenshaw and his cronies are after my job and this is just another way to make me look bad. Bad, that is, if you don't produce some type of miracle."
"Like a Clan attack?"
"Like something to justify your fee." Cooke shifted in the seat and stared directly at Rose. "A minor raid would be all right, but no property damage."
Rose half-believed the man was serious, but decided he didn't want to know so he let the matter drop. More information was definitely in order. "Perhaps you should start at the beginning."
Cooke rubbed his face with two large hands and exhaled sharply. "All right, I'll take it from the top.
"As you can probably tell, Borghese isn't a big place in terms of land and population. It's a Terran-sized planet, but there's just too much water for the place to be of much use to anyone. We've had our share of Steiner, then F-C, garrisons, but most units seemed to look at Borghese as soft duty. It's understandable. We don't offer much in the way of a military target, and we don't produce enough to tempt the Combine to raid us for economic reasons either.
"All in all, that's made life very peaceful for those lucky enough to be born here. We grew up and lived our lives without the worry about war. Some of the younger lads joined the military, but they were always shipped away for duty. We have a militia, but it's barely worthy of the name, no offense intended. It's just that they specialize in assisting with civil emergencies, not military attacks. Things were going well until the Clans came along."
Cooke looked out the window, talking to his reflection as the car continued to drive through the manmade canyon of Houston's downtown area. Rose was content to hear the whole story, no matter how long Cooke took to tell it.
"For a while the Federats used Borghese as a marshaling point to collect troops to be sent further up to stop the Clan invasion. Things were pretty exciting for about a year, then the front got too close and they shifted the staging area further to the rear." Rose watched as Cooke smiled, lost in memories of recent years. It was not hard to guess that his power had either been established or cemented during that time.
"We were preparing for an invasion when the Com Guards stopped the Clans on Tukayyid. Until that point it looked like Borghese was going to be a prime candidate for a major battle, but now that the Clan advance has halted, that probably won't be happening."
Relief was written all over the man's face.
"At first everyone was overjoyed, which lasted until we realized that the Federats wouldn't be sticking around to defend us. From what I can tell,
there are just too many military targets along the Clan border for them to worry about a minor world like Borghese.
"You've probably seen better maps than what I've got access to, but the basic picture amounts to this: if the Clans get past the Federat front lines, there's nothing to stop them from having their way with Borghese."
Again Cooke was correct. Rasalgethi was well-defended by the Sixth Lyran Guards and the Blue Star Irregulars. They'd likely chew on the Clans for a good while, even if they couldn't hold the planet. Tomans was safe, too. They had two regiments of the Kell Hounds and Barber's Marauders. With the Hounds' experience and the Marauders' hundred-ton 'Mechs, the Clans weren't likely to strike. Crimond and Pandora were the only other planets within a jump of Borghese on the front lines with the Clans.
Pandora was practically a fortress. The planet was normally protected by the local military college's training battalion, but the Fourth Davion Guards and the Tenth Federated Commonwealth Regimental Combat Teams had recently taken up station there. An invasion was more likely to be launched from Pandora than launched to it.
That only left Crimond. Of the four planets on the Clan border, it had the weakest defense. Currently defended by only two regiments, the heavily industrialized world had been a tempting target for an attack by the Steel Vipers last February. Only timely reinforcements from Wolfs Dragoons had ended the attack. If Crimond were ever attacked in strength and fell, Borghese would be in serious danger.
Because of the Inner Sphere's current state of technology, JumpShips always traveled from one populated area to another. If a jump drive failed while the ship was in an uninhabited star system, the crew was as good as dead. No Inner Sphere spacer was willing to take that risk. Making a strong defense at the border made perfect sense if a force was battling one of the other Houses of the Inner Sphere, but Rose suddenly realized that the Clans probably didn't care how they jumped as long as the final destination was correct. Borghese was only two jumps away from Steel Viper- and Jade Falcon-occupied worlds. If the Clan invaders were willing to recharge their JumpShips at uninhabited systems, they could be on Borghese less than thirty days after leaving their home base. Rose swallowed against a suddenly dry throat.
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