Blood legacy by Michael A. Stackpole

  Theodore nodded his appreciation to both men. "I know the relationship between the Combine and your two units has not been pleasant. That you came here and did as you have is inconceivable to many."

  Morgan KelPs dark eyes glittered in the early morning light. "Remaining angry for twenty years is difficult, yet some of us manage it with no trouble at all. What is important is that helping you has helped the whole effort against the Clans. This isn't a victory for the Combine. It's a defeat for the Clans at the hands of the Inner Sphere. If nothing else, they have to start respecting us."

  "This really settles nothing in the_old conflict, Kanrei, but that conflict does not involve you or the people of the Combine." Unresolved anger laced Jaime Wolf's words and Shin sensed they were meant for more than just the Kanrei's ears. "The problem between the Dragoons and the Combine is not for you to solve, and I have never held it against you. The Smoke Jaguars and Nova Cats had this coming to them, so I'm happy to have been here to stamp 'paid' on their account."

  Morgan offered Theodore his hand. "We'll have a chance to speak again, I'm sure. Right now, though, I've got some salvage parties to organize."

  "Likewise." Jaime shook Theodore's hand after Morgan. "Your troops are damned good, Kanrei. In the old days, the Cats would have eaten you alive."

  As the mercenary leaders left, Theodore turned to his children and Shin. "What are your impressions of our situation, Hohiro?"

  "Morale is good. We've lost more than fifty percent of our machinery, but we had less than twenty percent pilot fatalities. In a month, we should be able to field 75 percent of the forces we started with and bring another five percent on line per month after that. Everyone is itching to have another go at the Clans now that we've seen they're not invincible."

  "There was no doubt we would win this battle." Takashi Kurita entered their circle to stand between Theodore and Omi. "We had no choice."

  Theodore turned on his father. "I agree with the latter half of your statement, but not the first. If not for the mercenaries, Luthien would now be in enemy hands."

  Takashi's face closed. "We would never have surrendered."

  "That's true, Coordinator, but we would have been fighting from another base of operation." Theodore frowned heavily. "Can you not bring yourself to end your conflict with the mercenaries? You owe them Luthien and you owe them your respect. Is it not time to admit you were wrong and come to peace with Wolf and Kell?"

  "They have my gratitude and respect, and they know that. If I am to maintain their respect, however, 1 cannot say I was wrong, because I was not." Takashi's eyes sharpened. "Both Morgan Kell and Jaime Wolf believe it is unjust to expect noble warriors to commit suicide because they have not fulfilled their duty and their honor. They believe I could have prevented brave warriors they once knew from choosing such an end. This is the source of their enmity toward me, though other incidents have exacerbated it. Certainly their employer, Hanse Davion, has not tried to make them see the situation in any other light."

  Theodore jammed his fists on his hips. "It was Hanse Davion who ordered their units here. Because he has agreed to send no Federated Commonwealth units into the Combine, he lent us his mercenaries instead. He has been able to change his thinking in the last twenty years. Why have you remained so ... so ..."

  "Obstinate?" No flicker of amusement passed over Takashi's face. "I have remained resolute because I am correct. I no more doomed Yorinaga Kurita or Minobu Tetsuhara than I have any other man or woman who has committed seppuku. That act is one of personal atonement and redemption of honor. It is an individual choice that I respect. For me to do less, either then or now, would tarnish the honor of those who have the courage to cleanse themselves in such manner.

  "However, my son, I will take issue with your assertion that I am not capable of change." Takashi looked beyond Hohiro at the remains of the battlefield. "Colonel Wolf was correct when he said that, given the old ways, the Clans would have destroyed us. You were correct in setting Shin Yodama as a brake on my anger and my need for glory. The defense of Luthien is not a victory for the mercenaries, it is a victory for your foresight and your generation."

  Takashi's words, drained of the strident tones he used when speaking of the mercenaries, clearly shocked Theodore. "What are you saying father?"

  "I am saying that I see the wisdom of your vision for the Combine. I regret having opposed you because it made the changes you made more difficult to accomplish. Yet I rejoice in the strength you have discovered in facing my opposition. You will have to persevere now without my objections, though I hope you will welcome my counsel from time to time."

  The Coordinator of the Draconis Combine draped his right arm over his son's shoulders. "This House, though divided against itself, has defeated the Clans twice. Imagine their distress when they learn we now devote all our energies to fighting them together."

  48

  Solsveda

  Satalice, Wolf Clan Occupation Zone

  7 January 3052

  Phelan watched the young man he'd captured. The youth strode away from the detention camp with his spine straight and his head held high. The Clan MechWarrior recognized the pride in the young man's bearing, knowing it was the means he used to hold in his pain. I must have looked just that way when I had to leave the Nagelring. Feeling like betrayed and betrayer at the same time.

  "You did well, Ragnar Magnusson. I thank you for helping quell the disturbance in the camp."

  The tow-headed youth's eyes sparked anger. "I couldn't let them get themselves killed, could I?"

  "No." Phelan shook his head. "You are part of the Wolf Clan now." He pointed at a piece of braided white cord encircling Ragnar's right wrist. "That means you are a bondsman to the Wolves. You must begin to learn our customs. Avoiding contractions is the first of these you can master."

  Ragnar tugged uncomfortably at the rope bracelet. "Does this mean you own me, Phelan Kell?"

  Phelan's head came up. He's quick. "You are a bondsman. Because I captured you, you are my responsibility, but I do not own you."

  "Good. I could not stand being chattel to a traitor." Ragnar's face and voice sharpened. "I didn't know who you were, but some of the men in the camp remembered your visit to Gunzburg several years ago. I would have thought a Kell Hound would die before joining forces with the enemy. I should have known better. You are, after all, just a mercenary."

  Phelan could see that Ragnar wanted him to take offense, but he gave the youngster no chance to further vent his anger. "Understand this, Ragnar: I was captured, and like you, I was made a bondsman to the Wolf Clan. I earned my chance to become a warrior, and I embraced that opportunity. As a warrior, working from within the Clan structure, I have been able to help keep the native populations of the worlds from suffering as much as they might have otherwise. There is no way to stop this juggernaut, so I have resolved to make it tread more lighdy.

  "Right now, you speak from anger, and I understand that. I welcome your independence and will not try to extinguish it." He grabbed the white cord and twisted it so that it dug into Ragnar's flesh. "I look forward to the day when I can cut this cord and welcome you into the warrior caste. With you, Natasha, and some others, I believe we can persuade the Clans that their assessment of the Inner Sphere was wrong. Perhaps then we can stop this war."

  Ragnar rubbed his wrist when Phelan released the cord. "If you are true to your intentions. I will join you. If not, I will become a warrior and kill you."

  Phelan smiled. "Good. I would have it no other way."

  Phelan started to guide Ragnar back to the bivouac established by the Thirteenth Wolf Guards, but before they completed the trek through the ruined streets of Solsveda's Drika section, they ran into the ilKhan and his entourage. Aside from the requisite phalanx of Elementals, the ilKhan was accompanied by Natasha Kerensky, the Precentor Martial, and a woman resplendent in long gold robes. Phelan recognized her instantly as the Primus of ComStar. Hearing the choked sounds coming from Ragnar, Phelan gu
essed that his bondsman knew it, too.

  Ulric gave Phelan a salute, which the MechWarrior returned. "Primus Myndo Waterly, this is Star Commander

  Phelan Wolf. You might know him better by the name he used before joining our people. In that time he was known as Phelan Kell."

  The Primus smiled solicitously and held out her hand to Phelan. "IlKhan Ulric, I recognize the name Phelan Wolf from the Precentor Martial's reports of his exploits. My journey from Terra was hurried, but I kept fully abreast of your actions."

  Phelan took Myndo's hand and brushed the knuckles lightly with his lips. "I am most honored that you take notice of me, Primus."

  She continued to smile at him as she withdrew her hands into the sleeves of her robe. "Who could forget a warrior who negotiated the surrender of a whole world without a shot fired? Especially when that world was governed by a sworn enemy. I think you belong not in the Wolf Clan's warrior caste, but in a clan of sorcerers."

  Myndo's gaze shifted from Phelan to Ragnar. "And this is the former Prince of Rasalhague. I see, from the bracelet, that you have made him your slave."

  Phelan shook his head. "He is no more a slave than was I when captured by the Clans."

  Ulric agreed. "His status relative to Phelan or any other warrior is roughly equivalent to the Precentor Martial's position in relation to your own, Primus."

  "Ah," she said, clearly dubious of the explanation. "I hope, then, he will be as helpful to you, Phelan, as you were to Ulric." She smiled at the ilKhan. "And I trust Phelan will be yet even more useful in the future."

  Ulric lifted an eyebrow. "I have no doubt of that, Primus."

  Obviously pursuing her own agenda, the Primus pressed on with that line of thought. "You can't let the defeat at Luthien cripple this strategy of yours. I can provide all the information you need, and with Phelan's help, your next target should fall easily."

  "Next target?" To Phelan's eyes, Ulric, Natasha, and the Precentor Martial were as ignorant of her meaning as he was.

  "Yes, the plan is so simple and daring that it cannot fail." Myndo smiled with the confidence of one divinely inspired. "I say, ilKhan, that we move now and strike at Tharkad!"

  "Tharkad?" The panic in the Precentor Martial's voice doubled the dread gathering in Phelan's heart. "The capital of the Lyran Commonwealth. That Tharkad?"

  Myndo fixed Focht with a look of surprise. "Of course, that Tharkad. What other?" She looked at Ulric. "You have the force to take it. With Phelan's knowledge of the world from his time at the Nagelring, and with the Precentor Martial's help, it should be far easier to take than the attempt on Luthien."

  Ulric's face wore a look of amusement. "An interesting proposition, to be sure, but I am afraid it is not possible, Primus."

  She smiled confidently. "Believe me, ilKhan, you have the troops and experience necessary to take Tharkad."

  Ulric nodded. "Oh, I believe you, but taking Tharkad would deflect us from our goal and that I cannot allow to happen."

  The Primus frowned and shot a quick, reproving glance at the Precentor Martial. "Your goal?"

  "You did not know?" Ulric feigned great surprise while the Precentor Martial's expression changed to pure puzzlement. "You truly do not know?"

  The Primus shook her head. "I do not."

  A predatory smile flashed across Ulric's face at Myndo's petulant tone. "Our goal is the conquest of Terra, my dear Primus. It was once the seat of the Star League, and it will belong to the Star League again. This is our will, our goal, and no one in the Inner Sphere can stop us from achieving it."

  Epilogue

  Bethel

  Capellan March, Federated Commonwealth

  17 March 3052

  Nicholas Chung nearly jumped out of his skin when the gloved hand touched his shoulder. Dropping the small cargo crate to the spaceport's ferrocrete desk, he whirled and reached for the knife hidden at his back. His eyes focused as best they could on the face shrouded by the hooded cloak. He felt his heart flutter, then he leaned forward for a second, harder look.

  "My God, I thought you were dead."

  "As I recall, you thought the same thing on Spica."

  Chung nodded slowly. "But you surprised us then, as you have done many times since. Why are you here?"

  The cloaked figure pointed to the egg-shaped DropShip on the landing pad. "You have a ship and I must make a journey without anyone knowing who I am or where I am going."

  Chung's welcome died as he guessed the intent of those words. "You can't mean to go therel That would be sheer madness. I have known you to be audacious before, even reckless at times, but never crazy."

  "She called the tune, Chung, and now she must pay the piper." The figure reached its leather-sheathed left hand inside the cloak and withdrew it holding a sheaf of C-bills.

  'This is enough to buy you a jump to Daniels and from there into the Compact. This must be done and there is no one else to do it."

  Chung accepted the money and bowed. "You saved me on Spica, so I owe you this. But you will find much has changed."

  "Twenty years for some is a lifetime for others. I was born in the Confederation and part of me never left it." The cloaked figure's voice was low and even, a kind of deadly calm. "It's time for a homecoming, and I'll wager it's one Romano Liao will never forget."

  EQUIVALENT RANKS IN INNER SPHERE MILITARIES, 3050

  FREE

  STANDARD FEDERATED DRACONIS RASALHAGUE

  MERCENARY COMMONWEALTH COMBINE REPUBLIC

  OFFICER RANKS:

  Marshal of the Tai-shu Överbefälhavere

  Armies (Warlord)

  Field Marshal Tai-sho General

  Marshal Sho-sho Generalmajor

  Colonel Hauptmann General Tai-sa Överste-Lojtnant

  Lieutenant Leftenant General Chu-sa Överste

  Colonel

  Major Kommandant Sho-sa Major

  Captain Hauptmann Tai-i Kapten

  Lieutenant Leftenant Chu-i Ldjtnant

  ENLISTED RANKS:

  Sergeant Major Sergeant Major Sho-ko Fanjunkare

  Kashira

  Shujin

  Sergeant Sergeant Gunso Sergeant

  Corporal Corporal Go-cho Korpral

  Gunjin

  Private Private Heishi Menig

  Hojuhei

  Glossary

  AUTOCANNON

  The autocannon is a rapid-firing autoloading weapon. Light vehicle autocannon range from 30 to 90 mm caliber, while heavy 'Mech autocannon may be 80 to 120 mm or more. The weapon fires high-speed streams of highexplosive, armor-piercing shells. Because of the limitations of 'Mech targeting technology, the autocannon's effective anti-'Mech range is limited to less than 600 meters.

  BATTLEMECH

  BattleMechs are the most powerful war machines ever built. First developed by Terran scientists and engineers more than 500 years ago, these huge, man-shaped vehicles are faster, more mobile, better armored, and more heavily armed than any 20th-century tank. Ten to twelve meters tall and equipped with particle projection cannons, lasers, rapidfire autocannon, and missiles, they pack enough firepower to flatten anything but another BattleMech. A small fusion reactor provides virtually unlimited power, and BattleMechs can be adapted to fight in environments ranging from sunbaked deserts to subzero arctic icefields.

  COMSTAR

  ComStar, the interstellar communications network, was the brainchild of Jerome Blake, formerly Minister of Communications during the latter years of the Star League. After the League's fall, Blake seized Terra and reorganized what was left of the League's communications network into a private organization that sold its services to the five Successor Houses for a profit. Since that time, ComStar has also developed into a powerful, secret society steeped in mysticism and ritual. Initiates to the ComStar Order commit themselves to lifelong service.

  JUMPSHIPS AND DROPSHIPS

  JumpShip

  Interstellar travel is accomplished via JumpShips, first developed in the 22nd century. Named f
or their ability to "jump" instantaneously from one point to another, the vessels consist of a long, thin drive core and an enormous sail. The sail is constructed from a specially coated polymer that absorbs vast quantities of electromagnetic energy from the nearest star. Energy collected by the sail is slowly transferred to the drive core, which converts it into a spacetwisting field. After making its jump, the ship cannot travel again until it has recharged its drive with solar energy at its new location. Safe recharge times range from six to eight days.

  JumpShips travel instantaneously across vast interstellar distances by means of the Kearny-Fuchida hyperdrive. The K-F drive generates a field around the JumpShip, then opens a hole into hyperspace. In moments, the JumpShip is transported through to its new destination, across distances of up to 30 light years.

  Jump points are the locations within a star system where the system's gravity is next to nothing, the prime prerequisite for operation of the K-F drive. The distance away from the system's star is dependant on that star's mass, and is usually many tens of millions of kilometers away. Every star has two principal jump points, one at the zenith point at the star's north pole, and one at the nadir point at the south pole. An infinite number of other jump points also exist, but they are used only rarely.

  JumpShips never land on planets, and only rarely travel into the inner parts of a star system. Interplanetary travel is carried out by DropShips, vessels that attach themselves to the JumpShip until arrival at the jump point. Most of the

  JumpShips currently in service are already centuries old, because the Successor Lords are unable to construct many new ones each year. For this reason, there is an unspoken agreement among even these bitter enemies to leave one another's JumpShips alone.