Warrior: Coupé (The Warrior Trilogy, Book Three): BattleTech Legends, #59

by Michael A. Stackpole

  The Primus looked at Myndo. His eyes narrowed as though his gaze could pierce her mask and penetrate her thoughts. Then he broke off and turned to Precentor Tharkad. “If this is true, Ulthan, why would Davion stab so deeply to take Sarna? It has no industry. If not for the history and symbolic power embodied by that world, it would be considered one of the poorest planets within the Capellan Confederation.”

  Everson nodded, but Myndo read the hesitation in his gesture as a portent of her coming victory. “You are quite correct, Primus, in noting the relative worthlessness of Sarna, but I believe Hanse Davion sees it as strategically important. Liao will realize he cannot afford to let the planet fall into Davion’s hands. This is obvious because he garrisoned it with McCarron’s Armored Cavalry.”

  Myndo sprung her trap slowly. “I would point out to my learned comrade from the Lyran Commonwealth that McCarron’s Armored Cavalry was placed on Sarna by order of Justin Xiang, not Maximilian Liao. I would further suggest that had Xiang’s return from Bethel not been delayed by a helium seal failure on a JumpShip, Maximilian Liao would have ordered him to redeploy the mercenaries.”

  Precentor Tharkad waved away her suggestion, distaste spreading over his florid features. “Nonsense. Liao knows of Sarna’s importance. He’s already lost the Commonality capital worlds of Tikonov and Liao. He cannot afford to lose another important planet.”

  “I see.” Myndo let her words hang in the air as an indulgent smile slowly appeared on her face. “So you believe Hanse Davion’s motives are political or economic? This could explain much, but not everything. There is a deeper motive behind the Prince’s actions. One that does explain all.”

  The Primus’s left hand nervously massaged the back of his right hand. “What is this motive, Precentor Dieron? Please, enlighten us…”

  Myndo nodded. Gladly, Primus. “Let us examine the significant actions the Prince has taken, shall we? Start with his conflict with Duke Michael Hasek-Davion, who made an effort to depose and supplant Hanse immediately after former Prince Ian Davion’s death. Hanse won that covert little war by 3016, then systemically did all he could to break Duke Michael. Hanse forced Morgan Hasek-Davion to come to the court at New Avalon and neatly deprived Michael of his son’s philosophical loyalty. Then, when Hanse and his watchdog, Quintus Allard, determined Michael was turning information over to Maximilian Liao, the Prince fed the duke information that resulted in Michael’s mortification and death.”

  Myndo opened her hands. “Shall we examine Hanse’s hatred for Maximilian Liao? As we all know, and even discussed long ago, Hanse and Takashi Kurita seemed on a direct collision course until 3025. In the middle of the Galtor campaign, however, Maximilian Liao almost succeeded in substituting a double in place of the real Hanse Davion. That plot failed ultimately, but Hanse has wanted to pay back Maximilian Liao ever since.”

  Precentor Sian scoffed aloud. “You are suggesting, then, that this whole war is because of a fit of pique on the part of Hanse Davion? Preposterous!”

  Myndo eyed him sharply. “Is it? The Prince holds grudges and has a short fuse. Take the case of Justin Xiang, for example. The Prince was inclined to be merciful until Xiang insulted him publicly. The Prince exiled him, and when Xiang continued to prove a bother, Davion ordered him destroyed. He even sent the order out through Xiang’s father!”

  Myndo extended a hand to prevent Precentor Sian’s riposte. “Another example is the Fifth Syrtis Fusiliers. Hanse knew that unit was unquestionably loyal to Duke Michael, and hostile to him. So what did he do? He lands it on a world he knows is defended by McCarron’s Armored Cavalry. Yes, word of their presence did get through. My contacts have confirmed it, and I am sure Precentor New Avalon could do so as well. The other three regiments hitting Sarna were directed to locations where militia defended the world, but the Fusiliers were dropped—at the Prince’s own order—right on top of the defenders. Furthermore, the Prince forbade General Hartstone to engage in ‘personal heroics,’ an admonishment that spurred Hartstone to send his troops in before the other Federated troops could land to support them.

  “Hanse Davion purposely destroyed the Fusiliers. The Capellan March will back his call to avenge them, and the Fusiliers will no longer pose a threat to him.”

  Primus Julian Tiepolo rested his pointed chin on the thumb and forefinger of his right hand. “And striking at Sarna, for reasons already pointed out, is another stab at Maximilian Liao. Helping Pavel Ridzik and buying off the Northwind Highlanders are similar cuts at his foe.”

  Myndo watched as recognition seeped onto the other precentors’ faces. They begin to understand. She kept her voice soft, yet full of urgency. “That’s right, my friends. The Word of Blake is full of directives on how we may blunt the advances and drives of nations and nationalism. Jerome Blake, in his wisdom, tells us how to manipulate economies and the demands of the populace for material goods. He points out to us the tools that can turn a minor, local protest into a cause that can unite worlds, and he has instructed us in ways to smother revolutions that work counter to our goal.”

  Her eyes glowed with the light of inspiration. “Jerome Blake foresaw everything we would face in pursuing the mission he laid out for us. He equipped us to deflect empires and turn nations in on themselves. He taught us to hobble that which did not conform to his ideals. He molded us in such a way that we are able to defeat all threats he foresaw, but Hanse Davion is outside anything in Jerome Blake’s experience.”

  Precentor Tharkad bared his teeth as he hissed, “Blasphemy! You go too far, witch! Doubting the wisdom of Blake is sheer lunacy!”

  Myndo smiled cruelly. “I am no initiate who must be inculcated with the mystical nonsense we use to cloak our motives and actions. Outside this room, we keep up the charade. But gathered here in council, we must base our discussions and decisions on what’s real—the facts—not on the unrealistic fantasies of some other era. I do not doubt the wisdom of the Blessed Blake, for his words, as interpreted and modified through the years, have accurately predicted events. And Blake’s foresight has often guided us in the correct course of action. In this instance, he simply did not envision someone with the audacity of a Hanse Davion, but that does not mean that we should be so blind or foolish.

  “Let there be no question that Hanse Davion is not a threat that Jerome Blake or any Primus since his time saw coming. We must not blame Blake for this, nor let such a lack dim his brilliance in our eyes. In Blake’s era, a time of civil war, the closest thing to a Hanse Davion was General Aleksandr Kerensky. But Kerensky took his troops and fled beyond the Periphery to save them from more war. Jerome Blake must have imagined that any other such powerful man would do the same.”

  Deflated, Precentor Tharkad hung his head in defeat. “Your point is well made and well taken. No one could have imagined one man igniting a war to salve his own ego.”

  Myndo raised herself to full height. “This is the reason Hanse Davion must be stopped now. We have seen his ability to carelessly discard a crack unit when its personnel are not loyal to him. We have seen his single-minded pursuit of one foe—first Kurita and then Liao. We know, just from his conduct of this war, that he will stop at nothing to destroy Maximilian Liao. We must interdict him now.”

  Precentor Sian, a gray pallor over his face, regarded Myndo darkly. “How will anything short of our intervention on behalf of House Liao stop Davion? The first part of his invasion was accomplished through sealed orders originating from New Avalon.”

  Precentor Dieron clasped her hands together. “Interdiction will slow his military advance because orders will not travel back and forth very quickly. In fact, for him to ensure any sort of timely communications, the Federated Suns will have to devote an inordinate number of JumpShips to these infernal command circuits the Prince has devised. This will, in turn, totally disrupt the movement of goods within his realm. Let a mining colony run out of grain—grain that is more than plentiful on a world not fifteen light years away—and resistance will begin. We w
ill not move messages in an official capacity, but will not hesitate to spread rumors of civil unrest to help make the home front a problem for the Prince.”

  The Primus stared blankly at the gold ComStar insignia worked into the polished floor. “If we interdict the Federated Suns, but keep our hands off the Lyran Commonwealth, the Lyrans will begin to question their link with Davion’s pariah nation. Indeed, the evidence of a Davion attack on one of our facilities should disgust most people. The interdiction will also cut off Davion funds from the liberation movements he’s been sponsoring in the Free Worlds League. This might even permit House Marik to open a new front in support of their ally Liao and hurt the Prince’s war effort.”

  Myndo abandoned all efforts to keep the pleasure from shining forth on her face. “We are agreed, then, that an interdiction must be imposed immediately? For the good of mankind?”

  The Primus nodded solemnly, but his tone was ironic and his flat, dark eyes twinkled with a rare show of humor. “For mankind, then, and the fulfillment of the Word of Blake.”

  Myndo glanced at the Primus and took secret delight at the fatigue revealed by his expression as the other precentors unanimously agreed to impose an interdiction on the Federated Suns. “It is decided, then. All ComStar traffic with the Federated Suns ends now. Blake’s Will be done.”

  Chapter 19

  NEW AVALON

  CRUCIS MARCH

  FEDERATED SUNS

  1 JUNE 3029

  The image of Primus Julian Tiepolo’s face faded from the holovision screen as the last of his message played out. Hanse Davion, standing at the head of the briefing table, used a remote control to shut off the viewer. Each time I listen to that message, I get the feeling the Primus is a reluctant puppet. He jerks our strings, but who jerks his?

  The Prince stared at the four other people gathered around him. “Comments?”

  Field Marshal Yvonne Davion, seated farthest from the Prince on the right side of the table, looked angry enough to spit fire. “Of course we didn’t hit the substation their holovid shows us destroying. The ’Mechs that hit it have all the right insignia and serial numbers to be with the Fifth Syrtis Fusiliers, but that particular unit was engaged in burning down a forest at the time of the attack.” The gray-haired woman looked at the others around the table. “I daresay that if we had hit that substation, no holovid camera operator would have escaped the perimeter with that recording.”

  Hanse smiled genuinely, then glanced at Quintus Allard. “Why did they decide to interdict us?”

  Davion’s Intelligence Chief leaned back in his chair. “ComStar is a pacifistic organization. They may see a refusal to move our messages as an act of civil disobedience.”

  The woman next to Quintus, a marshal with the Third Crucis Lancers, shook her head in disagreement. “Were that their motivation, they would have interdicted the Lyran Commonwealth.”

  Quintus smiled easily. “Quite true, Marshal Pedroza. That makes me think it’s something else. To your knowledge, have our advances interfered with ComStar business?”

  Jessie Pedroza smiled like a child stealing a piece of candy. “In keeping with security measures agreed upon before the start of the invasion, one of our first acts is to cut off normal civilian communications. We’ve not destroyed any ComStar equipment, but we have cordoned off some ComStar stations, restricting access to people we know are not Liao agents.”

  The fourth person seated at the table, Colonel Nicholas Furth, nodded quickly. “We saw the same thing in the Terran corridor when Kurita hit our worlds. Civilian authorities were prevented from using ComStar facilities to relay messages to our incoming troops.”

  The Prince raised one foot to the seat of his chair and leaned forward with his elbow on that knee. “We shall assume, then, that this is ComStar’s opening gambit in some game they want to play. They may believe that limiting us is a way to pour oil on troubled waters, but that matters not at all to us. We are without ComStar’s services as of now.”

  The Prince pointed to a metallic black box sitting on the table in front of him. A third of a meter long and wide, but only half as high, it was featureless except for the number pad on its surface and a slot extending from side to side. “Marshal Pedroza, Colonel Furth, this is what we refer to as a Black Box, for rather obvious reasons. I cannot tell you exactly what it is because I do not fully understand its workings myself, but it has been the source of the ‘faxes’ you’ve received from messengers over the course of the war. This device, and the roughly four dozen others in use in the Federated Suns, will circumvent the most bothersome consequence of the interdiction.”

  Both military men peered closely at the machine. The Prince lifted it up so they could see the slot on the bottom into which paper was fed, then turned it around to show the various power and computer jacks built into it. “What I can tell you about these boxes, gentlemen, is that they enable us to send and receive messages between stars. Messages travel much more slowly than the hyperpulse communications sent out through ComStar, but we can actually beat them on shorter distances because ComStar often batches messages for transmission. That was an economical feature that impressed the Lyrans who first examined these boxes.”

  Jessie Pedroza looked up. “How fast do messages travel?”

  The Prince frowned momentarily. “We’ve run clocked messages at roughly an hour per light year traveled. The biggest problem is that only simple data can be transmitted over this equipment. Text and crude graphics go out fine, but more complicated things like video or audio get garbled when sent.”

  The Prince drew in a deep breath. “Both of you have gotten the fax messages these machines transmit from our messengers. The messenger corps was set up by Quintus’s MIIO, but we’re moving the boxes out of the shadows and into your headquarters. This device is still codeword top secret, but you’ll have direct access to it now that the interdiction has been called.

  “It is imperative that these devices not be captured, and that no word of their existence leak out. ComStar would see it as a direct threat to their power, and this interdiction suggests any reaction from them would be hostile. Quintus’s people will set up security for your comm centers, but in the event a headquarters is ever overrun, you must see to it that the Black Box is destroyed.”

  The Prince smiled, and looked up at Quintus Allard. “What does the interdiction do to our intelligence efforts?”

  The white-haired minister frowned. “It hurts us badly. Our active agents are known to ComStar because they’ve been using ComStar to deliver messages to us. That flow of information will stop immediately. We can activate sleeper agents by jumping ships into a system and beaming a broadcast at a planet, and possibly gather intelligence by monitoring public broadcasts in a similar manner, but things will be dicey. The Confederation is such a repressed society that the only information in the media is information Liao wants out.”

  Yvonne reached across the table and patted Quintus’s right arm. “What about our people in the Maskirovka? Can they issue orders to agents in our holdings that will tip us about upcoming things?”

  Quintus shrugged. “That is possible, and something I’d expect of our more inventive operatives. Right now, though, I think the best we can hope for is some rerouting of important information in the Liao sphere so Max can make mistakes. If anything big comes up, like Liao’s decision to kill Ridzik earlier this year, I’m confident Alexi will find a way to get the information to us. We’ll get some warning.”

  The minister’s frown deepened. “What has me most worried is how the interdiction will affect our communication with the subversive elements we’ve been fostering in the Free Worlds League. Right now their activities are keeping Janos Marik all tied up, but their supplies are bound to run out soon. Without ComStar to transfer money through, we can’t support them. If they evaporate, House Marik will be free to enter the war.”

  The scowl on Jessie Pedroza’s face told Hanse the marshal had no desire to fight the Free Worlds League, too
. “Thoughts, Marshal Pedroza?”

  Pedroza stroked her chin. “If House Marik throws forces in at the old Tikonov-Sarna border, we could be in trouble. We’ve pacified those worlds, which means we’ve only garrisoned them with militia troops. In fact, on some planets, we’re relying heavily on private minority militias to keep order. The Free Worlders could make some headway, which means I would have to pull line troops off the drive into that region. We’d lose the advantage we gained by not having to defend against Ridzik’s troops because of our deal with him. Hell, he might even get greedy and liberate the half of Tikonov we’ve occupied to save it from House Marik.”

  Yvonne sat back, grinning broadly and her eyes sparkling with unholy lights. “If you please, my Prince, couldn’t we urge Ridzik to lop off a chunk of the Free Worlds League to forge that link between the Lyran Commonwealth and the Federated Suns we’d discussed early on in the invasion? That would give him something to do with his troops, and it would give the Free Worlders someone to hate. If things went well, they might even kill him for us.”

  Hanse joined the general chuckling as the group considered her idea. Very good, Yvonne. Whoever said, “Just because there’s snow on the roof doesn’t mean a fire isn’t burning in the cabin,” must have had you in mind. You and Quintus.

  “An excellent idea, Yvonne. My congratulations. Communicate the idea and some basic plans to Ardan Sortek immediately. I’m certain he’ll enjoy passing them on to Pavel Ridzik.” The Prince’s remark triggered another round of chuckling as everyone assembled remembered the earlier holovid in which Ardan Sortek had expressed his true feelings for the ex-Liao colonel, calling him “the Littlest Tsar.”