Lethal heritage

by Michael A. Stackpole

  Justin pointed to the crests. "The majority of worlds taken from the Commonwealth in the first wave were captured by troops wearing this Jade Falcon crest. Icar and Chateau fell to the Wolves. Their 'Mechs are similar, but we have seen no combined operations. They appear to share a similar origin, yet the two forces are not working together."

  Alex brought the map back up, then focused it down on the rim sector where the invasion had begun to nibble away at the Commonwealth. Invaded and conquered worlds burned green on the map, while bright blue pin pricks of light represented the Commonwealth's other worlds. "The four new invasion sites were hit by Jade Falcon troops alone. Reports have come in slowly, but we think the Jade Falcons concentrated their attack forces from the ten worlds they took to attack the next four. There is even a possibility that they reinforced Trell I because Leftenant-General Hawksworth's guerrilla tactics still appear to be giving them some trouble."

  I pray to God you survive, Hawksworth. I want to pin a medal on your chest for being smart enough to get Victor out of there. Hanse's blue eyes narrowed. "How long can the Twelfth Donegal hold out?"

  Justin's face darkened. "As an effective fighting force? Not much longer. Their 'Mechs have to be virtually out of supply. Their energy weapons will continue to work as long as there's fuel for the fusion engines, which is no problem on a world producing hydrogen, but the lack of repair facilities and missiles will put them at a great disadvantage. I'd be very surprised if they survived even a month more."

  Alex nodded in agreement, but added a caveat. "Trell I does have a couple of hidden supply stations within Hawksworth's operational area. They were part of our advance line of supply when we feared the Ronin renegades would come through Rasalhague and hit our worlds. Hawksworth knows where they are. If he can reach them, he'll be able to resupply and maintain a good defensive position. Of course, any pitched battle against the 'Mechs these invaders are using would be foolish, at best."

  Hanse leaned back in his chair as the others settled into silence. We always expected an invasion, but I expected Kurita or the Free Wolds League to launch it. We never dreamed of an attack by invaders from beyond the Periphery in 'Mechs the like of which we've never seen ... In their first wave, they almost robbed me of my son and then they sliced a chunk from my wife's realm. So far, the only way to combat them is with the desperate tactics of guerrilla war. That could work in isolated cases where the conditions of a world are favorable, but it cannot throw the invaders back.

  The Prince took a deep breath. "But who the hell are they?"

  For the first time in Hanse's memory, the Secretary of Intelligence let frustration flash over his face. "I don't know, Highness. So many theories have been put forward, but we don't have enough information to sort the fact from the fiction."

  Melissa folded her hands in front of her, and tapped the tip of one thumb against the other. "Are they Kerensky's people come back?"

  Justin looked at bis aide, and the slender man hit a few keys on the computer, summoning another holographic image above the center of the table. "We cannot be certain, of course, but their unit organization points away from a Star League genesis. As you know, we organize our troops on the old Star League four/three system: four 'Mechs make a lance, three lances make a company, three companies make a battalion, and three battalions make a regiment—with the battalion and regimental command lances adding up to about two dozen 'Mechs."

  The gentle click of keys brought up another table of organization beside the first. "As nearly as we can extrapolate from the data gathered by your son and Hauptmann Cox, the invaders work on a system based on the number five. Five 'Mechs make up a lance, and five of those units make up the next highest unit, and so on."

  Anger knotted Hanse's eyebrows together. "So, if it's not Kerensky descendants, then who?"

  Justin interlaced his fingers behind his neck and shot a glance at Melissa. "Perhaps it has some connection to the time, some forty years ago, when Katrina Steiner disguised herself as the pirate the Red Corsair, while she, Morgan Kell, and Arthur Luvon escaped into the Periphery to elude Alessandro Steiner's assassins. That was when they found a Star League-research center on an uncharted planet that had recently been ravaged by pirates. Many of the items they brought back after the year in hiding remained mysterious for decades. You know, of course, that this is the origin of the Black Boxes that helped us circumvent the ComStar Communications Interdiction during the Fourth Succession War. Until the pirates overran them, that small research station had been able to continue experimenting and learning while the rest of the Inner Sphere went into a technological decline because of centuries of war."

  Melissa chewed her lower lip for a moment. "So you're suggesting that if there was one research station that escaped discovery all those years, there could be others?"

  The Secretary of Intelligence nodded emphatically. "There could be thousands more, Highness, but it only needed one—one that engaged in weapons research. The 'Mechs these invaders have are definitely built along the lines of our BattleMechs. They just happen to be more powerful and run a lot cooler. Getting more power out of a fusion engine and creating better heat sinks are two of the prime focii for research at the New Avalon Institute of Science. It could be that the invaders just had a three-century head start on us."

  Hanse's right hand convulsed down into a fist. "And they started from a level of technology we have yet to reach. What do you think happened then, Justin? Could a base able to produce such powerful 'Mechs fall to Periphery bandits who now turn their resources against us?"

  "Probably not." Justin shrugged helplessly. "All we can say for certain is that whoever they are, their technology supersedes anything from the days of the Star League. Other than that, all we can do with our current information is continue to guess."

  How can we grapple with an enemy who outguns us and outmaneuvers us when we can't figure out who they are and what they want? It's like wrestling with smoke. "Your ideas have merit, and I know you'll keep working on the problem. Identifying the invaders is of paramount importance."

  "Of course, my Prince."

  Davion's blue eyes flicked up and met Justin's dark gaze. "Have we had any word from General Hawksworth?"

  "No, Highness. It is believed he destroyed his Black Box just after sending Victor away. We are not certain if any of the supply depots have a working model. If they do, a message could be on its way to us now." The spymaster knotted his fists in frustration. "Even if he had sent us a message, it would take over a week to reach Tharkad. And if he sent it here to New Avalon, it would take almost a month."

  The Archon leaned forward. "He hasn't been able to send a message out through ComStar?"

  Justin shook his head. "Either the invaders have quarantined all ComStar outposts, or else ComStar is working with the invaders so they won't interfere with their business of running messages between the stars. We know ComStar is filtering some messages because the news that Victor escaped Trell I came more quickly through a message by Hauptmann Cox to his family than did Victor's priority message to the Court."

  The Prince frowned deeply. "If ComStar is filtering messages, we'll never be able to learn the true extent of the invasion. We cannot be certain if or where our enemies have been hit."

  Justin smiled briefly and glanced at Alex. "I think, my Prince, that we have beaten ComStar at their own game." He nodded to his aide. "You came up with this brainchild, Alex. You explain it."

  Alex nodded and summoned a stream of data to replace the map. "ComStar, for reasons known only to its leaders, has chosen not to broadcast news of the invasion. I suspect they want to avoid panicking the public until the various governments have had a chance to react to the threat. Regardless, they have continued to supply commodity and production reports from all the worlds that have been hit. For all intents and purposes, things look normal out there."

  The clack of keys summoned another line of data and a variable matrix below it. "To keep anyone from twigging onto their d
eception, ComStar has composed the figures from data collected over the last seventy years. The figures look correct because they once were correct. I compared the numbers with our database for the same reports. It took some work, but I think I figured out the pattern. Someone at ComStar is sloppy and hasn't varied their algorithm. By using it on the data they're supplying for other likely target worlds, I think we can pick out where the invaders have hit Rasalhague and the Draconis Combine."

  The map returned as Alex worked his magic on the computer. Instead of just presenting the Lyran Commonwealth's rim worlds, he expanded the map to show likely invasion sites in Rasalhague and the Combine. "As you can see, things are going best for the invaders in the section of Rasalhague nearest the Commonwealth border. I believe this is the area being rolled over by the Wolves. ComStar's data on the five worlds from Csesztreg through New Bergen to Leoben has just started to look like it's been doctored, so I would guess they've only recently been hit. Closer to the Combine, and in the Combine itself, things are moving more slowly."

  "Are the invaders meeting any resistance in the Rasalhague Republic?" Melissa asked. "They lost thirteen planets in the first wave, which is a much higher percentage for them than a dozen worlds is to the Lyran Commonwealth."

  Justin pointed to one world on the Rasalhague rim. "The strike here at Thule could have crippled Rasalhague's ability to fight, because their Minister of Defense was on a tour of the rim at the time. We thought he'd been killed, but he appeared in a recent news holovid from Rasalhague itself. Our sources have given us independent confirmation of his survival, though rumors had it that the invaders almost got him."

  The Archon arched a brow. "That's interesting. The Jade Eagles strike at Trell I where our son is stationed. Invaders strike at Thule while the Minister of Defense is there, but just miss him. I notice they also hit Turtle Bay. As I recall, Hohiro Kurita is stationed there, is he not?"

  The spymaster nodded gravely. "Unless Hohiro was moved offworld just before the assault, he was on Turtle Bay when it came. We have no reports that he escaped, and so it is conceivable that he was killed in the fighting. Even without first-hand information, there are indications that matters did not go well for the Combine in that region."

  Justin looked over at Alex. "Bring up the Combine's recent troop movements." As the map image drew back, then focused in on a section of the Combine/Commonwealth border, icons representing military units formed neat little columns below. "As you can see, Theodore Kurita is exercising his authority as Gunji no Kanrei. He is shifting troops away from the Dieron Military District and sending them back on their own supply ships. He will be able to deliver twenty crack regiments to oppose the invaders by the end of the summer. He is also shifting troops up from the Rasalhague border, but there are not really enough of them to do more than slow the invaders' advance."

  As Alex added animation to the troop movements, a gross area of weakness appeared in the Combine's border defenses. The Prince stared at it like a chessmaster studying a board. If Theodore completes his troop movements, he leaves the Combine's belly open for a strike that could cripple it. Caught between the invaders and our forces, the Combine would be crushed once and for all.

  He looked up. "How did we get this information?"

  Justin pressed his palms flat to the table and leaned forward. "Half of it came through agents we have on the various bases that are giving up troops. They did not know what to look for until we gave them very specific orders, however. We were seeking confirmation of intelligence obtained by an agent on Luthien. We believe that agent has blown his cover, but the Gunji no Kanrei has not seen fit to eliminate him yet."

  Hanse leaned back and steepled his fingers. "Then you think Theodore Kurita may have leaked us this information about his own weakness?"

  Justin hesitated for a moment, then nodded. "Yes, Highness, I do." He took everyone in with his glance. "He would never admit weakness, but his letting us see his intended troop movements could imply that he believes the invaders are a greater threat to the Successor States than we are to each other."

  Hanse took a deep breath and let it out slowly. This would be a perfect opportunity to destroy the Combine—and more than one of my Field Marshals will encourage me to do it. But, if Justin's right about Theodore's intentions, I shared the Kanrei's view of the invasion. What good is defeating an enemy if I cannot build upon that victory? It would be foolish.

  Hanse turned to his wife. "What do you think?"

  "It strikes me, beloved, that Theodore must be as concerned about his son's fate as we were for ours until we heard that Victor had been evacuated. You know that Kurita will prosecute a war with the invaders as well as anyone in the Successor States. If we were to attack him, he would be forced to divide his effort, and that would spell disaster for his war against these strangers. One look at the map makes it clear that once the invaders have broken the Combine, the Federated Suns is next. If troops we now have assigned to the Combine border could be shifted rimward, they could be used to hold back the invasion into the Commonwealth."

  "As always, your analysis is most valued and most accurate," Hanse said with a smile, then turned to Justin. "Do you concur? Do we move our troops from the Isle of Skye out to face the invaders?"

  Justin nodded. "Our JumpShip assets are in position to move quickly. We can deliver troops to the rim more quickly than the Combine can. I've already sent orders for mercenary units under contract to head toward the rim. If we're lucky, they can form a firebreak to slow the invaders."

  "What about the Eridani Light Horse?" Hanse asked. "Are they willing to move before the ink is dry on the new contract?"

  "Yes, sire. I had confirmation of compliance with the orders from them earlier today." Justin half-closed his eyes. "I also had a request from my brother Daniel to move the Kell Hounds toward the rim. I don't know where Dan, got the information, but there seems to be no question that the invaders were responsible for Phelan Kell's death out in the Periphery. I gave him permission to move both regiments to Sudeten, as I thought that would be a good rendezvous world for whatever forces we're going to send north."

  The Prince smiled appreciatively. "Excellent thinking. Any word from Jaime Wolf?"

  "No reply to the message I sent two weeks ago. I do know, however, that Epsilon and Zeta Regiments have been withdrawn from their duty posts in Andurien, and Thomas Marik is rather upset that he was not warned about it. They appear bound for Outreach."

  "I see." The Prince sat forward, resting his elbows on the table. "Wolf's calling his people home for some kind of meeting, I suspect. When they make a decision, we'll hear about it." Hanse paused as he studied the map. "Issue orders for the first Kathil Uhlans and all the Deneb, Arcturan Guard, Lyran Guard, Royal Guard, and F-C Regiments from Skye March to depart for Sudeten. Let Morgan know he's in charge of this Army group and route Victor to Sudeten. We'll move troops from the Crucis March up to reinforce the Terran corridor and Skye."

  The Prince caught himself as his wife's silence and the flash of pain in Justin's eyes finally registered on his brain. "Forgive me, Justin, for asking you to issue that order. I know your son is in the Tenth Lyran Guards."

  The Secretary raised his head proudly. "I am certain he will serve you well, my Prince."

  "Of that I have no doubt, Justin Allard." The Prince's eyes narrowed. "But I recall a time twenty-three years ago when I told your father to order another man to kill you. Both he and I knew that issuing such an order was the only way to keep you alive while you were under cover, but I know how difficult it was for your father. I never imagined I'd have to put anyone else through that again."

  Melissa looked up at him. "Then why do you put yourself through it?"

  Hanse took her hands in his. "I can order Victor to meet with Morgan on Sudeten with a clear heart. You and I know that he would never accept being left out of the planning. He would be there—with or without orders, so forbidding him to join the fight would be no good. I think it is better to let
him know we have confidence in him than to have him imagine we do not."

  21

  Jump Ship Dire Wolf, L-5 Orbit

  New Bergen, Rasalhague Province, Free Rasalhague Republic

  3 May 3050

  Phelan Kell jabbed Griffin Picon in the side with his elbow. "Don't watch me, Griff. Watch the stravag door!"

  The shorter, broadly built blond man grunted with the blow and turned his attention to the closed portal to the bondsmen's dormitory. "You're learning to curse in the Clanner's tongue quickly enough, Kell. Come a time we won't be able to tell you from them. How much longer will it be?"

  "Not long, and if you'd been cursed as a malingerer as much as me, you'd quickly pick up the words, too!"

  Griff laughed. "Yeah, that Vlad really has it in for you, doesn't he?"

  "Quineg, Griff. You're supposed to end a question like that with 'quineg' if you want to speak like a Clanner."

  "And you are not to use contractions, Phelan," the pirate reminded him. "And, all quinegs aside, that Vlad's hatred for you goes bone-deep."

  "All because I ruined the paint job on his 'Mech." Phelan snapped a chip down into the circuit board, then fitted it inside a gray petrochem box just slightly larger than a pack of cards. He slid the cover from beneath the corded loop on his wrist and settled it in place with a click, then palmed the device. "There. Got it."

  Griff glanced back over his shoulder at the mercenary. "You sure that thing will work?" After a moment's hesitation, he added, "Quiaff?"

  Phelan crossed to his bunk and slipped the slender box inside his mattress. "Aff. I fixed up two of their audiosensitive locks on a work detail last week. Their Tech was so impressed with my skill—" Phelan rolled his eyes to heaven— "that he even showed me how to burn eproms down in the workshop."