Grave Covenant

by Michael A. Stackpole

  "Apparently Anderson's philandering was unknown to Galen. I checked Galen's records and, it turns out that, had he not been slain, he would have been a perfect match for Tommy. As good as Jerrard Cranston, in fact."

  A jolt shot through Katrina. If Galen Cox did not die on Solaris, if he is Jerrard Cranston ... Her mind raced. Victor was not so cruel that he would have kept word of Galen's survival from her while she mourned his death. The only reason Victor would have had for doing that was if he knew the bomb that killed Galen had been a present from Ryan Steiner. Ryan had been trying to send me a message about my vulnerability. Victor must think he knows about the conspiracy to kill our mother, yet if he had proof of my complicity, why wouldn't he have revealed it by now?

  She shivered. He clearly does not have proof. Between what he thinks he knows and Morgan Kell's insistence that I killed Melissa, Victor must be thinking it's only a matter of time before he uncovers the proof he needs to expose me. Had this woman not come forward, I would not have seen Victor's position in this, only Morgan Kell's. I've just gotten a warning that Victor does not want me to have.

  Katrina tried to mentally superimpose Galen's face over Jerrard Cranston's, but she realized she had seen little of Cranston during the conference. Victor no doubt figured I might recognize him, yet he is so dependent on him that he couldn't bear to leave him behind on New Avalon I should have seen it sooner, much sooner.

  Katrina covered her shock with smile. She tipped Jeschke's chin up so the woman would look her in the eyes. "It will be my pleasure to do everything I can to see your son gets as much of Jerrard Cranston's marrow as he needs. Nothing will stop me, for your child represents the gateway to the new future for this realm. Making sure he and the Lyran Alliance thrive is a sacred trust, and one I will accomplish no matter the cost."

  * * *

  As Frances Jeschke settled into the back of the hover-taxi, she let the worried-mother-of-a-sick-child personality melt away. She glanced up at the reflection of the driver's icy eyes in the mirror. "Mission accomplished. If you'd wanted both Katherine and Tormano Liao dead, they would have been. Tormano was so taken with my story that he ushered me into Katherine's office without so much as even a cursory search of my person."

  Agent Curaitis snorted from behind the wheel. "Since the conference is over and came off without a hitch, everyone is relaxing. It's unfortunate we had to pass on this opportunity, but that's the way the Prince wants it."

  Francesca Jenkins pulled her jacket tight around herself. "I know you can't comment, but I need to work this out. It seems, from the Archon's reaction to my story, that Jerry Cranston and Galen Cox are one in the same—or that's what you want her to think. Cox was killed on Solaris in a bomb blast meant for her. Ryan Steiner's assassination after that would lead one to believe that he died in retribution for Cox's death. Since Ryan's grab for power in the Isle of Skye had been blunted repeatedly by Katherine and, before her, Melissa, and bombs were meant to kill both of them, the obvious implication is that Ryan had Melissa killed."

  "It would seem obvious, wouldn't it?"

  "Sure. So Katherine is left thinking that Cox is alive, which means she had to figure out why her brother wouldn't have told her he survived the bombing. The logical conclusion is that Victor didn't trust her for some reason. Her taking the Lyran Alliance out of the Federated Commonwealth certainly shows she's not to be trusted, but that's proof that follows the event we're looking at. Even so, Katherine's secession couldn't have been accomplished if Melissa still lived, so the clear implication is that Victor believes Katherine was involved in killing their mother."

  Cold eyes watched her in the mirror.

  Francesca's jaw dropped. "The Archon murdered her own mother?"

  "Your security clearance was just upgraded to Alpha One. The only way it could be any higher is if you could read the Prince's mind."

  Francesca suddenly felt very cold. "There's more to this mission than gaslighting Katherine, right?"

  Curaitis nodded. "The fact that you will disappear after dropping the little bombshell you did means that Katherine will have to figure out how and why Victor would want her to know that he knew what she had done. We assume this will make her move to cover her tracks . . ."

  "Letting her expose areas of vulnerability we didn't know existed. She'll point us toward the evidence that will prove her complicity in Melissa Steiner's death."

  "So we hope. We've got some basic leads and will be checking on them, but we will be looking to Katherine to guide us along here." Curaitis slowed the taxi for a stoplight, then turned and looked back at Francesca. "The Prince is setting out to save the Inner Sphere from the Clans. He's charged us with the duty of saving the Lyran Alliance from his sister."

  She felt the weight of responsibility crush her down into the seat. "And we've got until he returns to do what needs to be done?"

  "If we're lucky." Curaitis' arctic eyes narrowed. "Katherine is not stupid. Our window of opportunity may close abruptly if we can't reach her targets before she does. If we fail, a murderer will continue to rule the Lyran Alliance, and chances are excellent that her thirst for power will not be slaked until she rules everything."

  BOOK 2

  Bleak Crusade

  24

  Tukayyid

  ComStar Garrison District, Free Rasalhague Republic

  15 December 3058

  Victor saw Kai's hands lower, and he ducked under the crescent kick aimed at his head even before Kai's right foot was halfway there. The Prince crouched on his right leg as the kick passed over him, then shot his own left foot out. Sweeping it forward, he caught Kai's left leg behind the knee, buckling it and dropping Kai flat on his back against the olive-green practice mat.

  Kai hit with a solid thump, but Victor didn't see him go down. He'd already spun away and taken up a fighting stance a good three meters away. Over the tops of his gloved hands, Victor saw Kai lying there, his bare chest heaving and covered with sweat. Then Kai lifted his head, smiled, and slapped the mat twice to indicate surrender.

  Victor slowly lowered his hands and, for the first time, acknowledged how leaden his arms felt. He had aches and pains all over, starting with mat-burns, passing up through multiple bruises, and culminating in the throbbing pain of the little toe on his left foot. Despite taping it to the next toe over, he'd aggravated it. It wasn't broken yesterday, but it probably was today.

  Kai spit out his mouth guard and began working on the chin-strap to his padded headgear. "Either I'm getting slower or you're getting faster. I should have dropped you with that kick."

  Victor smiled and, just for a second, considered not revealing to Kai his weakness. "When you get tired, you drop your hands to balance yourself before making a high kick."

  "Bad habits return." Kai winced. "My father noticed the same thing a long time ago and pretty much cured me of it."

  "Yeah, well, I don't think anyone you're really fighting will be around long enough to see you get that tired." Victor dropped to the mat and pulled his gloves off, then removed his mouth guard. "If you'd been going all out, I'd be as purple as the Marik crest."

  "That might have been true a few months ago, but not any longer." Kai levered himself up into a sitting position, then leaned back on his elbows. "You're not the greatest fighter in the world, but you're smart and quick, which means you anticipate and avoid damage. It actually isn't that easy for me to tag you."

  Victor removed his headgear, then shook his head, spraying sweat from his hair. "Realistically, I'll never be able to beat you, right?"

  Kai shrugged. "Me? Probably not, but that's because I know how dangerous you can be. My size gives me an advantage over you that I'm not going to surrender. Other people, bigger people, might underestimate you and give you a chance to surprise them."

  "The biggest surprise being my security people descending upon them."

  "That works, sure." Kai smiled. "Just remember this: if you ever find yourself in a fight, it'll be for keeps. Hit the ot
her guy as hard as possible with the largest object you can find, and keep hitting him until he doesn't get back up."

  "I think that's a strategy that will work against the Clans, too." Victor glanced over and nodded to the Precentor Martial, who'd just appeared at the training room doorway. "We'd offer to stand, but we've just beaten the stuffing out of each other."

  Focht smiled as he hooked his thumbs into the belt of his khaki jumpsuit. "I envy you your youth and energy. I don't mean to interrupt, but there are a couple of matters I thought you should know about. Morgan Hasek-Davion has agreed to use the world of Defiance as his staging and training area.

  His units are en route. He reports that April is the soonest they can possibly head out, with June or July being more realistic."

  The Prince of the Federated Commonwealth narrowed his eyes. "Morgan tends to be conservative in his estimates. Barring any serious problems, I'd bet he'll have his forces ready to roll out in May or early June. If we focus on that time frame, we can be in position to occupy the Jags while Morgan starts on his hook."

  The Precentor Martial nodded. "I agree with your assessment. There will undoubtedly be friction between the various groups, but I'm hoping we can keep them to a minimum. At any rate, I think the chances of the Clans discovering what we're doing will be minimal. Billing Morgan's units as our reserve explains why they're off training, and as they begin their move toward the Combine, they will naturally seem to be moving into position to attack."

  Kai smiled. "Morgan and his people will be minor news. Victor's trip to Luthien will capture everyone's attention."

  Victor felt a knot begin to tighten in his stomach. "It should be very interesting."

  The Precentor Martial and Kai shared smiles that made Victor feel as if he were stepping into a trap. Victor forced himself to his feet. "All right, out with it."

  Focht frowned. "Out with what, Victor?"

  "Whatever you're thinking."

  Kai lazily crossed his legs. "Well, what I'm thinking is that you sound less enthused than I'd have expected for someone who was going to have Omi Kurita showing him her world. I thought you loved her."

  "I do."

  Kai leaned his head forward. "And?"

  Victor started to say something, then stopped. Too many thoughts all tangled up here. "Anything I say is going to sound stupid."

  Focht smiled. "Spoken like a man in love."

  "What would you . . ." Victor stopped and folded his arms across his chest. "Sorry. We've spent enough time together dealing with serious problems that I feel I know you, but then I realize I don't. I was going to ask what you know about being in love, but I know next to nothing about you. For all I know ..."

  The Precentor Martial rested his hands on Victor's shoulders. "For all you know I may have had many woman, done all manner of things, and could deny any and all of it. I apologize if this seems a sign of a lack of trust, but I assure you it is not. Of my life before becoming Anastasius Focht, I think very little was of value. I wasted much of my previous existence because I did not focus on the important things. Case in point, I did love a woman very fiercely, but I put her second to my ambition. I lost her and lost much more."

  "I didn't meant to pry."

  "I know." Focht smiled benignly. "As I said before, I envy you your youth. Had I to do it all over again, I would avoid some of my mistakes. Because that is not possible, perhaps telling you of my experiences might help prevent you from traveling the same path."

  Victor nodded, then looked up into Focht's one good eye. "So, tell me, how would you feel about going to Luthien if you were me?"

  "That is not for me to say." Focht took a step back and clasped his hands at the small of his back. "I do think I would sort out my priorities first. For example, how do you know you love Lady Omi?"

  The question surprised Victor. "I know because, well, I know, She's everything I'm not and yet she knows me. She can anticipate me and I can do the same with her. And not only is she beautiful, she's smart, too."

  Kai laughed. "Sounds like love to me."

  Focht nodded, then gave a small smile. "That it does. You've already met her family, so there should not be much concern there."

  "No, not really." Victor frowned. "Initially there was hostility—her father forbade her to correspond with me back during the Clan War, but her grandfather overruled Theodore. Hohiro was also very wary of our relationship at first, but he has warmed to it. Theodore isn't exactly warm, but he's not hostile, either. Her mother and her younger brother Minora I've not met yet."

  As Victor thought about the Combine's royal family, the source of his trepidation became clearer. "I think what I'm afraid of, my friends, is how the people of Luthien will react to me. I fear embarrassing Omi and her father. Their culture is full of hundreds of strictures, any one of which I can violate by looking or not looking, misinflecting words, doing all sorts of things that I take for granted here."

  Kai raised an eyebrow. "If you're more afraid for her than you are for yourself, then you're going to be fine. If you're afraid for yourself, you'll compound one error on another and make a dreadful mess of the whole thing."

  "Thanks for the vote of confidence."

  The Precentor Martial raised his right hand. "What Kai is saying is very important, Victor, and you need to listen to him. You have two things to think about here. First, what is the purpose of your visit to Luthien?"

  "There are multiple purposes. One is to deflect attention away from Morgan and the long strike. Another is to show the people of the Inner Sphere that we truly are united as a new Star League. Yet a third is to show the people of the Combine that we are in fact committed to winning back from the Clans a portion of their nation."

  "Very good." Focht nodded solemnly. "Your very presence on Luthien will accomplish those goals. There will be no doubt in the mind of anyone who sees you on Luthien that the old ways have been set aside, if not buried outright. A new era will begin with your arrival on Luthien."

  That made sense to Victor, though only in an abstract way. "Fine. What was the second thing I needed to think about?"

  "How the people of the Combine are feeling about this visit. As keyed up as you are about it, Victor, they must be even more so. You're coming to them, to visit them and see them. You—the leader of a realm that has not suffered as greatly from Clan predation as they have. Theodore's son would be dead if not for your efforts. You will be like a god to them, coming down to see if they are worthy of your help in the future."

  Victor frowned. "I think you're getting a bit ahead of yourself there, with all due respect, Precentor Martial."

  Kai disagreed. "The Precentor Martial is more right than you know. Until recently the Combine has kept its people innocent of many things. Their control of the media has resulted in a populace that knows less about the Inner Sphere than in your realm, yet on New Avalon or Tharkad you are viewed with great respect despite scandalvids doing their best to tear you down. The power of celebrity is much greater in the Combine. Theodore knows that, which is undoubtedly why he asked you to visit."

  The Prince thought for a moment. Omi told me of a recent attempt on Theodore's life, which suggests some internal troubles in the Combine. Perhaps showing his people that there is a greater cause will heal those rifts. The Precentor Martial may hot be that far off the mark. "So you think the people of Luthien and the Combine are going to be more concerned that they don't offend me than they will be that I make mistakes?"

  "I wouldn't bank too heavily on that point—you will be praised for your efforts to conform and some errors can be overlooked, provided you don't show yourself to be a total barbarian." Focht nodded toward Kai. "Fortunately you'll have Kai with you to translate and steer you out of trouble. The fact is, however, that they will want to make a good impression on you."

  Victor nodded, then unfolded his arms. "So, what are the chances that I'm going to be in danger?"

  "Danger? How do you mean that?" Kai rolled forward onto his knees, then sto
od. "If you're ever alone with Omi, well, you could be lost."

  "Brother, you don't know the half of it." Victor sighed, recalling the sauna. "I mean physical danger. There are reactionary elements on Luthien."

  Focht's face became a very serious mask. "There was an incident fairly recently that resulted in the neutralization of the hard-liners. That faction should be no problem. Whether or not your connection with Lady Omi will spur protest is hard to say. Your relationship with her is all but unknown in the Combine."

  "What's the reaction of those who do know?"

  "Mixed and guarded. Some think giving her to you is an excellent way to get you to support the Combine and fight against the Clans." Focht adjusted his eye patch. "Others think that is shameful and would be ready to believe that you are pressuring Theodore to give his daughter to you in return for your support. There is a small but influential group of women who find the story of your romance very exciting and wish Lady Omi all happiness."

  Victor sighed. "You know, Kai, I think you did it right. You found the right woman and let nothing stand between you and winning her."

  Kai gave Victor a strange look. "Ah, that's revisionist history there, Victor. She hated my guts and it was only during months of being hunted by Jade Falcons on Alyina that she came to see the true me. And even then she rejected me. It wasn't until my uncle tried to have her killed that we got back together again."

  "Yeah, whatever, the details don't matter." Victor covered his face with his hands and rubbed his eyes. "The point is that you were able to focus on what truly mattered despite all that. You loved her, she loved you, and now you're together."

  "But I'm not the head of a government."

  "You're next in line for the throne of the St. Ives Compact."

  "Not really the same thing, Victor." Kai shook his head. "Besides, I'm ready to abdicate to my sister, Kuan Yin. She's got the temperament and wisdom to handle the job. You can't do what I did."