He silently cursed the bastards. If only she hadn't charged in headlong.
In the swirling cloud of smoke he could see the charred wreck of Dawn's Orion. All that remained were the legs and part of the upper torso, listing almost at a 90-degree angle,-The paint that covered the legs was gone, burned off. The ground around the remains was a wasteland of craters and smoking debris. He saw no evidence that she'd been able to eject before the 'Mech died.
Dawn couldn't have survived that rain of death and destruction, he thought. No one could.
* * *
"Trane, slow down," Bovos was saying. "These Clavesmen are shooing at anything that moves." Duncan, Bovos, and Hawkes had caught up just as Trane made it to the Cavern entrance. Then the four had climbed down from their 'Mechs and gone in to find a scene of gore and destruction. The Clavesmen were venting their wrath on anything that smacked of the Star Lord and that was everything in sight. The bodies of Black Warrior infantry were strewn about both inside and outside the Cavern of the Skull.
"Trane, to your left!"
One of the black-uniformed bodies had risen and was aiming a machine gun at them, but the obviously wounded man was moving too slow. Trane whirled and began firing his needier pistol. The Black Warrior clutched his chest, the machine gun discharging as the soldier pulled its trigger in his death throes.
"Bovos, wait." Trane saw the big man already darting ahead to a tunnel entrance in the back of the Cavern. He began running after him, with Hawkes and Duncan close on his heels. The emergency lighting system in the tunnel provided dim illumination as they ran its length toward the command center. Smoke could be seen billowing upward: near the end of the tunnel.
As they came to the walkway overlooking the command and communications center, they found a scene of complete devastation. Every shred of the complex had been attacked and destroyed.
"Look at the positions of the technicians' bodies," said Hawkes. "These people were destroying their own records. Then, either the Clavesmen or their own people killed them. It's hard to tell which."
"I checked Amaris's office," said Duncan. "It was empty. Unless the Knights catch him on the ground our Star Lord may have escaped."
"We've got to get out of here. This whole place could blow up any minute," said Trane.
Moving at a run they headed back up the tunnel and toward the Cavern entrance. Not only had they lost Dawn, but it looked like all evidence connected with Amaris's wild dream of conquest had been destroyed.
"Captain Trane?" A Knight in battle dress was standing at the end of the tunnel waiting for them.
"I am Trane."
"Sir, I was told to find you and tell you that a Clavesman reported a small DropShip lifting off just minutes ago."
Trane turned back to the Demons. "Well, I guess now we know where our Star Lord is."
33
DropShip Good Richard
Pirate Jump Point, New St. Andrews System
The Periphery
Rimward of the Circinus Federation 14 July 3057
"Captain Varas."
Kemper Varas stood at a view port on the observation deck, looking in the general direction of New St. Andrews, just barely visible as a speck of light in the celestial night. The DropShip had just docked with the starship that would soon take it light years from this system. He turned around to see an older man with graying but well-groomed hair. He was wearing an immaculately tailored uniform. "I am Varas."
"I am Captain Kulhane, captain of this JumpShip."
"What can I do for you, Captain?"
"Do you expect pursuit?"
"I think not, Captain. I'm the only one who knew your ship awaited us at this pirate point. Before I left, our comm center was just beginning to get messages that our ships at the primary jump points were under attack by Knights aerospace fighters. Only one ship had made a jump at that time. Of those left, how many will survive I do not know. The Knights will be fighting their way past them to the planet's surface. They'll be busy for some time."
"I suspect not many will survive the Knights attack, either in space or on the ground."
"And I suspect you're right, Captain."
"What went wrong? From what I know of the plan it seemed strategically sound."
"It was ... up to a point. Time became our enemy. We should have made our move months ago. The delay allowed the Knights, or their agents, to use our own tactics against us."
"What do you mean?"
"We had units posing as Knights, they had one posing as mercenaries. A strange lot, though. They didn't act like Knights, but they didn't seem like hardened mercenaries either."
"Who were they?"
"I don't know. We may never know."
"Just give the word and we're ready to go," Kulhane said. "A few minutes more, Captain? There's one last matter I must attend to before we leave this system ..."
* * *
"Varas, where have you been? I have had need of you."
"I am here, my lord," Varas said, hefting his pistol upward. "Be assured you have my full attention." He held the pistol leveled at Amaris. "Your death will be my salvation."
There was a hint of fear in the face of Amaris, a contortion of surprise and shock, but his voice betrayed none of it. "You're mad if you think killing me will gain you anything."
Varas laughed softly. "Coming from you, one might consider that a compliment. As we have seen only too well, Thomas Marik has destroyed your plan. He will hunt you down as a rabid beast. I'm certain that killing you will buy me amnesty in his eyes."
Amaris laughed, a strange sound that might as easily have been a sob. "This plan was not mine alone, Varas. Your fingerprints are all over it Kill me, and they will slay you as my proxy."
Varas was unmoved by the words. "A fine speech, but I'm afraid you must die nonetheless, Stefan Amaris. You're as insane as your namesake. Perhaps it is poetic justice that you meet your end like Amaris the First, at the hands of one who is your better." Varas aimed the pistol so that it pointed squarely between Amaris's eyes.
There was a shot, a blast of laser light. Amaris jumped slightly when he saw the burst. Then it was over.
Kemper Varas fell over dead.
No blood came from the laser hole that had penetrated out from the back of his head through to the front, all the blood vessels cauterized by the intense heat.
Then a figure dropped through the air vent, landing just before the clanging of the metallic cover. She stood there for a moment, holstering her pistol and staring at the lifeless form of her victim.
Dawn's arms and legs ached from the last few hours. She'd managed to eject from her 'Mech just before it exploded, and luckily had landed unhurt. Almost by some instinct, she'd run to the landing pad beyond the Cavern and discovered the Leopard Class DropShip preparing to take off. She'd sneaked aboard and waited the right moment to make her move. Varas had forced her hand in that matter.
Looking from Dawn to the fallen form of Varas, Stefan Amaris grinned broadly. "You have proven yourself a worthy member of my Republican Guards. You saved my life,"
"He was a bandit in my eyes, unworthy of a Circle Equals. Aiming a pistol at an unarmed man is not an action worthy of a warrior. It brings me no honor."
"Yes, but you stopped him, you prevented his treachery and that I will not soon forget. What is your name?" Amaris asked.
"I am Dawn," she returned, eyeing him calmly. "No last name?"
"Neg. It is not the way of my people. I was once of the Clans, a Steel Viper."
"A Clansman, eh? I'm surprised you didn't try to kill me instead of save me."
Dawn stared into his eyes with cold fury. "Never fear, Stefan Amaris. Your death will be at my hands. If not for your attack on Cumbres, I might never have been driven from my Clan. Now you will pay."
"You cannot kill me, Dawn. Don't you see? Don't believe, what the twisted historians have said of my namesake. See me for what I am—the chance to fulfill the dream of your people."
"Explain.
"
"Search your heart, you know it is true. The Clans are paralyzed with their own in-fighting and the Tukayyid truce.
The Inner Sphere is still caught in its petty internal bickering. I alone possess the vision and will to re-forge the Star League. Everything is right for this change. And you saved me."
Dawn could have laughed aloud, but she did not. She had saved him, but not for the reason he thought.
Amaris continued to ramble, trying to weave a web of words around her as he had so often with the Republican Guards. "I will make you a queen, no, the ilKhan. That is what your people call it, isn't it? Yes, you will sit at my side. Together, we will rule the new Star League. Together, we will make history. Think of it, Dawn, as military commander of my army you will be my Aleksandr Kerensky.
"You will go far beyond what any Clansman ever imagined. Power, wealth, acclaim, all can be yours. You will rule over worlds. Even the might of the Clans will blow before me and my armies under your command. No, you will not kill me, you can't. You stand at the very threshold of glory. Where the House Lords and the Khans only dream, you and I will dare to tread. I am Star Lord, and you will be the new Kerensky—Dawn of the Clans. Centuries from now they will sing songs to the empire that we will forge—together."
Dawn heard his words, but they only enraged her further. "You are a madman," she said, "and you will die by my hand. I claim the right to face you in single combat. I seek a different destiny with the Clans, and only your death can provide that."
Amaris's eyes darted from Dawn's face to the pistol in her holster and then to where Varas's pistol lay on the floor. It looked easy, all too easy. "Very well, Dawn. Let it begin now."
He leaped toward the floor, grabbing the pistol with both hands. Twisting onto his side, Amaris lifted the weapon to aim it, but Dawn's pistol flashed its laser before he ever got a bead on her.
She stood over his corpse, the pistol still held out before her. The combat had been fair, except that Amaris was not a true warrior. He never stood a chance against her speed and trained reflexes. But it was still true that she had shot him in a fair trial. It is over now. The enemies of mankind are destroyed, both dead at my hands. All that remains are ripples in the water where once they were.
From the lifeboat an hour later she saw the flash as the DropShip disappeared from existence. Her last memory before surrendering to sleep was to make sure that she sent a message to Duncan Kalma and the others. She wanted to let them know the fate of the bastard offspring of the Amaris line, as well as his henchman. Others might debate his true end for years, but what Dawn carried in the small backpack she had brought with her from the ill-fated DropShip could end the mystery for everyone, once and for all.
34
Marik Palace
Atreus
Marik Commonwealth, Free Worlds League
16 August 3057
General Harrison Kalma stood in Thomas Marik's office, pondering the events of the last few months as he stood looking at a holotank map of the Inner Sphere. First the raids by the fake Knights, then the death of Sophina, followed by the discovery that Victor Steiner-Davion had substituted a double to keep the Captain-General from learning the truth that his young son had died in the Davion capitol. Just this morning Thomas had recorded a holovid message to Katrina Steiner, advising her that he planned to confront her brother Victor and demand reparations. The spectre of war loomed large; Kalma didn't see how they could avoid it. Duncan, Trane, and the others had done a great service in helping to contain another threat to the League. A part of him hoped that somehow Duncan's mother would know what her son had done. He felt an uncharacteristic moistness in his eyes. "Father."
Kalma turned to see Duncan standing at the door being held open by one of the Knights who guarded the office. "Come in, son."
"The Captain-General sent a message asking to see me."
General Kalma nodded. "Where are your friends?"
"They're waiting outside. Marik has given Trane and his men a month's leave. We're hoping to spend some of it together."
"I understand that Lieutenant Bovos has accepted a commission with the Knights." Harrison Kalma refrained from expressing his disappointment that Duncan had declined a similar commission.
"You must be proud of this young man, Harrison."
General Kalma and his son turned to see Captain-General Thomas Marik enter the room by his private entrance. He'd aged visibly in the last months, but despite the weight of his sorrows he stood tall and erect as ever. And nothing in Marik's voice gave away the momentous plans that even now he had begun setting in motion.
"Very proud, Thomas." Harrison reached out and put a hand on Duncan's shoulder.
"I have something of a surprise for you as well, Harrison. Duncan has accepted a reserve commission in the Knights— the first such commission I have ever awarded, I might add."
Harrison Kalma felt his chest swell with pride. "Well done, son," he said, "well done."
Duncan bowed deeply to Thomas.
"Captain-General, Father, if my presence is no longer required ..."
Thomas Marik smiled and returned Duncan's bow with a gracious nod. "Of course, Duncan. I know your comrades are waiting."
Then the elder and younger Kalma embraced quickly. "Godspeed, son," the General said. As he always did when they parted, he wondered sadly how long it would be before he would see his son again.
* * *
Trane looked toward the Marik Palace to see Duncan approaching with Hawkes and Bovos in tow. Karl Villiers and Jon Blix were behind them. The congenial group more or less surrounded him and Dawn on the tarmac that served as a parking area for the Captain-General's official residence.
Dawn had linked up with the team several days after her disappearance, and the tale she had to tell gave just the right ending to the story they'd all been part of. The grisly evidence she carried in her backpack had been the proof that the threat that had nearly engulfed the Inner Sphere had been stopped—permanently. She too had been offered a place among the Knights, but none of them had been surprised when she refused.
"Well, are you ready for some R & R, Rod?" Duncan said. "Oh, excuse me, I mean Force Captain Trane. Congratulations on your promotion."
"Thank you. And congratulations on becoming the first to receive a reserve commission in the Knights." Trane smiled to himself. Duncan no more wanted a reserve commission than a fatal disease, but one did not turn down such an offer from the Captain-General. "I can't tell you how pleased I am to be your superior officer."
"I'll bet. Look, Hawkes is going to take some time before returning to the Lancers, Bovos has got thirty days' leave the same as you, Villiers, and Blix, so why don't we all go somewhere and celebrate?"
"Sounds good, Duncan. But I think we're all a little short in the C-bill department right now," Trane said.
"Be of good cheer, fellow Demons. You may recall that we were somewhat successful in the games on Galatea. I am pleased to announce I made a few short-term investments with our winnings that have yielded some very nice dividends. In other words, we're stinking rich!"
Trane turned to Dawn. "What do you say, Dawn?" he asked. "Will you come with us?"
Dawn shook her head, but she couldn't help smiling at the antics of these freeborns who'd become her comrades. She would miss them.
"Neg," she said. "I will return to Jabuka. I believe I have found a way to reclaim my honor as a warrior."
Duncan threw an arm around her shoulders and gave her a hug. "So the next time we meet it might be on opposite sides of the truce line?"
"Who knows?" she said. "I might be back."
Epilogue
Council Hail, Steel Viper Garrison
Jabuka
Steel Viper Occupation Zone
30 August 3057
Head high, Dawn walked crisply down the long corridor leading to the Council Chamber, where she knew the Bloodnamed of Clan Steel Viper were gathered. In one hand she held the duffle bag she'd carried with her all
the way from planet Marik. It was surprisingly heavy. In the other was her pistol.
Dawn had learned that a Grand Council of Khans had recently deposed Ulric Kerensky as ilKhan, charging him with genocide against all the Clans. She guessed that the Steel Vipers were now gathered to decide what role, if any, they would play in the Trial of Refusal Ulric had demanded.
That was all well and good. Dawn thought, but she had her own business with the Council of Warriors. Ahead of her were the massive doors to the chamber. She would pass through them boldly and freely, not like some bandit skulking through a side door, as she'd been made to do on the shameful day of her Judgment. Nobody tried to stop her from entering and no one seemed to notice her at first.
Dawn glanced around quickly as she came into the chamber. Unlike her last time here the Bloodnamed had not come in the formal dress and regalia of ceremony. Seated in the circular tiers that rose high around her, all wore a Clan warrior's preferred garb of combat jumpsuits and fatigues. Khan Perigard Zalman was standing on the revolving podium, apparently in the midst of addressing the gathering. Arthur Stoklas, Loremaster of the Steel Vipers, was also seated on the podium.
"Then we are agreed and may the way of the Clan prevail and guide us all," the Khan was saying.
"Seyla," the Bloodnamed said in deep unison, their chant like a sigh from the heart of the Steel Vipers. With that one word they became of one mind with all who had gone before and all who were yet to come.
Dawn paused, the same deep chord struck in her own being though she had no idea what had been in question or how it had been resolved. She gave herself a mental shake, rousing her own separate will to do what she had come to do. A few quick steps and then she leaped onto the rotating platform. The shock she saw on Khan's face bolstered her courage.
"Warriors of Clan Steel Viper!" she called out, throwing her pistol aside. "Hear me!"
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