Highlander Gambit

by Blaine Lee Pardoe

  "Are they willing to stand against their commanding officer if need be?"

  "A man that you are going to strip of his post and responsibilities? I don't think that all of them will fall into line, but when a true conflict occurs, the majority of the Highlanders will side with us. Any thoughts of rebellion will be quashed and you, Consul, will be seen as the man who saved Northwind." Burns was a pompous fool and Catelli would play on that as he continued weaving his web.

  Consul Burns looked up, eyes red and uncommonly tired for that hour of the morning. "Colonel, how can we take custody of Major Jaffray? He's in The Fort, surrounded by a full regiment of their best troops and BattleMechs. If MacLeod's Regiment doesn't want to give him up there's little we can do about it."

  "I've been on Northwind a while, as have you, sir. We both know that the one thing the Highlanders respect is force. They are mercenaries who respect a strong showing. You were never in the military, but I understand these people."

  "We'll move the Consul Guards to the spaceport and establish ourselves there. You will issue a demand that the Highlanders meet us there to turn over the spy Jaffray. They'll see us out in full force, they'll show in force, and turn him over. If anything, they'll respect us even more."

  If his plan was going to work, Catelli had to get the Highlanders to the spaceport to face off against the outnumbered Consul Guards. If an incident could be provoked or even manipulated, the Federated Commonwealth would have every right to claim control over Northwind and absorb the Highlanders once and for all. He had already set in motion the events to create that incident. Now all that was required was the proper stage, something that only the Consul could provide him.

  "What if they won't turn him over?"

  Catelli shrugged, then shook his head. "Sir, if you were commander of the Highlanders, would you risk an all-out confrontation with the rightful government over a man you have only known for a few days? Would you place your entire world in jeopardy for such a man? A man who came sowing the seeds of dissent while his own government launched an invasion against your rightful lord. No, of course you wouldn't and neither would I.

  "But to answer your question, if they resist, we will defend our right to apprehend this Major Jaffray."

  "Perhaps we should wait," the Consul said. "We could send a message to New Avalon and ask them for a course of action."

  Catelli had expected Burns to say just that and was already prepared. "Sir, we cannot wait. The Federated Commonwealth is under attack from both Marik and Liao. Perhaps Northwind is next on their list. We cannot sit idly by waiting to hear the opinion of someone who doesn't understand the true situation here, who doesn't know the Highlanders or the pro-Davion sentiments of the people of this world. Remember, the other Highlander regiments are on their way home. To delay could spell disaster."

  Burns looked off to the side of his desk where a globe of Northwind sat. He spun the globe as he pondered the plan. The continents and seas spun by. First, the massive green and brown of New Lanark, where Tara was located. Then the small islands of Argyle and the Falkirk Sea and the tiny continent of Halidon passed more slowly as the spinning globe gradually came to rest. The Consul watched the globe spin, as though it could provide him some solace for the decision he was being pressured to make.

  "Very well, Colonel. Your words have merit. Prepare the messages and orders for my signature and contact the Federated Suns High Command to request that they relieve MacLeod of his command."

  "Very good, sir." Catelli bowed slightly, then turned to leave the room. History will remember me kindly even should this go awry. And if it succeeds, praise will follow the name of Drew Catelli forever.

  14

  Tara, Northwind

  Draconis March, Federated Commonwealth

  22 September 3057

  Loren's Gallowglas moved cautiously toward the entrance into the box canyon. He sensors told him that Lieutenant Fuller's War Dog was in this area, but if Fuller had gone into the tight confines of the canyon Loren could no longer detect him. That meant that either he was not there or was hiding behind a rock formation strong enough to block the sensor sweeps. Switching to his secondary monitor to look for heat signatures. Loren saw that a 'Mech had entered the light pass of the canyon. He scanned then for magnetic distortion, hoping that the fusion reaction of Fuller's 'Mech might be emitting enough to be picked up. He got lucky. Near the back wall of the canyon he detected a faint glow behind a huge stone outcropping. If Fuller was in the canyon, it was there.

  Loren pondered the approach. If he went straight in, Fuller could pummel him at long range with his War Dog's deadly Gauss rifle. And with the ECM suite the 'Mech carried, it was going to be difficult to engage except at short range, which meant that Loren would take some serious damage. Unless he approached from another way ...

  Loren grabbed the throttle and thumbed his jump jets. The Gallowglas shot high into the air over the pass and drew closer to the rock formation. His sensors squawked to life as Fuller's War Dog stepped out into the open, its right-arm Gauss rifle tracking the airborne movements of the Gallowglas. Loren lowered his large lasers and PPC, managing to get off his shots before the War Dog fired. Suddenly his primary and secondary screens went totally blank, followed by the extinguishing of all the control lights in his cockpit. Cockpit hit? Did I lose power from only one hit? Loren reached over and attempted to throw the auxiliary power switch, but there was still no life in the cockpit.

  The next thing he knew the simulator cockpit hatch was opening from the outside, flooding the interior darkness with the white light of the Highlander's Training Center. Someone must have cut off the simulator program. Too bad, Loren thought. It was one of the best he'd ever seen. Almost as good as the Commandos'. Chastity Mulvaney's face appeared at the open hatchway as Loren unwound his body from the seat, then climbed out. He saw Lieutenant Fuller also emerging from his simulator.

  Loren had now spent almost two full weeks living in the midst of the Highlanders. Jake Fuller had become a close companion, but Jaffray saw through it. Yes, they got along well enough to practice in the 'Mech simulators for two hours a day, but he suspected that Fuller's main task was keeping an eye on him. It could only be on MacLeod's orders, but that was to be expected, no matter how much confidence the Highlander CO showed Loren in public.

  "You need to report to your ops officer right away for a staff officer briefing, Lieutenant," Mulvaney told Fuller, then turned to Loren. "The Colonel wants to talk with you," she said curtly.

  Fuller waved from across the room and Loren returned the salute. "Is there a problem, Major?"

  "That would be a gross understatement," she said, leading him out of the room and into the hall.

  "What do you mean?"

  She stopped in the mid-stride and turned to him. Waving a finger at Loren the whole time, she spoke in a voice that was angry but not loud. "You knew all along, didn't you? Knew all along that the invasion was coming and just led us into your little web. I've been right about you from the start."

  "I knew as much as you did, and that's all," Loren said, which, technically, was true. But Loren also knew that it was only a matter of time before the Davion Consul and his attache called for his removal—or worse. He suddenly felt very alone on Northwind.

  "I don't know if you're lying or telling the truth," Mulvaney said. "But if you are lying, you'd better know this. No one is going to harm the Highlanders. Not you, not the entire Capellan Confederation. I'll die before I see that happen."

  Loren looked deeply into her eyes. "At the Warriors Cabel," he said. "I saw how you voted."

  "Don't get me wrong," she said sharply. "I follow orders, but only to a point. Right now I'm torn as to how to fulfill those orders. As a Highlander, I have one set of responsibilities. As a loyal subject of the Federated Commonwealth I have another. So far I have not had to choose between the two. That may change."

  Loren understood conflicting loyalties. A part of him wanted to be with his unit, especia
lly with a war going on. He had trained his whole life for war, and now when it finally came he was off light years away from his unit playing diplomat.

  Then again, the Highlanders had treated him as more than an equal, as a member of their family. It was a kind of military existence he'd never witnessed before, but now he understood why his grandfather had remained so attached to his memories of the Highlanders. In the Capellan Armed Forces everything was cold and impersonal. Here there was camaraderie, trust, a oneness with each other. An invisible bond that held the men and women together. It was silent and unseen, yet unbreakable.

  Without further discussion, Loren and Mulvaney continued down a familiar passage leading to the office of Colonel MacLeod. Loren followed Mulvaney in and she closed the door behind them. The Colonel motioned to the seats in front of his desk.

  MacLeod seemed tired and Loren could tell that the stress of the last few days was beginning to take its toll. The Colonel shuffled through the pile of papers on his desk and pulled out a formal letter.

  "This was delivered from the Davion Consulate this morning. It's signed by Consul Burns, but I can see the hand of Colonel Catelli all over it."

  "Orders, sir?" Mulvaney asked.

  "More than that, I'm afraid. It's a demand." The Colonel held the sheet up and looked through his reading glasses at the text. "By order of Planetary Consul Drake Burns and the Federated Commonwealth, Major Loren Jaffray of the Capellan Armed Forces is to be remanded to the custody and direct supervision of the Northwind Consul Guards. Major Jaffray is charged with inciting civil disorder and involvement in the assassination attempt on Colonel William MacLeod!"

  "What!" Loren shot to his feet. "I had nothing to do with it, Colonel. Damnation! They fired on me too." Loren's wound was healing well, but mention of the attack brought back a wincing memory of the pain. "If I was going to have you killed, I could have found hundreds of other opportunities. None would have been this obvious."

  "At ease, Major."

  Loren regained his composure. He looked over at Mulvaney, but her eyes were fixed on her commanding officer. "Yes, sir," he replied, returning to his seat.

  "What happens if we don't turn him over, sir?" Mulvaney asked, surprising Loren slightly.

  "According to this, Catelli is bringing his Consul Guards, to the spaceport tomorrow at noon. They want us to hand over Loren at that time, and if we don't they'll execute a search of Tara, building by building, street by street."

  Loren knew the implications of such a search. Using 'Mechs and tanks to try to find a single man could take days and cause incredible damage. The sight of Davion infantry ripping up Highlander family homes looking for him was not a burden that he wanted to carry ... not after the way the Highlanders had treated him. "Colonel ... Major. I want you to know that I am not guilty of any acts against the Northwind Highlanders. This 'civil disorder' the Consul mentioned is my presenting the Liao initiative at the Cabel. I have not done anything to warrant the revoking of my freedom."

  The remark was a coy one on his part and Loren knew it. He had managed in a short period of time to infiltrate the Highlanders and nurtured the seeds of rebellion. Now the Davions were playing into his hands by making him personally an issue. This would bring the issue of sovereignty into question. If MacLeod let him be turned over, he would look weak to his own people. If he stood firm, it drove a wedge between the Northwind Highlanders and House Davion. Loren was willing to take the risk. It was why he had come to Northwind in the first place.

  "Lad, we know that," MacLeod said, taking off his reading glasses and putting them on the table.

  "Sir, I can't let Catelli and his cronies tear the city of Tara apart in my name. I'll surrender peacefully to them." Loren knew that with a war going on between what was left of the Federated Commonwealth and the Confederation he would be made a public spectacle. There would be a show trial, a drumhead. He would be found guilty regardless of the real evidence.

  But offering to surrender was a gesture he had to make. The honor of his grandfather had something to do with it, but in reality he knew that Colonel MacLeod would not allow him to go in such a manner. To do so would violate the elder Highlander's own code of honor. The offer would be a sincere one, but he was also playing a strong hunch that he would not have to face the wrath of Colonel Catelli or Consul Burns.

  MacLeod smiled thinly and leaned back in his deep leather chair. "No Major, I won't allow it. You've done nothing wrong. This isn't about you, this is about the Northwind Highlanders and our right to independence."

  Loren thought about how easily he had read MacLeod. How easily an apparent show of honor had won his trust. In the end it will be his undoing.

  Mulvaney leaned forward. "What do you proposed we do, Colonel? These are direct commands from our liege lord's representative. To disobey that order would be to break our agreement with the Archon Prince. There must be some sort of diplomatic way to resolve this."

  "The day that I bow to Drake Burns or Drew Catelli is the day I am no longer fit to command. Diplomacy has no place in this. We are not dealing simply with diplomatic gestures, we are dealing in politics and power. Whatever I do, Catelli and Burns will keep trying to find a chink in our armor. I can't even contact Cat Stirling because Catelli has ordered ComStar to sever the Fort's direct link with the HPG. Now we no longer get military intel, but have to rely on commercial communications. They won't be satisfied until the Highlanders are broken and scattered to the four winds. No, we will not fulfill their demand. This charade as to who rules Northwind ends tomorrow at noon."

  The look on MacLeod's face changed then, going dark, becoming a warrior's expression. Loren knew the look well, having encountered it in many a battle. The determination was not just evident but seemingly cast in stone.

  15

  Kohler Spaceport Tara, Northwind

  Draconis March, Federated Commonwealth

  23 September 3057

  The BattleMech storage bay was lit only by a few dim yellow night lights and was empty except for the black-clad agent and the 'Mechs. The war machines stood silent in the darkness, like three-story statues guarding a long-lost temple, mute witnesses to his actions throughout the night. Each BattleMech was flanked by a gantry and quick access ladder. The man moved up the ladder quickly, careful not to make any sounds. His dark suit was designed to eliminate his thermal image from the sensors installed in the bay, but could do nothing to mute the sounds he made. The small devices he had planted on the windows would blind the motion sensors as well. There were many guards outside the building but only two inside and he had managed to avoid them for the better part of two hours as he did his work.

  The man climbed the Shadow Hawk's gantry and pulled at the cockpit hatch. There was a dull echo as the hatch opened and for a moment he paused to see if the sound had attracted any attention. Satisfied, he slid into the cockpit and removed his night-vision goggles. No longer fearing the thermal sensors, he felt free to go about his work of sabotage. .

  Disabling a BattleMech could be done quickly by an expert, but that was not his mission. His superior had given him specific instructions, which he'd been following closely throughout the wee hours of the morning. This would be the last one he could get to before the change of patrols and the arrival of the Highlander techs and engineers. He reached into the breast pocket of the black turtleneck and pulled out the instrument of his sabotage—a laser diskette.

  Sitting in the command couch the man activated the Shadow Hawk's computer, as he had done many times before that night. Then he carefully activated the BattleMech's DI, or Diagnostic Interpreter, computer system. Most people thought that the battle computer was a 'Mech's main system, but technicians and engineers knew better. The battle computer was merely a slave to the DI system.

  The DI computer was the brains of the BattleMech. It controlled movement, jumping, and virtually all sensor-data interpretation. He booted it into engineering/diagnostic mode and slid the six-centimeter diskette into the feed sl
ot. Using the small keypad in the cockpit he accessed the disk and watched with glee as the numbers and words flashed across the secondary monitor. The program loaded itself into memory, becoming stored in the battle computer's communications sub-system. There it would wait until the proper coded transmission was received. If all went as planned there would be no evidence left intact of the crime.

  It took a full three minutes for the program to load. Every half minute the man looked out the hatch to see if any guards had arrived. He was most worried because of the audible beeping that came from the DI computer as it finished loading and concealing the program. It was far too soft for anyone to hear outside the cockpit, but he did not like the risks. He carefully removed the diskette and secured it in his pocket, then shut off the system.

  This plan would work. He had failed before to kill the Capellan. But this time he would redeem himself with a grand success. He personally would deliver the death blow to the Northwind Highlanders and restore himself to the Colonel's good graces.

  Like a black python, the agent slid down the gantry ladder to the floor of the 'Mech bay. Working his way along the massive 'Mech doors, he found the one he'd jimmied to break in. He would singlehandedly end the betrayal of the Highlanders. One man against an entire BattleMech regiment, and he would be the victor. All that was left was the confrontation and the signal. Then it would all be over.

  * * *

  "So you're joining us in this little stroll, eh?" Jake Fuller said as he and Loren walked through The Fort to the 'Mech bay.

  "Colonel MacLeod asked me to attend the final briefing. I was hoping to get assigned to a BattleMech if we do square off against the Consul Guards." Loren knew the chances of the Highlanders assigning him a BattleMech were thin at this time. He had won MacLeod's trust, but was still not a true Highlander in their eyes. He felt naked somehow, a MechWarrior without his weapon.