Heir to the Dragon

by Robert N. Charrette

  Fuhito said nothing.

  "Minobu is doing well for himself. His Ryuken experiment is a success. The regiments have none of the problems we face with the Procurement Department, and he has the blessing of the Bureau of Administration as well. Even here on Marfik, we felt the sting of the orders to supply the 'Mech pilots he requested when he formed the Ryuken. I had to send Chu-i Sandersen from my own command lance. The Legion hasn't lost a man that way since the Genyosha was formed."

  Fuhito remained silent. Theodore, wondering if he were getting through, picked up a folder from his desk. He thumbed it open and perused the contents. "I've got a slot open for a good recon lance commander, Fuhito-san," he said casually. "Do you know of any among the transferees?"

  "I have heard that Hanson is good, Tai-sa."

  "Hmmm. You commanded a recon company, didn't you?"

  "Hai, on Galtor. The company no longer exists."

  "Tell me about it," Theodore ordered. "You may speak freely."

  Fuhito hesitated a moment and then began to pour out his story. Theodore sighed inwardly. Tetsuhara-sensai's caution had not taken deep root in this son. Despite himself, Theodore was soon caught up in Fuhito's tale of the misplaced loyalties and political infighting that had contributed to the debacle on Galtor. Warlord Yoriyoshi's ego had been bruised by the continual insults of his rival, Warlord Samsonov. When Samsonov's strategy placed Yoriyoshi and his troops in an untenable situation, the exasperated Yoriyoshi had abandoned the planet. His departure had left Samsonov facing overwhelming Davion forces and forced him to leave as well. Yoriyoshi was relieved of command and demoted, blamed for the Combine's failure and branded a coward and incompetent. A false picture, according to Fuhito. He claimed that the Warlord had known that the campaign was already lost, and had simply saved his men to fight another day. Theodore's own study of the campaign tended to confirm that assessment.

  Fuhito had defended his commander, loudly, to the inquiry board. When the decision went against Yoriyoshi, Fuhito was caught in the fallout.

  "I spoke from my heart, and told the truth as I saw it," Fuhito concluded. "In doing so, I made some powerful enemies. I thought they would cashier me. That's what they did to the others who spoke out."

  "But now, having learned your lesson, you would act otherwise?"

  "Iie, Tai-sa," Fuhito blurted indignantly. "I have my own honor to guard."

  Theodore smiled sympathetically.

  "I think that you are the man to take over First Battalion's recon company. You are certified in a Griffin, Tai-i."

  "Tai-i?" Fuhito repeated, puzzled. "But I was demoted to Chu-i."

  "Men in the Legion find their own ranks, Tai-i. I can't have a lesser rank in command of a company."

  Fuhito was clearly overjoyed for a command again, but something hid behind his joy. He hesitated, chewing on his lower lip.

  "There is a problem," Theodore prompted.

  "I am certified for a Griffin, Tai-sa, but 'Katana Kat,' the family Panther, was shipped to Marfik with me."

  Theodore understood at once. "How can I stand in the way of family honor?"

  Gratitude shone in Fuhito's face.

  "But before you take the assignment, I'll want to see if you have the Tetsuhara touch in a 'Mech. Meet me on the practice field in twenty."

  "Hai, Tono!" Fuhito shouted.

  21

  Unity Palace, Imperial City, Luthien

  Pesht Military District, Draconis Combine

  17 March 3028

  Constance Kurita looked at her face in the mirror. Though she had borne the responsibilities of the Keeper of the House Honor for only four years, she felt keenly the weight of responsibility. She searched for signs that the stress was beginning to show, but found none. That's a relief, she told herself. There is no time now to hide them with cosmetics.

  When the servant called her name, she made one last check of her appearance before exiting through the door he held open. Walking along the veranda of the mansion, she unconsciously smoothed the line of her kimono.

  The rhythmic beat of her heavy, double-tied ponytail against her buttocks was like a metronome to help Constance calm her thoughts. Only a few years back, just the idea of a meeting with the Coordinator had filled her with apprehension. She was glad now that time had strengthened her confidence enough that she could maintain the proper inner control. She had grown in her role as the conscience of the Coordinator. Though her cousin Takashi was her elder by twenty years, he no longer treated her like a child playing at being a grown-up. He even listened to her ... sometimes.

  Constance found Takashi seated in the raked gravel garden at the end of the veranda. His black senior officer's uniform blended with the basalt bench where he sat. He was meditating, gaze fixed firmly on the dwarf cryptomeria tree standing against the low bamboo fence opposite his seat. As she stepped from the wooden porch onto the first slate of the pathway, he rose and faced her, bowing a formal greeting.

  "You wished to speak with me, Jokan Constance," he said as she returned the bow deeper, as befitted a servant of the ruler.

  "I did, Tono. Thank you for taking the time." Constance hesitated a moment in token acknowledgement of the Kurita custom of beginning all conversation with only the most insignificant preambles. She and Takashi, cousins as well as functionaries of the state, had long passed the point where they needed that formality to gauge one another's state. "I am informed that you have not forwarded an invitation to Theodore," she said, going directly to the point.

  "That is correct."

  "This is an important occasion, Tono. The wedding of Hanse Davion, ruler of the Federated Suns, to Melissa Steiner, Archon-Designate of the Lyran Commonwealth and heir to the throne of that state, is an unprecedented event. Every head of state in the Inner Sphere will be there. This is an invaluable chance for your heir to meet them. An unparalleled opportunity."

  "He remains adamant," Takashi stated flatly. In the set of his jaw, Constance read the irritation that he kept from his voice.

  "As do you," she said sadly. There had been little communication between father and son since Theodore's banishment to the Legion of Vega over three years ago. "You treat him poorly. You are the Coordinator and he is your heir. If you do not prepare him well, you fail the Dragon and the realm."

  "I am well aware of my duty to the realm, Jokan" Takashi snapped. "All that I do is with the sole purpose of molding my son into the kind of leader the Combine needs. He must learn."

  "Exactly my point." Constance kept her tone calm and even. "He can learn much during the wedding festivities. He can meet the rulers of the enemy states bordering our realm. And it will give him the chance to meet and take the measure of our Kapteyn Accord allies."

  Takashi's stillness told Constance that her words fell on deaf ears. This was not to be one of her victories. As she bowed and turned to go, Takashi spoke again in a firm, determined voice.

  "He still has things to learn on Marfik. Let him stay there and miss all the excitement."

  22

  Massingham Valley, Marfik

  Dieron Military District, Draconis Combine

  29 August 3028

  "We've got some excitement on the left flank," Fuhito Tetsuhara reported over the optic fiber link from his company's concealed position in DonnerBrau Forest.

  Theodore rotated the "Revenant's" head to bring the sensor scan to bear on the disturbance. The compressed images on his 360-degree screen flowed until he had a view of the Legion's left flank in the center, where the image had the least distortion. Billowing dust confirmed Tai-i Tetsuhara's report.

  Theodore keyed open the link to his 'Mech force commander. "Eleventh Armored is raising dust," he said. "Why aren't they holding their positions?"

  "I don't know, Sama" Olivares replied, his rumbling voice unmistakable even over the commlink.

  "Well, find out!" Theodore snapped, his temper short from lack of sleep. As Olivares ordered Tetsuhara to send out a recon lance, he cut the comm link and turne
d his attention to the tactical map scrolling across his main screen.

  Five days ago, Steiner DropShips had been detected heading for Marfik under high acceleration. Their JumpShips had made a perilously close transit into the system, appearing at a "pirate point" only a few thousand kilometers out from Marfik's orbital path. The proximity of the transit point had drastically reduced the flight time of the piggybacking

  DropShips as they burned toward the planet. In using the "pirate point," the Lyrans had risked a large fleet of several JumpShips, not to mention the DropShips and the troops they were carrying. Those owing allegiance to House Steiner were known throughout the Inner Sphere as shrewd merchants, always aware of the balance between profit and loss. Clearly, they saw that the gains possible in the Marfik system were worth the gamble.

  When Theodore had first seen the radar tracks, the number of invaders had startled him. There were dozens of DropShips. Fortunately, their masses and radar signatures indicated that the force was primarily composed of conventional forces. Few of the DropShips had been identified as 'Mech transports. To make a major assault using so few of the most potent weapons available under the Ares Conventions of War did not make military sense. Only the need for Steiner BattleMech forces elsewhere could justify it. That could mean only one thing: War!

  He had been expecting it for some time. The expense of running the Davion Operation Galahad and Steiner Operation Thor military exercises was enormous, even for their wealthy realms. Theodore had been unable to discern the full intent of those massive military maneuvers, even with the Order of the Five Pillars funneling intelligence to him, but the shifting of unit positions hinted at in the reports was ominous. Now, surely, the war had come. When the Steiner DropShips appeared in the system, Theodore had burned incense at the local shrine to thank Buddha that the children had lifted for safety two weeks earlier.

  Yesterday, a ComStar Adept had delivered a communique confirming his fears of war. The message disk had contained a full recording of the wedding toast in which Hanse Davion had offered the Capellan Confederation to his bride as a wedding gift. The toast was his announcement of the Federated Suns' assault on the Capellans. The timing was too close to the appearance of Steiner troops in the Marfik system. It had to be that Archon Katrina Steiner was supporting her Davion ally by opening a front to occupy the Dragon while Prince Hanse battered the Capellans. As yet, there had been no communications from the Dieron command announcing an invasion, but it was likely that Lyran troops were assaulting other border systems as well.

  As soon as they reached orbit, the Lyran Commonwealth DropShips had made assault landings on all three of Marfik's major land masses, Yantiban and North and South Galfree. Attacked by almost twice their number, the four regiments of conventional forces defending Yantiban had been overwhelmed at once. The three regiments on South Galfree had held out for two days against the Steiner assaults. Only North Galfree had maintained opposition to the invaders. That was to be expected, for the largest concentration of the Combine's forces were on that continent.

  Intel had identified at least ten conventional regiments and one BattleMech regiment among the Steiner forces on North Galfree. The twelve Kurita regiments assigned to the defense of the continent were all conventional except for Theodore's own 'Mech regiment, the Eleventh Legion of Vega.

  It surprised him when the Steiner 'Mechs landed near Netaltown, a resort east of Massingham. He had also been thankful, for once, for Tomoe's stubbornness. The Legion was supposed to be conducting summer training on the dunes near Netaltown, but after another argument over her refusal to join the children, Theodore had been too annoyed to deal with the problems of running training maneuvers. Had he not canceled the Legion's exercise, the Lyrans would have come down on the Legion's heads, scattering the Kurita 'Mechs and probably eliminating them as a viable combat force. If the BattleMechs had been lost, all hope of resistance on Marfik would have gone with them.

  As yet, the Legion's BattleMechs were not committed to combat. That would not last long. An overflight by Legion AeroSpace Fighters had confirmed that the Steiner forces were finally on the move. Several armored columns were striking out along the valley toward the mining town of Massingham on the far side of the vast expanse of DonnerBrau Forest. The Steiner BattleMechs were massing fifty kilometers to the east of Massingham, starting their march up the undulating plain of Massingham Valley.

  A flashing light on the console demanded Theodore's attention, announcing an incoming comm laser message. He engaged the "Revenant's" autotrack system to focus the viewscreen on the source, then flicked the switch to bring the audio to his speakers. The Orion's screen settled on a distant hill, ten kilometers to the southwest. An increase in magnification allowed Theodore to see the kahuto-helmeted cat face on the chest of the 'Mech crouching there. It was Fuhito's Panther.

  The Tai-i had moved forward to maintain contact with his recon lance. He had been forced to sever the fiber optic line and was now using a comm laser on a direct line-of-sight to avoid intercept.

  "Tai-sa, we have enemy BattleMechs coming in from the east. Eleventh Armored is moving to engage and calling for support."

  "Are the 'Mechs scouts?" Theodore asked. Lighter BattleMechs usually moved ahead of the main body to determine enemy resistance and disposition. It might be possible to engage the scouting force and deny the Lyrans information about the Kurita position before the heavier forces of the main body arrived.

  "No, sir. These are heavies. We've got three assault 'Mechs of at least ninety tons under observation. The remainder of the force appears to be medium and heavy machines."

  "An assault force leading the advance?" That made no sense. The orbital battle was still denying full aerial reconnaissance to both sides. To commit one's main force without knowledge of the enemy was foolhardy. Unless, Theodore thought, they've outflanked us. "Relay a hold order to the Eleventh. Their light armor won't stand up to those Steiner 'Mechs. Put some flankers out wide, Tai-i Tetsuhara. Watch for enemy forces along the forest edge. I don't want any surprises from that direction.

  "How much in the way of armor and infantry is moving up with the 'Mechs?"

  "None, sir. Enemy force is ..." The transmission cut off while the Panther ducked its head as a number of missiles impacted on the hill crest, sending gouts of dirt skyward. "Say again, enemy force is unsupported. Unit markings indicate Fourth Skye Rangers," came Fuhito's calm voice as soon as he had realigned the comm laser.

  "Message understood, Tai-i. Keep your eyes on them."

  Theodore closed the commlink to consider the situation in the humming privacy of the "Revenant's" cockpit. An unsupported advance? The Steiner commander was either an idiot or extremely confident. The latter possibility was a serious concern.

  Theodore brought up the library program on the "Revenant's" computer, calling for data on his opponents. He did not like what he saw. The Fourth Skye Rangers was a formidable unit composed of elite MechWarriors, highly trained and motivated, with an impressive record. Their commander was listed as Hauptmann-Kommandant Kathleen Heany. The records of her ability were spotty and deprecatory, but that was typical of Combine reports on female officers, especially Steiner officers.

  The Rangers were from the Isle of Skye, one of the three founding states of the Lyran Commonwealth. Skye, which included about a third of Steiner space and much of its industrial might, also composed nearly half the Combine's border with the Lyrans. ISF reports claimed that Skye was as troublesome to House Steiner as Rasalhague was to House Kurita, because of a strong separatist movement there. Skye units often refused to participate in Steiner military excursions because the Skye Islanders favored a strongly defensive stance. But here were the Rangers taking part in an assault on the Kurita world Marfik, which was certainly no defensive maneuver.

  Another sign that all-out war had begun.

  Tourneville's voice broke in on Theodore's thoughts. "Tai-sa, our intercept units are picking up their comm channel. I don't understand it,
but they're broadcasting in the clear." Tourneville paused as though not knowing how to phrase what he needed to say. "From the chatter, they are here to capture you, Tono. They are even betting on how long the Legion will last."

  "Arrogant of them," Theodore remarked. The news that the Steiner forces hoped to make a prize of the heir to the Combine explained their "pirate point" gamble. As long as he thought their attack an ordinary, if strong, raid, they knew he would remain to fight them for a chance at martial glory. A normal trip into the Marfik system would have allowed time for word of the war to reach Theodore, giving him more than enough time to realize the danger and to escape their trap. They no doubt hoped to capture him in the opening battle as a way of severely embarrassing the Dragon.

  That was something Theodore did not intend to see happen. "We'll just have to teach them a lesson," he said.

  23

  Massingham Valley, Marfik

  Dieron Military District, Draconis Combine

  29 August 3028

  "I'll lead the 'Mechs out," Tomoe announced.

  "Negative," Theodore countermanded. "I want you supervising the conventional regiments. They're still not used to operating together and will need shepherding. Take Shirakawa's lance with you."

  "Hai, Tai-sa," she replied. Theodore knew from her tone that Tomoe disliked the assignment, but she was too good a soldier to refuse. She knew as well as he that someone needed to do it, and she was his best choice.

  Theodore surmised that Tomoe would like his next decision even less. "I will command the advance of the Legion."

  "You'll be playing right into their hands," Tourneville cautioned.

  "That's what I want them to believe."

  Forestalling any further discussion, Theodore opened his links to all regimental commanders. "All regiments, this is Tai-sa Kurita. All armored and infantry regiments, except Twenty-fifth Light Horse, will withdraw into DonnerBrau Forest. Scatter into small groups in the pattern we used in last summer's exercise. Sho-sa Olivares will give you your rendezvous points. Twenty-fifth is to swing north, wide of the forest, and move along the coast to prepare the defense of Sitika; the hovercraft will be no good among the trees."