Текст книги "Warrior: En Garde"

Автор книги: Michael A. Stackpole

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Текущая страница: 18 (всего у книги 27 страниц)

35

Solaris VII (The Game World)

Rahneshire, Lyran Commonwealth

5 May 3027

 

Justin shook his head. "He's lying, Gray."

The Capellan translator's head jerked around to stare at the MechWarrior. Justin had slipped into the Cathay tenement through an open window in the rear. He kept his hands in the pockets of his gray canvas jacket, and nodded to the elder Capellan seated between the translator and Gray Noton. "The old man says he does remember where the ammo shipment was hidden."

Noton reached out and grabbed the translator's tunic. "Going to come back and sell me the information later, Shih?" Noton shoved him back into his chair, which then tottered over and smashed the man flat on the floor. "Justin, tell the old man I'll give him 15,000 C-bills if he'll tell me where his unit stashed the ammo, and another 15,000 if the information is confirmed by the discovery."

Justin walked over to the old man and knelt at his feet. He smiled warmly at the elder Capellan and bowed his head. Slowly, lyrically, he translated what Gray had offered.

The older man, the last surviving veteran of an ill-fated Liao offensive against House Marik half a century before, considered the offer, then nodded. Carefully and precisely, he explained to Justin the exact location of the weapons cache. As his recall continued, he added information about the booby traps his people had organized before they were shipped offplanet. Whenever the older man paused to remember, Justin translated faithfully for Noton.

Satisfied, Noton stood and gave the old man a silver wager ticket. Justin frowned, but Noton shook his head. "The bet was placed on your last fight, Justin. You won, remember?"

Justin's face closed. Won the fight, perhaps, but lost as well.He nodded slowly. "So I did." He turned and stared at the Capellan translator. "If you harass this man, if anyone steals his money, I'll come after you myself with Yen-lo-wang."

"Wo-dong.I understand."

Justin jerked his head to the side. The translator scrambled to his feet and left the dilapidated apartment. Noton and Justin bowed reverently to the old man, who spoke once more as they slipped out the door. Justin replied to him, then joined Noton in the darkened hallway.

"What did he say, Justin?" Noton flattened himself against the cracked, plaster wall as three small children ran screaming through the corridor.

Justin smiled as he sidestepped the children. "He invited us back again whenever you felt even more generous."

"And you replied?"

"I told him 'Large in the purse is not soft in the head.' " Noton laughed. The two men left the tenement and walked back down the cobbled back street to where Noton had parked the Typhoon. Two young tongsmen moved away from the car and nodded to Justin. Noton dug into his pocket to pay the boys for watching his aircar, but Justin's steel hand pressed his arm to stop him.

"Don't, Gray. They watched it because of Yen-lo-wangand the respect we showed the old man." Justin returned the tongsmen's salutes. "Money would cheapen you in their eyes."

Noton said nothing until they had both entered the vehicle and the gullwing doors had locked down in position. "You know much about the Capellan ways, but it can't all be blood. I'm half-Marik, half-Steiner, but I know virtually nothing about Marik customs."

Justin settled back against the Typhoon's plush seat. "I left the Confederation with my father when I was five, but I already spoke both English and Capellan without accent. Though my parents had divorced, my Capellan grandparents still considered me a member of their family. I visited them on two occasions—both times when my father had to attend a conference. Ever since graduating from Sakhara, I've been posted on the Liao frontier. There've been plenty of chances to brush up on my skills."

Noton nodded thoughtfully. "Listen, Justin, you know I work as an information broker." Noton jerked a thumb back toward the old man's home. "Finding someone who knows about a cache of lostech is pure luck. Most of the other stuff I do is headwork that requires putting together deals, and usually calls for a lot of organizational skill. It's the kind of thing I know you'd be good at, too."

Justin nodded slightly, but said nothing.

"You must have concluded by now that I have ties into the intelligence networks on this planet. They're all here– Maskirovka, LIC, ISF, and MHO." Noton laughed. "I think even Marik's SAFE maintains a presence here, though the last contingent split and killed itself off during their last civil war."

Noton turned to look at Justin. "I make a very good living doing what I do, and I could use someone with your talents to coordinate matters for me." Noton steered the Typhoon into the underground garage of the building where he maintained an office. "I'd like you to consider becoming my partner."

Both men swung from the vehicle, and Noton waved Justin toward the escalator up to the street level. There, he produced a magkey and opened the back door. Justin preceded Noton into the dark room crowded with cabinets and shelves. The only open space, a doorway in the wall opposite the exit, led to Noton's office.

Justin followed Noton into the office and sank into a chair upon a gesture from the larger man. "What would you want of me?" he asked finally.

Noton sat back in his chair and steepled his fingers. "I'd not ask you to betray your father .. ."

Justin spat on the floor. "To hell with my father, and the whole Federated Suns. What sort of father would put a whore in his own son's bed to spy on him?"

Noton nodded. "Good," he said, unable to keep the pleasure from showing on his face. "Quite simply, Justin, this is the way things shape up. Marik, Liao, and Kurita will pay devilishly well for information concerning Steiner or Davion. In addition, elements within Steiner and Davion will also pay good money for information about themselves."

Just frowned. "You mean Michael Hasek-Davion wants information about Hanse?"

Noton smiled. "Not inconceivable, but that was not exactly what I had in mind. Elements in Steiner are working on other elements in Steiner." Noton turned and pulled a file from a stack on his desk. "In January, Baron Enrico Lestrade asked me to bid on the diversion of a DropShip from its intended course. The same night you first fought here, back in February, he paid me the first installment, and I sent preliminary information to the people I needed to alert."

Noton flipped the fde open. "Less than a week ago, I received an itinerary from Lestrade. Fool that he is, he also included the passenger list. In any event, I have relayed the information to my people to be ready near Fomalhaut to take the ship. They will capture whoever it is that Lestrade's people—meaning Duke Frederick Steiner and Duke Aldo Lestrade—want, and the Dukes will make their play for power at that point."

Justin nodded slowly. "It seems like a neat package to me. Gray. I can see what you mean about organization, too. What do you make on a deal like this?"

Noton laughed. "Normally, I'd clear 100,000 C-bills, but Lestrade paid me in a wager ticket on Fuh Teng's fight against Billy Wolfson." The information broker frowned. "You cost me a great deal of money, Justin, but I'm not one to hold a grudge."

Justin smiled and lied at the same time. "Neither am I." He narrowed his eyes. "Why don't you just demand more from Lestrade?"

Noton shook his head. "Not good for business. However, he's more than made up for it. The passenger list is worth at least that much to other customers."

Justin held out his hand out to take the folder, while Noton continued to speak. "I've been asked to discover information about others, from time to time, and a name or two appear on that list. My people will deliver the ship to whoever pays the most for it, and I'm the one who'll decide who the buyer's to be. Once that list circulates, the bidding war should start."

Justin nodded, then started as he read the name "Leftenant Andrew Redburn" on the list. The MechWarrior grinned easily. "Hmmm. I can see a few folks here who would be worth some nice ransoms."

Noton nodded. "So I told Lestrade even before seeing the list. His people balked at the fee, which exceeded his budget."

Justin stood and stretched. He took a second look at the passenger list, then closed the folder and handed it back to Noton. "And so, have others bought in?"

Noton glanced at his chronometer. "Well, Tsen Shang will be here in a hour. He'il offer 10,000, but I'll get him up to 25,000. Later I'll nail him on the ship's location." He smiled up at Justin. "What do you think? Are we partners?"

Justin smiled and gave Noton his good hand. "Till death do us part."

36

New Avalon

Crucis March, Federated Suns

5 May 3027

 

Hanse Davion looked up as Quintus Allard entered the office. The Minister glanced at the other man in the room, hesitated, then set a holodisc down on a table. "Forgive me, my Prince, I did not realize you were occupied."

The Prince stood and moved from behind his desk. "Not at all. Have you two met? Quintus Allard, Count of Kestrel and Minister of Intelligence Information and Operations, this is Baron Robere Gruizot. He's been sent by Duke Michael to ensure closer coordination of efforts between the Capellan March and the rest of the Federated Suns."

Quintus Allard had to force a smile as he shook hands with the noble from New Syrtis. Hanse saw it and understood, for it was truly difficult to look at Gruizot. Swarthiness and corpulence were often a problem of genetics, but this unkempt man's lack of personal hygiene were enough to make the Prince wish for Count Vitios in his place.

The Baron, his hand free of social duties, picked at his teeth. "Pleased to meet you, Quintus. I've heard much about you. Made sure I had my Kentares flu shots before I started out from home."

"So I gathered from your file." Quintus recovered the disc and stooped down before the Prince's playback unit. As Quintus straightened up slowly after loading the holodisc, Hanse thought he looked gray and haggard.

"How bad is it, Quintus?"

Quintus shook his head. "Things begin to unravel, my Prince." He moved to the chair that Hanse indicated for him, but swung it around for a view of both the holovid monitor and the Prince.

"Should I be leaving?" the Baron asked reluctantly.

Hanse Davion frowned. "Why would you leave? I have no secrets from Michael. You, as his representative, are due the same courtesy. We are, after all, nobles of the Federated Suns." The Prince pointed Gruizot to another chair, where the Baron seated himself like an obedient child. "Please, Quintus, continue with your briefing."

"Let me take it from the top." Quintus said wearily, and it almost seemed to Hanse that the man had deflated some.

"On 20 April, Justin Xiang killed Billy Wolfson in a challenge match. After that match, Justin made a statement. It took twenty days for it to get here." Quintus punched a button on the holovid deck's remote control. "Brace yourself, your Highness. This isn't pretty."

Justin, sweaty and still clad in cooling vest, stared out from the holoviewer's screen. The announcer's voice finished a question, and Justin smiled coldly. "What do I think of my opponents? I think Billy Wolfson is a prime specimen of the caliber of all Fed-erats. He was a short-sighted bigot who assumed, naturally, that his racial stock was superior to my mixed blood. He forgot that I had defeated him easily before. Or else he blamed that and my other victories on trickery. He could not admit that I was the superior MechWarrior, and that is what cost him his life."

The announcer's voice interjected. "But what about the Fed contingent's dominance of the fights here, especially in the Open Class."

Justin snorted derisively. "I know what you really mean to ask. Your real question is what do I think of Philip Capet?" Justin laughed humorlessly to cut off the announcer's weak denial. "Well, I'll tell you. Philip Capet is the perfect ape of Prince Hanse Davion. Davion is a coward who sends surrogates to do what he is not man enough to do himself. He plans campaigns, like the Galtor debacle, to kill valiant men, then conveniently forgets so that even more men die because of his inattentiveness. And that is just how Capet killed both Billy Wolfson and Peter Armstrong. He taught them what he believed it is to be a man, but did not remind them that the rules were different when they faced off with me."

"What do you mean, Justin?"

Justin's face hardened into a granite mask. "He told them that real men fight without enabling their ejection seats. He maintains that anyone who can punch out of a 'Mech will leave too early. He taught that to earnest young soldiers and got them killed in war. Likewise, he has preached that to MechWarriors, here, and they have died trying to conform to his idea of manhood. Yes, Capet and his master, Hanse Davion, are fearful men hiding behind anyone who will execute their orders—and the consequences be damned."

Quintus hit a button and the screen went black. Hanse Davion sat back in his chair. His steepled fingers masked the expression on his face, but nothing could conceal the fury in his eyes. Gruizot sputtered irate nonsense and glanced from the screen to Hanse and back again.

Quintus cleared his throat quietly. "Forgive me, my Prince. I know the message is vile, but it is not out of line with the usual drivel MechWarriors spout after their battles."

Hanse nodded slowly. "Justin has killed six pilots now?"

Quintus nodded. "All from the Federated Suns. Granted, they were scum and we are well rid of them."

Gruizot waggled his finger and perched himself on the edge of his seat. "But they were ournationals, Quintus."

Hanse saw Quintus frown impatiently at Gruizot, and spoke up quickly. "I fear Baron Gruizot is correct. We cannot have our nationals murdered just because they are from the Federated Suns. Could we have one of our agents terminate him?"

Quintus swallowed hard. "There is more, your Highness, and it will answer your question." Hanse nodded as Quintus continued. "According to a debriefing and report directly from our agent closest to Justin, it has been learned that Gray Noton was the pilot who wounded Justin on Kittery. She overheard Noton say something that indicated he was present at the battle. So present was he that our agent believes that Noton was piloting a Riflemanon Kittery."

Hanse's eyes narrowed. "I always thought an UrbanMechwas a poor choice to ambush a Stingercompany .. ."

Gruizot nodded emphatically. "My sentiments exactly, your Highness."

Quintus nodded his head toward the Baron. "Following the report from our agent, I had Analysis run a check on Gray Noton. The preliminary workup places him off Solaris within a window that would allow him to be on Kittery. Furthermore, I had them run a check on Justin's story concerning the battle against No-ton's available battles. Not only is Noton good, but he used a Riflemanalmost exclusively. On several occasions, he battled groups of Stingersusing the tactic exactly as Justin described."

Hanse nodded slowly. "Well, well . . . Let us recall your son. I will pardon him—a big public ceremony—and then I'll break Count Vitios."

Baron Gruizot looked horrified, but Quintus Allard did not allow him to comment. "I'm afraid Justin would not return for all the K-F drives in the Inner Sphere."

Gruizot frowned. "You say he's innocent, yet he wouldn't want to return?"

Hanse suppressed a smile. "Yes, Quintus. Explain yourself. This time, you're even losing me."

Quintus exhaled loudly. "After our agent made her report on Noton, she was ambushed. Noton had tumbled onto her activities some time before, but had kept quiet. I believe he realized that she'd reported his slip of the tongue, and had to get rid of her before she could let Justin in on it, too."

Hanse nodded. "Noton exposed her as our agent and killed her.. ."

Gruizot sniffed. "Pity to lose—"

"No, your Highness, she was not killed." Quintus fished a small sheet of paper from a pocket. "She was about to tell Justin what Noton had done to him, but Justin cut her off with a slap." Quintus raised his left hand and the Prince winced. "The blow broke her jaw. One of Noton's men meant to shoot her, but Justin stopped him. He gave her the following message for us both.

" 'You have driven me from you, yet you seek to maintain your hold upon me. I am not yours. I have never been yours. I will never be yours. Spare me your lies and plots and false information. You refused to call me friend. Now know me to be your worst enemy.' "

"Damn his insolence!" Hanse slammed his palm against the desk. "Every time we hope to offer him our hand in friendship, he makes it impossible." Hanse stared at his Minister. "Have we other agents in place to kill him?"

Quintus hesitated, then shook his head. "No. He has made inroads into the tongs in Cathay. He is the Capellan champion on Solaris, and many watch out for him. He's moved from the villa into Cathay itself. We cannot touch him there."

Hanse growled in frustration. "Who will he fight next?"

"He wants Philip Capet," Quintus said, "but Capet may not accept Justin's challenge. Capet fights in the Open Class, but Justin's modified Centurionis too small for that class. Capet is not a total fool. He is not likely to leap at a chance to fight Justin."

Hanse smiled. "Send a message, Priority Alpha, via ComStar. It goes to Philip Capet. Tell him this: If he delivers the head of Justin Xiang, I will buy him his own 'Mech regiment and give him a world."

"Brilliant planning, my Prince. Simply brilliant," cooed Baron Gruizot.

Hanse never heard the Baron's words of praise. He saw Quintus hesitate, then nod reluctantly. The fire slowly died in Hanse's eyes. "Forgive me, Quintus, for passing that order through you. I know Justin is your son, and this cannot be easy."

Quintus shook his head. "I helped give him life, and I hoped he would serve House Davion as I have." Quintus glanced toward the dark holovid screen. "If he had not betrayed us before, he has done so now. As you said that day, I no longer have a son named Justin."

Hanse nodded in agreement. "What of our agent on Solaris?"

The MHO Minister shook his head. "She has been exposed. Because of Noton's ties, I would guess that her identity is known to all our enemies."

Hanse paused for a second, then nodded slowly. "Recall her to New Avalon. I have another duty for her to perform. Let me know when she returns."

"Yes, Highness."

"Is there anything else, Quintus?"

The Minister managed a weak smile. "I do have some good news."

Hanse raised one eyebrow. "Does it balance the bad?"

Quintus nodded. "I think so. The Silver Eagleleft Tharkad on the 26th of April. It should enter Federated Suns space at Fomalhaut on or about the 20th of this month. We expect it to arrive on New Avalon by the middle of June."

Gruizot, whose ears had pricked up at the mention of a ship from the Lyran Commonwealth, frowned. "Why the interest in a commercial liner?"

Quintus looked at the Baron quizzically. "Didn't you know? Leftenant Andrew Redburn is returning on that ship. I thought that certainly youwould have monitored the travels of the Capellan March's newest hero."

Gruizot stammered nervously. "Well, you know, so many duties .. ."

Quintus nodded. "Indeed."

"This is welcome news," Hanse said, smiling broadly. "It does indeed balance the bad."

37

Skye

Isle of Skye, Lyran Commonwealth

 5 May 3027

 

Andrew Redburn held out Joana Barker's chair for her as they joined Hauptmann Erik Mahler, Ret., and his wife Hilda at their table. Mahler stood until Joana had taken her seat, then waved Andrew to his chair. "I have looked forward to this meal since I saw the schedule this morning." Mahler glanced up at the balcony where most of the celebrities took their meals. "I could hardly believe you would be dining with the untermensch."

Andrew smiled broadly. "Well, Hauptmann, you must know well from your own days in the harness that no MechWarrior could resist the charms of your wife and Joana here."

The gray-haired MechWarrior smiled and laid a hand over that of his blushing wife. "True enough, Leftenant." Mahler gave Andrew the wine list. "You will share some wine with us? And you, Ms. Barker? We tried the white from Nekkar last evening, and found it quite satisfactory."

Joana nodded her agreement, while Andrew said with a smile, "I agree, but only if we order two bottles and apply the cost to my bill. Consider it a gift of friendship from Prince Hanse Davion."

Mahler clapped his hands. "Done."

Joana shot Andrew a sidelong glance. "Generous with your leader's money, aren't you?"

Andrew unfolded his cloth napkin and spread it over his lap. "Indeed, Joana, did you not know that Prince Hanse Davion is a confirmed bachelor with no wife to spend all the Davion money for him?" Andrew hesitated and coughed lightiy into his right fist. "Besides, the Prince shares 'Mech technology with the Lyran Commonwealth. Could he fault me for sharing wine with the three of you?"

Hilda smiled and toyed with her long braid of white-blond hair. "We appreciate the gesture, Leftenant, and we have some love for your leader. We think, as do most Lyrans"—she looked to Joana, who gave an approving nod—"that the accords signed by the Archon and your Prince will mean good things to both our nations."

"Thank you, I share your hope for a prosperous and peaceful future."

The waiter arrived to serve the meals, while the wine steward poured a small amount of wine into Andrew's glass. After Andrew declared the vintage to be excellent, the steward also filled his companions' glasses. The dinner conversation wound its way pleasantly but lightly through the amusing chatter of strangers getting to know one another, but took a turn toward the serious as the waiter cleared the plates to serve brandy.

Mahler frowned as he stared into the golden liquid in his snifter. "As I recall, Leftenant, you were on Kittery. What do you think of this Justin Xiang?"

Andrew stiffened. "Justin Allard was my commander. I knew the man and liked him very much."

"Ja, but is he not a traitor?"

Andrew frowned. "Forgive me, Hauptmann Mahler, but I do not think so. I was present at that trial and it was more like a witch-hunt sponsored by Michael Hasek-Davion. It was a travesty, not a fair trial."

Mahler pursed his lips thoughtfully. "You say Allard's not a traitor, but what about his tirades against the Federated Suns? He has singlehandedly eliminated almost every Fed fighter on Solaris. It is nothing short of a vendetta, one even a Draconian might be proud of."

Andrew carefully folded his napkin and set it down on the table. "I can understand Justin's anger and resentment. I can understand how a true MechWarrior might hate those sham warriors on the Game World, and I can see how he could easily end up killing every one he faces .. ."

Joana leaned forward. "Forgive me, Andrew, but I do not think Hauptmann Mahler was impugning Xiang's skill as a MechWarrior. Even here in the Commonwealth, we saw holovids of his outburst in the courtroom. Hanse Davion offered him life. He even agreed that the execrable trial should never have been held.

He directed that the verdict be 'Innocent,' and it should all have ended right there."

Andrew's nostrils flared. "Excuse me, Miss Barker, but I would not expect you, a teacher, to understand what it is to be a MechWarrior." Andrew turned quickly to Mahler. "You, sir, retired after years of valiant service. How would you have taken to being a desk-jockey for the rest of your career? How would you have taken to being known as 'the one Hanse Davion saved from justice?' Could you have tolerated living with the doubt you'd surely see in people's eyes, or with the knowledge that the leader you loved and served so well did not believe in you?"

Mahler shook his head without a word, but Joana was not satisfied. "If Xiang loved his leader so much, how could he villify him? In the ship's holovid theater, I saw Xiang's most recent battle and heard his remarks about Hanse Davion. The man spews pure venom. If there ever was any love in him for his Prince, it has long since died."

Andrew stood abruptly. "If it died, Miss Barker, it died on a political altar. I hope that no one—be they Archon or Periphery Bandit King—believes that he has the right to do that to another human."

Andrew bowed his head to the Mahlers. "If you will excuse me .. ."