Текст книги " Blood Legacy"

Sian Commonality, Capellan Confederation

6 January 3052

The draft slipping through the open door drove a wispy dust spectre across the floor of the office as Sun-Tzu Liao entered. He carefully pressed the door shut behind him, releasing the doorknob slowly so that the latch made no sound. With his back to the doors, his slender fingers turned the deadbolt, once again sealing the chamber. With a satisfied grin, he saw from the single set of footprints in the dust that no one had been in the room since his last visit.

Of course no one else dared trespass because my mother, the omnipotent Romano Liao, Madam Chancellor of the Capellan Confederation, ordered this room shut twenty years ago.He looked around at the cobweb-festooned furnishings lit by the small bit of sun that penetrated the ivy-covered french doors leading to the garden. The room had not changed since Justin Xiang Allard had betrayed Maximilian Liao and left Sian with Candace at his side.

It had taken years for Sun-Tzu's curiosity and courage to overcome his terror of angering his mother. At the same time that he learned he could control her, he'd decided she was utterly insane. To prove his independence to himself and to escape one of her rages, he had opened Justin's old office one day.

Even now I cannot believe he is dead. What have you done, mother?Sun-Tzu crossed to the desk and stood staring at Justin's chair. "You had a metal hand replacing the one taken in combat, yet the layout of your desk does not reflect a right-handed bias. You worked with your handicap until it became an asset. This whole office is like that. It's no wonder you were able to bring the Confederation to its knees. It's only a wonder they ever found you out."

Sun-Tzu shook his head and cautioned himself against speaking to ghosts. Leave it to Mother and Kali to speak to the unseen.He shuddered. "How could you do this to me, Mother?"

Assassinating Candace and Justin was sheer lunacy. Yes, he knew it settled old scores for his mother. In her eyes, it avenged the death of her father and helped to restore the Confederation's honor. Bit it did nothing to weaken the Confederation's enemies, and Sun-Tzu dreaded the form Hanse Davion's retribution might take. There was a chance that the Prince of the Federated Commonwealth would find himself too busy with the Clans to strike back immediately, but Sun-Tzu had not the slightest doubt that Hanse Davion would make Romano pay for the killings.

But Sun-Tzu was not afraid of Hanse Davion. Not even the Fox suspected the game he had played on Outreach. It was true he'd failed in his plan to humiliate Kai in the final testing on Outreach, having grossly underestimated his cousin. But in the end it would all work in Sun's own favor, for everyone would underestimate him even more.

He'd played his role to the hilt on Outreach. He knew none of his enemies would dare trust him after his strange behavior, but they would not guess his true intentions, either. They believed him to be as mad as his mother, and would never suspect him capable of the bold moves he must soon make. Yes, things are falling into place.

Sun-Tzu's one wish was that he'd had more time to study his cousin and search out his weaknesses, as he had done with his uncle Tormana. For all his bluster, Tormana was more a holovid revolutionary than anything else. By his loud posturing, Tormana managed to keep donations flowing into his coffers from paranoid Feds from the Sarna and Capellan Marches. Some of that money did go to revolutionary cells within the Combine itself, but most of it went straight to Tormana's own Brazen Heart Cavaliers Regiment.

"Tormana is easy to control because the fighting of twenty years ago took the heart out of him. He has no real desire to rule the Capellan Confederation. Yet he is shrewd enough to know he must make some display of interest to earn the respect of his peers in the Federated Commonwealth. If conquest becomes difficult, if he feels himself vulnerable, he will do nothing to jeopardize himself. Come to think of it, Candace's death will be such a constant reminder of his own danger that it may yet serve a good purpose."

Sun-Tzu turned to look at Justin's chair once more. "But Kai is another matter. As long as he is fighting the Clans, he will not come after me. I am fortunate that he believes the Clans are a greater threat than the Capellan Confederation. Kai certainly is not a coward. I know now his bloodlines serve him well. When he is finally able to turn his attention this way, things will, indeed, get interesting. I must gather as much power as I can to oppose him. With Victor and Hanse behind him, Kai may well be invincible."

Sun-Tzu mentally played through a number of options and political scenarios as he decided what he must do to ensure his survival and that of the Capellan Confederation. Suddenly, a course of action presented itself to him in clear form. With a nod, he committed himself to a plan that would take at least five years to complete. The risk was great, but all he could lose was his life, and death seemed distinctly more desirable than life as he'd known it over the past two decades.

The sound of hollow laughter brought him out of his ruminations, but when he looked around, he saw only a shaft of sunlight impaling Justin's old chair. Sun-Tzu nodded in agreement with the room's phantoms. "It must be something in this room that nurtures thoughts of treason."

He smiled to himself and started for the door. "When the throne is mine, I will have this place destroyed."

47

Imperial City , Luthien

Pesht Military District, Draconis Combine

6 January 3052

Shin Yodama winced as the Kell Hound MechWarrior dabbed at the cut on his leg with a whiskey-soaked rag.

"Sorry about that." The silvery-haired warrior smiled. "It's better when ingested internally rather than applied topically. Still, we make what sacrifices we must in the name of medicine." He deftly cleaned away the dirt and dried blood, then smiled and adjusted his glasses. "Not very deep 'cept at the top. Couple of butterflies and you won't even have a scar."

Shin frowned and glanced at the name stenciled on the breast of the man's cooling vest. "Sumimasen,Murray Jack– san.Butterflies?"

The mercenary produced two small bandages from the pouch at his left hip. They looked like barbells to Shin. Jack pressed one square end above the cut and stretched the little center elastic piece, then fixed the other end below the wound. The elastic contracted, pulling the deepest part of the wound shut. The second butterfly went lower than the first and closed the wound even tighter.

"We call those bandages butterflies because they have two wings. For cuts like this, they're more useful than stitches." He looked around at all the bandage-swathed warriors milling around the ruins on the edge of Imperial City. "Besides, I'm out of thread."

Shin nodded in grim agreement. A couple of the Nova Cats had actually made it into the city and wrecked some outlying buildings, but a Dragoons airstrike had slapped them down. The Kado-guchi Valley had become a massive killing zone and the smoke still rising from burning 'Mechs streaked the sky with dozens of inky ribbons. The few Clanners who had survived the battle had been rounded up and held in a makeshift prison. Their DropShips had left before the battle ended, and Shin had heard a rumor that their commanders ordered them up out of disgust for their comrades' unsuccessful effort.

Shin helped Jack wrap gauze around his thigh. "For a MechWarrior, you are skilled in the ways of healing."

"Well, I was a doctor in a past life." Jack threw Shin a wink. "Morgan Kell encourages all of us to keep up on first aid techniques and the like. Given the occupational hazards of our work, it seems a wise thing to do."

"Hai!"Shin stood and tested his leg. "Thank you very much."

Jack shrugged. "My pleasure. I owed you anyway. If you'd not potshotted that MadCat,he would have roasted me in my Rifleman.Fighting from a legless 'Mech." He shook his head. "Damn glad you were on our side."

"As we were happy you were here to aid us." Hohiro Kurita patted Shin on the shoulder. "You are not badly injured, I hope?"

"Barely a scratch. I can walk, can't I?"

Jack nodded. "Just no running around. Keep it clean and you'll do fine."

"Domo arigato,Murray Jack -san." Shin shook the man's hand, then caught up with Hohiro. "Highness, I heard a rumor that you accounted for five kills."

Hohiro shrugged distractedly. "Really? I did not keep count. There were too many targets to worry about that."

Shin nodded. Reports had placed the size of the invading force at over eight hundred BattleMechs. The Combine had opposed them with just over thirteen hundred 'Mechs. If not for the added air support from the mercenaries, all the 'Mechs in the Combine would not have been enough to defeat the Clans. The battle for Luthien had been even closer than in Shin's worst nightmares.

With Shin in tow, Hohiro met up with his sister Omi, and the three headed toward the general headquarters. Throughout the journey, the Kanrei's children continually greeted and thanked the Mech Warriors in the area. They made no distinction between citizen and mercenary, and as nearly as Shin could tell, neither did the warriors. Battling side by side had forged an alliance of spirit that made all their previous differences trivial.

Down in the valley, Shin saw where the MechWarrior units were stationed. Of the two Kell Hound Regiments that came to Luthien, just over two battalions remained operational. Wolf's Dragoons had started with five full regiments and been reduced to two and a half. The Combine's six regiments had suffered similar grievous damage, with the Genyosha and the Second Legion of Vega faring the best, with only fifty-percent casualties. The Reserve regiment had been hurt most, with only three 'Mechs remaining operational at battle's end.

As they neared the makeshift tent headquarters, Shin saw a tableau that gave him a shudder. Theodore Kurita stood with the two mercenary commanders, Morgan Kell and Jaime Wolf, while Takashi Kurita remained well in the background. Nearby he saw MacKenzie Wolf with his foot in an aircast and Dan Allard with his right arm in a sling. Captain Jason Youngblood of the Kell Hounds' Crescent Hawk Company was also there, among the other mercenary officers who looked as though they had survived the fighting without too much wear and tear.

Theodore glanced at the trio as they approached, but made no effort to keep his conversation confidential. "There is no way I can adequately repay you for what you have done."

Morgan Kell smiled broadly. "Payment is not a problem, Kanrei. You will recall that we're on Hanse Davion's payroll. Your offer to let us be first out to salvage is more than gracious."

"Hell, your not shooting us out of the sky when we arrived insystem was more than I expected," Jaime Wolf chimed in. "And a chance to fight the Nova Cats again was the fulfillment of an old dream. Battling them to keep Luthien free makes it that much better."

Theodore nodded his appreciation to both men. "I know the relationship between the Combine and your two units has not been pleasant. That you came here and did as you have is inconceivable to many."

Morgan KelPs dark eyes glittered in the early morning light. "Remaining angry for twenty years is difficult, yet some of us manage it with no trouble at all. What is important is that helping you has helped the whole effort against the Clans. This isn't a victory for the Combine. It's a defeat for the Clans at the hands of the Inner Sphere. If nothing else, they have to start respecting us."

"This really settles nothing in the_old conflict, Kanrei, but that conflict does not involve you or the people of the Combine." Unresolved anger laced Jaime Wolf's words and Shin sensed they were meant for more than just the Kanrei's ears. "The problem between the Dragoons and the Combine is not for you to solve, and I have never held it against you. The Smoke Jaguars and Nova Cats had this coming to them, so I'm happy to have been here to stamp 'paid' on their account."

Morgan offered Theodore his hand. "We'll have a chance to speak again, I'm sure. Right now, though, I've got some salvage parties to organize."

"Likewise." Jaime shook Theodore's hand after Morgan. "Your troops are damned good, Kanrei. In the old days, the Cats would have eaten you alive."

As the mercenary leaders left, Theodore turned to his children and Shin. "What are your impressions of our situation, Hohiro?"

"Morale is good. We've lost more than fifty percent of our machinery, but we had less than twenty percent pilot fatalities. In a month, we should be able to field 75 percent of the forces we started with and bring another five percent on line per month after that. Everyone is itching to have another go at the Clans now that we've seen they're not invincible."

"There was no doubt we would win this battle." Takashi Kurita entered their circle to stand between Theodore and Omi. "We had no choice."

Theodore turned on his father. "I agree with the latter half of your statement, but not the first. If not for the mercenaries, Luthien would now be in enemy hands."

Takashi's face closed. "We would never have surrendered."

"That's true, Coordinator, but we would have been fighting from another base of operation." Theodore frowned heavily. "Can you not bring yourself to end your conflict with the mercenaries? You owe them Luthien and you owe them your respect. Is it not time to admit you were wrong and come to peace with Wolf and Kell?"

"They have my gratitude and respect, and they know that. If I am to maintain their respect, however, 1 cannot say I was wrong, because I was not." Takashi's eyes sharpened. "Both Morgan Kell and Jaime Wolf believe it is unjust to expect noble warriors to commit suicide because they have not fulfilled their duty and their honor. They believe I could have prevented brave warriors they once knew from choosing such an end. This is the source of their enmity toward me, though other incidents have exacerbated it. Certainly their employer, Hanse Davion, has not tried to make them see the situation in any other light."

Theodore jammed his fists on his hips. "It was Hanse Davion who ordered their units here. Because he has agreed to send no Federated Commonwealth units into the Combine, he lent us his mercenaries instead. He has been able to change his thinking in the last twenty years. Why have you remained so ... so ..."

"Obstinate?" No flicker of amusement passed over Takashi's face. "I have remained resolute because I am correct. I no more doomed Yorinaga Kurita or Minobu Tetsuhara than I have any other man or woman who has committed seppuku.That act is one of personal atonement and redemption of honor. It is an individual choice that I respect. For me to do less, either then or now, would tarnish the honor of those who have the courage to cleanse themselves in such manner.

"However, my son, I will take issue with your assertion that I am not capable of change." Takashi looked beyond Hohiro at the remains of the battlefield. "Colonel Wolf was correct when he said that, given the old ways, the Clans would have destroyed us. You were correct in setting Shin Yodama as a brake on my anger and my need for glory. The defense of Luthien is not a victory for the mercenaries, it is a victory for your foresight and your generation."

Takashi's words, drained of the strident tones he used when speaking of the mercenaries, clearly shocked Theodore. "What are you saying father?"

"I am saying that I see the wisdom of your vision for the Combine. I regret having opposed you because it made the changes you made more difficult to accomplish. Yet I rejoice in the strength you have discovered in facing my opposition. You will have to persevere now without my objections, though I hope you will welcome my counsel from time to time."

The Coordinator of the Draconis Combine draped his right arm over his son's shoulders. "This House, though divided against itself, has defeated the Clans twice. Imagine their distress when they learn we now devote all our energies to fighting them together."