Текст книги "Riposte"

Автор книги: Michael A. Stackpole

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4

New Avalon

Cruris March, Federated Suns

21 October 3027

The image of Lord Victor Robertson smiled out from the holovid screen. "And so, my Prince, Justin Xiang read your note aloud, as he had been so commanded. You would have loved the look of dread that turned his face pale. Trapped between you and Maximilian Liao, he suddenly came to the realization that you could reach him even in the heart of the Capellan capital."

The Ambassador let his unbridled pleasure at the tale he was about to relate show on his face. "When Liao heard the words Xiang was reading, he snatched the paper from him and read it over to himself. Then he ripped the note into a cloud of scraps, and stared down at me." Robertson hunched his shoulders and thrust an imperious finger at the audience. In a fair imitation of Liao's hoarse and angry hiss, the Ambassador continued. "Leave here immediately, you jackanapes. Tell your master that this is an outrage!"

The Ambassador bowed his head. "I regret to report, my Prince, that I was not able to carry away a formal reply to your message."

Hanse Davion hit the pause button on the remote control and froze his Ambassador's image on the screen. He turned and smiled easily at the other two men in the room. His light blue eyes flashed with pure pleasure. "The Ambassador did well."

"Indeed." Quintus Allard, the acting Minister of Intelligence, Information, and Operations nodded his white-maned head toward the leader of the Federated Suns. "Not only does he accurately portray Chancellor Liao in a rage, but his report of the people assembled 'by chance' in the throne room indicates that something was up."

The third man in the room wore the blue and gold uniform of a Colonel in Davion's House Guards. "You don't suppose Hanse's note to Michael was being discussed in that room, do you?"

Hanse Davion stared at his best friend. "Once again, Ardan Sortek, your ability to locate a needle within a haystack amazes me."

Ardan shrugged. "As much as I hate politics, Hanse, you know I despise traitors more." Ardan turned his attention from the red-haired Prince to Quintus Allard. "Michael got his note on the tenth. Could the news have been transmitted that quickly to Sian?"

Quintus nodded. "For a huge fee, ComStar can transmit anything across space very quickly. I would guess that the information in that note to Michael would have been considered important enough to be sent by the quickest possible means. Even though we all agree that Michael must be working with Liao, proof of their collusion is not conclusive, and some facts might even contraindicate the idea of their partnership."

Hanse stood and walked from the overstuffed chair back to his ancient wooden desk. "Break it down simply, Quintus. What do we have that suggests Michael was the one who transmitted the information?"

The Minister smiled. "Within two hours of receiving your message, Michael demanded an audience with the Capellan Ambassador, Serge Korigyn. The meeting was short, and by some reports, very heated. Aides believed, at one point, that the two would come to blows."

Hanse nodded. "Nothing in the meeting has been taken as an information transfer?"

Quintus shook his head. "We only have a written transcript of the meeting. As you know, we have still been unable to get recording devices in: Michael is paranoid about them and has the place swept constantly. My cypher section has poured over the words and they cannot discover the trace of any code in them. We've even tried correlating the speech patterns with other speeches or conversations we have on file for either man. The meeting dialog came across as natural and unrehearsed."

Ardan frowned. "I had really hoped that this trap of yours would work, Hanse. We knew the information would be irresistible to Michael—and vital to Liao."

Quintus held up a hand to calm Ardan. "Michael's not out of the woods yet, Colonel. He summoned Korigyn from a hunting lodge, and the Ambassador appeared in full regalia—everything from rubber waders and a warm jacket to a bird dog. At one point, when the Duke and the Ambassador stood nose to nose arguing, the dog began to howl."

Hanse lifted an eyebrow. "The dog was trying to protect its master?"

Quintus laughed. "Reports from the field agents we slip into the Capellan Embassy from time to time report that this dog has no territorial instincts at all. In fact, the agents say that for a scratch behind the ears and some treats, the dog will stand guard while they're placing bugs around the compound. No, it was not protecting its master. I think something hurt it."

Ardan stood and crossed to the small bar in the corner to Hanse's right. "What do you mean, hurt it?" He opened a refrigerator and withdrew a bottle of soda water. "Nobody in the room hit the animal, did they?"

Quintus shook his head, both to answer the question and to refuse the refreshment Ardan offered him. "You may recall that some of our people hypothesize that Michael was using a sonic transfer device to shoot encoded data over to a Capellan agent? Because we can't record in the office, I never had any proof. I'm willing to bet, though, that a sound at a frequency too high for a Human to hear would probably sound like a piercing shriek to the dog. It's flimsy, but we'll work on it."

Ardan smiled. "What will you do, bug the dog?"

Quintus nodded. "Orders to that effect went out last night."

Hanse frowned. "Something you said earlier bothers me. That there was evidence to contradict collusion between Michael and Max Liao. Explain, because if this is true, we're working a strategy on a very shaky foundation."

The Minister nodded slowly. "Don't take what I said as a denial of Michael's treason. Never doubt it. Michael isselling us out. Liao's troop movements are perfectly consistent with the figures and strengths we send Michael. There is even some movement on the Draconis border that suggests Liao is leaking information to Takashi Kurita. Fortunately, the information we've been passing Michael could be considered, at best, flawed. In fact, because of Liao's reliance upon Michael, some indications show Capellan field operations to be withering in our area."

Hanse pursed his lips. "So, what is it that makes you think Michael and Max are not working fist in glove?"

Quintus laughed. "Well, just as we are sending Michael false information, it appears he is doing the same to Max Liao. Michael faithfully and accurately passes along information on Federated Suns troops and operations, but he has been altering the reports of his own troop strengths. We know this by the way Liao has been posting troops facing Michael's forces. The Liao garrisons are 10 to 20 percent understrength for the troops they are facing."

"Why, that little weasel!" Ardan shook his head. "Can't trust him at all. Is he loyal to anything?"

Hanse nodded slowly. "Michael is loyal to House Hasek. His father, Duke George Hasek, worked hard to improve the family fortunes, and Michael grew up believing in the 'Hasek Destiny.' He married my half-sister Marie to ensure a place in the line of succession, and until I marry and my wife bears me a child, Michael's son Morgan is, technically, my heir."

Hanse leaned back and steepled his fingers. We could have worked together, Michael. You would have been where Quintus Allard is now if you'd not chosen to work for yourself instead of the Federated Suns. You have never understood that your father made the family famous through his service to the Federation."It is a pity that Michael has strayed so far from the fold."

Ardan shook his head. "Whatever happens, he'll have brought it on himself. He wants to play both ends against the middle, and it just won't work."

Hanse nodded his agreement. He glanced down at his desk and picked up a piece of paper. "By the way, Quintus, I want you to congratulate Sarah Hebert for her work on those documentary features that have been showing on the networks. According to our polls, acceptance of the alliance and the people's positive impressions of Melissa are up sharply."

The Minister smiled and nodded. "I will tell her. She's asked if she can do a docu-drama about the Kell Hound rescue of the Silver Eagle.She only knows the public story about the Kell Hounds going in to pull a Lyran official out of Kurita hands. I thought that perhaps she could work on the project, and if it is written correctly, we could give her the real facts toward the end of the project. She could shoot some new scenes with an actress who looks like Melissa and the program could be broadcast soon after your wedding."

Hanse frowned. "I like your idea, Quintus, and I think it would be a fine idea for her to produce a program about the rescue. The difficulty I have with shifting the focus late in the project is that it won't focus the story on the Kell Hounds. I'd rather have a vid on that incident be full of action and with emphasis on duty, loyalty, and patriotism than let it turn into some sort of romance capitalizing on my new wife's image." The Fox smiled. "Let her do the first one with the focus on Patrick Kell and his sacrifice. Later, we'll give her the facts and let her do 'the Real Story.' "

"As you wish, my Prince."

I am indeed fortunate to have you with me, Quintus. And you. too, Ardan."One more thing, gentlemen. Tomorrow we release the news of my betrothal to the people, but a few of the details are still incomplete." Hanse turned toward Ardan Sortek. "If you have nothing else to do on the 20th of August next year, Ardan, would you consider being my best man?"

Ardan's bottle stopped halfway to his mouth. "I, ah, Hanse, you honor me."

The Prince chuckled at his friend's surprise. "Dan, we've known each other for a long time, and a closer friend in these worlds I do not have. You alone stood with me when Maximilian Liao managed to substitute a double for me. If not for you, I wouldn't even be here, and the whole of the Federated Suns would be in ruins. How could I choose another man to stand with me?"

Ardan sighed heavily. "All that praise just for being your friend. Just to be asked means a great deal, Hanse. I don't know how to thank you enough."

"It's simple, Ardan. Just say yes."

Hanse's broad grin began to shrink as Ardan hesitated. "I wish it were that simple, Hanse. Were you just my friend asking me to stand with you, I would accept without question." Ardan met Hanse's ice-blue eyes. "Please understand, Hanse. I dearly love Melissa, and I know there will be nothing but happiness for the two of you. I do, honestly, wish you all the best. . ."

The Prince lowered his eyes. "But you will not stand beside me. . ."

Glumly, Ardan shook his head. "I cannot, Hanse, because you're more than my friend." Ardan pounded his fist on the bar. "The one time you act without considering the political angles– as I wish you could act all the time—is the one time you shouldconsider the politics. And just my luck, too." Ardan leaned heavily forward on the bar. "For the sake of all you hold dear, I have to refuse in favor of another."

Hanse brought his head back up slowly. What have you in mind, my apolitical friend?"Give, Ardan. What sort of plot is that festering in your brain?"

Ardan straightened up. "No plot, Hanse. Just clearer thinking than you've allowed yourself on this subject. I would suggest that as your best man, you employ Morgan Hasek-Davion."

Hanse blinked twice. "Morgan?" The Prince frowned and thought. Choosing Morgan would send a signal to the people of the Capellan March that I have not forgotten them, but what would it say to Michael?The Prince turned toward Quintus Allard. "Opinion?"

Quintus chewed on his lower lip for a moment. "Yes," he said thoughtfully. "That choice would be appropriate in a number of ways. Morgan is well-known and popular both in the Capellan March and throughout the rest of the Suns. In essence, because he is your 'heir,' single, and a MechWarrior with a good reputation, he plays well as a subject for the media. Morgan is most often linked with holovid stars in the trash magazines, but his performance with the Heavy Guards has won him praise in military circles."

Ardan shot Quintus a wink. "Not only that, but remember when he hosted the Prince's Humanitarian Awards and Charity Ball last June while you were off on Northwind? I saw a vid of that whole thing later and he came off as witty, charming, and likeable."

Hanse shook his head and held up his hands. "I understand how well people like him. Ilike him. I brought him to New Avalon as a hostage against his father, and everyone knew it. But Morgan seemed to forget why he'd been called from New Syrtis. In just a few months, he 'owned' my people and this world." Why can't you two see what is my real concern about him?"Dammit, gentlemen, he's a Hasek!"

"Hanse, he's a Davion!" Shaking his head, Ardan stepped from behind the bar and positioned himself in front of the Prince. "I've talked to him here, in court, at parties, in the barracks, and during operations for Galahad. He's a Davion, through and through. His father may despise you, but Morgan sees himself asa Davion. His first duty is to your House, and you'll never know how thrilled he was to be called to New Avalon." Ardan stared at his friend. "If he's disloyal, I can't see it."

Hanse frowned impatiently. "Reading disloyalty is not your job, Ardan. Quintus, what say you?"

Quintus smoothed the white hair at the nape of his neck. "Everything I have on Morgan echoes what Ardan says."

"Yes, but how certain are you of the information?"

Quintus looked puzzled. "Sire?"

Hanse held up his hands. "Take it for granted, gentlemen, that I believe what you have to say about Morgan. That said, let us look at this from a worst-case scenario. Maximilian Liao and Takashi Kurita ascended to their throne by engineering coups that 'eliminated' their own fathers. With the marriage threatening to move Morgan out of the succession, he would be motivated to strike, were he so inclined. And there will be ample opportunities for him to do so, especially if he is my best man. I can't cast him in that role and then have you, Quintus, making security arrangements without letting him know about them. That would put the lie to any good will we might get out of this choice."

Ardan snorted derisively. "Now you're getting toopolitical, Hanse. What do you want to do, slip a spy in on Morgan?"

Light glinted in the Prince's eyes. "Better that than be slain at the altar." He looked over at Quintus. "The agent we used to keep tabs on your son Justin on Solaris VII... the woman whose jaw he broke. What was her name?"

"Lady Kym Sorenson."

Hanse looked away, his eyes focusing distantly. "She has recovered from her injuries and is prepared to work again?"

The Prince's spymaster nodded. "She's even here on New Avalon, sire. Enrolled as a student at the New Avalon Institute of Science to monitor suspected ComStar ROM agent activity."

"Shift her primary focus away from that. Keep her at the NAIS. That's good cover, but I have a more important mission for her." The Prince glanced at an appointment calendar on his desk. "I'll have a party to celebrate my betrothal a week from Friday. Morgan will be there, of course. By then, I expect him to be escorting Lady Kym. I want her to determine the depth of his loyalty."

"As you will, my Prince."

Hanse sat back and smiled to himself. Yes. Morgan is an excellent choice. If his loyalty does prove true, his appointment will reap other fruit as well. It will tell Michael Hasek-Davion that no matter how strong he believes himself and House Hasek, I have his son. And in Morgan, I have House Hasek itself.

5

Zaniah III

Isle of Skye, Lyran Commonwealth

22 October 3027

Captain Daniel Allard stared out the aircar's window as the reddish-yellow wasteland flashed below and beside at dizzying speeds. The aircar's shadow raced ahead of the craft, flittering like a black spectre over the uneven desert landscape. The driver, a Brother from the monastery, clearly enjoyed racing the vehicle over the kilometers of trackless canyons and long-dead lava flows that separated St. Marinus House from the rest of Zaniah III.

How will I ever tell Morgan that his brother is dead?Dan swallowed hard against the lump rising in his throat. Patrick used to tell me that the way to tell next of kin should be whatever way I'd want to hear about the death of my own kin.Watching the wild landscape rush past, Dan thought about the sad irony that now he'd be using the dead Patrick's advice to announce the man's own passing.

Brother Keith banked the aircar around a massive red sandstone column and down into a valley. "Not too much longer, Captain Allard."

Dan managed a weak smile. "Thanks." He wiped his brow against his forearm. "Hot here, isn't it?"

The cleric nodded. "And this is the cooler season. Morgan says that were the desert a BattleMech cockpit, the computers would constantly be threatening to shut down and most pilots would have fainted from the heat."

Dan nodded, then shot a cautious glance at Brother Keith. "How is he?"

"Morgan Kell?"

"Yes."

Brother Keith inhaled slowly, then frowned. "I've only been here for the last five years, so I've only known him that long. He's been here ... what... eleven years?"

Dan nodded. "Since 3016."

"Right." Brother Keith shrugged. "A lot of what I know is from what others have told me—which isn't that much, because people here aren't much given to gossip. I've been told, though, that living here has done wonders for him. He's come to grips with most of the demons haunting his soul, though he maintains that some things still prevent him from formally entering the order." Brother Keith smiled. "Pity. He's a good man."

Yeah. I can recall a time when I would have made the same comment about Morgan.Dan swallowed and remembered the day that had been the proudest of his life till then. Despite the layers of conflicting emotions around it, the memory raised a smile. When Morgan showed me the letter from Hanse Davion assigning me to the Kell Hounds for my six years with the Armed Forces of the Federated Suns, hell, that was better than graduating from the New Avalon Military Academy at 18.Not only had Dan managed to enter and exit that academy younger than anyone else in its history, but one of the hottest mercenary units in the Successor States had asked for him. He had felt higher than the universe that night, but the fall was as swift and surprising as the rise.

Brother Keith glanced over at the slender, blue-eyed man who was his passenger. "You were there, weren't you? You were on Mallory's world when it happened to him . . ."

Dan stiffened. "You mean his last battle? The one with Yorinaga Kurita?" He nodded slowly. "If that's the fight you're talking about, yes, I was there. If you mean the 3013 campaign when Yorinaga killed Prince Ian Davion, no, I wasn'tthere. I'd not joined the Kell Hounds at that point."

Brother Keith slid the aircar down a small slope and into a broad arroyo. Sand and dust billowed up around the vehicle, but the cleric managed to keep ahead of the cloud. "Yes, I meant the 3016 battle. What really happened to Morgan?"

Dan hesitated and the seconds-long silence felt heavy and awkward. "I'm sorry. I don't mean to pry," Brother Keith said apologetically. "It's just that Morgan always seems so normal and friendly and open until the conversation touches on his past. I don't mean to suggest that anyone is trying to dig into his background ... Anyway, the history of the Kell Hounds is an open book. Open, except for what happened in that battle on Mallory's World."

Dan forced a grin but there was no smile in his eyes. "No offense taken, Brother Keith. As they say in MechWarrior circles, 'No autopsy, no foul.' What happened in that battle has never been a closed or hidden story." Dan's reserve began to thaw as dread drained from his insides. "You just haven't spoken to anyone who knows about it."

Brother Keith swallowed and steered the aircar around a huge Hydra cactus. "I must confess, Captain Allard, that before I realized my vocation, I dreamed of leaving the regular army and joining a mercenary company. I read all I could about contemporary merc MechWarriors. I devoured Jay Mitchell's book about the battles for Mallory's World. But his account of the final battle, in Hell's Anvil,seemed so unreal."

Dan sighed heavily. "Mitchell fictionalized much of the last third of the book. Granted that the Kell Hounds weren't talking much at the time that Mitchell was finishing up the book, and the Draconis Combine had scattered the men in command of the Second Sword of Light. That guy Mitchell ended up drawing on unreliable sources to create what he thought was the only possible explanation for how a single mercenary battalion could have driven an elite Draconis Regiment from the field."

Brother Keith nodded. "I heard and read about how good the Kell Hounds were, but I couldn't see how your First 'Mech battalion could hold off Yorinaga's regiment. It couldn't be done, no matter how much time you'd had to prepare or how good your defenses were."

Dan nodded. Those were my thoughts exactly as I watched their DropShips burning into the atmosphere above us. We'd already heard how elements of the 36th Dieron Regulars had pinned down our 2nd Mech Battalion far to the north. We knew there would be no reinforcements coming to save us.

"Mitchell was right when he suggested our defenses were good. We had created a situation where the Kurita 'Mechs had to come in at us in places where we had overlapping fields of fire. If you look at our defensive positions and the reported strength of the Kell Hound First 'Mech Battalion back in those days, and compare them with our reported strength after the battle, well, it looks like our defenses paid off. The big problem with that approach—the approach that Mitchell used—was that our 'Mechs were in the same shape before the battle as after it. We'd not lost any 'Mechs in the earlier battles, which is a credit to our Techs, but we weren't all up to full strength, either."

The aircar left the arroyo and sped across flat desert expanses. Brother Keith pointed toward a red mesa rising tall above the shimmering heat of the desert. "That's St. Marinus." He glanced over at Dan. "So, Captain Allard, what did happen?"

Dan shrugged heavily and winced as the slight pain from a recent collarbone break lanced down from his left shoulder. I'll tell you the part you can understand."Colonel Kell—Morgan– marched his Archerdown out of our defenses. He opened a channel to the Draconis commander, Yorinaga Kurita. In Japanese, after Kurita fashion, Morgan slowly gave an accounting of his lineage and the Kells' proud history as MechWarriors. It's an old tradition among samurai, and one still respected within the Draconis Combine. It honors the combatants."

Dan stared straight ahead while the landscape blurred past. "Yorinaga Kurita walked his Warhammerout in front of the Second Sword of Light regiment. In turn, he gave an accounting of his lineage in English. Once he'd finished, the two 'Mechs closed."

Brother Keith frowned. "Closed? The Archeris armed with long-range missiles as its main weaponry. Why would Morgan close with a Warhammer?"

Dan shook his head. "I don't know. The Warhammer,with its particle projection cannons, short-range missiles, medium and small lasers, is built for close combat. Morgan came in at Yorinaga, and never used his LRMs. He used the medium lasers in his Mech's arms and scored hit after hit on the Warhammer.Yorinaga staggered the use of the two PPCs so that Morgan couldn't rush him while the Warhammerran hot. He also used his SRMs and lasers to keep Morgan at bay."

Dan's voice dropped to a deeper bass rumble. "Morgan hit the Warhammer'sright PPC twice and it appeared he'd knocked it out. Then he moved in quickly, perhaps intending to use his Archer'shands against the Warhammeror to get inside the PPCs optimum range. That's when Yorinaga brought the right PPC up and its charging coils came to life.

"That bolt of blue lightning sheared straight through the Archer'sright shoulder." Dan stopped and his eyes focused distantly. When I saw that limb drop to the ground and Morgan'sArcher stumble to its knees, I knew he was done for. I saw the targeting image of his 'Mech fade from my scanner screens, but I never questioned how it was possible for that to happen. I guess because I knew it was some kind of omen.

"Yorinaga moved closer and raised both PPCs. He pointed them straight at Morgan's Archeras it knelt there helplessly. Somehow, though, the twin bolts flashed around the Archerand ripped jagged furrows through the ground beyond it. Morgan answered by triggering two flights of LRMs."

The cleric frowned. "But he was far too close for them to be effective, wasn't he?"

Dan nodded. "The flight was too short for the missiles to arm themselves, but that didn't matter. They battered the Warhammer,crushing its armor and bathing the 'Mech in fire as propellant exploded. Missiles spun the Warhammer,but somehow Yorinaga kept the 'Mech on its feet. Morgan's desperate tactic had failed to destroy his enemy."

Dan tugged at the aircar's shoulderstrap and leaned forward. "Yorinaga threw everything at Morgan's Archer,but it didn't matter. SRMs flew off wildly and exploded in random patterns across the landscape. Lasers and PPCs passed around or wide of the Archeras though Yorinaga had been blinded by the attack. His Warhammerwas definitely operational, but he allowed the Archerto struggle to its feet."

Dan licked dry lips, remembering how the Archerhad simply vanished from all their screens. Every ghost story he'd ever heard about 'Mechs piloted by men who had already died in the battle filled his mind. Seeing the Archerstand upright, he had believed that Morgan was dead and it was his ghost that now drove the Archer. How wrong was I?

"Morgan levered the Archerup off the ground with its good arm, then just stood there as Yorinaga's assault stormed around him. Morgan didn't return fire. He closed the LRM launch pods and opened the Archer'sempty left hand. Then, in a move both subtle and elegant, he finished off Yorinaga."

"What? What did he do?"

Dan chuckled lightly. "He bowed."

"Bowed?" Brother Keith shook his head as the aircar dropped down the last hillside and raced toward the towering mesa. "I think Mitchell's account is more believable."

Dan smiled wryly. "There are times, Brother Keith, when I share your belief. Morgan made the Archerbow, and Yorinaga immediately stopped his attacks. The Warhammerexecuted a similar, yet deeper, bow, then straightened up and Yorinaga cracked his 'Mech's canopy."

Brother Keith smiled. "That's when he threw out his two swords, the katanaand wakizashi."

Dan frowned. "That's not in Mitchell's book."

Brother Keith shrugged. "I know, but I've seen the blades. Morgan has them hanging on his wall. Those blades are over three hundred years old, did you know?"

Dan nodded absently. So Morgan did take the blades with him when he left."Yorinaga ordered the Second Sword of Light to retreat. One Lieutenant dared broadcast a protest, suggesting that

Yorinaga had been injured. Yorinaga destroyed the Lieutenant's 'Mech in a withering assault. Out of respect for their commander, the rest of the unit withdrew as commanded."

"What about Yorinaga's death haiku?" the cleric asked as the red-rock mesa housing the monastery filled the aircar's view-screen and heralded the journey's end.

Dan shook his head. "It wasn't a death haiku. I've heard it translated as:

Yellow bird I see.

The gray dragon hides wisely.

Honor is duty.

"The gray dragon is the Second Sword of Light. That's their regimental patch. The Yellow Bird is a bit of Draconian mythology . . . it's supposed to be the only enemy the Dragon knows. A lot of the analysts I've talked with since seem to think that Yorinaga saw, in Morgan, or the Kell Hounds, or the battle for Mallory's World, something that would destroy the Combine. He decided, at all costs, that he must withdraw from the fight and inform the Coordinator of what he had seen."

Brother Keith nodded and slowed the aircar. He steered it toward an arched opening tall enough for even a ten-meter-high 'Mech to pass with ample headroom. As the aircar passed through the opening and into the mesa's hollowed and shadowy interior, the temperature dropped sharply from the sweltering heat of the desert. Brother Keith brought the aircar to a stop near the base of a stairway carved from the mesa's blood-red stone.

The aircar's gull wing doors slid up and Dan peeled himself from the vinyl seat. When he straightened up, the MechWarrior towered over both Brother Keith and another, rounder, balding Brother who had arrived at the base of the stairs in time to greet both driver and passenger. Dan narrowed his eyes. Shave off twenty years, six or seven kilos, give him back his hair, and that guy'd be the spitting image of Hermann Steiner.

The elder Brother extended his hand to the mercenary. "I am Brother Giles, Abbot of St. Marinus House. I bid you welcome, Hauptmann Allard. Ah, forgive me. You Kell Hounds use the term Captain, I believe."

Dan nodded slowly. Thisis Hermann Steiner!Steiner was the man who had resigned his commission as Commander of the Second Royal Guards to keep those who supported his brother Alessandro from using him as a force against Katrina Steiner. So this is where he ended up."Thank you for meeting me, Brother Giles. I would like to see Morgan Kell as soon as possible."

The Abbot nodded gravely. "I understand, Captain Allard, but I wish to speak with you first. St. Marinus House is a sanctuary for MechWarriors who renounce the violence of their past." Brother Giles turned and waved Dan up the stairs. "Our community is named for a martyr who chose not to renounce God to win a promotion to the rank of centurion. Because the men who are here have come of their own free will, I attempt to shield them from the outside world."

"I appreciate your concern, Abbot, but I would not have come all this way if it were not a matter of the utmost importance."