Part Four - Dieudonne

My stage is shared by many millions

Who lift their hands up high because they feel this

We are one we are strong

The more you hold us down the more we press on

Chapter 22

Kirin River, Irian

Free Worlds League

25 August 3065

Several weeks and scores of light years later, if not in a straight line, the cousins met again in Isis' mansion on Irian. Jumpship diplomacy was wearing, Isis had found. She hadn't even visited a planet, simply hopped from system to system and engaged in long range transmissions with the leaders of the worlds she was travelling past. Travelling to the planets and back would have taken about twice as long as was needed for the jumpship drive to recharge, so to visit as many people as possible she'd spent much of her time at jump points.

The meeting room was more of a secondary dining hall, but Isis had ordered a modern holo-display installed so it could serve for conferences. At the moment, the entire Free Worlds League hung in the air above the table, casting a purplish glow across the faces of those present.

"Your grace, I'm happy to attend this meeting." Lucy Mountash's face suggested less than total sincerity. "However, as I understand it, the provincial government remains Irian's Board of Directors." The general of the Seventh Free Worlds Legion had the decency not to add 'rather than you' to that statement.

"I've discussed this with Sigmund Hughes," Isis replied, having expected this. The meeting with Irian's CEO had been gruelling but with one of his major supporters, the Humphries voting bloc, on shaky ground, Isis had been able to bring him around. She tapped a control on her comm and sent a file to the FWLM officers present. One of those little groundwork details that let her not only keep the meeting going but also to look organised and on top of things. Of such details, leadership was made.

"I've sent you all copies of a formal decision of the board, appointing me as ambassador plenipotentiary of the Irian provincial government, with full authority to negotiate on their behalf with other Free Worlds provinces and federal authorities, including the military."

It was an exceptionally open-ended remit, but either Hughes or Isis could cancel it essentially at will. Of course, the moment either of them did, that would also terminate Hughes' authority to vote as Isis' proxy during shareholder meetings. For now it would serve them equally well - Isis could essentially direct Irian's foreign policy with Hughes' backing, while he would retain and even enhance his dominance over the Board of Directors. And best of all, from his point of view, it would mean Isis spending even more time off Irian.

Kelian Brackley was the first to finish reading the document. "This seems to be in order," the commander of the Twelfth Atrean Dragoons confirmed. "I trust that you won't be asking anything that would violate our oaths to the Free Worlds League?"

Mountash eyed him and then nodded. Isis hid a sigh of relief. Brackley had been brought in by Alys, who had an old friend in the Twelfth Dragoons, but he was also well acquainted with General Mountash. The two of them had served together during the 3058 invasion of the Federated Commonwealth.

"I respect those oaths and your commitment to them," Isis assured Brackley. "We are faced by a civil war and I've had more opportunity than most people in this room to see how damaging those can be."

"By all reports from the Federated Commonwealth, their conflicts were devastating," agreed Mountash.

Isis shook her head. "Predictions by Victor Steiner-Davion's staff were for a conflict lasting three to four years as their best case scenario. If Peter Steiner-Davion hadn't returned and so suddenly tipped the balance on New Avalon, it is very probable that the Steiner-Davions would still be fighting each other, at the same horrendous cost in both material, infrastructure and lives. On Coventry, a warship bombarded the surface - I was in the system at the time - and a similar attempt was only narrowly averted over Kathil. And now we have not only regiments taking sides between the factions claiming the Captain-Generalcy but warships. Indeed, more than a dozen warships are reported as having left their patrol areas without orders, and it's unclear who, if anyone, they answer to."

"So what do you want from us?" Colonel Reissing cut to the heart of the issue.

"There's going to be considerable pressure on all of us to pick sides," Alys told him. She indicated the holo-map. "With the Prince of Regulus declaring himself as Captain-General, there's now a three-sided war, which could potentially rage across most of the League with three of the largest provinces each taking different sides. But there are still sizeable areas where none of the three claimants have a strong power base."

The colonel of the Thirteenth Marik Militia nodded slowly. "In particular, our border with the Federated Commonwealth."

The Capellan border region was a network of comparatively powerful provinces that had enlarged themselves at the expense of their weaker neighbor since the fall of the Star League, almost three centuries before. In contrast, the Lyran border had always been a more even contest, with worlds changing hands back and forth. As a result, there were very few multi-systems provinces along the border, and none to rival the great powers of the Free Worlds League.

But as a result, there were few leaders who could bring great swathes of the border to the side of Corinne, Thomas or Kirc. Appeals to the provinces would no doubt be made but for now the focus was on swaying more prominent sources of support.

Isis indicated the lines marking out the four military districts that functioned as the main administrative divides within the FWLM. "Oriente and Ryerson districts include the vast bulk of the Halas and Cameron-Jones support base, with Andurien contemplating secession at the far end of Ryerson district and a smattering of Corinne's supporters at the nearer end of Oriente. It's unfortunately all but unavoidable that these regions will be fought over fiercely and that'll pull units away from the border with the Federated Commonwealth where the bulk of the Marik Commonwealth will make it difficult for Halas or Cameron-Jones to gain traction."

"Doesn't your aunt control Tamarind District?" asked Brackley. "Her husband is the Marshal there."

"More influence than control," admitted Isis. "We've had messages that Duchess Marik managed to reach Tamarind, along with her son Photon, but as far as we've heard there have been no further suggestions to put him forward as Captain-General. From what we can tell, Marshal Brett and our aunt are focusing on maintaining the security of the region and aren't throwing their support to anyone."

"That leaves Dieudonne," continued Alys smoothly. She took control of the map and focused in on their quarter of the League. "We're closer to the likely battlefields between Corinne and Thomas, so we're in ready striking range. Any of the industrial worlds of the region throwing their support to one of the claimants could tip the balance, but for that reason anyone who does is opening themselves up to raids or even invasion."

On the map, the industrial worlds lit up in orange, flames that threatened spread to their neighbours.

"And on the border with the Commonwealth, we've already seen units being pulled away to fight for the central regions of the League. Something that's opening up vulnerabilities if the Federated Commonwealth elects to take the opportunity."

More orange lights. More fires.

"I realise that fighting over a vacant throne has been the norm for long before any of us were born." Isis could see the reflected light glittering in Alys' eyes. "But if we take anything from the Succession Wars, let's acknowledge that a multi-sided war is unlikely to end quickly or without massive collateral damage."

"So what's your solution?" asked Mountash. She reached into her uniform jacket and pulled out a cigarette, lighting it without asking permission. "You have a plan, I assume?"

Isis nodded. "We have agreements from seven other provinces in the area to declare our neutrality in terms of who becomes Captain-General. And because that neutrality would be toothless without the arms to enforce it, we also have support from three major military suppliers to prioritise provincial and federal forces that remain neutral. We intend to continue approaching provincial and military leaders in this region to ensure that whoever emerges triumphant in this war, there'll still be a functional Free Worlds League for them to lead."

Reissing rubbed his chin. "So, you don't care who wins?"

"If I thought any of them were clearly a good choice, I'd throw my support behind them," Alys told him. "But at this point all we can really do is try to mitigate the damage they do."

"Four regiments is a start." Brackley pushed his chair back and stood to lean into the hologram of the League. "Who else do you think can be persuaded?"

"Five." Isis indicated Connaught. "The Eighteenth Marik Militia have agreed to remain in place on Connaught. They didn't manage to get a representative here, but they're on board."

"Even better." Brackley glanced at the other two officers present. "What about the two of you?"

General Mountash snorted. "The last orders I had from Dieudonne or Atreus were to ensure Irian was secure. This seems to fit with that."

There was a pause and everyone looked at Reissing, who smiled slightly. "If either of you decides later that this is a base for appointing yourself Captain-General, I will be displeased." He didn't expand on what that would involve, but Isis thought it was as good as they were likely to get.

"Alright, so we might be able to convince the Sixth Legion to sign on with that," offered Mountash. "They got gutted by SAFE a few years ago and there's a lot of resentment. They're on Oliver, facing the Commonwealth so a guarantee of supply lines and support if they come under attack should carry a lot of weight..."

Chapter 23

Castle Davion, New Avalon

Crucis March, Federated Commonwealth

7 September 3065

"So, I think we have one last thing to decide," Peter said as the meeting with Angela Hasek wound to an end. "Unless you can think of anything more?"

She shook her head. "If you mean the decision about the new Capellan March Militia unit, then that's the last point on my agenda."

Peter leant back in his chair and massaged the fingers of his right hand. He'd signed so many papers since becoming Archon-Prince that he was beginning to think the Kurita system of a hanko stamp might be sensible. Or maybe a signet ring equivalent? "Are there any new arguments from Tikonov or from Nanking?"

His cousin shook her head. "They both have reasonable arguments but we really can't afford both."

"They also both have some rather unreasonable arguments and are trying my patience. Particularly with Earthwerks and Ceres Metals dragging their feet for thirty years on expanding their production to what it should be." Peter brought up a map of the region again. He'd had to consult it a few times already this meeting so it was at least close to hand. "I don't want to reward this sort of behaviour."

"Well, it's really going to have to be one of them."

Peter's eyes picked up a name on the map. There was something… "Remind me," he said slowly. "Hampton's Hessens… the mercs. I heard something about them receiving substantial military donations from the nobility of New Hessen, back in 3062?"

Angela paused. "I'm… not sure," she confessed.

Typing a query into his console, his ever-efficient staff returned a reply in moments. "Yes… they did. They've been rebuilding gradually since we took New Hessen back in 3028 and destroyed two of their three regiments. It seems like they're planning on heading to Galatea and seeking new contracts."

"Honestly, I'm not sure they'll be much loss."

Peter nodded slowly. "They refused point blank to be sent to fight the Clans, but to be fair, that was 3050 when it was a chancy proposition anyway. And otherwise they've been very loyal to their homeworld."

The Minister of the Capellan March gave him a puzzled look. "What does this have to do with the March Militia?"

"I don't really want that much metal running off, and New Hessen has at least been quiet. It's not badly placed either, if we do need another March Militia in the Chaos March area this would space the command worlds out. So we'll designate New Hessen as the command world for the PDZ for now and base the March Militia there. Let's harness some of that martial fervour for our own benefit. We might be able to tempt some of the Hessens to stay and join."

"That's…" Angela frowned. "Well, it's Solomonic, I'll give you that. I was leaning towards Nanking personally, since they were at least loyal through the collapse of the Sarna March."

"If this works out we should be able to divert some of what we needed to build the new CaMM unit into creating a Training Battalion on Nanking. That gives them something and it'd be the seed for their own March Militia if we decide on that later."

"Well, it's a decision. Not the one that I was expecting, but at least that's off the list of pending business." His cousin made a note. "And with that, we're more or less done on time. I'd offer to stay and socialize, but honestly, I have plans tonight so I want to get prettied up."

"Have fun," he told her and started clearing his desk. As his cousin left he heard an exchange of greetings with someone else in the outer office. "Hildgard, is my sister here?"

"Yes sir," his evening secretary confirmed. She was a practically-minded young woman from a baronial family on Gallery, a world with strong ties to House Steiner. He hadn't met her with hiring her in mind, she'd been one of the many ladies of suitable age and social status paraded through the royal court after he accepted the post of Archon-Prince. While they hadn't hit it off the way her father had hoped (probably because she was currently seeing a leutenant in the Fifth Royals), he had remembered her name and evident intelligence when he saw her name on new hires being vetted for staff positions.

"Send her in," Peter directed. "And if you've cleared what's on your desk, you can take the rest of the evening off. I don't have anything official left on the schedule."

"Are you sure, sir? I believe you could work in a press release, if you really want?" But her voice was teasing.

"Get out of here while you still can," he growled with mock menace.

Catherine slipped through the door and closed it behind her. "You know there's serious money riding in the two of you having a secret relationship."

"I could do worse, but no." Peter shook her head. "Besides, she and Fredrica are very sweet together. And please stop bringing up my need to marry. I get that enough from almost everyone else."

"Captains shouldn't marry, majors may," his sister recited. "Lieutenant colonels should and Colonels must. Archon Princes… um, that didn't really fit in." She thumped her head in frustration. "Colonels should and princes must?"

"I think the moment has passed," he offered. This was going to be difficult but at least that seemed to just be a more normal flub rather than her actually 'skipping tracks' as he'd heard it explained. "Take a seat."

"Can I? They're much nicer than my office's." Then she paused and shook her head. "No, just one seat wouldn't match the rest of the decor."

Peter rubbed his jaw. "Are you playing it up?"

"A bit," she confessed as she sat down facing him. "If people think I'm a little dotty they underestimate me. Of course, sometimes it's for real, but less often than it used to."

"How is therapy doing?"

"I don't think that my therapist believes half what I say, but I guess she's still helping me so I don't take that personally."

Turning his chair slightly, Peter looked at the sky outside. The office was so high that the light pollution from Avalon City at the foot of Mount Davion was barely visible. "Sometimes I wonder what would have happened if you hadn't wandered up to St Marinus," he confided. "Then I remember what you predicted and I don't want to know any more details."

Catherine nodded soberly and said nothing.

Breaking what was coming to be an uncomfortable silence, Peter worked up his nerve. "Cat, we need to talk about where you've been spending some of the Davion family funds. They're not quite as deep as the Steiner Trust, but you're pushing a lot of money into some of your ventures and it's having some knock-on effects. Not to mention it's going against some of the policies I've been setting."

She blinked, looking suddenly on the brink of tears. "Sorry," she mumbled and he thought she was apologising for her actions, but then she pulled out a handkerchief and wiped her eyes. Was she actually crying? Catherine took a deep breath and then faced him. "I'm sorry," she said again. "That caught me off guard for some reason. Go on."

Peter nodded slowly. Was Catherine more fragile than he'd thought? Or - horrible thought but almost reflexive after the last two years - was she manipulating him. I should speak to her therapist, he thought. And Yvonne. Doubting her motives made him feel sick. He was trusting her with so much already; and who else could he trust?

I must find someone, he thought. If nothing else, I'd want her to come to Yvonne's wedding so she'll need to leave New Avalon for a while then. "You know we're looking at possible withdrawing from Twycross and removing the factories there if we can do it without crippling the tooling in the process. So why did you send an expedition to the system to prospect for some sort of chemical compound."

"Ah." His sister looked troubled. "I thought… no, blast it. I hadn't told you, had I? I could have sworn… I must have rehearsed pitching it to you and then got that in my head as if I'd gone ahead."

"Cat?"

"Harjel," she told him abruptly. "The stuff the Clans use for sealant on their battle armour, even for some of their warships?"

"Yes, I know about it." It was one of the technologies that the Inner Sphere hadn't managed to reverse engineer even in a lesser version, as they'd managed with other advanced technology that the Clans had made in their long self-imposed exile from the Inner Sphere. The ability to close breaches in their armour was a small advantage, but it was there and as with many things, if you piled enough advantages on each other than it could prove to be decisive.

"There's a source on Jonah's Reach, a moon in the outer system," explained Catherine. "The Diamond Sharks found… would have found it. The Jade Falcons decided against trying to take it back after losing the Falcon Guards there a second time, so the Diamond Sharks took it as a base of operations in the Inner Sphere and they found the source there. Harjel's very hard to come by, they control the only source in Clan space and when they found it in the Inner Sphere they secured it to maintain their monopoly."

"I see…" Peter paused and ran one hand through his hair. "In that case, if news comes out about it then they'll probably try to seize it for the same reason then. Although at least that sounds as if we don't need to worry much about the Jade Falcons launching a new invasion. Raids though…" He shook his head. "Alright, I wish I'd known this sooner but it's probably too sensitive to share via HPG. I don't think we can afford to try to set up a factory to extract it though."

Catherine nodded. "If we can get a detailed report of how it's formed, which seems to be a natural process, then it's possible there might be other worlds where it can be found. A single factory probably wouldn't be enough to supply large scale manufacture anyway."

"The Clans seem to manage."

"The Clans are tiny."

He shrugged. "Alright. Now, seriously, this Felix Industries you've sponsored to construct light tanks and missile carriers for us. How much of it do we actually own?"

"Uh, almost all?" she told him sheepishly. "Partnerships were slowing things down so much…"

"There's a time to do things right, Cat. No wonder you're pouring money into it. Bringing in partners wouldn't just bring in more money, it would also bring in more expertise. And I bet you're basically running them from here?"

She nodded again, penitently.

Peter sighed. "Please don't make Victor's mistake. Or for that matter, the even more common mistake of thinking you can or should be doing everything yourself. Bring in experts, give them high level direction and provide oversight. Anything else means you'll make mistakes both because none of us can know everything, and even if you did, none of us have the time to do everything."

"I promise," Catherine assured him.

"Have your staff look at setting aside time so you can recruit a leadership team," he ordered. "And assign someone to do the looking around for partnerships. GM and Johnston Industries are likely candidates - they know that Felix has contracts with the AFFC now, so they look more viable - and they'll want to keep an eye on a potential competitor so they'll likely buy in, which will pay back some of what you're investing. I know you're not spending more than we have available, but the margin is still narrower than I like. What exactly do you have lined up for them?"

"We have a light missile carrier vehicle based on the SLDF's old Vali artillery vehicle, that's in production, and a variant with the artillery capacity is being worked on."

"Arrow IV missiles?" Peter enquired. Those had been the SLDF's preferred artillery system.

"That and a variant with a Thumper light field gun. I think militias will prefer those."

"It can't hurt, particularly if there's a lot of chassis commonality."

"Besides that," his sister ticked projects off on her fingers. "Vedette and Myrmidons on license from NETC. That's the main moneymaker, so far. We're looking another mid-weight tank to carry a gauss rifle - something between the Vedette and the Capellan's Po in design. Towards the former in weight, it'll probably need to be a fuel cell engine."

"Don't those have shorter ranges? And it's going to mean another fuel type…"

"We can just add larger fuel tanks. And as long as they're paired with something that has a fusion engine and access to water - like a Myrmidon or almost any BattleMech…"

"Not really suited to worlds with strategically relevant deserts either," Peter noted. "But larger fuel tanks help… I suppose exploring the option as a fuel type can't hurt, but don't count on a contract from the AFFC unless those issues are considered."

She smiled with warm reassurance. "I won't. Uh… yes, there's another heavier project like that with a pair of Gauss Rifles, it's supposed to be a cheaper compliment to the Alacorns. A license for the Brutus -"

"Good choice," he agreed. Kressly Warworks was the only source for that heavy tank currently, so regaining access when Epsilon Eridani was retaken had been a boost to the AFFC tank corps. But another source - or two - would be a great step forwards.

"Thank you. And the last project is trying to recreate the Vector helicopter based on data from the memory core on New Dallas."

"The one that you ran off alone to find?"

She nodded.

"Remind me about the Vector."

"Uh, SLDF main helicopter. It was built by General Motors… twenty-two tons, fusion engine. Came in four variants: an infantry transport, a gunship, a scout and an electronic warfare platform."

Peter rubbed his jaw. "That does sound useful, but it also sounds like licensing hell. I'd suggest selling that project to GM. You can tell them that I've authorised a limited production run and see if Cal-Boeing would be interested in a partnership. They have more current experience of building helicopters than GM do, and it'd let us keep an eye on the project."

"You just pulled that together like that." Catherine looked bemused, but also impressed. "Let me write this down." She pulled a pen out of one pocket of her jacket and a notepad from another.

I suppose, Peter thought, that I don't need to tell her that my staff briefed me on this earlier so I'd be ready for this meeting. I did tell her that no one could do everything, and if she finds out that I've been essentially having her spied on and that this was a test, she might not react well.

Thinking back, he wasn't sure if Kathrina had played this sort of game on him when he was fresh out of the academy. One part lesson, one part manipulation. But he had to know if Catherine was still up to handling the responsibilities of serving as his regent.

"I'd like to suggest someone to head up your team for Felix," he mused out loud, 'spontaneously' for all his sister would know. "Harrison Bradford… used to command the Third Royal Guards until that debacle on Northwind. He's a relative of the Duke of Coventry so he has a background in the military industry and his career's dead-ended since then."

"Was he named for the current Duke's father?"

"Yes, he somewhat redeemed himself as a junior officer on Coventry during the Civil War. I can't really justify giving him another major command, but we're not exactly overburdened with competent staff officers. See what you make of him."

Catherine nodded in acceptance. "But if he doesn't fit, I'll assign him somewhere else."

"That's understood. Felix Industries is your project," Peter agreed magnanimously. "Just keep me more in the loop going forwards."

Chapter 24

Kirin River, Irian

Free Worlds League

18 September 3065

Alys stared at the latest report from her sources. How had this not come up before? No, scratch that. The Word of Blake had probably been keeping it quiet, But it wasn't good news.

She grabbed her comm and called a number she'd been using almost daily. "Isis," she greeted her cousin abruptly. "We need to talk, can you meet me in the war room?"

"I don't see why not."

Cutting the call, Alys checked her appearance in the mirror before leaving the small office that made up part of her suite and heading for the stairs. She was wearing the Krusher's uniform, something that made her stand out amongst the civilians and the FWLM officers present.

The 'war room' was simply the same repurposed dining room that had been used to brief in their first military allies. Adjacent rooms had been converted for an expanding staff but it was plain that the demands of running what was essentially a small interstellar state and army would quickly reach the point of overflowing Isis' mansion.

It was only a few moments before Isis joined her, wearing a military-style jumpsuit.

"I didn't take you away from another crisis?"

"No, just target practise."

Alys wondered if Isis imagined that the targets she was shooting at were Corinne or Kirc. Or perhaps her so-called father. "I'm sorry to cut into that." She meant that sincerely. Isis didn't have the military education or experience of most of those they were working with. Bridging the gap with time spent at the firing range wasn't as frivolous as it might seem. "However, I just got news that we might need to consider."

"Do tell." Isis took a seat at the table.

"My source is at Gibson, but he has another source of his own that told me the rest."

"Gibson?" Her cousin arched an eyebrow. Gibson was the centre of a small province near the Principality of Regulus. Historically it had been heavily influenced by Kirc Cameron-Jones, but it had become the centre of the Word of Blake presence in the Free Worlds League, moving it into the Captain-General's party, and it remained a major strategic location even though the Blakists now controlled Terra and had centred their leadership on the homeworld.

"Yes." Alys highlighted the world on the map and then did so again on Terra. "It turns out that the warships that hadn't declared themselves yet have been converging on both these worlds."

"Not an attack?" Isis exclaimed.

A direct attack by the FWL Navy on Gibson might provoke an interdiction that would cripple what was left of the League's political infrastructure. Depending on how it was targeted, it could decide the outcome of the Civil War overnight. But an attack on Terra would be even worse, because that would signal the war spilling outside of their borders. It was entirely possible that Christian Mansdottir would have little choice but to commit the SLDF as peacekeepers, something that could leave League worlds occupied by foreign troops.

"Not quite that bad. They've been turning themselves in for internment, claiming that the Blakists represent a neutral power."

"...what?" Isis' face reflected Alys' own confusion.

"I know!" she exclaimed. "But that's what I'm hearing. Both the carrier groups - well, except the Gawain."

Isis nodded. FWLS Gawain was supposed to be escorting the carrier FWLS Corinth but it had inexplicably been missing when the carrier and its other escort had been last sighted.

"Both the carriers, five different corvettes… Even the Xanthos has reportedly reached Terra and surrendered itself rather than be deployed against the crew's countrymen." Alys slumped into a chair facing Isis. "This makes no sense!"

The cousins looked at each other and then Isis frowned. "I think we can safely assume that more than a dozen warships wouldn't all spontaneously decide to do this. We're looking at the crews having been subverted by the Word of Blake."

"Key members, at least."

"Right. But in that case wouldn't it make sense for them to be sent to support Corinne? We've been assuming that she was their new ally and that the Blakists were backing her. Taking them out of play doesn't help that."

"You're not telling me anything I don't already know," grumbled Alys. "Are we wrong about Corinne?"

The younger woman's eyes narrowed. "Not entirely - someone launched a coup in her name, so she must have been at least tacitly complicit."

"Maybe after the fact."

Isis tilted her hand back and forth. "Conceivable, but she's been too active for her to be a figurehead. Even if someone had hostages, she's doing too much."

Alys didn't want to think about the possibility that Corinne's daughter Giselle could be a hostage to keep the new Captain-General under the thumb of the Blakists. Or perhaps someone else… "But in that case, why not drop the hammer? That's enough warships to cripple Cameron-Jones outright and blaze a trail light years wide towards Oriente. If she broke Regulus, she'd have momentum on her side."

"Then there's something we're…" Isis paused in thought. "What if we're over-simplifying?"

"I.. don't follow."

"Organisations aren't monolithic," her cousin reminded her. "And there are factions within the Word of Blake. My… my actual father is a prominent Toyamaist, or so I'm told. It's likely that he and Uncle Paul are both behind Corinne to some extent. But there could be other factions that want to support Thomas, or even simply want to pull out of the Free Worlds League and focus on Terra."

"Then… are the ships being interned to keep them from being used against…" Alys looked for the right words. "Against fellow Blakists?"

"That would make more sense, wouldn't it?"

"It makes a frightening amount of sense," she admitted. "But in that case there could be two separate but parallel wars being fought here: the one we're all looking at, and then another one behind the scenes of the Word of Blake. What can we do?"

"Directly, I don't think we can do much," Isis decided after a moment. "On the face of it, the ships being sequestered backs the position we've been taking: keeping as much of our military power out of the civil war as possible. In theory, once there's an uncontested Captain-General the warships would be returned and we'd have the core of a navy again, even if everything else was destroyed."

"And if it's a less temporary measure. As temporary as a," Alys stopped and snorted. "As temporary as a ComStar rate hike?"

"Then the Blakists may have more than doubled their fleet." Isis pushed herself to her feet. "Which should worry some people I can think of. So we may have some leverage there. If nothing else, it may persuade the Sirians that they can't keep stonewalling us. They're very near Terra and I think they hoped that some of the ships would be siding with them. Now that's off the table and they're a potential stick for the Blakists to use in order to influence neighbouring worlds."

"And the Sirians are closer to Terra than the rest of the League."

"Exactly."

The two women studied the map again. The four worlds of the Sirian Concordat formed a small salient that separated the Lyran side of the Federated Commonwealth from the remains of the Chaos March. Fortunately, there hadn't been any aggressive action yet but something told Alys that if there was, it would be right there. It was the ideal strategic target for Peter Steiner-Davion.

"Maybe -" she began, and then realised Isis had spoken at the same time. "Sorry, you first."

"I was about to say that we should reach out again to the border provinces." Isis manipulated the controls, lighting up not only the Sirians, but also the Border Protectorate and the scattered members of the Silver Hawks Coalition. "One of the Protectorate's regiments has been refusing orders to return home. I wonder if that might also be the influence of one of the Blakist factions."

"It could be," Alys admitted. "My own thought was that it might be time to appeal to the First Lord directly. If we request SLDF intervention ourselves it would be more under our control than if the request came from our neighbours."

Isis Marik stared at the map and then nodded. "The two plans aren't contradictory. We can do both. In fact, it would be better that we didn't spring SLDF peacekeepers as a surprise to the provinces we're trying to win over."

"Good luck convincing the Silver Hawks of anything," warned Alys. "They're institutionally wary of any measure a Marik proposes - they were formed to help their members resist any pressure from Atreus, after all."

"I do have an idea," Isis told her with a smile and started to explain.

Chapter 25

Castle Davion, New Avalon

Crucis March, Federated Commonwealth

3 October 3065

After almost a week, Peter had finally managed to carve out a precious afternoon for practise in his 'Mech. His coronation had taken six entire hours of carefully choreographed ritual, surely he could make at least that much time for something practical.

And then, right as he was halfway through powering up his Mackie, an urgent message had come down from from his office. Apparently Duke Aristotle Felsner, the Minister of Foreign Relations, had called ahead and requested an urgent meeting with both Peter, Quintus Allard Junior and the Free Worlds League ambassador.

Fortunately, the youngest Allard sibling (who had quietly dropped the 'Liao' from his surname) was readily available since he was one of the ad hoc lance assembled for the run. Given the time available, the two men grabbed the bare minimum clothes to be presentable and changed into them as an elevator took them from the hangars buried deep under the mountain up to the formal chambers of the Castle.

If the diplomats were surprised to find the Archon Prince and his Intelligence Advisor wearing windbreakers over AFFC uniform pants and boots as they entered the meeting room, they were naturally too diplomatic to mention it.

"Your highness." Ambassador Hercule Ramage was an exquisitely mustachioed man who hailed from one of the many small provinces along the periphery border of the League. He bowed stiffly as Peter took the chair at the head of the table.

"Ambassador, Duke Felsner." Peter did his best to hold back from glowering. "You asked for this meeting so unless we're waiting for someone else…"

The Duke inclined his head a little stiffly. "Your grace, we have received a message from our embassy on Atreus which I felt you should be appraised directly of. I believe Lord Allard would normally be advised of this through normal channels within the day but…"

Peter gestured sharply to indicate that he understood. "The message?"

Felsner turned slightly to include Ramage in the conversation. "Our embassy reports that on the first day of this month, a substantial flotilla of jumpships jumped in-system and delivered an invasion force to the surface of Atreus."

The ambassador blinked for a moment before his sang-froid reasserted itself. "An invasion force, you say?" He reached up and twirled one of his mustache ends thoughtfully. "Under the current regrettable circumstances, I must enquire as to the specific identity of these invaders."

"Our ambassador felt it best to send a preliminary report rather than waiting for all details, in case the HPG became unavailable, so we cannot definitely confirm that," admitted the Minister. "However, the available information suggests that two different regiments of the Regulan Hussars participated, spearheaded by elements of the Third Free Worlds Guards."

Peter's eyes narrowed. The Free Worlds Guards were the equivalent of his own Royal Guards and the Davion Brigade of Guards: the very best of the FWLM, vetted heavily for both competence and loyalty. If even part of their number was siding with Kirc Cameron-Jones then the Regulan might have more sway than Peter had thought. "That sounds like a surprisingly small force to take the national capital with. If nothing else, were there no warships on guard?"

Ramage spread his hands. "I am, alas, in no position to discuss military specifics."

"There have been reports that Corinne Marik ordered reinforcements to Marik," offered Quintus Allard quietly. "Exactly what she was sending wasn't clear. It's not impossible that she drew down the garrison of Atreus in the hope that no one would expect her to risk uncovering her capital."

"What's threatening Marik?" demanded Peter. The Marik Commonwealth was a long and narrow region, functioning something like a spinal column for House Marik's influence within the Free Worlds League. Atreus was at the rimwards end, near the Regulans and Gibson, but Marik itself was at the coreward end, perhaps not entirely out of reach of Thomas Marik's allies but nothing so far had suggested that he was preparing an offensive.

The ambassador's lips pressed firmly against each other, refraining from any explanation.

Quintus paused for a moment. "Nothing that I am aware of. However, Marik is very close to Augustine and Alys Rousset-Marik has declined to pledge allegiance to her cousin."

Peter considered that and then shook his head. "That makes no sense. Diverting forces to fight someone who has declared neutrality only makes more enemies when Corinne already has two hostile powers. Tell me, ambassador, you were appointed by Thomas, not by Corinne. How does that affect your position?"

"That…" Ramage paused and coughed. "My duty is to the Free Worlds League as a whole, not to any one figure within the government."

"Very moral." And then Peter paused. "Of course, Kirc Cameron-Jones has already sent a message accrediting a new ambassador in your place. I wonder, will Corinne or Thomas be next?"

"It is your privilege to determine who you elect to recognise as representing my government."

Felsner shook his head. "My prince's point is that there no longer appears to be a single government within the Free Worlds League. With Atreus under attack, the federal leadership will be significantly disrupted. And you cannot effectively serve multiple Captain-Generals."

After letting the moment hang, Peter allowed Ramage off the hook. "I believe you will need to communicate with whoever you deem to be your government, Ambassador. I have no intentions of intervening to try to decide this internal disagreement and any external mediation, were it sought, should be requested of the Star League rather than the Federated Commonwealth. Of course, that means that neither you nor I is likely to be in any position to determine the outcome of this conflict."

"Your highness."

All eyes turned to Quintus Allard, who was studying data from a console built into the table. While the conversation had gone on, he had contacted his colleagues in the Intelligence Secretariat to see what new data they could add.

"I believe," he observed with a self-possessed expression, "that I can suggest an explanation for the reinforcement of Marik."

"Oh?" Peter rubbed his jaw. "Please do."

"I believe that something has persuaded Corinne Marik that her cousins Alys and Isis are building a power base for their own bid to place one of them on the Captain-General's throne. In that scenario, attempting to knock them out of the race before they can enter it would be a sensible strategy for her and seizing Marik would be a likely first step for them to take to establish legitimacy as the leaders of House Marik."

Peter frowned. "I don't recall any serious support for the idea that that was their end goal."

"I don't believe that they are, sir." The younger man shrugged lightly. "But our views may be very different from that on Atreus. Personally I would have thought it more likely that Therese Marik would resume her campaign to position one of her sons as a candidate, perhaps as a compromise to bring Thomas and Corinne together against Kirc Cameron-Jones. And even that would be fairly unlikely while Tamarind lacks a widespread power base."

"While the cousins Marik have tied over a dozen worlds to their neutrality pact, including several critical industrial nodes," Peter noted. "I suppose in terms of reach they might appear more threatening, except…" He paused and then glanced at Ambassador Ramage. "I'm not sure that you're aware of this, ambassador."

The mustachioed man looked intrigued. "Of…?"

"The Star League Council has received an official request from Duchess Isis Marik and Duchess Alys Rousset-Marik to commit peacekeepers to ensure the security of neutral provinces of the Free Worlds League against internal and external threats until such time as a single federal government can resume function."

If the ambassador had been wearing glasses, or even better a monocle, it would have probably have steamed up and necessitated wiping them clean as he huffed indignantly. "That treads very close to being treason, your highness."

"Very close to," agreed Peter. "And in the Federated Commonwealth it would be. The Free Worlds League is in a very slightly different position though. And while I doubt that they would have risked that while I was the First Lord in case I repeated Chancellor Liao's behaviour with regard to St Ives… Or the Coordinator's when it came to the Lyons Thumb, I don't believe Christian Mansdottir would be inclined to let me get away with a veiled conquest of League provinces."

"Do you intend to vote to accept this request?" asked Felsner thoughtfully.

"It's an interesting question," Peter mused, watching Ramage's face. "After all, if we approve then what would stop Tamarind making the same application? Or Andurien? We might wind up with the SLDF tied down keeping half the Free Worlds League from being set on fire by the other half."

Ramage swallowed, his face paling significantly.

"I really think you need to communicate with your government, whoever you decide that to be," the Archon-Prince told him with all the chill of a Tharkad winter in his voice. "I've already had to deal with one civil war, I would very much rather not see another one spill across my borders."

Chapter 26

New Bastogne, Dieudonne

Free Worlds League

12 November 3065

The touchdown at Dieudonne's main spaceport had shaken Isis for a moment, finding a reception party of FWLM infantry awaiting her. It quickly became apparent though that they were merely an honour guard, escorting her to meet with Marshal Anne-Marie van Creveld at her headquarters.

Of course, Isis thought morbidly, those same troops could easily become jailors to her and to Colonel Reissing if the meeting didn't go well.

Rather than a formal conference room, she requested the use of one of the small formal gardens around the headquarters building and with crisp efficiency the Marshal's staff transformed it with tables, chairs and refreshments. If it gave the afternoon (which promised to be crisp and clear, with only light winds) more the air of a garden gala than a furtive conspiracy then so much the better.

"So you're Marik's prodigal daughter." Rhys de Bruys was the hereditary President of the Concordat of Danais and the current head of the Silver Hawks Coalition. The former was about as small as it could be and still count as a multi-system province, but the latter gave him rather shaky control over twenty-seven votes in Parliament and two regiments of BattleMechs.

Isis curtsied with some irony. She'd had courtly manners drummed into her in the expectation she might be Thomas Marik's heir one day, but this was hardly a circumstance where he'd prefer that she use them. "President de Bruys. Thank you for accepting my invitation."

"Bein' honest, I'm mostly here for the chance to speak to Thrall," the short redheaded man admitted. "House Marik's not lookin' like the strongest investment right now."

"Perhaps I'll win you over," she replied mildly. "And if not, I wish you well with the General."

General Helen Thrall commanded the Sirian Lancers, three regiments who had been in exile from their home province for almost thirty years. The four Sirian worlds had ended the Fourth Succession War firmly in the hands of the Federated Commonwealth and even Operation Guererro hadn't fully liberated them. Thrall's decision to launch an unauthorised attack to completely relieve them could have ended her career… but it instead turned up a gruesome regime imposed by a renegade ComStar precentor and with both public opinion and the Word of Blake backing her, she remained military governor of the Sirian Concordat.

De Bruys shrugged. "My thanks for the sentiment, and it costs me nothin' to hear you out."

Isis nodded and gestured in invitation for him to take a drink from one of the tables. "You won't have long to wait."

She joined Marshal van Crevald at the front of the garden and a moment later Colonel Reissing joined them. "Are you ready?" he asked her. "This is the biggest hurdle so far for you."

"Ready or not," Isis admitted, "It's now or never."

They clinked their glasses of spring water - neither wanted to get even slightly drunk before this and then the Marshal stepped up to the small stand she'd arranged. "Thank you all for attending," she greeted those present. While Thrall, de Bruys and Protector Justin Stroud of the Border Protectorate were the major figures, more than a dozen other provinces were represented. "The security of the Dieudonne Military District is of concern for us all and your willingness to discuss our options during the current… unpleasantness is rather heartwarming."

The conversations among the guests had died down as the Marshal spoke across them. Once she was sure she had their attention, van Crevald turned towards Isis. "I'll begin by introducing Duchess Marik of Irian, who has an interesting proposal for us to consider."

Isis moved up and took her place. "I don't suppose that any of you are so ill-informed as to be here without knowing who I am, but I gather there's some questions about my agenda."

"Behind putting you on the Captain-General's throne?" someone catcalled. The price of the relative informality.

"I don't even know where the throne is," she riposted. It was also unfortunately true. The Regulan advance had reached Atreus City and the Hall of Parliament had been looted. Kirc Cameron-Jones was allegedly livid but Isis didn't know why he was even surprised. The damned thing was covered in gold and jewels. Or had been. There was no way he was paying his soldiers enough not to loot it.

"Neither myself nor my cousin Alys believe that adding additional claimants will cut the Civil War short." Isis smiled wryly. "If we did then you might have been right because it would be quite bad enough if the war ended tomorrow. And I doubt that we can expect that."

That got a snort of laughter from Justin Stroud. "It'll get worse before it gets better," the Protector commented loudly.

"I must agree, Protector. Which means keeping the war away from our worlds rather important, wouldn't you say?"

The burly man nodded. "If we can," he added bitterly. One of his nieces had been killed in a ferocious argument over whether or not her regiment should support Corinne Marik. The Steel Guards had joined the Marik's cause quite literally over Colonel Marilyn Stroud's dead body.

Isis nodded in agreement. "If we can. And we should similarly see to the security of our worlds against the Federated Commonwealth, against the Capellan Confederation and against any overflow of trouble from the Chaos March. Quite a challenge for Marshal van Crevald. However, I would argue that we are in quite a strong position to achieve those goals."

That got a ripple of interest.

"You don't exactly have a military record to suggest that you're an authority on the matter," observed de Bruys, but there was a glitter of interest in his eyes.

"No, but I've been through one civil war already, and I spent it as part of Victor Steiner-Davion's staff. I saw what he did that worked, what failed… and I saw what his brother did to end the war." She gave him a sly look. "Some might say that I have more experience of this kind of war than anyone else here."

"To your misfortune."

"Quite." Isis paused for further interruption and when none was forthcoming, she pointed at General Thrall. "You have three regiments of BattleMechs. Protector Stroud can field two, as can President de Bruys. The worlds and regiments pledged to the neutrality pact that Alys and I have been building can match those numbers." Besides the Krushers, the Twelfth Dragoons and the two regiments on Irian, three additional regiments of the Marik Militia had joined them and there might even be an eighth regiment by now, if Alys' current mission to meet with the Sixth Free Worlds Legion bore fruit.

"With fourteen BattleMech regiments we collectively can field forces to rival that of any of the putative Captain-Generals," she continued. "Not enough to force them to break off their ambitions, but enough to keep our corner of the League intact, if we work together."

"And you'd lead us?" asked de Bruys sceptically.

"No, President de Bruys. I had you in mind actually."

He paused. "I.. what?"

"If we are to work together over what is likely to be an extended period then we need not only the military structure that Marshal van Creveld can provide," Isis explained. "But also a political structure that can fill the gaps that have been left by the disintegration of federal authority - and preferably without having to fight the provincial governments every step of the way. The Silver Hawks Coalition, which is already an alliance of provinces, seems to my mind to be best available model for us to follow. I am therefore requesting membership for not only Irian but all the provinces that have signed our neutrality pact."

There was a laugh from Stroud. "Well I will be damned."

"Possibly," Thrall muttered absently, but her mind was clearly working overtime.

The Protector glanced at Marshal van Creveld. "Are you on board with this, Anne?"

She nodded stiffly. "It seems to my mind to be the best way that I can fulfil my obligations to the League, on the understanding that I would be recognising the Coalition as a temporary substitute for proper federal authority."

"I'm not sure that I'd want to just recognise a single leader with no checks and balances. Even with the Coalition's leadership council," muttered Stroud.

Raising her hand for quiet, Isis received it. It was a heady feeling, to have the leaders of worlds - sometimes of several worlds! - attend upon her words. "I understand that the Coalition would have to be modified to meet our needs. And there's no need to fully replace all of what the Free Worlds League does. The League originally functioned as a triumvirate of executive leaders, all answerable to Parliament. While House Marik eventually subsumed the authority over trade once held by House Selaj and over foreign relations by House Allison -" neither of the other two founding Houses had survived the centuries, "- I suggest that we agree upon a similar division of power."

"A Director-General for internal affairs, a Minister-General for foreign policy and a Marshal to command our combined armed forces?" asked Rhys de Bruys. "It has promise though I'm thinkin' that we cannot abide a Marik holding the last of those roles. Too much temptation, or the appearance of such."

"Marshal van Creveld would be the logical choice," Helen Thrall observed, getting a nod from Protector Stroud. "And since the Silver Hawks existing leadership can hardly be frozen out, that suggests you as Director-General or Minister-General, doesn't it President de Bruys."

"I would suppose so," he agreed quite happily.

Isis dipped her head. "I understand that we cannot decide such matters on the spur of the moment," she assured them - while knowing that with the major leaders on board, the core issues really had been decided already. "So I open the floor to discussion of how this may be made to work."

Chapter 27

Fortress Dieron, Dieron

Dieron District, Draconis Combine

15 November 3065

Generations of officers on both sides of what was now the Federated Commonwealth had fantasized about invading Dieron and marching into Fortress Dieron, the former SLDF base that was the key to controlling the Draconis Combine's most powerful fortress, within a single jump of Terra. A successful invasion would have potentially crippled the entire Dieron District for months and would have been a humiliation forcing the Coordinator to commit units recklessly to recover the world.

Galen Cox was welcomed aboard a Draconis Combine Admiralty dropship that ferried him down to the surface. His SLDF identification saw him waved past landing requirements and into a staff car that whisked him into the legendary fortification through a side entrance within two hours of his first footsteps off the dropship.

It was distressingly anti-climatic for a boy from Tamar.

Then again, no one was shooting at him. That was always a bonus. And the Combine were, if not friends, then at least allies. Possibly.

The man working at the great mahogany desk in the office he was ushered to looked up the sound of the door and broke into a broad smile. When he rose to his feet, Hohiro offered a bow that would have scandalized almost every level of Combine society. Not because it was poorly done - Hohiro's etiquette teachers would have been proud. No, just at the fact that the Coordinator's eldest son and heir, who was also the Commanding General of the much vaunted SLDF, had bowed to this visitor as an equal!

"Galen, my old friend!"

Galen matched the smile as he saluted crisply. "Hello Hohiro. You're looking well."

"Between you and me, it's hard not to avoid having to let my belt out with all the meetings to attend and the paperwork to go through," Hohiro confided. "What a fate for honest soldiers!"

"As I recall, your career is a tapestry of mis-direction, fraud and stabbing overly trusting Clan Warriors when they weren't looking."

"Is that a complaint?"

"No," Galen grinned even more. "Just admiration."

"Excellent!" Hohiro gestured towards a western-style coffee table and the padded chairs around it. "Take a seat and we can catch up while you tell me how bad it is in the Free Worlds League."

Over coffee and quillar (which Galen knew Hohiro must have arranged just for him, the Tamar staple was very rarely cultivated in the Combine), he outlined the situation.

When he was done, Hohiro sat back in his own chair. "First the Liaos fighting over St Ives, then the Steiner-Davions and now Mariks. I'm glad my own family is at peace."

Galen decided not to mention the 3058 coup attempt that had tried to replace Hohiro's father with either Hohiro's illegitimate half-brother or a more distant cousin. It had been foiled by an unlikely alliance of mercenaries, yakuza and a Capellan movie star, but the Draconis Combine preferred to pretend that 'Mechs had not waged war on their own capital.

The Kurita must have read something in his face anyway for his lips quirked. "At peace now, anyway."

"I don't think we'll be saying the same about the Mariks for a while. The coup itself was so mis-managed I'm half-tempted to think it was intended to fail. Isis's request for SLDF intervention is the first sign of sanity I've seen among their leaders since then."

"I still remember her as little more than a girl on Outreach, trying to fit in and offending most of us more than I think she ever realised. And now she's dropping hot potatoes like this one in my lap." Hohiro said mournfully. "Why did I even take this job?"

"Because Peter tied Victor up and wouldn't let him come back?"

"Something like that. I think my sister is pregnant again, by the way. You might want to think about gifts."

"Victor will be ecstatic." Galen thought of the happy couple a little wistfully. "Who would have thought back then that we'd be in these positions now?"

Hohiro shook his head. "Certainly not I. But to business: the First Lord, the Archon-Prince, the Precentor Martial and my father all agree that intervention is for the best. That's as official as it can be without a full vote by the Star League Council."

"I'm sure Chancellor Liao would oppose that decision."

"I'd be quite content not to let him have any say. However, if I'm going to ask for forces to be seconded to the SLDF from the AFFS and DCMS then I suppose I can hardly avoid making the same request of him."

"Do you have to? It might not be a bad way for the First Regimental Combat Team to get their feet wet."

"I will be sending them but four brigades isn't enough. The Duchess of Tamarind has added a request mirroring her nieces, and I can't spare the Eridani Light Horse as well."

Galen nodded in understanding. "That does widen the requirements then. I'm not sure I wouldn't prefer that Sun-Tzu refuse to contribute though. His troops might be more of a problem than a solution."

"I'm quite sure I'd prefer it, but I have to treat him the same way as the other Council Lords. At least the smaller states won't be slighted if I don't ask them to make a long-term commitment - the Taurians and Canopians got burned loaning regiments to the Capellans and Rasalhague is facing the Clans."

"And sending ComGuard divisions into Blakist territory would be incendiary." Galen rubbed his chin. "Well, Peter will probably be willing to break some troops loose for a short term deployment."

"Almost as bad in the eyes of the Mariks but it is what it is." Hohiro looked frustrated. "I'll send them to Isis' new alliance… or rather, to the Coalition she's usurped."

"Now now, she's only their Foreign Minister."

"For now. How they grow."

For a moment, Galen had a visceral remembrance of how Isis had grown since they'd met on Outreach back in 3051. Almost half her life ago, she wasn't a cocksure teenager any more. No, she had grown into someone with real strength of character that she could be proud of, but with the humility not to take it too far.

"Yes," he agreed after he realised he'd paused too long. "Have you considered looking at funding to get mercenaries."

Hohiro paused, the knowing look in his eyes fading as the possibility engaged him. "WIth the Chaos March beginning to stabilize, that might not be a bad idea."

"I hear that the Wolf Dragoons and Northwind Highlanders have been trying to put together a mercenary federation to get a seat on the Star League Council. They might be excited to take a new SLDF contract."

"Excited would probably be a strong word, there's more politics going on about that than you seem to have realised," the Kurita prince told him drily. "But if nothing else, I suspect they're cash poor and it might be easier to get money than troops out of ComStar and even my father right now. He does have to keep more troops facing the Federated Commonwealth now that Peter is the Archon-Prince."

Galen shrugged apologetically. He'd had no hand in any of that.

"If you do have any back-channels," Hohiro suggested somewhat heavily, "You might want to pass on that he's not really making a lot of friends in the Star League Council. I realise that that's probably unavoidable given the sheer size of the Federated Commonwealth, and objectively he's doing very well holding things together but if one of his March Lords jumps into another border war then it might rebound more harshly than he expects."

"Well, I can tell Victor. I assume that he has a back-channel to Tharkad and New Avalon."

"I'll take it." Hohiro looked saddened. "I really don't want to wind up using the SLDF against the Federated Commonwealth. If nothing else, my very name would be incendiary."

The optics of a Kurita, the ancestral enemy, using the SLDF to invade the Federated Commonwealth… Galen shivered. "You're not wrong."

"It's one of my many charms." The older man shrugged and then consciously cleared his mind of the matter. "On a happier note, I gather that while Irian are mostly going to back Isis, it shouldn't affect the delivery of our equipment."

"That's my understanding. In fact, if we're sending troops into that area then we might want to consider contracting them as part of our supply lines…"

Chapter 28

New Bastogne, Dieudonne

Silver Hawks Coalition, Free Worlds League

8 December 3065

"I take it that matters are going well with Marshal van Creveld?"

Colonel Reissing set down his tea cup, apparently considering his answer to Isis' query. "It's no great challenge to take orders from her, your grace. She was legally in my chain of command previously." As Isis was not.

"I'm pleased to hear that." She sipped from her own tea. "I won't enquire further. Proper spheres of authority are important, after all."

"I would have to wonder why you've invited me then." He smiled slightly, apparently to ease the question disguised as a statement.

Isis shrugged lightly. "One of my remits is interacting with the Word of Blake, rather important if we're to maintain HPG communications through the expanded Silver Hawks Coalition, after all. It's not as if we can invite ComStar back in."

Well, they could. But that would very possibly bring the entire Word of Blake out against the fledgling coalition and there was surprisingly - in fact, worryingly - little information about the true extent of their strength. Given they'd managed to siphon off a distressingly large amount of money and equipment from the Free Worlds League, they could have quite a lot. Not to mention their control of Terra and who knew how much industry there.

"I don't think that that would be a great idea," Reissing advised mildly.

"As our resident expert on the Word of Blake, I'm glad that you agree with me."

The colonel's hand brushed the cup, setting the crockery off-centre. "I… beg your pardon?"

"I'm not accusing you of anything improper, Lloyd."

He stiffened as the use of his first name implied not intimacy but knowledge.

"The Word of Blake is not only an organisation," she continued. "The Word is a doctrine, and one that goes a little beyond quasi-religious. Some within the ranks of the organisation believe more strongly than others, which is only human nature. And some who believe in its ideals happen not to be formal members of that organisation. And there's nothing wrong with that, since we do endorse religious freedoms in the League. And in the Silver Hawks Coalition, of course."

"That… does not mean that it could not be problematic, given the Word of Blake's ties to Corinne Marik," he pointed out. "There are some who would say that a Blakist must be assumed to partisanship of her, which would be at odds with the neutrality that you're trying to foster."

Isis watched him, waiting. When he seemed about to speak further, she held up her hand. "The Word of Blake has many factions," she pointed out. "And these factions are quite capable of following distinct policies even in pursuit of what appear to be the same goals, much more so when it comes to the points of doctrine where they differ."

"That… may be so."

"I am told that my biological father is part of the Toyama faction," Isis continued, eyeing Reissing's face. "And since uncle Paul is close to him, I assume that both he and Corinne are similarly tied to them. I have been reading such material as I can on their position. I can't say that I find myself in sympathy with all of their beliefs, particularly that their expectation that the Successor States will shatter as a prelude to a reconstruction under their leadership. In fact, I do have to wonder - given how inept Corinne's seizure of power was on Atreus, were we all allowed to make our escape specifically to ensure a prolonged factionalisation?"

Reissing's eyes went wide. "Your grace, I'm not in a position to know anything about the working of the Toyamaists."

"But you are aware of the internal factions and their broad positions?" she asked incisively.

The colonel hesitated and then lowered his head. "Yes…"

Got him! Isis thought. "Then do you disagree that the current situation - six or seven major factions and many other worlds not yet committed - is in line with their beliefs?"

"I am…" He paused. "Caught in more negatives than I'm grammatically comfortable with." He lifted his tea cup again, back on balance or pretending to be. "It fits their expectations, but I can't honestly say that I know if they engineered it or simply celebrate it."

"And your own position?"

"I would consider myself a moderate," Reissing admitted. "Under the general umbrella of the faction known as the Counter-Reformists. Our broad consensus is that the civil war does nothing to further our goals of presenting a viable alternative to ComStar's current policies. Please don't be too quick to assume that a quick summary of one faction of the Word of Blake represents everyone under that banner. There are many smaller factions, inside and outside of the more widely known groups. As the leadership council represents the four largest groups, others side with them to make their voices heard."

Isis' eyes narrowed. "The Precentor Martial and the leaders of… the Toyamaists and the Counter-Reformists, I assume? Who else?"

"The True Believers and the Shunners were the other two major groups. I believe you're quite familiar with Precentor Blane?"

"I am."

He nodded. "His True Believers have generally held a middle ground, binding the Word of Blake together. However, in this case he hasn't been able to lead the other factions to his preferred goal of reinstating your… well, the sitting Captain-General."

"I believe he's started styling himself Thomas Halas," Isis advised drily. "Which at least should make it easier for people to know what to call him. A useful quality in a leader."

"Indeed."

"And the Shunners?"

Reissing shrugged. "The Shunners believe that we'd be best withdrawing back to the Terran star system and letting the rest of the Inner Sphere go hang. For obvious reasons, you won't find many of them here in the Free Worlds League. Perhaps not any. However, their leadership suffered an accident when they withdrew back there and their influence has been declining."

Isis nodded her head. "And which way does the Precentor Martial lean, do you know?" Since he had a vote regardless of his faction, if he had a preference then that would automatically double the influence of that… viewpoint?

"Precentor Martial St Jamais is a Toyamist. He led the faction until he was appointed."

"Troubling, if they are indeed behind the Civil War."

Reissing spread his hands helplessly. "I don't know. Could I ask where you're going with this, your grace?"

"At the end of the day, I can't avoid the Word of Blake meddling in the League's affairs. To be fair, with their presence on Gibson alone it would be hard to say that they don't have a vested interest. But if a significant majority of the leading council were to decide to move against the Silver Hawks - or against my aunt's Tamarind-led protectorate, for that matter - then they could simply interdict us and we'd be in a very bad position. And they have the warships that have been interned, not to mention their own fleet."

"I have no reason to believe that that would happen, your grace. And if it did, I would not be able to support them." Reissing placed one hand over his heart. "I know you're not naive enough to believe that you have my undying loyalty, but my regiment believes in you and I won't abandon them."

"Unfortunately, I must assume from what you're saying that there may be a faction within the Toyama… a sect, shall we call them? A sect who would favour accelerating the civil war and who would feel that factions remaining neutral should be encouraged to participate," Isis advised him. "And this sect may have two votes out of the five. That isn't a certain threat but it is a possibility that it's my responsibility to address."

"I think that you're taking too much alarm," he said slowly, "But in fairness, that is your duty. What can I do to help you find a satisfactory reassurance?"

Isis took a deep breath. "I need to cultivate favorable voices within the Word of Blake. You've outlined the major factions, but most seem as if they would have little interest in the wellbeing of my Coalition, except maybe your Counter-Reformists?"

Reissing shook his head. "The Counter-Reformists try not to become partisan. They would want favourable relations but not at the risk of alienating the next Captain-General, whoever that was."

So they're a reed in the wind. Damn!

"Maybe…" The colonel frowned. "I mentioned that the Shunner's influence is fading. There was some discussion that their seat might be replaced with that of another group." He made a face. "Because I'm not actually a member of the Word of Blake, I'm not really current on the politics. This may have already happened. But the most likely candidates for this would be the Expatriates."

Isis thought for a moment and then shook her head. "I haven't heard of them," she admitted. "Please explain."

"The Expatriates were originally a group within ComStar who hoped they could moderate the secularism of the organisation despite the death of Primus Waterly." Reissing paused and then somewhat reluctantly added: "Who was clearly going too far, even if Focht and Mori's reforms were an overreaction. But they functioned as a loyal opposition, if you will. Championing the values of the original order. However, since the Word resumed control over Terra there's been increasing internal suspicion of Blakist sympathies within ComStar and quite a number were finding themselves made unwelcome. When Victor Steiner-Davion became the Precentor Martial in 3061 it was the last straw and thousands of adepts and acolytes left ComStar to rejoin their brethren in the Word of Blake."

"And thus, Expatriates."

Reissing nodded. "From those I've spoken to, they have strong concerns about the increasing power of House Steiner-Davion, and they were concerned that between Victor and Katherine, the new Star League would end up being subverted. That isn't what's happened, thankfully, but I think they would be very wary of the possibility of the Federated Commonwealth expanding into a weakened Free Worlds League. If you want allies to help you secure the Coalition against outside threats, then the Expatriate faction may be your best bet."

"In which case," Isis said slowly, "I should probably talk to them and see if we do have some common ground. I realise that you're not formally part of the group but perhaps you would have some names with which I could begin enquiries? Precentors who might be able to put me in touch with their leadership?"

The colonel hesitated once more, likely realising that he was making one more step towards breaching faith with his co-religionists. But then he pulled out a note-pad and began writing notes.

I'd feel more sorry for him, Isis thought, if so many other soldiers weren't also having to wrestle with divided loyalties. Sometimes at gunpoint, if their comrades choose differently from them.