Opalescent Reflections

Dealer's Choice

Chapter 8

Hilton Head, North America

Terra, Sol System

15 January 3049

"While we all understand there were unavoidable circumstances when you took office as Primus," he declared, "That emergency has now passed. I am therefore calling for a proper election of a new Primus."

Could your ambition be more naked? Wei wondered.

Before she could reply, another voice spoke up. "I will second that motion."

Wei turned her head sharply, seeing that it was Tiger Lily who had spoken. You too? Are you backing Buckley… no, you have your own eye on the position of Primus.

"Of course," Precentor Atreus continued, with an easy smile that reminded the Primus of the feline predator that the other woman was named for. "Primus Rong continuing in the role should be one of the options presented for consideration."

Perhaps I should just step aside, Wei thought. It wasn't as if I ever wanted to be Primus. Isn't this a way out?

But as she looked at the circling wolves, she suspected that retirement wouldn't be an easy out. Buckley might well see her the same way Waterly had. And Tiger Lily's paranoia about attacks on Terra…

I'm no worse off if I try and lose than I am if I withdraw, she realized. Let's see how this goes.

"Under ComStar regulation, the removal of a Primus requires a unanimous vote of the First Circuit," she reminded them. "Does anyone object to the proposed measure?"

Joe Murphy and Andrew Norris gave her questioning looks but neither spoke up. The other Precentors all nodded. Gwyn Thorne even went as far as saying: "I assent."

"Very well." Wei tapped her podium. "Inform the Precentors on list Beta that their presence is required for a meeting of the First Circuit, beginning in thirty minutes."

"Thirty minutes!" exclaimed Tiger Lily.

"Of course." Wei gave the older woman a slight nod. "Why wait? Leaving the Order without a clear leader would be a risk, particularly as we're dealing with a conspiracy to subvert us to serve the interests of the Draconis Combine. Better to choose a leader now so that if I'm not affirmed as the Primus I can begin an orderly handover of authority."

"You're talking about people on the far edges of the Inner Sphere."

"We are ComStar," Wei answered Buckley. "Communications is our business. Do you imagine that I proposed that they join the First Circuit without considering the possible complications? A live HPG chat connecting Terra with the capitals of the territorial states was within the reach of the Star League. It is not beyond us now."

And then she smiled at them. "So, while we wait. I've been nominated already, would any of you like to put yourselves forward as candidates?"

Buckley spent most of the thirty minutes justifying putting himself forwards as the 'natural successor' to Myndo Waterly's legacy. As he spoke, more men and women in the robes of Precentors appeared like ghosts around the chamber, their holographic images transmitting them from worlds as near as New Earth and as far as Alpheratz - the latter more than five hundred years distant.

Myndo Waterly would likely have greeted them with distant and stately salutations, but Wei would have looked ridiculous trying to be so dignified so she instead offered them warm and welcoming smiles. She brought her sleeves together, letting her reach up her sleeve to scratch at the cast - as if that would help the flesh beneath it.

"Thank you, Precentor," she told the man once all sixteen additional Precentors had arrived. "Your candidacy has been logged. Does anyone else wish to put their name forward?"

"I will be brief," Tiger Lily spoke up.

(There was a quiet "Thank Blake" from the direction of Precentor Tharkad).

"I am the most experienced Precentor currently on the First Circuit, including those who have just joined our number," she continued. "Wei Rong has done well by the Blessed Order, but she came to power in turmoil - not of her making - and her reign so far has not brought stability, but more turmoil. She has my thanks, but I believe she is not the best choice to lead us in the future."

Not the worst argument - and brevity would win her points. "Your candidacy has been logged," Wei repeated.

To her surprise, there was one more.

"I nominate myself," Gwyn Thorne said quietly. "I disapprove of the direction that Myndo Waterly has led ComStar. We are a neutral order, committed to peace - the expanded ComGuards and hostile relations with governments of the Inner Sphere are not policies I approve of. I recognise that our current Primus has chosen not to continue those policies, but more must be done to bring us back onto the correct path."

Was that genuine sincerity or the seeds of ambition? Wei was unsure. Nonetheless, she logged the fourth candidate. "Does anyone else wish to step forwards?"

After a moment of silence, she nodded. "Very well. As there are multiple candidates, we will operate by an exhaustive ballot. If no one secures at least fifty percent of the vote, that is to say twelve or more votes, then the candidate with the lowest votes will be eliminated and we vote again."

"I'm not entirely familiar with the process," Murphy admitted. "What if there's a tie for last place?"

"Then both are eliminated," Wei said briskly. "If anyone else has questions, please ask now or wait until after we've completed a round of voting."

"What, right away?" exclaimed Buckley. "Most of them didn't hear my nomination speech!"

"I think we heard enough," murmured Precentor St Ives. The tiny duchy of St Ives was currently administered by ComStar under the oversight of Precentor New Avalon so she knew Buckley fairly well. "Let's continue."

"Should we really have one of the candidates counting the votes?" he complained.

"It will be a show of hands," Tiger Lily said irritably. "Surely everyone here can count to twenty-three? Without taking their shoes off, I mean."

"Let's not begin this with insults." Wei warned. "Votes will be public, but we can easily make them electronic." She manipulated the podium with two years of practice. "There we go. Please cast your votes."

"Can we abstain?" someone asked.

"Which part of ask now or wait until after the votes are cast didn't you understand?" asked Andrew Norris. "Vote or be known as a ditherer."

All twenty-three votes were cast. Perhaps whoever had asked the question didn't want to be identified. Wei set her podium to provide her a simple count of votes at first. She was surprised, and gratified, to see that she received a number of votes - all four candidates received a fairly similar number of votes at first but the last few votes cast were all for her… and with so few voters, that was enough to lift her well above the other three.

I must have been doing something right, she thought. "Nine votes for Wei Rong, five each for Joe Buckley and Tiger Lily. Which leaves four for you, Gwyn." She had already been considering who to recommend her supporters shift their backing to, but if she was doing this well… Why not see how far this went?

Precentor Rasalhague nodded with no sign of surprise. Perhaps she had only been making a political statement. Four votes did suggest that her pacifist beliefs had a notable following on the First Circuit, and presumably in the Order as a whole. Wei noted the names of Thorne's supporters and wondered who they would throw their support to.

"No majority for anyone," Joe Buckley said tersely. He'd perhaps expected more support. Myndo Waterly had been unchallenged for a decade and a half, which should suggest a strong backing for her religious position. It seemed that the bloc wasn't as solid as he'd believed… perhaps as a result of the revelation about Sharilar Mori's duplicity.

"Indeed," Wei agreed and adjusted the voting options. "We go again."

"Immediately?"

"Do you have any idea how expensive this conference is?" She set up another command and a number began scrolling upwards in the corner of her screen. "That number should give you an idea: it's the cost. I'd like to have this done before it hits nine figures."

"You are the one who insisted on holding this vote right away," protested Buckley.

"Waiting months for shipping would cost us much more," Wei told him. "Last chance for questions."

This time no one spoke up and Wei cast her vote first - for herself, of course. Precentor after Precentor selected their choice for Primus. She saw Gwyn's supporters vote, not for her but Tiger Lily. That wouldn't give her the needed fifty percent but it was a shift of…

Wait… That wasn't what she'd expected. Two of Tiger Lily's previous supporters had shifted their support to Buckley. Had they cut some hasty deal? Private side-channels were possible.

Another name she hadn't expected appeared in Wei's own column, someone she had expected to vote for Buckley but had instead voted for Tiger Lily in the first round. But now they'd shifted to her instead.

"Once again, there is no clear majority," she said slowly. "I have eleven votes, compared to seven for Precentor Buckley. You would appear to have five votes, Tiger Lily." And only two had been voting for her last time. That strongly indicated that her power bloc was collapsing, with those who'd shifted to back her from Gwyn Thorne perhaps regretting that decision now.

The abandoned candidate closed her eyes for a moment in resignation. "Yes. Thank you for your consideration."

And then there were two. Wei met Joe Buckley's eyes and felt her expression tighten. If Tiger Lily or Gwyn Thorne had survived this far she might have stepped back… but not against Buckley or his ilk.

"One more vote," she said quietly. "Cast them, please." She tapped her controls, not taking her eyes off her adversary.

The wait for the subtle ping that told her all votes were in seemed to go on forever. But it came in the end.

Both she and Buckley looked down at the results at the same time. Wei would have to check the recording of the meeting later to see his face as he realized he had only six votes. Not only had every one of Tiger Lily's supporters sided with her, one of Buckley's existing votes had deserted to her as well.

"I suppose…" he said slowly, "I must congratulate you. Primus." The last word sounded almost physically painful for him to utter.

"Now then," she added sweetly. "About those administrative reforms…"

Novy Terra, Strana Mechty

Kerensky Cluster, Clan Homeworlds

28 February 3049

Ace didn't particularly consider the office used by the commander of the Twenty-First Assault Cluster to be his territory, but it was definitely disconcerting to enter and find someone already behind the desk.

"Ace Enders, quiaff?"

"Aff…" he concurred. And then, realizing where he had seen her before, he added: "My khan."

Barbara Sennet, the newly elected replacement to Kaija Horn, steepled her fingers. "You know why I am here, quiaff?"

"Neg," he admitted. And then, before she could rip him up (verbally), he added: "There are several possibilities."

"List them," she commanded, looking intrigued.

Ace hid a sigh. "My recent Trial of Position for command of the Twenty-First. The medical condition of Star Colonel Steven Hawker. The readiness of the Twenty-First to participate in Operation Revival. Some of these matters." He paused. "Or all of them."

"Most of them," she clarified and then gestured for him to sit. "Angus Labov is an old friend and comrade… but I must work with Ian Hawker."

He took the guest seat, one he'd used more often than the one behind the desk.

"Nothing to say?"

"You did not ask a question, Khan Sennet. I admire Angus Labov, but I must serve Ian Hawker."

The dark-skinned Khan laughed sharply. "You have a unique view of serving him. His orders were for your transfer to Beta Galaxy, now that Angus has retired and can no longer insist on your place here. Oh, and that Steven Hawker was to command the Twenty-First Assault Cluster. And yet… here we are."

"Aff."

"Khan Hawker commands Alpha Galaxy. He is within his right to give these orders, quiaff?"

"Aff," Ace agreed. "However, trial by combat is the way of the Clans, quiaff?"

Sennet nodded. "Whatever Ian Hawker wants, his protege will not be serving in Operation Revival. It will be a full year before he can walk again, much less fight. Steven Hawker is lucky to still have a career. And you…" She shrugged.

"I fought for the position of Star Colonel of the Twenty-First Assault Cluster," he reminded her. "And I won."

Sennet nodded. "The Diamond Shark must not stop moving, or it will die," she quoted. "But where it moves is always the question. Khan Hawker wants us to move in a certain direction and there are those on the Clan Council who think differently. Angus Labov was one of them. His decision not to contend with the Jade Falcons for the first choice of invasion corridor was controversial. If he had not retired, it could have unseated the Khan… or smashed the faction opposed to him. Either way, a costly outcome."

"I understand."

"Do you?" the saKhan asked. "By assigning me to handle this, a matter in his Galaxy not in mine, Hawker is telling me to pick a side."

Ace smiled slightly. "For you to become saKhan, I think you must have already chosen a side."

"Aff," she conceded. "I am on the side of Clan Diamond Shark. I will choose whatever serves my Clan best. If that means breaking you, I will do that. And I am not so easily goaded as the previous Star Colonel to use this office. Here is your chance to show me that you are more of an asset than a liability."

He leaned forwards. "You said yourself that Steven Hawker was easily goaded. More than a few of my victories have begun with convincing my opponents to follow me into favorable terrain."

"Is that how you defeated him?" she asked with clinical curiosity.

"Aff." He saw that she wanted more details and added. "I stood here and told him he was unfit to lead a Cluster, because all he knew was how to say 'Yes, my Khan' whenever Ian Hawker farted. Then I told him I would take the Cluster from him."

"And he just let you?"

"In a manner of speaking. The Star Colonel accepted my challenge and informed me that we would fight unaugmented. That was when I invited him to step into the 'mech hangar."

"And threw him off a gantry." Her lips quirked.

Ace shook his head. "If I had tried that, the chances are good that I would have been the one taking a fall. I kicked him into a rail that I knew was unsafe."

"And you knew this because…?"

"I am sure your investigation has already determined that the last thing I did before entering this office to issue my challenge was to order all the techs off the gantry until a safety check was done. It is on the route I took to reach here." The administrative offices weren't in the same building as the mech hangar, but a modest bridge linked the two structures, allowing the officers working here to get to and from the upper gantry inside the hangar with ease.

And like any 'mech hangar, there was a nine meter drop from the gantry to the concrete floor below.

"Yes," she agreed. "But how exactly did you know that the rail was not securely pinned in place? Few warriors I know of pay close attention to such details."

"That would be their error," Ace pointed out. "It was certainly Steven Hawker's."

Sennet shook her head in dismissal. "You removed the pins yourself," she accused. "We both know it."

"I did," he agreed and waited to see if she was going to accuse him of attempted murder.

"Steven Hawker being a fool, fighting you on ground that you had prepared does not make you worthy," she pointed out. "Why should I consider you better? Ian Hawker claims that your transfer to Beta Galaxy was to give you the chance to learn better than tactics that cost us the bulk of the forces bid on both occasions you took the field during the Revival trials. A cost we can hardly afford when we are fighting a war six months away from the homeworlds. And your preferred 'mech is hardly ideal for an Assault Cluster."

"If my piloting a Stormcrow is so ill-fitted then why did I manage to walk away from both of those Trials?" he asked. "In both cases, our bidding put us at a disadvantage. The Star Adders had at least out-thought us - just as their bidding was probably the most intelligent of any of the Clans. The Steel Vipers were simply lucky with the weather, and that was almost enough to defeat us."

"It is no secret that you are a skilled mechwarrior," the saKhan told him dismissively. "The secret is that it takes more than that to rise within a Clan."

Alright, if that was how she wanted to play it. "Khan Sennet, have you considered that to conquer the Inner Sphere - even just the hundred or so worlds in the invasion corridor, the Clan will require prominent freeborn warriors?"

For the first time, she hesitated. "Interesting, why do you believe that?"

"For the first part, from what we know of the Inner Sphere, their warriors make up a social elite. The details vary from the Clans, but when the Founder put the warrior caste at the head of the Clans he was formalizing what was already the power structure. Now, what happened to the warriors who were defeated by the Clans during the return to the Pentagon worlds?"

"They were taken as bondsmen," she answered immediately. "Filling out the lower castes of the Clans or… ah, I believe I see where you are going. After time as bondsmen, many joined the toumans, building them up beyond the original eight hundred warriors and fighting alongside the first generation of trueborn warriors."

Ace nodded. "Exactly. They joined the Clans, because the Way of the Clans provided them a vision of a better way of life and one that welcomed them. Those who accepted the Clans were made welcome and allowed - encouraged - to aspire to advance within the Clans. If they could surpass those who had been on Strana Mechty they could join any caste, even the highest."

"But they could not win bloodnames, as you did."

"Even though the Wolf Dragoons provided no reports of their service to the Draconis Combine," he pointed out, "What they did report matches the other Successor States. The nobility are a tiny fraction of their warriors. For the overwhelming majority of the people on the worlds we need to conquer, becoming a warrior is as high as they could realistically hope for. And if we tell those with martial aspirations that they cannot hope for that under our rule, the way that the Smoke Jaguars or Steel Vipers will? Do you think that they will accept that, or will they look for other routes to pursue their ambitions."

Sennet shook her head. "You are talking about uprisings and rebellions. We have ways of dealing with those."

"That's half of the problem, and it will probably be harder than most of us assume. The tactics we employ here are based on being able to rapidly move a relatively small military force around a compact region. Nowhere in the Kerensky Cluster is more than a few jumps away from Strana Mechty. But the Inner Sphere has an average radius of five hundred light years, seventeen jumps at best. If our frontline forces are fighting towards Terra and there is a rebellion on Albiero, it will take months to respond. Omega Galaxy will provide a reserve, but that is only four Clusters. How many uprisings can they respond to - and how many counterattacks? We will have a very very long open flank. The Draconis Combine will not simply accept a corridor being carved through their space."

"You do remind me of Angus," she said after a moment's thought. "Not in your points, but in how you make them. Is that the other half of the problem? The Draconis Combine."

"Yes, and the solution I see is held within the first half. We need more warriors - more infantry, more armored forces, more police-warriors. We need enough of them to secure scores of worlds against uprisings and to fight back against counterattacks until reserves can be deployed. And we have a source - but only if we show that they have a future in Clan Diamond Shark that they want to grasp hold of."

"The way you did." Sennet nodded. "You argue then that whatever your competence, that we need you as a visible freeborn officer to enable recruitment from worlds we liberate from the Draconis Combine."

Ace shook his head. "No, if I am incompetent then you should remove me. But we both know my combat record is as good as that of any warrior my age. And you're at my desk, with my workstation unlocked. Judge for yourself whether I am providing poor leadership."

Sennet leaned back and looked at him. "You are confident in yourself, quiaff?"

"I take calculated risks. And I am very good at math. Not perfect, but very very good."

"So am I," she told him. "And I will take a risk here. Tell me, Star Colonel, where do you stand on the Invasion? Are you a Warden or a Crusader?"

"Does it matter? The decision is made and the Wardens lost," Ace pointed out. "We are returning to the Inner Sphere and doing so as conquerors. There remain divides among the Clans and they will doubtless continue, but the core issue that those rivalries hinge upon will shift to something new. Perhaps between those participating in Operation Revival and those who do not - or those who succeed and those who fail."

"The division between Warden and Crusader is more complicated than one issue," the Khan told him.

"I'm not saying that there are no other issues, but - for one example: from what I can tell, the Steel Vipers and Smoke Jaguars agree on more issues than they disagree on. Without the invasion question to put them in opposing voting blocs, I would not be surprised to see them as allies, however uneasy, on a number of matters."

He could almost see the wheels turning behind Barbara Sennet's eyes. "You took a Steel Viper as a bondsman," she said at last. "I will be interested to see how he turns out with you teaching him to be a Diamond Shark."

"I am learning some things from Michel as well."

"In my experience, becoming an instructor does that. Clan Steel Viper and Clan Nova Cat have both won trials of refusal to be granted additional reserve status, so we may have to work with the Vipers in the future. If that happens, there are likely to be problems. Brett Andrews was popular within their ranks. Consider how to deal with that."

Ace nodded. "I will. How are the Goliath Scorpions taking the news of two Clans they surpassed joining the invasion when they cannot?"

"Through clenched teeth," Sennet admitted. "Their display against the Smoke Jaguars won them the match but cost them a great deal of goodwill. I doubt there will be any rapprochement between those two Clans in the future. They came very close to knocking the Smoke Jaguars out of participation entirely and that is not a slight that will be forgiven." Then she shrugged. "I am sure our Khan would prefer no reserves be required at all, but if we do require one it would be better for us to recognise that and call on the Ghost Bears or the Nova Cats. And not just because of you."

The Khan stood up, giving him back his desk. "Finish getting your Cluster back in shape, Star Colonel. We depart for the Inner Sphere in less than four months."

Hilton Head, North America

Terra, Sol System

15 September 3049

"Alright," Wei declared as she took the seat at the head of the intelligence committee's meeting room. Today the four Precentors representing DRUM sat along the table on her left. To the right, the Precentors from New Earth and Talitha sat at the bottom of the table, with Precentor Martial Anastasius Focht separating them from Wei. "I don't think any of us have the complete picture on this one, but between us I hope we can put it together into a coherent picture… and a plan. Sharon, please start us off."

"Ah." Sharon Four-Acre was a recent appointee to replace the previous head of her division - a technical specialist who had a superb record of understanding what Delta division could do. And more importantly, she knew what they could not do and was willing to admit it. That directness would have been a terrible liability as a Precentor-Advocate but with Delta's new role she was a perfect fit. "The source of our information is a BattleROM, relayed back to Arc-Royal by the Kell Hounds mercenary unit from the Verthandi HPG station."

"The Kell Hounds are close to House Steiner," pointed out Precentor Talitha. "Could it be deliberate misinformation?"

"That's extremely unlikely," Dahlia Erin said. "The BattleROM was that of Phelan Kell, the son and heir of Morgan Kell's titles if not necessarily of the Kell Hounds. He is very much not seen as expendable for such a ploy."

"Justin Allard was similarly placed," the other Precentor objected.

"We can come back to that," Wei told them. "Please continue, Sharon."

The young woman nodded in acceptance. "The data was transmitted from a WLF-1 Wolfhound, containing full battle data on the clash in which it was destroyed. It's not clear if the mechwarrior was killed - he definitely ejected but the battle took place on The Rock, which is a middlingly hostile environment. BattleROM data is intentionally hard to fake, but not impossible. So far as we can tell, this hasn't been tampered with but it's possible one of the Federated Commonwealth's data specialists has something new we haven't encountered before."

Wei looked further down the table at Elswick Cameron. "Do you concur?"

"Yes, Primus. It's possible this is faked, but unlikely. If it were not for the contents I would be satisfied to discount that as a possibility."

"I haven't seen that yet," admitted Precentor New Earth, apologetically.

"That's fine, as I said - none of us have the full picture here," she told him. "Let's review it now - the key part only though, we don't have all day."

The cockpit data replayed on a holo display at the head of the table. While not a mechwarrior herself, Wei had watched some in the course of her historical studies. The timestamp was over a month ago - about right for the travel time between The Rock and Verthandi.

She watched as pirate 'mechs fled directly into the teeth of the advancing Kell Hounds, so badly damaged that they were destroyed almost immediately. Wei would not weep for Redjack Ryan or Maria Morgraine, but it was clear that their forces stood no chance at all and would not have, even if the Kell Hounds hadn't been there.

The real threat were the flat-grey 'mechs pursuing the pirates, 'mechs of types that Wei couldn't identify. They clearly were Battlemechs, their fundamental technology was recognizable even to her, but not even the experienced mechwarriors whose chatter was recorded knew what they were facing.

And then that chatter was cut by fear. "Blake's Blood! Did you see that, Phelan?" one of the warriors exclaimed as one bird-like 'mech blew the legs out from under what Wei thought was a Panther.

Wei glanced at Precentor Focht, whose lips were pursed. His one eye was intent. Whatever had disturbed the mechwarriors was clearly evident to him.

Rather than ask right away, she waited and watched as a pirate Rifleman fell… and the intruders moved smoothly to firing on the Kell Hounds. A Blackjack tried to escape on its jump jets but flights of missiles tore into it, sending it spinning through the low gravity with both legs reduced to stumps. The face-first crash into the surface of the planet was clearly not survivable for the mechwarior within. And then the entire wreck exploded.

The mech whose viewpoint they shared cut to the side, avoiding lasers fired from the bird-like 'mech. The mechwarrior adjusted his controls. "Trey, Kat, anybody. I hope like hell this makes it out. Get clear. This data is more important than getting killed to avenge either one of us."

Another feint, another miss by the enemy 'mech. The Wolfhound had closed the range by half and it wove erratically, tricking the enemy into firing wide - one shot missing to the left and the other to the right.

With a wild laugh, the young mercenary opened up with his lasers, and unlike his enemy he hit home. Armor peeled away from the larger 'mech… but only armor and the laugh ended. Clearly this was not his expectation.

And then the bird-like 'mech fired again, both lasers impaling the Wolfhound through the chest. Warning lights went from green to crimson in an instant. The computer verbalized what was evidently being reported: "Reactor detonation inescapable. Eject, eject."

The replay froze on the final instant, the predatory gray 'mech standing like an executioner over the mercenary Wolfhound it had just dealt a mortal wound to.

"Precentor Martial," Wei asked into the quiet of the room. "Have you ever seen a 'mech like that."

He shook his head slowly. "No. And while I am not conversant with all the advances made by the Star League, or even those that we retain within the ComGuards, I used to count myself a fair technician. If we were to reequip our 'mechs in a similar fashion - that 'mech has qualities in common with both a Catapult and a Marauder, so using them as a base…" He shook his head. "No, unless I am completely mistaken then we would have to compromise massively on speed, cooling systems or armor. Perhaps all three."

"It's an impossibility then?"

"If that evidence is not faked - and I see no reason Morgan Kell would sacrifice his own son for such a forgery - then we are seeing something real - but something beyond our own technological reach." The white-haired solider shook his head again. "Those lasers struck at ranges beyond even that of a Star League extended range laser. And they were shooting with considerable precision - excellent mechwarriors."

"That one needed four hits to strike the source of the recording," pointed out Dahlia. She sounded more curious than questioning.

Focht looked across the table at the Precentor and then folded his hands. "That speaks better of young Kell than it does poorly of his opponent. The Federated Commonwealth did themselves a disservice in expelling him from the Nagelring. The last time I saw a light 'mech handled so well, it was… well, none of you move in those circles. Trust me, he is excellent. If his 'mech was comparable to his foe then he might well have won."

Wei leant back. "And you have no idea as to their source?"

"None." There was no hesitation in Focht's voice. "It is derived from the same technological base we use, perhaps a development from SLDF technology. But someone has been building war machines very substantially more advanced than anything I have seen or even studied. More formidable than the ComGuards' equipment. If it exists in any number then it constitutes a strategic threat - I imagine that every power in the Inner Sphere will want to obtain it for themselves. With some caution - none of them would want to be deceived as Maximilian Liao was in 3029. But if it is real then it would be a fantastic advantage once in mass production."

Elswick Cameron leant forwards. "I believe I can shed some light on that."

All eyes turned to Precentor Mu. "You have the floor," Wei told him.

The dark-skinned head of DRUM's analysis divisions took control of the display and switched it to the side of the bird-like battlemech, revealing an insignia on the flank of the rounded torso section. "We've been studying the data for a few days," he explained. "Once we cleaned this up…"

The image shimmered and was replaced at a better angle by the head of a snarling wolf, red and black, against a gold bar marked with five-pointed stars.

Wei stared at it for a moment and then shook her head. "Should that mean anything to me, Elswick?"

"Probably not," he admitted. "In fact, if anyone did know about it then they should be getting some attention from Dahlia, because we only found one hit on that design in our entire archives."

Wei started to nod and then paused. "Only one?" ComStar's archives were the most extensive collection of data in the entire Inner Sphere, probably. It was remotely possible that the combined libraries that lay behind House Davion's New Avalon Institute of Science were rivals in technical terms but that alone wouldn't be enough to match the resources of an organization that recorded and decoded (eventually) every single message sent via their HPGs, which accounted for more than 99% of all interstellar communications.

The majority of what was in those archives should be sorted, cross-referenced and therefore appearing multiple times.

"Only one," he agreed. "And we are fortunate to have found it. The reference was flagged Primus Eyes Only, so if you hadn't provided us with access for such searches, we wouldn't have found it."

"It can't be in my own files."

Cameron nodded. "I doubt any Primus has seen it for over a hundred years. The server the file was on had been sequestered by ROM during the reign of Primus Kurstin. The record was sealed by Primus Toyama in 2827. The context is… interesting. Perhaps even sphere-shaking."

"Well spit it out, man," Precentor New Earth demanded.

"This badge belongs to one of the factions to form out of Aleksandr Kerensky's Exodus," Cameron said, and then waited for that to sink in.

As half the room opened their mouths to explode, Wei raised her hand for silence. For a wonder, she got it. "As one troll to another, well played. Now… are you seriously telling me that Conrad Toyama knew where Kerensky went and didn't tell anyone?!"

"Not where, precisely. Although I imagine the Explorer Corps would have appreciated some more guidance."

Wei sighed. "Well, we all knew Toyama wasn't an academic. He'd have been tarred and feathered for hiding data like that. Rather than speculate about why, what information do we have?"

Cameron drummed his fingers against the table. "It's probably simplest to start with the source of the information. In 2826, ComStar made contact with a refugee convoy. Not especially unusual with conflicts picking up to what would become the Second Succession War. But this convoy was escorted by a badly damaged SLDF battleship - incidentally, that answers one question we've been asked by the ComGuards, Precentor Martial. I'm not sure it should be disclosed more widely, but it's the same McKenna-class ship currently on the mothball rolls as CSS Blake's Sword."

"Why were they asking?" Focht looked perplexed.

"Trying to trace how we came by it, I believe. You did hand the ComGuards to a pair of naval historians, perhaps they have another book in mind to write." Precentor Mu shrugged the matter aside. "In any case, the group claimed to be survivors of colonies founded by the Exodus Fleet, and to be fleeing a war that had engulfed the colonies. This Clan Wolf was one group that they sincerely feared would follow them all the way back to the Inner Sphere… or to the edge of the galaxy, if they had to. Of course, as we haven't come across them in more than two centuries, that seems rather overstated."

"Except that we are seeing them now."

Wei nodded at Four-Acre's point. "Quite so. What - according to these refugees - happened to the Exodus Fleet?"

Cameron looked over at her. "Much the same that happened to the rest of the Star League. At first, they were united in a common purpose, but as Kerensky led them deeper and deeper into the Periphery, cracks began to form. They were stamped down on, but even military discipline had its limits. Whether it was his original plan or because he knew his followers, Kerensky declared a halt when they found five star systems in close proximity that all had more or less habitable planets - marginal but within their ability to colonize."

"A star cluster, like the Hyades?"

"No, but the systems were all within one jump of each other. Convenient for commerce and mutual support. A great deal of which was needed. Many of the settlers weren't ideal as colonists - they were soldiers and scientists, relatively few of them familiar with farming or the other problems of establishing colonies even on benign worlds - and the Pentagon worlds, as they were called, were… less than ideal choices."

The Precentor sighed and then continued. "The initial euphoria wore off, and then ships surveying a little more widely discovered several systems just a little further in the direction they'd been going that were considerably more promising. But by this point they'd already committed their limited resources to the Pentagon. Starting over again on these worlds - except with small outposts - wasn't feasible. And even though it was to some extent at their demands that Kerensky had halted where he did, as the leader he bore the brunt of the dissatisfaction."

Wei felt a moment of empathy for the embattled general turned colonist. "He would have been close to ninety years old?"

"He… soldiered on, if you'll accept the pun, for another decade," Cameron continued. "And unfortunately he proved not entirely equal to the challenges posed. Resources were limited and neighboring settlements began to quarrel over them. Other settlements fell prey to sectarian violence between soldiers whose origins lay in rival states - states that they knew perfectly well were at war back here, even if the details were uncertain. Most had military training, and military equipment had been stockpiled in hundreds of places, many of them well known and accessible. Kerensky, after all, trusted the men and women who had followed him into the darkness. Too much, it seemed."

"In 2800, rebellion broke out. A not insignificant number of the colonies established on a world called Eden rejected the authority of Kerensky's government. A portion of those soldiers remaining under arms were deployed and suppressed the rebellion brutally, but they didn't have it all their own way. Against veterans of the Amaris Civil War, it hardly could have been. Among the casualties was General Aaron DeChevilier. Kerensky's deputy and natural successor." Cameron spread his hands. "And probably his closest friend. Shortly thereafter, we don't know the exact timescale but certainly before any other successor had been declared, Aleksandr Kerensky died suddenly. Natural causes, which seems entirely plausible. He had lived a hard life, and was no longer a young man."

"I take it that rival successors sprang up like grass on a fertile field?" asked Wei.

"Exactly. Within weeks, rival claimants to his… I would say throne, but it seems highly unlikely he had anything so egotistical. Claimants to his office had opened up caches to arm their supporters. Warfare exploded across five worlds, with an intensity unmatched by even the Successor States."

"I find that hard to believe," Precentor Talitha challenged. "The Succession Wars have gone on for centuries, and were waged across more than a hundred times as many planets."

"Yes, that is why I said intensity, not scale," Cameron replied simply. "Obviously we have few details…"

"Blake's mercy," Wei whispered. "At least eighty percent of their adult population would have had military training, and the SLDF stockpiles would have been enough to arm every mother's son. Not even the Draconis Combine could send so many of their people to war. The economy would never let them amass such a preponderance of arms."

"Indeed," Focht agreed. "But this war would not be waged with what they could build, they would have the supplies and equipment of… what was it, something like a third of the pre-Coup SLDF. More 'mech regiments alone than the entire Inner Sphere can boast today, and with so many factions there could have been few safe refuges. It would have been apocalyptic - and shattered what infrastructure had been built up."

Cameron looked at them with a certain degree of respect. "That is more or less the conclusion my own analysts came to. It took them a little longer though."

"No one in this room was chosen at random," Wei reminded him.

Focht cleared his throat and looked at her.

"There was nothing random about my choice not to get involved in that case of terminal political infighting."

"And what would you have done if I hadn't taken you into custody," he asked, almost… playfully? Well, that was interesting.

"Stolen enough money for a really good plastic surgeon and a ticket to Kooken's Pleasure Pit." She looked around. "Not so very different in some ways from the refugees that you mentioned, Elswick. But I take it we're some distance from the end of the tale since neither they nor this Clan Wolf have appeared so far."

"Hmm. Yes," the Precentor admitted. "Skipping over twenty years of warfare that really isn't relevant, the war didn't just affect the five principal colonies. There were, as I mentioned, several outposts located on more promising worlds and there were more resources available after over a decade of colonization work. They were hardscrabble worlds, but from the beginning of the fighting they were the goal of people wanting to get clear of the fighting. People who wanted a fresh start, away from the rivalries."

"The refugees?" asked Focht.

"The Clans," Cameron corrected. "A group like that is fertile soil for a demagogue, and they had one. He called himself Nicholas Kerensky and claimed to be the General's natural-born son. It might even be true, although there's no record of him that I can find outside this tale. He preached the idea of a new society, creating a new nation - or rather nations. Clans, that would operate as a confederation - led in the broad strokes by a council and an appointed supreme leader, but for the most part governing themselves… not entirely unlike the Star League in some regards, although he appears to have mined ancient history for names. It would be a military oligarchy with a strict caste system to manage limited resources… which certainly fitted their situation. The exact details aren't clear - the refugees were for the most part not well connected, but after twenty years of relative isolation, he had united the outlying colonies under his rule, controlled the closest thing to a functioning economy… and had a coherent and well-equipped army." He gestured in a 'you get the idea'.

"And then he turned back to the original five colonies," Focht concluded. "Divided and exhausted, I assume he made short work of them."

"Quite. Several Clans attacked each world and for the most part they made short work of opposition. Many factions simply surrendered. By that point, General Kerensky's name was one to conjure with - the memory of a time of peace and comparative plenty. This Kerensky was offering what sounded like a route back to that."

"I assume that the refugees weren't enamored of his vision?" asked Wei.

"Perhaps not in the manner you're thinking. The Clans absorbed the settlements they conquered - incorporating the people into their ranks. There was a certain amount of dissent, questions about whether the harsh measures taken on the colonies were necessary now that they had triumphed, now that they had substantially more manpower. Whether their ilKhan should still exercise such dictatorial power." Cameron shook his head. "Kerensky did as such men often did: he made an example of the Clan that seemed most in opposition to him. Clan Wolf were his chosen, his favorites. Clan Wolverine, the center of what they claim was still broadly loyal opposition, was all but eradicated. As far as they knew, that little convoy of five thousand or so refugees was all that was left of the Clan."

"That is unfortunately easy to believe," Dahlia Erin agreed. "In some ways, after all, worse was happening here in the Inner Sphere."

Precentor New Earth frowned. "What happened to them? The refugees? And if they made their way back here, why did you say Toyama didn't know where Kerensky had gone?"

"In reverse order," Cameron told him, "The refugees were afraid that if anyone in the Inner Sphere found the Clans then it would reveal that someone had escaped to report their existence. To prevent that, they wiped their navigational data before handing over their ships. As for what happened to them, for the most part it was the same as any other group of refugees that ComStar chose to assist. Some joined our ranks, other filtered into refugee camps and resettlements under our protection. Toyama agreed to keep their secret and…"

"And Conrad Toyama was exceptionally good at keeping secrets," Erin observed respectfully.

"I suppose some of them may have made records, or simply passed down an oral tradition to their children," Cameron continued. "I would assume though that the Primus took steps to discourage both. As the secret has held, with considerable success."

"So secret that we're only finding this out now!" Wei grumbled. "Although… I wonder."

Everyone waited, looking at her.

"Forty or so years ago, a group using wolf iconography did arrive from the periphery," Wei said quietly. "And ComStar's leadership reacted with almost immediate suspicion. Quite ridiculous effort was made to destroy or cripple the Wolf Dragoons. Some of those efforts more subtle than the others. If someone in ComStar was watching and waiting for a long delayed pursuit from this Clan Wolf… well, believing that the Dragoons were exactly that would be no more ridiculous than some of the other theories put about."

"It would certainly fit with the theories that they're some remnant of the SLDF," admitted Cameron. "I can't say that it's true, but it could be."

Wei frowned. "It might be worth asking."

"I'm fairly sure that they were asked, Primus. You know what a media darling Natasha Kerensky has been over the years," Precentor New Earth pointed out.

"Yes, but were they being asked the right questions? I will review the full data, please," she asked Cameron. "And I suggest you all do the same."

"I'll try to find time for that," Focht told her. "But I believe my first priority should be to prepare in case this attack on The Rock wasn't an isolated incident. Whether this group is the same Clan Wolf or not - we are building a great deal off one image - we certainly have no agreements with them to protect the security of our enclaves. I'd like to reinforce our security in the region, and bring our readiness to a higher state. If we cannot match this group's technology, we can at least be forewarned of it."

Wei nodded. "Of course. We will attempt diplomacy. Even if it fails, we may learn more of them. But if we are attacked."

"Thank you, Primus." Focht rose. "With your permission, I will take personal command of operations in the area."

Wei blinked. Well, he was the military expert. If he thought he could best handle this from there then she didn't think she was well placed to second-guess. "Alright, but no sneaky excursions to Kooken's Pleasure Pit. If I can't go there, nor can you."