Opalescent Reflections

House of Cards

Chapter 2

CWS Dire Wolf, Tamar

Clan Wolf Occupation Zone

5 October 3050

Fighting was ongoing on the world below, Clan Wolf's warriors spurred on to complete the conquest of one of the Lyran Commonwealth's founding worlds by Clan Diamond Shark's victory on Pesht.

Ulric Kerensky, Khan of those same Wolves, had no doubts of the outcome - only of the cost it would come with. Garth Radick and Conal Ward had been allowed to win the bidding for the the Crusader-heavy Delta Galaxy to take those losses, but they were unlikely to be as severe as those that had led to Ian Hawker's downfall.

Clan Wolf's flagship was far enough away from Tamar to make it clear that there was no intention of repeating Lincoln Osis' murderous bombardment of the Rasalhague capital. Radick had returned from blooding himself against the AFFC to join Ulric in attending the next Grand Council meeting and they sat next to each other in one of the officers' lounges.

Projectors overlaid the small lounge with the image of a larger and grander chamber, a recreation of the Council Chamber back on Strana Mechty. In ones and twos, other Khans appeared behind the stepped desks normal for their Clans. The loremaster's position was taken by a Jade Falcon Star Colonel bearing the marks of many cybernetic replacements for battlefield injuries.

"Kael Pershaw," muttered Radick. "I thought he'd retired to Solahma status."

"At least he is no longer commanding one of their Galaxies. The man was sharp," Ulric allowed in a similarly low tone. "Or worse, he would have made a formidable Khan."

"Never happen." The junior khan shook his head. "You know how stuffy the Falcons are, and he was involved in that Pryde bloodname scandal a decade or so back."

Ulric nodded and looked over at the other two Jade Falcons present. Timur Malthus looked subdued, as well he might, and Elias Crichell was more interested in studying a datapad than his fellow Khans. Not exactly typical of either. "Speaking of scandals."

Radick grinned briefly. "We almost got our shot at the Gyrfalcon Guards when you insisted on a Trial of Refusal over the invasion. Bidding went against them unexpectedly, or we'd have fought them rather than the Third Falcon Regulars. But having them torn to shreds by spheroids is almost as good."

"There is no immutable law that says that our own occupation zone might not see similar attacks," Ulric warned. Then he allowed himself a slight smile right as Timur Malthus was looking in his direction. "But the proud Falcons are always due some humbling."

Malthus might or might not have heard Ulric, but he surely understood the sentiment and turned away to talk to the Smoke Jaguars in place on the far side of his desk from the Wolves. Kincaid Furey, the new Smoke Jaguar Khan, had been a surprising choice over Edmund Hoyt or the (as usual) ill-tempered looking Sarah Weaver. The man was popular, but easily led. Which might be a selling point, Ulric mused, if his rise had been engineered by…

The ilKhan appeared on his throne and Pershaw tapped a control, triggering the gong that announced the beginning of the session.

"Trothkin, we have made great progress in bringing the Inner Sphere under the guidance of the Clans," announced Leo Showers. He nodded towards Ulric. "Clan Wolf has almost completed securing Tamar and Clan Diamond Shark may justly boast of their victory on Pesht."

Eyes went to the Diamond Shark Khans. Elevation to senior position within her Clan did not appear to have changed Barbara Sennet, a good sign as she was far more favorable towards Warden thinking that Hawker had been. The election of Bikendi Vewas had been as much of a surprise as Kincaid Furey since he was only the commander of a garrison galaxy. On the other hand, Hawker's death did make him the second-most senior officer available in the Inner Sphere.

Showers allowed a moment for the praise to sink in, before leaning forwards. "But there have also been reverses. And even the smallest victory for our enemies may lead to them repeating those strategies. As we advance towards Terra, the exposed flanks of Alpha and Delta corridor will become longer and longer."

This, of course, should have been obvious to anyone with the barest grasp of geometry, Ulric thought. But Kincaid Furey was looking at Leo Showers with such admiration that he seemed to think this was a revelation from a strategic genius.

Fortunately, the ilKhan continued before Furey could offer verbal praise, sparing Ulric the need to hide his contempt. "The plans for Operation Revival allow for this circumstance, so I am ordering the activation of two reserve Clans to reinforce these corridors."

And ignoring the fact that your plans allowed for only one reserve Clan, Ulric thought. "How soon can they arrive?" he asked out loud.

Karl Bourjon, the senior Ghost Bear Khan rose to his feet. "It will be several months before our warships and jumpships can complete the trip to the Inner Sphere," he admitted. "Even with Lithium-Fusion batteries, hot-charging the drives of jumpships that lack such batteries and the use of Diamond Shark charging stations can only do so much. Dropships ferried ahead by Diamond Shark jumpships have reached the staging areas offered by Khan Hawker."

Barbara Sennet nodded. "It will strain our jumpship support, but we can bring those Galaxies forward in time to participate in the next wave. After that…"

Ulric hissed. That was an outstanding feat of logistics. The Diamond Sharks were talking about supporting seven galaxies in the field until the Ghost Bears caught up. Granted, some of the Ghost Bear dropships would be carrying their own supplies, but moving them alone would be an effort.

"That may be premature," he pointed out. "It is Clan Jade Falcon who have been struck by counterattacks so far. Perhaps it is they who should receive the aid of Clan Ghost Bears while the Nova Cats come to your support." The Ghost Bears got along far too well with the Diamond Sharks for his liking, while the merchants of Clan Nova Cat jostled regularly with the Sharks.

Sennet shrugged with apparent indifference. "It is beyond our resources to convey the Ghost Bear touman across three other Invasion Corridors."

Sevren Leroux cleared his throat. "My own Clan's ships departed at the same time as Clan Ghost Bears, anticipating that we might be called upon. Without a similar degree of support from jumpship fleets already on the supply lines, at this time it will be months before our warriors first reach the battlefield."

The ilKhan shook his head. "The late Ian Hawker was first to call for the reserve Clans to be activated and the Ghost Bears have the right to be the first called on. Given the advanced stage of their movement to the Inner Sphere, I see no merit to disrupting those arrangements. They are to continue into Delta Corridor to support Clan Diamond Shark. I will be happy to oversee any bidding for targets between the two Clans, starting in Wave Six."

"We thank the ilKhan." Therese DelVillar did not rise to speak. "We have come to a satisfactory arrangement already."

Showers frowned. "How so?"

"Part of Delta Corridor has been ceded to Clan Ghost Bear, providing them with their own route to Terra adjacent to Gamma Corridor," Khan Vewas announced. "Our own advance will continue along the outer edge of the corridor."

"Do you fear to bid for targets?" challenged Kincaid Furey.

Bourjon glared at his Smoke Jaguar counterpart. "Bidding and trials are means by which we settle disagreements. They have no use in and of themselves. Khan Hawker and Khan Sennet provided generously for our participation and there is nothing but honor in fighting alongside them."

"Enough, enough," called out Showers, "If the two Clans have come to an agreement then they are free to do as they please." He looked at Crichell. "Since Clan Nova Cat will require assistance to arrive in a timely fashion, we will need to lean upon your supply lines and Clan Wolf's."

"Our own jumpships are fully involved in maintaining our advance," Ulric said sharply. "If they would have the use of our ships and supply bases, the Nova Cats may of course bid for them." And waste time and effort fighting for the use of them.

Showers glowered.

"Our Clan has flotillas that were contracted to support Clan Jade Falcon against expected Inner Sphere warships," Khan McKenna offered. "Since they appear to have none, there is capacity for us to support moving dropships forwards."

Crichell nodded. "There are also Free Guild jumpships supporting the construction of HPG relays between the Inner Sphere and the Homeworlds. I will have my staff discuss redeploying them to shuttle Clan Nova Cat's leading elements into the Occupation zone."

"Shame on you," Karianna Schmitt hissed from where the Blood Spirits sat at the back of the meeting hall. "Shame on you, Ulric Kerensky, for failing to support your trothkin in their time of need."

Ulric laughed at her. "Khan Schmitt, surely you must know from your own Clan's history that when a Clan falters it cannot expect the others to support them. Such weakness is more often cause for calls to absorb them."

"Are you still sour over losing your Trial of Refusal against the invasion?" asked Furey.

The Wolf Khan shrugged. "I accept the outcome. We will march upon Terra and, by the decree of this council, the first Clan to arrive will have the title of ilClan. What makes you think that Clan Wolf should aid others in achieving that when we can claim it for ourselves. We have taken the lead in the invasion, and suddenly you find some hypocritical reason to claim we should hobble ourselves for your sake?"

"You go too far, Ulric," warned Sarah Weaver.

"Too far?" Radick snorted. "We are cleaning up resistance on Tamar, a world closer to Terra than any world that has fallen to the Jade Falcons, the Diamond Sharks or the Smoke Jaguars - and this is not even the leading edge of our advance. We have almost hit the targets for Wave Five already."

More Khans rose to their feet, but it was Sevren Leroux whose voice dominated, and he surprisingly spoke up for Ulric. "As I recall, the Wolves did not ask for their place in the Invasion. Their corridor was pushed on them by certain Khans in this Council. This is a problem of their making, not the Wolves."

Eyes went to the ilKhan and to Elias Crichell.

"With that said," Leroux continued: "I intend that my Clan will reach Terra first, Ulric Kerensky."

"As you should," he replied. "May the superior Clan win." Which was Clan Wolf, obviously. But there was no cost to being polite about it.

Hilton Head, North America

Terra, Sol System

11 October 3050

The holo display on Wei's desk lit up with head and shoulder images of two men. "Colonel. Gunji-no-Kanrei."

Jaime Wolf saluted her formally. "Primus." Then he looked off to the side, presumably at the image of Theodore Kurita and nodded courteously.

Theodore returned the nod before looking at Wei. "Primus Wei. I take it you've contacted me to be neutral."

"Scrupulously," she confirmed with a slight smile. "I have been asked to convey a declaration of war."

The Kurita arched an eyebrow. "Another war? Who with this time?"

"Clan Ghost Bear," Jaime informed him. "It appears the Clans have called in reinforcements."

"Apparently rather formal reinforcements," Theodore mused. "I know the ilKhan sent a demand for surrender but I don't recall any other clan sending a specific declaration of war to us." The leader of the Draconis Combine's armed forces glanced at a display outside of his field of vision. "I believe you said that Clan Ghost Bear tended to be quite deliberate."

"It can take a while for them to commit to something, but once they do they're quite determined," Jaime agreed.

"I'm sending the full text of the declaration of war," Wei added. "I assume you don't plan to ask your father to surrender the Combine and accept their rulership?"

That got a smile from Theodore. "I don't think that conversation would go well. Still, there's no harm in sending a polite refusal. Is that all that they ask for? I mean, if they just want free passage to the Federated Commonwealth - or to Terra - then we might have something to negotiate over."

Wei hid a wince. She wasn't entirely sure that Theodore was joking about offering free transit of the Combine. It would cause any number of problems for her and be quite a blow to his reputation, but if it preserved the Draconis Combine then she wasn't entirely sure that he wouldn't try it. "There is a secondary offer they've made. I imagine you'll want to look it over in detail, but in principle it is quite interesting."

Theodore arched an eyebrow and fell silent as he checked the document. "A specific treaty spelling out the rules of engagement - banning weapons of mass destruction except in reprisal, avoiding combat in cities… did they lift this out of the Ares Conventions."

"Word for word in some cases," Wei confirmed. "It seems they're rather conscious of what happened on Rasalhague."

"Interesting. Nothing about prisoner exchanges, I see."

Wolf spoke up again. "They wouldn't - that's not how the Clans see taking bondsmen."

"Yes… they see it as an honor?"

"Barring cases such as granting hegira, most clans would see being given back to their Clan as an insult - it says that they have no worth. There are Clans with differing views - don't even bother taking bondsmen from Clan Fire Mandrill, for example. It's never worth it," the mercenary said, shaking his head. "But the Ghost Bears will see any prisoners as future members of their Clan. Almost like children in their care - and that being the case, they'd not give them up."

"Interesting." Kurita considered that. "And how do the Diamond Sharks treat their bondsmen?"

"For the most part, valued assets. Wolfnet says they're being quite assiduous in trying to convince captured DCMS warriors to willingly serve them."

Wei nodded. "We have enough presence to see the same thing. They're not always doing a good job, but they seem to be quite open to the idea of bringing captured soldiers into their service."

"I have to wonder…" Theodore broke off and shook his head. "It's not ideal, but the rules of engagement might be something to work with. I take it that agreeing to such terms and then breaking them would not be a good idea."

Jaime snorted. "Have you ever poked an angry polar bear in the nose?"

"I've never run into a polar bear," the Gunji-no-Kanrei said thoughtfully, "But I doubt it would be a clever idea. So now we have another Clan joining the fray. If they plan on widening the invasion then Luthien will certainly be in their path once they catch up with the other Clans."

Wei shook her head. "They don't appear to be doing that. Part of their declaration of war is a challenge for specific worlds they will target first."

"You know, if I'd told Hanse Davion where I was going to attack, I think I would have lost rather than getting a stalemate," Theodore observed. "But even if I rush reinforcements to those worlds, it might not be enough to hold them." He was still reading off to the side and Wei could tell when he found the battle challenges by the way his eyes widened.

Mualang, Yamarovka, Asgard, Tarazed and Port Arthur lay along the rimwards edge of the Rasalhague Rift, several jumps ahead of Clan Diamond Shark or Clan Smoke Jaguar. Their location put them in the path that Clan Diamond Shark was projected to be taking and the latter three were only two jumps away from Luthien.

"It's possible that the Diamond Sharks are exhausted and that the Ghost Bears are taking up the advance in their place," Wolf said cautiously. "But I don't believe the Sharks have taken enough damage to make that likely."

"You seem very well informed about their progress," Theodore noted a little sharply. "But you're right. Taking Pesht wasn't cheap for them, but they did take it and the losses weren't at a level that would have halted me. So the most likely explanation is that they're shifting their advance spinwards, leaving an avenue of approach for the Ghost Bears between themselves and the Smoke Jaguars?"

"That's my own conclusion," the mercenary agreed. "Which means that Luthien is a very likely target."

The younger man rubbed his chin. "No one has successfully attacked Luthien since the First Succession War. Although one of the Primus' predecessors came very close to doing so over a century ago."

Wolf shrugged. "That doesn't confer any security."

"No, it doesn't." The coordinator's son turned his gaze towards the older man and considered him carefully. "I am aware that you and my father are on… poor terms."

The mercenary nodded grimly.

"You have also spoken of your commitment to help the Inner Sphere. So far that has been in the form of sharing information and acting as a training opfor, I believe."

Wolf nodded. "I have regiments working with the AFFC, the FWLM and even the ComGuards right now."

"I see. And unless the Diamond Sharks attack the Luthien HPG station, I imagine that the ComGuards will not assist in defending Luthien."

Wei stiffened. "That is our position." She tried to hide her feelings about that. On the one hand, the Clans were unprovoked invaders and they'd certainly shown only hesitant respect towards ComStar's neutrality. She couldn't imagine taking their side. But standing against them… perhaps it was cowardice but the cost of that was something she wasn't eager to pay. Much the reverse.

Theodore nodded. "If it were only the Federated Commonwealth being attacked, I'd probably be similarly standing aside," he conceded. "But that is not the case. I believe Hanse Davion sees as clearly as I do that we can't afford to threaten each other while the Clans are here. We may not be friends but we have a common enemy."

"Now convince your father of that," Wolf snorted.

"That's your job," the younger man said. "I'm inviting you to join me on Luthien. The… contempt between yourself and my father is well known. If the two of you are willing to stand together, then it will be hard for even the most conservative members of the court to complain about my hiring mercenaries or thinning our border with the FedCom."

Wolf frowned. "You want me to stick my head right into the mouth of the dragon?"

"You can bring a suitable escort, of course. I'm sure ComStar can at least agree to hire out some of their jumpships to assist in bringing them to Luthien for diplomatic purposes."

Wei hesitated and looked at Wolf. "I'll see what we can do."

"I can see why this helps you," Wolf said slowly. "But we both know that your father is unlikely to cooperate."

"I can manage my father," Theodore said with surprising confidence. "And whatever information you've given us, the fact is that nothing will do more to overcome the distrust of having spied on us for decades, than shedding your blood on the frontlines. Hanse Davion isn't willing to give you that chance, nor is what's left of the Free Rasalhague Republic. ComStar might, but right now they're not a combatant… so this is your chance to show that you have skin in the game, as the saying goes."

Wolf frowned. "I cannot bring all of the Dragoons. Even if they weren't committed, at the current rate the Diamond Sharks will reach Luthien before Christmas. It'll take a command circuit to reach Luthien before they do and even ComStar can't move that many dropships so far."

Wei had sent a request to the head of Theta division to see what shipping would be available. "I'll let you know what we can do."

"Even a single battalion would count for something. I'll be bringing everything I can together," Theodore said quietly. Then he frowned. "Primus, would you be able to arrange a realtime conversation for me with someone else? Assuming that he's willing, I should probably also invite my cousin to settle his own disputes with my father. It might be their last chance."

Terra Prime, Apollo

Clan Jade Falcon Occupation Zone

17 October 3050

The arrival of a Galaxy Commander was unexpected this far from the frontlines. Aidan Pryde tried to put on a good show for Vandervahn Chistu but with his forces scattered across several worlds, all he could do was pull one Binary together for a quick parade and assemble civilian caste leaders.

Chistu seemed more interested in the former than the latter, which didn't surprise Aidan very much. Most of his troops felt the same way. After all his time fighting his way up the ranks, his reward was to spend much of his working day handling paperwork and talking to civilians. One of the books he and Horse had found all those years ago had a phrase that summed it up perfectly: "Be careful what you wish for."

Once the last of the local leaders had withdrawn from the meeting room, their pledges of support for the new government still echoing in Aidan's ears, Chistu rested one elbow on the table and looked sideways at Aidan. "How many of them would say the same to the Lyrans if House Steiner retook this world?"

"All of them," Aidan answered without hesitation.

The Galaxy Commander straightened. "And you have not removed them?"

"I have removed the ones actively trying to oppose us," he clarified. "The ones you just met want to keep their own little parts of Apollo going and do not truly care who rules them. As long as the Clan leaves them to it, Apollo will be productive for us and in time we can raise up their replacements to be loyal. It is slower than it would be in a Clan enclave but the principle is the same - we cannot expect any significant number of the populace to prefer us to the Clan that they grew up with, but as long as we suppress those who actively want to rejoin their old Clan, those who just care for the enclave will keep things going. After a while, we become what they are used to."

"You seem well versed in this."

Aidan shrugged. "A garrison cluster often deals with such matters after frontline forces have moved on. I have to wait for battles to come to me, while more storied units are allowed to take the initiative, quiaff?"

"Aff," Chistu conceded. He looked at Aidan for a moment. "Kael Pershaw tells me that you have plenty of initiative."

He felt his lips begin to form a smirk and forced them straight again. "My reputation precedes me. I would have preferred a more straightforward path but that is not how it turned out."

The Galaxy Commander nodded in agreement. "Some would say your codex is tainted by the… irregularities in it. And many officers you served under would have preferred that as well. Fortunately, I am not here to take you under my command."

That was a slight disappointment. Aidan hadn't thought it was likely Chistu was here to call him to battle, but the chance had been there. Frontline losses were not high but they were adding up over time and pulling garrison forces forward in their place was a possibility.

Chistu drummed his fingers on the table. "Which of your Star Captains is best suited to take over the Cluster?"

What? "With forces on several worlds, most are carrying that level of responsibility. Ho- Star Captain Tyle is the best of them."

That got a snort. "The best who is not a freeborn. I am not spending favors to defend promoting a freeborn to Star Colonel, however qualified."

Well, it had been worth a try. "Mercedes Isha then. She has plenty of experience." The older mechwarrior disliked him, but she had never let it get in the way of her duties. "If I am being removed from command, I would like to know why." He wasn't old enough to be sent off as solahma, but he might be pushed into a staff position that would keep him out of combat, much like Kael Pershaw. That would be a demotion in fact, even if he kept his rank.

"Vau Galaxy has an opening for a Star Colonel. Timur Malthus asked me to recommend someone."

"Khan Malthus asked the commander of Gamma Galaxy to choose a Star Colonel for Vau?" That made no sense - the galaxies were rivals. Vau's commander would be free to promote any Star Captain in the Galaxy to the post. "This position… it is no prize, quineg?"

Chistu's lips parted in a smile. "Neg. It is no prize - but it is an opportunity for frontline action."

"As a sacrificial unit? Solahma in all but name?"

"Neg." The galaxy commander continued to smile. "I can assign you to that if you prefer it to Vau."

"I am not that desperate." Aidan sat back in his chair. "What posting are you sending me to?"

Chistu sobered, leaning forwards. "The Gyrfalcon Guards were shattered on Twycross. The only defeat we have faced so far. A shame so great that the ilKhan no longer believes we can control our own Occupation Zone without help. The entire unit has been deemed dezgra - half the officers who survived killed the other half in Trials of Grievance, blaming each other for the debacle."

He frowned. "I see why none of them are being promoted… but officers could be transferred in."

"You know what it is like to have your codex called into question. Does it surprise you that no officer of suitable experience wants that taint on their own?"

"But since my codex is already tainted…"

"Exactly." Chistu raised three fingers in turn. "I get to insult Vau by sending them a tainted commander for a tainted unit. If you fail, the Clan loses very little… and yet," he paused with one finger in the end. "You have a way of exceeding expectations, Star Colonel. If you can turn the unit around, make it useful, then you may also salvage your career. And we need effective units. We may need them very badly."

Aidan considered the progress of the invasion. "Our invasion corridor is narrowing, and we will have the Nova Cats who will no doubt win the bidding for some worlds. Your concern is more attacks like those on Twycross?"

That earned him a nod. "Losing a Cluster every time the spheroids launch an attack would wear us down very quickly. ComStar relays their own news broadcasts as well as those of the Inner Sphere's civilians. No one has told them how many regiments the Federated Commonwealth is moving to face us, but based on shipping disruptions and the difficulty in hiding the movement of 'mechs into drop-ports, estimates are as high as twenty regiments - over two thousand battlemechs - converging on staging areas near the edges of our invasion corridor."

Aidan winced. He didn't know exactly how many OmniMechs Clan Jade Falcon had deployed to the Inner Sphere, but it was certainly less than a thousand. Granted that the Nova Cat clusters were already arriving, but that was at a cost of dozens of shipments being delayed.

"One of the Galaxies will need to be held back to smash such attempts one at a time," Chistu continued. "Vau Galaxy was being considered - rebuilding the Gyrfalcon Guards rather than replacing it is the price they will pay for Delta taking the role instead. You will not be popular - but you are needed. And:" He spread his hands. "Frontline duty after a decade of rotting away in garrison. I am your benefactor, quiaff?"

"Aff." Aidan narrowed his eyes. "Rebuilding the Gyrfalcons will require equipment and personnel."

"You will have them. Several of your fellow garrison commanders will no doubt be complaining about receiving Inner Sphere refits rather than Omnimechs, but your need is greater than theirs. As for personnel. Well, you will not be receiving volunteers, but there are always warriors who a commander is willing to be without."

"I have a few in mind. My current aide, Mechwarrior Diana."

"Granted," Chistu said dismissively.

"And Horse - Tyle, officially."

That got a pause. "You want me to assign a freebirth to a frontline unit?"

"Both of them are freeborn," Aidan corrected him. "And I will take others if their commanders will release them."

Chistu scowled at him. "And I should grant you this because…?"

Now it was Aidan's turn to raise his fingers - just two of them. "Because you want me to take the post rather than fight to retain this one. Do not threaten me with a solahma posting, we both know I would fight a Trial of Refusal over it."

The galaxy commander shook his head. "You are just as Kael Pershaw said you were."

"And secondly," Aidan told him with a conspiratorial smile, "Because Vau Galaxy will be the one who have freeborn warriors. If we fail then you lose little. But when we succeed…" That would be even more embarrassing for Vau and their haughty trueborn, frontline warriors.

"Ha!" Chistu slapped his thigh, though Aidan thought the gesture theatrical rather than sincere. "Bargained well and done!"

I will not find many friends in Vau Galaxy, the new commander of the Gyrfalcon Guards thought to himself. So I will be glad to have Horse there to cover my back.

Then another thought struck him. If I encounter Joanna again, I will be lucky to survive. I hope Star Colonel Malthus is not so mad as to dismiss her from the Falcon Guards and send her to join their old rival in Vau Galaxy.

Republic City, Satalice

Skandia Province, Free Rasalhague Republic

28 October 3050

Tyra Miraborg slumped back, helmet pressing against the headrest of her ejection seat, as the fusion turbine of her Shilone began to spool down. Ignoring the crew outside who were chocking the wheels of the landing gear and carrying out other post-flight tasks, the young pilot tried to mentally review the training flight and the performance of her squadron.

Valkyrie Squadron wasn't what it had been before Rasalhague, but nor were the Flying Drakons. Even after folding in the survivors of every Kungsarme squadron they came across, little more than thirteen squadrons were on the roster, compared to the original eighteen. And they were far less picky about performance.

On the other hand, there was a burning edge to their fighting now that Tyra had never known before. A drive that her previous peacetime experience had lacked. Every pilot drove their fighters as hard as they could, knowing that the enemy they were flying against would have faster and more heavily armed airframes to work with. Twelve months ago, a training regime like this would have had pilots protesting and beancounters bitching. Now they just went to it.

And during her waking hours, Tyra could believe that it made a difference.

Ferleiten. Engadin. Stanzach and that horrendous furball over Memmingen. She'd thought she might see Gunzburg again after that, but instead the Flying Drakons had gone to Thannhausen to cover for the evacuation of troops there…

More than a hundred and thirty light years of retreat had brought them this far, only to be held back from fighting as a fifth wave of attacks rolled over the Free Rasalhague Republic. Clan Smoke Jaguar were bearing down on Radstadt, and Tyra yearned to be there and avenge Reykjavik. Clan Wolf were even closer, and while that would have been less personal…

A knock on the cockpit broke her out of thoughts that had, she realized, never really touched on her pilots. Looking up, Tyra saw the crew chief looking at her in concern. She undogged the canopy and checked that external power was active before hitting the switch that opened the cockpit up. "Sorry, chief. I was lost in thought."

Edgars nodded. "The General wants to see you at the command post, kapten. Any gripes we need to worry about?"

"No." Tyra levered herself upright and accepted his help in getting up and onto the folding ladder he'd used to reach her. "You've worked wonders. That stickiness on the left wing's outer flap is gone."

"Ah, glad we ironed that out." Edgars backed down the ladder ahead of her. "We'll take care of the post flight. Can't keep the General waiting."

He's been keeping us waiting, Tyra thought. But she didn't say it outloud, just unbuckling her helmet and setting it down on the steps. "Thanks, chief."

She hitched a ride on one of the technicians' wagons over to the airbase's headquarters buildings and stretched her legs jogging the rest of the way. Wearing flight gear in the admin section was a minor no-no, under the same regulations that kept mechwarriors from flashing their bare biceps and thighs at innocent staff personnel, but when a general wanted your attention then you didn't waste time getting changed. And this wasn't a general. Edgars had said it was the General, which meant only one person.

Immediately Tyra identified herself at the reception desk, a grizzled sergeant escorted her to an elevator and then to one of the offices. The fact that he made no mention of her flight suit confirmed that this was one of those situations where regulations can go hang.

The sergeant knocked on one door. "Kapten Miraborg for you, general."

"Send her in."

The door was opened for Tyra and then the sergeant closed it behind her. She saluted crisply, the way you do when faced by the head of your state. Even if they're one of your father's closest friends. Especially when they're one of your father's closest friends.

General Christian Mansdottir looked as if he'd aged ten years since they left Rasalhague. He rose from behind a desk piled high with work and returned her salute before gesturing towards the seat facing him. "Tyra… how is your squadron doing?"

"We're working up, sir. When the Wolves get here -" The paths of advance were clear by now and it would be a shock if anyone but Clan Wolf arrived. "- we'll be ready. If you want to send us forward again then we'll be ready for that too."

"I don't doubt that. And…" He paused, shrugged off his jacket. "Speaking as your uncle Christian, how are you doing?"

"I'm…" She almost said fit for duty, but that wasn't what he'd asked. "I'm coping. Don't worry about me."

"From your father's last letter, he does. And given what you've been through, I think someone should."

Tyra shook her head. "There are a lot of people in a worse position. I'm…" Then she frowned. "Father is writing to you about me?"

"Since a long time before you left Gunzburg." And stopped replying to his messages, the general didn't add. "His last message to me said that if you were still there, he would have tried sending you away. And you'd have argued and he'd have lost."

Tyra looked away. She'd departed over his treatment of Phelan Kell. The way the 'Iron Jarl' and his followers vented their hatred on a mercenary who had nothing to do with those who had abandoned her father on the battlefield during the Ronin War had cemented the changes in her father.

Mansdottir sighed, more in sorrow than in disappointment. "You're not wrong in what you saw in him and I'm not going to try to justify it. Whatever you said to him before you left didn't get brushed off. He has been thinking about what you said. It won't get him out of his wheelchair, but it might have given him a good hard look at what was being done in his name."

She raised her chin. "So he asked you to speak to me?"

"No." Her uncle in all but blood shook his head slightly. "You're as stubborn as he is. We both know that wouldn't do anything. And I know that this wouldn't be tearing the two of you up so much if you didn't love each other so fiercely. It's how you Miraborgs are, why it's such a privilege to know you." Then he rested his hands on the table. "And it's why I wanted you to hear this from me."

Tyra's guts churned. "The Wolves hit Gunzburg, didn't they?"

"In a manner of speaking, yes."

"What do you mean? Either they're invading or they're not." She paused. "At least it's not the… not Smoke Jaguars." Uncle or not, cursing in front of the general was not done.

"A Clan Wolf jumpship reached Gunzburg three days ago," Mansdottir told her quietly. "They requested safe passage to land a shuttle and send an emissary to address your father personally."

That didn't sound like the Clans. A demand to know what was going to resist them was normal. "And?"

"Reports conflict on what happened next. Even ComStar doesn't claim to know exactly, but an understanding seems to have been reached."

"That's impossible!" She shook her head. "Father wouldn't do that! He would rather die than surrender Gunzburg!"

The general shrugged. "I would have said the same. But I doubt any single emissary could have overpowered and coerced him in his own headquarters, much less in public. He's been making all his scheduled public appearances... just with a man in a Wolf mask at his side. Reportedly they are 'in talks about Gunzburg's future'."

Tyra envisaged her homeworld - her hometown - her family home. All under the banner of Clan Wolf. "This can't be happening. What about the Gunzburg Eagles? What are they doing?"

"Maintaining readiness," Mansdottir told her. "They haven't stood down or surrendered... but they're not fighting back either. There's nothing to fight against. And the longer this goes on, the more your father will be associated with accepting Clan Wolf's presence… and with that, their authority. But I thought it best to tell you now, before anyone else did. Because, as you can imagine, the rumor mill will take every scrap of information and embroider it with imagination. Some of those rumors are likely to be ugly."

"You mean they'll call my father a traitor."

"Almost certainly." Mansdottir's eyes were sympathetic. "I don't believe that for a minute, Tyra. But not everyone knows Tor Miraborg the way you or I do."

"And I'm his daughter." Her eyes were prickling with unshed tears. She sniffed back a sob. "I don't suppose you're also going to send the Drakons to find out the truth. To send that Wolf emissary away and defend Gunzburg properly?"

"I wish I could. But we both know how that would go. I have enough regiments that I could try something like Twycross - but if I tried that and we lost all of them, I'd be gutting everything that's left of the Kungsarme."

"How many more worlds are we going to write off?!" Tyra demanded, the words escaping before she could stop them. "I'm sorry," she added. "But…"

"You're not the first to ask," he waved it off. "Shipments are on their way - refit kits that should close the gap between our equipment and theirs. The hope is that it reaches Satalice and other worlds in the current defensive line before the Clans do, soon enough that we can put up a real fight - and do so with units that aren't just scraped together from survivors but have had a chance to learn to work together. The Federated Commonwealth is planning something similar, and unlike us they have reserves to throw in."

She looked at the flag in the corner. "Then we'd better stop them here, because there's not much of the Republic behind us." She intended it as a joke, but it didn't come out that way.

"If we cannot hold them here, then we will fall back, prepare again and fight them again," he promised. "Rasalhague has been ruled by outsiders before. We won our liberation before and we can do so again. It may take some patience."

"Some patience and some outside support," Tyra amended that. "Father told me that we couldn't have won the Ronin War if Katrina Steiner and Theodore Kurita weren't each arming us against the other. If we've no worlds left, do you think they'll support us?"

"I led Tyr as essentially a mercenary regiment during the Fourth Succession War," Mansdottir said stoutly. "As long as we can field troops, I think they'll see the logic in financing us. And ComStar has been very accommodating in letting me funnel government funds away. We'll have a paychest, if it comes to that."

"I'd feel more confident in ComStar's support if they'd appointed another Precentor Advocate for us," the pilot replied. "Since Gwyn Thorne died, they haven't appointed someone to represent them to the Republic. I get the impression they're not sure there's going to be a need."

Mansdottir looked down at his desk, then back up at her. "I've been talking with Primus Wei about contingencies if we have to operate as a government-in-exile - I'll raise that to her. You're right, there is a morale issue. I don't imagine it would cost her much to appoint someone provisionally."

"It's got to be cheaper than taking a stand. If the ComGuards garrisons were fighting, we'd have twice the forces facing the Clans. And they have lostech."

"We were neutral between House Kurita and House Steiner-Davion for fifteen years, because it was the only way to survive," the general pointed out. "ComStar has survived the same way for almost three centuries. Frankly, I'm glad of the help we've gotten out of them already. Wei Rong didn't have to give us advance warning of the Clans - and any time I get more from ComStar than I paid for, I count myself lucky."