Act 3 - Depression

Chapter 47

The Triad, Tharkad

Donegal March, Federated Commonwealth

3 February 3058

He couldn't believe it.

Everyone had something to say about the messages from New Avalon, but Victor simply sat and listened. He heard everything - as if from a distance - but he did not contribute a word as his counselors responded. His friends and family were saying everything he could think to.

Except, at last, one thing. "How did Kathy lose control so completely?" he asked in a soft voice.

All eyes turned towards him.

"She's been my viceroy for over a year and had her finger on the pulse of politics since… Father's death. I see my own failings here, but how did they sneak this up on her?"

"Maybe they didn't have to." Nondi was the first to speak and others paused at her harsh worlds.

Victor felt his eyes track across to his aunt, like the crosshairs of his Dire Wolf's targeting systems. "What do you mean there?" he asked, voice still calm and contemplative. He felt strange… disassociated. As if all the emotions he should be feeling were off at a distance.

"Is it not convenient?" she replied crisply. "She has military glory to her name now. She had two years to build up allies in the High Council before she left for Sarna. Perhaps all this is little Katie's plan from the beginning."

The Archon-Prince raised his hand before Morgan Hasek-Davion - who had taken a long stride towards the Field Marshal, eyes blazing - could speak. "Aunt Nondi?"

"Yes?"

He opened a drawer and the envelope was right where he had left it. Victor flipped it out onto the surface of his desk. "I accept your resignation," he said, voice still almost unnaturally tranquil.

Nondi's eyes widened and now words deserted her.

"Your service to the Federated Commonwealth has been without compare," he continued. "Your loyalty, putting service to your sister, your niece and to myself above your own desires is legend." Then he rose to his feet. "I can ask nothing more of you."

He bowed, deeply. She was owed that. More than that. But so was his own sister.

When he straightened, Nondi's eyes were furious. She reached up to her collar, wrenched off the rank pins off her collar and then hurled them at his desk. The metal badges bounced off the old wood and landed somewhere behind him.

Without a word, the aged officer stalked out.

"Not quite how I planned to do that," Victor told the others, feeling a touch more energy at last. "My sister admires her greatly - for her loyalty, for her devotion to duty. I would need far more than this to doubt Kathy's integrity."

Galen moved round behind the desk and crouched to recover the rank pins. "The viceroy has been away from New Avalon for half a year," he said once he stood again. "A lot can happen in six months."

They had been a very busy six months, Victor reflected. "True."

Morgan Hasek-Davion folded his arms. "The truth is, though, she didn't entirely miss the signs."

Victor arched an eyebrow. "Explain, please."

"She wrote to me of the unhappiness at your continued absence from New Avalon," the Marshal of Armies pointed out. "So did my mother… Blake's Blood! George knew about it and he hasn't left the Capellan March in two years! Surely she must have mentioned it to you!"

He lowered his head for a moment. Had she? He had received many letters from Kathy, personal and business alike, but it was hard to call the words to mind right now. Still… she had wanted him to go to New Avalon. Told him so before their mother was even buried.

"She told me I should go to New Avalon. I planned to, so often." Things had kept preventing him from doing so, but that now sounded like an excuse rather than a reason.

"The question of how this happened may be less important than what you intend to do about it," pointed out Caesar Steiner. "When Alessandro Steiner was presented with the vote of no confidence by the Estates-General, he looked for support from the ministries… and the military."

"Don't tempt me," Victor warned him, though the attempt at joviality fell flat.

"It's not really an admirable comparison, is it?" Galen noted. "It might be worth checking where the Estates-General stands on the topic…"

All eyes turned towards the Speaker of the Estates General. Erika Aths was a silver-haired matron, one of Nondi's generation, and she hesitated a moment before saying: "I have not polled the representatives, but I would expect most to stand behind you, sire."

"Even after Skye? After Joshua Marik?"

She nodded. "The degree of empathy for House Marik in the Estates-General is hard to underestimate. They sat and watched as the Clans tore through the Tamar Domains. Omi Kurita is more of a problem… How much truth is there to that?"

Victor swallowed. "I like her very much, but it would never work. When she asked my help rescuing Hohiro, it was at the price of her father forbidding her to contact me again. She chose her realm over me, as she should. As I must."

"Good enough," Aths concluded. "I can work with that - but there will need to be action not words in order to slay that dragon. You must marry, Victor. Not now, of course. But that will drive the nail into those stories that there is more than cautious friendship between you and House Kurita."

"Brides are not so easily found," he protested.

"Everyone else seems to manage." The Speaker looked over at Morgan. "Is there something wrong with Davion men? You seem to be the only one this century to marry at a sensible age."

The redhead coughed at the remark. "Yes, well, my son George is married."

"He doesn't count. Doesn't use the Davion name at all, does he?" Aths shook her head and turned back towards Victor. "Half the human race are women. Just make me a list of what you're looking for in a wife and I can find candidates. You putting in the time to actually court them is the problem!"

He flinched. "Yes, my… easy schedule with all the free time."

The woman made a scornful voice. "It will reassure the Estates-General, which is your concern, I believe?"

"Thank you," Victor managed. "Does anyone else feel I should be aware of… concerns with my fitness to lead?"

Several officials shook their heads.

"The troops like you, for the most part," Caesar added. "The regiments being gathered for Callison are eager to fight under your command."

"Good to know." Victor took a deep breath. "We have a war already, facing the Jade Falcons. It's very fortunate that Thomas Marik accepted the peace deal before word of this reached him. It will be difficult for him to go to his Parliament and demand another war with the Federated Commonwealth now. If this had happened even a month sooner…"

"Six of one, half a dozen of the other," Morgan assessed. "If you were still on the way to reinforce the Terran Corridor, it would have carried political weight with the High Council. I agreed with your decision at the time, but with hindsight…"

"Wars on two fronts are at best stalemates," the Archon-Prince pointed out. "That was what prolonged the Succession Wars for so long. And now we have both the Jade Falcons and this new challenge: can we afford a military solution?" He looked over at Caesar Steiner. "You're the new commander of the Lyran State Command, cousin, you tell me."

"I'd say I was honored, but right now…" the dapper Steiner observed. Then he shook his head. "At the least, we can't spare anything to send to the Suns. You can ask Jackson Davion but if he lacks the forces then I can't find them for you."

"I appreciate the honesty," the Archon-Prince said and then turned to his cousin on the other side of the family. "Morgan?"

The Marshal of Armies looked at him. "I don't know," he admitted. "It will depend, in the end, more on the hearts and minds of the Federated Suns than the battlemechs. We saw that on Skye…"

"So." He sat down again. "This is in Kathy's hands then."

Chapter 48

Castle Davion, New Avalon

Crucis March, Federated Commonwealth

3 February 3058

It was odd for Kate to find herself on this side of her office.

Marie had taken the reins as regent, which included use of the same office. There really hadn't been much time for that.

"I don't appreciate you dropping this on me," her aunt complained. "I'm too old for this."

"I hope it won't be for long."

Yvonne sat on the couch. "Why didn't you nominate Uncle Hammond? He's been handling most things while you were away, Kate."

"Yes, he has - hasn't he?" Kate said pointedly. She doubted it was coincidence that the news leak and the vote had taken place while she was in transit and out of regular contact.

"Girls, don't fight each other." Ardan Sortek was standing next to Marie's desk. "We have enough enemies… and you may be right, Kate. I believe your father trusted Hammond but he never brought him into his inner circle. The man should have seen the discontent was building into something like this. Maybe he's just getting old."

"I'm not Hanse Davion," she pointed out. "And nor is Victor. I wouldn't have believed it of him a year ago, but from what I saw in the High Council, I don't think he's unhappy about this."

Ardan opened his mouth to speak and then thought better of it.

"Do you think he's behind this?" asked Yvonne. "But why?!"

Marie was the one to answer. "Think about the succession, Yvonne. The High Council won't look outside of House Davion for a First Prince. If they set aside the Steiner-Davions, who is next? Morgan has the stature but…" The matriarch of the Hasek-Davions broke off, apparently thinking of her son, then shook her head. "Everyone knows he won't take it. He renounced his claim years ago, and my grandchildren don't even hold the Davion name as a result. After that, the next most senior claim is Hammond."

"Playing second fiddle to Dad was one thing," Kate agreed. "Most of our problems over the last two years would have hesitated to challenge the great Hanse Davion. But Victor and I are younger, less experienced. We don't have the same… you said stature, Marie, and that fits."

"This is a mess," Ardan said grimly. "Who can we trust?"

"James Sandoval is solid," Marie told them. "This business with Omi Kurita annoys him, but he respects that Victor wasn't acting on it. And he's a believer in the Federated Commonwealth."

"That helps, but it doesn't necessarily mean the rest of the Draconis March will follow." Kate leant back. "I counted the votes - the vote to remove Victor had enough support that if every absent member was here and supported him it would still have been a majority."

"What are our options?" Her aunt looked at Ardan.

His lips twisted. "I asked my cousin about military options."

"Bishop?" asked Kate.

He nodded. "The First Davion Guards' support for House Davion is unshakeable. If you asked, I believe we could take New Avalon and detain the High Council. But…"

"What then?" she agreed. "We'd be kicking off a civil war, and those tend to be anything but civil. Besides… if Hammond did orchestrate this, he is also a Davion."

Marie slumped, eyes closing for a moment. "There are a lot of Davions." Then she turned her chair - Kate's chair - and looked at Ardan. "Why ask Bishop, not Jackson?"

"He's from Argyle," the old Marshal reminded her. "I don't know how close he is to Hammond."

"Not very," Kate told him. "But it was the right call. Uncle Jack is very rule of law and…" She looked over at Yvonne. "You did political studies more recently than I did. The High Council's situation is legal, isn't it?"

The youngest person in the room nodded reluctantly. "Removing a Prince requires a quorum and an absolute majority - fifty percent of all votes, present or not, plus one more," she added as Ardan gave her a questioning look. "Dimitri Rostov was technically deprived of his rank as Prince of the Terran March by that mechanism, before Alexander Davion's march on Robinson. So there is precedent, even if it's never been used for a First Prince."

"With that said," the elder of the two sisters added, "I don't think Jackson would back anything illegal from Hammond or whoever else might be setting this up. He was born on Argyle but his mother and most of his family are from Victoria." That branch of the sprawling House Davion were notorious for their loyalty - Jackson's mother had been Ardan's predecessor as Hanse's Champion.

"Our first move has to be peeling away opposing votes," Kate continued. "People like Helen Trempeleau and Roger Sanromea-Davion may not be pleased with Victor, but I don't think they would have voted against him if I'd been there to represent his interests. Intentionally or otherwise, Hammond didn't do that. If we reach out to our friends and allies, building up our own voting block, then this is salvageable."

"We have time," Yvonne told them. "Electing a First Prince also requires an absolute majority, but it needs more than a quorum. The requirement is a full house of the High Council. Every member needs to attend, validate a proxy or be confirmed as medically unable to do both. That will take a while."

"I disagree," Marie said quietly.

Kate tilted her head. "Oh?"

"Oh, you're right about reaching out, but that is our second priority." The old woman smiled sadly. "First, we have to decide who we are building support for."

"I don't like what you are suggesting."

"I don't imagine that you do," Marie assured her. "But… Yvonne, I believe it is legal for Victor to be re-elected as First Prince?"

"I can't think of any precedent either way. Probably?"

"But," the dowager warned, "it would be much harder. A great deal of the opposition is centered on Victor personally. If Hammond is really behind this…"

"I still find it hard to believe this is intentional," Ardan grumbled.

Marie slapped the desk with the flat of one hand. "Ardan! I know what ambition looks like!"

Kate flinched and saw Ardan do the same. Marie's late husband had plotted treason for years. It had killed him in the end, one of many secrets that House Davion preferred to keep out of the public's eye. Shame for that was one reason Morgan Hasek-Davion had renounced his own place in the succession.

"What matters more?" Marie continued, voice gentler. "Reinstating Victor? Or keeping an usurper from taking the throne? Which is worse for the Suns… and for the Federated Commonwealth?"

Kate covered her face. "Are you telling me to become an usurper myself?!"

"Kate." Her aunt's voice was sad. "We have options. Military action. Pushing Victor's cause. Or finding a compromise candidate - you or someone else. But which of those has the best chance of success?"

Chapter 49

The Triad, Tharkad

Donegal March, Federated Commonwealth

9 February 3058

Victor rose to greet Phelan Kell as the Khan of half of Clan Wolf entered his office. "Phelan, how's your father?"

"He is adjusting well to the new arm. Losing Mom…" His cousin shook his head. "Not so much." They reached out, Victor going for a handshake but Phelan turned it into a clasp of forearms.

"Good job on Morges," the Archon-Prince said. "Unfortunately, that doesn't seem to have taken the wind out of the Jade Falcon sails."

IlKhan Kerensky had instructed Phelan to bring the more Warden-leaning members of Clan Wolf's touman into the Inner Sphere, safe from retribution from the Jade Falcons. His message, delivered as they crossed into the Inner Sphere, made it clear that their leader did not expect to survive his attack on Wotan. In what might have been his last act as the ilKhan, Kerensky had created the Kell bloodname for Phelan - perhaps the greatest honor that the Clans had among their rank. It was a burden Victor's cousin was clearly still coming to terms with.

"I am not sure how they have the warriors or equipment to make another attack," Phelan admitted. He sat down on the couch and crossed his legs. "We beat them on Morges but it will be months before I would want to take my warriors into that sort of campaign. Which means I cannot help you out with them at the moment."

"Our belief is that they absorbed Clan Wolf into their ranks, or at least all the survivors in the forces Ulric and Natasha were leading."

The Khan's eyes narrowed. "No, that is not it. Or rather… they did, but then they turned them loose again."

Victor gave him a curious look. "Go on?"

"It is complicated. Summing it up, the Jade Falcons did declare absorption of the Wolves, but either because of internal frictions with the Wolves or between their Khans they carved them off as the 'Jade Wolves'. Then the Wolves dropped the first part of that. Technically they are a new Clan, but basically it's back to the old Clan but without the Wardens. Our information is that they'll need to take time to rebuild and I cannot see how the Falcons are better off."

"We've seen at least three Galaxy designations that we haven't before," the Archon-Prince told him. "It could be the result of reorganization, or new forces from their homeworlds. They're showing off a lot new 'mechs we haven't seen before."

Phelan's brow furrowed. "I wish I could help more."

"I doubt this will be our last campaign against the Clans," he replied.

In the long run, the technicians Phelan had brought might be more important. Right now there were teams from Tharkad, Hesperus II and - ironically - Coventry - helping the Wolves set up the factories they had brought in order to support rebuilding their forces. But once that was over they would be taking what they had learned of Clan technology back to the factories they worked with. He'd have liked NAIS participation as well, but that was obviously going to be a problem.

"Speaking of other campaigns," he added, "Let's talk Conal Ward."

Phelan paled. "Shit."

"Yeah, I appreciate Dan Allard keeping it quiet until I could call you on that myself." Victor leant forwards. "Why did you delete that data?"

The Khan stiffened. "It had to be kept secret. Conal could have won a Trial and even if he lost he would have been a martyr to the Crusaders. I killed him myself, but no one could know or the Truce would have collapsed there and then."

"We were supposed to be working together!"

"What would you have done, demanded that Ulric turn him over to you?"

Victor shook his head. "I already had to give up on hunting down the Red Corsair myself. I understand that he couldn't have done that." He steepled his fingers. "No, I would have asked for something much like what you did: to clean up your own mess."

"Hey, you got Ryan Steiner. I should get something!"

He glared at the attempted humor. "Yes. I did get Ryan. And Richard, and Robert. And I may have burned some bridges with Ilse Aten by sending her sister Hermione to join them at the gallows. I'm not sure where she's going to stand politically. The point isn't that you dealt with Conal and I didn't, the point was you lying to me about it!"

The defiance bled out of his cousin and for a moment, Victor saw himself in the Kell. He'd inherited Clan Wolf from Ulric and Natasha, much as the firstborn Steiner-Davion had inherited the Federated Commonwealth. And he too had lost half of his people.

"Don't do that again, Phelan," Victor told him, easing his tone. "I've made my own mistakes. It's important we both learn from them."

Phelan nodded, not meeting his eyes. "Alright."

"Look at me when you say that."

The Wolf - and he was a Wolf now, not a Kell Hound or a Lyran - snapped his gaze up and their eyes met. For a long moment the cousins exchanged glares and Phelan was the first to break away.

"Alright," Victor agreed. "I believe you."

"Do you mind telling me what is happening with Katie?" the other man asked, trying to change the subject.

Victor accepted that. "Turns out, she's been signing her letters as Kate since her first year at NAIS."

He got a bemused look from Phelan. "That was ten years ago, Victor. Granted, she is always going to be little Katie who hated getting her dress dirty, but I would have thought you'd have noticed."

"You know how you always skim the last bits of a letter because it's just the usual goodbyes and you know that already? It's not like she talks about herself in third person on videos or in person." Also he'd kind of tuned out the 'in addition, you should come to New Avalon' that had featured in just about every message she sent him. That was what he'd been reviewing the letters for - noticing how she signed them had been an unexpected byproduct of that re-read.

Phelan shook her head. "Caitlin would have kicked my ass if I called her something else. Katie... Kate is too easy on you. Anyway, what is going on with New Avalon?"

"Currently, the High Council is looking for its head."

"Have they checked their assholes?" Phelan shook his head. "Do you think the Federated Commonwealth will survive? Can you even regain the throne?"

"I might win the throne back in a civil war, but I'd lose a lot in doing so," Victor leant back in his chair. "In theory they can vote me back in - log this as some sort of extreme protest. It would be contingent, explicitly or implicitly, in my going to New Avalon."

"And would that cost you the Archon's throne?"

He snorted. "I've spoken to the Speaker of the Assembly, and laid the groundwork. It would mean not taking command on Coventry, but keeping New Avalon would be worth it."

"Who would replace you on Coventry then? Morgan Hasek-Davion?"

"No, I'd take him with me. I was thinking I'd re-activate your father's commission."

Phelan scowled at him. "I am not sure that's the best idea."

"We lose too many good officers to the merc trade," Victor told him. "There are times I think I'd be better firing everyone at Mount Asgard and replacing them with a half-dozen mercenary commanders. Your father isn't the only mercenary officer I've been reaching out to. We need new blood at the top, something to change the culture of our officers."

"I wish I could say you were wrong," Phelan conceded. "What would he be leading?"

"Twelfth Donegal Guards and Tenth Lyran Guards are on their way. The Kathil Uhlans will be on the next collars available. Besides that, there are mercs moving. Gray Death Legion, Second Kearny Highlanders… First Kell Hounds."

"Against three galaxies, that may not be enough," warned his cousin.
"We are looking at moving in some more RCTs," Victor admitted. "It may be more than three galaxies - that's just what we've seen so far. I can't be sure they don't have more in their quiver given we didn't think they could do this much."