Star Swords Command Center
New Belfast
Tamar March, Federated Commonwealth
27 January 3052
“Good morning, Logan. Enjoying your present, I hope?” said Joshua as he walked towards his office.
“Christmas was a month ago, but a Clan refitted Awesome was quite a gift. Thank you.” said Logan. “Is that the morning news?”
“Yeah. Hear about the treaty?”
“I knew about it months ago. I didn’t know, however, that things had advanced this far.”
“That they have.” said Joshua. “All that’s left now is for the leaders of the Combine and the Commonwealth to meet and sign the final draft of the treaty.”
Logan took the newspaper from Joshua’s hand. He had already read it, but he wanted to gauge Joshua for reactions. “According to this, that meeting will take place in March. My guess is Victor will probably want the Star Swords involved somehow.”
“Jumping the gun on me, aren’t you?” said Joshua flatly. “Dirty Dozen company has been packing up for departure for about a week now.”
“I wondered what was going on. Makes sense though.”
“Why? Because we’re the heroes of the Clan War. What better symbol to represent the true purpose to the Star Alliance than the one unit that defeated the Clans in almost every battle it fought.”
“No, because a bunch of Clan Omnimechs would beat the crap out of anyone who tried to mess up the final negotiations.”
Joshua chuckled. “True. Particularly given how Skye and Tamar are always looking for an excuse to rattle their sabres against the Davions.”
“This sounds like it’s leading up to something?”
“It is.” said Joshua. “A lot of what I wanted to talk to you about has to do with the conference. That’s why I’ve summoned you here. I’ve gotten a lot of recommendations from the officers that have trained your unit. Now I know you’re scheduled to leave soon for an objective raid into Falcon space. That mission will be canceled.”
“Why?”
“Because those recommendations have apparently reached the ears of people outside New Belfast. You will be going with us.”
“We are? Why?”
“Each nation has a number of delegates who will travel to the conference and sign the document. Victor has called up his 10th Lyran Guard regiment to act as bodyguards. His mother requested the Star Swords, but I won’t abandon New Belfast to Clan predation without a very good reason. So I’m only sending a company and my command lance. Your merc lance will fill in some of the gaps nicely.
“I want you, because I like you and I know you’re a competent group of mechwarriors. You’re also an unknown, which will give us an edge if we have to face off against a hostile force. Thirdly, I’m not the one who made the original request for your presence.”
“Excuse me?”
“Do you know who Duke Ryan Steiner is?”
“Yeah, he’s the duke of some planet in the Skye March, but he’s considered the leader of the Skye Separatist movement. He’s a troublemaker.”
“He’s also one of the Fed Com delegates and has requested the Dark Rangers specifically for the bodyguard duty. Now, naturally, Prince Victor has final say on who goes, but the request has been sent to both me and Tharkad. Duke Ryan is notorious for his opposition to the Davions. You’re right, he’s a troublemaker. Is there some reason why he would want you in the bodyguard group?”
“Are you accusing me of something?” said Logan, his voice edgy.
“No, but someone will you can be certain. Something about this doesn’t make much sense to me, so I’m worried. I don’t know much about Duke Ryan. Like you and most of your men, I’m not from the Commonwealth. So I’m not too keen on all these anti-Davion factions here in the Lyran half. But I know enough about him to be worried.”
“And I guess I should be too?”
“Aye, that you should. There’s no logical reason to refuse the request, save that there might be a better unit to fill that slot. But you’ve got my recommendation and Victor will trust that over and above anything Duke Ryan might say. You’re in, but Steiner wants you for something. That makes you a target, of what, I can’t say. You’d best be careful, both here, en route, and on Dieron itself.”
“So the final negotiations are on Dieron. I don’t guess you got that from the newspaper.”
“You are correct, and you didn’t hear it. Understood?”
“Hear what?”
“Dismissed.”
Dropship The Fury
Tharkad
Donegal March, Federated Commonwealth
12 February 3053
“You haven’t taken your eyes off of that launcher since we left.” said Logan, slapping Doc on the shoulder. The impact made Doc’s pen slide across his notebook, leaving an ugly streak of ink behind.
“This sample, the Star Swords have given us to mount on Cowboy’s Highlander. I chose instead to try to unlock its secrets. I’ve been attempting to adapt the Streak targeting system on the Streak two-pack for use on the heavier launchers. So far, I’ve not had any luck.”
“Just make sure you get that launcher back into the Highlander by the time we arrive.”
“Not a problem. It’s me, remember?”
“That’s what I’m afraid of.”
“Well, I hate to interrupt, but General Messer is coming aboard in a few minutes. I need you on the bridge. Apparently, the bigwigs are coming aboard with him.”
Doc stood up. “Where are the others?”
“They’re getting freshened up. You’d better at least change clothes. Grease is definitely you, but not appropriate for the occasion.”
“I’ll meet you on the bridge in a few minutes.” said Doc, heading for his quarters. Logan headed back to the corridor that would take him back to the bridge.
Doc arrived a few minutes later. Not more than 30 seconds after he arrived, Joshua came onto the bridge with three people. None of them needed any introductions. It was Victor Davion, Melissa Steiner, and Ryan Steiner.
Victor and Joshua had met before and were good friends. They were chatting away at the lead while the other two followed behind. Ryan seemed aloof from the proceedings, while Melissa was a quiet and ignored member of Joshua and Victor’s conversation.
“A father, eh?” said Victor of Joshua. “How’d you manage that?”
“You really want the details?” said Joshua with a smirk.
“No, but where is Lisa anyway?”
“Daniel’s still too young to travel and Lisa didn’t want to leave him, so they are both still on New Belfast.”
“I’ll bet that wasn’t easy, having to leave her.” said Victor softly. “I’ve heard of your problems. PTSD, is it?”
“Aye. But she’s getting better. Hopefully, my absence won’t cause too much trouble for her.”
“Sad that duty sometimes takes us from our loved ones like this.” Victor mused. Joshua frowned.
“In this case, Victor, your duty takes you to the one you love.” thought Joshua, thinking of the rumors of something happening between Victor and Omi Kurita, Coordinator Takashi Kurita’s granddaughter.
Joshua looked over Logan and his men, all of which were trying to look far more professional than they were. Joshua smiled. “Well, your grace, here are your Dark Rangers as requested.” said Joshua, addressing Duke Ryan.
Logan stood up and looked at the Duke. Ryan had a smug look on his face, as if to tempt Logan to try to uncover why the Duke had asked for the Rangers’ presence.
“Not what I expected.” said the Duke. “But I’ve been wanting to meet you for some time.”
“I’m honored.” said Logan with a fake smile. “I think.” he thought to himself.
“Anyway, your grace,” said Logan. “These are my Rangers. This is Karl Rohan, Brian Davies, and Johvac Bolovinsky.”
“Rohan, Doc, and Cowboy, I presume.”
“Correct.” said Cowboy.
With introductions out of the way, Duke Ryan spun on Joshua. “Now, General, I would like to discuss some security arrangements with you.”
“Certainly, your grace. Please come this way.” Joshua and Duke Ryan departed for Joshua’s ready room.
The meeting was short. Steiner wanted assurances that Joshua could not provide. It was blatantly obvious that Ryan did not trust the Combine at all and wanted Joshua to go above and beyond the treaty provisions concerning delegate security to keep the FedCom delegates, and Duke Ryan in particular, safe. Joshua refused, saying he would not go against the provisions.
Several minutes after Ryan left, Victor walked in. “Ryan tell you about his desire for additional security?”
“I don’t gather you approved either.”
“No, I didn’t. The last thing we need is a bunch of trigger-happy Skye loyalists on Dieron. Things are paranoid enough right now. Still, I can’t help but wonder if he’s not got a good idea?”
“Why?”
“There are rumors that Kurita may prove to be treacherous. DMI’s recently lost track of several Kurita regiments.”
“Meaning the DCMS is shuffling their garrisons around?”
“Yes. And we don’t know whether or not those units are being moved for further raids on the Clans or to within striking distance of our worlds.”
“Now who’s being paranoid?”
“Joshua, I know you’re from outside the Inner Sphere, but you can bet that there’s at least one Kurita equivalent to Duke Ryan over there who wants to stir up trouble.”
“I’m sure. You think this dissenter is behind the reshuffling?”
“We know the ISF is part of this. The defector your Dark Rangers rescued had a lot to say about what the ISF has been doing. DMI has confirmed the stockpile on Al Na’ir that he spoke of.”
“Al Na’ir is within a jump of Dieron.”
Victor nodded.
“You think they might make a move on us at the conference?” asked Joshua.
“It’s possible.”
“And what about dissension among our ranks? The Star Alliance is not 100% popular in the Commonwealth either.”
“Translation: Can Ryan be trusted? I doubt it.”
“So I get to jump at shadows for the next three weeks.”
“That’s the best we can do. If Ryan’s up to something, he’s very good at keeping it hidden.”
“Every good strategist knows better than to fight on two fronts at the same time. Yet, here, I may be forced to do just that.”
Dieron
Dieron Military District, Draconis Combine
1 March 3053
Five jumpships materialized at the nadir jump point of the Dieron sun. Three Draconis Combine Avenger class assault dropships swarmed around them, their weapons armed.
“Dieron command to all Avengers, do not fire until hostile intent has been established. I repeat hold your fire.” barked orders from the planet’s surface.
Near the five Federated Commonwealth jumpships was a single Star Lord jumpship with the markings of the Kurita Imperial family.
“Federated Commonwealth delegation, this is Dieron Defensive Command.” said the planetoid relay to the visitors. “Welcome to the Draconis Combine. You may detach and proceed planetside when ready.”
“Roger, Defense Command. We will proceed shortly.”
Dieron City Spaceport
Dieron
Dieron Military District, Draconis Combine
3 March 3053
Gwen looked down on the tarmac from her perch in the control tower. She sighed. “A lot of pomp and ceremony going on down there.”
A full honor guard, with flags, banners, parade colored Battlemechs, and dress uniforms were neatly arranged on the tarmac in from of a large Overlord class dropship bearing the Federated Commonwealth seal.
“This is the first time a Davion Prince has ever been welcomed on Draconis soil.” said Javier. “This is a historic occasion.”
“Shiro Kurita’s rolling in his grave right now. Peace has never been the Kurita way.” mused Gwen. “They may as well be a Clan themselves.”
A personnel gantry dropped from the Overlord and several people walked out. Javier raised his binoculars to view the party. He picked out Victor Davion in the lead, followed by his mother and Ryan Steiner. Behind them were several military officers. Jean focused in on one. “There he is.”
“Who?”
“The Davion security commander.”
“The one we’re supposed to kill?”
“Hai! That’s him.” He handed the binoculars to her and pointed with his finger at the tiny figure. “That one.”
Gwen looked through the binoculars and gasped. She dropped them quickly and looked at Javier.
“You knew!” she stabbed at him.
Javier nodded. “I knew. Our opportunity has arrived.”
“But our orders?”
“A bit of a problem, aren’t they? Our moment of decision has come. Is your loyalty to the Wolverines or to the Combine? Now is the time to decide that.”
---
Tai-sa Yuri Noriko straightened her ISF uniform and mentally reviewed the list of names of the F-C delegation.
“Something bothering you?” asked the man beside her in Japanese, another ISF agent under her command.
“Ie.” said Yuri in response. “Just that I’ve had a run in with some of these men before.”
“Who?”
“These mercenaries, the Dark Rangers. They were the ones who extracted Akbar out from under me on Chandler.”
“Indrahar nearly ordered you to commit seppuku for that failure.”
“I do not wish to be reminded of that.”
“The mercenary executive officer, Karl Rohan, was he the one on Turtle Bay?”
“The same.”
“More unpleasant memories?”
“You taunt worse than Libereux-san. Enough.” she paused as the delegates approached. Near her, Takashi Kurita and his party began to move towards the visitors. “It is time.”
Yuri straightened her uniform again and walked over. A handful of the Stealthy Foxes and the Lohengrin, the DMI and LIC’s own elite shock troopers took up places near the Commonwealth envoys.
“A historic moment, indeed. Even two years ago, I would have been ordered to kill one of those commandos on sight. Now I must tolerate their presence in the name of peace.”
Yuri noted the pecking order of the delegates on both sides. For Kurita, the Coordinator was in front, followed by his son, Gunji no Kanrei Theodore Kurita. Behind Theodore were two of his children, Hohito and Omi. Both were in their early twenties in age. Hohito was a respected mechwarrior and a friend of Victor Davion. Omi was, as rumor had it, the secret love of Prince Victor.
For the Federated Commonwealth delegates, Prince Victor stood equal with his mother, Melissa Steiner. Behind them was Duke Ryan Steiner. Yuri noted that Victor was the only representative of the old Federated Suns to be present. She wondered how much political maneuvering was being done to keep dissenters in the Lyran portion of the realm, like Duke Ryan, quiet.
Behind them was Hauptmann General Joshua Messer of the Star Swords, her target. The exploits of the Star Swords were well known to the Combine, who had used them as propaganda to fuel their war against the Clans. “If Davion can do it, so can we” had become a motto for DCMS units pitted against their brutal Clan enemies. Theodore Kurita had himself ordered the creation of an elite regiment patterned off of the Swords, but getting enough Clan equipment would take some time. That was one of the reasons the Combine had begun research into their own Omnimech manufacture.
Yuri was taken by surprise in many ways when she saw the Star Swords commander. He was much younger than she had expected. His eyes seemed to be much older, as if they’d seen the toil of a dozen lifetimes. There was a sadness there that bothered her.
“No!” she thought. “He is the enemy. He must be destroyed.”
Dragging behind Messer was Logan, the Dark Rangers commander. He looked very uncomfortable and very out of place. Still, Yuri smiled when she saw Logan. He hadn’t changed a bit in the three months since they’d faced off on Chandler. She wondered if Logan remembered her.
By now, Victor had reached Takashi. The Dragon bowed in traditional Japanese custom. “I am Coordinator Takashi Kurita. I bid you welcome to our jewel of Dieron, Lord Davion.”
“I am honored at your welcome, Lord Kurita. May these days be fruitful for both our nations for generations to come.”
With the formal greetings out of the way, the delegates began to move off to the waiting limousines. Yuri moved aside from the group, noting that General Messer had done the same, Logan at his side.
“I am Yuri Noriko, Colonel in the ISF. I am head of security for this conference.”
“I am General Joshua Messer. I’m in charge of the Commonwealth security. You wish to discuss arrangements for our cooperation?”
“Command of the First Star Swords. Your exploits are well known within the Combine, Colonel.”
“I’m glad I’m popular. This is my aide, Lt. Logan of the Dark Rangers.”
“Good to see you again, Logan.” said Yuri with a sly smile.
“You’ve met?” said Joshua with surprise.
“You might say that.” said Logan with a baleful glance at Yuri. “I think it better if you did not inquire further.”
---
“You scum.” said Ryan to Joshua. “You get the best rooms on Dieron while the rest of us Swords get the Best Western at the spaceport.”
Joshua fixed himself a drink and sat down on the sofa in his suite. He picked up the Comstar document on Draconis customs and began to read. He’d been at his room for a few hours when Ryan came up to see him. “I’m sorry, Ryan. I know you’d like to be up here at the Palace. I don’t blame you. This place is really nice. But I’d much rather have you within spitting distance of your mechs if things get ugly.”
“I know. I just feel I should voice my complaints.” said Ryan.
“Typical. Did Amanda force you into it? You’re not usually one to care, just as long as you’ve got a roof over your head.”
“No, I just came to tell you the mechs have been unloaded and prepped for combat. The Kurita techs have moved your Ryoken, Duke Ryan’s Banshee, and Prince Victor’s Daishi here to the Palace.”
“Okay. I probably go down and check on the Galileo III later.”
“So what’s the agenda?”
“For you, unfortunately, you get to sit and wait for trouble. The Kurita is allowing everyone full tourist access to the city and the outlying areas, so I guess it won’t be too bad. But I want one lance of Swords at full combat readiness at all times, is that clear?”
“Perfectly, sir. What about the Rangers?”
“Well, keep them on rotating shifts with your men. Logan’s here with me.”
“Is that all?”
“Should be. Come on, Ryan, this is supposed to be a cake walk.”
“You and I both know better. Something’s going to happen.”
“Yeah, I know. Let’s just hope we’re ready for it, whatever it is. Dismissed.”
“I’ll talk to you later.”
Joshua finished his drink as Ryan left. He sat back and looked about his room and smiled.
Dieron was one of the first planets colonized in the 22nd century. Most of its population was not pure blood Japanese. It had been a world under Terran control for most of its existence. Only after the fall of the Star League did it become a Kurita world.
Despite the lack of Japanese influence on the planet, one colony leader had a passion for Japanese history and culture. When the capital was moved to Dieron City in 2532, he ordered the construction of a new government building. “The Palace,” as it was called, was an exact duplicate of the Imperial Palace in Tokyo on Earth. Since that time, the Palace had been turned over to a group of businessmen after the government grew too big to use it. They turned it into a hotel and conference center.
The Palace was considered the premier hotel on Dieron and considered one of the best in the Combine. The new owners had removed none of its traditional Japanese flair. It served well for the purposes of the Dieron Conference, since the Palace still retained many of the ISF installed security systems the government had put in over the years. Secret doors and passages abounded in the place, making it very hard for would-be infiltrators to avoid being caught.
There came a rapid knock at Joshua’s door. “Come in.” said Joshua, first in English and then in Japanese. The door opened and an elderly gentleman walked inside.
“Colonel Jaime Wolf.” said Joshua in surprise.
“I greet and recognize thee, Khan Joshua Messer.”
“I am unaccustomed to that title. I prefer my Inner Sphere military rank.”
“No offense intended, General.”
“I knew you were here for the conference. Must not be easy being so close to old Takashi.”
“We’ve managed to avoid each other nicely, although some of the old tension cooled after Luthien.”
“I forgot. You must have had an encounter with him when you went there to fight off the Jaguars and Cats.”
“I did.”
“So what can I do for you, Colonel?”
“A follow-up of sorts. You remember my son Mackenzie and your meeting with him some years ago?”
“Yes, I do. Your Dragoons were instrumental in the creation of the Star Swords. Have you come to call on the debt?”
“Not exactly. Consider it a re-negotiation. I want to do two things. One, I want to pledge our loyalty to one another as fellow Wardens and protectors of the Inner Sphere.”
“You want the Dragoons and the Swords as allies?”
“More than that. Kindred spirits, if you will.”
“That we are. I am not my father. The ‘secret allies’ of which the Wolverine legends spoke have been neglected for too long. No more secrets, at least on that front.”
“Then we are agreed.”
“We are. Allies and comrades in arms.”
“The other reason I am here is to inform you of news concerning the survival of other Wolverines.”
“Your son hinted that there were more above and beyond Snord’s Irregulars. You’ve confirmed this?”
Wolf nodded. “Wolfnet has discovered that two survivors were discovered in the ruins of Cumberland by the Draconis Combine party. These survivors were kept away from you much as the Draconis soldiers were kept away from the Commonwealth soldiers that discovered you.”
“Do you know what happened to them after that?”
“ISF got hold of them. Wolfnet’s not been very successful at penetrating their operations, but it is certainly possible they are still alive.”
“They could even be here.”
“A possibility.”
“Do you know who they are?”
“No names, only descriptions were available. One was a female in her mid to late teens. The other a badly injured man, age indeterminate but probably between 17 and 25.”
“Nature of the injuries?”
“Burns.”
“Cumberland was firebombed, so that’s not surprising.”
“We have also sent out an expedition to New Vision, looking for other survivors.”
“Any luck?”
“None as far as we know. But New Vision is a large planet and not fully settled even by your people. There is a lot of territory for people to hide in. Plus the element of secrecy keeps us from making use of Comstar. I don’t want them snooping around, reformed in their ways or not.”
“I wouldn’t either. You have, I presume, found the cache.”
“I presume so. They should not be able to enter it however.”
Joshua shook his head. “No. Only a Wolverine can open that door.”
“What’s in there, if I may ask?”
“You already know. You were probably there once.”
“But I only saw a small part of it.”
“More of the same.”
“There must be a thousand Battlemechs in there then.”
“You would be correct.”
“Dear God.”
“During our Exile, we lost many pilots. We did not lose that many machines. We were seven galaxies strong at the time of the Annihilation. Five of them remain in equipment if not in pilots.”
“No wonder the Clans never believed you were destroyed. That many mechs don’t just disappear.”
“I would guess you are right. That’s why the Bloodrite was created. They knew they’d find us again.”
“And they did.”
“But some of us still live.”
“And if my Dragoons have any say in the matter, you will continue so.”
---
Sometime later, Joshua continued his meetings with Yuri about security arrangements.
“That won’t work. Each of our commando teams have been programmed to hate each other. Integration is not an option.” said Yuri stubbornly.
“They follow orders, Sho-sa.” Joshua said flatly. “Yours and mine. If I order my troops to like yours, then they’d better damn well do it.”
“That’s being naive.”
“We’ve got a long way to go, don’t we?” lamented Joshua.
“Peace between our peoples. There’s too much blood for that to work.” said Yuri with an air of frustration. “We both know that.”
“I don’t believe so.”
She paused. “You don’t seem to share the prejudices of your companions. Is it youthful idealism or something else?”
“I’m not from the Commonwealth. I was born in the Periphery and came to the Federated Commonwealth after my world was destroyed by pirates. So I’ve not grown up with this idea that you and your people are the devil incarnate. That and I’ve fought the Clans. I watched good soldiers cut down like wheat before a scythe, killed no matter how hard they fought to stay alive. All I know is I’ve seen what the Clans can do and I know that if the Combine and the Commonwealth don’t stand together, the Clans will eat us alive.”
Yuri paused. “Against my better judgment, I think I like you, General. You have faith, something I wish more of us possessed.”
“I don’t want to spend the rest of my life as a bondsman to some Clanner. And if I have to invoke the old adage about ‘enemy of my enemy...’ then, by God, I will.”
Yuri nodded. “Then let’s give this a try.” Deep down, she began to lament her orders.
The Palace, Dieron City
Dieron
Dieron Military District, Draconis Combine
3 March 3053
Despite her misgivings, duty demanded that Yuri carry through with her orders. She assembled her team that evening in her quarters.
“He is an idealistic trusting fool. His rhetoric is appealing, if misguided. I almost regret having to do this, but The Dragon’s will must be done. He must be killed quietly but with suspicion. We want the Davions to think we did it.”
“Won’t that put them on alert?” said Javier.
“It will, but without their commander, their defensive operations when the Director initiates Phase Two will be sloppy. Now, who can I trust to do the deed? I know many of you have looked up to the Star Swords and their young commander as paragons of what we strive to be against the Clans. But hero worship has nothing to do with this. The Combine is threatened by this alliance. The General must be eliminated if we are to protect the Dragon.”
Javier began to raise his hand to volunteer when he was cut off.
“I will do it.” said Gwendolyn.
Javier’s jaw dropped.
“Very well. Come up with a plan and submit it to me at first light tomorrow. Dismissed.”
Javier stood up and looked at Gwen. He said nothing and then departed.
The Palace, Dieron City
Dieron
Dieron Military District, Draconis Combine
4 March 3053
“A seduction? It’s a long shot but it does have the added bonus of discrediting him to his own people. You don’t make many martyrs out of men enslaved to their lusts.” Yuri finished buttoning her uniform when a sharp knock came at her door.
“Chotto matte!” she said. She walked over to the door and opened it. She was surprised to see Karl Rohan standing there.
“Karl, what......come in.” said Yuri.
“I’d been wanting to talk to you since I saw you on Chandler.” said Rohan, walking inside.
“When I heard you were part of the delegation coming to Dieron, I was hoping we could have this conversation.”
“I thought you were dead.”
“And I thought you were. How’d you get away?”
“After the rescue attempt failed, I managed to get myself and two of the others aboard a smuggler’s ship.”
“I heard the entire rebellion force was destroyed in the bombardment.”
“My unit was spared because we were out of Edo trying to rescue you. We searched the rubble of the prison. All we found was orders sending you to Edo. I thought for sure you had died when the Jags blasted the city to dust.”
“They were sending me there to interrogate me further. Fortunately, the Jaguar commander had made his decision to destroy Edo by then, so I was diverted to a nearby airstrip where an aerospace fighter was going to take me up to the commander’s ship. From there, I managed to get away. Nearly died. A near miss from an elemental’s small laser cost me my arm, but I lost them in a swamp. I managed to get off-world on a smuggler ship myself, a good six months after the city was destroyed.”
“How did you hide out?”
“Hooked up with this farmer. He was an interesting fellow. Kind of a rogue. He was lonely and I needed somewhere to hide. So I traded sex for shelter. He must have thought it interesting to fuck a one armed woman.”
“Was that what you did with me? Figured you needed a stooge?”
“Oh, Christ, Karl, you didn’t come here for that, did you?”
“We never finished that argument. Dammit, Yuri, I loved you.”
“I had a job to do, Karl. I’m not supposed to let my feelings get in the way of my duty.” Yuri softened. “I’d already screwed up that rule bad enough by that point. I should never have gotten involved with you in the first place.”
“That doesn’t change anything. We loved one another. I told you not to go, but you went anyway. Put your duty before me. I was willing to give up everything for you.”
“That’s the price of being in the ISF. Duty to the Dragon is everything. You were from Rasalhague. Your people had already given up on our ways. Why you stayed in the Combine, I’ll never understand.”
“You know why. My family has always been faithful to House Kurita.”
“But you weren’t. Not to the point the Dragon demands. And unless you were, you’ll never understand why I made the decision I did. I’m sorry, Karl, but that’s the way it worked out. Falling for you was one of the biggest mistakes of my life. But as much as my mind keeps telling me that, I can’t for the life of me make myself regret it.”
“I knew my Yuri was hiding in there somewhere.” said Rohan. He moved closer to her. Yuri stepped back.
“I know what you want, Karl. That’s probably not a good idea.”
“Christ, do you ever quit? You kept this act up for several months on Turtle Bay. You know I will get through.”
“I’ve got another job to do, Karl. This time I don’t intend to make the same mistakes as before. I’m already at risk after my failure on Chandler.”
“You’ve been dishonored?”
Yuri nodded. “I have but one chance to redeem myself. I guess I was too valuable to not be let go just yet.”
Rohan let his arms fall to his sides. Pain crossed his face as he imagined Yuri committing seppuku.
“But I am alive, for now.” said Yuri trying to console him.
Yuri turned and headed over to her sofa. Rohan followed her over and sat down beside her.
“So you’ve become a member of a mercenary group.”
“Well, we’re not written into the history books just yet. But we’re getting there.”
“I wish you the best.” She looked at her watch. “I’m sorry I cannot visit longer. I have something to attend to. Perhaps you would be willing to walk me down to my appointment.”
“Gladly.”
The Palace
Dieron City, Dieron
Dieron Military District, Draconis Combine
4 March 3053
The banquet to introduce welcome the Federated Commonwealth delegation was in full swing. Joshua sat quietly in one corner with Ryan Smith, watching over the events.
“Victor sure seems happy.” commented Ryan.
“Yeah.” said Joshua quietly. Victor Davion was standing near the center of the room, having a lively conversation with an attractive Japanese woman. It didn’t take a brain surgeon to figure out the lady was Omi Kurita, the granddaughter of the Coordinator of the Draconis Combine. The rumors of a romance simmering between the two now seemed far more real.
“Lucky bastard, even he’s got someone and I’m here alone.” Joshua was beginning to seriously regret not having Lisa come with him, although he knew it was unwise to have Lisa leave Daniel this early. Daniel was too young to travel, so he had no choice but to leave his love behind. Seeing Victor with Omi was beginning to gnaw at Joshua’s soul with envy.
“Miss Lisa?” asked Ryan.
“Yeah, a lot. But at the same time, it’s good to get away. Daniel is demanding.”
“As infants always are.” Said Ryan. “Well, you’re a thousand light years away from New Belfast. You should take a little bit of time to enjoy yourself. Think of this as another ski trip.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Just time away. What do you mean? Did something happen at Mountainside that I’m not aware of?”
“Nothing.” Said Joshua. He stood up and headed out into the garden.
Joshua wandered about the garden outside the Palace. Joshua didn’t know if Ryan was being coy or if he really didn’t know anything about Elise and his near-miss in the hot tub. Either way, his comments bothered him. The cool evening air felt good and Joshua took it in and tried to relax.
The door leading back into the hotel section of the Palace opened and a man came out in a Stealthy Foxes uniform. Something about the man’s manner was familiar to Joshua, so he darted behind a shrub and watched.
“All in readiness?” said a voice, muffled and distorted as to be unrecognizable.
“Yes. The operation begins tonight.” Joshua knew this voice and it sent chills through his entire body. It was Richard O’Malley.
“Son of a bitch. Why is he here?”
Joshua moved closer, but the voices stopped and Joshua saw two people. Both made their way quickly to the front gate and departed out onto the street. Joshua followed them out, but they had vanished.
“That other man had the build and gait of Ryan Steiner. What’s he doing with O’Malley? Something’s going on. I need to meet with Yuri.”
He turned and headed back to his room.
Next Chapter
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