Part II

 

 

     "In war, the moral is to the physical as three is to one." - Napoleon Bonaparte

 

 

Chapter 8

 

 

Grand Ballroom, Royal Court

The Triad

Tharkad City, Tharkad

District of Donegal, Lyran Alliance

26 January 2016 S.E.C.

15 November 3058 I.S.C.

 

     With slow and authoritative steps Anastasius Focht stepped onto the dais and toward the podium.  Arrayed around him, the leaders of the Inner Sphere waited to let him begin to speak.  On the opposite end of the octagon he could see the seemingly-disinterested Katherine Steiner-Davion looking toward him but not making any eye contact, a stark contrast to her brother's strict attention.  As he set down his notes for his briefing, Focht felt his right eye socket tingle a little, an annoying but manageable feeling.  He cleared his throat before he began to speak.  "We have become recently aware that Clan troops and material have begun building in ever-increasing numbers on the planet now referred to as Scorched Earth.  Smoke Jaguar and Ice Hellion forces have already won multiple engagements against Australian-led Allied forces in Timor and New Guinea, and it could only be a manner of time before the Clans attempt to conquer the Australian continent itself.  In terms of arming our respective planetary allies, the Clans are currently winning the race."

     Focht allowed his news to be absorbed by the political leaders, most of whom had not participated in the military planning sessions where this fact had already been highly discussed.  "We anticipate that the Clans will be able to launch offensives in North America by the end of the year, perhaps mid-January at the latest.  By then our allies will only have four battalions of BattleMechs to contend with them."

     "What is the status of our own material deliveries?", Thomas Marik asked.

     "The first shipments from factories in the Lyran Alliance have already begun arriving," Focht stated, "and shipments from the ComStar and Rasalhaguan factories should be arriving this month.  The rest of your Houses, by virtue of the distance, will still be months in coming."

     "This is an impossible task," Sun-Tzu stated sullenly.  "I still do not see why we bother."  Sun-Tzu gazed across the octogon at the Kells.

     "It is not your world that is at risk," Phelan retorted.

     "Perhaps not, but I do know that there are far more worlds in the Inner Sphere at risk than your's alone."  Sun-Tzu placed his fist on his table.  "I came here because we were supposed to be discussing on how to best rid ourselves of the Clan threat.  That must be our principal concern.  And, despite whatever feelings we may have over the issues that Khan Kell presented, we must not lose sight of the fact that this is a world of a few billion people.  How can we ask our peoples to put the benefit of one small population over the security of the entire Inner Sphere, the defeat of the Clan menace?"

     In response to his cousin Kai said, "May I remind the Chancellor that aiding this planet and defeating the Clans could be done together?"

     "How, cousin?  Our JumpShip fleets have certainly recovered in the past twenty-five years, but how can we mobilize our forces to annihilate the Jaguars, send material to this planet, and maintain our own domestic economies?  You would have us defeat the Clans just to have the Inner Sphere be plunged into poverty.  Do you want to tell the people of Epsilon Indi or Bryant that they are going to have to starve because we don't have enough JumpShips to deliver them foodstuffs?  How will Captain-General Marik explain to his Parliament that he must end their prosperity to send weapons to a few billion people on the other side of the Inner Sphere?"

     Victor looked over at Thomas Marik, who said nothing in reply to his future son-in-law's statements, but merely looked down.  Doubt clouded his eyes as his own realization of the difficulties involved clashed with his human desire to end the horrors they had witnessed first hand.  "And what would you do, Sun-Tzu?", Phelan inquired with his clenched fists on the table in front of him.  "Simply forget that Rebecca Harverson and the others who have suffered under Giuseppe's regime exist?"

     "What I would do is keep our focus on our objective.  That means we do not fight a meaningless crusade for a people we still know very little of.  The Clans come first.  After the Clans are gone," Sun-Tzu shrugged, "then any nation here can do as they like in regards to the planet."

     From her own seat, Candace Liao returned Sun-Tzu's gaze toward her table.  "Cold, heartless, and indifferent to suffering.  You are your mother's son, Sun-Tzu."

     Sun-Tzu's eyes narrowed but he did not reply to his aunt.  As much as it disgusted him, Victor knew Sun-Tzu had a point.  There were hundreds of billions of people in the Inner Sphere that were threatened by the Clans, and they had to come first.  Victor had been hoping that they could balance those two out, but the logistics seemed impossible.  The Jaguars were the only suitable military target for annihilation and they were on the other side of the occupied zones from Arc-Royal and the rift.  Which meant that the movement of the Inner Sphere's armies to the Jaguar Zone and the material needed to keep them fighting was opposite in direction from the movement of troops and material to the rift.  Such a mass movement, even with the support of all of the available JumpShips in the Inner Sphere, could significantly harm the civilian economies of the Inner Sphere.  And then the cold numbers came into play.  There were individual worlds in the Inner Sphere with a larger population than Scorched Earth; the population of the entire Inner Sphere dwarfed that singular world.  For Victor, it was a tough moral question on if he had the right to force the billions of people in the Federated Suns to sacrifice in the rescue of just a few billion people who, no matter how inhuman their enemies were, the Federated Suns were not beholden to.  He knew that at least some of his fellow countrymen would not mind sacrificing, but did he have the right to make them?  Victor might have been the unquestioned head of state but he did not like the idea of abusing his power, entrusted to him by the people of the Federated Commonwealth.

     But whenever he contemplated Sun-Tzu's path Victor could see the horrible sight again.  The young girl strapped to the table, trembling violently as an electric current tormented her, and men violating her.  It was madness that had no fathomable reason.  The pull her stern defiance had on him was irresistably strong.  It was something everyone could relate to, the stubborn refusal to submit to a conquering foe, the same refusal that had prevented Victor from submitting to fear of the Clans.

     Worst of all were the dreams that the sight had prompted.  Phelan had kept Victor from viewing the rest of the disc and, considering the nightmares just that one bit had caused, Victor could only fathom the terror of watching the entire thing.  On at least three nights his dreams had substituted Yvonne for the girl Rebecca Harverson, an invisible wall seperating him and making him watch his sister suffer.  One night it was not Yvonne but Omi whom was placed on the table and abused; just thinking of the effect that dream had on him made Victor's spine grow cold.  To inflict pain and humiliation on another human being in such a sadistic manner, for any reason whatsoever, inspired a cold rage within Victor, and he looked forward to the day when the criminals who had created that black-hearted government were brought to justice for their crimes.  He hoped to be present when they hanged the bastards.

     "You have a point, Chancellor," Focht conceded, "but there is something more to add."  Focht looked over at Morgan Hasek-Davion, who nodded silently, as he took a moment to get a breath before speaking again.  "Our ultimate goal is to force the Clans to understand the price of further war with the Inner Sphere.  To do so we are going to annihilate one Clan, and we have chosen the Jaguars.  But the liberation of their Occupation Zone is just but one tactic we can use.  We must reinforce for the other Clans that war is not the game that they have taken to viewing it as.  Our annihilation must be total, and as such, we must not just destroy the Jaguars in the Inner Sphere, but also strike directly at their core."  Focht drew in a breath and tried to give his next sentence extra weight.  "We must destroy their capital world Huntress."

     The assembled leaders had already known of this proposal from the military planning sessions; it did not remove any of the weight associated with the announcement.  The Inner Sphere was no stranger to destructive warfare but, even after centuries of such war, the human repulsion to organized destruction had not disappeared.  The prospect of willingly crushing an entire civilization into rubble was unimaginable.

     "I do not propose this lightly," Focht continued.  "But it must be remembered that the Clan way of warfare is such that it prevents the destruction we know here in the Inner Sphere.  The memories of their own Exodus Civil War and the horrible destruction it created still inspires terror in the hearts of the Clans.  Only once in their history have the Clans pursued such an open course and they have sealed or destroyed all records they have of that time.  For the Clans, warfare is more of an organized sport."

     "An organized sport?"

     "To a degree, Precentor Focht is correct," Phelan answered Sun-Tzu.  "The Clan bidding system was created to keep down the losses of manpower and material that war could create.  The Clans see war as a series of combat trials with their own rules and rituals.  They never destroy factories, supply depots, or anything that we would consider legitimate military targets during warfare.  They always leave infrastructure intact."

     "Thus, we must strike at that."  Focht folded his hands inside of his robes.  "There have been two suggestions on how to strike at Huntress.  The first suggestion came after ComStar secured a Clan defector who provided us with the Exodus Road, the route that Aleksandr Kerensky took when he left the Inner Sphere."  Focht nodded to an assistant, who brought a holographic stellar map up onto the central holoprojector, which drew a line out of stars deep into the Coreward Periphery.  "This route would allow us to strike Huntress directly."

     "I have seen the list of units you would send on this operation," Theodore commented from the Combine table.  "To send ten regiments with support at such an incredible distance while maintaining our other operations is going to stretch our ship resources to the breaking point."

     "This proposal, Serpent A, has the advantage of surprise," Focht replied.  "But it is not the only option.  There is another way to get to Huntress.  The rifts."

     There was a nod of approval from Morgan Hasek.  "That would work.  But the Jaguars will see us coming."

     "That is the one disadvantage," Focht agreed.  "The advantages are significant.  We can use the existing supply lines toward the rifts to move our troops into location.  And the postings in the Arc-Royal Defense Cordon can be excused as fortifying the region should the Clans make an assault through the rifts.  It should also be noted that we could deploy elements of units slated for the Huntress operation to aid in holding the allied lines on Scorched Earth."

     "I take it that Marshall Hasek-Davion would be in command of this force?", Katherine asked from her seat.  Her face betrayed her concerns; Morgan Hasek-Davion was one of Victor's best supporters and having him and Morgan Kell together was something that Victor was certain she felt wary toward.  Victor could very well send several Davion units "for defense of the border" and end up helping the Kells break away from her Lyran Alliance.  Although he had no intention of moving against her while the Clans were still a threat, Victor did not put it past his sister to see such a motive; it was something she would do given the chance.

     "He is our current choice, yes," Focht responded.

     "Very well, but I would propose that my military advisor General Nondi Steiner be given overall command of the operation."  Katherine did not turn her head to notice Nondi's smug expression at the proposition.  Nondi turned toward Morgan and seemed to be hiding the effort to smile with satisfaction.

     Victor opened his mouth to speak, but did not.  He restrained the impulse to roll his eyes in disbelief.  Nondi was unimaginative and arrogant, two qualities that did not mix well in a military commander.  She also had a vendetta against Morgan Kell and would likely disapprove of anything he did, perhaps even use her position to interfere with him.  Just what Katherine would want, too.  It would at least give her a degree of control over our deployments in the Cordon just in case Morgan did consider using my troops and his own loyal forces to break away.  I don't see how she'll be denied either, but I hope that Nondi won't go too far in pursuing her rivalry with Morgan.

     Morgan Kell was also obviously unhappy with the suggestion.  He sighed and nodded, "I would be pleased to accept the General's assistance."

     "This, in turn, would also allow us to increase aid through the rifts to Scorched Earth.  Indeed, it makes the war there even more important."

     "Yes."  Phelan crossed his arms and glared across the projector at Sun-Tzu.  "The Earthers can occupy the other Clans while we fight the Jaguars.  And, if they bloody the Home Crusaders enough, the other Clans are less likely to send support to the Jaguars on Huntress."

     "Put this way, I can see the wisdom in aiding these people," Sun-Tzu said from his table.  "In fact, I was intending to make a point on that.  I would like to call attention to the establishment of your training facilities on this planet.  So far you have established three in North America and one in Australia, with another still being assembled in Britain, but none in China.  I find this strange when reports state that millions of Chinese soldiers are still holding the nation's interior and a stretch of their coast.  Are they not in direct contact against the enemy?"

     "Yes and no," Morgan Kell answered.  "They are engaged against Armand Giuseppe's UN Army, but the Clans have apparently ignored that region.  It is immaterial as the key front on this planet is North America and the fate of the American defense industries."

     "I would say that such an approach is foolish, you are allowing your enemy to dictate your strategy," Sun-Tzu countered.  "It is fairly obvious to me that the reason you have not given them the same aid is not strategic concern but your own cultural prejudice.  Your cultures most resemble that of the North American and Australian continents, thus you have given them priority."

     "We are not ignoring the Chinese," Focht assured Sun-Tzu in a neutral tone.  "ComStar has already begun aiding Premier Quan's government in establishing 'Mech training forces.  But it is difficult for their nation to locate and test prospective MechWarriors, as the infrastructure of the territory they still hold is less developed, and their population harder to access."

     "I see."  Sun-Tzu brought his left fist up to his mouth and coughed to clear his throat for a moment.  "Well, what I would recommend is that, since we have already established who gets aid from whom, that we all choose a region to arm.  The Capellan Confederation will arm the people of China."

     "Selective support, Chancellor?"

     "More along the lines of understanding, Duke Kell."  Sun-Tzu placed his arms before him on the table.  "Can your Kell Hounds speak Han Chinese?  How many Lyran or Davion trainers can speak the Arabic and Hebrew languages?"

     "The world's common language is English," Morgan Kell reminded Sun-Tzu.  "Even the UN has adopted it as one of their two languages of business."

     "Perhaps for the intelligentsia, but the average Chinese peasant-soldier will not know the language.  Neither will Arabic Bedouins."

     To head off further disagreements, Victor stood from his seat.  "I find myself forced to concur with Sun-Tzu," he said, much as it pained him to do.  "We will have to specialize in some areas.  For instance, Coordinator, Elected Prince," he looked from Theodore to Magnusson, "I believe that both of your nations have populations of Azami?

     "Yes," Theodore answered.  "I can arrange for one of the Arkab Legions to transfer to Scorched Earth immediately for operations in the Middle East."

     "Then we will pick and choose those we aid?", Thomas Marik inquired from his seat.

     "To a degree.  The major fronts are filled with English speakers, and they can be trained by virtually any force in the Inner Sphere.  But for the non-English speakers, that's where we'll have to specialize."  Victor looked at his sister.  "There is a sizable Spanish-speaking population in certain regions of the Lyran realm and in the LAAF that can be used for staffing training facilities in Latin America."

     "Yes," Katherine agreed.

     Focht cleared his throat to get attention before he spoke.  "Then we are decided to stage the attack on Huntress through the rifts?"  When he was answered by silent nods as gestures of assent, Focht nodded as well and stated, "Then, that order of business is concluded."

     "That still leaves the commander of the attack on the Jaguars here.  I presume you will take that position?"

     Focht responded to Katherine's question by placing his hands at the small of his back.  "I would accept such a posting if it were offered.  But I must remind this Council that I am growing in age, and as it slows me down I will rely more and more upon my aides and subordinates.  And, I will inform you that if chosen I will appoint Prince Victor Steiner-Davion as my deputy commander."

     It came of no surprise to Victor nor Katherine, while Thomas Marik did ask, "But, can Prince Victor acquit his duties adequately?  He is the leader of the Federated Commonwealth."

     "I have already begun to set up a Regency on New Avalon while I am away," Victor replied.  "My sister Yvonne will serve as Regent, and she has the full trust and support of myself and the advisors I have arranged for her.  In the case of emergency I could always be recalled to New Avalon, but somehow I doubt there will be such an occasion.  No one would strike at my realm while we are all fighting the Clans."

    "Judging by this list of your requisitions for the war effort," Sun-Tzu tapped his finger on his noteputer screen, "I doubt any of us will have the opportunity to strike at your nation."

     "You will understand, Chancellor, if I am not going to underestimate your abilities to cause trouble."  Victor turned his head and made eye contact with every leader in the room in succession.  "I feel that this is what all of the training I have received in my life has prepared me for.  This is the greatest responsibility, and burden, that I could ever bear, and if I do so successfully I can die content."

     Katherine finished looking down at her fingernails, an icy-tone of white color placed on their smooth surfaces, and put her voice into the matter.  "Despite our differences I know my brother is best-suited for this task, and he has my full support."  Katherine ignored the low hiss from Nondi.

     Victor at first wondered if he should be surprised, but then he began to see it from her point of view.  If he was on the front, he had a greater chance of getting killed, and that would remove the last obstacle to reunifying the Federated Commonwealth under her "benevolent" rule.

     Katherine's approval gave the issue momentum; one by one each leader signed off on it.  Happiest of all was Sun-Tzu, who gave the appearance of a wolf just let out of it's cage.  His expression made Victor apprehensive, he could not help but wonder just what mischief Sun-Tzu would perform with Yvonne in New Avalon.  An acclamation vote for the Bulldog and Serpent operations followed.  Placing his hands back on the podium, Focht said, "That leaves the final signing of the Constitution."

     "We still need to select a First Lord," Katherine reminded the Council.

     "The selection process was to be by lot," Magnusson said quietly from his table.

     "Yes, but we are also reforming the Star League to make a point with the Clans.  How will the Clans view a First Lord chosen by lot?  It would seem rather careless, after all."

     "An excellent point."  Thomas Marik thumped his fingers on his table.  "It is my hope that this Star League be something more than just a temporary alliance against the Clans, but appearances must be considered."

     Victor did not speak aloud, but he could not help but wonder, What are you up to now, Katherine?  What little trick weaseled it's way into your scheming mind?  He eyed her warily as Katherine said, "Because ComStar does not have a vote, I would ask that Precentor-Martial Focht chair the election."

     When nobody raised a voice in dissent, Focht asked, "Very well, does anyone have a nomination?"

     "I do."  Katherine stood up and eyed the room, but could not help but keep an eye on Victor to see his reaction.  "I would nominate Sun-Tzu Liao, Chancellor of the Capellan Confederation."

     Victor resisted the temptation to look completely flabbergasted, but his jaw hung agape from the pure shock.  "What?  Why Sun-Tzu?"

     With a calculated and cold look in her eye, Katherine turned toward Victor and answered, "Because, dear brother, Sun-Tzu is just as intelligent as either of us.  His realm is the smallest of the Great Houses and will have the least room for participation, so this gives him an equal share of responsibility.  And, as the husband-to-be of Isis Marik, he has further connections to the Free Worlds League, another nation which will have a lesser military role than our own."

     Sun-Tzu by now was beaming; his smile grew when Thomas Marik added, "I will second the nomination.  In the time I have known him Sun-Tzu has shown himself to be an intelligent and capable ruler.  He can meet the demands of this office."

     Victor could barely control his anger.  Sun-Tzu was just as much a schemer as Katherine, and had already invaded his realm once.  Surely he would use his influence as First Lord to promote seizure of the Chaos March, or even worse, use the office to hold undue influence over St. Ives.  Yvonne was still young and unexperienced and would be incapable of putting up opposition if Sun-Tzu tried to snap up a world here and there.  As Sun-Tzu and Candace exchanged barbs, Victor felt his rage boil over at the thought of Sun-Tzu becoming First Lord.  How could Katherine nominate Sun-Tzu?

     Or more important, why?    

     Why did Katherine nominate him?  It doesn't make sense, he's just as much a threat to her designs on the Chaos March as he is to the Federated Commonwealth.  Unless...  Victor's subsiding rage helped him subdue the impulse to grin.  Cute, sister dear, very cute.  You did that just to get me angry and prompt a fight.  Then you could play peacemaker again by withdrawing the nomination, and with me discredited you're the obvious choice for First Lord.

     And when Victor thought of it, he realized that Sun-Tzu's demands of office would also hinder his scheming.  Sun-Tzu had to act responsibility with the position, lest the rest of the Inner Sphere castigate him and make the Capellans into a hermit kingdom again.  And the position of First Lord was more ceremonial now than it was for the Camerons.  As a threat he could be dealt with easily.

     Well, Katherine, you should be careful what you ask for...  He raised himself to his paltry height and help up his hands.  "Wait.  This is pointless."  He saw Katherine smile; she was obviously waiting for him to make himself look like a fool.

     Victor couldn't wait to wipe the smile off her face.

     "If Sun-Tzu is good enough for my sister, he's good enough for me.  He's got my vote."  Victor had to fight to hide a grin of satisfaction at watching the blood drain from Katherine's face.  "Sun-Tzu Liao, I don't trust you farther than I could throw my 'Mech.  But I've got no real choice in this matter.  You'll either perform your duties for the good of the entire Inner Sphere or you'll abuse them and we'll be in such a shape that the Clans will literally walk over us.  I grew to hate you and it hasn't done me one damned bit of a good, and neither has it done you any good.  I suppose this is a better way of doing good for the both of us.  We'll be counting on you to supply and equip our forces and help us do our duties.  If you fail at that, we'll be the first to die, but hardly the last."

     Victor sat and winked at his terror-choked sister, who was holding her hands tight enough that Victor imagined her fingernails were pressing into her palms.  It wasn't over between them, it wouldn't be until Katherine was brought to justice for her crimes, but Victor could take satisfaction that her little scheme had been thwarted.

     Now all he had to do was hope that Sun-Tzu didn't doom them all.

 

 

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