Hall of the Khans, Warrior Quarter
Strana Mechty
Kerensky Cluster, Clan Space
3 January 3049
"Leo Showers, have you gone completely insane?" asked Khan Virgilia Truscott in a clear voice that carried easily across the Grand
Council's chamber.
If her voice had not been clearly audible over the murmuring of the gathered Khans discussing the just proposed plans Operation Revival, the
long dreamed of return to the Inner Sphere by Kerensky's heirs, then even a pin dropping could have been detected in the dead silence that followed her
question.
"Would the Khan of the Star Adders care to clarify her question?" the ilKhan asked from his throne, eyes narrowed dangerously. Leo
Showers was not a man to be trifled with. He had risen to the leadership of the Smoke Jaguars, one of the fiercest of all the Clans, and had not even a month
before been elected as ilKhan, the first such in fully one hundred years. That victory, won on the back of the ascendancy of the Crusader faction among the
clans placed him in an unassailable political position and the Star Adders had been clearly amongst his supporters until this moment.
Virgilia rose to her feet. Several years younger than Leo she was less than a centimeter shorter and her red-gold hair, tied back with a
ribbon of black silk, was the only colour against the monochrome black leather and white silk of Clan Star Adder's dress uniform. "I would be
delighted to," she replied as calmly as if he had invited her to join him for a casual drink.
"This plan," she declared, gesturing at the diagrams still displayed on the holo-vid display that was built into the dais opposite
the seats of the Khans, "Is nothing less than an elaborate attempt at suicide for the Clans as a whole. If I were to commit even a star of solahma
infantry so recklessly - so wastefully - I would be removed as Khan within an hour of proposing it. To suggest that this abortion of a scheme is to be carried
is to seek that well nigh a quarter of the military might of the Clans be annihilated and that our most priceless advantage over the degenerates who squat over
the Star League's ruins be bid away for no gain. I do not believe you to be a fool, Leo Showers. So I ask again, are you insane to seek this outcome? I
would sooner believe that I cast my vote for a madman, than for a traitor."
The chamber exploded into outraged protests. Only the fact that they would have had to physically clamber over the Khans of Clan Wolf to
reach Virgilia prevented the Smoke Jaguar Khans from physically assaulting her and Timur Malthus was far from the only seated Khan who looked tempted to join
them in rising to give physical force to their objections to the Star Adder's words.
"By the Exodus, Virgilia," her saKhan hissed, the words hidden by the shouting of their peers. "Are you trying to turn us into
Wardens at this late date?" The Star Adder's junior Khan was not a short man, but his stocky build made him seem so when compared to the slim figure
of Virgilia. Roderick N'Buta was three years older than his superior and had served the Star Adders as one of their senior staff officers and field
commanders for more than a decade before he was elected to counterbalance the young ristar who won election a year before.
"Khan Truscott," Leo Showers growled, rising to his feet but visibly restraining himself from crossing the room himself. "You
will recall that we are at war and that the martial code binds us all. Your accusations are vile and ignoble. This plan has been reviewed by dozens of warriors
before being presented here today and I do not see any support for your doubts amongst your fellow Khans here."
The sound of someone clearing their throat came from one of the upper benches and the Khan of Clan Goliath Scorpion, Nikolai Djerassi, stood.
"Virgilia Truscott is as tested a warrior as any of the Khans, Leo Showers. If she sees a fault in these plans then we should hear it
out."
The ilKhan scowled and then waved dismissively in the direction of the Star Adder bench. "Very well then," he said, sinking back
onto the stone throne that faced the leaders of the seventeen Clans. "However, Virgilia, recall that if you phrase your comments as insults then you may
expect to receive redress from those you target with your serpent's tongue."
Virgilia nodded. "To remind you all of some pertinent facts, I would like my saKhan to summarise the likely forces that the reports from
Clan Wolf's Dragoons and from the captured Inner Sphere jumpship indicate that we must defeat in order to reach Terra."
Roderick frowned and then began speaking, drawing the figures not from the papers and files in front of him but from memory. "The
primary axis of advance takes us through the Free Rasalhague Republic. Their touman numbers not less than twelve hundred battlemechs with supporting arms and
with the addition of mercenary forces may be as much as fifty percent larger. Spinward of Rasalhague lies the Draconis Combine. Their full military strength is
little known due to deliberate deception on their part, but is not less than ten thousand battlemechs with infantry and armoured units in the usual
proportions. Finally, anti-spinward of both states, the Federated Commonwealth commands a minimum of twice as many battlemechs as the Combine's Mustered
Soldiery and typically assign a larger proportion of armoured vehicles and infantry to support their battlemechs than is customary elsewhere in the Inner
Sphere."
"So disregarding anything else, the Inner Sphere realms that we must directly battle to reach Terra field at least thirty thousand
battlemechs, possibly as many as forty thousand," Virgilia asked. "And as responsible strategists we must consider the worst case assumption. Let us
presume that they are forty thousand strong with ample supporting elements and that they can bring as much as eighty percent of their armed forces to bear upon
us. And your plan calls for, what? Four clans to field three - perhaps four - galaxies and a fifth to provide a similar force as a strategic reserve. Five
thousand battlemechs perhaps. So we may be outnumbered seven to one, something that suggests, to me at least, that ilKhan Showers and his advisors have pushed
their bid well below cutdown."
"Against the trash warriors of the Inner Sphere," Timur Malthus growled, "And their antiquated battlemechs, even two clans
could seize Terra."
"Not with this plan," disagreed Virgilia. "Oh, two clans could take Terra, simply bypassing the intervening worlds and seizing
it directly. But they could never hold it against such overwhelming odds. No, Khan Malthus. While our warriors are undoubtedly superior to those of the Inner
Sphere, and our weapons more advanced, we should not presume that their courage or will is less than our own. After all, our ancestors were similarly
advantaged in Operation Klondike, when the Great Nicholas Kerensky led us and do you recall their opponents simply rolling over and dying? No - they fought,
bravely. No small number of the first eight hundred warriors died in those battles, their bloodnames vacant until a new generation could arise to compete for
them. No lesser man than the Founder's own brother perished in that campaign."
"That was a completely different situtation," protested Khan Robin Steele of Clan Coyote.
Virgilia nodded. "Indeed it was. There we were only invading five worlds and committed the equivalent of a Galaxy to each one of them.
There are two thousand worlds of the Inner Sphere and they will not surrender simply because we capture Terra - assuming that the invaders even manage to
penetrate so far into the Inner Sphere."
Ulric Kerensky leaned forwards, resting his forearms on the marble top of his desk. "Khan Truscott, do you truly believe that the Inner
Sphere can bring their greater numbers to bear upon the invading forces? Given that those units will be scattered across the Inner Sphere and that we will have
the advantage of surprise and, as the invaders, choice of targets, it should be a simple matter to obtain local superiority," he pointed out, his voice
intrigued.
Virgilia shook her head, setting her ponytail whipping back and forth. "And while your frontline forces are conquering worlds like Carse
or Buckminster," she asked, naming a pair of worlds deep inside the Inner Sphere, "What is to stop them taking back worlds like Rasalhague that are
two hundred light years behind you? How many troops would you require to garrison your conquests and secure your supply lines?"
"That is what garrison clusters are for," growled Leo Showers.
"I was not aware that the Smoke Jaguar Clan had a hundred garrison clusters," Virgilia countered. They didn't and she knew it.
"Your plan calls for almost four hundred planets to be conquered just to reach Terra, never mind the subsequent campaigns that will be needed to subdue
the Successor States. Four Clans cannot possibly garrison that many worlds without spreading themselves so thin that the Inner Sphere will be able to
counterattack with crushing local superiority."
"In the end," she said, "the toumans of whichever clans invade will be gutted and the Inner Sphere will seek out our
Homeworlds to bring war to us and to tear us down just as they tore apart the Star League almost three hundred years ago."
Leo Showers shook his head. "Enough," he said abruptly. "Your cowardice shames your clan, Khan Truscott."
"There has been enough talk," Roderick commented from his seat. "Clan Star Adder supports our Khan. I call for a vote on the
viability of the ilKhan's plan."
"Agreed," said Leo. "This vote is for the adoption of my plan for the invasion. If the vote is carried against it then a new
plan will be drawn up in consultation with our cautious Star Adder comrades."
Lights began to appear at the front of each Khan's desk, indicating their votes, while the holographic display in the centre of the Hall
tabulated the number of votes. The Khans of Clan Smoke Jaguar and Clan Jade Falcon immediately cast their votes in favour of the plan, giving them an early
lead over the two Star Adder votes. Then Clan Blood Spirit voted against, evening the numbers until Clan Burrock opposed their traditional rivals and a number
of the Warden-leaning Khans, led by Robin Steele and presumably wanting not to escalate the size of the invasion, also favored the ilKhan's proposal.
Glancing around the room, Virgilia saw that only Ulric Kerensky, Nikolai Djerassi and Tanya DeLaurel, the junior Khan of the Hells Horses, had cast their votes
against the plan.
Seven against twenty-seven. She had not swayed many. Opening her mouth to take the logical next step, she was pre-empted by Ulric's
steady voice.
"I call for a Trial of Refusal," he said, staring dispassionately at Leo Showers. "While I would prefer not to invade at all,
since we must I would prefer that we have a plan that can succeed."
Leo Showers scanned the faces of the gathered Khans. "Your challenge is accepted," he said. "What forces do you bid against
this -"
"I also call for a Trial of Refusal," Virgilia called, followed a moment later by Karianna Schmitt of the Blood Spirits.
The ilKhan shook his head. "You require the assent of the rest of the Grand Council to offer additional refusals to a vote," he
stated, "and I do not believe that a majority will support this obstructionism." The looks on the faces of the Khans supported his
assertion.
"My fellow Khans," said Ulric smoothly, rising to his feet. "I do not feel that I have the right to exclude the Khans of two
Clans who are so clearly opposed to this plan when my own clan's leadership is evidently divided on the matter." Beside him, Garth Radick grimaced at
the jab. "I therefore propose that our three clans all participate in Trials of Refusal each against a proponent of this plan. However, to prevent this
from constituting an obstruction, at least two victories shall be required of us to overturn the vote."
The muttering amongst the Khans seemed to suggest that they were in favour of any motion that might get Virgilia to stop delaying the
important bidding for positions in the invasion force. Leo Showers considered the proposal for a moment. "I hear no objections to your proposal, Khan
Ulric. Let the Trial be accepted by acclamation. What forces do you bid against our decision?"
"The 279th Battle Cluster," replied Ulric promptly.
After a muttered discussion between the Blood Spirit Khans, the 7th Blood Drinker Cluster was nominated to represent them.
"Do you have any recommendations?" Virgilia asked Roderick wryly as the Blood Spirits declared their choice.
"I was rather hoping that you had an actual plan," he commented irritably, still glaring down at the ilKhan.
Virgilia smirked. "No plan survives contact with the enemy, Roderick. You know that. I would value your advice."
He sighed softly. "Banacek's Bandits," he said at last. "Give them a taste of what they'll face in the Inner
Sphere." Virgilia smirked and nodded.
Showers cleared his throat. "Khan Truscott? Your bid?"
"I bid the 417th Adder Sentinels Cluster," Virgilia said clearly and grinned as for a second time the Grand Council dissolved into
confusion at her choice of a secondline unit for something she evidently felt strongly about.
-/-
Andrei Island
Strana Mechty
Kerensky Cluster, Clan Space
24 January 3049
Warrior Julian moved slowly through the shallow waters around the uninhabited island. He had never been to Strana Mechty before, much less
laid eyes on the island, but he had studied the maps carefully before setting out on this mission. He knew that the forces bid by Clan Coyote to defend the
ilKhan's strategy had been scheduled to land during the night at the narrow end of the egg-shaped isle, one of only two relatively open areas where ships
could land. The 417th Adder Sentinels had landed before sunset the night before to ensure that no clashes took place between the dropships of the two rival
clans and a fast helicopter had rushed him to the shore under the cover of darkness.
Avoiding a patch of weed that might have betrayed his presence, Julian continued to move along the shore line. It was fortunate, he thought,
that the Clan aerospace programme weeded out any claustrophobes early in training. The darkness of the water and the confinement of the modified Elemental suit
of battle armour was disconcerting under any circumstances and he was relying almost entirely on inertial guidance to reach his destination.
With the sun still low in the sky, it would be difficult for anyone to see him moving under the water, he knew having acted as lookout
against his fellow warriors attempting just this feat in training exercises. However, it was also very difficult to see out of the water. He could barely see
shadowy movement on a scale that made it clear that OmniMechs must be moving around on the shore, now only a few hundred metres away.
Dropping onto hands and knees, the aged warrior began to crawl towards the shoreline. It was an ignoble way to enter battle, but he
didn't have much time before the sun was high enough in the sky to reveal his movements and while a swift death under the guns of the Coyotes was an
honourable enough death, he would prefer that he had the opportunity to send a few of them ahead of him.
The sand beneath the manipulators and feet of Julian's armour gave better traction than the mud he had trained in and he was making good
progress when there was a flash of light from above him and a shockwave through the water hit him, causing him to roll over to his right twice. His face
tightened. That could only mean that one of his fellow Star Adders had been discovered and killed. He was out of time - within moments, Coyote infantry would
be in the water and he had no illusions that he could survive a close quarters battle against a real Elemental.
Rising to his feet, he saw found that the water was now only barely touching his visor and that the missile pack on his shoulders must
certainly be clear of the surface. One command opened the water-tight seals and he lifted the targeting laser attached to his right arm above the water, laying
its cursor over a stack of what looked like standard munition containers.
There was a hiss and he started as he saw the fiery trails of missiles arcing up into the air. I'm not much of a warrior any more, he
realised. It's not just my reflexes, I don't think I have the nerve any more. As the missiles descended he recentred the targeting laser and fired the
two long range missiles he was carrying.
Before the concussions of missiles exploding in the water around him stunned Julian, he saw the first missile hammer into the crate he had
targeted and he took the bright light of the first explosions with him into the darkness of unconciousness.
-/-
Sancia Kufahl glared at the battered suit of battle armour that was just barely recognisable as having once been an Elemental. The sun was
high in the sky and by now she should have been halfway across Andrei Island and hopefully halfway through the 417th. Instead, the dawn suicide strikes by this
stravag and his fellow Star Adders had left half her force reeling and she had been forced to concede the lead to Star Colonel Wendy Drewsivitch's 81st
Strike Cluster.
"Have you secured the perimeter fully now?" she asked Star Commander Oskar, the most senior remaining Elemental in her Cluster.
Oskar's predecessor, Star Captain Valerie Steele, had been near the ammunition stockpile, having a damaged belt of ammunition for her machinegun replaced,
when it detonated and so far nobody had been able to find a trace of her. Sancia was morbidly certain that if any one did, it would probably be in
orbit.
Oskar shrugged as best he could without letting go of the one armed suit he had dragged in front of Sancia's Timber Wolf. "I have
assigned a Star to make regular sweeps of the water. Now that we know what to look for, this should not happen again."
"It should never have happened the first time," snarled Sancia. She looked at the lined face of the prisoner, exposed after Oskar
had removed the entire helmet assembly from the suit. The man was too old for effective service, there was considerable grey in his otherwise raven-black hair,
so it seemed likely that he was solahma. It was probably a more effective use than using them as sacrifical infantry diversions, she conceded, but to strike
from hiding like this was a horrifying reminder of how far the Star Adders had fallen from the honorable ways of the Clans. "Wake him up," she
ordered.
Oskar nodded to one of his fellow Elementals, who replaced the Star Commander in securing the captive Star Adder. Opening a medical kit,
Oskar produced a stimulant and injected it into old warrior. "It will take a moment for the drug to take effect," he rumbled.
Sancia nodded, restraining her temper. It was not Oskar's fault that their security had been breached, she reminded herself. Valerie
Steele should have done so, and Sancia herself should have ordered Valerie to have done so. But they had been lax and now Valerie and almost a score of
technicians had paid the price, along with essentially the entire reserve ammuniton store for the 38th Assault Cluster and a pair of Adders that had taken
disabling damage from stray LRMs launching themselves on random ballistic trajectories. Another dozen or so Mechs had taken minor damage as well.
The old man coughed, spitting up blood. However well his armor had sealed him, the concussion of missiles exploding around him in the water
must have caused internal injuries, Sancia noted. Well, it wasn't as if he would have had much longer to live anyway. "What are you?" she
demanded.
He tried to speak, then grimaced and spat another gob of blood onto the floor. "Warrior Julian," he reported, staring vaguely
between Sancia and Oskar. "417th Adder Sentinels."
Sancia slapped him across the face. "No, you are an honorless stravag," she snarled and backhanded him on the other cheek.
"Lower than a freebirth!"
The impact seemed to stir greater awareness in him and his eyes focused on the irate Star Colonel. "Coyote," he sighed and slumped
slightly in the grip of his captor.
"Correct," Sancia agreed. "You, however, you are not a Star Adder." His head jerked up in denial, but she continued:
"You may have been one once, warrior. But you are an expendable asset to them. Or rather, you were. For you have been expended now,
quiaff?"
"Neg." Julian whispered.
"Oh, but you have been," Sancia promised.
Oskar's blood chilled as he saw the Star Adder's eyes harden. "Not yet," the solahma declared and jerked his head sharply.
"I -"
Whatever Warrior Julian might have been about to say, or Star Commander Oskar might have perceived would never be an issue however. Triggered
by the sharp movement, an electrical signal reached a double dozen packets of high explosive packed into the battle armour around the diminutive frame of the
former pilot and an instant later, the space in front of Sancia Kufahl's Timber Wolf was swept clear, if not clean, by hundreds of shards of battle
armour.
The Elemental restraining Julian survived, although the damage to his armour would prevent any active participation in the Trial. Oskar,
Sancia and two other mechwarriors from the Colonel's Star, were not as fortunate. Julian, of course, was all but disintegrated by the blast.
It was four hours into the Trial of Refusal, and the Coyote force had just had half of their command structure decapitated -
literally.
D for Drakensis
You're only young once, but immaturity is forever.
Strana Mechty
Kerensky Cluster, Clan Space
3 January 3049
"Leo Showers, have you gone completely insane?" asked Khan Virgilia Truscott in a clear voice that carried easily across the Grand
Council's chamber.
If her voice had not been clearly audible over the murmuring of the gathered Khans discussing the just proposed plans Operation Revival, the
long dreamed of return to the Inner Sphere by Kerensky's heirs, then even a pin dropping could have been detected in the dead silence that followed her
question.
"Would the Khan of the Star Adders care to clarify her question?" the ilKhan asked from his throne, eyes narrowed dangerously. Leo
Showers was not a man to be trifled with. He had risen to the leadership of the Smoke Jaguars, one of the fiercest of all the Clans, and had not even a month
before been elected as ilKhan, the first such in fully one hundred years. That victory, won on the back of the ascendancy of the Crusader faction among the
clans placed him in an unassailable political position and the Star Adders had been clearly amongst his supporters until this moment.
Virgilia rose to her feet. Several years younger than Leo she was less than a centimeter shorter and her red-gold hair, tied back with a
ribbon of black silk, was the only colour against the monochrome black leather and white silk of Clan Star Adder's dress uniform. "I would be
delighted to," she replied as calmly as if he had invited her to join him for a casual drink.
"This plan," she declared, gesturing at the diagrams still displayed on the holo-vid display that was built into the dais opposite
the seats of the Khans, "Is nothing less than an elaborate attempt at suicide for the Clans as a whole. If I were to commit even a star of solahma
infantry so recklessly - so wastefully - I would be removed as Khan within an hour of proposing it. To suggest that this abortion of a scheme is to be carried
is to seek that well nigh a quarter of the military might of the Clans be annihilated and that our most priceless advantage over the degenerates who squat over
the Star League's ruins be bid away for no gain. I do not believe you to be a fool, Leo Showers. So I ask again, are you insane to seek this outcome? I
would sooner believe that I cast my vote for a madman, than for a traitor."
The chamber exploded into outraged protests. Only the fact that they would have had to physically clamber over the Khans of Clan Wolf to
reach Virgilia prevented the Smoke Jaguar Khans from physically assaulting her and Timur Malthus was far from the only seated Khan who looked tempted to join
them in rising to give physical force to their objections to the Star Adder's words.
"By the Exodus, Virgilia," her saKhan hissed, the words hidden by the shouting of their peers. "Are you trying to turn us into
Wardens at this late date?" The Star Adder's junior Khan was not a short man, but his stocky build made him seem so when compared to the slim figure
of Virgilia. Roderick N'Buta was three years older than his superior and had served the Star Adders as one of their senior staff officers and field
commanders for more than a decade before he was elected to counterbalance the young ristar who won election a year before.
"Khan Truscott," Leo Showers growled, rising to his feet but visibly restraining himself from crossing the room himself. "You
will recall that we are at war and that the martial code binds us all. Your accusations are vile and ignoble. This plan has been reviewed by dozens of warriors
before being presented here today and I do not see any support for your doubts amongst your fellow Khans here."
The sound of someone clearing their throat came from one of the upper benches and the Khan of Clan Goliath Scorpion, Nikolai Djerassi, stood.
"Virgilia Truscott is as tested a warrior as any of the Khans, Leo Showers. If she sees a fault in these plans then we should hear it
out."
The ilKhan scowled and then waved dismissively in the direction of the Star Adder bench. "Very well then," he said, sinking back
onto the stone throne that faced the leaders of the seventeen Clans. "However, Virgilia, recall that if you phrase your comments as insults then you may
expect to receive redress from those you target with your serpent's tongue."
Virgilia nodded. "To remind you all of some pertinent facts, I would like my saKhan to summarise the likely forces that the reports from
Clan Wolf's Dragoons and from the captured Inner Sphere jumpship indicate that we must defeat in order to reach Terra."
Roderick frowned and then began speaking, drawing the figures not from the papers and files in front of him but from memory. "The
primary axis of advance takes us through the Free Rasalhague Republic. Their touman numbers not less than twelve hundred battlemechs with supporting arms and
with the addition of mercenary forces may be as much as fifty percent larger. Spinward of Rasalhague lies the Draconis Combine. Their full military strength is
little known due to deliberate deception on their part, but is not less than ten thousand battlemechs with infantry and armoured units in the usual
proportions. Finally, anti-spinward of both states, the Federated Commonwealth commands a minimum of twice as many battlemechs as the Combine's Mustered
Soldiery and typically assign a larger proportion of armoured vehicles and infantry to support their battlemechs than is customary elsewhere in the Inner
Sphere."
"So disregarding anything else, the Inner Sphere realms that we must directly battle to reach Terra field at least thirty thousand
battlemechs, possibly as many as forty thousand," Virgilia asked. "And as responsible strategists we must consider the worst case assumption. Let us
presume that they are forty thousand strong with ample supporting elements and that they can bring as much as eighty percent of their armed forces to bear upon
us. And your plan calls for, what? Four clans to field three - perhaps four - galaxies and a fifth to provide a similar force as a strategic reserve. Five
thousand battlemechs perhaps. So we may be outnumbered seven to one, something that suggests, to me at least, that ilKhan Showers and his advisors have pushed
their bid well below cutdown."
"Against the trash warriors of the Inner Sphere," Timur Malthus growled, "And their antiquated battlemechs, even two clans
could seize Terra."
"Not with this plan," disagreed Virgilia. "Oh, two clans could take Terra, simply bypassing the intervening worlds and seizing
it directly. But they could never hold it against such overwhelming odds. No, Khan Malthus. While our warriors are undoubtedly superior to those of the Inner
Sphere, and our weapons more advanced, we should not presume that their courage or will is less than our own. After all, our ancestors were similarly
advantaged in Operation Klondike, when the Great Nicholas Kerensky led us and do you recall their opponents simply rolling over and dying? No - they fought,
bravely. No small number of the first eight hundred warriors died in those battles, their bloodnames vacant until a new generation could arise to compete for
them. No lesser man than the Founder's own brother perished in that campaign."
"That was a completely different situtation," protested Khan Robin Steele of Clan Coyote.
Virgilia nodded. "Indeed it was. There we were only invading five worlds and committed the equivalent of a Galaxy to each one of them.
There are two thousand worlds of the Inner Sphere and they will not surrender simply because we capture Terra - assuming that the invaders even manage to
penetrate so far into the Inner Sphere."
Ulric Kerensky leaned forwards, resting his forearms on the marble top of his desk. "Khan Truscott, do you truly believe that the Inner
Sphere can bring their greater numbers to bear upon the invading forces? Given that those units will be scattered across the Inner Sphere and that we will have
the advantage of surprise and, as the invaders, choice of targets, it should be a simple matter to obtain local superiority," he pointed out, his voice
intrigued.
Virgilia shook her head, setting her ponytail whipping back and forth. "And while your frontline forces are conquering worlds like Carse
or Buckminster," she asked, naming a pair of worlds deep inside the Inner Sphere, "What is to stop them taking back worlds like Rasalhague that are
two hundred light years behind you? How many troops would you require to garrison your conquests and secure your supply lines?"
"That is what garrison clusters are for," growled Leo Showers.
"I was not aware that the Smoke Jaguar Clan had a hundred garrison clusters," Virgilia countered. They didn't and she knew it.
"Your plan calls for almost four hundred planets to be conquered just to reach Terra, never mind the subsequent campaigns that will be needed to subdue
the Successor States. Four Clans cannot possibly garrison that many worlds without spreading themselves so thin that the Inner Sphere will be able to
counterattack with crushing local superiority."
"In the end," she said, "the toumans of whichever clans invade will be gutted and the Inner Sphere will seek out our
Homeworlds to bring war to us and to tear us down just as they tore apart the Star League almost three hundred years ago."
Leo Showers shook his head. "Enough," he said abruptly. "Your cowardice shames your clan, Khan Truscott."
"There has been enough talk," Roderick commented from his seat. "Clan Star Adder supports our Khan. I call for a vote on the
viability of the ilKhan's plan."
"Agreed," said Leo. "This vote is for the adoption of my plan for the invasion. If the vote is carried against it then a new
plan will be drawn up in consultation with our cautious Star Adder comrades."
Lights began to appear at the front of each Khan's desk, indicating their votes, while the holographic display in the centre of the Hall
tabulated the number of votes. The Khans of Clan Smoke Jaguar and Clan Jade Falcon immediately cast their votes in favour of the plan, giving them an early
lead over the two Star Adder votes. Then Clan Blood Spirit voted against, evening the numbers until Clan Burrock opposed their traditional rivals and a number
of the Warden-leaning Khans, led by Robin Steele and presumably wanting not to escalate the size of the invasion, also favored the ilKhan's proposal.
Glancing around the room, Virgilia saw that only Ulric Kerensky, Nikolai Djerassi and Tanya DeLaurel, the junior Khan of the Hells Horses, had cast their votes
against the plan.
Seven against twenty-seven. She had not swayed many. Opening her mouth to take the logical next step, she was pre-empted by Ulric's
steady voice.
"I call for a Trial of Refusal," he said, staring dispassionately at Leo Showers. "While I would prefer not to invade at all,
since we must I would prefer that we have a plan that can succeed."
Leo Showers scanned the faces of the gathered Khans. "Your challenge is accepted," he said. "What forces do you bid against
this -"
"I also call for a Trial of Refusal," Virgilia called, followed a moment later by Karianna Schmitt of the Blood Spirits.
The ilKhan shook his head. "You require the assent of the rest of the Grand Council to offer additional refusals to a vote," he
stated, "and I do not believe that a majority will support this obstructionism." The looks on the faces of the Khans supported his
assertion.
"My fellow Khans," said Ulric smoothly, rising to his feet. "I do not feel that I have the right to exclude the Khans of two
Clans who are so clearly opposed to this plan when my own clan's leadership is evidently divided on the matter." Beside him, Garth Radick grimaced at
the jab. "I therefore propose that our three clans all participate in Trials of Refusal each against a proponent of this plan. However, to prevent this
from constituting an obstruction, at least two victories shall be required of us to overturn the vote."
The muttering amongst the Khans seemed to suggest that they were in favour of any motion that might get Virgilia to stop delaying the
important bidding for positions in the invasion force. Leo Showers considered the proposal for a moment. "I hear no objections to your proposal, Khan
Ulric. Let the Trial be accepted by acclamation. What forces do you bid against our decision?"
"The 279th Battle Cluster," replied Ulric promptly.
After a muttered discussion between the Blood Spirit Khans, the 7th Blood Drinker Cluster was nominated to represent them.
"Do you have any recommendations?" Virgilia asked Roderick wryly as the Blood Spirits declared their choice.
"I was rather hoping that you had an actual plan," he commented irritably, still glaring down at the ilKhan.
Virgilia smirked. "No plan survives contact with the enemy, Roderick. You know that. I would value your advice."
He sighed softly. "Banacek's Bandits," he said at last. "Give them a taste of what they'll face in the Inner
Sphere." Virgilia smirked and nodded.
Showers cleared his throat. "Khan Truscott? Your bid?"
"I bid the 417th Adder Sentinels Cluster," Virgilia said clearly and grinned as for a second time the Grand Council dissolved into
confusion at her choice of a secondline unit for something she evidently felt strongly about.
-/-
Andrei Island
Strana Mechty
Kerensky Cluster, Clan Space
24 January 3049
Warrior Julian moved slowly through the shallow waters around the uninhabited island. He had never been to Strana Mechty before, much less
laid eyes on the island, but he had studied the maps carefully before setting out on this mission. He knew that the forces bid by Clan Coyote to defend the
ilKhan's strategy had been scheduled to land during the night at the narrow end of the egg-shaped isle, one of only two relatively open areas where ships
could land. The 417th Adder Sentinels had landed before sunset the night before to ensure that no clashes took place between the dropships of the two rival
clans and a fast helicopter had rushed him to the shore under the cover of darkness.
Avoiding a patch of weed that might have betrayed his presence, Julian continued to move along the shore line. It was fortunate, he thought,
that the Clan aerospace programme weeded out any claustrophobes early in training. The darkness of the water and the confinement of the modified Elemental suit
of battle armour was disconcerting under any circumstances and he was relying almost entirely on inertial guidance to reach his destination.
With the sun still low in the sky, it would be difficult for anyone to see him moving under the water, he knew having acted as lookout
against his fellow warriors attempting just this feat in training exercises. However, it was also very difficult to see out of the water. He could barely see
shadowy movement on a scale that made it clear that OmniMechs must be moving around on the shore, now only a few hundred metres away.
Dropping onto hands and knees, the aged warrior began to crawl towards the shoreline. It was an ignoble way to enter battle, but he
didn't have much time before the sun was high enough in the sky to reveal his movements and while a swift death under the guns of the Coyotes was an
honourable enough death, he would prefer that he had the opportunity to send a few of them ahead of him.
The sand beneath the manipulators and feet of Julian's armour gave better traction than the mud he had trained in and he was making good
progress when there was a flash of light from above him and a shockwave through the water hit him, causing him to roll over to his right twice. His face
tightened. That could only mean that one of his fellow Star Adders had been discovered and killed. He was out of time - within moments, Coyote infantry would
be in the water and he had no illusions that he could survive a close quarters battle against a real Elemental.
Rising to his feet, he saw found that the water was now only barely touching his visor and that the missile pack on his shoulders must
certainly be clear of the surface. One command opened the water-tight seals and he lifted the targeting laser attached to his right arm above the water, laying
its cursor over a stack of what looked like standard munition containers.
There was a hiss and he started as he saw the fiery trails of missiles arcing up into the air. I'm not much of a warrior any more, he
realised. It's not just my reflexes, I don't think I have the nerve any more. As the missiles descended he recentred the targeting laser and fired the
two long range missiles he was carrying.
Before the concussions of missiles exploding in the water around him stunned Julian, he saw the first missile hammer into the crate he had
targeted and he took the bright light of the first explosions with him into the darkness of unconciousness.
-/-
Sancia Kufahl glared at the battered suit of battle armour that was just barely recognisable as having once been an Elemental. The sun was
high in the sky and by now she should have been halfway across Andrei Island and hopefully halfway through the 417th. Instead, the dawn suicide strikes by this
stravag and his fellow Star Adders had left half her force reeling and she had been forced to concede the lead to Star Colonel Wendy Drewsivitch's 81st
Strike Cluster.
"Have you secured the perimeter fully now?" she asked Star Commander Oskar, the most senior remaining Elemental in her Cluster.
Oskar's predecessor, Star Captain Valerie Steele, had been near the ammunition stockpile, having a damaged belt of ammunition for her machinegun replaced,
when it detonated and so far nobody had been able to find a trace of her. Sancia was morbidly certain that if any one did, it would probably be in
orbit.
Oskar shrugged as best he could without letting go of the one armed suit he had dragged in front of Sancia's Timber Wolf. "I have
assigned a Star to make regular sweeps of the water. Now that we know what to look for, this should not happen again."
"It should never have happened the first time," snarled Sancia. She looked at the lined face of the prisoner, exposed after Oskar
had removed the entire helmet assembly from the suit. The man was too old for effective service, there was considerable grey in his otherwise raven-black hair,
so it seemed likely that he was solahma. It was probably a more effective use than using them as sacrifical infantry diversions, she conceded, but to strike
from hiding like this was a horrifying reminder of how far the Star Adders had fallen from the honorable ways of the Clans. "Wake him up," she
ordered.
Oskar nodded to one of his fellow Elementals, who replaced the Star Commander in securing the captive Star Adder. Opening a medical kit,
Oskar produced a stimulant and injected it into old warrior. "It will take a moment for the drug to take effect," he rumbled.
Sancia nodded, restraining her temper. It was not Oskar's fault that their security had been breached, she reminded herself. Valerie
Steele should have done so, and Sancia herself should have ordered Valerie to have done so. But they had been lax and now Valerie and almost a score of
technicians had paid the price, along with essentially the entire reserve ammuniton store for the 38th Assault Cluster and a pair of Adders that had taken
disabling damage from stray LRMs launching themselves on random ballistic trajectories. Another dozen or so Mechs had taken minor damage as well.
The old man coughed, spitting up blood. However well his armor had sealed him, the concussion of missiles exploding around him in the water
must have caused internal injuries, Sancia noted. Well, it wasn't as if he would have had much longer to live anyway. "What are you?" she
demanded.
He tried to speak, then grimaced and spat another gob of blood onto the floor. "Warrior Julian," he reported, staring vaguely
between Sancia and Oskar. "417th Adder Sentinels."
Sancia slapped him across the face. "No, you are an honorless stravag," she snarled and backhanded him on the other cheek.
"Lower than a freebirth!"
The impact seemed to stir greater awareness in him and his eyes focused on the irate Star Colonel. "Coyote," he sighed and slumped
slightly in the grip of his captor.
"Correct," Sancia agreed. "You, however, you are not a Star Adder." His head jerked up in denial, but she continued:
"You may have been one once, warrior. But you are an expendable asset to them. Or rather, you were. For you have been expended now,
quiaff?"
"Neg." Julian whispered.
"Oh, but you have been," Sancia promised.
Oskar's blood chilled as he saw the Star Adder's eyes harden. "Not yet," the solahma declared and jerked his head sharply.
"I -"
Whatever Warrior Julian might have been about to say, or Star Commander Oskar might have perceived would never be an issue however. Triggered
by the sharp movement, an electrical signal reached a double dozen packets of high explosive packed into the battle armour around the diminutive frame of the
former pilot and an instant later, the space in front of Sancia Kufahl's Timber Wolf was swept clear, if not clean, by hundreds of shards of battle
armour.
The Elemental restraining Julian survived, although the damage to his armour would prevent any active participation in the Trial. Oskar,
Sancia and two other mechwarriors from the Colonel's Star, were not as fortunate. Julian, of course, was all but disintegrated by the blast.
It was four hours into the Trial of Refusal, and the Coyote force had just had half of their command structure decapitated -
literally.
D for Drakensis
You're only young once, but immaturity is forever.