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  Victor stood. "Morgan Kell has more right to be here than half the delegates present. His Kell Hounds have fought the Clans in numerous battles, on numerous worlds. They were at Twycross and were part of the successful defense of Luthien. Arc-Royal itself was attacked by the Clans, and the Kell Hounds drove them off. And the Hounds were also at Coventry. You can argue the legitimacy of the ARDC all you want, but the fact remains that Morgan should be here."

  Thomas opened his hands. "I would not deny the valiant effort the Kell Hounds have put forth in defending the Inner Sphere. Yes, we need his counsel, but in your strategy meetings, not the political discussions we will have here."

  Before Victor could reply, Candace Liao stood and held up a silvery Kroner coin. "Let me settle this. Here, Colonel Kell, I wish to hire the Kell Hounds." She snapped the coin down on the table in front of him. "There, he is my advisor and has a place here."

  Sun-Tzu laughed aloud. "Archon Katrina, please, have your architects back in so we can expand this hall. Each of us will now be flanked by the leaders of our mercenaries."

  "No." Morgan Kell shook his head. He pressed a metal finger on top of the coin and slid it to his right, back to Candace. "The Hounds are not for hire. I came here, I accepted Candace's invitation to take my place here, because I have pledged all I am and all I have to guaranteeing the safety of sixteen worlds from assaults by the Clans. My purpose in creating the Arc-Royal Defense Cordon was not to split the Lyran Alliance, but to provide more direct control in an area that needed it, freeing the Archon to deal with problems elsewhere. If that is insufficient reason for me to be seated here, then I will go."

  Victor turned his chair around, looked at Jerry Cranston, and jerked his head toward Morgan Kell. "Colonel Kell can back-bench me; he's not leaving."

  Cranston nodded and started to make his way over to the St. Ives Compact table.

  Candace Liao, still on her feet, rested her left hand on Morgan's mechanical right shoulder. "Enough of this nonsense. Morgan Kell, marry me."

  Morgan blinked his dark eyes in surprise. "What?"

  Candace's left hand tightened its grip. "I hereby give you the world of Warlock, making you a peer of my realm, but I know my nephew will protest that is not enough to allow you your place here. Therefore I ask you to become my consort. No one can gainsay your participation here if you accept my proposal."

  Victor smiled, half in appreciation of Candace's ploy, but mostly at the shock on the faces of most of those seated at the tables around the room. In Candace's voice, in the fiery look she gave everyone else, Victor saw his father. Hanse would have loved this. He'd even have offered to supply dishes for the wedding reception.

  Morgan's voice came low. "I loved my wife very much and it was Inner Sphere treachery that killed her."

  Candace nodded. "And I loved my husband as well. The same politics that killed your Salome killed my Justin. Together perhaps we can stop such insanity."

  Morgan smiled, then half-closed his eyes. "I accept your proposal."

  Sun-Tzu barked a harsh laugh. "This is a sham. You mock these proceedings!"

  Candace slapped her right hand hard against the tabletop, and the resulting gun-crack sound startled Sun-Tzu into silence. Icy words filled the quiet, and though Candace directed them at Sun-Tzu, Victor could tell she meant them for everyone. "No, nephew, I do not mock these proceedings— you and your actions do. Have you not heard what the Precentor Martial has told us? Only by uniting can we prevail. What I have done is not divisive, and only through such a shocking action can I make you see how important the task we have come together to perform truly is."

  She looked down at Morgan. "Are my proposal and his acceptance of it desperate measures? Certainly, but if they are the least of the desperate measures we are forced to employ before the Clans are defeated, we shall all be fortunate indeed!"

  7

  Royal Palace, The Triad

  Tharkad City, Tharkad

  District of Donegal, Lyran Alliance

  3 October 3058

  Katrina Steiner sat back in her plush white leather chair and twirled a platinum paper knife between her fingers. "This first day did not go as anticipated, did it?"

  Her two advisors looked at each other to determine who would answer first. The choice was made as it had been made countless times before: Tormano Liao let General Nondi Steiner, Katrina's grand-aunt, speak first. Katrina knew that wasn't so much courtesy as Tormano's desire to see how she herself would react to Nondi's words. He still tells me what he thinks I should hear as long as it doesn't provoke my anger.

  Nondi Steiner wore her gray hair shoulder length, but it was gathered back into a small pony-tail so as not to obscure her uniform's epaulettes or the rank insignia riding on them. Katrina had always considered Nondi hatchet-faced, and her hard, gray-eyed gaze did nothing to dispel that image. If she were not so loyal to House Steiner, she would be an enemy I would have to destroy.

  "There were surprises, Archon, but none that present real problems." Nondi struggled to lever herself from the depths of an overstuffed white leather chair. "The Precentor Martial's call for the reformation of the Star League was a bit premature, but he was smart in making that announcement at the start of things, I think. The battling to see who becomes First Lord should occupy the politicoes enough that the military folks will have little trouble planning the operation we need to mount. Though Focht said that the military planning was secondary to the political consensus, only someone as stupid as Sun-Tzu would believe it."

  Katrina nodded slowly. "Do you concur, Mandrinn Liao?"

  Tormano Liao balanced his stocky body on the arm of a chair like the one that had captured Nondi. His almond eyes and khaki fleshtones betrayed his Asian heritage, but the cut of his clothes was strictly contemporary. "I concur with General Steiner that only an idiot would believe what the Precentor Martial said. I do not think my nephew is stupid, however, and if she persists in believing in his foppish routine, we will regret it."

  Nondi frowned. "He's a buffoon."

  "He's the buffoon who has gained back a significant number of the worlds Hanse Davion took away thirty years ago. He may be immature, but he's not stupid." Tormano's dark blue eyes hardened. "Just because the Liaos have been defeated in the past does not mean they cannot win in the future. Our line has survived this long—as have the Steiners—and we shall continue to survive, perhaps even thrive."

  Katrina smiled and tapped the synthetic top of her desk with the tip of the paper knife. "Mandrinn Liao has a point, Aunt Nondi. The Liaos can be very shrewd."

  Nondi smiled. "Candace's maneuver was rather impressive."

  Katrina's irritation quickened the staccato of the paper knife drumming against the table top. She had wanted to see Morgan Kell booted from the discussions from the moment Victor told her he'd invited the mercenary to the conference. She could not order him barred because she had already embraced his taking responsibility for the Arc-Royal Defense Cordon. To protest his action and attempt to bring him to heel could have resulted in open rebellion and secession, which she would not chance. Victor would have instantly recognized Morgan Kell's realm and then supported it, giving her brother another piece of her nation.

  While she had resented Morgan's presence, his statement about why he had set up the Arc-Royal Defense Cordon had touched her. The Kells had always been strong Steiner loyalists. Morgan was a cousin of Arthur Luvon, Katrina's maternal grandfather, and, ages ago, had gone off on some magnificent adventure with the original Katrina Steiner. It seemed very right and proper that he would do what he did, and she almost felt ashamed for doubting him. Perhaps his refusal to aid me when I asked for help last year was because he wanted to protect the Lyran Alliance against the Clans and did not want to be distracted from that task.

  Katrina slowly nodded. "It was shrewd indeed. Will they go through with it?"

  "Morgan and my sister marry?" Tormano laughed sharply. "I can't see it happening. Then again, they would be a good match." />
  Nondi snorted with disgust. "They would deserve each other."

  "What do you have against my sister?"

  "Nothing, though she has been rather full of herself ever since she abandoned the Capellan Confederation and made her St. Ives Compact a ward of the Federated Commonwealth. I've had troops from all over the Lyran half of the Commonwealth serving down there. That world Warlock she gave Morgan is an iceball."

  "I know. My family maintained a retreat on it where I learned to ski." Tormano folded his arms across his chest. "Still, General, I cannot understand your animus against Colonel Kell. After all he has done for the Lyrans over the years."

  "My quarrel with him is old. He and his cousin helped my sister out during a difficult time in her life. That's all well and good, but Morgan and his brother and Arthur Luvon ended up having undue influence over Katrina." Nondi's gray brows arrowed together. "They softened her, took away her edge. If not for them, she'd never have sold her daughter off to Hanse Davion. And I say that, Katrina, knowing you were the result of that union. Proves there isn't a black cloud that doesn't have a touch of silver in the lining."

  "Thank you, Aunt Nondi." Katrina gave her a smile and fought to keep the contempt from her voice. She thought it a wonder that Nondi's jealousy of Morgan's influence over the original Katrina Steiner didn't turn her whole body green. Nondi's anger with her sister—born of a sense of betrayal when Katrina began to listen to her husband more than she did Nondi—had prompted Nondi to ally with Katrina's political enemies at the beginning of her regime. Though Nondi finally came to her senses and made peace with her sister, she never forgave Morgan for the changes that had come over Katrina.

  Nondi shook her head. "Morgan has always wanted to be a player. Back in the Fourth Succession War he conducted his own operations against the Draconis Combine. Seven years ago, when the Clans first attacked, he also helped host the conference on Outreach. He wants to be present during the political talks because he thinks he should be made First Lord of the Star League."

  "Interesting insight." Katrina nodded thoughtfully. Utterly insane and incorrect, but interesting anyway. You're a good general, Nondi, but no politician.

  "Indeed, Archon, it is interesting, but I think General Steiner is off the mark," Tormano said. "Morgan's stake in the political discussions is to keep them on track. I dare say that my sister Candace, the Precentor Martial, and even Prince Magnusson have the same goal. Each knows he or she cannot and will not be elected First Lord of the new Star League, but they see the importance of making the election happen."

  "Much the position you find yourself in, yes, Mandrinn Liao?"

  Katrina admired the way Tormano covered the sting of Nondi's question, revealing none of the pain it must have caused him. It is one thing to have your ambition thwarted and yet another to be tweaked about it.

  "I would agree, General, except for one thing: I am a realist. Without having the Capellan Confederation's Celestial Throne between my ass and the cold stone floor, I could never be considered for that office. And the only way I could take the throne would be to murder my sister and my nephews and nieces. That will not happen."

  Sparks ignited in Nondi's flinty eyes. "No, it would not. Kai Allard-Liao would cut you dead in no time."

  "Yet one more reason for me to be content advising the Archon." Tormano's head came up. "You may consider me a mutant for it, but I do not have the Liao predilection for spilling the blood of my parents or siblings."

  Katrina let the paper knife drop to the desktop with a clatter, killing the discussion. "I would prefer to return to a more fruitful avenue of analysis. Assuming there will be a new Star League that comes out of this, what should our goals be?"

  Nondi's face hardened. "We must make certain our troops are not used as the mainstay of this military operation. We can't afford to have the majority of the blood spilled be ours. If we are left with a weakened military after all is said and done, Victor will turn on us and devour us."

  Katrina smiled. "Good point and one worth remembering. I assume you will attend to those details in the planning sessions, and that you will keep me informed about all that goes on in them."

  "Of course, Archon. Sharon Byran will be our representative there, and your wishes shall be communicated to her." Nondi's voice quivered a bit with uncertainty. "Was my answer not what you expected?"

  "Oh, no, it was exactly what I expected you to say, which is why you are my military advisor." Katrina turned to Tormano. "If the vote were held tomorrow, who would be the new First Lord?"

  Tormano furrowed his brows and thought for a moment. "I would put you or Victor at the top of the list, with Thomas Marik third. Assuming that some sort of rotating leadership is established, making you the initial First Lord would seem appropriate because you are hosting this historic meeting."

  "Why is Victor in the running?"

  "That, Archon, should be obvious." Tormano gave her a reproving look. "Victor led the coalition force at Coventry and came up with a plan that prevented bloodshed. As much as Sun-Tzu and others might protest that, selling a bloodless victory on Coventry has been much easier in the Free Worlds League and Capellan Confederation than trying to explain why troops died in defense of a Lyran world would have been. The Precentor Martial is clearly grooming Victor to lead the coalition force attacking the Clans, and if the resurgence of the Star League is meant to be a weapon used against the Clans, who better to lead the SLDF than the new First Lord?"

  Nondi thumped a fist on the arm of her chair. "Victor will lead that force over my dead body."

  Katrina frowned. "Why is that, Aunt Nondi?"

  "Because, because Victor is ... not right."

  The Archon retrieved the paper knife from the desk and resumed twirling it "You're not trying to say Victor isn't a seasoned warrior, are you?"

  "Of course not. He's very good at what he does, but he's only got years of experience whereas he should have decades of it. We have people like that. Morgan Hasek-Davion, Theodore Kurita, Narimasa Asano, Sharon Bryan—there are plenty of people who could and should lead that taskforce before Victor."

  "But, Aunt Nondi, you forget two important factors. First off, Victor has as much experience as anyone fighting the Clans. And second"—Katrina smiled carefully—"if Victor is leading the force, he will have to go with it. My brother will actually lead troops and undoubtedly fight in the battles that come. You yourself have pointed out that he is a threat to this realm, so why would we deny him any chance to get himself killed?"

  Nondi's eyes became slits. "Why give him a chance to return to the Inner Sphere as the man who conquered the Clans?"

  "Because the time it takes—and for all we know it could take decades—will allow others of us to define his role when he returns. If he goes away, he cannot rule the Federated Commonwealth. Who will he put in his place?"

  "Unless your brother Peter resurfaces or Morgan Hasek-Davion does not go with the taskforce, I would guess he would give the job to Yvonne." Tormano hesitated, then nodded. "Yvonne, definitely. Your brother Arthur may be two years older than she is, but his studies indicate that he's not the best choice for the job."

  Katrina saluted Tormano with the paper knife. "That's the kindest way I've heard it said that Arthur is more heart than brains, which is, unfortunately, true. Yvonne will present no threat to the Lyran Alliance. That means that while Victor is off destroying the major threat to this realm, and perhaps being destroyed by it himself, we'll be able to build ourselves up."

  Nondi snorted. "You forget the Jade Falcons poised on our border. If Victor attacks them, they can attack us and force him into the sort of defensive war he does not want."

  "I do not fear a Jade Falcon attack."

  Nondi frowned. "No?"

  Tormano coughed lightly. "What the Archon means is this, General—the greatest likelihood is that the war against the Clans is going to be launched from Lyran space and go against the Jade Falcons. If it does not, the Jade Falcons are hidebound enough th
at they will certainly rally to the defense of their home territories. Either way, they are not a substantial threat and the chance of their attacking us is minimal."

  Katrina gave Tormano another abbreviated salute with the letter opener. Nondi knows nothing of my alliance with the Wolves led by Vlad Ward. His forces will keep the Falcons off me, or between us we will grind the Falcons into bone meal. Nondi would go mad if she ever did learn of this agreement, so it is well that Tormano covered for me. He has his uses and, once again, proves that the Liaos are very clever.

  "I think, my friends, I see what we need to do to get things into the position we want—which would be my election as First Lord. First I need to speak with my peers and win them around to my way of thinking about who should be First Lord. I will also speak with Morgan Kell and smooth out our differences."

  "That will be a waste of your breath, Katrina."

  "Perhaps, Aunt, but it is my breath to waste."

  The older woman clucked at her. "Listen, child, you are quite capable of charming your enemies, but not Morgan Kell."

  Who do you think I am, Nondi, a simpleton like Isis Marik? I learned how to wind people around my little finger by watching my mother in action. Theodore Kurita might have to order a vassal to commit suicide, but with a sigh and a wink my mother could have convinced whole crowds to kill themselves—and they would have done it thinking their lives had been fulfilled in the doing. No, Morgan Kelt's feelings for the Steiner line make him vulnerable to my wiles.

  "I appreciate your caution, Aunt Nondi. I shall proceed with care." Katrina looked over at Tormano. "I want you to go over the files for all delegates. I want their every need met and noted. I do not want blackmail information, though I will take it. I want everyone to know that I've been seeing to it that they have only the distractions they want. I want that sense of gratitude so that when someone decides to honor me with nomination as the First Lord of the Star League, everyone else will decide I deserve the honor."