CS3056-20

=Chapter 20= 
==Clover Spear - The Story of the '56 War==
Prologue, Book 2, The Hammer Falls
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===Aftermath of an Attack===
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Secure Wing, New Avalon General Hospital ICU
Avalon City
New Avalon, Federated Commonwealth
October 15th, 3056
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Unshed tears glistened in the stark blue eyes of Katherine Morgan Steiner-Davion’s pale face, her blond hair was not its usual tidy, lustrous, nature that the palace makeup artists spent hours making right for public appearances. Hides the electroshock scars nicely, doesn’t it? Can’t have the people know the Princess once had dark thoughts about hurting herself and might have turned into a monster up there with Claudius the Mad, never mind he never had Dombrowski-A? I can’t tell them that she still cries at the drop of a hat and is scared to death of being in public.
But not today. Today she was still wearing the sweatshirt and jeans she had been wearing when she and Misha Auburn had been watching the Oriente Express remake that had just hit the vids from Donegal Broadcasting Corporation. They’d been only a half hour in, when the door had been thrown open, and the security personnel had roughly grabbed her while screaming “WARY RACE!” at the top of their lungs. She’d spent hours in a locked, windowless room, with over a dozen guards armed to the teeth surrounding her telling her not much more than “There has been an incident.”
It wasn’t until 0300 the next morning that Katherine had been told, by Ardan Sortek. “Your highness,” he had said, “there has been a terror attack, we think by the Capellan Confederation. It hit the Convention Center with several large truck bombs from outside the frozen zone. The blasts leveled buildings within a six-block radius of the center. Thousands are dead, wounded, or missing, your highness. Your brother has sustained a critical injury to his left arm, and has lost a lot of blood, and suffered a concussion, and both of his legs are broken. He is currently in a medically induced coma at New Avalon General. As for your mother and father…Your highness. I am so sorry to be the one to tell you this…but they are both dead, I’ll spare you the details. It wasn’t pretty. I took the liberty of identifying the remains, so that you would not have to remember them like that.”
Katherine remembered nodding numbly, not saying a word. She was in shock; her parents were dead? How could that be? Mom and Dad had cheated death before. Why, it’s just a bad identification. Mom and Dad are going to crawl out of that rubble, dust themselves off, and go give the damn Capellans the beating they deserve. The look in Ardan’s eyes, red from lack of sleep and uncontrolled weeping for the loss of a friend of over 50 some odd years, said it all. Mom and Dad were gone, my brother is fighting for his life, and I am the one in charge? Oh god, where the hell is Peter? Why can’t they put him in charge?
Jackson Davion had answered that one during the first conference at Mount Davion. “Your highness, we cannot be leaderless at a time like this. You are the designated successor. Peter is currently out of position on extended exercises with the Lyons SMM. He’ll be informed once he gets back from the field. But you are ahead of him in the line of succession. You. Are. It. Your highness.”
The Capellans had not just hit New Avalon. There had been much chaos sown yesterday, not just the terror attacks on New Avalon. On New Syrtis, they had attacked Morgan Hasek-Davion’s motorcade while he was on his way to a hospital to greet wounded from the Clan front. His wife Kym was killed, he was badly wounded and clinging to life in a New Syrtis hospital. There had been six other attacks throughout the Capellan and Sarna Marches, as well as St. Ives. Candace Allard-Liao had been assassinated by an unknown shooter while she had stepped out onto the balcony of the Ducal Palace on St. Ives to give the State of the State address to the assembled throngs of media and well-wishers. 
And the Capellans had followed it up with an invasion. They had hit eight worlds thus far in the Sarna March. Details were sketchy, but it looked like there wasn’t just Capellan units participating, but Word of Blake units as well. This would explain the terror attacks, they seemed a bit extreme, even for the Death Commandos. It had caused temporary paralysis in the higher command levels of the Capellan and Syrtis March, and Katherine had passed orders for all units in contact to hold in place as long as possible until a clearer picture of just what the hell the Capellans were up to could emerge. It may be time to fetch Daddy’s map case. I need to begin to work that list. The Blakists better know who the hell they decided to dance with. Even if all I want to do right now is curl up in a ball and cry. I can’t, I must be the sister Victor needs.
It had been a whirlwind day, she had signed every proclamation they had put in front of her, declaring a day of mourning for her parents, declaring a state of emergency for the Capellan and Sarna Marches, authorizing Nondi Steiner greater powers in the Lyran half of the Commonwealth to prosecute the war against the Clans…the list went on.
The condolences had rolled in from almost every nation and polity in the Inner Sphere, including the Combine, through Comstar. But that was to, Katherine, a trivial thing. She was feeling a mixture of deep sorrow, and white-hot rage. I will burn the Forbidden City to the damn ground as a memorial to my parents, and if necessary, my brother, Sun-Tzu, you bastard. By about 1400, she had had enough. “I want to see my brother.” Katherine had said to an aide. Security and her media handlers had thrown a fit. It wasn’t secure, they said. She looked like a disheveled mess, they said. She didn’t care. “I am the Archon-Princess, I want to see my brother and I want you to take me to him. Now.”
 Within minutes, she had been ushered through a back entrance to the hospital, and whisked up to her floor, where she was greeted by a phalanx of green surgical scrub wearing doctors and nurses, at their head, a balding, older doctor, his features betraying how tired he was from working long hours on little more than willpower, energy drinks and the occasional stolen take out meal. His brown eyes bloodshot, run through with enough red to replace the white of his pupils. His face a tinge of grey, that matched his rapidly thinning hair. Yet he had an air of someone used to being in charge, and his easy use of his command voice, as horse and gravelly as it was, confirmed Katherine’s suspicions. He also looked exasperated, yet still managed to project a measure of caring for those under his care.
“Archon-Princess,” he began, “my name is Doctor Alan Tadmere. I am a neurosurgeon and the lead physician on the team treating your brother. I am also chief of Neurosurgery here at this hospital. His prognosis is critical, but stable for now. He sustained a TBI, two broken legs, and his left arm took a mix of blast damage, and lacerations from flying glass so severe, that we had to amputate it. He also has gone into hypovolemic shock due to high blood loss, hence for those reasons, we had to put him into a medical coma and we are giving him all the blood we can. If he makes it through the next 24 hours, we’ll see about bringing him out of it, but for right now, he needs rest. I can let you and one security man in the room with him for a few minutes, in masks and scrubs to prevent infection.  He’s bandaged all over because of a series of minor wounds and burns, his left arm is gone above the elbow and the stump is heavily bandaged. Both legs are broken and are in traction. He is also on a ventilator. He is getting the best care we can give him, your highness, but we are in the middle of a mass casualty event and we are stretched to the maximum. Frankly, your brother is one lucky individual to have made it this far.“
Katherine simply nodded, and suited up in the scrubs and mask that she was given. Her brother, once so powerful and full of life, lay broken on the hospital bed, looking small, and frail, with multiple tubes leading into and out of him. Machines wheezed, beeped, and made all the other sounds one associated with an ICU. “Does he feel anything?” she asked a nurse as she suited up.
“Probably not, your highness. He’s pretty doped up on a variety of pain meds and nerve blockers.”
Her visit had been short, a few whispered words to Victor close to his ear, and she soon found herself in the waiting area, which was like most hospitals, drab, with everything a mix of white and sickly orange, a smell of medical disinfectant wafting through the air. Dear God, I didn’t want this. But I am going to do the best with it I can, for Victor. But please God, let Victor wake up. I don’t want the job. I never did.
Galen had shown up from his own room a few minutes later, he was dressed in a white hospital gown that was firmly closed, as he had a large sense of modesty. His right arm was broken and in a sling, and he had a minor concussion of his own, as he had been thrown into a pillar by the blast, thus he was spending 24 hours at the hospital for observation. No words were said between the two, she had simply collapsed into his arms, weeping, both of them praying Victor woke up.
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===Report to the Chancellor===
*; Taken from the daily CCAF briefing provided to Sun-Tzu Liao, then-Chancellor of the Capellan Confederation, dated November 2nd, 3056, declassified by the Capellan State Archives, April 11th, 3067. 
“…disruption operations against enemy command and control has been at least 60% effective by all estimates. The Blakist operatives have, in conjunction with our own Death Commandos, been successful beyond all estimates. The conventional offensive, however, has been met with mixed results, as the CCAF was as surprised as our enemies, and our option of attacking from barracks has found some units not as ready for war as we here at the Strategios were led to believe. Furthermore, the inactivity by the FWLM as of now is a cause for concern. We cannot ultimately succeed in securing our modest objectives by ourselves, the FWLM must enter the conflict on our side if we are to have a chance at all.”
Sarna
Attacking Units: Blanford Grenadiers, Kingston’s Legionnaires, Kincade’s Rangers, Bordon’s Blood Drinkers (1 Battalion), 2nd Division, Word of Blake Militia.
Defending Units: Sarna Martial Academy Training Group, Sarna Planetary Guard
The Capellan invasion of Sarna on the first wave of EAST SEA caught the Fedcom by surprise, with the Sarna Martial Academy Training Group (MATG) caught in garrison as the Capellan invasion force appeared at a pirate point 2 days out. The Sarna MATG dug in around the planetary capitol of Sarna and prepared for a long defense, but Bordon’s Blood Drinkers more experienced warriors easily dug out and routed the MATG, and the other units easily crushed them under the weight of numbers. The Planetary Guard was racked with distention by pro-Capellan elements, with the loyal elements being crushed within days. The Capellan invasion force then dug in to face the expected FC counterattack. 
Campertown
Attacking Units: Stalpleton’s Grenadiers
Defending Units: Alpha Regiment, 12th Vegan Rangers, Campertown Planetary Guard
Stapleton’s Grenadiers had a bad invasion from the start, with an accident destroying a Leopard-class Dropship, a lance of ‘Mechs and causing massive confusion in the landing force. The landing itself was a confused mess, with the drop being scattered halfway across the main continent. Alpha Regiment was waiting, and made short work of most of the scattered elements, with 3rd Battalion, Stapleton’s Grenadiers being the only organized elements of the invasion force (at about 50% strength) being able to escape the world a week later.
Sarmaxa
Attacking Units: House Hiritsu, Sarmaxa Militia 
Defending Units: Grim Determination
House Hiritsu, though filled with inexperienced warriors, made up for their lack of experience with sheer fanaticism, and managed to pin Grim Determination down long enough for the militia to switch sides almost in their entirety. Grim Determination lost two companies before managing to hole up in an old Star League fortress and sent word for help while settling in for a siege. 
Tsinghai
Attacking Units: House Matsukai
Defending Units: Beta Regiment, 12th Vegan Rangers
House Matsukai found itself in a nasty fight from the start, but managed to hold onto it’s LZ by it’s fingernails, and forestall Beta Regiment from crushing it outright. Both sides have settled into an attritional fight as both sides have sent for reinforcements. 
Truth
Attacking Units: 15th Dracon (all four battalions)
Defending Units: 8th Arcturan Guards
The 8th Arcturan Guards fought gamely to hold Truth, but found themselves slightly overmatched, with the 15th’s 4th veteran battalion always seeming to find the 8th’s flanks, and turning them. After three weeks of this, the 8th, having taken 15% casualties, packed up and retreated to Kaifeng. The 15th dug in and awaited further orders. The Truth Planetary Guard remained in their barracks, declaring for the Capellan Confederation only after the 8th left the world.
Lesalles
Attacking Units: 3rd Division, Word of Blake Militia
Defending Units: 4th Fedcom RCT, Lesalles Planetary Guard
The WoBM 3rd Division found itself evenly matched against the 4th Fedcom in numbers, and a slight edge in experience. It wasn’t enough to force the 4th to retreat and both sides like on Sarmaxa, settled into a long, attritional fight. 
Diversionary Raids
Fraizer
Attacking Units: House Lusann, Bullard’s Armored Cavalry
Defending Units: 41st Avalon Hussars, Fraizer Planetary Guard
The 41st Avalon Hussars were caught by near surprise, being in a state of confusion in the wake of the terror attacks on New Avalon and New Syrtis. The 41st, to it’s credit, recovered quickly, but was unable to prevent the Capellan raiders from making off with a half-billion C-Bills worth of raw materials. The Planetary Guard was unable to mobilize in time to assist the 41st. 
Horsham
Attacking Units: 1st Battalion, 5th Confederation Reserve Cavalry
Defending Units: 1st Capellan Dragoons, Horsham Planetary Guard
The 1st Battalion’s raid on Horsham was a mixed bag, while the battalion managed to land in one piece, and smash up a few half-hearted counterattacks by the 1st Capellan Dragoons and the Planetary Guard, but they did not carry off anything of value on world, and left a week later, frustrated that their raid had achieved so little.
Bromhead
Attacking Units: 2nd and 3rd Battalions, 5th Confederation Reserve Cavalry
Defending Units: Bromhead Planetary Guard
The Planetary Guard did it’s best, but was overmatched by the ‘Mechs of the 2nd and 3rd Battalions. Within 48 hours, the planetary government was offering it’s surrender to the Capellan force, only to find the Capellans had left, making off with an entire months’ worth of production of refined petrochemicals (worth about 5 Billion C-Bills).
Velhas
Attacking Units: Ishihara’s Grenadiers, Marshigama’s Legionnaires
Defending Units: 10th Donegal Guards, Velhas Planetary Guard
The 10th fought reasonably well, until a week into the fighting, they left an exposed flank that the Marshigama’s Legionnaires jumped upon and rolled up, forcing the 10th into an ignominious rout. The Capellans salvaged 2 companies of FedCom ‘Mechs and left soon after, feeling they had achieved all they were going to.
Verlo
Attackers: Albermale’s Highlanders (1 Btn)
Defending Units: 15th Deneb Light Cavalry RCT
The raid on Verlo was an unmitigated disaster for Albermale’s Highlanders, as their attempted drop on top of the 15th’s ‘Mech barracks ended with the unit being scattered all over the continent because of heavy FedCom aerospace activity. It took a week for the 15th to mop up the survivors.
Indicass
Attacking Units: 2nd Confederation Reserve Cavalry
Defending Units: St. Ives Cheveau-Legurs
The raid by the 2nd CRC was hoped to keep St. Ives from doing anything to help the FedCom while Operation EAST SEA ran its course. What happened however, probably did more to encourage St. Ives than discourage it.  The 2nd CRC landed with little trouble, but soon found itself in a hornet’s nest. The St. Ives forces were in no mood to see the Capellan landings as a limited raid, and showed the Capellan raiders no mercy at all, chasing the 2nd CRC all over the planet. This was exacerbated when news arrived of what had happened to Duchess Liao. Barely a battalion of the 2nd CRC survived the week to surrender to the Cheveau-Legurs. 
Mendham
Attacking Units: 4th Division, Word of Blake Militia
Defending Units: 21st Rangers, Illician Lancers, Mendham Planetary Guard
The Blakists managed to get to ground at a cost of half of the Division’s aerospace fighters, and met the 21st Rangers amongst the planetary starport. Both sides went after each other without restraint and left the starport a wreck, and heavy casualties on both sides, after a week’s worth of fighting, when the 4th Division suddenly withdrew and returned to Capellan space.
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===Mission to the next Coordinator===
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Nadir Recharge Station
Benjamin, Benjamin District
October 19th, 3056
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The light above the hatchway turned green and Omi swam out onto the passenger concourse in the microgravity of the Olympus space station. Dressed in plain shipboard coveralls and with a tethered soft bag floating behind her wrist, she was the image of another anonymous crew member as she approached the security checkpoint where a quartet of Friendly Persuaders waited in their distinctive red and white striped uniforms. She took a deep breath as she paused, noticing the unholstered stunner one carried and the riot shotgun not quite pointed at her by another as she presented her credentials.
"Identify yourself."
Omi suppressed her feelings of disquiet as she fed her DCMS-issue identity card into the offered reader. While the crew of the Shigure had used the equipment on board to forge her a set of papers, this was the first time that they would be tested. "Petty Officer Nakamura Ami, currently traveling on orders from the Draconis Combine Admiralty."
"Purpose for travel to Benjamin?" officer asked her
"I am here to meet my brother to honor his new posting before I travel to Proserpina to get married, Persuader-sama." A lesson from Shin Yodama during the interminable series of jumps as the Shigure made its way from dying Luthien. Use the truth to lie.
"Proceed." he told her
Omi bowed her head as she retrieved her papers, and then proceeded through the checkpoint, waiting on the other side so Shin Yodama could clear it. The ex-yakuza looked at her. "Where should we meet?"
Omi scanned the directory of services available on the large grav deck of the station and gave a small smile. "Once you speak to your acquaintances, make your way to Benzaiten's Ivories. They will have a meeting area that we can use."
"Hai." With that, he nodded to her and proceeded toward an area of the station marked with bright-almost garish-lighting advertising the delights found within. Omi shook her head minutely as she remembered a conversation from two days ago where she had raised the possibility of assisting Yodama in his travel negotiations. He had stared at her, laughed briefly, and then said that it would be a race between her brother's ghost and Victor to see who throttled him first for subjecting someone like her to the underbelly of Combine life.
With that, she took a deep breath and slid out a smartphone from her bag. Tapping in a number from memory, she bit her lip as she listened to the dial tone. Finally there was a click.
"Moshi moshi?" caller answered
"Minoru, it's your Oneesan. I am waiting at gate ten. Could you send your aide to pick Ami Nakamura up? I have matters that I must discuss with you in person." She took a deep breath. "Remember the time that Mother caught us using her kitchen without permission to make dango when I was eight?"
There was an indrawing of breath on the other end of the line. "I...see. I shall make arrangements. Gate ten then and Ami Nakamura. Sayonara."
Omi turned off the phone after locking it and took a seat as she concentrated on the ebb and flow of people. Red-and white striped Friendly Persuaders patrolling to deter criminals and vagrants; tan-uniformed DCMS personnel crewing the station; a dark-skinned Azami patriarch shepherding his burqua clad female relatives all passed before her as she immersed herself in the movements of society to find the inner peace that she so desperately needed. 
Finally the crowd resolved into a stocky silver-haired man dressed in DCMS uniform with a wrinkled almond skin color that made Omi think of nothing so much as a hazelnut. He bowed to her. "Nakamura-sama?"
She stood and returned the bow, her eyes tracking automatically to the stylized katakana '5' in lavender on the brown backing of his rank tabs. "Hai, Shujin-sama. I am she." Even if she was a Kurita and he was merely a lowly master sergeant from the infantry, such a man was worthy of her respect as a warrior. While her grandfather may not have approved, her father had taught Omi otherwise.
His dark eyes scanned her...looking for what? Finally he grunted, "Follow me please." With that, he gestured brusquely and turned in an automatic about-face.
Omi hefted the bag containing the katana and followed him, reassured by his solidity. He was a rock, and the Combine would have need of such in these troubled times.
Ten minutes and two security checkpoints later, the Shujin tapped an intercom panel next to a guarded hatch. "Sir, she is here."
A voice sounded from within. "Then show her in!" The hatch then opened and Omi stepped inside.
Beyond it, two familiar faces sat in conversation. Her younger brother-had he grown since Omi had seen him off to Sun-Tzu School of Combat five years ago?-turned, his eyes examining her and pausing at the bag she carried. Though slight in form, barely filling out the DCMS uniform that he wore with understated pride, he dominated the room with his quiet strength of presence. Next to him, her father's cousin had his eyes widen as he saw her, the apple-green katakana with the gold bar showing his rank as Warlord of Dieron District flashing in the lights.
Omi bowed deeply and took a deep breath. Her voice was tightly controlled, drained of all emotion. As much as the words she had to say would tear at her wounded heart, she was Kurita, and would not dishonor her father and brother's sacrifice in this moment. "Tai-shu Kurita Isoroku-sama, Chu-i Kurita Minoru-sama. I come bearing news. Luthien has fallen to the Smoke Jaguars and the Coordinator is now with his ancestors."
Naked shock appeared for a moment on both faces before iron discipline reasserted itself. Isoruku was the first to respond as he narrowed his eyes. "Then my nephew Hohiro...?" His voice was hoarse with emotion as he spoke despite his decades of service to the Dragon.
Omi lowered her head in respect for the dead before speaking in that controlled voice despite her burning eyes. "He died with his face to the enemy. Father was in the Palace commanding our troops when the Jaguars sent a headhunter unit to attack. During the confusion after he died, major elements of their 'Mech forces broke through and made their way into the Kado-Guchi valley. Chu-sa Kur---" Her voice broke and she swallowed before resuming in a sadly proud voice. "Hohiro led the remnants of the Black Ocean to halt their advance, and when he was being overrun called for a nuclear strike on his position." 
Minoru stood and walked over to hug his sister as tears streamed down their cheeks. "Then I must rally us and get vengeance. Our blood cries out for it."
Omi nodded sadly after their tears had ceased and unzipped the bag. "Indeed. All is not lost, for Father in his wisdom ordered me to carry the heart of the Dragon to the next Coordinator."
Steel flashed in the light as she unsheathed the sword of Shiro Kurita. Isoruku's eyes widened and he prostrated himself as Omi knelt to offer the ancient blade to her brother. Minoru's face was unreadable as he looked down at the blade that she offered.
"Kurita Minoru-dono, son of Coordinator Kurita Theodore-dono, grandson of Coordinator Kurita Takashi-dono. Our blood cries out for vengeance for our dead all the way to Kurita Shiro-heika. Shall you accept the mantle of the Dragon?" Despite the tear tracks on her pale cheeks, Omi's voice was as hard and resolute as the steel she offered her only surviving kin.
For a long moment all was still, then Minoru reached out and took the sword from where it lay on the outstretched palms of his sister. He raised it over his head with both hands in a smooth, practiced movement. Omi remembered her brothers practicing the men strike in kendo as she secretly watched them as a child as Minoru assumed the position for the pear-splitter.
"I shall. Keeper of the House Honor, I swear upon my name and lineage that as no man may rest under the same sky as the murderer of his kin, so shall the Dragon not rest until the Smoke Jaguar is no more. Warlord, summon my generals to conference on Benjamin." His voice was a growl of grief, pain...and the iron pride that had driven his ancestors to make their mark on history.
Isoruku silently bowed and departed, leaving the siblings alone. Omi watched in silence as Minoru sheathed the sword then turned to her. "I have a war to fight, Sister, but I would see you safe."
She nodded. "Such was father's intent. He spoke to the Fox to make arrangements for my safety if such was necessary. I shall travel to New Avalon and gather what aid I can muster to support you...unless you command otherwise."
Minoru walked to her, and placed his hand gently on her shoulders. For long moments he stared into her eyes, into her soul, then nodded sharply. "I shall obey Father's wishes in such matters. I merely request that you do not travel openly, for Father and Uncle Isoroku have shared concerns about dissident elements with me. What...has happened recently may embolden them and I...the Coordinator does not need distractions from his duty."
Omi smiled through her tears and hugged her little brother as she choked out her thanks. "Doumo arigatou gozaimasu, Minoru-chan. I shall go to make arrangements for my travel now."
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===Farewell between Family===
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Benzaiten's Ivories, Nadir Recharge Station
Benjamin, Benjamin District
October 19th, 3056
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Why, then, ivory, as the substance of the Pillar that
signifies the thought and conduct of the Kuritan people?
Of the Five Pillars, only Ivory and Teak represent living
materials, and only Ivory comes from sentient beings like
ourselves. Starting in earliest youth, the animal's tusks 
continue to grow during the whole of its existence; the tusk is built
up in layers, the innermost layer being the last produced, while the
outermost eventually becomes a hard and impervious protection.
In like manner, the Pillar of the people's consciousness continues
to grow with the expansion of House Kurita. As in the layered tusk,
each stratum of society is assigned the mode of faith and conduct
most suited to its position. As with the protective outer bark of the
tusk, all is kept safe by the strength of character of the First Lord
and the diligence of the Keeper of the House Honor.
*;Constance Kurita, Keeper of the House Honor, : in Commentaries, Office of Educational Materials, Order of the Five Pillars, Luthien, 3007
----
The antique brass bell above the door of Benzaiten's Ivories chimed musically as Omi entered. She gave a thankful smile to the silent Shujin who had been escorting her after her meeting with the new Coordinator as he assumed a position to watch the door. She then looked over to the counter where the assistant manning it was speaking to a white-haired noble in a stylish dark-red outfit styled similar to DCMS uniforms. 
Her ear catalogued the noble's speech patterns as that of lost Rasalhague and something about him rang faint bells of recognition. One of her grandfather's courtiers who had gone into seclusion shortly before the Clans arrived...the 'Red Duke' was what he had been called when she was a girl.
With a silent inward sigh at the delay in her plans, Omi instead walked over to the display case and used one of the offered magnifying glasses next to the case to examine the exquisite carvings being presented. While no stranger to artistry in her own life in Imperial Palace, the miniature okimono figurines presented took her breath away. In particular a Kitsune no Yomeiri set caught her eyes, with their depiction of the fox-spirits' wedding procession with the groom as a swaggering samurai dog-fox, the vixen bride in her white kimono folding an origami crane for happiness, and the officiating priest as an elderly, chubby monk leaning on a cane.
Behind her, the noble finished paying for his purchase and turned to go. His eyes widened as he saw Omi's profile and then he turned to go with almost indecorous haste, reaching for his buzzing phone as he departed the shop.
"Does the honored customer see something that she likes in our humble business?" A soft and polite voice interrupted Omi's examination and she turned to see the assistant standing next to her. 
"Hai, the Kitsune no Yomieri lifts my spirit in these troubled times. But I am not here to admire the work of a master, unfortunately. Notify Jukurensha Futsumi-ji that 'Sanyu Kurita has decided that the need is great enough'. I must speak to him in privacy, along with Sho-sa Yodama when he joins us."
A widening of the eyes was the only sign of the impact that her words had given the assistant, who quickly scurried off. Several minutes later, he returned and bowed low to her before escorting her behind the counter. The room she was led to was laid out in the classic style of a Japanese dwelling. White tatami mats covered the floors, the soundproofing on the walls was hidden by rice paper and wood, and the lighting was indirect. Omi bowed to the assistant, slipped off her shoes to take the offered slippers with the ease of long practice and then entered. 
She knelt before the tokonoma alcove, contemplating the objects on display. The wall scroll's calligraphy was almost as good as hers, and the subject was...interesting to say the least. 'Might makes Kurita' was the first line of one of the traditional haikus every schoolchild learned and she mentally filled in the remainder 'Pillar of Dragon Steel/Victory over all!' automatically. Pain filled her heart at the memory of her brother and father's last moments, along with a fierce pride that they had died like a Kurita should with their face toward the enemy. Duty was heavier than a mountain, true, but death was lighter then a feather when the time came for duty to embrace it.
Her eyes then lowered to the object on display, a ivory handled katana, with the hilt an exquisitely carved dragon writhing around in such a way to almost seem alive. Not a show piece though, she could see the wear where hands had grasped the dragon, and the faint marks on the blade from duty on the battlefield and dueling grounds. Time stilled and her breathing settled into a slow rhythm as her eyes traced the woodgrains in the blade formed by the folded steel and then followed them to the writhing ivory dragon grasping the steel, then back along the curve of the blade to the chisel point.
A soft male voice spoke in her ear and for the space between two heartbeats she thought that Hohiro's ghost spoke those words. "I do not love the bright sword for its sharpness, nor the arrow for its swiftness, nor the warrior for his glory. I love only that which they defend. Forgive my tardiness, honored guest, the ivory was calling me when Hiro-kun notified me of your arrival."
Omi turned and bowed to the middle aged man with the shaved head kneeling next to her. "Iie, Futsumi-ji. This one was caught in the dance of the Dragon across the steel and remembering those who have passed onward before her. Peace in such troubling days is all the more precious when it sneaks up on her, neh?"
The man returned the bow then as he raised his head, Omi's breath caught in her throat. His face was hideously scarred and his eyes the milky white of the ivory that he carved. "Indeed it is. Indeed it is. Do not be troubled, young one. I gave my sight in the service of the Dragon willingly on Halstead Station in 3039 only to find it again in contemplation of what the ivory speaks to me when I touch it. Your voice...? Forgive an old man's impertinence, but may I see your face?"
"Hai." Omi guided his hand, scarred by the tools he used to carve the ivory over the calluses of a swordsman and 'Mechwarrior, to her cheek. Feather-light fingers danced across her face as he nodded his head quizzically and spoke to himself.
"Strength, the strength of the bamboo which bends in the hurricane winds and then stands proudly when all around it are laid low in their foolish pride. Strength mixed with the pride of her heritage...and such terrible sorrow for one so young. Secrets too, so many secrets. How may this one be of service to you, Kurita-dono?"
Omi's eyes widened fractionally and the ivory carver laughed with the sound of unalloyed happiness as he sensed her surprise. "Your father came to those of us who survived Halstead Station while we were recovering from our injuries to thank us for our sacrifice and honor our service. You have much of him in your voice and to those unencumbered by the illusion of sight the Dragon speaks through you as it did through him when he ordered the Ivory Dragon into battle against the lesser enemy. Just as your voice now speaks to me of the pain he felt at the cost of the battle when he honored my sacrifice at the head of my company. So the whispered rumors are true then?"
Omi whispered. "Hai. Father and my elder brother died at the claws of the Smoke Jaguar along with many of our finest, and now Coordinator Kurita Minoru-dono rallies the Dragon to take revenge. I must travel in secrecy to New Avalon to secure what aid I may. Therefore, I need to make arrangements to travel to Proserpina in secrecy for the first step of my travels."
"Such can be arranged. The Yukikaze leaves tomorrow to purchase ivory, and schedules shall be adjusted. Hiro will supply traveling garb for you and your companion, a pair of acolytes on pilgrimage will attract no attention."
Omi smiled. "My thanks."
"Such are not needed, service is its own reward. Although, if you could indulge an old man's whimsy, I wish you to take tokens of your visit along with you. Hm, for peace...the Kitsune no Yomeiri shall do well, it called to me strongly when I touched the tusk that gave it birth. And for the other...while it is a poor grasping at beauty for my first attempt, I wish you to have my sword."
Omi shook her head. "You do me too much honor! I could not..."
"No, I regretfully insist, Kurita-dono. If you must, hold my sword in trust for your husband-to-be."
He laughed merrily again at the note of shock in her voice as she started the customary second refusal. "I have three younger sisters, each happily married along with my youngest brother, Kurita-dono. I know the signs all too well even in my blindness. No, no, please take them with my modest blessing for many children to fill your life."
-----
===Dark Forces at their Heels===
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Nadir Recharge Station
Benjamin, Benjamin District
October 20th, 3056
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Mist-covered mountains
Move in and out of vision.
Real or just fog dreams?
*; Haiku found upon the body of Minoru Kurita in 2796
----
Bronze chimed musically as the four rings attached to the top of Omi's shakujō staff gave a musical counterpoint to her steps through the station. Attired in the robes of a Pillarine monk, she led the way for Shin Yodama, likewise dressed in the robes of an acolyte and carrying a dark-stained wooden box reverently in both hands. Supposedly based on a pre-spaceflight Terran sect called the 'Jedi', the armored fabric of the brown robe whispered gently as a soft counterpoint to the chiming of the staff Omi held in her right hand to guide her steps and announce to the traffic that a priestess was passing.
Beneath the armored cowl with the one-way visor lowered to cover the top of her face, Omi's eyes darted left and right, trying to catalogue the images of life in the Combine to hold in her spirit for the journey ahead. A brief flicker of movement in the crowd heralded a clearly pregnant young woman stepping out with her belly bulging under her cheap patterned kimono.
"Enlightened One, if you would be so kind?"
"Hai." Omi bowed her head and chanted a Buddhist prayer for a painless childbirth, placing her free hand on the woman's bent head. Behind her, Shin Yodama paused, then frowned slightly as he saw a fair-haired man in a Tech's utilitarian jumpsuit turn his head at Omi's words and then start to speak into a DCMS-issue portable radio as he watched the scene.
"Ruby, Carmine three here. Possible identity of target, monk heading to the docking ring. Observing, over."
Omi finished her benediction then rang the staff to conclude the invocation, before turning and proceeding. Shin's eyes traveled to a merchant's stall selling cheap mirrors as he followed his superior and his frown deepened as he saw the Tech following them. As they waited for a lift to arrive to carry them from the mercantile district of the station to the docking bay he leaned close to Omi and spoke in a low voice.
"I fear we are not unnoticed. I sense danger on the wind."
Omi returned a fractional nod, her grip tightening on the teak of her staff. "Hai. Audacity is the virtue that we must meditate on now."
As the lift arrived, Shin 'fumbled' with the box that he was carrying in the outflow of people. This delayed their entrance long enough to be the last ones inside the doors before they slammed shut in the face of their pursuer.
"Ruby, Carmine three. Targets are heading for Docking Bay Four. Over."
"Scarlet seven, Ruby. Proceed to Docking Bay Four, neutralize and secure monks there, alive if possible. Over. Carmine three, Ruby. Reinforce Jasper-six. Over."
Inside the lift traveling to the docking bay, Omi lowered her head. Her eyes closed and her breathing slowed into a steady, slow rhythm as she mediated. She had made her decisions and discharged her duty to the Combine and her father's spirit and now the vista that opened up was both enticing and terrifying. Another slow breath and hold as the lift slowed, then a vision of memory from the past filled her mind's eye.
She had sought out her Father after her fifth birthday and found him kneeling in his dropship cabin meditating on a scroll as she and the rest of the family traveled to Luthien. When she had asked Father what he was doing, he responded. "I am seeking guidance for my path in the writings of one far wiser than I, Omiko-chan. Musashi-sensei wrote in the Book of Five Rings: 'You must understand that there is more than one path to the top of the mountain' before our ancestors left Terra. I am seeking my own path to fulfill my duty as a Kurita must. One day you and your brothers will make your own journey to the top of the mountain in turn."
Omi knew now more of the reasons for Father's disquiet on that journey. That was the journey that ended with her presentation of court and the revelation of her parents' secret marriage to Grandfather, who had not taken the news well. Grandfather and Father's relationship had been strained often, but rarely had it come as close to violence as in that moment. Still just as Father had planned, weighed his decision, then acted, so must she. A Kurita could do nothing less, after all.
"Ruby, Scarlet-Seven. Approaching Docking Bay Four."
"All elements, Ruby. EXECUTE! EXECUTE! EXECUTE!"
Omi bowed to the Friendly Persuaders at the checkpoint to enter the docking bay as they returned her travel papers, then gestured with her staff sharply to 'order' Shin Yodama to follow her across the bustling floor to the waiting Yukikaze. As she approached a pallet loaded with drums of gasoline bound for the ever-hungry maw of the DCMS' Procurement Department, suddenly there was a muffled explosion and the station shook.
Omi stumbled at the unexpected shock as the million-ton station shuddered. Years of training with her mother, brothers, and a selection of hand-picked Shihan masters of their schools in the family dojo converted that into a roll that landed her behind the cargo pallet. Seconds later Shin Yodama slid to a stop next to her. Behind it, there was a chorus of screams over the rattle of gunfire and the thumps of the Friendly Perusader's riot shotguns.
"Shimatta! Terrorists?" He gasped as he spun the wheels on the combination lock holding the box closed then threw it open to reveal their personal weapons. He grabbed his needler pistol and DCMS-issue tanto dagger, charging the pistol as he crouched low behind the barrels.
Omi slid her sheathed katana through the sash of her robe and picked up the Nakjima Hand Laser pistol that Shin had been extremely vague about the origin of when he showed up in Benzaiten's Ivories with it. Considering that it was normally restricted to DCA naval officers, Omi decided in this case that discretion would be wise as she dialed the beam selector to a two-second burst. "If we are fortunate. If our karma suggests otherwise, we are targets."
Shin risked a quick peek over the barrels, then scowled. "Two Persuaders up fighting six of them. Hachimaki headbands, and maintenance Techs' coveralls."
Alarm sirens sounded in the distance and the station shook again. Omi swallowed hard and willed her voice to a calm that she did not feel in the slightest. "Ambush or flight, Yodama-san?" She looked at the hatchway to the Yukikaze across twenty meters of open space from where they were at.
The rattle of one of the attackers' submachine guns and a suddenly choked off cry of pain punctuated Shin Yodama's next words as he drew his dagger in his off hand. "In death ground, fight."
"Hai." Omi drew her hood back to reveal her face, stood in one smooth movement, and then braced her right hand with her left as she took aim. Her shaking wrist steadied itself automatically as in the space between two heartbeats she became one with the man waving the attackers forward from the rear. The right shot at the right moment does not come because you do not let go of yourself. You do not wait for fulfillment, but brace yourself for failure. 
Fifty meters away, Sergeant Paul Hughes of the 37th Benjamin Jump Infantry, attached to the 6th Benjamin Regulars and detached for 'special duties' at the request of Duke Hassad Ricol had his head explode like a pumpkin in a microwave under a two second pulse of laser energy impacting his hachimaka.
Omi never noticed the corpse of Scarlet-Seven hit the bloodstained deck like a puppet with its strings cut. Her steel-blue eyes tracked to one of the two attackers firing down at a wounded Friendly Persuader begging for mercy and her finger squeezed the firing stud again.
The second body falling alerted Scarlet squad to their danger and they responded like the trained soldiers that they were. Two of them knelt and returned fire as the Corporal who was now in charge of the squad hurried to his superior's corpse. Cursing under his breath at the destruction of the microphone, he stuffed the viscera-covered radio headset in his pocket to muffle the squawks from it and issued his orders. "Shirosama! Kim! Suppressive fire! Eriksson and I will close. Bounding advance!"
"Hai, Go-cho Tadasa!"
Sparks flew from the steel fuel drums as stray rounds ricocheted off them. Omi grunted as a trio of impacts punched her torso, the body armor in the robes preventing penetration and locked her eyes on Shirosama as he fumbled for a new clip. Her pistol twitched and Kim blanched as his squadmate dropped with a limp finality. A shaking finger flipped the selector switch to full automatic and the DCMS trooper locked eyes with the Keeper of House Honor across the bay.
Both fingers closed on the triggers simultaneously. Kim felt a whip of fire lash across his torso and his darkening vision saw the young woman fall away behind the drums as he fell into the embrace of death. Behind the drums Shin raced to cradle Omi as blood stained her brown robes a deeper color across her torso and left shoulder. Her eyes focused on him as she dropped the now drained pistol.
"Two left, breaking left and right to pincer us." Omi choked out as she fumbled for the ivory hilt of the katana. "I'll cover your back."
Shin Yodama nodded, taking an instant to squeeze her shoulder before duckwalking to the far corner of the pallet.
Tadasa dashed around the near corner, SMG tracking the motionless figure in a pool of her own blood, then raising the muzzle to track where Eriksson should have joined him. "Eriksson!" he called as the expected squadmate failed to show. He advanced, slowly taking a firmer grip on his weapon as he nudged the body with a toe. Satisfied, he kicked the pistol away from where it lay next to her arms crossed over her belly and then nodded grimly to himself. "Eriksson, Report!", he cried as he kicked the pistol away from where it lay next to her arms crossed over her belly.
The only answer was a pained cry from around the corner.
Tadasa advanced, stepping over the corpse at his feet then took two more steps. A gasp of pained effort from behind him was the only warning he had before eleven centimeters of bloodstained steel suddenly protruded from his chest. As his gun fell from nerveless fingers, a hate-filled voice hissed in his ear.
"Kuritas take a lot of killing."
;* Chapter Section written by Yellowhammer, Fight of Omi Kurita
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===Death of a Dragon===
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DCA Yukikaze
Benjamin, Benjamin District
October 20th, 3056
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Gionshōja no kane no koe, Shogyōmujō no hibiki ari. Sarasōju no hana no iro, Jōshahissui no kotowari wo arawasu. Ogoreru mono mo hisashikarazu, tada haru no yo no yume no gotoshi. Takeki mono mo tsui ni wa horobin(u), hitoeni kaze no mae no chiri ni onaji.
The sound of the Gion Shōja bells echoes the impermanence of all things; the color of the sāla flowers reveals the truth that the prosperous must decline. The proud do not endure, they are like a dream on a spring night; the mighty fall at last, they are as dust before the wind. (translation)
*; Heike Monogatari : (Written sometime 1200-1330 AD) Chapter 1.1
----
The crew member who had let Omi and Shin on board the Buccaneer-class cargo-hauler was still pale faced and shooting glances at them as he escorted them to the VIP cabins reserved for an ivory merchant and her aide. He could hardly be blamed, since Shin presented quite a piratical appearance with two pistols and a dagger stuffed through his belt sash along with a very bloody radio headset that was squawking commands periodically. The reason for the small arsenal was that he needed his hands free to help support Omi, who was being half-carried and half supported by him, with her one good hand still holding a bloody katana.
"Ahh, honored guests, here are your cabins. I shall notify the ship's doctor---"
"Iie." The whiplash command cut through the babble of the crewmember like a knife as Omi turned her head to face him, with a furious stare. "Notify the captain that we depart immediately for Proserpina. A bonus of triple the normal hiring costs for arrival ahead of schedule. Patch us in to news from the station, and once we are undocked and maneuvering for the Jumpship, then the doctor can see my injuries. Yodama-san?"
"Hai." The ex-Yakuza reached into his belt pouch and withdrew a stack of 50 C-Bill notes. "A downpayment. Our business is quite urgent."
Shaken, the crew member took the bills, bowed, and departed at a run for the bridge. As the door slammed closed, Omi shook in the grasp of some strong emotion, then placed the blade of her katana on her left shoulder, drawing a hiss of pain as it rested on the bloodstained cloth over her injuries. "I need a clean cloth, Yodama-san."
Shin nodded and pulled out a traveling towel from the footlocker in the cabin which he carefully laid on her shoulder so that she could perform the chiburui maneuver to ritually clean her katana before resheathing it. She wiped the sword twice on her shoulder in slow, formal motions, then breathed in sharply suddenly slashing in arc across her body from left shoulder to right hip before reversing and resheathing her blade with a huff of exhaled air. That seemed to deflate her and she visibly returned to herself from whatever place her spirit had been in during the attack.
"Minoru... Minoru must be warned." Omi dug one-handed in her belt pouch for her phone then frowned at the lack of signal. "Shimatta, we will have to use the ship's communications to contact Minoru."
Shin nodded and began to punch commands into the terminal of the passenger cabin as the maneuvering engine began to growl in the background. A minute later, he nodded in satisfaction at the menu presented as the holoscreen flickered to life. "Now to punch in your brother's num---"
The screen suddenly displayed a red priority override command in katakana along with a rotating Combine seal, then sharpened into a image of carnage. The station traffic control center in the broadcast had a dozen clearly wounded men in it, along with a row of bodies in the corner. One, in a Tech's coveralls, gave a thumbs up sign to someone off screen with his arm that was not in an improvised, blood-soaked sling that had started life as a DCMS dress uniform jacket. The Tech then bowed and headed to where other survivors were barricading a fire-scorched and damaged hatch with furniture as some stood guard with small arms and one lifted a missile launcher.
Minoru stepped into view of the camera slowly. Bloody bandages covered his chest and abdomen in the absence of his uniform jacket, and one eye was covered by a blood-soaked hachimaki headband that was leaking crimson tears. Behind him, Isoroku limped with the aid of another of the walking wounded, who helped seat him in one of the chairs that were not being cannibalized to barricade the hatch. Gunfire sounded behind them as Minoru stared into the screen with his one good eye, pinning the viewers like a snake would pin a field mouse.
"People of the Combine! Dark days are upon us! Luthien has fallen to the Smoke Jaguars with the aid of traitors among us. Not content with aiding the barbarian degenerate remnants of Kerensky's army, the Black Dragon Society has dishonorably struck our samurai in the back as they rallied to get vengeance for our dead! My children..." Minoru's voice softened as he touched the blood streaming down his cheek. "The Dragon weeps for your pain and counsels you to faith. While I, my uncle Tai-shu Kurita Isoroku, and my remaining loyal samurai must make the same choice that our ancestors did at Shiroyama under the guidance of Saigō Takamori, you have your own duty!"
The firing behind him intensified as Minoru leaned forward to speak intently. "Keep the Dragon in your hearts. The Black Dragons will try to use the example of the Von Rohrs." Minoru's voice was full of hatred for the notorious bastard usurpers who had nearly ended the Kurita line in the twenty-fourth century as he spoke their reviled name. "They will lie and flatter you for their own dishonorable ends. Do not let them! Even now, my sister Keeper of House Honor Kurita Omiko-sama goes to bring us aid, and my cousin Kurita Miyoko-sama, daughter of my loyal Tai-shu is outside their grasp. Aid them! I repudiate them and show my defiance in the moment of the illusion of their victory! Hear now my final words, my children."
Minoru's face became calm as he unsheathed his wakazashi. "My whole life long, I've sharpened my sword./And now, face to face with death/I unsheathe it, and lo--/The blade is broken--/Alas!" With that Minoru grasped his wakazashi and plunged it into his belly, serenely smiling throughout his defiant seppuku and Omi's flowing tears.
Behind Minoru, Isoroku lifted Shiro Kurita's sword in both hands with a strength at odds with his visible wounds and pain. At Minoru's nod, the ancient steel flashed once. Isoroku then turned to one of his few remaining guards who was leveling a SRM launcher with the red bands of an Inferno missile at him as the first Black Dragon troops clambered over the barricade and Minoru's headless corpse slumped.
"Perform your duty, Kashira"
Fire and screams filled the screen then the transmission faded to black.
Omi collapsed into Shin's arms, her tears flowing like a waterfall of pain and loss.
;* Chapter Sections written by Yellowhammer, Flight of Omi Kurita
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===Steel Vipers Regroup===
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Alternative Relocation Site, Clan Steel Viper
20km North of the Great Gash
Twycross
Clan Steel Viper Occupation Zone 
October 20th, 3056
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The relocation site was an underground bunker, left over from the days of the old Lyran Commonwealth, and it hadn’t seen use since the 3rd Succession War. It had taken quite a few work credits to get to a minimal Clan standard, but Perigard Zalman, Khan of Clan Steel Viper was glad he had spent the money. Considering how quickly the Federated Commonwealth kicked us off Waldorff? This was a very good idea indeed.
“Ahmed, what does the Watch tell us about the movements of the Federated Commonwealth forces?” Zalman thundered, he had been a man possessed of late, his very nature despised being on the defensive, and wanted to hit back. But thus far, the FedCom had not given him the opportunity, that was, until now.
“My Khan, our sources, as well as information we have managed to contract from the Diamond Shark Watch, has confirmed that the Federated Commonwealth forces have had a short operational pause. They seem to have overstretched their logistical chain, and I believe, my Khan, that we have a small window to launch a counterattack to restore a corridor to our forces currently cut off to coreward.
Zalman exhaled. “And what of the Wolves? Any actions on their part? Surely they cannot believe that the FedCom will cease their actions once they have driven us and the Falcons from the Inner Sphere?”
“Neg, my Khan, there is little word from the Wolves, other than some seemingly routine troop movements. We have also heard nothing from the ilKhan himelf…which does concern me, my Khan.”
Zalman nodded. What are you up to, Kerensky? What little ploy are you planning to better your “former” clan?
“Ahmed, pass word to the units on world, that they are to be ready for combat operations within thirty days. I intend to lead the counterattack myself. The FedCom savashri have only faced lucrewarriors and solahma. Now it is time to face our best.” Zalman wore a feral grin, he was sure of the glory to come.
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===Batchall for Possession of Quarell===
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Command Post of 1st Falcon VelitesQuarellClan Jade Falcon Occupation ZoneOctober 22nd, 3056
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Star Colonel Serendice Helmer was annoyed, he had been woken from a very enjoyable slumber, with dreams of glory for himself and his clan filling his head. To be awoken by a bondsman and almost ignominiously tossed into the back of a General-Purpose Vehicle and driven back to the main command post. The command post was in chaos, not befitting an elite unit of Clan Jade Falcon, especially one that was holding the Clan’s most important holding, so close to Terra.
“CEASE YOUR CONFUSED MEANDERINGS, YOU SAVASHRI FOOLS!” Helmer boomed, his voice of command filled the main map room. Everyone stopped in their tracks, and gave him their rapt attention. 
Helmer silently exhaled, and ran his hands through his straw blond hair. His jade green eyes searched the room. “We are Jade Falcon. We do not run about like confused chicks, we soar on the winds of glory. We WELCOME a batchall! No matter whom it may be! Now, put me through, we will make those who challenge our clan regret their decision to hunt us!”
Another bondsman showed up with his dress uniform, which he hurriedly donned, and a wall screen came to life. The image coalesced and took form. It couldn’t be. The form was nothing less than the saKhan of Clan Wolf, Natasha Kerensky herself.
“Hello, Star Colonel Helmer. You know whom I am, and my codex, so we don’t have to engage in that tiresome Falcon tradition. I am challenging Clan Jade Falcon’s right to Quarell, with what do you plan to contest my challenge, Green Pidgeon?”
“Khan Kerensky. I bid my entire cluster. I will award you safecon, this should be decided by warriors. I hope you are so cocky, when I make you my bondsman?”
Kerensky shook her head with a mirthful grin. “Star Colonel? I have had Jade Falcons bigger and badder than you make that threat. They are either dead, or Wolves now. I do hope you join the ranks of the latter, as your codex would be a shame to lose. So be it, I will face you with my 13th Wolf Guards.”
Helmer muttered “Well bargained and done, Kerensky, I shall see you soon.” He drew his hand across his throat to kill the signal. The glory I will win from this fight!
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Category:Clover Spear - The Story of the '56 War Chapters
Category:Works by Jason Weiser
Category:Works by Yellowhammer