OPREF-2 Chpt 9

=Book 2, Chapter 9 - House of Cards=
==Opalescent Reflections==
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===A victory amongst number of defeats===
Bentonvil, Camlann
Benjamin District, Draconis Combine
9 July 3051
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"Stop wasting ammunition on the tanks!" Aidan shouted over the command channel and fired his jump jets.
 
The Summoner roared up into the air and descended again on top of the Burke tank that was trying to pull away at its snail-like top speed. In no way designed to support an additional seventy tons on top of its turret, the heavy tank deformed and Aidan suspected that most of the crew did the same.
From his new position, the Star Colonel opened fire on a Black Knight that was trying to give covering fire to infantry retreating from the trenches outside Sanhuan, missing with his PPC but stitching a line of broken armor up its arm with the large pulse laser mounted where most Summoners carried an autocannon.
 
To their credit, the Gyrfalcon Guards followed his example despite the questionable honor of the tactic. Mechwarrior Diana's Nova left the ground a moment ahead of Horse's Summoner. The young mechwarrior fired both her PPCs from mid-air, one blasting more armor from the Black Knight and the other missing, before she came down on a Brutus. Diana landed off-center, failing to crush the turret, but the broad feet of the Nova tore apart the tracks on one side of the tank, crippling it.
Horse had chosen one of the Armored Personnel Carriers, his Viper smashing the empty troop compartment flat. Then the elementals clinging to the forty ton Omnimech leapt into the infantry, adding their firepower to the 'mech's as they scythed through the ComGuards.
Aidan's anti-missile system, was long-since empty, but he had a handful of LRMs left and he emptied what was rest into the Black Knight as he loped towards a Fury tank.
 
The Fury's Gauss Rifle tracked onto the Jade Falcon's Summoner and unleashed a slug that shattered armor on the OmniMech's thigh, causing Aidan to stumble slightly due to the impact. The Black Knight was striding purposely forwards, lasers barely missing him due to the stumble. The SLDF 'mech had been refitted with a sword that sounded ridiculous in theory, but Mechwarrior Falk's Hellbringer was already missing an arm after it got too close.
 
Aidan fired his jump-jets as soon as they were charged, opening the distance from the Black Knight and closing it with the Fury. While the tank was more agile than the Burke, the long flat hull was a relatively easy target for the Jade Falcon to land upon and the ancient tank almost snapped in two under the impact.
 
Diana came off the Brutus, taking hits from its turret-mounted lasers in order to get behind the Black Knight. The 'mech, already heating up dangerously, shut down completely as a pair of PPCs blew through its rear armor and the reactor shielding.
 
In return, Aidan fired his ER PPC and pulse laser into the Burke, immobilizing the turret.
The destruction of the Black Knight seemed to mark the end of active resistance - a Crab and a Kintaro were all that remained of the few 'mechs among the battalion-sized force that the Gyrfalcon Guards had run into and the medium 'mechs scampered over a ridge and out of direct sight as they entered Sanhuan.
 
"Hold and secure our position," Aidan barked. "Alpha Talon, Bravo Talon, swing out and check our flanks." The two Stars were mostly light and fast OmniMechs, able to push out quickly to find out how near the next ComGuards forces were. "Echo Nova and Delta Nova, push in one block and for Turkina's sake, watch out for ambushes."
 
The two stars of assault 'mechs obediently headed into the city, elementals climbing to them - more valuable for the addition of extra eyes right now than for their limited firepower.
 
The fight seemed to have gone out of the infantry once the tanks and 'mechs were gone. Against just the Elementals of the Gyrfalcon Guards, they might have stood a slim chance but without their own support to keep the 'mechs busy, that wasn't the case and men and women dropped their weapons and raised their hands in surrender.
 
"We could do with some repairs," Horse noted. His Viper's armor showed the marks of a day of combat. This had been the third time since dawn that they'd found themselves fighting the ComGuards and while the Gyrfalcons had never been defeated, each fight had worn them down. "Who knew the Spheroids had warriors like this?"
 
"We should have," Aidan noted. "The Smoke Jaguars have fought them. And from their bidding, the Diamond Sharks and Wolves may have suspected." The two Clans had bid about the same (eleven Diamond Shark clusters and twelve slightly smaller Wolf Clusters) and refused to be moved from that, which had left them landing days after the rest of the Clans.
 
Aidan's comm panel crackled and checked it, determining that someone was trying to reach him via an unencrypted channel. "-lcon commander, this is Precentor-Legate Mulvenna, please respond. Say again, Jade Falcon commander, this is Precentor-Legate Mulvenna, please -"
 
"This is Star Colonel Pryde of the Gyrfalcon Guards," Aidan interrupted. He wasn't very familiar with ComGuard ranks, but Precentors were at least his equivalent or more senior. "Who are you and what do you want?" No other Jade Falcon had spoken up, suggesting that they were unable or unwilling to respond.
 
"Star Colonel," Mulvenna replied. "I command the ComGuards' Ninth V-Lambda, the division defending San Huan. I believe that it is the Gyrfalcon Guards who have reached the edge of the city?"
 
Aidan glanced at the buildings in various states of ruin ahead of him. "That is accurate." If she was buying time to launch artillery strikes then he hoped he'd have some warning. On the other hand, Horse was right - repairs and reloading were definitely desirable.
 
"Based on our current losses, I do not believe that continuing to fight for Sanhuan would result in anything other than losses for both sides." the Precentor informed him. "Under the circumstances, I am willing to cede the city without further fighting if you will allow us to withdraw."
 
Aidan frowned. A fight through the city would be costly, from what little experience he had of urban combat. But in that case why were the ComGuards not willing to keep fighting. Even if they took a disproportionate share of the losses, they'd be weakening the Jade Falcons before they could reach their next target, Sancisco.
 
Still, sometimes an opportunity was exactly what it seemed to be. And his orders were to take Sanhuan at any cost. "Very well, Precentor Mulvanne. How long do you expect your withdrawal to require?"
 
She sounded relieved. "I request twelve hours."
 
"Six." he argued reflexively. Whatever the first offer made was, it was always too generous.
 
"That would be barely long enough to load our heavy equipment," she protested. "Not to mention evacuating the field hospitals. I would have to detonate my munitions and fuels in place, which would pollute the city further."
 
It was a pity, Aidan thought, that the ComGuards munitions were of no use to the Jade Falcons. At some point in the distant past, the two had taken different paths in standardizing missile and autocannon ammunition. "Twelve hours is also long enough for reinforcements to arrive from Sancisco if they depart now," he pointed out. "I do not want to find that while you are abandoning the city, one of your peers is trying to recover it before you have even left."
 
"I assure you that that will not happen," Mulvanne told him with an air of dignity. "I have confirmed with Precentor Martial Focht that we are giving up Sanhuan and focusing our remaining efforts on preventing you from taking Sancisco."
 
Aidan considered the matter and then pulled up a map of the city. "Your main stores are located in the old port area," he observed. "I will give you three hours to withdraw everything into that part of Sanhuan, and then six hours to finish loading. Anything - or anyone - left behind at that point will be considered isorla to Clan Jade Falcon. And there is to be no destruction of your stocks. As you correctly point out, that could be problematic." The thick smoke caused by large explosions might well include layers of toxic material buried under debris for centuries.
 
The precentor hesitated for a moment. "Very well. Nine hours in total counting from this moment. I will order my troops not to fire unless fired upon, and to withdraw into the old port within the three hour deadline."
 
"Bargained well and done, Precentor," Aidan told her. "I will communicate this agreement to the rest of our units."
 
"No one has seen ComGuards," Horse told him once the conversation was over. "Not on the flanks and not ahead of us."
 
"Move forwards cautiously," he ordered. "Do not fire unless fired upon. The Comguards have decided to cede the city."
 
"That is very… helpful of them," the freeborn officer observed suspiciously. "They haven't lost a city yet."
 
"That is one reason I chose to accept," Aidan admitted. "I suspect that they want to consolidate their remaining forces guarding Sancisco, which will make that harder, but right now we could do with a win. Now I just have to convince Mar Helmer."
 
Although he hadn't responded to Mulvanne, the commander of Vau Galaxy replied almost immediately when Aidan opened communications. "If you want more ammunition, you will need to wait until sunset," he warned before Aidan could broach the purpose of making contact. "Supply vehicles have been hammered by airstrikes so we have to move them more cautiously."
 
"In that case I have good news," Aidan replied. "The ComGuards commander has just surrendered Sanhuan. I have agreed terms for their remaining forces to withdraw."
 
"You agreed terms?" Helmer demanded. "Without consulting me?"
 
"My orders were to take Sanhuan at any cost," Aidan replied. "I interpret that to mean spending time is as acceptable as spending the lives of my warriors."
 
"I knew Chistu was sending me a barracks-lawyer," the Galaxy Commander growled. "Your reputation precedes you. What have you offered them?"
 
"The ComGuards have three hours to consolidate in the old port district and six further hours to leave the city. I anticipate that they will cross the strait to join the forces in Sancisco. During that time we have a ceasefire, although this will only include their Ninth Division, so airstrikes launched from other ComGuards units remain possible."
 
Helmer took a deep breath. "Star Colonel Marthe Pryde," he challenged, stressing the personal name of Aidan's old sibkin. "Your Jaegers can reach the port and cut off the ComGuards' retreat, quiaff?"
 
Aidan's eyes narrowed. If Helmer ordered that…
 
"Neg," Marthe responded flatly. "Our ammunition is almost depleted and half my Cluster need repairs. An urban battle at this point would exhaust us. I counsel that Vau Galaxy count ourselves victorious. We have achieved what Gamma Galaxy failed to yesterday, what no other Clan has yet accomplished. Aidan's bargain is well-struck."
 
"Prydes." Helmer grumbled. "Very well, I will inform the Khans. The Gyrfalcon Guards are to hold their current position until additional Clusters arrive to join the advance into the city. You understand, quiaff?"
 
"Aff." Aidan confirmed, glad to have had Marthe's support for once.
 
While the Guards didn't lower their guard, there was a degree to which they were more relaxed once word was passed down that there should be no further fighting today. It was a mark of how hard they had been pressed that even Jade Falcons were not eager to press harder. Prisoners were herded together under shelter where they could wait for support elements to come and take them into custody.
 
It was over an hour before additional Jade Falcon forces arrived - Mar Helmer marching with the 305th Assault Cluster at the head of a long column of 'mechs and elementals while aerospace fighters circled watchfully above.
 
Aidan formed up two of his four trinaries to stand formally to one side of the road and the 'mechs raised their arms in salute as the Galaxy Commander marched past. However little he might enjoy it, Mar Helmer was a firm traditionalist and so he returned the salute, as did the 'mechs following him. The 305th were followed by Marthe's Second Falcon Jaegers, the last of the three Vau Galaxy clusters committed to the Battle of Camlann.
 
Aidan was pleased to receive Marthe's salute, the recognition from someone he'd known so long was sweet, but he was less happy about the evident damage many of the 'mechs had taken.
 
"I do not recall where I last saw so many battered 'mechs," Horse gave voice to the same thought. "I have seen Grand Melees that looked better in the aftermath."
 
"In a grand melee, all but one 'mech will be disabled." pointed out Diana. "Here the 'mechs are still battleworthy."
 
"Barely," Horse grumbled. "If we attempt an amphibious assault, all that armor will need to be repaired. Right now we would lose almost the entire Galaxy to leaks before we were halfway across."
 
Sanhuan was on an island, so reaching the Jade Falcon's second target would be a challenge, Aidan thought. A suborbital hop would be possible, using their dropships, but it would give the ComGuards fighters a second chance to take out entire dropships of troops. And if they had any sort of warning they might concentrate their assets - at least in the initial landings five Clans had been landing at once. It was entirely probable that aerospace fighters from all around the Midland Sea might be able to attempt interceptions.
 
Just as the Jaegers had finished parading past and Aidan was about to order the Gyrfalcons to follow, more OmniMechs arrived, these in distinct colors. The Falcon Guards had arrived to march past their traditional rivals into San Huan.
 
At their head, a Hellbringer with the star and bar of a khan next to the Jade Falcon emblem stepped out of line and stood next to Aidan's Summoner. The arrival of Timur Malthus settled the question of whether the Falcon Guards would offer the same salute as the previous two Clusters and Aidan couldn't help to smile as he saw a particular Mad Dog raise its arm crisply to him. Joanna must be seething.
 
"Warriors of the Gyrfalcon Guards," the saKhan declared, voice booming from the Hellbringer's loudspeakers once the last Falcon Guard had passed. "It is not a year yet since the dishonor on Twycross, but you have risen like a phoenix to grasp honors equal to those who came before you. Your victory today takes place at a moment when our Clan - when all the Clans - greatly need one."
 
Aidan looked over at the Khan's mech, curiously. Yes, they had taken a city and yes they were first to do so… but that was barely a beginning to the campaign, quiaff?
 
"As the ComGuards were surrendering to you," Malthus continued, "Clan Nova Cat had been driven to retreat, claiming inability to continue operations due to a lack of supplies." He sounded scornful of such an excuse. "More seriously, ilKhan Showers has been wounded and forced from the field leading an attack on Fayettevil. Khan Weaver of the Smoke Jaguars was offered hegira by the ComGuards' commander and has accepted this."
 
Aidan hissed in alarm. Two Clans had been defeated?! This early? That was four cities that were essentially no longer going to be captured, and if the Clans did not manage to take at least seven of their fourteen targets then they would be honorbound to stop the invasion.
 
"The burden of continuing our grand crusade falls to the remaining Clans," Malthus continued. "Today, Clan Jade Falcon stands foremost, and once we have made good our repairs, we shall prove it once more." Then he gestured to the road. "Star Colonel Pryde, I would be honored to march into Sanhuan with you, at the head of the warriors who have made today possible."
 
Putting his concerns aside, Aidan moved his Summoner to walk next to the Khan's Hellbringer. Horse and Diana fell in behind them, then the rest of the Gyrfalcon Guards.
At least, Aidan thought, there was time to re-arm before they tried to cross the strait. If the ComGuards' Ninth Division had been forced to withdraw then they would be only a modest supplement to the forces facing them there.
 
But before the last barges of the ComGuards had finished undocking at the port, carrying Ninth Division's survivors across the strait, there were reports that at least some brigades of the Third and Fourth Divisions, which had been facing the Nova Cats, were being loaded onto ships. A simple check on transport times told Aidan that those troops would be across the Midlands Sea before the Jade Falcons were ready to attack Sancisco. The odds against them had doubled, and even Timur Malthus no longer sounded confident.
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===The outcome of Camlann is announced===
Mount Galedon, Luthien
Diamond Shark Occupation Zone
14 July 3051
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They met somewhere that did not exist.
 
The Diamond Shark Clan Council's members were scattered across more than a thousand light years. They could have been projected into a real room - whether it was their traditional gathering place on Strana Mechty or a compartment on the battleship Terror of the Deep - but instead they occupied a virtual environment, images floating in fluid order above the sea and below the night sky.
 
Those with access to a holo-camera were displayed in full, but many were depending on the cockpits of their battlemechs, aerospace fighters or inside elemental armor. Not while fighting, of course, but using the communications suites. These individuals looked at the rest of the Council through screens as if they were gazing through an open window. The Khans were both in that latter group, but each grew as they spoke, as did everyone to some degree.
 
"Trothkin." The format did not allow Barbara Sennet to make histrionic gestures - she was within the cockpit of her Summoner. "As your Khan it is my duty to lead, but it is also the duty of the Council to direct me as to policy. When my decisions are questioned, it is right and just that I bring the matter before you so that the will of the Clan be known, clear and absolute."
 
Ace heard whispering voices. At least half of those present seemed to have some idea of what the issue was, but the directive to gather had been frustratingly obscure. Those in the know were for the most part confined behind their screens, so he guessed that this was a matter that had arisen on Camlann.
 
"Operation Revival is over," Khan Sennet informed them calmly. "The battle for Camlann is lost and with it, Leo Shower's invasion plan."
 
There was a rising sound of dissent from within the Council. Most had counted themselves among the Wardens, Ace thought. Most probably still did, however pointless it might be at this point. But warden or crusader, no one here liked to lose. And he had to admit that he was no exception.
 
Semi Kalasa was not on the battlefield. She raised her arms high. "Let the Khan speak, let the matter be known," she demanded. "We are not children. Listen, judge and then we shall decide."
 
When the hundreds of bloodnamed warriors had fallen silent, Sennet continued. "Only two Clans remain on the battlefield at this time, ourselves and Clan Wolf. Two Clans, the Jade Falcons and Ghost Bears, have seized one of their objectives but can do no more. Three others have failed entirely. It is no longer possible for us to claim even half of the fourteen objectives. The invasion has failed. It is my intention to withdraw the touman from Camlann."
 
Evangeline Clarke of Rho Spina Galaxy, back in the homeworlds, stepped up in challenge. Her image grew to twice the height of those who yet to speak clearly. "We have taken our objectives? There is no more we can do, quiaff?"
 
"Neg." Barbara Sennet stared unrepentantly out at them. "The last year has left hundreds of our warriors dead, crippled or needing months to recover from their wounds. For the last seven days we have drawn ComGuard forces away from the objectives so that we can crush them in the field. This has not been without loss but it has been affordable - a lesson the Steel Vipers appear not to grasp."
 
For the first time, Bikendi Vewas raised his voice. "Clan Steel Viper's bid for this battle was less than half our own. Six Clusters, and the Vipers use smaller Clusters as a rule. Khan Breen boasted of smashing the ComGuards before we set foot on the world. Her ignorance has cost her half of their Alpha and Gamma Galaxies - less than one in six of those she led managed to reach their dropships. The Viper's failing has turned the tide of Camlann decisively. All that remains is to count the cost."
 
"The Jade Falcons and Ghost Bears have at least taken an objective," Clarke declared boldly. "They can claim, with justice, that they have done their part. That if every Clan had done so well, that we would at least have a draw. How can our warriors withdraw without doing at least as well."
 
"Because it changes nothing?" Ace asked her drily. They were equals now, at least in theory. He was not sure how the famous Blood Angel felt about that. She, like Hawker, refused to accept freeborn warriors in her command but it was well known that Clarke based this on their inability to earn a bloodname. He, who had one, was an aberration. Still, she had spoke for him once - out of principle - and he would not have openly opposed her without sound reason. This counted, he thought. "Because it is wasteful?"
 
"You are half right," Clarke allowed. "It is wasteful. But it does change matters. If we do not even try, then we will be seen as less than even those who failed. Our commitment to the other Clans will be questioned, we will have broken the unity. That is not something to do lightly."
 
"Is it true," another voice asked, "That the Falcons are dismissing their Khan for failing to do more?" Ace saw that it was Ulna Oshika, another homeworlder. She had been his commander once, but while she had not advanced in rank since, Ace had risen from her junior to her superior.
 
Khan Vewas gave them a half smile. "Khan Crichell is sensitive to criticism, and finds it easier to let blame fall on his saKhan. Timur Malthus faces challenge from the Jade Falcon's Clan Council and it does seem unlikely that he will retain his current position." Then his face stiffened. "Which I would count as their error. Khan Malthus decided wisely in not overreaching and he has my respect."
 
"Perhaps, but that is a risk that we run as well. Of doing less than we could," Clarke persisted.
 
"That is why I bring the matter to the vote," agreed Barbara Sennet. "I believe that preserving our forces matters more than the complaints of Clans who not only failed but did all they could to keep us from success. If the Council vote otherwise, then I will obey." Her eyes seemed to seek out a few faces, Ace's among them. "This is no time for refusal and division."
 
One of the few council members not wearing a warrior's uniform chose to make his voice known. "On the battlefield there is little time for consultation." Angus Labov looked as if he could step right back into command of his Cluster despite his Merchant Factor's uniform. He might get the chance, given the number of retired warriors who had been recalled already. "If only two Clans are still fighting then the ComGuards are no doubt gathering massive numbers against them."
 
"And if Khan Sennet has her way, then Clan Wolf would face that alone." observed Oshika in a neutral tone.
 
"That is Clan Wolf's problem," Labov told her. "If they wish to die for their pride, so be it. But we are the Diamond Sharks - as warriors, we may have to die for the Clan's good, but that should never be our first choice."
 
Ace stretched lightly. "We have already taken losses. Alpha Galaxy is still rebuilding six months after Luthien. Operation Revival's end means we are no longer bound by the bidding for that. We need to expand the touman just to control the worlds we have seized. Taking losses for no concrete return makes no sense to me."
 
Others spoke up, eager to have their say and the loremaster let that play out for a few minutes before calling for silence again. "This is a battlefield decision. Let us vote now, before the decision is taken from our hands."
 
No one argued with that point. The tactical manuals used by the Clans had retained the ancient axiom that in battle the enemy always had a vote.
 
Images were whisked around ocean sky, forming ranks alongside either Evangeline Clarke or Barbara Sennet to show how they had voted. Ace noticed that more than half those facing him from Clarke's side were only present by screen and most likely were on Camlann at the moment. But they were still outnumbered three to one by those who agreed with Sennet's argument.
 
The Blood Angel could count as well as Ace and she bowed her head. "I accept the result. Does anyone else here call for Refusal?"
 
A few of the warriors near her looked as if they were considering speaking up so Ace decided to… discourage them. "I stand ready to defend the vote," he offered. Three to one odds in his favor, and since he was on Luthien it would limit the opportunity to participate to Alpha Galaxy. Unsurprisingly, he had no takers.
 
"Fifteen years before we can continue." Ace heard the voice from next to him - Star Colonel Jay Arlond was using the same holotank, though they couldn't see each other at the moment. "I will be lucky to have warrior status by then, much less a command role." Arlond was closer to forty years old than he was to thirty.
 
Ace considered the situation and then chuckled. "I would not worry. The Inner Sphere will want their worlds back. I doubt this agreement will last even half that long. There will be plenty of battles for you, Star Colonel."
 
"That is likely." Bikendi Vewas' image had approached Ace unnoticed and was close enough to hear the remark. The saKhan looked at the diminishing crowd of warriors - with the decision made, those on Camlann were disconnecting so that they could begin carrying out Sennet's orders. The Khan herself was gone. "Do not disconnect, Enders."
 
 "My Khan?" Ace asked.
 
 The homeworld contingent blinked out as one, once the HPG links that brought their images all the way from the Homeworlds shut down.
 
 "The Khan has a new mission for you," Vewas informed him. "Once she has confirmed her orders on Camlann, she will explain it to you personally."
 
 "Alpha Galaxy stands ready." Ace promised. Well, for a given value of ready. They were at about seventy-five percent of their paper strength, but they could fight.
 
 But Khan Vewas shook his head. "For you. Not for your Galaxy."
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===Undaunted, some continue their Campaign===
ComStar Field Hospital #3, Camlann
Benjamin District, Draconis Combine
15 July 3051
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Wei had been walking the hospital wards for hours. It felt like days.
 
If a ward wasn't full of the bedridden, then the walking wounded were dazedly confirming their conditions and trying to convince each other that they would recover. And then there were the rooms of what were delicately called 'psychological casualties'.
 
Those were the worst, Wei thought. But at the same time, they were where her training told her she could probably do the most good. It wasn't exactly the sort of therapy she'd majored in, but sometimes a human touch and assuring the soldiers that what they had gone through had been worthwhile could start the long road to healing.
 
In the privacy of the washroom, she washed her face and hands, forcing herself to smile into the mirror until it looked natural again.
 
It was unworthy, given her part in this, but she would be glad to leave the hospital. Set up around a pair of dedicated hospital dropships, the prefabricated structure was temporary in a way that the wounds done were not. Many would carry the damage done over the last week for the rest of their lives, but in a few more weeks the entire complex would be removed as if it had never been here.
 
Before she could go into another ward, one of the acolytes of her escort held out one hand. "Primus, the Precentor Martial wishes to speak to you."
 
Wei paused and then looked over at the adept from the hospital administration. "If I could have a room, please?" Politeness cost her nothing.
 
"Of course," the woman said graciously. "Please use my office."
 
The office was a small, functional space. Just large enough for a folding desk and a chair. No room even for a guest, but there was a military-grade comm-console built into one wall. Wei sat in the chair and winced. Surely doctor's should know they needed more back support… perhaps it was bought on a budget, or there was a limit on what could be easily packed.
 
The acolyte had gone ahead to set up the call so all Wei had to do was enter her codes to ensure that the conversation was secure. The moment she had done so, the display lit up and she saw the familiar face of Anastaisus Focht. "Primus."
 
Wei's lips quirked. "I think we can afford a little informality, Anastasius… although that's still a mouthful."
 
He rubbed his face - there were new lines there. "I did not select it for ease of abbreviation, Primus."
 
"Nasty, maybe." she said in a moment of whimsy. "Never mind. With the battle this close to being over, I didn't expect you to contact me."
 
"I fear we are not as near to ending the fighting as we both hoped." Focht replied solemnly.
 
A chill went down Wei's spine. "Aren't the Clans withdrawing?"
 
"There has been no change since our last conversation." he told her.
 
"Then…"
 
"No change, in this case, means that Clan Wolf is still advancing on Huntsvil."
 
"What?" she exclaimed, coming halfway out of her seat. "But why?"
 
The Clans had been beaten! Four… well, three… had been driven off world. The Diamond Sharks were withdrawing of their own accord and the other three Clans, though they had taken one objective each had been bloodied badly and would face twice the opposition if they moved on to their next targets, with forces ferried around the Midland Sea, taking intact units from cities no longer under threat to reinforce those that might be.
 
Whether it was three cities or four cities fallen, it made no difference… assuming that the terms held.
 
"I thought Khan Kerensky opposed the invasion," she continued, forcing herself to sit back down. "Why is he doing this?"
 
The white-haired Precentor Martial looked rueful. "I can only speculate, since he has not confided in me. We know that the Jade Falcons and Ghost Bears are making a point of hosting visitors from the other Clans in Sanhuan and Chambersburk - showing off that even if they failed, that they had done better than their rivals, It is possible that Khan Kerensky wishes to eclipse that accomplishment. Seizing two objectives may be a status symbol, marking Clan Wolf as the better Clan."
 
Wei shook her head in disbelief. "He's willing to kill Blake knows how many of his soldiers and ours out of pride?"
 
"A warrior's pride can be a powerful thing," Focht told her. "And it is hard to say how this might affect the politics of the Clans. He may justify it as necessary for him to stay in power."
 
That gave her pause and Wei pinched the brow of her nose. How many times had she made decisions she disliked because the alternative was weakening her position as ComStar's leader, and thus her ability to direct the Order towards her own goals. "I suppose his exact reasons may not matter. What do you recommend - should we just withdraw from the Huntsvil and let him have it? Get this over with?"
 
"No," the old man said sharply. "Primus, I really do not recommend that. The Clans have not formally conceded. If they believe we are too weak to stop Clan Wolf from taking control of Huntersvil, then those Clans may decide to resume operations. The Nova Cats and Smoke Jaguars have had time to recover and the Diamond Sharks' forces are largely intact. If they returned, they might be able to seize cities we've stripped of defenders to reinforce other fronts."
 
"So we have to fight them, even now." Wei shook her head. "What an utter waste."
 
"Perhaps so. Almost a quarter of our remaini`ng forces are concentrated around Huntsvil," Focht told her. "It'll be harder for them to take than Colliervil was. Ideally I'd like to move another division in - the Wolves are outnumbered but not by as much as I'd like. Unfortunately, I've already pulled reserves out of southern Avalon to reinforce the forces facing the Ghost Bears, Jade Falcons and Diamond Sharks. It will take time for them to return."
 
Wei ran her hands through her hair. "You're thinking about Mansdottir's request."
 
"I am. Sending the remaining Kungsarme against the Wolves made no sense when we thought they would withdraw. But now…"
 
After the Smoke Jaguars had withdrawn, General Mansdottir had petitioned that his forces, consolidated into just three brigades, be allowed to strike south to where Clan Wolf was just making a start on their own campaign. At that time, the Precentor Martial had turned him down, asking him to wait and take more time to rest his soldiers and repair his equipment.
 
Undaunted, the leader of the exiled Rasalhague soldiers had contacted Wei Rong, asking that she overrule Focht's decision. Diplomatically, she'd agreed to speak to the Precentor Martial about using the Kungsarme as a reserve as needed, which had seemed unlikely at the time. She could understand, if not agree with, their fervor - Clan Wolf was as responsible as Clan Smoke Jaguar for the conquest of their home worlds.
 
But now there was a need - and the two cities the Smoke Jaguars had been fighting for were in the north of Avalon, meaning that the Kungsarme was perfectly placed to move south and join the fight.
 
"Three brigades isn't a huge force." she noted cautiously.
 
"It could turn the tide," Focht corrected her. "If Mandottir marches south now, he could catch the Wolves in the rear as they approach Huntsvil, threatening their supply lines. It would pull forces away from attacking the city - and bluntly, if Mansdottir and his warriors are eager to fight the Wolves, I do not see why they should not. Better them than our own forces."
 
Wei thought of the soldiers lying in hospital beds, almost in earshot. Either way, more men and women would be brought here - broken in mind, body or both. "I will give him the choice," she said at last. "Make sure you have a contingency if he has thought better of the idea, although I doubt that he will."
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Chapter 2-9