OPREF-3 Chpt 15

=Book 3, Chapter 15 - Stacking the Deck=
==Opalescent Reflections==
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===Reunion===
Rubigen HPG Station, Rubigen
Clan Smoke Jaguar Occupation Zone
29 March 3056
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Tyra sat on one side of an interview room and waited for the door on the other side to open. The barrier that divided the room in two seemed fragile, but she had been told it was resistant to small arms and rated even to withstand an unarmored elemental long enough for guards to respond.
 
Somehow she doubted that it would be required.
 
There was nothing left on her that belonged to Clan Smoke Jaguar. The borrowed flight suit, the helmet, everything down to her underwear had been taken away. Just as she had lost everything in the crash on Camlann, her past had once again been stripped away.
 
Very nearly, at any rate. Her fingers ran over the one reminder she had kept, hidden in her pocket.
 
The door opened and admitted the visitor. Tyra took her hand out of her pocket and looked at him, wondering what he saw when he met her gaze.
 
If she had changed over the last day - it had been only thirty hours since they parted ways! - so had Trent. His face bore bruises and there were three minor cuts, none of which had apparently received more cursory medical treatment. The mechwarrior moved stiffly as he took the seat facing Tyra - perhaps the mark of anger, or of more injuries beneath his coveralls. Both, maybe. There was no Tau Galaxy badge on the uniform, nor the markings of the 101st Jaguar Attack Cluster.
 
And the rank pins reflected a mechwarrior, not a Star Captain.
 
"Trent."
 
"Tyra." And then, with almost heartbreaking anguish: "Why?!"
 
Tyra looked away. Not in regret for her actions… but for what they had cost him. "I am a loyal daughter of the Republic."
 
"There is no republic anymore, Tyra," Trent challenged. "Your future, their future, was with the Clans. Don't you see that?"
 
"The Rasalhague people have endured oppression before, Trent. The Republic lives as long as we believe in it."
 
"It didn't need to be like this."
 
A bitter laugh tore from her throat. "Is this where you ask me to go back? Because we both know where that leads."
 
"I am not stupid." He paused. "Not that stupid, although… I did trust you. So I am a fool."
 
"For that, I am sorry, Trent. If there is anything good in the Smoke Jaguars, it is you and… any who might be like."
 
"I tried to show you that good," the Smoke Jaguar told her. "Is it so difficult to believe that we can co-exist. That my people and yours could build something together?"
 
Tyra looked up at him and realized that the corners of her eyes were prickling with unshed tears. "I saw Reykjavik burn, Trent. I saw your Clan's reaction to even perceived obstruction. That is not a bridge that you can build with me. Not after that."
 
"That was a dreadful, horrible mistake. I have never even pretended to approve of it."
 
"And for that?" She gave him a sad smile. "You will always be second to Jez Howell and her ilk, in the eyes of the Smoke Jaguars. The rest of your Clan condemn Lincoln Osis for his failure… but not for the atrocity."
 
"That's not true."
 
"Trent, take this from someone who is not…" She paused, then broke the habit of the last few years. "Who isn't blinded by love of his Clan: the Smoke Jaguars are not what you want them to be. You are not like them. Perhaps if more of them were, then I would be wrong. But I stand by this: I have done the right thing by leaving." And by a certain other thing she would not tell him.
 
Trent lowered his head in defeat.
 
Tyra knew what his answer would be, but she had to try. "You could come with me. We both know I've ruined what's left of your career. I can vouch for you. You are a man of honor and you deserve better."
 
"Neg. I am Smoke Jaguar." He looked up, striking his chest lightly with one fist. "To the bone."
 
"Your Clan, right or wrong?"
 
A crooked smile started to form, though it lacked strength. "If right to be kept right, and when wrong, to be set right. I am not entirely ignorant of ancient history, Tyra."
 
"One more way you are different from your Clan," she told him. Then, reaching into her pocket she produced the one memento she had left. "You came to recover everything that belonged to them. Everything I brought with me, what's left of the fighters…"
 
"And one body," he told her grimly. The pilot of the Sulla had not survived his sudden experience of lithobraking.
 
"And one body," Tyra agreed and placed the last piece of Clan Smoke Jaguar's property she had into the shallow tray that was the only way of passing things through the barrier. "This is yours too."
 
Trent pushed the lid across and pulled out the triple-woven bondcord. Two of the strands had been severed, but the last remained unbroken. "I am surprised that you didn't cut it to pieces."
 
"No. Take it all. Because there is nothing between us any more," Tyra lied. She rose and turned away, knocking on the door with her knuckles. Hoping the door would open and let her leave before the only friend she'd had for almost five whole years saw her cry for him.
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===Proposals for an Offensive===
Unity City, North America
Terra, Sol System
30 May 3056
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Restoration around Unity City had continued since Victor's last visit. He didn't think anyone would be running a Star League out of the ruins any time soon, but the support facilities for the various embassy estates were fully active and the conference facilities had been improved.
 
In this case, that meant that the House Lords sat at the front of a circle of tiered seating, with separate wedges for every one of the nine participating states. The room was very quiet, very comfortable and very well kitted out with the hundreds of seats, each with their own small fold-out computer screen and keyboard, linked into enough individual processing power to run a battlemech.
 
Victor could only imagine what his students on Sarna would have got up to if they had a lecture theater like this. Probably a lot more than their assigned classwork. Students could be imaginative.
 
A holographic map of the Inner Sphere spun in the center of the darkened room, coreward regions at the top. It was an all too familiar map, but the regions occupied by the Clans were brought up in detail with icons representing military strength, both the hard factors of combat units and Jumpships, and the soft ones of logistical centers, command and communication, resource extraction, factories, routing…
 
"Thank you, Primus Wei." Minoru Kurita did not appear to sweat under the spotlight that highlighted him as the speaker. Everyone in the first ring was illuminated by such a light, though they were dimmed to half intensity when not speaking.
 
The Coordinator gestured to the display. "The first consideration that seems obvious to me is that we do not have the resources to drive the Clans from the our realms. Not completely, at least at this time. Even if we could deploy enough forces to bury them without taking catastrophic losses, something that may be attainable in the medium term, the shipping to move them is not available."
 
"The second," he added, "is the information we lack. So long as the Clan Homeworlds are unknown to us, even completely reclaiming every world in the Inner Sphere and the near Periphery would not eliminate them as a threat."
 
As the light around Minoru Kurita dimmed, another licked out to pinpoint Anastasius Focht, sat slightly behind and to one side of Primus Wei Rong. Other than her opening remarks, the Primus had said nothing so far, but she had tight control over who was speaking. Surprisingly, no one had complained yet, but Victor thought it was only a matter of time.
 
"While I will leave any discussion of the Coordinator's second point to the Explorer Corps upcoming briefing, I concur with his first point," the Precentor Martial confirmed. "Even including the full merchant fleet available through our Order, and using forces pre-positioned in ComStar enclaves, the number of JumpShip necessary for a full push across the occupied regions would at best mean depriving many of the less prosperous regions of the Inner Sphere of much of their JumpShip. At worst, key trade routes would have to be stripped which would then have a knock-on effect on the economies of the states here." He paused and bowed slightly to the Magestrix, who was flanked by the representatives of the Outworlds and the Taurians. "I specify the Inner Sphere intentionally, since I do not believe there is much, if any, slack with the shipping available to that of the more outlying nations present."
 
"I appreciate that no insult was intended," Jeffrey Calderon noted quietly.
 
"This leaves us with only a staged offensive, as an option," Focht concluded. "Retaking one region at a time with periods of consolidation until a satisfactory conclusion is reached. What that conclusion is, would be a political decision."
 
The light dimmed and this time another came on, bringing Christian Mansdottir into view from where he sat at the fringes of the Draconis Combine delegation. Rasalhague had not been extended the status of full membership, given their complete lack of any territory whatsoever.
 
"I am sure it will not surprise anyone that my recommendation is that we strike at the holdings of Clan Wolf and Clan Smoke Jaguar," the general asserted. "However, I am not suggesting that solely because it would free my nation from the Clans." He indicated the map. "We can all see here that the vast majority of the ComStar enclaves behind the truce line are within that region, and with the ComGuards deploying as part of a counter offensive, the chances of the Clans tolerating those enclaves is negligible. They also provide potential staging areas all the way back to the Periphery."
 
Victor looked at the map and shook his head, tapping the control indicating that he was requesting permission to speak. His parents had confirmed that he had their blessing to speak up, no doubt seeing this as an education in statecraft for him.
 
"A restored Free Rasalhague Republic would cut the Clans' occupation in half," Mansdottir continued, "And offer bases to strike well into the rear of the other Clans once the time comes for further campaigns against them. We know that Clan Wolf is currently weakened by the schism in their ranks, something that the Clans' recruitment practices mean they will need decades to recover from, while Clan Smoke Jaguar's destruction can and must be one of our primary long term objectives. If there is any Clan that we cannot co-exist with, it is the Clan who burned Reykjavik."
 
To Victor's surprise, just as the light faded out over Mansdottir, he was brought into visibility. Perhaps Wei Rong wanted to test his mettle as well?
 
"With the greatest respect to General Mansdottir, who has stated the advantages of his proposal," Victor pointed out, "The Clans' coordination with each other is minimal most of the time and we know they all have independent chains of HPGs back to their homeworlds, so they can communicate with each other whatever we do."
 
No one spoke up to disagree.
 
"I'm concerned that if we follow this plan," he continued, "That we'll find ourselves with a long salient that functionally doubles the borders we have to defend as we regroup before any hypothetical further advance. Please don't take this as meaning I'm reluctant to retake Tamar, Rasalhague or Alshain - those are all worthy goals, just as worthy as defending ComStar's enclaves. But that's going to have to come after we deal with some of the Clans on the flanks or we'll wind up overextended." Victor paused and spread his hands slightly. "Obviously there are arguments in favor of each flank, and I'm sure the Coordinator will politely disagree with me over which is best to start with."
 
There was a ripple of laughter as Victor tapped the control to confirm he was done speaking. When the light on him was gone he could see his father give him a pleased nod.
 
Victor enjoyed that warm feeling for a moment before Minoru Kurita spoke again.
 
"My brother has prepared a brief presentation on the advantages of striking first at Clan Diamond Shark," the Coordinator advised. "Perhaps once he has made his case, Prince Victor would make his own case. We can then consider which of the three approaches makes most sense and see if anyone has any alternative approaches."
 
When Victor looked over at his father, he saw Hanse nodding amiably, a crooked smile that proclaimed that everything was going to his plan.
 
Dammit, he thought. I've been set up. Okay, one quick and simple presentation. I just need to pretend I'm back at the Martial Academy…
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===Flaws in otherwise Good Plan of Attacks===
Unity City, North America
Terra, Sol System
30 May 3056
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Minoru Kurita was content to sit back and watch the faces around the inner circle of the conference as Franklin made his sales pitch.
 
That would have been an unfair way to describe it back in the Combine, but his half-brother had made serious money as a merchant, to the point that Chandrasekhar Kurita himself had praised him seriously rather than in insincere phrases. That was one very good reason for Franklin to front this… petition.
Because that was what it was, Minoru mused. The mighty Draconis Combine of his grandfather's day was no more. He and his people needed other's help just to protect their reduced borders, much less to regain worlds for the Dragon. That help would come at a price and Minoru knew that compared to some of the sharks circling, he was nothing but a minnow - unskilled and unproven compared to older and wiser rulers, and without any great accomplishments bar mere survival to make his name.
 
He saw Mitchell Avellar nod in appreciation as Franklin pointed out that a campaign against the Diamond Sharks should liberate the worlds of the Outworlds Alliance currently under clan rule, as well as those of the Combine.
 
Hanse Davion smiled amiably when the factories on Luthien and Irece were mentioned. Access to the Clan technology there should be a big draw and as little as Minoru liked it, he had no option but to offer an equal share to partners in a campaign… But the First Prince only smiled and said nothing.
 
ComStar would also likely be interested, but the Coordinator already knew that Wei Rong would defer any assessment of military value for others and wouldn't be personally moved at all. Which was unfortunate. Minoru thought it was decidedly unfair that the woman's mild temperament, excellent looks and evident intelligence put her squarely in line with all the criteria recommended for him to marry.
 
He certainly couldn't marry the Primus of ComStar. The mere proposal would be a catastrophe, probably worse rejected than accepted but barely. And how could he tell men twice his age that he wanted to marry 'someone like her'?
 
The news of some factional politics within the Diamond Sharks was Franklin's finale, and that did get a look of interest from Thomas Marik, but overall…
Well, one reason Franklin was making the pitch was that if Minoru was rejected it reflected more directly on him than if it was his brother that failed to secure support.
 
It was definitely the lesser prize though. Minoru had to make a deliberate effort to stay calm. The Clan on his border was overstretched for now, but they had shifted from expanding their dominion at his expense to seizing the hearts and minds of the people they now ruled. No, that was wrong. They hadn't shifted, they had been doing it all along, it was merely shrouded by their more obvious threat.
 
Worlds where the dragon had reigned unchallenged for seven centuries might now have to be forced back into compliance like worlds that had changed hands twice every century since they had first been colonized. Assuming that they could be taken back. Both problems were growing.
 
The focus shifted back to Victor Steiner-Davion, the short blond prince looking surprisingly calm after being challenged to present the advantages of a push against the Jade Falcons, Steel Vipers and Nova Cats with almost no warning. Minoru wouldn't normally have made that invitation but consent had come from the Archon by way of Omi and if it was a small favor to House Steiner… well, that favor would be repaid. Fools might doubt Melissa Steiner's steel, but he had no desire to be in that company, and Steiners honored their debts in much the same way that courtiers honored their grudges.
 
"Since Lord Kurita has done an excellent job of laying out the issues of a campaign," the prince began, "I won't belabor points he's already addressed. Given the interlocked occupation zones of the Falcons, Cats and Vipers, any offensive out of the Federated Commonwealth will mean engaging with the forces of three Clans." He took control of the map, highlighting the units identified for the three Clans in question.
 
"I consider this an advantage," Victor continued, jerking everyone's attention back to him from the map. "Because when the ComGuards move against the Clans, that will invalidate the truce line. We must assume that any Clans not engaged by us will see this as their opportunity to move towards Terra, given their goal of securing and claiming the title of ilClan."
 
Franklin cursed under his breath, and Minoru felt like doing the same.
 
"This means that we have to assume that any military operations we launch will require defensive forces along the other borders with the Clans," the prince said, gesturing up at the map. "Striking at the Diamond Sharks and perhaps the Ghost Bears as well would place two Clans on the defensive, but frees five to attack, meaning the Federated Commonwealth would need to commit the bulk of their forces against the four Clans we share borders with, and be largely unavailable to assist on the other front. However, if we are carrying the bulk of an offensive against these three Clans, this also threatens the currently weakened Clan Wolf beyond them. I don't mean to dismiss the threat posed by Clan Smoke Jaguar or Clan Ghost Bear, but as the Diamond Sharks are currently overstretched to deal with their expanded borders that means that they will likely commit only a relatively small portion of their forces to an advance."
 
The map focused on the jump routes between Camlann and Terra. Entirely too many of those worlds were in the crimson of the Draconis Combine… and Minoru had pulled much of the forces in that region away to buy time around New Samarkand and Galedon V. The defenses there were not in an ideal state.
 
The heir to the Federated Commonwealth gave them all a wry look. "We can't assume that the Clans will sit back and let us fight on our terms. Either way, this war will have to be fought on multiple fronts."
 
There was a grim silence, cut through as Hanse Davion began to slowly clap. "Well that drags the rug out from under us," the oldest of the Successor Lords told the room. "Back to the drawing board."
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===Welcoming the Next Generation===
Yamashiro, New Samarkand
Diamond Shark Dominion
31 May 3056
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Ace was flanked by his three Star Colonels as the new arrivals marched into the hall, all of them wearing dress uniforms. Formation marching wasn't the most critical of skills for a warrior, but it had its place and they were in a five wide column - each rank sent left or right to the seats waiting for them to either side of the central aisle. More than a hundred warriors, young and fresh faced. Almost all of them were proudly carrying two swords hung at their sides.
 
There had been a suggestion of armed guards for this meeting, in case the new recruits tried to use their swords to wipe out the Galaxy's command staff. Ace had given the idea thought and then dismissed it - he had to trust that four years of training had weeded out most, if not all, those with ambitions to still serve House Kurita to the point of suicide.
 
I'm twenty-nine, Ace thought as he looked at them. Ten years ago, I was even younger than them. I was… I wasn't even a Diamond Shark back then. It's another couple of weeks short of the date I beat Blake Hawker for a place in the Clan. It felt longer in some ways, sometimes he almost forgot that no one had called him Ace back then.
 
Other days those years seemed to have passed in a flash.
 
"Welcome to New Samarkand," he said once the warriors were all seated. "And welcome to Epsilon Galaxy. For those confused, the Ace Enders you may have seen in the media is an actor. I am your galaxy commander."
 
There was a whisper of "O-Same" from somewhere along the new arrivals. While few of them had the diminutive size of a Clan aerospace pilot, he knew that almost a third of them were destined for the aerospace trinaries. It wouldn't bring the trinaries to full strength but at least they'd bring Epsilon Galaxy's aerospace strength up above a hundred fighters.
 
The losses against the Alliance Military Corps had been concentrated among the aerospace arm. Epsilon Galaxy hadn't lost a dropship, but some of their transports would need heavy repairs and replacements were even harder to come by than pilots who had died to keep dropships from being taken down by the First and Second Alliance Air Wings.
 
There had been much glory for those pilots, and a death toll to match.
 
"You, all of you, made the choice I did," he told the warriors. "You chose Clan Diamond Shark. Some of you may have doubted this, but it is true that I was not born among the Diamond Sharks. Not even in one of the Clans. Ten years from now… one of you may be in my shoes, welcoming new warriors to the touman."
 
Probably not as Galaxy Commanders, unless policies changed wildly about bloodnames and the way that that enhanced one's prospects. But there were Star Colonels who lacked a bloodname. Some of the Star Colonels for garrison clusters were even freeborn and Ace didn't see that as being phased back. If someone excelled, then a frontline Cluster wasn't impossible.
 
And who knew what would change by 3066?
 
"Every Galaxy in the touman is associated with a valuable material. Gems, typically. But Epsilon Galaxy is associated with ivory. All of you were born in the Draconis Combine, I would be surprised if you did not know that this was one of the five pillars that House Kurita claim to revere: gold for themselves, steel for their army…" Ace smirked slightly. "Jade for wealth and prosperity, teak for education and scholarship and ivory for philosophy and culture."
 
"Nicholas Kerensky established five castes for the Clans. It is easy to equate some of the pillars to our castes. Jade for the merchant, teak for the scientist, steel…" He spread his hands, "For a warrior. Ivory is not such a good fit, some might say. But consider this: dead, ivory is a trophy. Traded for, carved and decorated. Used in many ways…. But what is ivory when it is alive?"
 
"Ivory is tusks, horns and teeth. Ivory is nature's weapon, something that grows stronger as long as it lives, as long as it is deep rooted. I encourage you all to do likewise: remain rooted, and grow stronger. All of you were shaped for more than a decade by your families, and then for years by our training. Now it is time for you to build on that. There will be many challenges, sometimes from the warriors around you, and sometimes from those outside our Clan."
 
Ace paused and then leant on the podium. "The latest news from Pesht should be of interest to you all. Our Clan was once named Sea Fox and we became the Diamond Shark when our enemies used sharks to hunt our totem almost to extinction. Yet in the waters of our new capital on Pesht - and yes, Pesht will be our capital now, we are moving all leadership functions from the Kerensky Cluster to the Inner Sphere - in the waters of Pesht, the Sea Fox is thriving."
 
That transfer included some of the younger sibkos. One of them, Ace had been told, using his own genetic legacy. The first Enders sibko created since the absorption. It was perhaps ironic that the patrilineal donor had been from House Hawker… Ace was relieved that at least it had not come from Ian Hawker. That would have been awkward.
 
"There will be a vote - not soon, but within the next few years once the matter has been sufficiently debated - over whether we should resume our original name. Does that matter? I suggest you think about that: are we to remain unchanged from the Diamond Sharks who have hunted the DCMS across the stars for more than five years, or will we change once more, adapting to these new waters. It will not be my decision, nor only yours. Because every adult in the Dominion who has pledged their loyalty to our Clan will have their say. That is our way: five Castes, but one Clan."
 
Ace stepped back from the podium. This was where he would hand over to the Star Colonels, each of whom would run through a list of the warriors assigned to them and tell them the specific assignments that had been decided upon.
 
However, before Angus Labov could take Ace's place, one of the warriors in front of them rose to his feet. "Galaxy Commander," he called out. "With your permission, I have been entrusted with a delivery for you."
 
That wasn't part of the plan, but the new warriors naturally wouldn't have been consulted. Hopefully this wouldn't be a suicide attack.
 
"You may step forwards," Ace allowed with a gesture for Angus to stay sat down.
 
The young man shuffled past one of his comrades to reach the central aisle. He was carrying a long black cylinder - it must have been on his back as he entered. Still, it was too large to have been missed on the way and there were guards outside - if only to ensure that no local dissidents stormed the palace.
 
With more reverence than Ace was comfortable with, the stocky pilot dropped to one knee before the dais, holding the cylinder flat on his upraised palms before carrying it up to the steps. The galaxy commander gestured to the podium, side-stepping. "Please come up here…"
 
"Satoru, sir." He obeyed, stepping to face Ace rather than taking the podium directly. Now he held the cylinder carefully in one hand before opening three clasps along its length. "Sir, I have been asked by the administrative council of Pesht to deliver this work to you, commissioned for your personal use."
 
Then Satoru flipped the case open. It split evenly, a foam interior holding the contents securely.
 
Each half held a scabbarded sword - katana below and wakizashi above. The scabbards were an off white color - Ace leaned in slightly and realized that each appeared to be made of ivory, perhaps even a single piece each. The guards were wrapped in blue and green thread, the guards, pommel and the end of each scabbard blued steel.
 
Realizing that he was holding his breath, Ace reached out and pulled out the wakizashi, bringing it into the view of everyone present. The guard, he saw, had a diamond shark chasing a fox, itself chasing the shark around the tang of the blade. A simple circle contained the two animals, completing the guard. When he drew the sword, it slipped forth smoothly, feeling comfortable and balanced.
 
Meeting Satoru's eyes, Ace was sure the man looked familiar. He sheathed the Wakizashi and thrust it, scabbard and all, through his belt before lifting the Katana from the case. There was something tucked beneath the blade, card crammed into the foam.
 
Holding the sword in one hand, seeing it was a perfect match for the shorter blade, Ace unfolded the card with his other hand.
 
Well, now he knew why the pilot looked familiar. The card was a simple photograph, showing a proud Satoru in full uniform at what had to be his graduation ceremony. And stood by him, looking awkward in the uniform of a Diamond Shark reservist, the swordsmith Suzuki Satoru, had one arm around the younger man. Side by side the familial resemblance was unmistakable.
 
"Your… father?" Ace asked quietly.
 
"My grandfather, sir." The pilot swallowed and then added: "He asked me to tell you… what he would not do for the man who slew his lord, he offers to the man who has given us our voice."
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===Few Stars to Guide them===
Unity City, North America
Terra, Sol System
1 June 3056
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Wei had wanted to open the conference with this briefing, but checking the numbers had taken a bit longer than expected and there was no way she was having someone stand up a couple of days later and say 'well actually'.
 
"Earlier in our discussions we touched on the whereabouts of the Clan Homeworlds," she informed the conference. "Today I would like to introduce Precentor Wu-Fei Tang, a member of our Explorer Corps, to discuss the search for those worlds."
 
The light on Wei dimmed and a new spotlight illuminated one of the seats in the ranks behind her. Since that made it rather hard to see Tang, Wei split her attention between his face on the small screen built into her chair and the presentation running in the center of the circle of seating.
 
A small map of the inner sphere and near periphery spun slowly, a fat wedge of space outlined in red rising up towards the galactic core. "Our starting position," Tang announced, "was the knowledge that the Clans had settled corewards of the Inner Sphere and a rough estimate of the distance."
 
The upper half of the wedge cut off. "Barring a change in the range of their JumpShips, which we have absolutely no evidence of and that the Wolf's Dragoons JumpShip crews would have had to know about, they could not be more than sixteen hundred light years from the edge of the Inner Sphere. Given our own explorations over the last two hundred years, which were," the Precentor admitted, "to some degree aimed exactly at finding out where Kerensky's fleet had gone, it was very unlikely that they were less than five hundred light years away."
 
The image grew slightly, focusing in on the wedge. "This left us an area rather considerably larger than the Inner Sphere to search. From there, our exploration ships have been trying to locate signs of Clan activity between one hundred and two hundred light years from the edge of the Inner Sphere."
 
A few lights appeared in the wedge, all more or less central to the region. "There has been a considerable amount of luck involved in finding the examples we have - a handful of JumpShip sightings, a recharge station and two planets where non-perishable goods are sometimes dropped off for later collection. However, the simple fact is that almost every hit was between the Clan's original invasion corridors and the galactic core, indicating that their homeworlds were probably similarly centrally placed to our search area."
 
Tang smiled thinly. "Given that Kerensky departed from New Samarkand and the Wolf's Dragoons arrived at New Delos, the anti-spinward region was always considered the least likely location." The wedge narrowed considerably, and truncated as the regions near to the Inner Sphere were also removed from consideration.
 
"And then," he continued, "We benefited through one person's valor." The map was briefly replaced by a head and shoulders shot of a blonde woman wearing a Rasalhague dress uniform. "Kapten Tyra Miraborg is, so far as we are aware, the only person taken as a bondsman who has traveled to the Clan Homeworlds and returned. Earlier this year, she managed to reach the HPG station on Rubigen and claim sanctuary."
 
Miraborg was replaced by the map, this time rotating into a full three dimensional view of the galaxy.
 
"During her time with the Clans, Kapten Miraborg took sightings on several prominent stars above the galactic plane," Tang told them all. "And she managed to smuggle that data back. The sightings are crude, but comparing them to our own maps we have been able to filter out errors - the result of her limited equipment, not any lack of competence."
 
Six stars were illuminated and lines converged from them to single out one spot on the display. "Based on the data we have, we are now confident that the Clan's Homeworlds are located here, behind the Caliban Nebula. We believe that the nebula is referred to in the Clans' Remembrance as the Veil of the Protector, hiding their stars from our direct observation." Tang smiled confidently. "However, the astronomical surveys taken by generations of Explorer Corps vessels gives us an excellent idea of where those stars are."
 
The shot zoomed in on the convergence of the lines. "We are confident that the world visited by the Kapten, named Huntress, is orbiting a G-type main sequence star, almost certainly one smaller than Sol. Our potential region of error as to its location is slightly less than a hundred light years and one former member of the Wolf's Dragoons has confirmed that Huntress is located near the center of what the Clans refer to as the Kerensky Cluster, a region only around two hundred and fifty light years across that contains the majority of Clan worlds, including their capital."
 
Three stars within that region pulsed brightly. "These are the only likely candidates to be the star that Huntress orbits. Unless the Clans have adopted a practice of operating under total radio silence in their homeworlds, any ship visiting at least one of these star systems should be able to identify by background signals, however indecipherable, which star systems in the vicinity have been colonized."
 
The display blanked and on her screen, Wei saw Tang bow. "In essence, the Clan homeworlds… have been found."
 
Archon Steiner-Davion was fastest on the request to speak, and she rose to her feet. "Do I take it, Primus, that ComStar is proposing that we strike directly at the Clans' Homeworlds? The logistics of this would seem more than merely challenging."
 
Wei waved her hand dismissively. "I am no soldier, Archon. I would not presume to suggest a strategy. With that said, the Precentor Martial was victorious on Camlann so if I may grant him the floor?"
 
The Archon sat down again and Wei gratefully let Anastasius Focht take the lead. She suspected that the tall, white-haired officer looked far more imposing than she did.
 
"In broad-strokes," he declared, adjusting his eye-patch, "the strategy that we propose is fourfold."
 
The map showing the Clan Homeworlds approximate location lit up again. "The first, if smallest, part is an expedition to confirm and map the locations of the Clans' Homeworlds. While this would ideally be carried out without being noticed, once this has been accomplished and Explorer Corps JumpShips carrying out their surveys are on their way back to the Inner Sphere with this data, the military escort will carry out a raid in force on either a single significant world - Huntress would be ideal if it can be found - or several lesser targets, demonstrating that we possess the capability to strike at their homes."
 
"This seems like a rather token gesture." Sun-Tzu Liao observed quietly.
 
Focht nodded. "That is correct, Chancellor. However, the Clans have little way to tell whether it is the first stage of a larger invasion. The mere possibility will force them to consider their defenses more seriously and divert attention from reinforcing their occupation zones in the Inner Sphere. In an ideal world, the mere threat might bring them to the negotiating table but I confess I find that possibility slim."
 
"It could also enrage them." warned Mitchell Avellar cautiously.
 
Minoru Kurita leant forwards. "They are already invading us, Lord Avellar. I believe we are beyond the point of worrying about provocation."
 
"Quite so," Focht agreed. "I believe that the bulk of our efforts should take place here in the Inner Sphere. Once more exact information on the Clan Homeworlds arrives, we may need to reconsider. There is an argument for not allowing the Clans to know that we have found their homeworlds until we can launch a more substantial attack, but the risk of our scout force being detected is sufficient and the logistical demands of a large scale attack so challenging, as the Archon correctly observed, that I feel it best to use surprise while we have it."
 
"Something to be discussed further," the Coordinator agreed. "And the larger parts of your plan - the other three-quarters?"
 
The Precentor tapped a control and the map moved back to the Occupation Zones. "Our plan proposes three multinational task forces be formed. Each would include a token force from all participants but the first would be built around the AFFC and it would have the objective of striking at worlds occupied by the Steel Vipers, which are mostly located in the anti-spinward regions, with the exceptions being relatively accessible in terms of distance. The goal would be to deprive the Clan of their bases here in the Inner Sphere, forcing them to either withdraw once more or to depend on other Clans for support."
 
"And if they have staging areas to fall back on?" asked Jeffrey Calderon suspiciously. "I recall some speculation to that effect."
 
"They do." Wei was not acquainted particularly well with the Federated Commonwealth official who spoke - Malloy, or perhaps Mallory? "But we have located them - two former Rim Worlds colonies. They have mostly been abandoned in favor of their headquarters on Inarcs, but they are viable targets."
 
Focht smiled thinly. "Clearly our Explorer Corps are not alone in seeking for the Clans' presence in the periphery. In any event, the second of these task forces - third, counting the raid on the homeworlds - would be aimed to similarly drive Clan Ghost Bear from the Inner Sphere. Their occupation zone is even more compact than that of the Steel Vipers and while it would be a salient, exposed on both sides to the Clans, it is considerably less so than the Smoke Jaguar occupation zone would be."
 
"And the fourth task force?" asked Candace Liao. She was sat next to her son, the seats for St. Ives quite some distance away from the Capellan places.
 
"The fourth task force would act as an operational reserve," the Precentor-Martial explained. "We have to anticipate that one or more Clans will push past the truceline, particularly once they are denied the use of our HPG services. The reserve would be used to counter-attack whichever Clan moves first to do that, as a warning to the others. In the event that we are fortunate enough not to have to face such an attack, the reserve can be employed to reinforce one or both of the attack forces, as seems best."
 
"The fact the plan calls for a reserve is a mark in its favor," Victor Steiner-Davion added. He had been 'promoted' to sit alongside his parents which made the front rank of the Federated Commonwealth table look a little packed.
 
"There would of course be considerable need for detailing the plan," Focht agreed, "And similar plans may prove better once our staffs have begun to evaluate them. Removing two Clans would significantly reduce the Clans' immediate strength and particularly in the case of the Ghost Bears it would provide well placed staging areas for operations deep in the Smoke Jaguar and Diamond Shark rears."
 
The Precentor Martial returned to his seat and Wei checked who wished to speak, picking out Emma Centrella. The Magestrix was one of the few leaders not to have made a comment so far, so it was fair she had her turn.
 
For all the Canopian reputation for hedonism, Centrella herself had a far more martial presence than her late mother - and more restraint in her ambitions. The Magestrix planted both hands on the table. "We will need some time to consider the Precentor Martial's proposal," she declared, somewhat imperiously, "So for now all I will say on that topic is that it is the most sound plan so far, though I remain open to alternatives. I would instead wish to raise another matter."
 
Wei nodded politely.
 
"While no one in this inner circle of seats has been so tasteless as to raise the elephant in the room," Centrella declared, "I am not deaf to the whispering in certain nations' delegations that this conference could herald the reformation of the Star League."
 
There was a moment for polite restraint, but in this case Wei simply buried her face in her hands. She would be lucky if the Taurians didn't pull out entirely just because this had been raised, never mind that it was one of their fellow Periphery leaders who did so.
 
"If anyone present does not know why I would have concerns about such a process," the Magestrix continued, "I am sure a cursory examination of the history of the Reunification War would clarify those reasons. My presence here is much in the theme of my ancestor's cooperation with House Avellar and House Calderon under the banner of the Independent Periphery States."
 
"That is clearly understood," Melissa Steiner-Davion conceded from her own seat.
 
"I do not believe this has been sufficiently stated," Emma Centrella stated. "So let me draw the lines clearly before anyone inadvertently crosses them. I am here to discuss a military alliance against the Clans. I am open to discussion of economic matters, since it seems foolish not to take the opportunity of our meeting like this. I understand that we may fight under the banner of the Star League, since there are few other symbols that most of those at this conference could agree upon." She paused. "And to close the circle, we will very likely need to choose - by which I mean elect - a Commanding General for this alliance."
 
"I do not believe anyone here objects to any of that, Magestrix," Kai Allard-Liao said quietly. "Where do you wish to draw the line?"
 
"If any of you bring up the position of First Lord," she replied firmly, "Then I and my delegation will return home. I didn't dethrone my mother just to be sucked into another bloody Succession War."
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Chapter 3-15