OPREF-2 Chpt 5

=Book 2, Chapter 5 - House of Cards=
==Opalescent Reflections==
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===Onslaught of the Dragon===
Imperial City, Luthien
Pesht District, Draconis Combine
9 December 3050
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Jeremy Hawker's command cluster had done their job and battered through the defender's immediate reaction forces. Behind them, three more clusters raced to exploit the penetration - Barbara Sennet led the Emerald Skate north, rolling up as many of the bunkers and combat vehicles as they could before the 'mechs were able to respond. Bikendi Vewas was with the Thirty-Fifth Cruiser Cluster as they swung south to punch into the oncoming Wolf's Dragoons companies.
That left the center, the road to the support facilities outside the Imperial City itself. The Twenty-First Assault Cluster crashed through a company of Tokugawa, Bulldog, and Manticore tanks, expending hoarded SRM and cluster munitions. 
 
Ace hopped his Stormcrow sideways to avoid a ramming attempt by a Bulldog and fired both PPCs down into the upper hull. The charged particles ate through the armor plating and into the tank's engine, bringing it to a complete halt.
 
A moment later, Ace's 'mech was rocked by another PPC, fired by a Manticore that was missing its tracks. Barely able to move on its road-wheels, the tank was still dangerous and Ace saw red lights appear on the display of the Stormcrow's left armor. The shot had ripped though hastily repaired armor plating on the limb. The electromagnetic charge overloaded circuitry in the arm and the PPC was out of action.
thumb|300px|Stone Rhino Assault 'Mech
A Kappa Galaxy Stone Rhino, still limping forwards despite the frontal slope of its armor pummeled almost out of recognition by artillery, opened fire on the Manticore with a total disregard for zellbrigen. The one-armed assault mech's pulse laser burned and pitted the armor above one of the wrecked tracks and then both Gauss Rifles slammed their slugs through the damaged hull and into the interior.
 
"Push on," Ace ordered. If they took out the support facilities then the DCMS would have little choice but to pull back into the city or even beyond it once their ammunition or armor was no longer fit for battle. He matched action to word, the agile Stormcrow leading the charge - leaving the remaining tanks to the survivors of Hawker's charge.
 
The morning sun glittered off something ahead, bright metal.
 
"'Mechs ahead," reported Julius. "More than a hundred."
 
"Are they gold?" Michel asked, incredulously.
 
"Aff," Ace agreed, remembering the previous briefings. The Dragon's Claws, the one regiment they had never even seen the entire battle. "Their final reserve."
 
A militia force, but the Combine's commander had never hesitated to expend militia against them before. If he had held this unit back, kept them pristine… they were either utter trash or a trump card held back for the most critical moment of the battle. He could not assume the former.
 
"Zeta-One," Ace snapped, "Can you get us air support."
 
"Neg, Alpha Prime." The Star Captain commanding the Twenty-First's aerospace trinary - and functionally every fighter left in Alpha Galaxy - sounded strained. "The enemy is firing cruise missiles in clusters, we believe they are emptying their reserves. We are fully committed."
 
If there was ever a moment for the Combine to break their own agreement against using nuclear weapons, this was it. "Fly well, warriors." Ace murmured and then switched to the Cluster-wide channel. "All mechwarriors, we are outnumbered two to one and these may be the Combine's elite. Remember, zellbrigen is not in force. We have no time to draw this out and there is no Cluster in the touman better suited to this battle. Concentrate your fire by Stars and drop them as fast as you can - we must level the numbers as quickly as possible. If you have a chance to finish a cripple, take it."
 
There was some mumbled Affs on the channel.
 
Ace understood where they were coming from. This wasn't what they, or he, had been trained for. "We serve the Clan." he reminded them. "How many warriors have you met in other Clans, who believe that the other Castes simply exist to support the warriors? And they are half-right: every caste has the responsibility to support the other four. That is our duty and this is our glory. If any of us find ourselves dueling today, it had better be an enemy deserving of that attention!"
 
The golden 'mechs were coming into clear view now, a loose line two kilometers wide. If there was something special about them besides the color, Ace didn't see it. But that meant nothing. For all he knew they might be suicidal, planning to ram into his 'mechs and blow up.
 
Actually, that was a real possibility, he thought sharply.
 
Before he could think how to voice that, someone else cut in, transmitting on the open channel that - by ancient tradition - all forces monitored for the chance to communicate offers of surrender.
 
This was no surrender though: "I am Takashi, son of Hohiro, son of Hugai, son of Shinjiro, son of Taragi, son of Yoguchi, son of Zabu, son of Minoru Kurita. I am the Thirtieth Coordinator of the Draconis Combine, the First Lord of the Star League and I am the Dragon. You have come here to die and I will give you that gift."
 
Ace let his systems pick out the source, hands tightening on his controls. "I am Galaxy Commander Ace Enders," he began and tried to remember his full lineage back to Wladimir Enders. Then he gave up. "I am a bastard son of a bitch."
 
There was a ripple of laughter from his warriors.
 
His heads up display highlighted a Grand Dragon as the origin and before the Coordinator could respond, he added, conversationally. "I was just telling my warriors that there was no one here worth challenging." Then, switching to tactical command, he continued: "Winnower formation."
At maximum range, the Clan warriors opened fire. Their shots slammed into the Combine formation a moment before the Dragon Claws could open up with their LRMs and lighter autocannon. Ace had - for a calculated insult - aimed for a Phoenix Hawk beside the Grand Dragon. The PPC shot severed the 'mech's right arm at the elbow, depriving it of more than half of its armament.
 
Then he was dodging wildly as the Combine's return fire lashed back at them. His anti-missile system swept most of the LRMs fired at him by the Grand Dragon out of the sky, only two struck home but the PPC shot came close enough to blister the dark-blue paint on his damaged arm.
 
A part of Ace noted that it must be at least a Star League era model to be able maintain beam cohesion at this range, but a far larger part was noting that the other mechwarrior was skilled - at least three Diamond Sharks had decided to try to win the glory of taking out the Coordinator themselves but he had danced the sixty-ton machine through the fire without taking a single hit. And he was laser-focused on Ace's Stormcrow.
Flaring his jump-jets the young Galaxy Commander skidded his 'mech to one side, avoiding the next shots from Takashi by a narrow margin. He spotted a Jenner jumping skyward, trying to avoid being hit until its short-range armaments were of use. Swinging his one working PPC aside, Ace sent a bolt of energy into the light 'mech's leg and the limb crumpled as it landed.
He was impressed to see that the MechWarrior managed to throw it over to put the bulk of its weight on the remaining leg and the Jenner crouched slightly to keep jumping forwards. Then Michel skewered it with two large pulse lasers from his Warhawk, one of the pulses finding the little 'mech's ammunition stores.
 
Splitting his attention cost Ace, for the next shots from the Grand Dragon were slightly better. His anti-missile system kept the missiles off him, but the PPC shot bit into the left side of the torso, and savaged the armor plating. A second hit there would probably burn through the protection.
 
There was no longer time to play around. Ace left Michel to focus on his own next opponent - the Steel Viper had requested custom pods when the order went out to switch to C configuration on Warhawks, trading off two PPCs for six medium pulse lasers that now tore through the frontal plating of a Hunchback. It didn't stop the medium 'mech from firing its autocannon, but a combination of recoil and the massive armor damage knocked it over.
 
Ace's own shot at Takashi's golden Grand Dragon only hit the ground as the old Mechwarrior stutter-stepped and dodged the shot.
They were close enough for the slightly larger 'mech to fire its one forward-firing laser and Ace raised his left arm to cover his cockpit, something that left most of the limb's protection gone. Not that there was anything left in it to fight with, but it would be more work for the techs.
 
The PPC shot missed Ace as he ducked the Stormcrow down, and he swiveled sharply, slamming a shot into the Grand Dragon's right leg. The PPC burned almost through all the armor on the leg.
The two 'mechs were of a similar size and speed, not to mention protection. Ace's jump jets gave him an edge in mobility but he'd already taken damage and the loss of the PPC meant that Takashi actually had a firepower advantage as they fought, the Combine warrior managing to keep in the sweet spot where his full armament was able to come to bear.
 
The anti-missile system chattered away but a few more missiles bit away at Ace's armor and he suspected he'd run out of flechettes for them before Takashi ran out of LRMs.
 
A sudden sharp twist of the Grand Dragon's torso reduced the damage taken from Ace's next shot to a glancing hit to its shoulder, while the PPC slammed dead center into Ace's mech, the damage control computer painting the armor around the gyro and the reactor orange.
 
Ace jumped closer but the Grand Dragon reversed course smoothly, backpedaling to keep range and avoid Ace's shot as it fired again - the laser in its left arm carving a gouge out of the Stormcrow's calf.
 
At least the PPC missed, Ace thought. If anyone ever complained about the older warriors returning to active service in the Diamond Shark touman, I should warn them of this one - he is in his eighties!
 
He was also conscious that after warning his warriors about getting drawn into duels, he was setting a bad example. In the spirit of compliance with his own orders, he feigned lining up a shot on the Grand Dragon and when the Coordinator dodged, Ace let the crosshairs drift to the side to let him nail a Quickdraw in the back.
The PPC blew through the thin armor just to the side of the spine and must have struck a missile bin. The explosion only gutted that side of the 'mech - suggesting that it had been almost empty of missiles, or had been refitted with cellular storage.
 
"Your battle is with me!" Takashi Kurita snarled over his loudspeakers and darted forwards to cover the Quickdraw with his Grand Dragon.
 
That brought him back into Ace's sights and he triggered his PPC a second time, a hair after the Coordinator fired.
 
The anti-missile system spat more flechettes, cutting down the LRMs before they even had time to arm - the two leakers did nothing at all to the Stormcrow. The same could not be said for the PPC and laser, which reduced the upflung left arm of the omnimech to a stub.
 
In return, Ace's own PPC struck the angled left flank of Takashi's 'mech and left a brutal, blackened scar in the gold painted armor. His battle computer reported that the armor that remained was badly compromised - and from his own knowledge of the refits being carried out to restore captured units to service, Ace knew that the primary ammunition storage was located on that side of the chest.
 
Takashi must have been similarly aware and unused missiles cascaded out of the back of his 'mech as he ejected the munitions rather than have them go off and cripple him.
 
Taking the opportunity, Ace tried to pull away from the duel but Takashi followed him and their speeds were well matched. One advantage of his 'mech having lost a PPC was that Ace's cooling system had been able to almost entirely dissipate the heat of firing the other as fast as it would cycle. Takashi's Grand Dragon had its own formidable heatsinks though, and he was similarly able to keep fighting almost indefinitely. The two traded shots ineffectually as they raced through the battle, almost ignoring the 'mechs around them.
 
Golden Dragon's Claw 'mechs were falling, but dark blue Alpha Galaxy omnimechs had joined them. Some elementals were clawing over fallen 'mechs as they tried to stand. Weight of numbers against weight of machines - Ace admitted to himself that there was little difference between the two forces in skill.
 
And then suddenly the pair of them were alone, the sprawling melee behind them as Ace saw a low wall ahead of him and beyond it ornamental tiled walls. The Imperial City - he had bypassed the targeted facilities entirely in the chaos and stood closer to the center of Kurita power than any other Clan warrior.
 
The impact of Takashi's PPC shot into the right side of his Stormcrow's chest forced him to address the more pressing concern. Now neither side of his chest could sustain another hit from the weapon unless he wanted to risk internal damage.
 
Ace spun and weaved, feathering his jump jets as he snapped a shot into the golden Grand Dragon. He was aiming for the damaged left side of the chest but the old Mecharrior twisted and managed to take it on the largely intact frontal armor plating.
 
The two began to circle, Takashi moving to block Ace from the city. That was fine with Ace, the city would be a deathtrap to advance into alone.
 
Another exchange of shots that missed.
 
Twisting, turning - Ace slammed another PPC bolt into the dead center of the Grand Dragon's chest. Through blackened and scorched armor he could see what he thought were structural members and the reactor shielding of the 'mech.
 
The other mechwarrior raised his PPC and as Ace stutter-stepped to avoid it, he brought up the left arm and fired the medium laser into Ace's evasive move, shaving away much of the armor over the Stormcrow's right side.
 
Reversing course, Ace and Takashi fired almost as one, the two bolts crackling past each other.
 
Myomers tore away as Ace's shot shattered the remaining protection on the Grand Dragon's right leg, but in the same instant Takashi's shot crashed directly into the armor glass over Ace's cockpit.
 
Sparks flew and fuses blew around Ace. For a moment he thought the safety systems would force an ejection, but no. The glass cracked and broke under the hammerblow, but they did so as they were designed to and the bulk of the energy vented itself into the framework.
 
Ace exhaled and the next breath he took tasted of smoke and the fresh morning air. His cockpit was halfway open to the elements and only the reassuring purr of the reactor told him that the Stormcrow still lived.
 
He saw the Grand Dragon turn, aware that it had come close to killing him and aiming to deliver a coup de grace.
 
"Not this time." he hissed and twisted the Stormcrow away, bringing up his own PPC.
 
The shots from Takashi set fire to the grass where Ace's mech had been standing, but there was no reply from his own weapon.
 
Unbelieving, Ace pulled the trigger again before a glance at the damage control panel told him the cause - the fire control computer itself was damaged - somewhere between his controls and the weapon, the message to discharge the PPC was failing.
 
The computer was rebooting automatically, which might solve the problem or might not… but he had no time!
 
It could not have been more obvious to Takashi that the Stormcrow was deprived of any functioning weapon and he limped his Grand Dragon closer, aiming to fire a decisive salvo from so close that it could not possibly miss.
 
Jamming his feet down on the pedals, Ace fired his jump jets desperately.
 
He had never tried this before, it wasn't something anyone trained for - but he'd seen Inner Sphere pilots attempt it twice.
 
Takashi recognized his intention and the Grand Dragon tried to jerk aside. Perhaps it was the damage to one leg that slowed him, or perhaps he had calculated that the idea would not occur to a Clan mechwarrior.
 
Ace would never know the answer - but the blazing jump jets poured fire over the Grand Dragon's cockpit for a fraction of a second before one clawed foot found purchase and the Stormcrow came down with its full weight upon the self-proclaimed First Lord of the Star League.
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===Communication Difficulties===
CSJ Streaking Mist, Kaesong
Clan Smoke Jaguar Occupation Zone
6 December 3050
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When Leo Showers entered the small lounge, the occupants stood respectfully. It was increasingly evident that failing to show respect could have weighty consequences.
Ask Lincoln Osis, who had been assigned command of a solahma cluster… on Rasalhague. Given the utter loathing that the population felt towards the former Khan, that was a death sentence. It was only a question of how many people died in the process of killing him. He wouldn't die easily… but they only had to succeed once, while Osis would have to survive an essentially unlimited number of attempts on his life.
 
Sarah Weaver hid her anger at the ilKhan and folded her arms silently.
 
"We have barely begun our sixth wave of attacks," Showers said quietly. "No other clan is so laggardly."
 
"The Diamond Sharks are only attacking a single world," pointed out Kincaid Furey. The new Khan, elected to stand above Sarah Weaver, would hopefully fall as rapidly as his predecessor. His claims that she and Hoyt had failed to restrain Osis were empty of any evidence that he would allow them to restrain him, but they'd split the vote enough for him to emerge as a compromise candidate.
 
If the ilKhan hadn't warned her he would look poorly on a trial of position for the slot… She seethed quietly.
 
Furey sat back in his seat. "Our logistics are complicated by slow communications," he continued. "Too many messages have to be sent by jumpship rather than HPG."
 
That it was an excuse didn't make it false, but the ilKhan shook his head. "Do not whine to me of problems, Furey. I came here to hear solutions."
 
"We need more HPGs." the Khan said simply.
 
Edmund Hoyt scowled. "You know the timescale for being able to provide those ourselves. I discussed it with you last week. The Diamond Sharks' defensive bidding is very high - they know how valuable they are to everyone right now. And the other Clans that can build the key components are following their lead."
 
Furey nodded. "Then we must have access to the ComStar HPGs."
 
"Taking them will not work," Sarah said flatly. "We tried."
 
"You mean you tried?" Showers corrected her bluntly. "Do you have a plan, Furey?"
 
"It is unpalatable," the man admitted, looking disgusted, "but Kerensky's measure granting ComStar the status of a Free Guild means that we will have to… appease them."
 
"I never thought I would hear a Khan of Smoke Jaguar say that." Hoyt snarled.
 
Sarah unfolded her arms and shook her head at the loremaster. "I hate it as much as everyone in this room, but we are trapped. Our first priority must be getting out of the trap. We can take revenge after that."
 
The ilKhan nodded approvingly. "The other Clans are leaping ahead. Even the Diamond Sharks - focusing on one world is acceptable when it is such a valuable world."
 
"We hold a national capital too," Furey almost whined.
 
Showers scowled. "I am well aware, Furey. And of what it cost us. Luthien is an even grander prize and I doubt Barbara Sennet will humiliate her clan the way your predecessor did." His eyes narrowed. "Alshain had better fall smoothly - it is almost nothing compared to Luthien but it would at least rival the Wolves' victory on Tamar."
 
"It is not as if we can make use of most of Rasalhague's facilities." Sarah noted.
 
The loremaster spoke up as peacemaker. "The world that matters is Terra and getting there is what we are here to discuss. I take it there will be no problem with attacking ComStar there when the time comes, ilKhan?"
 
That got him a nod. "While it is a distant prize and we need their HPGs, a vote would be… questionable. But once it's right in front of our noses? Then I can be sure of an overwhelming majority vote in favor of allowing an attack by any Clan within reach."
 
"And in the meantime," Sarah mused, "There is our more immediate concern with ComStar. What do you have in mind… Kincaid?" She would be damned before she called him her Khan.
 
Furey brought out a datapad. "I have a list of cities on worlds we have occupied where ComStar has an HPG station or some significant building. Discounting the ones that are already inside their enclaves, almost half of them are problem areas for our occupation forces. I propose to offer them to ComStar as enclaves - the cities and everything for perhaps ten kilometers around them." He wiggled his hand slightly. "Details to be negotiated for the specific cities, of course."
 
"Giving up territory that our warriors have fought for?" protested Hoyt.
 
"If it gets us the HPG use again, then it will be worth it," the khan told him. "Simplifying our garrisons will be worth it and we will control the vast majority of the worlds. What is a few hundred square kilometers compared to the vast wealth we have won?"
 
"It is a foot in the door," Sarah warned. Then she shook her head. "But the idea… it has merit," she admitted reluctantly. "It depends on the Primus or whoever negotiates being as venal as one of the Scavenger Lords, but that is not unlikely."
 
"Less likely than you may think," Showers told her. "I refuse to underestimate Wei Rong - ridiculous name. I will not underestimate her again. Remember Furey: she told us we must compensate Rasalhague's eople as well as her Order."
 
"If she does accept then it would drive a wedge between ComStar and the remaining worlds of Rasalhague," Hoyt noted. "She would be accepting territory they say is theirs, as if the trials we fought did not count for anything. Likely she would not want that - after all, ComStar claims to be neutral."
 
Sarah mused over the prospect and saw that none of the other three had any suggestions. "Perhaps offer the same but not to ComStar," she suggested at last.
 
"What are you talking about?" Hoyt asked. "Who do we offer it to?"
 
She gestured sharply. "Set aside some part of each world we conquer and say that those there can live under their laws, not those of the Clans."
 
"Outrageous!" Hoyt exploded.
 
"ComStar's enclaves do not follow Clan law," she pointed out, "So it does not differ much from your proposal. Clan Wolf have done something of the sort on Gunzburg so there is precedent."
 
"And when they are used as a foothold for fighting us in the future?" asked Furey.
 
Sarah shook her head. "They would have to disarm, we can call them… oh, something that makes it clear that we still provide their military power."
 
"A protectorate." Showers suggested. "Yes, I see the logic. And allowing civilian dissidents to relocate would make other areas more stable. My main concern is that it may lead them to believe we have been defeated somehow."
 
"Why do we care what they think? We are conquering the Inner Sphere. This is simply a temporary measure."
 
Furey hesitated. "How so?"
 
"We plan on establishing our own HPGs," Sarah reminded him. "Once we have done that, are you planning to allow ComStar to keep their enclaves, quineg?"
 
"Neg," he said. "Of course not."
 
"So at that point, they have no bargaining power. And we will know exactly where the dissidents are on each world." the saKhan pointed out with a feral smile.
 
"Aaaaaah." the Khan exclaimed in sudden understanding.
 
Showers nodded. "Your plan would have that advantage as well, Furey. As well as the chance of causing division between ComStar and the remains of Free Rasalhague. Follow your original plan, but if the Primus declines - as I expect - then Khan Weaver's plan is a reasonable fallback."
 
Of course, he sided with Furey, Weaver thought. Had Showers backed the other warrior because he thought Furey was easier to control? He was ilKhan of the Clans, not Khan over the Smoke Jaguars!
 
"Now that we have that settled," Furey noted smugly. "There is another matter I would value your opinion on. Our invasion force has received an unusual response from Sheliak."
 
Showers frowned. "I do not recall the Watch reporting any significant defenses on that world."
 
"Aff… which may be why they are proposing to conduct the trial by way of a sporting event."
 
Sarah scowled. "That would normally be acceptable. What is the problem?"
 
"The bidding to provide a team for this match of football has been spirited," the Khan admitted, "But it is not as if we have brought the appropriate equipment. Star Colonel Nevvarsen suggests obtaining the equipment locally, but since they will not accept a trial of possession for that, he would require local currency. And since ComStar is also declining us banking services, he would either have to sell some of the equipment or supplies aboard his dropships or wait for us to ship some to him."
 
Although she could think of at least two solutions, Sarah decided that she did not want to draw Showers' attention. He seemed to be in the mood to kill someone and the repercussions if she killed the ilKhan would be… unpredictable - and likely bad for her.
 
"Signal Star Colonel Nevvarsen with our HPG," the ilKhan instructed. "I will use the Streaking Mist to take him the currency personally. I assume we have some aboard?"
 
Furey nodded nervously.
 
"Let him know that I expect three things: a very conservative cutdown, that whoever wins will play scrupulously within the rules of this game… and that the enemy be crushed completely." Showers emphasized the last two words, clenching his fists. "Whether it is the battlefield or the playing field, no one is to be left in doubt that they stand no chance against Clan Smoke Jaguars."
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===Fallout of Luthien===
Hilton Head, North America
Terra, Sol System
10 December 3050
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Almost all of the First Circuit were present only as holograms in the meeting chamber. With jumpships busy moving ComGuards towards mustering points in enclaves between Terra and the Clans, it wasn't feasible to carry out the usual command circuits for transportation.
 
"Precentor Luthien," Wei opened the meeting. "I have your last report, but I appreciate that the circumstances are changing rapidly. Please can you outline the current situation?"
 
Andrew Norris looked as if he hadn't slept in days. "Takashi Kurita is dead," he reported flatly. "Diamond Shark forces are taking control of the Imperial City."
 
Wei Rong had a sudden mental image of Clan forces moving through Geneva here on Terra, Crimson on Canopus IV or even the small town she had grown up in. It was an unsettling possibility, though none of those settlements were currently under threat. Better than seeing them obliterated like Reykjavik but still nothing she wanted to experience.
 
She suppressed the urge to suggest relocating ComStar's headquarters to Canopus IV and indicated that the floor was open for Precentors' questions.
 
"Are you sure?" Joe Murphy asked. The other 'militant' leader of the First Circuit usually got along well with Norris, even though his role involved working closely with the traditional enemy of Norris' posting. "Fog of war can be…"
 
Precentor Luthien shook his head. "We have footage - advantage of low buildings in the Imperial City and the height of the HPG station is that we have a fantastic field of view over the city. We have positive identification of Takashi Kurita's Grand Dragon taking a DFA to the cockpit right outside the city gates."
 
"Pardon, DFA?" Tiger Lily didn't have a military background.
 
"Death from above," Norris told her. "A 'mech jumped on top of him."
 
Faces blanched.
 
"We're ninety-five percent sure it was the same mechwarrior who killed Hohiro Kurita," he continued. "I imagine the ISF will be doing everything they can to avenge the Coordinator, but that's secondary at this point."
 
"So Theodore Kurita is now Coordinator," concluded Joe Buckley. "Everything I have heard about him says he's an able military leader which is what the Combine needs at the moment."
 
But Norris shook his head. "That's not clear. We know he took the field personally, but we don't know if he's dead as well. I'm trying to establish that, but there's been no claim from either side so far."
 
Tiger Lily leant forwards. "Who takes over if he is dead? He has two other children."
 
Wei nodded. "His younger son Minoru is on New Samarkand - the Combine was setting up a back-up capital there once it was clear Luthien would be either attacked or raided. Based on intercepted communications, if Theodore does not re-establish contact with the rest of the Combine by a set deadline, Minoru will declare himself Coordinator before the end of the month. We don't have the exact date, much of this is inference - we all know how Kuritan officials hate to get to the point."
 
"And the daughter?" asked Murphy, looking over at Norris. "What happened to her?"
 
"She was in the city, but her current situation is also unknown. We assume that she's been evacuated from the vicinity by now, but at the moment we don't have confirmation. I'd expect some attempt to get her offworld but at the moment Diamond Shark warships are nearby so that would be risky."
 
"Are the Sharks encroaching on the Luthien compound?" asked someone from the back row.
 
"No," Norris replied. "They are maintaining a distance of at least a block from all of our facilities, which will get awkward if they find the infantry platoon that's gone to ground in the building facing the old MRB building."
 
"Why do we even have an MRB building on Luthien?" Wei asked him in bemusement. "The Combine doesn't hire mercenaries?"
 
"They may be reversing that decision," he noted. "The Dragoons and Hounds turning up was made much of in an understated fashion. But to answer your question, we were renting the building out for a while and then I've been using it for administrative overflow. Luthien was never set up to run the Advocate's office for the Combine."
 
"So has Luthien fallen to the Clans, or just the Imperial City?" asked Buckley. "It's the capital, of course, but if the Clans somehow reached Castle Davion I'd expect House Davion to fight on from the rest of New Avalon."
 
Wei stepped up before Norris could speak. "On the same note, is there a coherent command structure you're in contact with?"
 
Norris lowered his head in thought. "Almost all of the DCMS heavy combat equipment was devoted to the defense of the Imperial City, on the basis that if they could break the Sharks' attack there then it wouldn't be needed elsewhere. Unfortunately for the Combine, almost all of them have been lost. My best estimate is that they have the equivalent of a single regiment of battlemechs scattered around the area in penny-packets, along with a larger force of infantry and armor. Tai-sa Asano of the DCMS is trying to pull them together but it's too early to say. Even if he does, that doesn't compare to the force that the Diamond Sharks can bring to bear. I expect it will take months before the Diamond Sharks can call Luthien fully pacified, and they will need to retain some of their frontline forces there to achieve that - but the only question is how heavy the losses are on both sides, not the outcome."
 
"And the industrial facilities?" asked Murphy. "If they were captured by the Sharks it would potentially solve a great deal of their logistical issues."
 
"The majority of the military factories were demolished by DCMS combat engineers and their own workers after the death of the Coordinator." the Precentor informed them. "However, those are primary sites - assembly and a few key components such as weapons. Secondary sites like myomer manufacturers, for example, have either been missed or simply haven't been got to yet. We anticipate that there will be skirmishes over the next few days and weeks as the Diamond Sharks race to capture them before they are destroyed. Infrastructure and basic extraction industries are largely unscathed so the Sharks will have a fundamentally functional economy to work with, just one without most of the military production that the Combine had here."
 
"Something that they could replace given a few years," Wei noted thoughtfully. The simple fact was that the Clans were technologically sophisticated and would certainly be able to build entirely new factories. Even the Successor States were able to do that, the last decade had seen many factories being constructed to replace those lost over the previous two centuries.
 
She turned to Precentor New Avalon. "Is the Federated Commonwealth likely to take advantage?"
 
Buckley considered the matter for a moment and then shook his head. "There are certainly voices that will advocate it, but I do not think Hanse Davion would approve it now. With troops and supplies being moved out of the Draconis March, Duke Sandoval would be hard-pressed to take significant action alone."
 
"Are you sure of that?" asked Rachel Orchard. "They could move forces from the Sarna and Capellan Marches that haven't been stripped similarly."
 
"The reasons that those Marches are still maintaining their readiness have not changed," Buckley told her. "Both the Capellans and the Free Worlds aren't directly threatened by the Clans and whether it's realistic or not, there are concerns that they might strike if the Federated Commonwealth looked weak."
 
"While Joshua Marik is being treated on New Avalon, his father will not take such action," Orchard - Precentor of the Free Worlds League capital of Atreus - said definitely.
 
"House Marik's record of tightly controlling their provinces is poor," Wei observed. "And Romano Liao is unpredictable. Besides, we do not want conflict between the Combine and the Commonwealth at this time." Or ever, but she had to play to the audience.
 
Buckley nodded slowly in agreement. "The question may become more pressing if there is perceived to be a power vacuum. If Theodore Kurita is confirmed as dead, that would be a blow to the Combine's credibility. The critical issue is whether the remaining Warlords fall in line with the new government on New Samarkand. A civil war would present an overwhelming temptation."
 
Wei paused. "And in that case, what would you expect?" she asked.
 
The balding precentor rubbed his chin. "In that case I believe James Sandoval would mobilize at least the Robinson Rangers and the Draconis March Militia to push for the pre-Fourth Succession War border. Some pretext such as securing the factories on Quentin and Marduk for supplying troops facing the Clans might be offered, but the cause would be territory. As for how such a collapse would affect the forces facing the Clans…" Buckley shrugged helplessly.
 
"And Hanse Davion would have the choice of condemning one of his most important nobles or endorsing the attacks," Wei continued. "Given that his brother died fighting the Combine, I doubt he'd be predisposed to object at that point."
 
"Particularly when it would be wildly popular across the Suns." Buckley agreed.
 
Murphy snorted. "And in the Lyran half of the Federated Commonwealth as well. There are spontaneous celebrations going on, whether Melissa Steiner-Davion approves of them or not. Luthien being attacked is two enemies fighting each other - even on Tharkad there are banners proclaiming 'whoever loses, we win' and such sentiments."
 
"I would not be surprised if things are happening here," his counterpart agreed wearily. "I have not seen them myself, but any sympathy for House Kurita is a tiny minority even with a common foe."
 
Wei nodded. "We will do what we can to support Minoru Kurita," she announced. "Or his father, if Theodore is found. Any intelligence regarding secession or revolt against them is to be forwarded to New Samarkand HPG as a priority so DRUM can look at ways to leak the details to the ISF. The Diamond Sharks are one thing, but if the regiments facing the Ghost Bears and Smoke Jaguars collapse then they will race across Benjamin and Dieron Districts to reach the old Terran Hegemony."
 
"Do they have the resources to do that?" asked Tiger Lily in concern. "I had understood that their logistics were under strain and they have certainly taken a few reverses - minor ones for now."
 
"The addition of two new Clans may just be the beginning," Wei told her. "Our sources suggest that Clan Ghost Bear is committing a force at least twenty percent larger than any other Clan so far, and they aren't occupying worlds back to the Periphery. If they advance as quickly as the Diamond Sharks then that would place them as near to Terra as Ashio by the end of next year."
 
"At least our neutrality should protect us that far," Precentor Luthien observed drily. "Although that's worryingly close to Terra."
 
Wei nodded. "We must consider the possibility that the current agreement with the Clans may not hold up. The Precentor Martial and I are discussing options to defend Terra. At this point, the weight of argument seems to be that if we must take military action then it should be done before they get close to Terra."
 
"I absolutely agree," Tiger Lily said flatly. "Terra must not be placed at risk."
 
Murphy folded his arms. "However, there is also the matter of our enclaves on worlds occupied by the Clans. I am not necessarily opposed to fighting the Clans, but if we are seen as their enemies they will drive us from their Occupation Zones and we would be in no position to evacuate the HPG staffs with our fleet supporting an active military deployment. Not to mention the general populations of the larger enclaves."
 
"It is a weighty question," Wei agreed heavily. "I will be glad to consider suggestions made to resolve this. I do not desire a military conflict but one may be forced upon us, and if that is so then we have an obligation to see it done with the greatest possible chances of success."
 
More than twenty precentors looked at each other, as if wondering who would be the first to speak.
 
Rather than waiting, Wei raised one hand. "Think upon the matter and consult with your staffs. If you have questions on military plausibility, each of you has a liaison officer from the ComGuards available. You may expect scheduling instructions before the end of the year to assemble on Terra so we can discuss options, although it will be February or March before we can all meet in person."
 
She sighed. "In the meantime, we will continue to engage with the Clans. In particular, Clan Smoke Jaguar have approached our Order with an offer of restitution towards both us and the people of Rasalhague. Details should be reaching you now. I am not entirely pleased with the offer, but realistically we can only keep the Clan interdicted for so long before they react in ways beyond our control."
 
Razing every HPG station they could reach would do nothing to help the Smoke Jaguars, but at this point it was hard to say that it would make their communications issues worse. And it would kill tens of thousand of ComStar members - tens of millions if you counted the residents of the enclaves…
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Chapter 2-5