SotU3 Chpt 33

=Chapter 33=
==State of the Union - Book 3==
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Sarghad, Trell I
Clan Jade Falcon Occupation Zone, Federated Commonwealth
February 5th, 3068
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Sabine Steiner welcomed her officers to the briefing room in a subdued tone, something that their faces showed they had picked up on.
“Do we have new orders?” asked Juan Villanova-Petain. The armor officer looked as tired as Sabine felt. He’d been visiting the hospital, from what she remembered of his schedule.
His hover cavalry had turned the battle for Trellwan, racing through mountain caves too small for ‘Mechs and presumed too rough for combat vehicles, to cut the Jade Falcons off from their base and the cross routes that allowed them to shift a reserve of strength between the various mountain passes. They’d kept the Falcons penned up long enough for the Skye Rangers to punch through and win the Trial of Possession - but it had cost them equipment and lives. Neither could be replaced right now, and like any good officer Villanova-Petain felt the latter harder.
Louizio Martine-Holm shook her head. “I just hope we’re getting the regiments back that we left on Goat Path.”
“It’s on the cards, but not just yet." Sabine told them. “Currently the shipping is prioritized to freeing up the units ear-marked for hitting Wotan and Tamar.”
“We’re not that far from Wotan." the infantry officer pointed out. “Certainly nearer than the Eighth Deneb Light Cavalry were.” Sudeten was being stormed by Victor Steiner-Davion, which only left Wotan as the hub of what remained of the Jade Falcon occupation zone. They still held other worlds beyond the Dark Nebula, but Wotan had been the lynchpin for their operations at the coreward end of their territory. It was their last reasonable base they could launch counter-attacks from. Without it, they’d need to build up facilities elsewhere. A problem for the next war, not this one. Assuming the Falcons even managed to hold onto those worlds.
“That would be why the Fourth Skye Rangers were tapped. The Eighth Deneb Light Cavalry have the use of Word of Blake jumpships. Do you want to be nursemaiding Blakists?” asked Villanova-Petain.
Martine-Holm winced. “No thanks. I heard some nasty stories.”
“We’ve received an announcement from the Archon-Prince." Sabine informed them, not wanting to get into gossip about their allies. “It came with specific instructions that all units are to show it to the troops within twelve hours of receipt, unless operational needs make doing so impossible. The planetary media are to run it within twenty-four hours, assuming we have access.”
“Which we do." Villanova-Petain noted. The Jade Falcons had kept Trell I’s electronic media under their direct control and even expanded its scope in some ways. As little as Sabine liked to admit it, there were some ways that the Falcons had done better by these fringe worlds than the Federated Commonwealth had. Not many, but some.
“Which we do." she agreed. “It may have particular significance for our Hussars, so I felt it best that you should watch it here and raise any concerns you had immediately.”
“Concerns?” asked Martine-Holm thoughtfully. “That sounds ominous.”
Sabine considered warning them and then decided against it. “See for yourselves." she said instead and activated the projector.
The banner of the Federated Commonwealth appeared briefly and was then replaced by the image of the Archon-Prince. Unusually for an official statement, Peter Steiner-Davion did not speak from the throne. Instead he was standing on a balcony, backed by an evening view of a steep-sided valley, all snow and pines - some of the mountains of Bremen, Sabine thought although she couldn’t place which of the royal residences it might be. Resarius perhaps? She knew Peter liked the place but she’d not been there more than a couple of times.
The First Lord wasn’t wearing his usual dress uniform, just a heavy sweater and pants under a cloak that was probably necessary to keep him warm - balconies weren’t really recommended during a Tharkad winter. His face was serious, perhaps even grim. Sabine understood why and she was sure her officers would soon. “My name." he declared - perhaps for the sake of the billions returned to Federated Commonwealth rule over the last year, <<“Is Peter Steiner-Davion. I am the Archon-Prince of the Federated Commonwealth and I am the First Lord of the Second Star League.”>>
<<“While I did not begin the current war with the Clans, I am responsible for prosecuting it. On my orders, hundreds of thousands of soldiers have gone into peril. It is to their enormous credit that the war is going so well. I realize that that must be little comfort to those who have lost family members, or who are seeing their sons and daughters, husbands and wives return home with serious wounds. All I can promise you is that the end result of this will be the chance of peace and security that the Federated Commonwealth has not had for almost twenty years.”>>
The Archon-Prince paused and shook his head. When he looked into the holo-camera again, his eyes betrayed anger. <<“It was my intention to return to the frontlines after the Star League Council’s meetings. While I have been strongly advised not to take to the field in the manner of my brother - or of our late uncle - I can at least take up a forward command post and free other officers to take the lead. Unfortunately, circumstances have conspired against me.”>>
“Well thank God for that.” Martine-Holm shook her head. “I’m sure he’s a fine mechwarrior, but if he dies then who takes over - his kooky older sister or the younger one that’s head over heels for Sandoval?”
Sabine paused the recording and glared at her infantry commander. “That is not funny, Louizio. Aside from them both being my cousins, this is not the time.”
The other woman looked at her and then nodded in apology. “I’ll be good." she promised, shoulders straightening at the prospect of the implied bad news.
A touch of Sabine’s thumb on the controls resumed the replay: <<“I’m sure many of you have heard theories about my sister Catherine. That she is a clone or that the woman who usurped my brother’s throne is the clone. That they are one and the same. That I murdered the usurper on New Avalon and that the search for her is a fraud. Some of those I can dismiss, other questions remain unanswered. This situation has now been complicated by a very narrow escape as she returned to New Avalon. Late last year, an attempt was made to replace Catherine with a doppelganger. A plan that would have doubtless led either to another secession or to the assassination of myself and Yvonne before the imposter could be discovered.”>>
Villanova-Petain began to pray under his breath or perhaps curse. It was hard to tell.
<<“Through courage and resourcefulness - including the supreme sacrifice from a very brave woman - the plan failed. Not, unfortunately, before my sister suffered... My sister suffered torture at the hands of her captors.”>>
There was an explosion of outrage from Sabine's staff. She paused the recording, waiting out the angry words - although they hardly had the time for Martine-Holm's red-faced fury to abate. It wasn't as if Sabine didn't understand the reaction.
Once she felt that the words could be heard, she let the message resume. <<“I cannot, in good conscience ask her to take up her previous responsibilities until she has recovered and so my sister Yvonne will be returning to New Avalon as regent while I must remain upon Tharkad.”>> Peter's words were clipped, a bubbling anger visible but contained by iron self-control.
<<“That, of course, is not the end of this matter. We have captives… and we have the body of the imposter. The captives point to Free Skye… something that may be considered plausible by some given the poor relations between my immediate family and our cousin Robert Kelswa. However, despite my deep disagreements with both the movement and my cousin, anyone can claim to be acting on another’s behalf, or be misled as to who is funding their activities. Tthe imposter’s body offers profound testimony as to another’s involvement.”
“It has been my unfortunate duty to order the arrest of my cousin, Marshal Richard Steiner. He will face questioning under the direction of the Senate, both on this matter and to explore the reasons that he and his mother elected to support the woman who once called herself Archon-Princess. We must establish if this imposter is that same usurper, for blood tests confirm her as Richard’s daughter. A daughter whose existence he hadn’t shared with the rest of House Steiner.”>>
Peter seemed to relax - slightly - now that he had got that off his chest. <<“I have no intention of attempting to turn the Federated Commonwealth into some sort of police state. There is no indication that this is anything more than a few power-hungry schemers seeking to promote themselves at everyone else’s expense. Were it not for the potential consequences, I would not feel it necessary to announce this to you. I assure you that all possible precautions are being taken to ensure that no scheme like this succeeds... and that those behind it face justice for their crimes. Thank you, and god bless you all.”>>
The image vanished.
“...that’s your uncle, isn’t it?” asked Martine-Holm quietly. “Richard Steiner, I mean.”
Sabine nodded quietly. “My mother’s youngest brother.”
“I mean… that doesn’t mean you’re involved. There are a lot of Steiners.”
“This message was the first I’d heard of it… but if I was involved, that’s what I’d say, isn’t it?” She shrugged, trying to pretend she was reconciled with the issue. “It’s possible I’ll be relieved to assist LIC with their investigation, in which case you’ll need to take over, Juan. Possibly without much notice.”
“This is going to hammer morale." her second-in-commander muttered. “****** idiots - what were they thinking?”
“Assuming that it was Kathrine - and if so, she’s dead and good riddance!” Sabine realized she had probably been to vehement there and reined herself in. “Assuming that it was her, probably some variant on ‘mine-mine-mine’. I didn’t really spend much time with her but when you look at what she did and not her charming personality, she was pretty much incapable of recognizing when enough was enough.”
If this tanked her career, Sabine was probably going to call on her family connections and petition for the right to kill Richard personally. After his fairly disastrous tours of duty in Skye and Bolan she likely wouldn’t be the only one asking but it never hurt to try.
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