BtH8

==Chapter 8 - By the Horns==
------
Celestial Palace
Forbidden City, Sian
Capellan Confederation
October 11th, 3025
----
Maximillian Liao stroked his long mustache as he listened to the panicked voices of his advisors—of his younger daughter. Even Pavel Ridzik, the Senior Colonel who commanded the Capellan Confederation Armed Forces in Maximillian’s name, even Pavel had succumbed to his fright. The Chancellor frowned—perhaps I need to rethink certain assignments; perhaps it is time for dear Pavel to retire. Permanently, he thought with a smile.
However, there was one present who was not chattering inanely; one who showed no signs of panic; one whose studied face was deeply in thought—and the Liao smiled.
“Silence,” he hissed. And at his command, the chaos faded away, with all eyes upon the high Throne upon which the Liao sat. Max stroked his mustache again and he frowned upon his court. “So the Taurians have managed to locate and salvage a long-dead WarShip—and upon this news, my Court, my Advisors, my finest Military Professionals scamper like mice fraught with despair at the coming of a cat.”
No one spoke, but several looked down, ashamed. That number did not include his daughter Romano, whose fear disappeared, replaced by anger. Good. “You should all be shamed by this—we are LIAO. And if the Taurians now have a WarShip, it matters but little. Candace, your thoughts?” he asked, and he smiled as Romano jerked in fury.
“Celestial Wisdom, the report from our merchant vessel indicates that this ship is at least partially active. It jumped into the Taurus system and proceeded under its own power to orbit. Now, whether the Taurians have the manpower to crew, and fight, such a leviathan—trained personnel who can learn to operate and maintain such ancient systems—that is another story.”
“Indeed. And having consulted Our archives, this particular class of ship relies quite heavily upon munitions—munitions that are no longer produced anywhere in the Inner Sphere. Or the Periphery States. It is a threat, true, but not an existential threat to either the Confederation or the House of Liao.”
Max leaned back against his throne and he closed his eyes. “The additional information from our agent, that this ship carried with it a complete Data Core,” and Maximillian smiled, “ah, but that is the more important of the two.”
“A Taurian Core,” muttered one of the Advisors. “Periphery trash, nothing more.”
“So you believe, Colonel Sedgewick?” Max asked. “Need I remind you that during the Age of War, the Taurians were a power with which to be reckoned—it required twenty years for the full might of the Star League to defeat. They had, at that time, a Navy second only to that of the Terran Hegemony. Consider what might be contained within that Core—and how the Confederation can make use of it.”
“Attack Taurus?” snapped Pavel. “Celestial Wisdom, such an undertaking . . . ,”
“Where one can not attack directly and openly, Colonel Ridzik, it may indeed be possible to attack indirectly . . . and covertly,” interrupted the Chancellor. “Major Riese?”
The commanding officer of the Death Commandoes smiled. “At your command, Celestial Wisdom.”
“You will coordinate with Maskirovka assets—but you shall be in command. You will infiltrate Taurus and you will secure for Us Our property which Thomas believes is his alone. The resources of the Confederation are yours for this—use them wisely, Major Riese.”
“Understood, Celestial Wisdom,” the officer replied with a deep bow. “If it proves impossible to recover Your Core, Sire?”
“If I cannot have that technology, then neither shall Thomas Calderon, Major Riese. If you cannot obtain it for me, then destroy it.”
“And their vessel?”
Maximillian smiled. “A secondary priority—concentrate on the Core, but if the opportunity presents itself, such a technological treasure trove would be more fitting in Sian orbit than cloistered within the distant Hyades. Understand me, Major,” the Chancellor said firmly as he cast his gaze down on the officer, “the ship is nothing more than a toy—a sideshow. Your first priority is the Data Core—that vessel is only a consolation prize in the grand scheme.”
“Understood. If we have the opportunity to take or destroy it, however, . . .,” Riese began and the Liao smiled grimly once more.
“Yes. If the opportunity arises and if you have acquired or destroyed the Core, then the WarShip itself you may retrieve—or render useless. To that end, I shall grant you one of our special weapons. Make certain it is put to good use, Major.”
Gasps arose from the Court—even Candace was shocked by the ease at which the Chancellor had just given permission to the Death Commando to utilize a nuclear weapon. Maximillian Liao leaned back against his throne, and closing his eyes, he smiled as he slowly stroked his long and elegant mustache.
----
Previous Chapter - Return to Story Index - Next Chapter
Category:By the Horns Chapters