Part 3: The AllianceCOREY
SARNA MARCH, FEDERATED COMMONWEALTH
OCTOBER 3036
Dan liked the compound here on Corey just fine. There was a 'Mech simulator game in the rec room that wasn't too big for a kid to use. He and Jake Khumalo played against each other whenever Dad and Nini came here to hang out. The game wasn't programmed to simulate an Excalibur, but there were a lot of other good 'Mechs. Dan liked the Awesome and the Griffin a lot. Both were cool, but the Awesome was a little easier to use.
This time, right in the middle of their fight, Jake's Marauder stopped and just stood there. At first Dan took advantage, but then he realized there was something wrong. Jake wasn't even in his seat. Everyone in the rec room was quiet, crowded around the screen.
Dan got up. The news anchor was saying, "Here we have the first still photos since the bombing. Notice the scars on the Captain-General's face. Thomas Marik, alive and assuming control of the Free Worlds League..."
Dan came up next to Dad. Nini Khumalo was shaking her head. "That's impossible." She turned to Dad. "Geoff, it's impossible. We saw his--"
Dad coughed loudly, and for some reason Nini shut up at once. "I guess we didn't see what we thought we saw," he said.
"Why are you talking weird, Dad?" said Dan. "Who is that guy?"
"That's the new Captain-General," said Dad. "He used to live on Earth, you know. Your mom was his doctor for a while."
"Was he a good patient?"
For a moment, Dad looked almost as if Dan had hurt his feelings or something. Then he said, "He wasn't her favorite."
Geoff excused himself early that night. Not her favorite patient. He wondered how he would ever find the way to explain to Dan the circumstances of Audrey's death. It could wait--would have to wait--until the boy was old enough to understand.
He locked himself inside his office. His little library was coming back together here; only a few of the books had been on the DropShip when the Purists fled Earth. He imagined ROM adepts going over the collection he and Audrey had kept, looking for something. Geoff didn't even know what.
But he knew they wouldn't find it. He took a hardbound volume from the shelf. JOURNAL, the side cover said. Keep it always, she'd told him. Maybe it can keep you safe.
He'd been through it all, and had no idea what she was talking about. But it had something to do with Thomas Marik, he was sure of that now. How could the man be alive?
For what felt like the thousandth time, he paged through the journal. Came to the very matter-of-fact section that detailed Marik's treatment, before the bombing. He sighed, turned his reading light on and poured a cup of coffee. There had to be something here.
When he saw it, he leapt to his feet, knocking the chair over behind him. The page numbers. They were out of sequence on all the pages describing Marik's treatment.
The odd phrasing of these pages was another piece of the puzzle. "After which, was CXC administered..." Hardly Audrey's ordinary style. There was something else going on here, some sort of code or cipher she was using. A hidden message in the journal.
He went to his desk, took out his camera and began photographing pages.
DECEMBER 3036
When he turned seven, Dan began fencing lessons. John Taggart was his instructor. Dad was probably better than John--he seemed to win most of the time when they fenced against each other--but maybe he thought it would be easier for Dan to take instructions from John. Anyway, John was a lot of fun.
Mostly the lessons just involved Dan learning to stand and take steps with his feet in a weird sideways position. "The footwork will feel strange for a while yet, but it's very important. Standing sideways shows your opponent less of your body, so there's less for him to hit. And if you want to use a saber, which is the weapon most of the Excaliburs use, you won't be allowed to cross your feet."
Sometimes John would tell him stories. "Your dad and I met through fencing, you know? We were with the Dioscuri at that time, but it was a big unit and we'd never met. But some officer who fenced as a hobby decided to hold a tournament like the Excaliburs have. And your dad and I fenced each other for the gold medal. I never expected there'd be someone else that good with the Dioscuri. After that I had someone to practice with."
That sounded nice to Dan: someone to practice with. "Can Jake Khumalo take lessons too, John?"
"I don't see any reason why not." So from then on, Jake joined them once a week. He was very serious about it, as he was about most things. Dan wondered which of them would turn out to be better with a saber.
MARCH 3037
"Wake up, Kenner."
Geoff went bolt upright. His bedroom was still dark. Where had the voice come from? A woman's voice, familiar...
The lights went on. Blinking against the sudden brightness, he made out a female figure near the door, a gun in her hand. He knew her. ROM adept Christine Briggs.
"Your little boy has grown since the last time I saw him," she said.
Geoff rose threateningly to his feet.
"What's wrong, Geoff?" said Briggs. "Are you surprised we can get this close to you? You shouldn't be. And no doubt you can understand why we'd want to. You killed a ROM adept."
"Who tried to kill me. I'm surprised you haven't tried yourself."
"I want to see where we stand, first."
"All right." The tension twisting in Geoff reached its peak. It was time to see what the diary was worth to ROM. "You were Audrey's 'bodyguard,' Briggs. Did you know she kept a diary?"
The ROM agent kept a careful poker face. "Did she?"
Geoff pulled the book off his shelf and handed it to Briggs. "Open it to the center."
Briggs thumbed through for a moment, then closed it. "You can't possibly decipher this."
"I bet Davion's DMI could, though. If they had it."
"So they don't have it? That's very smart, Geoff." Briggs held the book up in one hand. "This is a dangerous thing for you to have."
"Seems more like an insurance policy to me."
"It's just another reason for us to want you gone."
"I don't know about that. What would you do in my position, Briggs, if you had a book like that? Make a few copies? Pass them around, with instructions about where to send them if you ever happen to disappear? That's what I'd do."
"I see." She put the book in a small shoulder pack she wore. "We'll see what Audrey had to say. For now it doesn't change anything either way. What I came to tell you is, you're our man now. That's the price of your life and the other lives that matter to you."
"Your man? ROM's, you mean?"
She nodded. "You may have heard, there's a covert war on. The Federated Commonwealth is trying to purge our people from its territory. Now we're fighting back. I'll have tasks for you, eventually. In the meantime, you'll let me know if anything of interest arises on Corey, via an HPG address I will leave with you. If you contact the DMI, I'll know about it and the deal will be forfeit."
Geoff nodded slowly.
"You agree?" she said.
"Yes." At least it was a way to buy some time.
APRIL 3037
Dan tugged Nini Khumalo's sleeve. "Why is everyone out here to see this landing? DropShips come in every day."
Nini leaned back on the fence. She smiled and rolled her eyes. "But not the legendary Blazing Aces."
Dan frowned. It sounded like she was joking. He'd grown up on Dad's stories about the Aces, Gideon Braver's heroism and the liberation of Ander's Moon.
Nini laughed again. "Don't get me wrong, the Aces are heroes. It's just that knowing your father as long as I have, you get a bit tired of hearing stories about back when Geoff and John used to run with the Aces."
A roar sounded from the sky above, and Jake Khumalo tapped Geoff on the shoulder. "Look!" The Leopard DropShip appeared out of the clouds, trailed by its own cloud of darker gray exhaust.
When the ship was down, its bay doors rolled up to reveal the 'Mechs inside. Dan and Jake could see two of the 'Mech bays from where they sat. One was a BattleMaster--Dan recalled that Tank Smith piloted a BattleMaster for the Aces. At first Dan thought the other 'Mech was a BattleMaster too. But it was too big, and instead of holding a PPC its right hand was empty. The box-shaped missile launcher on the 'Mech's shoulder was gone, and in its place was a much larger drum-shaped launcher.
"Wow," said Jake. "What's that thing?"
"Gideon," said Geoff, "this is my son Daniel and Nini's boy Jake."
Dan and Jake had apparently planned what to say here. They looked at each other, nodded, and then in synch they both saluted. "Welcome to Corey, Lieutenant Braver!"
Gideon Braver saluted back. "Thank you, boys." He turned to Geoff. "Is anyone ever going to start calling me Vandenburg?"
"That's like asking people to call Mark Twain Samuel Clemmons," said Geoff. "It's not going to happen."
"Who's Vandenburg?" said Dan.
"Nobody," said Geoff. He bent down to a little girl who seemed to want to push her way out in front of Braver. She looked about five--two years younger than Dan and Jake. "You must be Maria."
"Maria
Vandenburg," she declared.
"All right, all right." Geoff laughed. "You get to be a Vandenburg." He pointed to Jake and Dan. "As you can see, Duchess Vandenburg, I've assigned two young MechWarriors as your escort while you're here on Corey. Let me know if they meet your approval."
That settled the pecking order among the three kids--Maria immediately took charge of the boys. The kids wandered a little ways in the direction of the DropShip, losing themselves in the world of pretend.
"Three birds of a feather," said Braver, looking pointedly at Geoff and John with a smile. The same could be said of the three men--Braver and his two old lancemates.
He'd been born Gideon Vandenburg, of course, and now held his rightful title, Duke of Ander's Moon. All of that meant little to Gideon, and even less to Geoff. What did mean something was the combat they'd faced together under the colors of the Blazing Aces, and the fact that Gideon was one of the finest MechWarriors--and by far the finest lance-level tactician--that Geoff had ever served with.
John Taggart put his arm around Braver's shoulder. "What brings you here, LT?" That's what they'd always called Gideon in their days with the Aces. The difference in their ranks now seemed ridiculous; John and Geoff had always seen Braver as their superior, and they always would. But the Blazing Aces were a lance-sized unit, and a lieutenant led a lance. "And what," John added, "is with the BattleMaster's big brother?"
"That's what brings me here," said Braver. "I'll let the engineer explain."
"The engineer?"
Geoff and John followed Braver into the Leopard's cramped briefing room. The ship had been cleared of crew by now; only the engineer was waiting for them inside.
She was a trim, businesslike woman somewhere in her 30s. "Kelly Celeste," she said as she shook hands with the Excalibur officers.
On the briefing room's viewscreen she projected an image of the 'Mech Taggart had called the big Battlemaster. With this closer look Geoff realized that the large gun barrels slung under the 'Mech's armpits were particle projection cannons. Two PPCs and twenty LRM tubes was an impressive long-range arsenal.
"This is the last operational prototype of the Alliance," said Celeste.
"I feel like I've heard of it before," said Geoff.
"You may well have, if you followed the press leading up to the Fourth Succession War. The prototype Alliances were produced by NAIS as a misinformation campaign intended to deceive the Commonwealth's enemies about the date of the impending war. The military press spread the story that a new assault 'Mech was in the works, intended to be the spearhead of the next Succession War. The Combine and the Confederation were meant to conclude that the war was years down the road, since we weren't rushing the new design to the factories.
"The propaganda worked," she said, "and the invasion of the Sarna region came as a surprise to our enemies. The Alliance was never intended to see the light of day. But one of the prototypes, the 2A, was one hell of a 'Mech. I've been trying to get the thing into production ever since. It was my baby; I designed the modifications that worked out the weaknesses in the original Alliance chassis."
Geoff raised a skeptical eyebrow. "I can't believe Hanse Davion would leave an effective BattleMech on the drawing board."
"The earlier prototype that was most extensively tested was nothing special. And the whole budget allotted to the Alliance was spent on the prototypes and the information warfare campaign. There was nothing left for production, so the bureaucrats checked their boxes and filed the design away."
"You're here to see if Hollis will produce the thing."
"We're here to demonstrate what it can do," said Braver. "The Corey factory is right on the front with Liao. You're certain to see action here. Give the Aces a subcontract, and we'll take the Alliance into battle."
"Once the Hollis people see the Alliance fight," Kelly Celeste said, "they'll be breaking down NAIS's door for the blueprints."
Geoff glanced at Braver, then back at Celeste. "And you have NAIS's official permission to demonstrate the thing in real combat?"
Her face took on a devilish expression. "As far as you know, I do." As Geoff began to balk, she waved her hand dismissively. "There's a paper trail. It'll hold up well enough to exonerate you if anyone above my paygrade gets uppity."
Braver grinned eagerly. "Shall we talk terms for the subcontract?"
John Taggart had been stewing in his seat. He kept glancing at the hologram of the Alliance. The man was a connoisseur of assault 'Mechs. He'd piloted everything above eighty tons, and bragged about it constantly.
"Term one," said Geoff. "John gets to pilot the Alliance."
Braver erupted with laughter.
Afterward the two commanding officers toasted their new arrangement in Geoff's apartment. "It's going to be odd being the one giving you orders, LT," said Geoff.
"You'll get used to it," said Braver. "Anyway, I won't be a lieutenant much longer."
"The Aces are expanding?"
"I've had the money set aside for a few years now. We've recruited most of the warriors we need and we're just beginning to order the 'Mechs. The payoff from this contract will be the safety net, in case unexpected costs arise."
"Well, congratulations, Captain."
Braver waved off the sentiment. "It's nothing next to what you've put together."
"It means nothing unless I can keep it together."
"This is a fine regiment, Geoff. It could be one of the best in the Sphere, in time. I don't think you have anything to worry about." Braver managed to turn the last sentence into an unspoken question: was there anything to worry about?
"More than you know. At first I imagined ROM might let us go. I hoped. But they won't. I'm supposed to be their spy now, Gideon. Their informant. Helping the people who murdered Audrey."
Braver put a hand on his friend's shoulder as Geoff let his head slump. "What about the diary you found? That must be some leverage."
"Some, maybe. I can't tell how much it matters to them."
"If it didn't matter, they'd have killed you already. Don't you think?"
"Maybe."
"Geoff," said Braver, "you have to tell them about the Alliance."
Geoff looked up at him. "What?"
"Report to them about the prototype. They'll probably find out anyway, eventually. If you don't go to them about this important piece of tech that's landed in your lap, they'll know you aren't loyal."
"You don't know what ROM is like, Gideon. They hate the idea of the Successor States coming out of this dark age. They'll try to steal it, or destroy it."
"So we'll handle that, if it comes. The point is to buy you some time. Tell them, Geoff. The Aces and the Excaliburs can handle ROM together."
"All right. But there's no reason I have to give them your name, Gideon. I'm keeping the Aces out of it, if I can."
MAY 3037
The general quarters alarm here was obnoxious--Geoff Kenner almost hit the ceiling. He could hear Dan crying in the next room over. He'd have had to wake the kid up anyway, he supposed. Geoff had promised himself a while back that he'd never go into battle without saying goodbye to his son.
When Geoff came into his room, Dan stopped crying immediately. "You taking the Excalibur out?" he said.
"Yeah." Geoff hugged him.
"Don't let the bad guys get too close."
By the time Geoff made it to the HQ, there were surveillance videos already running on the screens. Nini Khumalo was there already, along with Leftenant General Wilcox. Wilcox was Geoff's CO; the Excaliburs were integrated as a temporary second regiment of the Corey SMM. Geoff liked her all right.
His first thought was to check the markings on the DropShips. "Those are McCarron's ships."
"First Regiment," said Nini. "They've dropped 'Mechs east of the Hollis facilities, with what looks like a pick-up zone ten K behind."
Geoff looked to the general.
"We'll get between them and the 'Mech plant," she said. "You hit the ships at the pick-up zone. Salvage is yours, Colonel. Do this right and you can scavenge a DropShip or two."
She'd taken the safer assignment for her own troops, but she was right about the salvage. To a young merc unit with too few ships, the risk was worth it. It's a deal, General, he thought.
Geoff had only just strapped into his cockpit when the call came. He kissed his photo of Audrey for luck, and then he heard the speaker crackle. It was Anita Chu Lai, captain of the Excalibur company that had been on patrol closest to the MAC landing site.
"Just heard from the scout choppers, sir. They're on their way back to their ships. I think they realized we've nipped this in the bud and are ready to get out. You'll never get here in time."
Geoff felt his shoulders slump. He wouldn't even see a fight today. It was relieving and frustrating, both at once.
John Taggart came on. He'd been in the field test-piloting the Alliance. "Geoff, my lance is closer than our main body. I can intercept one of the enemy lances. We still have a chance to show the Hollis observers what this 'Mech can do."
Geoff activated his strategic display. The enemy lances were somewhat dispersed, but still... "I don't know, buddy. Whichever lance you go after, they'll be able to call for help fast--a lot faster than we can get any help to you."
"Not as fast as I can kill them in this thing. Trust me, Geoff."
Geoff wasn't especially inclined to tell his old friend when he could and couldn't put his own ass on the line. "All right, you have my permission to engage."
He watched the display as John's lance moved into attack range of an enemy trooper lance. As the engagement began, another two McCarrons lances began angling in Taggart's direction. Geoff sighed. "You have about three minutes before reinforcements start showing up, John. Get this done fast and get out."
