Realizing the reason for her anxiety, the Prince said quickly,
"Nothing has happened to Morgan, Kym. He's fine." The Prince looked beyond her toward the closed doors and Quintus Allard. "In fact, he's waiting to speak with me as soon as I have spoken with you, though he does not know you are here."
Relief flooded her pretty face, bringing back animation and color. "Thank you, Highness."
Don't thank me yet. Your feelings for him are obvious. How have they affected your mission?"There is no easy way for me to ask you this, Kym, so forgive my clumsy approach." He looked into her blue eyes. "Can Morgan be trusted with troops in the Capellan March?"
It pleased the Prince that she met his gaze without flinching. "Highness, if you have another subject who is more loyal and trustworthy than Morgan Hasek-Davion, you are unique and blessed among the rulers of the Successor States." Kym stopped as emotion choked her, and she turned slightly away.
Hanse granted her the time to recover. Wiping away tears with the sleeve of her shirt, she turned back. "Forgive me."
"Nothing to forgive, Kym."
She smiled weakly, took in a deep breath and calmed herself. "In my opinion, Prince Hanse, you have nothing to fear from entrusting troops to Morgan."
Hanse narrowed his eyes. "He's not had contacts with dissidents in the Capellan March? He's not anxious to take his father's place as their leader? The death of the Fifth Syrtis Fusiliers affected him deeply ..."
Anger flashed through Kym's eyes, but she stopped herself before letting it form into words. "Highness, you have no idea the conflicts Morgan has fought within himself over the years. His father's death hurt him deeply. The loss saddened him because he loved his father, and also because he realized his father was foolish and disloyal. Ultimately, Morgan accepted responsibility for his father's death because he believed he had not worked hard enough to bring the two of you back together."
Hanse shook his head. "There is no way he could have healed that rift."
"I know that," Kym said, "but Morgan doesn't see it that way. He's constantly struggling to atone for his father's mistakes and to prove himself worthy of the honor of being named your heir. The destruction of the Fifth Syrtis hurt him because it was another link lost with his father. More importantly, though, he knew that had he been commanding that force, he would have crushed McCarron's Armored Cavalry. It tore him up to think an idiot like Hartstone would embarrass you so."
Kym half-turned so she could see both men. "You have asked if Morgan has communicated with Capellan March dissidents. He has." She ignored the shocked looks on the two men's faces. "He's told them to go to hell. After his father's death, Count Anton Vitios pledged his personal support to Morgan. Morgan's reply was short and succinct: 'The Capellan March is now and forever shall be a loyal part of the Federated Suns. If you want to shed your blood on the altar of separatism, you'll find my hand on the knife.'"
Hanse saw the smile on Quintus Allard's face and it mirrored his own. "Your words, your tone, your eyes tell me that what you say is the truth." Hanse's smile grew as he felt a heavy weight falling away from his heart. "I've always hoped what you've said about Morgan was true, but I feared he might be his father's son in more than blood." Hanse crossed to Kym and rested his hands on her shoulders. "Thank you. I owe you a debt I can never repay you.' "
Her gaze searched his face for a moment. "There is something you can do for me."
"Name it."
Kym glanced at Quintus. "I will continue to work for you in the NAIS until the war is ended. After that, I will terminate my service with the MHO." She looked up into Hanse's ice blue eyes. "Never tell Morgan I spied on him for you. I love him too much to see him hurt that way."
Hanse smiled and enfolded her in a hug. "Neither one of us wants him hurt, Kym. Your secret is safe."
Pulling back, she smiled, then glanced down as tears rolled from her eyes. "When does he ship out?"
So quick, so smart. Your departure from the MHO will be a great loss.Hanse brushed her tears away. "You'll have tonight... Some of it, at least." He put an arm over her shoulders and gave her a squeeze as he directed her to the side door of his office. "From here, you can leave the Palace without Morgan seeing you."
Kym opened the door, then turned to the Prince again. "Morgan will do whatever you ask of him, or die trying. I hope this is worth it."
Hanse nodded solemnly. "It is. If he falls, the Federated Suns falls with him."
33
New Avalon
Cruris March, Federated Suns
6 August 3029
Hanse Davion accepted Morgan Hasek-Davion's proffered hand gladly. He met and matched his nephew's firm grip and pumped his arm strongly. He sensed in Morgan the ability and strength to crush his hand, but felt no concern. From what Kym just said, Morgan would strike off the offending limb before harming me.
Hanse waved Morgan to a chair. "Please, Morgan, be seated. I must speak with you about something urgent."
Morgan sat down, his long red-gold hair falling over the shoulders of his olive-drab jumpsuit. The fabric pulled taut over his massive chest, revealing the outline of a cooling vest underneath. He did not relax, but sat forward on the edge of the chair, following Hanse's pacing with restless green eyes.
Feet shoulder-width apart, Hanse clasped his hands at the small of his back, then turned to face Morgan. "I have a confession to make to you. Sixteen years ago, my brother Ian died in a war with House Kurita. Perhaps he was foolish to place himself in such jeopardy, but that was his right as the Prince of the Federated Suns. Right or wrong, his action left him vulnerable, and when he died, it placed me on the throne ..."
Morgan shook his head almost imperceptibly. "You don't have to do this, Hanse."
Yes I do, Morgan. As much for me as for you.As Hanse forced himself to smile, Morgan settled back in his chair. Hanse glanced at Quintus and bade him sit as well.
"Before that, I had never given much thought to ruling the Federated Suns because I was not raised for that job. I studied to be a military man, and I discovered, soon enough, that tactics and strategy mean little in the political arena. My brother's last heartbeat moved me from the world of battles waged in the open to a realm where you often don't see the attack until it's too late."
The Prince smiled at his nephew. "I never much liked your father, but I respected the hell out of his ability to create alliances and form power coalitions. When he and I struggled over who would actually sit on Ian's throne, I think my lack of guile threw him off. He spent so much time and energy looking for my hidden attacks that he let my frontal assaults weaken him. The only political lesson I had ever learned was that you can't fight a dead man, so I used the image of my brother's trust in me to keep a Davion on the throne.
"Over the years, I've learned more about politics, and the paranoia that made your father vulnerable began to infect me, too. I looked at you and took all the myriad signs of your loyalty and friendship for a facade hiding a possible plot for my downfall. I should have realized sooner, much sooner, that in you I was seeing the image of myself before Ian's death. I'm sorry it took so long for me to see."
Morgan looked down at his hands. "All I've ever wanted was to be a friend you could trust."
Hanse swallowed against the lump in his throat. "I know. For the record, I realize now that it wasn't my fear of your following in your father's footsteps that prevented me from giving you a combat assignment in this war. Nor was I afraid of what might happen were you captured or killed by Liao forces." He looked into Morgan's eyes. "The truth is, I couldn't bear the idea of losing such a close friend."