"Oh, Highness, I misunderstood." He glanced back at Andrew, eyes begging for someone to confirm the lie he was about to tell. "I thought you meant one of ourDropShips. Rainstorms always affect my hearing . . . you know, Liao . . . our—the words sound so similar. I thought you were testing my loyalty to the Prince, Highness."
While Vebber was pleading for his life, Andrew noticed that the expressions on the faces of a number of the operators showed hope that Morgan would pull the trigger. Hell, it looks like a Maskirovka hit team could get directions to Vebber's office from just about anyone in this company.
Morgan held the gun on Vebber, letting the man blubber on until he realized no one believed his outlandish story. "I understand your confusion, Mr. Vebber," Morgan said, pointing the pistol toward the ceiling. "You were correct that I am not Prince Hanse Davion, nor am I my father. I was sent here to do a job. No one and nothing will stop me."
With those words still echoing through the command center, Morgan Hasek-Davion turned on his heel and left to accomplish more important work.
* * *
Though the Kathil Militia Reserve auditorium was less than half-full, Andrew felt as though it were packed to bursting. It's the anticipation and fear. It radiates off all these MechWarriors like heat from a BattleMech.Seated in the front row, Andrew felt the pressure increase as Morgan Hasek-Davion stepped behind the podium to address the crowd.
Morgan's green eyes swept over the assembled MechWarriors. Hanse Davion's heir nodded slightly, his smile communicating his approval to those gathered in the room. He glanced at the sheaf of notes on the podium, then set them aside. When Morgan looked up, his red hair framed his head like a mane. He gripped the edges of the podium with strong hands and leaned forward to speak. "This is a meeting that historians without number will study and remember. We are the metal to be heated in the crucible of battle and shaped into something incredible—or desiroyed on a cold anvil named Kathil. Our old lives end here and now, shed like a snake sloughs its skin, to give birth to a legend."
Morgan straighted up, head high. "Many of you may believe that glory and fame can only be won on the front with the Capellan Confederation. You may be thinking that your failures in that theatre are the reason you've been transferred to a backwater like Kathil. You wonder if this is a kind of punishment, as history marches past you, leaving you in the dust of obscurity. This, my friends, is an error of the greatest magnitude because everything, everything,in this war hinges upon what we do here on Kathil."
Morgan opened his hands to encompass his whole audience. "We know from impeccable sources that Maximilian Liao has sent a force to destroy this world. Liao, like an animal blinded by mortal pain, is striking out in desperation. He does not realize that in hitting Kathil, he will repeat the gross errors of the First Succession War.
"That war, as everyone knows, resulted in destruction so widespread that mankind has not yet recovered from it. Kathil, this jewel of lostech,is a prime example of the pitiful consequences of such intemperate assaults. One of the jewels of the Star League because of its JumpShip production, the planet was nearly destroyed by successive Liao attacks. Only with great effort and expense has the Federated Suns been able to enhance production in the past few years. Orbiting overhead are factories that produce JumpShips, yet nowhere within the Succession States do we have the knowledge of how and why JumpShips work. We are children assembling kits, with no idea how to improve the parts we use. Because of the First Succession War and the slaughter of the intelligentsia that accompanied it, mankind has been in decline for 250 years."
Andrew nodded his agreement with Morgan's words. It's true. I've seen specs for my new 'Mech, and I've seen the same data for a Star League model for myMarauder. Even after 300 years, one of those antiqueMarauders would make mine look sick.
Morgan paused long enough for his words to sink in. "I cannot tell you much about the troops we'll be fighting because we only have our intelligence service's best guess on what to expect. I do know it will be at least one full battalion, and probably two. I expect over half the troops to be elite MechWarriors. Their aim will be to destroy the four major geothermal generating stations on Kathil. Our job is to stop them."
The flame-haired Mech Warrior pointed toward the section of seats occupied by Redburn's Delta Company. "With us, in this effort, we have Captain Andrew Redburn and his Delta Company. These double-dozen MechWarriors have already fought enough battles to end every war, defeating their opposition every time. They are specialists in close-assault tactics, and while they normally use light 'Mechs, some will be piloting heavier 'Mechs for our operation."
Over to the right, Morgan pointed to a small knot of fifteen MechWarriors seated near Captain Alanna Damu. "This is the Omega Company of the Fifth Syrtis Fusiliers. They are battle-hardened veterans who have the knowledge and skill to match the best of our Capellan enemies. They know how to fight hard, and they know that sometimes the battle is not over until you're dead."
With both hands, he indicated the MechWarriors gathered in the center section of the auditorium. Though they sat up tall and proud, Andrew noticed how young they all seemed. The fire in their eyes reminded him of the expressions his Delta Company had worn when he'd first gathered them together, years ago, into the First Kittery Training Battalion. It comes full circle. My former trainees will be teaching these kids to survive.
Morgan's strong voice filled the hall. "And we have you, Kathil Militia, Third Battalion. Yes, I know most of you were called up when the other battalions left to garrison worlds in the conquered territories, and that because of munitions shortages, your training to date has consisted mostly of computer-adjudicated mock battles."
Morgan gave them a look of dead-seriousness. "By order of Prince Hanse Davion, you are all now part of a new Federated Suns regiment. Officially, we are the First Kathil Uhlans, but I have named us the Lions of Davion. We will have two battalions. Captain Damu is now breveted to Major and will command the Alpha Battalion. It will consist of her Omega Company and the first two companies of the Kathil militia. Brevet-Major Redburn will command the Delta Battalion, which will consist of his Delta Company and the remaining company of Kathil Militia." Morgan looked toward Colonel de Velez. "Colonel de Velez will be my aide and will assist me with his knowledge of Kathil so that we can effectively destroy the force Liao throws at us."
Shocked by his sudden promotion, Andrew barely felt Robert Craon's congratulatory slap on the back. Major ... me? In charge of a battalion of half-trained MechWarriors and a bunch of local kids who want to be MechWarriors?Andrew blinked his eyes several times and looked up toward Morgan. Do you really know what you are doing?
Morgan waited for the crowd to quiet before speaking again.
" I know what many of you are thinking. Some may resent being split up from your fellows, and others may dislike having to wet-nurse your new partners through their first battle. You wonder how a ragtag band of half-trained and tired MechWarriors can hope to oppose an elite Liao force."
As Morgan spoke, he ticked off each description on the fingers of his left hand, then curled the fingers into a fist. "We will do it because we will become a unit. We will think as one, and we will use each other's strengths to fill in the cracks." He pointed at Andrew's people. "Delta Company here understands the weaknesses of various 'Mech designs, and they know how to exploit them. They have mastered the techniques of hitting without getting hit back. They know the importance of working together, and through such cooperation, they have become a unit Capellan mothers name when they wish to frighten bad children."