“Colonel wants to see you now,” she said. When Akuma started to rise, she said, “Not you, Colonel Snake. Wolf wants to talk to Major Blake first.”
“As he wishes, Captain. I do suggest that your Colonel not delay over long.”
“I think Colonel Wolf knows what he's doing,” she snapped back.
“So long as the wait is his doing and not yours.” Akuma knew it was petty to agitate Lean this way, but he enjoyed seeing the angry color flush her face. After all, soon there would be no Dragoons to bait.
“Five minutes,” she ground out.
“I can certainly wait that long. I will see you then, Captain.” He dismissed her with a wave of his hand.
Lean came back exactly on time to escort the Kuritans to the planning room. With her were two security troopers. Unlike the men stationed outside, these carried Ryonex subguns. Akuma decided that this was a warning that any trouble inside the headquarters would be met with deadly force. How pathetically juvenile,he thought.
The Dragoons had removed the teak conference table from the center of the planning room and replaced it with a holotank from one of their DropShips. Technicians were busy with it, calling up a map of Cerant. Even the brief glance he allowed himself showed Akuma that the city was reproduced in intricate detail. That surprised him, for his own maps were not as good. What his maps did do, however, was indicate the exact positions of all Kuritan forces as well as the carefully plotted locations of all Dragoon assets. The Dragoons had misplaced several key Ryuken units.
Knowing that it was not wise to show too much interest, he looked around for Wolf. The mercenary Colonel was in conference with Blake on the far side of the room. Though the man looked much the worse for his tumble in the square, he did, unfortunately, seem fully functional. Now, while Wolf was still rattled, would be the time to press matters. Akuma strode up and interrupted the conversation.
“That was quite a demonstration you set off, Colonel Wolf.”
Wolf's eyes glittered. “I suppose you didn't know things were this bad.”
“I knew that your Dragoons had disturbed the local populace. I had no inkling that they had brought things to the brink of riot.”
“So we are to blame.”
“How can it be otherwise? You were dissatisfied with your contract and were looking for an excuse to break it, while still preserving your highly overrated sense of honor. But this! I had no idea that you would stoop to murdering innocents to further your ends. That you would slaughter civilians merely exercising their lawful right to protest your criminal behavior. Now you will no doubt claim that the riot was deliberately incited and that you are free from the obligations of your contract. Will you produce evidence that I or my officers organized this threat to you? What is your next move, butcher?”
Wolf said nothing into the stillness that had fallen on the room.
“Have I struck too close to the truth?” Akuma swept his right arm to encompass the Dragoons in the room. “Some of your officers look surprised. Have you not shared this grand plan of yours with them? Are you, in your megalomania, seeking to drag down the good reputations of honest soldiers along with your own? Are you afraid that they would not believe your lies about Kurita treachery? Did you have to manufacture a cause to get them to follow you down your brigand's path?”
“Shut up!” Blake shouted.
“You need lackeys to speak for you?” Akuma threw a contemptuous look in Blake's direction. “Will you silence me as you silenced Nitta? What will you get from that?”
“Nothing,” Wolf said at last. “I didn't do him and I won't do you. Loud-mouthed troublemakers aren't worth it. It only dignifies their lies. Silenced or not, I get trouble I don't want. All of our posts on planet are under siege by the mob.”
“That is hardly unexpected. You have unleashed the many-headed beast. See what your violence has wrought. You will bring death to your own people.”
“Where's the vaunted Civilian Guidance Corps? Your civilians certainly need some guidance.” Wolf's voice was cool, but his hands were clenched at his sides. Akuma noticed and was pleased.
“The Corps was hardly expecting this and was probably overwhelmed by this beast you have loosed. But that was in your plan, wasn't it? Now yours is the only force-in-being in Cerant. Do you expect a commission empowering you to restore the peace? Will you then continue your bloody work and suppress the mob? I am sure your 'Mechs will be able to restore order. Kurita casualties will, no doubt, be light.”
“So that you can claim we fired on civilians, that we took the law into our own hands?” Wolf shook his head in refusal. “No. You won't get that. Bring your Ryuken into the city.”
“So you can claim we march on you? I will not give you an opening to start the battle you so clearly want. The Ryuken will stay clear of the city at this time. I will not provide the threats you seek. Find some other way to convince those who do not believe your lies that House Kurita wishes the Dragoons dead. Find some other way to win back the loyalty of your troops. Your actions shall be on your own head.”
Wolf turned from Akuma to Cameron.
“Call all the posts, William. Everyone stays put. No provocations.” Wolf looked over his shoulder at Akuma. “Satisfied?”
Akuma was most definitely not satisfied. He had hoped to provoke the Dragoons into rash action. The gambit had failed, but all was not lost. There were a few more turns left on the wheel of the rack. “Your performance has hardly been satisfactory. I assure you that Kurita troops will not strike the first blow.”
“Then you had better get ready for a quiet night in the barracks with your boys.”
Akuma felt the sting of Wolf's implication. Anger was not something he could afford here in the nest of his enemies. He turned and stalked off. Quinn gave Wolf a tight smile before following.
When the Kuritans were gone, Shadd approached Wolf. “You took a lot of cop from that Snake, Colonel,” he said in a low voice.
Wolf was slow to look up, for he had been lost in thought. “I wanted to get a handle on where he stood in this mess.”
“Think he's behind it?”
“Hard to tell. He's certainly taking advantage of it.”
“You want he should have an accident?” Shadd fingered the knife he had acquired.
“That's their style, not ours,” Wolf admonished him.
Shadd shrugged. “Your call, Colonel.”
“I've got something more important for you, Captain. I want to get a message out over the ComStar net, and I need somebody I can trust to get through in one piece. Things are pretty dicey outside right now. One man is less conspicuous than a squad, and you're the only member of the Seventh here.”
“I understand, Colonel. Is this the word?”
“No. Not yet. I just want to warn the other garrison planets to watch for trouble. This may be the start of what we've feared. It may not. But we can't afford to take the chance.”
40
Dragoon Administrative HQ, Cerant, An Ting
Galedon Military District, Draconis Combine
2 January 3028
“Any word from Shadd?”
“No, Colonel,” Cameron replied. “We're still getting jamming from the Kurita ships in orbit. It's blanketing all comm frequencies.”
Wolf took a seat near the holotank. He rubbed his face with both hands as though trying to massage away the weariness. It didn't work. He ran his hands up through his close-cropped hair, wincing at each bruise and cut he touched. It had been a long day.
“What about the barracks?”
“We still have hard lines through to them and to the landing field. All report quiet for the past two hours.”
“Looks like you can stand down for a while. William, get somebody to take over for you. You could use some rest. Tell your relief that I want to know as soon as we hear from Shadd or get through to the Hephaestus.”