Victor descended the steps to stand before the man. "Ah, Colonel Carlyle. A pleasure to meet you at last."
"The pleasure is mine, your Highness."
Victor fingered the tight collar on his own uniform to let Carlyle know he abhorred the formality of the afternoon, then looked up for the benefit of all the others in the chamber. "You have served the Federated Commonwealth well over the years, Colonel. A distinguished record indeed. And even if that were not so impressive, the Gray Death Legion's discovery of the computer core on Helm would by itself entitle you to a place in the history books. The Federated Commonwealth is most grateful for the service of commanders such as you."
The Grand Marshal looked sternly at the both of them, then impatiently waved forward a liveried servant bearing an unwieldy broadsword. The prince accepted it from the man, then frowned as he looked at Carlyle. "Ceremony demands of you what I would not request. If you would kneel, please, and place your hands on the hilt of this sword."
The mercenary hesitated, then nodded solemnly. Though Victor sensed the man had no more love for the ceremony than he, Carlyle dropped to one knee in a very respectful manner. He placed his hands on the hilt, then he and Victor together set the blade's point against the lowest step of the dais.
"Let it be known on every world of the Federated Commonwealth, in the councils of the Clans, and among our enemies, that I, Prince Victor Steiner-Davion, do hereby recognize the many services of Grayson Death Carlyle to the House of Steiner and Davion. I hereby name you a Baron of the Federated Commonwealth. I bestow upon you and your heirs, in perpetuity, the fief and planethold of Glengarry in the Isle of Skye."
Victor saw the hint of a smile tug at the corners of Carlyle's mouth and he answered it with a partial smile of his own. "You have earned it, Carlyle," Victor whispered without moving his lips, "for your sake and mine I hope you are able to hold it."
Carlyle looked up with a fire in his eyes.
I have my answer. "Please, Baron von Glengarry, repeat after me. Before these witnesses here assembled I, Grayson Death Carlyle, Baron von Glengarry, do hereby take you, Victor Ian Steiner-Davion, Archon Prince of the Federated Commonwealth, to be my lord of life and limb, and I your man for my planethold of Glengarry."
Carlyle repeated back the oath of fealty, then further swore, at Victor's prompting, to defend the Federated Commonwealth from its enemies even unto his death. Neither Victor nor the mercenary underestimated the import of that oath because not only did Glengarry sit in the hornet's nest of Skye, but it was close enough to become a Combine target for attack if the truce between the Draconis Combine and the Federated Commonwealth should break down. Awarding the planet to Carlyle made it even more a target because of the Gray Death Legion's history of feud with the Combine.
"I, Victor Steiner-Davion, take you, Grayson Carlyle, Baron von Glengarry, to be vassal of heart and hand and mind, to support and sustain you, for as long as I bear this Sword of State." Victor handed the sword to the attendant, then grabbed Carlyle's hand and shook it. Without releasing the mercenary's hand, he bade him, "Rise, Baron Carlyle of Glengarry, and let citizens of the Federated Commonwealth look upon the rewards of selfless duty and devotion to their nation."
Zurich
Sarna March, Federated Commonwealth
"Rick, I don't want to do this." Deirdre looked over Rick Bradford's shoulder at the holovision crew and the reporter standing there with a wireless microphone. "Hsing isn't out of the woods yet. I can't take time to do a stupid interview."
Bradford looked uneasy. "Deirdre, I wouldn't ask you to do this, but it's a chance for some publicity. You know as well as I do that we can't help people who don't know we're here. And you also know that this story may get picked up by one of the syndicates and get broadcast throughout the Federated Commonwealth. That means we could get more donations. I don't want to press you on this, but it could really help us."
"I really, really don't want to do it." Deirdre wanted to stick to her refusal, but Rick's arguments made sense. "I answer a couple of questions. That's it. And only about the incident, right?"
Bradford nodded. "The reporter is Tod Chandler and I told him he could only question you about the incident." He waved Chandler forward and the cameraman trailed after him. "Mr. Chandler, this is Dr. Lear."
"Tod Chandler, Channel 47." The big man smiled in a friendly way, but Deirdre felt too much was going on behind his dark eyes to make her comfortable. "I know you don't want to be on camera much and I can respect that. Really. We just want some footage so we can build an angle on the story that will get it play outside of Zurich. It'll help you and help us."
"Just the incident, right?"
Chandler nodded. "Yep, just the incident. Let's get that angle, first, then we can go. I think we'll get spontaneity out of you."
Deirdre eyed him suspiciously, which put a smile on the cameraman's face. "Angle?"
"Yeah, a story hook."
"Taking down an armed terrorist in an emergency surgical theatre isn't an angle."
"Well, it is, Doc, but we want to maximize this." Chandler reached out and gently pinched her bicep between his thumb and forefinger. "You don't lift, do you?"
"Weights? No. I have a three-year-old and my work to keep me active."
Chandler's bushy black brows arrowed in at each other like fuzzy caterpillars racing toward his nose. "Okay, this kung-fu stuff, did you learn that from the Clans on Alyina?"
"It's aikido and, no, I did not learn it from the Clans." She folded her arms across her chest. "And Alyina isn't part of the incident."
"Angle, Doc, angle." Chandler smiled. "So this aikido kept you out of the hands of the Clans, right?"
Deirdre's head came up. "Mr. Chandler, before you 'angle' me one more time, let's try it this way. I am a doctor. I acted to save my patient. My patient was badly shot up and almost died because some kid was given a gun, fed some propaganda, and assigned a target. What happened here shouldn't have happened at all, and I'm just happy that no one was killed. That's the story I want told and that's the story you're going to tell."
Chandler laughed lightly. "I don't think you understand, Doctor ..."
"I understand, Mr. Chandler, very well. You want this story to get you off this nowhere world. You have two choices: a story with me that runs along the lines I sketched out a moment ago, or a story without my participation and a promise of a lawsuit if you even hint at any of the other angles you were pointing to a bit ago." Deirdre shrugged her shoulders. "You need me a lot more than I need you, so you choose."
Chandler swallowed hard. "You are one tough woman."
"No, just one who is dedicated to her job and her patients." Deirdre let her arms hang at her sides and rolled her wrists around. "And that's your angle, Mr. Chandler. Shall we begin?"
18
Solaris City, Solaris VII
Tamarind March, Federated Commonwealth
7 April 3056
Though Kai made his bow as deep and respectful as befitted his uncle, he could not shake off the feeling that trouble loomed over the horizon. The invitation to join Tormano for lunch had come normally enough, brought round to the Cenotaph 'Mech stable by a messenger. Along with the invitation had been a separate envelope containing a thank you note from Nancy for the visit to Valhalla.
Kai had sent his acceptance back to Tormano by the same messenger, then showered and changed. He knew that his uncle would expect him to wear more traditional Capellan garb than was Kai's norm. He generally did just that when meeting with Tormano—just as he dressed to please his mother on visits to St. Ives. It was traditional and it was for family, so Kai paid these respects almost instinctively.
This time he did not. Instead he carefully chose green trousers and an ivory shirt made from good Capellan silk, both tailored in a style more appropriate for a business meeting on Tharkad or New Avalon. He also chose a black tie embroidered with the horse-head insignia of the St. Ives Compact. Already sensing what his uncle intended at lunch,
Kai wanted to show he acknowledged his Capellan heritage, but that he had not abandoned his Federated Commonwealth blood.
The momentary flash of puzzlement on Tormano's face told Kai he had anticipated the man precisely. It was not a feat of telepathy or clairvoyance but a catalogue of clues that had led Kai to his conclusion. He was aware that his uncle was becoming increasingly desperate to find a powerful symbol for use in his fight against Sun-Tzu, and Kai was the likeliest one around. The abortive attempt at snatching Wu's fiancee, the sponsoring of the party, and even inviting Duke Ryan showed how desperate Tormano was.
"Thank you, uncle, for the invitation to lunch." Kai pulled out the chair at the opposite side of the round teak table and sat down. "And permit me to thank you again for hosting the reception the other night. I very much enjoyed myself and have also heard wonderful things from many others."
Tormano smiled easily. "It was my pleasure, Kai You know you are my favorite and I would gainsay you nothing. Your successes bring glory upon us all."
Kai found Tormano's opening very polite, as befit the surroundings. The room was filled with treasures from the Capellan Confederation, many of them gifts from wealthy Capellans now living in the Sarna March. Kai had always liked the life-size bronze tiger sitting licking its paw in the corner, but even more valuable were the delicately woven and hand-embroidered silk robes hanging in frames on the walls. The walls also displayed a fantastic collection of rice-paper paintings of warriors of myth and legend, all by the same artist, and Kai noticed a new one among them today.
Tormano nodded toward the piece that had caught Kai's attention. "That one is from a private collection. There are four more in the series, three of which your mother owns. One more and the set will be complete."
"Good luck in your quest," Kai said, though he knew luck had little to do with Tormano's success. The new piece had formerly been housed in the Cultural Ministry on Sian. A year ago thieves had made off with it and several other pieces in a well-planned and executed robbery. Kai could easily imagine Tormano financing the operation, though his uncle tended to be more subtle than that. He had probably been an inspiration to the thieves, however, by making it no secret that he paid handsomely for treasures liberated from the current regime on Sian.
"And I wish you good luck in yours." Tormano pressed his, hands together, fingertip to fingertip. "The challenge offered and accepted at my party has many people talking. You managed to embarrass Duke Ryan Steiner and will do so again when you and Cox destroy his fighters. Prince Victor will be pleased."
"I am happy if the prince has time to notice my fights. And if they please him, so much the better." Kai held himself back, warily, because his probe was coming in over a route Tormano had not explored before. "I am a simple gladiator and not worthy of the prince's notice."
"You are far from simple, my nephew, and you are a gladiator without equal." Tormano tapped his index fingers together. "You maintain a willful ignorance of your influence with the people. You have the power to make multiplanetary corporations bend to your whim. You are a symbol, an idol, to which countless people look up. You are a hero in a time that sorely needs heroes."
"I drive a machine that destroys other machines, as my father did before me."
Tormano smiled and Kai felt a trap closing around him. "Ah, but like your father you are more than you appear to be. He was a confidant and aide to Hanse Davion. Your father's deeds among the Capellans wrought the greatest change known in the Inner Sphere since the fall of the Star League."
"My uncle forgets the Clans."
"I do not. I remember them well." Tormano sat forward, leaning across the table. "I remember that you stopped them at Twycross. I know you frustrated them on Alyina. ComStar defeated the Clans at Tukayyid, but on Alyina you defeated ComStar. You alone can boast to winning out over the most powerful forces in the universe. You are most fittingly your father's heir."
Tormano's hands opened up innocently and spread apart slowly. "You are a combination of your mother and father. In you their destinies and legacies are intertwined. You are the eldest child of Maximilian Liao's eldest child. Your mother is heir to the Capellan throne, and your father did what he could to bring that throne into union with the Federated Commonwealth. Through you both things can be accomplished.
"There are people out there, Kai, who hunger to see a compassionate and sensible ruler at the head of their former nation. They look and weep at what Romano did to destroy the Capellan Confederation. They see Sun-Tzu planning to make the Capellan throne a groom-gift to the Free Worlds League. Even Maximilian Liao, mad as he was, would never have sunk to such base treachery. That is treason against the people Sun-Tzu has a sacred trust to rule."
Kai considered the words, becoming trapped by them until he looked at his uncle's warped reflection in the surface of the table. "There is nothing I can do about that, uncle."
"Yes, Kai, there is. You can do more than anyone else, and you can do it precisely because of who you are: the Champion of Solaris. Had you returned from the war and gone to live in obscurity on St. Ives, then, no, you would not be able to fulfill the dreams of billions."
"I think the dreams you ask me to fulfill belong to only one person: you."
Tormano's face closed up. "You do me a disservice, Kai."
Kai felt his anger rising, prompted by the oily, hurt tone in Tormano's voice. For once he decided to give it vent. "It is you who does the disservice here, uncle." Kai stood and looked down at his mother's brother. "Do you think I am blind to what you have done with your Free Capella movement? I am not, especially not here in your trophy room. For the past twenty-six years you have succeeded in feeding off the hopes of expatriots and refugees. For a quarter of a century you have been content to be a snarling dog on a short leash. Hanse Davion used you as a goad to drive Romano to madness. With the two of them now gone, and the years beginning to grind on you, you have decided the time is finally right to make your move.
"You want me to act as your surrogate, to lead people into battle for you. You want me to persuade them to contribute more money to your coffers so you can buy more weapons and someday take the rest of the Capellan Confederation. You want me to become a flag behind which everyone can rally. Well, I won't do it."
Tormano's face grew ashen. "You forget all the good things I have done for the people of the Sarna March!"
"No I don't, uncle, not at all." Kai shook his head. "You have founded schools and financed hospitals. Through your efforts millions of people who fled the Capellan Confederation have been reunited with family and friends in the Sarna March. You have successfully managed to reintroduce extinct animals to their native worlds. Your efforts have not gone unnoticed or unappreciated. It is just that you do not give them the correct priority.
"When Victor cut back your budget, why do you think I had Cenotaph Charities begin funding the project you were forced to drop? Surely you did not think it was because I supported Free Capella? I funded the humanitarian projects you had begun because those were the first you cut loose. I have never given you money for guns or propaganda because I do not share your fervor for destroying the Capellan Confederation."
Tormano stood slowly, his head coming up and his eyes meeting Kai's stare without flinching. "You deny your own nature, Kai. You came here to Solaris to prove yourself the greatest MechWarrior alive because you know how much power that gives you."
"No, that's not true. Political power does not interest me." Kai thrust a hand toward the window opening onto the gray world of Solaris City. "I came here to honor my father, nothing more. I hate politics! I have no talent for it and a damned sight less tolerance for it!"
"I never thought I would call my nephew a hypocrite, but that is what you are." Tormano shook his head ruefully. "You are as political an animal as I am, yet you deny it."
"I am not political!"
"But you are, Kai. Yes, Cenotaph Charities does fund humanitarian causes and does not trumpet your name about. That is selfless. T
hat is nonpolitical, and you cling to that idea as if it were the whole of your reality here." Tormano poked a finger against Kai's breastbone. "The fact is that you have manipulated the other stable owners as skillfully as an elder statesman. You have scourged them with your good works so they are forced to do the same. You set a trap, which gave them no choice. You do the same with the contracts you offer your fighters, forcing the other owners to make changes in their policies.
"You, nephew mine, have even dabbled in international politics by publicly embarrassing Duke Ryan."
"You're wrong."
"Am I? You've done it before—dedicating fights to Prince Victor, agreeing to have Omi Kurita in your box during your title defense. Now this, with Ryan, is one more data point on a chart that places you very highly in the precincts of political power. There is even a rumor that ComStar will permit a delegation of Clansmen to visit Solaris at your request. You have mastered ComStar and the Clans yet again."
"No." Kai's nostril's flared and his hands clenched as his uncle spoke. He denied the words out of reflex, but deep inside were bitter questions. Have I been willfully blind to my own motives? It's true that I have manipulated the other owners, forcing them to do things my way because I gave them no other choice. But is that politics? No!
"I am a fighter, nothing more!" Kai hoped his denial didn't sound as hollow to Tormano as it did to him.
Tormano laughed aloud. "Delude yourself, if that makes you happy. I have not spoken falsely. You suckled at your mother's breast, drinking in politics with her milk. You learned deception from your father, watching him twist up Hanse Davion's enemies, and politics pervaded your childhood home as sunlight pervades a desert. Join me. Become my heir and one day you will free Capella from the madness that dominates it. Politics is you, it defines you and empowers you. You cannot escape it, so use it."