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  “We. You’re making a lot of assumptions there.”

  “I am.”

  She slapped her hand on the table, the bang resonating in the large room. “Let’s say I agree to this idea that you will bond our next contract instead of the MRBC. And that’s not even taking into consideration if the Lancers would allow it.” She shook her head vehemently. “I’m sure the general’s gonna chew my ass off for even being up here talking to you about any agreements. She almost refused to let me come here in the first place.”

  “I assumed as much,” he said.

  “But then there’s the contract. Why in the world would we let you back the contract?” She slapped the table again, her anger bursting. “Why the hell am I even here? General Cassius is who you should be talking to. Though how you’d get her to budge I’ve no idea.”

  “The likelihood of leveraging her was low. As were the odds with Colonel Ramaley.” He smiled, letting the shark out a little more, feeling in control. “If you agree, you will present the Fox Khanate to the Suns as your preferred brokers. Privately, we shall draft your initial contract demands for you. The best negotiating minds in my Khanate will be made available to prepare you for the contract negotiations, to ensure you get what you want. When the agreed-upon contract is presented to us, I assure you, we shall find no issues.”

  Her anger transformed from hot to cold as his spoke, dagger eyes piercing; he noted the two soldiers at the hatch shift weapons. “Are you telling me, to my face, that I’m more manipulatable than the others?” she said, fury thick until he could almost see the hoarfrost of her breath.

  Ya’el slowly shook his head. “No. Not manipulatable. Persuadable. Because you have lost far more than either of them. And therefore, you have far more to gain. You are willing to bet against a better future. For yourself. For your Lancers.”

  “Because you’ll somehow convince the Prince to accept you as a broker of mercenary services? To agree to move us off this border and into the thick of fighting the snakes.”

  “Yes.” He felt confident of that success, but knew it would be a tough battle. One battle at a time. He kept himself perfectly still, face as much a mirror as possible. The word hung between the two of them, as both sets of eyes stabbed the depths of either’s resolve.

  “And what does your Clan get out of this?”

  “Our first client.” Ya’el smiled. “A revered, centuries-old, multi-regiment mercenary outfit who put their faith in our brokerage services, and was rewarded with a lucrative, enforceable contract that put them back into the action where they belonged. The Lancers will set the example for their peers, as they always have. The other, private services I just mentioned will not be offered to other commands—just you, as our first partners. Furthermore, as employers, the Suns will find us far more reliable and responsive than the MRBC, and without that organization’s recent tendency to…misplace…escrowed funds they can ill afford to replace.”

  After a long moment, she slowly nodded, as though embracing the ambition within herself; the deep, personal change you only get when you stand in front of that mirror and absolutely accept what you see. “You’re forgetting one thing.”

  “How do I help ensure the conclave elects you general, ensuring you will accept our acting as your agent, and perhaps even writing your contract under the table? After all, if I am talking to you, it means I will only offer this through you.”

  Chagrin stole across Lucana’s features. “Perhaps…you do know me and the Lancers better than I expected.”

  “I have spent hundreds of hours in study. And I assure you, that is the highest compliment. Our stars rise together, Colonel. Our stars rise together.”

  He glanced up specifically at the guards, showing them both hands open, and then pointed under the table. Only when he received an appropriate nod did he move his hands underneath the table’s edge to his left, where the box had been magnetically stuck.

  Gently pulling it free, he lifted it into view, and leaned out to place it directly in front of her. Settled back without a word. First are the negotiation with Prince Julian. And then the coming battle with the ilKhan himself over the contents of that box. A bet against a future victory not yet assured…the finest gamble. He was sure Alaric had seized the ilKhanship by now, though Ya’el had outpaced any possible news of the final events on Terra. But again, one battle at a time.

  Luciana glanced between the box and him several times each before raising a hand to wave off her team that was approaching. Hesitantly, she laid a hand on the lid. “This? This is it? This will get me elected?”

  “Yes.”

  She shook her head, incredulity painting her features until she pulled the lid off and gazed inside, astonishment molding her face into absolute shock.

  ILLICIAN LANCERS CONCLAVE

  AL QALYŪBĪYAH, KAFR SILIM

  CAPELLAN MARCH

  FEDERATED SUNS

  25 JUNE 3151

  Colonel Luciana Araya Morales sat at the conclave, waiting for the voices to die down. The general had been furious when she had refused to divulge anything from her meeting with the saKhan, insisting that it could only be brought to the next conclave. If this fails, I’ll be the lowest private digging latrines for the rest of my career. And that’s if she doesn’t just cashier me straight out of the Lancers.

  She just kept a shudder at bay at the horrible thought. I am strong. I am a Lancer. This is not just good for me, it is where the Lancers should be. She could almost feel the ghost of her best friend standing beside her. Despite her resolve, she couldn’t bring herself to look there, still not sure if she would see affirmation or condemnation. But she’d slept better in the last few days than she had in the last three years. Perhaps, just perhaps, it’s enough.

  “It would seem the only way to get any information from Clan Sea Fox is to allow Colonel Morales to speak at this conclave.” She could almost hear General Cassius’ teeth clenching. “And so, we begin. Colonel Morales, would you please tell us what all the fuss is about with the Foxes.”

  She took a deep breath, saKhan Labov’s box on her lap, and stabbed straight to the heart of it, as she’d been born and bred to do as part of the Fifty-Ninth Strike. “Fox Khanate of Clan Sea Fox proposes to bond our new contract with House Davion, acting as our agent. Even offering to write the contract, if we so choose.”

  The room lay in stunned silence.

  She forged on, knowing to seize the initiative when she could hammer home a win, “Fox Khanate will fully replace the Mercenary Review and Bonding Commission. If we agree, we’ll be the very first command to use their agent and brokerage services. What they hope will be the first of many. By doing so, we will receive the best rates and support they will offer any outfit.”

  If possible, the faces were writ with even more stunned silence, as all eyes bored into hers. She felt sick to her stomach at this last part. At that moment, tears nearly started in her eyes as she would’ve sworn—though she’d never tell another living soul—that a ghostly hand rested comfortably on her shoulder.

  She took another breath, feeling the good grains of the wooden box in her hands, and forged onward, keeping her voice rock steady by sheer will. “However, saKhan Ya’el Labov’s offer to the Lancers applies only if I am general.”

  The last fell into the silence, split by the harsh laugh of Ramaley, and a burst dam of exclamations swept the room.

  “If Clan Sea Fox thinks they can blackmail us, they are sadly mistaken!” General Cassius spoke angrily.

  Colonel Ramaley nearly cut her off with his own angry reply, “You think you can lead us. After all you’ve done to us!?”

  Luciana tried to continue, but the wash of voices grew so loud she couldn’t get a word out. Realizing she had to break protocol to keep moving forward, she stood. Most voices fell silent at her breach of protocol, shock and anger mixed in equal measure.

  “You do not have to accept this,” she said quickly, but with confidence. “It is simply an offer. We can choose to g
o another route. We can stay here on the border, ignored, forgotten,” she said, pointing at General Cassius. She swept her gaze around the ranks. “Or we could follow Hasek into his folly,” she continued, pointing at Colonel Ramaley, whose face had slowly transformed from active dislike to burning hate during the session. I’m sorry it’s come to this, Kenneth. I’m sorry we are so at odds that we cannot serve the Lancers together. She’d need to watch him from now on. Xavier would love that assignment.

  “Or, we can boldly face a new future.” She slowly removed the lid and lifted the box to show it to everyone. Disbelieving eyes and slackened jaws filled the room as every Lancers officer took in the ancient stone with the seal of the Illician Brotherhood etched on it, from the keystone of the Lancers’ arch. A talisman thought lost to the ages centuries ago.

  “I’ve seen the documentation,” Luciana said. “It is real. And each and every one of you will review it to your satisfaction. If we accept the Fox Khanate’s proposal, the location of our original abbey, in Illicia, on the Isle of Sicily, on Terra, will be given to us. And the lands all around it ceded back to us in perpetuity,” she finished, voice ragged, as though she’d just run a marathon.

  A myriad of emotions frothed the room, as fury and disbelief and hope crashed across Luciana and she closed her eyes, knowing it was now up to her fellow soldiers.

  MULE-CLASS DROPSHIP JOTUNN

  NEAR ORBIT, KAFR SILIM

  CAPELLAN MARCH

  FEDERATED SUNS

  1 JULY 3151

  Ya’el Labov tapped open the electronic message as it flashed on his console on the command bridge of the DropShip. He momentarily glanced out the viewport to the brilliantly-hued planet below. Despite his confidence, he’d gambled terribly, paying fearsome costs while leaving other opportunities to lay fallow, or be snatched from the current by others’ ready hands.

  He glanced down, tapped it open, and read one sentence:

  The Illician Lancers look forward to beginning agent, bonding, and contract negotiations with Clan Sea Fox.

  –General Luciana Araya Morales

  He closed his eyes, relief flooding him. Yet his thoughts immediately flew on. Knew that while this first part had paid off, there were many potentially painful hurdles still to overcome.

  No doubt General Morales will play hardball, ensuring that I know she is her own woman, despite the helping hand to get her elected. Then I will need to travel to personally deal with Prince Julian. I hope he will be amenable to this new arrangement…and if not, there is leverage to apply. Not to mention figuring out how to guarantee the ilKhan is willing to give up a parcel of land his Clan just paid an ocean of blood to acquire.

  But the thrill of the challenges before him sparked until Ya’el’s fingers tingled and he nearly bounced in place, as though he were a young sibkin once more. If this succeeds, all Khanates will follow suit, and my trajectory may yet pass Petr’s.

  Ya’el nodded with satisfaction at all he had accomplished, and at his next steps on the path toward his destiny. I have survived these riptides. I will survive the next… And the next ones after that….

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Randall N. Bills began his writing career in the adventure gaming industry, where he has worked full-time for more than twenty-five years. He’s lead the publication of literally hundreds of sourcebooks, rulebooks, boxed games, and more. This includes instrumental work on the seminal BattleTech and Shadowrun game lines; he was lore advisor on Harebrained Schemes’ BattleTech computer game, and co-story developer for Piranha Games’ MechWarrior 5 computer game. His most recent game publications include Leviathans and the Dungeons & Dragons Dragonfire deckbuilder.

  His hobbies include music, gaming, reading (fantasy to history, theology to science), and spending time with his family. He continues to work full-time (and then some) in the adventure gaming industry while pursuing his fiction writing—Randall has published eight novels, two Star Trek novellas, and a host of short stories.

  He currently lives in the Pacific Northwest with his wife, Tara, and has three children—Bryn Kevin, Ryana Nikol and Kenyon Aleksandr—as well as a neurotic German Shepard named Ecko.

  BATTLETECH GLOSSARY

  AUTOCANNON

  A rapid-fire, auto-loading weapon. Light autocannons range from 30 to 90 millimeter (mm), and heavy autocannons may be from 80 to 120mm or more. They fire high-speed streams of high-explosive, armor-piercing shells.

  BATTLEMECH

  The most powerful war machine ever built. First developed by Terran scientists and engineers, these huge vehicles are faster, more mobile, better-armored and more heavily armed than any twentieth-century tank. Ten to twelve meters tall and equipped with particle projection cannons, lasers, rapid-fire autocannons and missiles, they pack enough firepower to flatten anything but another BattleMech. A small fusion reactor provides virtually unlimited power, and BattleMechs can be adapted to fight in environments ranging from sun-baked deserts to subzero arctic ice fields.

  DROPSHIP

  Because interstellar JumpShips must avoid entering the heart of a solar system, they must “dock” in space at a considerable distance from a system’s inhabited worlds. DropShips were developed for interplanetary travel. As the name implies, a DropShip is attached to hardpoints on the JumpShip’s drive core, later to be dropped from the parent vessel after in-system entry. Though incapable of FTL travel, DropShips are highly maneuverable, well-armed and sufficiently aerodynamic to take off from and land on a planetary surface. The journey from the jump point to the inhabited worlds of a system usually requires a normal-space journey of several days or weeks, depending on the type of star.

  FLAMER

  A small but time-honored anti-infantry weapon. Whether fusion-based or fuel-based, flamers spew fire in a tight beam that “splashes” against a target, igniting almost anything it touches.

  GAUSS RIFLE

  This weapon uses magnetic coils to accelerate a solid nickel-ferrous slug about the size of a football at an enemy target, inflicting massive damage through sheer kinetic impact at long range and with little heat. However, the accelerator coils and the slug’s supersonic speed mean that while the Gauss rifle is smokeless and lacks the flash of an autocannon, it has a much more potent report that can shatter glass.

  IFF

  Short for “Identification Friend or Foe,” this is a system of signals from an onboard transponder that can be detected and used to identify the vehicle, especially in combat.

  INFERNO

  A special, shoulder-launched missile designed as an anti-’Mech weapon. It explodes several meters from the launch tube, spraying the target with white phosphorus or a similar flammable compound in a jelly base. Infernos are not carried aboard ’Mechs because of their flammability.

  IR

  Infrared is light at wavelengths too long to be seen by the human eye. Infrared radiation is emitted by heat sources such as running engines or living bodies, and can be detected by equipment designed for use in the dark.

  JUMPSHIP

  Interstellar travel is accomplished via JumpShips, first developed in the twenty-second century. These somewhat ungainly vessels consist of a long, thin drive core and a sail resembling an enormous parasol, which can extend up to a kilometer in width. The ship is named for its ability to “jump” instantaneously across vast distances of space. After making its jump, the ship cannot travel until it has recharged by gathering up more solar energy.

  The JumpShip’s enormous sail is constructed from a special metal that absorbs vast quantities of electromagnetic energy from the nearest star. When it has soaked up enough energy, the sail transfers it to the drive core, which converts it into a space-twisting field. An instant later, the ship arrives at the next jump point, a distance of up to thirty light-years. This field is known as hyperspace, and its discovery opened to mankind the gateway to the stars.

  JumpShips never land on planets. Interplanetary travel is carried out by DropShips, vessels that are attached to th
e JumpShip until arrival at the jump point.

  LANCE

  A BattleMech tactical combat group, usually consisting of four ’Mechs.

  LASER

  An acronym for “Light Amplification through Stimulated Emission of Radiation.” When used as a weapon, the laser damages the target by concentrating extreme heat onto a small area. BattleMech lasers are designated as small, medium or large. Lasers are also available as shoulder-fired weapons operating from a portable backpack power unit. Certain range-finders and targeting equipment also employ low-level lasers.

  LONG-RANGE MISSLE (LRM)

  An indirect-fire missile with a high-explosive warhead.

  MACHINE GUN

  A small autocannon intended for anti-personnel assaults. Typically non-armor-penetrating, machine guns are often best used against infantry, as they can spray a large area with relatively inexpensive fire.

  PARTICLE PROJECTION CANNON (PPC)

  One of the most powerful and long-range energy weapons on the battlefield, a PPC fires a stream of charged particles that outwardly functions as a bright blue laser, but also throws off enough static discharge to resemble a bolt of manmade lightning. The kinetic and heat impact of a PPC is enough to cause the vaporization of armor and structure alike, and most PPCs have the power to kill a pilot in his machine through an armor-penetrating headshot.

  SHORT-RANGE MISSILE (SRM)

  A direct-trajectory missile with high-explosive or armor-piercing explosive warheads. They have a range of less than one kilometer and are only reliably accurate at ranges of less than 300 meters. They are more powerful, however, than LRMs.