"The Khans of the other Clans have accepted this?" Aidan was a bit incredulous.

"Yes. IlKhan Kerensky has called a kurultaiof Clans Jade Falcon, Smoke Jaguar, Steel Viper, Ghost Bear, Diamond Shark, and Wolf. The terms of the batchallwere ratified. In the bidding for objectives, Khan Chistu offered to use the Falcon Guards. That reduction in our forces earns our Clan the right to land on the first day."

As Kael Pershaw continued the briefing, it was all Aidan could do to concentrate. Already he was speculating on what he might do as commander of the new Falcon Guards.

18

Nobody knew the origin of the name Mudd Station. Before the Jade Falcons had taken it over, it was little more than an outpost constructed for some now-abandoned scientific study. Presently it served the Clan invaders' strategic purposes, with the addition of new landing areas, buildings, and the installation of a defense system.

Despite the improvements, Mudd Station was no more desirable a place than before. Every afternoon it was battered by a heavy rainstorm, whose downpour could knock to the ground anyone foolish enough to be out in it. The storm usually damaged some item whose repair took techs away from their main labors. Slogging around in the mud afterward, Aidan often wondered if the station's nearly continual ground condition had inspired someone to give the place its name.

The discomforts of Mudd Station did not, however, dampen his spirits. Each day brought new contingents for the Falcon Guards, new challenges, and new complications. DropShips seemed to transport as many problems as they did personnel. Not the least of these, in fact, was the personnel.

* * *

"Star Colonel, these are among the worst specimens of Clan warrior I have ever seen," Horse complained, as he and Aidan made their daily tour of Mudd Station. Their boots squished loudly with each step. "I wonder how anyone could ever justify the trashborn genetic programs with this bunch."

"Be careful, Horse," Aidan warned. "Let no one else hear your slurs. You are, after all, only here on my sufferance. You are the only freeborn in the Falcon Guards, and Kael Pershaw only made an exception when I referred him to your codex. That means you will have to toe the line even more than normal."

"Oh, I'll be your good little warrior, Aidan Pryde. But, to be effective, I must be honest with you."

"Please do. Just be sure that no one overhears. And I would suggest dropping the contractions. We need no unnecessary reminder of your origins among these warriors. We want to whip them into shape, not distract them with matters of less importance. They are already aggressive enough among themselves, but perhaps we can channel that energy into useful acts to restore the honor of the Falcon Guards."

Horse stared intently at Aidan. "This assignment has addled your brain. This unit is condemned, can't—cannot you see that?"

"Condemned to what?"

"I do not know what lies Kael Pershaw has poured into your head, but the scuttlebutt among the warriors and techs is clear enough. We all know that we are merely filling a slot here. There has to be a Falcon Guards, so there is one. But do not delude yourself into believing that we have some honorable goal before us. Have you not noticed the great number of old warriors assigned to us, individuals on the verge of ending their careers? That is your clue."

"You speak in riddles," Aidan said impatiently. "We are getting older warriors for one simple reason: they are among the few warriors available for reassignment."

"Is that what Kael Pershaw told you? He masks at least half his motives in the same way that he does his face. We are getting older warriors because Khan Chistu is not really concerned with our fate. If any unit was formed to be cannon fodder, solahma,it is the present Falcon Guards. They expect little of us, we are considered a dezgraunit, don't—do you not see that?"

Aidan stopped in his tracks, glanced around, then signaled to Horse to follow him to where no other Clan warrior could hear them. "Of course I know Khan Chistu is willing to write us off, Horse. He would not intentionally send us to our deaths, but he would not mourn us as trothkin lost if it happened. But you know as well as I that this is my only chance to achieve something as a Clan warrior. The Falcon Guards have been promised front-line duty. Kael Pershaw even put it in writing, and for all his devious qualities, you can trust Kael Pershaw's word. We are included in the bidding for Tukayyid. We will fight there."

"Is that what all this is about for you? Personal glory? All that contribution to the gene pool bilge that you and your—"

Aidan grabbed Horse by the shoulders. "I know what you think about Clan ways, Horse." Aidan's voice was unusually tense. "But yes, I do seek personal glory. Yes, I do wish my legacy to pass into the gene pool. Yes, I want my contribution to this invasion and the Clan goals to be both exceptional and honorable. Whatever errors my nature has led me to commit in the past, I am a Clan warrior and intend to do my part to help the Clans gain dominion over the worlds and people of the Inner Sphere. If you cannot understand because you are freebirth, then try to—"

Horse broke Aidan's grip and returned his stare with equal intensity. "What is happening to you, old friend?" he said softly. "You never call me freebirth. And you are the only trueborn I have known who never has."

"I am sorry, Horse. A slip. I was one of you once, remember."

"No, you posed as freeborn. But you were never one of us."

Aidan heard the touch of scorn in Horse's voice. "I do not wish to offend you, Horse. There has been too much between us over the years. My only wish is to succeed as commander of the Falcon Guards. If you can try to understand that, perhaps you will be able to forgive the means I use to achieve my aim."

Horse nodded. "Of course I do."

"As for the freebirth business, need I remind you that you call me trashborn on a fairly regular basis?"

Horse shook his head. "No. I call your caste trash-born. Not you. There is a difference."

"Maybe, maybe not. Let us leave it at that. As you say, our task is to make good warriors of those who are not exactly the best specimens of the type. And, Horse, I appreciate your struggle not to use contractions. Keep at it."

As they walked toward the others, Aidan thought of the many passages he had read in books in his secret library. So many stories of friendship, comradeship, between two individuals fighting for the same side. The way of the Clan, however, put service to the group above individual alliances. Yet Aidan had always known that he and Horse were just like the characters in those old tales of the Inner Sphere.

19

The codex of Star Commander Summer Mandaka was filled with notations of insubordination. How she had survived this far without some commander simply shooting her to get rid of her was a mystery to her new commanding officer. When Aidan observed her skills at manipulating a BattleMech and the growling, rude way she whipped her Star—like all the new Falcon Guards, a collection of misfits, lowlifes, and aged warriors—into shape, he realized that her bad manners disguised a supreme officer.

That did not make her any easier to take.

Summer Mandaka was of average height, with short chunky arms and a thick neck bulging with thick veins. She was fair-haired, with chiseled features and a permanently angry expression in her eyes.