"This is unexpected news." Theodore's voice was carefully neutral. He turned half-away, fingering the edge of his battle jacket in a gesture that Constance knew well from media footage of the warrior in the field. "Your Order has provided me with invaluable intelligence throughout the last six years. Often your assessment was more reliable than the ISF's. Don't think me ungrateful or that I doubt your Order's abilities, Constance, but can you be sure? There's been no hint on the front and no comparable reports from the ISF. The Coordinator's order to cease our own offensive activities should have strengthened the enemy's resolve."

"My sources are impeccable."

"So ka."

"The river of Steiner resources runs deep, Cousin, but the pool of their resolve is shallow," Constance said. "Their Davion allies are made of sterner stuff, but they lack the resources, and the ComStar Interdiction has crippled their economy. The alliance between the two Houses is still young; they are not unified. Like us, they have been stretched to the breaking point. They are incapable of further offensive action."

"What more do they need to take?" Theodore asked incredulously. "The Lyran armed forces now garrison more than fifty of our worlds. My Operation Contagion was blunted by treachery, and we have gained but two of their planets. So far, we have not done well. But I was so close ... most of the units along the front were taking orders from me. Even Warlord Sorenson acknowledged my command.

"We had hope of prevailing against the Lyrans, at least. Against Davion, the Dragon seems impotent. Cherenkoff still squats in his bunker awaiting a mythical Davion attack while he mounts 'major assaults' that are little more than raids. Shotugama and Chi have been active, but we have gained little—a few insignificant rimward worlds and the recapture of the systems in the Galtor Thumb. Since my diligent father took command there, we have had nothing more than increased casualties all along that border. With Hanse Davion focused on the Liao offensive, we should have been able to do much more. And I couldhave done more, if allowed to." Theodore shook his head ruefully.

"Despite their propaganda about Tikonov and St. Ives becoming independent states, Davion now rules most of Liao space. Hanse Davion has gotten most of what he wanted. The Capellan Confederation is crippled, ready for Davion's coup de grace. The political balance has taken a drastic shift. With Liao out of the equation, Hanse Davion is one step closer to becoming First Lord of the Inner Sphere."

"Closer he may be," Constance agreed, "but even the mighty war machine of the Federated Suns is not unlimited. It grinds to a halt, its communication and transport capabilities stretched beyond usefulness."

"We face only a temporary lull," Theodore warned. "I expect that it'll be longer than that of last spring, but hostilities haven't ended, despite the sanctimonious words of the Steiner and Davion rulers. Hanse Davion has unveiled his true intent to secure rulership of the Inner Sphere for himself and his descendants. The Fox will be looking for us next. As soon as he is able to move, he will be at our throat. He will harness his new gains to his purpose and recover enough of his losses—in about five years, I'd say. He won't wait longer, because he will fear our own recovery."

Constance flinched at the fire in Theodore's eyes.

"How can you be so sure?"

Theodore smiled, a sudden flash of light in the darkness of his intensity. "Now youquestion my veracity. I'm as sure as any commander can be without being inside his opponent's head. I read his mind and will in his actions, and I discern his intent behind the words he speaks. I learn what he teaches by example. But most important, I am not blinded by my obsessions." Theodore clasped his hands behind his back and looked up into the sky. "I am not the only one who sees the Fox's greedy designs. Many others are concerned as well."

"You mean ComStar?"

"So you know that I have received a courier from the new Precentor," Theodore commented, raising an eyebrow in mock surprise.

"Only that a messenger arrived," Constance admitted. It was best not to give Theodore unwarranted expectations of the intelligence-gathering capability of the O5P. "I have no knowledge of the message."

"Primus Myndo Waterly wishes to meet with me."

This was startling news. ComStar always professed neutrality in the affairs of the Inner Sphere. Yet ComStar agents had contacted Theodore eight months ago, warning him that they were about to interdict House Davion's interstellar communications. After discussing the news with Constance, he had decided to pass the information on to Subhash Indrahar in the hopes that the Coordinator would make better use of it if he believed the warning had come through the ISF. Though ComStar had asked for nothing at the time, Constance's instincts had told her that the followers of Blake would one day expect something in return for their timely revelation.

"Do you think that ComStar wishes payment for their warning about the interdiction of Davion?" she asked. "Or do they want you involved in peace negotiations?"

"Both," he replied. "But I think there's more to their agenda. They sent Waterly's replacement as Precentor Dieron, Sharilar Mori, as their messenger. A member of the First Circuit governing board is too high a functionary to serve as a mere courier."

Constance arched her brows at the messenger's name. That did put a different cast on the situation. Theodore was certainly correct in his assessment that ComStar had a very serious interest in the matters at hand. The new leadership of ComStar seemed to wish a larger, more active role for their organization. They would have to be watched closely.

"ComStar appears to be moving out of the shadows," she commented.

"It'll make little difference. They're weak, weaker than they would have us believe. Their communications interdiction wasn't enough to stop the Davion warmongers. The Federated Suns and their Steiner lackeys continued with their war of conquest."

"The alliance did have its 'pony express,' " Constance reminded him.

"Such a chain of JumpShips is very expensive, and too limited in the planets it can reach. By itself, it wouldn't have been enough to provide the communications needed by such a far-reaching military operation. They must have had othermethods of communication."

"Do you mean the black boxes your Kowalski has been studying?"

"Kowalski -sanis sure they are communications devices."

Theodore looked away and up into the cloudless sky. "We must learn the secret of the black boxes and duplicate them. I wish you to lend some of your Order's technicians to the task."

"That will not please ComStar. It threatens their monopoly."

"It is already threatened by the waning of their philosophical influence. Their order's position and prestige have been steadily weakening in the Federated Suns. Given that, I think that an Inner Sphere unified under the Davions sun-and-sword will disturb ComStar more than the Combine's access to a limited interstellar communications ability. We'll need that technology and more if the Combine is to weather the storm that is to come."

"Rest assured of the support of the Order of the Five Pillars. The Draconis Combine must remain strong."

Theodore's dark brows arched over suddenly widened eyes. "From anyone else, I might take that as an incitement to overthrow the Coordinator."