Myndo nodded and turned away. She touched a hidden panel beside the round pane, and a shade slowly descended over it. As the light from the window died, the computer equalized the room's illumination by bringing up the interior lights. Their glow burnished the oak-panelled walls and floor with rich highlights.

"I appreciate, Precentor Martial, your desire to maintain our troops as an ace-in-the-hole if the Clans do become unruly, but I think your time is better spent assessing the strengths and weaknesses of potential targets for Clan conquest."

Focht's grim expression pulled his lips into a taut line. "At this point in time, Primus, the Clans have the ability to take any world they choose. Because of the ilKhan's death, most of their front-line troops have withdrawn to a position somewhere beyond the Periphery. This withdrawal comes because many of these elite troops have Bloodnames—a kind of hereditary order among them, as near as I can tell. These Bloodnamed individuals will elect a new ilKhan.

"Though the troops they have left behind to garrison their conquests are not normally seen as offensively capable, they could easily start adding to the Clans' holdings."

Myndo gestured casually toward the desk and data terminal in a corner of the chamber. "This I know, Precentor. I have read your reports and have found them, as always, to be informative and concise. I have noted, however, that you and I disagree on the worlds best suited to Clan conquest."

"I am not certain I follow your meaning, Primus." Focht was beginning to feel uneasy. "Worlds are selected based on their garrison strength, the value of their resources and industry, and the overall size of their populations. We choose those with high resources or industries, but weak defenses and low populations, as the primary targets. They are easier to take and hold."

"Perhaps for the military this is true." The Primus' blue eyes glittered like ice. "ComStar, on the other hand, has other interests. Because the Clans see fit to let us administer their conquered worlds and to reeducate the populations, your criteria are flawed. By advising the conquest of worlds with larger populations first, we gain a larger audience for the Sacred Word of Blake."

The Precentor Martial forced himself to count silently to ten. With equal deliberation, he clasped his hands behind his back. "Primus, I understand your desire to gain access to as many people as possible within the conquered territories. However, to advocate the conquest of high-density population worlds increases the chance of civilian casualties."

"And you see a problem with that?" Myndo's eyes flared wide. "Bloodshed is just what people need to shake them from their complacency. If civilians die, it only builds resentment against the Clans, making it all the easier for us to play the role of savior when we come as intermediary between the populace and the Clans. The passion of the people becomes our passion, and through it, we can enlighten them."

"Surely, Primus, you would not advocate the commission of atrocities against civilians?"

Myndo vetoed that idea with the wave of a hand. "Never, Precentor Martial, would I issue such orders. But you know as well as I that the people of worlds where civilians have suffered are more quickly transformed into a docile citizenry."

"I see." Focht looked down at the golden ComStar insignia inlaid into the floor of the chamber. "Then I take it the re-education programs are going well?"

"Not as well as I hoped, but the withdrawal of the Clan leadership has lifted some of the pressure from the people. Some of them dare believe the Clans will not continue the invasion, though our agents assure them the Clans intend to fight on. Yet, in just over a year, the people of many a conquered world see ComStar as the only means to getting things done. If we can continue as advocates for the people against their conquerors for another two or three years, we will be able to engineer a mass uprising to overthrow the Clans when the time is right."

Focht's head came back up. "What news of the negotiations on Outreach? Is Wolf going to be able to unite the feuding factions of the Inner Sphere into an army?"

The petulant look that swept the Primus' features was an eloquent answer. "We have little or no news. We have not infiltrated any agents into the cadre of outsiders Wolf allows on his world. Even if we had, it would be impossible for such an agent to report until he was out of the system. As nearly as we can tell, people are going into Outreach, but no one has left. I believe this means that negotiations are not proceeding as smoothly as Wolf had hoped, for no action has been taken in direct response to orders issued from Outreach."

"On the other hand, Primus, it could also mean negotiations are going very well, and the planning precludes the issuance of orders."

The Primus shrugged. "Either way, I do not believe the armies of the Great Houses could ever pose a threat to the Clans, even if united. Was it not you who time and again has underscored the technological advantage the Clans have over any forces in the Inner Sphere? Reading your reports, it has occurred to me that cooperation between the Great Houses would result in the Clans abandoning their silly practice of bidding away strength. Only we can stop them, and we will do it from within."

"I realize, Primus, that you disdain dealing with hypothetical situations, but the current state of affairs does demand some speculation." Focht rubbed the white stubble on his chin with his left hand. "Twenty years ago, a Star League memory core fell into the hands of Hanse Davion. A covert ComStar assault on the New Avalon Institute of Science failed to recover or destroy it. Since that time, a number of technological advancements have emerged in medicine, planetology, astrophysics, and other sciences. These suggest that the computer core provided breakthroughs to the rediscovery of much knowledge lost after the First Succession War."

"Yes, but we have seen no developments in weapons or 'Mech technology."

"True, Primus, but it would not be the first time that the Successor States have withheld information from us. It could be that they are keeping a tight guard on the secret of new advancements. You will recall that twenty years ago House Davion revealed a new myomer fiber that made 'Mechs faster and stronger than ever before."

Myndo's eyes narrowed. "But that myomer fiber combusted when in contact with a gas Davion scientists had created. That was why Davion did not outfit his 'Mechs with the pseudomuscle, but was more than willing to let House Liao have the secret so he could use it against them. I remember well the raid on Sian, Precentor Martial. I also know that two decades of research by Liao scientists have not succeeded in finding a way to coat or change the muscle so that it is not combustible in the presence of that gas."

"I do not bring this to your attention to upset you, Primus." Focht held his hands open in a gesture of peace. "I do hasten to point out, however, that the triple-strength myomer has not been released for use in industrial 'Mechs where the gas is not usually present. It strikes me as likely that the myomer is the subject of continued classified researches. Even if the Davion scientists have not found a way to make the myomer immune to the gas, they could equip their 'Mechs with the more powerful muscles anyway, just as House Liao has done with recon 'Mechs like the Locustand the Raven.These 'Mechs could be used on airless worlds or ones constantly lashed by storms to present the Clans with a nasty surprise."