Focht waited until they had entered the elevator and Phelan had it moving toward the bridge. "The Primus forbade me to tell your family anything about you, so I tried to get around it by sending a kind of coded message to your father. I used a famous quote by the ancient writer Mark Twain about the exaggerated reports of his death, hoping he'd be able to puzzle it out eventually. But that was the best I could do."

"Thank you." Phelan picked distractedly at a fingernail. "But I know nothing of importance to tell you, Precentor. Natasha is a Khan of the Wolves and Ulric's election as ilKhan was not without surprises. His enemies agreed to elect him ilKhan, believing they could manipulate him, but he quickly set them straight. As for his invasion plans, he has confided nothing to me."

"Ulric is a very wise man. I have no doubt that whatever he has planned for the Inner Sphere will be most challenging.

The elevator stopped and the door opened onto a darkened corridor. Phelan led the way toward the bridge, remembering this same scene nearly a year before when the ship had been damaged in a battle. He looked at the Precentor Martial over his shoulder. "You know, running to the bridge after the Rasalhague ship hit us, I never believed we would find anyone alive."

Focht half-closed his good eye. "If not for your quick thinking and that tool you had created to open the lock, no one would have survived."

"Funny how things work out, isn't it?"

"The irony of the universe has not escaped me."

The two Elementals standing on either side of the hatch to the bridge gave no clue that they saw or cared about Phelan conducting the Precentor Martial in to see the ilKhan. Manning the various stations on the bridge were some two score crew members. Despite their brand new equipment and the routine way they seemed to go about their tasks, Phelan felt a shiver down his spine. His eyes flew up to where a catastrophic hole had been ripped in the hull, but nothing remained to show it had ever been there.

He guided Focht forward to a central area enclosed by a circular palisade of black panels. Slipping into the holotank through one of the four openings, they came immediately into the midst of a holographic space map. Star pinpoints large and small burned brightly, and the names of many were identified by floating labels.

At the heart of the galaxy, Ulric stood talking with Natasha Kerensky. He looked up and smiled at Focht, but waited until Natasha had finished speaking before he moved to welcome his guest. The look of pleasure on Ulric's face was in stark antithesis to Natasha's dark expression.

The ilKhan offered the Precentor Martial his right hand. "I am most pleased your Primus has sent you to us again."

Focht shook Ulric's hand heartily. "And I am happy to return. The Primus asks me to advise you that ComStar offers all the support at its disposal."

"Excellent." Ulric half-turned and waved Natasha forward. 'This is Natasha Kerensky, formerly of the Wolf Dragoons."

"And now in command of the Thirteenth Wolf Guards." Focht took her right hand and kissed it. "You are even more beautiful than I remember, Colonel Kerensky."

Natasha's expression turned arctic with suspicion. "We've met before?"

The Precentor Martial shrugged. "It was a lifetime ago. You'd not remember me, for I was but one of many warriors who dreaded fighting against your Black Widows but dreamed of fighting with them."

Natasha withdrew her hand from his. "And I thought ComStar's Precentor Martial would be nothing more than a eunuch in a seraglio. You have charm and wit, yet are modest. A most dangerous combination, indeed."

Focht raised his hands in protest. "I am not here as an enemy, Colonel. I am here to help."

"That is a very good thing, Precentor," said Ulric, taking control of the conversation, "because our strategy has shifted." The ilKhan reached out to touch the glowing dot at the end of one star's name tag. Instandy, the label expanded to become a scrolling window of data. From where Phelan stood, he only saw the letters in reverse through the body of the translucent computer projection. That hardly mattered, for he'd studied enough world reports to know it was providing as timely information as the Clans had about the military forces on that planet.

"I will need you to provide very accurate and up-to-date information on the worlds we choose to hit. Instead of continuing to roll forward like a blanket, we are going to cherry-pick worlds. We will target the most heavily defended worlds in a sector, bypassing and cutting off lesser worlds. We hope that when the key worlds fall, the disruptive elements of the bypassed worlds will flee, allowing us to scoop up those planets with little or no struggle."

Focht nodded thoughtfully. "Getting the data should present no problem at all, provided you can give me a list of worlds you want to hit within two weeks of your attack. I do not need that much time to gather the information, you understand, but it gives my people the lead time to prepare for the aftermath of your invasion and the period of pacification."

"Fine." Ulric positioned his hand at the bottom of the window and pushed up. The computer sucked the data window back up into the label. "We want to force the Inner Sphere militaries to concentrate their forces, which should stop their attacks on worlds behind the lines. It will also be more of a challenge for our forces. With the addition of three more Clans to bolster those that have not fared as well as the Wolves, we must provide opportunities for glory in battle."

"Then the suggestion I had in mind might not be welcome."

"Speak freely. Nothing is forged of titanium as of yet."

The Precentor Martial pointed to a relatively minor world. "I thought it might be possible to use the offices of ComStar to negotiate the surrender of worlds you do not attack. This places us as a buffer between you and the populace, making implementation of pacification policies all the easier. If the negotiations fall through, you can still hit the world with whatever force you choose."

"A kind of 'carrot and PPC approach to world conquest, eh, Precentor?"

"A most interesting turn of phrase, Colonel Kerensky." Focht clasped his hands behind his back. "I offer this idea merely with the thought of speeding your ability to secure your rear area. Politicians are not warriors. They often gladly give away what an army could not take in a millennia."

Ulric laughed politely. "Point well-taken, Precentor, and one spoken like a warrior. To call a politician untrustworthy is redundant, and to call one honest is a contradiction in terms. However, anyone who is aware of how the politics of a situation might affect him can sail through the obstacles."

"Good charts, strong ships, and a sextant have made it possible to weather more than one storm," Focht said amiably. "If you do not mind, I would welcome a chance to rest a bit before we continue."

"A splendid idea. Natasha and I have some things to discuss before we can decide on potential targets." Ulric escorted the Precentor Martial to the edge of the holotank. "Phelan will take you to your cabin. We can meet later for dinner. In say, four hours. We should be prepared to give you the names of some worlds for study by then."

Focht bowed his head. "I am your humble servant, ilKhan Ulric. The Peace of Blake be with you."

27

Unity Palace, Imperial City, Luthien