Behind him, the leaders of the military units stationed on Luthien filed into the room and took their places at the black table. Seeing Narimasa Asano, leader of the Genyosha, seated across from him, Shin drew strength from the man's calm demeanor. The other military men showed more apprehension and irritation at having been summoned so abruptly. Some still rubbed sleep from their eyes, probably having caught a few more moments of sleep as their aides drove them to the palace in the middle of the night.

Though Theodore did nothing to acknowledge their presence, he approached the head of the table when the last general was seated and the doors had been shut. The Kanrei hit several buttons on the console at his right hand, engaging the anti-listening capabilities of the room. Though Shin had grown accustomed to it, Theodore's plodding, methodical way of punching each button, like an executioner mechanically lopping head after head with an axe, struck him as a most dire omen.

Theodore kept his voice quiet and low. He enunciated his words carefully, as though precision could somehow mitigate the disastrous message he had to deliver. "I have learned through an unimpeachable source that the Clans have chosen their next target in our space, and that it is Luthien."

Nausea twisted Shin's stomach like a python trying to crush a rabbit. Luthien! They mean to decapitate the Combine, just as they have the Free Rasalhague Republic.His hands clenched into fists as he looked around at the shocked expressions of the other military men around the table. Only Narimasa Asano was able to conceal his reaction to the news, though his composure was not perfect.

"Are you certain?" someone inquired from further down the table.

"Hai."Theodore took a deep breath and exhaled it slowly. "I learned of this intended strike only an hour ago and immediately sent for all of you. We have five regiments on Luthien, and can call up another three of militia and retired military, though our equipment is not so good."

Tai-saOda Hideyoshi, leader of the fanatical Otomo, pressed his palms flat against the table's surface. "We must defend Luthien. If we lose it, we lose everything."

Across from Hideyoshi, a wizened older man whose close-cropped black hair and big ears made him look to Shin like a monkey-spirit, nodded in agreement. "Kanrei, the First Sword of Light stands ready to repulse these invaders, but we are not able to do it alone. Acknowledging the spirit of the Otomo, the Genyosha, and your Second Legion of Vega, may I suggest that you recall the Ryuken regiments from Pesht to reinforce us here."

Theodore looked at the Genyosha leader. "Do you concur, Tai-sa?'

Asano leaned back in his chair, his dark eyes revealing nothing of his thoughts. "Forgive me, Kanrei, but we have not enough information to render that judgement. We have five regiments here, which translate roughly into a Clan force half our size. We have not seen a Clan assault with more than two of their regiments, except the rumored force they used to take Rasalhague. I also assume that the pattern of previous attacks means that we will be facing the Smoke Jaguars and Nova Cats, while the Ghost Bears and their new allies, the Steel Vipers, will strike further into our territory."

Theodore nodded. "I was not given any information on a Ghost Bear or Steel Viper attack, but I have no reason to assume you are wrong."

"Then I would have to agree that reinforcement is crucial, but let it be a general reinforcement of our whole line. Luthien may be the capital, but it is not the whole of the Combine."

The other officers stared at Asano as though he were mad, but Shin began to see at what the old man hinted. Shin knew the Ryuken were prepared to stage raids into Clan-held territory and that they had a sanctuary on Wolcott that the Clans would not hit. Pulling the Ryuken back would only keep the Combine on the defensive, while letting them loose would force the Clans to be more cautious.

Theodore leaned forward, pressing his fingertips to the ta-bletop. "Time and again, we have had to rediscover the key to modern warfare. We no longer have fronts, and ownership of planets means nothing. The only way to defeat an enemy is to destroy his capacity to wage war. This is done by destroying his troops and disrupting his supply lines. We all know this, but our pride often blinds us to this truth.

"Twenty years ago, we saw two sharp examples of this truth. The Liao strike at the Kathil ship yards was misguided and unsuccessful, yet could have crippled Hanse Davion's war had it come off as planned. There was also Katrina Steiner's strike at my JumpShips, preventing our invasion of the Isle of Skye, at no greater cost than a handful of agents."

The First Swords leader, Yoshida, raised a counterpoint. "What you say is true, but how can you discount how the loss of Luthien would affect our population? The dishonor ..."

"Damn the dishonor! Yes, the loss of Luthien would be a blow, but a successful defense of other worlds would temper that, as would the reconquest of worlds the Clans have previously taken." Theodore's blue eyes blazed like a PPC beam. "So far all we have done is react to attacks by the Clans. But if they want to throw forces at Luthien, it means they do not have troops to hold other worlds. It means they're devoting too much of their munitions and spare parts to one world, making them vulnerable elsewhere. That vulnerability is exactly what I intend to exploit."

The Kanrei looked at Shin. "Sho-saYodama, please punch up Case Tako."

Octopus?Shin typed the request into the computer and saw a map of the Combine materialize and hover over the center of the table. Golden sparks of light glowed on each world where the Combine maintained troops. Slender golden threads representing supply circuits connected worlds in a wispy web.

Without his doing anything, the picture slowly changed. Ninety percent of the line units on the border with the Federated Commonwealth—both along the Draconis March and the Isle of Skye—drifted up toward the Clan lines, and the supply web shifted to support them. More important, supply lines to frontline worlds increased, giving those units enough material to launch strikes at the enemy. Shin realized that even if the Combine's attacks were little more than raids, by the time the Clans could react to them, attack units shifted from the Davion border would be arriving to reinforce the planets they would attack.

"This is it, my Lords. We reallocate our forces to provide far more resistance than the Clans can imagine. The field modification kits are being shipped to the units I want to use for strikes, so the Clans will be facing 'Mechs that are close to their equal. We'll have the Ryuken strike at their rear and feint toward the Periphery, as though intending to backtrack the Clans and strike at their home."

Asano smiled ever so slightly. "Audacious, to say the least. Will you concentrate on reinforcing and supplying units with strong aerospace wings, the only combat arena where we seem to fight on even ground with the Clans?"

"Of course." Theodore straightened up. "We are also upgrading conventional air forces to aid in anti-'Mech activities. The cost will be high in terms of personnel, but it will give the Clan fighter pilots even more to think about, as well as keeping their 'Mech forces off guard."

The leader of the Otomo shook his head. "This plan certainly seems to offer the solution to dealing with the Clans, but I fear we are burning the roof to warm us against the cold night. Stripping forces from the Davion border is madness. Davion will be on us like a shark to a bleeding fish."