Confusion ran through Kai's mind. I don't understand how there's so much anger in your voice one moment, only to have it vanish the next. You hate me for some reason, but your role as a medic overrides that personal feeling."A bandage will be good. If nothing else, it will remind me to be more careful."

"A good idea at any time." She replaced the bottle in the cabinet and pulled out a small, barbell-shaped bandage. Freeing it from the backing, she stretched it across the center of the cut, then pressed the ends down. The elastic material contracted, tugging the edges of the cut closer to each other. "How did it happen?"

Kai shrugged. "I was helping pass stuff down a line and got distracted by General Redburn."

Deirdre's blue eyes flickered. "Hobnobbing with the brass, eh?"

The MechWarrior stiffened. "No. He sought me out. General Redburn had something he wanted to tell me."

She smiled coyly. "But he is an old family friend, isn't he?"

Does she have some antipathy toward nobles, after all?Kai nodded, feeling uncomfortably like he was stepping into a trap. "He served with my father before the Fourth War."

Deirdre Lear's eyes hardened and Kai read anger and pain in them. Her coldness toward me has something to do with the war, or perhaps, my father. Didn't Andrew say her father had been a MechWarrior who died when she was young? She's not that much older than me, so she probably lost him in the war. Who knows?

He started to tell her he was sorry about her loss, but something stopped him. Don't. You don't know anything about her father.A horrible thought struck him. Her father might have died in the assault on Sarna—whose defense some say my father planned. Wait. Try to learn about her background. If you say anything right now, it will only make things worse.

He bowed his head. "Thank you for attending my wound."

"Be more careful in the future," she said, all compassion gone. "I don't want to see you in my hospital again."

25

Black Pearl Base, Sudeten

Tamar March, Lyran Commonwealth

15 June 3050

Unsuspecting, the Thormoved across the holovid screen from the left, snow and thin ribbons of ice glittering from its head and shoulders as it traveled through the blizzard. Tendrils of steam drifted up from the fire-blackened shell of the LRM launcher on the Thor'sleft shoulder and other half-melted scars on its body. Where wind-whipped snow actually fell against the myomer muscle exposed on the Thor'sright arm, arcing sparks converted to vapor as the muscle flexed and moved the PPC side to side in a vain search for prey.

Suddenly, the snow exploded up around the 'Mech's legs. Black dirt and shards of armor sprayed into the air to stain the virgin snow as the buried mine savaged the Thor'slegs. The giant 'Mech staggered and dropped to one knee. All around it, snow-encrusted Donegal 'Mechs encircled their foe and poured SRM and laser fire into the Thor. Under the hideous barrage, the heavy 'Mech tottered and went down ...

Victor Steiner-Davion looked up from the holovid view screen as Galen Cox dropped into the seat across the aisle from him. "What is it?" He fastened his seatbelt and shoulder restraints, then jerked his hedd toward the shuttlecraft's nose. "The crew wanted to make sure you're buckled in. We'll be landing in about five minutes." He glanced at the images marching across the holovid screen built into the bulkhead in front of Victor's seat. "Do you think there's more you can learn from that?"

Anger exploded in Victor's blue eyes, but he held back his rage. There has to be more I can learn from it. The Twelfth Donegal Guards continued to send us sensitive telemetry as we headed out of the system. These visual images alone give us a better look at the raiders than anything else we've got.He choked back his emotions and nodded slowly. "I hope there is, Hauptmann. Otherwise, so many people will have died in vain."

Galen drew in a deep breath. "Sir, once again I ask that you give my resignation further consideration. I will, at your order, remand myself over for court martial on charges of striking a superior officer."

Victor looked over at the taller man, then shook his head as he strapped himself into the seat. "Yes, Hauptmann, I have considered your request and I apologize for keeping you on the hook for so long. Your resignation has been rejected." He glanced down, no longer able to maintain eye contact with his aide. "I admit that I blamed you for preventing me from trying to help defeat the invaders on Trell I. But no victory on that world would have been possible. I realize that now. As nearly as we know, all resistance to the Jade Falcons ended weeks ago. Even implementation of my plan early on wouldn't have changed that."

Victor raised his hand to forestall any comment by Galen. "Furthermore, I realize that your action probably spurred the men and women of the Twelfth Donegal on to even greater acts of heroism. Their radio chatter makes it clear that they were trying to draw the invaders' attention to themselves and away from me. Many died trying to help me escape. I must do all I can to make good their sacrifice.

"The fact that my father cut orders for me to attend this meeting in no way guarantees that I'll get a combat assignment. My parents would probably like to see me in a staff position with the First Kathil Uhlans. Morgan, on the other hand, might assign me to another line unit, but what general will take the chance that Hawksworth refused?"

Cox nodded. "Damned if you do and damned if you don't ..."

Victor opened his hands, then crossed his fingers. "Real close, but not 100 percent yet. If I can come up with an operation that is sound and has merit, Morgan might just give it to me. Remember, he wasn't that much older than I am now when the Uhlans assaulted the Capellan capital. Morgan won't let me throw away the lives of men and women in some vanity assault, but he will listen to reason."

* * *

"Looks like quite a reception committee waiting for you, Kommandant."

Victor turned around on the long escalator and looked through the building's glass wall at the five men standing in the blue carpeted visitor's lounge. "Guess it's old home week." He noticed Galen looked somewhat puzzled. "You know who they are, don't you?"

Galen shrugged sheepishly. "I'm afraid I haven't kept up with my reading of Burke's Peerage, Highness." Galen thrust his chin forward. "Perhaps I should just have you knock me out and get me through this."

Victor shook his head, then surreptitiously indicated the first man in line. "You see the one in the black and gold uniform, with the long red hair?"

"Do you mean Marshal Morgan Hasek-Davion?" When Victor looked back and shot him a nasty glance, Galen laughed lightly. "I'm bound to know the supreme commander of the armed forces in which I serve, after all."

"True," Victor said. "The man next to him is LeftenantGeneral Andrew Redburn. Before helping Morgan form the First Kathil Uhlans, Redburn commanded the Davion Light Guards Delta Company in the Fourth War."

Galen's blue eyes focused distantly. 'The St. Andre drop on Cochraine's Goliaths? I remember that being cited at the War College of Tamar as a classic action of maneuverability and surprise defeating larger 'Mechs. Didn't he also handle the defense of Gan Singh?"