"I don't know and I don't understand." Hohiro sounded as unnerved as Shin felt.

"What does it matter, for now, my son?" asked Theodore Kurita. "Let us be content with having accomplished what no one else has been able to do: we have beaten this invader and wrested from him 'Mechs that hold the secret of incredible power. At no time in the history of man has there ever been so great a victory, and in this place and at this time, that is all that matters."

39

JumpShip Dire Wolf , Assault Orbit, Engadin VII

Radstadt Province , Free Rasalhague Republic

31 October 3050

Phelan Kell stepped into the viewing gallery overlooking the Dire Wolfsbridge, fully expecting to find it empty. The presence of another individual snapped him out of the daze in which he'd been wandering. "Forgive me, Precentor Martial. I did not know you would be here." He glanced over his shoulder as the door slid shut. "I will leave you."

Anastasius Focht held his hand up. "No. I am here specifically to see you." The white-haired man smiled and pointed down at the bridge deck where Ulric stood in conversation with the ilKhan. "To see you and to observe from here, as the ilKhan objects to my presence on the bridge."

The younger man tugged unconsciously at the bondcord on his right wrist. "Yeah, everyone's getting testy around here, aren't they? This meeting of the different clan leaders has them all on edge."

Focht nodded thoughtfully, then his hands disappeared into the sleeves of his white robe. "True enough. I would give much to learn what is at the heart of this invasion."

Like an animal with hackles, Phelan sensed danger almost immediately. "It seems to me, Precentor Martial, that you know more about the Clans' true intentions than anyone else in the Inner Sphere except the Clansmen themselves."

Focht smiled distractedly, then clasped his hands behind his back and began to pace the narrow room. "Do not underestimate your own knowledge of their tactics and ways of battle. Yet, neither of us knows what truly motivates these Clans. Someone as intelligent as you must sense hidden purpose in all this."

Phelan nodded as he looked down on the bridge. In addition to the usual complement of bridge officers, he saw even more Clansmen whose clothing patches marked them as members of the Ghost Bear, Smoke Jaguar, and Jade Falcon clans. Most of them, he knew, had arrived a week earlier on three different JumpShips. As nearly as he had been able to determine through overheard snatches of conversation and innocently asked questions, they had come to demand and negotiate the details of a meeting of all the Khans involved in the invasion.

Phelan turned to the ComStar man. "We both recognize rivalries among the Clans, and unless I miss my guess, the early launching of the Wolves' last wave really set the others off. I also gather that the Combine handed the Smoke Jaguars their heads on one world, and that the Commonwealth has made trouble for the Jade Falcons. The Bears have just been slow in consolidating their holdings, all of which means the Wolves, in this warrior society, are top dogs—no pun intended."

Focht's head came up. "Good. Your information is correct, and at some point, I can provide you with some details of the various assaults. For now, let me say that the Kell Hounds were the linchpin of the victory in the Commonwealth."

Well, dammit, it's about bloody time!Phelan smiled more cheerfully than he had in months. "Thank you, Precentor. I owe you one."

Phelan failed to fathom the bemused look that cycled over the Precentor's face. Focht killed it quickly enough as he posed another question. "Have you noticed other divisions within the Clans, one that breaks through Clan lines?"

Phelan gave it some thought, frowning with concentration. "Not really a divisionof the Clans ... but I have noted a split in attitude that I attributed to my being a bondsman. Some of the Clansmen seem to accept me freely, or at least view me with curiosity. Others react as though I'm a kind of subhuman. It's like Ulric and Vlad down there on the bridge. Ulric has helped me in return for help, whereas Vlad held me in contempt from the start."

"This dichotomy is not limited to bondsmen, I can assure you." An edge crept into the Precentor's voice as he watched the ilKhan wander around on the bridge. "Khan Ulric felt it would be good for me to observe the formalities of a Grand Council first hand, but the ilKhan banished me as though I were unworthy of such an honor. I don't believe Ulric ever intended for me to attend the Grand Council, but the ilKhan's reaction cost Leo some face and won Ulric a concession for this meeting."

Phelan raised an eyebrow. "What was that?"

"The Dire Wolfwill be the only flagship at the meeting. The other Khans will have to arrive in smaller JumpShips. Ulric also managed to set the meeting place for Radstadt, a world well in front of anyone else's line of advance. Its selection reinforces the Wolf Clan's superiority in the invasion."

The mercenary chuckled lightly. "Ulric does know how to play political games very well."

The Precentor grunted agreement. "One wonders how to determine when the games end." Focht opened his hands to take in the viewing room. "You and I must both be considered enemies to the Clans, yet Ulric has allowed us to view their activities from here and from the bridge itself. What possible reason would he have to do this?"

The younger man shook his head. "I cannot answer that, Precentor, but I will admit I constantly find myself in testing situations. It almost seems that he lets us watch him so he can watch us and see how we react."

The Precentor Martial turned back from the bridge to face Phelan. "I understand that sense of being constantly tested, and I think you're right about it. I sense, too, that Ulric is keeping something hidden from me. Because he plays his games so well, it's hard to know if he truly intends to keep the information hidden, or whether he wants me to know it is hidden so I can ferret it out. And if that latter case is true, why would he want me to learn something that is supposed to be confidential?"         '

"Whoa." The Kell Hound held up his hands. "Those kinds of speculations will have you running in such circles that it'll drive you crazy in the end. Even if there is something that Ulric wants you to discover, getting that information won't be easy. In case it's slipped your attention, we're in the middle of the enemy camp and we've both been identified as enemy agents. Furthermore, such spying would take technical expertise and equipment we don't have."

Again a look of amusement spread over the Precentor Martial's face. "As I understand it, you have developed the power to walk through locked doors."

All of a sudden, the boxy sonic lockpick in Phelan's left pocket felt as though its mass had increased a thousandfold. Why the hell didn't Griff get rid of this thing after Vlad beat me up?"Wait a minute! We've suddenly gone from an idle discussion of the Khan to a subject that caused me a painful experience. I swore an oath to Ulric that I would not attempt to communicate information about the Clans to anyone. He fulfilled his side of the bargain we struck. I cannot go back on my word."

"Admirable," Focht acknowledged, holding out his right hand to Phelan. "Give me the device and show me how it works. I will do the rest and I will even say I stole it from you."