"An excellent idea, Yvonne. My congratulations. Communicate the idea and some basic plans to Ardan Sortek immediately. I'm certain he'll enjoy passing them on to Pavel Ridzik." The Prince's remark triggered another round of chuckling as everyone assembled remembered the earlier holovid in which Ardan Sortek had expressed his true feelings for the ex-Liaoist Colonel, calling him "the Littlest Tsar."

Yvonne nodded curtly. "I'll send it out over the command circuit we've established to Tikonov immediately." A frown creased her brow for a moment, then she fixed Hanse with a steady stare. "I do think we should go ahead and requisition the JumpShips we have on reserve status. It will be clumsy, but it's important to establish and maintain communications between our soldiers and their families. It will be important for morale."

Hanse looked down as he considered the proposal. If I strip more JumpShips from the commercial sector, trade will slow down. We can probably maintain traffic in essentials, but shipments of luxury goods will have to be cut back. Some people will hate that, but I suppose they'd hate not hearing from their loved ones more. The former will breed discontent, but the latter would create fear and resentment.

The Prince brought his head up. "Quintus?"

The spymaster licked his lips. "I can have a report about a minimal maintenance network on your desk in twelve hours. We can move everything but exotics with this network, assuming the Kathil shipyards keep ships running and out of drydocks on schedule. I can have my people coordinate with Yvonne's subordinates to create a system that might allow some commercial movement of military correspondence, just to speed things up."

Marshal Pedroza cleared her throat. "I'd like to add that I support the Field Marshal's suggestion. Our warriors are living and dying at mail calls. On more than one occasion, I've had whole battalions volunteer for duty ferrying mail from a landing zone to the front."

"Very well," the Prince said. "Yvonne, get your people together with Quintus's and work this network out." He looked at his Intelligence Minister. "Tell the people in Ways and Means that if there's room for anything more than the basic necessities in the shipping schedule, priority goes to the lowest-priced luxury items—with emphasis on entertainment products, clothes, cosmetics, and other things people buy to make themselves happy. I don't want oneAvanti air car coming in when something for plentyof people could be shipped instead."

Quintus grinned broadly. "As you direct, my Prince."

Now the most difficult part of this meeting.The Prince regarded both of the men nearest him. "You have heard, of course, of the disastrous assault made by the Fifth Syrtis Fusiliers on Sarna. It's true they landed on a position defended by McCarron's Armored Cavalry. The Fusiliers had not expected opposition, and as a result, got sliced up badly. As you have also heard, McCarron captured General Gordon Hartstone and I have refused to ransom him."

The Prince watched both men for reactions, but they kept them well hidden. "The Fifth Syrtis Fusiliers presented a problem for me, gentlemen. I had evidence implicating their general staff in a treasonous plot directed against me. I had hoped, after Michael Hasek-Davion's death, that all three of the Fusilier RCTs would return to the fold, as it were. But the Fifth did not mend its ways.

General Hartstone demanded—not requested, demanded—a combat assignment that would avenge the Duke."

The Prince narrowed his ice-blue eyes. "I learned of a move within the Capellan March to support making Hartstone a warlord of sorts. Disguised as a patriotic movement within the March, it was nothing short of treason. I could not discharge the Fusiliers' leader because he would have bolted and taken most of his unit with him. Having no other reasonable choice, I gave him the combat assignment he wanted."

The Prince gestured at Quintus Allard. "We learned, after the JumpShips had headed out for Sarna, that McCarron's Armored Cavalry was on Sarna. Had Hartstone followed our original assault plan, we could have prevented the bloodbath. But Hartstone was looking too far ahead, imagining his glorious return to the Capellan March, and had boosted his DropShips in at 2.5Gs. That meant he arrived a full two days ahead of the mercenary regiments accompanying him."

Hanse Davion sighed heavily. "Their lead gave McCarron's Armored Cavalry two days to play with them. McCarron's people were dug in and threw everything they had at the Fusiliers. We recovered less than a battalion of 'Mechs, and only half of them operational. Losses of armor and infantry were even worse. For all intents and purposes, the Fifth Syrtis Fusiliers no long exists."

Silence settled over the meeting as the extent of carnage that could destroy a full Regimental Combat Team overwhelmed everyone in the room. Hanse felt anger burn his insides. Damn you, Michael Hasek-Davion. Why did you force me to waste so many people? Was your hatred for me so deep? Was your dream of glory so blind?

The Prince's voice came flat and controlled despite his internal rage. "Understand me, gentlemen, and make sure all the officers in your commands understand me. I cannot afford to have the Federated Suns divided against itself. There will be glory enough for all of us when this war is over. For now, we must stand together, or our enemies will exploit our weaknesses to pull us apart. With the Interdiction, we're half-blind, but we're not finished unless more people contemplate treason."

Hanse Davion leaned forward, letting his voice drop to a chilling whisper. "In short, gentlemen, I will reward those who serve me well, and discard those who work against me. We fight for the Federated Suns, and anyone who decides to work for himself should take a lesson from the Fifth Syrtis Fusiliers."

20

Ryde

Virginia Shire, Lyran Commonwealth

6 June 3029

Leutnant Joachim Rhinestag swallowed hard as he keyed his radio mike and stared out from the massive gray dolmen. Why me? Why do I always get the assignments that go to hell?"Eagle One to Eagle's Nest."

A bored female voice replied to his signal slowly. "Go ahead, Eagle One. What have you got, Joachim?"

Joachim drew in a deep breath and fought against the nervousness tying his stomach into knots. "I found the place where those two Overlordswent to ground. I've got a reinforced company of Kurita 'Mechs about five hundred meters north of my current position. They look like mediums and heavies, with an Orionand two Maraudersbeing the top of the line for them. The unit insignia is a black tidal wave within a circle. The wave has stars and a little boat about to be smashed beneath its crest."

A new voice, one full of false courage, cut in on the frequency. "Eagle One, this is Komandant Wyler. What are your coordinates? We will send the militia out to deal with them."

Joachim's heart leaped to his throat. "No, sir. I mean, negative, Eagle's Nest." Joachim sneaked another peek at the nearly fifty 'Mechs moving round on the rubble-strewn plain below his position. "Sir, our militia would be eaten alive down there." He hesitated and swallowed hard. "I don't think they want trouble, sir."

"What! You're telling me a Kurita 'Mech company lands on

Ryde and doesn't want trouble? Have you been hit on the head, boy?"

Oh, God, now the Komandant thinks . .. Damn! I'm in deep trouble now."Look, Komandant, they're out on Hanover Flats just moving rocks around."