He tore off the tissue impatiently. Rolled in a light environment suit, he found a new knife, together with the sheath that would strap it to his calf. The knife was beautiful, its edge razor-keen, its haft leather-wrapped. The sheath was also a fine piece of work, soft and form-fitting, so as not to bind on the leg.

There was something else, too, a canister made to fit into the cockpit compartment where a MechWarrior kept personal and survival equipment. In it was a new set of collapsible field and camping gear.

Ardan stared down at the gifts. His friends knew that he would be issued fresh gear when he got to his destination. But this was the best obtainable, far better than government-issue. The knife would keep its edge for years, and would neither oxidize nor break. The other equipment was of the finest quality and would probably wear far longer than he would.

Though his old knife had been with him in so many battles, he had been lucky enough never to need it. No 'Mech he had piloted had ever been destroyed to the point where Ardan was forced to abandon it. But the time came to every warrior—if he lived long enough—when he had to take to the battlefield on his own, unshielded by his gigantic machine.

Ardan packed quickly, almost mechanically. Having done it so often, before so many battles, habit took over, leaving his mind free. His thoughts drifted in a mild haze.

Not drunken—he hadn't consumed that much—but somehow disconnected from the familiar concerns that had so preoccupied and upset him recently.

His mind moved backward in time to the last war, the last battle in which he had been engaged. It had been no major conflict The Draconis Combine had edged into Lyran territory. Under an existing treaty, House Davion had sent troops to aid Katrina Steiner in holding the group of worlds under attack. Ardan had been in command of a 'Mech unit assigned to root out an emplacement of enemy troops.

In memory, he felt beneath him the lumbering motion of his ‘Mech. He heard the thunder of his own weapons, the impact of laser beams and explosives against the armor of his Victor.A dedicated group, his men had plunged into the fray with gusto, intoxicated with battle.

The thud of his 'Mech's huge feet against the ground had not impinged upon him at the time. The effects of his weapons on the surrounding territory hadn't been noted. Only the effects that took out or disabled enemy troops and 'Mechs had caught his attention.

Not until his unit had stomped the Kurita forces flat and the battle was over had Ardan paused to look about him. That had been the most terrible moment in all his years as a professional warrior. It was the first time he had allowed himself to really see what toll the battle had taken on the land across which it raged. Where a forest had stood, shading a broad lake, he now saw a field of stubble. Even worse, the greenish-yellow waters of the lake were stained black and red, where both machines and men had died horribly. The surrounding croplands were trampled into dust and straw. Dead animals lay swelling in the sun...along with dead men, both his own and the enemy's.

Where a stone house surrounded by orchards had stood, only a few stones remained, and the fruit trees might never have existed. In the lane before the broken walls, there had been a child, crying...Though he shrank from the memory, Ardan could not forget how the child's entrails hung from a gaping wound in its belly. The shrieks of the toddler had carried even into the shielded space of his 'Mech. Even as he had moved to unlock his entry-port and go to the little boy's aid, laser fire had spurted, blasting the child into the dust

Ardan would never forget that blackened bit of flesh, lying in the crumbled stone and dirt. And that was exactly where he was headed once more.

He turned blindly and set the neat pack beside the door, knowing he would never again go blithely into battle, filled only with dreams of glory and adventure, as he had once. No...behind his alert warrior's eyes, his busy mind, he would always see that blasted child, that ruined valley.

Was he, then, so much better than Hanse? Hanse might be subtle and devious to get his way. But Ardan knew himself to be a destroyer.

7

Maximilian Liao stood at the wide window, gazing across the tropical garden shielded by the walls of his palace on Sian. Water mingled with trailing plants, exotic blossoms, and unusual birds to create an enthralling scene. Liao, however, barely noticed it

He was thinking hard, mentally organizing the sequence of events he was now committed to carrying out Hearing a step behind him, he turned to see Colonel Pavel Ridzik enter the room. A gruff and grizzled veteran of more than thirty years of 'Mech wars, Ridzik had served as de facto supreme commander ever since Liao's rise to power.

"Well, Pavel, what word from the front?"

"It is no longer a battlefront, my Lord," the red-bearded Ridzik replied. "We hold Stein's Folly. Not securely, but it is now pacified, except for a few scattered mopping-up operations."

"And our...other arrangements?"

"In hand. We will, I believe, stand a very good chance of catching Davion off-balance. If we can carry out the plan effectively, you will be several steps nearer your goal. How does it sound to you...First Lord of the Star League?" Even when he smiled, Ridzik looked menacing.

"If we can gain an ally in the enemy camp, we may shorten the process by a good deal. How are you coming with that?" asked Liao. "Have you sent agents out among the worlds controlled by Davion's brother-in-law, yet? Someone, somewhere, should be willing to sell out, in exchange for money and influence."

"That is also in hand. We have made some connections. Potentially valuable ones. But it takes time, and time is now at a premium."

"Yes." Liao's expression was stern, hard. "Now we are involved with the most exquisite timing. We must estimate precisely the arrival of the Davion contingent. There is no doubt, I suppose, that he will counterattack?"

"None whatever. He has to, or else lose all credibility. And that is the one thing that has made him so solidly in control of the Federated Suns. He cannot afford to compromise it."

Ridzik moved to the side wall of- the big chamber and drew down a map. "Our spies inform us that Davion's troops are moving into position. A brigade has jumped from Ral to Hamlin and even now is awaiting recharge for its jump to Dragon's Field. Another large detachment of 'Mech units and infantry has already landed at Dragon's Field. They await the arrival of the rest of the force, as well as the headquarters group."

He tapped his long, bony finger on the map. "We have excellent intelligence capacity, which is what allowed us to take Stein's Folly and Redfield. The element of surprise is always valuable, and we used it well. Once Redfield had fallen, there was no way for Michael Hasek-Davion to hold onto Stein's Folly."

The Colonel paused and turned to look at his ruler. "After all, Michael is a weak man, with great ambitions. Certainly not one to be trusted with defense of a vulnerable border."

Liao frowned. "Will Hanse Davion accompany his commanders?" he asked. That might be...convenient."

"His Councillors will never allow itHe may well come to one of the adjacent worlds, in order to be within easier logistical distance of the conflict. But no, he will not approach Stein's Folly or Dragon's Field. Not if his ministers have any judgment at all."

"A pity. It would be fine to remove all our obstacles in one sweeping motion. But let us do what we can with what we have."