Battletech legends the b.., p.57
BattleTech Legends: The Blood of Kerensky Trilogy, page 57
In unison, the assembled Khans intoned, “Seyla.”
The two Elementals split up and left Phelan alone on the dais. One took up a position by the side door through which the Loremaster and Phelan had entered the room. The other mounted the stepped aisle that split the chamber in two and stood with his back to the chamber’s double doors.
The self-importance in Conal’s voice did nothing to ease Phelan’s mind. “Phelan Wolf, do you know why you have been summoned here before the Khans?”
The look on Conal’s face told Phelan the Loremaster had something up his sleeve. Still, Phelan refrained from telling the Khans what Natasha had instructed him to answer. “It is not my ken to know the will of the Khans, Loremaster, but only to do all I may to fulfill their wishes.”
Conal’s face settled into a mask of superiority. “The Clans are without an ilKhan during this most important time. The ilKhan is the war leader of all the Clans, and is chosen by the Council of Khans as the instrument of their combined will. He is charged with the duty of fulfilling their mandate. More important, he rules until his replacement or his death to safeguard the Clans from the folly that has destroyed the Successor States.”
“That I understand, Loremaster.”
“Good, then your tutors have taught you well.” Conal gave him a patronizing nod. “All Khans are eligible for election, but before that election can begin, charges against any Khan must be resolved or set aside for later judgement. In this case, we have called you to answer a most serious charge against Khan Ulric of the Wolves.”
Phelan’s eyes narrowed. No surprise. Cyrilla was right. The battleground has shifted. “I vow not to rest until justice in this matter has been done.” Phelan saw Ulric nod as his response anticipated the Loremaster’s next question.
Conal recovered after only a heartbeat’s hesitation. “Very good, very good indeed. The charge against Ulric is this: that he knowingly engineered the death of the former ilKhan, Leo Showers of the Smoke Jaguars. To your knowledge, is there any truth in this charge?”
The bald-faced affront of the question shocked Phelan. He instantly shook his head with vehemence. “Not only is the charge baseless, I must call it ludicrous as well.” He felt his temper rising, but fought to keep it under control.
A Khan from the Steel Viper Clan stood. “But you do not deny that the ilKhan died when Khan Ulric did not?”
“No, of course I do not deny it.” Phelan swallowed hard and forced his hands to remain clasped behind his back. “I was there. I was the first person onto the bridge after the Rasalhague fighter hit it. The hull had a hole in it bigger than this dais, and anything that wasn’t hitched down had been sucked into space. Debris had ricocheted like shrapnel through the area. That there were any survivors at all was a miracle.”
He took a deep breath and tried to calm his racing heart. “When I found Khan Ulric, he was buried beneath the panels of the holotank. He had blacked out and was unable to leave the bridge without assistance.”
A Smoke Jaguar Khan stood up under the banner of his Clan. “Such a state could be feigned.”
Phelan’s nervousness and disbelief boosted into his anger. “You can’t fake cyanosis. His skin and lips were blue from oxygen deprivation, and he came around only after I fitted him with an oxygen mask.”
Phelan’s ire peaked at Conal’s expression of contempt. He drew in a deep breath. “But that is less important than the idiocy of what is suggested by these charges. A fighter slammed into the hull of the ship and breached it. Fifteen meters higher and it would have shattered the bridge bulkhead, purging vast chunks of the ship’s atmosphere. If Khan Ulric wanted to use such a risky method to kill the ilKhan, it would have been stupid for him to remain on the ship, quiaff? Why would he endanger the Dire Wolf at all when he could have had a supposed ‘sniper’ from the Rasalhague resistance troops shoot the ilKhan on the ground?”
The Smoke Jaguar Khan slammed his fist into his marble bench. “I will not be lectured by a freeborn whelp!”
“Show respect!” Conal snapped at Phelan.
Phelan’s nostrils flared. “You demand a vow of my ceaseless pursuit of justice, then you seek to hobble me. I submit, Khan, that you would not need a lecture from a freeborn whelp if you had the brains of the average surat!”
The Khan trembled with rage at being compared with a bat-winged monkey native to one of the Clan worlds. He started to sputter, but Phelan gave him no chance to speak. “Face it. This charge is born of the fact that Khan Ulric and his Wolves ripped through one of the most densely populated regions of the Inner Sphere while the rest of you moved at the speed of a stunned snail. And now your spite makes you want to strip the Wolves of their best leadership. Instead, you should be choosing Ulric as your ilKhan. He’s the only Khan who accomplished anything in the invasion of the Inner Sphere, and those of you with stravag brains between your ears should see that.”
Conal’s eyes blazed. “This is the Council of Khans! You are a visitor here. Watch your language and your tone!”
Phelan folded his arms across his chest. “I mean no disrespect, but I cannot fulfill the oath I have sworn to serve my Khan and the Clans if I do not protest this idiocy, quiaff?” He turned to face the Khans. “As for my language, Natasha Kerensky once told me, ‘Slavish adherence to formal ritual is a sign that one has nothing better to think about.’ I might suggest that within this, a warrior society, the same applies to those who fight with politics when what is called for are a Warrior’s skills.”
A number of Khans chuckled heartily at that, but their laughter only made Conal angrier. “This conduct would not be tolerated from one who is a Warrior, much less an untested foundling.” With a flick of his hand, he summoned the nearest Elemental. “Remove him.”
Phelan spitted the Elemental with a harsh stare. “Ease off, Ace. I’ve already laid two Elementals out in my career. You don’t want to be the third.” Holding his head high, he set his face in a grim mask. “I may not have tested out yet, but that does not invalidate what I have said. I am slowly coming to understand your ways, but nothing I have learned leads me to believe injustice is a trait for which you select. If it is, perhaps I should just return to being a bondsman.”
He stepped from the dais and swept past the Elemental. Slipping through the side door, he let it swing shut behind him, then slumped against the wall of the corridor. Balling his right fist, he slammed it against his thigh. You moron! That’s exactly the kind of thing that got you tossed out of the Nagelring. Eventually, Phelan, you have to learn that to get along you have to go along. It’s a good thing Cyrilla couldn’t see that performance. She’d never consider me for a Bloodname slot if she had.
Levering himself away from the wall, he rushed on past Natasha’s archivist waiting in the hallway, far too distracted to notice the man or acknowledge his greeting. Further down the corridor and around a corner, Phelan stopped at a door showing the wolf’s-head crest of the Wolf Clan. He knocked twice, then opened the door and entered the small office. Cutting through the door in the back corner, he came into Ulric’s private office.
Like Khan Ulric’s cabin aboard the Dire Wolf, his office contained the bare minimum of furnishings required to serve its purpose. The padded leather chairs seemed the only concession to luxury. The ample surface of the sturdy desk was spread out with campaign maps. The other steel and glass tables and shelves were clear except for a few holovid albums and some small stone carvings.
Natasha rose from the chair behind the large desk and applauded. “Thought we’d lost you there for a moment. You did great.”
Cyrilla, seated across from her, nodded her approval.
Phelan blinked. “What? The proceedings were supposed to be…” He glanced back at the cabinet half-hidden by the open door. A monitor showed a view of the Grand Council Chamber. “You saw?”
Cyrilla nodded and pointed to the remote control at the monitor. The sound started to come up. “All the Khans have access to this closed-circuit system. Watching the charade certainly violates the spirit of the Council regulations, but not more than a handful of the Khans can keep a secret anyway, so no harm is done.”
“I thought Conal was going to pitch a fit when you backed that Elemental off.” Natasha shook her head. “That was brilliant.”
Phelan shrugged sheepishly. “That’s what happens when you think with your adrenal glands.”
“If you did all that in your panic mode, I want you in any unit I form up.”
Cyrilla held her hand up. “Quiet. They’re voting on Ulric.”
The picture focused on the Clan banners as the Khans voted. A line along the bottom of the screen kept track of the totals. An obvious pattern arose right from the start, and by the end of the ballot, the vote exonerated Ulric overwhelmingly. Cyrilla clapped, and Natasha cursed happily. Phelan just smiled.
“Now down to brass tacks. What’s your read, Ril?”
The white-haired woman wrinkled her brow in thought. ‘The Crusaders have to push for one of their own as ilKhan. I would have bet on Kincaid Furey, but Phelan’s ripostes hit home. He does not have the sense of your average surat, and everyone knows that.”
“Speak of the devil.” Phelan pointed at the monitor as the camera focused on the Smoke Jaguar Khan.
Kincaid had regained control of his temper and stood stock-still. “I stand to apologize to Khan Ulric for having suspected him of complicity in the death of Leo Showers. I know my suspicions were fueled by my anger at his success. Perhaps it does take the anonymous delivery of truth to point out one’s own limitations. Perhaps the first limit is seeing how easy it is to be mistaken.”
Cyrilla’s jaw dropped open and she paled visibly. “Oh, freebirth! No, they can’t do this!”
“What?” Phelan looked from Cyrilla to Natasha’s blank stare, then back to the monitor.
“Having been so abruptly acquainted with my stupidity, I now seek to remedy it. I, Kincaid Furey, nominate for the position of ilKhan, Khan Ulric of the Wolves.”
Confusion knotted Phelan’s brows in a frown. “What’s going on? You two are reacting as if the world had ended. Isn’t it good to have Ulric as the ilKhan?”
Natasha shook her head. “No, it’s not good at all. Recall that Conal told you the ilKhan is to rule in accordance with the dictates of the Grand Council? That means Ulric will have to push the Crusader agenda if it is reconfirmed. From what Ril has told me, there are enough votes in the Council to endorse a resumption of the invasion.”
Cyrilla nodded in agreement. Phelan saw that the color had returned to her face, and her brown eyes had angry sparks in them. “It gets worse. Not only do they hamstring Ulric, but he has to appoint his Wolf Khan replacement from within the Wolf Clan Council.”
Phelan felt a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. “Let me guess. The Loremaster has traditionally been the person elevated to the position of Khan in such cases, quiaff?”
“Bargained well and done.” Natasha gathered her long red hair back with her hands, then tipped her head back to stare at the ceiling. “They boxed us good on this one, eh, Ril?”
“They eliminate Ulric as a force and get a Crusader as a Wolf Khan.”
As Cyrilla nodded with resignation and they heard no other candidate nominated as ilKhan, Phelan suddenly felt inexplicably giddy. “I think you may be selling Ulric short.”
Cyrilla raised an eyebrow. “You see a way out of this trap?”
Phelan shrugged. “I do not, but that does not mean Ulric cannot find one. I saw him work through many tricky situations during the invasion. He managed to make ComStar dance to his tune and pay the piper. The Crusaders may be good, but I think Ulric might be better.”
Along the bottom of the screen, the vote tallies appeared quickly. Without opposition, Ulric was elected easily. A number of Khans chose to abstain from the voting, and Phelan guessed those were Warden Khans protesting the railroading of their most successful comrade.
From the monitor came the sound of the Khans thumping their fists against their desktops to show approval. Conal Ward made a great show of vacating the ilKhan’s chair. He offered Ulric his hand, then wandered up into the Council seating. All smiles, he plopped down into Ulric’s old seat.
The camera shifted back to Ulric at the ilKhan’s high bench. The ilKhan slowly removed his mask and set it on the bench. He smiled, stroked his goatee thoughtfully, then motioned to one of the Elementals. “Please escort Loremaster Ward from the chamber.”
Kincaid Furey rose in mild protest. “Is that necessary, ilKhan? Your first act as ilKhan is to appoint your replacement as Wolf Khan. You can allow him to stay.”
Ulric blinked innocently. “Why would I do that?”
“Well, because…” Kincaid started to answer, then abruptly fell silent.
The Elemental took Conal Ward by the elbow and started him up the center aisle. Before Conal had cleared the chamber, however, Ulric made an announcement. “As my replacement, I choose Natasha Kerensky.”
Conal tore his arm from the Elemental’s grasp. “What! You can’t do that!”
“Please, Conal, your language. Consider where you are.”
Phelan turned to Natasha. The famed Black Widow paled and stared at the screen. “Tell me he didn’t say that, Ril.”
Cyrilla started to laugh. “You heard it, Tasha. You are it.”
“I’d sooner be Romano Liao’s sister.”
Conal posted his fists on his hips. “You know the tradition. The Loremaster is always selected to replace a Khan who has been elevated or otherwise rendered unable to serve.”
Ulric steepled his fingers. “Not always, Conal. It has never happened when the Loremaster has declined the position.”
“But I have not declined.”
Ulric grinned cruelly. “Oh no? Did you not, during the Wolf Clan elections, say that you were unworthy to replace me? In fact, I seem to recall that you suggested Natasha Kerensky as a possible candidate for Khan. How can you complain now when I am merely acknowledging the wisdom of your recommendations?”
“Zap!” Phelan laughed. “Cut by your own knife, Conal!” He smiled at Natasha. “So much for that protest.”
Natasha’s eyes narrowed. “Never make it stick, Ulric.” Her grin grew. “I’ve not tested out as a MechWarrior yet, so they’ll never let you elevate me to that position.”
Kincaid looked positively forlorn as the Elemental drove Conal from the room. His face tightened. “ilKhan, you cannot choose Natasha Kerensky. She has not yet tested out as a MechWarrior. Because she does not have active-duty status, she cannot become a Khan.”
“I believe you are wrong, Khan Kincaid.” Ulric nodded at the Elemental near the side door. “If you will bring in the witness.”
The Elemental opened the door and conducted Natasha’s archivist to the stone platform Phelan had earlier occupied. The small man looked a bit nervous, but a devilish light played through his eyes. He smoothed his dark beard nervously with one hand, then he smiled and nodded to the ilKhan.
“For those who do not know, this is Gustavus Michaels. He accompanied Natasha Kerensky from the Inner Sphere, and provided us with a detailed history of the Wolf Dragoons detachment since they left the Clans. He is quite conversant with Natasha’s career, and will assure you that she is very much a MechWarrior.”
Kincaid folded his arms across his chest. “He has no standing here. His word about her exploits in the Inner Sphere means nothing.”
With a wave of his hand, Ulric gave Michaels leave to speak. “If you will permit me, Khan Kincaid,” the small man began, “the ilKhan did not ask me here to report any of the original data I have gathered. Instead, he asked me to research the background of all those who have been appointed Khans by the election of an ilKhan or a tragedy that forced replacement. What I found were four instances of a Bloodnamed individual chosen to serve as Khan despite his active duty status being under revocation or scrutiny. In two of those cases, the newly appointed Khan was in a coma.”
Michaels smiled broadly. “And I can assure you that Natasha Kerensky is definitely not in a coma.”
That remark brought a grin to Natasha’s face and softened her sour expression. “He had this all planned out. When I get my hands on him, I’ll kill him.”
“Which one, Tasha, Ulric or Gus?”
“Yes.”
The camera focused back on Ulric. “That should answer any questions you have, Khan Kincaid. Though I appreciate your concern that matters be conducted properly, let me remind you that I am the ilKhan. I need not justify my decisions to you. You may unseat me, if you wish, if you are able. You chose the landing zone, now you fight from it.
“Natasha Kerensky is the new Khan of the Wolves. What say you?”
“Seyla.” Though a few voices were subdued, a confidence rang through the affirmation of Ulric’s choice.
Ulric stood and leaned forward on his fists. “We have already wasted too much time, my Khans. We have elected a new ilKhan, and have many important matters at hand. First and foremost is the invasion. The sooner we settle our differences, the sooner we can complete our conquest of the Inner Sphere.”
18
WOLF’S DRAGOONS GENERAL HEADQUARTERS
OUTREACH
SARNA MARCH
FEDERATED COMMONWEALTH
3 JULY 3051
Hanse Davion shot from his chair, outrage etched clearly on his face. “I don’t give a damn what Kai Allard or my son did to Sun-Tzu yesterday, much less a month ago! Your irrelevancies and tantrums are a constant obstruction to what we have to do here. Your son’s inability to work with others is not a central issue in this debate.”
“I believe you are mistaken, Hanse Davion.” Romano glared at him like a tiger. “As I have suggested before, and will maintain forever, the microcosm of the training unit involving my son is a reflection of the universe at large. Let us not even mention the gross breaches of protocol and the ridicule he has been subjected to. Let us only consider the physical abuse he has suffered at the hands of a pretender to my throne, and the death threats from your son.”
