Half an hour later, the jump troops flitted into Kempis, right on schedule. Under the watchful guardianship of the BattleMechs, they combed the town in a fruitless search for the supply dump they had been detailed to secure. They failed even to turn up any of the three Draco MechJocks who had ejected from their doomed machines. Walker put his frustration on hold as the comm circuit crackled with the voice of the regimental controller.

"Tango Base to Shadow One, report please."

"Shadow One here, where the hell have you guys been?"

"We had a little trouble with a kamikaze Snake. The sucker got inside the compound as impressed labor, then drove a hoverflat of explosives right into the commcenter. Took us a while to rig replacements."

"You want us back to guard you, Tango?" Walker jibed.

"The Marshal wants your report, Shadow One."

The snap in the comm officer's voice told Walker his levity was unappreciated. He decided to play it formal. "Light opposition, Tango Base. Target secured, but we came up empty."

"Don't sweat it, Shadow One." The reply was in a friendly tone once more. "You'll find it out there somewhere. Just stomp any Snakes that get in your way. Stomp them good and proper."

59

Dragon Roost, Tatsuyama Mountain, Dieron

Dieron Military District, Draconis Combine

21 April 3039

 

Ninyu Kerai held the five-pointed shuriken between the thumb and forefinger of his left hand. He passed his right hand over it, and the small throwing star vanished. He picked another star from the stack on the seat beside him. He repeated the operation, this time holding the shuriken with his right hand. When all five stars were stowed about his person, he twisted around to look out the window that was the reason for the niche in the castle's walls.

Below him in the courtyard, a VTOL rotorcraft was landing. Aides and mechanics hurried forward. The first group moved to attend to the officers deplaning, and the second, even more attentive, to the aircraft itself.

He shifted his gaze down the mountainside. Three more aircraft were headed up toward the ancient fortress that served as the headquarters for the Warlord of Dieron. The VTOLs were moving carefully, the pilots wary of down-drafts and sudden, eddying gusts that could sweep their machines to a fiery collision with the gray and black igneous rock of Tatsuyama Mountain. The city lay in the valley below the flickering dots of the climbing aircraft, seemingly quiet.

Ninyu knew better. The town had been bustling during his visit yesterday, as people stocked their shelters with whatever supplies they could afford from merchants whose prices had suddenly doubled. Soldiers had moved in squads, nervously following officers' directions to improve the city's defense works. The small landing field had been even busier, as a constant stream of DropShips arrived and departed. One was lifting as he watched. Its thunder muted by the distance, the Overlordrose toward the heavens on a tail of flame. If anything, Tatsuyama City would be more frenzied today.

Ninyu left the niche and sauntered toward the command center. He was in no rush; his presence was not required there since he was no longer in the strict military chain of command. While he waited for the go signal, he was a free agent. When the time came, he would move quickly. For now, he conserved his energy.

The command center, a multi-tiered hall cut into the living rock of the mountain, was aswarm with military and technical personnel of all ranks. Great, flat screens alive with maps and dataflows flickered fitfully in the red-lit hall. On the dimly lit levels, zealous officers clustered around consoles and map tables, forming obstructions to the bustling traffic flow. Most of the junior ranks wore standard DCMS tans, though a few could be identified as BattleMech officers by their red-striped gray jerseys and trousers. A few of each type had their sleeves rolled up in the heat of the chamber, revealing lurid tattoos. Senior officers wore black, like Ninyu's ISF uniform. Unlike the utilitarian ISF rig, with its pockets and straps, the officers' tunics were severely tailored and decorated only with epaulets, collar tabs, and the ubiquitous Kurita dragon.

Tai-shuMichi Noketsuna wore senshigrays and a padded battlejacket over them. The Warlord's split-toed 'Mech boots lacked the mirror shine of a proper officer's footwear. He stood in a cluster of similarly garbed men and women. His damned Ryuken-m crew,Ninyu observed. No surprise there.

Ninyu decided to drop in on their conversation. He wove his way through the bustling center from tier to lower tier, dodging black jackets and letting the tan-clad junior officers and red-capped Techs clear his own line of advance. The gray-jerseyed senshihe treated with respect, the safest approach with warriors who considered themselves samurai. Even those non-conformist Ryuken,he reminded himself. Just as he neared the knot of rough-garbed senshi,a Chu-iinterrupted them with a choppy bow. "Comprehensive data feed from Kessel is in, Tai-shu."

"Shunt the situation map to tank four and update the force profiles," Michi ordered.

"Hai!"

Michi said a last few words to his Ryuken officers that Ninyu was still too far away to catch. All but one turned to head for the exit. He recognized the remaining Ryuken officer as Tai-saYsabeau Johnson, commander of regiment ni.The departing officers split their group as they reached Ninyu, careful to avoid him. He found the hostile glances accompanying their perfunctory salutes pleasing, but affected total ignorance of their existence. He had no need of their good will.

He stepped closer, and Johnson greeted him in her pleasant contralto. "Sightseeing, Kerai -san?"

"Merely attending to the duties assigned to me by the Kanrei, Tai-sa."

Johnson smiled hesitantly and her eyes flicked to Michi. He made no response that the ISF officer could see. Instead, he turned his face to Ninyu.

"Your advice is welcome, Kerai -kun,"Michi stated stiffly. "But please refrain from disturbing the officers at their duty stations."

Ninyu held Michi's eyes long enough to express his annoyance at the older man's condescending comment, but said nothing. He turned his attention to the center of the chamber where a small elevated section held the principal strategic displays.

Five small holotanks made a rough circle around a larger one, twice their size. Four of the small ones displayed planetary surfaces, blue and red icons glowing to represent tactical dispositions of the forces engaged on the depicted planet. One of the four flickered as Ninyu watched, its image blacked out to be replaced by a new geographic configuration that stabilized as unit icons began to wink into existence. The fifth small tank was a system display, with the characteristic globes of planets and bright dots of JumpShips, DropShips, and lighters. All five were labeled with ghostly glowing characters naming the system: Athenry, Ainasi, Kervil, Kessel, and Vega.

The large tank held a stellar map of the Dieron District. Red fires haloed six suns, including the systems displayed in the smaller tanks. Scarlet flickered in and out of existence around another four systems. The solid tones were accompanied by miniature unit crests to represent the forces identified among the invaders. Some were still blank gray disks, like those that accompanied the intermittent red zones symbolizing enemy attacks short of full invasion, indicating that the exact enemy unit had not yet been identified.