"That is correct." Rose kept any hint of a challenge out of his voice. Just give them the facts, he decided.

"Why?" Rose considered addressing the man, but decided to make his remarks to the entire Council. As such, he looked at Chairman Cooke when speaking.

"Several months ago agents of your government contacted me with an offer of a garrison and training contract. My mercenary unit subsequently accepted the offer and signed the proper documents on the planet Outreach." Rose paused for breath, but continued quickly when the Vulture looked about to speak.

"Per that contract, I have begun the deployment of my force. 'Mechs are of little use sitting in the belly of a DropShip. Despite the lack of official greeting at the spaceport, I decided to press on to the seat of government and introduce myself. Having done so, I need to know where my unit will be quartered." Rose tried to make his speech sound slightly indignant, but if he was successful, it didn't show on the Council members' faces. When he looked back at Cooke, the man was smiling.

"Your quarters, and the need for them, have yet to be established," the Vulture said.

Cooke rolled his eyes again. "Mister Crenshaw, you are out of line," he said. Crenshaw backed down, but Rose could tell the confrontation was far from over.

"I take it there is some question about my contract?" Rose made it sound like a query, but he knew it was a statement of fact. A somber nodding of heads confirmed his words. "Perhaps someone could explain?"

"We can explain all right." All eyes turned toward Crenshaw, who was now standing. "Cooke's boys went to Outreach without the approval of the Council. They signed a contract without authorization and that makes it illegal and non-binding. You came a hell of a long distance out of your way, son, and all for nothing."

A heavy crack resounded through the dome. Rose jerked his head toward Cooke, expecting to see some kind of gavel. Instead he discovered the Chairman pounding on the wooden table-top with his knuckles. The volume alone brought people to attention. Rose suppressed a desire to rub his own hands. Hitting anything that hard with your bare hands had to hurt.

"Mister Crenshaw, considering the gravity of the situation before us, I acted within my rights as the leader of this Council. As required, I fully informed two members of the Council of my decision and filed the necessary papers with the Council Secretary.

"Madame Hillerman, were all papers duly recorded and accurately entered?" Cooke never took his eyes off Crenshaw.

"They were, Mister Chairman."

"Then you, Mister Crenshaw, have nothingto complain about." Except that you were flanked and busted, Rose added mentally.

Crenshaw appeared about to reply, but stopped. He nodded at Cooke and glared then sat down without another word.

"Mister Chairman, I agree that you had every right to authorize the dispatching of a delegation to Outreach, but now that the contract has been tendered, we must vote on ratification."

The new challenger to Cooke spoke calmly. Rose looked at the young woman, who was apparently the junior member of the Council. Rose guessed her age in the mid-thirties, fully ten to thirty years behind the rest of the Council members. She looked at Rose, but he could tell nothing about her opinion of the discussion going on around her.

"That's right, Cooke. If the majority votes this down, we send this boy home and take care of things ourselves."

Rose was really starting to hate being called boy. He started to say something, but the young woman interrupted.

"We've been over this for the last two, almost three hours. We know the Clans are a problem, but they do not threaten us."

"Yet," interrupted Cooke.

"The front lines are heavily fortified," she continued, giving no indication that she'd heard Cooke's rebuttal. "Even though the Federated Commonwealth has decided not to garrison Borghese as we had hoped they would, what good is a partial company if the Clans decide to attack?"

Rose watched the two argue. Cooke was getting angry, and emotion charged his every word. Thus far, his challenger had managed to keep her calm, but Rose could tell that was slipping away. The remainder of the Council seemed ready to let the two of them argue it out.

"They can make one hell of a difference. Without them the Federats will have to retake the planet. With some kind of organized defense, the defense Rose and his men will establish, we can provide some safe landing zones. Without them, the Clans would overrun the planet, and that's if there's an invasion. What about a serious raid? The militia can't hope to compete with those Omni-Mechs."

"All of that only matters if the Clans attack, which they won't, because we're below the line defined by the Treaty of Tukayyid."

"We're above the line and open to attack."

"You're onthe line and you don't want the Clans to decide if you're fair game." All heads looked past Rose as someone walked down the aisle Rose had just traversed. Rose turned partially, watching the newcomer, but keeping the Chairman in his peripheral vision. The disembodied voice continued as the speaker slowly entered the light.

"If you're invaded, you don't have a chance. All due respect to the man standing before you. If you get raided, well, that's a different story." Rose watched as a pair of boots stepped into the light. "If the Clans decide to raid Borghese, this man and his troops could make all the difference." Light crept up the man's trouser legs. F-C regulation boots and britches, thought Rose.

"So," continued the voice, "I ask you again. Do you really want to take the chance? I don't know this man, or his price, but I know you'll need him if the Clans mount a serious raid." The man stepped fully into the light. "And believe me, the Clans are always serious."

Rose turned all the way around to stare at the speaker. More than two meters tall, he was broad-shouldered and slim-hipped. Although dressed in Federated Commonwealth MechWarrior fatigues, he carried himself like a man with general's stars. His thick brown hair and full beard were neatly trimmed, but gave him a wild air that only increased his appeal. Like Rose, he wore a laser pistol, but his was strapped to the right thigh.

"Salander Morgain, I did not know you were in the city." Rose did not like the respect he heard in Cooke's voice, or the way Morgain suddenly calmed the Council.

"Mister Chairman, I apologize for the dramatic entrance. I was unavoidably delayed." Rose hoped his men had something to do with it.

"Hauptmann ..."

"Please, Mister Chairman, I am just a civilian now." Rose's mind went into high gear. A recently retired MechWarrior who was still in the prime of life. He didn't look disabled, but what other explanation could there be for early retirement of one who seemed to command so much respect?

"Mister Morgain, if you insist. We asked you to come before the Council to give testimony on the Clans. We are all aware of your record against the Steel Vipers and Jade Falcons."

Morgain ascended the steps and stood beside Rose. He nodded politely and turned to face the Council. Rose followed suit.

"We've been debating the wisdom of ratifying the contract of the man you see before you, Captain Jeremiah Rose, commander of the mercenary Black Thorns." Morgain extended his hand and flashed a warm smile. Rose returned the firm handshake, but could not bring himself to return the smile. "We had hoped to hear your testimony before the arrival of Captain Rose, but now that you are both here ..." Cooke spread his hands and shrugged.