"Mister Chairman, were the Captain not here, I would say the same thing. We must fight the Clans with everything at our disposal.

"I know that I've been away from Borghese for a long time, and I feared people would forget me and the work my father and I started here. You can imagine my surprise, and joy, when I returned and discovered it was not so.

"When Father was on the Council he always stressed self-reliance and preparedness. Mister Crenshaw, you sat on the Council that ratified many of his ideas. Borghese must be prepared to defend itself against those who would steal the precious resources that are vital to us all."

Rose saw several nods of approval. Who was this guy? And who was his father, other than an ex-Council member?

"So you would fight them?" It was the young woman who spoke, but she appeared to already know the answer.

"Miss de Vilbis, although I am no longer in the military, I would fight them with my bare hands if that was all I had." Salander paused, and Rose thought he caught a wisp of a smile. "Of course," he continued, "I'd start the fight in the Marauder."The Council members laughed and Rose knew they'd made their decision.

"I returned to Borghese to find rest and recuperation from what I suffered at the hands of the Clan invaders, but I would not, I could not, stand by and let them destroy the fairest planet in the Inner Sphere."

Rose stared at the Council members, but watched Morgain out of the corner of his eye. The speech was slick and very well received. Rose hoped the man was just a gifted speaker. There was something about him that he didn't like, but just what it was eluded him. Jealousy? Rose had always believed he was above such an emotion.

"Mister Chairman, I call the vote. Do we ratify the contract previously accepted by Captain Rose, as presented by Mister Wilkins?" Rose watched Miss de Vilbis. She had obviously been swayed by Morgain's impassioned speech.

"The vote has been called. All those in favor of the motion to accept the contract with Captain Rose indicate by saying aye." Murmured ayes filled the room. "All those opposed, same sign." Silence. "Motion carries." Chairman Cooke smiled and the rest of the Council members seemed to relax.

"Welcome to Borghese, Mister Rose. Let me show you to your quarters."

22

Houston, Borghese

14 December 3054

 

Rose spent the next day moving his team and what little gear they possessed into their new quarters. New, as in previously unoccupied. The brick buildings that made up the little compound were sturdy but unattractive. In addition to the barracks, which housed twelve in a single common room and two officers in separate bedrooms, there was a mess hall, supply building, command post, and—the crowning achievement—six 'Mech repair/storage bays. Chairman Cooke indicated that the remaining six bays would be constructed soon, but Rose didn't mind. The compound was perfect.

Enclosed by a wire fence, the mercenary quarters were somewhat insulated from the civilians who picketed their base on a regular basis, but not so cut off they felt isolated. They also had a small staff of locals to handle the mundane chores of cooking, cleaning, and general maintenance, plus a handful of militia soldiers to man the gate and command post. Rose knew better than to trust the guards without some proof of their political loyalties, but their services did make getting in and out of the compound much easier. Although making the mercenaries feel welcome was not part of the contract, Rose realized that somebody was trying to do it even if other factions were opposed.

After creating a duty roster and settling in, Rose requested a meeting with Chairman Cooke. To his surprise, the Chairman offered to pick him up later that same day so the two could talk. In his previous dealings with planetary officials, Rose had rarely found them civil, let alone polite and eager to help. When the Chairman's official car pulled through the main gate, Rose left Rianna in charge and went out to greet it. Again he was surprised when Chairman Cooke stepped out of the luxury car.

"Mister Chairman, what a surprise. I didn't think you'd be coming here personally."

Cooke flashed a big grin and stretched, bringing his hand down to grasp Rose's in the same motion. "Oh, I like to get away from the office every now and then. Nice day, isn't it."

Rose could readily agree that it was a beautiful day. It was the middle of spring in Houston and the weather was mild. A slight breeze blew in from the ocean, tanging the air with salt. Rose knew that spring was only a brief season on Borghese. Soon the heat and humidity of summer would sap the inhabitants of their strength as the mercury rose and the barometer fell.

"Do you like the facilities?" Cooke asked, gesturing in a sweeping motion that took in the whole compound.

"Very much. Was this your idea?" Cooke nodded and studied the repair bay where Esmeralda and O'Shea were working on the Shadow Hawk'sprimary display unit. "And the auxiliary personnel?"

"Hand-picked by my chief of staff. They're loyal, but don't count on them to stop a concerted attack, no matter what the source. I thought they might prove helpful, without getting in the way."

Rose nodded. "Thanks. So far they've done a good job." Rose and Cooke continued to stare at the repair bay as the conversation stopped. Abruptly Cooke slapped his thigh.

"Have you had lunch yet?"

Thinking about it a moment, Rose suddenly realized he hadn't eaten since last night, Being the commanding officer of a unit, even a small one like the Black Thorns, was time-consuming work. He shook his head.

"Good. Let's head downtown. It will give us some time to talk." Cooke opened the back door of his limo and climbed inside. Rose followed and the vehicle eased out of the compound and headed downtown. As the driver maneuvered the car between the surrounding high-rise buildings, Cooke asked, "Getting situated?"

Rose nodded. "Things are coming along very nicely. The compound is in a perfect location. It's close to the Assembly Pavilion and the spaceport, but not in a direct line between the two. I'd have chosen a similar location if it had been up to me."

Cooke chuckled. "I'll take that as a compliment. I hope you're almost ready to begin active duty."

Rose paused before speaking. There was a certain urgency in Cooke's voice and he wanted to be sure he knew the reason before answering.

"Is something going on that requires our immediate attention?"

Cooke smiled and looked out the window. "Nothing out of the ordinary. Some of the Council members want you to start producing from day one. They're stoking the media fires, and anything you can do to offset that would be a big help to your own situation."

"As well as your,own?" finished Rose.

Cooke's smile split wide open. "You sure you're not in politics?" Rose shook his head. "Well, you've got it right. Crenshaw and his cronies are after my job and this is just another way to make me look bad. Bad, that is, if you don't produce some type of miracle."

"Like a Clan attack?"

"Like something to justify your fee." Cooke shifted in the seat and stared directly at Rose. "A minor raid would be all right, but no property damage."

Rose half-believed the man was serious, but decided he didn't want to know so he let the matter drop. More information was definitely in order. "Perhaps you should start at the beginning."