Chapter 24.1 Operation Shiroyama Interrupt.
3029
Lockdale
Green Base
A different Perspective
William Campbell
William found himself constantly flashing back to what he had just gone through. This entire situation. This whole trip had been somewhat surreal.
As if he was walking into the past.
Or maybe he was walking into the future? He just couldn’t lock the feeling down.
When the device had beeped. Actually confirming in multiple ways that the girl was… The Girl was the Last Cameron. The True Heir of Star League. The one his family had once sworn an oath to protect.
He hadn’t known what to do.
He felt like the dog that finally caught the car. What does he do with this? He had convinced McPierce to let him make contact without actually informing her about his true intentions.
The chance to purchase some spares for the few Royal Highlanders they had left had convinced her. But he had known he was really going to test Eisen-Blume.
The Cameron. She was the Cameron. What was he supposed to do? In the heat of the moment, in the shock at walking into a Mechbay full of Blackwatch Tartan clad Royal Highlanders, he had felt his blood boil.
So he had fought. Damn had he fought. His ribs still ached from the fight, his leg still twinged in the cast. But in the end. He had almost watched it all fall apart.
He still wasn’t sure how he felt about it. Watching the Nightstar fall. Realizing his men were outnumbered. And with Yorinaga Kurita, and his bullshit. Outskilled. He had…
He had almost surrendered.
He had almost betrayed all his forefathers, who had sworn that if the Camerons ever returned, they would follow. That their honor, whether the Cameron line was gone or not, would never end. Not in one generation, not a hundred.
The Clan Campbell would always follow their Cameron.
Until him.
Until he had realized he would rather live than sacrifice his life for a girl he had just met, who was the last. The last Cameron.
The last chance for Blackwatch to protect a Cameron, and Will had almost thrown it away. Let her die his head had whispered.
Then the girl had done something impossible. Literally impossible. That first night after the battle all his men had gathered together in a small room, and had simply looked at eachother. It had been a long while before anyone had spoken.
About what they had seen.
About what they had felt.
About what it was like to have your Battlemech… Rise.
He had put his foot down before the talk could get too frantic. This wasn’t their decision alone. They would return to Northwind. Share what they had found.
Although Will knew, even if the Elders refused to follow the Cameron.
He would.
All eight would.
Eight Blackwatch. Just eight.
They would need more. There would be plenty of recruits in the Highlanders… He stopped himself with a sigh. He was doing it too. Assuming what would happen.
The girl… She hadn’t known. Or at least she had told him she hadn’t. The fact the mechs were waiting for them, and in those colors made her words seem… off.
But he couldn’t assume she would even take him. He had seen the ISDF fight. The Homeguard. Will would not have wanted to fight them himself. They were good. And despite his own words. Will was no Blackwatch. Sure the Northwind Highlanders had a lot of training, but it had been two centuries since the Blackwatch was really a thing. No matter how much the Highlanders kept the idea alive, kept their group secret, and training.
It could only do so much.
He would have to train harder. Be better.
“Will.”
“Ian. Take a seat.” He offered, his friend settled into the chair beside him, looking over the mechbay that the Blackwatch had taken over. That Highlanders despite having been in a mash up just a few days before were pristine.
No human had touched them. The… Will didn’t know what to call it, fog? It had left the mechs pristine.
“How's the leg?”
“Still a bit stiff. It’ll be a while before I’m mobile again.” Will answered “Beer?”
“Sure.” The bottle was passed over, and the two men settled in. “I still can’t believe it.”
“Yeah.” This wasn’t the first time Will had this exact conversation. “Hell of a scrap though.”
“Yeah.” Ian sipped his beer. “The Elders won’t believe us, not on this. Maybe not even with the Battle Roms. Hell. I don’t… I almost don’t believe it and I was there.”
“It happened.” Will offered simply his face serious. “I have a meeting with… The Commander, later today. I plan on asking some questions… Or maybe not… Hell I don’t know. What is Blackwatch supposed to do in this scenario? Pretend it never happened? Did this sort of thing happen a lot back during the Star League?” That earned a chuckled from Ian.
“I don’t know either! If you had asked me a few days before I would have said no, but now I have to wonder. Was it some Lostech? Something only the Cameron had? Or something new? Or just… Something Mystical? Yorinaga certainly thought so.”
“That guy was losing his mind… But I don’t know Ian. I’ve never seen anything like it.” Will said, taking another swallow of the beer.
“Oh. The Filmmaker is wanting more interviews with us. I was gonna refuse outright, but some of the ISDF guys were talking with them, so the Commander must have okayed it.”
“Hah. Man, I feel bad for the guy, I don’t even know if any of the footage he has will ever be actually aired. I guess it depends on what the Cameron wants… Commander, what the Commander wants.” Will repeated, reminding himself once again not to jump ahead.
Ian shot him a knowing look but said no more. Will wasn’t the only one to make that mistake. You don’t grow up hearing stories about Blackwatch, about their oaths, their heights, and falls, and then run into the actual Granddaughter of the First Lord, and not slip.
Will took another swig. He was going to need it for that meeting with her later. What do you even say to a legend? A myth? A woman that did the impossible?
—--
As much as it grated, a little less than a week after the battle, and only a day or two after I woke up. I watched as the Jumpships the Combine had brought disappeared in a jump.
I mean, sure we could have shot them down, but that wasn’t how it was done here in the Inner Sphere. Jumpships were left alone, because despite them bringing in war material today, those same jumpships may be saving entire worlds tomorrow by bringing in needed trade supplies.
Despite all the jumpships I had created, this was still in effect. I had already broken it once in order to steal the jumpship that started it all. Probably best not to keep doing it.
“And that is that Commander. Shouldn’t be long now before we get our own jumpship coming in. Schedule says we should have one next week.” Marcus said, putting down the sensor. He had joined me in the wheelchair brigade, there were a few of us now.
“Yeah.” I muttered staring out into space. I was fairly sure they didn’t have any recordings of the battle, but it was possible they got something. More importantly though, it meant the Combine would know they had just lost their heir.
Takashi would find out shortly. Once the HPG message was sent.
I honestly wasn’t sure how he would react.
What that would mean for my kids on the front line I wasn’t sure. At least the LCAF were the ones that would take Luthien. I had thought about pushing Benny to hit the capital, but honestly?
The Lyrans had more of a grudge against the Combine than I do. Better to let them handle it, both the rewards and the dangers. My kids would be screening worlds throughout the Combine, ensuring that as many regiments as possible were no longer capable of rushing to protect their Coordinator.
Hopefully that would be it. Slowly but surely the Combine was dying.
“Any updates on how everyone is doing?” I asked, looking to Marcus earning a sigh. “Everyone is recovering well. A few people are a little upset about their injuries, but nothing unusual, once we ship them out to the NAIS, to get their replacements, they will be fine. Everyone is stable, we are just recovering now. Which I told you about an hour ago.” He offered with a bit of a stink eye.
That I ignored.
“Good… Good.” I looked on. “Did I do the right thing?”
“No.” Marcus offers with a shrug earning a startled look from me as he so casually spoke. “No I think you screwed up. I think we screwed up. I know what Benny would have done. Same thing he always did. ‘Vicky. Where are my twenty thousand LRM 20 launchers aimed at their drop zone?’ something like that.”
“Oh yeah, he would totally ‘Vicky. What do you mean, choose between nukes, or dropships! You idiot! Make more guns so we can do both!’ That’s what he would have said to me. I know it.”
Marcus was chuckling lightly as we both rested back. Two idiots staring into space, “I don’t know what's coming Marcus. With everything that just happened, it’s going to come out. Everything is going to change.”
He was quiet for a minute. “Maybe. Maybe it will, maybe it won’t. But I’m used to change. We all are. I mean, none of us, not even you expected the ISDF to become what it has. We are in this together. Whatever path you end up following, we will be right behind you. Helping to push you forward. Whatever you end up doing, you won’t be alone.”
“That’s partly what I am worried about.” I mutter. The fear of what some of the most powerful people in the universe would do when they heard… I started thinking. The idea slowly growing, forming. A plan. I had just needed a plan, and I think one just came to me.
“Vicky you are scaring me.”
“What? Why?” I offered my grin spreading my face showing all my teeth. It was a smile! You shouldn’t be afraid of a smile!
—--
A different perspective
Mike Haufenpfah
“Mike, I’m about to cut you off.”
“Never!” He laughed his hands were shaking, his head was foggy, and the many cups of surprisingly great coffee that the ISDF provided stacked around him into a castle protecting him from the judging looks of his crew.
It seemed he had grown overconfident. He should have known that working with the ISDF would lead to sleepless nights, especially after last time.
But this was so much more.
Between all the cameras the ISDF had freely allowed him to place around the station he had gotten everything.
The Battle Roms of the Blackwatch, because he refused to lie to himself, and Northwind Highlanders, literally screaming out the Blackwatch motto was not something Mike would ignore. That the Blackwatch had allowed him access too. They had even allowed him access during the battle. Cameras set up in the cockpit giving them direct footage while it was happening. Mike and his team watched.
And the moment it was over. The moment that the battle was decided. Mike had went to work. While the ISDF cleaned up, and rested from the battle. Mike and his team dug through hours of video.
Mike had thought he would do a small documentary. Probably do a few interviews throughout the war, and mostly end up using the video from the teams he had sent out into the Combine with the ISDF.
He never would have thought that the documentary's most important information would be right here!
Or better yet, that Mike would have a chance to document, not the Final Succession War, as the ISDF called it.
But perhaps the Rise of the Second Star League.
He stopped his fingers stilling… Yeah. That is what he was watching wasn’t it. He took a moment to look over his team. Working hard to put together what they had seen in a format fit for viewing. Thankfully they had many different points of view from the battle.
Would he really be the one to film the resurrection of the Star League? What else could this be? He took a moment. Deep breaths. He let the coffee jitters fade for a moment thinking on what this could mean.
Would they even let him publish this? Hell, he watched the battle from multiple perspectives, He had even gotten a Battlerom from one of the Combine mechs.
The battle continued to strike him as impossible.
If he wasn’t dealing with the raw Battleroms, and had multiple people explain what had happened, he would think it make believe.
What else could it be, when battlemechs rose from the dead?
He hit a few buttons, and replayed the battle. Watched as a miracle happened.
“Ugh, I hate how that looks. So creepy.”
Mike jerked looking over his shoulder as he looked into the single eye of the Commander. The girl had been wheeled in, still resting in a wheel chair, but Mike gulped because the look on her face wasn’t exactly kind.
“We should talk.” She offered without preamble. Suddenly her gaze was no longer on him, but instead looking over his crew. “All of you pause your work, and leave.” The sudden urgency of his staff to do just that and get out of the room, meant it was only a few moments before the room was empty.
Well other than Eris Stingler, who he recognized standing at the door. Ensuring this would be kept private, Mike wondered if this was it? He opened his mouth to greet her, but… “I’ll be honest, I’m not sure what I should call you… Commander? Vicky?... First Lord?” Mike really should have kept his mouth shut, because that eye was now fully focused on him.
“Don’t joke!” She ordered. “Go get some cameras set up Mike. It’s about time you get an interview from me, before that spreads all over the Inner Sphere. No I suppose I should say. You will get an interview for its spread.” She had pointed to the image on his screen of her mech spreading out the green energy, and Mikes heart skipped a beat.
She wasn’t going to kill him? She wasn’t here to destroy all of his footage? He could kiss her.
Holy shit. He was going to get an interview! “Right away!” He surged to his feet, and ran to set up a few cameras a few different angles would be needed, and he set them up around a small table Vicky had settled around, her wheelchair pushed away as she rested in a normal chair.
This was going to be amazing.
—--
After the hours of questions with Mike I was exhausted. Seriously, that guy had come up with a list of questions and things to talk about in the few minutes it had taken for the interview to happen.
How annoying!
He had even admitted to interviewing the Highlanders. So he already had footage from their perspective of what they had learned.
Dammit.
I mean, I had decided to activate my favorite plan whenever something happens that I don’t like, but still! This is going to be crazy!
With that realization, I decided to stop putting off another issue I had been constantly putting off. Eris who was still pushing me around knocking loudly. On the door for my next destination.
The door slid open revealing the face of William Campbel, who instantly went from looking at Eris down to meet my own eyes.
“I think it’s time we talked William.” The man nearly jerking at my voice, and I could already see the room that was full of the eight Highlanders were all suddenly very interested after hearing my voice.
The man seemed speechless for a moment before he cleared his throat. “Thank you. We have all been looking forward to speaking with you… We all have a lot to discuss.”
I nodded at that. Yeah, stuff had gotten complicated. Old oaths, and blood ties and things tended to make things difficult. Eris wheeled me in after he invited us into the break room the Highlanders had been given connected to all their rooms.
Eris wheeled me in settling me against the table, locking the chair and looking over the eight men and women that had helped protect my people.
My life.
“Before we get into all the crazy stuff. I want to thank all of you for your actions. Regardless of everything else, no one would have judged you for simply getting back into your dropship and leaving before the battle. Especially with the extent of the forces against us.”
Will settled himself in a chair opposite me, but the rest of the Highlanders moved from their activities to join in as well. Soon I had the group arrayed around the table.
“No, fighting the Combine… Well even if we didn’t have the craziness as you said, it’s still our contract to fight them. Highlanders aren’t cowards.”
“I know you're not.” I agreed simply I had no doubt that the Northwind Highlanders were anything but cowards. But my simple statement seemed to mean more to the Highlanders as they seemed to puff up a bit at my compliment.
I exhale, not quite a sigh. I open my mouth and then close it, my own thoughts a jumble. Trust. I reminded myself. What was life without trust. Without community. “I know you have a lot of questions and I will be as honest as I am able about anything you wish to know. You fought and bled for me. So ask.”
My blunt offer shocked them. They were probably like Mike. Expecting me to kill to keep my secrets.
I hated that sort of thing though. The idea that you could fight alongside someone, have your life saved, and then because they learn something you don’t want them to you just kill them. Disgusting.
“What was that? In the Hangar. The green-”
“Nanomachines.” I answer instantly. “I have a device called a Nanoforge. Simply put, it can break down something, and if I have a blueprint stored in its system, I can then create nearly anything. That Hangar has a Nanoforge installed, once I realized how bad things were going I activated the Nanoforge. The green fog you saw are nanites, they were ordered to repair the damage to allied mechs.” I took a moment. Letting what I said settle over the group.
“It was something I was given when I was fourteen. I am the only person that can use it. I had my suspicions about why, but now I suppose we have our actual reason.”
“It was a Star League Black Project.” William answered back nodding. “It can make anything?”
“The mechs you piloted into battle were made after you asked to help. Nearly anything.” I answered, earning wide eyed looks as they realized that I could literally produce Battlemechs in minutes.
“If I hadn’t seen it already do the impossible, I would be screaming, that is impossible.” Another member of the Highlanders offered. A woman. I wracked my brain for a moment. Maisie! That was it. “But my eyes don’t lie. So I suppose that is the truth… No wonder you were able to hire so many mercs. You can just make the equipment once you know how much to make!”
“Something like that. There are still limitations, but yes. All of the equipment I sent out during this operation are things I created.” I reached into my pocket and pulled out my Noteputer. With a few pushes, the green fog slipped from the device, earning myself shocked looks as it slowly created a Neurohelm letting it rest atop the table once it was complete. It earned a few hesitant touches afterward.
“I can’t tell you anything about where it came from. Or how it ended up in my hands. But it was something my mother had found in her travels.” I lied.
“You really didn’t know you were a Cameron?” Maisie asked.
“I really didn’t.” I shrug. “I’m an orphan. My last name, Eisen-blume, is one I made for myself. I may be a Cameron by blood. But I’m an Eisen-blume by choice.” I ran a hand down my face.
“I don’t think anyone is going to really care, once it gets out…” Will started but stopped looking uncomfortable.
“I am well aware it will get out. I just spent a few hours in an interview with Mike. Trust me. I already made sure it would spread everywhere. But I’m not the First Lord. Hell, I’m not a lord at all. I’m just the Commander of the ISDF. I don’t want to be anything more.”
Considering the looks they were all sharing with each other, I had a feeling they weren’t really following me on that one.
Oh well. I knew this was going to get complicated.
“I suppose it’s my turn now, what are you going to do?” I ask them, and suddenly I was the center of attention again.
“We need to return to Northwind. We will speak to the Elders, figure out what the Highlanders are going to do. But we will not forget our old oaths. We swore to protect the Cameron.”
I shook my head. “When you do. I want you to tell them, I’m not calling on old oaths. On old blood ties, or deals. I’m not looking to force the Highlanders into a deal… If you and your people choose to continue on as you have been, then I wish you luck… It’s been centuries. Hell. I don’t… I still don’t believe it myself. Just listen. If you want to work with the ISDF you will be welcome. You fought beside us already, but this doesn’t need to be bound in blood.”
It was really uncomfortable how the Highlanders were looking at me. I could recognize hope easily enough. And wasn’t that a kick in the crotch.
The Inner Sphere was getting better. But it was still bad, and a lot of people had been hoping for something that I knew.
I knew.
I couldn’t give it to them.
They wanted a Second Star League. A… Utopia. And I couldn’t be their ruler. I despised the very idea of ruling someone.
“I will inform the Elders of your words. I swear it.” The way William was looking at me though? I had a feeling, that despite my words intending to be a release from any honor obligations that might have existed.
I think he wasn’t hearing me.
I had a bad feeling a lot of people wouldn’t be hearing me in the near future.
I could hear the door behind me open, and Eris sighed, but before I could turn around to see what was going on…
“Huh?” I couldn’t help but question as a pack of hands suddenly grabbed me from behind.
“Sorry Blackwatch guys, we are stealing this!” A voice called out from behind my ear as I was lifted out of my wheelchair. I managed to angle my head back to get a view of a group of my kids, and… Is that Sasha?
“What? Sasha! Hey Colin! Watch the han- Stop lifting me! Let me down!” I called out as I was bodily lifted from my feet held aloft in the many hands of my kids that had snuck up on me.
“Sorry Commander. No can do. Eris, you should come too. You Blackwatch guys too.” Sasha spoke simply as I was hauled away.
“Treason!” I called out, unable to hide the laugh as I was carried away from the surprised William. “Ten thousand year gulag for all of you!” I shouted as they carried me through the door and down the hall. My laughter was unable to be hidden as everyone was chatting and laughing like this was just a normal party.
These kids!
Finally I was brought into a Hangar, the same Hangar that we had fought in actually. I noticed. Our mechs were still there including the Phantom. And including a crowd… Basically everyone was already here. I noticed with a sigh.
I was finally placed back on my feet, my kids literally pushing me up onto the foot of the Phantom.
“Really guys?” I asked loud enough for everyone to hear, but considering the crowd was all smiling up at me, for having got one over me, I couldn’t do anything but laugh as well.
“Fine! You brats! Before I send you all to space jail, I guess I will play along. What do you all want?”
“Sorry Commander. This is sorta my fault.” Marcus offered from the front row, where a few of my kids in wheelchairs were placed. But the smile on his face told me he wasn’t in any way regretful. “They want to know everything, but I told them, they would probably find out the next time you did a speech. Sorry.” He offered with a grin.
That jerk.
“I suppose that is why I am up here?” The crowd cheers at my response meant I had my answer. “Fine. I can guess what this is all about. You all heard the rumor about what the Northwind Highlanders discovered, right?”
“Is it true? Why didn’t you tell us!”
“C’mon! Stop teasing us Vicky!”
“Are you a Cameron or not!?”
“Okay okay. Settle down.” I tell the crowd shouting up at me. Yeah, I sorta expected this at some point.
I took a breath and stood up straight, thankfully I wasn’t too dizzy just standing like this. My kids deserve an explanation about what was going on.
“A week ago, the Northwind Highlanders came here to buy some spare parts, and to check on something. Turns out they had heard the rumor that I was a Cameron, despite me never saying I was, despite not even looking like one.... They wanted their answer. They brought with them a device to verify it, something from the old Blackwatch that watched over House Cameron during the Star League.”
The crowd had quieted, and plenty of them were looking excited.
“A device that can verify the blood of a Cameron.” I raised my arms in a what are you going to do?
“So when they offered the device, I thought it would be a joke. A funny story for the future. I agreed to be tested. I pushed my finger into the device, and it beeped a lot, but it turns out House Cameron used Nanomachines in their blood as an identifying method… My Grandmother turned out to be Amanda Cameron. Daughter of Richard Cameron, the last First Lord of Star League.”
The room was silent. My kids took in my words. Soon they were whispering to each other, soon, the noise grew. Soon I was surrounded by yelling excited kids.
I gave them a few moments before I raised my hand and it quieted slowly.
“I didn’t know. When the device beeped, I was terrified I was about to be told I was related to Amaris or something!” I got a few chuckles at my joke before my smile disappeared.
“With this revelation. I can guess what you all are thinking. You all think this is going to change everything. That because I’m a Cameron. I should… Restart Star League. Claim my ‘rightful’ throne. That now, that I’m not just an orphan. But the Orphan of someone ‘important that suddenly everything is different?” I shook my head then. “This changes nothing!” I yell out startling a few of my kids at my sudden vehemence.
“Who I am, isn’t defined by people, dead for hundreds of years! Who I am, isn’t determined by the name of some dead family! My actions don't need to be attributed to House Cameron to mean something!”
I look over my crowd. “My name is Eisen-Blume, from this day until my last. That was my vow to you all. I didn’t need to be anything but me to do all of this! To build the ISDF into something that everyone in the Inner Sphere has heard of! We are the ISDF! And I am your Commander! Not First Lord! Not Lord! Not Duchess, or Baroness! Not Queen, or Empress! If anyone thinks learning about my family history means anything to my goals they are fools!”
I was heated now. My fist clenched.
“The ISDF is not an army here to conquer the Inner Sphere. It’s not my personal guard, or my toy. The ISDF is here to show the Inner Sphere, that they can be more! To create a path, an ideal to follow! And for me? For House Cameron? What is the meaning of a family name but a history to follow? What is history to us? We don’t follow the old paths, we create our own!”
“I am Victoria Eisen-Blume. I will defy my family history! I will defy any destiny not of my own making!”
I let out a long breath. Letting that off my chest was nice. “I won’t be some First Lord, setting out to rule. I won’t just be a.. What sixth Great House? I can’t! If everyone follows the same pattern then nothing will change! I will not fall prey to that!”
“I had thought… I had thought I already made my big choice in my life. When I spoke to Katrina Steiner, and told her I would take no title, but Commander no land, but that which housed my people. That I would not become a ruler of a world. But now I realize, this life hasn’t finished testing me. Hasn’t finished showing me a path of greed and desire. So hear me now.”
“I will never be a ruler of humanity! My destiny, is to show a way forward! Away from the greed of family lines, conquering and ruling! My ISDF… My friends. My family. I didn’t arm you so you could be a house army. I armed you to protect humanity! To show them that we can be more than pirates and would be rulers! That we can work together to rebuild and once more return to a golden age… No. A better age!”
“The age of humanity free of war and ignorance. An age of knowledge and hope! That is what we fight for. Not to rule. Never to rule.”
There was a lot of confusion even still. It was hard even for my kids to wrap their head around the name Cameron, just not mattering. Just thrown to the side.
It was fine. I would teach them. Just like I had been trying for almost a decade now. That it wasn’t old names and standing armies that changed the world. But a single person deciding to do something different.
Just one person was needed to change the world.
—--
A different perspective
Julian Tiepolo
The first circuit was utterly quiet. An emergency meeting had been called once knowledge of what they had attempted on Lockdale had reached them.
A failure.
Myndo had been seething since her plan, her attempt to in her own words, end the ISDF threat and rebalance the board had just blown up in her face.
“Since no one else is speaking. I believe I will begin.” Julian spoke, earning a twitch from Myndo because since the news was about her plan, her brainchild she should be the one speaking.
Offering an apology on her failure.
Thankfully, Julian was quite pleased at what had just happened. Myndo had been growing belligerent in her actions recently, more and more of the first circuit falling under her influence. Now she had failed.
And Julian had been the one to tell her, he was giving her enough rope to hang herself with, if this failed. She would have earned all the rewards if it worked, but since it failed, she had earned all the responsibility.
Julian had been horrified at just how many nuclear weapons she had taken from the stockpile. To find the entire terran corridor stockpile actually halved… Well.
There was a reason she was refusing to speak.
“The ISDF have succeeded. Myndo’s plan to deal with them has failed.”
The woman’s hand smashing into the able interrupted him. “It isn’t possible! Nothing could have withstood our plan! We had everything! A blueprint of their station, their numbers, even what weapons we would be facing! This is-”
“Myndo. Be silent. Since you refused to be the speaker today. Then it will be in your best interest, to not speak again.” Julian cut her off, earning an absolutely furious scowl that made his heart murmur. She seemed quite furious! He was almost amused by it.
“I allowed the Combine alliance plan due to the possibility of the ISDF taking Terra. Their Station being only a jump from us, means at any time they could come and claim their prize. A Cameron could not resist.” Julian stopped. “But that plan has failed. Utterly. So new options are needed.”
“I have an offer Primus.” Nicholas Cassnew stood taking the table. “Although I have said in the past our best bet is to co-opt the ISDF movement. The revelation of Eisen-Blume as a Cameron makes that no longer possible. I was wrong.” He offered a single small nod to Myndo, which didn’t seem to earn him any easement of the womans fury.
“Yes, we all were there during the meeting Nicholas. There is no way a Cameron will ever not claim Terra. Which is not something we can allow.”
“Precisely. Myndo failed, because while she targeted the Cameron, she did so by attacking the organization that is currently in a full war footing. We will never beat the ISDF in a fight. So we don’t fight.” Nicholas spoke and as usual Julian held back a snort as half the first circuit looked like they were going to strangle him for saying some nonsense.
Rising to his feet Julian raised his arms, wincing a little at the soreness in his shoulder. He was getting old after all. “Now now, let us hear what plan our Precentor Rom has come up with, we all know his mind is as sharp as any. Please Nicholas, do not keep us waiting.”
“We shoot her.” The man said simply, earning a few curses at him from the gathered group.
“She is in the middle of a War Station! The Kuritans already tried that.”
“No. They tried to attack he Warstation. The end goal was her death. I mean we bypass all of it. We invite the Cameron to Terra. We can set up an easy excuse by having a false flag attack through our infiltrators in her ISDF. We have them attack a HPG. We shut off her access until she comes to Terra for a trial. Here, with her under our control, we have a member of ROM shoot her. We can use it as a false flag, claim it was a Kuritan spy within our order.”
“Nonsense! The hit to our reputation! No one will trust us ever again!” Julian cried out in shock, the very idea!
“It will hurt us yes. Badly. Possibly even something that takes centuries to recover from. But with the ISDF losing the Cameron, we can then co-opt the movement. We offer a sincere apology, offer to have ComStar fully support the ISDF goal of returning technology as we believe in the Commanders goal. Without a Cameron, they are no longer a threat to us, and the negative impact of allowing her to die under our protection can be mitigated by philanthropic works.” Nicholas pulled out a disk and pushed it into the tables holo disk port. An image then appeared.
“The Eisen-Blume Orphan Charity.” Julian read to the group, as the images flowed, showing the entire setup was already done by Nicholas, ready to be implemented. “You couldn’t call it the ComStar Eisen-Blume charity?”
“No. Better that our name isn’t attached to it directly. Considering the main goal of the charity would be to recruit for ROM. I wouldn’t offer this solution, if it didn’t have a benefit for our future.” Nicholas offered calmly. The idea earned some murmurs of support from the entire office.
Even Julian was intrigued. To turn this horrible situation around so promptly. It was doable. Once Cameron was on Terra, it didn’t matter how good her protection was… Julian settled into his chair, breathless for a moment.
“It would work. Aye.” He offered his agreement. Beginning the vote amongst the first circuit.
“Nay.” An instant reply by the Precentor Sian “Allowing the image of ComStar to be so directly damaged? The plan is unworkable.”
“Nay as well.” Precentor Atreus offered simply.
“Aye. Better damage to our image, than the failure of the plan.” Precentor New Avalon Huthrin Vandel, offered. A surprise. He hadn’t even looked to Myndo, He had been one of Myndos main powerblock.
“Nay. I refuse to believe this woman, Cameron or not deserves this level of attack. We should ready our Warships instead. The Station is likely irrevocably damaged. We can act just as we did with the Tripitz.” Precentor Tharkad Ulthan Everson offered.
Everyone in the room had voted but one. While Nicholas was unable to vote for his own plan. Myndo had said nothing. Simply watched. Her own power block was broken entirely. None had even looked to her for her opinion, simply voting as they wanted.
“Aye. Cut off the head of the ISDF, and their ability to attack the Combine will falter. With our support we could yet rebalance the board. This plan has my full support.” Myndo offered who was of course the Precentor Dieron, To Julian's surprise.
Even Nicholas looked surprised, the mans normally utterly unemotional face showing his surprise, earning a roll of Myndos eyes.
“Don’t act surprised. I want that Cameron bitch dead. She is a threat to everything we are trying to do.”
With a tie, then Precentor Rom Nicholas of course had a vote, and he simply nodded. Showing he wanted to go through with his plan.
“Excellent. Nicholas, I am sure you are already in contact with the infiltrators? Go ahead and greenlight the false flag attack, Ensure the HPG is undamaged! Make sure they understand their job is to appear to damage the HPG, not actually damage it.” Julian demanded, with a strong pointed finger. Before wincing and rubbing his wrist. Damn his body. Even just sitting around was starting to cause aches and pains.
“If that has been decided. I would appreciate the help, of at least one other Precentor to finalize the plans on how we will approach the ISDF after Eisen-Blume is dead. I would like to ensure we are fully prepared for any… Excitables within the ISDF.” Nicholas offered,
“That will not be a problem. I am sure there will be many here who wish to ensure we handle the death of the Commander appropriately.” Julian offered with a smile.
The chuckle of the entire first circuit including Myndo was soothing to Julian. Good. Despite their politics, despite their desire to do things their own way, ComStar was not the Great Houses. They could work together to create the future Blake had foretold. The future ComStar would create.
No matter what.
The sudden blaring of an alarm in the distance, only quietly heard in the First Circuit chamber had everyone looking around in surprise.
“What is going on?” Julian demanded, but no one knew. The alarm was odd. Not one Julian had ever heard in all his years in ComStar. “Nicholas, find out what is happening.”
The man didn’t hesitate, already heading to one of the phones in the room, that would instantly connect him to the secretaries that were waiting for anything the First Circuit would need.
Everyone else, was pulling up their Noteputer. Checking on what they could find.
It was the clatter of a phone hitting a wall that brought Julians eyes up to Nicholas who was ashen.
“Primus… First Circuit. We have a problem. That was the unauthorized HPG activation alarm. Someone… Someone activated the HPG.”
“I-impossible! Who would dare!” Julian jumped to his feet horrified. The HPG needed constant maintenance, and worse, there was a cool down time that was required to ensure no damage to the system could happen. It was as if someone had double jumped in a jumpship! The damage could be minor, or catastrophic.
“Find them! Find out who would dare! I want their heads! Precentor ROM! I WANT THEIR HEADS!” Myndo started screaming but Julian was gasping, grabbing his chest.
Oh.
The arm pain. The heart twinges.
He was having a heart attack.
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