Part 625: Political Vote 20

Political Vote – Sabot in the Gears


White robed figures crossed the grand hall like automatons. It was unseemly for a member of the First Circuit to arrive late to a meeting, and thus they all entered through different equidistant doors and shuffled at nearly the same seat that they might all arrive at the round table simultaneously. For most, this was a routine affair and not even the rare appearance of Ian Davion, the Precentor Martial “Anastasius Focht”—standing to the right of the Primus’s chair—could shake them. Focht had brought an aide today, a breach of First Circuit protocol and an offense of the highest order. No one said a word. Even the normally outspoken Precentor ROM, Charles Seneca, stood in abject silence at the Primus’s left. His normally expressive face now nothing more than a passive mask that left his emotional state inscrutable.

Only the new Precentor Dieron looked nervous, Villius Tejh thought. That was no surprise, until recently Tor Miraborg had been Precentor Martial, but his failed attempt to rescue Myndo Waterley years before had tarnished his reputation as a military commander and had seen him replaced by then-Primus Julien Tiepolo. Tejh tapped his lower lip as he contemplated the colossal mistake that had been. On paper, Anastasius Focht was the superior choice: he had good strategic sense and his reorganization of the Com Guards had seemed at first to have improved their organizational and training efficiency immensely.

Villius Tejh was only now starting to uncover just how much power Anastasius Focht had secured for himself in a mere two years. The Com Guard—the Precentors who lead them, especially—seemed loyal to Focht first and ComStar second. Any dissenters had found themselves stationed on backwaters, and many of the most vocal of which had gone missing when the troubles with the recalcitrant Capellan Confederation had begun. There were times when Villius Tejh, the former Precentor Sian, felt lost. The Precentor Martial seemed to know more about what was going on in the Confederation than he had—it should have been an impossibility as long as the acolytes under his direct control were loyal.

But therein lay the problem.

“Primus,” Focht rumbled. “The first circuit has assembled. Shall we begin?”

There was still hope, of course. Anastasius Focht could not dictate policy—the First Circuit could still vote down his proposals. Tejh shifted, stared at the empty chair for Precentor Sian. ComStar would not elect a replacement until the Capellan section of the HPG network was restored to their control. They’d already forced minor concessions from the other successor states, allowing them to beef up the ComGuard contingents on their key stations from a lance to a company but that accomplished less than Tejh cared to admit. Less than a decade before, a company of Com Guards would have been sufficient force to pacify nearly any world in the Inner Sphere. Now, with the proliferation of Star League-era technologies, a company seemed little enough threat that the leaders of the Inner Sphere had accepted without batting so much as a single eyelash.

Tejh drummed his fingers against the armrest of his chair. “Brothers and—” He paused. He’d been about to say “sisters,” but with the arrest of the O5P spy Sharilar Mori the First Circuit was entirely male for the first time in three centuries. “—fellow devotees of the Word of Blake,” he recovered smoothly enough, he felt. “The time has come once again to chart ComStar’s course for the year ahead. I will hear from each of you in turn, but first, allow me to introduce the Precentor Martial’s Aide, Precentor William Blane.”

Tejh drew a slow breath and steeled himself for the most dangerous declaration he’d make all year. Focht stared silently, his good eye flashing in anger as he tried to piece together what Tejh may have been up to. Tejh continued, his voice calm and even.

“The Precentor Martial informs me that Precentor Blane has just been named the leader of the Shadow Divisions, the Com Guard’s most skilled commandos and the hidden dagger to the Com Guard’s Sword of Blake.” Tejh tipped his head to Blane. The Shadow Divisions had been organized by Focht in an attempt to lessen the Com Guard’s reliance on ROM, but in doing so Focht had unwittingly handed Tejh a dagger. Blane was a puppet, a marionette under Anastasius Focht’s control. Primus Tejh wasted no time cutting Blane’s strings.

“We recognize the importance of Precentor Blane’s duties, and the importance of bridging the institutional gaps between ROM and the Com Guards. As Primus, I hereby create a new position, equal to Precentors ROM and Martial: the Precentor Shadow. William Blane is hereby empowered to find the most productive use of ComStar’s commando teams. As with the existence of Precentor ROM, the existence of Precentor Shadow is not to be revealed outside the First Circuit chambers.”

Tejh stared, his eyes fixed on William Blane’s gaunt visage. The man nodded perceptibly—he was aware he was being used but chose not to object. Beside him, Focht shook with fury. “Now—first order of business: let us discuss where best to employ the Shadow Divisions this year. It will ultimately be up to Precentor Blane to decide, but I’m certain he’d like to hear your input. Precentor Tharkad?”

Uthar Everston tipped his head, pleased at being recognized first. He and Tejh had often been at arms, but as Primus, Tejh had to show he did not intend to allow old animosities to influence his decisions.

Uthar held his arms wide, “My fellow Precentors, I fear we have been too complacent in Lyran space. With the secession of Skye, leadership that is ill-suited to assuaging the economic concerns of the state, and the halving of the Lyran Commonwealth’s industrial base, we have paid Frederick Steiner little mind.” Uthar rested his palms on the table, “that is a mistake. The Lyran Commonwealth is in the midst of a military mobilization on a scale not seen since the First Succession War. It is my belief that they plan to launch a massive assault of unprecedented scale. Whether they intend to attack our “allies” the Steel Vipers or mean to retake Skye I do not know, but I do know that they have stripped their periphery worlds and Free Worlds borders bare in the undertaking.”

Uthar drew a breath, and continued, “I propose to offer the use of the Shadow Divisions—under the guise of a Com Guard army—at minimal cost to the Lyran Commonwealth and under the guise of protecting those worlds, and more importantly ComStar facilities, from pirate raids. I believe we could easily convince them to allow us to bolster the Com Guard presence at our HPG stations up to a battalion in strength. That would leave the Shadow Divisions well placed to act if the Commonwealth’s attack proves too successful or threatens to eliminate a realm we’re attempting to manipulate.”

“I will take that under consideration,” Blane’s respectful bow served only to deepen his perpetual scowl. Tejh wondered if the man even knew what smiling was.

Tejh acknowledged the newcomer next, “Precentor Dieron. Your thoughts?”

Tor seemed unprepared, but covered for it well enough. “Ah, well. Hanse Davion remains too well-protected to assassinate cleanly, but as you all know relations between the Draconis Combine and the Federated Suns are going to remain rocky, especially in the Draconis March. I propose employing the Shadow Divisions in a series of pirate raids targeting either the Draconis Combine or the Federated Suns. The local warlords in the Draconis Combine may be goaded into believing Hanse Davion is willing to do nothing to defend them, however I also feel this may backfire and weaken the warlords if Hanse Davion acts swiftly to put defensive forces in play, or publically chastises the Galedon warlords for not taking active steps to protect their district.”

Miraborg paused momentarily, “The Draconis March of the Federated Suns would be the easier target, I feel—with most of the Draconis March’s forces drawn to the Clan border they’re reliant on forces from the Crucis March and mercenaries to defend them. With the Sandoval family’s blatant expansionist tendencies I suspect they’ll launch an attack on the Outworlds Protectorate within the year. If we conduct ‘pirate raids’ exclusively within Draconis March territory it would be very easy to convince the Sandovals that the Galedon and Benjamin warlords are promoting piracy against them, which could result in an internecine war or, at best, another secession that would significantly weaken Hanse Davion’s power.”

“A bit straightforward, but excellent points,” Tejh nodded his thanks to Miraborg. The one-eyed man scowled and looked away. Tejh continued, “Precentor Blake?”

Precentor New Avalon William Cameron Blake remained silent for a long moment, his eyes closed as he organized his thoughts. “As much as I would enjoy seeing the Federated Suns dismantle itself, I must strongly advise reprisals against the Capellan Confederation be made at once. They’ve challenged ComStar’s authority and our dominance over interstellar communications and it’s high time that Justin Xiang, the true mastermind behind the throne, was dealt a significant setback. I strongly advise using the Shadow Divisions in concert with ROM—to not only reveal to the Taurian Concordat that the Capellan Confederation murdered their Protector, but to uncover evidence of Morgan Hasek-Davion’s death and replacement as a double under Justin Xiang’s control. The turmoil this creates would allow ComStar to step in as a mediator and forge an alliance between the Duchy and the Taurians that could better withstand the Capellan Confederation.”

Blake pressed, “Furthermore, it is my opinion that the Capellan Confederation must ultimately be destroyed. They threaten everything the Blessed Blake hoped to achieve and their continued success cannot be tolerated.”

Tejh’s eyes settled on the empty Precentor Sian chair once more, before sliding over to Predregor Aliz. “And last—but certainly not least. Precentor Atreus?”

Predregor tapped his fingers together. “Assassinate Duncan Marik. With Carlos Marik still trapped behind the lines on a Capellan planet there is no clear line of secession. Eliminating Duncan Marik would remove his influence in Skye and would undoubtedly lead to another civil war, curtailing the League’s growing military power. Of course, that would also leave them weakened enough for the Capellan Confederation to consolidate their gains.”

“There is also the Rim World Republic to consider,” Charles Seneca spoke for the first time. “They have historically been resistant to infiltration by ROM. Stefan Amaris VII has exposed a unique psychological vulnerability: he wishes to be lauded as a hero for dealing Kerensky’s descendants a major defeat—but they are on Andurien solely to kill an Amaris. If the Shadow Divisions were to assassinate Stefan Amaris VI and turn his remains over to them, it’s possible the Clans would simply leave, fait accompli. However,” Seneca paused, “the Clans are extremely unpredictable. It may be preferable to let the situation on Andurien play out naturally to deplete the Republic’s funds and reserves of manpower.”

“Interesting thoughts all around,” Tejh studiously ignored the furious Focht. He chose not to acknowledge the Precentor Martial’s input. The slight was obvious enough but it was also one Tejh felt he had to risk. Precentor Blane, I’ll give you time to assess the situation and will expect your proposal at the end of the week. Now—on to other pressing business: the price of consumer goods has spiked significantly throughout Skye. How do we best capitalize on the unrest this will cause?”



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Natasha Kerensky seethed as she paced the bridge of the Dire Spider. The Clan refit of the old Sovetskii Soyuz-class Heavy Cruiser had streamlined the vessel significantly and improved its armor layout at the cost of creature comforts the Clans decried as unnecessary or wasteful. The vessel vibrated under the soles of her feet, as though it too was eager to lash out at the Goliath Scorpions for their temerity. They’d assaulted a Widowmaker world and had defeated its defenders so thoroughly that no graduating warrior would voluntarily agree to join it, and in typically insulting Goliath Scorpion fashion had only taken three bondsmen afterwards. Natasha had been forced to disband the unit and in her fury she’d abjured the bloodlines of those warriors who had lost an even battle thirty to three and not been claimed afterwards.

As the Dire Wolf lingered silently in space over Kobe, she longed to give the order to open fire, to savage the planet’s population centers and leave the spheroid scum to freeze. She stayed her hand only because the Goliath Scorpions hadn’t tried to claim the planet as their own. It was still Widowmaker territory, and destroying a world out of spite was wasteful to an unconscionable degree.

Still, failure or no, she had finally backed the Goliath Scorpions into a corner. She’d inflicted humiliation after humiliation and the message was clear: they’d finally had enough. Every time she pushed now, they would be ready and willing to fight. Even with their forces bolstered by warriors harvested from Clan Burrock, The Widowmakers outnumbered the Goliath Scorpions by more than two to one. In an open conflict, the Scorpions would lose.

“There will be blood for this, Khan Djerassi,” Natasha murmured under her breath as she stared at Kobe’s blue-white surface. “You and yours have undermined us for too long—and the Widowmakers will not rest until your whole traitorous Clan lies annihilated. Gunners,” she exclaimed suddenly. “We have positive proof that the Rasalhague rebels remaining on Kobe assisted the Goliath Scorpions in their attack. Target the capitol city of New Pompeii and reduce it to ash on our next flyover. We shall teach them the price for aiding the enemies of Clan Widowmaker.”



Political Vote
A) What should ComStar do? (Pick 2)
1) Lend defensive support to the Lyran Commonwealth
2) Instigate pirate raids on the Draconis Combine
3) Instigate pirate raids on the Federated Suns
4) Reveal known Capellan plots to the Taurians and Duchy
5) Assassinate Duncan Marik
6) Assassinate Stefan Amaris VI

B) Clan Widowmaker (Pick 1)
1) Launch immediate reprisal attacks against the Goliath Scorpions
2) Ignore the slight
3) Declare vendetta, officially ending the invasion in favor of annihilating the Goliath Scorpions