Coupe

Akira turned and thrust a finger at Palmer Conti. "This man brought his regiment here to steal the glory of destroying the Kell Hounds for himself. Look at him. Even now he schemes and plots. He will find a way to lay the blame for his command's destruction at the feet of my father. He will tell the Dragon that we arrived too late, or that we refused to attack or that his people died trying to save us from the Kell Hounds. No matter how feeble the fiction he creates, it will save him.

"It will save him because Takashi Kurita will believe anything. The Dragon is old and worried. His personal vendetta against Jaime Wolf prompted him to order all mercenaries to be killed on sight. As a pretext for this order, he reminds us that mercenaries fight for money and, therefore, have no honor. They ca

Akira looked over at Morgan Kell. "There is your honorless mercenary. My father slew Patrick Kell on Styx, but Morgan did not hate him for it. On Terra last year, Morgan Kell and Jaime Wolf, both gold-grubbing thugs in the eyes of the Dragon, joined with and helped my father win through a very dangerous situation—saving my life and probably his in the bargain. And then here, after a day's worth of battle in this desert, Morgan Kell honored my father's desire for a duel, yet refused to shame my father in it."

Akira raised his head high. "I find more honor in one mercenary colonel than I do in the Coordinator of the Draconis Combine. For this reason, I resign my position within the Genyoshaand, if Morgan Kell will have me, I bind my personal honor to that of the Kell Hounds."

Chu-saNarimasa Asano stood at his place on the platform's eastern edge. He bowed respectfully to Akira, then turned to face the Genyosha."I have listened to Akira Brahe's words, and I find much truth in them. Yorinaga Kurita was the Finest and most competent leader I have ever served within the Combine. The indignities heaped upon him, and upon the Genyosha,serve only to shame the Coordinator."

Asano glanced over at Morgan Kell. "This being said, and without any intention of dishonoring Colonel Kell or his valiant warriors, I ca

The elder Combine Mech Warrior looked out over his troops. "I bear no ill will to those among you who share Akira Brahe's feelings. If you wish to follow him to the Kell Hounds, or strike out on your own, you have my respect for your decision. I, however, am renouncing my service to Takashi Kurita and pledging myself to his heir, Theodore. The Kurita Prince is a warrior I can follow, and his destiny is one I wish to empower."

Perhaps a dozen GenyoshaMechWarriors—most of them appearing to be from Rasalhague District—walked toward the platform. One by one, they executed two deep bows of respect, the first to Chu-saAsano and the second—held a second or two longer than the First—to the bloodstained mat upon which Yorinaga had knelt. Then they passed to where Morgan Kell stood and bowed to him. Morgan returned the bows, then welcomed each warrior with a hearty handshake.

Akira turned to face Narimasa Asano. "Thank you, Chu-sa,for your wisdom. I do not look forward to the next time the Kell Hounds meet the Genyosha."

"Nor do I." Asano smiled warmly at Akira. "You are every bit your father's son. Never forget that." He bowed deeply, then straightened and walked from the platform.

Having returned his bow, Akira likewise stepped from the stage. He bowed again toward where his father had died, then turned and walked to Morgan Kell. "I would be grateful if you. could find a place in your command for a humble MechWarrior."

Morgan offered him his hand. "Your request honors us. Welcome to the Kell Hounds."

53

New Avalon

Cruris March, Federated Suns

16 November 3029

Justin looked up from the front row of the audience in Avalon City's Notre Dame Cathedral as Prince Hanse Davion took his place at the podium. His heart pounded heavily in his chest, and Justin thought to himself that it hadn't beat this hard when he used to wait for a fight on Solaris to begin. Smiling at his nervousness, he reached out with his right hand and covered Candace's left.

The Prince nodded his thanks to Cardinal Maraschal. "Thank you for that invocation, Cardinal." He faced the packed crowd in the cathedral, then adjusted the podium light to shine more directly on the text of his speech. Taking a deep breath, he began.

"The war means different things to different people. To soldiers in the front lines, war is long periods of utter boredom punctuated by moments of unrelenting terror. Machines the size of buildings stalk over the surface of a world destroying anything that opposes them. The weapons they use are hellishly powerful; the scars they leave on people, places, and things never heal.

"Those left behind at home face a different challenge. Their terror, while more subtle, is equally uncompromising. Is the next visiphone call going to tell you your husband has been killed? When you scan your electronic mail, or get a message from ComStar, will you learn that your son or daughter is being shipped home in an urn? Or worse yet, will that soldier at your doorstep tell you that your grandson is missing, but the AFFS is doing everything they can to find him?"

As the Prince's strong voice filled the church, Justin glanced over at Candace and then beyond at her brother Tormana's smiling face. We both thought he'd been killed in the first waves of the war. I've never seen Candace as happy as she was when the Prince reunited them.

Hanse Davion continued eloquently. "Despite these burdens borne by those on the front or at home, we can take comfort in one thing. At all times we know who we are and what we are a part of. We are not ashamed of letting this pride show through because it reinforces our confidence and belief in our society. It confirms the correctness of our mission and gives all of our efforts meaning. Seeing this confidence and pride reflected back from the others around us is the ultimate reward and sustains us even in the darkest times."

Hanse shifted the top sheet of his text to the bottom of the pile. "This is not true of a third class of individual working in our war effort. These people have to subsume what and who they are to fulfill their role in the war. For some, this means they must forge a whole new identity to perform their duties. For others, the job is to become more than they ever wanted to be. The stress of leading such a dual life would tear anyone apart at the best of times, but in a time of war, the pressure can be lethal."

Hanse looked up at his audience. "This evening, we are gathered here to honor four individuals whose singular and collective contributions to the war defy quantification, but ca

Far to Justin's right, Alex stood. The slender, blond man adjusted his black tuxedo jacket, then leaned occasionally on a black cane as he walked to the front of the cathedral's altar. Unable to genuflect, he crossed himself, and strode proudly to the Prince's side.

The Prince opened a box on the podium and drew from it a black medal encrusted with diamonds arrayed like the sunburst of the Federated Suns. "Known as Alexi Malenkov in the Capellan Confederation, Alex Mallory became a trusted member of the Maskirovka. At great risk to himself, he managed to send enormous amounts of intelligence back to the Federated Suns. It was through his efforts that we were able to thwart Maximilian Liao's first assassination attempt on the late Colonel Pavel Ridzik. Out of gratitude, Colonel Ridzik concluded a peace with us that saved countless lives on the Tikonov front. Later, when discovered by the enemy, Alex endured torture without surrendering one piece of information about himself or his confederates."