Blaine Lee Pardoe - Battletech - Battlecorps - Betrayal Of Ideals Part 3

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BattleCorps BattleCorps
BETRAYAL OF
IDEALS
Book III: The Switchback Directive
Blaine Lee Pardoe
BattleCorps
The Switchback Directive • Page 2
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The Grand Council Chambers
Strana Mechty
Clan Space
8 October 2823
The usual murmur of low voices went silent as Khan Sarah
McEvedy entered the Grand Council chambers. All around the
massive, circular table the Khans of the twenty Clans stared at her
as she limped in, aided by a cane. Each step was labored. Her Trial
of Refusal against the Grand Council over their decision to open
possession Trials over a Brian Cache in the Wolverines’ territory
on Circe had been controversial. Defiance over the word of the
ilKhan, Nicholas Kerensky, was all but unheard of on this scale.
McEvedy felt the eyes of her peers burrowing into her face as she
made her way into the chamber to her seat. She sat slowly, pain-
fully.
The inlaid symbol of his Clan faced her on the table, silent and
defiant. It shimmered in the while light of the massive room. The
silence hurt more than her broken ribs and damaged knee. She
ignored her fellow Khans’ gazes upon her bandaged and bat-
tered body. McEvedy was furious over the actions of her fellow
Khans, especially Khan Jason Karrige of Clan Widowmaker. Like
his namesake spider, Khan Karrige was weaving a web of lies and
deceit, apparently endorsed by the ilKhan. It infuriated Sarah, but
not for the reasons that her agitators would understand. It bothers
me more that they think I am a fool; that I do not know what they
are doing.
McEvedy paused for a second to reflect. How will history judge
my actions in the coming days? Will I be painted as a patriot or
a cancer within the Clans? She knew her peers thought that she
was not as daring as she was willing to be. I will save my people,
no matter what the cost. She glanced at Nicholas Kerensky, then
looked away. He seeks to scare the others into line. We are to be
made an example of his darker side, what will become of them if
they do not play along with his plans.
To hell with history!
There was more to the matter than that. Nicholas Kerensky was
revered by the people of his father’s Exodus. He had brought order
after two decades of vicious civil war on the Pentagon Worlds and
created a new society in his own image, an image that seemed
to evolve and change. Some think of him as a god already. I do
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The Switchback Directive • Page 3
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not. I know him as a man. I have seen him bleed. There was more.
Nicholas was known to be wildly temperamental. He threw things,
screamed, berated his Khans, then could become an almost fa-
therly figure a moment later. Most of the other Khans chose to
look the other way during such tirades. Others wrote it off as part
of his ritual of fasting and exploring his inner self, as he had done
when he had come up with the concept of the Clans. Nicholas
wants to be remembered to the future as a god. At times, he is less
of a man than me because he holds himself in such high regard.
The ilKhan stood at the Wolves’ seat in the Grand Council chamber
and surveyed each move that the clearly pained McEvedy made
as she carefully lowered himself into her seat.
“Khan McEvedy, it pleases us that you are here. Clearly you are in
pain. Perhaps it would be best to cancel this session until you are
more fit to perform your duties,” Nicholas said.
“IlKhan,” she said casually. “Whoever has told you that I am unfit
for my duties is incorrect. I am a Wolverine.” She refused to admit
her weakness, though clearly some of her peers were enjoying her
condition. Sarah had to be here today. This was the first Council
session since the Trial of Refusal. If she did not attend, the tra-
dition stood that the Grand Council could not meet. She would
not be the one that held up the meeting. Not when so much is at
stake.
Nicholas shook off the verbal barb with a pleasant grin. “I was
simply looking out for the health of a valued friend and ally.”
“It is appreciated then.”
“It appears that all Khans are present. If that is the case, let us con-
vene to discuss matters that are of importance to us all.” Nicholas
extended his arms and the Khans moved in and assumed their
seats around the great round table. McEvedy looked at each one
of them. Some did not make eye contact, and seemed to ignore
her. Others made a point of locking gazes with her, as if daring
Sarah to say or do something. The tension in the air was palatable.
Once we were like family…now there is only hate.
“IlKhan, now that we have representation from the Wolverines,”
Khan Karrige said in a snide tone, “Perhaps it would be a good
time to bring the Trial of Refusal to a close.” The comment was
appropriate. With saKhan Robertson dead and McEvedy hospital-
ized, Nicholas would not have formally declared a winner. It wasn’t
that what Karrige had said was wrong, it was the fact that he was
enjoying it that bothered McEvedy.
BattleCorps
The Switchback Directive • Page 4
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Nicholas watched her, she felt his gaze, probably trying to see
if there was a reaction. “Very well. As ilKhan and witness to the
Trial of Refusal, I declare that the position of the Grand Council has
been upheld. The Brian Cache on Circe will be distributed through
a series of combat trials to ensure—”
Just like that, laws and traditions are shattered. “IlKhan, I still
protest this course of action. The Grand Council has deliberately
interfered with the internal affairs of my Wolverines. This cache
was on our territory, legally obtained and held by us for years.
For the Grand Council to suddenly simply decide that it should
be taken sets a dangerous precedent that all of us should be con-
cerned about.”
“Not as dangerous as your Wolverines taking possession of ad-
ditional BattleMechs and tactical nuclear weapons,” shot back the
Khan of Clan Burrock.
“Have my Wolverines done something to Clan Burrock, other
than defeat you fairly in battle, that warrants this intrusion? What
if the Grand Council feels that your holdings are Eden are not ap-
propriate? How would you feel then? Perhaps if our seats were
exchanged you would feel differently, quiaff?”
The Khan of the Burrock Clan waved his hand in the air to cut
her off. “I would question the Grand Council, as you have done. I
would challenge them accordingly. If I lost, I would let the matter
die. That, Sarah, is where we apparently differ. You have lost your
Refusal against this Council. According to our laws, this matter is
decided.”
“Normally I would agree with you,” McEvedy said, sweeping
her gaze around the massive table. “Recent events have shown
that the odds have been stacked against my Clan. Other Clans
have been spying on my Wolverines, forcing us to do the same.
This began as individual efforts to work against my people, but
recently I have uncovered evidence of a new threat, something
called, “The Watch,” which involved many of your people infiltrat-
ing and spying on my Clan. With such efforts taking place, it is no
small wonder that a fair trial is not possible.” She ended her visual
sweep of the room on Nicholas Kerensky. A pall of silence smoth-
ered the massive wooden table as all eyes turned to the ilKhan.
“The Watch had no bearing on your ability to defend your posi-
tion in the combat trial,” he countered. “It is an organization that
reports to me. Its purposes are mine and mine alone, and not for
debate by this Council.”
BattleCorps
The Switchback Directive • Page 5
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“I was not asked to contribute to this Watch, ilKhan. I can only
assume that it was put in place to work against my Wolverines. As
such, and given its rather dark and nefarious nature, it is impos-
sible to know if it corrupted my Trial.”
Nicholas was not used to his Khans talking back, at least not so
boldly. He was also not used to being caught off guard and ex-
posed. “How dare you level such accusations?” he snapped back,
his voice seemed to shake Sarah’s entire body.
“I am a member of this Council,” she replied.
“You forget your place,” replied Franklin Osis, the Smoke Jaguar
Khan. “Sarah, you are merely a Khan. We are all subordinate to
the ilKhan. If he wishes to create a surveillance mechanism, then
he can. He can involve whatever Clans he wishes to in it.”
“You speak freely, Franklin,” McEvedy pressed. “I notice that you
have nothing at risk here. The integrity of your Clan and your ma-
terial holdings are not in question. I have known you for years. I
have no doubt that you would respond much more hotly than I
am right now if it were the Jaguars that were in danger of being
stripped of resources.”
“The Smoke Jaguars are not in question here,” Khan Karrige re-
plied. “What is at stake is our rule of law. You have seemed to turn
your back on it. You have lost your Trial to my Widowmakers who
defended the decision of the ilKhan and the Grand Council. You
are ignoring decades of law and order that have kept our people
at peace and prosperous. Who are you to do this?”
“I am the Khan of Clan Wolverine,” McEvedy said firmly. Just say-
ing the words made some of her aches and pains fade, if only for
a moment. “It is not me that has forgotten my duties and respon-
sibilities, Jason.” She held back making any more accusations.
Enough had been laid down in this debate already. Her challeng-
ing of the ilKhan regarding the discovery of The Watch was more
than enough to add tension to the atmosphere.
“I remind you, Khan McEvedy, that you are simply a Khan. My
word holds the law here,” Nicholas Kerensky said angrily. “You
have no standing to question my decisions and actions. You may
rule one of twenty of the Clans, but I rule us all.”
“This debate is pointless,” The Khan of the Coyote Clan added.
“We should move ahead with the bidding for the Brian Cache’s
contents. By our laws this matter is settled. Arguing over it does
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The Switchback Directive • Page 6
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nothing but stir hatred and upset the balance of the Clans as a
whole.”
“It seems,” Khan Karrige added coyly. “That only one of us is
arguing.”
Sarah McEvedy stared at her one-time friend and ally. Is this
all worth making a stand about? She felt as if the die had already
been cast by the Grand Council and Nicholas. It is only now a mat-
ter of time before they come for my Wolverines; either one clan or
all of them together. If I had more time, I might be able to ensure
that what happens impacts fewer people. Time. It was a luxury
that seemed to have deserted her.
She had made plans that could preserve her people. There were
potential allies in this room. One thing was for sure though, nego-
tiations could not continue today. She faced a room of rivals that
had turned on her, either singularly or together in conspiracy. They
feared her Wolverines, and coveted what she had done with them.
The irony was not lost on her. By doing what was right for her
people, she had had turned the rest of the Clans against them.
Carefully, she slid her chair away from the table. For a long mo-
ment, she stared at the inlaid figure of her Clan namesake carved
in front of her. Gone was the feeling of pride the first time she
had sat at this table. Gone was the camaraderie of the Khans. Her
friendship with the ilKhan had been badly bruised, if not destroyed.
All that remained now was to do what she could to implement
her plans to preserve the Wolverines. To do that, she would need
time.
“I will take my leave of you all,” she said firmly. As she rose her
chest tugged at her with hot fingers of pain. McEvedy’s knee felt
as if it were on fire. None of that matched the pain she felt in her
soul.
“You cannot simply walk out of a Grand Council session,” Khan
Osis added. “Our business has not concluded.”
Her friend, Khan Joyce Merrell of the Snow Ravens, spoke up.
“Even though the Wolverines Trial against this Council was lost,
that does not mean that you cannot bid to defend the pieces of
this Brian Cache that are in dispute, Sarah.” Her voice tugged at
McEvedy. They had known each other a long time. She was trying
to help her, trying to get her to take a path to save face with the
others in the room.
BattleCorps
The Switchback Directive • Page 7
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Negative. I will not grovel for scraps at the table like a dog. My
departure is demanded, even if it is nothing more than a gesture.
“It appears to me that decisions regarding the future direction of
my Clan are not mine to make, not alone anyway. Given that and
the nature of my injuries, it would be best if I left now. Besides,”
she shot a glance back at the Widowmaker Khan, “there is a smell
in this chamber that I find somewhat offensive.” Using her cane,
she angled her body away from the table.
“Khan McEvedy,” Nicholas said in a calmer tone. “I ask you to
reconsider. Khan Merrell is right.”
She turned back to the man that she had once trusted so dearly
as to place her own life in his hands. “IlKhan. I no longer have the
stomach for this.”
“Do not let it end like this, Sarah,” Nicholas pressed.
“I assure you, ilKhan,” she said firmly, her eyes narrowing in
anger. “It is far from over. In fact, I feel safe in saying it is just be-
ginning.”
BattleCorps
The Switchback Directive • Page 8
BattleCorps
Texas Class Battleship Bismark
The Norfolk Boneyard
The Exodus Fleet Station Five
Strana Mechty Star System
Clan Space
8 October 2823
The air on the Bismark still smelled funny to Star Colonel
Franklin Hallis. It was a hint of sweat, possibly some mold, and
dust. It was the smell of age—of the passage of time. The moth-
balled Exodus Fleet had been stored in ten different locations, the
Norfolk Boneyard was far out in the Strana Mechty system. Here
the ships were kept, ever ready for action, per the orders of the
ilKhan. While none were immediately jump ready, maintenance
crews boarded them regularly and did the necessary work to en-
sure that the ships were still listed as “combat effective.”
It was always assumed that the Clans had warships or aerospace
fighters that patrolled the boneyards. Franklin had bet that was
a myth. Why patrol or attempt to protect a fleet that was so far
away from any possible threat? He understood that the waste of
resources was what drove his people’s almost forgetting this fleet
of ships. There were automated sentries, satellites that monitored
the fleet, but they had been easily overcome by programs written
by the Scientist Caste. Technology could never replace ingenuity.
This Fleet was the origins of the Clans. They had begun as the
Star League Defense Force under Nicholas Kerensky’s father,
Aleksandr. For nearly two years they had traveled from known
space into the vast, uncharted periphery to arrive at the Pentagon
Worlds. Franklin had been just a boy then, following his family in
the SLDF. The ships of the mothball fleet were a distant memory.
This was like a chapter out of the bible for him, an epic story. These
ships had been homes for the families that now made up the Clans
under Aleksandr’s son, though these people were vastly different
than the original settlers that had come on the Exodus.
Franklin had come with a small team of ship experts. Their
mission was to ready a handful of ships per the orders of Khan
McEvedy. The work was proving easier than he had expected. The
maintenance on the vessels had not been shabby. They were in
good condition, ready for action on relatively short notice. Franklin
had picked out three transports and two of the larger battleships.
They would have to suffice. He had a team scouring the San Diego
BattleCorps
The Switchback Directive • Page 9
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Boneyard as well on a similar mission. Combined with the ships
already in the much-reduced fleet of the Wolverines, he hoped
that they would fit Khan McEvedy’s needs.
Whatever those needs were.
He had seen a glimpse of her plans, and had reviewed his
role in them. Even with what he had seen, he realized that the
scope of what she was contemplating was massive in scale.
When he had been sent to the ships, Franklin had suspected
that Khan McEvedy was planning some sort of a move with the
Wolverines. Sarah McEvedy had been one of the founders of
Clan Wolverine, and had been like a mother not just to Franklin,
but to almost everyone in the Clan. She was not an arrogant
and aloof Warrior. McEvedy was a woman of the people. Time
and time again she had taken measures to protect her people,
and had brought the Wolverines to the pinnacle of Clan life. Her
name was spoken with the same reverence as that of Nicholas
Kerensky. From what Franklin knew, that could prove danger-
ous.
He floated across the bridge and looked out of the armored ferro-
glas window to the fleet hovering in space around him. Somewhere
out there, on the massive jump transport Rawhide, a crew was
readying the vessel for a jump out of system just as he was doing
aboard the Bismark. The same was happening with other ships,
star-jumping vessels that had been idle for a generation. I have
heard other castes talk about ghosts. I wonder how many are here
watching us now?
One of his senior technicians drifted across to him. “SaKhan,
we have an incoming message from Strana Mechty for you—pri-
ority one,” he handed him the portable comm unit. The ship’s
communication system wasn’t online, out of fear that it would au-
tomatically send a signal warning the other Clans that someone
was aboard these ships. Franklin paused. I will never get used to
this title…saKhan.
“This is Deuce,” he said into the unit.
“Deuce, this is Wolverine Actual,” came back a familiar voice.
“Good to hear from you, sir.”
“I trust that all is going well, quiaff ?”
“Affirmative. As planned, my Khan.”
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The Switchback Directive • Page 10
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“I wish that the same could be said of my work,” McEvedy re-
plied. “I am transmitting a secured file to you. It is for your eyes
only. Do you confirm?”
There was a light beep as the file downloaded into the unit in a
secured packet transfer. “Affirmative, sir. I have the file. My eyes
only.” Franklin saw the title. “Operation Switchback.” He couldn’t
explain why, but the title alone seemed to have an ominous ring
about it. It had been some time since the Clans had launched any
sort of new campaign. There had only been the mopping up of the
last bit of the Pentagon Wars. Then again, this wasn’t about the
Clans—this was about the Wolverines…
Glancing at the data, he found his suspicions confirmed.
Khan McEvedy was doing what was necessary to preserve the
Wolverines and their way of life. She was taking great risks. It was
a bold plan. Combined with what he had seen from her earlier,
Hallis now understood the true scope of the plans she had made.
My faith in her is not misplaced—the scope of this alone is pure
genius.
“Franklin, once you have matters in hand there, I need you to join
me here. I am attempting to buy us some time. Go over that file. It
will detail the operation I already have you on. I will need you on
Strana Mechty, and I have a jumpship waiting to take us to Circe.
As you will see in the plans, I have made sure we have ample
jumpships poised for a number of circuits.”
Franklin scanned the file more. “By the League…” he said under
his breath. The file was not a summary, but very detailed plans
and logistics of a sweeping operation. He had seen a high-level
overview before, but this…this had details and timetables and list
after checklist of details that were stunning. What are we about to
start? Then his thoughts focused even more. What will the ilKhan
do?
“Say again, quiaff?”
“Negative, sir. I simply was reading the details of what you sent
me. The contents struck me as—daring.”
“I understand.”
“Sir, has it really come to this?”
“You can avoid the ‘sir,’ Franklin. You are my saKhan.”
The title was one that Franklin had not yet gotten used to. There
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BattleCorpsBattleCorpsBETRAYALOFIDEALSBookIII:TheSwitchbackDirectiveBlaineLeePardoeBattleCorpsTheSwitchbackDirective•PageBattleCorpsTheGrandCouncilChambersStranaMechtyClanSpace8October2823TheusualmurmuroflowvoiceswentsilentasKhanSarahMcEvedyenteredtheGrandCouncilchambers.Allaroundthemassive,circula...

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