Chapter Thirty-Four

Continent Number Three

Gamma 1551 AV, codenamed “Barbados”

Along the Exodus Road

7 July 2824

Khan Karrige stared into the eyes of Jerome Winson, Khan of the Wolf Clan, and gave him a vicious grin. Next to Sarah McEvedy, Jerome had given him the most competition. McEvedy had perished in Great Hope, that only left one other Clan to pose a true challenge to his Widowmakers—the Wolves. If I execute my bidding properly, even the Wolves will not be able to challenge us. I simply need to play against their ego.

The naval battle of Barbados had been brutal. The Wolverines had not just put up a strong defense, but had come straight at the Grand Fleet’s ships. His own troop transport, the Egg Sac, had been raked by a WarShip then rammed on its docking ports. Two DropShips had been crushed in the attack—a cost in warriors that still stung.

The Wolverine flagship, the Michigan, had damaged four ships, including breaking the keel of the Hunter’s Pride. That act alone had infuriated Khan Osis of the Smoke Jaguars. The Ice Hellions had done well in the fight, as had Clan Snow Raven. The Cloud Cobras had suffered a great deal from the aerospace assets of the Wolverines.

The SLS Zughoffer Weir, one of the older model McKenna-class ships that had long been part of the Wolverine touman had waded into the middle of several ships’ firing arcs. It had crippled the Hell’s Horses ship Mustang, savaging her CIC in an almost pointblank run along her keel. Just as the other Cloud Cobra WarShips attempted to close with her, the Weir had jumped out of system. If they made it to safety, they would have to be hunted down later. It was a humiliation the Cloud Cobras would feel for some time.

The Ghost Bears had sent their aerospace assets in against the Wolverine DropShips, only to suffer numerous losses.  Adding insult to injury, the Wolverine ground forces on Brim had wiped out a Ghost Bear genetic facility, costing the Bears some of their unborn sibkin. They wanted retribution, but found that the Wolverines had given better than they had taken. Their pride was still stinging, which was bound to make them aggressive in their bidding. So much the better for my plans in dealing with the Wolves.

Two other Wolverine ships had managed to jump out of system. The ilKhan had ordered the Steel Vipers to pursue. No word had come yet, but it was assumed that they would either capture or destroy them. The ruined ships in orbit became the isorla of those Clans that had destroyed them. Most were beyond repair, and had to be salvaged for useful parts. Those that were captured, especially the DropShips with civilians aboard, were taken prisoner. The warriors, regardless of rank, were executed. They received no honors in death. From what Khan Karrige had heard, the Ghost Bears had simply put their warrior prisoners in airlocks and released them to space. Whether the rumors were true or not did not matter to him, not now.

Nicholas moved under the shade of the palm trees and raised his hands. “You have done well, my brethren. We have crushed the rebellious Wolverines in space, now all that is left is to eradicate their blight here on this world. We know that they have at least a Galaxy of warriors here, and are more than willing to fight to the bitter end. What we need is a complete victory, one sealed in the blood of these rebels, so that all of our people know the price of not following the true path. As such, I now open the bidding for which Clan will uphold the honor of all of us, of our Grand Council, and destroy the warriors of this tainted Clan.” His voice rang like a bell, and Karrige found himself mesmerized with his words. I was right to play Nicholas the way I did. He used the Wolverines as a focal point to rally all of us; all the while thinking it was his idea.

Khan Jorgensson of the Ghost Bears stepped forward. “I will start this so we can bring it to a quick close. For the crimes they have committed against my people, I bid my Beta Galaxy of warriors against these murderers.”

Lisa Buhallin of the Jade Falcons jumped in. “Amusing, but I believe I can do it with four Clusters of my Delta Galaxy.”

I have little time for this prattle. “Fellow Khans, I saw the threat of the Wolverines to our way of life long ago, and attempted to warn you. While the Wolves and others may sit back and do nothing to protect our way of life and the integrity of the ilKhan—” He glanced at Nicholas Kerensky, then back to Jerome Winson. “—I will not. My Widowmakers will redeem the honor of the Grand Council and the ilKhan. I will attack with three Clusters of my Alpha Galaxy.”

Lisa Buhallin waved her hand, cutting off her bidding. She knew what she was up against. Jorgensson shook his head in disgust. Karrige had calculated mentioning the Wolves by name. Any jibe at his Clan always raised the ire of Khan Winson. He saw the Wolf Khan’s face grow red with anger in a matter of seconds. The bidding strategy had been deliberate. The Wolverines were still a deadly force, and now they were like cornered rats, making them even more dangerous. He had provoked Winson into action. Anything less might put the Wolves at risk of losing the fight. Then he and the Widowmakers would still be strong and in a position to mop up the surviving Wolverines. If Winson did not make a lower bid, it would make him appear weak. They had not even cast a bid up to this point. He had lowered it to the point that the Wolves would either be bled, or would have a Pyrrhic victory at best.

Winson narrowed his gaze. “I would challenge you to a Trial of Grievance over your slight to my Wolves,” he said with gritted teeth, “but we are in the face of an enemy that must be dealt with first. Clan Wolverine’s fate will rest with my Wolves. I will go in with two clusters and a Trinary of my choice warriors.” He spoke directly to Khan Karrige.

He is trying to get me to step into the trap I have laid for him. Karrige did not reply, but let his silence stand.

“If there are no other bids, the Wolves have won the right to defeat the Wolverines here and now,” Nicholas said. “Bargained well and done.”

Karrige nodded once to Khan Winson. If you think you can take an entire desperate Galaxy of Wolverines with such a force, go ahead. I know better than to tangle with a cornered animal that has been wounded.

Two hours later…

“I have three groups of Wolf Clan BattleMechs approaching from the northeast,” the sentry transmitted to Khan Hallis. “They are not fanning out, but are staying in tight battle formations. Estimate two-plus Clusters. I am relaying tactical data to command battle computers.” His secondary screen flickered, showing the IFF transponders of the approaching force.

The Wolves—I had hoped it would be the Widowmakers. McEvedy had told him of how the Khan of the Widowmakers had conspired against her. He did not want to fight the Wolves. He wanted a sense of revenge. Khan McEvedy would want the Widowmakers dealt with, they were the conspiratorial force that had really corrupted the Clans.

It had been days since he had heard from any naval resources, the last calls had been maydays and distress signals. He knew Admiral Bremman had put up a fight. He also knew it was bound to be one-sided. The ilKhan was not about to lose, or so he thought. The sentry called one more time, closing out his communications signal. “Wolverine Actual, call the ball.”

“Wolverine Actual has the ball,” Hallis said, moving his Pulverizer into a clump of tall trees. They would not provide much cover, but he wasn’t planning on using them for long. All he needed was a chance to get in the first few shots. He had roughly the same force on the ground that the Wolves did. If he defeated them, more Wolves would come, or more Clans, it didn’t matter. The war was over. All that mattered was the battle. His troops, to the man, knew that they were dead if caught or captured. Better to die in the cockpit fighting than to try and surrender and be executed. Our only real hope now is with Trish Ebon and her people. The best I can hope to do is to wound those that have come after us, make them cringe at the very mention of our name for years to come.

That did not mean he didn’t have a plan. He did. It was going to be nearly impossible to execute, and the odds were stacked against it, but he had to try.

“Star Colonel Benedict, bring your Four-forty-fourth Cluster to the far west, near that lake. I want you to drain off some of their force. Star Colonel Rayson, you will form up on me with what is left of the Ten-sixty-eighth and Star Colonel Hammerick’s Binary from the Two-oh-fifth Assault Cluster. Rory, I need you to haul what you have of the Second League Lancers Cluster to our far right flank.” It was a hodge-podge of forces. Some of his warriors had been aboard the ships in the system. Others were with his screening forces under Trish Ebon, and for all he knew they were possibly already victims of the Clan naval force. Negative! That thinking is wrong. Trish has to survive.

The “affirmatives” flew, and the Wolverines swung out. The Wolves, from what he could see, were not breaking formation. Two minutes to the impact of their lines. “Wolverine Command Trinary, form up on me. We are going to fire a few shots, then drift off to the east behind Star Colonel Fallstaff’s Lancers. Stay tight and follow me.”

The advancing Wolves punched through the underbrush like their namesakes. A Jenner and Hermes were in the advance. Both stopped and fired. The Jenner’s short-range missiles swept in on him as if aimed by a true marksman. Five of the six hit, the sixth slamming into a palm tree and blasting it into splinters. His armor shrugged off the hits, but now he was engaged.

The Wolves were bound by honorable combat. He had not restricted his Wolverines as such. This was a battle aimed at revenge, for making the Clans pay for what they had done. It was to avenge the death of Khan McEvedy. It was a fight for blood and he had informed his troops that whatever style they chose to fight with he would honor it. On dark nights, I want them to wake up in fear that some of us might come after them—that some of us may yet survive. Franklin fired a blast into the Jenner with his new model PPC. The shot caught the ’Mech in the center torso and melted armor, setting several fires in the underbrush as the Jenner toppled back.

The Hermes was concentrating on a Wolverine Mercury II to his left. Franklin torso-twisted and fired his lasers. The emerald beams seared the air, catching the legs of the Hermes just as the Mercury II unleashed its pair of medium lasers. The Hermes was caught in the crossfire, everything hitting it below the waist. The Wolf warrior was good; he dodged backwards to concentrate on the Mercury II. The smaller Wolverine fired its small lasers, aiming low as well. There was a puff of white smoke, and the Wolverine Khan saw the Hermes drop.

Franklin saw a larger threat looming in the woods. Too little time, too many enemies. He cycled his ER PPC to a pre-fire mode and waited as the Griffin charged out of the tree line. He got off the shot the moment it appeared. The Wolverine extended range PPC’s deadly kick hit the right arm of the Griffin. The arm seemed to fall limp, holding its own PPC down at the side.

The fight had become a mix of carnage. The Griffin did not attack him, but fired instead at the Mercury with its wave of long-range missiles. The MechWarrior’s name had been Callahan…had been. The missiles tore into the Mercury II and it dropped. As it did, the Jenner reentered the battle. It charged up and kicked the Mercury II to ensure that it was down permanently. One kick punched through the ferroglass and into the Mercury’s cockpit.

Franklin fired one of his lasers at the Jenner and took out its weapons rack. This is getting us nowhere. “Wolverine Command Trinary, this is Actual. Break to the right.”

He shuffled between the trees as missiles tore in behind him, blasting underbrush and raining a patter of shrapnel harmlessly on his rear armor. Suddenly a voice came over the communications channel. “Star Colonel Franklin Hallis, self-proclaimed leader of the Wolverines, it does not have to end without honor.” It was a voice he had heard before, and it sent a momentary chill down his spine. It had been a long time, it almost seemed like a lifetime, since he had heard it.

“It is Khan now, my title, and there is nothing self-proclaimed about it,” he corrected. “They sent you to face me?”

Star Colonel Ferris Ward of the Wolf Clan did not offer a rebuttal. Franklin entered an open patch of ground and a laser blast from an unseen foe stabbed his left arm. Armor sprayed off near his shoulder. It had been a difficult hit at a full run. These Wolves were good—of course, they were Ferris Ward’s warriors. “My Khan knew I would do whatever was necessary to erase that single defeat from my record. I have faced you before and respect you as a warrior. Do not let it end like this, Franklin.”

A Wolf Bombardier appeared in front of him and Franklin angrily fired his PPC at the new target. The large BattleMech caught the shot on its right missile rack, and seemed to rock back from the hit. The hatch on the missile rack had been peeled back near the top, but it was still in the fight. A wave of missiles from some other Wolverine caught the ’Mech in the chest as well, with tiny balls of orange flame appearing along its front.

Franklin rushed straight into the Bombardier at a full charge. The impact was staggering, but he outmassed the Wolf by twenty-five tons. His front armor crumpled and moaned under the impact, but the Wolverine Khan kept his balance and footing. The Bombardier contorted under the impact. As Franklin rushed past, another wave of missiles hit the enemy ’Mech. Franklin saw it drop, but knew it was not out of the fight yet. “How would you have it end, Star Colonel? Would you have me order my men to line up for execution, quineg?”

“Negative,” Ferris answered, this time with strain. Good, he’s in the fight and getting hit by my warriors. “Meet me honorably, and we will end this.”

“I defeated you once before,” Franklin reminded his foe with a hint of arrogant pride in his tone. His Command Trinary was down three BattleMechs already. They had reached the flank, though, and were swinging behind the Second League Lancers. The firestorm ahead told him how savage the fighting was. Fires, wild laser blasts, errant missiles, smoke, flames—they all marked the killing zone.

“That was on terrain of your choosing. This is not. End this now, and you will save your honor.”

“My honor was already stolen by the lies of the Grand Council.” His Pulverizer rocked, this time under the blast of an autocannon salvo. They came in low, churning the armor off his upper thighs. The controls of his BattleMech seemed to fight him, pull in the opposite direction he wanted to go. He jabbed the foot pedals down and strained to keep his balance. Yellow warning lights went off on the right leg. Come on…we still have an appointment to keep.

He switched to long-range sensors. There was one BattleMech out there that he wanted to find and make his sole target. There was still a way to win this fight, and it depended on that one warrior. As he attempted to adjust the sensors another ripple of long range missiles peppered his Pulverizer mid-stride. He almost stumbled. He kept going. There—there it is.

Perhaps this fight was not over yet. “Wolverine Command, form up on me!”

Thirty Minutes Later…

Star Colonel Jax Benedict’s 444th Cluster had a long and illustrious history, a history that the Wolf Clan was tearing into as if it were raw meat. The Wolves had punched through his lines, and were driving straight toward a group of Wolverine civilians that had taken refuge in a box canyon. It was deliberate, Jax knew it. If the civilians were at risk, the warriors would have to respond.

The canyon’s walls were steep, covered with vines, impassible even with jump jets. It was a long, snaking ravine open by a hundred meters at the bottom, with a muddy little stream-of-a-river trickling through it. Not even a name for this place, not even a name for where we are shedding blood, it’s not right—not fair. And for what, a Khan that had not won his position in battle? If McEvedy were alive, things would be different. If Khan McEvedy were alive, these Wolves would already be dead.

Dense brush lined the rocky walls and bottom. It was long, deep, green hole. The walls rose a full two hundred meters up and were a pale sickening tan-brown, bleak against the growth. A Star of Wolves headed right into it while the others seemed to cut to the center of the Wolf-Wolverine battle line. With over three hundred civilians huddled in the deep back end, the Wolf Star could inflict incredible carnage.

Unless Jax stopped them.

“Attention Four-forty-fourth, this is Benedict. I want you to rush into that canyon. Burrow Star, you will be our back door. Hold them at bay if they pursue us. The rest of you, we have to overtake them before they reach our lower caste members. Understood?”

“Affirmative,” came back ringing voices in unison. Despite their losses, they were still a unit, still a force to be reckoned with, still a Clan.

“Move out!” he commanded. He angled his already battered Thug forward as the lighter, faster ’Mechs rushed past. Good. Go get them. Save them.

The canyon walls made him edgy as he reached the entrance. It was not good ground. So much of the foliage was so thick it was hard to mark a target at anything other than point-blank range. The Wolf Star was ahead of them, according to the short range sensors. It appeared the pursuit was nearing an end. He saw a hint of smoke rising in the distance. Battle had been rejoined.

Jax waded his Thug into the brush, cursing the fact he couldn’t go faster. A laser shot missed him by only a few meters, but a heartbeat later he realized it was simply a stray, a shot that had not been aimed at him. The Wolves were punching deeper, two BattleMechs had made a stand while three more were converging on the civilians.

His warriors were right on top of them. Four Wolverines firing at once hit one of Wolves—a massive Highlander. It rocked and quaked, unleashing its gauss rifle into a Stag II and temporarily sending the ’Mech to the ground. The Highlander, the last of the Wolves rearguard, hung in for three more salvos. Shredded of armor, it finally dropped. His forces moved past it and into the depths of the canyon. Shade dropped over them from one of the cliff walls blocking out the yellow afternoon sun.

“We have them, sir,” one of his Star Captains, Dante, replied. By the time he reached them, a kilometer deeper, the fight was over. The shattered remains of the Wolf BattleMechs lay on the canyon floor smoldering. He surveyed the damage. Bits and parts of his force lay near the fallen ’Mechs, but his Cluster had fought well.

“All right then, we need to get back to the fighting,” he said.

“Star Colonel. I cannot raise Burrow Star.”

He felt his stomach tighten. Turning his Thug around, he saw the vast canyon winding back. Narrow, confining, tight. It choked him. A trap. The Star of Wolves had been sacrificed to lure his Cluster in. In the distance he saw the jungle erupt with flames. Infernos! Artillery rained down, devouring the only escape path. It was a wall of death and destruction heading right for his troops. The flames filled the narrow canyon, making the low ground a furnace. LRM’s laden with flammable fuel devoured the foliage—turning it into a furnace. Burrow Star, his rear guard, was gone. The Wolves were now launching indirect fire around and on top of them.

There was no place to go.

The civilians were doomed. Then again, so was his Cluster. The ground shook as the wall of flames grew closer. “All right Four-forty-fourth. We have been tricked. Everyone form up on me. Charge through that fire. Get out of this canyon. Ignore the heat—just move out until you reach the Wolf line.” He paused.

“Wolverines!” Jax Benedict howled from the pit of his stomach. His force rushed into the raging fire.

There was a way to win, but the reality of it was something he never thought he could consider, let alone postulate. Khan Franklin Hallis had homed in on the signal of a lone BattleMech on the entire planet. It had to be near the fighting. He would want to see the end, to make sure that the lies and betrayals were buried here on Barbados. Franklin wasn’t entirely sure his plan would work, but he was willing to try. They had never counted on it, which was why he had gotten as far as he had.

He would have to kill Nicholas Kerensky.

His Command Trinary had been hounded the entire the way by the Wolves. He was alone now, alone and on a mission. The Wolves had pursued him relentlessly. A few times he had picked up Star Colonel Ferris Ward’s IFF signal—which meant he was following personally. That was probably good news. If he is here with me, he is not commanding the Wolves in the field. In the back of his mind he pictured the Wolverines crushing the Wolves. It was an oddly sick yet happy moment.

As he came over the ridge he saw a clump of ’Mechs. There it was, a Highlander, a one of a kind model. It was powered down, but he saw it. What was left of his Pulverizer cleared the hill and he danced the targeting reticle over it. He locked it right on the cockpit.

The other ’Mechs raised their weapons and he heard multiple weapons locks. He should have fired, but didn’t. McEvedy would not have wanted it this way. Killing the ilKhan was never part of the plan, but neither was the total destruction of his Clan. Franklin didn’t fire, but he knew that the ’Mech he was targeting was empty. The other ’Mechs were from different Clans, he could see it in their colors and from their transponder readings. Khans. The Grand Council. All had come to see the completion of their betrayal of his people.

The silent standoff was made worse when he detected an enemy approach him from behind. That ’Mech did not fire either. It was Star Colonel Ward. He cursed himself. Damn. I should have fired. I should have taken the shot, even if he was not in the cockpit. I should have tried. It would have been a futile gesture, but it would have mattered.

A voice came over the broadband communications channel in the clear. “Power down your BattleMech, Star Colonel Hallis,” Ferris Ward ordered from his rear. The high pitched tone of weapons lock emphasized his order.

“As I told you before, my title is Khan,” he replied with forced calm. “I am a Khan of the Wolverines. Khan of the greatest of the Clans. Khan of those that were betrayed by our leaders. Victim of the lies. You will call me by the title I earned, a title given to me by Sarah McEvedy.”

Another voice cut in. “It is a title I do not recognize.” He knew the voice. The ilKhan was speaking, not from his ’Mech, but on the same channel.

“Khan McEvedy recognized it.”

“McEvedy is long dead. By now your warrior caste is dead as well.”

“Their deaths were unnecessary.”

“Not from where I stand,” the voice replied without pity or mercy.

“Who are you to order us destroyed?”

“I am the leader of the Clans. I am your father. I am the ilKhan. It is my duty. It is my responsibility. If you were a true Khan, you would see that.”

“Perhaps you are right. Perhaps I am not a Khan. Perhaps I am simply the leader of the last vestige of the Star League Defense Force. You have slaughtered what was the Wolverines. All that is left is the pride and memories of the Star League.”

Nicholas was not amused and snapped back. “Star League? Those are only words now, boy. I have seen to that. Someday my people will return to the Inner Sphere and restore that flame to the right place. But for now, there is no League. All that I see is the sad remains of a lone man, a so-called warrior, who dares to believe he is more than just a defeated soldier.”

“Khan McEvedy defied you, and I do too. I refuse to admit defeat. I will not stand by while you kill my people.” Franklin fell silent for a moment.

It was Nicholas Kerensky that shattered the silence. “Franklin Hallis, why are you here?”

“I came for retribution. I want justice. I came because Khan McEvedy would have expected nothing less from me. For all of the people you have killed, I have come to extract revenge.”

“I see,” Nicholas said coolly. “Retribution is unbecoming a warrior. It is sad to see your Wolverine taint has blurred your honor as well.”

“Vengeance is all I have left.” A glance at his long range sensors told him his forces had been vanquished. The costs to the Wolves had been dear, but they held the field. His civilians were now at risk. There were a few signals out there, a handful of survivors, but damned few. He knew that those that had survived the initial battle would be hunted down. That decision had already been made.

“Justice, however, is worthy of a Bloodnamed warrior,” Nicholas added. It was a strange admission from the ilKhan. Just then he saw a figure step out from the tent just behind the Highlander. He knew the balding head, the figure—it was Nicholas. He stepped in front of his BattleMech and stood with his arms crossed.

Khan Karrige followed the ilKhan. This was almost better than he hoped. The last legacy of Sarah McEvedy, of the entire Wolverine Clan, was right here—before him. He would bear witness to the end of the Wolverines once and for all. Khans Jorgensson, and Buhallin were in their ’Mechs, standing guard along with several other warriors and the Khan of the Nova Cats. Khan Winson stood distant and bitter, his expression unchanged since the bidding. Karrige and Khan Merrell had been on the ground with the ilKhan when reports of a Trinary approaching the command center had been detected. Nicholas had not flinched or been worried. Oddly enough he didn’t seem concerned standing in front of the Wolverine BattleMech. This is going to be something to savor.

Nicholas spoke into the wrist comm unit. “Justice, however, is worthy of a Bloodnamed warrior.”

In his earpiece, Karrige heard the conversation clearly as he moved up a few paces behind Nicholas. Joyce Merrell followed at his side, she too was listening intently.

“I do not understand, ilKhan,” the voice of the false-Khan, Franklin Hallis, replied.

“The death of a Clan is no small thing. Then again, genocide is never to be taken lightly, even by those inflicting it. It has cost us as a people, but has also served several purposes. In facing down the rebellious nature of your Wolverines, I have learned of another betrayal.”

Another betrayal? Karrige felt a flush come over him.

Nicholas turned and leveled his gaze at Widowmaker Khan. “The destruction of Great Hope was the act of another Clan—not the Wolverines. Is that correct, Khan Karrige, quiaff?” His voice was still broadcasting in the open.

He knows. How? Karrige fell onto his lie and hugged it close to his bosom. “I do not know what you mean, ilKhan.”

“At the request of an old friend, I had the blast’s radioactive signature tested. The weapon came from the Brian Cache that the Wolverines liberated.”

“IlKhan—”

“I checked the inventories of Jade Falcons and of the Wolverines. I also had our people check the security monitors. I have had people looking over the data during our voyage here. Uniforms may be faked, but not the faces of warriors. All of your Widowmakers are known to me. You know what they found, do you not?”

Karrige stumbled over his words. “IlKhan. I do not know what lies people have planted in your head—”

Nicholas roared. “Enough, Jason! I ordered the security data brought along with us for review. The signal you sent into Great Hope was a detonation code. You killed thousands. You blamed another Clan. You contributed to this genocide more than any other person in our ranks. The blood of the dead Wolverines is on your hands.”

“But ilKhan. I am nothing but loyal. You know that. Whatever your people have told you, they are in error.”

“The Wolverine civilians in Great Hope would feel differently.” Nicholas took several long strides to the side. Looming in the background was the Wolverine Pulverizer. Khan Karrige turned to Khan Merrell, and found her standing with her hand on her sidearm. “What I did was no different than her lies about Dehra Dun.”

“What happened there was an accident and part of the cause was the Bismark’s attack on my fighter. If what the ilKhan says is true, what you did was deliberate murder,” she replied, taking several steps back along with Nicholas.

Karrige looked up at the other Khans’ BattleMechs. “You all knew the Wolverines were corrupt. You knew McEvedy was building her Clan to be a threat to us all. You all told me your concerns. You know why I did what I did! It was the best way to convince you all of the threat of McEvedy. Her people were driving to independence. They would have undone everything  we have fought to build.”

“The motivations of Khan McEvedy were misplaced…even misguided,” Nicholas said angrily. “But they were honorable regardless. She was not seeking personal power.”

“She betrayed you and all of us, ilKhan. The Wolverines were becoming a threat to all of us. The actions I took were not done alone. The other Khans understood the risk we faced if the Wolverine growth remained unchecked.”

“Our motivations were honorable,” Khan Buhallin replied, obviously angry from her tone. “None of us triggered a nuclear attack on innocent civilians other than you. Our actions and desires were all held in check by our laws and redes. You crossed that line. You killed thousands of innocent people in Great Hope. Your actions led to the accidental destruction of the Snow Raven’s capital.”

“If I had not acted, the Wolverines would have run amok. My actions were warranted.”

Nicholas’s entire face tensed. “Genocide is not to be taken lightly. You alone lit a fuse that led to this confrontation.”

“I was not alone. You were there, ilKhan. You yourself have admitted the threat that the Wolverines represented. All that the Clans were, all we could be, could be undone by them.”

Nicholas ignored him and raised his wrist comm unit to his chest level. “You have heard, quiaff?”

“Affirmative,” came the voice of Franklin Hallis. “I have.”

Nicholas and Joyce Merrell further distanced themselves from Karrige. He saw them back away. He glanced back at the BattleMechs towering nearby. The Jade Falcons turned their back to him. The ’Mech of the Ghost Bears turned as well. Only the ’Mech piloted by the Nova Cats Khan remained facing him.

“Then do what you must,” Nicholas said. “Do what honor demands. And Star Colonel Ward will do what he must as well. It is the only way. It may not set matters right, but it will bring this ugliness to an end.”

Karrige looked up in shock just as the Wolverine Pulverizer fired its deadly particle projection cannon. His world instantly turned hot white. The last noise he heard was his own scream.

Franklin saw the black, smoking crater that had been the Widowmaker Khan only a few moments before. He smiled. I did it for you, Khan McEvedy. I did it for you…

He did not hear the weapons fire from Star Colonel Ward, but he knew that the warrior was coming. There was no way that he was going to come through this engagement alive. That had never been the intention anyway. From the time the Clans had arrived in the Barbados system, it was really just a matter of time before they achieved victory.

With his final smile, Franklin felt at peace. He had behaved with more honor than Khan Karrige had showed. He felt some degree of redemption, if only for a second or two. While he had never been given a seat at the Grand Council of the Clans, for a moment he felt as if Nicholas Kerensky had granted him some honor. Even though Nicholas was the destroyer of his people, in that last moment, Franklin was glad to have been treated as a peer.

He did feel a wave of warmth embrace him as the full fury of fire came at him from the Wolf BattleMech. Franklin Hallis smiled. Honor had indeed been served.

After Franklin Hallis’s BattleMech toppled into the grass of the wilderness world, Nicholas Kerensky turned to face Joyce Merrell of the Snow Ravens. He was still broadcasting for the Khans to hear, and most likely Star Colonel Ward. “This ends now. No one will speak of the fate of Khan Karrige to anyone other than those in the Grand Council. Our people would never understand two Clans betraying each other in such petty ways. As far as anyone need know, including his own people, Khan Karrige died facing the Wolverines in battle. That is the story that we will tell. In the end, you will all swear that he fell with some degree of honor, despite the truth.”

There was a ring of dignity to what the ilKhan said. Joyce nodded. She assumed that the other Khans understood. Nicholas had told them a month before what had transpired, what his investigation had found about Jason Karrige. He did not say where he had gotten the idea to check into the origins of the nuclear blast at Great Hope in the first place, or why he had brought all of the data with him to analyze. Where had his suspicions come from? It seemed out of character for Nicholas. A part of her wondered who had given him that counsel.

“His Bloodname will not carry forward, though. No future generations of Widowmakers will be tied to Khan Karrige. I will not have our offspring and sibkin face his taint ever again.” The bitterness in his voice was back. She knew Nicholas. He would make the story stick with the other Khans through the pure force of his will. They would have to believe him. The other Widowmakers would question it, but Nicholas alone would convince them that it was a just decision. He would avoid telling them the full truth. It would rest with, “he betrayed the honor of a Khan.”

Joyce said nothing in response. Jason’s Bloodname was to be lost. That made sense, given what he had done. He had caused so much suffering and pain, it made sense that his name would not continue on. As she stood there, in that moment the Khan of the Snow Ravens came to a decision. She envied him, really. After Dehra Dun, she was not sure her own Bloodname should be continued. I almost died during the Pentagon Civil War. I wish I had died then. At least I would not have to wake up every night in a sweat, thinking of all of the lives my mistakes have taken.

There was nothing to say. The fighting had come to an end. This quiet outback of a world would be forgotten. The jungle would reclaim the signs of the fighting. It would be as if it had never happened. When they returned, the people would unite again behind Nicholas.

How can we simply forget the Wolverines? They were a part of us. How can Nicholas have us move on and not question what happened, both here and at home?