DROPSHIP FUJINAMI
NEW EXETER SPACEPORT
EMPORIA
FEDERATED SUNS
6 APRIL 3150
1300 HOURS
Yoshizawa and Nagaaki stood side by side, watching the screen showing Zachary and Shannon Vogel together. Nagaaki pressed his lips together in a thin line of disapproval. “You should not allow them time together. This is a mistake.”
“They are recorded and under guard. I wanted to see how they interacted, and what he said to convince her to give up the planet.” Though Yoshizawa’s face was serene, he had the first flutters of doubt. He squashed them. He had to. His plans left no room for doubt. He’d worked too hard on them to be ruffled once they were put into play. “They’ll have their fifteen minutes. I am a man of my word.”
Eyes narrowed, the spymaster shook his head. “They speak in more than words.”
“Do you disagree with my methods, Sho-sa? My plans?”
The question stiffened Nagaaki’s spine, especially the use of his title. “No, Tai-sa. My eagerness for conquest has made my tongue careless. Forgive me.” He bowed deep to his colonel.
Yoshizawa touched Nagaaki’s shoulder, allowing him to rise. “It was merely a question.” The statement was a lie, and they both knew it.
Nagaaki straightened. He focused on the viewscreen and kept the rest of his thoughts to himself. The two of them stood like that, side by side, watching the emotional reunion between husband and wife and co-rulers. When the fifteen minutes was up, Lady Shannon left the room with the dignity of a queen on her way to a forced marriage, and Lord Zachary turned to the noteputer to work on his modifications to the surrender speech.
“Keep recording them separately.” Yoshizawa considered the screen. “I will review their meeting and make a decision. If you have not heard from me by 1500, record the Vogels’ speech as planned.”
“Yes, Tai-sa.” Nagaaki bowed and left the room.
Yoshizawa settled himself into a meditative pose. Everything was going according to plan, and yet even his closest questioned him. He shouldn’t blame them. They were going against everything they’d been taught war was. This forced but peaceful occupation of a planet—a fertile planet—was antithetical to how the Draconis Combine did things. However, the Seventh was no longer part of the DCMS, whether his council members realized it yet or not.
Many minutes passed before Yoshizawa opened his eyes again. This time, with a clear mind, he watched the Vogels’ reunion, looking for what was said between the lines.
Shannon entered the room, and Zachary stood. They waited until the door was shut to step into each other’s embrace. They held each other for a long, wordless moment before he held her at arm’s length. “We must talk. I need you to listen.”
“One of those?” She tilted her head.
He nodded. “I’m afraid so.”
“Then we will do it as we have always done so. Even as children.” She led him to the middle of the room, where they sat cross-legged with their knees touching. His back was to the camera. The two of them wore almost identical outfits—hers a jumpsuit from House Vogel, his a nondescript one. The two of them held hands, fingers mingling.
“They have taken control of the vital points of Emporia. As Emporia’s rulers, we have a duty to the people.”
“What…?”
Zachary raised a hand. “Please. Let me get through this. It’s hard enough to say it to you. Soon I—we—will have to say it to the planet.”
Shannon subsided, but did not still. Her energy was palpable.
“We have a duty to the people of our planet. These occupiers will not execute our captured troops. They intend to colonize the planet peacefully.” He put one hand to his chest. “Tai-sa Yoshizawa has offered to leave the ruling class in an advisory role to a planetary governor. He’s offered the protection of his troops. He’s offered to leave the planet as is.” Zachary paused. “I don’t think we have a choice.”
She nodded. “What do you need from me?”
“I need you to be by my side and help me get the message out. To convince our people to do the right thing.”
Shannon closed her eyes. “And if we do not do this?”
“I suspect it will go much harder for our people, but we will not be here to see their suffering.”
She leaned in as Zachary did the same. Pressing foreheads together, she asked. “Are you sure this is the right thing to do? We’ve been at war with the Combine for so long.” She ran her hands over his face, his shoulders, his arms.
His hands mimicked hers in an intimate gesture of compassion, empathy, and love. “Yes. This is the only way to save our planet. I’m sorry it’s come to this. Will you support me?”
Shannon straightened and grasped both of his hands. “I would follow you into hell. The maw of the Dragon holds no fear for me.”
“Thank you, my love. I couldn’t do this without you.” Zachary cupped the side of her face before clasping hands with her again.
The two of them sat like that, cross-legged, knee to knee, like teenagers in love, wordlessly gazing into each other’s eyes. Right before their fifteen minutes was up, Zachary stirred. They detangled themselves from each other and stood, Zachary first then Shannon.
He placed a gentle kiss on her cheek. “We can do this.”
“Of course we can.” She turned to the door and waited. When it opened, she walked out with her head held high.
Zachary returned to the table and picked up the noteputer. He glanced around the room. His eyes lingered on the camera before he got to work.
Yoshizawa turned off the recording. Nagaaki was right. They had spoken in more than words, but it appeared to be spouse-speak: gestures and touches that had hidden meanings in the context of a long relationship. There had been an underlying conversation of some kind, but nothing he could decipher.
One thing was certain: the Vogels loved each other, and that could be used against them. No matter how hard or disciplined the other seemed, those in love broke faster than those with nothing to lose. It was one of the reasons he had never taken a wife. Love made a man weak in unexpected ways.
Baron Zachary Vogel, wearing his dress uniform, sat next to his wife, Baroness Shannon Vogel. She wore a simple flight jumpsuit with the Emporia flag and the House Vogel crest displayed. Both looked serious, even somber. Lady Shannon pushed short white hair from her face and brushed imaginary lint from one shoulder as the two of them settled.
Lord Zachary raised his chin and began to speak. His words were smooth and his eyes moved as if he read from a teleprompter. “To the loyal citizens of Emporia, we, the Baron and Baroness Vogel, your rulers, come before you with momentous news, news that may be greeted with fear or anger. Please listen carefully. There is a reason for the decision I—” he glanced at his wife, “—we have made today.”
Lady Shannon nodded at him, unable to settle. She shifted, glancing between the camera and her husband. With a breath, she focused on the camera and crossed her arms before her.
“We have ordered the council of Emporia to secede from the Federated Suns and join the Draconis Combine under the auspices and benevolent rule of Tai-sa Takeji Yoshizawa, of the Seventh Ghost Regiment.
“In order to save Emporia, our land, our people, the prosperity we have, and the happiness we enjoy, we are accepting their generous offer of protection and security in the form of troops, vehicles, and ’Mechs. In return, we will give them our respect and our obedience.” He paused, clasping his hand with Lady Shannon for a moment.
“Long has Emporia suffered under the war between the Federated Suns and the Draconis Combine. A war we did not want. A war that left us vulnerable to predators on both sides. A war that forced us to fight when we did not want to. We cannot continue to fight an unwinnable war. As the Federated Suns has not, and cannot, protect Emporia, we bow our heads to a ruler who can.”
He glanced at the table, then put a hand to his breast. “Though we have lost many loved ones to this unwanted, undeserved war, we have also gained. We’ve taken in the orphans of many planets when no one else within the Federated Suns would. We, the most noble houses of Emporia who still stand, have sponsored, sheltered, and trained these orphans. In much the same way, Tai-sa Yoshizawa and the Seventh Ghost Regiment will do the same with us.
“I am well aware that many of you will feel strongly about my words and our new circumstances. However, this is the appropriate thing to do. The vagaries of fate and time have carved the path that lies before us. Do not lash out at our new protectors. Do not give in to the baser emotions of fear or anger or pride or a misguided sense of tradition. We do this to save Emporia. Lady Shannon and I are counting on you all to do the right thing.”
Lady Shannon nodded. She put her hand over her heart for a brief moment before clasping them together again.
“Be aware,” Lord Zachary continued, “that the Seventh Ghost Regiment has taken control of infrastructure vital to Emporia. The New Exeter Spaceport. New Exeter itself. The worldwide communication grid. Many of the outlying estates. All of it is under their control. Should any of you ignore my message today and continue to fight a war Emporia does not want, it will only result in the death of innocents and the destruction of those vital resources we need to prosper. This is the reason I have ordered this change of fealty.”
He paused and clasped his hands before him. “I cannot help but regret that the fealty we once had with the Federated Suns has fallen to the wayside like this. That union is no more. The deaths of our people lost to preserving that union weighs heavily upon me, but the welfare of Emporia and its people outweigh any sense of loss I may have.”
He placed his palms together. “Going forward, Emporia’s noble council will work with Tai-sa Takeji Yoshizawa and his representatives. Honor them as your new leader as you have honored me. I do not yet know what my role in this new government will be. But I will have a role within it.”
After a final glance at Lady Shannon, the baron locked eyes with the camera. “May this new allegiance serve us better than we’ve been served in the past. May Emporia and the Draconis Combine continue as a single family under the benevolent rulership of Tai-sa Yoshizawa. I have faith in Emporia’s land that I hold so dear. I have faith in Emporia’s people, whom I sacrifice so much for. Together we can do more than merely succeed. We can prosper. We can grow. We can become the Emporia we were always meant to be. Thank you.”
The large room was lined with Seventh Ghost Regiment infantry looking for a reason to shoot one of the captive nobles clustered in the middle of the room. Members of Emporia’s nobility wore a variety of expressions ranging from fury to betrayal to mistrust. A few wore the blank expressions of nobles trained in the art of subterfuge.
Chu-sa Aoki turned off the screen. “This is the message that will go out to the planet tomorrow morning. Are there any questions?” She watched Emporia’s noble council stand in silence. All of them, warriors in their own right, glanced at each other. She watched the unspoken conversations between them, noting who was calm, who was angry, and who responded to whom. There was some sort of message passed around by quick flicks of the fingers and head nods. One woman, Baroness Esme Blanc, cut the silent conversation off with a sharp gesture.
Chu-sa Aoki smiled inwardly as the baroness stepped forward. “Will I be permitted to speak with Baron Vogel?”
“For what reason?”
“I lead the council. I would like to see him with my own eyes, to know that this is indeed his will. As no one—” she paused, then amended, “—almost no one has been killed in this, ah, planetary change of allegiance, it should be no problem for me to have a word with Baron Vogel. Your tai-sa is kind and generous. I suspect he is understanding as well.”
Tai-sa Yoshizawa left his hidden vantage point and joined Chu-sa Aoki. “Of course. After we have had a conversation about what we require from Emporia within this new allegiance. I’m sure you will want to speak with him about that as well.”
Lady Esme stayed where she was. “As you wish. It seems we have no choice in the matter.” The rest of the nobles shifted and clustered about the baroness, lending their silent support.
Their captor ignored the maneuver. “That is correct. I am generous but firm. As long as you bear that in mind, we can keep this cordial.” He walked around and through the captured nobles to show he had no fear of them. His path broke up their small coalition, forcing them to meet his eyes as he passed. “Emporia will be under the protection of the Seventh Ghost Regiment. Thus, you will be required to quarter and feed the troops. You will turn over one-half of all resources on this planet to me. This includes crops, skilled laborers to attend to the technology centers, and conscripts for the infantry. In addition, all MechWarriors and ’Mechs on planet will be given over in the service of the Seventh. Emporia will, in essence, help with its own protection through the gift of food and people.”
A mutter ran through the nobles. Lady Esme voiced their concern. “Half of all crops will not leave enough to feed the people of Emporia.”
Yoshizawa doubted that. “It’s true, some of your people will need to tighten their belts or volunteer for military service. It is a small price to pay for your planet’s security.”
“You are aware the ruling council is mostly made up of MechWarriors, active and retired?”
He nodded. “Yes.”
“We are required to join the Ghosts in active duty?” Lady Esme failed to keep the disbelief out of her voice.
“Yes. After each of you is tested…I believe there’s a pair of simulators here at the spaceport…you will be assigned to your superior, who will train you in our ways.” He raised a hand. “Those MechWarriors who fail have no place within the Seventh and no place on the ruling council to advise the new planetary governor. They will be relegated to other, more suitable duties.”
The nobles stiffened in anger and pride. Lady Esme quelled the growing outrage with a look. “It is a lot to ask from one agrarian planet. What if we are unable to meet your demands?”
Tai-sa Yoshizawa turned to her. “You will give me what I am due…one way or another.”