DROPSHIP FUJINAMI
NEW EXETER SPACEPORT
EMPORIA
FEDERATED SUNS
8 APRIL 3150
0636 HOURS
Yoshizawa jerked awake as something heavy and explosive rocked the DropShip. He didn’t roll out of bed so much as control his fall. A second less-close explosion threatened to knock him off his feet as he reached for his comm. “Matsura, what’s happening?”
“Tank ordnance from several sectors shelling the spaceport.” It wasn’t Sho-i Matsura who answered. It was probably one of the other deck crew communications officers.
“All DropShips lift off when ready. Geosynchronous orbit. Leave lances and squads behind to clean out the resistance. We’ll land when we aren’t target practice anymore.” He glanced at the clock. “Inform Chu-sa Aoki I will meet her at 0700 either in my conference room or by comm.”
“Yes, Tai-sa!”
With twenty minutes and the impending liftoff, Yoshizawa took the time to dress in his full officer’s uniform instead of the MechWarrior uniform he usually wore, complete with black boots, unadorned black pants, and high-collared black tunic. Each shoulder bore the black-on-red Combine Dragon and gold Seventh Ghost Regiment skull. If he was going to keep control of his forces and his plan, he would look like the tai-sa he was.
With warning of the liftoff, he moved at speed to his council chambers and made himself ready for the gravity slam.
Fume appeared three minutes after they locked into orbit. She entered the small, ornate conference room without knocking and bowed before taking her place across from him at the low, round table. She carried the seriousness of the situation with her in the form of a bandaged arm.
Yoshizawa frowned a question at the bandage.
Fume dismissed his inquiry with a curt head shake. “I’m here, Tai-sa. What may I do for you?”
He sensed her impatience and her weariness. “It’s clear my previous thought to peacefully colonize this planet with a generous hand will not work. The cadets were too much of a wild card. Now the emboldened people of Emporia are in open rebellion.”
Fume had the experience to keep her face schooled into the most attentive of looks, but he knew this was an obvious point.
“As such,” Yoshizawa continued, “we will attack on three fronts: execution of all remaining prisoners and a hundred or so other Emporians in a public spectacle. Then we will bomb New Exeter into rubble. Finally, we will take the Ritza Academy, recapture the ’Mechs, and execute every cadet over the age of fourteen. The rest will be integrated into the Seventh Ghost Regiment. That is what I wish to start with.”
Fume considered his words. “In that order?”
Knowing his chu-sa never asked such a question without reason, Yoshizawa gestured to the table between them. “These are my thoughts. I would like your input before I speak to the rest of the council.”
“All three points of attack are good, but timing is important. I would begin with the academy. Take back the ’Mechs before they have a chance to disperse. Capture the cadets who dared to attack the Draconis Combine. Then have the public execution. Finally, bomb New Exeter.” She rubbed a hand over her cheek. “Though, there is another item Ona and I thought we should do first…”
“You spoke to Ona?”
“Ona, Akimoro, and Nagaaki.”
He furrowed his brow. “When?”
“While you were sleeping. Is there a problem?”
“Did you sleep?”
She nodded. “Enough.”
Yoshizawa narrowed his eyes and considered her. He did not like it when his council met without him. It made him uneasy to know they made plans for the Seventh Ghost Regiment without his input. “What did you speak of?”
“Ona mentioned that you’d requested her thoughts on a new long-term plan. She consulted us. We are all on the same page, Tai-sa. We will subdue this planet.”
He relaxed. Of course. His conversation with Ona as soon as he got out of the ’Mech.
“There is one other tactic we have not yet mentioned that we believe would be most effective against our foes.” Fume’s eyes lit up at the thought of it.
That interested him. “Do tell.”
She leaned forward and laid out a subtle plan of misdirection. It was the kind of trap that would not only take out Emporia’s most effective intelligence gatherers, it would demoralize all who fought on the front lines. It might not greatly affect those who watched from afar, but it would kill all hope for those doing the work.
When she finished speaking, Fume sat back and waited.
Yoshizawa steepled his fingers, absorbing the plan that his two most devious council members came up with. With a slow, tight smile, he nodded. “That is good. Very good.”
“We have your permission to begin?”
“I want to speak to Ona about troop movements first, but yes, you may begin to lay the trail of deception. We’ll attack as soon as all troops are in place. Keep a lock on the spaceport, but find a new place to set down. The spaceport will be a secondary base of operations.”
She got to her feet and bowed. “Yes, Tai-sa.”
“Fume?”
She paused in mid-turn.
“Well done.” He gritted his teeth for a moment, then relaxed. “My apologies for not listening to you before about keeping two readied lances at the spaceport. I listened to my councilors who were not in charge of the ’Mechs when I should have listened to you.”
Yoshizawa bowed his head. He was not in the habit of apologizing to anyone. This time it was needed. His mistake had almost cost him his life.
Joji and Akimoro were not the only ones to make mistakes, Yoshizawa thought, controlling his anger. Nagaaki better have a good explanation for his lack of information on the academy. The report said nothing about the cadets having access to ’Mechs on academy grounds. If I had known that, I would’ve pushed to take out the academy at the same time as the spaceport.
Fume’s neutral face morphed into something pleased, then back again. “I appreciate that. It is unfortunate that only one of them survived to see the result of their advice. Though, I suspect at the end, Joji understood the depths of his error. I will not allow such to happen again.”
“As is your right and your duty as my chu-sa. I depend on you. Speak your mind when it is appropriate.”
“Yes, Tai-sa.” She bowed again then left.
Yoshizawa remained where he was, half expecting Sumi to come traipsing in. When she did not, he settled into his thoughts. When he first became the tai-sa of the Seventh Ghost Regiment, he never thought that some of his most humiliating defeats would come at the hands of cadets. Perhaps the Seventh was cursed.
He shook his head. Those were the thoughts of an old man. He could not allow them to persist.
Emporia will be made an example of. I offered my hand in friendship. They slapped my face in return. Instead of being a base of operations, it will be a slave planet to produce food until one of the other planets proves to be more fruitful. Each planet will surrender, or it will die.
“I was too generous,” he murmured. “I will not make that mistake again.”
Yoshizawa stood, smoothed over his black uniform, and left the conference room. His place was on deck at the head of his fleet. It was time to make an appearance and let his people know he was there, that he was ready for what was to come.
I will free myself of my masters and give the Seventh the power and property it is due, even if I have to kill every single cadet on this planet with my own bare hands.
We will prevail.