“So who exactly do you work for?” Julian asked the older man.
“Currently i am enjoying my retirement and other than the odd side job for some old friends i am unemployed.”
“Who were you last employed by?”
“I know that.”
“Then why did you ask twice?”
“Were you a field operative?”
“Rarely, i was an analyst and a report writer.”
“So you had access to all sorts of things?”
“Oh, you would be surprised what i had access to. Prior to that, i was an agent of the government of Zathras, where i spent my youth trying to figure out which anthill needed to be filled with boiling water. I spied on the Canopians, the Taurians, the Feddies and even the Capellans. I also ran an intelligence operation designed to keep track of forces on world and their relative loyalty to the crown.”
“When did you run into ROM?”
“The first time i was keeping an eye on an ancient castle brian formation on Zathras when odd things started to occur. I traced it back to a singular person, whom i would later learn was using the title ‘Benefactor’ to run all sorts of hinky things through the periphery. Death Squads, blackmailed mercs, worlds enslaved. It was awful.”
“What happened to this benefactor?”
“As i recall, a tank driver shot her in the face with a machine gun after she was forcibly ejected from her King Crab.”
“Wait, what?”
“Battlefield exploits, the heroics of desperate people. The things that people like us can’t tell stories about.”
“Back to the point at hand.”
“Which one?”
“Excuse me?” Julian asked him slowly.
“Look, i am not a hostile asset you’ve picked up, or a prisoner of war you caught. At worst, i am a teeny tiny fly in your ointment because we happened to cross paths here, and at best, i can help you with a lot of information about a couple of different topics of interest for you. So what point would you like to have in hand?”
“Comstar…”
“I know the order has been pulling some hinky stuff over the years. They aren’t anywhere near as benevolent as they appear and they are up to something.”
“Do you know what that is?”
“I suspect they are trying to work the angles to figure out how to work the clans into their overall intergalactic domination plan.”
“How?”
“That’s the part that never makes sense. Henry and i go round and round on this at least once a month. Comstar has hidden the secrets of intergalactic communication behind a wall of mysticism and use the leverage that gives them to print their own money and get themselves up in everyone’s business.”
“They have a virtual monopoly on interstellar communication…”
“Other than the Fax machines, they are the only way to communicate at near instantaneous speeds.”
“The whats?”
“Oh...right. Comstar has a total monopoly on interstellar communication.” Whisper nodded with heavy exaggeration and winked at him.
“How do the clans play into this?”
“My supposition is that the Comstar First Circuit sees them as a means to an end. With the threat of the Clans looming, it’s possible that they could leverage greater concessions out of the great houses and take more control. They are helping the Clans administer the worlds they have captured, i know that.”
“7th Kommando, Wolf’s Dragoons.”
“Who?”
“Wolf’s Dragoons runs their own intelligence operation, most of the operatives work through the 7th Kommando formation.”
“Wolf’s Dragoons runs their own intelligence operation, most of the operatives work through the 7th Kommando formation.”
“I know that.”
“Then why did you ask twice?”
“Were you a field operative?”
“Rarely, i was an analyst and a report writer.”
“So you had access to all sorts of things?”
“Oh, you would be surprised what i had access to. Prior to that, i was an agent of the government of Zathras, where i spent my youth trying to figure out which anthill needed to be filled with boiling water. I spied on the Canopians, the Taurians, the Feddies and even the Capellans. I also ran an intelligence operation designed to keep track of forces on world and their relative loyalty to the crown.”
“When did you run into ROM?”
“The first time i was keeping an eye on an ancient castle brian formation on Zathras when odd things started to occur. I traced it back to a singular person, whom i would later learn was using the title ‘Benefactor’ to run all sorts of hinky things through the periphery. Death Squads, blackmailed mercs, worlds enslaved. It was awful.”
“What happened to this benefactor?”
“As i recall, a tank driver shot her in the face with a machine gun after she was forcibly ejected from her King Crab.”
“Wait, what?”
“Battlefield exploits, the heroics of desperate people. The things that people like us can’t tell stories about.”
“Back to the point at hand.”
“Which one?”
“Excuse me?” Julian asked him slowly.
“Look, i am not a hostile asset you’ve picked up, or a prisoner of war you caught. At worst, i am a teeny tiny fly in your ointment because we happened to cross paths here, and at best, i can help you with a lot of information about a couple of different topics of interest for you. So what point would you like to have in hand?”
“Comstar…”
“I know the order has been pulling some hinky stuff over the years. They aren’t anywhere near as benevolent as they appear and they are up to something.”
“Do you know what that is?”
“I suspect they are trying to work the angles to figure out how to work the clans into their overall intergalactic domination plan.”
“How?”
“That’s the part that never makes sense. Henry and i go round and round on this at least once a month. Comstar has hidden the secrets of intergalactic communication behind a wall of mysticism and use the leverage that gives them to print their own money and get themselves up in everyone’s business.”
“They have a virtual monopoly on interstellar communication…”
“Other than the Fax machines, they are the only way to communicate at near instantaneous speeds.”
“The whats?”
“Oh...right. Comstar has a total monopoly on interstellar communication.” Whisper nodded with heavy exaggeration and winked at him.
“How do the clans play into this?”
“My supposition is that the Comstar First Circuit sees them as a means to an end. With the threat of the Clans looming, it’s possible that they could leverage greater concessions out of the great houses and take more control. They are helping the Clans administer the worlds they have captured, i know that.”
“They what?”
“As a humanitarian relief, the Comstar Adepts and Precentors on Clan occupied worlds are serving as an interface between the Clan conquerors and the civilian populations to smooth over the transition.”
“They turned against the Inner Sphere?”
“I think it’s more nuanced than that. From the stories i have heard from Ivan and a few others, the Clans have a completely alien mind set, and any resistance or difficulties that the civilians may have caused would have been met with a brutal response by their new masters. The Comstar personnel stepped in to provide a calming voice and presence and are probably saving lives in the Clan Occupation Zones.”
“What does Ivan know about the Clans?”
“A lot, as i understand it, he’s a high ranking military commander for one of the clans.”
“But not one of the Invaders?”
“Yes and no. As i understand it, He and his people are conducting archaeological research and studying the ruins of the old star league. They’ve been here for a while, but have no ambitions towards conquest.”
“So is he a spy?”
“Not like me, and certainly not like you. His people have their own way of gathering intel, and i think he was sent because he could keep the rest of his people in line. He’s a unique character, even among the legendary personalities of Wolf’s Dragoons.”
“I don’t think i understand.”
“I’ve known him for the last twenty some odd years and i don’t think i know him. I don’t think anyone does.”
“He has sent aid to us in the past, why?”
“I think he feels a lot of guilt about Mackenzie and Jaxun. He raised them after their parents left.”
“Do you think he is our ally?”
“Honestly, I think Ivan is on his own side, and when his interests align with everyone else’s, it’s a happy coincidence. Currently, his interests are the children the Falcons have taken and finding a way to bring the invasion to an end.”
“Who wins in that circumstance?”
“That’s where things get tricky. I don’t have all the information to answer that question, and i suspect no one does. ROM and the Comstar fun police are going to keep their involvement as quiet as possible. The Clans react well to direct questions but in my opinion don’t have the patience for subterfuge and classic espionage.”
“How do we defeat them?”
“I would be more concerned about survival than victory. They hit hard and they move fast, and i suspect that if they feel threatened, they will open up with their biggest guns.”
“What guns?”
“For the first time in a very long time, Warships are loose in the Inner Sphere. Massive Jumpships with the engines to move into orbit of a planet and the raw firepower to turn it into a smoking ruin. As far as i can tell, i don’t remember anyone from the Clans signing the Ares Conventions and i think they are honoring them out of a personal choice, not the binding force of interstellar law.”
“What?”
“As a humanitarian relief, the Comstar Adepts and Precentors on Clan occupied worlds are serving as an interface between the Clan conquerors and the civilian populations to smooth over the transition.”
“They turned against the Inner Sphere?”
“I think it’s more nuanced than that. From the stories i have heard from Ivan and a few others, the Clans have a completely alien mind set, and any resistance or difficulties that the civilians may have caused would have been met with a brutal response by their new masters. The Comstar personnel stepped in to provide a calming voice and presence and are probably saving lives in the Clan Occupation Zones.”
“What does Ivan know about the Clans?”
“A lot, as i understand it, he’s a high ranking military commander for one of the clans.”
“But not one of the Invaders?”
“Yes and no. As i understand it, He and his people are conducting archaeological research and studying the ruins of the old star league. They’ve been here for a while, but have no ambitions towards conquest.”
“So is he a spy?”
“Not like me, and certainly not like you. His people have their own way of gathering intel, and i think he was sent because he could keep the rest of his people in line. He’s a unique character, even among the legendary personalities of Wolf’s Dragoons.”
“I don’t think i understand.”
“I’ve known him for the last twenty some odd years and i don’t think i know him. I don’t think anyone does.”
“He has sent aid to us in the past, why?”
“I think he feels a lot of guilt about Mackenzie and Jaxun. He raised them after their parents left.”
“Do you think he is our ally?”
“Honestly, I think Ivan is on his own side, and when his interests align with everyone else’s, it’s a happy coincidence. Currently, his interests are the children the Falcons have taken and finding a way to bring the invasion to an end.”
“Who wins in that circumstance?”
“That’s where things get tricky. I don’t have all the information to answer that question, and i suspect no one does. ROM and the Comstar fun police are going to keep their involvement as quiet as possible. The Clans react well to direct questions but in my opinion don’t have the patience for subterfuge and classic espionage.”
“How do we defeat them?”
“I would be more concerned about survival than victory. They hit hard and they move fast, and i suspect that if they feel threatened, they will open up with their biggest guns.”
“What guns?”
“For the first time in a very long time, Warships are loose in the Inner Sphere. Massive Jumpships with the engines to move into orbit of a planet and the raw firepower to turn it into a smoking ruin. As far as i can tell, i don’t remember anyone from the Clans signing the Ares Conventions and i think they are honoring them out of a personal choice, not the binding force of interstellar law.”
“What?”
“And if they get riled up enough that they decide to just glass us from orbit, there isn’t a lot we can do about that.”
“Well that’s bad.”
“So yeah, i think survival is a valid strategy to pursue while determining the odds of victory. Besides, it’s way more likely that Comstar kills all of us before we get that far.”
“So if i were to ask you what you would do next, what would you suggest?”
“Make contact with the Dragoons, they have a long standing distrust of Comstar and they would probably be willing to help you out a little bit. I’d also consider heading to Tukayyid, if for no other reason than i asked nicely. My husband is there and while he is a member of the Order, he absolutely hates ROM. Third choice would be go pro active and see if you can link up with one of Ivan’s groups and see if they can help out.”
“Ivan has groups?”
“I know of at least three different company sized commands that are in place to effect a rescue of Jaxun and Mackenzie Sokolov, plus i think Flynn is out here somewhere, building a castle. They are an interesting mixed group of Seekers and Mercs. Most of them are people he’s recruited personally and if you are friends of his, they are friends of yours.”
“Oh good...he’s got personal teams.”
“That dig up old ruins and run very specific recovery operations. They’re...well most of them aren’t cold blooded killers, but i wouldn’t get on the wrong side of Harlan. That man is scary.”
“Write the names down, we’ll run them.”
“Ask me nicely.”
“Well that’s bad.”
“So yeah, i think survival is a valid strategy to pursue while determining the odds of victory. Besides, it’s way more likely that Comstar kills all of us before we get that far.”
“So if i were to ask you what you would do next, what would you suggest?”
“Make contact with the Dragoons, they have a long standing distrust of Comstar and they would probably be willing to help you out a little bit. I’d also consider heading to Tukayyid, if for no other reason than i asked nicely. My husband is there and while he is a member of the Order, he absolutely hates ROM. Third choice would be go pro active and see if you can link up with one of Ivan’s groups and see if they can help out.”
“Ivan has groups?”
“I know of at least three different company sized commands that are in place to effect a rescue of Jaxun and Mackenzie Sokolov, plus i think Flynn is out here somewhere, building a castle. They are an interesting mixed group of Seekers and Mercs. Most of them are people he’s recruited personally and if you are friends of his, they are friends of yours.”
“Oh good...he’s got personal teams.”
“That dig up old ruins and run very specific recovery operations. They’re...well most of them aren’t cold blooded killers, but i wouldn’t get on the wrong side of Harlan. That man is scary.”
“Write the names down, we’ll run them.”
“Ask me nicely.”
“Write the names down, please.”
“See, no reason we can’t be civil. We’re not at war or anything.”
“See, no reason we can’t be civil. We’re not at war or anything.”
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