Yakuza? A Kell?Shin caught himself staring at his host and looked down immediately. "Sumimasen,Chris -san.Forgive my staring. I had no idea, having never seen you in a cooling vest."
"No offense taken, Yodama-san. I know it must be something of a shock." Chris smiled broadly. "You looked only slightly less surprised than my uncle Morgan when he first saw the tattoo almost ten years ago."
Shin shook his head to clear it. "So the rumors that you were raised in the Combine are true?"
Chris shrugged and sipped sake."More or less. My father was Patrick Kell and I was born on Murchison about six months before his death. As nearly as I can determine, he never knew I existed. I believe my mother meant to tell him in their last visit together, but she feared he would want to retire and settle down if he knew there was a child. She believed that would have killed him slowly, and would have trapped her, so she never spoke.
"My mother made her living as an artist, but had connections within the yakuza community in Akumashima. When she traveled offworld, I was left in the care of a yakuza family. As I grew older, I accompanied her on her travels, though we did not go far after the 3039 War."
Shin's brown eyes narrowed. "Murchison was taken by the Federated Commonwealth in the war."
"Yes, and the occupation forces shut down all the routes my mother had used to leave and return at will. I have no doubt that the loss of freedom was what ultimately killed her. In fact, it was not long after the occupation began that she became ill. Yet if not for the occupation, I would never have left Murchison.
"You see, mother never told me my father's true identity. She believed that if Patrick had known about me, he would have retired and not have been killed on Styx. When Murchison became part of the Commonwealth, the indoctrination of its people included exposure to countless documentary and holodrama broadcasts glorifying the Steiner-Davion heritage. That and the fact that I came to look more and more like my father as I matured compelled her to send me away. Then she died."
Shin looked down at the floor. "I am saddened by your loss."
"Domo arigato."Chris chewed on his lower lip for a moment. "As much as her death hurt me, I do not hold it against her for making me go. As I cleared out her things, I found her diaries, which was how I came to know my father at long last. I did not have to look very hard. After his death, she addressed every entry as though it were a letter to him.
"I decided to seek out Morgan Kell. The Ryu-no-inu-gumimanaged to smuggle me off-planet. I found my uncle on Arboris, right here in the Sarna March. Among my mother's things was a message concerning my lineage that she had verigraphed to Morgan Kell. Morgan accepted me immediately, took a leave of absence from the Hounds, and brought me here to Outreach for training. That was in 3042."
"Your training must have gone well." Shin returned Chris' smile. "The first I heard of you was after the Ambergrist Crisis in '45. Rumor had it that you were a clone of Patrick Kell whom Hanse Davion had produced in some biomedical lab at the New Avalon Institute of Science. That you handily tied up a Liao battalion with only a company did not go unnoticed."
"And is remembered still, if Lady Romano's cold reaction to me is any indication." Chris refilled their cups. "I think that should supply you with enough information to make your ISF happy and to stop them from further annoying the Dragoons with their questions."
Shin nodded in agreement. "That will leave them the mystery of Kali Liao's supposed death and resurrection during a Thugee cult ceremony."
Chris laughed. "No mystery there. Psychotropic drugs work wonders, especially when the subject has only a nodding acquaintance with reality anyway. A light cut on her flesh and keeping her juiced until it heals into a scar produces a miracle. No, if your ISF boys want a mystery, have them puzzle out a ComStar mystery for us."
"ComStar?"
"Yes. The Precentor Martial recently sent my uncle Morgan a message. It consisted of only one line, and that line was the famous old quote from Mark Twain—'Reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated.' "
14
Montayana Foothills, Outreach
Soma March, Federated Commonwealth
1 June 3051
As the last trace of red sun sank behind the saw-toothed horizon, Kai Allard shrugged off his pack. He leaned back against one of the boulders that surrounded the circular clearing Victor had designated as a good spot for their camp that night. By his compass and the map, they were only a half hour's march from their target. With the overhanging cliff above and the broken terrain surrounding, the campsite provided cover from spotting aircraft and patrolling 'Mechs.
Off to his left, Victor and Galen also dropped their packs and slumped to the ground. Opposite them, Hohiro and Shin likewise dumped their gear. Cassandra and Ragnar put their things down next to Kai's while Sun-Tzu paced the clearing like a trapped animal.
Kai looked at his chronometer. "We've made it here a couple hours ahead of schedule. Let's get some food in us, then get some sleep."
Sun-Tzu glanced contemptuously at Ragnar. "You, fetch firewood."
Kai countermanded that order. "No."
Sun-Tzu's face hardened. "Then send someone to do it. Cox or the yakuza."
"I said no."
Ragnar stood up, determined to keep the peace between Kai and his cousin. "Don't worry, Kai. I'll get it. I don't mind."
Kai laid his right hand on Ragnar's left shoulder. "I said no because we're not going to have a fire." He pointed off in the direction of their target. "Victor chose this place because it offers us maximum cover. Lighting a fire would immediately reveal our presence. Surprise is our only advantage in this operation, and I don't want to give that away."
Victor chuckled as he rummaged round in his rucksack. "Besides, you don't want these rations warmed up. Cold, you can scrape the congealed fat right off the top. This stuff must be left over from the Second Succession War."
Sun-Tzu scowled. "Leave it to the aggressor to be so over-prepared for war."
Victor snorted derisively. "Hey, if you Capellans had put up even token resistance twenty years ago, we'd have been through this stuff and would have had to make more."
Sun-Tzu took a half-step toward Victor, but Galen stood up quickly, his readiness a warning. Disgusted, Sun-Tzu threw down his pack. He dropped to the ground and sat with his elbows on his knees and his hands covering his pouting face.
Kai looked at him and shook his head. He's no more a MechWarrior than Ragnar, but at least the kid tries.Kai realized that as tensions between the Davion and Kurita factions within the group eased, Sun-Tzu successfully focused the divisiveness on himself. He shrugged, feeling helpless to change things, and dug into his pack for a can of rations.
He held up his discovery for all to see. "I've got a can of alleged beef stew here and I am willing to trade for almost anything. It even has a biscuit."
Galen shook his head. "Nope. No rock bread and gristle chunks for me."
Ragnar offered a can to him. "Chicken in naranji sauce and noodles."
Kai failed to keep the surprise from his voice. "You want to swap that, straight up? That's the only stuff any of us have found edible on this outing."
Shin held up two cans. "Ragnar, I'll give you two pork and beans for it."