"No, I did not. I thought she must be dead."
He told her about how Joanna had drilled the Falcon Guards into a fighting unit.
"You are evading my question, Aidan Pryde. About this meeting and why it seems trivial to you."
"Back when we were cadets, I had so many ideas about what it meant to be a warrior. In my imaginings, a Clan warrior would never be concerned with looking backward."
"I agree. That is how I thought of it, too."
"Then perhaps you also agree that such a MechWarrior would not be debating over artillery cover. Such warriors would bid for the right to take those bridges, providing their own artillery cover. For that matter, what BattleMech really needs artillery support?"
"None, really. But there are precedents for considering such tactics in major military campaigns, and for dispensing with bidding after the first batchall."
"Perhaps, but that is more like the Inner Sphere way of thinking. What kind of Star League can the Clans build with Inner Sphere thinking?"
Marthe shrugged. "If it is any consolation, many other Clan officers share your views. Something may be done."
"But is that the Clan way? Is it our way to decide matters through political chicanery? Again, Inner Sphere. The present debate, that is Inner Sphere, too. Is this what a few military losses have done to our natural inclination for warfare?"
"What would you wish then?"
"What do I wish? I do not know. I think I want victory or defeat to depend on the skills of warriors and not on complicated designs made by Clan leaders guessing at the complicated designs of our enemy's leaders."
"Well, perhaps you are a bit naive about warfare but..."
"Naive?"
"Idealistic then."
"Watch this, Marthe."
Breaking away from her, he strode toward the center of the grove, where the discussion had degenerated into a series of altercations about how much personnel to commit to the battle for each bridge. Elbowing aside his fellow commanders, Aidan interrupted the debate, shouting, "Dawn is here and there is still argument. Forget artillery cover. Forget how much personnel to assign. I am Star Colonel Aidan Pryde. I bid the Falcon Guard Cluster for the right to take both bridges!"
Khan Vandervahn Chistu held up his left hand for Aidan to hold his tongue. "Star Colonel, I have not authorized bidding for these objectives."
"Yes, Khan," he said, "I understand. Nevertheless the Falcon Guards demand the right to take the Prezno River bridges."
"Falcon Guards! Hah!" said an officer standing a few meters away from Aidan. Aidan recognized the scoffing tone that he had heard so often in his life.
He glanced back, saw Marthe scrutinizing him intently. She nodded just perceptibly, a gesture he took as approval. "If there is to be no bidding, then give the assignment to the Falcon Guards, and you can dispense with all this debilitating discussion."
Screams of protest went up from the other Clan commanders.
"It would bring shame on us to permit the Falcon Guards to lead the Jade Falcons into battle," asserted a Star Colonel whom Aidan recognized as a warrior named Senza Oriega. She was said to have one of the most admirable codexes in the entire Jade Falcon Clan.
Others supported her, including Galaxy Commander Mar Helmer. Aidan immediately sensed that he was fighting a losing battle. To them, to the Khan, to Mar Helmer, Aidan's demand was mere bravado. And he did, of course, understand their point of view. It was important who led the Jade Falcons at this point in the campaign. The bridges represented their first major engagement on Tukayyid. Still, there was no need to judge hisFalcon Guards by the shame brought on the unit by Adler Malthus. Having charged forward with the demand, he could not easily back down.
"If you do not wish to place the Falcon Guards at the head of the bridge attacks, then at least cease this foolish bickering over technicalities. Any Jade Falcon unit may lead the way with proper dignity. We lose time now. Let us end this discussion and go to war!"
Surprisingly, his impassioned rhetoric won approbation from many of the warriors. Some even began to push at one another, on the verge of brawling. Again the Khan raised his hand and demanded quiet.
"Star Colonel Aidan Pryde has spoken well. We must abandon quibbling. It is time to fight!" Turning to Aidan, he said more softly, "I wish to commend you on your leadership of the Falcon Guards, but you can see from the disapprobation of your fellow officers that it is not yet time for the Falcon Guards to lead the charge into battle. That honor goes elsewhere. However, Star Colonel, once contact with the Com Guards is made, your Cluster is authorized to break through at any point possible and head for Olalla. That should be honor enough for your unit even if it does not include being first across the bridges."
Walking back to where Marthe stood, Aidan passed other commanders, some of whom muttered angry taunts at him. He heard the words dezgraand taintmore than once. If the fight for Tukayyid were not so important, Aidan might have demanded several honor duels even before reaching Marthe's side.
"You have not changed so much, I see," said Marthe.
"You refer to my reputation for always overreaching myself?"
"In a way. Perhaps I would say a certain lack of shrewdness. But then, if you had the shrewdness, you might have to adopt some Inner Sphere ways yourself."
Aidan shrugged off any further discussion. Instead, he said, "Once, Marthe, when we were very young, you claimed to love me. Childish talk, you later told me. You said that we of the Clan did not love. What are your thoughts on the subject now?"
"I have no thoughts on the subject. I can say that what I felt in the sibko is still true. We were close then. We went beyond sibko closeness. We were friends, I think."
"Not exactly a Clan word, either—friends."
"No. But I wish for us to be close always. That is not love perhaps. But it is real."
"I will settle for it, Marthe."
"And perhaps, after the battle, you would spend some time with me in my quarters. Or I could come to yours."
A new surprise. They had not coupled since early in cadet days.
"I would wish that, Marthe.'
"Good. Well-bargained and done."
Dawn had come, and the offensive was now set to begin an hour hence. Watching the council laboriously end its session, the two former sibkin remained silent for awhile, then Marthe spoke.
"War councils and warriors," she said. "The words sound well together, but they do not belong together. Warriors should act, not talk. It is the way of the Clan to avoid waste. We conserve material; we try to conserve lives through bidding the lowest possible force of personnel. But we have no qualms about wasting words, quiaff?"
"Aff. Marthe, I fear that the Clans are in danger of losing Tukayyid. And why? Because our numbers and combat abilities came up short? No, I do not believe that. It may be that we had already lost when we agreed to this proxy battle, lost by giving too much respect to the Inner Sphere, to ComStar."
"Respect? I respect no one from the Inner Sphere orComStar."
"And neither do I." He dropped his voice. "But perhaps our leaders do. Perhaps they have been hoodwinked by fancy Inner Sphere words.Marthe, we invaded the Inner Sphere. Invaders do battle, take bondsmen, receive isorla,leave scars on landscapes. We conquer on our terms. Now, suddenly, we are fighting on theirterms. It is not right, Marthe. Of that much only am I certain. It is not right. Once the ilKhan agreed to deal with the enemy representative, he compromised the way of the Clan. That is all I know. But I am a loyal Clan warrior and will not fight less fiercely."