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  Darkness fell over the field. The soft glow of lights from the enclaves north and south reflected against the gathering banks of clouds. The field of battle lay dark and abandoned. Even the I/R sensors of the rangefinders could find no sign of life except for the soft glow cast by the debris of wrecked and burning vehicles. The combatants had all gone home for the evening. It was a strange war at best.

  "I guess I don't understand these people," said Davud.

  "Neither do I, but I think we'll have to make contact. It seems that our mercenary friends haven't made a deal yet. I didn't see the 'Mechs— or any evidence of them. Maybe we still have time to make our case."

  "Those mercs are going to be a tough group. They have the power and a head start on us." Davud crawled back into the deeper woods. "I'll get the group together. Do you want to talk to the pilots at the same time?"

  "No," said Takuda. "We'll send out patrols first. I'll go back later and brief the pilots and the techs. We might want them for support later on."

  26

  Sanae and Miranda slipped silently through the tall grass that had earlier been the field of battle. The two Tetatae guides, one ahead, one behind, moved more boldly. They were, after all, indigenous to the area and their presence would excite little notice. The two DEST members were a different matter. Even though they were not in uniform, their equipment would attract immediate comment. They could have worn electronic suppression suits, but that would have been too obvious to any observer. Takuda had made the decision, based on the desires of the three patrols themselves, that they should not wear the suits. The infrared suppression suits were also abandoned for this mission.

  Each of the patrols was to enter one of the three enclaves, make contact with the indigenous population, and determine the possible status of the mercenaries. To do that they would have to be as inconspicuous as possible. The Tetatae had helped describe what the enclave humans wore, and the patrols had agreed to go unarmored and virtually unarmed. There was no use carrying heavy weapons. If they were discovered they wouldn't have enough firepower to fight their way out. Stealth and blending were their only chances of survival.

  Far to the north, Arsenault and Bustoe were making their way toward Osio. In the center, Knyte and Holland would attempt to penetrate the religious enclave of the Amatukaze. Ariake Sanae and Johan Miranda had been assigned the southern enclave, the merchant society of the Usugumo. In full darkness they had slipped away from the base camp to begin the penetration.

  The patrols would take three nights and two days to accomplish their missions. That was why the Tetatae had been assigned as guides. Not only would they be able to aid the patrols on the routes to and from the enclaves, but they would also be able to contact their brethren who lived in the cities. Daeka and Topi had volunteered to accompany Sanae and Miranda. They had previously acted as bearers for the heavy weapons section, and the four had developed an interesting rapport. The two Tetatae looked on their human counterparts with deep respect and almost love. The two humans reciprocated with affection for their almost pets. Most communications consisted of hand signals accompanied by chirps on the part of the Tetatae and single-syllable words by the humans.

  The walls of Usugumo loomed above them in the darkness. They had covered slightly more than six kilometers in the trip from the camp to the enclave, and the patrol had encountered no signs of activity. Even the walls revealed few signs of life. The patrol remained in the darkness while Topi scouted ahead. Presently she returned, and with chirps and hand signs gave Sanae the information that this section of the wall had but a single guard, and he was asleep.

  The outer glacis and covered way were unguarded and showed few signs of recent occupation. The counterscarp and escarp of the dry moat were equally unattended. It was an easy climb up the crumbling slope to the rampart and the wall walk below. The four patrol members dropped silently down inside the rampart and made their way to the access ramp. In a few moments they had left the defenses and the sleeping guard behind and had entered the twisting byways of the enclave. The first part of the mission was complete.

  The streets were unlike anything Sanae or Miranda had ever seen. Even in the poorest sections of the cities of the Draconis Combine, a sense of order prevailed. This was different. The avenues were narrow and twisting, blind allies leading nowhere. And dirty. Piles of refuse were everywhere, many of them housing life of their own. Most of it was the rodent or lower animal type, but occasionally there was a clan of Tetatae. There were even humans sleeping, or perhaps dead, lying beside the darkened buildings. The patrol and its Tetatae guides moved through the area as quickly as possible.

  Ahead, the glare of lights drew them onward. Daeka led the procession, for he knew where he was going in the labyrinthine maze. He had been in the city once before, but like all Tetatae, one time in an area was enough. In addition, he knew someone in the city and was sure they could use that individual's home as a safe house.

  Daeka held up an arm to stop the patrol. Ahead was a brilliant glare of light and the rumbling clamor of activity. Sanae crept forward to see the street ablaze with light and packed with humans busily going to and fro. The fact that it was well after midnight did not seem to matter at all. Sanae scrutinized the people she saw; prosperous business types at play. They wore rich furs and spectacular colors, but there was something strange about their clothing. Sanae studied them, comparing them mentally with others she had seen in the cities of the Combine. They were different, but she couldn't put her finger on it. She drifted back into the shadows and to the rest of the patrol.

  An hour later the patrol was safe in the home of Pikaete. The Tetatae was aged, so obviously old that even Sanae and Miranda could see it. He hobbled around his little domicile with the strained pain of those for whom life has not been easy. Pikaete had been a house servant to the humans for more than a hundred years, a valued retainer who had filled the position of part pet, part confidant, part servant. He was accepted among the Usugumo as a kind of fixture, seen when he was wanted and unseen at other times.

  Pikaete knew the Usugumo enclave as well as Daeka and Topi knew their forest. His knowledge came from more than just having been there before, and it was of more than the physical structure. He understood the dynamics of the city, its personalities, its hurts, and its dreams. There were people within the enclave who were willing followers, and there were those who felt a deep unease at how life treated them. It wasn't only those who lacked the wealth, so openly displayed, who were ready for change. They certainly were, but some of those at or near the top of the food chain also believed there should be a better way. It was to these people that Pikaete would introduce the patrol.

  Ariake Sanae was worried at first. The plan was for the patrols to stay one night at the residence of a Tetatae, and then move on, dressed in appropriate clothing, to some public hostelry. They were to watch and listen; direct contact was not part of the plan, had not been contemplated as part of the plan. But Pikaete was enthusiastic.

  He and the two guides had talked through the entire night, their conversation becoming excited at times and at times conspiratorial. When Pikaete woke Sanae and Miranda the next morning, he had everything worked out. The patrol would move to the Polygon Falcon, a small but well-respected ryokan adjoining the main market area that Sanae had seen the night before. Once ensconced in the area, Pikaete would bring members of the Usugumo to meet the two humans. He had made a list of possible contacts, dividing them into a Must list, a Should list, and a Could list. At the top of the Must list was the name of Homma Sirayuki, the chief administrator of Usugumo.

  The name meant nothing to Sanae, but the position made her heart beat slightly faster. Here was a prize for which she would risk everything. If she could bring his support back to Takuda, then the Usugumo might be willing to follow the dream of a better world. The fact that he was even on the list made the Usugumo a best bet.

  She and Miranda discussed the possibilities later that day as they settled into their r
oom. The process of checking in had gone much better than Sanae could have hoped. Pikaete knew the Tetatae at the desk, and so they'd encountered little difficulty obtaining a room. The only other person about was a single human sitting in the corner of the front parlor reading a well-worn broadside. The man was surrounded by the scattered crumbs of tea cakes. The paper had rattled slightly and then resumed its crumpled shape. Except for that they had encountered no one who might take notice of their presence.

  Late that night there came a soft knock on the door. Sanae and Miranda swept the remains of their meal into the armoire and prepared to meet their seventh guest of the day. The residents of the Usugumo had come calling, one at a time, throughout the hours of the early afternoon and into the evening. The two DEST members had no idea how many more they would have to meet, but to have one appear this late meant he must be important. The room cleaned for their guest, Miranda opened the door to a tall, distinguished, well-dressed elderly man. They exchanged bows, and Homma Sirayuki stepped into the small room with the air of a man accustomed to being honored. He turned to Miranda. "I am Hetman Sirayuki," he said with another bow. "You are the emissary of the other force?"

  Miranda closed the door and indicated Ariake Sanae, who was seated at the small desk against the opposite wall. "I am one of them, but the person in charge here is my Gun-so, Ariake Sanae."

  "In my world," said Sirayuki with a slight raising of the lip, "we do not often find men who are willing to follow the command of a female."

  Miranda saw Sanae stiffen slightly. She made as if to speak, but Miranda gestured with his hand, holding her in place. "In my world," he said with a deep bow, "we have managed to overcome that archaic prejudice." The words came out with such smoothness that their thrust was almost unnoticed. The joto hei indicated a chair near Sanae.

  "Therefore she will do all the speaking for us." Other interviews had been shared between the two soldiers, but Miranda wanted to make sure that Sirayuki would feel as nervous as possible. One of the keys to a successful interview was to make the interviewee uncomfortable. Miranda felt he had succeeded.

  Sirayuki settled himself into the indicated chair, straightened the skirts of his flowing gown, and smiled unctuously at Sanae. "I have come to hear what you have to offer. I have already spoken with the other partnership, and we know what they can deliver. We were treated to a short demonstration yesterday and another one today. They have been unwilling to commit their entire force, and that is understandable, but you will have to offer a great deal more in order to be within the bidding." Sirayuki had been in negotiations before and he knew all the tricks; when uncomfortable, attack.

  Direct negotiations were not within the parameters established for Sanae. She and Miranda were to observe and be prepared to make recommendations. She began to feel the danger of the situation. "There are many things my Lord Takuda can offer you and the Usugumo," she said smoothly. Elevating Takuda from a mere sho-sa to that of nobility had been easy; it just seemed to flow. "But Lord Takuda is not used to dealing with mere shonin. He would prefer to deal with a true samurai." When in doubt, attack.

  The comment made Sirayuki flinch. Sanae saw it and knew. The hetman seemed to shrink perceptibly. He rubbed his hands to erase the film of perspiration that appeared unbidden.

  27

  Takuda spent the two days preparing for the confrontation he knew would, come. He wasn't quite sure what to expect from the patrols he'd sent out, but he didn't have enough information about the enclaves to make even a tentative decision about the future. He felt a nagging doubt, one that grew every day, that there was more separation between the enclaves than he had first imagined. Dealing with three disparate societies was not what he had planned. Surely, he had thought, there must be some connection, however tenuous, with the heritage that he knew and understood. Now he feared that he'd been wrong.

  With his skeleton force, Takuda made the best defensive preparations he could. The BattleMechs were kept well to the rear. Their long-range laser weapons were better in support than their twin machine gun armament could ever be close in. If it came to the point where the machine guns were important, the situation would be beyond salvation. The Locusts, their pilots and technicians, and the Tetatae who they'd adopted as extra help, were bedded down in a ravine three kilometers behind the edge of the woods. If needed, they could be in the front lines in something less than ten minutes.

  The infantry were spread out across the edge of the woods with the two light teams on the flanks, the headquarters and heavy weapons in the center. Horg and Lost were alone on the flanks, Takuda and Parker Davud in the center. A team deploying seismic sensors were in the grasslands beyond the wood edge.

  With six members of the unit on patrol, the others did all the digging. Here again the Tetatae proved invaluable. All the humans needed do was give some indication of what they wanted and the Tetatae set happily to work digging holes in the ground. In less time than it would have taken a Combine engineering unit to accomplish the task, the Tetatae had created complex underground tunnel systems. Indeed, it took some effort on Dakodo's part to get them to stop their burrowing.

  The savanna that fell away from the forest toward the broad river beyond was filled both days with the activity of combat. Takuda watched the intricate ballet through his binoculars, intrigued by the equipment and weapons he saw.

  The combatants were from Usugumo, moving from the south, and Amatukaze, approaching from the north. The forces deployed a kilometer apart without interference from the opposition. Then, as if by some unseen signal, they would come at each other. Takuda was able to identify simple missile and melee weapons on both sides of the lines. The long firearms, bulky and cumbersome, carried by blocks of men many ranks deep were used to cover the deployment and movement of small groups of individuals with better-looking, belt-fed devices. These infantry groups would feint and dodge at each other with little contact. The main battle was carried on by mechanized forces that acted like champions, moving forward as individuals to engage in single combat with the champions from the other side.

  The champions were similar to the vehicles Takuda had seen on the first evening, great, steam-driven or internal combustion machines with slug-throwing weapons of various sizes and numbers. The Usugumo had a great boxy vehicle mounted on six wheels with a huge trash can protruding from its sloping snout. It would rumble slowly across the terrain until it reached a comfortable range, then it would stop, the cannon rising and falling as though sniffing the air for the enemy. It would freeze, and a moment later would come a cloud of smoke and a great cylinder of stone arcing from the gun toward the target. It wasn't very accurate, and a nimble opponent could easily dodge, but most of the targets were not nimble. When the stone came down on an unfortunate opponent, the results were spectacular. Takuda saw one vehicle, struck on the roof, break in half under the impact. An instant later there was a catastrophic explosion, probably caused by the rupture of the fuel cell. A huge cloud of flame and white smoke rose from the victim. No one emerged.

  On the first full day the 'Mechs appeared off to the south. Takuda held his breath as he waited for them to discover his group, but they paid no attention to his presence. The Panther had stalked through the trees and paused. Then, with almost casual indifference, it had raised its right arm and fired the PPC at a champion from the norm. The vehicle disintegrated under the blast. As if to even up the fight, it then fired the weapon at the Usugumo vehicle that had been engaged with it in combat. The demonstration over and the sides returned to equality, the Panther had departed.

  After the end of battle each day the combatants would retreat from the field, dragging what vehicles they could. The only time Takuda saw actual blows exchanged between the infantry forces was when the Amatukaze tried to capture one of the Usugomo vehicles damaged close to their lines. The Usugumo rushed the robbers, deploying a block of infantry into a long line. There had been a roar of gunfire from the advancing force, returned by a ragged patter from the Amatuka
ze. Then the Amatukaze had retreated quickly like small children discovered in some prank. A cloud of sulfurous smoke drifted over the deserted field.

  Late in the evening of the second day, Horg reported I/R blips coming from the north. An hour later he reported a second target. There were the patrols returning from Osio and Amatukaze. Takuda passed the word of their approach and notified Lost to be alert for the patrols.

  Arsenault was the first into the headquarters burrow. After glancing around at the complex of tunnels and shafts, he lifted his eyes in amazement. Takuda had indicated the Tetatae as the architects, but did not wait for the second patrol to arrive before taking the gun-so's report. - Arsenault told him that they had taken rooms in a small traveler's ryokan near one of the gates. The people they met had described life in Osio as a feudal system gone crazy. The samurai lords dominated everything, freely using their katana to enforce their control. Arsenault had seen at least two beheadings in the street when a lower member of the society had not been acceptably subservient to a lord. No one had said a word or even touched the body until well after the samurai had departed.

  Some of the Osio they had met would be willing to throw off their shackles, but there are not many of these. The enclave was seething with unfocused unrest, but most of it was so sublimated that the immediate chances of a coup were scant.

  Takuda considered the report. Working in Osio would take time, but seemed to hold out hope, given that time. Its people were nominally loyal but that loyalty might be quite brittle. There had been no mention of the presence of the mercenaries. That in itself was on the positive side of the equation.