Free A Silence in the Heavens by Unknown Page A

and the other the streets and buildings of the capital city. Star Colonel Ulan looked at her suspiciously; Marks ignored her. Anastasia said nothing to either Warrior.
    The door of the strategy room opened to admit Galaxy Commander Kal Radick, then closed again. Radick came up to the table and announced, “Trothkin, the Wolves are bound for glory, and that path currently leads us to the world of Ruchbah. Let all who would join in that glory step forward for the batchall in this Trial of Possession for the Michaelson Industries plant.”
    A cluster of buildings on the city map lit up in yellow as Radick spoke.
    “The cut-down for the bidding is two Trinaries,” he continued, “each Trinary to be composed of five
    ’Mechs, ten vehicles, and armored and unarmored infantry. Let none who would not achieve victory participate. Who will bid first?”
    Star Colonel Marks spoke first. “I bid a Cluster.”
    A Cluster—three full Trinaries—was a good bid, though not an especially daring one. It was well above the cut-down set by Radick as the minimum amount of force needed to achieve the objective. Marks was no fool; he had been among those officers who came away from Achernar less than happy with the outcome of that campaign. He had drawn lessons from the experience, it seemed; though not necessarily the best ones.
    “Star Colonel Marks bids a full Cluster,” said Radick. “Is there a lower bid?”
    “I bid two Trinaries and a Star,” Anastasia said. She saw the spectators begin exchanging glances. They must not have expected a newcomer like herself to enter the bidding, even though her rank gave her the right to do so if she chose.
    Radick himself looked startled by her bid, but the change of expression was a fleeting one and he hid it well.
    If she had not already expected that Radick might find her participation in the batchall disturbing, she might not have noticed it at all.
    “Star Colonel Anastasia Kerensky bids two Trinaries and a Star,” Radick said. “Is there a lower bid?”
    Star Colonel Ulan took a step closer to the table. “I bid two Trinaries less a ’Mech and five vehicles.”
    A ripple of surprise—not sound so much as hastily suppressed fractional movement, raised eyebrows and temporarily halted breaths and almost-invisible muscular twitches—ran through the assembled spectators.
    Bidding below cut-down was a daring move. If Star Colonel Ulan could not accomplish the objective with the original force, and had to call for reinforcements, he risked a considerable loss of honor.
    “Star Colonel Marks?” Radick said.
    Marks shook his head. “I have no further bid.”
    “Star Colonel Anastasia Kerensky?”
    “I bid two Trinaries less two ’Mechs and seven vehicles.”
    “Star Colonel Anastasia Kerensky bids two Trinaries less two ’Mechs and seven vehicles. Star Colonel Ulan?”
    Ulan cast a dark look in Anastasia’s direction and said, “I bid two Trinaries less a Star.”
    The room fell quiet as Radick’s officers waited to see how the newcomer from Arc-Royal would react to Ulan’s bid.
    Anastasia herself did not find the idea of bidding deep below cut-down inherently distasteful as some did.
    On the other hand, the cut-down, when properly set, functioned to prevent the waste of Clan resources in fruitless battle. In her judgment, Radick had set this raid’s cut-down at an eminently reasonable level. On this occasion, she had been willing to go more than a bit under—Radick had, if anything, erred on the side of caution—but Ulan’s last bid had been recklessly low.
    “I have no further bid,” she said.
    Let Ulan have this raid, she thought. Losing honor through her own stupidity did not play any part in Anastasia Kerensky’s long-term plan.
    15
    Kerensky residence

    The Four Cities, Tigress
    May, 3133; local summer

    A nastasia Kerensky stalked into her apartment, wishing that the closing mechanism on the door would allow her to slam it. She yanked the bottle of vodka from the