BattleTech: Rock of the Republic (BattleTech Novella Book 25) by Blaine Lee Pardoe

Author:Blaine Lee Pardoe
Language: eng
Format: azw3
Publisher: Catalyst Game Labs
Published: 2020-07-27T05:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 6

ASSEMBLY HALL

GENEVA

TERRA

REPUBLIC OF THE SPHERE

10 DECEMBER 3148

The room was large; it had to be. The walls of the great auditorium were adorned with the banners of the Republic of the Sphere and each world that comprised it. Those that were still part of the Republic were gold; those that had been conquered were in red.

Only a few golden banners remained.

For the first time in decades, the Knights of the Republic had been summoned for a live meeting. Not all at once, for the logistics and security concerns were staggering. No, they would be summoned in waves, brought before the Exarch, and invigorated. The majority of the first wave had come, though Devlin was sure many of them had done so just to see for themselves that he had truly returned, that he wasn’t some clone or doppelgänger. The Ghost Knights, the secret order that conducted covert operations, were present as well. From his podium, Stone saw the crowd and felt a swell of pride.

Gaps in the seats marked Knights who had refused or been unable to make the journey. A prominent seat in the front row had been reserved for Damien Redburn. Tara Campbell’s seat was also empty, which gave him just as much concern. The Highlanders will be needed on Terra at some point, and I cannot compel them to come without Campbell.

He gripped the podium and cleared his throat as the holoprompter displayed his speech. “Good evening. I know many of you came here tonight to see if it really is me. I assure you that it is. Anyone who doubts that is welcome to come up here and pinch me to make sure I’m not a ghost.” A ripple of chuckles swept the crowd. Stone basked in the sound for a second.

“I’m pretty sure your next thought is, ‘Where in the name of the Republic have I been all this time?’” Another wave of chuckles swept the room, along with an equal amount of muttering.

Stone pressed on as the crowd noise died away. “I had myself cryogenically frozen, to come back in the time of the Republic’s greatest need. That time is now. Fortress Republic was designed to buy us time, time to mount a defense, raise armies, launch ships…time to prepare for the defense of this system. Those of you that have been here since the Wall went up have had a role in building those defenses. You know we have not been idle.

“Our enemies are vicious and, in some cases, bloodthirsty. I’m not talking about House Liao or any other government out there. You all know what I am referring to—the Clans. They see Terra not as the heart of the Republic, but as a prize in their political contest, one that will give them even greater power. Their twisted code says whoever conquers this planet becomes the ruler of all of their people. I want all of you to think on that for a minute.

“We have struggled with each Clan individually for years. On their own, a single Clan is a deadly weapon, an advanced army.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.