Dreamland Madness (Battletech/Dreamland Chronicles)

[Starfox5]

Dreamland Madness

Disclaimer: I do not own Battletech or any of the characters in the franchise. I do not own The Dreamland Chronicles or any of the characters in the franchise.

Summary: Dreamland. The realm where little children go to dream - the dreams of adventure and games they don't remember. Once they grow older, they stop visiting the realm. Except for a few, who never wake up. Kali Liao and Katherine Steiner-Davion have spent most of their lives in a coma, dreaming. Little do their families know that they were part of a group of heroes fighting to save Dreamland from invading nightmares in a war that went on for years.
Now they have won, and can finally wake up - and return to a universe that's as alien to them as Dreamland is to grown-ups. A universe filled with tension and a war brewing - and invaders from the Periphery about to strike the Inner Sphere. All the two want is to reunite with each other and live their lives - which would be a little hard for a Steiner-Davion and a Liao even if everyone wouldn't think they are crazy.

Author's Note: The Dreamlands Part is set in an Alternate Universe, so events happened differently than in canon.

Cover:

Prologue: Dreamland

Unity Fields, Dreamland, December 30th, 3037

The faeries were dancing in the air, Kat saw as she walked towards the hangar. For a moment, she wanted to go join them. If they allowed her to fly…

She shook her head. No! Flying was for little kids, and she was already five years old! Old enough to finally pilot a 'Mech! At least in her dreams - Daddy was still being stubborn about not letting her get a 'Mech until she was older. Old. Whatever.

But Dreamland was different! Here, you could be anything you wanted to be! And Kat wanted to be a 'Mechwarrior, so she would be a 'Mechwarrior! And she could pilot her dream 'Mech, a Victor! Her older brother had told her it was the best 'Mech, and he knew best. And Uncle Ardan piloted one as well!

She skipped a little as she passed a groundcar with two dwarven techs in it, waving at them. They didn't wave back - they never did. But Kat waved anyway. You had to be polite. And friendly. Mum said so. And the dwarves would have to wave back one day, she thought as she looked over her shoulder and watched the groundcar head towards the big spaceport in the distance.

Then she bumped into something and fell to the ground.

"Ow!"

"Didn't you watch where you're going? You dummy!"

Not something, someone, Kat realised, narrowing her eyes at the… girl under her. She was smaller than Kat. That meant she was younger, too! Frowning, she said: "You didn't watch either!" It was clear - if the other girl had watched where she was going, she wouldn't have run into Kat!

"I did! I didn't know you wouldn't!"

"Then you should've avoided me!" Kat pointed out.

"Why? You weren't looking!" The girl glared at her and started to scoot out from underneath Kat. "And you're heavy!"

"Am not!"

"Are too!"

Kat huffed and stood. Oh, no - her pyjamas had a rip in it! And a stain! "Look what you did!"

"Me? That was your fault!"

"Whatever!" Kat sniffed and continued walking towards the hangar. Daddy and Mum were rich; they could buy her a new set of pyjamas. With 'Mechs on it this time!

But the other girl followed her. Kat stopped and frowned at her. "What are you doing?"

"Going there." She pointed at the hangar. "I'm going to pilot a 'Mech!"

"That's for older girls!" Kat pointed out.

"I'm old enough!"

"You don't look it!"

"Looks can be deceiving!"

Kat frowned. "Deceiving?"

"It's like lying."

"I know what it means!" She did!

"Then why ask me?"

"I wasn't asking you!" Kat huffed.

"Of course you were."

Kat narrowed her eyes again. "Who're you, anyway?"

"Who're you?"

"I asked first!"

"It's rude to ask without giving your name!"

What? Kat frowned again. She hadn't known that. "Kat."

"Cat?"

"Yes, Kat! Now, who're you?"

"Kelly."

"Kelly?"

"No, Kelly."

"Kelly, yes." Kat nodded.

"Oh, you…" Kelly shook her head and turned away.

Kat sniffed again and started walking. So did Kelly. "What kind of 'Mech are you gonna pilot?"

"A Raven. The best 'Mech there is!"

"A Raven? That's a light 'Mech! That can't be the best 'Mech!"

"It's the most adven… advanced!"

"So? It's a light 'Mech!" Light 'Mechs were stupid - everyone knew that!

"Are you a Steiner?"

"Half, yes!" Kat said proudly. Mum said she should be proud of her herin… heritage.

"Typical."

"Hey!" She pouted. The other girl was mean! "That's an insult!"

"You insulted my 'Mech!"

"I didn't!"

"You did!"

They were still arguing when they reached the hangar. The elven instructor there quickly shut them up, though - she was scary. And she was an adult 'MechWarrior!

And she had Kat and Kelly go through drills together just because they argued a little with each other!

But she let them pilot their 'Mechs afterwards, so that was OK. And Kelly stopped insulting Kat, too.

She still piloted a dumb light 'Mech, though. And didn't listen to Kat.

*****​

Unity Fields, Dreamland, October 20th, 3038

"That's Alex!"

"Alex?" Kelly - Kali! - stopped checking her Raven's foot and looked at where Cat was pointing. The foot looked OK anyway. There was an older boy standing a bit away there, next to an elven girl. Both wore cooling vests.

"Alex Cameron! The heir to the Star League!"

"All the Camerons are dead," Kali said. Mother had taught her that. And Father had told her so as well, which meant it was true.

"No! One of them survived! And Alex is the heir - of Dreamland, at least," Cat told her.

"Really?" Kali frowned. "Only in Dreamland?"

"There is no Star League outside Dreamland; I asked," Cat said.

"I know." Everyone knew that!

"Yes. Anyway, he's too old to be dreaming, so he has to be from Dreamland," Cat said.

"Not true," Kali protested. "Some people stay in Dreamland!"

"No, they don't!"

"Yes, they do! They don't wake up - they keep dreaming." Kali had heard that from at least two people. And one faerie, but you couldn't always trust faeries.

"That's bad!"

Kali nodded. To keep dreaming… to never wake up… She shuddered.

"Anyway, we've got a mission today!" Cat went on.

"A real mission or a training mission?" Kali asked.

"Training, duh!" Cat snorted. "You think we get real missions? Those are for adults!"

"Of course." Kali pressed her lips together, then relaxed. Mother had told her that she couldn't show her feelings - others would expel.. exploit it.

"So, we're going to scout!" Cat showed her a datareader. "Here - this route!"

Kali took the reader and stared at the map. That was… She turned, then turned the reader until the map fit the world. "Ah."

"The navcomp will show you the way," Cat said.

"You still need to know the way," Kali told her. "Comps can break!"

"Not good comps!"

"Even good comps!"

"Whatever. Let's get in our 'Mechs!"

Kali nodded. That was the first smart thing Cat had said today. "Race you!" she snapped and sped towards the ladder leading up to her Raven's cockpit.

"Unfair! Your 'Mech is smaller!" Cat complained - as usual.

Kali was breathing hard when she reached the cockpit of Song Jiang, but she had beaten Cat! Smiling, she pushed the button that would start up her 'Mech.

Reactor Online.

Sensors Online.

Weapons Online.

All Systems nominal.

Yes! She took a deep breath and started to move out of the hangar. Ravens led the way - they were the best 'Mechs!

Outside, she glanced at the display and saw all the 'Mechs around. Behind her, just starting up, was Cat's stupid Victor. A bit away was an Atlas II marked 'The Sword of Kings'. That had to be Alex's 'Mech. And next to it stood an Archer. She squinted at the words below. Nastajia. That would be the pilot, Probably the elf - they were good archers, so she had heard. And there was another 'Mech next to them. A Phoenix Hawk. Felicity.

Kali squinted through her cockpit. She could just make out the 'Mechs, but no details. Unless… She fiddled with the zoom button. Ah! Now she could make out the 'Mechs. Oh! SLDF Royal colours! Neat!

"What are you standing around for?" Cat's voice came out of the speakers. "We've got a mission!"

Kali rolled her eyes. "I was checking my systems, duh."

"Well, do they work?" Cat was rolling her eyes. Kali could tell from her voice.

"Yes, they work." And Song Jian's sensors were the best! Nothing could escape them. Kali toggled the dial a little to expand the map.

And blinked. Those were red dots. She had never seen red dots outside the simulators. Red meant… "Enemy!"

"What?"

"There are…" She quickly counted the dots. Twice. "Fifteen enemy 'Mechs headed our way!"

"What? Don't be stupid! There are no enemies here. This is Dreamland!" Cat told her.

"My computer doesn't lie!" Kali snapped.

"Well, I don't see anything on my screen!"

"Your screen is dumb."

"Is not."

"Is t…" Kali broke off. Her computer was blaring something.

Incoming Missiles!

Her anti-missile system started firing without her doing anything. She just stared at the screen. The enemies were shooting at them. That was… that was…

The area around her vanished in smoke as the missiles hit the tarmac - and Song Jian staggered as missiles hit him!

"I'm hit! I'm hit!" Cat screamed.

Her radio crackled. "Alert! Alert! Enemy attack! All children evacuate the Unity Fields at once!"

That meant them. But… where could they run? Kali panted. What could they do?

Incoming missiles!

Her anti-missile system fired again.

Behind her, the hangar exploded. Something hit Cat's Victor, and the 'Mech staggered. And Cat screamed.

"Alert! Alert! Enemy attack! All children evacuate the Unity Fields at once!"

"We need to run!" Kali yelled.

"Run where?" Cat yelled back, taking a shaky step towards her.

"Away!"

"They'll shoot us in the back!"

That was a good point. The enemy shooting at your back was bad. Very bad. They had lost every training mission where that had happened.

The radio crackled again. "Evacuate!" That was a different voice.

"Alex! What are you doing?"

"Doing my duty!"

The dot of the Atlas II was moving towards them - no, towards the enemy. The other dots followed it, but they were so few…

"Here they are!" Cat snapped.

Kali looked up. A dozen enemy 'Mechs were going over the hill next to the field! And her computer couldn't identify any of them!

"Kali and Kat, run! Run towards the other side of the field!" Alex - Alex Cameron! - yelled.

Missiles flew at them, and her anti-missile system was dry. And lasers and PPCs flashed. The enemy was shooting at them! Really shooting!

"Oh, no! You meanies!" Cat yelled, stepping in front of Kali. Her 'Mech shuddered as it was hit.

"Cat!"

"Run, Kelly! I'll cover you!"

What? They hadn't had that mission yet! "You can't!" Kali protested.

"I've got more armour!"

"And I've got a better computer!" Kali knew Song Jian was harder to hit than other 'Mechs. She didn't know exactly why, but she knew it was.

And it could protect others. If they were close.

She sniffled. She wanted to run. But…

She was moving forward, at the back of Cat's 'Mech, before she realised what she was doing, cringing whenever missiles flew towards her or lasers tried to melt her.

"This is Cameron-One. I need fire support on this position." Alex rattled down some numbers. They didn't mean anything to Kali.

But half a minute and many, many lasers and missiles later, the hill started to explode.

Alex didn't stop running, though - he ploughed into an enemy 'Mech staggering out of the smoke and slammed it to the ground. And the Archer was throwing clouds of missiles at something!

And Cat wasn't stopping, either. She fired her autocannon but missed. And missed again.

Kali sniffled again, sweat and snot running down her face as she fumbled with her controls. She had… lasers. And missiles. She fired both, but missed. And her 'Mech shook when the enemy hit it.

This wasn't a dream! This was a nightmare!

One giant enemy 'Mech was coming right at her! She ducked behind Cat's 'Mech, but that meant a second enemy could shoot her. Screaming, Kali fired all her weapons. Her lasers missed, but her missiles hit. But the enemy didn't fall.

Cat shot as well, but not even her big cannon took the 'Mech down!

Kali closed her eyes and held her breath.

After a few seconds, she opened them again. The enemy 'Mech was on the ground. As was the second 'Mech. And her computer said something about Aerospace Fighters above them.

Kali looked around. Everything was on fire. Lots of smoke. She looked at her display. The red dots were fewer. About five were left. Four - one flashed out. The others were running over the hill.

And then the hill exploded again, and there were no more red dots.

Kali started breathing again.

"Yes!" Cat yelled. "Take that, you meanies!"

Kali nodded, smiling. The enemies were gone!

"Didn't you hear the order to evacuate?"

Uh-oh. That was Alex. And he sounded like Mother when she was angry.

"We couldn't run!" Cat told him. "They'd shoot us in the back!"

"Yes," Kali said.

"At that distance, you would have survived. You're children - this is war."

"They attacked us!" Kali pointed out. It wasn't their fault!

"And we beat them!" Cat added.

"No, you didn't," someone said. The computer said it was Felicity.

"I hit them!" Cat said.

"You were very, very lucky," Nastajia told them. "Now get back to the hangar and then get back home. This is no place for children."

"No! We're not going to leave now!" Cat said.

Kali nodded as well. She doubted that she could fall asleep now; she was too excited.

And too afraid.

But she wouldn't leave.

*****​

Chapter 1: Waking Up

'The Dreamlands used to be a realm of fantasy and magic, or so we were told. Where dragons and giants, and unicorns and faeries roamed. A thousand years ago. Things the dreams of children are made of. There are giants still, in the Dreamlands - and unicorns, and faeries. And elves. I know, I've visited their villages. But humans changed, and so their dreams changed as well. Children still ride unicorns - but their dragons don't spit fire but shoot missiles at you. And when they need help to fight off a nightmare, they don't dream of gallant knights on warhorses, but of BattleMechs protecting them. And so I didn't ride into the Nightmare Horde territory on a unicorn steed but in the cockpit of my dream 'Mech.'

• Diary of Katherine 'MadCat' Steiner-Davion

*****​

'The prognosis remains unchanged: Patient S-D shows significant brain activity but no reaction to external stimuli. Multiple scans and biopsies haven't borne results as to the cause of this condition. Now, as ten years ago, when she went to bed as normal but never woke up again, medical science cannot offer any answer to her family's questions.'

• Private notes of M.D. Phil Baker, NAIS Medical Center, New Avalon, 3048

*****​

Nightmare Horde Territory, Dreamlands, December 23rd, 3048

"Cat! To your left!"

"I see it!" Cat had seen it - she was already swinging the right arm of Dragonslayer around to target the ugly bird-like evil 'Mech trying to ambush her. She pulled the trigger as soon as the crosshairs aligned over the centre of the enemy 'Mech, and her Pontiac 100 autocannon spat fire while she feathered her jump jets and glided to the side.

The enemy's lasers and missiles missed, but she didn't - her volley punched through the 'Mech's cockpit. "Enemy 'Mech down!" the computer told her - as if she hadn't seen it herself.

"Good shot, Cat!"

"Thanks, Kelly. And how did that thing get close without you spotting it?"

"I did spot it, didn't I?" her friend shot back.

"Almost too late."

"Must have been protected."

"Cat, Kelly - we've cleared the pass leading to the heartlands."

"Thanks, Alex!"

Katherine turned Dragonslayer around and started to run towards the mountain pass in the east. This was it - they had pushed the Nightmare Horde back into their heartlands. Now they could defeat them once and for all and end the threat to Dreamland. She bared her teeth in a feral - or so she hoped - smile as Kelly's Raven sprinted past her. "Watch out!" she told her.

"That's my job!" Kelly replied. "I spot, you shoot."

"Stay close then."

"Don't worry, I'll protect you from evil missiles!"

Cat snorted. She could already see the rest of the vanguard of the Dreamland's First Royal Regiment bunching up in front of the pass. By their best estimate, the Nightmare forces had less than a battalion of mixed 'Mechs left protecting their headquarters. The Dreamlanders had three times their number advancing. And all the other Horde forces were cut off and wouldn't be able to reinforce them.

She bared her teeth. Not even the enemy's cheating technology would save the Horde now!

*****

Cat ducked, Dragonslayer mirroring her movement, when another LRM volley descended on her. Even with Kelly's ECM working overtime and Cat dodging to the side, a third or so struck, and her armour took another battering. If only "the best 'Mech in the Inner Sphere", as her brother had claimed, had some long-range weapons!

She kept the 'Mech upright and lumbered forward, Kelly's Raven hot behind her heels. Alex was already shooting at the massive gate of the enemy's fortress, as were half the remaining 'Mechs with the assault company.

And the fire was starting to tell! Molten armour was pooling on the ground - she made a mental note to watch out for that when charging in - and autocannon fire pulverised even more. An enemy 'Mech popped up on the wall, but concentrated fire from the support company blew it up before it could shoot any of its weapons.

"Right! Top of the wall!"

Kelly's warning made Cat whirl - and her friend's lasers marked two arms just reaching above the wall. One of those ridiculous 'Mechs that could raise their arms far above their head and shoot forward. She hated them! Cat snarled as she fired her own lasers, removing one of the arms. The other managed to fire twice before Kelly and Cat crippled it as well.

A moment later, the gate fell, and dozens of 'Mechs on both sides opened up on each other. As 'Mechs started to fall, Cat looked up. The enemy wouldn't just stand there… Yes! One of those ugly asymmetrical 'Mechs jumped over the wall. But Cat was ready, and so was Kelly. A burst from her Pontiac stitched a line of dents and holes over the enemy's flank before Kelly nailed it with a NARC-beacon. A moment later, dozens of missiles ripped the thing apart before it could land.

"Charge!" Alex yelled, and his huge Atlas II started running, heedless of the volume of fire pouring through the gate. The rest of the assault company followed, 'MechWarriors screaming as they closed with the enemy. Alex kicked out, reducing the leg of an assault 'Mech to scrap before smashing the cockpit of another with his fist, but lost an arm in the process. But Nastajia was there in her Archer, covering him while he reoriented his 'Mech.

Cat triggered her jump jets and rose on superheated plasma, soaring over the wall - and landing on top of a bird-mech trying to flank Alex. Dragonslayer's eighty tons - well, less now with the damage taken and ammo spent - crushed the enemy's cockpit under its weight.

She turned, pouring laser fire and missiles into the rear of another enemy assault 'Mech, causing secondary explosions to wreck its torso. "Hah!"

"Cat! Don't do that!" Kelly complained. "We need to stick together."

"I'm in the assault 'Mech," Cat told her, kicking and pulverising the leg of a light, speedy 'Mech trying to get into her rear. "You're in the light 'Mech".

But there was the little Raven, squeezing past two grappling 'Mechs - and shooting both lasers into the enemy's rear - to join her. Cat finished the wounded enemy off, then turned to face the hangar in front of them. There the enemy's leader waited, in a 'Mech as black as his heart. If he had one.

Alexander was facing him, and even with one arm missing and his armour damaged, Cat knew he would win this fight. There was no better 'MechWarrior in all of Dreamland than Alexander.

The enemy 'Mech opened fire, fifty tons of weapons fired - but Alexander sidestepped most of them. He could make that 'Atlas move! And then he charged, shielding himself with his other arm as the enemy kept firing. He lost his left arm as well, but then he was in the enemy's face, and his kick sent the other 'Mech sprawling. Before the ugly 'Mech could regain its footing, Alexander had sent a volley of his autocannon through its cockpit.

For a moment, no one moved. Then the surviving enemies powered down, and the Dreamlanders cheered. After ten long years, the war was finally over. Dreamland was safe again. The nightmares would end. Cat would be able to wake up again.

She took a deep breath and opened her cockpit. Below her, Kelly moved the Raven between Dragonslayer's legs and did the same. This wasn't something to be done over comms.

Cat climbed out of the cockpit and triggered the ladder, then slid down to the stumpy arm of Kelly's Raven, where her friend was waiting. "We did it!"

"Yes."

They looked at each other for a moment, then embraced. Cat closed her eyes. "We did it," she repeated herself.

"Yes."

"We can wake up again."

"Yes."

She cleared her throat and released her friend. "We… if we can't enter Dreamland again…" She licked her lips.

Kelly nodded. "Comstar. Standard codes."

"Yes."

They had talked about this - ten years was a long time, after all.

Cat wet her lips again, hesitated a moment, then reached out and kissed Kelly, closing her eyes.

And then the cheers she had been hearing turned into loud yelling and beeping and calls for a doctor.

She had woken up.

*****​

Celestial Retreat, Jade Lake, Wuhan, Sian, Capellan Confederation, December 23rd, 3048

Kelly opened her eyes and stared. This wasn't the ceiling of her room in the palace. This wasn't her room, period. Or her bed. It might have been ten years, but she still remembered her own bedroom. Mostly.

Where was she? She looked down at herself and patches on her arms. Wireless sensor pads, she realised. And there was an infusion port in her arm as well. What the…? She snorted. Of course, she would be treated as a coma patient.

Shaking her head at her own folly, she sat up.

Or tried to. Her body wasn't cooperating - she fell back, her head hitting her cushion. Had she been poisoned?

Before she could try again, the door was opened, and a young woman in a nurse uniform walked in. And stopped, gasping, when she saw Kelly.

"Hello?" Kelly smiled at her.

"You're... awake…"

"Yes?"

The woman whirled and yelled: "Doctor! Doctor! She has woken up! Lady Liao has woken up!"

Before Kelly could say anything, an older man wearing a doctor's coat appeared in the door. "Calm down, Lei, you shouldn't…" He trailed off, gasping as well as soon as he saw her.

Kelly waved at him.

And the man - the physician on duty, presumably - started yelling as well. A moment later, the room was filling with more physicians, nurses and what looked like servants.

Bodyguards, Kelly realised. Or guards, she added - she didn't know where she was and who was in charge.

But before she could ponder this, she was swamped with questions, poked with various instruments, and generally treated as if she either were about to die or had just risen from the grave.

Solely based on how her body felt, she didn't feel as if she would object to either conclusion. She was so weak!

*****​

A few hours later, things finally started to calm down. But just as Kelly was getting ready to ask questions of her own, now that she wasn't forced to answer one stupid question after another, most of the people in the room suddenly fled, being replaced by half a dozen hard-eyed guards. Only one very nervous nurse remained - and busied herself with some monitoring devices to the side without even looking at Kelly.

She sighed and rolled her neck. Moving still hurt. Sort of. It was primarily exhausting. And frustrating. After years of being in excellent shape in the Dreamlands, being reduced to the body of a comatose teenager was a very significant change - and one Kelly detested. More than the countless examinations she had suffered in the last few hours. One would think the doctors never had someone wake up, she thought with a snort. Then again, they had very good reasons to be as diligent and cautious as possible - they knew as well as Kelly did what happened to people who, through incompetence or just unfortunate luck, harmed the daughter of the Chancellor of the Confederation.

If her mother was still the Chancellor, of course - it had been ten years, after all. Who knew what could've happened in that timespan? But, she added in her head, looking around the luxurious room - which looked far more like a stateroom or suite than a room in a hospital for long-term care - would anyone have spent so much on her comatose body except for her own family? She didn't think so. Although as a Liao, she would have a certain worth to anyone seeking legitimacy for a new regime…

"Celestial Wisdom!"

"Celestial Wisdom!"

She cocked her head. It seemed her question would be answered more quickly than she had thought.

A moment later, the doors to her room were opened by a bowing servant, and her mother rushed inside.

"Kali!" Her mother was smiling, Kelly noticed. And there were glittering tears in the corner of her eyes.

"Mother." She inclined her head, the best bow she could manage sitting in a bed and with such a weak body. She felt tears running down her cheeks. Mother! How she had missed her!

Father and a young man - her brother! How he had grown! - entered the room behind her mother.

"Father. Brother." She was about to nod, but mother reached her and hugged her. Hard enough to cause her weak body some pain.

"My dear Kali!"

Oh. She smiled and hugged her mother back as well as she managed, not caring about propriety any more.

"I knew you would prevail! I knew you wouldn't succumb to this… attack! I never gave up hope!"

She felt her mother shudder and looked at the door. It had been closed again. No one but family was present. At least not openly. It was as private as it could get for her family.

"I'm sorry," she whispered.

"It's not your fault! You just went to bed as you should. Someone else is responsible for your ordeal!"

She buried the guilt that filled her. She was responsible - she had stayed in Dreamland instead of waking up. She'd been a child, but no one had forced her to stay. The lure had been too great for her. And her family had suffered for it.

She closed her eyes and hugged her mother more tightly.

"But don't worry about it! You're back - you've woken up! You don't have to worry about anything at all!"

"Other than school," her brother commented with a slight smirk. "You missed ten years of school."

She scowled at him. She was an accomplished 'Mechwarrior! An experienced officer! She had diligently learned everything she needed to carry her weight and earned her rank, serving directly under Alexander Cameron! She most certainly didn't… She blinked, her mouth hanging open, as she realised that, as far as everyone else was aware, she had spent the last ten years in a coma.

They would make her go through every lesson she already knew!

A small wail escaped her lips, and her mother tensed. "Sun-Tzu!" she snapped. "How dare you upset your sister!"

"I'm sorry, Mother. I merely wanted to make a joke - make my little sister laugh."

She didn't quite listen to her brother's explanation. This was a catastrophe! She would die from boredom before they let her even near a 'Mech!

Cat would be so worried!

*****​

New Avalon Institute of Science, Avalon City, New Avalon, Federated Commonwealth, December 23rd, 3048

"Katherine! Oh, my God, Katherine!"

The medical personnel surrounding her bed scattered as Dad rushed towards her.

"Dad!" Cat spread her arms, her chest suddenly aching. Dad! She hadn't seen him for ten years!

He hugged her, awkwardly at first, bent over her bed, before he sat down without releasing her. "It's… You're back."

She sniffled, not trusting her voice as she hugged him back. Buried her face in his shoulder - on his shoulder; he wasn't as large as he had been last time she had seen him. Relatively.

"Sire, we still need to…"

Whatever the doctor had been about to say was cut off when Dad glared at him for a moment before turning his attention back to her. "Katherine… I had almost given up hope."

"It's a Christmas Miracle! A miracle, Hanse! After all those years..."

That was Uncle Ardan! He looked older. Almost old. She blinked through her tears and smiled at him. "Hi, Ardan. It's Christmas?"

"It's the 23rd," Ardan told her. "Close enough."

"Oh."

Dad released her - well, he pulled back enough so he could look at her face. He looked older than she remembered. Older than she had expected, even. More grey in his hair. More lines in his face. More wrinkles when he smiled. Which he was doing. "I dropped everything as soon as I was told."

"We're preparing a live transmission to Tharkad," Ardan said.

A live transmission? To Tharkad? Oh. She blinked. "That means Mum's not here?" She pressed her lips together. She should've expected that - Mum was the Archon; she was more likely to be on Tharkad than on New Avalon.

It still hurt, though.

"Dear…" Dad winced.

Cat gasped. No. It couldn't… "She's dead?"

"What? No, no!" Dad shook his head. "She's fine, really! She's just on Tharkad. With your brothers and sister."

"Oh." Cat sighed, relieved. And disappointed.

"But they'll take a command circuit back," Ardan told them. "We're organising it now."

Cat blinked. "That would take…" She made a quick calculation. In-system travel to and from the jump points, transferring from one jumper to another, some delays… "Three to four weeks until she's here?"

Dad and Ardan stared at her. "About that, yes," Dad said. "How did you know?"

Oh. She wanted to curse her own stupidity. She wasn't an officer in the SLDF, Dreamland's First Royals Regiment - she was a girl who had just woken up after ten years in a coma and who shouldn't have been able to calculate travel times on a command circuit! "That's what you said when I asked last time," she said, smiling.

"Huh?" Adan looked confused.

But Dad smiled. "Ah, yes. Before you fell asleep."

"Yes."

One problem averted. For now.

The door to her room was pushed open, and two guards rolled the biggest holoprojector she had ever seen in. "It'll take a while to set up, but we're working as fast as we can," one of them told Dad.

"Tharkad's not yet ready, anyway," the other said, "ComStar just sent the request."

"How long will that take?" Cat asked.

"Ah… about an hour at most? As long as the Triad techs will treat it as a priority," the first man replied.

"Why wouldn't they…?" Ardan turned to glare at Dad. "Hanse. You didn't!"

Dad smiled. "I couldn't resist."

He was springing this on Mum as a surprise? Cat sighed. "You're lucky Mum's on the other side of the Inner Sphere."

Both Dad and Ardan laughed, but she caught them glancing at her again.

Damn. She rolled her shoulders, then winced at the slight pain that that caused. Then she frowned at her own weakness. This was nothing. She had been wounded several times. She should be able to ignore a little pain. Easily.

"Are you alright, Katherine?" Dad asked, reaching out to grip her hand. "Doctor! Doctor!"

"All the readings are fine, your Highness," the doctor - from the NAIS - said. "A little pain is normal given the recent change."

Cat narrowed her eyes. He was right, and she surely shouldn't be bothered by a little pain, but the way the man said it… She was the only one who could dismiss her pain. No one else had the right. Not since basic training in Dreamland under Drill Sergeant Tavis, at least.

"So…" She beamed at Dad and Ardan. "What happened while I was sleeping?"

"Ah!" Dad nodded. "A lot. Victor's at Nagelring now - and top of the class."

She nodded happily. Of course, her big brother would be at the top of the class. "And he's got a Victor, right? The best 'Mech in the Inner Sphere!"

Ardan laughed and nodded.

Dad shook his head. "You listened to him."

"Of course I did!"

He snickered. "Victor will get one as a graduation gift."

"Ah. Can I have one as well?"

"'Mechs aren't toys," Ardan told her with a slight frown.

"We'll see," Dad said. "You, ah, need to learn a lot to be able to pilot a 'Mech."

Oh, right. They thought she had the memories of a little girl.

Damn. She hoped Kelly had an easier time with her family.

*****​

More tests followed. After twenty minutes, her head hurt from all the sensors stuck to it, and she was sorely tempted to complain about headaches just to get some peace. But she had been in a coma for ten years, or something close to it, and her body clearly showed the effects. Such a weak muscle tone. Almost nothing, actually. She glared at her arm.

"Ah… That's normal, Katherine," Ardan told her.

She blinked and looked at him. "What?"

"Your, ah, your... body… you changed while you slept. You grew up a lot. It's only weird since you didn't… since you weren't awake while you grew." His smile looked more than a little forced to her, and she didn't miss how he looked over his shoulder at Dad, who was talking with Dr Baker.

Wait… he thought she was surprised by how she had grown? Of course he would think so. As far as he knew, Cat had been asleep for ten years, going to bed as a little girl one evening and waking up as an adult the next morning. Well, a teenager.

Handling this would be more challenging than she had expected. Should she dumb down her speech patterns? She had no idea how coma patients reacted, or what would be a normal rate of progress.

Perhaps she should tell them about Dreamland? No. They would think she was crazy and send her to the loony bin. Or they would think she was a spy or something. A double who had replaced the real Cat. Oh, no - she wouldn't be able to send a message to Kelly, either!

"It's OK, Kat," Ardan added. "Everyone goes through this. You're just a little more…"

She beamed at him. "A little more….?"

He winced. "...extreme. Special."

"Ah." She forced herself to smile again. She was a normal girl, not a veteran 'MechWarrior, she reminded herself. "Mum told me I was special!"

"Ah, Melissa did that, yes." Ardan's smile would probably not have fooled six-year-old Cat. It surely didn't fool her. "Hanse!"

Dad walked over. "Yes?"

"Kat got some questions about growing up," Ardan told him. "Questions her father should answer."

Dad stared at his friend, then at Cat. "Uh…"

As if he had planned it, the tech standing by at the holoprojector spoke up: "Your Highness! We've got a signal from Tharkad!"

Dad smiled with obvious - to Cat - relief. "Good work, Corporal! Now, everyone, could you give us some privacy?"

The medical personnel obeyed the order at once and all but fled the room. Only the commtech stayed - and he looked like he wanted to leave as well.

But Dad was straightening and walked a little to the side. "Alright, zoom in on me, and when I start walking towards Cat, you pan over to her, got it, Corporal? Ardan, stand next to me. No, next to Cat. The other side of the bed. Perfect!"

He was such a showman at heart!

But then the holoprojector lit up, and Cat gasped. Mum! That was Mum! She looked older, too. And there was Victor! In his uniform! With the sash! And Arthur! And Yvonne! And Peter!

"Melissa! Merry Christmas!" Dad said, beaming at her.

"It's a bit early, dear," Mum replied. "And I don't think you'd spend such a fortune on a live feed from New Avalon just to wish me well." Her eyebrows went up, just like Cat remembered from being scolded. Her siblings looked amused.

"Always the Kroner counter," Dad joked. "But yes, I didn't just call to wish you Merry Christmas. There's someone else who wants to talk to you."

"Oh?" Mum cocked her head.

But Dad was already moving towards Cat, and so did the camera.

Cat knew exactly when the camera's focus reached her - Mum froze.

Cat waved. "Mum!"

Then things got blurry and loud.

*****​

Forbidden City, Sian, Capellan Confederation, December 30th, 3048

"...in death ground, fight." Kelly smiled as finished reading aloud and put down the book. "Was that correct, mother?" She knew it was correct - she could've recited the passages from The Art of War in her sleep. Technically, she had.

"It was. Well done, daughter!" Mother smiled at her. "Your studies are progressing far quicker than anyone except for me expected."

"Thank you, mother." Kelly bowed her head. "I strive to do my best."

"As is your duty. I expect great things from you."

Kelly bowed her head again. She knew that already - had known it since she could remember. Mother had drilled that into her: Since House Liao had the smallest territory of all Successor states, they had to work harder than everyone else - and had to be better than everyone else.

A servant entered, bowing low - and presenting a message without calling attention to it in a way that Mother couldn't overlook, should she choose so.

She didn't - and ordered them to approach with a flick of her fingers. The message delivered into her hand, she read it while the servant withdrew.

"Interesting," she commented, lowering the message pad and looking at Kelly.

Kelly tilted her head in response.

"It seems that the Fox's daughter, who had been struck with the same ailment as you were, woke up. At the same time as you did."

Kelly suppressed the smile that threatened to appear on her face. Cat had woken up as well! "Katherine Steiner-Davion. I think I dreamt of her."

"You did?" But for her eyes, which narrowed slightly, Mother's expression didn't change from the slight smile she wore.

"I think so. A blonde girl, taller than I am. Blue, not grey eyes. Arrogant."

"Is that all you've dreamt of?"

"More might come to me, Mother, but…" She trailed off and sighed. "I have yet to make sense of everything I dreamt."

"Do not fret, Daughter. Your vision will become clear." Mother rose, graceful as always. "But matters of state call upon me. Continue your studies."

"Yes, Mother." She bowed her head a third time until her mother had left the room.

"Another vision?"

Kelly resisted the urge to whirl in response to someone sneaking up on her. Instead, she turned, slowly, and smiled at her brother. "Sun-Tzu!"

He smiled as well, though it was very bland, and stepped out from where he had been standing in the doorway leading to the side room - and the servants' passages. "You've dreamt about a lot of things."

"I've been sleeping for ten years, or so I've been told," she replied, still smiling.

"Yes. And, somehow, you've acquired an education in your dream. One could call it a miracle."

"Or a divine sign." She nodded. "That's what Mother says."

A frown appeared on his face for a moment. "A sign of what?"

"That I couldn't fathom yet," she told him.

"Not yet."

She resisted the urge to shrug. "I do not claim to predict the future."

"Not yet." Sun-Tzu nodded at her, then turned to leave.

"Brother."

Her voice stopped him, and he half-turned to look at her.

"What I can say with certainty is that I didn't dream of becoming Chancellor." She smiled at him as honestly as she could.

"Of course not." His lips twisted, and, for a moment, he seemed to sneer. But then he inclined his head again, smiled even more blandly, and left the room.

She sighed as soon as the door closed behind him. He didn't believe her.

This wasn't good. Not at all. It seemed that her plan to avoid posing as a six-year-old in mind and spirit hadn't been as sound as she had thought.

*****​

Royal Palace, Avalon City, New Avalon, Federated Commonwealth, January 15th, 3049

"That's enough, Katherine. You're done."

Cat clenched her teeth and shook her head. "Another set." She didn't wait for the physical therapist to say anything and dropped on the mat again. Pushups. Situps. She had to get in shape faster than that. And that meant more training. She groaned as she finished her situps, then pushed herself to her feet. Only the jacks left. She crouched, then jumped - but her legs didn't cooperate, and she fell on her side as if Kelly had landed a leg sweep in a sparring session.

The woman shook her head. "What did I tell you?"

Cat didn't deign to answer. She rolled on her back and stared at the ceiling, panting.

"You're far too stubborn, Katherine. You will be able to do more in time; there's no need to rush things."

Of course there was! The sooner she was in fighting shape, the sooner she could start working on meeting Kelly!

"Besides, the Archon and your siblings are arriving today. You wouldn't want to be confined to your bed because you strained too many muscles, would you?"

She glared at the woman. "I should be able to handle this."

"You aren't."

Cat pressed her lips together. She could hear the unsaid 'you're a little girl' clearly. She was a MechWarrior Ace! But the therapist was right - Mom, Victor, Peter, Arthur and Yvonne were arriving today. It wouldn't do to let them catch her in this sorry state.

Groaning again, she forced herself to stand up. "I'll go take a shower."

"Don't forget to stretch."

"I won't!" Getting told the most basic things as if she had no clue was already amongst the most annoying things she suffered through.

She was still scowling when she finished stretching and stepped into the shower to let the warm water soothe her aching muscles. Dreamland had been so much easier.

But Dreamland didn't have her family. She smiled. Mom was coming. Victor. Oh! Shouldn't he be bringing his 'Mech? Wait, no - he would only receive a 'Mech for graduation. He didn't have a Victor yet. Perhaps she could ask Ardan about a ride…

Fifteen minutes later, she left the bathroom and headed to her armoire. The lack of a uniform was still weird, but at least she had decent tank tops and shorts now. Though Dad had been hunting very strongly that she shouldn't greet Mom and her siblings wearing that. Which left… hm… sundress? It was winter. A cocktail dress seemed overdressed for the occasion. And Dad probably wouldn't like it, either. Jeans and a sweater? Too informal.

She grabbed a pair of trousers with a vague dress uniform-like cut and a turtleneck instead, bound her hair in a ponytail and picked a pair of shoes that fit the rest of the outfit. Time to meet Mum!

*****​

"Mum!" Cat didn't quite tackle Mum, but it came close. As soon as the door opened, she rushed forward and hugged her. Gently at first, before she remembered how weak she was and hugged her for all she was worth.

"Katherine!" Mum's own arms closed around her, and she could feel the difference - Mum was much stronger.

"I missed you!" Cat managed to say between sniffling.

"I'm sorry I wasn't there when you woke up."

"It's not your fault," Cat told her. "You couldn't know."

She kept hugging her and closed her eyes.

"I don't think she's even noticed us," she heard someone say.

Without looking up, she replied: "Lies! But Mum takes priority."

"We can see that." The dry voice was probably Victor.

Reluctantly, she pulled back and looked at her siblings. There was Victor, in his Nagelring Cadet uniform, smiling with some restraint. Peter, trying to look older than his not quite thirteen years. And Arthur and Yvonne, both staring at her with wide eyes.

"Hello," she told them.

"Hello, little sister," Victor said.

Cat fought the urge to snap back at him. He probably meant well - she was supposed to have been asleep for ten years, after all, and not a teenager in mind. Still… "Victor! Do you have a Victor yet?"

He blinked, then chuckled. "No, not yet. I'm still learning how to pilot one."

She refrained from asking after his schedule at the academy. "Peter. Arthur. Yvonne. You've grown."

"So have you," Peter said. Arthur and Yvonne nodded in agreement.

"Not quite right." Cat shook her head and frowned. "My body's all weak."

"Really?" Yvonne looked surprised. "You weren't weak in my dream."

Cat froze for a moment. "Your dream?" She cocked her head to the side.

"I dreamt of you," Yvonne replied. "You were piloting a 'Mech!"

Cat bit her lower lip. Kids dreamt about 'Mechs all the time. It didn't mean that Yvonne had visited Dreamland. But if she could visit… she could take a message to Alex! "When did you dream of me?"

"Years ago," Yvonne told her. "I don't know any more."

Right. She was almost nine years old. Far too old to enter Dreamland. Cat sighed. "So much time…" If only she could return to Dreamland in her sleep! But she hadn't been able to ever since she had woken up.

Mum hugged her again, and Cat let herself enjoy her embrace. For a moment, at least. "Are you going to kill Dad before or after dinner?" she asked.

"What?"

"What?"

Everyone was staring at her. She grinned. "For his stunt with the HPG call."

"Oh. I'll have words with him." Mum laughed. Cat's siblings laughed as well, after a moment.

And Cat smiled. It felt good to have her family back.

*****​

Royal Palace, Avalon City, New Avalon, Federated Commonwealth, January 16th, 3049

"The kids are finally in bed," Melissa Steiner said as she entered her husband's office.

"Do you include Victor in that?" her husband asked, looking up from a stack of reports.

"He'll always be my little boy," she told him. With a not entirely mocking glare, she added: "And you'll always sneak off to work?"

"Not always," he defended himself.

She shook her head - she was well aware of the demands of ruling a realm such as his - or hers. To think that Victor would one day have to rule both of them… But that was a problem for the future. She had a more urgent problem to take on. "She's… not what I expected," she said.

Hanse nodded. "The doctors can't explain it. She should be on the level of a six-year-old. Instead…" He shook his head. "She's on par with a teenager her age." With a frown, he added: "And she's downplaying her capabilities."

Melissa nodded. She had caught Katherine rewording her sentences to make them simpler. "Did you ask her about it?"

"I mentioned being impressed by her progress. She changed the topic by complaining about her physical fitness. She's actually not that bad, but apparently, she has higher standards."

That was a bad sign. Something wasn't right. "Did you test…"

"I had NAIS run the full range of tests. She is our daughter. DNA checks out. I've had Justin run checks anyway, but there doesn't seem to have been a window of opportunity to kidnap her and swap her for someone else."

"A clone would have the same DNA." Melissa hated herself for saying it, but it had to be said.

"But they would've had to age her up somehow - or started right when she was born. Her age checks out as well," Hanse retorted. "And if this was another Doppelganger ploy, then why would they act so… inept? All that effort, and then they send a double who can't play her role? The Maskirovka is better than that. No, she is our daughter. Our little girl."

"Yes." Melissa smiled. Their daughter. Little Katherine. Back amongst them. Back with them. But... "So… Why is our daughter so far ahead?" Melissa asked. "She was arguing about 'Mechs with Victor. For a moment, I thought she was the one at the academy. Until she caught herself."

"Dr Banzai speculated that she might be a genius - that she's simply picking up things much faster than normal people," Hanse said. "But why would she try to downplay that?"

"And she hasn't shown such talent before she… fell asleep," Melissa pointed out. "Remember the garden affair?"

Hanse chuckled. "I do. I had to pay the gardener a compensation for all the flowers she 'planted'!"

"But if she's not a genius, then why…?" Melissa looked at Hanse.

"I don't know. Dr Brown speculated that she learned while dreaming - that her subconsciousness had picked up things before she fell asleep that she then learned in her dreams." Hanse shrugged. "He's sort of an oddball, and no other doctor I asked supports his theories." He dropped his file and looked at Melissa. "And there's more."

"More?" What more could there be? This was confusing already.

"Justin received a report from one of our deep over agents on Sian. Kali Liao was seen in public for the first time since she disappeared ten years ago."

"Oh. Ten years ago…"

Hanse nodded. "Around the same time that Katherine fell into a coma. And our agent noted that Sian's best specialists for long-term care and rehabilitation were called to the palace. We wondered what had happened to the girl, but this might indicate that she was in a coma as well."

Melissa pressed her lips together. "Two daughters of a Great House, suffering the same ailment?" That couldn't be a coincidence.

Hanse nodded. "If that can be verified… then we'll have to hunt down whoever did this."

Melissa nodded. Whoever hurt their little daughter would pay for it. Even if she had to start a war over it.

*****​

 

[Starfox5]

Chapter 2: Adjusting

'When I first met Cat, I didn't like her. I felt she was obnoxious and arrogant, though, at the time, I didn't put it like that, being a little girl. Then again, she thought the same of me. In a way, I have to thank my mother for bringing us together. If she hadn't taught me that the enemy of my enemy is my friend, I wouldn't have closed ranks with her against Faeril Laureal-Tavis, the elven MechWarrior drilling us. A common 'enemy' really tends to foster camaraderie, followed by friendship. We were even more fortunate that my mother hadn't yet taught me that a friend was merely someone you hadn't betrayed yet - a lesson my brother had learned too well, which turned out to be quite unfortunate for everyone in the Confederation.'

• Collected Writings of Kali "Kelly" Liao

*****​

'Patient S-D shows the mental development of a teenager her age - perhaps even slightly more advanced. Her vocabulary and grammar show academic and military influence, and she has displayed knowledge she couldn't have known before she fell into a coma, nor could have overheard since then. I've checked up on one of her off-hand remarks about fusion engines during a discussion with her brother, Prince Victor, with Professor Banzai, who confirmed that the NAIS records didn't contain that information - something about more efficient ways to shield an engine. Every point of data I acquire leads me to the conclusion that something happened to Patient S-D. Something conventional science cannot explain. Not yet.'

• Private notes of M.D. Phil Baker, NAIS Medical Center, New Avalon, 3049

*****​

Forbidden City, Sian, Capellan Confederation, February 20th, 3049

"Thank you for making time for me, Father," Kelly said, bowing her head as she stepped into his office.

Father smiled at her. "If I cannot make time to meet my daughter, then the Confederation would be in dire straits indeed."

Kelly refrained from replying with a comment that the Confederation's situation wasn't exactly comfortable and hadn't been for decades or centuries. Even though it was the truth. Especially since it was the truth - the truth and the court had a very delicate relationship. "I feel selfish, though," she said instead. "You're working so hard to keep the enemies of the Confederation at bay."

"I do what I can. And as the Celestial Wisdom decreed, you are to be considered of the utmost importance for the state."

Kelly didn't miss the finer points of her father's words. Mother had declared this - he hadn't said that he shared her view.

"I'm still trying to make sense of what I dreamt," she said. "But I was told some of it has already been proven correct."

"Yes. Hellespont 'Mech Works reported that they managed to solve a persistent problem with the Raven's electronics thanks to your help." Father nodded.

Of course she had - she would pilot a Raven as soon as she managed to convince Mother, and she wouldn't accept a defective or substandard model. She knew how a Raven should look and handle, built properly with Star League technology.

Unfortunately, Father still didn't seem to be fully convinced of her story, though. Whether that was because his work as a spymaster made him question everything and everyone or because he had seen through her misdirection, Kelly couldn't say.

She inclined her head. "Good."

"The Celestial Wisdom has shown some concern about your current inability to duplicate your experience," Father went on.

She allowed her face to show some regret. It wasn't hard - she missed Dreamland. Alex, Nastajia, Felicity and all the other friends of hers. To go to bed and not enter Dreamland… It felt like torture. Especially when she could remember fragments of dreams.

"She, ah, has a few ideas about helping you overcome this obstacle," Father said. His frown was subtle, but it left no doubt that he didn't share Mothers views - or thought it was a good idea.

"What does Mother have in mind?" Kelly asked.

"Certain substances that affect the mind," he replied.

...drugs? Kelly frowned at the thought before she could catch herself.

"Nothing concrete has been brought up so far." Father smiled at her reassuringly. "However, several experts are looking into the matter."

Which meant there were better than even odds that they would find something to test - fear of Mother's reaction tended to motivate people to give their best. "I see," she said. She didn't, not really - but then, hadn't there been rumours about weird visitors to Dreamland? People who spoke in a confused manner and did not seem to be asleep in their beds? Kelly had never encountered such a person, but others had. And she trusted their accounts.

Father nodded. "Such experiments need the most careful planning and preparations. The risk to your health would be too great otherwise - and you are of utmost importance for the Confederation. It will likely be quite some time until our experts agree on the best course of action. It might be that another answer to the challenges we face is found before this plan bears fruit."

Ah. Father would be stalling, deflecting Mother's wishes. Sensible. Typical for him. And yet… "Thank you, Father," she said, bowing her head. "Although I think I'll follow the preparations closely. This seems as if it has potential."

"I see."

"I do think the risks should be minimised, of course, but I would like to be able to… break through whatever is blocking my path." She missed Dreamland. She missed Alex and their other friends.

And she missed Cat.

Terribly.

After being together for so long - and a couple for over a year - being separated didn't sit well with Kelly. Not at all.

And she'd do almost anything to rectify this. Even taking drugs.

*****​

Royal Palace, Avalon City, New Avalon, Federated Commonwealth, March 15th, 3049

Her computer warned her - someone was moving behind her! Something was about to shoot her in the back! Cat snarled as she started to turn in her 'Mech. Or her piece of shit - it was reacting much too slowly. And there was no real feedback. Not like Dragonslayer. Even so, she was facing the enemy 'Mech when it stepped around a corner. And even with the stupidly slow controls, she could place the crosshairs for her autocannon over the enemy's cockpit before the enemy managed to line up their own shot. A quick pull on the trigger later, and the 'Mech was missing its head and toppled over.

YOU WIN appeared in big red letters on the middle screen. Cat sighed. Another meaningless game. It wasn't even nearly as complicated as it would have to be to serve as a decent training tool. What a waste for a neurohelmet!

"That was great!" Miss Faber told her when Cat climbed out of the fake cockpit.

"It was too easy," she replied before she could help herself.

"You're very good at the game," Miss Faber insisted.

"I thought it was a rehab tool?" Cat asked, raising her eyebrows.

"It's both. Patients, especially young ones, generally respond better to tasks if they are framed as games. Your hand-eye coordination has improved a lot since you started playing."

Cat was aware of that. She also was aware that it wasn't near where it should be. If she tried to pilot an actual 'Mech like this, she would be barely better than a rookie. Perhaps even worse, if she received some old 'Mech without Star League systems.

She huffed. "I'd prefer a real 'Mech," she said. Always strive for the best, as the Drill Sergeant would have said.

Miss Faber laughed as if Cat had been joking. She pressed her lips together to keep from giving the woman a piece of her mind. It wasn't Faber's fault that Cat had to hide her actual skills and experience.

Damn, she missed Kelly, Alex and the others. But she wouldn't ever see Alex again - she was too old to enter Dreamland. And Kelly was stuck on Sian. In the Confederation, on the other side of the frontlines. No, technically, the hostile border. She closed her eyes. She shouldn't have woken up! Everything was so… different here.

She felt a hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry, Katherine, if you continue to learn as well as you are, you'll pilot a 'Mech soon enough. You certainly have the talent to become a great 'Mechwarrior!"

She doesn't know, Cat told herself. She thinks I'm just a stubborn little girl in a teenaged body.

She knew that Miss Faber was here to help her. And the woman was helping. But it grated to know that she could've done so much better if she had been left to her own devices and given a decent budget.

She reached for a towel out of habit and had to stop before she wiped nonexistent sweat from her face and shoulders. That would make her look stupid. On the other hand, that might help with putting up the act.

She grabbed a towel and scrubbed her face. The things you did for a chance to see your love again!

"I think you should rest," Miss Faber interrupted her thoughts.

Great. Faber thought she was actually sweating from playing a game!

Perhaps she would've been better off in Dreamland…

"Katherine?"

Or not, Cat corrected herself when she saw who had entered the training room.

"Mama!"

*****​

Forbidden City, Sian, Capellan Confederation, April 3rd, 3049

Kelly stared at the vials and cups on the tray on her table. Each was labelled - on the vial or cup as well as on a small sign in front of it. Each contained a psychedelic drug. From the ancient LSD to compounds she was sure were used by the Maskirovka for more nefarious purposes than opening your mind.

She bit her lower lip. Drugs. She didn't like them. Even discounting the dangers of addiction - the drugs presented to her presented no risk of physical addiction; her parents had made sure of that, but Kelly knew that psychological addiction was a possibility - she didn't like the thought of altering her own mind. It was like altering who she was - as Dreamland had proved, she was her mind. While she had lived in Dreamland, her body had remained here, an empty shell.

And yet, she was willing to take drugs on the chance of being able to return to Dreamland. To her friends. To Cat - provided she could, should this work, contact her and tell her what to do without the Steiner-Davions mistaking this for an attempt on their daughter's health.

"Are you going to take all of them?"

She froze for a moment, silently berating herself for letting herself be surprised in her own suite. But she didn't let her face show any of her own anger as she turned to face her brother, who was standing in the doorway. "Not together," she told him, raising her chin a little. "But I will try one after another until I find the one best suited for my goal." To reach Dreamland again.

Sun-Tzu snorted and entered her room, his hands folded behind his back.

He could be hiding any weapons there - or under his long robes - Kelly realised. And she was unarmed. And not yet quite in the state of fitness she wished to be. Had to be. But he was her brother. He wouldn't hurt her.

He stopped at the wheeled table upon which the drugs rested, bending over a little to make a point of reading the labels. "I am surprised Mother allowed this; those drugs are dangerous."

And the odds of any of them doing what Kelly hoped were low. Once again, she kept a polite smile on her face. "Mother agrees that the potential gains are worth the risk," she said. Which was putting it very mildly - Mother had been subtly pressing her for more 'visions' for the good of the Confederation for a while now. And she wasn't known for unlimited patience.

"Ah." Sun-Tzu's smile changed slightly. It had a hint of a sneer now. "A calculated move. I see." He slowly inclined his head. "Quite audacious of you. But then, how can one advance in life without audacity?"

Kelly frowned. What was he saying? Oh. She schooled her face once more, even though she wanted to wince. Did he really…? "My only ambition is to serve Mother and the Confederation to the best of my abilities," she lied.

"Ah." She heard a single chuckle, almost lost in the sound of silk sliding over silk as he turned to fully face her. "And obviously, you need to be in the best position to serve the Confederation."

Yes, he thought she was trying to replace him. He was the elder child, but that was no guarantee to inherit Mother's position. And while Kelly didn't want to become Chancellor, Sun-Tzu didn't know that. And wouldn't believe her if she told him. "As a member of our House, I already have the best position to advise the Chancellor."

"You have Mother's ear, yes - she is convinced you are predestined for great things. A genius." Sun-Tzu's smile had fully turned into a sneer. "I hope mother isn't mistaken about your potential. The consequences might be… harsh."

He nodded, turned and left her room.

She stayed on her chair even though she wanted to pace. And probably smash something. Her servants hadn't warned her of Sun-Tzu's approach. He might have avoided them - and the security detachment - but that was unlikely. No, he would have told them that he wanted to surprise her - and they had acquiesced to his demands. Which meant she couldn't trust them.

Even worse, her brother considered her a rival for the throne. And he had more than a decade of experience at court on her. Kelly knew how such rivalries, actual and imagined, were settled in her house. Her mother had replaced her grandfather when the latter had suffered a nervous breakdown. A breakdown from which he never recovered until, years later, he died in a clinic. Officially.

She glanced at the drugs again. Sun-Tzu would have an easy time depicting her as a drug-addled addict. But if she refused to try the drugs, Mother would likely grow… more insistent. Or disappointed. And more open to whatever suggestions Sun-Tzu might offer.

Damned if I do, damned if I don't, she thought. If she ran away…

This time, she snorted openly at her own foolish thoughts. Evading the Maskirovka in the very heart of the Confederation? Even if, by some miracle, she managed that, it would take another miracle to reach Cat without running afoul of any intelligence service in the Inner Sphere. And such a blunder would endanger Father as the head of the Maskirovka. Mother wouldn't kill him. Probably not.

No, those drugs represented her best course of action to reunite with Cat. Her best chance to survive the next few years, actually.

Unfortunately, that didn't mean her chances were good. But as she had learned in Dreamland, sometimes you had to take the shot, no matter how unlikely, and hope for the best.

After snorting softly again, she took a deep breath and reached for the LSD. It was best to start with a classic.

*****​

Royal Palace, Avalon City, New Avalon, Federated Commonwealth, April 20th, 3049

"...thirteen…"

Cat's arms were burning. But she clenched her teeth and pulled herself up.

"...fourteen...." she gasped when her chin cleared the bar. She almost let herself simply drop down, which would have broken her grip, but she managed to control herself. One more!

She closed her eyes and groaned, raising her chin as far as she could as her muscles strained to once more pull herself up. Just. One. More.

Her chin reached the bar then slid over it.

"...fifteen!" she spat.

Then she let herself drop to the ground, collapsing in a heap on the mat. She'd done it. Maxed out pullups! And her arms felt like freshly cooked spaghetti - all hot and limp.

"Well done, Katherine!" Miss Faber beamed at her. "This is remarkable!"

Cat groaned in return. It was the minimum for a MechWarrior Cadet about to graduate. But Katherine hadn't been training years like Cat. Only four months. And yet, she was finally at a point where she didn't feel like some lazy, useless… person any more. Well, currently, she felt like a dying blob of pudding oozing over the mats, but that would pass. Her achievement would keep.

"Katherine?"

That was Peter. What was he doing here in the gym? Cat groaned something and rolled over on her belly, then looked at her little brother. Oh. He was wearing gym clothes like her. Well, he was wearing a tank top that didn't leave his midriff bare, but otherwise, they were the same.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"She just finished fifteen pullups!" Miss Faber gushed.

"Fifteen?" Peter sounded shocked.

"Minimum for a cadet to graduate," Cat told him, slightly wheezing. "I'm finally back in shape."

"'Back in shape'?"

"In the shape I need to be if I want to pilot a 'Mech," she explained.

"Once you graduate from the academy," Peter told her with a frown. "Do you know which academy you will attend?"

Right. She had to go through an academy course. She tried to shrug, but on her belly, it didn't really work. "I don't really care," she said as she slowly and painfully sat up - her stomach muscles were still protesting her earlier sit-ups.

Peter looked surprised. "You don't care? But…"

"I just want to pilot a 'Mech," she told him. She was a commissioned officer in the SLDF. She had combat experience. It didn't matter where she pretended to be a fresh-faced cadet.

"Which academy you'll attend will influence your career. And there's the political aspect." Peter sounded like Dad in a teaching mood.

"What political aspect?" she asked, trying to get up.

"Victor went to Nagelring. If you also picked Nagelring, that would show undue favouritism towards the Lyran half of the Commonwealth."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "Weren't you planning to enter Nagelring since before I woke up?" She remembered that from Victor's visit.

He blushed a little. "I wanted to, yes. But there are political considerations."

She snorted. "I just want to pilot a 'Mech," she repeated herself. "If Mum and Dad think the NAIS is the better academy, so be it." The NAIS College of Military Science was arguably more prestigious than Nagelring - if you asked the staff at NAIS. With a chuckle, she added: "At least that would prevent Dr Baker from immigrating to Tharkad so he can keep trying to pick my brain!"

Peter didn't laugh at first, and when he did, it was a forced chuckle.

Cat frowned at him. "Is that why they want me to attend NAIS?"

Peter coughed. "Well, you did spend ten years in a coma, and they still haven't found out what was wrong with you. And..." He trailed off, blushing again.

Or what was wrong with her now. Cat clenched her teeth. She could tell her family the truth, but they wouldn't believe her. And once she told them about Kelly, they wouldn't trust her. "If they don't trust me not to fall into a coma, they shouldn't send me to an academy at all!" she spat. "I can't really go through training with two medics and one doctor hovering behind me!"

"Katherine..." Peter bit his lower lip. "Why are you so…?" He shrugged and grimaced. "...so bitter?"

"I'm not bitter," she protested. Just frustrated that she couldn't be with Kelly because of stupid politics. If Alex was the First Lord in the Inner Sphere as well, this wouldn't be a problem at all!

Damn, she missed Dreamland.

Peter cleared his throat. "Katherine… Mum and Dad are worried about you. Of course they want what's best for you."

"I know," she said.

But they didn't know what was best for her. All she needed was a 'Mech and Kelly. The rest would follow.

But the longer she was stuck here, apart from Kelly, the greater the chance that something would happen. What if Kelly was forced into some dynastic marriage? The Cappellans did that stuff, didn't they? Or what if Kelly found someone else?

She suppressed that thought. They had been through hell together. Kelly wouldn't give up on her after a few months.

And neither would Cat. All she had to do was pass the entrance exam, get her MechWarrior certification, graduate, get her 'Mech and…

...and then what?

"Katherine?"

"I'm thinking about my future," she told Peter.

"You're blocking the pushup bar," pointed out.

Oh. "Sorry," she mumbled before getting up and walking towards the showers. Maybe she'd figure out what to do once she wasn't feeling like a wet towel that had been put through a wringer.

*****​

Forbidden City, Sian, Capellan Confederation, June 5th, 3049

"Kelly!"

Kelly turned. There was Cat! Jumping out of her 'Mech, running towards her, arms spread wide. Before she could say anything, her friend embraced her. "I missed you so much!" she said as she melted in Cat's arms. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. Smelt Cat's shampoo. Her perfume.

Perfume? Shampoo? Cat had just left her 'Mech. She should smell after sweat and a neurohelmet's cleaning solution. And an overheated 'Mech. Not like she smelt when she had just taken a shower and was slipping in their bed. And she didn't know where they were.

Kelly pulled back. "Cat?"

Cat didn't say anything but kissed her, and once again, Kelly melted in her arms. This was… Oh! She closed her eyes again, savouring the kiss. It was just like she remembered. Perfect. It was…

Kelly woke up and saw the canopy of her bed above her. And knew that she was alone in her bed. And that it had been a dream, not Dreamland.

Again.

She sighed and closed her eyes. Well, she hadn't really expected DMT to work. Not when LSD hadn't worked. But she had hoped. A little.

And her hopes had been crushed. This had been the last 'natural' psychedelic drug in the selection she had been given. That left the synthesised and refined natural drugs. And the experimental drugs.

Those which often had severe side effects. Having hallucinations before she fell asleep was bad enough, but feeling sick? Was there a point to it? If drugs could let her enter Dreamland, wouldn't that have been discovered centuries ago? Sure, there had been rumours of adult visitors, but they had never been confirmed. This might just be a fool's errand.

And yet, she couldn't give up. This was her best chance to see her friends again. To find a way to reunite with Cat.

Kelly took a deep breath, then got out of bed and headed to the bathroom. She'd have to wait until her system was purged of the DMT and endure more tests, but she would make a new attempt. With stronger drugs. As many attempts as it took to find a way back to Dreamland.

It was her best chance.

*****​

Forbidden City, Sian, Capellan Confederation, July 4th, 3049

"What's this one?" Kelly asked, holding up a vial with blue crystals in it.

"A synthesised version of a hybrid strain of psilocybin," Dr Chang told her. "It's one of the most potent hallucinogens we managed to acquire."

"Side effects?" Kelly knew there would be side effects. All the more potent drugs she had tried had had them.

"Ah… light fever and increased heart rate, mostly," the doctor told her.

She slightly narrowed her eyes. "And in the worst case?"

He cleared his throat. "Arrhythmia. But that's a very rare side effect, and we will be monitoring your heart rate and other vitals with a trauma team on standby."

"Any mental effects? Other than the obvious," she asked.

"None to our knowledge." He inclined his head.

He was playing it safe - but that wouldn't help him should Kelly end up hurt. Mother would hold him responsible.

Kelly pushed the slight guilt she felt away. The risk was minimal, after all. And she was risking her life as well. "Good. How soon can we test this?"

"Ah…" The doctor consulted his computer. "After we test your blood for any lingering compounds from your last test."

She nodded. That would be fine.

*****​

She was standing in her silk pyjamas on a landing field and could feel the hot plascrete under her bare feet. It wasn't a good feeling. A few hundred metres from her stood a Colossus-class dropship. Above her, two aerospace fighters flew by - too fast for her to identify the type. A lance of 'Mechs was walking in a line further away - she could barely make them out through the warping effects of the hot air above the field.

She took a deep breath. The air smelt like ozone and exhaust fumes. Like a busy starport smelt. Was this a dream or Dreamland? She wouldn't be standing here in her sleepwear if this was a dream, would she? Or was that subconsciousness trying to fool her? But Cat wasn't here. Cat always was with her in her dreams. Unless they were nightmares.

This didn't look like a nightmare, either. Had she really managed to return to Dreamland?

There was only one way to find out. She set out for the dropship. They would have a radio to check in with her friends.

Her feet started to hurt before she had gone a hundred meters. The surface, hardened to withstand a fusion torch from a dropship, was much too rough for her soles. And too hot as well.

She checked her feet. Dirt covered her soles. Would they be dirty in a dream? She didn't think so. And she wouldn't be sweating either. Or glimpsing at the sun.

This felt too… too real.

She licked her dry lips. If this was real… She smiled against her will. If this was Dreamland...

...then she had taken the first step to reunite with Cat!

A barefooted step on a dirty, hot landing field.

She snorted and continued walking.

She was lightly sweating by the time she reached the dropship - entirely from the heat. She might not be as fit as she had been in Dreamland before she left, but she had recovered enough.

And she wasn't amused that she could reach the ramp leading into one of the Colossus's bays without anyone challenging her. That was just sloppy! Had standards degraded so much in the months she had been away? Even for peacetime, this was unacceptable!

Scoffing, she stepped on the ramp - and hissed and jumped off again; the metal was far too hot. "Hello!" she yelled. "Who's in charge of the bay?"

"Who wants to know?" A grumpy dwarf appeared on top of the ramp, peering down at her.

"Captain Kelly Liao!" she snapped back. "Dreamland's First Royals! I need to contact the First Lord or Colonel Nastajia Panel!"

"You don't look like a captain."

"That's classified!" she yelled back, clenching her teeth. Cat would've charged up the ramp, hot metal or not by now. "I repeat: I need to contact the First Lord or Colonel Nastajia Panel. Get me a radio!"

She got a radio. Getting through to her friends took a little longer, but once she finally reached Nastajia, it took only two more minutes, and she was in a ground car from the dropship's vehicle pool and headed to headquarters.

*****​

Royal Palace, Unity City, Dreamland, July 4th, 3049

"It's really you!" Nastajia blurted out when Kelly entered the room.

"Colonel Panel. Your Highness." Kelly bowed - since she wasn't in uniform but still wearing her Pyjamas, albeit now also wearing sandals, a salute would be inappropriate. "Felicity." She nodded at the catgirl sprawled across an armchair in a pose that would hurt Kelly's spine should she attempt to copy it.

"None of that, Kelly!" Alex said, moving to hug her. "It's great to see you!" he exclaimed as he lifted her off her feet.

Kelly started squirming after a while, forcing Alex to set her down. "Thank you." She cleared her throat and smoothed her clothes - her pyjamas. If Cat ever heard about this, the jokes about Capellan fashion would never stop.

"But how did you manage this? There have been cases before where people didn't wake up and stayed in Dreamland, but once they woke up, they never returned," Nastajia asked. "And it wasn't because they had died - if you die in either realm, you die in both."

Before Kelly could answer, Alex handed her a cup of tea. "You must be parched!" he told her, with a slight frown at Nastajia.

"Thank you." Once more, Kelly bowed her head. The tea was… passable. Back home, it was better - but that was to be expected. "I had a little help," she admitted after another sip. "I took psychedelic drugs."

"Drugs?" Both Alex and Nastajia looked surprised. Almost shocked. Even Felicity sat up and stared at her.

"Drugs have been used for millennia in various cultures to expand your consciousness and receive visions," Kelly explained.

"But if they allowed you to reach Dreamland, we would have noticed this before today," Nastajia retorted.

"We might have had some adult visitors," Alex admitted, "without noticing. If they acted as if they had lost their mind…" He shrugged. "I'll have to set the Intelligence Corps on it. Check our records." With a frown, he added: "If adults can enter our realm by using drugs, this represents a huge vulnerability."

Kelly nodded. "I used an experimental drug - others didn't work - but I do not know if there are similar drugs in development." She sighed. "I'm sorry. I knew this would cause trouble, but… I had to try."

"Of course you had!" Alex smiled at her. "And it gave us advance warning of the possibility - we won't be surprised by others." He patted her shoulder, then sat back down again. "So… did you manage to contact Cat?"

Kelly schooled her features, but her friends saw through it anyway. "Oh, no!" Nastajia said. "You're still separated?"

"Their realms - their families - are at war," Alex said. "Unfortunately, it was to be expected."

Kelly nodded in agreement and refilled her cup. "We knew that when we went to wake up." She sighed and looked down. "But I miss her. I hoped we'd find a way to contact each other, but we underestimated the difficulties. Our families are… protective." That was a diplomatic way to say 'controlling'.

"I could return to Terra and send an HPG message." Alex fiddled with the 'Mech key hanging from his neck. The key to Dreamland. He alone could pass back and forth from the real world to Dreamland.

"No!" Nastajia jumped to her feet, shaking her head. "ComStar will still be hunting you!"

Felicity scowled in agreement.

"They can't be everywhere," Alex countered. "And it's been years."

Nastajia glared at him. "You think you can just walk into one of their stations and send a message? On Terra? Without setting off all sorts of red flags?" She poked his chest with her finger as she scowled at him.

Alex backed off a step and grinned - although it was forced, Kelly could tell. "Well, I've got a few tricks up my sleeve… There are still some old safe houses and caches around on terra, dating back to the Coup. Fake IDs, taps, money…"

"All centuries old!" Nastajia kept shaking her head. "You barely escaped ComStar's clutches the last time you left Terra!"

"That was years ago," Alex repeated.

"They won't forget anyone who escaped them - especially not by vanishing into thin air!" Nastajia crossed her arms over her chest. "And we have to assume they analysed your DNA and realised that you're a Cameron. It's too dangerous!"

Aleix pouted, so Kelly spoke up: "Nastajia is correct, Alex. And even if you made it, the odds of Cat receiving a message from an unknown - especially if encoded - are not good. And if you told her what drug to use…" She shook her head, pressing her lips together. Neither Cat's father nor mother were likely to let her try a drug like that. If they even had access to it. If Cat's siblings were younger, she would try to find them in Dreamland and ask them to pass on a message, but they weren't visiting Dreamland any more. And any other child wouldn't be able to reach Cat either.

"But we have to do something! We can't leave Cat alone!" Alex protested.

"We won't," Nastajia said. "But we need to plan this."

"Like an assault?" Alex grinned, but she nodded.

"Yes. Like an assault."

Kelly nodded as well. They couldn't rush this, or they'd go down faster than an UrbanMech trying to scout the Horde in the open desert. They had to plan this carefully, or they would cause a disaster. She knew this, and yet, she couldn't help worrying about Cat.

And that Cat might move on.

*****​

The Nagelring, Tharkad, Federated Commonwealth, September 30th, 3049

Cat scoffed as she moved Dragonslayer past a scraggly patch of forest towards a small but steep hill. Two enemy 'Mechs left. Two unidentified 'Mechs. But since she had already downed a Phoenix Hawk-K and a Panther, she didn't expect too much trouble from what was obviously a DCMS recon lance.

Probably a Wasp and another Panther hiding behind the hill, hoping to take potshots at her when she closed. Or trying to flank her - though only fools would close in with a Victor when piloting a light 'Mech.

Well, she was in Dragonslayer. Or a 'Mech as close to her favourite 'Mech she could get in this simulator. And as any Victor pilot knew, if you didn't close with the enemy, you failed. Kicking the assault 'Mech into a sprint, she started running towards the hill.

As on cue, a 'Mech appeared, jump jets carrying it up to the top of the hill, Cat's computer identifying it as a Panther before she saw it. The other 'Mech was moving around the hill - maybe another Phoenix Hawk-K.

The Panther landed, knees absorbing the impact - not a veteran pilot, Cat noted, cut the jets too soon - and raised its right arm to point at her.

Just as planned. She grinned and hit her own jets, soaring up as the Panther's PPC struck the ground where she had been standing a moment ago. Dragonslayer struck the ground running - she had feathered her jets, of course - and dashed forward. The Panther moved back, then to the side as its PPC cycled, but it was too exposed. Cat hit her jets again and landed right next to the light 'Mech.

The Panther's pilot tried to turn to bring its SRMs to bear at the same time he tried to back off to get out of minimum range for its PPC and managed neither. Dragonslayer's Pontiac 100 sent enough shells directly into its chest to wreck its fusion engine. The medium lasers and SRMs peppering the rest of its armour as it slowly fell over on its back were pure overkill.

Cat grinned. That only left one more 'Mech, the one still circling the hill and staying hidden. Well, she had the high ground; all she had to do was…

Her eyes widened when the last enemy 'Mech suddenly jumped as well, and her computer labelled it as a Victor. An assault 'Mech? In this training scenario? But…

There it was! Cat was already turning - it was out of range of her weapons, but not for long. All she had to do… The enemy Victor raised his right arm and fired. A moment later, Dragonslayer reeled, struck in the left torso.

She cursed - she knew that weapon. The other Victor had a gauss rifle! It was a Lostech Victor! "Standard scenario, my ass!" she cursed, stabilising her 'Mech and running towards the enemy. She was too far away for her autocannon, but Dragonslayer's large strides were eating up the distance. Just a little closer and the enemy would find out why 'Mechs didn't want to close with a Victor!

But just before she fired - she already had the crosshairs centred on the enemy's cockpit - the other Victor fired its jump jets. Cat lifted her 'Mech's arm to shoot it in mid-flight, but the enemy had only risen high enough to clear the ridge behind them - and disappeared in a ravine before she managed to adjust her aim.

Snarling at her rookie mistake, she dashed to the side and jumped down into the ravine herself - staying on the hill was foolish when facing an enemy with long-range firepower like a gauss rifle.

She hit the ground running and quickly rushed towards the last position of the enemy. Up close, she would have the advantage. But… that was so obvious, even her opponent in this training scenario would know it. But would they try to keep their distance and snipe her with the gauss rifle until Dragonslayer fell, or would they try to be clever and ambush her? If only Kelly were here with her Raven - no assault 'Mech would be able to hide from her.

Focus! she told herself - she couldn't get distracted. The enemy had let her finish off the three other 'Mechs of the lance before facing her - almost like a Nightmare Horde warrior. Of course they'd try to be clever!

Cat grinned. That meant… they would expect her to advance towards where they would be, would they want to keep the distance open. She looked at the map overlay on her screen. The hill tapered off into rougher terrain, full of boulders. Perfect for infantry, but a 'Mech couldn't hide there. That left… the other side of the hill. She grinned and kept running through the ravine towards the open field at its end.

Almost. Almost. A little bit more… She hit her jump jets and, once more, soared upwards...

...just in time to see the enemy Victor rise on heated plasma on the other side of the hill, flying towards the ideal position to shoot her in the back, had she kept going.

They were a decent 'MechWarrior - they were already twisting and aiming their gauss rifle at her before they reached the hilltop. But Kelly was a veteran of a ten years-long war against the Nightmare Horde. And she knew exactly how a Victor moved. She had her Pontiac aimed at the point where its head would be before it hit the ground and fired before it could react.

Unfortunately, she didn't quite hit her mark - her shells hit the enemy's torso, not its head - but the impact sent the 'Mech reeling anyway. And her lasers and SRMs hit its chest as well. Mostly. More importantly, she was already running while the enemy 'Mech struggled to keep standing, and by the time it had managed to regain its footing, Cat was in its face. She kicked out, her 'Mech's foot smashing the other Victor's knee, and this time, the pilot couldn't compensate - the assault 'Mech spun around and crashed to the ground, ending up on its back.

And Cat fired everything she had at the downed 'Mech. Her autocannon shells ripped through the Victor's torso and gyro, and the 'Mech stopped moving like an Elemental after a kick from a Stone Giant.

"Mission Complete" appeared on her screen, and her own 'Mech froze.

Cat pursed her lips. That was sloppy. A mission wasn't over until you returned to base, as Tavis liked to tell them. This kind of training might teach MechWarriors to get sloppy as soon as the enemy was down. Well, they would learn better once they did actual field exercises.

She sighed and pulled off her neurohelmet - not up to Star League standards, alas, but better than the toys she had used on new Avalon - before running a hand through her hair.

She even worked up a sweat, she noted with a grin as she climbed out of the simulation pod.

"That was very impressive, Lady Steiner-Davion," the instructor told her with a smile.

She grinned at him, "And since when does a standard scenario include a Lostech Victor?"

He tilted his head. "That was a last-minute change I didn't plan for."

She frowned. If it hadn't been him, then… Her eyes widened when she saw a familiar figure climb out of a pod on the other side. "Victor?" She had been fighting her brother?

He grinned in a rather sheepish manner. "Hey! That was a lucky shot!"

Cat narrowed her eyes at him. 'Lucky shot'? "Really? That's what you are going with? And you had a Lostech Victor!"

"Royal Configuration," he admitted.

She shook her head. "There's no Royal Victor. Just individual machines modified with advanced technology."

"It has a gauss rifle, double heat sinks and better armour. It's a Royal Victor," he insisted.

"There's no such model in the warbooks!" She knew that by heart - she was an officer in the First Royals!

"Well, now there is." Victor frowned, then grinned. "And I'll be piloting one of the first production models once I graduate!"

"If you graduate," another cadet told him. "You got us all killed trying to duel your little sister - and lost!"

And Victor's grin turned into a pout. "That was bad luck."

Cat rolled her eyes. "That was a stupid mistake. The battlefield isn't the place for duels. You have to fight with your lancemates, not by yourself!"

"Exactly!" the instructor chimed in. "Lady Steiner-Davion has the general gist of it, and we'll go over the details in the debriefing." He gestured at the door to their right.

Victor grimaced. As he should - that had been a stupid performance. And he was supposed to be at the top of his class?

It seemed Alexander's opinion of the Nagelring wasn't too far from the truth.

*****​

The Triad, Tharkad City, Tharkad, Federated Commonwealth, September 30th, 3049

"I heard you had an impressive showing in the simulators."

Cat winced. If she had known she was facing her own brother instead of yet another first-year cadet like the rest of the lance, she would've held back. Probably. "Vicor tried to be clever on the battlefield, Aunt Nondi," she said, feigning nonchalance. "If he had stuck to the basics - kept the range and peppered me with the gauss rifle - he would have won." Probably.

"Ah, yes." Nondi shook her head. "With all the new doctrine in the armed forces, people tend to forget the basics. Just because Victor's 'Mech has jump jets doesn't mean he has to pilot it as if it were a scout 'Mech."

"To be fair, he was taking the place of a Panther," Cat said with a grin as she wandered around in Aunt Nondi's office.

"And I have trouble understanding what he was thinking, putting himself, a cadet about to graduate, against you. You haven't had a tenth of his time in the simulator, nor did you have actual experience in the field."

Cat put the crystal serving as a paperweight down and looked at the older woman. Nondi was staring at her with an even expression, but there was a hint of suspicion behind those eyes. She refrained from swallowing. "I did study hard and spent all the time I could get in sims." And she had spent years fighting a war in Dreamland. "I dreamt of piloting 'Mechs, you know."

Nondi opened her mouth, then closed it again, slowly nodding. "You certainly have a talent for it. A natural-born MechWarrior, according to the instructor."

Cat grinned. "I'm flattered."

"There's more to being a MechWarrior than just piloting a 'Mech, though," Nondi said. "And even more to being an officer."

"Oh, yes." She frowned. "All the paperwork."

Nondi laughed. "Indeed. But without paperwork, your 'Mech would run out of ammo and spare parts."

"Amateurs study tactics, professionals study logistics," Cat replied. That had been one of the Nightmare Horde's key weaknesses. Which didn't mean Cat liked it, of course. "And fools study duels," she added with another grin.

"Never underestimate the value of being able to duel another 'Mech," Nondi said, a little more sharply. "Although I suppose that you've already proven that that won't be a problem for you."

Cat forced herself to shrug. "It's only a sim. Actually piloting a real 'Mech will be very different."

"Yes. But I have a feeling that you'll excel at it." The older woman smiled, a little wistfully. "You're so much like my sister."

Cat pressed her lips together. She'd been told a few times already that she looked like her grandmother Katrina - except for her eyes. Her grandmother who had died while she'd been in Dreamland. "That's a lot to live up to," she said. And what would Katrina say about Cat's plans to run away and live with Kelly?

"Oh, believe me, I know." Another wry smile. "I still struggle with it every day."

Cat nodded. Best to change the subject. "And you struggle with paperwork." She pointed at the printouts on the desk and at the Datadisks next to the reader. After a moment's hesitation, she craned her head and took a peek. "The Periphery?" She'd have expected reports from the border to the Combine. Or the Free League.

Nondi sighed. "A battalion of the Kell Hounds is overdue. They were on a pirate hunt."

"Oh." She blinked. She had heard something about that, months ago… Her eyes widened, and she gasped. "Not Phelan!"

Nondi looked grim as she nodded in confirmation. "Yes. He was with the battalion. Since they were working for the Rasalhagues, information is a little scarce." She scoffed. "And the rumours about unknown 'Mechs appearing in the Periphery aren't helping with trying to find out what happened."

"Unknown 'Mechs?" Cat cocked her head to the side. That sounded interesting.

"Unknown models, the rumours claim, but it's probably Frankenmechs from a pirate band." Nondi laughed. "According to one rumour, someone placed a Marauder's arms on a Catapult as if that would leave it with the armour or heat sinks to use any weapon!"

A Marauder's arms on a Catapult! Cat froze. She had seen that before. When fighting the Nightmare Horde. But that had been in Dreamland - those 'Mechs weren't supposed to be real! If the Horde invaded the Commonwealth… "Can I see that report?" she asked. "It sounds so silly…" she added with a forced laugh.

The sketch she saw fit the 'Mechs she had fought in Dreamland. Down to the large red wolf's head on the body.

Oh, no!

*****​

Royal Palace, Avalon City, New Avalon, Federated Commonwealth, October 15th, 3049

Hanse Davion put the summary of the report down and looked at Justin. "That's… concerning."

His friend nodded slowly. "Yes, sire."

Hanse frowned in return. "Justin. This is about my daughter."

Justin stiffened a little. "And about the Realm." Though he added "Hanse" after a moment.

Hanse nodded. "Kali Liao, having suffered the same coma as Katherine, now displays some of the same unexplainable competence Katherine does."

"She hasn't displayed any particular talents at piloting a 'Mech, Hanse."

Hanse snorted. "That's probably because she's been kept busy as an advisor for Romano. And drugged for her 'visions'. But all your agents and analysts agree that she has displayed booth skill and knowledge that she couldn't have picked up in the time since she woke up - or at all." He pointed at the second page. "A Star League cache was found exactly where she said so."

"It was mostly empty," Justin retorted.

"A dozen 'Mechs is still quite the find. Not enough to affect the balance of power, I'll grant you that - but if Kali can find such a cache, who's to say she can't find something else?"

"Like… a secret research facility?" Justin tilted his head, his expression perfectly neutral. Which meant, Hanse knew, his friend was concerned.

He shrugged. "Whatever the reason, apparently, Kali's visions have shown results if Romano Liao is using her advice."

"Romano isn't the most stable member of House Liao," Justin pointed out.

"But neither is she insane," Hanse countered. "Do you think she would use her daughter to hide the sources of such information?"

Justin frowned, apparently pondering the question for a moment. Or, more likely, pondering how to word his answer. "I do not think so. She could've easily had Tsen Shang make up any excuse for such a find - it's not uncommon, after all, and we wouldn't suspect anything amiss."

"So… what are the odds that Kali's visions are more than drug-induced hallucinations?" Hanse steepled his fingers and put his elbows on his desk.

"According to NAIS, very, very low," Justin answered.

"And according to Dr Baker?" The man was almost obsessed with Katherine - something that Hanse would take steps to deal with, if not for the fact that there was something weird going on.

Justin frowned in response. "His peers have dismissed all his theories."

"Yet none of them have had an explanation for Katherine's sudden competence as a MechWarrior." Hanse slammed his palm on the desk. "Justin! She schooled Victor in a simulator duel! And he has years of training at the Nagelring on her!"

"That could've been a fluke."

"You've seen the recording. Was it a fluke?" Hanse narrowed his eyes at his friend. Justin playing devil's advocate was often useful, but not now.

Justin sighed. "No, it wasn't. She piloted the 'Mech expertly - even in melee."

"Exactly. And she forced herself to train until she was in shape. Something happened while she was in a coma that turned her into a proficient MechWarrior - and possibly more." Katherin had been hiding her true talents, after all. "Baker is researching rumours of Star League research into psychic talents and powers."

Justin stiffened. "Do you think Katherine is psychic?"

Hanse sighed. "She hasn't claimed to have visions - but she might just be afraid of what we would do if we thought she was crazy."

"With good reason," Justin commented in a perfectly bland voice. "History has shown the dangers of unstable members of a Great House."

"Do you think Katherine is a danger for us?" Hanse leaned forward. Or was he suggesting that Hanse would let any harm come to her?

"I cannot judge this without knowing what exactly she is." His friend met his eyes.

"She's no doppelgänger," Hanse said. He remembered how a double had replaced him. How close the plot had come to doom his realm. He needed more information. But short of interrogating Katherine, what could he do? Baker was a wildcard, and waiting to see if the man found anything wasn't something Hanse was willing to do. Not when it concerned his daughter. Perhaps… "There have been no reports of similar patients waking up."

"No."

"That means this is focused on Katherine - and Kali Liao. Who might be psychic." Hanse had seen things science couldn't explain, after all. Morgan Kell's abilities came to mind. Could he dismiss the threat a psychic Liao might pose? Coupled with the Maskirovka's famous skills at sabotage and infiltration? No. Not after the Doppelgänger plot. He sighed. He hated this, and if Melissa knew what he was thinking… "Can your spies find out what drugs Kali Liao is taking?"

Justin stiffened again before he slowly nodded. "Yes." His face had lost every expression.

"I'm not going to drug my daughter," Hanse said. "But we need to know what's happening to her. Every bit of information helps."

"Yes, Sire."

Hanse pressed his lips together. Justin didn't approve. But he would do his duty. And Hanse would have to talk to Katherine. And Melissa.

"Thank you."

*****​

 

[Starfox5]

Chapter 3: The Truth

'The last months of 3049 were… frustrating. Amongst other things. I had quickly realised that the Nightmare Horde was attacking from beyond the Inner Sphere, and yet, if I wanted to warn my family, I would need a way to explain my knowledge without appearing delusional. It didn't help, of course, that I didn't really know anything about the invaders in the real world and that I still hadn't made contact with Kelly.'

• Diary of Katherine 'MadCat' Steiner-Davion

*****​

'Regular observation proves that Patient S-D's knowledge had no discernable source - my colleagues' assumption that she was merely showing an unprecedented but natural talent as a MechWarrior was laughably easy to refute, even though the narrow-minded so-called scientists still refuse to acknowledge that. It's ironic, in a twisted way, that the myth of the MechWarrior seems to hide and outshone something that, until today, has been thought to be a myth. I cannot help feeling that the key to unravelling this mystery is found in the archives of the Star League on Terra.'

• Private notes of M.D. Phil Baker, NAIS Medical Center, New Avalon, 3049

*****​

The Nagelring, Tharkad, Federated Commonwealth, November 30th, 3049

"So, what do you think?" Victor asked with a wide smile.

Cat looked up at the 'Mech in front of her and replied: "That I could knock you out, steal your 'Mech and probably reach a dropship before anyone can stop me. But since I lack the funds to secure a passage and a waiting jumpship at a pirate point, you get to keep your 'Mech."

Victor laughed, but Cat was only half-joking. She really, really wanted this 'Mech. It was the same 'Mech that he had used in their simulator fight: A Victor bristling with advanced weapons and technology.

"You really want a royal Victor!"

"It's not a Royal Victor," she corrected him. "The SLDF doesn't have an official model with advanced technology."

"So speaks the expert, Professor Katherine."

Cat snorted. She had studied everything about her 'Mech, after all. "So you better believe it."

He laughed again. "But if there had been an official Royal Victor, this would have been it."

"A Royal Victor would've used Endo Steel." Use the saved mass for three and a half tons more armour, replace the fifteen heat sinks with ten double heat sinks, use the free mass for two more medium lasers and to upgrade the SRM-4 to an SRM-6 and install CASE for the gauss rifle and the ammo.

Victor shook his head. "Good luck persuading Mum and Dad to change the assembly lines just for you."

"I can't even get them to send a relief force for the Kell Hounds," Cat grumbled.

"They're overdue, but that's nothing unusual for trips in the Periphery," Victor said after a moment. "And they're the Kell Hounds. Even one battalion of them can fight off anyone in the Periphery foolish enough to go after them."

Cat scoffed. "Pride comes before a fall." If they faced the Nightmare Horde without any idea about their capabilities, things would turn out badly for them. Probably had turned out badly for them.

"I didn't know you were so fond of Cousin Phelan."

Cat barely remembered the boy. But Victor was watching her quite intently - he wasn't nearly as subtle as he probably thought he was. So she clenched her teeth. "He's family. And the Kell Hounds are amongst the best regiments we can call upon. If they lose a battalion, the least we can do is look for them. If they were beaten, then we're dealing with a potential threat to half of our realm."

"Or they suffered a misjump," Victor retorted.

"Even more of a reason to send out a scouting force." She was tempted to just tell him the truth and then wait until she was vindicated by the coming invasion, even if that meant she would be sent into an asylum… but by then, it would be too late. No, she had to find a better way.

"We did."

"I don't mean a few hired civilian jumpships with a Leopard as cover. I mean a force large enough to outfight a force that could beat a battalion of Kell Hounds."

"Since they disappeared while working for the Rasalhague, and on their border to the periphery, moving your 'scouting force' there would cause a lot of tensions. Or worse," Victor pointed out.

"Stupid politics," Cat hissed.

Victor laughed. "Welcome to my future. But if it's any consolation: If there is a mysterious force out in the Periphery, they'll hit the Rasalhague borders first!"

"It's not a consolation," she told him. "And I don't like that you're headed there."

"That's politics as well. A sign of detente, mirroring Hohiro Kurita." Victor shrugged. "I actually wanted a posting directly on the border to the Periphery. Better chances of seeing action there."

Cat rolled her eyes. Victor was worse than the usual glory hound recruit. "You shouldn't wish to see action," she told him.

"I need combat experience if anyone is supposed to take me seriously once I take the throne." Victor looked around. "You know the troubles Mum had after she became Archon - and she's a Steiner. I'm a Steiner-Davion!"

Cat shrugged. "Mum and Dad will be around for a long time. You'll get your chance to shoot a few Dracs sooner or later." Or the Nightmare Horde.

"Or Capellans," Vicor added.

She refrained from glaring at him. He didn't know about Kelly. Couldn't know. "You'll have to find the Capellans first - they're sneaky." Very sneaky. Especially in a Raven. Hell, Kelly would so school Victor in a duel as long as it happened in urban terrain!

"Sneakier than your mysterious force out in the Periphery?"

She clenched her teeth. "You saw the reports." She had personally shown him Nondi's reports."

"Rumours. Nothing concrete." He shrugged. And he was still watching her while trying to be subtle. "A couple Frankenmechs is no threat."

Cat scoffed once more. "Unless they manage to wipe out a battalion of Kell Hounds."

Victor nodded, but it was clear that he didn't take her concerns seriously.

And he wouldn't let her pilot his 'Mech, either. Such a sore loser!

*****​

Royal Palace, Unity City, Dreamland, December 5th, 3049

Entering Dreamland was getting easier, Kelly found as she woke up in her room in the Palace. She had reduced the dose twice now and still succeeded.

However, she still hadn't managed to fall asleep quickly enough to avoid getting all messed up - a glance into the mirror mounted above her dresser showed that she needed to at least restyle her hair.

Well, that wouldn't take a long time. Unless there was an emergency, you had no excuse to appear dishevelled, after all. Especially when meeting the First Lord of the Star League.

She quickly bruised her hair - it was getting a bit longer, now, which might not work very well with a neurohelmet, she noted - and slipped into her uniform. A proper dress uniform, not an open coolant vest over a tank top and shorts, like Cat often preferred.

Kelly smiled as she imagined Cat having to dress like a noble now, under pressure from her family. Would Cat's stubbornness see her through? Or would she give in in order to fit in with her family? Once again, she wondered if she should ask Father about such information. The Maskirovka would be aware of any such development - but if Kelly asked, she would also draw attention to her interest.

Sighing, she checked her appearance, nodded after she couldn't find anything at fault, and left her room. At this time of the evening, Alex would be in his quarters. Probably. Unless there was an emergency - but they would've told her about that.

A short walk later, she knocked on the door to Alex's quarters. Giving in to a sudden silly urge, she looked up and waved with a smile at the concealed camera installed above her. Cat would've done that.

The door opened, and she found herself face to face with Nastajia. "Good! You're finally here. I need you to tell Alex that he's being an idiot."

Kelly blinked. "Pardon?"

"Nastajia doesn't like the plan I've come up with to get Cat back to us," Kelly heard Alex's voice.

Nastajia clenched her teeth and turned around, almost stomping towards the living room. Kelly grimaced behind her back and followed the elf.

Alex was sitting in his favourite spot on the couch, dressed in uniform pants and a tank top. He waved at her. "Kelly! I've found the solution to our problems!"

"Really?" Kelly asked as she sat down on the couch opposite him and nodded at Felicity, who was, once again, sprawled across an armchair in a way that would hurt the spine of a normal human.

"No," Nastajia snapped. "It's suicide!"

"Well, I wouldn't go that far," Felicity said. "His plan is dangerous, but it's not a suicide mission. And I'm speaking as an infiltration expert here."

"Thief," Nastajia hissed.

"Former thief!" Felicity stuck out her tongue at her friend.

"So," Kelly spoke up, "would anyone explain the proposed plan to me?"

"I go back to Terra with my code key - but wearing a Nighthawk suit!" Alex grinned. "They won't expect that, allowing me to easily get away from any surveillance placed on the location thanks to being invisible!"

"Unless they sealed off the entire room or building," Kelly pointed out. "Or placed explosives ready to blow up the area." That's what Father would've done if he had been in charge of the investigation.

"I doubt they would do that - it's an apartment in the middle of Chicago," Alex told her.

That wouldn't stop Father. And she doubted that it would stop ComStar.

"See? It's too dangerous!" Nastajia repeated herself.

"It's a calculated risk. First, why would they expect me to return to the apartment? They only know I was last seen there. And it's been years." Alex shook his head.

"They might suspect you were using a stealth suit," Felicity said, sitting up. "And take precautions. They, too, had years to prepare."

"In the middle of Chicago?" Alex didn't look convinced.

"They might be prepared to chase down a stealth suit," Kelly told him.

"They would need to catch me, first." Alex grinned.

"You want to play tag with ComStar?" Nastajia glared at him.

"It's the best way to contact Cat."

"It's the best way to get yourself caught! Or killed!" Nastajia retorted. "We can't save you - we can't leave Dreamland!"

Kelly pressed her lips together, then forced herself to relax a little. This was… well, it wasn't just between Alex and Nastajia since it concerned Cat and Kelly, but not even Felicity would be so reckless as to step between those two right now - the catgirl looked as if she was trying to become part of the armchair she was occupying.

"We can't leave Cat out there!" Alex retorted. "I can't abandon her. And this is a calculated risk. It's been years since I was on Terra. Not even ComStar will have kept guards ready to intervene. They are bound to have grown lax. And if there's trouble, all I need to do is get away long enough to fall asleep and return."

"You can't sleep in the middle of a fight!" Nastajia put both her hands on her hips and bared her teeth. "Not even Felicity managed that, no matter her claims to the contrary!"

Felicity, Kelly noted, wasn't protesting. But… Kelly sighed. "Drugs, she said. "Take drugs that can put you to sleep almost instantly."

"Knocking himself unconscious won't help," Nastajia retorted. With a glare, she added: "He tried that, literally, when he was younger."

"Hey! I was testing a hypothesis!"

"You were hurting yourself!"

"I wasn't talking about knock-out drugs," Kelly explained. "But I'm somewhat familiar with various drugs. There are enhanced sleeping pills that would manage to force Alex to sleep, I believe. Although I cannot say how quickly that would work."

"Oh."

"Well, let's test it!" Alex smiled at her.

"I will test them," Kelly said. "I can claim I have trouble sleeping now. It won't be a bother." And it was the least she could do if Alex was willing to risk his life for Cat and her.

Nastajia nodded. Alex opened his mouth, but an elbow from Nastajia shut him up.

"But," Kelly went on, "what are you going to do if you get away from any ComStar surveillance?"

Alex smiled widely at her. "Why, go to ComStar, of course, and send a priority message! After I recovered some of the funds that my illustrious ancestors have hidden away on Terra."

Nastajia elbowed him again.

*****​

Royal Palace, Unity City, Dreamland, December 7th, 3049

"See? It works!" Alex beamed at a glaring Nastajia. "Kelly tested it and she went out like a light in a few seconds!"

Kelly didn't duck her head, but she kept quiet. She wasn't about to draw any more attention to her than absolutely necessary when Nastajia was angry. The elven archer wasn't quite as… generous in assigning guilt like Mother was when it came to threats to her friends and family, but why tempt fate?

Nastajia crossed her arms. "Kelly tested her own drugs. We don't have them available here."

"We can synthesise them. " Alex waved his hand. "Nothing to it. Unity University is the best in the Star League."

"The best in Dreamland," Nastajia countered. "That doesn't mean we can easily copy the work of Kelly's scientists."

"We've got more people. More funds. More educated people," Alex said. "Anything the Confederation - or even ComStar - can do, we can do better!"

Kelly smiled politely. While not flattering, it was the truth. That didn't mean she had to like it. Then again, Alex was a child of Terra, but he showed no malice or arrogance. Kelly knew what arrogance looked like. "We don't have the formula," she pointed out. She had the documentation - in her room. Other than your sleepwear, nothing you held or touched was carried over when you entered Dreamland. Unless you wore Alex's special code key.

"But you've seen the formula and wrote most of it down," Alex said. "A few more nights, and you'll have enough for our scientist."

Felicity chuckled. "And it'll be good for them to have something to do. Who knows what else they might come up with if they are bored?"

Nastajia winced at that, then glared at the catgirl. "We know what they can concoct."

Felicity's eyes widened, and her tail dropped. "Right."

Kelly pressed her lips together. They were talking about the usurper's regime. Before Alex had toppled him. That had been before her time. It hadn't been as bad as Amaris's coup - not nearly as bad - but the things some people had invented...

"Anyway," Alex spoke up with a wide smile. "We're one step closer to contacting Cat. That calls for a celebration. A private one," he quickly added with a glance at Nastajia.

"Yes. We don't want any rumours that the First Lord is addicted to drugs," she told him.

"What's eating you?" Felicity asked, contorting herself so she was on her back and looking at them with her head hanging over the edge of her seat. "You're usually not as high-strung."

That was correct, Kelly knew. Nastajia was generally more serious and stern than Alex or Paddington, much less Felicity or Kiwi. 'Someone has to be', as she usually claimed. And she was effectively Alex's right hand, his XO. But this was a little much even for her.

The elf sighed and sat down in her favourite seat. "Children from the Periphery have been talking about attacks on their homes. We're still collecting the locations - many of them don't even know the name of their planet - but the attacks they describe match the Nightmare Horde.

Kelly pressed her lips together while Felicity hissed.

"So, they're coming to invade the Inner Sphere," Alex said. "That makes it even more urgent to contact Cat."

"Indeed," Kelly agreed. And she would have to think of the best way to warn her family.

*****​

The Triad, Tharkad City, Tharkad, Federated Commonwealth, December 24th, 3049

Watching the lavishly decorated Christmas tree in the throne room, which dwarfed even the two Griffins serving as guards, Cat couldn't help sighing. Her second Christmas in a row without Kelly. Granted, she had woken up one day before Christmas, but still! After almost one year, she should've found a way to contact Kelly!

Instead, she was stuck celebrating Christmas with her family and, oh, about a quarter of the nobility of the Federated Commonwealth. Most of them useless wastes of space. Idiots who thought she was a sheltered debutante who'd fall for the first attractive young nobleman - or noblewoman - courting her. Hell, even if she were a naive girl who was still recovering from her coma, did they really think her parents would let her fall for such a wastrel? Mum and Dad would send anyone trying to manipulate her to the most desolate planet in the Commonwealth. That was evident by the man she'd been partnered with for the evening.

"Feeling melancholic?"

She snorted as she turned to face Kai. "Frustrated is more like it," she said.

"Not because of me, I hope," he said with a shy smile. "It wasn't my idea to be your escort."

No, because you aren't the Liao I want to spend Christmas with. She didn't say that, of course. Instead, she sighed again. "Kai… telling a girl that you're only spending time with her because of orders isn't a good way to earn any brownie points."

He blushed a little. "I'm not under orders!" He cleared his throat. "Your parents asked me to keep you company, and I agreed."

She raised her eyebrows at him and cocked her head slightly to the side. "And those weren't orders?"

"It was a request. A request I gladly agreed to, even if I didn't think of it myself," he protested.

She nodded in return. She could believe that. Kai was a great MechWarrior, very attractive, if you liked boys, and as smart as you expected the child of Dad's chief spymaster to be. But he was a little too shy for his own good. "And so you dumped the girl of your dreams to spend the evening playing bodyguard."

"What girl of my dreams?" He scoffed. "Besides, if I am with you, I won't get accosted by the golddiggers amongst the guests."

Cat snorted again. "Don't tell me you can't handle a debutante."

"I can. But I would prefer to spend Christmas Even having fun."

"I'm sorry, but they won't allow us to borrow the guards' 'Mechs. I already asked." She laughed when his eyes widened in brief surprise.

"That's your idea of fun?" He shook his head. "I heard you couldn't wait until you would be allowed to enter the Academy, but I didn't really…" He trailed off.

She shrugged. "They only let me do simulations." Then she beamed at him. "Of course, if you took me on a tour in your 'Mech, and then let me pilot it…"

He took a step back. "What? No!"

"Please?" She imitated Felicity's best pleading expression.

He blushed again. "No! Besides, it's not my 'Mech, it's the AFFC's! And it's a Hatchetman - I thought you wanted a Victor?"

She sighed once more. "I would take a Wasp as long as I could actually take it out of the hangar." Simulations just weren't the same. And she knew her brain could handle it, no matter what some overly cautious quack claimed.

"Well, you can start training next year," Kai said.

"I wish," Cat muttered. "And I didn't get a 'Mech for Christmas, either."

"A 'Mech for Christmas?"

"I missed ten birthdays and Christmases," she explained. "That should be enough to get me a 'Mech." Hell, it's not as if Mum and Dad couldn't afford one!

Kai chuckled. "Well, I think you'll have to be content with receiving a 'Mech once you finish your training."

Cat clenched her teeth. She was a veteran, damn it! An officer in the SLDF! Not that anyone here knew that - or would believe her. Her simulator results weren't enough. She forced herself to sigh. "That's another four years." She couldn't wait so long to get Dragonslayer back! And Kelly… She had to find a way to get back with Kelly!

"They will pass quickly once you're at an academy. You'll be so busy, you'll wish you had more time."

She'd doubted that - she'd gone through boot camp already. "This is so frustrating."

Kai shrugged in response. "We've all gone through it. And compared to others, we're very privileged."

Cat sighed. Kai must be thinking that she was some spoiled little girl unwilling to put in the work to become a MechWarrior. And she couldn't correct him. Great. Perhaps she really should look for a child who was still visiting Dreamland… No. That would make her look crazy rather than spoiled.

So, what could she… She narrowed her eyes. Was that Precentor Tharkad walking towards her?

It was. Cat tensed for a moment before reminding herself that she had the best protection detail available. If the man meant her any harm, he would never have been let into the Triad, let alone near her. The Steiner-Davions hadn't forgotten how ComStar had interfered in the 4th Succession War and the War of 3039.

But officially, everything was fine, so she smiled at the man. "Precentor." She inclined her head. No need to be overly polite, though.

"Princess Steiner Davion." If the man took offence at her slight, his perfect courtier's bow didn't show it. "Lord Allard-Liao." A slightly smaller bow followed before he turned back to Cat. "I have a message for you."

What? "I wasn't aware that delivering messages was part of your duties," she replied. Unless it was a message from ComStar itself. But why would they want to contact her? Unless, she thought with a sinking feeling, they know what has happened to Kelly and me.

"Oh, as Blessed Blake said, we should never forget that ComStar's primary duty is to connect people. Personally delivering a message is a good reminder of that." He smiled in that fake way of his as he pulled an envelope out of his pocket and held it out to her.

She hesitated a moment. The security detail would have scanned the man, but they wouldn't have searched him. And ComStar wouldn't be as crazy as to attack her - even if they knew about Cat and Kelly, and Dreamland, they wouldn't risk the retribution this would cause.

She took the envelope. "Still, to be delivered by you in person…" This must have cost a fortune. Her eyes widened a moment. Had Kelly managed to get an agent of the Maskirovka to send this? The handwriting on the envelope was unfamiliar, but that was to be expected. She quickly ripped it open, ignoring Kai's wincing at her crude gesture. He was worse than Kelly about that.

She unfolded the letter inside and gasped before she could help it. It was a poem. Alex's favourite poem. That meant… She blinked. What did it mean?

She had no idea.

"I hope it was good news," the Precentor commented, not too subtly fishing for information.

"It's a poem," she told him and Kai, who stopped trying to get a peek at the letter.

"A secret admirer, then? I jest," the Precentor said.

"It's not signed," she told him. It didn't have to be,

"An anonymous letter?" Kai frowned. "And you delivered it?"

"Unfortunately, ComStar guarantees discretion to all our clients."

She shrugged. "Well, if anyone spent so much money on anonymously sending me a poem, the least I can do is respect their wishes." She folded the letter and was about to stuff it into her pocket when she remembered that her dress didn't have any pockets.

Damn.

Perhaps she could claim she was tired and retire so she could analyse the letter? No, that would make her look suspicious.

"I can..." Kai started to say, raising his hand, but Cat stuffed the letter into the top of her dress.

"Yes?"

"Nothing." He was smiling, apparently amused, but he was the son of Candace Liao and Dad's spymaster. Whatever Cat had done would go straight by to her parents.

And she still had no idea what the poem meant.

Great.

*****​

The Triad, Tharkad City, Tharkad, Federated Commonwealth, December 25th, 3049

The enemy 'Mech was caught out in the open. No more buildings to hide behind. No more rocks to provide cover. No more trees to conceal it. Just a plain field between her Victor and the enemy.

Cat bared her teeth and kicked her 'Mech into a run, charging her enemy. She just had to cross half a click and she would be able to bring her Pontiac to bear and turn the damn enemy 'Mech into scrap.

The enemy 'Mech fired his own autocannon at her, hitting her square in the centre, large-calibre shells leaving the armour dented and broken.

She scoffed. She wasn't piloting Dragonslayer, but she had armour to spare - especially on the torso. She could eat a few more volleys without trouble. And the enemy 'Mech wasn't even trying to fall back and keep its distance! Hah! Almost in range...

The Hatchetman rose into the air. Cat cursed as it ruined her aim and raised her 'Mechs arm. The enemy was…

Jumping towards her? Her eyes widened as she tried to compensate, stopping her 'Mechs mad charge. She just needed one volley! And the enemy was coming straight at her! She couldn't miss it! Clenching her teeth, she centred her crosshairs on its torso and squeezed the trigger.

But the Hatchetman somehow twisted in the air - firing the jump jets independently to change direction! Not much, just enough to make her miss its torso and hit its left arm instead, which was ripped clean off by the full salvo from her Pontiac, followed by her lasers stabbing into the left torso and her SRMs going… anywhere, actually. Damn!

Any other 'Mech caught like that, with its jump jets firing, should have been blown out of the sky, smashing into the ground.

Not this one, though. She saw the one-armed form twist in the air, come down on both legs - and charge her! Another autocannon volley ripped into her torso while her own still cycled, her two lasers missed the gap in its armour and melted metal over its torso. And then it was in her face, hatchet rising as it ducked under her wild swing…

...and the blade cleaved into her 'Mech's torso, slicing into her gyro.

Her Victor froze, and the last thing she saw before the screen went dark was the ground coming up.

Cat closed her eyes and forced herself to calm down. Four matches. Four straight losses against a 'Mech half the weight of hers! Urban combat, rocky hills, jungle fighting and now even plains arena. She clenched her teeth. How did Kai do it? How did he keep beating her? She was a combat veteran! She had taken on Horde 'Mechs!

Another few deep breaths and she opened the hatch of the simpod some past Archon had installed in the Triad centuries ago and climbed out. "Congratulations," she said. The words tasted like ashes in her mouth - at least, that's what Kelly would say. Cat just called it losing. But that wasn't the worst about this.

"You fought well, Katherine. You almost had me at the end - with a bit of luck, that last salvo would have cored my 'Mech. And if you hadn't slipped on the pavement in the first match, I doubt I would have lasted long enough to win." Kai smiled at her.

No, the worst was that Kai was so incredibly nice about it and meant it. So she couldn't even be mad at him.

Worst Christmas ever.

*****​

Royal Palace, Unity City, Dreamland, December 25th, 3049

"Whee!"

"Tag you're it!"

"No fair!"

"Stop!"

"Make me!"

Kelly, freshly clad in her uniform and about to leave her room, had to take a hasty step back to avoid getting bowled over by a bunch of enthusiastic little children apparently playing tag in the hallways. Well, they had disappeared around the corner, so now it should be...

"Watch out!"

"Gangway!"

"Coming through!"

Kelly ducked her head under a trio of young faeries that flew past in a chaotic tumble of shifting formations. She didn't complain or yell at them - it would've been pointless. The little ones rarely cared and even less frequent remembered admonishments. Especially if no one had been hurt.

Sighing, she closed the door and started to make her way to the ballroom. She had to dodge another running bunch of screaming children, their mouths smeared with ice cream and chocolate pudding, but reached the door without stumbling over or into anyone.

The two rock giants standing guard in power armour, as tall as Kelly's Song Jiang, saluted as she stepped through the open, 'Mech-sized doors. The ballroom was packed with officers, nobles and delegates from all the planets and people of Dreamland. And children. Many, many children. Christmas was the most important holiday in Dreamland thanks to them, after all, and they took advantage of that to gorge themselves on cake and sweets while waiting for Alex, dressed up as Santa Claus, to hand out their presents. Alex and Nastajia, dressed as one of Santa Claus's elves.

Kelly grinned at the sight, though she knew better than to joke about it. Nastajia loathed this part of the celebration. Most elves did, actually. But there was no helping it - kids expected Santa Claus to have elves. Or so Alex claimed. He probably just liked the stern Nastajai to loosen up a little. Which she generally did after a bottle or two worth of eggnog.

Well, it was no skin off her butt, as Cat would say. Kelly snagged a plate with finger food and a flute of champagne and started circulating around the room. Alex and Nastajia would be busy for the next hour or two, and Paddington was showing off a new dance move on the giant-proofed part of the dance floor, but Felicity and Kiwi were at the buffet, plundering the fish and cake stocks, respectively.

Kelly smiled as she walked over to them, dodging a few more children who mistook dancing for flailing their arms and turning in circles. It was chaotic and loud - terribly loud, with half the children yelling and screaming at any moment - but it was also great. And she didn't have to watch her back here. She had missed this. Missed it terribly.

If only Cat were here with her, then this would be a perfect Christmas.

*****​

The Triad, Tharkad City, Tharkad, Federated Commonwealth, December 26th, 3049

Cat sighed as she stared at the poem she had received. What did it mean? It had to mean something; Alex wouldn't send her just a poem. He wouldn't risk returning to Terra just for that. At least, Nastajia wouldn't let him do it.

There must be a message hidden in the poem. Hidden so well, only she would be able to decipher it.

Hidden a little too well, she thought, clenching her teeth with frustration. She had no idea what the message was. They really should have exchanged some codes before leaving, even though there was no way she would've been able to bring a one-time pad back with her. On the other hand, any code that she would be able to remember would likely be cracked by LIC or MIIO. And that wouldn't be a good thing. Well, it depended on what Alex's message was. If he was counting on his encryption being impossible to defeat…

Wait!

She grabbed the message again. She had heard the poem before, and it looked perfect, but… She used her pad to run a quick search for the poem, then compared the two versions. Yes. There were subtle differences. 'That' instead of 'which'. 'One' instead of 'A'. So, the poem she had received had been changed compared to the original. But what did the changes mean? How could she decrypt them? She had never studied encryption techniques, other than that lesson at the academy, and that had been a simple exercise.

She blinked. An exercise in encrypting and decrypting messages with the help of other texts who'd serve as cypher.

She muttered a few curses Kelly would scold her for. Alex expected her to remember the damn cypher from an exercise she had five years ago? There were words for people like him! None of them polite!

What had been the stupid poem they had used to help remember the cypher? Something about a sunset and chocolate. When the sun's set, chocolate you get? No, that was a stupid advertising jingle. Ah, yes!

The sun is setting. The children are safe at home. Chocolate is melting

Cat still thought that this was a Kuritan advertising line. But it could serve as a cypher. Provided she still remembered the code derived from it. And if she used it only once, it should be safe enough.

But she had to do it all in her head, or her parents' intelligence services would find out about it.

She sighed. This was such a pain! But it was her best chance to meet Kelly again. And the rest of her friends. She had done worse in training - the staff members at the academy were sadists. She could do this. She had to do this.

An hour later, she wanted to curse. What kind of message was 'Meriandreoxyn'?

*****​

The Triad, Tharkad City, Tharkad, Federated Commonwealth, December 27th, 3049

"Katherine. Please sit down."

Cat suppressed a frown. Mum and Dad were smiling at her, sitting next to each other on the couch in the living room in Mum's suite here. It looked harmless, but they were too tense for a simple talk about next year - she could tell.

She still sat down, with her back straight and her head held high. Kelly would approve. Then she twisted and dropped one leg over the armrest of her armchair. "You said you wanted to talk?"

Mum frowned a little. Good. So it couldn't be too serious.

"Yes." Dad nodded, then glanced at Mum.

And Cat's stomach started to drop again. Dad was never so cagey unless it was something bad. Or something that would make Mum mad. But Mum was here with him. Damn.

"We're very happy to see how much progress you've made since you woke up," Mum said. "And we're very impressed by how much you learned and by the talent for piloting a 'Mech that you've displayed. Very few people could've done the same."

"Does that mean I get a Victor?" Cat blurted out. "For New Year's?"

Mum and dad laughed, but it didn't sound honest.

"It's actually part of what we need to discuss," Dad said. "You've shown skills in the simulator that, well… you didn't learn."

Oh! Cat refrained from wincing. "I've got talent," she replied. "Everyone said so. I just know how to move in a 'Mech." Which was true - the instructors in Dreamland had said so as well.

"Oh, yes. But you also knew how to handle radios, identify 'Mechs, and how to move a 'Mech through rough terrain. Things that aren't instinctual. Not without a lot of training," Dad said.

Oops. Cat should have hidden her skills better. But it had been hard to hold back when she had finally been allied into real simulators. "I read up on everything."

"Sometimes after the fact," he replied.

Right. Cat was a MechWarrior, not a spy. She would make small mistakes like that.

Mum leaned forward. "Katherine… You know things you couldn't know. And you're not alone."

Oh? Her eyes widened before she could control herself. Were they talking about Kelly?

They changed another glance. They had noticed her reaction. But they couldn't know anything else. Cat cocked her head to the side. "What do you mean?"

"Kali Liao has been in the same coma as you were," Dad said. "We haven't been able to pinpoint the exact time and date, but what we know closely matches your, ah, coma."

"Oh." Of course, they would know about that. Cat had been stupid to expect anything else.

Dad leaned forward. "And while she hasn't shown any talent as a MechWarrior, she has shown remarkable knowledge about Star League caches and bases."

Cat blinked. Kelly hadn't shown any talent as MechWarrior? Either MIIO and LIC had failed - which was possible; the Maskirovka was amongst the best intelligence agencies - or Kelly had deliberately hidden her skill. And the Star League knowledge… Why would she share this? Other than loyalty to her realm and family, probably.

She bit her lower lip at the thought. What if Kelly had chosen her family over Cat? She had a sinking feeling in her stomach. Kelly wouldn't do that. Not after all the time they had spent together! She had to trust her.

But Mum was nodding. "Yes. And you've demonstrated knowledge about 'Mechs and tactics that you couldn't have learned since you've woken up."

Damn. Cat clenched her teeth. How could she get out of this? If her parents knew what she knew and could do, she'd… Oh. She put her hands on her knees and lowered her head. "I was afraid you'd send me to the loony bin if I told you what I knew."

"Oh, Katherine!" Mum moved to her and wrapped her arms around her. "We'd never do that!"

Cat had some doubts about that - especially since Dad nodded just a little belatedly. But it felt good to be hugged by Mum.

"So… what happened?" Dad asked after Mum released her.

Cat took a deep breath. "I dreamt. Of 'Mechs and war. I piloted a Victor."

"And that's how you learned to pilot a 'Mech?" Mum asked. Dad looked a little sceptical.

"Yes. I learned it while dreaming," Cat replied. "I went through training." Proper training, too. Once they had stayed in Dreamland, of course.

"Did you… did you dream that you were older?" Mum asked, after another glance to Dad.

Cat frowned. Why was that important? "No," she said.

"And you learned how to pilot a 'Mech?" Mum frowned.

"Many children from MechWarrior families start early," Dad reminded her.

"But at her age?" Mum wasn't happy. Cat didn't know why. Knowing how to pilot a 'Mech was a good thing! "And you dreamt of war?"

Oh, that. Right, Mum wouldn't like that. "We were attacked in our dreams," Cat told her. "By the same 'Mechs that Aunt Nondi showed me! The same 'Mechs that destroyed the Kell Hounds' battalion!"

Uh. Mum frowned at her. "The Kell Hounds are an elite unit. The odds that they were destroyed are low."

"They are long overdue!" Cat protested. "And the Nightmare Horde are elite MechWarriors too! And they have better 'Mechs!"

"You think they were attacked by the enemies from your dreams?" Dad didn't believe her. Not with that face.

"Not the same that we fought in our dreams. We beat them. But their real-life counterpart," Cat told him.

"Who fought them with you?" Dad asked. "Our, ah, 'counterparts'?"

"No. The SLDF, First Royals," Cat replied at once.

"The SLDF?" And Mum looked sceptical as well. "With General Kerenski?"

"No. With Alexander Cameron," Cat told them, clenching her teeth again. "The First Lord of the Star League. In Dreamland."

"Ah." Another glance to Dad. And both looked… worried.

"You received a mysterious message for Christmas. A poem," Dad said.

"That was from Alex," Cat said. "His favourite poem."

"So, you met him in your dream, and then he sent you a message from Terra?" Mum looked very worried now.

"And what does the poem mean?" Dad asked.

"I don't know," Cat said. In for a penny, in for a pound, as Felicity liked to say. "What does 'Meriandreoxyn' mean?

"'Meriandreoxyn'?" Dad asked. "That wasn't in the poem."

"It was an old code we used in the SLDF," Cat explained.

"Ah." Dad pressed his lips together.

And Cat understood. They thought she was… well, crazy, compromised or both.

So much for 'the truth shall set you free'. If Kelly heard about this, she'd never let her forget it.

*****​

Forbidden City, Sian, Capellan Confederation, January 5th, 3050

Kelly schooled her features as she approached the dining room. Mother had been in a good mood when she had announced a family dinner, but she had a mercurial temperament. If anything had happened since the call to annoy her, she wouldn't be in a forgiving mood.

And Kelly wasn't in any position to risk earning her mother's ire. So she entered with a smile - warmer than merely polite, of course, but not outrageous. Nothing that would cause observers to wonder what might have put her into such a good mood. Or what she might be hiding under her facade. Not that her brother wouldn't be wondering, anyway. Wondering and plotting, of course - it seemed to be everything Sun-Tzu was doing these days.

If she had grown up on Sian instead of in Dreamland, would she have grown up like him? Kelly hoped she would have turned out better.

A servant opened the door. Kelly didn't acknowledge either her or the two guards - that would only make more people wonder about their loyalties.

"Good evening, Mother. Father." She nodded at her parents then walked to her seat. This was a family dinner, after all, so she didn't have to be overly formal. It shouldn't be overly formal, either.

"Kali, dear!" Mother smiled widely at her. So, she was in a good mood. Father was more reserved but also smiling.

That meant there hadn't been any bad news. Kelly sat down, automatically smoothing her silk robes to avoid them getting wrinkled.

"I have the best news!" Mother announced.

Kelly couldn't help but glance at the empty seat of her brother.

"Oh, Sun-Tzu already knows." Mother waved her hand. "Your rival suffered an 'episode'," she went on with a gleeful expression. "Katherine Steiner-Davion has been withdrawn from public, and her security has been increased quite significantly."

Kelly felt her stomach drop but kept herself from reacting other than tilting her head and asking, in as calm a voice as she could manage: "An episode?"

"Yes. They didn't announce it, of course, but your father's operatives found out that the Palace on Tharkad has hired more psychologists." Mother's smile grew even wider, and her perfect teeth flashed in the slightly dimmed light. "It seems whatever you are handling so expertedly was too much for her mind."

"Oh." Cat had a breakdown? Or something worse? Or… She had been caught using the drug that Alex's message had been about? In any case, it was bad news. Very bad. "Was this confirmed?" Kelly asked, forcing herself to keep smiling.

"We're working on it," Father told her. "But it's a very delicate operation, and we cannot risk our best operatives rashly."

"Yes. They need to be ready should we have to eliminate the girl," Mother added. "We cannot risk Hanse Davion getting access to such an asset."

Kelly nodded again in apparent agreement, but it took a great deal of effort. They wanted to kill Cat! For being a critical asset to the Steiners and Davions!

Like she was for her own house.

Before she could word a suitable comment, Sun-Tzu entered the room, apologising to their parents for being late - even though he wasn't late at all.

"Did you tell Kali about her rival's fate already?" he asked as he sat down.

"I've just informed Kali," Mother replied.

And Kelly's brother smiled with such fake warmth at her that Kelly was torn between the urge to run and the urge to shoot him. At least in the leg.

What was his game? What did he know?

*****​

The Triad, Tharkad City, Tharkad, Federated Commonwealth, January 7th, 3049

Left hook. Turn with the blow. Raise the arm, grab your hand and reverse, striking with the left elbow. Turn with the blow, drop down in a crouch, and pivot, sweeping the legs… Well, passing underneath the punching bag.

Cat sighed as she got up and walked over the mat to her towel. Half a dozen people in the gym tracked her with their eyes, and she knew it wasn't because she was wearing tight exercise clothes. No, they were keeping an eye on her so she wouldn't do anything crazy. Like trying to run away. Or steal a 'Mech. Or get some Capellan experimental drug so she could finally see her friends in Dreamland again. Which her stupid parents refused to accept existed.

She wiped some sweat from her face then let the towel conceal her face while she scowled. She shouldn't have told them anything. They didn't even trust her about the Horde - even though they knew about Kelly finding Star League caches.

And now she was stuck. And stupid Victor would probably be killed by the Horde once they launched their invasion because he was too close to the border and had no clue about the Horde. Well, he should have a clue - she sent him a message warning him. Or tried to have it sent; Dad had told her something about making sure it reached Victor, but not that he had actually sent it.

Damn. Damn! DAMN!

She kicked out against the wall - the padded section, of course. She wasn't about to break her foot out of frustration - ignored the covert security detail's reaction and stomped off to her room.

This sucked. This really sucked. At least once the Horde struck, Mum and Dad would have to admit that she was telling the truth. But that would mean a lot of dead people. Like Phelan. Victor...

She slammed her door behind her. Stupid parents. Stupid family. Stupid whatever. She couldn't even talk to Aunt Nondi since Nondi was off to visit some troops.

She let herself fall on the bed, not bothering to change clothes, and closed her eyes. If only she had the drug she needed to see her friends again. To see Kelly again...

*****​

The Triad, Tharkad City, Tharkad, Federated Commonwealth, January 12th, 3049

"...and Katherine hasn't attempted to leave the Triad or contact anyone," Justin Allard-Liao finished his report.

"Thank you, Justin," Melissa told him with a smile that would have fooled most people. But Justin knew her well enough to be able to tell that she wasn't happy about his report, despite the apparent good news.

He nodded at her anyway and closed his notepad before sticking it under his left arm.

"Yes, thank you," Hanse told him.

"Please sit down." She nodded at the couch across from the one she and Hanse were occupying.

Justin repressed the sudden, silly urge to flee and sat down. He had faced worse crises than two parents anxious about her child. He hadn't faced many more dangerous people than the First Prince and the Archon, though. Except for an angry Maximillian Liao, of course.

"So, Katherine has acted as she would, if her… tale… were true," Melissa said, biting her lower lip. It made her look both younger and more vulnerable, in Justin's opinion.

"Yes," he replied. After a moment's hesitation, he added: "The members of her security detail and the additional agents we've placed around her are certain that she is aware of most of them, though." They deserved to hear the truth.

Melissa sighed. "I know she can't have been… manipulated. She was under observation her whole life."

But she also couldn't have learned what she knew. Unless, of course, she had told them the truth. Or something else that was as impossible as a 'Dreamland' where the Star League still existed and which you could only reach as a child in your dreams. Justin nodded anyway.

Hanse sighed and stood up, heading to the bar in the salon.

"If we find out who did this to our little girl…" Melissa said.

"I've started looking into the identity of this 'Alex Cameron'," Justin said, "but since the message was sent from Terra, our options are limited." They hadn't many agents on Earth and none who were highly placed in ComStar. ROM wasn't as perfect as some people claimed, but they were amongst the best spy agencies in the Inner Sphere.

"Damn ComStar!" Hanse spat as he filled a glass with cognac. "What are the odds they're behind this?"

"Low odds, I think," Justin told him. "If they were behind this, they would never have broken their cover by having the Precentor Tharkad deliver the message."

"It could be a double-bluff," Hanse said, taking a sip from his glass before he sat down again.

"If they can brainwash our little girl while she is in a coma, they could probably contact her through the same method - or they would have taught her how to contact them without us noticing," Melissa pointed out.

That was true, of course. But Justin, with over twenty years of experience in the intelligence business, knew that new operations went as planned - and fewer were perfectly planned to begin with. Yet, Melissa was correct - if ROM was behind this, they would've been more subtle.

"Who else could it be?" Hanse asked, gesturing with his free hand. "If Liao or Kurita could do this, they would have done more. They would have gone after Victor."

The heir. "Or Sun-Tzu," Justin added. The heir to the Capellan Confederation.

"Get your hooks into the second in line and then get rid of the heir. Oldest trick in the book," Hanse retorted. But Justin could tell that he wasn't really convinced of this.

And so could Melissa. She shook her head. "We need to focus on how to help her. We can't let her… stay like this. She believes what she told us!"

Justin nodded - Katherine definitely believed her story. All the psychologists agreed. "Dr Baker has applied for a transfer to Tharkad," he pointed out. The man had been treating Katherine before she had woken up.

"I don't trust him," Hanse said.

"He has been vetted," Justin told him - not for the first time. "His notes contain theories about Katherine's talents, but our analysts agree that while he hid them, he did so to protect his reputation since his earlier, less daring theories were rejected by his colleagues. Often scornfully."

"He thinks she might be telling the truth," Melissa said.

That the doctor did; Justin knew that - the man had quoted Holmes at his agents. "Once you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth," he said, almost against his will.

Hanse sighed. "There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy." He looked at Melissa. "Morgan," he added.

Melissa pressed her lips together. "It's not the same."

"No, it isn't. But it's inexplicable as well," Hanse said. He took a deep breath. "I think we should let her try the drug. Let me finish," he said, holding up his hand as Melissa opened her mouth. "The drug is, as far as we can tell, harmless. And Katherine will be under observation - a team of doctors ready to intervene. Full security. The whole wing sealed off."

Melissa, though, wasn't convinced. "You know what she claimed - she would be able to enter Dreamland. Or so she hopes. Even though it's supposed to be impossible, according to her own words. So, we give her Meriandreoxyn, and then what? She falls asleep and dreams? How exactly will that help us help her?"

"It will allow us to regain her trust," Hanse pointed out.

Melissa recoiled, her eyes widening for a moment before glaring at Hanse.

But Justin doubted that she had an answer to that. Hanse would get his way. Justin only hoped that this scheme wouldn't backfire on them.

*****​

 

[Starfox5]

Chapter 4: Breaking Out

'Few things are worse than knowing that your family is plotting the death of your love, yet not knowing how to prevent it. At the time I was told about my mother's plans, I had no means to warn Cat. Not without revealing my true loyalties to my family - a course of action with fatal consequences. This, more than anything else, made me finally understand that I had no future in the Capellan Confederation. Not under the rule of my mother or my brother, at least. For all that matters, I had grown up in the Star League in Dreamland. But knowing so didn't mean that I could do anything about it. At least not at the time.'

• Collected Writings of Kali "Kelly" Liao

*****​

'Patient S-D has finally revealed what she knows about the origin of her special talents. Or what she thinks she knows. Her story about a 'Dreamland' sounds far more what a little girl developing supernatural mental abilities might imagine to explain what was going on in her mind during her coma. Just as eliminating the impossible led me to the correct answer to my question, no matter how improbable it seemed before Patient S-D confirmed it, I have to do the same when analysing these claims. And when applying Occam's razor, the choice between a parallel world made of dreams - where the venerated Star League still exists - and the delusions of a psychic girl is clear.'

• Private notes of M.D. Phil Baker, NAIS Medical Center, New Avalon, 3050

*****​

Forbidden City, Sian, Capellan Confederation, January 13th, 3050

"Are you glad that your rival - amongst the Steiner-Davions - will soon not be a concern any more?"

Kelly didn't roll her eyes at her brother's thinly-veiled hint. "I have trust in Mother's decisions," she lied. "But I am aware that neither Melissa Steiner nor Hanse Davion will skimp on the security for their daughter - even more so if they realise what an asset Katherine Steiner-Davion could be."

"'Could be'?" Sun-Tzu scoffed. "It does not behove us to underestimate our enemies. The man who almost ruined our realm twenty years ago is no fool. Hanse Davion will be aware of what a boon his daughter's visions could be for his plans."

Kelly allowed herself the hint of a sneer. "That depends on whether or not my so-called rival has actually the same gift I have. We know that she has a supernatural talent for piloting a 'Mech - something I lack." She hadn't been foolish enough to reveal her skills to her family, at least.

Sun-Tzu frowned, looking puzzled, but whether or not that was merely a ploy to make her share more of her thoughts was hard to say.

In either case, Kelly nodded and went on. "I received a gift that will help our realm - and I was raised to care for our realm before anything else. The Davions praise their martial skills above all. What if this influenced her gift?" Her lips twisted into a subtle smile.

Sun-Tzus eyes widened for a moment. "You desired knowledge to guide and help the Confederation. She desired the skill to fight their enemies - in a 'Mech."

Kelly nodded again. "It is a possibility. Until we know more about my 'rival's' talents, we cannot say with any certainty. But if her talents are limited to fighting as a common soldier, then any resources her family spends on her are effectively wasted. Soldiers are replaceable."

Sun-Tzu nodded. "Indeed. What matters is knowledge and wisdom - to chart a course through treacherous waters." He smiled, but it wasn't a friendly smile.

Kelly had to talk to Alex and the others. She needed a way to warn Cat. Preferably one that wouldn't get her killed. Or Alex.

*****​

The Triad, Tharkad City, Tharkad, Federated Commonwealth, January 14th, 3050

"I can take Meriandreoxyn?" Cat gasped before she could help herself, turning to fully face her father, who was standing in the middle of her room.

"Yes." Dad nodded - he was still smiling, but she could see that her eagerness hadn't gone unnoticed. "Although you shouldn't expect too much - we've tested it with some volunteers. None of them experienced anything like you described."

They wouldn't have been in Dreamland as adults before. Cat was different. Alex wouldn't have sent her a coded message with a drug name if the drug wouldn't work. "Thank you, Dad," she said, more calmly. She couldn't help smiling, though. Finally, she would be able to see Alex and the others again! And Kelly - she was sure that Kelly was behind the drug; no one in Dreamland would have been able to test a drug like that, after all.

"You will be monitored, of course. A full medical team will be ready to intervene," her father went on.

"Of course." She didn't expect anything else. Not that it mattered - she would be able to enter Dreamland again! Kelly would be waiting for her, and Dragonslayer! All she had to… Oh. Would it be night on Sian at the same time as on Tharkad? Damn! How could she check without raising suspicion? If she told her parents that she wanted to meet the daughter of the Chancellor of the Capellan Confederation… Wait. "Where's Mum?"

"Melissa will come by a bit later," Dad said.

She narrowed her eyes at him. He was just a little… "She doesn't like this, does she?"

Dad sighed. "She agreed when I explained my reasoning."

"And what was your reasoning?" Cat kept her glare up.

"We don't want to lose you, Katherine. And…" He sighed again.

"You want to find out if I am delusional." She pressed her lips together.

He grinned at her, and, for a moment, he looked like her brother when he was caught doing something he shouldn't be doing. "Well, you have somehow, in your sleep, become a great MechWarrior. So, something happened to you that we cannot explain."

"But you don't believe in Dreamland."

"I think if children visited, they would remember," he replied.

"Do you remember your dreams?" she asked.

"Some." He smiled again, with a gentle expression.

"Or you think you remember them."

His eyebrows rose. "Did you just insinuate that memories of dreams might be made up?"

Damn! "It depends on the dreams. But Dreamland is real." She was sure of it.

"Well, if you could make contact with someone in Dreamland, someone dreaming, and they could verify it…?"

"Do you know how difficult it is to find a child from Tharkad?" She shook her head. "I can try, but finding a visitor from Tharkad on Earth in Dreamland… I guess I could ask Alex for a passage to Tharkad in Dreamland, but that will take some time."

"We're not putting you into a coma. The drug won't do that," Dad said quickly. "It shouldn't do that." He looked alarmed.

"It won't," Cat told him, hoping she was correct. "But when I go to sleep, I return to where I was when I was last in Dreamland. This would be Earth in this case."

"Earth."

"Unity City, to be exact. Well, Dreamland's Unity City. It's not quite the same."

"So I gathered."

But do you believe me? Cat didn't ask out loud. And she certainly didn't mention that she could ask Kelly to verify her claims.

"So, was Kali Liao there as well?" Dad asked, tilting his head slightly.

Cat froze for a moment. Dad's casual question didn't fool her. It was too obvious, anyway. "Yes," she said, looking straight into his eyes.

"And you've met her."

She rolled her eyes. "We were in the same regiment." Still were - she hadn't resigned her commission. "We trained together." Fought together. Lived together.

"Ah." Another far too casual comment.

She glared at him. "We're friends." There. She said it. Not that he wouldn't have already suspected it anyway.

He nodded again, without saying anything. Waiting her out? Hoping she would talk to fill the silence?

She wasn't falling for that. "So, when can I take the drug?" she asked instead with a wide smile.

He chuckled. "This evening."

"You've been ready for this for some time," she told him.

"Yes. A contingency." He grinned, suddenly looking far younger. "I knew Melissa wouldn't easily be swayed. And I had to consider the matter carefully myself. The implications, especially your friendship…"

"I can't ask Kali to confirm Dreamland's existence," she told him. "That would put her at risk." She pressed her lips together.

"From her family, you mean," Dad said.

"Yes."

"Did she tell you about them?"

"You know how old we were when we met. We both had idealised views of our families." She smiled, showing her teeth.

Once more, he chuckled. "Well, while neither Melissa nor I am perfect, I do think we have Romano Liao beat when it comes to parenting."

"Unless Uncle Justin has been lying to you for decades in his reports about the Liaos, yes," Cat agreed.

"Your friend will have spent over a year with her family by now," Dad said.

Cat rolled her eyes. That was another not-so-subtle hint. "She won't be fooled. Or brainwashed." She stared at her father until he looked away. She trusted Kelly. With her life. Always.

*****​

An hour later, Cat watched with her mother how her bedroom was getting turned into a hospital room. Or a science lab - the difference hardly mattered with the number of devices that were rolled into her room and set up by people in white cloaks. It wasn't quite as bad - or full - as at NAIS, but it came close.

Mum didn't like this. Cat could tell by the way her smile was a little too wide and how she pressed her lips together when she thought Cat wasn't looking at her. "It probably would've been easier if I had simply moved to the infirmary in the Triad for this," Cat commented.

"This is safer," Mum replied, turning to look at her. "By now, our enemies will suspect what's happening to you."

"How?" Cat asked, frowning. The Liaos might know since Kelly had been revealing some information from the Star League, and they had to know that Cat had been in a coma as well, for the same period as Kelly, but the others… "Oh. The parallels between Kali and me."

"Yes. SAFE might not have realised it, although they are not as incompetent at espionage as their reputation makes them out to be. But the ISF will not have missed the source of the Confederation's latest Lostech findings, and they will expect that you have the same knowledge as her," Mum said. She had a grim expression.

"So, I have to watch out for DEST strike teams," Cat said. "Wonderful."

"We've doubled your security," Mum told her.

"Why? I am a Steiner-Davion; I am already a target for the ISF," Cat said. She was second in line to the throne - thrones - after Victor. Not that she would mention that now.

Mum sighed. "Dear, there are certain lines we don't cross. Not rules, more… unwritten conventions. Assassinating the children of a ruler of a realm?" She shook her head. "Such an act would lead to retaliation and escalation. Everyone knows that." Sighing, she sat down on the bed, next to a prepared infusion. "But if you are seen as a source for Lostech…"

"But we've recovered Star League technology," Cat pointed out. "Technically, it's not Lostech any more."

"We've recovered parts of it. But who knows what secret laboratories have been researching that wasn't available in libraries such as the one on Helm? What technology the Hegemony was saving for their special forces? Prototypes that the SLDF didn't take with them when they left?" Mum shook her head. "You're a target now."

She wasn't asking if Cat - or Kelly - could deliver such technology. She didn't have to. Cat could draw her own conclusions. "I'm an asset of supposedly such importance, I'm fair game?"

"If they even attempt to hurt you, we'll wipe them out," Mum spat.

That was bad. That was very bad. With the Horde invasion about to happen, the last thing the Inner Sphere could afford was a war between the Federated Commonwealth and the Combine. Or the Confederation. And… Cat stifled a gasp. If she was a semi-legitimate target, then so was Kelly! She looked at Mum, who was staring at the monitors being set up along the wall. Would Mum send assassins after Kelly? To deny the Confederation such secret technology that she had mentioned? Would Dad?

She bit her lower lip. No, they couldn't. They wouldn't. Dad had all but confirmed that he knew that Kelly was her friend.

But a small voice in the back of her head whispered: 'Yes, they would.' She didn't trust the voice - her parents were better than that; she knew that - but she couldn't trust Kelly's life on that. 'And what about the other Liaos?' the same voice asked. 'Would they kill Kelly to save their own realm?'

Not Kai. But his father was Dad's spymaster - and had been one of the main reasons for the Capellans' defeat in the Fourth Succession War. And his mother was Romano Liao's sister. The daughter of Max Liao. She had grown up on Sian, in the court.

No, Kelly was in as much - or more - danger than Cat was. And worse, if either got hurt, no matter who did it, war would likely break out. A war that would only help the Nightmare Horde.

Damn.

Cat could only hope that the drug would work and she could enter Dreamland. She needed help to find a solution to this before everyone was doomed.

But for now, she could only wait, hug her Mum, and hope no one would suspect what she was thinking.

*****​

When the sun was setting, everything was ready. Cat had a light dinner - no one made the obvious 'last meal' joke - and then got ready for bed. She had almost asked for a combat uniform to sleep in but had remembered that appearing in an AFFC uniform in Unity City wouldn't be a good idea. Kids appearing in the city, or even the palace, was one thing people were used to. Adults in unfamiliar uniforms? That would trigger a different response from the royal guards.

So she was wearing her usual top and shorts. 'Mechwarrior pyjamas', Kelly called it. Cat smiled - her friend preferred silk.

Wearing this also made it easier to glue all the sensors on her skin on which the horde of doctors and medics insisted. "I should just be wearing a neurohelmet," she muttered as a third sensor was glued to her temple.

"That was actually suggested, your highness," the medic fiddling with it told her. "But these sensors will gather more data."

Cat sighed and glanced at the tray in the corner, where the drug waited. Not much longer now.

"Katherine…" Mum blinked, Cat saw, holding back tears.

"It'll be OK," Cat told her.

"We know," Dad lied. He looked as if he had second thoughts himself.

Well, Cat knew better. This would work. This had to work.

"Everything checks out," another medic reported. "We're set, Your Highness."

Mum nodded, and another medic - no, a doctor - brought the tray over. A glass of water and a pill. Sealed.

Cat broke the seal and popped the pill into her mouth without hesitation, then grabbed the glass, swallowing it with a gulp of water.

Then she lied back down, closing her eyes. And waiting. Waiting to…

*****​

Unity Field, Unity City, Dreamland, January 14th, 3050

Cat blinked. She wasn't in her bed any more. She was standing … She looked around, and her eyes widened. She knew this field - Unity Field. She was in Dreamland! She could see the Royal Palace in the distance, overlooking the area, Unity City sprawling around it, the field itself, 'Mechs moving too far away to identify them, the faint silhouettes of dropships waiting to lift off. She could feel the grass under her feet, smell the clean air, feel the sun on her skin… She was back.

In front of her, a little boy appeared out of thin air, wearing colourful pyjamas with the ComStar logo on them. He looked around, smiling widely. "Hey, Miss!"

She returned the smile. "Yes?"

"Where's the Rainbow dropship?"

Cat blinked. "I don't know, sorry."

"Aw. My friends are waiting for me there. Well, I'll head towards starport!" He quickly moved to the electrobikes lined up at the edge of the field. Before he reached them, another little boy and a little girl appeared, also quickly heading to the bikes.

A little later, all three were off, squealing with joy as they rode the vehicles over the field. "Probably future mechanised infantry," Cat muttered as she eyed the bikes. They were far too small for her to use herself.

It looked like she would have to walk to the Royal Palace. Well, she wouldn't let that stop her.

*****​

Royal Palace, Unity City, Dreamland, January 14th, 3050

"Cat!" "Cat!" "Hey!" "Caaaat!"

Alex and the others intercepted Cat halfway on the way to her and Kelly's quarters in the palace, and Cat found herself swept off her feet and swung around by Alex before she could say anything, followed by Kiwi landing on her head and all but burrowing into her tousled hair.

At least Felicity and Nastajia greeted her less physically if still smiling widely.

"Took you long enough!" Felicity said, flashing her fangs. "Alex was all set to storm New Avalon."

"I was not!" Alex protested from somewhere around Cat's navel. He set her down and said: "I was just wondering what we could do if my plan had failed."

"Well, obviously, it has worked," Nastajia said. "Kelly will be very happy."

Cat turned to glance down the hallway.

"She usually appears in about an hour," Nastajia told her. "You've got plenty of time to freshen up."

"I think she's dressed perfectly fine for their reunion," Felicity commented with a smirk.

Cat refused to blush. Everyone knew about their relationship - well, everyone in Dreamland. Or at least everyone in the Royal Palace. "Yes, your plan worked. But…" She sighed. "I had to tell Dad about Dreamland, so I wouldn't get locked up in an asylum."

"Ah." Alex grew serious. "Well, it's not the first time this happened." He fingered the code key dangling from his necklace. "It's not as if any adults could enter Dreamland."

"I think Kelly's presence, and now Cat's, has disproven that," Nastajia pointed out.

"They both were sleepwalkers," Alex retorted. "Almost residents."

"Dad had the drug tested with volunteers. They didn't enter Dreamland - or so he claims," Cat told them.

"See?" Alex smiled at them.

Nastajia rolled her eyes and sighed. "I'll still put security on alert."

"Of course, Nat." Alex smiled at her, but she only snorted in return.

"So… I'm going to shower and dress appropriately," Cat told them. "Alone!" she added when Kiwi didn't show any desire to leave her head.

"Don't mind me!" the faery told her.

"Do you want to get all wet? And soapy? I'm using grown-up shampoo," Cat added. "It burns in the eyes."

"But…" Kiwi left her hair, flew in front of Cat's face and pouted. "I've been missing you for so long!"

"And so has Kelly," Felicity said.

"Oh!"

Cat smiled almost against her will. Kelly! In an hour, she'd see Kelly again. Hear her voice, Touch her skin, Smell her. Kiss her…

"That shower better be cold," Felicity said with a giggle.

"Felicity!" Nastajia scolded her.

"What? As if you wouldn't do the same if you saw Alex after having been separated for more than a year!"

Nastajia blinked, then blushed a little. "That's beside the point."

But Alex wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "Come on, Nastajia! We'll talk to them in two hours."

Cat blushed again as both Felicity and Kiwi snickered. They were standing in the middle of the hallway! Alex' bodyguards acted as if they didn't hear anything, but she knew better.

"See you later," she managed and headed to her and Kelly's quarters.

Once inside her room, she closed the door and leaned against it, taking a deep breath. Her bedroom hadn't changed at all. It was clean, but nothing was out of place - it was as if she had just left a moment ago.

After a moment of hesitation, she entered Kelly's bedroom. Oh. She could smell a lingering trace of Kelly's favourite perfume. And the room had changed a little. Different lotion on the dresser. A different brush as well.

She picked it up, noticing a few loose, dark hairs wrapped around it. Kelly's hair.

She resisted the sudden urge to check the armoire. She had jogged a few miles; she really needed a shower. Nodding, she headed to her bathroom.

*****​

Royal Palace, Unity City, Dreamland, January 14th, 3050

Someone was taking a shower in the bathroom next door, Kelly realised when she woke up in her bed in the Royal Palace. She had rolled out of the bed and grabbed her service pistol from the nightstand before she blinked. She wasn't in her mother's palace on Sian - she was in Dreamland. She didn't have to fear assassins here. And what assassin would take a shower? Though as a distraction…

But the shower was in Cat's room. Her eyes widened, and she hurried to the door - which wasn't closed. Someone had been in her room. Once more, she was filled with dread for a moment before she told herself again that this was Dreamland, not Sian. If anyone was taking a shower in Cat's bathroom, it would be…

She licked her lips and pushed the door open, checking the room before stepping inside. No one was present, and nothing had changed since her last visit. She couldn't see any clothes strewn around on the way to the bathroom, either. Then again, even Cat wouldn't sleep in full uniform - she didn't even like the silk Pyjamas Kelly preferred.

Just as Kelly was about to approach the bathroom door - it was half-open as well - the noise from the shower stopped, replaced by footsteps and some sighing. Kelly froze.

Then a figure appeared in the doorway to the bathroom, a towel slung around her and another on her head, trying to dry her wet mane.

Even without seeing the girl's face, Kelly recognised her. Would've recognised her even in a jumpsuit. "Cat…" she breathed.

Cat froze, and the towel on her head fell off. "Kelly…"

Kelly threw the pistol on Cat's bed and rushed forward, arms wide open. "Cat!"

"Kelly!"

She embraced her friend, hugging her as hard as she could. Cat was back! In Dreamland! She had hoped, but to see her for real, to hold her, feel her… "You made it," she whispered.

"Was there ever any doubt?" Cat laughed.

Normally, Kelly would have had some snarky comment about this boast. Or a slender elbow to her lover's ribs. But she hadn't seen Cat for over a year.

So she kissed her instead.

The second towel joined the first on the floor. The pistol dug into Kelly's thigh when they ended up on the bed, and she had to twist her body to push off the sheets. Her pyjamas got damaged somehow and also dropped to the floor.

And they both needed a shower afterwards.

Kelly didn't mind. Not at all.

*****​

Alex, Felicity and even Nastajia were grinning when Kelly entered Alex's suite. Kiwi flew over, landed on Cat's head and tried to bury into her hair.

"Took you longer than I thought," Felicity commented. "It's been a long year, huh?"

"Felicity!" Nastajia snapped.

"Just saying!"

"Your hair's still wet!" Kiwi piped up.

"Come, sit down!" Alex said. "We have to celebrate this reunion!"

"More than they already did?"

"Felicity!"

Kelly shook her head as she sat down on the couch, Cat joining her. They both wore their dress uniforms. Kelly knew that Cat wanted to take Dragonslayer out for a stroll, but this was more important.

She cleared her throat. "We have things to discuss. Important things. My family is planning to have Cat assassinated."

Alex gasped, but Nastajia didn't seem to be surprised. Neither was Cat - Kelly could tell.

"And I've had to tell Mum and Dad about Dreamland," her lover added. "And they know that I know Kelly."

"Which means they won't trust you," Kelly said. No one trusted her family, and with good reason.

Cat shrugged. "You're also in danger. As I heard from Dad, we both count now as important military assets, so taking us out is fair game."

That was only logical. Kelly nodded. "In my attempts to prove my worth enough so I would be able to test drugs to return to Dreamland, I shared enough information about the SLDF to add more than a company of SLDF 'Mechs to my mother's forces."

"You had to, or she would have never let you attempt to come back," Alex said with a smile.

"And a company's worth of 'Mechs, even if they were Assault 'Mechs, won't affect the balance of power in the Inner Sphere," Cat said. Kelly saw her blink. "Uh, were they Assault 'Mechs?"

Kelly shook her head. "No. Twelve Hussars. Standard model."

"Ah!" Cat nodded. "The misfiled scout company!"

They had heard of that story during training - replacement 'Mechs for an entire scout company, lost in transit shortly before the Exodus. Forgotten by everyone, except for Dreamland's SLDF.

"Yes," Nastajia said, pursing her lips. "But as Cat said, they don't really matter. You matter. And you both are in danger."

"Yes. If your parents don't trust Kelly's family, they might cut you off from the drug you need to enter Dreamland," Felicity commented.

Kelly felt Cat tense at that. "I won't let them," her lover said through clenched teeth.

"I think you overestimate your influence on your parents," Nastajia said what Kelly was thinking.

"No. I mean, I won't stay with them," Cat said. "I can't stay with them. If anything happens to me, Kelly's mother will get the blame, and we'll go to war - and that with the Nightmare Horde about to invade the Inner Sphere!"

Kelly's eyes widened. "So, it's true - the Nightmare Horde is attacking outside Dreamland."

Cat nodded. "I've seen reports with their 'Mechs, but no one believes me that those aren't crappy Frankenmechs from the Periphery."

"What are the chances that they can strike straight at Terra, as they did here?" Alex asked, leaning forward.

"If they could, they would have done so already," Cat said. "They wouldn't deal with Periphery pirates for months."

Kelly nodded. Supplies and travel worked differently in Dreamland. Most children didn't understand travel times. And most of them who did didn't like them. "They will have to invade from the Periphery."

"Where my brother's stationed," Cat added. "We need to do something about that."

"Once the Nightmare Horde attacks the Federated Commonwealth, your parents will know you've told them the truth," Alex said.

"And they'll keep me from doing anything about it. And the other realms will consider me an even more important target," Cat said. She shook her head. "I'm an officer and 'MechWarrior, not some intel analysis weenie!"

"You want to fight them," Nastajia said.

"I can tell my parents all I know about the Nightmare Horde in an afternoon," Cat claimed.

That was hyperbole, in Kelly's opinion. They had fought the Horde for years, after all. But there would be differences between the Horde in Dreamland and in the Inner Sphere. And Cat was correct in that their knowledge about the invaders wouldn't be very valuable after the first few battles. And she was also correct in that their families wouldn't let them fight.

And both of them wanted to fight the Horde. They were officers and MechWariors, after all. Not to mention that they couldn't be together unless they ran away together. Their families wouldn't let them.

"So, we need to get both of you away from your families. Who happen to be the rulers of two Successor States - both amongst the most powerful families in the Inner Sphere," Felicity said with a wide grin. "That sounds like a challenge, even for me!"

*****​

"So, to sum it up," Alex said about an hour later, "You need a way out of your families respective palaces, a way off the planet, and a way out of the system." He nodded.

"Yes," Kelly said. She was too polite to mention that this had been said many times already.

"We've told you that already." Cat wasn't.

"Yes, yes." Alex nodded. "So, getting out of the palace shouldn't be too much of a problem. I'll lend you my key, and you can wake up in a suit of Nighthawk. Go stealth and leave, just as I did."

Kelly kept smiling. "You were not watched over and guarded by some of the most skilled and motivated security details."

"And you didn't have to get off Terra," Cat added. "We can't exactly sneak on board of a dropship - the moment we vanish, they'll halt all traffic."

Kelly nodded. Mother would do so without regard for the economic consequences.

"Yes. Mum and Dad wouldn't let anyone leave the planet until I am found," Cat said.

"Would they? And how long would they keep it up?" Alex looked at both of them.

"And how would you expect us to get off the planet once traffic resumes?" Cat asked.

"At least on Sian, they would keep searching every dropship before departure," Kelly added.

Alex grinned. "But they won't find you. Because you won't be there."

Oh! Kelly's eyes widened. That was… Well, it would still be dangerous, but not impossible. Not by a long shot. She glanced at Cat.

Her friend nodded with a grin. Well, she had always been more fond of dangerous plans than Kelly.

"Of course, we have to make preparations so you will have the means to actually fight the Horde once you're clear," Alex said. "I have a few ideas about that, but I'll have to get involved myself."

Nastajia groaned, and Felicity snickered.

*****​

The Triad, Tharkad City, Tharkad, Federated Commonwealth, January 15th, 3050

Cat woke up in her room in the Triad with a smile. She'd been back in Dreamland. She had met Kelly again! And she…

…caused a ruckus? She heard beeping and shouting and screeching. She opened her eyes. Right. She had gone to sleep in her room, which had been turned into a mixture of emergency treatment unit and research lab.

"Katherine!"

And there came Mum. Cat blinked. Mum looked… like she hadn't slept at all. But it was morning. "What happened, Mum?" she asked.

"You…" Mum shook her head. "You looked like when you were in a coma. And your brain's reactions were the same."

"Oh." That was… bad. Mum must have been so afraid.

"I was so worried…" Mum hugged her. Hard.

"Actually, this reaction was well within the expected parameters," someone said in the background.

"Shut up, Kurt!"

"But…"

"Shut up!"

"I'm fine," Cat told Mum. "I dreamed." She glanced at the scientists and medics crowding the room. She wouldn't tell them about Dreamland. And not just because this was classified. Dreamland was hers. Her home.

She blinked, still holding Mum. Dreamland was her home. Not Tharkad or New Avalon.

Oh.

"So…" Mum released her and turned to face the people in the room. "Are you done?" She didn't look upset any more - she looked composed and stern.

"Err… there are a few more scans we should take…"

"Shut up, Kurt!"

"We are done for the time being, Archon." A woman bowed. "It will take us time to analyse all the data."

"Good. Then my daughter and I will retire for a quiet breakfast," Mum said.

And a debriefing, or even an interrogation, Cat was sure of that as she went into the bathroom to get a shower.

And indeed, twenty minutes later, Dad was waiting in the small dining room in Mum's quarters here. He didn't… yes, he looked like he hadn't slept well or long either, Cat noticed as she went to hug him. "Morning, Dad."

"Morning, Katherine. Did you have pleasant dreams?"

Yes, definitely more tired than usual, Cat thought as Mum glared at Dad - he usually was much smoother.

"Yes," she said, grabbing the pot of coffee. "I entered Dreamland. I met my friends."

"Ah." Her parents exchanged a glance. "And who were your friends?"

Cat didn't roll her eyes. "Alex - Alexander Cameron. First Lord of the Star League. Nastajia Ashenheart, Commander of the First Royals. Kiwi. And Kelly."

"Kelly would be Kali Liao, then?" Dad wasn't asking.

"Yes, as you know," Cat replied - a little more sharply than she had intended.

"Ah."

This time, she rolled her eyes. "Yes, I'm friends with Kali Liao." More than friends, but if she told her parents that, she'd probably be imprisoned in a monastery. The only thing that would get a worse reaction would be Cat claiming to have fallen for Hohiro Kurita.

"The Liaos have a certain reputation for a reason," Dad said.

"Like Candace and Justin Liao? Or Kai?" Cat shot back. "I grew up with Kali. She's spent ten years with me in Dreamland." She pressed her lips together to stop herself from revealing too much.

"Dreamland." Mum nodded as she took a sip from her cup. "Did you hear anything in Dreamland?"

"You mean: Do I have proof that I visited an actual realm and didn't just imagine it with my psychic powers?" Cat snorted. "I told you that finding a child from Tharkad is difficult. I didn't find one - traditionally, children are left to roam."

"And recruited into the army," Dad commented.

"No," Cat objected. "That doesn't happen. Kelly and I were special cases." No need to mention how they had managed to stumble into their first battle.

"Very special, since we've found no one else who has experienced a similar thing - and we've been searching every archive in the Federated Commonwealth," Dad said.

"Yes. Cases such as ours are very rare." Cat grabbed another bread roll. "And we're the first who managed to return to Dreamland after waking up - most who stay in Dreamland stay until their death without waking up."

Dad made a noise that could have been both agreement or disagreement.

Mum cleared her throat. "We're aware that it's very hard to prove that this Dreamland exists."

"Yes." Cat clenched her teeth as she prepared a ham sandwich. "Even if I could prove that I am in contact with Kelly without endangering her life, that wouldn't prove that Dreamland is real."

The expressions of her parents were answer enough. She sighed. "What can I do to prove to you that I'm not delusional? The location of lost SLDF caches? Will you be convinced once the Horde invasion starts?"

"Well, a couple of SLDF 'Mechs would certainly come in handy if we're invaded by a Horde of Lostech 'Mechs," Dad tried to joke.

Cat glared at him, as did Mum. She knew something that would prove Dreamland's existence to them - but if she did it, she would lose any hope of slipping out of the Triad and joining Kelly in this realm. "I'll see what I can do," she said and then focused on eating her sandwich.

At least it wouldn't take too long before they could implement their plans. And she was on Tharkad and not on new Avalon.

*****​

Unity Field, Unity City, Dreamland, January 16th, 3050

Kelly heard Cat scream behind her and whirled around - just in time to see Cat faceplant into the ground, splattering mud everywhere. She shook her head as she approached her friend, reaching out to help her up.

"I want working jump jets!" Cat complained as she gripped Kelly's armoured glove.

"No, you do not," Kelly told her. "Not at this part of our training."

"I know how to use them! Dragonslayer has jumpjets as well!"

Kelly rolled her eyes behind her faceplate. "There's a difference between piloting a jump-capable 'Mech and a suit of power armour."

"Yes, the power armour sucks!" Cat shook her head, trying to clear the mud from her faceplate before starting to wipe it off - or smear it across her armour. "I should…"

"What are you doing? Get moving! You can rest when you're dead!" the sound of Sergeant Gillian McKenzie rang in their ears - the non-commissioned officer training them had a radio override.

"Yes, Sergeant!" Kelly snapped, turning around.

"Yes, Sergeant!" Cat would add some expletives under her breath, Kelly knew, but she got moving as well - to the next part of the obstacle course of the First Royals' base. The pool.

Or, as Cat called it, 'the maelstrom of death'.

It wasn't deep. Nor was there a current in the pool. But it was wide - wide enough so they couldn't just jump over it. Not without jets, and those were disabled on their Nighthawks until further notice.

No, what made this obstacle so tricky was the combination of a shoulder-deep pool and a moving floor. Supposedly, it taught you how to handle rough terrain without risking damage to your suit.

Cat insisted it taught you how to drown in power armour. Kelly couldn't, not with good conscience, contradict her. She was in the lead, so she jumped into the pool - and her armoured boots slipped as soon as she hit the ground. She tried to compensate, but the water hindered her, and she started to tilt forward, her leg too slow to regain her balance, and…

A hand grabbed her shoulder, pulling her back. Cat! "Thank you!"

"Sure thing. Didn't you learn not to jump into murky water as a child?" Cat asked. "You need to climb into the pool."

Kelly knew that, but they had lost enough time, and she wasn't looking forward to being called out for slowness as well as ineptitude. Sergeant McKenzie was an Infantry NCO and probably loved to take down Mechwarriors. "I'll remember th…"

Cat yelping and flailing interrupted her - her friend had slipped as well. Kelly moved forward, but Cat's arm hit her side and sent her reeling as well. She took a step back… and slipped.

And both sank to the ground in the murky pool. Great. Another death flag.

"Why are we doing this, anyway?" Cat complained again when they had finally managed to climb out of the pool. "We should just get stealth suits!"

"Try to tell Nastajia that," Kelly suggested as she started a light jog towards the next obstacle.

"Ugh, no thanks." Nastajia had made her opinion of what was the minimum amount of body armour that she considered acceptable for their plan quite clear. Probably because Alex would be using it as well.

And, to be fair, Kelly was fine with that. The suit could withstand heavy machine guns - for a time only, of course. And that meant she wouldn't even notice most small arms fire. In a pinch, this could be the difference between success and death.

Even though the training regime was far harsher than the academy had been. Not that she'd ever admit that where an infantrywoman could hear it - she was a Mechwarrior, after all.

*****​

Royal Palace, Unity City, Dreamland, January 16th, 3050

"Ow!"

Stepping out of the bathroom, Kelly rolled her eyes at her friend - they were in the privacy of their quarters. "You pressed for that last round."

"So we'd qualify and could stop doing this. Ow." Cat, lying on Kelly's bed, wet hair splayed over the silk cushions, moaned again.

Which they hadn't. Kelly shook her head, then winced when the muscles in her neck protested. She had overdone it as well. At least she had fewer bruises than Cat - she hadn't been quite as enthusiastic as her friend. Still… She sighed. "Well, let me check you out." She walked over and sat down on the bed, running a hand over Cat's back. "Yes, tense is an understatement," muttered.

"I'm battered and bruised," Cat replied - mostly talking into the cushion. "A bit of tension is nothing."

Kelly used her thumb to dig into one muscle.

"Ow!"

"Yes, you need a massage." Before Cat could answer, Kelly straddled her legs and started working the tension out of her back. "I'll expect you to return the favour."

"You know I'm not as good at massage as you areOW! Ah!" Cat sighed.

"Do your best." Which usually was good enough, Kelly knew.

Besides, they'd release more tension after this, in other ways.

"Ow! How are you doing with your family?" Cat asked.

"Fine."

"Really?"

Kelly sighed. "I might have to give up another cache so my mother won't be overly influenced by my brother."

"What's left?"

"A Leopard which went missing checking out a former Hegemony planet. Full lance on board," Kelly told her, working on her neck muscles now.

"Oh, that one - the one on the ice planet?"

"Yes." They had recovered that one in Dreamland. Which meant that children had seen it and had been dreaming about it before the last dome on the planet was breached, and the world turned into an ice ball devoid of life.

For a moment, neither of the two said anything as Kelly finished her massage.

Then she nudged Cat. "Come on, your turn."

Cat groaned but rolled over, and Kelly lay down in her spot. Her back needed a massage as well, after all.

*****​

The Triad, Tharkad City, Tharkad, Federated Commonwealth, February 20th, 3050

"You're barely eating," Mum said, frowning as she put down her fork and looked at Cat. "Is something wrong with the food?"

"No, no, I'm just… distracted," Cat replied. By the fact that tonight she'd flee the Triad. Or tomorrow, depending on how the timing worked out. Not that she could say that.

Mum sighed, then straightened. "Do you miss your father and your siblings?"

She did, but not enough to abandon her plans. Not as much as she missed Kelly and Dragonslayer. She bit her lower lip to distract herself from the guilt she felt. Her flight would hurt her family. But she had no choice.

"You could have travelled with them to New Avalon." Mum smiled. "I was tempted, but… I'm the Archon."

"I know," Cat replied. But Tharkad was closer to Solaris than New Avalon. And If she disappeared on New Avalon, any jumpships going towards the Confederation would be scrutinised far more than any others. Tharkad, though, and the Lyran half of the Federated Commonwealth, had too much traffic for that. "It's not that."

"What is bothering you?"

"The Horde," Cat said. Technically, it wasn't a lie - she was worried about the Horde as well. "They're out there, preparing an invasion. I know it." They had found too many children with dreams of the Horde 'Mechs.

"Well…" Mum's smile changed a little. "We've sent more scouts out, but they haven't reported in yet."

"Like the Kell Hounds' Third Battalion," Cat grumbled.

Mum sighed once more. "We can't move regiments to the border to the periphery on a hunch, Katherine."

She knew that as well. "It's not a hunch. It's an educated guess based upon trusted intel."

Mum didn't object, but Cat knew that she didn't believe her. "And if we shifted more forces towards the Periphery, Rasalhague would assume we're planning an invasion, which might drive them into the arms of the Combine. Which would reinforce their borders as well."

"I know." And if everyone mobilised and shifted forces, that would only help once the invasion hit. But Mum and Dad wouldn't move enough troops, so what regiments they did move - split up to look for the Kell Hounds - would get destroyed in detail.

Mum slightly shook her head, still smiling. "And how goes your training?"

Cat rolled her eyes. That was too patronising. "Very well. If you'd let me pilot a Victor, I would show it to you." That was a lie - she hadn't been training nearly as much in her 'Mech as she had trained to pilot - to wear and operate - a Nighthawk.

"That would draw too much attention."

Cat shrugged. She was already marked for death. Another reason to flee - she would stop endangering her family and her security detail. Still, leaving Mum, leaving her family… They would be hurt. And worry.

But she had no choice. She couldn't stay. The longer she stayed, the worse her situation would become. Kelly was under even more pressure, what with her brother and mother.

And Alex had used another of his Star League legacy assets on Terra to set this up; he didn't have unlimited numbers of those, and with everyone he used, ComStar gained more information.

No, it would have to be today. Tonight. She smiled at Mum. "I'm sorry for…" She shrugged again, guilt filling her.

"I know you're concerned, Katherine, but Hanse and I have the situation in hand. And even if the invasion starts tomorrow, we'll counter it."

You'll try, Cat thought. Try and fail because you don't know the enemy. And because you don't trust me and my 'intel'.

But if she vanished tonight, then her parents would finally have proof that Dreamland existed.

Another reason to leave her family. One of several.

And yet she couldn't help feeling guilty for what she would be doing to her family.

Tonight.

*****​

Forbidden City, Sian, Capellan Confederation, February 20th, 3050

"Do you like the curry?" Mother tilted her head slightly.

"It's delicious, Mother. My compliments to the chef," Kelly replied.

"It's a little too hot," Sun-Tzu complained at once.

Kelly glanced at him - her brother was frowning with just a hint of a sneer. As usual. If she had claimed the curry was too hot, he would have argued that it was perfect. Anything to needle her. And the worst was that she couldn't tell whether he was merely being childishly contrarian or if this was part of his plan to make her lose Mother's trust. Or a distraction so she wouldn't see his real attempt coming.

Whatever it was, she would not show any reaction or weakness. Not that it would matter much anyway - soon, she would be out of the palace. Free. Free of her family. "Maybe you are a little too sensitive for the dish," she said, tilting her head the same way Mother did.

He narrowed his eyes at her as if she had called him stupid or unfit. Well, anyone as petty as he was would be unfit for the throne, in her opinion. Not that her opinion mattered since she wasn't about to fight her brother for the Chancellorship. She had no intention to take the throne - she was an officer in the SLDF, not a politician.

"Children…"

She inclined her head towards her Mother. "I am sorry, Mother. I meant no offence."

Sun-Tzu managed a decent facade of being contrite as well. It didn't fool her, and it wouldn't fool Mother, but appearances had been upheld.

She finished her curry, and a servant silently took the plate away.

Mother was still in a good mood - Kelly had done well to drag out her latest - and, so she hoped, last - revelation of Lostech. The four SLDF 'Mechs hadn't been anything extraordinary, but a dropship, even just a Leopard one, to be salvaged was different.

But she could tell that her mother expected more of her. And Kelly dreaded what would happen if she ran out of caches to 'find'. Or found out that Alex's information was outdated.

No, leaving her family, leaving the Confederation, was the best course of action for her. To stay would only doom her.

*****​

The Triad, Tharkad City, Tharkad, Federated Commonwealth, February 20th, 3050

When Cat opened her eyes, alarms started to go off. Medical ones at first as the sensors placed on her when she had gone to bed had suddenly vanished, but by the time she had rolled off the bed - ripping through the sheets in her Nighthawk suit and shredding the mattress - the other alerts started as well. The ones for armed intruders. It looked like her security detail was quick on the draw. She had expected that - her parents wouldn't have trusted her security to incompetents.

And she and her friends had planned for that. She rushed to the window, grabbing the shaped charge dangling from her hip with her free hand and slapping it against the window's frame.

She pivoted and stepped aside, Alex' code key shifting over her chest where it dangled from a chain around her neck. Her armoured boots crushed the wooden floor. As soon as she was pressed against the wall, about a meter away, she flicked the detonator.

The explosion filled her bedroom with smoke and splinters and left the armoured glass shattered and the window hanging from a single hinge. She grabbed the edge with her free hand and ripped it off.

"Freeze!"

Four guards appeared in the doorframe, weapons aimed at her. Submachine guns and carbines, Cat noted a moment before she triggered her jumpjets and flew through the broken window, sailing over the wall outside and landing in the snow of the inner courtyard.

Alerts were now going off everywhere. And Cat couldn't count on the guards outside holding their fire - few would suspect it was her in the powered armour. They would only see a DEST trooper or a Death Commando.

She triggered the stealth system and started running, the route she had programmed into her systems appearing on the HUD inside her helmet. Behind the next wall, she could see the upper half of a Zeus moving, followed by a Rifleman. They weren't supposed to be able to detect a Nighthawk, but nothing was ever certain - she didn't know what kind of upgrades NAIS had come up with since they had rediscovered Lostech. If they had built sensors that beat the old SLDF standard…

She approached the wall and jumped without jets, but she had miscalculated and didn't reach the top. Just like on the obstacle course.

She cursed as she hit the ground, rolling and getting up again. Soldiers burst through a door nearby, sprinting in her direction. They wouldn't miss the tracks on the ground.

She cursed again and hit her jumpjets once more. The first shots rang out before she had cleared the wall, but none hit her. The Rifleman turned towards her, the big sensor dish on top of the 'Mech rotating, but she landed behind the Zeus, so the 'Mech couldn't fire at her.

By the time the Zeus had turned to aim at her, and the Rifleman had stepped to the side, she had vanished around the corner.

"Note to myself, the latest Anti-Air 'Mechs can detect jumping Nighthawks," she muttered.

"There she is!"

And the stealth system didn't do anything to hide the tracks the heavy armour left in the soft soil. She had to get on the road.

And a few more walls to clear for that. Great.

At least the hours and hours of frustrating and humiliating training hadn't been wasted. She jumped once, landing on a guardhouse, then jumped to clear the 'Mech-sized wall.

Halfway to the top, the guardhouse and wall were hit with laser and autocannon fire - the Rifleman had detected her again. She clenched her teeth and rolled over the top, down the other side, just before an LRM salvo turned the entire wall into a cloud of splinters and smoke.

Someone would get a reprimand!

But now she was on a 'Mech rated road! No more tracks!

She started running down the road. Another 'Mech - another Zeus - was standing guard at the gate before her, but he didn't react to her - none of the weapons moved to track her.

But the gate was closed. And if she used her jumpjets, the 'Mech's sensors would likely notice. Or the damn Rifleman would track her again.

She scoffed and eyed the gate. Then the wall next to it.

And then the Zeus.

It was stupid. Very stupid.

On the other hand, the 'Mech was far easier to climb than the wall. And with a bit of luck, the Mechwarrior would not even notice.

She stepped onto the Zeus's foot and jumped, without jets, to grab onto the ankle joint's armour. Then the knee. And the hip… she slipped, dangling from the hip with just one hand holding fast.

But she managed to pull herself up. And climb on. Shoulders. Still no shells flying towards her. And the top of the wall was in reach now.

Provided she could make the run across the 'Mech's arm and jump off the LRM-15 at the end of it.

She took a deep breath, then started running.

And slipped.

Cursing, she managed to hit her jumpjets before she hit the ground, then soared up, past the jerking 'Mech, and over the wall.

She landed harder than she should've managed with her jumpjets and started running again - first down the road, then to the left, an alternative route appearing on her HUD.

This would take a while.

*****​

Royal Palace, Unity City, Dreamland, January 21st, 3050

Cat was late. She should've been back already, Kelly thought, staring at her friend's bed. It had been hours. Something must have happened. Maybe she hadn't managed to escape her quarters on Tharkad. Or her guards had been prepared for power armour for some reason - a child could have remembered a dream with Nighthawks. Or… Kelly drew a breath through clenched teeth at the thought. She might have been stopped by a Battlemech. Even the smallest weapons on a 'Mech would be more than enough to kill Cat in the armour. She got up and started to pace.

"We're still perfectly within the expected time range for the mission," Felicity said. The catwoman was sprawled on the thick carpet near the door, a half-eaten slice of cake on a plate next to her notepad.

Kelly frowned at her. "I am aware of that."

"And I'm aware that you're fretting."

Of course she would see through Kelly's act. Sighing, she sat down again. "I'm worried. This is a dangerous mission."

"Don't let Nastajia hear that; she's been saying that for weeks."

Kelly was aware of that as well. "It's too late to change anything," she said. "We have to do it today." The Maskirovka assets on Tharkad would quickly hear of an incident at the Triad and pass the news on to Sian. And Mother would, even if she didn't suspect Kelly's complicity, increase the security around her in case someone tried to kill her.

"Yes." Felicity rolled on her back and stretched. She was wearing a top and shorts, not an undersuit like Kelly was wearing. But then, Kelly wouldn't have to wear a Nighthawk suit as soon as Cat returned.

"Don't scratch the carpet," Kelly said as she glanced at the armour suit in the corner, ready to be worn. She could put it on already - it would save some time… But it would also tire her out. Right before it was her turn to escape her family.

Felicity snorted. "I only do that in Nastajia's room." She flexed her claws on both hands and feet.

"She wouldn't be happy to learn that."

"She knows." Felicity giggled.

Kelly shook her head. The rivalry between Felicity and Nastajia still baffled her. Each woman would die for the other. And yet they quarrelled like… Well, like rivals. She'd heard that they had been both fallen in love with Alex, but Alex had been, as long as Kelly had known him, together with Nastajia, so that should have been settled long ago as well. To keep quarrelling like this… It wasn't very seemly.

And yet she would vastly prefer to have a similar relationship with her brother than the polite but almost certainly deadly rivalry that Sun-Tzu had developed with her. She sighed again.

"Cheer up! Cat will be here very…"

The creaking of the bed interrupted Felicity, and Kelly gasped when, from one second to the other, a suit of Nighthawk armour appeared on Cat's bed. A suit with scratches and even scorch marks on it! "Cat!"

"I'm OK!" Cat replied at once, opening the faceplate of her armour. "Everything went as planned! I got out, lost pursuit and sneaked onto the dropship Alex hired."

Kelly narrowed her eyes at her friend. "And I suppose the scratches were when you slipped on ice and fell down? And the scorch mark was when you dropped a lighter?"

Cat's smile grew a little wider. "The scratches are from climbing walls and Battlemechs. The scorch marks are just backlash from the jumpjets." She pulled her helmet off and reached into her collar. A tug later, she held Alex's code key out to Kelly. "Here."

The scorch marks were a bit too high on her suit to be normal backlash. Unless Cat had triggered them in a shaft or something. But that could be sorted out later.

Kelly took the code key and slipped the thin chain fastened to it over her head. "Thanks."

For a moment, they stared at each other. Then Kelly leaned forward, placing both hands on Cat's chestplate, and kissed her.

"I'll return soon," she whispered when she pulled back.

"Be safe," Cat replied.

Kelly nodded and went over to her suit of armour, slipping the code key under her bodysuit.

Felicity was already there, ready to help her put it on. By the time she was grabbing her helmet, Cat had shed her own suit and stood in front of her.

They kissed again. Then Kelly lay down on the bed, which creaked once more, and took the first sleeping pill from the medical dispenser mounted in her helmet.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath…

…and opened her eyes to sirens and screams in her bedroom on Sian.

*****​

Forbidden City, Sian, Capellan Confederation, February 20th, 3050

Kelly jumped up, wrecking the silk sheets of her bedroom, and raced towards the door - the 'window' was actually a screen linked to a camera outside; Mother hadn't skimped on her security.

Two guards with SMGs were already firing at her, almost hitting the screaming servant fleeing from her. Kelly moved like she had trained, smashing her armoured fists into their faces. She got only one, the other dodged her strike, but she didn't stop and kept running.

The servant was sent spinning into the wall next to the door by her shoulder, hopefully out of the line of fire of the other guards. Not that she could do anything about it now - she was past the point of no return.

She managed to slip through the doorway before the armoured door could close and entered the hallway outside. Dashing to the right, she took a turn and ran towards the guard room at the end of the hall. A dozen guards in armour were already spilling out, the first shots bouncing off her armour.

She sped up, crossing her arms to shield her front, and barrelled straight through the guard like a bowling ball. They kept firing even when thrown out of the way, and she saw at least one of the guards get hit by their own bullets before she was in the guardroom - and at the window there. One stun grenade made the remaining guards dive for cover, giving her enough time to slap a demolition charge on the window and trigger it.

Then she was outside, jumping down into the garden. The Battlemechs on patrol would be alerted now, so she wasn't going to risk jumping - not with at least one Raven and their advanced sensors in the area.

Instead, she ran on foot towards the maintenance building for the gardens. The walls wouldn't stop even light weapons, but they hid her for a few more moments - long enough to blow a hole into the floor and open the way into the storm drains.

She dropped into the tunnels - too small for 'Mechs, of course - a moment before the maintenance building blew up. The Battlemechs on guard duty were quicker than expected.

Not quick enough, though. And the explosion would throw them off her trace for a few more seconds at the least.

She reached the cistern at the edge of the palace without anyone trying to intercept her and dove into it. The suit was waterproof and had an internal air supply. And even a Raven would have trouble detecting her in the river fed by the cistern.

*****​

Starport, Zi-Jen Cheng, Sian, Capellan Confederation, February 20th, 3050

There was the dropship Alex had chartered - well, the dropship hired by the firm from which Alex had ordered hand-made furniture to be delivered to Solaris. A Mule-class, sitting on the landing field in the middle of a patch of ferrocrete blackened and burned by countless fusion torches. All Kelly had to do was sneak on board and take the sleep drugs that would send her back to Dreamland.

Unfortunately, and as predicted, the starport was already sealed off. Kelly could see police, customs officers, soldiers and even Battlemechs on the landing fields, searching dropship after dropship. And leaving guards in front of those already searched.

Fortunately, the Mule - named Rainbow Pier - hadn't been searched yet; there were not enough troops to cover every area on the planet she could reach. Father's people would assume any intruder had help and at least local transportation, so the troops would have to be spread out. Certainly now that they knew that she was wearing power armour which small arms couldn't stop. Not that that would stop Mother from executing guard for their failure to stop Kelly, but… She clenched her teeth. She couldn't do anything about that. Except for remaining a prisoner, and that would have been unacceptable.

She shook her head. She couldn't dwell on that. The ship would be searched soon - she didn't have much time left.

And she had to cross five hundred metres of flat tarmac to reach the Mule. And that with a Raven and a JagerMech Patrolling close by. No chance to jump. And running wouldn't be a good idea, either.

She could shed her suit and disguise herself as a maintenance worker, though. That would allow her to reach the Mule under the pretext of refuelling or checking something. Easy to slip inside in the confusion. But she'd likely be seen on cameras, and if the records were checked before the Mule was cleared for leaving…

No, she would have to slip into the cargo. Alex had picked furniture that was voluminous enough to hide a person in the crate, but if anyone weighed it before she was inside and could go to sleep and vanish…

No choice. Kelly crawled back into the ditch behind her, then quickly made her way to the warehouse where the crates were waiting to be loaded into the Rainbow Pier.

On the way, she was almost detected by two patrols; if not for the stealth equipment of the suit, she wouldn't have been able to evade them. But she reached the warehouse and slipped inside.

There were the crates - a dozen of them. Alex didn't do things halfway. And guards outside. Kelly cursed her breath and started opening a crate to the side. Alex hadn't gotten the codes to the cargo crates, so she had to trust the little gimmick Felicity had whipped up.

After thirty seconds that felt like hours, the thing had unlocked the shipping crate, and Kelly crawled inside, almost getting stuck as she did so.

But she managed to close the crate again, restore the electronic lock, and wait. According to standard procedure, the guards would scan the crates before clearing them for transport. That meant Kelly had to be asleep and vanished when they did it.

Ten minutes later, she heard voices. Guards, complaining about scanning. She triggered the medical dispenser with her tongue and swallowed the pill it spat out. A few seconds later, she woke up in Dreamland. With Cat.

*****​

Forbidden City, Sian, Capellan Confederation, February 25th, 3050

"Not only didn't you prevent an intruder from entering the Palace, no, you also couldn't stop them once you finally managed to discover them!"

Long experience prevented Tsen Shang from wincing at the shrill, screeching tone of Romano. That and the fact that he wasn't the one who had earned her ire. That was aimed at the commander of the Palace guards.

To Colonel Sidorova's credit, she didn't flinch as she listened to what was undoubtedly her death sentence. She would know what to expect - the officer in command of Kali's security detail had already been executed, together with her entire squad.

Unfairly, probably - as impossible as it seemed, Tsen was certain that the 'intruder' seen in his daughter's bedroom in stealth power armour had been Kali herself. As impossible as it seemed, he had studied the records of the security cameras in Kali's room a dozen times, and the results were beyond doubt - from one moment to another, Kali had been replaced with someone wearing power armour. No glitches. No blurred images. No signs of any tampering. Either someone had switched Kali through some unknown means with an intruder in power armour, or Kali had returned from her dream wearing a suit of armour of unknown make and technology beyond even what the Star League had been capable of.

And if someone could switch out people guarded by the best security detail in the Confederation, why would they insert someone only to have them break out again? If that was needed to kidnap someone, anyone with any sense would have sent a disposable replacement, already dead or dying.

No, the logical conclusion was that Kali had fled the palace.

Of course, Romano had dismissed this theory - stated by an underling, of course - and decided that it must have been sabotage and treason, ordering the execution of the staff responsible for the surveillance cameras alongside the close security detail.

"...and for such failure, leading to the loss of my own daughter, who is of crucial importance to the state, there is only one punishment!" Romano spat.

Sidorova bowed deeply, accepting the punishment. As she glanced at Tsen, he inclined his head a fraction of an inch. Her family would not suffer for this; he had taken steps to ensure that - provided she accepted her fate. Romano might assume that even doomed men and women would meekly accept their death, but Tsen preferred to take some precautions. Families served as hostages in multiple ways, after all.

As the woman was dragged away by guards, Romano looked at Tsen. "What news do you bring?"

Her tone made it clear that she expected news - good news. Fortunately, Tsen had new information. Whether it was good enough to spare him from suffering Sidorova's fate remained to be seen. He bowed deeply. "My assets in the Federated Commonwealth have confirmed that Katherine Steiner-Davion disappeared from her room in the Triad on Tharkad under the same circumstances - she disappeared from her bedroom, and a person wearing power armour of the same model as the one who appeared in Kali's bedroom replaced her, then proceeded to escape from the Triad."

Romano drew a sharp breath, then a twisted smile appeared on her face. "I see."

Tsen didn't know what she saw - or thought she had seen. Which was disconcerting since his continued survival depended on reading her mood.

"And they could not stop the intruder either."

"No, Celestial Wisdom. Tharkad was locked down, but the intruder was not found." He bowed again. He was treading treacherous ground, after all. If he were to be blamed for the failure to catch the intruder…

"Either this is a deception by the Steiner-Davions, or someone is attacking both our daughters. Find out the truth!"

Tsen bowed once more. "As you command, Celestial Wisdom."

He didn't show any expression but firm resolve as he backed out of the throne room. And even then, he didn't allow himself to sigh.

Caught between his lover's command and his daughter's desire. Tsen had doubts that he would survive this unscathed. And yet, he couldn't bring himself to blame Kali for escaping - Sun-Tzu had been working to undermine her standing ever since she had woken up.

Woken up - or returned?

Tsen hoped that, whatever else happened, he'd find the answer to this question.

*****​

 

[Starfox5]

Chapter 5: Solaris VII

'We didn't really talk about our respective escapes from our families. Not for some time. Leaving your family… Well, for me it was easier - I knew none of my family wanted to kill or enslave me. I also knew that fleeing the Triad would hurt them, but it wouldn't kill them. They would, hopefully, even understand my decision once they realised that I hadn't been imagining Dreamland. Kelly, on the other hand, had to deal with a crazy mother who routinely had people who failed her killed - well, not as often as most people in the Commonwealth thought, but often enough. And Kelly also had a scheming brother who wanted to remove her as a potential threat to his position as the heir as soon as her usefulness ran out. Or earlier - Sun-Tzu was never much for long-term planning, or so I understand. But Kelly also knew that following her escape, those guards and possibly even the servants who had not stopped her would suffer for that supposed failure. We didn't talk about that. But I was there for her. In Dreamland, and, after a few months, on Solaris.'

• Diary of Katherine 'MadCat' Steiner-Davion

*****

'Patient S-D's flight - before I arrived on Tharkad - leaves many questions. Had she known of my impending arrival? Or was this merely a coincidence? However, I might have to reconsider my views of her claims with regards to this 'Dreamland'. It is quite clear that she has managed to not only transport a full suit of power armour into her bed, but to also put it on in an instant. And armour hitherto not seen in the Inner Sphere. And while I would not dismiss out of hand the possibility that she created the armour, Occam's razor, in this case cuts the other way - it's more likely that she transported the armour from somewhere than that she created it wholecloth. And that makes it more likely that there is an actual Dreamland - though whether that is a realm of dreams, as she claimed, or merely a parallel dimension remains to be seen. If only the patient hadn't successfully evaded pursuit; further examinations and experiments have to wait until she is returned to secure facilities for treatment.'

• Private notes of M.D. Phil Baker, Triad Medical Wing, Tharkad, 3050

*****​

International Zone, Solaris City, Solaris VII, Federated Commonwealth, May 20th, 3050

Leaning her forehead against the armoured glass of their hovercar, Cat stared at the sky. Somewhere up there, the dropship carrying Kelly was closing in on Solaris. If she had a telescope, she would be able to see the fusion torch soon - provided she had calculated, or guessed, the approach vector correctly. A strand of dark hair - she hadn't yet adjusted to her disguise - fell into her face and she brushed it away.

"She'll arrive safely, relax."

Cat didn't take her eyes off the sky as she replied. "I know." After a moment, she added: "And I am relaxed!"

"Sure."

She didn't have to look at him to know he was smiling. And he was right in that she should relax - if anything happened, Kelly could use the drug to fall asleep and return to Dreamland. Not that short of a dropship accident she had to fear anything - Cat doubted that the crew of the Mule had weapons that could hurt Kelly in a Nighthawk suit.

"And you can get the code key back for good," she said, if only to say something in return.

"Yes, now that we're all on the same planet." Alex laughed again.

Cat didn't. The way the key worked, they could only give it back to Alex and remain in the Inner Sphere while everyone was on the same planet. Which had meant Alex had to travel to Solaris as well. From Terra. How Nastajia hadn't gotten all grey hairs during that affair, Cat couldn't tell. It must be something about the elves.

But at least that was returning to normal, and future excursions of Alex would start on Solaris VII, not in the very heart of ComStar's power. And there would be future excursions. Cat was sure of it. They would need his help. She sighed.

"We'll beat them," Alex said in a soft voice. "We've beaten them in Dreamland, we'll beat them here."

They had beaten them in Dreamland, true. But that had been the SLDF - the finest army ever seen, in Dreamland or the Inner Sphere. Cat wasn't quite sure that the Inner Sphere would manage the same. The Federated Commonwealth would try their best, of course. But she couldn't help fearing that it wouldn't be enough - even though they were finally taking her warnings seriously, from what she could tell from the news here, what with the second wave of the Horde invasion having just started. If only her parents had trusted her… She shook her head. No. The Horde had started their invasion in March. There wouldn't have been enough time to move enough troops to stop them. And as much as she hated it, she doubted that the second wave would be stopped, either.

"At least the Kuritas are getting hit as much as we do," she mumbled.

"That's not an entirely good thing," Alex commented. "The Inner Sphere must be united to defeat the Horde."

This time, she turned her head to frown at him. "I know." But she still wouldn't shed a tear if the Horde wrecked the Combine before they were defeated.

Alex shook his head. "Now, let's go back to the Hilton. Kelly's expected to reach orbit in two hours, and I need to sleep to hand her the key."

Right.

*****​

Kelly felt the crate jerk - the dropship had touched the tarmac. Not the smoothest landing. Then again, cargo dropship pilots weren't screened as diligently as the pilots for dropships carrying members of the Liao family.

She clenched her teeth - this wasn't the time to think about her family. She had only a limited window of opportunity. The ship's crew wouldn't rush to unload the cargo - the tarmac outside was still glowing from the engines - but they wouldn't be tardy either.

She opened the crate from the inside, checked that her stealth system was running, and climbed out. A quick glance around showed that the hold was empty of people. But pretty full - cargo containers blocked most of it.

But Kelly had been expecting that. She was up on the roof of a bigger container in a second and lay down to wait - as soon as the crew opened the cargo doors, she could slip out.

But the crew took their time to start unloading the cargo. Either they were lazy or incompetent. Which, Kelly reminded herself, was a good thing since they would not be too observant then - a Nighthawk's stealth system was good but not perfect.

There! The hatch to the rest of the ship was opening! Kelly zoomed in on the door. A yawning crewman stepped through a moment later, grabbing a remote from the wall next to him. He pushed a few buttons, and the big cargo doors started to open. As planned.

Kelly slid down from the container and quickly made her way to the exit. The ramp wasn't yet down, but that didn't matter - Kelly had made worse drops in training. She jumped down, landing in a crouch that took her back to the obstacle course in Unity Field for a moment, then dashed away from the Mule, seeking cover nearby.

She could orient herself once she wasn't in any danger of being spotted. The ship's crew might be lazy. But the customs officers would be harder to evade.

And there the customs officials were coming - she could see the car entering the landing field, now that the heat had gone down. Kelly ducked behind a water tank and crouched down. As soon as the car was past, she legged it.

And called Cat.

*****​

Removing a suit of power armour in the tight constraints of a hovercar would have been nigh-impossible even for an operator much better trained and experienced than Kelly. And walking into the hotel that Alex had picked while wearing it wasn't advised.

Fortunately, all Kelly had to do was take the sleeping drug, remove the armour back in Dreamland, and return wearing clothes suited to the occasion. She might become a little too used to the code key, she realised.

But she did it anyway. Felicity helped her remove the armour while asking her about the 'exfiltration', and Kiwi tried her best to pick a good dress for the trip back. The faery meant well, but her style… Well, no one would suspect the blonde in the dress with the psychedelic patterns was Kali Liao.

"Thank you," Kelly told her friends.

"Hey! It was my plan, so I had to see it through!" Felicity said.

"I thought it was Alex's plan," Kelly said with a teasing smile.

"Partially his. Mostly mine. But don't let Nastajia hear that!"

Kiwi giggled at that, and Kelly swallowed the next sleeping pill with a wider smile…

…and woke up in the hovercar next to Cat.

"Kelly!"

"Cat!"

They kissed.

Alex coughed. "You just saw each other at breakfast," he pointed out. "In the palace."

"We spent over a year apart," Kelly told him as she handed the code key over.

"And you've spent three months together in Unity City." But Alex was smiling at them as he took the key back.

"Three months during which the invasion started," Cat commented with a deep frown.

"We still have enough time to stop it," Alex said. With a glance at Kelly, he added: "And the sooner we're off Solaris VII, the sooner we can strike at the Horde."

Kelly knew what he meant - if she picked another 'Mech, they could leave within days. Trade in Battlemechs was a seller's market, even on Solaris VII. But she needed a Raven.

"Between the funds I had recovered and what we can gain by selling choice bits of SLDF gear like advanced neurohelmets - and whatever else that I can bring back from Dreamland - we can afford to pay premium rates for 'Mechs," he pointed out.

"Is Bellentine selling the Raven?" Kelly asked.

"No, he's not," Cat replied.

As expected. If the man hadn't sold the Raven to the Federated Commonwealth - although Kelly was certain that the technical data had been gone straight to NAIS - he wouldn't sell it to them, either.

Which meant that they would have to force him into a situation where he had no choice but to part with it. Something easier said than done - but then, this was Solaris VII. People made and lost fortunes in an afternoon at the arena here. Sometimes even in the arena.

And Kelly needed the Raven. Facing the Horde without its ECM suite would be… unwise. Besides, she needed it to keep Cat safe as well. Victors tended to attract a disproportional amount of enemy fire at long range, and staying close to Kelly's 'Mech would make it much harder for the Horde to hit her.

She nodded at her friends. "Then we shall proceed with our plan."

*****​

Black Hills, Solaris City, Solaris VII, Federated Commonwealth, May 20th, 3050

Kelly wasn't entirely certain that visiting the sector of Solaris City associated with the Federated Suns part of the Federated Commonwealth was a good idea, even with the best disguise Felicity had prepared for her and Cat. But Alex and her lover thought that it was fine - and they had arrived a month earlier than her. Which had allowed them to get a feeling for the 'lay of the land', as Alex called it. So, she would trust their judgement. Even if the disguise was slightly uncomfortable to wear.

Still… Kelly couldn't help frowning as she looked around. This area was supposed to be amongst the best places in town, and yet… was that a beggar at the corner?

"What's wrong?" Cat asked, tensing up.

"Nothing," Kelly replied. After a moment, she added with a nod towards the man in ragged clothes: "I'm not yet used to the environment."

"Ah." Cat sighed. "It takes a bit to get used to it, yes."

"You both grew up in a palace and then spent ten years in Dreamland," Alex said. "But this is a nice area. Trust me, I know."

That was a nice area? Then Kelly didn't want to see the bad parts of the sector. Not without sitting in a 'Mech, at least. She wasn't even carrying a laser pistol. "Dreamland's much… nicer," she said. Even the bad parts.

"That's because few kids like to dream of bad parts when they enter," Alex said. "Anyway, there it is! The Pelican! Best Mechwarrior bar on the planet."

"Most expensive, in any case," Cat said.

Kelly nodded. That went without saying.

As they approached the door, she straightened a little. It wouldn't do to make a less than perfect impression.

"Good evening, Mister Camden." The bouncer nodded at them as they walked past a small line of waiting people - mostly tourists, from what Kelly could tell.

"Good evening, Boris!" Alex tipped the man generously, and all three of them entered the bar.

"Alex spent quite a lot of money to impress the staff," Cat whispered.

"I have to play my role. People need to know I'm rich enough to buy 'Mechs for my bodyguards."

"We're not armed as bodyguards should be," Kelly pointed out as they walked through the lobby of the bar. It was expensively decorated, she noted. But the artwork was… too diverse. It lacked harmony.

"That's because the bar doesn't allow concealed weapons," Alex said.

"I bet half the guests are still carrying," Cat mumbled.

Well, Kelly's hairpins concealed quite nasty spikes, but that was it.

The main room was loud and packed - and most of the patrons were staring at the huge screens showing a match between a Warhammer and a Thunderbolt. Both 'Mechs were slugging it out, PPCs and lasers being fired at close range.

"Let's go to the Green Room," Alex said, steering them toward it. "Bellentine is usually there when he visits. And if he isn't, we can watch the latest match of his stable on a smaller screen."

Kelly nodded. It would be good to take the measure of their target.

"There he is," Cat told her as soon as they entered the - blessedly not quite as loud - room. "Left table."

Kelly had spotted the man already and took a closer look while Alex guided them towards a free table across the room. Bellentine looked… very average. He was wearing an expensive suit, but not too expensive - none of Mother's courtiers would have dared to show up in one at the palace. He had a slight paunch, from what she could tell, but wasn't fat. He was bald, but that was his most striking feature - his face was forgettable. Oh. As he laughed, something glittered in his mouth. A gem set in a tooth, maybe? Still, with his average looks and size, that was a minor touch.

"He's talking to Juanita Scaramander," Cat commented as they looked for a waitress to order drinks. "Class four fighter, top ten. Independent."

Class four were the Heavy 'Mechs. The Mechwarrior was scowling at Bellentine - was this an attempt to recruit her? Or an attempt at intimidation? Whatever it was, it looked to have failed since the Mechwarrior got up and openly sneered at the man.

A tall, broad-shouldered man standing behind Bellentine bent down, asking something Kelly couldn't hear, but Bellentine shook his head in return. Whatever the man had proposed hadn't pleased him.

Kelly couldn't help thinking that this all looked just like the kind of cheap holovid drama that she wasn't supposed to watch. And yet… Bellentine had been running a stable for over ten years. And he had managed to keep a Raven operational for five years. He knew his business - which, on Solaris, had to be both dirty and bloody, according to what Kelly knew. She wished they could just break into his hangar and steal the Raven, but Bellentine would be prepared for such an attempt. Just cracking the 'Mech's security would take too long, never mind trying to sneak it out. And few dropships would let them load a stolen 'Mech into the hold.

No, they had to play this by the rules of the planet. They had to get the 'Mech by fighting in the arena. And that meant fighting for another stable. Like a common gladiator. Kelly didn't like this, but needs must.

*****​

Montenegro, Solaris City, Solaris VII, Federated Commonwealth, May 21st, 3050

Even discounting the unrepaired battle damage to the torso and right leg, the Victor was in bad shape. Cat could tell with a glance. The armour - what was left of it after several PPC hits had blown away much of it - was patchwork, the left arm actuators seemed to have been replaced with some ill-fitting parts from another model, and the leg joints were a little too bent for the standing position. Well, bad compared to Dragonslayer. The 'Mech would probably still perform adequately. But the head… the Techs hadn't fixed the cockpit yet, where the foot of an Awesome had gone straight through the armoured glass and into the unlucky gladiator piloting it.

"It needs a new Gyro and new armour. And a new cockpit, of course," Daniel Boone, the owner of the Moongoose Mechs stable, said. "Bastard murdered Frank," he added in a low voice.

Cat glanced at him. He had his fist - his flesh and blood one - clenched and was staring at the 'Mech's head. "Killian had him. He had just shot out his gyro. And then… stepped on him. Frank was beaten. There was no…" He scoffed through clenched teeth.

Cat nodded. Stepping on a downed 'Mech's cockpit… well, it happened in war. More often than not deliberately - just because a 'Mech had fallen didn't mean it was out of combat. And sometimes, when a Horde pilot had shot at ejected Mechwarriors, you wanted to make sure that the bastard didn't get away. But to step on a fellow gladiator in the arena after disabling their 'Mech? She'd seen the recording. The pilot had known what he was doing, no matter his claims about missing that the gyro was destroyed. "Killian will pay for this. I'll make sure of it." Well, she would've done that anyway, to deprive Bellentine of an assault mech, but this made things a bit more personal.

"Ah…" Boone drew a sharp breath through his clenched teeth. "You're going to pilot it?"

Cat rolled her eyes. Not again. She might be seventeen, but she was a veteran pilot. "Yes, I'm going to pilot the Victor. And I'm going to destroy Killian."

"But…"

Alex cleared his throat. "I can assure that Cat knows what she's doing. She's an expert pilot. Especially in a Victor."

Boone didn't seem to completely believe Alex, but he held his tongue. Well, it wasn't as if he had much of a choice.

"Don't worry, Mr Boone, even if Cat loses the match, you'll still have your debt cleared and a surplus from the sale while I'll bear the loss of the 'Mech." Alex smiled at him. "Whatever happens, you'll come out ahead."

Boone snorted, but without even a trace of humour. "Except for Frank being dead."

"That is a risk every gladiator takes when they enter the arena," Kelly commented.

Boone stared at her but didn't retort.

"So… how long will the repairs take?" Alex asked.

"If I get all the parts I need, a week."

And the rematch was scheduled in eight days. "Then we should best start on the repairs right now," Cat said, walking towards the scaffold next to the Victor's leg. She wasn't entirely dressed for tech work, but she doubted that they would get all the parts on schedule. Not on Solaris. Oh, if only they could transport 'Mech parts from Dreamland to Solaris! But the best they could do was to fall asleep wearing an advanced neurohelmet and cooling vest. Or a Nighthawk suit, but that wouldn't help with repairs either. Well, they could keep a chip with technical data in their mouth or something, but on Solaris VII, with all the modifications common to arena 'Mechs, even that wouldn't be really helpful.

She quickly ascended to the top of the scaffold and peered into the wrecked cockpit.

And grimaced. There was still dried blood on the remains of the seat. And on the remains of the console. "Let's start on the leg," she said. "Until someone hoses this out."

Boone had the grace to look embarrassed before he called for his techs.

*****​

Black Hills, Solaris City, Solaris VII, Federated Commonwealth, May 25th, 3050

"See anyone?" Cat asked, looking at the dark warehouse across the street. It looked deserted even on her sensors, but she couldn't see through the walls.

"No," Kelly replied over the radio. "The guards are still inside."

"Nothing on this side either," Alex chimed in.

"Then let's go!" Cat snapped and stood. A few steps and she dropped down to the street below, firing her Nighthawk's jump jets at the last moment to break her fall, then carefully moved forward.

To the warehouse.

Another shadow joined her from the side - Kelly. Her friend reached the side door first and used a vibroblade Alex had bought on Solaris VII to cut through the lock. A few seconds later, both of them were inside the warehouse with none the wiser. "If this continues, we're going to turn into bloody infantry," she mumbled to herself as she followed Kelly to the data terminal at the corner.

Her friend had the menu open in ten seconds and started searching. Cat walked to the corner of the aisle and kept an eye on the guardhouse in the back.

"Got it!" Kelly told her after a minute. "I knew they hadn't lost it and needed to reorder it!"

"Of course not!" Cat scoffed - as if a decent supplier would lose a gyro control module like that. Killian had tried to sabotage their repair efforts, but the man should have really expected his partners here to avoid destroying the module - it was worth a pretty penny, after all.

"The brown crate on the other side."

Cat nodded again, then moved down the aisle, passing between stacks of spare parts and scrap metal until she reached the crate.

She didn't bother opening it - she just grabbed it and started walking quickly to the exit. In and out with no one the wiser. What cameras they had would only show two blurs thanks to the stealth functions so she hoped that DEST would get blamed.

And they would be able to finish the repairs on her Victor in time to get a training session or two in with it, she added with a toothy smile.

*****​

Montenegro, Solaris City, Solaris VII, Federated Commonwealth, May 28th, 3050

Reactor Online.

Sensors Online.

Weapons Online.

All Systems Nominal.

Cat took a deep breath - through her mouth; the cockpit still smelt faintly of blood. She had personally hosed it out twice, but the hint of coppery blood seemed to cling to it anyway. Kelly claimed to not smell anything, but she was wrong.

She pushed the thought away, checked that the area around the Victor was clear, then took the first step. The Victor's leg moved as it should, though not as smoothly as Cat would've liked. Still, the 'Mech's balance held. Another step followed, no issues with that leg, either, and she soon walked through the gate onto the 'training ground' - a former parking lot and open-air storage site for a truck factory that hadn't survived the Second Succession War and had been repurposed into a place to test 'Mechs.

And with all the scrap metal dumped here, it was pretty close to the Open Class Arena The Factory, where the rematch would be held.

As soon as she was clear of the hangar, Cat accelerated, making the 'Mech run towards the closest heap of metal. Balance was good. Not perfect, but good. And the targeting systems were tracking smoothly where the guns were aiming at.

She triggered the jumpjets and soared over the heap. The landing was harder than she was used to - but she didn't slip and held her balance. The new gyro was working up to par. Still, something was… not right.

"So, how's it doing?"

Cat frowned at the question from McMillian, the senior tech of Boone's stable, over the radio. The Victor was doing better than she expected, but it wasn't nearly as smooth a ride as Dragonslayer. "The left leg actuator is still acting up a little - it feels like a slight limp," she replied. She took a few more steps.

"The 'Mech's not limping!" came the cranky response from the tech. "That's your fancy Lostech helmet."

Cat snorted, but the man might be correct - the electronics in the Victor were a mess cobbled together from half a dozen different models and systems, and the gyro they had just finished installing sported three different serial numbers and was at least a hundred years old. Even her advanced neurohelmet - which she had been using for years - might have some trouble making sense of that.

Well, time to test the weapons. But first… She switched the channel. "Kelly, do we have spectators?"

"Yes," her lover replied at once. "Two with a camera in the hangar next to ours. And what looks like a small drone floating near the back wall of the area."

So, they had spies. Time to put on a show. Cat dashed towards the range part of the testing area and took care to limp and sway a bit more.

"Tone it down a notch," Kelly spoke up at once. "That's too blatant."

Cat frowned at the criticism but did as she was told. Her friend was the expert on subterfuge, after all. Well, between the two of them - she was absolutely sure that Dad would run circles around Kelly when it came to plotting.

She bit her lower lip at the sudden pain and guilt she felt. Mum and Dad… I had no choice, she told herself. If I hadn't left, I would have never had the chance to be with Kelly again. They might have even cut me off from the drug needed to see her in Dreamland.

She forced those feelings away. She had a mission here. And then a mission against the Horde.

There was the first target. A truck set up so it was resting on the cab with the rear end sticking into the air, roughly reaching the height of a battlemech. She swung the Pontiac over to target it, then aimed the gun just slightly to the side and pulled the trigger.

The marker rounds hit exactly where she had aimed at - but since she had aimed off-centre, any spy would hopefully believe that she wasn't as good a pilot as she should be to challenge Killian.

She doubled down with her lasers and the SRMs. Well, the SRMs were pretty randomly spread out anyway, but she managed to place her lasers exactly as she wanted - one causing a glancing blow and the other missing by a hair's width. Well, it would have been a glancing blow if they were at full power.

She fired a few more times, with the same results.

"Improve your apparent aim for the last round," Kelly told her.

"Will do."

Closer to the centre, but still off. She followed up with a few kicks aimed at broken trash on the ground, taking care to fake almost losing her balance twice in four kicks.

That should do it.

The rest of the training session she spent running around and dry-firing her weapons - she had to get a feeling for the 'Mech, after all, or tomorrow's match would be a debacle. Killian wasn't as good as Cat, and she had gone through the Gunslinger program, but he had a lot of experience of actual fighting in the arenas, and that counted for a lot.

It wouldn't be enough to beat her, though.

Cat still wished she had Dragonslayer here.

*****​

International Zone, Solaris City, Solaris VII, Federated Commonwealth, May 28th, 3050

Kelly was lying on their bed in the Hilton, once again studying the latest records of Killian's fights - matches, she corrected herself - on her notepad when Cat entered the room in her bathrobe, head hidden under the towel she was rubbing against her hair.

"We've got a hairdryer," Kelly remarked with a grin.

"I know. Didn't feel like using it," Cat replied, pulling the towel away and throwing it at Kelly.

Kelly raised one hand in time to catch it before it hit her in the face. Then she focused on the pad again.

Cat sighed and sat down next to her on the bed. "You've watched it half a dozen times. I've watched half a dozen times. We've got Killian's number. He's a good pilot, but I'm better, and he's not as good a shooter as he thinks he is."

Kelly dropped the pad and sighed. "Don't underestimate him. He's got Lostech in the Awesome. Two Extended Range PPCs. Possibly three if what Boone's friends heard is true.

"Yes." Cat shrugged. "But he'll underestimate me."

Kelly knew that was true. Alex had played the rich Lyran merchant to the hilt, and while he called Kelly and Cat his bodyguards, everyone thought they were his mistresses. Cat's ploy today in the training yard would reinforce that impression, as would their young age. And that Alex, according to all appearances, was sleeping in the same suite as they were - no one knew that he was visiting Dreamland at night.

And yet… "I worry anyway." The Victor was a cobbled-together 'Mech without any advanced technology. Not even Double Heat Sinks. Cat had less armour than she was used to and less firepower.

"Don't worry. We're fighting in The Factory. Ideal for a Victor."

"I know." But three PPCs was a lot of firepower. If Bellentine managed to get enough heatsinks to compensate, the Awesome might even have greater firepower at close range than the Victor.

Cat leaned down and draped herself all over Kelly's back. "It'll be fine. I've got an advanced neurohelmet and a much better colling vest. I'll show him what that means."

Kelly turned her head to glare at her. "That's what I'm afraid of."

Cat laughed and bent her head down to kiss her. "Now relax!"

*****​

Montenegro, Solaris City, Solaris VII, Federated Commonwealth, May 29th, 3050

"And in the right corner of the arena: George 'Bloodhunter' Killian in his Awesome 'Triceratops'. Recently upgraded with more Lostech, this 'Mech has wrecked its opposition in an unprecedented five-match winning streak for Killian - quite the achievement for a gladiator in his first Class Five season!

"And in the left corner of the arena: Cat Stevens. An absolute newcomer with no prior matches on Solaris, she is replacing Frank 'Fireeater' Mahoney, who was accidentally killed in the last match against Killian, making this rematch a grudge match! The girl's got guts, I have to admit that. And a great figure, too!"

Cat clenched her teeth at the sexist remark from the commentator. Another reminder that she wasn't in Dreamland anymore - or in the Palaces of her family. No one would talk like that about a Princess of the Federated Commonwealth there!

"She's got guts, but not much brains, I fear, Johnny-Boy," the co-commentator chimed in. "A rookie against a veteran pilot? Many would say that Boone has lost his mind with his last pilot."

"Well, Jimmy, they would be wrong because I've heard from a trusted source that Cat here is the squeeze of Boone's new investor - and the money came with a condition: Cat got to pilot the Victor. Now that's a sugar daddy, right?"

"Right!"

Cat told herself that this would only make more people underestimate her. And drive the odds for her victory even higher - which was an essential part of their plan, of course.

She shook her head. She had to focus on the fight ahead - the countdown had started.

Four.

Three.

Two.

One.

"And it's on!"

Cat accelerated and started to trot out of the 'Mechbay into the arena. Into the muck of The Factory. That was one single good thing about not piloting Dragonslayer - she would hate to drive her 'Mech into this toxic mess. Cat gritted her teeth as she steered the Victor through the shallow pool ahead.

Her sensors, calibrated and optimised by Kelly in two long nights, showed Killian rushing towards the giant heap of metal and dirt in the middle of the arena. He wanted the high ground and clear lines of fire it would provide.

And he'd expect her to race him to the top since her Victor was a strictly close-range fighter.

Well, never do what the enemy expects, to quote her old instructor. Instead of rushing straight at the hill, Cat went right and waded through the pools of liquid there. By the time Killian's mad rush had taken the top, she was almost halfway around the hill.

"Oh, that's the first rookie mistake - the girl let Killian take the top of the hill."

"It might be her last mistake. Killian is an expert shot with those PPCs of his, and he can now command the entire arena while Cat is stuck down in the mud."

Cat scoffed and kept an eye on the Awesome on the hill. When the 'Mech twisted its torso, she dropped down into the pool. A moment later, three particle beams struck the mud behind her.

"Oh! And she fell! What a lucky fall! Have you ever seen that, Johnny-Boy?"

"No, I haven't. One might almost say that she took a lucky fall. But luck runs out sooner or later, and skill wins out every time." Now she has to get up in the pool, giving Killian ample opportunities to bring his three Extended-Range PPCs to bear."

"Five C-Bills say that she won't have any torso armour left by the time she gets out of the pool, Johnny-Boy."

"If she ever gets out of the pool, Jimmy! She's taking her time."

"Perhaps she was scared by the getting shot at for the first time in her life?"

More laughter followed. Cat scoffed again - and focused on crawling over the muddy bottom of the pool. Her seismic sensor still tracked Killian - he hadn't moved from the top of the hill yet. But could he track her? Not in the muddy water here.

By the time she reached her destination, the commentators were speculating if she had sprung a leak and drowned. If she was lucky, Killian would wonder that as well.

Not that it mattered. She spent another half a minute carefully lining up her 'Mech, then pushed the Victor's torso up until her head broke the surface.

Then she triggered her jump jets. The four jets - one in each leg and two in the torso - threw the 'Mech out of the pool and into the air. She heard the surprised yells from the commentators as she flew over the pool, towards the hill, but her attention was focused on her enemy on top.

Killian was quick, she had to admit - he whirled to target her. Too quick - of his three shots, only one hit, striking her 'Mech's torso.

In retaliation, she fired her SRMs before she hit the ground. The Awesome was out of range - but the hill wasn't. Her missiles struck the side of the hill, bursting into fireballs that set the hill's flank on fire.

"She's using Infernos! Is that even allowed?" Johnny-Boy sounded hysterical.

"It's not against the rules for this match," his co-commentator said. "But she… Oh. If that's another lucky mistake, then she's the luckiest rookie ever. The fire and smoke are blocking Killian's sight and thermal vision."

"Right. But he's already moving to cover the gap left…"

Cat flicked the radio off and kept running - straight towards the fire she had started. Killian would expect her to jump or go around it.

She went straight through. The heatsinks struggled for a moment, then compensated. And she was in range for her Pontiac, with Killian out of position.

Once more, he turned to face her, but she had her shot lined up already, and her shells struck the Awesome's torso smack in the centre, followed by her lasers. And her missiles splattered burning, sticky liquid all over the other 'Mech.

Killian's 'Mech recoiled, and his salvo went wide, one PPC scoring a hit on her torso. One of the bolts struck some unexploded missile in the ground behind her and blew it up.

Cat ignored that and the heat in her 'Mech and jumped again, soaring over the burning 'Mech. Killian stood his ground and kept firing - two PPCs - but missed her.

She twisted in the air, turning so she landed facing the Awesome's rear. Four lasers mounted there struck at her, melting armour on her arms. She ignored the damage and fired her autocannon point-blank into his back. She followed up with her lasers, blowing two of Killian's rear-firing lasers away, then hit him with more infernos.

The Awesome kept turning, lit up like a pyre, but her 'Mechs foot caught it in the left leg, denting and crushing more armour plates. Killian didn't stumble but when he brought his PPCs up, Cat jumped over the Awesome's head again, once more landing in his rear.

Her Pontiac almost tore the Awesome's arm off, but her lasers struck deeper into the shredded torso. And all four of her missiles sent the Awesome's heat spiking right before her next kick pulverised the damaged left leg.

Killian fell, still on fire, and rolled downhill for about ten metres before he came to a stop.

Cat quickly closed with it again. Killian was trying to get up, and, with her heat spiking and threatening to overwhelm her systems, she hit the Awesome with her Pontiac, wrecking part of its torso.

He had enough and ejected - almost too late; he barely cleared the hilltop and his parachute just managed to deploy before he crashed into some toxic mud.

It didn't matter. Killian had lost, and Cat had won. Taking a deep breath, she flicked the radio on again.

"... is unbelievable! Cat absolutely demolished Killian! Ruthless and crazy - who would use Infernos in the arena? - this girl certainly is…"

Cat changed the channel. Part one of their plan was complete.

*****​

Black Hills, Solaris City, Solaris VII, Federated Commonwealth, May 29th, 3050

"The woman of the hour! What a marvellous match, Miss Stevens!"

Cat smiled widely as yet another man approached her in The Pelican. Two days ago, when they had last visited, people had been making fun of her behind her back - and some had done so in a way she couldn't have missed. Now, after she had crushed Killian? Everyone was sucking up. It wasn't an entirely bad feeling, though. She had shown them all that she was an elite pilot. "Thank you, Mister…?"

"Ah, Davis, Jerome Davis! I run an Import/Export business in the International Zone. But my passion is 'Mech combat!"

"Ah. You and everyone else on Solaris, I bet." Cat nodded. "You've met Alex Camden, I assume? And Kelly Lieden?"

Alex didn't wait for any answer and just reached forward to shake the man's hand. "Happy to meet you, sir!"

Kelly merely nodded with her polite 'I don't care about you at all' smile.

"The pleasure's all mine," Davis managed to say - his smile showed that Alex had squeezed a bit too hard. But like an ARROW IV following a TAG, he turned back to Cat. "So, it was said to be a grudge match for the death of Frank Mahooney, which many think was no accident. Were you disappointed that Killian didn't die in the match?"

Was the man seriously expecting her to tell him whether she had tried to kill Killian? She shook her head. "I wouldn't stoop so low," she lied. If she had known Mahooney, she would've made sure that Killian didn't eject.

"Ah. And how did you…"

"Oh, excuse us, but I see Mr Boone, my partner, over there," Alex cut him off. "We've got a few more things to discuss. Stable business, you know?"

"Ah, of course!" Davis acted as if it was likely that they would discuss business at a victory party instead of at the stable, but Cat didn't care. After half a dozen 'fans' with the same questions and comments, things started to grate on her nerves.

Alex had already turned them away from Davis and started steering them through the crowd towards Boone. The man was in an animated discussion with a middle-aged woman, almost spilling his drink as he gestured.

"Mr Boone?" Alex spoke up.

"Mr Camden!" Boone beamed at them. "I was just telling Clarissa here about the finer points of the fight." He blinked. "Ah… I'm sorry. Mr Camden, Miss Stevens, Miss Lieden - this is Clarissa Kowalski. She owns the Sully Cargo Corporation."

"Sully was my late husband," Kowalski said as she shook their hands. "A small but profitable freight company."

"Ah. How many jumpships do you run?" Alex asked. "I might be in need of chartering one at a later date."

"With your winnings?" Kowalski asked. "A friend of mine told me that you've taken a few bookies to the cleaners."

Alex grinned widely. "It's not my problem that not more than a few of those gentlemen seemed to share the trust I had in Cat. Although I heard that Mr Bellentine lost enough money to even things out a bit."

Boone chuckled. "The bastard was overconfident, though I must say I had doubts myself." He nodded at Cat. "If you want to fool your enemies, fool your friends first, huh?"

"Precisely," Kelly said. "Of course, it greatly helped that people tend to see what they expect."

"To be fair," Kowalski said, "Few would expect that such a young-looking woman would be an expert pilot. Especially if they appeared out of thin air, so to speak."

Cat managed not to wince. This would attract the wrong kind of attention. She was in disguise, but the people Mum and Dad had looking for her were good. They couldn't stay too long here, or they might catch the attention of the LIC and MI5.

Kelly remained unfazed. "We have extensive combat experience, although not in arena combat."

Kowalski nodded. "I don't suppose you would share the secret of looking as young as you do?"

"I heard the Magistracy does great work," Cat commented. It was true, if misleading.

"And there's Terra, of course - if you can manage to get a visa," Alex added. "Or so I've heard."

Very subtle Alex, Cat thought.

"I see."

"Anyway," Boone said after a moment, "you've shaken up the scene. Bellentine lost his Awesome per the stipulations of the match, and he lost a lot of money betting on his victory. He'll have to move aggressively to make up his losses."

"That seems a bit reckless," Kowalski said. "But then, Bellentine never could lose gracefully."

"He'll need a spectacular victory just to soothe his wounded ego," Boone added with a chuckle. "But with his only assault 'Mech gone, his options are limited. And unless he can replace the assault 'Mech quickly, he'll lose his standing in the Class Five ladder."

Alex nodded. "If he desires a rematch then maybe we should oblige him."

Cat nodded. "I can take any of his pilots, no matter the 'Mech!"

She managed not to wince when she felt Kelly step on her foot.

*****​

Montenegro, Solaris City, Solaris VII, Federated Commonwealth, May 30th, 3050

The two assault 'Mechs in the bay looked very different, Kelly thought. The Victor looked roughed up, with melted and shattered armour, but nothing more serious than that. It still looked ready to fight, standing in its bay as techs worked on the armour. The Awesome, on the other hand, was on the ground, on its front, and looked like it wouldn't be walking, much less fighting, any time soon.

Cat had done a number on the 'Mech.

As they watched, one of the men on the Awesome spotted them and waved before climbing down and coming towards them. Boone, the owner - co-owner now - of the stable.

"Hey!"

"Hello, Mr Boone," Kelly greeted him.

"Hi!" Cat nodded. "How are the 'Mechs?"

"So… the Awesome is in decent shape. The left leg's a goner, of course, and the reactor shield needs some replacement parts, but the gyro's untouched, and the weapons are also fine except for the medium lasers you destroyed." Boone smiled as he wiped his hands with a rag. "And all the armour, of course. But I'll say one thing for infernos: They make for neat salvage. Cooked the Awesome nice and proper."

Kelly sighed a little when she saw Cat nod. Their plan had worked like a charm - they had been able to close the range without getting sniped too badly by those three ER PPCs thanks to the Infernos, which also neatly countered the Lostech heatsinks in the machine, but it wouldn't work a second time. Most arenas were already changing the rules.

"So, will you be piloting the Awesome?" Boone asked her.

Kelly frowned. "I'd prefer a lighter 'Mech. But I'll pilot it if we have to."

"It's not every day that you win an assault 'Mech," the man said, apparently taken aback by her reaction. "And it's a Lostech Awesome. Some pilots would kill their own family for such a 'Mech."

But Kelly was better with light 'Mechs. Besides, the 'Mech was quite slow compared to the 'Mechs the Horde usually fielded. Or the 'Clans', as they apparently called themselves here according to the latest rumours passing as news.

"We've challenged Bellentine to a rematch," Cat told Boone. "All his remaining five 'Mechs versus our two."

Boone frowned. "He's got a Warhammer, a Wolverine, a Centurion, a Vindicator and a Raven. That's a lot of metal, even for two assaults."

And Cat's assault 'Mech was more like an overweight heavy 'Mech.

"We can handle them," Cat said.

Kelly nodded. "Provided we can get the 'Mechs repaired quickly - before Bellentine can upgrade his own 'Mechs with more Lostech."

"And provided he doesn't find a replacement for Killian," Boone said. "He's Bellentine's best pilot, but he'll be stuck in the hospital for the next three months, or so I've heard." He grinned. "Bastard got messed up when he ejected. Broke bones on landing, and the toxic sludge he dropped into messed him up even more. Might go bald after this."

"It all depends on whether or not he accepts," Kelly pointed out. "He would have to risk his entire stable for this."

"Word is, he's already so deep in the red from the loss of the Awesome and his bets that if he doesn't win big, he's losing the 'Mechs anyway," Boone said. "How the tables have turned! Two days ago, I was in his place. And now?" He smiled. "And it's all thanks to you."

Kelly nodded. That was obvious. And it was also obvious that Boone was sucking up to them. At least he was now taking them seriously instead of humouring his new partner's apparent mistresses.

She didn't really care either, though, as long as she got the Raven.

*****​

Black Hills, Solaris City, Solaris VII, Federated Commonwealth, May 31st, 3050

If looks could kill… Well, between Boone and Bellentine, half the people in the Green Room in The Pelican would be dead now. Including Cat herself. The stable owner wasn't even trying to hide how much he loathed them.

Which meant Cat was only too happy to beam, her best friendly smile at the scumbag as Alex approached him and his entourage. "Mr Bellentine! Good evening!"

Bellentine bared his teeth in a sneer. "Mr Camden. Miss Stevens. Miss Lieden. Boone."

"Bellentine," Boone snarled back.

Cat smiled and nodded, but Kelly just inclined her head in that 'I'm so above you, you need a ladder to reach the soles of my boots' manner of hers.

Bellentine didn't bother introducing his own pilots, which was… Well, Cat actually couldn't tell if that was a good or bad thing. Was the man rude towards his pilots? Or was this something else?

"So, have you considered my offer?" Alex asked.

The man broke off his glaring contest with Boone and stared at Alex. "You won't con me a second time, Camden," he spat. "I know your tricks now."

"So you think your pilots can't beat Cat and Kelly?" Alex raised his eyebrows in a rather overdone manner.

That got a reaction out of the pilots - three men and two women - standing behind Bellentine. The tall man next to the stable owner scoffed loudly. "You got lucky that Killian got fooled. But we've got your number now."

Bellentine turned his head and hissed. "Matt."

"Sorry." The man slowly nodded.

Bellentine turned back to Alex. "I don't know why you've been meddling in this affair. It's none of your business."

"On the contrary - since I'm Daniel's partner, it very much is my business." Alex smiled widely.

Cat suppressed the urge to groan at the cheap comeback, but several of the other guests in the room chuckled.

Bellentine sneered in return. "I'm not going to fall for such cheap tricks. If you want to fight my pilots, we'll fight it out in a week - winner takes all."

Alex agreed immediately.

Cat bit her tongue. This was what they wanted. But Bellentine had agreed too quickly. Too eagerly. He would have some trick up his sleeve.

She glanced at Kelly. Her lover was concerned as well - Cat could tell despite her smiling expression.

So, they would have to repair their 'Mechs, guard against sabotage, and find out what Bellentine was up to.

Three tasks, pick any two of them.

Great.

*****​

Montenegro, Solaris City, Solaris VII, Federated Commonwealth, June 7th, 3050

Kelly couldn't help feeling ponderously slow as she moved the Awesome into The Factory. There was no helping it, though - the Awesome couldn't go any faster, not without a complete redesign. And there was no time for that, even if they had a new engine.

"And here it begins! The Grudge Match of the year! An Awesome and a Victor versus a Warhammer, Wolverine, Centurion, Vindicator and a Raven! Bellentine has really given all for this match, right Jimmy?"

"Oh, yes, Johnny-Boy! That's his whole lineup out there - if he loses this battle, he's ruined. If he wins the battle, he's back in business."

"And that's what this is all about, folks - grudges. Cat Stevens and Kelly Lieden here are hell-bent on avenging Frank Mahooney. Last week, Cat just failed to burn Killian alive, sending him to the hospital for months instead. Today, they are facing Killian's stablemates. But what drives this revenge? No one knows. Only the mysterious Mr Camden, reportedly in a relationship with both Cat and Kelly, knows why he spent millions on this match."

Kelly switched the channel off. There was no need to listen to this drivel. She had a battle to win. One of the most important battles of her life. If only they had found out what Bellentine was planning. They had caught no sabotage attempt even though they had been basically sleeping in their 'Mechs, and they had repaired the Awesome in time for the match, but they had no idea about Bellentine's plans.

"So, I'll close with them, and you cover me with your PPCs," Cat told her over the radio.

"As planned," Kelly replied.

Next to her, Cat's Victor stepped out of the mechbay. The Factory hadn't changed since Kelly's fight - except for some more battle damage. It was still a field littered with heaps of twisted metal and toxic muck. Kelly really missed her Raven's advanced sensors here.

"Alright, let's get this over with!" Cat announced and put her 'Mech into a slow trot - slow enough so Kelly's 'Mech could keep up without having to run.

They advanced towards the central hill. Kelly expected the enemy to try a flanking manoeuvre. They mainly had medium 'Mechs, so they would have to swarm them and focus their fire. Put together, they had respectable firepower. Together, the Warhammer and Vindicator equalled Kelly's three PPCs, and with the Centurion's autocannon and LRM rack, they had a solid edge at longer range. But at close range, Cat's Pontiac would rip the lighter 'Mechs apart.

They would be aware of that as well, of course. So… She narrowed her eyes at the sight on her screen. The sensor readings were weak and getting blocked in the centre, near the top - the Raven must be there - but…

"They're charging up the hill?" Cat had noticed them as well.

"Do they want to shoot it out?" It didn't make much sense. Cat would be able to reach the top very quickly. And the lines of fire for Kelly's PPCs were clear. She could shoot at whoever wanted to take a shot at Cat. And she didn't think anyone of the other 'Mechs would stand up well to three ER PPCs.

"If they want to slug it out, I'll oblige them!" Cat announced. "Let's go!"

Cat's Victor was already rushing towards the hill, and Kelly pushed the throttle forward to keep up - at least somewhat. They wouldn't beat the lighter 'Mechs to the hilltop, but they would be close to the Warhammer's arrival.

One way or the other, this would soon be over.

As if the enemy had heard her, they appeared on top of the hill - led by the Warhammer. Kelly immediately fired all her ER PPCs at the heavy 'Mech - it was piloted by Bellentine's best Mechwarrior and the most dangerous opponent. Wincing at the sudden heat spike, she saw two of her PPCs hit, one in the torso and one in the shoulder, knocking the 'Mech a step back and foiling its aim.

But the Centurion and Vindicator fired their long-range weapons at Cat, and the Victor was blasted by LRMs and a PPC, the autocannon going wide. But where was the Wolverine?

Kelly checked her display while her 'Mech slowed down, the heatsinks struggling while her PPCs cycled. She could barely make out the 'Mechs on the hilltop - the Raven must be hiding behind them, shielded by the hill.

And there was the Wolverine - and the Raven? What? So close to the Victor? - shooting at the Victor from the flank. Whatever Cat was about to get in range of her Pontiac, and the Warhammer wouldn't take many of those salvos, and…

The area just in front of Cat vanished in an explosion, making her stagger back and almost fall down when she lost her footing. And before she or Kelly could react, another explosion, further up the slope, followed. Then the entire side of the hill started to slide down, towards Cat's 'Mech!

"Jump!" Kelly screamed, just as Cat triggered her jumpjets.

But the landslide was too fast - the Victor had barely left the ground when the dirt and metal wave hit its legs. Cat cut the jump jets immediately, but too late to avoid falling down into the muck.

"Cat!" Kelly stared, shocked, as her friend's 'Mech was buried by the avalanche. At the last moment, the head exploded and Cat shot up in the sky. Then the Victor disappeared in the landslide, which flowed past Kelly and came to a stop shortly before the toxic pool behind her. Cat deployed her parachute, and Kelly breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that her friend wasn't going to land in the toxic pool.

Then she clenched her teeth. The Factory was littered with unexploded ordnance from countless matches. Missiles and shells that hadn't worked. Explosions weren't uncommon - but not at this scale. Not so perfectly placed and timed.

Bellentine hadn't tried to sabotage their 'Mechs - he had trapped the arena!

And now, with Cat's 'Mech down, all of them were coming for her.

Good. She bared her teeth in a grim smile. You'll pay for this! Kelly thought as she lined up her next salvo - her PPCs had cycled, and her heat had been dissipated. I'll kill you all!

As soon as the Warhammer appeared in her sights, above the vanished hillside, she fired. One PPC hit the hill, but two struck the enemy 'Mech again, both hitting the torso.

The Warhammer fired back but only managed to strike her Awesome's left arm. Then the mediums appeared, firing from the hilltop. LRMs peppered her torso, and another PPC barely missed. The Wolverine jumped, trying to flank her.

She ignored it and focused on the Warhammer. She fired all her ER PPCs again, spiking the heat inside her 'Mech and causing the computer to blare a warning at her.

Overridden.

The Warhammer, struck in the same leg by two PPCs as it tried to advance down the slope, lost its balance and fell. An attempt to catch its fall ended with one PPC buried in the muck. The heat from the weapon baked the mud inside the barrel, rendering it useless.

In return, the Awesome was blasted from the hilltop and the flank. Armour shattered and blew off.

But she had armour to spare. She took a few steps forward, only firing two of her PPCs, just as the Warhammer tried to get up, and ripped its damaged leg off. The heavy 'Mech fell down again, then rolled down the mudslide, losing the damaged arm in the process. The pilot ejected, and Kelly had to resist the urge to blast the bastard out of the sky.

Instead, she switched targets. The heat was bearable again, so she shot at the Centurion, stuck on the hilltop, as the Vindicator jumped over the area devastated by the landslide. Once more three PPCs struck, two of them in the torso, one in the left leg.

The 'Mech was thrown back, stumbled and fell - but it managed not to slide down the hill.

As Kelly turned to face the other 'Mechs, the Wolverine landed behind Kelly and opened up on her back. She ignored it - the Awesome's armour could take it. For now. Instead, she fired two PPCs and the medium laser they had installed in the head at the Vindicator.

The 'Mech staggered for a moment, missing with its own PPC, but kept standing, and the LRMs peppered the battered front armour of Kelly's Awesome.

The Wolverine dashed forward, kicking at her leg. In return, she smashed her 'Mech's battlefist into its side, then followed up with two ER PPCs at point-blank range.

The medium 'Mech lost its footing, falling down, and she lashed out with the awesome's foot, crushing the 'Mech's gyro under it. The pilot ejected.

Kelly turned, then almost fell when her left arm was blown off - the Centurion stood again, and the Vindicator and Raven were closing in. Snarling, she turned again, showing her back to them, and fired a full volley at the Centurion. One of her PPC bolts struck the damaged torso, and the Centurion vanished in a fireball as its ammo detonated.

Three down. Two to go. Sweat running down her front, soaking her top, Kelly swung the Awesome back to face the Vindicator and Raven, which had been pouring fire into her damaged side - just as she was about to shift her aim, a swarm of SRMs hit her side, and one of her PPCs went offline.

She muttered a curse and returned fire on the Vindicator. Her two remaining ER PPCs hit - it was too close to miss - and shattered the 'Mech's torso armour. The heat inside the cockpit spiked again - a number of her heatsinks had been destroyed - but the enemy had it worse. Even with her sensors blinded by the Raven, she could see the plasma escape through various rents in the torso - the engine shielding had been torn!

The Vindicator slowed down as its heat spiked, and Kelly fired every remaining weapon at it. One PPC missed by inches, but the other struck its centre, followed by her medium laser, and the Mech froze, then toppled over as its reactor shut down.

That pilot ejected as well, and Kelly turned towards the Raven.

The Raven hadn't been touched so far, and her Awesome was falling to pieces. But she still had more firepower - and she knew the Raven better than anyone else. Ignoring the lasers melting her armour and the SRMs blowing away the remaining pieces of her left torso, she carefully took aim and fired.

With one leg actuator blown off, the Raven, going all out, stumbled and fell down, sliding through the mud - and coming to a stop next to her.

Kelly raised her Awesome's left foot, and the Raven's pilot ejected.

The match was over. It was over. She had won. She gulped down air, wiped sweat from her skin and turned to look for Cat.

Who, it turned out, was standing on a fractured piece of armour and waved at her.

Kelly moved her 'Mech to her friend while the first recovery teams entered the arena, then scrambled down the rope ladder, almost slicing herself up on the jagged remains of her 'Mechs armour and innards.

Cat was waiting below. "I was so worried!"

"You? I was worried!" Kelly retorted as she jumped down the last two metres.

Then they were hugging and kissing, uncaring what the two idiots commenting on the match would make of this.

They were alive. They had won.

*****​

Montenegro, Solaris City, Solaris VII, Federated Commonwealth, June 8th, 3050

When Kelly and Cat entered the 'Mech hangar of Boone, Cat could see signs of the victory party the techs and astechs had had there last evening: bottles and other debris strewn around, disposable boxes and cups from various delivery services and what looked like a sound system that had been cobbled together from a 'Mech speaker and various electronics, then ran until it melted.

The feud between Boone and Bellentine obviously hadn't been limited to the two owners. Well, such things rarely were.

Not that it mattered any more. They had won the feud for Boone and gotten the 'Mechs that they needed. Well, both the Raven and the Victor needed repairs, but that wasn't a problem - Techs had dealt with worse damage, especially on Solaris.

That didn't stop Kelly from worrying over the Raven, of course. Cat grinned when she saw her friend climb over the light 'Mech, peering at the electronics and weapons laid open for inspection. "We'll have enough time to go over it during transit," she said.

"It's easier to do what repairs we can here instead of in a dropship," Kelly replied without looking up from the beagle active probe mounted on the Raven.

Time to tease her a little. "You were awesome in the Awesome," Cat said with a wide smile. "Are you sure you want to switch back to a light 'Mech?"

This time, Kelly turned to glare at her. "If I had been in the Raven, I would have detected the trap before they could trigger it."

Cat nodded, suppressing the memory of that horrible moment when she was about to be buried alive in toxic muck and metal. "Yeah. But we could mount the stuff in a heavier 'Mech."

Kelly snorted. "And you could switch to a Highlander or an Atlas."

"Touché." Cat swallowed the retort that the difference in armour between a Victor and a Highlander wasn't as big as, say, the difference between a Raven and an Awesome. Kelly preferred light 'Mechs, as Cat knew.

Kelly nodded, then looked back at the cockpit of the Raven, still wrecked by the ejection's rockets, before climbing down again. "We'll need to leave soon," she said. "Before we attract even more attention."

Cat agreed. Even with the war against the Horde - the Clans, she reminded herself - the LIC and the MI5 wouldn't stop looking for them. The same went for the Maskirovka. And while she would never regret kissing Kelly, especially not after watching her lover mow down those damned treacherous gladiators, their embrace had been plastered all over Solaris' media. "Unless Alex thinks he can get an Atlas," she said. Kelly snorted, though Cat wasn't entirely joking - Alex had hated seeing them fight without being able to help them.

"He can take the Awesome," Kelly said.

"We could also recruit some soldiers," Cat added. "We've got some spare 'Mechs now, so it wouldn't look weird."

"Soldiers, and reliable ones at that, here?" Kelly frowned.

"It's a big planet. And with the invasion going on, there should be a few who want to fight the invaders but can't do so easily for a variety of reasons," Cat said, shrugging.

"A variety of reasons that likely render them unfit for war," Kelly retorted. "Galatea or Outreach would be a better choice."

Both of which would have a bigger presence of intelligence agents, though, from all over the sphere. "Can't hurt to look around," Cat said.

"It could hurt," Kelly corrected her.

Cat reminded herself that Kelly wasn't paranoid - she had experience in those matters. Yet… "We'll be careful then," she said with a grin and cocked her head towards the door. "Let's go see what Alex's been up to with Boone."

"Sorting out our departure, I believe."

"Right."

*****​

Royal Palace, Avalon City, New Avalon, Federated Commonwealth, June 12th, 3050

Arthur Steiner-Davion looked up from his reader where he was studying for his Academy test when Dad entered the living room. Smiling? "Dad?"

"Arthur?"

"Good news from the invasion front?" Arthur hoped that there was - they hadn't had much good news so far. For most planets hit by the Clans, the only good news was that the forces on them had managed to evacuate before being completely destroyed. Fortunately, his brother's unit was amongst them, and Victor was safe. For now.

"Well… things are proceeding according to plan there," Dad said.

"The plan that requires us to trade planets for time so we can counter-attack sometime this year?" Arthur bit his lower lip - he hadn't meant to sound so sarcastic. But he met Dad's eyes without wincing.

"Yes, that plan," Dad told him. "It takes time to shift troops around. And we can't attack piecemeal."

"We would've had a bit more time if we had listened to Katherine," Arthur said. The way Dad flinched made him feel guilty. "Sorry, Dad."

"No, no, you're right. She did warn us. But we couldn't just mass troops on her intel. At least her information and warnings helped our troops get away with fewer losses than the DCMS is suffering," Dad told him.

That was a faint silver lining. So, if it's not that…?

Dad sighed. "I think we've found Katherine."

Arthur gasped. "You did?"

"It's a possibility." Dad pulled a disc out and handed it to him. "It's not definite, but… I think it's her."

Arthur quickly slid the disc into his reader and… "Dad! That's a Solaris match!" He knew the arena - The Factory.

"Yes. The LIC personnel there have been ordered to verify whether or not this is your sister."

"But…" He trailed off as the action started - a Victor versus an Awesome. And the Victor demolished the Awesome without taking more than armour damage. "You think that's Katherine?" She had complained about wanting a Victor, but… this was Solaris. And that was a class five match. He wasn't an expert, but the name of the Awesome pilot rang a bell.

"The fighting style matches the style she displayed in simulator matches."

"Oh." Arthur checked the date. "That was two weeks ago."

"Yes. And there was another match a week ago." Dad sighed. "She… the pilot didn't do as well there. She's OK, though."

Arthur drew a sharp breath and loaded the next match. Dad watched over his shoulder. And hissed with Arthur when a landslide buried the Victor. "Damn. That explosion…"

"Sabotage, or so my analysts claim. A trap."

"Damn cheaters!" That left the Awesome alone versus five 'Mechs… Four. Three. Two. Arthur whistled. "That is a great pilot there."

"It might be Kali Liao," Dad told him with another sigh.

"Kali Liao?" Arthur had heard that the daughter of Roman Liao had vanished as well, and that Katherine had claimed to have met her in her dreams, but…

He stared at the picture of the two pilots kissing in the arena. "Oh."

"Yes," Dad said. "'Oh.'" He sighed. "If those two are Katherine and Kali, then your sister neglected to tell us a few details about her relationship to the other girl."

Arthur nodded in agreement. This was… "At least she's not dating Hohiro Kurita?" He smiled weakly at his own bad joke.

*****​

 

[BRBonobo]

Just read this story. It is definitely on my watch list.

I can't say that I care about the Dreamland crossover elements per se, but I really like the idea of the two scions of warring houses growing up together in a shared mental space, bonding, and then returning to the real world and having to deal with the expectations of their famillies. Their relationship is fun, and I enjoy the focus on gathering an elite lance of mechs to go help out.

Could maybe do with a little more emphasis put into differentiating the personalities between the two leads, but I do see enough differences that they don't feel boring. Very interested to see what else is in store.

 

[Starfox5]

Chapter 6: Recruiting

'When we left Solaris VII, I was very optimistic - for the first time since I had woken up on Sian. People who have never been a Mechwarrior might not understand, but that I had managed to acquire the 'Mech I wanted made me feel much better about our chances. Technically, I hadn't been dispossessed - Son Jiang was still waiting for me in Dreamland - but I couldn't completely shake that feeling of being helpless or worthless until I had my Raven in the Inner Sphere as well.
Of course, I had to endure some ribbing about picking a light 'Mech over an assault 'Mech, but Cat and Alex knew why I wanted a Raven. I could pilot heavier 'Mechs - I had proven that most recently in the arena - but I was best in a light, agile 'Mech. And I don't think I can be accused of being arrogant when I say events proved me correct.'

• Collected Writings of Kali "Kelly" Liao

*****​

'Patient S-D's infatuation with her Capellan counterpart came as a surprise to many, including her own family, but not to me. They both share the same - or very similar - gifts. And they share another connection - both are on the run from their families in an apparent act of teenage rebellion. Their relationship, therefore, is merely a logical consequence of those factors - the ultimate defiance of their parents' expectations. It's obvious that it won't last, so I will focus my analysis on finding more clues about this 'Dreamland' to - hopefully - prove whether or not it exists. Fortunately, the flight of the patient from Solaris before LIC could secure her has caused her parents to provide me with more funding to prevent a similar debacle in the future.'

• Private notes of M.D. Phil Baker, Triad Medical Wing, Tharkad, 3050

*****​

Madison, Epsilon Eridani IV, Federated Commonwealth, July 1st, 3050

Cat sighed with relief when she felt the dropship touch down and heard the engines stop. "Finally solid ground again!" She turned to beam at Kelly, who was giving her an unamused look while they unbuckled and stood.

"You've literally slept for half the trip," Felix Kirchwerder commented with a grin as he stood as well.

"So? That was still ten full days in basically microgravity. And countless jumps!" Cat retorted.

"It was six jumps," Kelly corrected her as she straightened - completely unnecessarily - her tunic. Six jumps in a cramped Leopard-class dropship that had seen better days back in the time before the Amaris Coup.

"Well, it's a good thing you're a Mechwarrior; you don't seem to be cut out as a spacer," Kirchwerder said, still grinning.

The man hadn't hit on either Kelly or her after he had realised that while they weren't with Alex, they were spoken for anyway, but he hadn't stopped being charming either. Cat hadn't yet decided whether that was merely a professional trying to have good relations with his superiors and coworkers or something else.

"She's just overly dramatic," Kelly said.

Cat stuck her tongue out at her as they walked down towards the hold. She checked her Victor first - still in its bay, no sign of any damage. Any new damage, at least - she could still see where the paint was fresh over the patched armour. That damn Bellentine and his damn trap.

Kelly went directly to her Raven, fussing over it, but Cat looked around. Alex wasn't here yet - he had made the descent on the Leopard's bridge - but his Awesome looked fine as well, even though he had suffered much worse damage than her Victor. But if you had to replace almost the entire armour of a 'Mech, the end result tended to look better even after a new paint job.

"Well, I'll be in the truck," Kirchwerder said. "With my crew." He flashed her another grin. "Working with 'Mechs will certainly be a change."

Cat snorted. If Alex's information checked out, then Kirchwerder and his men wouldn't have to do much work. Perhaps some excavating and refuelling. If it didn't check out… well, then they would have to look for alternatives to raise enough money to found a unit that could make a difference against the Horde. Against the Clans, she corrected herself. "We'll make a ground pounder out of you yet."

"I'm a spacer born and bred," he told her. "Although I do enjoy spending time on a planet, my heart belongs to space."

"I sure hope so." She matched his grin. He chuckled, showing good humour, sketched a salute and turned to walk towards one of the two armoured trucks taking up the space of the fourth Mechbay.

And there came Alex, smiling widely and talking to Russo, the Head of the Tech crew Alex had hired. Cat smiled at both - Russo was as crusty and cranky as old Techs came, but he knew his business. Better than Boone's crew, even - the Victor and the Awesome were performing better, at least according to the diagnostics they had run, than before the last match, and even Kelly had - grudgingly - admitted that the Raven was up to her standards.

"Everything alright?" Alex asked.

"Yes, Sir!" Cat replied with a grin.

"Let's disembark then before the dear captain gets antsy," Alex said, moving towards the Awesome.

Russo grumbled something in Italian and headed to the second truck.

And Cat climbed the stairs leading up the gantry above her. Time to hit the road!

*****​

Shamus Mountains, Epsilon Eridani IV, Federated Commonwealth, July 1st, 3050

Kelly smiled to herself while she kept ahead of the convoy in her Raven. The 'Mech ran almost as smoothly as her Song Jiang in Dreamland - not surprisingly, since it was practically brand new compared to the average 'Mech. Such as Cat's 'new' Victor. Unlike the Assault 'Mech, the Raven - which she still had to name - had most of its original parts.

She cleared the next hairpin of the pass they were traversing. And checked her display. "Road clear," she reported to Alex. "No sign of any threat."

She heard him sigh, but he didn't comment. He better not - this wasn't the time to become lax with procedures. They might not be in a war zone, but the authorities on Epsilon Eridani would be wondering what three 'Mechs and two trucks were doing here. Especially after taking off from the starport right after passing through customs and with a Raven.

And they were in the Federated Commonwealth, where they had to watch out for MI5 and LIC - MI5 here, most likely - as well as Maskirovka cells; Epsilon Eridani had been a Capellan world until the Fourth Succession War.

Kelly wouldn't get sloppy and let her friends run into another trap. She'd rather die than see that happen to Cat again.

While the others slowly made their way up the mountain pass - Alex's Awesome was far too slow - she dashed ahead. The steep slopes ahead of them, lined with dense fir trees, would make a perfect ambushing spot for infantry - regular or in powered armour.

As far as she knew, thanks to Alex, it had been used as an ambush spot during the war against Amaris. The SLDF forces on the planet had fought a guerilla campaign for years after their formations had been shattered with orbital bombardment and nuclear strikes.

And somewhere close in those mountains, there should be a half-buried SLDF supply depot with a perfectly preserved dropship inside full of 'Mechs, vehicles and supplies. At least according to Alex's records and the planet's counterpart in Dreamland.

Well, they would soon find out - they were coming up on the point where they would have to travel cross-country; whatever road had connected the depot to the main pass route had long since gone. Overgrown, buried, washed away by landsli… She pressed her lips together. She wasn't going there.

"I'm at point alpha," she reported. "The road and the area are clear."

"As they should be," Alex replied. "Wait for us."

"Copy."

While she waited for the convoy to catch up, she scanned the slopes on the side. Slightly higher than normal radiation count. Probably residual radioactivity from an old nuke. And there was more metal than normal in the ground. Likely the buried remains of scrap left after salvaging whatever had been destroyed here.

Alex, leading the two trucks, arrived, and Kelly took off at once, scouting ahead. And unlike her two friends, she didn't have to watch where she went so she wouldn't turn the dirt road left here into a mashed-up obstacle course for the two trucks with them.

A quick glance at her rear camera showed that Alex was walking through the woods on the side, leaving a path like a bulldozer. So much for stealth.

They continued travelling up the valley for half an hour, with the slopes growing steeper and steeper, until they reached the end of it - a craggy cliffside, half of it broken down. Her radiation sensors pinged again. Nothing dangerous, but two hundred years ago, it would have been lethal.

"So, it's digging time!" Alex announced.

An hour later, Alex and Cat were digging through the rubble with 'Mech sized tools that the techs had mounted on the arms of the Awesome and the Victor. Kelly's Raven, not having any articulate arms, was standing guard.

Even with two 'Mechs working on it, it took them two hours to clear enough dirt and soil and rubble to excavate the entrance to the supply depot.

"I'll be damned!" Kelly heard Kirchwerder exclaim. "They were right about the base!"

"Of course I was," Alex replied through the speakers of his 'Mech. "But now we'll have to check if I was also correct about the contents of the base. Everyone, back into the trucks. And engage enviroseals."

"What the…?" Kirchwerder blurted out. "What do you expect to be inside there?"

"The SLDF had some nasty stuff in some of their depots," Alex explained. "If something leaked, it should have degraded by now - but better safe than sorry."

That sent both techs and drop shop specialists running into the trucks while Cat dropped the shovel tool from her 'Mech and then proceeded to rip out the damaged gate with Alex.

Kelly was at her side, checking her sensors. "No sign of chemical or biological weapons," she announced. "Going in."

The entrance was sized for 'Mechs of all classes, so her Raven had no trouble navigating the tunnel behind it. She passed several magazines - most of them empty according to her sensors - before she reached the landing pad in the centre of the depot.

And the Colossus-class dropship waiting there. It looked… undamaged at first sight. Pristine, even - down to the paint coat still showing the Star Leage Navy colours, including the Cameron Star. It looked almost like the dropships in Dreamland. Although…

She double-checked her sensor readings. "No chemical or biological agents in the environment." And her computer had been upgraded by the latest SLDF database, so anything the SLDF had two hundred and fifty years ago should be detected.

Which left the question of why the SLDF would have left a perfectly fine dropship in a hidden hangar in the middle of a war. Was the hatch above them broken or blocked? That would have kept the dropship in the hangar. And would be a pain to remove now. But the hangar ceiling looked undamaged.

She approached the dropship, circling it, and spotted something - the antenna cover on the port side was laid open. For maintenance? Or for repairs? Kelly reported that to the others. A moment later, Cat entered the hangar.

"Wow! There it is!"

"As I said," Alex added, stepping into the hangar as well. "One Colossus-class dropship in near-pristine condition. It was found in Dreamland by a kid a few years ago."

The child probably dreamt of being a LosTech Hunter, Kelly thought. "Well, my sensors show that the dropship is too heavy for an empty hold."

"Great! Let's check it out!" Cat was moved closer to the dropship.

"We still don't know why it was left behind," Kelly reminded her. "And what happened to her crew."

"Yes. But your sensors say it's safe, right?" Cat was grinning; Kelly could tell from her tone.

"Yes. In Dreamland, the dropship was forgotten by the SLDF," Alex said. "But that's Dreamland."

Kelly nodded again. Children's dreams influenced things there - and the little kids rarely dreamt of people dying from radiation poisoning or getting nuked outside the depot. "Very well. Shall I call the others?"

"Yes," Alex told her. "And… Stay in your 'Mech, please."

"Of course." The people they hired were supposed to be trustworthy - Alex had done his legwork. But a Colossus? Even worse, a Colossus that might have a hold full of LosTech? That was a prize many people would betray their own family for. Best not to present them with the temptation to get rid of three Mechwarriors outside their 'Mechs.

*****​

"SLS Babylon." Cat craned her head as she read the letters on the shiny hull.

"Yes. Looks like the comm array was damaged," Alex said. "Or, since this was her maiden voyage, it wasn't properly installed." He grinned. "Even the SLDF's quality control wasn't perfect."

"That doesn't explain why it was left here," Cat said.

"Let's find out!" Alex started walking to the closest landing strut.

But before he reached it, the two trucks arrived, coming to a stop at the foot of his Awesome.

"Oh my God!"

"I can't believe this!"

"Incredible!"

Kirchwerder, Russo and the others were staring at the dropship in apparent awe. So, even the old tech could be shocked, Cat noted with a grin.

"Yes, it looks like a fully preserved Colossus," Alex told them, raising his voice a little. "Now, let's find out in what exact state the ship is - and her cargo."

"What?" Kirchwerder blinked. "You mean…?"

Russo chuckled. "Why do you think they hired me? I don't have much experience with dropships."

"But you repair and maintain 'Mechs…" Kirchwerder turned back to stare at the dropship.

"Exactly, ladies and gentlemen," Alex said, clapping his hands. "Let's see what we found - and how quickly we can get her going."

Ah, yes - Cat had no doubt that the authorities would soon appear to take a look at them - it wasn't as if they could have hidden their tracks. Best get moving, then.

"Well, we need to crack the doors open, first," Kirchwerder said. "That shouldn't take too long, though - we've got the right recovery gear."

"Let me try something first," Alex said with a grin as he stepped up to the landing strut. He flicked a flap open there, revealing a number pad, and punched a code in.

A moment passed without anything happening. Then Cat heard a screeching noise, and the Dropship - no, parts of it - started to move. The ramp extended slowly as the hatches to the Mechbay opened.

"It seems there is some emergency power left," Alex said.

After a moment, Kirchwerder grinned. "That's a good sign."

"Let's go inside!"

Cat darted forward and stepped on the ramp before anyone else could. Alex might love to show off and lead by example, but he was the First Lord of the Star League. There was no way she would let him enter an unknown dropship without checking it beforehand. They still didn't know what had happened to the ship's crew.

"No sign of chemical or biological agents," she heard Kelly's voice over the radio.

Cat took a sniff of the air anyway as she reached the top of the ramp. No smell of decomposing bodies. Not that anything would smell after hundreds of years. And… She whistled.

The 'Mechbay was full of 'Mechs. Lots and lots of 'Mechs. Mixed models, though, she realised. She could see a couple Atlases and Highlanders, but also Marauders, Thugs and Flashmen. And more mediums. Which was strange - the SLDF before the Amaris Coup had used more uniform formations, whole companies of the same types of 'Mechs, to streamline logistics and tactical movement. The SLDF in Dreamland was different, for a variety of reasons, but this?

"Ah!" Alex had reached the top as well. He stepped inside and looked around. "Looks like… a full battalion. Just based on the load here."

"Oh my God!" Kirchwerder sounded breathless, and probably not from the trip up the ramp.

"It was probably a resupply cargo flight," Alex said. "To replace 'Mechs lost in battle of a unit moved to this planet after a tour of duty in the Periphery."

That was how it had been explained in Dreamland, at least - as far as Cat knew.

"I see we'll be busy going over all those 'Mechs," Russo said, scratching his head. He did sound a little shaken, though, at least in Cat's opinion. Not even the old tech was immune to the magnitude of this find.

"Well, let's first check the state of the dropship," Alex said. "The sooner we can lift off, the easier we can avoid pointed questions and litigation from the planet's authorities."

"Do you have the codes to unlock the bridge controls as well?" Kirchwerder asked, cocking his head at them.

"Let's find out!" Alex flashed him another smile.

Which meant Cat had to follow them as well - she wasn't leaving Alex alone with the others. They passed a lance of Phoenix Hawks - royal variant - and entered the main elevator that would take them up to the bridge. If the ship had more than emergency power.

Which it had not.

"Guess we'll take the stairs," Alex said, his good mood not affected at all.

"Have to refuel the reactor, I bet," Kirchwerder said. "That'll cost some hours."

"Let's hope that's all we need to do. And the antenna, of course," Alex said.

They climbed the stairs, skipping the lower decks, until they reached the bridge. Once more, emergency power let Alex open the doors, but that was it. The bridge itself had only emergency lights, casting an eerie reddish glow on the consoles and seats.

"No bodies," Russo remarked.

"Well, the ship didn't crash. And no sign of nuclear, chemical or biological weapons - not in here," Cat said.

Kirchwerder, meanwhile, was busy checking the consoles with Alex but shook his head after a few minutes. "No power. We need to refuel the reactor."

"Then let's get on with it while we check the rest of the cargo," Alex told him. "Let's take stock!"

*****​

Shamus Mountains, Epsilon Eridani IV, Federated Commonwealth, July 2nd, 3050

It was past midnight, local time, when Kelly placed the last sensor and alarm on the doors to their quarters on board the dropship.

"Finally satisfied we won't be murdered in our sleep?" Alex said, smiling at her from where he sat on the bed in the Captain's cabin.

She frowned at him. "It would be safer to sleep in our 'Mechs." Buttoned up, even the techs would have trouble getting to them without triggering any alarms.

"It would also show our people that we didn't trust them," Alex retorted.

"Well, I don't trust them," Kelly replied. "This is too much of a find."

"But rubbing their noses in it could poison our relationship from the start," Alex said, leaning back. "Besides, we've got two crews who didn't know each other when we hired them, and the odds of Russo and Kirchwerder conspiring against us are slim to none."

He was correct, but Kelly didn't like it. They were three Mechwarriors facing two dozen techs. "They had ample time to get to know each other."

"And we got to know them, as they got to know us," Alex said. "I trust the crew. Most of them."

"Kirchwerder," Kelly said.

"He's a very skilled spacer," Alex said.

"Very ambitious, too," Kelly added as she sat down at the foot of the bed.

"Well, he knows he's got the spot as captain of the Colossus," Alex said. "That's a huge promotion. Co-ownership as well - minority cut, of course."

"I'm sure he would prefer to be captain-owner of the ship," Kelly said.

"Yes. But does he want it enough to risk losing everything - including his life?" Alex shrugged. "And if he were so ambitious, could he trust his crew not to sell him out to us and take his place? I don't think so. Traitors don't tend to trust others."

That was true. But Kelly had spent a year at the court on Sian. Anyone could be a traitor.

"We only have to hold out until we can hire a full crew," Alex said. "Once we're an actual battalion, the odds of a successful mutiny or betrayal become vanishingly small."

That, too, was true. "Then let's hope we can clear the debris on top of the hatches quickly and leave," she said. "We've already had an aerospace fighter take a look at the pass." And while her Raven's ECM should have shielded the installation somewhat, it couldn't wipe the tracks. Sooner rather than later, the authorities would come knocking.

The door opened, and Kelly tensed - until she saw it was Cat.

"Alright!" Cat said with a smile as she entered. "I finished our inventory!"

"Oh?" Kelly had gone through the first hold in her Raven, scanning the various 'Mechs, but Cat had gone through every hold.

"Yes. So, you were right, Alex - those were replacement 'Mechs for an Independent Dragoon Regiment that had gotten mauled in the Periphery. We've got twenty-nine 'Mechs, all Royals!" Cat announced as she dropped her cooling vest on the floor, then kicked it into a corner.

That was great news! They would need Royals to face the Clans. Kelly took the datapad Cat handed over. Mostly heavy 'Mechs - Marauders, Black Knights, Crusaders, and Riflemen. Some mediums - Shadow Hawks, Griffins and the Phoenix Hawks she had seen. A few lights - two Mongoose, one Hussar. And two Atlas IIs, three Highlanders, one Cyclops and two Thugs.

But no aerospace fighters. Well, the dropship wasn't equipped to carry them, but it would have been a nice surprise to find some crated up in the hold. The Riflemen would come in handy here… although if the regiment needed a whole lance of them replaced, then they probably didn't fare well in battle.

She scrolled down and smiled. Three lances of Chaparrals!

"She found the Arrow IV launchers," Cat commented.

"They will be very useful," Kelly said with a sniff. The amount of fire she could call in with her Raven's TAG!

"We'll need tube artillery as well," Alex said. "Arrow IV missiles are hard to come by."

"That's the other good news. We have lots of ammunition," Cat said.

Kelly quickly scrolled all the way down. "Because there are only a handful of vehicles," she said. "And none of them are tanks. Mostly supply and recovery vehicles."

"Pretty much, yes," Cat confirmed. "And a few APCs, and that's it. So, must have been an independent regiment without attached armour."

"We found the cargo manifest in the computers once the power was restored," Alex said.

"Steal my thunder, will you?" Cat mock-complained.

"Someone had to check if the manifest matched the hold," Alex retorted. So... I guess you'll keep guard?"

Kelly nodded. One of them would stay awake at all times.

"I can take a shift…" Alex started.

"You're needed in the Star League," Cat told him. "You can't spend too much time here."

Alex frowned at her, but Cat didn't budge. Kelly nodded in agreement. Alex was the First Lord of the Star League. He couldn't waste his time standing watch here.

And he knew it. Sighing, he leaned back and closed his eyes.

A few minutes later, he vanished.

Cat craned her neck and sighed as she laid down on the bed. "So, what are the odds the local garrison will visit us tomorrow?"

"We're on a planet of the Federated Commonwealth," Kelly replied. "You tell me."

"I hoped you had some special insight from the Maskirovka," Cat said, stretching on the bed.

"Contrary to popular belief, Father doesn't share vital intelligence with us at the dinner table."

Cat snorted. "Well, I think if not for the fact that it's night now, they would already be here. And once they find out what we found…"

"...they will attempt to claim it for themselves."

"For the Federated Commonwealth," Cat corrected her. "Although some of the cargo would, of course, vanish before they could report to Dad. Stuff that won't be missed. Perhaps even some 'Mechs, but that's harder to do with SDLF Royals."

So much for the freedom of the Federated Commonwealth, Kelly thought.

Cat rolled her eyes. "I know what you're thinking. And it's not like that. The finder's supposed to be compensated with a fair payment."

"Fair for the government or fair for the finder?" Mother would expect any finder to gift the entire ship and cargo to the state, of course, and then bestow on them a reward.

"Both. In theory." Cat shrugged. "But possession is nine-tenths of the law."

"Shooting the authorities will make it more difficult to do any business in the Federated Commonwealth," Kelly pointed out.

"Yes." Cat sighed. "I could reveal myself. No one would dare try to take such a find from a princess of the realm."

"That would make our next step more difficult."

"Yes."

"Then I believe that we will have to hope our planned subterfuge will work," Kelly said. It was a little too rash and daring for her taste. A Felicity and Alex plan.

But if it worked, they should be able to leave the planet with their new dropship without anyone being the wiser.

"Let's hope so," Cat said. "Now come to bed!"

"I have the first shift," Kelly reminded her.

"I didn't mean you should sleep." Cat grinned widely.

Ah.

*****​

"They're coming," Kelly told them over the radio. "One Swift Wind driving up the road."

Cat, standing on the bridge of the Babylon, nodded to herself. The car was probably salvage from the Capellans. Or taken by the short-lived Tikonov Free Republic. But it was a decent scouting car. "No 'Mechs?" she asked, even though she knew that Kelly would have reported them already.

"None on my sensors," Kelly replied.

Cat knew better than to question the Raven's sensors. Kelly took that personally.

"Alright," she said, glancing around. Kirchwerder was sitting in the captain's chair, directing his salvage turned dropship crew. Alex was talking to Russo.

Who was complaining again. "What a waste of spare parts!"

Cat suppressed a snort. Russo was a good tech, and good techs hated any waste. Even with a dropship half-full of supplies and spare parts, he didn't like to see any 'Mech parts destroyed.

Granted, they hadn't found any spare parts for an Awesome in the ship's hold, but the piece of scrap half-buried under the cave-in at the entrance had a warped internal structure, barely any armour left, and the actuators were busted. It was pretty much useless except as a 'Mech-sized club.

But the arm should help with convincing the locals that their little expedition had found a sudden end.

"The Scout's approaching the entrance," Kali reported.

"We have it on our screen now," Alex told her.

And indeed, Cat could see the car stop about thirty metres from the entrance. A moment later, the driver got out and approached on foot.

"Hope he doesn't spot the Raven," Russo muttered.

Cat shook her head. "Kelly's hidden too well. The SLDF knew what it was doing." Even though 'Mech-sized observation posts built into a supply base made you question their competence. But since it let Kelly use her 'Mech's ECM to shield the rest of the base from the scout car's sensors, Cat wouldn't complain.

On the screen, she saw the man kneel down next to the crushed left arm of the Awesome, stuck under a rock Cat had placed there with her Victor this morning.

"Let's hope he buys it," Russo muttered again. He sounded like the Quartermaster of the First Royals back in Dreamland - that dwarf would never stop complaining and doomsaying.

"He just has to buy it long enough for us to get the dropship moving," Alex said.

"And then we'll be just one amongst many dropships. It's not as if this is the only Colossus-class ship left in the Inner Sphere," Russo said.

Alex laughed, apparently not offended by the man's sarcasm. "As long as they can't prove that we found the ship here, we'll be fine."

"The Feds will know you did find it here." Russo scoffed.

"They'll suspect," Alex corrected him. "But even the Federated Commonwealth can't afford to take our find without actual proof. Certainly not in the middle of an invasion when they need all the mercenaries they can hire."

Cat hoped that Alex was correct. It was true that rumours of the Federated Commonwealth trying to confiscate the 'Mechs and dropship of a mercenary unit under false pretences would hurt their reputation. But the flimsy 'we found the dropship somewhere else and sneaked it on Epsilon Eridani to use the SLDF supply base there to repair it' excuse wouldn't convince anyone. Mum and Dad weren't dictators and respected the law, but they were no fools.

"He's leaving again," Kelly told them.

"Going to return with excavation equipment. Probably a platoon of engineers," Russo said.

"Then I think it's time for us to leave this place. Captain?" Alex turned to Kirchwerder.

"We'll be ready to lift off in an hour."

"That should be enough," Alex said. "Kelly, keep watch until we're ready to depart."

"Yes, Sir."

An hour and a half later, Cat watched the hangar doors open above them. She had cleared them earlier that day with the Victor and an excavation tool, but some dirt and rocks had been left and now fell down on the ship as the doors withdrew. It turned into a veritable shower of earth and small stones as the doors disappeared completely.

"Sloppy," Kelly commented.

"A 'Mech isn't good for fine work," Cat replied.

Both of them were in their 'Mechs. Just in case.

"Three. Two. One. Lift off!"

And for the first time in over two hundred years, the Babylon rose into the sky.

Cat allowed herself to relax once they had cleared the atmosphere and no fighters had come up to intercept them. Now they could only hope that Alex's money had been enough to keep the jumpship he had hired waiting for them.

*****​

Harlech, Outreach, Federated Commonwealth, July 12th, 3050

"Welcome to Outreach. Enjoy your stay, Mr Camden." The customs officer from the Wolf's Dragoons didn't sound very sincere, in Kelly's opinion. Then again, he was obviously distracted by their ride - Colossuses were thought to be extinct in the Inner Sphere, and they had arrived with close to a battalion of near-pristine SLDF-'Mechs.

Distracted and intrigued - the man had dragged out the 'customs inspection' in an appallingly obvious manner. Kelly wasn't an expert - neither was Cat - but she didn't think many mercenary companies would have tolerated such antics.

Then again, the Wolf's Dragoons were the premier mercenary unit in the Inner Sphere, and they controlled Outreach, where much of the Mercenary's trade was conducted. Even established mercenary regiments would tread lightly on Outreach. A mercenary battalion still in the process of being founded?

Alex smiled at the man as if they were best friends. "That's Lt. Colonel Camden - we're going to form a combined arms battalion with our find. The First Royal Irregulars - we're going to fight the Clans."

"Ah." The dragoon's expression was barely polite, and Kelly saw, as he had before, glance at their SLDF-issue uniforms before nodding. "I wish you luck then," he said with a hint of a smile.

Once he had left, Alex sighed and shook his head. "That man doesn't like us, and I wonder why. If he were part of another unit, I'd think they were jealous of us, but the Dragoons have no reason to be jealous of a battalion starting out."

"And he was damn nosy," Cat said, stretching. "I didn't expect this kind of welcome from what I heard of the Dragoons."

"He didn't like our uniforms, I think," Kelly added. "He barely hid his disdain."

"Ah." Alex nodded. "That might be it. I would've expected that from the Eridani Light Horse, given their traditions, but they're not the only ones who might take offence at someone wearing the uniforms of the SLDF."

"We're wearing the uniform of Dreamland's SLDF," Cat commented.

"A difference that the good officer might have missed." Alex shrugged. "Anyway, let's not waste any more time. We have a battalion to recruit."

"And an employer to find," Cat added.

"I believe the second task shouldn't pose any problem for us, provided we manage the first," Kelly pointed out. "Not with the Clan Invasion continuing." According to the latest news, the invaders had already launched the next wave of attacks in the Free Rasalhague Republic and the Combine, and everyone expected the Federated Commonwealth to be hit any day now.

"Yes. So, let's register at the Mercenary Review Board and then visit the Hiring Hall," Alex said, clapping his hands together.

Kelly glanced at Cat, who sighed. "I'll stay here and keep an eye on our crew," her friend said.

"It's only until we have hired enough MechWarriors," Alex said with a smile. "It shouldn't take us long."

*****​

Harlech, Outreach, Federated Commonwealth, July 12th, 3050

The local Mercenary Review Board was located in an impressive building, Cat had to admit. Probably part of the Dragoons' efforts to draw more business to their Hiring Hall, away from Galatea. But the MRB was run by ComStar, not the Dragoons. "I don't like this," she said in a low voice as Alex and she approached the entrance.

"I grew up on Terra; I really don't like that," Alex said in a low voice. "But they're the only game in town. We need to be registered to attract decent personnel."

Cat knew that. She didn't like it, though. ComStar wasn't nearly as neutral as they claimed - her family knew that better than anyone else. Well, they had disguises and good fake identities. And if things went wrong… well, ComStar had not as much clout on Outreach as on other planets. And if she was wrong about that… she was still a Princess, and they were in the Federated Commonwealth. That carried some weight, even if she would have trouble getting away from MIIO afterwards.

They entered the building, their uniforms drawing some attention from both the guards at the door and various people waiting in the lobby.

But the desk to the left was free, so they approached.

"Hello!" Alex smiled widely at the man. "We're here to register a Mercenary Unit. The First Royal Irregulars."

"I see. Do you have the forms?"

Alex pulled a few sheets out of his pocket and presented them to the clerk. "This should cover everything."

"Thank you." The man quickly read through the sheets and started entering the data in his terminal. "You have a Colossus-class dropship, I see."

"Well, it's easily visible on the landing pad, but probably not from here," Cat replied before she could stop herself.

Though the clerk chuckled as if her joke had been any good. "I might take a look after work - it's not every day that one can see the return of a piece of technology thought lost forever."

Yes, definitely a hardcore ComStar employee, Cat thought.

"We were very lucky to find it," Alex said. "Though you understand that we're reluctant to reveal the source of the ship."

Judging by the smirk on the clerk's face, he did understand what Alex meant. Cat was sure that he had already heard about Epsilon Eridani. "Of course, Sir." He hadn't stopped entering the data, Cat noticed, and tilted his head as he studied the screen for a moment. "It seems as if everything checks out. You have an impressive number of 'Mechs, but you can only field one lance at the moment?"

"We're recruiting," Alex said. "That's why I would be grateful if you could expedite the paperwork."

"Of course, Sir - Colonel Camden," the man replied. "Could you verify your contact number?"

Alex did, and that was it.

Or would have been. Right as they turned to leave, a lanky man with short dark hair approached them. "Sorry to bother you, sir, but I overheard that you're recruiting." He sketched a salute. "Mechwarrior Brendan Allen, formerly of Grant's Grenadiers."

Cat hadn't met any in Dreamland, and none since she woke up and had been more or less confined to the palaces of her parents, but she was sure Allen was a dispossessed Mechwarrior - he looked far too desperate for a MechWarrior with a 'Mech of his own.

"You heard correctly," Alex told the man. "And yes, we have 'Mechs without pilots. We're officially starting recruiting as soon as the MRB puts up our notice, but we can already schedule an interview for you. Is tomorrow morning at eight local time alright?"

"Of course!" Allen's face lit up. "I'll be there for sure. Thank you, Colonel!"

"Just one thing," Alex added. "The uniform we're wearing? That's not just a fashion statement. We'll expect strict adherence to SLDF regulations."

Allen nodded. "Anything to get back into the fight, Colonel."

Cat couldn't help feeling guilty when she saw the man leave. Dispossessed… that didn't happen to her family.

"We'll see if he suits us," Alex said. "We'll be swamped with applications, I think."

"Once it gets around that we have LosTech 'Mechs?" Cat snorted. "And half of them will be spies for someone."

Alex laughed at that, even though it was a serious concern. They had to find a way to weed out spies - or at least, ensure any spy couldn't hurt them.

At least they didn't have to worry about Clan spies.

*****​

"So, I've been asking around," Russo said at the 'officer's meeting' after dinner. "Techs're always in demand, and that's not changed since the invasion. But there are a few old contacts who are interested - if only because they get to work with Star League machines. But they won't be cheap."

"That shouldn't be an issue," Alex said. "We're planning for that."

Kelly had to refrain from frowning at him. They couldn't be too cavalier with their money. War was expensive, and they didn't have the nigh-unlimited funds of the Star League in the Inner Sphere. Even bringing over SLDF gear like advanced neurohelmets every night wouldn't be able to cover their expenses if they went overboard with salaries.

"We can always sell a 'Mech to pay the bills." Kirchwerder chuckled.

Kelly did narrow her eyes at the man's tone. He was joking, but she didn't like the attitude he displayed. This wasn't his unit - it was Alex, Cat and hers. "We need to hire pilots with their aerospace fighters," she reminded everyone. "We currently don't have any air cover."

"Yeah," Cat chimed in. "And four Riflemen won't go too far in keeping enemy aerospace fighters off our backs."

"But then we need another dropship to deploy them," Kirchwerder said. "The Babylon doesn't have the facilities to launch and recover fighters."

"But we can transport them," Alex retorted. "I doubt we'll be operating independently on the Clan front, so we'll have fighter cover in space and can deploy our own once we're on the ground. And yes, it'll take hours to get them ready, but we're not talking raids here - we're talking planetary invasions."

"Or defence," Kelly added.

"In which case we can have the fighters deploy from a base," Alex said.

"That'll put some of the pilots off. No one likes being faced with the possibility to be left behind should we have to make a fast getaway." Kirchwerder tilted his head with a wry grin.

And aerospace fighters of their own, deployed outside the Babylon, would be able to intercept the dropship, should a certain spacer attempt to steal it. Kelly didn't mention that. But she kept it in mind.

"Anyway," Cat spoke up, "we've got lots of applications from Mechwarriors. We'll take some time sifting out the unsuitable. No applications so far for the artillery positions."

That was bad. Without a working artillery battery, Kelly's TAG would be useless. But this was just the first evening. They still had time to find artillerymen. Though with Arrow IV systems having been extinct for centuries and only having been reintroduced in the last few years, finding anyone with experience on them would be pretty much impossible. Whoever they hired would have to be trained up using the SLDF manuals.

And that wasn't an optimal solution. If only they had access to Dreamland's SLDF!

*****​

Harlech, Outreach, Federated Commonwealth, July 13th, 3050

Brendan Allen showed up half an hour before eight. He had cleaned up some, Cat noticed when she looked at the screen showing the 'waiting room'. Pressed uniform - of sorts. Camos, with a missing unit patch. And a fresh haircut. He might have even overdone it a little - she could spot a few minor cuts from where he apparently had been a bit too enthusiastic with shaving. Well, she hoped it was just too much enthusiasm and not some neural condition that affected his fine motor control.

"Well, we might as well start early," Alex said. "The recruiting ad went up while we were asleep."

"Ah." Cat sighed. "How many applications?"

"The printer ran out of paper."

"What?" But the printer had room for…

"Well, I forgot to fill it before printing, but it's still a lot." Alex grinned at her, and Cat pouted.

Sometimes, the First Lord's sense of humour left something to be desired.

"I shall call him, then," Kelly spoke up. "He hasn't tried to sneak away and enter the Mechbay."

Which didn't mean that he wasn't a spy, Cat knew.

Allen entered the office that Alex had commandeered for the interview - not that they lacked rooms; the dropship was half-empty - and stood at parade rest. "Colonel Camden. Major Lieden, Major Stevens."

"Have a seat," Alex said. "You're not yet subject to our regulations. You have a service jacket?"

"Ah… I've never served with a House unit." Allen smiled nervously. "My mother taught me. She was with the Carridan Cossacks - a company-sized mercenary unit. We were mostly at the Lyran border to the Periphery. But she died in the War of '39. I inherited her Shadow Hawk, and when the Cossack's disbanded after the Captain got killed in a pirate raid and the banks foreclosed on the dropship, I joined Grant's Grenadiers. I was a lance leader when the Clans hit us in the first wave. Got the 'Hawk shot out from under me early on and crashed into a tree. Which means I was already on a dropper being treated when the rest of the company was wiped out and we evacuated."

It wasn't an unusual story. Many mercenaries trained their kids themselves instead of sending them to an academy. And it would explain why he didn't have much paperwork - he was registered at the MRB since '40, but a spy working for a big organisation could have easily taken over a fake identity like that. On the other hand, part of this story could be verified with a little effort. Unless he was ROM.

"I see. We're planning to fight the Clans. Is that a problem?"

"No." Allen shook his head. "I mean… I wouldn't mind getting even with them, but I will basically do anything if I can get a 'Mech again. Almost anything," he quickly corrected himself. "I won't go pirate. I've fought pirates almost all my life."

Alex nodded. "Well, as it happens, we have a Shadow Hawk looking for a pilot. Let's see how good you are. Though it's probably not a variant you're familiar with."

Allen's hopeful smile was almost painful to watch.

*****​

Allen was a good Mechwarrior. Not a great one, but a good one. It hadn't taken him too long to get comfortable in the Royal Shadow Hawk, and he was giving a good showing battling the various training scenarios in the database they were using for the simulation.

Cat was sure Kelly could take him in her Raven, though. Which meant that Allen wouldn't fare too well against the Clans either, in an even fight. "He needs more training," she said.

"Yes. But I think he'll do well by the time we hit the Clans," Alex replied. He looked at Kelly.

"He's performing adequately, and he has combat experience against the Clans," she said. "There is room for improvement, though. And I would like to see how he performs as a lance commander."

"We'll need more people for that," Alex said. "Do you think he can be trusted?"

"If he were a plant, he probably would show more skill," Kelly said.

"Do you think he's holding back?"

"No. But I think most spymasters would have sent a better Mechwarrior to ensure recruitment. Unless, of course, they would expect us to assume that."

Cat suppressed a sigh. The year Kelly had spent with her family on Sian had left its mark on her. Though she might be correct in this case - Cat had no illusions that there were spies coming after them. And that would endanger their fake IDs as well. If those hadn't already been compromised - between the events on Solaris and the recovery of a Colossus-class dropship, they had drawn a lot of attention. But not everything would go straight to the top, and Cat didn't think that Mum and Dad would have told too many in LIC or MIIO about her escape. So… they had to roll the dice.

And speaking of rolling the dice. "Let's put him against the Horde." Cat had transported the chip containing the battlesims featuring the Horde from Dreamland to the Inner Sphere in her mouth; she wanted to see it used.

"Alright." Alex pushed a button. "That was good, Mr Allen. Now we've got a special scenario for you."

On the screen showing the camera feed from the Shadow Hawk's cockpit, currently serving as a simpod, they could see Allen nod. "Bring it, Colonel! This 'Mech can take anything!" He was sweating despite the fact that this was just a sim. Then the Second Horde Attack on Unity Field started playing, and Allen was starting to really sweat.

But, Cat saw as the Shadow Hawk quickly rushed behind cover, he wasn't losing his composure or panicking. Yes, if he could perform like this in actual battle, they could use him.

*****​

"Yes, I served with the Stealthy Tigers," Lieutenant Hans Meier said, nodding. "I don't know if you're familiar with the unit's history…" He trailed off and inclined his head.

Kelly had to read up on it, but Cat had known the unit. "It was the Duke of Tamar's personal regiment, formed as a mercenary unit to circumvent the law restricting household forces," Cat said. "And when Rasalhague was formed, you quit in protest and left the Commonwealth."

"Well, that was before my time," Meier said. He wasn't quite slouching, but he wasn't sitting ramrod-straight like Allen had been. His stocky body was more relaxed. Then again, he owned his own 'Mech .- he wasn't desperate. Far from it. "I was still a dependent back then - I joined the regiment in '44. But I was born on Tamar, and with the Clans advancing through the Commonwealth…" He sighed with a forced smile. "I discovered that I was more Lyran than I had thought. I can't let my childhood home be conquered without doing something about it."

"You think the Clans will manage to take Tamar?" Cat asked with a frown.

"I don't know. But I want to do my best to prevent it." Meier nodded firmly. "So, I took my 'Mech - my father's 'Mech, a Zeus - and came to Outreach to find a mercenary unit that would go up against the Clans."

"And was that an amicable parting?" Alex asked.

Meier winced. "I don't hold a grudge against the regiment for their decision to stay in the service of the Free Worlds League. But I couldn't stay."

Alex tilted his head. "And the regiment?"

"They do not share my views and might hold a grudge." Meier sighed. "They might even unperson me - claim I never served with them. The commander was a friend of my father and hurt when I left. And the 'Mech was… well, it was my family's, but I had it upgraded with LosTech a few months before."

"Paid for by the regiment?" Kelly asked.

"Yes."

That sounded… well, it sounded like a cover story. And not a good one. Kelly thought it would be far more likely that a regiment stiffed like this would want to get the LosTech back - or the money they spent - instead of denying any knowledge of the Mechwarrior to hurt his reputation. Then again, the Maskirovka would have a better cover story for an agent of theirs, and so would the MIIO or the LIC. Unless, of course, they would expect Kelly to assume it wasn't a spy from them because of the less than optimal cover story. That was the kind of plan Mother and Father might come up with. Especially Mother. Or Sun-Tzu had sent the man, and Father hadn't let him use the Maskirovka.

Or this could be SAFE - everyone knew the Free Worlds League's intelligence service was a joke, at least when it came to this sort of operation. The stories Father had told…

"Well, that might cause some problems," Alex said.

"Those are my problems. It shouldn't affect my performance on the field," Meier said. "And it shouldn't affect your command, Colonel. It's strictly between me and my former regiment."

That wasn't how such things tended to work, though. Kelly glanced at the others. Cat seemed torn. Alex was… sympathetic. But then, he was used to Dreamland and the SLDF. He hadn't had to deal with actual spies and traitors since he had taken the throne back.

"Well, let's hope so. Although I do not think it'll matter much as soon as we're at the front." Alex nodded. "Let's see you in a simulator, Lieutenant."

Meier frowned for a moment, then nodded. Was he annoyed that he had to prove his skills? A spy wouldn't show such a reaction - unless they wanted to appear less eager to join.

Once again, she kept smiling while she wanted to sigh.

*****​

Meier was a decent to good pilot and a good shot - a veteran. About as skilled as Allen, Kelly would say. His aim was maybe a bit worse; it was hard to say. "We could certainly use him," Alex said. "He has experience as a Lance commander. And he has his own 'Mech - a Lostech assault 'Mech."

"The Zeus isn't significantly more powerful than a heavy 'Mech," Kelly pointed out. "It performs about as well as the Marauder." Which was also dedicated command 'Mech.

"It's still a powerful addition." Alex rubbed his chin. "I think we should hire him. And yes," he added with a grin at Kelly," I am aware he is a bit too good to be true. A veteran Mechwarrior with a Lostech assault 'Mech of their own. But I think we should give him the benefit of the doubt."

Kelly slowly nodded. Alex was the First Lord; the final decision was his. She would keep an eye on Meier, though - and if he turned out to be a plant, they would get to keep the Zeus. If only they could bring people from Dreamland to the Inner Sphere!

"Kelly… we can't play it safe," Cat said. "We have to hire people and sort them out afterwards. Our cover won't last forever."

She was aware of that, of course. She still frowned. "Thirty security risks… not counting our support staff."

"More if we find another Mechwarrior with their own 'Mech." Alex grinned at her.

Kelly narrowed her eyes at him in return; this wasn't funny. Not really.

"Well, let's see how Meier fares against the Clans," Cat said, already altering the sim scenario.

Meier didn't fare well in the first scenario - he had trouble adapting to the fact that, compared to Clan 'Mechs, his own 'Mech was at a disadvantage. More so against medium 'Mechs, though - he performed better against heavy 'Mechs. "He keeps underestimating the lighter 'Mechs," Kelly said.

"Well, he is originally from the Lyran Commonwealth," Alex said, chuckling at the old joke about the Lyran view of light and medium 'Mechs.

"We'll have to set him straight," Cat said.

"I can take my Raven against him," Kelly offered.

"Or we can send Allen against him," Alex suggested. "We've got our next interview in fifteen minutes,"

Kelly was torn. She really wanted to see how Meier would react to getting defeated by a light 'Mech. On the other hand, it was her duty as an officer to interview the new recruits. And that took precedence. So she nodded. "MechWarrior Ellen Gallinari. Formerly of the Free World League's Marik Militia." She had read up on all their potential recruits, after all.

It was going to be a long week.

*****​

Harlech, Outreach, Federated Commonwealth, July 15th, 3050

The Babylon's mechbay had become quite busy. Between the dozen new techs and astechs and the eleven Mechwarriors they had hired in two days, the bay was filled with people working on the 'Mechs. Still not nearly enough personnel, but it was looking better than Cat had expected.

If they continued at this pace, they would have a full roster at the end of the week - they might even tighten their standards. Some of the new recruits weren't quite where Cat would like them to be. They needed to realise that Lostech 'Mechs weren't going to help them as much as they thought. Well, they would have to step up training during transit to the front.

"Hey!" she greeted Russo. "How's it going?"

The tech cursed in Italian. "The good news is that the 'Mechs are in pristine condition. The bad news is that too few of our new hires have experience with SLDF-grade 'Mechs."

"Well, they have a few months to learn how to fix Royals," Cat said. "The training manuals are helping, I hope."

"Yes. Without them, it would be hopeless. But…" Russo looked around. "I think some of the manuals have been tampered with. They don't quite match the 'Mechs."

Cat sighed. "The SLDF wasn't perfect." And the training manuals were from Dreamland. There were some differences between the SLDF in Dreamland and the Inner Sphere. "It's probably something their instructors fixed with a few lessons."

Russo grunted. "Probably. But we don't have those lessons."

"But we have 'Mechs to study." Cat smiled.

"'Mechs those new Mechwarriors will probably break as soon as you take them out on the training grounds."

Cat shrugged. That couldn't be helped. You couldn't just train in Sims, and stuff broke in the field.

Russo scoffed again. "Just don't break important things."

"I'll try not to." She grinned but grew serious when she turned away and walked towards her Victor. They only had been able to hire one medic so far. That wasn't enough. And they had been completely out of luck with regards to aerospace pilots so far. Not even a single lance to give them some air cover. If they had to rely on the four Rifleman 'Mechs in the Support Company to keep the skies above their battalion clear of enemy aerospace fighters, then that would limit their options quite thoroughly.

And they still hadn't found any artillerymen. They might have to hire infantry and train them up. But they would still be green as grass when they reached the front. Then again, finding people who had experience with Lostech artillery was almost impossible anyway.

She sighed and stopped at the ladder leading up to her Victor's cockpit, then smiled as she waved at Ellen, who was sitting in the open cockpit of her Shadow Hawk, reading the manual. The Mechwarrior wasn't the most experienced, but she had a talent for piloting. And if she followed Allen's advice about fighting the Clans, things should work out. Allen, at least, seemed to have a handle on how to deal with her as her lance commander.

Things had to work out.

*****​

Training Grounds, Outreach, Federated Commonwealth, July 18th, 3050

First Company was attacking. Cat didn't even need to check her display - she saw the three lances charge towards her position. Alex leading from the front, as usual - his Atlas II running all-out, the other Atlas II and two Highlanders roughly holding formation with him and forming a line, the two other lances - three Marauders on his right flank and two Black Knights and Crusaders each moving slightly behind his lance, resulting in a rough wedge formation.

It was a formidable wall of steel, but together, Cat's Second Company and Kelly's Support Company outmassed Alex's 'Mechs. But in a slugging match, they wouldn't outlast them.

"Second company, slowly fall back towards the next ridge!" she ordered on the company channel. "Stay in formation and be ready to react to enemy movement."

"No!" Meier protested - on the command channel. "They'll cut us down from range! They'll reach our current position before we reach the ridge!"

"Beta-21, That's the idea," Cat replied. "Move!"

"This is suicide!"

"I said move!" Cat snapped. "We have to lure them out of formation!" She hit her jumpjets and soared backwards, landing at the foot of the ridge, facing upwards.

The rest of her lance followed without making a fuss. Barret's Highlander jumped as well but landed a bit short, barely outpacing Campbell's Cyclops, which walked backwards down the slope. Martini, though, fell a bit behind in her Awesome.

Meier's short lance - his Zeus and the two Thugs - were moving faster, but they were more spread out as well.

"Be ready to counter-attack as soon as we reach the halfway mark," Cat told the company. "Beta-31, once we counter-attack, you go around them and hit them in the rear. Beta-2 will anchor our formation." Allen would be able to quickly run past Alex's line with his Shadow Hawks and Griffins, and Meier's short lance had the firepower and armour to last a while even against Alex's lances.

"They've got four gauss rifles!" Meier said.

Cat rolled her eyes and called Kelly. "Ready?"

"Ready."

They moved further towards the ridge, walking backwards, weapons trained on the slope in front of them. Cat glanced to her side, past Meier's lance - which was outpacing her own - and at the ravine in which most of Kelly's Support Company was hiding. Perfect.

They fell back further, almost to the halfway point, when Alex's Atlas appeared on top of the slope.

"Second Company, charge!" Cat yelled and jumped forward.

"Stay in formation!" Meier cut in.

Alex didn't stop on the ridge - he charged down the slope, as expected. His lance was halfway down before the last of his lances appeared behind them. A simulated gauss rifle slug barely missed Cat's Victor. Two lasers didn't, and her computer called a warning.

She switched to her lance channel. "Beta-1, Focus fire on the first Atlas!"

Campbell in the Cyclops obliged and fired his LRMs at the Atlas while it tried to close in. Barret in the Highlander did better with her gauss rifle and LRMs, but Martini missed with two PPCs in her Awesome.

Alex was the most dangerous Mechwarrior on the field. He proved it as he sent a gauss slug and two lasers into her Victor's torso before peppering her armour with LRMs. Low-powered PPC shots flew back and forth as Cat rushed to get into range of her Pontiac, followed by Campbell. Meier's Zeus staggered under the onslaught of a few PPCs from Alex's Marauders, but he didn't fall, and his lance returned the favour.

Allen's lance dashed forward, but one of the Griffins caught a gauss slug to the leg, followed by some LRMs, and fell down. Allen didn't stop and kept going, closing in.

Cat jumped again, avoiding the next volley from Alex's lance - both Highlanders were now focusing on her - and landed in a crouch. Finally in range! She sent a few training rounds at Alex, whose Atlas was staggering under the impact of a gauss rifle and three PPCs as her lance finally found their mark. Despite the horrible damage, he managed to control his 'Mech, though, and returned fire.

Cat jumped once more, but this time, she wasn't quick enough, and the enemy fire almost made her lose control as her Victor was hit and hit again.

But then, just as Alex's formation pivoted to deal with her lance and Meier's, Kelly led her medium lance out of the ravine and into Alex's flank. Her Raven led the charge of three Phoenix Hawks, lasers flashing back and forth. One of them caught a full volley from a Black Knight and a Crusader and went down, but the others reached the enemy line just when the four Riflemen of Kelly's AAA lance stepped out of the ravine and added their lasers and autocannons to the carnage.

With half a dozen medium and light 'Mechs in their rear, First Company's formation unravelled. Alex tried to keep them together, but the weight of fire from Cat's lance started telling, and his Atlas was deemed destroyed when Cat's Pontiac cored it.

She lost her left arm in return and had to jump away and behind a small hill before she was shredded by the remaining three assault 'Mechs, and still some lasers found her torso.

But then the assault 'Mechs had to face the rest of her lance and turned away, and Cat immediately used the opportunity to send more autocannon rounds into the second Atlas's back. Kelly's tiny Raven darted in front of her before the Atlas could turn and added SRMs and laser fire, then dashed away to attack one of the staggering Marauder's flank. Cat shifted her fire as well - Meier was out, but the two Thugs were still firing, and now with one Marauder down, the tide was turning there.

Allen was still fighting, as was Gallinari, but the rest of his lance was down. But they and Kelly's mediums had torn through Alex's third lance, which just left the mopping up.

Not a bad result - but Cat needed to straighten things with Meier. She couldn't have backtalk like that in the field.

*****​

Harlech, Outreach, Federated Commonwealth, July 18th, 3050

"Well, that was a victory for you," Alex said in their suite, sitting back on his bed.

Cat snorted. "We lost half our 'Mechs, and the rest were heavily battered."

"Another such victory, and we are lost." Kelly quoted someone, but Cat didn't quite recognise the line.

"King Pyrrhus, after a costly victory over the Romans," Alex said.

Right. She should have remembered that.

"Well, this was a training scenario to test our new recruits," Alex went on. He smiled. "And we could say that my company did well facing double their numbers."

Cat snorted again. "Well, we need more work. They aren't on the level we need against the Horde - the Clans."

"Yes," Kelly agreed. "Individually, most performed adequately, but coordination was far from optimal."

Alex nodded. "I did notice that you reacted a little bit slowly."

Cat frowned. "Meier took issue with my plan."

"Ah."

"I expected that, and I'll have a word with him," Cat said. "But I wanted to have a training exercise first."

"Yes. We needed to show that we know what we are doing," Kelly added. "My company had similar issues due to my age."

"Well, they aren't used to teenagers with years of command experience," Alex said. Of course, he was close to thirty, so he didn't have that problem.

"They better get used to it," Cat grumbled. "If Meier questions my orders in the field, he'll get us all killed." Then again, the fact that they slept in the same suite as Alex - so they could cover for each other in Dreamland - didn't help; half the battalion or more probably still thought they had earned their ranks in bed.

"At least we now know that the concept works," Alex commented.

"We already knew that," Cat pointed out.

"But now, we know that it works with our new people." He grinned.

"We still have to run an exercise with all three companies working together," Kelly said.

"I've contacted the Dragoons about that. We should get the opportunity to square up against them in a week."

That wouldn't give them enough time to form the companies into units. Cat sighed. "They'll massacre us."

"Well… they do have a reputation," Alex conceded. "But we haven't shown them all our tricks. And I wager that they don't have the training we got from the SLDF - or the experience fighting the Horde."

But that wouldn't do much with a battalion formed from individuals with less than two weeks worth of experience fighting together.

"Anyway, the damages from the exercise were minimal," Cat said, dropping a sheet on the table. "Russo can have it all fixed by tomorrow, even with his limited pool of techs."

"It's not enough to let us sustain operations in the field, though," Kelly objected.

Alex sighed. "Yes, but we pretty much hired all the techs we could get. We'll have to look for more while travelling. Or poach from units in the field." He shrugged. "But we'll have our astechs trained up by then. The training manuals and vids we have are a huge help."

That was a thin silver lining. A very thin silver lining.

"So, let's go over our performance in detail. Companies, then lances, then individuals," Alex said.

"My company performed as expected," Kelly said. "The use of the Riflemen as fire support caused a lot of casualties amongst them, but they had no other missions."

"And it might teach them that even a Rifleman with freezers is still poorly armoured and doesn't have the firepower of most heavy 'Mechs," Cat added. They were needed as AAA, but she wouldn't send them against Clan 'Mechs. Maybe light 'Mechs in a pinch.

"My own lance did well," Kelly went on. "We managed to get into the rear of First Company and exploited that, with the expected casualties. The scout lance followed our example, but like the Riflemen, that wasn't their core mission."

Something else Cat hoped the Mechwarriors would take to heart. She took a deep breath. "My company performed adequately. The formation was a little ragged, and the coordination was lacking, but they managed to complete their objectives. Threat assessment needs work, though, and focusing fire."

"Well, it worked on me," Alex grinned. "But yes, it was a little ragged."

"And you were in front, where you shouldn't be," Kelly said.

"A leader needs to be seen," Alex retorted. "Besides, the Horde doesn't focus fire, and neither do the Clans."

"They started to, though," Cat told him. "You need to be more careful. If anything happens to you…" Nastajia would be devastated. And then she would run amok.

"I know. But if I am needed…"

Cat glanced at Kelly and sighed. They would have to talk to Alex's command lance and tell them how to handle Alex in the field.

*****​

Harlech, Outreach, Federated Commonwealth, July 19th, 3050

Cat caught Meier checking his Zeus in the Mechbay after breakfast. "Leutnant, a word." She nodded towards the corner next to the doors.

"Major." He slowly rose from where he had been inspecting his 'Mech's foot. A little too slowly, in Cat's opinion.

Once they were in the corner and Cat had checked that no one was in earshot, she stared at him. "You need to stop second-guessing my decisions." His eyes widened for a moment - was he surprised. She didn't care. "And you need better radio discipline. The company channel isn't the channel to give orders to your lance," she added. She was being generous here - she was sure that the officer had willingly addressed the whole company.

He clenched his teeth, then raised his chin. "I don't know where you were taught, but in the Stealthy Tigers, a company commander was expected to listen to their lance commanders if they had concerns. And we practised Auftragstaktik. That means…"

"Ich bin mit der Auftragstaktik vertraut, Leutnant," Cat cut him off. Auftragstaktik was standard in the SLDF, after all. "And there's a time and place for voicing concerns, but once an order is given, it's to be executed." She took a step forward and lowered her voice. "You thought you knew better."

Meier didn't say anything. The Stealthy Tigers must have had better discipline than mercenaries usually had. Or he thought that she would have him fired if he talked back too much. Well, he wasn't entirely wrong.

"I know my business, Leutnant. I am a veteran."

He drew a hissing breath. "You're a teenager!" he whispered, then pressed his lips together - Cat was sure he had almost called her a liar.

"Appearances can be deceiving, she retorted. "You've seen me in the exercises."

"Piloting a 'Mech doesn't mean you can command a company."

"I have shown that I can command a company. You were there." She suppressed the urge to sneer at him - she had commanded a battalion in the SLDF during the war against the Horde! "The Stealthy Tigers expect their officers to face facts, don't they?"

He glared at her as he pressed out: "Yes."

"Then stop assuming anything based on my apparent age. I have the training and the experience for my position." After a moment's pause, she added: "I didn't sleep my way up."

He blushed a little. "I didn't say that."

"I know what people assume about Kelly and me and Alex." She gave him a curt nod. "I'm your company commander. I need you to do your job, not second-guess me. Verstanden?"

"Vestanden."

She nodded again and left. This wasn't over, but with a little luck, he'd come around once he realised from the exercises that she knew what she was doing. Meier, and the rest of her company.

Cat hoped Kelly had less trouble with her company.

*****​

Harlech, Outreach, Federated Commonwealth, July 20th, 3050

Kelly checked her report a second time. No typos. The numbers added up. She hit 'send' and put the noteputer on the desk with a satisfied sigh. Alex was meeting with their future employer so he wouldn't see it immediately, but that didn't matter. She had finished her duties for the day.

"Already done?" Cat asked, looking up from her own noteputer.

"Yes." Kelly cocked her head slightly.

"I'll be stuck here for a while." Cat frowned. "Sorting out repair reports. Requests from our greeny artillery unit who still thinks like infantry judging by their small arms requests. And requests for modifications," she added with a sneer.

"Meier again?" Kelly asked. The Lieutenant had become a stickler for regulations. Passive-aggressive payback for Cat sorting him out, Kelly assumed.

"No. Campbell wants to replace his Cyclops's twelve heatsinks with ten freezers and add more armour."

"Ah." Kelly nodded. "That's a sensible suggestion." The Cyclops was underarmoured compared to other assault 'Mechs.

"Yes. But Russo isn't happy with the proposal. Adding more armour will force a recalibration of the gyro, and that might mean we won't have the thing ready for the finals."

"You mean the training exercise in a week," Kelly corrected her.

"Yes, our final test before we're leaving Outreach." Cat snorted. "Provided Rasalhague still wants us after our performance against the Dragoons."

Kelly slightly shook her head. "They are desperate for any kind of help they can get."

"I know."

"And our Mechwarriors are training hard. They are improving," Kelly added. That everyone was now wearing brand-new advanced neurohelmets helped, of course.

"Yes. But they aren't the Dragoons. Much less the SLDF." Cat shook her head. "Anyway, I'm just depressing myself. So, go ahead and grab something to eat or something while I sort this out."

"Very well." Kelly rose, leaned forward to put a brief kiss on Cat's cheek, and left their cabin.

She didn't go to the mess, though. She grabbed a sandwich on the way and headed to the mechbay.

Russo was arguing with one of the newly hired techs in front of the Awesome. That was to be expected - the 'Mech was a kludge, far worse than Cat's Victor. Cat's 'Mech had had the heatsinks replaced and armour added, and that was it. The Awesome… it was basically a Solaris Special. It worked, but woe to anyone who wanted to change something. Martini was standing near the techs and frowning. Probably lost in the tech jargon.

Well, they could sort that out. Kelly continued towards the part of the dropship housing her own company. She had to evade an ammunition trolley moving more LRM rounds - training rounds for the next exercise, she saw - and nodded at Allen and Gallinari, seated on the former's Shadow Hawk and discussing something. It didn't look as if they were flirting.

Then she reached her own lance. Anna Kowalski was sitting on a folding lounge chair next to her Phoenix Hawk, reading something.

"Pearl and Gull are out grabbing some chow from the town," she said without looking up from her book. Which was a technical manual, Kelly noticed.

"Ah." She nodded in return, then sat down on the foot of the 'Mech and studied the busy mechbay.

"You know, I still haven't figured out who you guys are," Anna suddenly spoke up after about a minute.

"Yes?" Kelly inclined her head.

"You arrive with a Lostech dropship full of Lostech 'Mechs. Well, mostly Lostech 'Mechs. I can't believe the SLDF used those Riflemen." Anna scoffed. "If we can mount freezers, so could they."

"Many received field modifications once they reached their units," Kelly explained. "However, as anti-aircraft 'Mechs, they were rarely overheating given the nature of their task. Many commanders felt that keeping the original configuration made the Mechwarriors less likely to engage in ground combat, where they would suffer due to their weak armour. It often didn't work out, but it worked often enough, so the pressure to modify the design never managed to gain momentum."

"And that's the other thing: We're using SDLF everything. Regs. Uniforms. Gear. Manuals." Anna held up her manual. "SDLF Field guide to reconnaissance in force. 2750 edition."

"Yes?" It was a good manual - Kelly had studied herself, and the lessons learned worked well in the field.

"You know all that stuff already. But the dropship was found just a month ago or so."

"SLDF field manuals aren't exactly Lostech."

"They're rare enough. And you read all of them."

"Not all of them. I am still trying to find time to study the SLDF regulations covering the installation of field latrines," Kelly replied. When the other woman gaped at her, she smiled.

Anna scowled for a moment. "I walked into this. But seriously. Where did you learn all this? You're supposed to be a piece of fluff, not some… veteran staff officer. And don't give me the line about combat experience. I'm talking about all the paperwork and organisation."

"That's part of combat experience as an officer," Kelly said.

Anna snorted. "You were probably the youngest staff officer ever. And only because Stevens is like a month older."

Kelly slowly nodded. It wasn't as if this was a secret.

"So, we've got a betting pool for you three."

"For us?" Kelly raised her eyebrows.

"Yes. We're betting on where you are from. Not just the house - I'm pretty sure you're FedCom; Stevens's accent slips at times, and you obviously were together for a long time, but I can't place the Colonel. But the real deal: Where did you learn your craft? It wasn't Albion; I was only a year there before I was kicked out, but you don't feel like one of ours."

Kelly smiled despite the slight unease she felt - both at the probing questions and the need to lie to her lance.

"Well, we'll find out. Once the shots are falling, we'll find out."

"Perhaps." Kelly smiled more genuinely.

Anna snorted and went back to reading her manual.

And Kelly watched the Mechbay again. They still didn't have enough techs. They were short three 'Mechs for a full battalion. And they had no aerospace fighters or tanks, and only an anaemic infantry platoon for headquarters (and to keep an eye on Kirchwerder). And half-trained artillery.

But they were coming together. She could see it in how the soldiers in the mechbay interacted with each other.

*****​

Training Grounds, Outreach, Federated Commonwealth, July 27th, 3050

"They're cheating! I know they're cheating!" Anna complained - again. "They must be to keep finding us!"

Kelly rolled her eyes. "Gamma One-Three, maintain radio discipline. And keep moving towards the valley to your left." That should grant Anna's Phoenix Hawk some cover from the Dragoons' hunting them.

"Gamma-13, copy," Anna replied, and Kelly knew the woman was pouting in her cockpit. But she was following orders. That should keep her 'Mech alive a bit longer once the Dragoons caught up to them - and after three meeting engagements followed by fifteen minutes of getting hounded across the training field, Kelly was certain that the Dragoons medium lance would be catching up any moment now.

But not because they were cheating. They didn't need to cheat - they were just so damn good. And they knew the terrain so well, even slower medium Mechs could keep up with her lance. And their lighter 'Mechs kept popping up behind ridges and out of ravines just outside the effective range of the ER PPCs of Kelly's Phoenix Hawks, the rest of the two lances hunting already closing in before they could react.

Kelly had recognised the pattern right away, but there was not much she could do about it - even micromanaging her lance wasn't enough to counter the Dragoons. Her Mechwarriors simply lacked the familiarity born from dozens of battles that was needed to fight together as a well-oiled machine.

"Gamma-12 to Gamma-11! Ambush! Two Griffins and one…" Karen went offline. Killed in action, Kelly's computer reported, and she marked the spot. With Michael downed in the first engagement, that left only Anna and Kelly. And Cat and Alex were too far away to provide support for them.

On the other hand, Kelly had spotted the pattern. And she was sure she had her opponents' number now. She switched channels to fire support, and her hand flew over her console, sending targeting data to the First Royal Irregulars' artillery battery. Flight time of twenty seconds at this distance…

Kelly grinned as her computer told her that the volley was on the way. "Gamma-13, move out of the ravine and behind the next ridge!"

"But what about you?" Anna replied - but her 'Mech was moving already.

"I need to pay them back before I join you." Kelly drove her Raven forward, charging the ridge behind which Karen had fallen. As expected, a Dragoon scout popped up far away, tracking her - not even her ECM suite could stop visuals.

And a few seconds later, a Griffin appeared on the ridge.

And the four Arrow IV missiles from the first artillery lance entered the theatre. Kelly dropped the crosshairs of her TAG on the Griffin as she side-stepped the simulated PPC bolt and her anti-missile system shredded the LRM volley. Lock!

She pulled the trigger and kept sliding to the side.

A moment later, the Griffin disappeared from her sensors, struck by four missiles, and the referee ruled it dead.

And now the Dragoons' companions were out for revenge. Kelly pulled her 'Mech around and sprinted towards the ravine Anna had left. More LRMs struck the ground next to her while her anti-missile system chattered. A few shells from an autocannon vaporised the armour on her back.

Then the second volley, from the second artillery lance arrived overhead, and Kelly spun her Raven around, catching laser fire on her torso, before she tagged the Trebuchet firing at her.

The medium 'Mech disappeared as well, and the simulation ruled the Clint next to it as being damaged as well by the explosion. Kelly was already running again - trying to finish off the Clint would doom her.

"I've got enemy 'Mechs incoming!" Anna yelled. "Medium lance!"

Kelly glanced at the screen of her computer. Ostroc. Dragon. Valkyrie. And another Trebuchet. Anna couldn't fight those.

But they were cutting off Kelly's escape. Well, on death ground, Fight.

She sent another order to their artillery battery - the first two lances should be reloading now, but the third had yet to fire - and charged on. "Gamma-13, fall in behind me!" Her antimissile system still had some volleys left.

"What?" But Anna did as she was told even as she questioned Kelly.

The LRMs were the first to arrive, and Kelly's anti-missile system ran dry on the second volley. That meant the Dragon's and the Valkyrie's missiles hit her, shredding more armour. She dashed to the left, letting the follow-up volley of laser fire hit the rocks, and came to a stop. A quick check - yes. She accelerated again and rounded the boulder just as the enemy shifted the fire towards Anna's Hawk.

And just as the next Arrow IV fire arrived.

"TAG!" she yelled as she painted the Valkyrie.

"Gamma-13, focus fire on the Dragon! We're breaking through!" Or die trying. She entered the next order for the artillery as she closed.

Once more, Anna, her 'Mech's armour battered, obeyed while complaining. But the Dragoons had wised up - they were splitting up and focusing on her. The Dragon's LRM salvo went wide - she was too close - but a volley of lasers melted her 'Mech's left arm. But the next Arrow IV volley was already in the air, and the heavy 'Mechs facing her might be fast for their weight, but not fast enough - three missiles struck the Dragon's torso a moment before Anna hit it with her ER PPC, and the 'Mech went offline in a simulated ammo explosion.

Yes! They had blown a hole into the enemy's trap! "Gamma-13, follow me to…"

The radio cut off as her Raven shut down, the computers switching to spectator mode. Lasers and SRMs had hit her rear and had wrecked the scraps of armour left as well as her reactor shielding. The Ostroc hadn't tried to flee her next Arrow IV volley but had taken the shot at her back - and hit.

And Anna was charging it. Kelly sighed as the last member of her lance duelled the Ostroc. The Phoenix Hawk had the advantage - it was faster and better armed and still had enough armour left to prevail - but Anna should have run. Even if she managed to kill the Ostroc, the rest of the Dragoons would… Right, there they were.

Now Anna tried to run, but she had overheated her 'Mech by firing both the ER laser and the ER PPC, and with the Ostroc at her back… That was it for Gamma company's first lance.

Well, they had made the Dragoons work for it. Kelly hoped that Cat and Alex's companies did better.

*****​

Cat reached the stand set up for spectators at the edge of the training field - behind solid barriers that looked like they could stand up to live-fire exercises - just as the exercise drew to a close.

Alex and a battered Marauder from his company - Spencer Travis - were facing what looked like all the remaining Dragoons on the field. More than a company, which hurt Cat's pride. It wasn't even an elite battalion like the Black Widows, just the first of Epsilon Regiment. And they hadn't had much of a weight advantage, either. Of course, the Dragoons had their reputation for a reason…

It still hurt her pride.

She couldn't even reach a screen showing the simulated fire and damages before a siren rang - Alex and Travis had been focused down. Shaking her head, she walked over to the food cart some enterprising soul had planted next to the stands.

But before she could order some greasy yakisoba to wash down what Kelly would call the taste of defeat and humiliation, a tall woman in uniform intercepted her.

"Ah, Major Stevens. Quite an impressive showing for a new unit."

Cat forced herself to smile. "Thank you, Colonel Nichole. We did better than I feared."

"But not as good as you wished, hm?" The colonel laughed. "That's the kind of spirit you need to improve. I bet my people did worse than they expected - they were a little full of it, you know, facing a rookie battalion."

Led by veteran members of the SLDF, though Cat didn't tell the woman that. "Well, we know how far we have to go before we hit the Clans," she said instead.

Nichole grew serious. "That's going to be a very hard job, Major. You've got talent, but the Clans have wrecked elite regiments."

"We'll see," Cat said. "We'll have ample time to iron out the kinks we saw today before we see action."

"We have a way to go indeed, but I don't think I am overly optimistic when I expect us to be ready for the Clans once we each Rasalhague." Kelly nodded at the Colonel as she joined them.

Nichole inclined her head but held her tongue. Which told Cat enough about the Colonel's opinion.

"Ah, here comes your commander."

Indeed, Alex's Atlas-II was coming to a stop at the edge of the stands. Half a minute later, the cockpit hatch opened, and a smiling Alex started climbing down the rope ladder.

Nichole was already moving to meet him, so Cat decided to forego her snack and follow the Dragoon Colonel with Kelly.

"Ah, Colonel Nichole! Good show by your battalion. This was a very instructive exercise for us." He beamed at the woman, and Cat suppressed a scowl. Alex didn't have to be so friendly and good-natured. They had lost, after all.

"For us as well. You did better than expected to be honest. Then again, your Mechwarriors do have a technological advantage." Nichole nodded at Alex's advanced neurohelmet. "Although some would say you're taking a high risk using them."

"Oh, no - those are perfectly safe. Factory new, never worn before," Alex assured her.

"Ah. The same source where you've got your uniforms from?"

"Not quite. We had to alter the uniforms a little since we're not a line regiment of the SLDF." Alex smiled widely. "We're the First Royal Irregulars, after all."

"And using SLDF doctrine."

"Yes."

Cat really had to work not to scowl at the woman. She was so blatantly fishing for information, it was almost embarrassing.

At least they would be leaving as soon as the contract with the Free Rasalhague Republic was finalised.

*****​

Wolf's Dragoons Headquarters, Outreach, Federated Commonwealth, July 28th, 3050

"Here are the results of the tests you ordered, Colonel."

Jaime Wolf looked up from the latest report from the Invasion Front and nodded at his aide. "Thank you, Captain." He took the envelope and raised his eyebrows when he saw it was sealed. A little overkill, perhaps, he thought with a smile as he sliced it open with his dagger.

The first sheet inside the envelope confirmed what he had already expected. As did the second. The third, though… His eyebrows rose. "That is a surprise."

"Sir?"

Jamie sighed as he put the three sheets down on his desk. "'Cat Stevens' and 'Kelly Lieden' are Katherine Steiner-Davion and Kali Liao."

"As we suspected, Sir."

"Yes. And their obvious skill at leading their companies makes one wonder what they were doing while they were supposedly in a coma." Jamie shook his head. That was a very thin cover story. But why would both the Steiner-Davions and the Liaos use the same cover story? And have their children train together for what must have been years? Stravag, the two were barely old enough to graduate from a sibko and were leading companies? Even for defectors from the Clans, that wouldn't make much sense. And they didn't fight like Clans.

"And why they have come to Outreach to recruit mercenaries," his aide added. "After fighting in the arenas on Solaris VII."

"I think the answer to that question is related to their apparent commander."

"Colonel Camden?"

Jamie nodded. "Yes. He is actually a Cameron."

His aide - who was also named Cameron, although that was merely a coincidence - stiffened. "But… the entire line was wiped out by the traitor."

"The legitimate heirs were all killed. According to the DNA, Colonel Camden is a direct descendant of Simon Cameron."

"Illegitimate then."

Jamie sighed. "I do not know if many in the Inner Sphere would care about that at this point. And he apparently found a pristine Colossus right next to Outreach. He must have had insider knowledge." Wolfnet hadn't known about that ship, and they had had the SLDF's best records.

Jamie leaned back. But what was the point of this? Why were two members of the ruling Houses of the Inner Sphere working with a Cameron? What was Hanse Davion planning? And why was Romano Liao involved? He was tempted to set Wolfnet on this, but with the Clan invasion, his agents were focused on the front.

And, as much as he did not like it, Wolfnet had no operatives ready to penetrate the security of the Steiner-Davion or the Liao family.

"Do you wish to delay their departure?" Brian asked.

Jamie thought about it for a moment. If he informed the Steiner-Davions about this… If their daughter had run away, they would be grateful for returning her. Probably. But if this was some convoluted plan of Hanse Davion… "Better not risk it," he mumbled.

"Sir?"

"No, we will not intervene there. We have no idea what is going on, and the stakes are too high. Especially now." He nodded. "Let us see how Colonel Cameron and his two friends will fare on the Invasion Front."

He pressed his lips together. They were good - the girls fought like veterans, and the Colonel would hold his own against Jamie's best, from what the battleroms showed. But they had never fought the Clans.

*****​

 

[Starfox5]

Just read this story. It is definitely on my watch list.

I can't say that I care about the Dreamland crossover elements per se, but I really like the idea of the two scions of warring houses growing up together in a shared mental space, bonding, and then returning to the real world and having to deal with the expectations of their famillies. Their relationship is fun, and I enjoy the focus on gathering an elite lance of mechs to go help out.

Could maybe do with a little more emphasis put into differentiating the personalities between the two leads, but I do see enough differences that they don't feel boring. Very interested to see what else is in store.

Click to shrink...

It's a bit more than an elite lance Still, not exactly an army. And probably half of them are spies.

I'll look into making their characters a bit more distinctively different.

 

[Starfox5]

Chapter 7: First Blood

'When we left Outreach, I didn't really think that we had successfully hidden our identities, although I certainly hoped that we had managed. But I knew that even with Star League technology from Dreamland to help with our disguises, there was only so much you could do, short of extensive surgery. But I thought we had at least successfully confused any spies after us long enough to make our way to the front. I was almost correct, I found out later - my parents both felt it unfair to try and deny me to fight the clans if Victor got to, seeing as I could obviously handle it, but also didn't want to create a scandal by trying to force me to return home. I can only wonder which reason prevailed, but I know that my parents didn't talk to each other for a week during the time the First Royal Irregulars were in transit to the front.'

• Diary of Katherine 'MadCat' Steiner-Davion

*****​

'After I was told that I could not expect Patient S-D to be returned to my care - quite forcefully, I have to note - I didn't fall in despair like others would have done in my place. Instead, I launched a new research project to discover the true nature of whatever had happened to Patient S-D. Based upon the patient's claims, I focused on the natural test subjects: Children below the age of six or seven. And amongst those, I looked for the ones with the most active imagination. And those who had some attention-deficit.'

• Private notes of M.D. Phil Baker, Triad Medical Wing, Tharkad, 3050

*****​

Skye System, Federated Commonwealth, August 5th, 3050

"Jump complete. Stand by for undocking."

Kelly shook her head as she checked her harness - it wouldn't do to float free during the undocking and then get hurt when the dropship accelerated.

Next to her, Cat groaned. "If we're going to fight the Clans, we should do it in space. We'll be much better than them at fighting in microgravity."

"We've only been two weeks in space," Kelly reminded her. "And one week was spent reaching the jump point - not in microgravity."

Her friend scoffed. "It was long enough already." She sighed. "And we'll spend four days waiting for the next jumpship here. Unless it gets commandeered by the AFFC, and we're stranded here."

"In that case, the Republic will send a jumpship," Kelly said. "It's in the contract." Alex had negotiated quite well. Though, to be fair, the Rasalhaguians were desperate for troops.

"If they have one left." Cat was grumpy today. "They lost their capital."

That was true. If the money - C-Bills - were not already in escrow on Outreach, Kelly would have doubts about this contract. And even as it was, this would be a more challenging battle than she had thought. The KungsArmé simply wasn't as able as the DCMS and the AFFC and suffered accordingly.

The dropship jerked as the drives started, and soon, Kelly felt the gravity - well, the acceleration's effect - return.

"Finally!" Cat slipped out of her harness and dropped to the ground. "Time to get in some training before we reach our parking spot."

Kelly nodded as she followed her friend. Cat might have taken their loss against the Dragoons in the training exercise as a blow to her pride, but it had clearly shown them crucial weaknesses of their battalion. And they had a few more weeks to fix that.

They made their way down to the mechbay, past the cargo bay full of supplies and the vehicle bay where their support trucks and the artillery were placed. Anna was already climbing into her Phoenix Hawk, Michael was putting on his coolant vest, but where was… ah, Karen arrived, a little green in the face. She suffered from a milder form of Transit Disorientation Syndrome.

But she didn't say anything when she walked past Kelly, so Kelly didn't ask if she was OK - Karen generally let people know what she felt. Loudly.

Kelly waved to Cat and climbed into her Raven. Time for some simulations.

*****​

Cat stretched after climbing out of her 'Mech's cockpit and stepping on the gantry. Another sim exercise with mixed results. She looked around - Kelly was still in her Raven, as was her company, so they weren't done yet. They probably had some scouting exercise going. Well, except for Martens's Riflemen; his lance was running AAA exercises nonstop.

Not that it would help a lot against Clan Aerospace Fighters - they might be able to keep the airspace around them clear, but nothing more. And that meant that the Irregulars would have to move in a tighter formation than was advisable. At least the Clans didn't seem to use much artillery.

Rick joined her on the gantry. "That went decently well," he commented.

Cat snorted. They lost too many 'Mechs in the sim battle. "We'll have to do better."

"Yes, yes. And my 'Mech needs more armour."

She shrugged again. "I've told Russo to do the heatsink swap and add ferro-fibrous armour. It should be done before we arrive in theatre."

"I'll believe it when I see it." He chuckled. "Of course, even as it is, the Cyclops is an incredible 'Mech. I just would like more armour if I'm to play bait."

Cat frowned at him. "Play bait?"

"The Clans will assume I'm the commander of the unit, being in a Cyclops, won't they?" Rick gave her a wry grin.

Oh. They hadn't considered that. "Actually," she said, smiling weakly, "we hadn't considered that. Alex is used to running his unit from an Atlas-II. The other Atlas-II and the three Marauders in his company should confuse an enemy." She shrugged once more. "It's not as if you need a cyclops to run a battalion. You're in my lance as a backup."

"Really?" He stared at her.

"Have you seen the computers in the Atlas-II? They're more than enough to run a regiment. And we don't have a regiment." Not yet, anyway.

He laughed. "I haven't thought about that - almost the whole battalion is Lostech."

"Brand new Star league quality." Cat nodded.

"Except for your 'Mech, Major Lieden's Raven and Ursi's Awesome."

"Yes. And all three were modified on Solaris VII." Cat started walking to the elevator at the end of the gantry.

Rick followed. "The Arena fighters generally don't focus on command and control, I thought."

"No, but the systems are adequate for command." Hell, Cat had commanded a battalion from her Victor. With Kelly, but still.

"Well, you did prove that in the exercises."

She grinned but quickly grew serious. "But that was an exercise. We've got a war ahead of us. And we need to train as hard as we can."

"Yes, Major."

They reached the floor of the mechbay. Jane and Ursula were waiting there for the debriefing.

Jane was in high spirits - she had performed well in the exercise. Two kills against Horde 'Mechs, one with a headshot. Ursula, though, had been taken out quickly by getting focused down after she had been cut off from the rest of the lance.

But all of them had acquitted themselves well, even though they could improve further.

"Say," Jane asked, "Where did you get those training sims? Those are Clan 'Mechs, aren't they?"

"Those are simulated Clan 'Mechs based on available information. Actual Clan 'Mechs might be different," Cat said, sidestepping the question. Though as far as she knew, the Horde had used the same 'Mechs the Clans were using.

"I hope you made them stronger than the original. The range of their weapons…" Ursula shook her head. "I still can't believe that their bloody lasers outranged my PPCs."

"That's accurate," Cat told her.

"Great. And I can't catch them if they hit and run."

"Not on the plains," Cat said. "But we're working as a lance, and the Clans will be aggressive and close in. And we have artillery to call in."

Ursula frowned. "I thought Major Lieden was handling artillery."

"She's handling the homing missiles. But we also have standard missiles you can call in as fire support," Cat explained. She didn't mention that that had been in the briefing and the manuals the Mechwarriors had been given. Judging by the other woman's grimace, she had just remembered that as well.

"We should get more TAGs then," Rick commented.

"We should, yes. Once our techs have the time to spare," Cat said.

"Right." He chuckled in a self-deprecating manner. "I'd rather have armour than a TAG."

He was right, of course - they needed more TAGs in the company. But those didn't grow on trees, and they hadn't been able to buy any units, either on Solaris or on Outreach. She cleared her throat. "Anyway, first, we had better coordination today. Not yet on the level we need, but we did better than before, and if we keep this up, we'll rip through the Clans once we get deployed."

Ursula narrowed her eyes slightly. "Major, you talk as if you have experience fighting them."

"I've studied them," Cat replied - evading the question. That would start rumours; she knew that. But it would also make the Mechwarriors trust her, Kelly and Alex more, so she didn't feel bad about that. "So, let's go over the exercise step by step. First, we had…"

*****​

Corridan System, Federated Commonwealth, August 19th, 3050

Kelly endured the brief bout of nausea after jumping with the grace of long practice. Two jumps left to reach Orestes. But they had to wait two more days until the jumpship they would be docking with was ready to jump. And no jumpship would be waiting in Symington, so they would have to spend a week there to recharge.

Unless, of course, the Rasalhaguians ordered the jumpship to hot-charge the drive. The latest news update they had received had shown that the Rasalhaguians were faring even worse than expected - the Clans were cutting through their realm with almost impunity. They were screaming for reinforcements of any kind.

"Alright, systems check!" Kirchwerder snapped. "I don't want any surprises before we undock!"

As the crew quickly checked their stations, Kelly watched. Kirchwerder was a skilled spacer, no doubt, and he hadn't given her any reason to doubt his loyalty - any reason she could take to Alex, at least. But he was ambitious, and she had no doubt that he considered the Babylon his own ship.

And she was keeping an eye on him. Even with all the soldiers now filling out their roster, especially Wong's security platoon and O'Finnegan's Artillery Battery, which was composed of former mechanised infantry or tankers, Kirchwerder might still try something. It was unlikely - he was no fool - but not impossible.

Of course, amongst their ranks were bound to be spies. They had made too many waves not to catch the attention of the various intelligence services. They could only hope that none of them took issue with their goals of fighting the Clans.

And that none of them had the means to detect the surveillance gear they had brought over from Dreamland.

The different stations on the bridge quickly reported all-clear, and Kirchwerder asked for permission to undock.

As soon as it was granted, the massive dropship shuddered slightly as the manoeuvring thruster fired, and it separated from the docking ring. Once they were far enough away and pointed in the right direction, the fusion engines started up, and they accelerated towards the waiting Malmö, a Merchant-class jumpship.

Kelly unbuckled at once. As brief as it was, it felt good to walk around and stretch under the illusion of gravity.

"We're really lucky to have a ship from the Rasalhague Navy waiting for us. Otherwise, the AFFC would have pressed it into service already," Kirchwerder commented. "I've heard from the dropship taking our spot that they are moving everything forward. I bet there's a counter-offensive coming."

"That is likely," Kelly agreed.

"Why didn't you hire on with the Commonwealth?" the man asked.

Because Cat's Katherine Steiner-Davion and ran away from home, and I am Kali Liao, and we wouldn't get near the front if people were aware of that. Kelly didn't say that, of course. "Rasalhague offered a better contract."

Kirchwerder snorted. "I bet they do - everyone knows they don't like mercenaries and treat them almost as bad as the Kuritas do. They must be paying a fortune to get mercenaries."

"Yes." Kelly smiled. He wasn't wrong - though Alex hadn't pressed for as much money as he could've. This was about beating the Clans, after all, not making the most money.

"One man's misfortune is another man's opportunity, huh?"

Kelly was sure the man had just mangled a quote, but she didn't know the exact wording, so she nodded. "Of course, we'll have to beat the Clans, or it'll all be for naught."

Kirchwerder briefly frowned. "I just hope the Rasalhaguians will have enough escorts for us. Trying to repair this ship will be a pain."

Once more, Kelly had to agree. For such a huge dropship, lacking organic escorts was a severe drawback. But then, the SLDF of old had not suffered from a lack of escorts.

*****​

Royal Palace, Unity City, Dreamland, August 21st, 3050

"Cat!" Felicity greeted her warmly with a wave as Cat entered what was nominally part of the office of the First Lord but usually just served as a lounge for the 'permanent visitors', which was, according to Nastajia, the official label for Alex's friends hanging out there.

"Felicity!" Cat was about to add a greeting herself, but Kiwi interrupted her.

"Cat!" She flew at Cat and landed on her head. "We haven't seen you in a while! Where's Kelly?"

"Back in the dropship." And still convinced that Kirchwerder was planning something. Cat had her doubts about it, but the man was ambitious. "Someone needs to be ready to wake us up if anything comes up."

"Bah!" Kiwi flew off and landed back in her seat - which was a miniature armchair on the side table. "And Alex won't appear for a while, either."

Felicity snickered, and Cat had to grin - as stern as Nastajia often appeared, even sometimes in private, Cat had no doubt that Alex hadn't been able to leave the bed after arriving. "So, what's new?"

"That's our question," Felicity said. "You're still on the way to the front?"

"A week until we arrive in the Republic," Cat confirmed. "Then we'll move to the front."

Her friend nodded. "And your battalion?"

"It's coming together," Cat said. "Progress, but we still need more time to form an actual unit."

"Well, you decided to rush to the front."

Alex's decision, though Cat would be lying if she had been happy with waiting longer while the Clans gobbled up the Inner Sphere. "It'll take us some time to reach the front. Hell, Orestes III is four weeks from the jump point."

"Right. So… you'll see action shortly before Christmas?"

"Maybe sooner, maybe later. The Rasalhaguians are getting desperate."

"With good reason," Kiwi added. "From what we have pieced together from children, they are losing worlds almost daily - far more than the Federated Commonwealth or the Draconis Combine."

Cat looked at the map on the wall, showing the invasion front. Again, Rasalhague was struck the hardest. The FedCom was faring the best, she noted. "Yes. I managed to warn my parents, which is helping, I think, but the Rasalhaguians are the weakest realm there - and they have not many reserves they can throw to the front."

"If only we could travel there," Kiwi said. "We could kick their asses all over the place like we did to the Horde."

"Like we did to the Horde eventually," Felicity said. "We took years to get them out of the Star League."

Cat shrugged - they all had been there. She still remembered the first Horde attack on Unity City. And Felicity was right: They had defeated the Horde, and they would defeat the Clans.

"But speaking of the invasion, you still going with your original plan?" Felicity asked.

"Yes." They hadn't found a better plan. "As far as we know, the Clans act like the Horde - seeking individual glory. We can exploit that and punch far above our weight class."

"You'll have to. A single combined arms regiment won't make any difference in the invasion," Felicity said.

Cat knew that as well. But they had to do something. "We need more information, first of all. And that means prisoners and salvage." She shrugged. "We'll work it out as we go."

Felicity grinned. "That sounds like an Alex plan. Nastajia would go spare if she were with you."

Cat smiled, but it didn't last. She looked at the door, just to check, then leaned forward. "How's she holding up?"

Felicity winced, and Kiwi scowled.

"That bad, huh?"

"Yes. She's been burying herself in her work. The good news is, the SLDF is at the highest readiness since the Horde Invasion." Felicity told her. "The bad news is, we don't need them at that state."

"Unless the rumours of pirates returning are correct," Kiwi said. "We haven't been able to confirm them, but if pirates are starting to strike the outer systems again, as before the Horde War, we need to be ready."

"We can deal with pirates even in our sleep," Felicity boasted. "But it might be a nice distraction for Nastajia."

Cat snorted, but her friend was probably right. "So, did you find anyone else who might be using drugs to visit Dremalands like Kelly and I? An adult, I mean."

Nastajia would have made a joke about them not being adults yet, but neither Kiwi nor Felicity liked to mention their relative age. Felicity shook her head. "No, we didn't hear of any weird adults. Then again, we were looking for pirates."

"Ah." Cat nodded. "If my parents were sending people to Dreamland, they would likely pick out covert operatives, so they might not stick out as much as you might expect."

"We expected that," Felicity said. "So, we've been sending out agents of our own."

"Most people ignore Faeries," Kiwi added with a grin. Then she sighed. "But we haven't found anyone. We found a few suspicious people, but they were Dreamland residents."

"Smugglers and thieves," Felicity added, smiling.

"Former colleagues of yours?" Cat asked.

"If they got caught, they certainly weren't colleagues of mine - I had standards!"

"We found you in prison," Kiwi pointed out.

"That doesn't count. Nicodemus was throwing anyone in prison, no matter if they looked suspicious or not!"

Cat chuckled as Felicity defended her reputation. If only Kelly could be here with her!

*****​

Orestes System, Free Rasalhague Republic, August 27th, 3050

Kelly had barely recovered from the jump when the communication station on the bridge of Babylon reported an incoming transmission.

"No hostile contacts nearby!" the officer at the sensors station added before anyone could react.

Good. Given how quickly the Clans were going through Rasalhague, there had been a not-insignificant possibility that Orestes might have been under attack already - deep strikes were always a possibility. Although with a travel time from the planet to the jump point of almost twenty-eight days, Orestes wasn't a good spot for a supply base. Except for the fact that it was the furthest system from the front that was still in the Republic.

"We've received orders to stay docked," Kirchwerder said. "The Malmö will recharge from the station."

"So they are sending us straight into combat," Alex commented. "As expected."

"Damn. I would have liked having another two months at the minimum to train the battalion," Cat said with a frown.

"If wishes were horses, beggars would ride," Kelly told her.

"And if we were to spend sixty days in this system, they might not need a jumpship to take us to the front afterwards," Alex pointed out.

"Harsh," Kirchwerder said.

"But probably quite accurate," Kelly cut in. "Is there another dropship on the way to dock with the Malmö?"

"Yes," Kirchwerder said, turning to the sensors station.

"Transponder reads as Modic, Leopard-CV-class, the woman told them.

"Ah." Alex pressed his lips together for a moment. "It looks this will be a combat drop."

"Unless this is merely an attempt to reinforce an existing force with both ground troops and aerospace assets," Kelly said.

"The Clans move too fast for that. My money's on a strike at a supply depot." Cat grinned. "Strike at the Clans where they are weak."

"The KungsArmé might be more conservative and concentrate their troops after their numerous defeats," Kelly objected.

"Do you really think so?" Cat raised her eyebrows. "They haven't had much success so far."

"We can't dismiss the possibility."

"Wanna bet?" Cat flashed her a grin.

Kelly inclined her head and gave her a look that made Cat giggle.

"Anyway, we've got our orders," Alex said. "And, unless they violate our contract or the laws of war, we'll follow them."

"I do hope our contract prohibits suicide missions," Kirchwerder commented - and even though he laughed, Kelly didn't think he was actually joking.

"No outright suicide missions," Alex replied.

The spacer didn't seem to like that comment. Well, the line between suicide missions and high-risk missions tended to move depending on whether one was the employer or employee.

"Captain? The Malmö called. The Modic delivered our liaison officer, and she's on the way to the Babylon."

Kirchwerder turned to Alex, who nodded. "Let her on board. We've been expecting her." He looked at Cat and Kelly. "Let's meet her in the staff room."

They floated out of the bridge, Kelly glancing over her shoulder just to catch a last glance of the captain's reaction. But Kirchwerder was already back to ordering his crew around.

Kelly would still keep an eye on him.

*****​

Kapten Anita Lundberg looked like the stereotypical Rasalhaguian soldier, in Cat's opinion: Tall, blonde and blue eyes. The scar tissue on her throat, disappearing under her high collar, and the missing right arm ruined the look somewhat, though.

She didn't salute with her left arm - she nodded at them with a tight expression. "Lt Colonel Camden."

"Kapten Lundberg." Alex smiled at her. "Welcome to the First Royal Irregulars."

Cat smiled and nodded as well, as did Kelly, but she couldn't help wondering if the Kapten was one of the many Rasalhaguians who loathed mercenaries. The stories she had heard when she had looked into the Kell Hounds' missing battalion…

"We've got your quarters ready," Alex told her. "If you'll follow us…"

"I would like to inspect the unit first," she cut him off. "To determine if you're ready for your first mission."

Cat clenched her teeth at the rudeness - and Kelly had, she saw, gone all cold politeness - but Alex laughed. "It's good to see that the situation isn't yet so desperate, you'd throw us into battle without checking our readiness."

"That's because there'll be a squadron of KungsArmé Aerospace fighters escorting you. We would rather not send them to their deaths for nothing."

Really rude. Then again, Alex had just reminded her of how her country was about to be conquered by the Clans. Still… they were here to help them. You'd expect some appreciation for that. At least Cat did.

They floated down to the mechbay. Lundberg almost bumped into the hatch, Cat noticed, when she had to quickly spin to grab it with her hand. She must have lost the arm not too long ago. "Did you fight the Clans?" she asked, ignoring Alex's frown for being nosy and Kelly's frown for not being subtle.

"When I lost my arm, you mean." Lundberg's expression remained neutral, but Cat didn't miss how she tensed up.

"Yes."

"Yes. I lost my arm when my Panther was cored."

Lundberg hadn't mentioned where that had happened, Cat noted. And she had been a MechWarrior, then. Well, she could be one again once she got a prosthetic arm - like Uncle Justin.

"Then you know how they fight," Alex said.

"And you don't. Part of my duties is to teach you how to fight the invaders."

Cat swallowed the first rebuttal she thought of - the Kapten didn't know about her experiences.

"We've been training with sim exercises," Kelly told her as they entered the mechbay. "Based on all the data available to us."

The Kapten drew a sharp breath as she saw the first of the Irregulars' 'Mechs lined up in the bay, then snorted briefly. "I guess I'll have to do my best to make you unlearn all the bad habits you have learned from those."

Now even Alex was frowning. For a moment, at least. "You shouldn't judge them without having seen them." He smiled. "Why don't we take a look at the simulations currently running after you've finished inspecting the 'Mechs?"

Lundberg nodded, and they started their inspection. In microgravity, it was easy to look the 'Mechs over - you had no need to use gantries and catwalks.

Of course, it helped if you had two hands and arms - Lundberg once almost floated past an assault 'Mechs when she misjudged a spin, and Alex had to reel her in. She didn't let that stop her and just continued with her inspection as if nothing had happened. And Lundberg definitely had been a Mechwarrior - she knew all the spots to inspect. That, or a tech, and she didn't give off a tech vibe.

"It seems the reports were true - you have a Lostech battalion," she finally said.

"In perfect working order," Alex added.

"And with enough spare parts to keep them that way," Kelly said, nodding towards the vehicle bay, which had been repurposed to store a lot of their supplies.

*But you're short on techs," Lundberg said.

"Hiring a few more would be nice, yes," Alex said. "But you fight a war with what you have, not what you wish to have."

The woman snorted at that. "You've got the 'Mechs needed for the mission."

"But you doubt that we can do it," Kelly commented.

"I've seen regiments shattered by the Clans."

They had shattered Horde formations back in Dreamland. But Cat once more held her tongue.

"Well, you'll see us shatter them," Alex boasted. "We've been training hard for the whole trip."

"Sims can never replace real experience."

"Our people have combat experience," Alex retorted. "And the training will ensure they don't panic when facing a technologically superior enemy."

"Let's see your simulations then."

*****​

Kelly smiled politely and didn't let her satisfaction show when Lundberg's expression upon watching First Company facing a trinary of medium Horde 'Mechs slowly changed from a slight sneer to grudging - very grudging - respect. And she didn't raise her eyebrows when the woman gasped at the sight of a Horde Timber Wolf wrecking a Crusader in close combat. Maybe this would teach the Kapten that they knew what they were doing.

"Where did you get those battleroms?" Lundberg asked.

From the Starleague would be the true and yet wrong answer. "We collected every scrap of data we could," Cat told her.

"And turned them into training simulations?"

"Of course." Alex smiled. "The details are probably off, but I think we got the gist of fighting them correct."

"More or less. The weapon ranges are correct. But the Clans don't fight like that - not the wolves we are facing," Lundberg told him.

This time, Kelly did frown. "They do not fight according to their honour code?" That would be a first for the Horde.

"They are very flexible when it comes to their 'code'," Lundberg replied.

"Ah." Like the Horde had been, at the end. But they had been too weak by then, and the change of tactics and the added flexibility had just prolonged the inevitable.

The Clans were not even near that point. Kelly glanced at Cat. Her lover was looking grim. And with good reason - this would be harder than they had thought. Closer to their worst-case assumption than their best-case assumption.

"Well, then let's correct this!" Alex said. "Let's alter the parameters."

"And we can use the terrain data of your target," the Kapten said.

"Ah, yes. Our target," Alex said. "Maybe we should do that briefing in my office."

Lundberg nodded with a frown. "Yes, of course."

*****​

"Your target is Engadin," Lundberg said once they were all in Alex's office. "A planet near Radstadt. The First and Third Engadin Home Defense Brigades are fighting the invaders, and we are to reinforce them." She pulled a data chip out of her pocket, offering it to Alex.

Kelly took it, noting how the woman frowned at her, and put it into her noteputer. After a brief check, she used the holoprojector in the table to display the data.

"What kind of forces are they facing?" Cat asked.

"A trinary and two supernovas," Lundberg replied. "Of the 341st Assault Cluster of Clan Wolf. Led by Star Colonel Ramon Sender."

That would be thirty-five 'Mechs and a hundred Elementals. "Did they make a batchall?" Kelly asked.

"Yes." Lundberg frowned some more.

Kelly merely nodded. That meant this intel had been freely given to the KungsArmé. Still… "It will take us 60 days to reach the system without a command circuit. How long do you expect the Defenders to hold out against a Clan Assault Cluster?"

Lundberg scowled but nodded. "We are moving jumpships in place to facilitate travel. If the defenders are defeated before you arrive, you are to strike at the Clan forces in place and take or destroy as much of their material as possible - we know that they are using conquered worlds as depots for their advance."

That was a more realistic mission. Two 'Defense Brigades' against a Clan frontline cluster? In private, Kelly would've sniffed with disdain at the idea that they would hold out for longer than a week at most. Two weeks if they scattered and tried to fight an asymmetric campaign, and some would likely hold out longer, but they wouldn't be a coherent force any more.

"Our battalion against a cluster? That will be a challenge," Alex said. "If we hit them while they're still recovering from their battle, it's doable."

"The Clans have the capability to quickly repair their frontline forces thanks to OmniMech technology," Kelly said. "I doubt that we'll be able to hit them while they are still repairing their 'Mechs. But we might arrive in time to attack a garrison force."

"Yes," Cat agreed. "We can take a second-line cluster. Especially if they use Inner Sphere 'Mechs, at least in part."

Lundberg narrowed her eyes. "Where did you get your information? We have just recently managed to confirm that the Clans use captured 'Mechs for their second-line units."

"We collected our intel from various sources," Kelly told her with a bland expression.

The other woman glared at her. "If you have better intel we need to know it - those invaders are cutting through our forces."

"Our information is second-hand and limited to technical and general information. We cannot verify those until we face the Clans in battle," Alex told her. "But you can have the data." He nodded at Kelly.

"Here." Kelly kept a frown from her face as she passed a chip to the Kapten. It made sense to share their information - Cat had done so with the Federated Commonwealth, after all, and they were facing a common enemy, and the Rasalhaguians needed all the help they could get, and yet… She just didn't like it.

Lundberg seemed surprised but quickly schooled her features and took the chip. "I'll have the contents transmitted to the planet for redistribution." She stood.

"Certainly." Alex smiled. "You can use our radio."

"But you won't tell how you acquired this intel."

"We got it from various people who claimed to have fought the Clans," Alex told her. "They wouldn't like to be bothered by your intelligence agencies."

She scoffed at that. "I see."

"We should also meet with the commander of the Aerospace Squadron," Cat said. "We'll have to coordinate in combat, especially with our Riflemen lance."

"I'll inform Kapten Holm of your request."

"Thank you." Alex pushed a button on the table and told the soldier waiting outside to guide the woman to the bridge.

As soon as the door had closed behind Lundberg, Cat sighed loudly and slumped in her seat. "They are worse than I thought. If they treat their allies like this, no wonder that they are doing so badly against the Clans."

"I think that the reason the KungsArmé's performance is lacking is due to their generally inferior materiel. Possibly because their doctrine is outdated as well," Kelly corrected her friend. "Although I would have expected them to be better prepared to withstand an invasion by a superior enemy seeing as they have a border with the Draconis Combine."

The current coordinator and his heir might have given Rasalhague's independence their blessings, but that didn't mean the next coordinator would continue this policy. Politics in the Combine were often a bloody affair under their veneer of civility. According to Father, Takahashi Kurita had at least tacitly approved of the assassination of his father and might even have facilitated it - or planned it.

"Yes. I have to admit I expected better as well," Alex said. "We'll have to ensure that we have a way out in case the front collapses."

Not for the first time, Kelly wished that they had been able to hire Aerospace fighters of their own. The SLS Babylon was heavily armed for a dropship, but she would be hardpressed to escape pursuit by Clan Omnifighters by herself.

"At least we can count on the Rasalhague forces to fight fanatically," Cat said. "According to what we've heard."

Which was a mixed blessing - fanatical soldiers often lacked the tactical and strategic flexibility that was needed in modern warfare.

"Let's study the data we've been given until the Kapten returns," Alex said.

"Yeah, so we know how things were before the defenders got destroyed." Cat snorted.

"Let's focus on the terrain and the likely locations of supply depots," Kelly suggested.

"Good idea."

*****​

Tukkayyid System, Free Rasalhague Republic, August 28th, 3050

Kapten Holm didn't visit until they had reached the Tukayyid system - which they reached a day later thanks to a short command circuit. He was a middle-aged man, slightly portly, Cat found.

"Colonel. Majors. Kapten. Captain." He nodded at them and entered the room with the obvious practice of a soldier who had spent a long time in microgravity - his body moved with grace and efficiency. "I'm sorry for not visiting earlier, but between the transfers and jumps, I doubt we would have enough time for our meeting."

"Indeed," Alex replied. "But we have at least two days now."

"Three," Holm said. "The recharge station isn't the fastest."

"I bow to your experience." Alex nodded. "So… let's cut to the chase. You're our escorts and air cover once we land. We'll have to work closely together, so let's sort out what we can expect." He looked at Kirchwerder. "Captain Kirchwerder?"

"Well," Kirchwerder said. "The SLS Babylon is a Colossus-class dropship. Are you familiar with the class?"

Holm snorted. "Seeing as she's the only one left of the class in the Inner Sphere, no. But I've read the entry in the warbook."

"Yes." Kirchwerder nodded. "One thing that might have been overlooked: The Arrow IV launchers do not work in flight. The rest - well, we've got a lot of long-range firepower with LRMs, gauss rifles and extended range energy and particle projection weapons. Enough to fend off the odd aerospace fighter or two, but we won't be able to deal with a squadron. And the ship doesn't have fighter bays."

"Which means if the Modic gets destroyed, we'll be stranded," Holm said. He didn't sound surprised - or bothered.

"Well, if the Modic buys it, we'll probably have to land in a hurry before we share her fate." Kirchwerder spread his hands.

"Probably. Or you're already blown up - you'll be the priority target," Holm retorted with a wry grin. "Anyway, we've got six Shilones. No advanced technology, but we've tangled with the Clans before, and we can hold our own - we've proven that."

"You've fought them before?" Cat asked. That was good news.

"Well, individually. My squadron was formed from survivors of various units." Holm sighed. "Most of us want revenge."

"Ah." Cat nodded. That meant they had experience but they had been forced to retreat and had taken losses.

"As long as you accomplish the mission, you can take what revenge you desire," Lundberg said.

Cat frowned at her. The last thing the Irregulars needed was their aerospace support going off on a revenge trip.

"I would say that if we accomplish our mission - whatever it might turn out to be once we arrive - that will be the best revenge," Alex said. "We'll make the Clans suffer a defeat."

"Yes," Cat agreed. "If we arrive too late to help the defenders, we can hit their supplies and second-line guards. If everything goes well, the Clans might be forced to use more troops on garrison duty to defend against the threat of deep raids."

"That would be the ideal outcome," Lundberg agreed.

It wouldn't stop the invasion, but it might slow it down, gaining more time to rebuild forces.

"Exactly," Alex said. "As you know, our battalion is new, but we have Star League 'Mechs and materiel, and we've recruited mostly veterans. I'm confident that we can match at least a garrison cluster 'Mech for 'Mech. Now, I'll leave the space battles to you. Assuming we don't get shot down, we'll land, and then we'll need aerospace cover for combat."

"And cover for the Babylon," Kirchwerder added.

"Yes." Alex nodded. "Kelly will generally handle our air support requests - she commands our support company."

"Yes." Holm nodded at Kelly. He hadn't shown any reaction to their young age, Cat realised. Had he been forewarned? "You've got a lance of Riflemen, don't you?"

"Yes. They'll primarily do anti-aircraft duty," Kelly said. "So, if you got someone on your tail and can't shake them, call it out and lure them over the lance."

"Most pilots avoid the AAA-envelope, friendly or not - flak-rounds don't really discriminate." Holm's smile slipped a little.

"Those are SLDF models; their sensors can track friendly and enemy units easily," Kelly retorted. "Besides, it's for emergencies."

"And it presumes that there are friendly aerospace assets left," Kirchwerder said.

Holms laughed at that. "We're survivors. Leave the air battle to us."

Kirchwerder didn't look as if he shared the man's optimism. Cat was a little sceptical herself - six Shilones? Versus Clan Aerospace fighters? They better all be veteran pilots.

*****​

Royal Palace, Unity City, Dreamland, September 2nd, 3050

Nastajia wasn't holding up well, Kelly noticed at once when she entered the room that basically served as the private lounge of Alex's closest friends - his 'clubhouse', he had once called it. Her friend was standing at the armoured window, looking out over the starport and all the dropships lined up there, with her arms crossed over her chest.

Felicity was draped over her favourite armchair, reading a magazine on her noteputer. Or faking reading one - even Kelly had trouble telling when she was faking and when not. And Kiwi was slumped over on the table next to a half-eaten muffin. A human-sized muffin.

So, yes, Nastajia was not well.

Kelly exchanged greetings with the others - a lazy wave from Felicity and a half-hearted and quickly aborted attempt by Kiwi to get up and fly towards her was the result - and then joined Nastajia at the window.

A Fortress-class was just taking off, followed by a Mule. "Regular supply run?"

"Moving troops to the Periphery. Just in case," Nastajia replied in a curt voice.

"Ah." Kelly nodded. "Any sign of the Horde returning?" They had beaten it, but Dreamland was influenced by the dreams of the children. And the Clan invasion in the Inner Sphere could cause a similar threat to spring up in Dreamland.

"None so far. But… there have been reports about suspicious people in the Periphery. Usually, I would consider them pirate spies, but…" Nastajia shook her head. "I'm not going to dismiss a potential danger to the Star League without thoroughly investigating it."

Kelly nodded again - she completely agreed.

"And, speaking of potential spies…" Nastajia turned to look at her. "Did you find any spies yet?"

Kelly didn't wince. Even though she had bad news. "Not so far."

"Do you need more surveillance devices?"

"No. I doubt that they have been noticed." They were the latest technology, after all. One of the few good things that had come from the Usurper's reign. The tyrant had been paranoid and obsessed with treason, so the budget for surveillance had been increased by an order of magnitude. "But we haven't set foot on any planet since we left Outreach, so any spy wouldn't have had an opportunity to report to their masters. I doubt a spy would take risks under those circumstances - not when they had no way to escape capture." Kelly had paid attention to Father's tales from his work, after all. Those who didn't pay attention to how the Maskirovka operated tended not to live long at Court.

"A saboteur wouldn't care," Nastajia said.

"I doubt that the Clans have any spies in the Inner Sphere. According to what we know, that's not their style," Kelly retorted.

"There are other factions that would like to sabotage your dropship." Nastajia sighed. "Your brother."

"If he had the power to send agents so far, without Father noticing, I think I wouldn't have been able to escape," Kelly said. "And he would have struck already."

"He might be waiting to make it look like an accident. Or a death in combat," Felicity cut in.

Kelly nodded. Yes, that was a possibility. Even with the Clan invasion binding so many forces, her brother would be wary of provoking the Federated Commonwealth. And that would be the result if Kelly died at her brother's hand or command - Cat would come after him. And if she died, the Federated Commonwealth would avenge her. Still…

She shook her head. "I don't think he has the resources. And Mother wouldn't want me dead." Not yet. And the Federated Commonwealth wouldn't kill her. Capture her? Probably. But they wouldn't kill her. Because she was Cat's friend - and because they didn't want to provoke the Confederation while the Clans were attacking the Lyran half of the realm.

"But Houses aren't the only threats." Nastajia pressed her lips together until they formed a thin pale line. "By now, ROM will have identified Alex. They will have found out about his ancestry."

Kelly was forced to agree - even if Alex's stunt on Terra would have been missed, sending a priority message with a mysterious text to Cat would have caught the attention of ComStar. They would have investigated. And while they probably didn't have Alex's DNA on file, they would likely have the DNA of a relative of his on file. They would know that he was a Cameron. Legitimate or not, that would be a concern. And yet… "I don't think they would want to risk catching Cat or me in an attack," she said.

"But you're not certain," Nastajia said. "And Alex…" She shook her head. "It's one thing for a Cameron to vanish. It's another for them to found a mercenary regiment with LosTech. And they will make the connection."

Once more, Kelly was forced to agree. Well, they had discussed this - Alex would be aware as well. And he'd still go on because the Clans needed to be stopped, and he was the kind of leader who led from the front. Like a Davion, her Father would say.

Like Cat. And, Kelly had to agree, like herself. Then again, neither Cat nor herself were the rulers of a realm. Not even the heirs. Alex, on the other hand, was the First Lord of the Star League. And he had faced worse odds than when he first started fighting the Usurper in Dreamland.

She nodded. "But we'll be fighting the Clans - and we'll be on the move." Deep raiding, for one.

"Not forever."

"Yes. But by then, the situation might have changed."

"How?" Nastajia was staring at her.

"Once the invasion's been driven back, Alex can return to Dreamland. And Cat and I can handle the regiment." The very short regiment.

"Do you think he'll do that? Leave you to fend for yourself?"

"He's got a duty here," Kelly pointed out. "And I do hope that once the war's over, we'll be able to come to an accommodation with our families." Or at least with Cat's family.

Nastajia sighed. "So do I. So do I."

"Hey! Alex will never leave you!" Felicity cut in. Kelly didn't have to turn to check to know she was grinning. "Trust me, I checked! He'll always return to you."

Nastajia scoffed at the remark, but Kelly could see that she was smiling a little.

*****​

Engadin System, Free Rasalhague Republic, September 20th, 3050

"...and we've arrived! Undocking!"

Cat shook off the slight nausea from the jump as Kirchwerder announced their safe arrival at a pirate point in the Engadin System and checked her Victor's systems. Everything was in order. As it should be - but with jumps, you never could be a hundred per cent sure. The stories she had heard.

She felt the jerking sensation when the SLS Babylon separated from the jumpship and started accelerating towards the planet - easily visible on the feed from the dropship's cameras.

"Modic separated. Fighters deploying."

She could see that herself. But why? They hadn't spotted any enemies yet, and it was a few hours until they could make planetfall. Holm probably just wanted to be ready for anything - the Clans wouldn't let them land uncontested.

She licked her lips. If they had miscalculated, and there was still a full cluster on the planet, complete with aerospace support…

"Contacts!"

Cat cycled through the feeds on her screen. There!

But the Aerospace fighters that rose from the planet to meet them weren't Omnifighters. The Babylon's computers identified them as Spads. SLDF light fighters, at least originally. But even if they hadn't been upgraded by the Clans - it was too soon to tell - there were ten of them facing the six definitely not upgraded Shilones.

Cat pressed her lips together. The lack of Omnifighters attempting to intercept them meant there was probably no front-line Cluster present. But they had to fight their way through the Spads first.

And that would be tricky. Holm's pilots were veterans, but second-line Clan forces more often than not were veterans as well. And they would be focusing on the Babylon to stop the raid in space.

Damn. She hated it when she couldn't do anything but wait helplessly while others decided her fate.

And even with the fighters burning towards them, it would be an hour until they were in range.

Damn!

*****​

Engadin Orbit, Engadin System, Free Rasalhague Republic, September 20th, 3050

"Entering atmosphere!"

Cat tapped her radio's button. "Beta company, you've heard the captain. We're about to make landfall. Hold on tight!" Then she closed her eyes for a moment and held her breath. This was the critical point - a dropship was most vulnerable when entering the atmosphere of a planet. And as she had expected, the Babylon shook a moment later. Probably another strafing run by the remaining Spads.

But the ship stabilised, and Cat's display showed that the marker for the closest spad winked out - one of the gunners must have tagged it. Or one of the Shilones. She didn't really care as long as it was down.

That left… four Spads. And four Shilones. And the Modic. The Leopard-class dropship had fared much better than the Babylon; they had only taken light armour damage. As expected, the Clan fighters had focused on the larger dropship.

And this was the last chance for the Clans to stop the dropship from disembarking the Irregulars. Cat saw how the four markers for the spads lined up for a last attack run. No, three - one of them disintegrated before it could fall in formation, probably because of a volley from the closest Shilone.

The camera view of the outside was now showing the air igniting around the ship as it dived down to the landing zone. And the feed from the ship's sensors showed three spads coming at them.

"Gunners, focus on the first two spads!" Kirchwerder snapped. "Ignore the third!"

Cat couldn't see if the gunners obeyed. She couldn't even see the lasers and gauss rifles firing. She could just watch the red markers rapidly come closer and closer. And the blue marker of the Modic lining up next to the Babylon to add her guns to the dropship's defence. Then one spad's marker winked out - and she thought she saw a flash on the camera feed.

But two kept coming. And they were in range for their pulse lasers now. Freaking Clan tech.

Once more, the Babylon shuddered as armour melted. Then the second spad disappeared, and Cat heard the cheering from the bridge.

But still, one spad was left, and it was angling for another interception… Cat frowned. The angle seemed… she was no expert, but…

"The bastard's trying to ram us! Shoot him down!"

Cat clenched her teeth. A suicide attack? During reentry? If the Clan pilot hit the Babylon, they were dead.

But the spad didn't manage it. Once more, Cat saw something briefly flash on the camera feed as the bridge crew cheered.

Then Kirchwerder snapped: "Focus, people! We need to land close to the base there!"

But not too close - the dropship's armour wouldn't be able to weather more fire aimed at it. And the former KungsArmé aerospace base and starport at Zurin would have anti-aircraft guns in place.

And then they were in the lower atmosphere, going straight down, and the thermal bloom vanished. Cat could see the ground below. And she could see newly constructed warehouses lining the landing field of their target.

She pushed the button for her radio again. "Beta Company! Get ready to disembark!"

Then they touched down. Not as hard as she expected - she felt the shock, but her 'Mech didn't shake.

And the hatches of the Mechbay started to open. Cat hit a button on her console and waited with clenched teeth as the massive arms holding her Victor in the transport cubicle withdrew. As soon as she could, she moved forward, out of the hatch, her lance following her.

Outside, the Modic came in for a rougher landing - it all but dropped the last two metres or so, the landing gear sinking into the packed earth. Three Shilone's flew overhead, a fourth, trailing smoke, flew straight towards the Leopard.

As Cat's lance fanned out in a loose formation, Kelly led her Phoenix Hawks in the direction of Zurin while the two Mongooses and the single Hussar spread out to cover the other approaches - in case the local garrison tried something clever.

And there was Alex, his company forming up on him, headed towards the enemy base. "Beta, follow us!"

"Beta-11, copy!" she replied. Then she switched channels and ordered her company to follow the first company. "Beta-2 right flank. Beta-1 will take the left flank. Beta-3, screen our rear and be ready to move along the flanks!"

"Beta-31, copy," Allen acknowledged the order.

"Beta-21, copy," Meier followed a moment later.

They were leaving the landing area to Martens's lance - with the Clanner Spads shot down, the four Riflemen wouldn't be needed to protect the main force from air attacks and they could deal with light 'Mechs or Power Armour that managed to reach the dropships.

"Artillery setting up," O'Finnegan reported on the command channel as they left the immediate area around the ships. "Ready for action in five."

Well, the two launchers built into the Babylon were already ready to fire, so Kelly already had something to play tag with.

Cat smiled and tried not to worry about her friend out in front, headed towards the Clan forces, as she followed First Company.

This was it. They had trained for this as hard as possible, they had prepared as much as they had been able to, and now they would find out if it had been enough.

*****​

West of Zurin, Engadin, Engadin System, Free Rasalhague Republic, September 20th, 3050

Kelly grinned as the display in her cockpit lit up with the projected range of the Babylon's two Arrow IV launchers. Yes, that would do nicely - they were almost close enough to reach the starport and base that was the Irregulars' main objective.

"Gamma-13, swing around the hill in front of us - we need eyes on the slope behind it. Gamma-14, cover her." They couldn't risk the remaining aerospace fighters for a low-altitude flyover - not with unknown numbers of anti-aircraft artillery set up at the base. And high-altitude recon was useless in this forested area. So, the surviving Shilones not in immediate need of repairs were doing high-altitude recon flights to cover the plains and rolling hills to the east and north.

"Copy."

"Copy!"

As the two Phoenix Hawks sped up and moved to the right, Kelly kept going straight at the hill, Karen covering her left flank. If the Clanners were competent they would have sent a screening force towards the dropship, to fix their location so they could bring the heavier 'Mechs to bear. And that meant light 'Mechs piloted by ageing veterans wanting to die in a blaze of glory or young Mechwarriors eager to prove themselves so they'd get promoted into a line unit. That was how the Horde had run things, at least.

And the hill was directly in the path from the base to the landing zone. So, some over-eager Clan pilot in a light 'Mech should appear any moment now.

And indeed - her sensors caught an approaching runner. Mongoose, her computer identified it. Probably the royal variant - the Horde had used those extensively for their second line forces.

And there it was - the Mongoose crested the hill near a small ravine - not enough to hide from Kelly's active probe. "Mongoose in the centre," she informed the others as her computer shared the data.

The Clanner had spotted her as well despite her ECM and moved forward, large laser blazing.

Kelly pulled to the right as the ground near her was scorched. Large laser, as expected.

Karen returned fire with her ER PPC, missing as well - but at that range, the odds of hitting a fast-moving 'Mech were not very good.

But the range was closing rapidly. Kelly opened a channel to the Babylon. "Alternate fire on these coordinates, one missile each."

"Copy!"

The notice that the first missile was in the air arrived as she weaved, evading another shot from the laser. Grinning, she started to close the range.

Karen shot at the Mongoose again but missed - the enemy pilot was good.

But not good enough - her Raven got in range of her lasers and SRMs just as the first missile arrived. Which meant it was almost close range for her TAG. She grinned as the first homing missile struck it directly into the torso, blowing a hole through it - and through the XL engine housed there. The 'Mech froze and toppled over.

"Gamma-11! There's a lance of 'Mechs coming towards you! Engaging!"

The rest of the formation - two Falcons and two Crabs. Kelly kept running her Raven up the hillside - the next missile was about to arrive in the area. She reached the top just as her computer informed her of its arrival. With the enemies engaged with half her lance and her Raven's ECM fooling their sensors, the Clanners hadn't noticed her approach, and so she could TAG the closest Falcon just before it could react. The missile struck its torso, blowing off its right arm.

Kelly resisted the urge to stand and add her own lasers and SRM to the damage and threw her 'Mech around, darting back down the slope before the rest could return fire. One laser still hit her - her Raven's left arm showed up damaged.

But with all the attention on her, the rest of her lance had an easier time focusing on the enemies. Karen crested the hill a bit further away and fired both her PPC and laser, and Kelly saw that the Falcon she had damaged fell down, its torso blown through.

But now O'Finnegan had the entire battery set up. Kelly grinned and ordered a fire mission - One lance, staggering two missiles per volley.

As Michael reeled, almost falling down, under the fire from both crabs, Kelly peeked over the ridge again, firing both lasers and the SRMs at the closer crab. The sudden heat spike in the cockpit was discomforting, but nothing that would really hinder her. "Gamma-1, focus on the other Falcon!" she snapped.

Once more, she darted back down the slope - and as expected, the Falcon came after her while the Crabs were shooting at Anna and Michael. But with three Phoenix Hawks firing their PPCs at it, it was a battered Falcon that arrived on the hilltop, and Kelly sent both lasers and all SRMs at it.

It wasn't enough to destroy it - most SRMs missed when the Falcon jerked to the side - but then two missiles arrived, and Kelly's TAG guided both into the staggering light 'Mech, which fell down, missing a leg and most of its torso.

Kelly's Raven had lost some more armour, and the heat in the cockpit made sweat run down her front and back, but that was to be expected. More importantly, all systems were still perfectly functional - and two more homing missiles were about to arrive.

She guided her 'Mech up the slope again to send them into the closest Crab.

Only one of the missiles picked up her targeting data, though - the other missile struck an empty field far behind the enemy. But the missile that did hit struck the Crab's right leg, which had been damaged before. The leg crumbled, and the Crab fell down.

Kelly kept running, two lasers barely missing her and another melting armour on her right arm, as her lance finished off the downed Crab.

And before the Clanners' lasers recycled, the next two missiles arrived overhead. Kelly tagged the Crab as she circled it, and the enemy 'Mech turned right into the missiles, catching them with its left arm and torso, which vaporised under the impact. Kelly quickly fired her own lasers and missiles, but the Clanner pilot threw their 'Mech to the side to avoid falling, and her volley went wide.

Karen and Anna finished it off with a barrage of lasers though, melting its exposed insides before it managed to return fire.

"Status report!" Kelly snapped on the lance command channel, then switched to battalion command. "Gamma-11, five enemy 'Mechs down - enemy recon foiled." She glanced at the feeds from her lance. Karen and Anna were good - armour was a little thin in some spots, but nothing had been breached. Michael, however, had lost a leg actuator and was limping. And his armour was now thinner than Kelly's.

"Good," Alex replied on the battalion command channel.

"Sending one 'Mech back for repairs," she went on. Michael was the most inexperienced of her lance, and slowed down, he would be an easy target.

"Gamma-14, return to base for repairs."

"But I can still fight!"

"Gamma-14, return to base for repairs," she repeated herself - a little more sharply than before.

After a moment, she heard a sigh, followed by: "Copy."

That left her with three 'Mechs in her lance, all with armour damage. Not enough, not even with artillery support, to safely tangle with another enemy lance. But the rest of the battalion was advancing and relied on her to find the enemy.

So she ordered them to follow her and started to run towards the enemy base again. At least neither the Shilones nor the recon 'Mechs she had dispatched to screen the landing zone had encountered any enemy forces.

*****​

Cat frowned when she saw the markers appear on the battle map in her cockpit. Not because of the number of enemy 'Mechs - they had expected to face a garrison cluster, after all. In fact, there were only twenty-five 'Mechs advancing towards them - two of the Clanners' reinforced companies, short one of their reinforced recon lances. Or 'Trinaries' and 'Stars', if you wanted to use the Horde terminology.

And she certainly appreciated the details about the enemy's force composition. Mostly second-line and Star League 'Mechs, and mediums at that.

But she didn't like that Kelly had gotten so close to the enemy formation to get that information. One of the enemy's lances was already chasing her and her lance - and they were out of the artillery's range until O'Finnegan finished taking up forward firing positions, so all Kelly could do was keep running and using the terrain to deny the Clanners a clear line of fire.

Cat clenched her teeth when that didn't quite work, and one of the pursuers - a Vixen - managed to get into a firing position. Kelly's Raven kept running, though, so she wasn't hit, or not hit in anything critical, and the two Phoenix Hawks with her returned fire, causing the lighter 'Mech to fall back and let its lance mates - two Peregrines, a Hellhound and a Goshawk - catch up.

Cat wanted to race ahead to help Kelly, but she had her orders. And the whole plan wouldn't work if she broke formation - and it would mean she would have to leave Jane and Ursula in their slower assault 'Mechs behind. If anything happened to Kelly…

"Delta-1 ready for a fire mission!"

Finally! O'Finnegan's first lance had set up! And just in time - that bloody Vixen had just started to overtake Kelly's lance, probably to cut them off and stall them long enough for the rest of the Star to catch up.

"Delta-1, firing!"

Kelly must have called for fire support immediately. Things must be worse than Cat had feared, then. Damn!

But as things were, the Vixen tried to stop Kelly's lance just as the homing missiles appeared overhead, and was blown apart as three of them struck it.

And in a minute or two, Kelly would be in range of Beta Company's extended range PPCs.

Cat bared her teeth as she guided her Victor around the next hill. The rest of the Clanners were falling back again. Smart. Smarter than Cat liked them - they didn't want to fight in range of the Irregulars' artillery.

But the Clanners had no choice - the artillery was advancing behind Cat and Alex's companies. So, given those were Clanners, and a second-line unit at that, Cat expected them to charge any moment.

Half a minute later, that happened - twenty-four Clanners were charging straight at the Irregulars. Cat opened a channel to Allen. "Beta-31, advance and attack the lance chasing our scouts." Allen's mediums would be able to handle those 'Mechs at least until the rest of the company arrived. And Cat really didn't want those fast 'Mechs flanking her - or hunting down Kelly. Which was what she would do in the Clanners' place: Take out the enemy's ECM 'Mech.

"Copy!" Allen replied, and the Shadow Hawks and Griffins took off.

But the main force of the Clanners was now in sensor range. And they were led by a Star of OmniMechs. Some heavies, too - a Timber Wolf, a Mad Dog, and a Summoner, supported by an Ice Ferret and an Adder.

"Beta-11, hit the enemy in the right flank," Alex's voice sounded over the command channel. "We'll be hitting them straight ahead. Gamma-11, direct artillery support to our left flank."

"Copy," Cat replied. That would leave their left flank exposed - Alex must be counting on holding the line with just one lance there and the artillery while Cat rolled up the Clanner's flank. Risky, but she didn't see a better option right now.

But it also meant that Kelly couldn't stay and help Allen with the lance bearing down on Cat's flank. "Beta-21, spread out and support Beta-3!" she told Meier.

That would crush the recon star's remnants, if they stayed and fought, but it would mean Cat's command lance would be facing up to ten 'Mechs at the start. Mostly mediums, but still… Cat hoped that the enemy commander would focus more on Alex's company than hers.

She turned around a forested ridge, and a particle beam flashed past her - five enemy 'Mechs were charging down a slope. Cat stepped to the side, into a denser patch of the woods, as LRMs peppered her armour, and checked her display. A forty-ton Clanner Griffin, Sentinel, Goshawk, the forty-five-ton Shadow Hawk the Clans used, and a Royal Champion. "Beta-1, focus on the Champion!" she snapped and hit her jump jets - she didn't want that 'Mech to be able to use its gauss rifle and PPC for long.

Cat rose above the trees a moment before pulse lasers and more LRMs ripped through the woods and landed behind a low ridge. A moment later, her Victor reeled as a gauss rifle struck its left torso.

But the rest of her lance had come into range as well, and the Champion, which had exposed itself to fire at her, was struck by two gauss rifles and two PPCs. Both gauss rifles hit the useless arm stumps of the Champion, though, which left the Clanner 'Mech reeling but still fighting.

Cat charged ahead, another gauss rifle smashing her left arm, a PPC hitting her torso, and jumped once more, avoiding more LRMs - the Griffin pilot wasn't a good gunner. She touched down in the middle of another patch of trees, with the enemy finally in range of her weapons. Her Pontiac ripped into the leg of the Champion, wrecking its hip, though her SRMs went wide.

This time the 'Mech fell down, crushing its left arm in the process, and Cat charged on, shrugging off some lasers and SRMs from the Shadow Hawk while returning fire with her autocannon and SRMs of her own. The Shadow Hawk stumbled back, its torso laid open, but didn't fall or show any sign of internal damage.

But before it could react, a gauss rifle struck it smack into the centre of its body, and it went down trailing plasma and wrecked parts. "Good shot, Beta-12," she complimented Rick and opened up on the Griffin. Again, her shells opened the 'Mech's torso, followed by her lasers and SRMs, but she failed to damage anything critical.

And the enemy was now focusing on her - the Griffin sent more LRMs at her supported by the Sentinel. She frowned while her armour took a few more hits. Why weren't they retreating? They were outgunned and had already lost two 'Mechs. The display was clear, but… "Beta-14, cover the ridge!"

"Copy!"

"Beta-21, join us as soon as possible!"

"Copy!"

Meier's lance was close but not in range - and still engaged with more 'Mechs than she had expected. It seemed that the Clanners had tried to flank her.

She tried to charge into melee range with the Griffin, but it jumped out of the way, and she missed with her autocannon as well. Jane and Rick finished the Sentinel, though, which left…

"Incoming!" Ursula yelled, and three PPC bolts flashed past Cat, two missing and one striking the Royal Phoenix Hawk that had just crested the ridge - and that 'Mech's ECM explained while Cat's sensors hadn't detected the approaching lance or star.

The Phoenix Hawk fired back with PPC and laser, striking Ursula's Awesome. Well, the assault 'Mech could take it.

Cat raced to the side, blocking the Griffin's closest route to link up with the reinforcements. That meant it would jump… right now!

This time, her autocannon caught the jumping 'Mech and blew it out of the sky - her lasers were just overkill, and her heatsinks strained to bring down the heat in her cockpit. Wiping some sweat from her face, she turned. The Goshawk had been reduced to a wreck by Rick and Jane, and…

The Victor reeled, alerts blaring in her cockpit. Her left leg shook, and her left torso was breached - a Royal Galahad had joined the Phoenix Hawk on the ridge. Cat managed not to fall and moved behind a low ridge, causing the Royal Lancelot that popped up above her to miss her.

She returned fire at the Galahad, but the enemy dodged her shells, and the SRMs struck undamaged armour. Should have fired the lasers as well, she thought. "Focus on the Galahad!" she snapped, jumping again. They were focusing on her, so she had to present a hard target.

Lasers and two more gauss rifles missed her before she landed at the foot of the ridge, shielded from all but the Lancelot. And once more, it ducked right when her autocannon and SRM launcher fired. Cursing, she hit her jets once more - and flew over the ridge, landing next to the Clanner 'Mech.

This time, her cannon hit it, tearing off one of its arms, and her SRMs peppered its torso to no effect. But before the Lancelot could recover, she lashed out with her Victor's foot, crushing most of the Clanner's leg.

It remained standing, though, and she was exposed now - and there was a Crab firing at her as well. The Mech's lasers mostly missed, but those who hit cut her left arm off at the shoulder.

The Galahad turned to fire at her, but it caught a gauss rifle and two PPCs in the torso that spoilt its aim, and Cat managed to avoid most of the rest of the fire as she jumped back over the ridge.

She landed with not quite the grace she usually managed, the shock jarring her as she clenched her teeth, and started running at once. Her lance fired everything at the ridge, one lucky shot ripping off the Galahad's sensor dish and throwing it back, but the Clanners didn't back off - and charged after her.

While she weaved, more lasers struck her rear torso, melting armour. She fired back but missed, her Pontiac's shells ploughing through the ground near the Lancelot.

But she saw the blue markers ahead of her - Meier's and Allen's lances, missing a Griffin, were entering the range of their PPCs.

Another volley hit her battered Victor's rear - she lost a jump jet as a result and a heatsink - and then a volley of PPC fire blew the Lancelot apart. The Phoenix Hawk jumped back, but Ursula landed three hits with her PPCs, and the 'Mech crashed into the slope and didn't move any more.

The Galahad returned fire, missing with both gauss rifles.

Cat whirled around and charged in, catching it with her autocannon - and blew part of its torso away. The 'Mech collapsed.

Finally! And according to her battle map, there were no enemy forces left covering the Clanners' flank. She switched to the company channel. "Beta, follow me - we're hitting the enemy in the flank!"

*****​

Nastajia would kill Alex. Kelly was certain of that. Her friend had deliberately revealed himself as their commander, which had caused the Clan leader to come after him with pretty much everything he had. And while Alex was the best 'Mechwarrior Kelly knew and piloted an Atlas, that could only help so much. Alex's armour looked more melted than whole as he fought the enemy commander's Timber Wolf.

Her Raven didn't look any better, of course - worse, actually. She had lost her lasers and was limping, and pretty much any hit would breach what armour remained. It was almost fortunate that her SRM had run dry, as had her Narc pod.

And the enemy was after her - they must have realised that she was guiding the Arrow IV missiles, and so Kelly hadn't been able to direct any fire for minutes now, having to run and dodge instead to avoid getting hunted down by the enemy.

Her lance wasn't doing much better. Anna had had to eject when her gyro was shot up, and Karen was holding on by a thread - if the Clanners weren't so focused on Kelly, they could've finished her before the two managed to join Alex's company.

And while they were winning - the Clanners had maybe half a dozen effective 'Mechs left - that didn't matter should something happen to Alex. She knew that he just wanted to keep the enemy's attention on himself so they wouldn't lose more people, but he was the First Lord of the Star League, not some minor Davion hothead!

She checked her display as she weaved through denser trees, dodging fire from a Hellhound after her. Alex was still holding on, but his armour was now almost gone, and the Timber Wolf was running circles around him. What was the rest of Alex's lance doing? Even with their gauss rifle ammo spent, they should do better than this!

She ordered another missile and darted left, then right, luring the enemy 'Mech both in front of Karen's guns and into the target area of the artillery. She just had to last a little longer.

The tree next to her blew up, struck by a pulse laser. Damn! But there! A ravine! She almost stumbled, but managed to rush down the slippery slope, then run in the ravine. Without falling down. "Gamma-12, incoming!" she announced on the lance channel, then rushed out of the ravine.

The Hellhound, faster than her limping 'Mech, followed, and Karen hit it with everything she could still fire, almost redlining her Phoenix Hawk.

The Clanner stumbled, and before it could recover, the homing missile arrived. Kelly skidded to the side, twisted her Raven's torso and tagged the Clanner. The missile blew its leg off, and she quickly rushed forward, stomping it twice before the enemy 'Mech stopped moving.

"Anyone else around?" Karen asked as if Kelly's Active Probe wasn't transmitting its data to everyone in the network.

"No. Let's rejoin the others!" Kelly replied.

They hurried to the frontlines, passing Garribaldi's headless Crusader, towards the hill where Alex was barely holding on - almost all his armour was gone now, and while the Timber Wolf was damaged as well, this couldn't go on for much longer. She hissed with frustration and urged her damaged 'Mech on, calling in a full strike from the next available artillery lance. With a bit of luck, that would down the Timber Wolf.

But as she neared Alex's position, she noticed Cat's company approaching. They must have dealt with the enemies on their flank! The remaining Clanners - half a dozen - adjusted their formation, but they were now outnumbered almost three to one.

The Timber Wolf suddenly jerked and changed course - had it detected the incoming missiles? It didn't matter; the missiles would find it anywhere.

But before the missiles arrived overhead, Alex charged forward, finally catching the enemy with a kick that shattered the Timber Wolf's leg. He lost an arm in exchange, but the fight was over.

But the Clanners didn't admit it - they fought on, trying to take more Irregulars with them. Kelly blew up a damaged Black Knight with three of the four missiles that arrived, but not even that stopped the fanatics.

*****​

Zurin, Engadin, Engadin System, Free Rasalhague Republic, September 21st, 3050

Kelly looked up when Cat entered the room serving as their office in the Babylon. Her friend was dressed for combat, not paperwork, as was Kelly herself - their 'Mechs were just a short sprint away, in the mechbay below them. "How are things in your company?" she asked.

Cat sighed and sat down in her usual chair. "Well, Russo's hating us right now for what we did to our 'mechs, but they'll be repaired. Eventually." She snorted. "Two will probably take as long as their pilots will take to recover - a couple of weeks if we have the time to spare. Bradley needs another 'Mech, though - his Griffin's a write-off. A collection of scrap and spare parts, as Russo had put it."

Kelly suppressed a chuckle - as funny as it was, this was serious. "That means we didn't lose any pilot except for Garribaldi."

"Yes." Cat frowned at her. "Though a certain Raven pilot certainly tried her best to add to that number."

Kelly tilted her head. "As did a certain Victor pilot."

Cat snorted. "Compared to the Clanners, I was a paragon of caution."

Kelly had to agree - the Clanners had been fighting with an almost complete disregard for their lives. Something that was atypical for a Clan Wolf unit, at least according to what they knew. On the other hand, many of the Warriors facing them had been old for a Clanner. They might have sought a death in battle - their culture valued such things.

The door opened again, and Cat, who had been sitting slumped over in her seat, straightened as Lundberg and Alex entered. Alex looked… well, as he usually looked a day after a hard battle: Tired and tense, yet trying to keep up a happy expression to raise morale or something. Lundberg looked like she had looked the whole time they had known her: angry.

"Did you finish interrogating the prisoners?" Kelly asked. There hadn't been too many prisoners - the infantry had lost half their numbers defending the depot and base before breaking, and the locals had killed a number of the stragglers and wounded before Alex had put a stop to that.

"Yes." Lundberg pulled out her noteputer, struggled a little with using it one-handed, and a message arrived on Kelly's noteputer. She quickly skimmed it, then frowned. "So, the third Trinary of the Garrison Cluster was sent to Kufstein as garrison?" No wonder the Shilones hadn't found any trace of it.

"That's what the prisoners told us," Kapten Lundberg told them. "We've verified it with the base records as well."

"We were lucky, then," Cat said, leaning back in her seat.

"You only lost six 'Mechs," the Kapten retorted. "Even with the damage you took, you could've beaten another trinary."

"And that would cost us far more than six 'Mechs," Kelly pointed out. Below them, in the Babylon's mechbay, the techs were working around the clock to repair the damaged 'Mechs. Kelly almost imagined that if she listened carefully, she could hear Russo screaming at yet another astech about not mixing up the spare parts they had looted from the Clan depots and their original stash of Star League parts.

"And it would have cost the Clans another trinary." Lundberg glared at them.

"At the cost of removing us as a functional unit for months," Alex said. "As it is, we'll be ready to fight pretty much as soon as we arrive in another system, according to the projected repair times we have." He grinned. "We'll be able to wreck far more than another trinary then."

Kelly agreed. With all the spare parts and supplies they had captured, and the salvage, they could make good their losses. Some 'Mechs, especially the salvaged ones, would take so long to be repaired, though, that they wouldn't be available for the rest of this contract. But overall, they would manage to replace their losses and even add a few more to their number. Eventually. Although… "Did the prisoners also reveal why the Clanners didn't blow up the supplies before we secured the depot?"

"They claim that the Clan forces will recapture the supplies," Lundberg told her.

Cat snorted. "What a bunch of optimists. As if we're going to be here when their reinforcements arrive."

"We liberated the planet," the Kapten said - rather stiffly. "Few can claim such a feat."

Certainly not the KungsArmé, Kelly thought.

"To abandon the people who put their faith in us…" Lundberg shook her head.

"If we stay, we'll get crushed by their frontline forces," Alex said.

"You sounded much more confident when you boasted about doing more to hurt the enemy." The Kapten scowled at him.

"We might be able to fight off a cluster of OmniMechs if we manage to repair and replace our damaged 'Mechs and recruit some former local defence force members to use the terrain. Might - we'll need some luck; Clan Wolf doesn't have a reputation as sticking to their honour code. But even if we won against a frontline cluster, it would wreck us as a unit," Alex explained. "By leaving, we'll have them wondering where we're striking next. They'll have to send stronger garrisons to the occupied planets - we've proven that we can defeat an understrength garrison cluster. That will significantly reduce the forces available to the Clan for new offensives."

Lundberg glared at him but couldn't really disagree with him - they had mentioned this during planning with her present. "I've sent a priority message back to headquarters for new orders. If we get the order to defend the planet, we will do it."

"As long as it's feasible," Alex replied. "Our contract forbids suicide missions."

Lundberg scoffed.

"Anyway, between the salvage and the spare parts we carried with us," Alex said after glancing at Cat and Kelly's reports, "we'll be fully operational in about two weeks. We might even be a bit better off if we can get the Clan 'Mechs to work by then."

"The KungsArmé claims that salvage!" Lundberg snapped.

"That would violate our contract," Alex countered. "We've got first claim to all materiel taken in battle if that's needed to restore our combat capability. And, with no supplies coming from the KungsArmé, we do need the salvage."

"We can replace it with standard supplies."

"Only if these standard supplies are equal to the supplies we spent," Cat pointed out. "How much Lostech do you have available for us?"

Lundberg clenched her teeth - Kelly saw her jaw muscles twitch.

She suppressed a smile - Alex might not have squeezed the desperate Rasalhaguians for every C-Bill they could pay but he had ensured that the Irregulars wouldn't be taken advantage of by the KungsArmé, either.

"So, let's hope ComStar didn't lose your message," Alex said.

Lundberg looked confused. "I sent a priority message."

Well, most people trusted ComStar. Thanks to Alex, Cat and her father, Kelly knew better. Although not even ComStar would risk tampering with priority military traffic on a recently liberated world, would they?

Well, if they didn't receive new orders in the next few days, they would know something had gone wrong. In which case they would have to decide whether they would leave and try to reach friendly lines or dig in and stay once their jumpship finished charging.

"So, if that's settled, we'll have to do some interviews," Alex said.

"Interviews?" Lundberg looked confused again.

"We're planning to recruit amongst the captured techs," he explained. "They know how to repair the 'Mechs we captured."

"What? Are you mad?" Lundberg stood and stared at him. "They're the enemy! You can't trust them!"

Kelly slowly cocked her head and suppressed the sudden urge to tell the woman that she didn't trust half their own people not to be a spy in the pay of someone else.

"They're civilians," Alex replied. "And we'll talk to them, first, to weed out potential troublemakers. Same for their MechWarriors - we need every pilot we can get."

"You want to recruit their Warriors as well?" Lundberg gasped and started using Swedish curses that even Cat seemed to have trouble understanding.

"Our contract clearly states that we're free to recruit from any available sources," Alex said with a wry smile.

Kelly had no doubt that, should the Kapten ever meet the Rasalhaguian representative on Outreach who had negotiated their contract, it would come to blows.

*****​

Kandis System, Free Rasalhague Republic, September 25th, 3050

IlKhan Leo Showers did not bother to hide his grin when he read the most recent report on the bridge of the Dire Wolf. He lowered the sheet and looked at Khan Ulric. "Your Clan lost a world?"

"A recently conquered world was raided," Ulric replied.

"That is not what my report says. According to this, your garrison was annihilated." Leo held up the sheet, baring his teeth. "That means that you lost control of the planet, quiaff?" Ah, how the tables had finally turned! Ulric had been way too smug about Clan Wolf's advance lately - as if there was much honour to be had by attacking the weakest realm in the Inner Sphere. The Jade Falcons had encountered far harder resistance in the Federated Commonwealth - and they had fallen behind as a result while the Smoke Jaguars were still carving a path to Terra through the Draconis Combine, only outpaced by the Wolves.

"A temporary setback which will be quickly corrected." Ulric kept his face impassive.

"By sending a frontline cluster to retake the planet?" Leo snorted.

"Yes."

"And to destroy whoever had taken the planet, quiaff. What was the name of the unit?" He made a show at looking at the sheet in his hand. "The 'First Royal Irregulars'. You were beaten by a bunch of mercenaries."

"Many of the best warriors in the Inner Sphere are mercenaries," Ulric retorted, and Leo saw that the bondsman with him clenched his teeth in open defiance.

He scoffed once more. Such insolence would never be tolerated in Clan Smoke Jaguar. But he felt too good to make an issue about it right now. "And I assume you will be tracking down those 'raiders', should they abandon the planet? They could be anywhere, after all."

"If they are a deep raider unit, they could strike any planet in the invasion corridor," the bondsman blurted out.

Ulric finally frowned at Leo. "Are you going to keep pointing out the obvious? There is no sibko here whose members need the most basic advice about strategy."

Leo forced himself to smile widely. "Oh, no. I was about to ask how you will compensate for frontline forces you are withdrawing to secure your occupation zone and supply routes."

"We are still able to reach our objectives for this wave," Ulric told him with a fierce grin. "The battles might be harder than expected, but the outcome will be the same - and my Clan's warriors will not shy away from a hard fight."

The implied insult that Clan Smoke Jaguar would grated. But Leo did not let that show… much. Instead of snarling, he nodded. "So you claim. What is our next target? Radstadt?" he knew that was the case, of course. "In that case, I will help you."

Ulric frowned once more at him. "We are perfectly able to take the planet."

"So you claim." Leo snorted once more. "However, I have a valid reason to fight on the planet: It is only fitting that I shall help secure the planet I chose for our Grand Kurultai, where we shall lay out the next phase of Operation Revival."

Ulric really did not like that.

Not that Leo cared. This was an opportunity to shame the Wolves and ensure that they would not reach Terra before Clan Smoke Jaguar.

And an opportunity to fight again. It had been too long since Leo had fought for real on the battlefield. He needed this - and he would get it, one way or the other.

And who knew? Maybe he would get to destroy those 'First Royal Irregulars'. Shaming the Wolves by denying them their revenge right before the Grand Kurultai would be the perfect outcome.

*****​

 

[Starfox5]

Chapter 8: Adjustments

'The victory over the Clan Wolf forces on Engadin was both a blessing and a curse, in hindsight at least. It was the first victory against Clan Wolf forces in the Rasalhague theatre for the KungsArmé, whose formations had been forced to retreat time and again until then. Needless to say, it greatly raised morale in the realm. And it damaged Clan Wolf's reputation - this was the first time the Clan had lost a planet they had taken. That it was only technically lost - we did not, could not stay and defend the planet - didn't matter to the proud Wolves or their rivals from the other Clans. And, of course, it proved that our training and experience was on the mark and that we could defeat the Clans on even terms. Further, it left us with unprecedented salvage. However, it also left us as the one unit in the Free Rasalhague Republic that the Wolves wanted to destroy at any cost, and it left our own people a little too confident. The results of both we soon saw.'

• Collected Writings of Kali "Kelly" Liao

*****​

'As I've expected, children with neurological imbalances - or who have been diagnosed as such by ignorant medical staff - are the key to unravelling the mystery of 'Dreamland'. One of my candidates is dreaming of visits to this 'realm' and is only too happy to tell me of his 'adventures' - the ruse of telling his parents that I might be able to cure his attention deficit hyperactivity disorder has definitely paid off. Unfortunately, that the test subject's memory is left somewhat wanting. The colourful tales of his 'dreams' are scattered and entirely implausible. And yet, something rings true.'

• Private notes of M.D. Phil Baker, Triad Medical Wing, Tharkad, 3050

*****​

Zurin, Engadin System, Free Rasalhague Republic, September 26th, 3050

The clan Warrior entering the room was trying to keep an impassive face, Kelly noted. Trying, and not completely succeeding - she didn't miss how his eyes widened when he saw Alex, Cat and herself sitting there, and then how he glanced over his shoulder when the door closed behind him, checking that the guards who had brought him to the room hadn't followed him inside.

"Star Captain Trevor." Alex nodded at him. "I'm Colonel Camden. These are Majors Lieden and Stevens. Please have a seat."

"I prefer to stand," Trevor replied, raising his chin a little.

"As you wish." Alex agreed.

Kelly refrained from shaking her head. Trevor had hurt his leg ejecting from his 'Mech during the battle, but if he wanted to make a statement, that was his decision. Though she couldn't tell if he wanted to appear combat-ready so he'd be considered a warrior or merely out of pride. He looked over thirty, so he was old for a Clan warrior.

"We lead the First Royal Irregulars," Alex went on. "The combined arms regiment that defeated your… Provisional Garrison Cluster?"

Trevor kept staring at a point on the wall next to Alex's head without answering.

So much for fishing for intel, Kelly thought.

Alex didn't stop smiling. "In any case, we took you prisoner. According to your customs, that makes you a bondsman, correct?"

Trevor hesitated. "I was not aware that the custom of taking Bondsmen was practised by the… Inner Sphere."

He almost slipped and called them a derogatory name, Kelly knew. "It's not practised, but there have been cases where prisoners of war or defeated enemies were recruited by the victors - usually, such a thing is limited to mercenaries, though," she explained.

"And you are mercenaries."

"We aren't beholden to any Lord in the Inner Sphere," Alex told him.

"Yet you fight for them."

"We don't fight for anyone as much as we fight against you," Alex retorted. "You are invaders, after all, who wish to take Terra and rule the entire Inner Sphere, moulding its inhabitants after your example."

Like the Mongols of old.

"As mercenaries."

"As a regiment not affiliated with anyone, fighting in the best tradition of the SLDF: To defend those who cannot defend themselves."

A definition that fit the Free Rasalhague Republic very well, in Kelly's opinion.

"Normally, we would just keep you as prisoners of war, in accordance with the regulations of the SLDF," Alex went on. "However, given our circumstances, and your customs, we would like to recruit you."

"You think I would want to join a mercenary company and fight my own Clan? For money?" Trevor scoffed. "If you think that being defeated robbed me of my honour, you are mistaken. Nor will your… pretence of using SLDF uniforms fool me."

"You fight for resources as well - you raid. Each other, sometimes," Cat pointed out. "Money's merely another resource."

"It is not the same." Trevor shook his head. "It is not honourable."

"We fight for a cause, not merely for money. But we do need money, just as the Clans need resources to fight," Alex explained. "But this isn't about money. This is about the chance to stay a warrior and fight on - honourably. "

But Trevor shook his head. "I will not become a mercenary."

"So, you will not become a Bondsman then?" Kelly asked. "You would be a prisoner then and be transferred into the custody of the KungsArmé at the earliest opportunity."

Trevor nodded. "I choose my honour as a member of Clan Wolf." He raised his head.

He hadn't met their eyes the whole time, Kelly noticed. But she didn't think the man would change his opinion.

*****​

"Star Commander Avia. Please have a seat."

"I prefer to stand," the woman replied. She wasn't hurt, but this might be a bad omen, in Kelly's opinion.

Apparently undaunted, Alex introduced himself and Cat and Kelly to the second Clan officer they had captured. Unlike Trevor, Avia looked to be about twenty years old. And she was a little on the small side. "So… you were captured by us following the battle of Zurin. Fought in a Griffin IIC, correct?"

"Correct."

"You fought bravely and with great skill," Alex told her. "And you surrendered when your 'Mech was destroyed."

"Waste, whether of materiel or lives, is not the Clan way."

"Indeed." Alex's smile widened. "And it would be a waste to see you stuck as a prisoner of war in a camp or prison on some forgotten planet. Instead, we would like to offer you a place as a warrior in our ranks - like a Bondswoman might get adopted into a Clan."

She looked confused. "But you are not a Clan. You are mercenaries."

"Well, we're mercenaries because we want to pick who and what we fight for, instead of blindly following a Lord's orders," Alex explained again. "But we fight to protect those who cannot protect themselves, and we follow SLDF regulations."

"And you wear their colours and uniforms." Avia scowled.

"Suitably altered - we do not claim to be members of the SLDF. But we follow their example as defenders of the Inner Sphere." Alex smiled. "They are our inspiration."

"You are defending the very people who brought down the Star League and fought over its corpse for hundreds of years."

"We defend the people. Rasalhague only recently regained its independence - it would be hardly fair to blame them for what their Kurita overlords ordered hundreds of years ago," Cat retorted. "And they do need our help."

"The weak give way to the strong. That is the Clan way."

"So… since we defeated you, you should give way to us?" Kelly asked, raising her eyebrows.

"You have not defeated Clan Wolf."

"But we did defeat you," Alex said. "And it was a fair fight - we had even numbers if you count the aerospace fighters." He smiled again. "If we had been fighting for another Clan, would you hesitate to join us?"

She frowned. "That depends on the Clan. Some would not make the offer." She hesitated. "I am not a trueborn warrior."

"Well, we are making the offer. From warriors to a warrior. It would be a waste to have you languish in a camp as a prisoner. All we ask is that you be loyal and follow the regulations of the SLDF."

"I would have to fight my Clan."

"That is the Clan way, isn't it?" Kelly asked with a smile.

The woman still hesitated.

"Well, think about it," Alex told her. "It's your life and your future."

*****​

"...so it would be a waste to see you stuck in a prison for the rest of the war," Alex said. He was still smiling despite repeating the same speech for the third time. "You're a warrior, after all."

MechWarrior Luke frowned. "You want me to join you? Even though you are not a Clan?"

"We're close enough," Cat told him. "We're not a House unit, and we don't fight for just anyone. And we honourably follow the SLDF regulations."

Luke wasn't the sharpest sword in the armoury. Not dumb, but not officer material. At least in Kelly's opinion. But he was a very good MechWarrior. And they needed every recruit they could get - the hope that they could recruit some veterans from the locals hadn't panned out; what MechWarriors had come forth had joined the KungsArmé.

Luke stared at them. "You want to take me as a bondsman?"

"And adopt you. Well, recruit you - it's the closest to your customs you can get here," Alex explained.

"Oh."

"We understand if you don't want to fight your Clan, though," Alex went on.

"What? No! If I am adopted into another Clan, I owe them my allegiance and loyalty. To do otherwise would make me dezgra. That is not the Clan way."

The Clanners were worse about their 'way' than the Kuritas were about their bushido. And probably hypocrites about it as well.

"And you wonder if we qualify, don't you?" Alex leaned forward, putting both hands on the table.

"Yes. You do not follow zellbrigen."

"But we defeated you in battle. Completely, and with even numbers. We won this trial."

"It was not a trial. No one called it." Luke protested.

"But it was a battle to decide who's cause would prevail. And ours did." Alex met the man's eyes. "And isn't that the ultimate arbiter when you want to know who is right and who is wrong?"

"But…"

Cat rolled her eyes. "Do we need to beat you again to prove that?"

"A trial?" Luke blinked, then nodded. "That would be the Clan way, I believe, yes!"

Cat looked surprised when Kelly scowled at her. She really should have known better than asking rhetorical questions to a Clanner.

But Alex, Kelly realised with a sinking feeling, was smiling. "I think that's an excellent idea!"

*****​

Zurin, Engadin System, Free Rasalhague Republic, September 27th, 3050

"I still think this is a stupid idea." Cat glared at Alex's 'Mech through her Victor's cockpit. "If the Clanners won't kill us, Russo will for wrecking freshly repaired 'Mechs."

"Russo shouldn't complain - my plan got the Clanner techs helping with the repairs," Alex retorted.

"Merely because Star Captain Trevor ordered them to repair the 'Mechs needed for the trial," Kelly pointed out.

"But it got them repaired, didn't it?"

"And we have to smash them again," Kelly said.

"Only three of them."

Cat scoffed. "It'll cost us more Clan spare parts."

"And it'll gain us all the Clanner prisoners as recruits." Alex sounded almost amused. "And we only need to fight two if we both win our fights. Which is very likely since we have the weight advantage."

All that was true. But Cat still didn't like the idea of settling this in a duel - that was the Clan way. And they were soldiers of the SLDF, not Clanners.

But she knew that they needed the techs and MechWarriors far more than they needed three or even four 'Mechs. And Alex was right about the odds - the whole fight was weighted in their favour. Something she was sure Trevor hadn't missed when they had hashed out the details. Was he so stuck on following the 'Clan Way' that he would agree to this even though the results might go against his wishes? Or was he trying to find an excuse to honourably join them?

Well, if that was his plan, Trevor might regret it. Alex wouldn't be trying to kill him, but he wouldn't hold back either. Not with so much at stake.

Well, neither would Cat when facing Avia.

Cat still couldn't help worrying some when Alex stepped into the designated duel area where he would be facing Trevor's Warhammer C. Alex's Atlas-II was superior in almost every way, she knew that, but still… if anything happened to Alex here…

The two 'Mechs faced each other across the field, and Kapten Holm, who had been pressed into service as arbiter, addressed them over the radio. "Are you ready?"

"Yes," Alex replied at once.

"I am," Trevor said a moment later.

"You fight until one surrenders or cannot continue the fight," Holm went on, speaking with an odd mixture of formality and what Cat thought was subtle amusement. "Begin!"

The Warhammer darted forward at once, drifting to the side to put some trees between it and Alex's 'Mech. Trevor was trying to close in with Alex - no surprise there; the Warhammer's main weapons had a shorter range than the gauss rifle and LRMs of the Atlas-II. But the Clanner might have miscalculated - Alex ran forward, firing despite the distance and the woods between them. His LRMs ploughed into the field near the Warhammer, but the gauss rifle's slug struck into the Clanner's left side, shattering armour.

The Clanner seemed to struggle a little to compensate, and Alex kept rushing forward.

Cat clenched her teeth - Alex had the advantage at long range. But he was seeking a quick end of the fight. And that meant melee range.

Trevor didn't try to keep the range open, either - he charged straight into the woods, firing his large pulse lasers. One of them missed. The other melted some armour on Alex's legs. Alex himself missed with most his weapons, but his gauss rifle struck the Clanner's left leg - and a Warhammer's legs were its weak spots. Cat could see the exposed myomer bundles and the leg actuators!

Alex slowed down a little now - his Atlas-II had to be overheating after firing both large lasers. Trevor stopped charging right ahead and started to circle Alex. This time, he fired more lasers, melting armour from Alex's torso. But Alex returned fire, and, for once, his missiles found their mark - right after another gauss slug smashed into the Warhammer's other leg. Cat grinned when she saw the Warhammer's leg buckle, missiles sending both shredded myomer strands and shards of steel flying.

Trevor fought to keep his 'Mech upright, but with the wrecked leg, the Warhammer was too unbalanced and crashed down on its side.

Alex lost no time and charged ahead again while Trevor struggled to get up. The Clanner managed despite the damaged legs, just in time to face Alex's 'Mech and open up with all his weapons.

Lasers struck the Atlas-II all over, melting armour and burning the shiny Star League finish, followed by missiles leaving craters over the torso and arms. In return, Alex's gauss rifle smashed into the Warhammer's arm, followed by SRMs - and sent the crippled 'Mech reeling.

The Warhammer was now almost glowing on Cat's sensors - Trevor must be roasting himself in the cockpit - but it managed to keep standing.

It couldn't move, though - and Alex charged straight in. Trevor fired his smaller lasers, most missing the Atlas, and Alex's next volley took off the Warhammer's right leg.

For a moment, it looked as if the Clanner was still trying to get up even as Alex walked his 'Mech right up to the fallen Warhammer, but then the Clan 'Mech froze, and Cat heard Trevor's voice over the radio.

"I yield."

She sighed with relief before grinning. One Clanner down, one to go. Now it was up to her to take down Avia's Griffin IIC. She had forty tons on the medium 'Mech, but the Griffin IIC was far faster - and between the Clan lasers and LRMs, it completely outranged her Victor.

This would be a nasty fight.

"Are you ready?" Holm asked as soon as both 'Mech were in the designated duelling area.

"Yes," Cat told him.

"Aff," Avia followed suit.

"You fight until one surrenders or cannot continue the fight," Holm repeated his instructions. "Begin!"

Cat pushed the throttle of her Victor up and darted to the side, rushing towards a small ridge that should provide cover for her. Avia's laser almost missed her, scorching some paint, but the LRMs hit her, leaving small craters all over the Victor's torso and left arm. Then she was behind the ridge, drawing to a stop. Avia was fast enough to get around the ridge without entering the range of Cat's Pontiac, so would she try to beat Cat to the end of the ridge - or go behind her?

Behind, Cat decided at once. Avia was sneaky - for a Clanner. So Cat threw her Victor around and rushed back to the western edge of the ridge. She had barely reached it when she spotted the Griffin-II circling around it - still too far away for her guns and missiles.

Gritting her teeth, she charged straight ahead. She had enough armour to weather a few volleys until she could return fire.

Avia put her 'Mech into reverse, falling back, as she fired. Cat cursed when the laser struck her 'Mech's left arm, followed by another volley of LRMs, laying the myomer bundles bare, while more missiles hammered her upper torso. Russo wouldn't like that.

She kept running, easily compensating for the impact and loss of armour. Avia couldn't just keep falling back; leaving the duelling area was an automatic defeat, and she was close to the edge of the area already.

But it was enough for another volley. Cat narrowed her eyes. The laser would recycle right… now! She hit her jump jets, and the laser missed her. But the LRMs, fired a moment later, struck her in midjump, and Cat had to struggle to keep her 'Mech on course. She landed a little harder than usual, crushing a smaller rock beneath her Victor's feet, and kept running, already aiming her Pontiac.

Avia used her own jump jets, jumping northward, and fired again. Cat cursed once more when her left torso was hit with more laser fire and LRMS, almost penetrating her remaining armour. But she compensated once more and jumped.

This time, she landed in the middle of a patch of trees Alex and Trevor had apparently missed - and in range of the Griffin-II. She moved her Victor's arms and fired everything she had as soon as the crosshairs aligned with the lighter 'Mech's torso.

Her lasers missed as the heat spiked in her cockpit, turning it into a brief sauna, but her autocannon struck the Griffin straight in the centre of its torso - and ripped through its armour. The sheer impact of the shells seemed to stop the Clan 'Mech in its tracks, and it lit up on Cat's thermal sensors like an inferno round - reactor shielding penetrated!

The Griffin stumbled back, and Cat's eyes widened when it crashed to the ground, limbs flailing. Either Avia had slipped… Her sensors confirmed what she already knew: The Griffin's gyroscope was damaged as well.

The fight was over - with the damaged gyro, the Griffin couldn't outrun her any more - if Avia even managed to get it up. Cat hit her jump jets again, clearing a small pond, and landed even closer to the Clanner 'Mech, pointing her autocannon at it.

The Griffin kept moving for a moment, bringing its arms under its body, but then stopped moving. "I yield," Cat heard Avia's slightly slurred voice over the radio.

Probably a concussion from the fall, too, she realised. No matter - she had won. That meant Kelly wouldn't have to face a Clan 'Mech that could run circles around her Raven with double the armour.

She smiled. Russo would still want to kill Alex and herself, but it hadn't gone too badly, in her opinion. Even though the fights had been closer than she had liked, they had defeated the Clanners and won the trial or whatever they called it.

*****​

Engadin System, Free Rasalhague Republic, September 28th, 3050

"Porca miseria! Those damned fools all but wrecked each other! Should've just shot each other with flamethrowers at ten paces instead of wasting perfectly good 'Mechs! Save me the trouble of roasting them alive!"

Russo was in a foul mood - a fouler mood than usual, Kelly could tell. It was understandable, really - Alex and Cat had won their fights, but their 'Mechs hadn't emerged unscathed. Mostly armour damage, but not just armour damage. And the techs were already overworked.

Which was why Cat and Alex were hiding in their office and had sent Kelly to talk to the Head Tech - since Kelly hadn't fought her duel, the trial having been decided by two victories already, her Raven hadn't been damaged, so Russo shouldn't mind her. That was the theory, at least.

Watching the bad-tempered tech yell and bark in the 'Mech bay, Kelly wasn't quite as certain that the theory would hold up in practice - Russo was worked up even for him.

She frowned. Actually, he was worse than he had been this morning, when they had embarked on the Babylon, and trying to load up dozens of damaged 'Mechs would have strained anyone's temper. So, what had happened since they had left Engadin's orbit?

She left the shadow of her Raven, where she had faked inspecting the ankle joint, and walked over to Russo. "Head Tech?" She cocked her head as she addressed him.

He whirled. "What?" Then he blinked but quickly scowled again. "Major. What is it? Did you wreck your 'Mech as well?"

Kelly's smile didn't falter. "I was wondering if some unexpected problems with the repairs have cropped up."

"Apart from having to repair duelling damage?" He scoffed. "No. The repairs are continuing on schedule. Or would, if we didn't have to fix four more 'Mechs than planned." He snorted. "At least the new techs know their stuff."

"Yet you seem more agitated than earlier," Kelly pointed out.

His frown deepened for a moment. Then he grunted. "Some of the 'new hires' - the warriors - tried to order my people around."

Ah. Kelly nodded.

Russo shook his balding head. "They need to be taught how things work here."

"We will talk with them," Kelly assured him. "How do the new techs fit in?"

Russo rolled his eyes. "They're doing what they are told, and they know what they are doing."

That was… good news. Even though the Head Tech sounded as if he didn't like that. Well, Kelly knew that Russo liked to complain even if things were going well. Or about things that were going well.

But the attitude of the former Clan MechWarriors had to be corrected - they couldn't expect to keep behaving as if they were still in the Clans. Things were different in the SLDF. And they had to learn that.

Although they wouldn't learn that from Kelly. This was a task best left to Alex. Kelly smiled as she nodded at Russo and smiled a bit more when she walked out of the 'Mech bay. Her friends weren't the only ones willing to delegate unpleasant tasks.

*****​

Kelly stood at parade rest next to Alex, looking at the assembled warriors. They were in a currently empty part of the vehicle bay - as regulations and common sense, as well as experience, advised, praise was to be done in public and criticism in private. It wouldn't do to scold the former Clan warriors in front of the others.

They were standing at attention - even those, like Avia, who had yet to heal up fully. Whatever their faults, Clan warriors were tough. Kelly briefly studied them. Trevor was staring at the wall behind Alex; Kelly hoped that this was a good sign and that Trevor would take the criticism to heart. Avia met her eyes with a defiant attitude. On the other hand, the Clan officer glanced at Cat, who was standing on Alex's other side, with more deference. Perhaps a bit too much, for Kelly's taste. Cat was hers!

Luke looked a little confused. The remaining two Clan warriors who had joined the Irregulars, Damian and Clarice, imitated Trevor. Well, they had been under his command, so that was probably to be expected, and they were still recovering - both had suffered injuries when ejecting.

"So!" Alex straightened. "There's something I need to address. You've received your assignments and a copy of the SLDF regulations, but I am aware that you haven't had enough time to study the documents yet."

Avia scowled for a moment, Kelly noticed. As did Alex, since he nodded at her. "You disagree, MechWarrior?"

"Everyone of us knows SLDF regulations, Colonel," she replied.

The other former Clan warriors nodded. This was interesting - they couldn't have read the entire document. Not with all their other duties with regards to joining the Irregulars. So, the Clans studied the SLDF regulations?

"I don't doubt that," Alex said. "But knowing is one thing - applying said knowledge is another." He folded his hands behind his back and started to pace in front of the warriors' line. "There's also the fact that regulations are one thing, but there are also customs that might not be covered by regulations."

Trevor nodded.

"However," Alex went on, "the chain of command generally doesn't fall under customs. It's clearly covered in regulations."

Even Trevor looked puzzled for a moment, Kelly noticed. So, he wasn't aware of what he and the others had done.

"I am talking about how to deal with our techs," Alex explained. "While you can and should, of course, point out problems with your 'Mech that need to be addressed directly to the tech servicing it, you cannot actually order the techs around except for minor matters such as your personal preferences for computer feedback and the like. You cannot order a tech to start doing repairs or modifications on your or any other 'Mech - that is the domain of the Head Tech, Warrant Officer Russo."

Trevor slowly, almost hesitantly, nodded, but Avia looked surprised. Luke nodded firmly, seemingly to accept this without question. Damian and Clarice glanced at Trevor.

"That is because we might have to prioritise repairs according to the bigger picture. Russo knows the status of all our 'Mechs, and he will prioritise repairs according to our needs as I tell him." Alex smiled. "I know you're used to doing things differently, but that's how it was done in the SLDF, and that's how we do it in the Irregulars. Any questions?"

All of the former Clan Wolf warriors glanced at Trevor. Kelly made a mental note of that as well. They might want to consider breaking up the unit and spread the former Clan MechWarriors around to integrate them more forcefully. On the other hand, if Trevor played ball, as Cat would say, then he could handle that with the least amount of disruption if they all answered to him.

And it was Trevor who spoke up. "So, you handle the repair priorities, Colonel?"

"I set the general objective and let Russo handle the details," Alex replied. "I'm not going to tell him how to repair a 'Mech or how long it should take," he added with a smile.

Avia blushed a little - whether from anger or embarrassment was hard to say.

"Of course, if I misjudge the objective, that's on me. If Russo misjudges the time he needs to do the repairs we need, that's on him."

Trevor nodded. "And if we have… complaints about the repairs?"

"Tell them to the tech. If nothing is done, or you think they're making excuses, come to me. We'll use the chain of command. Understood?"

"Aff."

"Good. Now, since we're all here… do you have any complaints or suggestions?"

Once more, there were glances between the warriors in front of Kelly and her friends.

"We'll be assigned to the support company," Trevor said. "What will be our duties there?"

"Ah." Alex nodded at Kelly. "If you'll explain?"

Were they afraid that they wouldn't get frontline combat missions? Kelly didn't let her exasperation show. "I'm in command of the Support Company. Our lances will be used according to the needs of the other two companies. That means we'll usually operate on detached duty, not as a company. Our Rifleman lance, for example, will provide anti-aircraft support where needed. Our scout and recon lances will generally be screening another formation."

"With our… lance attached to your company, we could operate on the same level as the other companies," Avia said.

"While you're correct that with your lance added to the roster, we now have enough firepower to engage a company-sized unit on even terms, we would deprive the other companies of scouts and anti-air support," Kelly replied. "We're planning to have your lance act like mine - supporting another company where needed."

"Like exploiting a breakthrough or holding our flank," Alex added. "You'll be in the thick of any action, don't worry."

Trevor nodded, seemingly mollified.

"Like Kelly here," Cat added. "Just with more armour to protect yourself."

Kelly didn't roll her eyes as the others laughed. She had proven her 'Mech's worth, after all.

But she wouldn't turn down another ECM-equipped 'Mech for her company. Trevor's lance had a decent lineup right now - his Warhammer C, Avia's Griffin IIC, Luke in the repaired Crusader from the late Garribaldi, and Damian and Clarice in a Vixen - no, the proper name was 'Incubus', apparently - and Crab, respectively, but they didn't have ECM to shield them from enemy sensors. If the techs managed to get the Ice Ferret to work in time and add a Guardian ECM, she might ask one of the former Clan warriors to pilot it.

If they had enough time.

*****​

Engadin System, Free Rasalhague Republic, September 30th, 3050

"Major Stevens?"

Cat looked up from the latest repair reports - the second Thug was now fit for service again, and the Griffin was still being repaired but should be done before they reached Radstadt - and looked at Avia. "Yes? If you're looking for Major Lieden, she's observing the sim exercises."

"I know," Avia replied. "She gave us her schedule."

Cat nodded. She hadn't really thought that Kelly would forget to inform her recently-grown company of her daily schedule, but in her experience, many Clanners didn't really focus on 'paperwork'. "So, how can I help you?"

"Ah… I was wondering if you would like to do some sim duelling later." Avia nodded once, standing at parade rest.

Cat blinked. That was… not an unusual request, actually, but coming from the same woman she had defeated in the 'trial of absorption', as their new recruits insisted on calling it, was a little suspicious. On the other hand, Clanners, as most MechWarriors, were proud, and despite the massive difference in tonnage between Cat's Victor and Avia's Griffin IIC, the Clanner might want to get another shot at beating Cat. Well, she would get another lesson instead. Cat grinned and nodded. "Fine. After dinner."

Avia smiled. "Thank you." She nodded curtly, then left.

And Cat focused on the reports from Russo again. She had a company to handle.

*****​

Twenty more LRMs rained down on Cat as she moved her 'Mech to the side. Half of them struck the remains of an ancient landslide - Cat suppressed a brief shudder at the memory of her 'Mech getting buried in the arena - and half struck her Victor, blasting more armour off its torso and arms. Nothing critical, not yet, but if she didn't close with the enemy, sooner or later, those pinpricks would finish getting through her armour. Sooner, if she took another hit or two from the large laser of Avia's Griffin IIC.

The former Clan Warrior had gotten better at keeping her distance since their first bout in the simulator. Better, but not good enough. Cat clenched her teeth and pushed her 'Mech forward, weaving through the narrow canyon of the sim scenario. She passed a more open area, too fast for Avia to get a lock on her but not fast enough to avoid being spotted.

Exactly as planned. Avia was a veteran and would be guessing Cat's course. And then second-guessing her. And there was only one point where she would have an unrestricted field of fire on both ends of the canyon.

Cat kept running forward, then hit her jump jets and soared to the top of the canyon. She barely cleared the edge, but Avia's Griffin IIC was caught in the corner of the battle area.

The warrior reacted quickly, her laser melting Cat's torso armour and LRMs striking her legs, but Cat was charging towards her, closing in. No matter where Avia went, she would pass through Cat's field of fire.

Avia dodged left and jumped. Cat went left as well, watching the rangefinder's display. She would only get one shot with this. Now!

She only needed one shot. Or volley. Her Pontiac tore through the Griffin IIC's armour, crushing an actuator, and an SRM blew away another actuator. The sudden impact and damage were too much, and the 'Mech lost its balance and crashed into the rock next to it.

Cat kept running and fired as soon as her autocannon cycled. Her next volley tore the Griffin's right arm off and sent it falling down again. It skidded over the rocky ground, losing more armour.

Avia wasn't done yet, though, even if her 'Mech was crippled, and fired her LRMs until Cat finally finished her off with her third volley.

"Good fight," Avia said.

"Yes, good fight," Cat replied. "You're good at exploiting my limited range."

"Not good enough."

Cat chuckled as she left her 'Mech's cockpit. Not for long, though - she might have won this bout and the two before, but her Victor's lack of long-range weapons had led to quite annoying encounters.

She might have to ask Russo if there was a way to replace her SRM launcher with a Clan LRM launcher. With Freezers, it should still allow her to keep more armour than the stock Victor and add some long-range punch.

She would have to wait until they were on Radstadt, though, and the rest of the regiment was combat-ready. Modifications like this kind took a lot of effort.

She spotted Avia walking over from where her Griffin IIC had been parked in a gantry. The other MechWarrior looked flushed. "Good fight!" she said again as she reached the foot of Cat's Victor. "You are an excellent warrior."

Cat shrugged. "I try my best." And she was damn good!

"In the Clan, you would have been a Ristar. So young, yet already so deadly." Avia beamed at her.

"Well, I started early."

"No doubt. That kind of skill can only be learned through real combat." Avia, of course, approved. Cat's parents didn't, she was sure.

"Yes," Cat replied. It sounded like Avia wanted to take a few drinks together and shoot the breeze. Which didn't sound too bad, actually. But Cat didn't want to share stories about Dreamland's war against the Nightmare Horde. Well, maybe a few choice ones, with all the details altered.

"Do you want to couple?"

Cat blinked. "What?" Did she just ask to have sex with her?

"To couple." Avia frowned a little. "To have sex."

She did. Cat blinked again. "Ah, I'm sorry, but I'm in a relationship." She felt herself blush a little.

And now, Avia looked confused. "And why would that prevent you from coupling?"

"When you're in a relationship, you only have sex with your partner," Cat explained. Well, unless it was an open relationship, but she wasn't about to explain those to a Clanner.

"Ah." Avia didn't look as if she really understood. "So, you only have sex with Major Lieden?"

"Yes." Cat nodded firmly. Very firmly.

"Ah. Were you in a sibko together? I mean, did you grow up together?"

Cat was about to deny that but stopped. This was actually correct since they had met in Dreamland. "We trained together since we were little children, yes."

"Ah." Avia nodded. "I understand. Those bonds do last long - I miss my sibko mates." She nodded again. "I will ask Trevor to couple, then."

What? By the time Cat had recovered, Avia had already left. Presumably to 'couple' with Trevor.

Clanners were bloody aliens.

She had to tell Kelly about this - her friend would probably find this very amusing.

*****​

Engadin System, Free Rasalhague Republic, October 1st, 3050

Kelly tried not to let her lingering resentment show when she approached Trevor. The man was one of her officers, and she would deal with him as a professional. And he hadn't propositioned Cat, anyway. Avia had some nerve propositioning Cat!

"Lieutenant Trevor?"

"Major Lieden." He nodded at her.

No salute, but this was rather informal. And the rest of the regiment didn't exactly follow strict forms either. Still… She made a mental note to discuss the matter with Alex and Cat. Proper SLDF forms might help with the regiment's esprit de corps. "How is your lance doing?"

"The… lance," he obviously caught himself before he said 'star', "is ready for deployment. All 'Mechs are fully repaired, and I have ensured that all warriors are familiar with communication protocols."

Well, she already knew the first thing, and the second was an obvious part of preparing for combat. "And how are your warriors doing? Is there any trouble integrating with the rest of the unit?"

"No," he replied, shaking his head.

She didn't let her slight annoyance show. What would he call one of his warriors hitting on the lover of his company commander? Although he probably thought this was normal. "I've noticed that there are some significant cultural differences," she said. "Which could potentially cause friction." Not everyone had her self-control. Trying to sleep with someone's partner could easily lead to violence.

Trevor looked puzzled. "I am not aware of any such potential problem," he said.

As socially apt as his 'Mech. Kelly didn't sigh, but she felt like it. "The cultures of the Inner Sphere have different views on sex," she said.

"Ah, yes. Avia told me." He nodded. "I have instructed my warriors to check the relationship status of someone before inquiring about coupling."

He sounded about as clinical about the act as the SLDF health education instructor in Dreamland. And she had been a dwarf. Once more, Kelly suppressed a sigh. "You might also instruct them that many in the Inner Sphere are likely to take sex more seriously than you do." At his returned apparent confusion, she elaborated: "They might think having sex implies a relationship."

"Oh. I was not aware of that."

"Not everyone - some are perfectly fine with casual sex." Especially soldiers during a war. "But many will develop an attachment."

"Oh." He slowly nodded. "I see how this could cause trouble."

"Good." She nodded - a little sharply. "The last thing we need is internal strife over such matters. Not everyone is happy with us recruiting you," she added.

He nodded again. "That was to be expected. It is not uncommon in the Clans either - especially if there is a rivalry between the original clan and the new one."

She raised her eyebrows. She hadn't known that - then again, it made sense. People carried grudges. Even such an alien culture as the Clans. "Then you are familiar with the situation."

"I was never captured until now," he said. "But I have dealt with abtakha - adopted warriors," he explained. Unnecessarily; Kelly knew the word. He looked at her for a moment. "May I ask a question, Major?"

"Of course."

"You seem very familiar with some of our customs, aff?" he said.

"If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat," she quoted the Art of War. "We gathered every piece of information about you before we engaged you."

"You did. Your simulations of the Clan OmniMechs are almost perfect," he said. "More importantly, you simulate our tactics as well. Zellbrigen - and when we'd break it."

She nodded. "Training should be as realistic as possible."

"And you and Major Stevens are very young for your rank - yet, as I can personally attest to," he said with a wry grin, "and as several of your MechWarriors confirmed, you have the experience your rank demands."

"Thank you." She suppressed the slight annoyance she felt at the reminder that people still judged her because of her age. It was only natural - they didn't know about her experience.

"Yet, even in the Clans, where we prize youth and talent, you would not have yet graduated from a sibko, much less gained your obvious experience." He held her gaze with a polite expression.

"Due to circumstances outside our control, we started fighting at a very young age," she said.

"Against Clan warriors, aff?" He was looking tense now.

She shrugged. "They fought in a similar way, but I doubt that they were part of the Clans as you know them."

"Dark Caste?" He frowned.

"I'm not familiar with that term," she told him.

"People outside the Clan. Bandits. Pirates. Criminal scum."

"Ah." She nodded again. That was another aspect of their enemy they had neglected - she hadn't been aware that there was a criminal underworld. Again, that was part of every society. But she had to deflect this probe. "Would they have reached the Inner Sphere ahead of your invasion?"

His frown deepened. "It is possible. Where did you fight them?"

"That's a secret," she told him.

"Ah." He nodded.

She waited a moment. "Do you have any other questions?"

"No." He shook his head. "Not at the moment."

But more would probably follow. If Trevor had noticed this, others would have noticed the same.

She shouldn't have tried to hide the truth by clever wording, she realised. She had tried to be too clever for her own good.

She snorted. Cat would call that her family curse.

*****​

Royal Palace, Unity City, Dreamland, October 5th, 3050

"...and we still have no organic aerospace support," Cat said before taking another swallow from her tea. "None of the Clan aerospace fighters were salvageable."

"Can't really salvage a stain on the ground. Or a wreck speeding away in space," Felicity said. She was drinking milk, of course. Warm and mixed with honey.

Kelly took a sip from her own tea - green tea, as good as the best tea she had had on Sian - as Cat finished detailing the current state of the First Royal Irregulars. It could've been worse, but it could've been better as well. Much better. If only they had caught some aerospace assets. The regiment was still entirely dependent on their employer for air cover.

"At least you have your escort with you," Nastajia said as she put down her cup on the table on Alex's balcony.

"For how long, though?" Cat asked.

Kelly nodded in agreement. In the current state of the KungsArmé, odds were they would be reassigned as soon as possible.

"And how are the former Clan warriors working out?" Nastajia asked with a slight frown. She didn't approve of recruiting former enemies - the elf liked to carry grudges.

"Well enough," Alex replied. His smile faltered a little when Nastajia looked at him, Kelly noticed - she hadn't been happy about his decision that all three of them would visit Dreamland together this time.

"There's some friction and tension with the other members of the unit, but there haven't been any fights reported," Kelly elaborated.

Cat snorted. "And I'm sure Damian fell out of his 'Mech's gantry to get so many bruises."

"Yes," Alex said. "Hit every step on the stairs on the way down."

Kelly frowned. She knew as well as her friends that there had been fights. But as long as none were reported, this was fine. Just a few soldiers knocking the edges off each other. Until it was officially noticed, and something had to be done about it. "They're excellent MechWarriors," she said, "but they come from a very different culture. But they will be a great asset in the next battle."

"Fight fire with fire," Cat said. "And Clans with Clanners."

"They were in a second-line unit," Nastajia pointed out. "Not the Clans' best."

Cat snorted. "Trevor's a veteran. Only the Clans would consider him too old to serve in a frontline unit."

"Still," Nastajia insisted. "They might not perform as well facing frontline troops."

Alex nodded. "No, they won't - nor will most of the regiment. Some might even be a little overconfident."

"And we haven't faced their battle armour yet," Kelly added. "We've been running sims, but I doubt that everyone is aware just how dangerous those are." Some things you had to experience to truly understand. "And Trevor at least is wondering where we fought Clans before. He hasn't asked again, but… He is still wondering." She was certain of that.

"Right. You mentioned that." Felicity nodded. "That might cause trouble. He might think you were deserters from the Clans."

Cat scoffed at that idea. Alex laughed. But Kelly nodded slowly. That would explain Trevor's reaction. "If he does, he might not feel honour-bound to stay loyal." If Trevor was actually loyal. She knew how Justin Xiang had faked his defection from the Federated Suns and become a double-agent, dooming the Confederation's efforts in the 4th Succession War. Well, she had her eyes on him.

"That would be a problem," Alex said. "If our new recruits turn on us in the middle of a battle…"

"We can't tell them the truth - they'll never believe us," Cat said.

Nastajia agreed. "But you might have to tell him - and the others in your unit who might harbour suspicions - something to explain your experience."

"Half of them are probably spies from the MIIO, LIC or the Maskirovka," Cat said with a snort. "Maybe ISF and SAFE as well."

Kelly narrowed her eyes at her - this wasn't as funny as Cat thought it was. "The easiest story would be to claim that we fought clan forces in the Periphery." She had given this some thought after Trevor's questions. "However, if the different Clans share intel, or if anyone expects details, we'll have trouble inventing a convincing story."

"The best story is one that is close to the truth," Alex said. "Your planet was attacked by the Clans while you were training in 'Mechs, you had to go into battle, and I saved you. Then we came to Solaris to build a mercenary unit to get revenge on the Clans." Nastajia opened her mouth, but he grinned and went on before she could say something: "And you don't want to say where that was because you fear for the safety of your families."

While Nastajia pouted at Alex, Kelly thought this through. "It's simple," she said. "Easy to remember."

"And we can stick to the truth," Cat added. "Let's do that."

"So, now that that's settled, let's enjoy the day!" Kiwi piped up. She rose from her spot on the table, where she had been drinking sweetened fruit juice - or sugar with a few drops of fruit juice, as Cat would say - and did a loop in the air. "It's been too long since we were all together! Let's go outside!"

Kelly nodded. It wasn't as if they could do anything else that would change the situation. They were running training sims as often as possible, and the 'Mechs should be ready for combat once they reached Radstadt - or, should they be called away before making planetfall because another planet needed reinforcements, when they reached the next target.

Things could definitely be worse.

*****​

Camora, Twycross, Federated Commonwealth, October 10th, 3050

"...and the salvage operation of the Falcon Guards Cluster's remains has been completed. The last Mule is being loaded with the samples going back to NAIS as we speak," Galen Cox finished his report. "Most of the battle armour samples seem to be in surprisingly good shape." He refrained from grimacing - as ordered, the AFFS forces had primarily used flamers and Inferno missiles against the Clan infantry, cooking them alive inside their armour but leaving the armour itself generally intact.

But his commanding officer - and friend - didn't seem to be listening. Instead, Victor was staring at his noteputer. And not in the intense, focused way that meant he was planning another surprise for the Clans. No, he seemed to be… shocked?

Galen glanced at the third officer in the small office, Leftenant Allard-Liao. Or Kai, as he insisted. And if one of the deadliest MechWarriors Galen had ever seen told you to call him Kai, you didn't argue. He was another friend of Victor's - childhood friend, for all that they grew up on different planets - and he, too, had noticed that Victor wasn't paying attention to the report. The very report he had been hounding Galen about almost immediately after the last of the Falcon Guard had fallen to the pincer attack of the First and Second Kell Hounds, too!

"Victor?" Kai asked. "Is something wrong?"

"You haven't been paying attention," Galen added.

Victor blinked. "Oh. Sorry. It's just…" He shook his head. "I got a message from my parents."

Galen and Kai exchanged another glance. Since Victor's parents were the rulers of the Lyran Commonwealth and the Federated Suns, their messages could be anything from congratulations for the liberation of Twycross to classified messages about politics on the highest level. Something that would concern Kai as the heir to the St. Ives Compact, but not Galen Cox. He might be Kommandant Steiner-Davion's adjutant, but that role was strictly limited to military matters. Galen had no wish to deal with politics. He cleared his throat. "I think I'll check on the 10th's readiness," he said, standing up. The regiment should be back to about 80% of its strength by now.

"What? Oh, no!" Victor shook his head. "None of that, Galen. This is… Well, this is a personal message. Sort of. And I could use your advice."

About a message from his parents? "You know, I am sworn to both your parents, so asking me to go against them would be asking me to commit treason," Galen joked. At least he hoped he was joking.

"It's not that!" Victor pouted at him. "And you stay, Kai," he said as Kai was about to leave. "It concerns you as well."

"What?" Kai looked confused. "I didn't get any message."

Victor sighed. "Well, it's classified. Highest levels."

Galen tensed. Victor had a sometimes loose relationship with rules. But Galen wasn't the heir to the Federated Commonwealth. He wouldn't get away with spilling such secrets.

"But I really need to talk about this with a friend or two," Victor went on.

Galen sighed and sat down again.

Victor smiled. "So… you know about my sister, Katherine."

The sister who had been in a coma for ten years before miraculously waking up. Galen doubted that anyone in the Federated Commonwealth had missed that. He nodded.

"Of course," Kai said. He probably had met the girl, Galen thought.

"So… What you might not have known is that she, ah, ran away from home," Victor went on with a sheepish expression.

Galen blinked. Katherine Steiner-Davion, second in line to both thrones of the Federated Commonwealth, had run away from home?

"How?" Kai asked. "What happened to her security detail?"

Victor grimaced. "Apparently, she managed to get a suit of stealth power armour while sleeping in her bed and vanished."

"Vanished." Galen shook his head. "Isn't she like… seventeen years old?"

Victor briefly frowned at him, and Galen rolled his eyes. His friend probably took this as a dig at his own young age. His friend continued: "Anyway, that's just the start. She vanished and only resurfaced months later - on Solaris VII. Where she apparently got herself a Victor and fought a few gladiators in the arenas. It seems that if Dad wasn't going to buy her one for Christmas, she decided to get one herself."

Galen politely laughed at the joke. As did Kai.

"And now it gets strange. And concerning," Victor went on.

"Wait!" Galen raised his hand. "It wasn't concerning that the daughter of the Archon and the First Prince went to Solaris VII to fight in the arena?"

"And that neither MI6 nor the LIC managed to stop her?" Kai added, adding his own take on the situation.

"Yes." Victor nodded. "Because on Solaris, she hooked up with, to the best of our knowledge, Kali Liao, who also had run away from home."

Galen blinked. Kali Liao? That was… He glanced at Kai, who was frozen with what looked like shock.

"Yes, I know," Victor went on. "And they were in the company of this slimeball." He held his noteputer up, displaying a picture of a man. About thirty years old, Galen would guess. "Alexander Camden. Bought her the 'Mech. And then had her fight in the arena until they got Kali a Raven."

Galen nodded grimly. The implications were clear. What a slimeball. But once the LIC or MI6 got their hands on that man…

"So, now, the weird part." Victor sighed. "Mister Camden hired a dropship and jumpship, and a technician crew as well as a spacer crew, and went off with Katherine and Kali, to Epsilon Eridani."

"Wait!" Galen raised his hand again. "Don't tell me they were the ones who found the Colossus!"

"They were. Found a dropship full of 'Mechs, flew to Outreach and founded a mercenary unit. Which then hired on with the Rasalhagues."

Galen drew a sharp breath. Since the invasion started, the Free Republic had been beaten by the Clans like a drum. To hire on with them was… akin to suicide.

"Yes. 'Colonel' Camden took my little sister and Kai's cousin straight into the teeth of the Clan invasion. With a fresh mercenary unit made up of dispossessed pilots who were given new Star League 'Mechs." Victor nodded with a grim expression. "Believe me, I'll have words with him once I meet him."

"Can we do something? Send the Kell Hounds over?" Kai asked.

Victor shook his head. "We can't leave the planet - we're still expecting a counterattack from the Falcons," he reminded his friend. "Anyway, apparently, my little sister is now a Major, leads a company, and helped destroy a Provisional Garrison Cluster on Engadin. A Major! She didn't even enter the academy!" he blurted out.

Galen suppressed a grin.

Kai didn't. He was visibly amused as he told Victor: "Well, she caught up to you. Same rank, same 'Mech."

Victor snorted. But he wasn't amused. "And as far as we can tell, she's raiding deep behind the enemy lines. With a single battalion of 'Mechs."

Galen nodded. No wonder Victor wanted to talk about this. The Clans were formidable enemies, and the Wolves were the most dangerous of the Clans. A single battalion wouldn't last long. Even if they won every battle, they would suffer attrition, and the Clans only needed to get lucky once to catch them.

"Are you sure we can't send help?" Galen asked.

"We can't even contact them unless they hit a world with an HPG." Victor blinked. "Oh, and again: That's a secret. Officially, we have no idea about this. But I wish we could do something!"

Galen nodded in agreement. But they couldn't - the Jade Falcons would make another attempt to take the planet after losing two clusters. That would disrupt their invasion schedule. And it would deliver more of their forces to Twycross, where the Kell Hounds, the Tenth Lyran Guards RCT and the 9th FedCom RCT would tie them down until the rest of the force from Sudeten arrived to wipe out the Clanners.

It was a dangerous plan for the forces on Twycross. If the Falcons deployed enough Clusters, the AFFS would be hard-pressed to hold out long enough for the reinforcements to arrive.

But it wasn't nearly as dangerous as raiding the Clan supply lines in a single dropship. And as a teenager without any military training. What was this Colonel Camden thinking?

"But… I still can't believe it." Kai shook his head. "Kali Liao?"

Victor sighed again. "Yes. Apparently, Katherine claimed that they met in her dreams."

Galen blinked. He had no idea what that meant. And he wasn't sure he wanted to know.

*****​

 

[Starfox5]

Chapter 9: Radstadt

'We were all in high spirits when we left Engadin. Sure, there was some grumbling about recruiting Clanners - the warriors; none of our troops protested hiring the techs, of course - we had beaten an entire Clan Cluster. A Provisional Garrison Cluster deemed unfit for frontline combat, equipped with second-line 'Mechs and no battle armour, but it was still an impressive feat. We thought that this victory would allow us to be taken seriously when we told people how to fight the Clans. Unfortunately, the KungsArmé was almost as bad as the worst stories I had heard. I still don't know if it was because we were mercenaries or a fresh unit, or our age, or just institutional inertia, but they had their fixed ideas about how to fight the Clans. And they were our employer, so they got to call the shots.'

• Diary of Katherine 'MadCat' Steiner-Davion

*****​

'It has taken me three other test subjects, but I've finally realised that their reports, while not very detailed or structured - which is entirely appropriate for the ages of the children - form a congruent picture. Dreamland is apparently real. And, based upon what I have found out since this realisation, not merely a shared illusion but a realm you could physically enter.'

• Private notes of M.D. Phil Baker, Triad Medical Wing, Tharkad, 3050

*****​

Approaching Radstadt, Radstadt System, October 12th, 3050

They were on the final leg of the week-long trip from the jump point to Radstadt proper, mere hours out, and Cat was feeling a little bored on the bridge of the Babylon when the officer manning the communication station suddenly turned around, one hand on her headset. "It's a system-wide alert, Captain!" she announced. "Clan forces arrived at the Nadir jump point."

Cat suppressed a gasp - that was where their jumpship had been! She quickly ran a calculation; it had been a bit over seven days since they had arrived, so the Malmö might have been able to jump away. Either way, they would be stranded here for the foreseeable future.

And it had all happened hours ago, anyway.

The woman tilted her head. "The pickets reported at least one warship and four jumpships."

That was an invasion, then. Well, that had been expected - the Irregulars had been diverted to Radstadt to reinforce the planet's defenders for such an occasion, after all. They just hadn't expected the invasion to happen so soon.

"It seems as if the Wolves don't care as much about the threat raiders pose to their rear area as we hoped," Alex commented, echoing her thoughts.

"Or our assumptions about the forces they have available were wrong," Kelly added.

Cat nodded. That was their biggest weakness. While the tactics and technology of the Horde matched the Clans' very closely, numbers in Dreamland tended to… vary. Or fluctuate, to quote an elven scholar Kelly had once asked about this. Just as distances varied as well. Kelly hadn't liked the answer, but Cat remembered shrugging and saying that in dreams, numbers weren't fixed.

Well, she would have liked hard numbers right now. The best intel they and the KungsArmé had put Clan Wolf at about fifteen to twenty clusters - frontline and garrison clusters. That had been borne out by the numbers they had encountered on Engadin. And that would have meant that the Wolves would have to reinforce their garrisons with frontline units, stalling their advance. Either the Clan had decided to call their bluff and advance anyway, or… She sighed through clenched teeth. Or the Wolves had previously unknown forces to garrison their conquered planets.

It was too bad that the Clanners who had decided to join the Irregulars still stuck to not betraying their former Clan. It said a lot about their trustworthiness, but again - Cat would really like some true numbers. At least the fact that they had been facing a Provisional Garrison Cluster indicated that Clan Wolf had been shuffling around units to cover their conquests.

On the other hand, whatever the reason, they were facing a full-blown invasion right now. Cat was sure they would receive numbers soon enough. Probably in a batchall.

At least all the 'Mechs they had pilots for were fully repaired thanks to the techs who had joined them. That would hopefully make a difference. But if they had had a bit more time, they might have been able to replace some of their weapons with Clan weapons. Cat wouldn't have minded some of those lasers in her Victor. Or one of the autocannons they had looted on Engadin. A bit more range would definitely be useful.

Well, if wishes were horses, beggars would ride. Or, you didn't fight a war with the force you wanted, but the force you had. Even in Dreamland.

*****​

Munich, Radstadt, Radstadt System, October 12th, 3050

"...and, based on earlier battles, we expect the Clan Wolf forces to target Munich. Accordingly, we'll harass them from the time they reach orbit to the landings with our aerospace forces. That should prevent them from dropping right on the capital and allow us to harass them on the ground as they approach."

Cat studied the older officer standing in front of a holo projection of the planet, highlighting the capital's location. According to Kapten Holm, Överste Carl Sleipness, commander of the 4th Drakøns and, by extension, of the KungsArmé forces on Radstadt, was a veteran officer - he had fought in the Ronin War after the Free Republic had been invaded by 'rogue DCMS units'. He must have also fought for the DCMS in the 4th Succession War, but Holm hadn't mentioned that. And yet, for all his experience, he had never fought the Clans.

Still, the basics of the plan he laid out here in his command post in Munich looked solid - the Överste obviously had studied the battles that had been fought against Clan Wolf forces. The devil, though, was or would be in the details. Kelly had doubts that the defending troops would be able to effectively harass the Clanners once they made planetfall. The 4th Drakøns would hopefully perform decently even though the initial shock of facing Clan weapons and tactics would take its toll. But the Radstadt Militia? Cat didn't think the three 'divisions' would do much more than serving as a speed bump for the Clanners. They had no 'Mechs, and she doubted that their armour regiments - only two per division; any AFFC Regimental Combat team had more than that! - had any Star League-level technology. As for the infantry… The Clan battle armour would annihilate them. There was a reason the Irregulars only had a single platoon of infantry serving as security; battle armour rendered conventional infantry obsolete. Unless you were willing to spend their lives like bullets for any gain like the DCMS tended to.

"..and the Militia divisions will use their knowledge of the local terrain to ambush the advancing enemy as they approach, then support our forces as we face them in prepared positions. We don't know yet where they'll land, but we're preparing positions on all approaches to Munich."

Cat glanced at the Militia commanders. They looked grim as they nodded in agreement with the Överste. At least they didn't suffer from false confidence. But whatever they sent out to harass the Clan forces would be shattered - or wiped out - for not much gain. Fast armour simply didn't have the firepower to do much against even light clan forces. And heavy armour would be run down and destroyed.

"We can't do anything about the warship, but Clan Wolf hasn't used any warships in an offensive role in the invasion so far, so our plan depends on beating their conventional forces. Cause enough casualties that they will withdraw from the planet."

Cat suppressed a snort. That was a very optimistic plan. She doubted that the Clanners would give up on attempting to conquer the planet. Not even if their first wave was beaten. At least that goal wasn't impossible; Clanners were glory hounds who liked to take risks. In Dreamland, the Horde had kept that attitude despite heavy losses. The Clans might do the same - but they hadn't suffered such losses yet, so it wasn't possible to tell. But even if they managed to decimate the first wave, there would be another. The enemy ships in the system were carrying an entire galaxy if all dropships were fully loaded. According to the intel the KungsArmé had, this was the Clan Wolf flagship. They were facing the Khan of the Clan - and Cat doubted that he would suffer the loss of face another defeat so close on the heels of Engadin would cause.

Alex raised his hand.

"Colonel Camden?"

Alex nodded. "Have we received a batchall yet?"

"No," the Överste replied. "We expect them to do that once they are in orbit."

That made sense - the signal lag would make any negotiations tiresome if the enemy forces were still days away.

"What good are 'batchalls'?" one of the Militia commanders asked with a scoff. "We'll fight to the last and make them bleed no matter what they bring."

"If you bargain with the Clans, you can agree on certain conditions," Alex explained. "Like a set of objectives - victory conditions - and other agreements. Such as the right for the losing forces to withdraw off-world after the battle. You could avoid fighting in Munich, for example."

"You just want a way out, mercenary!" the officer spat.

Alex nodded. "Of course - my contract clearly states that we're not supposed to fight to the death. An agreement beforehand would facilitate that. But I'm suggesting this so you can spare Munich the destruction visited upon any city that turns into a battleground."

It was clear that the Militia commander didn't believe Alex. But she didn't matter - Sleipness did.

Unfortunately, the Överste shook his head. "I've got my orders - we are to defend Radstadt to the last."

"We will never surrender!" another Militia commander blurted out. "Even if the mercenaries abandon us again, like in the Ronin War, we'll fight on! We aren't cowards!"

Cat clenched her teeth. This wasn't a good thing. Well, fanatical defenders could be useful in such a battle, but the Rasalhagues didn't like mercenaries to begin with, and Cat doubted they would look kindly upon the Irregulars now, despite their earlier success on Engadin. If Trevor had been present, it would have led to violence - she was sure of that. Hell, she was tempted to demonstrate to the commander just how much she resented being called a coward! They were here to help Rasalhague, after all!

Alex, though, kept smiling. "Well, since we have a few days to prepare, might I suggest running a few sim exercises? We have found that such training has helped us immensely when fighting Clan forces. We also have former Clan warriors amongst our ranks who can demonstrate clan weapons and tactics."

"What?" Two of the three Militia commanders jumped up from their seats, followed by the other officers. "You've recruited our enemies?"

"Traitor!"

"I knew it!"

"Silence!" Sleipness yelled, but only the Drakøns seemed to listen to him - the rest of the Rasalhagues were yelling at Cat and her friends.

Damn fanatics.

Just as she was about to yell at the idiots, a shot rang out, freezing everyone. Sleipness had shot into the ceiling. "This is a disgrace! We're about to face the worst enemy our country has faced, and discipline is already breaking down? We might as well shoot ourselves and spare the Clans the bother!" he shouted.

Even though she hadn't done anything, not even said anything, Cat grimaced when the man glared at everyone. Even Kelly, who had the best self-control amongst Cat's friends, looked worried.

Alex, though, calmly nodded in agreement with the Överste. "We will do our duty," he said. "As we have proven on Engadin. And I repeat our offer to train together - even one session will save lives in a week."

"We might get back to you about this," Sleipness told Alex, but even Cat could tell that this was just a polite dismissal. There wouldn't be any training sessions together. The Överste went on, addressing everyone in the room: "Now, return to your units and inform them about the plans to defend the planet. And start preparing. I want every centimetre of the area around the capital prepared for the battle."

Cat stood together with the others. This wasn't a good omen for the upcoming battle.

*****​

Munich Spaceport, Munich, Radstadt, Radstadt System, October 12th, 3050

"That… didn't go well," Alex said as they reached the Babylon's landing pad and got out of the staff car. "It was luck that it didn't come to blows. Or worse."

Kelly nodded in agreement. "We have underestimated the degree of hostility against mercenaries held by the average Rasalhague soldier."

"And overestimated how much goodwill a victory against the Clans would buy us," Cat added.

"I fear my plan of teaching by example how to defeat the Clans was a little too optimistic," Alex said - rather gloomily, Kelly noticed. That was bad - Alex wasn't one to lose his good spirits even when facing disaster. Not unless a friend got hurt, at least. She glanced at Cat.

Her friend had picked up on that as well - she snorted. "That's because the Rasalhagues are idiots. The AFFC is giving the Clans a run for their money."

That was true - at least according to what they had heard during their travels. But the DCMS wasn't doing too badly either, and Kelly doubted that the reason for that was that the ISF had passed on whatever warnings Cat's parents had given to their troops. But this wasn't the moment to mention that. "We still earned the first victory against Clan Wolf in this theatre, and without a big numerical advantage. Even if the KungsArmé won't listen, others will."

"Especially if we do well in this battle," Cat added.

Alex sighed and stopped walking towards the Babylon's ramp. "And our odds of achieving that haven't been improved by this briefing." He shook his head. "If we could convince them to listen to us… I need to talk to Överste Sleipness again. The Militia needs to know how to fight battle armour or they'll be slaughtered for no gain at all."

"He will have read the reports about Clanner battle armour," Cat pointed out.

"And he will know that we didn't fight them on Engadin," Kelly added.

"I know. But I still have to make the effort. If he uses inferno missiles and focuses his artillery on the battle armour, they can be dealt with. If they are allowed to roam free…" Alex winced.

As did Cat. Kelly nodded - she had seen the aftermath of battles in the early war against the Horde, where the Horde battle armour had infiltrated the SLDF rear areas. Even Nighthawks stood no chance against that threat.

"It's worth the risk," Alex said. "I can claim I got this intel from our new recruits."

Kelly nodded. "Also, we need to inform our troops that we're not liked by the local population and our allies."

Cat snorted. "I wouldn't even call the Militia our allies. Co-belligerents, maybe?"

Kelly smiled at the joke but quickly grew serious again. "And if our troops blame our new recruits for this, this might hurt our regiment's cohesion."

"This could lead to blows," Alex agreed. "I'll handle it. You focus on preparing our companies. And on getting ready to depart if things turn out as we fear," he added.

"I can have the Babylon ready to depart, but we'll need a jumpship," Kelly pointed out. And with the current state of their relationship to the KungsArmé, there was a not negligible danger that the Rasalhagues would forget to take them with them. Or end up not having a collar for the Babylon. Despite their contract.

"I'll arrange an alternative," Alex said. "If we evacuate, we'll send an HPG message and have a jumpship meet us at a pirate point. Or in deep space."

Cat whistled. "You think you'll find a captain willing to get us out of here?"

He grinned. "It'll be expensive - especially if we end up not needing them - but I don't want to gamble everything on the KungsArmé honouring their contract."

That was probably the best they could hope for.

*****​

Outside Munich, Radstadt, Radstadt System, October 19th, 3050

"I am Khan Ulric Kerensky. I come with the Clan Wolf Alpha Galaxy and the IlKhan's Keshik. The Wolves of Kerensky have claimed this world for their own. What tame dogs defend it?"

Not just the Khan of the Wolves, but the IlKhan himself as well. Cat clenched her teeth. She had hoped for an underling. Someone eager to prove themselves, prone to take too many risks. But two Khans? Both would be very experienced.

"I'm Överste Carl Sleipness. This planet is defended by the 4th Drakøns, the 1st Radstadt Militia Division, the 2nd Radstadt Militia Division, the 3rd Radstadt Militia Division, and the mercenary unit First Royal Irregulars."

So, Sleipness had decided to answer the batchall. Good. As much as Cat hated to play by an enemy's rules, the longer they could keep the Clanners to stick to their rules, the better - they had a warship in orbit, after all, and Cat really didn't want to find out what an orbital bombardment felt like on the ground. She had seen enough from orbit during the war against the Horde.

"We will defend Munich against you. Enter the area at your peril," Sleipness went on. "You will find no peace until you leave forever."

And there went Cat's last hope that the KungsArmé would try to set up a limited battle.

"Bargained well and done."

The Khan on the screen nodded. The rest of the Clanners she could see behind him - floating on the bridge of the warship, it seemed - were already turning towards each other. The one in the different uniform… was that the IlKhan? And who was… Her eyes widened. Who was that at the edge of the line? Almost out of the camera's field of view? He looked like… "Phelan?" she blurted out. She hadn't seen him since she had woken up, but she had seen pictures - and she remembered him from his visits to Tharkad with his parents.

The transmission ended before she could even think of trying to enter the conversation, much less of how to achieve that.

"'Phelan'?" Kelly turned towards her. "Phelan Kell?"

Cat bit her lower lip. "Replay the record and freeze the frame."

The communications officer did. Cat squinted before the image was enlarged. Yes, that was Phelan. Or his Clan twin. "He's alive." Uncle Morgan would be happy.

"What is he doing on the enemy's bridge?" Captain Kirchwerder asked.

That was a good question.

"Look at his wrist," Alex said.

"A cord. He's a prisoner." Cat felt both relieved and angry at that. A bondsman. Barely more than a slave.

"Let's focus on the battle," Kelly whispered - but she squeezed Cat's hand.

"Yes," Cat replied, slowly releasing her breath.

Oh, she would make the Clanners pay for this!

*****​

Northwest of Munich, Radstadt, Radstadt System, October 20th, 3050

Kelly refrained from biting her lips as she waited for the first elements of the 4th Wolf Guards to enter the valley in front of her. She knew they were coming - a Militia VTOL had managed to detect them half an hour earlier, identifying two stars before it was shot down, and an observation post overlooking the valley had transmitted more footage before battle armour had wrecked it.

So, she also knew what was coming their way: Ten OmniMechs and about fifty battle armour. A Supernova, Trevor had called it. Eight assault OmniMechs - Gargoyles - and two heavies, a Timber Wolf and a Mad Dog. A formidable force, but they were facing Cat's second company, reinforced by Kelly's first and fourth lance and Marten's Riflemen. Almost double the Clans' numbers - in 'Mechs. If they could neutralise the Clan battle armour using artillery and got enough support from the Militia tank company and the regiment of mechanised infantry, they could repel this assault.

But that was a big if. The KungsArmé hadn't listened to Alex, and so they only had the Irregular's artillery available, and the infantry wasn't packing inferno missiles. Or not nearly as many as Kelly would have liked. Though they probably hadn't had enough in stock anyway.

And meanwhile, Alex and his company were facing another assault by a similar force to the north of them, and without organic artillery support. Bad odds.

She checked her screen - her lance and Trevor's were still close by, shielded from detection by the thick canopy above them and her Guardian ECM. That left Cat's company exposed - at least to sensors - but they were the bait; Kelly's lances were the hammer to take the Clans in the flank once they assaulted Cat's line.

Something raced across the sky above them. A pair of Clan Omnifighters, her computer identified them - Jagatais. They flew a figure eight above the valley, then drew back, lining up an attack run. Kelly pressed her lips together. Cat had noticed them as well - Marten's lance was shifting to receive the Clan fighters.

"Where the hell's our air support?" Karen muttered on the lance channel.

"Shot down," Anna replied. "Mostly."

Mostly, indeed - Holm had survived, as had another of his squadron, but both had been damaged. They had claimed four Clan fighters shot down, but Kelly knew that probably meant one or two actually downed. The rest of the aerospace fighter squadrons had suffered similar casualties. And none of the Clan dropships had been destroyed during the landing.

"Here they come!" Michael exclaimed.

Kelly refrained from reminding her lance of maintaining radio discipline - she was staring at her screens as the Clan fighters swooped down at Cat and her company. Marten's lance opened up with flak rounds followed by laser fire. Everyone else with long-range weapons in Cat's company added their fire, scattering to lessen the effect of the fighter's attack. All but the Riflemen, who held their positions.

And suffered the most for it. The ground around them erupted in explosions as the Clan pilots pressed their attack despite the withering fire thrown their way. One of the Riflemen was blown back as autocannon shells ripped through its torso. Kelly saw the pilot - Krüger - eject before the 'Mech hit the ground, but that was a small consolation.

Both fighters pulled up, both damaged, one trailing a bit of smoke. And they were already turning for another attack run. Marten's remaining 'Mechs had barely time enough to turn around and reposition.

Once more, shells, slugs and laser fire ripped into the Irregulars on the ground, but this time, the ground fire told - the leading fighter got hit in the wing and spun out of control, smashing into the slight slope between Cat and Kelly's forces. The other fighter almost pulled through, but then got hit in the rear just as it tried to pull up and ploughed through a patch of the dense forest covering the valley before exploding.

But that had cost Martens another Rifleman - Kelly saw Suzuki's 'Mech topple, missing its head - and more damage spread over the rest of the lance and Cat's 'Mechs.

She muttered a curse - after checking that her microphone was off. This wasn't a good start to this battle. And it was bound to get worse - the sensors placed on the other side of the ridge she was hiding behind showed the Clan OmniMechs rushing down the valley. And they were carrying the battle armour on their 'Mechs! She pushed the button and informed Cat about that.

They would have to adjust the plan.

But first… She grimly smiled when the Gargoyle in the lead ran into the mines the Militia had planted. The explosion didn't cause the 'Mech to fall down, but it ground to a halt. And as the battle armour dismounted, another mine ripped one of them apart. More importantly, the rest of the Clan force stopped as well, fanning out.

Kelly pushed the button and transmitted the order to start firing to Delta company. Full volleys per lance. Standard loads, this time. Spread out.

"Delta-1, firing."

Twelve missiles on the way. She checked the flight time counter.

"They're quick - their infantry is clearing mines by shooting them! At close range!" Anna exclaimed.

"Yes," Kelly told her. "Their armour allows them that." Regular infantry would have to be much more careful. And 'Mechs had a harder time spotting the mines. The Clan battle armour was quick - but, so Kelly hoped, not quick enough.

Twenty more seconds. The Clan infantry was already moving ahead of the 'Mechs.

Ten seconds. One of the Clan Infantry in battle armour suddenly jerked. And the Clan soldiers started to scatter.

Too late, though - the twelve missiles arced in. Two went wide, striking empty patches of the woods. One fell short, almost hitting Cat's forces. Another was long - hitting the torn-up road behind the Supernova. But eight struck the area as intended. More or less. The dirt road the Clans had been following vanished in smoke and fire. So did half the battle armour in the area.

When the smoke cleared, the road had been replaced with craters. And of the clan troopers on the road, not many remained. Several 'Mechs were also damaged. Another such volley, and…

But the Clans were already charging ahead - battle armour jumping on the OmniMechs as they passed. More mines blew up, toppling one of the assault 'Mechs in the front of the charge, but the rest made it through the minefield - and was now out of the target area of the next volley.

Kelly sent a command to stop firing and switch to homing missiles as Cat's company moved to engage the charging Clan forces at close range.

"Gamma-1 and 4, engage the enemy!" Kelly snapped, moving her Raven forward. The line from the sensors hidden on the other side of the ridge got torn a moment later. That was alright - she didn't need them any more.

She cleared the ridge just as the next volley arrived and tore up the empty ground some more. "Hold back!" she snapped. "Another volley's on the way."

Trevor's lance was already firing at the back of the Clan formation, as did her Phoenix Hawks. Kelly could only wait and watch.

In front of her, the last volley struck, cutting their line of sight for a moment. And clearing the rest of mines, probably. Five Clan 'Mechs were turning to face her force. They were damaged by the mines - but they outmassed her lances despite the numerical disadvantage.

"Focus on my target!" Kelly ordered her lance, marking one of the Gargoyles running towards them. Anna, Karen and Michael obeyed, and the damaged OmniMech was struck by three PPCs and two lasers, one going wild. The Clan warrior kept running, though - and his return fire was devastating. Michael was struck by a gauss rifle and a swarm of missiles, and he couldn't keep his balance. His Phoenix Hawk fell down, one arm almost torn off.

Kelly was already moving, running to the side, weaving, as she waited for the first homing missiles to arrive. Autocannon shells tore up the ground next to her - and her Raven's armour. She ducked behind a small boulder. No breach - but those warriors were excellent gunners.

Trevor's lance was focusing on the Timber Wolf - the most heavily armoured enemy 'Mech. Probably the commander, then. Kelly wouldn't second guess him. But the Clan OmniMech was firing at Clarice's Crab - and the medium 'Mech seemed to be pushed back from the sheer volume of fire as gauss slugs, LRMs and laser fire struck it.

Kelly dashed out from cover, going full speed, and turned towards her first opponent. Four missiles were arriving. Three homed in on the Gargoyle as she tagged it, and two struck its already damaged leg. It crashed on its side. Kelly kept going, dashing in front of her line - both Anna and Karen had lost most of their armour - and targeted the next Gargoyle just as the Timber Wolf fell.

But Clarice's Crab was down as well, and Damian's Incubus had lost its main weapon together with its arm. Trevor was exchanging fire with another Gargoyle.

The next volley arrived overhead, and this time, all four missiles homed in on Kelly's target. Two struck the same part of its torso, and Kelly saw the tell-tale sign of ammo cooking off - but the 'Mech kept fighting. A stream of shells almost tore her Raven's arm off, and SRMs peppered her torso and legs. Cursing, she twisted and turned to present her undamaged side, sending the next volley into the enemy. That did the job - the OmniMech fell down, torso blown through.

That left two damaged Gargoyles. Kelly grinned as she lined up her next shot.

But then Cat's voice came over the command channel. "Third Company, withdraw. We can't hold the line - we have another force hitting the Militia to our south."

Gritting her teeth, Kelly stayed long enough to finish off another Gargoyle with homing missiles while her remaining force tore the other OmniMech apart, then started to withdraw.

With the speed of the Clan's 'Mechs, they couldn't waste time. The artillery had to rush away, or they would be in danger of being overrun. Kelly wrote off the Militia at once - they wouldn't be able to escape in good order. If they scattered, some infantry might survive.

But while the Irregulars might manage to withdraw without getting cut off, they would have to abandon their downed 'Mechs. Five 'Mechs lost. At least they could recover the pilots.

They had done more damage to the Clans than they had received - but they couldn't sustain this.

Then her computer alerted her of another Clan Aerospace fighter above them.

*****​

West of Munich, Radstadt, Radstadt System, October 20th, 3050

"He's breaking off! The bastard's retreating!" Cat heard Jane yell over the lance channel.

"Yes!" Ursula chimed in, and Cat saw the Awesome firing her two remaining PPCs after the Clan fighter.

And her sensors confirmed - the fighter that had been harassing them for the last half an hour was finally retreating - trailing smoke. She hoped that the bastard crashed before they reached their landing zone. They would certainly deserve that for the damage they had done to her company.

She glanced at the small craters in her 'Mech's cockpit, where a pulse laser had struck, and refrained from touching the wound on her forehead that a splinter had caused. It had finally stopped bleeding. If that had been a little lower, it would have gone into her eye… She thumbed the company command channel. "Second Company, continue to withdraw towards Munich. Call out if you have suffered damage that might reduce your speed."

Her soldiers didn't report any crippling damage, but any engagement would quickly wipe them out given the damage they had already suffered. If the Clans sent fast units after them… Well, O'Finnegan's artillery had set up again, within the perimeter held by the 3rd Militia Division, so that might scare off the Clanners. Might.

They still had to hurry. Especially slow 'Mechs like Ursula's Awesome. Or Meier's Zeus with his damaged foot actuator - the fool had let his 'Mech get swarmed by Battle Armour and had almost died for it. Cat had had to pry one of those bastards off his cockpit with her left arm. Before that arm had been mangled by a Gargoyle.

Well, they had mauled the Clan 'Supernova' - by her count, less than a quarter of the infantry and only two of the 'Mechs had escaped - but it had cost them. Hell, her company had downed fewer 'Mechs than Kelly's forces, thanks to those damn battle armour troopers. Without them, they could have wiped out the entire force in a few minutes.

As it was, they had come close to getting wiped out themselves. Kelly's lances had lost four 'Mechs including Marten's two Riflemen. Cat's company had been lucky, very lucky, to only lose a Griffin. Cat didn't want to see what would have happened if they had been unlucky. Clan frontline troops were as dangerous as the Horde frontline units had been, back in Dreamland. And unlike Alex, Kelly and Cat herself, and their new recruits, none of the Irregulars had had any experience fighting them.

She checked her sensors as she led her company back towards Munich, then switched her screen to the larger map.

Damn.

Alex had managed to pull away in good order, only losing his last Crusader to an ammo explosion, after mauling another unit - if not as decisively as Kelly and Cat - but the Militia supporting him had been torn to shreds. Died in place, or so it seemed. The heavy company of the 4th Drakøns had suffered as well - only a bit more than half had made it out when the Clans had outflanked it. Once again, the work of battle armour.

They really needed to get the KungsArmé to use Inferno ammo against those pests, or the fighting in Munich would be a massacre.

*****​

Munich Starport, Munich, Radstadt, Radstadt System, October 22nd, 3050

"First Royal Irregulars, you've got your orders. We hold the line here at any cost. If the Clanners break through, they will overrun the starport," Alex's voice came over the regimental channel. "We won't let them."

They had to - the starport was their way off the planet; Cat knew that as well as everyone else. Two of the 4th Drakøns battalions were facing the 279th Battle Cluster at the shores east of Munich, which left one battalion to face the 4th Wolf Guards west of the city with them. And some Militia, but those were basically worthless. The tanks would at least absorb some enemy fire, but Cat didn't expect them to hit many enemies. The infantry… They were living tripwires and emergency sensors, nothing more. Battle armour massacred them. The KungsArmé had finally distributed Inferno missiles to the Militia, but they didn't have enough launchers for that. At least according to Lundberg.

The Kapten wasn't in the field but back on board the Babylon, keeping an eye on Kirchwerder together with Lt Wong's Security Platoon. It wouldn't do for the dear captain to get cold feet and attempt to lift off without explicit orders.

She checked the Irregulars' positions on her screen. Alex in the centre with the First Company, facing the enemy's main line of advance. Cat to his right, blocking the main approach from Munich and forming a link with the 4th Drakøns 3rd battalion positioned there. Kelly's forces to the left, screening their flank and the starport. All behind hastily thrown up field fortifications. The two remaining Riflemen were positioned back at the Babylon. That should allow them to cover the entire area without being too exposed - even Clanners should think twice before making attack runs at or near a Colossus.

Still, they were facing an entire Cluster. And more forces that they hadn't identified yet. They had to hope their minefields would keep the enemy at bay long enough for their artillery to whittle them down. Or to channel them into kill zones.

Another of the suicidal Militia VTOLs flew over her head, headed to the approaching Clan forces. Cat switched one screen to the feed from the helicopter. Trees, more trees, even more trees, there was the road… and the screen went dark as the feed failed.

She looked up and saw a column of smoke rise northwest of them. "Here they come," she announced over the command channel.

"Here they come," Alex repeated over the regimental channel. "Stand your ground, trust your friends. We've beaten them before and we'll beat them again! The SLDF won't lose!"

Cat winced at Alex's slip. They were the Irregulars, not the SLDF. But the company channel filled with cheering. Perhaps Alex hadn't slipped. It didn't matter - the enemy would soon be in range. In fact, they should have already reached the treeline. Why weren't they attacking already?

"Incoming! Artillery fire!"

What? Artillery? From the Clans? Cat checked her sensors. Yes - missiles incoming. Arrow IVs. "Take cover!" she snapped into the company channel. "Incoming missiles!"

But the barrage fell short, hitting the fields outside the starport. That was… intended, she realised. They were clearing the minefields with artillery! They probably also wanted to take the starport intact.

"We need those launchers silenced," Alex said on the command channel.

"Copy," O'Finnegan replied. A moment later, the Chaparrals started firing, followed by the two launchers in the Babylon.

Cat doubted that that would be enough - the Clans knew about the Irregulars' artillery and would be moving. And O'Finnegan had to move his battery as well - and hide from sight. She saw that he had triggered the smoke generators they had placed on the starport area. They would help, a little at least. But the Clans still had the advantage.

The missiles struck, but the Clan barrage resumed almost at once. They were shooting and scooting. And with more skill than Cat had expected from the Clans after the War against the Horde and the battle on Engadin.

"Stand by, Irregulars. We're going to take out the enemy artillery."

That was Holm! Cat saw the marker indicating the last two Shilones of his squadron pass over the starport - heeded towards the Clan line. They were going for the Clan artillery. Yes!

She saw them climb up, then dive. A bombing run.

But the clans hadn't left their artillery unguarded - they opened up on the two fighters with all they had. Flak rounds and pulse lasers and everything else. Cat saw dozens of markers pop up on her overlay map as recon units tracked the clan fire.

The fighters released the bombs, and part of the forest turned into a crater, throwing up a huge smoke cloud. The Shilones pulled up, but the Clanners' fire followed them. And one fighter got hit - Cat saw it shake under the impact, then wing over and head straight for the ground.

She didn't see a parachute before the fighter hit the ground, and another explosion erupted in the middle of the Clanners' position.

Cat hoped the pilot had taken another Clanner with them.

Then the remaining Shilone - Holm! - turned back. No! He was starting an attack run! Against a prepared Clan formation already aiming at him! Cat gritted her teeth as the Shilone practically disintegrated in the air.

But the artillery barrage had lessened. By Cat's count, it had been reduced to about a third of the volume of the initial fire.

But that was enough to finish clearing the mines. And to keep the Irregulars' artillery moving so they couldn't focus on the Clan 'Mechs massing for the assault. And to start shelling the Babylon once they were done with the minefields.

And the Clanners were massing. Despite the ECM thrown their way, seismic sensors tracked the 'Mechs getting into position. Cat could even catch glimpses of the Clanners through the foliage with her optics.

"We've got eyes on the Second Supernova of the Guards," Alex reported over the command channel. "They're attacking the 4th Drakøns to our east."

Cat glanced to her right. She saw PPC flashes and a lot of smoke. And a Drakøns 'Mech stumbling out of cover, flailing at… "They snuck their battle armour into the city!" she spat. Was the Militia blind? This was their home! How could Clanners sneak into the city unseen?

"They haven't won yet," Alex cautioned. "And they won't!"

"Enemy advancing," Kelly said in the tight, controlled voice she used when she was ultra-tense.

And the Clanners charged out of the woods. A wedge formation, aimed straight at Alex's company.

That was a lot of Gargoyles - Cat counted seventeen of them alone, plus two Timber Wolfs and two Ice Ferrets. A formidable force against a battalion's worth of battered 'Mechs with hasty repairs and some artillery support.

As the Clanners crossed the open ground between the woods and the starport's perimeter, Cat hoped that a few mines had survived the bombardment, but only one detonated, and the Gargoyle it hit stumbled but kept going.

Then they were in range, and PPC bolts and laser fire erupted all along the line. Cat clenched her teeth as she stayed behind cover - she couldn't hit anything at that range.

Unlike the rest of her lance - Rick, Jane and Ursula returned fire, LRMs, gauss slugs and PPC bolts reaching out, hitting the charging OmniMechs. They focused fire on the leading 'Mech on their side, but their fire didn't even slow down the assault OmniMech.

In exchange, the Clanners hit then across the line - Cat saw armour getting melted and blown off her lancemates as the Clanners closed in. The next volley hit harder, though, and the Gargoyle went down, torso holed several times as Ursula hit with all her PPCs next to a swarm of LRMs from the others.

In exchange, Nick had to withdraw behind cover as well - his Cyclops had already internal damage and lost his LRM. He began dumping ammo as Cat stepped into the open. The Clanners were now barely in range - but there was no cover, and the enemy was coming straight at them. Another Gargoyle practically ran into a full volley from her Victor. Her Pontiac sent a burst of shells into the OmniMech's leg, and the rest of her weapons hit the 'Mech's torso. The heat spiked in her cockpit, but she couldn't help that.

Then the Clanner hit back, and her Victor was sent staggering back when two PPCs hit her torso, blowing off barely repaired armour. She managed to keep her balance, though the Clanner weathered even more fire from her lancemates and kept going faster than an assault 'Mech had any right to go.

But before it could fire again, Cat's autocannon cycled. This time, her shells went through the weakened armour on its front, hitting its gyro - the 'Mech suddenly veered off, then fell down. She took a deep breath as the heat in her cockpit rose even higher and waited for her weapons to cycle again.

Then Nick came out of cover to finish it off with his gauss rifle, shattering its leg. He had exposed himself too much, though, since half a dozen PPC bolts sent his Cyclops crashing to the ground.

And then the Clanners reached their lines, and the battle became a close-range carnage. Well, that was where a Victor excelled. Cat triggered her jump jets and landed behind yet another Gargoyle who had been closing with Ursula. She ripped his back open with her autocannon, skipping her other weapons to manage her heat, but didn't hit anything vital. Her kick, however, crushed the 'Mech's hip, and it fell down.

Cat fired another volley into its back, once more straining her heatsinks, then stomped on it, turning most of its torso into scrap. Before she could jump behind cover - what was left of the field fortifications - she was struck herself. The heat in her cockpit, already far too hot, spiked when a PPC ripped through her back armour and holed her reactor shielding. She managed to keep standing under the assault, but her 'Mech slowed down, and she could barely turn to face this attacker before the next volley hit her and destroyed her SRM launcher and a few heatsinks. Her own volley - just her autocannon so she wouldn't cook herself - hit the Gargoyle's 'leg, and she followed up with a kick that tore it off.

Jane landed next to her, her Highlander missing its right arm, and fired her remaining weapons at the downed 'Mech as more lasers struck her. "Close to melee!" Cat snapped over the company channel. That was their only chance - those Clanners were the better MechWarriors, but they weren't used to actual brawling in 'Mechs.

She checked her screens as she jumped behind a Timber Wolf. Meier was down - his Zeus hadn't managed to leave his original position. Both Thugs of his lance were still fighting, though. Or not - one of them ejected a moment later.

The Timber Wolf whirled after she laid its back open, and Ursula tried to exploit that, but her Awesome was a walking wreck - she had lost two PPCs, and her third missed the OmniMech at point-blank range. Jane shot SRMs and lasers at the Clanner, but the pilot ignored her, focusing on Cat. Under the concentrated assault of lasers and LRMs, Cat's remaining armour seemed to vaporise - her computer almost had a seizure as it reported massive internal damage. And there went her Pontiac, together with her 'Mech's entire right arm.

She lashed out with her right foot, catching the enemy in the left leg, but the Timber Wolf didn't fall. Then Jane kicked it from behind, also in its left leg, tearing it off. "Yes!" Cat heard her exclaim a moment before the Highlander's head vanished in smoke and fire, and the assault 'Mech toppled over, falling on the downed Timber Wolf.

And Cat came face to face with Jane's killer - another Gargoyle. Battered, though. She charged it, driving her 'Mech's bare left shoulder into its torso. The Clanner stumbled back, falling down to a knee, before they managed to catch their 'Mech, and the remaining Thug - James Hong - fired both PPCs into its back, blowing through its gyro.

Cat whirled just in time to catch a volley of LB-X fire and SRMs that miraculously didn't hit anything vital in her Victor. Not that she had much left. And the heat was still terrible. The Gargoyle was damaged as well - Ursula just hit with her last PPC, and Hong followed up with a PPC of his own - but not damaged enough. And Allen's two Shadow Hawks couldn't disengage from their fight with an Ice Ferret.

Cat charged on, firing her lasers into the Gargoyle's torso, the heat becoming almost unbearable, knowing she was too slow to reach the Clanner before they could finish her.

But as the enemy took aim, Hong and Ursula hit it again, and the impact of two PPCs unbalanced the OmniMech enough to make it stumble a step back - and it slipped on a broken armour plate left on the ground.

Instead of finishing off Cat's Victor, it crashed into the ground, and Cat didn't lose any time to step on it, crushing its torso under her foot.

She took stock of the battle. One enemy left - the Ice Ferret fighting Allen's lance. Why wasn't the Clanner retreating? Cat wondered even as Hong and Ursula's PPCs broke through the Clanner's armour, setting off an ammo explosion inside its right arm and blasting off parts of the PPC in its left arm.

That finally made the Clanner flee - but the 'Mech barely made it out of the perimeter before PPCs and autocannons ripped through its back and engine. Plasma burst out of the 'Mech's torso as it fell down.

"They were mad," Allen commented. "Anyone sane would have withdrawn already."

Cat only paid half-attention to him, checking her screen. Alex's company was finishing off the last attackers on his front. And he had about five Mechs left from his company. Kelly's scout lance had had to deal with battle armour troopers who had outflanked their lines and were in bad shape. And Kelly… Cat gasped - her Raven was down! "Kelly!" she all but screamed into the battalion channel.

"I'm fine," Kelly said over the radio. "I'm back at the Babylon. They focused on me."

"We have repelled the attempt to flank us," Trevor replied. "They only retreated when they had already suffered crippling losses. This is… unusual."

"Status report," Alex - he sounded exhausted - called on the regimental channel.

Cat reported her company's status as she checked the others. Kelly's and Alex's companies weren't doing any better. Almost every 'Mech still standing had suffered too much damage already. Only Alex's Atlas-II seemed to be in decent shape - and it was missing an arm.

She wiped some sweat from her brow - she was still sitting in a sauna, with her reactor shielding in tatters. But she could still fight. If she had to.

"Colonel," Kelly spoke up, "the Militia on our western flank has been shattered. The Clan force went straight through them before we could stop them. And the 4th Drakøns have withdrawn into Munich - they didn't manage to repel the Supernova attacking them."

That meant the Irregulars were cut off from their allies. Isolated. And in their current state…

"I would suggest evacuating," Kelly went on. "Before the Clan forces renew their attack."

Cat nodded in agreement. "Yes." They had done what they could - against all expectations.

"I fear it's too late for that," Alex said.

Cat checked her sensors and froze for a moment. Another trinary emerged from the woods. And the Irregulars' artillery, down four launchers, was currently moving to a new position to dodge the Clan counterfire.

"Those are not Clan Wolf forces!" Trevor spat.

The Clanners were advancing slowly, at walking speed. Arrogant, Cat thought. She zoomed in on the leading 'Mech, a Dire Wolf. It had a leaping cat on the 'Mech's torso - she knew that symbol.

"Smoke Jaguars!" Avia hissed.

"But this is not their corridor… what are they doing here?" Trevor asked as the Clanners stopped. Then she heard him curse.

"Fist Royal Irregulars!" a booming voice came over the open channel. "I am Ilkhan Leo Showers!"

Cat gasped again. The IlKhan! here?

"You have fought well and earned your victory against the Wolves. But now you are facing not puny dogs, but Smoke Jaguars! The battle for this planet will be decided here!"

Cat checked her battle computer. Ten heavy and assault OmniMechs. More than enough to crush them all without trying - hell, the hundred-ton monster Showers was piloting was probably enough to wreck half of them. They had to retreat - but they wouldn't be able to board the Babylon before those fast 'Mechs got into range, and she doubted that even the firepower of the Colossus could stop them long enough to get away.

"I can send two missiles at him - the Babylon's launchers are ready," Kelly suggested.

"Hold your fire," Alex said. "Without a TAG capable unit, that's too much of a gamble - and they're too spread out to be decimated by artillery."

"It's our best chance," Kelly insisted.

"I've got an alternative," Alex said. A moment later, Alex spoke on the open channel. "Ilkhan Showers. I am Alexander Cameron. Commander of the First Royal Irregulars. Heir to the Star League. I have come to defend the Inner Sphere against your invasion. I challenge you - let a duel decide this battle!"

"Alex!" Kelly hissed on their private channel as Cat cursed - Nastajia would kill them all! If they survived this. She heard multiple exclamations of 'Cameron?' on her company channel but ignored them.

"It's our best chance to save the regiment," Alex told her. "If we can negotiate conditions…"

"You dare to claim the legacy of the Camerons? And challenge me?" The Ilkhan sounded angry. No, furious. "I was going to honour you with a glorious battle, but this… this disgrace cannot stand."

"I am a Cameron. My blood doesn't lie!" Alex retorted. "And I will prove it to you!"

"What about negotiations?" Kelly asked on their private channel.

"I will crush you for this impertinence!" The Dire Wolf started charging forward.

"Try it!" Alex started pushing his Atlas-II forward as well.

"You idiot!" Cat whispered. A damaged Atlas against a pristine Dire Wolf? That was… Even for a MechWarrior like Alex, this was suicide! His Atlas was missing its right arm, for Heaven's sake!

But the rest of the Clanners were holding their position.

"Irregulars, withdraw the damaged 'Mechs," Alex ordered.

Cat bit her lower lip until she tasted blood. His order made sense - but she couldn't just leave him to die alone out there.

"Do it!" Alex repeated a moment before the Dire Wolf's lasers lashed out against his Atlas.

And Cat started withdrawing.

*****​

"What is he doing?" Kirchwerder asked. "This is suicide!" Then he blinked. "Wait - did he say 'Cameron'?" He turned to stare at Kelly. As did most of the bridge crew of the Babylon.

"He's buying us time to get the regiment loaded on the Babylon," Kelly explained. She didn't look at the man - she was staring at the big screen showing the battle to their north.

"Is he a Cameron?" the Signals officer asked. "He said so!"

"A Cameron? Here to save us? Major!"

"Yes, Alex is a Cameron," Kelly snapped. "Heir to the family." Her eyes were glued to the screen now, and she held her breath.

Both 'Mechs were charging straight at each other. The Dire Wolf's lasers melted Alex's armour, but Kelly saw several miss the Atlas. Same for the autocannons. Alex hit with all his weapons, but the exchange was still favouring the Khan - Alex's Atlas was already damaged, and he was missing one laser.

They closed into medium range, starting to circle each other. Alex kept weaving with his 'Mech - he was the better pilot and better gunner, Kelly saw - and landed all his shots, but Kelly could tell that it wouldn't be enough - the Dire Wolf just had too many weapons.

And yet, Alex kept exchanging fire. Armour was melted and blasted off, and Kelly struggled to keep a calm expression. The Dire Wolf was still well-protected while Alex's Atlas was hurting. So far, nothing vital had been hit, but that couldn't last.

But then, Alex hit the Dire Wolf with his gauss rifle just when the Khan was about to step over a shattered 'Mech part from the earlier battle, and the impact unbalanced the OmniMech. The massive machine fell on its side, crushing its own arm under its weight. Yes!

Alex tried to close at once, but the Khan managed to get up before Alex could hit anything vital or get into melee range, and the two 'Mechs traded another volley. And Alex took a laser hit to the head!

Kelly held her breath for a moment, but Alex seemed unaffected - and kept standing even though the Khan's fire was now breaching his armour everywhere. Standing and firing.

And his LRM volley torched off the ammo in the Dire Wolf's right arm! The OmniMech staggered despite CASE venting the force of the explosion away from the torso, and Alex's next shot from his gauss rifle smashed into the exposed right side. Kelly saw the flash of venting plasma - the engine had been hit!

The Clan leader was now down half his weapons and overheating so much, the 'Mech slowed down and started to move erratically. He fired all the weapons he had left. Most of them missed, but the rest burned through whatever armour Alex had left.

But Alex's own salvo hit the Dire Wolf's damaged right side again, and more plasma escaped - and Kelly found herself cheering when the huge OmniMech suddenly stopped moving and toppled over.

Either the impact or the sheer heat cooking the 'Mech torched off more ammo, and its left arm and most of its left side were blown off. Yes!

The Babylon's bridge and the regimental channel filled with yelling and cheering. Kelly sighed, closing her eyes with relief for a moment.

Alex raised his 'Mech's remaining arm, saluting the fallen Khan, before he faced the waiting Clanners. "I've won," he announced on the open channel. "See to your Khan."

One of the waiting 'Mechs rushed to the fallen Dire Wolf. The MechWarrior dismounted and climbed over the wreck, entering the cockpit. But after less than a minute, she climbed out again, shaking her head.

Kelly blinked. The ilKhan was dead.

Oh.

And the remaining Smoke Jaguars were… forming up? She held her breath. If they wanted to avenge their Khan…

But another voice appeared on the Open Channel. "This is Khan Ulric Kerensky. As the IlKhan declared, his duel would decide the fate of the planet. We will honour him and his decision and withdraw. Well fought, Colonel Cameron."

*****​

Radstadt System, Free Rasalhague Republic, October 24th, 3050

Khan Ulric Kerensky put the last report from the technicians away and stared through the viewport of his office on the Dire Wolf. The 4th Wolf Guard Cluster had suffered heavy casualties, both men and materiel, but enough warriors had survived to form a cadre to rebuild the Cluster. Hopefully, they would learn from their mistakes. Shaking his head, he allowed himself to sigh softly. This invasion had not gone as he had expected. And the consequences of the battle, especially the ill-fated ilKhan's duel… It was clear that a new ilKhan would have to be elected, and that would shuffle all the cards anew.

The door buzzer interrupted his thought. He pushed the button to open the door.

"My Khan?" Phelan entered the office, his expression betraying his doubts. The bondsman would make a formidable warrior once he was adapted into the Clan, but unless he learned to hide his emotions and thoughts better, he would never do well in politics, which meant he wouldn't raise above a frontline officer.

Ulric nodded. "You have finished your analysis of the Battle of Radstadt, quiaff?"

"Yes. I mean, aff." Phelan nodded.

"Sum it up for me." A warrior had to be succinct and decisive in all matters.

Phelan took a deep breath. "According to my analysis, the blame for the defeats the Clan suffered on Radstadt was due to the IlKhan's presence." Ulric raised his eyebrows, silently urging the young man on. Phelan cleared his throat. "The 4th Wolf Guards took far more risks than in past campaigns and pressed attacks that they should have abandoned. While they attempted and succeeded with several flanking attacks, too often, they attacked head-on. It is my conclusion that this was because they felt pressured by the IlKhan's presence to not show any weakness and tried to defeat the defenders before the IlKhan's trinary could see combat, denying him any glory. So, not only did they run into ambushes they might have detected had they proceeded more slowly and with more caution, but they also fought on for too long even when the conditions were unfavourable."

Ulric smiled. That matched his own analysis and gut feeling. To think that his old, now dead, rival could have caused so much damage by merely being present on the field of battle… He nodded. "Good work."

Phelan nodded, smiling briefly. But he did not leave. Ulric tilted his head slightly. "Is there anything else, Bondsman?"

Phelan nodded. "I have… questions."

Ulric gestured. A warrior should not be too timid when asking questions.

"Why did you retreat from Radstadt?"

Ulric smiled. "Because the IlKhan declared that his duel would decide the fate of the planet."

"But he had no right to declare this - this was Clan Wolf's target. He was allowed to fight for you, not speak for you in this matter." Phelan shook his head - he seemed to be more passionate about this than Ulric had expected. "At least this was how it was explained to me."

Which meant that a number Ulric's warriors were also wondering about his decision. Of course, Ulric had known that from the start.

"You had still enough troops on the planet to take it. The 279th Battle Cluster had more than enough strength left to finish off the remaining defenders," Phelan went on. "They were down to walking wrecks. The mercenaries were already retreating into their dropship."

Yes, he had a lot to learn yet. Ulric inclined his head. "Indeed, we could have taken the planet. Easily, even without exceeding our bid. And yet, we might have won the planet but lost a much more important battle." Phelan blinked, not quite understanding, so Ulric explained: "If we had continued the battle, the Smoke Jaguars and their Crusader allies would have accused us of sacrificing the IlKhan to soften up the remaining defenders so we could turn a defeat into victory and of disobeying the last order of the IlKhan."

"Oh."

"Aff." Politics. "By honouring the IlKhan's declaration and the outcome of his duel, the loss of the planet is his, not ours."

"I see. And that will save face."

"Aff." At least on the outside. The 4th Wolf Guards had been defeated fair and square, and that would have some consequences.

"But is that all?" Phelan cocked his head.

Ulric smiled again. The young man was learning. "Neg. There is also the… claim made by the mercenary leader."

"All the Camerons were killed in the coup - that is known," Phelan protested.

"Were they? All the officially known members of the ruling family, yes. But over the centuries, there would have been other descendants. Illegitimate offspring. Cadet branches. And who would have known if the Camerons had some hidden contingency to continue the line should something happen on or to Terra?"

Phelan didn't look convinced. Good.

"But that does not matter. What matters is that we have suffered two defeats at the hand of a very skilled warrior claiming to be a descendant of the Camerons. That will affect the Inner Sphere - and at a time when the invasion will have to be put on hold so we can elect a new IlKhan back home."

"No one will follow a mercenary like him," Phelan insisted. "No matter how good he is in a 'Mech. That is not how it works in the Inner Sphere."

"Perhaps. But it will certainly help the morale of the Inner Sphere." And losing a garrison cluster as well as a handful of engagements on Radstadt to the man who killed the IlKhan would not be too much of a loss of face. Anyone who tried to taunt them over this would insult the Smoke Jaguars as well. Few Clans would dare to insult the leading Clans of both the Crusader and Warden factions.

Once more, Phelan looked confused. "Would that not be a bad thing? For you, at least."

"That depends on what our Clan wants. We are Wardens, Phelan. We opposed the invasion."

"You also led the invasion and took more worlds than any other Clan," Phelan pointed out with a frown.

Ulric smiled again at the warrior's spirit. "Aff. And we will take holy Terra if the invasion continues - we might not have been able to prevent the invasion, but we can ensure that no Crusader Clan will win Terra." He sighed. "But be aware: Taking Terra is the least bad outcome. It does not have to be a good outcome by any means."

"Really?" Phelan shook his head.

Yes, he still had a lot to learn. "Do you know why we were so much more successful than our fellow Clans?"

"Because you have better logistics."

"Aff. But part of why we have better logistics is that we have been able to use the resources of our new territory much better than the other Clans. We do not have to fight nearly as many rebels as they do. But to achieve that, we had to grant the population much more autonomy than usual for the Clan's lower castes. We had to treat them as if we were a Scavenger Lord - set them to work for us but let them live as they have lived so far."

"Yes?"

"We cannot teach them the ways of the Clan like this."

"Oh."

"Aff. And if we tried to change their ways, we would face much more rebels."

"So you are taking it slowly. Win the invasion, then slowly start to change the people."

Ulric nodded. "Aff. That would be the ideal outcome. And yet… We are so few, and the Inner Sphere is so vast, who could say whose culture would adapt more to the other?"

"Oh. So, do you hope that the invasion is defeated?"

"I hope for an outcome that will allow us to keep our ways." Even though Ulric currently could not see a way to achieve that. But maybe the consequences of the battle of Radstadt might change the situation. It all depended on the next IlKhan. The fate of the Clans and the Inner Sphere would be decided on Strana Mechty.

*****​

 

[Starfox5]

Chapter 10: Recovering

'When the Clan Wolf forces left Radstadt, I could barely believe it. Militarily, it made no sense - our force was spent. The remnants of the 4th Drakøns were shattered, forming small pockets of resistance in Munich. The Militia divisions had been wiped out, with only a handful of infantry formations still continuing to offer resistance - and often only because they could not flee. And the Irregulars had been reduced to a handful of barely-walking 'Mechs, a decimated artillery battery and the Babylon. And yet, they conceded defeat and abandoned the invasion of the planet. At the time, I couldn't understand why they would do this. Only much later did I find out what had driven Khan Ulric Kerensky to this.'

• Collected Writings of Kali "Kelly" Liao

*****​

'With this knowledge gained, I now need to find a way to enter this realm myself. To think - a dimension where dreams were real. What scientist, what man, would not be driven to seek it out? And while I was told from my sources that only children could enter, thanks to Patient S-D, I also know that this isn't true. There is a way for adults to enter Dreamland. And I will find it.'

• Private notes of M.D. Phil Baker, Triad Medical Wing, Tharkad, 3050

*****​

Munich, Radstadt, Radstadt System, Free Rasalhague Republic, October 24th, 3050

"Major." Karen nodded at Kelly as soon as she saw her entering the small room in the Babylon's med bay - she wasn't trying to salute, unlike Michael, who did. Then again, she couldn't get up easily until her leg healed. Michael's head wound had bled a lot, but he could walk around. Which was a good thing since they needed every bed for the wounded.

"At ease," Kelly said, for Michael's benefit. "How are you doing?"

"You probably know that better than I do," the MechWarrior replied.

"Fine," Michael said as he sat down on the chair next to Karen's bed.

Kelly smiled - she had read the report from the doctor treating the wounded. "I know the prognosis. But how are you feeling?"

"Like…" Karen sighed. "I don't know. We won, but…" She shrugged, then winced. "We lost so many."

People and 'Mechs. Kelly nodded again. "Suzuki and Luke." Those were the dead from Kelly's company. Her dead. They had fought under her command. They were her responsibility.

"I didn't really know Luke," Karen said. "But Miki was a good warrior."

Kelly nodded. The former Clan warriors had been a bit isolated in her company. She hadn't had time to remedy that before the battle.

"So… I heard my 'Mech survived."

"Yes. It'll be repaired before you're fit for duty again," Kelly told her. She smiled at the wincing Michael. "And yours will be replaced by salvage. Another royal Phoenix Hawk."

Karen grunted. "It's the last one, so don't break it."

"I'll try my best," Michael said. "I'm sorry about losing the 'Mech."

"It happens," Kelly said.

"I should've done better," he replied, looking at the floor. "If I had been a bit faster, better in the cockpit…"

"You might have caught a PPC to the head," Karen said bluntly. "Sometimes, you're just unlucky. Or lucky."

"Yes," Kelly agreed. "Fate is capricious, after all." She had survived ejecting, but she had almost lost her Raven.

"So…" Karen looked around. "I heard the Colonel is a Cameron," she whispered.

Michael looked up and nodded. "I've heard the same. I've seen the recording."

Kelly suppressed a groan. That piece of news had spread like wildfire. She was sure that MIIO and the Maskirovka already had records of the battle. "Yes, he's a Cameron."

"Heir to the Star League!" Karen breathed.

"Heir to his family," Kelly corrected her. "There is no Star League any more."

"But there could be!" Michael said. "With a Cameron to lead us all…"

"How did you meet him?" Karen asked.

"He saved Cat and me from getting killed during an attack," Kelly said.

"And you've been following since then. Working for him. The Last Cameron."

Kelly could hear the capitals in that title and almost winced. "We've all been following him, I believe."

"Oh, yes," Michael said. "That's why we follow SLDF regulations. We are the SLDF!"

"We're a mercenary regiment," Kelly corrected him, a little more sharply than she had intended - she was a member of the SLDF in Dreamland, and the Irregulars weren't quite up to the standards of the First Royals. Michael was just sentimental.

"But we can become the SLDF."

And now Karen was doing the same? Kelly suppressed a sigh.

*****​

Munich, Radstadt, Radstadt System, Free Rasalhague Republic, October 24th, 3050

"Alright. A Crusader, a Griffin, two Riflemen, a Phoenix Hawk and a Crab were irreparable respectively couldn't be recovered. So, those are total losses," Alex summed up. "The rest of the 'Mechs can be repaired, though it'll take a while and will dig deeper into our stores of spare parts from Epsilon Eridani."

Cat nodded. And they had expended a lot of their ammo as well. Arrow-IV homing missiles in particular. "We can replace the Crab and the Phoenix Hawk with salvage from Engadin," she pointed out.

"Good. Which brings us to our salvage," Alex went on. "From Engadin, we have those two, a Timber Wolf, a Shadow Hawk IIC, an Incubus, a Mad Dog, a Galahad and a Lancelot. All in need of extensive repairs."

"No worse than all our other 'Mechs right now," Cat said. "We might consider prioritising the salvage in some cases over existing 'Mechs - some are clear upgrades." Since few of their soldiers owned their 'Mechs, that shouldn't be a big problem.

"I am not going to replace my Raven," Kelly said with a frown. "It served well."

"It also didn't last long when the Clanners focused on it," Cat retorted. She knew her lover wouldn't budge, of course - ten years in Dreamland had proven that - but she would make the effort anyway. It was almost tradition now.

"I need the speed more than the armour," Kelly insisted as expected.

"Well, since we basically need to rebuild your 'Mech, we can use salvaged Clan armour and weapons to upgrade it," Alex said. "We certainly have enough of that. And we have at least half a dozen repairable Gargoyles."

"Only if the KungsArmé lets us keep the salvage," Cat reminded him. Of course, they could claim that any particular piece was from Engadin, but that wouldn't work with Clan OmniMechs.

"Even without that, we still have all the stores we took from Egandin," Alex replied. "I think we have more Clan salvage and looted spare parts than stores from Epsilon Eridani now."

"Yes," Kelly confirmed. "Provided that we can claim we need the salvage from Munich to replace our losses according to our contract."

"Well, we just saved their planet." Alex smiled. "I think we can swing that."

"And speaking of how you saved their planet…" Cat frowned at him. "Colonel Cameron."

Alex blushed. "I wanted to make sure the IlKhan would accept the duel."

"Really." Cat glanced at Kelly, then stared at Alex.

"So you weren't attempting to ensure that if you died, you'd die fighting under your real name?" Kelly asked, tilting her head slightly to the left.

The way he winced told Cat enough. "If Nastajia finds out you expected to die, she'll kill you."

"I didn't expect to die," Alex protested. "It was a risk, that's all. A risk we all take when we enter combat."

"You were fighting a Dire Wolf," Cat pointed out.

"In an Atlas," he retorted, pouting a little.

"A damaged Atlas," Kelly said. "And you were fighting the IlKhan - an elite warrior, one of the few Clan Warriors with decades of experience."

"And most of that would've been duels," Cat added. As they knew, even in battles between formations, the Clanners preferred to fight duels.

"I defeated the Horde leader as well," Alex said, frowning now.

"Yes." Kelly inclined her head. "It was still foolhardy."

"I had an escape plan," Alex said. "I had a sleeping pill ready."

Which wouldn't have helped against a cockpit hit. But it was better than nothing. "Let's hope Nastajia will accept that." Though Cat doubted that.

Alex winced.

"Leaving aside your betrothed's reaction, your revelation did cause quite the stir," Kelly said. "Both in our regiment and on Radstadt."

"You had a part in that when you confirmed my claim," Alex told her.

"Lying would have been pointless and counter-productive, undermining your authority and damaging the trust we have earned so far," Kelly retorted.

"Anyway," Cat cut in, "pretty much everyone's been pestering me about it since you were holed up in the med bay recovering and unavailable for questioning."

"Indeed. I was swarmed with inquiries as well," Kelly added. "Even in the med bay."

"Yes," Cat took over again. "Everyone wants to know if you've come to claim your birthright."

"They didn't ask if I am a real Cameron?" Alex asked.

"No." Cat snorted. "Apparently, beating the IlKhan proved you were 'the real deal'," she quoted Rick.

"The lost heir to the Star League, returning in the time of our greatest peril, to save the Inner Sphere by killing the enemy leader?" Kelly shook her head. "It's too perfect to be questioned by most. And people were quick to point out that it explained how you knew about the Colossus - and why we're following SLDF regulations. So, we confirmed that you were the heir to your family."

Which was actually true, of sorts. Alex might be descended from an illegitimate child of a Cameron, but he was the legitimate First Lord of the Star League in Dreamland, as his code key proved. And while they hadn't found out who exactly had created the code key, odds were, it had been an ultra-secret project of the Camerons. Not that Cat thought any of the House Lords would agree with that view. Not even her parents.

Alex sighed. "Sorry. I guess I wasn't thinking straight when I made my challenge."

"You certainly weren't thinking," Cat said. "But it did work - somehow."

"What did Trevor and the others say about this?" Alex asked.

Kelly inclined her head. "They have not asked me any questions so far. And I have not bothered them beyond the necessary reports and inquiries since I prioritised other tasks."

"Well, we need to talk to them. And to the others - I have to address the regiment. We can't have speculation run rampant." Alex nodded. "I'll tell them that I am here to fight the Clans, not to conquer the Inner Sphere."

"Good." That should reassure at least the spies in their ranks. Or so Cat hoped.

"And what about the Rasalhagues?" Kelly asked.

"What about them? I'll tell them the same."

"Good. They have sent inquiries as well," Kelly said. "We've told them that you were unable to take calls for medical reasons. And then we had to reassure them that you didn't need better healthcare than we could provide in the Babylon."

Alex smiled. "I guess we finally made a good impression."

"Well, if killing the IlKhan and throwing off an entire invasion force weren't good enough, our entire plan would be hopeless," Cat pointed out. "Maybe now they'll listen more to us."

"If they have the resources left. They have managed victories against Clan Ghost Bear forces, but those have proven to be temporary," Kelly said.

"The Wolves are the most dangerous Clan," Alex said. "They aren't as stuck on their code of honour as the other Clans are. And they have conquered the most worlds."

"They're attacking Rasalhague," Cat objected. "They didn't do nearly as well against the AFFC."

"No one's disparaging the Federated Commonwealth," Alex said.

Kelly grinned, and Cat narrowed her eyes at her lover for a moment. "I'm just pointing out facts here. Anyway, so, we'll tell everyone you're not here to take over, just to lead us to victory."

"Essentially, yes." Alex nodded.

"Your ancestry will grant your voice more weight," Kelly said. "But we will have to be even more on our guard since this will also attract more spies."

"Which brings us to recruiting. With the salvage we've got - and I assume we can keep at least a significant part of it - we should hire more people," Alex said.

"And to replenish our losses," Kelly added. "We've lost Suzuki, Barret, Simpson, Luke and Dubois. And almost two entire artillery crews. We also have lost four Chaparrals."

"And many more are wounded," Alex added. "They gave me a single room in the med bay even though they were swamped with wounded."

Cat rolled her eyes at him. "You're the First Lord of the Star League, Alex. And our leader here. We can't treat you like a private." Besides, the walking wounded could use their quarters - or racks in the Infantry bay. They had beds aplenty in the Babylon, after all, since they didn't have a full Infantry complement.

"And the security risk of treating your wounds in the corridors of the dropship was far too high," Kelly added.

"Anyway," Cat went on before Alex could claim he wanted to be treated like a common soldier, "yes, we need to recruit more people. Though I think your revealed ancestry might help us there. But we still have no aerospace elements."

Alex sighed.

*****​

Outside Munich Starport, Radstadt, Radstadt System, October 24th, 3050

Kelly felt… not quite naked but more vulnerable than she liked as she looked at the battlefield in front of her. She knew that her Raven would be repaired. Russo had assured her that it wasn't a write-off. But knowing she couldn't mount her 'Mech and patrol the area, using her sensors to look for anything the salvage team might have missed… It felt a little like being dispossessed. Or stuck in the Palace on Sian, not allowed near a 'Mech.

"Major Lieden?"

She turned. Trevor was walking up to her. He was wearing coveralls, muddy ones, instead of his usual cooling vest and shorts, she noted. He must have been helping with the salvage operation. "Yes, Lieutenant?"

"Can I be of assistance?"

She tilted her head. A polite way to ask what she was doing. It reminded her of her home. "I'm merely taking a stroll across the battlefield to verify that we didn't miss anything." And to face the fact that she had almost died here. That Cat and Alex had almost died here.

"I do not think that we missed anything, but it is never wrong to check, of course." After a moment, he added: "It was a glorious battle."

Of course he would say that. "It was a close battle as well," she said.

"And it was decided by a duel between the two leaders. People will sing of this in the Remembrance. Even the Smoke Jaguars. To be defeated in a duel like this, fighting the heir of the Camerons, is an honourable and memorable way to die."

"A very Clan way to die," Kelly agreed with a slight nod. Getting your brain fried due to multiple ammo explosions.

"Of course, some might question the tale. It is widely known that the Usurper had killed the entire Cameron family." Trevor wasn't directly looking at her but at the broken trees and cratered ground in front of them. Once more, she was reminded of her home. He was very subtle for a Clan Warrior.

"It is widely known that all members of the family that Amaris knew of were killed," she said.

"Yes. Every known legitimate heir of the family."

"Indeed. But not all heirs. And the Camerons had taken precautions in case they needed to legitimise an heir." She looked directly at him. "Alex is the heir of the Camerons."

"Yet, he said he will not restore the Star League."

"He came here to defend the Inner Sphere. Not to start a war in the middle of an invasion." A war that Alex would lose, anyway. "We're here to defend those who cannot defend themselves, not to conquer a realm."

"He let the Rasalhagues carry off the IlKhan's Dire Wolf."

A change of subject? Or merely another probe? "There wasn't much left of it," Kelly said. "And he prefers his Atlas." And it meant they had been able to leverage more regular salvage from this battle.

"The Dire Wolf is a superior design."

The OmniMech had too much of its firepower mounted in its arms for Kelly's taste. That was one reason Alex had won the duel. "But it's a symbol for the Clans. The Atlas is a symbol of the SLDF." And House Steiner.

"DeChavilier piloted one under the Great Father."

"Yes." Alex piloted one for personal reasons, but that was neither here nor there. Time to change the subject herself. "How did your lance react to the revelation?"

"They were impressed by his personal courage and skill."

Kelly inclined her head.

"They will have to consider what to think of his heritage," Trevor went on. "As I said - everyone thought that the last Cameron had been killed by the Usurper. This… changes things."

"How do you think the Clans will react?"

He snorted. "This I cannot say. We have never talked or thought about the possibility of a Cameron surviving. And Clan politics are… complicated. It might cause some friction. But without proof, many will dismiss it, I think. The Great Father wouldn't have missed an heir."

Kelly nodded. She thought the same. The Clans already seemed to flout their honour code whenever it was convenient, at least the Wolves, and she doubted that any of their leaders would change their plans - unless they could profit from it.

That was how things worked for a ruler, as Mother had taught her. And she doubted that the Clan leaders were any different in that regard than the leaders of the Inner Sphere.

Which, of course, was why Alex revealing his ancestry was so dangerous.

"So, why did this Cluster have so many Gargoyles?" she asked, changing the topic.

"It is the fastest assault OmniMech in the Clan arsenal. The 4th Wolf Guards prided themselves on their speed."

"Well, we should be able to salvage half a dozen of them, between the spare parts we took on Engadin and the salvage from the dozen others here." She looked at him. "But none of us except for your lance have any experience piloting it."

"Are you assigning us to those 'Mechs?"

"Possibly. Would you accept it?"

"I would have to ask the others, of course. But it is likely - Clan Warriors are not attached to specific 'Mechs." He frowned a second. "They are not supposed to be attached to any particular 'Mech, in any case."

Kelly nodded - and decided to ignore the comment aimed at her Raven.

*****​

Royal Palace, Unity City, Dreamland, October 24th, 3050

"So, now that Alex decided to tell everyone he's the heir to the Camerons, ruining all the work we've done to establish a cover identity to fool ComStar, we'll have to reassess our strategy," Nastajia said without looking at Alex as she started the briefing in his office.

Cat winced. Nastajia was still angry, even after she'd had a couple of days to calm down. Of course, Cat could understand the feeling - they had taken pains to hide his origin, and Alex had thrown that away - but he had been about to face the IlKhan and his potential death. Which, of course, was another reason for Nastajia's anger: She wasn't coping well with the fact that Alex was fighting the Clans, and she couldn't fight at his side. If Cat would have to stay back while Kelly fought the Clans… She shook her head.

"Yes, Cat?" Nastajia looked at her.

Cat winced again. "Nothing, sorry, just some memory."

"Ah." Nastajia nodded. "Anyway, it's obvious that the original plan isn't feasible any more. Your success in the field is overshadowed by your ancestry." Alex pouted, which Nastajia ignored. "So, we have to compensate for that - and prepare to enhance your security." She glared at him. "ComStar cannot be trusted, and a Cameron is a threat to their rule over Terra, as you know best."

Alex pressed his lips together but nodded. He knew that best, having grown up on Terra and having run afoul of the order.

"The House Lords will react to this as well," Kelly pointed out. "Their reactions will depend on whether or not they consider your claim legitimate, but they will either try to use you or remove you."

"Yes. We have to expect the worst," Nastajia agreed.

"Well, the Federated Commonwealth won't send assassins after you," Cat said. Kelly and the others raised their eyebrows at her, but she shook her head. "Even if Mum and Dad wanted to murder Alex, they're too smart to risk getting painted as the new Amaris, killing the last Cameron."

"That's an incentive to use a false-flag operation," Kelly retorted. "My mother would certainly not hesitate to use such means to both get rid of a potential rival and sabotage another enemy at the same time."

"You think she wants me dead?" Alex asked.

"I cannot say," Kelly replied. "My family members - with the exception of Father - aren't the most rational people. They might also think you'll be the one to elevate them to become the First Lord of the reborn Star League."

"What?" Alex blinked.

"By offering you my hand in marriage," Kelly explained.

Over my dead body, Cat thought. But she knew that her lover was right - her own family had shown the power of a dynastic marriage. The Federated Commonwealth was based on her brother inheriting both realms. "That's something the Kuritas will attempt as well. They did it to my family before."

Nastajia made a hissing noise everyone pretended not to hear.

"Won't they offer your hand?" Felicity asked - with a glance at Nastajia.

Cat shook her head. "I'm not the heir." And Mum and Dad wouldn't want to risk having a pretender to the throne backed by a foreign realm. One had been enough.

"That means we cannot trust anyone," Nastajia said.

"Except for those we recruited from the Clans," Alex said.

"How ironic," Felicity commented. "Your former enemies are now your most trusted troops."

Cat snorted, even though it wasn't funny. "It's not all bad, though," she went on. "As we've seen with our own soldiers and the locals on Radstadt, the people love the Camerons. Recruiting should be much easier now - even those who wouldn't join a mercenary regiment won't baulk at following a Cameron."

"Any aerospace pilots?" Felicity asked, twisting her neck to look at Cat without shifting the rest of her body, which was draped over her favourite armchair.

"Not so far - but I wouldn't expect many recruits on Radstadt," Cat told her. "The only pilots around are in the KungsArmé, and I don't think we would want people who'd desert their home realm's forces in the middle of an invasion."

"Yes," Nastajia agreed, "such people demonstrate very questionable loyalty and do not deserve our trust."

"Unless they have good reasons to quit their army," Alex pointed out. "The KungsArmé has its flaws, after all. But I think we'll have to recruit on Outreach and Galatea again. And since the regiment can't leave right now, we need a representative on at least one world."

"You're not going to send either Cat or Kelly!" Nastajia blurted out.

"Of course not! I need them!" Alex shook his head. "But we need more people - once again, we have more 'Mechs than MechWarriors."

"But if we can't personally interview applicants, it will make it easier to infiltrate our regiment," Cat commented.

"We're already riddled with spies. I am certain that people rushed to send HPG messages to 'family members' as soon as the last Wolf dropship lifted off," Kelly said.

Cat bit her lower lip. Her friend was, completely understandable after living with her family on Sian, a little paranoid, but she had to agree - they had to have spies in their ranks.

"We knew that before, so nothing really changed," Alex said, smiling again. "Anyway, we can either send an officer or two from our current roster or trust one of the various hiring agents working on the mercenary stars."

Cat sighed. Either option was less than optimal. Any officer would be missed - she certainly didn't want to send either of her lance leaders. Meier because he'd bungle up recruiting, Allen because she needed him in the field. "Galatea is closer," she said. "We can send someone there. But who?"

"Lt. Parkinson," Kelly said. "He leads my scout lance, but they usually operate independently and not as a formation, so we can spare him for recruiting."

And he was a MechWarrior. That was important when you were recruiting MechWarriors. Cat nodded.

"Good." Alex smiled at Kelly and Cat, then beamed at Nastajia, who frowned at him. "So, how do we use my family name to save the Inner Sphere?" he asked.

"That's a very good question," she replied with a toothy smile. "I think it would be best to play it up to get the Inner Sphere to present a united front against the Clans."

"With the Kuritas?" Cat scoffed.

"I fear my family might prove to be rather difficult to go along with such a plan," Kelly added.

"Do you have a better idea?" Nastajia asked, looking at everyone. "Alex already has a target painted on his back no matter what we do. At least this way, we can get something out of it."

Cat hated to admit it, but there wasn't much arguing against that.

"Sorry," Alex said with a weak smile.

*****​

Munich Starport, Radstadt, Radstadt System, October 30th, 3050

"You want to modify the Babylon?" Kirchwerder didn't like the idea, Cat could tell. They were on the bridge of the dropship, currently only staffed with the officer at the radio.

"We need to transport about nine additional 'Mechs," Cat told him. "Once all 'Mechs are repaired."

"There's plenty of cargo space for that," he retorted.

"We need them deployed soon after landing," she said. "We can't spare hours to unload the 'Mechs on a raid."

She saw his jaw clench - he had no argument against that. "We could modify the vehicle bay, I guess. Plenty of room there, and the 'Mechs can walk out through the Mech bay. Might even be able to do most of the modifications in transit that way."

"That was our thought as well," Cat said. It was the obvious solution - they had room for seventy-two heavy vehicles and needed less than a third of that. Even less now, with the losses the artillery battery had taken. Passing through to the Mech bay would be a little tight for heavier 'Mechs, though - they would have to stick to lights and compact mediums.

"We still need to alter the bays, of course," Kirchwerder said. "But that should be doable. If you can convince the old bastard to send us his techs."

Cat sighed. Russo's techs were still busy with repairs. "I'll see what I can do," she said. It was logical to swap to working on transport after they had thirty-six 'Mechs repaired - they didn't have enough pilots for that many 'Mechs, anyway. But Russo had opinions on having his techs work on non-mechs. And he didn't like Kirchwerder.

"Good." Kirchwerer nodded. He glanced at the officer at the communication station. "So… I've heard we're going to Terra…"

Cat sighed. "We haven't received any orders yet. We're waiting on our liaison officer to get back to us about our next assignment."

"Yes, but…"

She cut him off: "The Colonel has no intention to return to Terra and declare himself the new First Lord, or anything similar."

"Ah."

"We're here to fight the Clans," she clarified. "As he told you."

"Yes, but…" Kirchwerder sighed. "Couldn't we fight the Clans much better if we had the Star League uniting the Inner Sphere?"

That was true, of course - if the Clans had attacked the Star League in Dreamland with those forces, they would have been thrown back already. The Horde had had many more 'Mechs. "I somehow doubt that the House Lords will agree to form a new Star League," she said. Takashi Kurita would never agree. And no one, especially not Kelly, trusted Romano Liao. Further, Cat had doubts that the Free Worlds League would want to join any league with the Federated Commonwealth. Not that her parents would follow Alex, anyway.

"I guess so," Kirchwerder said. He sighed. "But a man can dream."

"Yes."

*****​

Munich Starport, Radstadt, Radstadt System, October 31st, 3050

"Halloween. Soon, the dead return!"

Looking up from her report about the new regimental organisation - there was a lot to shuffle around - Kelly frowned at Cat. "Don't you have paperwork to do?"

Her lover grinned as she leaned against the doorframe of their shared office. "I'm done for today."

Kelly narrowed her eyes. Cat wasn't… well, if Kelly was swamped with paperwork, then there was no way that Cat could've finished hers already. "You put it off until tomorrow!" she accused her friend.

"It's Halloween! Time to relax a little."

"We need to get those reports ready. We don't know when the Clans will attack again," Kelly retorted.

"We've got seven days advance warning if they jump into the system," Cat said. "And should they return, most of our reports won't be worth the paper to print them out or the power to send them."

That was… not entirely untrue, Kelly had to admit. Regulations had a tendency to grow laxer the more urgent a military situation became. For good and ill.

Cat stepped forward and sat down on the edge of Kelly's desk. She was wearing a tank shirt and a cooling vest, which fell open when she leaned back and pushed her chest up. "Come on! We need to relax."

"Your seductive routine needs some work," Kelly said. Though that didn't mean it was completely ineffective.

Cat snorted as she sat up again. "I'm a MechWarrior, not a courtesan." She grew serious. "But you need to take a break for tonight - you've been working nonstop."

"So have you," Kelly shot back.

"Yes. And I'm telling you, we need a break." Cat snorted again. "When going over my Victor's modifications, I started thinking about using an engine from a Gargoyle…"

Kelly chuckled at that. Even for Solaris VII's best techs, that would have been a difficult feat. In the field? It would create a hangar queen. "Yes, you need a break." She stood up and walked around her desk while Cat slid off it and joined her at the door.

"So, what did you plan for your Raven?"

"Nothing much. Replace the weapons with Clan variants, the heat sinks with freezers and uparmour it." Simple modifications.

"Narc launcher as well?" Cat asked as they left the office.

Kelly frowned at her. Indeed, the launcher didn't see much use - they didn't have a dedicated LRM lance, much less the fire lances the First Royals in Dreamland had. "I'm considering replacing it with another SRM launcher."

Cat made a humming noise. "Good idea. And it'll save us money since we won't have to buy the expensive missiles."

Which would be wasted when not used with a beacon. "Maybe I'll use it until we run out of NARC missiles," Kelly said. "What about your Victor?"

"Same. Replace the weapons with clan versions, freezers and add armour."

"Are you going to replace the autocannon with a Gauss rifle?" Kelly asked. Cat had lost her dear Pontiac, after all, in the last battle.

"No. I like the punch. But I'm thinking of replacing the SRMs with LRMs." Cat grinned. "I'm a bit tired of having nothing to shoot back at long range. And Avia showed me how effective a quartet of LRM-5s can be."

"Good idea," Kelly agreed. The 'Mech would probably run a bit hotter than her current version, but it would be much more effective.

"Provided Russo won't kill me for suggesting it." Cat chuckled. "He needs a break too."

"I wish you luck trying to drag him out of the Mech bay," Kelly said. The Head Tech was practically living there these days.

"I've left that to Alex," Cat said. "Not even Russo is immune to Alex's family name."

"Ah."

Cat hooked her arm into hers. "Now come, they've organised a buffet in the Infantry bay, and I don't want to miss out on the salmon canapés. And Trevor said he'd show off Clan music."

"Clan music?"

"If it's bad, it'll give us more ammunition to taunt the enemy."

"Ah." Kelly smiled as she let herself be dragged to the lifts. Trust Cat to see the silver lining everywhere.

*****​

The Infantry bay had been decorated nicely, in Cat's opinion. Some might have called all the skulls and skeletons a little gauche, especially so shortly after their battle and all the casualties they had taken, but Cat thought it fit. Just a nice touch of… Whatever. She hadn't dragged Kelly down here to brood but to celebrate and relax with the rest of the regiment.

And that meant food first, booze next. She steered Kelly towards the buffet, focusing on the salmon canapés. And the seafood pasta salad. And the shrimp cocktails.

"Did you eat today at all?" Kelly asked with one of her sly smiles as Cat filled her disposable plate with food.

"Normal breakfast, but I only had a sandwich for lunch," Cat replied. Had to sort out a salvage claim in the field." Russo's crew had gotten a bit greedy and tried to claim a Clan artillery that had been killed by Holm. Cat would have liked to claim the 'Mech - they had lost four Chaparrals, after all - but not after Holm had given his life to take them out. And save the regiment.

"Ah." Kelly put some rice balls on her plate - Cat raised her eyebrows at the cliche, but Kelly wasn't fazed by it.

"Hey! Majors!" Anna Kowalski, one of Kelly's lancemates, greeted them, holding up a bottle of beer. "Glad to see you made it down here!"

"Wouldn't miss this for the world," Cat said. "We've earned this celebration." It cost them enough.

"Oh, yes!" Karen smiled. "Say, is it true that the cursed Crusader is being transferred to First Company?"

"'Cursed Crusader'?" Cat asked.

"The Crusader that was piloted by Garibaldi and now Luke," Kelly said.

Oh. Both had died when their cockpit had been hit. That was… well, Cat wouldn't say it was proof that the 'Mech was cursed, but it certainly wasn't a good omen.

"Did you find someone who would pilot it?" Anna asked. "I'd rather pilot a Stinger."

"We'll probably have to assign it to a new recruit," Cat said. She didn't doubt that a dispossessed MechWarrior would volunteer to pilot the heavy. Two dead pilots wasn't yet anything to write home about… or shouldn't be.

She wouldn't want to pilot it herself, though. And she was sure Kelly would bluntly refuse.

"Poor guy or gal," Anna said. "Driving a cursed 'Mech is not a good thing."

"We'll have a priest exorcise it," Cat joked.

But Anna nodded. "That should help."

"Now we have to find a priest," Kelly commented as they left Anna at the buffet and wandered towards the bar.

"Shouldn't be too hard," Cat said, shrugging - and then she had to quickly rebalance her overloaded plate before she lost half her canapés.

Kelly giggled, and when Cat frowned at her, she giggled even more.

They grabbed a beer each at the bar - local beer, 'craft beer', as the bartender, one of Russo's techs named Molly Barton, claimed - and went towards the bags filled with packaging that served as seats near the holoprojector showing some fight from Solaris VII.

Trevor was there and nodded at them before returning his attention to the projection and watching intently as a Hatchetman demolished a Phoenix Hawk in one of the smaller arenas.

Cat took a swallow from her beer - not bad, but nothing on dwarven ale from Dreamland - and started to go through her salmon.

"Where's the… the Colonel?" Brendan, who was also watching, asked.

"Alex's busy finishing some paperwork with the locals," Cat told him. "I dragged Kelly here. I can't pull rank on Alex."

Everyone in earshot laughed. "I don't think anyone can pull rank on him," Brendan said. "He's a Cameron - the heir. He outranks even the House Lords."

Cat hid her frown behind another swallow from her beer. That was… well, controversial. Technically, Alex was the heir of the Camerons, but the Star League was defunct, and the Terran Hegemony didn't exist any more, so he wasn't the First Lord nor the Director-General. Not here. He was the First Lord of the Star League in Dreamland, but… things were different there. The Steiners were related to the Dwarven Clans. And the Davions were, well, humans with elven ancestry. And neither liked the other. And the Liaos… well, they and the Kuritas in Dreamland both laid claim to dragon ancestry, and it showed sometimes.

"He is not here to claim any rank other than Colonel," Kelly, meanwhile, corrected Brendan.

"Yes, but…" Brendan looked around. "He's a Cameron."

As if that explained everything. In a way, it perhaps did.

"You're so lucky you're his friends," Ellen, one of Brendan's lancemates, said.

That was true. "He's a great man," Kelly said.

Cat nodded in agreement. Alex was a great man. A great friend as well. Not perfect, of course - but who was?

"So, who do you think he'll marry?" Ellen asked.

Cat winced. That was a loaded question. She glanced at Kelly. Her lover was frowning, probably thinking of the best way to tell them that Alex was spoken for.

"Probably one of the House Lords' daughters," Brendan said. "That would give him influence and backing."

"None of them is in line to any throne, through," Martin, another lancemate, cut in. "So, that wouldn't gain him a realm."

"But it would get him the backing of a realm. So, I'd say he should marry Katherine Steiner-Davion," Brendan said. "The Federated Commonwealth is the biggest and most powerful realm in the Inner Sphere."

Cat couldn't comment since her beer had gone down the wrong pipe, and she was coughing. And Kelly seemed to be too amused to be of much help. Once she had hacked out most of the liquid, she said: "That depends on Katherine Steiner-Davion, doesn't it?"

"It's a dynastic marriage. Like between Hanse Davion and Melissa Steiner," Brendan said. "What the girl wants doesn't matter."

Cat stuffed two canapés into her mouth so she wouldn't tell the idiot just how wrong he was about her parents. And Kelly was chuckling!

"Yes," her lover said, "although in order to merge the throne of the Federated Commonwealth and the Camerons' claim to the throne of the Star League, Katherine would have to be the heir to her parents' thrones, and she's just second in line."

Brendan dismissed that sensible argument with a wave of his hand. "Then Victor abdicates, and Katherine becomes the heir. The Steiners have done that before."

"Or he has an accident," Ellen added. "Happened as well."

Cat glared at them both. That wasn't how her family did things!

"You're being silly!" Martin Bradley, currently dispossessed former Griffin pilot, shook his head - everyone had stopped watching the gladiator fight, Cat realised. "They would never offer Katherine to Alex!"

Cat nodded in agreement. Finally someone sensible!

But then Martin went on: "Katherine is a sickly girl - she spent ten years in a coma. If she married the Colonel, he would completely dominate the relationship and rule the Commonwealth. The Steiners and the Davions would never go for that."

Cat clenched her teeth to refrain from glaring at the man. Perhaps she should reconsider assigning their salvaged Crab to him. No, that would be unprofessional. She finished her last canapés and started on the shrimp cocktail to distract herself.

"Yes, according to rumours, Katherine Steiner-Davion is a very sheltered girl," Kelly added fuel to the fire. "Like a delicate flower raised in a greenhouse."

"Very poetic," Brendan said.

Ellen, though, looked at Cat. "Major, please don't take it personally. We're not dissing your home."

No, they were dissing her family. But Cat managed to nod and smile.

"So, if not Katherine, then Yvonne?" Brendan asked. "She's the only other option."

"She's eleven!" Ellen blurted out before Cat could clear her mouth and say the same.

"Melissa Steiner was her age when she was engaged. As long as they wait until she's an adult…" Brendan shrugged. "And the age difference is smaller than between Hanse and Melissa."

"I'm going to get another beer," Cat said, all but jumping up.

She didn't even notice that Kelly had followed her until her lover patted her shoulder at the bar. "Sorry."

Cat sighed. "I know they don't know, but…"

"...it's a shock to hear what people think your family is like?" Kelly tilted her head to the side with a sly but slightly sad smile.

And Cat felt pretty bad about the whole thing - what she had heard was tame compared to what people said about the Liaos. "Sorry."

"Don't be. My family's reputation is well-deserved." Kelly sighed as they ordered two more drinks and added tips to the jar with the 'regimental recreation fund' label.

Cat nodded, took her drink, then looked around. There was an improvised dancing floor - someone had laid down polished armour plate! - in a corner. And the music was… well, Cat didn't recognise the style, but it was loud and had a beat. "Let's go dancing," she said, downing her beer.

"Yes," Kelly agreed.

*****​

Munich, Radstadt, Radstadt System, November 1st, 3050

"So…. you wish to claim six assault-class OmniMechs and one light OmniMech as salvage." Överste Sleipness didn't look amused, and Kelly was certain that it wasn't because he was still recovering from the wounds he had taken during the fighting in Munich. The man was sitting very stiffly behind his desk in the repurposed hotel in Munich - the barracks in the city hadn't survived the fighting - but his eyes were blazing. Figuratively. And his aides didn't look very friendly either. At least Lundberg looked as she usually did - slightly annoyed.

"Yes." Alex smiled. "It seems quite a reasonable request, seeing as we have recovered a dozen of them in repairable condition."

"Your contract only grants you salvage rights to replenishing your losses, and only if we can't offer you any equivalent 'Mechs," Sleipness retorted.

"All the 'Mechs we lost had advanced technology - Lostech," Kelly pointed out. "And they were factory new."

"We can offer you other salvaged 'Mechs. You didn't lose so many assault 'Mechs," Sleipness said.

"We didn't," Alex admitted. Kelly didn't react, though she wanted to glare at him. "But the Gargoyles are actually only technically assault 'Mechs. Judging by their armour and weapons, they are more like fast heavies." He leaned forward in his seat and put his elbows on the table. "We bled for this salvage. We kept the field. We took those 'Mechs - and we saved your planet."

Alex had done that - the rest of the regiment had been about to evacuate. Kelly had no doubt that the Överste was aware of that.

"The contract's terms are clear. Salvage is limited to what you need to replenish losses." The old officer wasn't budging. And Lundberg wasn't intervening. She was staring at Alex, Kelly realised.

"Do you actually have heavy and medium Lostech 'Mechs that you salvaged?" Kelly asked. "Trying to trade your current 'Mechs for salvaged OmniMechs seems like a questionable practice."

"Questionable? The contract is clear: You can't use salvage to fill out your ranks if you're offered equivalent material for any losses. Whether the offered 'Mechs are salvage or not is irrelevant." Sleipness scoffed.

"Technically, yes. And the MRB might even agree," Alex said. "But would other mercenaries agree?" He tilted his head slightly. "How many mercenaries do you think you can hire if it spreads that we drove off a Clan invasion, killed the IlKhan, and then were robbed of the salvage we earned on a technicality? Left with scraps while you took everything? After we offered a very fair distribution? Why, I believe our deeds here, for good or ill, will spread. Like wildfire."

Alex didn't mention his family name. He didn't have to - Sleipness was well-aware of that. "We lost many more 'Mechs than you did," the Överste said.

"Yes." Alex nodded. "That's why we only want those seven 'Mechs, leaving the rest to you." He smiled again. "We don't want to rob you, but we need to rebuild our regiment, and we need those 'Mechs. You know that the Clans will come after us. We've bloodied their noses twice now, and we killed their IlKhan. They cannot let us be."

"And if we do not come to an agreement, then the resulting MRB mediation will set both of our recovery efforts back," Kelly pointed out. "More importantly, it would portray us as divided even when fighting the Clans."

Sleipness muttered a curse under his breath. "And you'll have us painted as betrayers of the First Lord, right?" he spat.

Alex's smile turned almost sad. "I wouldn't do anything like that. But you know I wouldn't need to - people will draw their own conclusions. Soldiers and civilians alike."

Kelly nodded. Saving a planet and not getting adequately rewarded? Contract or not, that wasn't how things were done in the Inner Sphere. Certainly not with Rasalhague's reputation for treating their mercenaries badly to begin with.

"I have to admit that the reputation of our realm amongst mercenaries leaves a little to be desired," Lundberg finally spoke up. "It makes reinforcing our troops more difficult, which directly impacts our forces in the field." She weathered the older officer's stare without wincing.

After a moment, Sleipness sighed. "Alright, let's agree on the salvaged 'Mechs. That leaves the salvaged parts."

Alex smiled again.

The Överste shook his head. "Are you even a Cameron?"

"The gene tests I took confirmed my ancestry," Alex told him.

"And you found a dropship full of Lostech 'Mechs."

"Yes." Alex smiled again.

"Quite a coincidence."

"It wasn't a coincidence at all, I can assure you."

"But you don't have more such caches, or you wouldn't haggle so much for a few OmniMechs. Unless you want them for research purposes."

"I couldn't possibly comment."

Kelly wanted to roll her eyes. Alex was overdoing it. They didn't have access to the SLDF resources in Dreamland - well, not beyond what they could carry over with his Code Key, which limited them to clothes and neurohelmets. Light power armour was about the heaviest and bulkiest things tehy could transport over. They didn't have some hidden factory planet in the Inner Sphere. Well, not unless Nastajia's people found something in the records in Dreamland.

"I see." Sleipness scoffed. "Well, for all our sake, I hope you stumble upon another 'cache'. We need it."

He was correct, in her opinion - the entire Inner Sphere needed help. But Rasalhague probably needed it the most.

*****​

Munich Starport, Radstadt, Radstadt System, November 4th, 3050

"So… we've got half a dozen Gargoyles. And enough parts for practically any configuration," Alex said as he started the meeting.

Cat looked at the others. Kelly was sitting straight and attentive. Russo looked… marginally less angry than usual. Trevor… was sitting straight and expressionless.

"Yes," Russo spoke up without waiting to be given the word. "The pods make salvaging weapons easy. We don't have too many autocannon pods, though."

"Yes." Alex remained unfazed. "I would have preferred at least two primary configurations to act as anti-aircraft 'Mechs, but it seems that the 4th Wolf Guards didn't like that variant."

Cat snorted. "They had aerospace fighters assigned to them. They didn't need flak on the ground."

"Yes. And we still lack organic air support. So, a couple flak 'Mechs would have been useful." Alex shrugged. "We also didn't salvage more than one targeting computer. So, with one Gargoyle Prime and one D-variant, that leaves us with four more variants to choose."

"I would suggest letting the pilots pick their preferred variant," Trevor said. "They should know best what suits them best."

Russo scoffed at that. "MechWarriors have no common sense. They'll just pick the biggest, flashiest guns. And we don't have too many of those - they tend to get broken in a battle."

Cat frowned at the man, but he seemed utterly unimpressed. And unrepentant. If she had to pilot a Gargoyle, she'd pick the C variant, of course. With the better speed, she would be able to close into range faster, and the gun was just perfect. Double the firepower of her old Pontiac!

"I think that would be best," Alex said. "Though with respect to our means - we don't have an evenly distributed range of spare parts. In any case, that leaves us with three full companies and a short support company. Which needs a leader."

"I think Lt Allen has proved to be an effective leader," Kelly said.

Cat nodded in agreement. Despite the man's stupid views on her family, Allen was a much better officer than Meier. Especially for a support company that would have to be split up according to the needs of the regiment. Meier was far too inflexible for that. And Trevor… well, it would be causing a lot of bad blood if they promoted a Clanner to Captain. Even though he was even better than Allen.

"I would have chosen Danielle Gunnarson, but…" Alex winced.

Cat slowly nodded. Lt. Simpson had died in his Marauder in the battle at the starport. And Lt. Gunnarson, the other lance commander in First Company, was a little too… well, there was a reason she was in Alex's company, and not in Cat's or Kelly's; the woman had trouble accepting that, despite their age, they were her superiors. The last few battles should have helped with that, but Cat would prefer to see some improvement in the woman's attitude before she got promoted to company commander.

"So, Allen it is." Alex nodded. "And Parkinson is going to Galatea to recruit more people as soon as the next dropship leaves."

"They won't get back before the Clans hit us again," Russo said.

Trevor, Cat saw, opened his mouth, then closed it again, then pressed his lips together. She watched his jaw muscles twitch. Then finally, he spoke: "They will not."

"What?" Alex turned his head to look at him.

"You have killed the IlKhan. That means they will have to elect a successor - and that can only be done in person, back… where they came from."

"Ah. And that will take a while?" Cat asked.

"Aff. Several months to a year."

"They will all pack up and leave?" Russo asked with a snort.

"Neg. Only those who can vote for an IlKhan. They will still defend the worlds they took," Trevor said, nodding as he leaned back.

Cat had the distinct impression that he wouldn't elaborate on the subject.

"So… we can plan to build up for the next few months - provided the KungsArmé won't start retaking their worlds."

"Or attempting to do so," Kelly corrected him. "They haven't done well against Clan Wolf."

"They might want to hit Clan Ghost Bear, then." Alex smiled. "I doubt that they will just have us garrison this planet - once they relieve us and once they realise that the Clans have stopped advancing."

If they did. Trevor was a skilled officer, but Cat wasn't quite sure that he was privy to the strategic decisions of the Clans.

But she would take what reprieve they'd get in the end. The longer they had time to rebuild and expand, the better. Once they had three full companies and a support company, things would be different. Kelly and her companies would both get a full lance of Clan OmniMechs - that was serious firepower. In fact, if everything went as planned, Cat's company would be all assault Mechs except for a Galahad and an Ice Ferret.

She grinned. Let the Clans come and face that!

*****​

Munich Starport, Radstadt, Radstadt System, November 10th, 3050

Kapten Lundberg looked particularly polished today, Kelly noticed as their liaison officer joined them in front of the Babylon. Everything that could shine gleamed, no speck of dust was visible, and even the empty sleeve of her uniform was crisply pressed and pinned to her chest with a golden pin. Well, that was only to be expected - no one wanted to look dishevelled when their liege lord was visiting. Though whether you could call Haakon Magnusson a liege lord was debatable - he was the Elected Prince, after all. Did the soldiers of the KungsArmé swear an oath to him or to his office?

She didn't know the answer, and Lundberg didn't look like she would appreciate a question about the finer points of Rasalhague's society moments before the Overlord carrying the Prince and his guard touched down.

"At least now, we can be sure we won't be left out here to dry without support," Cat muttered next to her. "They might do that to mercenaries, but not to their own Prince."

"But they might send us out on a particularly dangerous mission," Kelly replied. They had come to an agreement with Sleipness, but she had no doubts that the officer still resented them.

"Send the heir to the Star League to his death? Are you crazy?" Lundberg blurted out. "Who do you think we are?"

Kelly inclined her head. "I was merely jesting," she lied. "The lack of any news about our enemies' next attacks has left me a bit tense."

Cat made a noise like a suppressed snort, which, so Kelly hoped, was swallowed by the noise of the 4th Drakøns lining up in front of the Elected Prince's dropship now that the landing pad had cooled down enough for that. She still could see the air being distorted by the heat from the area that had been baked by the ship's fusion torch, but it was bearable now.

As the ramp started to extend, faced by a company of the 4th Drakøns in their 'Mechs, Överste Sleipness drove forward in a staff car to officially greet the Prince.

"Bet that's the only company in halfway decent shape that they could scratch together," Cat whispered.

Kelly nodded.

"It's an ad hoc company," Lundberg said. "The 4th Drakøns have been mauled so badly, they haven't even managed to rebuild a regular company."

"Oh." No wonder the Överste had been so hostile. Still, the Irregulars had earned their salvage.

"So that's why we weren't called to form the honour guard," Cat said. "They didn't want us to show them up. More than we did in the battle, at least."

Kelly frowned a little - Cat was quite rude. To her surprise, however, Lundberg laughed instead of getting mad.

"Now, now," Alex weighed in. "We're all on the same side here."

"Yes, milord," Lundberg told him with a bright smile.

Another one smitten by Alex's heritage. Kelly honestly hadn't expected that. From the Kapten. Not that she would complain, though - few enemies were as dangerous for a mercenary as a hostile liaison officer.

As long as Lundberg didn't try to make a move on Alex, of course.

Then Kelly saw the ramp of the dropship extend and straightened. The Elected Prince had arrived.

*****​

"Ten-Hut!"

Like everyone else except Alex and Lundberg, Cat snapped to attention as Clarke, the lone sergeant-major of Anne-Rose's Company, bellowed. The woman saluted Alex, then the tall form of the Elected Prince, before taking a step back so the two men could walk down the Irregular's line.

For a moment, Cat felt like she was back in Unity Fields during an inspection. But not for long. She wasn't a cadet any more. She was an officer. A veteran. She had no reason to be nervous. No one would care about slightly dusty boots or a not perfectly straight posture. Not after facing the Clans and winning.

She tracked the Prince with her eyes as he approached, Alex at his side. He was thin, almost haggard, with a well-groomed beard and a distinctive scar on his face, but he looked older than his supposed age. Probably the stress from the war, she assumed. But there was another man - no, a boy - with him. Probably younger than her, she guessed when he walked past, although in uniform as well.

"As you were!"

Cat relaxed and resisted the urge to roll her neck when their formation was dismissed, and Clarke sent the soldiers back to their duties. Kelly and Cat instead joined Alex and their guests.

"And these are Majors Stevens and Lieden, Your Highness," Alex introduced them. "Cat, Kelly - Elected Prince Magnusson and his son."

The Prince had a firm handshake but didn't seem to take them seriously as he politely greeted them. His son, though, beamed at them. "Hello! Call me Ragnar! We've heard a lot of you!"

He was wearing a cadet's uniform, Cat realised.

"I hope only positive things," Kelly, smooth as always, replied. Perhaps a little too smooth.

"Of course!" Ragnar nodded. "Although it didn't do you justice."

Was he hitting on Kelly? Cat frowned.

His father's smile twisted a little. "We've also heard about your negotiations about the salvage," he said. "Almost as impressive as your victory over the Clans."

Even Cat heard the sarcasm there, and Kelly's smile grew a little more polite. Alex, though, chuckled in apparent good humour. "I wouldn't compare the two - I believe we reached a mutually satisfying agreement with the KungsArmé."

"And we didn't have to fight them," Cat added before she could control herself.

Ragnar laughed while his father's eyebrows rose - but that was the only reaction the man showed.

"I believe that the agreement was fair to both sides," Kapten Lundberg spoke up. Well, she would say that - she had signed off on the deal as their liaison officer.

"That remains to be seen. But I think that is a topic best discussed in a more suitable location than the tarmac of the spaceport."

"I think my office on the Babylon would suffice, Your Highness. And if you or your son would like a tour of the ship, I am sure that we can oblige you," Alex offered.

This time, the Prince glanced at his son, who made no effort to hide his desire to tour the Colossus-class ship. Either he was a gifted actor or he was a very honest boy. Kelly probably knew the answer to that question - or would, in an hour or two.

Either way, the Prince smiled. "I think that's a good idea."

His guards didn't seem to agree - Cat could tell from the way they tensed; her family's security detail had shown the same reaction to some suggestions from Dad or Mum - but didn't voice any objections.

"Splendid! If you'll follow me - the ramp leads straight to the Mech bay," Alex told them. "I hope you don't mind that it's busy - we're still repairing the damage we suffered during the battle for Munich."

"And the damaged salvage you took," the Prince added. "You also recruited members of our enemies."

"According to their customs, we adopted them as warriors and technicians," Alex replied.

They reached the top of the ramp, and Ragnar whistled as he spotted their 'Mechs - Alex's Atlas-II prominently displayed in its cubicle near the ramp, facing the restored Timber Wolf they had taken on Engadin.

Cat could also hear Russo bellowing in the back of the bay about some weapons that weren't perfectly aligned.

"So this is a Colossus! I never thought I would see one," Ragnar said, looking around. "It's huge. Much bigger than an Overlord."

"Oh, yes." Cat nodded with a smile.

"The only one in the Inner Sphere - at least the only one known," the Prince commented. "You were very lucky to find it, Colonel Cameron."

Alex inclined his head with a beaming smile. "One could say so."

"But it wasn't luck, was it?"

"It was luck that the base hadn't been discovered in over two centuries," Alex replied.

Prince Magnusson snorted. Once.

"So, this is your 'Mech," his son spoke up, staring at the Atlas-II. "The one with which you slew the IlKhan."

"Yes." Alex nodded.

"I've seen pictures of his 'Mech. Yours looks untouched."

"Oh, it was in pretty bad shape, but we have great techs," Alex said. "The IlKhan was a very dangerous MechWarrior, and he was in a Dire Wolf. I was lucky."

"Yes, you were," Cat agreed with a toothy smile. Her comment made both Magnussons glance at her for a moment. Followed a by a glance between father and son.

"Well, skill or luck, you struck a blow against the invaders like no one else," the Prince said as they walked past Alex's command lance - mostly repaired by now.

"I won't dispute that," Alex replied. "And I hope that we can exploit the opening this has caused."

"You mean the lack of any further offensives since the death of the IlKhan, I assume," the Prince said. "As the KungsArmé confirmed, all Clans forces stopped advancing."

"It could just be a pause to recover and prepare the next wave of attacks," Kelly suggested as they climbed the ramp into the next bay.

"The timing for that is wrong - and our analysts agree that Clan Wolf has the forces available to keep advancing."

"They certainly have more forces available than we expected," Alex agreed. "I hoped that our raid on Engadin would have forced them to redistribute their troops to garrison the worlds they have taken. A sort of fleet-in-being effect."

"Unfortunately, we've received reports of additional forces that haven't seen combat against us moving to garrison the world occupied by Clan Wolf." The Prince openly scowled. "But we should discuss this in a more private location."

Yes, they should. And Cat had no doubt that the Prince wouldn't have talked about this topic at all if he hadn't planned to be overheard by their troops. Though what was the goal?

In any case, they cut their tour short - they were passing through all four bays anyway but skipped everything else but the bridge - and headed to Alex's office.

With all five of them and two guards - two more standing outside the door - the office was a little cramped but manageable. The desks had been pushed together to form a big table. And the galley had even prepared some refreshments. Decent quality, even though they had nothing on the snacks in the Palace in Dreamland.

Ragnar Magnusson certainly seemed to enjoy them.

"So… you wanted a private talk, Your Highness?" Alex commented after everyone had grabbed a cup or glass.

"Yes." The Prince put down his glass - he hadn't commented on the quality of the whisky - and nodded. "Let's not beat around the bush. What are your intentions, Colonel?"

"I am here to do my part to defend the Inner Sphere - to defeat the Clan invasion," Alex replied. "Just as I told Överste Sleipness."

Cat nodded. She had no doubt that the Prince had been informed about every word Alex had said after his revelation.

"You called yourself the heir to the Star League."

"I did - to rile up the IlKhan and force him into a duel. There is no Star League to inherit," Alex said.

"But you claim to be the heir of House Cameron." The Prince stared at Alex.

Alex met his eyes. "I am."

"And you've formed your own regiment - styled after the SLDF. You use their colours, their regulations and their tactics."

"Yes."

"Some might think you were planning to reform the Star League with yourself as First Lord."

Alex laughed at that, which seemed to startle the Prince's son, but the Prince himself didn't react at all. "Please! One regiment to reform the Star League? This isn't a cheap holodrama."

"If your claim bears out, many might flock to your banner. The Camerons have not been forgotten."

"And I will lead everyone who follows me against the Clans. I did not come to restore my family's rule - I am here to help save the Inner Sphere," Alex retorted, slightly narrowing his eyes. "And any attempt to take power for myself would doom this."

"Then why declare your ancestry at all?"

"That wasn't planned." Alex grinned a little ruefully. "I was caught up in the heat of the moment. And I thought that if I were to die, I should do so fighting under my real name. In hindsight, that might have been a mistake."

"That remains to be seen - you certainly used the reputation this gained you effectively." The Prince frowned at his own son, who was staring at Alex with apparent awe, which caused Ragnar to straighten and school his features. "And yet," the Prince went on, "no one can deny that you were instrumental for saving Radstadt - and possibly my realm."

"I just did what I could," Alex said - with honest humility, Cat knew.

The Prince stared at him for a few seconds, then nodded. "That remains to be seen."

Cat frowned - and she wasn't the only one.

"What do you mean?" Alex asked.

"If you truly are a Cameron, you can do more to save the Inner Sphere," the Prince told him.

"I am!" Alex replied, glaring at the man. "A DNA test will prove it."

"We don't have the Camerons' DNA on file." Prince Magnusson inclined his head. "But making the offer is a point in your favour - the consequences for making false claims of this magnitude would be severe - possibly fatal."

"Revealing yourself as a Cameron also might carry fatal consequences," Kelly remarked.

"Yes. But there's nothing to be done about that," the Prince replied.

"You obviously have something specific in mind, Your Highness," Alex said.

"Yes. As I said, claiming the legacy of the Camerons is a dangerous move - but one with a lot of potential." The Prince was now so focused on Alex, Cat wondered if he had forgotten that she and Kelly were still present.

"What's your plan?" Alex leaned forward, putting both hands on the table.

"You said you would lead whoever joined your banner against the Clans. I want you to do this and help me liberate my nation. I don't care how you do it - whether you reform the SLDF, call for a crusade or collect donations to hire more mercenaries - only that you push back the invaders from my worlds."

Oh. Cat blinked, then briefly frowned - she should have expected that, really. Rasalhague was on the brink of being conquered, and its ruler would be grasping for any straw, trying anything that might turn the tide. And he was right - Alex being revealed as the last Cameron would draw in people. How many, and how useful they would be, was another question, of course.

"And in exchange…?" Alex asked.

"I will support you." The Prince folded his hands in front of his chin. "I will help you reach the entire Inner Sphere - and meet all its rulers."

What? Cat glanced at Kelly, who was blinking in surprise. How was the Prince planning to do this?

Alex frowned. "That's a very ambitious promise. You wouldn't do this unless you were sure you could deliver - and soon enough so it will make a difference."

"Indeed." The Prince smiled. "I've received an invitation yesterday. The Wolf's Dragoons have invited all the rulers of the Inner Sphere and major mercenary leaders to a conference on Outreach to discuss the Clan invasion."

Cat tensed. "Why are the Dragoons calling for this conference?" She would have expected ComStar to host such a conference. Not a mercenary unit, even if it was the most prestigious and biggest mercenary unit in the Inner Sphere.

"I suspect it is because they have a connection to the Clans," the Prince said.

"What?" Cat blurted out.

Prince Magnusson smiled affectionately at his son. "It was actually Ragnar who discovered it. He's a bit of a fan of the Black Widow, you know."

Cat blinked. Who wasn't a fan of the Black Widow? Natasha Kerensky was the most famous Mechwarrior - most dangerous, most experienced, most alluring.

"Oh, yes!" Ragnar blushed a little. "I was… very interested in her career. And in my first year at the academy, I read up on every battle she took part in. And one of her last known battles was on Hall, in 3039." He licked his lips. "And according to the records I could get, she led her battalion against the Eighteenth Marik Militia who had invaded the world. Only… her battalion was organised unconventionally: Three companies composed of three lances of five 'Mechs each. And ten aerospace fighters."

Cat drew a hissing breath. "Forty-five 'Mechs and ten fighters? That's a Cluster!"

The Prince nodded. "Indeed. It would be quite the coincidence that the mercenary unit most famous for their mysterious origin, expert skill and various 'Mechs thought lost also fought like the Clans."

"Yes. Occam's Razor would postulate that they have indeed a connection to the Clans," Kelly said.

"But what kind of connection?" Alex asked with a frown. "Are they old enemies? Were they fleeing the Clans when they came to the Inner Sphere? Or are they still beholden to them?"

"If they are working for the Clans, then this could be a trap," Kelly said. "Catch the rulers of the Inner Sphere in one fell swoop."

The Prince chuckled. "Well, while my son's very smart, I don't think no one else made the connection. I assume that my fellow Lords will arrive with enough forces to discourage any foul play.

Kelly clenched her teeth. Yes, she trusted LIC and MIIO to make the connection. But what if they missed it? What if their parents walked into a trap? "We should still warn the others," she said. "Better safe than sorry."

"I concur," Kelly agreed.

"A couple HPG messages won't hurt," Ragnar said. "And if someone didn't make the connection, it could garner goodwill."

"Yes." His father nodded. "We have to send them soon, though - the Conference is set to start in two months. Barely enough time to reach Outreach with a decent-sized bodyguard unit - especially if you have to pull them from the front."

"And you want the Irregulars to come with you," Alex said.

"You have earned a reputation. I would be a fool not to use that - especially since you're still rebuilding your unit after the losses you took here. So what do you say, Colonel Cameron?"

Alex smiled. "We'll be happy to accompany you to Outreach."

Cat was about to nod - this would fit perfectly with their plans - when she realised that this meant she would meet her parents. At least one of them would attend. And probably Kelly's parents as well.

Great. She'd rather make a combat drop on a Clan fortress in her underwear.

*****​

Leaving Radstadt Orbit, Radstadt System, November 12th, 3050

"Say, father…"

Haakon Magnusson put the report he was reading down and fixed it to the desk with a magnet; they were accelerating at 1 G, but in space, you fixed everything you didn't hold in place lest you wanted to see your room fill with all sorts of objects the next time the dropship had to manoeuvre. "Yes, Ragnar?"

"Do you think Colonel Cameron will be able to save our realm? Help save it, I mean," his son hastily corrected his words.

But Haakon already knew that the Colonel had greatly impressed his son - defeating the IlKhan would have done that even without adding the mystique of a Cameron to it. "I think he can be a great asset. He may be a mercenary, but he has given us two victories so far."

Ragnar pouted. "You know I didn't mean that. Do you think he'll be able to rally more troops to our fight? Enough to drive the Clans back?"

"I think it won't hurt to try." God knew they had to try everything.

"But you don't think he'll succeed."

Haakon considered lying, but this was his son. His heir - if not of his position as the Elected Prince, although that was still a possibility, then of his house. "I think realistically, we can't expect too much. We won't be saved by a resurgent SLDF wiping out the invaders. He might be a Cameron by blood, but he is almost certainly not the descendant of a legitimate Cameron. If he had a vast army at his beck and call, he would have brought it with him instead of recruiting mercenaries. But every 'Mech, every soldier helps. And Colonel Cameron has earned a lot of fame through his defeat of the IlKhan. I think this will attract enough soldiers to give us a fighting chance, but our victory will depend on the KungsArmé defeating the enemy."

And on massive material support from the other realms of the Inner Sphere. He had to make them understand that the KungsArmé was fighting for the entire Inner Sphere. If they were defeated, the Clans would march on and conquer the other Realms - even Terra. If the other Lords and ComStar understood this and sent support, Rasalhague had a chance.

"Well, there are the Knights of St. Cameron," Ragnar said. "If the Colonel is a true Cameron, they might follow him. That would be two veteran regiments."

Without experience fighting the Clans. But Haakon would take whatever help he could get. Of course, the more soldiers rallied to Colonel Cameron, the more the man's reputation and power would grow. And if he gained a few more victories, that might become a problem - the Colonel might claim he didn't want power for himself, but Haakon knew better. No man would refuse power if the opportunity presented itself. Least of all a Cameron.

"As I said, we can use all the help we can get," Haakon told his son.

Ragnar chuckled with a rueful expression. "Well, at least we could verify that our intel was true about the man."

Haakon smiled. "Partially."

His son frowned. "Partially? Do you think he was lying about his ancestry?"

"He isn't involved with Majors Lieden and Stevens, contrary to our reports," Haakon told him.

"Oh?"

"He showed no jealousy at all when you tried to flirt with Major Lieden," Haakon explained, smirking briefly at his son's blush. "Unlike Major Stevens." His son had better pay more attention to this in the future - it was too easy to start a fight by courting the wrong woman. Or man.

"Oh. So, they are involved, but with each other and not the Colonel." Ragnar laughed. "I bet he'll have to fend off marriage proposals with a 'Mech once that spreads."

Haakon smiled indulgently. Legitimate or not, the man's fame and ancestry would ensure such proposals even if he were already involved with someone. And less formal offers, of course. Though the fact that he slept in the same quarters and apparently sometimes the same room as his two subordinates yet wasn't involved with them might mean that the usual Canopian tactics might fail.

Well, they would see what happened on Outreach. The fate of the Inner Sphere would be decided there.

*****​

 

[Starfox5]

Chapter 11: Interludes

'When we set out for Outreach, things seemed simple - the invitation extended by Elected Prince Magnusson seemed to be the perfect opportunity. We could use our fame, which we expected to be short-lived, and Alex's ancestry to gather more support for the war against the Clans. We expected to draw attention, of course - the heir to the Camerons killing the Clan leader in single combat ensured that - but we didn't anticipate the actual reaction of the Inner Sphere. Granted, we were also a little distracted at the time since Trevor had confirmed the Prince's theory about the origin of the Wolf's Dragoons - they had not responded to the recall order of Clan Wolf, so he didn't feel honour-bound to keep their secrets. Knowing that, we prepared the regiment for the worst: An all-out fight against a traitorous fifth column. Of course, since we warned our families, and since the intel spread to the other realms, the conference started very differently than many expected - especially the Dragoons.'

• Diary of Katherine 'MadCat' Steiner-Davion

*****​

'For the last month, I have been testing drug after drug, with no success. I know it is possible - I have found out that both Patient S-D and Patient L used drugs to disappear - but I haven't yet managed to find out which drugs exactly they used. My clearance, obviously, isn't as high as I hoped, which means I have to remedy this - or find alternative solutions. I will not be kept out of Dreamland! The discovery of a lifetime will not escape me!'

• Private notes of M.D. Phil Baker, Triad Medical Wing, Tharkad, 3050

*****​

Hilton Head Island, North America, Terra, November 12th, 3050

"A Cameron? A descendant of the direct line?" Myndo Waterly didn't spit out the words - the Primus of ComStar couldn't afford to lose control. She had to maintain her dignity and composure at all times. But the news she had just received… "It seems the Usurper's thugs had not been quite as thorough with their butchery as we have assumed until now. I trust this has been verified?"

"Yes. The sample - obtained not only at great risk but also thanks to a bout of luck - bears the genetic markers unique to the Cameron main line," Precentor ROM replied.

"They had cadet lines," Precentor Tharkad pointed out.

"Yes, but none of them were kept up to date with the genetic engineering of the main line. That's why we can determine that the ancestor of this man was of Richard Cameron's generation," Precentor ROM explained. "Possibly a descendant of Simon Cameron."

"All the legitimate family members are accounted for," Precentor Dieron objected. "This man must be the descendant of an illegitimate offspring. He has no claim to the throne."

"That kind of formality tends to take a backseat when faced with martial valour," Precentor New Avalon retorted. "The man declared himself the heir to the Star League and then faced and defeated the leader of the Clans in single combat. Whether or not his ancestor was born on the wrong side of the sheets won't matter much to most people."

"'Most people' in this case won't include the House Lords," Precentor Dieron pointed out. "That is the reason why all the cadet lines never came forward with a claim."

That, and the fact that anyone who would have made such a claim would have been defying their own House Lord. No matter which realm, such an action would have been considered a challenge to their throne, Myndo knew - ComStar had investigated the possibility a century ago.

"Then why is he supported by Kali Liao and Katherine Steiner-Davion?" Precentor New Avalon shot back.

Myndo glanced at the Precentor Martial. One of the girls was, after all, a member of his family. But the man's expression didn't betray his thoughts.

"Both of them ran away from their families. And both have been treated for mental issues. I hardly think their presence indicates any kind of approval or support for the Colonel's claim," Precentor New Avalon countered. "I would assume that neither family is happy about their daughter's apparent choice of allegiance. Or company."

"And yet, both of them are second in line to their respective thrones. A lucky shot on the battlefield, or a successful plot, and they are the heirs of their realms." Precentor New Avalon didn't want to let this go. "This isn't a delusional fool we can easily dismiss - or dispatch. This is a potentially huge problem. The myth of the Camerons is widespread in the entire Inner Sphere. Even on Terra, such a claim could cause trouble for the Order."

Myndo nodded. "There is another aspect, isn't there?" She looked at Precentor ROM.

"Yes." The man didn't show any reaction. "Colonel Alexander Cameron has caught our attention before. He was born on Terra as Alexander Carter and orphaned as a teenager. In college, he took part in a medical experiment - a sleep study with a focus on dreams. During this time, he became interested in the Star League - and especially the Camerons. He visited Unity City several times during his vacations, at considerable personal expense."

"He discovered his ancestry?" Precentor Sian asked.

"Possibly. Records are spotty." Precentor ROM inclined his head. "But his research into the Star League caught our interest when he used previously unknown Star League era codes to access our data banks."

"What?" Precentor Dieron showed a surprising lack of self-control. Or that was what she wanted Myndo to think. "Do you mean the man claiming to be a Cameron can access our systems?"

"Could. The leak was plugged."

"And why wasn't he taken into custody?"

Myndo folded her hands as Precentor ROM tensed. "The attempt was made but failed. Alexander Carter evaded arrest and disappeared. Despite an extensive search, he wasn't found again. This was twelve years ago. The only possible contact since then, until he appeared on Solaris VII, was an incident near his old home involving a Nighthawk suit and a priority message sent to Katherine Steiner-Davion using a fake ID we didn't spot in time to stop the message."

"The poem I personally delivered to Lady Steiner-Davion," Precentor Tharkad said. "That was him contacting her."

"Yes."

"So, we inadvertently helped him gain the support of at least one member of a ruling family." Precentor Atreus shook his head.

"He already was in contact with her. We analysed the poem. While we couldn't discern the meaning, we are certain that whatever message was hidden in it would have needed a prior contact to transmit the cypher," Precentor ROM retorted.

"And how would he have made contact with one of the best-protected people in the Inner Sphere? Who spent years in a coma," Precentor Sian scoffed.

"He evaded our operatives and left Terra without leaving any trace. And, apparently returned later without us knowing," Myndo pointed out. "These are not the actions of an orphan without support."

Everyone tensed at her statement.

"You think he's supported by… people in the Order?" Precentor Dieron asked.

"It is one explanation for his success at evading us - and his 'fortunate' discovery of a Colossus-class dropship full of Lostech 'Mechs," Myndo said. The other explanation the analysts had mentioned was too ridiculous to be considered. 'Psychic powers'. She suppressed the urge to scoff. If the Camerons had been able to read minds, they would never have fallen to the Usurper's plot.

Everyone present eyed each other. The Precentor Martial earned more than his fair share of glances, Myndo noted. At least from those who knew his origin.

"We are looking into the matter," Precentor ROM said. "If this is a plot from within our Order, we will find the culprits."

Myndo studied the others, but none of them showed a particular reaction to that statement. They would have expected that, of course. She cleared her throat. "As you can see, the situation is more complex than a mercenary laying claim to his family's heritage. I suggest that we leave him be for now - he seems dedicated to fighting the Clans, and I do not have to remind you that they are the most urgent and grave threat to Blessed Blake's vision."

"If Colonel Cameron is supported by a faction of our Order, then they made a good choice," the Precentor Martial spoke up. "As our operatives in the occupied area confirmed, the death of the IlKhan at his hand has stalled the invasion for about one year as the Clans' bloodnamed warriors are forced to gather in Strana Mechty to elect a new IlKhan."

"Have we finally found the location of their home?" Precentor Dieron asked.

"No. The Clans guard this secret very competently. None of their usual lack of care when it comes to OpSec applies to the coordinates of their home systems," the Precentor Martial replied.

Myndo suppressed a snort. She wondered if the Clans honestly thought they were fooling anyone - the Order had found out their origin and their goal a few weeks after the first diplomatic contact was established. And the Com Guards had been preparing to defend Terra against the invasion since that moment - which had done a lot of good for the Order's grip on the planet as well; nothing united a population like a barbarian enemy coming to enslave them all and destroy their way of living. ComStar hadn't even had to lie about that.

"However, while we have been granted more time to prepare against their assault," the man went on, "we are still faced with a formidable army that has far more combat experience than our own. The more resistance the Inner Sphere powers can put up to the invasion, the better for us."

"Yes. Let them bleed each other dry," Precentor Atreus said. "Then we can mop up the remnants."

The Precentor Martial didn't bother hiding his scorn as he glared at the man. "Our goal is to save Terra and the Order. Anything beyond that depends on how much this will cost us."

Myndo nodded in agreement. "And the key to this is the conference on Outreach that the Dragoons are planning."

"On the planet held by the traitors," Precentor New Avalon muttered. "Do we know if anyone has agreed to attend? Except for mercenary leaders, of course."

"The House Lords have not yet transmitted their decisions. Although the messages from Hanse Davion and Melissa Steiner that we managed to decrypt have been illuminating. They aren't amused that a nominal vassal of theirs called for a conference with the heads of three enemy states in their own territory - without informing them beforehand, much less asking for permission." Precentor ROM grinned.

Myndo smiled as well.

"Can we confirm that this is a trap?"

"We cannot," Precentor ROM replied. "The Dragoons might not be on our level when it comes to gathering information, but they guard their own secrets well. We don't know if they plan to reveal their origin or ambush their guests."

"That is why we ensured that all the powers that were invited were made aware of certain potential threats," Myndo said. "But I think that the Order should step in and offer Terra as the location for the conference. Unlike the Dragoons, we can actually offer guarantees of safe conduct and neutrality to everyone attending."

"I agree," Precentor Tharkad said. "And I think that Archon Steiner and First Prince Davion will agree as well. They did hold their wedding on Terra, after all."

"Although I suggest that we should have a battlecruiser division and two destroyer divisions of our reactivated fleet standing by to jump into the Outreach system, in case the Dragoons reveal themselves as traitors," the Precentor Martial said. "A force like the Dragoons striking from behind the frontlines could disrupt and seriously, potentially fatally, damage the war effort of the Inner Sphere."

Myndo nodded. "I agree." They were far too close to Terra. If they turned out to be a fifth column, Myndo would order the entire planet scorched from orbit.

"We're deploying the fleet?" Precentor Dieron asked. "Are they ready?"

"Not for a fight against a peer opponent. Not yet," the Precentor Martial replied. "But they are training hard, and we'll be sending our best pilots with them. Unless the Dragoons have warships of their own, they cannot stand against our ships."

As the Precentor Martial answered several more questions concerning the state of readiness of the ComStar fleet, Myndo looked at the map displaying the Clans' advance towards Terra.

If Blake's vision was to be preserved, they had to be stopped at all costs. Compared to this, a resurgent Cameron with a handful of mercenaries, even with support from traitors in the Order, was nothing. And who knew? Perhaps he would manage to get himself killed fighting the Clans. That would be the ideal outcome - dead heroes were the most useful kind, after all. In fact, she was almost certain that this would happen.

ComStar would come out on top of this crisis. Myndo's leadership and guidance would ensure that.

*****​

Imperial City, Luthien, Draconis Combine, November 14th, 3050

"Ilkhan Showers. I am Alexander Cameron. Commander of the First Royal Irregulars. Heir to the Star League. I have come to defend the Inner Sphere against your invasion. I challenge you - let a duel decide this battle!"

"You dare to claim the legacy of the Camerons? And challenge me? I was going to honour you with a glorious battle, but this… this disgrace cannot stand."

"I am a Cameron. My blood doesn't lie! And I will prove it to you!"

"I will crush you for this impertinence!"

"Try it!"

Takahashi Kurita stopped the recording playing on the holoprojector discreetly mounted in the room. There was no need to watch the duel again - he already knew everything that the fight revealed. He had the man's measure as a MechWarrior. And as a leader. What he needed was the man's measure as a ruler. He had to know if the man was a tool to be used by others or a power in his own right.

"His claim has been confirmed," he said. Otherwise, his friend would have informed him.

"Hai." Subhash inclined his head. "Our agent managed to acquire a sample and sent the data to us."

"A Cameron." Takahashi slowly shook his head.

"An illegitimate one," Theodore said.

That was true - but Takahashi knew, as any Kurita did, that the final legitimacy was earned on the battlefield. And yet, forms were important as well. Order was the foundation of every realm. A man who flouted the law would not be able to create anything that would last. Nor would he be able to effect any lasting changes.

He didn't let his expression betray his thoughts. "And he's in the company of a Steiner-Davion and a Liao." An enemy and a supposed ally.

"Hai."

Their identities had been confirmed as well. The sons and daughters of the Dragon were as skilled as their reputation demanded. "A surprising and complicated development."

"Do you wish for it to be simpler?" Subhash asked.

"Life is rarely simple. If it seems simple, it might be a mistaken assumption." No, he didn't wish to have the man killed. Not yet. Certainly not until he knew more about the entire situation. A fool would strike at a pawn only to lose his queen a few moves later, and Takahashi was no fool. They had to determine the exact relationship between the Cameron and the two girls. And between the two girls and their families. "Or it might be a trap."

Chancellor Liao was supposed to be a madwoman, but she had led her realm for twenty years. And she had fended off an invasion by neighbouring powers as well as stabilised the Confederation despite the terrible losses it had suffered against the Federated Suns. Only a fool would underestimate her.

"A trap, but by whom?" Theodore asked. "Is this a plan by Liao to divide the Federated Commonwealth? Or a plan by the Fox to divide the Confederation?"

"The Maskirovka is skilled at hiding their operatives and their goals," Subhash commented. That was no excuse, of course - but it was true nonetheless.

"Yes. A hasty decision taken in ignorance would only play into the hands of our enemies," Takahashi said. "There is no need to strike yet." Not at the Cameron, at least.

"Our enemies might count on that. Is it wise to risk letting their plan unfold while our realm is being invaded?" Theodore raised his eyebrows slightly.

Takahashi looked at Subhash.

"The people of the Combine are the least likely to be distracted by the myth of a fallen dynasty," his friend said. "We are united behind the dragon."

Takahashi nodded even though he knew this was a lie - his realm was split between several factions. One of them was his heir and son, who controlled most of the DCMS - and had done so for over a decade. He hadn't moved against Takahashi, though, which spoke well of his loyalty - or ill of his spine and ambition. But perhaps Theodore felt that Takahashi would serve well as a scapegoat, should the need for one arrive.

And with the Clans advancing, that point might come. The DCMS had done their duty, but while they had made the invaders bleed for every world they took, they had achieved precious few victories - they had performed notably worse than the Federated Commonwealth, especially at the start of the invasion. Wolcott had been the only time they had actually defended a world successfully - and that victory had been achieved by guile more than strength of arms. The enemy wouldn't, hadn't fallen for the same ploy again.

He focused on the matter at hand. "Indeed. This Cameron is more likely to create problems for our rivals than for us - once he stops focusing on the invaders." He had a single regiment if one were to generously count four companies as two short battalions. And the relationship between the eldest daughter of the Steiner-Davions and the daughter of the Liaos would be enough, if publicly known, to cause trouble in the Capellan March of the Federated Suns.

"Our rivals could use his name against us," Theodore pointed out.

"Only tools can be used." Takahashi looked at his son. "You will know if he is a tool once you meet him." He didn't clench his teeth or scowl as he spoke; it had been two decades since that unforgivable insult, and he had a hold on the rage he felt whenever his thoughts strayed towards the mercenary scum. It was still fortunate that his son would have to deal with them and not Takahashi himself.

"Speaking of the conference…" Subhash trailed off.

Takahashi knew what he was hinting at.

As did Theodore. Takahashi's son nodded. "The proposal to move the conference to Terra does change things, of course. While it would have been foolish to enter the Federated Commonwealth on the word of a mercenary leader with a blood feud against the Dragon, travelling to Terra is an entirely different prospect."

Takahashi nodded. As if he would have trusted both Jamie Wolf and Hanse Davion to honour their word. Especially not Wolf. Only a fool would trust people whose loyalty could be bought. And the information about the origins of the mercenaries - obvious in hindsight - changed everything. They were not warriors but spies. And spies couldn't be trusted. A lesson the Fox was likely learning now, with Wolf having acted far above his station by calling for this conference without Davion's permission. Unless this was what the Fox wanted Takahashi to think…

"And according to my sources, ComStar is deeply concerned about the Clans," Subhash added. "Concerned enough to have spent the last months gearing up and expanding their forces. They are even planning to reveal their military capacity - possibly at this conference - if it is held on Terra."

"They are seen as a neutral force," Theodore commented. "Their soldiers are lacking experience, but the consequences of defying them should be enough to curb thoughts of betrayal amongst our enemies."

Takahashi smiled. He, his son and his friend were aware of the bad blood between ComStar and the Fox. But he didn't think that his enemy was aware of the true military capabilities of ComStar. What were the chances that they had also managed to insert an agent into ComStar's First Circuit?

*****​

Camora, Twycross, Federated Commonwealth, November 16th, 3050

Victor Steiner-Davion stared at his noteputer. Which was displaying his battalion's status report. It didn't contain anything Victor hadn't known already - he had visited the wounded, attended the burials, and checked the repairs - but summed up like this, on a single page… It felt as if the blood of his soldiers had been reduced to numbers. Fifty per cent effective strength. A clean number. But those were Mechwarriors, wounded and killed. Half the missing soldiers were expected to return to duty. The rest had either suffered crippling injuries or were dead. Twenty people. Ten of them dead or crippled. He knew them all, but not as well as he should've known them - he had joined the Tenth Lyran Guards late, and despite his best efforts, there hadn't been enough time to get to know everyone. Their deaths still hurt. He had been their commander. Worse, the plan behind the entire operation had been his. Partially at least.

He leaned back in his seat and rubbed the bridge of his nose. They had mauled the Jade Falcons in return - of the four Clusters that had dropped on Twycross a month ago, less than two trinaries had made it off-planet after the trap had been sprung on them. But the forces that had played bait - his own Tenth Lyran Guards, the Kell Hounds and the 9th FedCom RCT - had taken heavy losses until the reinforcements had arrived. The armour and infantry regiments attached to the RCTs had taken the worst casualties, of course - they were much less protected than a MechWarrior.

Victor had expected that. And yet, he still had backed the plan. As much as it hurt to send so many people to their deaths, they were defending the Federated Commonwealth - their home - after all. And he hadn't seen any better option. A necessary sacrifice.

And then, just when the trap was closing, the Jade Falcons caught between the hammer and the - already battered but still steadfast - anvil, someone had come up with a better plan. Colonel Alexander Bloody Cameron had duelled the IlKhan and forced the entire invasion to a halt.

Victor didn't know if he should praise the man or curse him. Thanks to him, the Federated Commonwealth had gained direly needed time to bring more troops to the front and restore and reinforce the units that had suffered casualties - according to the intel weenies, the Clans were expected to take up to a year to replace the IlKhan and return. They could exploit all the salvage, refine tactics, perhaps even start a counter-offensive to push the Clans back before they were ready to resume the invasion. Yes, Colonel 'Cameron' had done a great service for the Federated Commonwealth. And, as much as Victoir hated to admit it, the man had done so in a manner worthy of his claims.

But the bloody bastard had also sent Victor's little sister into a meatgrinder! And was using her for whatever his plots were. Victor would have words with him once they met. Harsh words.

A knock on the door interrupted his thoughts. "Yes?"

"It's me, Kommandant."

Galen? "Come in! And it's Victor." Galen should know that.

"You've got mail," Galen said as he entered. "Personal."

Victor frowned. Personal… "My parents?"

"I wouldn't know."

Victor sighed. "You know, my parents aren't some monsters that will send you to count ice asteroids in a dead system at the slightest gaffe. Nor will they blame you for my mistakes. Or have you dealt with for 'knowing too much'."

"I'm not used to high nobility," Galen replied as he handed the message over. "Better safe than sorry." He turned to leave.

"Stay. Please." He might need a friend to talk to after reading the message.

"Of course." Galen sat down on the chair at the wall. And Victor opened the message with his noteputer.

It was indeed from his parents. Praise for his achievements. Concern about how he felt after losing soldiers under his command. But also… "The complete records of the Battle of Radstadt?"

Galen perked up. "Really? But how would they have…? Oh."

Victor nodded. "They would have an agent in place near Katherine." And they wouldn't have told him for security reasons. Victor was sure that they knew more about Katherine as well. They had hinted at that in their messages, but nothing more. So, it had to be a secret that couldn't be trusted to HPG transmissions. There were precious few of those, and all of them that Vicor was aware of could have people getting killed for even hinting at them.

"Should I call Kai?" Galen asked. "He should be off duty by now."

Victor glanced at him. Galen probably wanted Kai's help to handle him. But Kai was the best MechWarrior Victor knew. And he was Kali Liao's cousin. "Yes, please."

While Galen did so, Victor read the rest of the message. "They're calling me away from the frontlines - to attend the Dragoon conference. But it won't be held on Outreach."

"Kai's on his way." Galen frowned. "Does that mean that the suspicions about the Dragoons have been verified?"

"I don't know - but moving the conference to Terra would fit that," Victor agreed. If the Dragoons were or had been spies for the Clans, you couldn't trust them.

"So, you're going to represent your parents there?"

Victor snorted, though with a slightly hollow feeling. "As if I could represent them. Dad is attending as well. Apparently, he plans on travelling with Colonel Wolf."

Galen frowned. "Is that wise?"

"It means Dad is certain that Wolf won't betray us." Though Victor couldn't imagine why. The Dragoons had already played fast and loose with their agreements with the Federated Commonwealth when they took possession of Outreach - the speed with which they had built up their industrial capacities was almost proof that they had neglected to mention existing Star League facilities. But worse was that they were almost certainly Clanners, or had been Clanners in the past, and had not said anything about them, not even after the invasion had started. How could his father trust them? And why would Mum let him do this?

Another knock at the door announced Kai's arrival. He was dressed in camo pants, a tank shirt and slippers. So, he had been resting already. "You called?"

Victor snorted at the weak joke. "Have a seat. My parents sent me another message. I'm going to the Dragoon conference. With Dad."

"Oh." Kai blinked. "That's…"

"Yes." Victor sighed. He turned to look at Galen. "It looks like you'll be meeting my dad sooner than expected."

Galen actually paled.

"But enough of that. They also sent me the complete BattleROM records of the Battle of Radstadt. And I need your opinions on them."

Kai nodded. "Let's watch them."

Galen had already prepared the holoprojector, so Victor just had to slot the memory chip. "Let's see how my sister and your cousin fought the Clans."

As it turned out, the answer was: in a brutal slugfest as bad or even worse than what he had seen on Twycross, with Katherine and Kali in the thick of it, battling assault OmniMechs in melee range.

"I'm going to hurt Cameron," he whispered as he watched his little sister's 'Mech getting shot to pieces in a desperate last stand against superior forces as her lance - her company - fell around her.

"Don't try it in a 'Mech," Galen said.

Victor frowned at him. He was already aware that Alexander Bloody Cameron was the better - or more experienced - MechWarrior.

"And don't do it where Katherine or Kali can see you," Kai added.

Victor switched his glare to his other friend. Yes, they were obviously very talented MechWarriors. And a little crazy as well. But he had been top of his class at Nagelring, and he had combat experience against the Clans. He wasn't the same cadet any more whom Katherine had schooled in simulations.

But that wasn't the real problem. "How? How did they become so good? And why are they following this man? Katherine was in a coma for ten years, and then she was in rehab! She was under constant surveillance!"

"Kali was in a coma as well - Mother had it confirmed by her sources," Kai said. "She woke up on the same day as Katherine. And it seems both went into a coma at the same time."

Galen was frowning. "You think this…" He gestured at the holoprojector, which had been frozen at the moment Colonel Cameron engaged the IlKhan. "...is because they were in a coma?"

"Mum and Dad mentioned that Katherine claimed to have met Kali in her dream," Victor said.

"But…" Galen shook his head. "That's impossible."

"I think my parents disagree. That's the only explanation I can think of why they haven't ordered their agents to bring Katherine back," Victor said.

Kai frowned in that polite way of his when he was disagreeing without saying anything. Victor sighed. "Yes?"

"You're here."

That was different. "I am a soldier in the Armed Forces of the Federated Commonwealth," Victor pointed out. "I graduated from Nagelring. I am doing my duty."

"They might think your sister is doing her duty as well," Kai said.

"What?" Victor stared at him. "That's not possible! Even if they thought she was ready to fight the Clans, why would they let her fight them as a mercenary in the employ of Rasalhague?"

"Perhaps they know more about this Colonel Cameron than we do," Kai speculated.

"What?" Victor shook his head. "Are you suggesting that they think this… man is actually a legitimate heir? And that they are backing him?"

"I'm not suggesting anything," Kai said. "But why would they let your sister risk her life with this man?"

"And why would Romano Liao do the same?" Galen asked.

Kai shrugged. "My aunt is crazy, as trusted sources assure me." Trusted sources like his father, who was the Head of MIIO and had spent years undercover at the court on Sian.

"But my parents aren't." Victor closed his eyes and sighed. "I'll have some pointed questions for them."

This whole mess didn't make any sense, as far as he could tell. His parents better had some good answers.

*****​

Harlech, Outreach, Federated Commonwealth, November 16th, 3050

"...and not only did you invite the heads of realms nominally at war with the Federated Commonwealth to a conference on a planet you hold in our name, offering free passage without asking for permission from your liege lord, you also hid your ties to the enemy currently invading our realm and did not warn us of them, not even after they started their invasion. And while we wouldn't assume without further evidence that you plan to betray us - you didn't do anything of the sort so far, despite ample opportunities, and you have proven to be a man of your word in the past - we cannot help but be suspicious of your intentions. Therefore, we require additional guarantees such as…"

Colonel Jamie Wolf sighed as he stopped the recording and turned to his fellow Dragoon colonels. "As you can see, our nominal liege lord isn't pleased. They already announced that the conference would be moved to Terra and protected by ComStar."

"They know our origin? Someone must have betrayed us!" Colonel Neil Parella, the commander of Gamma Regiment, spat, then glared at Stanford Blake.

The head of WolfNet didn't flinch. "According to what we could find out, it wasn't a leak - analysts drew conclusions from how the Black Widow Training Battalion operated."

Jamie smiled wryly. In hindsight, trying to train his people how to fight the Clans by using an OpForce organised and fighting like a Clan cluster while at the same time attracting as much mercenary business as possible to Outreach had been a mistake. Too many people, too many eyes and ears. That, and sending the Black Widow Battalion out to fight on actual contracts, of course. But they had needed the money.

"We shouldn't be focusing on why Hanse Davion knows about our origin, but on what we'll do about his… demands," Colonel Kelly Yukinov replied.

"They are outrageous!" Parella spat. "This is our planet - we won it with our blood! We rebuilt it with our people's sweat and toil!"

"Obviously, Hanse Davion disagrees about us actually owning Outreach," Jamie pointed out.

"Then call back our warships and see what he says then!"

Jamie pressed his lips together. "Hanse Davion took care to point out that 'in anticipation of the use of warships by any hostile parties, the AFFC had stepped up nuclear drills and exercises."

"He would nuke our warships?" Elizabeth Nichole, Commander of Epsilon Regiment, raised her eyebrows.

"If he thinks we are hostile? In a heartbeat," Blake replied. "And he has the resources to do this without significantly reducing his forces at the Clan front."

"How?"

"The Terran Corridor has always been garrisoned quite heavily," Jamie pointed out.

"But how would he know about our warships in the first place without a leak? And do you remember that the AFFC has been doing significantly better against the invading Clans than the DCMS? Someone must have warned them! Someone familiar with the Clan way of fighting!" Parella blurted out.

That was the logical explanation. But Jamie knew that the last thing the Dragoons - and the Inner Sphere - needed was a witch hunt for spies and more internal division. They had to stand united against the Clans. "We need to focus on how to deal with this," he said. "We can always hunt down spies afterwards. What does this mean for us?"

"He is demanding all our secrets - all our technology! As if they had beaten us!" Parella was getting more and more worked up about this, Jamie saw. "And he is demanding that we reveal all we know about the Clans and Clan Wolf! We would not even do this if we were bondsmen!"

Jamie slowly nodded. They were right - and yet they were wrong as well.

"If we hand over our tech, we lose our edge," Yukinov said.

"We are still the best Warriors in the Inner Sphere," Jamison spoke up. Of course the commander of Zeta Battalion would say that.

"If they want our secrets, they should fight us for them!" Parella shook his head. "This isn't right!

Jamie didn't nod in agreement. It was the Clan way, indeed. But… "They are not Clan," he said. "We cannot expect them to follow our ways."

"And they cannot expect us to obey them as if we were their own troops!" Parella retorted.

"Actually, that is exactly what they expect," Blake cut in. "They consider us their vassals."

"Preposterous!"

Jamie had sworn an oath when they had been granted Outreach - not quite the same as other feudal lords, more aimed at ensuring that the Dragoons wouldn't fight against the Federated Commonwealth - but he had given his word, amongst other duties, to defend the planet against the enemies of the Federated Commonwealth, and that must have created certain expectations amongst the Steiner-Davions.

"Even their actual vassals are not expected to hand over all their secrets - he wants our techs to teach their scientists!" Parella pointed out. "He wants to take over our factories!"

Well, they wanted first refusal for all the military material produced on Outreach, but it would work out the same, Jamie knew that.

"They must have captured many techs on Twycross," Nichole pointed out.

"Then they have no need to demand what is ours!"

"Our techs have experience with building and running factories - they would certainly be of great help when it comes to getting new technology into production," Jamie said.

"But we cannot do that!" Parella protested. Jamie wondered if the man had started drinking in excess again - he expected better self-control from his officers.

"One could argue that we should have done this before," Nichole said.

"We would not have survived if we had revealed the truth after the Fourth Succession War. Hanse Davion would have absorbed us," Blake countered.

Jamie agreed with that assessment. The Dragoons had been all but destroyed in the fight against the Combine. If they had then revealed their origins and the threat from the Clans… The First Prince would have insisted on taking all their techs and information. And their surviving warriors as instructors. They wouldn't have had the opportunity to rebuild. But it left them in a quandary now. "What was done was done," he said. "What we do now is the question we have to answer. Do we accede to the demands? Do we defy the Federated Commonwealth? Do we try to compromise?"

"If we defy them, we will have to fight them. And Hanse Davion is not Takashi Kurita - he knows us much better. If he comes after us, we will not survive this." Nichole frowned, no doubt remembering Misery.

If Natasha were here, she would have scoffed and boasted that the Dragoons would kick the ass of the entire Federated Commonwealth, Jamie thought. She probably would have believed it as well. He knew better.

"We could move," Yukinov suggested. "Leave the Federated Commonwealth. We could even pack up most of our factories."

"And where would we go?" Jamie asked. "Who would trust us after Hanse Davion spreads that we deceived him?" The Kuritas would never hire them - and if they did, Jamie wouldn't trust them.

"The Free World League could hire us," Parella suggested.

"But would they? And what are the chances that they would attempt to get our technology?" Nichole retorted.

Blake frowned. "We wouldn't have a lot of leverage," he said. "SAFE is incompetent, but they would be aware that we won't get hired by the Federated Commonwealth. They would likely ask for a lot of concessions."

"So, we wouldn't really gain anything," Jamie summed up. "And Romano Liao cannot be trusted." The woman was insane.

"That leaves Rasalhague," Yukinov pointed out. "They need all the help they can get. We could write our own contract."

Nichole scoffed. "They hate mercenaries. They would probably try to send us against the Clans until we're destroyed. They certainly wouldn't give us a planet of our own."

"Their attitude might have changed after the Battle of Radstadt," Yukinov retorted.

"But they will know that we're from Clan Wolf," Jamie cut in. Hanse Davion would spread the news. "So, they will distrust us. And they are too weak to keep either the Combine or the Federated Commonwealth from coming after us. What protection we could gain from the contract would be minimal."

"And the Clans would focus on whatever world we were to defend," Blake added.

Jamie nodded. The Clans would consider them traitors. Even Clan Wolf might at best attempt to absorb them.

"There's the Periphery," Parella tried again.

Blake frowned some more. "The Taurians would never trust us. The Outworlds Alliance couldn't afford us even if they wanted to hire us. The Magistracy might be willing to grant us a planet, but it wouldn't be a developed one. We wouldn't have a lot of business from other mercenaries, either."

"And we wouldn't get to fight the Clans," Yukinov said.

They wouldn't be able to follow Khan Ward's last orders to defend the Inner Sphere. Jamie nodded again. "That is why I think we should come to an accommodation with the Federated Commonwealth. To avoid hostilities only," he added before Parella could voice his outrage again. "We cannot let them absorb us." Like the Combine had tried thirty years ago.

"The Prince didn't sound as if he was ready to compromise," Nichole said.

"That is a bluff," Jamie retorted. "He could wipe us out - but it would cost him troops and aerospace assets that he needs against the Clans. Hanse Davion is no fool; he will be willing to compromise." Though the negotiations would be hard. As would be any negotiations with Rasalhague.

Although with Colonel Cameron's sudden fame, there might be an alternative. It would be a dark horse, but sometimes, you had to take a chance. Jamie knew that.

Even if the stakes were as high as they could be. But he would have to take the man's measure.

*****​

The Royal Palace, New Avalon, Federated Commonwealth, November 17th, 3050

"...while we understand your concerns, we assure you that we are determined to fight the Clans and protect the Inner Sphere to the best of our ability and mean no harm to the Federated Commonwealth…"

Hanse Davion flicked the recording off and looked at Ardan. "Jamie Wolf sent his answer."

His friend shook his head. "The nerve of the man! In other circumstances, I would admire his gall."

Hanse chuckled. "So would I." But they were facing an invasion by the mercenary's former - or so Hanse hoped - Clan. Not that he would have let the admiration keep him from doing what was necessary, anyway - under any circumstances. He wouldn't risk the Federated Commonwealth's interests.

"So… he offers help with integrating the techs we took captive and preferred customer status for Blackwell Heavy Industries?" Ardan asked. "I thought we already had that status."

"So did I. Although from the way he worded it, it's basically first refusal for any of the products of their factories on Outreach." Hanse shook his head. "Of course, there is no clause that would prohibit them from moving their factories to another planet."

Ardan frowned. "Do you think they would do that? Colonel Wolf didn't strike me as the kind of person to play such games."

"Clan Wolf warriors are fond of exploiting any such loopholes in their batchalls," Hanse said.

"Ah." His friend nodded. "Their honour is very flexible."

Hanse narrowed his eyes at him. "An inflexible ruler will doom their realm."

"As will a ruler who breaks their word - or breaks the spirit of an agreement while sticking to the letter of it," Ardan shot back without flinching.

Hanse sighed and leaned back in his seat. "Sometimes, needs must."

"And some lines should never be crossed. Some prices are too high to be paid."

Hanse shrugged with a grin. This was an old argument of theirs. They wouldn't settle it tonight. Or ever. "I agree in principle - but the devil is, as usual, in the details." He sighed. "I'll send a counter-offer back. We need hard guarantees." And a way to keep the Dragoons from growing too much - if only to stop having a dozen regiments tied down in the neighbouring systems in case the Dragoons turned on them. And he needed to be seen taking control of the situation - the Dragoons acting as if they were a sovereign power couldn't be tolerated. He just hoped that Wolf understood that. Hanse certainly hadn't been subtle about that point in his message.

He sighed. "Well, it's not the only thing we need to discuss."

"The conference on Terra." Ardan nodded. "Guarded by ComStar. Who has been very 'neutral' towards the Clans."

"They've been arming up rapidly since the first reports of the invasion arrived," Hanse said. "We don't have many spies on Terra, but all agree that the Com Guards are recruiting heavily."

"To fight the Clans - or to help them?" Ardan asked.

"The recruiting ads feature unspecified barbarians as a threat to the Solar System," Hanse replied. "Of course, they could be talking about us."

Ardan chuckled, but Hanse wasn't really joking. "MIIO can't exclude the possibility that this is an attempt to take out as many leaders of the Inner Sphere as possible, but they give it a low probability."

"Taking out you and the other delegates, followed by a sphere-wide interdict…" Ardan pressed his lips together.

"I'll leave clear instructions for that case. It's not as if we haven't trained for such an event." Ever since ComStar interdicted the Federated Suns and Com Guards attacked the NAIS disguised as Capellan Death Commandos in 3029, Hanse had his staff make plans to minimise the damage should this happen again. And to strike back.

"You won't reconsider going then," Ardan said. He frowned. "You're usually not that foolhardy."

Hanse grinned. "My personal analysis says that ComStar won't attempt to betray us. Not when there are more troops in striking distance to Terra than have been since the war in 3039. And I also think that ComStar wouldn't sacrifice themselves like that." They might do a lot of damage, might even doom the Inner Sphere, but they wouldn't survive such treachery.

"Unless they are working for the Clans."

Hanse shook his head. "No. If they were working for the Clans, the invaders wouldn't have attacked from the Periphery - they would have struck from Terra, attacking our most valuable worlds and under the cover of an interdict." Everyone would have been blind and deaf, dozens of worlds falling before anyone would realise, much less be able to react.

Ardan looked grim but nodded. "So, they want to fight the Clans."

"Yes. That's what MIIO thinks. And what I think." And his gut feeling agreed.

"That's why you'll be attending the conference."

Hanse nodded. "Yes. I can't send a representative. I have to attend in person. This is too important."

"And you've called Victor back to join you."

"Yes." His son and heir needed more experience. And this was the best opportunity to let Victor get a taste of high-level politics and diplomacy. And to meet the other houses. Know your enemy and all that.

"He won't be happy." Ardan grimaced.

"He'll understand." Hanse sighed once more. Victor was his and Melissa's heir. He couldn't focus on his military career. "And he'll probably have questions about Katherine that he'll expect to be answered."

His friend slowly nodded in agreement. "You didn't tell him about… her dreams?"

Hanse shook his head. "That's not something I'll risk sending over the HPG. And a courier could be intercepted." An entire world - no, an entire Inner Sphere and beyond - made of the dreams of children. Imaginary yet real. A world Alexander Cameron could enter and leave - and, obviously, Katherine could as well.

Ardan took another sip from his glass and nodded. "True."

And Victor should understand this - he knew that ComStar couldn't be trusted. "We need to come to an understanding with the other realms. We cannot defeat those invaders if we have to guard against an invasion from our neighbours." They had to bring the full might of the Federated Commonwealth to bear against the Clans. Drown them in sheer numbers if they had to. Not that Hanse thought it would come to that - the Clans were hell on a tactical level, but strategically, they were lacking - most of them, at least. Clan Wolf didn't seem to suffer the same logistical difficulties as the other Clans. Or not the same degree.

"Well, I don't think Takahashi Kurita will disagree," Ardan said. "His situation is definitely worse than ours. But Thomas Marik and Romano Liao…" He grimaced.

"Thomas is, at least, rational. He must know by now that the Clans won't stop with the Federated Commonwealth - or Terra. Even if SAFE were as inept as its reputation claims, his ties to ComStar should ensure that he'll receive up to date intel," Hanse said. "But Romano Liao is unpredictable." Crazy, actually. Even if she agreed to a formal truce, Hanse would need hefty guarantees before he could strip the Capellan March of units to fight the Clans.

"And her daughter is with Katherine."

Hanse frowned at Ardan. "Yes. Our spy confirmed that they are in a relationship." He half-expected his friend to make a comment about Hanse using MIIO operatives to spy on his daughter. But Ardan knew this wasn't Hanse being an overprotective parent.

"Are you planning to… take Katherine home?" Ardan asked.

Or not. "You mean, am I planning to have the agents in place abduct her for her own good?" Hanse replied, a little more sharply than he had intended.

His friend nodded, remaining unfazed.

Hanse sighed. "I want to. She's barely eighteen - her birthday was yesterday! - and she's fighting the Clans." And almost got killed in the last battle! Her 'Mech was repairable - but Hanse had still thought about sending a brand new model, same as Victor's, to her. Or an Atlas. Anything to keep her safe.

"But you won't."

Hanse sighed once more. "She is eighteen. And do you think we could keep her from returning to her friends? To her lover?"

Ardan sighed as well. "At least she isn't your heir."

And thank God for that small mercy! The Capellan March's reaction to his daughter being involved with a Liao would be bad enough. "But she is in the company of the heir of the Camerons."

"Was that confirmed?"

"Our operative procured a blood sample. The DNA markers check out, NAIS assured me," Hanse replied.

"That doesn't make him a legitimate heir."

"No, it doesn't. But that he apparently is the First Lord of the Star League in Dreamland?" Hanse snorted. "That's an altogether different thing." Nothing added legitimacy to someone's claim like holding the position.

"Katherine said that only he could pass between the realms," Ardan pointed out. "And while we know that both Katherine and Kali Liao can do so as well, I think we can safely assume that we don't have to fear an invasion by the SLDF of Dreamland. If they could, I doubt that their Lord would have risked his life fighting the Clans with a ragtag battalion of mercenaries."

Hanse snorted. "I tend to agree - but since a Liao is involved…"

"Don't let Justin hear this," Ardan joked.

"He would agree - he spent years at the court in Sian." Hanse chuckled. "But we also know they can transfer material - like power armour. And the neurohelmets they hand out to their people. But I'm thinking of the data chips - the 'SLDF manuals' they handed out to their soldiers apparently were slightly different from the original manuals."

Ardan's eyes widened. "I didn't know that."

"MIIO had to procure the original manuals first to compare the data. The results came in today," Hanse told him.

"Ah." His friend nodded. "And you want that data."

"Of course I do," Hanse admitted. "Not just the SLDF technical data - which would be a huge boon even now - but they apparently defeated their version of the Clans, so they must have ample data about Clan technology. If we can get that knowledge to NAIS, we should be able to counter their technological edge."

"That will take years to turn into production, though." Ardan cocked his head. "By that time, if we manage to stop the invasion, the Combine will still be weakened by the conflict. More so than us."

"Yes." Hanse grinned. There was no need to hide it. The Dreamland data wouldn't help much against the Clans right now - but it would help a lot against all of the Federated Commonwealth's enemies in the near future.

"They will be aware of that," Ardan pointed out.

"Yes." Hanse nodded as he leaned back. "Which is why I need to know more about the whole situation." He needed to know where House Liao stood. And what Cameron's plans were. The man could be another Ian - Hanse's brother had personally fought on the frontlines until he was killed even though many others could have done the same or better and his place should have been on New Avalon. Or Cameron could be a plotter like Liao, and his heroics against the Clans were merely the first step in an attempt to reclaim his ancestral's throne.

Hanse would have to find out. For the sake of his realm - and for the sake of his daughter.

*****​

Forbidden City, Sian, Capellan Confederation, November 18th, 3050

"My sister is friends with the heir of House Cameron?" Sun-Tzu Liao didn't show his surprise - years growing up at court had ensured that he never showed any emotion unless he carefully planned to. But he was surprised. He shouldn't have been - all the pieces of the puzzle had been obvious in hindsight. The mysterious illness, the 'visions' of Star League caches and bases, the sudden flight from home and her hidden skill as a MechWarrior - his sister had been working with a Cameron. But was she the one manipulating him, or was he manipulating her?

His father nodded. "Yes. Our agent confirmed it thanks to a blood sample they were able to collect."

"Ah." Sun-Tzu nodded. "And is he… involved with Kali?" That would be the obvious route; If his sister married the Cameron heir - no matter how flimsy his actual claim - that would immensely help her attempt to replace him as Mother's heir. To have a claim by blood to the throne of the Star League…

"He's illegitimate. All the legitimate heirs of the Camerons have been accounted for," Father said in a transparent attempt to soothe his concerns so he wouldn't take more decisive measures against his sister. Or to lull him into a false sense of security, so his sister could move against him more easily.

Not that she needed any help there - not when she could smuggle a suit of power armour into the palace itself and then manipulate the security cameras to don it without anyone noticing before escaping the best soldiers the Confederation had to offer. Sun-Tzu still didn't know why his sister had done that - she could have simply vanished, given what she had been able to do. Had it been a warning? Or a taunt?

It didn't matter; Sun-Tzu knew that his life was on the line. He had overplayed his hand, and now his sister had the advantage.

But he wasn't defeated. Not yet. He nodded. "Yes, of course. But will the population of the Inner Sphere care?"

Father chuckled. "They don't shape the policies of their realms."

"And what does Mother think?"

His father took a deep breath - almost a sigh. "She thinks that this is Kali's plan to secure not only the Star League's throne for our family but the throne of the Federated Commonwealth as well."

This time, Sun-Tzu didn't manage to hide his surprise. "So… how would that work? If she's involved with the Camerons' heir and bears him children, they won't be Steiner-Davions."

"The Chancellor is convinced that your sister has a plan."

"Ah." In other words, Mother had one of her… creative ideas. Sun-Tzu would have to be even more careful when dealing with his sister.

And that meant that he couldn't afford to skip the conference on Terra and use the time his parents were away to improve his position and fortunes. Not when Mother expected him to accompany her. And, in truth, being seen as her heir would help him.

And, if he was honest, he was looking forward to meeting the other delegates. Especially Victor Steiner-Davion. Perhaps they could have a chat about their respective sisters - and about their plans for both of them.

After all, it was obvious that Katherine Steiner-Davion was planning to replace Victor just as Kali was planning to replace Sun-Tzu.

*****​

Gunzburg System, November 22nd, 3050

"Watch out!"

Ellen Gallinari ducked her head out of reflex at the shout, and only the harness hooked to the seat kept her from floating away from the table in the Babylon's mess hall.

She shouldn't have bothered - Captain Allen missed the table entirely, bumping into the wall before he could catch himself on anything nearby.

He recovered, though, and pushed off again, this time reaching his seat at the table. "Who would have thought we would visit Terra? And as the honour guard of the last Cameron?" he asked as he hooked his harness to his seat. His grin made him look much younger than he was, Ellen noticed. "Sometimes, I still can't believe it!"

She nodded in agreement. "I certainly didn't expect to land on Terra when I signed up with him.

"Nor did I," James Hong, Thug pilot from Second Company - Allen and Ellen's former company - added. "To be honest, all I cared about was getting to pilot a 'Mech again. I would have dropped in hell itself if that was what it took to pilot a Thug."

Allen nodded. "Oh, yes, same here. I didn't expect to make Lieutenant, either. And now I'm a captain!"

"Yes. I would have done almost anything for a 'Mech," Ellen said.

Hong chuckled. "It's a good thing that all that Colonel Cameron requires of us is to fight for him."

Ellen snorted at the crude remark.

Allen frowned but didn't comment. He took a sip from the soup pack instead. "He's a good man. As is to be expected from a Cameron, of course. Risking his life against the Clans on the frontlines like he does…" He shook his head with a sigh.

"Yes." A true Cameron - noble, brave and the best MechWarrior Ellen had seen in her life.

Hong nodded before emptying his pack of soda, squeezing as if he couldn't stand to leave a single drop inside. "But we need to protect him," he said, crumpling the pack. "The Successor States won't like this - they want the throne for themselves."

"They won't do anything on Terra," Allen said. He chuckled. "I wonder how the Terrans will react to a true heir returning."

"And ComStar," Ellen said.

"They're neutral," Allen said. "The real threat are the Kuritas. And the Liaos."

"You can't dismiss the Steiner-Davions either," Hong objected. "Do you think they want to see the Star League reborn under a Cameron?"

Allen frowned.

Ellen nodded. "Yes. They would hate to become a state amongst all others again. The Fox probably already has plans in the making."

"And the Mariks could be a wildcard," Hong added.

Allen scoffed. "Well, no matter who comes after him, they will have to go through us if they want to get to him."

"Hell, yes!" Hong balled his fist and sent a drop flying out of his soda pack.

Ellen nodded as well.

To her surprise, she meant it - she would defend the Colonel against all comers. Except for the Free Worlds League, of course. As a SAFE operative, she knew her duty.

Although… A Cameron. Heir to the Star League. If House Marik wanted him dead, would that really be in the best interests of the Free Worlds League?

She pressed her lips together as she finished her 'possibly beef bowl' zero-grav meal. Such thoughts were treasonous.

And yet, she couldn't banish them from her mind.

*****​

Fort Cameron, Rastaban, Federated Commonwealth, November 24th, 3050

He was so dead! Caught in a dead end, with no way out, it was just a matter of time until he was detected and caught. And caught in a place he shouldn't be - the office was off-limits. But Carol had dared him to go fetch Dad's medal, and Timmy knew that you couldn't let fear keep you from finishing a mission.

But he should've planned better! Now the whole office was full of adults, and Timmy was stuck behind the cabinet in the corner. As soon as one of them got thirsty and came to fetch a drink from the bottle in the bottom drawer, he would be spotted.

And the adults were angry - they were shouting and yelling. Timmy ducked his head.

"He's a Cameron!"

"We don't know that! We've met impostors before."

"We need a blood test to be sure."

"Even with a blood test, he could be an illegitimate offspring. Not a true Cameron."

"Look at the vid! He defeated the leader of the Clans! Who but a real Cameron could do this?"

"That could've been luck."

"Luck? With a damaged 'Mech? Against such a monster? I've looked into it - he appeared out of nowhere, 'found' an extinct dropship full of SDLF 'Mechs and formed a unit to fight the Clans. Who but a true Cameron could do this?"

"What if he found the dropship and then decided to use this for a claim? We can't just pack up and pledge ourselves to a possible pretender without further evidence."

"Then let's send a delegation to him and check for ourselves!"

"And who would go? In the middle of a war? We might be called into action - or invaded - at any moment, and we need our best officers!"

"I concur. We can't just leap at the mere claim of an unknown mercenary."

"We are the Knights of St. Cameron! Of course we need to investigate any mentioning of a Cameron returned!"

"We didn't jump at every delusional claim of a Cameron returned - there were dozens of them in our lifetime! Hell, we had a laugh about the latest, remember?"

"This is different. How many pretenders have announced their heritage fighting the IlKhan? Huh? Look at the record! How many can fight like this?"

Recording? Timmy edged forward and peeked around the corner of the cabinet. Yes, on the big holoprojector in the middle of the office, he saw two 'mechs fighting. A… His eyes widened. That was an Atlas! And it was fighting a Horde 'Mech! He had seen a 'Mech like his - well, the remains - in the museum in Unity City! In Dreamland.

And the Atlas won - the ugly 'Mech collapsed. Yes!

Then the picture changed, and he saw a man. He blinked. He knew that man! "Alexander Cameron?"

"What?"

"Who is there?"

"Tim? What are you doing here?"

Dad walked towards him, but Timmy stared at the picture. That was… "That's First Lord Alexander Cameron!"

Dad stopped. "Tim? You know this man?"

"Yes!" Timmy nodded several times. "I've seen him in…" He bit his lips. You didn't talk about Dreamland - adults thought you were lying or stupid when you did. But… This was important. "I've seen him in Dreamland."

"In your dreams?"

"Yes." Timmy nodded. "But how is he here? People can't leave Dreamland." Only kids could enter and leave. "He should be in Unity City!"

"Really, Felix, listening to children now?" Uncle Mortimer sounded annoyed. But he usually sounded annoyed.

Dad ignored him. "Have you seen this vid before, Tim?"

Timmy shook his head. "No. The fight in Dreamland was different. But I've seen the museum with the 'Mech. I visited with Carol and Melvin." How was the First Lord here? And how was the Nightmare Horde here?

"Carol? My daughter?" Auntie Deborah blurted out.

"Yes." Timmy nodded.

Dad crouched and looked Timmy straight into the eyes. "You saw this man in your dreams? And he was First Lord Alexander Cameron?"

"Yes!" Timmy nodded. "You can ask Carol and Melvin, too! They were there!"

Dad nodded. "I think I will."

"Are we to believe in the dreams of children, Felix?"

Dad smiled. "If these dreams are a sign, Mortimer, then yes. If Tim and his friends dreamt of this man, then we'll send a delegation to meet Alexander Cameron. And if this is the heir of the Camerons, we will do our duty."

Uncle Mortimer shook his head, but he was smiling now. A little.

It looked like Timmy wouldn't get punished for breaking the rules!

*****​

Royal Palace, Unity City, Dreamland, November 30th, 3050

Nastajia Ashenheart hit a button and then looked at the frozen image on the screen. A quick twist on another button enlarged it. She tilted her head. The face was clearly visible, resolution could be better, but…

And Cat sighed. "Bradley. Martin Bradley. He's now in Meier's lance."

Nastajia nodded. "That makes the fourth spy caught going after Alex's blood samples." She looked at Alex. "At least something useful came from your impulsive behaviour."

He smiled at her in that embarrassed manner of his that made her want to walk over and kiss him. But they had a job to do right now. "Bradley. Gallinari. Ramirez. Miller. Killigan"

"There will be more that we've missed," Kelly said, looking up from her notes.

"Sheesh, Kelly!" Cat complained. "Be a bit more optimistic, will you?"

"I'm realistic. Given our way of recruiting and our resources, every intel agency on Outreach will have attempted to infiltrate us," Kelly replied.

Nastajia nodded. "Yes. However, just having identified those agents will help us keep you safer." And Alex had grumbled about using the latest devices from Dreamland to spy on his troops! She'd so make him eat those words in private later!

"Well," he spoke up, "we've got three MechWarriors and two infantry soldiers."

"Miller is a Combat Medic," Kelly pointed out.

"Yes, still infantry," Alex said. "It's not as if we use our infantry in combat anyway, so they're mostly security and support - the ideal posting to spy on us."

Nastajia had to agree with that as well. Both about the spies, and the infantry. Not even Nighthawk suits would protect infantry adequately against Horde Battle Armour, and the battle Armour the SLDF had developed couldn't be taken with you with Alex's code key. Sending them into battle would only see them killed for litlte gain.

"Or to sabotage us," Kelly added. "Did you see how Killigan acted? He used a device before he entered the freezer - and once he did, he didn't show any concern, unlike others. So, he was trusting his equipment to detect any surveillance. That narrows down the possible employers of his."

"ComStar," Cat hissed.

"Or perhaps the Dragoons," Nastajia suggested. "If Ragnar Magnusson's theory is correct, they would have advanced technology as well."

"But not as good as fairy technology!" Kiwi preened. "They can't make technology as small as we can!"

"It would explain how good their spies were in the past," Cat said. She sighed. "I don't know what would be worse, ComStar or the Dragoons."

"ComStar," Nastajia replied at once. They had tried to kill Alex before. And they were religious fanatics.

Alex nodded. "Yes. ComStar rules Terra with an iron first - and I know very well how ruthless and cruel they react to the slightest hint of resistance or dissent while playing the benevolent Order in public. The Dragoons, on the other hand, have been, well… I can't say honourable if they were sent by the Clans, but they haven't broken any contracts and fought without committing atrocities on the battlefield. Assassinating people doesn't strike me as their style."

"They might have done that, just without getting caught," Kelly said. "We know they have troops specialised in sabotage."

Nastajia nodded again. "You need to keep them under surveillance. 24/7."

Alex sighed. "We'll need trusted people to do that - we can't do it alone. Not even with the best surveillance gear from the SLDF."

Nastajia clenched her teeth. Alex needed her. She should be with him. Guarding him. Helping him. Or he should be with her, here in Dreamland. Ruling. Living with her. Not fighting the Clans almost by himself in the Inner Sphere.

"Finding trusted people is, as we just were shown, hard," Cat said.

"You have the former Clan warriors, don't you?" Felicity said, craning her neck and stretching like the cat she was. "They aren't spies, and you know it."

Of course the former thief would suggest that. But Felicity wasn't the norm - she had proven her loyalty, and Nastajia trusted her with her life. And with Alex's. But those Clans? She scoffed under her breath. Not to mention that trusting even more to them would hurt the unit's morale once the other soldiers found out.

"They are warriors, not trained intel operatives," Kelly pointed out. "They wouldn't be very effective."

"Well, we aren't trained spies either, and we caught those spies!" Alex said, grinning.

Nastajia sighed. "Yes. But as we were shown by Killigan, reliance on superior technology will fail as soon as you encounter better technology." At least they didn't have to worry about enchanted gear.

"Or just a smarter and more experienced spy," Felicity added.

"It's still better than nothing," Alex said.

Which was correct. Still, putting so much trust into former enemies didn't sit well with Nastajia. Elves had long memories and knew that people could carry grudges for a long time. She had read famous stories about entire generations earning the trust of their enemies, biding their time until it was time to strike.

And she had no better solution to their problem either.

"Speaking of trust and dangers…" Felicity shifted on her seat with the kind of feline grace even an elf might envy. "What are you going to do about the conference moving from Outreach to Terra?"

Alex sighed once more. "There's not much we can do about that. But ComStar cares about their reputation as a neutral party - and they need the Inner Sphere to beat the Clans - so I think they'll play ball."

"Or they plan to kill you and frame others," Kelly said.

"Who would they frame?" Alex asked. "Any realm they use as a scapegoat would be alienated. And can they really afford that right now?"

"That presumes that the Order would act rationally," Kelly retorted. "They're religious fanatics. And we can't rule out that they cooperate with the Clans. Stranger alliances have happened in the past."

"Well, we can't stay away from the Conference either," Alex said. He lifted his chin slightly - he was set on that, Nastajia knew. "It's a calculated risk, but I think we have to take it. We can help unite the Inner Sphere against the invaders. Fighting them with a battalion or a short regiment won't ever have the same impact as a the Inner Sphere unified against the Clans."

As much as she wanted to disagree, Nastajia couldn't. Alex was correct. But he would be taking a great risk. Not even his enchanted body armour and the ring that detected poison were unfallible.

And, judging from the way he smiled guiltily at her, he knew it and didn't like it either.

But it couldn't be helped - they both had their duties.

If only she were able to leave Dreamland and join him in the Inner Sphere. As it was, she could only spend half her life with him, separated every day when he returned to where he was born.

But it was better than nothing. And once the invasion was beaten, he could return to live in Dreamland full time, as before. With her.

*****​

Atreus City, Atreus III, Atreus System, Free Worlds League, December 5th, 3050

"The Command Circuit will be ready on schedule, Captain-General, according to the latest report."

Thomas Marik - it was his name, now; he had earned it even if he hadn't been born with it - nodded at his aide. He hadn't had any doubt that this would be the case. The Free Worlds League - his realm - wasn't as unified as it should be, with all the friction that added to any organisational structure covering the entire league, but preparing a command circuit was easy.

He suppressed a sigh as his aide left. Not that he actually wanted to attend the conference on Terra. His son was deathly ill and needed him - even if hearing Joshua telling about his dreams of a world where everything was perfect, the Star League still in place, and where Joshua was healthy and could play with others almost broke Thomas's heart.

And his realm needed him. Who knew if more Clans would attack the League from the Periphery? SAFE's last report had stressed how worried the people were. And the Anduriens were already trying to use the potential unrest to further their own ambitions again. It wasn't the time to leave for Terra.

But ComStar and the real Thomas Marik wanted him there. And they could destroy him by merely exposing his real identity. And that would destroy his family and doom Joshua. As the son of the Captain-General, the heir of House Marik, he received the best medical treatment possible. As the son of a pretender?

He scoffed. He had to play ComStar's game. He could only hope they wouldn't expect something utterly unreasonable from him.

Such as offering Isis's hand to this new pretender to the throne of the Star League, as some of the more excitable but not very far-sighted members of his court had done. As if he'd do that to her - or to his family.

For he had no doubt that if this plan actually worked, not that it would, the same people would then push for the couple's children to replace Joshua as his heir. Or for Isis.

And Isis wasn't his daughter, but the real Thomas Marik's. And should she become a more useful pawn for that man, he would get rid of Thomas and his family in a heartbeat.

Sometimes - more often, lately - Thomas berated his younger self for ever agreeing to this plot.

But what was done was done. He could only try his best to deal with the current mess.

*****​

Roche, Clan Space, December 10th, 3050

Darius Shaffer closed his eyes as he drank the green liquid. After swallowing the last drop, he took a deep breath. The few seconds before the drug took effect felt like an eternity, hope filling him. This time, it would work. He had seen visions before, glimpses, but never anything clear enough to see. But Clan Goliath Scorpion's best scientists had worked to refine the formula. Improve it. This time, he would succeed. This time, he would finally reach his dreams again, like so long ago…

He let his breath out as he fell asleep…

…and he saw.

Just for a moment, but more than a glimpse. Long enough to see clearly. Long enough to remember.

The Fields of Unity. The Royal Palace in the background. The moon up in the Sky. Terra. Cradle of humanity. And yet not. Something more.

Dreamland, he whispered. So close. So real. He could almost feel the ground beneath his feet, like in the times before the training. Like…

He blinked - and was back in his room, staring at the ceiling.

And he smiled.

*****​

 

[Starfox5]

Chapter 12: Breathing Space

'Moving the conference from Outreach to Terra made a lot of sense. Terra was, at least in the eyes of most people, a neutral location. ComStar guaranteed its neutrality - and the safety of all participants. Officially. We had concerns about the safety of the conference. ComStar claimed neutrality, but I was aware that they had taken sides in the Succession Wars - most famously by interdicting the Federated Suns in 3029. And they had tried to kill Alex before. Would they dare to strike at him when he was officially their guest? When half the Inner Sphere had heard about his heritage and seen him defeat the IlKhan? We doubted that but we still feared the worst - even with all the personal security Nastajia could arrange, Alex would be vulnerable.
And Cat and I had another danger to deal with: Our families would be attending the conference as well. And while ComStar was likely to act rationally, Mother... wasn't always the most rational person. I wasn't looking forward to explaining my relationship with Katherine to her since she had a tendency to jump to conclusions. But no matter what, I would stick with Cat and my friends. No one would separate us, much less harm them if I could help it.'

• Collected Writings of Kali "Kelly" Liao

*****​

'Tharkad's judicial system is ludicrously strict about drugs procured through unofficial channels. Mandatory detox? How barbaric! And that merely for use - I was, fortunately, able to remove all clues about my experiments with my test subjects. Still, this is another obstacle to overcome. I fear I cannot stay on Tharkad any longer if I am to pursue my research - and abandoning it is out of the question! I will not be denied my discovery!'

• Private notes of M.D. Phil Baker, Jessica Steiner Memorial Clinic, Tharkad, 3050

*****​

Lyons System, Federated Commonwealth, December 23rd, 3050

Two jumps from Terra. They had made good time, especially with most of Rasalhague's jumpships needed to ferry troops and supplies to the front so they didn't have a proper command circuit. ComStar had helped, of course.

But now they had to wait a week, or close to it. Kelly wasn't looking forward to that.

"Christmas in space… Joy," Cat said in a flat tone next to her as she floated to the screen serving as a viewport for their cabin. "I wanted a white Christmas. A white dwarf isn't the same."

Kelly snorted - Cat would be used to Tharkad's snow. She nodded before reaching over and ruffling Cat's hair. "We can celebrate in Dreamland, but we need to be ready in case someone tries to break into our quarters here."

"Well, Kiwi's most recent tools should keep us safe. Or give us enough warning to wake up," Cat said. "They better work - I almost dislocated my jaw transporting them here."

Kelly frowned. "That was never a danger."

"It certainly felt like it."

Kelly decided not to mention the alternatives. Cat hadn't taken well to them the first time Felicity had mentioned them. At least Kiwi had promised to make the next set modular so it could be disassembled into smaller pieces. She shrugged instead and pushed off to check her noteputer for any signs of spies tampering with anything while Cat did a somersault and floated towards their bathroom.

She had aimed well, but she tried to show off, removing her tank top and shorts in mid-flight, and ended up missing the door and having to pull herself along the handholds on the wall while her clothes ended up in the middle of their cabin.

Kelly smirked as she grabbed them and stuffed them into the net near the zero-g bed. Then she focused on the surveillance data. She was halfway through when Cat returned - in zero-g, long showers were not practical. Mostly, it was wipes and 'dry-cleaning'. Being able to enter Dreamland for a real shower every night was a godsend, even if only the feeling carried over unless you used Alex's Code Key.

"So… found another spy yet?" Cat asked, clinging to Kelly's side.

"No. A few potentially suspicious movements, but they haven't checked out so far," Kelly replied.

"'Potentially suspicious'?" Her lover snorted. "Playing it safe, are we?"

"Always," Kelly replied with a grin.

"Unless you're on the battlefield and drive your Raven," Cat retorted with a snort.

Kelly inclined her head. "Calculated risks. I'm not jumping in front of enemy assault lances."

"I'm piloting an assault 'Mech," Cat retorted. "And with the changes the techs finished, it's a great 'Mech!"

Kelly nodded. It was indeed a deadly 'Mech - but the salvaged Ultra AC/20 would make Cat a priority target for any opponent. At least Kelly's TAG was a bit more discreet - and her Raven was faster than Cat's Victor.

But they had gone over that before. Kelly had to trust Cat's lancemates to keep her lover safe. Besides, the odds of them fighting an open field battle in the next few months were low. Not as low as Kelly would like, of course. But she had a feeling that for the duration of the conference, they would have to worry about assassins, not enemy soldiers.

Fortunately, Kelly wasn't entirely inexperienced in that area.

*****​

Lyons System, Federated Commonwealth, December 24th, 3050

"Stille Nacht! Heilige Nacht! Alles schläft; einsam wacht nur das traute heilige Paar. Holder Knab' im lockigen Haar, schlaf in himmlischer Ruh! Schlaf in himmlischer Ruh!"

Cat sighed. The song was the same, but this wasn't the Triad. And her fellow soldiers weren't the Tharkad Christmas Choir. Even if they did their best to match them in volume if not talent.

"Come on, Major! It's Christmas Eve! No time to be maudlin!"

That was Gallinari. Cat forced herself to smile at the spy. "I'm just thinking of my family," she said. "I would usually celebrate Christmas with them."

"Oh." Gallinari nodded. "Your first Christmas without them?"

Fishing for information? Cat shook her head. "No."

"Ah. The drawback of being a professional soldier, right?" Gallinari grinned and toasted her with her glass. "To Christmas!"

Cat raised her one in return. "To Christmas." Nothing alcoholic - she didn't want to get drunk. Certainly not when talking to a spy.

"I must say, this is very nice - not many officers would order a dropship to take a round trip just so we have gravity for the celebration," Gallinari commented.

"Alex is special," Cat said. Although it wasn't really special - she was sure her parents would have done the same. Not that they would have found themselves stuck in transit on a dropship on Christmas Eve, of course.

Gallinari nodded. "Very special!" She looked around. "And for him, this must be like returning home, right?"

Cat shrugged. "You'd have to ask him that himself." She had no doubt that for Alex, home was Dreamland. He had no family left on Terra. Probably no friends left either, but that was another question she had never asked him.

"Well, I'm not going to disturb him while he celebrates!" Gallinari grinned. "Or you and Major Lieden."

Cat snorted. "You better not. Kelly wouldn't take it well." Neither would Cat, but she found that Kelly was considered scarier by most people for some reason.

And Gallinari did wince before she raised her glass again. "To friends and family!"

"To friends and family!"

Gallinari nodded and walked away.

Cat sighed. Her family would be on New Avalon this year - they had celebrated on Tharkad last year, Cat thought. Unless they had rescheduled because Mum had to stay on Tharkad because of the invasion, and wanted her family there. Or unless they were already on the way to Terra… No. The Federated Commonwealth could afford a full command circuit for that. Even when being invaded. Her siblings would have a nice Christmas. And she could celebrate Christmas with Kelly. Both here and in Dreamland.

She made her way to the buffet. The selection had a distinctly Nordic tendency - courtesy of Prince Magnusson. Alex had invited the Prince and his son to the Babylon, but as expected, both had declined - it wouldn't have been good for morale if they celebrated with mercenaries instead of with their own soldiers.

Cat didn't really mind. It was good to celebrate in relative privacy.

She filled her plate with a few snacks that looked tasty - mostly fish - and went to look for Kelly. Which meant looking for Alex - Kelly wouldn't leave him unguarded. And Alex would be… listening to the drunken singers. Great.

Cat considered earplugs, but it wasn't quite that loud, and it would've seemed rude. And, of course, it would have driven the soldiers to sing even louder, or closer - she knew her people.

She grabbed another glass on the way and handed it to Kelly as soon as she reached them. "Here!"

"Thank you." Kelly beamed at her, took a sip, then grabbed one of the finger sandwiches from Cat's plate.

Cat mock-frowned at her. And at Alex, when he did the same.

"What do you think of our Christmas tree?" he asked with a grin.

"I think Meier better have volunteered or he'll be plotting to kill whoever picked his 'Mech to be painted green and decorated with tinsel and plastic planes," Cat replied, nodding at the vandalised Zeus.

"He did, actually."

Or was bribed by the techs. Cat didn't really care, as long as there was no trouble. And the 'Mech kind of looked like a Christmas tree. If you squinted a lot and were very drunk. Which Cat wasn't.

"Did Gallinari attempt to gather intel?" Kelly asked sotto voce as Cat sat down next to her.

"Yes. Quite discreetly," Cat replied. "Asked about my family and past Christmas celebrations."

"Not quite up to Maskirovka standards, if you noticed," Kelly commented.

Cat frowned at her. She wasn't blind or overly naive.

Kelly remained unfazed. "Although knowing she's a spy might have made subtle attempts more obvious," she went on.

That was a possibility - Cat couldn't deny that she felt biased towards the exposed spies. "Better to be too cautious than too careless," she said.

"Definitely," Kelly agreed.

"As long as you still enjoy the celebration," Alex cut in. "This is a time to celebrate. Once we arrive on Terra, we'll be very busy, I expect."

"With our parents," Cat said in a low voice. They knew now that her dad and Kelly's mother were coming, possibly Kelly's father as well. Whether Mum would make it hadn't been confirmed yet one way or the other.

"Amongst others," Alex said. "Are you sure…"

"Don't you start again!" she hissed.

"We have discussed this extensively and decided that it is more important to attend the conference," Kelly added. "I see no reason to reconsider this."

"What she said," Cat said.

Alex smiled. "Of course. Anyway - let's enjoy the party. Compared to what awaits us on Terra, this should be relaxing in comparison."

Cat glared at him - it wasn't a funny joke at all, given what they had to look forward to - and took another sip from her drink. But he was correct - they should enjoy the party. At least with the members of the regiment who hadn't been revealed as spies. They had all fought bravely, worked hard to repair the damaged 'Mechs and deserved better than suffering because their commanders were grumpy.

She emptied her soda, grabbed Kelly's hand and started to drag her lover over to the bar. It was time for some carousing!

*****​

Royal Palace, Unity City, Dreamland, December 25th, 3050

"I've missed this so much!"

Kelly smiled at her lover's outburst as they left their suite in the Royal Palace and saw a bunch of little children chase each other through the hallways decked out with Christmas decorations.

"The decorations! The children!" Cat sniffed the air. "The food! And the dancing!"

"We danced last night as well," Kelly reminded her.

"Yes, but that was… different," Cat said. "A 'Mech bay just isn't a dedicated dance floor. And Russo is a great technician but not a great DJ."

"Would you care to tell him that?" Kelly asked as they stepped around two children racing remote-controlled toy cars down the hallway. Of course, Russo didn't have an actual orchestra, either. Or a ballroom big enough to fit rock giants into it. Then again, the kind of dancing they had done in the Babylon didn't need a ballroom either.

"Do I look suicidal?" Cat snorted. "But most of all, I've missed the…" She trailed off, looking around. "...the peace," she finished after a moment. "We're not at war. Everyone's happy here. It's so good to be home."

Kelly nodded. And then pointed at the mistletoe above the doorway, in which Cat stood.

Her lover smiled at her, licked her lips and tilted her head to the side as Kelly stepped up to her and wrapped her arms around her neck, one hand gripping the back of Cat's head as they kissed. The others in the ballroom could wait a few minutes.

"Major?"

Apparently, some people couldn't wait. Kelly smiled - politely, not warmly - at the child looking at her and Cat. "Yes?"

"You're with the First Royals, right?"

They were wearing their dress uniforms. But the kid probably couldn't tell. He looked about five years old, with a short-cropped head of blonde hair and pyjamas with the Cameron Star on them.

"Yes," Cat said.

"Oh, good!" The boy nodded. "Hey, Carol! Melvin! I've found them!"

"See? I told you they had their quarters here in this wing!" a little girl with a red ponytail declared as she rounded the corner, followed by another boy. They were wearing the same pyjamas. Which was… peculiar.

"These are my friends, Carol and Melvin!" the boy said. "Oh, and I'm Timmy. Tim."

The little girl groaned. "Way to go, Timmy."

"Hey! I found them!"

"I told you where to look!"

"Hey!" the second boy hissed. "Not in front of the officers!"

They sound like the children of soldiers, Kelly thought.

"You were looking for us specifically?" Cat asked, tilting her head a little to the side.

"Yes! You're the First Lord's friends!" Timmy nodded. "And we need to talk to him!"

"He'll be handing out gifts," Cat told them. "You can tell him what you want then - there are lots of toys around."

"No, no, no!" Tommy shook his head vehemently. "It's not about toys. It's about the confi… the conference on Terra!"

They were on Terra. But Kelly wasn't aware of any conference in Dreamland. She glanced at Cat, who had grown serious as well. "Which conference?" Kelly asked.

"The one where everyone's going!" Melvin said. "And also the First Lord! We saw his battleROM!"

"Yes!" Timmy took a step forward, apparently not about to let his friends outshine him. "And my Dad wants to meet you there - well, Dad or Uncle Mortimer."

That sounded… concerning.

"They're the leaders of the Knights of St. Cameron," the girl told them.

Oh. That was a mercenary unit. Quite a peculiar one. And they wanted to talk to Alex? And knew about Dreamland?

Kelly nodded. "Yes, I think you do need to talk to the First Lord."

*****​

Alex was, as expected, handing out gifts to the kids in the ballroom. Lots of kids. He was dressed as Santa Claus while Nastajia next to him wore a 'Santa's elf' costume. Which Cat's prim and proper friend loathed but wouldn't show it since the children loved it. Cat grinned.

"I thought you weren't 'sposed to jump the line," Melvin whispered as they walked towards Alex.

"They're officers, they can do what they want," Carol replied.

"That's not entirely accurate," Kelly corrected them. "But under certain circumstances, the rules need to be adjusted. And I am confident that this is such a situation."

"It better be if we're about to tear Alex away from handing out gifts," Cat mumbled.

"I think that will be up to him - and Nastajia," Kelly said..

Who was, Cat saw, already watching them approach her.

"I hope you're not here to jump the line." Nastajia raised her eyebrows.

"See? I told you!" Melvin blurted out.

"But that's for regular sit… stuff. This is an emergency!" Timmy retorted.

"Not an emergency," Carol corrected him. "But a special situation."

"And what special situation would that be?" Nastajia leaned forward to look at the kids.

Timmy blinked then swallowed. "My… my Dad wants to talk to the First Lord. On Terra. At the conference!"

Nastajia looked at Cat and Kelly. "It seems Timmy recognised Alex on a battleROM. His father leads the Knights of St. Cameron," Cat's lover explained.

"I see." Nastajia nodded. "Indeed, I think this is a special situation. I fear Alex will need to be relieved."

"Not it!" Felicity, who had sneaked up on them somehow, declared at once.

"Not it!" Cat said with a grin.

Kelly and Nastajia frowned at them both. "You are needed at the discussion," Nastajia told them. "We'll ask Paddington to step in."

That was a good idea - the children loved the rock giant almost as much as they loved Alex. Or toys.

While Nastajia sorted out things in the ballroom, Cat, Kelly and Felicity took the kids to Alex's office.

"Sorry for ruining your Christmas," Timmy said as they sat the kids down on the couch there.

"Yes," Melvin agreed - looking around with wide eyes.

"It's not your fault," Cat assured them.

"And it might turn out to be the best gift Alex might have received today," Kelly added with a smile.

"So, don't worry about it," Felicity told them. "Do you want some cake while we wait for the First Lord?"

"Yes!" "Yes, please!" "Yes!" "YES!"

Cat chuckled at the last yell - Kiwi had arrived as well.

They sent for cake, but before it arrived, Alex and Nastajia entered, both wearing dress uniforms. Alex smiled at the kids. "So, you've got a message for me?"

Timmy and his friends jumped off the couch and stood at something you might call attention if you were blind and squinted. "Milord!" Timmy snapped. "Yes! My father is going to Terra. To meet you at the conference!"

"At ease!" Alex told them, and all three kids slumped a little. "And your father is the commander of the Knights of St. Cameron?"

"Yes, Your Highness!"

"General Felix Dewey, Milord," Carol added.

Melvin nodded but didn't say anything.

"And you told him that you met me here?" Alex smiled as he asked, but the kids hunched their shoulders anyway and flinched.

"I didn't know it was a secret," Timmy said.

"It's not exactly a secret - not officially," Alex said. He grinned. "Besides, I should have expected that after I fought the IlKhan."

"Yes, Alex, you should have," Nastajia agreed with a frown.

"And do you know what your father wants to talk to me about?" Alex asked.

"He wants to ask if you're a real Cameron - but you are! The First Lord!" Timmy said.

"What are the Knights of St. Cameron?" Felicity cocked her head. "First time I heard about them."

"Ah…" Timmy blinked. "We are the Knights of St Cameron? MechWarriors?"

"We defend the weak and the poor and fight for the spirit of the Star League," Carol added.

Melvin nodded again. "And we follow the Saints Cameron!"

Alex's smile slipped a little. Cat didn't think the kids noticed, awed as they were, but she could tell. Fortunately, just then, the cake arrived and distracted them.

"We'll fight for you! I know it!" Timmy said between a mouthful of chocolate cake.

"Well, not you," Alex told him. "You're still too young."

"But I've got a 'Mech here!" Timmy protested. "We all do!" His friends nodded several times.

"But you're still children. And we don't send children to battle," Alex said with a glance at Cat and Kelly.

And unless they ended up stuck like Cat and Kelly had been, Timmy and his friends would be too old for Dreamland before they were old enough to fight. Not that they realised it - the three kids nodded solemnly.

"So… are you going to remake the Star League?" Melvin asked suddenly.

"We're there to save the Inner Sphere from the Clans," Alex told him. "It's not the same as here."

"Oh." Timmy looked disappointed.

Cat nodded. The Inner Sphere was very different from Dreamland.

"Anyway," Alex said, "you can tell your father that I'll be happy to meet him on Terra and he can take a blood sample to check if I'm a Cameron. Got that?"

Timmy nodded. "Yes, milord!"

Felicity mumbled: "There's enough of your blood going around by now for half the Inner Sphere, I bet!"

Cat snorted, but Nastajia frowned at the comment. Well, she would.

"Anyway, now go and enjoy the party!" Alex told the kids.

They saluted and left the office, loaded down with three plates of cake.

"Precocious kids," Alex commented once they were alone. "But this is… unexpected."

"We should've expected it," Nastajia retorted.

"But we didn't, and now we have to deal with it," Felicity said. "So, how bad is that?"

"If what we heard about the Knights of St. Cameron is true then they could be a great asset," Kelly said.

"But I'm no Saint," Alex said. "And I don't want to be a Saint."

"Of course not," Felicity agreed. "Saints are usually dead."

"We'll have to talk to Timmy's father," Cat said. "Find out what they're like. And what they want."

"Great. I'll be even busier on Terra than I feared," Alex said, sighing.

"Don't complain. You're the First Lord," Nastajia told him. But she was smirking, Cat noted.

"Well, nothing we can do now about this, so… let's go back to the party?" Felicity slid off her seat.

"Yes," Cat agreed.

"Cake…"

Cat blinked. Kiwi had been surprisingly quiet so far… She looked at the faery and winced. Kiwi was sprawled on the remains of a piece of cake almost as large as she was.

Nastajia sighed.

*****​

Approaching Terra, Sol System, January 5th, 3051

"There's another warship ahead, geostationary orbit over Terra, and…Oh verdammt!" Kirchwerder cursed. "It's a Cameron-class battlecruiser according to the warbook." He turned to look at Alex. "Sorry, Sir."

Alex smiled. "For what? I think everyone was surprised that ComStar had warships ready to be deployed."

Kelly nodded in agreement. At least the sheer number of warships they had encountered upon reaching the Sol System had exceeded everyone's estimations. Almost a dozen ships at the jump points and in orbit around Terra - ComStar must have been busy salvaging wrecks for centuries.

"Well, they obviously take the security of the Conference seriously," Kirchwerder said. "Now if they would only go to war against the Clans…"

While the bridge crew apparently agreed with the Captain of the Babylon, Kelly was withholding her judgement until she knew more about the quality of the crew. ComStar hadn't fought any large-scale battles so far, much less any naval engagements, so she couldn't tell at all how they would stack up against the Clans.

"I wonder if the Titan yards are busy building more ships," Alex commented.

"Our sensors can't tell from this distance," Kirchwerder said. "There is a lot of traffic, of course, but unless a ship is leaving the yards, we can't tell what is going on there. And they would be building jumpships, of course, as they always do."

"We can check, however, if the Naval Yards are in use," Kelly said, stepping over to the signals station.

"The Naval Yards?" the officer there asked.

"Titan Naval Yards. The main yard for the SLDF fleet," Alex replied. "If they have been restored, they'll be building compact core jumpships."

Warships, in other words.

"May I?" Kelly asked. It was a formality - everyone was watching her eagerly. As soon as the officer made some room for her, she adjusted the sensors. She wasn't a spacer, but she was an expert at reconnaissance. After a few minutes, she had her readings. "The traffic pattern around the Naval Yards indicates strong security - at least two squadrons of aerospace fighters on CAP."

"I think it's safe to say that ComStar is building warships," Alex said.

"The Clans won't know what hit them!" an officer cheered.

Kelly didn't share his enthusiasm - not when she didn't know against what enemy ComStar would send this fleet.

"Well, they haven't blown us to dust because of some tragic IFF mistake," Cat whispered as Kelly returned to her side. "So, let's hope for the best?"

Kelly nodded. It wasn't as if they had a choice - they were committed now.

*****​

Starport, Unity City, North America, Terra, Sol System, January 7th, 3051

"It figures they would hold the conference here," Cat heard Alex mutter as they stepped off Babylon's ramp.

"Well, I expected them to hold it on Hilton Head Island," she said. That was where her parents' wedding had been held.

"I think they want to avoid the associations with the Fourth Succession War," Kelly said. "Unity City was the capital of the Star League - and the name itself conjures the unity ComStar might wish to achieve here."

"Or they just don't want any visitors close to their headquarters," Cat suggested. She had heard rumours about what had happened back at the wedding.

"Well, how does the saying go? Keep your friends close and your enemies closer?" Alex asked.

Cat snorted, then stepped to the side when a staff car descended the ramp. One of Wong's privates was driving it - Gonzales something. And Kapten Lundberg was sitting next to him.

"Thank you, private!" Alex told him. "Let's go join our employer so we can meet our hosts properly."

Right. They were here as tag-alongs for the Elected Prince, Cat reminded herself. Even if there was a chance that more people were interested in Alex and his heritage than in the Prince of Rasalhague. Something, she had no doubt, the Prince was aware of - and probably prepared to exploit.

"Yes, Sir!" Gonzales drove them over to the Overlord that had transported the Prince and his son to Terra.

"The starport is still cooling down," Kelly remarked as they crossed into the next landing zone.

That was true, Cat realised - back home, the tarmac would have been cooled down already. It seemed that the facilities here weren't as advanced as Dreamland's.

"The tyres can take it, Major," Gonzales said. "It's not too hot."

"I'm aware," Kelly told him. "I was just surprised that Terra doesn't have better landing fields than this."

"Ah."

They drew up in front of the Overlord's main 'Mech bay and got out. Indeed, Cat could feel the heat of the ferrocrete through the soles of her boots, but it wasn't too bad.

"ComStar's coming," Kelly said, pointing at two hovercars driving towards them.

"Ah…" Alex frowned. "It would be a minor faux-pas if they welcomed us before they officially welcomed the Prince."

"And awkward if they have to wait next to us without acknowledging us," Cat added.

Fortunately, the Prince appeared on top of the ramp and descended, followed by his son and his guards.

One minor gaffe avoided, then.

Before they could exchange more than greetings, the hovercars arrived as well, and a ComStar official stepped out of the leading car. A precentor - Precentor Dieron, Cat realised. A member of the First Circuit.

Well, ComStar wouldn't welcome the Elected Prince with an underling - as the leader of his realm he was, in theory, equal in rank to any House Lord. Even though much of his realm was currently occupied by the Clans.

"Welcome to Terra, Your Highness. I am Sharilar Mori, Precentor Dieron." The woman greeted Magnusson with a sort-of bow, Combine style.

"Thank you." Magnusson nodded in return. "May I present my son Ragnar? And Colonel Cameron and Majors Lieden and Stevens."

"Welcome to Terra." Mori politely nodded at all of them, but Cat caught her staring at Alex for a moment. Well, that had been expected. And the woman probably knew Cat and Kelly's identities.

They exchanged a few more greetings before Mori took them to their quarters in the local Hilton - at least for Alex, Catand Kelly; the rest of the unit would be housed on the Babylon for now. That would hopefully cut down on spies and saboteurs somewhat.

"Do you think they picked that hotel specifically?" Cat asked as she climbed into the second hovercar - Mori was taking the Magnussons in the first hovercar.

"Because Comstar's headquarters is on Hilton Head?" Kelly wrinkled her nose. "I think it's probably coincidence. At best, it's a joke on part of an underling."

"I don't think ComStar has the kind of humour to do that as an institution," Alex said, closing the door. "Individuals, of course, would be different."

Cat nodded and looked out the window. The starport looked almost like the one at home. The city as well. And yet, the differences were obvious. Not merely a few buildings out of place, or missing, but the people… Unity City in Dreamland was full of people of all races. Dwarves, elves, faeries as well as humans, and many other people. And children. So many more children walking and flying around, playing, than she saw here on the street.

And the 'Mechs guarding the hotel were painted in Com Guards white, not the olive of the SLDF. Four 'Mechs, Phoenix Hawk, BattleMaster, Warhammer and Marauder. Two SRM carriers. And probably infantry in every building in the street. "They're not skimping on security," she said.

"Royal variants," Kelly added.

"They're lacking anti-aircraft assets, though," Alex said. "Kind of like our regiment."

"They'll have aerospace fighters ready to launch," Cat said. At least she'd have some. "But that still leaves a window of opportunity for some conventional aircraft or VTOL to make an endrun on the building with bombs." Granted, the 'Mech lance here could wreck any conventional fighter with one volley, but conventional aircrafts were probably the easiest way to hide preparations for an attack.

"I don't think we have to worry about such attacks," Alex said.

Cat looked at him - he didn't seem to be joking or saying it for the benefit of the ComStar ROM agents who were certainly monitoring them. Then again, an assassination would likely be less embarrassing for ComStar than an outright attack that got past their security.

Lundberg nodded. Cat had the feeling that she didn't expect any attack at all.

They entered the underground garage. Good. The street was a bit too exposed, in Cat's opinion. And… yes, there were the guards she had expected.

They got out of the hovercar as soon as the Magnussons were and got to use the same elevator as the Prince and his entourage - their quarters were even on the same floor.

*****​

Hilton Hotel, Unity City, North America, Terra, Sol System, January 7th, 3051

Kelly stood in the middle of the main room of their suite and turned around, acting as if she was enjoying the view of the city from here. Three surveillance devices so far in this room alone, according to the scanner Kiwi had enhanced for them.

"How many bugs?" Cat asked.

"Three so far in this room. One each in the bedrooms and the bathroom."

"I expected ComStar to be a bit more… subtle."

Kelly tilted her head as she found a fourth listening device in the window's frame, facing the balcony. "They might have assumed that we wouldn't notice the devices." Or this was a test to determine their technological means. In different circumstances, Kelly might have played along. But they couldn't let themselves be observed when sleeping, so the point was moot.

Cat snorted and pulled her jacket off, throwing it over the backrest of the couch before sitting down. "They know who we are."

"Undoubtedly," Kelly agreed.

"Then they could've been more hospitable and prepared our favourite snacks as a greeting." Cat grinned.

Kelly smiled as she pointed Kiwi's jammer at the fourth listening device and pressed the button. The light on it went from red to green. Neutralised. Her smile deepened when she imagined ComStar trying to work out how they had done this.

A last sweep through the suite and she was certain that they would be safe as soon as she put up the white noise generator. "Done!" she announced.

"Good." Alex sighed loudly. "I hate being under surveillance!" He sat down on the second couch.

"You're always under surveillance back home," Cat said.

Kelly nodded. The First Lord of the Star League needed the security.

"You know what I mean!" He pouted.

"Of course." Cat giggled, then grew serious. "So… we're on Terra. Not quite home. But close enough to make it weird. Did you see the training field?"

"Yes."

"I'm of a mind to take Dragonslayer II there for a test drive," she said.

"That would be a good idea," Kelly agreed. For her Raven as well - they hadn't been able to test the modified 'mechs under field conditions - they had been restricted to the Babylon's 'Mech bay.

Alex frowned for a moment, then nodded. "ComStar will already be aware of Clan technology."

"Yes." Kelly nodded. "They will probably have acquired samples of all relevant technology already." From the Clans - or from the Inner Sphere forces fighting them. "We won't be revealing anything new to them."

"And I have a feeling that we'll be in a mood to shoot up some targets as soon as the conference starts," Cat added with a grin.

Kelly nodded. Especially if they met Kelly's family. And try as she might, she didn't see a way to avoid such a confrontation. Not unless they were willing to hide in this suite or the Babylon and leave Alex alone at the conference.

And that was out of the question.

She sat down next to Cat and leaned into her.

And they watched the familiar yet unfamiliar city in silence for a while.

******​

Somewhere on the Exodus Road, January 7th, 3051

Phelan Kell shuddered as he loosened the zero-g harness that had held him for the latest jump. The second of this week's leg of their journey to the Clan homeworlds - the Dire Wolf was equipped with a Lithium-Fusion Battery, allowing it to make two jumps before she had to recharge the drive. Another advantage the Clans had over the Inner Sphere, as if having warships wasn't bad enough.

He put the harness back into its compartment, stopping for a moment to look at the bondcord around his wrist, and struggled to suppress the sneer.

According to the Clans, he was a 'bondsman'. A slave, for all that mattered. Property, as Khan Kerenseky had explained - the Clanner didn't even see anything wrong with that. On the contrary, Ulrich genuinely seemed to think that Phelan should be grateful for being enslaved! The Clans' arrogance knew no bounds. Ulrich had promised that Phelan could earn warrior status if he performed well, but that was a farce. A Janissary was still a slave.

Only pirates and other scum enslaved people. And what did that make the Clans? Phelan snorted. As if the chance to become a warrior in the service of the Clan made it any better - even pirate bands sometimes recruited amongst their slaves. That didn't make them noble warriors, as the Clans saw themselves. Quite the opposite.

He sighed and reached into his locker for his noteputer. Like every slave, he had his duties. Sometimes, it was helping with maintenance or running errands. But most of the time, it was paperwork. Data analysis. He shouldn't be doing it, Phelan knew. He should refuse to help the enemy.

But doing the work meant he got information about the war. Reports. Records. Even BattleROMs. And getting such information kept him from going crazy.

And while it was helping the enemy - he had no doubts about that - it also let him gather information about the Clans. Information that might one day be used against them.

But he had already finished his work for today - checking supply reports - and there hadn't been anything added to his load.

Which left him… well, literally drifting since the Dire Wolf wasn't accelerating and he wasn't in one of the grav decks. And they weren't near their destination. They were waiting while the warship's K-F Drive and LF-Battery were charged. That, too, was valuable intel. The death of the ilKhan meant all bloodnamed Clan warriors had to return to their homeland to elect a new ilKhan. Apparently, a trip that would take months even with LosTech batteries effectively doubling their travel speed.

But a command circuit would have been much faster. If the Clans had packed all the bloodnamed warriors into dropships and placed jumpships along the route, charged up, they could have cut the travel time down to a few weeks, tops - depending on how many jumpships they could spare. A single infantry transport probably would have been enough, and that would have hardly disrupted their supply route.

And yet, they were travelling back on board a warship. Was the route in danger from raiders? Of Inner Sphere or unknown origin? Did Ulric fear an attack by a rival Clan? Or did the Dire Wolf need maintenance that couldn't be done in the Inner Sphere?

Perhaps they didn't have a command circuit at all and always travelled in convoys with escorts? That would make it nearly impossible to quickly deliver critical supplies, a clear weakness of the Clan war machine. Or they might form a command circuit if they needed it - but that would likely be costly for the Clan in need; none of the other Clans, not even allied Clans, helped out for free. Supplies, information, political favours - Ulric wouldn't want to pay such prices, Phelan knew.

But no matter the reason, it meant more trouble for the Clans. Interrupted schedules, commandeered ships… like ripples in a pond, such things spread. That alone would delay the resumption of the invasion some more.

And it was all thanks to one man. Alexander Cameron. Heir to the Star League. Returned to save the Inner Sphere from the Clans. And, no doubt, to restore the Star League and end the Succession Wars.

With the help of the Federated Commonwealth. He had recognised Cameron's right hand, "Major Cat Stevens". Before Phelan's battalion had been deployed in the Periphery to hunt pirates, Dad had sent him the news that his cousin had woken up from her coma. With pictures. "Cat Stevens" was Katherine Steiner-Davion.

A Cameron and a Steiner-Davion. There was hope for the Inner Sphere! And their unit - the regiment was called the First Royal Irregulars, but they wore SLDF colours and fought like the SLDF. The real SLDF, not this perverted mockery that the Clans had become.

He hadn't told anyone this, of course. He wasn't a traitor.

Once again, he looked at the cord circling his wrist and rubbed his skin beneath it.

They expected him to betray his home. His country. His family. But he wasn't a traitor. He knew his duty. Ulrich was trying to use him, use his knowledge of the Inner Sphere, was he? Phelan would use this to gather information on the Clans.

And once he had the opportunity, he'd show the Clans why keeping slaves was a bad idea.

He smiled as he opened the next hatch. He just had to endure this a bit longer, and…

"Phelan?"

He froze for a moment, almost losing his grip on the door as he turned around. "Rana?"

There she was, floating in the hallway, steading herself with one hand on a hold. She must have come from P.E. - she was wearing shorts and a sports bra, both soaked with sweat. "Are you done with your duties?"

"Yes," he said before he could stop himself.

And when she smiled in response to that, her face lighting up, he felt his heart speed up - and his stomach twist with guilt.

*****​

 

[RedWard99]

YOU'RE BACK!

Spoiler: YAY

Now to re-read this entire thing.