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It’s a Peaceful Life (Battletech AU/SI)
- Thread starter MarkWarrior
- Start date
Chapter 10
New
MarkWarrior
Not too sore, are you?
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- 9,676
Of course, the trip to my farm wasn't just about me showing her the work I'd done. So, after the tour and watching her take pictures to show the 'before' and 'after', we ended up on the front porch, Sage and Thyme at our feet while she vented.
"I don't understand why they want me to attend the Nagelring over a Federated Suns Military academy. I mean, Peter already intends to follow in Victor's footsteps and is trying to get good enough grades to attend the academy early. I might not be the most military-minded of my siblings, but I do understand the politics. If all three of the oldest attend military academies in the Lyran portion of the Federated Commonwealth, then it's apparent favoritism. If I go to NAMA or the military branch of NAIS on top of my current degrees, we're bringing the two together more instead of separating them."
She sighed, her chair rocking back and forth while Sage enjoyed the scratches behind her ears.
"I'm just confused. Maybe Dad or Mom are seeing something I'm not, but it doesn't make sense!"
"So," I sipped my glass of sweet tea. "Do you want me to actually talk through it with you? Do you want potential solutions? Or do you just need an outlet?"
"I don't know," she stopped rocking and let Sage jump into her lap. "I feel like I'm just now figuring everything out, and then the rug gets pulled out from underneath me."
"I get that," I laughed. "More than I think anyone else does."
"Right," Kat nodded, finding the right spot on Sage to make her start sticking her tongue out. "So, what do I do? How do I move on from here?"
"Well," I looked out over the farm. "I don't think the Federated Suns crowd really cares what military academy you or your siblings attend as long as one of you attends a military academy on this side of the 'Sphere. But I'm also not as tied into everything as you are. I mean, I don't even have a Tri-Vid out here."
I paused and exhaled, collecting the rest of my thoughts before continuing.
"To be honest, I think that you attending a military academy and diving into logistics or something similar will only help you as you go through life. If Victor ends up biting the dust for any reason, you need enough of a background to know whether your advisors are bullshitting you or not. But, if you want to fight your parents on where they send you, that's your business. I don't think my input matters much to the First Prince or the Archon."
"Fair," Kat agreed. "I suppose it's a little unreasonable to dump all of this on you."
"Nah," I shook my head. "If I were only a friend when it benefited me, I wouldn't be a friend. Good friends stick with you through thick and thin."
The sun began to dip down below the horizon as our conversation drifted to lighter topics, only really drawing to a close as Kat yawned.
"I probably should be getting back to the Mountain," she stood, hugging her arms tightly around herself as a breeze blew through the porch. "I leave for Tharkad in two days, and I've got to sort everything I'm bringing."
"Probably a good idea," I stood as well. "Any chance I can get a mailing address? I'd like to stay in touch."
"Sure," Kat followed me into the house and wrote down what I would need to send a letter to Tharkad. "Keep it secret."
"Keep it safe," I finished the quote with a smile. "I'll see you around, Kat."
I went for a handshake and was surprised by a hug as the young woman squeezed tight.
"You're a good friend," she whispered.
I returned the hug and gently squeezed until she let go.
"I'll see you when I see you," she kissed me on the cheek and left me stunned as the front door opened and shut behind her.
"Huh," I touched my cheek. "That wasn't what I expected."
I walked out the front door and waved goodbye, her car heading down the long road back to the city. But my thoughts remained on what had just happened for the remainder of the night.
I didn't write that letter for about a week or so. I didn't know what to say, and I didn't even know how to begin. So, I went through my usual routine before writing the letter and sending it to Tharkad.
"She move on?" Luke asked while we were opening one day.
"I don't know," I shrugged. "She's headed to Tharkad. But you're probably more in the know than I am."
"She'll be back, or she won't," Luke said, flipping the sign on the door to open. You can try to stay in touch, but communication takes both parties."
"I know," I replied. "I've sent a few letters, but they'll probably arrive before she does."
"I wouldn't count on it," Luke snorted. "I've worked with the postal service before. They're not the fastest on the planet. Much less the whole Inner Sphere."
"Then I better get used to waiting," I chuckled. "Because I don't think I'm moving to Tharkad anytime soon."
"I dunno," Luke stroked his chin in thought. "Tharkad's cold for most of the year. A bakery could do really well there."
"Tempting," I snarked. "But I think I'm set here. "
"Anyway," Luke changed the subject. "My buddy said you ended up picking up that Mauser."
"Sure did," I grinned. "If she weren't so heavy, she'd be perfect. I did have to go in and clean off some of the focusing lenses, but aside from that, I'd have said that she wasn't just in 'good' condition but excellent."
"I'll have to stop by and shoot it some time," Luke matched my grin.
"I'm on your buddy's list if anything else interesting comes in," I started tallying up the last few cake orders and adding them to our calendar. "I hope to add to my 20th and 21st Century collection."
"I'm probably one of the only people in the 'Sphere that would understand your obsession with those," Luke snorted. "I like the way they look, but there are much better options in this day and age."
"I'll outshoot you with my older guns any day, any time," I called him out. "You don't even know how to handle recoil properly, you laser-focused jackass."
"They're the superior weapon," Luke smirked. "Just because you like projectiles better doesn't mean I'm worse."
"No," I laughed. "It just makes me more of a Patriot than you. Where is your pride? Your love for autocannons?"
"I'm not a Mechwarrior. Your point is invalid."
"I think you're lying about that," I raised an eyebrow. "But I have no way to prove it."
"And that's how it will remain for the rest of eternity," Luke winked. "Now get to work. Those cakes won't decorate themselves."
"Sure, boss," I rolled my eyes. "Whatever you say, old man," I muttered the last bit.
"I heard that!" Luke called out. "I may be old, but I still ain't deaf!"
With that, Luke and I settled back into our routine. Life returned to normal, except for me now sending letters to Tharkad once a week to try and keep Kat in the loop on how things were going on New Avalon.
"I don't understand why they want me to attend the Nagelring over a Federated Suns Military academy. I mean, Peter already intends to follow in Victor's footsteps and is trying to get good enough grades to attend the academy early. I might not be the most military-minded of my siblings, but I do understand the politics. If all three of the oldest attend military academies in the Lyran portion of the Federated Commonwealth, then it's apparent favoritism. If I go to NAMA or the military branch of NAIS on top of my current degrees, we're bringing the two together more instead of separating them."
She sighed, her chair rocking back and forth while Sage enjoyed the scratches behind her ears.
"I'm just confused. Maybe Dad or Mom are seeing something I'm not, but it doesn't make sense!"
"So," I sipped my glass of sweet tea. "Do you want me to actually talk through it with you? Do you want potential solutions? Or do you just need an outlet?"
"I don't know," she stopped rocking and let Sage jump into her lap. "I feel like I'm just now figuring everything out, and then the rug gets pulled out from underneath me."
"I get that," I laughed. "More than I think anyone else does."
"Right," Kat nodded, finding the right spot on Sage to make her start sticking her tongue out. "So, what do I do? How do I move on from here?"
"Well," I looked out over the farm. "I don't think the Federated Suns crowd really cares what military academy you or your siblings attend as long as one of you attends a military academy on this side of the 'Sphere. But I'm also not as tied into everything as you are. I mean, I don't even have a Tri-Vid out here."
I paused and exhaled, collecting the rest of my thoughts before continuing.
"To be honest, I think that you attending a military academy and diving into logistics or something similar will only help you as you go through life. If Victor ends up biting the dust for any reason, you need enough of a background to know whether your advisors are bullshitting you or not. But, if you want to fight your parents on where they send you, that's your business. I don't think my input matters much to the First Prince or the Archon."
"Fair," Kat agreed. "I suppose it's a little unreasonable to dump all of this on you."
"Nah," I shook my head. "If I were only a friend when it benefited me, I wouldn't be a friend. Good friends stick with you through thick and thin."
The sun began to dip down below the horizon as our conversation drifted to lighter topics, only really drawing to a close as Kat yawned.
"I probably should be getting back to the Mountain," she stood, hugging her arms tightly around herself as a breeze blew through the porch. "I leave for Tharkad in two days, and I've got to sort everything I'm bringing."
"Probably a good idea," I stood as well. "Any chance I can get a mailing address? I'd like to stay in touch."
"Sure," Kat followed me into the house and wrote down what I would need to send a letter to Tharkad. "Keep it secret."
"Keep it safe," I finished the quote with a smile. "I'll see you around, Kat."
I went for a handshake and was surprised by a hug as the young woman squeezed tight.
"You're a good friend," she whispered.
I returned the hug and gently squeezed until she let go.
"I'll see you when I see you," she kissed me on the cheek and left me stunned as the front door opened and shut behind her.
"Huh," I touched my cheek. "That wasn't what I expected."
I walked out the front door and waved goodbye, her car heading down the long road back to the city. But my thoughts remained on what had just happened for the remainder of the night.
I didn't write that letter for about a week or so. I didn't know what to say, and I didn't even know how to begin. So, I went through my usual routine before writing the letter and sending it to Tharkad.
"She move on?" Luke asked while we were opening one day.
"I don't know," I shrugged. "She's headed to Tharkad. But you're probably more in the know than I am."
"She'll be back, or she won't," Luke said, flipping the sign on the door to open. You can try to stay in touch, but communication takes both parties."
"I know," I replied. "I've sent a few letters, but they'll probably arrive before she does."
"I wouldn't count on it," Luke snorted. "I've worked with the postal service before. They're not the fastest on the planet. Much less the whole Inner Sphere."
"Then I better get used to waiting," I chuckled. "Because I don't think I'm moving to Tharkad anytime soon."
"I dunno," Luke stroked his chin in thought. "Tharkad's cold for most of the year. A bakery could do really well there."
"Tempting," I snarked. "But I think I'm set here. "
"Anyway," Luke changed the subject. "My buddy said you ended up picking up that Mauser."
"Sure did," I grinned. "If she weren't so heavy, she'd be perfect. I did have to go in and clean off some of the focusing lenses, but aside from that, I'd have said that she wasn't just in 'good' condition but excellent."
"I'll have to stop by and shoot it some time," Luke matched my grin.
"I'm on your buddy's list if anything else interesting comes in," I started tallying up the last few cake orders and adding them to our calendar. "I hope to add to my 20th and 21st Century collection."
"I'm probably one of the only people in the 'Sphere that would understand your obsession with those," Luke snorted. "I like the way they look, but there are much better options in this day and age."
"I'll outshoot you with my older guns any day, any time," I called him out. "You don't even know how to handle recoil properly, you laser-focused jackass."
"They're the superior weapon," Luke smirked. "Just because you like projectiles better doesn't mean I'm worse."
"No," I laughed. "It just makes me more of a Patriot than you. Where is your pride? Your love for autocannons?"
"I'm not a Mechwarrior. Your point is invalid."
"I think you're lying about that," I raised an eyebrow. "But I have no way to prove it."
"And that's how it will remain for the rest of eternity," Luke winked. "Now get to work. Those cakes won't decorate themselves."
"Sure, boss," I rolled my eyes. "Whatever you say, old man," I muttered the last bit.
"I heard that!" Luke called out. "I may be old, but I still ain't deaf!"
With that, Luke and I settled back into our routine. Life returned to normal, except for me now sending letters to Tharkad once a week to try and keep Kat in the loop on how things were going on New Avalon.
Last edited:
Blazaboi
Getting some practice in, huh?
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no i think the clone might be to replace Katherine on her way to the Nagelring
Inbredmartian
Getting sticky.
- Joined
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Why do o get the feeling he's gonna make a cut down carbine version of the Mauser, put all the survival tools and gear into a backpack and somehow pull a James bind mission to rescue the princess lol
Chapter 11
New
MarkWarrior
Not too sore, are you?
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The usual route from New Avalon to Tharkad took around one hundred and ninety days. If your jumpship possessed a lithium-fusion battery, you could cut that time almost in half. If, by chance, you were rotating from jumpship to jumpship via a command circuit, you could make the trip in a month.
I wrote my letters, not expecting Katherine to use a command circuit, though the few letters I did receive from her were sent while she was along her route.
After her jump to Rigil Kentares, the letters stopped arriving. It was as if the constant stream of correspondence had suddenly halted. After examining the dates on the letters, I noted that all of them lined up with the time it would have taken for her to transit with a lithium-battery-capable Jumpship.
"Hey, Luke, take a look at this," I put the envelopes for the letters with the dates in the order I'd received them on the desk in the small office,
"Gimme a minute," he grabbed his glasses and leaned over, examining the letters. "Nah, nothing out of the ordinary there. The transit around Terra often gets the busiest. And letters get lost all the time, only to appear years after they were supposed to arrive. I wouldn't attribute this to anything other than the incompetence of the mailmen and women."
"Why the hatred for the mail carriers?" I asked.
"I'm used to a certain level of efficiency and responsibility," Luke replied, taking off his reading glasses. "The postal service not only lacks the former but never takes responsibility for their own errors. If anyone in intelligence or the military tried that, we would be cashiered out and left with nothing to our name. Instead, the Postal Service gets a helpful and cheerful thank you when your package arrives on time. And isn't penalized for running late."
"Aren't they also having to work with Jumpships and everything else?" I raised an eyebrow.
"I just don't like the postal service," he sighed. "A delayed letter can be a much bigger problem than you'd think."
"Fair enough," I replied. "I just figured I'd get your opinion on these dates. It just felt a bit off."
"Never attribute to malice that which you can attribute to stupidity and sheer incompetence," Luke chuckled. "Idiots exist everywhere. You just have to learn to deal with them."
"Luke!" the man stood at the table and embraced the old veteran. "You old dog, how are you?"
"I'm good now that I'm retired, Joe," Luke replied with a wry grin. "What's it like being chained to a desk?"
"Pay's better," Josiah shrugged. "And my knees are much happier with me now that I don't do the crazy shit anymore."
"Fair," Luke laughed. "I have the grandkids to keep me young. Well, that and the bakery.'
"Still can't believe that you retired to do that," Joe shook his head before pausing as a waitress walked by and asked for their order. "Yeah, I'll take the prime rib, medium rare, and the house vegetables for the sides."
"I'll have the salmon, rice, and grilled red peppers," Luke said, allowing her to collect their menus and leave.
"I'll get those put in for you," the waitress replied, then disappeared into a side door.
"So, you don't normally request meetings outside our usual nights out," Joe sipped his red wine. "What's the favor you're about to ask?"
"I want you to take a look at the postal service."
"Goddammit," Josiah swore. "I swear that your vendetta against them has got to end before I lose my everloving mind."
"Hear me out," Luke replied calmly. "I'm not asking for a look into the entirety of the service or what mail's being read this time. I just want you to look into tracking down a friend's mail. See if it got intercepted by MIIO or something. I don't need or want the actual letters. I just want to know if they're being intercepted or not."
"That, I can do," Joe calmed down a bit. "Is this about Three Tango Delta and the Royal?"
"Yeah," Luke sighed. "The kid's not acting worried about it, but it's been six months since he got a letter, and my gut says that there's something else wrong with this beyond just the postal service being assholes like they normally are."
"They're only assholes to you, Luke," Joe laughed. "They don't hate the rest of us. It's just you. That said, if you've got a gut feeling about something, I can at least take a more in-depth look at things."
"That's all I wanted," Luke replied, lifting his water to his lips. "So, how's the wife?"
"Upset that I still can't talk about what I did," Joe sighed. "She seems to have this impression that I always risked my life. I don't know how to tell her I'm an analyst who worked more directly in the field. That's it."
"Might be worth seeing if you can get her clearance, like I did for Cheryl," Luke offered. "Keeping secrets just makes relationships hard. I know that if I hadn't done that for my marriage early on, it'd have wrecked us."
"I guess it's worth a shot," Joe took another sip. "I just never thought I'd need to, y'know? For most of our lives together, it wasn't a big deal that I was in Intel. Now that I'm working a desk instead of being in the field, she's acting all paranoid and worried that some sort of ISF or MASK agent is going to show up and try to kill us."
"Then I'd put in that authorization request if I were you," Luke chuckled. "And soon, before your old lady decides that the "Capellans are at the door" and does something crazy."
"I'll do that and start looking into the mail for the period, of?" Joe raised an eyebrow.
"I'll write it down for you,' Luke grabbed a notepad and pen from his shirt pocket. "It's a three-month focus, so it shouldn't be too difficult."
"I'll tell them you requested it, and the paperwork guys will be all over it," Joe laughed. "For some reason, they think your vendetta against the postal guys is funny."
"Uhuh," Luke crossed his arms across his chest. "They just understand why I have issues with them."
"Sure," Joe snarked as the waitress returned with the food. "You're just the crazy one around here."
"Sometimes, I think I'm the only sane one around," Luke retorted. "Now, how're things at the agency? I'm not asking for anything classified, but did the old broad drop dead yet?"
"Not yet," Joe looked around. "But don't let her hear you call her that. She'll pull you back in just to yell at you."
"She can try," Luke chuckled. "I ain't going back in, and I'll let her and Cheryl fight over it if she tried. I might even be able to sell tickets…."
I wrote my letters, not expecting Katherine to use a command circuit, though the few letters I did receive from her were sent while she was along her route.
After her jump to Rigil Kentares, the letters stopped arriving. It was as if the constant stream of correspondence had suddenly halted. After examining the dates on the letters, I noted that all of them lined up with the time it would have taken for her to transit with a lithium-battery-capable Jumpship.
"Hey, Luke, take a look at this," I put the envelopes for the letters with the dates in the order I'd received them on the desk in the small office,
"Gimme a minute," he grabbed his glasses and leaned over, examining the letters. "Nah, nothing out of the ordinary there. The transit around Terra often gets the busiest. And letters get lost all the time, only to appear years after they were supposed to arrive. I wouldn't attribute this to anything other than the incompetence of the mailmen and women."
"Why the hatred for the mail carriers?" I asked.
"I'm used to a certain level of efficiency and responsibility," Luke replied, taking off his reading glasses. "The postal service not only lacks the former but never takes responsibility for their own errors. If anyone in intelligence or the military tried that, we would be cashiered out and left with nothing to our name. Instead, the Postal Service gets a helpful and cheerful thank you when your package arrives on time. And isn't penalized for running late."
"Aren't they also having to work with Jumpships and everything else?" I raised an eyebrow.
"I just don't like the postal service," he sighed. "A delayed letter can be a much bigger problem than you'd think."
"Fair enough," I replied. "I just figured I'd get your opinion on these dates. It just felt a bit off."
"Never attribute to malice that which you can attribute to stupidity and sheer incompetence," Luke chuckled. "Idiots exist everywhere. You just have to learn to deal with them."
"Luke!" the man stood at the table and embraced the old veteran. "You old dog, how are you?"
"I'm good now that I'm retired, Joe," Luke replied with a wry grin. "What's it like being chained to a desk?"
"Pay's better," Josiah shrugged. "And my knees are much happier with me now that I don't do the crazy shit anymore."
"Fair," Luke laughed. "I have the grandkids to keep me young. Well, that and the bakery.'
"Still can't believe that you retired to do that," Joe shook his head before pausing as a waitress walked by and asked for their order. "Yeah, I'll take the prime rib, medium rare, and the house vegetables for the sides."
"I'll have the salmon, rice, and grilled red peppers," Luke said, allowing her to collect their menus and leave.
"I'll get those put in for you," the waitress replied, then disappeared into a side door.
"So, you don't normally request meetings outside our usual nights out," Joe sipped his red wine. "What's the favor you're about to ask?"
"I want you to take a look at the postal service."
"Goddammit," Josiah swore. "I swear that your vendetta against them has got to end before I lose my everloving mind."
"Hear me out," Luke replied calmly. "I'm not asking for a look into the entirety of the service or what mail's being read this time. I just want you to look into tracking down a friend's mail. See if it got intercepted by MIIO or something. I don't need or want the actual letters. I just want to know if they're being intercepted or not."
"That, I can do," Joe calmed down a bit. "Is this about Three Tango Delta and the Royal?"
"Yeah," Luke sighed. "The kid's not acting worried about it, but it's been six months since he got a letter, and my gut says that there's something else wrong with this beyond just the postal service being assholes like they normally are."
"They're only assholes to you, Luke," Joe laughed. "They don't hate the rest of us. It's just you. That said, if you've got a gut feeling about something, I can at least take a more in-depth look at things."
"That's all I wanted," Luke replied, lifting his water to his lips. "So, how's the wife?"
"Upset that I still can't talk about what I did," Joe sighed. "She seems to have this impression that I always risked my life. I don't know how to tell her I'm an analyst who worked more directly in the field. That's it."
"Might be worth seeing if you can get her clearance, like I did for Cheryl," Luke offered. "Keeping secrets just makes relationships hard. I know that if I hadn't done that for my marriage early on, it'd have wrecked us."
"I guess it's worth a shot," Joe took another sip. "I just never thought I'd need to, y'know? For most of our lives together, it wasn't a big deal that I was in Intel. Now that I'm working a desk instead of being in the field, she's acting all paranoid and worried that some sort of ISF or MASK agent is going to show up and try to kill us."
"Then I'd put in that authorization request if I were you," Luke chuckled. "And soon, before your old lady decides that the "Capellans are at the door" and does something crazy."
"I'll do that and start looking into the mail for the period, of?" Joe raised an eyebrow.
"I'll write it down for you,' Luke grabbed a notepad and pen from his shirt pocket. "It's a three-month focus, so it shouldn't be too difficult."
"I'll tell them you requested it, and the paperwork guys will be all over it," Joe laughed. "For some reason, they think your vendetta against the postal guys is funny."
"Uhuh," Luke crossed his arms across his chest. "They just understand why I have issues with them."
"Sure," Joe snarked as the waitress returned with the food. "You're just the crazy one around here."
"Sometimes, I think I'm the only sane one around," Luke retorted. "Now, how're things at the agency? I'm not asking for anything classified, but did the old broad drop dead yet?"
"Not yet," Joe looked around. "But don't let her hear you call her that. She'll pull you back in just to yell at you."
"She can try," Luke chuckled. "I ain't going back in, and I'll let her and Cheryl fight over it if she tried. I might even be able to sell tickets…."
Jao
(Verified Lemon Drop Addict)
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I read it as someone making a clone of Kat to replace her like what happened to Hanse. Chapter 11 make my theory more likely imo.
Chapter 12
New
MarkWarrior
Not too sore, are you?
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"Hey, Alex!" I greeted the regular with a smile. "What can I get you?"
"Well, I was wondering if I could ask a favor," the man sighed. "Leadership forgot to plan the breakfast catering for an upcoming event. I know it's a bit short notice, but I was hoping I could essentially buy out the shop for the rest of the week."
"Are you sure you can afford that?" I asked.
"I'm not the one paying for it," Alex grinned. "It's going on the corporate credit card. I'm just responsible for fixing my boss's mistake."
"Let me go get Luke," I replied. "It's his decision. I'd say it's probably going to be yes. But I don't know if he has any plans."
"Hey, Boss," I knocked on the office door. "Alex's got a question for you. It's above my pay grade."
"Got it," he groaned and stood, stretching his knee and wincing as it popped. "I'll be there in a minute."
"Give it to me short and sweet," Luke leaned across the display counter.
"I've got to bail out my boss and provide breakfast for a company function," Alex smirked. "And it's all on the company card."
"I'll have to do a markup for short notice and catering," Luke raised an eyebrow. "That fine with your boss?"
"I won't get in trouble for anything if that's what you mean," Alex shrugged. "I'd go with one of the big guys, but you've got better quality, and it's not like the company can't afford to spring for some good food now and again."
"Right," Luke's brow furrowed in thought. "Come with me into the office; I'll get a quote for you and see if we can figure this out. Mark, I might need you to place an advanced order for our supplies. Go ahead and start taking stock. I need to know what we have."
"Yep," I nodded. "I'll take inventory and go ahead and set things up for?" I trailed off and glanced over at Alex.
"Rest of this week and the weekend," he replied. "Maybe Monday as well, depending on how the meetings go."
"So, an extra week's worth of supplies," I pulled the pencil I had tucked behind my ear and wrote down some basic numbers. "I'll get started on that. Let me know if you need anything else, boss. I'll hold down the front and get that inventory list written up for you."
With that, the office door shut behind them, and their negotiations over price began.
Katherine woke to the sound of machines. Her ears filled with the beeping of a heart monitor, the smell of antiseptics, chemicals, and everything else that simply masked the odor of death that always seemed to fill a hospital.
Opening her eyes, she flinched away when harsh white light filled her eyes. She tried to raise a hand to shield them, but they refused to move, seizing on the straps that bound her to the bed.
"She's awake," an unfamiliar voice muttered.
"Good, that means she's recovering from the sedatives. Once she's fully aware, we'll move her to a cell and start the interview process."
It only took a few minutes for Katherine to put the pieces together. Her eyes darted to her peripherals to see if she could see any of her captors.
Unfortunately, they had strapped her down from her ankles to her head, and she was unable to do more than awkwardly wiggle around for a better view.
Katherine would not show any false bravado or make any comment. There would be no point to it. Whoever this was, they had accomplished something that had only happened once or twice in the Federated Suns and the Lyran Commonwealth's history.
This was her family's worst nightmare come to life, and it terrified her to the very core of her soul. She shuddered at the frigid air on her bare skin and the thought of what might come next.
"Start prepping her for transport," the first voice said again. "I have a feeling that Subject Bravo is going to be uncooperative for the initial interview."
"Do you want Separation or any other substances prepped?"
"Not for now. We already know what will work on her physiologically. The question is what will become of her mind once we begin. After all, working on a subject that was prepared from the tube for it is different from working with a more… Mature subject. "
With that, two figures appeared in her peripheral vision, masks blocking their mouths as they unlocked the wheels of her bed and attached the IV bag to a stand above her head.
Two people were dressed in white scrubs and coats worn by medical personnel and doctors throughout the Inner Sphere.
The white of their uniforms contrasted with their stated actions; the devils cloaked as angels of the light. The usual health and wellness that had accompanied the white robes of doctors now shimmered with the deep and dark terror that came with the realization that those capable of healing were also the most capable of causing harm.
Kat struggled a bit, but the straps cut into her, and she eventually gave up as they wheeled her into a barren cell. They pulled the IV and slapped a small bandage over the small incision, unstrapped her from the bed, and left her sobbing in a corner as the heavy metal door slid shut behind her.
A camera and a small vent were the only things to keep her company. The vent blew a steady stream of icy air as it recycled the oxygen in the room, and the camera stared unblinking at her form as she wrapped her arms around herself.
Kat withdrew into her mind, drawing on memories that brought joy and warmth with them. Memories of Victor stumbling around the first time they'd gotten into a Sim Pod, the first time she had ridden a horse, and many other vivid memories played out in her mind's eye.
But withdrawing from a situation only does so much. Despite her attempts to try and bring her mind to a more comfortable place, Katherine was alone, naked, and abandoned. That would not change anytime soon.
"Well, I was wondering if I could ask a favor," the man sighed. "Leadership forgot to plan the breakfast catering for an upcoming event. I know it's a bit short notice, but I was hoping I could essentially buy out the shop for the rest of the week."
"Are you sure you can afford that?" I asked.
"I'm not the one paying for it," Alex grinned. "It's going on the corporate credit card. I'm just responsible for fixing my boss's mistake."
"Let me go get Luke," I replied. "It's his decision. I'd say it's probably going to be yes. But I don't know if he has any plans."
"Hey, Boss," I knocked on the office door. "Alex's got a question for you. It's above my pay grade."
"Got it," he groaned and stood, stretching his knee and wincing as it popped. "I'll be there in a minute."
"Give it to me short and sweet," Luke leaned across the display counter.
"I've got to bail out my boss and provide breakfast for a company function," Alex smirked. "And it's all on the company card."
"I'll have to do a markup for short notice and catering," Luke raised an eyebrow. "That fine with your boss?"
"I won't get in trouble for anything if that's what you mean," Alex shrugged. "I'd go with one of the big guys, but you've got better quality, and it's not like the company can't afford to spring for some good food now and again."
"Right," Luke's brow furrowed in thought. "Come with me into the office; I'll get a quote for you and see if we can figure this out. Mark, I might need you to place an advanced order for our supplies. Go ahead and start taking stock. I need to know what we have."
"Yep," I nodded. "I'll take inventory and go ahead and set things up for?" I trailed off and glanced over at Alex.
"Rest of this week and the weekend," he replied. "Maybe Monday as well, depending on how the meetings go."
"So, an extra week's worth of supplies," I pulled the pencil I had tucked behind my ear and wrote down some basic numbers. "I'll get started on that. Let me know if you need anything else, boss. I'll hold down the front and get that inventory list written up for you."
With that, the office door shut behind them, and their negotiations over price began.
Katherine woke to the sound of machines. Her ears filled with the beeping of a heart monitor, the smell of antiseptics, chemicals, and everything else that simply masked the odor of death that always seemed to fill a hospital.
Opening her eyes, she flinched away when harsh white light filled her eyes. She tried to raise a hand to shield them, but they refused to move, seizing on the straps that bound her to the bed.
"She's awake," an unfamiliar voice muttered.
"Good, that means she's recovering from the sedatives. Once she's fully aware, we'll move her to a cell and start the interview process."
It only took a few minutes for Katherine to put the pieces together. Her eyes darted to her peripherals to see if she could see any of her captors.
Unfortunately, they had strapped her down from her ankles to her head, and she was unable to do more than awkwardly wiggle around for a better view.
Katherine would not show any false bravado or make any comment. There would be no point to it. Whoever this was, they had accomplished something that had only happened once or twice in the Federated Suns and the Lyran Commonwealth's history.
This was her family's worst nightmare come to life, and it terrified her to the very core of her soul. She shuddered at the frigid air on her bare skin and the thought of what might come next.
"Start prepping her for transport," the first voice said again. "I have a feeling that Subject Bravo is going to be uncooperative for the initial interview."
"Do you want Separation or any other substances prepped?"
"Not for now. We already know what will work on her physiologically. The question is what will become of her mind once we begin. After all, working on a subject that was prepared from the tube for it is different from working with a more… Mature subject. "
With that, two figures appeared in her peripheral vision, masks blocking their mouths as they unlocked the wheels of her bed and attached the IV bag to a stand above her head.
Two people were dressed in white scrubs and coats worn by medical personnel and doctors throughout the Inner Sphere.
The white of their uniforms contrasted with their stated actions; the devils cloaked as angels of the light. The usual health and wellness that had accompanied the white robes of doctors now shimmered with the deep and dark terror that came with the realization that those capable of healing were also the most capable of causing harm.
Kat struggled a bit, but the straps cut into her, and she eventually gave up as they wheeled her into a barren cell. They pulled the IV and slapped a small bandage over the small incision, unstrapped her from the bed, and left her sobbing in a corner as the heavy metal door slid shut behind her.
A camera and a small vent were the only things to keep her company. The vent blew a steady stream of icy air as it recycled the oxygen in the room, and the camera stared unblinking at her form as she wrapped her arms around herself.
Kat withdrew into her mind, drawing on memories that brought joy and warmth with them. Memories of Victor stumbling around the first time they'd gotten into a Sim Pod, the first time she had ridden a horse, and many other vivid memories played out in her mind's eye.
But withdrawing from a situation only does so much. Despite her attempts to try and bring her mind to a more comfortable place, Katherine was alone, naked, and abandoned. That would not change anytime soon.
Sogen
Versed in the lewd.
- Joined
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Not really, it sounds like in this AU, Katherine was grabbed instead of him.
Chapter 13
New
MarkWarrior
Not too sore, are you?
- Joined
- Dec 28, 2019
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"I may be starting to understand why Luke hates the postal service," Joe muttered, tapping his foot as he sat in the waiting room of the Postal Service branch of MIIO.
He checked his watch and sighed, looking around at the barren waiting room. The receptionist was scribbling something down on a piece of paper, but that was the only noise aside from the hiss of the ventilation systems.
Another ten minutes passed, and Joe eventually decided that he'd had enough of sitting and waiting without anything in hand, so he grabbed one of the small magazines on the center table and began reading through the gossip and awful advertisements for products he'd never used.
Another two hours passed, and then the door to the interior office finally opened, revealing a disheveled man rubbing sleep out of his eyes.
The man's eyes widened as he realized someone had been waiting for him.
"Can I help you, sir?" The man tried to straighten out his jacket, shirt, and tie.
"You can give me access to the records I've spent two days trying to get to, Mister?" Joe growled, standing and straightening his tall frame to tower over the other man.
"James," the man gulped. "And what request was it?"
"I'm checking to see if there's a hold on a particular person's mail for intelligence purposes," Joe pulled out the approved form.
"Oh, right," James moved back to the door. "Follow me, and I'll check on that for you."
Joe followed the man into an office and watched as he leafed through the documents piled on his desk.
"I know I pulled the documentation and put it somewhere around here," he finally pulled out one document and slapped it down on the one clean section of the desk. "So, upon reviewing everything, the Postal Service finds no restrictions placed upon the mail delivered to and received from one Mark Smith and one Morgan Davion."
"I'm keeping this," Joe grabbed the folder.
"I have copies," James shrugged. "Take it."
"Maybe don't keep someone waiting next time," Joe glared. "You never know if it might be something of critical importance."
Joe had worked as a field agent in the past, but his real love had never been the adventure. He lived to put together puzzles, to search out secrets and mysteries and figure them out. So, a few years after joining MIIO, he changed jobs and became an analyst.
This was the job he loved, what he lived for; a new mystery was now in front of him, and he would figure it out. Even if it were something as innocent as someone forgetting to send a letter.
He chewed on the end of a pen, a highlighter in his hand, as he reviewed the copy of the mail and the records that the postal service had finally given him. At first glance, everything seemed normal. Regular letters were sent not only back to New Avalon but onwards to Tharkad as well. Sure, they might arrive after the person who sent them, but they were sent all the same.
Grabbing a star map, he plotted out the standard jump route from New Avalon to Tharkad, writing out the jump times, the dates on the letters, and every other data point he could find.
Running through everything, he found that the data point that separated everything was at Rigil Kentares, where reports showed that the Jumpship had some sort of issue and had to stop for emergency repairs.
Grabbing his phone, he punched in a number and waited for the other person to answer.
"What do you need this time?" an old tired voice asked.
"Can you get me the maintenance records for a Jumpship?" Joe asked. "I'm looking into something that might be important."
"Yeah," her voice perked up a bit. "Give me the details, and I'll track down those logs for you."
"I'll fax it over in a few minutes," Joe tapped the desk. "Lemme know if you need anything else, Vonda."
"I shouldn't need anything extra for these records, but I'll let you know."
"Thanks, Vonda, I'm faxing over what I need now," Joe hung up and grabbed what he needed before walking over to the fax machine.
"Let's see what kind of mystery we have here."
We catered to the executives from seven in the morning until ten. We arrived at the office at six, set everything up, and waited for them to arrive and start eating.
Admittedly, this wasn't the healthiest breakfast around, but the coffee and sweets were both good, and it was apparently sufficient for this group of executives.
I'd expected the donuts to be the main food eaten, but instead a little bit of everything we'd brought had been eaten instead.
"Damn," one of the executives bit into a cookie. "These are terrific, what's the secret?"
"No mystery here," I shrugged. "Just good sweets made locally."
"I'll have to thank Buzz for providing the catering today," he said after finishing the cookie and pouring a cup of coffee.
"We were actually hired by Alex Hayes," I replied. "So if you thank anyone, be sure to pass the praise his way."
"I will definitely do so," he walked off.
I turned away and began working on the rest of the tables. Swapping out old boxes of treats with new ones. I rotated new donuts, cookies, muffins, and coffee cakes through the breakfast tables and spent the rest of the time brewing coffee.
"Alright," Luke sat down next to me a few minutes later. "We need to start packing things up so that the lunch caterers can set things up here."
"Got it, boss," I started packing up the boxes.
"Once we've loaded everything up in your truck, we'll head back and prep things for tomorrow. Then we'll call it an early day," He started stacking the boxes of sweets onto a dolly.
"Just let me grab one more cup of coffee," Alex said, pouring a cup and sighing in relief. "Thanks for bailing me out. I might actually get considered for a promotion after everything's said and done."
"We're glad that we were your first option," Luke replied, stretching out his hand and shaking Alex's. "We'll be back in the morning with a different spread."
"I'll see you guys then."
"We've got to find you a better truck," Luke sighed as he helped me load things into the bed of the old pickup.
"It's only two hundred years old!" I defended the rebuilt farm truck. "They still make spare parts for it too!"
"Mark, there's enough rust on this thing that if you get a cut back there, you'll need a tetanus shot," he shot back as I turned the key and felt the internal combustion engine roar to life.
"I'm planning on doing the full restoration," I replied. "I just needed to finish the farmhouse first."
"All I'm hearing are excuses," Luke smirked. "You know I'd have written a restoration off on the business's taxes, right? You use it for the bakery almost as much as for the farm."
"It's fine," I shrugged. "I'll get to it when I get to it. Now that the house is done and painted, I'm restoring some of the fields."
"Lemme know when you get that berm put up," Luke nodded as we moved down the street. "The wife and I haven't gotten to shoot in a while, and she hates indoor ranges."
"They're too loud," I agreed. "But yeah, I'll tell you when you can bring everyone back out. I need some extra perspective on my ideas for the property."
"I dunno what help I can be there," Luke shrugged. "But I'll do what I can."
I turned on my signal and pulled into the bakery's back parking lot, backing my truck up to a small loading door.
"I'll unload," I put the truck into park and set the hand brake. "You stage things for the morning, and we should be done in about twenty minutes."
"Sounds good," Luke climbed out of the truck and headed inside, triggering the automatic door while he headed into the bakery itself. "Let's go home early today."
"Amen," I began, pulling the dollys off the truck. "Let's go home early."
Author's note: I'd planned on having this up a few days ago, but I've had a head cold since Thursday, on top of working four twelve-hour shifts back to back. So, please be forgiving of any errors in here. I'm not entirely lucid ATM.
He checked his watch and sighed, looking around at the barren waiting room. The receptionist was scribbling something down on a piece of paper, but that was the only noise aside from the hiss of the ventilation systems.
Another ten minutes passed, and Joe eventually decided that he'd had enough of sitting and waiting without anything in hand, so he grabbed one of the small magazines on the center table and began reading through the gossip and awful advertisements for products he'd never used.
Another two hours passed, and then the door to the interior office finally opened, revealing a disheveled man rubbing sleep out of his eyes.
The man's eyes widened as he realized someone had been waiting for him.
"Can I help you, sir?" The man tried to straighten out his jacket, shirt, and tie.
"You can give me access to the records I've spent two days trying to get to, Mister?" Joe growled, standing and straightening his tall frame to tower over the other man.
"James," the man gulped. "And what request was it?"
"I'm checking to see if there's a hold on a particular person's mail for intelligence purposes," Joe pulled out the approved form.
"Oh, right," James moved back to the door. "Follow me, and I'll check on that for you."
Joe followed the man into an office and watched as he leafed through the documents piled on his desk.
"I know I pulled the documentation and put it somewhere around here," he finally pulled out one document and slapped it down on the one clean section of the desk. "So, upon reviewing everything, the Postal Service finds no restrictions placed upon the mail delivered to and received from one Mark Smith and one Morgan Davion."
"I'm keeping this," Joe grabbed the folder.
"I have copies," James shrugged. "Take it."
"Maybe don't keep someone waiting next time," Joe glared. "You never know if it might be something of critical importance."
Joe had worked as a field agent in the past, but his real love had never been the adventure. He lived to put together puzzles, to search out secrets and mysteries and figure them out. So, a few years after joining MIIO, he changed jobs and became an analyst.
This was the job he loved, what he lived for; a new mystery was now in front of him, and he would figure it out. Even if it were something as innocent as someone forgetting to send a letter.
He chewed on the end of a pen, a highlighter in his hand, as he reviewed the copy of the mail and the records that the postal service had finally given him. At first glance, everything seemed normal. Regular letters were sent not only back to New Avalon but onwards to Tharkad as well. Sure, they might arrive after the person who sent them, but they were sent all the same.
Grabbing a star map, he plotted out the standard jump route from New Avalon to Tharkad, writing out the jump times, the dates on the letters, and every other data point he could find.
Running through everything, he found that the data point that separated everything was at Rigil Kentares, where reports showed that the Jumpship had some sort of issue and had to stop for emergency repairs.
Grabbing his phone, he punched in a number and waited for the other person to answer.
"What do you need this time?" an old tired voice asked.
"Can you get me the maintenance records for a Jumpship?" Joe asked. "I'm looking into something that might be important."
"Yeah," her voice perked up a bit. "Give me the details, and I'll track down those logs for you."
"I'll fax it over in a few minutes," Joe tapped the desk. "Lemme know if you need anything else, Vonda."
"I shouldn't need anything extra for these records, but I'll let you know."
"Thanks, Vonda, I'm faxing over what I need now," Joe hung up and grabbed what he needed before walking over to the fax machine.
"Let's see what kind of mystery we have here."
We catered to the executives from seven in the morning until ten. We arrived at the office at six, set everything up, and waited for them to arrive and start eating.
Admittedly, this wasn't the healthiest breakfast around, but the coffee and sweets were both good, and it was apparently sufficient for this group of executives.
I'd expected the donuts to be the main food eaten, but instead a little bit of everything we'd brought had been eaten instead.
"Damn," one of the executives bit into a cookie. "These are terrific, what's the secret?"
"No mystery here," I shrugged. "Just good sweets made locally."
"I'll have to thank Buzz for providing the catering today," he said after finishing the cookie and pouring a cup of coffee.
"We were actually hired by Alex Hayes," I replied. "So if you thank anyone, be sure to pass the praise his way."
"I will definitely do so," he walked off.
I turned away and began working on the rest of the tables. Swapping out old boxes of treats with new ones. I rotated new donuts, cookies, muffins, and coffee cakes through the breakfast tables and spent the rest of the time brewing coffee.
"Alright," Luke sat down next to me a few minutes later. "We need to start packing things up so that the lunch caterers can set things up here."
"Got it, boss," I started packing up the boxes.
"Once we've loaded everything up in your truck, we'll head back and prep things for tomorrow. Then we'll call it an early day," He started stacking the boxes of sweets onto a dolly.
"Just let me grab one more cup of coffee," Alex said, pouring a cup and sighing in relief. "Thanks for bailing me out. I might actually get considered for a promotion after everything's said and done."
"We're glad that we were your first option," Luke replied, stretching out his hand and shaking Alex's. "We'll be back in the morning with a different spread."
"I'll see you guys then."
"We've got to find you a better truck," Luke sighed as he helped me load things into the bed of the old pickup.
"It's only two hundred years old!" I defended the rebuilt farm truck. "They still make spare parts for it too!"
"Mark, there's enough rust on this thing that if you get a cut back there, you'll need a tetanus shot," he shot back as I turned the key and felt the internal combustion engine roar to life.
"I'm planning on doing the full restoration," I replied. "I just needed to finish the farmhouse first."
"All I'm hearing are excuses," Luke smirked. "You know I'd have written a restoration off on the business's taxes, right? You use it for the bakery almost as much as for the farm."
"It's fine," I shrugged. "I'll get to it when I get to it. Now that the house is done and painted, I'm restoring some of the fields."
"Lemme know when you get that berm put up," Luke nodded as we moved down the street. "The wife and I haven't gotten to shoot in a while, and she hates indoor ranges."
"They're too loud," I agreed. "But yeah, I'll tell you when you can bring everyone back out. I need some extra perspective on my ideas for the property."
"I dunno what help I can be there," Luke shrugged. "But I'll do what I can."
I turned on my signal and pulled into the bakery's back parking lot, backing my truck up to a small loading door.
"I'll unload," I put the truck into park and set the hand brake. "You stage things for the morning, and we should be done in about twenty minutes."
"Sounds good," Luke climbed out of the truck and headed inside, triggering the automatic door while he headed into the bakery itself. "Let's go home early today."
"Amen," I began, pulling the dollys off the truck. "Let's go home early."
Author's note: I'd planned on having this up a few days ago, but I've had a head cold since Thursday, on top of working four twelve-hour shifts back to back. So, please be forgiving of any errors in here. I'm not entirely lucid ATM.
