ASO Chpt 12

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==Chapter 12 - First Mission - Aurigan Sentinels (BattleTech CYOA)==
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===Celebration of a New Years Day Birthday===
Cordia City, Coromodir
Aurigan Reach, Aurigan Coalition
1st January, 3021
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A lot can change in a couple of years. Dad should have been at my twenty-first birthday, but instead I have the heirs to the two most powerful and influential Founding Houses attending. Kamea Arano and Victoria Espinosa are both here at the Kalani mansion, just for my birthday. For the vast majority of my life, that would have been unthinkable and yet here we are.
 
I probably have more guests at this birthday party than any others in my life. Except for maybe some of those that the twenty-first century me had, but I’m not sure if those count. They weren’t for Elizabeth Nora after all. Beyond both heiress and all three of my half-sisters, I have the Zola siblings plus one Jenelle Donovan, a plucky young MechWarrior who helps Moana run my command company.
 
Speaking of Jenelle, I’m ninety percent certain that she is the protagonist of that…the one who led Mackham’s Marauders in the Arano Restoration. She is a protege of Raju Montgomery who has an ancestral Blackjack that she stole from her family after being exiled. And she has enough potential to be that person, to the point that I have her on my shortlist for company command due to how well she is handling herself as Mo’s XO.
 
“Enjoying yourself, Liz.” says Mum, startling me out of my thoughts.
 
“Hmm, oh, yes,” I reply, “Just surprised at how many people I have here. I’m not used to having this many friends.”
 
“Just make sure any future friends are actually your friends.” warns Mum, “I hate to be gloomy on your birthday and everyone you invited seems genuine, but with your new status, you can expect lots of false friends to flock to you.”
 
“I know,” I say, “I have Kamea handling that for now, but sooner or later, I’ll have to take the plunge into politics.”
 
“Like you haven’t already.” says Mum with some amusement.
 
“I haven’t fully plunged into it,” I correct my previous statement, “I’ve sided with House Arano and I’ve been earning goodwill not to mention upsetting the status quo of the entire Inner Sphere and Periphery, but I’m not actively playing political games.”
 
“In hindsight, I wished we had raised you for this sort of life instead of trying to keep it away from you,” says Mum.
 
“Hindsight is hindsight,” I reply, “You did your best with what you knew at the time. It isn’t like anyone could have expected me to find a working WarShip and everything else.”
 
“I don’t think anyone could have,” muses Mum, “Even-.”
 
Mum cuts herself off mid-sentence and I know exactly why. Just like for me, Dad’s death is still too soon to just bring up.
 
“Yeah, I know,” I say as I grope around for a change of subject, “How are you and the others handling being in the shadow of my newfound fame?”
 
“I’ve been dealing with a lot of false friends who suddenly want something to do with us,” admits Mum with a sigh, “Melika is excited for the chance to be a MechWarrior now that we have a second family ‘Mech. Malia is happy to take advantage of the name recognition and publicity for increased exposure and sales for the family business. Even if she is delegating most of the work, Kalani Meats & Meals is growing rapidly and Malia wants to get big before the fame fades. Something about getting big enough that the fame is self-sustaining and the brand will sell itself.”
 
“That sounds like Malia,” I say with a small smile on my face, “Is she the CEO yet?”
 
“Sort of?” replies Mum as she waggles her hand, “There is an understanding that she will be the CEO, but she is waiting until she finishes her studies before properly claiming the position for herself.”
 
“What about Mo?” I ask, deciding to broach the subject despite the potential to be upsetting, “How is she handling it?”
 
“She is doing her best,” says Mum, “I believe it helps that she is somewhat prepared for this. While she has more attention drawn to her than she expected, the only thing that was unforeseen is the scale of things. Moana has gone from being the heir to the baronetcy to being a baroness and heir to a county. She has also gone from being a mere MechWarrior in a Bug ‘Mech to commanding a company in an assault ‘Mech though that last change of circumstances is hardly unwelcome.”
 
While I ultimately did it, granting Moana ownership of the Highlander she is piloting in the Aurigan Sentinels was not an easy choice. Considering that she was the only person I was even considering doing it for and only because she is my sister, it is a very clear cut case of nepotism. Yet at the same time, it is very much an accepted case of nepotism, especially in a place where neo-feudalism is especially rife. But no matter how much I could justify it, my twenty-first century self rebelled against the idea.
In the end, it came down to the fact that Dad should have been the one to make the find, not me. I did the deed, but Dad did all of the hard work and Moana is his heir. She deserves the fruits of the labor more than anyone else, perhaps even arguably me. Though I will never give up my newfound position, the power and influence it brings is just too vital for my goals for me to give away.
 
“Liz!” calls Kamea from across the room, “Ready to discuss your presents?”
 
“Sorry, Mum, I’ve got to go,” I say to Mum before turning my attention to the Arano heiress where she has gathered with the rest of the young ladies and Vance, “Don’t you mean open my presents?”
 
“You can open some of them, but mine is too large to bring with me,” replies Kamea as I make my way over, “So is Victoria’s.”
 
“So is mine.” adds Malia.
 
“Mine isn’t.” says Jennelle, sounding a little sheepish.
 
“It isn’t the size of the gift that matters, it is the thought behind it,” I declare before looking at the heiresses and going, “No offense.”
 
“None taken.” replies Victoria as I take a seat with the group.
 
“Besides, you have plenty of gifts from strangers who want to get in your good books.” says Kamea before sighing, “I’m going to spend the next few days sorting them out.”
 
“You’re allowed to get help with that,” I tell her.
 
“I’ll need to find some trustworthy people first.” replies Kamea, “No matter, Victoria and I can handle it.”
 
“Did you just volunteer me?” asks Victoria.
 
“Like you would just abandon me to suffer on my own.” retorts the Arano heiress and the Espinosa heiress shrugs.
 
“Try running a battalion of green troops.” says Vance drily.
 
“No thanks, I’ll stick to just a company for now.” replies Moana, “So, shall we get to dealing with the presents?”
 
“Of course,” says Kamea before turning her attention to me, “I got you a new wardrobe, Liz, one befitting your new status as a noble since you didn’t have one and you weren’t going to get one for yourself any time soon. Don’t worry, I made sure I had accurate measurements and I have been tasteful when it comes to colors and designs.”
 
“I bought a pair of high end medium lasers for your ‘Mech,” says Victoria, “Both of them are Intek models.”
 
Intek, huh. That should help with accuracy, something which I still need improvement with. Time and practice will fix that naturally, but some especially good medium lasers won’t hurt.
 
“I got you hardback copies of The Exodus Trail.” says Moana, “I know you enjoy the series and since they released the final book last year, I figured you would appreciate having a full set. Especially since you now have the space for it.”
 
Ah, that is a little awkward. Reading fiction based on Kerensky’s Exodus growing up was one thing, but now that I know how things actually turned out…well, it is a lot less idealistic and nice than many people like to think. Damn Clanners, running my childhood memories.
 
“Thank you.” I say politely, not letting any of the minor inner turmoil show, “Though I don’t have as much space as you might think.”
 
“You have an entire villa that you have yet to visit,” points out Kamea with a roll of her eyes, “If you need somewhere to store them, I’ll arrange for them to be sent there.”
 
“Has she seriously not visited yet?” asks Moana.
 
“I’ve been busy,” I tell her with a glower that I don’t really feel.
 
“My gift isn’t so fancy,” says Melika, “Being a high school student and all that. So I just got you some sweets. Catch!”
 
Just like that, the youngest of my siblings tosses a bag of sweets at me. I easily snatch it out of the air and a quick glance reveals that it is just a common brand if one I am known to particularly like. I bet that Melika bought it one day at a local shop on the way home from school and given that she is only sixteen, I can’t blame her. No, wait, she is seventeen now and she has now started attending university as a law student. Education is weird in the thirty-first century compared to the twenty-first.
 
 “Thank you, Melika,” I say politely, giving her a smile.
 
“My gift is also food,” says Malia, “Though it is in the form of several top quality cuts of meat from the family business. They should make for a few delicious meals or one excellent feast.”
 
“Steaks?” I inquire.
 
“That plus ribs, lamb and a whole assortment of meats,” answers Malia, “You won’t be lacking for variety.”
 
“I’m sure that I’ll enjoy your gift.” I tell my sister.
 
“My gift is also food and somewhere between the two,” says Vance as the only man here and leans forward, “I got you some packets of high quality MREs. Not as good as an equivalent proper meal, but they make for excellent fare on a DropShip. Given how much we can expect to be traveling in the future, I figured that they would make for a nice private stash. Something to treat yourself with on long interstellar journeys.”
 
“Vance and I both have our own stashes,” adds Vanessa, “Quirk of growing up merc and onto my gift. I’m going to buck the trend by not having a food-related gift as I got you some comfy pillows. Perfect for a bed in a DropShip and getting a good night’s sleep whilst traveling the stars.”
 
“Let me guess, something else you picked up from your childhood?” I say.
 
“Oh, yes.” confirms Vanessa.
 
“I appreciate it,” I say to the Zola siblings, “Both of you.”
 
“I guess that I am going last and going back to food,” says Jenelle as she pulls out what looks like a tub of hot chocolate powder, “I wasn’t sure what to get you, General, but I figured that everyone likes hot chocolate so I got you one of the nicer brands.”
 
“Thank you, Jenelle, I appreciate it,” I say as I take the hot chocolate tub from her.
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===Strategy of Corporate Acquisitions===
Cordia City, Coromodir
Aurigan Reach, Aurigan Coalition
4th January, 3020
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“You should probably get some sleep, Elizabeth,” says Kamea as she marches up to my desk, where I am pulling a late night.
 
“Yeah, I should,” I reply, not bothering to look up from my noteputer “But I need to get this turned in before we leave. I’ll even push back our departure by a few days, but I need to close this deal before I go out of reliable contactability.”
 
“Nora Industries or Aurigan Sentinels?” inquires the Arano heiress.
 
“Industrial,” I answer, “My attempted acquisition of Lantren Corporation.”
 
“That tells me very little.” says Kamea dryly, “Who is Lantren Corporation and why do we want them?”
 
“They’re the corporation that made the Grasshopper before all of their factories were destroyed,” I explain, “I thought they were defunct, but they are still barely clinging to life so I wasn’t able to snatch them up like I did with Stormvanger or HartfordCo.”
 
“So it is important that you have to do this as soon as possible?” inquires Kamea, “We are beginning enough new ‘Mech production that we will have to choose what to produce. With the Centurion and Merlin both locked in, anything else is likely to wait until those are done.”
 
“It isn’t about the production, it is about the rights.” I clarify, “Design and production rights to the Grasshopper and that cannot wait. It doesn’t matter if we don’t make use of them so long as we have them. If we don’t get them now, we almost certainly won’t be able to get them later.”
 
“What do you mean?” asks Kamea, “Assume that I don’t know why because I don’t.”
 
“A lot of factories and corporations that made ‘Mechs got destroyed in the Succession Wars, but on paper, they still hold the rights to said ‘Mech production.” I tell her, “So with our engineering data and influx of cash, we have an opportunity to buy up the ‘Mech rights. Except because we have been selling the memory core, everyone else wants to do the same for themselves. For example, I wanted Diplan Mechyards for the Mongoose, but the Combine is keeping it for the Jenner and it isn’t just them.
 
Kong Interstellar has a couple of Ost series designs and the Black Knight, but they are more interested in rebuilding their factories than being brought out. Mitchell Vehicles Interstellar would be a godsend for its variety of designs from ‘Mechs to ASFs to even DropShips except ComStar of all people are blocking me there even if the Blakists are officially denying that they are. I’m not sure what StarCorps Industries is doing, but they aren’t interested while both Ostmann Industries and Cosara Weaponries are like Kong Interstellar, wanting to rebuild their own production rather than be brought out.”
 
“I get the picture now,” says Kamea, “And the situation with Lantren Corporation?”
 
“Split between being brought out and re-beginning its own production.” I admit, “I got my foot in the door before the latter could win out and I want to seal a deal before the Cappies can get involved. Since Lantren Corporation is based on Bryant, I have no doubt the Confederation would go with the side that gets them Grasshopper production over one that doesn’t.”
“So you want to seal the deal before you leave because there is a ticking clock until House Liao gets involved and we lose our opportunity.” concludes the Arano heiress.
“That about sums it up.” I confirm before yawning.
 
“We can look at it in the morning,” declares Kamea, “I don’t know where we officially stand, but you are my friend and I know you need to sleep. You will also work better in the morning with a good night’s sleep than pulling a late night whilst tired. Are my father and uncle involved yet?”
 
“I’ve made Lord Espinosa aware and I don’t know if he has told your father or not.” I answer.
 
“Then we can bring them in once it is morning,” says Kamea, “At the very least, they can bring experience and wisdom to the table and if I recall the Grasshopper correctly, both of them will want it for the ACM.”
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==Author's Chapter Commentary==
; A Word from the Author: This update got away from me a bit hence why it is longer than normal, but I don’t think that is a bad thing considering I just wrote two and a half thousand words instead of two thousand.Anyway, it is Elizabeth’s birthday as she turns twenty-one and while I originally intended for an even split of screen time between the party and the business talk, the birthday party took up more space than I expected.Beyond that, Elizabeth is trying to snag up some defunct businesses and their licenses, but thanks to her own actions, she is running into problems. Thanks to selling the memory core, she has made her own rivals so how many licences and designs she can snag up will be limited.
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