IUSD3

==Chapter 3 - I used to Dream==
Elizabeth House
Marjorie Hills neighborhood
 Kowloon
3085
''
"It's been six months, Nathan."  Elizabeth said, "Patrick isn't coping."''
"He is coping in his own way, Hon."  Nathan Roshak used to be a Star Colonel, a Clan 'mechwarrior who earned a bloodname, commanded a Galaxy, and even after almost twenty years, there were times when he wondered if his life were more of a delusional fantasy or freakish nightmare.
The conditions of his release from Jade Falcon service were clear. As in accepted by the Clan without contest, he even held his position in the Roshak bloodhouse until his second retirement.
Regardless of what his son did, his legacy in the Clan was safe. So it had not actually offended him over-much that his freeborn son chose to drop out of 'mechwarrior training of his own volition after the Mila Weintraub incident.  After all, if Patrick had been born a freebirth in the Clan, there would have been little more stigma for washing out than for deciding the life of a 'mechwarrior was not for him.
"How are his ratings?" Nathan asked.
"Exemplary, and that's a bit worrying." Elizabeth's tone was concerned, worried.  "He's dead-middle-of-the pack with one of the lowest permitted entry scores on the vocational aptitude battery.  He scored five times as well for 'mechwarrior training."
"As in 'An example of'...?"
"Fanatic determination and overwork to become average." Elizabeth snapped.  "Patrick was ahead of his cadre at the 'mechwarrior sibko, he's dragging behind his peers at Spider Moon."
"I have discussed your program with our people, Liz. If he is passing the training at Spider Moon, he would be leading any group of warship-crew candidates in the Clan.  Your standards are...considered a touch unreasonable, even by our standards."
"Good enough is-"
"That is your perfectionist streak talking, Liz."  He insisted, "I would be concerned about allegations of favoritism if he were dead last in his marks, or if he were scoring as highly as Amanda did.  The system works, our Son is getting his education.  Given how quiet the borders have been, it may be a better education than learning to fight duels in a battlemech."  He stepped up behind her and cradled her shoulders. He turning to a gentle rubbing.  "What is really bothering you?"
"We didn't get a body back. she's gone, certain to be dead...and we don't even have a body to bury or official acknowledgement the battle happened from the Homeworlders." she growled, "No prisoners, no threats, no reports, the only reason we know anything about what happened are the parts they couldn't hide from their own people, and..." 
"...and no closure." Nathan said.
"No closure." Liz sighed, "We don't know what happened, we don't know if anything survived, and no word on the civilians they thought they were protecting, or anything solid on what the fight was even about! just an empty seat and a listing of 'overdue on patrol' for that ship, and our little girl."
Nathan moved his arms to hold her to his chest.  It wasn't so much that Patrick was having problems dealing with the loss. As that they were all having problems, especially Elizabeth, whose natural inclination to demand answers and confront the world if she had to to get them, was being balked.
"We should have made her wait one more year." Liz suddenly said.  Nathan knew this was the pre-stage.  He braced himself for what was coming, the tears, the self-recriminations, the anger and the weeping.
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