TBntG Chpt 25

==The Bull and the Genie- Chapter 25 - Tharkad==
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===Mary on streets of Tharkad City===
Tharkad City - Tharkad, Lyran Commonwealth
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Mary didn't have her old camera with her. Not enough room, and it turned out that the Brannis format for chemical cartridges was hard to get. She wasn't about to take over a cargo pod for her photos.
No, she had a top-of-the-line Lyran-built camera that she'd bought, which was compatible with all formats and used a Star League pattern mini datacore that could hold more pictures than she could take in a lifetime. It even came with a multi-use cable that could handle different outlet plugs and data entry systems.
Some people collected rocks, Mary collected pictures. Although she…
It's a matter of scale, not kind. When she'd arrived in Samantha, it had been different from Brannis.
Tharkad City was bigger, more advanced than Samantha, it was true, but that was scale, not kind.
But it was still the second capital city on her list, and Mary took pictures and enjoyed being a tourist while ignoring the polite men who were following her. She was a foreign general, so it made sense, and they'd been kind enough to allow her and her men this freedom. And the rest of the troops were on their own tours, a bit more curated, as much for their protection as anyone else. Mary had come to the conclusion that the joke that the Lyrans could sell vacuum to a spaceman wasn't a joke.
Mary nodded. She had a few more hours before they'd have to get ready. And after nonstop jumps, it was good to get out and about. She shivered a little in her heavy jacket. Well, good to get out and about if you had the proper clothes—and this was spring!
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Meeting the Archon
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The Throne Room was vast.
Has to be, Mary thought glancing up at the two Griffin Battlemechs flanking the throne. She sincerely hoped that those pilots were good, although Mary had to wonder how useful they'd be.
On the other hand, someone sneaking an SRM launcher to take them out is probably going to be easier for the security services to detect.
Mary shook her head. She'd had her first meeting with the Archon when the gathering had begun, and managed to avoid making a fool out of herself, very much reminded that she was the daughter of a middle class Brannis family when she looked into Katrina Steiner's piercing eyes. Their working meeting would happen later.
And the first person to replace her predecessor by law, Mary thought. When she'd watched the recording of Alessandro's no-confidence vote, her former XO, Thomas, now with his own regiment, had whispered, "Wonder how that would have played out with a Kurita?"
Mary had nearly covered her screen in what she'd been drinking at the time.
"I wonder why the Taurians made a choice of such an inferior mech?" the voice was loud, bombastic, and when Mary turned, it was to see a group of people, centered on one man, weighted down with more medals than the Protector had.
They made Mary look positively drab. Her dress sash had her medals on it, but as usual, only combat medals were required and Mary, like most TDF officers, had never seen the point of sticking a ton of "good conduct" style awards on the sash. Anyone you wanted to impress would be able to read them for what they were, after all. She had two wound badges from anti-pirate operations, a gold Roman V attesting that she had destroyed five 'Mechs in close combat, and a few unit and individual citations.
The man who was talking must have at least twenty medals and Mary couldn't actually figure out what they were for. None of them looked like the medals she had studied…
"Ah, the Dragons, you mean?" Mary asked. Several of the speakers glanced at her, and opened up the circle to invite her in, where she was, once again, the shortest. Behind them, Mary saw Colin. She could read the uniforms he was chatting to—logistics command and someone from Hesperus industries. She heard a bit of their talking.
"… and of course the worst thing is the way most mechwarriors think spare parts arrive on the wings of angels…"
"Yes. In addition to being Kuritan, they're barely able to fight off a medium mech!" he looked at her. "Ah, I am General Timothy Grigs, of the Mkuranga consolidated combat arm."
"Yes, General. The important thing is that our units aren't designed to stand up to assault mechs—I'd certainly not want to take up arms against a Zeus, but pirates like to run and tend to run more to light and medium forces. All the fire power in the world won't help if we can't catch them."
"Yes, but what pirate would dare attack a city defended by a lance of assault mechs?"
What pirate wouldn't turn around and hit another city while you were stuck there? Mary had a feeling that wouldn't be taken well. "Well, our main objective isn't to defend—it's to hunt them down and kill them. If you chase a pirate band away, you have peace for a season. If you end their existence, you have peace, at least from them, for the rest of eternity."
"Do you think you can do better than the Commonwealth?" The other fellow had far fewer medals and a thinner face, but he didn't sound happy.
"We have different specializations. The Concordat is small compared to your nation, and because of that, we had very little in the way of effective rear areas. Especially recently, we can't take advantage of the reserves you have."
Yes, as I always say, you can never have too many Assault mechs!" With that, Grigs picked up another glass from a passing waitress.
From his look, it wasn't his first.
"Why I remember an attempted revolt, dreadful thing, a bunch of miners taking a mine hostage so they could extort more money from their employers." He took another sip. "Our unit was deployed, and my second in command, supposedly an officer with great promise, wanted to just stand outside and wait for the police. The police! I ordered our mechs in, and well, let me tell you, the miners quickly learned the error of their ways! Homemade armored cars and rockets are of little use against Lyran steel!" He winked and gestured to some of the salad. "I received this order of Merit from the Ditronics Mining Corporation and this one from the local baron!"
Mary blinked. Wait, those aren't Lyran Commonwealth awards? She didn't even think they were allowed to wear foreign awards, or maybe those didn't count as foreign…
"And… How did you deal with the miners."
"As I said, an armored car is useless against an assault Battlemech."
Mary shook her head, bad memories of a square in the Reach coming back.
"That is why Archon Katrina herself requested my presence! She said that a man with my gifts needed to be here. Where she could avail herself of my wisdom, though as you know, issues of state keep her quite busy."
"Yes… Who's running things in your absence? I hope they're…" not you? "Competent."
"Worse luck. My second in command is running things. I expect the whole planet will burn down with his foolishness. I receive continual complaints from the businessmen regarding his refusal to act without the approval of the municipal authorities. But well, he is there, and I am here! Ah, my glass is empty and I—"
The rest of the circle was looking slightly embarrassed. Mary doubted the general noticed.
"Forgive me, gentlemen, but I'm afraid I must lay claim to General Cheng." The tall, thin man had managed to just appear, but the way the others were starting to come to involuntary attention…
Right. "Ah, Kommandant-General Winthrop Yarlows," Mary said. "I was hoping to speak to you."
"And I, you. I know that we all enjoy relaxation, but well, needs must when the devil drives."
"Maybe I could come along!", General Grigs said. "I had quite the conflict with pirates back in the day, and well, they learned their lessons about facing me."
"No, I wouldn't want to interfere with your time here." Yarlows said. "Besides, some of these younger officers can benefit from your stories."
The younger men looked at the Kommandant-general with carefully neutral expressions that probably only fooled Grigs.
With that, he and Mary swept away from the band.
"Apologies. This is an open meeting and well, people are curious."
"I'm not bothered," Mary said. "he's an adviser?"
"That is his official title. Archon Katrina shall keep him here and safely far away from anyone else until he retires."
"Ah."
But why couldn't you just court martial him and be done with it? Maybe the same reason I had Lord Espinoza just go off and become an ambassador instead of arresting him. 
But now they were leaving the great hall, Mary's subordinates joining them.
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