FaRtaL Chpt 19

==From a Ristar to a Lady - Chapter 19 -==
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===Troops on the Move===
Rason Estate, Inman
Milligan PDZ, Woodbine Operational Area
Draconis March, Federated Commonwealth
18th March, 30610600 hrs (1800 hrs on local 28 hr cycle)
“You look pretty bored, Finn.”
Finn frowned at Raymond. “I’m not bored. You’re the one who’s bored, leaving the palace to come here and pester me.”
Raymond brandished a book at Finn. The book, which was dyed purple, was written, “Violets Blooming at the Training Ground.” It was obvious that it was a romance novel, and Raymond looked absolutely gleeful.
“This is the best-selling novel on Inman these days. There’s also the electronic version, but nothing beats the feel of the paper as you turn them page by page.”
“What kind of flower would even bloom at the training ground? It’s going to wither away or get crushed by marching feet. Mech training grounds are all muddy as heck, what could grow there?” Finn grumbled while looking through some documents on the upcoming budgetary meetings. He knew Raymond’s bookworm persona was just an act, hiding the scheming mastermind that was his true self. If everybody knew what he really was like, they would have avoided him like the plague.
“Uh-huh. So cold and heartless! How can you say that? Don’t you have a smidgen of romance in your soul at all? And you haven’t even tried it! Come on, just read a few pages, I guarantee you’ll be hooked!” He started to shove the book into Finn’s face.
Angered, Finn just grabbed the book and tossed it violently to one corner of the room. Raymond screamed, and ran over to the corner to pick it up, acting aggrieved at Finn’s callous violence.
“Finn, why are you so mean? I thought I’d bring some things you’d enjoy…”
“Can you drop the act? Even if I’m bored, I would never relieve it by spending time with you.”
“But you prefer to spend it with Lady Kalinska?” Raymond asked slyly.
Finn flinched. The barb struck home, and they both knew it.
“I don’t know why you have to mention Lady Kalinska.”
“You’re too sensitive, Finn.”
“Shut up. You brought her up for a reason. Get to the point.”
Raymond laughed at Finn’s reaction. He took off his glasses and said, “Yes, I’m actually very curious about Lady Kalinska. What happened to her? Why did she change so much in the span of a few days? Don’t you think it was strange?”
He continued, “I kept thinking about how strange it was. I was very careful to hide my martial background.”
Finn grunted, “Maybe you were just careless.”
Raymond scoffed, “But that was the very first time we had a proper conversation. Only you and my closest attendants know that I learned how to pilot a 'mech from your father. I know my people are loyal to me, and they wouldn’t have any reason to leak to Lady Kalinska in the first place. So how did she find out?”
Finn stared at him, wondering if he wanted to know the answer at all.
Raymond grinned, “I think I figured it out.” He raised his hand. “It was my hand.”
Finn looked skeptical.
“I once placed my bare hand on top of hers. She must have realized when she felt my calluses.” The calluses that every Mechwarrior has, due to prolonged hours of gripping, twisting, and pushing the control sticks of their mechs.
Raynond concluded, “That is the most likely possibility.” He paused, “So Finn, what do you think?”
Finn glared at him. “So, why was there a situation in which you would have touched Lady Kalinska’s hand? How come I didn’t know of it?”
Raymond chuckled, then burst into outright laughter. “Ah, Finn! Finn! That was what you were concerned about? You’re so funny when you are jealous!”
“……”
“We were just trying to pick up a fallen book at the same time, and my hand happened to fall on top of hers! It wasn’t on purpose.”
Finn just glowered at his explanation. “I suggest that you stop paying attention to Lady Kalinska. You… and your ****** of a brother.”
Raymond smirked, “Speaking of my brother, Renard just received a confinement order from my father. Did you have anything to do with that?”
Finn shrugged, “I snitched on him. About his abuse of the maids, to the Count.” He narrowed his eyes. “Don’t act dumb, you already knew this.”
“Sure, I guessed he was taking it out on women who look similar to Lady Kalinska, but I didn’t expect you to resolve it. He must have a reason to be so vindictive though.” He swivelled his head towards Finn. “Do you know of anything that could have happened between him and Lady Kalinska to make him behave like that?”
Finn maintained his silence, not wanting to give anything away unnecessarily.
But Raymond knew him too well. “It seems you have an idea, but you’re not going to tell me. That’s okay. But still, how could Renard lay a hand on a noble’s daughter, the heir, no less?”
That caught Finn’s attention. “What do you mean, lay a hand?
“I got some intel on Spencer Larouche’s whereabouts. He got on a JumpShip to Thibodaux, and there he somehow managed to get in contact with a bunch of freelancers.”
“Mercs?”
“Freelancers.” Raymond stressed. “Not quite mercs, not quite pirates. Maybe about a lance? There’s no review board to arbitrate, everything is just verbal. I have an agent over there, he managed to get a HPG message out here for me. The freelancers are on the move. Guess where they are headed?”
Finn stood up, his body tense.
“You understand what’s going on now?”
Finn did not even reply, but dashed out of his office.
Raymond sighed. “Oh my, and in his haste he left his guest all alone.” He looked out the window. “Renard tries to act smart, but he’s not. He lacks discernment and he is greedy. If he really was smart, he would not be wasting time trying to mess with a Baron’s daughter. He should be trying to get rid of me.”
He smiled, wondering what opportunities would reveal themselves to him.
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“Send a priority comms to the zenith jump point. Tell the Blocky Road to prepare for jump operations ASAP.” Finn ordered Eric in the small room that served as their secure command post. “Get the Jurano,” their Leopard class Dropship ready at the drop port, “and my command lance ready to lift. We’re using the Blocky Road to deploy to Altoona via the L1 pirate point.”
Eric was already busy typing in the instructions, but that didn’t stop him from asking, “Huh, what for?”
“I have ample reason to suspect an imminent pirate raid on Altoona. The Yolander can’t get here in time, it is still charging at Delacambre, but Blocky Road is the Trivet’s QRF JumpShip, it should be fully charged. Delacambre cannot spare any troops, and they can’t get to Altoona in time anyway. It’d be just us.”
The Scout Class Jumpship Blocky Road was the QRF JumpShip when the Yolander was around, and the backup Jumpship to take over critical trade when the Yolander was away for repairs. Since Scout JumpShips did not have grav decks, its crew was usually stationed on the Attica station, and constant crew rotations with the Yolander ensured the crews had ample rest, shore leave on planet, and downtime.
Finn paused, gathering his thoughts. “Besides, it’s time I took a look at Altoona and its defenses. Furthermore, a surprise drill is good for keeping all of us on our toes. If the intel doesn’t pan out, fine. It was just a drill. But if it does…” his voice trailed off.
Eric gulped. He had not anticipated that he might find himself in the line of fire, but he was no warrior, just a REMF.
Finn gave more instructions. “Inform the Count. Tell him only that we are conducting a surprise drill involving deployment to Altoona, and I’ll also take the opportunity to inspect the troops there.”
“Yes, sir!”
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===Meeting unexpected Guests===
Fort Lambourne, Altoona
Milligan PDZ, Woodbine Operational Area
Draconis March, Federated Commonwealth
17th March, 30611200 hrs
A Scout jumpship just entered the system at the Nadir Jump Point. It obviously was not the Yolander, which had just jumped out a couple of days before and was still charging at Delacambre. It detached a Manatee, ubiquitous throughout the Inner Sphere as a cargo transport, and would be arriving in two days time.
Matthew explained, “Those ships belong to Harold’s Holdings Private Limited. They’re a trading company specializing in rare earth elements and gems. They are a semi-regular customer, coming back once in a while to collect from us and the other landholds on Altoona, so we usually have a stockpile built up just for them.”
“Okay.”
Matthew had informed her that the mining trade was not her concern, and beyond her authority. Then he confused her with his next statement.
“They said they want to meet you.”
“Why me?”
“My lady, since you’re finally here on Altoona, they would like to hold a meeting with you. It’s a chance to show your sincerity and build rapport with our customers.”
Anastasia frowned slightly. That was not a very convincing reason. Matthew was the liaison, and meeting Anastasia would not affect the deal in any way.
“If I meet them, I don’t have the authority to decide anything, do I?”
“My lady, I’ll negotiate on behalf of the House. I’m sorry, but your opinion doesn’t count.”
“Then why does it have to involve me? Just because they would be nice to me, or me being nice to them does not affect the negotiations. Or would my presence make the negotiations proceed more smoothly?”
Matthew shook his head. “I think it’s because of the rumors.”
“The ones that say I’m crazy?” She should not be surprised the rumors about her have even spread outside the Trivet.
“My lady!” said Luisa indignantly while combing her long hair. Anastasia knew her maid was trying to remind her to watch her language.
This felt like a bit of a dilemma though. It seemed like a waste of time, but if she didn’t go, the rumors might gain credence.
Anastasia sighed. “If I don’t show up, the rumors will only get worse. All right, I’ll meet them.”
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===Eluding Thugs===
Twin Mountains, Altoona
21st March, 3061
1000 hrs
The distance to the Twin Mountains was shorter than expected. Anastasia looked forward to it, thinking of the fresh mountain air.
When they arrived, Matthew brought her around on an impromptu inspection and explanation of the mining activities. The massive mine portals in the side of the mountain showed her just how large their operations are, and stacks of ores piled up on flatbeds, ready for transport to the mineral processing plants near Lambourne.
The sky itself was slowly brightening, the long ‘night’ portion of the cycle gradually giving way to day. But due to Altoona and Red Eagle’s axial tilts, plus the position of House Kalinski’s landhold, true night only lasted for a relatively short time before the sun popped up on the horizon again.
“What about the gems?” Anastasia asked, curious. The Kalinski heraldry was a hand holding a sapphire, after all, and she realized the name of the Valkyrie, Surefire Strike, was a pun, since ‘Surefire’ and ‘Sapphire’ sound very similar. So she decided she should show some interest in them.
He led her around to a field, where she saw villagers squatting down to pick up stones from a field.
She was puzzled. “Why aren’t they digging? Where are the mineshafts?”
“Oh, that’s the other mine on the other mountain. But the ones here can be just picked off the ground.”
Anastasia was bewildered. Matthew led her to a basket of stones. He picked one up.
“Ah, here, if you break this white stone, you can get a nice ruby out of it. Look closely at this here.” He held it up for her inspection.
Anastasia frowned, focused, and saw something reddish attached to the white stone.
“This is a gemstone? This bean-sized thing is a gemstone?”
Matthew nodded. “Haha, the people who come here always expect something grand. The sapphires are collected over there in the exact same way.” He pointed to another field in the distance.
“……”
“We know there are actually larger deposits below the ground here, but there’s not much point in digging them up because it’ll lead to oversupply and just depress the prices. We export to nobles in the Draconis and the Crucis Marches, where the small gemstones can be used for clothing and other accessories. After all, breaking up a larger gem just to make smaller ones seems such a waste.”
“And the other mine?”
“It produces bigger gems, but the Baron sells them sparingly. So it’s often not in operation anyway. We only open it up a few times in a year to maintain our own stockpile, and then seal it up when it’s not needed.”
“And all these small stones earned enough money for that lavish mansion on Inman?”
“It was also the germanium, my lady. But germanium mining is much less exciting and involves a lot of processing to extract the germanium.”
After barely getting over her shock at how the gems were collected, Anastasia and Matthew made their way to the meeting place. They did not have to wait long before the traders arrived.
“It’s an honor to meet you, my lady. I am Derrick Lagos.” the leader of the traders bowed politely to her. He wore a standard business suit, but she could make out the bulge of a gun under his suit.
Not for the first time, she cursed inwardly for not arguing harder for herself to be armed with a gun. All she had was a stiletto she had convinced Matthew to get for her, now strapped comfortably along her left forearm, where she could easily draw with her right.
Matthew stepped forward. “Nice to meet you, Mister Lagos. What happened to Mister Simon, the gentleman who usually oversees these transactions?”
“Mister Simon has been assigned to other roles in our organization, so I’ll be in charge from now on.” Derrick smiled and held out a verigraph out to Matthew. “My credentials?”
Matthew put his finger on the scanner attached to the verigraph, confirming his identity and releasing its contents for him to read. Matthew looked at it carefully and nodded. There seemed to be no problem.
“Everything seems to be correct. I apologies for our rudeness. I hope you understand our need for caution.”
Derrick’s smile grew wider. “I understand completely. When it comes to business, trust is most important.”
Despite his words, Anastasia could not help but feel suspicious. She observed the traders carefully.
Some of the traders were dressed in expensive suits like Derrick, obviously the management. The others just seemed like bodyguards and porters. Out of habit, Anastasia found herself mentally counting the number of escorts the traders brought. One, five, ten… twenty two! I only have a squad of seven soldiers as escorts, is this right?
She shook herself mentally. Maybe they just needed the extra hands for the gems.
Matthew said, “Now then, let’s talk about the deal…”
Derrick held up a hand, “Wait. Can we discuss this in Lambourne?”
Matthew looked confused.
Derrick explained, “For this quality, we will usually just buy everything you have on offer. But our craftsman and appraiser are still on the Dropship due to some delays. My people also want to enjoy their shore time, so we’re headed there anyway. How about proceeding when we are all in the town?”
“Didn’t you say that deals are usually made here?”
Matthew answered Anastasia’s question.
“If there is a large volume traded, sometimes we negotiate in the city. If we can sell more, there’s no harm in acceding to some of their requests.”
Anastasia, who didn’t know much about business, nodded at Matthew’s words. She had made up her mind to see the mines anyway, so there was no real loss to her.
“Oh, no!”
“What’s wrong?”
The jeep driver pointed to the jeep’s wheel. The tire was clearly punctured and flat. “I don’t have the tools to inflate the spare tire at the back. Oh my lady. I’m sorry.” The driver lowered his head in dismay.
Derrick clicked his tongue and said. “My lady, why don’t you take my car?”
Anastasia shook her head firmly after thinking about what that would be like.
“I can’t trouble you like that.” She looked around. “I’ll ride that scooter with, Sir Matthew.” She pointed to a somewhat old scooter with a sidecar.
Derrick seemed worried on her behalf. “My lady, don’t do that, wouldn’t it be better to ride in a car?”
Matthew also objected, “My lady, I think it would be better to ride in Mister Lagos’ car. Riding a motorcycle on mountain roads can be very uncomfortable.”
Anastasia felt annoyed by Matthew’s lack of caution, but she controlled her expression and insisted, “It’s only two hours away anyway. I can ride a scooter.” She allowed a bit of her annoyance to leak through in her tone.
Matthew sighed, and nodded his head.
Anastasia steered the scooter easily, reveling in the freedom of being able to control a vehicle under her own hands for the first time in months. Thankfully, it was a scooter, so the skirt of her formal dress did not get in the way. Matthew rode in the side car, but obviously concerned about her condition.
I am not made of glass, so stop looking at me like that! Furthermore, her gut instinct told her something was very wrong, and she definitely did not want to be in the same space as Derrick Lagos. Sitting in his car feels like walking into an enemy base without any escorts. Maybe that is because I am still thinking like Avryl, but…
The squad of motorized infantry rode around and behind her, followed by the vehicles of the villagers transporting the gemstones that were going to be traded. The traders brought up the rear, silent throughout the journey.
“My lady, are you tired?” Matthew asked concernedly. “Maybe you can change to riding in the car.”
She retorted, “I’m fine. How can I ride in the same car as somebody I just met today? Sir Matthew, I think you are letting down your guard too easily.”
She glanced back at the traders, and saw the glint of metal. Her blood froze for an instant, before she screamed, “Everybody, duck and scatter for cover! NOW!”
Anastasia pressed on the accelerator, pushing the scooter to its maximum speed.
“My lady!”
”What’s going on?”
Before they could figure out what was going on, gunfire erupted from the traders’ vehicles, scything through the civilians and soldiers alike and dropping them to the ground.
Anastasia ignored the bullets flying past and leaned down to make herself a smaller target, cursing at the fake traders.
They were actually bandits. No wonder she felt uncomfortable, Anastasia gritted her teeth. She had always trusted her intuition. It had gotten her out of difficult situations time and again. Even when Pence shot her in the back, she had never fully trusted him.
“My lady!”
Matthew cried out from the sidecar, but she did not care. She felt sorry for the soldiers since they were under her charge, but there was nothing she could do for them, not in this impossible situation. If she turned back for them, she would only die, or become a captive.
Anastasia chanced a glance behind her. The bandits were still chasing her, their motorcycles gaining slowly but surely. But they had stopped firing. She realized these freebirths were not just robbers looking for a mere jewel heist. They were aiming for her.
What should I do? They are going to catch up with us, since my scooter is not very fast… She spied a narrow trail through thick bushes. Let’s give them something to think about.
“Sir Matthew, hang on!”
She drove onto the narrow path, trusting the speed of the scooter to bash through the bushes, gambling that there were branches thick enough to push her off or trip up the scooter. She kept her eyes forward, twisting the scooter and its sidecar from side to side to avoid the thicker bushes.
A shout from behind her and the fading engine sounds told her that her ploy worked, one of their pursuers had tripped.
But they were not in the clear yet.
She rode the scooter for a little while longer until they came to a clear path. She braked the scooter to a stop, then dismounted, gesturing for Matthew to do the same. She then took out her handkerchief and tied it around the accelerator button, sending the scooter careening down the path.
“They will be waiting for us down the mountain. You know that, don’t you?”
“……”
Matthew remained silent.
Anastasia could already feel aches and pains all over her body, but she knew she could not afford to collapse. She was also grateful for her physical training for the past week, which gave her the stamina and strength to push on.
Matthew exhaled, “It’s fortunate you didn’t get into their car!”
“Yes, if I did so I might already be dead or kidnapped.”
“Ahh, how do you figure that?”
“If they were just after the jewels, they would have stopped after killing the civilians and the escort squad. But since they continued to chase me, that means I’m their target. The fact they came in under the guise of one of our customers means that they are thorough and well-prepared. The more thorough they are, the more tenacious they will be. These are not mere underequipped bandits.”
Matthew looked at her in amazement. These words were not those of a delicate nobleborn lady, but the cold calculated analysis of a trained soldier.
“Then what are we going to do?” He had never been in this sort of situation before, and he was close to panicking.
“We’ll need to play hide-and-seek until our own soldiers arrive. If we’re not back by a certain time, they would know something went wrong and send out search parties. The bodies and blood on the road are impossible to miss. All we need to do is to survive until we get picked up.” She hoped the bandits were only infantry. If they had heavier equipment… “Will the household troops be able to move quickly?”
Matthew did not look too hopeful. Most of Craig Wurtz’s soldiers were green and untested. Was it possible for them to sense the danger and come to their rescue? It was difficult to believe that the soldiers would be able to arrive quickly when every minute was urgent.
Then, they heard voices of menacing men. Anastasia put her index finger to her mouth. Their pursuers were approaching.
In the dark mountains, trusting in their numbers, the bandits were overconfident. What they failed to account for, what was impossible to factor in, was that there was Avryl Showers in Anastasia, who had gone through many such scenarios when training as a cadet in the sibko.
Anastasia smiled grimly. “Now, let’s play hide-and-seek.”
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===Unexpected Rendezvous===
Anastasia and Matthew headed towards the more isolated mountain with the occasionally activated mines, muffling the sound of their footsteps. The bandits would surely be crawling all over the most likely paths down the mountains to Lambourne.
She was glad she insisted on comfortable boots because she hated high-heels. Otherwise, she would have to walk barefoot on the rocky trails.
They came across a particularly thick section of bushes, with the barest of openings for a person to squeeze through. Anastasia cursed. “I’m the only one who can squeeze through.”
The opening was too narrow for Matthew, a man, to enter.
She shook her head, “Let’s turn around and find another place.”
“My lady.”
She sighed. She understood what Matthew wanted, but Anastasia did not want to do that. She had already abandoned the escorting infantry soldiers and the civilians. She could not do that to Matthew, who had treated her well and taught her so much.
“Sir Matthew, it’s an order, so follow me.”
“I will follow you later. So….”
“Hey, I’ve found them!” A bandit appeared behind them. “Here!”
Matthew quickly pushed Anastasia through the opening.
“My lady, you must run away!”
“What? No!”
“Hurry up!”
“…” As she shook her head desperately, Matthew shouted sternly.
“Come on! How can Baron Kalinski live without you? It was all my fault for being overconfident. I’ll take responsibility for my mistakes, but you must survive!”
Anastasia bit her lip, well aware that there was nothing she could do..
“I will remember you.” The only thing Anastasia could do for him, in the end, was not to forget his sacrifice.
Anastasia squeezed through the bushes, and it seemed like a wood-and-leaves tunnel made by wild animals through the bushes. It went on for a very long distance, such that she completely lost track of her direction. She was relatively assured, though, that the bandits would not be able to follow her.
She emerged into a small clearing next to the mountain, panting hard from the effort of squeezing through the tunnel. She turned back to the tunnel when two hands suddenly grabbed her from behind, trapping her arms in their grasp. She gasped in shock, and twisted, trying to break free.
“Lady Kalinska, it’s me.”
“……?”
The familiar voice gave her goosebumps. As Anastasia looked back and opened her mouth, the palm immediately covered her mouth.
“Shh, be quiet. You’ll give away our position.”
Anastasia looked back and saw a familiar face. His oily smirk was missing, and his eyes were entirely serious now, belying the gravity of their situation.
It was Pence Lamongue.
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Chapter 19