CYTM7

==Chapter 7 - Can you tell me where can we start over?==
Spider Moon
Kowloon, Lyran Commonwealth
3043
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"I took your father to see this when he was about to go to the Academy, Pat."  Dinh explained, "He was sixteen and hot to get his ride to Coventry."
"So dad's been here?" asked Patrick
"Yeah...he has." answered Dinh to his grandson.
The stood in a polished cavern. The walls of the tunnels leading down here were engraved with names.  "This is your heritage, boy. who we are, where we came from."
Patrick wasn't alone. It was a breaking of tradition, but Dinh's heart condition wasn't going to wait. He had zero confidence that David would bring the kids here.
So five year old Elizabeth, eleven year old Henry, and Fifteen year old Patrick were all three here at once.
"They all died, didn't they?" Elizabeth asked.
"Yes. Everyone on these walls died for Kowloon. It goes back to the first landings, the independent years, right up to the last war.  They might have worn Star League or Lyran Commonwealth uniforms, but every name here. In this network is the name of someone who fought for our world and our people. With specific halls and caverns for wars, accidents, and disasters."
"Like Dinh Diep." Henry almost-asked.
"Like that, yes, or like here, this is the hall of the 171st, the final war against Amaris."  Dinh said, "Our family are direct line descent from Tranh Truk Ngo, who led our people in that war and may have been the last man in the Inner Sphere to speak to General Aleksandr Kerensky."
"The diary you gave me." Patrick said, "It's his, isn't it?"
"Yes."
"You gave dad a copy too, didn't you?"
"I did." Dinh said.
"I've seen it in his junk drawer." Pat said.
"Well, at least he kept it." Dinh commented, "Pat, you're going to be the Duke some day, you'll needl...you'll need it. You need to understand your home and your people."
"I want one too." Elizabeth squeaked quietly.
Dinh managed to avoid flinching.  His bad feeling had led to a quiet inquiry, which led to a visit to a hospital in Ia Drang after she had one of her many accidents trying to keep up with her brothers.
"Of course, little bit." he forced a smile.  it hurt to humor her.  She had what killed his brother.
He knew it would be detected as soon as their parents came to collect them.  David would have to figure out how to deal with it.  Maybe I can arrange custody on the long term... Dinh thought
"Tell me more." Patrick said, "If I'm going to be the Duke someday, I need this, right?" he gestured to his siblings, "and so do they."
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