FaRtaL Chpt 27

==From a Ristar to a Lady - Chapter 27 -==
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===Finding soomething to please Lady Kalinska===
Rason Estate, Inman
Milligan PDZ, Woodbine Operational Area
17th May, 3061
1400 hours (1000 hrs on local 28 hr cycle)
“I guess I don’t know anything about other people’s relationships. Apparently Lady Kalinska has been spending a lot of time with Lady Venice Codina these days.” With a finger, Finn flipped the cover of the small jewellery box up and down, a sign of his agitation. “How did these two become friends?”
He looked up at Eric, who was standing with his noteputer. “Isn’t it more plausible that Lady Codina is just using Lady Kalinska?”
Eric responded nervously, “I don’t think that’s the case.”
Finn glared. “Then?”
“Lady Codina appeared to be nagging Lady Kalinska while following her around. That’s not typical behaviour of someone trying to take advantage of another person.” Eric felt compelled to point out.
“What do you mean by ‘nagging’? About what, specifically?”
Eric looked clearly flustered as he peered carefully at the report on his noteputer. “Uhm, ‘please don’t just choose the ugly ones’ was what she said.” His eyes shifted down. “‘Lady Kalinska, not another weird one! Put that down this instant!’” Eric looked really uncomfortable.
His aide continued, “And not too long ago, Lady Kalinska seemed to favor a cat motif for her jewellery, but Lady Codina said ‘Isn’t it time you developed an aesthetic sense? It’s a shame to see you wearing such tacky things!’”
“What…”
“Asking if she wanted to become a jungle cat…” Eric sighed.
Finn did not look too comfortable himself. “So uhhhh…”
Eric glanced down for an instant to the jewellery box on Finn’s table, “Which brings us to the necklace you bought for Lady Kalinska.”
Finn had noted Anastasia’s tastes, so he had bought a cat motif design. But if her tastes had changed due to Lady Codina, then…
“My lord?”
Finn seethed quietly. Damn it! Now I have no reason to visit the Kalinski estate to see her!
For the umpteenth time, Eric wondered if he was being abused at work. Viscount Rason had loaded him with another pile of electronic documents to look through and summarise. He could only say, “Yes my lord,” and do overtime. At least there was some OT compensation.
“Come to think of it, how are the preparations for the Day of Honour?” asked Finn suddenly. “I know it’s still some time away, but I haven’t received any updates.”
Eric tapped his noteputer screen a few times, then said, “Viscount Aubert seems on top of things. He’s got the usual hoverbike manufacturers lined up with their latest models, both for the race and for the ladies.”
Finn asked, “What about us?” It was clear he was referring to the Delacambre delegation.
Eric nodded. “The usual four teams to represent Delacambre, my lord. But the uh, expats, are also sending a team. Apparently they have their pride too, and they want to showcase their technology and skill.”
“They are?” Finn was surprised. “And nobody told me?”
Eric replied, “Strictly speaking, participation in the hoverbike race is purely voluntary and does not require the permission of any lord.”
Finn smiled. “Well, that would certainly liven this year’s race. This year’s event is shaping up to be quite the affair. All the nobility should be there, so… that means Lady Kalinska should also be attending right?”
“Uhm, actually…”
Finn went back to reading the documents on his screen, resigned. “Forget I asked. Of course she won’t be there. Lady Kalinska had never enjoyed this sort of thing.”
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===Uncomforable Encounter with a Count===
Innerman City
Milligan PDZ, Woodbine Operational Area
17th May, 3061
1800 hours (1400 hrs on local 28 hr cycle)
“A hoverbike race?” asked Anastasia, intrigued.
“Yes, there’s a hoverbike race on the annual Day of Honor organized for our soldiers. It’s a local custom that somehow became a tradition over the years,” explained Venice. “Now stop fidgeting and let me compare these brooches!”
Venice hmphed and hummed while holding the brooches in each of her hands against Anastasia’s dress, before putting them down on the counter. “Give me a brooch in a darker color.” She pointed, “Give me that one too.”
“Right away, my lady.”
Venice noted Anastasia’s bored expression. “Ana, you need to pay more attention to your clothing. Fashion trends change so quickly you’ll be left behind if you don’t pay close attention.”
Anastasia lamented, “All this sparkly stuff looks the same to me!”
Venice shot her a look. “How can you know less than me when your House owns gem mines? This is why you were wearing those hideous jewellery last time!”
“Pfft!” The shop attendant actually had to suppress his laughter.
Anastasia ignored him. “I… didn’t think it was that bad?”
“It was the worst brooch I had ever seen in my whole life” Venice sighed, shaking her head in clear disapproval. “I’m serious.”
“Come, try this on.” Venice handed her a ruby earring.
“Hmmm…” Venice nodded. “I think this sort of gemstone suits you most.”
Anastasia said unabashedly, “Well, it is me after all. Everything looks good on me!”
“You’re shameless!” laughed Venice. “ But you’re also right. Your honesty is what I like about you. It’s so boring to have to pretend to be humble.”
After looking at jewellery, they left the shop. “Whew, we have seen enough accessories. Say, who gets to go for the hoverbike race?” Their heels clacked on the cement pavement as they walked down one of the most luxurious shopping streets in Innerman City.
“What do you mean you’ve seen enough? Ana, we’re going to a bookstore next.” Venice did not answer her question.
“A bookstore?” The bells on the door jingled pleasantly as they opened it.
Venice explained, “There’s a new book on poetry I’ve been wanting to buy for myself.”
Anastasia sighed tiredly. “First dresses. Next shoes. Then accessories. Now poetry. Being a lady is hard work.” She felt like wilting already.
Being a warrior was a lot less work. Show up for drills, training, give full effort for those few hours, then the rest of the day could be spent doing their own stuff. Sure, she was an officer, and also had plenty of paperwork to clear. But she still felt that was preferable to the constant need to follow fashion, high culture, attend the right parties and gatherings.
Venice chided her gently. “You need to get used to it. You’re now a lady, after all.”
Anastasia looked around. The bookstore was piled up high with books. Even with the availability of electronic books, traditional physical copies were still very much in demand. “This place is so different from the last shop we were at.”
“This store has the most books. It’s also the only place I can find the poetry books I’m looking for.” Venice looked around for a while, then said, “Ana, I need to go upstairs to speak to the store owner. Why don’t you look around for a little while? You need to find something else to read after Shakespeare.”
“All right.” Anastasia was not very enthused at the idea, though she knew she should heed Venice’s advice. I would never have come in here when I was Avryl. Never had much of a connection with books. Who reads all these anyway? I do not even like reading in the first place. I cannot believe I am trying to read books in my spare time. I guess I am bettering myself in some ways that I would not have back in the Clan.
As part of her education to become a proper lady, Venice had assigned her to read through the collected works of Shakespeare, and while deciphering the archaic English was difficult, the stories themselves were entertaining enough, so Anastasia did not think they were too much of a chore.
She walked past the rows of bookshelves, to the non-fiction section, and her fingers suddenly paused.
There was a shelf with books on the Clans. One title caught her eye. Clan Smoke Jaguar: A Trial of Annihilation.
Her hands trembled slightly as she took the book out and flipped through its pages. The clan she could not protect, she would now read about only in a book. How was it they managed to get enough information in such a short time to write a book on it anyway?
Even the most cursory glance through the book was enough for her to identify the many mistakes in the book regarding Clan Smoke Jaguar’s culture and traditions, so she figured it was published quickly to capitalize on the Spheroids’ curiosity about the clans, nevermind the shoddy research. She turned to the page on notable leaders, and was surprised to see a photo of herself as Avryl Showers.
“Hmm… Avryl Showers huh? You seem really interested in a dead clan.” The voice behind her was a shock, and she spun around.
“Who…!”
Raymond Haynes placed a finger against his lips. “Shhh… please be quiet. I’m trying to avoid being found.”
Anastasia could not help but feel annoyed. Why does this guy keep showing up all the time? What does he want? And he’s getting into my personal space!
Meanwhile, Raymond was leaning over her and looking through the titles on the shelf. With her back against the shelf, Anastasia could only hold the book protectively in front of her body.
“Ah, here it is. Judging by the title, the book you’re holding isn’t exactly very good. It was written by an AFFC officer, so it focused too much on the military aspects.” He seemed to point at something. “If you want to learn more about the clans, this one from the Diamond Sharks is much easier to understand.”
She squeezed the book against her own body. “I don’t know, I just picked this book up at random.”
Raymond turned to look at her, a sinister grin on his face. “Come on now, there’s no need to lie, Lady Kalinska. I’m already aware of your interest in the clans, especially the Smoke Jaguars. You admitted as much back at the tea party the other day, didn’t you?”
Anastasia replied, “What are you talking about? I never…”
“Smoke Jaguar’s Black Lotus, Avryl Showers! You admire her, don’t you? You respect her for being a mechwarrior of some repute, despite being a woman, don’t you? You don’t have to hide it from me.”
She could not help but flinch a bit when he mentioned her name. But still, she could not understand what he was saying. And the various run-ins they had happened far too often to be mere coincidence. He was probably doing it on purpose!
It’s too dangerous to stay around him, Anastasia decided. “My friend is waiting for me upstairs, so I think I should get going, Sir Haynes.”
“Oh, are you referring to Lady Codina?”
“What?” He had backed off a bit, enough for her to regain her personal space.
“I heard you two are pretty close these days.”
“Oh, it seems that you are very interested in me, my lord.”
“Of course I am.” He reached out with a hand, tapping her on one shoulder. “I’m very interested in you, Lady Kalinska.” He squeezed her shoulder gently.
Anastasia stepped back again to put her back against the shelves.
His eyes seemed to gleam with hidden intent. “Much more than you think.”
Raymond recalled the events of the morning, when his father had called him for a private meeting. For the first time ever, his father had outright considered him for the Countship. Raymond had not been prepared for the conversation, so he had just maintained the foppish act he had put up the past few years.
The window of opportunity is starting to open. And I have Lady Kalinska to thank for prying it open for me. Many of Renard’s misdeeds only came to light after her attempted suicide, and he didn’t help his case with the abuse of the maids, and sending Spencer Larouche to Altoona. All these must have gotten his father to start considering alternatives.
And on top of it, was the ongoing unrest in the former Federated Commonwealth. The lines were being drawn between pro-Victor and pro-Katrina forces, and his father must have picked up on it. It was clear to everybody that Renard had already chosen Katrina, so his supporters had all followed suit. On the other hand, few nobles professed their support for Victor. Even Finn had demurred, stating that he intended to honor Victor’s wishes and stay out of it, essentially claiming neutrality.
There were still a lot of undeclared neutrals around though, and matters could swing either way.
All these were opportunities, and Raymond was determined to seize them. Timing is important…
A heavy book crashed into his left foot. He crouched down immediately in pain.
“My goodness, what should I do? That must have been painful!” He glanced up to see Anastasia with a look of fake concern. She must have pulled a book out to drop on me!
Anastasia continued, “Forgive me, my lord, my arms are so weak that I couldn’t carry the weight any longer. That book was so heavy! I was just so startled when you appeared before me so suddenly!”
Despite the pain, he smirked. “Hah… I know you dropped it on purpose. So you can drop the act, my lady.”
“My goodness, my lord leaned in close to me and told me you’re interested in me,” she smiled wickedly, “I’m sure my fiance will be quite shocked.” She took a vicious stomp forward, her heels just missing his injured foot as he quickly pulled it back with a wince.
“Oh no! It looks like my foot got caught on my skirt and I slipped. Forgive me, my lord!” The ensuing giggle belied the sincerity of her words.
He slowly stood up, using a table as support. “This side of you is quite attractive, my lady.” His foot was still hurting, but at least the pain was wearing off.
“Oh?” She seemed to be enjoying his distress. “I guess you have a unique standard for what you find attractive.” She took a menacing step forward. “Would you like me to show you just how attractive I can be?”
He smiled nervously. “I never said I wanted to know.”
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===Getting in Deep===
“Ana!” Venice came down the staircase with a book in her hands. Anastasia turned to her friend, allowing Raymond a reprieve.
“Greetings, my lord.” Venice, ever the proper lady, curtseyed to Raymond.
“I am honored to have met Lady Codina in a place like this.” Raymond returned the greeting smoothly.
“The honor is all mine, my lord.” Venice then asked, “What book are you looking for, my lord?”
Raymond laughed nervously. “I didn’t come for a book. It was just… my father said something unnerving today, so I ran away.”
Ran away? Sounds suspicious. Also, can his words be even trusted? Anastasia thought to herself.
Venice expressed the right amount of curiosity. “Oh, Count Haynes did?”
“Ah well,” Raymond seemed quite anxious. “He asked me if I had any intention of inheriting the Countship.”
“Oh my.”
Now that was a surprise to Anastasia. From what she remembered, everybody had taken Renard’s ascension to the Countship as a done deal. For the Count to start asking such questions, it seemed that was no longer the case.
Raymond continued, smiling sheepishly, “He said so suddenly that my heart almost burst out of my chest.”
Venice offered, “If Count Haynes said so, then I’m sure there’s a valid reason.”
“Haha,” Raymond shook his head self-deprecatingly, “I’m just a simple booklover…” His eyes settled on the book in Venice’s hands. “Speaking of which… is this the new Luskin Redford book you’re holding?” His eyes sparkled in delight.
“Oh,” Venice seemed happy for the change of subject. “Yes, he’s one of my favorite authors.”
“How interesting that you would enjoy this poet’s works! I had heard women usually prefer romantic poems over serious ones.”
At that statement, Venice looked up, her face blank. “No! There is no difference between men and women when it comes to beautiful poetry. It’s not just me, but Lady Seydoux enjoys his works as well.” She smiled, but it was clear that she was trying to mask the tension that had appeared.
Raymond realised his faux pas, and quickly replied, “Oh! Uhm, my lady, please forgive me if I’ve offended you. That wasn’t my intention.”
“No offense was taken, my lord.” Venice’s smile turned genuine, and the tension disappeared, replaced by something else. Anastasia could not explain how, but she knew something happened to change the mood between the two. She suddenly felt out of place.
“My lord, where are you?” There were shouts outside.
Raymond spun around. “Oops, looks like I’ve been found out! I must bid you ladies farewell! It was so nice to meet you!” He rushed off, out the door of the bookstore.
Venice was silent for a while, then said, “It’s not easy to understand him. I thought he was just eccentric, but now I can see that’s not the case.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“As a member of House Haynes, he has to have some political instincts… we can’t let our guard down.” said Venice sternly.
Let our guard down? Venice knows something? Anastasia herself was already wary of Raymond Haynes. Is she also aware of his true nature? “How did you know that?”
“Sir Haynes said so himself, didn’t he? He said Count Haynes asked him if he had any intention of inheriting the Countship.”
“But then he said he ran away. So why is that so important?”
Venice smiled. “Ana, you need to understand this situation is different. What this means is, the Count may give his second son the same opportunity as his first son. Which means Baron Haynes isn’t necessarily the one who will inherit the Countship.”
Anastasia nodded. “Yes, I understood that much.”
“But actually, that’s not the biggest issue here. Sir Haynes has revealed that he is interested in inheriting the Countship.”
“What?” Anastasia was confused now. “But did he not run away from the manor?”
“Don’t you think that’s even more suspicious? If he really hated the idea, then why did he waste no time in telling somebody about it?”
Realization dawned on Anastasia.
Venice continued, “Especially, if somebody was from a powerful family like mine… almost as if he wanted us to know about it. I’m sure we won’t be the only ones to hear of this by the next cycle.”
“But my father supports Renard,” replied Anastasia. “Why would he mention that in front of me? What if I went and told my father of this?”
“Remember Renard is on probation because of you?” Venice pointed out. “If that’s the case, then I’m sure he’d be more than willing to accept your support.”
This Raymond Haynes can think on so many levels, thought Anastasia. He is definitely a political schemer. Exactly what I hate most! But to have such a person as an ally… Anastasia grudgingly admitted it would be highly beneficial, since she knew her political skills were non-existent.
“Well, I suppose there’s always the possibility that he is indeed a fool though,” mused Venice speculatively.
“No, I think you’re right.”
“About him being a fool?”
“No, not that!”
Venice glanced at her sideways, a suspicious look in her eyes. “Ana, earlier you said, ‘How did you know that?’ Does that mean you already knew about this?”
Stravag, Anastasia shivered slightly. Venice is really sharp! “Well, he behaves like a mechwarrior…” As she spoke, she knew she already said the wrong thing. “So you see, what I meant was…”
“Sir Haynes is a mechwarrior? I heard he knew nothing about being a warrior?”
Arrrghhhh… Anastasia mentally grasped for any straw she could find. “What I mean is, when he touched my hand, I could tell that he had experience with mechs…”
Venice arched an eyebrow in surprise. “Oh! So you’re saying that you have held hands with Sir Haynes before?”
“No, no!” Anastasia knew she was digging herself deeper into a hole, but she could not just let the misunderstanding remain just like that. “It only happened because a book fell and we both reached for it…”
At Venice’s sceptical face, a flustered Anastasia shook her hands desperately, “Wait! Don’t misunderstand! What I mean is… Argh… It’s hard to explain!”
Anastasia persisted anyway. “When I first met him, he was carrying a lot of books! That’s when our hands briefly touched! Also, the way he walks is quite unique! And also… uhm…”
Venice sighed. “Although you have little knowledge about being a lady, it seems your expertise lies somewhere else. I realise that now.”
The statement stabbed right through Anastasia. Nothing gets past her!
“Ah, these books are new.” Venice had crouched down to pick up some of the books on the floor.
How much effort did Venice had to put into becoming like this? Ever vigilant in any and all circumstances? In comparison, being a clan warrior seemed more… straightforward.
“Oh right, you asked about the hoverbike race,” recalled Venice. “Do you want to go?”
Anastasia was relieved at the change of subject, since it was probably more interesting than clothes, accessories, and books. “Of course. Why don’t we go together? Do we need an invitation?”
Venice said, “The hoverbike race is traditionally organised by House Aubert, since it is held on their Viscounty. It’s one of the few occasions where us ladies can go out in public without dresses and nobody will say anything. The invitation is merely a formality, almost any noble can get it.”
“Why? What’s so special about this event?”
“Other than the hoverbike race, where teams from all over the Trivet will participate, there’s also the ladies’ event. The manufacturers will trot out their trendiest hoverbikes for us to ride. And of course, we can’t ride the hoverbikes in dresses, so we’ll have to wear pants. Tight-fitting ones too.”
“Wait,” Anastasia said skeptically, “that sounds as though it was set up specifically for men to ogle the ladies!”
“Yes,” Venice smiled bitterly. “It’s not just about riding hoverbikes and providing free advertising. It’s also a chance for nobles to find partners. In other words, it’s a glorified matchmaking session.”
“Ridiculous! And women are fine with this arrangement?”
Anastasia could not believe it. It was yet another sign of the degeneracy of the Inner Sphere. The sheer contrivance of essentially forcing ladies into dresses for most of the time, then an event just for them to show off their legs? Clan culture was far more direct and made much more sense.
Venice laughed, “Oh yes, the ladies do turn up! Because it benefits them too, in finding suitable marriage partners. More importantly, Ana…” Her tone turned serious, “House Aubert… the heir is Richelle. You know that, right?”
“Richelle? Who’s that?”
Venice nodded somberly. “I had a feeling you’d say that. Remember what I told you before? You used to suffer a lot of social ridicule? Out of those who bullied you, Richelle was the worst.”
Anastasia was quiet as she searched through what memories she had from the original. There were no clear memories, but there was a sense of anxiety. Which meant that the original Anastasia did know Richelle Aubert.
The unpleasant feelings kept bubbling up inside her. Anastasia knew that the original was a victim of bullying, but she didn’t want to worry about it so she had just ignored those feelings, but there was no avoiding them this time.
Why does just thinking of the name make my heart tremble like this? Anastasia gritted her teeth. She would face down this fear. Besides, she had Venice by her side now.
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===Family of the exNova Cat bike racers===
Delacambre, Federated Commonwealth
The hoverbike slid to a stop. The air fans stopped humming and it sank down to the ground. Its rider engaged the stands to park it, and hopped off.
“All good, Chief!” Jamco gave a thumbs up with one hand while the other pulled off her helmet, revealing her larger-than-normal eyes and slightly oversized head.
Technician Hawise nodded in acknowledgement. “The front stabilizer is fixed, quiaff?”
“Aff, no problems now. It is as ready as it could ever be.”
“Looking forward to the trip?” Hawise grinned.
Jamco scoffed, “Looking forward to some thrills for once. Flying cargo planes all the time is so boring. Racing against these Spheroids is a somewhat acceptable substitute.”
Hawise understood. For former warriors who had tested down, civilian life offered none of the excitement they had gotten used to. She was a former mechwarrior herself, a Nova Cat who tested down voluntarily to the technician caste and raised a family.
She had relocated with her family to Teniente, but a Smoke Jaguar Trial of Possession for human resources saw her entire family taken as isorla and transferred to Schuyler. Due to her background as a Warden, her age, and her second pregnancy, they did not even bother to offer her a Trial of Position to regain her warrior status.
Which was just as well, given the shitshow that was Operation Bulldog.
After the Combine had reclaimed its worlds, something had to be done about the Smoke Jaguar civilians left behind in the Occupation Zone, and the traditional animosity between the Nova Cats and the Smoke Jaguars made it difficult for the Jaguar civilians to integrate into the Nova Cat enclaves. Finn Rason had been one of those who offered, so Hawise and a fair number of former Smoke Jaguars had taken him up and traveled to his demesne in the Federated Commonwealth to carve out new lives for themselves.
Jamco was a Smoke Jaguar former aerospace pilot who had tested down after she reached solahma age and decided to continue flying as a civilian pilot rather than serve as ground fodder, but from what Hawise saw, her reflexes seemed completely fine. Her small size, fast reflexes, tolerance for G forces, and all the genetically engineered advantages the scientists had built into the aerospace phenotype made her an excellent hoverbike racer.
“I wonder if Finn is really serious about starting up that reservist program for us,” Jamco mused. “I heard he took some choice isorla from Altoona. Whole mechs! And he has no mechwarriors for them.”
Hawise suppressed the twinge of temptation at the mention of mechs. She had seen the local Delacambre garrison, and she was quite sure she could still outmove and outshoot the lot of them. It was not that they were bad, but she was just better. She had been through the furnace of Operation Revival, the initial clan assault that had overwhelmed the Inner Sphere. She had fought and survived Luthien and Tukayyid, a feat not many warriors could claim.
In fact, her garrison cluster commander had pleaded with Hawise to serve another year instead of voluntarily changing caste, since she was assumed to have automatically passed her annual Trial of Position with that successful defense against the Smoke Jaguars on Hoard.
The dangling pack of tarot cards in the card holder on her hip told her to do otherwise though. Hawise always listened to what her cards had to say.
“That is Viscount Rason to you.” corrected Hawise. Sticking to their own insistence of avoiding Spheroid titles and surnames would not help them fit in. “As for the mechs, I certainly would not mind, but he will probably want full timers instead of weekend warriors.”
Jamco scoffed. “Maybe you can test back up to full combat status? At least you have a chance. I would need a fighter, and unless the locals manage to get their conventional fighter program off the ground, I might never get a chance to fly combat aircraft again.”
As the other members of their racing crew moved in to check the hoverbike, they walked to the garage. Hawise offered, “You could always sign up as a test pilot for the program.”
“I do not think they trust us that much yet.” Jamco noted. Indeed, there were some locals around the test track who gave them the stink eye as they walked past.
“We will prove our loyalty and our worth. It will take time, but I am confident.”
“Seyla,” Jamco agreed.
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==Chapter Notes==
*; Chapter Note from the Author : Nobody actually transfers physical books from planet to planet. What happens is that an electronic soft copy is transmitted, and the local publishers print the books. While readers could just as easily subscribe to a service and download the books onto their electronic devices, as Raymond commented before, nothing beats the feel of holding a physical book and turning the paper pages.And finally, some departure from the original work, in both the type of event, and introducing new characters because there were certain plot points in the original web novel I couldn’t put in unless I reworked it significantly. Hawise has an interesting past - I got tired of all the constant sad trueborn warrior test-downs who just go ‘boo-hoo, I am not a warrior anymore, my life sucks’. Hawise chose to test down. And her tarot cards are pretty powerful…
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Chapter 27