WP3025 Chpt 12

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==Chapter 12 - Winged Praxis (Battletech 3015 CYOA)==
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===Briefing old Friends===
Dropship Siduri, Zenith Jump Point
Aitutaki System
Principality of Regulus, Free Worlds League
20th January, 3015
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"Hey, you're not dead," said Socks as we exited the tug's cabin. "Score."
 
I looked over to see him playing cards with a couple of the liner crew. Putting down his cards, he motioned to his tablemates to hand over something. I was unsurprised to see eagles change hands.
 
"Did you bet on if I would kill him?" asked Terri, aghast.
 
"Pssht, no." laughed Socks, counting his winnings. "Couldn't find anyone dumb enough to take that bet. Now how long you'd take to come out on the other hand…"
 
One of the crew members shook her head. "Off by a minute thirty. I would be mad if you weren't such a poor poker player, Anvit."
"Guess I'll just have to keep this off the table then," he said, folding the bills and sticking them in a pocket. At her pout he laughed. "Oh, I'm sure you'll make it up in the chips, Mina."
 
"Actually," I said. "If I can convince you to cash out, we might want to discuss contracts. Assuming we can pull your mystery third pilot away from their repairs."
 
"You didn't tell him?" asked Terri.
 
"I figured you'd want to see the look on his face," said Socks, finishing up the hand with a reckless disregard that cost him a stack of chips. Pulling together his reduced winnings, he grabbed the comm on his shoulder. "They're done with their little chat."
 
"Good. I'll be right down," said a voice, made unrecognizable through the small speaker. The sparks stopped and we heard the sound of tools being racked. A slight form in welding gear slid down a ladder built into the patrol tug's framework. "You realize, of course, that things like this are why fraternization regs exist," said Cliffhanger, pulling off the welding mask as she walked towards us.
 
"Captain Kumari?" I gaped.
"I'd be happy to take an officer billet," she said. "But we should probably find your lawyer if we're going to do any proper contract negotiations."
Phillipa grumbled about how normally clients made appointments for her time, but made herself available. I figured that she was just miffed that I had interrupted her plans for an after-lunch chat with Wei.
"So, let's talk," I said, once Phillipa, Terri, Cliffhanger, Socks, and I had sat down around a table in one of the Siduri's conference rooms. "Up front, yes, I want to bring you on board. I've flown with all of you, and I'd be a fool not to grab pilots I can trust."
Phillipa groaned. "You're going to need training in this."
 
I rolled my eyes. "I'm not telling them anything they don't know. I'll be cagier with other hires."
 
"I will believe that when I see it," she said with an acid tone, then turned to the others. "I assume that you've got your own mercenary company incorporated? For the contract with Bankhead, I mean?"
 
Terri nodded. "We set up Tomlinson Aerospace Security Solutions with the MRB to cover our bases."
 
Phillipa clucked her tongue, taking notes. "I assume by the name that you're the owner then? Assets?"
 
Terri nodded. "TASS has one patrol tug and three academy-trained pilots, all blooded, one of which is a qualified instructor pilot."
 
"No fighters?" frowned the lawyer.
 
"I own the Stingray outright," said Terri. "And Captain Kumari is the owner-operator of the Corsair, less the C-bills I chipped in to secure it."
 
"I assume that's being paid off?"
 
"Outside the purview of TASS, but yes." said Terri.
 
Phillipa made another note. "What about liquidity?"
I tried to keep myself focused on the back and forth, but it was outside of my expertise in both of my lives. I reflected that Phillipa was right. I would need some training in this. I did my best to model myself on Cliffhanger, instead of Socks, who was pretending to sleep.
 
"Well, that is a start," said Phillipa, putting down her pad and turning to me. "Mr. Zalman, we have some options here. You could make the offer to acquire TASS, either as a core for your planned mercenary unit, or as a unit to fold in."
 
"That would allow us to take on at least a small history of contract with the MRB." I mused.
"That would be the advantage," she said. "It would also allow you to make command decisions now, and share in the revenue of the Bankhead Lines contract."
I frowned. "Okay."
"On the other hand, there would only be the one contract in TASS's history, and with the exception of the patrol tug, TASS's important resources are human. There is an argument that it is not worth it to acquire TASS, and that you should simply hire TASS's pilots once the Bankhead contract is complete."
I tapped on the table. "I suppose selling the patrol tug would make for a nice bonus for you three. Did you make a plan for what happens if TASS is dissolved?"
Terri shook her head. "We were too busy trying to get things set up so that we could get the Siduri contract."
 
"What about House Tomlinson?" I asked. "Given TASS's name, does the house have any interest in the unit?"
Terri nodded with an uncomfortable look on her face. "I needed to bring father in to get the liquid capital on short notice."
 
"Does he have a controlling interest?" asked Phillipa sharply. "Should we be sending an HPG to Sir Jason?"
 
Terri's uncomfortable expression got worse. "Yes, but no. I've been empowered with the house's interests in this." She looked at the other two pilots. "Noble politics, sorry."
 
Socks took his chin off the palm it had been resting on all this time. "Care to explain that, T-bone?"
Terri sighed. "My father is trying to get Duster to feel like he owes House Tomlinson. Sending me and some early help for his merc unit is a calculated move to look like a reasonable member of the League's nobility that was willing to help him out when Liszt pulled his bullshit."
"Why?" asked Socks. "I mean, I know you came into some money and enough for a merc unit, but mercenaries go under all the time." He looked over to me. "Sorry man, you know I'm here for you, but I don't see why this guy would buy in."
 
"He thinks there's at least enough to found a mechwarrior house. Maybe a barony," said Terri. "It can be worth being a patron to a new noble, especially if they're a higher grade."
 
"Is that realistic?" asked Cliffhanger, looking at me. "Founding a new house, I mean?"
 
I shrugged. "Ask Terri. It still feels nuts to me."
 
Terri groaned. "Yes, it's realistic. Father thinks that Duster has a jumper, dropper, enough units to fill the dropper, and plenty of funds. If it's a…"
 
"You own a Jumpship?" interrupted Socks, flabbergasted.
I held up a pair of fingers. "I own two."
 
Phillipa hissed.
 
I turned to give her a sharp look. "Ms. Kasparova, I've fought and bled with these three. If I'm being frank, I trust them more than I do you."
Phillipa grunted. "No, not that. Or not entirely that. We can discuss that later. Mr. Zalman, I didn't know about a second Jumpship."
I thought back to what Phillipa had told me about my inheritance, and what I had learned from the recording of my dying father. "Mierda." I pinched the bridge of my nose. "Lo siento, Señora Kasparova." Realizing that she didn't speak Spanish, I swapped back to English. "My apologies, Ms. Kasparova. I should not have insulted your professionalism."
"Accepted, Mr. Zalman. Of course, all of this is covered by attorney-client privilege."
 
"Hold up a moment," said Socks. "Two?"
 
I nodded. "That's out of the bag, so yes."
 
"But for opsec we shouldn't go further," said Cliffhanger. "We can't give something away if we don't know it. Tomlinson, I assume your father doesn't know everything?" Terri shook her head, and the dark skinned woman went on. "So, what is he making his plans off of?"
"Like I said, jumper, dropper, Mechs and support to fill it," said Terri. "With the cash Duster has, a Leopard could let him found a house on the spot so long as he could get a patron, and that wouldn't be hard. A Union could maybe make a barony possible, so long as it was in the Trinity." She looked over at me with an apologetic smile. "Sorry, Gid, but not many nobles want to set up out there."
 
I snorted. "Suits us down to the ground. We've got some mechwarrior houses about, but yeah, nothing higher than that."
 
"Anyway, if it was an Overlord, Duster would be Baron of Cerillos like," she snapped her fingers, "that. Might even be able to pick up the whole Trinity with the right support. Those are the stakes Father is playing for."
 
"And," said Socks, "…there's more than he knows?"
 
"Kundaraju," warned Cliffhanger.
 
"Significantly," I said. "I'm not going to get into it, both because of opsec and because I don't know all the specifics, but it looks like a lot."
 
Socks nodded, looking poleaxed. Cliffhanger turned to Terri. "And what about me? Should I be feeling in debt to House Tomlinson for my Corsair?"
Terri blinked. "I…" she started before composing herself. "I was just trying to make sure you could come with us, Cliffhanger. Father didn't have anything to do with it."
 
"No, but you are a Tomlinson," pointed out Cliffhanger. "And I wouldn't have been able to claim the fighter without you, nor get repairs done."
 
Terri shook her head. "I wasn't playing debt games, Cliffhanger. You're helping me too."
 
Cliffhanger grunted, apparently willing to let it drop for the moment.
 
Phillipa cut into the awkward silence. "While this has been very revealing, we are no closer to deciding what to do with TASS."
 
Terri looked at me. "I'm supposed to give you a sweetheart deal, no matter how you want to play this, Gid."
 
I mulled it over. "Is the current escort contract exclusive?" I asked as an idea occurred to me.
"No," said Terri. "Why?"
 
"What is TASS obliged to provide for Bankhead?"
 
"Ready response and patrol from ASFs piloted by combat-proven pilots." said Cliffhanger with the air of someone quoting exact wording.
 
I smiled. "Well then, I may just have an idea. I think I'd like to hire TASS."
 
"To do what?" asked Phillipa, putting stylus to pad again.
 
"I think it's probably worth it for Sir Jason to feel like I'm using his investment," I said, looking to Terri, who nodded. "He'll feel more secure that way, I'll bet. And if we can get another successful contract on TASS's books, all the better." I drummed my fingers on the tabletop. "And it'll probably be worthwhile to have a little muscle ready to go when we get to Canopus. We've already got plenty of noble entanglements on the League side of the border, and it's probably going to get even more twisted once we get to the Magistracy." I looked to Phillipa, who grimaced, but nodded. "And we're going to need to scale up as we recover what I've got there. So, what I'm proposing is a training contract, with perhaps a secondary security contract once the Bankhead contract lapses."
 
"Oh!" Terri's eyes lit up. "Oh. Yes, that could work."
 
I turned to Cliffhanger. "You're the one with training experience. Care to make some extra [C-Bills]]?"
 
She nodded slowly. "All three of you are supposed to have another year's worth of training. We won't be able to fit that into two months, you realize."
 
"I'm not asking for miracles," I said. "Just your best."
 
 She cracked a smile. "Now there's a sentence that doesn't make any sense. We'll focus on command and tactics for you, I think. You're a solid pilot so we don't need to give that more than adequate stick time."
 
I pouted, but nodded. Some time in a fighter was better than none. "Sounds good."
 
"You're going to buy out Tomlinson's interest in my Corsair." I looked over to Terri who nodded and started talking with Phillipa. I returned my focus to Captain Kumari. "If you're part owner, there's no question of you being able to get stick time," she said. "We're also going to place you in the role of acting CO. You need to get accustomed to the job, and you weren't being specifically groomed for it like Tomlinson was, Zalman. Prepare to get busy."
 
I nodded. "What about my other pilots?" I asked.
 
"I'll have training schedules on your desk soon, Colonel," she said formally.
 
"Very good, Captain Kumari," I said. "I'd like you to also think about what you'll need to bring atmospheric pilots up to torch standards in the future as well."
 
"Yes sir," she said. "I'll give it some thought. But I suggest that we focus on the task before us for the time being, Sir."
 
"Wise words," I said, then turned to Terri. "Are you going to be okay with this?"
Terri wiped a bit of moisture away from one of her eyes and beamed at me. "Absolutely, Gid," she said, taking my hand and squeezing it. "I'm so glad to see that you're thinking about all of this."
 
"Still room for improvement," I said, holding up two fingers.
 
She gave my hand another squeeze. "What is training for?" she asked, then let my hand go. "Orders, Colonel?"
 
"You'll be negotiating our contract with Ms. Kasparova. Later, I'll want to talk to you about dealing with nobility."
 
"Yes, sir."
 
I turned to Socks. "And you? Any objections?"
 
"You kidding, Duster?" he laughed. "I figured you were going to be taking over anyway. Now you're telling me we get paid twice for the pleasure? What kind of mercenary would I be if I objected to that?"
 
"One who's real picky about command rights?" I suggested.
 
Socks smiled. "I'm on board, Colonel, but I think you knew that. Orders?"
 
"Listen to Captain Kumari, get as much out of these two months as you can."
 
"Easy as pie." he said.
 
I turned to Phillipa. She compressed her mouth into a thin line. "This may not be the most financially wise course," she said, "but I think I see what you're looking to accomplish, and it does not put you in any position of real financial or legal risk." She spread her hands. "At the end of the day, I can only offer advice. The choice is yours to do with your resources as you wish."
 
"If I hire an expert," I said, "I like to at least listen to them. I don't, and can't, know everything. And things tend to work smoother when everyone buys in."
 
She nodded. "Well, you've all certainly made it clear that I'm in a strong bargaining position." she said. "I trust you won't object if I get you a good deal on this training contract?"
 
"Within reason," I said. "I'm going to have to deal with the budget fallout if you screw TASS too hard."
 
"That," she said with a sniff, "Seems like a training opportunity."
 
I laughed. "Ms. Kasparova, you have a wicked sense of humor."
 
"Merely trying to provide financial efficiency, Colonel," she said with a tight smile.
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===Opportunity for Recruitment===
Dropship Siduri, Zenith Jump Point
Aitutaki System
Principality of Regulus, Free Worlds League
22nd January, 3015
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"You seem to be in a good mood." said Gunther as he and Francois joined me at the breakfast table.
 
"I am," I confirmed, tearing my gaze away from a videopad that was displaying a series of ACM tracks. "I was able to catch up with some dear friends and make a very fruitful deal."
 
Which was putting it mildly. Even with buying out Terri's part of the Corsair, the contract with TASS for training was ridiculously cheap, especially given that it gave me command rights so long as they didn't interfere with the Bankhead Lines contract. The Siduri's mistress had grumbled somewhat about TASS taking on an additional contract but calmed when she realized that what had happened was that she had gained an additional pilot on the flight roster for her defensive unit. Most of the hurt feeling came from the fact that TASS had negotiated for logistical support from the Siduri, and our more frequent training hops would be a greater burden. On the other hand, it meant better trained pilots who were showing the flag. We had also agreed to do a couple of airshows in the spirit of good will and to offset the expenses.
 
I'd also been able to straighten out my business relationship with Phillipa. Despite the fact that her firm had sent her on the instructions of the Landynski Syndicate to disburse my inheritance, she was now working as my attorney. I hadn't quite made heads or tails of the possible conflicts of interest in the firm if I and the Landynskis ended up at loggerheads, but Phillipa was of the opinion that it wouldn't be an issue. If I disagreed at any point, she would be happy to refer me to a number of colleagues she respected.
 
For the moment, that worked, and I shamelessly picked her mind on what she thought would be necessary for running the business side of a mercenary enterprise. She had opinions on this, some of which I agreed with, and some of which I didn't. I wasn't planning to duplicate effort when there was a military equivalent, but some of my older knee-jerk reflexes I kept to myself, reminding myself that you listened to experts and only went against their advice for good reason.
 
I was even enjoying the fact that I had a training curriculum again. I had missed the structure and purpose of LMS more than I realized. It wasn't quite the same thing, much more informal, and much more personalized. And with the quality of the food and accommodations, I was feeling positively Lyran.
 
"Oh, capital!" said Francois with a clap of her hands. "Lien was so worried about you."
 
I paused in my latest bite. Lien. I was going to have to address that soon. She deserved better than the silence and brooding I had given her after I had recognized Terri's Stingray. "She didn't have to."
 
"Nonsense," she said. "You were in quite the brown study."
 
"Es verdad," I mumbled. "Still…"
 
"Oh, I'm sure that she'll be happy to see that you've cheered up. Have you heard about the excursion for today?"
 
"Excursion?" I shook my head. "No, I hadn't."
"There is a shuttle to the recharge station," said Gunther. "I understand that a number of the Aitutaki Academy's finest duelists will be putting on a demonstration and entertaining challengers on the gravity deck."
 
"Really?" I said, tapping my lips. "Interesting." Aitutaki, unlike LMS and AMI, which had banned dueling, actively encouraged its cadets to engage in the practice, even allowing junior cadets to usurp command rights from senior ones with a judicial duel. They were also virulently anti-Marik, only accepting Regulan cadets. If their fighter program hadn't been canned due to a tradition of fatal training accidents, I might never have met Socks. But they had solid mech and armor programs, and their infantry was as tough as they came. And their technicians were second to none. If I could make a good impression…
 
I fished in my pocket for my comm, flipping through files on my videopad until I came to the Siduri's day itinerary. "Kumari, Zalman."
 
"Yes, Colonel?"
 
"We have a potential opportunity to snake some Aitutaki cadets. I think we're going to have to adjust the schedule for today. Can you spare Kundaraju for a few hours this afternoon?"
 
"I can adjust the flight roster, yes. I assume that you'll be unavailable as well?"
 
I grinned. "That's correct, Captain. I'm afraid that there's a swordfight with my name on it."
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