WoWS2 Chpt 11

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==The Weapons of War Saga: Director-General and her KnightsChapter 11==
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===Changing Careers===
Crew's Lounge, Jumpship Albion’s Hope
Zenith Point, Lazarus system
10th June, 3027
10:44 Unity City Time
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Helena's perspective
“Things really getting that bad that you come out here for a social call?” Tuka Wewewala handed her guest a small tumbler of Folk ‘shine.
“I am running out of ideas to get them to stop worshiping me. The only other idea I have is asking a favor of you. A nice vacation. Get away from here for say fifty, maybe sixty years. Long enough that I might slip from living memory.” Helena looked at the current Senior Pathfinder of the Golden Hind.
“Maybe if you at least dated the people might think ‘oh she’s just a daughter that really looks like her mother’ instead of an ever living goddess.” Lucy Heerman prodded.
“And who could I date? Can’t be one of them, that would be a disaster. Golden Hind, well one of them might be a fun distraction for a while but the pressure for a kid to result from any sort of long term relationship would be an eventual deal breaker. And well you lot are getting your own cult following as my Eternal Knights. So even if you were male in appearance that would be a non-starter as well.” Helena drank the ‘shine.
“You are not wrong about my people. The need for genetic diversity and children is a big part of our particular faction. Part of why we are so big on family. So I take it you want me to ferry you out into the ‘sphere?” Tuka grabbed her own microgravity tumbler of Folk ‘shine.
“Yes. I know I am going to have some shadows and I will eventually have to come back here as I can not completely abandon the people but I honestly do not know what else to do. It is like I am cursed. Even when I try and get in the muck with them to help with some sort of civics project they just take that as further proof of my divinity.” Helena emptied the tumbler in one massive gulp.
“Look I know who you are and that you have given us this sanctuary and your daughter having become one of us means we will always have ties because of that but I just cannot take on freeloaders. You will have to earn your keep somehow.” Tuka sipped her own tumbler.
“I know. I can run a jump board and I lived on a Caspar which has even fewer comforts than your ship here. I can handle it.” Helena smiled.
“Well at least the probability of coming across someone that can recognize you as the youngest daughter of the second to last First Lord of the Star League is incredibly small.” Tuka smiled back.
“I am thinking Ian for my assumed name. An obscure enough roundabout reference to my heritage. No one should bat an eye at Helena Ian.”
“Welcome aboard, Apprentice Navigator Helena Ian.”
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===Talk of Dates and Forced Labor over a bland Meal===
The Bolt Hole, Bar aboard Space Dock
Kathil, Federated Suns
27th July, 3027
07:41 Unity City Time
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Helena Cameron’s perspective
Tuka sat down across from Helena with a grim look on her face.
“Rumors true then I take it?” Helena looked up from her bland meal of tofu and steamed vegetables, all grown in the station’s agrodomes.
“Yeah. We’re getting press ganged. As independents we could get out of it but…” Tuka trailed off.
“The loss of shipping contracts that would come with it and with the ship currently in one of their docks for overhaul they have us over a barrel.” Helena shook her head.
“About sums it up.” Tuka grabbed Helena’s drink and took a swig, gesturing for two more to be brought over.
“Just my luck. My vacation gets sidelined by another war about to break out.” Helena tried adding more pepper to the tofu to give it some flavor.
“Cook must be new on this station or just bad. Folk chefs learn real fast how to make tofu taste far less bland than this. At least if they want to stay on ship.” Tuka stole a bit of Helena’s tofu.
“One might think we were dating the way you keep stealing my food and drink.” Helena smiled.
“They would be idiots. Besides I have my eye on that nice AFFS Captain over in the corner booth. I just might have some fun with him. Maybe take him for a dance.” Tuka looked past Helena.
“Go for it. I am still a long way from being able to date, but if I find out you are using this as an opportunity to get maternity leave I will not forgive you.” Helena looked at the young man.
“Who knows. Maybe I will before I get too old for that. Almost am. I would not mind having one more, but you are right. Now is not the time for that.” Tuka more floated than walked to the corner booth.
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===Like seeing a Ghost===
King David’s Watering Hole, City of Bueller
Robinson, Federated Suns
May 12th, 3040
19:51 Unity City time
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Major Eli Wolzac’s perspective
“So there we were on New Aragon. I was just a company commander back then and dating this absolute cougar of a Folk skipper. Anyway I was a bit brash and impatient back then and I got a bit ahead of my unit. Then large as life came this Cappie Cataphract and boy was I in trouble because he had friends. So I started getting the hell out of there. I was scared shitless. Just as an entire Cappie company comes barreling after me in hot pursuit. Fortunately for me my men were not as far behind me as I thought and another gift from god was Captain Armington’s girlfriend. While he brought I company, the 3rd Battalion 20th Avalon Hussars up to join us she put a line of bombs right in the thick of the bastards then made her Corsair look like it was a prima ballerina as she dodged the AA out of there. When I heard they finally got hitched after the war I sent them the best bottle of scotch I could find.” Eli regaled the group of young officers around him.
Motion caught his eye as he saw a rather fetching young woman enter the bar then when he really studied her he felt the color drain from his face.
“What is it, Major? See a ghost?” One of his officers joked as he saw what grabbed the older man’s attention.
It had been over a decade since the war with the Capellans ended but there she was as if she hadn’t aged a day while he was getting his first gray hairs.
“Take a good look, men. I tell you that is the Navigator on the ship that ferried us around during ‘28. What the hell is she doing here?” Eli wondered if the bartender had given him the wrong scotch.
“Sure, Sir. I think we need to get you back to base.” Another Leftenant chimed in.
“An Ageless Spacer…” Eli let his men lead him out of the bar.
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Helena’s perspective
Helena shook her head. It was not the first time she heard someone refer to her as the Ageless Spacer but someone that prominent?
It won’t be too bad as long as I stay a spacer’s legend. Or a drunkard’s tale. But I will have to talk to Tuka about moving to a different ship at least. The young hands coming in to take over for the ones retiring are going to spread it even more. Hell both groups will really. Helena sat at the bar.
“Your best on tap and your lunch special.” Helena had hoped to enjoy her surface time.
"ID. We have a drinking age to enforce here." The barkeep barked.
Helena produced her ID.
"You know what. I respect the brass ones you must have for such an obvious yet high quality fake. No way you are as old as this says." The barkeep shook his head and filled a glass anyway.
Not so much now.
Why am I still doing this? Surely by now I can go home.
<As your duly appointed pain in the ass that will not let you go back on your promise that you made yourself I am to remind you of said promise. I know you are having trouble connecting but you must try.> Simon broke into Helena’s thoughts.
<I know but I can’t connect if people keep building me up as some sort of legend or deity. Only you, M9, and the other AIs have been around long enough to really get what living so long means. Even if some of you still don’t terribly like humans.> Helena studied herself in a large mirror behind the bar.
<Doing the same thing and expecting different results is a form of madness. If you really want to break out of this cycle you need to stop hiding from humanity and find a way to connect with them despite your prolonged lifespan. It will only happen if you put in the work and experiment.> Simon gently prodded.
<Fine. Let’s do something stupid then. Let’s go find us a party in party central. It is the best place where no one will bat an eye at me for not aging for a while because they have really good cosmetic surgeons and medical tech that is supposed to rival even the Hegemony.> Helena drank from her glass as she studied the meal in front of her.
<You can not mean…>
<That’s right. We’re going to Canopus, but first food.> Helena communicated
She didn’t know what she actually ordered. All she knew is it wasn’t tofu. Despite what Tuka said there was only so much someone could do with tofu before it got boring.
Whatever it was, it was spiced enough to bring a tear to her eye.
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; Word from the Author: The really funny part?With stateless spacers and interstellar travel there are tons of people that would be coming through various space ports that do not have such an ID in the first place. Seriously the way the Inner Sphere is presented having/checking for things like passports would be a nightmare of insane proportions.Just too many ways for babies to be born without easily verifiable records. But there still has to be a way to get valid IDs for these sorts of people.So even if Helena jumped through all the right hoops and got such an ID, well something that really does not occur to her is that she has been using the same ID for a decade or so at that point. And she is physically aging so slowly that people still think she is in her early 20's at oldest and when she first got her current ID she couldn't go too young. So ironically it was easier for her to get booze early on but in a more stringent place like I am going with here about a decade later? Yeah. Even if it is 100% legit someone really should call BS on her current ID. Plus as I have hinted at here it is a good way to help establish she is just not visibly aging very fast at all.
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