FaRtaL Chpt 23

==From a Ristar to a Lady - Chapter 23 -==
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===Reunion===
Fort Lambourne, Altoona
Milligan PDZ, Woodbine Operational Area
10th April, 3061
2200 hrs
“My lord,” the servants greeted Baron Kalinski respectfully as he stepped out frantically from his jeep. He ignored them, and headed straight for Anastasia, engulfing her in a hug immediately.
He wept, “Ana! I’m so glad you are safe! It could have been terrible!”
“I am fine, Father.”
He asked through sniffles, still hugging her tightly, as though afraid he would disappear on him. “Were you hurt anywhere?”
“No, I wasn’t. I’m really fine, father.” She paused for a moment, then patted him on his back to reassure him. Ironic, that she was the one who actually experienced the ordeal, but ended up having to console somebody else.
He finally released her from his embrace. “It’s all my fault. I should have put more money into our defenses and recruited better men to protect you.”
She tried not to roll her eyes. “Thank you father, that might have helped.” That was also a complete lie. She knew that not much would have helped except perhaps a local military presence so strong that it could deter apirate mech lance. Still, it would not hurt to increase the funds available. Some APCs would definitely help expand the effective defensive radius of the local garrison.
She gave herself a mental shake for trying to think so politically nowadays. All the meetings must be getting to her.
The butler said softly, “My lord, it’s getting late. Why don’t both of you rest early, and you can have a long chat tomorrow morning after breakfast?”
Her father agreed. “Yes, we’ll do that. Thank you.”
He turned to her. “Ana, I’m sure you have a lot of things to tell me. I will hear them all from you tomorrow.”
“Yes, Father.”
===Breakfast with a Request===
11th April0800 hrs
In the end, she did not have to volunteer to tell him much. Instead, he deluged her with questions, with the recovering Sir Matthew, the butler, and even Luisa and some of the servants, chipping in with their comments and observations.
Even Captain Wurtz was present, looking uncomfortable at being in the presence of his actual employer and lord for the first time. Nevertheless, he also had his say.
Anastasia tried hard to control her blushes with the praise they lavished on her. Sir Matthhew assured Baron Kalinski that the demesne would be in good hands when it passed to her, with her sound management and willingness to learn and engage with the many issues that needed dealing with. The butler and servants talked about her frugality and discipline, ingrained in her as a Smoke Jaguar warrior. Captain Wurtz tried hard not to blame the Baron for the lack of funds for the garrison, but instead focused on Anastasia’s willingness to sell off her belongings to make sure they were adequately equipped.
Being praised like this was a new experience for her. Even back when she was Avryl, successful Trials would simply be acknowledged by her superiors, and they would move on to the next task. In the military, there was a saying, ‘You are only as good as your last battle’, so any praise was usually reserved and conditional.
Baron Kalinski looked both pleased and shocked. “Ana! You have grown so much!” Seated next to her, he patted her hand gently. “I was so worried when you came here, that you won’t be able to adapt, but I’m glad to see my fears were unfounded.”
Were you not the one who sent me here in the first place? Her mental complaint held no heat though, since the events at Altoona had allowed her to discover herself.
She deflected the praise, “It was all thanks to Sir Matthew and the staff here that I was able to be comfortable.”
He continued, “I must also thank Viscount Rason and Captain Larouche personally for saving you. Who knows what could have happened to you if they were not around?”
She could barely suppress a sneer as she said, “Yes, we should be very grateful to Viscount Rason, but father, did you ever consider why Captain Larouche would even be here on Altoona? He did not come over on the Yolander!”
“Oh.” Her father suddenly looked pale. “I… I’ll take it up with Count Haynes…”
She said furiously, “More than ten of our people were killed. We should not let this go so easily.”
He seemed meek even in front of her. “I understand, Ana.” He sighed. “To see you with such energy and passion makes my old heart very glad.”
She understood he was uncomfortable and trying to change the subject, so she simply nodded. “Just try your best, father.”
After breakfast, they stood in one of the fort’s observation towers, overseeing the town. Anastasia pointed out places she had visited and what she knew of the people who worked or lived there. The Baron looked at her in amazement, as though he did not expect her to know all that.
He was quiet for a long time, then said, “Ana, you really are an adult now.”
She stayed silent for a while. The original Anastasia never had a chance to grow up, mired in the intrigues and games of Inman, but could not stay on Altoona either with the trauma from her mother’s death, even though Altoona would actually have given her a better chance.
“Father…” she looked at him. “May I return to Inman?”
“Inman?”
“Yes. As you can see, I’m much better now. We can go back together on the Yolander.” I can’t proceed with my revenge on Altoona. It’s on Inman where I can find allies and opportunities.
While fixing up the mechs, she had thought about her revenge. She briefly entertained the idea of turning mercenary and building up a sufficient force to take Pence down, but realized she just could not bear the idea of fighting for money. Besides, she was certain Finn would hunt her down. She also had no means at the moment to get any transportation for her mechs.
Furthermore, Sir Matthew had recovered sufficiently to resume his duties, so she could hand back the administrative work with a clear conscience.
The Baron smiled ruefully at her. “Yes, Ana. Whatever you want.”
As he patted her head, she smiled. I still do not know how exactly I am going to do it, but I have to move forward.
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===Rumors and Gossip in the City===
Innerman City, Inman
Milligan PDZ, Woodbine Operational Area
23rd April0300 hours (1100 hrs on local 28 hr cycle)
The rumors in the capital went into overdrive when Anastasia returned to Inman with her father. Coupled with the earlier return of Viscount Rason and Captain Larouche, and the inevitable leaks from the militia staff and the DropShip crews, the gossip mills were working harder than ever before.
It even eclipsed the stunning news of Victor Steiner-Davion’s de-facto abdication of his throne to his sister Katrina, which was no small feat.
“Have you heard the news? Apparently Lady Kalinska has returned to Inman!”
“Oh really?”
“If she has gone mad, she should have been confined to Altoona. How can she bear to show her face after such indecent behavior?”
“My thoughts exactly.”
“Jumping into the manor lake, that incident at the protests, then the guest lounge. What will she do next?”
“Speaking of Anastasia Kalinska, she’s also known as the White Lotus of Altoona.”
Snigger. “Really? Whoever thought up such a childish nickname? Did they even know what it implies?”
“Somebody who acts all innocent, but actually lies and slings mud at others? Sounds exactly like her!” Some of them giggled.
“Boys will be boys, I guess.”
“Well, you know…” A refined voice cut in, claiming the attention of the gathered ladies at the table. “It was Count Haynes who gave her that nickname.”
The ladies fell silent. That voice belonged to Lady Venice Codina, unofficially acknowledged as the foremost lady of the younger generation. Her impeccable manners and striking beauty combined to place her high in the ranks of the nobility within the capital of the Trivet.
Venice placed down her cup of tea with just the gentlest clink on the porcelain saucer. “Lady Seydoux, I think it would be wise for you to be more careful with your remarks in the future. We wouldn’t want anything scandalous to happen now, would we?”
“Oh!” Lady Selina Seydoux blushed and covered her mouth.
Venice smiled to lessen the sting of her words, “Let’s keep this conversation amongst ourselves. You all understand, right?”
The response from the other ladies was immediate. “Of course!”
“As expected, Lady Codina is as wise as she is beautiful.”
“She’s the complete opposite of Anastasia Kalinska.”
“That’s right,” another lady agreed quickly.
“Oh my, you flatter me.” Venice continued to smile gently. However, she sighed internally. It seemed that the ladies of the aristocracy still could not refrain from speaking ill of others. You all haven’t changed at all, you’re still dim-witted fools.
And all they were always concerned about were the scurrilous rumours of this or that, or the pecking order amongst the aristocracy, or the latest fashion trends and toys.
Not that she was not interested in some of these things herself, but there were other much more important matters. For example, the tensions running throughout the Federated Commonwealth following Victor Steiner-Davion’s speech. She doubted the bickering between the pro-Victor and pro-Katrina factions would subside so easily.
Even in the relatively isolated Trivet, the political fault lines have already formed around the issue. While Count Haynes remained solidly neutral, his heir Renard and his supporters had publicly backed Katrina as the rightful Archon-Princess, while the pro-Victor nobles had yet to form a solid political bloc, but could still pose significant problems on their own as individuals. The Count’s second son Raymond did not even seem to be a factor, his nose still stuck firmly in his books.
As for Anastasia Kalinska… Venice still remembered the first day she saw her, and how the rumours had swirled around her as well. The death of the Baron’s wife, her low-born origins as a commoner from Rasalhague, the supposed affair she had with the previous Viscount Rason.
Everything that happened on that fateful day still appeared clearly in her mind’s eye, when she visited the Haynes palatial manor for the first time. She would never forget how all the nobles and servants seemed to hold their breath when the young Lady Kalinska appeared, and how Count Haynes had personally bestowed on her the nickname ‘White Lotus of Altoona’.
And what was said about her back then, were still being said now. Venice found it deplorable.
“I was thinking… how about inviting Lady Kalinska to our tea party in three days?”
“What?” The other ladies were shocked at her sudden proposal.
Venice smiled and explained patiently. “She’s to be a future Viscountess anyway, and she’ll need help if she’s going to continue residing here on Inman.” She took a sip of tea, as though gathering her thoughts. “My family’s garden is beautiful and would provide a nice atmosphere for the party.”
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===Announcement of Resignation and Theory of Behavior===
Rason Estate
The holovid played.
//"As I am certain all of you know by now, the Federated Commonwealth has undergone a change in leadership during the time of our battles against the Clans. My sister, Katherine, was invited to assume control of the Federated Commonwealth for the good of the citizenry. This she did in December of last year and does not seemed inclined to relinquish her position. In fact, the same message of greeting you all got from her here on Luthien also came to me, but it came attached to many of my personal belongings. Apparently she is renting out my rooms on New Avalon, so if any of you need a place to stay, the view is wonderful…" Laughter filtered through the audience, and Victor Steiner-Davion flashed a smile at his joke.\\
//He let the laughter die, then continued. "In the past two weeks I have heard from many of you…" He hesitated for a moment. "Both from Federated Commonwealth units and others, saying you would be ready to fight alongside me to depose her. Your willingness to step back into the hell we have all returned from on my behalf touches me more deeply than you will ever know. That you would again trust me with your lives is the highest praise I can imagine. I had thought there was no way I could be more proud of you, and I am happily proved wrong."\\
//He lifted his chin. "I consider your trust in me to be sacred, and it forces me to make a difficult decision. That decision is simply this: do I have a right to bring war to the Inner Sphere, to involve you and your loved ones and the citizens of countless worlds in a blood orgy that will return me to the leadership of a shattered realm? The answer is clear: I have no such right.\\
//"Some will argue that I have a duty to do that, but I would disagree. My duty, our duty, is to keep people safe. This was the reason that we fought the Clans, and our commitment to that duty was why we defeated the Clans. To go to war with my sister now would be to mock everything we have done to secure peace for the Inner Sphere. I will not do that to you or to the memories of those we love who have died in this cause."\\
//The former First Prince pulled a water glass from a shelf in the podium and took a sip. "My mandate to lead you ended once we again reached the Inner Sphere. I know you will all soon be receiving orders to return to your homes, to see your families and friends, and I am very glad you have that opportunity. I know some of you are thinking it's a pity I've been robbed of that same joy, but I haven't, really. For the past two years, you have been my family. Knowing you are back where you want to be means I recover the joy of a homecoming from each and every one of you. My personal pain will dissolve in the ocean of your happiness."\\
//He stared straight into the holocamera, his eyes intense. "Because our mission is at an end, I have tendered my resignation to the First Lord. I have done this in part because I am tired of war, but more I do this because of all of you. A soldier could never hope to have a greater collection of brave men and women in his command. It has been my distinct honor and a sincere privilege to serve with you. I wish you all peace and godspeed and safe journeys home. You are the heroes of the Clan war, never forget that, no matter what. You won a future for the Inner Sphere. Now that future is yours to shape and live. Go, live it, be happy. That is my final order to you all, and one I expect you to carry out."\\
//Applause erupted from the audience. Victor stepped away from the podium, and saluted crisply to the gathered soldiers. The applause died in an instant as the audience saluted him back as one.\\
The holovid stopped, Finn’s finger on the remote’s pause button. He was so caught up in the speech he had almost saluted to the holovid screen himself, but that would have been silly.
“He really decided to walk away.” Finn breathed out in amazement. Most of the discussion amongst the soldiers of the Trivet of the past few days were on whether Victor would decide to reclaim his throne and plunge the former realms of the Federated Commonwealth into outright civil war, while the affair on Altoona had been shunted quietly off to be handled by Count Haynes.
Public opinion had been split, with the oddsmakers offering even odds on Victor opting to fight within the next month. Finn, however, had been through some of the most hellish combat on the clan border, and had no wish to see that repeated, so he understood why Victor made his decision. War is hell, and woe to anybody who claims otherwise.
He leaned back in his seat, and asked, “Eric, opinions?”
His secretary cleared his throat. “My lord, this breaks with all the traditions of the Federated Suns. The First Prince must have served five years with the armed forces. Katrina Steiner-Davion simply doesn’t have that. There’ll be a lot of unrest in the AFFC for that reason alone, they won’t see her as legitimate.”
“Traditions can always change. Unrest is definite, the question is, will it escalate to open conflict?”
“Nobody knows, my lord. With the Truce of Tukayyid expiring in a few years’ time, originally everybody would have been focused on that. But now that the Clan War is over with whatever they did in the clan homeworlds,” Finn’s mind automatically supplied the term Trial of Refusal, “it’ll be a lot easier to give into temptation and just beat up your opponents, foreign or domestic.”
War is hell. Civil war is worse. Finn agreed with Victor, but he also knew that events could easily spin out of control.
“The Archon-Princess has been giving us support, right? The financial support for a bit more defence.”
“Yes, my lord. And apparently some discretionary funds to those nobles who supported her, like Renard Haynes. Supposedly to be used for the welfare of the Trivet citizens, but I think it’ll just disappear into their private coffers.”
“Tsk.” Finn didn’t like it, but it was hard to say anything when a lot of his own family’s fortunes were gotten when his ancestors used such underhanded means. House Rason did provide significant support to the Delacambre Institute of Technology, but he was always looking for better uses of his excess funds.
He changed tack. “What of the other matter I asked you to investigate?”
“About House Kalinski? It took some digging, but it was as you suspected - Baron Kalinski is making more money than he reported.”
Finn nodded. “The more secluded side of the Twin Mountains… It held the finest jewels. He deliberately downplayed that side of the mountain to minimize the chances of anybody discovering it.” If the blanket had not slipped off Lady Kalinska, and if he had not leaned down, he would not have seen the gem and palmed it off the ground.
He held up a roughly spherical ruby the size of a golf ball, the color a brilliant red. “Pigeon’s blood. One gem like this could sell for half a million C-Bills, easy. He’s selling them off slowly to avoid saturating the market and maximise his returns. The question is, where is that money going?”
Eric frowned, “Probably not to Baron Renard Haynes, or we would have caught wind of it. And if it isn’t going to him, then he probably doesn’t know either. He, and the rest of the nobles in his group, aren’t the type to pass up such wealth.”
Finn mused, “So Baron Kalinski is playing a deep game? Or is he just hoarding wealth for himself?”
“We can’t be sure, my lord. But I did find out some other interesting information, particularly about the time when Baron Kalinski’s wife died.”
Finn narrowed his eyes.
Eric gulped visibly, then continued in a hurry. “Baron Boris Kalinski tried to kill himself after his wife died.”
“What?”
“It’s true. It’s one of the worst kept secrets in the Trivet actually, all the older folks knew about it. He loved his wife so much he wanted to follow her into death.”
Finn frowned. “But didn’t he think of his daughter at all? She was… how old?”
Eric took a look at his noteputer. “She was only eight years old.”
“My god. Abandoning his child and taking his own life… “ Was it so easy to abandon one’s own child? Did the Baron only see her as a tool? Although their family held a mere barony and didn’t have much power, it was said that Anastasia Kalinska was a formidable woman in the right dress, able to manipulate men into indulging her wishes. It was just that Renard Haynes was seemingly immune to her charms and manipulated her instead.
It made a certain sort of twisted sense. Boris Kalinski thought the only way to deal with his sense of impotence was to run away. Rather than caring for his child as a parent, he treated it more like fulfilling the obligations of an aristocrat. In such a twisted and loveless relationship, Lady Kalinska must have become so disillusioned with the relationship that she thought it truly didn’t matter if she lived or died.
Finn nodded grimly and slammed a fist on his desk in frustration. “Yes, that must be it! Her reckless behavior just became a way of life to her, which was why she seemed to throw it away so easily!”
He continued to mumble to himself, “She must have been so hurt, yet she managed to overcome it all on her own.”
Throughout it all, Eric tried hard not to show his confusion on his face, unable to follow Finn’s convoluted thought processes.
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===Sins of a Heir===
Haynes Palatial Manor
“You idiot!” roared Count Haynes. “Do you know how serious your crime is?”
Within the Count’s office, Renard knelt on one knee, trying to placate his furious father. “Father, please forgive me! I was just trying to scare her a little! I didn’t know it would go that far!”
“Scare her?”
“Yes, father! That’s why I sent Captain Larouche…”
Count Haynes slammed a hand against the top of his desk, breathing hard. “Shut your mouth, you insolent fool! You shouldn’t have done any of that in the first place!” He gasped. “That’s why you sent Captain Larouche? What nonsense are you talking about!”
“Father, you don’t understand!” Renard persisted, his voice shaking with fear. “Ana… Lady Kalinska, she attacked me! I’m telling the truth! It was at the Feast of Bounty banquet, she cursed at me and kicked me! She dared to attack a member of the ruling family… but I didn’t take issue with it and just endured it!”
The Count stared at Renard. “Why should I believe you?”
“You can ask Lady Kalinska! I just thought I had to remind her of the need to respect the dignity of House Haynes! I didn’t want to make a big deal out of it, so I handled it on my own!”
Count Haynes sighed. “Even so, I cannot condone your actions, Renard.”
“I will apologize to Baron Kalinski myself!” Renard spun around to face Baron Kalinski, who had been watching silently to one side. “Please, I beg your forgiveness!”
Baron Kalinski looked flustered, “Ah no… it’s alright…”
Renard knelt then went down on all fours, bowing in front of him. “Uncle! I was a fool to have let this happen! But please believe me, I didn’t really expect them to kill those civilians and soldiers!”
“My lord!”
“It truly wasn’t my intention!”
“Pl… please… don’t do this!” The Baron looked pale and stricken. “It’s alright. Ana is safe…”
Baron Kalinski looked anxiously at the Count, “My lord, please tell Baron Haynes to stop!”
Count Haynes did not reply immediately, but waited for a moment, before he said, “Stand up, Renard.”
Renard, still facing Baron Kalinski and away from his father, smirked smugly as he stood to his feet.
The Count sighed again. “I’m not going to make a big deal about what I’ve heard today.”
Baron Kalinski hastily agreed. “That’s a very reasonable judgement, my lord.”
“But… my own son has indeed committed a grave sin against your daughter. It could have been much worse, and Lady Kalinska might have been seriously injured.”
“But thankfully Viscount Rason arrived in the nick of time, and furthermore, he is her fiance, so it should put him even more in her good graces. Since it turned out well, let’s just let the matter rest for now.”
Baron Kalinski kept his head bowed meekly.
“Return to your home and inform Lady Kalinska.” The Count dismissed him. The Baron quickly walked out of the office.
Once the two of them were alone, the Count let out a breath and said, “Renard, do you know what sin you have committed?”
Renard’s smirk was gone, and he was a bit tense as he replied, “Well, it is unwise for us to lay a hand on any member of the nobility. If that were to happen, it could sow distrust against us among the aristocracy and could lead to internal conflict.” He concluded, “That is my sin.”
The Count shook his head, while one hand kneaded his forehead to rid himself of a headache. “Is that what you think?”
“Pardon?”
“That is not your sin.”
“Then… what is it that I’ve done wrong?”
“During Captain Larouche’s inquiry, wasn’t it true that everybody claimed a member of our family was the one responsible for giving the order to engage the freelancers? Your great sin is that you weren’t even capable of covering our own tracks.”
“What? That’s…”
The older man continued, “I am well aware of the fact that Baron Kalinski is one of your supporters, but you very nearly turned him into your enemy.”
Renard smiled weakly, trying to reassure his father. “Baron Kalinski? He’s of the same bloodline as my mother and my relatives, why would I ever consider him an enemy, and even if he is angry, why should I be scared of that?”
The Count snarled. “Fool! Just because you’re of the same bloodline does not mean they won’t turn on you! Just look at the Mariks, or even Victor and Katrina Steiner-Davion!”
He leaned back in his seat, anger spent. “Renard, as of today, I want you to stop the work I have entrusted you with.”
“Father!”
“Apologizing doesn’t relieve you of responsibility for the incident. You are to help compensate the families of the slain. And if anything should befall Lady Kalinska after today, I will personally hold you responsible.” The Count’s words held a strong tone of finality.
“But…”
“Have I made myself clear?”
The Count may be old, but his eyes were still sharp, and Renard felt trapped under the weight of his father’s gaze. He could only nod in reluctant agreement.
“Don’t worry, Renard. I haven’t removed you as heir yet. You will still have chances to prove yourself.”
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===Winning Allies===
Kalinski Estates
Anastasia was not surprised when she heard the news that the Count declined to punish Renard. It was just another sign of the degeneracy of the nobles of the Inner Sphere. She hoped she would never stoop to such appallingly low standards of behaviour.
She tapped the letter of invitation to the tea party organised by Lady Venice Codina. She tried to rummage through what memories she retained from the original Anastasia on who she was, but came up with nothing substantial, except for a vague sense of jealousy from the original Anastasia.
Her mind was also quite preoccupied with what she had found out about the most recent news sweeping the Inner Sphere. That Victor Steiner-Davion would not use his victories over the Clans as a springboard to reclaim his rulership over the Federated Commonwealth… it just baffled her.
On an academic level, she understood why he did not wish to fight any more. But to effectively surrender to a non-warrior who had somehow schemed her way to the top, it just offended her clan sensibilities!
Furthermore, when she watched the holovids related to his return to the Inner Sphere, something else piqued her attention.
That something else was a giant brown-skinned woman always lurking within his vicinity, obviously his bodyguard, also obviously an elemental. And Anastasia, or rather Avryl Showers, knew her.
Tiaret Nevvarsan was still alive. Tiaret was her friend when they were young warriors in the 144th Garrison Cluster, starting their careers in the clan touman. They were both Star Commanders back then, but Tiaret had been younger than her, as she had graduated early from her sibko in an accelerated program due to her exemplary performance. Of course, they were not just friends, as a team they pulled some memorable pranks on the more oblivious members of the cluster, and even the resultant lecture sessions by Star Colonel Pellen Wirth were remembered fondly.
Anastasia trusted Tiaret’s judgement completely, and if she had willingly become abtakha to Victor, to the extent she was willing to lower herself to be a mere bodyguard for him, then the man himself had to be a warrior worthy of respect. And if he ever wanted to get his throne back… well, she would not support a scheming non-warrior like Katrina, that was for certain!
It was a moot point. Anastasia wondered if there was some way she could get word to Tiaret, tell her she was somehow still alive. But in the Trivet, the fastest way to get messages out would be by HPG, and it would be strange for Lady Anastasia Kalinska to send any messages via Comstar out of the Trivet, to somebody she should not know or care for.
No, she would have to somehow build a power base of her own first. How she was going to do that, she was not sure, but already she felt there were servants and maids in the Kalinski household she could trust to be loyal to her. Even the household guards had fallen in line, and they promised to keep up their efforts even after she left Altoona.
Which brought her mind back to the invitation to the tea party. Should she go?
She knew her current position in high society was precarious, to say the least. The other noble ladies ostracised the original Anastasia, and they probably still thought she was crazy.
But to bring down Pence, she needed political allies. And she would not be able to make any if she was cooped up forever in the Kalinski estate or on Altoona. That was why she had returned to Inman. Somehow she had to find connections amongst the aristocracy, and find reliable allies. How she would win them over she had no idea, but the only way to start a journey was to take the first step.
She took a deep breath and held the letter out to Luisa. “Luisa, inform the other maids I will be attending this tea party, and make the necessary arrangements.”
“Yes, my lady!”
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==Chapter Notes==
*; Chapter Note from the Author : Victor’s speech was completely copied and pasted from ‘Prince of Havoc’. As we all know, shit’s going to go down regardless of what he wanted, but that’s still some time away. It provides the political backdrop to this story, and I’d keep dripping stuff here and there as they happen, which would have a delayed effect due to the fact they’re a backwater region.I also wanted to say something about Tiaret Nevvarsan. For her to be just twenty three years old in 3060 with a bloodname is a bit ridiculous (frankly speaking, many of the Btech canon writers just don’t seem to think carefully enough about timelines and such). For this reason, I’m pulling out the early sibko graduation card, which I had postulated for another fic I’m planning to write, since that was the only way to explain the ages of some of the clan warriors in combat during Operation Revival (e.g. look at Dawn Moffat's age during Revival).Before anybody brings in Phelan, please note he got into the Trial of Bloodright so quickly because he was sponsored by Ulric Kerensky and Cyrilla Ward, and was an active combatant in the Clan Invasion. Tiaret probably had no such opportunity, and what information existed for her strongly suggested she was not in the Occupation Zones.She probably graduated in her Trial of Position (three kills to get Star Commander for an elemental) at sixteen or seventeen in 3053/3054, served in a Garrison Cluster for a time as a young officer learning to lead and earn enough merits to earn herself a sponsor for the Trial of Bloodright, then won her bloodname in the homeworlds in maybe 3058 or early 3059 (at the age of twenty one!) before Bulldog and Serpent. Winning a bloodname in the later half of 3059 or the whole of 3060 was simply not possible with the Jaguars already fighting for survival and HPG orders probably percolated rapidly back to the homeworlds on the severity of the situation in the OZ.In the fic’s timeline, Tiaret and Avryl were both members of the 144th Garrison Cluster from 3053 to 3056, until Avryl earned her bloodname in late 3055 and a posting to the Inner Sphere frontlines in 3056.There was another reason why I brought up Tiaret in this chapter, since it represents a nice contrast to the Avryl / Anastasia dichotomy. Tiaret was Avryl’s best friend in the homeworlds. Anastasia’s soon-to-be best friend was in this chapter too.
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Chapter 23