SoV-8

=Scars of Victoria=
==Chapter 8 - Practice makes Perfect==
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===Discussions of Family and An After School Engagement===
The Victoria Institute of Technology, VIT Meal Hall A - Victoria, Capellan Confederation - 07/20/3048
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Kuan-Yin Liao sat down as Dereck Hatamouchi finished applying a large Draconis Combine sticker to the steel tabletop. “Claiming your territory? Will I have to go through customs and declare my lunch?”
Everyone around the table laughed, “I’m sure we can give you an exception. How about an ambassadorship?”
She picked up her chopsticks and pinched a floret of broccoli from the bowl. “I’ll have to hear it from Prince Minoru first. Where is he?”
The table shook their heads, “Sometimes he disappears for a time without telling us.”“Learned from his mother, the kunoichi.”
Ryuun massaged his bulked arm, “She’s terrifying. Supposedly Tomoe-sama mastered Ansatsuken otherwise known as The Dim Mak. She can stop your heart with a single blow.”
“There’s no scientific basis for death touches Ryuun, stop being so dramatic.”“You haven’t been on the receiving end of her, Yoshimara. I believe she could do it if she wanted to.”“If you will excuse Ryuun’s hysterics. We haven’t seen Minoru since yesterday Kuan-Yin. He’s probably just working in one of the smaller labs on campus.In addition to our research with Doctor Allard. Aria and I have computer work.” 
Aria looked up at the mention of her name, before nodded to Kuan-Yin and returning to furiously writing something on her touchscreen. “While Dereck and Ryuun are procrastinating on their differential equations homework.”
Both men leaned back with her arms crossed, “That’s not true, William. We are diligently working on them.”“In between battles in the Circus’ Mech Pods, against all of Victoria?”“They don’t accurately portray the Daikyu or Dragon’s rate of fire!”“The Vindicator, Cataphract, and Enforcer are OP and need to be nerfed. ““It’s rigged against us!” 
A slap echoed off the multi-level meal hall’s tile walls as they high fived one another, “but we still manage to place in top five. It’s our patriotic duty.”
William lifted a woolen shawl from Minoru’s empty seat and placed it over Aria’s shoulders. “One we all must get back too. Enjoy your lunch.”
Her friends stood up, cleaned up, and departed for their respective tasks as she finished her meal. She looked at her watch without distractions from the exchange students she had finished lunch early, “Plenty of time till my next class. I bet I can find him.”
A nearby terminal came to life as she approached it, Kuan-Yin tapped on a hidden icon built into the UI and illustrated the characters zhèng dè (Correct Ethics) with her stylus on the small white box that appeared. The hidden icon appeared in red at the request allowing higher level access than student credentials would allow, “Sidney, can you tell me where Minoru Kurita is?”
A man’s voice answered in its accent which was fainter than the female version, <{“Minoru Kurita’s location is…”}>
3-D cross-sections of Leeward appeared on screen displaying the locations of its various sub-divisions,
<{“Shengli Advanced Technologies Stadium,Sports Training Sub-Level Three,Batting Cages.”}>
“What is he doing there?”
The terminal paused for a moment before responding in a mildly raised pitch, <{“Presumably batting.”}>
She stood next to the console and stared intently at Sidney’s input wave, “Are you sassing me, Sidney?”<{“I am unable to answer that query, Kuan-Yin Liao. Please restate the question.”}>“Is he by himself?”<{“Minoru Kurita’s reservation only includes himself and ends in, one and a half hours.”}>
After an extended pause the terminal spoke again, “Is that all?”
<{“Yes, close instance and scrub inputs.”}> Sidney’s exposed icon disappeared back into its window as the latest news updates repopulated onto the feed. Kuan-Yin looked toward the neatly arranged plastic lunch to-go boxes. “One and a half hours by himself.” She walked over and pulled one off the conveyor belt, “Who knows what might happen.”
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===Doubts of One's Potential===
Shengli Advanced Technologies Stadium
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Minoru dug deep into his swing slamming the baseball into the net barrier between him and the pitching machine. The screen showed the trajectory and speed of the pitch and landed deep into the virtual midfield. A girl’s voice came from behind him. “Thirty two meters per second. That seems fast.”
Turning he saw Kuan-Yin standing next to the terminal outside the cage. “Kuan-Yin? How did you find me?” As he turned the screened grey out as the batting cage paused, he returned to the batting position. She hesitated, meekly looking away from the Prince’s gaze. “You mentioned something about baseball at Riva’s and weren’t at lunch.I figured your friends would never look for you here.”
He rubbed his temples, “I don’t remember mentioning that, but yeah that was my plan.”“Are you going t try out for the team?”“With all my spare time?” He chuckled, “I don’t think so, I think it can be spent better elsewhere.”
‘Like with me?’ 
Kuan-Yin hoped as he removed the helmet showing a strong jaw, defined features, and black hair glistening with sweat, cradling it between his bicep and chest hinted at through the damp shirt. 
“Can you show me how?”“To bat?” Minoru clicked his bat on the ankle protector as he released his grip, “I don’t know if I’m that good.”“Well, I’m probably terrible. I haven’t done any sports. Never got a chance.”
An uncomfortable pause grew between them until she lifted up the insulated metal pail. “I brought lunch.”“Okay, I’ll help you find a helmet. I think the women’s team has a storeroom nearby.”
She barely restrained her excitement as they walked over to the women’s locker room, Kuan-Yin confirmed it was clear and beckoned Minoru forward. None of the helmet’s fit, “I think you need to change your hair to fit inside a helmet. This one might be the right size.” Minoru selected a fuchsia helmet with the same type of jaw guard as his own.
“I can do that while you eat. Although knowing how fast you can eat it might be a race.”
Minoru chuckled, “Eating fast is an important part of my military training. I wouldn’t have survived crash school otherwise.”
Her hair cascaded from it's bun before she combed her back length hair with her fingers and began braiding it as Minoru chowed down on the stew tying them with ribbon when she finished. “What is crash school anyway? I’ve heard you mention it before.”“Admiralty Fleet Infantry training. Basically, you must live and work at two gees for a month. It’s intense, I had to do a lot of preparation, it does build you up quickly, if it doesn’t kill you.”“Do people die in training?”“Fewer than you’d expect. It takes a lot to even get the invitation. Lots of injuries though that wash you out.”
“How do I look?” Kuan-Yin looked side to side coyly wrapping her hands atop her pale cheeks bringing attention to her black hair, maroon fingernails, and lipstick.
“Very sporty.”‘Sporty’ Kuan-Yin tensed her jaw slightly, ‘Why won’t he just tell me!?’
“Now we just need a find a bat for you.”“They’re not standard?”“All of them are basically built the same but if you try to swing to heavy a bat you might hurt yourself.
I was a lightweight before training but now I can swing a much heavier metal bat and you saw how much power that can generate.”
He looked her over from her choker to the bottom of her capris, “Since you are so petite maybe we should start with a youth sized bat.”
‘Petite’ Kuan-Yin’s jaw tensed again in frustration at whether that was a good or bad thing as she held her arm out for Minoru to get an idea of how long a bat to select.
Now fully equipped Minoru stood behind Kuan-Yin, his chin rested slightly on her helmet as every hands-on adjustment brought shivers to Kuan-Yin. “Don’t be nervous, Kuan-Yin.” He pulled her back into him, “You have really good posture.”
A slight smile came to her face although she hoped she couldn’t see her blush into the monitor that waited for the ‘go’ signal. 
“Do I now? Well, I am a noblewoman’s daughter.”
Kuan-Yin did a test swing cradled in his arms, clumsily shifting her weight throughout. He put his hand on her hips to adjust her position sending more tingles through her. ‘I am going to keep being terrible at this.’
“So how did you get into baseball, Minoru?” 
The second swing was less clumsy but still needed adjustment.
“My parents insisted I do sports. I preferred Kyudo but they wanted a team aspect. Since I am smaller than my older brother, Hohiro, and was weaker than my sister Omiko they suggested baseball.”
A third practice wing brought them closer as she synchronized better with the motion of his hips and arms. “Your parents insisted.”“Absolutely, I can’t be a Warrior Prince if I am afraid of a baseball. We all played catch at the school yard on Vega when my father was stationed there so it didn’t seem so scary although Omiko did try to do some tricky stuff.Batting is a very zen experience, action, reaction, focusing only on the pitcher and trying to read their intention so you can best them.” A fourth practice swing went much smoother, “Do you feel confident enough for a pitch?”
She nodded as he gestured to the screen with an outstretched hand and stepped back. The light bar above began the countdown to the pitch while also showing the general aiming zone. A fiery fastball rushed past Kuan-Yin streaking over arms perilously close enough to her face that she could feel the air racing behind it. Her bat fell to floor as she threw herself backward into Minoru who crashed into the walls of the batting cage holding the hyperventilating Kuan-Yin. Behind them the fastball bounced about in the catching net.
“That was so scary!”
Her sudden collision with him knocked the air out of him as well, “I’m so sorry! I didn’t change the settings.Are you okay?”
Kuan-Ying tensed in his arms catching her breath while letting the adrenaline pass through her. Minoru didn’t seem to be in a hurry to release her and that made her heart pump as much as her terrifying experience.
“Much better now.”
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===Siblings Inbound===
St Ives Academy of Martial Sciences - St Ives, Capellan Confederation - 08/01/3048
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Kai and Cassandra Liao looked over the sheaf of homework they did jointly in one of SIAMS’ empty briefing rooms. He flipped the matte Ceres Slasher Combat Knife he used to open a letter addressed to his sister delivered during the afternoon mail call from her sister on Victoria. “Hmmm.”
“What is it, Cass?”“Our sister has apparently taken up baseball with great vigor. She won’t stop talking about it in this letter.”“Kuan-Yin never seemed interested in athletics. What might have brought about this sudden change?”
Cassandra folded the letter in her hands, “She doesn’t say, but I sense that it’s a boy.”“You know, Cass. It has been a while since we’ve seen our beloved, Aunt Riva.”“We are due for a technical rotation anyhow, Kai.”“I think I can convince the Commandant that we should do it at Shengli.”“Shengli, of course. What better place for such excellent cadets to do their rotation?”
They nodded as Kai sheathed the knife before the door closed behind him.
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===Interlude===
Shengli Advanced Technologies, Beneath the Mountain of Thunder - Victoria, Capellan Confederation
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The Carlos Dagmar Lee Battlemech Research Facility, now known as Shengli Advanced Technologies, along with the Victoria Institute of Technology house the most advanced engineering and technical education facilities in the Capellan Confederation. First rediscovered in the 3020s by servitor miners along with the remains of the SLDF's Fort Lee. Presently the Victoria Home Guard and CCAF Prefectorate Guard are stationed at Fort Lee which protects the blast doors and airstrips leading deep into the imposing rocky faces of Mount Lee. 
Its discovery was seen as one of the inciting events that led to the Federated Suns invasion of the Capellan Confederation. Subsequent expeditions after Victoria’s occupation by the AFFS led to the discovery of a variety of lostech machinery only matched in complexity by Corean Enterprise’s roboticized Valkyrie 'Mech factory on New Avalon. Massive investment by Candace Liao’s short-lived St. Ives Compact, the mercenary unit McCarron’s Armored Cavalry, and the Federated Suns, configured two lines to manufacture the Firebee and different loadouts of Thunderbolt for the war effort and sale. The first Firebee walked off in 3032 followed in 3039 by the first Thunderbolt. Serial production of each was scheduled to begin five years after initial production as technical crews, supply chains, and machinery were developed under constant pressure from Romano Liao’s CCAF.
In addition to its Battlemechs, Shengli Advanced Technologies manufactures a wide range of Star League era equipment for both the civilian and military markets. Their advanced weapons are mated to a diverse range of platforms in CCAF service on Victoria or nearby Menke although there is suspicion that some leaks out to the black market through the bazaars on Zanzibar. This diverse production capability allows Thunderbolts made by Shengli to be made in many different configurations, with the 5LS being the default. Ever since Victoria’s return to the Capellan Confederation Chancellor Tormano Liao has reinforced the AFFS trained and sympathetic Home Guard with politically reliable Prefectorate Guard.
Unfortunately, Victoria is isolated in an increasingly dangerous corner of the Capellan Confederation with the Taurian Concordat on the ascent and tensions rising between Chancellor Tormano Liao, First Prince Ian Davion, and Protector Thomas Calderon. Quick Reaction Forces composed of McCarron’s Armored Cavalry on Menke are always on alert as are their longtime rival mercenaries the Illician Lancers on Mendham within the Federated Suns and the elite Red Chasseurs on Laconis within the Taurian Concordat.
Solaris VII bets are that the Mountain of Thunder and Victoria has a better than even chance of becoming the flashpoint that consumes the diminished wreckage of the Capellan Confederation and starting a major conflict between the Federated Suns and an expansionist Taurian Concordat. A Concordat that resents the economic might of the Capellan March and sees the return of stable leadership to Capella as a threat to their continued influence along the Rim.
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===Mech Sims and a Unwanted Wanted Transfer Students===
Victoria, Capellan Confederation - 09/12/3048
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Two green-gray-ivory painted Battlemechs, a Thunderbolt 9SE/L ‘Sinister’ and Hunchback 4SP/2 ‘Boxcar,’ bearing a kicking horse slowly struggled through bubbling mud. Hidden within the rocky hellscape were two bone white Battlemechs, the Kyabaria ‘Giko’ and Charenja CGR-SB ‘Taikobara,’ blending into the sulfurous steam emanating from the fumaroles.
Both pairs of mechs came together at close range, missiles launched forth from their boxes generating whorls in the steam clouds as they passed. The Thunderbolt rose high above the muck its lasers burning holes into a Chanreja that struggled to get its four larger lasers on such an evasive target.
Inferno fuel blazed across the chest of the Kyabaria from the Hunchback’s dozen missile tubes as its lasers cut deep into its peer machine. Sweat ran down its operator’s neck as he forced the machine onward despite the conflagration, he found himself in. His missiles and autocannon rounds went critical in the magazine causing the whole machine to explode outward as the pilot ejected only to fall into the toxic muck below, to his death.
Despite the superior mass of his machine ‘Taikobara’ could not sustain enough firepower to contest his foes succumbing to his own heat lock. ‘Boxcar’ shoved the larger paralyzed mech which collapsed into the muck as ‘Sinister’ smashed the cockpit in.
Ryuun’s screen blinked, ‘Mechwarrior, You have been killed by KAl,’ as he slammed his fist on the interior of the mechpod.
A voice outside shouted at him, “Hey you break you buy!No hitting my pods, you ruffians!”
Dereck lifted the pod door and looked in, “Sorry Ryuun, I couldn’t help you there. CAl got me good with those infernos.”
Both looked at the after-action replay in the lobby of the arcade as the Circus changed over to its late night configuration. Students and hospital workers started arriving for their evening entertainment and a snack.
“Where did these ringers come from Dereck?We were crushing all of Victoria together in double deathmatch.We even had mass on them.”
He paused the replay and zoomed in on the logo. “If I’m not mistaken, they were in St Ives ArmCav livery. Maybe some off-worlders.They had custom config files so they must be using their service loadouts. I’ve never seen a Southpaw Thunderbolt before, but they were fighting a war while we were playing games.”
The wizened gamemaster crept forward on his cane, “You fellas want another game?”“No, I don’t think so, Mister Chang. I think we are going to see if that karaoke bar is open,”“and if there are any hot nursing students there yet.”
“Happy hunting then. Come again soon.”
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Kuan-Yin walked beside Minoru, William, and Aria as they passed through the Central Circus of Leeward all of whom were dressed in casual clothes. Minoru checked his watch, “Dereck and Ryuun are done playing Mech sims for the night. They’re heading for the karaoke bar.”
William tsked, “The poor citizens of Leeward. Once those two get going it gets crazy real fast. Ever since Masamori. To think they still manage to pass their classes. Just think of what they could do if they applied themselves.”
Aria chuckled, “They have been very helpful to me.”
She looked over the Kuan-Yin who was only slightly shorter than her, “Who else is going to get things off of tall shelves for us?”
Minoru chuckled as well, “I’ll put you on my shoulders so you can reach, Kuan-Yin. I can’t get any taller, especially not after crush school. Although maybe not, anyhow I doubt I’ll match William.”
“Look at that, my Hafu heritage comes in handy once in a while.”
A familiar symbol, the white stallion of the St. Ives Armored Cavalry on a green-grey hat, caught Kuan-Yin’s attention bobbing toward her through the crowd. She pulled down her VIT Vanguard baseball cap to hide herself. A young man with tousled black hair briskly collided with Minoru's shoulder breaking their strides, and causing both to face one another with restrained agitation. His companion, a young woman with pixie cut dark hair under her hat, a pretty face, an athletic body under her cropped denim jacket circled around as the crowd parted around them pink bubblegum popping from her lips.
“That was very clumsy of me. I beg your pardon. Can I buy you a drink to apologize?”“No that won’t be necessary. It happens to all of us. Big crowds.”“Are you certain?”“Yes.”“Very well then. Enjoy your evening, Sir.”
Deep fear took root in Kuan-Yin as the two of them disappeared into the crowd and Minoru urged her on with a firm grip.
‘What are they doing here?’
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Doctor Riva Allard looked out the window of her office in VIT’s College of Biomedical Engineering toward a frosty expanse reflecting the blue sky and sun above. She leaned forward to inspect her latest paper due to be peer reviewed by colleagues from the Central College of Capella, which had officially reopened after a hiatus due to DCMS occupation, and the St Ives Science Institute, where many of them had taken refuge. The cursor blipped over a chart measuring the time delay of her latest Aerospace control configuration in milliseconds. “Shouldn’t this one be a different color? 
Will it be clear enough in the rough copy?I should have gotten Lucas to look at it beforehand, but he’s so busy down there.”
Her phone rang so she put it on speaker, “Doctor Allard, Kuan-Yin is here to see you.”
She minimized the window returning it to her desktop background of NAIS’s Quad, its observatory dome arcing proudly into New Avalon’s sky. “Send her in.”
Kuan-Yin walked in, closed the door behind her, and took a seat across from Riva where she could see the red in her face. “You don’t normally come to my office, Kuan-Yin. What’s the matter?”
“Kai and Cassandra are on Victoria.”
Riva waited and tapped her nails on the desktop, “Is that all?”“What do you mean is that all!” 
Kuan-Yin leaned forward, “What are they doing here?”“I don’t know. Did you expect that I might have received their transfer papers?That’s CCAF’s internal bureaucracy that I have nothing to do with.You are just going to have to be a big girl and talk to them yourself.”
She pushed off Riva’s desk to stand toppling the chair in the process as she growled and slammed the door behind her. The framed degrees and accommodations on that wall tilted under the shock as Riva entwined her fingers and stared at the aftermath, “Yep, I’ve been there before. You’ll just have to get over it sweetheart.”
The office assistant opened the door and looked at the chaos within, then toward Riva, before he could say anything she answered, “Everything is fine, Damon. Just a teen drama.”
He closed the door as Riva reopened her manuscript.
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===Interlude: Frosty Relations===
Fort Lee - Victoria, Capellan Confederation - 09/18/3048
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Kuan-Yin shivered despite her fur lined parka and winter hats as Victoria’s capricious winds chilled her to the bone. Yellow chevrons marked the ferrocrete walls of Fort Lee rising from the frosted purple-grey rocks that she precariously balanced upon that along with Mount Lee blocked out the gray sky. An access door opened from within revealing two individuals stepped out their orange hi-vis winter coats reflecting a white strobe. The sounds of their cleats on the rocks echoed off the imposing edifice behind them between gusts.
Kai and Cassandra pulled their balaclavas down their cheeks reddening in the wind, “Well, well what have we here? Our little sister meeting us in secret away from her new friends.”
Cassandra’s butterfly clicked menacingly with each flick of her wrist, “And snake boyfriend. I suppose treason does run in the family, just like Uncle Tormano says.”“He’s not my boyfriend.”“But you want him to be.”“And why shouldn’t I?Why can’t I be happy with my silly dreams?”
“You’ll be happy when we are.You are the one that abandoned us for a life of comfort here on Victoria.Meanwhile Cassandra and I had to fight for everything we have on our own mother’s world, and we are not happy. The Chancellor has seen to that.”
“You made your choices when Uncle Tormano gave us the option.He didn’t have to; he could have done anything with us! We could all be on Brazen Heart with Romano as nameless exiles wandering the wastelands.Kai, You could have gone to Uncle Daniel and Aunt Megan on Arc-Royal.Joined the Kell Hounds, been a celebrity, lived off our father’s image for the rest of your life. Maybe you could get a stable slot on Solaris to show off like you always do.Cass, you could be the gentle girl you used to be in Grandfather’s mansion on Bristol playing with our little brother, who we may never see again.Instead, you both show up here to selfishly interfere with my life after four years of absence.”
She held her hands out palms up tearfully imploring her siblings, “I thought we could still be friends.”
Cassandra pocketed the folded knife, “Things changed.”
“No, you changed! Look around you.”
Kuan-Yin made a sweeping gesture on the dead rocks and icy wind slicing around Mount Lee. “You’re cold, dark, and dead just like this planet where everything is sharp and unstable.I never wanted this for us. I never regretted my choice to stay with Riva.Why can’t you be happy with yours?”
She turned and started to walk away brushing off frosty tears that fell to the rime coating the rocks as her cleats dug into the ice, “I’m going back to Leeward to live my life. You go back to your barracks to think about yours.”
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