FaRtaL Chpt 40

==From a Ristar to a Lady - Chapter 40 -==
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===Chosen for a Unique Assignment===
Lootera, Huntress
Clan Homeworlds
8th July, 3055
“My Khan,” greeted Star Captain Avryl Showers as she entered the saKhan’s office, trying hard not to show a limp.
Despite having a week to recover, she was still a bit stiff from the brutal final round of the Trial of Bloodright. Fighting an elemental unaugmented was always the sternest test of a warrior’s courage and physical combat skills, especially when they were not elementals themselves.
Avryl still could not quite believe she had actually prevailed over an elemental in unarmed combat, no matter how much she had stacked the odds by having them fight on an unstable floating platform with tiny beads below their feet. An early takedown and a fortuitous omoplata dislocated her opponent’s shoulder, after which the rest of the fight became a mere formality. Even then, just blocking the blows from his other limbs had hurt.
“Have a seat, Star Captain.” saKhan Brandon Howell gestured to the seat in front of his desk. He was not as physically imposing as Lincoln Osis, but he still carried an undeniable air of command. “Congratulations on winning your Bloodname. You have recovered from the Trial of Bloodright, quiaff?”
Avryl sat down, ignoring the slight pain throughout her body. “Aff, my Khan. I am ready for orders.” It would not do to show weakness in front of her superiors.
“Good. I will try to be direct. Your codex shows a mental and tactical flexibility that I do not often see in the clan’s warriors. Your victories on Londerholm against the Coyotes were impressive, as were your decisions in the Trial of Bloodright.”
She stared at him, wondering where he was going with this. “I am honored.”
“You might know that right now, only the Truce of Tukayyid holds us from attacking the Inner Sphere with our full might. What you may not know, however, is that our touman is still recovering from the losses at Luthien and Tukayyid.”
Avryl started in surprise. “But it has been three years…”
“Three years of incessant raiding from the Draconis Combine, from the Nova Cats. We raid back, of course,” he smiled humorlessly, “but hardly enough to make up for our losses. Reinforcements from the homeworlds has been a trickle, since Khan Osis has certain plans in place.”
“I did wonder about that.” She had heard through the grapevine of the best newly graduated warriors being shunted off to a special unit on Huntress.
“Not my concern.” It was clear the saKhan did not want to dwell on this. “What does concern me is how to maintain or increase our in-theater strength, while weakening our enemies, with the resources we do have. So far, we have relied on ad-hoc raiding units from the clusters stationed in the occupation zone, but I think this saps the strength from these clusters and interferes with their organizational integrity.”
“So…” she thought hard. “Dedicated raiding units?”
The Khan nodded, his eyes gleaming fiercely. “Aff. Binary strength raiders, slashing and biting deep like a Smoke Jaguar into our enemies. They will be geared towards tactics not usually used by the clan, with below-par equipment to confuse our enemies, staffed by expendable warriors, but commanded by reliable officers.” He tilted his head at her. “Such as yourself.”
“With all due respect, my Khan, this seems like a demotion.” Having just won a promotion and a Bloodname, she had expected a posting to a frontline cluster in the Inner Sphere, so this was a bit of a slap in the face.
“Aff, I knew you would say that.” He smiled. “But there are advantages. Constant action, which means more opportunities to gain glory. Independent command - you will answer only to me. Next, this type of command will train you well for higher rank and to consider the larger strategic picture. And finally,” his tone turned intense. “It brings us closer to our goal of reaching Terra and forming a new Star League, with our clan leading the way.”
Avryl had to admit, his points were well thought out and extremely persuasive. “I would like clarification on what you mean by the equipment and expendable warriors.”
He explained, his fingers steepled in a thinking posture, “We have, through the course of the constant raids on both sides, amassed a significant amount of isorla of Inner Sphere equipment. By equipping a raiding binary with these mechs, it could cost their opponents a moment of hesitation, buying time for our warriors to bite deep. And the warriors for such units would be dezgra, abtakha, or freebirths, who would not be missed in general.” Then he fixed his gaze on her. “But their commanding officers need to be absolutely reliable in their loyalty to the clan and the Crusader cause, which is why I need you.”
“I am flattered,” she really was, “but surely there are other officers more experienced than myself, who could serve better in this role.”
“Neg.” The saKhan leaned back in his seat. “Older, more experienced officers, especially those already in-theatER, are too set in their ways. I literally need fresh blood and fresh minds for this to work. You will be the first, of course, and I intend to have at least four of these raiding units up in two years time. What do you say?”
Her mind raced with the implications. Independent command was virtually unheard of for Star Captains. It was an unprecedented opportunity. “Will I have any decision making power in choosing the warriors and equipment for my binary?”
“Your call, though I will hold final approval.”
She nodded. She already had her own Spirit Walker, taken as isorla from the Coyotes, and she had been using it ever since, even in her Trial of Bloodright where the older design’s endurance had proven to be a nasty shock to her opponents during augmented combat. Then there was her former bondsman Gast, who piloted a Night Chanter, essentially an omnified Crab, from the same cache. He had only recently tested out again as a warrior. He would make a natural addition to the new unit, she was sure of it.
Her Spirit Walker and his Night Chanter were all too easily mistaken for their progenitor designs, the Black Knight and Crab respectively. Perfect for the role saKhan Howell was proposing.
“Aff, I accept.”
Brandon Howell reached out a hand for her to shake firmly. “Bargained well and done.”
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===Plans for Revenge===
Haynes Palatial Manor, Inman
Milligan PDZ, Woodbine Operational Area
4th October, 3061
2330 hours (1930 hrs on local 28 hr cycle)
Anastasia opened her eyes, feeling the hard wood of the bench below her. I must have dozed off… why did I dream of that meeting?
The answer came to her almost immediately. Because it set me on the path I walked as Avryl in the Inner Sphere.
“Here you are.”
Anastasia looked up to see Hawise standing in front of her, and her usual alertness was back. The upside was that her short nap seemed to have worked off the worst of the wine’s effects.
“Lucky for me I managed to ask Selina where you went. Or else I would have a hard time finding you.” The older mechwarrior plopped herself down on the bench unceremoniously beside Anastasia, her legs spread wide, not caring one whit about protocol or manners.
Since her father was not able to attend, Anastasia had asked Hawise along instead. And since the Count was making an announcement about the manor’s defenses, it made sense for Hawise to attend as their House’s Weapons Master. Hawise carefully made her way around the military personnel present, learning what she could. Clad in a dress uniform instead of a gown, it helped that her status as a former clan warrior seemed to intrigue and not repel the Trivet nobility. Her notoriety in helping Anastasia on the Day of Honor further enhanced her standing, and of course, Selina Seydoux was more than accommodating towards Hawise.
“So… what happened back there?” asked Hawise. “You had a weird look on your face when they talked about the Black Knight. I was standing a bit further away, but it was plain to see.”
“It’s not a Black Knight!” Anastasia blurted out.
Hawise looked at her skeptically. “Kit, I tangled with it on Tukayyid. It is a Black Knight Nine, the Comstar one with the hatchet.”
Anastasia shook her head. “Aff, that one carried a hatchet on the left arm, but hatchets are typically shorter, thicker and heavier. The mech you saw in the mech bay… the blade was significantly thinner and longer. It’s a sword, not a hatchet.”
“Hmmm…” Hawise looked thoughtful, then started in realization. “You are right! How did you know that?”
“That mech was MINE!” Anastasia gritted her teeth. “It’s actually not really a Black Knight, but an omnified version the Coyotes cooked up during the Golden Century, a Spirit Walker. It was supposed to be extinct, but I managed to win one in an old cache from the Coyotes and have been using it ever since.”
“And…?” Hawise prompted.
“To confuse the Inner Sphere forces when we raided into the Draconis Combine, I designed my Binary to emulate the appearance of a Spheroid force. My Spirit Walker was configured to mimic the Comstar Black Knight Nine, and you can see how well that ruse worked.” Anastasia laughed bitterly. “When we first started raiding, we came across a small R&D depot containing mech swords of various sizes. That’s how I managed to get one mounted on my Spirit Walker.”
“Then why did the Count say otherwise?” Hawise mused. “Maybe he wanted to downplay the strength of the mech. The Nine is actually quite good, but if your Spirit Walker is outfitted with clan spec weaponry…”
“It is. Other than the sword on the left arm and the clan spec PPC on the right, the rest of the guns are mostly clan spec ER meds, pod mounted. You should be able to tell based on the laser aperture size, eight centimeter lasers. All tied into a targeting computer, also clan spec. Plenty of heat sinks to support sustained firing. And if necessary, it can be reconfigured. It is an omnimech after all.”
“Then it still beats the Nine hands down.” Hawise concluded. “It could be outmatched by something with speed, or ranged headhunters, like a Falconer or a Gunslinger, but we probably would not see these newer designs in these parts of the Outback. The Count probably wants to assert his strength, but not so much to frighten the nobles or disrupt the perceived balance of power.”
Anastasia scoffed. “That’s not the real problem. The real problem is who gets to wield that power. Count Haynes seems decent enough, it’s his two sons that concern me.”
“They’re a problem?” asked Hawise. “I know you talked about how Renard is a stravag piece of shit. But isn’t Raymond Haynes just a bookish buffoon?”
“Don’t be fooled by his act. He’s actually a conniving schemer. I have a feeling the succession issue isn’t going to be easily settled.”
“They should just declare a Trial of Possession for it,” muttered Hawise. “Cleaner and less problems.”
“They should, but they do not. Besides,” Anastasia thought about it, “Renard has never shown any martial inclinations. He is just a cowardly bully. I would be surprised if he has even gotten into the Spirit Walker’s cockpit before.”
“So how does this affect your plans, Star Captain Avryl Showers?”
Her headache seemed to dissipate, her anger fueling her resolve. “My ultimate goal has not changed. I seek my vengeance on Spencer Larouche, once known as Pence Lamongue amongst the clans. He shot me in the back on Garstedt, I intend to return the favor.” Her eyes blazed with fury. “And there’s a good chance my Spirit Walker is going to be a part of my plans.”
Hawise raised an eyebrow. “A mech hijack? Really? How can you get past the startup sequence security?”
“I will have my ways, don’t worry.” Anastasia grinned fiercely, ideas budding in her mind. “At least, I now know where to get a mech that can challenge his Banshee. The rest of the problems remain, how to engineer events so I can get a shot at getting my Spirit Walker back, and then going after Pence.”
“Security at the manor is pretty tight,” Hawise commented. “And even if you can get to your mech, there are still several other mechs on site. No way you can beat those odds even with clan tech.”
“I know.” Anastasia slumped back down. “Everybody keeps telling me to use Finn, but that’s just… dishonourable in so many ways.”
Hawise stood up, and extended a hand to Anastasia. “Well then, no point moping about it, quiaff? There are still a lot of things to prepare, and you’re making good progress amongst the ladies. Who knows, maybe something will happen to get you a shot at Pence. In the meantime,” her eyes glinted with glee, “I managed to finally set the mech simulators up while you were busy getting ready for this shindig.”
“Oh? Really?” Anastasia felt a tinge of excitement as she grasped Hawise’s hand, allowing the other woman to pull her off the bench. While not as good as piloting a real mech, it was better than nothing. And she really needed to brush up on her skills. The last time she had piloted a mech was the modified Harvester, and it had been more than six months ago!
Hawise nodded, “We will start training on them tomorrow.”
They walked off, unaware that their conversation had been overheard.
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===Revelation of a eavesdropper===
What in the world did I just hear? Raymond stepped onto the graveled pathway linking various parts of the garden, careful not to make a sound. What exactly is going on? I came here in search of Lady Kalinska to ask after Lady Codina, since she was nowhere to be found…
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‘He shot me in the back on Garstedt, I intend to return the favor.’
What did that mean? He was entirely focused now, peering behind the shrub to see the backs of the departing women. Thankfully, they did not notice his presence while he had eavesdropped quietly. “It appears I just heard something incredible.”
He recalled his conversations with Finn when his friend talked about Operation Bulldog and his regret when he saw a slain Avryl Showers in a Smoke Jaguar base. The way Finn described it, it was clear that she died. There was no other possible outcome for her.
So how was it possible that a dead person could return to life? Not for the first time, Raymond tried to put the clues together. It was obvious Anastasia Kalinska hated Spencer Larouche, even before he tried to kidnap her on Altoona. Then there was her dramatic change in personality. Her sudden proficiency in mech piloting and tactics. Her decisiveness and courage in dangerous situations. Her strange level of familiarity with the clans, to the extent of getting a clanner to work for her.
And now, her knowledge of the Spirit Walker that only a few select people knew. The exact loadout was a closely held secret, as was the fact that it was actually an clan omnimech, not a Black Knight as most people assumed. It was just too bad they did not have the trained personnel or the logistics network to fully utilise the advantages of the omnitechnology.
On the other hand, anything that reduced Renard’s power could only be a good thing.
Furthermore, she knew the melee weapon was a sword, not a hatchet, something that fooled even veteran mechwarriors. She even knew about the clan targeting computer that was the ultimate trump card to use with the powerful particle cannon and array of clan-spec extended range medium lasers. In the hands of an elite mechwarrior, the Spirit Walker could slice and dice up most Inner Sphere opponents, with ample endurance and shielding to hang in the fight until it can close with the sword to deliver the coup de grace.
Anastasia Kalinska. Avryl Showers. Something that nobody would ever suspect. It all fitted together nicely, but there were some outrageous concepts involved. Probably only somebody like him, who loved reading fiction and had some familiarity with the supposedly fictitious phenomenon of soul transmigration, could even entertain the idea. Besides, the isekai genre was still a very popular one, especially amongst the ladies for its escapist premises…
It was preposterous. Absolutely preposterous, but… did Finn know about this?
No, that did not make any sense. There was no way Lady Kalinska would have told him, and Raymond doubted Finn would have been able to figure it out by himself, as blindly besotted as he currently was.
Make it so that his heart completely belongs to you, then bring him into this fight.
To think he had told her this and asked her, of all people, for help.
His hands clenched around a nearby railing. If a clan trueborn warrior with unquestioning loyalty to their clan was to somehow be revived as a noblewoman of an enemy nation, her first move would be to kill Finn in order to avenge the death of her clan, wouldn’t it? Or alternatively, kill his father Count Haynes first? She certainly had opportunities to do so.
Raymond then mused over the rest of their conversation. Some of it he suspected already, such as her opinion of him. He actually felt flattered that she thought that way about him. And her intentions to steal the Spirit Walker… well, if she could pull it off, it would only hurt Renard, so he had no reason to object, as long as she didn’t turn it on him or the Trivet. Not exactly a reassuring thought.
Then there were her thoughts on Finn. Again, he suspected some of it already, but her reluctance to use and manipulate her fiance was either a sign that she intended to stick to the infamous clan ‘Honor Road’ even though her identity was now completely different, or perhaps a sign of her growing affection for her former foe. Perhaps even both factors were at play.
One of the most stunning revelations was that Spencer Larouche was actually somebody else, but again, the facts fit. It neatly explained Finn’s disdain for the man, Spencer’s own tendency to wind Finn up, and Anastasia’s hatred. Raymond recalled the tea party at Lady Codina’s place, where Anastasia and Finn had verbally attacked Spencer so vehemently. Spencer was actually a former clansman, and if he recalled all that had been said before, was even Avryl Showers’ subordinate.
Things just got even more interesting.
Then finally, the fact that Anastasia Kalinska clearly had her own plans and her own agenda, and that she was being assisted by somebody else in the know. He had asked Glenn to check out Hawise, but information on her was scarce since they had no access to her records, which were probably stored on Delacambre in the clan expatriate community.
He could guess that Hawise was probably a veteran Smoke Jaguar mechwarrior who had fought in the clan invasion, and given what he had heard, on even Tukayyid itself. And somehow, she had developed a strong working rapport with Anastasia. Probably a dangerous opponent inside and outside a mech.
Speaking of which, Raymond wondered just how good Anastasia was as a mechwarrior. From what he had heard, taking down a real battlemech like a Thorn in a modified Harvester was an impressive feat, one that a lot of the male nobles of the Trivet just handwaved away or dismissed outright as beginner’s luck. Given what he had just learned, he was inclined to think otherwise. Being able to fight clear against overwhelming numbers time and again during Bulldog attested to her skill.
And if that skill was put behind a decent mech, and turned against the right opponent…
Truly, there’s still a lot I can’t quite believe. Raymond stared out at the garden, the trees and flora casting long shadows along the ground as Inman’s primary set over the horizon. No matter what, all of the evidence pointed to a single conclusion. Two different people, one a White Lotus, one a Black Lotus…
Anastasia Kalinska IS Avryl Showers!
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*; Chapter Note : And that’s it for Act II! I'll be taking a hiatus of a few weeks (months?). Already 8 chapters into Act III, but will be deviating significantly from the original work, so I'll need more time to line things up in terms of the plot details.Lessee, the hunting competition trope (but with mechs!), another tea party, journey to Delacambre... then the long awaited reunion. Then maybe a bit more here and there, before the FCCW finally kicks off.For the fight between Avryl and her opponent in the final round of the Trial of Bloodright, watch the submission hold during the final fight in the 2011 movie Warrior and try (try!) to transpose it into this scenario, with absolutely no hesitation by Avryl to hyperextend and pop her opponent’s shoulder joint unlike the movie.Not sure whether it’s possible for a mechwarrior to even get an elemental into an omoplata with such a massive height/weight difference, but hey, it’s fiction.Ah, gawdammit, my eyes are leaking again after finishing that scene.According to the lore, Brandon Howell was a student of maskirovka (the concept, not the Cappie intel agency), and tried to employ misdirection and deception rather than pure brute force. Hence, it’s easy to have him come up with the idea of dedicated raiding units using cast-off equipment and warriors.Anybody spotted the reference to the ill-fated Smoke Jaguar Tau Galaxy?And finally, the featured mech of this show, Avryl's Saber Knight!The name ‘Saber Knight’ is itself a pun, since ‘saber’ sounds a lot like ‘sable’ which is, of course, another word for ‘black’.Avryl/Anastasia’s Gunnery/Piloting stats: 2/3Avryl/Anastasia’s Special Pilot Abilities: Natural Grace, SwordsmanYeah, very unusual for a clanner, but that’s exactly why she was chosen to lead the Jaguar’s Mists Binary, a clan unit specializing in unorthodox tactics. Her melee weapon specialty was fencing (saber), so when she came across the Draconis Combine sword, it was only natural for her to take it a step further and reconfigure her Spirit Walker to emulate the loadout of the Com Guards Black Knight Nine which fought on Tukayyid.
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Chapter 40