FaRtaL Chpt 21

==From a Ristar to a Lady - Chapter 21 -==
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===Ride with her savior===
Twin Mountains, Altoona
Milligan PDZ, Woodbine Operational Area
21st March, 3061
2000 hrs
“Stand down or die, bandit.” Finn said over the open comms. “If you surrender now, we might still let you live.” It would probably be a life of breaking rocks on Delacambre or Altoona, but Anastasia had no sympathy for them, not after what they did.
The Hatchetman did not get up, but it did power down, its mechwarrior crawling out of the cockpit, her hands up.
A group of infantry on bikes rode up and took her prisoner. Anastasia was surprised to see Captain Craig Wurtz leading them in his command jeep.
She disengaged the straps holding her in the command seat and took off the neurohelmet, sighing in relief from not having the neurohelmet's heavy weight resting on her shoulders.
Then she opened the cockpit canopy and crawled out. She could hear Pence doing the same, groaning from the pain of his injuries. Thankfully, the Harvester had fallen in such a way that it was easy for them to get out, and Pence should be grateful he did not need to climb down a ladder in his condition.
After getting out from the cockpit, she raised herself tiredly to her feet, absentmindedly brushing off the dirt from the skirt of her tattered dress, and stared up at Finn’s mech. The cockpit opened up, and he quickly slid down the chain ladder, clad in his cooling vest. He wore his usual grumpy expression.
Nevertheless, Anastasia looked at him intently.
His eyes were also directed straight at her.
“Ah…” She suddenly did not know what to say, and she felt more curious than relieved. Wasn’t he supposed to be on Inman? What was he doing here? Did he come to Altoona specifically to save her?
“Viscount Rason, it has been a while.” greeted Pence with a grunt of pain. She saw Finn’s eyes narrow with suspicion and loathing. It seemed she was not the only one who hated Pence. And if Finn hated Pence, then maybe…
Her tired mind just could not finish that thought.
Finn gestured to several of her household infantry. “Assist Captain Larouche.” Several men came up with a stretcher, and Pence literally collapsed on it, while a medic talked to him. They would probably start on removing the bullet once they reached the clinic at Lambourne.
He walked up to her and gave her a quick once over. Anastasia stood blankly under his gaze, tired and still mentally adjusting.
“You have a scar on your face.” One finger caressed her cheek. She had a strange feeling. Finn Rason seemed to be worried about her. “You had a hard time in the mountains.”
“…yes.” That simple response got her mind working just a bit again. “How are you here? Not that I’m complaining…” Somehow, his right hand had caught her left hand in a firm grip. The warmth of his hand made her feel strangely relieved.
What did I just feel? Relief? I felt relieved holding his hand? What is wrong with me? She wanted to slap herself awake. She tried to pull her hand away from him, but Finn tightened his grip. She wanted to protest, to say more, but he started walking, and she just followed him, her mind just not working at the moment.
Her legs hurt, and despite the sunlight she shivered a bit. After the intense heat from combat, the cool Altoona air was a shock to her already exhausted body. Finn seemed to know this, and covered her shoulders with a blanket he produced out of nowhere.
The observing soldiers from the Kalinski household rolled their eyes and exchanged glances. As they guessed from his sudden visit to Altoona, Viscount Rason seemed to be in love with the beautiful heiress. The two of them together looked absolutely picturesque, the decorated soldier and his fiancee.
Captain Wurtz walked up to them and saluted Finn smartly before bowing to her.
“I’m so glad you’re safe, my lady.”
Anastasia nodded and asked grimly. “Did you find Sir Matthew’s body?”
He smiled gently, “Sir Matthew is still alive. We found him when we went to the meeting place first, then the other mountain, before we headed here. Viscount Rason’s lance only just got here in time.”
“Really?” Anastasia’s pale face smiled brightly. She laid her hand on her chest and breathed a sigh of relief. “Is he seriously hurt? He must have been attacked?”
“Although he was shot, they said he will make a complete recovery with proper care and treatment.”
“I am really relieved.” Somehow that made her body release all the built up tension, and she slumped a bit, causing the blanket to slide off. “What about the other men?”
Craig’s face was grim. “There were few survivors from the ambush. We’ll round up the bandits, and they’ll work the rest of their lives to pay off the families of the dead.” He chanced a look at Finn. “The mechs alone should fetch a good price.”
“Oh, I’m sorry.” She seemed to realize belatedly that the blanket had slipped off and Finn had crouched down to pick it up. “Are you alright?” She asked when he did not rise immediately.
“I’m fine.” Finn straightened up and placed the blanket back on her, “Enough of this. You should rest your feet. You can’t even walk properly right now.”
Anastasia frowned back. “It’s strange.”
“What’s strange?”
Anastasia said, “You talk as if you’re worried about me. So you do care about me?”
Craig had moved off to one side, but close enough so that he could receive orders from Finn if necessary, so he could not help but overhear their argument, which frankly baffled him.
How could he not worry! Why else would he activate the Inman QRF units, including the JumpShip, and come to Altoona for her, if not for concern?
“You can take it that way if you wish.” Finn’s answer was surprisingly ambiguous.
Craig suppressed a sigh, being a happily married man with significant experience in relationships. Can take it that way if you wish? Are these two even communicating properly? If it’s right to worry, shouldn’t you say it’s right?
“If you can’t walk, tell me.”
“Why? Are you going to carry me?”
“Yes.”
Craig could not tolerate the underlying tension anymore, and moved away to quickly check on the transport for the lady. If the Viscount needed him, he would call for him. Otherwise, Lady Kalinska’s safety was assured with the Viscount.
Meanwhile, Anastasia was determined not to admit that she was so tired she could barely walk, even if she had to crawl on all fours. But as soon as she took one step, she almost tripped over the uneven ground. If not for Finn’s hand supporting her, she would have fallen over.
Then Craig approached them. “The car is ready.”
She quickly replied. “A car? No, better for Captain Larouche to take it. He is wounded, after all, and he saved my life.” She would make certain Pence would not die here. She would make sure he recovered, then kill him herself.
With his injuries, the car was the most suitable for him to lie down in. But that also meant there would not be any space for her in the car, not with a medic to monitor him in the shotgun seat, along with a driver. More importantly, there were etiquette considerations.
“But the car was prepared for you, my lady.”
“If Captain Larouche is in the car, then I can’t take it.” As for why, she did not say, since it should be obvious to these etiquette obsessed Spheroids.
Craig blinked, clearly understanding the issue. “Then how will you get back to Lambourne, my lady? You’re too tired to even drive anything, and we don’t have any other vehicle for you.”
She looked at Finn, “I thought I can ride in your mech?”
“What?”
“Then what else am I going to ride?”
At those words, Finn’s eyes widened. Then he made a perplexed face. Confusion pervaded the air.
Craig felt like banging his head hard on a nearby tree at the obliviousness of the couple, but he could only grimace and look on quietly.
Anastasia was dumbfounded. When she decided Pence should take the car, she had already intended to ride Finn’s mech. And maybe find out what design it was. Since it was also obvious that she could not ride alone, and for etiquette purposes, she could not ride the car with another man over her fiancé. She thought Finn was stupid. As usual.
“Oh.” Finn looked chagrined.
She guessed he really didn’t think of that. Anastasia shook her head, inwardly cursing his stupidity.
Finn sighed, then led her over to the chain ladder on his mech. She was so tired that he needed to push up with his shoulder against her butt to support her ascent up the ladder. It was not very dignified, but they had no choice. As it was, his mech was already kneeling, so the distance she needed to climb was shorter.
In the roomy cockpit, he strapped her into the back seat, which was also significantly larger and more comfortable than the one in the Harvester, since it was clear his 'mech was an assault class, with space to spare.
“I’ll be moving off soon.” He put on his neurohelmet, a newer model based on Star League technology, more compact and enabling him to turn his head instead of the older coffin-like models.
Anastasia nodded her head.
“Why didn’t you take the car?” He asked as he got his Templar to its feet and started it on the journey to Lambourne. He didn’t like her to be in the same car with Spencer Larouche, but it really would have been more comfortable.
“I’m fine with this.” she insisted.
“If you find it too uncomfortable at any point, I’ll put you in the car.”
Anastasia nodded weakly. Finn thought of pushing the Templar at its fastest speed to Lambourne, but he thought it would also be very uncomfortable for her, so he kept the speed of the mech at a steady forty klicks per hour.
He thought about the events that had led to this.
Getting the QRF lance and their Leopard DropShip Jurano ready had taken some time, but the transit to the Blocky Road and the jump to Red Eagle’s stable L1 pirate point had proceeded smoothly, exactly as they had drilled for it. The burn for Altoona in the Jurano had taken another six hours at a faster burn than usual, and he had alerted the Kalinski garrison the moment they jumped in-system, which was how they managed to find the Kalinski household stewart Sir Matthew, but with explicit orders not to engage the bandits.
Motorized infantry against mechs would have been an outright slaughter.
Instead, Captain Wurtz’s infantry carefully shadowed the enemy forces and fed the data to his lance. His Javelin, a 11B recon model, provided ECM cover for his lance while they charged at the unsuspecting pirates, taking out the Hatchetman when it was focused on the Harvester. If he had been a fraction slower…
He did not want to think about that.
Speaking of her survival…
The infantry squad guarding her was killed, but she managed to escape into the mountains. Somehow, she even managed to hijack a mech and took down a Thorn with it! It could not have been Pence, not with the wound in his torso and his condition when they were found.
Combined with her taking down the other Harvester that day during the protests, he wondered if it was mere coincidence, or perhaps she really knew what she was doing.
He chanced a glance back at her. She raised her chin defiantly, tilted her head back, and looked at him squarely, every inch a Trivet noblewoman. Although her dress was in a mess, her face and her eyes seemed to sparkle.
He felt strangely itchy. Something was tickling deep inside him. He had never felt this way for other women before. He wondered if a relationship between a man and a woman was really that simple. Meeting and parting by necessity and desire.
He had never paid much attention to his own feelings about relationships, treating these matters as mundane and a waste of time. The only thing that he felt was a little exciting was the sexual tension he sometimes felt with women.
But this feeling towards Anastasia Kalinska… It wasn’t just sexual. There were other feelings mixed in. Admiration for how she managed to survive? Amusement at her brazenness and gumption? He was unfamiliar with these feelings. But he frowned at a sudden thought.
She might not feel the same way. For some reason, this made his heart ache a bit.
“There was one more mech.” She said after a while.
“I know. My other mechs are chasing it down now. Your troops are providing rear security and sweeping the areas for more bandits.” From the comms in his neurohelmet, the rest of his lance were already engaging the Urbanmech, and after that, the plan was for them to march on the bandits’ Manatee DropShip and force them to surrender. However, there was a high chance the Manatee would just lift off and flee to the Scout JumpShip at the nadir jump point.
“I see.” Anastasia blinked her eyes slowly. Fatigue clung to her eyes. She wondered idly what the mechwarrior in the Urbanmech was feeling, now that the tables were well and truly turned.
“You don’t have to worry.” Finn said flatly. Her eyebrows frowned at the word ‘worried’.
“Did you think I was worried?” A smile crept across Anastasia’s red lips.
“What do you mean?” he asked
“Now that you are here, why should I be worried?” He felt she was teasing him again. “This is an assault' mech and you’re a good Mechwarrior, right?”
Finn gave her an incredulous look. What stood in her eyes was solid confidence and trust.
Finn thought Anastasia didn’t like him very much. Perhaps the feeling was even mutual. Nevertheless, despite her feelings, she believed in him. It felt better than ten words of praise.
Although Finn was confident in his skills and abilities, his weird fiancée’s belief in him somehow made him feel even taller.
“I suppose so.” Finn tried not to raise the corners of his mouth and answered, pretending to be calm. Who is this lady? Why does she only do what she wants or say what she likes?
Their many arguments had long since faded from Finn’s mind. Even her straightforward manner of speech had somehow become normal to him.
Barely five minutes later, she had fallen asleep, lulled by the steady movement of his mech as it traveled to Lambourne.
===Update and Discussion over Breakfast===
Fort Lambourne
Draconis March, Federated Commonwealth
24th March, 30610600 hrs
Completely exhausted, Anastasia slept for three days straight. The maids changed and cleaned her on her bed while she was asleep. Some of them cried at the state of their beloved mistress and the danger she had been in.
She woke up in a semi-conscious state a few times, mainly to relieve herself, or to drink soup spooned into her mouth by her maids, and she was somewhat aware that Finn visited a few times, but she could not remember what he said or did.
She was now finally rested enough that she knew she had to start discharging her duties as mistress of Fort Lambourne, especially since Matthew was still recovering.
Anastasia chose the dark green dress she had borrowed from her mother before. Rather than dressing up with colorful hairpins, her hair was braided and tied down with a ribbon to match the color of her dress.
Looking in the mirror, she could see a slimmer face compared to a few days before.
I need to put on more weight. If she was to improve her physical strength and stamina, she would need to eat more. The battle of a few days ago had pushed her to her limits, but she also felt mentally stronger for the experience, not least because she proved to herself that she was still a mechwarrior. The slight headache from the hastily adjusted neurohelmet was another reminder of the experience, that it was not just a dream.
Looking in the mirror, she did not feel strange about seeing Anastasia’s face anymore. Perhaps she was getting used to it?
She turned to Luisa, who was attending to her. The young maid seemed determined to fulfill all her requests and orders.
“How is Viscount Rason? Is he still here?”
“Oh, he was traveling all over for the past few days to inspect the various household garrisons, but he always made sure to come back here to Fort Lambourne and check in on you.” Luisa sounded so excited about it that Anastasia thought she would squeal with joy if she could.
“Where is he now?”
“He’s in the dining room.”
Anastasia nodded. “What about Captain Larouche?”
“He’s in a room in the corner of the fort.” The maid looked hesitant to say anything more.
“If he dies here, it’ll be my fault, right?” she stated.
The maid was shocked, “What are you talking about?”
“Nothing.” Anastasia thought of Finn in the dining room, and decided to head there. It was time she started handling the situation in the fort instead of leaving it to outsiders.
When she entered the dining room, Finn was already seated and having his breakfast.
Anastasia sat at the end of the table, in the hostess’s seat.
Finn stood up politely as Anastasia entered, only sitting down after she was seated. She picked up a fork, and eyed the sausages and egg on her plate speculatively.
“Good morning, my lady. I hope you have rested well. It’s been three days since you were up and about.” He greeted her.
“Yes, I have. Thank you for your concern. Also thanks to you, it’s only three days and not forever.” She replied, already a bit annoyed with the usual vacant pleasantries when there were more crucial matters to attend to.
He smirked, raising a piece of food to his mouth. “That’s right.”
“Where is Captain Larouche?”
Finn’s eyebrows furrowed slightly. “Oh, he’s recuperating in his room. I’ve placed him under confinement.”
Anastasia raised an eyebrow.
“Really? Why?” Not that she really minded. If it was solely up to her, she would have placed Pence in a prison cell instead of a cushy room, and thrown away the key. But the political ramifications… Maybe her time as Anastasia was really changing her. And besides, she admitted to herself that without him she would not be able to hijack the Harvester.
“It’s suspicious. Captain Larouche came here without a clear reason, and your life was endangered.”
Finn’s guess was not wrong. Even the confinement was justified.
“His injuries?”
“A doctor already removed the bullet, so he should be fine.” Finn said dismissively. “He’s a tough bastard, he won’t die so easily.”
She found herself nodding in agreement. “He did save my life. I will see him after breakfast.”
Finn placed his fork on the table, and clenched his fist. “No. You cannot see him.”
The atmosphere had suddenly turned tense. The butler started to sweat when he noticed that Anastasia and Finn were quarreling again.
“Why can’t I see a person who is staying here?” she asked
“You should understand that his confinement was to ensure your safety.”
“I don’t think I ever told you to put him in confinement.” she asked
The maids and butler looked at each other, sensing the deteriorating mood. The butler gave a tilt of his head as a signal, and the maids quickly left the dining hall. The butler went out last, saying to call him if they needed something.
“If he hadn’t saved your life, I would have put him in a prison cell rather than just confinement in a room.”
He wasn’t exactly wrong, but who put him in charge? Worse yet, it might undermine her authority and disrupt the organisational hierarchy of the Kalinski household. And if they ever got married… would he usurp her authority over the Kalinski demesne completely? Stravag, she was starting to think like an Inner Sphere aristocrat!
“What gave you the right to do that? I never gave you permission to make decisions and act on your own like this!”
Finn did not reply immediately, but his head was down and his voice sounded contemplative. “You were unconscious. Sir Matthew was severely injured. There was nobody else to take charge, so I made the best decisions I thought necessary. And now you’re asking me who gave me the right?”
Anastasia could feel his tone was filled with disappointment, but she could not figure out whether it was directed at her, himself, or the situation in general. It flustered her, since it was the first time she had seen Finn this way.
When she was Avryl, she had always thought Finn was a jerk, and when she was Anastasia, he was still a jerk. But she never thought he could get into such a mood. She had been too harsh on him. In any case, Finn did rush from Inman to save her, so she should be grateful.
“That… It’s not that I’m not grateful, I really appreciate everything you did for me.” Anastasia’s tone softened again.
However, Finn’s expression did not change. “You must really want to please Baron Haynes, right?”
“What?” Anastasia was stunned by his sudden assertion that appeared out of nowhere. What did Baron Haynes had to do with the current situation?
“You must’ve known who Larouche answers to, yet you are still defending him. Isn’t it obvious?”
“That’s not it, I….”
“If you want to fake your feelings, you should be more thorough. This is the second time that you’ve fooled me.”
“No, I…” Anastasia wanted to speak her piece, but Finn did not seem ready to let her interject. Her anger started to rise again. Finn, you idiot! Give people a chance to speak and explain themselves before you make a judgement!
“You probably don’t know that Renard Haynes planned it, right? Don’t you know why Larouche is here? It’s something Renard planned.” Finn’s eyes turned to Anastasia’s face. Her lack of surprise was telling. “You already knew it, but you don’t seem to have a problem with it.”
If it had just been a false alarm, Finn could have played it off as just a drill and used the opportunity to inspect Altoona’s defences. But he did save her, and despite her thanks, she didn’t seem grateful enough, and even let that trash-born bastard take the car he had specifically prepared for her. Then in the aftermath, he had to settle matters at the fort because most of the people who could make decisions were incapacitated or recovering.
In the face of Anastasia’s displeasure, Finn wondered if he did the right thing. He was already being nice to Larouche by not dumping him in the brig. But for Anastasia to be defending that bastard… he just couldn’t stand it. He should have known that Anastasia couldn’t forget Renard or give up her love.
Anastasia rolled her eyes and barely opened her mouth, about to protest, “No, that….”
“I want you to know that I am not a substitute for Baron Haynes, my lady.”
Anastasia blinked, digesting what he had just said. Substitute for Renard? Seriously? All her gratitude disappeared, drowned by anger she could not hold back any longer. She shouted, “Are you out of your mind? Do you think I’m some sort of a lovesick fool?”
Finn leaned back in his chair, startled by her outburst. Her reply threw him into confusion again.
She continued to rant, “I thought I already made myself perfectly clear!” She stomped around the table, completely unladylike. “I do not have any feelings towards him!” She poked him in the chest with a finger. “Have you forgotten already?”
He clenched a fist, “Then why did you go berserk in the Haynes manor guest lounge the other day? Isn’t it because of the crown prince?”
“Huh.” So that was it. She was beginning to understand what stupid Finn was thinking. She paused, trying to gather her thoughts and explain it in such a way that even a dense idiot like him could accept.
“Let me ask you. What does that have anything to do with Renard?”
“What?”
“Maybe something on the holovid angered me? Maybe I really went crazy? There could be many other reasons for what I did. Why does it have to be related to that ******?”
Finn was left speechless, staring blankly at her. “It really wasn’t because you still had lingering feelings for him?”
Her expression was adamant.
“Then why did you do it?” he probed her.
She sighed. “It’s personal.” She said with a frown. “I know I did a lot of stupid things, but why do you keep bringing him into all this? It should not be that important, so why do you care so much?”
“Tha-that’s… well, because I’m your fiance, of course I care.” He suddenly felt very hesitant. “I mean… shouldn’t I?” He trailed off anxiously.
“Fine, you are right.” She flounced back to her seat, and sat down in a single smooth motion. “Now that we have cleared up this misunderstanding, let us finish our meal.”
It did not take them long. He noticed she made a conscious effort to eat more, which was very different from the other young ladies of the Trivet, who were always careful with their waistlines and watched their calories intake religiously.
“Where is Captain Larouche staying?”
Finn did not want to answer, but the glare she shot him made him say, “East wing, second room of the third floor.”
“Thanks.” She stood up.
Finn found himself standing up to block her path. “Why are you going to see him? Do you really have to?”
“I told you already. He got injured while trying to save me.” Her glare was in full force now, forcing him into glum silence. She stepped around him lightly with a smoothness to her movements he had never seen before.
She opened the door and stepped through. “Satisfied? Now you know exactly why I am going to see him.” The door closed with a bang.
Finn slumped against the wall, suddenly questioning himself. What is this feeling? What did Raymond say about one of the characters from his books? A pathetic guy who couldn’t trust his lover, and always doubted her? Am I turning into THAT pathetic guy?
The thought made him shudder. He always thought he was a rational thinker, but Anastasia was making him doubt his self-assessment. And when she admitted he was right to be concerned about her…
For some reason, it made him very happy.
These conflicting feelings plagued him for the rest of the day.
===Confronting a former Kidnaptor===
Fort Lambourne
Altoona
Draconis March, Federated Commonwealth
24th March, 30610700 hrs
When Anastasia went to see Pence, he was doing what he always did when he was bored - cleaning his weapons. His set of throwing knives were on the table, neatly laid out on a piece of cloth, while he wiped them one after the other with another cloth. His laser pistol was still in a holster on another table.
She noted with disgust it was the same laser pistol he had used to kill her back on Garstedt. And the throwing knives were apparently isorla from bandits he had killed years ago, and he kept them ever since. They were obsidian black, and so well crafted they could be pieces of art. She could understand why he wanted to keep them.
He raised his head when she entered his room. Their eyes met, and she could only feel disgust and anger for what he had done and become.
“Greetings, my lady.”
Her voice was cold as she said, “I came by to check the state of your injury.”
He gave her that oily smirk she hated so much, and shrugged, “It still hurts a bit, but I can move about now. It wasn’t a serious wound.”
Pence put down the knife he was polishing, “I hoped you would drop by sooner. It was really boring to be locked up like this.”
“I just woke up.”
“I see. Since you’re here, that must mean you’ve fully recovered.”
“It seems you wanted to see me.”
“Yes, in fact I do. I was very impressed with how you handled the Harvester. Where did you learn to pilot a mech like that?”
She had been anticipating this question since she woke up, so it was easy to lie outright. “My fiance is a mechwarrior, and I played some mechwarrior games when I was a child. Recently, I watched holovids on how they operate, so I could understand his profession better. It just came in handy that day.” She shrugged in the end, playing it off as mere coincidence.
His eyes narrowed. She knew it was an entirely plausible explanation, but it was also full of holes that could be easily pried apart.
“I’m just a little curious. You managed to survive all that. I’m impressed.” His expression turned serious, “But I still need an explanation for Baron Haynes.”
She snarled, “That is your problem. You collaborated with bandits to kidnap me, and now you want me to help you get out of trouble with Renard?” She laughed mockingly. “Do you take me for a fool?”
He glared at her.
Anastasia continued. “What did he promise you for your loyalty? Is it worth serving such a man capable of planning these crimes?” It was all rhetorical, of course. If Pence could shoot her in the back, then he was capable of a lot of things. “Where’s your honor as a warrior?”
Her questions were meant to ferret out the reasons for his actions. She needed a better understanding of his motives.
Pence shook his head. “You keep saying a lot of funny things, Lady Kalinska. Honour here, honour there, honour for honour’s sake, with a side of honour, in your honour.” He laughed scornfully, “There are few things more foolish than this stupid concept of ‘honor’.” He spat the word out like a curse.
“…”
“Oh yeah, it sounds noble and good, but in the end, it’s just an easy way to get warriors to commit their lives to a cause, living as tools and dying like fools for their betters.” He had the gall to actually smile at her. “I’m not going to live like that.”
Anastasia could not reply, shocked by his easy dismissal of the concept of honour. As clan warriors, was it not supposed to be ingrained into their very hearts and souls? To turn his back on it with such ease…
She wanted to shout into his face. Where was the honour you were raised with, where did it go? Would the Founders be proud of what you have become? Was it worth abandoning the bloodname you fought so hard to earn? For money and wealth?
Anastasia had a chilling realization. Pence Lamongue’s bloodline was already assured, in the possession of the Star Adders, and there might already be decanted sibkos from his genetic legacy. And it wasn’t as if she could just send a HPG to the Star Adders, inform them of his perfidy, and get them to wipe out his progeny.
Most importantly, they were innocent of his crimes.
If nothing else, her time in the Inner Sphere, as both Avryl and Anastasia, had taught her that.
The Star Adders had absorbed the Burrocks for their collusion with the Dark Caste, and the fact he seemed to have liaised so easily with the bandits who infiltrated Altoona…
He must have been one of the Burrock collaborators. And the Watch missed it entirely!
Her gaze sharpened, and she retorted, “Well, you’re still Renard’s tool, so it’s not like you are in a better position. Was it worth giving up whatever you had been? Or maybe you were always a slimeball anyway.”
She knew she was finally seeing the real Pence Lamongue. When she was his superior officer, she knew he presented a facade to the world, and tolerated it for the sake of the clan, but even she did not realise how thoroughly he had fooled everybody.
He returned her glare. “You think you, a spoiled pampered lady who never had to fight for anything in her life, have any grounds to lecture me? Oh wait. You did fight for something, Renard's love. And how did that turn out?" He sneered at her, thinking his barb had sting to it.
If he intended to incite her anger with that barb, it failed.
She replied breezily, "Renard? What makes you think I care about that ****** anymore?”
Without waiting for a reply, she continued, “Since you saved my life,” in a way, he did, “I will release you from your confinement, so I hope this will alleviate your boredom. However, I would like to avoid seeing your face as much as possible. And I suggest you had better be on the next jump back to Inman.”
Anastasia turned her back on him and walked out of the room.
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===Fiance and Fiancee quarrel===
Having heard that Pence was free from his confinement, Finn decided he should avoid the former clanner and headed to the training ground with some of his soldiers to get in some PT time.
To his surprise, he saw Anastasia in a tracksuit and pants, already panting as she ran hard for about fifty metres, then stopped to walk slowly to recover her breath.
He walked up beside her. “What are you doing?” What she was doing didn’t seem very effective.
“I’m doing physical training.” She gasped for air. “It should be obvious even to you!”
“Oh.” He thought about what to say. “That’s an admirable pursuit. But why do this in the first place? Do you find your soldiers unreliable?”
When she just glared at him and did not answer, he continued obliviously, “It’s true they failed to protect you once already, so I understand why you might doubt their abilities… considering that, it’s a good idea for you to learn to defend yourself.”
He said, “When your stamina is good enough, how about I teach you how to pilot a mech for real, instead of whatever you were doing the other day? You seem to have a knack for it.”
He managed to get a short verbal report from Spencer Larouche on their escape attempt, as well as a longer report from Eric from the recovered BattleROMs. He knew it was an incredible feat for her to score a mobility kill on the Thorn for her very first time in a mech, even if it was largely beginner’s luck. Maybe he could impress her with his skills, and by teaching her, they could also spend more time together…
She suddenly blew up at him, “Yes, oh great Viscount Rason! You’re a high and mighty mechwarrior and you can teach others too! Good for you!” Her eyes blazed with anger.
“Uh, Lady Kalinska…”
“Stop talking to me!” She shouted at him as she broke into a jog again, this time away from the training ground.
“Where are you going?” He called out after her.
“Anywhere! As long as I don’t have to see your stupid face!”
Finn stared at her back, wondering what he had done wrong this time.
He saw the Kalinski household troops observing their exchange with interest, though they quickly looked away to focus on their own training the moment he glared at them. He noted the condition of their body armour and rifles, which seemed a bit better than the ones he had inspected over the past few days at other household garrisons.
Feeling rather embarrassed, Finn frowned. “What did I do wrong?”
“My lord, I don’t know either,” replied Eric, who stood slightly behind him.
Why did she suddenly get so angry when he tried to show some concern for her? Finn’s mood darkened.
“Is she upset because I offered to teach her how to pilot a mech?”
Eric shrugged, “I don’t think so. After all, Lady Kalinska isn’t a mechwarrior.” His aide paused, then said, “Maybe you can try showing her that you’ll be a supportive fiance?”
Bereft of ideas for the time being, Finn took a closer look at the Kalinski troops. Much of their equipment seemed to be new, or at least in good condition. He suppressed an internal sigh at the condition of the equipment of most of the Altoona household garrisons he had inspected. Many of them trained hard, but with little in the way of material support from their feudal lords, there was only so much they could do.
Maybe the recent bandit attack would provide them with some impetus to put a bit more money into their garrisons.
He walked towards a pair of soldiers who were slumped against a wall taking a break after the drills in their body armour.
When they saw him, they quickly stood to attention, saluting him. “My lord!”
He nodded. “Your equipment is pretty good. The Baron must have spent quite a bit to make sure you were properly outfitted.”
One of them said proudly, “Actually, it’s all thanks to Lady Kalinska! She sold her dresses and stuff to buy us new equip… mmmhhh!” His buddy clamped a hand over his mouth, muttered a quick apology to Finn, and dragged his friend away.
Finn blinked, considering what he just learned. He never knew Anastasia was so concerned about the state of her household’s troops, and to the extent of selling her belongings for them! No wonder she was furious. For him to offer to teach her how to pilot a mech, she probably regarded it as an insult to her soldiers, and by extension, an insult to her as well.
He was still a bit puzzled though. He had always thought Anastasia Kalinska was a vain girl who was only interested in looking glamorous and had expensive tastes. Maybe she had given up those interests?
Finn smiled. Maybe this was an opportunity to show how supportive he could be.
“Eric, I have some instructions for you.”
“Yes, sir!”
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===Apologizing with Gifts===
25th March, 30611000 hrs
“My lady, come and see!” Luisa called brightly as she pulled a reluctant Anastasia towards the dressing room.
“What’s the matter, Luisa? What’s going on?” asked Anastasia, mystified by her maid’s enthusiasm.
“Come and see for yourself!” Lusia grinned and opened the door of the room.
The dressing room was glittering again with an overflowing number of expensive dresses.
“This… how did…” Anastasia was flabbergasted. Did they not sell off most of the dresses already? “I was sure we sold… we got rid of them, right?” She looked around, as though trying to deny what she was seeing.
Luisa giggled as she said, “Viscount Rason bought them for you!” She sounded very pleased.
“What?” Anastasia ground out.
“You don’t like them?” Finn walked up behind them.
“My lord!” Luisa exclaimed, then quickly withdrew, leaving the two of them to talk in private.
Anastasia glared at him. “I don’t like them? Why did you buy them at all?”
Finn sighed, “I guess this means you’re still angry.”
“Angry?” Now she was confused.
“I apologize. I didn’t know you took the honour and reputation of your household garrison troops so seriously.”
“What do you…”
“I really didn’t know. It was very admirable of you to sell off your belongings in order to equip the garrison. No noble lady I had ever known had done this.” he stated
“Huh?” Her confusion grew.
He continued, “It wasn’t right for me to disparage the capabilities of your soldiers. I was arrogant and rude.”
She blinked. “Why are you saying all this?”
“Weren’t you angry because I commented on the quality of your household’s soldiers?”
“No, I wasn’t?”
They stared at each other in dawning realization.
“So you are saying you're giving me all these as an apology?”
"Uhh… yes. But if that wasn't the reason, then why were you angry at me?"
"Oh…" She saw Finn's confused frown. Yes, I thought he was a jerk, but that look on his face… "That is…"
She struggled to find a plausible excuse. Of course, she could not admit he hurt her pride when he offered to teach her how to pilot a mech; she could do that pretty well already. She could not say that to him, and she realised he was looking at her face so intently that it was clear he was trying to decipher her expressions!
He had this sort of cute side to him? She could not help but chuckle a bit. “I’m sorry, I did not think you would be so concerned about my anger. I didn’t mean to be angry with you.” Well, actually she did, but somehow that anger faded away after his botched apology. “I sold the dresses because I wanted to, I have no interest in them anymore.”
“But still, to care so much about a fiancee you’re going to divorce shortly after marrying her,” she grinned, “makes me think you’re not such a bad guy after all.”
He still looked puzzled, but he was not angry anymore. “My lady, I really don’t understand you.” he sighed in relief. “But, I’m glad that we’ve come to some sort of an understanding, at least.” His tone turned serious, “I wanted to resolve this before I leave to inspect some of the garrisons further away from Fort Lambourne, and after that, I’ll need to return to Inman.”
She nodded in understanding. His jumpship had arrived by pirate point, but still required recharging with its solar sail. Despite the closer distance to the primary, it was still a M7V star and hence required relatively long recharge times. And he still had work to do on Altoona.
Anatasia smiled apologetically at Finn. “It seems all your hard work for me was in vain. I’m so sorry about that.”
He smiled ruefully at his own silliness. “All right, I consider a lesson well learned. But is there anything you really want?”
Let us see. Vengeance on Pence? Neg, I have to get it myself. Parts for my mech? Ahah! “Actually, I do. Did you get any salvage from the bandits?”
He looked surprised at her question. “Yeah, we recovered a lot from their camp. We even managed to seize the Manatee, which held more loot. We’ll probably auction off the dropship once I get word to Inman. Some of the auction proceeds would be used to recompense the families of the slain.”
She nodded somberly in agreement, “How about the parts? Can you spare me some of the equipment and ammunition?”
He blinked. “What do you need them for?”
“My family has an old Valkyrie. I want to try fixing it up.” she stated
“Oh.” He thought about it for a while, then decided to humor her. If she wanted to try her hand at being a mechwarrior, why not? He wanted to be a supportive fiance, right? Besides, she probably was not aware of the specialised skills to repair and maintain the mechs, he’ll just leave her to puzzle it out on her own, and this should either get her running to him for help, or keep her out of trouble in the meantime. Win-win for him.
“Since you took down the Thorn, strictly speaking, you should get some shares in the loot. In fact,” he paused, “How do you feel about taking back that modified Harvester? Since you were using it, it can be considered yours by deed and salvage. I’ve asked around, nobody else wants it, not even for free.”
Anastasia eagerly replied, “Of course I don’t mind.” She was already calculating just how much more effective the local defences would be with two functional mechs in the garrison. And given she had used the Harvester to take down some of the bandits, she had a soft spot for it, despite being a piece of Periphery junk that no clan warrior would probably even look at.
“Good. You can liaise with my secretary Eric for the details. Don’t worry about the cost, I’ll make up for any difference.”
She smirked at him, “I will hold you to that, Viscount Rason.”
He bowed slightly to her. “By your leave, my lady.”
For the first time since meeting Finn, she curtseyed formally to him, “Please, my lord.”
He smiled at her and walked away. He seemed to be in a much better mood.
Anastasia leaned back against a wall, thinking hard. She heard that Finn would be taking Pence into custody and back to Inman to face some sort of inquiry by their peers. She was certain, however, that Renard Haynes would be able to wriggle Pence out of trouble, and that served her purposes just fine, because she needed to take her vengeance on Pence personally.
She would do it the right way. Not by manipulating and seducing Finn, but with honour and her own strength and skills. Qualities that Pence had abandoned. She would remind him of what he had discarded, forcefully, before she stomped him into a red splotch under her feet.
She was a mechwarrior again, and she needed time to fix up her Valkyrie and now the Harvester too. But to take down Pence, she would probably need a better mech if he was still driving his clan-spec Banshee. She would need a plan and political power or allies, at the very least.
Bit by bit, step by step, she was getting closer to her ultimate objective: Avenging her death at Pence’s hands!
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==Chapter Notes==
*; Chapter Note from the Author : Finn actually messed up. By getting Eric, who is NOT a mechwarrior, to review the BattleROMs, Eric only saw the obvious stuff and wrote his report still prejudiced by the Trivet’s attitudes towards women in combat. If Finn or one of his mechwarriors had looked at the BattleROMs, they would have noted all the nuances Anastasia used to try to enhance her odds in combat, e.g. using the pedals in ‘free’ mode to manoeuvre better on rocky slopes, the neurohelmet control responses, using the compressed neurohelmet view, torso twisting with the arm arc to fire to the rear while dealing with the HUD view, and ‘walking’ her shots to ‘leg’ the Thorn. All these would have tipped off the fact that this was not a mere rookie in their first mech combat.Just for fun, what do you think are Anastasia/Avryl’s Special Pilot Abilities?
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Chapter 21