FRS Chpt 29

==Falcon Rising - Chapter 29 -==
<<Previous Chapter - Return to Story Index - Next Chapter>>
----
===Burden of Proof===
Date: November 3rd, 3052Location: Steelton, Jade Falcon Occupation Zone
"You are slow," Joanna chided me as we circled each other on the sparring mats. "How do you hope to contend with those who challenge you unaugmented?"
 
"With weight and experience," I replied. "I wrestled with wolves for decades. So I will adapt more of what Darya taught me and wait for the other person to make a mistake."
 
"And if it is an Elemental, who challenges you?" Joanna asked as we exchanged a handful of blows. "What will you do then?"
 
"Lose," I shrugged. "I am not going to be able to win against an elemental in unaugmented combat."
 
"I suppose that is fair," She dropped and tried to sweep my legs. "But you should still be prepared for such."
 
After the match, we stepped out of the ring and began toweling off.
 
As we both stepped towards the showers, the door to the gym slid open, and Aidan Pryde stepped through. We snapped to attention and waited as the uniformed man silently padded over to us.
 
"At ease, Star Captains," he stood before us. "Joanna, there is an opening for the Hazen bloodright after we drove off a Steel Viper raid on Somerset. You will go and compete for it."
 
Joanna simply stared at Aidan for a moment as she processed everything.
 
"Why?" She asked. "What would that accomplish?"
 
"If you are to lead the Falcon Guard as Star Colonel, it would be better if you possessed the bloodname to support it."
 
Aidan then turned to me, his brow furrowed in thought.
 
"Unfortunately, you will have to continue to prove yourself," he locked eyes with me. "We will see what the future has in store for you and for Clan Jade Falcon."
----
===Wisdom of a old Warrior===
Date: January 17th, 3053Location: Sudeten, Jade Falcon Occupation Zone
Joanna didn't know how to feel. This was a second, no, a third chance that she never should have been given. She had failed in her trial for her first bloodname. She had failed the Falcon Guard at Twycross. No one would consider her for this opportunity. No one should have given her this opportunity. Aidan was wrong. For all that he praised her for their success on Tukayyid, he had brought them all together and seen the potential that a group of solahma and dezgra possessed.
 
But as for herself? She was an old woman out of place among the youth of a new world. And as she looked out the cockpit of her Mad Dog. She could see the difference. The other warriors were in gleaming Omnimechs, the factory-new shine a sharp contrast to the worn 'Mech she'd been using for the last three years. And now, as the trial started, she realized that maybe the old man was right to keep to something familiar in his Warhammer. Maybe there was something to the words that he'd said about the Clans changing. And maybe, just maybe, there was an opportunity on the horizon.
 
With a sharp sound, the Trial began, youthful warriors in lighter 'Mechs turning and blasting each other while the heavier 'Mechs began to focus on those in the heaviest bracket and attempt to take them down.
 
It was then that Joanna noted the problem that the young warriors faced—the critical flaw, as it were.
 
They were so focused on each other that they had all neglected her. Their attention tunneled into the immediate opponent instead of the complete picture of the battlefield.
 
So with a quick burst of her jump jets, she leaped into the air and began her conquest, her 'Mech landing with a soft 'thud' in plain view of the Summoner and Hellbringer facing each other.
The young warriors were skilled, but they lacked the instincts and killer instinct of someone whose skills had been honed in the trials of combat. Of someone who had seen her entire unit killed at one point.
 
And while their reflexes were better, Joanna was patient. She pushed and prodded at any mistakes that they made. Her instincts pushed for her to not only win this Trial but to also teach the next generation. In the future, they might appreciate her attempts. But for now, it simply infuriated the young warriors, sending them into a rage that began to cause mistakes, mistakes that led to their defeat.
 
As Joanna's Mad Dog stepped back towards the repair bay, medtechs and mechtechs began pulling the Omnimechs onto flatbed trucks. The 'Mechs could be repaired, and the Clan desperately needed to conserve resources.
 
After Joanna parked her 'Mech in the mechbay, she sat there, numb to the rest of the world. For the first time, her Codex would reflect not only her name but also that of her Bloodname. Of the Bloodright that she had won with her own two hands. Fate and destiny had shifted. And the future would never be the same again."
----
===The future waits for no one===
Date: ClassifiedLocation: Classified
"Elias, you must step forward and lead the Clan," Vandervahn Chistu looked at the bedridden Khan. "I can no longer maintain this charade. The Galaxy Commanders are asking questions. Aidan Pryde is beginning to rebuild multiple clusters using equipment taken from the Steel Vipers. Soon, we will have to explain to the other Clans what has happened."
 
There was silence as Elias merely stared out the window. After several moments, he finally turned and faced the saKhan.
 
"I will step down." Elias's face was scarred and fragmented; he had been recovered when his reactor went critical, but even with the best of clan medicine, they could only keep him alive after the injuries he had received. "I will announce it within a week. You must find a saKhan who will help lead the Jade Falcons to victory. I will not be there to see it with my own eyes."
 
Vandervahn searched the face of Khan Elias Crichell, looking for any sign of dishonesty or a slip of the tongue. After finding nothing, he nodded.
 
"I will ensure that the Jade Falcon's place is secure," the saKhan promised. "I have already seen to it that our resources are well spent."
 
Elias simply turned and began staring out the window again as silence filled the air. It was evident that this was a dismissal, and Vandervahn left the room.
 
"The future waits for no one," Vandervahn muttered to himself.
 
As he walked away, though, his eyes passed over a woman with a bondcord serving among the medical staff.
 
The young nurse checked for cameras and entered the room that the saKhan had just left, a syringe in her hands.
 
A few moments later, she departed the room and blended in with the rest of the staff, no one the wiser as to what had just taken place. After all, who would suspect one of the medical staff when the saKhan was the last one to visibly enter the room?
----
<<Previous Chapter - Return to Story Index - Next Chapter>>
29