BeyHop Chpt 59

==Beyond Hope- Chapter 59 - Envy==
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===Talk of Family and Politics===
Kowloon, Federated Commonwealth (Lyran State)3063
“Gossip. How was your visit with your sister?” Liz was in ‘off the job’ mode.
“Good. I should have done so sooner, and more often. Poor Sophie has it bad for Dean and Dean is as oblivious to it as they come,” Helena chuckled.
"He'll work it out… or she'll find someone who notices," Liz said casually. "I remember when I was eleven. Had a crush on Danny Brewer of all people."
“Hehe. You have a type Liz. Brainy white knights. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a good type to go for.”
"I have Arthur, I don't need a 'type'." Liz asserted with mock snootiness. She glanced over where Jakob and Arthur were drinking bottled beer next to the fire pit. "You know, Granddad used to do that."
“I think it’s built into men. Find a warm, comfortable spot, drink, and do their version of gossiping,” Helena nodded.
"I imagine you're right… Hannah! Stop that!!"
The little girl looked up with toddler's eyes, and let go of the cat.
"At least it's not a Fursnake,." Liz relaxed.
“There is that. I’m going to miss this. I’m not going to get to do this as much as I’d like for the next five years.”
"You won't have to be 'on' all the time," Liz pointed out. "That's why you delegate. Ask Theodore, if you don't believe me."
“I know. I think I’m going to wind up making Daphne hate me with the work I will put on her.”
"I suggest 'Finance Minister'," Liz suggested. "She's not doing badly covering her father's illness at Rowe-McClaren."
“To be honest, I thought about tapping you for that spot. But I decided I’m not that cruel.”
Elizabeth winced, "Thank You! Honestly, thank you. The months I spent working for Melissa's auditors' office were a nightmare. Managing that mess across eight realms and two Clans? Yikes."
“Yeah. Then there’d be all the complaints of people I’d be inflicting you on them,” Helena teased.
"Daffy will make them forget about me. Or she'll use me as the threat to make them mind," Liz suggested. "Because you KNOW that's what she'll do."
“She totally would.” Helena watched Jonathan play with a small child’s drum set.
"...so, he liked it," Liz said, watching Jonathan.
“Yeah. He loves music. Making it, listening to it. Of course most of what he does at his age causes headaches and ear plug manufacturer stock to rise.”
"Victor gave Simon a 'Victorious Victor!' battlemech toy, and Peter gave him a 'Micro-Zeus' from the same manufacturer. I've about got no nerves left after he figured out how to get both of them going at the same time."
Helena visibly winced.
"Yvonne's threatened to finish the set," Liz added. "She's threatened me with giving Hannah 'Lady Valkyrie'."
“Price we pay for having leaders of nations as our peers. They can get the most annoying toys that make all the noise.” Helena lifted a drink.
"Yeah, it's the mark of their envy, I think," Liz said. "We have kids, they don't." She hoisted hers in response.
“Scuttle butt is Sunny is making time with the daughter of the Magestrix.”
"I never pegged him for the sort that would need a dominatrix, but… choices are what they are. Maybe she'll get him to stop being such a shifty, scheisty, unethical little… egh, hate having to watch my language in front of the kids, but Melissa's their grandmother…" She eyed Helena, "So, do you suppose she whips him just right?"
“I try not to think about it. Makes my skin crawl.”
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===Dating unusual Girl===
Liz just chuckled, as Speaker of the House Charles Vanh came walking from the parking area with his oldest.
"CHUCK!!" Liz waved him over.
Behind them, was a tall woman with a heavy build.
"You're wearing your prosthetic, Chuck. I take it the new fitter dealt with the itching problem?” Liz asked.
"It fits better, Lil’bit. This is Eddie, my oldest living son."
"Edward Vanh… you were about…" Liz held her hand roughly a meter from the ground, "Not that long ago."
"You weren't a lot taller… and you still aren't," Eddie said. "Your Grace."
"Well, Evelynn hasn't kept me up on things. You're running your dad's place now?"
"Something like that… Dad, I should grab the cases from the truck-?"
"It can wait,” Charles said firmly. "Your Grace, this is Eddie's girlfriend. She's an offworlder."
"Brought a Clanner from the homeworlds, Eddie?" Liz asked in mock confusion.
"Your Grace, this is Gabriel. And yes, we're dating. But it's just dating right now," Eddie asserted.
Liz eyed Gabriel. "Huh… so you're not the Viper adoptee, I know that one."
“Goliath Scorpion. I am part of the mission to study at your university,” Gabriel said.
Elizabeth nodded. "Good on you, Eddie, she's smart… On behalf of Evelynn, then, you're welcome to this hearth, Gabriel of Goliath Scorpion." She turned. "Helena! Chuck brought someone you should meet!!"
“And he knows just how to woo a Clan Woman. Get her adrenaline pumping, our idea of fun, and then everyone’s idea of fun,” Gabriel smiled.
Helena got up from her seat then came over. She studied the woman for a moment.
“Lady Cameron.” Gabriel bowed.
“You don’t get to call me that yet.” Helena snapped back.
"Hey, Helena!" Liz snapped her fingers. "GUESTS. Guest-rite."
“You’re right, Liz. I’m sorry, Gabriel.”
Liz sighed. "Chuck, I assume you brought stuff. Go get the menfolk to help you unload while we have some girl-talk with your son's lady." It was a very poorly disguised order.
"Sounds good, Lil'bit," Chuck tipped his hat. "Come on, Eddie. Let's let the ladies have their circle."
"Now, first, Gabriel, my apologies, Helena has been under a lot of stress lately and this was supposed to be 'relax' time, not 'work' time. She didn't mean to take offense, and poor girl, she was raised on Terra, a terrible origin for anyone sane. What're you studying at the Uni?"
“It is… understandable. I am studying Computer Science with Morgan Icaza. It was shocking to learn I had that aptitude.”
"Huh… Eddie's got his Dad's eye then," Liz said approvingly. "Wilma Vanh's a mathematician, or she was before Chuck swept her up into a Ranch Wife's life. She's still a good hand with accounting."
“I must admit, I am finding myself thinking about a great many things on this trip already.”
"What sort of things?" Liz asked. "I mean, it's early in the term for you to have taken a trip to the Archives…"
“That was a sobering experience. And yes, that has given me much to think about as well.”
"Wait, did Eddie get you a pass to the National Archive?" Liz asked. "Because that has to go through my desk, and I didn't get the notice."
“The dig site. He took us there. I apologize, I must be confusing terms.”
"Oh shit… let me guess, they showed you the recruiting station?"
“Aff.”
"It's good I declassified that as soon as I did then," Liz murmured. "Do you have the context of it?"
“I believe I only have part of it. My mind is still racing from that.”
Liz opened her mouth, then closed it, and looked to Helena. "Should we?"
“Yeah. They need the truth.”
"Come on, then…" she looked around, Nikki was watching the kids. "This is something to discuss with something stronger than spring wine, and I know where Evvie keeps the good stuff."
“I think Why Yeh expected much of this. He was nearly cast out for his questions and un-Clanlike philosophies.”
Elizabeth led the way to the single story house, a structure covered in glistening mortared stone and built of heavy timbers.
"Evvie! I'm raiding the Spirits!!" 
"Go ahead…" Evelynn Mosovich came out of an office. "Helena… who's the new girl?"
"Gabriel of Clan Goliath Scorpion, she's seen The Scar." Liz said.
"Oh, yeah, you'll want the second bottle back, and set out the glasses for all of us."
“Fair is fair.”
Elizabeth went behind the bar, and drew out four glasses, laid ice in three, and then poured from an amber-brown bottle a fluid somewhere between gold and manna in coloration.
"Context… back right after I took over, Helena showed up, with a head full of Star League knowledge and a warship carrying even more. Time-displaced and traumatized." She slid Helena's glass over and started pouring the next one. "We took a trip to Donegal to bury one of my best friends. One stop was in the Arluna system." She slid the second glass to Evelynn.
"You take ice or not?" Liz asked Gabriel.
“I will trust your judgment.”
"Ice it is…" She began pouring. "So, my buddy Daphne's family had a lab analyzing recovered salvage from the Star League Era, including something they recovered from an SLDF transport ship that misjumped and died in the deep black. An ordnance transport, bound for a Rim Worlds Republic base. Which had been lost since 2730, until a Rowe-McClaren contracted prospector found it in a dead system…" she poured her own drink. "The missiles on board included one with specific markings. Non-standard, but nobody in THIS era kept the recognition guide that included it. Jane… Helena's… sister? Sister. She identified it. A Black project that Kerensky had shut down the day he took the Chief of Staff job. He ordered all work to cease, all samples destroyed, and all records classified." She held up her glass, "Which makes 'why was this supposed to go to House Amaris' a really interesting question."
“I take it from the context of this question that the order either predated General Kerensky or did not originate from him?”
"Daffy got her Dad to dig up the logs from the salvage. The manifest was signed by a known director of a Star League agency two years after Kerensky ordered the stuff purged, it was during your Dad's reign, Helena."
“So it predated the Usurper, and his time of influence then.”
"Maybe. The missile was full of a contagious, durable bio-agent. And the agency that released it was one of the sub-departments of Star League Intelligence's domestic bureau," Helena stated, "Daffy showed me the manifest, Liz."
"I was getting there," Liz quipped. "So, what kind of bio-agent? We've got a name because Jane had the name. 21b, and a rough, one might call it cover-letter understanding of what it was supposed to do. Mind control in a can, Gabriel. A contagious pacification virus."
"The Recording!"
Liz nodded. "Kowloon had a history of uprisings and protests. We were the thorn in the Rim World Republic's paw ever since they conquered us with the help of the Terran Hegemony during the Age of War… So the math says what?"
“That the Usurper was not the first to worm their way into the graces of the Hegemony. Or maybe it was the other way around…”
Evelynn cleared her throat. "Imagine you're a landlord, and you have a tenant," she said. "Now, lots of Lords recruit their help from the locality they're in charge of. What happens when you keep giving more and more responsibility to your tenant, and taking less of it for yourself?"
“You are no longer a landlord.”
"What Fat Steve did was capitalize on a relationship that started with House Amaris being the Hegemony's puppet, taking on more and more responsibilities, doing more and more dirty work for them… until he was the guy their guys looked to, instead of Simon. I mean, it's obvious. This is how Palace Coups happen all the time: a treacherous Lieutenant takes the reins from a weak overlord, and makes himself the new overlord… but that ain't a quick process. It takes lots of time, and by lots of time, I mean, on a scale the size of a nation, generations… and Terens Amaris was Hegemony Intelligence when she took over the Rim Worlds and founded the family."
"Could that not happen here?" Gabriel asked.
"Helena would have to be okay with it, and I'd have to want it, or Chuck," Evelynn stated. "But we've got safeguards the Hegemony didn't have because they couldn't afford to have them. A usurper can shout himself dry, but if nobody follows…"
“They are just a nuisance,” Gabriel nodded.
Liz nodded, "See, Victor, and Melissa, and my in-laws? All thought I was being an idealistic fool for setting things up so they can continue without me. But it's really 'anti-coup' insulation."
“No system is perfect, and tastes change. But what Liz has built here on Kowloon, it’ll take a lot to corrupt,” Helena sipped her drink.
"Yep, for a coup to succeed here, whoever pulls it off has to actually be better at the job," Liz laughed. "In which case, I'd deserve to be removed."
“The Clans believe themselves to have a similar system, in theory, but in practice…” Gabriel shook her head.
"In practice, Gabriel, the Clan system means no agreement can last," Liz observed. "It also means you're self-erasing your skill and knowledge base. And your folk history. Nobody sticks around long enough to say 'That there? That is a bad idea'... Witness that Clan Star Adder is a few months away with a fleet."
Gabriel’s face took on a look of shock. “I knew they were coming but months? They should have been here by now…”
"Yeah, we estimate just over a month and a half from Kowloon orbit. As of when we were warned, which was two and a half months ago while the Council was holding a hearing on independent spacers. Since then, we've confirmed. They're a month and a half out from here, or a month from one of the offsite lab stations." Liz took a deep draw from her drink, eyeing Gabriel over the glass as she did so, then put her glass down. "I'm considering whether to warn them not to try shutting it down, or watch them try and make jokes about what happens next… I'll probably try to warn them, whether they listen or not."
“The Clans must change. We are seeing that message more and more. The traditionalists try to deny it. In the end, they may doom us all.” Gabriel pounded her fist into the bar in frustration, shaking the whole bar slightly.
“Careful, that's bluewood, you could hurt yourself," Liz said. "Here's what I think: we all have changes to deal with. Not just the Clans. But if the Clans don't change fast enough, I win, because your system was designed to self-sabotage. And all I have to do to destroy it, is let you discover it for yourself… and I win if they change, because that means they stop being psychotic."
“The Falcons know this on some level. They must, or else they would have been pushed out of their OZ long ago. The numbers alone mean we must adapt, flex, or we will be swept away as a mere afterthought.”
“You seem rather, well there’s no other way to put it, open minded for a Clanner,” Helena noted.
“Clan Goliath Scorpion has traditions. One of them is a rite where as we ready ourselves to become proper Warriors, we drink necrosia. Many believe it grants glimpses of the future. Perhaps it does. The vision I had showed me that if I continued on my path I would be consumed by my anger and need for violence. After that, I met Why Yeh. He guided me onto a more productive path, one where I could see the plain truth. We were a stagnant society. We denied it, and we could go on for quite some time happily as circumstances were. Then the invasion, the elimination of a large part of Clan Steel Viper, Clan Smoke Jaguar becoming past tense. We could shout and shriek and call for blood. But it would be our blood, and no one would mourn our passing.”
"Huh, getting high for insight," Liz shook her head. "You're not still using, are you? Take it from the ex-junkie, that mind-altering stuff doesn't actually help."
“It is true it can be addictive. But no. Considering how long we would be away from the source, I did not bring any.”
"Stay clean then. I have an affection for the Vanh family, and I'd hate to have to interfere or deal with it if you got into the local scene and spiked yourself to death like Penny did." Liz's voice dripped regret.
“I like Eddie. I am new to this idea of courtship though… Clans do not teach about romantic love such as this.”
"Enjoy it," Liz told her. "You'd be surprised how many of my peers are married to people they can't stand for political or economic reasons. What I've got with Arthur is… unusual. Same for what Helena has with Jakob. The usual trend for the Nobility is strategic, not romantic, ties."
“Well, I cheated just a bit there, since Jakob isn’t nobility. But then again that’s almost a family tradition,” Helena smirked. “The only advice you’re going to get from us is don’t try and force it. If you two work long term you’ll find that out on your own.”
"Enjoy the ride while you've got it," Evelynn contributed, and took a deep drink. "And be glad he's out, and won't be calling an artillery strike on himself to help his men escape."
“We of the Clans are aware of the grimness of battle. That is why we are taught to be accepting of coupling. To offer it and partake of it freely.”
"Gabby, Evelynn was almost Duchess of Kowloon," Liz said. "She was Pat's almost-wife, but Corelli froze the paperwork, then Pat got killed. It took me and Helena to get her widow's benefit unlocked… So it's kind of a sore point. Tamar was a few years ago."
“Ah. I almost put my foot in my mouth then.”
"I forgive," Evelynn said. "You meant no malice, and you're a guest under my roof. So no harm done."
"We should check on the boys, ladies," Liz said. "We've left them to their own devices too long. God only knows what they're up to."
“Yeah,” Helena nodded. “Are those gunshots?”
When the ladies got back up to the menfolk, Hannah with the help of Jakob, was handling a pistol and shooting at some improvised targets with the biggest goofiest grin on her face.
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===Shadowing incoming Force===
KCGS Minsky's Folly, Landmark Block IV Class DestroyerKowloon System, Federated Commonwealth (Lyran State)Mid-3063
Rear Admiral Alice "Gracie" Wells watched the passive sensors. "It's a full court press," she observed. "RTO, black-box message to Twelfth squadron: The enemy is doing UNREP. It's a full court press. We'll meet them in the Melville system."
"Melville?"
"Those warships aren't carrying enough troop transports for Kowloon. They're prepped for a Naval fight, and they didn't bring a train for ground combat." she asserted. "Okay, Nav, jump us out, rendezvous three. I've gotten a look at the opposition, it's time to plan the battle."
"Ayeh, mum."
//////Discontinuity\\\\\\
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For a bit longer Helena was still Chief Naval Advisor and de facto Commanding Admiral of the Star League Navy. The change over to her becoming First Lord would not officially take place for a few more months.
"Twelfth Squadron of the Coast Guard? And Eleventh?" She looked at the report again. "Liz, I thought you were going to send out one or two…"
"I left it up to Admiral Wells," Liz shrugged. "I want to send out number Thirteenth as well, but they're still in work-up with the new dropship model. I brought this to you because we're going to need SLDF Navy help, with a force that big."
“Well, this is why I drafted orders a while back to rally the Fleet. We should have a contingent of about a dozen ships to supplement with.”
Liz was struggling with something. "I need to ask you to detail the carrier group," she finally admitted. "The FWLS Aphrodite and her escorts. It's got to be your call, but Wells thinks we can match their throw-weight with fighters, and we don't have enough Mjolnir or Avalons in this end of the realm to manage the job of matching their gun power."
“Okay. I’ll light a fire under Thomas to get him to cough up the Thera. Theodore already has a Kirishima cruiser enroute. Focht is offering up a pair of new Sufferens.”
Liz opened her briefcase. "Per standing precedent…" she said, producing documents. "I'm officially releasing Exotic Material Production Beta site to the Star League as a Military reservation." She signed the document, then handed it to one of Helena's aides, "Witness in the boxes, then hand it to Admiral Cameron for her signature."
Samantha nodded as she filled out the form.
"This is a strategy, isn't it?" Jakob noted.
"Yeah. See, if I pressed the claim that it's Kowloonese property? Then they'll have grounds to take offense if the SLDF intervenes. But if it's a Star League reservation, then the Star League Navy being there is legal even under Clan laws and precedent."
“And by making it a Star League fight I have a bit more leverage to light fires under Sun-Tzu and Tom Marik. Right now Victor is happy to send us a bunch of Fox corvettes, but those are rather outgunned in this fight,” Helena nodded.
"I've evacuated staff already, but if they decide to continue the party at Arlanda, that can risk Gateway," Liz told Helena. "Gracie already knows to warn them about not shutting down the Beta Site cyclotrons."
“Okay. So where can we deploy the Fleet, and who will be here on time for sure…?” Helena studied the map.
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The Melville system was either colonized by the Rim Worlds Republic during the Star League era at some point after the end of the Reunification War, or was an already-settled system which became significant enough for Inner Sphere nations to begin recording on maps during this era.[1][2][3] The Melville system vanished from maps during the Third Succession War[4][5] indicating that the system had been abandoned, depopulated, or rendered too insignificant to merit further recording on maps.-Encyclopedia Interstellar, 3061 edition
"I like to think Melville was the Midway of our generation. It was certainly a 'significant emotional event' for enough people…"-An Oral History of the Clan Wars
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