GblaRCS Chpt 66

==Guided by the light of a (Red) Cameron Star - Chapter 66 -==
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"The fact that House Humphreys not only managed to have one of its people appointed the first speaker of the Free Worlds League Parliament, but also the first speaker of the Niops Hegemony Senate, perhaps speaks a lot towards the advantage of name recognition and having cemented that name in history. A thousand years ago in the United States of America, well-established families boasted that their people arrived on the Mayflower, House Humphreys likes to remind others that their family left Terra on the Pathfinder."Stephen J. Tran, Red Star Rising: A History of Niops 2800-2900 - Niops Press, 2915
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===Reflection of rise of Niops Hegemony===
Gislandune Spaceport – Islington – 2845
With a population approaching a quarter-million Gislandune was the only real city on the planet, the other settlements being market towns or villages surrounded by the rolling fields that allowed the planets population to support itself despite a lack of interstellar traffic until now. Not that many years ago the arrival of any dropship at the spaceport just outside the capital would have brought hundreds, or even thousands of people out to take a look, Islington out in the periphery wasn't exactly a place many people had ever chosen to visit even before the fall of the Star League and the Succession Wars had drastically reduced interstellar trade, but these days it was only the unusual type of dropship itself that stirred any interest.
Other than one or two prototypes mostly gathering dust somewhere in the Federated Suns the only place you'd normally see a CargoKing was doing transport runs between Niops and Alphard, although supposedly they were expected to become considerably more common in the future, and the unusual look of the craft, as well as its reputation as a high-tech wonder was guaranteed to bring the dropship-spotters out in droves. If it had just been a Danais or a Mule only the most hardcore of enthusiasts would have been interested, even the arrival of an Overlord or Intruder wasn't that unusual these days what with both the small SLDF garrison and Bolton's Rangers both operating ships from the port, but a rare bird like the CargoKing was another matter entirely.
Reginald Humphreys, Baron of Islington was no dropship-spotter. As far as he was concerned they were a bunch of sad, lonely weirdos who were even nerdier than the people that painted model battlemechs, but stood beside his imported luxury hovercar he made sure to smile and wave at the ones gathered at the edge of the spaceport as they snapped photographs of the CargoKing as it came into land and gently set down on the pad.
A member of the nobility, or at least one actually worthy of bearing their title, was obligated to acknowledge those beneath them on the social ladder and also treat them with civility and politeness. It was a class thing, there were plenty of aristocrats across the Inner Sphere who looked down on the lower classes thinking themselves to be far superior but themselves had no real class whatsoever in Humphreys estimation.
If you didn't truly understand the principle of noblesse oblige and live and act according to its dictums then you were no noble at all, and most certainly no gentleman.
Standing even taller on its landing gear than one of the hulking Mule dropships nearby the CargoKing certainly made an impression, although Humphreys knew it was the advanced technology inside the craft which made it truly special. The Niops Association liked to flaunt just how advanced their industrial base was, and choosing to put these things into production was likely as much to do with that as it was the supposed long-term financial benefits of using more automation.
The SLDF 'Royals' that equipped their garrison on Islington was another part of that. Islington had its own militia, one that was better equipped than many periphery worlds could boast, but almost of their machines were aging 'bug mechs', Wasp, Locust and Stinger lights that dated from the Age of War, along with a few small Galleon tanks. Compared with the MAD-2R, BL-6b-KNT and CRD-2R heavies of the SLDF based not far from the capital the Islington militia was a trifle, in fact the only machine that came remotely close to competing for capability was his families own personal Orion, and that hadn't been updated since it rolled off a production line on Mars back when Ian Cameron was First Lord.
The strangest thing about Niops in Humphreys opinion wasn't their astronomy fixation, or even the occasionally secretive and evasive manner that was arguably just a reasonable reaction to the horrors of the Succession Wars, it was that despite the fact that with their military might they could have easily just turned up and force worlds to join their new Hegemony at gunpoint, instead they chose to negotiate and they weren't even particularly hard-nosed about the terms they wanted agreed.
The stargazing obsession was still pretty weird though. If it was true they were spending that much money and devoting that many resources into placing a massive orbital telescope in every system with an HPG station, then their priorities were seriously skewed from what they should have been in Humphreys opinion. The fact they were expected to re-elect the guy responsible for this project, and that neither their military nor their taxpayers had gone into revolt over it instead, was simply unfathomable.
A pundit invited to talk on a CNN discussion panel had gone so far as to describe it as a form of potlatch, a word he then had to explain as being the destruction of wealth and resources in order to boast of your wealth and shame your rivals.
Niops being a scientific research colony the potlatch took the form of throwing money at research with little or no practical application while other people were desperately trying to find ways to keep the fields irrigated and the lights on.
Another panelist disagreed, arguing in favor of the conspiracy theory that the telescopes were in fact orbital weapon platforms.
Given that the man in question also believed that a secret Cameron heir had been spirited away from Terra during the Amaris Coup, escaping the fate of the rest of their family on the still missing battlecruiser SLS Tripitz, and that the infamous 'Canada Tribe' were scouts for Aleksandr Kerensky who he expected to return 'any day now' with the Exodus fleet after twenty years of preparation to conquer the Inner Sphere, Humphreys personally found the 'potlatch' theory more persuasive.
As an aside it was quite interesting just how often the subject of Niops Association and what it was up to was mentioned by ComStar's news outlet, Humpreys considered, and not always in the glowing terms you might expect given some of the Association's recent actions. Beating up on pirates, liberating slaves and freely providing the designs for lostech water-purification and medical technology had certainly led to media in most places having a wholly positive view of Niops but to describe CNN's attitude towards them as more measured was a gross understatement.
Given that Niops could negotiate the end of the Succession Wars, reestablish the Star League, build a better mousetrap (or K-F drive), and end galactic hunger Comstar would still be pissed at the Association for breaking their HPG monopoly, CNN's negativity was hardly shocking though.
Sometime in the next few years one of those telescopes would be installed at Islington too, the largest impact of which to Humphreys mind would be the fact it would occasionally use up most of the available HPG bandwidth as it sent data back to Niops via the Islington Hyperpulse Generator station. That could potentially be annoying, although it wasn't like Islington had an HPG before the Niops Association turned up so complaining about it seemed churlish at best, especially given the fact that as part of the treaty that brought Islington into the Hegemony the HPG station paid local property taxes.
If he had been dealt a hand that included warships the baron doubted he would have been nearly as accommodating to the other side in the accession discussions that saw Islington join the Hegemony, but for the most part all the Niops Association required of its member worlds was for them to pay their taxes and not be tyrannical shitholes. In return for undertakings to allow free and fair elections, follow Terran Hegemony legal codes and societal norms, and cede your foreign and trade policies to Niops they would largely let you run your own domestic affairs, shower you with advanced tech and invest money to help you pump-prime your economy.
Just the tractors and agromechs starting to arrive from Alphard in increasing numbers was resulting in a booming agricultural sector on Islington, and the money flowing from that allowed the population to purchase an ever-widening array of consumer goods from Copernicus, Comstock and further afield they could have never afforded before. If not for Stefan Amaris, Islington might have prospered like this decades ago thanks largely to its benign climate and rich soil, but with the Inner Sphere tearing itself apart the required foreign investment capital simply hadn't been available and House Humphreys of Islington lacked the personal wealth of their distant cousins on Andurien that would have been required to enable them to fund it all themselves.
It wasn't like stepping back and putting an elected government in the driving seat was as painful for Reginald Humphreys as it might have been for nobility from other parts of the Inner Sphere. When his ancestors had emigrated from the Free Worlds League out to the periphery they hadn't just brought their name and what meagre wealth and resources they had, they had brought their culture with them too and, for all their occasional disagreements with the Mariks, House Humphreys and the Duchy of Andurien had always been more comfortable with the more liberal politics of the Free Worlds League than they had the despotic Capellan police state next door.
After all, Reginald's forebear Richard Humphreys arguably deserved more credit for the Free Worlds League actually existing at all even than House Marik itself did, and he and his successors had always championed the independence of its parliament as the ultimate authority in the state rather than the Captain-General.
Peaceful diplomacy, 'jaw-jaw rather than war-war' was something that House Humphreys respected which was why Reginald was gratified when the first person that came down the dropship ramp when it was lowered was a familiar face. As soon as the engines on the CargoKing had powered down and clouds of dust weren't being kicked up everywhere the baron had jumped back in his car and had his chauffeur drive right up to the ship, getting out to greet whoever emerged when the big pressure doors slid open.
"Ambassador Jeffries" Reginald Humphreys greeted the man heading down the ramp.
"Baron Humphreys" Gareth Jeffries of the Niops Diplomatic Corps responded, smiling and offering a respectful bow in recognition of his title.
"First time I've seen you since we signed the treaty that brought Islington into the fold, at least in person, your picture appears in the press quite often however." Humphreys told him.
"Occupational hazard of being one of a mere handful of people on Niops whose academic background lends them to working in the diplomatic field, as opposed to mapping asteroid fields" Jeffries joked. "I think I'm listed in the High Associator's phonebook as 'Our only diplomat' which is an exaggeration but it sometimes feels like that" he said reaching out to shake hands which Humphreys did. "High Associator Murray wanted me to express his personal thanks, and that of the Niops Association, to yourself and Islington for agreeing to take in the exiles. We were honestly at something of a loss how to handle them" he admitted.
"Yes, I suppose your stringent immigration policy would cause a few problems, especially given that those affiliated with the Amaris Empire would be seen as even more of a security threat than everyone else" Humphreys replied.
"Oh, they were never going to be allowed to live on Niops, and the authorities on Comstock, Francas, Frobisher and McEvedy's Folly stated pretty plainly that they might get lynched in the street if they ended up there, so it was a teeny bit problematic to say the least" Jeffries replied.
"Indeed" Humphreys responded, nodding his understanding. Of all the systems in the new Niops Hegemony the ones that had been actual Terran Hegemony colonies to start with were the ones that despised the Amaris Empire and its supporters the most, not that anyone anywhere would say anything good about Stefan Amaris unless they wanted a punch in the mouth. Even people that didn't like House Cameron and the Star League would grudgingly admit that in their absence the Inner Sphere had gone all to hell.
Even the Taurians, who would have dearly loved the Terrans to just vanish off the face of the galaxy, wouldn't go so far as to speak approvingly of the literal billions upon billions of people that had died in the Succession Wars so far. Nobody really wants to sound like that much of a self-centered ****** unless they are one, and are too stupid or obnoxious to hide it.
The mention of McEvedy's Folly was unusual though, Humphreys considered, filing that away in his mind to ponder later. He had heard of the place of course, a Star League scientific research station like Niops itself, and Frobisher for that matter. His young granddaughter having been enthralled by the nature documentaries filmed there which NHCOMNET had broadcast, but having the world mentioned as if it were a Hegemony member system rather than a colonial possession like Al-Farghani was certainly new.
Maybe Jeffries himself had been the one that negotiated them joining officially? Presumably the people that ended up stranded there after the fall of the Star League had cobbled together a government raising them from the status of a mere vassal of the Niops Association.
They were Terrans of course, the McEvedy people, and even if there weren't very many of them simply being Terrans likely got them special dispensations, Humphreys surmised. Even before now people transferring from the immigration center on Copernicus to settle on Islington had mentioned that those hailing from Comstock and Francas had seemingly bought up all the good land there before anyone else could, something which had already led him to conclude that they had benefited from being in the Terran club.
The Niops Association clearly wasn't the Terran Alliance reborn at least, it wasn't a 'you colonies out there only exist to serve our needs' system such as had existed before Admiral James McKenna had bashed a few heads together, but it was his Terran Hegemony reborn and that meant 'First Among Equals' was likely still part of their mindset, subconsciously or not.
Still, if you were willing to put up with what was, at worst, a little paternalistic condescension, then Niops would invest money and resources in your economy, give you access to advanced medical technology that meant Humphrey's beloved granddaughter might live another century-and-a-half, and they'd also kick the ever-loving crap out of anyone that so much as looked at you sideways, which for a periphery world that used to worry about pirate raids was a very big plus.
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===Meetings between people of different political worlds===
The Islington Militia was certainly looking forward to receiving its first company of Blackjack mediums, they were already training additional mechwarriors in preparation although they knew that worlds that had signed up to the Hegemony earlier would get theirs first. Not that Humphreys was worried about his planet being attacked these days anyway, not with the entire Inner Sphere knowing that Bolton's Rangers, recently returned from helping Niops pulverise the people that Humphreys himself was about to take in, was now based there.
On that topic, after Jeffries signalled to someone inside the dropship two women in expensive civilian clothes and a child appeared at the top of the ramp flanked by a pair of SLDF soldiers, both female themselves, and the group started to make their way down towards the baron and the diplomat.
"I trust our luggage will be collected and delivered to our new home?" the older of the two civilians asked one of the soldiers sniffily.
"We'll have someone drop it off" the soldier, a captain judging by their rank insignia, replied.
"After rifling through it, no doubt" the woman responded snidely.
"We took your whole planet, stealing what's in your suitcases as well would be a little petty don't you think?" the captain replied sardonically as the group arrived.
Jeffries cleared his throat to interrupt the back-and-forth. "Baron, may I present the Baroness Charlotte Von Strang, her son the Honourable Terens Von Strang, and the Lady Arabella Von Strang" he introduced them in turn.
Humphreys bowed. "Reginald Humphreys, Baron of Islington at your service, Baroness" he greeted her formally. "Lady Arabella, Terens" he went on to acknowledge the other two in turn.
"Baron Humphreys" Charlotte Von Strang responded with a curtsey and then when her sister-in-law failed to do likewise glared at her until she eventually did so as well, albeit reluctantly and with an expression on her face that put Humphreys in mind of a predator sizing up its next meal.
Forcing a smile as he fought down the urge to shudder, Humphreys bent down to now shake hands with the boy who must have been approaching his tenth birthday from the looks of him, roughly his granddaughter's age. "Good firm handshake you've got there Terens" he told the boy.
"Father told me that only Lyrans and other fops think that a dainty handshake makes them appear sophisticated and civilised instead of just limp-wristed and effeminate" the boy replied, seemingly unperturbed by his situation and circumstances.
"It's certainly a viewpoint." Humphreys responded noncommittally before turning to face the Baroness directly once more. "I must apologise to you all that my son Geoffrey isn't here to greet you as well as he's currently on Alphard being given a tour of a factory there" he explained the absence of his heir. "As for my other son James he should be here, although unfortunately alas I have yet to properly install in him the understanding that punctuality is the politeness of kings, or that the sports car I foolishly presented him with for his eighteeth birthday a few years back does not mean that he can always be running late and still make appointments on time" he added with a sigh.
"The finer points of etiquette often seem lost on the young" Charlotte Von Strang replied, accepting the apology with good grace.
Humphreys smiled. "I assume you were informed by the Niops authorities of the rules concerning your exile here on Islington, Baroness?" he asked her rhetorically. "For my part, while I'm obliged to keep to the Association's insistence that you and your family are to never leave the planet under penalty of arrest and confinement, you may live freely on Islington and I have apartments for you all to stay in at my family estate outside the capital" he informed them. "The only proviso to that arrangement is that you treat the servants here a little better than you may have back home, not merely for their benefit but because we don't have serfdom here on Islington, or slavery of course, and mistreatment of the staff might well result in an embarrassing court appearance or even potentially getting slapped back by an irate maid" he warned good-naturedly, even though the posited scenario was a distinct possibility.
People on Islington were citizens, not serfs, and since almost of them were from families originally from the Free Worlds League where people had never been property they would not react well to being treated as chattels as he feared the Von Strangs might out of habit. The Rim Worlds Republic had been founded on slavery after all, and just because the descendants of Hector Rowe had been somewhat more progressive than he was that kind of cultural legacy lingered. The reemergence of widespread slavery across those worlds of the former Republic that hadn't been annexed by the Lyrans in recent decades being in some ways a throwback to local tradition.
"How do you maintain proper order among you household servants then?" Terrens wanted to know, tone indicating that he thought such a system sounded like anarchy with the ill-disciplined peasant rabble free to do what they wished. Seeking at least an element of popular support for your rule clearly wasn't something that fit into the world view of House Von Strang like it was for the more progressive of noble houses.
"I pay them enough that they do what I ask them, within reason, and I don't abuse my position of authority" Humphreys replied, trying not to sound too much like he was admonishing the boy as he did so. It was important that this message sunk in or their time on Islington wouldn't go well, from what he had read and heard House Von Strang had ruled their own world by fear, not by inspiring the loyalty and earning the respect of the people, and as his eldest son and heir had, somewhat crudely put it when they discussed the matter just before he set off for Alphard, 'You need to let them know that shit won't fly here as soon as they arrive or it'll hit the fan… and then fly I suppose'.
Honestly, sending the boy to study at the Humphreys School of Warfare on Kanata at their cousin's invitation might have taught him what he needed to know to lead the militia, and offer an opportunity for him to see some more of the galaxy, but it had wreaked havoc with his manners and decorum. The instructors having all been hardened veterans of the First Succession War apparently had little time for politesse, and they clearly hadn't accorded him any special dispensation or privilege simply for being distantly related to either the man the academy was named for or their current duke.
"Sounds tedious and exhausting" Arabella Von Strang opined dismissively. "I see the press are here, I suppose we'll have to submit to being harangued by gutter journalists given that the lower-orders here haven't been taught to know their place" she added, looking off towards the edge of the spaceport.
Humphreys frowned and looked over in the same direction. "Oh no, that's not the press" he told her. "I called in a few personal favours with both the local media and NHCOMNET News and got them to agree to leave you all be until you'd had time to acclimate to your new lives on Islington. They're just dropship spotters who are far more interested in the ship you arrived on than they are you."
"Dropship spotters?" Charlotte Von Strang repeated in mystification.
"You know, like bird spotters, only they're interested in dropships not avian lifeforms" Humphreys explained. "Harmless oddballs really. You'll find them all over the Inner Sphere boring people with tales of how they once saw a custom-modified Trojan that had a PPC instead of a large laser, or a Mammoth that had five engine points like an Aqueduct instead of the usual four" he continued, expression indicating he couldn't much se the appeal. "It sometimes seems like we've got more than our fair share on Islington for some strange reason, but I actually know of a fairly senior member of the Free Worlds League parliament that does it as a hobby too" he said then laughed. "During our diplomatic negotiations with Niops they thought all those oddballs over there who always came to photograph their ships were spies, isn't that right Ambassador?" he asked the diplomat.
"To be fair it's just not a thing in the Niops Association, although I'm sure people on Islington would find our dynamic rap-battle scene culturally bizarre" Jeffries replied.
"What battle?" Terrens asked, confused.
"Rap, it's like a cross between singing and talking, and a rap battle is like a cross between a poetry-slam and a duel" the diplomat explained. "I used to be pretty good at it" he added immodestly. "Although that was usually after a few drinks, so I might not be the most unbiased or reliable of judges" he admitted. "Are you into the rap scene, Captain McEvedy?" he asked one of the soldiers.
The tall, and now Humphreys took a better look somewhat striking female officer shook her head. "Wasn't really something we did back home so not growing up with it I never saw the attraction" she replied with a shrug.
"The captain is one of those rarest of things, a Niops Association citizen born elsewhere" Jeffries explained. "I imagine you didn't do much dropship spotting back home either?" he asked. "Plenty of bird watching though" he joked, a line that she didn't seem to find all that funny judging by her expression.
"Only in the sense that if you didn't make sure to keep an eye out for Thunderbirds one might eat you" Captain McEvedy replied flatly.
Humphreys raised his eyebrows. "Captain McEvedy as in McEvedy's Folly?" he queried.
"Captain McEvedy as in McEvedy if you please, Baron Humphreys" the woman replied somewhat curtly. "It's not a folly if it worked out."
"So, being chased around by thirty-five ton carnivorous flightless birds was the plan was it?" Jeffries asked, amused.
"Mistakes were made along the way, even my great-grandfather would have conceded that I'm sure" the officer replied, sounding like she didn't necessarily fully believe what she was saying there. According to the nature documentaries about the place, which had occasionally hinted at the planet's history even if they mostly concentrated on the fauna, Alpheus McEvedy who had headed the Star League scientific colony there had, with serious understatement, somewhat overstepped the bounds of his remit when it came to genetic experimentation.
Of course, over on nearby Frobisher at the same time the resident Terran Hegemony scientists were apparently creating a whole new branch of humanity, at least according to NHCOMNET News which occasionally covered that story too, so the 'Island of Doctor Moreau' stuff wasn't confined to just one colony out in the wilderness.
Taking another look at the woman Humphreys idly wondered if Alpheus McEvedy might have meddled with the DNA of his own offspring because she really was quite the specimen. Clearly athletic in build as well as tall and really quite attractive.
Arabella Von Strang was really quite pretty too of course, but McEvedy didn't make the hairs on the back of his neck stand up like she did.
"On the way here the captain seemed to relish pointing out that there was still a planet named for her family but not ours" the woman herself interjected, turning to glare at McEvedy.
"No, I only enjoyed saying that" McEvedy responded, smirking. "I relished the time I got to punch you in the face because you wouldn't behave yourself."
Humphreys looked shocked, looking to Jeffries for an explanation of why the prisoners had been abused in such a manner.
The diplomat sighed. "In Captain McEvedy's defence, at the time the Lady Arabella was trying to stab someone that was serving her lunch with a fork" he explained which did rather put the incident in a different light.
"It was a plastic spork, not a fork" Arabella Von Strang corrected him, as if that made a huge difference, "and I wasn't trying to stab him so much as gouge out an eye" she continued, "Moreover, I continue to maintain that if someone had done that before then the scrambled eggs would not have been of such low quality" she added haughtily.
Humphreys blinked, apparently his instincts regarding her had been spot-on, although part of that was likely linked to the HPG from Niops that preceded their arrival and which described Arabella as 'completely mental'. The missive had also included the line, 'For the love of God, make sure she takes her medication' which now suddenly seemed rather less hyperbolic and exaggerated for effect.
His inquiry later that day as to why they hadn't put her on medication sooner being answered by 'Oh, she was already taking prescription meds at the time of the scrambled eggs incident, she was worse before then' was itself less than encouraging, though fortunately Baron Humphreys was well aware of how things worked in upper class circles and he adjusted accordingly. After all, only poor people were crazy, the ruling classes were referred to as 'eccentric' instead, with Arabella being euphemistically 'a feisty, somewhat eccentric and spirited young lady', or in other words, completely batshit insane.
"I didn't think you allowed immigration to Niops, even for other Terran citizens?" Humphreys queried decided to change the subject as he looked from Captain McEvedy to Jeffries.
"Exigent circumstances, if you're lacking in genetic engineers for your biosciences sector and you run across a couple of worlds with a surplus of them getting a work visa approved isn't such a chore" Jeffries explained.
"There was a girl from Frobisher in my school whose parents emigrated to Niops for the same reason" McEvedy remarked. "Big plus for me, it meant I wasn't the weird kid just because I wasn't Niops born."
Having seen some images of Homo Sapiens Amphibia Humphreys could well understand why. Even if their gills might usually be hidden by clothes, and the partially webbed hands weren't immediately obvious on cursory inspection, the bald heads and oversized eyes gave the them a distinctly 'uncanny valley' appearance.
Supposedly they were little different than regular people otherwise. Even the Star League's nuttier scientists shied away from messing with the genes effecting intelligence, personality and whatever, but the revelation of the Frobishers existing at all was almost certainly giving those of a luddite, or religious fundamentalist inclination, palpitations.
"Perhaps we should get going before it rains" Humphreys suggested looking up at the clouds after Jeffries dismissed the two SLDF soldiers who had saluted and then headed back up the ramp. "One of the downsides of Islington not being near as arid as many of the other inhabited worlds in the periphery" he added, smiling. "Baroness Islington, my good lady wife, has prepared a light meal for you all after which, weather permitting, I'll give you a tour of the estate. I'm sure you'll enjoy the gardens, they're quite extensive thanks to my father who fancied himself as a horticulturalist."
"I must say that your world did look quite lovely and verdant from orbit as we arrived" Charlotte Von Strang told him as the chauffeur emerged from the limousine and opened the rear passenger door.
"Despite the downside of having to keep an umbrella to hand, living on a planet with a Terra-like climate that doesn't lack for fresh water does have its pluses compared to the arid wastes you encounter in much of the periphery, though I believe Erin was better than most?"
"Von Strang's World, not Erin" the boy corrected him sharply.
"Manners Terrens, manners" his mother chastised the lad.
"According to the document your father signed in return for a guarantee of your safety it is indeed Erin" Gareth Jeffries noted.
"Signed under duress" Arabella responded dismissively.
"And there I was thinking that the Von Strang's approved of the principle that might makes right? Or does that hypocritically stop being the case when it's not your hand on the whip" Jeffries asked, amused.
"If my hand was on the whip, you wouldn't know whether to beg me to stop or plead with me not to" Arabella replied slyly, something distinctly feline about her whole demeanour as she said it.
"Not in front of Terrens, Arabella" Charlotte requested.
Arabella rolled her eyes. "So vanilla, just like my brother" she muttered.
Jeffries leaned into Humphrey's ear. "You have the Association's thanks and my personal condolences" he whispered. "If you change your mind about taking her off our hands we've always got an asylum or a germanium mine to stick her in instead."
Before they could start climbing into the limo a bright red sports car came hurtling across the spaceport, engine howling, and it screeched to a halt next to the limo as Humphreys groaned. "I've said it before and I'll say it again" he muttered to himself, "I should have taken the money I spent on the car and sent him to military school on Andurien instead" he said as his son James practically bounded out of the vehicle.
"Made it, just in time" James Humphreys said brightly. "Said I would, and did" he added, grinning.
Reginald Humphries sighed. "May I present my son, the Honourable James Humphreys" he introduced the young man.
"The spare, not the heir." James noted, still grinning.
"James, may I present the Baroness Charlotte Von Strang, the Honourable Terrens Von Strang and the Lady Arabella Von Strang" Humphreys introduced the party. "Ambassador Jeffries you already know."
"Nice to see you again, Gareth" James said before offering Charlotte a bow and then turning his full attention to Arabella. "Charmed" he said, taking her hand and kissing it before then looking to the young boy. "Want to jump in the passenger seat Terrens?" he asked, indicating his sport car. "The ride back to the old family hovel will be more fun than the one in the limo, promise you."
"Can I, mother?" Terrens asked quickly. It did look fun and to his joy she nodded her agreement.
"Don't I get offered a ride?" Arabella asked, pouting.
"It's only a two-seater I'm afraid" James replied apologetically. "Maybe later."
"Oh well, I suppose that'll have to do" Arabella replied. "Perhaps I could reciprocate and offer you a ride later too?" she suggested. "Unfortunately I had to leave my motorcycle and my horse back home, so I suppose we'll have to improvise" she said, using her sly tone from earlier again accompanied by a coy smile and a theatrical wink.
Watching his son's evidently positive reaction to being 'vamped' by a Von Strang, at least judging from his intrigued expression, Reginald Humphreys made a mental note to not only make sure that Arabella got her meds but to also slip some saltpetre in the boy's food if they were both going to be living under his roof at the same time.
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==Chapter Notes==
*;Notes from the Author : Given that House Humphreys really can boast that they left Terra on the TAS Pathfinder, later ended up ruling the Duchy of Andurien and helped to found the Free Worlds league they can probably be forgiven for regarding themselves as a cut above the average, It might only be a cadet branch but House Humphreys of Islington does benefit from serious name recognition. Reginald Humphreys, the current baron, is well liked and respected and genuinely believes in both noblesse oblige and that it's his job to try and make sure that his people prosper. He sent his heir, Geoffrey, to study at the Humphreys School of Warfare on Kanata but his 'spare', James, might have benefited more from it personally.I can't imagine that Dropship Spotting isn't a thing in the Battletech universe in the same way that Train Spotting is, a niche hobby but there's more of them than you'd think. Other people spot birds as a pastime, something that would be a great deal more exciting and hazardous on McEvedy's Folly than in most places.Other bloodnamed ironborn likely resent the fact that the McEvedy clan get to use their own names just because they can pretend to be descended from Alpheus McEvedy instead of James McEvedy (refuge in audacity as regards clan intelligence gathering).
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