FaRtaL Chpt 18

==From a Ristar to a Lady - Chapter 18 -==
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===Managing a Sleeping Countess===
Fort Lambourne, Altoona
Milligan PDZ, Woodbine Operational Area
Draconis March, Federated Commonwealth
12th March, 30611900 hrs
After the gloom from visiting Anastasia’s mother’s bedroom, she decided to try to lift the mood a bit by exploring the other parts of the fort.
They visited the kitchen, the various dining halls, even the greenhouse. As she suspected, many of the fort’s buildings and rooms, originally meant for military use, had been repurposed to suit the function of a manor house, the administrative center of a feudal lord’s demesne.
What she really wanted to see, though, were the mech bays!
“Sir Matthew, since this was a SLDF fort, were there mech bays?”
“Oh,” he looked taken back for a moment, but recovered quickly. “Yes, there is.”
Trying hard not to sound too excited, Anastasia asked, “Can we go there next?”
“Yes, my lady. I must warn you, however, that nobody has been to the mech bays since about, well, forever!”
They were soon walking down a well-lit corridor, but obviously rarely used from the amount of dust on the floor. They reached a wide door with a bar handle, and Matthew pushed it down to open the door.
The lights came on the moment they stepped through the door, thanks to the motion detectors that would automatically activate the lights. Anastasia marveled inwardly that the systems still seem to be working despite long years of disuse.
And there, right in the midst of the cavernous 'mech bay that could accommodate an entire company of mechs, was the most beautiful sight she had seen in weeks.
A BattleMech.
It was painted in red and black. There were gaping holes in its armor, and strands of myomer stuck out in several places. She noted a particularly nasty hole on the head module. The remains of several unit insignia could still be seen on various parts of the mech, as well as the words ‘Surefire Strike’ written on one shoulder, surprisingly intact.
It was there, and it was beautiful. If nobody would claim it, then it’s hers!
Her lips recited reflexively. “Valkyrie. Thirty tons, max speed about eighty kph. Jump range one-fifty meters. Likely Succession Wars era loadout, a long range missile ten launcher, plus a medium laser as backup. Missile boat role, designed to work as part of a unit offering long range fire support and indirect fire for expanded tactical options."
Matthew stared at her in slack jawed amazement. “My… my lady!”
Anastasia realized what she just did. Oops, I did it again. “I learned all this watching documentaries on mechs, since my fiance is a Mechwarrior, so I thought I needed to learn more about what he does.” She added a laugh, but it was nervous and not at all convincing.
But apparently it was convincing enough for Matthew. “I am astounded, my lady!”
“Do you know anything else about the 'mech?”
“My lady, I didn’t even know its design until you told me. I do know this was your family mech, and your grandaunt Maria piloted it until she died on Mallory’s World sometime in the 3010s. They transported the 'mech back here, and since then nobody has touched it.”
Anastasia frowned. “Nobody bothered to patch it up?”
“None of the other Kalinskis were mechwarriors, my lady. And maintaining a mech costs money.”
She bit back a retort. What about the glory and honor of being a mechwarrior? Or maybe it was just her clan-bred sensibilities getting in the way again.
Anastasia looked around the mech bay. There seemed to be some supplies and equipment scattered about, covered by dusty tarps. Several computer terminals lined the top of a workstation, maybe she could get some information there.
She itched to get started on restoring the Valkyrie. But she was in no shape to even handle the duties of a tech, and there might not be sufficient supplies on hand.
She would be patient. She would bide her time, build up her strength and stamina, get the supplies squared away, fix up the Valkyrie. Then she could, maybe, be a mechwarrior once again. The mech would not be going anywhere.
Anastasia forced her eyes away from the mech, and turned to Matthew, "I think I have seen enough of the fort for today. We will continue tomorrow."
----
===Verbal Sparring with Warriors===
13th March, 30610900 hrs
Anastasia tried to clamp down on her growing anger as she observed the household troops.
Of course, she was familiar with military training and discipline, having been a Smoke Jaguar officer. She also knew that household militia were usually not at the same level as regular federal or state units. Furthermore, Altoona was firmly ensconced in the Federated Commonwealth, not close to the border. According to Matthew, there had not been pirate raids for generations, so there was no need for a strong local military presence.
Nevertheless, Anastasia endured, fighting the urge to say something after seeing their ‘training’.
Yes, this was Altoona. These soldiers were not Smoke Jaguars. Strictly speaking, it was none of her business. At the same time, seeing what passed for their ‘training’ made her angry and she just could not stand it. It offended her as a warrior. Stravag, it would offend any observing professional.
Sure, the equipment was old. But to the extent that rust was visible on their auto-rifles? She wondered if the local gunsmith could fix the weapons.
In addition, their training vigor was sorely lacking. Anastasia sighed when she observed them training. Their effort levels as they did their various drills were half-hearted and utterly pathetic. Their movements were slovenly and lackadaisical, and completely ineffective as preparation for actual combat.
Being a soldier, a warrior should be a point of pride and honor. They might not be members of the regular military, the Armed Forces of the Federated Commonwealth, merely infantry to serve as escorts, security patrols, and a deterrent against local banditry, but that did not mean they were there merely to act as props. These men seemed to be there just to collect an easy paycheck. She did not even see any females present in the soldiers, which in itself was an indicator of the local social dynamics.
She gritted her teeth as she thought of what Finn would say if he knew the standard of the Kalinski troops. As the leader of the Trivet standing forces, he had to be informed of the readiness levels of not just the Trivet forces, but the various household troops that would be called upon to support the defense of the Trivet as well. She would hate to be the one explaining to him why they were in such a condition. An image of her getting a lecture from him, of all people, on the state of her household soldiers came to mind, and she scowled.
This simply would not do!
“This sucks.” Anastasia muttered, biting her lip.
“Yes?”
Matthew and Luisa, who were standing next to her, asked at the same time. It was the first negative sentiment they had heard from Anastasia since arriving on Altoona, because she had been calm, even sweet, since waking up after her long rest.
Anastasia stepped forward towards the soldiers. “I would like to know who is in charge here.”
“Oh no, my lady, not that tone again!” Luisa pointed out, her hand stretched out to implore her mistress to behave more ladylike, because she seemed to have regressed to her default brusque behavior.
Anastasia ignored her.
One man stepped forward, wearing the epaulettes of an officer. “My lady, I’m sorry for the late greeting. I am Craig Wurtz, Captain of the Kalinski household guard.” He bowed and greeted Anastasia politely.
This man seemed to be in his forties, and was the only one among the soldiers who seemed as though he knew what he was doing.
They observed each other carefully. Craig focused on Anastasia’s face, obviously admiring her beauty. But she did not care what the idiot in front of her was seeing and thinking. She asked harshly, “What the hell is going on here?”
“What are you talking about?” Craig looked bewildered by the criticism, when he had expected praise for the hard work put in by his men in training.
“How are your weapons so poorly maintained? And your soldiers, just lounging around… Why are you so slow with your drills during training? Isn’t the intensity too low to be effective?
This large training ground sited next to the fort was simply wasted on these men. Just thinking about how to start an effective training regimen gave Anastasia a headache.
Craig looked dumbfounded at Anastasia’s criticism. To be criticized by a lady who didn’t know a single thing about the military…
Matthew was also shocked. Lady Anastasia, who had not complained a single bit about the shabbiness of the fort and her room, did not like the way the household troops were trained? He had no way to interject himself into the conversation.
“My lady, the men can’t train all the time, they need to rest. I don’t think you understand our situation.”
At Craig’s words, Anastasia’s eyebrows went up. His words were polite, but his tone was dismissive of her concerns.
“This doesn’t look correct to me, but let’s assume you are right. As their Captain you have the authority to train them as you see fit, and I have no right to interfere. However, I’d like to hear about the condition of your weapons. Don’t you need to maintain your rifles properly, especially since it was the taxes of our landhold you used to buy these weapons?”
She pointed to the rusted barrel of one of the automatic rifles. “What’s this? I don’t even think this rifle can shoot straight if the barrel rifling is rusted!”
Craig frowned. Anastasia noted that the other soldiers were also irritated with her comments. It was as if they were embarrassed by her observations and did not want to admit it.
Her anger started to build at their reluctance to admit their faults. Her comments were relevant and necessary. If it was another man, like Finn, who pointed these out, they would have likely accepted it, instead of trying to dismiss her concerns as that of an uninformed lady.
“You seem to have something to say, Captain Craig Wurtz.”
Craig gritted his teeth and replied, “Isn’t the poor condition of our weapons… because so much of the budget is spent on your dresses and your toys? Like that racer you have in the garage!”
“……”
Anastasia’s eyes widened at his words.
Craig’s resentment was clear, and the other soldiers around him seemed to be backing him up with the looks of annoyance on their faces. Huh, they are trying to shift the responsibility back onto me.
“Is that true, Sir Matthew? There’s less in the budget for the household troops because of the expenditure on me?”
“Oh no, my lady, that’s not true! Well, that’s…..” Matthew looked a bit troubled. “The Baron said that Altoona is peaceful enough, so it would be okay to reduce the budget for our household troops, so I reduced it…”
“Well, there’s your reason. What does that have to do with my stuff?" Anastasia glanced at Craig.
However, his anger did not go away. “It’s obvious to everyone! I heard that your new dresses alone cost a fortune. If only you’d invested it in our equipment instead!”
She shot him a sharp look. “Yes, it was my father’s decision. Did you make a separate request because you didn’t have enough funds for new equipment?”
Craig frowned. He seemed to have nothing to say.
“Sir Matthew, was there any request put in to increase the funding for the troops?”
“No, there has never been anything like that.”
Anastasia sighed and said. “Then it’s not because of the dresses, but because of my father’s mistaken decision and the officer who knew about it but did nothing.”
“My lady!” Matthew tried to warn her to stop, but Anastasia knew she had to press on. The people of the Kalinski demesne could not afford to have defenders who were ill-equipped, and worse yet, ill-trained with poor discipline.
Craig shouted. “If I asked, he wouldn’t have listened! The Baron thought it would be a waste to give us more money!”
Anastasia calmly replied, “That’s just an excuse. The truth of the matter is, you only continued to complain without ever trying to improve the situation. And you assumed that using my stuff as a scapegoat was the easiest thing to do.”
To emphasis her point, she shook the skirt of the dress she was wearing.
“And the real problem I see is discipline, not about the quality of your equipment. Is it that difficult to ensure the rifle barrels remain free from rust? Do you really need a lot of money to clean and maintain your arms regularly? How are these related to my dresses and my belongings?” Even a child from the creche would know to maintain their firearms properly!
Craig’s face fell, ashamed of himself. He heard a rumor that the Baron spent a lot of money on dresses and other luxurious items for Lady Anastasia because he cared about her, so out of envy, he wanted some of that money to be used on the household troops instead.
So when that very same lady, less than half his age, criticized their training and their equipment, this ignited his anger and provoked him to speak his mind. But in the end, she was right.
The reason why their weapons were in poor condition was because of their negligence in maintenance. So was the intensity of the training. Craig also knew that the training intensity of the troops in other households was higher than theirs. Nothing to do with money.
“I’m sorry…” Craig admitted, lowering his head in shame. He had not taken responsibility in the right way. At the very least, he could have put in a formal request, but he didn’t because he was afraid of being scolded. But advising the Baron on matters of military defense was a key part of his duties, and he had neglected it.
Anastasia flipped her hair to one side. “Sir Matthew.”
“Yes, my lady.”
Anastasia turned to him, “Are the dresses worth selling?”
“….yes?” he replied hesitantly.
“Sell the dresses, leave just a few. I would also like you to go through with me all the things my father bought for me. If I have no use for it, we'll sell it. We should be able to recoup some value.”
Matthew looked stricken. “How can you do that? My lady, let’s talk to your father the Baron and think about increasing the budget for the household troops.”
“He's using my dresses as an excuse, so selling them is an obvious solution.”.
“Oh, my lady, that’s…!”
Despite Craig’s dissuasion, Anastasia’s thoughts did not change.
“I’ll use that money for the troops. In exchange, from now on you must follow my orders.”
“…..”
"Understood?" asked Anastasia brightly.
Craig nodded numbly, wondering how he had been outmaneuvered by a mere slip of a girl not even half his age. And now he, a veteran of the War of 3039, had to take orders from her!
“How many soldiers do we have?”
“We're company strength, my lady.” He didn't elaborate, still thinking that she probably didn't know anything and he could just answer vaguely.
His hopes were dashed immediately. "Standard organization, full strength of eighty-four troopers in three platoons? Do you have a separate command squad or HQ platoon?"
"Uh…"
Her eyes bored into him. "I expect to have a copy of your TO&E on my table by tomorrow morning at zero-nine hundred hours, after reveille and PT. It has to be detailed down to the last nut and bolt. Am I clear?" She let the command tone of Star Captain Avryl Showers, bloodnamed Smoke Jaguar officer, bleed into her voice, brooking no dissent.
He looked up at her, shocked that she used military terminology with such easy familiarity. He was suddenly reminded of some of his superior officers when he was a mere Leftenant in the AFFS, who suffered no fools and pushed every member of their units to their limits. He had a sinking feeling that Lady Kalinska belonged to that same category. Wasn’t she supposed to be some spoiled brat of a lady?
"Yes, my lady."
She mused openly, "I am worried that we only have a company of infantry to protect our germanium production. I'll ask my father if we can beef up the forces here a bit, maybe get some APCs to supplement your infantry and provide a quick reaction force. Right now, any pirate force would find us easy pickings."
"We have not been attacked in years, my lady."
“Just because it hasn't happened doesn't mean it won't happen.”
She shot Crag another glare. “Oh, and I’m thinking of doing some exercises in the morning, so I hope no one gets up later than me. I would be quite upset if any of your soldiers are lazier than me.”
“My lady, please…”
“No more excuses, Captain. You have your orders. Now get to it.”
As she walked away, Craig and his soldiers looked at each other in dismay but also relief. It was as if a storm had passed.
----
As Anastasia returned to the fort, Luisa and Matthew followed immediately.
Luisa clasped her hands together in consternation, and asked anxiously, “My lady, why did you do that, the soldiers must be very angry.”
Anastasia smiled grimly, “Of course, I did it to make them angry.”
“Why did you make them angry?”
“They did not expect to be confronted by the hard truths I presented. If they had simply accepted what I said and agreed to train hard, I would have let the matter slide. But they treated me like a fool and ignored me deliberately, so I had to make my points stick.”
Lusia frowned. “My lady pointed it out, of course they should listen!”
Anastasia burst out laughing at her maid’s naivete. “There is no way that these soldiers would listen to a lady who doesn’t even know how to hold a gun properly.” Well, of course she knew, but Anastasia was not supposed to.
Luisa looked unhappy. Her expression seemed to say, ‘You still have to listen to Lady Anastasia.’
Anastasia laughed again at Luisa’s expression. Her naivete sometimes warmed her heart.
“A warrior’s mind is rather simple. Prick their pride a bit, and they’ll often work harder to prove themselves. It is an effective way to deal with them.” Well, the clans did that all the time, even if it wasn’t necessary, because their warriors were generally self-motivated as a result of indoctrination since childhood.
“My lady, where did you learn all this?” asked Matthew in amazement, after he had recovered from the shock of Anastasia’s ploy.
She replied, “Learn? Is there a need to learn any of this? Isn’t it commonsense?”
Matthew cleared his throat. “Commonsense here and commonsense on Inman could be very different, my lady.”
“Oh, I see,” said Anastasia, again realizing she had, yet again, let the Avryl Showers in her come out just a tad too much. But really, seeing those sorry excuses for warriors would drive anybody to anger!
Trying to change the subject, she said, “Well, anyway, could I visit the town outside the fort? I would like to take a look.”
Matthew nodded, “Of course, my lady.”
The town outside Fort Lambourne, also called Lambourne after the fort, was not that big. There were a few villages in the Kalinski demesne, including some mining settlements around the Twin Mountains located at one end of the landhold.
Matthew hoped Lady Anastasia would like their landhold and decide to stay here until her marriage. It had been years since she was here, and her eagerness to explore the landhold she would inherit boded well.
“Do I need to bring anything with me?”
“Not much, my lady,” said Matthew. “Maybe a parasol, if you find the sun too bright.”
She stopped herself from scoffing. Afraid of the sunlight from a mere M7V star? Anastasia shook her head, “No need. Lead the way, Sir Matthew.”
----
===Learning and Growing in Secret===
Anastasia looked out the window of the jeep as it trundled slowly down the boulevard.
The population density here was low, with the houses standing separately from one another. She was mesmerized by the seemingly scenic view of the town through the window.
“The people here look well fed and clothed.” She commented to Matthew, who was riding with her in the carriage. “Is the Baron, my father, a gifted administrator?”
Everyone in the town wore clean clothes. Not particularly luxurious or extravagant, but simple and clean. Not quite what she had expected compared to her initial impression of the Outback, which was supposed to be a barbaric place populated by inbred savages.
The people passing by glanced at Anastasia through the windows of the jeep. Many of them even stood and observed her carefully. She was nervous about it, but she recognized that they were just curious about the landhold heir, who returned from Inman.
“No, my lady, the Baron is not particularly good at it.”
“But there are no naked people. Some people are even wearing nice clothes.”
Matthew wondered at what Lady Anastasia had been told about Altoona and the other worlds of the Outback.
“My lady, your imagination and reality are different. We might not be a rich landhold, but we do well enough.” Matthew said proudly.
She furrowed her eyebrows, feeling a bit like a child being chided by her seniors. She continued to observe the town silently.
She could see, feel the difference between Altoona and the other places she had been.
Unlike the Clan Homeworlds, usually bustling with frantic activity, or the worlds of the Draconis Combine, marked by harsh living conditions mitigated by a smattering of luxuries, the Outback was downright bucolic, populated by civilians who simply got by from day to day, free from the ravages of war, free to raise their children in peace, though somebody from a more developed world would regard them as mired in poverty.
As for the occupied worlds of the former Smoke Jaguar occupation zone? Those were veritable hellholes for the Smoke Jaguars because the natives were still loyal to the Draconis Combine and saw them as invaders to be driven out. Guerilla attacks were common, inviting harsh reprisals and extensive COIN operations. Everything fed one another into a vicious circle of conflict, there was no peace, only war.
The peaceful environs made her realize, “This is why my father didn’t have much of a budget for the household troops.”
“Yes.” Matthew replied.
“How much of the demesne depends on the germanium exports?”
“Of course, the germanium was a big factor in maintaining our living standards. But even without it, we can get by. There’s enough domestic economic activity that we’re almost self-sufficient.” Matthew was very happy to see that Lady Anastasia was showing a keen interest in the landhold, so he answered her questions eagerly.
“I thought the Outback would be even poorer than this.” She admitted.
“My lady, to be honest, some worlds in the Outback are far worse off than us. For Altoona, we are relatively well governed because Count Haynes demanded it.”
“The Count?”
“Inman would send an inspectorate every few years. Therefore, the lords cannot neglect the management of their territories. Count Haynes can be very demanding, don’t you agree?”
Anastasia nodded and fell into thought. She closed her eyes, painfully recalling [Khan]] Lincoln Osis, who had terrorized the people of the Clan’s 'Occupation Zone with near ruinous extortion of resources and unceasing brutality, despite the best efforts of saKhan Brandon Howell to mitigate his policies to try to secure their foothold in the Inner Sphere.
Though a Crusader at heart, she had agreed with Brandon Howell’s view that they could not afford to squander their clan’s strength in enforcing their rule across the conquered worlds, and it was better to try to negotiate some sort of middle-ground with the natives so the could focus their touman’s strength outwards against external threats.
She sighed, “This is the difference between the Inner Sphere and the Clans.”
“Yes?”
“Just talking to myself, Sir Matthew. It’s nothing.” Anastasia shook her head. She did not like the twisting sensation in her stomach.
“Can I get off the jeep and walk around?”
“My lady, if you do that, won’t everyone look at you? Please don’t do that. Let’s take it slow and let the people get used to your presence first.”
Anastasia nodded, accepting his advice. Still, she could not stop thinking. Was the Baron’s decision to reduce the budget for the household troops correct? She was not used to such a peaceful environment. Even on Inman, intrigue seemed to occupy every corner. And of course, her time in the clans was always marked by conflict since it was practically their way of life. She wondered what it would be like to live in genuine peace.
Anastasia looked at the town outside the jeep for a long time. Then she turned to Matthew, her decision made. He had been in charge of the estate for a long time, and therefore was probably the most qualified person to teach her. Besides, he seemed to have a soft spot for Anastasia.
“Sir Matthew, I don’t remember anything yet.”
“I know. You don’t have to be impatient, my lady.”
“It seems I still lack much of the knowledge a noble should have in my position. Can you help me?”
“Of course.” Matthew smiled and nodded.
Anastasia smiled back ruefully. It’s time for me to live as a member of the Inner Sphere.
She had known only the way of the clans, and she now felt like a frog in a well. She recalled that information was ammunition, a saying the Jade Falcons had adopted from some Inner Sphere opponent, and without information, she could not take her revenge on Pence Lamongue.
As Anastasia hoped, Matthew was a very good teacher. She learned about Altoona, the Trivet, the governance of the Federated Commonwealth. And every day, she knew she was getting closer to exacting her revenge on Pence.
----
===Impression of Unusual Young Lady===
Fort Lambourne, Altoona
Milligan PDZ, Woodbine Operational Area
Draconis March, Federated Commonwealth
17th March, 30611200 hrs
At first Captain Craig Wurtz didn’t know what to think about the situation recently. An unfamiliar hum of energy now seemed to run through the fort at the start of every day, invigorating the soldiers. He used to drag himself out of bed, but not any more.
It was all due to Lady Kalinska.
Craig was the youngest son of a landholding knight in the Draconis March, and enlisted in the AFFS to start his military career. He served long enough to see action in the War of 3039 as a Lieutenant in the infantry as part of the 22nd Avalon Hussars RCT, then got an honorable discharge instead of reupping, opting for a cushy post commanding backwater troops in the Outback.
Sure, the pay wasn’t much, but the job was easy, and there wasn’t much to do. Hey, everybody wants an easy life, right?
Out of professional pride, he did try to instil some discipline in the troops at the beginning, but his efforts petered out after a few months. The lack of interest from the Baron, the paltry support, all of these made him give up after a while. Well, it wasn’t as if it mattered, anyway.
The Baron didn’t even seem aware of Craig’s position as his household troop commander. It was Matthew who hired him based on his references.
All Craig knew about the Baron was his love for his daughter.
He occasionally heard from Matthew about the distribution for the budget and was always disappointed to hear that the Baron had reserved a lot of money to lavish on his little girl. That’s why when she came to Altoona, he didn’t feel happy at all.
So Craig didn’t go to greet Lady Kalinska, and as he expected, she didn’t seem to show any interest in them either. However, it did please him a bit when she came to the training ground, but was angry at what she pointed out. He lost his temper and received a scolding from her.
Even past the age of forty, he still had a hot-tempered personality.
But to his surprise, despite scolding him, Lady Kalinska did acknowledge their issues and took steps to remedy some of their problems.
She coolly disposed of most of her dresses, leaving only a few select ones for everyday wear, and only two for special occasions. Many of the items the Baron bought for her were also sold off, such as the expensive wheeled racer he had bought for her on her eighteenth birthday.
Craig had been irritated and unhappy at first. His men also grumbled incessantly, determined to show the ‘cheeky’ lady their skills.
But in just two days, he changed his mind. The eyes of his men were sharp and full of determination, and they took to training with an enthusiasm that had been lacking in the past.
After three days of intense training, he could already see a change in the discipline of his troops. Of course, there was one more reason for that.
It was because Lady Kalinska joined their training at the start of every day.
It was difficult enough to wake up at zero-six hundred hours, but Lady Kalinska would appear at zero-six-thirty hundred hours without fail, her makeup off, and start her exercises at the training ground.
She explained it as ‘physical training’, and he could really see her doing the right exercises and putting in immense effort. The first few days with her seemed unpleasant because it felt like surveillance, but Craig soon changed his mind when his men seemed to draw energy from her presence and intensify their efforts.
Furthermore, her stamina was poor, but even they could see she was improving rapidly. She wore a tracksuit with running pants to train, and the soldiers admired her persistence. When she managed to do a kneeling push up for the first time, they all cheered.
Was this part of her plan?
This was now the ideal situation that Craig had so hoped for. They finally had serviceable body armor, nutritious meals, and decent weapons, either repaired by the gunsmith or new ones bought from local sources. Even the motorized vehicles they used were fixed up, or replaced if they weren’t repairable, finally allowing them to be a real motorized infantry unit instead of just being one on paper.
With Lady Kalinska’s eyes on them, the troops trained harder with improved discipline. He could swear that when he looked at her observing their training, her eyes seemed like that of a veteran, filled with experience and kindly tolerance for the brash, tough young men doing their best to live up to her standards.
The troops, like Craig, finally understood Lady Kalinska’s real intentions, and they all admitted there was nothing wrong with what she said. Unlike the indifferent Baron, who rarely ventured out of the fort even on the occasions he came back from Inman, Lady Kalinska was even praised for her efforts to connect with the populace, going out every day to the town to look around and talk to the locals.
At first, the soldiers thought her behavior was unusual, but they soon accepted it as normal.
Same for the townspeople. At first, they felt she was like visiting royalty when she left the confines of the fort, and even walked along the streets of the town, but they soon got used to her presence and her jaunts to the town became a normal event.
The rumors surrounding her mental health were quickly dismissed by the inhabitants of the demesne. A few townsfolk even got indignant on her account. The change in her reputation was palpable.
Blake’s blood, even his wife noticed and commented on it. And his two girls, who used to constantly badger him for toys and dresses, suddenly changed their minds and stopped asking, deciding to emulate the frugality of their new idol, Lady Kalinska. The story of her selling off her dresses had a huge impact on her favorability with the people.
Things were looking up, Craig decided.
----
To Anastasia, these were heady times, each day filled with purpose and meaning. Morning PT, breakfast, learning from Sir Matthew, lunch, a walk through the town, then handling some administrative stuff regarding the household troops and getting supplies to repair the Valkyrie. When she had time, she would visit the mech bay and start to organize the mess left behind, cataloguing the items and making an inventory of the available supplies. Then dinner, followed by a holovid or two.
In her own room, nobody could stop her from watching the shows she preferred.
The workstations in the mech bay did contain information on the Valkyrie and her grandaunt Maria Kalinska. Sergeant Maria Kalinska was a member of the First Robinson Rangers, and fought in the pivotal battles on Mallory’s World, where so much history was made. She remembered how her blood raced with excitement when she watched a documentary about the legendary mechwarriors involved in those climatic battles.
First Prince Ian Davion. Tai-sa Yorinaga Kurita. Colonel Morgan Kell. She remembered hearing from some of the older Smoke Jaguar warriors about their involvement in the Battle of Luthien, where they faced Morgan Kell and his Kell Hounds, and it seemed like a missing link to her own identity as Avryl Showers.
Oh, how she wished she had the chance to measure her skills against such worthy opponents!
During the final conflict on Mallory’s World, the First Robinson Rangers battled the Ninth Benjamin Regulars on the plains just outside the city of Harrison’s Ferry. Sergeant Maria Kalinska bled out from wounds sustained in combat when she refused to retreat, and her Valkyrie, Surefire Strike, was returned to House Kalinski on Altoona, still damaged. The Kalinskis never repaired it and left it to languish in the mech bay for years.
Anastasia seethed with anger at the Valkyrie’s condition, as well as how the Kalinskis treated Maria’s memory. She was barely mentioned in the family histories, with only one single measly line stating she was a mechwarrior with the Rangers, then nothing else, as though she never existed. That was not right at all. Sure, they didn’t have any equivalent to the clans’ Remembrance, their epic historical poem, but Maria should warrant several paragraphs at least!
The money raised from selling off her dresses and the other stuff the Baron bought for her was substantial, even after discounts due to their second-hand nature. It was more than enough to replace or repair the household troops’ equipment, and there was even a substantial amount left that she could think about using it to purchase supplies to repair the Valkyrie. Thankfully, the mech bay seemed to have most of the supplies stockpiled, although she would still need to buy fresh myomer fiber and ammunition for the Valkyrie’s LRM launcher, since she did not trust the missiles that had been stored there since before the end of the Third Succession War.
She would be able to start repairing the Valkyrie, once the myomer was shipped from Delacambre after they placed an order. Unfortunately, without a HPG, they had to rely on the Yolander to relay messages to Delacambre and place the order there, and then rely on the Yolander again to deliver the myomer to Altoona. This would likely take several weeks.
In the meantime, her physical training had finally reached a certain level of progress, and she was happy with her efforts. Even with the thinner atmosphere and lower oxygen content in the air, she was now capable of continuously running a four hundred meter lap in less than four minutes at a slow jog, which was something the original Anastasia would probably never conceive of.
Speaking of which, the thinner atmosphere and low oxygen content presented specific challenges to the people of Altoona. In order to ensure viable pregnancies, the women and livestock often slept in covered tents amidst the agricultural fields covered in thin plastic domes, or in the case of those who stay in more urban areas, equipped their rooms with special oxygen-enriching devices.
She was lost in her grandiose plans of organizing specialized anti-mech training for her troops when an unusual request came in one day.
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===Planetary Summary of Altoona===
Altoona Information
System Information
Coordinates: 550.569 : -4.176
Stellar Class: M7V
Recharge times: 209 hours
Recharge stations: None
Geophysical
System Position: 1st (Gas giant)
Jump Point distance: 2.22 days
Moons None
Surface gravity: 1.02
Atmospheric pressure: Low (0.8 atm, O2 partial pressure 0.17 atm)
Equatorial temperature: 14 0C (Boreal)
Surface water: 40%
Highest native life: Insects
Infrastructure
Capital Altuni City:
Population: 29,000,000
Socio-economic levels D-D-A-C-D
HPG (representative): None
Geography
Cold and largely barren, Altoona could barely support agriculture, requiring significant terraforming by the Star League’s Department of Mega-Engineering to even make it viable for habitation. It was extremely rich in rare metals and gems, and exports them in exchange for food and civilian goods. In many ways, it is a less extreme example of Mars. Fossil fuels panels were sufficient to sustain the current population and industrial activity, but strikingly lacking in comparison to the availability of ores. Energy needs are supplemented by extensive solar panels.
Altoona is tidally locked with Red Eagle, the gas giant it orbits - the same side always faces the gas giant. The side facing Red Eagle is called Redward by the natives, while the outside facing side is called Outward. Altoona takes 12.4 standard days hours to orbit Red Eagle - that is also the length of one full ‘day’ (rotational period). Red Eagle’s high axial tilt, Altoona’s own orbital inclination and axial tilt, also means that certain Outward areas are bathed in perpetual sunlight (more or less).
All of Altoona’s agriculture sector is located within these areas of perpetual sunlight, resulting in rapid crop growth limited only by the availability of micro-nutrients and water. The areas not utilised for agriculture are mainly covered in savannah / grasslands due to the lack of water. Extensive solar collection panels cover these areas as well, providing energy for their industries.
For certain Redward areas, because they are always facing the gas giant, and never the primary, they could be in perpetual darkness, or have some sunlight at particular angles, or when Altoona is in between the primary and Red Eagle, the reflection of the primary off Red Eagle provides significant illumination compared to Terra’s moon, with some heat reflected and also from Red Eagle itself, but not enough to sustain photosynthesis and agriculture. The natives call this Half-light.
The high carbon dioxide concentration on Altoona (originally 30%) was lowered via extensive use of photosynthesizing algae, which also had the side effect of increasing the oxygen levels. However, the axial tilt of the planet meant that a significant proportion of the planet would never receive sufficient sunlight to sustain plant life, and hence instead of the maximum coverage of the planet by plantlife (as on Terra), only a portion of the surface is exposed to sufficient sunlight to support plant life.
DoME never got around to introducing special genetically engineered plants which would still photosynthesise in Half-light conditions, which would reduce the carbon dioxide levels further and boost the oxygen partial pressure.
Due to the massive temperature differential between the Redward and Outward regions, strong winds constantly batter the buffer transition zones between the regions. Some wind traps were set up to take advantage of the winds, but high maintenance costs phased them out after the fall of the Star League.
Note: You can think of Altoona as a cross between Mars and Titan, with the size and gravity of Earth. Atmosphere and soil conditions are inspired by Mars, but generally not so extreme.
Socio-Economics
Altoona is a mining world, with a substantial number of the population involved in the mining and refinement industry. The rest of the population supported their efforts with agriculture and light manufacturing.
Due to local conditions, the amount of food grown is barely sufficient, mostly barley, winter wheat, rye, and quillar. The meat produced locally is mainly chicken, with some fish, introduced into the planet’s seas by DoME. Non-chicken meats are mostly imported from Inman, and regarded as rare treats.
Some manufacturing exists on the planet, mainly to support the miners and their families. Technology levels are similar to early to mid twentieth-century Earth, with a smattering of advanced tech items such as high-end electronics imported from Delacambre.
Ruled by Viscount Strong, he has about a dozen subordinate Barons and knights to help him govern the world. Many of the baronies and fiefs are centred around the garrison forts built by the 225th Mechanised Infantry Division, which located its HQ on Altoona during the Star League era.
Due to the low oxygen partial pressure and temperature fluctuations, pregnant women and livestock are usually required to sleep in tents in the agricultural areas bathed in perpetual sunlight and covered in thin plastic domes, because the oxygen levels are higher there. Another way is to provide oxygen enriching machines in rooms, which is more expensive and only limited to wealthier commoners and nobles
Altoona exports significant quantities of key rare elements, especially germanium, most of which is transported to Galax and Delavan for jumpship production. Much of the rest goes to Delacambre for use in advanced technology.
To the Federated Commonwealth, these exports from Altoona are the Trivet’s strategic contribution to the realm.
House Kalinski and Fort Lambourne
House Kalinski is an old but undistinguished noble house of the Trivet. During the First Succession War, the Reformation years, First Prince Paul Davion rewarded AFFS officer Captain Oleg Kalinski for his service with a barony on Altoona, focused on mining activities. Oleg Kalinski renovated Fort Lambourne to serve as his administrative centre. His mech was a Valkyrie he named Surefire Strike , and it managed to remain in the family’s hands throughout the Succession Wars.
The fort itself was named for AFFS Major General Erik Lambourne, who was a key commander at the Taurian front during the Reunification War. It now serves as the administrative centre for House Kalinski’s demesne, and the seat of their (limited) power.
Originally built and manned by units from the 225th Mechanized Infantry Division, which located its HQ on Altoona during the Star League era, the fort could support a combined-arms battalion, including enough mech bays for a company of mechs, although only one mech now occupies it - the Kalinski heirloom Valkyrie , the Surefire Strike.
For military defense, the Kalinskis only employ a company of motorized infantry, recruited from locals and poorly trained, led by a few officers and NCOs retired from the regular army for cushy garrison / cadre training jobs. However, they don’t take their training seriously and the troops are very poorly trained with low motivation.
Fort Lambourne is surrounded by a civilian town, which concentrates a lot of the economic activity of their demesne. The idyllic, bucolic town supplies advanced goods and services to the rest of the population, and in turn serves as a collection and distribution centre for food. The most important installation in town is the germanium refinery on the outskirts, which processes the ores and extracts highly purified germanium, which is then stored in the fort.
The advanced technology of the refinery is maintained by parts from Delacambre, while manpower is provided by locals who pass on their knowledge through apprenticeships rather than formal education. As a result, much of the theory behind the various processes have been lost and the locals simply follow the procedures without a clear understanding of why they are done that way.
For the Really Crunchy Data...
Star units
Star Type: M7V 
Transit Time (from star): 2.22 Days
Recharge time: 208 hours
Safe Jump distance: 90,202,821 km
Stellar mass: 0.1 Sol
Luminosity: 0.003690 Sol
Inner Habitable Zone (from star): 4,373,667 km
Outer habitable Zone (from star): 8,929,569 km
 
Planetary data (Red Eagle) 
System position: 1 (gas giant) 
Distance from star: 6,900,000: km
Distance to Transit point: 90,466,341 km
Time to Transit Point: 53.350 hours
Time for orbital period (1 orbit): 273.81 hours
Rotational period: 0.5 days
Number of moons: 8 major moons 
Planetary diameter: 150,000 km
Orbital Inclination (to sun equator): 12 degrees
Axial tilt to orbit: 35 degrees
 
Moon data (Altoona) 
Distance from Red Eagle: 680,000 km
Orbital Inclination (to Red Eagle equator): -15 degrees
Axial tilt to orbit: 10 degrees
Rotational period (around Red Eagle): 12.4 days
Planetary diameter: 10,200 km
Planetary density: 7 g/cm3
Surface gravity: 1.016 G
 
Theoretical day surface temperature: 335.08 kelvins
Theoretical night surface temperature: 235.08 kelvins
Theoretical average surface temperature: 285.08 kelvins
Equatorial temperature (Outward day): 14 Celsius
Equatorial temperature (Outward night): -8 Celsius
Equatorial temperature (Redward day): 10 Celsius
Equatorial temperature (Redward night): -5 Celsius
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Chapter 18