WP3025 Chpt 20

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==Chapter 20 - Winged Praxis (Battletech 3015 CYOA)==
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===Briefing on the Client===
Dropship Queen Anne, Nadir Point
Cap Rouge System
Duchy of Andurien, Free Worlds League
5th March, 3015
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"Phillipa," I said as she walked into my office on the Queen Anne. "Thank you for coming over."
 
"I must admit," she said as she took the proffered chair, "it was quite a shock seeing the difference in accommodations between the two ships." She looked about the cabin. "I'm surprised that you've been spending more time over here of late."
 
I shrugged. "No great mystery. I was a military man when you met me, and I didn't exactly grow up flush with cash." I gestured to the Leopard's bulkhead. "This feels a lot more natural than Siduri did." I quirked a rueful smile. "I do miss the food over there, though. Even if the coffee matches."
 
"Well, we would be happy to have you back at the table come mealtimes," she said. "But I imagine you didn't ask me over to your new ship to talk about cuisine."
 
"No." I replied.
"So," she said, pulling out a noteputer. "Do you have another round of irregular hiring in mind that you'd like me to coordinate?"
 
I shook my head. "Not this time." Then I cocked my head to the side. "Well, I wouldn't mind bringing on a competent Dropship captain like Marc onboard, but I haven't sounded him out about it."
 
"He has suffered a loss lately," she said. "I don't know what his financials look like. He might be a possible acquisition target, or he may have the budget and insurance to be just fine."
 
I did my best to suppress my frown. "He also might not want to work for a mercenary company," I said. "He did get an object lesson in the costs of combat, and I've no idea if he has any military background."
 
She nodded. "All good points. There's something else you may want to consider."
 
"Oh?"
 
"Do you remember who he's under contract to?"
 
"The Landynski Syndicate," I said. "Your bosses."
 
"Right now," she said, "you are my client. But my firm does count the Landynski Syndicate as one of its most important clients, yes. And this trip was arranged to allow you to meet the Contessa Landynski and her family. Poaching a possible acquisition from your distant family might be looked at unfavorably."
 
This time I couldn't hold back my frown. "Right. This was why I wanted to meet. I need to know what the family and local politics are."
 
Her frown matched mine. "That will take some time," she said. "And I'm not sure how the recent developments in the war will have changed things."
 
"I understand," I said. "And if there's one thing interstellar travel gives us, it's an abundance of time. I promise to not keep you away from Wei the entire trip."
 
She shot me a sharp look. "Noted." She tapped on the noteputer. "Would you prefer it as one presentation, or a series of smaller ones?"
 
"A series," I said. "If there's as much as you're saying, I don't know how I could find a hole in my schedule big enough. And I'm more likely to hang onto the info with a series of lessons."
 
She nodded, making a note. "Shall we go over the general situation now then?"
 
"Please," I said, nodding to my neurohelmet. "I've got a little time before I take the Centurion up for a check ride."
 
"It's repaired then?"
 
"Looks that way. Only one way to tell for sure." I smiled. "And if it isn't, hey, more free time for you."
 
"I should be so lucky," she said. "But you'll excuse me if I wish you good luck."
 
"I can do that, sure," I said with a smile.
 
"What do you know about the Magistracy and the Landynski Syndicate?" she asked.
 
I paused for a second, trying to decide if I should lean on my out of universe knowledge, or just answer as my Southwestern self. "A bit," I said eventually. I'd already tipped my hand to Phillipa. "I don't know much about the Landynski Syndicate. I know that they've got interests in shipping and lostech prospecting, and that they're based around House Landynski, which is a Girin house. They're obviously pretty well off, given how generous they were with a berth on Siduri." Something about my inheritance occurred to me. "And I'm guessing they've got some interests on Hardcore, though if I'm right, they're based out of Canopus." I hummed for a second, then snapped my fingers. "And the current head of House Landyski is the granddaughter of the previous head, who is curious enough about me to pay for this cruise." I frowned. "I also have some suspicions that the syndicate has some connections with MIM, but that's speculation."
 
Phillipa gave me a surprised look. "How much was in your father's files?"
 
I shrugged. "Some? I haven't really cross-referenced them to figure out things, too busy with TASS and Crossbones lately, but I had a suspicion when looking over them initially." I chuckled. "The rest is things people have told me, or guesses from that."
 
"Well, you're right about most of that. I obviously don't know anything about MIM connections, but the Landynski Syndicate has interests in luxuries shipping and lostech prospecting, military technology, entertainment and tourism. And House Landynski is a Girin house, though they were making moves to enter the Durachi. How much do you know about that?"
 
I frowned. "I've got an overview, but I'm sure I'm missing detail. The Magistracy has a three-tiered nobility, right? And it's not hereditary?"
 
Phillipa nodded. "On paper, yes. In reality?"
 
"Things are more complicated?"
 
"When are they not?" She brought up a diagram on the noteputer. "Up top is the Froness. They are descended from the original founders of the Magistracy…"
 
"Centrella's Black Brotherhood, right?"
 
She gave a sour smile. "I wouldn't bring up that tidbit of history in the Magistracy, Mr. Zalman. But you're right. The Froness come from the parts of her unit that supported her in creating the Magistracy's constitution. They are hereditary."
 
"Really?" I cocked my head to the side. "But I thought…"
 
"They do have to confirm their patent of nobility with the Crimson Council by providing a service for the Magistracy, yes," she said. "And there is a social stigma in doing too little, but any charitable donation or vaguely pro-social actions can be brought forward to the Council and will likely be confirmed." Her smile turned sour again. "The heir of an unconfirmed Froness can also be confirmed. That doesn't happen with Durachi and Girin. The other twist is that Froness have a higher social and legal status than the other two classes of nobles. That doesn't mean much with the Durachi except at equal ranks of nobility, but a Froness baronessa is going to take precedence over a Girin countessa, and is much more likely to win her suit in front of the Crimson Council over any Girin."
 
I clucked my tongue. "Ah. Are there statistics on that?"
 
"Probably," she said with a shrug. "But it's not something anyone questions."
 
"I'd be interested in any studies that might have been done on it," I mused. "But go on."
 
She gave me a strange look. "Well, the final thing about the Froness, is there's no way to join except through birth."
 
"Not even marriage?"
 
Phillipa gave me a look like I had asked her if crickets would make good JumpShip crewmen, then nodded in understanding. "Ah. No. Marriage law in the Magistracy doesn't work like that. Both partners tend to keep their own social status even in a marriage. A commoner marrying a Girin would not automatically become a Girin."
 
"Tend?"
 
"There are edge cases. A man who performed a service worthy of being raised to the Girin peerage might see his wife become a Girin as well."
 
"What about a bachelor who became a Girin?" I frowned. "If he married a commoner woman, what would happen?"
 
She shook her head. "It probably wouldn't happen. Most Girin men are married before they are raised, and those who aren't tend to marry nobles. If the situation you brought did happen, I imagine that she could be raised as well." She shrugged. "I don't actually know of a case, but that would be my guess."
 
There was something to that, but I left it for later. "So that's the Froness. What about the Durachi? Captains of industry, right?"
 
"Yes, that's right. Durachi houses control the most critical industry and businesses to the Magistracy. They all have at least one critical corporation to the state under their control, and have diversified interests beyond that."
 
"Like Majesty Metals? House Priest?"
 
"That would be House McDonogh. House Priest is a subordinate Girin house of theirs, though they get treated as Durachi."
 
"Things are never simple." I groused.
 
"No," she said. "But it keeps my profession necessary, so I don't complain."
 
"Point taken," I said. What she said about lawyers was true about mercenaries as well. "Please, go on."
"Well, the Durachi aren't hereditary like the Froness, but they are hereditary."
 
I chuckled. "I suppose it isn't difficult to pay for an appropriate donation when your class of nobility is defined by being rich as shit."
 
"Just so. It does mean that Durachi tend to be very attentive to the wishes and moods of the house matriarch, because if she doesn't release funds, they can lose the chance to be confirmed as Durachi."
 
"Makes sense," I frowned. "Can't say as I like it, but I understand it. Anything else I should know about the Durachi?"
 
"On paper they have less status than the Froness, but in practice, they stand on the same level. They're just too important to the fabric of the Magistracy for the Magestrix and Crimson Council to snub. They also tend to be the ambitious players in politics, and will often sponsor Girin houses for influence or control." She got an uncomfortable look. "They also have control over many of the charities in the Magistracy."
 
I raised an eyebrow. "You might need to explain that."
 
"Early on, Durachi houses, or their accountants, at any rate, figured out that charitable donations are untaxed and charitable organizations can lobby in elections. So, the houses set up charitable organizations that they controlled, and would make their confirmation donations to organizations run by allied houses. Eventually, it got to the point where houses were donating to their own charities, which lobby on their controlling house's behalf."
 
"Sierra Foxtrot." I breathed.
 
"The Magestrix and Crimson Council eventually cracked down on that, but that led to the Durachi proliferating the list of charitable organizations to the point where it wasn't feasible to police it. And with so much overhead in administration, the donations weren't buying as much political power or pro-social outcomes as they used to." She sucked her teeth. "Eventually they came to a détente, with the Durachi moving back to donating to allied houses' charities and not spitting out so many chaff charities, but the Crimson Council allowing them to use the charities to advance their interests."
 
"Well isn't that just tidy," I said.
 
"The charities also serve as a hold on Girin houses. A Girin heir who is trying to confirm her patent will tend to donate to a Durachi charity who she wants to align herself with."
 
"So, a Priest would donate to McDonogh?"
 
"That's the idea, but no, not in that case." She smiled as I rolled my eyes. "Never simple, Mr. Zalman."
 
"Nope," I said. "So, anything else to know about the Durachi before we move to the Girin?"
 
"Just that a Girin house can move up to the Durachi if they do well enough."
"Which House Landynski has been attempting."
 
Phillipa nodded. "Najwa Landynski was on the verge of making an appeal to the Crimson Council for House Landynski to be elevated to the Durachi when she and Zara were irradiated."
 
"That was Najwa's firstborn daughter, right? And her daughter is the matriarch now?"
 
Phillipa's face contorted with pain. "That's right."
"I'm sorry," I said. "Did you know Zara?"
 
She drew in a breath, then sighed. "We were law apprentices together."
 
My eyes popped wide. Phillipa Kasparova was more tightly connected to the Landynski Syndicate than I had assumed. "I see."
 
"The Girin," she said, changing the subject, "are the class of the nobility most like what we claim Canopian nobility is. Girin houses are started when someone does something for the Magistracy that deserves recognition."
 
"What's the line for that?" I asked, curious.
 
"There's no specific line, but it tends to be something strategically significant for the Magistracy. Extreme heroism can suffice for members of the MAF. It helps to have save lots of lives in the act."
 
"Can it be posthumously awarded?" I asked, thinking of the Medal of Honor.
 
"Never," said Phillipa without a moment's hesitation. "Becoming a Girin is a reward for one's own accomplishments, not for one's daughters. They must provide service or donations of their own. And the Crimson Council takes a much more critical eye on Girin heirs' contributions towards confirmation."
 
"They wouldn't be able to skate like a Froness?"
 
"That's right. A Mechwarrior's daughter could serve as a Mechwarrior as well, and keep the house alive that way, but charitable donations need to be significant. If a Girin house isn't performing economically, it's easy for them to be struck from the list. I know a few underperforming houses have their daughters administrate charities for the Durachi to keep themselves ennobled. All this assumes that a Girin or potential Girin doesn't have a patroness on the Crimson Council."
 
"Of course." I glanced at the chrono and raised an eyebrow. "This is taking longer than I expected for an overview. Do you think we could wrap up on the nobility overview and move onto the situation in House Landynski?"
 
"Of course. As we have discussed, Contessa Sahar Landynski is the current matriarch of House Landynski. She is the granddaughter of the woman who took your father to husband, Najwa Landynski."
 
"I got the impression that Najwa was the driving force behind House Landynski's expansion. Is that true?"
 
"She certainly was key to much of the recent gains the house made, but you must realize that it is the dream of all Girin houses to be raised to the Durachi. I imagine her mother and grandmother laid the groundwork for her successes."
 
"Yeah, that makes sense. I guess you don't even get a sniff at becoming Durachi if you can't keep the house going for some generations."
 
"No you don't." She refolded her legs. "House Landynski was initially elevated for setting up a repair shop to work on the remaining Dragonflies in the Magistracy."
 
I whistled. "The MM-1? I thought the factory for those things got scragged back during the Reunification War."
 
"You know about the Dragonfly?" she asked, surprised.
 
"ASF driver," I said. "And Eema did spend some time down there. I did some reading. 40 tons, two eight centimeters, five fives. Seriously undersinked for spitting that much light, and kind of short-legged. Reports had it topping out at four Gs in overboost, and not flying well in atmosphere. Something about an advanced-tech version too. Shape reminded me of a manta ray a bit."
 
"Yes, that's all correct. And the Dragonfly line was destroyed in 2584. MMM could still make them on a craft basis, but they were prohibited during occupation, and there really wasn't much market for them under Star League rule. It was better than the old fighters we were building on Dunianshire back then but…"
 
"Yeah, going from a -26 to a -27 line is a pretty big upgrade." At her look, I shrugged. "I've spent quite a bit of time strapping on a Sabre. Finding out the Magistracy built them put a smile on my face."
 
"I see. Well, during the Succession Wars, fighters became even rarer in the Magistracy than in the Successor States. Daleela Landynski saw an opportunity, and worked with House Priest to obtain technical specifications and some of the tooling for the Dragonflies. She was able to set up a company that could refurbish and repair Dragonflies, which earned her elevation to the Girin. Every Dragonfly that still flies today owes it to House Landynski."
 
"Any manufacturing capability?"
 
"That license remains with MMM." Which didn't quite answer the question, but hey.
 
"Got it. The house got its start in specialty military hardware. And they've been expanding from there, I take it."
 
"Exactly. I do think that Contessa Najwa would have been able to make the argument to join the Durachi. House Landynski had a proven track record of excellence, and the Landynski Syndicate is larger than some Durachi house holdings." She coughed. "Now things are…less stable."
 
"How old is Sahar?" I asked, imagining I wasn't going to like the answer.
 
"Thirteen." Phillipa looked like she had bit into a lemon. "There was significant argument over whether she should be able to take over as matriarch, but Zara's will was clear, as was Contessa Najwa's."
 
"Probably didn't much help, my father pulling what he did."
 
"No," she said. "No, it did not. You of course realize that the Free Worlds League is not looked on with much fondness in the Magistracy."
 
I nodded. "Lots of bad blood there, right from the beginning. And the FWL hasn't done much to fix that."
 
"You have a gift for understatement. In any case, there are five other potential heirs you should keep in mind, of which three are potential problems, and one of which is almost certainly going to try and cause you trouble personally…"
 
Phillipa went on, detailing the fraught situation in House Landynski. I nearly missed the alarm to step for my flight.
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===Bar Fights===
Dropship Queen Anne, Nadir Point
Gouderak System
Duchy of Andurien, Free Worlds League
12th March, 3015
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"I don't see why we bothered back in Cap Rouge," said Ikshita as she tossed her ante in the pile. "I mean, come on, it's a Hero Training Institute."
 
I chuckled from the lounge couch I had commandeered and stretched out on. "Because people desperate enough to go for HTI are exactly the sort of people who are willing to give mercenary life a try." I went back to reading the vidnovel on Gouderak's history.
"You think so highly of us, Duster," said Socks.
 
"Are you telling me you wouldn't have taken a chance on a Hero campus if you didn't make it into LMS?" asked Jai.
 
"Of course, I would," said Socks, mock offended. "I am the prince of making reckless choices. But I'm just saying, we're a higher class of adrenaline junkie."
 
"I've got to get the enlisted ranks somewhere," I said. "Jai needs some groundpounders to boss around, and Kalpit and the Crossbone boys aren't going to be able to fix everything on their own." I quirked a smile at a picture of Gouderak's highlands. It reminded me of some of the more desolate parts of home.
 
"It was a shame that we couldn't do our recruiting pitch in person." said Jai.
 
"There was no way Bankhead lines was going to add a month and a half to visit Cap Rouge of all places," said Ikshita. "Besides, we're two jumps past there. And I suppose we could use some Andurien cannon fodder, boss."
 
"We'll pass on them if they aren't up to snuff," I said. "Lord knows enough Southwesterners will be showing up." It was a pity we weren't able to visit Gouderak. It had been the first world MOC the FWL had attacked during the Reunification War, and was a sore spot for Canopians to this day. I knew that there was some sort of observance on Siduri, but I hadn't been able to justify attending it to myself.
 
"Are you sure about that?" asked Jai for perhaps the tenth time. I couldn't really blame him. He'd never met a Southwesterner other than me and didn't know me too well.
 
"Oh, he's sure about it." said Socks.
 
I shook my head and tabbed over to the topographical map of Gouderak, festooned with unit markers from back in the Reunification War and did my best to plan the air battle better than the Canopians had back then. It was tougher than it looked. Canopian fighters were both inferior to the SLDF birds, and less numerous. I was having to rely heavily on ground fires to gain an edge, but it was rough going. The only thing I had as an edge was the knowledge of what the SLDF aerospace forces could do and what their historical strategy was.
 
It didn't change the outcome. I sighed and reset the map. "One of the Trinity's major exports is soldiers. We like to stick together too. And I can think of hundreds of rancher kids who would trade their left leg and their favorite gonad for the chance to trade up from an agromech to a battlemech. They'll come."
 
The intercom chimed. "Duster, we just had a Comstar jumper pop in and beam us the news. Looks like there's a new message from Anton," said Candy over the circuit.
 
Anton's messages to the League were becoming a standard part of our trip, as Anton did his best to take control of the moral high ground and bring more people to his side, or at least out of Janos's camp. "Might as well pipe it to the lounge screen." I replied as casually as I could. "Let's see what he has to say this time." I set aside the vidnovel and sat up.
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The screen flickered and stabilized to Anton's well groomed face, sitting in his Cienfuegos office. He looked grave.
"Citizens of the Free Worlds League," Anton started, "when I first started this fight for the future of the League, my brother denied me. He did not disown me, he did not address my grievances, he simply said that he had no brother. He cynically called my forces traitors to the League, and declared that our property and assets were forfeit because we stood up for what we believe in.
"Because we do not rebel against the League. We fight for the League. Our fight is, and always has been, against the tyrant who has failed you and disfigured the League. My brother, Janos Marik. My forces and I fight for a future free of my brother's tyranny, aligned with the values that have made the Free Worlds League the shining beacon of opportunity and liberty in the Inner Sphere, the seed which made the Star Legue great." I could see the conviction shining in his eyes as he said it. But the shimmer dulled and he collected himself.
 
"So today, it is my sad duty to give you one more piece of evidence that my brother is a despot that shames the League. Unsatisfied with cynical confiscation of his opponent's rightful property, bald-faced bribery to bring forces to his banner, and tyrannical threats against patriotic reformers, my brother has thrown away the strictures of civilized warfare.
 
"Unable to match their prowess in the field, my brother's agents set of a series of bombs which leveled the Cienfuegos compound which housed Wolf's Dragoons' liaison staff and their dependents. Rescue efforts are ongoing, but the death toll is…extensive." He paused for a long moment. When he started again, his voice was thick with emotion.
 
"There is a part of me which wishes I was as callous as Janos, so that I too could declare that I have no brother. That I could wash my hands of his evil. But I cannot. Janos Marik is my brother, and he has shamed both my house and my nation. Duty," he said, slamming a balled fist on his desk, "demands that I redeem both.
 
"In recent months, I have called upon the provincial and federal units of the League to simply lay down their arms and let my brother and I finish our fight. I repeat that call today. I will hold no ill will towards men and women who found it necessary to oppose my vision for the League. My vision of prosperity and freedom is for you as well.
"But I also repeat another call. If you believe as I do, if you want to see a freer, more prosperous, and stronger League as the legacy we leave for our children, come and fight by my side. If you wish to throw down a cowardly tyrant who has abandoned the customs and laws of war that preserve us all, take up my banner, and build our grand future with me!
"For you!" he cried. "For your children! For the League!"
The display cut to the Comstar logo.
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"Hijo de la chingada." I swore.
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*;Notes from the Author : Well, that's that. I just can't seem to keep a consistent upload schedule on this story, but hey, I'm continuing to plug away at it. There's perhaps a bit more to say with this chapter with respect to the background on the MoC. The three tier system of nobility that is not technically hereditary is canon, but I'm building on what we've been given, because no system is ever simple. The relationships between the Priests, McDonoghs, and Landynskis is my own extrapolation from the scant canon sources we have. Yes, the Landynskis are canon, though the Syndicate as it exists here is not. The Durachi charity political complex is not my invention, but a reflection of some shenanigans that go on in real life, filtered through the MoC being a libertarian leaning nation. In other news, I'm curious to see what people make of Anton's latest speech and announcement.
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