Mackenize sat outside the office of the Star Colonel with butterflies running throughout her system. Things had been going so well during the Trial of Position and then Mason pulled a Mason and Death From Aboved his second opponent. The impact had knocked the Mechwarrior unconscious and Mason had ended the fight swiftly with highly accurate laser fire. She hadn’t been paying attention to the reactions from the observers. The next thing she knew, her opponent was down, and two full stars of Elementals and a star of Omnimechs stormed into the circle of equals.
She remembered Ayat reminding her time and time again that the clan way didn’t involve physical combat in a mech, and she had abided those restrictions to the best of her abilities. Maybe Mason hadn’t gotten the same lecture from Bekker? The entire thing had her stomach in knots. How are we going to get out of this one…
“Mackenzie, the Star Colonel will see you now.” George said with a soft nod. The Merchant had been vexed by something over the last couple of weeks, and she was giving him a respectful distance.
“Thank You, sir.”
“I am not a military officer, Merchant is appropriate.”
“Thank you, Merchant.” She smiled softly at him.
She had only met the Star Colonel once during their interrogation and integration. He had been...well warmer than she had expected. He reminded her a lot of her dad’s friends from the Dragoons.
“Good Morning, Star Colonel.” She greeted him with a crisp salute.
“Good Morning, Star Commander.” He returned the salute with a smile. “I am very pleased with your performance, you do your ancestors a great honor.” Mackenzie noticed another man sitting in the office with the Star Colonel. He was covered in a heavy robe, with the hood raised over his...she thought it was a he...head.
“I did not mean to interrupt, Sir, I can come back?”
“If that were the case, your visitor would have to wait longer to see you. I do need to go over a few things with you, but then you can spend the rest of the afternoon with our guest before he departs.”
“I am not certain i understand, Sir?”
“Mackenzie Sokolov, of the Blood House Sokolov, through your father Nikolai, holder of the 4th Bloodright to that name?”
Uh oh….”Uh, yes, that’s me.”
The man stood quietly, and Mackenzie was surprised she hadn’t realized he was an elemental from his build. “I am Star Colonel Gregor Baba, of Clan Goliath Scorpion. I am an emissary of both my clan, and i bring news from Clan Wolf. You live up to the image i have seen in your extended family.” He nodded to her.
“Thank you, I think?”
“You are welcome, i am sure.”
“I know you...We’ve met before?”
“I am a Watch officer for my Clan. We are the intelligence agency for our respective clans. I served with your uncle for several years as his contact with the homeworlds. We can speak about this in greater detail soon. You have obligations to your unit.”
“Yes, Sir.”
“It is good to see you again.” He bowed to the Star Colonel and left the room.
“You have an impressive pedigree, and friends i would not want to count as enemies.”
“Excuse me, Sir?”
“It is nothing, please sit.”
She nodded and sat in the padded chair on her side of the desk.
“You have exceeded my expectations as a warrior, and as a bondsman. Welcome to the Warrior Caste of Clan Jade Falcon, Star Commander Mackenzie.” The words felt like lead weights wrapping around her stomach, dragging it deeper into the dirt. “Currently, i have open slots for a Star Commander within my command, and i am loathe to transfer you to another. They would not appreciate the talents you possess. So you will remain as a member of the 8th Falcon Regulars, until a slot opens up for you. Currently, you are going to be assigned as Star Commander Ayat Icaza’s executive officer for her star. Learn from her, she can teach you a great deal about being a clan officer.”
“I will make sure my gear is ready and packed for travel to our next mission.”
“Good. I have had George prepare a list of the personnel you are going to be working with and a list of the mechs that you have a choice of. You’ll be assigned a technician from the resource pool, and you will have a berth on the transport assigned to Star Captain Luna Hazen. She is your overall commander.”
“Thank you, Sir.” She nodded slowly. He slid the noteputer across the desk to her. “Get acquainted with your new Star Mates tomorrow.”
“Sir, may i ask a question?”
“I suspect you have a couple of questions you’d like to ask.”
“Aff, Sir.”
“I will answer what questions you have to the best of my ability.”
“Where is my brother?”
“Jaxun? I honestly do not know exactly where he is. The last time i heard, he was with Galaxy Commander Angeline Mattlov.”
“Why?”
“Honestly, i believe the Galaxy Commander took a personal interest in him, and she is keeping him close to further his education in the ways of the clan. I can put in a request for you to speak with him, if you would like. It may take some time to get the message routed through the proper channels.”
“I would very much like to speak to him, if you can arrange that.”
“I will do what i can, but i can promise little. The Galaxy Commander is on the move towards her Wave 2 target.”
“I understand, Sir.”
“I suspect you have another, heavier question to ask.”
“What about Mason, Sir?”
“That is an entirely different sort of a problem, perhaps you can help me come to a decision regarding your comrade, and his future with the Jade Falcon military.”
“I will help anyway i can.”
“You know the use of physical attacks is strictly prohibited by the honor code we aspire to, aff?”
“Aff, Sir.”
“He broke that code when he jumped into Mechwarrior Bradley’s mech, aff?”
“Aff, Sir.”
“That alone is grounds for declaring the outcome of his Trial of Position void and declaring him dezgra, aff?”
“Since our trials were carried out at the same time, wouldn’t that also declare my Trial of Position voided?”
“It is a very distinct possibility.”
“One of the things that i have learned from all the classes and all the lessons i have received here is that the Jade Falcons, and the Clans as a whole, do not waste valuable resources. Mason is a resource for clan Jade Falcon, and wasting him would be a mistake.”
“What does he have that our clan needs?”
“Honestly, Sir, a fresh perspective.”
“Explain yourself.”
“You look at me and see the upbringing and training i had as a child on Outreach from my father and my uncle. I am like you in many ways because i was raised by people like you. Mason is an entirely fresh view on our clan and represents a very different way of looking at things. That is a resource that is more precious than battlemechs, Warships or other warriors.”
“That is a tall bill of sale. Do you honestly think he is worth so much to our clan that i should overlook his actions?”
“No, sir, but he passed his trial of position as a mechwarrior before he inexplicably broke Zelbringen. Void the remainder of his trial, assign him to a command as a Mechwarrior, and let him prove himself to the clan through his deeds.”
“You make a strong case for your friend. I will take it under advisement, Star Commander.” He smiled softly again. “You however have a visitor that has made a pressing claim to your time, and i will keep you from it no longer. I will let you know what i decide to do with Mason soon.”
“Thank You, for everything, Star Colonel.”
“You do not need to thank me, Mackenzie, you are one of my warriors, and i will do what i can for you.”
She saluted again and exited the office. The weight in her stomach hadn’t gone away yet....
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