Musical Accompaniment

Jaxun was enjoying the wind running through his hair as the motorcycle sped down the road. It had taken a little bit of cajoling on his part, but the technicians had finally refurbished one of the local motorcycles to fit his augmented size.  After the first one was done, the technicians had a line of elementals who wanted one.  

The trading that went on after hours to get those cranked out was fast and furious, but right now, he was the only one on the road. 

Freedom, the open road.  It felt good to be out and about again.  He still had no idea what he was going to do with his research project, and he couldn’t exactly call Ivan for help.  Ivan would likely refuse to help him on the basis that this was his project and assistance would ruin the spirit of it.  Henry might be able to get him some materials, but this would take thought and patience. 

Annabelle had thrown herself into her new animation project.  Henry had come through in a big way for her.  She had thousands of movies and other forms of animation to study and examine.  Even more important for her, each piece came with a host of scholarly articles discussing the cultural impact and critical value of each piece, starting with its original release and then other works after it had been in the public eye.  The Precentor of the local HPG station hadn’t been amused as the datapacket monopolized the HPG for a day and a half, but that was more of her problem than Jaxun’s. 

He heard the roar of another engine and turned his head to see Annabelle chasing him with her own motorcycle.  He didn’t remember seeing one of those in the bay to her shuttle.  The motorcycles were running neck and neck all the way into the capital.  They slowed down once the hit the city limits and had a nice, leisurely ride around the capital.  They finally came to a halt in what was a commercial district.  The two of them were standing in front of a shopping mall, and Annabelle just stared at it.

“What is this thing?”

“It is a shopping mall.”

“Neg, that does not actually answer my question at all.”

“It is a gathering of shops that provide dozens of different goods and services.” 

“How can there be so many different goods and services?”

“Shall we investigate?” 

“Aff.” 

Elsewhere

Mackenzie let out a contented sigh as she brought the Summoner back into the Mechbay.  It had been a good day.  Farraday and her point were still riding on the outside of her mech.  She always enjoyed being in the cockpit of a mech, and today was no different.  She clicked the comm line and heard Farraday’s voice over the channel.

“Mackenzie, have you heard this song before?”  Farraday tuned up the music she had been listening to and the cockpit was filled with the blasting sound of ‘Video Killed the Radio Star.” Mackenzie shook her head and turned her speakers down.

“Oh, honey, please turn that off.”

“Why?”

 “When I was a teenager, my aunt would play this song whenever my uncle was traveling.”

“Why?”

“Because, that particular version of that song is called a cover.  It was originally written almost a thousand years ago by a band called the Buggles.  My uncle and some of his friends would get together and play music together.  That is one of his versions of that song.”

“Why did your aunt play it all the time?”

“It reminded her of his voice…she always enjoyed hearing him sing happy tunes like this one.” 

“So he made music?”  Farraday was processing something in her brain, and Mackenzie didn’t like the way her mind turned when she started thinking thoughts.

“Yes…this is a later version of the song, Henry is playing piano in this take.  That’s Flynn playing the Saxophone, Sarah and  Constance are singing the backup vocals and Harlan is playing a guitar for Ivan.  I can never remember the drummer’s name.” 

“What makes it different from the early version?”

“In the early version Vara is playing the piano and singing one of the back up lines and Ivan is playing the guitar himself.” 

“Who is Vara?”

“Ivan’s trueborn sib.  From what I heard from my dad they were inseparable, until she died in a dropship over the planet Zathras.” 

“And your objection to this song is what, precisely?”

“this song was one of my aunt’s favorites, it was playing all the time.  I kind of got sick of it.  If you want to try something else, look up either the Black Hearts, the Black Watch, or the Hong Kong Cavaliers in your database.”

“Why?”

“Same band, just under different names.”

“Quineg?”

“Aff, I always like The Lonesome Road.  It is not a bad song to couple to.”  Mackenzie sighed softly to herself.” 

“Truly?”

“Aff.” She smiled to herself.

The Summoner came to a halt in its cradle and she powered down the ‘mech.  Farraday and the rest of her point detached and they all went to clean up.  Mackenzie did likewise, and she started humming Video Killed the Radio Star as she stepped into the shower. 

The Mall

“This place looks like it has seen better days…”  Annabelle said quietly.  She was not wrong.  Several of the storefronts had been closed by the order of the Jade Falcons.  Most were media outlets, but others were specialty stores that catered to hobbies and pursuits that would not meet the needs of the clan.  The employees and owners of most of those stores were in the middle of boxing up their wares and otherwise trying to figure out what to do with what was left of their lives. 

“Aff.  These are very common in major cities in the Inner Sphere.  I spent some of the finest experiences of my youth in one of these malls.”

Annabelle stared at the display for a lingerie store and smirked at him. “Had trouble finding things in your size, quiaff?”

“Neg,”  He smiled at her.  “The mall in Harlech had a commercial mech simulator that you could rent time on as part of an arcade.  I spent hours in that arcade practicing on the simulators until I was old enough for my dad to sneak me into the Dragoon simulators.  When I moved in with iv-…my aunt she had combat  grade mech simulators in one of her buildings.  Mackenzie and I spent hours on those.” 

“You had a strange upbringing.” 

“Aff, but it was a pleasant time in my life.” 

“There are days I think I should just declare a trial of possession for you and take you as my bondsman.”

“You think you can take me?”

“Aff, but it would be interesting in the doing.  I am not sure you could keep up with my Viper in your suit.” 

“I am a combat rated pilot in a battlemech, despite my current size.”

“Well that would make it more of a challenge.” 

“Aff, or I could challenge you to a trial of possession.” 

“I do not think that will turn out the way you expect it.”

“We may never find out.”  He slipped his arm over her shoulder and she pulled it down her side. 

“Now what precisely are the point of those?”  She pointed a mannequin wearing a pair of stockings and  a garter belt. 

“To make the wearer more attractive.” 

“So you would wear those out in public, quiaff?” 

“neg, mostly because those are usually intended for people who are wishing to express their feminine qualities.  They also are usually worn under other clothing.”

“Then what is the point?”

Jaxun chuckled for a second, trying to find a way to explain this to Annabelle.  “People in the Inner Sphere dress themselves for a variety of different reasons, and one of the most important aspects of social interaction is acquiring a partner to marry.”

“Marry?”

“It is a long term contract that binds two people together in a social union.  Effectively it merges their lives together and brings their families together with important results.  Among its many tenets are sexual fidelity and a commitment to shared rearing of children.”

“This custom already sounds stupid.” 

“It has its upsides.  But it is chalcas, and a relic of the past.” 

“How does that..” she pointed back at the mannequin, “lead to marrying?”

“There is a great deal of effort and energy that people put into finding a compatible person to marry, and there are rituals of courtship and rules to dating and it is a great big sort of thing.  Spheroids spend their time cultivating the interest of potential partners in a variety of ways.  One of the most common tactics is to make yourself more desirable in appearance by choosing the right clothing or makeup or perfume to attract the partner you desire.”

“Like a bird with brightly adorned plumage to attract an appropriate mate?”

“Just so.”

“That honestly sounds exhausting.” 

“It is a process that I never particularly enjoyed.”

“So you would wrap yourselves up in what appears to be uncomfortable clothing  and perform rituals and rites to convince another person that you were an appropriate match for them to enter into a social contract that made you swear of sex with anyone but your chosen partner, quiaff?”

“Aff, that is a quick descriptor.”

“”Whereas you and I could just decide we wanted to couple and find a quiet space to spend a pleasant afternoon.”

“Our way does not use marriage to create family units, but yes, you and I could just go and couple to our mutual enjoyment.”

“Would you like me to wear something like that?” 

“Well…” 

Jade Falcons HQ

Pryce was finishing up maintenance on a suit of elemental armor when Mackenzie had found him.  His grafts were healing nicely, but he was still not ready to return to combat duty yet.  His replacement clothing had arrived finally and he looked like a Jade Falcon for the first time.  He was doing something with the suit of armor that Farraday had provided him. 

“How was class, Pryce?”  Mackenzie asked him.

“Good, ma’am.  I am learning the methods of the Glorious Jade Falcons and hope to be able to bring then honor and glory on the 

battlefield as soon as I am returned to duty.”

“Keep up the good work, You will be assisting Farraday’s star with suit maintenance for the next week in addition to your duties assisting Whitehall in maintaining my Summoner.” 

“Aff, ma’am.  Is there anything else I can do?”

“When you are finished, we will eat together.”

“Aff, ma’am.”  He nodded quietly and finished connecting a series of components into the helmet of the suit.  “I am ready when you are.”  He closed up the tool kit and turned to look up at her. 

“Good.” 

They sat together in the mess hall with the other Falcons.  Mackenzie was pleased that the rest of her Falcon starmates had opted not to bother the recovering elemental.  Occasionally she fielded an odd request by one of the other members of her unit requesting to spend time with the wolf, but most of those turned out to be requests for demonstrations of yoga.  It was new to the Jade Falcons, and new was not their strong suit.  The Falcons did not adapt quickly she had noticed after watching them for an extended period of time. 

Farraday sat with them and one of the aerospace pilots had followed her over.  Mackenzie could handle the Elementals and their overly bigness pretty well, but the Aerospace pilot phenotype of the clan trueborns really kind of freaked her out.  Their heads were a little oddly shaped and their eyes were huge.  They were also thinner and on average shorter than most.  Something just felt…off. The smaller woman sat next to Farraday and occasionally snuck a glance at Pryce when she thought no one was looking.

“I am looking forward to us going back on the offensive again.”  Farraday said as she tore into some kind of a steak. 

“Aff, it will be good to get off this world.”  Pryce answered her.

“Apollo has been nice, but I want to see someplace else.”  Mackenzie nodded. 

“Where do you think we will strike next?”  Farraday asked her. 

“If we strike alongside the Turkina Keshik, we are probably heading into Hot Springs, though we could range as far afield as Malibu.” 

“Do you think we’ll see any real warriors in the field?”

“I do not know, I hope they try to at least put up a fight.”  Mackenzie answered her friend. 

Pryce shook his head suddenly for a moment and dropped his fork.  Every eye at the table turned and studied the Bondman. “I offer my surkai, I do not know what just happened.”  He bowed respectfully.  Mackenzie caught a bit of a smirk on the face of the Aerospace pilot whose name she still hadn’t learned. 

Farraday turned her attention back to Mackenzie and continued.  “I am pleased with how well you are adjusting to our way of thinking.  I value your contributions.” 

“And I value your counsel, friend.”

Pryce dropped his fork again.  Mackenzie caught the barest hint of motion from the Aerospace pilot.  “Okay, everyone over 2 meters tall go find somewhere else to sit.  Me and the pilot need to have a chat.” 

“Aff, ma’am.” Pryce looked extraordinarily relieved and took his tray to sit with another group of elementals.  Farraday stayed much closer, but gave Mackenzie space.

“Explain yourself, now.”  Mackenzie’s voice had a harder edge than she expected.

“I wish to borrow your Bondsman.” 

“Straight and to the point.  Why?”

“I wish to couple with him.” 

“Then why do you not ask him?”

“I did, he said I had to ask you.” 

“Why?” 

“If the stories I have heard are true, I suspect he does not wish to draw your ire by coupling with someone else without permission.” 

“What?” 

“If the stories are true.”

“What does that mean?”

“If you do not wish to speak of it, I understand.  This is a rather open space, and such matters may not be for everyone’s ears.  Let me know in the next few days, quiaff?”

“Aff.  Warrior?”

“Star Commander Bonneville.” 

“A pleasure to make your acquaintance, Star Commander.” 

The Aerospace pilot left the table, but gave Pryce a look that shook him to his core.  Mackenzie waved him back over to the table and Farraday rejoined them as well.

“What dd you drag me into?”  Mackenzie asked him.

“She has been trying to couple with me since I arrived.  She seems…overly aggressive.”

“That is what I have heard as well.”  Farraday nodded.

“Why am I involved?”

“It was honestly  the only thing I could think of to stall her.”

“Why stall her?  If you do not wish to couple with her, tell her that.  You are a warrior of Kerensky, after all.” 

“She has intimated that she could make trouble for you with the Star Captain or the Star Colonel.  If I am unwilling to provide her with the company she desires.” 

“Why did you not tell me that?”

“I was hoping that she would avoid confronting you about the question at hand.  I see now that was a mistake.” 

“I…need to talk to Luna, this is a new situation for me.”

“Please do not go to that length on my behalf.  I will make myself available to her.”

“No, Pryce, let me handle this.”

“This would be a poor reflection on our bondsman experience if this happened to you and we did nothing to stop it.”  Farraday nodded at both of them. 

“Then you have my thanks.”  Pryce finished his meal quietly, trying to not garner any more attention. 

“You were right, Mackenzie, the Lonesome Road is a wonderful song, though I have yet to try coupling with it.” 

“What did you say?”  Annabelle Kirov asked the larger elemental.  Jaxun was right behind her. 

“The Lonesome Road is a wonderful song?”  Farraday looked up with confusion. 

“Play it for me, please?”  She sat her tray down.  Jaxun gave his sister a look and the color drained from her face.  Farraday nodded and gave her one of her earbuds.  Annabelle put her head down and listened for a few minutes and pushed her tray aside.  She wiped a tear from her cheek and returned the earbud to Farraday.  “Thank you…I need to go back to my shuttle.” 

“Have I offended you in some way?”  Farraday asked her quietly.

“Neg, I just need to think.” 

Jaxun turned to follow her and she shook her head.  “Stay with them, I will call you.” 

“Are you sure?”

“aff.” 

“What was that about?”  Farraday asked the siblings. 

“The Lonesome Road is the metaphor that the Seekers use to describe their fallen warriors.  The ones who never make it back to Roche, never finish the quest they are on.”

“Oh…”

“This is bad, quiaff?”

“Aff.” Mackenzie answered her friend. 

“I did not know, I will go offer surkai to Annabelle Kirov.” 

“Give her time, when she wants to be around people again, she will let us know.”  Jaxun said firmly.  Farraday nodded and Mackenzie finished the glass of water she was drinking.  “Pryce, you staying out of trouble?”  He asked the other elemental firmly.  Farrday covered her face with her palm and Pryce tried to nod quietly while he finished his dinner.  “What?”

“I need to go talk to Luna Hazen.”

“Okay?”  Jaxun gave his sister a confused look. 

“It’s a long, stupid story.”  She put her hand firmly on Pryce’s shoulder and pulled.  “Come on, you got me into this, time to get you out of it.” 

Twenty minutes later they were sitting outside Luna’s office when Ayat welcomed them inside.  The two had started taking meals together and seemed to be in the middle of planning an operation.  Luna smiled at both of them and Ayat gave Mackenzie a cursory nod before continuing with the map she was looking at. 

“Mackenzie, Pryce, how are the two of you doing this evening?”

“Fine, ma’am”  Pryce said quietly.  “Everything is good.” 

“Oh no, you have to tell her what has been going on, Pryce.” 

“I would rather not, ma’am.  It is a trifling matter that I told you I could handle.” 

“Pryce, what is going on?”  Luna asked the Elemental quietly.

“I am having a bit of trouble with one of the other warriors that share our barracks, ma’am.’

“Is Sasha giving you grief?”  Ayat asked him.

“Neg, ma’am.  Sasha and I have moved past our issue.”

“Then who is troubling you?”

“Star Commander Bonneville.”  He finally answered her.

Luna’s eyebrow raised.  “The Aerospace pilot?”

“Aff, ma’am.”

“What kind of trouble could she be giving you?” 

“It is a matter I would prefer not to discuss ma’am.  I realize this is not helpful and I offer my surkai for wasting your time.”  He tried to stand up but Mackenzie caught him and put him back down in his chair.    

“If you are truly a Jade Falcon, and you are one of us, you will speak.”  Ayat said firmly. Pryce nodded slowly and then spent the next twenty minutes describing the living hell that Bonneville had put him through since his initial refusal to couple with her.  

Mackenzie shook her head and she knew Ayat was angry.  There was a little vein in the side of her neck that pulsed when she was mad, and right now it was throbbing.  Luna listened to the entire encounter from start to finish and waited for him to finish speaking. 

“Are you afraid, Pryce?”  She finally asked him. 

“Not for myself, no.  I am afraid of the threats she intimated against the two of you.”  He answered her quietly.

“Did you believe these threats?”

“Aff, ma’am.  Were I a Snow Raven, I would have started making contingencies.” 

“Thank you for coming forward Pryce.  Would you give us a minute to discuss this?”

“Aff, Ma’am.”  He slipped out of the office and waited outside. 

“Does he seem skittish to you?” Ayat asked Mackenzie.

“He has been like that since Bonneville told me I needed to consider the potential advantages of sharing him with her.  He is spooked by something.” 

“This is not the first time I have had this issue with Bonneville.  She injured a technician last week,”

“Doing what?”

“Reading between the lines? She is probably an overly aggressive woman in her personal relationships and is probably something of a sadist.” 

“Really?”

“I have spoken with her about this once, perhaps I will need to speak more plainly.” Ayat said firmly. 

“I think that would be a good idea, aff.  Do it sooner rather than later.”  Luna nodded at her subordinate.

“How long have you known about this issue?”

“I found out at dinner less than an hour ago.  As soon as I found out, I came here to seek out your advice on how to handle the situation, ma’am.” 

Luna nodded approvingly.  “Having a bondsman has been a good experience for you, Mackenzie.” 

“Ma’am?”

“What would you have done before?”

“I would probably have punched that walking anime character in the face until she stopped staring at me with those giant eyes.”  Mackenzie followed up that quickly with a “ma’am.”  Ayat snorted with laughter. 

“And that would have caused you a great deal of trouble, quiaff?”

“Aff, ma’am.” 

“So you are maturing with your new responsibilities, quiaff?”

“Aff, Ma’am.”  Mackenzie smiled.

“Good, now go take your bondsman back to your chambers.  See if you can calm him down.  He will face no disciplinary action for this incident, and you can tell him such if he frets.” 

“Very goo ma’am, what about Bonneville?”

“I will handle her.”  Ayat said quietly.

“I suspect she will not be a concern for us by the end of the week.”  Luna nodded.  “See if anyone has an aerospace star commander of a better temperament for our unit.” 

“Aff, I have a candidate in mind.” 

“Good.  Anything else we need to discuss, Mackenzie?” 

“Neg, ma’am.”

“Good, dismissed.” 

Mackenzie emerged from the office with a relieved look on her face.  Pryce was sitting very still in the chair, trying to figure out what was going to happen.  She grabbed him firmly by the shoulder and led him back to their quarters without saying a word.  He was glad for the peace and quiet.  He sat down on the bed for a moment before starting to pack his clothing in a bag. 

“Pryce, what are you doing?”

“Gathering my things so they are ready when I get transferred to the civilian castes.”

“Why are you this rattled?”

“I had a very similar experience when I was training to be an officer, Mackenzie.  If I hadn’t complied with my orders then I would have been transferred to another caste, so I did what was asked of me.”

“Oh you big idiot…”

“What?”

“You are not getting transferred to the civilian castes.  Luna wanted me to personally tell you that you were not going to be punished for this incident in the slightest.”

“Really?”  he looked at her hopefully.

“Really.  Ayat Icaza was going to go have a conversation with her, but Luna seemed certain that there would not be a problem by Friday.”  Pryce relaxed visibly and put his clothing back in the dresser they shared.  She pushed him back onto the bed and slipped her arms around his waist. 

“I am certain there is a better usage of your time right now, Mackenzie.” 

“I am under direct orders to calm you down and remind you that have a welcome place in the Jade Falcons.”  She kissed him softly along the jaw.

“Luna Hazen is a most generous commander.” 

“Aff, she is.” 

“So are you, Mackenzie.”  He ran his fingers softly through her hair.  “So are you.” 

Much later

Jaxun stood outside the shuttle and paced for nearly a half an hour before gathering up his courage and knocking on the door.  Bannock, one of Annabelle’s servants answered the door.  “Come quickly!”  He grabbed Jaxun by the arm and pushed him towards the meditation chamber.  “Quickly, you have to help!” 

“What happened.  She contemplated the meaning of that song for hours before deciding to consult the visions granted by the Necrosia.  She took a larger dose than I have ever seen her take before.” 

“What do I do?” Jaxun pushed the door open and saw her collapsed in a heap in the center of a ring of candles.  Her body was drenched in sweat and she was babbling incoherently

“Get her into the shower, we need to cool her off.”  Bannock moved quickly out of his way, running to grab medkit.  Jaxun pulled the robe off her body and pulled her into the larger shower.  He flipped the cold water tap on and held her under the cold water stream. 

“Jaxun…are you here in my vision?” 

“Neg, Annabelle, we are together here in your shower.  You took too much Necrosia.” 

“The vision….Jaxun.  I know what happened.  I can see the fires along the Lonesome Road.  I see them rising out of the mist.  They are not all dead.  Some of them came here, to the Inner Sphere!” She looked up at him with glassy eyes.  The Necrosia was burning through her optic nerves and the glow startled him. 

“You think so?”  He pulled her closer to the water, trying to coat her in the icy water. 

“Aff, we can find them, together.  We can bring them home, to the Temple of the Nine Muses and back into the light of the Great Father’s Vision.”  She reached up and touched his face. “I saw it, Jaxun.”

“Saw what?”

“The Scorpion with one claw.  I saw it in  my vision, rising out of the mist.”  Bannock rushed back into the bathroom and pulled the autoinjector free from its housing.   He jabbed it into her thigh and Jaxun held her firmly.  Her body shook for a fraction of a moment and then she was still. 

“What happened?”

“Give it a moment, warrior.” 

Annabelle rolled her neck from side to side and stared up at him.  Her eyes started to focus again.  “Jaxun, are you in my vision?”  She asked him again and shivered against his chest. 

“No…you took too much Necrosia and I had to get you into the shower to cool you off.” 

“That explains why I am freezing.  Get your hand out of my crotch so we can get out of here.”

“Here, let me carry you.”  He helped her spin around and wrap her arms around his neck.  One of his arms braced the two of them against the shower wall and the other one wrapped around her lower back. 

“Okay…just this one time.”  She laid her face against his chest and nuzzled into his wet shirt.  She was still weak from the vision and wasn’t fighting him very hard.  Bannock pulled a heavy fur robe out of he closet and helped Jaxun wrap her up in it.  Tyre came through the door with the full medscaner and his kit as they put her into the bed.  Bannock turned the shower off and started to pull at Jaxun’s clothing.

“Quickly, the cold plus the moisture are not good for you, warrior.”  Bannock said as he tried to pull the shirt off of his head.

“Calm yourself, Bannock, I can undress myself.”  Jaxun tossed the wet shirt aside and stripped out of his fatigues.  The old servant rubbed the towel up and down his frame to quickly wick away the moisture.  Jaxun let the old man do his work, though he had been drying himself since he was a child.  He helped the young elemental put on a larger robe. 

“Thank you, Bannock.”  He patted the old man on the shoulder.

“My thanks for being here when you were.” 

“How is she?”

“Exhausted, but this will pass in a day or so.  You did well to protect the Seeker, warrior.”  Tyre nodded up at him. 

“That is good.  Will she remember the vision she was having?”

“Probably, but that’s why the Seekers record themselves during their visions, so they can refer back.  Lay down warrior.” 

“I am fine.”

“You are a doctor, quiaff?”

“Neg.”  Jaxun answered her. 

“Then do as you’re told.”  The doctor frowned at him.  Jaxun grumbled but complied.  The old doctor ran a few tests before patting him on the shoulder.  “Keep yourself warm for the night, you should be fine come the morning.” 

“Please keep her from moving around too much.” Bannock said quietly.  The two lower castemen returned to their rooms, leaving the two of them alone.  Jaxun shook his head and wrapped Annabelle up in his arms.  He left his robe open and rested her face against his chest.  Finally, he pulled the blanket up tightly around the two of them. 

“Your chest is warm.”  She smiled to herself and nipped at his chest.

“Yours will be soon.”

“Mmhmm.”  She wrapped her arms around his neck and sighed into him.

“Annabelle, I have lied to you.” 

“It is okay, I accept your surkai.”  She kissed the side of his neck and started snoring gently.  He smiled softly and kissed the top of her forehead. 

Falcon HQ

Ayat stepped into the shower and caught sight of the person she was looking for.  The diminutive aerospace pilot was showering and chatting with one of her fellow pilots.  The rest of the Falcons sensed something was about to happen and most of them departed.  Bekker was still showering from a long day in the field and was paying Ayat no attention.  Ayat stepped next to Bonneville and nodded at the two Aerospace pilots.

“Star Commander Bonneville.”

“Star  Commander Ayat Icaza.”  She replied perfunctorily.

“That conversation that you and I had about your behavior towards the lower caste members of our service arms needs to be revisited.” 

“Neg, I think not.” 

“Well, that makes this more entertaining then.”  Ayat quickly punched her in the throat.  The other aerospace pilot looked up at Ayat and backed away slowly.  Bonneville was trying to catch her breath when Ayat picked her up by the throat and lifted her up against the wall. 

“As I was saying.  You are in a listening mood, quiaff?”  Bonneville slowly nodded her head up and down.  “Good, this will not take long.”  Ayat shook her head.  “You are a detriment to the combat effectiveness of our unit.  As a result of this deficit, you will be requesting a transfer to another combat unit.”  Ayat punched her hard in the stomach with her free hand.

“You will not declare a trial of refusal for this transfer, quiaff.”  Ayat punched her again in the stomach.

“You will not declare a trial of grievance against anyone in his command, quiaff?” Ayat’s fist struck home again, and it sounded like she cracked a rib.

“You will consider your time in our unit as a formative experience that you will grow from and become a better servant of the Jade Falcon clan, quiaff?”  Ayat punched her again. 

“If I hear you are making trouble for Brikai Buhallin or Luna Hazen, I will have to repeat this conversation again, and I will not be anywhere near this nice, quiaff?” Ayat slammed her back into the wall of the shower.

“And if I ever hear you bothering another bondsman with your desires to couple again, you will regret the day you were gestated, quiaff?”  Ayat dislocated her arm and dropped her in a heap in front of her friend. 

“Your Star Commander should be significantly more careful with the Simulators, quiaff?”  She said at the other pilot, letting the blood wash off her knuckles. 

“Aff.” 

“What are you doing standing around?  You obviously have taken her to the showers instead of the medbay.  Get your ass moving, surat.” Ayat turned her back on the Aerospace pilots with contempt and started lathering her skin.  It felt good to wash away the dirt. 

“You need help with your back?”  Bekker leaned over to ask her.

“Yes, I think I do.”  

The Next Morning

Jaxun woke up before Annabelle did, but not more than a few minutes.  She had shrugged the heavy fur robe during the night and was still using him as a pillow.  Her nose was still pressed gently into his neck and her fingers were interlaced behind the back of his head.  She grumbled something into his neck and pulled the blanket up tighter around the two of them. 

“What was that?”  He brushed her hair out of her face and ran his fingers across her cheek.

“I said I thought I told you I would call you when I wanted to see you.”   She unlaced her fingers and pulled herself up a little.  

“Though I must admit, the grabby hands feature of this model of bed is a welcome change from the last one.” 

“What do you remember about last night?” 

“I remember being irritated and confused, and then I remember taking Necrosia, and most of a vision, and then I vaguely remember your hand in my crotch and being freezing.”

“You spiked a fever with your overdose, I had to put you in the shower to cool you off.” 

“And your hand in my crotch?”  She ran her fingers down his chest, softy rubbing the spot she’d nipped him the night before.

“That’s how we tumbled together in the shower.” 

“mmhmm.”  She rolled over and started to sit up, but Jaxun pulled her back into the bed.

“Tyre said you should spend the day in bed.”

“Tyre means well.”

“Are you a doctor in addition to being a mechwarrior?”  He asked her quietly.

“You almost have the condescending tone down.  Almost.”  She threw the pillow at him and tried to stand up.  Her legs were still unsteady and Jaxun caught her.

“Staying in bed todaym quiaff?”

“Other than peeing, aff.”  She disappeared into the bathroom and Jaxun took the moment to stretch out.  He sat on the edge of the bed and set his feet on the floor.  He forgot how cold the deckplate of her shuttle was.  He heard the toilet flush and she was behind him, sitting on her knees on the bed. 

“I am astonishingly angry at you.”

“Why?”

“I am not sure.  I do not recall most of last night after the vision, but I feel like you said something to me that hurt me deeply.  Did you say anything like that to me last night?”  Her fingers were tracing the muscles in his back and she kept coming back to the shamrock tattooed on his shoulder blade.

“You like it?”

“I have not decided yet.  What exactly is it?”

“It is a shamrock.  It is a good luck charm for many cultures on earth.” 

“It is certainly green.” 

“You should have seen my mother’s face when I came home with it.  I was still mostly a boy at that time, but I asked my uncle, and he agreed that if I wanted it he would find a way.” 

“What is an uncle?”  she brushed her fingertips gently into his neck.

“It is the male equivalent of an aunt.”

“So it was your mother’s sister, then?”

“No, my aunt and her husband, my uncle were not actual blood relatives, but we were as close to them as we were any other family relations.” 

“Then this uncle took good care of you and your sister, quiaff?”

“Aff, he took us in after my parents returned to the clans.”

“Why have you not spoken of him before now?”  She felt the tension rise in his shoulders and his entire core tightened like a spring.

“Because, it is a matter of honor between the two of us, and I gave him my rede that I would not speak his name to the rest of the clans.” 

“When did you swear this oath?” 

“The night before I shipped out with the Dead Man’s hand.  He had a hunch that I would be seeing the falcons soon, and wanted me to be ready.” 

“This must be a grave matter indeed.” She kissed the back of his neck and felt the tension melt. 

“It is, and because of that rede, I have lied to you by omitting things when we talk.  For that I give you my total surkai.”

“I understand the nature of a rede, better than you can imagine.  Thank you for telling me the truth, to the extent you are able.  I accept your surkai.”  She pulled him back into the bed and wrapped the both of them up in the blankets. 

“Thank you.”  He leaned back into her, and let her be the big spoon for a while.  She pulled the blankets up tightly around the two of them and they slept soundly for most of the day. 

The next day

Luna sat in her office with Ayat and the new Aerospace commander.  Luna was not entirely sure what to make of him.  He was a trueborn pilot with wavy blue hair and bright blue eyes.  He was quiet in their meeting and Luna wasn’t entirely sold on him. 

“Star Commander Millhouse, you requested a transfer to this command, quiaff?”

“Aff, ma’am.  I heard great things about this trinary, and with the reorganization that the Star Colonel is performing, I wanted to see the integrated force model up close.  That made this command the ideal location to study it.” 

“How old are you?” 

“17 ma’am.”

“You graduated from your sibko early, quiaff?”

“Aff, ma’am.  I passed my trial of position with two kills and I have been running CAG operations on the Falcon’s Nest.” 

“This command is an assault force.  We take ground away from the enemy and we do not give it back.” 

“Aff ma’am.  I have been studying ground assault operations and I have put together a training program to help us be ready to support you on the ground.  If need be, we will shoot our way in all the way from space, ma’am.” 

“You say the right things, Star Commander Millhouse, but I wish to see actions that back up those words, quiaff?”

“Aff, ma’am.  I will not let you down.” 

“Welcome to the 3^rd Supernova Trinary, Star Commander.”

He saluted.  “Thank you for the welcome, I will serve the clan with pride and distinction.”  He left the two of them alone and went to go figure out where to stow his gear.

“Did we literally just accept a surat into our unit?”  Luna looked at Ayat.

“In that he appears to be cute, harmless, and something for a small child to carry to bed at night, aff.  However he has excellent credentials and is a respectable, well liked aerospace leader.  We needed one of those, quiaff?”

“Aff, but he seems harmless.”

“Then he will not be hurting any of our personnel or threatening any bondsman, quiaff?”

“Aff, you are probably right.” 

“Thank you, ma’am.” 

Meanwhile

Mackenzie had a rare day off and was enjoying the peace and quiet of being off base.  Pryce had no such luck and was busy in class.  Mackenzie was reasonably sure that he would get his bond cord cut soon, and that would be a cause for celebration.  Everything else that came after that gave her a case of nausea, but that was tomorrow’s problems.  Her communicator started to chime and she picked it up quickly.

“Star Commander Mackenzie.”  She answered cheerfully.

“This is Star Captain Annabelle Kirov, Do you time to assist me with a small task?”

“I am off base right now, so I am not sure how.” 

“For starters, look up.”  Mackenzie did as directed and Annabelle was standing across the street waving at her. 

“well this is awkward.” 

“Neg.”

“Shall I come across the street to you, or are you coming across the street to me?”  Mackenzie asked her.

“Join me, the task I require assistance with is on this side of the street.” 

“Aff.”  Mackenize clicked off the comm and joined the shorter mechwarrior. 

“Thank you for assisting me.” 

“What do you need help with?” 

“I am looking to get something for your brother.  We were at the shopping mall last week and he tried to explain dating to me.” 

Mackenzie sniggered a bit “I am sure that was an enlightening experience.” 

“Not particularly, no.  The Spheroid concept of marriage confuses and irritates me.”  Mackenzie chuckled again. 

“Why are you wearing sunglasses?” 

“My doctor recommends I wear them outside until the Necrosia flare dissipates.”

“Oh, right…too much necrosia, your eyes glow green.”

“Jaxun told you about my incident?” 

Mackenzie quickly thought through the list of possible alternate explanations and quietly said “mmhmm.”

“Good.  I am enjoying your brother a great deal.  I hope I can come to enjoy the relationship you and I have the same way.”  Annabelle leaned in and kissed her softly on the cheek. 

“What can I help you get for my brother?  Did he see an arcade at the mall?  There was one back home that he used to spend every weekend at.” 

“He did, and we picked up some of the things from it, but no.  We were outside a clothing store that catered to feminine undergarments and your brother became very evasive.” 

“I am sure he did.”  She chuckled again.

“Why is that funny to you?” 

“Well, most men from the Inner Sphere are uncomfortable looking at feminine things in public barring an overabundance of alcohol, or they think they aren’t being observed.”

“Why?”

“I don’t really know, but the conversation I had with parents about sex was a lot less interesting than the one I had with aunt Amelia and Uncle Iv…”

“It is okay, your brother told me about the rede he swore to your uncle not to reveal his name.”

“Did he now?”

‘Yes, it is okay.” 

“Well good.  So once you got past his uncomfortableness, what happened?”

“Well we went back to the ship and coupled.”

“Wait, what?”

“We probably would have on the ride back, but we had both ridden our cycles and after a discussion we decided that was not safe.”

Mackenzie covered her mouth to stifle the laughter.  This was exactly like a conversation with Ivan.  “Why are we standing outside a fabric store?” 

“Your brother has a tattoo on his shoulder of something called a shamrock, and I thought I would get him something he would find aesthetically pleasing.” 

“Oh right, that got him called leprechaun for almost a year.  My mother about killed our uncle.  It was kind of his fault for calling Jaxun ‘shorty’ short all the time.” 

“What was your mother’s aversion to tattoos?”

“She did not think they belonged on anyone, and she only barely tolerated my father’s tattoos.  I suspect that if they had gotten together when he was younger he would not have them.”

Annabelle tilted her head a little. “Why did your uncle call your brother ‘shorty’?”

“Jaxun is the tallest among my family, even taller than dad.” 

“So it is meant as a joke?” 

“Sort of, yeah.” 

“He certainly does not appear to be short now.”  They had entered the store and were looking through a variety of different fabrics and patterns. 

“Oh I don’t know, my uncle is nine feet tall.”  Mackenzie quickly covered her mouth

“Quineg?”  Annabelle looked up at her.

“Neg, indeed, he just felt that way when he was around.”

“Ah, inner sphere hyperbole then?”

“Aff.”

“So what is that shade of green your brother favors?” 

“Kelly Green.  He was obsessed with it when we were kids.” 

“Let us hope we can find a matching shade in this fabric supply then.” 

“What exactly is this for?”

“Artificial plumage.”  Annabelle smiled to herself while they shopped.