Federated Hotel
Black Hills
Solaris VII
Lyran Commonwealth
10 January, 3053



     At first, Faith was unsure if the terrible buzzing sound was real, or in her head. Without opening her eyes, she knew that the horrible pain in her head was most certainly real, and no matter how hard she tried to block it out and fall back asleep, she failed.

     After what could have been five minutes or five hours, she wasn't quite sure which, she finally made the mistake of opening her eyes. The Game World was almost always dreary and rainy, but as her eyes opened, she would have sworn that the systems sun was parked five meters outside her window. Of course, the fact that she had left the curtains open was not helping matters. Then again, the empty bottle of scotch laying on the floor at her bedside probably was the main culprit.

     "Fuck off!" she shouted. Turning her head away from the window helped, but not much. It did, however, clue her in to the buzzing sound that had been plaguing her. Her comm unit, laying beside her on the bed, continued to drone on, calling for her attention. Attention that she was in no mood to give at the moment. She picked it up and flung in generally in the direction of the window. It did not help the buzzing, or the light pouring in.

     After a few more minutes, she summoned up the will to sit up, stubbing her toe on the empty bottle. Cheap shit, anyhow. She glanced over at the clock. Almost 1300 already, damn. She had a match this evening, scheduled for 2100 in one of the Class 3 arenas out in the Reaches.

     Half an hour later, after a lukewarm shower and a handful of oxy-pills, she felt somewhat better. Or at least hungry, which was a good sign. She slipped on a pair of dark fatigues, a tank top, and her Sternsnacht, pulled her hair back into a somewhat rough ponytail, and headed out the door.

     On reaching the lobby of the hotel, she made her way to the desk. It wasn't the highest class establishment in the city, certainly a far cry from her suite at the Solaris Hilton she had enjoyed on her previous stay on Solaris, but it got the job done. It was generally clean, and more importantly, it enjoyed a somewhat lower profile, something she was looking for at the moment.

     "Anything for me today, Rick?" she asked the desk attendant. She had now been here long enough that the staff knew her, and she paid her bill religiously, so they were friendly.

     "Not today, ma'am. But you have a....um...visitor." He gestured toward the front door. A woman was already making her way toward Faith. Great maker, what did I do to deserve this?

     Faith started towards the door, and the woman fell into step beside her. She was probably around Faith's age, with dark hair and a light skin tone that pegged her most likely as a native of Solaris dreary weather. She was dressed casually, pulling her comm unit out of the pocket of her dark brown raincoat. "My fight isn't until 2100 Paige, and it's out in the Reaches. Can't a girl grab lunch in peace?"

     The woman chuckled. "The adoring public knows no hours, and so neither does the press."

     They made their way out onto the street, and much to Faith's disappointment, the reporter kept pace with her in spite of her efforts to quicken her step. "It's the 31st century, I thought print media was dead." Or maybe I just hoped.

     "The Federated Suns has the highest literacy rate in the Inner Sphere. Or at least that's what the big boys over at FCNS always say. But the news is a cutthroat business here on Solaris. An intrepid reporter has to stay on her toes to make ends meet, you know."

     Faith pushed her way through the door at the corner Arby's, which, aside from a few people that were obvious tourists, was fairly empty. She made her way to the counter and tossed a few D-bill notes on the counter. "Whatever the Hanse Davion special is, as long as it's greasy."

     "Make that two."

     Faith stared at the reporter.

     "Hey, uncovering the truth makes a girl hungry. Kind of weird for a Cappie to be eating greasy Arby's burgers though, isn't it?"

     Faith put her hands on her hips and sighed. "I told you, Liao threw me out on my ass. You don't believe me, there's a Triad member with a broken nose over in Cathay who can vouch for me."

     The eager boy behind the counter returned with two baskets, each containing a greasy mass that passed for a burger, and fries that helped explain Hanse Davion's heart attack last year. Faith grabbed hers and made her way to the booth furthest in the back of the restaurant. To her dismay, Paige slipped into the seat opposite her.

     "I'm still sure there's way more to that story. And one day I'll get it, trust me. But that's not why I'm here."

      Not waiting to finish the mouthful of burger she was working on, Faith shrugged her shoulders. "Ok, I'm dying of anticipation," she mumbled.

     "I still have a million questions. Like why you're starting out slumming it when 2 years ago you were a hotshot on everyone's radar. Or why you're hanging out in the Black Hills. Or why you're not sporting the 4th Tau Ceti logo anymore. Or where that shady chick that always used to hang around with you is. But hey, don't mind me, I'm just nosy."

     Faith scoffed, "I hadn't noticed."

     The woman smiled a genuine smile. "Charm goes with the territory. But thanks. And no, I'm not here to grill you about any of that stuff. I'm here with a juicy tidbit of information."

     Faith gulped down a mouthful of Timbiqui root beer. "So you're here to share it out of the goodness of your heart, right?"

     "I didn't quite say that. But this is something you'll want to know. And I figure if I help you out, you'll be more willing to talk." She didn't wait for Faith to respond before she kept going. "Your fight tonight is against a fighter from Blackstar. In theory, they're as Fed Suns as the rest of us, but everyone knows Drew Hasek-Davion is Hasek to the core, and they're...well, they're Haseks."

     Faith frowned. "What does Fed Suns politics have to do with me?"

     "Politics has to do with everyone. You should read the paper more. But anyway, the Haseks power base is the Capellan March. They see Liao as the boogeyman behind everything. Hell, they don't even see the Clans as being as big a threat as Max Liao's ghost."

     "Then they are idiots. I've fought clans. They're bigger and badder than anything in the Rimward side of the Sphere."

     Paige nodded. "That may be true, but that's not the point. The point is I'm not the only one who's got questions about your past. Lots of Capellan March types would rather see you meet a nasty fate rather than go anywhere here in the Black Hills. Now, Blackstar is a big stable, and they might think twice about pulling something in one of the major arenas. But they've got pull in Davion circles, and your fight is out in the Reaches, where the gaming board is a little less omnipresent."

     Faith stopped eating. "So you're saying they're going to try some shady shit?"

     Paige nodded again. "I don't know exactly what. I've got connections, but they only go so far, you know? There's all kinds of chatter that you're going to get what's coming to you, but it's real scant on the specifics. Just watch your back. I'd hate to lose a juicy story, you know?"