Fiona allowed the last ripples of pleasure to dissipate before opening her eyes. She lay motionless as Abigail climbed her way up and slid her body close to Fiona's. 

     "I needed that."

     "As did I, surat. Being cooped up for so long is unnatural, I long for the freedom of combat."

     Fiona sighed. "How long is the voyage?"

     "That is difficult to say. The route itself is a closely guarded secret. On top of that there is the time needed to charge the K-F drive, coordinate drop offs and such. There is no way to know. We will arrive when we arrive. The journey to the Inner Sphere felt different for so many reasons. We were all so anxious and eager that it seemed like an eternity."

     She let her fingertips trace gently over Abigail's back. "I can't even imagine what it must have been like, the anticipation and all. I'm just ready to be back at the home worlds where I can finally prove myself."

     "Easy, surat. There is no point in rushing into battle unprepared. I know the uneasiness you feel. But you still have much to learn. On that subject, there are simulator pods aboard this ship, and they can be configured fairly realistically. I believe that tomorrow is the appropriate time for us to begin training you in proper methods of Battlemech combat. I know you are a skilled mechwarrior, but there is much that you need to learn about combat in an omnimech, particularly in ritualized trials. But that is for tomorrow. Rest now."

     A few hours later, they were awakened with a loud sound and the glare of light streaming in from the corridor. Two unarmored elementals burst through the hatch, weapons raised.

     Abigail was the first to wake and she threw a poorly aimed kick at the closest elemental. He dodged it easily and shoved her up against the wall, using his considerable bulk to restrain her. 

     Fiona was slower to emerge from her slumber and in the chaos of being awakened suddenly she practically fell out of the bed onto the floor. The second elemental wasted no time in pouncing upon her, and within seconds he had her hands tied behind her back. He roughly pulled her up to her knees. 

     After the initial shouting and screaming, Abigail shouted from where she was still pinned against the wall by the first elemental. "Stravag, what is the meaning of this?! I will have your head for this!"

     "Neg! We are here on the authority of the Khan and the Jade Falcon Watch. We are here for the bondsman."

     "For what reason? Surely this summons could wait until morning and we are dressed, you oaf!"

     "Your disposition does not concern me. My orders are to take her to the brig immediately."

    The elemental forced Fiona to her feet and immediately marched her out the hatch and into the blindingly bright corridor. She could hear a string of shouts and insults from Abigail through the open door as they manhandled her to the nearest lift. From there it was only a short distance to the brig. They shoved her inside a cell, where they quickly locked her wrist restraints, which were still behind her back, to a chain fastened to the wall. It annoyingly kept her either standing or kneeling, there was not enough leeway to allow her to lay down.

    They had sealed the door behind them and left, and in the tiny cell it seemed like an eternity that she stayed there on her knees. She had focused her breathing from the initial panic of the abduction. Now there was just emptiness.

    At some point she must have nodded off to sleep, because she was shocked to alertness when the door opened and people proceeded to walk in. She recognized Star Colonel Buhallin, as well as Star Commander Lovvins. She immediately locked eyes with her bondholder once she recognized him. There was an anger in his eyes, but strangely it did not seem directed at her. 

    The third man to walk in she did not recognize, although to call him a man was insufficient. The grotesque figure was some mixture of human, cybernetic replacement, and prosthetic. Taken all together, it was almost impossible to determine where the man ended and the replacement parts began.

    He grabbed her jaw with his hand and looked disdainfully down on her. "Listen to me carefully, freebirth. Answer my questions and there is a slight possibility that you may leave this encounter with your feeble life. Lie to me or defy me and you will be thrown out the nearest airlock as the refuse you are after we have torn every secret from your mind. Do you understand me?"

    She nodded tersly. "Aff. "She wanted nothing more than to wrest herself free of this creature's touch and beat him senseless, but there was currently nothing she could do.

    He roughly let her go and stepped back. "Good. Now, what is the nature of your relationship with a bondsman named Dirk?"

    She shook her head as her mind raced. "I...There is no relationship to speak of. He and I both served in the New Ivarsson Chassuers, we had a brief fling when I was first assigned there, other than that, he is a bondsman in the service of the Clan, I see him periodically. Why?"

    He smacked her across the face.  As she recovered, she dared a quick glance towards Lovvins, who looked down at her with no change in his mood from previously. There was an anger, but not at her. Was it at her interrogator?

    "You do not ask any questions of me, freebirth. By all rights you should be floating in the vacuum of space right now, but the Clan is merciful. Now, back to my questions. You say you only saw this Dirk periodically, yet you coupled with him frequently, quiaff?"

    "Neg, Aff. I mean, we coupled, but it was not frequently. What does that have to do with anything?"

    He smacked her again. "Learn your place, freebirth. I am trying to ascertain the nature of your relationship with him. Among freebirth filth and in the Inner Sphere, coupling is often associated with relationships. You are both a freebirth and from the Inner Sphere, so you see my concern, quiaff?"

    She nodded. "Aff. I swear, there was nothing more. It was coupling, two people in a tough spot relieving stress. That's all. No attachment."

    He backhanded her. "Your language, freebirth. Control it. Now, did this Dirk ever speak to you of escape or sabotage? I am aware that you Inner Sphere vermin have a hard time with the notion of bondservice. Was he one of those types?"

    She nodded gently. "Aff, at least at first. But I thought he had come to accept it."

    The man's face contorted in some strange way that she could not glean any emotion from. "As you have, little freebirth?"

    She dared a small look of defiance as she met his gaze. "I have. I am now Jade Falcon."

    The man spat on the floor. "That is the vilest of obscenities. You are a tainted Inner Sphere piece of filth, you will never be Jade Falcon. But that is getting away from my inquiry. This bondsman Dirk, he was apprehended by our security marines in the engineering compartment with a device that is intended to somehow record information. What do you know of this?"

    "Nothing. I know nothing of that. Why would he want to record information in the engineering section, he is a technician, he has access to any technical material he needs."

     The man-machine glowered at her. "Did he ever mention to you anything of the Exodus Road, or the location of the Clan home worlds?"

    In that moment, it made sense, he was trying to gain the location of the clan home worlds. But why? What good would that information do him? "Neg. He was often in possession of rumors or scuttlebutt, but nothing of such a grand nature. I assure you, whoever you are, I had no knowledge of anything that Dirk was doing. I do not know what or why he was doing what he did, I swear."

      He laughed. "Swear on your honor as a freebirth? I think not. Our scientists will examine you through neuro-chemical interrogation, then we will get the truth out of you, freebirth."

    At that point, Lovvins stepped forward. "Star Colonel Pershaw, I object. My bondsman was already interrogated by our scientists when she was claimed as isorla. If she says that she has no knowledge of this little vermin's plot, then it is true."

    The Star Colonel gestured wildly with what would be described as his arm, though it was more of  claw. "That was a cursory examination. There are specific lines of inquiry here. We must be certain how far this plot has spread. My scientists will be far more thorough. We will have the truth from her."

    Lovvins took another step forward. "Star Colonel, I--"

    "Stop!" She cut them off with a cry. "Put me through whatever test you have to. I am telling you the truth and all that I know."

    Lovvins flailed his arms. "Fiona, you do not have to do this, I will challenge this ancient amalgamation of man and steel that is Kael Pershaw-

    She cut him off again "Neg, Star Commander. Even if you win there will be doubts. People will claim that I am not sincere. I have to go through with this. This is another step on my path to becoming a warrior. I will show them that my heart is now Jade Falcon"