Anywhere

Tamar March

Federated Commonwealth

10 March, 3050

Mechwarrior Abigail had awakened early, as was her normal routine, and had begun her morning jog when her comm unit beeped for her attention. There was little to do on this dreary Inner Sphere world, at least since they had initially put down most of the meager resistance offered by the paltry Inner Sphere garrison force. True, yesterday there had been some minor action, when a band of malcontents had staged what they hoped would be a raid on one of the planetary supply depots, but even that action had proven brief, as the surats had quickly fled in disorganized panic shortly after the Jade Falcon forces had engaged them. One foolhardy warrior had even engaged her Nova’s commander in a duel in what was a desperate ploy to escape the entire force being crushed. At least that warrior, sad as the display had been, had fought honorably, but even then, Abigail had not had a chance to glory in the fight, as the Nova commander had taken the ragged Inner Sphere mech down with his own point of Elementals.

She had set off on a jog in the morning, and her mind had wandered to hopes of their next campaign, where hopefully there would be a greater challenge. But her daydreams of glory hadbeen interrupted by a summons from Star Commander Lovvins, who wished to meet with her back at the dropship where their command was currently staged, awaiting relief by garrison troops so they could prepare for the next wave of the invasion to liberate Terra from the clutches of the vile barbarians who currently sullied its glory.

She quickly abbreviated her run and returned to the spaceport, catching a groundcar to speed her along to the large spheroid DropShip that housed her unit. As she dismounted from the passenger seat, she saw the large form of tar Commander Lovvins standing beside one of the open loading ramps. She approached him and gave him a quick salute. Though on the small side for an Elemental, the Star Commander nevertheless struck a fearsome image due to his considerable bulk. She had served with him for less than a year, and they had only seen limited combat so far in the early stages of the invasion, but she had developed a respect for him. There were few Ristars to be found among the ranks of the genetically bred Elemental infantry, but Lovvins had so far proven to display a good sense of leadership, and unusual for one of his breeding, a strong sense of the internecine politics of Clan leadership.

Though she claimed to despise politics, Abigail was not naïve, and realized the need for considerations beyond pure battlefield skill. Though she hardly considered herself anything of a political creature, she had early on recognized the usefulness of allying herself with someone who did, and she had found that in the Star Commander. Hopefully it would bear fruit on the road to Terra. 

“My apologies, Star Commander, if I had known you wished a meeting this morning, I would have forgone my morning exercise routine. I hope you were not kept waiting long.”

The Elemental gestured for her to follow him. “Neg, Mechwarrior Abigail. There is no problem. It is good to see my warriors keeping in proper fighting trim, even if we have not yet faced tremendous challenges here on our quest thusfar.”

She nodded, falling into line with her superior. “Aff, it would seem there is not much left to be done on this rock. Though you brought glory to our Nova with your defeat of the Inner Sphere surat yesterday. It is too bad that the rest of the bandits escaped our grasp.”

He smiled and gestured dismissively with his hand. “It was invigorating, but as you say, the majority of our prey was lost. I have that situation well in hand, however. We will crush those sad embers of resistance and move on to greater glory in the next wave.”

Abigail raised an eyebrow. “Oh, Star Commander?”

“Yes, that is partly why I summoned you. It has some little bit to do with ending the insignificant vestiges of dissent on this planet, and slightly more to do with my plans for gaining glory and an upper hand in this invasion, for us and our Clan.”

Her curiosity was now piqued. “And what is that, Star Commander?”

“You will see. Follow me. I have a task for you.”

He led her onto the ship, up several levels and through several bulkheads until finally they came upon the medbay. One of the techs looked up briefly, then buried his nose back in his work, not wishing to bother the two warriors on their business. Lovvins led her past the first bed and pulled back the curtain to the second bed, beckoning her to follow him in.

    On the bed, a woman lay unconscious, an IV in her arm and a few basic monitors hooked up to her to track her vital signs. Other than a small medipatch on her temple, from which a small bruise was beginning to peek out, she showed no signs of injury. She was young, probably roughly around Abigail’s twenty-one years, she guessed, with long dark brown hair. The only other thing that Abigail noted was that the woman looked frail, her arms slender and her facial features delicate. Most likely a scientist, or perhaps a member of the artisan sub-cast of the merchants, she guessed.

    “Should I recognize this woman, Star Commander?” she asked inquisitively. 

    “Neg. Her name is Fiona, formerly Leftenant Fiona Kendrick of the Ivarsson Chasseurs.” He replied.

    Abigail raised an eyebrow. “The mechwarrior you defeated yesterday, quiaff?”

    “Aff. She ejected and our people captured her.”

    Abigail stifled a laugh. “You cannot be serious, Star Commander. This wisp of a thing is what in the Inner Sphere passes as a Mechwarrior? I would have thought her a bookkeeper, or a dancer or some such.”

    Lovvins shook his head. “Aff, not only is she a Mechwarrior, but so far she has twice defeated our own Mechwarriors in single combat during the campaign on this world. I have claimed her as a bondsman.”

    Abigail frowned and set her hands on her hips. “You are joking, quiaff? Even if she was lucky enough to defeat two of our warriors, who should be ashamed of themselves, what would ever possess you to make her a bondsman? Yes, she may have information on where these rabble are hiding, but our scientists can easily pry that from her mind. Then she is of little use to us, and might as well be discarded.”

    Now it was Lovvins turn to frown. “Neg, you are being short sighted, Abigail. She has shown ability as a warrior, and unlike most of these vermin, she has fought honorably each time she has faced our forces. I believe she has much to contribute to our clan, and to my plans.”

    Abigail turned her gaze to the woman and scoffed. “And how, pray tell, do you envision her helping you or the Clan?”

    “I intend to have her trained to become a warrior once again in our ranks, and provide insight into the barbarian ways of our enemy.”

    Abigail turned to her commander, slightly shocked. “Stravag, you cannot be serious. You believe this tiny scrap of a freebirth can be made into a Jade Falcon Warrior? Look at her. Even if she has some meager skills in a mech, an eyas straight from the canister could smash her to a pulp in seconds.”

    A slight trace of anger crossed the Elemental’s face. “Remember you are speaking to a superior, Mechwarrior. Respect is due.  And yes, I agree that she has a long way to go before even attempting to prove herself as a warrior. But in this race to Terra, we need every advantage we can get. I intend to help our clan race ahead of the others, and part of that is learning to adapt to the ways of these barbarian hordes ahead of us. To do that, I need someone with an understanding of their ways. But I do not wish some simple advisor or consultant. I need someone who also understands our ways, who thinks and acts like a warrior. This one has shown an ability to adapt to our ways. That is what I need. That is why I need you to be her trainer and guide into our ways.”

    Abigail looked away in frustration. “My apologies, Star Commander, I did not mean any disrespect. But why would you punish me with such a fool’s errand? How am I supposed to craft this into anything resembling a Jade Falcon warrior? I am not a Falconer or a canister nanny.”

    He smiled slyly. “It is precisely because you are so adamantly opposed that I chose you for this assignment. That, and I need someone I can trust, and that is you. I can trust you to be harsh and get the job done. I do not want some sniveling facsimile of a warrior, I want her to become the real thing. I know I can trust you to accomplish it, or break her utterly in the attempt.”

    She sighed. “And if that happens?”

    “Then it happens. If it does, she was not what I needed in the first place. I believe I am correct, but if I am mistaken, I will need you to prove me wrong.”

    Abigail shook her head in exasperation. “Very well, Star Commander. I will do as you ask. When do I begin?”

    “Shortly, but I do not know precisely when. She has been sedated, and I have not yet spoken with her to explain her situation. Much depends on how she responds and how quickly she accepts her place in our Clan. Much about these Inner Sphere denizens is still unkown. I will get back to you shortly.”