Mudd Station certainly was an apt name for the dismal facility they found themselves assigned to. The aging Confederate dropship had grounded at the landing pad of the facility, but that fact was hard to discern from the way the rain and wind hammered the ship even upon landing. It was rare for weather to affect a dropship so much, and the captain of the ship had even advised them against leaving the ship for their barracks until the storm itself passed.

        After an hour or so, the storm had subsided, and the captain opened the bay door and lowered the ramp. As they made their way down the ramp and onto the tarmac, what they saw was not encouraging. The landscae was bleak, to say the least, and anywhere not paved was a puddle or a patch of mud. Even some of the paved areas sported puddles.

        The personnel were not much of an improvement. Most of the people seemed to simply wander, as if they had no real purpose. In all her time among the clans, Fiona had never seen such a motley collection of warriors. Most were old by clan standards, and if she was honest, even by inner sphere standards for their rank at times. Some of them she guessed to be in their forties or fifties. She had never guessed that such a thing as an overweight clan warrior existed, but the proof was sauntering by her repeatedly.

        Lovvins shook his head dejectedly. "This is the group that we are supposed to pin our hopes for redemption on? I fear you are seriously misguided, bondsman."

        She shrugged, which was an effort with her gear bag over her shoulder. "You have not called me that in some time. And it is no longer appropriate. I am not a bondsman."

        He shook his head. "Aff, I misspoke. But the reality is the same. Look at these fossils. This is not a unit, it is a graveyard."

        She touched his arm. "Only if we allow it to be. This is what we make of it."

        Abigail spoke up. "That is surat shit. Look at these degenerates. They are lazy, slovenly, old, hell, some of them are even all of the above and freebirth to boot. This is hopeless."

        They entered the barracks facility, a musty old building that seemed to have more leaks than redeeming qualities. They made their way first to Lovvins'  room, where they all dropped their gear, and Fiona slammed the door shut.

        "This is pathetic. You two, who held me up and urged me to something better through all of my rough times, and now you whine like civilian caste bureaucrats sent to an assignment they do not like." She turned to Abner. "And you, of all people, I expected support in this from you, but you remain silent like a mute animal. All of you, we are better than this. We are clan. We are more than that, we are Jade Falcon. Does the Jade Falcon mope because of the weather, or some poor circumstance? No, it goes on the hunt. It sharpens it's talons and it kills. I do not care if the whole of the Falcon Guards collapse around us, we will stand proud. Quiaff?" She smacked Lovvins in the chest. "Quiaff!?"

        They all nodded their agreement. Just then, her communicator lit up. She picked it up and read the message.She read it twice to confirm.

        Abigail spoke up. "What is it, surat?"

        She looked up. "It seems the commander wants to speak with me."

        Lovvins shrugged. "I know nothing of this Aidan Pryde beyond the basic dossier. His taint is that he posed as a freebirth to achieve warrior status, then fought trials of refusal to earn his right to a bloodname.It would seem to indicate he is somewhat progressive among our clan, but be cautious."

        A short time later, she found herself in the office of their Star Colonel, Aidan Pryde. He looked slightly older and more seasoned than some of the Star Colonels she had seen, but yet still younger than a good chunk of the Falcon Guards she had seen so far. He was tall and lean, but his handshake, which surprised her even in it's offering, was strong. After shaking her hand he returned to his side of the desk, and she returned to her best attention posture. She didn't quite know why she wished to make a good impression, but for some reason she felt it mattered.

        "You may stand at ease, Mechwarrior.." She relaxed slightly, but still tried to stand tall and proud. He gestured to another older warrior, probably roughly the same age as Pryde, though looking a great deal rougher and whose insignia marked him as a freeborn. "This is my aide, Mechwarrior Horse."

        She nodded deferentially. Aidan Pryde paused for a moment, looking her up and down with a look in his eyes as if he were mulling over some decision. She tried not to let his gaze affect her or show any sign of anxiety. Finally he spoke up again. "You probably are wondering why I asked you here, especially before any of the others that arrive with you." He stopped for a moment, but she did not feel comfortable interjecting, and he continued. "I really only have one question for you, Mechwarrior Fiona. Why are you here?"

        She paused, took a deep breath, and raised an eyebrow. "I was assigned to the Falcon Guards, Star Colonel." She thought of saying more, but held back.

        He leaned back in his chair, in a casual and authentic way that she had not seen in many trueborn clanners in formal situations. "Yes, I am aware of all that, I have received all the paperwork and transfer orders. But that is not the heart of my question. Why are you here?"

        She paused, confused. " I am not sure how to answer your question, Star Colonel. Indeed, I am not sure if I even understand it."

        He sighed. "I am aware of the hearsay and rumors surrounding the rebuilding of the Falcon Guards, and I am most aware of the stigma attached to the unit. But even so, while my assignment of personnel was varied and colorful, it was initially, nonetheless, all trueborn. A spattering of freeborns have trickled in since then, but most of them are veterans, often seeking a last shot at combat. You come to us not even blooded in combat, and from the Inner Sphere, no less. So I must ask why it is that you were assigned here?"

        She paused carefully before responding, taking in his words carefully. Of particular note, he had called her freeborn and not freebirth, a small distinction but one that carried great weight in clan society. "I am not sure that I have a clear answer for you, Star Colonel. My orders were not explained to me. I would point out, however, that I am not, as you say, unblooded in combat. Aff, I have not seen combat in the service of the clan since my trial of position, but I have seen combat. Indeed, I have, not counting my trial, bested trueborn clan warriors twice in single combat in Battlemechs, and once in physical combat in a trial of refusal." She glanced over at Horse. "And I would point out that your own aide is freeborn, Star Colonel, as is one of the warriors who traveled here with me, so it is not out of place in this unit."

        Pryde almost chuckled. "You speak boldly for a bondsman barely out of the nest. The truth of the matter is I had to fight to have Mechwarrior Horse assigned to this unit. Perhaps he was the crack in the dam. But that still does not explain away the fact that you are out of the ordinary." He smirked. "You even try to speak more like a trueborn than most freeborns I have encountered."

        She nodded slightly. "Speaking candidly, sir, I realize that I will always be judged by my birth and origins within the clan. But I am a warrior and this is where circumstances have landed me. I realize I must hold myself to a higher standard even to break even, but I suspect you know that even better than I do. But nonetheless, all I know how to do is to do my best. The rest is out of my control."

        He paused for a moment, scratching the stubble of his beard. "All of that may be true, but it still does not answer why you are here. What singled you out?"

        She inhaled deeply. "Truth be told, Star Colonel, I think that I would likely not be here but for my association.  You know I am a former bondsman. Early in the invasion, my bondholder allowed me to view a batchall for one of the invasion targets. I provided him with information about what I saw, which he passed along to Galaxy Commander Angeline Mattlov and she chose to ignore. The attack met with problems due to her ignoring of my warning. This caused her to see me, my bondholder, and my warning as a mark of her failure, and so she schemed to put us out of sight as soon as she could, which was our assignment here to the Falcon Guards. It is un-clanlike, but it is the truth. You may ask any of my fellow arrivals and they will tell you it is true."

        He sat silent for a moment, as if taking in what she had said and weighing it against other testimony. "You are making excuses?"

        She purposely bristled and puffed her chest out at the insult. "Neg, Star Colonel. Excuses are not the way of the clans. All I seek is a chance to prove my true worth. You, of all people, understand this, quiaff?"

        He paused for a moment, almost as if laughing at himself. "Aff, Mechwarrior.....Aff......"