Port
Howard
Towne
Federated
Suns
29
April, 3077
The campaign was over. The Word had
been driven from the planet. Everyone was in rebuilding mode, trying to consolidate
their forces and get back to functional strength. It wasn’t easy, as they had
taken significant losses in the effort to liberate Towne.
Thankfully for Azalea Thomas, that
meant that she didn’t have to patch anyone up. She could focus on patching
herself up. She felt like she had been running on autopilot throughout the campaign.
Somewhere along the way, she had lost herself. She didn’t know if she would
ever find herself again. But at least the combat had stopped.
With that, the Fifth Crucis Lancers
had hunkered down and tried to rebuild as best they could to make themselves
ready for the next operation. There was always a next operation. For now, that
meant a whole lot of waiting. She had tried to clear her mind, to forget the
things that had happened, but try as she might, she could not.
Tonight she found herself in a bar
in the capital city of Port Howard. Most of the unit was out for relaxation
duty, and she had forced herself to go out just to escape the monotony of the
base. She had too much time to think there, too much time to dwell on things,
and where they had gone wrong.
She had never envisioned herself as
a combat medic when she had signed up with the Lancers a little over three
years ago. She had grown bored of her existence on Belladonna, and wanted to
see the Inner Sphere. She wanted adventure, at least that was what she had
thought at the time. She never could have imagined the unfolding of the Jihad,
her unit’s call up to combat roles, or her proximity to the front.
It was all a whirlwind that had
swept her up and carried her along, to where she felt like she barely had any
agency any more. This wasn’t the adventure she had signed up for. But it was
the adventure she was living.
The bar was one on the list of
approved establishments to spent time off, and it was seeing a resurgence with
the influx of FedSuns soldiers. The staff were overworked, the drinks were watered
down and the ambiance was terrible. But it was somewhere off base, and that was
what she needed. She had already downed two rum and coke’s, watered down as
they were she was barely feeling it.
There was a dance floor, but she
didn’t feel much like dancing. Just as she was about to order another drink, a
man bumped into her.
“Sorry!” he shouted over the din of
what passed for FedSuns country music on Towne.
“It’s okay.”
“What are you up to this evening,
soldier.”
She flashed a confused look. “I’m
not a soldier. I’m a medic”
“Seems like it’s all the same when
the lasers heat up. Point is you’re not a civvie. There’s a lot of them trying to
sink their teeth into a soldier for the experience.”
“And what are you trying to sink
your teeth into?”
“Me? I’m just looking for a good
game of pool. Helps calm the nerves and keeps the mind sharp.”
The man seemed to be in his late
twenties, with brown hair cut the way she had seen a million soldiers sporting.
There was some air of confidence to him, and he seemed comfortable in his own
skin.
“I take it you’re not a civvie
either?”
“No ma’am. Would you believe me if I
told you I was a MechWarrior?”
She thought long and hard. “Maybe.
Are You?”
“Does it matter?”
“Not to me. I patch you guys up just
the same as the poor bloody infantry.”
He smiled. “But we’re not just the PBI.
We’re something of an acquired taste.”
“So you’re saying that you’re hard
to get along with?”
He shook his head. “No, I’m saying I’m
just a bit different from everyone else here.”
She laughed. “You sound a bit cocky”
“That comes with riding a giant stompy
robot. But enough of that. Let’s play some pool.”
He took her by the arm and led her
towards a free pool table. She didn’t know why she followed him, but she did.
“I don’t play pool”
“Sure you do. You just haven’t tried
it yet. It’s easy. Keeps the mind focused.”
“That’s the second time you’ve said
that. Focused are you?”
“Aren’t you?”
“Not particularly. I’m here to let
go of all of this….this whatever the hell you call it.”
“It’s called war. And I hear you.
Just trust me, this will do.”
He plugged a few coins into the
table and the balls released. He racked them quickly, while she just stood
there.
“I don’t even know how to play.”
“It’s
simple. Stripes and Solids, that’s all you need to know. I’m sure you’ve seen
the game played before.”
She nodded. “Yeah, seems like there
is always a game going on somewhere. I’ve watched it before, but that’s about
it. I don’t know the rules or how to play or any of that.”
He shrugged. “Do you have an
imagination?”
“That’s a silly question.”
“No it’s not. This game is all about
imagination. You imagine the shot you want to take, you imagine where things
will go, and you just make it happen. It’s simple. People will claim there’s
all kinds of geometry to it, but in reality, it’s all about imagination.”
“I don’t even know your name.”
“Will. Leftenant Will Tanner. 7th
Lancers.”
“Corporal Azalea Thomas. 5th
Crucis Lancers. Most people call me Zee.”
“Well then Zee, it’s your break”
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