Tomorrow there will be victory...

 Hall of House Ding

Harloc V

Sian Commonality

Capellan Confederation

22 May 3152

    The meeting adjourned, and Sheena returned to her room. After a few moments, there was a knock on the door. She bade them to come in. It was Nyxie, the bondswoman.

    "Forgive me, Sao-shao, but Master Po suggested I should come and see you to assess your expectations for me on this mission."

    Sheena paused. Her attraction to this woman was electric. She believed that her request for this woman to accompany her was soundly rooted in logic, but could not help but think that there was an element of selfishness in the request. She wanted to get to know this woman. She wanted to be close to her. To be honest, she wanted to do a great deal more with her, but she pushed these thoughts aside.

    "Indeed. You have every right to understand my expectations. I would expect that you do your best to help me and my team with this raid upon the Anduriens. I do not question your loyalty, but I would know your thoughts on this matter."

    Nyxie paused before answering. "Master Po mentioned your interest in me. I am somewhat confused by this, but I defer to his orders and wisdom on this matter."

    Sheena smiled slightly. "I confess, my interest you is somewhat personal. I am curious about why you agreed to fight for these mercenaries?"

    Nyxie nodded. "I was taken as a bondswoman, my duties were clear. But more than that, I have come to understand that I have issues with my connection to my machine. Master Po offered a solution, and it seemed that it should work. His teachings and meditations have helped me greatly with my anxieties."

    "And will you fight as vigorously for me?"

    Nyxie nodded again. "I will serve you as honorably as I would Master Po. It is a matter of honor for me. You have my word."

    "I accept your word, and I look forward to working with you, Nyxie."

Gamble Plains

Conquista

Duchy of Andurien

Free Worlds League

14 June, 3152

                    "Press them. We can crush their indirect fire traps and they will be helpless!" Sheena commanded over the comms to the rest of her unit. They had made planetfall on Conquista and had quickly run afoul of the long range missile heavy units of the Anduriens that she had planned for with Master Po on Harloc. 

                    An enemy Trebuchet filled her sights, and she pulled into the triggers of her Black Knight. Her PPC connected squarely on the enemy mech's torso, and her pulse lasers cored significant amounts of armor from it's limbs. The Trebuchet tried to retreat into the cover of woods, but the blast from a Plasma Cannon on one of Sheena's Griffin compatriots struck it directly in the torso, impacting both damage and tremendous heat onto the enemy machine. It toppled to the ground, no threat for the time being.

                    Just as this was occurring, more swarms of long range missiles arced down around Sheena's mech, a few impacting on her armor, but the indirect fire otherwise leaving her annoyed but unscathed.

                    "I have one of the enemy LRM Carriers in sight, Sao-Shao. They are camped like cowards behind the ridgeline directly to your left." Nyxie called over the circuit.

                    "Excellent. Take it out. VTOL's add your firepower. If we defeat their LRMs, we defeat them!"

                    There was a chorus of affirmation across the comm line. Sheena looked down at her minimap. Things were going well. Her own forces were dealing with the enemy mechs, and now with the enemy missile carriers having been found and soon to be neutralized, she was confident that this stage of the battle was over.

                    An hour later, she found herself in the makeshift camp set up by her forces as a command headquarters. In the small collapsible structure were several of her warriors, gathered around a rough map set up on the table at the center of the room.

                    "We have sprung their trap. Now is the time to make good on the intelligence that we gleaned from Po Ding. The enemy commander is one Colonel Alfonso Humphreys. Our scouts have made contact with the enemy main force, and it seems that the Colonel is operating out of this region, known as Gordon's Ford. We are here to teach a lesson to these invaders, and the Colonel must be defeated if our mission is to be a success."

                    There was a chorus of affirmations from her officers. "Nyxie, you have remained silent through most of this, what is your opinion on the matter?"

                    The slight of build warrior stood firmly. "We are fighting on their home ground. I would advise against meeting them on their terms. Would it not be better to seek out some way of entrapping them, and fighting on our own terms?"

                    Sheena nodded. "Your concerns are valid. But we must be bold. We have only a short time here to accomplish our mission, and I want the Colonel neutralized as quickly as possible. We will hit them tomorrow morning, as soon as we are repaired and re-armed. I would advise all of you to get some rack time if you can to be fresh for the coming fight. I want this Colonel Humphreys, badly. This is the Chancellors will."

                    As the meeting broke up, Sheena made her way over to Nyxie. "Do not think that I am disregarding you counsel. I value it. But we have to hit them hard and fast, to make a statement. Your performance in today's battle was exemplary. I will make sure that Master Po knows of your service."

                    "Thank you Sao-Shao. I was simply concerned that we are biting off more than we can chew. This Colonel is no fool, he is doubtless an elite warrior. I look forward to testing myself against him in battle. But that does not mean rushing headlong into the fight. I would still urge caution in this matter."

                    Sheena shook her head. "I understand. But caution is not the way of the Death Commandos. These renegades must be taught a lesson, and we shall teach it to them. For now, we must simply prepare and tomorrow do our best. I will be retiring to my tent. I suggest that you do the same and get some rest. I will rely on you in the coming fight."

                    The Clanner was hard for Sheena to read. They had gotten along well enough, and Nyxie had shown proper deference, but still she seemed distant. Yet she still found herself drawn to this woman. It was more than simple physical attraction, there was something about the way this woman carried herself, a fierce warrior yet there was some vulnerability that she did not quite understand.

                    "Is there something else, Nyxie?"

                    Nyxie shrugged slightly. "I do not know, is there, Sao-Shao?" 

                    "What do you mean? You may speak plainly with me."

                    The Clanner relaxed slightly. "It is perhaps not my place, but as you ask me to speak plainly, I will. You wish to couple with me, yet you do not ask. I am curious as to why?"

                    Sheena was taken aback. Was her gaze that obvious? There was much about these Clanners that she did not understand, but there were rumors abbot how freely they were with sex. Sheena had never had a problem getting partners, but it seemed somehow awkward with this woman. She had made it a practice not to get into relationships with those within her command, she had simply looked elsewhere for companionship when she desired it.

                    "You are under my command. It would seem improper."

                    Nyxie shook her head. "Not if we both desire it. I appreciate your care in this regard, but I am I clan warrior. We put aside these hang-ups for simple practicality. We are both warriors, that should be enough." She smiled slightly. "And I note that you do not protest, so I find I was right in that you have the desire that I thought I saw in you. If you are agreeable, I would offer that we can take your mind off of the coming fight for a few hours. I think it would do us both a world of good."

                    Sheena chuckled somewhat awkwardly, somewhat in relief. "Your practicality is appreciated, Nyxie. I have some things to attend to, but in a few hours, I will be in my tent. The decision is yours. I look forward to your choice."

                    "Well bargained and done, Sao-shao." 

                    A few hours later, Sheena found herself in her tent, lying on her back with Nyxie curled up against her. The Clan woman had been not only skilled, but had a voracious appetite and made quite a good lover. Now they were both relaxed, finding themselves in that euphoria that follows sex, she found a desire to learn more about this woman.

                    "Nyxie?"

                    "Yes Sao-shao?"

                    Sheena laughed softly. "You do not have to call me by my rank when we are together like this. I think we've both shed some boundaries and inhibitions. Call me Sheena."

                    Nyxie moved slightly from her cuddled position, opening her eyes. "Very well. what is it, Sheena?"

                    "May I ask you something personal?"

                    "Of course. As you say, we have shed a few boundaries now. I have no problem with you asking me anything."

                    Sheena traced a finger delicately over one of Nyxie's EI neural implant tattoos. "Are you comfortable, serving as a bondswoman to House Po Ding?"

                    The other woman waited a few seconds before responding. "Yes. At first it was not so. At first I felt lost. A kind of lost that you cannot understand. But as time has moved on, I have come to see that it is what is best for me."

                    "What do you mean?"

                    Nyxie snuggled tight up against Sheena. "There is a comradery amongst ProtoMech pilots that is different from normal warriors. Our connections to our machines is a shared connection. We fight almost as a pack. I lost my pack. But in House Po Ding, I think I have found a new pack. And it might help me to better navigate the intricacies of my connection with my ride."

                    "Tell me more about it."

                    "We ProtoMech pilots are more connected to our machines than you MechWarriors are to your BattleMechs. We fight almost as if the machine is an extension of ourselves, and sometimes it is easy to get lost in the machine. The lifespan of a Proto pilot is a short one, as the mental challenges often lead to what is sometimes referred to as the God Complex, where we become lost in the machine. This happened to one of my pointmates in the fight in which I was captured. He lost himself in the machine and found himself almost crazy. It was his undoing." She paused for a moment. 

                    "I am sorry for your loss."

                    Nyxie ran her hand along Sheena's abdomen. "It eventually would have been my undoing as well. There are drugs that can help combat it, but it comes for us all sooner rather than later. It is something that I had accepted, but yet not quite accepted about my life. But now, with Master Po, I am trying to find a more stable balance between me and my Mech. I am coming to see that there is more to life than simply dying for the Clan. In that way, House Po Ding has given me a new life."

                    Sheena pulled Nyxie's head to her shoulder. "I had no idea. Thank you for sharing this with me."

                    "Not at all. It is not something that I hide, but yet it is not something easily shared either. There is a certain vulnerability to it, and that is not becoming a warrior. And yet I am seeing that perhaps that is not quite true, or not quite as true as I was raised to believe. I am learning that there is another path for me, and slowly coming to embrace it. And I think it is a better path, all things considered. And so that is why I gladly serve in House Po Ding's forces. It has given me a new meaning." She paused for a few seconds. "What is your purpose, your meaning? If I may be so bold as to ask"

                    Sheena remained silent for a few moments, collecting her thoughts. "My purpose is to serve the Chancellor, and the State. It has given me everything that I have. That has always been purpose enough for me. And yet I find myself somewhat envious of you."

                    "How so?"

                    "Your purpose seems to be internal. Mine is external. I serve at the whim of the Chancellor, I serve the State with every fiber of my being. But absent those things, I find the sense of purpose that you seem to have to be an appealing one. You will forgive me for my musings, maybe it's just the aftermath of sex talking here."

                    "If it is true to your path, then it is not for ill. We each have different paths to walk. Master Po teaches balance in all things. Perhaps you seek that balance as well."

                       Sheena laughed softly. "I am not going down the path of that mad warrior monk. I can respect that it works for you, but my purpose lies elsewhere. Would you believe that Master Po, as you call him, gifted me a copy of his published work. I have not had time to read it in depth. I familiarized myself with it when I knew that my mission would bring me to cross paths with Po Ding, but I have not actually read it."

                    "I have. It is part of the core of his teachings. Part of what it means to serve within the House. I know it is not your path, but perhaps there is some wisdom there for you to glean from it after all. I would encourage you to read it."

                    "You wish to return to the House, as you call it, when this is over, yes?"

                    "Yes. For now that is my path." Nyxie took several delicate breaths. "But being here, with you, is also part of that path. I would like to consider you as a friend going forward, even when our paths diverge."

                    "I admire your confidence. You speak as though victory tomorrow is assured."

                    Nyxie nodded and ran a hand through Sheena's soft black hair. "I have faith in your ability as a leader, and those around me. We will prevail. And survival is always a matter of chance, so there is no need to worry about it. Treat life as if you will survive the next fight, and it will be so."

                    Sheena chuckled softly. "One of Master Po's teachings?"

                    "No, just something basic to accepting life as a warrior. You accept that your life belongs to the Chancellor, I accept that mine belongs to fate and leave it at that. There is no other way to act."

                    "Then let us get some sleep here, now. And tomorrow there will be victory."