Exile of the Faithful - Chapter Four

Exile of the Faithful - Chapter Four

Grand Ballroom, Solaris Hilton

International Zone

Solaris City

Solaris VII

Lyran Commonwealth

23 August, 3052

     The doors to the main ballroom remained closed, manned by two of the hotel staff. It had been a while since Faith had attended one of these events. The high social circles were never her comfort zone, but they meant a great deal when one was dealing with the bright lights of the Solaris stage. And that stage was going to be her redemption.

     "For a military brat you do know how to pick out a dress, I will give you that." Vance Grigsby quipped as he ever so slightly adjusted his suit. It was garish, but not overly so. It yelled money, but not in an overtly tacky way as some of the new Solaris money tended to.

     He was right of course, Faith had spent most of the previous day picking out her dress from one of the finer clothiers in Solaris city proper. Perhaps giving her an expense account had not been the best idea, but Vance had wanted to make a splash for her appearance, and she endeavored to not disappoint. The deep blue dress contrasted perfectly with her eyes and hair. The time spent with the designer had paid off, as it hugged her every curve in a way she was sure she would be thankful for when the inevitable throng of Solaris paparazzi focused on her after word had leaked.  She had made sure her makeup was perfect, accentuating the fire of her eyes and the precision of her features.

     Vance took her arm as they approached the doors, and with a slight nod from the master of ceremonies, two attendants opened the doors so that Vance and Faith could make their entrance.

     "Please welcome Vance Grigsby, CEO of Solaris' own Grigsby Endeavors. His escort for this evening is the Lady Faith McCarron, formerly of House of Lords stables."

     The two entered the ballroom, filled with the assembled upper echelon of Solaris society. The look on many of their faces was one of surprise. Faith knew that Vance had planned the event for maximum publicity and exposure. She had kept her arrival a secret, and he had kept his early preparations for a new stable equally under wraps. Tonight was to be the unveiling, the surprise announcement that made the splash that would ensure maximum press exposure, and, in turn, maximum money.

     As the furor subsided, members of the waitstaff quickly made sure that Vance and Faith had glasses of champagne. It helped as they made the rounds of the various dregs of the Solaris upper crust. Most squirmed at the thought of Vance Grigsby's further encroachment into the Solaris gaming scene.

     After a few moments of working the crowd, the came upon Alan Zheng, one of the more loyal Capellan stable owners, and some garishly dress floozy who dangled on his arm. "You have outdone yourself this time, Grigsby. We all knew you coveted a place in the gaming industry, but showing up with a washed up mechwarrior on your arm, this is a new low."

     Faith tense at the insult, but a gentle touch from Vance on her arm signaled her to tone down her defenses. This was his domain, and much as she might not like it, she needed to defer to him in this situation. At least until she had regained her stature here on the gaming world.

     "Afraid you missed out on an opportunity, Alan? That's not like you." Vance kept a cool smile.

     "It might have been an opportunity last year, before this one had slain several loyal Capellans in an attempt to cover her own downward spiral into debauchery. Fitting though, that she should find a place with you, one who is known to peddle such...trash."

     Vance chuckled. "Come now Alan, I am nothing but a legitimate businessman. And besides, I very much doubt you would like us to compare the pedigree of our escorts for this evening, given your company's ties to the....shall we say...oldest and basest profession in history."

     The fact that Zheng's companion did not flinch at the intimation of her involvement in the Solaris skin trade spoke both to her level of intellect and her lack of scruples.

     "If you think you are going to force your way into the stable industry with a traitorous has-been like this, you are in for a major fall, Vance." Zheng smiled slyly, and the nods from a few of the small crowd that had gathered showed that he was not in the minority opinion.

     Vance gave her arm a gentle squeeze. "You've managed to buy your way into the top twenty, why would you think that I can't?" He chuckled for emphasis.

     Zheng lunged forward slightly. "Martin Chao has made his way into the top twenty completely on his own merits. You and your traitorous whore will never make it that far!"

     At that epithet, Faith tugged at the grip of her escort. "I'm more loyal than you and your Cathay lackeys! I've bled for the Confederation, what have you bled for, asshole?!" Vance gently tried to rein her in.

     "Mr Zheng, while my colleague may be rather excitable, she does have a point. She has fought many a battle in the service to your beloved CCAF. Now, as a loyal subject of Hanse Davion, I would be the last one to intrude upon a matter of Capellan....honor...such as it may be. But Miss McCarron is a business partner of mine, and business is something we both understand quite well. We could spar over this all night, Alan, but we both know how foolish that would be. What would you say to settling this in the arenas?"

     Zheng laughed aloud. "You are desperate in your search for legitimacy, aren't you, Grigsby? Why would I agree to fight you and your whore?"

     Vance smirked. "The fact that you stoop to such insults shows a lot Alan. But if the lady and I are such an insignificant nuisance, why not dismiss us in the arenas? It's a simple matter."

     By now, a fairly significant crowd had gathered. She suspected that had been Vance's intention all along. There were significant players on the Solaris scene watching now, and with each passing moment, it was becoming harder and harder for Zheng to turn Vance down.

     "Fine!," Zheng spat, "Martin Chao will meet your traitorous whore in the Jungle, in single combat, and we will settle this once and for all!"

     Vance practically leaped at the chance. "Done! Faith will dispatch your yes man, and it will mark the inaugural victory of my new stable. Shall we say, two weeks time?"

Penthouse Suite, Sun and Sword Hotel

Black Hills

Solaris City

Solaris VII

24 August, 3052

     Faith lay on her back, staring through the skylight up into the stars on a rare cloudless Solaran night. Her breathing was slowly returning to normal, and a few beads of sweat remained on her skin. The ridiculously soft black satin of the sheets embraced her back, but the top sheets remained cast to the side, exposing her skin to the cool air of the room.

     "That went better than I could have hoped for. At least if you can beat Martin Chao" Vance Grigsby said as he lay next to her on his side, his hand resting gently on her abdomen.

     "I can beat Chao in my sleep. Why do you think you sided with me?" she replied.

     He chuckled in response. "I like to think the last few hours had something to do with my decision."

     Faith let herself laugh softly. "Don't play that card Vance. I know you can have any one of fifty whores on your payroll in your bed on a given night."

     "Then why are you here" he countered.

     "Adrenaline," she replied. "You danced on the edge tonight, gambling that one of those fools would take the bait because of their ego. It might be a different kind of rush, but it was a rush just the same. And I've never found as good a cure for a rush as a good couple of hours between the sheets."

     "And I won," he quipped. "In more ways than one. You're going to kick his ass in a few weeks, and I'm going to rake in the money.

     She let a soft laugh escape. "You mean WE are going to rake in the money. This is going to be your sweet spot, you know. The press is going to be all over this.

     He closed his eyes. "Yeah. And I'm going to rely on you to play that card. I didn't accept this risk just because you have a steady aim and a tight ass. You're press savvy. You can play this angle up. I'm relying on that to spark interest in our stable."

     She smiled. "Relax. I can play to the crowd just fine. And with my whole disloyalty angle, they'll be eating this stuff up faster than you can blink. The Davion angle rubs me the wrong way a little, but I can get over it if the price is right."

     Vance smiled "You seemed to let the Davion angle rub you fine just a few minutes ago." He paused with a smile that was a little too smarmy for Faith's taste. "It's not like you are fighting Liao soldiers. Solaris is a business. If you want to make the money, you'll deal with that part. And tonight shows me that you do want to make the money."

Exile of the Faithful - Chapter Three

Exile of the Faithful - Chapter Three

Black Hills

Solaris City

Solaris VII

Lyran Commonwealth

19 August, 3052

     Everything about Vance Grigsby's office complex fit in perfectly with his persona. Everything was new, and expensive enough that it screamed money. Not old money, the kind of money and power that came with nobility, but new money, the kind that came from a man who had made it himself and wanted to make sure that the world knew about it.

     Even the staffer that ushered Faith in fit the Grigsby mold, her hair was just the right blonde, her skirt just a little too tight and a little too short. The assistant took her place beside Vance's desk, as he reacted with a smile.

     "Faith McCarron. Now there is a face I never thought I would see on Solaris again. I thought you left to go play with the big boys now that those clanners have come to gobble up everything in existence?"

     He motioned to a chair opposite his desk, which Faith took. She leaned back, trying to exhude as much comfort with the situation as she could. "Yeah, well times change. Robbing Arby's can be more dangerous than I thought."

     Vance chuckled. "I've heard many a rumor about you. That you were doped up on stims, killed a few House Liao lackeys, and they're chasing your ass throughout the Inner Sphere. Now the stims part I believe, we all know you've got a weakness for the dust, but I thought you bled Liao green and soy sauce."

     "Let's just say that tales of my disloyalty are greatly exaggerated. But that doesn't really matter once the seed is planted, does it?"

     Vance motioned to his assistant, who poured him a scotch, and offered one to Faith, which she accepted. "Now, what I hadn't heard is that you were back here. And the fact that you're coming to see me first means you don't trust your old contacts down in Cathay. Probably a good idea, the Mask is thick down there. So what are you here for, a job? Not that you don't have the looks for it sweetie, but I wouldn't have thought you the humble type."

     "I'm not looking to push dust or turn tricks for your little...enterprise, Vance. I still have my dignity intact."

     Vance made an exaggerated gesture. "You wound me, my dear lady. I'm as respectable a businessman as it gets. I have clients throughout the city, and my goods are the best they come. You know that first hand, sweetie."

     Faith smiled ever so slightly. "Vance, we both know how deep your reach is. But I also know how much you like to paint yourself as the respectable one. That's the part that brings me here. I'm on shaky ground, things aren't what they were, and the House of Lords is more of a memory than anything else. What I need is money, a mech, and a stable. What I've got is what you need if you want to crack into the games business, talent."

     Vance paused for a moment, sipping his drink. "You're good, no doubt about that. And you've got the persona to headline. But why me? You know that I'm as Davion as a roast beef sandwich. If you're looking to stick it to Liao, I'm not interested. And I don't want a partner thats got her head so far up her ass about revenge that she let's business slide. As I said, sweetie, I'm a businessman. Money before loyalty, you know?"

     Faith took a drink of the scotch, a fairly good one from the taste of it. She let the burn slowly subside before answering. "That's exactly why I came here. You may be shady as hell, but your motives are clear as crystal. I don't need politics. I need business. You may be dirty, but you are down to business. You want to make money on the games to legitimize your other "holdings", I need to make money and I've got the skills to tear the circuit up. So what do you say?"

Exile of the Faithful - Chapter Two

Exile of the Faithful - Chapter Two

Crossroads Inn

Joppa, The Reaches

Solaris VII

Lyran Commonwealth

18 August, 3052

     It was raining. Though she had spent considerable time on Solaris, and the climate in The Reaches was exactly the same as that in Solaris City proper, it seemed to Faith that it rained more here in the reaches. It was a light rain, light enough that you could notice the sounds of water dripping off various rooftops and gutters. But it was raining nonetheless, and rain meant clouds. Clouds obscured the sky. Clouds cut her off from the stars.

     It was fitting, she supposed, since she was now cut off from what was once her home, cut off and on the run from the Confederation. At least for the time being, she told herself. Nobody was going to keep her down for long.

     "Staring at dreary, rainy streets serves no real purpose, you know?" she heard Cat say as she moved up beside Faith. Where Faith was leaning against the iron railing of the second floor balcony, Cat stood upright and poised, as ever.

     "Helps remind me of where I am." Faith replied.

     "I think you are focusing more on where you are not. You are not on Altorra. You are not with the Rangers. You are not with your daughter."

     "Yeah, all that's pretty obvious" she interrupted.

     "We are here because it is one of the only places where you are safe, and probably the only place where you can build up enough of a power base to restore your reputation. Back there you were a soldier, a cog in the machine. But here, you are Lady McCarron. You have a reputation, influence, a following. You have to build that Faith up bigger than she ever was before." Cat said.

     She was right of course. That was the whole reason they had come here. With the Maskirovka on her trail anywhere in Confederation space, she couldn't stay there. She had thought about turning mercenary and heading to the newly established mercenary star world of Outreach, but it would be do easy for the Mask to just disappear her there. But here on Solaris, she might just have a shot. The larger her public persona here on the game world, the more protection she would find.

     "I know. And I've got that covered. I have a meeting tomorrow to set things in motion. What about you, you said you had to go somewhere on business?"

     Cat's gaze did not meet Faith's. The dark haired woman stared out into the rain and mist. "Yes. Important business. Business that only I can attend to while you are here doing what must be done."

     Faith sighed. "One of these days, Cat, you are going to stop with the mysteries."

     Cat chuckled. "Perhaps, but not today, Lady McCarron. Not today."