"Tap out, freebirth, the victory is mine!"

        Abner struggled against the hold he was pinned in, but he knew it was hopeless. Blood trickled from his nose and plopped in mocking droplets on the deck plate. His head throbbed from smacking against the very same deck mere minutes before. He tapped his one moderately free hand on the deck. 

        "Aff, I submit."

        The fight had been a disappointment. At the very least, it had been painful. Somehow, Fiona had managed to convince Star Commander Lovvins that a trial of grievance was necessary to resolve the massive rift between Abner and Abigail. The venue had been chosen as the mech bay, and the fight was to be unaugmented.

        At first, Abner had been loathe to participate, but he quickly realized the fact that there had to be some kind of catharsis in order to resolve things. He knew what the problem was, he simply had no idea how to resolve it without some kind of conflict. And he wasn't even sure that conflict was going to solve anything.

        His plan through the whole thing had been to fight defensively until Abigail's rage was spent, then hopefully some simpler resolution could be found. It wasn't a very clan-like plan, but what was a dirty freebirth to do anyway, he figured.

        He hadn't planned on two things. One was the extent of Abigail's fury and the amount of time it would last. The second was the age gap. He had sorely underestimated how old he felt when going up against a trueborn warrior in her prime. He had handled himself well, but the defense he mounted could only last for so long. Eventually, he wore down, Abigail saw her chance, and like a good Jade Falcon, she struck all the more aggressively.

        All of which led to where he was now, battered fairly badly, bleeding from the nose, and forced to submit. A second or two after his submission, she released her grip and stood. He simply rolled over and sat, dabbing at the blood at his nose. He looked up at her as she stood looking down disparagingly on him with her hands on her hips. She bore a red spot on her cheek where he had managed to sneak in a blow, and he knew that under her tank top were several spots that would grow into fairly significant bruises where he had landed shots to her core. But he had no doubt she would be feeling far better in the morning than he would.

        "So, Miss Trueborn, do you feel better now, having pounded me pretty significantly?"

        She looked at him defiantly, then sighed deeply. "It was invigorating.....but neg, I cannot say that I feel better for it now."

        He got up and walked over to the foot of her Timber Wolf, the only BattleMech on the ship. He sat down on the deck with his back against the inside of the mech's right foot. After a minute or two, Abigail came over and sat mirroring him against the opposite foot. "So, shall we discuss what the issue between us is?"

        She scoffed. "You are an old, filthy freebirth, that is issue enough."

        He shook his head. "No, you don't get off with the standard answers. There's more. You don't like freeborns, I get it, none of you trues do. Except that you do. You guard one like a sister, and hell, you spend plenty of nights with one between your legs. So as canister born go, freeborn is not an issue for you."

        Abigail's nostrils flared in anger. "If I had not just beaten you severely, I would thrash you again, freebirth."

        He threw up his hands. "Hell, beat me ten times, trueborn. But at least tell me the reason for the beatings."

        She balled her fists. "I do not trust you, freebirth. Why are you so invested in Fiona?"

        He cocked his head. "I could ask you the same question, Missie"

        "Neg. I defeated you. As the victor, I deserve the answers."

        He rested his elbows on his knees. "I don't know any of the rites you're claiming, but hey, fair is fair." He paused for a moment before continuing. "We freeborns aren't raised in a sibko like you cannister brats. We volunteer later in life, and from what I gather, the latter stages of training are similar for freeborns and trues. Ours may be a bit harsher, since we're more expendable and all, you understand."

        She rolled her eyes. "Fascinating as this lecture on freeborn training is, what is the point?"

        He let his head sag. "It's harsh training, and you form bonds with those around you. I won't bore you with the details, but I was quite close with girl in my training unit. I don't know how it is for you trues, but for us freeborns in training, everything is on the line, so you latch onto those around you. She and I....we clicked."

        Abigail shook her head impatiently. "Freeborn romance does not interest me."

        He chuckled. "Don't worry then, Miss True, it wasn't love or romance or anything like that. It was just two scared people connecting. But long story short, she found out she was going to wash out and join the technician caste. We said our goodbyes and moved on. I passed my trial of position, and was waiting for assignment to a unit, when I received a random communication from her. She had just given birth to a child. My child."

        Abigail practically spat. "Your disgusting freebirth spawning is revolting. Why are you telling me this?"

        Abner sat silently for a moment, interlocking his fingers as he tried to organize his thoughts. "As you pointed out, I'm a lot older than you guys. My daughter is only slightly younger than you and Fiona. I haven't been anything close to a real father for her, but I have been lucky enough to see her every few years. For whatever reason, she decided some years ago that she wished to follow my lead and become a warrior. I spend a great deal of time worrying about that. I know how hard the struggle was for me, and I could never wish that upon another person, much less someone who I care about and who is of my blood. But it is the path she has chosen. When we arrived at Ironhold, I received a communication from her mother. She has passed her trial and is awaiting assignment to a unit. As a nondescript freebirth, she will likely receive no great assignment, but still...."

        Abigail waved dismissively. "And so you see Fiona as the image of your freebirth daughter. That is disgusting and excessive."

        He struggled to restrain himself. "Neg, that is not the point. I am not confusing her for my daughter. But I do think of my daughter when I see her, and I think, I hope that she has an ally to watch her back. And so I try to be that ally for Fiona. Do you understand that, at least?"

        Abigail shrugged. "You speak like a freebirth, in dirty and disgusting terms. But yes, I believe I understand what you are saying."

        Abner looked up. "So, what about you then, Miss Trueborn? Why are you so invested in a freeborn?"

        Abigail smirked. "What are you talking about, freebirth?"

        He laughed. "You. You treat her like a sister, you have her back, you watch her every move. You guys are thick as thieves."

        She waved his comments aside with a gesture. "What are you implying?"

        He thought long and hard for a moment. "I think you know what I mean. But if you don't, well, that's not my place to say."

        The two of them locked eyes, much being said across the matched gazes without words. "Are we done, freebirth?"

        He wiped the blood from his nose. "I am if you are, Miss Trueborn."