Fiona walked into the virtually silent mechbay aboard the Overlord-C class Starbird. They were burning in-system to Tukayyid and would be prepping for drop in a few hours. The command star and the first three Trinaries were aboard the Raptor, with the remaining 2 Trinaries and elementals aboard the Starbird. Most of the warriors were asleep at the moment, trying to catch some rest before the impending battle. She had tried to sleep, but the excitement, combined with the sense of dread she felt about the upcoming battle had overcome her will to relax and sleep.

        She had slipped on running shoes, leggings, and a tank top, and made her way down to the mechbay to look over her mech one last time before the fight. She had run into a few others who could not sleep, some were walking idly, some running laps to try to burn off the nervous energy. But when she had reached the mechbay, she had found it eerily quiet and empty, most of the lights and equipment running in low power mode.

        She made her way to her Hellbringer, and rested a hand against the cool metal of it's foot. It would be the first time she had ever taken the mech into battle, and it would easily be the biggest battle of her life.  Most were saying it was going to be the biggest battle since the days of the Liberation of Terra. Part of her had dreamed of being in a battle like this. But her youthful dreams of battle had usually consisted of some heroic stand against the villainous forces of the Dragon, defending Fed Suns worlds from slavery in the name of freedom. Now she found herself fighting for possession of Terra, against what basically amounted to the TeleCom company, beside the descendants of Kerensky himself to restore the Star League.

        Suddenly a voice broke her out of her reverie. "You give her a name yet?"

        She turned to see the diminutive form of her tech, Maddie, emerging from behind the other leg. "Neg. I had not really thought about it. I never had time to name my Wyvern. It had some FedCom quartermaster designation, nothing more. Just like this one."

           "Just like her, you mean."

        She shrugged. "What makes you so sure it is a 'her'?"

        Maddie glanced up at the mech. "You ever watch the ROMs of your simulator runs? Or even of your fights in your Wyvern? When you watch them from 3PV or from opfor gun cam angles, your mech has a swagger to it. It's not as pronounced in the Wyvern. I think you picked a lot of it up in your time in the clans. It kind of mirrors your walk when you're around other warriors. Your friend has the same thing. It's a kind of swagger, little bit of arrogance, but definitely feminine. It slips into your piloting. So this baby, she's definitely a girl."

        Fiona laughed. "You have a very strange way of viewing machines. And people, for that matter, I suppose."

        Maddie shoved her hands in her pockets and slouched her shoulders. "I'm a watcher, I guess. Always have been. Always watched people, machines, everything. I'm not much of a talker or a social butterfly or anything."

        Fiona chuckled. "You could have fooled me."

        Maddie frowned. "What's that supposed to mean?"

        Fiona smiled. "Relax, I meant no offense. It is just that you are quite bubbly and talkative for a clanner. I just found it strange that you find yourself not much of a talker."

       Seemingly satisfied, Maddie continued on. "It's gonna be the biggest battle in centuries. I'm no warrior, but part of me wishes I were out there to see it."

        Fiona walked over and stood beside the small tech, putting her arm around her shoulder as they both looked up at the battlemech. "Where will you be? I did not get the full briefing, just our Cluster Combat overview. It made no mention of where the technical elements would be. Do they plan on having you near the front at all?"

        Maddie sighed. "Doubtful. From everything I've heard, Clan Command thinks it will be a pushover. Most repair elements are going to be way in the back, probably in the LZ. I'm combat engineer rated, but the odds of them needing us for anything are next to nill. We mostly build fortifications, bridges, that sort of thing. Doubt we'll need that."

        "It is for the best. I am still nervous about the whole thing, to be honest."

        Maddie gave her a quizzical look. "Why? We have the best forces imaginable arrayed against them. Everyone say we cannot be defeated, and Terra is in our grasp. You and I will both see Terra together."

        Fiona sighed. "Things are too simple, too easy. Our leaders think this will be a walkover. I am worried. These ComStar soldiers are an unknown, and I dislike the idea of fighting them on our own terms of combat. It is too....I do not know, to tempting of a gift, wrapped up for our taking. There is something else in play here, Maddie. Mark my words. This will not be an easy fight, no matter the outcome."

        Maddie looked at her, confused. "Don't you want to win?"

        Fiona threw her one hand up in dismissal. "Of course I want to win. I am clan now. And even if I were not, the idea of restoring the Star League....it is intoxicating. To be the one to accomplish it....it is a goal beyond words. But I have been on the other side, Maddie. I know how the Inner Sphere sees us. They do not see us as the Star League reborn, they see us as conquerors coming to enslave humanity under a rigid caste system. We are alien, we are invaders, and we are the enemy. They will fight to the death. And what is worse, they have brought this fight to us, using our own customs. This is exactly how I defeated clan forces when I was fighting for the Federated Commonwealth. The ComGuard leader, Focht, he has seen something. He has seen a weakness, a crack in our armor. And he will give everything he has to pierce that crack."

        Maddie looked at her with concern. "Then you will simply have to do better. It is what you warriors do, quiaff?"

        She sighed. "Aff. I hope so. Aff."