Chapter 1

Xolara
Solaris City, Solaris VII
Lyran Alliance
12 March, 3067


It wasn’t exactly a seedy bar, but it wasn’t the most upscale of places either. Faith sat towards the rear of the bar, the better to keep an eye on the comings and goings of the various patrons. For the most part, the people frequenting the bar were working class locals with a smattering of tourists thrown in for good measure. Faith was fairly certain that she had pegged the local criminal element doing their normal running, and from the look of it, it was mostly low level trade in illicit substances, and some kind of sex ring that she wasn't quite sure of, and was pretty sure she didn’t want to be sure of.

Today, however, held a new surprise. From a back hallway of the bar emerged a woman, followed closely by two men who were clearly auditioning for the role of archetypal bodyguard. The blonde woman was probably in her forties, perhaps early fifties, but had a certain grace about the way she walked. It didn’t exactly put her out of place here, but it did make her stand out. She was dressed in a dark gray business suit over a teal blouse. Her blonde hair was swept back and her earrings showed a trace of norse influence in them, pegging her as a Rasalhagian native in Faith’s quick estimation.

Not particularly to Faith’s surprise, the woman made her way over to Faith’s table. Faith was the new arrival here, and more likely as not, she knew she would have to explain herself to someone, sometime. The bartender had taken little interest in her, and she had quickly dismissed any notions that he might be one of those bartenders who truly ran a watering hole and had the feel for the information that flowed through it. No, the one who ran this particular establishment was now making her way over to meet Faith.

“Am I disturbing you?” The woman’s tone was neutral, and her voice held a surprising warmth that Faith wouldn’t have anticipated.

“No. And given all the options that a local boss could have been, I’ll take you.”

The other woman took a seat across the table from her and smiled slightly, almost self-reflectedly. “So I’m the ‘boss’, am I?”

Faith kept her tone no-nonsense. “I don’t know what the title is that you go by, but yeah. Seems to me you’re the one in charge. At least of this place, and I’d wager a little further. Nature abhors a vacuum, so there’s always someone who manages what goes on in a given area. You’ve got the presence, and you’ve got the goon squad following you around. So I figure it’s you.”

“I’m Astrid Bensen, and I’m a...local businesswoman. So, what is a low level mech jock doing slumming it here in Xolara in our beautiful neighborhood?” This woman’s stock just rose a notch in Faith’s eyes. At least she had done her research before the meeting.

“Well, you obviously know me. That means you also know I’m a little bit more than a mech jock. I like to keep my hands in a few different cookie jars. For now, I’m just scoping out talent for a friend of mine.”

“And you expect to find it here? This isn’t exactly the Hiring Hall on Outreach.”

While there was some truth to the woman’s words, Faith had plied her trade in the Solaris underworld long enough to know that plenty of talent flowed through the bottom levels of the Solaris experience, it was just a matter of filtering out all of the muck. “I’ve spent plenty of time myself away from the fancy lights of the big city, so I know that talent doesn’t just pool in one place. But I’m sure you know that too. Even if you don’t trade in it, you know what goes through your little piece of the pie.”

Astrid smiled with the corner of her mouth. “You might be surprised what I trade in. But mostly I just watch, make sure things run smoothly. It has it’s rewards.”

And there it was. Faith nodded. “I understand, this is your turf. Anything I find here comes with a storage fee attached. That’s not a problem. Although that might be.” She nodded towards the front of the bar where two drunk patrons were nearly at blows with each other over the virtues of Lyran vs. Davion mechwarriors.

Astrid chuckled. “Those two have been fighting since before the riots. They know that if they break anything, they have to pay for it. Other than that, they’re harmless. As for you and I, I’m glad we understand one another. I like to look at everything as an opportunity rather than a problem. If there’s anything you need during your time here, I’m sure I can point you in the right direction.”




It was about half an hour past last call, and Faith made her way down the sidewalk. It had been raining, but right now the air just hung heavy with moisture and all the surfaces were slick with rainwater. She hadn’t really found anything tonight, but at the very least she had come to an understanding with the local turf boss, such as she was. She didn’t plan to make her way all the way back to Solaris City proper, she had rented a small hole in the wall apartment here in the Reaches to crash at on nights like this. She had nursed her drinks, but there was still a bit of a buzz going on in her head.

Enough of a buzz that she paused instead of walking past when she heard a commotion in the alley to her left. It was the kind of alley that was straight out of some pulp fiction novel, narrow with high walls on either side, suitably dotted with various fire escapes, small fences, and other assorted ironmongery, and just enough lighting from sources you couldn’t make out to illuminate the things you didn’t want to see.

At this hour, what Faith didn’t want to see was a tourist-looking couple backed against the side wall of the alley, and three archetypal low life thugs menacing them in a rough semi-circle. As she approached, Faith could make out some of the conversation.

“We….we’re just asking questions, looking for information, that’s all. We didn’t mean to bother anyone” stammered the male half of the tourist couple. He looked to be in his fifties, easily pegged as a tourist by his business casual clothes and the frightened tone in his voice.

“Yeah, well too late for that, pops. You already caused a bother. You come around here looking for something, you gotta pay a finders fee. Lucky for you, you found the tax collector. Me. Now all you gotta do is turn over everything you got on you, and hey, we’ll even go easy on the little lady there.” The large oaf in the center of the semi-circle was obviously the self-appointed leader of this “tax collection” gang.

The thug to the left guffawed. “Speak for yourself, Manny. Takin’ care of the ole business don’t come cheap down here for some of us. I bet momma there could help me out.”

“Just leave us alone!” The man yelled.

“Hey, chill man. You can watch if that’s what heats up your PPC,” the second thug laughed heartily at his own humor.

“Hey boys, you’re a little way from the tax office, wouldn’t you say?” Faith interjected, causing all three of the goons to turn and face her. Manny, the one who passed for an alpha in this particular pack shook his hand casually, showing off the medium sized knife he held in it.

“What’s it to you, girl scout? We’re having a private conversation here with these fine folks. Why don’t you take that tight little ass of yours outta here and go work the circuit, if you get my drift.” She could tell these three were small time, they obviously weren’t Yakuza, Tongs, or Mafia, and had probably just stumbled on these two tourists who just happened to be practically wearing a giant “rob me” sign.

“Because, Manny, watching the local dropouts roughing up the paying customers isn’t my thing. It gives me heartburn. So why don’t you go on home, help each other out, and call it a night. I assure you that this tight little ass is more trouble than it’s worth to you.” By this point she knew that a fight was inevitable. She also knew she could handle this street trash.

Goon number two was the first to make a move, producing a club of some sort from behind his back and casually walking toward her. “I got just the thing to loosen that asshole, bitch!” As he spoke, he wound up and took a clumsy swing at her. She deflected the blow and grabbed the man’s arm, shoving down with enough force that he awkwardly stumbled to the ground. She slammed her booted foot down on his arm, hearing a satisfying snap as his grip on the club gave way. As she spun around to face the remaining two criminals, she drew the semi-auto holdout pistol that she had squirreled away in the back of her belt.

“Anyone else looking to loosen me up tonight?” She wasn’t sure why, but she caught a hint of indecision in Manny’s eyes. She squeezed the trigger, sending a slug through Manny’s shoulder with a sharp crack. The thug spun around with the impact and let out a howl.

At about that time, the combination of the alcohol and the adrenaline hit Faith’s brain. Time seemed to freeze, lights blurred, and sounds fell to a muffle. She was vaguely aware of the trio of men scurrying their way out the back of the alley, and the shocked couple running up to her after a moment or two.

“What are we going to do?! Miss? Lady?!,” the female of the couple was practically pleading with Faith for a response. Faith blinked hard, shaking herself out of the fugue state.

“Wait for the cops. Always wait for the cops.”

Prologue

Solaris Spaceport

International Zone, Solaris City

Solaris VII

Lyran Alliance

10 March, 3067

Solaris VII. I can't count the number of times this world has tried to kill me. That it hasn’t yet succeeded isn’t for lack of creativity or lack of trying. Yet I always seem to find myself back here. Maybe it’s the money. Maybe it’s the fame. Shit, who are you fooling, girl, it’s the adrenaline and the danger. Like a junkie who has sworn off drugs, I can never quite turn down the lure of the good stuff. Just one more time. At least that’s what I tell myself every time I come back. One more time. And if history is any guide, I’ll end up with my life hanging in the balance somewhere, my heart pounding in my head and the life pulsing slowly out of me, and I’ll tell myself this is the last time, I’ll tell myself never again. Some people call me a glutton for punishment. Some people call me an idiot. And some people, some people call me a marshmallow…

Faith McCarron walked slowly through the crowd with her hands stuffed in her pockets. There wasn’t much use in fighting the crowds, at least not at the spaceport at unloading time. The crowd here was no different than the crowd in an arena, there were certain times you weren't going to move it or change it, you just had to ride it.

This was one of them. She had come in on a commercial passenger hauler, and hers was one of three that was unloading at the spaceport at this hour. The crowd was big, and the crowd was mixed. There were the scattered hopefuls, she could still spot them. They were the new warriors, coming to Solaris hoping to make a name for themselves. Some were starting out. Some were trying to start over. Almost all of them would fail. Some of them would die. But right now, they were soaking in the sights, trying to get a feel for their new home. 

She had been in that position once, years ago. Disillusioned with the life of taking orders as a simple soldier, she had come here to carve her own path. It hadn’t worked out the way she had planned, but life seldom did. But neither had it been a failure. She rolled with the punches, adapted, and got good. That’s what you did on Solaris, you got good or you died.

But life on Solaris was never really simple, and one tended to get entangled in complications, no matter if you wanted to or not. Those were the kind of complications that had taken her offworld for a time, back into the service of House Liao, and she had served well. But now it was time to return home. Things were changing. The Federated Commonwealth had split in two in a bloody civil war, and the Inner Sphere was never going to be the same again. When things changed, Faith tried to ground herself, and that meant coming home to Solaris.

Solaris, too, had seen its share of change. Riots had torn the city apart, as the FedCom Civil War had spilled into the streets, eventually embroiling even the other sectors of the city. Even the games, that stalwart center of Solaran life, had ground to a halt for a time. They were slowly coming back, but that meant opportunities. And opportunities were why Faith was back here. Opportunities for what, that was the question.

For now, she simply let the crowd move her along until she had made her way outside the confines of the spaceport building. The skies were cloudy, but the rains for which Solaris was famous were not, for the moment, falling. Vehicles, both wheeled and hover propelled, were fighting each other for position along the roadway that led away from the complex, and people swarmed in and amongst them like insects. The vehicles seemed to be in an almost constant state of motion, like a system of blood vessels carrying the newly arrived deeper into the city to whatever fate awaited them. There were a million stories being carried into the city that way, Faith’s just another among the flow.

“Sneaking into town without so much as a whisper, are we?” The owner of the voice slipped casually into step beside Faith. She silently scolded herself for allowing someone to have followed her and slipped in beside her without notice as she had been lost in her reverie at returning to the city, even as a smile crept onto her face at the recognition of the voice itself.

“I had no idea you were in system, Victoria. You never call, you never write,” Faith replied. She cast a sidelong glance at her new companion. “And besides, it looks like you’re slumming it, too.”

The woman chuckled. Victoria Merryweather was the owner and head of her own corporation, and worth more millions than Faith cared to guess, but today she wore jeans and a simple sweater, along with what Faith judged to be obnoxiously large sunglasses. “What can I say, things are boring at home, and you know my love for the games here. Besides, with things heating up in the Chaos March, this is as good a place as any to get your pulse on the vein of the universe.”

That was a phrase Victoria had used before, and that pulse seemed always tied to money. If there were deals to be had, weapons to be sold, contracts to be signed, Victoria would be nearby, that was one thing of which you could be assured. But on top of all that, she had a gambling streak in her. She liked to take a chance, she liked the thrill of living on the edge, and that was what had brought her both to the game world and across Faith’s path in the past.

Faith took in her surroundings once again, feeling the pulse, as it were. Yes, it was the same game world, but there was a definite edge. And it wasn’t just here. Something big was on the horizon, and like animals before an earthquake, people seemed to sense it that it was coming, even if they didn’t understand what it was. “And you just happened to be strolling incognito through the International sector when you bumped into me?”

“Ok, so I might have had your name flagged to watch for when my people sort through all that boring data. I figured I’d surprise you, what with you being my favorite mechwarrior and all.”

Faith allowed herself a grin. “Now I know something is up. Ok, I’ll buy that I’m in your rolodex of keywords to look for on interweb traffic, right next to Ferro-fibrous armor. But buttering me up on top of that? You have a plan.”

“I like to call them programs, but yes, I have a plan. Find me after you get settled?” Good, bad, or horrible, Faith had found her thread to pull on. The game world was alive once again.

Penthouse Number One, TharHes Tower

Silesia, Solaris City

Solaris VII

Lyran Alliance

11 March, 3067

The aroma of synthetic opium hung in the air as the two women gazed up into the surprisingly clear Solaran night sky. It was a cloudless night, and the glass ceiling afforded a totally unobstructed view of the stars above.

“All those stars, and we always seem to end up around the same few. Makes you wonder if we really choose our own paths at all, doesn’t it?” Faith mused, half to herself, as she let the lingering effects of the drugs coursing through her veins run their course. She wasn't often openly self-reflective, but she allowed herself the indulgence here in the relative safety of the company of a friend.

“Don't get all philosophical with me. We make our own way, you should know that better than most. That’s part of what makes you my favorite mechwarrior, you and I, neither of us have anything that we didn’t fight tooth and nail to earn. There’s a lot to be said for that.” Victoria countered as she rolled from her back to prop herself on her elbows to look at Faith.

Faith chuckled slightly, “Your favorite? So you keep a harem of mechwarriors around, do you?”

Victoria smiled. “On this world, they call it a stable. And no, I don’t keep one. Yet.” She paused for a moment. “That’s what I was referring to earlier. I’m thinking of forming my own stable, and I’d like you at the top of my fight card.”

Faith paused and pondered for a moment, before turning her head slightly to meet Victoria’s now intense gaze. “You’re serious?”

She nodded. “You’ve known me long enough to know that I don’t play around when it comes to business. When I inherited Merryweather Industries, it was a joke, we had fallen from being the first private company to ever build a BattleMech to a parts supplier and builder of industrial farm equipment. And now, we’ve got mech’s rolling off the line, we’re producing top of the line equipment, and we’re more profitable than ever in our history. I fight to win, just like you.”

Faith knew the truth of what she was saying. A chance contract on Alula Australis had crossed her path with Victoria years ago, when she was still in the process of rebuilding her family company. Their friendship had grown, and so had Victoria’s company. If you were going to have a friend with benefits, you may as well go for a financially solvent one as not, she had figured, and their relationship had grown and paid dividends for both of them.

“Why me?” she asked, then followed up, “And why now?”

“Why now? That’s easy. There was no way I could break into the field of stable owners before. You have to have more than just cash to open up a stable, or the planet would be littered with them. No, they’re a closed group. But things have been shaken up here. The riots, the Fed-com split, everything. It’s a more open world than it’s ever been before. And I intend to cash in on that.”

It made sense. Solaris VII had a system that had worked well for decades without change. Sure, Kai Allard-Liao had shaken things up a bit after the Clan Wars, but that change was small, and had been met with resistance from many of the other stable owners. But the split of the Federated Commonwealth had broken the whole system wide open, with riots in the streets, and stables fighting each other across Solaris City in BattleMechs. Things had started to get back to normal, but if there was a time to make a new normal, it was now.

“Okay, that settles the why now. But why me? You’re not going to break into the big time with a fighter like me,” she paused as she brushed a hair out of her face. “Yeah, I’m good, but I’m not predictable, and I’m not big time. You’d need to score a Top Twenty, wouldn’t you?”

Victoria smiled. “You always go for the jugular right away. That’s not how I’m going to succeed at this. What you are is a known quantity to me, and an unknown to the rest of them out there. You’ve been away long enough that they’ve forgotten about you for the most part. But I haven’t. I know what you’re capable of. And you also don’t build a stable on the back of one fighter. I’ll need to recruit talent. I’ll need you to judge that talent. And on top of that, there’s the normal recruiting channels, which are open to me, obvious, and clogged with chaff. But you know this city. You know the system. I’m counting on you to find a few diamonds in the rough, as it were.”

It was a tempting offer. Not that she was hurting for money, but taking Victoria up on her offer was tantamount to gaining a sugar mama. It was steady work with an almost limitless income stream.

“It’s going to tie me down here. Indefinitely.”

Victoria slid closer to her, caressing her arm. “That may not be a bad thing either. I would love having you around, but putting my own personal interest in things aside, maybe this is a good time for you to settle down for a bit. I know you’re a free agent and always will be. I respect that. But things are getting deadly out there. I know it’s a free agent’s market right now, but I have a bad feeling about things.”

Faith rolled onto her side to better match the other woman’s gaze. “They don't call it the Chaos March for nothing. It’s crazy out there, but that’s nothing new. I’ve survived, no, I’ve thrived in that environment. What has you spooked now?”

Victoria looked away for a second, composing her thoughts. “It’s not anything I can put a finger on, it’s just a feeling that something major is about to happen. There’s a lot of money and arms flowing out there, more than there should be. And technology. It took decades for the Grey Death Memory Core to bear fruit in terms of production level improvements. Now, as the owner of an arms firm, I can get access to levels of technology we couldn’t even dream of just a few years ago. I’ve already got licensing agreements to produce LFE’s, Rotary autocannon, and improved Medium lasers. Twenty years ago, I’d have had to murder someone to get plans for an ER large laser. Now, hell, it’s harder to get drugs than it is to get new tech. It’s all flowing from somewhere, being seeded, and I don’t know why.”

“Isn’t that like looking a gift horse in the mouth?,” Faith parried.

Victoria sighed. “Maybe. But if I’m going to be indebted to someone, I’d like to know who the paymaster is. And either way, I don’t see things ending calmly. Either way, it would be good for you to get a solid footing for once, don’t you think?”

Faith chuckled. “I built myself a castle back on Altorra. I think I have pretty solid footing.”

“That’s not what I’m talking about. When things go bad...if things go bad, you’ll need to surround yourself with the right people. This could be a start.”

Faith smiled gently. “A start then.”

Silesia
Solaris VII
Lyran Commonwealth
12 January, 3053




     Faith awoke to the sound of a message alert pinging from her comm unit. After several seconds of ignoring it, she finally rolled over and grabbed the unit, bringing up the message that called for her attention. It was marked urgent. After quickly reading it, she jumped out of bed and scrambled to collect her clothes and dress as quickly as she could.

     "What is it?" Sapphire sat up and rubbed the remnants of sleep from her eyes.

     "A text message. It came from a friend of mine's comm unit. She was looking into who's behind this frame job," she replied as she hurriedly pulled on her shirt.

     "A lead then? That's good news, right?" Sapphire inquired.

     "Maybe, maybe not. It came from her comm, but she didn't send it. She must have stumbled onto something. The people that grabbed her want a meeting." Faith tried to keep the worry from her voice. She knew where the message came from, and while it promised a resolution, she was still worried. It could easily be a trap. Either way, she had to go and find out what had happened to Paige.

     "Where are you heading, then?"

     "Cathay."

     Sapphire blinked away her surprise. "Are you nuts? I thought you were persona non grata down there right now?"

     Faith nodded as she laced up her boots. "I am. But some powerful people want a meeting, and they obviously have my friend, so I have to see what's up."

     Sapphire rolled out of bed herself and began collecting her garments. "Give me a couple minutes and I'll join you."

     Faith shook her head. "Not a good idea. Granted it's not as bad as bringing a DavRat into Cathay, but you're not going to be the most welcome."

     Sapphire shrugged. "Oh well. I'll live. And besides, you'll need backup. Who is it you're going to meet?"

     Faith sighed. "Someone with enough power to either fix things for me, or ruin them."



Li Estate, Chancellor's Quarter
Cathay
Solaris VII
Lyran Commonwealth
12 January, 3053



     Faith and Sapphire had easily made their way through the upscale Chancellor's Quarter. Liao security forces were virtually everywhere, but none made even a cursory attempt to stop them. Smooth sailing, either into a solution, or into a trap.

     Upon arriving at the gates of the estate of Mai Li, they had been welcomed by the door guard. Handing over their weapons, they had been led into the opulent estate, through corridors and halls meant to showcase the obvious wealth of it's owner, all in supremely Chinese style and filled with imagery of the Confederation.

     "So who is this person, anyway?" Sapphire inquired.

     They stopped at a set of large, intricately carved doors. "Her name is Mai Li. She's at the top of the pyramid for the Triads here on Solaris. She's also a mouthpiece for the Confederation. Much more powerful than any of the figurehead ambassadors, she's a member of the unofficial Capellan leadership here on Solaris. When she says something, it might as well come directly from the Celestial Palace back on Sian. Smart money has her as a member of the Maskirovka."

     "Gee, sounds like just the kind of person I want to meet," Sapphire quipped sarcastically.

     "Whatever you do, be respectful. She's in charge here, and has the Confederation backing her up. And she knows it."

     The doors opened from within, and the guards ushered the pair inside. The room was dimly lit, and exquisitely decorated in Chinese style. Most of the materials were imported, and rivaled what one would find on a noble's estate on Sian. Seated on what could only be described as a throne, Mai Li was flanked by two bodyguards in precisely tailored suits of the latest Capellan style.

     In spite of her relaxed pose, Mai Li radiated power and authority. She wore an emerald green silk robe, embroidered with gold, the colors of the Confederation, in an open statement about the power she wielded here on Solaris. She wore her black hair pulled back, and made no attempt to conceal the few streaks of grey that adorned her head. She gestured to a large, plush ruby red sofa that sat in front of her chair, and Faith and Sapphire both took seats, Faith bowing her head slightly.

     "So, this is the girl who has caused me such trouble recently." She paused for a moment, before turning her gaze toward Sapphire. "And you have brought with you an outsider. Why? This business is our own."

     Faith met Mai's gaze. "Forgive me, but she and I are...in business together. It seemed prudent to bring her along as I try to resolve this unpleasantness."

     "Curious, that you surround yourself with FedRats these days. This one, and the rat you sent trying to ferret out details of recent events."

     Faith did not flinch. "I find friends where I can. Recent events have made that painfully difficult within Capellan society. How is Paige?"

     "Miss Townsend is unharmed, only through the good graces of his Celestial Wisdom Chancellor Sun-Tzu. Were we still guided by his mother, I fear your mole would have been put down for poking her nose where it does not belong. But Sun-Tzu, in his infinite wisdom and genius, has seen fit to grant leniency in things surrounding you."

     Faith bowed her head ever so slightly. "I have no doubt the people of the Confederation will enjoy many years of prosperity under his wise leadership. We should all be happy for this."

     Mai Li stood slowly. "You speak as though you are still a Capellan. Do you still consider yourself a loyal servant of House Liao?"

     Faith straightened her posture. "I am, and have always been so. The incident with the Gatekeepers was motivated only out of survival. And their subsequent treachery should bear that out. I have never turned my back on the Chancellor or my citizenship."

     Mai paced slowly, her graceful steps giving the impression that she almost was gliding across the marble floor. "Under Romano Liao, you were dictated to be treated as a traitor and outcast. This led to some elements within our society here targeting you. With Romano's passing, most were content not to revisit that policy, and so certain elements have seen fit to seek you out for vengeance. With this latest eruption of unpleasantness, however, the matter gained the attention of the royal court. It has become possible for certain policies to be reversed, and you to be welcomed back into the good graces of the Chancellor. If you were to demonstrate that you are contrite, I am authorized to ensure that this latest mess is cleaned up sufficiently for all parties."

     Faith thought for a moment before responding. "So you'll call off the hounds, and make it clear I was not responsible for the murder of that SGB agent?"

     Mai nodded gently. "The elements that targeted you mistakenly sought alliances within the Black Hills, given your residency there. Clearly, working with those Davionist elements corrupted their sense of duty and led to unfortunate choices. That will be made clear."

     "As long as I am contrite. What exactly does that mean?"

     "It means accepting your own mistakes in this affair. Fleeing the Confederation, taking up with Davionists, these are mistakes which cannot simply be ignored. Accept punishment for these things, and the slate will be wiped clean."

Feedback request

     I have a feedback request for my readers. I know that there are readers of this fiction, and I hope very much that you all enjoy it. With the current Faith story, I've also written and worked on a kind of side/bonus content to the Faith/Sapphire storyline. It's complete, but not edited yet. It does, however, contain rather sexually explicit content. I would like feedback as to whether or not the readers would like to see it posted, or would rather have things maintained in a more Battletech/PG-13 format. Please post comments on this thread, or send private feedback to faithmcclosky@yahoo.com with your thoughts and comments.

Silesia
Solaris VII
Lyran Commonwealth
12 January, 3053




     Faith and Sapphire stumbled fairly coherently through the door of the apartment, Sapphire slapping a light switch as she passed it, activating a bank of black lights, bathing the studio apartment in odd hues of blue and white.

     "I'm pretty sure those poor boys aren't even going to remember anything of their evening," Sapphire laughed.

     Faith chuckled in response. "Hey, not our fault that they thought it would be a good idea to try to drink us under the pool table. I'm not even sure they were legal to be there, they were so green."

     Faith set her comm unit and Sternsnacht down on the island as Sapphire tossed her keycard onto a small table.

     "The Burger is kind of...liberal when it comes to checking ID. The local authorities don't care so much as long as nothing gets too out of hand." She waived Faith to a seat, and dropped herself into a chair opposite, a small glass table separating the two women. "You still never told me what you're doing down in these parts, Faith McCarron."

     Faith tensed slightly in her chair, taking in the room around her with it's array of lights and oddly reflective objects. She had come to Silesia to avoid being spotted, but that had already gone to hell. She was going to have to find someone to trust. "At the moment, hiding."

     "I doubt that's your long game though." Sapphire looked young, but her eyes belied some kind of weariness that Faith couldn't quite put her finger on.

     "Who says I have a long game?" Faith quipped back.

     "Fair enough," Sapphire conceded. "Keep your secrets for now, I don't need to know. For what it's worth, you can crash here for as long as you need."

     Faith smiled wryly. "And why would you help me?"

     Sapphire paused for a moment before answering. "People come to the game world for a million different reasons. Some for fame and glory, some to start over, you name it. And some people come here to get something started. I get that feeling from you. People like us have to stick together." She reached into a drawer by the side table and pulled out a small packet filled with some kind of small white crystals. "So. What do you say to a little sanctuary, even if just for a little while?"



     A few hours later, Faith found her mind wandering, laying on her back, staring at the ceiling but not really looking at it. Sapphire shifted slightly, pressing herself a little closer and letting one arm rest across Faith's stomach. Small tingling sensations lingered wherever their skin touched, residual effects from the drug they had both taken.

     "So, what's your long game? You're obviously not a mechbunny or a pool shark, yet you were hustling in the same hippy dive I was. So what brings you to Solaris?" Faith phrased it softly, not wanting to press or come off too pushy.

     Sapphire didn't speak for several long seconds. "I'm a mechwarrior, same as you. Haven't seen all the action you have, but I've seen enough. I needed to start over, get away from things, carve out something of my own. Or at least carve something out on a different path."

     So it seems I'm not the only one running. "You don't have to go into details if you don't want."

     "You fight the clans at all?" Sapphire wasn't asking in a probing way, something in her voice said that she was looking for understanding, empathy.

     "Not much, but a little. Enough to know it's a survival game. Most of my action has been against the FedSuns. It's a different ball game. Down there I can be a top dog. The clan front made me feel like I was in a puppy mill. Part of the reason I came to Solaris, it gave me much more sense of being in control. I could choose the fights, and I knew I was going into my element. The clan front was like being thrown to the wolves." She paused for a moment, remembering the bitter fighting she had seen the first time that she had been a part of the Inner Sphere task force fighting the Clans at Tukayyid. It had been a weeks long meat grinder. Lots of good people had gone down, mostly for nothing. "I take it that's where you fought? You're Lyran, if I had to guess."

     "Finsterwalde, in the Bolan province. My dad is a mid level noble with too much money and even more sense of importance. When I started wanting to become a mechwarrior, he pulled strings and got me into the Nagelring. I graduated in '49, just in time to get posted before the Clans hit."

     While Capellans were used to the notion of their nation being pounded and overrun from birth, it was a different story entirely for the mighty Lyran Commonwealth, and the newly formed Federated Commonwealth. "Wait, Nagelring, class of '49? Wasn't that the class that-?"

     Sapphire nodded. "Yeah, the Archon-Prince graduated from. I was even posted to the 12th Donegal Guards. We were on Trell I when the Falcons hit in April of 3050. We got Victor off-world, but then got cut to pieces over the next few months. Pretty much everyone I fought with was either killed or captured by the Falcons. A few of us managed to get off-world around the end of the year. The AFFC brass offered to get us desk jobs and what not, a few even went back to the front. Me, I accepted mustering out and came here."

     Faith deliberately stayed silent, not wanting to push Sapphire any further than she was willing to go.

     "At first I had big ideas of forming a merc unit and finding....I don't know, some kind of redemption. But I came here instead. Fought mostly scrub matches, enough to patch together a mech and earn a living, but I've never really felt ready to strike out on my own back out there into the fight, into the real fight." She lifted herself up and rested on her elbows, looking towards Faith. "That's why you're here, aren't you? You could make a killing on the Solaris circuit. You did it before. But you want back out there, don't you?"

     Faith rolled it around in her head for a few seconds, deciding just how much she wanted to reveal. "I made a big killing running with Lords back a few years ago. Most of it is stashed away, safe and sound, along with my old Catapult. But the Maskirovka is watching all those accounts."

     Sapphire furrowed her brow. "What happened? Thought you were a big shot."

     Faith let out a sarcastic laugh. "Yeah, so did I. When Davion started caving in the border, my old XO came here to Solaris to recruit me. Maybe it was silly, but I went back. Problem was I kept the Solaris attitude. Flash and flair, braggadocio, it earns you reputation here, but in a closed society like the Confederation, it earns you enemies. My team was assigned to help out a Gatekeeper unit in the St. Ives commonality. Their leader was a blowhard and an idiot, and I made sure he knew I thought so. And of course, when the Feds came knocking, the greenhorns folded like a house of cards in their piece of junk mechs. I got my team out, along with remnants of the Gatekeepers, but old Blackhand didn't want to take the blame. He got hold of some of my med screens. I was popping adrenals, dust, opiates, you name it. Gave me an edge. But it was enough to blackball me and blame me for the loss. 'Unauthorized use of performance enhancers in the face of the enemy' they called it. They were going to throw me in the brig, probably some dungeon, so I ran. Got out with the help of a good friend. Then I ran here."

     Sapphire ran a hand through her hair, black streaked with highlights of bright purple. "Weren't those the guys that managed to defect to Kurita?"

     Faith nodded. "Yeah. It went a long way towards clearing me. The Mask doesn't have a price on my head anymore. But that's not the same as being trusted in the Confederation. Things have been a little better since Romano died and Sun-Tzu took over, but I still can never go back. Too many rumors, too many enemies. So I'm here, trying to make enough money to get on my feet and get my assets back."

     Sapphire gave her a quizzical look. "Why don't you just form a merc unit and get back into the fight?"

      "There's a few complications. First, around the time of Tukayyid, I got pregnant. I have a little girl back in the Confederation. I can't do very much until I can get her back. The Mask will hold that over my head as long as they have her. Second....someone here on Solaris is after me. My last fight, they sabotaged my mech, and now they've framed me for the death of a Gaming Board agent. So....that's why I'm hiding here. I've got a few feelers out. I have to figure out who it is, and deal with it before I can do anything."

     Sapphire laid down next to Faith once more. "Well, I'll help any way I can. And when it comes to forming that Merc unit, consider me recruit number one."

The Grateful Burger
Silesia
Solaris VII
Lyran Commonwealth
11 January, 3053


     As soon as she heard the sound of the cue ball striking its target, Faith knew she had made the shot. The sound of the final ball dropping into the corner pocket was confirmation.

     "Thank you for your donation." she flashed a wry smile to the large hulk of muscle who had taken her up on a bet at the pool table, and quickly pocketed the 100 c-bill purse. In a place like this, there weren't many guaranteed marks that she knew she could hustle, but the overly brawny, and exceedingly boisterous man that she had just beaten was one.

     She had needed time to breathe and figure out her next move, and she had also needed untraceable cash. After fleeing the Reaches, she knew that Cathay and the Black Hills wouldn't afford her much cover at the moment. She had too many contacts and ties there to blend into the shadows at the moment. She had settled on Silesia, as far as she could get from things, as a spot to hunker down until she got her bearings and figured out just exactly what was going on.

     The Grateful Burger was an eclectic establishment, to say the least. The ownership were some kind of neo-hippies who seemed to relish in their image of going against the grain. Unlike most Solaran bars or restaurants, there were no feeds of the games shown, with most of the vid feeds displaying a mixture of niche games and music of questionable quality from various "underground" sources.

     The clientele was an even more varied mix. In addition to a sizable number of bohemian types, an assortment of bikers, tourists, goths, punks and oddball gamers generally called The Burger home. The back of restaurant was currently dominated by a rather large group of youths playing some form of card game that seemed only slightly less complicated than the inner workings of an HPG to her.

     She made her way to the bar, putting down a few S-bills and attracting the bartender's attention. He was a fairly short, wore his hair obscenely long, wore some kind of odd headband, and small circular glasses that seemed to her to be worn way too far down his nose to actually be helpful in looking at anything. "What can I get for you, sunshine?"

     Ignoring the fact that her mood was anything but sunshine at the moment, she ordered in spite of his overly happy attitude. "Scotch, neat. Whatever you have handy. And make it a double."

     While she might stand out somewhat among the diverse patrons of the Burger, at least everyone here was trying to stand out in some way, making it a slightly safer place to hang out while she waited to hear back from a few contacts she had pinged for information. More importantly, you weren't going to find many mech fans in a place like this, making the likelihood of her being recognized very low.

     "There you are, friend." the bartender said as he finished pouring her drink. She nodded, grabbed her glass, and headed back to the pool table to await either news from her contacts, or her next victim. It was getting late in the evening, and soon the bar would be flooded with an influx of patrons.

     "Up for a game?" she heard a female voice ask from behind her. She turned to see a woman holding a 50 Kroner note. It was a little hard to judge her age under the makeup, but she was young. She was dressed in a kind of fashion that Faith supposed was some kind of blending of steampunk and the kind of cyber-goth-revival that was currently popular among a segment of the youth along the Free Worlds border. Faith didn't notice any obvious weapons, but it was hard to judge among the numerous buckles and straps that would be a security attendant's nightmare at the drop-port.

     "Sure. I trashed the last guy, so you can break," Faith said as she set her own 50 S-bill note on the table. Faith patiently waited while the woman lined up her shot and fired the cue ball into the racked balls.

     "That was easy pickings before, taking on that hulking brute of a biker," the woman said as she repositioned for her first shot. "Don't think I'll make the same mistake he did."

     Faith chuckled. "And what was that?"

     "Underestimating the opposition. He figured it would be easy pickings. Hell, he was probably so busy checking out your ass that he didn't even notice the Sternsnacht." She sunk her first shot and moved on to lining up her next.

     "So packing makes me a shark? That makes most Solarans pretty good players," Faith retorted.

     The woman carefully lined up her next shot. "No, but it should have at least made him ask questions." She sunk the shot and stood back for a moment to scope out the table. "Like what a former top-notch mechwarrior in the games is doing slumming it down here in Silesia. Especially after she just trashed an Enforcer a few nights ago."

     Faith fixed the woman with a glare. Even without the questions, something tripped alarms about this woman. She might be dressed like a mopey angst-ridden Lyran youth, but she carried herself in a much more serious and threatening way. "Maybe I'm just trying to have some fun and avoid the mechbunnies."

     The woman sank her shot. "Donnie, a couple of shots of Party-kill over here when you get a minute. We'll take the bottle." She glanced at Faith briefly. "If you were just running from mechbunnies, there are plenty of places you could do that in the Black Hills. Hell, there's probably plenty of places in Cathay that would suit the bill, even with the rumors that the Cappies hate you at the moment. No, I'm betting that you're down here scoping something out, or laying low for some reason."

     "Yep. You caught me. I'm looking to re-create Woodstock." Faith quipped. The woman missed her next shot. Faith surveyed the table while a waitress brought over a tray with two shots of blue liquid and a nearly full bottle of Party-Kill Heavy vodka, setting it down on the small table nearby as Faith's opponent handed the server an S-bill note. Faith quickly downed the rest of her scotch while she looked at the table.

     "Look, I'm not trying to spook you or anything. Do what you want down here. Just pointing out that I'm smart enough to know that not everybody here is exactly what they appear," the woman said, softening her stance slightly.

     Faith made her first shot, then walked over to the table and picked up a shot glass. She waited for the woman to join her, and the two downed the shots. The blue liquid burned fiercely, more from it's relatively low quality than any particular potency, in spite of being mockingly named after a brand of PPC. They slammed their glasses down, and the woman glanced at Faith for a moment. "My name is Sapphire, by the way."

     Over the next hour or so, the two women alternated shots at the pool table and the cheap vodka bottle. They had just finished a game when a pair of men, boys really, approached them from the direction of the throng of card players in the back.

     "Hey, you ladies want to play a round of doubles?"

     The two women exchanged a predatory glance out of the corner of their eyes. "Rack 'em up, boys"

   

Hartford Gardens
The Reaches
Solaris VII
Lyran Commonwealth
11 January, 3053


    Faith had awoken less hungover than she expected. She wasn't entirely sure the same could be said of Paige, but she certainly couldn't fault the intrepid young reporter for lack of enthusiasm. After a quick brunch, Faith finally managed to rid herself of her new found sidekick and made her way back to the arena, where her mech was still berthed. She didn't really expect to find any further evidence of whoever was behind the sabotage of her mech, but she needed to check on the status of the repairs regardless. She did not have her next match arranged, but at the low level she was fighting matches at currently, a fight could appear on fairly short notice, and right now, she needed all the fights she could get.

     At this hour, the arena itself was fairly empty, only techs and stable personnel were to be found. The facilities themselves were relatively well kept, but it was still the Reaches, and not Solaris City proper, with all of the baggage that came along with that. The money wasn't as big out here, but the fights were easier to come by, and the quick cash and screen time were helpful in between what matches she could secure on the main circuit.

     She checked her weapon with security at the door, then made her way inside. She had hardly made it in the main entrance when a rather nondescript man in a dark bland suit headed her way. He oozed bureaucrat in so many ways it wasn't funny, and she knew she was in for an annoying time. As he reached her, he pulled out a badge of some sort.

     "Faith McCarron?" he asked in that annoying way that nobody you actually wanted to talk to ever did. She nodded and he continued. "I'm Frank Miller, Solaris Gaming Board. If you have a moment, I'd like to talk to you about your last match?"

     She sighed. "I don't, but I don't think that would stop the SGB, so let's talk on the way to the hangar bay."

     The two began walking towards the bay. "I understand from your press conference post match that you decided to not use your mech's weapons. Is that correct?"

     "Did it look like I used my weapons?" she retorted. Being flippant might not have been the best approach to take, but she was in no mood for bureaucratic banter.

     "While it's certainly your prerogative to use whatever weapons you wish, we received information that perhaps some sabotage or fixing of the match was involved. I'm sure you understand, we take these allegations very seriously."

     They reached the bay, and she made her way towards her mech. "Look, I'm sure you do. And yes, somebody messed with my mech's systems prior to the match. But I handled it."

     Miller frowned. "Why didn't you report this?"

     Faith stopped abruptly, resting her hands on her hips. "Because I can handle it. The last thing I need is people from the Gaming Board poking around and tipping off whoever is after my ass. I figured it was best to keep it quiet. If I have a target on my back, I want to-"

     She was cut off by the thud of a heavy pistol firing. It echoed loudly through the mostly cavernous bay, making it difficult to determine where the shot came from. The target was easily identified, as a round slammed into the back of Mr. Miller's head, sending him flying to the ferrocrete floor and spattering blood everywhere.

     After briefly recoiling, Faith dropped to a crouch and scanned the surrounding bay. She peered in the direction the shot appeared to come from, and saw only a pistol laying on the ground. She recognized it immediately. Shit. Whoever is after me has a serious hard on for taking me down.

     She quickly ran over and scooped up the pistol, then sprinted out of the bay. Whoever was after her didn't want her dead at the moment, obviously, or they would have taken her down instead of the hapless SGB agent laying dead on the mechbay floor at the moment. Still, she didn't want to stick around. It was a clumsy frame job, but it was a frame job nonetheless, and she intended to be long gone by the time the authorities arrived.

     This is going from bad to worse, girl. You better get on whoever this is, and fast.