Chapter Text
Disclaimer: I do not own Battletech/Mechwarrior.
A/N: I'm going to be honest. This is nothing more than me testing the waters of a fandom that isn't Fairy Tail, GOT, or Warframe. Whether or not this story becomes something depends on the reception it gets.
I have only seen one game of the tabletop and most of my Battletech knowledge comes from wikis and the video game. In fact, the plot of this fic is base on the latest video game and I mainly write Fairy Tail fanfics. Also, know that this is going to be a slight AU, like Ostergaard actually mech duel the main character and whatnot.
Also, remember this take place in the year 3029.
Update Jun 30, 2019: So I brought the official Battletech book for House Arano: The Aurigan Coalition and I have to say there is a lot of stuff that in here that changes everything. But seeing how I have already started I have decided that I'm going to keep going with what I have while using the book to change a couple of things.
Feedback would be greatly appreciated.
One last thing: Those side missions in the game where you take on random foes. It's just going to be the Argo's crew hitting Directorate targets along with the Taurian once they enter the field.
An Offering to the Dragon
A glorious victory celebration forever ruined by the actions of a young man, second in line for the household throne. Before him stands an enraged father, a fuming brother, a sadden mother, and a crying sister.
"Begone from my sight and never return", the father said.
"The young man turns around without a second thought and quietly leaves the main hall, never looking back.
The man opens his eyes and stares out across the capital at all the lights that illuminated the night's sky.
"Haven't thought about that day in years", he says as he took in the sound of cheering and jubilant partying that was going on underneath the Taurian's fortress walls. The entire planet of Coromodir Six was celebrating the coronation of Kamea Arano and the end of the Aurigan Civil war. For four years the forces of the Arano Restoration and The Aurigan Directorate clash until finally, on the very grounds of Coromodir itself, the Restoration claim a bloody but final victory.
"Four years of war", Nico Strong thought as he scratches the hairs on his chin, "Seem like only yesterday we fought Grim Sybil and her pirate crew to retrieve the Argo".
Speaking of the very ship that carried him and the crew of his mercenary group "The Dragon Raiders" across space Nico Strong aka Dragon, turns his head to the stars, watching as another shuttlecraft, bearing his company's log, the face of a fierce green dragon, ascended into the atmosphere, where the Argo was currently drifting.
"The ship is all ours, no strings attach", Nico whistle, remembering back to when Kamea, as a show of thanks to the mercenaries who won her her throne back, gave the Argo over to them along with the Atlas II along with keeping the Highlander that she allowed him to use during the war. She even gave them a second Leopard.
As a final thank you, she let them stay as her welcome guests until after the coronation, all expenses paid. Truth be told, Kamea pull Nico aside and told him that while she was extremely grateful for him and his crew's assistance, she was also doing this to make sure a powerful military strike force was on standby near the capital should some remnants of her uncle's forces come out of hiding and launch an attack before, or worse, during her coronation. Nico found himself agreeing with her tactful mind but chose only to tell the senior staff of the Raiders about this so that the majority of the crew could enjoy their well-earn vacation to the fullest.
Senior Staff of The Dragon Raiders/Argo:
XO: Darius
Navigator: Surime
Head Mechtech: Yang
Chief Engineer: Farah
Head Medtech: Qartio
1st Lance Captain: Behemoth
2nd Lance Captain: Dekker
3rd Lance Captain: Glitch
4th Lance Captain: Medusa
That was three days ago and the crowning of Kamea to the status of High Lady would be going down in another three. But alas, while the time off was greatly appreciated, Nico figure it was about time they move on back to the Rimward Frontier looking for work once everything was done. If there was one thing Nico knew beside Mech fighting, it was when he had overstayed his welcome.
"Guess I'll send a message along saying we're leaving the day after the coronation.", he tells himself before his ears pick up the sound of footsteps behind him. Despite the war being over, Nico was still on his toes about any possible House Espinosa sympathizers that had yet to be rooted out. So when he turns to face the figure coming up behind him he had one hand on the handle of the sidearm at his waist. But his precaution proves all for not as it was none other than Lord Alexander Madeira of House Madeira standing there behind him. The right hand of soon to be High Lady Kamea arches an eyebrow as he spots Nico's hand on his gun.
"Were...you expecting company?", Alexander asks causing Nico to shake his head.
"Nah", he chuckles, "Just still a little jumpy, that's all."
Alexander nods in agreement, "I can not blame you. Even now I find myself jumping at shadows. No doubt a side effect of being on the run with Lady Kamea for years", as Nico notices him suddenly doing a thousand-yard stare, no doubt remembering back to those dark times.
Not wanting to ruin the evening with bad memories, Nico does a loud cough to get the youngest son of House Madeira's attention.
"Ahem!"
Alexander snaps out of his trance and once again focuses on Nico.
"I hardly doubt you came up here to talk about the past", Nico states.
Alexander cracks a smile, "You would be correct, Nico. I am actually here to pass along a message from Lady Kamea."
Nico throws Alexander a baffling look and for good reason. In days past, Kamea had no problems calling or even coming to Nico herself to let him know about something going on whether it be a new mission or just information on the war's progress.
"She will be High Lady of the Reach soon. Might look bad on her to be seen socializing with a mere mercenary personally. Though I'm still surprised she allow me to come right into the castle", he thought, "What's she want?"
"She would like you to meet her tomorrow in her stateroom in the morning if that is possible", Alexander replies.
Nico thinks for a moment. He had to pass along the order to Darius to have everyone being making preparations to ship off but other than wanting to run a few battle simulations he really had nothing going on in the morning. Besides the sims could be push until the afternoon.
"Nah, I'm free. Tell her I'll be there", he answers and Alexander nods his head in satisfaction.
"Excellent, now if you will excuse me, my wife and son are waiting for me at my family's capital estate", as he makes an attempt to leave.
"Have a good nigh-", Nico stops in mid-sentence as he snaps his neck to Alexander, "Who's waiting for you?"
"My wife and son", Alexander repeats.
"You're married and have a kid?", Nico said.
Alexander looks at the mechwarrior funny, "Well yeah, we were engaged six months before the coup and got secretly married not long after we librated Guldra and my son was born two weeks before the final assault on the capital, while I was being held by Victoria. Is that a problem?"
Nico opens and closes his mouth several times before he could form a coherent sentence, "I….always thought you and Kamea were a thing. I mean, you two were always together."
Several moments of silence pass between the two men, near-identical in age yet so very different in lifestyles. Then without warning…
"Bhahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!", echoes throughout the night as Alexander was suddenly bent over with his hands on his knees, his laughter being carried throughout the fortress by the walls and the wind, "You really thought that?"
Nico founds himself slightly tick off at the prospect of someone laughing at his expense, "EVERYONE THOUGHT THAT!"
Alexander's laughter somehow got louder as tears started falling from his eyes, "Sorry! This is -! This is too funny!"
This plays out for a full minute before….
"Are you quite done yet?", Nico sneers only for Alexander to continue chuckling for a few more moments before finally stopping.
"Sorry...sorry. Now that I think about it, I can see how people could make that assumption about me and the High Lady. We are always seen together and we have known each other since we were kids", Alexander explains as he straightens up, "Nevertheless, we are friends, great friends, but nothing more. If I may be so bold, I would say we are more like brother and sister."
"Hmph", was all Nico said as he started to walk to the shuttles to make his way back to the Argo, "I'll see Kamea in the morning."
"Have a good night, Nico", Alexander says only to received a handwave in reply.
"For tomorrow is going to be an interesting day indeed", Alexander whispers to himself as a small smile forms, "For come the morning, you, my friend might well be making history."
The Next Morning
Nico took a good hard look in the mirror at himself. With his uncombed black hair that ran down to his neck and his chocolate eyes that match perfectly with his dark skin he never really consider himself ugly. At least, that was what most of his one night stands told him in the past years. But with the tattoo of the green dragon that circled around his right eye along with the long scar that started from the top of the left side of his forehead and went over his left eye all the way down to his nose, he wasn't exactly a supermodel either.
"Perhaps I should clean myself up a bit", he says to himself as he examines the hairs on his chin, "I am meeting "Lady" Kamea after all."
He thinks on this notion for just a second before shaking his head, "Nah, I'm good", as he makes his way to the Argo's landing bay. Two hours later, he is taking in the features of the hallways of the Royal Palace which was big enough that one could easily fit a light mech inside of them, much different than the cramp hallways of the Argo that Nico was used to. Velvet red carpet covered every inch of the floors and large portraits of House Arano bloodline adore the walls. At both ends of every hallway, a pair of House Arano Royal Guards were posted, standing at attention with their rifles at their shoulders. He walks by them like he had been during the past few days, with both of his hands in his pockets and whistling a tune.
But then something strange happens as he turns the corner in front of the guards…
They saluted.
Nico was sure that there wasn't anyone behind him so that could only imply that they were saluting him.
This action stops Nico in his track and he turns his head to stare at them.
"Um...is something wrong?", he asks only to received a shout in return.
"Sir, nothing is wrong, sir! All conditions are normal!", the pair yell in unison before dropping their salute. Nico cleans the inside of his ears after the echoing of the screams dies down.
"No...I meant why are you saluting me? I'm not part of the Aurigan military", Nico states remembering how the average military soldier feels about mercenaries and it wasn't a high opinion.
The man to his right pops another salute, "Sir, as of 0400 this morning, Lady Kamea has released all information to the public regarding The Dragon's Raiders mercenary company and their contributions to the Arano Restoration during the war! We are merely showing our respect to you, sir!"
Nico took a double-take at this revelation, "She what?",
"Yes, sir!", shouts the guard to the left, "She personally states that the war would have been lost without you!"
Nico stares at the two men for a moment, "Why would she do something like this? I'm a merc, I'm in it for the money, not the glory." He then returns his attention back to the guards, "Do either you know where I can find a data-slate?"
Minutes later, Nico is still walking through the hall while reading the information on his newly acquire data-slate. Everything was release by Kamea. Everything from Nico's role in defending her on the day her uncle and cousin betrayed her to the battle against Victoria in the arena, even him solo dueling Samuel Ostergaard.
"They're calling me the "Dragon of the Reach", Nico shook his head at the absurd nickname that the newspapers have given him, "Damn, that sounds corny."
What was even more silly was how the newspapers had spun about that certain battle in the arena that day. It said that Nico stood with upmost loyalty at Kamea's side in his Highlander mech against Victoria's lance and even took down three mechs while the two women duel each other. They made it sound like that it started out two against four.
In reality, the battle started out with Kamea, himself, Behemoth, and Medusa. But when Glitch and Dekker reported that they were having trouble finishing off Victoria's loyal remnant forces, Nico made the call to send Behemoth and Medusa to aid them while he would hold off the three mechs until they got back. He was lucky that Victoria ordered that no one was to touch Kamea but herself, so that made him the main focus for the other three, and all he had to do was run around, dodging fire. Though that change half-way through their duel when Kamea got the upper-hand and Victoria, already no longer sane, order the rest of her lance to attack the heir of House Arano and that was when Nico showed everyone just how good of a mech-pilot he truly was, though almost at the cost of his Highlander and his life.
"Yang is still sending me messages about how it's going to take three weeks to repair all the damage and the bandages on my arm and legs are starting to irritate me", Nico thought before a smile appears on his face, "Though I can't wait to hear Behemoth and Medusa's complains about how they weren't mentioned at all."
But then a thought cross through his mind, something that was mention in the article. About how he steadfast stood by Kamea's side.
Nico had to admit that during the war things started getting a little hot for him and his crew, especially after the Taurian Concordat enter the war on the Directorate's side. Any sane small-time mercenary company would have kicked rocks and broke the contract he had with Kamea rather than face a power like the Taurians, but for some reason, Nico stayed.
"Well, the pay was good. Looks bad on our reputation if we bail on our first big contract because things got dicey", Nico thought before his thoughts drifted to his crew. Not one member of the Argo opted out, even when things look bad. Nico didn't know whether to chalk that up to personal loyalty to him, the fact the pay was good and constant or because he was fair in his treatment of the crew.
"I guess adding that low-g pool really was a good idea after all", Nico says as he arrives in front of the doors that led into Kamea's stateroom. He glances at the two royal guards and instantly notices that they were more armored and better armed than the ones he has passed along his way here.
"I'm here to see-", he started before the two guards pop to attention and begin to open the doors.
"Hail, Dragon of the Reach! Lady Kamea awaits you!"
Nico merely rolls his eyes as he makes his way inside and the doors close behind him and he found himself glazing at a room that had on both ends shelves of books, though the middle was mostly vacated except for a single wooden desk where Kamea was at going over a large amount of paperwork alongside two of her aides with two royal bodyguards behind her. Even from a distance, Nico could see dark bags under her eyes, indicating a lack of sleep.
"When the last time she got some sleep?", Nico wonders as Kamea and her aides look up from the paperwork to see the new arrival and the next High Lady couldn't help but crack a smile at the way her companion was standing there looking around at the room. Eventually, Nico ends his little sightseeing and turns his attention to her.
"Yo, Kamea, Alexander said you needed to see me. What do you need?", he says with all the tact of Behemoth ramming her mech through a building in an effort to destroy it, (Even though she argues that it was an excellent way to save ammunition).
The four audible gasps behind Kamea and to her sides all but confirmed that she was the only one in the room who appreciated Nico's straightforwardness, having grown used to it over the last four years.
Nico easily heard the gasps as well and notice the shock expressions on the faces on the aides and the guards. Thinking quickly, he made a feeble attempt at a bow before speaking.
"Errr, my presence was...requested? Yeah, requested. My presence was requested by you, my Lady?", he said.
Kamea looks to her aides and her guards, "Leave us", she commanded and after a moment's hesitation, they all comply with the order, walking past Nico with looks of contempt and disgust to which he only smiles in return.
The two share a moment of silence after the doors close, staring at one another for the longest time. Kamea with an emotionless expression plastered on her face while Nico merely stares back her with his own neutral expression.
Without warning, Kamea started snickering and before long it because full-blown laughter that fills the room.
"Hahaha! My presence was requested by you, my Lady?! That was the best you could come up with?! And what kind of bow was that?! You looked like you were doing yoga stretches!", Kamea laughs as Nico rolled his eyes and walked over to her desk.
"That type of criticism is funny coming from you", Nico reminded her as he sat on the desk's edge, "It has been a while since I had to do anything remotely close to that."
He looks over at the stacks of paper behind him and pulls one-off, "Shifting trade routes to Panzyr, huh?", he reads aloud.
"In order to keep the food relief up. Even with the war being over there are still vast swathes of Panzyr's population that are still living on the bare minimum of nourishment", Kamea explains as she calms down, "I have been working on the reconstruction of the Reach ever since the end of the duel at the arena."
"I see", Nico says as he puts the paper back on the stack, "But I doubt you ask me to come here just to tell me how the rebuilding is going."
Kamea takes a breath and pushes a button on the panel to her left and the room darkens and a holo-map appears in the middle of the room, showing the entirety of the Inner Sphere and the Periphery, factions and all.
"What do you see, Nico?", Kamea asks and the mech-pilot instantly draws his attention to the lower center of the map where the Aurigan Coalition was nothing more than a small speck compared to the powers of the Federated Sun and the Terran Hegemony. In fact, the Taurian Concordat was easily four times the size of the Coalition and they weren't even considered a threat to their northern neighbors, House Davion.
"I see Aurigan in a bad spot. You could easily be shallow up by the Concordat, the Confederation, the Free World League, or even the Magistracy should they no longer see you as worth the effort to keep around.", he admitted while showing the tactical prowess that made him such a high-level threat on the battlefield, "Hell, a coalition of the Rimworld Frontier systems could spell trouble, especially while you're in your rebuilding stage."
Kamea nods her head in agreement, "Finally, someone who is not afraid to give me the hard truth. Thank you for that, Nico."
Nico tilts his head back toward Kamea, "Everyone else being disgustingly optimistic?"
"So much that I want to vomit", Kamea replied as she laid back in her chair, "They all say that we are powerful enough to hold our own against any one of the other factions long enough for a truce to be formatted. Some of the more bolder ones think we can fight them to a standstill."
Nico shakes his head, "Ignorance is bliss. I willing to bet any one of them can easily pack up their entire house and flee to another faction the minute things start going badly for them."
"No doubt", the High Lady of the Reach agrees as she stands up and walks over to the holo-map, pointing her finger at the northern border, more specifically the Zangul system, "During the war, I have received reports of a number of Capellan lances operating here. It has mostly been attacks on our patrols and our outposts in the area. The confederation denies involvement and says that it must be deserters or pirates bearing their insignia."
Nico looks at the map, rationalize these attacks, "Pirates and deserters, really?"
Kamea gives a dark smile, "I thought the same thing."
"So let's says that it's not "pirates" or whatnot? Prelude to invasion? Probing your defenses for weakness?"
Kamea nods, "It would seem so. We have never had an official problem with them before but it seems like the civil war has left us in a weakened state and it is too good of an opportunity for them to pass up. Taking over the Reach would put them in a good position to take the Concordat plus with the great positioning and additional resources they could reclaim lost territory from House Davion."
Nico feels an awkward feeling swelling up in his chest, "So what happens next?"
Kamea takes a deep breath and exhales slowly, "You say it like it is the Reach's only problem", as she then directs her attention to the eastern border, "Taurian forces have been launching small raids into the Artru systems. Protector Calderon insists that these are rogue elements of Ostergaard's command but even if they are, he does not seem to be in too much of a hurry to bring them in."
Nico taps his chin in thought, "So you think Taurain is trying to pull the same trick that the Capellan Confederation is trying to pull? Using the coalition as a staging area for a much bigger conflict while letting these "rogue elements" do all the work for them and test your defenses?"
"Yes, and how I respond to these threats could mean the difference between war and peace. The attacking forces are small, no doubt basically recon elements but if I send too large of a force I could be seen as overreacting and they may use the opportunity to mobilize a larger force and wipe out a chunk Aurigan's military in one fell swoop. If I send too small of a force, they will see it as me not taking the threat seriously enough and mobilize anyway to make a devastating first strike", Kamea tells Nico, "What I need is a response that is not too large but at the same time not too small."
Kamea then turns her attention toward Nico who was still sitting at the desk. The MechWarrior for hire shakes his head as he stood up from the desk.
"Okay, Kamea, let's get one thing straight. You dissolve our contract on the day your uncle surrounded", he started.
"I did", Kamea answered as she already had a feeling where the conversation was now headed.
"And I came here today as a friend seeing how much we been through together these past four years and because the generosity you have shown me and my crew in recent days" Nico went on, "Hell, the fact that we're still here even though you aren't paying us anymore says a lot."
"And I greatly appreciated that, Nico. Truly I do."
"So let's cut to the chase and be done with these silly games. Why are you telling me all of this? Why are you telling me something that would be considered top-secret to all but the highest brass in your military?", Nico asks as he took a step closer to the ruler of the Reach.
"Tell me, Nico, what are your plans once you leave the Reach? What will you and the Dragon Raiders do next?", Kamea asks as she clasps her hands together, causing the man to slightly growl.
"Did you not just hear me when I said no more games?"
"Please answer the question", Kamea says.
Nico scratches his head for a moment, trying to find the best way to word the decision he came to last night, "We're heading to the Rim Frontier and pick up any jobs that come along."
"I see", Kamea says as she nods, "And then what?"
"What do you mean?"
"For the size of your company, you are remarkably well-off money-wise, no doubt thanks to you and Darius shrew management and selling the scraps from all of the Directorate and Concordat's mechs", Kamea started, "But you have to realize that even with a crew like yours and the Argo, you are still considered, for lack of a better word, small-fry compare to the major mercenaries group in the Inner Sphere like the Big Mac or the Eridani Light Horse."
Nico, regrettably, had no choice but to agree with her on that. While the Dragon Raiders were no doubt some of the top dogs in the Rimward Frontier, they were nothing more than a big fish in a small pond compared to the some of the other mercenary groups throughout human space. A few of these mercs were large enough to overwhelm individual planets' militaries.
"It is said that forty percent of newly form mercenary companies are destroyed or dissolve within six months of their forming. Sixty percent of those that make it past this point meet a similar fate within a year", Kamea states as she paced back and forth in front of Nico, "While you and the raiders are fortunate enough to make it past this milestone, I fear it is only a matter of time before you hit a wall."
"I'll take my chances", Nico tells her.
"Oh?", Kamea raises an eyebrow, "And how long before the jobs of the Rimworld can no longer support you or worse, a bigger merc company moves into the frontier and realizes it doesn't like competition?"
"We took on the Taurian Concordat just fine", Nico reminded her.
"With respect to you and your crew fighting ability, we would have been in trouble if we had face the full might of the Taurian", Kamea counters, "And let us not forget, despite Ostergaard going rogue, he was still considered a hero of the Taurian military with his fights with the Federated Suns and you no doubt killing him has put a bullseye on your head if only to preserve Taurian's pride."
"As I said, I'll take my chances", Nico said as he started to walk to the door, only to get stopped by Kamea stepping in front of him.
"I have an offer for you, Nico. One I think you and your crew will greatly appreciate", Kamea says but Nico merely sidesteps her and keeps heading for the door.
"It's time that I and the Raiders moved on, Kamea. There's not much profit in peacetime anyway. Once you're crown the High Lady, we're gone", he tells her.
Kamea once again appears in front of Nico, proving that she was faster than she looked.
"At least hear me out", Kamea all but beg.
"Listen, you already know how we feel about garrison duty, so if that's your offer for an extended contract, it's not going to work", Nico tells her as he places his hands on her shoulders and moves her to the side, "Now if things get hot again, you'll know who to call", as he heads once more to the door."
"I am offering you and The Dragon Raiders a position in the Aurigan Military", Kamea said softly.
...
...
Nico's foot was still hovering in mid-air, seconds after Kamea made her bold announcement. Then he slowly turns around on one leg to look back at the woman who was standing there with the same emotionless face she had on when he first entered.
"If this is your idea of a joke it's not very funny", the ace mech-warrior says as he puts his foot down only to get a head-shake from the head of House Arano in return.
"No jokes,", she assures him, "The Aurigan Coalition needs someone of your talent in these dark times along with your company. I will be honest with you, the military is in complete shambles after the civil war. A good number of the experienced officers supported Victoria and my uncle, thus there is no way I can fully trust them. Executions and imprisonment are on there way for the more senior ones while the junior officers are getting reassign to lowly positions and kept a hard-eye on."
Nico found himself sympathizing with Kamea but that was it.
"And if I was to mass my forces at one end of Aurigan Reach to deal with either one of these threats, the rest would be completely defenseless. We are too spread out and it's going to take months, if not years, to get recruitment levels back up to what they were before the coup and that is not even counting our mech numbers", she ended.
Before Nico could reply there was a knock at the door. Moments later, Alexander peeks his head in.
"Sorry about being late. I had to finish going over the paperwork for...", as he senses the mood in the room, "Oh, I have a feeling you two are already discussing things."
"Yes, we are, Alexander. Do come in", Kamea says and Alexander does just that.
"You're in on this too, aren't ya?", Nico asks Kamea's Head Adviser.
Alexander gives a nervous chuckle, "Afraid I am, we have been talking about it ever since the war ended. But to be fair, you and The Dragon Raiders are as of right now, the most flexible combat unit in the Coalition and contain the most experience mechwarriors in the Reach."
Nico lets off a dry laugh, "Bullshit! What about Raynard, Kanaloa, and Charybois?", he counted on his fingers, "Those guys got you out of the scrap on Artru, didn't they? They're your best pilots in the Reach right there!"
It was Kamea's turn to laugh now, "Ha, I applaud you for your humbleness, Nico. But you seem to be forgetting that while those three got me to the LZ, it was you and the others that circle around the Taurian rear from behind the SLDF bunker and took them by surprise, tying up their main forces and only leaving us to deal with the vanguard."
Nico crosses his arms, "I didn't forget. I just didn't mention it because it was not like we put a dent in their numbers or anything, just took potshots and missile volleys them until you were able to get away and then Sumire came and pick us up after she dropped you guys off at the Argo."
"Whatever you say, Nico", Alexander shrugs, "Moving on though, I think it is a wonderful offer and you should jump on it. I mean, you never heard of a mercenary company getting integrated into the actual military before. Individual mercenaries, yeah, but not this. The closest thing to that is company signing on constantly with the same faction, sometimes for centuries."
"Well that's fine and dandy for them, now ain't it?", Nico comments.
"Why are you so against this proposal, Nico?", Kamea wondered, "During the war, I would assign you near-suicidal tasks and you would do it without hesitation."
"I have my own personal reason but one of them is because I have never been good with taking orders from someone who wasn't willing to get their own hands dirty. If the pay was high enough, I would swallow my pride and deal with it but now you are trying to get me to agree to an offer that will have me taking orders from some puff up general on a not-that-great of a paycheck", he explains.
"That will not be the case. You and your men will be taking orders from me and me alone,", Kamea told him, "In fact, you will be semi-independent."
Nico looks Kamea directly in her eyes, "Semi-independent?"
"Listen, Nico. Take this offer and you and your crew will basically form the core of Aurigan revive special forces due to your size", Alexander explained, "Lady Kamea will give you an assignment and from there on how you handle the mission is fully up to you, granted you keep civilian casualties and collateral damage to a minimum, of course."
"But basic training and uniform regulations and whatnot", Nico list off, "There's no way the rest of the guys will be down for that."
Kamea shakes her head at his stubbornness, "While yes, you will have to conform to at least the bare minimum of military regulations, such as appearances and such, you are welcome to keep things going the way they have always been on the Argo. I would be an utter fool to try to fix something that is not broken."
Nico turns and slowly walks back to Kamea's desk, taking a seat in her chair and spinning it around to look out at the window behind him. He looks up into the sky and sees a flight of aerospace fighters fly overhead in a diamond formation, leaving a white streak behind them.
"Me, an officer in an honest-to-god military. Has everyone in the Reach gone fucking nuts?", he asks himself as he looks off into the distance at a nearby military base, "Was it like this when you offered the position of a royal bodyguard, Raju? You tried everything in your power to make them change their mind? Or did you hop right on it?"
Memories of his time when the grizzle MechWarrior plays in Nico's mind as he calls out over his shoulder at Kamea and Alexander, "What rank would I be if I decided to go along with this crazy idea of yours? Just out of curiosity."
Kamea lets out a breath she didn't realize she was holding, "Well, going off of Aurigan's military structure compare with that of the average mercenary company, you would be given the rank of colonel while your subordinates such as Darius...", Kamea pauses, "Well, we are still deciding on that."
Nico spins around in his chair, "You two want to make me a colonel? Without going through officer training school?"
Alexander coughs before speaking, "In most military throughout the Inner Sphere, specials forces are usually kept out of the command structure because they only answer to the head of state as was explained. Very few people are going to question the legitimacy of your rank, especially when they find out that the High Lady herself personally commission you base on your merits."
Gears started turning in Nico's head and he quickly came to a conclusion, "It was no coincidence that you happen to release all those files on us about what we did during the civil war this morning, was it?"
Kamea at least had the good graces to look down at the floor in quiet meek shame. Seeing this, Alexander steps forward.
"You have to realize, Nico", he began, "There are people in the Aurigan Coalition who will not be too thrilled about a mercenary suddenly becoming a high ranking officer in the military, no matter what you and your men did to help our cause. We thought it best that if we cannot get all of the military and nobility on our side with this decision then the next best thing would be to get the public behind it."
Nico turns around back toward the window, "Oh, I can only imagine the newspaper article when the "Dragon of the Reach" is standing next to High Lady Kamea looking absolutely spiffy in his sharp new uniform, with shining medals and everything", Nico jest, "The children will eat it up and recruitment will soar!", as he gives a fist pump, "All according to plan and a win-win for everyone!"
The clambering of metal onto wood startle Nico and forces him to once more spins the chair to see the source of the noise. His attention is drawn to the center of the desk where the crown that he usually saw on Kamea's head was laying. Not the official crown, but the one she wears to show that she was next in line to govern the Reach.
He slowly raises his eye upwards to meet with the ones that belong to Kamea, who was now glaring a hole into his soul. Alexander was slowly scooting away from her and even the ace mechpilot who had stared death in the face a dozen times and didn't blink found himself slightly intimidated.
"Is that what you think this all is?", she spat in a voice Nico had not heard her use on him before, "A recruitment tool? A means to raise numbers?"
"Well-", Nico began.
"Do you truly think I would sink to such a level?! To such a level that I would use a man who I consider a loyal friend for propaganda?!", she screams and part of Nico was worried that the guards outside might get the wrong idea of what was going on in the room.
"My High Lady", Alexander tried, "You are suffering from sleep-deprived. Perhaps it is best-"
"Weldry, Panzyr, Smithon, Artru, Itrom, Tyrlon, and finally, Coromodir Six itself!", Kamea shouted, ignoring her childhood friend, "At every major battle in the civil war, there was a significant chance that the Restoration could have ended then and there but yet you and your raiders manage to pull off the impossible and achieve victory every time!"
Nico found himself standing up as Kamea listed off all of the hellish battles he and the Dragon Raiders fought in during the Aurigan Civil War, brief flashbacks coming up here and there.
"The only reason I'll be able to become High Lady is because of the sacrifices the soldiers underneath me made but most of all because you decided to never abandon me when things got bad!", Kamea rants as she stomps over to the front of the desk and leans forward until she and Nico's faces were almost touching, close enough that he could easily make out the light scars on her face.
"I mean this with all sincerity in my heart, Nico", she whispers but the pilot heard her anyway due to the close proximity they were to each other, "The Aurigan Coalition needs you here. For the sake of all the lives lost in the war, including our teacher Raju, at least consider the offer I have laid before you."
The top pilot of the Dragon Raiders is silent with only his slow breathing being heard, "I need to talk to the crew about this. They have a right to know before I make my choice."
Kamea withdraw from her position and straighten herself out, "Very well, I will await your decision on-"
"Before your coronation", Nico cuts her off, "I will tell you my decision before you're crown. But whatever my decision, the Dragon Raiders will stay until the day after you become the High Lady", as he moves around the desk and heads for the door, not making eye contact with Kamea whatsoever. He is then stopped by Alexander.
"I will be sending the full agreement to your console on the Argo as soon as you contact me. It has all of the benefits and such within it so everyone will know what they would be receiving if you agree", he explains, "Now know that even if you don't personally agree to the offer, there are sub-offers for each of your crewmen should they decide to join the military."
Nico nods at this. He has always run a policy that anyone on board the Argo was free to come and go as they wish so he wasn't surprised by the sub-offers. If guys like Behemoth, Sumire, or even Yang, decided that the military life was more stable then so be it. Their presence would be greatly missed but Nico wouldn't stop them from having a more relaxed lifestyle.
Nico reaches the door without any more interruption but stops just short of grabbing the handle, "Kamea", he calls out over his shoulder.
"What is it, Nico?", she answers, looking straight ahead out the window, never looking back at him, her crown still laying on the desk.
"You should take Alexander's advice and get some rest. I didn't fight my way through hell for four years just for you to drop dead from exhaustion", and with that, he made his way through the doors.
A shuttle takes off into the night sky, leaving behind the young man in its wake on the edge of the Rimward Frontier.
A backpack of basic supplies, one thousand c-bills, the common clothes on his back, a goodbye kiss from his mother and sister, and a torn-up photo of him standing in his former house uniform with a girl his age dress in a glamouring gown next to him.
This was all he had to his name and his mom had to beg for him to get the backpacks and c-bills.
He turns his attention off into the distance and sees a few lights on the horizon.
Where others would see exile and despair he saw opportunity and hope.
He starts walking toward the rundown settlement.
There is a cold chill in the air and the sounds of gunfire could be heard off in the distance.
But he keeps moving forward.
Always moving forward.
Never looking back.
A/N: Nico may come off a little gruff despite his noble upbringing, but he has been through a lot, which will be shown in future chapters.
Oh? You were expecting feelings, right off the back? Well, remember that Nico is 30 and Kamea is 29 going 30., they're not hormone-driven teenagers, they're two fully grown adults who respect one another.
Now the plot may feel rush but that's only because I want to mainly focus on how Nico and the rest of his crew adjust to military life and the fact that they're no longer mercs. Also, Nico having to deal with top military brass, the nobility, and his past that's going to give him trouble.
Chapter Text
Disclaimers: I do not own Battletech/Mechwarrior.
A/N: So here we go with chapter 2. After this, I must tend to my other stories for a bit but I'll come back to this. Also, I guess you could count this as somewhat of a slow burn.
Please Review, Fav, or Follow if you want.
P.S.: Check out my Fairy Tail stories if you're into that type of thing.
Chapter 2
The Dragon makes his Decision.
The young man ducks behind a corner as a storm of bullets sail by him.
It had only been less than a day since his exile and he already found himself in the middle of a gang war.
He picked up a gun off a nearby corpse and made his way, inch by inch, to safety. Two men lay dead behind because they made the mistake to aim their guns at him, thinking he was their enemy. The training that his family had invested in him pay off in those moments, two shots, two kills and now, two extra guns. He moves further and further away from the site of the battle, ignoring the gunfire and screams behind him.
He had to get to the coordinates that he received from his mother and uncle. He had to see what exactly they left for him to have.
Always moving forward.
Never looking back.
Nico snaps out of his daydream.
"I thought I buried that a long time ago", Nico tells himself as he returns to the battle pods simulator he was running. He would normally be doing this within the confines of his Highlander, (a special, yet expensive, simulator that was set up for him by Farah and Yang) but since the mechtech just started on the repairs yesterday it was going to be awhile.
Word had finally reached the ship about the entire Aurigan Reach knowing about the contributions made by the merc company during the civil war and it was safe to say that morale couldn't be higher. Everyone, from the lowest medtech to the highest navigators was carrying themselves with a sense of pride, walking around with their head held high, and their chest puff out. In the depths of his mind, Nico theorizes he could tell the crew that they were going to war with the Federated Suns single-handily and they all would be shouting battle cries.
Anyway, it had been six hours since he had returned to the Argo and assemble his senior staff in his quarters. There he gave them each a copy of the offer that Kamea and Alexander were pitching and told them to look over it. Since then, he has been running non-stop battle simulations hoping to give his trusted comrades time to look over the document and also improve his combat ability.
Sighing heavily, the "Dragon of the Reach" pauses the simulation and leans back in his chair, "Who the fuck am I kidding? I just wanted to be as far away from this clusterfuck as possible."
The sheer thought of being in a proper military unit left a bad taste in his mouth. He was done a long time ago taking orders from people who weren't willing to put their own lives on the line that why he became a merc, for at least he got paid to fight where others were too afraid to. Now he greatly respected Kamea for putting herself on the front lines during the civil war, but if she thought she would always be the one giving him orders, she was sorely mistaken, that's not how it works.
"She's acting the same way she did before Weldry. Thinking everything will go smoothly for her", Nico thought feeling his irritation start to rise, "Seriously, who does she think she is? I'm a mercenary, goddamn it! I'm in it for the money, not the glory!"
Thump! Thump!
"How dare she try to manipulate our friendship just to keep us around?!"
This irritation within him slowly started to turn to anger as his blood started to boil.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
"I should have told her straight from the beginning that I'm only helping her so that I could avenge Raju!"
This red hot anger burned like a flamer, hot enough to melt any mech.
Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump!
Nico punches the release latch and throws back the hatch to the training pod.
"WHAT THE FLYING FUCK DO YOU WANT?!", he roars, startling Apex and sending her jumping straight into Coach's arms.
Heaving heavily, Nico scans his surroundings to see Apex, Coach, Hacker, Deadeye, Blockade, Archangel, Ronin, Falcon, and finally, Showboat all staring at him with terrify expressions etch into their faces.
"I'll ask again, what the do you all want?", Nico snarls actually causing the harden mechwarriors to take a step back from him.
After a moment's hesitation, Hacker steps forward, "Um, Sir? It's our schedule time for combat practice", he says rather meekly.
Nico glares, yes, glared, at the digital calendar that was on the wall in the room and sure it enough, it was time for combat practice for the schedule group. But then he notices something odd.
"Where are Medusa and Glitch?", he seethes through his teeth though slightly more calm "They're supposed to be leading this practice."
This time Ronin spoke up, "They're in a private meeting in the command center with Behemoth and Dekker."
Nico could literally feel his blood pressure starting to rise as he hops out of the pod and stares straight ahead, not so much as glancing at anyone else.
"Archangel, Ronin", he spoke as the two mechwarriors straighten up upon hearing their names called, "I want you two leading this practice course; after the veteran pilots, you two have some of the most experienced in the battle tactics of the company. I want at least four battle simulations logged before you leave. Standards equal ops across the board, one light, one medium, one heavy, and one assault mech. These will be your assigned training missions: Base defense, recovery, convoy ambush, and finally, an up-front battle against at least three assault mechs, urban terrain. After that I want your two lances to run a light mechs only head-to-head battle against one another, best out of five, jungle terrain, do I make myself clear?"
"You got it, boss", was Archangel's reply as Ronin gives a thumbs-up. Nico then spares Hacker a look.
"Whoever gets Hacker, put him in the Atlas II instead of a heavy mech for the practice missions since he was actually brave enough to speak up."
Without even waiting for a response to his unusual request, (up to that point he had yet to authorized anyone outside himself and the lance commanders to use the Atlas II) he made his way out of the training bay. He had a meeting in the command center but first…
Barracks
"Negative, Dragon. I haven't seen Behemoth or Dekker. Think they said something about meeting with Darius or something", Paradise scratch his head in thought, "By the way, any chance we can have another movie night soon?"
Engineering
"Sorry, captain. Farah said she had an important get together to go to", one of the engineers told him while making adjustments to one of the drive stabilizers, "Pass me that wrench, will ya?"
Mech Bay
"Yeah, sir. The boss said he had to go talk about something with Sumire", the mechanic answered, "But since you're here and all, any word on when we're getting some spare parts for the gyros?"
Navigation
"Let's see, if I recall she went to go chat with the XO", the assistant navigator replied, "Oh, while you're here, where in the frontier would you like to stop first?"
Med Bay
"Nah, Doc stepped out about an hour ago", the Medtech stated before looking at his vitals screen, "Sir, how come your heart rate is off the scale? Wait! Where are you going? What do you mean get some med beds prep and ready?!"
Command Center
The door to the command center slides open, illuminating the dark room and revealing the unofficial staff meeting that was taking place. Darius and the others snap their head toward the new occupant and instantly feel a cold chill crawl down their spines. Standing there in the doorway, looking every bit the mystical beast of destruction that was his callsign was their commanding officer.
"While I have no problems with ya discussing with each other about the offer, I never said that you were allowed to neglect your duties in the process", he growls as he steps in and the door closes behind him, "Or did you just assume I wouldn't notice? Perhaps I should have you all replace by your subordinates who are actually doing their job right now?"
He is greeted with silence as a response, the only sound being made was Qartio taking a puff of her cigarette and slowly exhaling. She was a short, skinny, woman of Japanese/Chinese descent with her long black hair that had a few strands of gray slip into it along with her emerald green eyes that still had life in them despite her advanced age.
She was the Argo's head medtech who join up with them at Weldry and her brash attitude, vulgar language, and her tendency to smoke while doing her job put off a number of the crew who at first were a tad unwilling to put their lives in the hands of one who looked the complete opposite of the stereotypical doctor. But in time they eventually came around once everyone realized that every mechwarrior on board was brought back from the brink of death by her at least twice.
Apparently, she used to do her medical practices in the Aurigan's capital before the war and was one of the many sent to that hellish world due to being one of the most outspoken critics on how the Directorate wasn't helping the people due to the rising cost of medical supplies and care.
She was also the main reason Raju was able to stay alive for three years in that hellhole doing everything in her limited power to keep the old mechwarrior going despite the tortures he was subjugated to until he finally succumbed just a day before the liberation. Nico came to find out that Raju regularly visited her clinic when he first joined up with the royal bodyguard and the two became fast friends though deep down Nico sometimes suspected that they were something more.
Back to the matter at hand though….
"Dragon", Darius finally voices after a few moments, "We were just discussing-"
"It doesn't take a genius to figure out what you guys and gals are talking about. I was just hoping that you would have at least done it on your off-time", the commander of the Argo interrupts, "I expected better of all of you and I have half a mind to dock ya pay for this."
The collective reaction in the room was one of shock and disbelief for Nico rarely cut someone's pay. To do so meant that you really have done mess up and even his nearly-infinite patience wouldn't tolerate it. The last time he had done so was for the mechwarrior Showboat after she almost hit a civilian transport with one of her lasers while the company was taking on the Directorate at a spaceport and that was after Darius and the rest of the senior staff had to stop Nico from kicking her off the ship on the grounds that the war was heating up and they needed every experienced pilot they could get.
The mood is tense in the room as the "Dragon of the Reach" stalk around the room looking each and every one of its occupants in the eyes before finally moving to in front of the command holo-screen.
He sighs heavily before speaking, "I take it you're all in agreement for this offer."
...
"Do I have to repeat myself?"
"Why the hell wouldn't we?", Darius asks after a few moments.
"Yeah, this is a sweet deal", Farah said, "Officer commission, steady pay, a pension when we retire. We be fools not to take this offer!"
Nico ran his hand down his face, "We'll also be at the beck and call of the nobility of the Reach despite what Kamea believes. It's never simple for a head of state among the stars", he thought before speaking, "I want each of you to inform your prospect departments or lances of this offer. Come noon tomorrow I want a general consensus on the crew feeling toward this and remember while they're individual contracts available it comes down to me whether or not the Dragon Raiders as a whole do this and no decision has been made yet, make sure you tell them that part. Dismiss."
With that, the senior staff made their way out.
"Dekker, Yang, Sumire, you guys stay back for a moment", Dragon calls out and the Navigator, Head Mechtech, and Lance Commander stop in their tracks. As soon as the door closes, Nico jumps right into it.
"I'm not going to beat around the bush. Each of you has either have connections or had issues with nobility in the past and I need to know right now where do you stand with Kamea", he states, "I'm not going to leave anyone behind that's going to cause her trouble especially when I need them here."
"I think you already know where I stand with Kamea, I share a cockpit with her", Yang starts as he gives a thumbs up, "She's okay in my books."
Nico simply nods and the mechtech made his way out. Nico then turns to Sumire and Dekker, "What I'm about to say doesn't leave this room, not even to Darius."
Both of the remaining senior staff exchange glances with one another before Nico continues on, "Tensions are rising between the Coalition and the Capellan Confederation while their relationship with Taurian is still tense at best. I say this because no doubt they are going to look into the backgrounds of every person on this ship especially the command staff and they are going to have a few….questions about you two if you take this offer."
"I have no love for the Concordat", Sumire declares.
"I know you don't, not after what happen to your family", Nico says before looking at Dekker, "But you, on the other hand, come straight from House Liao and that might raise a few eyebrows."
Dekker rubs his neck before speaking, "I haven't talked to anyone from the Confederation in years except a few old navy buddies."
Nico finds himself shaking his head, "I hope you have a better answer than that if it comes down to an investigation or else you're going to have a long, long day. Dismiss."
Nico spent the rest of the day inside his quarters going over the company's finances just to make sure that they would be alright should the crew choose to keep doing the mercenary life. This task takes him late into the night cycle until he finally dozes off. Sleep came easy to him, be it was anything but peaceful.
There was Kamea standing in a stunning red and white gown in the middle of a grassy field all by herself, the capital in the distance behind her. Her gaze was focus forward, looking straight ahead and nowhere else. Then without warning, a shadow of immeasurable size engulfs the capital behind her and makes a beeline straight toward the next High Lady but her glaze remains ever forward. The ocean of darkness swiftly makes its way toward her and is only a couple yards away when it reels upward like a tidal wave that reaches to the heavens. Its outer edges turn to serrated blades and it began its rapid descend down toward the Kamea.
A voice rings out, it was grizzle mechwarrior, Raju.
"Nico, take care of Kamea for me!"
Just as the tips of the shadowy blades were about to pierce Kamea, a blur appears out of nowhere and wraps itself around her. The shadow crashes onto this new arrival and is instantly beaten back unable to penetrate the mysterious mass. Finally, the blur began to take shape around the heir of House Arano and within moments, a giant green-winged dragon was standing before the shadows, its body forming a protective screen around the woman, fiery flames coming out of its mouth. As the mighty beast made ready to fight off the darkness, Lady Kamea kept looking forward, never looking back.
Nico's eyes snap open and he finds himself staring up at the ceiling of his room. Over and over in his mind, Raju's last words to him repeat. He remembers where he heard them from, back on that dreadful day, when his teacher sacrificed himself in order to allow time for him, Kamea, and Alexander to escape. Right before he ejected, Mastiff told him to take care of Lady Kamea.
He must have forgotten about those words after Kamea's dropship blew up and everyone in the Reach thought she was dead.
"So why am I now remember this out of the blue?", he told himself as he got up and left the room.
He found himself alone as he walks through the hallways of the Argo, most of the crew either asleep in their quarters, working the skeleton night shift, or on Coromodir enjoying themselves. Speaking of the capital planet, Nico got a full view of it as he walks by a window, the sight stopping him in his tracks. He leans on the glass and watches the planet's rotation for nearly half an hour, just watching it in all of its beauty.
"Taking care of one planet is an enormous task. Taking care of twenty systems worth of them could drive one insane if they're not careful", he thought.
Finally, he radios the hangar bay telling them to ready a shuttle for him. No pilot was necessary he said, he would fly himself.
Twenty minutes later, he was heading toward the landing pad of the Royal Castle, all the while calling all of the Argo senior staff in order to hear from them what the crew thoughts were on the military offer. Meanwhile, the classical music radio channel was playing a catchy tune, one that hailed from the early 21st century of Terra.
"Or you'll be left in the dust unless I stuck by ya. You're a sunflower. You're a sunflower."
Sometime later in the Royal Castle of the Aurigan Coalition, Kamea and Alexander were in the middle of yet another meeting, this time discussing the methods they could implement in order to stabilize the economy within the Itrom system while also discussing possible trade routes openings with the Magistracy of Canopus. They help fund the Restoration and Kamea only felt it was right for them to be first on the list for trading goods.
But mostly it has been Alexander and the economy specialists doing all of the talking while the future High Lady was currently reading over a document…
Only that her eyes weren't moving at all.
"Did I come on too strong with my offer to Nico? I admit the crown throwing might have been a bit much. Maybe I should have back off a little. Perhaps I should contact him and negotiate my offer in a different manner. I was genuine when I said that the Reach needs him here", she tells herself, completely ignoring the meeting at hand, "I did not feel this much anxiety during the war but wondering whether or not a mercenary will say yes or no has me fretting."
She glances up for a moment to see Alexander and one of the experts arguing over lowering taxes for one of Itrom's moons before going back to her thoughts.
"Surely, he will take me up on it. It isa most generous offer that any level-headed mercenary would jump on in a heartbeat."
There is a pause in her thoughts as she reconsiders those words.
"Level-headed mercenary, that was a fine joke. Nico is anything but that. No sane mechwarrior would insult a craze, bloodthirsty, Commodore of the Concord Navy over the radio frequency and then broadcast his exact location while also challenging said Commodore to a duel in order to just buy time", as she remembers back to that terrible day on this very planet where Samuel Ostergaard rage his own personal war against the Restoration. Farah, as talented as she is, was unable to upload the Locura virus in time thus the grief-stricken commander was able to get his forces in position to drop onto the battlefield.
Only through the intervention of Nico himself were they able to emerge victoriously and she'll never forget that day as long as she lives.
Flashback
(Unlike the game, Nico and most of his crew are on Coromodir while Farah and Dekker's lance are on Lyris)
"All forces, prepare to drop. Your orders are clear; wipe out the Restoration, stay out of the areas mark for bombardment, and bring Lady Kamea to me, alive if possible. If not, then bring me her head. Then maybe, my son can finally rest in peace", Commodore Ostergaard orders over the radio frequency just as the Iberia appear over the battlefield.
"Farah! What the status on the upload?!", Kamea call over the comms.
"I reach a snag and I'm trying to work around it!", Farah responds in a panic.
"We don't have time for this! We need it uploaded now!", Darius scream.
"I just need a little more time, maybe ten minutes!", Farah says.
"We don't have ten minutes! I don't think we even have one minute. Pretty soon the skies are going to be filled with drop pods and artillery strikes!", Surmire yells.
"And the Restoration will end right here!", Kamea added, "I need the Iberia brought down now!"
"I'm working as fast as I can! I can only do so much in such a small window people!", Farah tells everyone.
"Prepare the guns for blanket bombardment and the battlemechs for ground deployment", Ostergaard ordered.
"Sir, everything is awaiting your command", a nearby officer relay.
"Good, commence destruction of the Restoration in five...four...three...", Ostergaard began to count.
"This is it", everyone thought while the commander of the Dragon Raiders continues to remain quiet throughout all of this.
"Two...On-", Ostergaard continued.
"Your son died a coward's death, begging for his life with tears in his eyes. I wouldn't waste any more words on him if I would you", Nico's voice suddenly broke through, silencing all chatter on the frequency.
All across the battlefield, everything came to a sudden halt. On the ground and in space, shock expressions adorned the faces of almost every combatant who was on the comm lines, including Kamea who turns her mech to gawks over at Nico.
After a few moments of tense silence though…
"What...did you say, mercenary?", Ostergaard finally spat.
"I've heard tales of the soldiers of the Taurian Concordat and how they are fearless in the face of death. I guess your son was on the low end of the totem pole when it came to that little detail", Nico press on, "Men like him deserve nothing more than an undignified death and an unmarked grave out here in the Periphery."
"Identify yourself, scum", Ostergaard states and you could hear him literally trying to keep his anger in check and failing at it.
"I am Nico Strong, commander of the Dragon Raiders, a mercenary in the Restoration Army, and the man who pulled the trigger that ended your son's pathetic life, even as he begged me not too.", he said proudly, "I watch his ship go up in flames and I felt no pity at all for such a lowly bug. Even if Lady Kamea told me not too, I would have destroyed his dropship, if only to do humanity a favor and take him out of the gene pool."
Kamea couldn't believe what she was hearing. What was Nico thinking?
"I am sending you the exact coordinates of my position here on Coromadir", Nico suddenly states.
"What the hell are you thinking?!", fills his comms as Kamea roars at him but he ignores her.
"You now have three options, Commodore. One, you can wipe me out with your gunship. Two, you could send your men to take me out. And finally, you can show me that Samuel didn't inherit his cowardliness from you and come face me yourself. I hear that you are an acclaim mech pilot, prove it to me on the battlefield", Nico declares.
Tense seconds pass by, everyone who had just heard the exchange waiting on bated breath.
…
…
Finally, a calm yet fury-filled voice came over the frequency.
"Mech bay, prepare my Atlas. Command Lance, make ready for combat drop."
On a secure line that was linked directly with Kamea and the crew of the Argo, Nico delivers a message.
"I got you the time you need, Farah. I suggest you make good use of it. Behemoth, Medusa, have your lances form up into one combine lance with Archangel in command and Ronin as his second. After that, form up on me. Glitch, have your lance link up with Kamea's lance and watch her back. Everyone get ready, we're in for one hell of a fight."
End of Flashback
A resounding knock shakes Kamea out of her thoughts as a royal guard enters the room.
"My Lady, your presence has been requested in your stateroom", he says, "How shall I relay your reply?"
"Tell them to that the Lady Kamea is busy at the moment", Alexander tells the guard only to see Kamea give a nod, agreeing with him.
"I will inform the mercenary commander at once then", the guard bows only to look back up once he hears the sound of a chair being push back abruptly and witness the leader of the Reach standing up straight.
"Alexander, see to the rest of this meeting", she orders as she is already making her way out of the room not even waiting to hear her right hand's response.
She makes her way down the hall, flanked on both sides by guards, and arrives at her stateroom. She instructs the guards to stay outside and proceeds to enter, where she finds Nico once more sitting on the edge of the desk, lighting up a cigarette.
"I'll tell you one thing, Kamea. You should do know how to give my guys an offer they can't refuse", as he takes a long puff and exhales, "My whole crew onboard with the idea."
"I am happy to hear that", Kamea tells him as she moves closer to him, staring at him for a moment before continuing on, "But what is your answer?"
Smokes dances between the two, slightly irritated Kamea's nose but she nevertheless ignores it. The two mechwarriors had a stare off for what seems like hours, each taking in the other's features. Nico picks up on the usual trend of Kamea wearing the same type of clothes he saw her in when she first came on board the Leopard four years ago, just after the recovery of the Argo from the pirates.
"Maybe she is trying to get as much out of them as she can before she becomes High Lady", he thought off-handily as he directs his mind back to the answer that Kamea was waiting for. One that, now that he was standing in front of her, he was unsure he could answer.
Sure, the crew was all on board with the idea. The main reasoning being that; hell, they have been fighting for the Aurigan Coalition for four years, might as well accept their offer to make it official and have somehow of a stable life.
But that wasn't good enough for Kamea and Nico had a subtle suspicion that while she highly valued the entire crew of the Argo, he could have just stayed and that would have satisfied her just fine.
"Well, I-", he starts before Kamea suddenly throws a hand up, silencing him.
"Wait, not here", she says before turning around, "Follow me", and she exits the room.
Nico stands there for a moment, baffled by what just occurred. He takes another long puff of his cigarette and follows the High Lady through the long corridor of the palace, tossing the smoke into a nearby trash bin as the royal bodyguard form behind him.
The duo spoke not a word to each other as they walk, the only source of interaction from either of them being Kamea when she greeted some minor nobility in the hallways as they walk by. They bow to Lady Kamea but turn their heads in a huff upon seeing Nico.
Ignoring them as best he could, Nico soon finds himself entering the Royal Gardens, a place that reminded him of all of the jungle battles he has fought in even before the civil war. The entire area was cover in exotic flowers, some Nico had only seen or heard of in books and holo-videos. The guards had placed themselves at the entrance to the gardens, so it was just him and Kamea. As he turns a corner with her the sudden greenery of the garden was replaced with a sea of yellow that made him believe for a moment that he was staring at the sun. Only after gaining his senses did he notice that he was in a vast area of the gardens completely cover in sunflowers, a rare flower that was only native to Terra, and even there they were rare.
"How did you..?", he asks as the song from the shuttle instantly comes back to him.
"My mother visited Terra once when she was a little girl and fell in love with sunflowers. So much that my father paid a large amount of money to get the seeds delivered here so she could grow her very own collection of them", Kamea answers as she walks along the small path, her hand gently touching the pellets of the flowers. She gets up to a set of stone benches that laid in the middle of the field and once there she takes a seat and looks out around the garden. Nico, on the other hand, remains standing giving her a moment, taking in the view.
"You know, the people are calling me a hero", she started after a short wait, a smile appearing on her face "The one who brought an end to the tyranny of the Directorate and restore the Coalition, returning peace and freedom to the Aurigan Reach. The Protector of Coromodir and The Sword of Restoration. Those are the stories being spread among the populace."
Nico then feels the mood darken before he could comment and Kamea's expression changes, "But I am not a hero, despite what the stories may say. A hero would have sacrificed more, compromise less. A hero would have done better", as she looks up toward Nico, "You know this, of course. You were there."
Kamea stands up slowly and strolls over to the edge of the garden, where a scenic view of the capital could be seen. She motions a hand to the spot next to her, silencing asking Nico to join her. Once he made his way over she began to speak again.
"Here in this very garden, my father used to tell me stories about the ancient times, about the Star League. A golden age of prosperity, upheld by the great mechwarriors of old. They were the guardians of the innocent, protectors of the peace!", she joyfully explains as she clasps a hand to her heart and gazes up at the sky, her eyes lit up like stars, "I always dreamed of following in their footsteps!"
Nico felts like he was watching a different Kamea at this very moment. One who was reliving the happy memories of her childhood, a place where her parents were still alive and where Santiago Espinosa and Victoria were still her trusted family.
"But I was too young to see the truth of things", she said as her eyes cast downward and all warmth left her voice, "After all, it wasn't heroism or a noble cause that won me the throne. It was hiring a mercenary skilled enough, ruthless enough, to carry the day", as she turns to Nico once more, "Hiring you."
Nico gave no reply to the accusations about his ruthlessness on the battlefield, for he saw no reason to defend himself. He was a mercenary and they weren't known for their acts of mercy. Now while he didn't go around shooting civilians he has no problem taking out an enemy even if they were begging for their life. He proved that point on that day with the Newgrange.
"To this day", Kamea started up, "I still don't fully know if you fought for honor or for the thrill of it. For belief in my cause, or just in my money."
"Vengeance", Nico thought as he continues to look down at Kamea.
"But whether it was your noble's heart or mercenary's mind….", Kamea found herself stopping, taking the few extra moments to choose her next words wisely as she looks out at the capital, "Your actions gave us hope. That makes you a hero in the eyes of history. Whether you believe it...that's up to you, my friend."
Once more, nothing but silence passes between the two pilots, both coming from noble lineage, both students of Raju "Mastiff" Montgomery.
"Now you can tell me your answer", the ruler of the Reach states, "Will you stay or will you leave? But know that whatever choice you make, you will always be known as a hero of the people here in the Reach, at least as long as I rule."
Nico merely observes Kamea for a moment before taking a deep breath and lighting up another cigarette.
He lets off a few puffs before looking down at the closest sunflower, the one right between him and Kamea. He bends over, plucks it from its stem and holds it up to her face.
"You're like this sunflower. Fragile, delicate, needing someone else to protect you so that you'll be able to grow."
Kamea opens her mouth, but this time, it was she who was stopped by Nico raising a hand.
"It doesn't mean you're weak, it just means you need a hand so you'll be able to become something more. And seeing how Raju's last words to me on that fateful day five years ago was to take care of you, I guess I'm that hand you need", Nico finish, "Because I feel that if I'm not here by your side, you'll be left in the dust out here in the Periphery."
A small smile starts to form on Kamea's lips and she slowly brings her hand out to the ace mechwarrior and without hesitation he takes it and the two share a firm handshake, sealing the deal.
"You have the Dragon Raiders, the Argo, and myself at your command, Lady Kamea. I pray that you don't come to regret this decision."
"This is not the formal way of doing this type of thing but it will have to do for now", Kamea replies, "Welcome to the Armed Forces of the Aurigan Coalition, Nic-no. Colonel Strong."
And thus begins the story of the Dragon
Defender of the Reach
Only destruction and death await all who would stand in his way.
For he is always moving forward
And never looking back.
A/N: The next chapter is the coronation along with a few other things.
Please Review, Fav, or Follow if you want.
Chapter Text
Disclaimers: I do not own Battletech.
A/N: So this is kind of awkward. You know that preview I posted earlier? Well, by the time I realize where I was in writing the chapter, I already had around 9000 words and I haven't even gotten to the coronation yet. So this chapter and the next involve no action but chapter 5 will.
P.S.: Check out my Fairy Tail, Warframe, Shadow of Mordor/Game of Thrones, or my Harry Potter/Shadow of Mordor if you can.
Please Review, Fav, or Follow if you want.
Chapter 3
Bringing the Dragon Up To Par
The duo made their way back through the halls of the Royal Palace, flank in both the front and rear by the Royal Guard all the while Kamea was punching information into her data slate while rambling off a list of changes that Nico was going to have to implement onto the Dragon Raiders.
"We're going have to somehow incorporate your company's logo with Coalition's colors but still allow it to be recognizable to the public for morale purposes", she states.
"Kamea", Nico says.
"I suppose we could allow you to keep your mechs' color scheme all-black seeing how you're special forces and it will definitely help you avoid detection should the need arise."
"Kamea", his voice getting a little louder.
"Actually when you stop and think about, finding a military mech suit big enough to fit Behemoth is going to be the hardest obstacle to overcome, a woman her size is a rarity out here in the Reach."
"Kamea!", Nico yells as he puts a hand on her shoulder and spins her around to face him. The sound of safeties being switch off and guns cocking remind Nico of his surroundings as Kamea's hand shoots up to stop her guards from doing anything hasty as they all point their guns at the mechwarrior.
"Captain Saber", she calmly addresses the Royal Guard closest to her, "You and your men are free to return to your posts. I will summon you again when I am done with my meeting with Colonel Strong."
A moment of silence passes with the guards still having their guns focus on Nico, not a single one of them willing to take their sights off of him. During this time, Nico slowly moves his hand off of the future High Lady's shoulder and puts it into the air. It was at this moment that he notices some of the guards' eyes flicker downward toward his waist every few seconds. Following their line of sight, the now colonel realizes that the hand that didn't go on Kamea's shoulder was still grabbing the grip of his Laser Pistol for all the good it would have done for him in this situation.
"Pure reflex, must have happened when I heard the guns cock", he tells himself as he takes his hand off of his grip, "Can't even begin to count how many times it has saved my life"
"Captain Saber", Kamea says again, this time with more force in her voice, "Return to your post."
The man makes the signal of his hand closing into a fist and all of the guards holster their guns and disperse, leaving Kamea and Nico alone in the hallway.
Kamea turns and marches down the hallway toward her main office with Nico following close behind her. She enters without a word and closes the door once the mech pilot comes through.
Nico turns around to say something but stops upon finding Kamea directly behind him, glaring up at him.
"Nico, know that I am extremely grateful for everything you have done for me and also know that I consider you a friend despite what you may believe sometimes", she started in a low voice, "But from here on out you are going to be required to understand certain procedures and protocols of an official military."
"Let me guess", Nico started.
"It is Lady Kamea, soon to be High Lady Kamea, whenever we are around anyone besides just Alexander", Kamea said before pondering on something for a moment, "And I suppose whenever we are alone with the senior staff of the Argo, I consider them close friends as well but I will need you to inform them that any other time they are to use my title. Also, know that my future fiance is the only male allow to touch me, unless under certain circumstances, such as our handshake in the garden. Not even Alexander can do that now."
"With the whole name thing, is that going to change down the line?", Nico wonders.
"I see no reason why it would, now onto other matters", Kamea says as she walks over to her desk, "First and foremost, we need to discuss the changes to the Argo."
"What changes?", Nico asks.
"Well, first off, it is going to be upgraded", Kamea answers, "And by that, I mean it will actually have weapons added to it along with it being resized to fit a larger crew."
"How much larger of a crew are you talking about?" ask Nico just to have Kamea throw a thumb to the balcony behind her.
Moments Later
"What the hell is this?!", Nico yells at Kamea while pointing down to the vast courtyard of the Royal Palace where a large formation of Aurigan Coalition soldiers was standing at attention.
"That is nine companies worth of the most seasoned troops of the Arano Restoration now of the Coalition. Eighteen hundred men who will embark on the Argo as a permanent army detachment all standing by for inspection by the Head Captain of my Royal Guard", Kamea answers, "Their main objectives will be ship boarding and establishing beachheads in front of a main attacking force.", she said only to notice the look that she was receiving from Nico, "They were here to get inspected anyway even before you made your decision, I swear. They'll be providing the extra security for the coronation, as well."
"Be that as it may, that is nearly double the crew of the Argo in size! There's no way the ship is going to be able to fit them all!"
"All of them and more once the modifications are done", Kamea boasted, "I mean, I am still lacking a full company to bring the Argo's army detachment up to my expectations and that is not even counting the aerospace fighters, their vehicles, or even the special forces ground units you will be taking on as well."
Nico only stares at Kamea in shock as she rambles off once more, "H-How many people are we talking about here?"
Kamea stops for a moment and puts her hand on her chin in thought, "Well, Alexander and I ran the possible numbers yesterday after you left-."
"You mean before I made my decision?", Nico questions.
"It was fifty-fifty", Kamea started before noticing the look Nico was giving her once again, "Seventy-thirty chance you say yes so we thought it best that we get the numbers in order just in case", Kamea says, "Anyway, let's see, with all of the infantry, the combat vehicles, the aerospace fighters, their support, and logistics, along with other elements that should bring your overall crew, plus counting up the crew of the Leopards to just around five thousand men and women, give or take three dozen."
A resounding slap to his own forehead was Nico's response, "That is way beyond the max capacity of the Argo."
The future High Lady nodded her head, "In its current state, yes, but Alexander found some old blueprints of the original Argo design and it shows that a lot of space can be open up to carrying more personnel and equipment. though some people may have to hot rack to save space."
"You're not getting rid of the pool", Nico growls all of a sudden.
"I am not getting rid of the pool", Kamea repeats as she wasn't even going to attempt to argue that point.
"Or the library, or the garden, or the lounge, or the arcade, or the gym", Nico listed off only to be stopped by the woman next to him.
"All that gets to stay, I swear", Kamea promises, "We will just be adding more space to the Argo along with moving some stuff around. It should only take about two months to complete."
The Dragon of the Reach raises an eyebrow in disbelief, "That's a pretty short time for major renovations."
"It will be Coromodir's shipyards primarily focus. Though not as large as the ones at Tyrlon, they will get the job done. Alexander is on his way there now, but he just messages me in the hallway that the yards crews are standing by and making preparations even as we speak. They are just waiting on...", Kamea then turns her eyes toward the communicate device Nico had on his wrist, "You know, for the ship to show up."
Nico easily picks up on the hint and rolls his eyes as he brings it up to his mouth, "Argo, this is Dragon. I repeat, Argo, this is Dragon."
After a few moments of static, a voice cuts through, "Dragon, this is Argo. What do you need?"
"Sumire, bring the Argo into the Coromodir's shipyards for military refitting and modifications", Nico command and readies himself for the response.
"Does this mean what I think it means?", the navigator asks and Nico could feel her smirking.
"Yes", Nico sighs, "Yes, it does", as he tries to ignore the smile that was forming on Kamea's face as well, "Might as well make this official…."
Nico takes a breath for speaking, praying to God that the next words out of his mouth sounded better out loud then they did in his head as he processed to give his first official order as an officer of the Aurigan Coalition….
"Commander Meyer, you have my permission to bring the ACS Argo around to the Coromodir's shipyard, that's an order. Colonel Strong, out."
Roars of laughter and cheer could be heard on the other end and Nico quickly figures out that quite possibly his entire senior staff and then some were on the ship's bridge listening in.
"Oh, they're going to have such fun when I get back", he grumbles before turning his attention to a chuckling Kamea, "You too?"
"It is good to see them in such high spirits. They no doubt deserve to be", she states and she turns around to walk back inside, "Now regarding the new command structure of the Argo...", she stated before a knock at her door interrupted her.
"Enter", she declares and a royal guard enters the room alongside a woman who looked vaguely familiar to Nico. She had jet black hair along pronounced cheekbones and a sharp jawline. She towered over Kamea though she was still shorter than Nico along with being a bit thinner than the Lady of the Reach. She was deck out in an army uniform and carried the rank of captain; amazing seeing how she looked to be a bit younger than Nico.
As the guard turns and leaves the woman pops to attention and salutes, "Lady Kamea, Captain Karen Andris reporting as order!"
Nico's eyes widen slightly upon hearing the name, "That sounds familiar", as he ponders the name.
"Ah, captain, you are early", Kamea states as she takes a look at the clock on the wall, "I was not expecting you for another fifteen minutes."
The captain drops her salute, "Ma'am, I figure that you have other matters to attend to, so I took the initiative to see if I could get our business out of the way so you could attend to them, Ma'am!"
"Hmm, initiative, I like that", Kamea says before turning her attention to Nico, "I'm sure you're familiar with Nico Strong of the Dragon's Raiders", she says.
"Ma'am, I am quite familiar with the Dragon of the Reach, the Hero of the Aurigan Civil War, as is everyone, ma'am!", Karen replies, still at attention.
Nico snaps his fingers and points at the captain, "You were the one I was talking to at the spaceport of Panzyr; a lieutenant with the 2nd Decimis Fusiliers and you ask me to protect your troops."
Captain Andris' face light up and Nico swore that he saw her eyes sparkle.
"I-I didn't think you would remember me", she confesses, "I'm honored."
"You asked me, a mercenary, to protect your wounded men. Any military officer who is willing to swallow their pride for that is okay in my books", Nico tells her.
"Thank you, Mr. Strong", she answers with gratitude as she slightly bows, "From me and my men that day. All of them live to fight on in the civil war because of what you did even though you didn't have to."
Nico simply nods before turning his head to Kamea, "You had something to tell her, Lady Kamea?"
"Oh, yes. She is one of the liaisons for her division during their turnover to House Arano", Kamea answered, internally relieved that he remember to use her title.
"Excuse me?", Nico says.
"House Arano's forces were devastated in the war, but House Decimis' forces are mostly intact to a degree, so as a show of good faith, Lord Decimis is giving me the revived 2nd Decimis Fusiliers to bolster my forces", Lady Kamea explains, "Though I will allow them to keep the Decimis part of their name for unit heritage reason."
Nico stares at Kamea for a moment, "Can I speak to you outside for a moment, Lady Kamea?"
"Captain Andris, wait here for a moment, will you? Make yourself comfortable", Kamea says.
"Ma'am, yes, ma'am!", was the reply from the officer as she sat down at attention at the couch while Nico and Kamea made their way outside once more, closing the door behind them.
"That is suspiciously gracious of him to give you a full army division just like that", the mechwarrior points out as he leans on the rails and looks down at Kamea.
"Not everyone is out to stab me in the back, Nico. He offered it to me in front of the rest of the Founding Houses the other day and I couldn't exactly tell him no or else I would have seemed paranoid to them", Kamea explains while looking out toward the city, "I have to trust the new heads of the nobility or else another civil war might break out or worse, I look weak to the Taurian or the Capellan."
"So you're just going to trust them like that?"
"One hundred percent?, No.", Kamea says, "But to a degree that makes it look like I completely trust them but I will be keeping an eye on them."
"I guess that's something", Nico says, "Be careful, politics is just as dangerous of the battlefield."
"Trust me, I learn that lesson during the war", Kamea says as she walks back inside and Captain Karen shoots up off of the couch.
"Now concerning you and your company posting here on Coromodir, captain", Kamea began, "To be honest, while most of your division have already been assign we are still trying to figure out an appropriate posting for you and your company. Most of the outposts and bases are at max capacity, so you might be filling a-"
"How about you put her company on the Argo?", Nico suddenly interrupts causing both women to turn their attention to him.
"I beg your pardon?", Kamea says.
"Put her and her company on the Argo", Nico repeated, "You said you were looking for one last company to put on; why not her and her men? I could use good soldiers like them."
Silence passes for a moment between the trio.
"Um, Mr. Strong", Captain Andris slowly starts, "I don't mean to be rude, but it's going to be hard for me to fulfill my duties if I'm on a mercenary ship."
"Oh, that's right, you haven't heard the news", Nico says as he turns and smiles at Kamea, "Perhaps it would be best for you to tell her, my lady."
Moments later, the captain nearly stumbles out of the head office of Lady Kamea and quietly goes down the hall, a thousand-yard stare etch into her face. If one was close enough to her, they would hear quiet mumbling emitting from her lips.
"I-I just got put on the Dragon of the Reach's ship and he is now my commanding officer", she says before her face suddenly lights up and she starts jumping up and down in a matter unbecoming of an officer in uniform, "And he remembers who I am!"
Back in the office Nico and Kamea were struggling to keep a straight face after hearing the captain's outburst in the hallway.
"Well, she seems happy", the mechcommander comments while shaking his head.
"I'm sure she will fit in quite nicely with your crew on the Argo", Kamea adds.
"Speaking of which, I should probably be heading back in order to make sure this transition goes smoothly."
"Oh, we should take the Royal Shuttle", Lady Kamea recommended, "I have to go there myself to speak with the shipyard manager."
Nico turns to look at Kamea with an annoyed expression, "Won't that require a ton of unnecessary procedures, security, and preparation?"
"I am the future High Lady of the Reach in case you forgot. It comes with the territory."
"Yeah, but I don't have time to wait on that and neither do you. Come take a ride in the shuttle I brought with me. You can call for the Royal Shuttle to come and pick you up later, that way you can get on with the rest of your day", Nico suggests and Kamea took a moment to consider his offer.
An Hour later onboard the ACS Argo
"So….", Darius started to say within the command center to all who were present, "How again is Dragon and I having the same rank going to work out? You know, with him being a colonel and me being a navy captain."
"I'm glad you ask that Captain Olveira", Alexander answers as he pulls up a hologram display the rank structure of the Aurigan Coalition, "First and foremost, you are not the Executive Officer of the Aurigan Special Forces."
"Oh, darn", Darius said while snapping his fingers, "And here I thought I was in the big leagues."
"Sorry to rain on your parade, but Kamea and I thought it best that we assign a member of the nobility to that title in order to appease some of the naysayers. We are still deciding on who it will be by the way.", Alexander explains, "To be blunt, officially, you are the Commanding Officer of the Argo, and Sumire is your Executive Officer while still filling her Navigator position. The thing is though since the ship falls under the Aurigan Special Forces which Nico is the head of."
"And since the Argo will no doubt be his mobile headquarters...", Darius started.
"When Nico is on board he is in charge of everything,", Alexander finishes, "Also, I notice a certain trend during my time onboard during the civil war."
"That Behemoth benches more weight than any man on the ship, but somehow was the one who came up with the monthly "Girl's Night" gathering in the lounge?", Medusa says only to dodge a coffee cup thrown at him by the large woman, "What? We were all thinking it!"
"Fuck you!", the mech pilot responds while flipping him the bird.
"No", the head of House Madeira answers but after a moment, "Actually yes, the thought did cross my mind far longer than it should have."
A glare from Behemoth quickly puts the meeting right on track.
"Anyway, what I saw was a unique style of leadership never before seen out here in the Reach", Alexander continue, "One where Darius was in charge of the day-to-day operations of the ship to a extend while Nico was in charge of combat, which just so happens to be a major role in your job."
"But Dragon was still overall in charge", Glitch points out, "So I don't see the point in all this."
"Well, Captain Chernovskaya", Alexander started only to be silent upon a girlish squeal escaping from the 3rd Lance Commander's lips and resounding throughout the command center.
….
"Um… Do I do something wrong?"
"She's has been doing that ever since Dragon told us that he had accepted the deal. She has been having everyone put captain at the front of her name and she squeals like a schoolgirl when they do", Yang answered while rolling his eyes, "She somehow even got a name plaque already on the door to her room."
"Oh, well at least she's embracing her new rank with enthusiasm.", Alexander says, taken slightly aback, "Didn't Dragon just accept the offer an few hours ago though?"
"Darius had to literally provide her with a list of reasons why it wasn't practical for her to have "Captain Glitch" embroil on her personal mech", Dekker finished.
"But then how are people going to know that I'm piloting it?", Glitch states causing Alexander to look at her in astonishment.
"And to think she is one of the top five mechwarriors in the Reach right now."
"Moving on!", Feng shouts, "You were saying, Mr. Madeira?"
Alexander shakes his head and returns to the matter at hand, "Yes, well, Kamea and I believe that by allowing Darius to have the same rank as Nico but belonging in a separate branch of the military, we can keep that dynamic going without undermining anyone authority, because I noticed a few times that Darius had to override Nico's decision but it worked out. Mr. Strong is overall in command, but his main focus will be combat situations while Darius handles the Argo."
"What about the rest of the crew?", Medusa asked.
"Excluding the mechpilots, who as you know now have army ranks, all other crew members of the Argo will be given naval ranks", Alexander answers.
"Okay, all problems have been addressed", Darius claps, "Y'all can start the remodeling process and we get this ball rolling."
"Actually, there is one other thing", Alexander says as he calls for his assistant and was given a stack of data-slates, "I have been tasked by Lady Kamea to bring you up to speed with military procedures."
Silence engulfs the room for a few moments before Yang and Dekker slowly raise their hands.
"I am well aware of your military backgrounds Lieutenant-Commander Virtanen and Captain Kowalski but that was with the Confederation", the right hand of the future High Lady smiles, "The Coalition procedures are….a bit different", he states.
He hands out the data slates to everyone and started lecturing, "Now as you can see, each of the four lance commanders will retain their positional authority along with their new rank and in keeping with Lady Kamea's promise of your semi-independence, we will let you four decided the make-up of your overall lance structure command, that way-", he started before an incoming call interrupted him.
"This is Lord Madeira", he answers.
The entire senior staff of the Dragon Raiders watches in silence as the head of House Madeira's eyes slowly widen right before…
"SHE DID WHAT?!", echo throughout the command center and into the hallway outside.
A/N: Hope you enjoy the next chapter: Nico and Kamea have a nice long overdue talk. I'm trying to turn to Argo basically into the type of ships that the modern US Navy uses, the amphibious assault ships that carry both naval and Marine Corp personnel around the world for beach assaults.
Chapter Text
Disclaimers: I do not own Battlemech.
A/N: So here's chapter 4. Basically a moment between Nico and Kamea, discussing a few things.
P.S.: Check out my Fairy Tail, Warframe, Shadow of Mordor/Game of Thrones, or my Harry Potter/Shadow of Mordor if you can.
Please Review, Fav, or Follow if you want.
Chapter 4
Stuck With the Dragon
Between Coromodir and its Shipyards
"Once again, I would like to point out that this isn't completely my fault", Nico says from his position in the pilot's seat while Kamea sat in the co-pilot seat, "I mean, I'm a great pilot and all, but I'm still human. I simply forgot that this particular shuttle needed maintenance done on its engines", he says as he looks out the windows and watches the planet rotate as the shuttle slowly drifted above it, "But look on the bright side, the shipyard is sending someone to come get us, though it's going to take them a while to do so. But we have two days worth of oxygen and plenty of food and water."
But through all of his talking, Kamea continues to shake her head in annoyance and frustration while muttering to herself on how this was kind of her fault and how she should have just taken the Royal Shuttle to the shipyards instead of taking up the mech-commander's offer.
"I am not going to hear the end of this from Alexander, I just know it. This is a huge security risk I took just days before my coronation along with another major factor", she thought before turning to her newest officer, "Nico, answer me one thing, will you?"
"What's that?"
"I assume that since you are from a noble house out in the Deep Periphery that you are aware of certain rules among the nobility in regards to an unmarried lady being in the presence of an unmarried man alone in a small space for an extended period of time", Kamea softly fumes.
"I'm aware of such things but I fail to see how they play a part in our current situation", Nico jokes, a smirk forming on his lips though he is smart enough not to face Kamea with it.
"You better not try to make light of this, Nico!", Kamea snaps while getting out of her seat and getting in the former mercenary's face, making the Dragon smile even harder, "Do you realize what kind of rumors could start if people got the wrong idea?!"
"Oh, come on, Kamea! Remember, I offer, I didn't twist your arm to accept! You could have brought a couple of guards if you wanted!"
"I thought it was going to be a quick trip to the shipyards!", she counters, "It never crossed my mind that I would be stuck in space alone with you!"
"Well, shit happens. Besides, it's me for god's sake", Nico replies while laughing, "If I was going to try something with you, I would have done it during the war! God only knows how many nights we spent alone in my quarters for hours on end going over battle plans and whatnot and I never so much laid a finger on you in that type of way!"
"I know that! You know that! Hell, even Alexander knows that but other people do not know that!", Kamea counter, "All they see is two very attractive people stuck in a shuttle together for an unspecific amount of time!"
Nico stops smiling and turns to fully look up at Kamea, staring directly into her eyes.
"What is it, Nico?", she asks while starting to get a little uncomfortable by his stare.
…
…
"You really think you're attractive?"
BAM!
"Oh god, that was my nose! It was a joke!", Nico wails while cradling it after the punch it took from Lady Kamea.
"It was not a very good one!", the future ruler counters.
"Oh, so you can abandon a dozen worlds like it was nothing, but you can't take a joke about being called ugly?!", Nico screams but instantly regrets it as soon as the words left his mouth as Kamea's eyes widen and she slowly sits back down and stares at the window at the rotating Coromodir, a distance look now in her eyes.
Silence passes inside of the shuttle for nearly ten minutes as neither one of the former students of Raju "Mastiff" Montgomery spoke to or even look at the other. Finally, with the guilt becoming almost too much for him…
"Look", Nico started after scratching his neck in uneasiness, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean that. I know you had to make a tough call back then and..."
"I just got the reports the other day", Kamea interrupts, her voice so quiet that Nico barely even heard it, something she has never done before, "The causalities list was the size of a mountain; one that I had to climb in order to get back the throne."
"It wasn't your fault", Nico try to tell her, "War is never pretty nor fair."
"Yes, but I could have done more to help them!", she shouts as she slams her fist on the window, "Those were my people I abandon! The same people that I was fighting for!"
"Getting yourself killed wouldn't have help anyone", Nico counters, "Trust me, I know what it's like to make a tough call, but you have to learn to live with the decision and pray that it was all worth it."
"And was it?", Kamea asks as she leans over and laid her face into her hands, "I lost my uncle, my cousin, Raju and I almost lost Alexander. Sometimes I wonder if it would have been for the best to listen to my uncle that day he came to me after my parents' death and ask me to take on a more authoritarian stance for the Coalition. Would I have avoided all this bloodshed if I had?"
Nico shrugs, "You'll never know and sometimes it's best not knowing the road not travel."
"And maybe sometimes it is", Kamea added.
The shuttle delves into silence once more between the two pilots, the beeping of the console the only sound to be heard.
"Hey, Kamea", Nico started up, "I have been wondering about something ever since the Argo's retrieval."
"Nico, I am really not in the mood for conversation right now," said the lady as she lifts her head up.
"Well, you got anything better to do?", Nico asks before raising an eyebrow while plastering a seductive smile on his lips, "I mean unless you have a more….strenuous way to pass the time in mind."
"I am going to pretend that was another foolish attempt at a bad joke", Kamea growls, "What do you want to know, ~colonel~?
"Ah, you're no fun. But anyway; I want to know why did you pick the Dragon's Raiders and me?", he asks as a serious expression now appears in the wake of his smile, "We weren't exactly the big dogs around the frontier at the time, especially in terms of numbers. It was just the lance captains and myself as the only mech pilots."
Kamea looks at the Dragon of the Reach, the hero of the Aurigan Civil War with an unreadable expression on her face.
"You had the Magistracy of Canopus bankrolling you. You could have easily hired an Inner Sphere mercenary group", Nico press on, "So why us? I knew you for about half a week before the coup happen."
Kamea takes a moment to contemplate her answer before talking, "To be honest, you're right. We were not that well acquainted with each other before my uncle's coup. But you had something that no other mercenary commander had. Something that I needed."
"And what was that?"
"A personal stake in all of this. From what Raju told me about you, you two were close, like father and son", Kamea said, "And I had a gut feeling that if I presented the opportunity for you to get your revenge you would hop on it."
"Well, you were right about that", Nico said after a moment, nodding his head in agreement, "When you presented the chance for me to get some payback, I jump onboard your restoration without a second thought."
"And I was hoping for that for it also meant that my uncle and cousin would not be able to buy you out once you started becoming a thorn in their side", Kamea states, causing Nico to stare at her in confusion, "I read through their classified military files. You have no idea what they were willing to do to get rid of you. We are still finding new contingency plans every day."
The ace pilot's eyes now widen in surprise, "Wow, I never truly realize how much of a threat the Directorate saw us as."
This actually causes Kamea to raise an eyebrow, "You do remember the rant Victoria went on at Anvelt, don't you? A good part of it was directed at you."
The man known as Dragon simply shrugged, "I thought it was because I just defeated her in mech combat", he states as he clenches his hands, a motion that did not go unnoticed by Kamea.
….
"You are still upset, I see", she says as she takes notes of his body slightly shaking.
"I still think you should have let me finish her off that day", Nico replies, his eyes now staring ahead out into the vastness of space, "Or at the very least not turn her over to Lord Karosas. The Argo couldn't have kept her but you could have."
"I had to give her over to Lord Karosas to fully gain his support, it was the only way", Kamea stated.
"You and I both know that's a lie. You couldn't bring yourself to kill your own flesh and blood, at least not at that very moment", Nico countered as he turns once again to look at her, "And you knew that Karosas would have kept her alive until after the war and she was given a public trial."
The soon-to-be High Lady of the Aurigan Reach took a deep breath and slowly exhales, "I was going to work out a plea deal at that point to have Victoria turn over to House Arano's custody."
"Let me take a wild guess", Nico slightly snarls, his blood beginning to rise, "You were going to have her under house arrest for the rest of her days, weren't you?"
Small teardrops started to form in Kamea's eyes, "I couldn't do it. Back then, I couldn't bring myself to kill her. She was my cousin, my family. And by showing some sympathies, it caused me a powerful ally and for the war to drag on even longer."
Nico found himself taken slightly aback by the sight of seeing Kamea crying, even if it was just teardrops slowly streaming down her face. For as long as he has known her, she always presented a strong front, a leader with the will to carry forward and press on no matter what the obstacle. For the second time within a day, Nico was seeing a different side of the Reach Lady, a side he has never seen before. Sure, she had her moments of weakness during the war, especially after Weldry when she discovered that if she had only launched her attack a few hours earlier, she might have saved Raju along with about two hundred more people but this was something else. Also, there was that outburst from earlier, but this was completely different.
"That all change less than a week ago at the Coliseum", Kamea kept on, her voice taking on a cold edge "When she refused to surrender and end the bloodshed and use her imprisonment of Alexander to gouge me into a fight, I knew once and for all that she was no longer the person I once knew, she was no longer my cousin", as she brings her arm up to wipe away her tears, "She was just another enemy standing in my way."
During his time as an exile on the frontier and during his years as a mercenary, Nico Strong aka Dragon has learned to notice things that the average person would overlook, as it often would save his life. Like where on a mech the armor wasn't at its strongest or when a person's body language betrayed their true intent.
He spots Kamea's eye flicker for a moment longer than what was normal and took note of her slouch shoulders. He notices the smallest hint of bags appearing underneath her eyes even though she had use makeup to hide it but the action of wiping her tears away has removed some of it.
"You haven't been getting much sleep, have you?", Nico asks though it sounded more like a statement than a question.
"I assure you, I am perfectly fine", Kamea tells him.
...
"You're going to make this difficult, huh?", Nico grumbles as he gets up and walks to the door behind him that led to the cabin area. He presses the button on the side of it and it slides open to reveal two rows of passenger seats, one on each side of the bulkhead, "If you put all the armrests up and lay down on the cushions, it makes for a comfortable enough bed."
Blink.
Blink.
Blink.
That was all Kamea Arano of House Arano could do as she stare wide-eyed back at the mechpilot ace whose callsign was that of the mystical beast of destruction.
"Well, it seems that I might have to get my hearing check because I could have sworn that I just heard you suggest that I use some passengers seats as a makeshift bed", she says.
"That's exactly what I suggested", Nico replies.
"So you are saying that I, the future High Lady of the Aurigan Coalition, the head of House Arano, and the next ruler of the Aurigan Reach, should sleep in the passenger's seats of a common shuttle?"
"You rather sleep on the floor?"
"I rather not sleep anywhere because I do not have the time to!", Kamea snaps, her patience at its wit's end. These past few minutes with Nico have been nothing but a roller coaster of emotions and she had just about had enough. Any other non-general rank officer would have had their commission pulled if they have done the same things that the ace mechpilot had, "I have to formulate a plan to lower taxes in the outer systems near the frontier without affecting the economic infrastructure while somehow finding a way to round up enough troops to reinforce the systems on the Taurian border!"
"Well, I'm pretty sure the Coalition isn't going to fall apart while you get a couple of hours of shuteye", Nico says as he presses his hand down on the nearest cushion, "Seriously, look how soft that looks."
Kamea's fingers go straight to her temple and she begins to massage them in an attempt to calm herself, "I do not require any sleep! I am perfectly fi-", her rant was cut short by a long yawn that stretches on for a couple of seconds, a clear indication of her lack of rest as well as a counter to any arguments she had planned to throw at Nico regarding her sleeping habits as of late.
She didn't even have to look at the former mercenary to know that he was smirking instead she focuses her attention on the row of seats that he was standing next to through her heavy bagged eyes.
"There are quite comfy, trust me", Nico says.
"How long until the rescue shuttle reaches us?", Kamea asks while still looking at the seats, prompting Nico to take a look at his watch.
"Well, they said that it would take them six hours to get here due to us being on the other side of the planet and that was about fifteen minutes ago", he finally answers.
Kamea mulls over something in her head for a moment before standing up and moving to the back of the shuttle. Nico steps out of her way and stands silently for a moment as the next ruler of the Reach looks down of the seats, her eyes never leaving them.
"You tell no one of this, am I clear?", Kamea orders.
"Only you and I will know about this, I swear", Nico promises her as he reaches into a nearby drawer in the wall and pulls out an emergency space blanket, "This will keep you warm enough so that you'll fall asleep faster."
Kamea snatches the blanket out of his hands and quickly makes herself comfortable on the row of seats. She turns around to stare up at Nico and points a finger at him.
"If you try to take advantage of me while I'm sleeping, I will personally castrate you", she threatens, "Dragon of the Reach be damn."
Nico merely chuckles as he walks back to the shuttle's cockpit, "Have a nice nap, Lady Kamea."
Within moments, Nico was back in the pilot's seat and the soft snoring of the future High Lady could be heard from behind him in the cabin.
He shakes his head and moves to light up a cigarette when a beacon lit up on the control console in front of him, indicating an incoming call.
"Wonder who this is?", Nico says to himself right before pushing the button, "This the ACS Argo shuttle-"
"ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR FUCKING MIND?!", erupts through the comm link as Alexander's face appears on a holo-screen, startling Nico. Acting quickly, he lowers the volume on the comms and cases a glance behind him to make sure Kamea was still sleeping. She stirs in her sleep for a moment, but other than that she was still knock out.
Letting out a breath, he turns to face Lord Madeira who actually looked quite intimidating with the snarl on his lips and along with his heavy breathing, a feat Nico didn't think was possible for the Aurigan noble.
"Hey, Alexander", Nico starts out but that was as far as he got.
"Don't "hey" me! Do you have any idea the kind of security and public image nightmare you have just created?! You got the next ruler of the Coalition floating in space in a common shuttle alone with a male mercenary!"
"Former mercenary, next head of the Aurigan Military Special Forces and the hero of the civil war, all thanks to you in case you forgot", Nico reminded him with a stern look, though deep down he was actually impressed to see this side of Alexander. In the back of his mind, he always thought he was kind of a pushover in some ways.
"Be that as it made, you have no idea the issues this incident is going to cause", Alexander started again, this time treading lightly around the mech commander, "I already heard about what happened in the hallways of the Royal Palace-"
"How the fuck did you already hear about that? That happened like only two hours ago", Nico questions, his suspicions rising.
"Don't freak out, Kamea told me herself", Alexander said, "Trust me, I am the only true friend Kamea has and I am not going to spy or backstab her"
"Yes, but you do have a family and that's a liability", Nico tells him, "I've seen strong bonds of friendship break when it comes to family before."
The two men stare in silence for a moment before Alexander spoke again…
"Moving on", he said in a restrained voice, "Where is Kamea?"
"She's sleeping."
….
"Apologies, could you repeat that?"
"She's sleeping in the back."
"Nico, I have been in the Argo shuttles and as far as I know, none of them have a bed in the back", Alexander explained.
"You're right, none of them do", Nico confirms as he already knew what was coming next.
"Then where is Kamea sleeping?"
"I'll give you three guesses and here's the only clue: It's not on the floor", Nico smiles, "Well technically, I didn't tell him exactly where Kamea was sleeping, so I kept my promise."
Alexander slowly takes his glasses off and rub his hand down his face before speaking again only this time it was in a low voice that barely concealed his fury, "Is she at least comfortable?"
"If my guess is correct this is probably going to be the most sleep she has gotten since the war ended, no thanks to you. So yes, she is comfortable", Nico says as he finally lights his cigarette and takes a puff.
"I beg your pardon?"
Nico exhales a cloud of smoke into the holo-screen, "You know, Kamea doesn't have to be at every single meeting, you could take some over for her so she can get more sleep."
"If you must know, she requests that she be present at every meeting that involves the resurrection of the Coalition", Alexander explains.
"Then convince her that she doesn't have to be", Nico counters, "You're her best friend, Alexander. She'll listen to you."
"Apparently she will listen to you too if you somehow manage to convince her to get on a common shuttle and take a nap within its cabin", the head of House Madeira points out.
"Touche", was Nico's response.
Alexander rubs his eyes in thought, thinking carefully about his next words.
"Look, we both know that Kamea has a long road ahead of her, in both the politically and militarily sphere. So how about we make a deal? I will try my hardest to take the load off of her on the political side and whenever you can ease her worries on the military side", Alexander suggested.
"You're only making me a colonel, I'll doubt I'll have anywhere close to the amount of influence as you think I will", Nico said as he took another drag.
"Your reputation as "Hero of the Reach" is going to precede you wherever you go from now on, Nico, and that alone has huge amounts of influence. You now have an image to maintain and I suggest you do so wisely", Alexander tells him, "Soon enough you may draw the attention of the bigger factions."
"I doubt anyone important within the Inner Sphere cares what happens way out here", Nico confess, "To them, we're just uncivilized barbarians and I hailed from the most uncivilized place of all, the Deep Periphery."
"That reminds me, Nico", Alexander says, "Kamea and I never learn anything in detail regarding your family and origins. All we know about you is that you're from a noble house on the very edge of civilization. Not even Raju told us anything beyond that."
The commanding officer of the ACS Argo stares into the eyes of Alexander Madeira, his steel eyes burning a hole into the nobleman's very soul. After what seems like an eternity, his hand reaches for a button on the console, "I'll contact the Argo when the rescue shuttle gets here. I'll see you at the shipyards."
Alexander lets out a sigh before replying, "Very well, see you in a few hours, Dragon."
"Oh, one more thing, Alexander", Nico says.
"Hmm? What is it?", Alexander questions, wondering what the pilot wants.
"I suggest you never come at me like that again", Nico all but threatens, "My superior or not, I've personally gone above and beyond for you and Kamea too many times to be treated with such disrespect and I deserve better as does my crew for future references."
Alexander regards Nico for a moment, taking in his words.
"You are right", he finally agrees, "I should not have come at you like that, and I apologize. It has just been pretty stressful lately."
"I understand that, but you shouldn't let it get the best of you", Nico says and with that he cuts the feed, once again leaving him alone with the sounds of the shuttle's console and Kamea's snoring.
Unfortunately, with nothing else to keep his attention, his mind started to drift back to the days before the coronation coup. Back when Raju was still alive and things were way more simple….
Flashback
"You look like shit", the battle-scarred mechwarrior laughs as he looks over the man standing in front of him at the Royal Hangar for House Arano mechs, "How you were still alive after I found your ass, I'll never know."
"Happy to see you too, you old fart", a younger bandaged up Nico Strong replied, "Moving on from that, you mind telling me why my Blackjack is seating in this fancy-ass place?", as he points to his family's ancestral battlemech which was right next to them.
"Because I order it to be moved here", Raju answers, "I'm the Captain of House Arano's Guard, in case you didn't know."
Nico lets out a deep sigh, "Look, Raju, it's great to see you again after all these years and I'm thankful that you saved my life but I really should be on my way."
"Not even going to listen to the offer I have for you?"
"What offer?", Nico wondered.
"How would you like to be a Royal Guard?", Raju smirk only to laugh out loud once he saw the bewildered look Nico was giving him.
"Is this a joke?", Nico asks, "Because it's not a very good one."
"I'm completely serious", Raju tells him, "I need at least one competent pilot alongside me and you're the best student I ever had. You were a quick learner and a master of the cockpit."
"Which is funny because I wasn't the one you were originally hired to train, remember?", Nico reminds him before his mood suddenly darkens, something that Raju picks up on.
"Look, I heard what happen after I left", Raju says with a softer voice, "If it's any consolation, I-"
"It was bound to happen one way or another, I was becoming too popular for my own good", Nico cuts him off, "But back to this offer, don't you have to run this through the top guy in charge or something?"
"Well, no doubt you heard about the recent deaths of the High Lord and High Lady, right?", Raju started.
"Of course, it's all anyone seems to be talking about around here", Nico said as he rolls his eyes.
"Well, until their daughter is crowned High Lady, I'm in charge of all of the screening for all the new recruits to the Royal Guard and I want you for the battlemech division. Hell, I'm planning on putting you in charge of it somewhere down the line while I still maintain overall command over the mech and ground contingents."
Nico points at himself, "Me?"
"After some brushing up on proper management and leadership skills, of course", Raju admits, "I know what you were trained for that back in your family's territory but it's been a decade since you had to-"
"Let's not talk about it, okay?" Nico blurts out, the anger in his voice barely restrained.
"Okay, okay", Raju agrees while throwing his hands up, but he then spots something over Nico's shoulder, "Speak of the devil and she will appear."
Nico turns his head to see what Raju was talking about and spots two women, around his age walking through the hangar bay, surrounded by Royal Guards and aides, "That's the daughter, isn't it? The shorter one."
"That's Kamea, alright. Wasn't even two months after I left you that I was picked up to train her and her cousin, Victoria", Raju explains.
"How did that happen?", Nico questions.
"I don't know, I guess the same way I was picked up to train the pilots in your house, I killed the right people", Raju shrugs.
Nico took a good long look at Kamea Arano, taking in her features before turning around to face his old teacher, "She's easy on the eyes, I'll give her that but she gives off the "naive, little girl" vibe way too much for my liking. Still nice ass, though. I'll fuck her any-"
BAM!
"Son of a bitch, that was my nose, and that fucking hurt!" Nico's voice echo throughout the hangar, causing everyone on the ground level to stop and look in his direction, "Why the fuck you do that?"
Raju gives his former student a hard look, waiting for him to finish clutching his nose before speaking, "I have been training Lady Kamea since she was fifteen and she has become like a daughter to me during that time."
"More like granddaughter, you old fart", Nico commented only to receive a hard slap upside the head for his trouble.
"As I was saying, she is like a daughter to me and you're like a son to me. So that makes you two siblings and I expect you to treat her as if she was your sister", Raju basically ordered Nico.
"Your logic makes no sense whatsoever. What makes you think-", Nico started before hearing a voice call from behind him.
"Captain Raju, a word if you please", causing Nico to turn around and come face to face with Lady Kamea and her entourage who were all standing only a couple of yards from him. Her reddish tint eyes lock with his chocolate brown eyes for only a second before moving to the man behind him, "I hope I'm not interrupting anything."
"Nonsense, Lady Kamea", Raju says as he walks by Nico, slightly pushing him out the way, "Just catching up on old times with my former student."
"You old piece of-", Nico started
"Think about my offer, will ya?", Raju cuts in, "You owe me that much at least", as he takes off toward Lady Kamea's group.
"I would like to discuss the security measures for the coronation with you", the heir of House Arano said as she and Raju take off walking in the other direction leaving Nico alone….or at least he would have been if Lady Victoria wasn't still standing there looking at him after the rest of the entourage took off after the future High Lady and her Captain of the Guard. For a few tense moments, the two of them had a stare-off with one another, neither one willing to be the first one to look away for the other. For Nico, it felt like he was having a mech battle with her, both of them looking for the first sign of weakness in the other. Finally, after what seems like an eternity….
"Victoria, is something the matter?", Lady Kamea calls back.
The heir of House Espinosa simply smirks before abruptly turning on her heels to catch up with her cousin, leaving Nico to stare at her retreating back.
"Those eyes", thought the mech pilot, "I've seen eyes like those before."
End of Flashback
"I wonder if anything would have changed if I said something to Raju about that time", Nico says to himself as he takes the last drag of his cigarette, "Wonder if he would still be alive."
As he flicks the butt to the floor and pulls out another one, he laughs a little, "Guess I'll never know and sometimes it's best not knowing the road not travel."
Meanwhile, while Nico was alone in his thoughts in the cockpit, Lady Kamea was having her own flashback of the distant past, only it was through her dreams.
Kamea's Dream
"Captain Raju, I have to ask", Kamea started out as she watches Nico inspect his Blackjack, "Why was your former student cradling his nose and why did you swat him in the head?"
"Oh, that? He said some things he shouldn't have, that's all", Raju explain.
"And what things were those?"
"Nothing you should worry about, Lady Kamea", Raju told her as Victoria finally join up with them. Thankfully, Kamea decided to temporarily turn her attention to her kin for a moment.
"Did Captain Raju's student offend you in some way, cousin?", Kamea asks, "You seem to have been having a stare-off with him for a moment."
"Just sizing him up", Victoria smile as she looks at Raju, "I must say, it must sadden you to put so much work into a student only for him to barely qualify as a mediocre pilot, Captain Raju", she stated before she laughed.
"With respect, Lady Victoria", Raju started in an emotionless voice, "Nico is the best student I ever trained and could hold his own against both you and Lady Victoria."
Both noble ladies stare agape at the war veteran, their mouths slightly drop to indicate to everyone around them their current emotion. Quickly realizing his mistake, Raju corrected himself.
"Granted, that you three are all piloting the same exact mechs and plus factoring in terrain and support, of course", he said, "Even then, it would still be a close one. And to be honest, he does have more combat experience underneath his belt due to him being a freelancer for the past decade."
For a moment, no one moved. Even the aides and bodyguards kept quiet as a silent standoff happened between the three mechwarriors.
"Ha, ha, ha!", Kamea erupted, easing the tension in the air, "Of course, that is what I thought you said! Oh, I do enjoy these talks we have, Captain!"
Raju eventually lets out a chuckle and even Victoria starts laughing again, though she was way quieter than she was before and for a brief moment, she glares at her mech teacher through cold eyes.
"Right, now about the coronation security", Kamea started, pushing Nico to the back of her mind for the moment though her thoughts did linger on his brown eyes and dragon tattoo longer than she would have cared to admit.
"I guess he is easy on the eyes in a rugged sort of way", she thought as she began to walk to her next destination, her entourage falling in behind her, "Surely Raju was only joking about his abilities."
Back on the Argo
Within the command center of the ACS Argo, five figures gathered around a console, all of their faces adorned with stern expressions.
"We all know why we're here", Darius started in a solemn voice, "And we all know what must be done."
"This could be the most important decision of our lives", Dekker added, "There's no going back after this."
"We knew that before we step into this room", Behemoth said, "Everyone who is here now knows what they're getting into."
"That's right", Medusa agreed, "It's too late for second thoughts."
"Well, I suppose we should get right to it then", Glitch states, "How's this going down?"
"In the simplest way possible", Darius said as he pushes a button on the command console and an image pops up.
…
…
….
"Who wants Ronin in their lance unit?", Darius asks, only to be bombarded by a fury of shouts.
"I call dibs!", Glitch shouted out, waving her hand in the air, "She has had more drops with me than anyone else here!"
"Bullshit! I have had twice as many drops with her than you!", Behemoth shouts, "Plus, I need her long-range sniping to balance out my unit which is already going to have Archangel for melee combat!"
"What do you mean you're taking Archangel?! Because fuck that, I'm taking him!", Dekker's voice resounds through the room.
"You guys can fight over him", Medusa says, "I'll take Paradise, Showboat, and Coach for my lance!"
"You just can't take three pilots off the bat!", Glitch points out, "That's against the rules!"
Behemoth rolls her eyes, "Didn't know that there were rules for this type of thing!"
"Of course there are rules and they clearly state that you can't pick three pilots in a row just like that!", Glitch argues.
Darius rolls his eyes and puts a hand on his forehead as the four veteran mechwarriors continued to argue back and forth with Behemoth even threatening physical violence at this point, "This is going to be a long yard period."
CO of the Aurigan Special Forces: Nico "Dragon" Strong: Colonel
XO of the Aurigan Special Forces: TBD
CO of the Argo: Darius Olveira: Captain (Navy)
XO of the Argo/Navigator: Sumire Meyer : Commander
Head Mechtech: Yang Virtanen: Lieutenant Commander
Chief Engineer: Farah Murad: Lieutenant Commander
Head Medtech: Qartio Feng: Lieutenant Commander
1st Lance Commander: M iranda "Behemoth" Aguilera : Captain
Specializes in Guts.
2nd Lance Commander: Amir "Dekker" Kowalski : Captain
Specializes in Piloting.
3rd Lance Commander: Jessica "Glitch" Chernovskaya : Captain
Specializes in Gunnery.
4th Lance Commander: Mohammed "Medusa" Benitez : Captain
Specializes in Tactics.
All other former mercenary mechpilots will have the rank of lieutenant.
A/N: So I change up a few things so that Nico and Kamea have at least seen each other before the tutorial mission, that would have just been their first time talking to each other. Also, those are the official names of Behemoth and the others.
Next chapter: an assassination attempt on Kamea during her coronation. At this point, she should just put the crown on her head and be done with it.
Chapter Text
Disclaimers: I do not own Battletech.
A/N: I do not own Battletech
So here's the next chapter and we finally see some development between Nico and Kamea.
So I brought the official Battletech book for House Arano: The Aurigan Coalition and I have to say there is a lot of stuff that in here that changes everything. But seeing how I have already started I have decided that I'm going to keep going with what I have while using the book to change a couple of things.
Coronation Day
It was one of the top stories on every newsfeed within the Coromodir system that day along with the coronation and would no doubt be one of the top stories in all the rest of the Reach soon enough. Nico and Kamea standing in front of the Argo at the docking yards shaking hands and looking into the camera with the entire senior staff of the Dragon's Raiders standing behind the ace mechwarrior and Lord Madeira standing behind the future High Lady cheering and clapping.
Nico Strong, also known as "The Dragon of the Reach" and hero of the Aurigan Civil War agrees to Lady Kamea's proposal and accepts the position as Commander of the revived Aurigan Coalition Special Forces, granting him the rank of Colonel!
Joining him will be the entirety of the Dragon's Raiders mercenary group, with such figures as:
The rampaging beauty of the battlefield, Behemoth!
The genius tech pilot who is also a native Aurigan, Medusa!
The phoenix of the cockpit who has survived over a dozen seemingly fatal wounds only to rise again, Dekker!
And the geeky yet lovely and deadly angel, Glitch!
Lady Kamea Arano followed up with these words:
"I am extremely grateful to Nico Strong and his mercenary company, The Dragon's Raiders, for accepting my offer and honored to have them protecting the good citizens of the Aurigan Reach! With their experience and insight, we will weed out the remaining Directorate pockets of resistances and strengthen our borders to ensure a stable rebirth of the Coalition!"
Already reports are coming in from recruitment stations across the system as young men and women flock to their doors and enlist in order to help Lady Kamea fulfill her goal as well as having the honor of serving alongside the legendary mechpilot!
A noblewoman from a branch of House Maderia had this to say:
"I was a prisoner at the "Icebox" on Weldry due to not supporting the Main Branch decision of joining the Directorate. On the day of liberation, I witness the Dragon's mech be the first one to burst through the walls of the prison and watch in awe as he began wiping out the guards in his mech. At that moment, I knew that Lady Kamea was going to win the war if she had pilots like that on her side."
A former sergeant of the 2nd Decimis Fusilliers also added his statement describing his encounter with the "Dragon" during the defense of Panzyr:
"I was pretty bang-up from earlier engagements but I was still manning a gun mount in defense of the barracks me and my boys were held up in. We were ready to fight to the death but even I'll admit that when I saw that Taurian Griffin mech show up along with three APC, I almost shit my pants. But it seemed that destiny was on our side when the goddamn "Dragon" himself show up on the other side of the compound and laid into the entire detachment. It was all over in like a minute and afterward, he jumped right back down into the main battle. Truly a sight to witness."
It's right to assume that the Reach's future is looking safe and secure with the unstoppable might of the Dragon's Raiders watching over it!
Meanwhile, the former Taurian fortress now turned palace was alive with activity as everyone, from the highest of nobles to the lowest of the servants were making preparations for the coronation of Lady Kamea Arano. Last-minute security checks were being made. Chefs and their assistants were checking the smallest details on their food. Castle servants were arranging then rearranging the decorations in the throne room while making sure the flood of guests were all taken care of.
Meanwhile, in her chambers, the next ruler of the Aurigan Coalition went over her own last-minute checks with her adviser while she was shielded by a dressing screen being seen to by her attendants.
"Alexander", she calls from across the room to the couch where her childhood friend was sitting with his back to her out of respect and tradition, "Have the patrols been dispatch throughout the capital?", she asks while lifting her arms up so her coronation dress could be fitted. While tradition dictated that no man other the noblewoman's family could be in the room while she was getting dress, Kamea was able to make an exception for Alexander simply because he was her head adviser.
"Yes, Lady Kamea. The last transport truck dropped off its troops to their position twenty minutes ago. There are currently five thousand loyal men of House Arano and hundreds more from various other houses patrolling the streets at this moment", Lord Madeira answers.
"Good, now what of the outer perimeter of the city?"
"As of right now, four lances of the Dragon's Raiders are currently deployed around the city on all four main roads leading into it. Captain Behemoth's lance is guarding the north. Captain Glitch's patrol is watching the south. We have Captain Dekker's unit patrolling on the western entrance to the capital and finally, Captain Medusa's and his mechs are keeping an eye on things in the east. All four lances have been reinforced with infantry, support vehicles, and air support and both Leopards from the Argo are awaiting in orbit above with a total of three full reserve lances ready to provide backup if needed.", Alexander reports while looking at his data slate.
"Excellent", Kamea says as she leans her head to the left to allow the hairdresser to finish up combing out her strands, "I will not have a repeat of what happen all those years ago."
Alexander doesn't give a response to this statement and this peculiar behavior was picked up by Kamea.
"Is something wrong, Alexander?", she asks while slipping her feet into the heels being presented to her.
"I still think it is a bad idea for you to walk through the streets after your crowning", he answers after a moment.
"Alexander, we have been through this. I have to show everyone, my allies, and my enemies, that I will not cower behind these walls. I need to show the people a strong front and that they are right to place their faith in me."
"But through the entirety of the main road? We still have three infantry companies worth of Directorate's soldiers still unaccounted for here on Coromodir and this...", Alexander stops for a moment to find the proper words, "Brazen display of yours is basically begging them to try something! It is almost as if you're taunting them!"
"I assure you, Alexander, everything will be fine. With all their mechs and armored support gone, they are no more than rabble now especially without my uncle or cousin to guide them and they will disappear back into the masses soon enough and never bother me again. Though if it will help ease your fears, we can have a task force assemble to weed them out after things have settled down", Kamea states as the servants finish up the final touches on her dress, "Besides, it is like you said, we have thousands of men patrolling the streets and four mech lances to provide a safe and secure coronation and this show of force will prove to be a powerful deterrent."
"I would still like it to go on record that I am against this", Alexander insisted.
"Duly noted", Kamea says, "Now, any update on Nico and Darius?"
"Their uniforms were delivered to them on board the Argo and they are currently using the dressing room in the south wing to get ready for the coronation", Alexander said, "Though giving them House Arano's uniforms will no doubt raise questions among the other nobles. Did you not state that a universal uniform would be given to the military?"
Kamea nods as she dismisses her servants and waits for them to exit the room before talking. She then exits from behind the dressing screen, fully outfitted in her coronation dress, and moves toward the window to look out onto Cordia City.
"I said exactly that but that will only apply to the regular military. I intend for the special forces branch to serve directly under House Arano and myself, just like the Royal Guard."
The head of House Madiera rubs his chin in thought, "The Dragon's Raiders can easily field a large number of mech if you count all the ones on the Argo, their Leopards, and in storage."
"Nico did have a near-obsession with salvageable parts over actual pay when it came to contracts", Kamea reminded him, "Half of his mechs were piece together by his own men and used to belong to someone else."
"That is a strong mech force under your direct command, not even counting the mechs of the Royal Guard or the ones confiscated from House Espinosa", Alexander continued, "The other houses might see this as a power move."
"That is exactly what I want them to see it as", Kamea confesses, "While I will give them back a majority of the powers they had before my uncle's coup and reward those who were loyal to me, I will also make it clear that I am in charge of the Reach and I will never again be caught off-guard like I was in years past because I foolishly believed that no one would ever betray me. You and Nico are the only ones I fully trust right now, Alexander. The only ones I can depend on."
"What makes you so sure Nico will not stab you in the back down the road?", Alexander asks.
"I beg your pardon?", the Countess of Coromodir said, shocked that Alexander would say such a thing.
"I am not saying he will, but how can you be so sure?", Alexander said before the High Lady got the wrong idea, "What to keep him from changing his mind if he gets a better offer from the Taurians or the Capellans?
Kamea remains silent for a moment as she looks at all the preparations being done for her coronation before speaking, "Because any sane person would have turn tell and ran when the Taurians enter the war on my uncle's side, but Nico didn't. But like I have said before, that man is anything but sane and we should be thankful for that."
On the outer edges of Cordia City, sixteen towering mechs stood watch on all the major roads leading into it. Hundreds of infantry were positioned in machine nest and bunker alongside them and entire tank squads were dedicated to providing aid should it be needed.
"Surime, this is Behemoth, all things clear in our sector."
"Copy that, Behemoth. With you all lances have checked in with all conditions normal", the navigator turned navy officer who was in charge at the moment while Dragon and Darius were attending the coronation radios back, "Next check-in is in thirty minutes, see you then."
"Copy that, Sumire. Behemoth out", the towering woman says as she leans back into the chair within the cockpit of her Banshee BNC-3M and observes her surrounding through her cameras, mainly that of her lance consisting of Big Sly, Deadeye, and Tinker. The first two were deck out in Commando COM-2D mechs while Tinker herself was in a Trebuchet TBT-5N. Behemoth decided it would be best for the pilot from Galax to have a fire support position while on guard duty, despite her being a more frontline pilot. This was of course due to Dragon's suggestion that all mechpilots be well versed in all combat roles, not just the ones they're good at as this would prevent a shortage of pilots in a particular role from occurring.
"There he goes again, making a decision that I can't help but agree with", Behemoth grumbles, "He makes them so often that you would think that he used to be a general or something."
"You talking about Dragon?", a voice came through the comm, startling the pilot and making her nearly jump out of her seat.
"God damn it, Medusa!", she screams once she recovers, "Why are you on my lance's comm channel?!"
"Um, I'm on the lance commanders' comm channel right now which Dragon ordered to remain open until the coronation was over, remember?", the tech whiz native reminded his counterpart and after a moment, Behemoth shook her head in embarrassment upon realizing her mistake.
"Anyway, you were saying something about Dragon?" Medusa press on.
"Yeah, have you ever notice something weird about the decisions he makes sometimes? Like how some of his tactical choices would fit better with a full-blown general than a mercenary company commander?", Behemoth asks.
"Like how he sees the big picture, not just what's right in front of him?", Dekker interject as he and Glitch join in on this conversation, "Remember that job on Joppa where he remained on the Argo and directed the mission? He sent you and me around the main base to scout the hills behind it while Glitch and Medusa took it over on their own..."
"And you two were able to ambush the returning patrol and inflict some serious damage on them before Medusa and I showed up and help you wipe them out? Yeah, I remember that one", Glitch finish, "Markham would have us just take the base and thought of nothing else."
"Sad but true", Behemoth agreed as she remembers back to her old commander, "He was never one to plan ahead."
"As much as I agree with your conversation, you guys need to get back to your guard duties", Surime comes through over the channel, "Dragon and Kamea want no surprises today."
"Oh, give us a break, will ya? This has got to be the most boring job will have ever taken, even before we became part of the regular military. The only upside is the fact that they haven't gotten us our uniforms yet besides Dragon and Darius, so we can stay in our usual outfit for the time being", Behemoth complained.
"True, but that doesn't mean you any less in the Coalition military than those soldiers next to your mech's feet right now", Surime counters.
"Well none of us, not even Dragon nor Darius, has even taken our oaths of service yet either. All we've done is sign some paperwork", Medusa points out, "By most accounts, we're still technically mercenaries working underneath Kamea."
"Then act like it then and keep watch. Everyone knows there are still Directorate's holdouts here on Coromodir and the coronation would be a fine target for them", Surime orders.
Behemoth hits her head on the back of her seat, "If I knew military life was going to be this boring, I might not have signed up."
"What are you babbling about? We literally just got done fighting a war less than a week ago and you're already itching for more action?", Glitch asks.
"She has somewhat of a point. Other than maybe taking out a few Directorate holdouts, this is probably going to be the majority of our job from here on out. Patrolling, guard duty, and if we're really unlucky, training instructors duty", Medusa added, "Things are starting to settle down now around the Reach, thank God."
A light bulb goes off in Glitch's head, "Oh yeah, you're from the Reach, aren't you, Medusa? Just like Darius?"
"Yeah, born on one of Mechdur's lunar colonies but mostly grew up in Katinka", he answered, "Luckily, the war didn't affect either one of them too much so they're mostly still intact."
Behemoth lets out a whistle, "Must have been hard on you to fight against your own people during the war."
Medusa shrugs, "Not really, they were in my way and I was getting paid to get them out of it. Simple as that."
While his three fellow lance commanders had their discussion, Dekker was alone with his thought as Medusa's words sunk into him. If what Dragon told him and Surime back on the Argo was true, the Reach was about to be anything but peaceful here soon. Pretty soon the Dragon's Raiders were going to more than likely find themselves back on the frontlines and this time against a real military threat. Sure the Directorate wasn't a pushover but now they were talking about the most powerful state out here in the Periphery factions or one of the Inner Sphere factions. Either one of them could easily beat the Coalition through sheer military attrition alone.
And despite what Dragon told him, Dekker felt it best that the same people he has been through hell and back with for years had the right to know what might be coming for them.
He presses the button that tells Behemoth, Medusa, and Glitch to switch to the private comms channels that not even the Argo could listen in on and after getting three confirmation signals….
"There's something I need to tell ya but you can't tell anyone else."
Back to the confines of the Royal Palace, Nico and Darius were discussing a matter of grave importance.
"How the hell do you walk around in this thing?!", Darius screams as he takes a look at himself in the mirror alongside Nico. Both of them were wearing uniforms that depict the colors of House Arano with a dark gray tunic and trousers, along with a high-collared red and white coat accented in gold to distinguish themselves as officers. On both of their shoulders were silver eagle insignia, only Darius had an anchor in the middle of his while Nico simply sported a military rifle. Surprisingly, only Nico had to get a haircut as Darius already kept his in a nice trim fashion that passed regulations. The "Dragon of the Reach", hair that was once a jungle mess was now a straight buzzcut that was high and tight or a "Hairstyle 18", as the troops nickname it apparently.
Also, the mechwarrior was "ask" to shave by Lady Kamea herself though it felt like more of a threatening order than a suggestion and now not a single hair was present on his face. In fact, the only thing that remained that could help identify him was the scar and his green dragon tattoo and despite there being technology available that could remove the tattoo, Kamea told him that he could keep it.
"You get used to it", Nico merely said and turns to walk away while Darius adjusted himself. It was only after a few moments that he realizes the meaning of Nico's words and turns around.
"How do you know that?"
"I'm from a noble house out in the Deep Periphery, remember? I have worn far less comfortable clothing then this", Nico answers without turning around to face his executive officer.
After pondering for a moment on his answer, Darius merely shrugs and goes back to fixing his uniform. While Nico sat down on the couch that was in the dressing room. But while he thought his answer was the end of the matter, Darius did not as he kept adjusting his clothes while thinking over in his mind.
No one really knows about Dragon's past. The only man that knew that was Raju and he ain't talking anything soon. Wonder why he hasn't told anyone else?", he thought before the sound of a loud bell ringing brought him out of his thoughts.
"Time to go", Nico said as he got up and the two of them left the room and made their way to the courtyard.
A/N: A revision is coming up.
Chapter Text
Disclaimers: I do not own Battletech.
A/N: I hate to say this, but I had to scrap the assassination plotline for now. It was going to take too long and frankly, I want to get everyone back on the Argo. I would also like to point out that I am not a zealous Battletech fan. Most of what I know is from the game and the official books released for the game. I have read into parts of the lore but that is it. If you see something wrong and think I should correct it, feel free to PM me and address it, please.
Please leave a Review, Fav, or Follow if you want
Also, check out my other stories if you get a chance.
Changes
Leopard-class Hysteria in Orbit
"Three Leopards? Kamea wasn't kidding when she said we would be the "Tip of the Spear" for the military. That means that right before every jump, we would have to detach a Leopard, possibly two, and have it attached to another side of the Jumpship. That could take time", the former navigator, now Executive Officer of the Argo told herself as she went over the notes and skeptics she had laid out while the capital planet rotates beneath her from her place at the helm as she manned the bridge alone.
Last night, Sumire received information from Darius and Nico about how not only was the Argo getting a third Leopard, but also additional personnel to man up all three of them. Nico then explained to Sumire that he wanted a full lance in each Leopard ready to deploy at a moment's notice along with supporting elements. Normally, planning such a task would be done by the Dragon himself, but he and Darius were far too busy going over some things with Kamea and Alexander and simply did not have the time to do so.
"Calculating the space for the two Aerospace fighters that each Leopard is going to have along with the six mechs in the bay. Take in the modifications each Leopard is going to get and…..", she told herself before she finally put down the pencils and bang her head on the table, "Hope Yang's guys don't get too mad when I have to reduce their number of lounge areas from four to two."
She lifts her head up after a moment and stares at a stack of papers that was separate from the others. While most of it was in small print, in big bold letters were the words:
"Will be granted the Aurigan Coalition Military Naval Rank of Commander and made the Executive Officer of the ACS Argo upon acceptance."
This brings a smile to her face as she stands up, "Commander Sumire Meyer, Executive Officer of the ACS Argo, the mobile headquarters of the Aurigan Coalition Special Forces. I quite like the sound of that. Not bad for someone whose ancestors hailed from a planet named potato."
"You talking to yourself again? You know I could get you a psyche evaluation for that", a voice from behind her says and she turns around to see Qartio, Farah, and Yang all standing in the doorway looking at her, still in their mercenaries outfits. Much like the pilots, they were waiting until after they have officially given their oaths of services before switching into their military uniforms.
The Medtech took a puff of her cigarette and exhale slowly, "It would look bad if the Argo lost its new XO so soon after becoming an official military ship."
Sumire rolls her eyes, "You know, Dragon is not going to be too happy that you three are here instead overseeing the work with the Argo in the shipyard."
Yang merely shrugs, "Eh, I doubt he'll fire us or anything. Besides, the work doesn't even officially start until next week anyway."
"Still though, you should at least be getting ready for it", Sumire advise before turning to look down at Coromondir.
"Soooooo", Farah said as she came along the side of the navigator and nudge her with her elbow, "Got any marriage proposals yet?"
Sumire lets out a chuckle, "You're not funny."
"I'm serious! Think about it! You're the last of House Meyer and you're a XO of a ship like this at such a young age. Play your cards right and you might even get your own command soon enough. Play them even better and Kamea might even reinstate your house with you at the head of it", Farah suggested, "That should get you some attention."
The ship's navigator rests a hand on her forehead, "That's not how things work in the game of nobility. Nobles houses rarely get revived once they hit rock bottom and my family was a minor house to begin with."
"I bet those other guys didn't personally know their faction's leader now, did they?", Farah counters.
"Why would Kamea waste her time with something like that?", Sumire asks her.
"Becomes you're a hero as well who stuck with her through the entire war", the chief engineer reminded her, "You got us where we needed to be countless times and you got us out of some pretty tight spots."
"Yeah, but at the end of the day, I wasn't on the front lines fighting. Besides, she already gave me an officer commission and that's more than I could ever ask for", Sumire said, "Anything else would be me overstepping my boundaries."
"You know", Qartio began from her spot at the far left panels of the bridge, "I bet if you talk to Dragon about it, he could easily convince Kamea to do so."
"Really, you too? Don't you three have better things to do?", Sumire asks.
"Not really", Farah says before pointing at Qartio, "Our staff can handle any real emergency until we get back."
"And the only real project my guys got is Dragon's Highlander, so we got time to spare", Yang states.
The Argo's Navigator lets out a groan, "Okay, it doesn't mean that you all can get involved in my past? I left it behind me a long time ago."
"Just looking out for ya, that's all", Yang pops in, "The paths for the three of us are pretty much set in stone and nearly all mechpilots stay in the cockpit until they're either dead, crippled or they just simply retire. But you can still make a name for yourselves with this fresh new start."
Sumire remains silent, prompting the old Mechtech to keep going.
"I'm pretty sure you don't want to be a Navigator or even a XO forever and eventually, the way the military works, you will be transferred off the Argo in due time. All of us will be and the Argo will have a completely different crew, except for maybe Dragon", Yang says, "The Aurigan Fleet is in a rebuilding phase and they're going to need people with experience in leadership positions, especially those who served in the war."
"And with your nobility reinstated, you'll be able to push out of the lower officer's rank and into the Admiralty in due time", Farah finished for him.
"What about Darius?", Sumire asks.
"You already talked to Oliveira", Yang answered, "He is only doing this long enough until everything calms down around the Reach and then he'll be taking the first chance he gets to retire along with all the benefits that come with it so he can settle down in the capital."
"True, he did say that", Sumire remembered during the meeting between the senior staff of the Argo before their commander walk in on them, "And Dragon?"
"You're joking, right?", Qartio questioned, "There's no way Kamea letting him go so easily. She'll probably marry him off to one of Alexander's relatives just so she can get around the whole "only Aurigan nobility can be generals" bit if it means keeping him around."
Sumire turns her attention to Yang, "I thought you hated nobility; so why are you so keen on me getting my house revived?"
"Shit, you should already know that I hate the average noble, but you, Dragon, and even Dekker are alright in my book", Yang said as he began to leave the room, followed by the other two, "Just something to think about, okay?" and once again Sumire was alone on the bridge, only now she wasn't even looking at the planet and was instead staring up at the ceiling.
"Admiral Sumire Meyer, Head of House Meyer, Commander of some random Aurigan Fleet", she told herself this time around, only instead of a smile, it was just an unreadable expression on her face.
At The Royal Castle
"You mind telling me why we came out the servants' entrance and why are we over here in the corner hiding like rats, Dragon?", Darius asks Nico as the two of them laid their backs against the wall that was located on the far side of the courtyard, away from the main gathering on nobles and other influential members of Aurigan society.
"Simple, I don't want anyone kissing my ass", Nico replies, causing Darius to throw him a baffled look.
"What do you mean by that?", he asks.
Nico rolls his eyes and leans his head around the corner, peeking out toward the main courtyard.
"Check this out", he tells as he motions him over with a hand. Moments later, both men are looking out at the mass of people.
"Tell me, what do you see?", Nico asks.
Darius spots a large group of nobility conversing with one another. Some of them were wearing expensive dresses and suits that could easily cover minor repairs on a Catapult, possibly a Banshee if you combined them all.
"I see a bunch of rich, snotty, nobles talking", he answers, "What of it?"
The ace mechwarrior shakes his head, "That's not talking they're doing, it's called political maneuvering."
"Come again?"
"Look, the Reach just went through a civil war and a lot of noble houses aren't as powerful as they used to be. Hell, House Espinosa, and House Karosas were wiped out. That leaves a lot of minor nobles scrambling to attach themselves to someone with more influence and power by offering something in exchange; be it resources, house secrets or even marriage offers; nothing is off the table when it comes to keeping their house afloat", Nico explains before pointing out a group of individuals who were surrounded by nearly everyone else, "And only one of the Founding Houses came out on top out of this whole mess."
Darius takes a closer look at the group Nico was singling out and notices that they were all sporting the same symbol of three leaping blue dolphinfish on a pale blue sea.
"House Madeira", Darius says, earning a nod from his boss.
"Alexander was Kamea's most staunch supporter, been with her since the beginning. The members of his family who didn't support Santiago are now in a position to elevate their house to spot that House Espinosa once held as the strong right arm of the coalition", Nico kept on.
"Okay, but you still haven't answered my question as to why we're over here. If everyone is trying to get in good with Alexander's people, why do we have to hide?", Darius questions.
"Because not everyone is talking to Alexander's people", Nico corrects and points out a number of people on the outside of House Madeira's social gathering and from Darius' point of view, from the way they keep looking toward the entrances to the palace, it almost looked like they were waiting for someone.
"Not everyone is going to be able to attach themselves to House Madeira, not with Alexander having the final word on any agreement and he'll no doubt keep a watchful eye on certain parties. Take the minor houses underneath House Decimis and their branches for example. Their loyal was fickle at best during the war and Kamea is definitely going to keep an eye on them. But those guys no doubt see a silver lining in the form of a certain war hero who just got elevated to the position of Special Forces Commander, is a former noble himself, and just so happens to be someone who has the soon to be High Lady Kamea's complete trust and respect."
"Someone's pumping themselves up", Darius chuckles.
"You saw the same news that I did", Nico counters, which only prompted Darius to laugh even more.
"Yeah! Behemoth and Medusa were so pissed off about being excluded from the final battle", he said before a thought occurs to him, "Hey, Dragon?"
"Hmm?", came the reply.
"If there's such a power vacuum among the nobility right now, would it be too far-fetched for Kamea to bring Sumire's old house back to fill the gap?", he asks and this prompted Nico to give him a baffled look.
...
"You want Kamea to revive House Meyer, a former house of both the Draconis Combine and Taurian Concordat?", he asks.
"You're right, it was a stupid idea. Forget I said anything", Darius told him but then stop when he notices a pondering expression on the mercenary turn colonel's face.
"Actually, looking at it from Kamea's or Alexander's point of view, that could be a bold political move", Nico said aloud, "It could be seen as a-"
The sound of running footsteps coming near them catches the attention of both men and the two of them turn to see three boys of nobility chasing one another in what look like to be a game of tag.
Two of the children continue chasing one another but the third stops and takes notices of the men. His eyes briefly glance over Darius before moving over to Nico, but there they stop. The lad looks intently at the mechwarrior, no doubt quickly noticing the green dragon tattoo across his face.
"Ah, crap", Darius hears Nico mutters as the boy brings a hand up and points a finger at him.
"You are the Dragon of the Reach!", he shouts, drawing the attention of his friends who stop their game before rushing over.
"Wow, it is really him!", one shouted.
"He looks so cool!", another scream.
"Is it true that you took down two full lances by yourself?"
"I heard you defeated Commodore Ostergaard with just one shot!"
Though he didn't show it, Darius knew that his boss was clearly annoyed by the questions the kids were asking him but he has no time to do anything about it as he notices that a good number of the nobles were now moving toward their location, without a doubt drawn by the commotion the kids were making. Most of the group seem to be compromises of the ones who weren't talking to House Madeira just a few moments ago.
Before either of the men could make their getaway, they were surrounded by the mob whose attention was solely focused on the ace mechpilot.
"Why I say, the spectacular Colonel Nico Strong!", a plump and short nobleman bearing the symbol of House Decimis on his shoulder says as he bulldozes his way to the front of the crowd and grabs Nico's hand in a frantic handshake, "I am Baron Yuriena Decimis of House Decimis and it is quite an honor to finally meet you! The Hero of the Aurigan Restoration and top mechwarrior in the Reach, perhaps the whole damn Periphery!"
The Dragon found it difficult to keep himself from crushing the noble's hand in the shake while trying his best to repress old memories from his youth. Memories of fake smiles, honey words, and empty promises. He was trying to avoid all of this, at least until after the ceremony, but it would seem that he didn't try hard enough. Inner Sphere, the Rimward Periphery, or even the Deep Periphery, the politics was all the same.
Nothing more than a giant chessboard with each party trying to maneuver itself to a better position than their opponent.
Darius quickly took notice that he could have easily slipped away seeing how no one was paying attention to him whatsoever but he knew that he would never hear the end of it if he did. Instead, he just tries to focus his attention elsewhere while another noble try introducing his daughter to Nico, even though the man was easily twice the girl's age. As his eyes scan the crowd, they fell upon a breathtaking bronze skin woman decorated in a sky blue dress with turquoise eyes and long sable hair staring directly at him, and in the back of his mind, he felt like he recognizes her from somewhere but for the life of him couldn't remember where. She looks like she was holding something in her hands as well as being surrounded by a number of servants. A moment after locking eyes with him, the woman smiles and begins making her way directly toward Darius, and in her movement, he spots the symbol of House Madeira on the front of her dress.
Now the native of Artus was himself Catholic which is why to him the crowd parted like the Red Sea as the woman and her entourage made their way through them.
"Looks like someone really important is coming our way", Darius whispers to Nico and the ace turns his attention away from the noblewoman introducing her two daughters to him to where his second-in-command was looking.
In moments, the woman and her group were standing directly in front of the two men, her servants flank out on either side of her and Darius briefly notes that a number of them had sidearms at their waists, Serrek 7875D Auto-Pistol to be exact.
"She must be extremely important and wealthy. Those guns don't come easy outside of Federated Suns' territory", Darius thought and a quick glance at Nico confirms that he spotted them as well and had the same line of thought.
For moments neither party spoke and the crowd around them goes silent as their eyes shift between them.
Surprisingly, Nico silently realizes that the woman was paying far more attention to Darius than she was him, only giving him brief glances every now and then. It was also during that time that the two of them notice that the woman was holding a newborn in her arms, its face in the woman's bosom.
"Captain Darius Oliveira, Colonel Nicolas Strong", the noblewoman finally spoke in a soft soothing voice, "It is a pleasure to finally meet you. My husband has told me so much about you."
"Pardon me, my lady, but you have me at a loss", Nico came forth, slightly bowing as he sweeps an arm across his chest. No doubt he was caught slightly off-guard by the fact of the woman usage of his true first name, something that no one, not Kamea, Alexander, or even the news networks, was using, "I believe I have not had the privilege of making your acquaintance."
Darius quickly gives Nico a glance, wondering where this side of him suddenly came from. But still, the rising feeling that he knew this woman from somewhere had yet to go away in the depths of his mind.
It was then that he realizes that the woman was now looking at him as she answers the question.
"Oh, all that I know about you and all you know about me has been through my husband who you have entertained with your tales and exploit in the command center of the Argo for the past few years", she smiles and Darius finally puts two in two together because he has seen that exact same smile in a picture.
"You're Alexander's wife, Gabriela!", he suddenly shouts as he snaps his figure and the woman lets out a laugh.
"That is correct. I am the Lady of House Madeira, Duchess Gabriela Madeira. As I said, it is a pleasure to finally meet you in person, Mr. Oliveira", Gabriela states.
"Wait, wait, wait, wait a minute", Nico finds himself saying, "You knew Alexander was married?", he asks.
Darius throws the pilot a baffled look, "Of course I did, we work in the command center together for four years. We talked all the time about our lives and stuff", he explains, "Are you telling me you didn't know about Alexander's wife or the fact that she was pregnant?"
"It never occurred to me to dig into someone's personal life", Nico answers.
Darius shrugs, "Fair enough, you guard yours pretty well."
"Hey, what that suppose-", Nico starts to say.
"And this much be the little bundle of joy Alexander is so proud of", Darius said as he directs his attention to the baby, "What his name?"
"Darius Oliveira Madeira", Gabriela answers, shocking everyone in attendance, especially the former Executive Officer of the Dragon's Raiders mercenaries, but before anyone could comment on it, a voice rings out over the crowd.
"Will all guests please make their way to the shuttle pad to be taken to the coronation hall?", announces over the castle's intercom system.
This seems to snap everyone out of their shock and the crowd begins moving toward the shuttles that were in formation at a nearby landing. Gabriela's guard ushers her away from Darius and Nico and toward what seems to be a personal shuttle with the symbol of her house on the side of it. But before the men could make their way over to a shuttle as well, another announcement came on over the intercom.
"Will Lady Madeira, Colonel Strong, and Captain Oliveira please report to the Royal Hangar? You will be departing on the Royal Shuttle."
This causes nearly everyone to stop in their tracks and turn their heads back at the three people in question.
Gabriela merely chuckles while Nico lets out a deep sigh and Darius was still trying to make sense of everything that just transpired in the past minute.
"Would you gentlemen be so kind as to escort me to the hangar?", Gabriela asks as she dismisses her servants and the three of them and the newborn took off in the opposite direction.
Royal Hangar
"Pretty ballsy move you pulled there, Alexander. You could have just called me on your transmission watch, you have my frequency", Nico tells the Lord when he met the group just a few yards away from the House Kamea's shuttle which was a modified Leopard decorated in the colors of House Arano as well as having their symbol on all sides of its hull.
Alexander embraces his wife and kisses the top of his sleeping son's head before answering.
"I am just as surprised as you are, Nico. Kamea went through with this without even notifying me until after she already did it", he answers, "I guess being the future High Lady means you do not need to tell anyone what you are going to do."
"I have seen that type of attitude spell the end for a planetary ruler many a time out there in the frontier", Nico states without hesitation and silences descends unto the group.
Alexander quickly recovers from his shock brought forth by Nico's words and turns to Gabriela and his son, "How about you two go get comfortable on the shuttle? Kamea reserved a room just for you."
The woman nods and kisses Alexander on the cheek before making her way up the ramp.
Alexander moves to address Nico but is stop when Darius held up a hand.
"So when was I going to be told that you named your son after me?", he asks.
This causes Alexander to chuckle, "Well, to be fair, as per House Madeira's tradition, we are not supposed to know the gender of our child until the day they are born. If it is a girl, the woman retains the right to name the child and Gabriela was going to name her after Kamea. But since it was a boy, the right fell to me for the naming."
"You still haven't answered my question", Darius points out and Nico takes this chance to leave the two alone and head up the ramp but not before hearing one more statement from Alexander.
"Well, whether you know it or not, I consider you to be my best friend, Darius, at least after Kamea anyway. Those long talks we had on the Argo were one of the few things I enjoyed during that horrible war and you show me a different side of the Reach, one that I hope to fix."
Onboard the Royal Shuttle
"Colonel Strong", the Royal Guard captain address Nico, "Lady Kamea has instructed us to take you to her personal quarters upon you coming aboard the shuttle."
Nico resists the urge to rolls his eyes and merely nods at the man. He was then escorted through the shuttle by him until he came to a room which just so happens to be the exact place where his quarters were at back on the Hysteria before the Raiders were gifted the Argo. Four guards were station at the door and they all salute the captain as he and Nico draw near.
Upon stopping in front of the door, Nico moves to hand over his laser pistol to the captain, only to be stopped with a headshake from the man.
"Lady Kamea says you are allowed to keep your sidearm in her presence."
This causes Nico to raise an eyebrow but he says nothing as the knocks on the door.
"Enter", he hears Kamea says from the other side and the guard on the right opens the door and Nico walks in.
And finds himself stopping in his tracks as soon as he was on the other side.
Pacing back and forth while looking over a data slate in her hand while decorated in a crimson red dress that adored her entire body from the top of her neck all the way down to covering and sliding across the floor while hugging the curves of her figure was the woman who dragged him into this whole mess four years ago. Golden linings were etched into the fabric of the entire right side of the dress that shined in the sunlight that was coming through the window. The snow-white gloves she was fitted with reach to her elbows while every finger was cover in black at the tips of them. A long white elegant scarf was draped across the front of her shoulders, no doubt to make it seem like she had angel wings whenever she walked forward and the breeze caught it and flung it back. Her Maori tattoos could be seen in the parts of her arms not covered by the gloves or the dress, but from where Nico was standing, she was displaying them with pride and nothing less. Her black as night hair was combed to her left and it took Nico a moment to finally realize something he should have known the moment he accepted the rank of colonel. The side of Kamea he witnessed on the shuttle was the side she never wanted to show anyone. The Kamea standing little more than three yards away from him was one he didn't even know existed. That naive girl who he said he wouldn't mind having a one night stand with was now the same woman who he had come to greatly respect over the course of four years of brutal warfare. The mech pilot who skills in the cockpit almost rival his own at one time was gone and in her place, this noblewoman, the most influential and powerful in this region of space, was put in her stead.
And it was at that moment that the "Dragon of the Reach" knew that the minute Kamea put on that crown and took the title of High Lady that things were going to be different between them. For in the darkest reaches of his mind he realizes that she looked exactly the same as she did in his dream the day he took her up on her offer.
Kamea was looking over the latest report she receives from her intelligence agents when she finally realizes that she should acknowledge whoever just enter the room. She turns to do so and finds herself momentarily surprise by who she was looking at.
Standing no less than ten feet away from her in his newly gifted House Arano uniform was the mercenary who along with his company, pretty much single-handily won her the throne of the Aurigan Coalition. His muscular tone body was barely concealed through the fabric of the outfit and his once ragged hair was now short and square away while his beard was simply gone. Though she could make out a tattoo beginning to appear on the lower parts of his neck, something she never knew he had.
It was in this moment of awe that Kamea also faintly realizes that she has never seen the mech-commander without a shirt on in the entire time she knew him.
"And I should not have", she told herself in the back of her mind but then she remember even more she recalls that she has never seen him wear anything that could be considered short sleeve as well for he had always worn clothes that covered up his entire body except for his head and he even wore gloves.
But even now, that green dragon tattoo on his eye stood out more than ever for some unexplainable reason.
"Colonel Strong", she finally spoke, "I hope your day has been going well."
Nico snaps out of his daze and quickly responds, "As well as anyone would be on a day they are constantly thrown into situations they rather avoid, Lady Kamea."
Kamea could help but smile at this, "If you are referring to the whole announcement thing, I assure you that it is not just to cause a speculate. There is something important I need to tell you."
"And what is that?", he asks as he moves closer to her.
"You remember Grim Sybil?", Kamea asks.
"I remember that I killed her. Dealt the finishing blow myself back on Axylus", Nico answered, "Why?"
"Turns out she was not as dead as we thought she was."
"You're kidding, right? I saw her mech go down riddle with holes. Even if she wasn't killed instantly I doubt whatever pirates were left were skilled enough in medical techniques for her to recover."
Kamea begins pacing back and forth once again, "It has not been confirmed, only bits and pieces here and there, but evidence points that she is likely culprit. They are flying her flag."
"She had a flag?", Nico questions causing Kamea to glare at him.
"Did you not read the intel report Lady Centrella gave you all those years ago?", she asks.
Nico gives a small shrug, "I read enough to know that she wasn't expecting us and to take down her aircraft guns. That is all I needed to know."
Kamea shakes her head, "Anyway, it could be her, it could be an impostor, but none of that matters. What matters is the fact that whoever they are, they are raiding my systems and attacking my people."
"Guess they're taking advantage of the fragile state the Reach is in", Nico summarizes.
"I fear it is bigger than that. I strongly believe that they may be the mastermind of all the raids going on up there. The ones that we thought House Liao was behind.", Kamea says as she brings up a picture and shows it to him, "This was the commanding officer of one of the patrols we had out there. They were ambushed by the pirates and apparently they have somehow found out that it was you who took the Argo all those years ago."
"Hmmm, that's not good", Nico says as he looks at the body of a high-ranking Arano Restoration officer, his chest bared to the world. On it, carved into his flesh with what Nico assumes was done by a crude knife were the bloody words:
I WANT MY SHIP BACK, DRAGON!
"Okay, this could point to Grim. But if it is she is taking the Argo being stolen rather personally," Nico states, "Plus she is out of her league here. There's no way that she honestly believe she can take on the Coalition, even with the strength you're at."
Kamea sat down on a luxurious couch in the middle of the room, moving her dress around as to not ruin it and motions Nico to do the same. He does so but kept a respectable distance away from her.
"It would be all too easy to just send a taskforce to deal with this. But the problem is the pirates' main base of operations", Kamea said.
"Where is it?"
"You are not going to like it neither are the senior members of your crew."
"Where is it, Kamea?", Nico asks again.
The soon-to-be High Lady lets out a breath, "Fjaldr."
Nico slaps his hand against his forehead and leans back into the couch.
"I thought Raju, your father, and the others wipe the pirate clan there a decade ago", he says after a moment.
"Wiped out, yes, but the plans to occupy and set up a garrison there were put on hold after my father's death", Kamea told him, "It would seem that my uncle failed to set up a permanent military presence as well, no doubt seeing it as a waste of time and resources for a system on the farthest outskirts of the Reach, especially one so close to the Capellan border. Reports tell me that he would periodically send a military patrol to keep the pirates away while mining operations were in progress but that was the full extent of it."
"And seeing how it's on the border with the Confederation….", Nico said as he trails off before seating up and looking at Kamea, "When do we leave?"
"Why do you automatically assume I am sending you?"
"Easy, Sybil, or whoever this is doesn't know I'm part of the military yet. I suspect they are only attacking the Coalition-held planets because they probably think I'm still contracted out to you or at least you're still in contact with me. If they're going off the typical relationship between mercenaries and interstellar nations, then they're probably betting that you're just going to send me to clean up this mess alone", Nico explains.
"That would make sense. They are probably expecting to fight just a single mercenary company, not a full taskforce", Kamea said as she puts her hand on her chin.
"Plus, you wouldn't have told me about this unless I was going to deal with it. Besides sending a large force would probably be seen as a provocation to House Liao and you already have problems with them, even if they're not somehow behind this which I doubt they don't have a hand in", he says, "It wouldn't be the first time the Inner Sphere has used pirates to keep the Periphery in check."
The Countess of Coromondir cracks a smile that had no warmth behind it, "It would seem you know me too well, Nico. But this is a problem that we have to deal with fast."
"We?", Nico question.
"Yes, I will be accompanying you on the Argo to deal with this problem along with my house guard."
"You're about to be crown in a few hours and the first thing you're going to do afterward is go fight pirates? Look, I'm the one who attacked them and took the ship. Hell, you saw the message, they're gunning for me. You only need to send me and the Argo to deal with this."
"You retrieved the Argo under my orders, even if it was through a proxy with the Magistracy of Canopus. This whole thing falls on me whether you believe or not, plus it is my people getting attacked", Kamea reminded him, "So when the Coalition takes to the field against these pirates, I will be there."
Nico sees no point in arguing with her right now about this, seeing how it was her coronation day, so he decided to drop the matter for now and change subjects.
"So when do we leave?", he asks again.
"I will be sending orders to the shipyards to halt all other projects and fully focus on getting the Argo fully retrofitted in half the time they were given. Overtime will be authorized and the workers will be compensated for their efforts", Kamea told him.
"That's not going to make a lot of powerful and rich people unhappy", Nico points out.
"I realize that, but I need the Argo up and ready with its full complement of troops, vehicles, and mechs as quickly as possible. The war was not good enough for me to showcase my leadership to a few of the nobles, especially to Counselor Mwenye and the Oligarchy of Mechdur", Kamea explains, "If there is anyone I need to prove to that I can deal with situations like this, it is them. They are the economic heart of the Reach and I need them on my side."
"Lady Kamea", a voice comes over a personal intercom seated next to Kamea's side of the couch, "Are we clear to takeoff?"
"Proceed to the Coronation Hall, captain", she says.
"As you command, my lady."
Moments later, a voice comes on over the intercom.
"Please make ready for takeoff in T-minus five minutes."
Nico gets up off the couch, "I best go find me a seat."
"Oh come now, it is only a half an hour flight at best. Stay here with me and help me come up with a strategy to deal with this pirate problem.", Kamea says, causing Nico to level her with a look.
"I recall you throwing a fit about an unmarried lady begin inside of a room alone with an unmarried man for an extended period of time", he says.
"The Royal Shuttle is crewed by at least half a hundred people and four of my Royal Guards are right outside the door. Plus, my house servants will be coming along soon to see if I need any refreshments and such.", she said with a smile, "So sit down, colonel, that is an order."
"Woooooow", Nico said as he flops back onto the couch, "Day one of me wearing the uniform and that's the first order you give me?"
"Enjoy it while you can, more complex orders will coming your way soon enough", Kamea tells him as she kept on reading through the data-slate. Nico takes note that the hand that wasn't on the slate was instead on the couch and Kamea was drumming her fingers on the material. But he ignores that for the moment as he shifts his focus elsewhere.
"Now if my agents can get sufficient enough evidence on the pirates' mech count, we can plan a-", Kamea said before looking up and noticing that Nico was paying her a different type of attention than what she wanted from him, "Is there something wrong with my dress or is there another reason why your eyes are watching me so intensely, Colonel Strong?", she asks as she puts the slate down and turns her toward him, "Anyone who walks in here might get the wrong idea if they caught you doing such a thing."
Nico shrugs at this, "If I was to tell you that you look astounding in that dress, what would your response be?"
"I would tell you to stop joking around with me on such a day like this for I am already stressed out as it is and in no mood for jest", Kamea answers.
"Okay then", Nico chuckles, "But what if I told you I wasn't joking?"
"Then I would tell you to tread lightly, colonel. For there are military laws in place against such level of fraternization and they will not be broken between us no matter how close of a dear friend you are to me", Kamea says.
"As you wish, my lady, I was only making a joke", Nico laughs, "I'm just said that you look amazing in that dress, I didn't say I was going to ravage you right here and now."
The noblewoman shakes her head, "You really have to watch what you say from now on. Jokes like that were appropriate during the war but now the last thing I need is people drawing the wrong conclusion." She then stops and points at Nico, "Also, just so you are aware, Raju informed me about what you said about me all those years ago in the Royal Hangar where he first met and I advise that you keep such comments to yourself from now on."
"Of course he did", Nico smiles, "Why did I think he would have kept that a secret between us?"
After that statement, silence passes between them for a moment, but just as Kamea went to pick back up the data-slate...
"By the way, how do you feel about reviving a noble house?"
On the Hysteria
"Why do I feel like someone is talking about me?", Sumire wondered right after she sneezed.
A/N: Hope you guys aren't too mad about the edits. Also, I realize that the Argo can only carry two Leopards, but for the story that's going to be the "recommendation" only. You will see how they will get around this when it comes to Jumpship in future chapters.
Chapter Text
Disclaimers: I do not own Battletech.
A/N: Second part of the revision. I would like to point out that Nico has spent nearly half his life at this point either in the Rimward Frontier or fighting in the war. He comes off as gruff most of the time, though even he knows when to straighten up.
But you should remember what his first thoughts of Kamea were when he saw her in the Royal Hangar seven years ago. They weren't exactly PG-13. That being said, he has come to respect her and they both consider each other a close friend.
Please leave a Review, Fav, or Follow if you want. Also, don't forget to check out my other stories.
High Lady Kamea
Coronation Hall
The shuttle touches down between the two stone Atlas that were at the entrance of the Arano Coronation Hall, a grand structure of Taurian design that could easily pass as a monument from the ancient era of Greece back on Terra. There a crowd of commoners and news networks had gathered in mass numbers, awaiting Kamea's arrival. In the hallway of the shuttle, Kamea and her guard were forming up while Nico stays off to the side. Through a nearby window, he sees that a perimeter was formed and maintained not only by local law enforcement, but military units and House Arano royal guards as well. He then takes note that the whole area was being overseen by the House Guard in their towering mechs who were no doubt piloted by the three mechwarriors that made up Kamea's lance, Captain Charybdis, Lieutenant Kanaloa, and Lieutenant Reynard.
On cue, the Black Knight, and two Griffins moved to form a secondary perimeter on the outskirts of the shuttle as the members of the infantry security detail form the primary one closer to it. The ramp extends down to the ground and the hatch opens up revealing Kamea to the crowds who all burst into a deafening cheer at the sight of the future High Lady. The swarm of news reporters and cameramen light up the scene with flashes all while a security escort began to circle up around the noblewoman.
"They sure do love you, don't they?", Nico says from his spot on the wall next to Kamea, hidden from view.
"Would you be so kind to join me as I walk down the ramp, Colonel Strong?", Kamea asks while waving at the crowd.
"I recall a certain conversation regarding me touching you, Lady Kamea", was his answer.
"And I recall saying that you could do so under special circumstances", was her counter, "You are escorting me down the ramp like a gentleman should, colonel. I doubt anyone will have a problem with that."
"If you say so", Nico says as he pushes off the wall and moves next to Kamea.
If the ace mechwarrior thought the cheers were loud before they only intensify upon the crowd seeing him appear along with the flashing of the cameras increasing as well.
"It would seem that they love you just as well", Kamea comments as she presents her arm to Nico, "Shall we? And please try to keep it professional."
"If I didn't know any better I could swear this was all part of your plan", he replies as he wraps his arm around hers, "But you wouldn't treat me like a publicity stunt, now would you especially since you told me that this whole military stint was anything but that?"
"Of course not, Colonel", Kamea continues smiling as she begins to walk down the ramp, Nico trailing slightly behind with their arms link, "It just so happen that we are both the symbols of the Restoration and we just so happened to be on the same shuttle together to discuss a matter of national security. But Alexander has advised me to never squander a good opportunity to raise my popularity with the common folk and you are a hero to them, whether you like it or not."
"Uh-huh, whatever you say, Lady Kamea", Nico said as he looks toward the Black Knight next to the shuttle, "Though may I ask you a question?"
"You may", Kamea replies without looking at him.
"Was Charybdis mad when you handed over her Highlander to me?"
"Well, she was not exactly happy if that is what you are asking. Her main complaint being of course the fact that such a lowly mercenary as yourself did not deserve such a mech", Kamea answers as she waves and smiles at the cameras, "But she swallowed her pride and turned over the mech as I ordered."
"Bet she still holds a grudge against me", Nico comments as the duo finally got off the ramp.
"Actually, once you started racking up a high kill count, she begrudgingly admitted that the Highlander was better off in your hands than hers. I am pretty sure that was her way of saying that you were the better pilot", Kamea added, "Though I ask that you do not tell her that I said that."
"My lips are sealed", Nico said as he unlinks from Kamea's arm and the High Lady moves to address the reporters before she stops and turns her head back to him.
"I will think about what you ask for, but you should know as well as I do that it is not an easy task."
"I realize that, I'm just putting the idea in your head", Nico replies.
Kamea nods at this and proceeds over to her original destination.
"It would seem the people love you", he hears from behind him and turns to see Darius, Alexander, Gabriela, and little Darius descended down the ramp.
"Now where were you during the flight?", Darius asks as Alexander and his family headed over to where Kamea was at.
Nico leans in close to Darius, "Radio back to Sumire and have her tell the pilots to begin for a ramp-up in training in the coming days."
"Something going down, Dragon?", Darius asks.
Nico's eyes scan the crowd, "Pirate clan, but I'll tell you more later."
"You got it", Darius says just as a gaggle of reporters approach them.
"Colonel Strong! Colonel Strong!", a young female reporter at the front of the mob shouted as she practically shoved a microphone in Nico's face, "Lisa Ameyia, Coromondir Capital News!"
"How do you do?", Nico asks.
"I'm well, thank you for asking! Anyway, you're the Hero of the civil war, the Dragon of the Reach, but my sources tell me that certain elements in the nobility and military feel that your "unusual" promotion from mercenary to senior officer was improper to a degree and that they have their concerns about your ability to lead an actual military command in combat! How do you address these rumors?"
Nico didn't have to look around to know that Kamea and Alexander were intently watching him, wondering what his response would be and they weren't the only ones. As the cameras zoomed in on him, waiting on his every word, Nico knew that his next words could mean a lot to a number of people.
"Once more back into the world I thought I left behind", he thought before taking a deep breath.
"To answer your question, Miss Ameyia, there is really nothing for me to address. My contributions to the Arano Restoration throughout the war are public knowledge now and my record speaks for itself. On the day Director Santiago launched his sinister coup, I was there alongside the late Royal Guard Captain, Raju Montgomery, defending Lady Kamea and Lord Madeira as they made their escape and I was there at the final battle of the war in the arena where Lady Kamea face off against her cousin and her elite lance. I have been at our Lady side since day one of the war and while some of the nobles' loyalty started to falter once the Concordat got involved, I continue to fight for her without hesitation, as shown with my efforts at Smithon and Panzyr."
"He's going all in on this", Darius thought as he watches the spectacle.
"But if it is not my loyalty being called into question, but my combat abilities and leadership, then that too does not require a strong response from me. Aurigan Coalition's military files show that I currently hold the record for the highest confirmed mech and vehicle kills among mechwarriors in the entire Aurigan Reach along with the next four positions underneath me being occupied by all four of my lance captains. Under my leadership, the Dragon's Raiders mercenary company faced off and defeat entire elite lances that fought under the banner of the Aurigan Directorate and Taurian Concordat numerous times. I myself triumphed over Taurian legend, Commodore Samuel Ostergaard, in a personal duel between just the two of us, despite him having the heavier mech", Nico explained, "In my personal opinion though, my most astonishing achievement is that despite the fact that in every engagement we were outnumbered and outgunned, my men and I manage to achieve our objectives over and over again."
"Splendidly explained, Colonel Strong, truly marvelous", Kamea comments as she appears alongside him and the cameras move to focus on her, "As anyone can plainly see, the day I contacted the Dragon to fight at my side was truly the beginning of the end for my uncle's Directorate and his tyranny."
"Oh, now she wants to come over here", Nico thought before a bell rang out over the crowd.
"Ah, it seems that preparations are nearly complete", Kamea notes, "If you will excuse me."
She then turns to Nico with a smile and extends an arm, "Colonel Strong, if you would be so kind to escort me."
"As you wish, Lady Kamea", he said as he took it and the two made their way to the giant stairs at the front of the hall, the security detail forming around them, the Madeiras, and Darius.
"Is this all one big publicity stunt for you with the whole me escorting you everywhere deal? Because it is starting to feel like one", Nico states once they were out of earshot of the reporters, "People might start getting the wrong idea about the two of us; something that you wanted to avoid on the shuttle."
"I have to let the people see that we're on friendly terms, especially now after the war. Try to remember that we are the symbols of victory and this is just a more public display of it", Kamea states.
"But you're my superior. Anything you tell me to do is basically an order", Nico reminded her.
"I cannot order you to have an avid conversation with me and to the cameras and people watching, that is exactly what it looks like we are having right now", Kamea points out.
"Okay, you got a point there, I'll give you that", Nico conceded.
"Anyway, you handle that quite well back there with the reporters. I am actually impressed.", Kamea commented.
"Were you expecting something else?", Nico asks.
"Of course not, but I am willing to bet those who were against my decision were. They were no doubt expecting you to act like an uncivilized barbarian who hails from the Deep Periphery as well as being a former mercenary", Kamea replies.
"Part of being a mercenary is knowing how to talk properly to nobles since they are the main source of income. Most mercenary leaders are educated to a degree and know how to use their wits and charm to trick nobles and used their self-inflated egos to their advantage.", Nico says, "I had to use everything I learn growing up as a noble to land us contracts, especially out there in the frontier. I had to flatter, charm, and at some points, straight-up seduce clients just to make some cash."
Kamea gives Nico an emotionless look that did not go unnoticed by him.
"Is something wrong, Lady Kamea?"
"I sincerely hope that whatever tactics you used out on the frontier were not used on me", she says causing Nico to laugh as they transit up the stairs.
"Why would I have had too? You came to me, remember?", Nico says, "Besides, not like you would have lasted long if I did?"
"I beg your pardon, but what is that suppose to mean?", Kamea asks as the two of them came to a stop at the spot in the hall where the guests were to be seated and the soon-to-be High Lady had to go on alone with only her guard detail following her to the throne.
"It's probably best I don't say it here", he tries to wave her off, "Don't want it leaking out and all."
"My Royal Guards are sworn to secrecy and the only cameras allowed at this point are the ones installed in the facility and those will be personally checked by Alexander and myself before they are released to the public", Kamea informs him, "So do tell, Colonel Strong, what exactly do you mean by that statement."
Nico found himself mentally wondering whether or not to continue.
But just like in battle, once you commit you to have to go all in.
"Raju told you what I said in the Royal Hangar that day, right?", Nico said as he lowers his voice so only Kamea could hear, "Well, let's just say that back then if I felt you were worth the effort, I would have had you in the cockpit of my Blackjack by the end of the day."
….
….
No words pass between the two of them for a moment, but nevertheless Kamea kept a smile on her face if only for the people who were around them watching but this smile held no warmth whatsoever.
In fact, it held, in Nico's opinion, barely restrained rage and was as cold as the Icebox was.
"Oh, if we weren't surrounded by all these people, I would grab the sidearm of one of my guards and pistol whip you for saying something like that", Kamea tells him, smile and all, "What I would do after that, who knows?"
"Yeah, I have no doubt that you would which is why I'm saying it now where you can't touch me", Nico grins.
"Have a seat, Colonel Strong, and do enjoy the ceremony", Kamea damn near orders him.
"As you wish, Lady Kamea", Nico nods and moves to sit down while the woman who changed his life four years ago went on with her guard detail.
"You two really need to save such conversations for more private settings", Darius tells him as he sat next to him, "I didn't hear everything but I heard enough."
"We're only joking, it's nothing serious, I swear", Nico assures him as he turns to see Alexander and Gabriela showing off baby Darius to some other nobles. It would seem that Kamea reserve an entire pew just for the five of them and everyone else was forced to sit just a little bit away from them, "Bold move, Kamea."
"If you say so", the Aurigan native said before a thought occurs to him, "But hey Dragon, between you and me; would you still take a shot at Kamea if you could?"
"Now? Nah, too much is on the line for the two of us. Back then before all this happen? Most likely, though Raju would have strung me up by my balls once he found out", Nico replies.
"How would he had found out? I doubt a noblewoman like Kamea would go around telling people about it", Darius questions.
"Oh, the old man always found out. How, I don't know, he just did", Nico said, "Anyway, what did you and Alexander talk about at the Royal Hangar?"
Darius actually straightens his back and puffs out his chest a little bit, reminding Nico of a bird he saw in a book.
"You're looking at the godfather of Darius Oliveira Madeira", he proudly states.
"Really? You of all people?", Nico questions.
"If you can become a Special Ops Commander, I can become a godfather for the heir of a noble house", Darius counters, "Apparently I left such an impact on Alexander during all the time we spent in the command center that he considers me his best friend after Kamea and she is already the godmother of their son."
"Well ain't that something", Nico comments before he feels a tap on his shoulder and turns to see the man in question himself.
"Can I discuss something with you, Colonel Strong?", Alexander asks.
"What is it?"
"I am guessing Kamea wants to go with you when you take down the pirate clan, correct?", Nico hears Alexander tell him.
"She wants to be on the ground when we attack. What gave it away?", Nico asks as he looks straight ahead at Kamea as she sat on the Coromondir throne, waiting patiently for the ceremony to begin.
Alexander shakes his head and sighs, "As her right-hand, I receive the same intel she does and the minute I saw the word Fjaldr I knew she was going to go and there was no talking her out of it. In case you did not know, this is probably going to be her last hurrah you see."
"Hmm?", Nico says as he turns to look at the Lord of House Madeira.
"She does not want the civil war to be her legacy, her crowning achievement, at least military wise", Alexander began to explain.
"Kind of hard to top that especially seeing how she won against nearly overwhelming odds. Most people would gladly take that, I know I would", Nico says.
"True, but Kamea believes that it should have never had happened to begin with. She is maintaining the opinion that if she would have kept a closer eye on her family, all this death and destruction might have been avoided", Alexander states.
Nico thinks back to the conversation he had with Kamea on the Argo's shuttle and how she was wondering what would have happened if she would have taken the path Santiago wanted her to take.
"Did you know the High Lords and Ladies of the Reach rarely leave the Coromondir system once they are crown? It is almost an unwritten tradition in a way.", Alexander tells Nico, shaking him from his thoughts.
"Not an ineffective way to rule", Nico says.
Alexander chuckles, "The Head of House Arano is supposed to let the rest of the Coalition be run through the Founding Houses and governors while they maintain the capital system. They are only supposed to get involved in major economic and military situations as well as settle disputes between the major houses. As I recall, Kamea's father, the late High Lord Tamati II, was actually happy to go face the pirates at Fjaldr. I remember Kamea telling me how she heard him say things like he was getting bored with the peaceful life and how he could finally have some actions outside of training exercises."
"I take it the rest of the Founding Houses weren't too happy about that."
"They were not", Alexander confirm, "My father would talk about how if the High Lord got involve with something as "trivial" as pirates on our borders, what else would he get involve in? Would he start trying to run the entire Coalition directly?"
"If there is one thing I know about nobility it is hat they don't like it when people go poking their noses in their business, especially when it's their superiors", Nico says.
"Correct, though it seems that I have gotten slightly off-topic. Anyway, back to Kamea", Alexander says, "Eventually she is going to have to give power back to the Founding Houses, possibly reinstate the council. This will all most likely happen after the pirate campaign. Once that happens though it is back to the old ways of her being stuck on Coromondir and leaving the rest of the Reach in the hands of her subordinates."
"Something she is not too thrill about I assume", Nico added.
"Exactly, it is not much of secret that Kamea questions the leadership of the Founding Houses, especially seeing the delicate stage the Reach is in right now as it rebuilds from the war", Alexander says, "She wants to be everywhere at once to make sure things are going smoothly and if she cannot be there, she wants to send someone she can trust instead."
"And the only two people in the entire Reach she fully trusts are you and me", the mechwarrior finish.
"Correct again, but as you said, we are only two people."
Nico rubs his forehead as he takes a deep breath, "Let's focus on one thing at a time. First things first, the pirates."
"During the transit there, we need to talk her out of going onto the battlefield", Alexander says.
"Oh, so you're going too?"
"Of course, it will be like old times", Alexander smiles, "But as I am sure you are aware of, Kamea has a degree of battle lust which I am sure she inherited from her father."
"That she does", Nico says as he remembers back to the battle of Weldry at the Icebox where the noblewoman came bursting into the prison, just seconds after an artillery strike destroyed a wall for her to come through.
That meant that she was possibly running when she called it down and if she would have miscalculated, then Director Santiago would still be in charge.
She performed this reckless act to assist the Dragon's Raiders in their assault but to be honest, Nico and the others could have handled the lance the warden kept in reserve just fine but it seemed like Kamea wasn't fully satisfy with her victory at the spaceport and craved more action.
Hell, a couple of stray missiles and lasers nearly hit his Blackjack when she fired at one of the prison mechs that he was in the middle of battling. If she had been one of his pilots he would have chewed her out the minute they were back on the ship but he had to bite his tongue that day.
"I'll do what I can but I can't guarantee anything especially seeing how she is my superior", Nico says.
"I understand that but we must try. If something was to happen to Kamea, the Reach would find itself embroiled in another civil war", Alexander says.
The two men then dwell in silence and the implication of the conversation that just occurred.
"Oh, one more thing, Nico", Alexander spoke after a moment.
"And that would be?"
"As I am sure you are aware, I have overall command of the Coalition's regular military forces, only the Argo and its crew along with House Arano's forces are outside of my authority and I answer only to Kamea."
"I figured as much. I doubt she would have trusted anyone else", Nico comments.
"That being said, I will be the first to admit that I am not a military man, I have never claimed to be. My brothers were and they are now dead", Alexander states, "I was more focused on diplomacy and economic growing up."
"Don't mean to be rude, but does this conversation have a point?", Nico questions.
"It does. While I will be leaving more pressing matters of the military to more experience people like Kamea and yourself, even I know that for this pirate campaign to truly succeed you need to come with overwhelming force. So much that it will send a message to all other pirate clans in the region not to tangle with the Coalition", Alexander says, "I also need you to realize that if this campaign goes south, the implications will be far-reaching and long-lasting. The other Founding Houses are just looking for an excuse to question Kamea's leadership and with your promotion, you are the perfect target for them, so I advise you do not give them one."
"I don't plan on it", Nico told him, "Although, that's a lot of pressure to put on me."
"That is the way of the beast", Alexander tells him, "I mean, take a look at Kamea."
Nico does so and sees the noblewoman sitting elegantly in her throne, awaiting the crowning.
"She knows that over three billion souls are about to officially be in her hands. Every decision she makes from here on out will go down in the history books and be known throughout the Inner Sphere and the Periphery. She will have to negotiate and play diplomat with powers whose military and economy far outweigh ours and she will have to do it while dealing with the process of rebuilding the Reach and dealing with internal affairs", Alexander says, "And despite all that, she is calm and completely confident that she will be able to handle it all."
Nico takes a closer look at Kamea and shook his head, "I'm not too sure about that."
"Oh dear lord, I am not ready for this", Kamea told herself, "I am not certain I ever was."
Despite the neutral expression on her face, the anxiety in her chest was growing as Kamea watch more and more people fill the stands, mainly nobility, wealthy merchants, and other influential figures within the Aurigan Reach. Normally none of them would have been here at all since she had the coronation so soon but once the war started going in her favor and the final campaign for Coromondir begun, they started arriving in the system along with bringing reinforcements to appease her.
From what she has been told, the fashion industry of Coromondir took a big boon in business once she announces the day of her crowning with everyone who had the money and influence ordering new suits and dresses for the event.
But still, the fact that the day she was to become the High Lady has finally arrived still continued to stress her out, even if she did not show it. She remembers back to the day of the coup when she was being escorted by Raju and Nico. Despite the show of confidence she put on for her late mentor and his other student, every step she took in her Kinatro sent waves of terror racing through her body.
She just barely turned twenty-two yet she was about to inherit the entire Aurigan Reach. She wasn't ready back then for her father still had so much to teach her before he was abruptly taken away from the realm of the living.
But she had no choice in the matter.
It's seven years later and she still wonders if she is ready now. Back then everything in the Coalition was running smoothly and that still would have been a lot to handle for her even if it was just the Coromondir system alone. But now the whole region is in the midst of reconstruction and she must take the entire weight of it on her shoulders.
Even the High Lord and Ladies of old would have struggled with such a daunting task.
Just like the day of the coup, with every step, Kamea took up the stairs to the throne she felt the pressure rising within her. It took a large amount of restrain to keep herself from gripping onto Nico's arm to calm herself, she even thought about canceling the whole event.
What was she thinking of putting on that front for Alexander at the palace? All that false bravado and fake confidence. Internally, she was terrified of the future.
The wolves were gnawing at her gates, there were snakes in her garden waiting for an opportunity to strike, and she still had to deal with the important duty of producing an heir and going off what her advisors were saying, including Alexander to an extent, the sooner the better.
"War was so much easier", Kamea muses, "Attack that base, defeat that unit, hold that objective. Is it truly so much to ask that peace be just as simple as a battle?"
Kamea takes notices of her three House Guards in their mechs at the entrance of the hall, forming up directly in front of it, preventing any potential sniper from getting a bean on her. She glances up and takes note of the members of her Royal Guard who were patrolling on top of the building, providing a three hundred and sixty-degree coverage of the entire area surrounding the hall.
"If only the Founding Houses cared as much for the Reach as a whole as my guards cared about my safety. The Coalition would be back up and running in no time. But other than Alexander, the rest of the Founding Council is only concern about their own territories and interests" Kamea tells herself, "It is like I am dealing with children."
Kamea takes a deep breath, careful not to show that the pressure was taking a toll on her.
"Can I gain the full support of the oligarch of Mechdur?"
"Can an heir to House Karosas be located or will I be forced to divide up their territory among the remaining houses and can I do so without showing favoritism?"
"Will I ever be able to fully trust House Parata again?"
"What should I do with the minor nobles who were sworn to my uncle?"
"Even more pressing, what shall I do with the military assets of House Espinosas?"
"What if the pirates turn out to be a bigger threat?"
"What if I am unable to produce a suitable heir?"
"What if the Taurian Concordat demands reparations for the families of the victims of my uncle's terrorist attack on Perdition?"
"What will I do if they do and it turns out to be more than I can afford to give?"
"What if the Magistracy of Canopus refuses to loan us money to help us get back on our feet if we have need of it?
"What if the Espinosas' insurgents prove to be a bigger problem than I previously thought?"
"What if the rest of the Founding Houses decide that they are better off on their own or with someone else?"
All these thoughts and more bombard Kamea's mind, push to the point where she thought she was going to collapse on the floor from sheer anxiety alone.
"I am surrounded by enemies on all sides and I do not know if I can-"
"Kamea", she hears a voice in her ear say.
The future ruler raises an eyebrow and looks around. Her guards, while close, were too far away to lean over and whisper in her ear.
"What the?"
"Kamea", she heard again.
Now she didn't know whether or not she had finally lost her mind from the stress and was now starting to hear voices in her head.
"Kamea, it's Nico. Did you forget you have an earpiece in?"
Realization dawns on her as she remembers that she indeed decided to keep one in even during the coronation, despite the pleads of her servants to go without it for it would make her look unladylike in her dress.
"One must always be ready", she told herself as she looks down at the front and center pew, where her top mechpilot of the civil war was indeed talking into his communications watch. At first, she wondered how he got this frequency but then she remembers that Alexander is sitting right next to him and no doubt gave it to him.
"You don't have to respond but I can tell that you are overthinking things", Nico says.
Kamea narrows her eyes a bit and was about to say something when Nico kept going.
"Every time we were going over battle plans, you moved your fingers a lot when you were looking at a map and it told me that you were blowing something out of proportion, which you always were."
Stealing a quick glance down, Kamea sees that she was indeed tapping the fingers of her right hand on top of her left. She lets out a low sigh at this. Nico did always have a knack for small details like that. He helped her devise the battle plans for the Arano Restoration as much as she did.
"Look, I get that you got a lot on your plate and it feels like the whole world, system, coalition, whatever, rests on your shoulders, but you have to stop thinking that you're in this alone. You got Alexander, the entirety of House Madeira, the common people of the Reach, the crew of the Argo, and me helping you out", Nico assures her, "I hate to be blunt but you need to stop acting like this was that day seven years and realize that you're going to get through all of this, you just got to be willing to accept that you are not going to be able to do it alone."
A loud gong rang throughout the complex, signaling to all those in attendance that the coronation was about to begin.
"Time for me to stop talking. But one more word of advice. A little something my mother told me a long time ago", Nico tells her, "Forget about what happen in the past and look toward the future. Learn from what happened but don't ever let it control you. You need to keep moving forward and never look back. Dragon out."
It was in that moment, right as the religious representative started walking up the stairs with the Aurigan crown in hand that Kamea remembers something.
When the coup first started, all she had was Raju, Alexander, and Nico, even if he was just someone she just met at the time. When she was on the run in the frontier, all she had was Alexander. When she launched her first offensive at Weldry, she had an army, Alexander, Nico, and his small crew, along with the backing of the Magistracy. When she realizes that she could have saved Raju if she had just launched the attack a few hours early, Nico and Alexander were by her side to comfort her as she grieved.
At no point when all of this began did she have neither Alexander or Nico by her side.
When the Concordat enter the war at Artru and the battle looked bleak, Nico, who could have easily turned tail and ran with the Argo and all, not only stayed but fought off the Taurians to buy time for Kamea and her guard to escape. Through overwhelming odds, the man who carried the callsign of Dragon and his crew continue to be a thorn in both the Directorate and Concordat's side, never once showing disloyalty. Nico was also there at the final battle in the arena against Victoria, taking on three mechs at once just to make sure they didn't interfere with her duel with her estranged cousin.
She has heard and thought this many times before but only now, at the dawn of her reign, did the realization sink in. Nico could have turned down her offer. He could have gone to the other side. He could have not even joined her in the first place.
But he did.
And she actually had the audacity at one point to believe he was only doing it for the money. She was a terrible friend to ever doubt him.
"I have to do better. I have to be better and realize that I have people who will always support me", she told herself as she straightens up and prepared herself for what was to come as the crown arrived in front of her and was lifted over her head, "And I will be."
A moment later, Lady Kamea Arano, the Countess of Coromondir and the victor of the Aurigan Civil War was no more.
In her place was born High Lady Kamea Arano, the official leader of the Aurigan Coalition and the Sword of Restoration.
A/N: Back to the Argo next chapter and back to business.
Chapter Text
Disclaimers: I do not own Battletech.
A/N: So here we go with a plot I kind of wanted to abandon but decided that it would potentially lead to character growth for a number of people, plus it had some more Nico/Kamea interactions and showing off more of the respect the two have for each other. Everyone's back on the Argo in the next chapter.
Check out my other stories too if you have the chance.
Doctrines and Contracts
"Are you sure the two of you are ready for this?", Alexander asks once more to Nico and Darius in the hallways outside of the main conference within the royal palace "This meeting is going to include all the representatives of the Founding Houses and powerful governors throughout the Reach."
"I think we can handle it", Darius replies, "The Dragon's Raiders have done briefings of their own during the war and such."
"This is a military reconstruction briefing, I assure you it will be entirely different than what you are used to", Alexander states, "This will discuss what efforts will be taken to bring the entire Reach back up to full-military readiness."
"The coronation was only about a month ago, why are we doing this now?", Nico questions.
"Kamea wants it out of the way so she can move on and attend to her other duties", Alexander answers before leaning in to whisper, "As well as get the other Founding Houses and governors off of her back."
"That bad, huh?", Nico asks.
"Like you would not believe", the head of House Madeira answers just as the doors open up and a servant steps out and informs them that they may enter.
"Here we go", Nico says as he led the way with Darius behind him, "Into the belly of the beast."
The meetings with the Coalition High Command pass in a blur of holograms, statics, data-slate, charts, and graphs.
Standing military numbers. Potential recruitment numbers. The number of training camps that are currently operating. The number of recruits each training camp can hold. The number of new soldiers being fully trained each month. The waiting period before fresh recruits can be transferred in to take their place.
Infantry divisions creations. The number of battalions and regiments each division will hold. Their bases. Their rallying points should the planets they were on come under attack. Their officers. What houses these officers belong to. Their highest rank enlisted. Their ammunition supply. The type of guns and grenades that they use. Their food supplies. Their medical supplies. The number of vehicles allotted to them to transport their troops. The fuel amount that these vehicles will use up yearly.
Armored divisions creations. They differentiate between light, medium, and heavy tanks. Their fuel supply. The time needed to repair them depending on the gravity of their damage. The caliber of all their guns. The amount of ammo each tank carries for their guns. Each division chain of command. Their artillery support. The range of their guns. The accuracy of their guns. The length a gun can be fire continuously before it has to stop to prevent overheating of the barrel. The total number of men needed to fully load and fire a gun. The time it takes to set up a gun.
Mech divisions creation. The types of mechs available to the Coalition. The handful of production factories the Reach has. Their locations. The number of military units protecting these locations. The defensive positions entrench around the factories. How long a position can hold out before reinforcements are needed. The workers that operate the machinery. The background checks performed on the workers. The number of mechs kept in reserve. The standard lance formation used by the Reach.
Aerospace fighters. The number of trained pilots. The numbers the academies are putting out. The top surviving aces. The range of each type of aircraft. The armaments they carry. Their flying formations. Their tactics. The equipment that the pilots have available to them should they have to eject behind enemy lines. The airfields. The lengths of their runways. How much damage a runway can take and still be able to launch planes. Nearby streets that could be used as improvised runways if the originals are destroyed in an attack.
Fleet compositions. The number of fully battle-ready dropships remaining in the Coalition Navy. The number of each type of ship. The flotillas. The fleets. The patrols squadrons. The planets that serve as their supply bases. The shipyards. The defensive capabilities of each shipyard. The number of ships they can produce and purchase on a yearly basis. The destructive capabilities of their guns. How many fighter wings and mech lances that certain ships can carry. The position of each jump point. The ships stationed around these jump points.
Special forces creation, this got Nico's and Darius' full attention. The command structure with Nico at the top. The additions being added to the Argo, including the extra Leopard. The upgrades to their equipment all across the ship. The schematics of the "stealth" system that the Directorate was researching that the ship was going to be field testing. The armaments being added. The hull being made thicker. The number of additional crew members that would be coming aboard, including special forces. The aerospace fighters that would be assigned to them. The missions the pilots have flown in. Their kill ratios. The drop-pods, Nico couldn't believe that they were getting drop-pods nor the sheer numbers that were being given to them. The capabilities of the drop pods. The amount of protection they could provide. The bases where the Argo could get new drop pods.
Their bases of operations outside of the capital. An increase in their food storage. The uniforms that would be given to the crew. The military regulations and disciplines that Nico and Darius would be expected to uphold. The pay that each rank onboard could expect to receive. The ranks that were given to each of the mechwarriors. The secured channel that Nico could contact Kamea or Alexander for mission brief and debriefs. The rooms on their ship being put aside for the High Lady, her advisers, or any high-ranking officers that could be staying on the ship for an extended length of time.
The number of spies they have operating throughout the Inner Sphere and the Periphery. The planets they were located on. That is as far as it got for only Kamea and Alexander were granted access to any further knowledge on this matter….
And...
And Nico and Darius endure all of this for ten days.
Ten. Days.
"Oh, thank god, it's finally over", Darius groans as he collapses on the couch in the room that was given to him during his stay at the palace, "No more numbers, please no more numbers. I rather go back to moving crates again."
Nico couldn't help but smile at his friend as he watches him from the doorway, "Get some sleep, Darius. Tomorrow, you head back to the Argo."
"I'm sure Sumire will be happy to have me back", Darius replies as he looks up at the ceiling, "She must have been going crazy trying to keep everyone in line."
"Well, we haven't heard much back from her, so that's a good sign", Nico says before noticing somewhere turning the corner down the hallway and coming right for him. As the person got closer, Nico was surprised to see that it was Kamea, only she was alone and it was nearly midnight.
"Some people would find it unusual for the High Lady to be walking around the palace with no guards at this time of night", Nico states as Kamea came to a stop in front of him.
"We live in unusual times", Kamea replies, "Come with me, will you?"
Aware that there might be servants and such still up at this hour, Nico only gave a respectful nod, "Of course, my High Lady."
Moments later, Nico found himself walking behind Kamea, keeping a respectable distance between them in order not to upset the guards patrolling the palace, who Kamea had to keep waving off from joining the duo as they walk by them.
"Might I ask what this is about, High Lady?", Nico questions as the two of them walk into her quarters, past the Royal Guard at their post outside of it, "I mean, if you wanted to have me alone for your own personal reason, all you had to do was ask", he jokes.
"I just received new intelligence", Kamea said as she sits down at her desk, "Regarding the pirates."
"What did you learn?", Nico says, his mood instantly changing to a more serious one.
"For starters, they are more fortified than previously thought, plus they are far larger too", Kamea answers, "This will not be as easy as I originally plan it to be."
"So what's the plan?", Nico asks as walks in front of her desk.
Unceremoniously, Kamea falls face-first onto her desk, her forehead banging against the wood.
"That would be considered highly improper behavior for a noble, especially for such a lady as yourself", Nico points out.
"I am fairly certain that you are the last person in the entire Inner Sphere, Periphery, or Deep Periphery who can get on me for improper behavior", Kamea retorts from her position.
Nico shrugs, "Fair enough. I mean, here I am in your own private quarters...alone….in the dead of night."
"With two members of my Royal Guard just a door away from gunning you down", Kamea adds, her head still on the desk.
"Okay, okay, I'll stop", Nico concedes, "But seriously, what are you going to do?"
"I have already given every standing military unit in the Coalition an assignment and I don't have the resources available nor the time to move them around, so adding additional units to the Argo is out of the question", Kamea answers.
Nico shakes his head, "I doubt reinforcements will be needed."
"Let us say you are right, we are still going to face a deeply entrenched enemy who no doubt knows we are coming", Kamea counters.
"Okay, then it will be the same as last time only a few more mechs and a few more vehicles. Hell, they might have an aerospace fighter or two this time", Nico jokes.
Kamea lets out a groan, "We can only hope that they do not for who kn-", right before she shot back up, looking directly at Nico with an expression of sudden realization, "What did you say?"
The ace pilot was caught off-guard by Kamea's sudden movement and took a second to speak.
"I said that the pirates might have a few more mechs and vehicles, along with possibly-"
"Aerospace fighters", Kamea finishes as she got up and briskly made her way to a nearby bookshelves pack to the brim with volumes of knowledge. She then started scanning through the books in an almost fanatical pursuit.
"Um, you mind telling me what's going on?", Nico asks but Kamea ignore him
"Ah-ha!", the High Lady cries out as she pulls out a book and then walks back over to her desk.
"You still haven't told me what's going on", Nico says.
"The Aurigan Coalition needs something new, Nico!", Kamea began to explain as she lays down the book which Nico notice was a history book titled: A History of the Tactics and Doctrines of the Successor States Armed Forces.
"The original concept of a new military reform that can give us an edge out here in the Periphery and I think I know what", Kamea says, "For too long, the Coalition has relies almost solely on mechanized infantry to carry the day due to a lack of a significant number of BattleMechs!"
"Okay, I'm still listening", Nico says, curious about where the High Lady was going with this.
"But my uncle was supplied a great deal of mechs by the Taurians and they themselves left a great many of them behind in the midst of their withdrawal!", Kamea kept going, her voice rising in volume with each passing second, "And a great deal of effort is going toward cannibalizing and repairing them!"
"Okay, so the Reach has more mechs than it did previously. That doesn't mean you can House Steiner you way through the Periphery", Nico points out.
"That is not my intention whatsoever!", Kamea says as she flips through the books, searching the pages until she finally found what she was looking for, "But this is!", as she points at a certain page and steps aside for Nico to see.
Reading through the book, Nico takes in all the information it had before turning to Kamea, "This is nothing new; nearly all of the interstellar nations practice this doctrine."
"True, but it is always at the battalion level or higher. I want to practice it at a lower level; something that they probably think it is impossible to put off", Kamea counters.
"Probably for good reason", Nico adds.
"Listen, Nico, I believe this new doctrine could make the Aurigan Coalition enough of a regional power to even expand out into the frontier", Kamea tries to tell him.
"Oh? Will it help us against the Inner Sphere or the Concordat if they come a-knocking?", Nico asks.
Kamea hesitated for a moment before speaking, "Probably not with the Great Houses, but that is where diplomacy and alliances will come in. But if we can fine-tune it, it will definitely help us against pirates and probably make the Founding Houses and such get in line as well, along with making them have second thoughts about resisting my rule. At best it could possibly deter the Taurians from coming back", Kamea explains, "I believe that the Coalition will come out stronger than ever with change but to ensure this I need to field test it with the Argo and its crew before I apply it to the rest of the military."
Nico gets up from the desk and looks at Kamea, searching for any sign of doubt in her facial expression. If there was the slightest indication that Kamea wasn't one hundred percent sure that her reform could work, he wasn't going to approve of it.
Now of course this couldn't stop her from going through with it but if their current relationship was anything like it was during the civil war, Kamea wanted his approval before going ahead with anything military-wise.
He recalls Alexander mentioning that somewhere along the way during the war the now-former mercenary commander became Kamea's unofficial head military advisor. At first, Nico shrugged it off as Alexander just being nice and didn't think much of it as he had an entire ship to take care of.
But ever since the final victory at Coromodir and no more fighting happen, Nico has had some time to reflect on things.
He notices that it all started after the liberation of Weldry that Kamea started showing up more and more on the Argo, planning entire system campaigns from it. At first, a part of Nico thought she was only doing it to keep a close eye on the Argo and her crew since they were her assets; to make sure they didn't turn tail and run if things got too dicey as some mercenaries have been known to do.
But then she started insisting that Nico be there whenever she made a battle plan. She also genuinely used whatever advice he gave, and even took his suggestions to heart.
The decision for his Raiders to take the spaceport on Panzyr that was seized by the Directorate instead of Kamea using her already battered and tired troops was his idea. Even though they have been hitting Directorate's targets in the systems surrounding Panzyr in the weeks prior to that particular battle, thanks to the rotation schedule Nico had for his pilots and the mechs, and the addition of Qartio, they had two fresh full lances ready to go as soon as they arrived planetside.
Another thing was the battle over Itrom. While the overall strategy for the capture of the refinery was Kamea's idea it was Nico who came up with the suggestion to attack from the north during a sand storm in order to get the drop on the forces defending it; a suggestion that Kamea immediately approved.
By the time the assault on the capital came, Kamea had generals and other senior officers on her staff, yet she still kept coming to him on the Argo to draw up battle plans. Perhaps she just wanted someone who would give her the cold hard truth about a strategy instead of just a yes man.
One part of Nico felt slightly honored by this but the other part was telling him that he unofficially held the lives of countless men, women, and children in his hands.
Quite the burden to have for someone who was barely in their thirties and was just a mere colonel.
"Alright", Nico groans, "I'll go along with this for now but on one condition."
"And that would be?" Kamea asks.
"Since we're testing this through my crew, we will implement it through my measures and on my schedule", he states, "I know the crew and I know what they can endure. I will handle the original Argo crew and you will handle the new additions and we will both come together on this."
Kamea mulls this proposal in her mind for a moment, pointing out the flaws and advantages of it.
She could easily just order Nico to comply with her choices but that would do her no good. The reason their relationship work so well during the war is that she treated him like an equal despite being his employer. Instead of looking at him as a mere tool to be used for her benefit, she instead saw him as a fellow student of their teacher, the late Raju Montgomery, who would have no doubt wanted them to get along and respect one another.
In some ways, Nico was her senior seeing how he was slightly older than her and was without a doubt the better pilot
In fact, while he currently held the highest kill count of any mechpilot in the Reach she barely maintained the sixth-highest, just right behind the four Lance Commanders of the Argo and that was by a wide margin.
To be fair though, she ended up doing a lot more commanding than actual combat as the war went on with the battle for the capital being one of the few times she was in a Battlemech in the last year of the Restoration.
"Fine then", she finally spoke, "We will do this your way", to which she received a nod in return from Nico, "Now let us get to work, we have to polish this up a little bit before we start trying to enact it."
When the head of House Maderia, Alexander Aquino Madeira, awoke the following morning, he softly kissed his still-sleeping wife and child, took a shower, got dressed, ate breakfast, and then made his way over to the High Lady's quarters to brief her on her schedule for the day; he was expecting a number of things to happen.
One of the things he wasn't expecting was to receive a piece of intel on his data-slate that sent his sprinting down the hallway...well as best as he could. His body has yet to fully recover from the abuse it suffered at the hands of Victoria.
The guards let him through and he flings open the doors, bursting into the room in a panic.
"Kamea! We got a problem! It'-", before he came to a screening halt and witness the scene in front of him.
"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON IN HERE?! ARE YOU TWO FUCKING KIDDING ME RIGHT NOW?! ARE YOU TWO FUCKING SERIOUS?!" his voice booms throughout the room and into the hallway, startling the guards.
Darius slowly wakes up from his position on the couch, the sunlight shining on his face through the window. He sits up, looks at the clock, looks down at the wrinkled clothes he now had on for a moment before prompting falling back to sleep, using a pillow to block out the sun.
"The Argo can last a few more hours without me", he murmurs as he drifts back to sleep.
Meanwhile back in Kamea's quarters, a loud voice snaps Nico awake from his position of sitting on the floor, his back leaning against Kamea's desk, his hand was already going straight for his laser pistol. He drew it, took the safety off, was already looking down the sights at the person in front of him and his hand was about to squeeze the trigger when he realizes that it was Alexander that had woke him up.
A very piss-off-looking Alexander as a matter of fact.
Kamea jolts up from her desk in a dreary panic, her hair now a tangled mess covering her face. Her mind was racing, trying to figure out the sight that was before her. There was Alexander in the middle of her office quarters, fuming. She then notices Nico starting to put away his pistol and was able to piece the situation together rather quickly, even if it looked like something straight out of one of those action-comedy holovid movies she remembers watching on the Argo during one of the movie nights.
"I know what you are going to say, Alexander, and let me be the first to tell you that nothing happened. This I can assure you. Nico and I just fell asleep while going over something", she starts off as she got up from her desk which was littered with books and papers.
"I can plainly see that nothing happened seeing how both of you are still fully clothed. The fact of the matter remains that this is the second time that the two of you have put yourself in a rather precarious situation that could easily be misunderstood! You two were alone in Kamea's quarters for God knows how long!", Alexander points out while breathing heavily, "Could you imagine what could happen if this ever got out? The political backlash would be immense! The nobility would begin to question your morals and any potential political marriage alliance would be thrown out the window! The shuttle incident alone was bad enough and the damage control for that took everything I had! You two are not making my job easy and in case you have forgotten, I got torture for while so this much stress is bad on my health!"
"I thought it was okay due to their being guards outside the room", Nico states as he stands up, "Does the Reach have two different sets of nobility etiquette that I wasn't aware of?"
"Nico please, not now", Kamea replies as she looks at the clock, "Oh good heavens, look at the time."
"You have a meeting with the representative of the oligarch of Mechdur in an hour", Alexander told her.
"And I still need to take a shower, change my clothes, and have something to eat", Kamea gripes.
"The servants should have brought you something to eat by this time", Alexander points out, "Why did they not?"
"They probably got sent away by the guards", Kamea figure.
"And why would the guards do that?", Alexander questioned.
"Probably because she told them last night that she wanted no one to disturb her", Nico says as he yawns before realizing something, "Oh, I now see how that could look suspicious especially since they saw me come in."
"Oh, now you see?", Alexander complains, throwing his hands in the air in the process, "You two are unbelievable!"
"Look, let us all calm down and think. Alexander, call the Mechdur representative and inform them that the meeting has been pushed back fifteen minutes", Kamea told him, "That extra time will allow me some breathing room to get ready and we can start the day."
"And I will take my leave", Nico said as he heads for the door.
Alexander takes his glasses off and pinches the rim of his nose, "That would be for the best", he states before suddenly remembering why he ran in here in the first place.
"Wait!", he shouts out to the former mercenary.
This stops Nico just short of him grabbing the door handle. He then turns around and looks back at Alexander.
"Is there something you need of me?", he asks but instead, Alexander turns around to face Kamea.
"You remember that bit of intelligence we received regarding your uncle placing a bounty on Nico?", he asks.
"I feel I should be involved in this particular conversation", Nico states, but neither Alexander nor Kamea pay him any heed.
"I do", Kamea answers.
"One of our agents we sent into the underworld to keep track of it just reported back saying that someone has accepted the contract", Alexander explains.
"What? Why? My uncle is rotting in a Taurian cell waiting for execution", Kamea says.
"I'm still being ignored here despite this being all about me so far", Nico adds.
"Well, it seems that your unclue forward them the money early and thus they took it", Alexander informs her.
"Okay then, tells us, preferring me, just who accepted the bounty on my head?", Nico asks, this time with a hard tone in his voice, causing the other man to turn to him.
Alexander then looks back at Kamea for a moment who gives him a nod.
"He has just as much right to know as I do", she says.
"Thank you", Nico says.
Alexander takes a breath and brings his data-slate up so that both the Dragon and High Lady of the Reach could see. The two of them quickly read through the data, their eyes growing wider with each passing second.
"YOU HAVE GOT TO BE SHITTING ME!", Nico's voice rings out, startling the guards once more.
A/N: Just because you're nobility doesn't mean cursing is beneath you.
Chapter Text
Disclaimers: I do not own Battletech
A/N: Finally, we are back on the Argo ready to take off. I get that there hasn't been any mech combat despite their being the ninth chapter but we're getting there. Nico and the crew have to navigate the process of going from mercenaries to professional military and it's not an easy one. But they will get some action while on the way to Fjaldr along Nico and Kamea begin to show early hints of their relationship of friendly and professional turning into something else.
Back to the Argo
Two Days Later
It was done in a hurry, a lot of people got pissed off and a lot of parts had to be moved around, but finally, it was done.
Tomorrow, the ACS Argo would finally ready be for its maiden voyage as an official military vessel, and Nico was going to check every nook and cranny to make sure it was up to par. His first stop of course was the heart of the ship, the mech bay.
It wouldn't take him long to get there seeing everyone, both old crew and new, got out of his way when they saw him coming. Since most of the old crew were just former mercenaries with no military background whatsoever, a number of them forgot to salute him as he walked by but Nico didn't care much for that. Kamea informs him that she would be having military instructors and such come on board to help maintain proper order and discipline and to help get everyone up to military standards.
Nico made a mental note to have a closed-door meeting with them the minute they all arrive, anything to get his mind of certain matters.
As he reaches the elevator which would lead down to the bay, a voice calls from behind him.
"Colonel Strong, sir! One moment please, sir!"
He turns around to see Captain Andris bounding down the hall toward him while weaving in and out of the way of the crew with half a dozen data-slates in her hands. The woman comes to a halt in front of him and leans over to catch her breath.
"I thought you would have been in better shape, Captain Andris", Nico voices.
"I...have been running all day, sir. Trying to get everything situated for my troops and all. All the other company officers have delegated this task to subordinates but I figure I might as well do it myself to make it go smoother", she says as she catches her breath, "Also, I'm not used to being on a ship this way, sir. I got lost a couple of times."
"I see", Nico nods as he brings up his communication watch to his mouth, "Sumire, this is Dragon."
"Go ahead, Dragon", the Executive Officer answers.
"I want a communication watch to be assigned to Captain Andris, as of this moment, she is the official liaison for all of the army detachments on board the Argo. Get everything set up."
"Copy that, Dragon", Sumire acknowledges.
Nico still looks over at the surprised Captain, "That should make your task easier."
"W-what just happen, sir?", Andris questions.
"Simple, you have been promoted in a way. You answer directly to me for all matters regarding the army units", Nico told her.
"But why, sir?"
"Because you haven't changed since Panzyr. You are still trying to do what is best for your men", the mechwarrior explained, "I respect that."
All Karen Andris could do was stare at the man as the elevator door open up and he entered into it.
"The elevator is going down, captain. If you have something to tell me, I suggest you get on."
Andris snaps out of her trance follows after him just as the doors close. Afterward, she hands him a data-slate.
"As you can see, sir, I have some questions regarding some of the accommodations you have on the Argo and whether or not my men can use them", Andris began, "Mainly regarding the arcade, pool, and library."
"Hmm, that is a fair point. In all the commotion in the past month, I guess I forgot that people outside of the crew would be using them as well. I'll talk with Captain Oliveira and have him come up with a proper schedule so that everyone onboard has equal time allotted to them for these rooms."
"Thank you, sir", Andris says, "Now there is also the matter of discipline on board."
Nico raises an eyebrow at this as the elevator reaches its destination and the doors open to the bay.
"Sir, if I may, in my short time here I have notice that a number of the original crew has not fully embrace military standards onboard this ship, particularity your Lance Commanders", Andris informed Nico, "The main issue being that nearly everyone still refers to you as "Dragon" instead of "Sir".
"I will be holding a mandatory staff meeting once we are underway to address these issues, Captain. Until then, deal with it as best you can", Nico says.
"Yes sir. Also, request permission to speak freely."
"Oh boy, this is going to be fun, I just know it", Nico thought, "Granted."
"Sir, with all due respect, I am actually surprised by how well you are adjusted to the position of a senior officer. You seem to be more professional than quite a few others I have seen with your rank", Andris states.
Nico actually finds himself chuckling a little at the statement, "Well, let's just say I come from a strict background. I know the ropes of military life."
"Sir, it's well known that you are exiled nobility from the Deep Periphery even among the masses, but beyond that, no one really knows much about you" Andris points out.
"And I prefer to keep it like that, Captain Andris", Nico tells her.
"Sir!", Andris says as she snaps to attention, "Forgive me for intruding, sir! I overstep my boundaries, sir!"
"It's alright, captain. You are not the first to question me about my history and I doubt you'll be the last", Nico says right before he elevator came to a stop and the door open up to reveal High Lady Kamea, in her regular military uniform surprisingly, the Aurigan Crown now her latest addition to it, surrounded by a gaggle of advisors, royal guards, and Alexander. She looked to be in the midst of arguing with an advisor when she notices him and Nico swore her eyes lit up as though she was gazing upon her savior.
Which according to some of the war stories the Coalition media was airing about him, he was in a way.
"Ah Colonel Strong, excellent timing. You have saved me the trouble of having to come to find you", she said before turning her attention to Andris, "Captain, if you will, I have some matters to discuss with the colonel in private."
Andris snaps to attention, "Ma'am, yes ma'am! I will see myself out, ma'am!", she says before exiting the elevator and Kamea enters it. As she turns around she holds up a hand, halting the tide of her group from entering with her.
Nico couldn't help but notice that they seem a little too eager to get on the elevators or the fact that they were casting wary glances at him.
"I will meet you all at my working quarters for our noon meeting. Have your reports ready for me to look over by then. Captain, you and your men are free to retire until that time", Kamea orders as the doors close.
Living Alexander and the rest of Kamea's entourage standing there staring at the elevator doors. The Royal Guards turn to leave after a moment no doubt heading back to report to the captain, leaving the head of House Madeira alone with the advisers.
"Hmph", one of them, a Carla Vanstan of Heliat, says as she turns up her nose, "The High Lady has been spending far too much time with that mercenary."
"I beg your pardon?", Alexander says, the words coming out of his mouth before he could stop them.
"I understand that he did what he was paid to do and help her win the war but she should have just let him and his goons leave afterward. We are now in the process of rebuilding, we have no need for low-lives like them", Miss Vanstan finishes as a sneer appears across her face.
Alexander notices that the other three advisors were nodding their heads, agreeing with her.
High Lady Kamea's right-hand man then levels each of them with a steady glare.
"Just as you said, that "low-life" is the main reason High Lady Kamea won the civil war and is able to wear the Aurigan Crown on her head. He also played a major role in saving my life, allowing me to see my wife and son", he said in a low, deepening voice, catching the advisors off guard, "I will ignore your slip of the tongue this time but I suggest you become wise enough in the future not to voice your personal opinion while in the presence of her royal majesty for she might not be as lenient as I."
As soon as the elevator's doors closed Kamea turns to look at Nico.
"Have the cameras been install in the elevators yet?", she asks.
"They have but they won't come online until later today after my approval", he answers.
"Thank goodness", as she falls back on the wall and drops her face into her hands, letting out a sigh of exhaustion in the process.
"Like vultures, aren't they?", Nico chuckles.
"I have not had a moment's peace since I woke up this morning", Kamea replies through her hands.
"And you saw me as the perfect escape", Nico finishes.
"I pray that you do not take it personally", Kamea said as she lifts her head up.
Nico merely shrugs, "Eh, it's whatever. I'm heading to the mechbay by the way."
"Perfect, I was planning on heading down there sometime today anyway", Kamea says as the elevator came to a stop and the doors open up to reveal Behemoth, Medusa, Dekker, and Glitch all standing there.
The four lance commanders briefing exchanges glances with one another before turning back to the duo.
"Dragon, High Lady Kamea", Dekker starts, "What brings you to the mech bay?"
"I have business with Yang if he is available", the High Lady answers, "And for future reference, you can just call me Kamea when no one else is around. The four of you have definitely earned that privilege."
"Awww, you're making us blush!", Glitch giggles causing Behemoth to roll her eyes.
"Well anyway, Yang is over by your Dragon's Highlander, berating the mech tech for not installing the heat sinkers in yet", Medusa spoke up.
"Then that is where I will be heading", Kamea states, "Would you four to join us so I can discuss some matters with you."
"Lead the way, my lady", Behemoth acknowledges while Glitch gives a perky salute and the four Lance Commanders fall in behind Kamea and Nico, waiting for them to move; but instead Kamea raises an eyebrow at them.
"Something the matter?", Nico questions.
"I forget that you guys are not up-to-date with Aurigan Nobility practices, plus it was not in the brief Alexander gave you", Kamea says before looking over at Glitch and Behemoth, "Seeing how I sent my guards away, protocols dictate that in such a public setting like the mech bay I am to be flank on both sides by ladies if at all possible while the men unless they are family, are to walk a respectable distance behind us."
Both the Behemoth and Glitch stare at Kamea for a moment before looking over at Medusa who merely shrugs.
"What? You think I know anything about this just because I grew up in the Reach?"
Then the three of them look over at Dekker and Nico.
"It's not all that surprising when you think about it", Dekker started, "The Reach used to belong to the Capellan Confederation and a good number of the noble houses maintain such a tradition though they are way more strict about it."
"Is this really necessary? It seems a bit much", Nico asks.
"Unfortunately, it is necessary", Kamea answers, "Not all of the advisors and such coming to the Argo belong to House Arano. A good number of them belong to the other Founding Houses, and if they witness me being too lenient with those who are supposed answers to me, they would no doubt tell their superiors and they would use it against me. Also, if it makes you feel any better, the roles were reversed with my father when he wasn't accompanied by guards or my mother."
Nico exhales through his nose before looking at his pilots.
"You heard the High Lady. Glitch, Behemoth, get on her sides. Dekker, Medusa, back here with me", he tells them and the four mechpilots quickly do as they were told, although there was some grumbling from Behemoth.
"This is the stupidest thing I have ever done and I had to show Alexander how to properly lift weight in the gym."
"Save your complaints for someone who cares", Nico replies as he was now flank on both sides by the male pilots while the females look back at him from their position alongside Kamea. It was Behemoth on her left with Medusa behind her while Glitch was on her right with Dekker behind her; and smack dab in the middle was Nico with Kamea in front of him.
"Everyone good to go? Excellent, let us be off", Kamea states, and this time it was Nico rolling his eyes.
"I better not catch you staring at my ass, Medusa, or you're a dead man", Behemoth threatens.
"Not even if you were the last woman alive", came his response, earning a cough from Nico.
"If you two are done, I have other things to do today."
And with that, the six of them took off, with the men hanging back for a second to give Kamea and the others some time to get ahead.
"So how you four adjusting to your new positions as captains?", Kamea asks.
"Ain't much different than before", Behemoth answers with a shrug, "All you did was slap some shiny and a title on us."
Medusa finds himself shaking his head at the giant woman's lack of tack, "I think what she means to say is that while we appreciate you bestowing upon us officer's ranks, our duties and responsibilities have not changed much in terms of us still only being in charge of one lance on board the Argo."
"One lance?", Kamea repeats before coming to a stop and turning around to face Nico, "Have you yet to inform them?"
"Inform us of what?", Glitch wonders as she and the other all turn their attention to a slightly uncomfortable looking Nico.
"I was waiting for a more appropriate time once I got everything together to make the transition smoother for them", Nico confesses.
"Smoother transition for what?", Medusa asks.
Nico took a breath and exhale slowly before speaking, "Lady Kamea feels that in order for the special forces to be used to their full capacity, you four should be in command of what she deems to be, and I can't believe I'm actually using this word, CAL units."
"What the flying fuck is a CAL?", Behemoth questions, earning a hard look from Nico.
"It is an experimental unit military reform that I want to use in order to strengthen the Coalition", Kamea interjects, "I see this upcoming pirates extermination as the perfect time to test it out.
"Still have yet to receive an answer to what the fuck a CAL is", Behemoth points out, earning yet another glare from Nico.
"Watch what you say to High Lady Kamea when we are out in the open like this", he reminds, causing Behemoth to promptly shut her mouth.
Nico then looks over at Kamea, "I suggest we move this discussion to the Command Center to explain it better."
The ruler of the Reach takes one look at the baffled Lance Commanders and nods her head, "I believe that would be best."
Command Center
"The Combined Arms Lance also known as the CAL", Kamea starts as she hologram projections which showcase the letters, "A new tactical doctrine which I hope will elevate the Aurigan Coalition's military to one that is respected and feared by our neighbors. For starters, it means that as Lance Commander you will not only be in charge of one lance during combat but two if the mission calls for it.
"You want me to be in charge of eight mechs in a single mission!", Glitch screams out from her place in the room, causing everyone around her, including Nico and Kamea, to flinch back and earning her the glares of everyone else in the room which included the entire senior staff of the Argo along with Alexander as everyone else was ordered to leave the compartment was sealed off.
"Was that necessary?", Nico questions from his spot in the room.
"Sorry", Glitch sheepishly replies, "It's just a lot to take in. Sometimes it was hard enough leading just one lance in combat."
"I realize that which is why we are in the experimental phase so we can smooth out the wrinkles", Kamea says.
"Combined Arms Lance?", Dekker repeated, "That means we won't just be in charge of mechs, will we?"
Kamea nods, "As expected of a former scion of House Liao. As I said, along with two lances of mechs, you will also be in command of infantry, combat vehicles, and aerospace fighters. I mostly got the idea from some of the Successor States military doctrines, only I want to try it at a lower level than the ones that they use."
"Hmmm", Dekker says as he rubs his chin, "Innovated if anything. Risky, but could pay off big time if it works."
"I am pleased to hear that from someone who actually served in a military that utilizes such a tactic", Kamea nods, "Also, just so you are aware, as captains you are supposed to be in charge of three lances of mech but even the Argo has limitations."
"Might I inquire what the layout of these new units will be?", Dekker asks.
"From what Nico and myself drew up, a standard CAL will consist of two full lances, an arrangement of tanks and artillery pieces, at least four companies of mechanized infantry, and a single wing of aerospace fighters launched from the Argo or one of the Leopard", the High Lady explains, "All these individual units will constantly train together and will belong to a single command structure centered on the Lance Commander at the top of it."
Behemoth, Glitch, and Medusa all stare at High Lady as if she had sprouted a second head.
Sumire then raises a hand.
"Yes?", Kamea acknowledges.
"What is the purpose of this? I'm not questioning the design or anything, but what is the end goal from the CAL?", the former navigator asks, "During my time in the Concordat, the Taurians were always trying out battle plans and such, always trying to get the edge at the battlefield. The thing was though that all these were driven by the single goal of defending Taurian's space against the Federated Suns' forces should they ever invade."
"Ah yes, I see where you are getting at. I believe that the CAL will allow me to achieve my future goals, at least the military ones, for the Reach, which are all implemented in my Four-Year Plan", Kamea answers.
"Four-Year Plan?", Darius questions only to have Alexander step forward.
"This is an overview outline to bring the Aurigan Coalition at least back up to pre-war status within a span of four years", he began to explain as he presses a button and holograph came up. It outlined five key points:
Aurigan Coalition Four-Year Plan:
1. Rebuilding the Military and Strengthing the Borders
2. Stabilize the Economy
3. Deal with Internal Affairs
4. Establish Alliances and Trade Relations
5. Expansion
"The majority of these goals are self-explanatory, such as the first and second goals", Alexander spoke, "The third will focus on consolidated Lady Kamea's rule as well as weeding out the House Espinosa's remnants, including assaults on their strongholds if needed. Of course, the fourth will be handle by our diplomats and economic advisers."
"And the last one?", Farah asks, "Call me stupid, but that seems to be the one that is going to ruffle a few feathers around here if it means what I think it means."
"It means exactly what it says", Kamea answers, "The Aurigan Coalition will be expanding its borders."
"In what directions?", Darius says, "There are powerful enemies all around us"
"Not in the south nor the west", Kamea corrects him.
"The Rimward Frontier?", Sumire says.
"Exactly", Kamea says as she brings up the map of the particular region of space, "The Reach lost a lot of resources during the war, ones that we need to regain in order to truly flourish. The frontier is brimming with worlds that have what we need; you saw it yourself while you were out there."
"True, but it's not like those planets are just going to willing give them up", Darius says.
"I assure you that we will use every ounce of diplomatic means before we resort to military action. If they are willing to set up a trade relationship that greatly benefits our side, then only a small military outpost will be established to oversee it, we will even give them the option to be peacefully annexed by the coalition if that is what they want", Kamea tells him.
"And if they don't?", the CO of the Argo kept going.
"Well, Darius", Alexander step in, "You once told me yourself that the majority of these planets could barely field a company of mechs, and most of them were in dire need of repair. Should one such planet have the resources we need and are not willing to accept our trade terms, then that is where commands like the Argo will come in; using precise strikes and attacks on key military targets to force their hand."
Nico couldn't help but notice the small glint in Kamea's eye as Alexander said this, something that worried him.
"May have to have a small talk with her off to the side", he told himself.
"But you should all know that this is more of an end goal than anything. We must first complete the other four objectives before such plans are even brought to the table to accomplish the fifth", Kamea explains, "Are there questions regarding the Argo's roll in all this?"
Yang raises his left hand from his seat in the corner.
"Yes?", Kamea asks.
"This is regarding your CAL idea and having the Lance Commanders in charge of them", he says.
"Okay, what is on your mind?", Kamea questions, "Critiques are most welcome."
Yang takes a deep breath before speaking, "That has got to be the stupidest idea I have ever heard!"
The Dragon of the Reach grabs the bridge of his nose and lets out a breath, "Yang..."
"No, I will not be quiet about this!", the mechtech said as he raises his right arm, "I have heard of dumb ideas before, one of them lost me by arm, but this is insane!"
Nico moves to talk only to be stopped by Kamea.
"No, no, let him speak. Yang has made sound decisions before, such as on Artru, and I trust his judgment despite the bluntness of it", she says.
"Kamea, your plan is actually a pretty good one that could help the Coalition being a powerful force on the battlefield! But it would be better to try it out on more seasoned mechpilots who are old wrinkly farts who have to take pain medicine just to pee in the morning let alone pilot!", Yang states.
A snort from Farah temporarily draws everyone's attention and the engineer had to struggle to keep herself from laughing out loud.
Once everyone goes back to Yang, he points to the Lance Commanders, "But these four chuckleheads are the last people who need to have that much responsibility, and that includes Dekker, who has the most experience in a military leadership position out of any of them!"
Behemoth cracks her knuckles and glares at the former Capellan service member, "What exactly are you trying to imply, Yang? We have the highest kill counts in the Reach."
Darius leans over to whisper to Sumire who was standing next to him, "If I have known this meeting would have been this entertaining, I would have brought some popcorn", he whispers, causing Sumire to cover her mouth to hide a smile and a giggle.
"Five C-bills say they go at it and Yang's first hit isn't with his right arm", Qartio says from Darius' right side as she puts out a cigarette to light, "Ten if Behemoth tries to rip it off."
"Having a high kill count doesn't equate to being a seasoned commander. It just means you're good in a fight. Now while I have complete faith that the four of you can command two separate mech lances in the field with no real problems, adding infantry, tanks, and such, along with fighters to the mix is a whole different ball game which I feel you are not ready for!", Yang answers, "We're not talking about a couple of lives at best being at stake here if you make a bad decision, we're talking about hundreds!"
"Which is why Behemoth, Medusa, Glitch, and Dekker are going to undergo an extensive training schedule while on route to Fjaldr", Alexander spoke up, "One that will be supervised by Nico and Kamea."
"Also you should know that until we feel they are ready to command on their own, all CAL operations will be under the direct control of Kamea and myself and we will be directing them from the bridge of the Argo", Nico adds, "We are not just dumping this much responsibility on them."
"That only makes me feel slightly better at best", Yang informs him as he gets up and leaves, without a word to anyone.
Running his hand down his face, Nico lets out a groan, "To be honest, given what happened to him at St. Loris, that went far better than I expected."
"To be fair, the fact that he was included in this discussion is far more than any Inner Sphere military would have given him", Kamea comments before looking over at Farah and Qartio, "That applies to you two as well."
The Med Tech merely shrugs while Farah begins walking toward the door.
"I'm going to make sure that Yang doesn't swat one of his Mech Tech too hard upside the head with his metal arm. Y'all most likely don't need me here anyway for the rest of this meeting", she tells them.
Nico merely nods and the engineer takes her leave.
…
It was quiet in the room for a time until Nico got fed up with it and look at his four Lance Commanders.
"Three days after the Argo launches, you guys are going to be in the simulators running scenarios design by Kamea and myself whenever you're not sleeping, working out, or eating. I suggest you take what time you have now to get prepare yourself", he says.
The four mechpilots all nod and move to leave.
"One more thing", Nico then calls out, stopping them in their tracks, "During this time, you will need to appoint two mechpilots as your vice-commander and sub-commander. They will serve as your backups should you become unavailable to lead as well as someone you can send on a mission in your place."
The captains exchanged looks with one another. Up till now, lances for combat missions were mainly comprised of whatever pilots Nico threw together for the mission with either one of the four Lance Commanders or himself being in charge of it in the field. Also, while yes all of the mechwarriors onboard has been split into one of the four mechs units, it surprisingly has never dawned on any of them to choose a second and third in command.
"Who are the ones we can choose from?", Medusa asks.
"Obviously from within your individual units, but I will initially approve anyone you choose. Let them know beforehand though they will be put through the same training as you during the trip to Fjaldr. If they do not perform to my standards, I will have you choose someone else", Nico answers as he looks at each of them directly in the eyes, "I suggest you choose carefully."
"You got it, Dragon", Glitch says with the others nodding in agreement, and with that, the four mechwarriors left the room.
The four of them walk in silence for a moment, only exchanging small greetings and nods to the people that they passed. They reach the primary cafeteria in a few short minutes and took a table for themselves off in the corner.
"Holy crap", Behemoth said, "It's really starting to dawn on me that we are now in the honest to God military. This ain't the merc's life anymore."
"I know, right?", Medusa states, "We are really going to have command over a large number of people along with our mechpilots"
"At least four hundred infantry", Glitch adds.
"Along with some armor and light combat vehicles", Behemoth states.
"And even some Aerospace fighters", Medusa finished before looking at Dekker.
"What is it?", the pilot asks upon noticing this.
"You were an officer in the military before. Is there a cheat or a tip to help lead effectively? To make this easier?", Medusa asks.
"Yeah, you got to know something", Behemoth join in.
"Come on, tell us!", Glitch says.
Dekker shakes his head at his friends, "Okay, for starters, I was in the Confederation Navy for most of my time in, transporting ground units instead of leading them. When I got transferred to a MechWarrior unit, I only command a single lance until I got out."
"There must be something you pick up during your time there", Medusa said before looking around and lowering his voice, "We are possibly on the brink of war with the Capellans and/or the Taurians and they want us to lead non-mechwarriors into battle. That's a lot of pressure right there."
Dekker takes a look at each one of his fellow captains, each one eyeing him with looks of expectations, especially Glitch.
The man just shook his head before letting out a sigh, "Delegation. If there is one thing I learned during my time in is that if you assign the right people to the right task at the right time it will maybe your job infinitely better and easier. You just got to remember that just because someone is your friend doesn't mean they're the right one for the job."
Medusa nods at this piece of advice, "That actually makes sense."
"So with that mindset, I suggest we choose our vice and sub-commanders carefully and not on a whim because we are good buddies with them, got it?", Dekker tells them, "
Meanwhile back in the Command Center, the ace mech pilot turned to Qartip once the door closed behind the Lance Commanders, "You're welcome to stay if you wish but what we're about to talk about doesn't really refer to your field of expertise."
The Med Tech shrugs as she lights her cigarette, "I'm going to get the med-bay ready in case Yang sends a few of the techs that way due to his anger issues, catch you, kids, later", as she leaves the room and Nico watches the door closes behind her. He stares at it for a few more moments before speaking.
"This is a way off-topic, but I can't be the only one that has the feeling that something more was going on between her and Raju", Nico states.
"If such a notion is true then she would not be the only one if my suspicions are correct", Alexander unexpectedly added, causing everyone in the room to turn to look at him.
"What are you talking about?", Darius questions.
"Well, it would seem that Raju served directly under House Centrella of the Magistracy of Canopus for a time and got quite involved with a certain Lady Ana Maria Centrella", Alexander answered.
"Nooo", Sumire says as she places her hand over her mouth, unable to believe what she was hearing.
"She did get off-course in our talks whenever Raju's name came up. She would go on about him in great lengths and she was quite devastated when I inform her about what happens on the day of the coup and even more so when I told her about Weldry ", Kamea admitted, remembering the distraught look on the elegant woman's face that day and how she even cut the meeting short upon hearing the news, "I assume the two of them were close during the length of Raju's service to her house though I dare not dwell any deeper to see how close they were."
"Huh, now that I think about it, I do recall seeing him often hanging around a maid of my house back out in the Deep Periphery", Nico says before getting up from his desk.
"The man probably had a girl in every system he went to", Darius murmurs under his breath before shaking his head, "Anyway, what did you want to discuss?"
"Simple", Nico said he moves to look out the window for a moment before turning to look at both Darius and Sumire, "There's going to be some changes around here on the Argo, effective immediately, and I'm going to need your help enforcing them. But first, there is one more thing we have to discuss and this doesn't leave the room."
Darius and Sumire both felt a change in the air as the mood suddenly began way more serious as while as Nico's facial expression darkening.
"What's going on here, Dragon?", the Commanding Officer of the Argo asks.
"I want to keep it under the radar for the time being but I feel that it could potentially affect the entire crew which is why I'm letting only you two know and we'll tell everyone else later", the ace Mechwarrior answers.
"Tell us what?", Darius asks.
"I...have a contract out on my head. One that I wasn't aware of until two days ago", Nico answers, "It was issued by the former Director Santiago Espinosa before the war ended."
This causes both Sumire and Darius to exchanges looks of disbelief with one another.
"Wow, that's...something", the Executive Officer says.
"Wait until you hear who accepted it", Alexander says.
"Who? A mercenary company?", Darius asks.
"Ha, I wish!", Nico chuckles darkly, "That would be all too easy if it was."
"Then who? Who took up the contract?", Sumire questions.
...
Not a word is spoken from Nico as he gives them a thousand-yard stare, only the sounds of the ship's engines running being heard in the room.
He then took a breath and lets it out slowly before speaking, "The contract was picked up by...The Bounty Hunter."
A/N: Kamea has ambition and Nico is a little wary of this.
So yeah... The Bounty Hunter has taken the contract on Nico's head. Nico is the best Mechwarrior in the Reach, but can he hope to stand a chance against one of the best among the stars? And no, this isn't far-fetched, since you actually face the Bounty Hunter in the actual game.
Funny thing, according to the wiki, Both Behemoth and Medusa have the military trait in their tags with the latter even having been an officer. It's funny because neither of their bios saying anything about them being in actual professional military service, unlike Dekker.
Combined Arms Lance: basically a combination of the Augmented Lance and the Air Lance only it's regular infantry instead of Battle-Armored Infantry.
Yes, I understand that Augmented Lances were created by the CCAF after they witness how effective the Novas used by the Clans were. But the combined arms concept already exist before that in-universe it just at a regimental and battalion level. Kamea is just aiming a bit lower to see the effects of it and it shows that she can come up with ideas as well.
One last thing:
Argo: 18 mechs when it is fully upgraded
Leopard: 6 mechs in total
The Argo will have three Leopards accompanying it so that 36 mechs overall not even counting the ones that Yang "stores away". That's a battalion worth of mechs so I figure each Lance Commander could have two lances under their command with the last one being a reserve/command lance.
Chapter Text
Disclaimers: I do not own Battletech.
A/N: Alright, I'm back with this story after dealing with some personal issues and such. This chapter will close out the First Arc of this story and the Second Arc will begin in the next chapter with it being more combat-oriented and such along with showcasing one of my favorite parts of the game: the events that would happen while the Argo was in transit. Sometimes if I had enough money and such, I would just go from system to system just to have an event pop-up.
Please enjoy.
Tensions.
On the planet of Canopus IV within the royal palace of House Centrella, Lady Ana Maria Centrella of the Magistracy of Canopus sat in her own personal briefing room with a single lamp being the only source of illumination for her. She was nearly alone with only one other figure in the room, though this person was mostly hidden in the shadows across the way with only the bare minimum of their outline being seen.
"So what do you have to tell me Agent….?", the Lady spoke.
"Agent is such an overused and outdated term for people of my profession. It has gain notoriety due to secret spy holo-vid and such", a masculine voice answers, "For the sake of this briefing you may simply call me... Bob, my lady."
Ana Maria raises an eyebrow at this and suppresses the grin that threatens to appear on her lips before speaking.
"Okay...Bob. Forgive me for saying this but it is extremely rare to see a man in such a position within the Magistracy Intelligence Ministry."
If Bob was offended by such a statement, Ana Maria couldn't see it through the darkness.
"MIM is in the midst of adopting a new policy of promoting people base on merits, not on gender", he replies.
"A rare thing here in the Magistracy", Lady Ana Maria points out.
"That it is. Now if it pleases my Lady, I believe I have a briefing to give you", Bob says.
"Ah yes, of course. Tell me, what have you gather on our friends in the Reach since the war ended?", Ana Maria asks as she leans back into her chair.
Bob nods at this and pushes a button on the wall next to him, bringing up a holo-map of the Aurigan Reach in the center of the room and presents a data-pad out from behind his back.
"As you already undoubtedly know, the Reach is in a resurrection phase after their civil war, seeking to rebuild the devastation brought forth by it", Bob began, "This includes restarting the economy, dealing with the massive refugees' crisis, re-establishing trade routes, and dealing with the famine in the Panzyr system, one of its key systems. Lady Kamea has shown surprisingly adaptability in dealing with all of these issues at once as well as consolidating her power base to bring the other Founding Houses in line."
Lady Ana Maria fakes a yawn and waves a dismissive hand, "Yes, yes, I am aware of all that dribble. Your division's main assignment, as I recall, was gathering intel on the Coalition's military potential."
Bob is quiet for a moment before pushing a button on his data-pad which brought up the image of a Wolverine battlemech on the holo-map
"The Aurigan military is in a state of disarray at a time where the Reach is at its most vulnerable to its more powerful neighbors. Standing military strength is around forty percent of what it was before the war and it will take a considerable amount of time to bring it back to full readiness. The only saving grace is that now they possess a remarkable number of salvageable battlemechs now thanks to the Concordat leaving a great deal of them behind in their retreat", Bob details.
"Marvelous", Lady Ana Maria says as she leans forward, latches her fingers together in front of her face, "Now let us get down to the real juicy details of your mission. Tell me about Kamea's little dragon, Nico Strong."
Bob found himself unable to speak for a brief moment before letting out a sigh and pressing another button on his data-pad that brought up an image of the famous mechwarrior.
"That is the problem, my lady, the man is a ghost, an enigma", he tells her.
"I beg your pardon", Ana Maria says, unsure of what she just heard.
"Despite having our best people in the field turning over every rock they could find, no information regarding the former mercenary's past has been found; though we have our suspicions that Nico Strong is not even his real name. We have check records of every known house in the Deep Periphery and have not even found a dead house with the Strong surname in any of them", Bob explains.
"So you mean to tell me that one of the most prominent intelligence agencies in the Periphery, capable of sometimes rivaling those of the Inner Sphere, cannot find a single thread of information on a mere mercenary?", Lady Ana Maria asks, clearly annoyed by this act of incompetence.
"That former mercenary killed Commodore Samuel Ostergaard, a man who was at the top of a potential military threat list for quite some time, in a one-on-one duel despite being in a smaller mech", Bob points out.
"Regardless of that, I should have you and all of your subordinates remove and replace with more capable people", Ana Maria threatens.
"And perhaps I should remind the good lady that MIM only answers to the Magestrix herself and the only reason that you are even being relayed this information is due to the fact that you have been placed in charge of keeping an eye on the situation in the Reach and the Magestrix has order us to brief you. Also, you should be aware that such a privilege can be taken away if it is deemed that you are unfit for the task", Bob counters, catching Ana Maria off-guard.
"You dare!", she growls as she stands up.
"Or perhaps you want the rendezvouses between you and a certain Sir Raju "Mastiff" Montgomery that took place in your youth to be brought to light? I am sure your rivals would love to get their hands on such information", Bob then throws out.
After a moment of silence, Ana Maria calmly sits back down, her face now in a neutral expression.
"I was wondering when that was going to be used against me. I am actually surprised it took this long", she says.
"MIM always like to keep leverage over all those who are not the Magestrix herself, even if they are within House Centrella. While we are no doubt loyal to the Magistracy, we have taken precautions to ensure its existence", Bob states, "Now if we may get back to the briefing; I am sure you have other business to attend to."
Ana Maria stare into the darkness at what she thought was Bob's eyes for a while as if she was trying to stare into his very soul.
"You may continue", she finally spoke.
"Anyway, Nico Strong and his forces are without a doubt the most powerful in the Reach for their size and have shown in the past the ability to take on enemy units far larger than themselves and succeed", Bob continues.
"Will they be problematic to us in the future?", Ana Maria asks.
"While the Magistracy could easily defeat the Coalition in an open war, we calculate that it would tie up too many of our forces and resources and produces a large number of casualties in the process", Bob states, "We believe that if we maintain a positive relationship with High Lady Kamea then not only will we not have to worried about such a situation occurring, but we could possibly get her to lend us Nico Strong and his men to help us in our own future military endeavors."
"I have my doubts about that little girl loaning us her pet dragon", Ana Maria laughs.
"I fail to see why not. She owns her crown to us", Bob says.
"We merely gave her the money to do so. We did not give her a single solider to help her fight", Ana Maria counter, "In deals like this, you give money to repay money. Even now she is trying to open up trade routes between us and making sure we get a better share of the profit. I doubt she sees any reason to provide us with military aid should we ask for it."
"Perhaps you are right, Lady Ana Maria. But still, my superiors feel that it is an avenue we should keep open just in case, for we have run a number of simulations and scenarios base on the data we have gathered on Mr. Strong and his crew in regards to mech combat", Bob states.
"And?"
"If we were to pit our top mech pilot against him, the "Dragon of the Reach" would triumph eight out ten times. If he was pitted against the top Taurian mech pilot, it would be six out of ten times", Bob informs her, "Though I feel that I should state that Commodore Ostergaard was one of the top three mechpilots aces within the Concordat."
"And what if our top mech-pilot was to face the Taurian's ace?", Ana Maria wonder.
"Two out of ten times, mostly because the Magistracy's top ace has not seen combat in over three years and her last combat duty was against pirates.", Bob answers without hesitation, "It is probably best that I do not inform you of the scenarios involving Nico Strong leading a lance against one of ours."
Lady Ana Maria lets out a breath in annoyance, "And here I thought he was just another dirty mercenary that Kamea was recruiting until she gathered more forces. I cannot believe I let such a gold mine slip through the Magistracy's fingers."
"If it makes you feel any better, my lady, MIM is currently forming contingency plans to bring Nico Strong to our side should High Lady Kamea and the Aurigan Coalition prove not to be worth the Magistracy's time and resources", Bob states.
"Hmm, that is actually quite comforting to hear. Let us hope that should the time come that such plans prove themselves successful", Lady Ana Maria simply replies as she continues staring at the hologram of the Dragon, her attention focus on his tattoo that adorns his eye.
"Just who are you, Nico Strong? Where are you from and what do you have to hide?"
B ack On The Argo
"You boys know where I can find Yang?", Farah asks a group of Mech Techs who were working on a Warhammer's left foot.
The group turns around to see who was talking to them and instantly snap to attention, saluting Farah.
It takes a moment for Farah to recover from this and to realize that these guys weren't on the Argo during the war and were in fact some of the new additions to the crew straight from the Aurigan Coalition military forces.
"Ah, crap", she tells herself and she returns the salute as best she could before repeating her question, this time in a more formal manner, "Have any of you seen Lieutenant Commander...Virtanen?"
The men drop their salute and then point over to where Dragon's Highlander was currently docked at. On the right shoulder, she was able to make out Yang working, his unique physique easily standing out to her.
"He has been over there since he got back, ma'am", one of the Mech Tech said, "Told everyone who was working on it to clear out and go get the other mechs ready for launch"
Farah shakes her head, "Thanks", she says as she began working toward the mech. She really wishes that she could have been here sooner but the second she walked out of Dragon's quarter she got a call from her top assistant about some weird readings they were getting from the new engines and she had to make her way down there to see what was going on. Luckily it turned out to be an easy fix which only required replacing a couple of parts and tuning a few instruments.
Anyway, once she got to the top level and was across from Yang she took a moment to marvel at the warmachine in front of her. It was amazing how one man such as Dragon could turn this such a fine example of human engineering into a weapon that has ended the lives of hundreds of men and women.
Farah may have been a ship engineer at heart but she had a couple of opportunities to become a mech tech throughout her life, though her ex-husband, the famous Ronald Heiner of Uncle Heiner's Experiment World science program, usually persuade her from doing such a thing.
"Only those who cannot contribute to a peaceful society belong on the battlefield", he used to say to her.
The Chief Engineer couldn't help but simile at the memory. She sometimes wonders how he would react to seeing that not only did she serve on the Argo with a mercenary company, but that she was now in an official military and holding the rank of Lieutenant-Commander.
She'll probably never find out though, the last she saw of him was over four years ago when he was sitting down at the dinner table with a shocked expression on his face as she walked out the front door; the divorce papers laid out in front of him right next to his morning coffee as she made her way to the shuttle that would take her to the moon of Axylus to retrieve this wonderful dropship she was now standing in.
"It was for the best though. We stop loving each other years before that day and there was no point in keeping the facade up any longer. Besides, a chain-smoking nihilist for a husband wasn't exactly one of the better choices I have made in my life", she told herself as she focuses her attention back at Yang and smiles warmly, "Those this is definitely one of the best ones I have made ."
Saving such thoughts for another time, Farah clears her throat before shouting, "Yo, Yang!"
The Chief Mech Tech kept on working on the wiring in the right shoulder, showing no signs that he heard her.
"Oh, come on", she murmurs to herself before looking around.
"Ah, there we go!", as she spots a small wrench nearby. Picking it up, she takes careful aim and hurls it at Yang's right arm.
The vibration caused by this catches Yang's attention and he stops his work to turn around and scream at whoever did it.
The first words never left his mouth as he found himself looking at Farah, who was standing there with her hands on her hips and a wide smile on her face.
"We need to talk", she says.
Five minutes later, the two Chief of their respective departments on the Argo found themselves talking alone in one of the Mechbays many break rooms, two cups of coffee in front of them.
"I will never understand how you manage to run this place", Farah says as she looks out the glass into the bay where a dozen and a half mechs of various classes were being maintenance and repair.
"There's a method to all this madness, one just has to find it", Yang replies, "Besides, this is nothing compared to that clusterfuck you call an engine room. Don't know how you manage to keep this ship afloat."
"As you said, there's a method to the madness", Farah repeats, "Speaking of madness, you want to tell me what all that was about back in Dragon's office?"
Yang looks over at the engineer for a moment before sighing and shaking his head.
"I don't want to talk about it", he finally says.
"Oh, no, no, no, no", Farah shakes her while waving a finger, "You don't get to cause a scene like that and then just say you don't want to talk about it. That kind of thing is for kids, not us."
Yang reaches for his cup of coffee and downs a bit of it before looking back at Farah, "You're not going to drop this, are you?"
The look the engineer gave him was better than any verbal answer.
"Fine then", Yang groans as he puts down his cup and stares into the contents, "It was back on St. Loris, back when I was with the First Battalion of the Second St. Ives Lancers, under Major Ling. On that day, I lost my arm."
"Yeah, you mention that one night when we were in your room", Farah states as she notices that Yang's right arm was starting to shake as he spoke, "But unlike your leg which you lost as a kid you never went into detail on how you lost your arm."
"That's because I didn't want to remember. But anyway, don't let anyone tell you otherwise, the Confederation does promote people based on what family they come from and how much they got in their pockets; it's just not as bad as everyone else", Yang continues, "It was the only way that idiot could have ever got the rank of major at such a young age!"
"How young was he?", Farah ask as she took a drink.
"I was twenty-two at the time and he was only three years older than me at best. Seriously, who gives someone that young command of an entire battalion?!", Yang shouts as he bangs his metal arm on the table, putting a small dent in it, "Some general's stupid decisions cause a lot of good men their lives, including two of the best assistants I ever had!"
Farah places a hand over Yang's left hand and he seems to calm down due to the gesture.
"Look, I get it", Farah tells him, "You feel that Dekker and the others won't be as good as commanders as they are mech pilots. But you at least have to have some faith in them. I mean, Dragon is in charge, and yet he's the youngest out of all of us."
"Yeah, but he seems to be the exception. He either just has a knack for this type of thing or something else is allowing him to do what he does", Yang admits, "But I feel that isn't going be the case with those four."
Farah takes another sip, "Well, you're just going to have to trust them now, aren't you? We all are."
Letting out a sigh in frustration as he got up, Yang shook his head, "I suppose you're right."
He then moves to put his coffee mug in the lounge dishwasher, only stop upon feeling his left hand getting grab. He looks back down to see Farah looking up at him with a bright smile on her face.
"Come on, sit with me for a bit and talk", she says, "We haven't had much time to ourselves since the war ended since when have been dealing with all the repairs and upgrades."
Yang takes a look out the window and watches his tech crews operating pretty smoothly in their effort to keep on schedule. They were running so efficiently that he probably could take a few minutes to have a break. Besides, he would just stay up an extra hour or two to work on the Highlander to make up for loss time.
"Alright, I got a second or two to chat", he concedes, "But let's not take too long, or else Dragon will have our hides."
"Excellent!", Farah rejoices, "Now while you're up, think you can refill my mug?"
Nico, Kamea, and Alexander exit the room into the hallway making their way to the mech bay, the High Lady at the front while the other two walk behind her.
"Was it right to leave after making such a statement?", Kamea asks, "Perhaps we should have given a better explanation as to the circumstances of the situation you are in."
The Dragon merely shrugs while still looking forward, not even making eye contact with his superior, "In my experience, sometimes it's best to keep it short and simple; the fewer details the better."
"Sounds exactly like the mindset of a mercenary", Alexander comments.
"I rarely asked my clients questions about the nature of the contract. I simply pointed my gun and fired", Nico replies, "You two didn't seem to mind that policy when you came to me."
"That was then, this is now, Nico", Kamea states, "The role you now find yourself in is going to require you to be more detail when you answer questions and give explanations."
"I'll cross that bridge when I'll get there", Nico says as they approach the elevator and enter it with Kamea in the front while Nico and Alexander were behind her. The small space then descended into silence as the elevator with down as the three people within it merely look forward, making no eye contact whatsoever with one another.
Finally though…
"Four years is not long enough", Nico spoke.
"I take it that this is your way of saying that you disagree with my plans", Kamea replies while still looking ahead for she was half-expecting this response from the ace mechpilot since he didn't voice that he supported it.
"I am not exactly for them", Nico responds, "The Reach is still recovering and it's going to take more than four years it to be brought back to what it was before the war."
"I think you are underestimating the spirit of the Aurigan Coalition and its people", Kamea states.
"Spirit can only take you so far", Nico counters.
"I am not going to launch a full-blown invasion tomorrow, Nico. As I have stated before, every diplomatic means will be utilized to bring planets under the Coalition's control", the High Lady assures the former mercenary, "I refuse to become like my Uncle."
"No, but you just might become worse", Nico bluntly told her.
Kamea turns around so fast to glare at Nico that Alexander found himself startle by the action and he was, even more, frightened by the look in his closest friend's eye. It was a look that he has seen her dawn whenever she was about to tear into an advisor or a noble who had stepped out of line. He only hopes that she would hold her tongue and not do anything that could come back to bite her.
"Forgive me, but it seems that I did not fully hear what you just said, Nico. Please, repeat yourself...colonel.", Kamea calmly suggests all while Nico kept a neutral expression and Alexander silently pray that the colonel would take the hint that was blatantly out there instead of being shrouded in clever words and minuscule gestures.
"I'm saying that while your Uncle started a conflict which led to the deaths of a lot people, during the entire time he was in charge he only consolidated the Reach's territory but never once did he even try to expand it", Nico points out in a low voice, never breaking eye contact with Kamea, "Now, of course, this could be seen as mostly because the Taurians told him not to or perhaps the Magistracy deter him from doing so, but in the end, not a single planet was added to the Coalition during his reign."
"So I am the antagonist for trying to get the Reach the resources it requires to fully recover? Am I suppose to let the Coalition fade away out of existence?", Kamea questions, her irk rising with every passing moment.
"I'm just saying that you're going about it too quickly. War is my business after all so I'm not against it, but then again not everyone's like me.", Nico answers as the elevator door open up, revealing a lone mech engineer who took one good look into the elevator and decided best to take the long way to his workstation as he turns and briskly walks away.
"By your leave, High Lady", Nico says as he sidesteps Kamea, looking straight ahead while ignoring the stare she was throwing him.
And with that, the Dragon was gone as the door close behind him.
The minute they did Kamea exhales a breath in annoyance and taking a deep breath soon afterward.
"I was not expecting Nico to fully endorse my decisions but I was hoping that he would not doubt them either", Kamea says while still looking at the doors, shaking Alexander out of his thought process which had him wondering why Nico got off at least four levels before the Mechbay.
"Perhaps he decided to leave a situation before it got out of hand", the noble thought before speaking, "Remember why you hired him, Kamea."
"Because he is the top mech pilot in this region of space, a surprisingly skilled tactician, and has a powerful and loyal crew underneath him; all of which is exactly what I need in these turbulent times?", she replies.
"True, those are all good reasons. But you also need to recall that you specifically wanted someone who would tell you the cold hard truth, whether you wanted to hear it or not", Alexander reminded her, "You did not need another yes man."
Kamea slaps the sides of her face, "I realize that but sometimes it can be so infuriating sometimes. Sometimes I think Nico knows that I need him more than he needs me and thus he knows he can get away with most things that would get anyone else in serious trouble."
"He is actually more respectful toward you than you realize", Alexander points out, "Far more than the other high nobles are."
Kamea straightens up at this, "I suppose you have a point there."
"That I do", Alexander states as the elevator comes to a stop and the doors open up to reveal the mech bay which was alive with activity as the mech techs were in a frenzy trying to make the mechs prep for launch as well as the new vehicles that had recently arrive. At the opposite end of the bay, not far from the entrance was Kamea's own personal mech, the colossal King Crab KGC-0000 whose imposing figure made it nearly impossible to miss even in a mechbay that was filled to full capacity and then some. It was still in the midst of extensive repairs but the High Lady brought her own personal crew to see to that so as to not to take away from Yang's.
"Since you are no doubt going to be piloting the King Crab once it is completely repaired, what's going to happen your the Kintaro?", Kamea hears Alexander asks her as the two of them exit into the bay.
"Actually I plan on building a memorial to commemorate the Restoration and everyone who fought and died in it. I will be having the Kintaro place at the entrance of it once it is done", Kamea explains as she nods to a group of techs who saluted her.
"A war memorial?", Alexander questions, "Is that not a little much for a conflict that just ended not even half a year ago?"
"It was the most devastating conflict the Aurigan Coalition has ever seen and I wish for the people not to forget all the sacrifices that were made to bring it to an end", Kamea explains, "Plus I plan on adding a segment to honor the heroes of the conflict, including Nico and his crew."
"Hmm, some of the other nobles might not take too kindly to you honoring a mercenary even if he is now an official military officer. They will no doubt think it will make their "contributions" to the war seem meager compare to him", Alexander is quick to point out.
"I am positive they will get over it. Plus I plan on using this to highlight the Argo's crew's victory and kill count for all to see", Kamea presses on.
"No doubt to show the nobility that is not fully behind you just how powerful of a force you have under your direct command, correct?", the Head of House Madiera theorizes.
"Correct as always, Alexander", Kamea says as she looks to her left and finds herself coming to a complete stop at the sight before her.
Through the window into a nearby break room, she spots both Yang and Farah chatting away without a care in the world but the engineer's hand was on top of the mechanic's good hand, and their faces with extremely close to each other with radiating smiles plaster on them. They seem to be deep in conversation, so much that neither one seem to notice the two new occupants that have stopped in front of the window despite being well within sight of them.
"Alexander...", she manages after a moment, "Are those two…?"
"Together? Why yes they are", Alexander quickly answers, "I believe they have been going on for two years now."
"Really?", Kamea asks, "I never notice."
"They have been doing a commendable job keeping it professional and behind close doors to a great extent; you would not even notice unless you were on the ship the whole time during the war", Alexander explains, "Plus, it is one of the many "open secrets" here on the Argo as in everybody knows about it but no one sees anything wrong with it and thus they keep their mouth shut about it."
"Is that so?", Kamea wonders aloud.
"To be honest, what we are witnessing is no doubt the most public display of affection that I have ever seen them do to each other; which I have to say is a lot more effort than the majority of the couples on the Argo has put into keeping their relationship professional.", Alexander explain only to become curious at the look Kamea was now throwing him, "What?"
"You have become quite the gossip in your time on this ship", Kamea laughs to which her friend only shrugs.
"Things got boring around here sometimes in-between transits", he answers as the two of them came to the elevator platform that took them railing that led up to the cockpit of the King Crab.
"I highly advise that you do not take long in there, Kamea. There are some documents that you need to go over", Alexander told her.
Kamea merely nods as the hatch opens up and she enters it, "I will see to it at the meeting later on today."
Alexander merely returns the nod as the hatch closes and walks away once it was shut tight.
Kamea instantly relaxes the moment her body fell into the pilot seat, all the worries of today vanishing if only for a moment. She sometimes wonders what the nobles would say if it ever got out that she felt the most comfortable and relax inside of the cockpit of a mech. She supposes she had inherited such a thing from her father seeing how he used to do the same, something that her mother dislike to a high degree, especially when he made the absurd suggestion that perhaps he should move his official office to the cockpit of family's Kintaro. On that day, the leader of the Coalition found himself sleeping in a guest room, exile there by his wife until he starting acting like a sensible adult.
Kamea smiles at this memory and as her mind started to wander back to days gone by, her eyes caught something on the center camera.
Nico's infamous Highlander.
The very same mech she gifted to him after his show of bravery during the, for lack of a better word, shitshow on Artu; though that is something Kamea would never tell him. He was under the impression that she gave it to him to help makes his forces stronger in the war, but the reality was that she got in over her head and only survive because the former mercenary made the call to drop into the battlefield and distract the Taurian forces while she was evac out and she just couldn't let such a feat go unrewarded, despite what her advisors at the time said.
But while these memories began to swirl around her head, another thought pops up in the midst of them.
If she was piloting her King Crab and Nico was piloting his Highlander, could she defeat him in a duel?
Granted it would be a non-fatal duel like the ones in the Royal Arena, but could she come out on top despite him undoubtedly being the better pilot?
True, Nico had defeated Commodore Ostergaard in a duel while he was piloting an Atlas, but that was mainly because the Taurian commander underestimated him, a mistake that she would surely not make herself.
Plus, could she use such a duel to boost morale among the populace and the military? Perhaps she should host a grand battlemech tournament that could be broadcast to all corners of the Reach showing the top mechpilots going head to head.
"Hmm, that would definitely win me more support among the people", she told herself before shaking her head, "But first I have to deal with these pirates."
But even as she tried to focus on the upcoming campaign against the pirates, her eyes still linger on the immobile Highlander and her thoughts were now on its pilot that came barreling into her life all those years ago, though to be fair she did invite him in.
Meanwhile, the CO and XO of the Argo were making their way to the ship's bridge while an air of uneasiness seems to follow them.
"We….have to startup checks before we launch", Sumire struggles to get out.
"Of course", Darius quickly agree, "We always have to do that before we leave."
The seconds tick by in silence as the two of them walked side by side to their destination with neither one even glancing at the other.
Finally, after what seems like an eternity, the two of them enter the room and made their way to the star map. As Sumire began doing a final inspection on the course that she had plotted out, she spoke.
"Do you think Dragon can take on the Bounty Hunter?" If it ever came to a one-on-one?", as she was studying the map while Darius was looking out at the planet. The Aurigan native put a hand over his face and ran it down his face.
"If you would have asked me this question when we first brought his unconscious ass aboard the day of the coup, I would have laughed at you and call you crazy", he admits, "But after seeing him in action for the past seven years…..", he spoke before going quiet.
….
"What? Don't just stop in the middle of something like that! This is serious!", Sumire shouts, drawing some attention from the rest of the bridge staff over to them. Seeing this, Darius herds Sumire to an empty corner of the room.
"Please keep your voice down. We don't need the rest of the crew finding out about this right at this moment", he whispers to her, "Who knows how they will take it?"
Sumire lets out a growl but regains her composure.
"Look", Darius starts, "Dragon is a great mechpilot, probably the best I have ever seen out here and I have seen a lot of pilots come and go. But the Inner Sphere is a whole other ball game compared to us out in the Periphery. His kill count is nothing compared to their aces and the Bounty Hunter is one of the best there is. To be honest, if Nico is smart, he would avoid facing the guy alone."
"That's not the only problem he has to worry about", Sumire said in a quiet voice.
"What are you talking about?", Darius wonders.
"It's not just the Bounty Hunter that will be coming after Dragon. Don't you know the old saying, Darius", Sumire asks as she looks him straight in the eyes, "Where the Bounty goes the Black Widow follows."
Meanwhile, Nico quietly enters the Hydroponic Gardens, taking a quick glance around, and was mentally relieved that there were only three other people in them, all galley staff. They were picking fresh herbs and vegetables for the upcoming meals, no doubt more than they have done in the past seeing how the crew size has triple. It was a good thing that Sumire brought up the idea to add a biometric scan to limit the accessibility of the space to only them and members of the crew that had personal plants, including Behemoth of all people.
Nico found himself chuckling back at the day when the mechpilot came to his office while in transit and nervously ask permission to gain access to the garden to plant some flowers of her own that she picked up in the last port call, even getting violent with him once his ability to contain his laughter at the sight of the speculate became too much and he fell out of his chair laughing his ass off. One black eye and busted lip later, one of those which belong to Behemoth, along with a trip to see Qartio and the tallest, strongest woman on the Argo had her own personal garden; though she preferred if that piece of information didn't get spread around the ship.
Anyway, the Dragon of the Reach found himself heading to a secluded corner of the garden, giving a brief head nod to the sole crewman that notices his presence as he came up to a door and gets check by the bio-metric scan. Once the door opens, he immediately walks in and sits down on the bench in there while letting out a breath in exhaustion. This was his own little private room away from the struggles and troubles of life. Sometimes even his personal quarters felt like a prison.
"This is getting out of control", he told himself, "That woman doesn't know when to reel it in. It's like she was born to fight instead of rule."
Nico takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly.
"First things first, I have to win a pirate campaign", he told himself, "Easy enough if it wasn't for the fact that it has to be done decisively and swiftly."
Weary and in need of a good rest, Nico stay in that solidarity room for well over two hours before getting up and proceeding to make his way to his quarters where he would at least begin to draw up a plan for the training regiment to get his four lance commanders familiar with the CAL system.
"Sure hope Darius and Sumire still aren't there", he tells himself as he left the gardens and made his way toward his quarters. But as he rounds the hallway to which his quarters were located, he found himself coming to a stop as he spots a certain High Lady outside of his door, knocking on it. After a moment, she looks to her left and spots the man she was looking for and levels him with a neutral expression.
"Ah Nico, there you are. You and I much to discuss concerning the pirates and the CAL system", she says and the ace pilot could only shake his head as he walks over to her.
For a moment, the two simply stare at one another, either one breaking eye contact with the other. Would this be a repeat of earlier, ending in one of them leaving the room? Or would they actually be able to turn this into a productive meeting?
"That we do, Kamea. That we do", Nico finally spoke after a moment and the two leaders step into his quarters.
A few hours later, the ACS Argo launch from the planet Coromodir VI and begin making its long journey toward the Fjaldr system. Only its Commanding Officer and Executive Officer were present on the bridge when this happened.
The majority of the crew were in high spirits as they were anxious to get underway with their first official mission as part of the Aurigan Coalition military; but for the two most important people on the ship, Kamea and Nico were preparing for the long and difficult road ahead of them.
Little did they know that not only would their leadership and military capabilities be tested in the coming months but the two's professional and personal relationship would as well to legendary proportions. Over a hundred years from that day and even in well into the thirty-second century and beyond, common folks and nobles alike would gather around and retell the epic sage that would become known as...
"The High Lady and The Dragon".
A/N: Alright, now they are in space. First stop: Itrom.
Chapter Text
Disclaimers: I do not own Battletech
A/N: Not going to lie. This story was on the backburner until I received a great review from BG-4U on Fanfiction.net in regards to it so I thought I should finally get around to at least releasing the full chapter. The sad part is though is that due to connection issues, I won’t be able to update the story on Fanfiction.net for awhile.
Chapter 11
Rumors Abound
The High Lady of the Reach quietly made her way through the empty hallways of the Argo in the early hours of the night cycle. The majority of the crew was asleep besides a light skeleton crew of watchstanders, the aerospace fighters crew who were on alert status just in case something happening in the midst of travel, and those who had difficulty sleeping. Kamea herself was of the last group as the ship got closer to Itrom with every passing day and she had still yet to decide how to greet Finn Gallas when they did.
Should she show up in a single landing craft on a landing pad with only Alexander by her side as a show of trust to the current head of House Gallas, maybe with only a small squad of Royal Guards behind her? Or should she land outside the city in her King Crab along with nearly the entire complement of battlemechs onboard the Argo as a show of force?
The later option would definitely send a strong message across the rest of the Reach.
Speaking of strong, would Nico disapproves of such a measure? For someone who used to be a mercenary up until awhile ago he sure was taking quite the anti-aggression approach.
“Perhaps I should inquire him about this before-”, she thought to herself before ears pick up someone talking just around the corner.
“I bet you they’re fucking.”
Kamea came to a complete halt. Not because of the use of vulgarity or whatnot since she had gotten use to that while on the run and during the war but because the phrase just seem so out of place in the now nearly empty hallway.
“You think so? She is always with him whenever I see him nowadays, so I wouldn’t be surprise if they were”, another voice chimes in.
“But wouldn’t they get in trouble if they were?”, a third voice says, “You know, that whole fraternization thing they told us about?”
“Who are they talking about?”, Kamea wonders, keeping perfectly quiet in order to listen in. If something as unprofessional as fraternization was going on what was basically the flagship of the Aurigan Reach she would definitely inform Nico to put a stop to it.
“Ha! And who exactly is going to stop them?”
“Is it someone who think they are above military law? One of the high noble officers who came aboard with me?”, Kamea thought, mentally going through a list of possible high noble offenders who thought such things such as the Aurigan Military Code did not apply to them.
“You’re right. He’s the Dragon of the Reach and special forces to boot. He only answers to the High Lady and she is definitely not going to be firing him.”
Kamea’s eyes widen in shock, “Nico?”
“Especially since she’s the one fucking him!”, a fourth voice says and a roar of laughter is heard throughout the hallway which drowns out the sound of the rapidly moving footsteps heading in the other direction.
The sounds of flesh hitting the punching bag echo throughout the empty gymnasium as Nico’s fists tore into it, just as they have been for the late hour. It has been nearly four weeks since the Argo departed and they were scheduled to arrive at their first stop, Itrom, in less than forty-eight hours. The entire crew has been going through constant drills and scenario breakthroughs in order to perfect the CAL but there were still a large amount of hiccups.
The main one being Behemoth not getting along with the infantry commander assign to her unit. Both Dekker and Darius had to get between the two of them during the last training session with Medusa and Glitch having to physical hold the giant woman back when she threaten to rip the soldier’s head off and shove it where the sun don’t shine after he called her a bitch who had no place on the battlefield where the real men fought and died while she got to stay nice and comfy in her mech.
Safe to say nearly every female mechwarrior was ready to end the man’s life right then and there but none more so then Behemoth. Also safe to say that the next drill would not involve a co-op scenario between the infantry and mechs in order to give Behemoth time to cool off as well as sort out any other issues the other lance commanders were having.
Also, if it was not for the fact that the High Lady was in the same room when Behemoth threaten the infantry guy Nico would have told the others to let the two of them have at it if only to provide him with some entertainment.
Nico throws one more fist in the bag before leaning on it, recalling the conversation he had recently had with the woman.
Kamea has told him that he was to be right by her side when she met with Finn Gallas, the current “Hertog Itrom”. He argued, in private, that it would be better use of his time to track down the remnants of the Directorate that were still planetside but Kamea insisted.
“She insisted a little too strongly”, Dragon thought as he spun around to land a kick on the bag, “It’s as though she want to show off to House Gallas and its lesser nobles that she has the best Mechpilot in the Reach at her beck and call and can sic him on them at a moment’s notice at the lightest whiff of disloyalty.”
Nico’s thoughts are interrupted by the sound of the door to the gym opening up and frantic footsteps following soon afterwards. This baffle him because he had it lock so that only himself and anyone higher ranking then him could bypass it and come in at this hour.
And only two people on the Argo outrank him and he knew for a fact that Alexander was not a gym type of guy.
“Do you require my assistance, High Lady?”, he shouts out, just in case Kamea was not alone. He receives no answer in response but instead was greeted by the sight of a disheveled ruler of the Reach turning the corner.
“We need to talk!”, she shouts, the energy behind it catching Dragon off-guard.
“About what exactly?”, Nico says after a moment.
Kamea moves to speak but then stops herself and Nico was sure he could see that whatever she had to say was clearly making her uncomfortable.
“I overheard some of the lower enlisted discussing some…illicit rumors”, she finally spoke.
Nico raises an eyebrow at the Kamea’s choice of words.
“Illicit how exactly?”, he questions.
….
…..
……
“Kamea?”, Nico says after a moment of silence.
“There seem to be a rumor flowing around the Argo regarding you and I having…. improper sexual relations”, the High Lady finally states.
…..
“Oh? Is that it?”, Nico asks.
Kamea was expecting a number of responses from Nico but one of mild indifference certainly was not one of them.
“I beg your pardon?”, she asks after she recover her senses.
“Is that it?”, the mechwarrior commander ask again.
“Um...yes?”, Kamea says, unsure of how to answer.
“Then I don’t really see how this is a problem”, Nico said.
Kamea’s face dons a baffle expression for a moment before straighten out.
“I am going to pretend that you suffer a head injury during the war that your medical staff is not aware of and assume that you did not hear me correctly, so I will repeat myself”, she states, “Your crew seems to be under the assumption that you and I are improperly fornicating.”
“Is there a proper way to fornicate?”, Nico questions with a chuckle.
“Nico!”, Kamea shouts, “I require you to take this matter seriously!”
“Look, Kamea”, Nico says while crossing his arms, “This rumor is nothing new. It has been popping up now and again ever since around the liberation of Weldry.”
A slap to the face would have had less effect on the High Lady of the Reach as she reels back in shock.
“W-What?”
“This rumor regarding the relationship between us has been circulating around the Argo for years”, Nico explain in detail.
“And you just let it?”, Kamea snaps.
“What was I supposed to do? Tell everyone that we’re not fucking?”, Nico asks.
“Yes! Because we are not!”, Kamea shouts again.
“Yeah, I know that. You know that. Alexander knows that. Darius and Sumire know that. Farah, Yang, and Qartio all know that”, Nico states, “But if I would have told the lance commanders and the rest of my crew that we weren’t at the moment that rumor started I guarantee that it would have done nothing but add fuel to the fire and made people more incline to believe it.”
“So you just let it persist?”, Kamea questions again.
“Yeah, because eventually rumors die out”, Nico says.
“Well apparently not this one!”, Kamea states, pointing out the obvious.
“It usually comes back around whenever you pop back aboard the Argo for a period of time”, Nico says, “Honestly, I’m surprise it took you this long to hear about it.”
Kamea found herself having a hard time coming to grips with what she was hearing. There were people onboard the very ship that she was on, people who were now in service to her, who actually thought that a highly improper relationship was going on between Nico and her.
“Wait a minute”, she suddenly thought as something just occur to her, “Nico?”
“Hmm?”, came the reply.
“Does Alexander know about this rumor?”
“Oh definitely. Darius mention it to him on the bridge one time and he ended up with tears in his eyes from laughing too far”, Nico answers before thinking, "Quite ironic now that I think about it seeing how I thought you and him were fucking."
…
“I see”, is all the High Lady says after a moment of eerie silence and the Dragon of the Reach, for a brief fleeing second, had the sudden urge to get as far away from the leader of the Aurigan Coalition as humanly possible.
He also now felt bad for Alexander but in his mind it was the head of House Madeira’s fault for not saying something to Kamea sooner.
“Look Kamea, there’s really nothing you can do about this. People talk. Rumors get created. It’s what happens when there is a lull in the fighting and during long transits from one warzone to the next. It helps to pass the time”, Nico explains after regaining his senses.
“You do not seem to understand the gravity of the situation, Nico”, Kamea says, “It was one thing when you and your men were mercenaries and it was just you onboard the Argo. But now you in a proper military and there is a large number of nobility among the officers on board. It they catch wind of this rumor and find out that nothing has been done to quell it my prestige and reputation will get call into question. That could have quite a few negative repercussions when it comes to me keeping the rest of the houses in line and when it comes to dealing with other political entities.”
“You know, despite the fact that we are not actually fucking, you do realize that I’m former nobility, right?”, Nico points out.
“Yes, ~former~ nobility. You were exile from your house therefore you no longer qualify as a proper…. marriage prospect”, Kamea says.
“Ouch, you wound me”, Nico says in a mocking tone.
“Be that as it may, this rumor needs to stop as soon as possible, especially before we get to Itrom and House Gallas gets word of it”, Kamea says, her tone not brooking no argument.
Nico runs a hand down his face before straighten up and locking eyes with Kamea.
“Are you ordering me to do this?”
Kamea was not blind to the meaning behind the mechwarrior ace’s words as she returns the gesture and stares straight back at him. She was dangerously close to breaking the biggest unwritten rule that was establish non-verbally between the two of them during the war. One that she dared not cross even in the darkest hour of the Restoration.
As long as it did not pertain to combat operations, the Argo was Nico’s ship, thus it abides by Nico’s rules and what he said goes.
By ordering him to squash this illicit rumor Kamea would be putting her foot down and stating once and for all that since the Argo’s crew was now on the Aurigan Coalition’s payroll they would follow all of its military procedures to the letter, special forces status be damn.
In other words, she was in charge and Nico’s wants and desires came second to hers.
The High Lady had to choose her next words wisely or risks straining the relationship between her and the Reach’s top commander/mechwarrior.
“I prefer that you put some forth some extra effort in squashing this rumor before it spins out of control and state to the people under your direct command that the coalition has proper military guidelines that must be adhere to at all times in order to maintain proper discipline within its ranks”, Kamea starts, “By doing so I believe that you would fully cement into your crew that their mercenary's days are behind them and that they are now official military personnel.”
…
“Very well then, High Lady”, Nico says after a moment, “I will inform my command staff in the morning after the schedule drill.”
“Thank you”, Kamea replies, “I would prefer this be done sooner rather than later.”
“I hope you have a pleasant rest of the night, High Lady Kamea”, Nico then says as he moves to leave.
“One more thing”, Kamea calls after him.
“Yes?”, Nico questions.
“When we first land on Itrom, I will be in my King Crab to greet House Gallas. I would like you to be alongside me with your Highlander.”
“Who else will be with us?”, Nico wonders.
“Besides a platoon of Royal Guard infantry, no one”, Kamea answers.
“No one?”
“No mechs besides yours and mine. That should be more than enough”, Kamea clarifies, “Everyone else will be on standby in the Argo though.”
“I see”, Nico comments as he moves again.
"I have one more thing to relate to you", Kamea says, prompting Nico to stop once more.
"Yes?", the pilot asks.
"I have been mulling over what you said in-regards to the Directorate's remnants on Itrom and realize that the best course of action would be having you and the Argo's forces assist House Gallas in hunting them down", Kamea states as she turns to face Nico, "Therefore, after all the pleasantries are out of the way with Finn Gallas you are to immediately deploy with a strike group of your choosing to hunt down the rebels. You can personally lead it as long as you don't subject yourself to unnecessary risk."
If Nico was surprise by this he did not show it.
"As you reach, High Lady", he merely says before departing, leaving Kamea alone in the gym.
Captain Miranda Aguilera, otherwise known as Behemoth, was sleeping away on her rack in her own private quarters on the ACS Argo. Such luxuries were a rarity back in her pirate days and even more so once she joined up with the Marauders. In fact, it was not until the Argo had more than a few upgrades that Dragon allowed her and her fellow lance commanders to have their own rooms once space was available. When the four of them ask why their commander simply stated that he was rewarding them for the loyalty that they have shown to him and the company.
Such a statement earned him a hug from Glitch but nothing beyond an eye roll and a mutter "thank you" from Behemoth herself. But now that she was getting used to sleeping soundly by herself and not having to deal with other people coming and going, deep down she was immensely grateful to Dragon for doing this.
Too bad that feeling would not last for long.
BLEEP! BLEEP! BLEEP! MECHWARRIORS, PREPARE FOR EMERGENCY DROP! I REPEAT, PREPARE FOR EMERGENCY COMBAT DROP!"
Behemoth found herself leaping out of her rack and landing on the floor with a heavy thud as alarms bell rang throughout her room.
"Goddamn it!", she screams out as she got up and quickly dresses herself, running out into the hallway while still trying to put her shirt on.
"Whoa, quite a view you're giving us right now!", she hears Medusa chide as he too comes running out of his room which was down the hall from hers, buttoning up his pants while trying not to fall.
"Shut the hell up before I knock you the fuck out!", Behemoth threatens just as both Glitch and Dekker come running out of their quarters, the noble already fully dress and ready to go while Glitch was still wiping the sleep from her eyes while she too was struggling to put on a shirt. By the time the four of them got to the elevator that led to the mechbay, they were all fully clothed though still struggling to get fully awake.
ALL INFANTRY COMPANIES, REPORT TO YOUR MUSTERING STATIONS! ALL PILOTS ARE TO REPORT TO THEIR AEROFIGHTERS! ALL ARMORED CREWS ARE TO REPORT TO THEIR DESIGNATED VEHICLES!
"Damn it, can't this thing go any faster?", Behemoth finds herself cursing as the elevator zoom down to its destination.
LANCE ALPHA, REPORT TO LEOPARD 1! LANCE BETA, REPORT TO LEOPARD 2! LANCE CHARLIE, REPORT TO LEOPARD 3! LANCE DELTA IS TO REMAIN ON STANDBY ONBOARD ARGO!
The elevator comes to a halt on the mechbay floor and the doors open up to reveal a frenzy of movements going on within the confines of the compartment. Techs were running back and forth in all bays in an attempt to prepare the mechs while Yang was in the center of it all, barking orders while using both his arms to direct his crews.
"Finish up on that Wolverine! Prep that Battlemaster for launch! Hurry up and reload all the LRMs on that Archer! Billy, I swear if all those jump jets on that Griffin aren't ready in the next thirty seconds, I'm going to ram my arm up your ass and it's not going to be my real one! Let's move it, people!"
The lance commanders came bolting out the elevators and made their way to the locker room not far from it where the other mechpilots were converging on. Dekker turns to his left and notices three pilots already dress out and heading toward him.
"Adrenaline, you're dropping in the Locust! Bearclaw, make ready to fight in the Thunderbolt! Arbiter, I need you in the Trebuchet ASAP! I'll be leading in the Battlemaster! Dismiss!" he orders and the three of them give a salute before heading to their stations.
"Archangel, get your pretty ass in your Griffin! Big Sly, why the fuck aren’t you already in the cockpit of your Panther? King Wolf, God help your ass if you don't get in that piece of shit mech you call a Quickdraw! Getting moving bitches and don't worry, I'll be babysitting all you from my Atlas!", Behemoth barks to her three pilots as she got in her combat suit.
"Pathfinder, Raven. Sabrewolf, Hunchback. Strider, Archer. Myself, Victor", Medusa calmly tells his lance who all respond with a simple nod before departing for their mechs.
"Okay, Ronin, I need you to be a great pilot today and really kick the enemies' ass in your Javelin! Paladin, go out there in your Enforcer and show the bad guys what you're made of! Hammer, you're going to do awesome in your JagerMech, you just have to believe in yourself! But don't worry if you mess up, I'll have your backs in the Cyclops!", Glitch tells her guys as she gave them a pump fist.
"COMBAT DROP WILL COMMENCE IN FIVE MINUTES!"
One by one, the mechwarrior got into their mechs and started up the safety checks.
“Lance Alpha, The Thundering Rhinos, ready to kick some ass!”, Behemoth yells once her lance was combat-ready.
“Lance Bravo, The Rising Phoenixes, ready to drop!”, Dekker calls out a few moments later.
“Lance Charlie, The Sniping Falcons, ready to have some fun!”, came Glitch’s reply.
“Lance Delta, The Prowling Sharks, standing by!”, came the final call from Medusa.
Without warning though, a second, different sounding alarm goes off throughout the ship.
“ACS Argo, this is Colonel Strong. Everyone stand-down from the drill and all officers debrief your units. All Argo senior staff are to report to the command center at 0600 for a general debrief. That is all.”
“I think that went rather well”, Glitch says over the comms to her fellow lance commanders.
“Yeah, we cut down getting into our mechs from twenty minutes to ten minutes”, Medusa concur.
“Let’s just hope Dragon and Kamea see it like that”, Dekker adds.
Meanwhile Behemoth just grumble about how she was losing precious sleep doing all these drills in the middle of her night cycle.
Hours Later
“I fail to see the point you are trying to make with all of this, Behemoth”, Alexander says as he listens to the mechwarrior while he sat across from her in the command center. One of the first things that he wanted done while the Argo was in the yards was having seats install so everyone could sit down.
“Look, all I’m saying is that if you proper and fancy military types didn’t generally expect debauchery and recklessness from your rank and file troops, then you wouldn’t have an award for good conduct. Therefore, you shouldn’t be all that mad whenever a couple of drunk soldiers cause some property damage”, Behemoth said as the her, Alexander, and the entire senior staff of the ACS Argo were waiting for Dragon and Kamea to show up to start the drill de-brief as hadbecome routine in the weeks of transit.
Glitch find herself nodding at this, “I can’t find any flaw in her logic.”
“Be that as it may-”, the noble moves to counter her statement before the door opens up and both the High Lady and Dragon walk in, both of them holding a holopad in their hands.
"Before we start the debrief, I have two things to discuss with you all that were brought to my attention last night by the High Lady", Nico starts, "It is in-regards to combat operations that we will be commencing against Directorate's remnants once we get to Itrom."
A dead silence falls across the assemble group.
"As you are aware, Itrom was a major operation center for the Directorate and thus a number of remnants are still active there; enough of them to worry the locals", Nico explains, "The Argo will be assisting House Gallas forces in hunting down and neutralizing all any of these remnants that refuse to surrender and turn themselves in."
"What's the plan?", Darius asks.
"Depending on what House Gallas can muster, I want to start with Lance Alpha and Beta on the ground and Charlie and Delta on the Argo in reserve; we'll adjust as needed. More than likely House Gallas will provide the infantry and mechanized forces therefore this will be a strictly mechs ops on our end until circumstances dictate otherwise ", Nico answers, "And don't worry, I'll be leading the our part of the campaign personally in my Highlander as a mobile command center."
Nico then looks at the non-mech commanders.
"Sumire, make sure you're pilots are ready to go at a moment's notice to drop in reinforcement in the Leopard. Also, you will also be given command of the aerospace fighters in case air support is needed on the ground."
"Copy", the Argo's Executive Officer/Navigator replies.
"Yang, do whatever you need to do to at least get Behemoth and Dekker's lance up to par since Glitch and Medusa's lances will be in reserve. Overtime is authorize. Also, see if you can finish up with my Highlander while you're at it."
"You got it, boss", the Head Mechtech says.
"Farah, make sure the engines on the Leopards are all green and along with prepping the Argo's for possible rapid deployment maneuvers."
"Can do", the Head engineer says.
"Qartio, get the medbay prep for possible casualties and as well as formulate a plan for a rapid deployment med team that can be dispatch to the surface."
"Yeah, yeah. I'm on it", the Head Medtech grumbles.
"Behemoth, Dekker, Glitch, and Medusa, pick your initial lance and get some time in the training pods using the Itrom's simulation."
"Fine./Copy./Yippee!/On it."
"Darius, make sure all this is done within two days of us arriving at Itrom. Combat operations won't start until we get a full assessment of the situation from House Gallas so coordinate with their intel as well."
"I'll get started on that right away", the Argo's commanding officer answers.
"Is that really a wise decision? Darius is not the best when it comes to reliable intel", Behemoth voices, her fellow lance commanders agreeing with her.
"First of all, fuck all of you", Darius replies, "Second of all, the intel will be coming from House Gallas, if a Atlas lance happen to appear behind you, that's on them."
"Still doesn't make me feel any better", Behemoth says.
"Nor me", Dekker adds.
"Nor I", Glitch says.
"Me either", Medusa joins in.
"Moving on now to the second matter that I would like to address”, Nico starts out, getting everyone’s attention once again with the seriousness in his voice, “It involves a certain rumor that has once again rear its head onboard.”
“Is this the rumor regarding Behemoth as being the one who was singing that ancient “Barbie Girl” song in the women’s locker room?”, Farah asks.
“That was her I heard that one time?”, Kamea asks, to the absolute surprise of everyone.
“No! No, it was not!”, Behemoth shouts, “Why does everyone think that was me?!”
“Probably because it was”, Dekker grumbles to himself and Glitch suddenly found herself once again holding the much larger woman back from hurting someone.
“Moving on”, Nico says, ignoring the ongoing scuffle for a moment.
“Yes, rumor”, Darius says, “Now which rumor are you pertaining to?”
“The one that twists the relationship set between myself and Colonel Strong into a vulgar unprofessional one”, Kamea states.
….
…..
“Yes, Glitch?”, Kamea says after spotting the mech pilot slowly raise her hand after Behemoth had calm down.
“You mean the one that states that you guys are fucking?”
“Tactfulness at its finest”, Medusa murmurs.
Kamea takes a deep breath, “Yes, that one.”
“We need to squash that rumor asap. There are now nobles onboard the Argo and a rumor like that could have consequences if not kept in check”, Nico says.
“You never had a problem with it before”, Behemoth says before pointing over at Alexander, “He actually found it funny a couple of times.”
“So I have heard”, Kamea says as she directs her full attention at her right-hand advisor and for a moment Nico was sure he saw the man’s soul leave his body.
“Regardless”, the mechcommander then says after recovering, “That was back during the war. Now it is a problem and one that needs to be resolve quickly. Does everyone understand?”
A chorus of “Yes sir” and “yeah yeah” erupt from the group though the High Lady quickly took notices that Glitch look deep in thought.
“Is something the matter?”, Kamea asks.
“So just so we’re clear….”, Glitch starts out before pointing at Nico and Kamea, “You and Dragon really aren’t doing the horizontal tango?”
“Oh my god”, Behemoth says as she runs a hand down her face, “No, Glitch, they’re not!”
“Well why not?!”, came the reply.
….
…..
“I’m sorry, what?”, Nico says, breaking the silence that descended upon the command center.
“Why aren’t you two going at it like rabbits?”, Glitch says.
“Is there some reason that you believe we should be?”, Kamea asks.
“Well for starters, Dragon joined up with you without a second thought to fight your uncle. He had your back when no one else but Alexander did. He risked his ass for you at Atru. He straight up threatened to kill that Karosas guy who bad-mouthed you. He took on the Taurian Concordant’s top pilot for you and then he took on three mechs by himself just so you could have a duel with your cousin. All and all, he basically won you the throne!”, Glitch states, “On top of that he escorted you up to your coronation which according to Dekker and Sumire is something that is only reserve for significant others and close family members; plus, he is willing to go take on a pirate lord that he wouldn’t have never gotten involve in with in the first place if it wasn’t for you. I just saying if a guy did all that for me he would be in be medbay constantly due to a bruise pelvis.”
“Glitch!”, Sumire shouts.
“What?!”, came the reply from the mechwarrior, “You honestly expect me to believe that if a guy, or gal if you’re into that, went to hell and back for you, and they were single, you would simply give them a thank-you and be done with them? You would let a rare catch like that go? I mean, people like that are one-in-a-million!”
"Wow", Beheomoth said after a moment, "When she puts it like that."
“Regardless of your beliefs”, Kamea says, her voice a little louder now, “Nico and I simply do not have that sort of relationship. While I will be forever grateful for what he has done for me, our non-professional relationship at best is that of dear friends, nothing more.”
“The High Lady is right”, Nico concurs, “I respect Kamea a lot and I value her friendship; but that is where the line is drawn: friendship.”
“I’m sorry, I just thought you two had actually been a thing for years now you just didn’t want to be open about it. Hell, I thought the real reason you sign up with the Reach was so you two could keep seeing each other”, Glitch confesses.
“Well, I hate to burst your bubble but no”, Nico says, “Anyway, I expect you all to address your subordinates in a professional manner in regards to this and hopefully this rumor can be done once and for all. Are we clear?”
Everyone, including Glitch, nod their heads and Nico claps his hands.
“Now moving on to the debrief. There are a few things I notice during the drill…”, Nico start to talk but surprisingly the one person paying the smallest amount of attention to him was the one closest to him.
“Does Glitch have a point? Have I not properly rewarded Nico?”, Kamea told herself, “He has fought tooth and nail for me from day one and all I have gave him for his troubles is a ship, a few mechs, and an officer commission; he probably would not have been too mad if I did not give him the last two either but then again he also did not ask for any reward other than regular payment. For anyone else, the officer commission would had been more than enough but I hardly doubt that they would have had fought against a numerically superior enemy to earn it.”
Nico kept talking about the drill while Kamea kept pondering.
“The only reason I cannot make him a general is because he is not of Reach's nobility. But what if I was to arrange a marriage between him and a House? Perhaps with a noblewoman from within Alexander’s family? Then I could easily promote him to general. Hell, I could make him third in command of the entire Reach’s military if the need arises after myself and Alexander”, Kamea kept thinking before focusing her gaze on Nico, “I wonder what type of woman he likes?”
A/N: That depends, Kamea. You mean the type he likes right now or the type he’ll like in the future? Anyway, Its about time we got some action in this story.
WillJ on Chapter 2 Sat 30 Mar 2019 01:57PM UTC
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The_Wobbly_Guy on Chapter 11 Sat 15 Jun 2024 06:40PM UTC
Last Edited Sat 15 Jun 2024 06:41PM UTC
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JIM_Highlander (Guest) on Chapter 11 Wed 26 Jun 2024 04:24AM UTC
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Primordial_Wielder on Chapter 11 Wed 26 Jun 2024 01:01PM UTC
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