BattleTech: The Prodigy
by Ulquiorra9000
Chapter 1: Inner Fire
Laker Town, Extama
Lyran Alliance
September 23, 3070
Lane Farlow could already tell that it was morning even though his eyes were still shut as he lay in bed. Since it was a Sunday he slept in well into the morning after his foster parents had already gotten up, but then again, he had recently graduated high school so he could sleep in anyway. In his bedroom in the small lakeside town brilliantly named Laker Town, the eighteen-year-old decided to stay in bed a little longer between his warm sheets. Today was his birthday but that didn't motivate him to move any faster.
The sweet smell of chocolate pancakes coming from the kitchen changed his mind.
"Now that's a motivator," Lane grinned to himself as he hauled himself out of bed and ran his hands through his rusty red hair. He blinked his emerald-colored eyes in the morning light and stretched his fingers to the ceiling to wake himself up a bit more. He settled his ear-length hair back down in place and quickly got dressed, throwing on his usual blue jeans, black T-shirt and a tan polo shirt. His go-to outfit.
"There you are, birthday boy," smiled Nancy Johannson, Lane's foster mother, as she sizzled pancakes on the oven griddle. "You look a bit of a mess."
Lane paused. "Is there something on my face?"
"No no, I mean that hair if yours. It's unruly like your mother's was. Eats combs alive," Mrs. Johannson teased. Nearby, her husband Greg suppressed a grin as he turned over a page of the local gazette at the kitchen table. He and his wife had been friends of Lane's parents, Eric and Laira Farlow, until the Farlows had become KIA in Operation Bulldog and left their sons to the Johannson family's care. The elder brother, Ras Farlow, was out there somewhere with the Lyran Alliance Armed Forces. According to Ras' letters back home, many considered him a rising star in the LAAF.
"Oh. No big deal then. My hair never hurt anyone," Lane joked in return as he settled gratefully at the kitchen table before his plate and fork. "Thanks for breakfast."
"It's nothing at all. You're a young adult now," Nancy said fondly as she set two hot pancakes on her foster son's plate and scooted over a plastic syrup dispenser. "It seems like yesterday that Laira told me that she trusted me to take care of you and your brother. You've grown up so fast."
Lane dug his fork into the pancake. "I don't even remember."
"You were just a toddler back then, of course."
"Yeah." Lane took a big bite of pancake. "So I hope that you and Greg thought about what we discussed yesterday."
Nancy's face fell and she and her husband exchanged uneasy looks. "Yes, we did," she said cautiously, "and the answer is still no. We do not want you charging into the military to get out of your brother's shadow. You have your whole life ahead of you, and there are a lot more options to consider than this."
Lane tried to hide his surge of frustration as he swallowed his bite. He set his fork down. "Honestly, there aren't a lot of other options here on Extama. This place is a backwater! It's nice here and safe from House Steiner's enemies, but it's no place for me. Or for my brother. I know darn well why he left."
"I know what it feels like to have an adventurer streak," Greg sympathized as he lowered his newspaper, "but I think those Immortal Warrior holovids romanticize war and adventure far too much. It's a serious commitment that not everyone can make. And as your foster mother said, there is more than one direction you can take with your life."
Lane scowled. "Are you doubting me?"
Softening his expression, Greg explained, "No. I'm just giving a little caution from a man who's experienced with life's up and downs, its promises and disappointments. If you just fly off to the stars and chase your brother's back trying to prove yourself, it will just be agony. I have three older brothers. I know what it's like."
The pancakes went forgotten as Lane fought to keep his case. "But it's an incentive to work harder! I've told you so many times that Ras is my role model. He's successful and smart and all that. If I don't step up to take my turn, I'm just the runt of the litter."
Nancy sighed as she took a seat at the table and leaned on her elbows. "Lane, please. You and your brother are both wonderful boys and you can each contribute to the universe in your own different ways. Ras chose his way. Now you can find your calling and follow it with all your passion."
"Becoming a Mechwarrior. I've already decided."
Greg and Nancy exchanged looks again. "This is going nowhere fast," Greg sighed. "Look, we've already set up your birthday party for later this evening so let's relax and worry about this later, all right? Arguing doesn't feel like the right thing to do on your big day."
Lane had to agree. "You're right. I'm looking forward to it." He turned back to his pancakes in silence, but his thoughts were still troubled.
*o*o*o*o*
Six of Lane's old high school friends crowded into the house's large living room that evening, including the super-popular kid Sam who had brought his cutting-edge gaming system for everyone to enjoy. With the stereo's rock music, abundant pizza and cake and the brand-new video games swirling around the house Lane found himself unwinding for the first time that day and put his ambitions in the back of his mind. Until a certain guest arrived.
"Oi, the door!" Sam called out over the noise of his game when the doorbell rang. He was currently mashing the buttons of his controller and had his eyes glued to the screen, so Lane rolled his eyes and walked over to the living room door and swung it open.
There, shivering slightly in the night air, stood Ras Farlow.
"I... hey," Lane blurted in shock. "I didn't expect..."
Ras grinned easily. "Happy birthday, little brother. Can I come in?"
Trying to get over his shock, Lane backed up to make room. "Yeah. Come in."
Ras stepped inside and shut the door behind him, unzipping his denim jacket to reveal his long-sleeved shirt underneath. Like his younger brother, he too had a mess of ear-length hair and the same sharp nose and rounded jaw. However, his hair was a golden blond color that some people said was the same color the golden fields of wheat in southern Extama. He was also two inches taller than Lane and had sharp blue eyes. Overall, an imposing man of twenty-four years, but not an intimidating one.
"You his brother?" one guest, Mike, asked curiously as he took the new guest in.
"Yeah. I'm Ras. Nice to meet you," the elder Farlow greeted. Then he motioned. "Join me at the back?" he asked his brother.
Lane nodded silently and led the way, sliding open the glass back doors and stepping onto the wooden back patio. Here, both Farlow brothers had a clear view of the moonlit lake that gave Laker Town its simple name. Clusters of willows sat by the water's edge and an owl hooted in the distance.
There was a moment of silence. "Must have come a long way to get here," Lane commented at last.
"I did, but it fit my schedule. I'm between assignments," Ras said as he stared at the lake. "The lake is beautiful. It's been so long since I saw it."
"Yeah," Lane added, but he wasn't interested in picturesque lakes. "Between assignments, you said?"
Ras nodded and dug his hands into his jacket pockets. "Two jumps to get here. I completed my final mission with the Lionheart Braves regiment. One guess why."
Lane knew his brother's triumphant grin all too well. "No way."
"Yes way. Promotion! Transfer! All the bells and whistles."
"Where? What new unit?" Lane demanded quickly.
"None other than the Striking Tigers, the elite strike force," Ras said dramatically. "Yeah, I'm with the big boys now. I just have a junior position complete with training wheels, but I'm in. Impressed all the right people."
"Kissed the right butts?" Lane couldn't resist.
Ras burst out laughing. "Well... maybe more of that than I'd like to admit." His face fell a little. "But really, this is a bit step up for me. It will take a while to complete my transfer and get my first assignment with the Tigers, so I had time to come here. My family is here. I have to stay grounded." Ras paused for a second. "It really is good to be back."
"Yeah. I missed you." Lane turned back to the lake, leaning on the wooden railing. "Hey, Ras."
"Uh-huh?"
"Am I just torturing myself?"
There was a second of silence. "What?"
Lane picked at a rough spot on the wooden railing. "Nancy and Greg still won't let me join the LAAF like you have. They say I'm just blindly charging after you, trying to fill your shoes without really thinking about what I really want. That you're the only reason I do anything at all."
"Whoa whoa, that's crazy talk. You're your own man," Ras hurried to assure his brother.
"I know. But..." Lane turned to face his brother. "What if it it's true? That I'm really just letting your success control me without me even realizing it?"
Ras sighed and joined his brother at the balcony. "I don't know. Only you can answer that question."
"But I don't know the answer."
Clapping a hand on his brother's opposite shoulder, Ras told him, "Not yet, that is. Only the hard questions are the ones really worth asking, Lane. I once thought of such issues like this: 'what do you want to be remembered for?' So what do you want to be remembered for? Being a miniature me? Filling my shoes, as you said earlier? Or something else?"
Lane paused. How did he want to be remembered? He was tempted to say "as a miniature Ras", which had pretty much been his answer up to this point, but now that Ras had said it, it seemed ridiculous. People always had reasons for their actions. A motive. What was his?
"I didn't mean to get all deep about this," Ras said suddenly, backing off a few steps. "Your birthday is supposed to be fun."
"Come on." Feeling another spark of anger, Lane whirled around to face his brother. But what was he angry at? "I'm not a kid like when you left for the military academy that's on Strantor," he growled. "I have to think about my future and what I'm doing with myself. Birthday cakes and balloons are behind me."
Ras looked impressed. "Sorry if I underestimated you. I have been gone a while, haven't I?"
Lane took a deep breath of evening air to cool off. "I'm the one who should be sorry. I didn't mean to snap at you."
"It's okay. You've always had a bit of fire in you, Lane. Makes you you."
At those words, Lane's eyes widened and something snapped into place in his brain. "Hey... I think you're right."
"Mmmm?"
Lane gestured excitedly. "You're right!" he repeated more loudly. "I don't just want to follow your footsteps or fill your shoes." He grinned. "I want to surpass you."
Ras fought back a chuckle. "Whoa, you're aiming pretty high there, little bro."
"Maybe that's my driving force," Lane grinned. "To fuel my inner fire and realize my potential and not just try to live up to yours. You're right, I am my own man, and who knows what the potential is? I have to try. I owe it to myself to follow my passion, become a Mechwarrior like you, and make everyone proud."
Both brothers stared at each other for a few seconds before they burst out laughing. "Jeez. That came out way cornier than I thought," Lane apologized. "But I mean what I said."
"Yeah, I know," Ras agreed. "So you want to beat me at my own game? Let's see how you handle the challenge, Lane. I'll have a talk with Greg and Nancy and put in a good word for you." He grinned again. "I'm glad we had this talk. Now, I hope there's still cake left over..."
Ras turned and walked back into the noisy house, leaving the younger Farlow alone with his excited thoughts.
I think I get it, Lane thought as he watched his brother's retreating back. If I'm to launch a Mechwarrior career, it should be on my own account and not just to imitate Ras. Conviction, not jealousy, is what everyone was waiting for from me.
Lane nodded to himself and went back inside, sliding the door shut behind him. Today was definitely a good birthday.