My Father's Friend

Chapter 1: Paper and Rain

Blossom park, Bunkieki outer district, Callone VI,

Outworlds Alliance,

April 14, 3076

The square sheet of colored paper was creased, folded, and contorted smoothly in the hands of a nineteen-year-old girl sitting on a park bench, with a handful of young kids watching her progress with eager eyes. The girl allowed a small smile to cross her lips as she focused on her work, her dextrous fingers manipulating the crackling paper with well-practiced movements. After a few final, tiny folds, the creation was complete: a small, red and green paper crane held on the girl's open palm. Amazed, the children cheered and crowded forth to look at the delicate paper bird, and the girl astounded them further when she tugged on the little crane's tail and made the wings flap up and down.

"Whoooaaa! That's so cool, lady!" a boy exclaimed, leaning closer to watch.

"Thank you." The girl, whose name was Jenna Alcatar, extended her hand toward him, offering the crane. "Why don't you take it home with you? I'm sure your family will like it."

"Oooooh, he gets it?" the other kids said with disappointment, watching the boy accept the bird. Jenna turned to the other kids, her expression kind as she settled back in the wooden park bench. "It's all right. I can make more of these another day. I like to come by this park often."

The kids withdrew, satisfied. "I'd like one that's blue and green," one boy requested.

"A pink one for me!" a girl insisted.

"No, a solid red one would be best, I say," asserted another boy.

"Run along, now," Jenna smiled and waved a hand. The delighted kids scurried off, each one fumbling to look at the origami crane that the first boy had. Jenna drew in a breath of warm spring air and looked around at the park she was in, an expanse of flattened hills lined with stone walkways, benches, flower gardens, and most all, blossom trees imported from the nearby Draconis Combine. For variety, a few Western tree species were here too, brought over from the neighboring Federated Suns. There were plenty of other people here, jogging, walking their dogs, or just enjoying the scenery as a break form the steel-and-concrete jungle that was Bunkieki, the capital of Callone VI.

Jenna loved it here. This park was just across the street from the old motel that she and her younger sister May lived in, a makeshift orphanage run by its widower owner Old Marty. Not every day, but on many days Jenna would come here to the blossom park to spend some time to herself, to get away from the madness of the city and from the cruel blows that fate had dealt to her and to May.

Ha ha. Cruel blows? Fate? Now I'm just getting carried away, Jenna thought with an amused grin, leaning back in the bench and closing her eyes. I just like to come here, where I can forget about what happened to my family, when my father the Duke and the others succumbed to rebellion. May and I are the only ones who carry on the Alcatar bloodline, but our royal family is done for. Now, we're just two girls in a big city.

The sheet of gray clouds overhead roiled a little bit, threatening rain any moment now. Jenna opened her eyes to stare up at the gray ceiling, then blinked as a water drop fell from the heavens and onto the park bench next to her, striking with a little plop. Jenna's stomach lurched. Yikes! I'd better get moving. I don't want to get soaked! Standing up rather too quickly, Jenna felt light-headed for a second, then got her bearings straight and hurried down the park's main path, her tennis shoes slapping on the stone.

Jenna felt a few more raindrops fall onto her jacket and on her jeans, encouraging her to speed up and reach the park's edge at an intersection. She stood on the sidewalk, waiting for the pedestrian light to beckon. After a bright silver car zoomed right by her, Jenna saw the light change and hurried across the street, safely reaching the other side and slowing down to a trot toward Old Monty's orphanage. The building had actually been built as a single-floor motel, but the building had distinctly medieval English-style architecture, even though a sushi restaurant with signs in Japanese characters was right down the street, packed with a dinner crowd. Reflecting on the curious English-Japanese cultural blend of Callone VI, Jenna strode through the front doors of the orphanage just in time to avoid the sudden downpour of rain. Her clothing and shoulder-length brown hair were already half-soaked with light rain, however, and Jenna shivered and sneezed in the lobby.

"Jeez, big sis. You and your rain..." a happy voice floated down the slightly shabby but well-lit hallway, and red-haired May Alcatar trotted along, her brown eyes bright and energetic. Three elementary school-aged kids tagged along with her, panting from what was probably a recently-completed game of tag with May. Although sixteen years old, May got along well with the younger inhabitants of the orphanage, who ranged from six years old to fifteen.

"It's not my rain," Jenna rolled her eyes with a chuckle as she shed her jacket to dry off. She wore a short-sleeved polo shirt underneath. "I just don't mind the rainy weather here. It's relaxing."

"Yeah, most people think the rain is all depressing and dramatic," May made a funny face. Jenna draped her jacket on a shoulder and walked down the hall with her sisters and orphanage roommates. "I mean, every time I see a movie and there's a break-up or fist fight or something, the weather comes at their beck and call and pours all over them and -"

"Yes, I get it. It rains in every drama movie you ever watch," Jenna couldn't resist a laugh as she opened the door to her and May's room and entered. "But shouldn't you watch the news too, or something educational? Mom and Dad always said..."

The other kids wandered off, bored, as May followed her bigger sister into their room and closed the door, turning on the bare-bulb light. "I know what they would say about how I spend my time," she joked, but Jenna could hear the bitter undertones and instantly regretted mentioning their parents. "Less fun and more work. Like old and serious people who have a planet to manage."

Well, I was being groomed as the future Callone VI Duchess and you as a royal family manager, Jenna figured, making sure to keep these thoughts to herself.

Unsure what to say next, Jenna simply dragged over the desk's chair and placed it in front of the room's window, watching the darkening city and the rain that fell in sheets, droplets of it running down the glass. The torrent hammered on the orphanage's roof like machine gun fire.

Jenna pressed her nose to the cool glass, straining to read the city's various neon lights and bill boards from here. Some of them were in English, offering personal services and shop discounts and public service messages. Others were in Japanese, the characters difficult for Jenna to interpret. Many people of Callone VI were bilingual to varying extents, but Jenna had always found foreign languages rather tricky to handle. Japanese art, on the other hand, was a little easier for her to master, as her collection of self-made origami on the wall's shelf suggested.

May crept closer to Jenna, a slightly playful air about her; she was a restless one, as Jenna had often reminded her. She looked out the window too, making a face. "Too much rain."

"I don't think so, really," Jenna admitted, not taking her eyes off the weather outside. The room's clock ticked steadily. "Rain is a carrier of life, you know, not only life often develops in water but because rain can soothe a drought, water forests, give animals something to drink..."

"Ehhh, this again? Borrrring!" May complained, turning away and flopping onto her bed, but she was only teasing. She reached out and drew a magazine closer to her, not really reading its contents as she flicked through the pages. She was quiet for a moment, then said softly, "Hey, big sis?"

"What is it?" Jenna asked, turning around in her chair. May didn't look up.

"Are you still going to go with your plan? Join a merc band and go from system to system, fighting for C-Bills?"

Jenna's breath caught in her throat. She tried to calm herself down, taking a deep breath. "Yes, May, I'm ready. Practice nights in Old Monty's old simulator is just part of it. I've given it a lot of thought, and I believe this is the best way to bring us a new source of money, since Old Monty is kind to us but his business is faltering somewhat. Plus, remember that we can't live here forever. We ought to have our own house sometime."

Indeed, there was a Battlemech simulator in the private quarters of the orphanage's owner, but old Monty was a kind man who let Jenna use it as she liked. She had real Battlemech training, even in the Battlemech-poor Outworlds Alliance. Being close to both the FedSuns and Draconis Combine, however, Callone VI acted as a junction between the three nations, giving the world much wealth and influence, its defense force fielding a standing 'mech army uncharacteristically powerful and large for Periphery world. Callone VI's true backbone was organized crime, but good relations with the Davions and Kuritans helped too.

And it all used to belong to Jenna's dad, Duke Alfred Alcatar of Callone VI, and would have been Jenna's next if not for Richard Marshall and his Freedom's Thunderbolt rebellion. Jenna tried not to dwell on that.

"I bet it'll be cool, being a mercenary warrior," May suggested. "Right? What kind of Battlemech will you use? Maybe an Atlas? I've seen videos of that one before. It's my favorite!"

Jenna laughed. "No way, May. A mercenary company that would hire me would be too poor or too small for a 'mech like that! I've been watching the news very closely, and I know about several merc groups arriving here in Bunkieki starting tomorrow. One of them is called Carter's Wolverines, and they're looking for small-timers or beginners who have enough skills and loyalty."

Jenna remembered watching the news a few days back, one quiet evening while the other children of the orphanage were asleep. Carter's Wolverines was a group that intended to be a full Company, but needed to recruit four warriors to make their fire-support Lance. They already had an assault and scout Lance, and now all sharp-shooters and missile junkies were welcome to try out. Although she was far from a master Mechwarrior, her simulator performances were consistent and encouraging. Before the Alcatar family had been overthrown, Jenna had piloted some of Alfred's royal guard 'mechs at age 15 and found them quite comfortable.

Pretty funny that a gentle older sister who liked origami also liked stomping around in multi-ton war machines, May had always said. Well, Jenna figured she was just... versatile.

"The other children here think of you as their replacement mom, you know," May smiled, as though testing Jenna's resolve. "They'll miss you, I bet."

"I've made sure to explain that I'll be going away for a while, but will definitely be coming back with money to make all our lives better," Jenna reassured her sister. Then she smiled. "Though Michael was still pretty reluctant to let me go."

"He looks up to you more than the others," May shrugged at the mention of one of their fellow orphans, then grinned. "He'll probably look up to me next, even though I'm mostly a playmate for him. But I like kids."

"As do I," Jenna agreed, then got up from her chair and stretched out on her bed, resting her head on her hands. Her light brown hair spilled across the worn pillow and sheets. She stared up at the ceiling. "I can't help it, I'm inspired by the owner of this converted orphanage. Monty, who was a rough-and-tough mercenary, settled down here and bought this motel with his wife, until she passed away and he converted the motel into his orphanage to give shelter and hope to those who had none. We were practically homeless for three years in order to hide from Marshall's forces, but Old Monty took us right in as soon as he found us."

A look of mingled gratitude and deep anger crossed May's face. "And who knew that he'd be housing royal fugitives like us? Old Monty keeps us safe from that evil man, that Richard Marshall who slaughtered our family and became the Chairman of all Callone VI! And Dad's best friend and adviser, that Alexander Taylor guy, went missing right before the attack and never re-appeared since. I can't believe he'd abandon us like that. I wonder if..."

"Hey." Jenna's tone was sharp as she bolted upright, giving her sister an equally piercing look. "We promised each other not to dwell on the past, remember?"

May dropped her gaze. "I'm sorry," she mumbled. "I just... well, it's not something I can forget so easily. Every day I remember that we lived in a palace and were the most important kids on Callone VI. And now it's all gone."

"Well, we can thank Monty for all he's done, after all," Jenna gave her sister an encouraging smile. She shifted over and sat on the edge of her bed, hands folded in her lap. "When I head downtown to try and join a mercenary group, I'll make sure to earn enough C-Bills to buy a comfortable house for the both of us, okay? I can do it, I know I can."

"Now that's the big sister I know," May glowed. "And enough money for the other kids here to live on their own too, when they grow up?"

"Well... I'll have to see about that," Jenna winced, trying to imagine the staggering sum needed to buy so much housing. "But I can at least give Monty enough money to improve the orphanage and make his life easier. We owe him more than we could truly ever pay."

Silently agreeing to her sister's words, May looked out the window them back at Jenna. "Oh, and you're still planning to disguise yourself while you work as a mercenary Mechwarrior, aren't you? What kind of disguise are you going to use, anyway? You never told me."

"Oh? I didn't?" Jenna blinked. "Marshall can't find us if we just sit around in this orphanage or wander around the park, but any kind of armed work is bound to get his attention and make him chase us down. So, I'm going to go under a fake name, cut my hair short, and pose as a boy."

May burst out laughing, falling onto her bed and hugging herself. Jenna broke into a smile too, trying to hold back her own laughter. "Wh-what's so funny, May?"

"I can't imagine you doing that," May choked out, still consumed by mirth. "I mean, you have your tough side, but weren't you considered the 'paper rose' of the Alcatar family, because of your gentle ways and origami hobby?"

A mock, tough frown creased Jenna's brow. "Hey, don't underestimate me, sister. I can pilot a multi-ton walking war machine, as you've kindly pointed out before. Plus, I've sorted out appropriate mercenary clothing to bring along, and I've practiced speaking in a deeper voice."

May finally got a hold of herself, sitting cross-legged on her bed and giving Jenna an amused look. "Well, whatever it takes. Your profile picture on the holonet news and mercenary recruiting channels would give you away if you had your long hair and identified yourself as a girl. I can see it already: with your short hair and false name and gender, it'd be really hard for Marshall's intelligence bureau to realize who you are. Plus, you'd probably be operating on planets other than this one."

"As you said, whatever it takes," Jenna grinned, then settled back onto her bed. "I guess I'm all set. Do you know what Monty is going to make for dinner?"

"Nuh-uh," May shook her head, not amused with the change of topic. She perked up. "Come on, I want to hear your false voice. A few sentences?"

"No way."

"Not even a little? Don't you need to check that it's convincing?"

"Mmmmm... I guess." Jenna cleared her throat. "Is this convincing enough for you? No one will know who I really am."

"Wow, you really do sound different! If I closed my eyes I'd swear some random guy just came in here."

"Sounds like I really am all set."

"Indeed, Mr. Jenna."

"H-hey!"

"Just kidding..."

*o*o*o*o*

That evening, as Jenna stood before the orphanage's bathroom mirror and gently snipped her long locks away with a pair of barber's scissors, Jenna found it oddly fitting that she was using a false identity to work with mercenaries strictly for her personal benefit, and wouldn't invest the least bit of interest in any mercenary company's future. Snip, snip went the scissors as Jenna worked toward completing her disguise as a young man looking for easy cash as a mercenary. It's a fitting strategy for me because the Alcatars were notorious for having strong mob ties on this planet for support, much to the chagrin of the democratic movement, the Freedom's Thunderbolt. Well, if I were ever to become a Duchess, maybe I'd ease off the mob connections and rule with my own power. I wonder why Dad didn't do that? His refusal to reform the Alcatars' shady ways cost him his family.

A lump formed in Jenna's throat at the thought, and she fought down an uneasy feeling. Come on, Jenna, don't do that. You can't change the past, just work hard to make the future brighter for yourself and others. You can do it, no sweat.

Jenna smiled in reassurance as she cut away the last long lock of her hair and tossed it into the trash can. She set down the scissors on the sink with a clatter and leaned closer to the mirror to examine her handiwork. Her soft brown hair now only came down to her ears, molded in a typical style for young adult men around the city. She ran a hand through the short locks, curious at the odd feeling of short hair and lamenting how long it would take for her hair to fully grow back. It was a small price to pay, though, for the chance she had to do some good for her sister and others.

"Good afternoon. I'm interested in joining your company," Jenna told her reflection as practice, applying her false male voice. She felt a thrill of confusion and elation, almost tricking herself into thinking that the mirror was a glass panel with a short-haired boy on the other side talking to her. True, her face and body still looked rather feminine, but no one would really mind that as long as she could pilot a Battlemech well, and as long as she wore rather thick or baggy shirts and vests to hide her chest.

Alexander Taylor, my father's friend. Or former friend, that is, Jenna thought to herself as she toyed with her short hair a little more. Where are you right now, and why did you abandon us when the Alcatars were lost? What role did you play? I intend to find you and get the answers to all these questions and more! This merc work will help me locate you, just you wait. Even if I can't rebuild my family, I want the full story. May and I ought to have at least that much, right?