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 lean 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 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 experience 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 assign training missions: Base defense, recovery, convoy ambush, and finally, an up-front battle against at least three assault mechs, urban terrian. 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 terrian, 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 for 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 by 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 you 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 continue 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 make 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 gets 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 didn't 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's a 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 beg 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 come 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'm 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 onboard the Leopard two 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 onboard with the idea. The main reasoning being that; hell, they have been fighting for the Aurigan Coalition for two 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 which 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, remain 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 change, "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've always dream 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 doesn't go around shooting civilians he has no problem taking out an enemy even if they're 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, "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 isn't 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 awaits all who would stand in his way.
For he is always moving forward
And never looking back.
A/N: Next chapter is the coronation along with a few other things.
Please Review, Fav, or Follow if you want.
