The Black Tigers

Book 2

Of Sorrow And Regrets

Chapter 1: Looking for George.

Hell is knowing people around you need you and not being able to do anything about it.

Fort Hamilton,

North American Administrative District

Terra

Terran Hegemony

14 December 2779

Welcome to my private hell, you all know the players. That's Alex and his girl CJ over by the hospital bed. They've gotten closer lately, they're good for each other, so hopefully some good will come out of all this.

In the doorway, Dido Moran looks pissed. There's always a pair of SAS on guard at the door, really makes a guy feel special. Nicole Osis and her partner Leo Devalis talk to her a lot, updates on the hunt for the asshole behind all this. Leo looks nervous when ever he comes here, I think he knows I'm peeking in.

Justine Sinclair sits in the big chair, Sinthya on her lap. Big Sin, Little Sin. I'm pretty sure Justine knows Sinthya's pedigree. I'm also sure she doesn't give a shit. Good, Tigers take care of their own.

A sad scene, the worst is the knot of pain sitting by the bed. Sarah, her right shoulder and arm in a cast, she's recovering well, Samantha Wynndham does great work. She hadn't left the room taking over the other bed.

As you might have guessed, that's me in the bed. The Almighty Gunslinger, Hero of New York, Major Bruce Gilmour. Blissfully unaware apparently, in reality, I can hear and see everything.

Weird huh?

"Hey, Leo, why the hell you so spooked?" Justine called out. The Detective started, looking around sheepishly.

"Sorry", he said," just going on pure caffeine for too many hours." His emerald green eyes flicked back to the same corner of the room, he'd been staring off into for the past hour.

"Look", Justine said in the same tone she would have taken with any overworked officer in her Hungry Tigers, "You two have been hell on wheels since this happened," Dido, in the background nodded, "Get some rest before you run yourselves into the ground."

Nicole Osis grinned wearily, "That an order Major?"

"Damned straight", piped in Sinthya.

Sarah looked up from Bruce's bedside a wry smile on her face.

"Nice language you're teaching her guys."

Justine just shrugged.

As the detectives left, Isokoru Sato slipped in looking a question at Alex. Touching CJ on the shoulder, Alex went to stand by the Swift's commander.

"Any change?" Isokoru asked.

"No the Doc has him in a medically induced coma to aid in healing the damage. They grew new lung tissue from his SLDF genetic registry and grafted it in, so it's just a matter of if he can fight hard enough."

"His Ki is strong, he'll be up when he is ready."

"You sound like Don Roberto."

Chuckling, Isokoru went over and rested a hand on Sarah's shoulder. As she smiled up at him he glanced over at Alex.

"Wish I'd known him, he sounds….interesting."

"He certainly was that."

"Word on Donner?"

Justine fielded the question.

"NYPD and CIB lost his trail at JFK, Georgie had a good escape plan, probably had somebody watching the whole thing go down."

"This Elias Bruenig fellow?"

"Looks like."

Didi interjected then.

"Spoke to Sergei Cherenkov at CIB, they think he was using Amaris caches of money and id papers to evade our sweeps."

"Cash and carry, huh?" Alex grumbled.

"Yeah, CIB's got Sonny Cobb on it."

"Hideki's boy?"

"Agent Cobb now, cut himself a sweet deal, but he cleared the background checks, and psych profile says he's apolitical, in it for the rush."

"Okaay."

"Tommy vouched for him, that's good enough for me."

Tommy Lindon, perhaps the best slicer or computer hacker in the Special Armed Services, had sealed the defection of Cobb, his counterpart on the strength of professional respect some months before, bringing reams of intelligence to the Star League forces liberating Terra. His vouching for the younger man said a lot. In the post occupation climate of Earth, it could mean the difference between life and death.

Didi went on;

"Based on what Sonny figured our boy's in Asia, Hong Kong or maybe Taiwan, as soon as we know….."

"Yeah, we'll take him down."

"CIB will want a piece of him after what Kelly and Marissa told them."

"If they're nice maybe well give them a pinkie." Justine interjected.

"I'm flying out to Hong Kong tomorrow to meet our guys." Didi finished.

"How are the girls?" CJ asked having met them here at the hospital.

"Marissa's fine, Kelly's still on the critical list but she's stable." Alex answered.

Didi growled her head angrily, something about letting those ratzenfratzen RimJobs through.

CJ shook her head, her artfully cropped chestnut curls bouncing, she looked over at Alex and raised an eyebrow. Alex smiled and nodded.

"Sinthya, C'mon Alex and I'll take you to get some ice cream, and you can stay with us for a couple of days."

"No, I wanna stay with Daddy." She said firmly. "And Sarah needs me."

"But…" Alex began trailing off when he realized Sinthya was staring at the corner of the room. The same corner that had had Leo's attention. He and CJ exchanged glances and even Sarah, who generally only paid attention with half an ear.

Sinthya's eyes seemed to glow, of course it was probably a trick of the light. She giggled then, nodded and slipped off Justine's lap to touch Bruce's face. She turned to CJ with a smile.

"Daddy says never pass up ice cream."

Reaching out she led CJ out the door after kissing Sarah on the cheek. With a last glance at the offending corner Alex followed. The Tigers and Sarah exchanged looks, and Sarah shrugged and smiled.

Grand Hilton Hotel

Hong Kong, South China Administrative District

Terra, Terran Hegemony

15 December 2779

'Rat stowed his gear, then slipped out of his room in the suite the Tiger team had rented. Christian Traumintieri looked up from the couch where he was watching an Indonesian news feed. Tommy Lindon had the one of the other rooms while the last was reserved for Dido Moran.

"Major, looks like we're all stowed, you want we should look around town?"

"First 'Rat, ax the Major, it's Chris, everybody's gonna know we're SLDF but there's no need to give 'em anything else for free."

He flipped the butterfly knife in his hands open and closed. Grinning, he looked around the plush suite. "Were not gonna find this bugger tonight, so we relax and let Tommy do his magic."

'Rat nodded fixing a glass of iced tea and collapsed in a large overstuffed armchair. He sighed with pleasure and closed his eyes for a moment. Cocking his head he looked at the big blonde major.

"Okay, Chris, I get why Tommy and Didi are here, you know the turf, but why me?"

"Now you ask?"

"Well, yeah, just thought about it."

"You're solid in a fight, plus you're slick when you want to be."

Chris punctuated his points with flicks of his knife.

"Plus you're one of Major Gilmour's people."

Flick

"Gracie Liu's about as American as apple pie, despite her heritage."

Snick

"Nerva and her lance don't have the skills."

Flick

"And the Terrible Two are great pilots but, well subtle?"

'Rat couldn't help but laugh at the thought of the two ex-Kuritans on a stealth run. The first lead they got, the pair would go in guns blazing. If they didn't get killed, the two would probably lay waste to half of Hong Kong.

"Gotcha."

Looking out the big picture window over the ancient trading city, Chris felt alive for the first time since the night with Justine. A night that hadn't been repeated. Just as well he was here, doing what he did best, hunting. If they got caught, well Kerensky and Cameron wouldn't kick the Tiger teams too hard.

Just enough of it to have us walking funny and tasting shoe leather for a month or so.

Still, we can't let this go, Nobody hits us and gets away with it, that's the Tiger way.

'Rat had tuned in on the BBC news feed as they covered Amanda Cameron's tour of Terra and it had struck a thought in the back of his head.

Girl's a shoe in for Director General, she's a natural, question is will the House Lords support her for First Lord or will we be going to war by the New Year?

Chris thought about running it past 'Rat, but then pushed the thought aside.

Time enough for that later.

Nearby

Elias Bruenig checked and rechecked the battery on his Corning snub laser. He found himself doing this more and more lately. Word from the few contacts he had that were still trustworthy said the CIB was closing down the steady supply of cash and supplies that had enabled them to escape North America. Fortunately they had enough to last for a few months and by combining the contacts both he and George had developed there was a chance for the pair to get off world.

Ngov Industries, a shell company owned by Elias through a convoluted series of holding companies and legal loopholes had a corporate office in Hong Kong. The staff was minimal and well paid. The complex computer systems enabled Elias to keep ahead of the CIB investigation.

Sipping on an ice cold Tsingtao he thought, And at least the amenities are plenty.

There was of course the chance of betrayal. George saw shadows everywhere for the first couple of days. Elias however figured he couldn't do anything about it. He preferred to sleep at night.

The man himself was staring out the window. Plotting, scheming, Donner was never at rest. It was part of the reason Elias hadn't disposed of him yet. The Star League had liberated the Hegemony, but they still were not in control. Gaps in the chain of command, the diminished power of any central authority, and the sheer damage to Earth's infrastructure made for plenty of holes to slip through.

Donner voiced the one concern they both shared.

"Any word on the Tigers?"

Elias grimaced.

"Their still at their base in New York, most of my contacts are gone, the SAS was brutally efficient."

George grunted.

"Several of our favorite people have disappeared though."

"Who?"

"Some SAS, a couple of the 'MechWarriors."

"Gilmour?"

"Still out of it, in a coma."

"The little Princess is all over the news."

"Tragedy sells better than heroism, always has."

Donner nodded, they both were dirty as hell to the SLDF, Donner for planning to assassinate one of their precious heroes, not to mention catching a member, however minor, of Inner Sphere royalty in the crossfire. Elias for hiring the men who did the job. Both of them for collaborating with the most hated man since Hitler.

If it had worked they'd have been scott-free. It hadn't, now they had the baddest, craziest, bunch in the whole damned SLDF on their ass. Would the Tigers disobey orders and come after them? Of course. Would the most feared butchers in the Periphery Uprising be merciful when they found them? Not bloody likely.

The bitch of it was that compared to the CIB, the Tigers were amateurs. They were however not likely to care about due process. Nor would they care about any information either George or Elias could give them. That might just give the 90th the edge.

George turned away from the window then.

"If we can hold out for a few more weeks a ship captain I know can get us out."

Elias looked up, interested, good news maybe.

"Guy I used during the occupation, he's heading out for the Free Worlds League."

Elias nodded, with the massive waves of relief coming in the Terran Port Authority couldn't inspect every ship.

And Kenyon Marik isn't winning any friends here on Terra.

The Free Worlds League was also known as a place where a smart and driven individual could do well.

"Sounds like a plan."

Avalon City

New Avalon

Federated Suns

16 December 2779

New Avalon was pleasantly warm, a beautiful night as John Davion looked over his city. Thoughts of the past had plagued him of late. One thing in particular stood out.

"John, got a minute?" Richard Cameron had asked on that fateful day.

"Of course, my lord." John Davion had smiled at the young ruler..

He'd always been thankful he'd found a certain respect from the often temperamental Cameron, besides the benefits of having the First Lord of the Star League regard you as an ally, It sheltered the Federated Suns from that same ruler's somewhat impetuous policies .

They'd retired to Cameron's day office a spartan but comfortable room the Terran leader used for informal meetings. Sitting in the rooms plush chairs sipping Terran brandy John hadn't been prepared for the bombshell Richard had laid on him. The younger had been pensive for the past few days of the Economic summit, and John found out why.

"I've been…worried lately, the other Lords…" Richard had started.

John had kept quiet. He'd learned that just listening to the young man and being patient, got better results than trying to push him. It was something the First Lord's other advisors; from General Kerensky to that buffoon Stefan Amaris never seemed to understand.

"If anything were to happen to me", Richard had looked up his eyes haunted, "it is my wish that you become regent of my daughter Amanda and serve as First Lord…"

"My Lord!?" John had been shocked, "If there is any concrete threat…"

Richard had smiled warmly then at John's earnestness.

"No John, nothing like that, but if it some tragedy does strike, well you'd do this for me…Wouldn't you?"

Looking at the leader of all humanity, John Davion had felt an overwhelming sense of empathy for the man. Richard could be stubborn, spoiled and arrogant, but at his core, he was a good man who loved his family. And well, after all who else could he turn too, Kerensky? A good man, but aging, and Amanda Cameron was only two. Amaris, inwardly John snorted, not bloody likely, the man was probably a pedophile. The other House lords? Another snort, oh Steiner was alright.

But in the end John was a Davion after all.

Who else could you choose?

Richard had been happy that day after the documents had been signed, not the malicious glee he'd had on his Birthday Proclamation, nor the childlike giddiness, Stefan Amaris often inspired. This was the quiet happiness of a father who has provided a future for his daughter.

It had been the last time John had seen the young Cameron.

Now, what will the future bring, for the Star League and my beloved Suns?

Richard trusted me, but not enough; I couldn't stop what came after. Last time I didn't act.

Turning from the warmth of his bed and the comfort of his wife, the First Prince of the Federated Suns made a decision.

I stood by once before, not this time.

Not again.

Opening his comlink John Davion spoke to his bleary eyed steward.

"Have my personal squadron readied; I want to leave for Terra within the week."

Not Again.

Fort Hamilton,

North American Administrative District

Terra

Terran Hegemony

21 December 2779

"So Colonel, four of your people are missing right around the time leads surface as to the whereabouts of Mr. Donner and Mr. Bruenig, are we supposed to believe this is a coincidence?"

"I might remind you, misleading us in this matter might be construed as obstruction of justice and a violation of your oath as a Star League officer."

Aleksandr Kerensky winced inwardly, thinking; not good, whoever gave you a passing grade in interrogation should be shot. Before he could bring an end to this line of questioning, Colonel Samuel Winter rose angrily. The two CIB investigators shrank back from the fury in the Tiger Officers face.

Samuel Winter leaned over the table separating him from the agents. At six two, body hardened by ten years of almost constant warfare, even at fifty five years of age, Sam looked fully capable of tearing the two younger men in two. Under his class A uniform, his muscles rippled with tension.

"Do not, under any circumstances, think that you can lecture me on the meaning of my oath, gentlemen.'

The bigger agent, Jack O'Bannon rose to face Sam, his face darkening.

"Colonel, we are well within our rights to pursue this line of questioning."

"As my Tigers are well within theirs to take leave when time and duty permit."

"And where did they go, Colonel?"

"You've seen their travel plans in the unit database so you know better than I."

"Those files were corrupted.'
"I fail to see how that is my problem, in case you hadn't noticed; I am a 'MechWarrior, not a database administrator."

The younger man clenched his fists and opened his mouth to reply but Aleksandr had had enough.

"Enough gentlemen, this interview is at an end."

"General we have a writ from the Hegemony Judicial to …."

"Agent O'Bannon, who do you think runs the Hegemony government at the moment?"

The CIB agent's look was blank for a moment.

The shorter agent stood, smoothing back his short black hair. He laid a hand on his partners arm, and jerked his head at the door.

"This is pointless Jack, let's go."

As his partner stormed out, Sergei turned back to the Star League officers.

"You'll accept my apologies for Jack, he was trapped on Carver V during the occupation, collaborators got his family sent to a work camp, to steal their holdings."

"From your tone, I gather this wasn't a happy ending", Sam observed.

"No, no it wasn't, and he's looking for someone to blame."

Aleksandr regarded the young man, God, when did they all get so young, grimly.

"While I would never fault any of my soldiers' discipline, your partner would do well not to be so blunt with his accusations."

Rubbing the bridge of his nose wearily, the General continued.

"Some of my men and women might not be as polite as Colonel Winter."

"Point taken, General, again sirs, my apologies."

After Agent Cherenkov exited, Sam collapsed back in his chair letting out an exasperated breath.

"I'm sorry you had to go through this Samuel, but the Judiciary demanded that all the forms be followed in this case."

"I know sir, It's no fault of yours, you understand, after all we went through, to have three of our own almost buying it, then to have the CIB take us to task…."

"Three, ah you mean Lady Sarah?"

"She's definitely one of ours," Sam smiled at his ultimate commander, "You know she took one of the Makos down with an off hand shot."

Kerensky nodded, letting Sam talk.

"And Bruce, Major Gilmour… Malcolm, his father, Ezra Bradley and I were all in the same class at West Point. Malcolm's wife Janet was diagnosed with a rare form of leukemia and had left New Avalon, but he wanted Bruce to finish school, they'd been separated, Janet and him for several years, I don't think Bruce ever forgave his mother for leaving…"

Samuel paused, eyes light years and eons away.

"Malcolm asked me to look out for his son, he was apprenticing as an astech when we shipped out to take New Vandenburg in '67, he joined up just after we dropped, qualified as an infantry scout. John Zazula was his platoon leader back them, said he was sloppy on base but a natural in the field.

Don Roberto, our CSM pegged him as a "MechJock though and when West Point in exile opened up", Sam referred to one of the mobile academies set up by Army Group Davion before the Rim Worlds campaign. Alex and his classmate Rachel Miller were in the same class.

The three of them were so bright and full of fire, I watched them all grow up, Rachel died on Acamar, to lose Bruce now…"

He shook his head.

"Thank God Alex is joining TerraGov."

Aleksandr smiled sadly knowing exactly what Tiger Colonel was feeling, and said as much. For a time they talked about their sons, hopes for the future and fears as well. Once things settled down, Aleksandr admitted he hoped his sons wouldn't have to join the military, having survived living in a resistance cell during the occupation. Nicolas though seemed determined to follow in his fathers footsteps, while his youngest Andery was quiet and withdrawn.

They also discussed the impending arrival of the First Prince of the Federated Suns, who the General confided in Sam had some revelation about the Star League's future to reveal. While General Kerensky knew the man professionally, he had little congress with the Prince personally. He'd hoped to pick Bruce's brain about John Davion before the assassination attempt.

"I don't think the Major will have a problem talking to you, sir, when he wakes."

"Any idea when that'll be?"

"Doc Wynndham thinks maybe a week, she's getting a lot of brainwave activity, if he survives he'll still be able to pilot a BattleMech. But he's still fighting uphill, the injuries he took before the final battle had little chance to heal, and piloting a 'Mech in a full scale fight…."

"…Is about the worst thing in the world you can do wounded."

Sam nodded.

Imperial Palace

Luthien

Draconis Combine

21 December 2779

Jinjiro sat fuming in a corner. Francine suppressed a smile at that. The last set of wargames had ended badly for him. As his glare fell on her she bowed to him.

When she looked up, he was gone. Turning away she must have had some trace of her thoughts on her face. Minoru had come up beside her, waiting patiently as her game with Jinjiro played out.

It was intrinsic to his character, he enjoyed watching people. Nothing creepy mind you, he'd talked about it once. He could lose himself in what he thought other peoples lives were like.

Once when she was young, he'd told her about a trip to Geneva for some League function or another. He'd slipped out evading both his own guards and those of the Camerons. For two blissful hours he'd sat in a café sipping coffee watching, chatting with locals. Not being the Coordinator.

It was a scandal when his guards had finally shown up, but his smile at the memory a rare one of true pleasure was one of her fondest memories. Not that he would ever want to change any of it, he was the Dragon.

"My son seems disturbed, Francine-kun."

"Indeed it is so Tono."

"I gather the last round of simulations went poorly for him."

Schooling her expression to one of indifference, she felt the strength of Minoru's Ki probing her defenses. Not a serious assault, just a test of her resolve.

"His losses exceeded seventy percent."

"Jinjiro seems to think your force mix was…unrealistic."

Francine shook her head, deliberately dropping her mental defenses. She met her cousin directly in eyes. As he took her measure she answered his unasked question.

"The force mixes were accurate, I shattered his Sword of Light paradigm with the 90th Heavy Assault Regiment."

"They didn't fight like the Terrans I knew."

"Those Terrans were secure in their power, complacent."

"And now?"

"Now they are tempered steel." She paused for a moment. "Remember they were good, before the Amaris crisis."

She looked back at her liege.

"And now Isokoru is with them, and forty six others."

As he digested the significance of the number she went on.

"The whole lot of them have seen more heavy combat in the past decade then our forces have seen in fifty years."

She shrugged then.

"The point is moot, Tono, it is only a matter of time till the League…"

"The League will not be restored."

She looked up at him sharply.

"You have to know the players to fully understand the game."

He paused, disgust playing over his face.

"Richard, that stupid fop, had wanted John Davion to succeed him as First Lord."

"He told you so?" Disbelief ran over her face, as Minoru nodded.

"Davion," Minoru spat the name like a curse.

"How long Francine, how long before the SLDF landed on Luthien, to destroy all we have built?"

The thought chilled her to the core.

"How long before their mindless freedoms, their so called Human rights robbed us of all dignity, all strength."

"As long as the Camerons held power we could be certain of a rough parity with our enemies, that however is no longer the case."

"Terra is weakened, none of the other Lords will stand for a Davion as First Lord."

"But, there is a Cameron heir?"

Minoru nodded.

"If she takes power, then concessions will have to be made to secure her power. There is much dissent in the Hegemony, between those whose loyalties lie with the Terran state and those who are loyal to the League above all. We must be in a position of strength or war will follow."

"And if she doesn't?"

"Again, war, can you imagine Kenyon Marik and Barbara Liao ever agreeing on anything?"

Frankie snorted, No, not in this lifetime.

"Francine I want you to take charge of the 3rd Proserpina Hussars and their attendant regiments."

What? She thought in shock.

"Train them in what you learned on Terra, we will use them to form a core of units trained with the knowledge earned by the Terrans."

He gazed at her with the Dragon's eyes.

"Thus the Dragon learns the lessons of the teki."

After she left Jinjiro returned.

"The teki have infected her father."

"She values her friends, Jinjiro, a luxury the Coordinator can not afford."

"You gave her nine regiments of force…. A woman"

The Coordinator of the Draconis Combine turned to his son and heir. The feel of his son's Ki was wrong somehow. It had been that way for a long time. Minoru blamed himself, too much time away, and then the matter of his mother's death.

But his son was a fine strategist, and an excellent field commander. As to the rest, well there was enough time to fix what needed fixing. If not there was always Zabu.

The Dragon must be strong.

As Jinjiro began to fidget at his father's scrutiny, Minoru answered him.

"Yes, my son, I believe I did."

Hong Kong

South China Administrative District

Terra

Terran Hegemony

21 December 2779

'Rat shivered in the dark of the rented warehouse. Casting his eyes about the rows of shipping containers helped him avoid what was going on in the centermost clearing. Strapped to a chair in the middle of a pool of light from a portable lantern was a young Chinese man.

The man's head hung down and he appeared to be asleep. He did however answer questions asked by Didi Moran. They had taken the man, a boy really in his own apartment just a few miles outside of the city.

Didi had driven her cohorts and their prisoner to a warehouse she'd rented using an alternate identity. When pressed, she'd reluctantly revealed the ID and credit cards were part of something she called her "Go-Bag."

Tommy Lindon brushed his unruly mop of sandy hair back from his forehead. Coming up by 'Rat he glanced at the 'MechWarrior.

"Relax 'Rat, we'll have him back in his bed in a couple of hours, with the cocktail we gave him, he won't remember a thing."

"Sorry Tommy, this …This just seems wrong."

"It is wrong."

'Rat turned to face the slicer in surprise.

"We just kidnapped a Hegemony citizen, were using the same techniques we'd use on any enemy agent during the war."

"You're not making me feel any better."

"Look at this way, this kid's gonna be fine, a little tired, but he'll go on with his life, as part of our training we all go through on of these to show how effective chemical interrogation is."

"What do they ask you?"

Tommy chuckled, "Something embarrassing, but what happens in the SAS, stays in the SAS."

"Seriously, 'Rat if by doing this we can bag Donner, it'll mean the next son of a bitch who wants to take shots at our people will have this to think about."

Tommy smiled grimly.

"And that means I'll sleep like a baby.'

Meanwhile in Unity City

In the bright December sunshine, a break from the seemingly endless cloudy gray hitting the northwest, Unity City looked like a fairy castle to Amanda Cameron. Yet it was full of ghosts. Every where she turned the memories of her family of her friends haunted her here.

"What's wrong?"

Smiling at the strong, pleasant voice with its hint of Scots brogue, Amanda turned to face her visitor.

"It's nothing Ian, just…"

Ian Sinclair smiled and ducked his head to look in her downcast eyes. Reaching out gently he tilted her head up to meet his honest, clear gaze. Ian was, without a doubt both her strongest supporter and her best friend. We all need someone with whom we have no illusions, she thought.

"It's nae nothing, Amanda, not with that look on your face."

"Memories", she shrugged, "Ghosts of the past."

She grinned sheepishly.

"And not just bad ones either, Mom and Dad, my teachers, Cas and Pol Carter, you've heard me talk about them before."

"Your childhood friends, Senator Jon Carter's children."

She nodded.

"That's the problem, Ian, all the good memories lead to bad ones."

Ian put a sympathetic hand on her shoulder, thinking of his own losses, tempered by the joy of finding his family alive on New Home.

"The fact that those memories start off good, trust me Amanda, they'll outweigh the bad ones in time."

Wrapping her arms around herself she turned to look out again over the city. It was too soon for too many of those who'd been able to get out of Amaris' fell shadow to return, indeed many wouldn't. But others would come, the city was too beautiful even now to fall into shadow permanently. Even so, a hard decision became clear in that moment.

"Maybe, Ian, but not here."

"What do you mean?"

"Barring a cosmic catastrophe, I will be Director-General, Geneva's infrastructure will be a mess for years to come."

"And Unity City?"

"It's time to let go, Unity's the Star League, if it is to be reborn, then Unity will shine as its jewel."

She turned back to Ian, resolve showing in her voice and her eyes.

"Terra needs a new capitol for a new era."

Ian was quiet for several moments, Amanda knew he was milling things over.

"My father one took me to a city where, he said, James McKenna and several of his officers sat in an ancient tavern where centuries ago men plotted the beginnings of a new nation. It was there, Dad said, the Hegemony was born."

"You can't mean….?"

Amanda winked at Ian and sang softly;

"If you can make it there, you can make it anywhere….."

Ian thought for a bit longer, The old UN complex had been considered for the original Hegemony capitol, the whole complex was even redone for the BSLA but whole sections were barely used, and then there is Governor's Island….

"You can see it can't you?" Amanda grinned knowingly.

"'Tis no Edinburgh but I guess it'll do."

They adjourned to her kitchen, to have tea and talk about the upcoming meeting of the Hegemony Congress, the first such since the Liberation. Even that was taking too long. The surviving members were scattered, several had hidden so deeply that news of the Amaris surrender had only just reached them.

And of course getting politicians to do anything in a time of crisis is kind of like herding cats, Ian thought irritably.

Amanda found herself thinking other thoughts. When she'd stayed with Sarah, they'd been talking about plans for the future, and the subject of Ian came up. She wasn't sure how it had, but Sarah had said something that General Kerensky's wife had mentioned off handedly a little over a year ago.

"He's a good man, he'll make a good husband for some lucky woman."

Katyusha Kerensky had been far more circumspect, Sarah Davion while more teasing than serious had given her that look she'd seen on others when they looked Ian and her together.

"Like you've never considered it", Sarah teased her.

"Well, he's been my best friend for years, She'd sighed then, "I don't even think he thinks of me that way…"

She looked up and caught Ian looking at her. He actually blushed, so she smiled at him and turned the conversation to something neutral. As he talked about his failure to get the famed 3rd RCT's commander Ezra Bradley to stay within Hegemony bounds she had a thought;

I guess he does think of me that way, maybe I was just afraid to ruin a perfectly good thing.

Sarah was picking at her food, the tension of the past two weeks showed in the pale complexion of her skin. Her wounds were healing nicely, Samantha Wynndham had said their wouldn't even be an scars. Gladys Maribeth Davion knew there would be, they just wouldn't be visible ones.

You poor girl, you just weren't made to be a killer, she thought.

You rationalize it but it still bothers you. The face to face nature of her niece's blooding didn't help either. Plus your gallant young man isn't here to help you through it.

Gladys' remembered the first time she'd killed a man, so many years ago. It had been as a twenty two year old Leftenant in the AFFS. Her Warhammer had taken severe damage at Royal during the war of Davion Succession. As part of the rear guard covering the Davion retreat after Prince Joseph was killed in battle, her battalion of the 3rd Davion Guards had shattered. The Kurita BattleMaster had appeared out of nowhere, savaging her 'Mech with laser and missile fire. Her –6D model 'Hammer was riding high on the heat curve and she was about to bolt when she caught sight of a column of Medevac vehicles on her rear screens.

Instead of running, Sarah's aunt had alpha struck the Combine 'Mech. The raw power of the Warhammer's laser battery and particle cannons had found a flaw in the enemy 'Mech's massive chest plating. The BattleMaster's short range missile loads had detonated.

Gladys' could still see in her mind the Combine warrior pounding at his cockpit, his ejection systems must have malfunctioned. Even at a hundred meters her HUD had magnified the BattleMaster's fate. The Kurita samurai's must have done the same and their eyes met in the instance before the man's cockpit exploded.

She'd had nightmares for years after. Gladys' had scored victories in BattleMech combat before, but this had been the first time she'd actually killed another human being. Sarah had avoided talking about it, confining the conversation to talk about Joshua's young son, who had been named Paul in honor of her father.

With the same deliberation as she had planned the invasion of Redfield in 2762 Gladys decided it was time to act.

"That was a fine shot you took, dear, Dido Moran must be proud." Gladys remarked in an off hand voice, not looking at her niece.

The clatter of silverware against the floor brought her head up. Sarah sat stiffly, eyes wide in shock.

"WHAT!!!"

Oh, so there is some life in you isn't there.

"From inside your purse no less."

Tears began to form in Sarah's disbelieving eyes. Gladys reached over and patted her hand. She smiled gently at her niece.

"You should be proud of that shot, you probably saved your young man's life."

Before Sarah could speak, Gladys forged ahead, her voice as implacable as the tread of her Warhammer yet as soft as a feather.

"That man was a Mako, the Rim Worlds equivalent of our Rabid Foxes, he would have killed you and Bruce and not had a thought after the fact."

"It's not that Aunt Gladys', I don't, I can't.."

Reading the change in Sarah's voice, Gladys knew in a flash what the problem was.

"You seriously can't think you're anything like them, can you?"

Sarah looked up anger and horror playing over her face.

"Aunt Gladys, I'm not sorry I killed that man, I just wish I could have got all of those sons of bitches, for Bruce, for Talia, for everyone they'd killed."

She closed her eyes and turned away, her thick mane of red hair covering her face.

"And for what they put me through, I hated them, I wanted them to suffer."

As Sarah broke down sobbing, Gladys came around the table to kneel beside the daughter she never had and wrap her arms around her. Brushing Sarah's hair away from her face, she said only;

"That doesn't make you like them, dear, it just makes you human."