Well folks this is something of an explanatory chapter in the story, as some readers have expressed a wish for it and here it is.
There will be other bits with the characters so don't worry.
Early the next day Maddy and Mark were walking towards the centre of the settlement, Mark was still bandaged on his head,
When they got to the big tree planted on a big patch of grass, Maddy walked with Mark to it and put down the basket they had brought and touched the trunk of the tree that was sacred to half her heritage,
"This is our sacred tree….well for most of our people anyway since at least a third of us are Hindu's." She said and turned around and looked at Mark who looked back at her adoringly,
Maddy started blushing at the expression of this large kind young man,
"As I was saying the tree is a very old Ash tree that is sacred to the Celts and have been for thousands of years." She finished and then helped Mark as he spread out the blanket they had also brought and started preparing their picnic,
"We also brought seeds for many other trees important to Celtic as well as Indian culture." She added,
"You know a lot Maddy, if you don't mind me saying it." Mark said as he carefully sat down after Maddy,
"Thanks, no I don't mind, uh, should we eat?" Maddy suggested after failing to reign in her blush
"I really don't know everything, I just usually remember what I've learned or read." She then said,
"Half the things you said on the ship, I doubt even a science caste member could remember that much." Mark replied with a slight smile on his lips, for a moment Maddy wondered what it would be like touching those lips with her own and quickly handed Mark a little box of some fruit she had yet to identify but who according to the vendor she bought them from were very good,
After a while when Maddy were just about to take a bite from something that looked like a strawberry she looked at Mark who just took a bite of a piece of lemon that were supposed to be used in their water before she could stop him and couldn't help herself from laughing when Marks face contorted into a grimace of extreme dislike,
"What's so funny?" He said smiling despite the horrible taste in his mouth,
"I actually brought those to make the water more tasting….of course you are not supposed to eat them whole." Maddy laughed, Mark looked down very embarrassed and Maddy thought she had just insulted him,
"Please dear gods, I hope I haven't talked my way out of being courted by this gorgeous boy!" She thought,
"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to insult you." She then said,
"No you didn't insult me Maddy, I should have asked what kind of fruit this was before thinking with my stomach." He replied smiling still a little embarrassed,
"You're sure?" She asked anxiously,
"No it's okay, really it is….you're….perfect." Mark said still with his eyes down and wondering if he may have crossed the line, Maddy looked up and at him,
"What did you say?" She asked tilting her head to the left and at that moment according to Mark she seemed as the most beautiful girl he'd ever met,
"I said that you're…. err – perfect." He finally managed to answer while to Maddy looking like some lost puppy….a well grown puppy and without thinking that there might be more people around she moved closer and he started to move closer to her as well and after what felt like an eternity as their lips were just about to meet – they heard someone clearing their throat,
"You know, you should really make sure that your old man ain't around." Kono said trying to control his smirk at Maddy's expression and Reynolds looking around for the man in question,
"You wouldn't want to give your poor old dad a heart attack now." Kono added as Washington smirked as well but nodding at Maddy,
"Err, hi Uncle Kono, hi SaKhan Washington." Maddy said trying to sound innocent though for the first time failed at it and Kono could feel his heart ache,
"Oh our little princess is growing up." He thought and gave Reynolds the I've got my eyes on you gesture, Washington simply rolled her eyes and started dragging him away,
"You don't have to be so formal, just call me Alicia." She said smiling,
"Ok, but then call me Maddy." Maddy replied trying to smile through her blush,
"Just be nice to my boy Mark there Maddy, he's more fragile than he looks, and make sure he eats enough or I will have to spoon-feed him personally like I did when he was a kid." She said at which Mark started blushing like crazy,
"Don't worry I will." Maddy replied and started laughing when she saw how Mark seemed as if wanting to sink into the ground,
"I'm sorry Mark, but you look so awfully cute when you look like that." She stated still giggling a little through her own blush but then looked a bit worried as Mark looked a bit tired,
"Maybe we should get you back to the Infirmary, you look tired?" She asked fretfully and he shook his head looking even more embarrassed as Alicia and Kono started laughing while walking away from the couple,
"You got something in yer throat babe?" Kono asked and smirked,
"No, not really babe." Alicia replied while looking at the man who were courting her, Kono got a very mischievous glint in his eyes,
"That's sad, because I'm an expert in the Kono manoeuvre." He said now with a mischievous tone in his voice,
"Why don't you show me then? Then I can show you my manoeuvre." Alicia said now with mischief in her voice, about fifty feet later Kono was on his back in the settlement orchards with Alicia on top of him after her having thrown him on the ground.
"I can rest here for a while, unless you have something to do….I wouldn't want to be a distraction." Mark said after a while when Kono and Alicia had walked away and leaned back at the tree but Maddy adjusted herself and then took up her Plexpad,
"You can rest your head in my lap if you want." She suggested timidly and blushed a bit when Mark gently and carefully but also tiredly put his head in her lap, Maddy couldn't stop herself and gently caressed his cheek and forehead and Mark were about to touch her hand gently when someone interrupted them….AGAIN!
"Oh, look, there's a battlemech in my sisters lap." Came Josh's teasing voice and now Maddy were starting to get annoyed with these interruptions and glared at her obnoxious older brother but got an idea as she saw Kara walking right beside him rolling her eyes at Josh's teasing remark,
Mark were wondering if he should challenge the younger man on a friendly match in a circle of equals but decided against it after Maddy's retort,
"Kara, can you please take my obnoxious brother on a walk or something?" Maddy queried teasingly,
"I'm not some dog sis." Josh retorted and were about to launch another remark when Kara grabbed his arm and looked into his ice blue eyes with her own,
"Well you're my little Poochie poo!" Kara cooed and now it was Josh's turn to blush and Maddy giggled and could hear Mark snickering as the two pilots walked away,
"Should I start reading?" Maddy queried and looked down at Mark's face, Mark nodded,
"Mhm." He made a sound of agreeing.
Maddy opened the history files on the plex and started reading, Mark usually found most schoolwork except for combat boring but when Maddy read out loud with her melodious voice he found he liked history at least.
…...…..Historical interlude…
This is a short draft of what little history I and my branch have managed to collect of the strange peoples who have been named reactionaries mostly the so called Celtic peoples.
….Terra early 22nd century the small exodus…..
Facing near cultural and linguistic extinction the peoples of Earth that had suffered foreign dominance for centuries like; Welsh and similar Celtic peoples and others like American natives had reached catastrophic levels and many decided on leaving Terra to find a new place among the yet unclaimed planets chartered by the Terran Alliance, led by insightful leaders like Aerona Shannon and Thomas Shackleford thousands of celtic speaking colonists left on-board small fleets of ships to find a place where they could flourish and just like those who were called neo-Norse they belonged to people who had gone back to their roots, condescendingly called religious reactionaries.
Over the centuries from the highlight of the Terran Alliance to its fall in 2315, and the formation of various interstellar states such as Free Worlds League and Lyran Comonwealth, they refused to allow their cultures and languages to die out as they had all but done on Terra, and in time these various groups flourished – even though under dominance by the growing space empires.
Their exodus was called the small exodus and things went well for these various peoples until the rise of organizations such as ComStar, in ComStar's case it was because these people refused to take part in any surveys, in the case of the various star empires it was because they refused to be divided and the few that DID work as mercenaries or even house troops – their loyalties lay with their families and peoples.
Note: It is of my opinion that these so called reactionaries refusal to allow a proper census of them stems from a deep laying distrust of other authorities, it has not been confirmed but they seem to acknowledge what I heard were called – the interstellar Celtic League -, I will have to come back to that. These people also rarely speak any other language than their own; Welsh, Gaelic, Bretonic and similar languages that would have been lost to the ages, and then there is their pagan beliefs,
I am sure that with the human race becoming so numerous they will soon see the merit in abandoning such archaic practices and join the rest of us, it is my firm belief that it is up to our sacred order to educate these reactionaries into our modern human societies.
Precentor Richard Radcliff, ComStar Archives and History branch – 2887
…Interlude ends….
….McEvedy Cluster, Terra Nova, Hope's Landing, May 3048….…..
Maddy rested her back against the tree in the middle of the settlement – this tree had been brought by the welsh portion of the refugees as in accordance with their faith to stand strong as the people would stand strong as they Had done for centuries, and activated the history on her plex and started reading about the history of the clans from when the self-imposed exile of the Star League defence force or SLDF for short;
After the Amaris Civil War, General Alexandr Kerensky decided rather than to watch his beloved Star League fall apart he gathered the remnants of the old Star League Defence Force, and soon after at least eighty percent of the remaining SLDF left the Inner Sphere, after a long an arduous journey these refugees found the Pentagon worlds and settled these – but soon old loyalties and hatreds came back to the surface and a civil war mirroring that which was already tearing the Inner Sphere apart broke out, General Kerensky died in 2801 from a massive heart attack which left the remnants of the exiled Star League to his son Nicholas.
Nicholas gathered what loyal forces he had around him and led a second exodus and formed the Clans, after a while they returned to the Pentagon worlds and took them by force, things seemed to be going the right way, but as time passed there were objections to Nicholas Kerensky's rule, of it being too authoritarian ONE clan in particular even threatened to secede from the clans as a whole this was Clan Wolverine,
At this time Nicholas was slowly losing control of the society he had created and the Wolverines served as an abject lesson to bring the other clans back in line….after a city belonging to Clan Snow Raven had been destroyed by unknown agents the Grand council who conveniently had gotten evidence against the clan declared a Trial of annihilation against the Wolverines and a genocidal war started, led by none other than IlKhan Kerensky himself that brought Clan Wolverine to the very edge of complete destruction….but the first Khan Sara McEvedy had been planning for such eventualities and the remnants of the clan fled clan space.
When they first reached the outer border of the Inner Sphere they learned that the now styled Successor states were fighting the first of the four maniacal succession wars, the clan leaders decided to go around the Inner Sphere, raiding worlds in the Draconis Combine liberating slave camps and even worlds in the Federated Suns until they came upon a beautiful world they named Terra Nova in rememberance of humanitys birthplace, by now the clan had also learned of Nicholas's decree to erase any evidence of Clan Wolverine's very existence calling it the Not Named clan that Khan McEvedy decided that her clan would hold on to their status as a clan but better than the loyalists of Nicholas Kerensky by keeping most of the rules and as the centuries went by also learned and integrated many clan linguistic terms as well….not that they actually needed to but because they could and even if Nicholas and his followers had little to no idea that McEvedy and her clan even existed anymore, they wanted to….as they are Clan Wolverine and just like their namesake….they NEVER give up.
New Remembrance lines;
The greedy House lords called us the Minnesota Tribe and thought they were rid of us
We were thought annihilated by Kerensky and his mewling underlings
We shall prove them all wrong
For one day we shall have grown strong enough to return and seek revenge upon the descendants of those that should rightly stand shoulder to shoulder with the Usurper Amaris himself
If you corner us you better be sure to destroy us for as long as a single child can yet stand and hold a weapon or pilot a battlemech we will fight for we are the supreme hunter
We are the embodiment of nature's ultimate warrior
We were then as we are now as we will always be forever
We are….Clan Wolverine.
Maddy was completely mesmerized of what she was reading that she didn't notice how Mark who had his head in her lap kept watching her equally mesmerized at every word she read, she kept on reading;
It was in the year 3044 that the son of Khan Nathaniel Taylor – Lucas wanted power for himself….to turn Clan Wolverine and all its domains into his own personal kingdom – he wanted to become what the clan and its ancient forebears had fled to NOT become….another greedy house lord, his jealousy brought only destruction as he and a few dissenters started a coup to seize power….but they had misjudged the loyalty of the clan, YES even by the so called lower castes.
Together with individuals from mostly the casteless who refused to join the clan but still wanted a say in how society was to be governed, and together they planned to overthrow the clan leadership and Lucas managed to win them over to the idea of him as a hereditary ruler of Terra Nova and also abolishing the caste system – the revolution failed miserably and the remnants of Lucas's rebels had by that time managed to steal one jumpship and the clan's only Volga class warship and fled off world into the Fenris system where he and his followers set up several pirate bases and started raiding Clan Wolverine outposts.
At the command centre of the settlement Star colonel Victor Guzman and a couple of med-techs were delivering the Codex armbands along with the necessary equipment for keeping the genetic lineage as well as record any deeds and helping to install them by explaining how they work, Ben was curious at how it worked,
"So this gizmo will record everything I do?" Ben asked suspiciously as he didn't want everyone to find out everything he were doing….especially if what he and Akiko did in his Axman would be more than just a one occasion,
"Well just about though the codex mainframe which will be handled by your chief medical officer – in the clan such is usually handled by the Scientist-General under the authority of the Loremaster." The med-tech explained, Elisabeth who were there to supervise everything connected the dots at last at Ben's apprehensive expression of what had most likely been the cause to why Ben's Axman had been walking around as if he had been drunk before and couldn't stop a giggle to escape her lips before she covered her mouth with her hand,
Jim just looked at her oblivious as to what had been so funny.
At the tree Mark had at first fallen asleep and Maddy had stopped reading to continue caressing his brow gently, then she opened up the Clan Wolverine society file on her plex again and read about clan social structure,
Clan social structure is built around a caste system where each caste has its part for the benefit and survival of the clan, these are;
Warrior Caste – their task is to protect the clan both defensively and offensively, traditionally the smallest yet most powerful caste were it not for Khan McEvedy's reforms the caste is till the one looked up to and many sibcos dream is to become warriors.
Scientist Caste – their task is to preserve knowledge and the continued technological development in all fields.
Technician Caste – their task is to maintain the machinery, the weapons and vehicles the other castes use, they exists everywhere within clan society even as crews on various ships.
Merchant Caste – their task is to take care of the clans economical needs and handle trade, during military needs they handle transport duties as well.
Labourer Caste – the highly skilled workers of clan society are usually treated as little more than slaves by most of the loyalist clans, in Clan Wolverine they are highly appreciated for without them the other castes would starve and freeze and be homeless, all of clan society despite the bias towards them would not even exist if not for this caste.
Though Clan Wolverine has kept the same structure in both military as well as social, the castes are not as strict as within most of the loyalist clans – and some of the others like Clan Blood Spirit DID have similar ideals.
The better inter caste relationship was encouraged by the first Khan Sarah McEvedy herself,
Every member of Clan Wolverine are given at least basic training in how to handle the simplest weapons meaning that a member of the Labourer Caste with proficiency at piloting for example a Workmech or IndustrialMech would be called upon to pilot it in war.
Other known reforms were the ones made by Khan Nathaniel Taylor who added several new Trials to foster better inter caste relationships.
Maddy closed the file, she was amazed at how efficient this so called caste system seemed despite first impressions the Clan Wolverine social structure appeared ordered and yet socially equal but still…
"The Warrior Caste has too much representation, what they've done so far is very good." She thought and noticed Mark moving and sitting up,
"How are you feeling?" She asked and Mark yawned and stretched and then both turned to watch in the direction of heavy stomping, characteristic sounds of a mech and saw a couple of Powerman LoaderMechs stomping by with some heavy loads, Mark then turned back to her-
"Fine, you have a really soothing voice." He replied smiling that amazing smile which made her swoon after she collected herself,
"Thanks, though my brother would disagree with you." She then replied,
"You know, how come there are only five castes?" She then asked and Mark looked at her puzzled,
"I don't know, we don't need more I guess." He replied,
"In the clan you have the Khan who's the head of state and SaKhan who's sort of like a stand in if the actual Khan is not around and then a Loremaster and these three are always from the Warrior Caste then a representative from each of the other castes, that's three warriors, there should be a sixth caste…..a caste to be the watchers over the others a caste to speak for all castes…. A caste to be the dreamers….the philosophers….the teachers….a caste to sort of be the spiritual caste." Maddy rambled and now it was Marks turn to wonder how she did that without fainting from loss of oxygen.
Maddy saw the look on his face and realised she had been motor mouthing again and clasped her hand over her forehead,
"I'm sorry, I always do that….ramble I mean." She huffed apologetically,
"I know….I kind of like it." Mark said honestly and couldn't help but look at her adoringly as Maddy started blushing a little and moved closer as he also moved closer….and JUST when their lips were about to meet….
"Mister Mark, you're okay!" Zoe squealed as she came running at them and behind her came a slightly smirking Jim Shannon.
Then Zoe noticed Maddy's expression and realised-
"OH, did I interrupt your first kiss Maddy?" She said apologetically and looked really miserable as she really wanted her big sister to be happy, a few meters farther away Jim heard the word kiss and gave Mark an obliterating glare-
"I'm sorry Maddy, but Daddy said we were supposed to meet you here, please don't be mad at me!" Zoe said looking guilty but Maddy just hugged her.
"It's okay Zoe, I'm not mad at you." She assured her baby sister while noticing her dad glaring at Mark and directed an equally obliterating glare at Jim who noticed and were taken aback by Maddy's glare, she had never done that before,
"Maybe we should get you home Zoe?" Maddy suggested and together with Mark started packing up the picnic – the date was ruined thanks to her overprotective father….Maddy was deeply annoyed at him for this but did her best to not show this to Mark or Zoe.
"Miss Shannon, maybe I could escort you home?" Mark offered courteously, he understood why Jim Shannon were so protective, Mark would do the same after all.
"I don't think that'd be necessary Reynolds." Jim retorted perhaps a little too strict,
"I'd be delighted Star Commander Reynolds." Maddy replied giving Mark as good a smile as she could while shooting daggers at her father and took Mark's offered arm and took Zoe's hand with her other hand while Mark carried the basket.
They were walking past the newly built schoolhouse, there where people walking around everywhere from parents or older siblings picking up the youngest children from school to several members of the Pilgrim militia either on patrol or on their way home, the Shannon family's house were close to the command centre not far from the militia barracks that housed the militia men and women that had yet to start any family,
When they finally got home Jim had to follow Zoe in since she threatened to start playing with her toy animals in the bathtub – all of course a plan by Zoe so that Maddy and Mister Mark could have some privacy.
"Thank you for the date and for escorting us home Mark and I'm so sorry for my brother and my dad acting like children." Maddy thanked and apologized all in the same sentence which made Mark only admiring her even more, he bowed-
"It was my honour and privilege Maddy and if you wish it, I'd like to take you on a date again some time." Mark said and took her hand and gently touched her knuckles with his lips, Maddy felt her cheeks going hot again,
"Just breathe." She thought to herself,
"Yeah, I'd like that." She replied and kissed him on his cheek, Mark then straightened up and bowed a last time,
"Well then I'll see you again, perhaps later in the week?" He then asked,
"Yeah." Maddy nodded, she had been worried that her father's behaviour may have scared Mark off,
"I'll have to be on duty as soon as the medtechs clear me, I could come by the day after tomorrow." Mark said,
"I'll see you then, good bye." Maddy said and smiled again at him – a smile that was returned,
"Good, bye then….for now." Mark replied and turned and walked off.
Maddy walked in through the door to find Jim standing there arms crossed, which again infuriated her but since Maddy had never been one to start an argument so she simply ignored him and walked right past him towards her room,
"Wait a minute young lady, I'd like to know why you ignored me when I told Reynolds he did not need to escort you home?" Jim asked sternly and Maddy spun around dropping the basket on the floor and glared back at her father with a fire she never thought she had in her.
"YOU ruined my date, and using Zoe for that was really mean." She hissed.
"I learned a couple of things about these so called warriors, they are usually the same as any other warriors or bandits." Jim stated completely sure that he was right.
"Then you should read and LEARN about the laws and customs of the clan, something we could all learn from." Maddy retorted angrily.
"Don't use that tone with me young lady, and…." Jim started but Maddy spun around and marched straight into her room throwing herself on her bed with tears stinging behind her eyes.
"Maddy, get back here, I'm not finished." Jim shouted after her but she ignored him and Elisabeth entered through the door and saw Jim walking towards Maddy's door which he found that she had locked.
"Madelyn Mohini Shannon, you open this door right this instant." Jim demanded.
"Jim, calm down, what is happening here and why has Maddy apparently locked herself in her room?" Elisabeth asked with her usual calm voice with only the slightest stern tone.
"Maddy ignored me completely when I told this Reynolds guy that he did NOT need to escort her home." Jim huffed out, Elisabeth put her hand on his shoulder to calm him, just in that moment Ben and Kono walked in through the open door.
"Well you will not get her to listen when you're shouting at her." Elisabeth stated now more sternly, Jim at first glared but was put down by his wives eyes that seemed hard as opals and backed down and stomped away while Elisabeth talked calmly through the door to get her daughter to let her in.
Jim only now noticed both his brothers and for once Ben were the first to open his mouth-
"Okay, what did you do now?" He asked.
"ME?" Jim exclaimed.
And thanks to doctor anthony for proof reading!
And do not forget to read the TN stories that are out there, OH I'd like some good constructive reviews.