Chapter XX

Tranquil, Kerensky Cluster,
May 16, 3051

Abby had longed for this day a long time, standing in front of the great Star Colonel Natasha Kerensky, dressed in full military attributes, waiting for the result of her Trial of Position and her new unit. She never imagined, though, that she would do all that as the second best cadet of her sibko. She always imagined herself to be at the top of the heap.

Now she dreaded that she did not even qualify for the warrior's caste.

"First of all, congratulations on your Trial of Positions," Natasha started the briefing by the good news, making Abby exhaled in huge relief. "You are the two best cadets of your sibko, you have endured 20 years of hard training, and you have showed unimaginable toughness by staying alive in the program until the very end, while others quit, slipped to lower castes, or died. From this point on, you are adopted into Wolf's warrior caste. You are mechwarriors."

Then Natasha delivered the news that had haunted Abby since her loss. "Mechwarrior Abby of the Wolf, you showed skill and grit rarely seen in Wolf Touman. You dominated the program for 3 years as the best all-round cadet of your sibko. Your skill will be useful for the Dorbeng Garrison Cluster, Epsilon Galaxy at New Oslo. We are having trouble with local Inner Sphere resistance and mercenary barbarians. You will ship out in a week. You will report to Star Captain Oleg. He is a great leader. You can learn a lot from him."

Natasha turned to Darien. "Mechwarrior Darien of the Wolf, nothing can be said enough about your exceptional performance. Welcome to the 13th Wolf Guards! You come with me to regroup with the rest of the Wolf Guards at Satalice. Operation Revival will continue, and we will spearhead the Wolf Clan toward Terra."

Abby felt like the sky just fell upon her. Dorbeng Garrison Cluster? Epsilon Galaxy? That was a second-line unit. That was not what she envisioned her life would be. That was not a fair assessment of her true skill. That was a disgrace in her own world.

"Wait, wait, Ovkhan," Abby tried to buy out her assignment. "I am the best cadet in my sibko! I work harder than anybody else. You can confirm it with the trainers and technicians that had to stay late to accompany me in the simulator and battlemech training ground. I hold the most kill score among my sibko! I belong in the front line, Ovkhan, and I am ready to shed my blood for the glory of the Wolf Clan!"

"I believe you, Abby," Natasha replied. "I believe everything you said. You're just not what I'm looking for as a member of the 13th Wolf Guards."

"Ovkhan, that is absurd!" Abby snarled. Natasha's use of freebirth's contraction aggravated her to no end, and she lost her inhibition. "You may not like me to join your unit, but you cannot assign me a garrison duty! I do not belong in a second line unit!"

"Are you questioning my decision, Mechwarrior?" Natasha came back with flame in her eyes. Even though Abby towered over the old mechwarrior, her intensity made Abby shrink. "Do you want to solve this in the Circle of Equals?"

That was a death sentence for her career, and Abby knew it. She knew her place, and she knew the consequences of challenging somebody far up in rank, especially a bloodnamed war hero like Natasha Kerensky. "Neg, Ovkhan," she stepped down wisely. "Your decision will stand."

"My decision stands," Natasha grunted, showing a little displease. "Then you have your orders. Dismiss, Mechwarriors. Make the Wolf proud."

Natasha turned around and exited the briefing room, leaving the two new mechwarriors standing like a couple of statues. Abby turned to Darien, shooting biles from her eyes. "How dare you!" she hissed. "You know I work hard for a place in the 13th Wolf Guards! You know how much this means to me! How dare you to take it away from me! I thought you were my friend!"

"I am your friend, and I did think of taking a dive in our trial so you get the spot," Darien replied, burdened with regret. "But you tried to kill me, just like you killed Hector."

And it was when Abby realized that she brought everything upon herself. If only she didn't kill Hector, if only she didn't hit that alpha strike button, if only she was not overly aggressive chasing her dream…

"Well, then, congratulations," she said sarcastically. "I wish you a long and prosper life with the 13th."

It was a calculated insult, for Clan culture glorified short lives and deaths in the heat of battles. Wishing Darien a long life was the same as wishing him to be a solahma.

"I wish we could end this in a different way," Darien sighed morosely. "Good luck to you."

"Goodbye, Darien," Abby replied with a snort, then rushed to leave the room. She realized it was probably the last time they would see each other. Darien would go with the 13th to make a glorious dive toward Terra, the sacred origin of humanity, while she would be stranded in an obscure world called New Oslo, fighting local pests and mercenary. He would be busy chasing grandeur, while she would spend the rest of her life virtually unnoticed. There was little chance, if any, that they would cross path again in the future.

But nothing could be said or done. It was the end of their sibko days. Darien was gone, just as Hector, and although it was not the way she envisioned her life would be, she could consider herself fortunate that Natasha Kerensky didn't dump her on the merchant or laborer castes. She was still a mechwarrior, and maybe, just maybe, if fate favored her, her sacrifice would be noted in a few lines of the Remembrance, and her genetic material would be a testament of her accomplishment for years to come.

For Marissa, Darien's admittance into the 13th Wolf Guards was bittersweet news. She cared about him, and she was happy for him to receive the recognition by one of the most respected Wolf military leader in the Clan's history. But it also meant he would be transferred out of Tranquil to join the rest of the team. He promised her deliverance, and somehow she knew Darien would abandon his promise. She always knew that the good things between them would come to a premature end.

"So I will have to ship out to regroup with the rest of the team," Darien said, just like Marissa expected. "The Clan council had renewed Operation Revival, and the 13th Wolf Guards will be the dagger point for Wolf's renewed invasion. I will have to leave you for an indefinite period."

Marissa didn't answer. She had been living among Clanners for a long time, too long to notice that glory and honor were the most important aspects of their lives. She was naïve to think that everything would be different with Darien, that he would behave like a Spheroid. He did - within some boundaries – but still he was a Clanner. There were fundamentals that he wouldn't cross.

"You did not say anything," Darien muttered.

"What is it left to be said?" Marissa replied, fighting to steady up her shaky voice. "You are a part of an elite cluster now. It is your duty to carry the banner of the Wolf Clan. You cannot deny it. It is what you are made for. It is what you are."

Darien caught the unspoken animosity in her words, despite her best effort to hide it. "I wish we could finish our plan before this happens."

"That is alright, Darien, I understand," Marissa strained to smile. "The Gamma Galaxy will be deployed at Maestu. More likely than not Benten will take me to Maestu, although I think he will be busy with the invasion. Do not worry; I will survive."

"We are going deeper into Inner Sphere territory," Darien said in a more serious tone. "We are systematically wiping out Inner Sphere best military units. You will be taking part of it. How do you feel about it?"

"About what? About Clanners kicking Spheroid's butts?" Marissa gave him a shrug. "I was never a true Spheroid. I was a pirate, remember? Pirates do not have a fixed place in any society. Pirates lived by their own rules. I had not belonged to any successor state since I was seven. That part died long time ago."

"I have been trying to make the Wolf Clan as your home," Darien dipped his head into his chest. "I am at fault that we have not there yet. I wish we had more time."

Marissa bit her lips. "You have no idea how much you have done for me." She rested her head on Darien's wide shoulder. Then little by little she raised her head, wrapped her arms around his neck, and gave him a kiss.

"What is that for?" Darien stiffened.

"For good luck," Marissa offered him a smile. "You will need it." She kissed him again, warmer and longer this time. "That is a congratulation from me for making it to the warrior's caste and the 13th Wolf Guards. A very rare accomplishment." Then she pulled his head down. "And this is for making me feel like a human being." She locked her arms behind his neck, then savaged his lips with her own.

Darien was taken aback by the ferocity of her desire, but only for a little while. When he got his composure back, he matched her thirst, kiss by kiss, embrace by embrace, thrust by thrust. And when their bodies interwove in passion, the world evaporated around them. Nothing was important anymore, not the Inner Sphere invasion, not Natasha Kerensky, not Benten.

And the night had no end in sight.