Chapter 3: The Truth
'The last months of 3049 were… frustrating. Amongst other things. I had quickly realised that the Nightmare Horde was attacking from beyond the Inner Sphere, and yet, if I wanted to warn my family, I would need a way to explain my knowledge without appearing delusional. It didn't help, of course, that I didn't really know anything about the invaders in the real world and that I still hadn't made contact with Kelly.'
Diary of Katherine 'MadCat' Steiner-Davion
'Regular observation proves that Patient S-D's knowledge had no discernable source - my colleagues' assumption that she was merely showing an unprecedented but natural talent as a MechWarrior was laughably easy to refute, even though the narrow-minded so-called scientists still refuse to acknowledge that. It's ironic, in a twisted way, that the myth of the MechWarrior seems to hide and outshone something that, until today, has been thought to be a myth. I cannot help feeling that the key to unravelling this mystery is found in the archives of the Star League on Terra.'
Private notes of M.D. Phil Baker, NAIS Medical Center, New Avalon, 3049
The Nagelring, Tharkad, Federated Commonwealth, November 30th, 3049
"So, what do you think?" Victor asked with a wide smile.
Cat looked up at the 'Mech in front of her and replied: "That I could knock you out, steal your 'Mech and probably reach a dropship before anyone can stop me. But since I lack the funds to secure a passage and a waiting jumpship at a pirate point, you get to keep your 'Mech."
Victor laughed, but Cat was only half-joking. She really, really wanted this 'Mech. It was the same 'Mech that he had used in their simulator fight: A Victor bristling with advanced weapons and technology.
"You really want a royal Victor!"
"It's not a Royal Victor," she corrected him. "The SLDF doesn't have an official model with advanced technology."
"So speaks the expert, Professor Katherine."
Cat snorted. She had studied everything about her 'Mech, after all. "So you better believe it."
He laughed again. "But if there had been an official Royal Victor, this would have been it."
"A Royal Victor would've used Endo Steel." Use the saved mass for three and a half tons more armour, replace the fifteen heat sinks with ten double heat sinks, use the free mass for two more medium lasers and to upgrade the SRM-4 to an SRM-6 and install CASE for the gauss rifle and the ammo.
Victor shook his head. "Good luck persuading Mum and Dad to change the assembly lines just for you."
"I can't even get them to send a relief force for the Kell Hounds," Cat grumbled.
"They're overdue, but that's nothing unusual for trips in the Periphery," Victor said after a moment. "And they're the Kell Hounds. Even one battalion of them can fight off anyone in the Periphery foolish enough to go after them."
Cat scoffed. "Pride comes before a fall." If they faced the Nightmare Horde without any idea about their capabilities, things would turn out badly for them. Probably had turned out badly for them.
"I didn't know you were so fond of Cousin Phelan."
Cat barely remembered the boy. But Victor was watching her quite intently - he wasn't nearly as subtle as he probably thought he was. So she clenched her teeth. "He's family. And the Kell Hounds are amongst the best regiments we can call upon. If they lose a battalion, the least we can do is look for them. If they were beaten, then we're dealing with a potential threat to half of our realm."
"Or they suffered a misjump," Victor retorted.
"Even more of a reason to send out a scouting force." She was tempted to just tell him the truth and then wait until she was vindicated by the coming invasion, even if that meant she would be sent into an asylum… but by then, it would be too late. No, she had to find a better way.
"We did."
"I don't mean a few hired civilian jumpships with a Leopard as cover. I mean a force large enough to outfight a force that could beat a battalion of Kell Hounds."
"Since they disappeared while working for the Rasalhague, and on their border to the periphery, moving your 'scouting force' there would cause a lot of tensions. Or worse," Victor pointed out.
"Stupid politics," Cat hissed.
Victor laughed. "Welcome to my future. But if it's any consolation: If there is a mysterious force out in the Periphery, they'll hit the Rasalhague borders first!"
"It's not a consolation," she told him. "And I don't like that you're headed there."
"That's politics as well. A sign of detente, mirroring Hohiro Kurita." Victor shrugged. "I actually wanted a posting directly on the border to the Periphery. Better chances of seeing action there."
Cat rolled her eyes. Victor was worse than the usual glory hound recruit. "You shouldn't wish to see action," she told him.
"I need combat experience if anyone is supposed to take me seriously once I take the throne." Victor looked around. "You know the troubles Mum had after she became Archon - and she's a Steiner. I'm a Steiner-Davion!"
Cat shrugged. "Mum and Dad will be around for a long time. You'll get your chance to shoot a few Dracs sooner or later." Or the Nightmare Horde.
"Or Capellans," Vicor added.
She refrained from glaring at him. He didn't know about Kelly. Couldn't know. "You'll have to find the Capellans first - they're sneaky." Very sneaky. Especially in a Raven. Hell, Kelly would so school Victor in a duel as long as it happened in urban terrain!
"Sneakier than your mysterious force out in the Periphery?"
She clenched her teeth. "You saw the reports." She had personally shown him Nondi's reports."
"Rumours. Nothing concrete." He shrugged. And he was still watching her while trying to be subtle. "A couple Frankenmechs is no threat."
Cat scoffed once more. "Unless they manage to wipe out a battalion of Kell Hounds."
Victor nodded, but it was clear that he didn't take her concerns seriously.
And he wouldn't let her pilot his 'Mech, either. Such a sore loser!
Royal Palace, Unity City, Dreamland, December 5th, 3049
Entering Dreamland was getting easier, Kelly found as she woke up in her room in the Palace. She had reduced the dose twice now and still succeeded.
However, she still hadn't managed to fall asleep quickly enough to avoid getting all messed up - a glance into the mirror mounted above her dresser showed that she needed to at least restyle her hair.
Well, that wouldn't take a long time. Unless there was an emergency, you had no excuse to appear dishevelled, after all. Especially when meeting the First Lord of the Star League.
She quickly bruised her hair - it was getting a bit longer, now, which might not work very well with a neurohelmet, she noted - and slipped into her uniform. A proper dress uniform, not an open coolant vest over a tank top and shorts, like Cat often preferred.
Kelly smiled as she imagined Cat having to dress like a noble now, under pressure from her family. Would Cat's stubbornness see her through? Or would she give in in order to fit in with her family? Once again, she wondered if she should ask Father about such information. The Maskirovka would be aware of any such development - but if Kelly asked, she would also draw attention to her interest.
Sighing, she checked her appearance, nodded after she couldn't find anything at fault, and left her room. At this time of the evening, Alex would be in his quarters. Probably. Unless there was an emergency - but they would've told her about that.
A short walk later, she knocked on the door to Alex's quarters. Giving in to a sudden silly urge, she looked up and waved with a smile at the concealed camera installed above her. Cat would've done that.
The door opened, and she found herself face to face with Nastajia. "Good! You're finally here. I need you to tell Alex that he's being an idiot."
Kelly blinked. "Pardon?"
"Nastajia doesn't like the plan I've come up with to get Cat back to us," Kelly heard Alex's voice.
Nastajia clenched her teeth and turned around, almost stomping towards the living room. Kelly grimaced behind her back and followed the elf.
Alex was sitting in his favourite spot on the couch, dressed in uniform pants and a tank top. He waved at her. "Kelly! I've found the solution to our problems!"
"Really?" Kelly asked as she sat down on the couch opposite him and nodded at Felicity, who was, once again, sprawled across an armchair in a way that would hurt the spine of a normal human.
"No," Nastajia snapped. "It's suicide!"
"Well, I wouldn't go that far," Felicity said. "His plan is dangerous, but it's not a suicide mission. And I'm speaking as an infiltration expert here."
"Thief," Nastajia hissed.
"Former thief!" Felicity stuck out her tongue at her friend.
"So," Kelly spoke up, "would anyone explain the proposed plan to me?"
"I go back to Terra with my code key - but wearing a Nighthawk suit!" Alex grinned. "They won't expect that, allowing me to easily get away from any surveillance placed on the location thanks to being invisible!"
"Unless they sealed off the entire room or building," Kelly pointed out. "Or placed explosives ready to blow up the area." That's what Father would've done if he had been in charge of the investigation.
"I doubt they would do that - it's an apartment in the middle of Chicago," Alex told her.
That wouldn't stop Father. And she doubted that it would stop ComStar.
"See? It's too dangerous!" Nastajia repeated herself.
"It's a calculated risk. First, why would they expect me to return to the apartment? They only know I was last seen there. And it's been years." Alex shook his head.
"They might suspect you were using a stealth suit," Felicity said, sitting up. "And take precautions. They, too, had years to prepare."
"In the middle of Chicago?" Alex didn't look convinced.
"They might be prepared to chase down a stealth suit," Kelly told him.
"They would need to catch me, first." Alex grinned.
"You want to play tag with ComStar?" Nastajia glared at him.
"It's the best way to contact Cat."
"It's the best way to get yourself caught! Or killed!" Nastajia retorted. "We can't save you - we can't leave Dreamland!"
Kelly pressed her lips together, then forced herself to relax a little. This was… well, it wasn't just between Alex and Nastajia since it concerned Cat and Kelly, but not even Felicity would be so reckless as to step between those two right now - the catgirl looked as if she was trying to become part of the armchair she was occupying.
"We can't leave Cat out there!" Alex retorted. "I can't abandon her. And this is a calculated risk. It's been years since I was on Terra. Not even ComStar will have kept guards ready to intervene. They are bound to have grown lax. And if there's trouble, all I need to do is get away long enough to fall asleep and return."
"You can't sleep in the middle of a fight!" Nastajia put both her hands on her hips and bared her teeth. "Not even Felicity managed that, no matter her claims to the contrary!"
Felicity, Kelly noted, wasn't protesting. But… Kelly sighed. "Drugs, she said. "Take drugs that can put you to sleep almost instantly."
"Knocking himself unconscious won't help," Nastajia retorted. With a glare, she added: "He tried that, literally, when he was younger."
"Hey! I was testing a hypothesis!"
"You were hurting yourself!"
"I wasn't talking about knock-out drugs," Kelly explained. "But I'm somewhat familiar with various drugs. There are enhanced sleeping pills that would manage to force Alex to sleep, I believe. Although I cannot say how quickly that would work."
"Oh."
"Well, let's test it!" Alex smiled at her.
"I will test them," Kelly said. "I can claim I have trouble sleeping now. It won't be a bother." And it was the least she could do if Alex was willing to risk his life for Cat and her.
Nastajia nodded. Alex opened his mouth, but an elbow from Nastajia shut him up.
"But," Kelly went on, "what are you going to do if you get away from any ComStar surveillance?"
Alex smiled widely at her. "Why, go to ComStar, of course, and send a priority message! After I recovered some of the funds that my illustrious ancestors have hidden away on Terra."
Nastajia elbowed him again.
Royal Palace, Unity City, Dreamland, December 7th, 3049
"See? It works!" Alex beamed at a glaring Nastajia. "Kelly tested it and she went out like a light in a few seconds!"
Kelly didn't duck her head, but she kept quiet. She wasn't about to draw any more attention to her than absolutely necessary when Nastajia was angry. The elven archer wasn't quite as… generous in assigning guilt like Mother was when it came to threats to her friends and family, but why tempt fate?
Nastajia crossed her arms. "Kelly tested her own drugs. We don't have them available here."
"We can synthesise them. " Alex waved his hand. "Nothing to it. Unity University is the best in the Star League."
"The best in Dreamland," Nastajia countered. "That doesn't mean we can easily copy the work of Kelly's scientists."
"We've got more people. More funds. More educated people," Alex said. "Anything the Confederation - or even ComStar - can do, we can do better!"
Kelly smiled politely. While not flattering, it was the truth. That didn't mean she had to like it. Then again, Alex was a child of Terra, but he showed no malice or arrogance. Kelly knew what arrogance looked like. "We don't have the formula," she pointed out. She had the documentation - in her room. Other than your sleepwear, nothing you held or touched was carried over when you entered Dreamland. Unless you wore Alex's special code key.
"But you've seen the formula and wrote most of it down," Alex said. "A few more nights, and you'll have enough for our scientist."
Felicity chuckled. "And it'll be good for them to have something to do. Who knows what else they might come up with if they are bored?"
Nastajia winced at that, then glared at the catgirl. "We know what they can concoct."
Felicity's eyes widened, and her tail dropped. "Right."
Kelly pressed her lips together. They were talking about the usurper's regime. Before Alex had toppled him. That had been before her time. It hadn't been as bad as Amaris's coup - not nearly as bad - but the things some people had invented...
"Anyway," Alex spoke up with a wide smile. "We're one step closer to contacting Cat. That calls for a celebration. A private one," he quickly added with a glance at Nastajia.
"Yes. We don't want any rumours that the First Lord is addicted to drugs," she told him.
"What's eating you?" Felicity asked, contorting herself so she was on her back and looking at them with her head hanging over the edge of her seat. "You're usually not as high-strung."
That was correct, Kelly knew. Nastajia was generally more serious and stern than Alex or Paddington, much less Felicity or Kiwi. 'Someone has to be', as she usually claimed. And she was effectively Alex's right hand, his XO. But this was a little much even for her.
The elf sighed and sat down in her favourite seat. "Children from the Periphery have been talking about attacks on their homes. We're still collecting the locations - many of them don't even know the name of their planet - but the attacks they describe match the Nightmare Horde.
Kelly pressed her lips together while Felicity hissed.
"So, they're coming to invade the Inner Sphere," Alex said. "That makes it even more urgent to contact Cat."
"Indeed," Kelly agreed. And she would have to think of the best way to warn her family.
The Triad, Tharkad City, Tharkad, Federated Commonwealth, December 24th, 3049
Watching the lavishly decorated Christmas tree in the throne room, which dwarfed even the two Griffins serving as guards, Cat couldn't help sighing. Her second Christmas in a row without Kelly. Granted, she had woken up one day before Christmas, but still! After almost one year, she should've found a way to contact Kelly!
Instead, she was stuck celebrating Christmas with her family and, oh, about a quarter of the nobility of the Federated Commonwealth. Most of them useless wastes of space. Idiots who thought she was a sheltered debutante who'd fall for the first attractive young nobleman - or noblewoman - courting her. Hell, even if she were a naive girl who was still recovering from her coma, did they really think her parents would let her fall for such a wastrel? Mum and Dad would send anyone trying to manipulate her to the most desolate planet in the Commonwealth. That was evident by the man she'd been partnered with for the evening.
"Feeling melancholic?"
She snorted as she turned to face Kai. "Frustrated is more like it," she said.
"Not because of me, I hope," he said with a shy smile. "It wasn't my idea to be your escort."
No, because you aren't the Liao I want to spend Christmas with. She didn't say that, of course. Instead, she sighed again. "Kai… telling a girl that you're only spending time with her because of orders isn't a good way to earn any brownie points."
He blushed a little. "I'm not under orders!" He cleared his throat. "Your parents asked me to keep you company, and I agreed."
She raised her eyebrows at him and cocked her head slightly to the side. "And those weren't orders?"
"It was a request. A request I gladly agreed to, even if I didn't think of it myself," he protested.
She nodded in return. She could believe that. Kai was a great MechWarrior, very attractive, if you liked boys, and as smart as you expected the child of Dad's chief spymaster to be. But he was a little too shy for his own good. "And so you dumped the girl of your dreams to spend the evening playing bodyguard."
"What girl of my dreams?" He scoffed. "Besides, if I am with you, I won't get accosted by the golddiggers amongst the guests."
Cat snorted again. "Don't tell me you can't handle a debutante."
"I can. But I would prefer to spend Christmas Even having fun."
"I'm sorry, but they won't allow us to borrow the guards' 'Mechs. I already asked." She laughed when his eyes widened in brief surprise.
"That's your idea of fun?" He shook his head. "I heard you couldn't wait until you would be allowed to enter the Academy, but I didn't really…" He trailed off.
She shrugged. "They only let me do simulations." Then she beamed at him. "Of course, if you took me on a tour in your 'Mech, and then let me pilot it…"
He took a step back. "What? No!"
"Please?" She imitated Felicity's best pleading expression.
He blushed again. "No! Besides, it's not my 'Mech, it's the AFFC's! And it's a Hatchetman - I thought you wanted a Victor?"
She sighed once more. "I would take a Wasp as long as I could actually take it out of the hangar." Simulations just weren't the same. And she knew her brain could handle it, no matter what some overly cautious quack claimed.
"Well, you can start training next year," Kai said.
"I wish," Cat muttered. "And I didn't get a 'Mech for Christmas, either."
"A 'Mech for Christmas?"
"I missed ten birthdays and Christmases," she explained. "That should be enough to get me a 'Mech." Hell, it's not as if Mum and Dad couldn't afford one!
Kai chuckled. "Well, I think you'll have to be content with receiving a 'Mech once you finish your training."
Cat clenched her teeth. She was a veteran, damn it! An officer in the SLDF! Not that anyone here knew that - or would believe her. Her simulator results weren't enough. She forced herself to sigh. "That's another four years." She couldn't wait so long to get Dragonslayer back! And Kelly… She had to find a way to get back with Kelly!
"They will pass quickly once you're at an academy. You'll be so busy, you'll wish you had more time."
She'd doubted that - she'd gone through boot camp already. "This is so frustrating."
Kai shrugged in response. "We've all gone through it. And compared to others, we're very privileged."
Cat sighed. Kai must be thinking that she was some spoiled little girl unwilling to put in the work to become a MechWarrior. And she couldn't correct him. Great. Perhaps she really should look for a child who was still visiting Dreamland… No. That would make her look crazy rather than spoiled.
So, what could she… She narrowed her eyes. Was that Precentor Tharkad walking towards her?
It was. Cat tensed for a moment before reminding herself that she had the best protection detail available. If the man meant her any harm, he would never have been let into the Triad, let alone near her. The Steiner-Davions hadn't forgotten how ComStar had interfered in the 4th Succession War and the War of 3039.
But officially, everything was fine, so she smiled at the man. "Precentor." She inclined her head. No need to be overly polite, though.
"Princess Steiner Davion." If the man took offence at her slight, his perfect courtier's bow didn't show it. "Lord Allard-Liao." A slightly smaller bow followed before he turned back to Cat. "I have a message for you."
What? "I wasn't aware that delivering messages was part of your duties," she replied. Unless it was a message from ComStar itself. But why would they want to contact her? Unless, she thought with a sinking feeling, they know what has happened to Kelly and me.
"Oh, as Blessed Blake said, we should never forget that ComStar's primary duty is to connect people. Personally delivering a message is a good reminder of that." He smiled in that fake way of his as he pulled an envelope out of his pocket and held it out to her.
She hesitated a moment. The security detail would have scanned the man, but they wouldn't have searched him. And ComStar wouldn't be as crazy as to attack her - even if they knew about Cat and Kelly, and Dreamland, they wouldn't risk the retribution this would cause.
She took the envelope. "Still, to be delivered by you in person…" This must have cost a fortune. Her eyes widened a moment. Had Kelly managed to get an agent of the Maskirovka to send this? The handwriting on the envelope was unfamiliar, but that was to be expected. She quickly ripped it open, ignoring Kai's wincing at her crude gesture. He was worse than Kelly about that.
She unfolded the letter inside and gasped before she could help it. It was a poem. Alex's favourite poem. That meant… She blinked. What did it mean?
She had no idea.
"I hope it was good news," the Precentor commented, not too subtly fishing for information.
"It's a poem," she told him and Kai, who stopped trying to get a peek at the letter.
"A secret admirer, then? I jest," the Precentor said.
"It's not signed," she told him. It didn't have to be,
"An anonymous letter?" Kai frowned. "And you delivered it?"
"Unfortunately, ComStar guarantees discretion to all our clients."
She shrugged. "Well, if anyone spent so much money on anonymously sending me a poem, the least I can do is respect their wishes." She folded the letter and was about to stuff it into her pocket when she remembered that her dress didn't have any pockets.
Damn.
Perhaps she could claim she was tired and retire so she could analyse the letter? No, that would make her look suspicious.
"I can..." Kai started to say, raising his hand, but Cat stuffed the letter into the top of her dress.
"Yes?"
"Nothing." He was smiling, apparently amused, but he was the son of Candace Liao and Dad's spymaster. Whatever Cat had done would go straight by to her parents.
And she still had no idea what the poem meant.
Great.
The Triad, Tharkad City, Tharkad, Federated Commonwealth, December 25th, 3049
The enemy 'Mech was caught out in the open. No more buildings to hide behind. No more rocks to provide cover. No more trees to conceal it. Just a plain field between her Victor and the enemy.
Cat bared her teeth and kicked her 'Mech into a run, charging her enemy. She just had to cross half a click and she would be able to bring her Pontiac to bear and turn the damn enemy 'Mech into scrap.
The enemy 'Mech fired his own autocannon at her, hitting her square in the centre, large-calibre shells leaving the armour dented and broken.
She scoffed. She wasn't piloting Dragonslayer, but she had armour to spare - especially on the torso. She could eat a few more volleys without trouble. And the enemy 'Mech wasn't even trying to fall back and keep its distance! Hah! Almost in range...
The Hatchetman rose into the air. Cat cursed as it ruined her aim and raised her 'Mechs arm. The enemy was…
Jumping towards her? Her eyes widened as she tried to compensate, stopping her 'Mechs mad charge. She just needed one volley! And the enemy was coming straight at her! She couldn't miss it! Clenching her teeth, she centred her crosshairs on its torso and squeezed the trigger.
But the Hatchetman somehow twisted in the air - firing the jump jets independently to change direction! Not much, just enough to make her miss its torso and hit its left arm instead, which was ripped clean off by the full salvo from her Pontiac, followed by her lasers stabbing into the left torso and her SRMs going… anywhere, actually. Damn!
Any other 'Mech caught like that, with its jump jets firing, should have been blown out of the sky, smashing into the ground.
Not this one, though. She saw the one-armed form twist in the air, come down on both legs - and charge her! Another autocannon volley ripped into her torso while her own still cycled, her two lasers missed the gap in its armour and melted metal over its torso. And then it was in her face, hatchet rising as it ducked under her wild swing…
...and the blade cleaved into her 'Mech's torso, slicing into her gyro.
Her Victor froze, and the last thing she saw before the screen went dark was the ground coming up.
Cat closed her eyes and forced herself to calm down. Four matches. Four straight losses against a 'Mech half the weight of hers! Urban combat, rocky hills, jungle fighting and now even plains arena. She clenched her teeth. How did Kai do it? How did he keep beating her? She was a combat veteran! She had taken on Horde 'Mechs!
Another few deep breaths and she opened the hatch of the simpod some past Archon had installed in the Triad centuries ago and climbed out. "Congratulations," she said. The words tasted like ashes in her mouth - at least, that's what Kelly would say. Cat just called it losing. But that wasn't the worst about this.
"You fought well, Katherine. You almost had me at the end - with a bit of luck, that last salvo would have cored my 'Mech. And if you hadn't slipped on the pavement in the first match, I doubt I would have lasted long enough to win." Kai smiled at her.
No, the worst was that Kai was so incredibly nice about it and meant it. So she couldn't even be mad at him.
Worst Christmas ever.
Royal Palace, Unity City, Dreamland, December 25th, 3049
"Whee!"
"Tag you're it!"
"No fair!"
"Stop!"
"Make me!"
Kelly, freshly clad in her uniform and about to leave her room, had to take a hasty step back to avoid getting bowled over by a bunch of enthusiastic little children apparently playing tag in the hallways. Well, they had disappeared around the corner, so now it should be...
"Watch out!"
"Gangway!"
"Coming through!"
Kelly ducked her head under a trio of young faeries that flew past in a chaotic tumble of shifting formations. She didn't complain or yell at them - it would've been pointless. The little ones rarely cared and even less frequent remembered admonishments. Especially if no one had been hurt.
Sighing, she closed the door and started to make her way to the ballroom. She had to dodge another running bunch of screaming children, their mouths smeared with ice cream and chocolate pudding, but reached the door without stumbling over or into anyone.
The two rock giants standing guard in power armour, as tall as Kelly's Song Jiang, saluted as she stepped through the open, 'Mech-sized doors. The ballroom was packed with officers, nobles and delegates from all the planets and people of Dreamland. And children. Many, many children. Christmas was the most important holiday in Dreamland thanks to them, after all, and they took advantage of that to gorge themselves on cake and sweets while waiting for Alex, dressed up as Santa Claus, to hand out their presents. Alex and Nastajia, dressed as one of Santa Claus's elves.
Kelly grinned at the sight, though she knew better than to joke about it. Nastajia loathed this part of the celebration. Most elves did, actually. But there was no helping it - kids expected Santa Claus to have elves. Or so Alex claimed. He probably just liked the stern Nastajai to loosen up a little. Which she generally did after a bottle or two worth of eggnog.
Well, it was no skin off her butt, as Cat would say. Kelly snagged a plate with finger food and a flute of champagne and started circulating around the room. Alex and Nastajia would be busy for the next hour or two, and Paddington was showing off a new dance move on the giant-proofed part of the dance floor, but Felicity and Kiwi were at the buffet, plundering the fish and cake stocks, respectively.
Kelly smiled as she walked over to them, dodging a few more children who mistook dancing for flailing their arms and turning in circles. It was chaotic and loud - terribly loud, with half the children yelling and screaming at any moment - but it was also great. And she didn't have to watch her back here. She had missed this. Missed it terribly.
If only Cat were here with her, then this would be a perfect Christmas.
The Triad, Tharkad City, Tharkad, Federated Commonwealth, December 26th, 3049
Cat sighed as she stared at the poem she had received. What did it mean? It had to mean something; Alex wouldn't send her just a poem. He wouldn't risk returning to Terra just for that. At least, Nastajia wouldn't let him do it.
There must be a message hidden in the poem. Hidden so well, only she would be able to decipher it.
Hidden a little too well, she thought, clenching her teeth with frustration. She had no idea what the message was. They really should have exchanged some codes before leaving, even though there was no way she would've been able to bring a one-time pad back with her. On the other hand, any code that she would be able to remember would likely be cracked by LIC or MIIO. And that wouldn't be a good thing. Well, it depended on what Alex's message was. If he was counting on his encryption being impossible to defeat…
Wait!
She grabbed the message again. She had heard the poem before, and it looked perfect, but… She used her pad to run a quick search for the poem, then compared the two versions. Yes. There were subtle differences. 'That' instead of 'which'. 'One' instead of 'A'. So, the poem she had received had been changed compared to the original. But what did the changes mean? How could she decrypt them? She had never studied encryption techniques, other than that lesson at the academy, and that had been a simple exercise.
She blinked. An exercise in encrypting and decrypting messages with the help of other texts who'd serve as cypher.
She muttered a few curses Kelly would scold her for. Alex expected her to remember the damn cypher from an exercise she had five years ago? There were words for people like him! None of them polite!
What had been the stupid poem they had used to help remember the cypher? Something about a sunset and chocolate. When the sun's set, chocolate you get? No, that was a stupid advertising jingle. Ah, yes!
The sun is setting. The children are safe at home. Chocolate is melting
Cat still thought that this was a Kuritan advertising line. But it could serve as a cypher. Provided she still remembered the code derived from it. And if she used it only once, it should be safe enough.
But she had to do it all in her head, or her parents' intelligence services would find out about it.
She sighed. This was such a pain! But it was her best chance to meet Kelly again. And the rest of her friends. She had done worse in training - the staff members at the academy were sadists. She could do this. She had to do this.
An hour later, she wanted to curse. What kind of message was 'Meriandreoxyn'?
The Triad, Tharkad City, Tharkad, Federated Commonwealth, December 27th, 3049
"Katherine. Please sit down."
Cat suppressed a frown. Mum and Dad were smiling at her, sitting next to each other on the couch in the living room in Mum's suite here. It looked harmless, but they were too tense for a simple talk about next year - she could tell.
She still sat down, with her back straight and her head held high. Kelly would approve. Then she twisted and dropped one leg over the armrest of her armchair. "You said you wanted to talk?"
Mum frowned a little. Good. So it couldn't be too serious.
"Yes." Dad nodded, then glanced at Mum.
And Cat's stomach started to drop again. Dad was never so cagey unless it was something bad. Or something that would make Mum mad. But Mum was here with him. Damn.
"We're very happy to see how much progress you've made since you woke up," Mum said. "And we're very impressed by how much you learned and by the talent for piloting a 'Mech that you've displayed. Very few people could've done the same."
"Does that mean I get a Victor?" Cat blurted out. "For New Year's?"
Mum and dad laughed, but it didn't sound honest.
"It's actually part of what we need to discuss," Dad said. "You've shown skills in the simulator that, well… you didn't learn."
Oh! Cat refrained from wincing. "I've got talent," she replied. "Everyone said so. I just know how to move in a 'Mech." Which was true - the instructors in Dreamland had said so as well.
"Oh, yes. But you also knew how to handle radios, identify 'Mechs, and how to move a 'Mech through rough terrain. Things that aren't instinctual. Not without a lot of training," Dad said.
Oops. Cat should have hidden her skills better. But it had been hard to hold back when she had finally been allied into real simulators. "I read up on everything."
"Sometimes after the fact," he replied.
Right. Cat was a MechWarrior, not a spy. She would make small mistakes like that.
Mum leaned forward. "Katherine… You know things you couldn't know. And you're not alone."
Oh? Her eyes widened before she could control herself. Were they talking about Kelly?
They changed another glance. They had noticed her reaction. But they couldn't know anything else. Cat cocked her head to the side. "What do you mean?"
"Kali Liao has been in the same coma as you were," Dad said. "We haven't been able to pinpoint the exact time and date, but what we know closely matches your, ah, coma."
"Oh." Of course, they would know about that. Cat had been stupid to expect anything else.
Dad leaned forward. "And while she hasn't shown any talent as a MechWarrior, she has shown remarkable knowledge about Star League caches and bases."
Cat blinked. Kelly hadn't shown any talent as MechWarrior? Either MIIO and LIC had failed - which was possible; the Maskirovka was amongst the best intelligence agencies - or Kelly had deliberately hidden her skill. And the Star League knowledge… Why would she share this? Other than loyalty to her realm and family, probably.
She bit her lower lip at the thought. What if Kelly had chosen her family over Cat? She had a sinking feeling in her stomach. Kelly wouldn't do that. Not after all the time they had spent together! She had to trust her.
But Mum was nodding. "Yes. And you've demonstrated knowledge about 'Mechs and tactics that you couldn't have learned since you've woken up."
Damn. Cat clenched her teeth. How could she get out of this? If her parents knew what she knew and could do, she'd… Oh. She put her hands on her knees and lowered her head. "I was afraid you'd send me to the loony bin if I told you what I knew."
"Oh, Katherine!" Mum moved to her and wrapped her arms around her. "We'd never do that!"
Cat had some doubts about that - especially since Dad nodded just a little belatedly. But it felt good to be hugged by Mum.
"So… what happened?" Dad asked after Mum released her.
Cat took a deep breath. "I dreamt. Of 'Mechs and war. I piloted a Victor."
"And that's how you learned to pilot a 'Mech?" Mum asked. Dad looked a little sceptical.
"Yes. I learned it while dreaming," Cat replied. "I went through training." Proper training, too. Once they had stayed in Dreamland, of course.
"Did you… did you dream that you were older?" Mum asked, after another glance to Dad.
Cat frowned. Why was that important? "No," she said.
"And you learned how to pilot a 'Mech?" Mum frowned.
"Many children from MechWarrior families start early," Dad reminded her.
"But at her age?" Mum wasn't happy. Cat didn't know why. Knowing how to pilot a 'Mech was a good thing! "And you dreamt of war?"
Oh, that. Right, Mum wouldn't like that. "We were attacked in our dreams," Cat told her. "By the same 'Mechs that Aunt Nondi showed me! The same 'Mechs that destroyed the Kell Hounds' battalion!"
Uh. Mum frowned at her. "The Kell Hounds are an elite unit. The odds that they were destroyed are low."
"They are long overdue!" Cat protested. "And the Nightmare Horde are elite MechWarriors too! And they have better 'Mechs!"
"You think they were attacked by the enemies from your dreams?" Dad didn't believe her. Not with that face.
"Not the same that we fought in our dreams. We beat them. But their real-life counterpart," Cat told him.
"Who fought them with you?" Dad asked. "Our, ah, 'counterparts'?"
"No. The SLDF, First Royals," Cat replied at once.
"The SLDF?" And Mum looked sceptical as well. "With General Kerenski?"
"No. With Alexander Cameron," Cat told them, clenching her teeth again. "The First Lord of the Star League. In Dreamland."
"Ah." Another glance to Dad. And both looked… worried.
"You received a mysterious message for Christmas. A poem," Dad said.
"That was from Alex," Cat said. "His favourite poem."
"So, you met him in your dream, and then he sent you a message from Terra?" Mum looked very worried now.
"And what does the poem mean?" Dad asked.
"I don't know," Cat said. In for a penny, in for a pound, as Felicity liked to say. "What does 'Meriandreoxyn' mean?
"'Meriandreoxyn'?" Dad asked. "That wasn't in the poem."
"It was an old code we used in the SLDF," Cat explained.
"Ah." Dad pressed his lips together.
And Cat understood. They thought she was… well, crazy, compromised or both.
So much for 'the truth shall set you free'. If Kelly heard about this, she'd never let her forget it.
Forbidden City, Sian, Capellan Confederation, January 5th, 3050
Kelly schooled her features as she approached the dining room. Mother had been in a good mood when she had announced a family dinner, but she had a mercurial temperament. If anything had happened since the call to annoy her, she wouldn't be in a forgiving mood.
And Kelly wasn't in any position to risk earning her mother's ire. So she entered with a smile - warmer than merely polite, of course, but not outrageous. Nothing that would cause observers to wonder what might have put her into such a good mood. Or what she might be hiding under her facade. Not that her brother wouldn't be wondering, anyway. Wondering and plotting, of course - it seemed to be everything Sun-Tzu was doing these days.
If she had grown up on Sian instead of in Dreamland, would she have grown up like him? Kelly hoped she would have turned out better.
A servant opened the door. Kelly didn't acknowledge either her or the two guards - that would only make more people wonder about their loyalties.
"Good evening, Mother. Father." She nodded at her parents then walked to her seat. This was a family dinner, after all, so she didn't have to be overly formal. It shouldn't be overly formal, either.
"Kali, dear!" Mother smiled widely at her. So, she was in a good mood. Father was more reserved but also smiling.
That meant there hadn't been any bad news. Kelly sat down, automatically smoothing her silk robes to avoid them getting wrinkled.
"I have the best news!" Mother announced.
Kelly couldn't help but glance at the empty seat of her brother.
"Oh, Sun-Tzu already knows." Mother waved her hand. "Your rival suffered an 'episode'," she went on with a gleeful expression. "Katherine Steiner-Davion has been withdrawn from public, and her security has been increased quite significantly."
Kelly felt her stomach drop but kept herself from reacting other than tilting her head and asking, in as calm a voice as she could manage: "An episode?"
"Yes. They didn't announce it, of course, but your father's operatives found out that the Palace on Tharkad has hired more psychologists." Mother's smile grew even wider, and her perfect teeth flashed in the slightly dimmed light. "It seems whatever you are handling so expertedly was too much for her mind."
"Oh." Cat had a breakdown? Or something worse? Or… She had been caught using the drug that Alex's message had been about? In any case, it was bad news. Very bad. "Was this confirmed?" Kelly asked, forcing herself to keep smiling.
"We're working on it," Father told her. "But it's a very delicate operation, and we cannot risk our best operatives rashly."
"Yes. They need to be ready should we have to eliminate the girl," Mother added. "We cannot risk Hanse Davion getting access to such an asset."
Kelly nodded again in apparent agreement, but it took a great deal of effort. They wanted to kill Cat! For being a critical asset to the Steiners and Davions!
Like she was for her own house.
Before she could word a suitable comment, Sun-Tzu entered the room, apologising to their parents for being late - even though he wasn't late at all.
"Did you tell Kali about her rival's fate already?" he asked as he sat down.
"I've just informed Kali," Mother replied.
And Kelly's brother smiled with such fake warmth at her that Kelly was torn between the urge to run and the urge to shoot him. At least in the leg.
What was his game? What did he know?
The Triad, Tharkad City, Tharkad, Federated Commonwealth, January 7th, 3049
Left hook. Turn with the blow. Raise the arm, grab your hand and reverse, striking with the left elbow. Turn with the blow, drop down in a crouch, and pivot, sweeping the legs… Well, passing underneath the punching bag.
Cat sighed as she got up and walked over the mat to her towel. Half a dozen people in the gym tracked her with their eyes, and she knew it wasn't because she was wearing tight exercise clothes. No, they were keeping an eye on her so she wouldn't do anything crazy. Like trying to run away. Or steal a 'Mech. Or get some Capellan experimental drug so she could finally see her friends in Dreamland again. Which her stupid parents refused to accept existed.
She wiped some sweat from her face then let the towel conceal her face while she scowled. She shouldn't have told them anything. They didn't even trust her about the Horde - even though they knew about Kelly finding Star League caches.
And now she was stuck. And stupid Victor would probably be killed by the Horde once they launched their invasion because he was too close to the border and had no clue about the Horde. Well, he should have a clue - she sent him a message warning him. Or tried to have it sent; Dad had told her something about making sure it reached Victor, but not that he had actually sent it.
Damn. Damn! DAMN!
She kicked out against the wall - the padded section, of course. She wasn't about to break her foot out of frustration - ignored the covert security detail's reaction and stomped off to her room.
This sucked. This really sucked. At least once the Horde struck, Mum and Dad would have to admit that she was telling the truth. But that would mean a lot of dead people. Like Phelan. Victor...
She slammed her door behind her. Stupid parents. Stupid family. Stupid whatever. She couldn't even talk to Aunt Nondi since Nondi was off to visit some troops.
She let herself fall on the bed, not bothering to change clothes, and closed her eyes. If only she had the drug she needed to see her friends again. To see Kelly again...
The Triad, Tharkad City, Tharkad, Federated Commonwealth, January 12th, 3049
"...and Katherine hasn't attempted to leave the Triad or contact anyone," Justin Allard-Liao finished his report.
"Thank you, Justin," Melissa told him with a smile that would have fooled most people. But Justin knew her well enough to be able to tell that she wasn't happy about his report, despite the apparent good news.
He nodded at her anyway and closed his notepad before sticking it under his left arm.
"Yes, thank you," Hanse told him.
"Please sit down." She nodded at the couch across from the one she and Hanse were occupying.
Justin repressed the sudden, silly urge to flee and sat down. He had faced worse crises than two parents anxious about her child. He hadn't faced many more dangerous people than the First Prince and the Archon, though. Except for an angry Maximillian Liao, of course.
"So, Katherine has acted as she would, if her… tale… were true," Melissa said, biting her lower lip. It made her look both younger and more vulnerable, in Justin's opinion.
"Yes," he replied. After a moment's hesitation, he added: "The members of her security detail and the additional agents we've placed around her are certain that she is aware of most of them, though." They deserved to hear the truth.
Melissa sighed. "I know she can't have been… manipulated. She was under observation her whole life."
But she also couldn't have learned what she knew. Unless, of course, she had told them the truth. Or something else that was as impossible as a 'Dreamland' where the Star League still existed and which you could only reach as a child in your dreams. Justin nodded anyway.
Hanse sighed and stood up, heading to the bar in the salon.
"If we find out who did this to our little girl…" Melissa said.
"I've started looking into the identity of this 'Alex Cameron'," Justin said, "but since the message was sent from Terra, our options are limited." They hadn't many agents on Earth and none who were highly placed in ComStar. ROM wasn't as perfect as some people claimed, but they were amongst the best spy agencies in the Inner Sphere.
"Damn ComStar!" Hanse spat as he filled a glass with cognac. "What are the odds they're behind this?"
"Low odds, I think," Justin told him. "If they were behind this, they would never have broken their cover by having the Precentor Tharkad deliver the message."
"It could be a double-bluff," Hanse said, taking a sip from his glass before he sat down again.
"If they can brainwash our little girl while she is in a coma, they could probably contact her through the same method - or they would have taught her how to contact them without us noticing," Melissa pointed out.
That was true, of course. But Justin, with over twenty years of experience in the intelligence business, knew that new operations went as planned - and fewer were perfectly planned to begin with. Yet, Melissa was correct - if ROM was behind this, they would've been more subtle.
"Who else could it be?" Hanse asked, gesturing with his free hand. "If Liao or Kurita could do this, they would have done more. They would have gone after Victor."
The heir. "Or Sun-Tzu," Justin added. The heir to the Capellan Confederation.
"Get your hooks into the second in line and then get rid of the heir. Oldest trick in the book," Hanse retorted. But Justin could tell that he wasn't really convinced of this.
And so could Melissa. She shook her head. "We need to focus on how to help her. We can't let her… stay like this. She believes what she told us!"
Justin nodded - Katherine definitely believed her story. All the psychologists agreed. "Dr Baker has applied for a transfer to Tharkad," he pointed out. The man had been treating Katherine before she had woken up.
"I don't trust him," Hanse said.
"He has been vetted," Justin told him - not for the first time. "His notes contain theories about Katherine's talents, but our analysts agree that while he hid them, he did so to protect his reputation since his earlier, less daring theories were rejected by his colleagues. Often scornfully."
"He thinks she might be telling the truth," Melissa said.
That the doctor did; Justin knew that - the man had quoted Holmes at his agents. "Once you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth," he said, almost against his will.
Hanse sighed. "There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy." He looked at Melissa. "Morgan," he added.
Melissa pressed her lips together. "It's not the same."
"No, it isn't. But it's inexplicable as well," Hanse said. He took a deep breath. "I think we should let her try the drug. Let me finish," he said, holding up his hand as Melissa opened her mouth. "The drug is, as far as we can tell, harmless. And Katherine will be under observation - a team of doctors ready to intervene. Full security. The whole wing sealed off."
Melissa, though, wasn't convinced. "You know what she claimed - she would be able to enter Dreamland. Or so she hopes. Even though it's supposed to be impossible, according to her own words. So, we give her Meriandreoxyn, and then what? She falls asleep and dreams? How exactly will that help us help her?"
"It will allow us to regain her trust," Hanse pointed out.
Melissa recoiled, her eyes widening for a moment before glaring at Hanse.
But Justin doubted that she had an answer to that. Hanse would get his way. Justin only hoped that this scheme wouldn't backfire on them.