Disclaimers: I do not own Battletech.
A/N: I hate to say this, but I had to scrap the assassination plotline for now. It was going to take too long and frankly, I want to get everyone back on the Argo. I would also like to point out that I am not a zealous Battletech fan. Most of what I know is from the game and the official books released for the game. I have read into parts of the lore but that is it. If you see something wrong and think I should correct it, feel free to PM me and address it, please.
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Changes
Leopard-class Hysteria in Orbit
"Three Leopards? Kamea wasn't kidding when she said we would be the "Tip of the Spear" for the military. That means that right before every jump, we would have to detach a Leopard, possibly two, and have it attached to another side of the Jumpship. That could take time", the former navigator, now Executive Officer of the Argo told herself as she went over the notes and skeptics she had laid out while the capital planet rotates beneath her from her place at the helm as she manned the bridge alone.
Last night, Sumire received information from Darius and Nico about how not only was the Argo getting a third Leopard, but also additional personnel to man up all three of them. Nico then explained to Sumire that he wanted a full lance in each Leopard ready to deploy at a moment's notice along with supporting elements. Normally, planning such a task would be done by the Dragon himself, but he and Darius were far too busy going over some things with Kamea and Alexander and simply did not have the time to do so.
"Calculating the space for the two Aerospace fighters that each Leopard is going to have along with the six mechs in the bay. Take in the modifications each Leopard is going to get and…..", she told herself before she finally put down the pencils and bang her head on the table, "Hope Yang's guys don't get too mad when I have to reduce their number of lounge areas from four to two."
She lifts her head up after a moment and stares at a stack of papers that was separate from the others. While most of it was in small print, in big bold letters were the words:
"Will be granted the Aurigan Coalition Military Naval Rank of Commander and made the Executive Officer of the ACS Argo upon acceptance."
This brings a smile to her face as she stands up, "Commander Sumire Meyer, Executive Officer of the ACS Argo, the mobile headquarters of the Aurigan Coalition Special Forces. I quite like the sound of that. Not bad for someone whose ancestors hailed from a planet named potato."
"You talking to yourself again? You know I could get you a psyche evaluation for that", a voice from behind her says and she turns around to see Qartio, Farah, and Yang all standing in the doorway looking at her, still in their mercenaries outfits. Much like the pilots, they were waiting until after they have officially given their oaths of services before switching into their military uniforms.
The Medtech took a puff of her cigarette and exhale slowly, "It would look bad if the Argo lost its new XO so soon after becoming an official military ship."
Sumire rolls her eyes, "You know, Dragon is not going to be too happy that you three are here instead overseeing the work with the Argo in the shipyard."
Yang merely shrugs, "Eh, I doubt he'll fire us or anything. Besides, the work doesn't even officially start until next week anyway."
"Still though, you should at least be getting ready for it", Sumire advise before turning to look down at Coromondir.
"Soooooo", Farah said as she came along the side of the navigator and nudge her with her elbow, "Got any marriage proposals yet?"
Sumire lets out a chuckle, "You're not funny."
"I'm serious! Think about it! You're the last of House Meyer and you're a XO of a ship like this at such a young age. Play your cards right and you might even get your own command soon enough. Play them even better and Kamea might even reinstate your house with you at the head of it", Farah suggested, "That should get you some attention."
The ship's navigator rests a hand on her forehead, "That's not how things work in the game of nobility. Nobles houses rarely get revived once they hit rock bottom and my family was a minor house to begin with."
"I bet those other guys didn't personally know their faction's leader now, did they?", Farah counters.
"Why would Kamea waste her time with something like that?", Sumire asks her.
"Becomes you're a hero as well who stuck with her through the entire war", the chief engineer reminded her, "You got us where we needed to be countless times and you got us out of some pretty tight spots."
"Yeah, but at the end of the day, I wasn't on the front lines fighting. Besides, she already gave me an officer commission and that's more than I could ever ask for", Sumire said, "Anything else would be me overstepping my boundaries."
"You know", Qartio began from her spot at the far left panels of the bridge, "I bet if you talk to Dragon about it, he could easily convince Kamea to do so."
"Really, you too? Don't you three have better things to do?", Sumire asks.
"Not really", Farah says before pointing at Qartio, "Our staff can handle any real emergency until we get back."
"And the only real project my guys got is Dragon's Highlander, so we got time to spare", Yang states.
The Argo's Navigator lets out a groan, "Okay, it doesn't mean that you all can get involved in my past? I left it behind me a long time ago."
"Just looking out for ya, that's all", Yang pops in, "The paths for the three of us are pretty much set in stone and nearly all mechpilots stay in the cockpit until they're either dead, crippled or they just simply retire. But you can still make a name for yourselves with this fresh new start."
Sumire remains silent, prompting the old Mechtech to keep going.
"I'm pretty sure you don't want to be a Navigator or even a XO forever and eventually, the way the military works, you will be transferred off the Argo in due time. All of us will be and the Argo will have a completely different crew, except for maybe Dragon", Yang says, "The Aurigan Fleet is in a rebuilding phase and they're going to need people with experience in leadership positions, especially those who served in the war."
"And with your nobility reinstated, you'll be able to push out of the lower officer's rank and into the Admiralty in due time", Farah finished for him.
"What about Darius?", Sumire asks.
"You already talked to Oliveira", Yang answered, "He is only doing this long enough until everything calms down around the Reach and then he'll be taking the first chance he gets to retire along with all the benefits that come with it so he can settle down in the capital."
"True, he did say that", Sumire remembered during the meeting between the senior staff of the Argo before their commander walk in on them, "And Dragon?"
"You're joking, right?", Qartio questioned, "There's no way Kamea letting him go so easily. She'll probably marry him off to one of Alexander's relatives just so she can get around the whole "only Aurigan nobility can be generals" bit if it means keeping him around."
Sumire turns her attention to Yang, "I thought you hated nobility; so why are you so keen on me getting my house revived?"
"Shit, you should already know that I hate the average noble, but you, Dragon, and even Dekker are alright in my book", Yang said as he began to leave the room, followed by the other two, "Just something to think about, okay?" and once again Sumire was alone on the bridge, only now she wasn't even looking at the planet and was instead staring up at the ceiling.
"Admiral Sumire Meyer, Head of House Meyer, Commander of some random Aurigan Fleet", she told herself this time around, only instead of a smile, it was just an unreadable expression on her face.
At The Royal Castle
"You mind telling me why we came out the servants' entrance and why are we over here in the corner hiding like rats, Dragon?", Darius asks Nico as the two of them laid their backs against the wall that was located on the far side of the courtyard, away from the main gathering on nobles and other influential members of Aurigan society.
"Simple, I don't want anyone kissing my ass", Nico replies, causing Darius to throw him a baffled look.
"What do you mean by that?", he asks.
Nico rolls his eyes and leans his head around the corner, peeking out toward the main courtyard.
"Check this out", he tells as he motions him over with a hand. Moments later, both men are looking out at the mass of people.
"Tell me, what do you see?", Nico asks.
Darius spots a large group of nobility conversing with one another. Some of them were wearing expensive dresses and suits that could easily cover minor repairs on a Catapult, possibly a Banshee if you combined them all.
"I see a bunch of rich, snotty, nobles talking", he answers, "What of it?"
The ace mechwarrior shakes his head, "That's not talking they're doing, it's called political maneuvering."
"Come again?"
"Look, the Reach just went through a civil war and a lot of noble houses aren't as powerful as they used to be. Hell, House Espinosa, and House Karosas were wiped out. That leaves a lot of minor nobles scrambling to attach themselves to someone with more influence and power by offering something in exchange; be it resources, house secrets or even marriage offers; nothing is off the table when it comes to keeping their house afloat", Nico explains before pointing out a group of individuals who were surrounded by nearly everyone else, "And only one of the Founding Houses came out on top out of this whole mess."
Darius takes a closer look at the group Nico was singling out and notices that they were all sporting the same symbol of three leaping blue dolphinfish on a pale blue sea.
"House Madeira", Darius says, earning a nod from his boss.
"Alexander was Kamea's most staunch supporter, been with her since the beginning. The members of his family who didn't support Santiago are now in a position to elevate their house to spot that House Espinosa once held as the strong right arm of the coalition", Nico kept on.
"Okay, but you still haven't answered my question as to why we're over here. If everyone is trying to get in good with Alexander's people, why do we have to hide?", Darius questions.
"Because not everyone is talking to Alexander's people", Nico corrects and points out a number of people on the outside of House Madeira's social gathering and from Darius' point of view, from the way they keep looking toward the entrances to the palace, it almost looked like they were waiting for someone.
"Not everyone is going to be able to attach themselves to House Madeira, not with Alexander having the final word on any agreement and he'll no doubt keep a watchful eye on certain parties. Take the minor houses underneath House Decimis and their branches for example. Their loyal was fickle at best during the war and Kamea is definitely going to keep an eye on them. But those guys no doubt see a silver lining in the form of a certain war hero who just got elevated to the position of Special Forces Commander, is a former noble himself, and just so happens to be someone who has the soon to be High Lady Kamea's complete trust and respect."
"Someone's pumping themselves up", Darius chuckles.
"You saw the same news that I did", Nico counters, which only prompted Darius to laugh even more.
"Yeah! Behemoth and Medusa were so pissed off about being excluded from the final battle", he said before a thought occurs to him, "Hey, Dragon?"
"Hmm?", came the reply.
"If there's such a power vacuum among the nobility right now, would it be too far-fetched for Kamea to bring Sumire's old house back to fill the gap?", he asks and this prompted Nico to give him a baffled look.
...
"You want Kamea to revive House Meyer, a former house of both the Draconis Combine and Taurian Concordat?", he asks.
"You're right, it was a stupid idea. Forget I said anything", Darius told him but then stop when he notices a pondering expression on the mercenary turn colonel's face.
"Actually, looking at it from Kamea's or Alexander's point of view, that could be a bold political move", Nico said aloud, "It could be seen as a-"
The sound of running footsteps coming near them catches the attention of both men and the two of them turn to see three boys of nobility chasing one another in what look like to be a game of tag.
Two of the children continue chasing one another but the third stops and takes notices of the men. His eyes briefly glance over Darius before moving over to Nico, but there they stop. The lad looks intently at the mechwarrior, no doubt quickly noticing the green dragon tattoo across his face.
"Ah, crap", Darius hears Nico mutters as the boy brings a hand up and points a finger at him.
"You are the Dragon of the Reach!", he shouts, drawing the attention of his friends who stop their game before rushing over.
"Wow, it is really him!", one shouted.
"He looks so cool!", another scream.
"Is it true that you took down two full lances by yourself?"
"I heard you defeated Commodore Ostergaard with just one shot!"
Though he didn't show it, Darius knew that his boss was clearly annoyed by the questions the kids were asking him but he has no time to do anything about it as he notices that a good number of the nobles were now moving toward their location, without a doubt drawn by the commotion the kids were making. Most of the group seem to be compromises of the ones who weren't talking to House Madeira just a few moments ago.
Before either of the men could make their getaway, they were surrounded by the mob whose attention was solely focused on the ace mechpilot.
"Why I say, the spectacular Colonel Nico Strong!", a plump and short nobleman bearing the symbol of House Decimis on his shoulder says as he bulldozes his way to the front of the crowd and grabs Nico's hand in a frantic handshake, "I am Baron Yuriena Decimis of House Decimis and it is quite an honor to finally meet you! The Hero of the Aurigan Restoration and top mechwarrior in the Reach, perhaps the whole damn Periphery!"
The Dragon found it difficult to keep himself from crushing the noble's hand in the shake while trying his best to repress old memories from his youth. Memories of fake smiles, honey words, and empty promises. He was trying to avoid all of this, at least until after the ceremony, but it would seem that he didn't try hard enough. Inner Sphere, the Rimward Periphery, or even the Deep Periphery, the politics was all the same.
Nothing more than a giant chessboard with each party trying to maneuver itself to a better position than their opponent.
Darius quickly took notice that he could have easily slipped away seeing how no one was paying attention to him whatsoever but he knew that he would never hear the end of it if he did. Instead, he just tries to focus his attention elsewhere while another noble try introducing his daughter to Nico, even though the man was easily twice the girl's age. As his eyes scan the crowd, they fell upon a breathtaking bronze skin woman decorated in a sky blue dress with turquoise eyes and long sable hair staring directly at him, and in the back of his mind, he felt like he recognizes her from somewhere but for the life of him couldn't remember where. She looks like she was holding something in her hands as well as being surrounded by a number of servants. A moment after locking eyes with him, the woman smiles and begins making her way directly toward Darius, and in her movement, he spots the symbol of House Madeira on the front of her dress.
Now the native of Artus was himself Catholic which is why to him the crowd parted like the Red Sea as the woman and her entourage made their way through them.
"Looks like someone really important is coming our way", Darius whispers to Nico and the ace turns his attention away from the noblewoman introducing her two daughters to him to where his second-in-command was looking.
In moments, the woman and her group were standing directly in front of the two men, her servants flank out on either side of her and Darius briefly notes that a number of them had sidearms at their waists, Serrek 7875D Auto-Pistol to be exact.
"She must be extremely important and wealthy. Those guns don't come easy outside of Federated Suns' territory", Darius thought and a quick glance at Nico confirms that he spotted them as well and had the same line of thought.
For moments neither party spoke and the crowd around them goes silent as their eyes shift between them.
Surprisingly, Nico silently realizes that the woman was paying far more attention to Darius than she was him, only giving him brief glances every now and then. It was also during that time that the two of them notice that the woman was holding a newborn in her arms, its face in the woman's bosom.
"Captain Darius Oliveira, Colonel Nicolas Strong", the noblewoman finally spoke in a soft soothing voice, "It is a pleasure to finally meet you. My husband has told me so much about you."
"Pardon me, my lady, but you have me at a loss", Nico came forth, slightly bowing as he sweeps an arm across his chest. No doubt he was caught slightly off-guard by the fact of the woman addressing him in a way that he wasn't used to. Neither Kamea, Alexander, or even the news networks call him anything beyond Colonel Strong or Nico Strong, "I believe I have not had the privilege of making your acquaintance."
Darius quickly gives Nico a glance, wondering where this side of him suddenly came from. But still, the rising feeling that he knew this woman from somewhere had yet to go away in the depths of his mind.
It was then that he realizes that the woman was now looking at him as she answers.
"Oh, all that I know about you and all you know about me has been through my husband who you have entertained with your tales and exploit in the command center of the Argo for the past few years", she smiles and Darius finally puts two in two together because he has seen that exact same smile in a picture.
"You're Alexander's wife, Gabriela!", he suddenly shouts as he snaps his figure and the woman lets out a laugh.
"That is correct. I am the Lady of House Madeira, Duchess Gabriela Madeira. As I said, it is a pleasure to finally meet you in person, Mr. Oliveira", Gabriela states.
"Wait, wait, wait, wait a minute", Nico finds himself saying, "You knew Alexander was married?", he asks.
Darius throws the pilot a baffled look, "Of course I did, we work in the command center together for four years. We talked all the time about our lives and stuff", he explains, "Are you telling me you didn't know about Alexander's wife or the fact that she was pregnant?"
"It never occurred to me to dig into someone's personal life", Nico answers.
Darius shrugs, "Fair enough, you guard yours pretty well."
"Hey, what that suppose-", Nico starts to say.
"And this much be the little bundle of joy Alexander is so proud of", Darius said as he directs his attention to the baby, "What his name?"
"Darius Oliveira Madeira", Gabriela answers, shocking everyone in attendance, especially the former Executive Officer of the Dragon's Raiders mercenaries, but before anyone could comment on it, a voice rings out over the crowd.
"Will all guests please make their way to the shuttle pad to be taken to the coronation hall?", announces over the castle's intercom system.
This seems to snap everyone out of their shock and the crowd begins moving toward the shuttles that were in formation at a nearby landing. Gabriela's guard ushers her away from Darius and Nico and toward what seems to be a personal shuttle with the symbol of her house on the side of it. But before the men could make their way over to a shuttle as well, another announcement came on over the intercom.
"Will Lady Madeira, Colonel Strong, and Captain Oliveira please report to the Royal Hangar? You will be departing on the Royal Shuttle."
This causes nearly everyone to stop in their tracks and turn their heads back at the three people in question.
Gabriela merely chuckles while Nico lets out a deep sigh and Darius was still trying to make sense of everything that just transpired in the past minute.
"Would you gentlemen be so kind as to escort me to the hangar?", Gabriela asks as she dismisses her servants and the three of them and the newborn took off in the opposite direction.
Royal Hangar
"Pretty ballsy move you pulled there, Alexander. You could have just called me on your transmission watch, you have my frequency", Nico tells the Lord when he met the group just a few yards away from the House Kamea's shuttle which was a modified Leopard decorated in the colors of House Arano as well as having their symbol on all sides of its hull.
Alexander embraces his wife and kisses the top of his sleeping son's head before answering.
"I am just as surprised as you are, Nico. Kamea went through with this without even notifying me until after she already did it", he answers, "I guess being the future High Lady means you do not need to tell anyone what you are going to do."
"I have seen that type of attitude spell the end for a planetary ruler many a time out there in the frontier", Nico states without hesitation and silences descends unto the group.
Alexander quickly recovers from his shock brought forth by Nico's words and turns to Gabriela and his son, "How about you two go get comfortable on the shuttle? Kamea reserved a room just for you."
The woman nods and kisses Alexander on the cheek before making her way up the ramp.
Alexander moves to address Nico but is stop when Darius held up a hand.
"So when was I going to be told that you named your son after me?", he asks.
This causes Alexander to chuckle, "Well, to be fair, as per House Madeira's tradition, we are not supposed to know the gender of our child until the day they are born. If it is a girl, the woman retains the right to name the child and Gabriela was going to name her after Kamea. But since it was a boy, the right fell to me for the naming."
"You still haven't answered my question", Darius points out and Nico takes this chance to leave the two alone and head up the ramp but not before hearing one more statement from Alexander.
"Well, whether you know it or not, I consider you to be my best friend, Darius, at least after Kamea anyway. Those long talks we had on the Argo were one of the few things I enjoyed during that horrible war and you show me a different side of the Reach, one that I hope to fix."
Onboard the Royal Shuttle
"Colonel Strong", the Royal Guard captain address Nico, "Lady Kamea has instructed us to take you to her personal quarters upon you coming aboard the shuttle."
Nico resists the urge to rolls his eyes and merely nods at the man. He was then escorted through the shuttle by him until he came to a room which just so happens to be the exact place where his quarters were at back on the Hysteria before the Raiders were gifted the Argo. Four guards were station at the door and they all salute the captain as he and Nico draw near.
Upon stopping in front of the door, Nico moves to hand over his laser pistol to the captain, only to be stopped with a headshake from the man.
"Lady Kamea says you are allowed to keep your sidearm in her presence."
This causes Nico to raise an eyebrow but he says nothing as the knocks on the door.
"Enter", he hears Kamea says from the other side and the guard on the right opens the door and Nico walks in.
And finds himself stopping in his tracks as soon as he was on the other side.
Pacing back and forth while looking over a data slate in her hand while decorated in a crimson red dress that adored her entire body from the top of her neck all the way down to covering and sliding across the floor while hugging the curves of her figure was the woman who dragged him into this whole mess four years ago. Golden linings were etched into the fabric of the entire right side of the dress that shined in the sunlight that was coming through the window. The snow-white gloves she was fitted with reach to her elbows while every finger was cover in black at the tips of them. A long white elegant scarf was draped across the front of her shoulders, no doubt to make it seem like she had angel wings whenever she walked forward and the breeze caught it and flung it back. Her Maori tattoos could be seen in the parts of her arms not covered by the gloves or the dress, but from where Nico was standing, she was displaying them with pride and nothing less. Her black as night hair was combed to her left and it took Nico a moment to finally realize something he should have known the moment he accepted the rank of colonel. The side of Kamea he witnessed on the shuttle was the side she never wanted to show anyone. The Kamea standing little more than three yards away from him was one he didn't even know existed. That naive girl who he said he wouldn't mind having a one night stand with was now the same woman who he had come to greatly respect over the course of four years of brutal warfare. The mech pilot who skills in the cockpit almost rival his own at one time was gone and in her place, this noblewoman, the most influential and powerful in this region of space, was put in her stead.
And it was at that moment that the "Dragon of the Reach" knew that the minute Kamea put on that crown and took the title of High Lady that things were going to be different between them. For in the darkest reaches of his mind he realizes that she looked exactly the same as she did in his dream the day he took her up on her offer.
Kamea was looking over the latest report she receives from her intelligence agents when she finally realizes that she should acknowledge whoever just enter the room. She turns to do so and finds herself momentarily surprise by who she was looking at.
Standing no less than ten feet away from her in his newly gifted House Arano uniform was the mercenary who along with his company, pretty much single-handily won her the throne of the Aurigan Coalition. His muscular tone body was barely concealed through the fabric of the outfit and his once ragged hair was now short and square away while his beard was simply gone. Though she could make out a tattoo beginning to appear on the lower parts of his neck, something she never knew he had.
It was in this moment of awe that Kamea also faintly realizes that she has never seen the mech-commander without a shirt on in the entire time she knew him.
"And I should not have", she told herself in the back of her mind but then she remember even more she recalls that she has never seen him wear anything that could be considered short sleeve as well for he had always worn clothes that covered up his entire body except for his head and he even wore gloves.
But even now, that green dragon tattoo on his eye stood out more than ever for some unexplainable reason.
"Colonel Strong", she finally spoke, "I hope your day has been going well."
Nico snaps out of his daze and quickly responds, "As well as anyone would be on a day they are constantly thrown into situations they rather avoid, Lady Kamea."
Kamea could help but smile at this, "If you are referring to the whole announcement thing, I assure you that it is not just to cause a speculate. There is something important I need to tell you."
"And what is that?", he asks as he moves closer to her.
"It concerns the pirates in the northern systems. You remember Grim Sybil?", Kamea asks.
"I remember that I killed her. Dealt the finishing blow myself back on Axylus", Nico answered, "Why?"
"Turns out she was not as dead as we thought she was."
"You're kidding, right? I saw her mech go down riddle with holes. Even if she wasn't killed instantly I doubt whatever pirates were left were skilled enough in medical techniques for her to recover."
Kamea begins pacing back and forth once again, "It has not been confirmed, only bits and pieces here and there, but evidence points that she is likely culprit. They are flying her flag."
"She had a flag?", Nico questions causing Kamea to glare at him.
"Did you not read the intel report Lady Centrella gave you all those years ago?", she asks.
Nico gives a small shrug, "I read enough to know that she wasn't expecting us and to take down her aircraft guns. That is all I needed to know."
Kamea shakes her head, "Anyway, it could be her, it could be an impostor, but none of that matters. What matters is the fact that whoever they are, they are raiding my systems and attacking my people."
"Guess they're taking advantage of the fragile state the Reach is in", Nico summarizes.
"I fear it is bigger than that. I strongly believe that they may be the mastermind of all the raids going on up there. The ones that we thought House Liao was behind.", Kamea says as she brings up a picture and shows it to him, "This was the commanding officer of one of the patrols we had out there. They were ambushed by the pirates and apparently they have somehow found out that it was you who took the Argo all those years ago."
"Hmmm, that's not good", Nico says as he looks at the body of a high-ranking Arano Restoration officer, his chest bared to the world. On it, carved into his flesh with what Nico assumes was done by a crude knife were the bloody words:
I WANT MY SHIP BACK, DRAGON!
"Okay, this could point to Grim. But if it is she is taking the Argo being stolen rather personally," Nico states, "Plus she is out of her league here. There's no way that she honestly believe she can take on the Coalition, even with the strength you're at."
Kamea sat down on a luxurious couch in the middle of the room, moving her dress around as to not ruin it and motions Nico to do the same. He does so but kept a respectable distance away from her.
"It would be all too easy to just send a taskforce to deal with this. But the problem is the pirates' main base of operations", Kamea said.
"Where is it?"
"You are not going to like it neither are the senior members of your crew."
"Where is it, Kamea?", Nico asks again.
The soon-to-be High Lady lets out a breath, "Fjaldr."
Nico slaps his hand against his forehead and leans back into the couch.
"I thought Raju, your father, and the others wipe the pirate clan there a decade ago", he says after a moment.
"Wiped out, yes, but the plans to occupy and set up a garrison there were put on hold after my father's death", Kamea told him, "It would seem that my uncle failed to set up a permanent military presence as well, no doubt seeing it as a waste of time and resources for a system on the farthest outskirts of the Reach, especially one so close to the Capellan border. Reports tell me that he would periodically send a military patrol to keep the pirates away while mining operations were in progress but that was the full extent of it."
"And seeing how it's on the border with the Confederation….", Nico said as he trails off before seating up and looking at Kamea, "When do we leave?"
"Why do you automatically assume I am sending you?"
"Easy, Sybil, or whoever this is doesn't know I'm part of the military yet. I suspect they are only attacking the Coalition-held planets because they probably think I'm still contracted out to you or at least you're still in contact with me. If they're going off the typical relationship between mercenaries and interstellar nations, then they're probably betting that you're just going to send me to clean up this mess alone", Nico explains.
"That would make sense. They are probably expecting to fight just a single mercenary company, not a full taskforce", Kamea said as she puts her hand on her chin.
"Plus, you wouldn't have told me about this unless I was going to deal with it. Besides sending a large force would probably be seen as a provocation to House Liao and you already have problems with them, even if they're not somehow behind this which I doubt they don't have a hand in", he says, "It wouldn't be the first time the Inner Sphere has used pirates to keep the Periphery in check."
The Countess of Coromondir cracks a smile that had no warmth behind it, "It would seem you know me too well, Nico. But this is a problem that we have to deal with fast."
"We?", Nico question.
"Yes, I will be accompanying you on the Argo to deal with this problem along with my house guard."
"You're about to be crown in a few hours and the first thing you're going to do afterward is go fight pirates? Look, I'm the one who attacked them and took the ship. Hell, you saw the message, they're gunning for me. You only need to send me and the Argo to deal with this."
"You retrieved the Argo under my orders, even if it was through a proxy with the Magistracy of Canopus. This whole thing falls on me whether you believe or not, plus it is my people getting attacked", Kamea reminded him, "So when the Coalition takes to the field against these pirates, I will be there."
Nico sees no point in arguing with her right now about this, seeing how it was her coronation day, so he decided to drop the matter for now and change subjects.
"So when do we leave?", he asks again.
"I will be sending orders to the shipyards to halt all other projects and fully focus on getting the Argo fully retrofitted in half the time they were given. Overtime will be authorized and the workers will be compensated for their efforts", Kamea told him.
"That's going to make a lot of powerful and rich people unhappy", Nico points out.
"I realize that, but I need the Argo up and ready with its full complement of troops, vehicles, and mechs as quickly as possible. The war was not good enough for me to showcase my leadership to a few of the nobles, especially to Counselor Mwenye and the Oligarchy of Mechdur", Kamea explains, "If there is anyone I need to prove to that I can deal with situations like this, it is them. They are the economic heart of the Reach and I need them on my side."
"Lady Kamea", a voice comes over a personal intercom seated next to Kamea's side of the couch, "Are we clear to takeoff?"
"Proceed to the Coronation Hall, captain", she says.
"As you command, my lady."
Moments later, a voice comes on over the intercom.
"Please make ready for takeoff in T-minus five minutes."
Nico gets up off the couch, "I best go find me a seat."
"Oh come now, it is only a half an hour flight at best. Stay here with me and help me come up with a strategy to deal with this pirate problem.", Kamea says, causing Nico to level her with a look.
"I recall you throwing a fit about an unmarried lady begin inside of a room alone with an unmarried man for an extended period of time", he says.
"The Royal Shuttle is crewed by at least half a hundred people and four of my Royal Guards are right outside the door. Plus, my house servants will be coming along soon to see if I need any refreshments and such.", she said with a smile, "So sit down, colonel, that is an order."
"Woooooow", Nico said as he flops back onto the couch, "Day one of me wearing the uniform and that's the first order you give me?"
"Enjoy it while you can, more complex orders will coming your way soon enough", Kamea tells him as she kept on reading through the data-slate. Nico takes note that the hand that wasn't on the slate was instead on the couch and Kamea was drumming her fingers on the material. But he ignores that for the moment as he shifts his focus elsewhere.
"Now if my agents can get sufficient enough evidence on the pirates' mech count, we can plan a-", Kamea said before looking up and noticing that Nico was paying her a different type of attention than what she wanted from him, "Is there something wrong with my dress or is there another reason why your eyes are watching me so intensely, Colonel Strong?", she asks as she puts the slate down and turns her toward him, "Anyone who walks in here might get the wrong idea if they caught you doing such a thing."
Nico shrugs at this, "If I was to tell you that you look astounding in that dress, what would your response be?"
"I would tell you to stop joking around with me on such a day like this for I am already stressed out as it is and in no mood for jest", Kamea answers.
"Okay then", Nico chuckles, "But what if I told you I wasn't joking?"
"Then I would tell you to tread lightly, colonel. For there are military laws in place against such level of fraternization and they will not be broken between us no matter how close of a dear friend you are to me", Kamea says.
"As you wish, my lady, I was only making a joke", Nico laughs, "I'm just said that you look amazing in that dress, I didn't say I was going to ravage you right here and now."
The noblewoman shakes her head, "You really have to watch what you say from now on. Jokes like that were appropriate during the war but now the last thing I need is people drawing the wrong conclusion." She then stops and points at Nico, "Also, just so you are aware, Raju informed me about what you said about me all those years ago in the Royal Hangar where he first met and I advise that you keep such comments to yourself from now on."
"Of course he did", Nico smiles, "Why did I think he would have kept that a secret between us?"
After that statement, silence passes between them for a moment, but just as Kamea went to pick back up the data-slate...
"By the way, how do you feel about reviving a noble house?"
On the Hysteria
"Why do I feel like someone is talking about me?", Sumire wondered right after she sneezed.
A/N: Hope you guys aren't too mad about the edits. Also, I realize that the Argo can only carry two Leopards, but for the story that's going to be the "recommendation" only. You will see how they will get around this when it comes to Jumpship in future chapters.