In the morning hours, the café was always busy. Having been one of the first restaurants that were reconstructed following the devastating Federated Commonwealth Civil War just a few years before, many people flocked to have their espressos and lattes before heading off to work and rebuilding their shattered city.
For the last few days, some people would notice a young, redheaded woman sit herself beside one of the booths by the window and sip her coffee every morning. It wasn't just the angular contours of her aquiline nose, nor her seemingly full-breasted figure that startled them, but rather it was something else. Had some of them been talent scouts, they would have noticed that her precise movements and air of authority automatically made her stand out from the crowds of droll, dreary office workers that shuffled to and fro. Military psychologists called it Command Presence; politicians called it charisma while actors would label it as box-office appeal. Whatever it was, she had it.
A few people did try to pick her up every now and then, introducing themselves and saying what a striking woman she was and how chilly the weather was today, hopefully trying to start a conversation that would lead on to a more fruitful relationship but she utterly ignored them. She was living in the deserts of her heart and she did not want to be disturbed. The winter was cold, but she was colder still.
Major Dominic Durant sat opposite her this particular morning and sipped at his second cup of sweet almond cappuccino. She ignored hers and a tan scum had formed upon the top when the gourmet coffee had begun to cool. It was the winter season all across most of the planets in the Inner-Sphere and everyone huddled in their insulated coats for added warmth. This winter seemed to be the coldest in decades. The frost on the glass window beside them partially obscured New Avalon's morning sun.
Dominic placed a folder of papers on the table. "Here are the latest intelligence reports on the Tharkad Conference." He said.
Captain Natasha Kerensky didn't say a word; she just turned her head and looked out of the window, towards the street where a number of office buildings were being reconstructed.
Dominic frowned and took another sip from his cup. It had been several weeks since that incident in Torrance, when her unit lost a number of people from an unknown assassin. Although in a military sense, the damage to the Black Widow Company was minimal, Natasha took the loss very deeply. The exact circumstances were not truly known but it seemed to have a profound effect on the Black Widow. Whereas in the past she was energetic and projected great leadership skill, now she seemed to just withdraw into herself, never putting her full efforts to the tasks at hand. It was if her very soul had been torn out of her, leaving nothing but a ghostly shell of a woman.
The rest of the Widows tried to act as professionally as always, but the lack of initiative from their commanding officer began to put a strain on the entire unit. Dominic had to step in and finally gave the orders to place the unit on alert and transport it to Tharkad where they would provide additional security for the conference delegates. Natasha barely said a word as she stayed behind in New Avalon while her unit shipped out just under a week ago. It seemed as if she fell into a creeping lethargy that sapped her energies and she became an emotionless, unfeeling automaton, going through the motions of living but never truly alive.
"Dammit, Captain." Dominic was finally beginning to lose his temper. "This can't go on."
Dominic Durant was the only son of a well to do merchant family who had substantial stock holdings in General Motors of Kathil, one of the largest conglomerates in the Federated Suns. Although his aptitude in regards to piloting a 'Mech were never up to speed in comparison with his peers, Dominic did develop a talent for cryptography and intelligence analysis during his college days in the New Avalon Institute of Science, graduating at the top of his class in that field. Upon his graduation just under a decade ago, Dominic was quickly caught up in the fervor in regards to the rebirth of the second Star League. An avid believer in the eventual unity of all mankind, Dominic quickly volunteered in the newly formed SLDF Intelligence Command and rapidly moved up through the ranks in an astonishingly short time. Because of his immense talents in coming up with the correct estimates in military analysis, Dominic was one of the most sought-after staff officers in the entire army.
When the Federated Commonwealth Civil War started, Dominic became part of General Galen Cox's command staff, it was said that his talents rivaled that of the legendary Cox himself. Soon after the end of that war, Dominic was transferred to SLDF Special Forces Command, where he could use his immense gifts as part of a new force that could handle extreme cases in which conventional troops would be at a disadvantage. So far he had proven his worth many times over.
After what seemed an eternity, Natasha turned her head and faced him. "I'm sorry." She said as she tried to smile but failed.
"I know how you feel, Captain. You took a grievous loss and it hurts. But, Jesus, you have to get over it. The Star League needs you, the Inner-Sphere needs you."
"I realize that." Natasha said. "Let's get down to business then."
"Okay." Dominic said as he raised the cup to his mouth for another draught of the hot, milky beverage. "Intel reports that all fronts seem to be quiet. Too quiet, in my opinion." He had a platonic affection for her and they always had maintained a professional relationship. Many people in the SLDF High Command actually believed that Dominic was the only one who ever got along with Natasha; hence, they permanently attached him as Intelligence Liaison to her unit.
"Then we aren't really needed, then."
"Maybe, but it pays to be prepared just in case any unpleasant surprises come up. And they often do."
"So what do you want me to do?"
"I'd like you to accompany me. I will be part of the last batch of delegates to the Tharkad Conference. The transport has already been prepared, we leave this evening." Dominic said.
Natasha didn't answer as she looked away towards the window once more.
"Captain, please." Dominic said softly. "If anything, maybe a trip like this may snap you out of that rut that you're in right now."
"Are you ordering me to go, Major?"
"Of course not, you know that." Dominic said. "I can't order you to do anything, period. Despite the fact that I have seniority over you, I know that you will only obey orders that you see fit. You have always been a rebel, Natasha. Even for those who care about you."
Natasha's eyes widened as she turned and faced him again. It was the first time ever that he had called her by her first name. "You're right. Okay, I'll be at your disposal. What's the next step?" She said.
Dominic smiled for the first time in as many days. She was beginning to come out of her shell. "I assume that you will be taking that Warhammer 'Mech with you?"
"I never leave home without it." Natasha made a little smile, the first in as many weeks.
"Expecting trouble?"
"I don't find trouble, trouble finds me."
"Okay, I'll make arrangements to have it shipped with us. Since this is the last batch of delegates, we will still have plenty of room left so I don't think it will be a problem."
"Anything else for now?" The Black Widow asked.
"Yes, I'm attending a briefing with the transport group as well as the delegates just before we leave. I'd like you to be there."
"Fine." Natasha said. "When and where?"
"Due to security precautions, the delegates will be shipped to the campus of the New Avalon Institute of Science, they have a private SpacePort there and that's where we will be embarking from. Meet me there at five this afternoon."
"Okay." The Black Widow got up to leave.
"And Captain," Dominic said just as she was about to go through the door of the café.
"Yes?" Natasha said.
"It's great to see you smiling again." Dominic smiled back as the Black Widow nearly made a giggle before turning her head and walked out. He was getting there, it looked like there was some hope yet.
The briefing for the Star League delegates was held in the main amphitheatre of the NAIS campus. The reasons were that some of the delegates might complain if it was held in a common classroom and the second basis was that the chairs in the auditorium were recently upholstered with Melcher leather, making them pleasantly comfortable to sit on. As it was, the auditorium was not even half full, so the delegates, their junior aides and secretaries tended to clump together in accordance to their respective cliques. It all seemed to resemble a miniature map of the Inner-Sphere.
"Ladies and gentlemen," Carlos Sanz said with a broad smile on his face as he spoke through the microphone system so that even those who sat close to the exits could hear him. It was almost as if he was performing a commencement ceremony. "Good evening. I am Carlos Sanz, your official liaison to the Star League Council. I would like to thank all of you for attending this briefing before we board our DropShips." He said. "Now I may have been born in New Syrtis and that would make me a citizen of the Federated Suns but I personally hold no grudges against any of the other Successor States and I shall treat you all with an equally superior disdain. Such is the respect for everyone in our new Star League."
Sanz waited until the effect of his hackneyed joke had subsided before continuing. "We will be boarding the Amerigo, she is a Monarch Class DropShip and I am very happy to say that since this ship has been chartered exclusively for the Conference and since we are the last batch, that means that each delegate has been given their own private luxury rooms." He said.
"What about the other two hundred staterooms, will they be used?" Baroness Mishai Singh, the official delegate of the Federated Suns, spoke through the intercom unit in the armrest of her chair. The amplified sound reverberated across the entire auditorium.
"Good question." Sanz said. "Since this is official Star League business, the other staterooms will not be used because the Amerigo has been chartered exclusively for the delegates and it is for them only. There will be no other civilians present for this trip."
"Will the ship's casino be open for the duration of the trip?" A younger representative asked from the Lyran delegation, drawing both laughs and jeers from the others.
"Unfortunately not." Sanz smiled. "Neither will the gift shops be open either. However, I can say that one of the dining areas will be open and is catered exclusively by Fujikawa, a master chef from the Draconis Combine. I hear that his fugu is excellent." He said with apparent relish. "The vidtape theatre will also be operational for those of you who prefer watching Tri-Vid movies in the company of others as well as both the lounges and the saunas." Sanz added. "For this particular trip, food and beverages will be complimentary, so eat and drink as much to your hearts content, just make sure that you are not too full or too drunk by the time we get to Tharkad."
That latest remark drew more guffaws than his previous joke.
"I do not like Japanese food and I'm sure neither do a lot of others, will you consider replacing the chef with someone more suited to continental tastes?" The dry, emotionless voice on the PA system came from no less than from the official representative of the Lyran Alliance, Duke Rudiger Steiner.
Sanz continued to smile, he knew that the Lyran contingent was both testing his leadership as well as jockeying for power in case he should falter. He stole a glance at the official representative of the Combine, Count Seiji Oshiwara, but the oriental man remained emotionless, perhaps waiting to see if he could diffuse the situation. "I am so terribly sorry but the arrangements are set. If you wish to be served with a different cuisine, I'm sure the ship's galley will be more than adequate to whatever culinary requests you desire. Room service is also complimentary so you may be served in the luxury of your own rooms." He said.
Duke Steiner said nothing but continued to scowl his way. He would try to test him again soon, Sanz was sure.
"What about the security arrangements?" Dominic opened up his own question, wanting to get to more serious subjects. He was sitting at the back row towards the exit; the Black Widow sat beside him.
"Security will of course be tight." Sanz explained. "We have a squad of SLDF military police which will be on board to provide personal security. Although each contingent is allowed to bring a few personal bodyguards, all weapons will be stored in a specially designated armory that will be guarded on a twenty-four hour basis. Elements of the Davion Guards will be providing aerospace fighter escort once we get underway but will not accompany us when we make the jump." Sanz continued. "The journey will only be for a few weeks and once we jump into the Tharkad system, an SLDF aerospace contingent will escort us to the surface of the planet. We have received no credible threats as of this point and since most of the main delegates are now in Tharkad, any probability of attack to us is likely to be minimal." He grinned. "All the big fishes are already there, so they won't get anything by trying to catch us."
"Are you trying to say that we are nothing more than useless clods and that we bear no importance to this Conference? I am insulted!" Duke Rudiger Steiner interjected once again.
"Not at all, my dear Duke." Sanz made a short laugh to try to cool some inflamed passions. "On the contrary, we are definitely important. That's why the conference hasn't started yet. They are waiting for us." His latest joke drew some giggles from the anti-Lyran cliques that were beginning to form.
"Mr. Sanz," Baroness Mishai Singh spoke using her chair's PA system. "I would like to say something."
"Please do," Sanz said. "Baroness Singh has the podium."
"I would just like to say." Singh said. "That this is not meant to be a field trip to some distant world nor should this be misconstrued as a caravan for tourists either. We are all going to Tharkad for one reason, and that is to meet so that we can patch up whatever differences we have for the good of all mankind." She looked around and made sure she caught everyone's eye. "The Star League is one of the last great symbols of hope and unity for the entire Inner-Sphere. It is less than a decade old but I can already feel that it may be unraveling. We must put aside our petty bickering so that we may find a way for lasting peace and unity. We owe it all to our future generations."
"Is this another Davion propaganda trick?" Rudiger Steiner interrupted using his chair's own PA system. "The last time you people talked about peace, there was a civil war!"
"Let her finish!" A young man from the Federated Suns contingent spoke up.
Natasha turned her head and smiled. The young representative was John Palatine, the heir to the nobility of Torrance. She had met the young lad when she was stationed there during the operation against the White Hand terrorist network a few weeks before. It seemed that despite his apparently low stature compared to the other, more senior delegates, he was not afraid to say what he felt. She liked that.
Duke Steiner glared at the younger man but did not say a word. It was apparent that he was taking stock of his future enemies in the political arena.
"Alright," Baroness Singh went on. "This circus seems to reflect what is occurring with the Star League right now. All that I can ask of you is to think; if the Star League should ever be dissolved, the only alternative is war. Please remember that. Thank you."
"Thank you very much, Baroness, for that illuminating speech." Sanz smiled once more as he addressed the delegates. "Are there any other questions?"
No one else spoke.
"Then I would like to thank you all for attending this briefing." Sanz concluded. "There are limousines waiting by the side parking lot to take you to the VIP lounge of the NAIS SpacePort where refreshments will be served as we await final boarding. Thank you."
As the audience broke up into their respective contingents, John Palatine ran over to Natasha and Dominic. "Hello, Captain. Hello, Major." He then shook hands with them. "It's been a long time since we have seen each other. How are you both?" The young man said.
"Actually it's only been about three weeks since we disembarked form Torrance." Dominic grinned as he shook Palatine's hand. "We're fine. How are you? It's quite a surprise to see you among the Star League delegates as an official representative to the Conference. I didn't think this was your cup of tea."
"Well, my mother felt that since I wasn't doing too well in MechWarrior training over at Albion Academy, she asked if I would rather be a politician." Palatine laughed. "I felt I needed a break from my studies anyway so she pulled some strings to get me a slot as a Representative; I guess it's to get my feet wet in the political arena."
"You sure got your feet wet today." Dominic said. "You've just cross swords with Duke Rudiger Steiner of the Lyran Alliance. I heard he's a real hard ass, one of the staunchly pro-Steiner bloodlines that never accepted the marriage between the Steiners and Davions. He was a big fish when Katrina Steiner-Davion was Archon, now that she's been deposed, he lost some of his political clout."
"I ain't scared of that old man." Palatine retorted.
"You don't have to be scared, just be aware." Dominic corrected him. "He is doing what he can to get back his political power so be wary of him. What you've done by speaking out against him is that you've shown your hand. Politics is a game where one never shows his hand unless it's a winning one."
"Point taken. Thanks, I guess I still got a lot to learn." Palatine said then looked at Natasha. "Captain, you've been pretty quiet all this time. Is something wrong?"
"I'm fine." Natasha tried to grin but the pain still lingered, instead she was able to just smile meekly.
"Well I'm glad you're coming along." Palatine grinned. "Just in case we do find trouble."
Natasha didn't reply.
"Well, Captain Kerensky and I still need to attend another briefing, this time for the DropShip and JumpShip group." Dominic said. "We will see you later, Representative Palatine."
Palatine laughed. "Okay, see you later."
As they went their separate ways, Duke Rudiger Steiner continued to observe them as he walked out of the auditorium and towards his private limousine. He had heard of the rumors that there was a new Black Widow in town and wanted to see if he could introduce himself and perhaps gain her loyalty but decided against it when he saw her with that young Federat upstart. As the Duke got into the limo, he chalked up another three to his imaginary list of enemies.
