CHAPTER 30

BEAUTIFUL AS YOU

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jdoug4118: I appreciate your continuing support. Really I do. I hope you're 'entertained' by this chapter, and keep up with the next installments.

Pacifica,
Chara III, Freedom Theater,
Lyran Alliance, Inner Sphere,
March 16, 3065

The two Vandenbergs exited their mechs in a rush and ran toward each other. They threw themselves into each other's embrace and exploded into long, soulful weeps. Joy, fear, relief, all blended together into a discharge of emotion so intense their knees buckled.

"I thought I would never see you again," Caelia sobbed. "I shouldn't have turned my back on you."

"It's OK, it's OK," Trystan wrapped his arms around her. "I was a fool. I was too overwhelmed by vengeance that I failed to see the truth. I brought everything upon myself."

"I will never do that again."

"There's no next time. We will never go through that again."

As the twin siblings engrossed in the reunion, Osiris and Vicky rounded up the survivors - dispossessed mechwarriors and dropship crews - and herded them to toward the center. The pilots of Thanatos and Apollo voluntarily exited their mechs and joined the group. Ronan and the remining Commando stayed inside their mechs lest some captives attempted assassination on Trystan and Caelia, but upon seeing Osiris taking complete control of the mob, they exited their mechs and joined the crowd.

Saskia landed her zoid and took a long walk toward the gathering.

Caelia took a glimpse of the Gilvader still moving around long after Saskia dismounted it. She pushed Trystan back and looked at him in the earnest. "You have some explaining to do," she blurted. "What the hell is that thing? Why is it not shut down when the mechwarrior is out? Who is that woman?"

Trystan grimaced, knowing that the day would not end before his sister was properly filled in. "You sold me to the Band of The Damned in Antalos," he started, "a pirate stronghold at the fringe of the Inner Sphere. I was a slave for a year when she dropped out of nowhere and set me free."

"Set you free?" Caelia shot a skeptical look at her brother.

"Yes. Long story short, I was not here if it was not because of her. I owe her my life."

"And that thing?"

"That thing is…" Trystan didn't know how to make her understand. "Well, she claimed to have come from a planet that was not shown in charted territory. She said in her home planet those mechanical animals, called zoids, were everywhere. They form some bond with humans, like pets do. I don't know. It's hard to explain."

"And you believe her?" Caelia cringed. "You're sure she's not some mental hospital inhabitant?"

"It's the only way to explain that thing," Trystan sighed. "It's hard to believe, but it's the truth."

"Are you saying that thing is… alive?"

"Not only that, the thing talks to her, and she listens to it. She talks to it too and it listens to her."

Caelia looked at Trystan like he was completely crazy. But at the time Saskia arrived and Trystan rushed to meet her. The way he lit up upon meeting her, Caelia had never seen him like that before. And it scared her to even think of what might have happened with him. But one year was a long time to change, and Caelia thought maybe, just maybe, this man – her brother – was not the same boy she knew a year ago.

"Saskia, this is my sister Caelia," Trystan said gleefully. "Caelia, Saskia. My partner in crime."

"Heart melts by the sight of reunion longed for," Saskia shot a small smile. "Not a day passed absent promises of dreams, and the manifesting of it."

Caelia could only throw a blank stare at Trystan.

"I told you, she came from an uncharted territory," Trystan smirked as he enjoyed Caelia's tormented look.

"Tongue may have flapped freely in my regard, yet truth falls right on the mark. Fate cursed me with odyssey to your world, where Gilvy falls into deeper sickness with each passing day. And yet, his unbecoming becomes a blessing for Trystan."

"Thank you for taking care of my brother," Caelia hugged Saskia. "Welcome to the family!"

This time it was Saskia who threw a blank stare at Trystan.

"My sister says many things," Trystan said awkwardly. "In time you'll learn which ones to take seriously and which ones to ignore completely."

"Ignore, you say?" Caelia sneered. "Do you think I don't know what's going on between you two?"

"Caelia, no!" Trystan quickly grabbed her hand. "It's not the time for that!"

"Why? Wanna hit all the bases before home run?" Caelia kept going. "It's nice being a gentleman, but you must be careful taking it slow, she may walk in the aisle with somebody else…"

"Caelia stop!" Trystan squeezed her hand hard. "I will address the Blazing Aces, and you will stop talking about Saskia and back me up. Understood?"

"Let go off my hand you freak!" Caelia yanked her arm free. "For all I care I am the ranking officer of the Blazing Aces. I can have you flogged for roughing a ranking officer!"

"Many apologies," Trystan replied ceremoniously, realizing the grave implication of the seemingly silly outburst of his sister. "Then it's best if you, as the Commanding Officer of the Blazing Aces, address the unit about the future…."

"Nah, I'm just messing with you man!" Caelia slapped Trystan's arm. Her eyes twinkled with delight, enjoying Trystan's clumsy reaction. "We both know it's always you. You are groomed for this. Go, address them. Make Mom proud."

Trystan grinned from ear to ear. He reached out and pulled Caelia closer, kissed her in the forehead, then walked toward the group of people, waiting for an absolution. Some of them threw disgusted stare at him, others just waiting for him to do something.

"Blazing Aces, my name is Trystan Vandenberg," Trystan said as he looked at them one by one. "Caelia Vandenberg is my sister. Our grandfather founded this unit. Our mother resurrected it from its destruction in the hands of the Smoke Jaguars. Your deceased commanders, Blitzie and Linc, murdered our mother and cast me out to get a hold of the unit. I came here to demand justice for our mother. We have avenged our mother. Your commanders are dead. I will keep my promise. You will not be harmed."

The crowd broke into commotion. Trystan waited to gauge their reaction, then continued addressing the situation. "As of now my sister and I will lead the Blazing Aces. I know this sounds like an overthrow but I would take another route if there were one. So I will not hold you. If you oppose my action, you are free to go. There are jumpships that will take you to Outreach where you can find employments with different units. If you stay, I expect you to take ownership of this unit. You are not employees of the Blazing Aces. You are the Blazing Aces. My sister and I will find good lucrative contracts and if you work hard, I promise you, we will share the spoils as fair as possible."

The commotion became louder, and one by one the mechwarriors left the crowd until Osiris, Vicky, Ronan, the Pacifica cadet, and 2 other mechwarriors were left.

Saskia moved next to Trystan. "A poor decision, born of rushed judgment."

"No, I'm done forcing people to do my will," Trystan sighed. "I'm going with trust. I don't want to do this with people that don't trust me."

"Days past you commanded different approach with me and Lei Fong," Saskia sulked.

"No, not you," Trystan squeezed Saskia's hand. "I can't do this without you. I had to do everything in my power to have you by my side."

"And me?" Osiris suddenly tuned in. "You let mechwarriors go but you keep me, an infantry, in your possession? I deserve the same treatment as the mechwarriors!"

"You're a bondsman! You don't have the same privilege with those people!"

"Wait, bondsman?" Caelia joined the heated conversation. "You impressed me, Trystan. How did you get a Clan bondsman? What did you do? Don't tell me you beat him in a Circle of Life!"

"He ambushed me!" Osiris barked, half yelling. He clenched his fists so hard his knuckles turned white. "And it is Circle of Equal, you barbarian freebirth! Learn your facts right!"

"You ambushed him?" Caelia broke into rapturous laughter. "I don't believe this! My brother got a bondsman by cheating!"

"I was desperate," Trystan said solemnly, but couldn't help smiling. "Somebody said that the most dangerous combatant is the one fighting with wall behind his back." He stole a glance at Saskia and shot a small smile. "My back was against the wall at that time. I had to do what I had to do."

"So, bondsman, what keeps you from stabbing him in his sleep for revenge?" Caelia started to have fun.

"I am not a barbarian like you," Osiris hissed. "I am a Wolf Clan warrior. I am bound by honor, even though my bondholder shows no honor!"

"Hey, I show you honor by giving you a chance to prove your worth in combat!" Trystan growled.

"Which I performed admirably!" Osiris went straight at Trystan's face. "You have no excuse to keep me any longer! Release me or I am challenging you in the Circle of Equal!"

Before everything went out of control Saskia stepped in between the two while Vicky tugged Osiris' arms. Caelia, who had no idea about the dynamics of the team his brother put together, stood in the distance chuckling in great delight. She loved her brother, but anything that made him uncomfortable was a spectacle to her.

"There is one more thing I need you to do," Trystan said. "After that, I will let you go."

"You freebirth have no honor!" Osiris said hoarsely. His thumb graced the hilt of his kukri, giving Trystan a sign that he was deadly serious about it. "I will hold your words as these people are my witness. I will do one more task for you. If you fail to keep your promise, I will take you to the Circle of Equal right away!"

"I will keep my promise," Trystan nodded earnestly. "One more task. Then I will hold you no longer."

"I can't wait to see what kind of job my brother has for you, bondsman," Caelia chuckled lightly. She turned her eyes toward Vicky, and her body stiffened. "Sergeant Lantham."

"Lieutenant, now," Trystan said, knowing that his sister might still hold a grudge against her. "We met at Solaris and I asked her to work for me. She's been working under Captain Osiris and proved to be a valuable addition to our team, even without air unit, which is her strength."

"I see," Caelia took a deep breath. "Well, Lieutenant, I think I need to inform you that I just disposed of our mutual boyfriend."

"He meant nothing more than a booty call," Vicky replied. "And if it makes you feel better, he made a pass on me. I never intended to hurt anyone."

"Uncogent words, readily forfeited upon the sight of new partner," Saskia suddenly croaked.

Vicky immediately turned toward Saskia, gushing out venom at maximum power. "And what do you call yourself? You, a Master Sergeant with minimum flight time, overtaking a lieutenant with hundreds of hours! You wouldn't have that privilege if Trystan didn't fancy your racks over mine!"

As the two girls started bickering again, Caelia turned to Trystan, who was massaging his head in utter frustration. "And what is this all about?" she scoffed. "Your subordinates contesting whose boobs you fancy more?"

"They can't get along," Trystan puffed a long sigh. "I don't know, I just give up yelling at them. They can do whatever they want with themselves."

"You sure have your way around weirdos," Caelia sniggered.

"Och, wait until you meet Lei Fong," Trystan threw his arms up in the air. "Lei Fong, our chief technician. He's of Chinese descendant but not from Capellan. No, not even related. Any mentioning of Capellan will trigger a very nasty, racist outburst. Watch out what you're saying to him."

"Racist outburst?" Caelia couldn't contain her guffaw. "What is this, 1965?"

Trystan just shrugged. He held Caelia's hand and walked past Saskia and Vicky, who were still arguing, and went to meet Ronan. "Remember that day at Solaris, an Assassin beating the crap out of a Ryoken? This is Ronan O'Reilly, the Assassin pilot. He used the same Assassin to beat Humberto, and now he's commanding Humberto's Phoenix Hawk."

"So you went to Solaris just to get him?" Caelia smiled.

"I had to. I interviewed him, and he impressed me."

"Well good to meet you again, Ronan," Caelia grinned. "My brother was impressed by your skill. He could've made a lot of money betting on you if he weren't so chickenshit."

"Good, Sir! Nice to meet you," Ronan replied with his thick Irish brogue. He turned to Trystan, flashing a wide grin. "Sister good, Sir! You speak the truth!"

"Shove it, Ronan!" Trystan pushed the Irish mechwarrior aside to meet a short, burly mechwarrior. "This is a loan from Jason Youngblood. We had help from 4 Pacifica cadets with Commando Blazing Inferno in our effort. Unfortunately 3 of them were destroyed, and he is what is left."

"Cadet Isaac, Sir," the mechwarrior extended his hand for a handshake. "I have informed Lieutenant Colonel Youngblood that I am not returning to Pacifica."

"You're not?" Trystan was taken aback.

"No, Sir. I'm staying with you. Military work is not really for me. Too much hierarchy. Don't' get me wrong, Sir, I am a good cadet. I just don't like structures."

"So basically you don't like discipline," Caelia blurted.

"I know discipline, Ma'am, just don't like it if I have to follow order blindly. So if you're hiring, I'm up for grab."

"Well, Cadet, I'm sure glad to have you, but what about your battlemech? The Commando belongs to Pacifica. You can't just take it with you."

"Most of the techs don't want to deal with it, Sir. It's an old technology. Poor heat management. Burns like nobody's business. Lieutenant Colonel Youngblood doesn't mind. You can confirm it with him."

"Well, that's unexpected," Trystan mumbled. "Yet an additional mechwarrior is always welcomed."

"Then you'll be glad to meet the remaining Blazing Aces," Caelia grabbed Trystan's hand and towed him toward two mechwarriors standing patiently. One had tan complexion and shoulder-length black hair. His necklace and tattoo accentuated his well-toned body. The other one was rather skinny and effeminate, with fair complexion and short, spiky brown hair. He stood with hands in his pockets.

"This is Gunnar, the second-in-command of the command lance," Caelia introduced the long-haired man. "He is the most experienced member of the Blazing Aces, having served the Northwind Highlander for some time. He pilots that one-of-a-kind Thanatos XT."

"Thank God for the Thanatos!" Trystan exclaimed. "It's a great battlemech to have in our lineup."

"You like my mech, mate?" Gunnar flashed a smile while showing off his tattoo. "I called it Aegishjalmur, the helm of awe. It's my lucky charm."

"Can't wait to see it in combat," Trystan shook his hands. "Glad you side with us."

"Bliltzie and Linc are morons. We need fresh perspective to get into this mercenary game."

"Speaks from experience," Caelia slapped Gunnar's arm. She turned to the effeminate one. "And this is Sean. He is my second-in-command in the fire support lance, and he'll assume the same position. He worked for the Skullers before 'lover's quarrel' with his boyfriend sent us to the Blazing Aces."

"Boyfriend?" Trystan involuntarily squinted.

"He can choose whoever he wants to date, Trystan!" Caelia shot a nasty glare at her brother.

"That's OK, Ma'am, I get that a lot," Sean said indifferently. "It takes a while to get used to it."

"Apologies, my mouth goes faster than my brain," Trystan grimaced. "What is Skullers?"

"Our direct competitor," Caelia explained. "Blitzie and Linc had trouble finding lucrative job partly because of the Skullers. They are more aggressive in bidding for contracts. Not that Blitzie and Linc are good at it anyways. The combination of Skullers' prowes in negotiation and Blitzie's and Linc's incompetence pushed the Blazing Aces to the brink of bankruptcy."

"We'll get it back," Trystan said. "First we take Sean from their lineup. Then we'll take the contracts from their grips. Hopefully we'll meet them in the battlefield someday so we can take their battlemechs too." He climbed on the wreck of the Avatar then got everybody's attention. "Blazing Aces! My sister and I will take command of this unit. Together we will bring the Blazing Aces to the frontline of the Inner Sphere. But first we need to repair the dropship. Let me worry about that. Until then, you are dismissed. Have some RnR in town. You deserve it."

As the mechwarriors and dropship crews dispersed, Saskia approached Trystan. She was exhausted, drained by the intense fight with the dropship and the barb trading with Vicky. But she kept her spirit up. "Congratulations," she flashed a smile. "Now that you have what you want, don't let promises slip from head. Take me and Gilvy home."

It was at that time Trystan realized that she was the reason everything happened the way it happened. His plan worked because of her. His dream became reality because of her. After everything she had done, he didn't know if he could let her go.

"I haven't forgotten," Trystan sighed. "But I have a better offer. Why don't you join the Blazing Aces? You're the most valuable member of this unit as of now. Your contribution is invaluable. You made things happen. The Blazing Aces needs you. I need you."

"You have your sister," Saskia recoiled.

"It's not the same."

"As is living here. Have matters fallen from grasp? Gilvy is sick. This place, the Inner Sphere, it bleeds his life, and my heart bleeds with him. We must go home, or death claims us both."

"Alright, alright, I'll take you home," Trystan was left with his one last stunt. "At least let me give you something." He leaned forward to kiss her, but Saskia stopped him.

"Swedish gratitude?" she cringed. "Thank me by sending me home."

"Actually it's not Swedish gratitude," Trystan pulled her closer. "It's Swedish way to say 'I really like you because you're awesome'". He leaned forward as far as he could and mashed his lips against hers.

This time Saskia didn't resist. Even when Trystan kept up his pace for a long, long time.

Author's Note:

Part 3 is complete. The Blazing Aces has returned to the Vandenbergs. Next, they're going to fight together as a team for the first time against an enemy far beyond their level. And over to the other side of the universe, Dagonet and Laeta will keep trying to return Saskia back to Planet Zi while dodging the wrath of the sadistic Khyron Saggaff.