Chapter 12: Breathing Space

'Moving the conference from Outreach to Terra made a lot of sense. Terra was, at least in the eyes of most people, a neutral location. ComStar guaranteed its neutrality - and the safety of all participants. Officially. We had concerns about the safety of the conference. ComStar claimed neutrality, but I was aware that they had taken sides in the Succession Wars - most famously by interdicting the Federated Suns in 3029. And they had tried to kill Alex before. Would they dare to strike at him when he was officially their guest? When half the Inner Sphere had heard about his heritage and seen him defeat the IlKhan? We doubted that but we still feared the worst - even with all the personal security Nastajia could arrange, Alex would be vulnerable.

And Cat and I had another danger to deal with: Our families would be attending the conference as well. And while ComStar was likely to act rationally, Mother... wasn't always the most rational person. I wasn't looking forward to explaining my relationship with Katherine to her since she had a tendency to jump to conclusions. But no matter what, I would stick with Cat and my friends. No one would separate us, much less harm them if I could help it.'

Collected Writings of Kali "Kelly" Liao

'Tharkad's judicial system is ludicrously strict about drugs procured through unofficial channels. Mandatory detox? How barbaric! And that merely for use - I was, fortunately, able to remove all clues about my experiments with my test subjects. Still, this is another obstacle to overcome. I fear I cannot stay on Tharkad any longer if I am to pursue my research - and abandoning it is out of the question! I will not be denied my discovery!'

Private notes of M.D. Phil Baker, Jessica Steiner Memorial Clinic, Tharkad, 3050

Lyons System, Federated Commonwealth, December 23rd, 3050

Two jumps from Terra. They had made good time, especially with most of Rasalhague's jumpships needed to ferry troops and supplies to the front so they didn't have a proper command circuit. ComStar had helped, of course.

But now they had to wait a week, or close to it. Kelly wasn't looking forward to that.

"Christmas in space… Joy," Cat said in a flat tone next to her as she floated to the screen serving as a viewport for their cabin. "I wanted a white Christmas. A white dwarf isn't the same."

Kelly snorted - Cat would be used to Tharkad's snow. She nodded before reaching over and ruffling Cat's hair. "We can celebrate in Dreamland, but we need to be ready in case someone tries to break into our quarters here."

"Well, Kiwi's most recent tools should keep us safe. Or give us enough warning to wake up," Cat said. "They better work - I almost dislocated my jaw transporting them here."

Kelly frowned. "That was never a danger."

"It certainly felt like it."

Kelly decided not to mention the alternatives. Cat hadn't taken well to them the first time Felicity had mentioned them. At least Kiwi had promised to make the next set modular so it could be disassembled into smaller pieces. She shrugged instead and pushed off to check her noteputer for any signs of spies tampering with anything while Cat did a somersault and floated towards their bathroom.

She had aimed well, but she tried to show off, removing her tank top and shorts in mid-flight, and ended up missing the door and having to pull herself along the handholds on the wall while her clothes ended up in the middle of their cabin.

Kelly smirked as she grabbed them and stuffed them into the net near the zero-g bed. Then she focused on the surveillance data. She was halfway through when Cat returned - in zero-g, long showers were not practical. Mostly, it was wipes and 'dry-cleaning'. Being able to enter Dreamland for a real shower every night was a godsend, even if only the feeling carried over unless you used Alex's Code Key.

"So… found another spy yet?" Cat asked, clinging to Kelly's side.

"No. A few potentially suspicious movements, but they haven't checked out so far," Kelly replied.

"'Potentially suspicious'?" Her lover snorted. "Playing it safe, are we?"

"Always," Kelly replied with a grin.

"Unless you're on the battlefield and drive your Raven," Cat retorted with a snort.

Kelly inclined her head. "Calculated risks. I'm not jumping in front of enemy assault lances."

"I'm piloting an assault 'Mech," Cat retorted. "And with the changes the techs finished, it's a great 'Mech!"

Kelly nodded. It was indeed a deadly 'Mech - but the salvaged Ultra AC/20 would make Cat a priority target for any opponent. At least Kelly's TAG was a bit more discreet - and her Raven was faster than Cat's Victor.

But they had gone over that before. Kelly had to trust Cat's lancemates to keep her lover safe. Besides, the odds of them fighting an open field battle in the next few months were low. Not as low as Kelly would like, of course. But she had a feeling that for the duration of the conference, they would have to worry about assassins, not enemy soldiers.

Fortunately, Kelly wasn't entirely inexperienced in that area.

Lyons System, Federated Commonwealth, December 24th, 3050

"Stille Nacht! Heilige Nacht! Alles schläft; einsam wacht nur das traute heilige Paar. Holder Knab' im lockigen Haar, schlaf in himmlischer Ruh! Schlaf in himmlischer Ruh!"

Cat sighed. The song was the same, but this wasn't the Triad. And her fellow soldiers weren't the Tharkad Christmas Choir. Even if they did their best to match them in volume if not talent.

"Come on, Major! It's Christmas Eve! No time to be maudlin!"

That was Gallinari. Cat forced herself to smile at the spy. "I'm just thinking of my family," she said. "I would usually celebrate Christmas with them."

"Oh." Gallinari nodded. "Your first Christmas without them?"

Fishing for information? Cat shook her head. "No."

"Ah. The drawback of being a professional soldier, right?" Gallinari grinned and toasted her with her glass. "To Christmas!"

Cat raised her one in return. "To Christmas." Nothing alcoholic - she didn't want to get drunk. Certainly not when talking to a spy.

"I must say, this is very nice - not many officers would order a dropship to take a round trip just so we have gravity for the celebration," Gallinari commented.

"Alex is special," Cat said. Although it wasn't really special - she was sure her parents would have done the same. Not that they would have found themselves stuck in transit on a dropship on Christmas Eve, of course.

Gallinari nodded. "Very special!" She looked around. "And for him, this must be like returning home, right?"

Cat shrugged. "You'd have to ask him that himself." She had no doubt that for Alex, home was Dreamland. He had no family left on Terra. Probably no friends left either, but that was another question she had never asked him.

"Well, I'm not going to disturb him while he celebrates!" Gallinari grinned. "Or you and Major Lieden."

Cat snorted. "You better not. Kelly wouldn't take it well." Neither would Cat, but she found that Kelly was considered scarier by most people for some reason.

And Gallinari did wince before she raised her glass again. "To friends and family!"

"To friends and family!"

Gallinari nodded and walked away.

Cat sighed. Her family would be on New Avalon this year - they had celebrated on Tharkad last year, Cat thought. Unless they had rescheduled because Mum had to stay on Tharkad because of the invasion, and wanted her family there. Or unless they were already on the way to Terra… No. The Federated Commonwealth could afford a full command circuit for that. Even when being invaded. Her siblings would have a nice Christmas. And she could celebrate Christmas with Kelly. Both here and in Dreamland.

She made her way to the buffet. The selection had a distinctly Nordic tendency - courtesy of Prince Magnusson. Alex had invited the Prince and his son to the Babylon, but as expected, both had declined - it wouldn't have been good for morale if they celebrated with mercenaries instead of with their own soldiers.

Cat didn't really mind. It was good to celebrate in relative privacy.

She filled her plate with a few snacks that looked tasty - mostly fish - and went to look for Kelly. Which meant looking for Alex - Kelly wouldn't leave him unguarded. And Alex would be… listening to the drunken singers. Great.

Cat considered earplugs, but it wasn't quite that loud, and it would've seemed rude. And, of course, it would have driven the soldiers to sing even louder, or closer - she knew her people.

She grabbed another glass on the way and handed it to Kelly as soon as she reached them. "Here!"

"Thank you." Kelly beamed at her, took a sip, then grabbed one of the finger sandwiches from Cat's plate.

Cat mock-frowned at her. And at Alex, when he did the same.

"What do you think of our Christmas tree?" he asked with a grin.

"I think Meier better have volunteered or he'll be plotting to kill whoever picked his 'Mech to be painted green and decorated with tinsel and plastic planes," Cat replied, nodding at the vandalised Zeus.

"He did, actually."

Or was bribed by the techs. Cat didn't really care, as long as there was no trouble. And the 'Mech kind of looked like a Christmas tree. If you squinted a lot and were very drunk. Which Cat wasn't.

"Did Gallinari attempt to gather intel?" Kelly asked sotto voce as Cat sat down next to her.

"Yes. Quite discreetly," Cat replied. "Asked about my family and past Christmas celebrations."

"Not quite up to Maskirovka standards, if you noticed," Kelly commented.

Cat frowned at her. She wasn't blind or overly naive.

Kelly remained unfazed. "Although knowing she's a spy might have made subtle attempts more obvious," she went on.

That was a possibility - Cat couldn't deny that she felt biased towards the exposed spies. "Better to be too cautious than too careless," she said.

"Definitely," Kelly agreed.

"As long as you still enjoy the celebration," Alex cut in. "This is a time to celebrate. Once we arrive on Terra, we'll be very busy, I expect."

"With our parents," Cat said in a low voice. They knew now that her dad and Kelly's mother were coming, possibly Kelly's father as well. Whether Mum would make it hadn't been confirmed yet one way or the other.

"Amongst others," Alex said. "Are you sure…"

"Don't you start again!" she hissed.

"We have discussed this extensively and decided that it is more important to attend the conference," Kelly added. "I see no reason to reconsider this."

"What she said," Cat said.

Alex smiled. "Of course. Anyway - let's enjoy the party. Compared to what awaits us on Terra, this should be relaxing in comparison."

Cat glared at him - it wasn't a funny joke at all, given what they had to look forward to - and took another sip from her drink. But he was correct - they should enjoy the party. At least with the members of the regiment who hadn't been revealed as spies. They had all fought bravely, worked hard to repair the damaged 'Mechs and deserved better than suffering because their commanders were grumpy.

She emptied her soda, grabbed Kelly's hand and started to drag her lover over to the bar. It was time for some carousing!

Royal Palace, Unity City, Dreamland, December 25th, 3050

"I've missed this so much!"

Kelly smiled at her lover's outburst as they left their suite in the Royal Palace and saw a bunch of little children chase each other through the hallways decked out with Christmas decorations.

"The decorations! The children!" Cat sniffed the air. "The food! And the dancing!"

"We danced last night as well," Kelly reminded her.

"Yes, but that was… different," Cat said. "A 'Mech bay just isn't a dedicated dance floor. And Russo is a great technician but not a great DJ."

"Would you care to tell him that?" Kelly asked as they stepped around two children racing remote-controlled toy cars down the hallway. Of course, Russo didn't have an actual orchestra, either. Or a ballroom big enough to fit rock giants into it. Then again, the kind of dancing they had done in the Babylon didn't need a ballroom either.

"Do I look suicidal?" Cat snorted. "But most of all, I've missed the…" She trailed off, looking around. "...the peace," she finished after a moment. "We're not at war. Everyone's happy here. It's so good to be home."

Kelly nodded. And then pointed at the mistletoe above the doorway, in which Cat stood.

Her lover smiled at her, licked her lips and tilted her head to the side as Kelly stepped up to her and wrapped her arms around her neck, one hand gripping the back of Cat's head as they kissed. The others in the ballroom could wait a few minutes.

"Major?"

Apparently, some people couldn't wait. Kelly smiled - politely, not warmly - at the child looking at her and Cat. "Yes?"

"You're with the First Royals, right?"

They were wearing their dress uniforms. But the kid probably couldn't tell. He looked about five years old, with a short-cropped head of blonde hair and pyjamas with the Cameron Star on them.

"Yes," Cat said.

"Oh, good!" The boy nodded. "Hey, Carol! Melvin! I've found them!"

"See? I told you they had their quarters here in this wing!" a little girl with a red ponytail declared as she rounded the corner, followed by another boy. They were wearing the same pyjamas. Which was… peculiar.

"These are my friends, Carol and Melvin!" the boy said. "Oh, and I'm Timmy. Tim."

The little girl groaned. "Way to go, Timmy."

"Hey! I found them!"

"I told you where to look!"

"Hey!" the second boy hissed. "Not in front of the officers!"

They sound like the children of soldiers, Kelly thought.

"You were looking for us specifically?" Cat asked, tilting her head a little to the side.

"Yes! You're the First Lord's friends!" Timmy nodded. "And we need to talk to him!"

"He'll be handing out gifts," Cat told them. "You can tell him what you want then - there are lots of toys around."

"No, no, no!" Tommy shook his head vehemently. "It's not about toys. It's about the confi… the conference on Terra!"

They were on Terra. But Kelly wasn't aware of any conference in Dreamland. She glanced at Cat, who had grown serious as well. "Which conference?" Kelly asked.

"The one where everyone's going!" Melvin said. "And also the First Lord! We saw his battleROM!"

"Yes!" Timmy took a step forward, apparently not about to let his friends outshine him. "And my Dad wants to meet you there - well, Dad or Uncle Mortimer."

That sounded… concerning.

"They're the leaders of the Knights of St. Cameron," the girl told them.

Oh. That was a mercenary unit. Quite a peculiar one. And they wanted to talk to Alex? And knew about Dreamland?

Kelly nodded. "Yes, I think you do need to talk to the First Lord."

Alex was, as expected, handing out gifts to the kids in the ballroom. Lots of kids. He was dressed as Santa Claus while Nastajia next to him wore a 'Santa's elf' costume. Which Cat's prim and proper friend loathed but wouldn't show it since the children loved it. Cat grinned.

"I thought you weren't 'sposed to jump the line," Melvin whispered as they walked towards Alex.

"They're officers, they can do what they want," Carol replied.

"That's not entirely accurate," Kelly corrected them. "But under certain circumstances, the rules need to be adjusted. And I am confident that this is such a situation."

"It better be if we're about to tear Alex away from handing out gifts," Cat mumbled.

"I think that will be up to him - and Nastajia," Kelly said..

Who was, Cat saw, already watching them approach her.

"I hope you're not here to jump the line." Nastajia raised her eyebrows.

"See? I told you!" Melvin blurted out.

"But that's for regular sit… stuff. This is an emergency!" Timmy retorted.

"Not an emergency," Carol corrected him. "But a special situation."

"And what special situation would that be?" Nastajia leaned forward to look at the kids.

Timmy blinked then swallowed. "My… my Dad wants to talk to the First Lord. On Terra. At the conference!"

Nastajia looked at Cat and Kelly. "It seems Timmy recognised Alex on a battleROM. His father leads the Knights of St. Cameron," Cat's lover explained.

"I see." Nastajia nodded. "Indeed, I think this is a special situation. I fear Alex will need to be relieved."

"Not it!" Felicity, who had sneaked up on them somehow, declared at once.

"Not it!" Cat said with a grin.

Kelly and Nastajia frowned at them both. "You are needed at the discussion," Nastajia told them. "We'll ask Paddington to step in."

That was a good idea - the children loved the rock giant almost as much as they loved Alex. Or toys.

While Nastajia sorted out things in the ballroom, Cat, Kelly and Felicity took the kids to Alex's office.

"Sorry for ruining your Christmas," Timmy said as they sat the kids down on the couch there.

"Yes," Melvin agreed - looking around with wide eyes.

"It's not your fault," Cat assured them.

"And it might turn out to be the best gift Alex might have received today," Kelly added with a smile.

"So, don't worry about it," Felicity told them. "Do you want some cake while we wait for the First Lord?"

"Yes!" "Yes, please!" "Yes!" "YES!"

Cat chuckled at the last yell - Kiwi had arrived as well.

They sent for cake, but before it arrived, Alex and Nastajia entered, both wearing dress uniforms. Alex smiled at the kids. "So, you've got a message for me?"

Timmy and his friends jumped off the couch and stood at something you might call attention if you were blind and squinted. "Milord!" Timmy snapped. "Yes! My father is going to Terra. To meet you at the conference!"

"At ease!" Alex told them, and all three kids slumped a little. "And your father is the commander of the Knights of St. Cameron?"

"Yes, Your Highness!"

"General Felix Dewey, Milord," Carol added.

Melvin nodded but didn't say anything.

"And you told him that you met me here?" Alex smiled as he asked, but the kids hunched their shoulders anyway and flinched.

"I didn't know it was a secret," Timmy said.

"It's not exactly a secret - not officially," Alex said. He grinned. "Besides, I should have expected that after I fought the IlKhan."

"Yes, Alex, you should have," Nastajia agreed with a frown.

"And do you know what your father wants to talk to me about?" Alex asked.

"He wants to ask if you're a real Cameron - but you are! The First Lord!" Timmy said.

"What are the Knights of St. Cameron?" Felicity cocked her head. "First time I heard about them."

"Ah…" Timmy blinked. "We are the Knights of St Cameron? MechWarriors?"

"We defend the weak and the poor and fight for the spirit of the Star League," Carol added.

Melvin nodded again. "And we follow the Saints Cameron!"

Alex's smile slipped a little. Cat didn't think the kids noticed, awed as they were, but she could tell. Fortunately, just then, the cake arrived and distracted them.

"We'll fight for you! I know it!" Timmy said between a mouthful of chocolate cake.

"Well, not you," Alex told him. "You're still too young."

"But I've got a 'Mech here!" Timmy protested. "We all do!" His friends nodded several times.

"But you're still children. And we don't send children to battle," Alex said with a glance at Cat and Kelly.

And unless they ended up stuck like Cat and Kelly had been, Timmy and his friends would be too old for Dreamland before they were old enough to fight. Not that they realised it - the three kids nodded solemnly.

"So… are you going to remake the Star League?" Melvin asked suddenly.

"We're there to save the Inner Sphere from the Clans," Alex told him. "It's not the same as here."

"Oh." Timmy looked disappointed.

Cat nodded. The Inner Sphere was very different from Dreamland.

"Anyway," Alex said, "you can tell your father that I'll be happy to meet him on Terra and he can take a blood sample to check if I'm a Cameron. Got that?"

Timmy nodded. "Yes, milord!"

Felicity mumbled: "There's enough of your blood going around by now for half the Inner Sphere, I bet!"

Cat snorted, but Nastajia frowned at the comment. Well, she would.

"Anyway, now go and enjoy the party!" Alex told the kids.

They saluted and left the office, loaded down with three plates of cake.

"Precocious kids," Alex commented once they were alone. "But this is… unexpected."

"We should've expected it," Nastajia retorted.

"But we didn't, and now we have to deal with it," Felicity said. "So, how bad is that?"

"If what we heard about the Knights of St. Cameron is true then they could be a great asset," Kelly said.

"But I'm no Saint," Alex said. "And I don't want to be a Saint."

"Of course not," Felicity agreed. "Saints are usually dead."

"We'll have to talk to Timmy's father," Cat said. "Find out what they're like. And what they want."

"Great. I'll be even busier on Terra than I feared," Alex said, sighing.

"Don't complain. You're the First Lord," Nastajia told him. But she was smirking, Cat noted.

"Well, nothing we can do now about this, so… let's go back to the party?" Felicity slid off her seat.

"Yes," Cat agreed.

"Cake…"

Cat blinked. Kiwi had been surprisingly quiet so far… She looked at the faery and winced. Kiwi was sprawled on the remains of a piece of cake almost as large as she was.

Nastajia sighed.

Approaching Terra, Sol System, January 5th, 3051

"There's another warship ahead, geostationary orbit over Terra, and…Oh verdammt!" Kirchwerder cursed. "It's a Cameron-class battlecruiser according to the warbook." He turned to look at Alex. "Sorry, Sir."

Alex smiled. "For what? I think everyone was surprised that ComStar had warships ready to be deployed."

Kelly nodded in agreement. At least the sheer number of warships they had encountered upon reaching the Sol System had exceeded everyone's estimations. Almost a dozen ships at the jump points and in orbit around Terra - ComStar must have been busy salvaging wrecks for centuries.

"Well, they obviously take the security of the Conference seriously," Kirchwerder said. "Now if they would only go to war against the Clans…"

While the bridge crew apparently agreed with the Captain of the Babylon, Kelly was withholding her judgement until she knew more about the quality of the crew. ComStar hadn't fought any large-scale battles so far, much less any naval engagements, so she couldn't tell at all how they would stack up against the Clans.

"I wonder if the Titan yards are busy building more ships," Alex commented.

"Our sensors can't tell from this distance," Kirchwerder said. "There is a lot of traffic, of course, but unless a ship is leaving the yards, we can't tell what is going on there. And they would be building jumpships, of course, as they always do."

"We can check, however, if the Naval Yards are in use," Kelly said, stepping over to the signals station.

"The Naval Yards?" the officer there asked.

"Titan Naval Yards. The main yard for the SLDF fleet," Alex replied. "If they have been restored, they'll be building compact core jumpships."

Warships, in other words.

"May I?" Kelly asked. It was a formality - everyone was watching her eagerly. As soon as the officer made some room for her, she adjusted the sensors. She wasn't a spacer, but she was an expert at reconnaissance. After a few minutes, she had her readings. "The traffic pattern around the Naval Yards indicates strong security - at least two squadrons of aerospace fighters on CAP."

"I think it's safe to say that ComStar is building warships," Alex said.

"The Clans won't know what hit them!" an officer cheered.

Kelly didn't share his enthusiasm - not when she didn't know against what enemy ComStar would send this fleet.

"Well, they haven't blown us to dust because of some tragic IFF mistake," Cat whispered as Kelly returned to her side. "So, let's hope for the best?"

Kelly nodded. It wasn't as if they had a choice - they were committed now.

Starport, Unity City, North America, Terra, Sol System, January 7th, 3051

"It figures they would hold the conference here," Cat heard Alex mutter as they stepped off Babylon's ramp.

"Well, I expected them to hold it on Hilton Head Island," she said. That was where her parents' wedding had been held.

"I think they want to avoid the associations with the Fourth Succession War," Kelly said. "Unity City was the capital of the Star League - and the name itself conjures the unity ComStar might wish to achieve here."

"Or they just don't want any visitors close to their headquarters," Cat suggested. She had heard rumours about what had happened back at the wedding.

"Well, how does the saying go? Keep your friends close and your enemies closer?" Alex asked.

Cat snorted, then stepped to the side when a staff car descended the ramp. One of Wong's privates was driving it - Gonzales something. And Kapten Lundberg was sitting next to him.

"Thank you, private!" Alex told him. "Let's go join our employer so we can meet our hosts properly."

Right. They were here as tag-alongs for the Elected Prince, Cat reminded herself. Even if there was a chance that more people were interested in Alex and his heritage than in the Prince of Rasalhague. Something, she had no doubt, the Prince was aware of - and probably prepared to exploit.

"Yes, Sir!" Gonzales drove them over to the Overlord that had transported the Prince and his son to Terra.

"The starport is still cooling down," Kelly remarked as they crossed into the next landing zone.

That was true, Cat realised - back home, the tarmac would have been cooled down already. It seemed that the facilities here weren't as advanced as Dreamland's.

"The tyres can take it, Major," Gonzales said. "It's not too hot."

"I'm aware," Kelly told him. "I was just surprised that Terra doesn't have better landing fields than this."

"Ah."

They drew up in front of the Overlord's main 'Mech bay and got out. Indeed, Cat could feel the heat of the ferrocrete through the soles of her boots, but it wasn't too bad.

"ComStar's coming," Kelly said, pointing at two hovercars driving towards them.

"Ah…" Alex frowned. "It would be a minor faux-pas if they welcomed us before they officially welcomed the Prince."

"And awkward if they have to wait next to us without acknowledging us," Cat added.

Fortunately, the Prince appeared on top of the ramp and descended, followed by his son and his guards.

One minor gaffe avoided, then.

Before they could exchange more than greetings, the hovercars arrived as well, and a ComStar official stepped out of the leading car. A precentor - Precentor Dieron, Cat realised. A member of the First Circuit.

Well, ComStar wouldn't welcome the Elected Prince with an underling - as the leader of his realm he was, in theory, equal in rank to any House Lord. Even though much of his realm was currently occupied by the Clans.

"Welcome to Terra, Your Highness. I am Sharilar Mori, Precentor Dieron." The woman greeted Magnusson with a sort-of bow, Combine style.

"Thank you." Magnusson nodded in return. "May I present my son Ragnar? And Colonel Cameron and Majors Lieden and Stevens."

"Welcome to Terra." Mori politely nodded at all of them, but Cat caught her staring at Alex for a moment. Well, that had been expected. And the woman probably knew Cat and Kelly's identities.

They exchanged a few more greetings before Mori took them to their quarters in the local Hilton - at least for Alex, Catand Kelly; the rest of the unit would be housed on the Babylon for now. That would hopefully cut down on spies and saboteurs somewhat.

"Do you think they picked that hotel specifically?" Cat asked as she climbed into the second hovercar - Mori was taking the Magnussons in the first hovercar.

"Because Comstar's headquarters is on Hilton Head?" Kelly wrinkled her nose. "I think it's probably coincidence. At best, it's a joke on part of an underling."

"I don't think ComStar has the kind of humour to do that as an institution," Alex said, closing the door. "Individuals, of course, would be different."

Cat nodded and looked out the window. The starport looked almost like the one at home. The city as well. And yet, the differences were obvious. Not merely a few buildings out of place, or missing, but the people… Unity City in Dreamland was full of people of all races. Dwarves, elves, faeries as well as humans, and many other people. And children. So many more children walking and flying around, playing, than she saw here on the street.

And the 'Mechs guarding the hotel were painted in Com Guards white, not the olive of the SLDF. Four 'Mechs, Phoenix Hawk, BattleMaster, Warhammer and Marauder. Two SRM carriers. And probably infantry in every building in the street. "They're not skimping on security," she said.

"Royal variants," Kelly added.

"They're lacking anti-aircraft assets, though," Alex said. "Kind of like our regiment."

"They'll have aerospace fighters ready to launch," Cat said. At least she'd have some. "But that still leaves a window of opportunity for some conventional aircraft or VTOL to make an endrun on the building with bombs." Granted, the 'Mech lance here could wreck any conventional fighter with one volley, but conventional aircrafts were probably the easiest way to hide preparations for an attack.

"I don't think we have to worry about such attacks," Alex said.

Cat looked at him - he didn't seem to be joking or saying it for the benefit of the ComStar ROM agents who were certainly monitoring them. Then again, an assassination would likely be less embarrassing for ComStar than an outright attack that got past their security.

Lundberg nodded. Cat had the feeling that she didn't expect any attack at all.

They entered the underground garage. Good. The street was a bit too exposed, in Cat's opinion. And… yes, there were the guards she had expected.

They got out of the hovercar as soon as the Magnussons were and got to use the same elevator as the Prince and his entourage - their quarters were even on the same floor.

Hilton Hotel, Unity City, North America, Terra, Sol System, January 7th, 3051

Kelly stood in the middle of the main room of their suite and turned around, acting as if she was enjoying the view of the city from here. Three surveillance devices so far in this room alone, according to the scanner Kiwi had enhanced for them.

"How many bugs?" Cat asked.

"Three so far in this room. One each in the bedrooms and the bathroom."

"I expected ComStar to be a bit more… subtle."

Kelly tilted her head as she found a fourth listening device in the window's frame, facing the balcony. "They might have assumed that we wouldn't notice the devices." Or this was a test to determine their technological means. In different circumstances, Kelly might have played along. But they couldn't let themselves be observed when sleeping, so the point was moot.

Cat snorted and pulled her jacket off, throwing it over the backrest of the couch before sitting down. "They know who we are."

"Undoubtedly," Kelly agreed.

"Then they could've been more hospitable and prepared our favourite snacks as a greeting." Cat grinned.

Kelly smiled as she pointed Kiwi's jammer at the fourth listening device and pressed the button. The light on it went from red to green. Neutralised. Her smile deepened when she imagined ComStar trying to work out how they had done this.

A last sweep through the suite and she was certain that they would be safe as soon as she put up the white noise generator. "Done!" she announced.

"Good." Alex sighed loudly. "I hate being under surveillance!" He sat down on the second couch.

"You're always under surveillance back home," Cat said.

Kelly nodded. The First Lord of the Star League needed the security.

"You know what I mean!" He pouted.

"Of course." Cat giggled, then grew serious. "So… we're on Terra. Not quite home. But close enough to make it weird. Did you see the training field?"

"Yes."

"I'm of a mind to take Dragonslayer II there for a test drive," she said.

"That would be a good idea," Kelly agreed. For her Raven as well - they hadn't been able to test the modified 'mechs under field conditions - they had been restricted to the Babylon's 'Mech bay.

Alex frowned for a moment, then nodded. "ComStar will already be aware of Clan technology."

"Yes." Kelly nodded. "They will probably have acquired samples of all relevant technology already." From the Clans - or from the Inner Sphere forces fighting them. "We won't be revealing anything new to them."

"And I have a feeling that we'll be in a mood to shoot up some targets as soon as the conference starts," Cat added with a grin.

Kelly nodded. Especially if they met Kelly's family. And try as she might, she didn't see a way to avoid such a confrontation. Not unless they were willing to hide in this suite or the Babylon and leave Alex alone at the conference.

And that was out of the question.

She sat down next to Cat and leaned into her.

And they watched the familiar yet unfamiliar city in silence for a while.

Somewhere on the Exodus Road, January 7th, 3051

Phelan Kell shuddered as he loosened the zero-g harness that had held him for the latest jump. The second of this week's leg of their journey to the Clan homeworlds - the Dire Wolf was equipped with a Lithium-Fusion Battery, allowing it to make two jumps before she had to recharge the drive. Another advantage the Clans had over the Inner Sphere, as if having warships wasn't bad enough.

He put the harness back into its compartment, stopping for a moment to look at the bondcord around his wrist, and struggled to suppress the sneer.

According to the Clans, he was a 'bondsman'. A slave, for all that mattered. Property, as Khan Kerenseky had explained - the Clanner didn't even see anything wrong with that. On the contrary, Ulrich genuinely seemed to think that Phelan should be grateful for being enslaved! The Clans' arrogance knew no bounds. Ulrich had promised that Phelan could earn warrior status if he performed well, but that was a farce. A Janissary was still a slave.

Only pirates and other scum enslaved people. And what did that make the Clans? Phelan snorted. As if the chance to become a warrior in the service of the Clan made it any better - even pirate bands sometimes recruited amongst their slaves. That didn't make them noble warriors, as the Clans saw themselves. Quite the opposite.

He sighed and reached into his locker for his noteputer. Like every slave, he had his duties. Sometimes, it was helping with maintenance or running errands. But most of the time, it was paperwork. Data analysis. He shouldn't be doing it, Phelan knew. He should refuse to help the enemy.

But doing the work meant he got information about the war. Reports. Records. Even BattleROMs. And getting such information kept him from going crazy.

And while it was helping the enemy - he had no doubts about that - it also let him gather information about the Clans. Information that might one day be used against them.

But he had already finished his work for today - checking supply reports - and there hadn't been anything added to his load.

Which left him… well, literally drifting since the Dire Wolf wasn't accelerating and he wasn't in one of the grav decks. And they weren't near their destination. They were waiting while the warship's K-F Drive and LF-Battery were charged. That, too, was valuable intel. The death of the ilKhan meant all bloodnamed Clan warriors had to return to their homeland to elect a new ilKhan. Apparently, a trip that would take months even with LosTech batteries effectively doubling their travel speed.

But a command circuit would have been much faster. If the Clans had packed all the bloodnamed warriors into dropships and placed jumpships along the route, charged up, they could have cut the travel time down to a few weeks, tops - depending on how many jumpships they could spare. A single infantry transport probably would have been enough, and that would have hardly disrupted their supply route.

And yet, they were travelling back on board a warship. Was the route in danger from raiders? Of Inner Sphere or unknown origin? Did Ulric fear an attack by a rival Clan? Or did the Dire Wolf need maintenance that couldn't be done in the Inner Sphere?

Perhaps they didn't have a command circuit at all and always travelled in convoys with escorts? That would make it nearly impossible to quickly deliver critical supplies, a clear weakness of the Clan war machine. Or they might form a command circuit if they needed it - but that would likely be costly for the Clan in need; none of the other Clans, not even allied Clans, helped out for free. Supplies, information, political favours - Ulric wouldn't want to pay such prices, Phelan knew.

But no matter the reason, it meant more trouble for the Clans. Interrupted schedules, commandeered ships… like ripples in a pond, such things spread. That alone would delay the resumption of the invasion some more.

And it was all thanks to one man. Alexander Cameron. Heir to the Star League. Returned to save the Inner Sphere from the Clans. And, no doubt, to restore the Star League and end the Succession Wars.

With the help of the Federated Commonwealth. He had recognised Cameron's right hand, "Major Cat Stevens". Before Phelan's battalion had been deployed in the Periphery to hunt pirates, Dad had sent him the news that his cousin had woken up from her coma. With pictures. "Cat Stevens" was Katherine Steiner-Davion.

A Cameron and a Steiner-Davion. There was hope for the Inner Sphere! And their unit - the regiment was called the First Royal Irregulars, but they wore SLDF colours and fought like the SLDF. The real SLDF, not this perverted mockery that the Clans had become.

He hadn't told anyone this, of course. He wasn't a traitor.

Once again, he looked at the cord circling his wrist and rubbed his skin beneath it.

They expected him to betray his home. His country. His family. But he wasn't a traitor. He knew his duty. Ulrich was trying to use him, use his knowledge of the Inner Sphere, was he? Phelan would use this to gather information on the Clans.

And once he had the opportunity, he'd show the Clans why keeping slaves was a bad idea.

He smiled as he opened the next hatch. He just had to endure this a bit longer, and…

"Phelan?"

He froze for a moment, almost losing his grip on the door as he turned around. "Rana?"

There she was, floating in the hallway, steading herself with one hand on a hold. She must have come from P.E. - she was wearing shorts and a sports bra, both soaked with sweat. "Are you done with your duties?"

"Yes," he said before he could stop himself.

And when she smiled in response to that, her face lighting up, he felt his heart speed up - and his stomach twist with guilt.