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Beyond Hope
- Chapter 24 - Interactions of Light and Shadow[]
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"Vladimir Ward took control of the 'Jade Wolves' and turned it back into Clan Wolf. He then proceeded to humiliate and destroy two Jade Falcon Khans, placing Marthe Pryde at the head of THAT clan by election and default…"
-"Chapter 33, 'The Clan Wars era' (excerpt from the unit history of the 171st Volunteers Division, AFFC) - Helena Cameron
Futile Fight[]
Mississauga System, Federated Commonwealth (Lyran State)
3056
The lesser troops weren't breaking. The Mississauga Militia's 'mechwarriors had already given up, and the lesser troops-tankers and infantry from…well…elsewhere…were still stubbornly holding on and trying to counter-attack.
Sometimes, they would even succeed. Nicholas Icaza stood this morning in what had been a battle last night, while techs brought forward in the aftermath worked to remove a vibroblade bayonet from the chest of his armor, where it had penetrated just short of penetrating HIM.
The man who did it, was chunks of red on the ground in a pattern. A common soldier who, faced with defeat, out of ammunition and alone, charged with a fixed bayonet to try and kill one more invader.
"The Lyrans found someone to give them a backbone after all…" he unsheathed from his damaged armor, and walked to where the other survivors of his Nova were gathered.
There were fewer than he'd grown accustomed to in previous campaigns, and the ones he joined at the kitchen vehicle were…shocked looking. Traumatized by the night's combat in ways he'd never have imagined when he left the Homeworlds.
"Well??"
"They killed the Galaxy Commander, sir, you are the senior most warrior left for nearly four hundred kilometers. What are your orders?"
"I must report in to the Khan and the Council, we need to know who these new opponents are, where they came from, and why they are here helping the Lyrans."
“I think I know who they are, ovKhan.” Marcus had been a Goliath Scorpion before the harvest trials.
“Who?”
“The 171st Kowloon Volunteer Regiment. During the Amaris War they were called the ‘Lunatics’ because of their level of sheer insanity. They practically buried Castle Brians in their corpses.”
Nicholas looked over the shattered mess of what had been their Galaxy Headquarters on world. "Interesting…mercenaries?"
"Neg, not lucrewarriors. Ralliers but none joined Exodus." Marcus explained, "They fought Amaris because they hated the Rim Worlds, not because they loved the Star League. Other nicknames were 'The Impalers of Elbar'."
That tripped a memory from sibko… "oh? How are they not extinct?"
"I do not know the answer to that one." Marcus shook his head. “But it seems clear that someone has opened the history books and found a history that they wished to emulate.”
In the distance, now unimpeded, dropships were getting away.
Mississauga belonged, however maimed, to Clan Jade Falcon.
Helena begins to slip into darkness[]
Tharkad System, Federated Commonwealth (Lyran State)
3056
"It's slowing them down, Helena." Victor Ian Steiner-Davion, Achon-Prince of the Federated Commonwealth, reassured his chief Naval commander. "Adam's initiative and the extra levies are at least slowing them down enough to get your plan fully in action."
“So it seems.” Helena Drillson (Cameron) nodded.
"DO you have enough to start Operation Harmless Animals?" he asked.
“Between what we have from the RX-78 program and our other efforts, yes.”
"Planning thinks their target for this incursion is Coventry. I want you to make it cost them…hell, I want to make it cost them, I want to hurt them badly enough they don't think it's a good idea to repudiate the truce and stay. You've got your green light, Helena."
“Yes, Majesty.” Helena bowed and began walking out.
As the cool air outside bit into her face Helena was joined by Jakob.
Bertha had the groundcar waiting for them as they reached the secure garage.
Helena sat in the groundcar and buckled in. She stared out the window.
They’re asking too much of her and it’s starting to show. Jakob thought to himself. She’s shutting down more and more of herself to do what’s expected of her. She’s never going to recover like this.
“We’ve been working together long enough I know that look Jakob.” Helena broke the silence. “I’ve got a mission. That’s enough.”
“I’m not a shrink but I know you too. We spent a lot of years together, Helena. You’re getting in a funk again.”
“You’ve always been able to see through my facade. My persona. Don’t worry. This isn’t like those first few weeks or after Running Deer.”
“Those were some sleepless nights for me too.”
“But for a different reason.”
“Someone had to protect you from yourself.”
“And you’re worried you’re going to have to do it again.”
“Yes.”
“I can’t promise you won’t have to. But once the operation is underway and past the first objective I’ll be able to hand it off. I’ve already scheduled the leave time and everything.”
This is the part the history nor the legends talked about. How she never carried a gun or a knife. At least she’s self aware enough to continue going without. Jakob let the silence creep back into the ground car.
“We’re terrible people.” Victor looked at his mother. “And I’m not sure which one of us is worse. You’ve read her records and evals. Put me in a position of if I dismiss her for cause, which I really should do, it’d shatter what little is left of her confidence. But I’m still going with it.”
“People like Helena and Elizabeth don’t come along very often.” Melissa Steiner-Davion answered.
“No they don’t, but I’ve seen what Helena really is. She isn’t a real person anymore. She’s a marionette that puts on a performance to satisfy us. The job we’ve given her, even Elizbeth’s university program, it’s all a way for her to keep herself too busy to actually face her traumas and truly heal.”
“The Clan front.” Melissa nodded.
“Yeah. I’ve seen too many people go down the exact path Helena is taking. The worst part is as terrible as it is, we need to keep letting her.”
“Your sessions with Doctor Moore are going well then?”
“Better than Helena’s. He sees the same thing I do and I know it.”
Wheeling and Dealing on Kowloon[]
Kowloon System, Federated Commonwealth (Lyran State)
February, 3056
The Boojum shipyard complexes have one customer, well that isn't exactly true. Line 1 continues to produce saleable Merchant and Invader class jumpships, and the AFFC lets them be sold, on occasion.
Lines 2 through 12 have only one customer. The bulk of the production lines have only one customer, the bulk of the Germanium processing, foundry, and forge lines have only one customer now.
It's a good thing that currently, the Armed Forces of the Federated Commonwealth (Naval branch) are actually paying their bill on time.
And in full.
It was easy for Elizabeth to see Helena’s influence in making this happen.
From her office in Nha Tranh on Kowloon's surface, of course, Liz only saw the balance sheets and the orders. The Ducal Offices had been relocated from the old, Star-League constructed former Palace of Government that was now a University grounds to a somewhat less intrusive building in an otherwise underutilized office park near the Northeast side of town, in the suburbs, with a satellite office in the former Futbol Stadium that was now the meeting place for Kowloon's Assembly-that Bicameral legislature she'd seen her grandfather rely on and the Regency outlaw before restoring herself.
House of Lords, and House of Commons.
As Duchess, she had nominal authorities she could delegate under the Planetary Charter-so most of her daily governance tasks were whatever the Speaker of the Assembly couldn't, as Prime Minister, actually legally do.
Her intent when she re-established it in '53, was to have a government for her people that didn't need her. That idea was demonstrating itself to be as fictional as any other ideological madness dreamt up by teenagers.
“Names. The problem is names have power. Always have. Always will. Yours means a lot, Liz.” Evelynn said.
"Evvie, this isn't about names, it's about my word." Liz pushed the pile of papers aside, "I'm not educated, or fit, to serve as a Theater or Provincial Noble."
“Education can be fixed and I’d argue about fit.” Evelynn shook her head.
"Today is February nineteenth, Thirty-Fifty Six, Evelynn, I"m 20 years old, I've been trying to catch up since I was fourteen, I see the boy I'm going to marry once every most-of-a-year, at my age normal Nobles are just finishing their college, or just starting their five year military path!! They're talking Margrave of the Theater, I'm not even qualified to apply for that. Adam Steiner is..."
"You caught Bryan's backhanders."
"That was an accident!!" Elizabeth insisted. "Victor rose to office after Melissa stepped down, he asked me to have a look at the finances, which I did…but it was supposed to be a look to see whether he needed to increase taxes and duties, and whether there was enough slack in the economy to handle that without crippling the Military Reforms."
“In trying to make yourself irrelevant you’ve made yourself indispensable instead.”
"If you can't afford to lose it…"
"I know. 'You can't afford to use it'...so how are you going to answer your future brother in law?"
Elizabeth cleared her throat, "’I am not presently qualified to hold the post, your Highness, but General Adam Steiner is qualified to hold the post'." she laid a hand on the paperwork on her desk, "Then Victor will come back with the job he really wants, and I won't be able to beg off. The guy is entirely too smooth."
"And which job is that?"
"Office of the Exchequer. I get to be the least popular woman in the realm…but, at least I know how to do that job already."
“This is politics during war time. There’s actually an argument to be made that if you’re not using irreplaceable people to their best potential you’re actually doing it wrong. You have a gift. It may not be the gift you dreamed of as a little girl but it is one nonetheless.”
“How’d you get so wise about all of this?”
I traveled a lot and saw how a lot of other Dukes and Duchesses make their planets work. Some do have representative democracies, others constitutional monarchies, and a few other forms out there. You just have the misfortune of being a particularly legendary Duchess now and perhaps a bit of impatience. Your idea for delegating governing responsibilities will eventually work itself out as both sides find their balance and adjust. But don’t do too many changes in too short of a time frame. That shakes the confidence of the common person.”
“Maybe I should make you Duchess after all, Evvie.” Liz smiled.
“Yeah I could do it and the people would even accept me doing it but I’m not you Liz. My gifts and my strengths wouldn’t allow me to be as good of a Duchess as you or Helena. We all know it.”
"I'm honestly not sure Helena wouldn't be wasted on being a Duchess." Liz said, "She's smart-better educated than I am, anyway, but when I try to use the mental lens?"
"Yeah?"
"Helema Cameron is not a political animal-She's the General all the edited histories credit Kerensky as being, only she's got an actual moral center." Liz stated. "She's brilliant at all the jobs we need Generals to do."
“Yeah, she’s got a gift too. Maybe more than one.”
"Here's my 'dream team'." Liz said, "YOU, are hell on wheels as a leader and a trainer, you've managed to turn what the Clanners did to you when they took Pat away from both of us, into raising, training, and motivating multiple regiments, Adam sings your praises as a doctrine writer and combat strategist, so I know you have more chops than I've asked of you, and you're a good leader-you can do my job as Duchess,without making a dog's dinner out of it, thus, why you've been my designated successor since I got you back…" Liz laid a card on the desk, Queen of Spades.
"Helena's a logistician and Strategist-at-scale. She can do every job they're asking of the current Marshall of the Armies, only she's actually competent to do those jobs. She's brilliant, and routinely overcomes traumas that make what I struggled with look like a comfortable spin in the spa…" she laid down the Jack of Spades.
"Adam's right in between you two-you're who people should expect me to be, Helena's a national authority, Adam's the Province." King of spades, "Corps commander at the smallest."
"Who's your ace?"
Liz bit her lip. "I don't know yet." she finally admitted, "The Ace has to be the wild card-worth one, or worth more than the rest, but not all the time in either role, has to be someone who creates opportunities, not just recognizes them, but not a national leader, because an ace can also be the lowest card in the suit."
“You. You could be the ace if you really wanted. Maybe you already are.”
"I don't do anything special, Evvie, I'm just trying to do the job I was given. Bring Prosperity, Progress, and Profits to the People whose loyalty PUT me here."
“In the process you’ve brought us all together, created opportunities for all of us, and have no aspirations to be something more.”
Elizabeth snorted, then chuckled, "Evvie, until last year I didn't plan for my future, because I didn't have one-sometimes I'm still thinking that way…We're opening the school on time. Victor sent me a shipment of books-copies from the NAIS library, and a stack of resume's of academics we can afford that are pretty good. We'll have an Economics department, History department, and several Science and mathematics departments."
“Sounds like the next time Arthur has some leave you two finally need to tie the knot and talk about what you want.”
"Next time Arthur has leave, I'm dragging him up to the Ia Drang Cabin and I'm going to shag his brains out until we can't walk." Elizabeth swore, "Now that I've Tried it with him, I 'get' why people have been writing songs, poems, and novels about it from about the time there were people to do it." “I expect copious, graphic, dirty details.”
"Then make sure you bribe his bodyguards." Liz stated, "The only real irritant is that we don't get to have any goddam privacy-too many people think whacking a Royal Scion or kidnapping his main squeeze is a good idea."
“Leave it to me. I’ll make sure you two have alone time.”
"You're going to chew out Klaus Bennetton for doing his job??" Liz scoffed, "I don't LIKE it but I get why it's NECESSARY."
“No. But I’ll make sure you both are safe but are actually alone. My only sex life is vicariously through friends. So consider me motivated.”
Elizabeth checked the clock, "board meeting tonight." she said, "Now that Mary Vanh's officially handed off to Charlie, and Li's visiting Kowloon, you'll need to attend, even if it's by secured remote, and have your shares lined up. Defiance went with Krupp on their upgrade, Krupp's delayed, and I don't think Danny's running the company-so I want to address the board about undercutting their corporate governance and removing the foreigners via hostile stock activities and maybe lawsuits for unpaid fees. Lockheed CBM's dragging their feet again on the Fox program and it's not because of tooling or production delays-Haranshire's nephew is trying an end run to soak for delay money while he's in negotiations with Norinco to try and rook us on the Yard upgrades, I want to launch a hostile corporate governance strike on them too-force the imbecile out and maybe get someone who can read a ****** map and has an actual appreciation for how totally and completely in danger we all are of being overrun."
“I know. I’ll be ready…but what's got you suddenly in 'corporate raider' mode?"
"Diego." Elizabeth spat. "It's time to take out the trash, I need the distractions so we can. I'm calling his notes…all of them."
“All right Liz. I’ll back you. Which means I really should get ready.”
"Good, I don't know if Helena will, she's got the whole Dual Monarchy to protect and Diego's a 'mover' in the Estates General, pro FedCom alliance and somehow has a good rep, but he's DIRTY and he's become obstructionist again…and to do what I need to do, we need six out of eleven votes on the board, and I don't have as many proxy shares since I brought Helena up and gave her Henry's."
“She is devoted to you but she also sees the big picture in ways that defy reason. Definitely a wild card that will be impossible to predict.” Evelynn nodded.
The clock chimed, and Elizabeth stood up, "Time for my daily." she said, "How many this time?"
"Four hundred were recovered before the bug-out." Evelynn said, "the rest are going to be empty caskets and flags."
Elizabeth nodded, "They'll be landing soon, I don't suppose you'll loan me a driver?"
"I'll drive."
The Daily. Every day since War Plan Azure Sea began, Elizabeth has gone to the military spaceport outside Nha Tranh, to meet the returning dead before they are shipped to their families.
Sometimes it takes all day, sometimes it's just a few, but their Duchess meets them on their final leg home forever. It's the least she can do, for men who were only out there, because she made the decisions, and made a mistake.
Once a week (this week, on Friday, four days from now) she will go to the other side of the port, where another shipment of replacements bound for AFFC service gathered to board their dropship out.
It's been months since she's met any solid number of returning veterans who weren't already dead.
In the car, Elizabeth asked, "How many for Friday?"
"Five thousand." Evelynn told her, "mostly from my part of the continent, but we've got a battalion from New Saigon and an aviation section from Brigham on the Plateau-chopper pilots."
"Where are they going?"
"Coventry."
"You're going with?"
"No." Evelynn shook her head, "Camh Moskowitz."
"The Rabbi?"
"He's a reserve Colonel and AFFC's jumping him to General for this op. He's good. Smart, cautious. He'll bring them home alive as many as he can, Liz."
"Your words to god's ears." Liz nodded.
“It’s still hard, you know. Part of me wants to go but the selfish part, the part that likes being here is glad to be staying.”
"That's when you grab the selfish part, and remind her that she's got to make sure there are trained replacements for the boys and girls who'll be coming home on the daily." Elizabeth said, "that's how I keep the bit of me that is glad to be draft-exempt under control. I remind her that she's got to make sure they live, and send more into the furnace who won't."
“Yeah. That’s where you have an advantage though. I’ll train them no problem. But I feel like I should be out there with them too.”
"So do I, and I'm not even trained." Liz confessed, "Maybe especially because I'm not trained…but I'd be a liability when the logic kicks in. You would be an asset, but I can't afford to lose you like that."
“This is the worst. Now I’m somehow both depressed and horny. ******.”
"Don't skip the doctor's appointment next time I make it for you then." Liz told her, "I told you, sooner or later I'll get your life back for you. I meant it, Pat wouldn't want you to die alone or lonely, it's not his way, he'd want you to have that 'somebody' in his absence…besides, how am I supposed to spoil your kids if you don't have any?"
“For that, Lil'bit, I promise you, Aunty Evvie is going to curse your children with all the toys that make all the noise!"
"I look forward to it." Liz promised as the car passed through the official vehicles gate at the rebuilt spaceport and headed up the West ramp to where a Mule class military cargo transport was being sprayed down to cool the hull from re-entry.
“We have a bit of time yet. Bar for some liquid courage?”
Liz nodded, "Then we check on the caterers for the crew, and maybe bar for after."
“Yeah. After.” Evvie nodded.
Flight of the Koweloonese[]
Royal Palace, Triad
Tharkad System, Federated Commonwealth (Lyran State)
3056
"...I don't understand, your Majesty-transporting dead bodies is a lot of wasted logistics!"
Victor scowled at the head of Transport Command. "The realm made a commitment when Kowloon was annexed, even our worst Archons kept that commitment. Kowloonese who fight and die in the service of the Realm, are to be returned to their homeworld! PERIOD!! Find the ****** transports and stop wasting my time."
This argument was brought about, by the need to move several RCTs worth of troops, equipment and materiel to try and outrace the Jade Falcons to Coventry. In particular, it was because Transport Command was insisting that 'return flights' be suspended or ended.
Victor, Archon-Prince of the Federated Commonwealth, was having none of it. "Piggyback military cargoes and transport when you can, but those dead men are going home to be put to rest, and it's a National Promise that is the word of the nation that they are brought home!!"
“Yes, Majesty.”
"Admiral Cameron, where is the progress? Will they make it in time?"
"No." Helena said, "if we'd started two weeks earlier, or if they'd jumped off two weeks later? Sure, but the relief will arrive at Coventry between two weeks and two months behind the Jade Falcons, and I wish I could promise you better, I really do. I have failed to deliver what you commanded."
"No, I failed." Victor told her, "You did your job, I was late giving it to you. That's why it says 'Archon-Prince' on the letterhead, and yours says 'Admiral'-you couldn't move before I said we were ready, and I was late, it's my fault, not yours, you're DOING your job…unlike some senior command officers headquartered at Mount Asgard."
“Yes Majesty.” Helena bowed. “Is there something more of me that you need?”
"..." Victor hesitated, then, he said, "In your opinion as a naval officer and admiral, is the Home Fleet you've been compiling ready to deploy?"
“I have been doing all I can to make it so. So, yes.”
"If they're ready-as in up to what you consider operational standards, I want them raising hell along the Wolf border and the most Terra-ward sections of the Jade Falcons, in the Arc Royal area in particular, because we do NOT need for this to be the diversion before the main attack. I want you using all the dirty tricks you've been proposing for the last two years on this, and think of a few new ones while you're at it. We're moving serious force to save Coventry, I don't want that to be an invitation for full-court-press from the Clans as a whole."
“Yes, Majesty. I’ll make sure they have to move everything under the cover of big iron or it’ll burn.”
Victor took something out of his pocket, "You'll need to pass this info to your field officers in the Home Fleet. Some of Wolf Clan are at Arc Royal, they want to defect, so don't kill them just yet, okay?"
“I obey, your Majesty.” Helena bowed.
"See that you're ready." Victor told her, "Because I'm going to need you and Jane for Coventry, I hope you've got a decent second to send with Home Fleet. Someone devious."
“Majesty, if my second doesn’t earn their own nickname before I return I will cashier them personally.”
“Good. I may be Archon-Prince but I do hear some of the variations of yours that some people come up with. Some have replaced ‘W’ with ‘B’.” Victor smiled.
“Bar Witch?” Helena said flatly.
“Wrong ‘W’.”
“Then I’m doing my job.”
Taking a Cruise[]
FCS Wendy Rose, Mako Class Corvette, Bloc III variant
Boojam Shipyards, Spider's Moon
Kowloon, Federated Commonwealth (Lyran State)
Sat in the yard above, almost complete. She was a 'stretched' alteration of the original design, nearly fifty thousand tons heavier to accommodate expanded fighter and small craft bays, additional cargo space, and a significantly larger crew-the expansion being mainly shipboard marines meant for offensive work.
"Admiral Wells, you have a sick and devious mind, you know that?" Giao Pham commented as she watched the yard crews prepping the hull for coatings.
"Oh, pshaw, Pham. You didn't think the AFFC would let you continue wallowing in poverty and dangerous improvisations once the Guard was implemented into the regular forces, did you?"
"It happened that way before…" Giao said.
"Yah, well, I'm not Alessandro's fighter boss. I brought you out here for a reason, you ready to come back to the uniform?"
"Ma'am?" Giao asked.
"Your retirement-I'm canceling it." Wells said, "You don't get to go be a digger in a space mine, I need Captains, you're qualified, you're reactivated…and we're renaming Mary Rose."
"To what?" Giao asked.
"Cartwright." Wells told her, "Your bandit-hunting boss's son of a bitch predecessor who strapped capital missiles onto Merchants and killed half of Henrik Grimm's fleet in 3021-see, I looked that shit up when you handed me the office keys. We're keeping the Orca Rampant roundel too, it's just going to be next to the FedCom, and used as a fleet group identifier…and you're going to take the Cartwright out once she's finished."
“Heh and people said I was making a mistake.”
"You were, I could've had this done months ago if you'd stuck around." Wells told her, "As it is, I'm having to play catch-up ball, you've got three weeks to find officers and sign them up from the personnel files, get your crew sorted out, get your ship loaded, and get ready for a six month deployment."
“Beats knitting sweaters.” Giao commented.
Wells handed her her packet. "We'll do the pinning tomorrow morning, tonight you're buying drinks at the O-club…Korvettenkapitain."
“Yes, ma’am. Now you’ll get to see just how drunk I can get while still being able to stand at attention the next day.”
"We have hooks for that." Wells said with a chuckle. "I'll have some of the deck-apes mount them in the ceiling so you don't have to totter, but in three weeks, you're going to war."
“That would be cheating.” Giao commented.
"If you're not cheating, you're not trying." Wells told her, "I've got four more of those to hand out, they're going to have more time because…" she gestured at the rest of the gantry row, "their boats are weeks to months behind yours."
“I’ll be sure to get every once out of her and make the Clans regret ever turning bandit.” Giao said with confidence.
"You do that…but first, get your officers collected and start shaking out your crew-you'll need the crew shook out before you shake the defects out of the ship."
“Yes, ma’am.” Giao knowledge.
“And hug your kids somewhere in there too.” Well told her.
“They’re with their father. We split some time ago and turns out he was a better father than I was a mother.” Giao inform the Admiral.
"Hug them anyway. I'm sending you out into the war, you might not get the chance to do it again." Wells said seriously. "My father was estranged, and then, he was dead. I regretted that for a long time. A flag on the mantlepiece and an empty casket aren't a replacement for a lost family member."
“Yes, Ma’am.”