Scars of Victoria[]
Epilogues[]
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Epilogue 1 – Miya and Franklin attend a wedding.[]
Noius Archipelago - Kaznejoy, Draconis Combine - 07/17/3049
Almost everyone at the wedding was as colorful as the venue, a tropical island within an artificial sea. Delicate orchids clung to trunks, and flowering bushes erupted in abundance. Franklin Sakamoto hugged the sides occasionally bumping into Shin Yodama, or the other less reputable guests from the Legion of Vega that nevertheless were invited to Kurita Hohiro and Tsukamoto Ayame’s wedding.
Miya Kurita, in a brilliant scarlet and gold Yukata bumped into him on purpose almost spilling his drink. “Now who are you?” She plucked his collar straight, “Mysterious stranger.”
“I’m just the pilot. Looking to pluck off a few tipsy bridesmaids.”
“We both know that’s not true,” she leaned closer and opened her flower printed fan, “but Ichika has been eyeing you.” Her voice dropped to a whisper, “I think she has a thing for bad boys.”
He quaffed the last of his beer and picked another off the bar. “You are enjoying this too much.”
“It’s the first time I’ve ever been invited to a family event, of course I am.”
She snapped the fan closed and pulled on his tie as she glided away, “See you around scoundrel.”
Epilogue 2 – Strays[]
St Ives Martial Academy - St Ives, Capellan Confederation - 08/09/3049
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Union Class DropShip landing
Three Union Dropships bearing the triagonal logo of the Kell Hounds burned out of the sky to land at the SIAMS starport. Two dozen Battlemechs and as many combat vehicles thundered onto the tarmac and took up defensive positions as a motorcade headed for the academy itself.
Colonel Daniel Allard stepped out of the heavy APC his black cape billowing behind him and boots clacking on the stairs. Caitlin and Phelan Kell follow close behind in their black battledress uniform backed by a platoon of Pit Bulls, from the 1st Kell Hounds elite infantry battalion, carrying stun-sticks and pistols.
The SIAMS Commandant and his men stand at the top of the stairs,
“Colonel Allard, this is highly irregular. How did you get past the detection grid? What business do you have here?”
His tone was adamant “I am here to pick up some strays.” He raised a hand and the Hounds behind him paused, “Are you going to let me pass or are we headed for an altercation?”
“There is protocol to follow. They should have a choice in the matter.”
“The choice has already been made, you know it, I know it too, if they don’t see it, they soon will.
If it makes it easier for the Chancellor to digest, we can beat you up and take them.”
Tension mounted as the two men stared each other down before the Commandant signaled for his men to lower their weapons. “Just get it over with.”
Two squads of Pit Bulls stayed behind at the entrance with the vehicles while another followed them. They found their target doors next to one another and bid the Pit Bulls wait nearby. “Phelen, Caitlin, why don’t you have adjoining rooms? It would make so many things easier.”
“Phelen doesn’t wash his socks.”
“Well, your candles stink.”
“They are premium fragrances!”
“Kids, kids, calm down.”
“You can’t talk to us like that Colonel. You’re our brother-in-law, not our Uncle.”
“Your Uncle is a bad role model and I have children almost as old as you.
Behave or I will bust you both for insubordination.”
He pointed toward the doors, “The mission.”
Phelen walked forward with his sister, “How do you think they sleep?”
She opened the side of her battledress, “I brought a stab vest. You?”
“I’m not wearing a Pit Bull’s helmet for the style.”
They slammed on the doors and shouted firmly. “Cassandra and Kai Allard-Liao, open up!”
Cassandra and Kai opened the doors and rubbed their eyes multiple times as they saw faces in front of them for the first time since their father passed years ago. “Who are you?”
“It is a good thing they were wearing clothes Caitlin.”
“Sure was Phelen. That would have been awkward.”
“Why are you on St Ives?”
Daniel stepped forward, “To take you to Arc Royal. You will start training as a Kell Hound on Monday.”
Kai and Cassandra took a step into the hallway still knocking the sleep out of their faces, “This is some kind of weird joke right, Sis?”
“It must be, there’s no way we can get to Arc-Royal in three days. It’s in the Lyran Commonwealth.”
“Did the mess serve us expired food again?”
“It tasted fine to me.”
The Hounds looked at one another as the two continued their strange discourse, “No this is for real. Katrina Steiner gave Morgan Kell an open check, that nothing should be denied to him. We already have a LCN command circuit all the way to Arc Royal.”
Their pupils grew strangely wide despite the light, “That would take more than a dozen JumpShips.”
“Almost twenty actually, just because the Archon cannot deny Morgan Kell anything, doesn’t meant that he won’t be in Melissa’s doghouse for a while after this. The LCN is using it as a fleet exercise and flex to show off for the Mariks.”
“We can’t leave Capellan space. We’d lose any chance of reclaiming our mother’s titles and her name.”
“That was already lost long ago. If you stay here, you’ll just be another of Tormano’s officers but if you join us, you’ll be family.
We don’t leave our family behind, but sometimes it takes a little longer to bring them back home."
Epilogue 3 – The Princes[]
Peace Gardens, New Avalon, Federated Suns - 06/05/3049
Despite the calm New Avalon summer day and the Peace Gardens were in bloom First Prince Ian Davion slammed another man into the lattice. An envelope fluttered down from the other man’s pocket. “What made you think that was a good idea, Andrew? You could have gotten yourself killed.”
“You would have done it too!”
Ian released Andrew then smoothed the olive green lapels down again ensuring that his Lt Commander’s bars were showing. Andrew knelt to pick up the envelope and return it to his pocket. “Just because you’re right doesn’t mean it was a good idea.”
“Did you ever find the gold thieves? From Glenmora?”
The First Prince turned around to admire a bushy lily plant bursting with life, “No, it’s just another mystery for the Inner Sphere, that may never be answered. All our leads went cold, and we can’t trace it.
I’m sure the Draconis Treasury wants the money back, but I can’t give it to them, and they haven’t retaliated.
I didn’t find anything linking it to Tancred either, but he got wise to my agent and I’m certain it has further distanced him and our sister from me.”
“Would you like me to go to Robinson and talk to Yvonne?”
“No, I’m going to keep you right here for now.
Until I know I can trust you again.” Ian patted the pocket where Andrew had deposited the enveloped, “What’s in the envelope?”
“A personal matter.”
They stood opposite one another until a hawk overhead let out a cry. “Trust is a two way street.”
“Put an BII agent on me then, First Prince.”
He turned and walked around the corner of the hedge maze, “Keep your secrets then, brother.”
Once he was certain Ian wasn’t going to come from the other side Andrew sat beside a babbling fountain. He unfolded the envelope which had been sent to him via a Capellan diplomatic pouch although it had an Order of Five Pillars wax stamp on it.
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‘Prince Andrew Davion, I hope this letter finds you well however it does.
You do not know me, and I dictate this through a translator so forgive any errors.
Although he would never admit it, I Tsukamoto Ayame of Kaznejoy, would like to extend you the greatest of thanks and abundant fortune for ensuring my love could return to me.
You have my unending appreciation.’
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Epilogue 4 – The Precentors[]
Titan Yards, Sol, COMSTAR Protectorate - 07/17/3049
The vast Titan Yards sprawled out across the orbital volume of the smoggy moon. Three men gathered on the observation deck of the Dante Class Frigate, CS Styx as it slipped through the eternal night.
“How was your trip to Mars, Precentor Martial Brett?”
“Enlightening, Precentor Naval Zwick.”
“Was that meant to be a joke, Photon?”
Precentor ROM Charles Seneca stepped between the two men, “You will get used to it, Gregory. Apparently, the Duchess of Tamarind had a wicked sense of humor when she named our companion.
Share with us what you learned on Mars Precentor Martial.”
“I spoke with the Prophet, and he has told me that the Age of Austerity is ending.
Only Audacity can save our Order now.”
Immense vessels of all kinds were encapsulated within the chrysalis of the Cageworks each one adding to COMSTAR’s growing armada. “He has told us to accelerate our preparations.”
Each man folded their hands behind their back as they cleared the smoggy moon to look upon the incomprehensible vastness of Saturn. “Then that is what we shall do.
I will send the message to the First Circuit.”
Explorer Corps Core-ward Installation Columbus - 02/12/3050
The Explorer Corps base was a haphazard collection of former SLDF starport buildings and newly constructed ones to house and supply the largest forward position that COMSTAR maintained beyond the hostile Draconis Rift. Sensors and telescopes of every type floated in order or sprawled out over the desolate badlands of this planet.
At one such installation, Adepts monitoring the spectrum received an aberration larger than any they had ever received by at least an order of magnitude. Alarms automatically triggered throughout the installation. “Demi-Precentor! Come and look at this.”
His medallion jangled as he rushed over to the console, “What is it, Adept?”
“Something big, something really big, jumped into the system.” More spikes came shortly afterward, “How many KF-emergence waves did we just detect?”
“Dozens Demi-Precentor.”
“Redirect the RADAR arrays. Give me an idea of what we are looking at here and wake the Precentor!”
Their RADAR returns hours later detected an armada of incoming ships, big ones, small ones, things that hadn’t been seen in centuries.
Demi-Precentor Nathan Bulgar clutched the blue and red medallion hanging from his neck so hard his palms bled, “Blake preserve us.”