Battletech [Battletech/Planetary Annihilation SI] Iron Blooded Commander

Blasterbot

Well-known member
Kat is gonna have a major headache hearing seeing this report back to her. Vicky is gonna give her a major victory and then the videos are gonna get released. she admitted to being a Cameron and just pulled so much bull shit that the dracs suicide charge got halted. I can't wait to see the reactions of the wolves dragoons and the clans.
 

Bear Ribs

Well-known member
I expect the Eridani Light Horse will react before the Dragoons. The Dragoons are going to have to get the information back to the clans before reacting, and the Clans are going to have to debate whether they want to be under a Cameron again. The ELH, given their whole thing is pretending to be the last loyal Star League Remnant, are going to immediately line up and only be bummed the Highlanders managed to sign up under the new Cameron first.
 

xachariahxx

Well-known member
No, those are capital anti-ship missiles, only barracudas waive the to-hit penalty agianst fighters.

All three are capital class anti-ship missiles, which can also shoot fighters. Barracudas are the little ones, White Sharks are the medium ones, and Killer Whales are the big ones.

Sarna says that Barricudas are better at shooting fighter craft, but I don't see anything that actually waives any penalty against fighters. They've got a somewhat more favorable ranges for what they consider short range, and that helps hit, but by all stats they seem to just be the same missile only smaller. Statistically, since a Barracuda needs to land two hits to drop the average an ASF instead of just one, I'm not sure they're actually better at the role.
 

posh-goofiness

Well-known member
Holy fuck, I'm so glad I held off reading this to give me the opportunity to binge it. This fic is amazing, the characters, the setting, the interactions.
8RKAP94.jpg
 

xachariahxx

Well-known member
I blinked looking at Eris who looked uncomfortable. “So… If you… If you need this all to be kept quiet. I will. I will ensure my report to the A-archon is… lacking in detail.” She admitted looking uncomfortable.
...
“No. Eris. That won’t be necessary. Secrecy be damned.”

Vicky shouldn't have read in Eris to the nanoforge until after her report. Not to keep a secret, but because that report would have been hilariously lacking in detail anyways.

Vicky comes back from the dead like mech jesus, turns on god-mode cheat codes for all friendly mechs in the bay, magic green fog resurrects dead mechs, and Vicky can shoot the magic stuff from her eyes. And also she's 100% confirmed the granddaughter of a mainline Cameron. Oh, and Vicky spammed out a hilarous amount of some new specific AMS vehicle designed exactly to counter the Kurita strategy, and she used future sight to prepare some Royal Blackwatch mechs for visiting guests she had no idea would need them.

That would have looked like a fever dream of an after action report. Katrina would be forced to think that Eris defected, Eris went insane, or Vicky is actually a timetraveling wizard.
 
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Chapter 24.1

Seras

Well-known member
Chapter 24.1 Operation Shiroyama Interrupt.

3029

Lockdale

Green Base


A different Perspective

William Campbell


William found himself constantly flashing back to what he had just gone through. This entire situation. This whole trip had been somewhat surreal.


As if he was walking into the past.


Or maybe he was walking into the future? He just couldn’t lock the feeling down.


When the device had beeped. Actually confirming in multiple ways that the girl was… The Girl was the Last Cameron. The True Heir of Star League. The one his family had once sworn an oath to protect.


He hadn’t known what to do.


He felt like the dog that finally caught the car. What does he do with this? He had convinced McPierce to let him make contact without actually informing her about his true intentions.


The chance to purchase some spares for the few Royal Highlanders they had left had convinced her. But he had known he was really going to test Eisen-Blume.


The Cameron. She was the Cameron. What was he supposed to do? In the heat of the moment, in the shock at walking into a Mechbay full of Blackwatch Tartan clad Royal Highlanders, he had felt his blood boil.


So he had fought. Damn had he fought. His ribs still ached from the fight, his leg still twinged in the cast. But in the end. He had almost watched it all fall apart.


He still wasn’t sure how he felt about it. Watching the Nightstar fall. Realizing his men were outnumbered. And with Yorinaga Kurita, and his bullshit. Outskilled. He had…


He had almost surrendered.


He had almost betrayed all his forefathers, who had sworn that if the Camerons ever returned, they would follow. That their honor, whether the Cameron line was gone or not, would never end. Not in one generation, not a hundred.


The Clan Campbell would always follow their Cameron.


Until him.


Until he had realized he would rather live than sacrifice his life for a girl he had just met, who was the last. The last Cameron.


The last chance for Blackwatch to protect a Cameron, and Will had almost thrown it away. Let her die his head had whispered.


Then the girl had done something impossible. Literally impossible. That first night after the battle all his men had gathered together in a small room, and had simply looked at eachother. It had been a long while before anyone had spoken.


About what they had seen.


About what they had felt.


About what it was like to have your Battlemech… Rise.


He had put his foot down before the talk could get too frantic. This wasn’t their decision alone. They would return to Northwind. Share what they had found.


Although Will knew, even if the Elders refused to follow the Cameron.


He would.


All eight would.


Eight Blackwatch. Just eight.


They would need more. There would be plenty of recruits in the Highlanders… He stopped himself with a sigh. He was doing it too. Assuming what would happen.


The girl… She hadn’t known. Or at least she had told him she hadn’t. The fact the mechs were waiting for them, and in those colors made her words seem… off.


But he couldn’t assume she would even take him. He had seen the ISDF fight. The Homeguard. Will would not have wanted to fight them himself. They were good. And despite his own words. Will was no Blackwatch. Sure the Northwind Highlanders had a lot of training, but it had been two centuries since the Blackwatch was really a thing. No matter how much the Highlanders kept the idea alive, kept their group secret, and training.


It could only do so much.


He would have to train harder. Be better.


“Will.”


“Ian. Take a seat.” He offered, his friend settled into the chair beside him, looking over the mechbay that the Blackwatch had taken over. That Highlanders despite having been in a mash up just a few days before were pristine.


No human had touched them. The… Will didn’t know what to call it, fog? It had left the mechs pristine.


“How's the leg?”


“Still a bit stiff. It’ll be a while before I’m mobile again.” Will answered “Beer?”


“Sure.” The bottle was passed over, and the two men settled in. “I still can’t believe it.”


“Yeah.” This wasn’t the first time Will had this exact conversation. “Hell of a scrap though.”


“Yeah.” Ian sipped his beer. “The Elders won’t believe us, not on this. Maybe not even with the Battle Roms. Hell. I don’t… I almost don’t believe it and I was there.”


“It happened.” Will offered simply his face serious. “I have a meeting with… The Commander, later today. I plan on asking some questions… Or maybe not… Hell I don’t know. What is Blackwatch supposed to do in this scenario? Pretend it never happened? Did this sort of thing happen a lot back during the Star League?” That earned a chuckled from Ian.


“I don’t know either! If you had asked me a few days before I would have said no, but now I have to wonder. Was it some Lostech? Something only the Cameron had? Or something new? Or just… Something Mystical? Yorinaga certainly thought so.”


“That guy was losing his mind… But I don’t know Ian. I’ve never seen anything like it.” Will said, taking another swallow of the beer.


“Oh. The Filmmaker is wanting more interviews with us. I was gonna refuse outright, but some of the ISDF guys were talking with them, so the Commander must have okayed it.”


“Hah. Man, I feel bad for the guy, I don’t even know if any of the footage he has will ever be actually aired. I guess it depends on what the Cameron wants… Commander, what the Commander wants.” Will repeated, reminding himself once again not to jump ahead.


Ian shot him a knowing look but said no more. Will wasn’t the only one to make that mistake. You don’t grow up hearing stories about Blackwatch, about their oaths, their heights, and falls, and then run into the actual Granddaughter of the First Lord, and not slip.


Will took another swig. He was going to need it for that meeting with her later. What do you even say to a legend? A myth? A woman that did the impossible?


—--


As much as it grated, a little less than a week after the battle, and only a day or two after I woke up. I watched as the Jumpships the Combine had brought disappeared in a jump.


I mean, sure we could have shot them down, but that wasn’t how it was done here in the Inner Sphere. Jumpships were left alone, because despite them bringing in war material today, those same jumpships may be saving entire worlds tomorrow by bringing in needed trade supplies.


Despite all the jumpships I had created, this was still in effect. I had already broken it once in order to steal the jumpship that started it all. Probably best not to keep doing it.


“And that is that Commander. Shouldn’t be long now before we get our own jumpship coming in. Schedule says we should have one next week.” Marcus said, putting down the sensor. He had joined me in the wheelchair brigade, there were a few of us now.


“Yeah.” I muttered staring out into space. I was fairly sure they didn’t have any recordings of the battle, but it was possible they got something. More importantly though, it meant the Combine would know they had just lost their heir.


Takashi would find out shortly. Once the HPG message was sent.


I honestly wasn’t sure how he would react.


What that would mean for my kids on the front line I wasn’t sure. At least the LCAF were the ones that would take Luthien. I had thought about pushing Benny to hit the capital, but honestly?


The Lyrans had more of a grudge against the Combine than I do. Better to let them handle it, both the rewards and the dangers. My kids would be screening worlds throughout the Combine, ensuring that as many regiments as possible were no longer capable of rushing to protect their Coordinator.


Hopefully that would be it. Slowly but surely the Combine was dying.


“Any updates on how everyone is doing?” I asked, looking to Marcus earning a sigh. “Everyone is recovering well. A few people are a little upset about their injuries, but nothing unusual, once we ship them out to the NAIS, to get their replacements, they will be fine. Everyone is stable, we are just recovering now. Which I told you about an hour ago.” He offered with a bit of a stink eye.


That I ignored.


“Good… Good.” I looked on. “Did I do the right thing?”


“No.” Marcus offers with a shrug earning a startled look from me as he so casually spoke. “No I think you screwed up. I think we screwed up. I know what Benny would have done. Same thing he always did. ‘Vicky. Where are my twenty thousand LRM 20 launchers aimed at their drop zone?’ something like that.”


“Oh yeah, he would totally ‘Vicky. What do you mean, choose between nukes, or dropships! You idiot! Make more guns so we can do both!’ That’s what he would have said to me. I know it.”


Marcus was chuckling lightly as we both rested back. Two idiots staring into space, “I don’t know what's coming Marcus. With everything that just happened, it’s going to come out. Everything is going to change.”


He was quiet for a minute. “Maybe. Maybe it will, maybe it won’t. But I’m used to change. We all are. I mean, none of us, not even you expected the ISDF to become what it has. We are in this together. Whatever path you end up following, we will be right behind you. Helping to push you forward. Whatever you end up doing, you won’t be alone.”


“That’s partly what I am worried about.” I mutter. The fear of what some of the most powerful people in the universe would do when they heard… I started thinking. The idea slowly growing, forming. A plan. I had just needed a plan, and I think one just came to me.


“Vicky you are scaring me.”


“What? Why?” I offered my grin spreading my face showing all my teeth. It was a smile! You shouldn’t be afraid of a smile!


—--



A different perspective

Mike Haufenpfah


“Mike, I’m about to cut you off.”


“Never!” He laughed his hands were shaking, his head was foggy, and the many cups of surprisingly great coffee that the ISDF provided stacked around him into a castle protecting him from the judging looks of his crew.


It seemed he had grown overconfident. He should have known that working with the ISDF would lead to sleepless nights, especially after last time.


But this was so much more.


Between all the cameras the ISDF had freely allowed him to place around the station he had gotten everything.


The Battle Roms of the Blackwatch, because he refused to lie to himself, and Northwind Highlanders, literally screaming out the Blackwatch motto was not something Mike would ignore. That the Blackwatch had allowed him access too. They had even allowed him access during the battle. Cameras set up in the cockpit giving them direct footage while it was happening. Mike and his team watched.


And the moment it was over. The moment that the battle was decided. Mike had went to work. While the ISDF cleaned up, and rested from the battle. Mike and his team dug through hours of video.


Mike had thought he would do a small documentary. Probably do a few interviews throughout the war, and mostly end up using the video from the teams he had sent out into the Combine with the ISDF.


He never would have thought that the documentary's most important information would be right here!


Or better yet, that Mike would have a chance to document, not the Final Succession War, as the ISDF called it.


But perhaps the Rise of the Second Star League.


He stopped his fingers stilling… Yeah. That is what he was watching wasn’t it. He took a moment to look over his team. Working hard to put together what they had seen in a format fit for viewing. Thankfully they had many different points of view from the battle.


Would he really be the one to film the resurrection of the Star League? What else could this be? He took a moment. Deep breaths. He let the coffee jitters fade for a moment thinking on what this could mean.


Would they even let him publish this? Hell, he watched the battle from multiple perspectives, He had even gotten a Battlerom from one of the Combine mechs.


The battle continued to strike him as impossible.


If he wasn’t dealing with the raw Battleroms, and had multiple people explain what had happened, he would think it make believe.


What else could it be, when battlemechs rose from the dead?


He hit a few buttons, and replayed the battle. Watched as a miracle happened.


“Ugh, I hate how that looks. So creepy.”


Mike jerked looking over his shoulder as he looked into the single eye of the Commander. The girl had been wheeled in, still resting in a wheel chair, but Mike gulped because the look on her face wasn’t exactly kind.


“We should talk.” She offered without preamble. Suddenly her gaze was no longer on him, but instead looking over his crew. “All of you pause your work, and leave.” The sudden urgency of his staff to do just that and get out of the room, meant it was only a few moments before the room was empty.


Well other than Eris Stingler, who he recognized standing at the door. Ensuring this would be kept private, Mike wondered if this was it? He opened his mouth to greet her, but… “I’ll be honest, I’m not sure what I should call you… Commander? Vicky?... First Lord?” Mike really should have kept his mouth shut, because that eye was now fully focused on him.


“Don’t joke!” She ordered. “Go get some cameras set up Mike. It’s about time you get an interview from me, before that spreads all over the Inner Sphere. No I suppose I should say. You will get an interview for its spread.” She had pointed to the image on his screen of her mech spreading out the green energy, and Mikes heart skipped a beat.


She wasn’t going to kill him? She wasn’t here to destroy all of his footage? He could kiss her.


Holy shit. He was going to get an interview! “Right away!” He surged to his feet, and ran to set up a few cameras a few different angles would be needed, and he set them up around a small table Vicky had settled around, her wheelchair pushed away as she rested in a normal chair.


This was going to be amazing.


—--


After the hours of questions with Mike I was exhausted. Seriously, that guy had come up with a list of questions and things to talk about in the few minutes it had taken for the interview to happen.


How annoying!


He had even admitted to interviewing the Highlanders. So he already had footage from their perspective of what they had learned.


Dammit.


I mean, I had decided to activate my favorite plan whenever something happens that I don’t like, but still! This is going to be crazy!


With that realization, I decided to stop putting off another issue I had been constantly putting off. Eris who was still pushing me around knocking loudly. On the door for my next destination.


The door slid open revealing the face of William Campbel, who instantly went from looking at Eris down to meet my own eyes.


“I think it’s time we talked William.” The man nearly jerking at my voice, and I could already see the room that was full of the eight Highlanders were all suddenly very interested after hearing my voice.


The man seemed speechless for a moment before he cleared his throat. “Thank you. We have all been looking forward to speaking with you… We all have a lot to discuss.”


I nodded at that. Yeah, stuff had gotten complicated. Old oaths, and blood ties and things tended to make things difficult. Eris wheeled me in after he invited us into the break room the Highlanders had been given connected to all their rooms.


Eris wheeled me in settling me against the table, locking the chair and looking over the eight men and women that had helped protect my people.


My life.


“Before we get into all the crazy stuff. I want to thank all of you for your actions. Regardless of everything else, no one would have judged you for simply getting back into your dropship and leaving before the battle. Especially with the extent of the forces against us.”


Will settled himself in a chair opposite me, but the rest of the Highlanders moved from their activities to join in as well. Soon I had the group arrayed around the table.


“No, fighting the Combine… Well even if we didn’t have the craziness as you said, it’s still our contract to fight them. Highlanders aren’t cowards.”


“I know you're not.” I agreed simply I had no doubt that the Northwind Highlanders were anything but cowards. But my simple statement seemed to mean more to the Highlanders as they seemed to puff up a bit at my compliment.


I exhale, not quite a sigh. I open my mouth and then close it, my own thoughts a jumble. Trust. I reminded myself. What was life without trust. Without community. “I know you have a lot of questions and I will be as honest as I am able about anything you wish to know. You fought and bled for me. So ask.”


My blunt offer shocked them. They were probably like Mike. Expecting me to kill to keep my secrets.


I hated that sort of thing though. The idea that you could fight alongside someone, have your life saved, and then because they learn something you don’t want them to you just kill them. Disgusting.


“What was that? In the Hangar. The green-”


“Nanomachines.” I answer instantly. “I have a device called a Nanoforge. Simply put, it can break down something, and if I have a blueprint stored in its system, I can then create nearly anything. That Hangar has a Nanoforge installed, once I realized how bad things were going I activated the Nanoforge. The green fog you saw are nanites, they were ordered to repair the damage to allied mechs.” I took a moment. Letting what I said settle over the group.


“It was something I was given when I was fourteen. I am the only person that can use it. I had my suspicions about why, but now I suppose we have our actual reason.”


“It was a Star League Black Project.” William answered back nodding. “It can make anything?”


“The mechs you piloted into battle were made after you asked to help. Nearly anything.” I answered, earning wide eyed looks as they realized that I could literally produce Battlemechs in minutes.


“If I hadn’t seen it already do the impossible, I would be screaming, that is impossible.” Another member of the Highlanders offered. A woman. I wracked my brain for a moment. Maisie! That was it. “But my eyes don’t lie. So I suppose that is the truth… No wonder you were able to hire so many mercs. You can just make the equipment once you know how much to make!”


“Something like that. There are still limitations, but yes. All of the equipment I sent out during this operation are things I created.” I reached into my pocket and pulled out my Noteputer. With a few pushes, the green fog slipped from the device, earning myself shocked looks as it slowly created a Neurohelm letting it rest atop the table once it was complete. It earned a few hesitant touches afterward.


“I can’t tell you anything about where it came from. Or how it ended up in my hands. But it was something my mother had found in her travels.” I lied.


“You really didn’t know you were a Cameron?” Maisie asked.


“I really didn’t.” I shrug. “I’m an orphan. My last name, Eisen-blume, is one I made for myself. I may be a Cameron by blood. But I’m an Eisen-blume by choice.” I ran a hand down my face.


“I don’t think anyone is going to really care, once it gets out…” Will started but stopped looking uncomfortable.


“I am well aware it will get out. I just spent a few hours in an interview with Mike. Trust me. I already made sure it would spread everywhere. But I’m not the First Lord. Hell, I’m not a lord at all. I’m just the Commander of the ISDF. I don’t want to be anything more.”


Considering the looks they were all sharing with each other, I had a feeling they weren’t really following me on that one.


Oh well. I knew this was going to get complicated.


“I suppose it’s my turn now, what are you going to do?” I ask them, and suddenly I was the center of attention again.


“We need to return to Northwind. We will speak to the Elders, figure out what the Highlanders are going to do. But we will not forget our old oaths. We swore to protect the Cameron.”


I shook my head. “When you do. I want you to tell them, I’m not calling on old oaths. On old blood ties, or deals. I’m not looking to force the Highlanders into a deal… If you and your people choose to continue on as you have been, then I wish you luck… It’s been centuries. Hell. I don’t… I still don’t believe it myself. Just listen. If you want to work with the ISDF you will be welcome. You fought beside us already, but this doesn’t need to be bound in blood.”


It was really uncomfortable how the Highlanders were looking at me. I could recognize hope easily enough. And wasn’t that a kick in the crotch.


The Inner Sphere was getting better. But it was still bad, and a lot of people had been hoping for something that I knew.


I knew.


I couldn’t give it to them.


They wanted a Second Star League. A… Utopia. And I couldn’t be their ruler. I despised the very idea of ruling someone.


“I will inform the Elders of your words. I swear it.” The way William was looking at me though? I had a feeling, that despite my words intending to be a release from any honor obligations that might have existed.


I think he wasn’t hearing me.


I had a bad feeling a lot of people wouldn’t be hearing me in the near future.


I could hear the door behind me open, and Eris sighed, but before I could turn around to see what was going on…


“Huh?” I couldn’t help but question as a pack of hands suddenly grabbed me from behind.


“Sorry Blackwatch guys, we are stealing this!” A voice called out from behind my ear as I was lifted out of my wheelchair. I managed to angle my head back to get a view of a group of my kids, and… Is that Sasha?


“What? Sasha! Hey Colin! Watch the han- Stop lifting me! Let me down!” I called out as I was bodily lifted from my feet held aloft in the many hands of my kids that had snuck up on me.


“Sorry Commander. No can do. Eris, you should come too. You Blackwatch guys too.” Sasha spoke simply as I was hauled away.


“Treason!” I called out, unable to hide the laugh as I was carried away from the surprised William. “Ten thousand year gulag for all of you!” I shouted as they carried me through the door and down the hall. My laughter was unable to be hidden as everyone was chatting and laughing like this was just a normal party.


These kids!


Finally I was brought into a Hangar, the same Hangar that we had fought in actually. I noticed. Our mechs were still there including the Phantom. And including a crowd… Basically everyone was already here. I noticed with a sigh.


I was finally placed back on my feet, my kids literally pushing me up onto the foot of the Phantom.


“Really guys?” I asked loud enough for everyone to hear, but considering the crowd was all smiling up at me, for having got one over me, I couldn’t do anything but laugh as well.


“Fine! You brats! Before I send you all to space jail, I guess I will play along. What do you all want?”


“Sorry Commander. This is sorta my fault.” Marcus offered from the front row, where a few of my kids in wheelchairs were placed. But the smile on his face told me he wasn’t in any way regretful. “They want to know everything, but I told them, they would probably find out the next time you did a speech. Sorry.” He offered with a grin.


That jerk.


“I suppose that is why I am up here?” The crowd cheers at my response meant I had my answer. “Fine. I can guess what this is all about. You all heard the rumor about what the Northwind Highlanders discovered, right?”


“Is it true? Why didn’t you tell us!”


“C’mon! Stop teasing us Vicky!”


“Are you a Cameron or not!?”


“Okay okay. Settle down.” I tell the crowd shouting up at me. Yeah, I sorta expected this at some point.


I took a breath and stood up straight, thankfully I wasn’t too dizzy just standing like this. My kids deserve an explanation about what was going on.


“A week ago, the Northwind Highlanders came here to buy some spare parts, and to check on something. Turns out they had heard the rumor that I was a Cameron, despite me never saying I was, despite not even looking like one.... They wanted their answer. They brought with them a device to verify it, something from the old Blackwatch that watched over House Cameron during the Star League.”


The crowd had quieted, and plenty of them were looking excited.


“A device that can verify the blood of a Cameron.” I raised my arms in a what are you going to do?


“So when they offered the device, I thought it would be a joke. A funny story for the future. I agreed to be tested. I pushed my finger into the device, and it beeped a lot, but it turns out House Cameron used Nanomachines in their blood as an identifying method… My Grandmother turned out to be Amanda Cameron. Daughter of Richard Cameron, the last First Lord of Star League.”


The room was silent. My kids took in my words. Soon they were whispering to each other, soon, the noise grew. Soon I was surrounded by yelling excited kids.


I gave them a few moments before I raised my hand and it quieted slowly.


“I didn’t know. When the device beeped, I was terrified I was about to be told I was related to Amaris or something!” I got a few chuckles at my joke before my smile disappeared.


“With this revelation. I can guess what you all are thinking. You all think this is going to change everything. That because I’m a Cameron. I should… Restart Star League. Claim my ‘rightful’ throne. That now, that I’m not just an orphan. But the Orphan of someone ‘important that suddenly everything is different?” I shook my head then. “This changes nothing!” I yell out startling a few of my kids at my sudden vehemence.


“Who I am, isn’t defined by people, dead for hundreds of years! Who I am, isn’t determined by the name of some dead family! My actions don't need to be attributed to House Cameron to mean something!”


I look over my crowd. “My name is Eisen-Blume, from this day until my last. That was my vow to you all. I didn’t need to be anything but me to do all of this! To build the ISDF into something that everyone in the Inner Sphere has heard of! We are the ISDF! And I am your Commander! Not First Lord! Not Lord! Not Duchess, or Baroness! Not Queen, or Empress! If anyone thinks learning about my family history means anything to my goals they are fools!”


I was heated now. My fist clenched.


“The ISDF is not an army here to conquer the Inner Sphere. It’s not my personal guard, or my toy. The ISDF is here to show the Inner Sphere, that they can be more! To create a path, an ideal to follow! And for me? For House Cameron? What is the meaning of a family name but a history to follow? What is history to us? We don’t follow the old paths, we create our own!”


“I am Victoria Eisen-Blume. I will defy my family history! I will defy any destiny not of my own making!”


I let out a long breath. Letting that off my chest was nice. “I won’t be some First Lord, setting out to rule. I won’t just be a.. What sixth Great House? I can’t! If everyone follows the same pattern then nothing will change! I will not fall prey to that!”


“I had thought… I had thought I already made my big choice in my life. When I spoke to Katrina Steiner, and told her I would take no title, but Commander no land, but that which housed my people. That I would not become a ruler of a world. But now I realize, this life hasn’t finished testing me. Hasn’t finished showing me a path of greed and desire. So hear me now.”


“I will never be a ruler of humanity! My destiny, is to show a way forward! Away from the greed of family lines, conquering and ruling! My ISDF… My friends. My family. I didn’t arm you so you could be a house army. I armed you to protect humanity! To show them that we can be more than pirates and would be rulers! That we can work together to rebuild and once more return to a golden age… No. A better age!”


“The age of humanity free of war and ignorance. An age of knowledge and hope! That is what we fight for. Not to rule. Never to rule.”


There was a lot of confusion even still. It was hard even for my kids to wrap their head around the name Cameron, just not mattering. Just thrown to the side.


It was fine. I would teach them. Just like I had been trying for almost a decade now. That it wasn’t old names and standing armies that changed the world. But a single person deciding to do something different.


Just one person was needed to change the world.


—--


A different perspective

Julian Tiepolo


The first circuit was utterly quiet. An emergency meeting had been called once knowledge of what they had attempted on Lockdale had reached them.


A failure.


Myndo had been seething since her plan, her attempt to in her own words, end the ISDF threat and rebalance the board had just blown up in her face.


“Since no one else is speaking. I believe I will begin.” Julian spoke, earning a twitch from Myndo because since the news was about her plan, her brainchild she should be the one speaking.


Offering an apology on her failure.


Thankfully, Julian was quite pleased at what had just happened. Myndo had been growing belligerent in her actions recently, more and more of the first circuit falling under her influence. Now she had failed.


And Julian had been the one to tell her, he was giving her enough rope to hang herself with, if this failed. She would have earned all the rewards if it worked, but since it failed, she had earned all the responsibility.


Julian had been horrified at just how many nuclear weapons she had taken from the stockpile. To find the entire terran corridor stockpile actually halved… Well.


There was a reason she was refusing to speak.


“The ISDF have succeeded. Myndo’s plan to deal with them has failed.”


The woman’s hand smashing into the able interrupted him. “It isn’t possible! Nothing could have withstood our plan! We had everything! A blueprint of their station, their numbers, even what weapons we would be facing! This is-”


“Myndo. Be silent. Since you refused to be the speaker today. Then it will be in your best interest, to not speak again.” Julian cut her off, earning an absolutely furious scowl that made his heart murmur. She seemed quite furious! He was almost amused by it.


“I allowed the Combine alliance plan due to the possibility of the ISDF taking Terra. Their Station being only a jump from us, means at any time they could come and claim their prize. A Cameron could not resist.” Julian stopped. “But that plan has failed. Utterly. So new options are needed.”


“I have an offer Primus.” Nicholas Cassnew stood taking the table. “Although I have said in the past our best bet is to co-opt the ISDF movement. The revelation of Eisen-Blume as a Cameron makes that no longer possible. I was wrong.” He offered a single small nod to Myndo, which didn’t seem to earn him any easement of the womans fury.


“Yes, we all were there during the meeting Nicholas. There is no way a Cameron will ever not claim Terra. Which is not something we can allow.”


“Precisely. Myndo failed, because while she targeted the Cameron, she did so by attacking the organization that is currently in a full war footing. We will never beat the ISDF in a fight. So we don’t fight.” Nicholas spoke and as usual Julian held back a snort as half the first circuit looked like they were going to strangle him for saying some nonsense.


Rising to his feet Julian raised his arms, wincing a little at the soreness in his shoulder. He was getting old after all. “Now now, let us hear what plan our Precentor Rom has come up with, we all know his mind is as sharp as any. Please Nicholas, do not keep us waiting.”


“We shoot her.” The man said simply, earning a few curses at him from the gathered group.


“She is in the middle of a War Station! The Kuritans already tried that.”


“No. They tried to attack he Warstation. The end goal was her death. I mean we bypass all of it. We invite the Cameron to Terra. We can set up an easy excuse by having a false flag attack through our infiltrators in her ISDF. We have them attack a HPG. We shut off her access until she comes to Terra for a trial. Here, with her under our control, we have a member of ROM shoot her. We can use it as a false flag, claim it was a Kuritan spy within our order.”


“Nonsense! The hit to our reputation! No one will trust us ever again!” Julian cried out in shock, the very idea!


“It will hurt us yes. Badly. Possibly even something that takes centuries to recover from. But with the ISDF losing the Cameron, we can then co-opt the movement. We offer a sincere apology, offer to have ComStar fully support the ISDF goal of returning technology as we believe in the Commanders goal. Without a Cameron, they are no longer a threat to us, and the negative impact of allowing her to die under our protection can be mitigated by philanthropic works.” Nicholas pulled out a disk and pushed it into the tables holo disk port. An image then appeared.


“The Eisen-Blume Orphan Charity.” Julian read to the group, as the images flowed, showing the entire setup was already done by Nicholas, ready to be implemented. “You couldn’t call it the ComStar Eisen-Blume charity?”


“No. Better that our name isn’t attached to it directly. Considering the main goal of the charity would be to recruit for ROM. I wouldn’t offer this solution, if it didn’t have a benefit for our future.” Nicholas offered calmly. The idea earned some murmurs of support from the entire office.


Even Julian was intrigued. To turn this horrible situation around so promptly. It was doable. Once Cameron was on Terra, it didn’t matter how good her protection was… Julian settled into his chair, breathless for a moment.


“It would work. Aye.” He offered his agreement. Beginning the vote amongst the first circuit.


“Nay.” An instant reply by the Precentor Sian “Allowing the image of ComStar to be so directly damaged? The plan is unworkable.”


“Nay as well.” Precentor Atreus offered simply.


“Aye. Better damage to our image, than the failure of the plan.” Precentor New Avalon Huthrin Vandel, offered. A surprise. He hadn’t even looked to Myndo, He had been one of Myndos main powerblock.


“Nay. I refuse to believe this woman, Cameron or not deserves this level of attack. We should ready our Warships instead. The Station is likely irrevocably damaged. We can act just as we did with the Tripitz.” Precentor Tharkad Ulthan Everson offered.


Everyone in the room had voted but one. While Nicholas was unable to vote for his own plan. Myndo had said nothing. Simply watched. Her own power block was broken entirely. None had even looked to her for her opinion, simply voting as they wanted.


“Aye. Cut off the head of the ISDF, and their ability to attack the Combine will falter. With our support we could yet rebalance the board. This plan has my full support.” Myndo offered who was of course the Precentor Dieron, To Julian's surprise.


Even Nicholas looked surprised, the mans normally utterly unemotional face showing his surprise, earning a roll of Myndos eyes.


“Don’t act surprised. I want that Cameron bitch dead. She is a threat to everything we are trying to do.”


With a tie, then Precentor Rom Nicholas of course had a vote, and he simply nodded. Showing he wanted to go through with his plan.


“Excellent. Nicholas, I am sure you are already in contact with the infiltrators? Go ahead and greenlight the false flag attack, Ensure the HPG is undamaged! Make sure they understand their job is to appear to damage the HPG, not actually damage it.” Julian demanded, with a strong pointed finger. Before wincing and rubbing his wrist. Damn his body. Even just sitting around was starting to cause aches and pains.


“If that has been decided. I would appreciate the help, of at least one other Precentor to finalize the plans on how we will approach the ISDF after Eisen-Blume is dead. I would like to ensure we are fully prepared for any… Excitables within the ISDF.” Nicholas offered,


“That will not be a problem. I am sure there will be many here who wish to ensure we handle the death of the Commander appropriately.” Julian offered with a smile.


The chuckle of the entire first circuit including Myndo was soothing to Julian. Good. Despite their politics, despite their desire to do things their own way, ComStar was not the Great Houses. They could work together to create the future Blake had foretold. The future ComStar would create.


No matter what.


The sudden blaring of an alarm in the distance, only quietly heard in the First Circuit chamber had everyone looking around in surprise.


“What is going on?” Julian demanded, but no one knew. The alarm was odd. Not one Julian had ever heard in all his years in ComStar. “Nicholas, find out what is happening.”

The man didn’t hesitate, already heading to one of the phones in the room, that would instantly connect him to the secretaries that were waiting for anything the First Circuit would need.


Everyone else, was pulling up their Noteputer. Checking on what they could find.


It was the clatter of a phone hitting a wall that brought Julians eyes up to Nicholas who was ashen.


“Primus… First Circuit. We have a problem. That was the unauthorized HPG activation alarm. Someone… Someone activated the HPG.”


“I-impossible! Who would dare!” Julian jumped to his feet horrified. The HPG needed constant maintenance, and worse, there was a cool down time that was required to ensure no damage to the system could happen. It was as if someone had double jumped in a jumpship! The damage could be minor, or catastrophic.


“Find them! Find out who would dare! I want their heads! Precentor ROM! I WANT THEIR HEADS!” Myndo started screaming but Julian was gasping, grabbing his chest.


Oh.


The arm pain. The heart twinges.


He was having a heart attack.


—--
 

Bear Ribs

Well-known member
I'm glad to see the elephant in the room is being addressed.

The ComStar section felt a bit weird to me, it seemed to imply they knew Vicky was a Cameron before the blood test, when the Kurita attack was in the planning stages, with some kind of ait "a Cameron could not resist." That doesn't seem to make sense though, there's no way they should have that information before everybody else.

Alternately there was a bit of a timeskip and the knowledge had gotten out, but in that case it makes little sense that they're only then getting around to talking about the failed Kurita attack. Also, there's no indicator of a timeskip.

I have trouble figuring out how this is fitting into the timeline properly and can't reconcile it.
 

The Whispering Monk

Well-known member
Osaul
The ComStar section felt a bit weird to me, it seemed to imply they knew Vicky was a Cameron before the blood test, when the Kurita attack was in the planning stages, with some kind of ait "a Cameron could not resist." That doesn't seem to make sense though, there's no way they should have that information before everybody else.
Hanse knew already. And ROM is good at getting info other people have. It's how they know so much. They don't gather most of it themselves. They steal it from other intel agencies.
 

Bear Ribs

Well-known member
Hanse knew already. And ROM is good at getting info other people have. It's how they know so much. They don't gather most of it themselves. They steal it from other intel agencies.
Hanse outright stated his top doctor could only confirm some relationship to the Camerons, not any direct descent. That isn't anything anyone would care about, there are scads of such people in the Inner Sphere, there are just no direct descendants of Richard. Heck Vincent Davion II married Guerever Cameron and thus (maybe, this marriage only gets a single mention) most of the Davion line probably has that connection.
 

Seras

Well-known member
I'm glad to see the elephant in the room is being addressed.

The ComStar section felt a bit weird to me, it seemed to imply they knew Vicky was a Cameron before the blood test, when the Kurita attack was in the planning stages, with some kind of ait "a Cameron could not resist." That doesn't seem to make sense though, there's no way they should have that information before everybody else.

Alternately there was a bit of a timeskip and the knowledge had gotten out, but in that case it makes little sense that they're only then getting around to talking about the failed Kurita attack. Also, there's no indicator of a timeskip.

I have trouble figuring out how this is fitting into the timeline properly and can't reconcile it.
There is a bit of a mild mention that Hanse doesn't have the direct Cameron Bloodline to compare Vicky to, but that ComStar on Terra probably would. Since they took over everything there.

ComStar has known about Vicky being a Cameron since the wedding.
 
Chapter 24.2

Seras

Well-known member
Chapter 24.2 Operation Shiroyama (ComStar) Interrupt.

3029

Terra

Hilton Head Island


A different perspective

Gauge Blake


Acolyte Blake, Grade III. Despite his three years in ComStar, not a single member of the organization called him by his last name. Oh no. Instead he had earned outright scorn for the name.


It had been annoying. You would think they would find his name amusing, or at least respect it. But no. The knowledge he had chosen the name, and it wasn’t actually his family name had spread around, and that was it.


They saw it as arrogance. As a man who wasn’t even born on Terra taking the name of Blake for himself.


It was honestly really annoying. If he was with the ISDF, Gauge could have just pranked anyone that annoyed him, and that would be it, but ComStar was… Weird. Or maybe just his vision of an organization was different.


Fuck. Vicky had definitely corrupted him.


But it had been three years. Three annoying, frustrating hair pulling years. He had walked into his first education class, with more knowledge on how to fix and use an HPG than the instructors.


He had been so gobsmacked that even ComStar adepts weren’t really taught how to use an HPG.


Hell the teacher of the class hadn’t even touched an HPG.


Gauge had just barely managed to keep his mouth shut about his own experience, and he had decided then and there, to keep his mouth shut about what he could really do.


But he was getting ahead of himself.


He had joined ComStar expecting perhaps a little corruption, something he would work to reveal to the rest of ComStar to fix the problems. Vicky's warnings were heard, but not understood. He simply hadn’t expected the extent of the rot. The classes that taught not how to actually fix, or use technology, but how to worship it.


Learning all the stupids hymns had actually taken longer for him than the technical work. None of what he was taught, was complicated. It was… Basic stuff. Really basic, and Gauge had refused to believe this was all the knowledge ComStar had retained.


But as the months passed, as he spoke with other new acolytes. He had realized that it was more than most of them had ever learned. It really was like magic to many of them. The low education level, meant that ComStar could look as if this was all they knew when teaching new acolytes.


Gauge understood it instantly. Teach the new acolytes like this, with low technical knowledge, and if they leave, or flunk out? Then nothing important gets out. Then if someone wants to learn the real stuff, they have to stick around. Get promoted.


Speaking of promotions, Gauge knew none of the adepts would promote him. No Gauge was on the 25 year track already. Everyone knew it. ComStar had gotten what they wanted out of him as soon as he landed on Terra.


He shivered. The ‘interrogation’ that he had gone through when he landed had been arduous. Not because it was painful, or anything. They had been fakely kind to him through the entire thing.


No it had just been difficult to never say anything that would even hint at the real secrets of the ISDF. Of the Iron Blooded Orphans.


Sure he had fibbed a bit about the sensor. ComStar had been fascinated by the lostech sensor. He had just lied about its real capabilities.


“Oh yes Mr. Totally not a ROM agent sir! The Sensor has a way of punching through mechs ECM! So it can track mechs pretty well! It must be some secret Star League lostech, kept secret as a last resort!... Morons.” Gauge grunted as he continued on with his task.


It had been a tough few weeks. And the ‘visits’ from Adept Michaelson, who always brought along a new ‘friend’ continued to happen over the years, although less and less as Gauge spent time away from Vicky.


Although the freakout over the Warship…


Fucking Vicky. Next time they met, he was going to beat her unconscious with an entire loaf of bread. A fucking Warship!? ComStar had just been starting to ignore his existence before she had done that, and suddenly he had a meeting with a man that could only be Precentor Rom.


That was how serious it had been. Thankfully. When he found out… Well, he had overreacted… Or just reacted. Yeah. He had reacted… He put every curse he could together, and screamed them at the top of his lungs about his stupid blonde haired Commander.


Seriously, what a pain in the ass. He swiped the badge through the key card reader. Imputed the sixteen digit password after, and thankfully his code meant he could bypass the retina reader. That was the benefit he supposed of using that particular old SLDF code.


“Dammit I hate this part.” He muttered looking down the stairs he would have to walk down. The door behind him quietly closed without a sound. He wished he could have used the damn elevator.


But it had been a quiet three years for the most part. Gauge contemplated as he slowly made his way down the stairs. The sensors that would detect intruders were bypassed, thanks to knowing where all of them were. He smiled remembering the Stewart mission. He hadn’t been able to go along with Delta, but look at him now! Sneaking into the most secure location on Terra by himself!


Of course he wasn’t Delta Ops. The sensor on his back, connected to his hand held Noteputer giving him a path through the tangle. That he was forced to check constantly, to make sure he didn’t screw up.


Seriously ROM? You never realize you had a sensor under your nose the whole time. They had of course gone through his stuff when he landed, and it had been almost a year before his personal belongings were returned, including the Lostech sensor backpack Vicky had let him have.


He had listed it as an ancient radio. A bit of tech he had put together when he was younger, a toy to play with when he was bored.


Gauge knew they had opened it. The screw marks on the case proved that… Too bad they were idiots. They had probably taken one look at the inside and seen a fucking Vacuum tube, and then closed it back up… Gauge had done the same thing the first time he had opened it. Fucking Vicky. Fucking Lostech bullshit that somehow used Vacuum tubes!


Gauge had even taken a sensor apart years ago, and somehow the glowing vacuum tubes were in fact needed for the sensor to work. Gauge was 100% sure that whoever had made this sensor had done it on purpose just to fuck with people trying to recreate it.


Which, considering it had come from the Nanoforge, the blackboxing of the sensor made sense. It was definitely something they would do. Fucking Star League assholes. Making everything more difficult.


But in the end they had put his ‘radio’ with the rest of his stuff, including his armored cooling suit.


That he had unfortunately never gotten back. He still glared at the adept he sometimes passed in the halls wearing an oddly fitting SLDF cooling suit with attachments for armor panels…


Fucker.


It didn’t matter. The robes meant he blended in better anyways. Let him sneak around when he needed to.


Like he was now.


He stopped taking a moment to catch his breath. Stupid stairs. It had been a few too many years since he had been forced into the constant exercise of the ISDF. Benny would definitely try to whip him into shape next time they met.


He stopped for another reason. Damn he missed his family. Three years away. He let it go. He would probably never see them again. He knew that. What he was about to do? What he had planned for over a year now ever since he first snuck into the First Circuit private servers.


The things he had learned there had forced his hand. He had been furious. Overwhelmingly, overpoweringly furious at what he had learned. The truth of Comstar. The things they had done. The horrors they had committed.


The technology they had destroyed. He had learned the biggest secret in the Inner Sphere. That it wasn’t the great houses alone that had destroyed every scrap of their past. It had been ComStar.


The bastards even destroyed terra forming tech, or medicine! The centuries of secret meetings he had gone through over months had been horrifying to him.


He reached the bottom of the stairs taking a moment to catch his breath again, as he pulled out his fake access badge. This one was actually a copy of Julian Tiepolos. Gauge couldn’t help but smirk at that. Having the access codes of the Primus gave him access to everything. As long as he was careful not to trip any alerts with it.


The creation of this badge had been what took the longest, but between his knowledge of SLDF systems, thanks to the learning courses, and the Sensor, which let him steal passwords in real time, he had managed to sneak into the room that stored all the data on the access card and literally just create a copy.


He loved that here on Hilton Head, the heart of ComStar they had grown so confident in their technological superiority that they never actually expected anyone to break in. The security was tight sure. But if you had access to the tech systems, you could literally walk through all the security they had put up. There weren't even cameras in places like this, too obvious, and it meant someone would have to actually watch them.


Better to just have sensors, right ComStar? It’s not like anyone else has technology on par with you.


ComStar Gauge had realized early on didn’t just worship technology, they had fallen prey to trusting it as the answer to any problem.


Gauge pushed in his access card, this lock in particular, purposefully looked low tech. Although honestly it was one of the most secure rooms in the entire island. Gauge waited before the door finally buzzed open letting him enter into a room that was rarely traveled. Only the highest ranked, and most trusted adepts were allowed down here. And only at certain times.


Because here, deep within the bowels of Hilton Head, was the HPG itself. Gauge took a moment to enjoy the view of it. It was far larger and older then the mobile HPG he had played with on Zaniah, but he still knew every piece of it.


He walked forward first accessing the Noteputer connection to the system, entering in the Primus’s own authorization passwords to get access to… everything.


A quick check of his sensor ensured no one was near the elevators to come down here, but he did notice suddenly that the First Circuit was gathering in their meeting room.


With a few buttons he connected to the server recording all meetings of the first circuit and had it start playing live as he hurried over to the HPG. He had a lot of work to do, and he had to do it in one sitting, because if any adept noticed his work, well. Game over.


As he stuck his hands into the bowels of the HPG, gently connecting a noteputer into the access port, to begin installation of his new code, he kept an ear on the meeting. At first it was nothing, idle chatter as everyone showed up, as a few people were late. It gave Gauge plenty of time to finish accessing the SLDF override. To put the code he would need into the buffer.


Until suddenly he heard them mention the ISDF. His head bonking on unrelenting metal earned a stuttered curse as he looked over to the noteputer meeting suddenly very very interested in what he was hearing.


His hands continued to work despite the way his teeth were grinding as he learned of what ComStar had planned for his family. As if their attempts to give the Combine nukes hadn’t been too much already. Now they wanted to assasinate Vicky.


He was glad he would have this meeting recorded, it would be the second thing his bit of code would display now. Hearing the First Circuit, people he had once viewed as some of the most important people in the entire Inner Sphere, casually comment on co-opting his family for their own gain, while using orphanages as recruiting grounds for ROM.


Well sure ISDF recruited orphans too. But that was open, direct, they were taught everything not just how to fight, or how to sacrifice themselves! The First Circuit was talking about ROM. And Gauge knew that once you entered ROM you rarely left.


Gauge had once had a conversation with Eris about Lohengrin and came out of it pretty pissed at the time. This was just as bad… All these people, all these leaders using orphans as currency.


Well. Gauge would fix that. Gauge would fix everything.


It was sorta his thing. He grinned at that thought, wondering how Vicky would feel about him stealing her thunder. Make a change to the Inner Sphere huh? Well Vicky, better catch up.


He smiled despite the horror building in his chest over what he was hearing. But it was done. The code he had spent years working on, the reason he had taken this long to do this.


He put in the final connection, giving the HPG direct access to the massive file he was sending, although he took a moment double check the meeting would be as up to date as he could make it. Unfortunately he wouldn’t get the whole meeting, but Gauge was done playing.


Done letting these bastards think they ruled the Inner Sphere. ComStar was not their toy, his dream not their illusion, and he would be damned before he let them try to kill Vicky again. To try and keep the Inner Sphere stupid and weak as their plaything.


He was ISDF. He had sworn an oath to Vicky, just like all of them had. To protect the Inner Sphere. No matter the threat. To be the shield that shelters the people that just want to live their lives.


“That will not be a problem. I am sure there will be many here who wish to ensure we handle the death of the Commander appropriately.” He heard the speaker say in the meeting. As if it was already done. Gauge glared. His hand wavered for a moment. But then he wondered what Jerome Blake would have done. If he was standing in his place. Would he be satisfied with what ComStar had become? What it was doing? Would continue to do?


The Adepts would say yes. That they were just following Blakes vision. Gauge had heard that term nearly every day for three years, but damn them if they thought this was what he would want.


“No.” He pushed the button. The HPG activated well outside its normal period. Every alarm in Hilton Head went off. And Gauge stood back watching the Noteputer, watching as the HPG burst sent out years of data.


“Vicky. It’s in your hands now.”


The ding of the elevator told Gauge his time was up. He put the sensor down on the ground. Turning away as the phosphorus burned the thing into scrap metal. Ragnarok protocol was still important after all.


As ComGuard rushed out the elevator, to Gauge's amusement the two in the lead were even in the ComStar Tornado armor.


Gauge didn’t bother to speak a word. He was well aware of how passionate ComGuard were, especially about the HPG. The loud bang filled his ears, and he went down.


—--


A different perspective

Myndo Waterly


“I want answers! How did this happen? How did an acolyte of only three years somehow break into the most secure location on this island!” Myndo yelled out confidently so as to cow the rest of the First Circuit.


Julian’s heart attack had put him completely out of commission and the doctor hadn’t looked confident that the Primus would still be alive in the morning. So Myndo had done what was needed. She had basically told the rest of the First Circuit she was in charge until this was all sorted out.


None had given more than a few grumbles, despite her recent difficulties. It wasn’t a mistake, she didn’t make those.


“Acolyte Blake had this on him.” Nicholas offered as he dropped a key card onto the desk. “I already had it checked, it has the credentials of Julian loaded onto it. He somehow copied Julians biometrics, and had complete access to the entire site. Preliminary checks tell us, he had this set up almost two years ago.”


“Impossible! How did no one notice! You can’t just steal the Primuses own access card and get away with it!” Myndo scree-yelled out.


Nicholas seemed completely unconcerned about her words as he continued to stand still looking over the First Circuit. “I am afraid, this is only the tip of the iceberg. Using the access that the Primus’s own credentials gave him Acolyte Blake has been… Busy. I am having ROM go through the access system records to determine every time he used the credentials, but I am afraid the how is unimportant at this time. The why is what we must concern ourselves with now.”


“What did he send on the HPG?” The Precentor for Sian asked, cutting to the source of the question, and annoying Myndo, as she had just been about to ask that herself.


She would ensure the man regretted interrupting her meeting once she was Primus.


Nicholas though seemed as unperturbed as ever. “I am afraid. Acolyte Blake has rather handedly, murdered us all.” He offered without a hint of emotion, earning concerned looks from everyone in the room.


“Please do stop wasting my time Nicholas.” Myndo demanded, unwilling to let Nicholas have his drama.


“He sent a message containing every First Circuit Meeting recording we had stored in our archive. We are still going through what was sent, but the pulse was massive. It strained the HPG quite a lot. Maintenance by the Alpha Adepts is still ongoing, but… I checked myself. What Acolyte Blake sent was all of our secrets. Meetings, information, reports. Every Assasination ordered by the First Circuit creates a report. Those were sent. Every time we altered HPG messages a report is created, and that was sent. Even the fact we have leaked HPG messages at times those reports were sent. Basically every ROM file we stored here in Hilton Head was transmitted.”


“So he learned things he shouldn’t. Ensure he is dead, put another bullet in his head, and we are fine. Send a few ROM teams to the HPGs that the message was sent to, ensure it won’t leak. Is there anything else Nicholas?” Myndo offered. Her mind instantly coming to an easy solution. Seriously, no wonder Julian had a heart attack. Having to inform these fools of their own job.


The others were chattering, whispering to each other about what they had just learned. Just how close they had come to it all falling apart.


“I am afraid we don’t have enough teams in the Inner Sphere to do that.” Nicholas offered simply after a time. Letting his words cut through the chatter.


Myndo could feel herself scowling as she rose from her chair. “I thought I said to stop wasting my time. If you know something say it! We can’t make a plan if you aren’t informing us what this situation entails!”


“The message was sent using old SLDF codes. Override codes. The very codes we ourselves used to create ComStar and take over the HPG network. I am afraid that once the pulse hits another HPG, it will cause that HPG to activate, sending a copy of the message on to the next HPG in the network. Considering it’s already been close to an hour since the message was sent. The pulse likely already passed through multiple different HPG terminals by now. We can’t stop it.”


The sudden silence of the rest of the First Circuit almost had Myndo scoffing. “It still matters not. We are ComStar. The Precentor at each HPG terminal will ensure the message gets nowhere.”


Nicholas took a moment walking around the table as he casually looked at the other members of the First Circuit. “Are you so confident? I am not. I reviewed the message myself. Myndo. It is likely that the message will be leaked. And if it leaks even once. It will be our end.”


“The Great Houses can be dealt with. We will simply shut down all the HPGs if they try anything!”


“It will not be only the great houses that become our enemies.” Nicholas offers before sighing. “Instead of wasting time with this, perhaps, the message itself will convince you.” Nicholas reached out and pushed a button, letting the Holovid in the center of the table come alive.


A few moments later, a young man in Acolyte robes appears sitting at a desk.


Myndo felt her teeth grind as the desk and room was just one of the rooms here in the compound. Probably his very own.


“First. I want to apologize. Many of you may be worried for your HPG. I assure you I would not have caused this to happen, if not for just how important this message is.” The boy bowed his head in apology before continuing.


“I doubt any of you would know me. I am Acolyte Gauge Blake. But before this, I was ISDF, Head of Technology and Development. What that means is that even before I ever joined ComStar I had already had my hands in the bowels of HPGs. I had taken them apart. Worked on their code. Discovered the secrets left in them by the Hegemony and Star League.”


Beside him, an image appeared. One that had Myndo seething. The sight of the very chamber she was sitting in, full of people, although the video was still.


“I joined ComStar because I have a dream. A peaceful Inner Sphere. Where technology isn’t lost, where the very idea of Lostech is a misnomer of the forgotten past. Where education is free and open for anyone to reach. Where people do the right thing… When I joined ComStar. I thought they were part of the solution. Unfortunately, due to my own abilities from before joining I realized ComStar wasn’t the solution. We are the problem.”


“That bastard!” Myndo cursed, but the holovid didn’t care.


“Alongside this message are the recordings of the last century of First Circuit meetings. Every single one of them. Most of them are innocuous, as any large organization is won’t to do, there is a lot of perfectly normal meetings. But if you use the timestamps on this document…” She watched as his hand pointed to an image of the document sent within the message. “This document which is ROMs assasination record. Yes. I said that clearly. ROM has been assassinating people since its inception. But not just threats to ComStar. They have been assassinating scientists. Engineers. People that find Lostech caches that contain educational programs!”


Myndo watched as the boy grew heated.


“Don’t take my word for it! Compare it yourself! Check the dates on who was murdered, and watch the meetings yourself! Watch as our leaders, men and women that were sworn to protect the HPG, and to follow Blakes will! Watch as they murder people that are doing what we are supposed to do!”


He was nearly yelling at this point


“It is all there. Everything I could find. Every meeting where they discussed how they would betray the very faith we believe in, by leaking messages to opposite great houses. How they would help push the Succession Wars along to ensure that ComStar… To ensure that ComStar rules the Inner Sphere.”


The boy was silent for a time letting his words settle. “I know many of you will want to keep this hidden. Many of you receiving this message will do anything you can to keep it from spreading. But I can pray that all of you will be true to what ComStar means. That even one of you will look upon the horrors ComStar has committed, the terrible acts they have done that go against our orders from Jerome Blake.”


“I can pray, that you will do the right thing. Spread this to the Inner Sphere. Let everyone know the horrors we have done. I know you will be afraid. I know there will be repercussions. That the Great Houses will never accept this laying down. That ComStar will never be the same again. But that is exactly why we must act. Why it must be ComStar that reveals this!”


“ComStar is not the First Circuit! It’s not ROM! ComStar is us! Acolytes learning how to fix their first Noteputer. Adepts, that work to maintain the treasure of the HPGs. the Precentors that ensure everything continues to run, and brings in new people. The men and women that smile at the children that wander into the HPG terminals, wanting to learn! That is ComStar!”


“This is our chance. I know. I have faith that even just one of you will let this message pass into the hands of the Inner Sphere. But I hope. I believe that it won’t be just one. It won’t just be a few. It will be hundreds! I believe in ComStar! I know we can survive this! We can fix our own mistakes, cleanse our own corruption, and become the organization that protects knowledge and spreads it to anyone that asks that we were meant to be.”


“I also know I will likely not be alive to see it.” He stated calmly. “I will be sending this message across the Inner Sphere from Hilton Head, by using old SLDF codes, to force the message through. The ComGuard will be unlikely to be gentle. Nor will ROM if they take me alive.”


“I offer you my life, ComStar. For a better future.”


“Blake out.”





“Fuck.”





—--


A different perspective

Katrina Steiner


“Archon? The Demi-Percentor is here to see you? He says it is of the utmost priority.”


Katrina took a moment to rest her eyes from the many pages of information that littered her desk and filled her Noteputer.


“Very well send him in.”


The heavy robes of a ComStar Demi-Precentor swished into the room, the man was Ulthan’s right hand. A good man, that had done much for Katrina over the years. She offered him a smile, but that faded.


He looked off. Pale.


“Are you well Demi-Precentor?” She asked, his odd looks almost made her wary, but he would have been checked multiple times as he was brought in.


“Forgive me Archon… No Forgive us all. Please you must see this.” A Memory card was offered.


Katrain felt her eyebrows raise because the man looked like he was about to be executed. She reached out taking the Card and pushing it into her Noteputer.


“First. I want to apologize. Many of you may be worried for your HPG. I assure, you I would not have caused this to happen, if not for just how important this message is.”


As Katrina watched her eyes widened. Larger and larger. As the data inside was opened to her, she started comparing information. Discovering to her horror just how much damage ComStar had done to her people over the years.


“Archon. Please… Do not punish the Acolytes, and Adepts. They didn’t know. None of us did. Not… Not to this extent.”


She glanced up seeing the Demi-Precentor beg his head bowed completely.


“Sixth Great House… Wasn’t it?” Katrina recalled a conversation almost seven years ago. One that was continuing to be the most important conversation of her life.
 
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Seras

Well-known member
You know, for the religious Blakists, he is the second coming of Blake.
Not just the second coming. If he was just that. It would be boring.

To bring it to a modern perspective. Blake just nailed the Disputation on the Holy Shroud. To the front of every HPG.

Yeah. Gauge just started the Protestant Reformation ComStar edition.

And then martyered himself, while proclaiming himself as the second coming. The Word of (Gauge) Blake is gonna be wild.
 

Tel Janin Aman

Well-known member
Comrade
Well things are going to be pretty interesting in the FWL once janos finds out comstar was partially behind Anton's rebellion and probably thwarted his attempts at reforms when he was younger.
 

xachariahxx

Well-known member
I think Blake lucked out with the timing of his message (not even counting the heart attack), which will result in a lot more Comstar joining his faction / Vicky than one would expect.

Any of the Comstar loyalists who want to verify the message will start by looking at the most obvious thing, which is by recency. Paraphrasing the meeting minutes -
  • "We must kill Victoria Eisen Blume Cameron, the legitimate heir of the Star League. Why? Because she she might restore the Star League and has a valid claim to Comstar and Terra!"
  • "We think we can co-opt the ISDF, because they actually do what we claim that Comstar does... except not Evil!"
  • "The plan is we'll attack one of our own HPGs and throw our name into the mud and make life hard for Comstar members on the ground, so that we can take over the ISDF but use it for Evil!"
  • "PS from Blake: the ISDF has HPGs and understands them better than Comstar."

That's covering basically every base on betraying the tenets of Comstar. I imagine a lot of Precentors that aren't part of the first circuit will want nothing to do with that (along with all of the rank and file), and will happily try create an ISDF aligned faction or join the ISDF directly.

And some members still might not be convinced. Maybe the 1st Circuit wants to support Jerome's Blake vision in a way people don't understand. Perhaps the ISDF threatens the devastation of the earlier succession wars with mass WMDs? Well, the very next thing they look at will be the prior meeting.
  • "All in favor of giving the "War Crimes" Great House enough nukes to blow up 100 worlds? Aye, Aye, Aye, Aye..."

That's way more convincing than if the last dozen meetings had been arguing about a 0.2% adjustment to interest rates or something.
 
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Chapter 25.1

Seras

Well-known member
Chapter 25.1 Operation Shiroyama interrupt: Perspective across the verse.

3029

New Avalon

ComStar Terminal

Adept Francois Velmet


Franc had been with ComStar a long time. He loved his job. His friends and people he worked with. Loved his boss, since for the most part Franc got to run the show. With the Precentor New Avalon on Terra, his job was left up to the Demi-Precentor, who was more than happy to let Franc do his job without issue.


So Franc did. Sure he half assed it some days. Who didn’t? But his reports were always on time, his duties completed his repair checks and work finished. Franc had it easy.


He also got first jab at all incoming transmissions. Even the ones listed as ROM or the like. He didn’t read those. Just checking them would be enough for him to lose his job and maybe more. But he was the guy that all the new broadcasts went to first.


He enjoyed the benefits of always knowing what was going on.


But right now Franc wished he had some other job. Like sweeping floors. There is a job where you don’t ever see something that is going to cost you your life, or the lives of all the people you work with.


“Blake Out.”


And didn’t that just send shivers up his spine. Blake. Fucking hell, a Blake had sent a message. Franc had been sure five minutes ago there hadn’t been such a thing. Now? Well. It’s not everyday an acolyte claiming the name of Blake drops all the dirty laundry ComStar had ever done in his lap.


And a plea of what to do with it.


For a moment Franc realized. He had on his hand a choice. He hit the play button on the second video attached to this message. He watched on. Watched a meeting of the First circuit. Watched them declare their intentions towards the ISDF towards a… Cameron? He wasn’t sure what to feel about that. He had heard rumors, but if the First Circuit believed it…


Was Victoria Eisen-Blume, Victoria Cameron? If that was the truth… Gauge Blake said he was a member of the ISDF. Could it be possible? He watched on his mind unwilling to put this idea down.


And the more he watched, the more he compared, the more sure he became.


He called up Stephanie. Adept Bueller was his friend. They had actually been on Terra together during training. Both ended up on New Avalon by chance.


His hurried message was probably half ramble, and he started pacing letting the videos continue to play, clueing him into the horrors that ComStar had done.


“Franc? What is it? You message was indecipherable.” She commented after entering the office he had claimed. Mostly so he could be comfortable while watching the recent broadcasts in peace.


“Stephanie! Finally, don’t talk. Shhhh.” He hissed closing the door behind her and locking it and pushing her towards his desk. “Sit down.”


“Franc! What is wrong with you!?”


“Everything! Nothing! You need to watch this… Blakes Word.” He spoke and something about his actions must have clued her in because she sat. He reopened the initial message and paced as she watched.


And watched.


And when it ended. She started it again.


“Impossible.” She stated, although not without a crack in her voice.


He clicked on the next video. The big time stamp showing it had happened recently. In fact it was almost concurrent with the sending of the original signal Franc noticed.


And Stephanie watched. By the end of it she was pale white. Like all the blood had drained out of her face.


She took control, and replayed the first message again.


“What are we going to do?” He demanded at the end. And Stephanie opened her mouth before closing it.


“I don’t know.”


“Well… Do we follow it or not?” He prompted and she looked at him her eyes glazed.


“It?”


“Blakes… Word. His request to us!”


She opened and closed her mouth. “I don’t know. Let me… Let me watch more.” She demanded and minutes passed as she started browsing through the data her gasps of horror at certain finds echoing his own. Finally it was too much.


Frustrated Franc grabbed his hair. “Dammit! We don’t have much time to decide! The HPG received this message, soon someone is going to ask me what the message was! Especially a message outside normal hours!”


“If we tell anyone outside of ComStar we are dead. The First Prince will execute us all.” She offered her eyes locked to the Holovid.


“You can’t know that.”


Stephanie shrugged. “Then the people will. There is… Blake, we actually assassinated people trying to cure Cancer…”


“No!” Franc turned his blood heating up. “Not us! We didn’t! We joined to help people dammit! Or for a safe job! Or just to learn! We didn’t sign up for this bullshit! Fuck the First Circuit!” He hissed and Stephanie nearly jerked in her seat at his words looking even more shocked.


“Franc!”


“No! You heard me! Hell you heard them! Fuck them. I’m taking this… I’m taking this to the display system. We will run this on every Holovid we are connected to.”


“Franc! That’s! That can get you killed! What if the Demi-Precentor finds out… And he is in on it?”


“Then take this.” He pushes a memory card into the noteputer and a moment later he copied the entirety of the message onto the card. “Take this and leave the HPG, go on leave… I’m going to push this through… I’ll even talk to the Demi-Precentor. If he kills me, or manages to stop me, get that copy into the hands of the First Prince.”


“Franc!”


“Stephanie. Will you do it?”


“I… I will.” She offers closing her eyes and breathing out.


“Okay go. I’m going to get this ready to send everywhere… And I’ll go talk to Elliot.”


“Blake… Blakes wisdom, Francois.”


“Blakes speed, Stephanie.”


Franc watched out of the corner of his eye as she left. Good. she would be safe in case Elliot… In case he knew.


He set everything up. Even set up a remote to be able to push a button and send the files to the display… Just in case.


He made another hard copy and headed up stairs to the Demi-Precentors office. As he walked up he passed many ComGuard. For the first time he took note of them as guards, and not just friends, people he worked with. Hell that Guard enjoyed it when Franc snuck him a private copy of some of the more risque works sent over.


But his time for that was over. He knew what he had to do. He had been given a task by Blake. He knocked on the door.


“Come in!”


Franc slipped inside the Precentors office. While only the Demi-Precentor, he was in charge for a majority of the year, so he had actually been given the main office in the HPG. As Franc entered, Elliot looked up.


“Franc! Finally here to update me on the message? Didn’t fall asleep watching that show of yours again, did you?” Elliot teased.


But Franc… He couldn’t laugh. “Emergency message from Terra.” He offered instead, which ripped the smile from Elliots face. As Franc handed over the card.


He watched Elliot watch the first video. His eyes snapping up quickly at what he was hearing. By the end of it though?


“A jest then.” Elliot offered even faking a chuckle as he closed the video. “Go ahead and clear this off our systems Franc, I don’t much care to listen to such jokes, or have our people hear them.”


“I watched further.” He said simply. “The next video is the First Circuit. As they discuss faking an attack on an HPG and pinning it on the ISDF. Elliot. This isn’t a joke.”


Elliot went quiet, his face slackening for a time. He then reached up and took off his glasses. The Demi-Precentor was an older man, and wore glasses in the same style as the Primus. Wiping them clean he finally spoke.


“You are what. Grade 12?” Elliot asked. Earning a nod from Franc. Twelve years with ComStar.


“Do you remember what I told you when I first gave you that position you are in Franc? That sometimes ComStar deals in messages that are private. Just for us. That can’t be shared. I described how when I was younger back when Iived in the Combine. Just a little no name world, I was in your position. I had a message in my hand. A dangerous one. One that I was honor bound to send.


“It was an order to kill part of the servant caste. I remember.”


“Yes exactly. An order to kill civilians by some upjumped Samurai. I went to my Precentor, and do you know what he told me?”


“I do.”


“Well let me say it again. Some messages get lost in the mail. This is one of those messages for you Franc. A lot of people will die if that message gets out. So we are going to do what ComStar does. We will save people. We will delete this message, remove it from our servers. We will likely have orders from Terra in a few hours about what to do. Until then we keep quiet. Nothing happened.” Elliot offered, spreading his arms in a ‘What can we do’ motion.


“No.” Franc offered simply. “That man… That man just revealed that the First Circuit has gone rogue! That they are killing and assainating, and trying to-”


“They are doing what is required Franc. Surely you understand. The First Circuit has to contend with the Great Lords. The lesser lords. The minor nobles, the Ronin, The strays, the mech jockeys, and everyone in between. Sometimes we have to remove threats, before they become catastrophic issues.” He sighed. Rubbing his eyes.


“This is something you aren’t introduced to until you are at least a Grade 20. You aren’t ready for this. Franc. I am ordering you. Delete that message.”


“No.” Franc decided then and there. This wouldn’t go the way Elliot wanted. He pushed the button. “No I don’t think I will. We deserve to see this.”


Elliot sighed, a deep unfortunate sound.


Franc could hear the door open behind him. “Kill him.” Franc startled turning to see a ComGuard raise a gun.


—--


Stephanie Bueller.


Stephanie had hesitated. Leaving the compound with the card in her pocket felt like walking around with a live grenade, so she went down to the lobby, but couldn’t bring herself to leave. Not yet. Not until she was sure that it wasn’t just Franc’s paranoia.


The first sign that something was wrong was when the Holovid screens that circled the lobby fritzed. As a message she had already seen came on the screen. People all over stopped. This didn’t happen… Ever. ComStar kept its programming very orderly.


“First. I want to apologize. Many of you may be worried for your HPG.” And Stephanie blanched, the card in her pocket burned hot.


Then without warning half way through the video the Lockdown alarm went off. And Stephanie gasped as she noticed that the doors sealed. She felt a moment of fear.


Franc? She questioned in horror. But then the intercom turned on.


“This is Demi-Precentor Elliot Shang. Full Lockdown. Comply with all ComGuard orders. No one leaves.”


But the message. The message from Blake was playing. And the civilians that had been using the HPG were starting to look…


Well they were starting to realize something was happening.


There were Comguards in the lobby. Of course they didn’t look like guards. Just wearing their normal robes, but they did have weapons underneath in case of a surprise attack.


They had all seen it too. Many of them were looking at each other wide eyed, and Stephanie stepped out of the lobby hiding amongst the pillars that lined the room. She just needed a chance to get out of here.


But tension was ramping. The Civilians were getting pissed.


“Hey let us out! I am a Colonel of the AFFS! I demand you open that door!”


“I apologize Sir! The lock down came from the Demi-Precentors office! I can’t undo it!” The girl… Mary? At the front desk was freaking out, because people were targeting her.


Worse? The boots finally appeared. The ComGuard coming down the corridor were not the ones like in the lobby. These had body armor, and weapons handy. The ones that guarded the secure corridors.


They didn’t say a word at first, but the guard in the lobby hurried over. “Dean! You need to see this! I don’t know what is going on bu-” *BANG*


Screaming started then. And Stephanie realized she was doing it too. That was Ian. Named after the former First Prince. He had been born here on New Avalon as he liked to tell everyone, and he would often invite new members of the HPG to a tour of the city showing them the best places to eat.


Dean was his friend. They were often together.


But Dean had just killed Ian.


That didn’t make sense.


They were friends!


That first gunshot caused a riot. The unarmed civilians ran screaming. The armed, drew weapons.


And the other ComGuard in the room, those that had seen the message. They drew their weapons.


It took Stephanie a few moments to realize what was happening. Mary who sat the front desk because she had the patience of a saint and was always wanting to help people, was dead.


Right in front of Stephanie. Mary’s brains were blown all over the front desk.


And the ComGuard? They weren’t stopping. Tucking back behind the pillar Stephanie realized the situation.


They were all going to be killed because they saw the message.


Oh Blake!


And then the two plain clothes ComGuard opened fire. But not on the Civilians. Stephanie prayed to Blake as she watched people she knew. Friends. Colleagues open fire on eachother.


People were screaming and dying… Damn her for not just leaving! For trusting that snake Elliot! She felt tears come to her eyes… Franc…


No, she had a job to do. She waited for her chance, and it came. One of the plainclothes ComGuard hurried into cover beside her.


“H-Hey.” She called out getting a barrel in her face for a moment before it was moved. The man winced, he had been hit, but was still alive.

“Steph? Stay down.”


“No! Listen.” She hissed, almost thankful for the gunfire. The armored Comguard had been forced to take cover and now both groups were taking pot shots at each other.


“Not a good time!” he called out as he turned the pillar and fired twice, before hiding again as bullets hailed on his position.


“I have a copy of the message! Blakes words! Franc… Franc found it, he gave me a copy to get out in case… In case Elliot went crazy.”


He took in her words for a moment. “Fuck.” He whispered. “Listen Steph. If it was any other situation… I would be up there. But no way I live through this. So no way my life ends without sticking it to these assholes… The door is locked, but it’s not bulletproof.” He pointed out that indeed there were panes damaged from the firefight, but it wasn’t anything anyone could get through.


The automatic gunfire assured that.


“Listen to me Steph! I will break a pane big enough for you. Then when I say you run for that hole. You don’t stop. You don’t look back. You get through and get that into the hands of the world. You understand me?”


Shivering, Stephanie nodded. Eyes blurry she wiped them off and swiftly pulled off the Robes outer layer. So it wouldn’t tangle. “R-ready.”


“Well, it was nice knowing you. Wish I could have went out on that date with you. I always wanted to ask you on.” He chuckled, and Stephanie noticed it sounded wet.


Oh.


She reached down and pressed a kiss to his jaw. “For luck.”


“Well c-can’t stop now can I?” He offered with a grin. Trying to hide the wince of pain, and the blood dripping down his side.


His pistol aimed and five shots went out, and suddenly a pane of glass, one of the doors shattered falling into pieces.


“NOW.” He ordered as he heaved himself out from the pillar and started firing.


The civilians, the other Plain clothed guards must have noticed something. They started firing as well. And Stephanie? She ran. Bolted. Faster than she had ever ran before. The Memory Card in her hand. She raced for the door. Trying to ignore the sound of bullets striking flesh behind her.


She really wished she remembered his name. She would look it up after. She thought as she ran.


She raced through the hole, and just as she thought she was free. She found herself face down on the ferrocrete. A burning line of cold running through her. She cried out realizing she had been shot as the pain hit her.


She screamed trying to get up, but nothing. Her legs wouldn’t move. She was panicking her body was going into shock…


But people. She could see them. People lining the streets outside the Terminal. It was a long way. With a gate between her and people, but no one was manning the guard post right now. The doors were open. The guards were watching the insides not the outside.


She could make it. The card! She had dropped it as she fell. But it was in front of her… Franc had trusted her. Her. Stephanie the girl who could barely repair a Noteputer much less an HPG, but she was pretty. She was smart with people. ComStar had need of that.


But now? ComStar needed her to crawl.


So she did. As she grasped desperately forward she grabbed the memory card. Sticking it between her teeth. She continued. Desperate to reach her goal. Desperate to complete her mission.


The pain caused her to cry every time she clawed forward. The pain the pain the pain the pain!


It was worse than anything she had ever experienced. She was paralysed! Wasn’t that supposed to mean she couldn’t feel it? Shouldn’t this be easier!? She crawled anyway. Towards the gate, Towards people. She had to.


Grip the ferrocrete with her broken nails, drag her dead weight forward. Reach out. Do it again.


Over and over and over. Everything was going fuzzy. Not because of the tears. Her breath wasn’t enough anymore. She felt herself wanting to pass out.


But she couldn’t stop. For Blake. For… Everyone. What was it he had said?


“I offer you my life, ComStar. For a better future.”


The voice was in her ear, urging her on. Right. She was doing her duty to Blake. For Blake.


She reached the gates. She realized it because an arm grabbed her wrist pulling her the last way wrapping her in arms she couldn’t feel anymore as a voice babbled. But she couldn’t make it out.


She reached up and grabbed the Memory Card.


“F-for the fi— Prince…. The Word of Blake.” She managed.


“I’ll get it to the First Prince. I Swear.”


“For a better future.” Stephanie Spoke for the last time.


—--


Myndo Waterly

Terra


“The message has been sent?” She demanded, receiving a nod.


“It has. The order for full lockdowns. And then a complete Interdiction has been issued. Whether any will follow the order remains to be seen.” Nicholas said as always a dagger in her back. She turned to him, pressing her finger against his chest.


“If they refuse, then have ROM Deal with them! This is too big to allow for chance.”


“I already informed you, Myndo. The likelihood of even a single message escaping from an HPG is almost certain. Acolytes and even Adepts, will view that message and do what they feel is right.”


“I don’t care what they feel! The only right thing is to do as the First Circuit says!” She hissed. Finally she found herself once more in the First Circuit meeting room. The Cameras had been torn down an hour ago. But not at her order.


Too late now she knew. Pointless to remove them. Using them to review previous meetings was still useful. Idiots. This is why she should be Primus.


“Tell me we managed to contain the message?” She demanded, but the shaking heads told her all she needed to know. “Fools! You had one task while I put out the message to the entire Inner Sphere!”


“The Traitor was thorough. He even had the message ping back to Terra… and since he had connection to our systems. The message was immediately connected to our Holovid displays. By the time the Adept on duty realized that she should inform anyone. Civilians had seen it, and left the compound.” Huthrin informed her, the Precentor New Avalon was currently resting back in his chair seemingly giving up.


“Coward. Get up and do something useful!”


“It’s over Myndo.” Huthrin replied instead. “The Federated Commonwealth alone when they find out will likely end ComStar. If you think the other states will allow us access to their worlds anymore? No. It’s over. Now we need to decide how we are going to die? Hidden away on some forgotten world somewhere… Or perhaps the Guillotine?” He mocked.


“They will die before they succeed.” She answered simply with a sneer.


“Oh no worries Myndo. You will likely face Combine justice. I doubt they will give you the honor of Seppuku. Perhaps simply a wall and a bullet?”


“You bastar-”


A bang had gone off. All of them looked around curious at what was happening.


“Nicholas?”


There was a few moments as the man checked his Noteputer. Before he made a quiet “Ah.” noise.


“That was a car ramming into our front gate. It appears we now have a mob at the gates.”


“How?”


“As I told you, Myndo. We have acolytes, and adepts that will not keep quiet. Likely the data was leaked…. Ah yes it was. This is worse than I expected.” He mentioned, despite sounding almost amused.


“Someone went to the press. The local Terran media are playing the message from our traitor. They are going through the data as we speak. Apparently some of the actions ComStar has taken to ensure Terra remains under our control are… Controversial. Who could have guessed?” He mentioned watching a local news station on his noteputer.


Nicholas’s amusement at their situation which was already unusual from the notoriously straight faced man made her blood boil.


“Activate the ComGuard.” Myndo ordered earning the full attention of the men in the room. “Once they are activated, clear up the mob, and send a Rom squad to these News reporters. They know they are supposed to keep such things out of the Holovids. Make them pay for it.” She ordered. When no one in the room spoke she nodded.


Strength. If they could no longer hide, then they would need to fall back onto strength!


—---


A different Perspective

Anna Smith


Anna whooped as the other college students around her threw their bricks. That looked fun.


“Anna!”


“Not now Marvin.” She called as she picked up her brick.


“Fuckers.” She cursed throwing another brick at the line of ComStar members behind their stupid gate. ComStar had ruled Terra for almost two hundred years, and with the leak of all their secrets. She had learned just how many government officials, populists, and demagogues that ComStar had killed for speaking out against them.


“You fuckers!” She cursed again. She had learned her own Grandfather had been killed by a ROM team in order to keep him from leaving Terra to help restore knowledge to humanity!


He had been a college professor. A man of education!


“Here, more bricks.” Marvin said, carrying a few over for her to throw.


She smiled at him. Good man Marvin. Sure he wasn’t a natural Terran, his family had been allowed to immigrate due to ComStar connections, but that had been two generations back. Since then his family had started working for her own. Marvin was a good enough man. Certainly made her life easier. Even if he wasn’t Terran he did an acceptable job.


“What’s that?” She cursed, as the ground shook, causing the brick she was trying to throw to hit the fence and do nothing but scuff it. If the Car that some crazy bastard had rammed into the gate didn’t break in, then her misthrown brick wouldn’t.


“Anna! We need to leave!” Marvin called out suddenly tugging on her.

“What? Leave? Are you crazy! I will not leave until ComStar understands my demands! We are Terrans! We do not simply roll over for them! Besides! I’ve never gotten a chance to take part in a protest! I haven’t thrown enough bricks yet! Besides! The grill hasn’t finished! I am not leaving until this party is over Marvin!”


Anna was quite looking forward to having riot BBQ. At least that is what Richard from the Civil disobedience club called it. Sounded… Thrilling.


“Anna! Listen to me! That’s a Battlemech!” Marvin yelled to be heard over the crowd earning a few looks his way. “Everyone we need to run!” He continued pulling Anna along although she wouldn’t hear it.


A Battlemech? What did that matter. This was Terra! “Yes Marvin we all know ComStar has Battlemechs what does that matter?”


“They are going to use it to break up the crowd Anna! We need to go!”


“Pshh. We are Terrans Marvin! ComStar wouldn’t dare! I mean my father is a member of the Bureau! They wouldn’t dare do any-”


The sound of an explosion in real life and not a Holovid scene shut Anna up. As she looked behind the crowd seeing the smoke and fire of what had been a vehicle getting ready to ram the gates again.


“ATTENTION. THIS IS A PROTECTED AREA. ANY FURTHER ATTEMPTS TO DAMAGE COMSTAR PROPERTY WILL BE MET WITH LETHAL FORCE. DISPERSE.”


Anna was gobsmacked. There had been people in that car! They already used lethal force!


“Anna! We have to go now! They won’t stop!” Marvin urged tugging on her wrist, which she allowed him to pull her away. Yes, perhaps running from the men with mechs was a good idea. Oh my. She felt like some Inner Spherian, fleeing from Pirates out on the periphery!


It was rather exciting though. Terrifying, but exciting.


—--
 
Chapter 25.2

Seras

Well-known member
Chapter 25.2 Operation Shiroyama interrupt: Perspective

3029

New Avalon

Hanse Davion


The First Prince's study was silent as a grave as the Holovid ended.


“The HPG?”


“Currently down. We are verifying we caught all of the members of ComStar now before we attempt to figure out if we can get them to repair it.”


“All this time… After all this time Ardan. To be able to simply see all the damage ComStar has done to us.” Hanse felt his fist clench, Melissa sitting beside him was also quite furious. They had been having a work lunch together when Ardan had entered with the Memory Card. While it was now the first time he had seen it. It had been a few hours since the members of ComStar went crazy and started shooting anyone inside the terminal.


It hadn’t taken the military long to lock down the HPG. To start investigating. The Memory Card currently plugged into a Holovid had been seen by Ardan very quickly after gaining it. And he had led the complete arrest of all ComStar personnel.


Of course then Hanse and Melissa had finally gotten access to it to be able to see what the fuss was about. Neither had been pleased.


Especially when they learned about certain facts.


They have both stilled when they got confirmation that the entire Silver Eagle affair was ComStars doing. To literally read the report about how they had stolen the data about Melissa’s trip. How it was leaked purposefully to have her killed or kidnapped.


All because ComStar didn’t want the Federated Commonwealth to come into being.


“The adepts we have imprisoned had nothing to do with this Hanse.”


“To hell with that!” Hanse nearly burst only just keeping it to a grave rumble, and not a shout. “To hell with ComStar! We will destroy the organization from the roots. Every adept! Every-”


“My Prince.” Ardan spoke before Melissa could say anything. “The only reason we now know what happened, is because a ComStar adept gave up her life to crawl across the entire Terminal with a gunshot wound to get it out.”


Hanse forced his fury down. His mind already coming up with plans and ideas to ruin ComStar to remove them from the board entirely were stilled as Melissa’s hand rested against his.


“We shouldn’t hold every person in ComStar responsible for this. Most of them. A vast majority never would have known.” Melissa spoke gently. “I think, considering everything about this Hanse. How it wasn’t our agents that found this out, but ComStar itself trying to… Bring this to light. I think we owe ComStar a little bit of… gentleness.”


“You want to be gentle with... This!?” He asked, pointing at the screen where a report was displayed about their plan to cause an Interdiction with a false flag attack on the Federated Suns.


“No. That is the First Circuit. Them? We murder, every single one. We hang them, shoot them, or bring out a guillotine.” Melissa spoke with a hint of her own fury. “But these adepts? The Acolytes? They don’t know. They just… They are just doing their job, with no idea of what happens above them. You heard how the First Circuit treated their underlings just as I did.”


“I agree with Melissa.” Ardan spoke then before Hanse could get a word out, causing him to huff a little.


“Teaming up against me? How am I ever supposed to live this down?” He offered earning a smile from his wife, and a shrug from his best friend.


“Very well. Interro-interview. All of the ComStar members we have captured… Actually. Show them this. Give them a noteputer with everything on it first. Let them learn what their leaders think of them, what they do about their own professed objectives. Then interview them. I want that HPG back up and running.” Hanse offered.


“I will take care of it.” Ardan agreed. As always Hanse wondered what he would do without Ardan there to handle the minutiae of his plans.


“Now I need to figure out how we are going to handle the First Circuit.” Hanse offered turning once more towards the screen.


“I don’t know if we will be able to do that Hanse.” Melissa offered. Looking distant for a moment. She had both mens attention then. “Gauge Blake… he is ISDF. Vicky is practically sitting on Terra. Once she learns of this?”


“You think she would attack Terra?”


“I think… I think Vicky will definitely do something outrageous. She is very protective of her people, and she spoke of Gauge a few times in our messages to each other. Gauge is her best friend… Her brother. They grew up together.”


“I’m not sure I like the idea of Terra conquered by the ISDF.” Hanse offered simply earning a sad smile from Melissa and a frown from Ardan.


“Then hope she didn’t receive this message, and that we will have enough time to get our HPG back up and sending out messages to our forces. I doubt anyone can argue this is definitely ComStar breaking their neutrality.” Ardan spoke.


“And if she did receive it?” Hanse couldn’t help but ask.


“Then I suppose we will have an easier time landing on Terra.” Melissa offered. To the silence of Hanse and Ardan.


“Regardless of Terra. We have our own problem.” Hanse offered, shaking his head away from the ISDF problem. “Ardan set up the viewing for our ComStar guests. But you captured the Demi-Precentor, correct?”


“Yes my Prince. The Demi-Precentor was captured attempting to flee. If not for how quickly knowledge spread about the attack on the HPG he likely would have made it away. There was a shuttle preparing to take him off world. It was only chance that someone called in the sight of a man in ComStar robes boarding a shuttle.”


“The one who spotted him, make sure they are rewarded.”


“Already done so. A message from the First Prince about how they did their duty is already being prepared. I will have it ready for you to sign in an hour.”


“Good. I want to talk to some of these ComStar members myself as well. Especially the Demi-Precentor.”


“I will have him brought to our holding cells.”


Hanse nodded. His mind awhirl, as he finally pushed the off button on the Holovid. Turning to his lovely wife, and focusing on her for a time.


Even as his mind whirred, he wanted to keep her stress down with the baby, so he did as a good husband should and focused his attention on his wife, and gave her a peaceful lunch to relax.


Even as his mind grew sharper and sharper.


Hanse was not pleased. So much trouble from ComStar coming to a head, right now. If it was any other time… Well. He would be able to act much faster. But currently the War is going on.


At least he had confirmation that ComStar was as untrustworthy as he expected.


After his lunch Melissa left to do her own work while Hanse rose and made his way to the bowels of his home. Ardan met him halfway as always the man was exactly where he needed to be.


“The man is talkative. He didn’t expect to get caught. He is trying to make deals.”


“Well then that should make this easier.” Hanse offered with a sinister smile.


After all, the ComStar agents that they had taken had confirmed that the order to silence everyone in the HPG terminal lobby had come from this man.


Hanse had soldiers, men sworn to him killed in that lobby. Civilians that trusted their prince to keep them safe as well.


His fury was evident as he stormed into the interrogation room.


“Elliot Wayat.”


“Hanse Davion.” Elliot offered to Hanse at his greeting. “It has been a while.”


Hanse looked him over. His robes were dirty, not just from the capture, and the man had a bruise across his jaw from his capture. But he looked just like he had a few months ago, the last time Hanse needed to speak to ComStar. “Just a few months if I remember Elliot. Heard you tried to run, now why would an innocent man attempt that?”


“Innocent? Oh no. That is not something I am. What I am, is a coward. So how about we skip the pleasantries. I want to survive. Without spending the rest of my life in a cell. So my freedom and my life and in exchange. I’ll tell you where the pieces of the HPG that I took are located, so you can get it working again.”


“Not tempting enough.” Hanse offered with a smile. “It won’t be long for us to track every inch of the route you took to your shuttle. We will find whatever you tried to hide.”


“Eventually. You will find every piece eventually. I wonder how much damage that will do to your war effort if you are out of contact for… a week? Perhaps a month? Maybe longer?”


“Doubt it will take that long.”


“ComStar has had our Interdiction Protocol for two hundred years. I assure you Prince Davion, you will find it more difficult than you expect. Especially since you have less time than you think.”


“Oh?”


“An hour after the trouble began, we received another message from Terra. For a full Interdiction not just New Avalon. Everything. Every ComStar HPG has been ordered to be shut down. Some might resist. Some might fail to shut down, but most? Oh you are in trouble Hanse Davion.”


“If they are shut down, how will finding the equipment for this HPG matter? Why doesn’t that make you rather… Useless?” Hanse asked, his smile a little dark.


“Hardly. As a Demi-Precentor I know the rules for the Interdiction. Where everyone goes to hide. The places they will put the HPG systems you will need to reactivate everything. All you have to do, is release me. I will disappear and you will have everything you need.”


“Hmmm. Tempting. Very tempting.” Hanse mocked. Wondering how he could play this, when to his surprise Ardan broke in.


“The missing pieces of the HPG have already been recovered, and some of the adepts that have been captured have already been explaining how to reinstall the system. Or offer to do it themselves.” He replied simply.


“Well Elliot, it looks like, if that is all you have for me…”


“W-wait! That’s-! Those bastards! To betray ComStar so quickly! Fine! I have knowledge. Information on the First Circuit, on… on ROM Activities and spies here in the Suns. Spies!”


“Ardan?”


“Although the ROM files sent carry many of the orders from the First Circuit, it doesn’t pinpoint every spy we may have. Not that I believe that ROM spies are much of a threat at this point… ComStar seems to be having trouble with its own people right now.”


“Well then I suppose this will be easy. Elliot? You want to survive this? Then you will need to inform us of a spy one that we don’t already know about, either from ROM or another agency for every one of my people killed during your attempt to hide this. If you do, perhaps, instead of immediate execution we can talk about what else I might want to know to earn you some more time.”


“No! I’ll tell you what you want, but only for my life and freedom!”


“You don’t seem to have much I value in trade for that Elliot. You did kill my people after all.” Hanse offered his voice a little tight in his anger. This little weasel. Hanse was ready to throttle him with his own hands.


“Damn you Hanse! I’ll give you what you want! Just let me free!”


“Elliot. What I want is to see you hang.”


The Demi-Precentor didn’t have any words after that.


—--


A different perspective

Katrina Steiner


When the HPG received the interdiction order Katrina heard about it instantly.


It was a pleasing feeling for once. To have messages actually delivered on her time, and not ComStars time.


Now It was doubly pleasing as Katrina stormed into the HPG terminal, and was treated not as some customer coming to pay their bill, but as the Archon in truth.


Nothing was barred from her. She, and she alone was in charge here.


As she strode forward her guards were with her. Ensuring that no ROM agent will get any smart ideas. Although as she walked through the marble entrance way the ComStar adepts and acolytes she saw showed no aggression at her entrance with guards.


No, they were beaten. Almost broken.


The revelation of what ComStar had done above their head. The truth of their organization had apparently done much to horrify the people below.


This is why Katrina was here. It was why she had come down out of the safety of her home, to see for herself.


Was ComStar truly as horrified by what had been revealed as the Demi-Precentor had said?


And in her eyes. Perhaps they were.


An adept by their robe finally came forward when she had nearly reached the line of desks that the receptionists would usually be sitting only for it to be barren.


Empty.


“Archon.” The adept offered a deep bow. “How can Co-How… How can ComStar help you today?” He offered his voice breaking mid greeting.


Interesting.


“The Demi-Precentor has information on how many of my worlds are going dark as their HPG is shut down. I want to know exactly how badly ComStar is betraying their neutrality right now.” She offered firmly, not a hint of kindness in her voice.


The adept winced, as he should at her words. “Of course Archon Please come this way the Demi-Precentor is in his office.”


Katrina followed, up long halls past many adepts and acolytes, and all of them looked shocked at her appearance so deep inside the HPG, and yet. None stopped them, said a word, or even a motion, simply stepping to the side as Katrina and her guards swept past.


Katrina decided she would explore after this meeting was done. This was one place on Tharkad, she had never really had access too. It would be interesting to see what ComStar had done with the land they had laid claim to.


The door of the Demi-Precentor opened before they even reached it and an adept walked out carrying a noteputer in one hand although she nearly dropped it when she saw the Nighthawk armored guards walking Katrina closer.


Stumbling away the Adept didn’t say anything as Katrina walked past and into the Demi-Precentors office, taking a moment to look into the ornate room, expensive wood, and marble creating a luxurious office.


Although now it was covered in papers and reports, and the Demi-Precentor looked even worse than he had the last time Katrina had seen him.


“A-Archon Steiner!” He offered as she strode in, the man barely managing to regain his feet.


“I’m here for the report on how many of my worlds are currently in the dark due to ComStars actions.” Katrina offered and noticed the wince the man gave in return.


“M-many. The HPG network has been reporting many worlds going offline at the Interdiction order… I have a list here.”


“In that case you are going to tell me and my people exactly what ComStar is doing to an HPG to shut it down, and how we can start them back up. Even if I have to send guards to every HPG in the Commonwealth.”


“Oh… Of course.” He offered weakly. Revealing knowledge of the HPG had always been something ComStar would… Well kill over.


“Good. Dr, please come in.” Behind Katrina walked in Dr. Frei Mara. One of the most educated women in the Commonwealth, and a women that had been given access to the ISDF memory core. “Tell Dr. Mara everything. She will be in charge of handling the reactivation of the HPG network.”


The Demi-Precentor looked like he was going to swallow a toad, but after a moment he shut his eyes and bowed. “Of course.”


“Good. In that case, I am going to look around.” Katrina said and simply left the room her guards following after as she started strolling through the hallways of the Terminal.



—----



A different perspective

Benjamin Rommel


“Fuck.” Benny whispered as the message ended. Fucking Gauge, of all the people to do something crazy stupid, Gauge was on the bottom of the list.


“What do we do?” Hanna asked instantly. They had both been called up to the HPG room when the message had come through.


Around Benny stood not just Hanna but a good majority of the ISDF on board including Sandra, the Captain had come down once she heard how serious it was.


“How long would it take us to get back to Terra from here?”


Sandra grimaced at the question. “Too long. More than a month. That isn’t including the time it will take us to turn around.” She offered with a soft shake of her head.


“Alright. Then there is only one choice. We keep doing our job.” Benny decided, earning gasps from some of the younger ISDF in the room.


Hanna looked torn but nodded. “It makes sense. We are too far out to join in the rescue operation. That means this is Vickys job.” With that, it was decided, although not without a lot of sour faces.


“Sub-Commander.” Sandra spoke up then. Gathering the attention of everyone in the room, she turned only half facing Benny as she spoke. “As someone who was taken prisoner before. That cried tears of joy when the fires of our dropships lit the sky I can tell you now that this decision… Does not sit well with me. I hate it. I hate that we have to sit here with our hats in our hands and nothing els.”


She doffs her hat and her bright eyes glaring into the crowd as she spoke, and Benny smiled. She didn’t have half the Charisma of the Commander, or maybe just half the audacity, but Sandra was the Captain of a Warship for a reason.


“We aren’t The Commander. She gave us a task and we will do it, until she recalls us. She trusts us to do the job she needs done. But the Commander is there. Gauge will not wait long for rescue. He will not need to fear for months of wait if help will ever come!” Sandra stalls, unsure of what next to say, but Benny is there. He flashes her a grin, congratulating her on her words.


“That’s right. Our Commander is out there. She will know about Gauges captivity soon. And Terra? Comstar? They will soon learn what it means to take one whose blood is iron! Vicky will remind them what the ISDF stands for!” He called out and a moment later there were nods around the room firm and furious.


“Until then, the ISDF will do our job! We will cut down the Combine until it is no more! I will not make our Commander a liar, will you?”


The look of shock across a few faces meant his words struck a chord.


“Because this is the Final Succession War, and I refuse to have those words be false. Now… Take the day. Put together words for Gauge, or Prayers. Because tomorrow we have Samurai to kill!”


—---


A different perspective

Jamie Wolf


Shutting down the Archer Jaime pulled off his Neurohelm, and wiped the sweat from his brow. The Archer had been a gift along with the Dropship that now represented the first push of the Dragoons main force.


A colossus moved a hell of a lot of mechs on point.


It was almost like how it had been at the start. With their mechs having lostech before they realized what they were doing was foolish. With mechs actually repaired as they should be. Without having to use sub-par parts.


Of course the name of the Jumpship it had came on, had nearly caused a heart attack among those in the know. None were sure if Vicky actually knew they were from the Exodus or just suspected, but Jaime had to admit. Turning it into the Dragoons fist had a certain satisfaction carrying the name. Despite a few questions about changing it, they had decided to keep it. It fit.


He opened the hatch of his Archer. This new one, a 2rb, A royal Archer. Its hatch didn’t stick like his old one had after that dustup on Wyatt.


“Colonel!” A voice called out a mechtech throwing up a sign to check his radio, forcing Jaime to turn around and start up the radio system.


“Finally! Wolfnet just came in with a doozy. You need to get up here. Now.” Major Stanford Blake, Jaimes intelligence officer, spoke urgently as the radio connected, surprising Jaime. He was usually less abrupt.


“On my way.” Jaime offered. Normally he would grill someone speaking so abruptly, breaking discipline like that, but if your intelligence asset is freaking out, something big is happening.


Jaime turned off the radio, and headed out onto the gantry. Hurrying through the dropship towards the command center. Although he never broke into a run. Best not to freak anyone out by seeing their Colonel running through the halls.


As he entered, he noticed his staff, including to his surprise Natasha watching a Holovid.


“What’s going on?” He demanded as he walked up only stilling when he noticed the Holovid had a man in ComStar robes speaking.


“Replay it.” Natasha spoke, and instantly Jaime was on guard. Natasha hated dealing with Intel. Hated anything that wasn’t combat really.


But she was practically growling, hatred burning through every word. Worse than he had ever seen from her. Except perhaps, when his brother had died.


But before Jaime could speak Major Blake hit the button and the Holovid began.


All the while Jaimes frown grew deeper. This sounded bad. “How bad is this going to damage the war effort?” he asked, but Natasha broke in before he could say anything more.


“Forget that. Tell him.”


“Very well Captain. Among the files were reports from ROM, the ComStar intelligence agency, about their interest in us…They report that the Precentor Rom may have been involved in Antons decision.” Natasha was heated. As always when his brother came up. Despite Clan ways of looking at love… Well Natasha was always a hothead.


“Can we confirm that?”


“They are not sure the exact extent, at least according to this report. And the man responsible was stripped of his position Vesar Kristofur.”


Jaime tilted his head. “I think I remember him. He was always around Anton… He was ComStar?”


“He was their Precentor. Their head of intel.”


“No way he was not involved.” Natasha hisses as paces, like a… Wolf.


“He still alive?”


“Neg!” Natasha erupted “Already sent to a penal colony. Everything after that says he died!” For Natasha to speak as a Clanner showed Jaime just how furious the woman was.


“Alright. Major. What else is on this leak.”


“Everything.” Major Blake offered with a sigh. “But directly relevant to us at this moment? Not much else. Just that ComStar is pretty damn sure that the Dragoons are scouts for the SLDF.” He gave both other Clanners a look, all three of them were from the Homeworlds. All of them knew that ComStar was right.


“Alright. Then back to my first question. How bad is this going to disrupt things?”


“Bad.” Major Blake offered with a serious look. “Expect rolling blackouts among the HPG, worlds that are simply shut down. This is going to hinder any joint operation unless you are right along side them. Requests for resupply are going to be slow, or lost.”


“Alright, then we double down on salvage. I want every world we hit to resupply us. Major, change our target, find out what worlds are nearby that we can resupply from.”


“Aff.” Blake offered, almost mockingly, as he noticed Natasha wince at the rebuke.


“Head off Major.”


“Yes Sir.”


With that as Major Blake left, Jaime had a few moments. It was almost funny. From what he had heard the Orphans of the ISDF did something similar to Bloodnames. Taking on names of those they want to emulate.


Major Blake was a member of the Blake Bloodname as well. To think, two men from two different cultures both acting in such a similar way. This Gauge must be a hell of an intel officer. Not even Wolfnet had slipped into ComStar.


“Captain.”


“Forget it Colonel. I am just pissed… All this time the man responsible was not the one I killed.” She grumbled, taking a moment to seemingly regain control of herself. “I will handle it. The man is dead, nothing to go hunting now. Beside. We owe the Combine just as much.”


“Aff.” He agreed smiling at the sharp look she gave him. The Clan speak had taken a long time to fall out of, funny how easy it was to fall back into it.


—-


A different perspective

Governess Maria Alessa


Maria found herself tapping nails on the table as she waited. Not even her favorite couch, in her favorite tea room. Nor even her favorite tea was calming her irritation.


It wasn’t every day ComStar stopped responding with messages from the HPG. She had sent Arthur to investigate once the hours turned into a full day of silence from ComStar. Now she was waiting for her eldest son to return with news. She was getting nervous. For ComStar to go silent?


That was a definite problem.


It had now been twice as long as it should have before she finally had gotten a short message from Arthur that he was on his way back.


She had been forced to take a calming sip of tea just to keep herself from rushing out of the room. But finally, Arthur arrived.


“Arthur! Uncle!” She rose to her feet, she hadn’t expected him to join her now.


“Apologies, my dear Arthur called me in for this. From what I heard… I will need to be here.”


That caused Maria to frown deeply. For Arthur to call Uncle Ernst like this?


“Mother. Good.” Arthur walked in, and to her surprise, he wasn’t alone. No walking behind him was Lieutenant Castle. Castle was the one that the ISDF had left in charge of Red base when they all ran off. He was a quiet man, and rarely had any need to interact with Maria. In fact if she wasn’t off, this was the first time outside of their initial meeting where he reported he would be her contact with the ISDF that they had spoken.


Maria made a concerted effort not to have to speak to the ISDF. Not after all the embarrassments they had heaped upon her.


She still wanted to know where her damn Leopard Dropship was.


She had ‘rented it’ to the Commander. A plan to better tie her to Zaniah. To begin rebuilding trust between them.


Then she disappeared. Just long enough for news to come of what she had been up to.


A warship.


She still shivered at the thought that Victoria, no Vicky. She didn’t like Victoria. That Vicky had a warship.


Maria took a moment to remember she was on good terms with the girl now.


“Mother this is ISDF Lieutenant Castle. Who I am sure you know, and behind him, is Adept Franz.” Arthur spoke and to Maria’s shock coming in behind the larger Castle was a ComStar adept.


“I see. I suppose they are here to give me answers about why no messages have been coming in or out?”


“Yes… And no.” Arthur offered as he brought everyone inside and settled in. Then he brought over her Holovid viewer, placing it on her Tea table, which clashes terribly. Her frown was ignored with the indifference of all children to their parents desires.


“This is a bit of a long story, mother forgive me. It started when ComStar received a message two days ago. Adept?”


“C-correct.” The woman offers looking very uncomfortable. “The Word of Blake caused an uproar, it spread among the adepts like wildfire. The Precentor attempted to maintain order, but it was like a bomb. In the end before we could decide another message came through. This time the Precentor received it without allowing the rest of us to see.”


“Wait. Slow down. The Word of Blake?”


“It is… What many are calling it.” She turned to Arthur and her son nodded, pressing a data card into the Holovid and a moment later the message began, and… Maria recognized that boy.


She almost opened her mouth to question it when the message continued, and it revealed many things. Her mouth thankfully hadn’t fallen open, but even Ernst looked uncomfortable after watching it.


“This is the Word of Blake?”


“Yes.” The adept offered simply. “The second message was an order from Terra. A full Interdiction of all HPG… That means we shut them down, hide the needed parts to reactivate them and head to ground. Disappear. Until the order for the interdiction is over.”


“You can’t!” Maria called nearly jumping to her feet when Uncle calmed her.


“Adept Franz is here because many of the lower members of ComStar refused to accept the interdiction. Unfortunately the Precentor realized this. Completed the Interdiction without anyone's knowledge and has fled. We believe he managed to find transport off Zaniah.”


“My God.” Maria whispered the very idea… To no longer have an HPG? No one would ever come to Zaniah again! It would be a ghost world! All the improvements! All the additional traffic flowing through her world would end!


“Luckily… ComStar wasn’t the only one to receive this message.” Arthur looked towards Lieutenant Castle who nodded and began speaking.


“Red Base has its own HPG. Unknown to anyone other than the Archon I presume.” He offered and Maria felt her spine stiffen.


An HPG!? What else had the ISDF stolen from her? That brat! She took a deep breath and exhaled.


“So you received this message as well?”


“Correct, of course we realized something big was going to happen, unfortunately while we were deciding on what to do, the second message came through. We attempted to reach out to ComStar but it was too late. We couldn’t find the Precentor, and the parts for the ComStar HPG are gone.”


“Ah, Luckily, I had made friends with some of the ISDF people over the years.” Adept Franz offered with a faint blush. “When they reached out already knowing so much, well. We managed to come up with a plan.”


“Although our HPG is a mobile HPG and as such the parts don’t fit on the ComStars device. By definition it is a mobile HPG. We will be moving it into the ComStar Terminal, to replace their current HPG. So the ISDF will be providing ComStars current services to Zaniah with the help of the ComStar Acolytes and Adepts that have refused the Interdiction.” Castle finished, causing the pit of doom in her stomach to slowly disappear.


“You… ComStar just… Destroyed our HPG and you want to give them access to another one?” She questioned despite how utterly out of her depth she was, Maria was not one to let something slip past her.


Castle nodded. “The Adepts and Acolytes that are still here are the ones the Precentor didn’t trust. Because they spoke out against what they had learned… besides. I have no idea how to process the HPG messages like ComStar does. We will need their help to keep any sort of consistency.”


“And what exactly is ComStar going to be asking for payment for this… Service.” Maria hissed her eyes narrow, the Adept wincing at the look.


“For now payment is being put aside, but there are limits on the Mobile HPG. So message bandwidth will be tighter.” She answers meekly. “We just… we have to make up for what ComStar has done. The ISDF is willing to let us try and make up for everything. We.. None of us knew. Please believe me. Governess the Word of Blake… It was horrifying to us. Everything we have spent years learning, and doing believing it was for the benefit of mankind, only to find out ComStar has been lying to us all!”


Maria listened, and she nodded. That was truth. The girl really was upset at what she had learned.


“Very well. I can hardly order the ISDF not to hand over their HPG… But I will be putting planetary guard on rotation with the HPG. As ComStar is no longer neutral, the HPG is now a matter of planetary security. Losing access to the network entirely would be catastrophic.” She demanded and it was a gaping mouthed adept that finally closed her jaw. And nodded.


“I understand. We don’t have any trust… Nor any right to try and keep our knowledge safe… No not safe. Hidden. Blake forgive us. We were hiding so much!” She almost started crying at the thought.


Maria was less than interested in comforting her, although Castle did just that.


“Mother… While this is all important.. There is more that I wanted to show you.” Arthur spoke then and quickly began the second video on the Holovid, this interested her quite a bit she had to admit. To see the inner working of ComStar.


Listening on she found herself in shock. So much so that it took Uncle Ernst to grab her hands to keep her trembling from shaking the tea directly out of her cup.


“C-Cameron!?”


“Oh that.” Castle offered with a shrug. “Honestly, we are still figuring out who won the bet. I had been so sure I had it on lock with, ‘secret daughter of the Archon.’” Castle offered with a shrug shattering what little remained of Maria’s calm.
 
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