It's a Peaceful Life
- Thread starter MarkWarrior
- Start date
PsihoKekec
Swashbuckling Vatnik
Seriously, mechs being able to pick and throw only 20% of their weight is such bullshit. If I'm piloting an Atlas, I want to be able to throw at my enemies at least a Hunchback, instead of being limited to the measly bugmechs.
Comstar controls and runs the universal banking currency and the Star League Ministry of Communications central FTL Communications hub. They need to kill the master control station under Hilton Head or the First Circuit can still shut FTL comms down
You could throw cakes at them,with clown music !
Chapter 21
MarkWarrior
Well-known member
It took a few months of working on the project off and on, but I had finally finished restoring the inside of the barn. The few milking stalls had been rebuilt using nice-looking hardwood, and I had constructed a hay loft about ten feet up and thrown enough hay up there to keep the horses and cows fed for the winter when they could not graze.
The stain on the hardwood would take another hour or two to dry, and then I’d put on one last coat. Sure, some people might think it was odd for me to use nice wood, stain, and paint the inside of a structure that only a handful of people would ever see. But I wanted it to look good and last. Paint and lacquered stains were more than just for making things look pretty.
Painting steel prevented rusting and other decay. Staining wood hardened it and made it more resistant to the elements. Besides, I wanted the barn to look good and be functional, and I had enough time and money to do both.
I grabbed the cans of stain and set up a fan pointing outside the barn to draw the fumes away. Then, I walked out of the barn, pulling my sunglasses down over my eyes to filter out the bright light from the local star.
I missed the bakery. Sure, I had gotten a lot of the things I’d planned to do on the farm done, but the bakery was something I enjoyed. It was a break from the taming the wilderness that was ever encroaching on my farmland. The pastries were fun, but the cakes allowed me to flex my creative muscles in ways I didn’t get to do around the farm.
After I put the supplies away, I headed for my truck. I was going into town today to see if there was anything new worth checking out. I might even see about finally getting a Tri-Vid and seeing what movies existed.
If I could afford it, I might consider buying an industrialmech in a few decades. I’d heard that more than a few built around farming were high quality and capable. I could even pass it on to my kids as a future investment.
But that was for the future. Right now, I had to wait for the stain to dry, apply another coat, and then head to the city. I needed some supplies, and there was a butcher I needed to talk to about slaughtering some pigs and processing them.
Six days after leaving the planet, the Red Lightning docked with a jumpship and winked out of existence a short time later.
“Are we going to New Avalon or Tharkad?” Katherine asked Luke, sitting across from him on the Grav deck.
“The plan is to take you back to New Avalon,” Luke replied. “The Archon is currently dealing with your duplicate, and we didn’t want to add more complications to that situation.”
“I prefer New Avalon anyway,” Katherine smiled, a cup of hot chocolate in her hands. “It’s warmer there.”
“Aye,” Luke smiled. “You’re going to want to speak to your father about everything. And not just about the circumstances. You’ve both been through the same thing, and he’ll have some advice to give on handling the emotions that come with this.”
“I think I’ll do that,” Katherine replied.
“Now, the medics have checked you out, but the Psychiatrist wants to meet with you and go over some of your brain scans,” Luke said, finishing his cup and walking it over to the dishwasher.
“He’s probably concerned about the chems they were pumping into me,” Katherine shuddered as she thought about the cold room and that table she’d been strapped to. “I imagine they did some shit to my brain.”
“I dunno,” Luke shrugged. “I had plenty of chems pumped into me over the years, and I turned out fine.”
“You’re a retired Intel operative, old man,” Gold two scoffed from where she was leaning against the wall. “You’re anything but fine.”
“I might be a bit paranoid,” Luke chuckled. “But as our Lady Davion here proved. “It’s not paranoia if they’re really out to get you.”
“And they are definitely out to get us,” Katherine finished her hot chocolate.
–
–
“Well, Lady Steiner-Davion,” Doctor Williams smiled. “I have some good news. While your initial brain scans were worrying due to the leftover chemicals lingering in your system, they're clearing up nicely. You should fully recover by the time we reach New Avalon. Now, the other doctors here and I recommend that you maintain physical fitness as much as possible during the transit to assist with flushing any remnants. Once we’re on New Avalon, we’ll reevaluate and run some more tests. But I think we’ll find more of the same. You’re deficient in Vitamin D and a few other minerals, but a regime of multivitamins and other supplements should help clear that up.”
“So, sunlight, rest, and what else?” Luke jotted down some notes in a notebook.
“Well, we’d prefer it if she doesn’t deal with any external stressors for six months to a year,” Williams replied. “But given her position, we doubt that’s possible. So three months should be the bare minimum.”
“I’ll ensure that the First Prince has the full details in the report I file,” Luke nodded at Katherine. “But I believe he will understand the medical necessity.”
“I have no idea as to the state of the realm,” Katherine sighed. “But if my recovery needs to be cut short to assist, it will be done. I’ll not have the Federated Commonwealth fall apart in my generation.”
“Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that,” Luke shook his head. “Davions and their sense of duty,” He muttered under his breath. “It’ll get them all killed one day.”
Author's Note: A bit short, but I think this is a good point to end this chapter.
The stain on the hardwood would take another hour or two to dry, and then I’d put on one last coat. Sure, some people might think it was odd for me to use nice wood, stain, and paint the inside of a structure that only a handful of people would ever see. But I wanted it to look good and last. Paint and lacquered stains were more than just for making things look pretty.
Painting steel prevented rusting and other decay. Staining wood hardened it and made it more resistant to the elements. Besides, I wanted the barn to look good and be functional, and I had enough time and money to do both.
I grabbed the cans of stain and set up a fan pointing outside the barn to draw the fumes away. Then, I walked out of the barn, pulling my sunglasses down over my eyes to filter out the bright light from the local star.
I missed the bakery. Sure, I had gotten a lot of the things I’d planned to do on the farm done, but the bakery was something I enjoyed. It was a break from the taming the wilderness that was ever encroaching on my farmland. The pastries were fun, but the cakes allowed me to flex my creative muscles in ways I didn’t get to do around the farm.
After I put the supplies away, I headed for my truck. I was going into town today to see if there was anything new worth checking out. I might even see about finally getting a Tri-Vid and seeing what movies existed.
If I could afford it, I might consider buying an industrialmech in a few decades. I’d heard that more than a few built around farming were high quality and capable. I could even pass it on to my kids as a future investment.
But that was for the future. Right now, I had to wait for the stain to dry, apply another coat, and then head to the city. I needed some supplies, and there was a butcher I needed to talk to about slaughtering some pigs and processing them.
Six days after leaving the planet, the Red Lightning docked with a jumpship and winked out of existence a short time later.
“Are we going to New Avalon or Tharkad?” Katherine asked Luke, sitting across from him on the Grav deck.
“The plan is to take you back to New Avalon,” Luke replied. “The Archon is currently dealing with your duplicate, and we didn’t want to add more complications to that situation.”
“I prefer New Avalon anyway,” Katherine smiled, a cup of hot chocolate in her hands. “It’s warmer there.”
“Aye,” Luke smiled. “You’re going to want to speak to your father about everything. And not just about the circumstances. You’ve both been through the same thing, and he’ll have some advice to give on handling the emotions that come with this.”
“I think I’ll do that,” Katherine replied.
“Now, the medics have checked you out, but the Psychiatrist wants to meet with you and go over some of your brain scans,” Luke said, finishing his cup and walking it over to the dishwasher.
“He’s probably concerned about the chems they were pumping into me,” Katherine shuddered as she thought about the cold room and that table she’d been strapped to. “I imagine they did some shit to my brain.”
“I dunno,” Luke shrugged. “I had plenty of chems pumped into me over the years, and I turned out fine.”
“You’re a retired Intel operative, old man,” Gold two scoffed from where she was leaning against the wall. “You’re anything but fine.”
“I might be a bit paranoid,” Luke chuckled. “But as our Lady Davion here proved. “It’s not paranoia if they’re really out to get you.”
“And they are definitely out to get us,” Katherine finished her hot chocolate.
–
–
“Well, Lady Steiner-Davion,” Doctor Williams smiled. “I have some good news. While your initial brain scans were worrying due to the leftover chemicals lingering in your system, they're clearing up nicely. You should fully recover by the time we reach New Avalon. Now, the other doctors here and I recommend that you maintain physical fitness as much as possible during the transit to assist with flushing any remnants. Once we’re on New Avalon, we’ll reevaluate and run some more tests. But I think we’ll find more of the same. You’re deficient in Vitamin D and a few other minerals, but a regime of multivitamins and other supplements should help clear that up.”
“So, sunlight, rest, and what else?” Luke jotted down some notes in a notebook.
“Well, we’d prefer it if she doesn’t deal with any external stressors for six months to a year,” Williams replied. “But given her position, we doubt that’s possible. So three months should be the bare minimum.”
“I’ll ensure that the First Prince has the full details in the report I file,” Luke nodded at Katherine. “But I believe he will understand the medical necessity.”
“I have no idea as to the state of the realm,” Katherine sighed. “But if my recovery needs to be cut short to assist, it will be done. I’ll not have the Federated Commonwealth fall apart in my generation.”
“Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that,” Luke shook his head. “Davions and their sense of duty,” He muttered under his breath. “It’ll get them all killed one day.”
Author's Note: A bit short, but I think this is a good point to end this chapter.
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mandated rest on a farm. watch chickens doing silly chicken things. it is very relaxing especially if you have some doggos around demanding attention and pets.
PsihoKekec
Swashbuckling Vatnik
Using wood impregnating solution and then a coat of paint is a good way to protect the wood, but I have seen some people making a mistake of using those glazing paints to protect outdoors wooden structures, they trap moisture within wood, so it rots on the inside, leaving a thin shell of paint permeated wood. What colour did he use? Since it seems rather isolated place, a red barn, that can be seen fom far away would be quite striking.
Does he have one of those hay blower things or did he do it the old fashion way? I presume he knows about the preventing the hay from catching fire by itself.
Luckilly they are on a jumpship, you can get plenty of sunshine on the viewing deck, don't forget a really strong sunscreen.
Does he have one of those hay blower things or did he do it the old fashion way? I presume he knows about the preventing the hay from catching fire by itself.
Luckilly they are on a jumpship, you can get plenty of sunshine on the viewing deck, don't forget a really strong sunscreen.
Chapter 22
MarkWarrior
Well-known member
It was too perfect a day for me to work on any big projects. The temperature outside was nice and comfortable. Light, fluffy clouds chased each other across the skies, and a light breeze filled the air.
After finishing the farm chores, I put a few snacks in a bag and walked out into one of the fields that were currently barren of livestock. Tomorrow, I’d move the sheep into this pasture, but for now, it was where I was planning on spending the day.
I took a sip of water from my canteen before tossing it to the ground and collapsing onto the grassy knoll that was the best feature of this pasture.
The grass was comfortable, and this field hadn’t had any animals on it for the last few months, so there weren’t any surprises or awful smells around me as I watched the clouds drift by.
“Hey, Sage,” I smiled as one of the twins came up and nuzzled my hand, lying beside me. “Where’s your sister, huh?”
The Australian Shepherd raised her head above my head, and I felt Thyme’s paw rest on my shoulder as she begged for pets.
“Spoiled rotten,” I smiled, pulling both dogs into my lap and sitting up. “You hear that?” I scratched both dogs behind their ears and the scruff around their neck. “You’re both spoiled rotten.”
I played with them for a few minutes before lying down and closing my eyes. The breeze cooled off the moderate heat from New Avalon’s star. I opened them back up and gently stroked the dog's soft fur, their tails thumping the ground beside me.
“What do you two think about getting more help around here?” I asked. “The Flock’s getting pretty big. We could get you some little brothers and sisters to help out.”
The Twins simply licked and nudged my hands, seeking more pets.
“Yeah,” I replied. “We’ll get some more help around here.”
I stared at the clouds for a few more minutes before yawning and drifting off to sleep. Sometimes, it’s just too perfect of a day to do anything.
“What do you have for me, Karl?” Melissa stepped into his office. “There’s a young woman that looks like my daughter sitting in a cell wondering why her mother just had her imprisoned.”
“We finished interrogating her security detail last night,” Karl rubbed at his eyes, exhausted. “Melissa, we already knew Comstar was up to no good when MIIO tracked the initial kidnapping. But after interrogating, we tracked down the handlers for this group and the next few cells based in or around the Triad. The ones that survived are being interrogated now.”
Karl sighed and looked the Archon in the eyes.
“We barely recovered any documents, so we won’t be able to verify everything. But if what we did recover is correct, then we have something extra to deal with.”
“If, and I stress if. The few documents we recovered partially intact are even partially accurate. The young woman currently sedated and in a cell is Katherine Steiner-Davion. Just not the one that we knew previously. She isn’t like Hanse’s doppelganger, where they kidnapped a random Davion and surgically altered him. She’s a complete clone. The only surgical manipulation we could find was fingerprint matching.”
“Then what you’re saying is,” Melissa collapsed onto the couch in Karl’s office.
“She’s your daughter. Comstar must have spent a long time gathering information on memories to implant them as successfully as they did.”
Karl sighed before continuing.
“All of our research into deep cover agents like this has been theoretical. So, we’re operating based on what we’ve found and pulled out of the Comstar agents. I recommend we tell her the truth. Explain everything and start deprogramming her similarly to how we MIIO did with Hanse’s doppelganger.”
“You’re certain?” Melissa asked.
“Not one hundred percent,” Karl shook his head. “But reasonably convinced that if MIIO hadn’t looked into some obscure intel, we’d have never found this out.”
“Do it,” Melissa stood up and straightened her suit. “Either way, she’ll have to be deprogrammed. We should start this now rather than when it’s too late. I’ll send a message to Hanse via Black Box. Given the travel time and the command circuit they were authorized to use. The teams should be arriving on New Avalon shortly.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Karl replied. “I’ll have people start working on it right away.”
“Get some rest, Karl,” Mellisa smiled a bit. “There’ll still be work to do tomorrow. Someone else can do the paperwork and follow up on this. I don’t want you keeling over of a heart attack or something while we’re dealing with this two-pronged attack.”
“Just let me make sure that the people who work on this are people I trust,” The man replied. “We had breaches in our security. Now, we must plug them and pray that we don’t open up more holes in the process.”
The Red Lightning shuddered as it began breaching New Avalon’s atmosphere. The Seeker class dropship headed straight for the private landing pad for the Davion Palace complex.
“Luke,” Katherine asked the man beside her as something popped into her head. “Who is watching the bakery while you’re here?”
“Closed it down while I’m out,” Luke replied. “Mark has plenty of work to do on the farm while I’m gone. He could easily run it. But I figured I’d give him a break. He’s been putting off finishing some of the rebuilds he needs to do around the farm, and this way, it kicks him into gear.”
“He had finished the house when I left,” Katherine rested her head against the chair. “Was there that much starting to break down?”
“He had at least one fence that broke not three weeks after you left,” Luke chuckled. “He spent a whole day chasing down the livestock that escaped. He probably had to rebuild the whole fence. I don’t know much about the rest of the farm. But I know that fencing is hard work.”
The two went silent as the dropship finally set down on the pad, the fusion engines slowly shutting down.
“Ma’am, sir,” Gold two stepped into the room. “We have clearance to enter the Mountain, and I’m still not relieved of my duties. So I’ll be escorting you through until I hear otherwise.”
Gold Two began to lead them out to the dropship’s vehicle bay when Katherine was ambushed.
A blond head of hair tucked into Katherine’s side, and Hanse grinned as he stepped forward and pulled both of his daughters in for a hug.
“You’re home,” Yvonne cried into her older sister’s side.
“And you’re safe,” Hanse tucked his chin over Katherine’s hair and held her as she began to sob quietly into his chest. “I’m here, Yvonne’s here, and Arthur will be here in a few weeks.”
Katherine didn’t speak. She simply let the tears flow as Hanse slowly calmed his daughters down. His voice was gentle and muffled through her hair, but Katherine slowly began to sniffle and eventually stopped crying.
“Let’s get you inside the Mountain, Kat,” Hanse smiled as he wiped a few tears of his own away. “There will be plenty of time to talk about everything.”
He led Yvonne and Katherine to the APC and then turned to Luke and Gold Two.
“I want you present for the debriefing,” Hanse instructed. “You’ll stay in the Palace tonight, and we’ll sort out anything else tomorrow.”
After finishing the farm chores, I put a few snacks in a bag and walked out into one of the fields that were currently barren of livestock. Tomorrow, I’d move the sheep into this pasture, but for now, it was where I was planning on spending the day.
I took a sip of water from my canteen before tossing it to the ground and collapsing onto the grassy knoll that was the best feature of this pasture.
The grass was comfortable, and this field hadn’t had any animals on it for the last few months, so there weren’t any surprises or awful smells around me as I watched the clouds drift by.
“Hey, Sage,” I smiled as one of the twins came up and nuzzled my hand, lying beside me. “Where’s your sister, huh?”
The Australian Shepherd raised her head above my head, and I felt Thyme’s paw rest on my shoulder as she begged for pets.
“Spoiled rotten,” I smiled, pulling both dogs into my lap and sitting up. “You hear that?” I scratched both dogs behind their ears and the scruff around their neck. “You’re both spoiled rotten.”
I played with them for a few minutes before lying down and closing my eyes. The breeze cooled off the moderate heat from New Avalon’s star. I opened them back up and gently stroked the dog's soft fur, their tails thumping the ground beside me.
“What do you two think about getting more help around here?” I asked. “The Flock’s getting pretty big. We could get you some little brothers and sisters to help out.”
The Twins simply licked and nudged my hands, seeking more pets.
“Yeah,” I replied. “We’ll get some more help around here.”
I stared at the clouds for a few more minutes before yawning and drifting off to sleep. Sometimes, it’s just too perfect of a day to do anything.
“What do you have for me, Karl?” Melissa stepped into his office. “There’s a young woman that looks like my daughter sitting in a cell wondering why her mother just had her imprisoned.”
“We finished interrogating her security detail last night,” Karl rubbed at his eyes, exhausted. “Melissa, we already knew Comstar was up to no good when MIIO tracked the initial kidnapping. But after interrogating, we tracked down the handlers for this group and the next few cells based in or around the Triad. The ones that survived are being interrogated now.”
Karl sighed and looked the Archon in the eyes.
“We barely recovered any documents, so we won’t be able to verify everything. But if what we did recover is correct, then we have something extra to deal with.”
“If, and I stress if. The few documents we recovered partially intact are even partially accurate. The young woman currently sedated and in a cell is Katherine Steiner-Davion. Just not the one that we knew previously. She isn’t like Hanse’s doppelganger, where they kidnapped a random Davion and surgically altered him. She’s a complete clone. The only surgical manipulation we could find was fingerprint matching.”
“Then what you’re saying is,” Melissa collapsed onto the couch in Karl’s office.
“She’s your daughter. Comstar must have spent a long time gathering information on memories to implant them as successfully as they did.”
Karl sighed before continuing.
“All of our research into deep cover agents like this has been theoretical. So, we’re operating based on what we’ve found and pulled out of the Comstar agents. I recommend we tell her the truth. Explain everything and start deprogramming her similarly to how we MIIO did with Hanse’s doppelganger.”
“You’re certain?” Melissa asked.
“Not one hundred percent,” Karl shook his head. “But reasonably convinced that if MIIO hadn’t looked into some obscure intel, we’d have never found this out.”
“Do it,” Melissa stood up and straightened her suit. “Either way, she’ll have to be deprogrammed. We should start this now rather than when it’s too late. I’ll send a message to Hanse via Black Box. Given the travel time and the command circuit they were authorized to use. The teams should be arriving on New Avalon shortly.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Karl replied. “I’ll have people start working on it right away.”
“Get some rest, Karl,” Mellisa smiled a bit. “There’ll still be work to do tomorrow. Someone else can do the paperwork and follow up on this. I don’t want you keeling over of a heart attack or something while we’re dealing with this two-pronged attack.”
“Just let me make sure that the people who work on this are people I trust,” The man replied. “We had breaches in our security. Now, we must plug them and pray that we don’t open up more holes in the process.”
The Red Lightning shuddered as it began breaching New Avalon’s atmosphere. The Seeker class dropship headed straight for the private landing pad for the Davion Palace complex.
“Luke,” Katherine asked the man beside her as something popped into her head. “Who is watching the bakery while you’re here?”
“Closed it down while I’m out,” Luke replied. “Mark has plenty of work to do on the farm while I’m gone. He could easily run it. But I figured I’d give him a break. He’s been putting off finishing some of the rebuilds he needs to do around the farm, and this way, it kicks him into gear.”
“He had finished the house when I left,” Katherine rested her head against the chair. “Was there that much starting to break down?”
“He had at least one fence that broke not three weeks after you left,” Luke chuckled. “He spent a whole day chasing down the livestock that escaped. He probably had to rebuild the whole fence. I don’t know much about the rest of the farm. But I know that fencing is hard work.”
The two went silent as the dropship finally set down on the pad, the fusion engines slowly shutting down.
“Ma’am, sir,” Gold two stepped into the room. “We have clearance to enter the Mountain, and I’m still not relieved of my duties. So I’ll be escorting you through until I hear otherwise.”
Gold Two began to lead them out to the dropship’s vehicle bay when Katherine was ambushed.
A blond head of hair tucked into Katherine’s side, and Hanse grinned as he stepped forward and pulled both of his daughters in for a hug.
“You’re home,” Yvonne cried into her older sister’s side.
“And you’re safe,” Hanse tucked his chin over Katherine’s hair and held her as she began to sob quietly into his chest. “I’m here, Yvonne’s here, and Arthur will be here in a few weeks.”
Katherine didn’t speak. She simply let the tears flow as Hanse slowly calmed his daughters down. His voice was gentle and muffled through her hair, but Katherine slowly began to sniffle and eventually stopped crying.
“Let’s get you inside the Mountain, Kat,” Hanse smiled as he wiped a few tears of his own away. “There will be plenty of time to talk about everything.”
He led Yvonne and Katherine to the APC and then turned to Luke and Gold Two.
“I want you present for the debriefing,” Hanse instructed. “You’ll stay in the Palace tonight, and we’ll sort out anything else tomorrow.”
Meme
MarkWarrior
Well-known member
It is a good life. not the life of an ambitious man perhaps. But a good one nonetheless.
PsihoKekec
Swashbuckling Vatnik
But he did warn them about the clans.
MarkWarrior
Well-known member
Kinda. But not really more than just a “they exist”. This is the Mark from when I’d only played MW4 Mercs. He doesn’t know when they invaded. Just that the Jade Falcon fight was dope.
PsihoKekec
Swashbuckling Vatnik
The night or the day version?
MarkWarrior
Well-known member
Yes. The answer to that is yes.
So,it is as if somebody come to Ned and said "Others are real,one day they would invade,dunno when"
Hmmm...so Mark accidentally saving Starks and getting Sansa as waifu when ?
@MarkWarrior ,do your duty to our sacred Site !
Chapter 23
MarkWarrior
Well-known member
The thing about grief, is that there are times when it bubbles back up to the surface. I've been here on New Avalon and in this universe for four years now. But sometimes, that sense of loss still rises. Like dead leaves blowing into a crystal clear lake. It disrupts the calm surface and sends ripples through the rest of the day.
Today was one of those days. I woke up just feeling so very tired. The returning wave of grief settled like a heavy weight across my back as I sat up and swung my legs around and off of the bed.
Despite how I felt, I knew that I still had to finish working on things around the farm. But after I finished the chores, I was going to head into town. Even if being around people wouldn't feel great right now. It would still help. Humans aren't meant to be alone. We thrive on community, family, and being around others.
The Twins and other animals helped lift my spirits as I tended to them. Unfortunately, for all that they had personalities and brought joy to my life. They weren't people. I could talk to them, but they would never be able to respond in kind. Or really understand what I was going through.
And no, I knew that no one else had likely been ripped from their time and dropped into a place where they had scarce knowledge and nothing to rely on. But I knew people that had once been ripped away from families. I could sympathize and understand them. And the somewhat shared experiences would help.
With that in mind, I climbed into my truck and started the engine. I was heading to the city, and I might as well do a few errands while I was there.
–
–
The farm may have been my main project and restoring it my focus. But I did still have one hobby that I had started when they let out of whatever facility I had been kept in for the first year. Sure, they'd turned me loose and given me citizenship and a sum of money to keep me alive and quiet, but they didn't leave me anything to go off of after that.
So, outside of finding an entry level job in the first year to supplement the sum they were giving me, I'd found a hobby. It had started with something modern. I'd picked up a variant of the Federated Suns standard sidearm and current issue rifle. Then, I gradually began working my way back through the centuries. At first, just because I found the evolution of the technology interesting. Then, as I began going further and further back in time it became something more.
It was enabling me to reach for something familiar, something that I could connect to my old life, even if it were just for a moment. Something tangible that I could put my hands on and hold that would at least let me relive some of my past.
Until today, the furthest back I had found anything was from the early 2300s. But today, one of the gun shops and antique stores I frequented had multiple items that caught my interest.
"I picked up a bunch of stuff at an estate sale," William smiled at me as he placed a couple of large cases on the counter. "I held onto them because I knew you'd want to take a look."
"Oh?" I raised an eyebrow and stepped up to the counter and gestured for him to open one of the cases. "William, whatever you found it must be worth a fortune, why would you be holding onto them for me?"
"You're my friend," the man shrugged. "And I don't think that the people running the estate knew what they had on their hands. They were too busy trying to milk money out of the 'Mechs, paintings, and other shit like that. Besides, even if you buy one or two of these, I'll still make good money off of the rest of them."
William opened the case, revealing two rifles. One that I was intimately familiar with, one that I recognized out of a history book, and a pistol that was an antique in the time I originally came from.
"How much do you want for them?" I asked.
"Same as you paid for the Mauser," William replied. "I'll make way more off of the rest of the collection."
"No," I shook my head. "I know that this is worth way more than that."
"Mark," William shook his head, grinning wryly. "You know that I'd have never been able to stay open if you hadn't pointed out that I was getting swindled on some of the older stuff I've got here. I know you won't let me just give them to you. But I won't accept more than what you paid for the 960. I know the bakery's been closed for six months or so and that you're just selling meat and products from the farm."
"Fine," I sighed and reached for my wallet. "I'll take it."
"I'll throw in a few boxes of ammunition too," William accepted the money. "I know you don't have any Safe Queens."
"Damn straight," I chuckled. "Clean 'em, take care of your tools, and your animals, and they'll take care of you."
"I thought I'd find you here," Hanse looked at Katherine as she sat in the gardens, the sun beaming down on her. "If not for the amount of work that I had to do following my own ordeal, I'd have done the same."
"It's so warm," Katherine replied, her eyes closed as she relaxed into the grass. "I didn't think it would be warm again."
"The cells were cold," Hanse said, his body present, but his mind absent and far away as his own experiences were brought to the forefront of his mind. "And the people and tables were colder."
"I couldn't count the days," Katherine opened her eyes after a few moments of silence and glanced at her father..
"I know," Hanse replied, sitting down beside his daughter and laying down in the grass. "The blank spots in your mind from the drugs and interrogations eventually fill themselves in. But you'll wish that they didn't at times."
"I don't like being inside the mountain," she continued. "It's too cold. It feels like I'm trapped again."
"Recovery doesn't happen overnight," Hanse looked into the sky. "It's going to take years for you to work through it. But you can do it. Now, let's get you inside. We've got to discuss what's happening in the Federated Commonwealth and what our plans for the future need to be."
"The Combine or FWL did something, didn't they?" Katherine raised an eyebrow as she pushed herself up to her feet.
"Ha!" Hanse laughed, easing himself up more slowly. "I wish. No, there's something else going on. But it needs to be discussed somewhere more secure."
"Can we find somewhere outside?" Katherine asked. "I don't want to go inside," She glanced up at the sun. "Not yet, anyway."
"I think we can find a secure enough location for it," Hanse said, his hand going to his chin as he considered something. "In fact, I think I know just the place. He should probably be brought up to date on some things given he's the reason we knew enough to have extra HUMINT along the Periphery borders."
Author's Note: Having Surgery tomorrow morning and won't be able to look at any screens for a week.
Today was one of those days. I woke up just feeling so very tired. The returning wave of grief settled like a heavy weight across my back as I sat up and swung my legs around and off of the bed.
Despite how I felt, I knew that I still had to finish working on things around the farm. But after I finished the chores, I was going to head into town. Even if being around people wouldn't feel great right now. It would still help. Humans aren't meant to be alone. We thrive on community, family, and being around others.
The Twins and other animals helped lift my spirits as I tended to them. Unfortunately, for all that they had personalities and brought joy to my life. They weren't people. I could talk to them, but they would never be able to respond in kind. Or really understand what I was going through.
And no, I knew that no one else had likely been ripped from their time and dropped into a place where they had scarce knowledge and nothing to rely on. But I knew people that had once been ripped away from families. I could sympathize and understand them. And the somewhat shared experiences would help.
With that in mind, I climbed into my truck and started the engine. I was heading to the city, and I might as well do a few errands while I was there.
–
–
The farm may have been my main project and restoring it my focus. But I did still have one hobby that I had started when they let out of whatever facility I had been kept in for the first year. Sure, they'd turned me loose and given me citizenship and a sum of money to keep me alive and quiet, but they didn't leave me anything to go off of after that.
So, outside of finding an entry level job in the first year to supplement the sum they were giving me, I'd found a hobby. It had started with something modern. I'd picked up a variant of the Federated Suns standard sidearm and current issue rifle. Then, I gradually began working my way back through the centuries. At first, just because I found the evolution of the technology interesting. Then, as I began going further and further back in time it became something more.
It was enabling me to reach for something familiar, something that I could connect to my old life, even if it were just for a moment. Something tangible that I could put my hands on and hold that would at least let me relive some of my past.
Until today, the furthest back I had found anything was from the early 2300s. But today, one of the gun shops and antique stores I frequented had multiple items that caught my interest.
"I picked up a bunch of stuff at an estate sale," William smiled at me as he placed a couple of large cases on the counter. "I held onto them because I knew you'd want to take a look."
"Oh?" I raised an eyebrow and stepped up to the counter and gestured for him to open one of the cases. "William, whatever you found it must be worth a fortune, why would you be holding onto them for me?"
"You're my friend," the man shrugged. "And I don't think that the people running the estate knew what they had on their hands. They were too busy trying to milk money out of the 'Mechs, paintings, and other shit like that. Besides, even if you buy one or two of these, I'll still make good money off of the rest of them."
William opened the case, revealing two rifles. One that I was intimately familiar with, one that I recognized out of a history book, and a pistol that was an antique in the time I originally came from.
"How much do you want for them?" I asked.
"Same as you paid for the Mauser," William replied. "I'll make way more off of the rest of the collection."
"No," I shook my head. "I know that this is worth way more than that."
"Mark," William shook his head, grinning wryly. "You know that I'd have never been able to stay open if you hadn't pointed out that I was getting swindled on some of the older stuff I've got here. I know you won't let me just give them to you. But I won't accept more than what you paid for the 960. I know the bakery's been closed for six months or so and that you're just selling meat and products from the farm."
"Fine," I sighed and reached for my wallet. "I'll take it."
"I'll throw in a few boxes of ammunition too," William accepted the money. "I know you don't have any Safe Queens."
"Damn straight," I chuckled. "Clean 'em, take care of your tools, and your animals, and they'll take care of you."
"I thought I'd find you here," Hanse looked at Katherine as she sat in the gardens, the sun beaming down on her. "If not for the amount of work that I had to do following my own ordeal, I'd have done the same."
"It's so warm," Katherine replied, her eyes closed as she relaxed into the grass. "I didn't think it would be warm again."
"The cells were cold," Hanse said, his body present, but his mind absent and far away as his own experiences were brought to the forefront of his mind. "And the people and tables were colder."
"I couldn't count the days," Katherine opened her eyes after a few moments of silence and glanced at her father..
"I know," Hanse replied, sitting down beside his daughter and laying down in the grass. "The blank spots in your mind from the drugs and interrogations eventually fill themselves in. But you'll wish that they didn't at times."
"I don't like being inside the mountain," she continued. "It's too cold. It feels like I'm trapped again."
"Recovery doesn't happen overnight," Hanse looked into the sky. "It's going to take years for you to work through it. But you can do it. Now, let's get you inside. We've got to discuss what's happening in the Federated Commonwealth and what our plans for the future need to be."
"The Combine or FWL did something, didn't they?" Katherine raised an eyebrow as she pushed herself up to her feet.
"Ha!" Hanse laughed, easing himself up more slowly. "I wish. No, there's something else going on. But it needs to be discussed somewhere more secure."
"Can we find somewhere outside?" Katherine asked. "I don't want to go inside," She glanced up at the sun. "Not yet, anyway."
"I think we can find a secure enough location for it," Hanse said, his hand going to his chin as he considered something. "In fact, I think I know just the place. He should probably be brought up to date on some things given he's the reason we knew enough to have extra HUMINT along the Periphery borders."
Author's Note: Having Surgery tomorrow morning and won't be able to look at any screens for a week.
PsihoKekec
Swashbuckling Vatnik
May all go well with your surgery.
My guess is that it is AR-15/M-16 version, a Garand and Mauser 960 without the zero.
My guess is that it is AR-15/M-16 version, a Garand and Mauser 960 without the zero.