19.1

Chapter 19.1 Sometimes. You have to put your cards on the table.

3028

Terra

Hilton Head

I was a week late. Can you blame me? I found out pretty late that ComStar had been absolutely firm that if the Stick entered the Terra Solar System, they would stop at nothing in destroying it and me, to protect earth. Or Terra…

Yeah it was still weird that everyone called it Terra. I kept slipping on that one.

But here I was. On a ComStar provided Jumpship, with a few other 'nobles' that were getting rides from ComStar into the system. Only the big bads got to bring their own dropships after all.

One did not simply Jump into the Terra system.

Anyway, so I was a week late. I had thoroughly pissed off the jumpship captain that was carrying me to Terra, but I had a very small amount of time to get away from the Stick, and build something.

Seriously one thing I hadn't considered with the stick was how hard it was to get away from FedCom people when I needed to space magic some shit up!

But as a proven tactical genius I had taken WhiteBase and split off, and used that as the point to go out and build some stuff. It hadn't taken long once I put together a Leopard NFX as a building dropship once we split up far enough. Funnily enough a Colossus was big enough to block the light of my Nanoforge, at least when the mech I was using was stuck in its hangar as it slowly built a Leopard out in space.

Then. Well. Shit had started getting serious. The Fourth Succession War was coming. It was time for a Vicky plan.

But now here I was. Stepping off the dropship ComStar had provided, along with Erica who was my smart backup, and Carl as my tough backup. Although again ComStar had a conniption and had refused to let him walk around in his NightHawk.

Losers.

This is why you don't let tech guys be in charge of tech, they fuss over it, and then after a few centuries they start worshiping toasters.

Toasters are useless if they don't toast toast you know!?

"T-this is Terra!" Erica gasped out as we landed at the airport on Hilton Head.

"It smells weird." Carl muttered looking around.

"Eh? It smells normal though?" I question him as I hurry them along so the guests behind us couldn't glare and talk behind our back about something new.

Seriously nobles were such drama queens. It was all "You besmirch my honor!?" Or "Do you know who my daddy is!?"

I seriously didn't care. It wasn't my fault that the lady and her paramour spent way to long trying to stick their tongues down each others throats. I was pretty polite when I told them to go into their room if they were going to get that handy with each other.

How was I supposed to know they weren't married? And that it was 'insulting' to point out their relationship.

Nobles.

"Oh hey, it's Nondi. Hey Nondi!" I call out seeing the Steiner Royal waiting at the exit.

"Commander Eisen-Blume." She greeted me casually, looking me over oddly for a moment. "I hope your trip was comfortable?"

"Not really. But I'll live. Oh, This is Erica Tesla, and that is Carl Shade. Erica, Carl, this is General Nondi Steiner." I introduced them, Nondi looks the two over, and I can see Erica and Carl both wide eyed as they came face to face with Lyran Royalty.

"So who are you waiting for? I don't think anyone else on the shuttle was all that interesting." I comment as I turn back, seeing the group of minor nobles looking rather uncomfortable under the eyes of a Steiner.

Nondi waited a moment before scoffing. "I am waiting for you Commander. My Sister asked that I escort you directly to her, so that you don't get 'lost' on your way."

"O-oh. Hahaha. That's funny. Wow. Um…" Shit. Shit what was I supposed to do?

"We get to meet the Archon!" Erica whispered to Carl who was grinning widely as they smiled to each other, which is when I realized escape was pointless. Fission Mailed.

"R-right. Let's go see Aunt Katrina… I don't suppose Melissa will be around? I was sort of planning on throwing her at Aunt Katrina when I needed to escape." I informed Nondi without realizing that it sounded way stupider out loud.

"I believe Melissa is busy." Nondi deadpanned completely uninterested in my excuse. "Follow me." She demanded turning and marching off.

Shit.

—--

I was escorted through guard post after guard post of ComStar Security. They checked me over again and again, and Nondi didn't even make a single complaint or mention.

ComStar was taking this very seriously.

But it wasn't far, and once we moved from ComStar to Lyran security it went by faster after the first checkpoint.

They had taken longer just to be sure.

Then I was taken to a fancy almost ornate meeting room, the sort of thing you would see tea put own on small tables and everyone sits on little couches.

Katrina was not sitting.

In fact she was standing looking out a window, her back to me, and both arms behind her back in an almost parade rest.

You would think the very fancy dress she was wearing would diminish her stern look.

It didn't.

I could feel Erica and Carl practically buzzing in excitement at the sight of the Archon.

"Sister. Victoria Eisen-Blume, and her entourage."

Katrina turned, and it was with a nervous smile that I waved at her. Although that all didn't matter as the tall blonde strode across the room, Nondi must have been aware I was going to be attacked as she stepped widely to the side, just before Katrina was on me.

Her strong arms wrapped around the back of my head and pulled me into the tightest hug I had ever experienced.

I was shook. Total shock at what had just happened. I almost managed to work up enough nerve to say something when I heard it.

A sob.

I blinked realizing that Katrina was actually crying into my shoulder.

What the fuck. Was I drugged? Did ComStar drug me? I felt drugged.

"Thank you." She spoke finally as she pulled away, and those were definitely tears.

"Nn-no. You can't cry because then I'll cry and I don't even know what I'm crying about!" I whined, tears already coming to my eyes. Totally just because crying people made me cry, not because I just got a really emotional hug. No way. That would be weird.

Katrina offered a broken chuckle as she wiped her eyes. "Nonsense. You saved my daughter Victoria. You rescued her from a fate that I have had nightmares of since before she was born. Thank you."

"Oh… Right. It's been a while since we talked and we didn't' really get a conversation since then.. Right. Right! Oh that's no problem. Melissa's my friend! Plus… well it was pretty funny. I have a recording of Yorinaga's reaction when he got told I was in a Warship. I'll send it to you when I'm back on the Stick."

"Ugh!" Katrina almost physically recoiled. "Victoria. You are not allowed anywhere, until we speak about acceptable names for very powerful weapons of war. When I heard that name. I had days, days! Of meetings where my generals complained to me."

I blinked at that image, and despite myself, I let out a snort of amusement at the idea of the Archon getting complaints about my naming sense.

That was funny!

"Oh? You think it's funny Victoria? Have no worries. I will enjoy educating you on the proper way to name a Warship." She offered with a sinister smile, and my amusement died a quick death. Uhh I needed a distraction stat!

"Oh hey Aunt Katrina, did I invite you to my friends? This is Erica Tesla my 2IC on the battlefield, and this is Carl Shade, my captain of my guards… and my special operations captain." I said that last part in a fake cough, but I don't think I slipped that part through.

"Amusing. But fine. Hello, I'm Katrina Steiner. It's nice to meet more of Victoria's people. I hope we will become good friends."

Both kids rushed to speak, and soon I realized Katrina had co opted my people! Damn Lyrans! They were stealing my kids!

—--

An hour later we were still having tea with Katrina. Mostly it was Katrina interrogating me on everything that had happened since we last met on Tharkad.

I was doing my best in avoiding bringing up the warship in the room.

Thankfully before the interrogation could continue any further, Melissa showed up.

The blonde swayed into the room looking quite pleased with herself, as she quickly gave her mother a hug and kiss, a hug to her aunt, and then she turned to me with pointed finger.

"You're late!"

"Sorry! I had to make a stop. It's not like wedding gifts for some of the most powerful people in the Inner Sphere, is something I can just go pick up at a Jumpship bodega."

The blonde snorted as she setted into the chair beside her mother. "I won't even ask what you found. Just tell me if it's likely to make everyone take up drinking when they find out."

"Who do you think I am? Of course it is." I smirk. Hehehe! Be awed at my gift giving ability.

"You certainly haven't gotten any easier for my headaches." Katrina offered with a sigh, as she took a sip of her tea.

"Well then I guess I should be happy I invited you." Melissa smirked as she looked over my friends. "Erica, Carl, nice to see you again, keeping your boss out of trouble?"

"Never. Unfortunately." Carl replied with a forlorn sigh. "I have a feeling I'll be spending the rest of my life saving the Commander from her crazy ideas."

"Hey!"

"It's true. She made me come up with a way to use mechs to solve a river flooding in the middle of a storm, on a planet that I had never been on before." Erica informed the group. "I still have nightmares about trying to organize that."

"We saved a lot of people that night! It was awesome!"

"It was muddy, cold, and a massive pain in my a-butt." Carl suddenly reworded remembering he was looking at the archon. The poor boy flushed a little red as if he had just gotten caught with his hand in the cookie jar, as he grabbed his tea and took a sip to hide behind.

I ignored the leaf water! It had no power over me! "You're just upset because all the kids thought you looked weird in your nighthawk and that our Atlas pilots were cooler."

Carlos started pouting which told me I hit the nail on the head, which earned some chuckles from the group.

"Aunt Katrina… Is this an acceptable time for a bit more serious of a topic?" I asked suddenly earning me some piercing looks from the assembled Lyran contingent.

"Yes Victoria, if you need a frank discussion, now would be an acceptable time."

"Great. Cause I don't know how well this is going to go over, but I'm, uh calling in my favors?"

That earned me a surprised look from Katrina, and Melissa as well as the woman sat upright, well more upright. Katrina had impeccable posture. "Very well Victoria."

"So. I want to ask you to attempt another offer of peace. One last time before the marriage goes through. We both know that war is on the horizon, but we can mitigate it right now. Take a risk. I would like it if we could have a meeting with the Captain General."

This earned me a truly surprised look from Katrina before her face turned to one of regret. "Although it isn't public Victoria, I have attempted to convince Janos that a peace treaty would do more for him than our current hostilities. He has refused."

"I actually didn't know you kept trying after you sent out your peace request. That's… Pretty cool actually." I couldn't help but admit. Damn Katrina was pretty awesome.

"A few times since the first request, yes. Janos has sent back the same request each time." She mentions cooly, and if I remembered my lore correctly, it was basically 'have your daughter marry my son.' Or something like that.

Yeah I would have told him to shove it too.

Jeeze! This is what was wrong with the Inner Sphere! Everyone was an asshole and an idiot! Even the smart people were stupid! Stupid!

"One last time. I'll consider any debts you think you owe me completely repaid. Just let me be there and make my attempt too. I think… Janos right now is in between a rock and a hard place, and I think we have more leverage over him than he wants to admit."

"Oh?" Katrina asked, suddenly surprised. But I shrugged.

"The Concord of Kapteyn isn't going as well as Janos would like. Not only is he forced to make peace with the Chancellor that assisted in the League Civil War, but hostility is still there. Raids are still happening."

Katrina I noticed had gone from being a little frustrated with the topic to being interested. "You think we can create a better deal for him?"

"Oh I know we can do that. Honestly the fact that you and Hanse created an actual peace between your states without any of the backbiting raids that Capellans are known for is already most of the work. The problem is just convincing him this isn't a trap, or that he won't simply be the first loser of the Succession wars for agreeing."

Katrina blinked and realized instantly what I meant. But it was Melissa who spoke.

"If he joins us, then it means we have the largest powerblock in the Inner Sphere… The Succession war would be over. But Janos would realize, it means he loses."

"Yeah."

I waved my hand side to side. "But the wars are over regardless. The Fed-Suns have already won. It's just a matter of time, and making sure you guys don't do something really stupid in the next decade or two. With the Helm core, and your tech advantage?"

"I see. Janos won't agree. He sees the Concord as a way to fight against the Fed-Suns… from winning the war outright."

"Not if you cut him in. Not if you make it so no one loses." I looked at the two blondes. "He isn't a fool. Not really. Try to cut him in. Give him an offer that shows him he will be treated as a partner and not a vassal."

"That's not an easy task. Even assuming he would listen, assuming he would even consider any deal we offer?" Katrina asked the Archon was the one sitting across from me. Her steel colored eyes were hard as she was thinking.

"I'm not assuming a miracle. Only that once again we try. Janos isn't Mad Max. He can be reasoned with, we just need to peel back the stubbornness. No one wants to be the one to lose a war three hundred years ongoing. But all wars end eventually. With a winner, and a loser. But just because you lose, doesn't mean you lose."

"I'm not against speaking with the Captain-General." Katrina offered. "Although I will point out Victoria, he has never shown any interest in making peace before. Even leading up to the wedding."

"I know. He still thinks he can win, that he can become First Lord. God what I wouldn't do to permanently remove that title from human memory." I grumble. This entire issue was because of it. If only there hadn't been a single human dictator, then the nation states that had spread out to the stars… Well there would still be wars for sure. But not this Casus Belli of single domination victory.

"If you wish to try, I will be with you. But you should prepare yourself, Victoria. It is… Unlikely what you hope will happen, will actually happen."

"I have to try."

—-

Hilton Head was currently set up as a giant hotel, security everywhere, different wings for the different factions. And all kept very stringently separate except in designated areas.

ComStar really really didn't want to have to deal with an assassination under their protection.

But if you wanted to talk to someone in the other factions? That was what the ballroom was for. A massive room dedicated for all the different nobility large or small to mingle as the wedding approached.

Stepping into the room might have normally been an innocuous thing. But that only happens if I was walking in alone, or with just Carl and Erica. No, I was entering the room at the side of Katrina Steiner.

So it didn't take but a moment for eyes to turn to me. Calculating gazes all wondering. 'Who is that, and why are they important enough to talk to the Archon?'

But I was a woman on a mission! Although I did make a quick stop at the table set up for the wedding gifts. Pulling the letter I had written for Melissa and Hanse. But after that I was on a mission!

Katrina and I headed over to the League side of the ballroom. There Janos had a table for himself and his family, although currently he was dealing with men in military uniforms.

As we approached we were of course halted, although thanks to Katrina's presence, we were quickly given access. The men in uniforms quickly dispersed as Katrina approached. They realized something important was happening.

The fact I came with must have been shocking to many of them. Probably expecting me to be some strange guard or something.

I mean the armor was a bit eye catching, and made most people think I was some sort of bodyguard. But this was my fancy armor! It even had the medals we had decided on, although I made sure to keep them small and innocuous. People that have more medals than minutes on a battlefield always pissed me off.

"Janos."

"Katrina. A pleasure as always." He offered before turning to me. "Your guest?"

"A friend, and ally. Janos Marik, please be introduced to Victoria Eisen-Blume. The Commander of the ISDF. I am sure you know of them."

"The Librarians. Yes." He spoke looking me over.

Honestly I was struggling not to stare at his weird forehead tattoo. Seriously what is it with space 80's and face tattoos? Or Lyrans and large amounts of eyeshadow.

Weird.

"I hope the libraries have been useful?"

My words caused a shift in the man. Although I couldn't tell if I surprised him, or if he simply expected a different reaction.

"They have. Education and opportunities have risen in every city they appear in. The courses have been very useful. Although I still wonder their purpose. We are not Lyrans."

"Four fifths of the entire human race isn't Lyran Captain-General. Should I close my eyes and pretend we aren't all human?"

"Most do."

I nodded at that. Not much else I could add there, sadly.

"Janos. Might we take a few minutes of your time?"

The old man looked the two of us over for a minute before shrugging. "Take a seat. This will certainly be more interesting than what I was just dealing with."

The both of us took a seat sitting across from Janos, his sharp eyes never leaving us.

"Janos. I would like to speak once more of Peace." Katrina began causing the old mans eyes to widen for a minute before he openly scoffed.

"Not this again." He sighed, sounding a little tired.

"Yes. The Inner Sphere is changing. You see that. We don't have to continue the old grudges, and the old ways. There is always room in the Federated Commonwealth, for the League. A peace, true peace between three fifths of the Inner Sphere."

"Peace? No. Simply conquest." The old man punched in immediately. "Your alliance seeks to conquer just as surely as you did apart, and I won't be the first Marik to surrender."

"We aren't asking for a surrender Janos. We never have. Never in any of my offerings of peace did I ask you to reduce your military, or give up on defending your people."

"No, but now you ask that I join your alliance. Which with all three of us, we would inevitably win the war. Who gets the throne? Certainly not house Marik."

"Yes. It would fall my daughters heir."

"Then no. The answer will always be no."

"Wait." I interrupted the two leaders shaking my head. "This… I'm sorry Captain General, but the Inner Sphere is changing. Right now the only way for you to fight back against the Fed-Com. Is through allying with the Capellans and the Combine. I know that it can't be an easy alliance, and I would put money on the fact that the Capellans haven't even bothered to stop raiding while you have this uneasy agreement."

"None of your concern." The man rebutted, but didn't deny.

"Right. I won't ask any further, but let's be hypothetical. With the Fed-Com Alliance, everything is changing. Suns military minds, with Commonwealth money and industry. You have to have done the calculations. It's going to be a fight that is going to be truly difficult to win. Yet the only way to do it is to trust the most untrustworthy people in the Inner Sphere to fight with you."

"Perhaps. But the three of us will keep the Davions, Or the Steiners off the throne."

"For how long? At what cost?"

"For as long as we can. Everything." The old man sat up in his chair, from where he had been almost slouching this whole time. "You are a child. But let me be clear. House Marik is the true heir to the Star League. No one else will be allowed to sit on that throne. Not until we are done."

I immediately shook my head. "You can't mean that. What's the point of a throne no one in generations have even used? Fuck the Star League. Make a new Star League, a better one. Ally with the only people in three hundred years that have succeeded in making peace with each other, true peace, not backstabbing each other at the first opportunity. Take the opportunity to not just secure your family, but peace, perhaps even in your lifetime. An end to the war."

"An end that means we lose. Never." He spoke immediately. A calm simple statement. He turned to Katrina who had let me try until then. "You brought an idealist."

"She is earnest about stopping the war."

"A shame. Life will break that. Like it did me. I was like you once girl. Thinking that I could help end the war. That I wouldn't even mind if it wasn't me on the throne. Those thoughts died half a century ago."

"You would work with Mad Max, instead of Katrina Steiner? You have to have seen that the peace she offers is real."

"It's a tempting sight, but I don't trust it. It's a poisoned chalice child. Perhaps this generation we would have peace. What about the next? Or the next? No. I will fight, continue to fight for the chance my family succeeds. That's all we can do."

Katrina's hand on my shoulder stopped me from jumping out of my seat to beat this stubborn oaf upside the head. Chance!? What chance? The League lose every god damn war they are in! But fine. If reason doesn't work, then temptation.

"The ISDF has worked with the Fed Com. We can work with you too. If you are worried about being subsumed once the Combine and Capellans are defeated, or joined, then we could help. Warship access just like the Fed-Com currently enjoy. A place to train your people and relearn some of what was lost. And more. This doesn't have to be a loss. It can be a new path, away from the future that the Inner Sphere has stubbornly held to for three hundred years."

"Girl… No Commander. You won't convince me. Not with all the treasures of the Inner Sphere. There is only one way that I will surrender. If Katrina and Hanse proclaim House Marik as first Lord we can talk. Otherwise?"

"Otherwise you will all just keep fighting."

"As we have for three hundred years." He told me, his eyes firm. He was an old man, his pride, and ego wouldn't allow him to be the one that finally loses.

"Thank you Janos, for being willing to listen." Katrina interrupted my complete loss of where to go to next.

"Sure. It was certainly more interesting than what I was dealing with before."

Katrina pulled me along, as we left the League section of the ballroom.

"I failed." I had been so sure I could do it. That my words alone my offering for people would bring people together.

"So did I." And I took a moment to look into Katrina Steiners face, to see the effort it must have taken to try again, after failing over and over.

"Jeeze Aunt Katrina, stop making me respect you so much. If you keep this up, I'll have to name the next Warship, Katrina's massive ba-"

"Don't you dare young lady."

"R-right!" Katrina's back hand sounded better anyways.

—-

I wouldn't admit it, but my complete failure to bring the League into the Fed Com alliance was massively wrecking my mood.

I had such high hopes.

With three of the Successor states working together that would have been it. The wars would end.

But I hadn't counted on pure human ego. Janos refused to be the one that lost his family the throne.

Even if the fuckin throne hadn't existed in generations. It's like none of the fancy nobles could wrap their head around the fact there probably would never be another first lord.

None of the different cultures would accept rulership by the other. Didn't they understand they just needed to start acting like different states and they would be fine? If the League just accepted their borders wouldn't expand in the directions of the other states, and focused on expanding the other way this wouldn't even be a problem.

Stupid idiots! Space was really big! Stop fighting over the same damn planets and just find new ones!

I followed Katrina around for a while. Mostly just grumpily glaring into my drink after we settled into the Steiner half of the room.

I could have gone out to try and convince people to stop fighting but if the League which I considered the most reasonable group refused. I certainly wasn't going to get much from the Liao or Kuritans.

If these kids wouldn't stop fighting, I might have to do something drastic.

No. I took a deep breath. I was trying not to fall into that trap. I couldn't. Otherwise it would just lead to the same issues as before. I wanted to be the neutral-ish entity that is only focusing on the people.

Heh, That sounded like a good idea. Until I remembered that I couldn't even go into Combine systems without being attacked. I wasn't going to stop Combine civilians if I couldn't even help them.

Who am I kidding? The Great houses had centuries to build up cults of personality. And I wasn't going to be well liked by the nobility. I treat them like normal people too much.

"Kroner for your thoughts." Nondi Steiner spoke up settling in next to me, the woman startling me enough I almost dropped my drink.

"Oh? Oh Hi Nondi, Just… I was hoping I could settle this whole nonsense. A face to face meeting with the Captain General. It should have been enough. If he could just see reason we could have created… What the Fed-Com-League alliance? It would have been unstoppable."

"Only to its enemies. The League would always be a second string state in the alliance."

"Better to be second, then last. Or simply not able to finish."

"You really don't understand nobles well. Especially the great lords. They could never accept second. That means they lost. And they spent too much, too many battles, too many people to lose."

"If they had been willing to lose, their country would be more powerful than it is now. We lost so much in three hundred years, any state that refused to be drawn into the wars would have been able to win. Just because they wouldn't have had so much destroyed."

"A nice dream. But that's all that is. A dream. If the League had at the fall of the Star League decided to stay out of it, the Capellans still would have attacked them. Still stole from them, or destroyed their factories."

"I know." I sighed. "I know! I'm just… Irritated."

The woman actually chuckled at me. The first time I had ever seen Nondi amused at anything. "Yes I rather know the feeling."

"Do you mind if I ask you a personal question?" I prompted suddenly causing the woman to shift.

"You may, I can't promise to answer."

"What do you think of the Fed-Com alliance. No rather, what do you think of it existing? Do you think the Lyrans, the Commonwealth is losing because it is joining the with Fedsuns?"

She blinked looking to me for a time. A long time.

"I was against it from the start."

I waited. I had know that Nondi was one of the defining reasons the Fed-Com had failed in the original timeline.

My patience seemed to give her confidence.

"I'm not happy about how the Commonwealth has taken second string in many cases. Our military is larger than the Suns, but they are the ones taking more higher level command positions. They are the ones determining military action moving forward in many cases. And I worry that our voice will be lost."

"You mean, you are worried Melissa won't get a voice when going against Hanse."

She was quiet for a while. A long while. "Yes. Hanse is too competent as a political actor. I worry that Melissa will simply fall into his pace. That no matter her disagreements with him, they will still end up going his way."

"You think Melissa won't be listened to? I doubt that. The Lyran side will always hear her first. And the Suns? They will have the mother of the newest Davions. They will listen to her."

"But always second."

"For now. Give it a generation and both halves will be whole. As long as we can avoid any civil wars… That is the most important thing of all."

"It will come to that if Lyran voices are not heard."

"Like Tharkad doesn't hear the voices of Skye?" I cut into her argument instantly. Nondi looked surprised for a minute.

"Skye's complaints are-"

"I agree." I cut in. "Almost all of them are fictitious. Tharkad doesn't listen. Tharkad doesn't protect. We could protect ourselves better without the Archon… Sounds familiar doesn't it?"

The woman shook her head. "That is not in any way a comparison. The situations are completely different."

"Maybe, but you have to ask yourself. Is it that the new leaders aren't hearing you, or are they just disagreeing with you?"

Her lips pursed at that. She wasn't pleased.

"But if it helps? Hanse isn't a fool. His biggest concern isn't going to be burying Lyran culture over his own, it's going to be keeping things stable for his kids to rule. Are you willing to accept a child of Melissa on the throne to both groups?"

"Of course I am."

"Then be in their lives. If you worry they won't be Lyran enough. Teach them. But also trust them to love both sides of their family. Their people."

"I suppose I will have to."

I smile at her. Hoping our talk would skew away the civil war, seriously. They almost win the Inner Sphere and then get stuck in a civil war. And everything goes back to how it was. Idiots.

"Also if it helps. Hanse will be dead long before Melissa. So while he might have more influence at the start. When it comes down to it, Melissa's voices will be heard far longer than a davion voice."

"I'll drink to that." She mentioned raising her glass. Which I clinked with her. Of course she was drinking something alcoholic, while I was drinking some fruit juice.

—--

A different perspective

Capt. Sandra Nelson

Saffel System

ISDFS The Biggest Stick

"If this is another complaint about the food. I really don't care." Sandy called out as there was a knock on her door.

"Nothing of the sort Captain. Although I do have a stack of complaints from the Suns people about how our Lyran food is awful and we should pick up some good Outback cuisine."

"I've told those idiots a hundred times. If they want food, all they have to do is speak with the quartermaster, and we will do our best. Seriously, I get that they are used to a different command structure, but this is the ISDF. All you have to do is ask the right person!"

"They aren't used to us yet Sandy, give them time."

"Yeah yeah. Whatever. Hows it going James?"

"Fine Captain. I have a report here from Delta. Only a few of our new crew members have caused trouble. Although we did get a few bugs that we had to pick up. Right now they are packing them all into a 'lost and found' box per the Commanders orders."

"Ugh. I really hate that she is just turning them spying on us into a joke."

James shrugged. "Let's be honest Captain. Is there anything politically we can really do about it otherwise?"

She sighed, popping her captains hat off her head and running a hand through her hair. "No. Too politically important to throw a fit about. Did you at least write lost and found in crayon?"

"We put it to a few members of Trouble Squad we have on crew. There may be glitter."

"Good. Make sure the bugs get covered in the Glitter too. Make them unusable."

"I believe that was done. There may also be glue involved just to make sure they can't be easily reused."

"Damn Trouble Squad. Always causing trouble. When I get the complaints I'll have to act properly contrite about it." Sandy smirked at the thought. Cmdr. Cruze, who was the Federated Suns officer in charge of his people, was very uptight, and really hated the fact that Sandy was not only the captain but not in his chain of command.

She had already told the Cmdr. a few times that his 'requests' would need to be put through proper channels. Only two people in the entire Sphere, controlled where the Stick went. One was Sandy herself.

The other was the Commander.

"How are the letters going?"

"Good. Per the Archon, and First Princes request we are giving time for all crewmembers to write home, and they have all been 'suggested' to do so regularly. No issues there."

"Good. Can't say I love being a political weapon, but… Well we are the flagship. So I guess that's part of it."

"Blame the Commander?"

"Well it is her fault." Sandy offered with a grin. A common refrain with the ISDF. Everything was Vickys fault.

"Alright. Well take thi-" The sudden change of every overhead light to red, had Sandy jumping out of her seat in an instant. Her ready room was connected to the bridge so as she rushed the door there was already a report about what was happening from the man left in charge of the bridge.

"I don't know! Lieutenant! I want answers!"

"Nuclear device detected! There is a shuttle approaching!"

"What!? We have nothing on the-" Sandy cut him off.

"Fire on that shuttle! Evasive maneuvers!" The lieutenant in question was ISDF.

And he was the current contact for who was watching Vickys crazy lostech scanner.

"Full ahead right rudder!"

"Gunnery crews are alerted! Firing solution in ten!"

"Captain your going along with this!?" The Cmdr gasped, the man was looked horrified at the rapidity of Sandy willing to blow up a shuttle.

"Not now!" She yelled at him. Seriously these damn Fedsuns guys were almost worst than the lyrans! At least they did as she told, even with the groveling.

"Fuck… Captain! Nuclear Launch detected!"

Sandy grabbed the comm, "ALL HANDS BRACE FOR IM-"

Sandy jostled, as her vision went white.915