Chapter 3

Avalon City, New Avalon

Crucis March, Federated Suns

April 2nd 3041

"They want the Com Guards on every Lyran world now, not just the Federated Suns? Why?" Hanse demanded.

Justin Allard pulled up the display and showed the news reports from the planet Ko.

"Terrorists – a separatist faction of the Free Skye movement – attacked an HPG facility. That's the excuse they're using," Justin answered the First Prince.

"Is there proof it was Skye Separatists? Why would they target a ComStar facility?"

"It likely wasn't actual Skye Separatists, but the evidence they gathered is enough to hold up in the court of public opinion. Ryan Steiner demanding that the Skye region 'cease senseless violence' and 'not lash out blindly' when frustrated has sealed people's perceptions that it was the separatists." Justin paused, then added, "ROM covered its tracks well on this one."

The Skye Independence movement had been a thorn in the Lyran Commonwealth's side for a long time. However, with the creation of the Free Rasalhague Republic, it had renewed calls for action. Events had taken an ugly turn, and it was Ryan Steiner, of all people, who had settled things, which made Hanse highly suspect of the whole affair. He didn't think Ryan would dare attack a ComStar facility, but the weasel would certainly play along with whatever games those bastards wanted to play.

He could refuse ComStar, but that would lead to another Interdiction. The NAIS had said that a new generation of Black Boxes, the K-2 Series, could be out as soon as next year. It would boost travel speed significantly but would still be woefully behind the speed and vast network of the HPG network ComStar controlled.

Hanse gave a frustrated sigh. "Begin negotiations with ComStar. Try to push for non-BattleMech units. Give ground as needed, but like on the Federated Suns worlds, anything larger than a company of 'Mechs is our line in the sand. Those damn parasites milk the entire Inner Sphere of its wealth; they likely have thousands of 'Mechs available to them for their Com Guards."

"Maybe," Justin hedged, "but I doubt they have the officer corps or training to use them effectively."

Hanse wasn't so sure; they probably had the best simulators in all the Inner Sphere, given their technological edge. He needed to strike back, make ComStar hurt. They continued to grow more and more powerful, and he feared that their famed neutrality would go completely mask-off during the next conflict.

"Expand Operation FLUSH to beyond the Federated Commonwealth. I want suspected ROM agents in the other Successor States eliminated."

Justin grew still. "My Prince… if we do this, we risk having those agents discovered. Some have been successfully slipped into places of importance. We'll need them if conflict arises again, and it will take years to replace them."

"We need to bleed and distract ComStar. As for our most important and highly sensitive agents, they won't need to assist. But mind you, I want results."

Justin made a note and nodded. "I will begin operations. Marik worlds are a target-rich environment; we'll start there."

Hanse stood up. "On to happier stressors. What mischief has Katherine gotten into now?"

Justin let out a small chuckle. "Let's see… she's become proficient in handguns, rifles, knife combat, hand-to-hand combat, and has started explosive ordnance disposal training. She's more than tripled your initial grant of funds, in part by practicing privileged market manipulation. Ah, what else… She's also accessed classified data from NAIS and forged several false identities, two of which have created a dummy corporation. In her spare time, she's attempting to connect with future nation leaders from around the Inner Sphere, and oh, she's started writing a treatise on changing our Regimental Combat Team makeup, suggesting a greater emphasis on artillery units."

Hanse smiled broadly. "Oh, is that all?"

"I know you are proud of her, and for justifiable reasons, but I have some concerns. She's recently adjusted the balance of companies she does marketing ads for, with a focus on the Lyran Commonwealth side. With her talents, intellect, and fair features, it would be easy for her to try to push to become Archon over her brother."

He shook his head firmly. "No, Justin, I don't think she would do that. They get along quite well; you read the report on what happened in Tharkad when the Kells visited. She moved to help her brother. No, I believe she'll be his strong right hand."

"They are still young; I just foresee difficulties if he ever chooses a course that's cross-purpose to her ideas. She's already showing some worrying psychological signs in a few key areas."

"She was raised with a 24/7 protective detail. Of course, she has some mild paranoia. I may not know everything that makes my daughter tick, but she is loyal. I know you're just doing your job, but trust me on this."

Justin said nothing further on it and instead replied, "I'll go begin the work on expanding Operation FLUSH."

Hanse waved his friend away and sat back in his chair. He was very proud of his daughter. The only thing missing was MechWarrior training, and she was still too young for that.

And she's already indicated interest. No, there's nothing I would possibly want to change about my daughter.

***

ComStar First Circuit Compound, Hilton Head

Island North America, Terra

August 13th 3041

Primus Myndo Waterly seethed at the latest reported losses of ROM agents. Three more deaths in Marik held worlds, and now word that on An Ting from the Draconis Combine every single ROM agent was killed.

"This is "The Fox's" doing." Waterly announced in a clipped tone at the meeting with the Precentor's of the First Circuit. She wished it wasn't' necessary to even consult the First Circuit, but ComStar was not yet ready to act with just one voice. She knew she had to content herself with being the Primus, but it galled her that her progress was slowed because a majority of the First Circuit could overrule her.

"How surprising," Precentor of Tharkad drawled, "that there would be objections to foreign BattleMechs on more FedCom worlds."

"You know our plans require a buildup of troops on these worlds. We can never realize the blessed work of Jerome Blake without these steps." Myndo countered.

She recalled the contentious time during the 4th Succussion War. The fools couldn't see the danger of Hanse Davion. If that man went unchecked, he would unite the entire Inner Sphere under his rule. If that happened the Word of Blake would never spread through the entire Inner Sphere. He was quite literally an existential threat to the very purpose of ComStar.

Precentor New Avalon scowled. "This bloody conflict is wasteful. ROM has suffered, and with distrust of ComStar reaching new heights, important missives that aren't urgently time sensitive are being sent more frequently by JumpShip. Our cipher breakers are also struggling to keep up with each of the Successor States creating new codes for messages sent via HPG network."

"Then let us cripple MIIO and all the agents we even suspect of taking part in their 'Operation FLUSH' in the last several years. We have more than enough C-Bills to fund thousands of the criminal element. ROM can strike where they are most concentrated, in Avalon City. They can use lowlife thugs to conduct a string of robberies, acts of terrorism, and the like at the same time we target Davion agents."

Precentor Rasalhague looked concerned. "This represents a significant escalation. Are you sure this isn't part of your vendetta against Davion? A chance to see some of the work at the NAIS damaged and delayed?"

Hanse Davion was a threat for more than one reason. The NAIS and the push to advance the technological state of the Inner Sphere was a second prong of attack against ComStar. They could not allow that hotbed of discovery to continue to function, she had lost that vote however after the disastrous first attempt.

"No, this has everything to do with a warmonger who thinks he can murder our people on his whim, I ask for the consent of the First Circuit to enact this operation."

The vote was close, but it had succeeded. The groundwork would take time to prepare, but soon Davion would learn that his precious Avalon City was not nearly as secure as he thought it was.

***

Tharkad City, Tharkad

District of Donegal, Lyran Commonwealth

January 6th 3042

Victor had just finished his first run in a 'Mech simulator, and it had been everything he had dreamed of. His mother's smile had seemed sad, but he didn't know why. Maybe it was because he was growing up? He understood that the concept of seeing a child grow from boy to adolescent could be hard on a parent.

Yes, that must be it.

His instructors had said he had done a really good job and that he interfaced well with the system. When he piloted a real 'Mech, with a real Neurohelmet, it should be just as easy. He had read up on how Neurohelmets were the only real way to make use of the 'Mech's gyroscope and myomers. The better the connection, the smoother the movement of a 'Mech. A simulator used similar technology, but since it wasn't hooked up to a real gyroscope, it wasn't always a perfect 1:1 ratio of what it would be like piloting a 'Mech.

He was looking forward to showing off his 'Mech piloting skills to Katherine next month. Last time they spoke, she had mentioned she would see if they could grant her permission to try out the simulator, even at her age. Victor hoped his parents agreed; he wanted to show her how great the Victor really was.

It made him laugh how insistent he had been about how great that 'Mech was. He admitted to himself, yes, he was very biased. It was his namesake, so why shouldn't he be biased? The 'Mech had a grand history and fulfilled a couple of different key combat roles. When he attended and then graduated from Nagelring, he would ask his parents to let him pilot a Victor.

He glanced at the time and realized he needed to get changed. There was another formal dinner to attend. Being the designated heir and destined to be the Archon was sometimes a real drag. People always wanted things from him. They showered him with baseless flattery and promises of friendship. Always with the lightly delivered ask of, "and if you could put in a good word about me to your mother…" or sometimes it was for his father. He was quickly growing sick of it.

Fortunately, his mother would be here for this event. When both his mother and father were away on New Avalon, it was always worse. The buzzing nobles were like vultures at those events. He supposed he was antsier than normal because, if the event ended soon enough, he could get in another round on the simulator before it was time to sleep!

***

Avalon City, New Avalon

Crucis March, Federated Suns

August 18th 3042

Ainsworth stayed close to Katherine as she walked through the open-air market in the suburbs of Avalon City. They were well away from the city center, where such a place would simply have no room to spring up.

Not to mention the nobility and well-to-dos would thumb their nose at something like this.

Katherine was different; she enjoyed seeing the 'price discovery at the most micro level' with her own eyes. Ainsworth knew that in other cities, the destitute and poor would congregate toward the urban center, where they could access services and plead hardship with people who had the means to spare a pittance. Not so in Avalon City. Resources for those lacking shelter or food were made available, but only well away from the city center.

Out of sight, out of mind.

The market they were in was by no means a poor one; she would not allow Katherine to go to any rough areas. In reality, these areas had once been their own towns and villages but had now become simply known as Outer Avalon, as Avalon City continued to grow, and grow, and grow. This was where the middle class of Avalon City lived, though many worked within Avalon City proper. Over time, they had been priced out of the city center. It was one of the reasons why Prince Hanse had instituted housing within the NAIS that was free for those who passed the rigorous entrance exams; otherwise, even the average family couldn't afford to send a bright would-be student without forcing them to commute for hours.

"Grove, this is Bastion. HQ has picked up a sharp uptick in criminal activity in Avalon City. It looks to be cover for hostile action. Threat Assessment: High within the inner city. Safer in your area. Repeat, do not return until Threat Assessment is lowered."

"Acknowledged." Ainsworth switched frequencies, "Overwatch, keep an eye out, we'll kill some time by grabbing food at a local restaurant."

"Kat," the nickname Ainsworth used for Katherine when she was partially incognito, "something has come up, and we'll want to eat something here. What sounds good?"

Princess Katherine had her hair hidden by a headscarf and wore a denim jacket two sizes too large. They varied her disguise when traversing public areas. The primary reason was for her safety, but a secondary concern was that, now that she was in the media more often, she could quickly be mobbed by people wanting to get a picture with her or talk to her.

"Let me see," she pulled out her datapad, "judging by the health inspection reviews, there should be a good spot just up the way. They make a fantastic bouillabaisse, according to the reviews."

Putting the location in, they soon arrived and sat down to order. The restaurant had a mix of clientele—pricier than a regular diner but not fancy enough to warrant high prices. It was a true mix of the regular people of Avalon City.

"Grove, this is Bastion. Multiple attacks are happening. NAIS was hit, as was St. Joseph's, and three attempts on the palace were stopped. The First Davion Guards RCT has been mobilized. You'll have a lance of VTOLs headed to your area in 10, and a platoon of soldiers inbound as well. Fox wants Ice escorted back. The path will be clear on return."

"Understood."

"Change of plans, Katherine, we can get it to-go."

She simply nodded, as utterly unworried as she ever was.

The communicator clicked on again, and Overwatch was on the line. "Grove, we just had 5 hovercars pull up front, multiple inbound on the rear as well. Engaging."

Ainsworth had already identified where to go in the event of an attack; she did so in every building she went into with her charge. She drew her laser pistol and stood up to take Katherine to the kitchen area, where there would be only a narrow pass to get through, as opposed to the openness of the seating area. However, as she prepared to move, men charged into the restaurant, and several threw grenades into the seating area.

She flipped the table, then clutched Katherine tightly and curled into a ball. The grenades went off; fortunately, they were not high-quality military-grade. Unfortunately, they were still grenades, and the wooden table only partially stopped the shrapnel. She felt pieces strike into her back and leg, but none got through to Katherine.

"Over here, she was at that table."

How? Only seven people knew where we were going to be, and every one beyond reproach.

Wounded, but not fatally, she rolled out from the partially shredded table and fired two accurate shots, her laser pistol taking two of the armed men in the chest. In the blink of an eye, she noticed that only a few had laser pistols, one had a needler gun, and the others had what looked like old guns with solid slugs.

Tactically, she couldn't use the table as cover with Katherine behind it. She moved, not letting herself be a stationary target. The archaic guns were loud, and fortunately, they all shot at her, not at Katherine, who was still behind the table. The smoke, the sudden death of two of their comrades, and her movement made most shots miss. Most.

A cloud of needles from the needler had mostly missed, but two hit her in the arm. She spun around and hit the ground and crawled behind the bar counter. She heard the crack of a sniper rifle and the roar of the armored car outside of the eatery.

She glanced back to the table and her heart stopped when she didn't see Katherine. Had she run? She wouldn't know that the back entrance had more hostiles! Ainsworth grit her teeth as the volume of fire pinning her down kept coming.

"Grenade!" shouted one of the men and Ainsworth knew she had to move. She hurled herself back over the counter and took a slug to her chest for her troubles. She did have a small-arms rated vest underneath her suit, but it still knocked her back. Her quick shot was thrown off by that and then she saw Katherine.

Using the sound-cover of the grenade she had moved from her hiding spot and launched herself at one of the assailants back. Her blade tore through his jugular, and her little hand clamped down on the laser pistol as it was dropped. One noticed the movement and turned, but Katherine brought the laser pistol up and drilled him between the eyes before he could finish bringing his own weapon to bear.

Ainsworth shouted and charged straight for the men, hoping to keep their attention on her and not the princess. The laser pistol struck her thigh, and she stumbled, which probably saved her life as three other people with slug throwers spat death but shot too high due to her fall.

She tried to rise, but her leg had been drilled to the bone. The wound was cauterized by the laser, but the leg was useless. Bodies dropped to the floor, and Ainsworth looked up to see that the remaining attackers were now all smoking corpses.

"There's more coming from the rear," she gasped out.

Katherine nodded and took cover.

"No, hide, what are you doing?" Ainsworth bit out.

The assailants from the rear arrived through the seating area, and Ainsworth rolled onto her back, bringing her laser pistol to bear. Before she could even fire from her poor position on the floor, the first two who rounded into the area were dropped with pinpoint-accurate shots. Then the next one. After that, she heard men arguing and yelling, but no one else came through.

"Grove, come in, Grove, Grove!" Ainsworth realized her focus had narrowed during the firefight and she had tuned out her communicator.

"I'm hit, less than combat capable, Ice is unhurt. Status?"

"Several from the rear have left, but three are still inside. Along with 11 from the front. Hold out for another minute, help is on the way."

"The three from the back are dead, the shootings stopped, can't tell how many we got, but I think they are all dead." Her voice was less strong and her vision was growing a bit blurry.

"Grove, repeat, are you saying all hostiles are dead?"

"Yes… think… so."

"Grove, our agents are on the way in now."

"Katherine," she shouted with the last of her energy, "friendlies, inbound."

And with that, she felt consciousness slip from her grasp.

***

Avalon City, New Avalon

Crucis March, Federated Suns

August 18th 3042

"Is she safe?" Hanse paced nervously. If his daughter was hurt, he swore he would take his 'Mech and march it straight to the ComStar facility and raze it.

"MIIO confirms, Ice, err, your daughter is safe. No wounds. Her protective detail has two severely wounded being taken to the NAIS for emergency surgery," Justin replied crisply.

"Thank God. How the hell did they know where my daughter was? Do we have a mole? A traitor? Were our communications hacked? How did this happen?"

Justin looked pained. "This is still preliminary, but we don't think she was the target."

Hanse stopped pacing and stared at Justin.

"The pattern of attacks – some look to be clear distractions – but they targeted agents who had worked as part of our field teams for Operation FLUSH. Agent Patricia Ainsworth's prior assignment was field duty for that operation. Katherine wasn't the target; Patricia was. They probably didn't even know your daughter was in the building."

Guilt came crashing down over him. He sat down and leaned his face into his hand.

"Perhaps it is time to pull back from our shadow war with ROM. Since we began Operation FLUSH, we've lost key agents, and prior to '34, ROM rarely went hot. They passively surveilled. If we back off, they probably will as well."

"And let them get away with nearly killing my daughter?" Hanse felt rage course through him. He felt a blaze in his heart, like a burning torch.

"Yes. At this point, they've probably used up several assets anyway, so it would be slim pickings. Let's pull back from this and let NAIS continue their research. Until we have far more advanced black boxes, we cannot deal with ComStar."

I almost lost my daughter!

He took a deep breath, and realized Justin was right.

"Fine. Do it. End Operation FLUSH. Remove any MIIO agents that were part of that operation from protective detail assignments."

Hanse glanced at Justin's expression.

"I'm sorry, Highness, but given what your daughter just went through, it may be better to keep Ainsworth as the head of her detail. She's been hurt badly, but the initial prognosis is that she will survive. Patricia is one of the very few people Katherine has a true rapport with. You, the Archon, and her brother are the only people she regularly speaks to outside of Patricia."

"You don't think ROM will try again?"

The man shook his head. "Attack us again? Possibly. Attack her again? It seems unlikely. I believe they weren't aware Katherine was with her. There are… backchannel communications we can use to indicate just what a bad idea it would be to try this again."

The First Prince frowned. "I'll consider it, she'll be off duty until she heals anyway. How do we play the media angle?"

"Specifically for your daughter, I would suggest no one knows. We would look weak if it was revealed a royal nearly died. Furthermore, her personality profile suggests Katherine would not want that sort of attention either. A sympathetic response from everyone she meets would cause her immense irritation."

I could see that. When my brother Ian died, I hated dealing with all the condolences.

"For the broader attack, we should highlight the successful defense. For the lives lost, we can offer scholarships to their families. We should project strength, fully condemn the attacks, and hint that it may have been ordered by House Liao."

"Liao? Why?"

"Blaming ComStar could lead to another Interdiction or signal that we aren't done with Operation FLUSH. Blaming the Draconis Combine will create fear that this was a prelude to an attack. However, by blaming it on the Capellan Confederation, the people will not fear invasion and… it creates a useful reason to attack them in the future if we can get our black boxes near parity with the HPG facilities."

If we ever can.

They both knew that House Liao could not stand up to the Regimental Combat Teams and advanced technology coming out of the NAIS. It would get dicey if the Free Worlds League or the Draconis Combine chose to invade while they dealt with House Liao, but the conquest and annihilation of the Capellan Confederation could occur far quicker than their enemies realized.

***

Avalon City, New Avalon

Crucis March, Federated Suns

August 25th 3042

It had been a week since the assassination attempt. Ainsworth was receiving the best care in the Inner Sphere at NAIS. She had yet to be fully debriefed, but the attack itself was now classified at top-secret clearance level.

She would be out of commission for a while, and she worried about Katherine. Fortunately, the princess seemed to be holding up quite well and had already visited her twice. Two of her colleagues had also visited and wished her well, but both they and she were too professional to talk about what had occurred. That might happen later, but not until she was debriefed and the final security clearance level was granted to know details about the attack.

Interesting, I've watched the local holovid news stories, and there's no mention of Katherine. That means they are keeping it secret that she was the target of the assassination.

She had many and varied wounds. Nineteen pieces of shrapnel, some from the grenade and some from splinters of the table, had been removed. Three of her ribs were cracked, her entire frontside bruised, and part of her femur, along with all the skin, tissue, and muscle in front of it, had been melted. They would be grafting myomer onto the bone itself. Her arm would have some scars from the needler, but nothing that would diminish her capacity. Given the number of times she had been hit, she was extremely lucky.

A team came in and swept for any listening devices, and then the head of the MIIO and the newly created FCIS entered. Ainsworth knew that the FCIS was the umbrella organization, but due to the need-to-know nature of their operations, the combination of LIC and MIIO existed more on paper than in practice. Intelligence from both governments now flowed to the FCIS and Justin Allard, but the role on the ground level remained the same.

"Sir, I'm ready to provide my report."

The fact that someone this high-ranked was debriefing her meant that the whole situation would be need-to-know only. It was also a privilege to speak with him, not just due to his position as the head of the agency. Justin Allard was a legend in the intelligence community. He became the Champion of Solaris as part of an undercover operation and almost single-handedly won the Fourth Succession War with his actions against House Liao. Then he married the head of House Liao's daughter, and she defected, taking 17-star systems from the Capellan Confederation!

"Excellent. Just so you know, the First Prince is incredibly grateful for your performance. You'll be receiving the Diamond Sunburst, though it won't be announced to the public."

"I… I'm not sure I deserve it, but I'm greatly honored." The Sunburst award was given to both civilians and military personnel for actions of great significance to the Federated Suns. It came in four varieties, with the Diamond Sunburst being the rarest and most prestigious of them all.

Justin gave her a smile. "Agent Ainsworth, you took down 15 enemy combatants and saved the daughter of two heads of state. I think you've more than earned it."

That little terror never told them??

"I'm afraid that's a bit of an exaggeration, sir. I believe you'll understand once I've finished providing my account."

Her report was thorough. It provided background information, why they were there, what security protocols were being followed, and even details like where Overwatch had re-positioned himself prior to them stepping in. Then she began telling him about the fight. When she got to the part with Katherine, the normally unflappable Justin Allard looked shocked.

"Wait, wait. You're telling me that Katherine, at age 9, killed most of the attackers? Ainsworth… perhaps we should wait to finish this later. It doesn't appear you suffered any head wounds, so they didn't perform a CT or MRI, but we can do that now. I'll also have the neuro and behavioral team from the College of Medicine speak with you. Just to..."

"Sir, I didn't hallucinate it." Her voice lowered a fraction. "I'm sure you've seen my file, I've done combat ops before, and I'm telling you the truth. Have you asked her?"

Justin narrowed his eyes. "All she's said is that you saved her life and that she hopes you recover swiftly. The Prince didn't want her to relive the trauma. We've scheduled interviews for the other survivors… but civilian eyewitness accounts of events like these are often terribly inaccurate."

"Let me finish my report, sir, and then check with her. Katherine... well, if there was ever a person built for the kind of fieldwork MIIO does, it would be her. I know that's not an option for her future because of who she is, but check her accuracy numbers at the range. Even with moving targets, it's basically flawless."

Justin thought it over and then nodded. "A sensible plan. Go on."

Ainsworth finished sharing all the details of that fateful day. Afterward, a visibly disturbed Justin Allard thanked her and left her alone in the room.