Kamea Arano was adrift in the maelstrom of her feelings. The war was over. Her uncle had capitulated. Her throne was restored and her people safeguarded. Yet the cost of this success was too high, and the price had yet to be paid fully. She felt distant and removed as she watched the MechTechs of Riana's Revenge load the Leopard with her Atlas II, Hysteria's Highlander, Vamp's Banshee, and Corsair's Black Knight. This would be her Lance to face off against her mad cousin, Victoria Espinosa, in what would be the final conflict of this long, bloody civil war. In the balance hung the life of her friend and confidant, Alexander Madeira, who had believed in her even when she hadn't. Victoria might simply kill him, she certainly would if Kamea failed. In all their duels during their training under Sir Raju Montgomery, Victoria had always, always, come out on top. She had always beaten her. She could not afford to lose this time. She was the Countess of Coromodir, the High Lady of the Aurigan Reach. In all but name, a Queen of her people. But it all hung now on this one fight, this one duel. If she were to lose, the Arano Restoration was over. She had no heirs, no family remaining with a valid claim to the throne... other than her Uncle Santiago. If she failed the Directorate would continue and the war was all for nothing. 'Why did I let myself get baited into this?' she thought.
She looked up as someone approached; it was Hysteria. Lady Riana Annika Klaue of House Klaue; the disgraced and disowned noble-turned-pirate-turned-mercenary. She smiled hollowly at her approach. Riana had served as her personal guard at the appointment of Sir Raju. In many ways she thought of the mercenary as her sister, of sorts. That made Riana's apparent feelings for her and her own tepid response feel all the more uncomfortable. Sometimes she daydreamed of what it would be like: to run away with Riana. To abdicate all of her responsibilities and live as the mercenary did, with freedom and passion... to move among the stars at her own whim, unbound to her destiny and birthright. No longer beholden to her people or her name or her duty to her lineage. She envied Riana, she envied the life that she could never have.
"My lady," Riana offered her a bow and a warm smile.
She continued to speak but Kamea was distracted, taking notice of her odd profile. 'Has she gained weight?' she wondered. Riana beamed. 'She's eager for revenge,' she thought, 'practically glowing.' It made sense; the mercenary had been laser-focused on avenging Sir Raju ever since Weldry. It seemed to be the only thing she loved more than... 'me,' the word entered her head, louder than the other thoughts. She began to feel melancholic and offered Riana a bittersweet smile, forged by a mixture of wistful envy and compassionate pity. "Forgive me, Hysteria," she spoke haltingly when she noticed that Riana had stopped speaking, "I must have drifted off. What were you saying?"
"Just that the loading and rearming will take about half an hour or so," Riana repeated, "they're moving as fast as they can, patching up what they can, but we've got a little time. Can we talk?" she looked hopeful, "Privately?"
'I need her focused,' Lady Arano considered, 'everything is riding on this duel. I am depending on Hysteria's skill to carry the day.' "I'm sorry," she said with sadness in her eyes, "but I need to get my own head in the game. I know you've waited for this moment for a long time, Riana, but this is precisely what I've been trying to avoid. Every death in the war has been a tragedy, and I've never cherished them even in combat, but the thought of killing Victoria, my cousin, really troubles me." She lowered her head, a tear rolling down her cheek. "What kind of leader am I that can't solve this without a fight to the death? Should I assume my throne? Do I deserve to if violence is the only answer I can find?"
"Then let me and my team handle this," Riana offered, "I can drive your Atlas. Victoria never has to know."
"It isn't about who pulls the trigger," Kamea wiped at her face, "it is about passing the sentence. It is my responsibility to face her because it is my failure to find a peaceful solution, besides," she took a deep breath and lifted her chin, "if she even suspects that I am not present she will kill Alexander. I cannot risk that."
"Kamea," Riana said softly, using her given name, "You are the greatest leader I have ever known. I love you. I would die for you," she reached out and touched her cheek in an outrageous show of familiarity, "everyone knows you have done all you could. You've tried again and again to end this conflict peacefully, to minimize death, but this isn't your call. Victoria demands death; hers or yours, and I mean to give it to her."
"Riana," Kamea said softly, her own hand raising and grasping Hysteria's. For a long moment she pressed both their hands to her cheek. She hadn't missed her veiled confession, and if she wasn't careful then Riana's thoughts would be on the future, their future, and not the fight at hand. 'What future?' the depressing thought invaded her mind, shocking her with the realization that maybe she wanted this too. "There's no way..." she spoke under her breath.
"There's always a way," Riana smiled. She had heard her, despite Kamea's intent for it to be inaudible.
"I mean there's no other way," Lady Arano lied, "Victoria has Lord Madeira and she will never stand down." She sighed, allowing a coldness to flood her emotions, suppressing the other morose hauntings that filled her heart, "What she did on Perdition has broken her, and now we're going to end this." She looked up with as much indignation as she could muster, seeing the eager approval in the other woman's eyes, "in the way that is so nearly began: a duel. I will face off against my cousin in the Arano tourney grounds, and we will fight until one of us is dead."
"Take heart, my lady," Riana smiled, "you'll have to beat me to the kill!"
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The Leopard shook as it moved through the atmospheric chop on approach to the tourney grounds. Riana's Highlander was across from Kamea's Atlas and she looked at the BattleMech as she subconsciously went through her checklist, priming the HGN-732B's GM 270 Fusion Engine and feeling it's reassuring thrum as it roared to life. The direct com chirped to life as she made all her final preparations and Darius' face appeared.
"Lady Arano said it all, Riana," he began, "Go get justice for Raju Montgomery and Commander Markham and everybody else who died at the hands of House Espinosa! We'll be watching you from here."
"I'm gonna core that bitch's Mech, you watch me!" Riana snarled.
"Now don't get overconfident," her XO warned her, "Victoria's no slouch and she'll have a full Lance with her. Speaking of which, I want to ask you something," he looked around to make sure a certain someone wasn't listening, "why didn't you bring Apex? After everything we talked about..."
"That's why," she cut him off, "I trust Jordan... but I trust you more. If Apex really is playing the long game, then this duel is the perfect time to switch loyalties back, besides," she flipped a few overhead switches, bringing her guns online, "Christoph was a pirate... I was a pirate... I can trust pirates that stand to profit and I know that Victoria wouldn't stoop to hiring one, so I can be assured of his loyalty."
"Well, Apex is pissed off!" Darius raised both eyebrows, "She doesn't believe you trust her and she was looking to settle a score with Lady Espinosa over leaving her for dead on Anvelt."
"She'll get over it," Riana said dismissively, "or she won't. Wouldn't be the first MechWarrior to walk away from us."
"No," Darius said thoughtfully, "but she might be the most skilled. Nothing against Corsair, but Apex... well..."
"Look," Riana said with a tone of finality, "you were the one who kept warning me about trusting her too easily. If it were just my life at stake I'd have ignored you, but I can't focus on Victoria and worry about a Lancemate putting one in the back of Lady Arano's head at the same time." She got pensive for a moment and then spoke sincerely; "I had to make a choice, Darius, on what was more important and, to me, that's Kamea. Jordan's a great MechWarrior and I owe her my life, but she was on Lady Espinosa's Lance at Anvelt. I'm just not willing to take that kind of risk where Lady Arano is involved, even if it costs me Jordan's friendship."
"Fair enough," Darius conceded.
"Red Line," Sumire's voice came over the coms, "touchdown in thirty seconds, prepare for deployment."
"Man," Darius shook his head as he switched to open coms, "I hope this isn't a trap. If they open fire on the Leopard as you approach..."
"She won't," Lady Arano replied, "Victoria is overconfident. She believes she can beat me, she always has. If she can do this honorably she'll have a claim to the throne. She won't ambush us."
Darius switched back to direct coms with Riana. "I hope she's right."
"Victoria's not a pirate," Hysteria reminded him, "if it were me, I'd blow her out of the sky!"
"You're not a pirate anymore either!" Darius exclaimed.
"Maybe not," Riana shrugged, "but she deserves it."
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INCOMING TRANSMISSION
The open coms flared to life as Santiago Espinosa's face appeared, interrupting the tension as the two Lances stared each other down from across the tourney grounds. "Victoria!" he barked, "I need you to listen to me. The Directorate has fallen. Our armies have been routed, even as I speak Restoration forces are closing in on Cordia City." He let his head fall before raising it with a pleading expression on his features. "If you kill your cousin now the entire Reach will fall into anarchy!"
"And if Kamea wins the Reach is doomed anyway!" she snapped in retort, "You've been telling me that for years now! Was it all a lie, Father?"
"VICTORIA! This is NOT THE TIME for a DEBATE!" he roared at her, his face reddening with characteristic anger, "You will attend to my words and obey me, as you always have! I am your father and your Director! I ORDER you to STAND DOWN, for the good of the Reach!"
"You direct nothing," Victoria purred, "you said as much yourself. The Directorate is the Reach, Father, and I will never stop fighting for it. Wallow in your cowardice; I will win in spite of you, and once I have..." her eyes narrowed dangerously, "I will be the Director."
"She's cut the line," Darius informed them, "you're gonna have to put her in the ground, Lady Arano... she's too far gone for this to end any other way."
Inside her Atlas, Kamea's heart was filled with sadness. She felt like this was her failure, all of this. 'I've let everybody down at every turn,' she thought, 'my uncle, my cousin, my people,' her head tilted down as she clenched her eyes to prevent the tears, 'Riana, Alexander...' She longed to just walk away. To escape the battle aboard the Argo with Riana and just go... anywhere. Anywhere but here. "Father," she said to herself, "forgive my weakness. I could have done so much more to protect what you passed to me." She sniffed, fighting back tears, then she felt it; her resolve hardened. She was not the only ruler to feel the burden of ruling. "The weight of the crown is the hope of the people," she murmured. It was something her father, High Lord Tamati, had taught her years ago. "Forgive me, Father," she said as her eyes reddened, "I will not fail you, I will not fail the Reach!" She keyed the coms; "If that is her choice then so be it! I will do whatever I must to save Lord Madeira!" She kicked her Mech forward, standing out in front of her Lance, "Fall in on me, MechWarriors! We have one more wrong to right!"
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"Riana," Hysteria's direct com flared to life as she fell in behind Lady Arano. It was Jordan.
"I'm kinda busy at the moment, Apex," she said as they moved into the canyon that made up the Arano Tourney Grounds.
"I just wanna say that I'm fucking pissed at you," Apex said plainly, "you and I will have words when you get back but, for now, go put that bitch down.
"You got it," Riana smiled, " save some of that rye. We'll have a shot when I get back."
"I'll have a shot, preggo," Apex said, turning the actual bottle up and drinking it on screen, "you can watch! You just make sure you make it back... all of you. Including your parasite!"
Riana smirked. "Is that how it is?" Jordan nodded as she guzzled more of the whiskey. "We'll discuss that when I get back!
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The tourney grounds were a circular depression with a water-filled basin at its center. It helped with cooling the Mechs and allowed for fierce contests. In addition, there were several stone pillars that provided some form of cover. The Lance moved out into cover; with Kamea, Riana, and Vamp moving into wooded cover while Christoph moved his Black Knight behind a pillar.
"It took you long enough, Cousin," Victoria's hiss came across the open coms as her Lance emerged from the opposite side of the area, "I was beginning to think you'd turn tail and run... again."
"I am here for you, Victoria," Kamea replied, trying to hold back her emotions, "and the justice of House Arano rides with me!"
"How poetic!" Victoria snarled in amusement, "I have no justice for you. No flowery words, only pain and death and humiliation... with little Lord Maddie as your audience!" The sound that came through the coms next could best be described as a hungry, throaty growl, "I'm going to make him watch you die as I slowly smash my foot through your core and then I will grind him to paste on top of your ruins!"
"Let him go, Victoria!" Kamea demanded, thinking to herself how insane her cousin had become, "Now. It's me you want, he has nothing to do with this!"
"Quit wasting your breath, Kamea," Victoria's voice shuddered, "I took him from you because there is nothing you possess that I cannot take away! We've both waited for this moment long enough. Come, cousin, let's finish this!"
With that, a Cataphract emerged and fired on Corsair's position at an angle, clipping his left arm. In response he dashed to the next pillar. "I'll draw their fire," he told the Lance, "let's see if we can put a stop to this quickly." Despite his diversion, however, a Jagermech directed its substantial fire at the forest where the rest of the Lance hid.
"Vhy do ze alvays shoot at me?" Vamp quipped as the tree next to him exploded into splinters. He charged towards the Cataphract, keeping a large rock formation to his right, between him and the Jagermech.
"Come closer, dear Cousin," Victoria's unhinged hissing came across the open coms again, "Clooooseeeer..." Suddenly, Victoria's new Mech appeared from the fog; a 100-ton Kingcrab Assault Mech.
"Where the hell did she get that?!" Kamea exclaimed.
"She had to drive something," Riana quipped, "after we cored out her last Mech!"
The Kingcrab opened fire with a full salvo at Corsair's BL-6-KNT. "That hurt!" Corsair called, "she's melting my armor!"
"She won't be a problem for long," Riana moved her Highlander out into the water and brought up her targeting reticule, aiming for Victoria's center mass. Keying the open coms she added: "Oh Vicky, we've got some unfinished business!" Then she fired an Alpha Strike.
"That's it?" Victoria cackled, "That's all you can do??" Riana scowled as her sensors confirmed the small amount of damage the Assault Mech sustained. "Hysterrriaaaaa," Victoria's unhinged voice taunted, "time to plaaaaaay..."
Just then an Awesome, the last of her Lance, unleashed an Alpha Strike at close range on Corsair's Mech. Bits of armor exploded off in every direction as melted armor hissed and smoked as it fell into the water. "They're stripping me clean, Commander!" He yelled.
"Hee hee!" Victoria squealed with delight, "Watch them die, Kamea, watch them all dii..."
Before she could finish, Lady Arano hit her from forested cover with twin ER L Lasers and an LRM 20. The Kingcrab shook under the impact and the Mech staggered, parts of it glowing an angry orange. "You should worry about yourself, Victoria!"
"No," Lady Espinosa growled, "I think perhaps I'll take away your favorite pet mercenary! Everyone, fire on the Highlander!" Immediately, the Cataphract complied, hitting Hysteria hard on her left side and moving into the water to cool off.
"Fuck that," Corsair surged ahead, heedless of the surrounding enemies, and targeted the Kingcrab, "Your opponent is me!"
"Corsair, no!" Even as she spoke the enemy Jagermech unloaded on her, stripping off armor that fell in piles of molten slag at her feet, "Don't stay out in the open! Find cover!"
Vamp moved his Banshee out into the open and hit the Cataphract from the right side with a full compliment of flamers and lasers. "I am turning on ze heat, Kommander!" he called as his displays showed the enemy heat levels raise near to critical.
"Send your lancemates to me, Kamea," Victoria purred, as she advanced with the Kingcrab, "and watch." Bringing up her targeting reticule she zeroed in on the center torso of Hysteria's Highlander. "A vision of your future, Cousin," she hissed as she fired, "you'll be joining her soon!"
"RIANA!!!!!" Kamea felt her scream more than she heard it. She didn't feel anything but her scream. In fact, she didn't even feel like she was in her body anymore. Riana Klaue, Hysteria, the mercenary who had always managed to pulled off the most impossible, daring, stupid stunts now lay in that heap of burning slag. 'Nobody could survive that,' she thought to herself as she stared at the black plume of smoke that mushroomed into the sky. From deep within, a primal scream built and built until it compelled her forward. "I'LL KILL YOU!!!" she heard herself roar, as she pushed the Atlas into a protective stance over the Highlander's burning hulk. She targeted Victoria's Mech and unleashed an alpha strike. "DIE!!!! DIE!!!!!!!" Her impact struck all over the Mech's surface but it hit something that exploded in her right torso. The Kingcrab rocked to the side as the shoulder exploded, throwing off the right arm and its terrifying weaponry. "Phoenix to Lance," she called over their direct coms, " cover me!" She hit her cockpit release and forced her cage up as she scrambled out of the cockpit and out of her Mech.
"Phoenix, get back in!" Corsair was screaming in her ear, "Lady Arano, get back in your fucking Mech NOW! Kamea, she's gone. Do you hear me?? Riana is gone!"
Kamea wasn't listening anymore. She fell the last ten feet to the water, pitching backwards onto her butt before rushing at the burning Mech. All around her the battle exploded and raged but she couldn't see it. Her vision was reduced to a pinprick; she had to get to the external eject. That was Riana's only hope. Ignoring calls from Darius, imploring what was happening, paying no heed to the hell exploding around her, her only focus was crossing the distance to the HGN-732B's head. She reached it after what seemed an eternity and pulled the orange, soft, metal panel free disabling the safeties and pulling at the red-hot lever that should send Hysteria's capsule rocketing free of the burning wreck. She recoiled with the bone-jarring report of the rockets firing and the head exploding open but the capsule only went so far. The damage has been too much and it could not fire free of the wreck. She raced around to the door. If she could get it open, somehow get Riana away from the fire, maybe she could somehow summon the strength to hoist her into the Atlas. She pulled and pulled at the door but there was too much damage. The metal was losing its form, the door has fused. The only way to get Riana out would be to cut her out now. Screaming in frustration she clambered back up the leg of her Mech and got back in the cockpit, closing it and pulling up her HUDs. She ignored the damage alarms as she moved her Atlas' foot, causing waves of water to wash over the partially ejected capsule. This caused so much steam to rise that, for a moment, it obscured her and her Mech. She checked her internal status report. "Armor breached, internal damage..." she realized with some horror that her Atlas had been the primary target while she had been out of her Mech. She recalled the hellish explosions and deafening sounds as she had struggled to save Riana. She noticed Victoria move away from Corsair's Black Knight, turning to fire it it with its remaining arm. The shot went wide but her flamers bathed the Mech.
"I can't take it!" Corsair's voice came across her coms, "The heat's too high! I've gotta shut down."
On the other side of the battlefield she saw Vamp's mighty Banshee punch the right arm off of the Jagermech before dousing it in flame. "I'm back," she announced, urging the Atlas into motion, "follow me... to victory!"
"Phoenix!" Vamp cried out in surprise, "Ve thought ve lost you,"
"I'm on my way," she said, moving deeper into the water to try and control the massive heat buildup she had from the attacks. Bringing up her multi-targeting she directed her pulse lasers and SRM batteries at the Jager, everything else went to Vicotria; the AC/20, the ER lasers, and the full compliment of the Atlas' LRM suite. "Firing," she said as she squeezed the trigger. The Jager staggered under her assault but the AC/20 shot went wide. When the smoke from the missiles' explosion cleared in the hot air of the tourney grounds she could clearly see Victoria's Mech, unmoved. She didn't have much time to contemplate, however, as the Awesome's missiles rained into her right side. Undaunted, she moved ahead. "You're as much a victim as you are a murderer, Victoria," she said with venom, "you were raised to kill in your father's name."
"And you are a fool, Kammie," Victoria purred, " your father raised you to believe in some ridiculous fairytale... and you still believe it!"
"I don't know what I believe anymore," Kamea replied, her thoughts dwelling on the now-lost dream of escape with Riana, "but this madness must end. You wouldn't stop it, so I will. I will stop you." Her sentiment was cut off when an alpha strike by the Cataphract detonated her right shoulder. Klaxons screamed as the Mech's right arm, and all its weaponry, dropped to the ground.
"Hee, hee, hee," Victoria's sick laugh sounded barely contained, "soon your beliefs and intents will lie as dead as your pet mercenary. Hysterical... the irony is delicious!"
Her diatribe was cut short as Vamp's Banshee charged into her damaged right side, rocking her before he turned her Mech red with gouts of angry flame. "Vatch your starboard," Vamp quipped, "my Mech is barely scratched and I vould just love to dance!"
Savagely, Victoria struck back, igniting her own flamers. "Two can play at that, cossack!"
"Kamea!!" Darius voice came across her coms, "get to cover! We can't lose you!"
She looked up and noticed the Cataphract advancing towards her. She was woozy, her vision swimming from that last blow. "I can't retreat," she said, "if I do they will crush Riana's capsule."
"They will do that if they win," Darius scolded her, "Look; this whole company is laying its life on the line for you, for the Reach! Riana believed in your dream! If you die here, if Victoria wins, then what was it all for? Now get to cover!"
"Okay," she said, turning to the left and moving towards the trees again, "okay, I understand. For Justice... FOR THE RESTORATION!" She moved in a full sprint, taking fire on her back but the trees prevented all of the missiles from striking home.
"Running away, Cousin??" Victoria laughed, a screeching, insane sound, "Again?? For the Restoration?"
"Vicky," an unfamiliar voice came across her coms. It was Corsair, now directly behind her. He brought up his reticule, locking all weapons on her CT from the rear. "While you were so busy focusing all of your Lance on your cousin you forgot one very important thing: "Never turn your back on a pirate." With a gentle tug he sent a full barrage of lasers and missiles into her unprotected six, grinning as he watched the armor fold and bend until, finally, the engine was exposed. The angry energy burned into the reactor until suddenly it began to explode, pieces flying off it it, starting a chain reaction... just as Hysteria's Highlander had.
"All... this death," static scrambled her voice as Victoria spoke over the open coms, "the coup, Perdition... Mastiff...all of it... for nothing."
"It was always for nothing, Victoria," Kamea said as Victoria's Kingcrab crumpled between the Banshee and Black Knight, "the Directorate was never going to attain the glory your father promised." Nothing came in reply but static, but then a wet cough could be heard, only to be followed by the agonizing screams of Victoria being burned alive. "Nearly all can stand adversity," she intoned as the horrid sounds subsided, " but if you want to test one's character... grant them power."
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After Victoria's fall, her Lance crumbled swiftly, their morale broken. It didn't hurt that Vamp's CQC-built Banshee was largely undamaged. They had all held their collective breath as Riana was cut from the melted wreckage of her capsule but none were prepared for the horrific scene that awaited them. Her left eye was ruined and she was covered in so much blood as to be nearly unidentifiable, but the most horrific sight was her legs. There were none. All that remained were blackened stumps of bone. Yet, somehow, her heart still beat. Kamea had clutched at Vamp as they evacuated her back to the Argo. "If she has any chance at all," Yang told her, "it is the medbay on that ship. Only Star League tech can save her now. The Chief had come down with the Leopard to oversee her extrication from the capsule but now he seemed shaken. "Kamea," he began gently, "we should talk... about Riana."
"Not now, Chief," she pushed him aside, "I need to address my people. The war is ended and I must be the leader they deserve." She looked over her shoulder as the Leopard with Riana rose into the sky, "there will be time for grief later."
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to be concluded in Journal of a MechWarrior, Part 39
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