Collection 23 (Patreon)

Collection

Chapter 23

-VB-

Edward Arlaoskas

Kendall, Free Worlds League

3003 January

“Port, are you trying to pick a fight with me?” I snapped after what felt like three hours of non-stop arguing. 

I came back to Kendall to talk to mom, dad, and anyone else in the family who might want to join me, because, let’s face it, life on an agriworld within one or two jump distance from two different pirate kingdoms didn’t make for an productive life, and I needed more people I could trust. 

But the moment we got in comms range, the Kendall defense force threatened me with all sorts of violence. I told them that I was just a mercenary visiting his family, and they even confirmed that I was a born and raised Kendall son. 

But noooooo… Whoever was in charge of the spaceport was up to their neck with indignation about “How dare you bring such a large fleet to Kendall’s orbit and threaten a planet within the Free Worlds League with my unscrupulous mercenary ways?!” and whatever other drivel he spouted. 

I tried to reason with him. I even got in contact with the local Mercenary Review Board branch. I even tried to contact his superiors, who the still nameless spaceport officer, refused to contact! 

What kind of bullshit was this?! I expected this kind of shit from other planets that I wasn’t from, not my own planet that just went and confirmed that I was from this planet!

“You dare -?!”

“Alright, stop the recording.”

My words brought a sudden halt from the other side of the comm. “What?”

“I’m going to go to the nearest media outlet and drop this radio conversation that I just recorded,” I hissed with vengeful glee. “I hope you enjoy court martial because that’s the least of the problem you’re going to get after this shit hits the fan. Are you happy now, bitch? You wanted to pick a fight with me. You expected me to fight you like a dumb ass mercenary, didn’t you? Well, fuck you, you obstinate and brainless motherfucker. I hope you get shafted by your superior, assuming they don’t get fired for your stupidity, either!” 

And then I did just that. I hung up, turned my radio frequency away from the channel, and started contacting anyone and everyone who would listen before transmitting the recorded conversation for them to hear and judge. 

---

It wasn’t until later that I learned that the port comms officer in question had a sister. Said sister was one of the people who died after assaulting me in college, which led to my expulsion. 

In hindsight, he definitely had some beef with me but went about it in the worst way possible. 

No, I didn’t feel sorry for him and his sister. Maybe if they weren’t rabid, then they wouldn’t have trouble. That’s not my problem. That’s their problem. Fuck them.

---

I glared at the portmaster. 

After a full day of having to stay up in orbit, I was finally allowed to land with Humpty-Dumpty. And it was at the spaceport that the portmaster, the Count of Kendall, and garrison commander came out to greet me. 

But I didn’t even look at the count. I just kept glaring at the portmaster, who looked sufficiently sheepish over what happened yesterday. 

I was still pissed. 

“Well?” I demanded angrily. “Where’s the apology?” I asked as the Inspired Inventory pinged me to another point stored. 

“On behalf of Leubikky Spaceport Authority, I offer you my humblest apologies, Mister Arlaoskas,” the portmaster, a thin man, said and gave me a deep-enough bow that came off as not being disrespectful but also not deferential. He straightened himself. “Our officer should not have caused you that level of grief, especially to a returning son of Kendall coming home with success from beyond our system.”

I glared at him for a minute longer before closing my eyes, sucking a deep breath in, and let it out slowly. I opened my eyes. “Thank you,” I replied. “And also thank you for the quick resolution to the problem at hand.”

“No worries,” the count said. 

I turned to look at the count. 

The count was an older man, probably in his late fifties if not more. He wore an ornate suit with subtle flowery gold trims that blended in with the deep whites of his suit. Standing next to the salt and peppered haired count was a young woman, and I knew who she was. 

Elizabeth Montcalm, the Baroness of Tehedia and heir to the County of Kendall IV. She came up on local holovid shows often. 

And she did not look like she liked me. 

Too bad for her, I didn’t care for her opinion. 

“Count Montcalm,” I greeted the man and gave a shallow bow. “I didn’t expect to see you come out to meet me yourself. I didn’t know I warranted a person of your stature to come see me.”

“Normally, it wouldn’t,” the calm man replied. “But then again, you caused big enough of a scandal that the people would be unnerved if someone of high standing didn’t meet with you to confirm that you did not mean Kendall and its people harm.”

“And why would I? I am a son of Kendall.”

“That means nothing to the people, not when the very angry man in orbit has  fleet of jumpships and dropships. Or, depending on who is right, multiple pocket warships in the hands of someone whose job is known for … flexible morality,” he riposted. “In fact, I have seen pictures of those ships you left in orbit - with trusted officers, no doubt - and they had … rather big guns.” Then he paused. “But what am I doing right now, holding up a man from visiting his family? We can talk later if you are staying for a bit. Welcome back home, Mister Arlaoskas.” With that, he turned around and left with his daughter and heir in tow. 

I stared after him for a few moments before turning to the portmaster. 

“We won’t have anymore problems, right?”

“No, no, no. I’ll make sure of it.”

“Good.”

-VB-

The ride home was quiet. 

Amy, Armas, and I just sat in an armored transport provided by the spaceport, and I felt contemplative. 

I came here expecting my family to support me, but then I realized now that … it might not happen.

‘Just look at what happened,’ I thought to myself. What should have been a routine landing ended up becoming a multi-day affair with grudges, bureaucracies, and calculative power plays. It was … unfortunate. 

And these events made me wonder if my family will be amenable to my request. If I asked them to come with me to the stars, would they say yes? Would they even consider it deeply? They all had their lives, goals, and ambitions. I would be asking them to drop everything to come and help me on a quest that they didn’t need to. 

After all, I was essentially staking my claim in the Inner Sphere just like the Great Houses were. I knew my enemy (or would be enemies) and told them to come and fight me. With what I knew and had, I could leave the Inner Sphere entirely and make my own kingdom out of … anything. 

But I stayed. Just like the Great Houses. 

And when I talked to my family, I will tell them everything I knew because I made a promise.

Yup. I was going to be an uncle soon.

And, well, my plan might turn my brother and sister-in-law away from my path. So if that was the case, then stopping by Kendall had been a good idea. 

‘But I hope that they would stay with me.’

Would they be betraying me by staying home, here in Kendall? No. Would it still hurt me to see them go? Yes. 

But I loved them so if they wanted to stay… who was I to stop them? 

“We certainly made an impression, huh?” I asked pointlessly. I just wanted to fill the space with some sound because going home like this felt like a silent death knell to me. I hated it, even though, logically, I knew that I didn’t know how my family would respond or if Amy and Armas would truly stay put (even though all I did was constantly expose them to danger one after another). 

Armas broke out into a genuine laughter. “You had everything shitting their pants, Ed!” he cackled. 

Army gave my brother a swat on the shoulder. “Armas. Behave.”

“What? It’s just us three. And the driver. And the guard.”

“It’s still rude,” she huffed. 

I smiled at their interaction. “And what did you two think about it all?”

“Honestly?” Amy asked me. I nodded. “It was a shitshow. Even though this was not your fault, you more or less broadcasted to the entire Inner Sphere that there was a new mercenary fleet in the League periphery. The ones prone exaggeration will call your flagship a pocket warship. Even the conservatives will say that you have a fleet that no one in the Inner Sphere can match one for one.”

“That was the plan.”

“Except this will turn out to be negative no matter how you want to spin it,” she sighed.

I paused. “What do you mean?”

“The best way for anyone to see this is that a son of Kendall got rich, came back, and immediately caused trouble. Whether or not you caused the problem is not relevant, only the fact that you caused trouble is. At worst, you are a mercenary commander who has enough firepower to match regimental mercenary commands in space and you weren’t afraid to throw that weight around after a verbal argument.”

I blinked.

“... Huh.”

“So either you are someone who got held up by bureaucracy and thus weak or you got into an argument and tried to throw your military power around and thus making you ill-disciplined.”

“... Huh.”

“At least those against you will spin it that way,” she finished with a shrug. 

“Well, damn,” I sighed. “Now what?”

“We try to get all sides of the family together,” she smiled. “There’s no place safer than aboard a warship in this day and age.”

I looked at her. “Oh. So. You and Armas are … going to stick with me?”

Armas looked at him as if he was crazy. “Brother, did you think that we were going to stay in Kendall?”

“I mean… there’s a baby coming and I thought you two might not want to…” God, I was starting to sound pathetic. 

Armas reached over … and smacked my head. 

I gawked at my little brother. What the hell?! Since when did he have the nerve to do that?!

He cackled at my expression. “Amy, look. Look. I made him blue screen. This idiot thought we were going to leave him after all of that.”

Amy sighed as if she was disappointed in me. “Edward, aside from the fact that we would be targets for our close association, you’ve done everything in your power to keep us safe. We would have been less safe here on Kendall, which doesn’t have enough mechs to keep the Marian slavers and Circinus pirates away on a good day,” she replied. “We’re a family. More than that, we’re a family who support each other. We’re not leaving so easily.” Then she paused. “But I would like three months maternal vacation after I give birth. I think I read somewhere that infants are not suppose to fly until they are at least three months old.”

“Uh. Yeah, sure. And … thanks.”

---

Ivan Detkov, Precentor Kendall

“Is this truly the only way?”

“It is. We cannot allow him to upset the balance of power.”

“But he has done nothing but good for the Inner Sphere, even as a mercenary.”

“And yet, his inventions may cause billions of deaths in the future. No, they will cause billions of deaths.”

“And if we fail here?”

“... The order will cross that bridge when it gets there. Your job, Precentor Kendall, is to see the truth of the matter and obey. May Blake bless you, brother.”

And then the call cut off. 

Ivan sighed before he took another shot. 

Was it any wonder why he became an alcoholic?