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Eight Hours Later
High Orbit - Coromodir
- Easy there, Duncan - you took a nasty crack on the head when you punched out. Don't worry. You're safe now.
My name is Darius Oliveria, and I'm the XO of Markham's Marauders. We're a mercenary outfit with ties to House Arano... we did some work for High Lord Tamati1 way back when.
I'd introduce you to Commander Markham, but he was on a supply run in the Market District when the bombs fell. He, uh... well. He didn't make it.
- I'm sorry for your loss.
- Yeah... I am, too. He was a good man. A lot of good people died today.
We picked up your distress beacon on the emergency band as we were on our way off-planet. After seeing what'd happened to Markham, it didn't feel right leaving you in the hands of this new "Directorate." We did a sweep of the combat site, grabbed your ejection pod, and ran.
- What about Mastiff? Sir Raju Montgomery- did you find him?
- We found his 'Mech. It was completely cored out. Nobody survives a hit like that. For what it's worth, I'm sorry. We supported the Royal Guard on a handful of deployments, and Sir Raju earned my respect many times over. His death is a loss for us all.
- Were you able to recover my Blackjack?
- Yeah, our MechTech hauled what's left of it into the Mech Bay. It isn't pretty, but if you give him enough time, Yang can fix just about anything. Try not to take the loss too hard. Yang said that your 'Mech shows signs of deliberate sabotage... whoever you had working on it really did a number on the reactor. Punching out was the right move.
- So what happens now?
- Well, things aren't looking so hot around here, what with the coup and all. House Espinosa's2 Directorate is the new de facto government of the Aurigan Reach3. I'm sorry to have to tell you this, but Lady Arano is dead. Her DropShip was destroyed on takeoff. It's all over the news.
- Then Mastiff died for nothing.
- He died doing his duty. From what I remember of the old man, that's exactly how he'd have wanted to go. Speaking of going, we're getting the hell out of Aurigan territory. We're heading to a nice, quiet stretch of independent space all the way across the Frontier, on the Canopian4 border.
As for you... well, you've got options. According to your blood chit5, you've got family out in the Lyran Commonwealth6. If you want, I could look into booking you transport on a freighter bound for Steiner space. I can't make any promises, but I'm willing to try.
- No way. I'll be damned if I'm gonna let the Directorate chase me away.
- In that case, you could stay with us for the long haul. When we get where we're going, we can drop you at the nearest planet... maybe you can make a place for yourself there. Of course, I'll need you to pitch in for your share of the fuel- plus food, lodging, and repairs on your 'Mech. Fair's fair, after all.
Alternatively, you could find a place for yourself in the Marauders if you wanted to. Wouldn't take you long to work off your debt, and you ran with Mastiff, so I know you've got the chops. Think it over. Sleep on it. You've had a hell of a day, and we've got a long road ahead.
1- High Lord Tamati Arano II: Born 2970, died 3022. Tamati Arano II was a High Lord of the Aurigan Coalition. He succeeded his father, High Lord Tamati Arano I in 2988. Tamai is remembered throughout the Reach as a kind and benevolent rule. His key accomplishments include a military campaign against pirate activity on Fjaldr, the expansion of social welfare on Coromodir VI, and the Coalition-funded renovation of the Espinosa Refit Yards. Tamati and his wife, Lady Sara Arano, were tragically killed in a JumpShip accident in 3022. They are survived by their daughter, Lady Kamea Arano.
2- House Espinosa: "FOREVER VIGILANT" A Founding House of the Aurigan Coalition, currently ruled by Director Santiago Espinosa. The Espinosa house sigil is an ibex on a field of thorns. The ancestral seat of House Espinosa is Coromodir V. House Espinosa staged a military coup on Lady Kamea Arano's coronation day, toppling the old Aurigan Coalition and replacing it with a new authoritarian government: the Aurigan Directorate.
3- The Aurigan Reach: The Aurigan Reach is a specific group of about two dozen systems in the Rimward Periphery bordering the Taurian Concordat and the Capellan Confederation. The Reach is home to the Aurigan Coalition ruled by House Arano. Beyond the Reach are a large number of independent systems colloquially referred to as the Frontier.
4- The Magistracy of Canopus: The Magistracy of Canopus is a large Periphery state, located rimward and anti-spinward of Terra, just beyond the Free Worlds League. Founded explicitly as a matriarchy, the Magistracy is ruled by a Magestrix, a position open only to women, and usually held by a member of the founding Centrella family. Independent since the fall of the Star League, the Magistracy has remained mostly untouched by the Succession Wars, except by the overall collapse of trade and travel. The Magistracy is famed for its social and cultural freedom, with no consensual behavior forbidden by law or custom. The current ruler of the Magistracy is the Magestrix Kyalla Centrella, who harbors a deep grudge against the Inner Sphere, and the Free Worlds League in particular.
5- Blood chit: ComStar-issued identification carried by MechWarriors in the field.
6- The Lyran Commonwealth: The Lyran Commonwealth is one of the five Successor States of the Star League, located coreward and anti-spinward of Terra. Ruled by House Steiner, the Commonwealth is the wealthiest of the five, with an entrenched and powerful noble class. The focus on pedigree and prestige among the nobility has often resulted in less-than-brilliant officers being elevated to high command, to the detriment of the Commonwealth's military strength. Much of the Commonwealth's success comes from the vast resources located within its borders. The current ruler of the Commonwealth is Archon Katrina Steiner, notable for her peace proposal that, in allying the Commonwealth with the Federated Suns, effectively ended the Third Succession War.