Chapter One Hundred and Eighty-Seven: The Future is Now
June 15, 3047
"You're sure that's what you want to do for the rest of your life?" I asked my adopted Cameron, daughter, Amanda.
"You've got Mathis, but David doesn't have anyone that he trusts to have his back like that," Amanda stated firmly. "He needs someone who he can rely on to look after him and his family the way Mathis does."
"It's your life," I replied as I looked my daughter in the eyes. "If this is what you really want then I'll sign the paperwork and we'll have Mathis and MacIntosh start training you," I smiled at my daughter. "This won't be the same kind of training as you got while going to the Marksman Academy," I told her bluntly. "Bodyguard details are an entirely different kind of warfare and mental space to be in than most people are used to."
"I know," Amanda replied with a smile. "But it's what I want to do."
"Then we'll start transitioning your training away from regular warfare and get you working on a lot more CQC and Mithril-based training," I told her. "We're not going to do away entirely with battlemech piloting or being able to drive a combat vehicle, but your focus won't be on those things for now."
"When do I start?" Amanda asked eagerly, her eyes sparkling in delight as I granted her request.
"In a month or so," I laughed at her eagerness. "You still have to convince Ian that this is what you really want after all."
"But dad, he wants to go do sciency stuff," Amanda complained in the way that only teenagers did. "And that's boring, why can't he want to blow things up with mechs, tanks, or explosives like a normal person?"
"Some people enjoy science and engineering, like your brother or Dr. Rogers," I shrugged. "And then there are people like you and your mother, who would rather do anything but sit and do math or engineering."
"I guess," Amanda responded as she stood up from where she was sitting across the table from me and made her way over to next to where I had been eating my brunch. "You're pretty cool sometimes, you know that?" Amanda leaned in and gave me a hug before darting away quickly.
"I'm only cool sometimes?!" I playfully roared and began to chase her around the house as she made her escape while giggling the entire time.
July 4, 3047
"So, what are we changing the name of the ship to?" I asked Commodore Bruce as we took a small shuttle around to look at the ship that would soon be under his command.
"Well, I was thinking something poetic," Bruce replied with a grin. "We've got the Manassas, and they've renamed the Narukami class the Defender II in honor of the first ship I captained."
"We're also changing the name of the ship class," I told Bruce bluntly. "All three of our Warships have the L-F batteries and the booster so we can go eighty light-years before we need to recharge."
"I think I'll call it the Redemption," Bruce said after going quiet for a moment. "I think it's fitting."
"We'll christen it later," I replied. "There's still some work to be done after all."
September 25, 3047
"How go the preparations?" Natasha asked me as I went over the logistics of everything once again.
"Looks good," I replied with a grin. "But it'll be hard work even with all of the gear we're packing into the Warships and the two Mammoth dropships."
"Don't forget that we're going to need civilian personnel with us," Natasha reminded me. "Quite a few of the freebirths from Clan Wolf are planning on joining our expedition as well."
"If Hy-Brasil was hidden like that then there have to be other habitable worlds and possibly even Star League or Hegemony remnants," I said as I looked at a map. "Why not spend our retirement hunting for them?"
"As long as I get to shoot at pirates, I shall be happy," Natasha sat down in my lap to distract me from what I was working on. "But it's more important to me that I spend our retirement with you." She leaned down and gave me a deep kiss before playfully hopping off of the chair and giving me a "come hither" look as she left the room.
"This can wait," I muttered to myself as I got out of the chair and followed my wife. "There are more important things."
December 21, 3047
"You're sure I can't persuade you and mom to stay?" David asked me while we sat down at the desk in his office.
"No, we're going to check out the ruins of that old Taurian World for the Defender IIand the Redemption's first test runs and then we're going to be seeing if there's any colonies or habitable worlds above or below the common line of the Inner Sphere," I told David. "And you've got this well in hand, your twins are a bit of a handful, but the Terran March is making good progress under your rule."
"If I can't persuade you otherwise then can I at least ask you to run one side trip for me?" David asked as he looked at his schedule for the year that we would be leaving.
"Sure, what's the side trip?" I asked while twirling one of his pens between my fingers.
"Melissa is supposed to be visiting from November of 3049 through the end of December," David relied. "She'll need a ride back to Tharkad, and I'm sure both she and her bodyguard detail will feel safer if they're on a Warship headed back instead of just a jumpship."
"Sure," I replied with a smile. "I don't mind taking Mel back home."
"And, I need your advice on something Hanse asked me about," David pushed an intelligence report in front of my eyes. "Franklin Kurita has managed to unite what's left of the Draconis Combine and has closed off all access to his borders for six months while he "prepares his nation to be capable of interstellar trade". Hanse wants my opinion, and I have my own written down, but I wanted to include yours as well."
"Franklin seems to be pushing for massive reforms in the Combine," I said as I flipped through the reports. "If he says he needs six months then it's probably time that he's taking to get rid of people who are still firmly chained to the old way of doing things," I shrugged. "Monitor the situation and wait, I'm not sure that what emerges will be recognizable as the old Draconis Combine anymore."
"That was pretty much my take on it as well," David sagged in relief. "I just wanted to see if you had any other thoughts on it."
"Franklin is Theodore's son, he's intelligent and I'm fairly certain he was trained by the ISF," I said after a moment of thought. "Don't be surprised if he acts in a way that seems contrary to what it looks like he's trying to accomplish. Because he might just flip your expectations on their head and then you'll be left scratching your head."
"Thanks dad, I'll keep that in mind," David said as we stood up and gave each other a hug before I left to go spend time with my grandchildren. "Don't spoil them too much!" He called out as I began to close the door. "They've still got the noisy toys from the last time you visited!"
"Irritating, isn't it?" I asked smugly. "I'm just carrying on my family's example. My grandmother gave me noisy toys to mess with my parents, and my dad gave them to my children before I time jumped."
"You could have decided not to carry on that tradition though," David tried to argue. "New timeline, new life and all that right?"
"You'll see," I laughed. "One day you'll do the same thing I did, and you'll have this exact conversation with your son."