smart move for daddy,
prince gets a date/tour guide, so less trouble with the various sharks smelling fresh blood, and if they hit it off, he may end up with a noble son in law
I don't think Hanse and Dana would appreciate that very much though considering he's there to impress the Mariks as well and marry Corrine.
Free Suns Federation?
League of Federated Suns?
I'm open to potential combo names.
----------------
Ian and Tess worked their way through the Triad, the massive multi-building government complex that stood out like a vast acropolis above Tharkad City. Easily isolated for VIP events and never taken by an outside enemy power. The Federated Suns Embassy Annex was closer to the Royal Palace than many of the others but it was still a bit of a walk but a pleasant one.
“So you know all about me Tess but I don't know anything about you.”
“I suppose that's fair, we didn't get properly introduced.” She paused and sat down on the edge of a faintly illuminated fountain dedicated to the heroes of some battle fought long ago. The trickle of water and faint multicolored light illuminating her features made for a pleasant atmosphere.
“We have some time I guess, have to be fashionable late after all. I'm a Protocol Officer, PR Rep, and Translator. Went to NAIS for Political Science and have served on my father's staff since he was assigned here three years ago.”Ian sat down next to her,
“You went to NAIS?”“Yes, and the Knights beat the Cavaliers, Three to Two in case you were wondering.”“What? How?”
“Malru pulled a hamstring and Baker scored a goal in the last thirty seconds.”---------------
Meanwhile at the Embassy's Officer's Mess, Major Bishop Sortek, Colonel Alexander Horvat, and most of the off-duty officers of the 35th Federated Suns Mechanized Rifles were standing or sitting on couches or chairs watching the Tri-Vid feed right off CommNet.
“And Baker shoots andGOAL! Amazing and with only thirty seconds left on the clock, three points to two!”A minute passed,
“Final score, NAIS Knights Three against the Albion Cavalier's Two. What an upset, I'm sure the bookmakers on Solaris are sweating this one out Jean.”“Oi! the all-star Malru being absent today really messed up the Albion's offense. I'm sure he'll be kicking himself when his hamstring is healthy again. That's it folks, NAIS Knights clinch the Championship. Good night everyone.”
Multiple crumbled beer cans were thrown in the direction of the TV,
“Bull!”Major Sortek was wearing his Red and Gold Albion sweater,
“It went right past his fingertips, Banzai Blitz my...”----------------
Back at the fountain Ian had a surprised look on his face,
“Bishop will not be happy about that.” “So what can you tell me about today's party? I read the dossiers Ran forwarded in transit but you've actually talked to these people. What was left off the Dossier?”
“Well you are familiar with Ryan Steiner fortunately for both of us he will not be attending today he's probably plotting something devious back on Skye. Melissa is well aware of the threat he poses, I expect him to be iced if he makes any moves against her.”
“Well that's a relief, I would like to stay out of any Steiner family drama.”“Wouldn't we all. The next biggest person to worry about is Tormano Liao, he's dangerous and angry with Candace since she cast him out. She blames him for a few attempts on her husband Justin's life. One of which nearly succeeded, I don't know whether it was his fault or not but it doesn't matter, he works for Chancellor Romano now. He has been whispering poison into Melissa's ear and Romano's anti-League stance has found fertile ground here among the Bolan, Skye, and Alarion regions.”
“Well that's not good, I'll have to keep an eye out for them.”
“It’s a good thing your enemies and allies are mostly obvious here, it's the undecided ones that I am most concerned about.”
“Like our hosts?”Her shoulders' slumped slightly,
“Yes, actually and unfortunately. Count Bradford has really stepped up in the past couple of months since their engagement was made public. His reassignment to the 10th Lyran Guard made it fairly obvious what was going to happen if you were paying attention regardless it has been the talk of the town ever since. He's dangerous though, he killed six people on the dueling field last year, now they probably deserved it but still. He pilots a Banshee, brand new 3S, calls it “The Painted Lady,” what you might not know is that the Banshee is what they assign officers with a killer instinct. Thomas probably won't like you but that can't be helped, he sees you as a threat to his position.”
“What! He already put a ring on it. He and Melissa are together.”
“Yeah well that was never a sure thing. If Katrina could have got the Estates General to agree she would have wed you together in a heartbeat. He's been working on getting this to happen for years and has the scars to prove it, Melissa might have been getting married to you this year instead of him. I'm certain he won't do anything unless you give him reason though, so please don't.”
“I will be on my best behavior Tess I swear. I've heard that the trust in the Federated Suns is at an all-time low on Tharkad though. Why? We've honored all of our pledges.”
“The Lyrans have begun to wonder about our conviction to a continued peace. The defection of the St Ives Commonality and the invasion into the Victoria Commonality and failed invasion of Tikonov has many of them thinking we are just as bad as the Dracs.”
“It’s not enough that my uncle’s treachery ended up with a nearly successful attempt to double my father. Or consider Romano’s multiple attempts on my father and her sister’s family sufficient cause?”
“You don’t have to justify the Suns’ actions for me. I understand what Hanse is trying to do. It’s just that not enough people agree on Tharkad, the Estates General will continue to honor Katrina’s accords as long as Melissa supports them as well.”
“Is there a chance she might not and support the Confederation instead?”Tess didn’t look certain,
“I’ve never talked to her alone and she prefers to speak French to my Dad so I don’t need to translate for him. She’s tough to read. I think she sees the benefits of our continued relations but she is not as committed to the plan as her mother.”
“Well I hope we can convince her that the Suns are better than the Capellans.”
“That is why you are here after all Ian.” She checked her watch, a fine delicate golden piece,
“We should be fashionable late now if you want to head out.”The pair stood up and continued to the Palace standing outside to get their picture taken by paparazzi. They entered and a pair of olive skinned guards formed a human wall behind them. They stood at the top of the stairs alongside the Master of Ceremonies.
“Introducing Prince Ian Davion of the Federated Suns and his escort Miss Tessera Felsner, Daughter to the Honorable Ambassador Ran Felsner.”All two thousand attendees looked up to see the Foreign Prince that just dropped into today and was already hitting the party circuit. As they cleared the initial entryway they went off to a side, a group of women was waving to Tess.
“This is where I leave you Ian. I’ll be in the Gal Gallery getting that drink.”
“Gal Gallery?”
“Yes, it’s better than some of the other things I’ve heard it called.”
“What do you do up there?”
“Gossip, admire cute guys in their tight uniforms, play ‘who wore it best,’ you know girl stuff.”
“So you get to party while I have to work. That hardly seems fair.”Tess crossed her arms with a drawn out exhale,
“We’ll both be plenty busy working. You won’t be able to get any work done surrounded by blood sucking baronesses. I’ll keep them occupied while you work your handsome princely charm and win more allies in the Estates General, most of them are present tonight.” She looked at him with barely concealed humor,
“Don’t worry though I will keep an eye on you in your tight uniform.” Ian was momentarily embarrassed as his realized just how much tighter fitting this uniform was then his originally issued one,
“If you need my help just rub your head three times and I’ll try to rescue you.”“Well are you going to be there all night? What if I want a dance later?”Tess blushed slightly at the offer,
“That sounds fun! It will show those haughty ladies that I will have to deal with all night. See you later Ian.” Tess departed and Ian took a moment to watch her go. She joined the group of ladies that were waving to her and he heard a quick laugh from them before they went upstairs.
Ian left and circulated through the ballroom quite visible in his green and gold uniform against a sea of other dark colors. There were only thirty Federation nobles among the party, most of the Suns citizens were widely dispersed across the vast Commonwealth engaging in their various assigned duties across the Inner Sphere from their home-worlds.
Eventually he staked out a position on one of the elevated sections of the ballroom the main floor of which was in the middle of two Vs and decorated with brilliant under-lit mosaics. Many people eventually found him but even with his breeding and years of attending these sorts of events he could barely keep track of them only remembering their colorful or eccentric attire.
After recalibrating his eyes he realized that there were men in dark suits dressed like the staff who were circulating through the crowd following him. He also saw a flash of Liao Jade Green across the ballroom, Tormano, who was also clearly being followed through the room by similar men. Then he realized he was marked as soon as he walked in here by the LIC’s Diplomatic Guards, the polite version of the Lyran Special Forces but no less ruthless in their tasks. It was something he would clearly have to get used to being on Tharkad but it still gave him shivers.
Seeking reassurance he looked up at the Gallery across the hall and saw Tess standing and talking with a group of young women all of whom had wine glasses perched on the stone railing. Some of the other women waved or subtly blew kisses in his direction after they realized he was looking their way. He wasn’t sure which terrified him more Diplomatic Guards or fangirls both might bring him down in equal measure.
Regardless he continued working, introducing himself to nobles from the across the Commonwealth that were fans of his father’s or saw great benefit from the Federated Suns’ partnership with the Lyran Commonwealth. Mostly in economic terms but they saw the revisions to the LCAF as positive and didn’t want the Commonwealth and Confederation to become closer. It wasn’t enough for him to know his friends though, not tonight, nothing of consequence would happen here but he needed to know more about what might happen outside.
Ian worked his way toward the Liao Green he saw earlier, along the way one of the dark suited men bumped into him with a loud apology. However, the man lingered and barred his progress,
“Don’t go starting trouble with Liao tonight, Prince or not we will eject you. Melissa’s party, our rules. Be civil.”
“Of course, I’m merely a guest here after all. I wouldn’t do anything to offend my hostess.”
“See to it that you don’t. Keep it friendly, smile.”The man disappeared back into the crowd with eerie efficiency, perfectly timed movements and social control to make people part for him. Ian was impressed but again concerned, if any of these LIC operatives could escape and blend that easily they could always be watching him. The LIC was one of the finest Intelligence and Special Ops services in the Inner Sphere, it was one of the strongest power players in the whole of the Commonwealth. Well if they were going to be watching him he endeavored to make it a good show at least.
Finding his way into the ring of courtiers that surrounded Mandrinn Tormano Liao the middle aged man looked regal and in his element dressed in a black Zhongshan suit. His wife, Hanya No Cha, dressed in a bright green Qipao, looked a little bored but was still engaging in conversation with the wives/escorts of the men that Tormano was talking to.
The Mandrinn was a known political operator that had fallen out of favor with his father, “Mad” Maximillian Liao, for an entirely innocent reason, he married a commoner out of love. His sister Candace, Duchess of St Ives, had defected to Hanse Davion nearly ten years ago after a brilliant double operation and taken her St Ives Commonality with her making it a protectorate of the Federated Suns.
The other sister Romano, the current Chancellor, and her were engaged in a fierce civil war. This war was still mostly fought in the shadows with only limited support by the Federated Suns Director of Intelligence and Candace’s father-in-law Quintus Allard. However, Romano didn’t follow any rules and that made her particularly dangerous. Tormano had apparently been quite content to work with his sister Candace but after the near death of her husband blamed him and ordered his capture. Tormano and his family escaped however and reappeared on Tharkad as part of the Capellan Confederation’s diplomatic mission.
Tormano bowed ever so slightly and Ian did the same, they were technically at the same noble ranking despite their age difference or relative power of their noble Houses,
“Greeting’s Prince Ian. I understand that you just landed this afternoon. Would you like a personal tour of the Triad?”
“No Mandrinn Tormano, I already have one scheduled for tomorrow unfortunately but thank you for the offer. I was thinking of visiting the botanical gardens perhaps you and your wife would like to join me?” The Botanical Gardens were closer to the Federated Sun’s Embassy than the Confederation’s, requiring them to come to him even if it was in a neutral location. Hanya looked toward Tormano after hearing that, as a botanist she loved plants.
“Apologies, I believe that Hanya and I are quite busy. If you will excuse me Ian, I have many people to see. However, I am certain this will not be the last time we will have a chance to speak to one another. Enjoy the ball.”Ian departed he had looked the man in the eye and seen his fear. He was motivated by his sister’s and his own ambitions and that made him more dangerous than Ian feared. His father was massively understating how important his own mission was to the future of the Federated Suns. A motivated Liao is among the most dangerous creatures in the Inner Sphere.
The Prince worked his way through the crowd which seemed to be thinning. Upon returning to his stake out point he definitely saw that there were fewer people around as the men in dark suits were politely escorting people out of the ballroom. He wasn’t sure why that was as he had forgotten his watch in the haste to get dressed. Then he heard the band that had been warming up begin the Commonwealth’s Anthem. He looked at the now illuminated balcony opposite the one he entered from,
“It is my great pleasure to present her highness Archon Melissa Steiner and her husband to be, Hauptmann Thomas Bradford, Graf von Veracruz."