Royal Palace, Unity City, Dreamland, January 14th, 3050
Someone was taking a shower in the bathroom next door, Kelly realised when she woke up in her bed in the Royal Palace. She had rolled out of the bed and grabbed her service pistol from the nightstand before she blinked. She wasn’t in her mother’s palace on Sian - she was in Dreamland. She didn’t have to fear assassins here. And what assassin would take a shower? Though as a distraction…
But the shower was in Cat’s room. Her eyes widened, and she hurried to the door - which wasn’t closed. Someone had been in her room. Once more, she was filled with dread for a moment before she told herself again that this was Dreamland, not Sian. If anyone was taking a shower in Cat’s bathroom, it would be…
She licked her lips and pushed the door open, checking the room before stepping inside. No one was present, and nothing had changed since her last visit. She couldn’t see any clothes strewn around on the way to the bathroom, either. Then again, even Cat wouldn’t sleep in full uniform - she didn’t even like the silk Pyjamas Kelly preferred.
Just as Kelly was about to approach the bathroom door - it was half-open as well - the noise from the shower stopped, replaced by footsteps and some sighing. Kelly froze.
Then a figure appeared in the doorway to the bathroom, a towel slung around her and another on her head, trying to dry her wet mane.
Even without seeing the girl’s face, Kelly recognised her. Would’ve recognised her even in a jumpsuit. “Cat…” she breathed.
Cat froze, and the towel on her head fell off. “Kelly…”
Kelly threw the pistol on Cat’s bed and rushed forward, arms wide open. “Cat!”
“Kelly!”
She embraced her friend, hugging her as hard as she could. Cat was back! In Dreamland! She had hoped, but to see her for real, to hold her, feel her… “You made it,” she whispered.
“Was there ever any doubt?” Cat laughed.
Normally, Kelly would have had some snarky comment about this boast. Or a slender elbow to her lover’s ribs. But she hadn’t seen Cat for over a year.
So she kissed her instead.
The second towel joined the first on the floor. The pistol dug into Kelly’s thigh when they ended up on the bed, and she had to twist her body to push off the sheets. Her pyjamas got damaged somehow and also dropped to the floor.
And they both needed a shower afterwards.
Kelly didn’t mind. Not at all.
*****
Alex, Felicity and even Nastajia were grinning when Kelly entered Alex’s suite. Kiwi flew over, landed on Cat’s head and tried to bury into her hair.
“Took you longer than I thought,” Felicity commented. “It’s been a long year, huh?”
“Felicity!” Nastajia snapped.
“Just saying!”
“Your hair’s still wet!” Kiwi piped up.
“Come, sit down!” Alex said. “We have to celebrate this reunion!”
“More than they already did?”
“Felicity!”
Kelly shook her head as she sat down on the couch, Cat joining her. They both wore their dress uniforms. Kelly knew that Cat wanted to take Dragonslayer out for a stroll, but this was more important.
She cleared her throat. “We have things to discuss. Important things. My family is planning to have Cat assassinated.”
Alex gasped, but Nastajia didn’t seem to be surprised. Neither was Cat - Kelly could tell.
“And I’ve had to tell Mum and Dad about Dreamland,” her lover added. “And they know that I know Kelly.”
“Which means they won’t trust you,” Kelly said. No one trusted her family, and with good reason.
Cat shrugged. “You’re also in danger. As I heard from Dad, we both count now as important military assets, so taking us out is fair game.”
That was only logical. Kelly nodded. “In my attempts to prove my worth enough so I would be able to test drugs to return to Dreamland, I shared enough information about the SLDF to add more than a company of SLDF ‘Mechs to my mother’s forces.”
“You had to, or she would have never let you attempt to come back,” Alex said with a smile.
“And a company’s worth of ‘Mechs, even if they were Assault ‘Mechs, won’t affect the balance of power in the Inner Sphere,” Cat said. Kelly saw her blink. “Uh, were they Assault ‘Mechs?”
Kelly shook her head. “No. Twelve Hussars. Standard model.”
“Ah!” Cat nodded. “The misfiled scout company!”
They had heard of that story during training - replacement ‘Mechs for an entire scout company, lost in transit shortly before the Exodus. Forgotten by everyone, except for Dreamland’s SLDF.
“Yes,” Nastajia said, pursing her lips. “But as Cat said, they don’t really matter. You matter. And you both are in danger.”
“Yes. If your parents don’t trust Kelly’s family, they might cut you off from the drug you need to enter Dreamland,” Felicity commented.
Kelly felt Cat tense at that. “I won’t let them,” her lover said through clenched teeth.
“I think you overestimate your influence on your parents,” Nastajia said what Kelly was thinking.
“No. I mean, I won’t stay with them,” Cat said. “I can’t stay with them. If anything happens to me, Kelly’s mother will get the blame, and we’ll go to war - and that with the Nightmare Horde about to invade the Inner Sphere!”
Kelly’s eyes widened. “So, it’s true - the Nightmare Horde is attacking outside Dreamland.”
Cat nodded. “I’ve seen reports with their ‘Mechs, but no one believes me that those aren’t crappy Frankenmechs from the Periphery.”
“What are the chances that they can strike straight at Terra, as they did here?” Alex asked, leaning forward.
“If they could, they would have done so already,” Cat said. “They wouldn’t deal with Periphery pirates for months.”
Kelly nodded. Supplies and travel worked differently in Dreamland. Most children didn’t understand travel times. And most of them who did didn’t like them. “They will have to invade from the Periphery.”
“Where my brother’s stationed,” Cat added. “We need to do something about that.”
“Once the Nightmare Horde attacks the Federated Commonwealth, your parents will know you’ve told them the truth,” Alex said.
“And they’ll keep me from doing anything about it. And the other realms will consider me an even more important target,” Cat said. She shook her head. “I’m an officer and ‘MechWarrior, not some intel analysis weenie!”
“You want to fight them,” Nastajia said.
“I can tell my parents all I know about the Nightmare Horde in an afternoon,” Cat claimed.
That was hyperbole, in Kelly’s opinion. They had fought the Horde for years, after all. But there would be differences between the Horde in Dreamland and in the Inner Sphere. And Cat was correct in that their knowledge about the invaders wouldn’t be very valuable after the first few battles. And she was also correct in that their families wouldn’t let them fight.
And both of them wanted to fight the Horde. They were officers and MechWariors, after all.
“So, we need to get both of you away from your families. Who happen to be the rulers of two Successor States - both amongst the most powerful families in the Inner Sphere,” Felicity said with a wide grin. “That sounds like a challenge, even for me!”
*****
“So, to sum it up,” Alex said about an hour later, “You need a way out of your families respective palaces, a way off the planet, and a way out of the system.” He nodded.
“Yes,” Kelly said. She was too polite to mention that this had been said many times already.
“We’ve told you that already.” Cat wasn’t.
“Yes, yes.” Alex nodded. “So, getting out of the palace shouldn’t be too much of a problem. I’ll lend you my key, and you can wake up in a suit of Nighthawk. Go stealth and leave, just as I did.”
Kelly kept smiling. “You were not watched over and guarded by some of the most skilled and motivated security details.”
“And you didn’t have to get off Terra,” Cat added. “We can’t exactly sneak on board of a dropship - the moment we vanish, they’ll halt all traffic.”
Kelly nodded. Mother would do so without regard for the economic consequences.
“Yes. Mum and Dad wouldn’t let anyone leave the planet until I am found,” Cat said.
“Would they? And how long would they keep it up?” Alex looked at both of them.
“And how would you expect us to get off the planet once traffic resumes?” Cat asked.
“At least on Sian, they would keep searching every dropship before departure,” Kelly added.
Alex grinned. “But they won’t find you. Because you won’t be there.”
Oh! Kelly’s eyes widened. That was… Well, it would still be dangerous, but not impossible. Not by a long shot. She glanced at Cat.
Her friend nodded with a grin. Well, she had always been more fond of dangerous plans than Kelly.
“Of course, we have to make preparations so you will have the means to actually fight the Horde once you’re clear,” Alex said. “I have a few ideas about that, but I’ll have to get involved myself.”
Nastajia groaned, and Felicity snickered.
*****
The Triad, Tharkad City, Tharkad, Federated Commonwealth, January 15th, 3050
Cat woke up in her room in the Triad with a smile. She’d been back in Dreamland. She had met Kelly again! And she…
…caused a ruckus? She heard beeping and shouting and screeching. She opened her eyes. Right. She had gone to sleep in her room, which had been turned into a mixture of emergency treatment unit and research lab.
“Katherine!”
And there came Mum. Cat blinked. Mum looked… like she hadn’t slept at all. But it was morning. “What happened, Mum?” she asked.
“You…” Mum shook her head. “You looked like when you were in a coma. And your brain’s reactions were the same.”
“Oh.” That was… bad. Mum must have been so afraid.
“I was so worried…” Mum hugged her. Hard.
“Actually, this reaction was well within the expected parameters,” someone said in the background.
“Shut up, Kurt!”
“But…”
“Shut up!”
“I’m fine,” Cat told Mum. “I dreamed.” She glanced at the scientists and medics crowding the room. She wouldn’t tell them about Dreamland. And not just because this was classified. Dreamland was hers. Her home.
She blinked, still holding Mum. Dreamland was her home. Not Tharkad or New Avalon.
Oh.
“So…” Mum released her and turned to face the people in the room. “Are you done?” She didn’t look upset any more - she looked composed and stern.
“Err… there are a few more scans we should take…”
“Shut up, Kurt!”
“We are done for the time being, Archon.” A woman bowed. “It will take us time to analyse all the data.”
“Good. Then my daughter and I will retire for a quiet breakfast,” Mum said.
And a debriefing, or even an interrogation, Cat was sure of that as she went into the bathroom to get a shower.
And indeed, twenty minutes later, Dad was waiting in the small dining room in Mum’s quarters here. He didn’t… yes, he looked like he hadn’t slept well or long either, Cat noticed as she went to hug him. “Morning, Dad.”
“Morning, Katherine. Did you have pleasant dreams?”
Yes, definitely more tired than usual, Cat thought as Mum glared at Dad - he usually was much smoother.
“Yes,” she said, grabbing the pot of coffee. “I entered Dreamland. I met my friends.”
“Ah.” Her parents exchanged a glance. “And who were your friends?”
Cat didn’t roll her eyes. “Alex - Alexander Cameron. First Lord of the Star League. Nastajia Ashenheart, Commander of the First Royals. Kiwi. And Kelly.”
“Kelly would be Kali Liao, then?” Dad wasn’t asking.
“Yes, as you know,” Cat replied - a little more sharply than she had intended.
“Ah.”
This time, she rolled her eyes. “Yes, I’m friends with Kali Liao.” More than friends, but if she told her parents that, she’d probably be imprisoned in a monastery. The only thing that would get a worse reaction would be Cat claiming to have fallen for Hohiro Kurita.
“The Liaos have a certain reputation for a reason,” Dad said.
“Like Candace and Justin Liao? Or Kai?” Cat shot back. “I grew up with Kali. She’s spent ten years with me in Dreamland.” She pressed her lips together to stop herself from revealing too much.
“Dreamland.” Mum nodded as she took a sip from her cup. “Did you hear anything in Dreamland?”
“You mean: Do I have proof that I visited an actual realm and didn’t just imagine it with my psychic powers?” Cat snorted. “I told you that finding a child from Tharkad is difficult. I didn’t find one - traditionally, children are left to roam.”
“And recruited into the army,” Dad commented.
“No,” Cat objected. “That doesn’t happen. Kelly and I were special cases.” No need to mention how they had managed to stumble into their first battle.
“Very special, since we’ve found no one else who has experienced a similar thing - and we’ve been searching every archive in the Federated Commonwealth,” Dad said.
“Yes. Cases such as ours are very rare.” Cat grabbed another bread roll. “And we’re the first who managed to return to Dreamland after waking up - most who stay in Dreamland stay until their death without waking up.”
Dad made a noise that could have been both agreement or disagreement.
Mum cleared her throat. “We’re aware that it’s very hard to prove that this Dreamland exists.”
“Yes.” Cat clenched her teeth as she prepared a ham sandwich. “Even if I could prove that I am in contact with Kelly without endangering her life, that wouldn’t prove that Dreamland is real.”
The expressions of her parents were answer enough. She sighed. “What can I do to prove to you that I’m not delusional? The location of lost SLDF caches? Will you be convinced once the Horde invasion starts?”
“Well, a couple of SLDF ‘Mechs would certainly come in handy if we’re invaded by a Horde of Lostech ’Mechs,” Dad tried to joke.
Cat glared at him, as did Mum. She knew something that would prove Dreamland’s existence to them - but if she did it, she would lose any hope of slipping out of the Triad and joining Kelly in this realm. “I’ll see what I can do,” she said and then focused on eating her sandwich.
At least it wouldn’t take too long before they could implement their plans. And she was on Tharkad and not on new Avalon.
*****
Unity Field, Unity City, Dreamland, January 16th, 3050
Kelly heard Cat scream behind her and whirled around - just in time to see Cat faceplant into the ground, splattering mud everywhere. She shook her head as she approached her friend, reaching out to help her up.
“I want working jump jets!” Cat complained as she gripped Kelly’s armoured glove.
“No, you do not,” Kelly told her. “Not at this part of our training.”
“I know how to use them! Dragonslayer has jumpjets as well!”
Kelly rolled her eyes behind her faceplate. “There’s a difference between piloting a jump-capable ‘Mech and a suit of power armour.”
“Yes, the power armour sucks!” Cat shook her head, trying to clear the mud from her faceplate before starting to wipe it off - or smear it across her armour. “I should…”
“What are you doing? Get moving! You can rest when you’re dead!” the sound of Sergeant Gillian McKenzie rang in their ears - the non-commissioned officer training them had a radio override.
”Yes, Sergeant!” Kelly snapped, turning around.
“Yes, Sergeant!” Cat would add some expletives under her breath, Kelly knew, but she got moving as well - to the next part of the obstacle course of the First Royals’ base. The pool.
Or, as Cat called it, ‘the maelstrom of death’.
It wasn’t deep. Nor was there a current in the pool. But it was wide - wide enough so they couldn’t just jump over it. Not without jets, and those were disabled on their Nighthawks until further notice.
No, what made this obstacle so tricky was the combination of a shoulder-deep pool and a moving floor. Supposedly, it taught you how to handle rough terrain without risking damage to your suit.
Cat insisted it taught you how to drown in power armour. Kelly couldn’t, not with good conscience, contradict her. She was in the lead, so she jumped into the pool - and her armoured boots slipped as soon as she hit the ground. She tried to compensate, but the water hindered her, and she started to tilt forward, her leg too slow to regain her balance, and…
A hand grabbed her shoulder, pulling her back. Cat! “Thank you!”
“Sure thing. Didn’t you learn not to jump into murky water as a child?” Cat asked. “You need to climb into the pool.”
Kelly knew that, but they had lost enough time, and she wasn’t looking forward to being called out for slowness as well as ineptitude. Sergeant McKenzie was an Infantry NCO and probably loved to take down Mechwarriors. “I’ll remember th…”
Cat yelping and flailing interrupted her - her friend had slipped as well. Kelly moved forward, but Cat’s arm hit her side and sent her reeling as well. She took a step back… and slipped.
And both sank to the ground in the murky pool. Great. Another death flag.
“Why are we doing this, anyway?” Cat complained again when they had finally managed to climb out of the pool. “We should just get stealth suits!”
“Try to tell Nastajia that,” Kelly suggested as she started a light jog towards the next obstacle.
“Ugh, no thanks.” Nastajia had made her opinion of what was the minimum amount of body armour that she considered acceptable for their plan quite clear. Probably because Alex would be using it as well.
And, to be fair, Kelly was fine with that. The suit could withstand heavy machine guns - for a time only, of course. And that meant she wouldn’t even notice most small arms fire. In a pinch, this could be the difference between success and death.
Even though the training regime was far harsher than the academy had been. Not that she’d ever admit that where an infantrywoman could hear it - she was a Mechwarrior, after all.
*****
Royal Palace, Unity City, Dreamland, January 16th, 3050
“Ow!”
Stepping out of the bathroom, Kelly rolled her eyes at her friend - they were in the privacy of their quarters. “You pressed for that last round.”
“So we’d qualify and could stop doing this. Ow.” Cat, lying on Kelly’s bed, wet hair splayed over the silk cushions, moaned again.
Which they hadn’t. Kelly shook her head, then winced when the muscles in her neck protested. She had overdone it as well. At least she had fewer bruises than Cat - she hadn’t been quite as enthusiastic as her friend. Still… She sighed. “Well, let me check you out.” She walked over and sat down on the bed, running a hand over Cat’s back. “Yes, tense is an understatement,” muttered.
“I’m battered and bruised,” Cat replied - mostly talking into the cushion. “A bit of tension is nothing.”
Kelly used her thumb to dig into one muscle.
“Ow!”
“Yes, you need a massage.” Before Cat could answer, Kelly straddled her legs and started working the tension out of her back. “I’ll expect you to return the favour.”
“You know I’m not as good at massage as you areOW! Ah!” Cat sighed.
“Do your best.” Which usually was good enough, Kelly knew.
Besides, they’d release more tension after this, in other ways.
“Ow! How are you doing with your family?” Cat asked.
“Fine.”
“Really?”
Kelly sighed. “I might have to give up another cache so my mother won’t be overly influenced by my brother.”
“What’s left?”
“A Leopard which went missing checking out a former Hegemony planet. Full lance on board,” Kelly told her, working on her neck muscles now.
“Oh, that one - the one on the ice planet?”
“Yes.” They had recovered that one in Dreamland. Which meant that children had seen it and had been dreaming about it before the last dome on the planet was breached, and the world turned into an ice ball devoid of life.
For a moment, neither of the two said anything as Kelly finished her massage.
Then she nudged Cat. “Come on, your turn.”
Cat groaned but rolled over, and Kelly lay down in her spot. Her back needed a massage as well, after all.
*****
The Triad, Tharkad City, Tharkad, Federated Commonwealth, February 20th, 3050
“You’re barely eating,” Mum said, frowning as she put down her fork and looked at Cat. “Is something wrong with the food?”
“No, no, I’m just… distracted,” Cat replied. By the fact that tonight she’d flee the Triad. Or tomorrow, depending on how the timing worked out. Not that she could say that.
Mum sighed, then straightened. “Do you miss your father and your siblings?”
She did, but not enough to abandon her plans. Not as much as she missed Kelly and Dragonslayer. She bit her lower lip to distract herself from the guilt she felt. Her flight would hurt her family. But she had no choice.
“You could have travelled with them to New Avalon.” Mum smiled. “I was tempted, but… I’m the Archon.”
“I know,” Cat replied. But Tharkad was closer to Solaris than New Avalon. And If she disappeared on New Avalon, any jumpships going towards the Confederation would be scrutinised far more than any others. Tharkad, though, and the Lyran half of the Federated Commonwealth, had too much traffic for that. “It’s not that.”
“What is bothering you?”
“The Horde,” Cat said. Technically, it wasn’t a lie - she was worried about the Horde as well. “They’re out there, preparing an invasion. I know it.” They had found too many children with dreams of the Horde ‘Mechs.
“Well…” Mum’s smile changed a little. “We’ve sent more scouts out, but they haven’t reported in yet.”
“Like the Kell Hounds’ Third Battalion,” Cat grumbled.
Mum sighed once more. “We can’t move regiments to the border to the periphery on a hunch, Katherine.”
She knew that as well. “It’s not a hunch. It’s an educated guess based upon trusted intel.”
Mum didn’t object, but Cat knew that she didn’t believe her. “And if we shifted more forces towards the Periphery, Rasalhague would assume we’re planning an invasion, which might drive them into the arms of the Combine. Which would reinforce their borders as well.”
“I know.” And if everyone mobilised and shifted forces, that would only help once the invasion hit. But Mum and Dad wouldn’t move enough troops, so what regiments they did move - split up to look for the Kell Hounds - would get destroyed in detail.
Mum slightly shook her head, still smiling. “And how goes your training?”
Cat rolled her eyes. That was too patronising. “Very well. If you’d let me pilot a Victor, I would show it to you.” That was a lie - she hadn’t been training nearly as much in her ‘Mech as she had trained to pilot - to wear and operate - a Nighthawk.
“That would draw too much attention.”
Cat shrugged. She was already marked for death. Another reason to flee - she would stop endangering her family and her security detail. Still, leaving Mum, leaving her family… They would be hurt. And worry.
But she had no choice. She couldn’t stay. The longer she stayed, the worse her situation would become. Kelly was under even more pressure, what with her brother and mother.
And Alex had used another of his Star League legacy assets on Terra to set this up; he didn’t have unlimited numbers of those, and with everyone he used, ComStar gained more information.
No, it would have to be today. Tonight. She smiled at Mum. “I’m sorry for…” She shrugged again, guilt filling her.
“I know you’re concerned, Katherine, but Hanse and I have the situation in hand. And even if the invasion starts tomorrow, we’ll counter it.”
You’ll try, Cat thought. Try and fail because you don’t know the enemy. And because you don’t trust me and my ‘intel’.
But if she vanished tonight, then her parents would finally have proof that Dreamland existed.
Another reason to leave her family. One of several.
And yet she couldn’t help feeling guilty for what she would be doing to her family.
Tonight.
*****
