Chapter One Hundred and Nineteen: Reckoning
St. Ives, November 25th, 3026
"Ian," I greeted the First Prince of the Federated Suns. "Please tell me that you're here to install a permanent military governor."
"I am." He responded. "I even brought her with me, and I believe you'll find it fitting."
"It's Romano isn't it?" I asked bluntly, not wanting to play the games that Ian found funny.
"How do you always know these things?" Ian asked exasperatedly.
"Because it's obvious." I said with an eye roll. "Romano knows our laws, and because she herself integrated into the Federated Suns, she's more equipped than many of our people at the integration part of conquering a nation."
"I'm sorry about Peterson." Ian said after he had tried to have his fun. "He was a good man."
"Peterson made a choice." I said gravely, "And that choice led to the survival of the majority of his men." I shook my head sadly. "I've already filed for adoption of his son Frank Peterson, and I'm going to finish raising him for the next five years before he becomes an adult."
"The quest for vengeance often ends in two graves." Ian Davion said.
"No, it doesn't." I interrupted him before he could finish. "Revenge is an important part of human nature, and it often goes hand in hand with Justice. In fact, I can find evidence as a Christian that even Yahweh Himself ordained revenge as necessary. It's just that said revenge belongs to him if you're a convert." I took a breath. "Revenge doesn't mean you have to be prepared to dig two graves, and it's meant to serve as closure, a way to ensure that someone who has committed an evil act against you is no longer alive to commit said acts again." I raised my hand to prevent Ian from interjecting. "Despite what the Tri-Vids will tell you, Revenge isn't inherently evil, and is in fact one of the most human things there is. The only time it becomes a problem is when you are focused on it to the exclusion of everything else as Mad Max was."
"I think that we are going to have to agree to disagree on this one." Ian said after a moment of contemplation. "And I think you've spent a little too long on the battlefields old man."
"I'm only seven years older than you Ian, and when you reach fifty you'll hope to look this good." I responded. "Now, I'm going to go collect my forces and start rebuilding the 2nd Kentares." I paused, "Unless you needed anything else?"
"Actually yes." Ian stopped me. "Did you get the chance to survey the factories here on St. Ives?"
"Yes," I responded. "You've got two Mothballed factories you might want to Have NAIS and another company take a look at."
"You don't want more production?" Ian asked, confused. "Sharpshooter was my first choice."
"Ian, I am hiring people as fast as we can train and vet them for the things we are already doing," I said with a sigh. "And with us having to set up the Rampage and Ymir lines I negotiated with Katrina for I've got my hands full." I sagged a bit. "Not to mention the fact that we're supposed to reopen two shipyards this year, and one next year."
"Oh," Ian said as he realized just how much Sharpshooter was doing. "You left one of the Yards over New Rhodes, moved one over to Kentares, and another to Markesan right?"
"Yes Ian, and the New Rhodes yards are going to be opened in December, the Kentares yards this month, and Markesan next year."
"Well, what factories can be reopened here on St. Ives?" Ian asked. "Reconstruction is one of the things we have found helps with integration."
"There are a couple of Emperor lines that were mothballed because the XLFE lines were destroyed, and the same with the Pillager." I shrugged, "I'm not sure why they didn't downgrade them to a lesser tech base instead of Mothballing them, but if you can get the Gauss Rifle and XLFE feeders back up and running you'll have two Assault 'mech factories ready to go."
"Alright then," Ian said in response, "Go home and get some rest, you and your people have earned it."
"You bet your royal ass we have." I responded. "We're still available if you need help, but we took some serious losses that will take time to fill."
"Get together with Frederick Steiner." Ian suggested. "I think he's in the same boat right now."
Kentares IV, March 27th, 3027
"Well, we're going to have to wait for the remainder of the 1st Marksman to arrive," I said to Natasha as we finally were able to sit down on the front porch of the Ducal Estate. "I'm keeping Godbolt as CO of the 2nd Kentares Guard, but both Peterson and his XO Hathaway were killed over Sian when the Defender was destroyed."
"Move Carter up." Natasha suggested. "She is effective at her job, and is more likely to keep a level head than any of the other people we could move into Peterson's role."
"And the fact that She's been on a training rotation for the last little while should help her get them back up to full strength." I agreed. "We are going to have to wait on replacing the machines though." I said with a shrug, "Most of ours are currently promised to other places, and our waiting list only grew longer with us taking what we had available in order to replenish what the Highlanders lost."
"That is acceptable." Natasha replied with a raised eyebrow. "We can move some of our non upgraded Ducal Guard machines over to whatever needs to be replaced."
"I guess you're right there." I said after a moment of consideration. "We do still have a large supply of the Omnimechs you brought back with us even if we only let your Marauders keep using theirs."
"Outfit the entirety of the Ducal Guard with the Omnimechs." Natasha said. "Unless you desire to keep your Warhammer we can then distribute the salvage that we took from St. Ives to our other units as well in order to keep them at full strength in machinery even if we have to train up more pilots."
"When did you get so good at logistics Nat?" I asked with a smirk and a twinkle in my eye.
"It must have been when Sheppard drilled it into all of our heads in training." Natasha responded with a look. "And I would caution you from continuing on this path or you may regret it."
"I give." I raised my hands in faux surrender. "Now we need to go check up on Frank, he's been locked in his fathers house since the funeral."
"Death comes for us all one day." Natasha said introspectively. "And it is often only in someone's death that you acutely feel their presence missing."
"It doesn't help that I've basically been raising him since Francesca died." I responded sadly. "Peterson was a good officer, but he too often did not act as a good father."
"It is the truly sad thing about his departure from this life." Natasha said as we walked back inside. "That he had truly started to reconcile before his passing."
"You can't afford to miss an opportunity to spend time with loved ones." I agreed. "You never know if that might be the last time that you see them. "