35.WI.27, Adlon hotel, Lyonnesse, UMF
“You gave us a scare,” Nadya said with a deep sigh once the others had left.
“I gave myself one,” Ti said lightly, dropping heavily into a chair.
Ti had called his Kin together from around Terra Nova using long-dormant protocols. Each arrived without the knowledge of who had called them, jeopardizing their covers, but Ti felt he owed it to them to see them face to face. As risky as it might have been for most of his Kin to be in one place at one time, it was also the most expedient way to get back to normal business after his long absence.
“I’m sorry,” he said more earnestly when he looked at her troubled face. “I wish I could have told you earlier I was all right.”
“I know,” she said bitterly.
Ti understood her state; Nadya felt she deserved to be notified first, but she had to understand why he had to treat them all equally and speak to them all at once. She most of all.
“I thought they would be more surprised,“ he said, trying to lighten her mood. It worked briefly.
“Anyone who knows you,” she said with a short laugh, “couldn’t be surprised. Maybe you need to get to know yourself better.”
“No thanks, I’ve spent enough time with myself,” Ti said self-deprecatingly. He wondered if Tom would be surprised when he went to find him after his guest had left. Again her cheeks reddened threateningly and a terrible pall came over her.
Ti tried to understand where she was coming from. Maybe she knew that this wasn’t his first stop since his return to life. It would come out eventually, he concluded.
“So. Fill me in in broad strokes.”
She took another deep breath and sat opposite him on the edge of her seat, her hands clasped tightly together and wedged between her knees.
“Well, the Kolsons are out of the loop. The Bear no longer has any viable assets there so we’ve scaled back our interests. I’ve reassigned Brenda, but we’ve kept Markus in place. Even if it doesn’t directly relate to Tantalus anymore, he’s deeply rooted and we figured that had some long-term value.”
“Just so,” Ti said as she calmed. He was vaguely aware of these facts because of his recent activities, but it was good to see Nadya taking charge and leading confidently. It made him proud.
“Speaking of in deep, my cover is still good in Schroeder’s camp. Wait until you see the intel I’ve pulled.”
“Is it what we expected? Tell me,” Ti asked, righting himself in his chair expectantly.
“Jackpot,” she said with her first smile. “I think we know what the Bear is up to. We’re still tracking the remnants of WestCorp, which, as you know is now WestRim.”
“Brenda?” Ti guessed.
“No, you’ll love this,” she said, truly pleased and dragging out the moment of enjoyment. “They’ve made overtures to Paxton. The Doc was kind enough to pull some strings and…”
“Thalia? Where is she?” Ti fancied, for a moment, that he truly understood Tom’s self-satisfaction when well-laid plans came to fruition.
“In the Humanist Alliance,” Nadya’s smile faded as though she had just swallowed something bitter. Her voice lost all excitement. “There’s more,” she paused as though steeling herself to deliver dreadful news. “Your special interests are there too.”
Heavy Gear Roleplaying Game
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