A Father, Lost

[CarcerKango]

Jake couldn't hide the childlike eagerness in his eyes as he gazed down at any aerocraft he could spot. He was, after all, a pilot, and couldn't resist seeing what kind of machinery the airbase had on hand.

[Akirapryde]

As the transport made its orbit of the large island complex, Jake could make out seventy six fighters lined up in formation near hangers. There were also some eighteen small craft near the fighters. But what caught Jake's eyes with this group were two types of small craft. Three of those small craft had an oval disk above the fuselage of the craft. It took Jake a moment to realize that what he was looking at was a powerful sensor array. Three of those small craft had been converted in to some kind of advanced AWAC's craft.

Then there were a group of small craft located at Tetsuhara Airfield. Much like the craft that Jake was riding in, these were armed corporate craft. But it was the large Fortress that caught Jake's eyes. Along its side was a noticeable scare from damage that had been long repaired. Jake had seen a wound on another Fortress just like that one. But it couldn't be!

[Ice Hellion]

Still looking through the window, Adrian began to ask questions

When was it built? Did it suffer any attacks?

[Akirapryde]

She tapped one of the bodyguards, "please tell the pilot one more time around."

The bodyguard nodded and communicated the request.

Kimiko then turned back to Adrian, "the original structure was built during the years before the Star League. Built by the Terran Hegemony as a scientific research facility. During its time, it has been subject of many raids. However since my family moved it, it has not been attacked."

Colonel Jones smiled, "that is not completely true Duchess. Back in fifty eight, we were attacked by those Blakist bastards. A lot of gratitude for everything we have done for them."

Kimiko looked shocked, "what do you mean?"

[CarcerKango]

Jake looked startled as well, wondering why he hadn't been told of this before, until hie realized that it came as a surprise to Kimiko, too. He decided to wait and see how this played out...but a voice of doubt had begun to grow. If this was such a surprise to the Duchess, then what else might blindside the party?

[Ice Hellion]

Hearing the discussion, Adrian made a mental note to check later on that.
Information within information within information: different history, different Clans, Lyrans, Blackies... all this on a single world.

More info was needed, more time to process it and to find out about the big and the small pictures.

For now, Adrian decided to wait and listen.

[Akirapryde]

Colonel Jones scanned the craft before saying, "maybe this should be disgust in private, Duchess."

Kimiko's face grew red, "you started this conversation in mixed company. Now finish it."

Jones nodded, "as you wish. It was early fifty three. You had returned to school at Cypress. No one liked the current leadership within Comstar. Most notably Primus Waterly. But the way Focht murdered her didn't sit well with your father or others."

"When Precentor Aziz and her followers should up our doors, your father wasn't a supporter of their cause. But he was a man of honor. The group had been hounded by Focht and his followers. They had wounded among them. Your father opened Wyvern Castle to them. He told them they had one week to tend to their wounded."

She leaned forward, "make no mistake young Duchess. To your father and your family hospitality means a great deal. When Focht and his hord showed up, they demanded Aziz and her followers to be handed over. Your father refused and at one point a fire fight broke out in the grand entry hall. It was short lived and stopped at the orders of Focht."

"Cooler heads prevailed, and your father and Focht discussed the issue. Your father held fast to his word. One week! We fought to defend Aziz and her fanatics. Five years later they return the favor by attacking our home."

[Akirapryde]

Suki leaned over and whispered to Adrian, "I recognize some of the names but others I don't. Who or what is the Blakist?"

Kimiko continued to listen before asking, "it makes no sense. Why would Aziz come to my father for help. We weren't involved in the internal affairs of Comstar. None of this makes any sense."

Colonel Jones nodded, "I understand that this doesn't make sense. But as you learn more of your father's secrets it will. For now I will just say, in fifty seven Aziz came to your father and demanded his support for her cause. You do have to realize that when you left New Earth for Luthien, you took your father's strength with you. He retired to his library and hardly left."

She looked down and let out a deep sigh, "when Aziz showed up, your father was a mere shadow of the man that he once was. We, of the Brigade, made the call in support of your father's vision. We refused to support Aziz and her cause. A week later, the blakist attacked us."

[CarcerKango]

Jake was well beyond his political comfort zone by this point, and he shifted his weight from one foot to the other uncertainly, listening to the history politely but saying nothing.

[Ice Hellion]

Adrian was torn as he couldn't see how to handle Suki, the Comstar groupie.
He tried the best he could and this is where he had regrets that his social skills were not so good.

Well... you know that political parties and religions are full of people with different points of view. Blakies are that a sub-group with some radical points of view on a lot of things.

At the same time, his mind was racing as something was really not right with this conversation.
Somehow Adrian found what was wrong. How come Suki didn't know about Word of Blake?