It’s a Peaceful Life (Battletech AU/SI)

[Kenji Kage]

So just found this and it's awesome so watched now


Mh it would be really interesting if our mc found a star league datacore backup site under his barn


Also the best place to relax, get sun , stay active and be out of sight would be a farm wouldn't it. it's the best place to recover

 

[MarkWarrior]

The thing about grief, is that there are times when it bubbles back up to the surface. I've been here on New Avalon and in this universe for four years now. But sometimes, that sense of loss still rises. Like dead leaves blowing into a crystal clear lake. It disrupts the calm surface and sends ripples through the rest of the day.

Today was one of those days. I woke up just feeling so very tired. The returning wave of grief settled like a heavy weight across my back as I sat up and swung my legs around and off of the bed.

Despite how I felt, I knew that I still had to finish working on things around the farm. But after I finished the chores, I was going to head into town. Even if being around people wouldn't feel great right now. It would still help. Humans aren't meant to be alone. We thrive on community, family, and being around others.

The Twins and other animals helped lift my spirits as I tended to them. Unfortunately, for all that they had personalities and brought joy to my life. They weren't people. I could talk to them, but they would never be able to respond in kind. Or really understand what I was going through.

And no, I knew that no one else had likely been ripped from their time and dropped into a place where they had scarce knowledge and nothing to rely on. But I knew people that had once been ripped away from families. I could sympathize and understand them. And the somewhat shared experiences would help.

With that in mind, I climbed into my truck and started the engine. I was heading to the city, and I might as well do a few errands while I was there.

–
–

The farm may have been my main project and restoring it my focus. But I did still have one hobby that I had started when they let out of whatever facility I had been kept in for the first year. Sure, they'd turned me loose and given me citizenship and a sum of money to keep me alive and quiet, but they didn't leave me anything to go off of after that.

So, outside of finding an entry level job in the first year to supplement the sum they were giving me, I'd found a hobby. It had started with something modern. I'd picked up a variant of the Federated Suns standard sidearm and current issue rifle. Then, I gradually began working my way back through the centuries. At first, just because I found the evolution of the technology interesting. Then, as I began going further and further back in time it became something more.

It was enabling me to reach for something familiar, something that I could connect to my old life, even if it were just for a moment. Something tangible that I could put my hands on and hold that would at least let me relive some of my past.

Until today, the furthest back I had found anything was from the early 2300s. But today, one of the gun shops and antique stores I frequented had multiple items that caught my interest.

"I picked up a bunch of stuff at an estate sale," William smiled at me as he placed a couple of large cases on the counter. "I held onto them because I knew you'd want to take a look."

"Oh?" I raised an eyebrow and stepped up to the counter and gestured for him to open one of the cases. "William, whatever you found it must be worth a fortune, why would you be holding onto them for me?"

"You're my friend," the man shrugged. "And I don't think that the people running the estate knew what they had on their hands. They were too busy trying to milk money out of the 'Mechs, paintings, and other shit like that. Besides, even if you buy one or two of these, I'll still make good money off of the rest of them."

William opened the case, revealing two rifles. One that I was intimately familiar with, one that I recognized out of a history book, and a pistol that was an antique in the time I originally came from.

"How much do you want for them?" I asked.

"Same as you paid for the Mauser," William replied. "I'll make way more off of the rest of the collection."

"No," I shook my head. "I know that this is worth way more than that."

"Mark," William shook his head, grinning wryly. "You know that I'd have never been able to stay open if you hadn't pointed out that I was getting swindled on some of the older stuff I've got here. I know you won't let me just give them to you. But I won't accept more than what you paid for the 960. I know the bakery's been closed for six months or so and that you're just selling meat and products from the farm."

"Fine," I sighed and reached for my wallet. "I'll take it."

"I'll throw in a few boxes of ammunition too," William accepted the money. "I know you don't have any Safe Queens."

"Damn straight," I chuckled. "Clean 'em, take care of your tools, and your animals, and they'll take care of you."

---

"I thought I'd find you here," Hanse looked at Katherine as she sat in the gardens, the sun beaming down on her. "If not for the amount of work that I had to do following my own ordeal, I'd have done the same."

"It's so warm," Katherine replied, her eyes closed as she relaxed into the grass. "I didn't think it would be warm again."
"The cells were cold," Hanse said, his body present, but his mind absent and far away as his own experiences were brought to the forefront of his mind. "And the people and tables were colder."

"I couldn't count the days," Katherine opened her eyes after a few moments of silence and glanced at her father..

"I know," Hanse replied, sitting down beside his daughter and laying down in the grass. "The blank spots in your mind from the drugs and interrogations eventually fill themselves in. But you'll wish that they didn't at times."

"I don't like being inside the mountain," she continued. "It's too cold. It feels like I'm trapped again."

"Recovery doesn't happen overnight," Hanse looked into the sky. "It's going to take years for you to work through it. But you can do it. Now, let's get you inside. We've got to discuss what's happening in the Federated Commonwealth and what our plans for the future need to be."

"The Combine or FWL did something, didn't they?" Katherine raised an eyebrow as she pushed herself up to her feet.

"Ha!" Hanse laughed, easing himself up more slowly. "I wish. No, there's something else going on. But it needs to be discussed somewhere more secure."

"Can we find somewhere outside?" Katherine asked. "I don't want to go inside," She glanced up at the sun. "Not yet, anyway."

"I think we can find a secure enough location for it," Hanse said, his hand going to his chin as he considered something. "In fact, I think I know just the place. He should probably be brought up to date on some things given he's the reason we knew enough to have extra HUMINT along the Periphery borders."

Author's Note: Having Surgery tomorrow morning and won't be able to look at any screens for a week.

 

[Strictpig]

Thanks for the chapter!!

Also good luck with your surgery hope you feel better soon!

 

[Inbredmartian]

Good luck, hope everything goes ok!

 

[visus]

Good fortune to you.

 

[lordhighalnder]

Author's Note: Having Surgery tomorrow morning and won't be able to look at any screens for a week.

Click to shrink...

Please dont get replaced by a Liao/Comstar plant!

 

[GrimmKenway8646]

"I think we can find a secure enough location for it," Hanse said, his hand going to his chin as he considered something. "In fact, I think I know just the place. He should probably be brought up to date on some things given he's the reason we knew enough to have extra HUMINT along the Periphery borders."

Author's Note: Having Surgery tomorrow morning and won't be able to look at any screens for a week

Click to shrink...

Good luck bro. Hope for a healthy recovery for you and Katherine.

 

[Sceonn]

"I think we can find a secure enough location for it," Hanse said, his hand going to his chin as he considered something. "In fact, I think I know just the place. He should probably be brought up to date on some things given he's the reason we knew enough to have extra HUMINT along the Periphery borders."


Author's Note: Having Surgery tomorrow morning and won't be able to look at any screens for a week.

Click to shrink...

With zero concern that your nation caused the man you're about to impose yourself upon the exact same thing that your enemies did to you and your daughter and he finds your presence traumatic.

Just leave the man alone and take care of your own issues, he doesn't need to be conscripted to deal with Davion crap.

~~~Safe recovery to you~~~

 

[MarkWarrior]

One of the first things I'd done with the property once I'd bought this old farm and the acreage around it was use the old tractor to create a berm on an isolated field. I occasionally allowed the herds and flocks to graze the tall grass down. Mostly though, I went over those fields with the tractor to keep them clear of debris or tall grass.

When I'd first set up the berm, I'd paced out distance shooting for five to six hundred yards. Sure, I could have done eight hundred or a thousand yards for distance. But I mostly did this for fun and for trying out the antiques I'd been collecting, so I wasn't too concerned about further ranges.

After doing the long range distance measurements, I'd set up close range markers for pistol shooting at the three yard, seven, ten, twenty-five, and fifty yard ranges. The same way that the local ranges had been set up in the town I'd grown up in.

All of this led to what I was currently doing. The room that I'd set aside in the farmhouse for an 'armory' of sorts. There were guns from the centuries hung across the walls, work benches with spare parts and tools, and a small table with various handguns and sidearms I'd collected were laying.

"Over a thousand years, and of all the things to be found in an antique shop," I laughed. "A Mosin Nagant and an M-16A4."

Both of the rifles were in decent shape for their age. Sure, there were some scuff marks and wear, but the bolts were still in immaculate shape, and the barrels were fine aside from a bit of wear.

My goal for today was to strip, clean, and lubricate the antiques before taking them out to the range and seeing how they performed.

The Mosin went first, I'd removed the bolt and wiped it down before running a barrel snake down it, pulling any carbon or other remnants out of the rifling grooves. Then I grabbed a bottle of lubricant and dropped a few drops on the bolt and into the receiver before rocking it back in.

I tripled-checked that the rifle was clear before racking the bolt a few times. I listened and felt how much smoother the motion was before flipping the safety off and gently squeezing the trigger.

"Nice," I reset the trigger once more to ensure functionality and then set the old rifle back down.

Then I turned to the M-16. This particular rifle was clearly a product of the difference in this universe versus my original one. The stock was made out of a lighter and more durable material than I'd expected, the quad rail and front sight post were about what I'd expected though. Unfortunately, the carry handle hadn't been a part of the package, leaving the flat top bare until I'd found a new model ACOG to complete the look.

The biggest difference wasn't in the materials construction though, it was in the select-fire capability. Where I'd come from, the M16A4 had a three round burst option that was widely debated on. Here in this world though, it didn't have that option. You had semi, or fully-automatic fire.

While it was interesting though, it didn't change the way that the weapon handled, or was cleaned. I pushed the bolts through, separated the upper and lower receivers and got to work.

I rang a small rag through the lower receiver, carefully cleaning the springs and other small parts before leaving small drops of lubricant behind. Then, I pulled the bolt carrier group out and winced. The thing was filthy, and I wasn't willing to test fire or shoot this until I'd verified that it was clean and functional.

Grabbing a small tub, I filled it with a chemical and dropped the parts into it, they'd do the hard work of breaking down the build-up on the more delicate parts until I could get back to it.

Then the doorbell rang.

"One minute!" I yelled upstairs before closing the door behind me.

Sage and Thyme got up from their beds and stretched before bounding ahead of me to the door, their barks both a threat and a welcome to anyone who might be there.

I reached the front door and swung it open, revealing a handful of people.

"Good morning," Hanse fucking Davion smiled at me. "Mind if we come in?"

But he wasn't the one that caught my attention. No, my attention was on the blond whose head was currently buried in my chest.

"Hey Kat," I smiled, gently patting her on the back. "It's been a while."

She didn't respond, but I could feel some warm tears staining the front of my shirt.

"Come on in," I stepped backward, bringing the young woman with me. "Let's get settled down in the living room."

I gestured towards a room of the house, nodding at the small security detail to indicate that they were welcome as well.

"Puppies!" the smaller Steiner-Davion squealed in the other room.

"Y'Know," I looked at the hair that was all I could see of my friend. "I appreciate hugs as much as the next person. But we should probably go to the living room."

"It's warm here," she whispered, her voice barely audible to my strained ears.

"Home usually is," I smiled as her face turned towards me, revealing red eyes from the tears. "And you're safe here."

I might not know what exactly was going on. But Kat reacting like this meant that something bad had happened. I didn't need to know what it was, I just needed to be there for her.

Of course, Sage and Thyme had been ignored for far too long. Sage nudged at Kat's hands while Thyme sat staring at the two of us, her head cocked as if to criticize us for not paying enough attention to her.

"Of course," Kat pulled away from me and knelt, her hand stretching towards Thyme. "How could I forget the two of you? The most important people on the farm."

The twins wagged their tails and tucked in close to Katherine.

"We should probably meet in the living room," I said after a few minutes. "I don't want your sister to make off with my new minions before I've even started training them."

"Minions?" Kat asked, standing up and drying the last of her tears.

"Someone in my church had a dog pay a visit to their Great Pyranese that was in heat," I replied, heading for the living room where peals of laughter were heard. "I haven't tested to see what mix they are, but they're all a bunch of fluffballs."

The living room had two couches, and a pair of recliners facing a fireplace. A handful of lone bookshelves dotted the walls and a small corral/playpen was currently containing the furry minions in a corner of the room.

Hanse was sitting on one recliner, a smile on his face as he watched his youngest daughter play with the three month old puppies.

"See," I pointed at the puppies who were doing their job of containing the teenager in my living room. "Perfect minions. They're keeping the teenage angst far away from here."

"Teenage angst?" Hanse asked as I sat down on another recliner and Kat wandered over to the puppies.

"Most teenagers want to be dark, edgy, and counter to what their parents were," I shrugged. "It normally runs its course with their hormones and levels out once they hit adulthood. That said, angsty for your kids might be them deciding to attend Blackjack instead of NAMA or the Nagelring. I dunno, I'm not exactly from around here. When I was a kid, it was listening to music your parents wouldn't approve of and trying to break curfew. But whatever I know is a thousand years out of date and a universe away."

"I had actually meant to speak to you about that," Hanse said after a moment of processing what I'd just said. "However, I think it can wait for a while. She hasn't been as peaceful as this in months," his gaze wasn't on me but was on Katherine. "I'll let her tell you when she's ready. But I think you'll need to hear about some of the other things that have been going on."

"First Prince," I stopped him. "I don't need to know what's going on in the rest of the Federated Commonwealth. I'm not responsible for any of it aside from properly stewarding my property, and I don't have a need to know. Regardless of how I came to be a citizen of your nation, I'm here and want to be treated as one. You did what you had to as the leader of a nation, I'm not upset about it. I'm content here."

"It does seem a peaceful life," Hanse looked around at the restored farmhouse.

"It is," I smiled, meeting Kat's eyes as a handful of puppies slept in her lap. "That it is."

Author's Note: Eye surgery went well. I'm still a bit tired, but I think that the week I spent stewing on my ideas is reflected pretty well in this chapter. Also, I apologize for allowing my inner gun nerd to dive into the weapons. But there's no version of me that exists that doesn't think firearms are cool. Even the cursed gun images are interesting to me. Just to see how they get to some of those ideas.

 

[Inbredmartian]

Good to have you back healthy and whole! Also can't wait for the eventual gun room breakdown and rant to Hanse over the idiotic nature of small arms, infantry tactics and organization and such when he gets a little liquid courage and past the whole 'it's not my place' attitude lol.

After all! The peak of infantry gear and weapons shouldn't be hundreds year old overweight laser boondoggles! lol. Can't wait for more!

 

[Baldrick the Wise]

A Mosin Nagant

Click to shrink...

And after the first shot, cosmoline will start oozing out of it, despite thousand years of cleaning.

Where I'd come from, the M16A4 had a three round burst option that was widely debated on. Here in this world though, it didn't have that option. You had semi, or fully-automatic fire.

Click to shrink...

Obviously the SI ended up in the best possible AU.

 

[Snakespm]

First things first, good to hear that your surgery went well.

I mean no offense when I say this, but it feels like you are dragging the opening to this story out a bit too much. It has been 24 chapters, and honestly I am not really sure what genre it is going to be.

If it is going to be a slice of life or hurt/comfort fic, that is fine as I enjoy those. If it is going to be a spy/thriller, that's great too. I'd just like to know what general direction you are planning to take this.

 

[MarkWarrior]

First things first, good to hear that your surgery went well.

I mean no offense when I say this, but it feels like you are dragging the opening to this story out a bit too much. It has been 24 chapters, and honestly I am not really sure what genre it is going to be.

If it is going to be a slice of life or hurt/comfort fic, that is fine as I enjoy those. If it is going to be a spy/thriller, that's great too. I'd just like to know what general direction you are planning to take this.

Click to shrink...

The only reason I dove into the spy/thriller at all or went bit scale with things was to justify the DoppelKat!

But why couldn't I do both? The dichotomy of one person enjoying a life outside of the big stressors versus the big schemes and warfare through the Inner Sphere isn't something that gets touched on very much in most fiction. If it's mentioned at all.

 

[MarkWarrior]

"No, don't paw my face," Katherine tried to sternly correct one of the puppies but felt her heart give way to the cute and innocent face. "Fine," She jokingly sighed. "C'mere," She pulled the white fluff into her lap and scratched behind his ears.

His pink tongue lolled out of his mouth, and the puppy panted in joy, his leg occasionally trying to scratch at his ear before pausing as Katherine got to it first.

Eventually, the puppy got bored and stood up, leaving her lap to wrestle with one of his brothers or sisters. Pouncing on one and rolling around, nipping and yipping at each other.

Looking up, she noticed her father and Mark talking about something, their voices low among the loud puppies. She saw the expression on her father's face. He was initially troubled before his expression smoothed into calm at something Mark said. An odd look was on Hanse's face as he considered something.

Mark's eyes then wandered around the living room and met hers. His eyes shone with mirth as he smiled and responded to her father's words. Then he walked over to the playpen gate.

"These little fellas are a bit overdue to go outside," he said, looking at Kat's younger sister, who was buried in a pile of white fluff. "Can you help me corral these youngsters outside before they have any accidents?"

"Sure!" Yvonne poked her blond head out of the pile, the broad grin never leaving her face as she began to help the puppies out to the yard, one or two at a time.

"Sage, Thyme," Mark whistled. "Outside!"

The two Australian Shepherds ran out the door, following Yvonne and the puppies.

"So," Mark turned to Hanse and Katherine. "We can take this outside in the sunshine while it's still warm out. Or, I can start the fireplace and prepare some dinner for you and your detail. He shrugged. It was apparent Mark hadn't hosted in a while and was uncertain how to move on from here.

Kat moved closer to her father and nudged him with her foot before moving for the front door.

"Dinner would be nice," She called over her shoulder as the screen door flung open.

Mark's farm wasn't the perfect paradise people thought of when they saw farm live depicted in movies or on the Tri-Vid. There were piles of old wood and junk from cleaning up the farm that Mark hadn't dealt with yet, old vehicles and projects in different places, and plenty of more overgrown fields to contrast the flat pasture and neat rows of planted vegetables and root vegetables.

But it was definitely a home. The local star was beginning to shift below the horizon just behind the barn, casting a warm glow over everything. Yvonne and the puppies played in the front yard closest to the house while the Twins kept the puppies from ranging too far away in their exploration.


Katherine shivered, hugging her arms tight around her. Her heart leaped into her chest, her eyes unfocused on the scene before her. Maybe this was all just conjured up in her imagination. She had wanted something warm, so she dreamt it to keep the cold at bay. She might still be in that cell, and this was all one giant simulation her brain had invented to try and make sense of the white walls and the mismatched time.

She was still shaking when she heard the boots on the wooden deck of the front porch.

"Hey," A friendly voice nudged her on the side. "Whatcha thinking about, Kat?"

Mark leaned across the front porch railing and looked out over his property. Even when surprised, he radiated peace with himself and his place in life. A calm in the storm.

She swallowed and exhaled before stepping forward and bumping his shoulder with her own.

"About how much junk is on your farm," She snarked, reaching for sarcasm to disguise the fear still buried within.

"It's a work in progress," Mark gave a short barking laugh. "You should have seen how the rest looked when I bought the place. Instead of the nice piles for me to sort through, they were scattered throughout the fields. There were a bunch of extra lean-twos, broken tractors, you name it."

Mark paused and looked at the cleaned and freshly painted barn, then at the puppies and Yvonne Steiner-Davion playing in the yard.

"In a way, the farm is a lot like myself," He continued, his voice taking an odd wistful tone. "When I first started here, I was a mess. No purpose, no meaning, and no plan on how to go from broken to whole again."

Mark then looked at her, seemingly staring into the fear of her heat.

"But then, with time, effort, a lot of elbow grease, and patience, the pieces started to come together," Mark's voice then firmed up. The wistfulness left, leaving someone with purpose behind. "The farm, like me, isn't finished yet. It may never be finished. Everyone is made up of broken pieces; we're all just trying to fit them back together again."

"I-" Kat cut herself off from explaining what had happened. The fear was now replaced with an odd twisting feeling in the pit of her stomach. It prevented her from saying what she wanted to.

"Talking about things can help," Mark continued gently, noting her paused words with a nod. "But not always. Sometimes, it's better to just take things as they come."

Katherine let the feeling dissipate and leaned into the farmer, momentarily resting her head on his shoulder and enjoying the peace he radiated.

---

The sun had set about an hour ago, allowing the cool air of autumn to set in across my farm. The Steiner-Davions sat in my living room, enjoying the warmth of my hearth while I moved around the kitchen under the watchful eyes of one of their security detail.

I laid steaks out across the pan on the bar, a jar of salt in my hand as I pre-salted them before turning and preheating my oven to the right temp while I let the steaks rest. Then, I peeled open two garlic bulbs, stripped the outer coating, and threw it in a pan with a stick of butter. That would need to break down over time while I set the rest of dinner to cook. I pulled out a bunch of smaller potatoes I'd harvested earlier in the year and put them on the stove with water and a touch of vinegar. The plan was to use the garlic paste on the roasted potatoes and serve them as a side to go with the steaks.

Then, I began chopping up the herbs I'd set out earlier in the day. I chopped until I had a small pile, then tossed them into a bowl before going to the fridge and pulling out the ingredients I needed. Some lime juice, Worcestershire sauce, and a small jar of local honey from the cabinet. I mixed it all into the bowl with the other ingredients and turned it into a paste that would go on the steaks right before I put them in the oven to roast to prep them for the reverse sear.

By that point, it had been ten minutes since I'd salted the steaks, and they were ready to go in the oven after a quick dab of the paste I'd just made and a bit of rosemary laid on top.

"Why are you putting the steaks in the oven?" The guard asked, his eyes tracking the steaks as I placed them in and set a timer.

"It makes the reverse sear better if some of the meat breaks down beforehand," I replied, moving back to the stove, pulling the potatoes off of the stove, and cutting them in half. "When I pull them from the oven, they'll look ugly but end up tasting and looking way better after I sear them. Too much of a sear, and the steak won't be as good. You're looking for that happy medium."

I cut the potatoes in half and threw them into a pan with olive oil to brown. "So, what we're going to do here is brown the potatoes, and then once they're at a nice, crisp point, I'll put some chicken stock in here along with some butter. We'll end up with almost a gravy that goes with the potatoes and the garlic topping."

"I'll take your word for it," the guard laughed.

It took about thirty minutes to bring everything to a finish. The steaks, potatoes, and other veggies I'd cooked were all laid out on plates. Each steak was a perfect seared brown outside, and the largest one I'd cut into for testing was a perfect medium rare.

Washing my hands and wiping them off on my apron, I stepped into the living room.

Hanse, Katherine, and Yvonne were all on the couch, asleep. Katherine's head was leaning on her father, and Yvonne's head was on her lap. The fireplace crackled softly in the background. Even the Twins had decided that it was time to rest. They'd curled up next to Kat's feet and gently snored along with the Steiner-Davions.

I smiled. My heart felt so full at the sight that I almost didn't wake them up. But I knew they would be hungry after a day like this.

"Can you wake them up?" I threw the security detail under the bus with a grin. "I'll set the table."

After a few moments, the sleepy family joined me at the table.

Once everyone was seated, I blessed the food, and we all began to dig in.

"It's been a while since I had steak," Hanse mused as he cut into the meat,"Don't tell your mother or the doctors," He winked at Yvonne. "They might get mad at me."

After everyone started eating, though, the room grew silent. This filled me with a sense of accomplishment. Everyone knows the food is good when the conversation stops so that everyone can enjoy the meal.

"It's starting to get fairly late out there," I glanced out the window at the now-darkened skies. "If y'all don't need to return to the Mountain tonight, you can spend the night here."

"I think," Hanse yawned, not bothering to cover his expressions with the mask he usually wore. "That we'll take you up on that offer."

After everyone finished eating, I collected their plates and piled them into the sink with some soapy water to soak.

"Let me go get the rooms set up for you," I jerked my head toward the upstairs area where most of the bedrooms were. "Though, I do have to warn you. I get up early in the morning to care for all the animals."

With that, I vanished upstairs. I hadn't had guests stay in my house since I'd renovated it, and I wasn't sure if I'd made the beds after the upstairs was finished.

Thankfully, past-me had the foresight to make the beds and set the rooms up correctly. I just needed to do a bit of dusting, and I was set.

I ran the duster over the solid surfaces and then went downstairs.

"Yvonne, Kat, there are four rooms upstairs and a bathroom. I have some basic toiletries up there, but nothing fancy. You're welcome to use whatever I have or pick whichever room you want to sleep in," I then shifted focus to the security detail. "You two can pick wherever you need to be to accomplish your jobs. Hanse, you can have the master bedroom. Now, I've got some chores to get to."

I hugged Katherine and wished everyone goodnight before whistling for Sage and Thyme to follow me out the door. Farm chores could be postponed. But they always came due by the end of the day.

So, flashlight in hand and an old song on my lips, I stepped out into the darkness of the farm.

 

[Inbredmartian]

every royal family has to have their country retreat, and i think Kat and the family as a whole will do nicely with a place to relax and unwind thats not a luxury palace or mansion but something that truly feels like a home. feel sorry for the security detail tho. next time this happens theyll probably 'ask' to set up another barn on the property to stuff a pair of VTOLs, some arms closets and comms gear lol. Cant wait for him to be smug when he mentions how weak and easy it would be to get past his fences and then get free labor from MIIO to update and repair his entire fence line. just imagining him standing smug on his porch while a bunch of poorly disguised MIIO techs and grunts install miles and miles of disguised high tech electrified and reinforced fending lol

 

[ProfessorP.Hardraad]

"It does seem a peaceful life,"

Click to shrink...

Roll credits

 

[Fallout5368]

Now we just have to wait for the resulting freak out from Comstar and the bloody reprisals from the Steiner-Davion side. It is going to be bloody and horrible for Comstar.

 

[Baldrick the Wise]

Clan invasion is starting, so SDs can't really afford a war with Comstar right now. Pointing out to Anastasius how batshit insane the Primus has become and how unrestrained they might become in their answer should do the trick.

 

[NicaEM]

I just discovered this story and I must say that I like it a lot!

My favourite characters are Thyme and Sage!

 

[PiningfortheHebrides]

Now we just have to wait for the resulting freak out from Comstar and the bloody reprisals from the Steiner-Davion side. It is going to be bloody and horrible for Comstar.

Click to shrink...

Turns out Sage and Thyme were Mannei Domini cyborgs this entire time.

 

[MarkWarrior]

I woke up the following day next to the fireplace. The warmth glowing embers of the last few pieces of firewood I'd thrown in the first thing to greet me aside from Sage's cold nose as she nudged my bare foot.

"I'm up," I grunted at the Twins, stretching my arms out over my head and sighing in relief as pops rippled down my spine. "I'll start some breakfast for us after we finish the chores."

Easing up onto my feet, I grabbed my socks and boots before slipping them on and walking out onto the front porch before stopping at what I saw.

The predawn glow peaked over the horizon, the brilliant light streams producing a purple, red, and brilliant sapphire sky in the distance. Two of the three moons were just beginning to recede into the hues of the atmosphere.

With the light's aid, I distributed feed to all of the animals, the pellets rattling in their buckets as the horses and cows fought for position. The sheep, on the other hand, could fend for themselves.

After calling the Twins back in, I knocked the dirt and dust off my boots before moving back inside and into the kitchen.

I blinked at two security guards I didn't recognize from the night before. Then shrugged and continued making coffee. There wasn't enough caffeine in my bloodstream to deal with this yet.

"Mornin'," I spoke. "How do you take your coffee?" I measured out the grounds and turned on the pot.

"Black," One of the two replied, the other nodding in agreement.

"I'll pour y'all a cup once it's ready," I rummaged through the fridge before pulling out the proteins for breakfast today.

Whistling, I poured three cups of coffee and started working on the actual meal for the day. The Bacon went on a baking sheet with the oven preset, and the sausage and eggs were on the cast iron. The toast had to be timed carefully to be ready when everything else was, but it was generally the easiest to cook.

As the smells of breakfast wafted through the house, more people woke up and went downstairs or wandered into the kitchen.

Yvonne was the first of the Steiner-Davions to do so, her eyes lighting up at the sight of the food.

"You're not allergic to Venison, right?" I asked, flipping some sausage over.

"No," she shook her head.

"Good," I gestured towards the plate piled high with food. "The rest of breakfast will take a little while. So you can snack on some sausage if you're hungry now."

The young blond hummed in response before she reached out and grabbed a couple of pieces. Chewing thoughtfully as she smiled in delight.

"Spicy," she chewed on the second piece. "It's good."

"Just try not to drop it or feed it to the dogs," I called out as she entered the living room. "Or you'll have to clean up the mess they leave behind."

The preteen simply waved me off and started playing with the puppies, the balls of fluff crawling all over her.

Hanse was the next person I saw leave his bedroom, but it was apparent he'd been awake and working to some capacity, given how sharp his gaze was when it snapped to the table, now laden with food.

"You like your coffee strong," The First Prince complimented, taking a sip and sighing contently. "Finally, someone who understands instead of giving me watered-down shit like the doctors insist on."

"I won't pretend to speak for doctors," I shrugged. "But sometimes you've got to ignore their advice if you want to actually enjoy life."

Katherine was the last one downstairs as the last plate plate touched the table. Her eyes were barely open and alert, her blond hair was a mess, and the clothes she'd worn to bed the night before were as wrinkled as could be.

"Morning," I greeted her.

"MPH!" her face buried itself in her elbow as she collapsed at the table.

With a laugh, I poured one last cup of coffee and set it in front of her, the warm aroma gently bringing her out of the morning funk.

I'd forgotten how good it was to have a full home. Sure, domestic life wasn't for everyone, but there was something about seeing friends and family around your table that made a place seem less like a house or simply a place to live. Instead, it felt more like a home.

With that in mind, I distributed food and asked one of the guards to collect Yvonne. The young girl's cheerful energy was a sharp contrast to her older sister.

The conversation started with small talk about my work on the farm and slowly broadened into things we had shared interests in.

"So," Hanse said after polishing off his plate and resting against the back of his chair. "I couldn't help but notice that you've got a small range set out there."

"I like shooting," I replied, feeling a twinge of unease. "And I've got a collection of antiques that I take out and shoot with occasionally."

"Antiques, you say," Hanse's eyes brimmed with interest. "I'd like to take a look at some of them sometime. I've a particular interest in military history for obvious reasons."

Then a new security guard moved up and whispered in his ear, leaving Hanse deflated,

"Unfortunately, I'll have to depart now," Hanse looked at Katherine, who was still waking up. "The security detail will remain behind and see you two return."

---

Katherine slowly finished the coffee before placing the cup into the sink.

A part of her wanted to collapse back into the bed and go back to sleep. Usually, she had no issues waking up or being active in the mornings. But something about this place felt warm and safe. She knew logically that The Mountain was safer than here, but everything in her soul felt safe and warm in the countryside.

All of which culminated in her getting the best sleep she'd had in months last night. Sure, she still felt sleepy, but she also felt rested. A weight had been lifted, and she felt a bit freer than she had the night before.

"I like it here," Yvonne said while they were playing with the puppies. "It's so different from anywhere else we've lived."

"I don't think it's necessarily the place," Katherine said, feeling her thoughts and emotions make the connection. "Places are just dots on a map. A house, an apartment, they're all just words."

After all, home had been many different places while Kat was growing up. Sometimes, it had been aboard a dropship for long periods as Mother, Victor, and her siblings traveled around the Realm, doing their best to unite it properly.

The two sisters continued bonding over the adorable fluff balls before Kat became restless and went outside.

The low hum of a combustion engine attracted her, and she eventually found herself under one of the smaller sheds on the property.

"Would it kill you to hold the light steady?" Mark's voice casually snarked.

"Actually," Katherine felt laughter bubble up inside her as she saw Thyme resting her head on Mark's chest, a headlamp attached to her head while her sister slept on a dog bed in the corner. "I think it might kill her to keep it steady."

Thyme's tail thumped on the ground, and she raised her head.

Mark was lying on his back on a wheeled contraption underneath an old farm truck she'd seen parked at the bakery.

"Sorry," Mark apologized. "I meant to spend more time with y'all, but vacations don't exactly happen on the farm."

He wheeled himself out, and Katherine shook at the sight of her best friend.

"What?" He asked, wiping his nearly black hands on a nearby towel. "Is something wrong?"

"I can't take you seriously," Katherine giggled. "You need a shower."

Mark used a clean part of the rag and wiped at his face, noting the grease that came off.

"Eh," he shrugged after a moment. "I've been worse. Now, you can give me a hug, or you can make yourself useful. This alternator seized up on me the day 'fore yesterday, and I've got to swap it out."

"What do you need?" Kat sat cross-legged next to the truck, between the toolbox and myself.

"The ten millimeter!" Mark wheeled himself back underneath. "Thankfully, I kept my luck when I jumped universes because I never seem to lose that one. But if my thirteen goes missing again, then I'm going to buy an entire store's worth and keep it in the toolbox."

"Here," Katherine dug around in the toolbox and handed Mark the requested wrench, her gaze wandering as she heard sounds from underneath the engine and muttered curses on occasion.

"It seems like there's a lot of work to do around here," She said after he had finished working. His face, neck, and hands were covered in grease and dirt. "It looks like you could use an extra set of hands around here more often."

"You offering?" Mark raised an eyebrow. "I thought you were supposed to finish attending a military academy?"

"I am," Kat admitted. "But I think my family could be persuaded to let me have a month or so before I start dealing with court politics or 'Mechs again."

She watched as Mark's face twisted in thought while he worked on the last bit of the engine, a rubber belt navigating a maze of pulleys.

"That may be something that they'd consider," Mark grinned as the engine started with a roar that dimmed into a pur. "But there's also something about responsibilities. You're a good friend," Mark continued, the tension so thick you could cut it with a knife. "And I'd hate for me to be the person that holds you back from greatness."

"Sometimes, you're entirely too reasonable, Mark," Katherine chided gently. "Now let's get you cleaned up and talk about this in the house."

 

[Kenji Kage]

Ah wonderful domestic bliss ..... It good can we have more please

 

[Inbredmartian]

Another helping of adorableness pleass

 

[Sceonn]

So the FedCom survives, which means the new Star League survives, which means billions of people won't needlessly die.

 

[Snakespm]

which means billions of people won't needlessly die.

Click to shrink...

Or at least live so that they die from something completely different.

 

[MarkWarrior]

I spent the time cutting the grease and rinsing it off as much as possible while trying to piece together my scattered thoughts and emotions from a jumbled mess into something that might resemble a cohesive whole.

I liked Kat. I knew that, and both she and I knew that there was definitely the potential for something much deeper than the friendship that we currently had.

But for all of my analogies and metaphors involving the farm. My thoughts of it representing me piecing my life back together. There was still one core thing I hadn't dealt with.

I hadn't just been yoinked from a solitary existence in one universe and thrown into another. Even two years into this new life, I still struggled with the thought of not just what I'd left behind. But who I had left behind.

I almost wish I had been a widower. Sometimes, I thought it might be easier if my wife had died and left me to figure things out instead of this hellish in-between that I was in now.

Because somewhere deep down, I wasn't sure that I'd ever given up hope of finding a way back.

I sighed and sat down on the toilet in the master bathroom, a rag in my hands as I scrubbed away the spots that were easy to miss.

"I'm such a mess," I chuckled harshly, leaning back and staring at my hands for a moment like they held the keys to the universe.

After a few minutes, I stood up and used the water faucet to rinse the remaining soap suds, clearing away the dirt beneath and revealing my farmer's tan.

Wringing the rag out in the sink, I wiped the last bit of grease and tossed it in the dirty laundry hamper. A sigh escaped my lips as I nodded to myself.

I still didn't know what I would say or necessarily how I would say it, but I did know one thing for sure: I had spent my adult life facing reality head-on, and I wouldn't stop doing it now.

So, with my heart in my chest and a lump in my throat, I opened the door and began to look for Katherine.

I glanced in the living room and smiled at Yvonne sleeping in the pile of puppies. While the sight was adorable, I was looking for someone else. So I passed through the house, peeking through every doorway until I went outside.

I found Katherine on my front porch. Sage and Thyme were sitting at her feet, letting her brush her fingers through their fur. The three stared off into the farmland, gazing at something I couldn't see in the distance.

I wished I'd had a camera at that single moment. Kat's hair glowed in the afternoon sun, the loose locks framing a halo around her. The rocking chair underneath her creaked in slow movements as she gently rocked back and forth.

I swallowed, took a deep breath, and stepped forward.

---

After seeing Mark off to the shower, Kat checked on Yvonne and, finding her still playing with the puppies, stepped outside to admire the day.

The Twins followed her as she nodded at the guard standing by in a shadowed corner and then sat down in one of the few rocking chairs that dotted the wraparound porch.

"Hey, girls," Kat relaxed in the glow of New Avalon's star, the gentle warmth of the rays letting her close her eyes and rest. "Let's just sit here for a while."

Katherine knew she wouldn't be able to stay much longer than today. So, she was going to grab every tiny bit of rest that she could. And hopefully, she could get some answers as well.

With her eyes closed, Katherine slowly dozed in and out of wakefulness. The warm puddles of fur at her feet helped soothe her soul with their calmness.

Then, footsteps gently pressed on the porch's hardwood. The barely audible noise culminated in the creak of the chair next to her, prompting her to open her eyes.

"Hi," Mark smiled, meeting her eyes and leaning back in his chair. "I think there's a conversation we need to have."

Yes, they needed to have a conversation. Katherine wouldn't put this off anymore; she'd been through too much to let it slip from her grasp. But she couldn't look into the minds and souls of other people. She'd accepted that years ago.

"Let's start with the obvious bits." She opened her eyes fully and looked at the man before her.

She tried to stay serious through it, but he had missed a bit of grease and dirt, and she found a smile break free.

"I like being friends with you," she said, feeling a nervous tingle run through her body and a slight flutter in her stomach. "But I also want to try for something more."

"I think I can agree to that," Mark replied, the smile on his face causing those flutters again. "But I do have to warn you about some stuff. I come with some issues that I'm not sure I've worked through yet."

For once, Mark seemed nervous, a bit of that energy coming out in tapping his hand on the chair's armrest and him looking out over the fields, looking for something.

"I was married before all of this," He nearly whispered. "I still think I am married in many ways."

He looked at Katherine, a hint of tears in his eyes before a blink shuttered them behind his willpower again.

"As a teenager, I had the same fantasies everyone has," he continued. "We all dream of living in our favorite places, of making real impacts and change that we don't think we can do in our regular lives. As an adult, though, that dream becomes part of a nightmare. I don't have any family here beyond the few I chose. I left my wife behind, and I have no idea if she even knows what happened. I could be dead back home, a copy of me could be living my life, or I could have just vanished from her perspective one night. Leaving her alone to face the world."

Mark breathed deeply in through his nose and then exhaled.

"A part of me thinks that if I move on. That I'll have given up on finding a way home." He swallowed. "But at the same time, another part of me has already accepted that there's no way back. I'm still reconciling those pieces of myself."

"I'm sorry, I come with baggage." Mark wiped a lone tear from his eye and laughed a bit.

"And you think I don't?" Katherine raised an eyebrow.

"Fair," Mark continued laughing. "That's very fair, Princess."

"That's Princess Steiner Davion to you." Katherine tried to act haughty and failed when Sage and Thyme licked her hands.

The two talked a bit longer and eventually stood up to enter the house. But before they did, Mark pulled her in for another warm hug, letting her tuck her chin into his shoulder.

Tomorrow, Katherine would prepare to attend NAIS as a military academy student. But right now, she had something else on her mind.

So, she pulled back and leaned in for a chaste kiss before stomping inside to rouse her little sister. The fluttering settled into a warm feeling in her stomach as she threw open the playpen and joined the sleeping pile of puppies and princesses.

 

[Inbredmartian]

YAY CUTENESS OVERLOAD!

 

[ProfessorP.Hardraad]

And all of a sudden It's a Complicated Life.

 

[PeaceMaker03]

Tyftc