[b][center][h2][color=magenta]Reya Wyatt[/color][/h2][/center][/b]

Her mind always wandered when she worked. Most tasks, particularly with battlemech systems were so prosaic that thinking about something else for Reya was almost automatic. Three screens glowed in front of her, three tablet-size computers, one weighing almost as much as a brick and two more with a hydra of wires spilling from the top and bottom coiling into the exposed inner systems of Ziska’s Raven and leading out through the open hatch to the torso where the armor plating on the sides of the machine’s birdlike frame were carefully propped open rather than fully removed. If something went wrong, she cautioned, she wasn’t sure they’d have even the basic means to reattach it, but there was enough room for Reya to squeeze underneath and that was good enough. One hand hammered away rapidly on the heaviest of the tablets that rested on her thigh, the bottom of which featured a set of basic keys used for commands and made a surprisingly satisfying [i]snap[/i] with each press. The chattering sound filled the mech’s cockpit and she barely looked at it as monochrome green command lines blinked, changed and scrolled rapidly. Occasionally, the haughty sword and arm motif of House Liao would blink on screen in pixel art with a strongly worded warning and she would blast right by it with another command. She reached up from her somewhat comfortable position against the back of Ziska’s front folded seat, her feet propped against the rear bulkhead over the removed panels, towards one of the screens but her hand slowed slightly and her fingertips hovered over the touch screen.

The thoughts always came in a crashing line and she couldn’t put them away for long. Even doing so immediately left a sick feeling of guilt. Almost like a betrayal, like she needed to hold on, like [i]someone[/i] needed to hold on. She wasn’t a warrior. She knew the others could just move on and deal in their own ways, it was their life, but at the same time watching them press forward; leaving the dead behind them made her feel like she barely knew them anymore. All her relatives of a similar age were male and throughout schooling all of her social associations were carefully scrutinized and curated. When she had set out on her own and bought-in with Colonel Wayne, she and Lena had instantly clicked together like sisters and now her sister was gone, just deleted from life and it felt like a physical piece of her soul had been removed. The sinister, hard-logic, inside her mind always piped in to tell her that this was a part of the business for which she had [i]voluntarily[/i] signed-on and she could feel nothing but revulsion at herself for the thought. That logic could apply to assholes like Golden Boy, but Lena was better and [i]worthy[/i] of remembrance. The recurring image of Lena’s empty bunk and the last glimpse of the room they shared back on the ship as they scrambled to escape the capital city cut Reya like nothing had ever done in her life. Her fingertips trembled over the small screen and she could feel tears rolling down her cheeks and she looked right through the patiently waiting prompt.

With a tiny motion she pressed one finger meekly against the weathered surface of the tablet and cried as the internal workings of the Raven reacted to her command. Unseen systems hummed and whirred around her as she buried her head in her knees and sobbed alone in the dark.   

Moments passed and the Raven’s interest in its newfound programming subsided. She could hear the movement from the bustle outside and breathed in deeply, tilting her head back to stare up at the cockpit ceiling and letting her thoughts roll away again like a thunderstorm passing into the distance. This was what made her [i]different[/i] she reminded herself. Not being smart or talented or even good looking. This was why she was different from her mother. Not sitting back home in Tabayama making court with her father’s bureaucracy sycophants. This was real, this was [i]living[/i]. She breathed in heavily again through her nose and rolled the bottom of her shirt up to wipe her eyes, brushing some loose strands of her disheveled pony-tail away from her eyes. The habitable climate on Espia normally required a jacket and their adopted cave home was equally cool, but she had been moving around enough to be down to a tank top and her regular leggings. She sighed and raised herself up slightly and unfastened the tablet from its magnet hold shaking her head thinking to herself grimly that it had been such a week of firsts: First time running for her life, first time being shot at, first time losing someone she truly cared about and as she glanced up out the top of the Raven’s hatch at the roof of the cave- [i]First time being in a cave[/i]. 

The hard casing of the tablet thudded against the top of the Raven as she climbed out and the cool air quickly found her exposed skin and light layer of sweat. The deep mineral smell that permeated everything was again prevalent before her rather than the somewhat unique aroma of Ziska’s cockpit. She glanced around briefly, having been down in the cockpit for some time, but her first attention turned to the base of the battlemech where a proper small table had been set out, complete with a makeshift cloth and one occupant who sat reading along with a rather large calico cat that seemed proudly contented on top of the table. The very young blonde girl, no more than ten years old, looked up at Reya. “[color=00aeef]All done?[/color]”  

Reya again brushed back hair that had become a mess from being in the cramped space and sat down with her legs hanging over the side of the mech. She wiped one hand over her face. “[color=magenta]It’s ready.[/color]”

“[color=00aeef]Were you crying?[/color]”

Reya looked at the girl. Sunshine “Sunny” von Kemp was Lena’s younger sister. She had escaped the chaos with Reya. On the table next to some more books was a green Marauder action toy that she knew belonged to Sunny’s brother, Diego, who did not escape. The happy cat was Ziska’s personal pet. The great, or depending on who was being asked, infamous, [i]General Kerensky[/i]. 

“[color=magenta]Is that Never Ending Hearts Revolution again?[/color]” Reya asked, not answering the child’s question. 

“[color=00aeef]Uhhhhh, of course![/color]” The girl smiled. Proudly displaying the front cover of the latest issue of the Draconis Combine’s most popular manga about the power of love and friendship at Suribashi High on Luthien. 

“[color=magenta]You know, I’ve been to that high school on Luthien. It’s not that exciting.[/color]” Reya said with a teasing smirk.   

“[color=00aeef]Oh whatever, you went to boring engineering school at the Imperial Institute.[/color]” The girl shot back. Somehow she simply did not believe Lena had been killed and that was final. Any attempted conversation about it abruptly ended with an indignant crossing of the arms and shaking of the head, punctuated by a stern, [i]She’ll be back[/i]. However, she did believe that Diego was in trouble and had to be saved. She missed them both terribly and Reya had essentially become her immediate caretaker. 

A voice called from the otherside of the Raven and she glanced over her shoulder to see Tarak approaching. Before he could even speak, she glanced across the cave to the makeshift mechbay that had been assembled for his Phoenix Hawk. Everything that had been or was currently in service of the Green Knights sported top performance weaponry. Her weapons shot farther, faster, ran cooler and reloaded quicker than anything that could be purchased brand new on Terra. Darkly, she had thought repeatedly about how the Crimson Fists must have had a field day with the salvage after the battle for Balya Gora and that there was a distinct possibility they’d soon be facing off against some of her creations. She was going to have to get creative to give them another edge, but for now they just needed to survive. She crossed her legs and tilted her head slightly as if regarding Tarak with some amusement from her elevated position. “[color=magenta]Trying to woo me with a mix tape, huh?[/color]”

[@Th3King0fChaos]