MechWarrior 5 Mercenaries: Contested Dreams (An Origins Series Story, #4)

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MechWarrior 5 Mercenaries: Contested Dreams (An Origins Series Story, #4)

MechWarrior 5 Mercenaries: Origins (Installments 1-8)

Contested Dreams

MechWarrior 5 Origins, Installment 4

Randall N. Bills

Contested Dreams

GALATEA CITY, GALATEA

ISLE OF SKYE, LYRAN COMMONWEALTH

17 JUNE 3005

Are we really striking out on our own?

Nikolai Mason’s voice fell amongst the room’s occupants like a stink bomb at a summer cotillion, while his hands reached out carefully to touch the stack of documents on the table as though they were a viper coiled to strike. Sitting across from him, Chloe’s face closed up until her thin lips nearly disappeared. His stomach did a slow flip-flop of distaste. I’m sorry, my love, but someone has to ask one last time. For us. For our child.

You’ve got to be kidding me, an acerbic voice struck from the right-hand side of the small room. Haven’t we discussed this to death? We all made the choice. We’re here to follow her. Stop second-guessing it all.

Nikolai glanced over to the window of the small second-floor apartment they currently rented. A warm spring breeze wafted into the room, bringing Galatea City’s scents, including a heavy dose of lilacs that rode the front of the apartment building like some mad clown who’d run riot with their personal love of purple.

The tall, muscular woman that owned the harping tone leaned against the window case, the wind ruffling her brunette topknot and showing off her close-shaven head. He met her deep brown eyes and matched her distaste with his own. He and Ryana Campbell didn’t exactly dislike each other. That was too strong a word, especially after all the years spent together under the Eridani Light Horse banner. But they didn’t exactly like each other. He’d never been able to put his finger on