Leaving the hospital, Rose walked without purpose for a few hours, his head and stomach churning over the past days' events. Eventually he stopped for lunch at a small restaurant within the shadow of The Fort, but the meal did little to improve his darkening mood. Picking over the remains of his meal, he finally decided to go home. I'm already in a bad mood, he thought. I might as well make it really bad.
Two hours later Rose was standing in the street in front of his former family home. The cab fare had cost a small fortune, but he hadn't felt like taking the monorail to the Warrior's Quarter.
Rose wondered at the location of his father's home. Cornelius Rose was considered one of the best techs in the Highlanders, but the home the elder Rose now owned had come to him as a legacy from his wife. Although Marie Rose had died when Rose was still a child, he knew she'd been an excellent warrior and leader. He tried to recall her face, but as always, could only envision her standing in front of her Thunderbolt in a cooling vest, shorts, and neurohelmet. A Mech Warrior and her 'Mech just seemed to go together.
Rose studied the house his mother's skill had purchased even though she had never lived there. Like many others, Marie Rose had died fighting in the ill-fated War of 3039. Yes, she'd been a warrior, but Rose had never reconciled himself to the waste that was her death. Any child mourned the loss of a parent, of course, but his loss went even deeper than that. Rose believed that Prince Hanse Davion of the Federated Commonwealth, and others like him, had killed his mother with their greed and megalomania. Fighting an invader like the Clans was one thing, but going to war over the ownership of a few depleted planets was another matter entirely.
The strong anti-Davion sentiments that Rose could not help but feel had earned him his father's wrath. To Cornelius Rose, Hanse Davion could do no wrong. But Rose did not believe
that Davion was a saint because he had allowed the Highlanders to return to the planet Northwind, especially when it was the Davion rulers who had forced them off the planet in the first place. Rose had never forgiven Hanse Davion for his mother's death, yet the Prince's recent death had somehow softened Rose's opinion of the Federated Commonwealth. Besides, he reasoned, the loss of his mother and the split with his father had forced him into ComStar, which had been a good thing, despite the recent turn of events. Although it may not have been a fair trade, he valued his time with the Com Guards.
As always, the house looked strange to Rose. He had lived here for almost eleven years, but it had never really seemed to belong to him or his family. He'd always thought of it as his mother's personal property, just like her Thunderbolt. Rose wondered what had happened to Tea Bowl.
As a child, his brother Danny had never been able to pronounce the 'Mech's real name. The Thunderbolt had transformed from a T-Bolt to a T-Bol and finally to Tea Bowl. Even when Danny was grown up enough to pronounce the word correctly, Marie had continued to call her beloved 'Mech the Tea Bowl. Now that Danny was gone, his father had probably sold the 'Mech back to the Highlanders.
"Hey, you."
Rose was startled out of his reverie by a shout from the front porch. He had no idea how long he'd been standing in the middle of the street, but his presence had evidently attracted someone's attention.
"Why are you standing in the middle of the road staring at my house?" The woman, or girl, on the front porch seemed genuinely offended. Rose guessed her age at no more than eighteen years as she stood confidently before the open door, hands firmly on her hips. Her tight-fitting clothing revealed an athlete's figure, thin and long-limbed with broad; muscular shoulders. Rose guessed she was a swimmer, but the girl's long dark hair seemed out of keeping with the supposition.
"Sorry." Rose stepped from the street onto the sidewalk in front of the house. "I was looking for the home of Cornelius Rose." It had not occurred to Rose that the family might have moved, but with both his mother and Danny gone, the old man might well have wished to relocate with his daughter to Northwind's Tech Quarter. Then it hit him.
"Rianna?" Rose began walking forward, increasing his pace as he neared the front porch. The girl's annoyance changed to alarm as Rose picked up speed. Instead of running, however, she dropped into a defensive crouch. Realizing the effect he was having, Rose drew up just short of the porch steps. "Rianna Rose?"
The girl relaxed and stood up, her face equal parts caution and question.
"Rianna," he said. "It's me, Jeremiah." Rose stood still, his hands at his sides.
Rianna looked him over as if the name did not register, then she realized what he was saying.
"Jeremiah!" Without warning the girl jumped from the porch into Rose's arms. Nearly thrown off balance in his surprise, Rose recovered quickly and braced himself for the impact. Rianna was heavier than he expected, but he wrapped her up in his arms as she hugged him about the neck.