IS: Chapter 70

The rest of the weekend passed by in a flash. There was so much to arrange and do, and it all tended to blur together in my mind. For instance, we had to set up a press conference announcing our engagement, make plans to notify and talk to the Archon about Apollo, plan the wedding, and more. Honestly, a lot of the details were handled by staff members, though the press release was one that had Katrina and I scheduling times to sit down for a series of interviews with a number of media outlets to discuss the engagement. Honestly, given all the work involved, I could well and truly say that the Romantic Part of the weekend was over and done with, and now the hard part of such a weekend had begun.

Fortunately, Minister Kowalski helped out substantially with this, as he knew the right sort of people to farm out various tasks to. I suppose that when you were the head of a diplomatic ministry, you had to be good with people, both as a judge of character and in talking to them. He knew exactly how to word the Press Release announcing my Engagement to Katrina, as well as when to send it out so that it wouldn't take our allies in the Lyran Commonwealth by surprise. They would have to make their own arrangements to factor in my marriage to their various plans, after all, so giving them a head's up was only fair.

Ironically, Katrina seemed in her element during the initial planning phase. I wasn't sure why, but she seemed to somehow relish the occasion. It was a far cry from the snarky, combat-ready Woman I knew. Was it just something about getting married that made women feel alive? I had no clue, and that was fairly stereotypical in any case, so I had best reserve judgment on that front. However, I couldn't deny that Katrina came alive in a way that I normally only associated with her in either the bedroom or the battlefield during the planning of everything. It was actually kind of hot. Unfortunately, we didn't have much time for any bedroom activities. There was a lot to do, and Katrina would be leaving tomorrow afternoon.

Of course, that was exactly the way that Susie wanted it. My Adoptive Kid Sister was still in the boys have cooties phase of being a kid, though she was starting to grow out of it. However, she still was constantly squicked out at Katrina and I whenever we would have a bout of one of our public displays of affection, making a face and sometimes also making gagging noises to show her displeasure. I'm sure she was glad that we had to keep that stuff to a minimum in order to get everything we needed to get accomplished done in the day and a half we had to do it.

In the end, however, Katrina still had to leave to go back to Apollo, though by the time that she did, we had already accomplished most of what we needed to do. The rest, such as more wedding planning or the various media interviews that we had to sit down for, could all be accomplished later. Right now, however, I was standing on the landing pad at the Ny Roskilde Spaceport with Katrina, waiting for her to get the all-clear to board the Mule-class Dropship Venture Star, which was currently loading the last of its cargo to haul off to the Pride of Apollo in orbit for the return trip to Apollo.

She was dressed for the journey back to Apollo in a sort of jumpsuit that reminded me a bit of the type of thing that some Naval Forces wore for long patrols. It was cut a bit differently, of course, and made of more expensive materials in order to denote her rank and station, but it was still a thing made for comfort over style. I didn't care, though. Katrina Watson could be wearing a pair of sweatpants and a T-shirt, and I would still find her beautiful. That was just something that tended to happen when you were in love, I supposed. For myself, I was still in a more formal outfit. A dress shirt and slacks, something I would consider business casual. Of course, I had more things to do after seeing Katrina off, so that only made sense.

As the pair of us leaned on the railing overlooking the landing pad where the Venture Star was currently being loaded with crates that were marked with the logo of Buccanneer Arms, part of the purchase of Varulv Powered Armor and Jump Infantry Equipment that Duke Michael Watson had traded for to equip his Ducal Guards to a higher standard, I looked over at my Fiancee. We were standing there, sort of half-hugging each other, with my arm around her shoulders, and she looked back at me with a look of hesitance on her face. I knew that meant she didn't want to leave, and honestly, I could say the same. I could admit that, and nodded at her as I realized that.

"I wish you didn't have to go." I admitted, as I looked over at Katrina.

"I know. I wish I didn't have to go either. We all have to do what we have to do, though." Sighed Katrina.

"I know. You still have duties you have to see to. It's annoying, though. Maybe I'm just selfish, but I want you to stay." I nodded.

"Don't be silly. Of course, you're selfish, wanting me all to yourself." Smirked Katrina.

"How could I not when you make it such an easy thing to want?" I questioned with a grin.

"Pratt." Giggled Katrina.

"Definitely. I'm not wrong, though, am I?" I queried, teasingly.

That brought us both into a slight fit of laughter. Honestly, it was just so easy to banter with Katrina. That was one of the reasons I'd fallen in love with her. Maybe it was because we were deep down both similar people, or maybe it was because, as Soldiers, we tended toward humor to deflect from how things could get during wartime. Either way, it made our relationship work a lot easier. That was something that you really couldn't say about a lot of Noble Marriages. I could count on both hands the number of Noble Betrothals that had genuine love and affection working for them, and still have fingers left over. Most nobles took mistresses because of that.

"I'm going to miss you while I'm gone." Spoke up Katrina, interrupting my chain of thought.

"Well then, you'd better hurry back to me, then, shouldn't you?" I asked with a chuckle.

"I plan to." Confirmed Katrina.

Just then, we were approached by a pair of people. The first was one of the Dockworkers who had been working loading cargo onto the Venture Star, a uniformed Lyran Naval Officer with his blonde hair pulled back into a ponytail to try to ape the Seagoing Sailors of Ancient Terra, back during the age of sail. He made his way up the steps to the railing overlooking the landing pad with a look of determination on his face, as if he was about to tell his Lady news he knew she wouldn't want to hear.

The second was the suited form of Agent Bikram Veluri of the Ministry of the Interior, who had been seconded to the Palace Comms Staff. His suit was similar to the one he had worn during the period I had first met with him, though it was black with a gray tie this time around instead of gray with a black tie. He had a piece of paper that had clearly come from one of the K-Class Transmitters that we had rigged up to better communicate with Tharkad, back before I had joined the Conspiracy of Precentor Hope of Oberon to stick it to the factions of ComStar. From the look on his face, I could tell it was important.

"My Lady, we've finished loading the last of the cargo and are undergoing pre-flight checks. We need to board now." Informed the Lyran Naval officer, speaking up first.

"Of course." Grumbled Katrina.

"I guess this is goodbye for now." I mused.

"At least until I return, yes." Affirmed Katrina.

"I guess I'll have to give you a reason to come back, then." I grinned.

"What are you scheming?" Questioned Katrina.

However, instead of answering her with words, I pulled Katrina into a deep kiss, holding her in my arms. She kissed me back and for a few moments, the rest of the Sphere could go fuck itself as we stood there, kissing and holding each other. Nothing mattered except each other for a few long moments, before a pair of polite coughs from both Agent Velluri and the Lyran Naval Officer drew our attention and had us breaking apart. As Katrina stepped back, she nodded at me.

"Well, I was going to cheat on you while I was away, but now I won't." She teased.

"Damn straight you won't." I grinned.

"Seriously, though. I should be back in a month or so." Offered Katrina.

"Safe Travels." I nodded.

And with that, my new fiancée boarded the Venture Star, the Uniformed Lyran Naval Officer trailing behind her. I watched her go, walking up the boarding ramp and disappearing into the depths of the Mule-class Dropship before turning to Agent Velluri and nodding at the Cryptographic Specialist. He saluted back at me, the semi-perpetual smirk on his face present as he did so.

"So, what do you have for me, Bikram?" I queried.

"We've gotten a response from the Archon's Palace on Tharkad. Her people want to set up a meeting for an hour from now." Offered Agent Velluri.

"About Apollo?" I asked.

"Yes, My Lord. Minister Kowalski seems to think that the Archon will be satisfied with the agreement you proposed, but will want a sweetener of some kind." Informed Agent Velluri.

"And what is the analysis of the Ministry of the Interior on that?" I questioned.

"I'm not a geopolitics analyst, My Lord. You'd have to ask someone else." Shrugged Agent Velluri.

"And if I asked you for a non-expert opinion?" I queried.

"If I had to give one, I'd say that the Lyrans might want more heavy machinery. They've already purchased a bunch to renew their aging factories, but if you offered them more at a reduced price, they'd take it. Especially given the agreement Minister Kowalski and you drew up for the Duchy of Apollo." Hedged Agent Velluri.

"Good enough. I suppose we'll find out soon enough, at any rate." I remarked.

"Should I bring the Car around, My Lord?" Asked Agent Velluri.

"Do it. We can't keep the Archon waiting, after all." I agreed.

And with that, my fiancée's stay on New Ålborg came to a close, and it was back to the business of state. As Agent Velluri brought the Groundcar around and I got in, I couldn't help but think that, though the last day and a half had largely been spent planning for our wedding, this whole thing had been a resounding success romantically as well as politically. Now, though, I would have to get the Archon to agree to the Marriage, as it could potentially rip the Duchy of Apollo away from the Lyran Commonwealth thanks to dynastic inheritance. I needed to reach an agreement with Tharkad on that. Fortunately, when I spoke to the Archon's Representative via HPG Comms, it would turn out that they were a lot more well-disposed to my proposal than anyone had thought.

After all, the Archon had delegated this task to Katrina's Dad, and Duke Michael Watson of Apollo was more than willing to come to an agreement on the issue if it meant his Daughter was happy. . .

XXXX

AN: All right, so here's the next chapter. We finish out Katrina's stay on New Ålborg and get a sense of where things are going next. Katrina and Jozef are very clearly in love, something that they have that not a lot of other Inner Sphere Noble Marriages can claim. Of course, they have to get an agreement on the Apollo inheritance from Tharkad in order for this to be truly successful, but the last day and a half of Katrina's stay was spent planning, so it's likely that they'll get that agreement from the Archon. Especially as Katrina's Dad was the one delegated to negotiate it by the Archon.

The next chapter will include that negotiation via HPG. I only plan to have a few more chapters before a time-skip to the Fourth Successor War, the last of which will be Jozef and Katrina's Wedding. That will, effectively, be the end of the first part of this fic, and the second part will open with the Fourth Successor War.

Stay tuned. . .