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When the meeting occurred, neither Aidan nor Joa
But Joa
But mere physical details were not the only difference.
She walked differently, carried herself in a new way. She might be just as self-assured, just as proud, but her pace was slower and the way she swung her arms and moved her legs lacked energy. In all the time Horse had known Joa
She came directly up to Aidan. More than a head shorter, she nevertheless faced him as though they were equals. The changes in her seemed even more pronounced when compared with the vigor in Aidan's stance.
* * *
Joa
"Star Commander Joa
Joa
Joa
Then again, perhaps she would never accept it, not deep down, and that thought was strangely comforting.
* * *
Joa
As Aidan proceeded slowly from one MechWarrior to the next, Joa
Joa
Now that, was that a flicker of recognition in Diana's eyes? Or did Joa
* * *
Diana was, of course, the only one on the field that day who also saw her mother when she looked at her father. It might not have been obvious to a casual observer, but Diana knew that Aidan and Peri had originated in the same sibko. Aidan had become a warrior, while Peri had flushed out of warrior training and entered the scientist caste instead. The resemblance was only slight, but Diana saw it nonetheless. It was so unexpected that she almost revealed her surprise in a slight widening of her eyes. Then her native reserve came to the rescue. The fact that the features of both Peri and Aidan were mixed in Diana's face did not interest her, only that she had seen her mother in her father's face. The recognition might have shocked anyone.
She did not know what to think. She had not expected to find her father so soon after discussing him with Joa
6
Clan commanders, when briefing a new officer, especially one accompanying reinforcement units, did not generally make a social occasion out of the meeting. For most the mere idea of a social occasion was foreign, but Aidan Pryde had a skewered view of almost everything, much of it derived from his extensive secret reading. He had been impressed by the way Terrans of past eras often combined social ritual with more formal activities.
To Joa
She took a sip of the wine, a rather thick brew with a woody and slightly sour taste, all the while trying to look as if her current predicament did not matter to her. Aidan either read her mind, or his thoughts were on a similar track. He came right to the point with typical Clan-warrior bluntness.
"You do not wish to be here, Star Commander Joa
"Permission to speak frankly, Star Colonel?"
"You have it now and from now on, unless you give me occasion to revoke it."
"If our past history is any proof, I probably will."
Aidan smiled. "You seem to have picked up a sense of humor since last I saw you, Joa
"Have I? If so, I am not aware of it." She took another sip of wine. This time it tasted better, which she thought must be a quality common to wines everywhere. "You are right, Aidan Pryde, I do not wish to be here. I would prefer going solahma toward the front lines, weaponless and seated on the shoulders of a dying Elemental, to serving in any command underyou. Does that portray my attitude vividly enough? And, for the sake of Kerensky, must you grin? I do not remember you ever smiling when last we knew each other."