It’s been a few weeks since a small girl is bracing herself to ask her mother a question. She has grown enough to realize the concept of family. And by looking at the other families, it was clear that someone is missing in her own. A father. She did not know why she was so afraid to ask this. But when she was trying to take a breath to ask why her father is missing, something stopped her. Alex remembers those feelings even now, after so many years. Back then it felt like mental torture. The girl was not only afraid to hear something bad about her father. Alex was also afraid to offend her mother. As her mother was working very hard and try to provide her with everything necessary. Now though, Alex knows that her mother simply could not make as much as they have spent.
Her mother, Alice Ward, even in spite of great efforts simply could not make enough while working as a bartender on Holman. Visitors of the bar are mostly common workers who cannot afford to spend much. Let alone the perquisite. When someone decently dressed was coming to the bar it was quite eventful. Alice always tried her best to serve such clients. Sometime that visitor would be a rich Bretonian entrepreneur, who will eventually become a father of her child. George Richard Hall was his name, in time he will join Bretonian Armed Forces and even will become a knight.
Hall himself did not care much about this newly acquired child, nor did he care about some random bartender that he spent some good time with. But, to avoid this barwoman making noise about him having illegitimate children he had to make some financial contributions. As keeping reputation clean and good career would bring much more income than he would spend now. Not like Alice ever asked for much.
It would be about five years after Alex was born that Hall has received a message from her mother. The massage was as polite as commoner could write. Alice has put some effort and thought to it, which indicates the importance of it for her. Reading it, Hall is having a somehow satisfied smile on his face. Apparently his bastard daughter is now asking about her father and Alice is politely asking him to have a family meeting. A smile would soon be gone as he thought about the time that it will take to get to Holman.
This meeting is arranged rather sooner than later. Alex was very happy learning that her father is the real Armed Forces officer. Who apparently just is too busy making a lot of money to live with his family. The girl has even asked her mother to get some fresh flowers for that meeting. Holman is considered rather a distant station at that time, so delivering something like fresh flowers there was somewhat problematic.
Nevertheless, when Hall finally arrives at Holman, he sees a small happy girl running to greet him and gift him with the bouquet of fresh flowers. She even was about to jump on his shoulders, if he wasn't holding the flowers already. Alex is now double happy to see that her mother was not lying. He has a fresh and clean expensive cloth, a firm posture. It looks some much cooler than usual working dads of her friends.
Hall, on his part, is studying her facial features and figure. This girl did not inherit much from him or his relatives, looking a lot like her mother. And he could not hide the disappointment. Yes, that is just a bastard girl, but he still wants his genes to prevail. Maybe later when she grows up something will change. Genetic analysis has confirmed that it's his real daughter, so it's just a stroke of bad luck.
Alex has tried to explain to herself why dad isn't too warm with them. Trying to excuse it in her mind with him just being a rich man and all rich like that? He asked her a couple of questions, but that was about it, then they kissed with mother and Alex was asked to leave them for the rest of this evening. Alex remembers herself just going and playing with other girls as usual. And then, the next morning Hall would depart. He would visit them sometime, but never too often.
And Alexandra just keeps growing, already helping he mother at the bar. And slowly realizing that her childish imagination of the busy father is false. Everything looks uglier, and her feelings to father are becoming more and more mixed. Still being thankful to him for the money that he sent, Alex could not get rid off the thought that all of this wasn't fair. Instead of serving dirty and drunk miners, she could be a legitimate daughter of the respected entrepreneur in Bretonia. Her mother, Alice, just told her to forget about it and never raise that question again. Because shall they make any official claim, Hall would simply stop sending them money and they even might start to starve.
That position of mother is understandable, considering that the situation around Holman is getting worse and worse. Year after year. Wars would rage all around the Taus, and her father has abandoned his business, joining the Armed forces. Now finally making her father a real war hero. But Alex isn't there to be with him in his glory. She's still here, being a servicewoman on a miner outpost. First Kusarians, then Gauls, it would never seem to come to an end.
The evil irony is that her parents died almost on the same day. Death of her father was broadcasted and known publically. Heroic captain of York sacrificing himself to save the fleet commander. She was right about being proud of being his daughter. And now there won't be any money from him anymore. Then again, she did not find it fair that nearly no one cared about the death of her mother. Alice also spent most of her life serving the others. Not. Fair.
To make matters worse, now IMG is in the middle of a new conflict. Being neutral for all this time, the tide has turned against them. Now both Bretonia and CR are taking actions against the Guild and Holman is nowhere safe heaven as it used to be. It is time to do something. But whatever Alex does now, she's poor and she's having no right for mistake. The first thing she decides to do is to try and find relatives on both of her parent lines. It is unlikely, but maybe someone of them will help her out?