ConsequencesThe Business End

by DMB

The first two Amanda Ngo stories.

"Amanda, what is the first rule of a Perfectly Competitive marketplace?" Amanda Ngo thought hard for a second, then, said "all suppliers are price Takers, because no single supplier can influence the cost of the commodity because so many people are providing it." The Eleven-Year-old was even brighter than her older brother, and it showed. Elizabeth smiled, "That's right, hon. What's the second rule, then?" she asked. Amanda shrugged, as they walked down the concourse, "In a Perfectly competitive market, there is zero economic profit, and damned little financial either." the girl responded. Elizabeth nodded, "Now, honey, what kind of market is Ngo Industries in?" she asked. Amanda skipped ahead a few paces, turned to her mother, "A Monopoly market, 'cause nobody does what we do but us!" Elizabeth nodded, "very good, honey, now, what should we do if someone tries to enter our business?" Amanda looked thoughtful, "Drive 'em out?" she asked. Her mother nodded, and asked, "why, honey, why do we do that? Is it right to do that?" Amanda looked thoughtful for a moment, then answered her mother's question. "Yes, drive them out of business, because business is war, and coming in second just gets you killed." It was the answer her mother had been expecting. "That's right, do you have your passport?" Elizabeth asked. The girl nodded, "Yup-right here." and patted the side of her school-case. "Good, I don't know if Patrick is going to be here or not, His commander said he could have the time off-post if he wanted it." Elizabeth knew that the one thing Amanda most liked right at this moment, was seeing her older brother- whether it was his leave from Groningen, or, later, from the Nagelring, Amanda adored her older brother. Personally, I'm glad he only gets to visit-all that time away from me has given him strange ideas I don't want her to have... Elizabeth thought, His 'Ethics' are dangerously unsound in our world... maybe I should encourage his latest desire to make a career out of the military... they reached the customs check-in, and the usual hassle of techs opening the plates on her prosthetic arm to see if she was carrying any concealed contraband or weapons. Of course, there were none-Elizabeth relied on more or less reliable means on-world for that sort of thing, and information could be carried more reliably in other ways...

Patrick was waiting, in his Cadet-Cadre uniform, on the other side of the customs area. "Patrick..." Elizabeth said. "Mother." He replied, coldly- then brightened as his little sister ran up, "Mandy!" he scooped her up, and all was, to appearances, well. "Got the time off, Hauptmann Bluell thought it would be a good idea if I actually met you at the gate this time, instead of having the most infamous Retired Colonel in the whole LCAF make a surprise appearance in the orderly room." he said casually. Elizabeth snorted, "Figures, You don't write enough, you know." she added. Patrick shrugged, "I write as often as I can, I noticed you didn't bring the goon-squad with you this time." Amanda watched the interplay in silence-interrupting adults was strongly discouraged, and she found that she learned more by watching and listening anyway. Besides, they might think I'm dumb, but Ma and Pat don't get along at all... she thought. Elizabeth looked him over, "You're turning into quite the House Trooper, Pat, I think maybe I shouldn't have let them take you off to the Nagelring- maybe a smaller school..." it was teasing, and they both knew it. "Mom, I'm fine." he said. They're getting along for my benefit. Amanda noted, it's like they think I didn't hear them last time... "Hey, Pat! didja bring your 'mech?" she suddenly interjected, saving them both from the stilted small-talk. He looked down at her, and brushed a blonde hair away from his eyes, "No, squirt, they don't let us take them off-base without orders. I can probably get you a pass to go check it out, though." he said brightly. Amanda beamed up at him. "Here on business, ma?" he asked, turning his attention to Elizabeth. She nodded, "Yeah, business... it's an excuse to get away from the other job." she said, with a tired grin. Patrick nodded, "Okay, then..." he turned his attention to his little sister, "I guess it's you and me for the week, squirt."

Casa Grande Hotel, cheapside, Mesa Verde, same time...

"Okay, let's go over this again..." Peter Norton said to his assembled comrades, "...the Target is staying at the Best Western, Penthouse Suite two, we have to bag the target and go to ground in the safehouse while the negotiation is on." The assembled men nodded. One of the men spoke up, "She didn't bring her usual retinue of bodyguards-I'm a little nervous about that-Elizabeth Ngo is a belt-and-suspenders operator, do we know what her backup is?" Richland was a solid entry-specialist, and Peter respected his advice. "Our agents tell us there's already some corp security types on- world, but they'll be focusing on the meet, at the most you'll only have to deal with a handfull of Operators, we'll take a couple days and watch before we make our move." Peter reasssured him, adding, "Paul and George, your job is tabbing the bodyguards, I want to know who they are, and where they are, and more importantly, when they switch off." George raised his hand, "Uh, sir? what if the kid gives the snatch team problems?" he asked. Peter shook his head, "The kid's eleven years old, George, even if she wanted to, she isn't gonna be able to put up much fight."

Kiva Conference room, Mesa Verde City, 1400 hours, 22 March, 3080...

"Mister Brannoch, I presume?" Elizabeth said to the gentleman seated on the other end of the table. "Pleased to meet you." he replied smoothly. Elizabeth set her case on the table, and took a seat. "What does your group want from me now?" she asked. Brannoch tented his fingers, and said, "We are concerned about one of your policies, madam... in particular, General Policy Statement three-one-three, and the 314 policy." Elizabeth chuckled, and said, "Why? After all, your boss isn't considering something that would force my hand on those, is he? I mean, it is not as if Ngo Industries keeps it a secret..." Brannoch shook his head, "Situations change, Lady Ngo, certain... reforms have to be accomplished- I am afraid that, in today's world, your practices are somewhat... obselete." She raised an eyebrow, "That sounds like a threat, mister Brannoch. Why don't we stop dancing around, and you tell me what in hell kind of problem Devlin Stone has with how I protect my company's facilities?" Brannoch sighed, and produced a remote. the centre of the table was a holoprojector. a Star Map formed. "These are territories already ceded to what we are terming 'The Republic of the Sphere', so far, only the Liao has refused to sign on... and we expect he will." Brannoch said. Elizabeth shrugged, "Yeah, what has that got to do with Ngo Industries, as a corporation, we have no qualms about continuing contracts with a new government..." she said. He shook his head, "You have a Monopoly, you have armed units at your facilities-" he paused. She was standing up, "Yes, Armed Units, that aided your movement when the Great Houses were busily cowering and licking their wounds. What is your point?" she demanded. Brannoch sighed, "Under the new regime, we can't afford to have a monopoly business in possession of its own military forces-at the same time, we can't allow you to, as you have so often put it- 'Disinvest' those factories- they are critical to rebuilding the industries in that area." She sat back down, "...and you want me to what? give them to you? maybe for free?" she asked. Brannoch cleared his throat, "We aren't bandits, Lady, you will be compensated fairly..." he said softly. Elizabeth opened a panel on her prosthetic, and pulled out a cigarette, then, she used the lighter in the thumb to ignite the tip. after taking a deep draw, she said, "No. Out of the question. Those facilities cost my family billions, and defending them against the Blakists cost my personnel in the thousands-mostly in places your Devlin Stone didn't even land forces. I can't, and I won't. Find another solution." Brannoch sighed again, and tapped something into the remote, the scene on the table shifted- a park, two people, then six, then one on the ground. Elizabeth didn't gasp, or cry out, when she realized that the one prone on the ground, was Patrick. "We have your daughter under our protection, Lady, Pray reconsider, we have until friday, you know." Brannoch said smoothly. She stood up, looked at the holoimage again, and walked out of the room without a word.

Somewhere in downtown...

Thump-Thump...Thump-Thump...Thump Thump Someone was beating on a drum in the darkness, and someone else was squeezing her head. owww... Amanda tried to sit up, and found that she was being held down by something. what the? she did the next obvious thing that came into her mind, she opened her eyes. "Ow." nobody was beating on drums, in fact, there was no sound in here at all, other than the cool hiss of an air-conditioning system. well, I know what happened, now... she could see the broad straps holding her down on a cot. She drew in a breath, and tried to orient herself. Ceiling, dirty, one light hanging by a cord, I'm on a medical cot with restraints, and it looks like maybe an IV in my arm... she glanced around the room (what she could see of it.) dirty walls...cleaning supplies, no windows, one door. Cameras, each corner of the ceiling, behind cages... she swallowed, and felt the straps. okay...tension straps, the more you fight 'em, the tighter they get. What's in the IV, I wonder... she strained her hearing- Voices, can't make 'em out... I'm in trouble alright... "You're only in trouble if you don't start thinking and keep thinking, every trap has an exit, every situation can be turned around." Her mother's voice told her sternly. That was after my team lost the capture-the-Flag tournament in third grade... she remembered. Miz Mosovich was not happy at all about that... She started out focusing on the restraints. If fighting them tightens 'em... she began a relaxation count that Miz Mosovich taught her in the apple grove. Become...jelly. but what next?

Garrison Police Headquarters, 1800 hours, Mesa Verde Local time...

Her expression was stony and somehow intimidating. "I want your supervisor." she said. Sgt. Wlecht had served in front-line commands before he'd retired back to playing cop. Jesus...that woman can chew rocks... "Ma'am." he said, and phoned up to the duty-officer. Just get the hell away from my desk... he thought as his mouth asked, "Ma'am, I have to tell him something...?" She sighed slowly, "Tell him that my daughter has been abducted, tell him that I have a witness who saw at least one of the perpetrators." she said it slowly, as if explaining to a fool. The Sgt put the phone down, "Kidnapped? How old?" he asked. "Eleven." she said. eleven... christ, my wife would be too hysterical to make sense... "Follow me." he said, and opened the barrier. Snatch a kid? not in my town... He didn't have to imagine the sort of things that happen to children stolen in the streets-he'd seen enough to last a lifetime.

HPG Station, Mesa Verde, 2200 Hours...

"She went to the Police, but did not reveal our role in the matter-quite frankly, I think this is a bad idea, and have said so from the beginning..." Gordon Brannoch spoke nervously, keeping his voice low even in the relative security of the transmission station. "Continue as planned, If she even smells hesitation on your part, it won't work." His controller said quietly. Gordon wiped his brow reflexively, "I'll carry on, but this is not going to work anyway-my god, man, This plan is insane..." he let the last word slip without meaning to. "Have Faith, Mister Brannoch, and your service to Stone will be rewarded. Besides, what have you to fear- the Local Authorities can not touch you even if they wanted to..." the other man paused, adding, "...With the child as leverage, you will be able to force her to concede to our terms, remember, we need that production capacity. I have to go now, hold strong, the Republic is near."

Brannoch did not feel so certain-something about her reaction bothered him. I need to review our files on her... he thought. something in her expression... He caught a taxi, and went to his hotel.

Casa Rio Hilton, Mesa Verde, 0300 hours...

Brannoch sat at his terminal, and stared at the image on it. The biographical data was in a separate window, minimized. Same expression... he thought, looking at the face of a fifteen-year-old girl who'd just been informed that her father was taken by the Smoke Jaguars. exactly the same expression... He imagined the middle-aged woman he'd met the previous day- and the look in her eyes. She chose that moment, and she did what it took... she led a strike against Them, she took her revenge... the Files captured on Terra had shown a child who'd raised an army to harry the Clans-who'd risked bankrupting one of the major corporations in the Inner Sphere-gambling that, with the right combination of training, ruthlessness, and initiative, she could turn Revenge into a profitable side-enterprise. She never registered them as Mercenaries, and never took outside work... but the trends were there-She'd run Ngo Industries at the redline-hiding military actions with commercial shipments-manipulating systems to create reasons for her to move in. She finished breaking the economies of worlds above the line to buy staging areas of her own, my god, the cheek... the brilliance. Acquisitions and deals made that no other company would make-and she profited from those deals as well-to cover attacks against her hated enemy... He turned away from the monitor, and groaned. We have bought the enmity of a monster. Very few outside of ROM had known of the extent of those holdings- the hidden trusts, the market manipulations, the intimidation- and the suspicions of outright criminal action. In 3053, they were a toolmaker- a small, but exclusive member of a very exclusive club... by 3064, there was only Ngo Industries left... and they were no longer mere makers of tools... The Word of Blake had been concerned enough by 3065 to attempt three assassination attempts, all failures... he noted. They'd sent a specially-formed Division to try and destroy her chosen headquarters on Kowloon. Half successful- they missed her while she killed their men on Hesperus and Thorin... He looked at the picture again. You aided Stone because of what you saw there... now, we've given you a reason to hate us... If this succeeds, what will you do in retaliation? He knew what the answer was, he knew what it had to be. For Stone, for the Republic...for the good of humanity... you have to go. He began working through how it could be done.

Holiday Inn Suite 2, 2230 Hours, March 22, 3080...

Elizabeth drafted two notes, one, she placed in her briefcase, the other, her pocket. then, she called the Shipping and Service department outside of town. "Send a car." she said, and hung up. Blackmail only works if the subject is willing to be blackmailed. she waited quietly, until her ride arrived.

Ngo Industries 18,Ryde, LC (ceded), 0530 hours local time, 23 March, 3080

The Fax arrived before morning shift on the line. Factory General Supervisor Mika Banks read it as soon as she got in to work. It said, simply, "Initiate Executive Directive 314E, Signed E. Ngo" Well, there goes the week... "Charlie, Shut the lines down, and recall the other two shifts, we gotta be packed up and out of here by Friday." She said to her Graveyard Shift Supervisor. "What?" he asked. "Three-One-Four, and it's an 'E', which means that Corporate thinks they'll move to stop us inside of eight days. Now, I gotta cut Travel Allowances and paychecks." Charles Dunn sighed, and cursed. "Okay... just when it looks like we got a real Peach contract, too... I take it Corporate's sending ships to move this lot?" She nodded, "Yeah, they're sending, otherwise, it wouldn't be an 'E'."

Mineral Processing 121 Dyev, 1900 Hours, March 22(Local), 3080

"Bozhe-Moi!" Mine President Piotr Sergeiovich Romanov held the newly- arrived fax from the "Black Print" box as if it were a poisonous snake. "What is it?" Arkady, his security Supervisor asked. "Tell the men we are not going to be processing any more orders, and to pack everything that can be moved, including family members...We have a 314, and It's an 'E'..." He shook his head, sadly. "An 'E'?" Arkady asked, shocked. "Da... and tell your men, whatever we can't move with us, needs to be rigged for demolition. Including the Housing and the Powerplant." What is so severe that SHE would send out a site-evacuation and destruct order? With an 'E' Postfix, whatever it was, would likely reveal itself, and soon.

Ngo 118, Ashio, 23 March, 3080, 1800 Hours Local

"This is sad..." General Manager Toshiro Mitsku said, looking at the Fax. "Bad, Toshiro-Sama?" his Security director inquired. Toshiro nodded, "Tell the workers to shut down the line, and prepare the equipment that can be moved, we must prepare to destroy the facility and evacuate all loyal employees. Directive 314-E."

And so it went, within hours of Elizabeth Ngo's arrival at the Shipping and Service Center, every single facility within three jumps of Terra was on alert, preparing to depart. The Disinvestment orders were very direct, Policy three-one-four, with an Emergency heading-meaning that hostile forces were about to seize the facility. Three-One Three and Three one-four directives indicated the evacuation of all personnel and their dependents, along with any and all equipment that could be broken down and moved. The rest, would be "Scorched" in place, leaving only a destroyed site without so much as two bricks mortared together. What none of the Factory Managers knew, of course, is how many of these notices went out. Fifteen sites recieved notices, Fifteen Managers prepared for "Disinvestment"....

Amanda's prison, somewhere on Mesa Verde...

"...probably awake by now." She heard, and opened her eyes. The man who entered the door looked a lot like the Security men back home. "You are awake. Good, I'm sick of changing bedpans, If I let you up, you gonna mind?" he asked. Amanda shrugged, "maybe. Depends, who won the Intercollegiate tourney this year?" she replied. He shrugged, "Sanglamore, I think-I'll ask one of the other guys, I think one of 'em's a sports fan..." He loosened her legs first. Be cooperative, find out where you are... she thought, letting him undo the waist-strap. "You co-operate, and your mom doesn't decide to do something stupid, you get to go home in a few days." he said. Amanda shrugged, and just asked, "where's the can?" He fastened a pair of police-utility restraints on her wrists, and led her out the door, past a guard, and down a short corridor to a bathroom with the heavy smell of industrial cleanser hanging in the air. She memorized the colour and shape of the furnishings. He stood nearby, she looked up at him and asked, "Do you mind? I've got some modesty..." He shrugged, "You aren't plumbed to my tastes anyway." He said, adding, "That's why I got stuck with this detail instead of Mikulski." Amanda shrugged, dropped her drawers, and sat on the cold porcelain. "You know, of course, that my mother is about as likely to fold to this as she is to leap unaugmented to Terra in one step." He shook his head, "You'd be surprised, kid, Parents can get downright frantic." He said. She released the pressure in her gut, and said, "maybe, maybe your folks, mine would just as soon not have the distraction." it was a lie, but, one of the things Shel told her about adults is that if they think they've got someone's confidence, they'll open up. He shrugged, "Maybe, but my job doesn't change either way." She finished her business, and gathered herself together. "Great, so when do I get clean clothing? I've been in these rags for..." He interjected, "Two days, it's the Twenty-fourth." Gotcha... two days, which means we ain't off-world, at least, not yet... She let him re-fasten the binders, and lead her back to her cell. She noticed that the corridor had a "T" intersection at the far end, and that daylight was coming from the left-hand side of the "T". Either near- surface, or above ground, and quiet... The guard on the door was the same 'sort' as her guide. Clean civilian clothes, but too pressed for most folks, and the weapons look clean... He let her back into the room, but, did not make her lie back down on the bed. "Don't try anything stupid, okay? we have a whole bunch of guys in here, an' they can drop you without blinking an eye." He told her. Amanda nodded, "Okay." He left the room. She began inventorying her environment. Okay, I have information, what do I do with it?

Kampmeyer Training grounds, Orderly room, 24th March, 3080, Mesa Verde...

"...and after that, I don't remember much before I was picked up by the ambulance." Cadet Patrick Ngo finished. The policeman sighed, and said, "Okay, so they slipped past whatever security you had, stunned the crap out of both of you, and took your sister...after which, we get a visit from your mom, and a call from your C.O... Okay, Cadet, I'll need you to look at what we call 'The Book', and we'll need you around to testify when we get these bastards." The cop fixed him with a whithering stare, "But, you don't go hunting around on your own, get me? I don't need you tripping up my investigation." Patrick allowed as he would be a good boy, and stay out from underfoot. Leutnant-Detective Karl Mikulski smiled, and said, "Good." That's one out of the way...if Brannoch is doing his job, then she won't be a problem, either...I hope. He left the training ground feeling somewhat assured- his years of experience were telling him that Patrick would do what he was told. Still feels funny, working with foreigners, but the Minister was quite explicit... Mikulski felt a [naughty] at his conscience- aiding a kidnapping, even if the aid is commanded by his superiors on Tharkad, was still aiding a kidnapping, and he was an accessory. Think about the good of the Commonwealth...and the money. He reminded himself. Sgt. Mortenson, on the other hand, could be a problem-the man was not in on it, and would blow the whole thing if he were- he was too much Policeman, and not enough politician to do otherwise. which is why I am a senior Officer, and he is still just a Sargeant... Mikulski reminded himself, as he climbed into his State-provided vehicle. Ah well, if this goes sour, the Finance Minister will provide me with a comfortable place, if only to prevent me from revealing his involvement... He drove east, back to town, at a comfortable 120 Kph.

Kiva Conference room, Best Western Mesa Verde, 24 March, 3080...

She looked sleep-deprived and grief-stricken. Brannoch's fears relaxed. "Good of you to see me, Baroness Ngo." he said courteously. She shrugged, and said, "I have been thinking about your... offer." she said. He beamed, "And?" She sighed, "I need more time, mister Brannoch, the title transfers and contracts, not to mention the delivery dates for orders already in the pipeline..." He nodded, Okay, so I was wrong... he thought, as he said, "This I expected- my Legal staff has worked up a proposed transfer schedule, along with a payment arrangement..." She shifted dramatically, "PAYMENTS???" she snarled, "You are blackmailing me, and you had my daughter kidnapped, and you are talking about payments? how much do you want?" she asked, her voice dropping to a whine. Brannoch shook his head, "No... you misunderstand, we will be paying you, the Republic's government are not thieves!" She sighed, "Fine. Send it to my legal department, and a copy to me, I still want to read whatever you're going to force me to sign." Brannoch was elated- the Republic's Intelligence was right- her losses on Kowloon had broken her resistance down to nothing! That determined monster is broken- soon, everyone will know, that even the most stubborn and proud will accept Stone's demands... "Of course. Your daughter is doing well, although she was somewhat concerned about your own health." he said, lavishing it on, as he handed her a datadisc containing the full offer. "Tell her I'm fine, and I love her very much." she said, and accepted the disc. "I will." he said. They shook hands, and she left.

Suite 1, Holiday Inn Mesa Verde...

"Got him! that shit works..." Alberto Morricone said, as the map lit, indicating that the isotope was now outside. His partner, a former Jade Falcon Elemental named 'Bull', nodded slowly, "good, I am surprised a man that devious would not suspect something." Morricone shrugged, "Back when dad was Maskirovka, they used to do this kinda thing- you learn some things about people-has team two found their objective yet?" Bull nodded, "Yes, about an hour ago, they found out where the Surat's mate and brood are." Morricone chuckled, "good, I think a piece of turnabout is more than fair- play, if the bosslady says it's good- hell, I might do it on my own hook, Amanda's a good kid, she doesn't deserve this." The other Chrome-team member shrugged, and said, "If you do, you may find it difficult to come back in if the mission goes bust, my friend, we are not supposed to be here at all-she said 'Minimize your visibility' on the dropship..." Morricone shrugged, "they got past the local pukes while we were looking for hitters, I hate being blindsided like that, Professional Pride, Bull." The big man nodded, "I, too, dislike being proven wrong-I do hope she gives the go-ahead..." Their prey moved down the street, tracked by a grapefruit-sized sattelite released from a dropship nearly a week ago. "We should be hoping he will lead us to where the girl is hidden." Bull said, adding, "But I, like you, doubt that he will-there must be an intermediary." Morricone shrugged, "I wish we had Davies on this job-he was always pretty sharp at doping out this kind of shit." The two carefully recorded each step of their quarry-steps marked for them by the traces of a specific isotope of silicon left on his right hand and sleeve, by Elizabeth's 'grief-stricken tears', smudged there when he shook her hand, it was a small enough molecule to penetrate his pores-even vigorous handwashing would not be enough-though some buildings would block the faint signal.

Mistletown, Kittery, 25 March, 3080...

"...so, you're sure the place wasn't just destroyed by the Blakists, then?" Devlin Stone asked. Anne Marsten nodded, "Absolutely, hell, when they were just 'in system', the workers were already clearing out-see over there?" she pointed at a flattened area still showing charring. "Yeah?" he replied.

Anne said, "That used to be company housing-maybe as many as four thousand people, all told, by the time their security people rushed in to help the Militia, that place'd been empty for a week, see how the ground dips here and there? those were basements." Stone looked thoughtful, "and you say they cleared out before the spaceport was closed down- and the factory blew up, what, about when your people expected the Blakists to reach it?" he asked. She nodded, "Yeah, about then... there were some bad traffic problems on the Turnpike to the Spaceport about a week before the Blakists landed, an' the neighbours complained about the factory lights being on all night-when we went down to present the complaints, had to walk in about a kilometer- the whole parking lot was full, but the factory wasn't running." she informed him. Stone's toe hit an object, and he picked it up. It was a chunk of charred brick, the size of his hand. "huh..." he hefted it, and tossed it into the flattened ruin. "What else do you remember?" he asked. Anne shrugged, "lots of garage sales, and the used stores filled up with stuff-holovids, infotainment centres, sporting goods... and at fire-sale prices, too..." He nodded, "Thanks Anne." and walked back to his transport.

"Put a watch on anything we're sure Ngo Industries owns in the Republic, tell 'em to keep a close eye on whether it looks like a bunch of people are going on vacation." He said to his aide, as they pulled away from the site.

"Why?" the aide asked. Stone sighed, "Because it's a sure sign they'll do something we can't afford. When this site blew, there was only a mixed company of their security, and whoever pulled the trigger on-world. Ngo pulls their people out before they self-destruct, we need those skilled workers for the Republic, even if the gear gets trashed, it's a hell of a lot easier to rebuild if we've got the techs than if we have to train 'em up from scratch." The aide shrugged, "Why not close the Spaceports on the affected worlds, at least until she signs the agreement?" he asked. Stone shook his head, "Bad idea-we are tottering as it is, freezing interstellar commerce on that scale would kill us."

Amanda's cell, Mesa Verde, March 24, 1700 hours, 3080...

"Hungry?" the man was back. She looked up, "sure, whatcha got?" she replied. "First, hands against the wall, and spread your feet- the far wall, if you please." he said smartly. She shrugged, and complied. He stepped in, between her and the door, as yet another of the foreign soldiers stepped in with a tray of something that smelled good. The carrier set the tray down on the bed, and left the room smartly. The door closed, and the man said, "Okay, you can turn around now." Amanda turned around, and went to the bed. "Hm, smells good... not at all what I expected from a gang of kidnappers." she commented. He shrugged, "The silver is made of plastic-soft plastic, so don't be getting any ideas, same with the tray... I got some good news, it seems your mother is somewhat more concerned about your welfare than you thought." He said it with a slight smirk. Amanda dug in- and it tasted good, too. "Not reconstituted..." she said between mouthfulls. He shook his head, "Our employer was quite specific about your treatment, they popped for quite a bit of currency to ensure that supplies appropriate to your station were on-hand, anyway, it's better than dehydrated/reconstituted F-Rats..." Amanda finished stuffing the main of the course down, and washed it with the red juice on the side. "So, your friends are eating good too?" she asked, slyly. He nodded, "better than our usual lot-merc pay isn't what it used to be." She snorted, and set the cup down, "I suppose you ought to eat well-he's given you a job that's likely a death-sentence." He cocked an eyebrow, "What's that mean?" he asked. Amanda shrugged, "My Brother Patrick's a square, but he can probably stomp you flat in less time than it takes to brush his hair." She dabbed her chin with the paper napkin, folded it neatly, and set the tray aside. He shrugged, and said, "He's a greenie, and he's still a Cadet, they won't let him take that 'mech off-post." Her bluff called, Amanda shrugged, and said, "I'm bored." He reached into a fatigue pocket, and pulled out a deck of cards, "Know any games?" he asked. Amanda nodded, "yeah, twenty-one, and poker." He raised an eyebrow, "Poker?" he asked. Amanda nodded, "Yeah, we can track the bets on a piece of paper?" He grinned, "Okay, sure, why not..." He handed the deck over, "your deal." She shuffled the cards expertly, and said, "Five Card Stud, nothing wild, we both start with fifty C-Bills." She dealt the first two cards, (the hole cards), and the second. "House bets ten." she said. He looked at his hole card, and the face-up king of diamonds. "Call." he said, and she marked the bets. She dealt the next two cards, one for her, one for him. He had a queen of hearts next to his king, she had a three of diamonds, and a deuce of clubs. "House bets five." she said. He grinned, and said, "Raise to ten." She called, and dealt the next two cards, making three showing and one face-down. His was a Nine of Hearts, hers was a six of spades. "House bets ten." she said. He raised her bet by five more, and she called it. The last card... His was a seven of clubs. She had another three. "Everything." she said. He folded. She revealed her "Hole card". It was a Queen. "That's why your employer is going to lose." she said, transferring the balance to her column.

"Family Crests-these bits of Heraldry are often seen among the lesser nobility. In the case of the Ngo family (Barons of Kowloon), there is very little timespan relating to them, particularly as compared with the number of items that can be included...Most Noble families have some sort of motto, often in Latin or some other little-used language of old Terra. As a "new" noble family, there was little attention paid to this formality until the ascension of Amanda Ngo in 3084. The design chosen was a simple one, somewhat enigmatic for a family coat of arms: A circle, of black, with the words, in english "Who Dares the Riske, earnes the rewwards." Peculiarity of spelling aside, it is, perhaps, the oddest example of a family crest in the entire Inner-Sphere..." -The Big Book of Minor Nobility Across the Spheres, New Avalon press, 3102 A.D.

HHC Nagelring Cadet Cadre Battalion, on Mesa Verde, March 25, 3080...

"...need you to take a few days as the Adjutant, Cadet Ngo, I know you wanted to spend some time with your Mum through this, but..." The Kommandant trailed off, and Patrick answered, "...Duty is duty, yes sir, I think Mother will understand that." The Kommandant nodded, "good, we're clear then. I'm sorry to confine you to post like this, it's a training necessity." Patrick simply stood, waiting to be dismissed. "Oh, yes... dismissed, Cadet Ngo." the Kommandant added. I wonder why the Finance Minister needed that particular favour? the Kommandant speculated on possible reasons, but they dried up- Probably his mother's position, or his as her heir apparent... he shrugged, and went back to work. Shame about the daughter, though... I hope they catch whoever nipped her...

Holiday Inn, Suite 2, same day.

"Okay, we've got a location that looks promising, how do you want to handle it?" Foreman Bull asked. Elizabeth looked thoughtfully at the off-print. "We need to know what's inside that house... has the second team obtained the items I requested?" she asked. Foreman Jason Moskowitz nodded, "We got 'em, easy enough to handle, I think, you don't send the word, they're both with god an hour later." Elizabeth smiled, and picked up the chip-file. "I am going to meet with mister Brannoch in an hour, I want a viable strike-plan ready by then, and the team in place,waiting to execute." Bull nodded, "On it." he said.

Kiva Conference room, One hour later.

Elizabeth walked in, using the same broken gait she'd used in their previous meeting. "Lady Ngo, good for you to see me at this hour." Brannoch said with an oily grin. Elizabeth nodded, and set her case on the table. "Here's the list you asked for, mister Brannoch." she said, sliding the datadisc across to him, "you might want to take a look at it now-it's the response of my board of directors to your kind offer." He slid it into a reader, and stopped cold. "What is the meaning of this?" he demanded. She straightened up, lit a cigarette, and said, "Mister Brannoch, that is your son, aged ten, I believe. If you want him to not be an Orphan by tomorrow noon, I suggest you tell me where my Daughter is." His eyes widened, as he realized the image was taken in his family residence, a secured housing area deep inside the Republic's bounds. and the Calendar behind his son's head said, "March 25". "You... you wouldn't!" he said, a hint of bluster in his tone. "I Won't, my people will- and I meant what I said, you talk, now, as in right now, and your wife gets to live, If you're exceptionally persuasive, I might let you live as well." His hand snaked for his left armpit, and she moved. A Mechanical prosthetic is not unusually strong for a human limb-it's unusually hard, however, and the pressure-overrides can be 'Inactivated' to allow for a grip that is, quite literally, bone-crushing. These facts rushed through his head, as she bent his arm back. "Here's the new deal, mister Brannoch, you contracted people to steal my child, to use her as leverage in a negotiation. This was exceptionally stupid on your part, and, as our mutual acquantances, the Clans would say, pretty well guarantees that your genes should be removed from the breeding program of humanity." Her thumb-lighter ignited, burning his flesh and making him cry out. "I'm willing to spare your family, worm, if you take steps to undo this particular offense. Your own status as a living being will be determined by how fast you get real, and figure out that I am not bluffing." She added it into his ear. "You are a monster..." he said, his voice trembling. Her natural hand caressed his brow, and she looked at her fingers. "Sweat? Mister Brannoch, a good negotiator tries desperately not to sweat when he's buying time... Tell me, do you even love your wife?"

Amanda's cell, 1300 hours, 25 March, 3080...

"Okay, Gordon, that's fifteen thousand you owe me." she said, shuffling the cards, "How much're they paying you?" she asked casually. The Poker game had grown, two more guards had joined in sometime last night. Gordon, her main "watcher" groaned, and rubbed his eyes, "You'll leave me penniless and destitute, I can see it all now... I oughta take you to Las Vegas." he said. The others chuckled, nervously-they'd lost, between them, nearly a thousand 'hypothetical' C-Bills in the first hour. "About Ten Grand, apiece." one of the others, a fellow named "Jack" said. Amanda nodded, "Okay, so Gordon's about five in the hole when this is over." she said, and dealt the cards. Gordon nodded, "Yep, about five thou." he said. Amanda shrugged, "Can't pay if you're dead, which you will be if someone doesn't talk mom into not having your ass erased. House bets twenty." The others called it-sometime around eleven the previous night, someone brought in poker chips. "Maybe, I'm pretty good at staying alive." Gordon said. Amanda shrugged, "What comes after this job?" she asked. The three guards allowed as they didn't know for certain. She dealt the next round, and added to the pot, "Probably would be nice to know ahead of time what you're going to use for eating money, and I'll be you have other expenses..." She watched as the others called her wager-raising had already cost them all a lot. "Izzat a job offer I hear?" Jack asked, looking up. Amanda shrugged, "Maybe-I've got a stipend, and mom's already making noises about me learning how to deal with employees directly..." She glanced around the room, "but I'd have to be out of here to do that, wouldn't I?" She dealt the next round. Jack asked the question, "What kind of contract?" Amanda tossed in a few more chips from her pile, and said, "Probably decently long-term, health and medical, maybe even some on technical support... you know, a standard contract, five years with combat bonuses and pre-paid legal...definitely pre-paid legal, you guys are gonna be in some trouble when this is over." the others called, and she dealt the last round. "House bets this-" she pushed a pile bigger than all of theirs-they couldn't call without a credit from her 'Bank'. "Ummm...fold." Gordon said. Jack folded, as did the third, nameless gentleman. She raked in the chips, then, showed her hole card, "Money trumps a good hand every time." she said. The three adults groaned- two of them had pairs, which would beat an ace-if they'd been able to call the bet. "Your deal, Gordon." she said, passing the deck. He set it down without shuffling. "Sorry, I'm about wiped out..." he said. she glanced at the other two- they nodded, "same here" said Jack, and "Me Too." said the nameless fellow. She shrugged, "That's fine, just...sign here, please?" she extended the notebook, and, (to humour the kid) they all three signed it. "So... What's for Breakfast?" she asked brightly.

Mesa-Verde Best Western, Kiva Conference Room, 1310 hours...

"Well? do you? Can I call it off?" she demanded. Brannoch swallowed hard, and looked up at the woman pinning his arm to the chair-back. "You won't get away with this, I have diplomatic status." he said weakly. Elizabeth shrugged, "So? Do you think I care if it embarasses Peter Steiner- Davion? I've got you on record as holding my child hostage, you don't have much pins to stand on diplomatically. Forty minutes." she intoned. Brannoch stiffened, "until what?" he asked. Elizabeth twisted his wrist, grinding bones together in her artificial hand, "Until it's too late to recall the hit on your wife, mister Brannoch." She said. "Oh..." his eyes widened at that-the built in time limit was something new- something the Analysts had not thought of. "What will convince you to recall it?" he asked. She sighed, "I thought that was obvious, mister Brannoch, Amanda, here, alive and well and not in the hands of your thugs." She lifted his arm, forcing him to stand. "I get her, your wife lives." she said, adding, "You do love your wife, don't you? want your children to have her support, maybe? I've made Orphans before, that doesn't bother me. Thirty-Five minutes to go." "Let me use a comset." he said. She let his wrist go, after fishing his phone out of his jacket pocket, and placing it in his good hand. He dialed, "Mulroney, please..." he said. With false sincerity, he spoke, "Yes, she has agreed to all terms, bring the package to the Hotel, and hurry, if you please." He hung up. "I hope there wasn't a code-phrase in there, Mister Brannoch-for your sake." Elizabeth said. "No tricks, Miss Ngo... god help me, no tricks at all..." Elizabeth sighed, and crossed her arms. "There had better not be, Mister Brannoch, for the sake of your sons, there had better not be."

Amanda's cell

"Okay, the bossman says we take you to your mum." Gordon looked like he'd been wakened from a nap. Amanda stood up, "Good. When we get there, if you want to make it to collect your payment, follow what I tell her precisely." she said. Gordon cocked an eyebrow, "why?" he asked. Amanda grinned, "You owe me five grand in C-Bills, Gordon, I want to collect it, and corpses are notorious for leaving behind debts." Some of the others laughed at this. Gordon did not. "You mean it, don't you?" he asked suspiciously. Amanda nodded, "fundamental rule of Business, never ever let someone get away without paying." They led her out, and up a short flight of stairs, into the sunshine- covered streets of the Commerce district-less than a block from the hotel. "Clever." Amanda said admiringly. The walk to the Best Western was short, and the lobby was... covered. Amanda recognized half a dozen faces. She elected not to reveal this little factoid to her former captors. "Escort Detail, wait in here." she said, looking back at Gordon and his men. "And don't make a mess, I'll be back shortly." She glanced over at Foreman Garzon, who was pretending to be the front-desk clerk, "I need to see my mother, where is she?" she asked. Garzon replied, "Upstairs, Kiva Conference room, use the 'B' door, the other one is... stuck." Amanda nodded, "Acceptable, I'll have a tip for you when we come down, please make my...acquaintances comfortable, I will want to see them off before we leave." She imitated the 'Command' voice her mother used perfectly, and nuanced it by adding, "I'll want a contracts lawyer for them, you know, new hires and all. Do you suppose the Concierge might suggest a good one?" Garzon got the message- alive, and here when I get back.. "I will arrange it for you-should I call you in?" he asked. Amanda shrugged, "Mother is expecting me." and she headed for the lifts. On the second floor, four men from Chrome team were waiting in full gear. Amanda stepped off the lift, and waved to one of them, "Foreman Bull! good to see you." He checked her over, "they didn't hurt you, did they?" he asked. she shook her head, and asked, "Mother didn't really fold, did she?"

He shook his head, "nope, she's got a hit team watchin' Brannoch's wifey, you got about fifteen minutes before she can't call them off." Amanda sighed, "I'd better hurry then..." and set off at a run.

Kiva Conference Room, 1345 Hours... "Looks like your lads are going to be late." Elizabeth said. Brannoch moaned, and said, "They'll be here..." The door banged open, and eighty-pounds of eleven year old streaked in "MOM!!!!" Elizabeth picked up her own comset, and said, "Tyler, send the recall order." She scooped up her child, as Brannoch's posture lost all stiffness. "Did they hurt you?" Elizabeth demanded. Amanda shook her head, "No, mum, they didn't- Garzon's got their team down in the lobby, and I think I know what part of the business I want to start in..." she produced a folded notepad with signatures and numbers. "What's this?" Elizabeth asked. Amanda said, "Debts owed, mum, twenty hours of gambling and negotiating- their team leader owes me Fifteen Thousand C-Bills, and his group will be out of work now..." she grinned up at her mother. Elizabeth looked at the figures, and puzzled them out, while Amanda walked up to Brannoch. "Tell me, mister Brannoch, who's giving you orders?" she asked. He looked at her disdainfully, "I don't have to answer that, now..." So, she kicked him. in the knee. which bent it backwards. and made him scream. "Do you know what the hardest part about being small is?" Amanda asked him, then answered for herself, "Adults never take what you say seriously." He lay on the floor, gripping his broken leg, and stared at her. "I did not try to escape, because I wanted to know why I was being held." she kicked him in the groin, turning his face whiter. "I don't like being a pawn, mister. I especially don't like it when someone gives orders that hurt my family. Who's going to believe you, a big man, were beaten by an eleven-year old?" she punctuated it with kicks and punches to various soft parts of his body. "Mum took away your win, but, I'm going to add insult to that... I'm going to take away your credibility, by taking away your team of mercenaries." she knelt on his chest, looking him in the eye, "I'm going to humiliate you, if you don't tell me who gave the order, and why I was being held in the basement of a building next to the police station."

Half an hour later, Amanda and Elizabeth emerged from the conference room. Elizabeth looked at the team-which had been waiting in case of an emergency. "Are the Mercenaries still downstairs?" Elizabeth asked. Foreman Bull nodded, "Yep, Garzon's convinced 'em to wait." She smiled a winning smile, "Excellent. Send mister Brannoch home by parcel post, you will find a list of addressees on the conference table." Bull gave a distasteful expression , but said, "Right ma'am..." Amanda stopped before the doors closed, "Make sure the Finance Minister gets an interesting bit, would you?" she asked, adding, "There's a corrupt cop who'll do for a courier, I think...Mikulski is his name."

They went downstairs. The Mercs were under guard, and the smoked-glass doors were locked. Amanda led the way in. "Gentlemen! I trust you're comfortable?" she asked. Gordon nodded, "as much as we could expect to be-what're you going to do to us?" he asked. Amanda held out her hand, and a gentleman in a black suit handed her a stack of documents. "I want you to look at these, there are two sets-one, is a contract for employment with Ngo Industries, the other, is a confession. You may sign one, or the other, though I fully recommend you sign with us, rather than the confession, since Kidnapping of a Noble is a State Offense, and you'd have to have an Archon's Pardon to get out before your spine rots out." Jack, who'd been (apparently) foolish enough to try and break for it, pressed a cold-compress against his nose, and looked over at Gordon. "Christ, she was offerin' a job!" Gordon checked the contracts over, and looked at the confession. "Damn... right down to the detail... you even covered for the Republic by stating it was at the behest of an 'unknown' organization..." he commented. Elizabeth shrugged, "Much as I'd love to have the diplomats flurrying, you're utterly deniable, only Brannoch's confession to really say who gave you your orders." Gordon looked at the confessions again, and the contracts. "who're we reporting to, if we sign here? who's gonna be writing our OERs?" he asked. Amanda grinned up at him, "Me." He looked down, "You... god help us." Amanda added, "You still owe me fifteen grand, Gordy, and I don't think your domestic partner's gonna be happy if you try to welch out." Gordon looked at her, "Blackmail?" he asked. Amanda nodded, "Yup, You welch, I tell 'im, and you don't want that, since he'll prob'ly take it out of your hide-in a bad way." Gordon sat down, and signed the contract. "What about Mikulski?" Jack asked, signing his copy as well. Elizabeth smiled a cold smile. "He's going to have...difficulties for a while, especially after he delivers the news to the Finance Minister of just how badly this little op went." The way she said it, put a chill in the room.

"...for our front page story tonight- A terrorist bombing at mine-complex 121 has fire and arson investigators scratching their heads..."

-KDVN Dyev,Channel 2 news March 26, 3080

"Fifteen sites, fifteen worlds inside a 300 LY circle around Terra... fifteen choke-point industries pulled simultaneously from the yet-unborn Republic... Trillions of C-bills worth of capacity removed in a series of fireballs on the same day.

Only outside observers and Stone's government knew the extent of the damage- many of the factory worlds damaged by the Blakist Jihad would now take decades, instead of months, to rebuild their capacity. Without tools, and denied the skilled labour to build those tools, the Republic would be at the mercy of outside suppliers for a long time...."

-"Money Crimes: a review of profiteering in the post-jihad era"

Interstellar International Business Conference, Sian, August, 3082... K'ung- Fu-Tzu Conference Center...

Sian is a capitol world, and as such, it is a showpiece for its nation. The K'ung-Fu-Tzu Conference center was new this year, and the conference it hosted was likewise new-the last IBISC conferenc was held in 3067, on the world of Outreach, a property recognized by the participants from many worlds as being Neutral Ground. Exhibitors at that conference included many firms headquartered in realms that were not merely hostile, but, at war with one another.

Tensions on Outreach had been soothed by that world's neutrality in those conflicts, and, by the attitude of the participants that 'Business is, after all, business.'

Things change.

For Amanda Ngo, the feeling of being on a Capitol world of any foreign state was a new experience, being in the mysterious Capellan Confederation was just icing on the cake for the thirteen year old. "Wow... that's a lot of people..." she marvelled, looking down from the balcony at the trade- hall.

Her mother, Lady Elizabeth Ngo, CEO of Ngo Industries, one of the largest Corporations in the Inner Sphere, shrugged. "I've seen it bigger...the War, and the latest round of financial problems have really trimmed the trade this year." she commented.

Amanda just saw a sea of booths and people, many selling (or trying to sell) various things to the throngs of officials, other businessmen, and random gawkers. "Where's our booth, mother?" Amanda asked. Elizabeth pointed across the gallery, "There, past the Irian Metals booth... I suppose they aren't very happy with me right now." she added.

Amanda shrugged, and said, "If they hadn't rolled over, there wouldn't be a problem, right mum?"

Elizabeth nodded, and they proceeded down the escalator.

Capellan soldiers were here, and they were here to keep order, a handfull of them passed going the opposite way, polished boots, snappy uniforms, grim expressions. Worried there might be trouble? Amanda wondered silently.

The Ngo Industries display was, she discovered, big. "Mum, I didn't know we were dealing weapons..." Amanda said, passing a trailer-mount Arrow-IV launcher.

Elizabeth shrugged, "Honey, that's our subsidiary here in the Confederation, they return about four points in profit for every ten we spend in currency conversions. We also have a plant in the Taurian Concordat that assembles Althenas for the export market-including that one." she gestured over at a 'mech, standing at attention facing directly across from a Wraith in Republic of The Sphere Colours on display in the Irian Metals area. The Althena was unpainted, and unmarked-clearly meant to advertise its status as 'product'.

They're equal weight machines, but ours is a tad slower until it warms up...more of a slugger than a dancer. Amanda knew the product lines by heart, but she'd always assumed that the two 'mechs(the Althena and the Mackie-X) produced by Ngo Industries were sold to worlds along the Clan frontier. Clearly not the case... She also noted that the Capellans seemed to feel the need to congregate around the two Battlemechs, particularly the soldiers wearing "Security" in seven languages on a band on their right arms. Amanda also saw several 'guests' in Republic uniforms passing by. They don't look very different from us... but they are. she noted. Other than Irian, there were a small number of other large firms now located in Stone's Republic, and they were all, she noticed, well equipped with bodyguard units. Guarding them from threats, or from escape? She shrugged, and followed her mother into the back area of the display, where the temporary office was.

"Lots of security, I'll bet the Mask is just going nuts about this." Elizabeth commented. Gordon Mitchell, one of Amanda's coterie of hired thugs, looked up. "I'll bet they are-I've counted at minimum six guys who used to hire for dirty work on Galatea, including three I used to work with personally, an' they're all in RoTS uniforms. I don't see why Sun-Tzu would let those kinda animals ground here, especially when they're working for someone he isn't getting on with particularly well..." Elizabeth drew a cup of coffee, and sat down at the common table. "Forecasts say he's got three years before the Davions force him to sign off on the land-grab." she said baldly.

Gordon shrugged, "Okay... I still don't like the idea of the Rug-Rat being here." he said.

"Hey! Will you quit talking about me like I'm not in the room?" she piped up exasperatedly.

He looked over, "Oh... you're here, good, you finished that final for Icaza's primary leadership class yet?" Amanda huffed, and said, "Two days ago, you were there." she emphasized.

Elizabeth laughed, "God Gordy, you're a Card... You were saying the whole way in that the Threat Level was too high..." she trailed off.

He nodded, "It is-look, even without the problems you have with Stone's people, there's the little matter of Amanda being in a state that's officially 'hostile', and both of you being Lyran Nobility... I'm not sure we can count on the locals as far as I can see them, much less when we can't." He shook his head, "Too risky, both of you being here with only Patrick back home..."

Amanda looked at a monitor, and noticed that the wraith had moved. The arm bearing the large pulse-laser was raising, and the torso was twisting to bring it in line with their position.

"I think we might want to duck." she said, dropping to the floor.

The other two were right behind her, as the roof panels on the portable exploded under a hail of crimson energy darts.

Amanda barely had time to brush the charred plaster and styrene from her face when the Capellan Security men went into action. Wow...they're good... While the main force of troops shoved back the spectators, she watched as armoured shapes burst out of the floor, swarming the Wraith in an instant. "Cool..." she said admiringly, watching avidly until a hand on her shoulder pulled her back down.

"Are you trying to give them something to shoot at?" Gordon demanded. All along the Ngo Industries pavilion, Chrome team security men were covered down, heavy weapons were out, and the Cappellan guards weren't bothering them.

Amanda looked back, and saw her mother push the table aside. "Well...that's going to make the news." Elizabeth said, brushing plaster-dust off of her tailored suit-jacket.

"Maybe, for our sake, it better not." Amanda pointed out helpfully.

The whole area was filled with green uniforms within minutes, and the corporate security people put their weapons away.

"No, Honey, I think this little incident will be just fine..." Elizabeth said, and pointed out that, under the contracts signed by every company present, live weapons were not to be used. "Everyone from the Republic is going to end up having to answer for this, and Chancellor Liao will likely give them the boot."

She checked on an injured employee- but he was already being treated.

"Most satisfactory."

Three Days Later, Nadir Jump Point, Sian system...

"Well, I thought it would work out something like that." Elizabeth said to Gordon. Amanda focused on looking studiously at her completed chemistry homework.

"You called it, ma'am... they sent Stone's reps home with a very personal 'Persona Non-Grata' note, and they cut off business ties with everything in his little claimed sphere..."

He paused, "How did you know?" he asked.

Elizabeth stretched out like a cat, and said, "I knew that it would happen, and I knew before-hand what the Chancellor's reaction would be, along with the reaction of the Neutrals... I think that little attempt cost them, what would you say, about ten Trillion C-Bills annually in trade?" Amanda spoke up, "Ten point five, according to what the paper said."

Elizabeth nodded sagely, "and we picked up around six of that in new business and contracts between the CapCon, MoC, and Taurian Concordat alone... all in all, a very productive week, and Stone will be looking for a new Intelligence Chief... because this one keeps screwing up."

Amanda looked up from her tablet.

"You set it up, didn't you?" she asked.

Elizabeth put a finger to her nose, and said, "Would I pull something like that? I mean, it was rather fortunate that his targeting system was off, and it was rather fortunate that he pulled that precise moment, when the guard was changing, to make his move..."

Amanda shook her head, "That was very risky, mother, what if Sun-Tzu found out about it?"

Elizabeth shrugged, "He knew. everything that goes on in that city, from the lowest beggar, to the highest diplomat, is monitored-someone let the Republic's man sneak a live battlemech into the convention centre, and that had to be inside the Capellan's own government, so, if he didn't...welll...he will have far more reason to start looking inside his court-though I think he knew, since Mister Davies was told about it before we arrived, and I got word in-system... and Mister Davies still has friends in the Maskirovka." Gordon looked confused, "So... you set us up?" he asked. Elizabeth nodded, "in a way-I set them up-for failure, Gordy, Irian was a long-time customer of ours before they wet their pants and played good-dog to Devlin Stone, I've had people inside their organisation since my father's time. a little pay-off, some compromising pictures, and an offer to call a certain Astech's wife about his mistress, and the targeting system goes offline mysteriously. After that, it was enough to merely walk past their booth on the way to our pavilion." She kept smiling, as she said, "I might just break our corporate embargo, and send the Gradys a nice fruit basket..."

Amanda shook her head, "No, Mum, that's a bad idea, it will reveal his involvement in sabotaging the attempt- besides, we may need eyes-and-ears inside, and I don't relish the idea of having my inheritance seized by the people who tried having me kidnapped, if you please."

Elizabeth cocked her head, and said, "Of course, dear, you're right..."

Columbia, Federated Suns, October 11, 3082...

Amanda looked out over the Terraced city, and sighed. Sometimes I really wish mom would stop and look... she thought whistfully. This is what Kowloon could have. The city was built on a steep hillside overlooking a semicircular bay crowded with freighters and fishing boats.

If we had more people, that is... She turned away from the balcony, and headed into the Hotel. Columbia was a world with a lot of history, and she'd already hit the highlights in her reading. Today, her mother was with the local governor, looking over what was left on the planetary moon of Portland. Amanda sighed, and looked at Gordon. "I'm bored. Let's go check out the waterfront." He opened one eye, and said, "Okay, I'll get the rest of the detail together..."

She sighed in frustration, "Do we Have to??" she whined.

He nodded, "Absolutely, I'd think after the last two times, you'd start getting keen on letting your security men do their jobs."

Amanda sighed again, and said, "okay...I'll be good."

Portland, Oregon System...

"Not too badly damaged." Elizabeth said, after pulling her helmet. The Governor looked at her like she was crazy. "What do you mean, 'not too badly damaged'? Most of the tooling is slag, and the physical structures..."

She looked over at him, and said, "About ten months worth of work, and I'd estimate somewhere in or about two billion in gear, if you can supply the labour-pool on the buildings, we can supply the tooling for the Dropship plant, and a few hands to show your lads and ladies how to use it."

He looked at her incredulously, then, his expression changed.

"How do we pay for it?" he asked.

Elizabeth smiled, and produced a noteputer. "Read it, and sign it, we'll have you up and running in a year."

He read it- and his expression went from skeptical, to astonished. "How can you make this profitable? at these interest rates, you'll be losing money..."

Elizabeth just smiled, "Then you'll sign?" she asked.

He nodded, "Sure."

She proferred a stylus, "Excellent. I will enjoy doing business with you, sir." she said, as he applied his name, and seal, to the documents.

Of course, you don't have to know What's going on...

Then, they continued to discuss the renovations...

Swinomish Bay, Columbia...

Talking Gordy into letting her charter a day-sail hadn't been too difficult, talking him into leaving most of the security detail on the docks had taken a monumental effort. "I don't like this..." he said, as the small sailboat tipped into the wind. Amanda smiled, and cheered, as one of the ocean-going Leviathans broke the surface, blowing steamy water a dozen meters into the air. "IT's FUN!!!" she shouted, as the helmsman expertly shifted the 42 footer nose-first into a wave.

"You've got good sea-legs, kiid." the Skipper of the boat, a man named Mulcahy, said, and she laughed, as the small vessel rode up another wave. A Fedsuns torpedo-boat motored up, and squawked its siren four times. The helmsman brought them alongside the patrol vessel.

"Storm coming!!!" was the word, and the day-sail was, effectively, over.

Amanda was still having a good day.

Gordon managed to keep his lunch down until they reached the dock, at least...

"All through the years 3082 and 3083, Elizabeth Ngo and her daughter travelled the sphere in a clockwise zigzag pattern, stopping to make deals in person, by August of 3083, they were on their final leg home with a stop on Tukayiid...

Tukayiid, 14 March, 3083...

"Bear city..." Amanda said. Her mother looked nervous-more nervous than anywhere else. "Stay with your guards, Amanda, I don't want you getting lost."

Amanda nodded, The Plebiscite is on... She followed closely behind, as Elizabeth went in and spoke for a few minutes with the local government's representative.

Outside the offices, demonstrators and police were in the streets. Amanda watched in fascination as the pro-Clan protestors marched peacefully by.

Fascinating...

Her mother finished whatever she was discussing, and came back out.

"We are going to remain in business here, after the election." Elizabeth announced.

Amanda was shocked, so was Gordon.

"You are serious, quiaff?" he asked, then coloured red when he realized it had slipped out.

Elizabeth nodded, "Very, and, no, I won't tell them who you are, mister Howell, just as long as you mind your manners, the Bears' Merchants offered a generous deal to keep the plant running, and we won't be losing our shirts in the process." She hefted a briefcase, and said, "It's time to go home."

Amanda mused to herself, Mom's never caved before... but these are Clanners, and she's still got the agreement to deal with...wait...

"Mother..." Amanda asked, hurrying to keep up, "this is about Balance of Power, isn't it?"

Elizabeth nodded, as they entered the lift. "Yes, honey, it is-as long as the Ghost Bears have an agreement with us, we have some recourse if the Falcons welch out."

Amanda nodded, "I thought so."

Elizabeth looked down at her daughter, "You've grown a lot, honey... I am proud of you."

Kowloon, 18 January 3084...

"...Stay here, Amanda, It's likely nothing, but this is the first Estates General meeting I've ever heard of that actually might have an impact." Elizabeth was worried.

"But..mom..." Amanda said. Elizabeth shook her head, "No arguments, young lady, I've left instructions in the event that things go wrong, they're in the desk in my study."

Amanda nodded slowly, and watched as her mother boarded the dropship.

"goodbye." she said softly, as the craft lifted slowly away.

The drive back to the Ngo house was quiet for most of the way. "Any idea how long she'll be gone this time?" Mrs. White, the head of the household staff, asked, when Amanda returned home.

The girl shook her head, "No...she said she had to go, and she left instructions if something happens..."

Mrs. White nodded sagely, "Then it's bad news." she said bluntly.

Amanda nodded, and went out the back of the house.

I wish I was Patrick! she thought, skipping a rock across the recently- reclaimed lake. He has some freedom, at least... the Security Detail were at least being a little discreet, today. She walked down to the boathouse, keyed in her passcode, and walked in.

It sat, where it had sat for almost a year- Ninteen meters long, powered by twin diesel engjnes (governed down to keep the speed at a level Gordy called "safe". Amanda knew how to disable the speed-governors, though. She keyed the panel with her access lock codes, and watched as the miniature dry-dock filled with water. Adam White's got the company while mom's away, Colonel Davies is running the planet, school's out. No excuse to go out, and nobody to go see... She unlocked the clamps, and the hydrofoil bobbed in its bath. Heh... Nobody but Tony Huyn, and this boat's fast enough to get me there... she threw the levers, opening the "garage door" and the 'Locks', scrambled aboard the boat, pulled in the gangplank, and went up to the flying bridge.

And some damned privacy on the way... some time to be Myself she stooped and opened the right panel on the engine housing, then, crossed a jumper across two test-points, disabling the engine-governors. After which, she backed the huge yacht out into the channel, swung it expertly to port, and powered Northwest, her course would take her past the boundary of the Clan Enclave on her way to Tributary 14 West. The course would, she knew, deter airborne pursuit for a while-Neither Chrome Team, nor the Kowloon Land forces, would go anywhere near that area, and the Coast Guard patrols, while heavy, were primarily concerned with dealing with actual problems, not runaway girls in power-boats that they legitimately owned.

Stripped of weapons, the Cayman Hydrofoil is considerably lighter, which raises the top speed of the machine to truly unusual performance levels.

Amanda shot past a small fleet of Jade Falcon fishing boats at 150 KPH, "FLYIN' LOW!!!" she shouted, weaving between their net-bouys with practiced grace.

Golden Lake's surface reflected the morning sunlight, and the sky was a perfect blue. One of the Falcon's few non-'mech vehicles paced her, as she screamed along the line of markers separating Falcon turf from the rest of the planet. The Hovercraft was, of course, lagging badly behind-its huge load of weapons and armour rendering it a mere also-ran struggling on lift- fans, beside the sleek grace of the power-boat. "WhEEEEEEEE!!!!" she shouted, banking starboard at the last possible safe moment, the hydrofoil was almost sideways taking the turn to avoid a trade-barge bound for the Spaceport at Vin-Drin-Lap.

Scared them! she thought triumphantly, as she brought her ride around to continue up the channel.

A few hours of freedom... this is really worth it!

No ceremonies, no huge tail of bodyguards to keep her isolated, no frustrated watching, as mother argued policy with Assemblymen whose powers extended only as far as Elizabeth Ngo's will allowed. No fawning people from far away, trying to get to mom through me... she thought resentfully, as she swung Port again, and headed west up the second-longest tributary in the Little Yangtze river system.

Especially that... she reached down, her eyes still scanning the river for possible hazards, and started blasting music. I wonder if Patrick has to deal with that? she thought, and kept driving forward.

Field monitoring station 5, Tributary 14, 113 Km west of the main channel...

"We've got a signal, yep, it's her." Lt. Pham Hoa said over the Comm channel. "Good move, putting a tracker on the boat... Yeah, she's overridden the governors on the Diesels... we've got an eyeball on her, and a Squadron following on discreetly... don't worry, Sir, your charge is perfectly safe out here... yeah, sure... okay, have a nice morning."

he hung up the comm, and said, "You know, that kid's probably just trying to get away from all the sMothering attention." His NCO counterpart, Chief Petty Officer Gerald Hu, nodded absently, "She handles the boat well at speed- if our esteemed colleagues from the Clan are reporting truthfully, she took a shortcut through one of their pattern-fishing formations-and left both the Hovertank, and, his air-escort, in her wake."

The Lt. nodded, "Yeah, after seeing her slalom that formation of barges..." He shook his head, "She's probably a real snot, though-gawd, I mean, her ma gave her a bloody yacht that's just a military hull stripped down..."

Hu shrugged, "Jealous, sir?" he asked

Pham nodded, "VERY..." and they both laughed, watching the monitors as the boat approached the edge of their sector.

"Hope she doesn't wipe out on the sandbars, that's too sweet a boat for that."

They monitored her progress along the 1000 km stretch of river, until an alert light went on.

"What's going on?" Hoa asked. Admiral Huyn's voice came over the comms, "All-Points Bulletin! Bring the Baroness' daughter in, there is something she needs to see... ASAP."

Lt. Hoa looked over at his NCOIC, "Let's get revved up and go Rockin'-she's almost cleared our patrol area."

The Cayman is a sweet machine, but the Cayman-II is sweeter. Powered by twin XL Fusion powerplants, and fifteen tons lighter than the original model, the Cayman-II is built for one thing-Pursuit. The original model's chopper pad is done away with, along with the Torpedoes and the Autocannon, in favour of a single large laser and raw horsepower- enough raw horsepower to more than make up for the yacht's speed. "Light it up..." the Lt. said, and the boat's lights and sirens went full-active, as it whipped out of a side-channel, and raced all-out to catch up with the speeding yacht.

News Broadcast, 18 January, 3084...

"...this evening, in an emergency session, the Estates General have voted to censure the Kowloonese representative, military action is being contemplated based on charges of illegal technology transfers by Ngo Industries.

Finance Minister Alois Steuben had this to say this afternoon..."

(cuts to a scene outside the Archon's residence, Duke Alois Steuben, the finance minister, is speaking...)

"Of course the Allegations have not been confirmed, Corky, and the Archon is still reluctant to have Miss Ngo arrested until conclusive evidence is presented in court. I have consulted with the Justice Minister on this, and we are working closely with members of the Defense Ministry on this... Now, I can't say anymore right now-except that the details that are not pertinent to National Security, will be released to the public as soon as we are able..."

Ice Dragon, KCGM Headquarters ship, currently loitering in the Giap gulf...

Admiral Alicia Li was the oldest serving officer in KCGM history, and she was sitting in her bridge, still in command of forces. "What's the ETA on Amanda?" she asked casually.

"Twenty minutes, they've loaded her on a Mark-VII and they're bringing her in sub-orbital." was the response.

"Good... very good. Any word from Camp Frederic?" she asked.

WO Jim Wo shook his head, "None since Davies sent the warning, whatever's going on with the Assembly, it's looking pretty sticky."

Alicia nodded absently, and said, "When Davies calls, let me know-I want to know what in hell's so important."

The Chief nodded, and went back ot monitoring channels.

Farmingtown, Jade Falcon Enclave, Kowloon, same time...

"Sir, something is going on." Star Commander Gerald informed his commander.

Star Captain Charles Malthus looked up from his daily reports, "What sort of something?" he asked.

Gerald handed him an off-print, and said, "There has been an attempted coup in the local government, led by a Senator Burke, Elizabeth Ngo is going to be arrested when she reaches Tharkad, and the Watch thinks the two are related."

The Star Captain read the off-print, and said, "Well... Nathan Roshak did say that this posting would be interesting... double the guardforce on our frontier, and have the 'mechwarriors begin excercises along the western border of the Enclave, if this Coup is successful, we may just want to challenge for a larger share of the planet."

Camp Frederic, North Continent, acting interim capital of Kowloon...

The foreign mercenaries had pushed into the city itself-Davies had a sneaking suspicion who they were working for, though... "First battalion, pull back behind the sewage treatment plant, and let the enemy take it, third battalion, prepare to advance across MacShine avenue, I want the Assembly building surrounded. " The fighting was slow and heavy-just like the 'mechs that appeared suddenly inside the capitol. Reports streamed in- the first Infantry Battalion had successfully withdrawn, and the heavy battlemech company was advancing at about the speed he expected. wait for it...wait for it... now. he thought, and said, "Fire Dragon, fire Dragon, bring thunder on point Ex-Wray, Timed target HE and inferno, Repeat, Repeat, Repeat."

Fire dragon was the second of the Ice-Dragon series of artillery ships. From the Mekong to Camp Frederic was only five kilometers. The ship had been steadily moving up from North Port, on the shore, for the last few hours. Now, she was in range, and the combined fire of ten Arrow-IV tubes, four Long Toms, and four Sniper Artillery pieces, rained down on Mendoza Hill, and the surrounding valley. For the conspirators, and their Mercenaries, it was an obvious statement- Kowloon stands for its Baroness. Davies thought viciously. The guns rained down fire in a sweeping pattern, like a broom, across where the Mercenaries had concentrated. The shelling continued for almost a minute and a half. "Alpha Third, and Alpha Fifth, advance, search and destroy." he said, the final order sending battlemechs to finish what the shelling had started.

Aboard the Jumpship Linda, two jumps out from Kowloon...

"You know what's going to be waiting for you when you get there, ma'am." Captain Corey said.

Elizabeth nodded, "I know." she told him.

Corey shook his head, and looked out the viewport at the stars. "The Charges are bullshit, aren't they?" he asked.

She nodded, "I've done a lot of things, Captain, but not what they're saying I did. Legal's already working on the Moderates, and I've got documented proof-if I'm allowed to show it. Steuben and Von Hasselvich are going to be in severe trouble for this...and I left copies in a safe place if the evidence is stolen." She added.

The ship Captain sighed, "Ma'am, I don't really think the Archon is going to want to see evidence of your innocence-these are serious charges, and you know what he thinks of you."

She shrugged, "Peter is like me, Cap, he doesn't let his personal prejudices get in the way of doing his job. Two of his highest ministers are in the pay of a foreign power, one of them was instrumental in causing the Market Crash of '81, the other issued passports and cover documents to a group of foreign agents intent on doing further damage. All I have to do, is endure the process long enough to get that evidence in front of him. A small price to pay."

The Captain shrugged, and said, "IF you live that long."

Elizabeth laughed hollowly, "Cap, it's Tharkad, which is sewn up tighter than Sian, I'll be a high-profile prisoner of the Archon's Military, because of my background. Even if the both of them have men inside, I won't be alone long enough to make the hit without revealing their involvement and they know it. Stone's people might try it, but- the background checks they'd have to clear would hold them well out of range, and if one does..." she shrugged, "Mosovich has been giving me some training, I might as well use-" she froze, and began shaking as her eyes rolled up.

The Captain grabbed her instinctively, and somhow managed to secure her against a bulkhead, while shouting, "MEDIC!!! MEDIC!!!!" It took about thirty seconds for the ship's doctor to reach the observation dome, the seizure lasted almost a minute, and round droplets of sweat floated in the room, along with drops of saliva and a little trail of blood-balls.

"Christ..." Dr. Tony Faust said, as he pulled the pneumatic injector off of his employer. As her eyes cleared, he asked, "When did you start having the seizures again?"

She mumbled, and tried to sit up.

"What??" he asked again.

"Six months ago- god, I must have forgotten my pills..."

Two Able-Spacemen arrived, and the three took her to the infirmary.

The Captain went back to observing the stars, alone.

"...The Original Caius Julius Ceaser was epileptic, did you know that? He hid it well enough to command one of the largest military takeovers of a state in human history, and to govern that state for several decades afterward-and Rome was a tough place to live, much less rule, if you had any kind of handicap at all. Wolf's Dragoons and the Falcon Watch both knew about Elizabeth Ngo's problem- The Falcons, I think, gave her a certain amount of leeway because she was so damned successful. LIC thought it was bullshit-and why not? she exaggerated the condition and lied about its origin for several years while she waged a private war on the Clans, and later, she seemed just fine, if a bit erratic, in Lyran Service on Thorin and Hesperus. Flatly, she had a lot of people fooled, pretending to be pretending not to be unfit, while she was actually not fit. All in all, hiding her handicap was one of the best bits of diversion in history-it's a bit like a blind person pretending to be a sighted person pretending to be blind-so long as the "proof" continues to be elusive, the doubt remains.

I know for a fact what the truth is, though- I actually prescribed her medication. Sadly, it was sitting on her bedside table at home, when she left Kowloon for Tharkad..."

-Dr. Ophelia Marcos, Neurological Medicine Specialist.

Ice Dragon, Giap Gulf, 1850 hours local, 18 January, 3084...

The extra-large Heli-deck on the Ice-Dragon was reinforced, it could handle the landing of a Military grade Dropshuttle with no difficulty, provided the pilots could hit a moving deck.

Coast Guard pilots are, as a class of people, some of the most "Carrier Qualified" pilots in the Inner Sphere.

Amanda sat, in the troop bay, with a helmet on and her safety-straps fastened tight. "Bumpy" is an understatement.

"We're down, Ma'am." one of the Coast-Guard infantrymen said. she unfastened her harness, and stood up on shaky legs. "Okay...good..." she said, clutching her airsickness bag.

They led her out onto the landing deck. Early evening on the Giap gulf is one of the loveliest times of day- the suspended dust from the 'incident' in '68 made the sunsets more spectacular even twenty years after the fact.

Amanda stopped, ten meters from the shuttle, and watched as colours raced across the sky in vivid brilliance. "Orange sky at night, Sailors Delight, Orange sky in morning, Sailors Take Warning." She quoted. One of the Marines on deck tapped her shoulder, "Ma'am, the Admiral wishes to speak with you, if you will follow me?" he asked.

Amanda nodded, and followed the Marine. She liked the Coasties better, she found, than the Ground Forces personnel, who seemed to see her as something more than she was. These are more practical folks... she decided, following the man into the depths of the ship, and not so...edgy. Amanda knew what bred the difference, though-the Coast Guards reserved their awe for others of their group-they were an elite, and they knew it. He led her up a narrow, steel, flight of stairs, to the bridge.

Admiral Li was waiting up there. Amanda straightened up, and said, "Permission to come aboard, Ma'am?" respectfully.

"Granted. Welcome to the Ice Dragon, there's some things you need to be made aware of, Miss Ngo." the Admiral rasped. Amanda waited.

"Your Mother is due to be arrested when she reaches Tharkad, That's the first bit of bad news." The Admiral said.

The statement hit the girl like a heavy weight. Control yourself... Amanda's mouth still dropped open a bit, "WHY??" she asked, unable to keep the shock from her voice.

Li Sighed, "as to that, I've got about ten or eleven conflicting reports for you to read and sort out. The Second bit of bad news is that Fred Burke's leading the Assembly in an attempted coup, Davies is holding off the Mercs they brought in, but it looks like some of your Security Detail joined the Rebels, it's probably a good thing you gave 'em the slip."

Amanda shook her head to clear it, "Who?" she asked.

"Supervisor Gordon Howell, about ten or twelve others. They killed Mrs. White and some of the other Staffers at the estate on Golden lake, and they've promised Burke that they'll have you ready for delivery by the time his Mercs finish securing the capital."

Amanda's legs gave out on her, and she leaned against the bulkhead, and moaned, "Dammit, it's not fair...I saved his ass... mom was right." Li waited, now, and spoke up,

"Now, Davies and I agreed, You're fourteen now, and going to be fifteen in a few months, it's time to consider your formal education-and your five year Service period. Fotweiler, get the girl a chair." The Marine who led her in stepped out, and brought in a folding camp-chair. "Have a seat."

Amanda sat down.

"Patrick's going to be in the LCAF for the rest of his life, probably, so that leaves you to handle things here." the Admiral continued.

Amanda was shocked, "But-but-but Pat's Oldest!" she said.

Li nodded, "Yes, oldest, and that usually means 'going to inherit', but maybe not, you've been learning how things work here, while he's been off- world since he was six. He may be a vet, and he may be the older, but you're the one the Militia will follow if it comes down to it." Li paused, letting that sink in, as she added, "You've been...groomed for the job, Ev Mosovich says your sharp, and that carries a lot of weight with both the Militia, and the Guard... a lot more weight than a Nagelring rag and a comission in the Royal Guards does."

Amanda looked at the deck plates, and said, "Patrick's a good man..." even as she said it, she kenned to what Li would say in reply.

"Yes, yes he is- and his record says he's a fine soldier for the Archon. That's where his loyalties are. He would let them gut Kowloon without blinking an eye- his home is the Service, not here."

Amanda looked up, "Prince Victor." she said.

Li shrugged, "That was years ago, before you were born, but the analogy isn't quite right- His enemies were external, and the operation against the Clans was vital to everyone's survival. Your brother is just... the Archon's man, and we can't afford to have someone more loyal to Tharkad, than to Kowloon, as our representation."

Amanda stiffened, "You're talking Treason, aren't you?" she asked baldly.

Li shook her head, "No, I'd be every inch against secession, but I believe we have to be protected from the National Government as much as by it. Condit was Tharkad's man, and he ruined us all, Your mother came and brought us back by defying them without rebellion. she acted as a check on their more destructive ambitions, and gained us enough to actually defend our world against Banditry ourselves, so that we could enhance both our own survival, and, that of the Lyran State." Li was sincerely trying to make a point, Amanda knew.

Amanda just didn't want to accept the burden.

"I'm only fourteen! I'm not ready!" Amanda said.

Li nodded, "I wish they'd waited at least another ten years, but they didn't. If they convict Elizabeth, you've got to be ready to take over, because Pat Can't."

Amanda sighed heavily- there would be no escapes now, no more fun excursions into the new-settlement areas, No more being a child... She nodded. "Okay, what do I need to do?" she asked.

Li sighed, "For now, you stay here, where we can protect you, and we all wait, and hope that the worst-case isn't going to happen."

Camp Frederic, North Continent, Kowloon, January 25, 3084...

Whatever the Mercs had been expecting, what they got was a surprise. Colonel Davies walked into the Assembly building. Fifteen Assemblymen were lined up, now, not quite a quorum committee...[naughty] them for this... he thought, looking them over.

"I'm not going to shoot you." he said, and relieved looks passed between some of them. Thad Burke, assemblyman from District 9, the ringleader of the coup, looked actively hopeful.

Davies smiled, "I'm not going to have you shot, either. What I am going to do, is bind you over for trial, and let Miss Ngo decide what to do with you."

Burke's hopeful look collapsed. Then, it rekindled, as he remembered the news reporting. "Miss Ngo is going to be tried herself!" he announced boldly.

Davies rested a hand on his hip-holster, and said, "Amanda Ngo, mister Burke, not Elizabeth."

Burke's expression froze, "What?" he asked, confused.

Davies' smile got wider, "Amanda is currently aboard the KCGMS Ice Dragon, in protective custody as a guest of Alicia Li. Your friend Gordon missed her by two hours." Burke's triumphant look was rapidly collapsing in on itself, the other conspirators were also looking... nervous.

"She's just a little girl!" Burke spat.

Davies nodded, and said, "So she is-she is still going to be the Leige-Lord here, most of the Militia have already sworn in, along with the Kommandant and Cadre of the Infantry Warfare School, and the Coast Guard- as evidenced by the failure of your coup attempt... Oh, and we will be sending the survivors of The Green Machine back to where they came from, they thought they were under a legit contract fighting a usurper-not supporting a coup attempt against the legal ruler's family. Their Colonel was shocked when I offered to pay off their bond and the balance, rather than charging them with crimes and locking them up."

Burke was not very happy about this-and it showed.

Davies continued, hammering it in for the other conspirators, "Burke, you're guilty of fomenting a rebellion, attempting to remove a lawfully designated noble from power, and conspiracy to commit the murder of several Lyran Citizens. You're also an accessory in the deaths of several of your fellow Assemblymen. For your sake, I hope she doesn't have some of her mother's more... exotic tastes."

They were sweating in the cool air. "Provost, take these worms out to the prison barge, I don't want them in contact with anyone until we get things straightened out here, and the Baroness-Heir is installed into office."

KCGMS Ice Dragon, steaming northeast out of the Giap gulf, bound for Tonga Atoll Coast Guard Air station...

Amanda was reading lawbooks in her cabin, and hating every minute of it. Geez, no wonder ma always had someone else dealing with this... she fumed- Admiral Li was very serious about it, when she said, "You have to learn how to be a Ruler, girl, you have to become a Noble, they won't take you seriously otherwise. You can't afford to trade on the same reputation your mother could..." So, she was studying the Laws.

"Too many contradictions..." she muttered, and started outlining in red sections that contradicted each other.

Make the law simple, and it's simple to obey the law. she noted, and wrote it in the margin of the Revised Planetary Code.

Why all these different taxes? she wondered, and shook her head again, too many loopholes, and it's too complicated. No wonder all of mom's work has turned over so few returns, the planet would be a lot more profitable if it didn't have these contradictory regulations... she began outlining whole chapters, and stopped. "The best Executive knows two things, First, when to Delegate, and second, when to say 'no'. Set policy, then, give the responsibility and authority out to those who can and will enforce it."

Amanda nodded, I don't have to be a great legal scholar, I have to have a great legal scholar.

She stood up, and stretched. Mother made sure I had a great Army, and a good Navy, and the basics of an Industrial base, but she didn't pay much attention to streamlining the rest... fine, I'll work on what she couldn't...because she didnt' have the time.

She reached under the bed, and pulled out her laptop database from the drawer underneath. The titanium casing was scarred, where a bullet had struck, and the finish was marred by smoke, but the internals were still in good shape and working.

She opened it, and typed into the search field-"Pesonnel Records".

Put together a team to reform the legal framework, and fix the planetary constitution to prevent some of the more obvious abuses...

After all, she reasoned, if a fourteen-year-old spoiled brat could see that the tax-burden was inhibiting economic growth, then anyone could see it.

As for Burke... well... I want to know why.

she made a notation on a padd next to her- "Find out what motivated Burke and the other conspirators, and where they found the money."

She recalled, from a book her mother made her read, that "The most efficient means of ending Seditions is to take away the matter of them."

Amanda determined that whatever the matter was, her further survival depended wholly solving the problems of Kowloon, rather than in dabbling in the affairs of outside states.

I can't afford to do what Patrick did-so I make sure he never has to worry about being called home, he can be in the greater world... I have to do my service here.

Many of the problem laws and regulations, she noted, were enacted when Elizabeth was away, fighting in the Lyran Regular forces.

That was also when the worst disasters had struck.

A knock at the door barely disturbed her. "Come." she said out loud. Admiral Li stepped into the small chamber. "Well?" she asked.

Amanda looked up, "I've got the makings of a plan, Admiral. but I need to know what motivated the Conspirators."

Li looked surprised, "Motive? you're sitting judgement, not prosecution!"

Amanda shook her head, "no, I'm doing what you told me I should do- if we stop at punishment, and don't solve the problem, we'll have it again, with a different set of suspects, and more collateral damage."

Li looked thoughtful, "Solving the whole problem? that's very... naive, ma'am."

Amanda nodded, "Yeah, and mom wouldn't hesitate to have them terminated, but she also didn't hesitate to crucify 180 Blakist Prisoners of war on Thorin... I want to know details on why, I can't afford to make mistakes."

Li looked thoughtful, and said, "You've been studying for what, five days, maybe six? Don't bite off more than you have to, It'll make you nuts."

Amanda shrugged, "I have to. If Mom comes home, I don't have to worry, but, if she doesn't..."

Li nodded, "Yes, if she doesn't."

Amanda offered the Admiral a seat.

"I've noticed that a lot of problems seemed to occur when Mother was away- especially little laws and regulations that self-contradict coming out of the Assembly and some of the executive agencies." she pointed to her notations.

Li nodded, "A lot of that is what happens in a representative system like we have here."

Amanda nodded, "Yeah, but it's costing the ordinary people, and the state, and that's a problem."

Li nodded, "I see that..."

Tonga CoastGuard Naval Air Station, 28 January, 3084...

The Tonga CGNAS was a full-service military base, one of a dozen scattered along the Key Islands on the eastern side of the Giap Gulf. In addition to having docks for seaborne vessels, and an airstrip for fighters, Tonga had a large "Pad" rated to handle dropships up to Excalibur class. The major feature of the island had been blown flat with a low-yeild nuclear weapon of the advanced-fallout type-a Neutron bomb. This provided the island with a large, glassy flat suitable for reinforcement as a landing area. What made Tonga ideal, was a steady easterly wind, the ideal speed for takeoff and landings. Amanda stepped off Ice Dragon escorted by six Marines, into a world that only exists on military installations. After the demolition of Mt Tonga's peak (11,000 meters removed from the top of a 20,000 meter granite and basalt structure), everything on the island had died. Now, all that remained were what the engineers had brought in- Earthlife grass in geometrically perfect rectangles, earthlife trees in orchards, earthlife plants in rectangular fields along terraced slopes- a manicured garden interspersed with scrupulously maintained buildings along regular intervals. Not a weed growing where it shouldn't, trimmed hedges where native jungle had once predominated.

A world of utter order.

"Let's go." she said, and they crossed the perfectly maintained street, and through the checkpoint. "How long before we can fly north?" she asked.

Senior Chief Petty Officer Hu looked at his watch, "About four hours, ma'am, the bird needs to be fueled and checked out, and we've got to clear the aircrew." he said smartly.

Amanda nodded, "Fine, I'm starting to stink up these clothes, can we hit a base shopping area before we go?" she asked.

He nodded, and said, "Sure, the PX is about four blocks that way-don't know if they've got anything snazzy, though." he sounded apologetic.

Amanda shook her head, "I think I'll find what I need..."

They were off.

Prison Barge, Mekong River Port, Camp Frederic...

Thad Burke looked at walls again, and sighed. There is no god... why did I ever believe that man? I tried to retake Kowloon for the Commonwealth, and it's blown up in my face, and they send no rescuers for me... He looked at his hands again, and cursed. "do this for the Commonwealth, you will be rewarded..." Liars... My reward is going to be a noose, and it's because I believed them... The walls of his cell were horribly simple- a shipping container, with a pressure-sealed hatch on one end, a vent cut in the ceiling with cool air blowing in, and a slot where his meals, on carefully chosen safe materials- even the tray was edible, and a toilet, hard-plumbed into the wall, with a sink on top, and a pad, fixed in place, comfortable, but not removable, or, as he found out, able to be torn by fingers or teeth. I suppose, if I really tried, I could drown myself in the toilet bowl...no. that does no good. They were, at least for the moment, trying to keep him both confined, and alive.

He was surprised that nobody was trying to interrogate him.

There were no trips to darkened rooms with bright, directional lights, no beatings (in fact, no contact with his guards whatsoever), no duct-tape and electrical outlets, nothing but the cool hiss of the air conditioning, and the rhythmic sway of the floor. What if they forget about me? he wondered. There was nothing here to mark the passage of time, even the faucet did not drip, and he had no watch, clock, or outside view, to mark how long he'd been here. Even the meals left no marks-no discarded cutlery, no trays, no trash, no building up of odour from foul conditions.

He got up, for the thousandth time, and checked to see if the sink worked. It did. The Toilet flushed, filling the chamber with a temporary thunder. But the silence returned.

Heavier, a pressure on his temples, creeping in the growth of his facial hair.

"Hello??? Is there anyone there???" he shouted.

nothing answered his question but the rocking of the floor.

He sat down on the pad, and looked at his bare feet.

Alone... they've left me totally alone... He moaned.

The walls echoed it back to him.

Tonga PX

Amanda looked at what was available. She bypassed the small offering of civilian attire-mostly focused on "beachwear", loud print shirts and shorts that come to just above the knee, and was looking at dress-uniform items.

"Madame?" an elderly gentleman in pressed civilian clothing walked up. Amanda looked at him.

"Children's wear is that way, young lady, do you have a dependent's card?"

Amanda sighed, and pulled out her Identcharge card. "I'm fourteen, and I'm not interested in surfing gear." she said flatly.

He looked at her name, and checked the bar-coding on a reader.

"AH! what may I do for you, Miss Ngo?" He asked, his whole demeanour had changed.

"I need a full issue of Class-A Officer's dress, no insignia, including no rank, my sizes are on the bar-code, and it needs to be pressed and ready in three hours, plus a set of ship-Duty's and an aircrew suit, ditto on the blank insignia, I also need an Officer's briefcase for this-" she held up her Laptop, An AMITEK-67441E, a model infamous for being a 'mech-hacker's deck.

"I see... Might I ask what the hurry is?" he asked.

She nodded, "I've got fifteen men to pass judgement on in Camp Frederic in eight hours, and I need to be presentable." she replied.

He pursed his lips, and said, "Not with that hair, even unmarked, it's a KCGM uniform, it needs respect."

She smiled, and said, "Ex-Chief, right?"

He nodded, "Ten years as a Seniour Drill Chief, Thirty years of service."

Amanda straightened up, and asked, "Who's the best barber on post for a regulation lady's cut?"

He smiled, "Norris, on Third Street, tell 'im that Chief Woodson sent you, and you need a Court-Martial special. Now, let me get the correct measurements, then you can be on your way."

He used a pocket-scanning device to take the measurements, and said, "Be back in two hours, and it'll be ready- a full issue."

She thanked him, and her guards led her to the place.

Norris was another old-hand Chief, and he pursed his lips disapprovingly. "Gonna need to dye it, to get that purple out." he said. Amanda handed over the card, and he scanned it.

"Okay... didn't think I'd be getting Royalty today, what's it gonna be?" he asked.

Amanda told him.

"have a seat, ma'am..."

He started with a wash, and then, washing through a dyeing agent that returned it to her "base" colour of Ebony-brown.

"This stuff'll hold you 'till it grows out, you'll need to get it touched up in a couple days to keep the look."

Amanda looked in a mirror. Where her hair had fallen down past her shoulders before the cut, it was now bobbed above her ears in a "Duck's ass" cut, feathered so that it would not touch the collar of a shirt, or her ears. Gone was the wild, mom-defying blue and orange streaked mass with green tips.

"You've got good bone structure, kid, you look a lot better without all that mess you had." Norris said.

Amanda shrugged, "I Like it, thanks... You take tips?" she asked.

Norris grinned, "Is water wet?"

Amanda coded a transfer of two C-Bills into his account. "When I finish, you won't be taxed on that." she said, after making the transaction.

He raised an eyebrow, "Really?" he asked. Amanda nodded, "Taxing tips is stupid, and it discourages people from being courteous, plus, it costs more to monitor as a system, than it raises in actual revenue. I'm going to do away with it."

He laughed, and said, "You'll have a hell of a time selling those Assembly pricks on that, you know."

Amanda shrugged, "They don't matter right now-they're under arrest for attempting to overthrow their leige-lord."

He laughed again, and then, lowering the chair, he said, "Just don't try an' be some kind of autocrat, okay?"

She nodded, "I have no intention of doing that, I'm just going to clean a few things up, that's all."

She bid him good-day, and checked the time.

Fourteen thirty. Her clothes were ready.

North Continent, Survey area 134, 26 January, 3084...

Gordon Howell woke up cold, to the sound of a proximity alarm in his cockpit. what now? he opened his eyes, and looked at the scanners in his 'mechs cockpit.

Just in time to see a pair of H-7 helicopters as they passed over his position.

choppers, okay, so you found me, now what? he thought nastily, and brought his weapons on-line.

The "now what" was rather shocking, as he tried to take a step forward. Both leg actuators? he looked down at his 'mechs status board, and cursed.

The heat-sinks were reading as "Red".

All of the Heat sinks.

His engine shut itself down.

He panned the video feed downward, examining the condition of his firestarter omnimech, and cursed even more loudly.

Every access panel was open, and frost on the ground told him what happened to his liquid-nitrogen coolant.

The Hatch on his 'mech, which normally actuated by the flick of a switch, moaned as something pried it open.

He turned, and saw a crescent of daylight down below him in the access shaft.

"Shit..." he muttered, as something clattered down below.

The crescent thinned, and the latches reset while he watched.

Gordon grabbed a flashlight, and lit the entry-point, as the aerosol grenade popped, releasing a spray of something into his 'mech.

Within seconds, he passed out.

Prisoner holding area, Downtown Camp Frederic, 1700 hours...

Gordon woke slowly, with his head throbbing, and looked at the cell. Ferrocrete walls with obscene graffitti, inset with alloy bars on both sides of a hardened glass window on one side, and hardened alloy bars around him.

and Amanda standing on the other side of his cage.

"Good morning, Asshole." she said.

He blinked, "wha-?" She held up a picture, he recognized it immediately.

"Howell, you betrayed my trust, about like Mom said you would. You took up arms against me, and I understand why- but you murdered Mrs White, and I can't countenance that."

He tried to stand, and found that he could, after a fashion- something was weighing his feet down severely. He looked, and saw...

"My FEET!!" he screamed.

They were encased in a ferrocrete block.

"yes, your feet. I thought about having you mortared in to your neck for that, but I think this is more appropriate." she replied.

He looked at her, his composure was shot.

"What are you going to do to me?" he asked.

Amanda crossed her arms, "It ain't what I'm going to do, Gordy... it's what you're going to do, to yourself. You have Three options, you can go for a swim in the Little Yangtze, as you are, or, you can sign this petition for emigration-to Clan Jade Falcon, as a Labourer. The petition is also an admission of guilt, and a request for 'Stern Correction'."

He looked at her dubiously, "What's the third option?" he asked.

Amanda sighed, "that's 'surprise Option', I won't tell you what it is, but you sign this, if you want to risk it." she held out a blank document, with a signature block.

He took the risk.

Amanda grimaced, and said, "You should have taken the first option. After Sexual-Reassignment surgery, you will be lobotomized, and sold in Port Krin as a Harem-slave to the first bidder available. The proceeds will be used to pay death-gild to Anna White's family."

His eyes got big. "WHAT???" he stammered.

Amanda shrugged, "Sometimes you win, sometimes you don't- you won't be able to ever pilot a Battlemech again, but, you won't be dead, either. You'll be dumb, and pretty, and very compliant, for whoever pays for you. You broke a contract with me, Gordy, you violated your bond. You also killed a harmless old woman who's never been anything but nice to anyone, in a way that is arguably the most painful death known to man-you burned her alive while she was running away. I had a hard time thinking of something bad enough to be what you deserve- and this is as close as I could get." She smiled, "But, you'll remember that you used to be a 'mechwarrior, at least!"

The guards came, and stunned him.

"Make sure he remembers what he was, Raul, I want it to haunt him for the rest of whatever life he has." The doctor nodded, "he will- god, I'd love to slip, just a little bit... Mrs. White was really nice, she made those cookies for the kids on family days..." The company doctor followed the gurney into a waiting MASH vehicle.

Amanda crossed her arms, and muttered, "I'll miss her too..."

Dockside, Camp Frederic, 0600 Hours local time, 27 January, 3084...

They were lined up on the dockside, chained together, when Amanda arrived.

"How are you, Gentlemen?" she asked. The fifteen conspirators were still blinking in the bright light of morning. Burke, the leader of the conspirators, peered at her in a mix of surprise and apprehension. Amanda was dressed... conservatively. He opened his mouth, and gasped.

"You... you're...you're dead." he said.

Amanda shook her head, "Alas, Mister Burke, in spite of the best efforts of your co-conspirators in my security detail, ' the rumours of my demise were greatly exaggerated.' I love old quotes, don't you?"

She walked right up to him, and looked him over. "You're in pretty sad shape, Assemblyman, I think your father is very disappointed in you- He at least, had the class to let someone else destroy the capital, rather than hiring outsiders, offworlders, to do it."

He looked at her as if she'd stepped out of a bad B-feature Holovid. "I did it for the good of the Lyran Commonwealth." he announced.

Amanda shrugged, "There may be differing opinions on that, Mister Burke, The Commonwealth has been having some hard times lately, and Kowloon's been a bright spot, our industries have flourished, bringing in needed capital... You endangered that with this little stunt." She didn't slap him, but the tone was a slap.

She folded her hands behind her, and walked down the line of prisoners.

"Since your conspiracy brought those Mercenaries here, and tore up things, the Jade Falcon Enclave's garrison has been holding excercises on their borders, looking to gain a bit more land, no doubt, and definitely looking for signs of weakness."

She reached the end of the line, turned, and walked back.

"Thanks to this little episode, additionally, four hundered civilians who survived that little rampage are now homeless, their neighbourhoods burnt and charred, their family members dead and dismembered." She stopped, again facing Burke,

"The shitty thing of it is, Thad, your family's whole holdings don't amount to one tenth what the mercs were paid. In fact..." She looked at all of them, "The whole lot of you together couldn't have come up with the bond they were holding."

She walked over to the landward end of the dock, and held out her hand. A Technician placed a wrench in her palm, she closed her fingers, and walked back over to the prisoners.

"Who paid for it?" she asked.

Burke swallowed, "Torture will get you no where." he said.

Amanda shrugged, "Who said I was going to torture you?" she asked, and swung the wrench with surprising speed from his right.

the Assemblyman to his left, Barkowski, didn't even get to scream as his head caved in from the blow.

"Ooops... sorry..." she said, and wiped the dead man's brains and blood off on Burke's shirt. "Nervous twitch."

Burke swallowed hard, and glared, but held his silence, as the dead man sagged, pulling the chains tighter around all of them.

"You can kill us, but you can't stop what's going to happen." Burke said.

Amanda shrugged, the wrench blurred, and Assemblywoman Garland gasped, moaned, and lost control of her legs.

Amanda looked at Burke, and said, "Your wife will be happy to know that no possiblility exists for a bastard now, I understand that a broken pelvis can seriously inhibit childbirth. shall I continue, or will you tell me what I want to know?" She also wiped the wrench on his shirt. "Who sponsored this?"

His eyes widened, "You're insane!!" he snarled.

Amanda shrugged, and tapped the wrench on his chest, "You're responsible, Burke, you led them here, but you had to be working for someone else, I don't like doing this, I'd rather be dealing with them, than wasting time with you and the rest of this lot." she stepped back, "Which one's next, Thad? Pick one of your fellows, who gets hit next?"

four men down, Assemblyman Macdermott spoke up, "He got it from the Finance Minister, Duke Steuben!"

Burke turned his head violently, "SHUT UP!!!"

Amanda nodded slowly, "Thank you, Assemblyman MacDermott, apparently, you understand how serious the situation is..." she walked down the line, "Who was the point of contact, MacDermott?" She rested the wrench against his knee, "Who carried the orders?"

"I-I don't know." he said. Amanda looked over at Burke, "Wrong Answer." The wrench blurred again, and Macdermott's eyes bulged, as his left ribcage caved in.

"Grodin, Arhileas Grodin, he's a mid-level at the ministry of Colonial Development, he's also LIC." Burke said, and hung his head, ashamed.

Amanda nodded, "I thought maybe something like that was up... So, you got your funding from a man claiming to be LIC, who was working at the DevelopMin office downtown?" she asked.

Burke nodded, "He set us up, put us in contact with Gordon..."

Amanda crossed her arms, "Did it ever occur to you, mister Burke, that if the LIC wanted my mother out, and me out, they wouldn't have to fund a half- assed coup attempt?"

Burke's mouth dropped open. Amanda continued, "The Republic tried to kidnap me when I was eleven, to keep my mother from disinvesting in the Republic. After that, they tried to kill us both, four times, while we were off- world."

He shook his head, "Nobody said anything about that..."

Amanda nodded, "Burke, you think what I did here was brutal-well, it was. It is. These people don't play nice, Therefore, I can't afford to be any nicer. Now, Barkowski's dead, and that was not intentional, I only wanted to knock him out." She dropped the wrench on the deck. "I'm going to give those of you remaining two choices, I kill you now, or, you emigrate somewhere far, far away-like Clan territory. You may defect, or, you may die. Your choice, though I warn you, if you defect, I will take steps to prevent you from being able to do any damage to Kowloon after your departure."

Jenson, on the end, swallowed hard, and asked, "What kind of steps?" he asked, "You gonna kill us or something?"

Amanda shook her head, "no, You'll be alive... you'll be in good phyisical health, even. You have ten seconds to decide."

They looked at one another, and Burke spoke up, "I don't want to die. I'll take the second option."

After a few breaths, the others, (those able to nod) agreed.

"Fine, after the Doctors have seen to you, you will be released to their custody."

The MASH vehicle pulled up to the dock, and the prisoners were disconnected and sedated quickly.

"All twelve?" Dr. Ghidres asked. Amanda nodded, "cut their brains out, I don't want one of them able to test out above about an I.Q. of 60... except Garlan, I want you to patch her up good doc, her 'Injury' act was good, but I might have nicked her for real by accident. Give her a new face, and thank her for her cooperation." The Doc nodded, "Yes ma'am."

Okay, got one Republic spy dead, and the survivors will serve well as a warning of what happens to traitors... and the Falcons.. well, it may be fascinating to see their reaction.

Admiral Li was waiting behind the MASH vehicle.

"You said you'd shoot them." she said, accusingly.

Amanda shrugged, "Then, someone would have to clean up the mess, and we wouldn't have gotten independent confirmation."

Li shook her head. "Please, Lady, don't do that again... it's inhumane."

Amanda nodded, "I know, Admiral, I know... Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go..." she turned, and threw up.

Amanda finished, and looked around-nobody but the Admiral had seen. "good...I'd...hate for anyone to see that." she wiped her chin with her handkerchief.

"I'm fourteen, Admiral, I can't afford to look weak." she told the Officer, " Ah, 'It is best to be loved and feared, but, if it's a choice between one or the other, it is better to be feared', is that it, Amanda?" Li asked, finally.

Amanda nodded, "Machiavelli's 'The Prince'."

Li shook her head, "Things are much more complex than the words of a sixteenth century terran nobleman." she said.

Amanda shrugged, "I had seven days to bone up for the test of taking over, Admiral, I have to do this rough because I don't have time to do this smooth."

Li nodded, "But don't forget that it's better to be both, Amanda, you've probably got the Fear part down. How will you win their love?" she asked.

Amanda looked thoughtful, "I have to do something, don't I?"

Li nodded, "You have to show you aren't a bloody-handed tyrant."

Medbay, Jumpship "Linda", Three weeks out from Tharkad...

"Okay, first, the bad news... are you ready for this?" Dr. Milene Warshaw asked.

Elizabeth nodded, "Hit me with it, and don't spare my feelings." she said.

Warshaw nodded, "Bad news is, you're getting worse, these attacks are going to be getting more frequent, and that's going to continue. Further scans show you've got weakening of blood vessels in your brain, as well, no tumours, but weakening nonetheless. I'd say it's a side-effect of chemical exposures you suffered on Hesperus."

Elizabeth didn't groan, or show any outward sign of distress at this, she just nodded, "Okay, that's the bad news, you said you had good news."

The Doctor nodded, "Yes, I do, untreated, your condition is going to kill you in about five years, before you die, you'll suffer some loss of cognition, similar to advanced alzheimers, in addition to the physically obvious effects. The good news is, it isn't hereditary, and your children are safe from it."

Elizabeth sighed in relief. "Good...what's your recommended course of treatment?" she asked.

The Doctor drew in a breath, and said, "New California, an independent spacer republic near the Free Worlds League border, has some very extensive techniques for dealing with this kind of problem- I know a clinic that can help you..."

Elizabeth chuckled, "Doc, I'll be facing serious charges on Tharkad, at least, serious as far as that gang of stuffed shirts is concerned-running off to a neutral country is virtually a de-facto admission of wrongdoing."

The Doctor hung her head, and said, "We can't do anything about it here, except give you some medications to lessen the violence of the seizures-it won't stop them entirely, but, it might reduce the pain afterwards..."

Elizabeth sat, silently, considering, and then spoke, "Hook me up, Doc, but keep this under your hat for now, the last thing I need is for some Court Magistrate to decide I'm mentally unbalanced and commit me to one of those Tharkad Butcher Shops."

Later, aboard the dropship 'Gloria'...

Elizabeth sat in her stateroom, looking at her medical charts.

I can either run off to a neutral, and look guilty, which puts Amanda and Patrick under the lens, or, I can go to Tharkad, and face the Justice Minister's Kangaroo Court, the damned trial could outlast my wits, and leave me a drooling idiot-puppet of whatever caregivers they assign me... She looked at the prescriptions.

For now, I'll take the drugs. When we actually make the last jump, I'll wait a day, and flush the rest. With luck, I'll be inaccessable, If Stone's people are as connected as I think they are, they'll have someone on the inside, with luck, and a couple of dropped hints, it will be enough of an incident that they'll be looking away while the kids consolidate their hold on the company and Kowloon... Patrick will have to come home, then, he'll have to take responsibility for his own life, instead of relying on the Army to do his thinking for him...

She sat down at her terminal, and composed a message for HPG transmission.

If I die in their custody, it will reveal the Justice Minister, and the Finance Minister, as traitors to the realm. An investigation will follow, and Steuben will be fingered. Sacrifice play, one queen for a king. She finished the note, and sat back.

"I hope your people are competent, for once, Stone... I really do." she muttered.

Village 4, Jade Falcon enclave, Kowloon, 0400 hours, 29 January, 3084, 0400 hours...

The streets were unlit at this hour, curfew would not be lifted until 0530. The only presence on the street should be the Duty Star. Therefore, at 0330 hours when a Warrior noticed someone walking aimlessly in the central square, he called it in. Twenty minutes of frenzy later, three more were found.

Star Commander John looked at the latest catch. He was a man about 40, dressed in a neat, if ill-fitting, hospital gown. Like the others, there was an... emptiness in his eyes. "Not one of ours." he said, firmly. An Elemental held up his reader.

"He was carrying a datacard, it's marked as an Emigration pass, they all were."

Now, John sighed, "Was there a name? this one seems less able to speak even than the others."

The Elemental read off, "Burke, Thaddeus, Currently unemployed, formerly listed as a Kowloonese Assemblyman."

The Star Commander spat an oath, that name was known.

"One of the Conspirators... Savashri! They're dumping their garbage on us!"

He looked at the man, and stopped, "wait... " he used the barrel of his pistol to push the man's hair aside.

"Lobotomized... They lobotomized him and dumped his walking, empty shell here..." He turned and looked at the Elementals in his star. "So...was this a Warning, a Challenge, or... a gift?" he asked rhetorically.

"Studying the Ngo family was considered a useful passtime for any Clan Officer facing a tour in the Kowloon enclave... I realized this when I transferred in around 3079 or so.

The Lobotomized conspirators were a threat- but it was not directed at Clan Jade Falcon... naturally enough, it was a threat to their own people, specifically those who might have thought there was a vacuum of power, with Elizabeth gone.

We had, I decided, been chosen as the deliverers of this message.

Naturally, while I do not like being manipulated, I found a certain... satisfaction, in ending the suffering of those pathetic Spheroid criminals. It reminded me, a bit, of the Culling, though this was rather clumsy in comparison."

-Star Captain Pierce Malthus, 3rd Falcon Jaegers, Iota Galaxy, Kowloon Enclave 3079-3086.

Melissa Steiner-Davion Spaceport, Tharkad, 2 February, 3084...

Elizabeth brushed her hair back with one hand, and stepped down onto the concourse. The Flight down to the port had taken very little time, and only required minimal landing clearances, since she was coming down via shuttle, instead of a full dropship.

She glanced to her left, and said, "Harvey, take my bag, woud you?" extending the small leatherette valais.

"Yes ma'am." Harvey was her current Executive assistant, and Elizabeth rarely made the man carry more than his empty hands. Hands which ordinarily were empty so that they could, at a moment's notice, be filled with large- bore handguns. This part of Tharkad, though, was free from the usual sorts of street crime, and, he was unarmed anyway.

They walked down the broad avenue between powered slidewalks without hurrying.

"Remember, Harve, whatever happens when we reach the commons or after, that Briefcase has to get to the Lincoln and Holman Law Offices before sundown, okay?" she said quietly.

Harvey nodded, "Yes ma'am." The crowds here were light, but, the sudden...lack of a crowd was visible.

Harvey looked around, nervously. Elizabeth simply maintained her stride. "Don't make an ass of yourself, Harve." she growled, "it's just procedure."

He looked down at her, "procedure?" he asked.

Elizabeth nodded, "Clear the civilians out before trying to arrest a dangerous criminal." she said evenly.

He looked around again, "Where??? Where?"

Elizabeth sighed again, and jabbed him in the ribs with her elbow, "Me, you idiot... If we're very, very, lucky, at the end of this walk, is a squad of troops from the Royal Guards, here to arrest me. If we aren't so lucky, it's going to be a bunch from the Justice Ministry, and they'll kill us both trying to resist arrest."

He looked down at her, "But... you specifically said..." and the former boxer's eyes widened.

Elizabeth nodded, "That's right, rabbit. now start praying for soldiers."

The last set of double-doors, set specifically to give an impression of majesty to the large common area beyond, opened up.

Sometimes, something as simple as a flashbulb can trigger certain reactions in people with certain nervous-system disorders.

Amplify that by using a Battlemech's searchlight, indoors.

In a room with kinetic sculpture incorporating prisms and mirrors...

Elizabeth saw the 'mech, right before the light came on full-force.

she didn't see what happened next- the force of what was happening inside her skull overwhelmed that. Instead, she got a momentary view of soldiers, and a buzzing in her ears, and then, a shaking, blurry view of the walls going upward, and the ceiling, as her muscles all tried to fire at the same time.

Hauptmann Lobratio Van Lyonne watched the suspects enter the main area of the port, which had been cleared of civilian traffic in case things got nasty. He watched the two of them enter the main terminal, and then, he watched as the female suspect collapsed violently when his searchlight hit one of the decorative sculptures as the mirrored prisms passed through the beam.

The man dropped what he was carrying, and raised his hands, screaming something that didn't penetrate the 'mechs cockpit insulation.

"Someone get a medic over there." he said, casually, watching as the woman seemed to imitate perfectly a landed fish. Two medics, escorted by Fenris battlesuits, rushed forward, the suits keeping the bodyguard at bay, while the medics went to work.

"Sir, we need to get her to a medical facility, this... this looks like a grand mal, over." The lead medic, Sargeant Moran, said with the artificial calm of an experienced veteran.

"Roger that, Moran, See what you can do to stabilize her, the General don't want no dead people today." The Hauptmann drawled.

Emergency Room, Neurosurgery Unit, Ceasar Steiner Medical Centre, Tharkad, 2 February 3084, 2100 hours...

The monitor went flat. "Oh, shit..." The patient's body went limp. "She's gone." Dr. Mortimer pulled his mask off. "We can't do anything about this." he said, and threw his gloves on the table. The assembled nurses and Medics looked down at the body. "Maybe if she'd gotten here even a few hours earlier..." He sighed.

The door to the surgery opened, and a group of uniformed men entered.

Followed by a face that was recognizable anywhere in the Lyran Commonwealth.

"Doctor." The Archon said, reaching over and turning off the monitors.

"I tried, Your Highness... she just... died." Dr. Mortimer said.

Peter nodded, "I know. She is alive, you understand? She survived surgery and is being transferred to a Military facility." he said flatly.

The Doctor looked at the Archon in confusion, "Sir, She's dead, it's right here, in front of us both!"

Peter shook his head, "No, Doctor, she will die, but not here. It is a matter of National Security."

Mortimer wasn't getting it, "Sir, she had a massive Anyeurism, she's dead." He insisted.

Peter shook his head, "No, she was shot, behind the ear, like this-" He drew out a pistol, and placed a single, five-millimeter bullet into the body, behind the left ear, "As the examining Physician, you will note powder-burns, but officially, she died trying to escape custody."

Mortimer swallowed, hard. "sir, you just violated a dead body."

Peter nodded, "No, I did not, because we never caught the shooter... so we covered it up by claiming that she fell four stories to her death, in an escape attempt, four days from now."

Mortimer was apalled. "Why?" he breathed.

Peter sighed, "Because, Doctor, dead in an emergency room of an anyeurism won't be believed by her people, and I can't use it as evidence enough to remove certain people from sensitive positions." He said, quietly.

A light began dawning in Mortimer's eyes, "Oh my god... you're using this as a... mole-hunt, right?"

Peter nodded, "That is correct, Doctor, she was coming here to report to me when the Justice Minister issued the arrest order-not unexpected, he and Steuben were neck-deep in something, and I had Liz Ngo digging it out for me from an outside position. She's dead now, she can't testify, so... so she still gets to give evidence."

Mortimer spat, "Manufactured evidence."

Peter shrugged, "Maybe, I know they had a man set to do that very thing-he was doubled by Loki two days ago-so, as far as anyone outside this room goes, she left in critical condition, arrived at a maximum-security facility, and was murdered under our noses."

Mortimer sighed, nodded, "I see... and what about the shooting report? If it shows up on the open record, that makes your cover story-"

Peter shook his head, "No. Officially, she fell out a window. You're going to 'Secretly' send the 'Actual' medical examination to Kowloon, In violation of section five of the Official Secrets act. Heimdall is going to cover your tracks, and set you up with a 'safe' place, where I can keep an eye on you to prevent you from revealing the ACTUAL truth."

He held out a Padd- "Thumbprint this, and sign, You have just been recruited." Mortimer moaned, and did so.

"It's necessary, Doctor, You're a Patriot, you will grow to understand." Peter said, and waved the soldiers forward, to begin cleaning up the mess and prepping the body.

"How long has she worked for you, Archon, you can at least tell me that?" Mortimer asked, as the Archon took him away in a car.

Peter shrugged, "You don't need to know that- but I'll tell you this: Most of the time she worked for me, she didn't know it... her little Trouble Teams have been a big window on how competing powers organize their Intelligence Assets, and her actions have been the very spirit of deniability." The car turned left, up the street, to the Archon's temporary residence.

"What happens with her children, now?" the Doctor asked.

Peter shrugged, "Patrick is a Patriot, and fairly high-profile. Amanda may turn out to be a pretty good little administrator for Kowloon, and an asset the way her mother was, Heimdall has an eye on her, and a hand in her training."

Mortimer swallowed hard, "You're going to kill me, now." he said.

Peter shook his head, "No, Doctor, I'm not-we aren't barbarians or butchers... you're just in-for-life, now."

Mortimer sighed, and leaned back on the seat. "I really did try to save her, you know." he said.

Peter nodded, "I know."

12 February, 3084, Vin-Drin-Lap Naval Station, Kowloon, 1300 hours.

"...Operations, Clan tactical doctrine has been evolving the last few years, and you can not be certain of what they might pull on the field. Open your bluebooks to page 138, and begin reviewing operational doctrine..." The instructor droned on, and Amanda opened her book, to review a chapter she'd read the night before. The other Cadets in the Officer Basic course had been here for more than a year. Amanda was having to play catch-up intensely.

Behind her, the doors opened, and someone entered the room, walking past the line of Officer Candidates. She didn't look up, she sensed it when the guard officer walked past her. The Instructor stopped speaking, and she looked up.

He was conferring with Colonel Morgan Icaza, the Commandant of the Infantry school.

"Cadet Ngo! Front and centre." The instructor, Hauptmann Dallman, announced.

Amanda got up, and immediately read the man's expression.

Bad news. she thought, and walked to the front of the room.

The gray-haired giant was waiting as she made her way to the front of the room. He studied her up and down.

"Come with me." Icaza said.

Amanda followed him out of the testing room.

In the hallway, he stopped.

"I have some bad news for you, Amanda." he said.

She waited, at parade rest.

"Your mother died in custody on the fifth, the official statement was that she fell to her death attempting to escape from a maximum-security Military Medical facility." He paused, assessing her reaction.

Dead?? not.. coming home... ever. Amanda felt her eyes tearing up, and she struggled to keep from blubbering.

"No..." she moaned.

He was impassive, like a stone wall. "Yes. The official story is that she was manifesting paranoid schizophrenia, and that, in a fit provoked by something she saw, she reacted- she broke one guard's right arm, and knocked two others unconscious, before making her way out the window by firing repeatedly into it, then breaking it with her artificial hand. the Stunners in the corridor were out of tune, and activated as she was climbing out. She fell four stories to her death at that point." He drove it home to her, "Your Mother died, they think, believing she was being held by the Word Of Blake."

Amanda was shaking. "Why did you get tapped to tell me this?" she managed.

Morgan shrugged, "Because, as Commandant of the Infantry Training Academy, I have the most direct responsibility to you as one of my students. Davies has to deal with the newly re constituted Assembly, and Li is dealing with a mess involving two Mining Corporations accusing each other of claim jumping on the West Coast."

Amanda sighed, "SO... now what?" she asked.

Morgan cracked his neck, "Now, you rush through your testing, you had best pass it, and assume your place as the Baroness of Kowloon."

Amanda's jaw dropped, "I-I'm not READY!!!" she wailed.

Morgan was implacable, "You had better be ready, Amanda, because whether you want it or not, the succession here goes to you, as of the revision to your mother's will of last year. Patrick is not coming back to take over, and he would have no legal grounds if he tried it anyway." Morgan crossed his arms, "You are it, now, I will have a remote-course ready for most of the Academic shit you do not have mastered yet, that lowers your coursework in-class to only a few days a week. I will expect you to work hard, both at your responsibilities, and, in completing your classwork."

Amanda nodded, numbly. "Yes Herr Colonel." she said softly.

Morgan nodded, "That's what I wanted to hear. You had better mean it, I can still take you apart if it comes to a Circle of Equals." He paused, adding, "Malthus was not happy about those zombies you dumped on him, You will promise not to do that again."

Amanda nodded, "I promise."

Morgan sighed, and smiled, "You do not need to be worse than your mother to keep the respect she commanded, but you do have to be sharper. Listen to Li, and Evelyn Mosovich, and weigh their advice against what your mother taught you, you should be fine."

Amanda fought down the urge to run screaming hysterically.

"Do you have control of yourself?" he asked.

Amanda sighed, "Some... I think."

He nodded, "Good, get back to your place in class, then, My Lady."

HHC, 2nd Battalion 4th Lyran Regulars, same day...

"Wanna take a Leave, Hauptmann?" Lt. General Paul Brulov asked. Hauptmann Patrick H. Ngo placed the death-notice on his desk, and looked up. "I'm sorry, sir, I... I didn't see you come in." He said.

Brulov shrugged, " it's all right, Hauptmann Ngo, I just found out myself. Sorry about your mom."

Patrick shook his head, "Don't be sorry about her, sir- I favour to think... When I was home, and she was home, she'd wake up screaming most nights, and she couldn't be close to anyone... It was probably a release." He paused, and added, "Now, my sister on the other hand... she's probably climbing the walls."

The Senior officer shrugged, "I got transfer papers if you want 'em- the CO of the 4th Royal Guards asked for you specifically." He said.

Patrick looked surprised, "Me?"

Brulov nodded, "I'd hate to chop you to 'em, but General Russel's got pull, an' they're getting chopped off the Marik border to go sit on Kowloon for a rotation." The Lt. General wasn't real happy with this, Patrick knew- the Lyran Regulars had a shortage of good company-grade officers.

"He wants someone with some local pull." Patrick said flatly.

Brulov shrugged, "You're going, As long as you're there, why not send me a couple of good NCO candidates and an officer or two..."

Both men laughed at that.