Winter in Sian always brought more rain as the monsoon would arrive at its appointed season and provide an almost daily dose of thunderstorms. The caretakers of the Celestial Palace always disliked this time of the year due to the fact that there was more work to be done. The marble floors had to be constantly mopped, leaks plugged and the lacquered teak roofs repaired. The monsoon rains gave them all an additional burden in keeping the Chancellor's official residence as immaculate as possible.

  Although his ancestors would have never dreamed about residing in a humid, tropical climate such as this, Peter Coetzee always liked the rains. When the weather became too hot, a light drizzle would do wonders to one's spirit, as it would cool the blistering heat and drive away the persistent insects that would always seem to plague him. If the planet had a more temperate climate, then perhaps the rains would be treated as gloomy and cold rather than as a coolant for the incessant heat. Should a catastrophic event like climate change ever occur while he was still alive, Coetzee would have seriously thought about finding other work.

  A considerate parking attendant held an umbrella over his head as Coetzee got out of his car and held it above him, shielding the Case Officer from the pouring rain until he finally got underneath the grand entrance hall. After running his hand along his head to straighten his wet hair, Coetzee then smoothed down his uniform and pulled out his handkerchief to wipe the drops of water from his leather briefcase. The guards around the vestibule instantly walked over and checked his identification card. Even though he had been here many times, security was always tight.

  After checking his fingerprints and eye retina through a biometric scanner, he was instantly escorted by a black-clad man with a silver lapel on his collar in the shape of a skull towards the inner-courtyard. Coetzee knew that the man who was leading him was a Death Commando, a member of an elite unit of fanatical guards whose duty was to safeguard the Chancellor of the Capellan Confederation. Each Death Commando was a highly trained killer and Coetzee gave him a wide berth. Nevertheless, the thought of even harming the Chancellor never entered Coetzee's mind; he was in fact, a big admirer of their supreme leader.

  Coetzee had been going to and fro around the Celestial Palace for many years now and each time he visited, there seemed to be a definite improvement as to the quality and grandeur of the establishment. He could clearly see the effects of Xin Sheng, or New Birth, as the Chancellor called it. The Confederation was clearly on the rise after nearly being bled to death by its larger neighbors just less than forty years ago. Where once the Capellans were considered as the weakest among the Successor States, they had fought back and reclaimed many worlds that were taken from them by the Federated Suns during the Fourth Succession War. The Chancellor's recent alliance with the Magistracy of Canopus enabled them to also take back the St. Ives Republic, home of the traitorous Allard-Liaos. Even the Chancellor himself was elected First Lord of the Second Star League just a few years ago. Capella was clearly on the rise, its previous generations would have thought this apex of prestige to be unattainable, but with their great leader, everything now seemed possible.

  After several minutes of walking and passing by innumerable hallways inlaid with tapestries from long-lost Chinese dynasties, the Death Commando finally led him into an ornate dining hall that faced the lotus gardens of the inner-courtyard from an open wall. The pouring rains from the outside seemed to give the oak-paneled hall an extra sheen as Coetzee could notice lapis lazuli, jade and mother of pearl sculptures that lined the tops of shelves. It seemed like a museum of ivory and riches. Octagonal mirrors and Chinese symbols characterized the new, oriental focus of Xin Sheng. The huge teak dining table stretched for nearly ten meters and was spotlessly polished to a lacquered shine; it could have easily accommodated dozens of nobles and dignitaries but on this day, only one man sat at its head, enjoying breakfast.

  Carefully chewing a morsel of dim sum stuffed with fragrant herbs and shrimp, Chancellor Sun-Tzu Liao turned his attention from the droplets of water sprinkling the edges of his beloved garden to the man standing several meters from him. After placing his hand-carved ivory chopsticks down on his plate, a young female body servant that stood by his side instantly took the napkin beside his plate and gently wiped his mouth before quickly returning back to her station. Sun-Tzu then took a cup of steaming green tea and sipped at it before finally leaning back on his chair and gesturing Coetzee to begin.

  "Good morning, Chancellor." Coetzee said. "I have some news from our Federated Suns operations bureau."

  Sun-Tzu smiled. "I am so glad that our state's secret service, the Maskirovka, is working so early in the morning."

  "We live to work for the good of the Confederation, Chancellor."

  "That you do. Now what is your report, Case Officer?"

  "Good news and bad news, Chancellor. In regards to Operation Toth."

  "Let's start with the good news." Sun-Tzu said. "Good news always brightens my day."

  "The datadisk containing Jerome Blake's last will and testament along with the secret recordings have been transferred to one of our agents in New Avalon who will be part of the Star League delegation to Tharkad."

  Sun-Tzu sat up from his chair. This was very, very good news. "Excellent, this may be the biggest intelligence coup that the Maskirovka has ever come across. My congratulations to your department. When will the delegates begin transport to the Tharkad Conference?"

  "My thanks, Chancellor. This batch of delegates will be in fact, the last batch to leave for Tharkad. They should be leaving within the next few days. Because of the delays, we may expect them to be at the Lyran capital world just as the Star League conference is about to begin." Coetzee said.

  "Well, the timing will be close, but it should still suit our purpose." Sun-Tzu was beaming now. "This is very wonderful news. Now tell me the bad news." He said.

  Coetzee braced himself. "The bad news is that we have lost all of our assets in the Federated Suns, Chaos March and the Terra system which were attached to this mission."

  Sun-Tzu leaned back on his chair and grimaced. It was one of the most elaborate operations that the Maskirovka ever devised since the retaking of the Sarna March. The best agents were diverted from other important operations just to ensure that this ploy would succeed. Their apparent success was a tribute to their skills and determination, but to lose them all meant that not only would Maskirovka be hampered in that region, but also that the enemy may have been alerted. Oh well, the price was high but the goal was within reach, he felt.

  "ROM?" Sun-Tzu said. He was not referring to the intelligence arm of ComStar, but rather the bureau of the more radical Word of Blake. Both bore the same name. And both were very, very good.

  "We have no firm conclusions as of yet, Chancellor. But it may be a very distinct possibility." Coetzee said as a matter of fact.

  "Well, we knew the risks, after all." Sun-Tzu said. "Thank you, Sao-shao Coetzee. You may return to your offices now."

  As Coetzee began to turn and leave, Sun-Tzu called out to him again. "Oh, by the way," The Chancellor said.

  Coetzee turned around and faced him again.

  "As I do understand," Sun-Tzu continued. "You are a highly dedicated intelligence officer, Sao-shao. You worked all night to make this report to me."

  Coetzee smiled. The Chancellor had many ears as well as eyes. "Yes, Chancellor. I try to serve the Capellan state to the best of my abilities." He answered.

  "Your ancestors were of Boer descent, were they not?"

  "Yes, Chancellor. From the Southern African continent of Terra."

  "Then you must know from your past history, that oppressed people the likes such as we, always strive to be better, do we not? Adversity is the great character builder." Sun-Tzu said.

  "You are absolutely right, Chancellor." Coetzee said. "The key to success for a people lie not in regards to defeat, but in the recovery from defeat."

  "I am glad that we see eye to eye. I am hereby placing you in charge with the rebuilding of our intelligence networks in the Sarna March as well as in the Federated Suns."

  "Many thanks, Chancellor." Coetzee was both shocked and pleased as he bowed in supplication. "I will not fail the Capellan people."

  "I know you won't. Xin Sheng, Zhing-shao Coetzee." Sun-Tzu said.

  "Xin Sheng, Chancellor." Coetzee grinned as he turned and began to walk away.

  As the newly promoted Maskirovka Case Officer walked out into another hallway, Sun-Tzu picked up his chopsticks and began to eat once again. Not even his thoroughly ambitious mother, Romano Liao, could have foreseen the changing fortunes of the Confederation. He had almost single-handedly reversed the disintegration of the Capellan state and had become First Lord of the Star League, if only for a short while. As Sun-Tzu plucked a pickle from a small bowl and began to munch on it, he remembered his term as that of the First Lord, once in control of the entire Inner-Sphere. How he longed to do that once more; he could achieve so much with the power at his fingertips. That was the reason why he declined to even attend the conference because he already had a knowing as to its conclusion. Unless something drastic was done, the entire Star League would dissolve at that very conference. The threat of the Clans had diminished, and the Successor States were preparing to jockey for power amongst each other once more. The Second Star League was surely doomed unless a radical new piece of information was produced that could somehow keep them united.

  Sun-Tzu grinned in spite of himself. His agents had the information that could reunite the Great Houses for good this time. And once he got credit for this revelation, they would have no choice but to reelect him First Lord once again, perhaps even permanently. The complete and absolute ascension of the Liao dynasty was about to become reality, and he did it through shrewd political maneuvering and guile, not conquest.

  The Chancellor's Death Commandos wondered why he was in such a happy mood this morning. Perhaps it was the food.