Sometimes I regretted following in my father's footsteps after his death. Leading the Empire was seemingly one never ending problem after another.

The air inside of the conference room seemed thick with discontent, which was to be expected given both what had occurred recently and what was likely to continue occurring if we did not do anything about it. To my right, James shifted in discomfort as he saw my frown deepened while I listened to Othala's report.

"...-and the Merchants have been getting bolder lately. According to some of Viktor's underlings, they've been picking fights with those wearing our colors out in the open and have also been loitering around businesses affiliated with us. We've also got reports of them harassing people in our territory. And while neither Skidmark nor Squealer have shown themselves, it's likely a matter of time before they show themselves too." The healer concluded.

"Why are they suddenly getting so confident? Did they get a new cape or something?" Menja asked from her place at the table.

"Maybe. Nobody has reported seeing a new cape but given how bold they are suddenly getting with no explanation. They might have found a stray Tinker or Thinker that never appeared on our radar."

That was indeed a possibility. The Merchants, for as drug addled as they usually were, normally knew better than to so brazenly test borders between them and the Empire. If they were now confident in their abilities so suddenly, it was likely that they had something waiting in the works.

This would need to be dealt with swiftly. It wouldn't do to have an open gang war break out while we are down a member.

"Tammi," The teenager straightened from her slouch as I spoke, "You live close by to Viktor and Othala, do you not?"

She nodded, "Yeah, a few blocks away. You want me to head over and help?"

I nodded, "Yes, you are to render aid in any way you are able. Viktor will be your minder. Listen to him as you would me." She nodded, clearly unhappy with the decision but not willing to argue it.

"Wish we could just send Alabaster to take care of it. Too bad he went and got himself locked up." Tammi said and I found myself silently agreeing with her. While all of my enforcers were at least somewhat capable of leading unpowered the members of the Empire, some were much better at it than others. Alabaster had always been a good pick for commander given his powerset. Not to mention the man was utterly devoted to the cause in a way few were.

Unfortunately, due to the efforts of a single cape, he was lost to us for the time being. It would take several days if not weeks to retrieve him from wherever they were holding him. Assuming they didn't just ship him out of the city immediately after capturing him.

"Do we know who's responsible for his capture?" Nessa asked. The spear wielding Valkyrie twin was alone at the table, her sister having had prior engagements that prevented her from attending. It was a shame really, I always did like them more when they were together. There was something aesthetically pleasing about a matched set.

James nodded at her question, "We have eye witness accounts from two of the members who fled during the confrontation. From what they said, it was that New Wave girl Laserdream and another cape they hadn't seen before. According to them though, Laserdream just stood back and watched while the other cape fought them."

"I thought Laserdream stopped patrolling? Tammi asked and the kinetic manipulator just shrugged.

"What of the other cape?" I asked, "Were they able to provide a description of them?"

He nodded, "They were. They were able to capture a photo as well, though it is a little blurry due to them fleeing when they took it."

"Cowards." Brad muttered.

"Put the picture on the screen." I instructed, turning to face the large projector on the wall. It took only a moment before the white face lit up with the photo James had described.

The picture was fuzzy for a moment before James did something to make it clearer.

In the photo, she was in the middle of a clash with Alabaster, the white skinned cape taking a blow to his jaw even as he was lashing out with one of his knives.

His assailant's costume was distinctly amateur. A grey hoodie was pulled over her head, a flash of blonde hair making itself known underneath as she moved. She was wearing black cargo pants, boots, and fingerless gloves. Typical fanfare for a parahuman on their first night out, if a bit more thought out than most.

The most distinct feature of her costume was the mask. A silvery theater mask with its face stuck in a permanent placid expression with small flowery decals around the eyes.

The sleeves of her jacket were bunched up at her elbows as she punched out at Alabaster, revealing pearl white skin that had a distinct sturdiness to it. In fact, it almost looked like…

"Is her skin…crystal?" Tammi asked, giving voice to my thoughts.

"White quartz I believe. It has a strength of 7 on the Mohs Scale. Not quite as tough as Tungsten, but still harder than most other minerals." Justin commented.

"That explains why Alabaster wasn't able to beat her." Nessa surmised, "Those knives of his were starting to wear down. Last I heard they had trouble cutting through anything harder than steel. He probably wasn't able to get more than a few inches into her skin before stopping. Assuming her power works down to her bones at least."

"She's stronger than she should be as well." James commented, "According to Andrew, the one who got the photo, she was strong enough to break ribs and throw them around without much effort. It's probably how she was able to keep up with and eventually defeat Alabaster despite his gift for hand to hand."

Brad was silent, which was odd as I expected him to at least have something derisive to say about Alabaster's defeat. I looked over to him to find him staring at the board in bewildered recognition.

Brad sat a little straighter in his seat, something seemingly clicking in his head, "That girl…" He muttered angrily.

"You know this girl Brad?" I asked, steepling my fingers in front of me as I stared toward the other cape.

"It's that fucking Becker girl. I'm sure of it!" He nearly yelled, slamming his hands on the table as he stared angrily at the board..

"Didn't you kill her?" James asked.

"Against my wishes no less." I added as I continued staring at him.

Brad didn't even look abashed, continuing to stare at the picture, "I thought I did. I know I killed her parents. But some of my boys said that a cape came soaring out of the Bay just minutes after I sent her off in that car. And apparently, she came from the same direction I sent Becker off in. I had hoped it was just a coincidence but if she's going around fighting the Empire, I doubt it." He grunted, crossing his arms, "She disappeared off our radar a few weeks ago so I wasn't able to follow up on any leads. Seems she went and made herself a costume."

"Aspect." Tammi suddenly said, bringing our eyes to her. She looked surprised at herself for even speaking.

"What are you talking about girl?" Brad growled and I held my hand up in a calming gesture before turning my attention to Tammi.

"You know something about this cape?" I asked and she nodded hesitantly.

"Yeah-ah, her name's Aspect. She's at the Palanquin all the time. Usually hanging out with that orange skinned freak Newt or whatever his name is. A few friends of mine hang there all the time and were talking about her." She explained.

"Palanquin? The nightclub owned by Faultline?" I hummed, "Looks like our friend has gone and became a mercenary. How droll."

I turned back to the Striker, "Tammi, when you are free, I need you to spend some time at the Palanquin to gather information on the Becker girl. Stay away from alcohol, I need you to be clear headed. Understood?"

She nodded, "Yes sir."

"And you Brad," I brought my gaze to the Changer, "you are forbidden from confronting the girl under any circumstances. You've already ruined things once with your meddling, it will not happen again. Am I clear?"

Brad grunted and my gaze sharpened.

"I said, Am I clear?" I spoke more firmly.

Brad rolled his eyes before grunting again, "Yeah, yeah you're clear. I won't go after that Becker bitch." I keep my gaze on him for a moment longer before turning away, I would have to keep an eye on him. I knew better than to take anything he said at face value, he had already gone behind my back once, disobeying my direct orders in the process, there was no saying he wouldn't do so again.

I discreetly looked over at Melody, motioning to Brad with my eyes and hoping the mute woman got the message. She stared at me for a moment before nodding lightly. Message received.

Good. Hopefully that will be the last I have to hear about that particular problem.

Before I concluded the meeting, I turned to Justin. The situation with the Becker girl had reminded me of another, similar situation, one we could not afford to let get out of hand.

"Justin," I addressed the ghost wielding cape, "is your cousin still hesitant in performing her duties, despite the urging of both you and her companions?"

The younger man nodded, "Unfortunately so Max. From what her friends have said she has become more distant lately. They are worried she's having second thoughts. About everything."

I hummed, that wasn't good. Our benefactors in Europe were already scrutinizing us more heavily due to Brad's blunder with the Becker girl. To have another perfect Aryan specimen, one who was already a member of the Empire no less, defect would be disastrous and would more than likely lead them to send someone to oversee the Empire. Something that would be extremely detrimental to all that I and my father had built.

This would have to be rectified. And soon.

"She has until the end of the month to join, or else we will have to take matters into our own hands. The Gesellschaft is already breathing down our necks due to the fiasco with Becker, we cannot afford another misstep. You are to deal with it before I am forced to, understood?" I said and Crusader nodded firmly.

"Understood sir."

"Meeting adjourned."

As my compatriots stood and exited the room, I sighed, taking a moment to calm my thoughts before standing to join them. Yes, sometimes I truly regretted choosing to lead the Empire. It was often more trouble than it was worth.


And a huge thanks to my Patrons:

JustAUser, JVR, Ricardo T II, Christian

Next four chapters are already there.