SfS-19

Chapter 19 - Business as Usual

---

Part 1

Office of General Adam Steiner
Federated Commonwealth
3080

The knock on the door startled General Adam Steiner out of his daze. He had been staring at a map of the Federated Commonwealth-Jade Falcon border being displayed along an entire wall. It was cluttered with markers and notes, for both his command and the Jade Falcon assets on the other side of the thirty-years-old border. A press of a button unlocked the door, and Rachel Specter stepped in.

"You wanted to see me, Adam?" She was frowning, which Adam couldn't fault her for. In all the time the two had known each other, it was rare for him to shut himself away for hours without warning. It had never boded well.

"Yes, Rachel, come in and shut the door." He waited until the two of them were sealed from the outside world in his office, then continued, still slumped forward in his chair. "What I'm about to tell you cannot go out of this room. Promise me, please."

"I promise," Rachel answered at once. "Adam, what's the matter?"

"Swear it on Somerset." Somerset, their homeworld. Somerset, conquered thirty years ago by the Jade Falcons when they invaded the Inner Sphere.

"Adam, you're beginning to frighten me." To her credit, Rachel remained where she stood. "Are you considering treason?"

Adam laughed bitterly. "No, not yet. But what I'm about to tell you, the Archon-Prince can't know yet. If he knows, I won't have a choice." He wondered how manic and unhinged he sounded. "Please, Rachel, trust me."

They stared at each other for what seemed an eternity, before Rachel finally sighed. "Very well, I swear on Somerset." Her voice sharpened. "Now, out with it."

In answer, Adam reached under his table and lifted out a stack of folders. "Somebody gave me these files," was all he said. "Look at the first one."

Rachel opened it, eyes scanning the text. "It's a report from… Somerset. Adam, who gave you this? This is from a Clan Jade Falcon database. Personnel recor-," she paused, and Adam knew she had reached the photo. The man was older, scrawnier, but the eyes were still all too familiar.

"It could be him. I know that face. It could be him." He murmured weakly. The eyes gave it away. They were the eyes of his brother Andrew, lost when Somerset fell to the invaders from the Deep Periphery. In all his years trying to discover the truth from the Jade Falcons, they had never told him what had become of his brother. He chuckled mournfully, "I always knew he was too stubborn to be a bondsman."

Rachel didn't reply, flipping the pages back and forth. "We don't know if this is genuine," she gently whispered, finally putting the folder down. "And it might not be your brother." She paused, then asked, "What else is here?"

"Yours is in that one," Adam pointed. He looked away, listening as she read the possible fates of her family and friends, the ones who hadn't managed to escape Somerset. They had only retaken Somerset briefly, and not everybody had been found in time. There were death certificates among the documents. He waited patiently.

"There is more data from Somerset. As well as from other worlds in the Clan Territories," he volunteered when Rachel finally put the second folder down. The term Occupation Zones had been dropped by the Star League early on, but Katherine's supporters were making it popular again. "As well as intelligence on the Clan Jade Falcon's troop deployments, plans, everything else."

"This must have been from one of Katherine Steiner-Davion's supporters."

"It must be," Adam agreed listlessly. "Information is ammunition, and they used theirs well."

"This could be falsified data," Rachel cautioned. "Attacking the Jade Falcons will play right into Katherine's hands. It's what she has been promising the Lyrans from the very start. You'd be siding with her."

"I know, Rachel," Adam wearily acknowledged. "But before I can decide on an action, I need to verify the truth of this information. As far as I can tell, it matches the intelligence we have on the Jade Falcons, but that doesn't mean anything when she has sympathizers among my officers. I need you to check discreetly, find out if this data is genuine."

"I can ask around," Rachel accepted her task without hesitation. "But Adam, you can't mean to support Katherine Steiner-Davion as Archon-Princess, do you? If we pass on this information to Victor, he may authorize something."

He wouldn't, Adam knew. His cousin was a true believer in the Star League, more than his mother the late Melissa Steiner was. "If Victor ever hears of this, he'll relieve me of command. He intends to maintain the current state of affairs with the Clans. I wouldn't be trusted to simply stay on the defensive, not when I know this."

"Fine, but I think you're not giving him enough credit." Rachel raised an eyebrow. "And I never took you to be a fan of Katherine's Restorationists."

Omi Kurita

"I'm not," Adam denied. "I may not go so far as to trust the Coordinator, but we both know there are honorable, decent people in the Draconis Combine. I've nothing against Victor's marriage to Omi Kurita or improving relations with the rest of the Combine." Franklin Sakamoto thought the same on the Combine's side, the last time the two had talked.

"As for her promises about element zero distribution, I'm not an expert. Victor is probably right to continue his mother's policy of investing element zero onto key worlds and the military, but then again, I'm one of those benefiting." Somebody from one of those worlds receiving none to little of the element zero the Federated Commonwealth possessed probably would have different opinions.

"I promise, Rachel, I'm not going to suddenly declare for Katherine Steiner-Davion. The Jade Falcons are my top priority, especially with the Archon-Prince pulling my reserves to handle the Geth threat. We might come under attack any day now, and I'll need every dropship, soldier and Mech I have to fend them off."

"Alright, then, Adam. In that case, I need to start making some calls. Just don't act rashly until we know more, and try not to invade the Jade Falcons before I return." She smiled briefly, then she was gone. Adam was alone in his office again, looking up at the map again.

He could see it in his mind already. With the forces under his command, it could be done. Many of them would follow him if it meant reclaiming worlds from the Jade Falcons, regardless of his allegiance. Isolate the unreliable commands, put them on garrison duty where they could do no harm. And with the rest, start a general offensive along the entire border. Logistical elements could be moved into position within days, contingency plans had been drawn up for exactly such an offensive. It didn't matter whether they fought by Clan rules or not, Clan Jade Falcon would fight alone with all the strength they could muster, for they could not show weakness too early by requesting assistance from the other Clans. The boasting of their Khan had seen to that. Once the Jade Falcons began their counterattack, consolidate the gains and hunker down, then the push towards Somerset with what mobile forces could be gathered from across the theater. The Falcons would know the value the planet held to him, and their best forces would challenge him there. It would come down to a batchall on Somerset, for ownership of his home planet. And this time, he would liberate it for good.

All it would take would be siding with the usurping Katherine over the rightful ruler Victor. All it would cost would be a full-blown war against the Clans. All it would need would be his command.

---

Part 2

Elerium Zero Mining Facility
Inner Sphere

Rookies. In hindsight, Overseer Branoc realised he should have assigned somebody more experienced to supervise them. The first night shift he had left in the hands of the new arrivals, and he was already awoken for an 'emergency'. Hopefully, it wouldn't be a career-ending disaster.

Still groggy, he drifted into the operations center of the elerium zero mining base, orbiting an unidentified star somewhere in the Inner Sphere. The night shift was in a state of total chaos, orders and reports flying to and fro alongside the staff. None of the alarms were lit up, and the sirens were quiet, so Overseer Branoc simply steered himself straight towards the new shift manager.

"Alright, Ilsinco," he addressed the pale-faced, jittery man. "You mind telling me what is going on?"

Ilsinco nodded. "Yes, sir," he gasped. "It's terrible. I'm doing everything I can to resolve it, but I don't know if I forgot something."

"Calm down, boy," Branoc consoled him. A glance at the screens nearby showed no failures in the life support and other systems. Judging by the lack of flashing alerts and sound, they probably weren't going to die to a depressurization incident or similar in the next few minutes. "Now, what is the emergency?"

"We lost an ampule of element zero, sir," Ilsinco reported, eyes still frantic.

That was bad. "Lost? How lost?" Branoc demanded, dreading the fallout of the industrial accident. With how element zero behaved in an electrical field, they were liable to lose days of productivity cleaning out the contaminated machinery. "Where is the damage? Any workers affected?" If any of the workers were exposed directly, they'd have to be placed into the recovery chamber as soon as possible, to recover as much of the valuable material adsorbed into their body as soon as possible.

"It's missing, sir. We were doing an inventory check, and we're missing one ampule." Ilsinco gestured towards his datapad. "One of the workers must have stolen it! But I've already begun countermeasures." Some measure of confidence returned to his voice as he continued, "Security has already isolated their barracks, and they are already carrying out full-body searches of the most likely suspects."

Rookies. Overseer Branoc sighed in relief. "That's the problem?" He asked.

"Yes!"

"Stand everybody down to normal. This is nothing to be concerned about."

Ilsinco stared at him is disbelief. "Sir? All the element zero mined here must be shipped to the proper authorities. The workers can't be allowed to steal this treasure!"

"And how will they steal the element zero?" Branoc questioned him. "Everybody comes in on jumpships, and everybody will leave on jumpships. These aren't poorly trained backwater miners, Ilisinco. They are highly qualified experts, and every single one of them knows it's impossible to smuggle element zero through jumps. There's only one way element zero departs this station and that's through the FTL dropship that picks up our output. Do you think those on board will abet smuggling?" The crew was fanatically loyal to the Great House, to a level that disturbed even Branoc.

"But somebody did steal an ampule, overseer!" Ilsinco protested. "That cannot be permitted."

"Did somebody really steal an ampule? For all you know, there was an error somewhere in the system. Or somebody misplaced it, and we'll find it tomorrow. And if an ampule really was stolen, there will be ample chance to track it down. You're lowering the productivity with your actions. We might lose two ampules worth of productivity if you hamper things too much. Record the discrepancy, tell security to keep an eye out for possible hiding places. Worst case, there's still the standard search for all arrivals and departures. Now stand everybody down, that's an order."

"Yes sir," Ilsinco reluctantly obeyed, and began issuing commands.

"Things like this happen all the time, Ilsinco," Branoc consoled him. "Let me tell you what we really need to watch out for. It's not element zero smuggling, it's information leaking."

"This element zero mining facility is a key strategic asset. It is vital to reducing our dependence on shipments through the Tartarus Relay. Only the jumpship crews know where we are for a good reason."

Tartarus Relay

"What do you think happens to element zero mines whose locations are discovered? Let me remind you. Pirates, unidentified raiders, Word of Blake fanatics, ComStar regulators. They want the element zero, and they're willing to destroy everything we've built here to get even a single grain of it. We can't post enough defenses to stop an attack from damaging our infrastructure, so secrecy is our best defense."

"So if there's anything you need to watch out for, it's some traitor studying the stars to triangulate our position. Or our location smuggled out with a hidden message. And that sort of stuff, we have to leave to the professionals in the field. All we can do is keep an eye out for anything suspicious. You understand, Ilsinco?"

"I understand, sir."

"Good." Branoc clapped the young shift manager good-naturedly on the shoulder. "Then I'm going back to bed. I'll look into the missing ampule tomorrow."

Rookies., Branco thought

Part 3

Deep Periphery
3080

The two old veterans sat together at the table in the tree's shade, far enough away from their bodyguards that they won't be overheard. There was no serious worry of treachery from either side. Nuevo Castile and the Umayyad Caliphate may have once been at war for over two centuries, fighting over their nine habitable worlds mostly in isolation, but notwithstanding the respect the two sides had for each other, the peace enforced by distant Terra and their Clans had endured for years now. The two realms were now, officially speaking, allied Deep Periphery associate members of the Star League, all the old struggles history now.

The one wearing the uniform of the Castilian Brigadas, a Prinzipe or duke of Nuevo Castile by rank, stroked his beard languidly. "Bored as well, old foe?"

"You know me all too well, Sanchez," Fatima, herself an Atabeg of equivalent rank to her counterpart, drawled. "No pirates or brigands recently. Not even unauthorized raids for the last six months. This parley is the most excitement my troops have had in the last month. I even hear rumors our Caliph and your King are negotiating a reduction of our military."

The Prinzipe nodded. "There are such rumors in Nuevo Castile as well. Preposterous of course. We will need to defend ourselves in case of hostile aggressors." He politely did not mention Fatima's Caliphate as the most likely foe, or how they still controlled one and a half worlds Nuevo Castile considered its own.

"Likewise," Fatima drily replied. "Of course, without any battle, one easily forgets the need for an army. We are all loving humans of one big family, who have no reason to fight one another. After all, aliens." She scoffed.

"If far off Terra wants us to believe those stories, I will pretend to. Still, those were some rather good special effects. A pity Don Quixote couldn't match their quality."

Fatima had been disappointed by the holovid series as well. "The Donkey Mech was terrible. In any case, we need a solution for our inactivity, before we find ourselves watching Don Quixote for the rest of our lives."

"The Clan visitors had a tradition, I recall." Sanchez stuck his chin upwards and imitated the accent of the foreign warriors. "A 'Trial of Possession'. To most honorably win an honorable trophy in honorable battle."

"Don't do that. Please. You sound horrible." Fatima meant it. The Castilian butchered the exotic sounds she remembered from her lover two decades ago into vulgar tones fit for the gutter. Still, she considered the idea. "Perhaps the idea has merit. If everything is in accordance with their customs, the Clan representatives will have nothing to complain. Besides, they will not be here for a while anyway. What exactly are you proposing? One campaign for one planet?"

"I do want to reclaim Cordoba for Nuevo Castile, Fatima."

"And I do wish to drive you Castilians off the planet for good, Sanchez. Very well. How did the Terrans put it? It's a bargain and done?"

"Aye," Sanchez agreed. "A bargain and done. I'll need to look up the references our visitors left us, make sure we follow every single rule and regulation."

Fatima shared the sentiment. The last time somebody had broken the peace and the Clans had found out, their response had been rather firm. "I'll do the same on my side. Meet you tomorrow again?" She looked at the view. "I think we could have lunch here. Discuss how to set things up. I look forward to facing you in battle again, Sanchez. Maybe you'll finally recognize the Ummayad Caliphate's right to rule all nine worlds."

They hadn't been in command then, merely junior officers fighting in the battles for Cordoba and elsewhere. Actually, they'd compared notes, and it was possible they only shared one skirmish. It was about time the two tested their mettle against each other properly.

Sanchez shook his head. "I look forward to beating you Umayyads for good myself, maybe take your Capital someday. To war?"

Fatima smiled at the prospect of glory. "To war."

Part 4

Spacer Bar
Duchy of Andurien
Free Worlds League<br

Self-styled Independent Trader Captain Polo drank deeply from his mug of Andurien beer, nestled away by himself at the back of the spacer's bar. He had plenty to be glum about. The Fat Lady was an expensive dropship to maintain, and money was getting tight, especially because the last cargo contract ended up being a failure.

He'd received a tipoff about a critical shortage of merchandise on Lopez. Some Andurien-based franchise, about a Mechwarrior assembling an exotic harem or something, had become extremely popular in the neighbouring system, meaning the merchants were desperate to get their hands on fresh shipments of merchandise from Andurien.

So Captain Polo had bought up as much of the goods as he could and loaded them into the old Fat Lady, along with the usual exports to Lopez. Then he'd burned for the nadir point, far above the elliptic plane of Andurien's star, to rendezvous with a waiting jumpship, paying extra to get an earlier departure slot. The jumpship had jumped with the Fat Lady to Lopez, and Captain Polo had rushed for the planet, contacting the trading companies groundside to negotiate in advance.

All that had been for naught, because a day, a day out from Lopez, a dropship refitted with element zero had arrived in system from Andurien, and proceeded to cut ahead of him. He could do nothing but watch as the intruder took away his valuable profits, the Fat Lady too slow to catch up. Lopez had a few in-system element zero transports, but those charged overinflated prices for their highly demanded services. Captain Polo would have made a loss if he'd used their services in the first place, and so he had to settle for arriving a day after the new-fangled fancy prancy dropship. The merchandise was still in demand, so he'd made some money off the whole venture, but far less than he'd hoped for.

Which was why he was sitting in the spacer's bar, while his crew had shore leave in the city. He needed another cargo contract, except the stupid, ugly, its-captain-will-never-be-loved element zero dropship was happily stealing away opportunities. Rather than having the courtesy to leave to peddle its nonsense elsewhere, that fool dropship was shuttling to and from the jump point constantly, undercutting the in-system transports and taking the most lucrative contracts. One didn't pay much to ship standard cargo, and the good-paying ones preferred the fast delivery to the jump point rather than wait for good old-fashioned transits. So the abominable dropship was stealing away Captain Polo's future profits as well. He took a hearty swig, and looked down in disappointment at his empty mug.

Somebody plopped down onto the seat next to him, and Captain Polo looked up to hiss at them to respect his privacy. Then his eyes recognized the sly smile, and he cheered, "Why, Bragling, fancy meeting you here. Thought you were on Irian."

The other man grimaced. "Had to leave that planet in a hurry. A few mistakes here or there, you know how it is. Ended up on Lopez a few weeks ago, fun story. When I saw the Fat Lady, I knew I'd find you sooner or later. So, how're you doing?"

Captain Polo frowned, mood soured again. "Terrible. The element zero. It's ruining the economy." He grumbled, "Back in my father's time, they knew how travel worked. Dropships and Jumpships, it worked for centuries. And now everywhere I go, it's element zero this, mass effect that."

"Ah, look on the bright side, Mark," Bragling consoled, brandishing his own drink wildly. "There aren't that many of them. You can't be running into them all the time. Besides, there's all the fancy stuff from the aliens now. Surely you must like some of them?"

"I can't, because I'm a dropship captain, Bragling," the old spacer groused. "Most of it's too expensive and rare to be gotten except near the relays, which I'm staying away from, stupid 'their FTL is superior to yours' alien-lovers. Can't do any good business there as an independent. And jumpship crew and I get twitchy if anything even remotely looks like it contains element zero. I don't care if mass effect interference is detectable pre-jump, a misjump is a misjump, and stuff blowing up is never good." He waved his empty mug at the barkeep, who shoved a refill his way.

"Well, Mark, way I see it, you need a different perspective," the little traitor Bragling ignored his grievances. "Have you ever considered joining in with the new crowd? Get an element zero dropship yourself?"

Captain Polo only stopped laughing because he choked on his drink mid-guffaw. Between slaps to his back, he coughed, "You know -kaf- how expensive that is? -kaf-." He took another gulp of beer to wash down his throat. "I might be able to trade the Fat Lady for a shuttle, and that's only if I somehow get in line first. And I thought you had brains."

Bragling merely grinned. "I do have brains. And between you and me, there is eezo dropship right here in the system. Tell me you haven't fancied one for yourself.

"You don't have brains anymore." Captain Polo dismissed after a moment's thought. "That dropship's owner is rich. He's got guards and mercs guarding the doohickey day and night when it's on the ground. And the locals are eager to please him, so throw in Mechs and militia too, and all the fancy cops chasing anyone who even looks at that ugly thing funny. No chance of catching it in space either. It's plain unnatural, going that fast. Humans were never meant to go beyond a few dozen meters per square second, I tell you."

Rather than being chastised, Bragling merely looked smug. "Come on, Mark," he crooned, "give me some credit. I know about the security around the Black Swan," he rudely ignored Captain Polo's death glare at the mention of the abominable name and continued, "and believe me. I have a plan. I'm assembling a crew with special skillsets to score one for the little guys. And do you know, Mark, it just so happens somebody who knows his way around dropships is exactly the sort of person we'll need. We've done good work before, pal, I know you're up to the challenge."

"I've never worked with element zero before, Bragling," Captain Polo turned him down. "Got the manuals and the certification like everybody else who thought they had a chance, but that's not enough. Don't think I forgot about the comm buoy we tried to 'salvage'."

"It's hardly my fault things went sideways. Everything was going fine until 'that' happened." Bragling waved it off. "Besides, I got us out of that just fine anyway. Have I let you down, other than that one time? I've gone over all the variables already, Mark, and this time, it's gonna work. You're a whiz with dropships, don't sell yourself short. And believe me, I've already found prodigies on Lopez who can handle the rest."

Captain Polo considered, grudgingly and only out of friendship to Bragling. "Let's say you somehow did manage to get the dropship. The Fat Lady won't be able to escape in time before the authorities catch us and your plan is never going to work."

Bragling's smile turned weak. "Ah, you see, we'll need the Fat Lady for the plan." At Captain Polo's indignant glare he hurried on, "Listen, listen, with the new dropship you won't need that old bucket of bolts anymore. This here's how the Fat Lady is going to help." He whispered a hint, and the captain frowned as he considered the idea. Alright, he had to concede Bragling had brains.

"Anyway, once we've become the brand new owners of the Black Swan," Bragling continued as Captain Polo politely ignored the accursed name, "we'll cross the border to the Magistracy of Canopus, while all the military is bunching up at the Capellan-Periphery border waiting for the Geth. Nobody'll turn down the opportunity to do business with an element zero dropship there, and I know a pretty girl there who'll help smooth over the paperwork. Just think of the possibilities. You'll have your pick of jobs, living it big. The Canopians will be paying you a fat premium for safe, easy work, I guarantee you."

"What about you? Finally settling down in the Canopian pleasure circuses then?"

Bragling roguishy beamed. "I'm getting on in my age, Mark. Time to get out of Free Worlds League space after this one last job. I'll join your crew, get respectable, help out with your business, or maybe I'll find something else in the Magistracy when I get tired of that. So what do you say?"

Captain Polo mulled over his choices. Bragling had a way with words, but he had always pulled through with his promises, save for what happened with the comm buoy. Captain of an element zero dropship, he imagined to himself, free to travel between stars without needing jumpships. He'd checked, just to know his competition, and the Black Swan could travel at a blistering four light years a day. It was appealing, to dream of that under his command. "Alright," he finally relented to Bragling, "so, let's say I'm interested. What's the first step?"

Part 5

Citadel Space

The alien transport descended rapidly onto the landing pad, unmolested by the silent turrets ringing the starport. Lady Verona observed impassively from behind a blast-proof window as heavily armoured soldiers disembarked rapidly and secured the perimeter, meeting no resistance as they stormed through the complex. At some unseen cue, more soldiers emerged from the grounded transport and slowly proceeded in her direction, escorting a figure in their midst. Stepping away from the window, Lady Verona briskly strode through the corridors towards her destination, her retinue following her.

"My lady, I'm not sure about this." Her champion and oldest friend, Wenceslas, hissed urgently. "Can they truly be trusted to honor their word? Perhaps we should depart and seek a position of strength."

"I've already crossed the Rubicon, dear friend." Lady Verona consoled him. "It must be done, and I want this over and done with." A page opened the door ahead of her, and she entered the foyer. It was lavishly decorated and furnished, intended for welcoming guests of high status. She took up her position, the others falling into their places.

She did not have to wait long. A squad of alien soldiers entered the foyer, weapons sweeping across the chamber and facing off against her own guards. Behind them, a figure wearing custom high-quality armour came into view, halting at the threshold. It surveyed the standoff briefly before stepping forwards towards her.

"Well then, honored matriarch," her earpiece whispered the translation of the alien's ugly language into her ear, "as we agreed."

Lady Verona nodded. "I, Lady Verona," she recited, "hereby pledge this world and myself to the Batarian Hegemony in perpetuity. I swear my loyalty to Khar'shan, tribute in peace and strength in war."

"The Hegemony accepts your service, matriarch," the batarian general answered in turn. "In return, you and your successors will govern this system for us. May this be a glorious day for the Hegemony." He gestured with a hand, and the batarian troops lowered their weapons slowly, followed by Lady Verona's guards.

"The militia has been stood down. There won't be any resistance." Lady Verona informed her new allies. "Preparations have been made for a broadcast, once our forces have secured the critical locations."

"Excellent. I look forward to- wait," the batarian turned her helmeted head, listening to something. The visor snapped back to face Lady Verona, and batarian soldiers began raising their weapons again. "The palace opened fire on my troops. It seems you haven't been sincere after all."

"That shouldn't be happening," Lady Verona defended. "Let me contact them. This can be resolved quickly."

"Then hurry," the general growled, "lest I doubt your sincerity."

Lady Verona pulled out her communicator from her gown and hurriedly keyed in commands. "Captain Yarde, this is Lady Verona. Report." Only static crackled. "Captain Yarde, report!" she repeated.

Wenceslas spoke, one hand raised to his ear and the other fiddling with his datapad. "Lady Verona, there's a wideband broadcast from Countess Utrixa, origin unknown. She's calling you a traitor, and for loyalists to rally to her and resist the invasion."

"Of course she is." Lady Verona muttered under her breath. She gave up on contacting Captain Yarde, and selected a new channel. This time, the other side answered swiftly.

The voice was all too familiar. "What do you want, Verona? Are you calling to beg for mercy?"

"Hello, mother." she replied coolly. "I suppose Captain Yarde failed to apprehend you as instructed."

"The traitor is dead, as are his goons. Your plot has failed. My loyal subjects will destroy the four-eyes, and all those who joined forces with the invaders. I am giving you one chance for mercy. Give up and surrender, and I will be lenient with you and your friends."

"I will not." Lady Verona hissed furiously, painfully aware of the others watching. "Listen to me," she pleaded, "I promise, you won't be lacking in comfort when I'm in charge. Captain Yarde had orders to keep you safe because I knew you wouldn't understand. What is the point of resisting?"

"I swore an oath of allegiance, as did my ancestors before me and you when you came of age." The voice was as stern and unyielding as ever.

"Those are just empty words to some distant ruler far from here. What good is that grovelling to us here in the Skyllian Verge, mother? Your glorious liege pulled back the ships that were supposed to defend us, and he demands we fight and die simply to satisfy his ego. Don't you dare tell me the cause of humanity and the Star League is worth sacrificing our people. It wasn't worth it when Father died, and it isn't worth it now. Your forces don't have a chance. Spare everybody the needless bloodshed, join the batarians."

"You are so weak and selfish you would rather side with aliens and your father's killers? Then you are no longer my daughter. Hope to die quickly in battle, Verona, because when I find you, I will make an example of you for everybody else wavering in their loyalty." Countess Utrixa shut the channel, and Verona didn't bother trying to call her gain.

The batarian general laughed grimly. "More of my landing force is coming under attack, little girl. It seems you're not as useful as you claimed to be. Perhaps you shouldn't be governor after all."

Lady Verona straightened her back and steeled her face, fingers tightly clenching her communicator. "My household guard is loyal to me," she announced, "and I have the loyalty of the militia. Not all, but more than enough. You will need me to rule the colony on the Hegemony's behalf. I have sided with you, and I will control this world, general."

"Then prove it," the batarian retorted. "Join your forces with mine, and destroy the rebels and crush the resistance. You can be governor when the fighting is done." At her answering nod, the general departed, already barking orders to her subordinates to coordinate the battle.

"Are you alright?" Wenceslas asked.

"No, I'm not. Today, I must go to kill my mother. But it must be done." She began making her way towards the Mech Hanger, already beginning to strip off her clothes in preparation for wearing a cooling suit into battle.

---

Previous Chapter - Return to Story Index - Next Chapter