The Reluctant Vassal's Guide to Living in the Frontier (with some Treason)

Steady hands weaved between the wires.

Maria hummed, brows furrowed while she worked. Every move was a precise and deliberate action, a trait she had been blessed with since childhood. It made her great with working with machines once she had the feel for it. A few snips and splices later, she withdrew with a satisfied box and reconnected the circuit to test it.

With a whir, the air conditioning unit turned on.

With a whir, the machine gun cycled and Private First Class Anzu whooped. "You got it unjammed! Thank got, thank you!" She cried and embraced Specialist Maria with one arm. "You're a godsend for working out all these weird old guns. Now we can fight with the rest of the 11th Pioneers!"

Maria exhaled and rose to meet the enthused old man. "There we go, one working cooling unit," She told with a smile and rattled off the company's service fee. The senior didn't even hesitate and paid it immediately with a transfer of digital credits from his account.

Then he leaned in and pressed small credit bill into Maria's hands. "For you dear, you're always such a pleasure to help out!" He told with a warm fond expression. "Please, treat your daughter to something nice."

The handywoman couldn't argue against that and accepted it with a good-natured shake of the head. She quickly gathered up her tools and picked up the box of them, the little tip snugly tucked within. She cast one last look about the senior's room, filled with so many baubles of memories.

The apartment owner's possessions, trinkets and photos and memories, were crudely swept off the table to hastily setup the bulky machine gun. Maria returned to her position at the door while Anzu and her partner Private Gilbert racked their assigned heavy weapon. But still that same fast enough according to Corporal Jericho. "Move it, move it!" They growled. "Do you hear those engines? They're almost on us!"

When she left the building and checked the time, Maria was slightly surprised to see her shift was already over. A quick tap on her personal datapad confirmed it and she was officially off the clock. Now without any further tickets being sent to her, she was free to return home at the outskirts. That made her giddy and she made haste to the closest subway. These were a relatively new addition to the city of Bastion, the construction made only possible thanks to the generous investments of the Solar Queen.

Admittedly though, these were still a bit rudimentary and old-fashioned. They still used physical rails instead of anything advanced, leading to a rather noisy experience overall. Many complained of it but for Maria, the loud sound was a small price for being able to live so close to the city center.

Clank, clank, clank, they went.

Clank, clank, clank, the gun spat.

Maria made a face at the ugly noise the heavy weapon made but there was a limit to how much she could do without the proper parts. She couldn't even try to cannibalize something from her own rifle or that of any in the squad. They all carried different models and different makes, whatever those seized from those rebellious upstarts according to the Solar Princess.

But no matter how different the arms they carried were, the spirits they possessed were united in one purpose. "Keep up the pressure!" Sergeant Ishmael encouraged, the squad leader's voice carrying over the din. "Protect our homes! For the 11th Pioneers, for the Frontier Guard!"

The soldiers barked in unison and they continued to fight even as the engines they feared drew near.

The advantage of living out in the suburbs compared to the urban center laid in having more available space for homes at a cheaper price. The most many could afford in the urban areas was a small apartment unit, but here it was the norm to be able to own a larger house. Of course it was nothing compared to the large homesteads Maria had heard of in the expansive wilds, but she personally preferred being close to civilization.

The sight of her flowerbeds in full bloom helped wash away any sort of city fatigue she had and her shoulders relaxed when she walked up to the front door. It couldn't get rid of the ache that still persisted in the joint, but the doctors had been sure nothing could without extensive reconstruction that Mariav wasn't comfortable spending for. So she endured it, closing her eyes as she gripped the door handle and turned.

She was at the door, so she heard the pounding footsteps first. But they moved so quickly that she didn't have time to process, let alone warn her squad. All Maria could do was pull back just in time for the door to explode into splinters when something slammed through with incredible force.

A larger shard almost the size of her arm rocketed through and slammed into her upper body, near the shoulders. It was propelled with such force that it pierced through the uniform and skin, the impact pulling her entire body with it and only stopping when it embedded into the wall. Maria let out a shriek of pain, pinned to the wall and in great pain from it.

However though, she was the 'lucky' one of the squad. Especially when there was an enemy Brilliance Knight in their midst.

The Sergeant was targeted first, a high-powered round entering his gut from the large rifle their attacker so casually handled with one hand. Jericho was next but was quicker to react, being able to raise their double barreled shotgun and fire. At such close range, the pellets that left the barrels should have riddled their targets, a devastating and incapacitating attack.

The Brilliance Knight meanwhile raised and twisted the large blade they carried in the other hand. The majority of shot impacted and bounced uselessly off the flat of the sword. What was able to get through washed over the armored warrior and was apparently barely enough to faze them, given the way their arm twitched to place a perfect headshot between the Corporal's eyes.

They collapsed immediately and the rifle's barrel continued to move in a controlled manner, even while the trigger was held down. The stream of bullets left the gun all the while, eventually hitting a body instead of open air. Gilbert had risen and instead of grabbing the weapon he had left to the side to help feed the machine gun ammo, he had thrown himself in front of Anzu to take the shots that would have hit both of them.

It seemed there had been some truth to the rumors that the two were closer than he seemed. This was only further reinforced by the angst howl that came from Anzu, and she took the sacrifice to heave the machine gun round. The caliber of its bullets should theoretically be able to pierce the armor of the Brilliance Knight at such close range and with the corpse of her lover shielding her at an angle, the rifle couldn't get a good hit. The weapon Maria had repaired only just recently began to whir again-

And it was silenced forever when it and Anzu's waist was neatly cleaved in half. The Brilliance Knight had dropped their gun to grasp their sword with both hands and swung. The extra strength behind the blow ensured it was a single clean cut delivered so swiftly, Anzu's eyes widening slightly in shock. Then, before the horrific sensation of being cut in half kicked in, a second slice bisected her upper half and immediately kill her almost mercifully.

All this happened within seconds and Maria was still processing the pain from the initial impact. Yet the sight of the bloody blade was enough to shock her into movement. Her twitching hand scrabbled for the sidearm at her hip, and the motion caught the attention of the invader. They turned to her and the Specialist froze, realizing only just now the insanity that was trying to take down one of the blessed solarium champions in such close quarters.

But that didn't stop the wounded squad leader. With a cry, Ishmael rose up and lunged forward to take advantage of the distracted Brilliance Knight. They whirled about and one hand shot out to catch the wrist holding a drawn knife coming from above. It was easily held in place, the wounded soldier's strength no match for the holy circuits coursing through the Brilliance Knight.

The squad leader knew that though, and he had prepared a second weapon. With a bloody smile, he raised his other hand and opened it to reveal a set of pins. Panicked realization struck Maria and her eyes darted to the belt of grenades on the officer's belt. That many, in such an enclosed environment-!

For a terrifying moment, she realized she was going to die in an attempt to kill the Brilliance Knight in a dying man's suicide attack.

There was a sharp clang when the Brilliance Knight dropped their sword. Then there was a wet crunch when they squeezed tightly to crush Ishmael's wrist into a bloody stump that stunned the man in more pain. He therefore was unable to resist when his opponent's hands swiftly moved to grab the back of his uniform and throw him straight out the window if the room.

All this happened within a heartbeat and still it wasn't fast enough. The grenades went off halfway out the window and Maria squeezed her eyes shut, expecting her exposed body to be riddled by the shrapnel from the explosion. There was the sound of it hitting and landing all about her, and she cried in pain when some did hit her arm and leg from that side.

But that was it. She slowly realized it after a minute passed and she was still...alive. Her eyes fluttered opened and her vision swam, the pain of her pinned shoulder now almost too much to bear. But still she was able to behold what had happened in those final moments of lucid consciousness.

The Brilliance Knight now stood over her, their back to the ruined and blasted out half of the room. She knew that with their speed, they could have really been out of the room the moment the sergeant's body was sent flying, but they...didn't. They stayed and trusted in their sacred armor to withstand the impact.

To shield the wounded and trapped Maria.

Her head tilted up with the last part of energy she had and she stared into the emotionless optics on their helmet. She wondered if there was anything beneath them at all, any sort of feeling to what they had just done. To just do casually slaughter her squad before saving her.

Maria's last thought before she fell unconscious to wake in a field hospital later was if they were even human.

"I'm home!" The retired soldier called out and walked to the lit kitchen. "Phobe, how was...your day..."

Her daughter was at the kitchen table of their home and on the wooden surface was a sealed letter. An actual paper letter, a rarity in these days where digital mail was so readily available. But sometimes it was used to lend a sort of atmosphere to occasions, perhaps harkening to the days of old ceremony and pomp.

The unique seal of House Iris proudly on the letter was certainly one such occasion. Maria's throat suddenly felt dry and she turned to meet her daughter's eyes. "...This was on the door when I got home, Mom," Phobe told, trying and failing to conceal the excitement. "I...I don't know how-"

"Because you sent in an application," Her mother flatly interrupted, sighing at her daughter's poor attempt to lie. "The walls aren't so thick in our home. I overheard you and your friends the other day, you all applied."

Guilt erupted on her face and Phobe looked shamefaced at being caught so. "Sorry, " She mumbled.

"Why?"

The teenager's shoulders slumped. "B-because I know you're not a fan of them-"

"No, I'm asking why you're sorry." Maria walked over and gently pushed the sealed letter towards her daughter. "Go on. See if you're chosen."

Phobe's head snapped up. "Huh? But mom, I thought you hated the war-!"

"I do, and were it completely up to me, I'd wish to never get involved again." Even now, when she closed her eyes, Maria could feel that emotionless gaze of something that couldn't be human. An angel or demon, so far removed from common humanity by the gifts of solarium.

One that her daughter might become if the stars aligned. "But it's not my choice," She hoarsely told. "It's yours. I volunteered for the Frontier Guard back then, and it was a dumb thing I regret now. But it was something that I can't take back or pretend never happened.

"So if you're going to become one of them, all I can do is pray that you don't regret it either...and support you however I can." Maria opened her eyes and looked at her shocked child. "Because no matter what you become, I'm always going to be there to protect you the best I can. So go on, see if you know your path then."

Trembling hands picked up the letter.

You reached out and typed your personal vote into the balcony interface in front of you. The same action was repeated across the various other units as well, each chosen citizen of the United Empire casting their allocated vote in alignment with their leader's agenda. As much as you would like nothing nothing more than to have a peak at what the others were voting, security in the Senate was taken so seriously that you doubted your regular methods of information gathering could work. So you had to just put up with waiting in anticipation while the systems processed the votes.

Soon, the allocated time was up and a loud bell sounded from the seat of House Sol. "The votes have been submitted and tallied," The Stellarch solemnly announced and gestured to summon a large holographic screen. "We will now announce the results."


The Stellarch closed his eyes and exhaled deeply, taking in the will of the people. "It would appear then that the peace forged in the wake of my predecessor's passing is over." He opened his eyes and stared straight into the hungry eyes of the many Great Houses. "It is war then.

"The United Empire shall now declare the Free States enemies of the state once more, rogue elements of humanity that must be brought to heel!"

There was loud applause and cheers about, something that you decidedly refrained from participating in. "Quite a bloodthirsty universe, this one," Radana neutrally commented. "Almost everybody here is ecstatic about it."

"Save a few others," You mentioned casually, noting the decidedly stoic faces from Great House York and Tyto. "No matter, we'll use the war to hide our activities in. It's easier to shift the blame of subversive actions to openly hostile powers for what it's worth, but that doesn't mean I like it."

"I concur." She closed her eyes. "Perhaps one day though, we can actually have a talk without shooting each other. But until then, you'll have to be very careful with emissaries."

"Of course."

House Iris is now at war against all Free States!


+10 Goodwill with House Tyto and House Archon
-10 Goodwill with House York and House Orochi

The result of the next vote earned a much more subdued reaction, some light applause from various parties about economic recovery. The Stellarch clearly noted this lighter tone and spoke as such, keeping his thanks brief. "The United Empire will have much need of these financial assets for the upcoming conflicts. At least we are sensible in how we wage war then."

You hid a smile. Assuming the bond exchange program went well, this would undoubtedly give a little needed boost to the coffers of House Sol, which would hopefully begin setting up for a time of prosperity. If and when that occurred, people could perhaps attribute it to the arrival of House Iris to their union and thus be more receptive to an agenda you could push forward. Already, you yearned for it so, thinking up ideas for what to try and push through the Senate.

Then you caught the looks on the faces of the other representatives and calmed yourself. You were getting ahead of yourself now, thinking so far ahead to a triumph that might or might not happen. The Great Houses likely had their own agendas as well, their own goals to try and get a political advantage in the Senate. You had to be on the lookout for those, lest your victory be snatched up by an opportune vulture.

The Stellarch looked out one last time over the Senate before making a final announcement. "With this, I declare the First Senate concluded. Thank you for attending. We will see each of you home safely, and look forward to your participation in the Second Senate."


You crashed onto the sofa in the waiting room and moaned at the sensation. "Oh, that's so much better. Those balcony seats are rough."

"They don't want people getting drowsy and falling asleep during the talks." Radana finally took a seat too, taking a spot next to you. She relaxed slightly and leaned back, forgoing a straight formal posture. "Oh my. I see what you mean now by how comfortable these are."

"I told you so," You cawed and lightly elbowed your childhood friend with a grin. "I know Mars quite well."

"That you do." She fell silent for a moment before looking away. "...do you miss it?"

"Huh?"

"All this, the power, wealth, and comfort that only House Sol could afford." Her hand curled up slightly. "It makes House Iris look like beggars in comparison. We could never, even if we were to throw everything into it, hope to match up to the luxuries only found in the Core. Surely to you who come from afar, we must seem almost like backwards luddites."

Your jaw dropped open and you scrambled to grab at her hand. "No, not at all!" You hastily insisted with a shake of the head. "For one, solarium is definitely not something House Sol could hope to replicate."

"Are you sure about that?"

"...well, maybe if they really committed to it and invested a lot of research into the topic," You conceded before hastily clarifying. "But knowing them so closely, they would consider it to be a horrid waste of resources. Why bother developing a unique materials that requires such exacting conditions when they could already manufacture a legion of merely 'superior' metals to outfit armies with?"

She turned to face you with an inscrutable expression. "So they could, but they simply don't have the devotion for it."

"Precisely. And that's why I left," You quietly reminded with a squeeze of her hand. "It's all incredible might and wealth but behind it all? There's no identity like that of other peoples, who may be poorer than Sol but possessing a sould that could only be found in a rougher life. It isn't wrong to indulge now and then, but to do so without hardship is to never come to truly appreciate it."

Slowly, Radana's expression slipped into a gentle smile that you returned. "I see. I must apologize then, I perhaps speculate too freely. I should have never doubted the resolution of Her Majesty."

"Ugh!" You winged your hands, cringing while she giggled. "Don't call me that, I get the weird shivers that I don't like!"

Before any further exchange could occur, there was a sudden ring from the door to the waiting room. Instantly Radana was standing up again, her diplomatic mask immediately reassembled on her face. You took a moment to straighten yourself as well before giving her a subtle nod. She walked over to the entrance and tapped at the console to activate the cameras in the hallway. A moment later, and she had the identity of the guests. "The representatives of House Archon seem to wish to petition us."

You frowned. Normally, the time after a Senate session was typically for either cooling off in private...or with friends. Is that their intent? After some consideration, you made your decision. "Let them in. We'll hear them out."

Radana worked the door controls and they slid open. But only one person stepped through, the doll servant with striking green eyes who turned to the official diplomat outside. He nodded and turned away, seemingly to watch the hallway while they took a seat across from you. "I hope you don't mind me intruding on your rest," Gale Valya greeted with a polite incline of the head. "I'll try to be brief."

"Certainly. Is this about us supporting the Asset Reclamation bill?" You guessed and earned a confirming nod from them.

"Indeed, and I've been bade by House Tyto to pass on some thanks as well," The machine told with a press of a hand against their chest. "While your support was not necessary, rest assured that we value all the same."

"I'm glad to hear." You hummed for a moment before asking a seemingly innocent question. "I wonder then if our opposition would consider our support just as much."

It was hard for emotions to show through on a doll's face, but there was a close approximation of it. "I'm afraid it is likely so," Valya admitted and made a burst of noise that was the digital equivalent of a sigh. "Perhaps we should come together then to stand against them. Or we could found ourselves fighting alongside them, locked in battle together against the Free States."

That was a topic you wanted to be careful around, though given that House Archon were not any of the Great Houses, they could be a bit more nuanced with their take. You felt it out now, slowly and surely. "Will you be taking opportunity to find a campaign of opportunity to sponsor before the Senate?" You suggested with a measured tilt of the head. "Such campaigns often draw upon the might of the United Empire, and are sure to have popular support if properly arranged."

"I will not seek one out myself," They answered after a long moment to process. "House Archon is not so interested in taking land from others. What we gain, we wish it to be cultivated by our own hands first and foremost. Be it in peace or war, our people are not so eager to look beyond what we have."

"Yet you seem to be making an effort to change it so," You sharply pointed out.

Radana was a bit more delicate and expertly steered the discussion back on topic. "Does this mean you will still honor the call to arms should a campaign be announced?"

"Of course. I am sure that there are a few who would be willing to stride the length of new worlds, to discover and bring back meaning found elsewhere." Valya looked at you evenly. "What about you so? Would you honor and supply what is requested as a member of the United Empire?"

You pressed your lips together. It was going to be tough to answer this noncommittally without sounding treasonous. "Should ample cause and allies be present, then House Iris would not hesitate to take up arms according to our principals," You delicately phrased with a sharp nod. "So we may very well become comrades on the battlefield if the time comes."

That earned a smile from the doll servant. "I look forward to that day then. Perhaps you will even see my true self then, and we could finally talk face to face," They told with genuine enthusiasm. "It is one thing to talk to you through this remote vessel, but I wish for you to see why they call me the Gale in person."

"Perhaps it shall be sooner if things work out," You hinted with a matching grin. They laughed and stood up, giving an elaborate courtesy before the emerald light faded and dimmed from their eyes. Now the simple doll servant walked stiffly over to the door and exited the room, leaving you and Radana to consider the words of your neighbor.

Then you had to prepare for a trip back home.

- We'll resolve the results of the vote next, just wanted to give it a dedicated piece. But in the meantime, last bit of politicking for a little while, the Second Senate will likely be Cycle 40.
-EDIT: Future Celes here to say that was a big typo. Cycle 30.

The scale of the United Empire necessitated division of its territories into different sectors, each of them treated as its own individual region of space that is constantly growing and shrinking depending on local interests. Any attempt to draw and enforce hard lines would usually spark no small amount of internal tension, so bureaucrats have long since resigned themselves to having to work with such a fluctuating system. There was something to say about how they have been able to make it work all this while, adapting to constantly changing codes, regulations, and labels.

So when the order came down to seek abandoned or illegal accounts for wealth seizure, the bureaucrats only spent a day whining about appropriate jurisdictions before they pushed themselves to get to work. The new economic act was looking for wealth laying about to make use of, through automatic enrollment in a war bond system to help finance the restart of hostilities with the Free States. It was even phrased as such, a patriotic and civic duty of financial institutions to aid in smoothing the procedure. It now came down to how each and every power in the affected regions would take to it.


Great House Orochi did vote against the act, but it was more out of practicality for their unique situation than actual opposition to the bill. They had very little in the way of actually abandoned accounts in spite of their martial mercenary culture, something that definitely confused inspectors on the first run. But a closer look swiftly revealed a reason in their family values.

It was of course known that Orochi placed high value in talented warriors, to the point where they would structure and modify family lines to accomplish this goal. A mercenary attitude was born of this, yet still no matter how harsh the training was or how barely biologically related they were, the soldiers of fortune still had families to inherit accounts in case of death far from home.

So in the end, there was nothing that Orochi could offer, but nothing to bother either. A flat waste of effort, in their opinion, hence the vote against.


The same couldn't be said for Great House Ababil when asked to open their books.

It seemed that they had the same attitude about their financial accounts as they do for their concoctions: Simply toss it all in, mix well, and enjoy without second thought. Within moments of flagging some suspect accounts, the House Sol inspectors were then suddenly barraged by outraged account holders who claimed legal assets were being seized from them. Before it could be written off as a very unfortunate (and stupid) occasion, more reports and complaints streamed in about the exact same thing plaguing the vast majority of flagged accounts.

In the end, the program had to be written off in Ababil's territories and significant monetary compensation had to be paid out to the disturbed accounts.


Great House Tyto meanwhile presented their accounts promptly and retreated to silence while the inspectors tepidly began their work. Any flagged accounts were swiftly presented by the silent representatives for enrollment in financial seizure, earning some shared looks of surprise between the bureaucrats. After some prying to make sure this was all intended, Tyto reluctantly elaborated on how they could so readily present the accounts.

As their people vastly preferred living on great temple ships and their elites were connected via a telepathic network, it was very easy to know what was going on in their local communities. Any illicit activities or unfortunate deaths could be readily confirmed once suspected, so there weren't going to be any troubles with them loyally carrying out the new law they had helped vote in. Perhaps they hoped to set a good example to the other Great Houses.


They tried to live up to the expectations set by their suzerain, but House Archon could only offer a paltry sum in comparison to Tyto. Perhaps it had to do with how their reclusive and mechanical natures, but there simply wasn't much to seize in their territory. The inspectors sighed and took what they could, then moved on.


Then came Great House York and the bureaucrats braced themselves. True to their suspicions, they heavily protested the act and threw layers upon layers of legal red tape at the financial enforcers to tangle them up. Given that this was supposedly to be a peaceful act, the inspectors hoped that simply visiting the affected and flagged accounts could the situation be perfectly explained. They had shown they were patriots already, they perhaps just needed to be guided to see the good in this.

But when they attempted to make physical visits, they were greeted with empty spaces where these residences were. And empty spaces where these settlements were, in fact. It seemed that York were determined to be as petty as possible for inconveniencing the financial seizure, and they had appropriately fired up their fortress-city engines to begin roaming about in a 'temporary return to their nomadic heritage.'

In the end, the amount of money seized from them was only enough to cover the costs of dealing with them, so it was a total wash for House Sol.


Being new players to the stage and only a minor power at the moment, few had high expectations for House Iris. At best, the inspectors expected it to be much like House Archon in terms of what they could perhaps find. Upon arrival, it seemed that way, with just a few rather impoverished accounts at first glance to use.

Then came a tip from a mysterious and anonymous letter that was sent to their office. The representatives from House Sol at first thought nothing of it, but went through the motions to check out a set of normal looking accounts. What they found though had them paying sudden interest at the vast fortunes of unreported and untaxed illegal income.

While it had been suspected that a criminal underworld was forming within House Iris, it was assumed to be low-key like those found and tolerated elsewhere. However, it appeared that some within had ambitions far beyond what was allowed and had been amassing credits for nefarious purposes. They had even gone through the trouble of putting up fake covers to help shield their ill-gained wealth at a glance, hence why they almost slipped through.

Almost, if it hadn't been for some unknown individual who had apparently been sitting on this information for a while. Within days, the people of House Iris were treated to the bizarre instance of criminals begging leniency from the taxman to avoid their funds being 'conscripted.' Of course there was little sympathy for their cause, and most of their stunts earned either bemused amusement, or a call to the Lycoris Knights.

They were all too happy to lock up these criminals after House Sol was done with them, and they even had the open jail cells for it like it had been planned so by a mastermind in the shadows.

Final Result: +10 Wealth to House Sol.

Overall, the asset recuperation was an incredible success for bolstering the coffers of House Sol. It fully refiled the amount spent to help stabilize House Iris' arrival, and then had some left over that could now be spent for other projects. Of course the most obvious and intended was to help prepare for open conflict with the Free States, provided that a campaign in the region was identified to plan for. Already many were eagerly looking forwards to it, envisioning a triumph over the rogue states to prove that the United Empire was the true path for humanity's future.

Some even wondered if the sudden appearance of House Iris was an omen that heralded the victory to come, but it was shaken off just as quickly as it came. Surely, it was a mere coincidence- they were just a minor player now that had no grand history to it. Or at least, according to this universe's record.


She closed eyes and exhaled deeply, feeling the chilly air on her skin. Then she gripped her hand into a wrist and felt the scales along the length of her arm hum, providing a familiar and comforting warmth that gave her the strength to open the door and step inside. It was sealed behind her and she sat at a single chair at an empty table in the bare room. But that was soon to change.

The lights darkened and projectors built into the walls activated to create life-sized holograms of other individuals sat around a similar table. This was the only real way for them to meet on short notice, at least without awkward heated debates on who was hosting. It was times like this where the lack of a clear neutral party to function as a moderator worked against them.

But it was the fact that none of them were forced to be work with said moderator was why the Free States existed.

"We're finally all here? Good, because the sooner we get this started, the sooner we get this done and I can return to dreams of worthy attention." The man yawned and placed his head against a hand resting on the table. "So start talking."

"Such a lackadaisical attitude will cost us if we do not pay attention to the situation at hand," Another cautioned and adjusted his suit. "War is rarely profitable for us."

"So you claim but it is in war where immortality is attained!" One sounded through a vocal synthesizer with a pound on their side. It likely fractured the table there, but it obviously did not show in any other. "Let them come, like all the others, and let us break them so they know our name."

"Yes, let them come and we shall show them the forbidden powers we have attained through generations of flame." The individual who spoke wore such thick clothes that it was hard to make out their figure. But their dramatic hand gestures were unmistakable. "So if they attack, then we shall show them the power of the sun!"

She could already feel the headache growing and sufficed for letting her tail coil about her waist to stroke. The sensation helped calm her down so that she could at least give a more neutral opinion on the matter. "Whatever comes, remember that we fight for the freedom of humanity from tyranny. For the right to be left alone. We shall see if they make the first move, and reply in kind then."

- The rolls worked out the most realistic way it could, how surprising. But good for you I suppose.

You cackled at the sight of the distraught aspiring crime lords being led out of the courthouse, their despairing faces captured perfectly by the various media outlets. "Haha! Look at that one, she's actually crying and whining about being setup. As if she hadn't just been convicted of a few frauds!"

"You're taking this awfully well," Radana observed, suspicion in her voice. "But I recall Dorothea recently having done a sweep before to flush them out. Don't tell me you actually hid some of them."

"Sure. I won't tell you." A heartbeat passed, then you casually took a pad from your mess of a desk. "Here."

"What's this- oh stars damn it all." Your best friend pinched the bridge of her nose in a very unladylike manner. "I told you not to tell me!"

"I didn't, the pad did!" You gleefully retorted, earning an exasperated groan from your aide. "More seriously, yes. I did pluck some of the younger ones out of the Lycoris sweeps and set them up in the less patrolled areas. You'll never believe what you can hid in the wilds outside the Marquisate."

"You hid them outside the city bearing that stupid title too?! No, nevermind that." She swapped tracks and tapped the pad with the back of her hand. "So have you been playing Underworld boss all this time?"

"Of course not. Do you know how often those sort of folk have to make grand speeches about ruling criminals?" You rolled your eyes and shuddered. "No thank you! I've instead setup as one of those data brokers who would stay in their room all day, on their computers supporting operations. I get to be mysterious while yapping on about needing to fix the drill to break into the vault."

"So not much of a change from what you do most of the time to relax."

"Yeah, it's pretty familiar- hey!" You slammed your hands on your desk and glared at the diplomat. "I do other things as well!"

"Oh, shall I organize a speech to the people then?" You made a vaguely rude gesture that had Radana covering her mouth and loudly coughing, likely to disguise a giggle. "Anyhow, returning to the topic was it expected that there was going to be serious financial crimes for the Sol inspectors to stumble upon?"

"Not really. I suppose I really should have expected that a few I saved to go full bad egg and try to go for it big, but the majority of others kept it petty. The fact that they've been allowed to get away with it while the others were caught should help reinforce the level of crime we will tolerate, which hopefully helps establish a self-policing thieves code among them," You explained at length with a tap of the fingers. "It's an extension of Dorothea's original plan, but with loose ends that we can take advantage of in the event we ever need to throw the crime lords about for a bit."

"I see." Radana thought a bit, then had a suggestion. "Have you considered getting in touch with Dorothea's contacts? The ones who helped her manage the situation the first go?"

"Oh? I'll admit, they slipped my mind. What about them?"

"They're surely much more in touch with the underworld than you, and can perhaps offer greater insight to what is needed to properly moderate them so," She suggested and you considered it before nodding.

"I think that's not the worst idea, and a meeting at least wouldn't hurt. Could you arrange it for me, or do I need to bait Dorothea into doing so?"

"Oh, from what she's mentioned, we could go directly to the source without arousing suspicion. See, they run a flower cafe that I would be delighted to sample, giving us the perfect cover then." She grinned and held out a hand. "Would you be willing to escort me so?"

You chuckled and rose from your office chair. "I do believe it's supposed to be the other way around considering our stations. But lead the way, I could do with a break."

Resource Stockpile: 40/40

Create a plan that you and your aides will execute over the duration of the cycle. Each person will have a general order that they will attempt to carry out at your command. Orders can be repeatedly taken by multiple characters for greater progression, but characters will be locked in the order until it is finished. Many actions will require a target.









- This time in the right thread!
- New actions for retooling production and demolishing buildings, use it wisely.
- There'll probably be an upcoming choice on the colonization of Calenwyrm, so consider if you want to plan around that to free up Radana or keep her locked into the task.