Helios: Corrosion From Within - Tyranny

Reichstag Chamber, CRDJE Capitol

 Colorado, Earth, Republic Sector

0937 VST, February 11, 2482

                The noise of a thousand conversations echoed down the corridor leading into the Reichstag chamber. The Republic's president had once again called congress into an emergency session, along with the justices from the Supreme Court.

                Synnove walked down the long corridor towards the noise, accompanied by Ulrich and flanked by several of her imperial guards. None of them bothered to dress in formal attire as required by the Reichstag, wearing instead their usual lightly armored spacejumpers. Today however, instead of the usual blue, black, white, or gray they were a blood red color.

                The noise slowly faded as the group entered the ground level of the cavernous chamber. In less than 15 seconds every noble within was silently staring down from their small desks at Synnove and her companions.

                Several more seconds of silence passed but were broken by a nobleman, "What business brings you here in the manner you come to this chamber", he questioned barely able to hide his anger.

                Within the nobility of the Republic, blood red armor symbolized only one thing, that a noble was acting in their sovereign capacity to exercise their authority over lower nobles. Everyone within the chamber knew that regardless of whatever happened from this moment on, one or more of them were going to cease to exist today. The doors leading into the large room were quickly sealed shut by Synnove's team, ensuring there was no escape.

                Synnove recognized the voice and turned around to face him, "You. You had my parents killed and now you are stupid enough to draw attention to yourself", she responded calmly looking up at him.

                "Sit", she said drawing her sidearm and placing a 50-calibur hollow point round into his left knee.

                The man's knee exploded in a cloud of blood and he screamed out in pain while falling back into his seat.

                "Stay", Synnove told him, putting another round into his left knee then moving her aim to his face, "Shut up or the next one will be in your mouth."

                She holstered her sidearm, "The rest of you, stand," she ordered.

                Some of the nobles quickly stood as she ordered, while others hesitated in getting up, "Now," she said slowly.

                Synnove silently looked around the chamber, her gaze slowly moving across the other nobles. Her internal targeting system recognized and tagged the nobles she knew were responsible in one way or another for the death of her parents. The targeting information was sent from her to members of her team stationed throughout the chamber.

                "You know why I came today, and if you don't then you better get with the program," she said after a long silence, "I know which of you are enemies of the Crown and will deal with you before the sun sinks below the horizon."

                "We don't have a Crown," another shouted, "This is not a monarchy."

                Synnove glanced up at the man, "Oh you have a Crown. You very much have one. I wouldn't call it a monarchy, but you will wish that's what it is."

                "What nonsense are you talking about little girl, " the man responded.

                Ulrich spoke up, "as of almost five minutes ago congress, the executive, and judiciary surrendered their powers to the Kaiserreich through legislative process. You are all hereby subjects of Empress Synnove Rupertsen."

                A wave of commotion erupted within the chamber as nobles tried to make sense of the turn of events.

                "A replacement for your father was never elected from among this chamber," her father's rival said, "You have no authority or position here, let alone the position of Kaiserreich."

                "Until someone is elected to replace him, I am to fill his position according to established Law, "Synnove responded.

                "You don't meet the qualifications to fill the position," the man retorted with a smirk, "you are female."

                "That is not in Law, only custom. Now shut your mouth unless you want me to do it for you."

                Ulrich pressed a button on the small marker-like object in his left hand, triggering backpack-mounted EMP generators some of Synnove's guards carried. Several dozen nobles immediately fell to their feet and were quickly carried off by other members of her team.

                Synnove's left shoulder was suddenly thrust forward followed by the rest of her torso. She quickly regained her stance, looking over her left shoulder and taking aim. A hollow point round had plowed into her shoulder, targeted at her heart. The round found only the metal of her chest plates and disintegrated upon impact.

                In a normal situation she would have never been shot. Members of her team usually took up positions to observe surroundings and quickly neutralize any threats before they became problems. However, today wasn't normal. She ordered her team to just observe and be ready for her signal.

                A round also hit Ulrich in the chest but failed to penetrate his internal armor-like skeleton. Ulrich drew his weapon and placed a shot into his assailant's shoulder.

                "Does anyone else have any opinions to add, using words or otherwise," Synnove asked the chamber after disabling her shooter.

                Synnove's reputation for not bluffing was well-known amongst the nobility. The chamber was silent for several seconds before she asked the question again.

                "Anyone? Anything at all."

                Synnove and Ulrich holstered their weapons as he motioned towards the medics tending the rival of Synnove's father. Within several minutes the man was presented before the pair, unable to stand on his own. The medics had tended his mangled knees to stop bleeding but didn't bother administering pain killers.

                "You are the highest ranking noble in this chamber, are you not", she asked.

                "Yes," he strained to answer.

                "No," she  said drawing her asp and flicking it to its fully extended position.

                "Kneel," Synnove calmly ordered as the man cried out in pain with every time his knees moved even slightly.

                "I will not kneel," each word being uttered between his breaths.

                She gently prodded the asp into his right knee causing him to scream out, "I can't kneel you sick..."

                His comment was cut short by the medics promptly releasing his arms from around their shoulders. He fell onto his back as his legs collapsed from under him, the medics taking several steps back.

                "Get up. On your knees. Now," she said slowly.

                He lay on his back moaning. Synnove nodded to one of the medics who grabbed the man's shoulders, lifted him to his knees, and held him there. She swung the asp into his ribs but he didn't relent. Synnove repeatedly gave him a chance to swear allegiance to her, her strikes becoming more vicious each time until the man lay lifeless in a pool of his own blood.

                By the time she finished with him, her team had the nobles she marked earlier lined up. She toyed with them as a cat toys with its prey before dispatching it. A gruesome and painful death befell each traitor to her parents, even if they kneeled and swore their allegiance. In all, over thirty nobles were slain along with their spouses and children. A large pool of bright red blood stained the chamber's shiny slate gray marble floor.

                After dispensing her version of justice, the remaining nobles were lined up and ordered to cast aside both the old laws of the Republic and their religions. They were to view Synnove as both empress and deity. This met with resistance among many of the nobles, but just as many were willing to take on the new reality without hesitation. Those who resisted were quickly carried off to spend their foreseeable futures in rehabilitation compounds that had been built months before. After the last noble was evaluated Ulrich, Synnove, and her guards made their way out of the chamber.

                "Your brother wouldn't be happy at all about what you just did," Ulrich reprimanded her, "Your method of justice would disgust him."

                "He's soft. Besides, he's supposed to be dead now, isn't he?"

                "What do you think he would say if he were here right now?"

                "I really don't care. He's dead. Gone. Finished," she responded without looking back at Ulrich as they walked.

                "And what about your father? What would he think?"

                "That doesn't matter either," she paused, "Tell them to dispose of the carcasses but leave the blood. I don't want this forgotten any time soon."

Helios: Corrosion From Within - Klaxon

Jumpcraft Mjollnir

Unidentified Location, Republic Sector

1824 VST, February 4, 2482

                Synnove walked through the main walkway which led to the Mjollnir’s command level. She had just been in the jumpcraft’s electronic warfare level observing preparations for an all-out attack her craft and crew were going to make.

                The Mjollnir, like the Dragonfly, possessed nothing which could be considered traditional weaponry such as lasers and hyperrifles. Instead, its offensive and defensive systems consisted of a myriad of electronic sensors, processor cores, and transmitters.

                The locking mechanism of the command level access doors hummed and clunked, allowing the doors to slide open just in time for Synnove to walk through. The thick doors slid closed less than two seconds after she entered the large command area. Ulrich stood next to his command chair with his hands clasped leisurely behind his back.

                “Are you sure you want to go through with this,” Ulrich asked as Synnove took her seat.

                “Why wouldn’t I,” she responded, “This is the only remaining option.”

                “And a dangerous one. One that might very well get yourself and the rest of us killed.”

                She glanced at Ulrich, “You’ve reservations? If so just say so. But I thought that out of everyone here I could count on you the most.”

                Ulrich tilted his head back ever so slightly, as if to roll back on his heels while considering something, then turned slightly to face the large windows at the front of the command level.

                "Are we ready," he asked the communications officer.

                "Just give me the word and I'll let you know when you're clear," the commo responded.

                "Do it," Ulrich instructed.

                Several moments passed as the electronic warfare and comm techs activated dozens of systems. Receivers within the Mjollnir fed raw data into large computer banks where encryption keys were derived from the streams of data. These keys were used to encrypt audiovisual information which was transmitted out of the craft.

                The commo gave Ulrich the all clear signal once the thousands of transmission streams had stabilized.

- - -

                Markgraf William Augustus Bowles sat behind his desk leaning back in his chair slightly. Across from him Markgraf Thomas Hutchinson sat legs crossed, a glass of brandy in one hand and a cigar in the other. Finished with ultra-rare woods, stones, and metals from across known space, William's office was luxurious even by the standards of the nobility.

                "I must say that things went off without a hitch," Thomas remarked as he took a draw from his Churchill cigar, "Much better than I thought they would."

                William took a sip from his glass, "You should have a bit more faith in my people. I said that I would make sure things got done the right way the first time. No screw ups."

                "Good work in any case," Thomas responded.

                The two turned their plush chairs slightly towards the large flat-panel screen mounted on the wall as William turned the channel."

                "Hmm," he said stopping when he saw an off-road race, "Did you happen to catch the start yesterday?"

                Just as Thomas was about to respond, the screen went blank then changed to a black background with images of the Bandera Imperial, CRDJE flag, seal of the Reichstag, and the shields of the Kaiserreich and House Rupertsen superimposed on it.

                "What the hell is this," William said switching channels, "It's on every channel."

                "No screw ups," Thomas asked.

                "Oh quiet, this has nothing to do with that. Probably some technical issue with the emergency notification system."

                Several seconds passed before an image of Synnove's from the chest up replaced the symbols. The plain black behind her made it hard to guess just where she was, whether an office in a building, studio on a dropcraft, or command level of a jumpcraft. The only clue was her spacejumper which was completely white save for the small black piping along the shoulders, down the arms, and down each side of her torso. White uniforms were only worn by those in the Air Force when planetside, and only in formal situations. A uniform's piping indicated the specialty of the wearer, which in the case of black indicated unregistered. Black was commonly referred to as the 'don't ask' specialty.

                Synnove spoke, "To all listening or watching, this is the former Reichsgraf Synnove Rupertsen, now Kaiserreich Synnove Rupertsen."

                "Today I come to address the executive, congress, judicial, Sectors, States, and individuals of our Republic."

                "For the executive, you have a duty to comply with your Oath of Office. If you fail to comply you present yourself as a domestic enemy of the Sectors, States, and people; and I will assist, with the resources at my disposal, organized resistance to any domestic enemies."

                "For the Republic's defense forces, you have a duty to comply with your Oath of Office. If you fail to comply you present yourself as a domestic enemy of the Sectors, States, and people; and I will assist, with the resources at my disposal, organized resistance to any domestic enemies."

                "For the Congress, you have a duty to comply with your Oath of Office. If you fail to remove any executives who disregard their Oath of Office, you present yourself as a domestic enemy of the Sectors, States, and people; and I will assist, with the resources at my disposal, organized resistance to any domestic enemies."

                "For the Judicial, you have a duty to comply with your Oath of Office. If you fail to remove any executives or congressmen who disregard their Oath of Office, you present yourself as a domestic enemy of the Sectors, States, and people; and I will assist, with the resources at my disposal, any organized resistance to domestic enemies."

                She continued on with the same general message directed at the Sectors and States.

                "And for the people. Should these portions of government become domestic enemies by failing to comply with their Oaths of Office, I will exercise my power as Kaiserreich to combat said enemies using all means at my disposal."

                The screen returned to the symbols on a black background as Synnove finished her comments. Less than as second later the lights dimmed momentarily as generators within William's palace complex switched on due to a loss of power on the main grids.

                William slammed his glass down onto the desk, brandy splashing out of it, "She can't do this!"

                "She can't do what? I seem to recall both of us consistently voting to give her mother's company defense contract after defense contract. Let's not even mention how many research, construction, medical, and other projects these companies were involved in. This is what we get. Face your fate. If you thought we could get away with killing her parents you're insane .You're going to die, as will I, and numerous others," Thomas calmly said before taking another puff from his cigar.

- - -

                Flieger Andrew Smith relaxed in his chair doing crosswords as he conversed with the other two techs in his compartment. The back of the chair he sat in reclined almost completely, comfortable enough as long as there was a console to put his feet on.

                "I can't wait till this alert is over," a tech said, "alert sucks."

                "It's been a long one, but better than sitting in the office," Andrew responded as he marked his book.

                "Whatever," the other tech smirked, "I don't understand how you like alert."

                Andrew looked up at the tech, "best job in the Air Force, if you don’t like it you can…."

                Andrew's cut his comment short once he noticed the telltale sign of an impending power drop. The normally irritating sound of 400 hertz power that was induced along loudspeaker feeds began to drop in frequency.

                "Power drop," Andrew yelled, "Shed the loads."

                With less than two seconds to react, the tech was too slow to cut the power to even a single system before total power loss. The lights in the dropcraft went out, the only illumination coming from a few indicators and alarm lights running off the craft's battery power. A number of alarms sounded, each with a differing tone.

                Andrew picked up his headset while the techs muted the alarms, "Cockpit, tech."

                A moment passed before a crew chief responded, "Go tech."

                "We just had a power drop."

                "Yep, we're spooling number one right now," the crew chief informed Andrew.

                The sound of a turbofan engine starting up outside the dropcraft was muffled by the hull and insulation. Crew chiefs had the engine up quickly, supplying power to dropcraft systems within ten minutes.

                "Ground, tech," Andrew called.

                The ground equipment maintainer responded, "Go tech."

                "Any cause for that power drop?"

                "No, looks like it's out at the panel."

                The crew chief in the cockpit spoke up, "Uh tech, looks like it's out all over the base from up here."

                "We can't get anything back up," a tech informed Andrew.

                "What do you mean? Equipment's broke? You can't get circuits back up? What," Andrew asked.

                "We can't get circuits up. They're all dead."

                Andrew closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose gently between his fingers. His thoughts were quickly interrupted by the ear-piercing buzzing of the alarm mounted above his seat.

                "Shit! Klaxon, and I think it's for real this time."

Helios: Corrosion From Within, 019 - Swords and Silk

Rupertsen Imperial Complex

Kongsfestning, Kongsbyen, Aesir

0929 Local, March 1, 2482

            Synnove looked at three long dresses, trying to pick which she wanted to wear for the afternoon and evening. Holly Holbrook, her lady's maid, stood beside her already dressed for the occasion. Synnove decided to go with her mother's wishes, at least for a week or two, and play her part as nobility. The day prior she narrowed down her dress choices to one color, pearlescent white which slightly changed colors depending on the angle it was viewed at, and three designs of the finest silk.

            She looked again at the first design to her left, a lightly corseted top, form fitting around the hips, and then falling straight to the ground. Too formal for anything but a ball and it didn't make much of a statement other than pretty princess. The next dress was sleeveless and form-fitting throughout the torso and fell straight after the hips. Synnove considered it momentarily but was put off by how much the top covered. The last dress was similar to the first, but form-fitting in the torso rather than having a corset.

            Her eyes went back to the second dress, "I don't think it covers too much really."

            "It covers the front and back. But," Holly paused, "Your mother will kill you. Well, she'll try to."

            Synnove smiled just a little, "she won't be happy at all. She called me a little whore and that's what she will get in front of the media and court. They will blow my fashion choice out of proportion, but the issue will fade quickly as other women and royals want to emulate it."

- - -

            Douglas stood in front of the floor mirror in his room while his head valet, Hemming Mattias, slid a mess jacket onto him. Today was the last day of the Imperial Air Derby, a week-long series of air races sponsored by his parents. Tonight would also be the first major royal ball of the year, which all the racers would attend. Nobles from across the Republic would be in attendance too, and he hoped a certain Reichsgräfin would also be at the ball tonight.

            A footman buttoned the front of the coat while the valet smoothed the shoulders, "It's been awhile," Douglas said as the men worked on his uniform.

            "Yes, quite a change from your dusty cowboy gear to this," the Hemming responded.

            “I prefer the dusty rags,” Douglas responded, “They’re comfortable, functional, and I don’t have to worry about getting dirt or food on them. This stuff is just pompous show.”

            Hemming ran a brush across Douglas' shoulders and down the back of the coat, “You were born into it. It comes with the position. If you don’t like it you can always elect to refuse your title.”

            “I don’t mind my title or even some of the trappings that come with it. While pompous, the uniform does look quite good,” Douglas said looking in the mirror.

Although Douglas' normal military dress uniform was forest green, his position as nobility gave him the privilege of wearing a military uniform in the colors of his father's side of the family, mother's side, or a design incorporating both. He chose to go the usual route and pick the maroon-like scorpion red of his father's House.

His black balmorals were polished to a mirror finish that complimented the flat black color of his crisp trousers. The trousers had a two inch wide gold thread strip up the outside of each leg. Under the cavalry style mess jacket he wore a white button-up shirt and black vest. The buttons of vest were intricate gold while those of the shirt were hidden. The mess jacket’s black rolled collar contrasted with the maroon base and the gold threading around the edges and shoulderboards.

A junior valet entered the room carrying Douglas' ceremonial sword. The piece was a fully functional broadsword almost five feet in length. When light struck the sword at the proper angle the inscription "+ULFBERH+T" shone on the blade just forward of the hilt. The valet presented the sword to Hemming, who took it by the strong and weak.

"Reichsgräf, your weapon," Hemming said as he held the sword parallel to the floor with the grip to Douglas' right side.

Douglas took the grip and lifted the sword from Hemming's open hands. Grabbing his scabbard with his left hand, he slowly and respectfully slid the blade into its sheath. Hemming handed Douglas his ceremonial headgear, a gold helmet similar to those worn by household cavalry of Commonwealth nations during the 20^th century.

Hemming stepped back and looked Douglas over one last time, "Ah, there we are. Your mother should be happy to see you dressed up for the afternoon."

"It does look nice," Douglas responded looking in the mirror, "I'll probably have more lunch on it than in my gut though."

A junior valet nodded to Hemming who then informed Douglas that his sister was also ready.

"Well gentlemen, let's go pick up the ladies," Douglas said as he turned and started out of the room.

He and the four men made their way to Synnove's room, just across and down the large hall from his own room. Hemming knocked on one of the doors. Almost a minute passed before it was opened by Holly.

"Hello Reichsgräf, Hemming, gentlemen," she said with a friendly smile, "Come in."

The four men entered the room. One of the junior valets broke into a brief coughing fit upon seeing Synnove in such an unexpected dress.

"Sis, you look very nice," Douglas said while keeping comments about what their mother would say to himself.

Synnove had went with the second dress; form-fitting mandarin collar with solid front and back and mesh insets on each side running from the hem all the way up. Her opera length gloves matched the dress design and her hair was ornately styled.

"Are you ok," Synnove asked the valet.

"Yes, just swallowed down the wrong pipe," he replied still recovering from his fit.

"Thank you for the compliment Douglas", Synnove said to her brother, "The uniform looks good on you. Fitting for your position as a Reichsgräf."

He knew his sister well enough to know when she was purposefully doing something and trying to play it off innocently, but he decided to just let it go this time, "I'd love to see that on a particular Reichsgräfin I'm hoping to see here today."

"I'm sure you would," she said putting out her hand, "but let's get going. I have a mother to embarrass and other women to make jealous."

Helios: Corrosion From Within, 013 - Divergent Paths

Dropcraft Landing Area

Kongsfestning, Kongsbyen, Aesir

0900 VST, February 20, 2482

      Kaiserreich Johannes Rupertsen and his wife Kaiserin Anne Rupertsen exited the sleek black limousine which had brought them from their large palace-like home to the dropcraft Dragonfly. Several smaller limousines trailed behind theirs, followed by two large panel vans.

      Johannes was dressed in tan dress pants and a short-sleeve maroon dress shirt that was tailored just enough to hint at his well-defined upper body. The gold lenses of his sunglasses hinted at his occupation as a space-jock. The only hint of his age was the short gray hair of his closely shaven flat-top.

     Anne wore a semi-form-fitting maroon knee-length dress, oversized sunglasses, and a wide-brimmed but fashionable hat.

      The two appeared surprisingly young for their age of 50. They had Douglas and Synnove when they were 30, about seven years later than most nobles. Waiting the extra seven years gave Johannes time to secure his future position as the Kaiserreich while allowing Anne to completely reconstruct the family's public image.

      By the time the Kaiserin took her place next to her husband, the Dragonfly's stairs were already deployed with their daughter Synnove making her way down them.

      The Kaiserin kept her composure by clenching her teeth together, “your daughter is rebellious”, she said quietly to her husband.

      “She is still a child like her brother,” the Kaiserreich responded, “and yes, a little rebellious. But I trust you will address that.”

      Synnove had exited the dropcraft before her brother, something that was considered in poor taste, bad upbringing, unladylike, and a breach of protocol amongst the nobility. To make matters worse, rather than changing into the vestments of nobility, she emerged wearing a spacejumper complete with patches. Douglas never bothered to put his spacejumper on after being picked up from Ak-Chin by his sister. Instead he wore a maroon button-up shirt and dress pants similar to his father's.

      Anne managed to fake a smile well enough to fool any cameras that might be around as she hugged Synnove and welcomed her home. A wide, genuine smile crept over her face as she welcomed her son Douglas back home.

      Johannes lovingly embraced Synnove as most fathers would their daughters, then grasped his son's hand for a moment and hugged him briefly, “welcome home my son. We have much to discuss.”

      The others from the Dragonfly's crew of nobles were each welcomed by their families as they exited the craft. The ground crew was already unloading the horses from the dropcraft to place them into a lush green holding field.

      Johannes and his wife got back into their limousine while Douglas and Synnove climbed into their own. Once all the nobles were in their respective vehicles, the column of limousines started back towards the house.

      "I think you upset mom", Douglas said as he sat across from his sister.

      Synnove's exhale from her almost silent snicker preceded her response, "she's always upset when I'm involved. She wants royalty to make herself look good; not someone with motivation to be something more than a pretty face."

      The vehicles pulled into the long covered drive that ran parallel to the front of the stone-clad house, the Kaiserreich's limousine stopping directly in front of the entryway. Douglas met up with his father as the group walked through the oversized entry and into the reception hall.

      The house was less of a home and more a combination corporate headquarters, command center for paramilitary forces, and place to host businessmen and other nobles. Although it appeared to be a beautiful palace it was in reality a fortress with a pleasant façade. With exterior walls three yards thick made of layered composites and rock, not many weapons had the ability to get through to the interior living and working areas. The entire estate, including furnishings and equipment, was built at a cost of around 500 billion. The house accounted for half the total and the aerospace terminal a quarter of it.

      Despite being nobility, Johannes and his wife had paid for the estate up-front using their own money. Nobles within the Republic weren't entitled to any payments or similar concessions from the government or taxpayers. One of the two primary requirements to be granted a title of nobility was a level of income which would normally allow someone to establish a State of their own. The other requirement was an Oath to secure the Natural Rights of any law-abiding individual within the Republic.

      Johannes lit a pipe as he and his son made their way to the library. The wisps of pipe smoke filled the air with the sweet aroma of cherry Cavendish tobacco.

      "Ahhh, I've missed that smell," Douglas said, "reminds me of time spent building models of dropcraft and jumpcraft."

      The two walked leisurely down the wide stairway that landed on the first subfloor as Douglas lit a cigar,       "Indeed, we had many good times when you were young. I'm surprised you still have those models packed away."

      After taking an elevator to subfloor five the two arrived at what was referred to as the library. It was a library in the sense that it had books and almost limitless amounts of information at the fingertips, but that's where the similarities with an actual library ended.

      The expansive room was just barely lit by red lights. Opposite the main entry seven large displays hung across the wall, each measuring 20 feet wide and almost 13 tall. Near the center of the room, a large holoprojector displayed various star systems. Thousands of small blue cone-shaped symbols were scattered throughout the projector's field, each representing a jumpcraft owned by Johannes and his wife. Dozens of people sat at consoles accomplishing various tasks which ensured the smooth and safe flow of goods and services provided by Anne's company, El Dorado Heavy Industries.

      The usual custom within the Republic regarding the property of nobility was that the husband wholly owned and controlled a house's paramilitary forces and passed them on to his first-born son. The wife owned a house's industrial assets but ceded their day-to-day operation to her husband. Upon her death or incapacitation, the assets would pass to her first-born daughter.

      Douglas immediately noticed the drastic changes in the Nemesis system, "What's going on in Nemesis," he asked as he reached out and tapped the star's holographic representation.

      An area of a few dozen cubic feet was instantly filed with a representation of the Nemesis system, "You've bought the system?"

      "Yes," his father replied, "a day after you last departed."

      Douglas examined the system closer, "How much did that cost?"

      "Almost two quintillion. We expect to recover around twelve times that," Johannes said as he leaned next to Douglas and examined the system.

      "What does that make now, seventeen complete systems?"

      "Eighteen," his father responded as he stood and walked over to another star and brought it into focus, "but we will be finishing this one off within a year from now."

      Douglas stood, "Synnove should be quite happy."

      "No, I don't think she's very interested in seventeen star systems and all the associated industry."

      Johannes approached his son and placed his hand on his shoulder, "You've got almost 1500 jumpcraft, a few nodes, space stations, and everything else to go along with them. Your sister will end up owning one of the largest corporations in the entire galaxy, but you will have a military force that rivals those fielded by any faction including the Republic."

      "Being able to bring that level of protection to a marriage would be a big plus," Douglas responded.

      "Think bigger my son," Johannes spread his arms slightly, "such a force would almost certainly ensure you are chosen as my replacement by the Electors."

      "I think the proper word would be 'guaranteed'."

      Johannes leisurely blew smoke from his mouth, momentarily obscuring his face from his son's view, "Now you're thinking like nobility."

      "And without any brothers to compete with I have it easy," Douglas said then took a draw from his cigar.

      His father sat, "You're exactly the type of person the Republic needs right now if I were to pass."

      "How so?"

      Johannes crossed his legs and stuck the pipe in the corner of his mouth as he spoke, "You were briefed on your trip from Ak-Chin. With all the problems we have now within the Republic I've been working hard within the congress to silence the war drums. Patience of the people is running short. If something were to happen to me, I believe you could rally the nobility and the Reichstag to keep the wars at bay."

- - -

      Anne entered her daughter's large bedroom less than two minutes after Synnove had. She walked past Synnove to the picture window and looked out of it for several moments. The few house staff also in the room paused from their tasks and stood straight as Anne passed. Synnove stood facing in the same general direction, waiting for the awkward silence to be broken.

      Anne turned to Synnove, “what you did today was disgraceful.”

      “What was,” Synnove responded, "coming out of my dropcraft first? I was born first, even if only by a few minutes.”

      “No,” Anne said slightly angered, “Coming out first can be explained away. And it's not your dropcraft. You know that your father bought it for your brother and it bears our arms. You haven't even been granted arms yet, and if you continue with your rebelliousness I will ensure that you never will be. You bring ridicule on me by wearing that.”

      She paused for a moment gesturing her hand in Synnove's direction, “That thing out for all to see. You look like a little whore. I have no idea how you managed to get into it.”

     “It's not this that brings ridicule; it's that I refuse to play helpless pretty princess in a dress. That is why the nobles have no regard for you. They think you've failed to raise a daughter that will marry one of their sons and provide them with male heirs. And both the nobles and freemen see what you have really done by marginalizing me since I was a little girl.”

      Anne raised her voice as she stepped towards Synnove, “Every young noblewoman within the Empire wants the figure and face I have given you. You have more young noblemen in line to be your suitor than any of those women. The media turned you into the darling of the Empire. Pictures of you from just an hour ago have already been beamed across Empire space. You are throwing this all away to go play war games.”

     Synnove saw pictures of herself from earlier on the large display screen hanging on the wall behind Anne. The news agencies reported the return of her and her brother from an unknown mission for the Republic. Even though her brother took precedence the news was less focused on him and more on her.

      She stepped towards Synnove, almost touching shoulders, and lowered her voice enough so as to not be heard by any of the household staff in the room, “I won't let you ruin everything I have worked for. You will marry a nobleman and you will bear male heirs. If I have to order you to be restrained for your chosen husband I will. You will not continue for long to bring disgrace upon me or damage the image of this house that I have built through the years.”

      Anne gave her daughter one last hateful look directly in the eyes before walking off. She had put up with this treatment from her mother on a regular basis since her preteen years and it was finally starting to wear on her. She decided to turn the tables on her mother for once.

      “I will play pretty princess for now,” Synnove responded without looking back at Anne, “Maybe I can even play heifer in a few months.”

      She noticed some of the house staff trying to hold back a smile at her comment, and gave the hint of a brief smile back at them. The sounds of her mother's heels on the floor stopped then began approaching Synnove.

      “You're damn right you will. Take a cue from your mother,” Anne said then turned and started out of the room again.

      Synnove knew she had hit a nerve. This was the first time she had heard her mother curse. Anne had otherwise done very well keeping her response respectable.

      Synnove decided to move in for the strike, “If a woman determines her own value by how fertile of a cow she is, then I should easily surpass my mother's example and ability if I wanted to”, she paused momentarily as the sound of her mother's footsteps stopped, “But I don't value myself by only that measure.”

The house staff's eyes widened as they waited for Anne's response. After less than a second Synnove heard her mother continue on her way out of the room.

      “Moo,” she said without looking back.

      Anne again stopped, this time for several seconds, but didn't respond.