Jarow
Well-known member
@CurtisLemay, we have 1 free research action, not 2. Other than that a pretty good plan, a lot like one of my drafts before I started getting worried about costs
Quest Deep Periphery Quest (Battletech Sandbox Empire Builder)
- Thread starter LordSunhawk
- Start date
[X] Limited Orbital Entry
Glad to see it's working for you, Zephias!
Jarow
Well-known member
Welcome! Right now we have two plans active: Limited Orbital Entry hits the requirements for now and starts working towards eventually building space stuff and minimizing costs; while Walk Before You Run is focused on building lots of stuff now to hopefully increase economy faster
PsihoKekec
Swashbuckling Accountant
[X] Walk Before You Run
Inserted tally
Turn 3 Results
Turn 3 Results and Wedding Bells
-----
You are at your desk going over some paperwork when Janet pops in and informs you in an unusually serious tone that there’s a ‘situation’ that requires your attention. Then she won’t tell you in the office and drags you off to a secure meeting room where the rest of your advisors are sitting, all but Juanita looking confused (although Dr Young is alternating that with poisonous glares at Tyler Lee).
“We have a massive problem.” she starts, looking over to Juanita who starts handing out folders to everybody. “We dodged a bullet in some ways, but this is going to be massive and how we handle this will have serious consequences.”
You open the folder and freeze. The cover sheet is a criminal referral that is awaiting a signature.
For Bradford Santos.
A media darling, one of the most popular men on the planet, with a reputation for philanthropy, charity and good works amongst the poor that have risen him to such a high level that he had been a leading candidate for a senior noble title and a seat in the Lords.
And one of your most vocal supporters.
A criminal referral for multiple counts of bribery, blackmail, racketeering, rape, sex trafficing, grooming of minors, sexual assault on multiple minors, sex trafficing minors, kidnapping, false imprisonment, assault, and first-degree murder, not to mention several dozen counts of High Treason..
Juanita starts speaking once everybody has had a chance to read the cover sheet. “We’ve only just begun investigating the prospective nobles for the Lords. One of our agents who was interviewing associates of Mr Santos disappeared, a few days later her body was found in a lime quarry having been shot execution style with ligature marks on her wrists.”
Janet picks up the narrative. “Capital PD started investigating but there was something odd about things. Several officers seemed extremely reticent to investigate and things were crawling. I sent some of my people in to take over the investigation and Chief Winston raised a storm of protest, which struck me as extremely odd. Evidence from the site where the body was found had been ‘lost’, the body itself was cremated against the express wishes of the family and completely against procedure. So we started sweating the coroner and he cracked. The disposal had been ordered by the Chief.”
Another folder is passed around. “We discovered evidence that much of the senior leadership of the Capital PD were compromised. Tyler’s people were able to obtain bank records on the QT showing patterns of bribery over decades amongst the senior bureaucratic leadership of the city government. We correlated that and discovered that some of Mr Santos’ associates, including the one we knew Juanita’s agent was meeting when she disappeared, were the source of many of these bribes.”
Juanita picked the thread up again. “Using counter-intel authorizations we were able to officially seize the bank records and require the bank officials to be silent about it. One VP tried to place a call to one of the implicated bureaucrats however we intercepted it and that worthy is currently awaiting the Queen’s justice.” a twitch of a smile “We stashed him in one of the POW camps.”
Janet then continues the briefing. “With that evidence secured we picked up a few of the bureaucrats, including Chief Winston. However something again struck us as odd. They seemed oddly relieved that the only thing we had on them was the bribery. So I started… fishing. We took Chief Winston out to a safe house in the countryside and started sweating him hard, while we dug into his background, finances, activities, everything. Regardless of what we decide today I want a commendation from the crown for Agent Herman Webb for not strangling Winston when the bastard finally cracked and started talking.”
She takes a deep breath. “What we discovered is huge… a network embedded into the political and economic elites of the planet. A network that has been preying on the poor of the planet to provide sick entertainment for over a century while acting to consolidate power in their hands. We’ve been unraveling things, and that folder is only the tip of the iceberg. Mr Santos is known in the network as the Diamond King, and appears to be the current leader of it having inherited the position from his father. The long-term goal of the network is the overthrow of your dynasty in order for them to take over completely and establish an oligarchy with their families in absolute control.”
Juanita takes up the thread “Your father’s intelligence and justice ministries were completely subverted, it was only the destruction from the raid that killed enough of their people in those areas that we were able to start figuring out what was going on.”
There is silence in the chamber, then Tyler speaks up. “One of my sons-in-law is implicated in this.” he says steadily, his usual insouciant attitude completely absent. “I’d noticed that Jennifer had taken to wearing long-sleeves, but dismissed it as a fashion decision since they lived further north where it got colder. Now…” his lips thin. “If the bastard is involved in this, and reading the file I’m almost certain he is, my only request is that I get to be the one to pull the handle when we hang his worthless ass.”
“If we do. Taking down this entire network will cause massive disruptions.” Janet starts uncomfortably.
“Hang that.” Tyler snaps. “There should be no if about it. People who do the things these files indicate these ratfuckers do forfeit any consideration of being human, let alone being part of society.” he slams one hand on the table. “Fiat justitia ruat caelum” he bellows.
Janet nods “I agree, Tyler, but it’s not our decision.”
They all look at you.
[] Let justice be done no matter the cost. This will reduce GDP growth by 5% for 5 turns, reduce stability by 20 for 5 turns, and stability change by 5 for 5 turns while immediately increasing Crown influence by 3. However at the conclusion of that period it will raise base GDP growth to 5% permanently and increase Economic Rating by 10. Gain modifier ‘the Just’ to permanent effects.
[] It’s too big a risk. Reduce Crown Influence by 1, add modifier ‘Conspiracy’ to permanent effects. Future actions to address the Gem conspiracy will require an action and expenditure of resources.
[] Secretly purge the guilty. Unleash your intel and justice agents on the members of the conspiracy and leave no survivors, making the deaths seem to be by misadventure or accidents. Gain modifier ‘Secret Police’ to permanent effects.
QM Note - Think carefully about your decisions here. The 3 modifiers have significant hidden effects that will be permanent.
On a much happier note, several days after the discovery of this conspiracy of traitors and general scumbags, Willis arrives at his weekly meeting with you looking unusually nervous. It takes him a few false starts, but surprisingly he asks you to accompany him to the airfield where he seems to settle down a bit, giving you a tour of the new aerodyne SSTO shuttle. While in the crew compartment he turns and suddenly looks nervous again for a moment before visibly steeling himself.
And then dropping to one knee, taking out a small box containing an absolutely gorgeous ring, and proposing…
There are disadvantages to being Queen, you can’t have a simple wedding… but you are able to put your foot down on the social experts who want to drag this out until next year…
-Write out the wedding?
--[] Yes
--[] No
One of the more unusual gifts comes from the state-owned armor factory that produces the Hoplite tank, an entire platoon of their next generation Phalanx tank is produced and paid for by the employees of the factory and turned over to the military.
In other news, a new flight of Falcon ASFs joined your aerospace corps to general acclaim, the swift interceptor having proven itself in helping fight off the pirate attack. At the same time the introduction of light industrial exoskeletons allows a general reduction in maintenance expenses as it becomes far easier to service and repair the various fighters in service.
A basic planetary surveillance network has been launched into orbit, comprising several dozen satellites equipped with high resolution cameras and powerful radars. In any future enemy attack you will have superior knowledge of enemy deployments and activities enabling more flexible tactics.
In addition the Royal Press Center has been opened to much acclaim from the media, who are glad to have a centralized point of contact for the crown. Some, of course, grumble about it, but considering that most of those grumbling are already hostile to the crown, well… you can live with their discontent.
In addition the Mechanical Engineering Department at Griffin’s Roost University has sponsored a design contest for an armored fighting vehicle designed to face the sort of light mechs the pirates had. The following three entrees passed the initial design review and are being voted upon by the wider community. There are no guarantees that any of them will ever see service, but the possibility does exist.
[]Gun Motor Carriage M1
[]Impaler Tank
[]Pisa Light Tank LRM
((QM Note - The winner of the design contest will get to specify one roll next turn that will receive a +10 target bonus))
Economic Roll - 5 degrees of success = 10% GDP Growth
Health Roll - 1 degree of success = 1% Pop growth rate
Stability Change roll - 2 degrees of success
Stability Rolls
-Political - 7
--Modifier Roll - 99,21,93,48,65,1,32
--Roll - N/A, 2, N/A, 4, 7, -2(1), 3
--Result - 3 rolls at +10, Stability +10, free success all rolls this turn
-Research - 8
--Modifier Roll - 17,24,92,25,43,36,10,90
--Roll - 2,3,N/A,5,5,4,2,N/A
--Result - Combined results, 2 free projects of QMs choice autosucceed immediately. Gave aerodyne and spheroid small craft
-Economic - 4
--Modifier Roll - 100,6,27,99
--Roll - N/A,2,6,N/A
--Result = +4% GDP
Meta Event Roll - 86 rerolled to 6 due to Jarow’s reroll = +15 all ratings this turn (factored above)
Dynasty Luck Roll - 24 - Mwarrwiage, we're hwere twodway fwor mwarrwiage
Health Roll - 1 degree of success = 1% Pop growth rate
Stability Change roll - 2 degrees of success
Stability Rolls
-Political - 7
--Modifier Roll - 99,21,93,48,65,1,32
--Roll - N/A, 2, N/A, 4, 7, -2(1), 3
--Result - 3 rolls at +10, Stability +10, free success all rolls this turn
-Research - 8
--Modifier Roll - 17,24,92,25,43,36,10,90
--Roll - 2,3,N/A,5,5,4,2,N/A
--Result - Combined results, 2 free projects of QMs choice autosucceed immediately. Gave aerodyne and spheroid small craft
-Economic - 4
--Modifier Roll - 100,6,27,99
--Roll - N/A,2,6,N/A
--Result = +4% GDP
Meta Event Roll - 86 rerolled to 6 due to Jarow’s reroll = +15 all ratings this turn (factored above)
Dynasty Luck Roll - 24 - Mwarrwiage, we're hwere twodway fwor mwarrwiage
Build 1 Flight of Falcon ASF
Target = 60+10+10
Roll = 84
Result = SUCCESS
Construct Planetary Surveillance Network Level 1
Target = 65+10
Roll = 9
Result = SUCCESS
Build Press Center
Target = 65+10+10
Roll = 78
Result = SUCCESS
LOSTECH - Industrial Exoskeletons lvl 1*
Target = 50+10
Roll = 23
Result = SUCCESS
Investigate potential MPs
Target = Autosuccess
Roll = N/A
Result = SUCCESS
Interrogate POWs
Target = 55+10
Roll = 56
Result = SUCCESS
Investigate potential Nobles
Target = 55+10+10
Roll = 85
Result = bare FAILURE autosuccess next turn
Background Screening for MP candidates
Target = 75+10
Roll = 65
Result = SUCCESS
Background Screening for Noble candidates
Target = 75+10
Roll = 71
Result = SUCCESS
Target = 60+10+10
Roll = 84
Result = SUCCESS
Construct Planetary Surveillance Network Level 1
Target = 65+10
Roll = 9
Result = SUCCESS
Build Press Center
Target = 65+10+10
Roll = 78
Result = SUCCESS
LOSTECH - Industrial Exoskeletons lvl 1*
Target = 50+10
Roll = 23
Result = SUCCESS
Investigate potential MPs
Target = Autosuccess
Roll = N/A
Result = SUCCESS
Interrogate POWs
Target = 55+10
Roll = 56
Result = SUCCESS
Investigate potential Nobles
Target = 55+10+10
Roll = 85
Result = bare FAILURE autosuccess next turn
Background Screening for MP candidates
Target = 75+10
Roll = 65
Result = SUCCESS
Background Screening for Noble candidates
Target = 75+10
Roll = 71
Result = SUCCESS
You are at your desk going over some paperwork when Janet pops in and informs you in an unusually serious tone that there’s a ‘situation’ that requires your attention. Then she won’t tell you in the office and drags you off to a secure meeting room where the rest of your advisors are sitting, all but Juanita looking confused (although Dr Young is alternating that with poisonous glares at Tyler Lee).
“We have a massive problem.” she starts, looking over to Juanita who starts handing out folders to everybody. “We dodged a bullet in some ways, but this is going to be massive and how we handle this will have serious consequences.”
You open the folder and freeze. The cover sheet is a criminal referral that is awaiting a signature.
For Bradford Santos.
A media darling, one of the most popular men on the planet, with a reputation for philanthropy, charity and good works amongst the poor that have risen him to such a high level that he had been a leading candidate for a senior noble title and a seat in the Lords.
And one of your most vocal supporters.
A criminal referral for multiple counts of bribery, blackmail, racketeering, rape, sex trafficing, grooming of minors, sexual assault on multiple minors, sex trafficing minors, kidnapping, false imprisonment, assault, and first-degree murder, not to mention several dozen counts of High Treason..
Juanita starts speaking once everybody has had a chance to read the cover sheet. “We’ve only just begun investigating the prospective nobles for the Lords. One of our agents who was interviewing associates of Mr Santos disappeared, a few days later her body was found in a lime quarry having been shot execution style with ligature marks on her wrists.”
Janet picks up the narrative. “Capital PD started investigating but there was something odd about things. Several officers seemed extremely reticent to investigate and things were crawling. I sent some of my people in to take over the investigation and Chief Winston raised a storm of protest, which struck me as extremely odd. Evidence from the site where the body was found had been ‘lost’, the body itself was cremated against the express wishes of the family and completely against procedure. So we started sweating the coroner and he cracked. The disposal had been ordered by the Chief.”
Another folder is passed around. “We discovered evidence that much of the senior leadership of the Capital PD were compromised. Tyler’s people were able to obtain bank records on the QT showing patterns of bribery over decades amongst the senior bureaucratic leadership of the city government. We correlated that and discovered that some of Mr Santos’ associates, including the one we knew Juanita’s agent was meeting when she disappeared, were the source of many of these bribes.”
Juanita picked the thread up again. “Using counter-intel authorizations we were able to officially seize the bank records and require the bank officials to be silent about it. One VP tried to place a call to one of the implicated bureaucrats however we intercepted it and that worthy is currently awaiting the Queen’s justice.” a twitch of a smile “We stashed him in one of the POW camps.”
Janet then continues the briefing. “With that evidence secured we picked up a few of the bureaucrats, including Chief Winston. However something again struck us as odd. They seemed oddly relieved that the only thing we had on them was the bribery. So I started… fishing. We took Chief Winston out to a safe house in the countryside and started sweating him hard, while we dug into his background, finances, activities, everything. Regardless of what we decide today I want a commendation from the crown for Agent Herman Webb for not strangling Winston when the bastard finally cracked and started talking.”
She takes a deep breath. “What we discovered is huge… a network embedded into the political and economic elites of the planet. A network that has been preying on the poor of the planet to provide sick entertainment for over a century while acting to consolidate power in their hands. We’ve been unraveling things, and that folder is only the tip of the iceberg. Mr Santos is known in the network as the Diamond King, and appears to be the current leader of it having inherited the position from his father. The long-term goal of the network is the overthrow of your dynasty in order for them to take over completely and establish an oligarchy with their families in absolute control.”
Juanita takes up the thread “Your father’s intelligence and justice ministries were completely subverted, it was only the destruction from the raid that killed enough of their people in those areas that we were able to start figuring out what was going on.”
There is silence in the chamber, then Tyler speaks up. “One of my sons-in-law is implicated in this.” he says steadily, his usual insouciant attitude completely absent. “I’d noticed that Jennifer had taken to wearing long-sleeves, but dismissed it as a fashion decision since they lived further north where it got colder. Now…” his lips thin. “If the bastard is involved in this, and reading the file I’m almost certain he is, my only request is that I get to be the one to pull the handle when we hang his worthless ass.”
“If we do. Taking down this entire network will cause massive disruptions.” Janet starts uncomfortably.
“Hang that.” Tyler snaps. “There should be no if about it. People who do the things these files indicate these ratfuckers do forfeit any consideration of being human, let alone being part of society.” he slams one hand on the table. “Fiat justitia ruat caelum” he bellows.
Janet nods “I agree, Tyler, but it’s not our decision.”
They all look at you.
[] Let justice be done no matter the cost. This will reduce GDP growth by 5% for 5 turns, reduce stability by 20 for 5 turns, and stability change by 5 for 5 turns while immediately increasing Crown influence by 3. However at the conclusion of that period it will raise base GDP growth to 5% permanently and increase Economic Rating by 10. Gain modifier ‘the Just’ to permanent effects.
[] It’s too big a risk. Reduce Crown Influence by 1, add modifier ‘Conspiracy’ to permanent effects. Future actions to address the Gem conspiracy will require an action and expenditure of resources.
[] Secretly purge the guilty. Unleash your intel and justice agents on the members of the conspiracy and leave no survivors, making the deaths seem to be by misadventure or accidents. Gain modifier ‘Secret Police’ to permanent effects.
QM Note - Think carefully about your decisions here. The 3 modifiers have significant hidden effects that will be permanent.
On a much happier note, several days after the discovery of this conspiracy of traitors and general scumbags, Willis arrives at his weekly meeting with you looking unusually nervous. It takes him a few false starts, but surprisingly he asks you to accompany him to the airfield where he seems to settle down a bit, giving you a tour of the new aerodyne SSTO shuttle. While in the crew compartment he turns and suddenly looks nervous again for a moment before visibly steeling himself.
And then dropping to one knee, taking out a small box containing an absolutely gorgeous ring, and proposing…
There are disadvantages to being Queen, you can’t have a simple wedding… but you are able to put your foot down on the social experts who want to drag this out until next year…
-Write out the wedding?
--[] Yes
--[] No
One of the more unusual gifts comes from the state-owned armor factory that produces the Hoplite tank, an entire platoon of their next generation Phalanx tank is produced and paid for by the employees of the factory and turned over to the military.
In other news, a new flight of Falcon ASFs joined your aerospace corps to general acclaim, the swift interceptor having proven itself in helping fight off the pirate attack. At the same time the introduction of light industrial exoskeletons allows a general reduction in maintenance expenses as it becomes far easier to service and repair the various fighters in service.
A basic planetary surveillance network has been launched into orbit, comprising several dozen satellites equipped with high resolution cameras and powerful radars. In any future enemy attack you will have superior knowledge of enemy deployments and activities enabling more flexible tactics.
In addition the Royal Press Center has been opened to much acclaim from the media, who are glad to have a centralized point of contact for the crown. Some, of course, grumble about it, but considering that most of those grumbling are already hostile to the crown, well… you can live with their discontent.
In addition the Mechanical Engineering Department at Griffin’s Roost University has sponsored a design contest for an armored fighting vehicle designed to face the sort of light mechs the pirates had. The following three entrees passed the initial design review and are being voted upon by the wider community. There are no guarantees that any of them will ever see service, but the possibility does exist.
[]Gun Motor Carriage M1
[]Impaler Tank
[]Pisa Light Tank LRM
((QM Note - The winner of the design contest will get to specify one roll next turn that will receive a +10 target bonus))
Last edited:
Jarow
Well-known member
Justice:
[X] Let justice be done no matter the cost. This will reduce GDP growth by 5% for 5 turns, reduce stability by 20 for 5 turns, and stability change by 5 for 5 turns while immediately increasing Crown influence by 3. However at the conclusion of that period it will raise base GDP growth to 5% permanently and increase Economic Rating by 10. Gain modifier ‘the Just’ to permanent effects.
(This one is really scary; see discord. Should mean limiting actions for a bit)
[] It’s too big a risk. Reduce Crown Influence by 1, add modifier ‘Conspiracy’ to permanent effects. Future actions to address the Gem conspiracy will require an action and expenditure of resources.
(I'm not letting this go on. No.)
[] Secretly purge the guilty. Unleash your intel and justice agents on the members of the conspiracy and leave no survivors, making the deaths seem to be by misadventure or accidents. Gain modifier ‘Secret Police’ to permanent effects.
(Seems like an effective choice, but might result in further issues on it's own)
Wedding:
[X] Yes
(No strong opinion here, but leaning this way)
Voting:
As one of the entrants, not going to vote here
[X] Let justice be done no matter the cost. This will reduce GDP growth by 5% for 5 turns, reduce stability by 20 for 5 turns, and stability change by 5 for 5 turns while immediately increasing Crown influence by 3. However at the conclusion of that period it will raise base GDP growth to 5% permanently and increase Economic Rating by 10. Gain modifier ‘the Just’ to permanent effects.
(This one is really scary; see discord. Should mean limiting actions for a bit)
[] It’s too big a risk. Reduce Crown Influence by 1, add modifier ‘Conspiracy’ to permanent effects. Future actions to address the Gem conspiracy will require an action and expenditure of resources.
(I'm not letting this go on. No.)
[] Secretly purge the guilty. Unleash your intel and justice agents on the members of the conspiracy and leave no survivors, making the deaths seem to be by misadventure or accidents. Gain modifier ‘Secret Police’ to permanent effects.
(Seems like an effective choice, but might result in further issues on it's own)
Wedding:
[X] Yes
(No strong opinion here, but leaning this way)
Voting:
As one of the entrants, not going to vote here
Last edited:
[X] Let justice be done no matter the cost.
(I'm 100% for taking the moral high ground *and* the best long term outcome. The downsides are purely short term and we can weather them.)
Wedding
--[X] Yes
(I'm 100% for taking the moral high ground *and* the best long term outcome. The downsides are purely short term and we can weather them.)
Wedding
--[X] Yes
[X]To Slay the Viper
--[X] Secretly purge the guilty. Unleash your intel and justice agents on the members of the conspiracy and leave no survivors, making the deaths seem to be by misadventure or accidents. Gain modifier ‘Secret Police’ to permanent effects.
(Sadly, the rot is widespread, and acting openly could potentially endanger the government, as well as cause chaos to reign. But we will direct records to be kept and released, with an explanation in 25 years time.)
Write out the wedding?
--[X] Yes
--[] No
Design Contest Entry Vote
--[X] Pisa Light Tank LRM
--[X] Secretly purge the guilty. Unleash your intel and justice agents on the members of the conspiracy and leave no survivors, making the deaths seem to be by misadventure or accidents. Gain modifier ‘Secret Police’ to permanent effects.
(Sadly, the rot is widespread, and acting openly could potentially endanger the government, as well as cause chaos to reign. But we will direct records to be kept and released, with an explanation in 25 years time.)
Write out the wedding?
--[X] Yes
--[] No
Design Contest Entry Vote
--[X] Pisa Light Tank LRM
Lightwhispers
Well-known member
Fiat justitia ruat caelum.
[X] Let justice be done no matter the cost.
Because the foundation of civilization is the idea of 'rule of law' - that The Rules apply to everyone. The reputation we will gain from this... it's not just the willingness to enforce justice, but being willing to admit to not being perfect, and correct our mistakes rather than hide them away. Getting a reputation for that, is invaluable.
Write out the wedding?
--[X] Yes
[X] Let justice be done no matter the cost.
Because the foundation of civilization is the idea of 'rule of law' - that The Rules apply to everyone. The reputation we will gain from this... it's not just the willingness to enforce justice, but being willing to admit to not being perfect, and correct our mistakes rather than hide them away. Getting a reputation for that, is invaluable.
Write out the wedding?
--[X] Yes
Joyousmadman
Well-known member
[X] Let justice be done no matter the cost.
Wedding
--[X] Yes
Wedding
--[X] Yes
Inserted tally
Interlude - Wedding Bells and Traitor's Knells
Interlude - Wedding Bells and Traitor’s Knells
You wanted a quick simple wedding.
Willis wanted a quick simple wedding.
This wasn’t going to be a quick simple wedding.
As the preparations continued you occasionally wondered why you didn’t take Tyler up on his idea of racing off to Avan’s Glen and getting married in one of the drive through wedding chapels there by somebody pretending to be somebody called ‘Elvis’. You had no idea who this ‘Elvis’ was, but evidently he was big on weddings or something, and wore a lot of sequins, and had really poofy hair.
At the time you nearly succeeded in throwing the old lech out a window, as for once Sergeant Ngô was fully on side with the idea and almost managed to catch him before he managed to escape. Again. The two of you complained to each other about it.
Of course, the pending nuptials didn’t take up nearly as much time as you’d always thought they would. Because you had many other important things to deal with.
The media was in both a frenzy and a quandary. TWO incredibly juicy stories breaking at the exact same time. A Royal Wedding! Guaranteed front page! Wait… over half of the wealthiest and most influential people on the planet, including the publishers of most of the newspapers and the owner of the largest news channel on the planet being arrested for treason? Front page! Wait… more wedding news… argh, which do we put on the front page?
Santos was loudly proclaiming his utter innocence and acting extremely hurt that the throne was accusing him, one of the Queen’s biggest supporters, of such outlandish crimes, no doubt at the prompting of his enemies amongst the ‘exploitative leeches who sadly surround the throne’. His claims of innocence might even have worked except even as he was loudly shouting about it teams of journalists were trailing behind the teams from Justice who were tearing apart Santos’ mansion, revealing the dungeons hidden underneath still occupied by pre-pubescent boys and girls kept there for the monster's sick amusement.
And then Janet’s people found the records. And you had the odd situation of having to hold one of your oldest friends as she had a complete breakdown at the sheer monstrous nature of it all.
You came very close to short-circuiting the trials right then and there and having all of the conspirators, starting with Santos, fed feet first through a dull wood chipper.
The markets had tanked. Many of the major banks and financial institutions of the planet were heavily implicated in the conspiracy. From financing the activities of the conspirators to facilitating bribes and such. Many senior executives were facing the noose and were babbling everything they knew in the hopes of saving their own necks.
You had no intention of letting that work. Even those who fully turned state’s evidence you intended to completely ruin and deal with permanently. You might not execute them, but you had teams building an ultra-secure prison in the arctic to stash the few you would spare from the gallows.
As for the banks themselves, you had options. Tyler recommended seizing all of the assets of the institutions implicated, barring any employees of the institutions in question who had significant fiduciary relationships with the guilty from ever working in the financial sector again, and setting up government owned banks with the intention of transitioning ownership to the private sector over time through timed privatization and stock sales.
Doctor Young felt that you should seize all the banks assets and fully nationalize them, with all banking under central government control and no private financial institutions allowed and with all current employees jailed and stripped of all personal assets on the basis that they should have known what was going on and thus were all guilty. She had initially declared that anybody related to the guilty should be considered guilty as well, but you’d stomped on that idea hard for… obvious reasons.
It helped when Janet sweetly pointed out that Doctor Young’s own sister's husband was related to Santos through his sister’s husband and asked when Doctor Young would be reporting to prison.
Professor Chapman recommends a more hands-off approach, seizing the illicit assets and jailing the guilty but allowing the markets to settle the question of which banks survived the crisis. Tyler is on board with that in principle, and says that ordinarily that would be his advice as well, but he’s concerned that the rot is so widespread in those institutions that letting the markets handle things might cause more harm than good.
[] Plan:Tyler
[] Plan:Miranda
[] Plan:Eleanor
[] Write-In
Juanita pops into your office one morning while you were totally not necking with your fiance on your couch. The old woman just looks at you as you both blush and hastily straighten up your clothes, but doesn’t comment.
“We have developed more intel from the captured pirates. Their leader was a disgraced Tai-sa from the Draconis Combine who went renegade rather than commit seppuku, taking a number of his men with him and turning mercenary. One of the prisoners is in fact their second-in-command and we’ve had him under heavy narco-interrogation ever since we learned his status. We’re still working on him, but we’ve developed more information about their mechs and such, as well as the name of the JumpShip they used, a Tramp-class vessel called the Glory.”
-----
There are a number of wedding traditions on Griffin’s Roost. There are a number of traditions in your family. Sadly most of them aren’t possible. Your parents are dead, so they can’t take you out for the traditional family ‘bachelorette tavern crawl’. Sergeant Ngô won’t even let you have an old-fashioned hen party on the grounds that the situation was far too unsettled for such silliness. Instead of wearing your mother’s dress you need to buy a new one, as the heirloom gown was destroyed in the destruction of the palace. You can’t even simply go to the bridal shop to find a dress, instead a vetted and cleared seamstress is allowed to take your measurements under the eagle eye of a suspicious Vietnamese sergeant and sent off to make a custom dress.
The only relief from Sergeant Ngô’s newfound paranoia comes during your weekly dinners at her family's place, and even that is still happening due to Word of Bà that, evidently, outranks all of you. It’s a welcome respite. Even the most persistent journalists are clearly intimidated by the death glares of elderly Vietnamese women. Before being fed Phở and lectured on proper respect and behavior.
For some reason the Palace press corps is gradually becoming far more polite.
You did get one moment of hilarity when the seamstress hired to make the wedding dress showed up with a creamy confection in silk and lace, and promptly got overruled by Word of Bà. You’d never seen a designer more flustered than when sternly lectured on how inappropriate such a dress was, before the old grandmother snapped her finger with all the aplomb and command presence of General Wolf in a field exercise, summoning one of her elder daughters to fetch a more appropriate dress.
You are quite sternly informed that while it would not be appropriate for you to undertake a fully traditional Vietnamese wedding, on the grounds that you are not Vietnamese, bà was determined that you would wear something much nicer than ‘that frilly nonsense’.
It was stunning, far more so than the ‘traditional’ white gown. A cloth-of-gold underdress that was completely plain apart from the glorious golden color, with a long áo nhật bình in dramatic scarlet with golden embroidery. A stunning golden imperial dragon coiled around the ankle-length long split tunic looking fierce and dignified at the same time. A golden khăn vấn with contrasting scarlet embroidery was to be worn with the gown. And unlike the painfully high heels intended for the ‘western’ gown, this dress was worn with a pair of extremely comfortable embroidered slippers.
Willis was initially amused at hearing about this, only to find himself the next target of the Gaze Of Bà. No tuxedo for him! No sir, bà had something far more appropriate!
He looked somewhat flustered when he discovered that bà intended for him to wear an áo gấm that was blue and gold to contrast with your scarlet and gold.
Of course, your favorite part of the entire thing was when Tyler made an utterly inappropriate remark and promptly got subjected to the Gaze Of Bà in all of its draconic intensity.
The palace staff was torn between bemusement and outrage as Sergeant Ngô’s family took complete charge over the bridal party. But Hurricane Bà was in full effect, and was not taking any prisoners.
General Wolf idly wondered if he could commission her into the military to whip new officer candidates into shape. And got glared at for a moment before the old woman actually looked a bit sheepish, admitting that she’d been a non-com in her long ago youth. Evidently whipping officers into shape was a Ngô family tradition, and Sergeant Ngô was merely the current active member of the family business.
This explained SO much, in your opinion.
-----
The trials were finally starting. You spent your days observing the courtroom from a separated gallery where you could easily view the conduct of everybody involved. You spent a lot of time looking impartially imperious while Sergeant Ngô stood by your side looking lethal. You would have the duty of confirming the sentences of each of the prisoners, and you were absolutely determined to do your duty by personally observing each trial, looking each one in the eye as they tried to defend the indefensible.
The barrister’s who were appearing on the defence's behalf had been carefully vetted beforehand to ensure that they were not tainted by treason, however they had all been personally assured by yourself and Janet that their efforts on their clients behalf would not ever be held against them, personally or professionally. Indeed, you’d taken the step of publicly thanking them for their willingness to provide legal representation even for the most unpopular people on the planet, on the grounds that even the devil himself deserved an advocate before the bar of justice.
It wouldn’t save any of the defendants, though. The evidence was damning, and the courts were not in any way inclined towards mercy. You certainly weren’t. Most of those who turned Queen’s Evidence would still be condemned to death, they would merely be given the option to face a firing squad rather than the traitor’s noose. Those who had turned Queen’s Evidence and weren’t themselves directly guilty of capital crimes would be stripped of their assets and properties and condemned to imprisonment in the new facility you’d built. Imprisonment until you or your heirs decided to relent and free them. Which as far as you were considered wouldn’t be on this side of the last judgement.
The trials were extremely quick. Most lasted less than an hour. The evidence was just too solid, and nobody was at all interested in letting them stretch things out with pointless motions and grandstanding.
But they all still got a trial. Which was more than their victims ever got. There were times where you were tempted to cancel the trials and just got on with the executions. But you kept to it. Public opinion was firmly on your side despite the chaos, despite the disruptions. People were as outraged as you were as the details of what these monsters had done came out. Every day brought fresh horrors to light. Murders, tortures, abuses. Every. Single. Day.
The fields of execution were directly adjacent to the courthouse chosen for the trials, and each one was public. Immediately following the confirmation of sentence the condemned were taken out of the courthouse, not even given the chance to see family or have a last meal, on the grounds that traitors shouldn’t be accorded such privileges. They were instead immediately taken to the field where the condemned were either led to the posts in front of the soft sand berm where the rotating firing squads awaited them, or over to the gallows to be ‘hanged by the neck until dead’. There had been an argument to use short drops but in the end you’d opted for the more ‘humane’ standard drop. It was quicker, at least.
You couldn’t wait for it to be over.
-----
Weekends, at least, you could be with your fiance and friends, relaxing as much as you could. Most of the wedding prep took place then, at least those parts that required your participation. Sergeant Ngô was coaching you in how to wear the traditional dress and not look foolish doing so. It was harder than you expected considering how simple it looked, but there was a difference between wearing it and wearing it well.
Willis was keeping you far away from all the honeymoon planning, although he’d let slip that he’d also kept his grandfather equally far away from it so you were confident it wouldn’t be too embarrassing. You hoped.
You had decided to wait to hold the wedding until after the trials were over, on the grounds that it would be inappropriate and jarring to have such a joyous affair take place in the middle of that horror show.
-----
The finale of the trials was finally at hand. The trial of Bradford Santos himself. He was the last one, the only one of the conspirators who hadn’t either been executed or transported to secure imprisonment.
And the bastard seemed to think he could talk his way out of this. He grandstanded in court, making a passionate appeal, completely ignoring the mountains of evidence against him. He has the gall to turn his time on the dock into a call for revolution against the ‘treacherous fools surrounding our queen’ and calling for the poor to rise up against their ‘oppressors’. You have the pleasure of seeing the expression on his face when the public gallery in the courthouse instead erupts into scornful laughter and demands to have him muzzled.
He doesn’t seem to believe that any of this is real, up until the moment that the judge announces the sentence of death by hanging. And you simply confirm the sentence with a nod, not even bothering to give a speech of any sort, not giving him the satisfaction of there being any drama whatsoever to your confirming his death. He immediately starts thrashing against his bonds, screaming invective and abuse as he is manhandled out of the courtroom.
He is taken to the field of execution and appears utterly shocked at the site of the gallows, redoubling his struggles as he is hauled up the steps. The cameras focus on him as he is hauled over and the bag is forced over his head even as he thrashes and screams in fury. The rope halter is placed around his neck, the knot placed just so even as he struggles.
He isn’t even allowed any special treatment here, the trap is sprung by the same executioner who had sprung it for every single one of his underlings.
It is finished. The Gem conspiracy dies with the Diamond King.
-----
Your wedding day dawns bright and clear. You think you might have been more nervous when you had found yourself Queen, but you can’t be sure. You certainly are far more excited.
Bà was there, standing in for your own mother, even as you somehow sense mom looking down on you from the great beyond. The bridal party is fairly small, with Janet as your Maid of Honor. You had even forced Sergeant Ngô to put aside her uniform to be one of your bridesmaids.
The Cathedral had come through the attack fully intact, and you waited in the bride’s chambers as the rest of the bridal party headed in for their part in the procession, leaving you alone facing the ornate doors. You held the deceptively simple bouquet with white knuckles.
Then the door opened. The bridal march sounded.
Time seemed to stop, you never even realized you’d taken a step… then another. Afterwards you never could say for certain what happened. One step, another. Left. Right. Marching yet… not. Gliding almost. You felt as if you were outside your own body. You could swear your father was at your side, you can almost feel his hand on your arm. There is nothing there but your ghosts.
Each step seems oppressive, heavy. Yet each step seems to be lighter than the last. An indescribable weight seemed to be lifting off of your shoulders. Seeing your husband-to-be waiting for you, resplendent in the exotic garb bà had insisted he wear seemed to make your heart flutter even more than usual. And he looked utterly gobsmacked. You’d never caught that expression on his face before.
You treasured that expression.
You somehow reached the altar right as the march ended. You’d never managed that good of timing in the rehearsals. You did today.
You never really heard anything of the ceremony, you had eyes only for Willis. Any other time you’d be hitting yourself for so completely losing situational awareness. Not right now.
You somehow got through the vows without a single stumble. You somehow exchanged rings without a single hiccup.
And anybody who claims that the traditional kiss took ten minutes is obviously a liar. It took a mere instant. The recordings are all special effects.
-----
That evening you finally find out your husband's honeymoon plans. Somehow you aren’t surprised that it involved a short suborbital hop in the new shuttle. The destination being a brand new, extremely well hidden and very secret hunting lodge that he’d had built for the occasion is more of a surprise.
But you don’t mind that at all. Sergeant Ngô and your platoon are on perimeter duty. All is well.
All is well.
You wanted a quick simple wedding.
Willis wanted a quick simple wedding.
This wasn’t going to be a quick simple wedding.
As the preparations continued you occasionally wondered why you didn’t take Tyler up on his idea of racing off to Avan’s Glen and getting married in one of the drive through wedding chapels there by somebody pretending to be somebody called ‘Elvis’. You had no idea who this ‘Elvis’ was, but evidently he was big on weddings or something, and wore a lot of sequins, and had really poofy hair.
At the time you nearly succeeded in throwing the old lech out a window, as for once Sergeant Ngô was fully on side with the idea and almost managed to catch him before he managed to escape. Again. The two of you complained to each other about it.
Of course, the pending nuptials didn’t take up nearly as much time as you’d always thought they would. Because you had many other important things to deal with.
The media was in both a frenzy and a quandary. TWO incredibly juicy stories breaking at the exact same time. A Royal Wedding! Guaranteed front page! Wait… over half of the wealthiest and most influential people on the planet, including the publishers of most of the newspapers and the owner of the largest news channel on the planet being arrested for treason? Front page! Wait… more wedding news… argh, which do we put on the front page?
Santos was loudly proclaiming his utter innocence and acting extremely hurt that the throne was accusing him, one of the Queen’s biggest supporters, of such outlandish crimes, no doubt at the prompting of his enemies amongst the ‘exploitative leeches who sadly surround the throne’. His claims of innocence might even have worked except even as he was loudly shouting about it teams of journalists were trailing behind the teams from Justice who were tearing apart Santos’ mansion, revealing the dungeons hidden underneath still occupied by pre-pubescent boys and girls kept there for the monster's sick amusement.
And then Janet’s people found the records. And you had the odd situation of having to hold one of your oldest friends as she had a complete breakdown at the sheer monstrous nature of it all.
You came very close to short-circuiting the trials right then and there and having all of the conspirators, starting with Santos, fed feet first through a dull wood chipper.
The markets had tanked. Many of the major banks and financial institutions of the planet were heavily implicated in the conspiracy. From financing the activities of the conspirators to facilitating bribes and such. Many senior executives were facing the noose and were babbling everything they knew in the hopes of saving their own necks.
You had no intention of letting that work. Even those who fully turned state’s evidence you intended to completely ruin and deal with permanently. You might not execute them, but you had teams building an ultra-secure prison in the arctic to stash the few you would spare from the gallows.
As for the banks themselves, you had options. Tyler recommended seizing all of the assets of the institutions implicated, barring any employees of the institutions in question who had significant fiduciary relationships with the guilty from ever working in the financial sector again, and setting up government owned banks with the intention of transitioning ownership to the private sector over time through timed privatization and stock sales.
Doctor Young felt that you should seize all the banks assets and fully nationalize them, with all banking under central government control and no private financial institutions allowed and with all current employees jailed and stripped of all personal assets on the basis that they should have known what was going on and thus were all guilty. She had initially declared that anybody related to the guilty should be considered guilty as well, but you’d stomped on that idea hard for… obvious reasons.
It helped when Janet sweetly pointed out that Doctor Young’s own sister's husband was related to Santos through his sister’s husband and asked when Doctor Young would be reporting to prison.
Professor Chapman recommends a more hands-off approach, seizing the illicit assets and jailing the guilty but allowing the markets to settle the question of which banks survived the crisis. Tyler is on board with that in principle, and says that ordinarily that would be his advice as well, but he’s concerned that the rot is so widespread in those institutions that letting the markets handle things might cause more harm than good.
[] Plan:Tyler
[] Plan:Miranda
[] Plan:Eleanor
[] Write-In
Juanita pops into your office one morning while you were totally not necking with your fiance on your couch. The old woman just looks at you as you both blush and hastily straighten up your clothes, but doesn’t comment.
“We have developed more intel from the captured pirates. Their leader was a disgraced Tai-sa from the Draconis Combine who went renegade rather than commit seppuku, taking a number of his men with him and turning mercenary. One of the prisoners is in fact their second-in-command and we’ve had him under heavy narco-interrogation ever since we learned his status. We’re still working on him, but we’ve developed more information about their mechs and such, as well as the name of the JumpShip they used, a Tramp-class vessel called the Glory.”
-----
There are a number of wedding traditions on Griffin’s Roost. There are a number of traditions in your family. Sadly most of them aren’t possible. Your parents are dead, so they can’t take you out for the traditional family ‘bachelorette tavern crawl’. Sergeant Ngô won’t even let you have an old-fashioned hen party on the grounds that the situation was far too unsettled for such silliness. Instead of wearing your mother’s dress you need to buy a new one, as the heirloom gown was destroyed in the destruction of the palace. You can’t even simply go to the bridal shop to find a dress, instead a vetted and cleared seamstress is allowed to take your measurements under the eagle eye of a suspicious Vietnamese sergeant and sent off to make a custom dress.
The only relief from Sergeant Ngô’s newfound paranoia comes during your weekly dinners at her family's place, and even that is still happening due to Word of Bà that, evidently, outranks all of you. It’s a welcome respite. Even the most persistent journalists are clearly intimidated by the death glares of elderly Vietnamese women. Before being fed Phở and lectured on proper respect and behavior.
For some reason the Palace press corps is gradually becoming far more polite.
You did get one moment of hilarity when the seamstress hired to make the wedding dress showed up with a creamy confection in silk and lace, and promptly got overruled by Word of Bà. You’d never seen a designer more flustered than when sternly lectured on how inappropriate such a dress was, before the old grandmother snapped her finger with all the aplomb and command presence of General Wolf in a field exercise, summoning one of her elder daughters to fetch a more appropriate dress.
You are quite sternly informed that while it would not be appropriate for you to undertake a fully traditional Vietnamese wedding, on the grounds that you are not Vietnamese, bà was determined that you would wear something much nicer than ‘that frilly nonsense’.
It was stunning, far more so than the ‘traditional’ white gown. A cloth-of-gold underdress that was completely plain apart from the glorious golden color, with a long áo nhật bình in dramatic scarlet with golden embroidery. A stunning golden imperial dragon coiled around the ankle-length long split tunic looking fierce and dignified at the same time. A golden khăn vấn with contrasting scarlet embroidery was to be worn with the gown. And unlike the painfully high heels intended for the ‘western’ gown, this dress was worn with a pair of extremely comfortable embroidered slippers.
Willis was initially amused at hearing about this, only to find himself the next target of the Gaze Of Bà. No tuxedo for him! No sir, bà had something far more appropriate!
He looked somewhat flustered when he discovered that bà intended for him to wear an áo gấm that was blue and gold to contrast with your scarlet and gold.
Of course, your favorite part of the entire thing was when Tyler made an utterly inappropriate remark and promptly got subjected to the Gaze Of Bà in all of its draconic intensity.
The palace staff was torn between bemusement and outrage as Sergeant Ngô’s family took complete charge over the bridal party. But Hurricane Bà was in full effect, and was not taking any prisoners.
General Wolf idly wondered if he could commission her into the military to whip new officer candidates into shape. And got glared at for a moment before the old woman actually looked a bit sheepish, admitting that she’d been a non-com in her long ago youth. Evidently whipping officers into shape was a Ngô family tradition, and Sergeant Ngô was merely the current active member of the family business.
This explained SO much, in your opinion.
-----
The trials were finally starting. You spent your days observing the courtroom from a separated gallery where you could easily view the conduct of everybody involved. You spent a lot of time looking impartially imperious while Sergeant Ngô stood by your side looking lethal. You would have the duty of confirming the sentences of each of the prisoners, and you were absolutely determined to do your duty by personally observing each trial, looking each one in the eye as they tried to defend the indefensible.
The barrister’s who were appearing on the defence's behalf had been carefully vetted beforehand to ensure that they were not tainted by treason, however they had all been personally assured by yourself and Janet that their efforts on their clients behalf would not ever be held against them, personally or professionally. Indeed, you’d taken the step of publicly thanking them for their willingness to provide legal representation even for the most unpopular people on the planet, on the grounds that even the devil himself deserved an advocate before the bar of justice.
It wouldn’t save any of the defendants, though. The evidence was damning, and the courts were not in any way inclined towards mercy. You certainly weren’t. Most of those who turned Queen’s Evidence would still be condemned to death, they would merely be given the option to face a firing squad rather than the traitor’s noose. Those who had turned Queen’s Evidence and weren’t themselves directly guilty of capital crimes would be stripped of their assets and properties and condemned to imprisonment in the new facility you’d built. Imprisonment until you or your heirs decided to relent and free them. Which as far as you were considered wouldn’t be on this side of the last judgement.
The trials were extremely quick. Most lasted less than an hour. The evidence was just too solid, and nobody was at all interested in letting them stretch things out with pointless motions and grandstanding.
But they all still got a trial. Which was more than their victims ever got. There were times where you were tempted to cancel the trials and just got on with the executions. But you kept to it. Public opinion was firmly on your side despite the chaos, despite the disruptions. People were as outraged as you were as the details of what these monsters had done came out. Every day brought fresh horrors to light. Murders, tortures, abuses. Every. Single. Day.
The fields of execution were directly adjacent to the courthouse chosen for the trials, and each one was public. Immediately following the confirmation of sentence the condemned were taken out of the courthouse, not even given the chance to see family or have a last meal, on the grounds that traitors shouldn’t be accorded such privileges. They were instead immediately taken to the field where the condemned were either led to the posts in front of the soft sand berm where the rotating firing squads awaited them, or over to the gallows to be ‘hanged by the neck until dead’. There had been an argument to use short drops but in the end you’d opted for the more ‘humane’ standard drop. It was quicker, at least.
You couldn’t wait for it to be over.
-----
Weekends, at least, you could be with your fiance and friends, relaxing as much as you could. Most of the wedding prep took place then, at least those parts that required your participation. Sergeant Ngô was coaching you in how to wear the traditional dress and not look foolish doing so. It was harder than you expected considering how simple it looked, but there was a difference between wearing it and wearing it well.
Willis was keeping you far away from all the honeymoon planning, although he’d let slip that he’d also kept his grandfather equally far away from it so you were confident it wouldn’t be too embarrassing. You hoped.
You had decided to wait to hold the wedding until after the trials were over, on the grounds that it would be inappropriate and jarring to have such a joyous affair take place in the middle of that horror show.
-----
The finale of the trials was finally at hand. The trial of Bradford Santos himself. He was the last one, the only one of the conspirators who hadn’t either been executed or transported to secure imprisonment.
And the bastard seemed to think he could talk his way out of this. He grandstanded in court, making a passionate appeal, completely ignoring the mountains of evidence against him. He has the gall to turn his time on the dock into a call for revolution against the ‘treacherous fools surrounding our queen’ and calling for the poor to rise up against their ‘oppressors’. You have the pleasure of seeing the expression on his face when the public gallery in the courthouse instead erupts into scornful laughter and demands to have him muzzled.
He doesn’t seem to believe that any of this is real, up until the moment that the judge announces the sentence of death by hanging. And you simply confirm the sentence with a nod, not even bothering to give a speech of any sort, not giving him the satisfaction of there being any drama whatsoever to your confirming his death. He immediately starts thrashing against his bonds, screaming invective and abuse as he is manhandled out of the courtroom.
He is taken to the field of execution and appears utterly shocked at the site of the gallows, redoubling his struggles as he is hauled up the steps. The cameras focus on him as he is hauled over and the bag is forced over his head even as he thrashes and screams in fury. The rope halter is placed around his neck, the knot placed just so even as he struggles.
He isn’t even allowed any special treatment here, the trap is sprung by the same executioner who had sprung it for every single one of his underlings.
It is finished. The Gem conspiracy dies with the Diamond King.
-----
Your wedding day dawns bright and clear. You think you might have been more nervous when you had found yourself Queen, but you can’t be sure. You certainly are far more excited.
Bà was there, standing in for your own mother, even as you somehow sense mom looking down on you from the great beyond. The bridal party is fairly small, with Janet as your Maid of Honor. You had even forced Sergeant Ngô to put aside her uniform to be one of your bridesmaids.
The Cathedral had come through the attack fully intact, and you waited in the bride’s chambers as the rest of the bridal party headed in for their part in the procession, leaving you alone facing the ornate doors. You held the deceptively simple bouquet with white knuckles.
Then the door opened. The bridal march sounded.
Time seemed to stop, you never even realized you’d taken a step… then another. Afterwards you never could say for certain what happened. One step, another. Left. Right. Marching yet… not. Gliding almost. You felt as if you were outside your own body. You could swear your father was at your side, you can almost feel his hand on your arm. There is nothing there but your ghosts.
Each step seems oppressive, heavy. Yet each step seems to be lighter than the last. An indescribable weight seemed to be lifting off of your shoulders. Seeing your husband-to-be waiting for you, resplendent in the exotic garb bà had insisted he wear seemed to make your heart flutter even more than usual. And he looked utterly gobsmacked. You’d never caught that expression on his face before.
You treasured that expression.
You somehow reached the altar right as the march ended. You’d never managed that good of timing in the rehearsals. You did today.
You never really heard anything of the ceremony, you had eyes only for Willis. Any other time you’d be hitting yourself for so completely losing situational awareness. Not right now.
You somehow got through the vows without a single stumble. You somehow exchanged rings without a single hiccup.
And anybody who claims that the traditional kiss took ten minutes is obviously a liar. It took a mere instant. The recordings are all special effects.
-----
That evening you finally find out your husband's honeymoon plans. Somehow you aren’t surprised that it involved a short suborbital hop in the new shuttle. The destination being a brand new, extremely well hidden and very secret hunting lodge that he’d had built for the occasion is more of a surprise.
But you don’t mind that at all. Sergeant Ngô and your platoon are on perimeter duty. All is well.
All is well.
[X] Plan:Tyler - We have to make sure we rooted this mess out, root and branch. And this is the best way to do it.