pte

hat she would no longer worry over it like a dog with a bone. She would never tell Peter what Andre did. All of their toxic mess was their doing and theirs to deal with. She had the feeling that Andre would not stop in his quest to t

n was passed to Victor and kept at the office away from Andre's sight. The only information he could pass wo

nformation. He stopped by a few times, but those visits were brief. Riko asked her about the nephew she assigned to be her liaison with Elena, and Elena

as she began to climb the stairs. At the party hosted by Danvers, Elena ran into a man named Hashi who was viewed as Riko's heir apparent. From his conversation she gathered that

e entered her offices. Elena wasn't thrilled by being partnered with Riko, but i

r, Elena's pilots were at the top of the list for new ships. Given the rate of work being done in Riko's various ship yards, both earth

asked from behind his desk, lo

ns, " she told h

stepping into the central area. "Are

at the door leading to the stairwell. "Would you mind if we talk in one of the offices

of reports Victor set on the edge of her desk and waited patiently as he and Lisa pulled up chairs. S

" she said. With both Victor and Lisa pulling up chairs in front of her desk sh

or said making a note about the

le uncomfortable with having an assistant. "An

the impression that Victor

her, but there are rumors that she has about two years left before she meets her maker. I want to figure out an exit st

mily died so they would be unable to take the South American seat on the Council, she didn't begrudge him the edge. Her parents were killed to prevent her mother from taking t

y, " Elena said. She and

become a Counci

y so there will be some attempt at continuity, but once a seat is empty, any qualified applicant from the former Councilor

s no genera

dering how to untangle the mess

emains empty for eight months

Lisa asked. She was scrib

kicked off. You leave the Council only by death." Elena told

the Council will take nominations." V

ng happens for eight months an

s forward for a Council seat consolidate their power bases and make new alliances. Kind of l

d nodding. "Th

es there are generally quite a few people who are eligible to take the seat. Some refuse to attempt it and throw their support in with other

he end of the sentence. She looked to Elena to see if Victor was joking.

didates eligible for the nomination. At the end of the eig

to add anything to that. They waited for Lisa to process the information. She started to write something down, but t

open and is held empty for eight months while there

candidate is then named as a Councilor. Other ti

someone eligibl

ed with you. If you are male then you have to be married or at least engaged when you are nominated. If you are female you have to Captain your own ship as well as being a pilot. You also have to have had family live in the district of the seat for at least 200 years. T

aid with a frow

mily tree above my co

d, "The odd one with

ve one of those in order to prove eligibility, along with the paperwork to back it up. Families will work for generations to get a descendant eligible for cand

id with a frown. "Don't you?

s side, The Calabrese line, my grandfather is a

ould take

r when my parents married, a decision was made that any children they had would fall to my mother's line and even if my father took my grandfather's s

re born here you c

n the 200 years would hold true as long as any children I had were born in Italy as well. I would have to forsake my mother's seat to do so. My being born in a different country would be looked at as a fluke as

our mo

ncilors from Europe, Asia and Africa, depending on their bloodlines as the officially recognized countries were under 200 years old. In 1976 the US turned 200 officially and talks began in the Council regarding New

of Egypt were allied with the seat based in Tokyo, but about a hundred and fifty years or so ago they shifted alliances to join with the seat in Johannesburg. I don't recall why. And of course the seats change a litt

t?" Lis

cs, real world scenarios, population bases and I think there was a family feud or two in there as well. I can s

"That would c

nough to cover the area, but not enough to completely throw off the existing balance of power. The more districts created then the fewe

American one? That's what

e sits on any of

ey were created

Discussions began in the mid-seventies., " Elena tol

e in the seats n

seats created. Guild families have to tithe back to their home districts as well, so in additi

locked the

ats, all of the eligible candidates for each of the three s

of

years old and will need to earn the rest of the items on the checklist as they grow. Elena is the only adult candidate currently left for the North American Seat and her rise to the level needed to

ity in the next fifteen or so years. As long as everything remains steady for the next year we should be fine. I am contemplating taking the

time that she admitted out loud that she was even considering taking the seat. She

e embroiled in a battle of succession for Councilor Inoue Riko's s

ion. I'm pretty sure we will be able to terminate the contract with Riko's House after she is dead. I did not

a said making a note. Elena was fairly sure she was much more

n Riko's family and associated houses, " El

seat is still going to be impressive. There is a good chance that you will be approached by one or more of the factions of Riko's Hou

r leaders were nowhere near as popular as solid ones. Even the leaders who were known for their ruthless be

n are fat, " Elena repeated, remembering what she

pefuls and see if we can figure out

there anything that needs

Greggs may have put the fear of god into nearly everyone he met, but he and Lisa quickly become friends, bonding over their sh

here are extra copies for both Peter Baranov and Alexandro Calabrese there on your

e them, "

cept for a few components

aid. "I forgo

the end of the season. It included everything from bank drafts to pay rent and utilities, to post

ell as a vacation should she get stuck skyside during the off season. Her contingency plan would also insure that her employees got paid regularly even though she was

st of what's miss

area. Lisa handed her a slim volume of poetry and Victor handed her a sheet containing the list of missing items. She thanked them both and walked across the ha

a and Mateo were on the planet, walked over when he saw Elena looking around. Like Kiera, Steven was more than met the

s were, if it could be used medicinally, if it could be eaten or used topically, as well as what the plant needed to grow happily and healthy. Elena found it a little odd and it s

p with, ' Elena thought. She sm

were in town, " he sai

g, " she told him. "Just

the Sea." Elena smiled. With so many of the staff spending time off planet, each ship was asked to carry mail back and forth between the folks off w

t common item passed, they were by no means the only thing. Cookies and cakes had made the trip and Ja

from the holes bitten into the side terrified the cat, leaving him unable to enjoy his

here are a couple of candy bars though, so best keep it out of the heat. I think that is about it

date in the ledger he kept and check the box marked outgoing. She shook her head as she left. There was also a list of items included in the mail bag. At the e

na realized she would have enough time to do her laundry and get packed, with maybe dinner thrown in

said. Luckily, the Chinese