Social interactions

There are channels, and back channels, and side channels, and most of them seem to converge on my desk. In this case, it wasn't so much a back channel as Bethany Lionheart coming into my office and explaining, in no uncertain terms, what she thought of Mercenaries copping attitude with an Alliance diplomat. She actually had a transcript of the incident, which I found vaguely amusing.

Whoever was leading the unit seemed to have quite an issue with authority. Not a healthy attitude to take when talking to a diplomat who could put your unit permanently out of work, either by a single wave to the Guild, or with the assistance of the regiment of troops she could request, if they turned out to not be Guild. I had to hand it to Lily for trying to intervene. Lionheart could be annoyingly cheerful, to be sure, but part of that was born from self confidence and part was born from confidence in the snipers in the floater twelve hundred meters off.

Threatening a government official as a Merc is just a bad idea in any case. The Alliance uses Mercenary units from time to time and pissing off the deepest pockets in the 'Verse is not the route to a long and happy career.

The stupid, it burns

Attitude no substitute

They've got bigger guns

Though, when I talked to them in person a day or so later, the attitude had changed a bit. So much so that Lily had taken them up on an offer to work security for the Rodeo. Not that we needed outsiders or had much in the budget with which to pay them. Not sure why Lily'd given them the go ahead to stay, but she was usually a surprisingly good judge of character.

We got clear on what I expected as the colony's duly elected leader and as long as they didn't try to pull my chain or give the Alliance any grief, it'd all be shiny.

Still, though, had to wonder what'd brought them here in the first place. Hale's Moon is kind of mixed as far as hiding places go. Being far from the main trade routes means we don't get so much traffic, but it also makes it harder to do business and more conspicuous when you do. Add to that the Alliance and Corporate presence, and the whole saga with the Destiny enclave, and you've got to wonder why a Mercenary unit would ever want to show up here.

I'd keep eyes on them. There were still a lot of things in place that most folk didn't know about, specifically for situations like this one.

The thing on my mind more than the Mercs was what Krenshar was doing for the Old Sadist, Niska, and why AuroraBlue was with him rather than Cody. She was safe with Kren. Sort of. Unless Sadistic Asshole decided to do something deceitful. And stupid. Wouldn't be outside his usual mode of operation to kidnap a child to try and hasten some work he'd hired out. Thing is, kidnapping that particular child would bring down the kind of wrath he'd been spared his whole career.

Was probably nothing. Kren did what Kren did and sometimes didn't worry too much about the rightness or wrongness of the work. Tiny Dragon could take care of herself better than most adults I knew. But whenever Niska was involved, I had to confess to a sudden desire to do violence upon an old man who desperately needed to have some violence done to him.

Bit of payback for his victims.

Karma coming full circle.

Worry about it later. It was time to go show the colors and watch other people having fun.