“What do you mean, ‘What are we going to do about the cil’?” Nora asked. “What we do?”

  “I could throw them out of a window,” I joked morosely.

  “There are a lot of people w in the big five corporations,” Sharron muttered.

  “Well, the city has a lot of windows.” Sharron gave me a stern look, so I threw my hands in mock surrender. “I’m just joking, obviously. About the window part, not about the cil. If they’re willing to sacrifice random citizens to protect themselves, they don’t deserve to be in charge.”

  Nora shuffled unfortably. “So what do you suggest? We hand the city over to the Denver PMCs? Or another corp?”

  “I don’t know!” I yelled, throwing my hands into the air. “But I know we ’t leave those assholes in charge. I knew a long time ago they didn’t actually care for this city, but their as today proved they ’t be trusted with it.”

  “While I agree leaving them in power is a bad idea, yoing to have problems removing them,” Hel muttered.

  “Why? Does the Family have a ‘no removing local govers’ policy?” I asked sarcastically.

  “No, and even if they did, you never officially signed up. If you’ll remember, the Family has a policy of rality, but its members are allowed to take any stahey wish. Put their support behind whatever cause they want.”

  I blinked, staring at Hel for several long seds until what she was saying finally sunk in. “Are you saying Mirage and his fug corporate-backed ies might intervene? Is that allowed?”

  “flicts between samurai happen all the time. It’s not even that rare for it to e to blows. As long as no one ends up dead, the Family looks the other way. It’s extremely rare for things to get out of hand, and there to be a death, actal or otherwise.”

  “So if I just maim him, we’re all good,” I quipped.

  “Teddy…” Sharron moaned.

  “The man has it ing!” I yelled.

  “Even if that’s true, we should probably try and talk to him,” Sharron insisted. “I’m sure he’ll see reason.”

  I snorted loudly, earning disappointed looks from all my panions.

  “That still doesn’t ahe question of who’ll take over once you oust the cil,” Angeline pointed out. “I’m assuming that you don’t want the job.”

  “Fuo! I have enough trouble trying to manage my bears and the improvement programs I’m running ior Eleven,” I grumbled.

  Hel started. “Wait, improvement programs? You?”

  “I may be grouchy sometimes,” I started. Shannon interrupted me by loudly clearihroat and raising an eyebrow. “I may be grouchy, but that doesn’t mean I don’t care for the people arou’s all little stuff like providing maes so the locals make their own tools, reinf the buildings so they don’t fall doroviding education and schools for the kids.”

  Hel’s eyebrows shot up. “You sure you don’t want the job? Seems like you’re doing more than most people.”

  “Not even a little bit!” I growled. “Couldn’t we, I don’t know, just put an AI in charge or something? I’m sure it’d do a better job than any of the boneheads currently in office.”

  “If we did something like that, people would still believe you’re in charge, even if that wasn’t true,” Nora pointed out. “They’re paranoid like that.”

  “This is why I hate corps and politics!” I yelled. “All the options fug suck! All I want is a siion that won’t drop a se of the city on people, and we ’t find one!”

  “We’ve barely started looking, you drama queen.” Sharron sighed. “Whether you remove the cil or not, we should all look at making sure the dession system is pletely deissioned. No one should have the power to drop parts of the city, no matter who they are.”

  “Absolutely,” Nora immediately agreed. “Although Zetta didn’t want to support our as here, he’ll probably help us shut that down. Barricade too, once he’s dorying to shore up the city.”

  “So you guys won’t help me remove the cil?” I grumbled.

  “Oh, I’ll definitely help you,” Hel replied. “I’m sure we’re all agreed that they don’t deserve to be in charge anymore, but if we remove them from power before we have a valid rept, then we’ll only cause more problems for the city. It’s not like it’ll end the war any earlier.”

  N her fused. “It won’t? Why?”

  “Because it wasn’t Calgary, the city that they decred war on, but Helmar, Tel, Alliance, and Great Northern. Whether they’re in power or not doesn’t matter,” Angeline crified.

  “So both sides are blowing holes iy, despite the city not being a direct partit in the flict?” Nroaned. “I’m with Teddy on this one; corps suck.”

  “Now then. If we do want to find a rept gover, I do have one suggestion,” Hel said, befng at me. “You’re really not going to like it though.”

  “The current gover is literally trying to drop parts of the city on people.How much worse could it be?” I hissed.

  “I’m not from around here; I tap the Family’s tacts, but they’re fairly limited. You guys, likewise, are petent samurai but haven’t really expanded your tacts as much as some of the more established names iy,” Hel expined.

  “Waaaiiiitttt…” I whispered.

  “So we need some professional advice, and I ’t think of anyone more qualified,” she tinued.

  “Don’t say it…”

  “Than Stalking Shadow…”

  I slumped in relief.

  “And Mirage.”

  “Fuo! That asshole is the st person I want to talk to. Besides, if we tell him we’re looking to repce the gover, he’ll be on guard when I o jump him ter.”

  Sharron gnced my way. “If he helps us repce the gover with someoh approve of, you won’t have to jump him ter. This is a good, non-violent solution.”

  “Even if this works out, and we e to an agreement now, that doesn’t mean I won’t have to jump him ter. One of these days the pompous windbag is going to go too far…” I growled.

  “He probably says the same thing about you to his circle,” Angeline giggled. “ we stop talking about jumping people now and take this seriously?”

  “Fine. We’ll call Stalking whe back to the camp,” I finally ceded. “And we really should get bap. Even though we only pulled a couple dozen bears off the lihey’re probably needed back there.”

  I looked around the devastated area and slumped. “After they finish pulling all these high explosives off one of the city’s critical support structures. There were also PMC fireteams on the way that we haven’t removed yet, so I don’t feel great giving the civilians the all clear. Plus we have to do something with the bodies.”

  “So, not bap?” Sharron asked.

  After sidering the options for a few seds, I realized the best solution to our problem and slumped i. “No, you guys go. I’ll stay here and up. The camp needs ma more than it requires a few extra bodies on the perimeter. I’ll ge the message my squirrels are sending, add that the pilr defenses have already fallen, and hopefully the st of these assholes will give up.”

  “You’re not going to go off and do something stupid once we leave, are you?” Nora asked suspiciously.

  “No, I’m too tired for that. I’ll do stupid tomorrow,” I grumbled quietly, before standing up straight and putting on a small smile. “Besides, there’s one major advao me staying here. If you have to call Mirage today, I don’t have to be around to deal with him.”

  Hel cleared her throat. “Actually, if we call Stalking and Mirage, I think it’s a good idea for all of us to be present.”

  My smile immediately died. “Oh, wonderful. Well, I still think this is the best choice. I’m not pulling Spooky or Bandit off guard duty, and unless you all want to carry these bodies out by hand,” I said, gesturing to the age around us. “I don’t think there’s another choice.”

  “Fine… We’ll see you back at camp then?” Sharron asked anxiously.

  “No, I o depress after this. I already had a stressful day before this, and I’m not as good at dealing with ‘casual murder’ as some people. I o go home and depress. It’s either that or diving headfirst into stupid territory.”

  “Fair enough,” Hel ceded. “I’ll call you tomorrow, and we’ll make pns then.”

  I hen waved to my friends as they boarded the Kodiak. O took off it only took a few seds for the vehicle to disappear over the buildings.

  Looking around at the remnants of our battle, I slowly lowered my head into my hands. “I hate this job sometimes.”