Redoubtable Downtown Space Abbey - Public Ledger

[fintastic]

Redoubtable Downtown Space Abbey - Turn 9 - Aisle Royale

+ James Riptide is supportive of your proposal

Your Majesty,

deep bow

Govenor,

half-bow

Ambassador and Aldersentients,

quater-bow

Citizens,

hand extended

Aspirants,
hand-over-heart

And all other Weatherbeings,
timba, his arms wide open

It is an honor of the deepest deep to address this august body on such a lovely May day in the sacred Cathedral of St. Marrowbone. Since I have arrived on Weatherby, I have witnessed a most remarkable societie, beset by challenges and yet most uncommon in beating the odds to achieve a certain kind of excellence.

The City of Weatherby faces threats, from the plague, from sketchy realtors and from sketchier tonics. The Planet of Weatherby is endangered by the blight, by New Prussian aggression, and by the fifth estate known as censorship. All while the System of Weatherby is under siege by drug-runners, venture geneticists, and unchequed profiteering.

In the midst of such surging tides, a young sentient might become unmoored and set adrift. Each day, young citizen-aspirants have lost their lieges to the plague, to impoverishment, to peculiar snake oils, and to the ignoble calumny that befalls those forced to downsize quarters. All of Weatherby risks losing great richness of societie if such down-luck citizen-aspirants are lost to the vices of gambling and other seductions of the easy money on the side alleys of society.

In seeking for an amelioration to the plight of wayward youths, I have the deepest gratitude for the support of Admiral James Riptide. It was through his unique passion for the victuals of Weatherbean Life, anchored by his deep tendrils in his distinguished service to the United Federation of Oceans and Seas, that inspired this initiative: the Distinguished Appointment to Commission in the Academy (DACA).

The Distinguished Appointment to Commission in the Academy is a unique opportunity for young sentients of promise to enroll in Starfish Academy, the officer training school for the United Federation of Oceans and Seas (UFOS). This opportunity will be afforded to one young Weatherby sentient a year, regardless of citizenship status, lineage, ward, patronage, or any other encumbered societal burden. It is a chance to be reborn again.

Make no mistake, deciding on the military life is not for everyone. Some joke that one does not serve the Navy, one marries it. To embark upon a space navy career often requires leaving one’s home, one’s parents, one’s patron, and one’s love. A Naval Commission is not a fit for those who wish to pursue the domesticated life of tranquil suburban planetoids. And yet, for some, such as me, the sea of the starry sky has always been my greatest paramour.

With that, it is my privilege to offer the first of Weatherby’s Distinguished Appointment to Commission in Starfish Academy scholarship to:

• Mr. Richard Oomingmak Ticklebot Liversnaps-Grayson @liversnaps-grayson

Your majesty, your governership, and other exalted beings: thank you for your attendance on this historic day.

May the Fourth Be With You.

propose @liversnaps-grayson 
venue 1

[Ssskidwish]

“Damn, the hour grows late, and still so much to do. How did he even fit into this corset?”

a soft rustle betrays the slipping of a note under the door

“Gad. If it ain’t one thing, it’s two.”

the wicked old Lizard reads

“Oh. Oh my.”

some strange fluid leaks out past an ocular nictitating membrane

“How… how do I say yes?”

letter is clasped tightly to a reptilian bosom

“And yet… how could I ever say no?”

[Donald_Petersen]

Propose Melisande Copse
Venue 2
Gift @penguinchris 50 A new-old-stock unopened box of fresh vacuum tubes, accompanied by an antique dash-mounted Organ Replicator. The tubes are a perfect fit.

Gift @David_Falkayn 30 An extra large jug of well-aged cloacal aioli, just like grandmother used to excrete, in gratitude for having rid us of that sketchy investment, whatever it was.

There’s more where that came from, and when the New Prussians get here, they’ll certainly smell where the Rothschild/Karekin/Falkayns are hiding.

Pictures to come, and so much more, but I’m under another deadline here. Be back soon!

[ghoti]

Dick, where are you? I need help trying on my wedding outfit! Dick?

Oh, I’ll just do it myself. Don’t know how I’m going to get that zipper, though…

Ahhhhh, perfect! This is going to be a perfectly wonderful affair!

Propose @Eighth

Venue 2
In the eastern part of the gardens, next to the pond

Gift @fintastic 50£ Specially Commissioned Memorial Figurine of Walleye Crusher

Gift @David_Falkayn 50£ A Wonderful Writing Implement

Gift @gwwar and @Tom_Ratchetcrank 50£ This Lovely Bedding That I'm Sure is on Their Wedding Registry

Buy 5£ Dr. Arbuckle's Whipweed Tonic Wine
Buy 10£ Ms. Merrimoose's Soothing Syrup
Buy 15£ Franklin Gooseberry's Remarkable Colloidal Seryl
Wager 25£ Conundrum

THIS WILL BE THE BEST DAY EVER

[Nightflyer]

“Oh.”

“My.”

Some time after Commander Piker’s announcement, a flurry of packages and correspondances are dispatched from the Ponsonby-Britt apartment.

My dearest @liversnaps-grayson,
It appears that Fate has laid before you a quite incredible opportunity… one I cannot possibly match. I shall always treasure the memories of our courtship, of course. But though it breaks my heart to do so, I must release you, so that you may achieve the destiny you so richly deserve.

Mr. Rounder, (@ghoti)
Let me be the first to congratulate you on your ward’s appointment! I dearly regret that we will not be able to join our families in wedded bliss; but I am sure Mr. Liversnaps-Grayson will be better-rewarded for his recent pursuits at the Academy. And please accept as well my warmest wishes on your own upcoming nuptuals! Knowing your interest in divining the future, I give you a fine crystal ball:

May it show you nothing but success and happiness!

Duchess Gummibuns (@gwwar),
I am overjoyed to hear of your impending marriage! The two of you make the most beautiful couple of sentients I’ve seen in ages. In honor of the occasion, I’d like to present the two of you with this crystal bowl:

May your lives together be as colorful and brilliant as its facets. --Oh, but one can’t give an empty bowl…

P.S. After the honeymoon, we simply must talk about that amazing book you’ve written. I love it! If you’re interested in having it distributed, I’m very sure my publishing house can find room in its printing schedule to make it happen. It might be a profitable venture for both of us…

Commander Piker (@fintastic):
As you can imagine, I was quite astounded to hear of your DACA initiative… but I must admit, it is certainly to Mr. Liversnaps-grayson’s benefit, and for the good of all of Weatherby. In appreciation, let me offer a small token of thanks:

I wish you calm seas and smooth sailing, Commander.

My lovely Jasper Milkthistle,
I was pleased to receive your letter this past week. It has been far too long since we walked through the city parks and gardens last season, chatting and laughing together. With every day that’s passed since those beautiful moments, I find I miss you more and more.
Let me confess, my sweet Jasper: I made a terrible mistake in choosing to pursue my former intended. He is by no means the good-natured gentlesentient he presented himself as! He’s managed to deceive not only myself, but his sponsor, and much of Weatherby’s society. But by a stroke of good fortune, I find myself free of him… and I can only hope, if you can find it in your heart to forgive my foolhardy infatuation, that we might have another chance at marriage.
I know I cannot offer you all you deserve. I am not the most accomplished in business, nor do I set the course of fashion; I have neither the most sparkling wit, nor the deepest wisdom. And as a mere Ensign in the Hussars, I have precious little pride of place in the military. Yet what I have, and who I am, I offer to share with you, for the rest of our days, for better or for worse. Should you accept, meet me at Bedlam’s Bower this weekend. We can pledge our vows there, with this ring-- a family heirloom, worn by males in my family for generations.

With all my love,
Eudaemonia

Propose Jasper Milkthistle
Venue 5 (593)
Gift @ghoti 150 Crystal Ball
Gift @gwwar 100 Crystal Bowl and 40 Jelly Beans
Gift @fintastic 75 Enterprise in a bottle
Wager Plasma Heart 25

_{Edited to correct an error of rank.}

[MrMonkey]

Jean-Rhys sighs with contentment.

She’s just had her chassis cleaned and lubed and now she’s relaxing in her study with a generous dram of well-aged Scooch, some fine-rolled whipweed (now shockingly dear, what with the widespread blight), and a small rosewood pillbox filled with Macadamia snuff. The aroma of daffodils and clementines seeps gently from her exhaust vents.

The social pressures of the season have weighed heavily upon her of late, stirring desires she’d thought lost to her, and memories she’d rather forget. Such passions have faded in the current moment, however. Instead, she feels only a curious sense of expectation, as if she’s calmly, yet precariously, balanced on a precipice between the past and the future.

For unlike many of her peers, Jean-Rhys has been married once before, albeit briefly and imperfectly. On a whim, she pulls an old scrap book from a dusty shelf and begins leafing through it, indulging in faintly bittersweet reminiscence.

Despite being an arranged marriage in all but name, she’d found Lord Edward Rodchaser to be a pleasing match, and they’d shared a genuine affection. He was quick-witted and not unkind, and even though she didn’t quite love him, it didn’t hurt that he could reliably kill her in the nightly confines of their marital bed.

Those early days, especially, were a sort of grand adventure, imbued with a sense of freedom that her youthful mind found exhilarating. Thornfield Hall had proved to be enchanting in unexpected ways, and the grounds were simply magnificent in the Weatherbean spring. There was much to be thankful for.

But neither was life perfect. Edward had a taste for cards and drink (preferably both at the same time), much as any gentlesentient of his station would, and Jean-Rhys didn’t begrudge him his sport. But he also had a poor estimation of his skill and capacity at both, and he tended, with dismaying regularity, to drunkenly fall from his horse on the ride home from the club. Then he’d call her to come pick him up in the small gig carriage, as his vanity prevented him from summoning a member of the household staff in such circumstances. It was rather undignified and a bit off-putting, really.

And then that little priss, Jane Air, came along. That was the beginning of the end. That was when the fires started.

Her memories of that time are not always entirely clear, but she wouldn’t be surprised at all to learn that Jane had been somehow responsible for the mysterious blazes, including the mighty conflagration that razed Thornfield Hall, claimed Edward’s life, and ultimately lead Jean-Rhys to her current physical form.

It had been a staggeringly unlucky period in her life and it pained her to dwell upon it.

In the end, though, her injuries proved to be a gift from providence. Adapting to her new mechanical body had been a consciousness-expanding event. Her perceptions of the world around her – indeed, even the very instruments by which she apprehended its properties – had fundamentally changed, and her mind and heart could not help but follow. Jean-Rhys was a changed woman, and she felt certain that her old self would never have thrived here in Weatherby like her new self has.

Life is good, she realizes. It’s time to shed the pains of the past and look to the future, look to her legacy, even.

She recalls that first meeting with Mary Flowers at the Botanical Gardens. How, upon arriving, she’d spotted Mary first and watched her absentmindedly pluck a blossom and tuck it behind her ear, despite the impressive arrangement already present on her hat; how Mary had blushed at Jean’s approach when she realized she’d been observed unawares; and how smoothly she’d recovered her poise with naught but a brief sly look before taking up the appropriate conversational pleasantries.

That initial unguarded moment set the stage for all that followed, and Jean-Rhys, now utterly charmed, observed keenly everything else about her, from the strength of her wit when she spoke, to the grace of her gait when she strolled, to the elegant curl of her prehensile upper lip when she laughed.

She thinks of Mary and knows it’s more than just another pleasing match, more than just the fashion of the season or the season of their lives.

The outcome is by no means assured, but Jean-Rhys resolves to embrace that risk and begins planning her proposal in earnest. It will start at the Botanical Gardens and culminate in a quiet little eatery off the square of St. Marrowbone Cathedral, where they will one day, fortune willing, be wed.

Propose Mary Flowers
Venue 1 - A stately ceremony in St. Marrowbone Cathedral

Gift @gwwar 75 "Ornamental Bean Strain"
Gift @Wisconsin_Platt 100 "Vintage Abacus"
Gift @Nightflyer 100 "Flamethrower"

Wager Plasma Heart 76 

For Duchess Gummibuns @gwwar, may I present a new strain of bean, bred to manifest a certain range of colors and patterns designed specifically to complement your lumps when placed in rough proximity to your person. Crossbred from heirloom varieties (some of which can only be found in the Weatherby U. Seed Library), they are of course fully viable, so you may cultivate them on your own estates if you care to do so.

To Hieronymoose Farnsworth, III @Wisconsin_Platt, I offer this vintage abacus, as well as best wishes to you and Lizzy. May you count many happy returns together.

And finally, my dear Eudaemonia @Nightflyer, I know you are too proper to even to contemplate such an eventuality, but in light of what I just read on the public ledger, I’ll leave this here just in case. You may rely upon my experience when I say to you: sometimes things just combust.

[Nightflyer]

Jean-Rhys (@MrMonkey) ,
Thank you ever so much for the unexpected, yet lovely and most practical gift! Though, of course, the tale behind it is the true treasure. I hope that someday you will find the time to visit my estate, where you shall see the flamethrower lovingly polished and displayed… and perhaps we can become better acquainted. I think this could be, as they say, the beginnings of a beautiful friendship.

_{Edit: forgot the @, and only just noticed.}

[David_Falkayn]

“Welcome back, Eighth. The Gamma radiation has given your carapace a lovely, hardened sheen.”

“Sun bathing at its purest. Our ancestor, or rather, my ancestor, Hans had it right. Attached to the outside of a spaceship is a superior way to travel.”

“Do you have something to show for your little jaunt?”

“I’ve already uploaded to the family servers. Looks like your beau had it right.”

“oh?”

“What a motley assortment of retro hardware. It was a mid-century modern collectors rally. Except a vintage spaceship convention would be more organized. I could run the place better.”

"Easy there, Ace. Military leadership is as much about the politics of personalities as the ledgers of logistics. But I’m happy to hear Johann proved a solid source of information. Again. Because I’m merging him into our local org chart "

propose Johann Wentworth
venue 1  St. Marrowbone Cathedral

“Eighth, you will be saying yes to Reginald @ghoti, right?”

“Of course. A fellow predator who appreciates my chemical skills. it’s fun at Pouncington Boxfort! Also I always leave ‘the politics of personalities’ Karekins”

“Wonderful. Because I’ve picked out the perfect wedding gift for the two of you”

As for politics and gifts, Lady Jane seems to be having something of a personality crisis. These editions from the family archives may help her… embrace the full complexity of her being.

Lastly, I am so happy my stalwart business associate and steady hand at civic governance has found a complementary match in the dazzling Lizzy Heliotrope.

I was at a loss for an appropriate gift. But while scanning the family archive for Lady Jane’s gifts, I found the most singular copy of an early edition of Burkes. How it ended up on our hands is beyond me, but when Hieronymoose reads the inscription plate I am certain he will be glad that particular copy is back where it belongs, discretely secure in the Farnsworth Library.

"And what the heck, Eighth. Let’s do have a little fun for change. Which Lagoderm should we bet on?

“That’s a conundrum, Jules.”

“Done!”

 wager 81  conundrum

 gift @ghoti  150 
      Mobile Bar
 gift @penguinchris   100  
     "History of Private Life V: Riddles of Identity in the Modern Age"
     "We Can Remember It For You Wholesale" 
     "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep"

  gift  @Wisconsin_Platt   100  
     a very personal edition of Burke's peerage

[Hadley]

@daneel
I am so excited that our families will soon be joined together in matrimony. My grandmother wrote to give me her full support for the union. Though at first she was disappointed that I had found another cold blooded to pair bod with, she was much more enthusiastic when she heard that Qaaxtzl was your ward.
Thank you so much for the lovely pen and I’m sure the maunal will come in handy.

I will be with my ladies getting ready the whole morning before our nuptials ceremony. I trust that you will ensure that Qaaxtzl gets dressed and arrives at the park on time. Please make sure he takes care of all his bathroom needs at least an hour before the ceremony. And make sure he leaves all those crazy gadgets at home. It’s going to be a wonderful day.

[nimelennar]

St-Patrick-Hartbrooke finishes his letter, and signs it with his usual overstated flair. He takes out the pocketwatch he intends to give as a gift, wearing white microfibre gloves to prevent it from being tarnished in any way, and compares it to his own. The gift is newer, of course, not being an heirloom (yet), and the coat of arms on its cover is that of Mr. Farnsworth, not the crosses and harts of St-Patrick-Hartbrooke.

Opening the cover, he can see the slight differences in the mechanisms behind the glass, improvements made in the half-century since his own watch was produced. With a competent watchmaker to maintain it, both will go on ticking for centuries, but the newer SWIM chronometer should need less maintenance than his own.

One day, Aaaakzee knows, the St-Patrick-Hartbrooke watch will die its final death, and whichever heir to the legacy will commission a new one with the latest state-of-the-art enhancements, but, for now, the watch’s persistence through time is a more auspicious symbol to carry around, rather than the Farnsworth watch’s novelty. A tie to the past, to its traditions and values, rather than a tie to the present, ephemeral as any given moment may be.

With one final glance at the inside of the cover, he spots the barely-visible etching of the St-Patrick-Hartbrooke heraldry on each; only a very small fraction of the watches produced by his family have this etching, and any of his descendants, if presented with such a watch, will feel obligated — as the gift-giver himself would — to give the bearer a moment of his time, no questions asked.

The letter he has written to accompany the watch states none of this outright, but obliquely hints at all of it. Hopefully, the message gets through that a favour may be begged by any of of the St-Patrick-Hartbrooke line by presenting the watch, but he is not going to write it explicitly; it is simply not in his nature to.

He places the watch back in its protective box, and sends it off for delivery. There is something more important to take care of, now: to secure the St-Patrick-Hartbrooke family line, so that there is such a person to respond to such favours when demanded in the future. He has every reason to believe that Miss Penumbra is amenable to a proposal, but he still feels the pressure of nerves and doubts.

The owner of a seaside resort has, hearing the story of the duel, offered the use of the resort for a wedding (for a fee, of course), making use of the Space Griffin’s notoriety in order to boost his own. It seems a fair enough trade, but confirming such a thing before the bride has accepted the proposal would be inviting the deepest humiliation. Which is to say, he has a question to ask, and a deadline within which to ask it.

Taking a sip of schnapps to steady his nerves, he dons a tasteful, light jacket and steps out into the summer heat to present his proposal.

Propose Madeline Penumbra
Venue 3
Gift @Wisconsin_Platt 50 A SWIM Pocketwatch, emblazoned prominently with Mr. Farnsworth's heraldry

[daneel]

You may rest easy, my dear Ms. Farnsworth. I will ensure my ward is not tardy. Though I don’t think he’ll require too much encouragement. He seems remarkably (understandably) enthusiastic, whenever I can track him down. Indeed, you seem to have inspired him to take up singing. I keep hearing him singing this during his unguarded moments:

[Tom_Ratchetcrank]

Yes my love, I too do totally globbing feel it! You’ve made me the happiest human/possibly a lobster sentient on Weatherby!

We shall be two Badasses together, and don’t you worry about the inconsequential setback of your fortunes, I’m sure the Cmdr can help us get established, and even if not, why, perhaps I could set up some little concern on the side!

So to your proposal all I can answer is that for me there is only thee, thee, Thee!

[Pogo]

Stepping into the lobby, his authorial stride unmarred by the fact his boots are scorched, pantaloons torn, jacket smolders, and his bicorn appears to still be on fire

Eh? What’s all this then? Have I missed something?

Well then, Tom, it seems something has finally kept you in place long enough for me to find you. We must talk lad, I’ve made inquiries and have several lines for you in academies that should straighten you right up.

Eh? Marriages? Is it that season already? Oh dear me. Well, should it not be too late, I’ve fancied the cut of that Argyle fellow.

[Pogo]

Though I never could stand his stockings. What sort of man makes such a show of wearing argyles when his name is Argyle? No, no, that’s a one-note joke, at best. Wouldn’t do.

You know though, it seems Thomas is always about with that squirrel, he seems to come from respectable family. Besides, who best to ascend a mizzen-mast than a squirrel?

Propose @Rockford_Julius

Venue 3
The seadside is where I ought to be!

Oh, won’t Tom be pleased to be “family” with one of his best little chums. It just wouldn’t do to see those two separated.

Now, shouldn’t wish to appear parsimonius to the others here…

Gift 500 Latinum bars Duchess Gummibuns @Gwarr
Yes, hopefully that will help those two set off right

Gift 100 Ancient Classical Manuscripts Heironymoose Farnsworth @Wisconsin_Platt

Gift 100 A Nice Sunny Rock on Which to Bask Elizabeth Farnsworth @Hadley

[daneel]

Heir Primus Rackleton Harcourt Mordecai Erasmus Cornelius Brummell Branchwit Brummell, Space Moose

Legacy 2 “to be haut ton; the go, the mode, or pink of the mode; bang-up, the prime of life, or all prime; the thing, the dash, and a dasher; quite the Varment - a four-in-hand, a whip, a very jarvy; a swell, a diamond of the first water”

Hire Nanny

[messana]

Orders for Turn 10 begin here.

[Wisconsin_Platt]

Child - Hieronimoose Farnsworth, IV - Holographic Space Moose

Legacy 3 - Become a titan of business, founding a new paradigm in shipping - Universal Packet Shuttle. What can Moose move for you?

Hire Nanny.

Hire Scholar.

Fire Pierre. (Valet)

Wager 30 Gin Rag

[Pogo]

Damerl, stood upon the bridge and stared out the forward viewfinder at the Weatherby Port. Industrious, mercantile, frivolous Weatherby. “Bah!” thought he. “I do so hate to go into debt. But 'ods bodkins, given these times and the seemingly faltering interest in preparing our forces I feel I cannot but do everything I can to equip our brave Dragoons! If the shipping lines hold I’ll be clear again next season. If not… well, perhaps the squirrel would have enough stashed away for he and the child at least to make do.” Such risks, and now with a family, too.

Child - Rocco Fulcrumpivot Capstanturnbuckle, Space Lobster-Squirrel cross, preferably with a big fluffy tail.

Purchase Commission Captain Space Dragoons

Legacy 4: Serve with distinction in the Weatherbean forces

Hire Nanny

[MalevolentPixy]

A pre-scheduled payment arrives at the commission’s office. Despite his status as an alleged missing person, all the paperwork seems in order.

Promote from Lieutenant to Captain in Dragoons £2035

Hire: scholar.

Final Legacy:

Weatherby, indeed all of New Britannian society is heading for a precipice. The separation between classes is starker than even pre-Revolutionary Old France. Families find themselves ripped apart at the flip of a coin. While the TeaSeas enjoy glittering parties, SeaPeas collapse exhausted into beds they cannot even call their own. The common SeaPea sentient is getting desperate and finding themselves with nothing left to lose, even as the TeaSeas dance on, oblivious to reality. With no representation at the polls, no relief under the so-called justice system, they are finding themselves with one remaining option.

A change is gonna come. That much is inevitable. Far from fearing the threat of New Prussia, TBTB need the foreign aggressor. External threats are the only thing holding New Britannian society together. Things need to equalise, or there will be blood.

If someone can’t devise an alternative, and fast, the empire will crumble and be remembered not as an achievement, but a warning.

Preferably EDU: Synthesise a way that the Empire can shift to more equitable and sustainable system for all.

Alternatively, MIL: if it all goes to Hell, get as many people – especially those least capable of protecting themselves – as far away from the splash zone as possible.

The people interface with power in three ways: through elections, in the courts and with the guillotine. Fuck with the first two at your peril. – John Rogers.

[David_Falkayn]

Karekin sits at his usual “mobile office” in Leviathans, but today he is not alone. Two newly mintedTCs newly betrothed TC partners, Eighth and Johann Wentworth are with him.

“Today is a special day. The two newest [True Citizens] partners of our corporate body are here. What a moment! a time to recognize the increased informational energy you have generated and the disequilibrium structures this makes possible!”

The tall human says “Jules, before I met you, I would have thought that was the weirdest greeting imaginable. But as Shaper beliefs infuse my worldview, I see your greeting for the joyous compliment it is.”

The blue lobster adds, “So we’ve added another ‘politics of personality’ to the mix. Good thing the spreadsheet work around here is so trivial. Can we get on with this? I need to get back to the lab – I working on something special for Reginald.”

“and joyous nuptials to you as well, Eighth” Johann says smoothly.

“Okay, on to business. . Johann, what do you make of Ambassador Honeyvenom’s ‘gift’?”

Gift @David_Falkayn 30 An extra large jug of well-aged cloacal aioli, just like grandmother used to excrete, in gratitude for having rid us of that sketchy investment, whatever it was.

There’s more where that came from, and when the New Prussians get here, they’ll certainly smell where the Rothschild/Karekin/Falkayns are hiding.

"That that old space lizard intends to be an old space lizard. More importantly, She may no longer have full control of her forebrain anymore, as she let slip prematurely that the New Prussians are coming.’

"Good catch, Johann. I presume the New Prussians are as well informed as we are about the Militia’s readiness – though I doubt they were as efficient as Eighth.

Jules continues… "What I find even more discouraging is that the Weatherbean leadership is confused about basic principles. For example, the Weatherby Space Times misconstrued our family touchstone of “Self-interested cooperation is the basis for all success” as

“interested cooperation is the clear course forward”

Johann nods, “If that is the depth of their nuance, this is not going to go well for Weatherby”

Eighth’s sensor’s swing back to the conversation. “simple game theory approximations suggest that New Prussia is about to land a facer on Weatherby – and the Ambassador knows this and hopes to punish us for our ‘defection’ with the lagoderm ranch. We need to diversify off-world, post-haste.”

Johann raises an eyebrow and has the hint of a smirk as he makes eye contact with Jules.

Jules returns the smile ever so slightly, then looks to the lobster. “Excellent calculation, Eighth. What do you propose.”

Now that we are all True Citizens “With our elevated status, Jules’ diurnal presence in Weatherby system is unnecessary. Send him offworld to develop new possibilities. Ideally some place where the appearance of old space lizard will generate complexity for that three-chambered heart without our having to expend our own energy.”

Johann visibly brightens. “I couldn’t agree more, Eighth. You may yet be a credit to Shapers. Do you think you could keep the Sandfishery projects moving forward, and tend to the ‘day-to-day’ of the rest of the New Territories’ operations, while I manage affairs here in Weatherby proper?”

“Not only could I, I would prefer it that way. Let you deal with squishbrain fluff while I manage the spreadsheets that keep the operations running. That would also leave me more time for Reginald’s and my … joint chemical . I had not realized how much better endorphins are when shared.”

A large grin spreads across Jules’ face. “Excellent. Likewise, Johann will also need to take over our legal affairs, and tend to our expanding legacy. Johann, would you please see to the arrangements, as per our prior conclusions.”

“Prior conclusions!” exclaims Eighth. “Why, I only just came to these conclusions!”

Johann leans forward. “You’re learning fast, Eighth. But for now, continue to focus on your strengths. I am certain we’ll make a great team while Jules is off-world. Self-interested cooperation and all that”

Child Shmuel Wentworth Karekin, Space Chimera
Hire Nanny
Spend pluck legal defense
Legacy 6 “Seek a position in the royal court of Britannia Prime”