Seventh Session
There were several message waiting for the crew.
A message to Othis from Dana, in which she paid him the owed money for Othis's keg, with no further comment on the rest that had happened.
There was a message to Linus from Anders; Anders claimed his wife was alive, which made little sense. It suggested the murder charges were an elaborate ruse of some kind.. perhaps. However, Linus was not willing to meet Anders on his ship or otherwise to clarify matters further.
A missive to Phaedra from William Syracuse to meet brought out Phaedra's rebellious side - she knew she shouldn't meet him, and that it was a bad idea, so of course she agreed to do so. She met him in a side conference chamber near the main board room and the Combine's archives. They spoke, and he proposed marriage to her as well!
A missive from Marina to Linus and Shine brought them to another conference room near the Board chambers - but they mistakenly ran across Phaedra in fairly close discussions with William Syracuse! Moving to the correct room, Marina makes a play for sympathy and support from the crew for the Board meeting later in the afternoon. She obtains a promise from Shine. Phaedra is expected to attend as she will be introduced to the Board as the wealthy Galliard who is to be the fiancee of Pieter Coventry.
A message from their guide - this time, without the band - is a gift of spectator tickets to the Board meeting, somehow obtained. And a request for a private meeting on a private matter, when they have more time.
With a glance at the morning faxes, it was quite apparent that the engagement of Pieter Coventry and Phaedra Brandishgun had become public knowledge in New Buffalo. Someone had made an effort to put out a positive, romantic spin on their meeting and sudden nuptial pronouncement.
Back at their hotel quarters, the crew assessed the situation as best as they could. They had still not used the Diamond, nor did there currently seem any obvious person or persons to hand it to. They mull over the options and their strategy.
They are interrupted, after a bit, as their concierge jumps his counter out into the halls of the station. "General strike! General strike!" is heard. Placard-wielding crowds - more people than have been seen in one place, especially up here - were advancing towards the Board room entries. Armed guards were maintaining open corridors of space to them, as well as keeping the protestors away. The jeering mass made their opinions known to those who approached to enter.
Under those stares, the crew entered the Board chamber, spectator tickets in hand. Timon Pavel was in the audience, as was Dana, Anders, and a few others. The room held guards in a ring far from the center, where the ceiling spotlit an argument between Marina and William Syracuse - over the gavel over who had the right to preside over the chamber. The argument became disorderly, people rose from their seats, and shouted at each other. Hopefully, heated shouting would be sufficient to resolve the crisis.
---
When the dust settled, it was clear: Coventry's ascension - as ratified through the Board's support of Marina - would seem to be better for the shareholders, and more along the line of the traditions of New Buffalo. As to whether the people of New Buffalo would be better off - that was unclear.
Timon Pavel's attempt to end the system momentarily held sway, but did not last. Shine brokered a last minute agreement (or re-agreement) with Marina to allow some tiny portion of shares to be granted to every New Buffalo citizen in exchange for Shine's rhetorical efforts for Pieter. Dana's attacks on both Phaedra's and Othis's character broke herself down rapidly. And Othis's accusations against Syracuse stuck, possibly by being at least partially based on fact. Anders fought against the idea that New Buffalo shareholders would be better off if his uncle Syracuse was appointed Chair.
Nonetheless, and with some effort, Marina gaveled Pieter Coventry as Chair and Majority shareholder of the New Buffalo Combine. As her first act as proxy Chair, she rescinded the Syracuse combine's shares in the Combine. William Syracuse had lost. As matters moved towards more mundane things, he exited.
---
Later in the evening, Marina von Schultz sees the crew for dinner. Following her success, Marina has left the employ of the Coventry Combine. Marina considers her future, perhaps the management of the new Embassy Ring - where the crew had mostly lived - would be a restful change. But that could wait until she visited her children downside.
Marina wondered whether Pieter would keep his promises to her. In a particularly evasive manner, it was perceived that Marina had Pieter promise to transfer his collection of Old Terran artifacts to Lunestra - the moon of Old Terra. Marina claimed it would help unify Old Terra in some fashion, a conclusion that was difficult to rationalize, based off that act alone. Pieter had, however, ordered one of his ships to do the work - the City of Industry - with Leeandra as captain and a small, select crew to do the task quickly and return.
Marina seemed to be hiding something - something quite important, perhaps even the content of the promises Marina and Pieter made to one another. Marina asks for the Diamond... and after some vagueness, Shine agrees to deliver it to her quarters. And it is so done.
Catching them as they were done with dinner, the Guide - again sans band - had a request: If she had been helpful, perhaps she could be of further use on the Mangum Opus? After all, she was a licensed pilot, if not one that had much real-world flight experience. Considering their convalescent passenger, and their numbers, Linus knew he would have to say no, but only thanked her and said he would consider it. He hoped to find her a berth on the City of Industry instead.
Some wrangling, with finance-Phaedra's help, and it was done. Their Guide would an apprentice pilot, and the only crew member without a major New Buffalo family connection, on the City of Industry. New Buffalo's Emigration Officer railed against an unruffled Linus at the irresponsibility of hiring such a person; someone who would likely desert at their first entry into breathable atmosphere.
---
The next morning, their Guide shows up with the Diamond at their hotel.
Marina, it is reported, has committed suicide in the course of the night. Going down to her quarters on the station, someone who seems to be her daughter is arguing with the officer there. The officer believes it's an open and shut case - a gunshot wound, a body (since moved and somehow lost), a great deal of blood. Her daughter refuses to believe this, as she knows her mother would never keep a gun around her quarters.
Investigation by the crew ("this is Phaedra Brandishgun, the Chair's fiancee") doesn't show anything much more than this.
And with this strange occurrence, the crew tries to decide on their next move...
