January 5, 3052: Consulate of the St Ives Compact, New Avalon, Federated Commonwealth Chancellor Romano Liao, Coronation Portrait Lt Commander Gaylon Knox reporting As night settled on the capitol of the Federated Commonwealth this evening, another dark chapter was added to the story of the Successor States. Sources inside the St Ives Consulate have confirmed that an assassin's laser has claimed the lives of Duchess Candace Liao and her consort, Minister of Information for the Federated Commonwealth Justin Allard. The couple were apparently getting ready for a diplomatic dinner when they were attacked. The assassin first shot and killed the Duchess and then fatally wounded Minister Allard. Before his demise, Minister Allard managed to kill the assassin and call for assistance, but it was too late to save the beloved rulers of the St Ives Compact. Tormana Liao, brother to Duchess Candace, has been appointed regent of St Ives until the heir, now Duke Kai' Allard- Liao, can return from the Alyina System where he is stationed with the Tenth Lyran Guard, fighting Clan Jade Falcon for control of the system. A statement from First Prince Hanse Davion is said to be forthcoming. Thugee Assassin Was a Sleeper January 6, 3052: New Avalon, Federated Commonwealth Lt Commander Gaylon Knox reporting In a prepared statement, the First Prince of the Federated Commonwealth gave details of the brutal assassination which claimed the lives of Duchess Candace Liao and Minister Justin Allard last evening in their suite at the St Ives Consulate. The First Prince stated that the assassin was an apparent agent the the service of Chancellor Romano Liao, ruler of the Capellan Confederation and sister to the late Duchess Candace Liao. The man, whose name is being withheld, lived in the Sarna March of the Federated Suns on the planet Shipka, but had recently relocated to New Avalon and changed his citizenship. The assassin secreted himself in a closet in the bedchamber of the Duchess, after bypassing the security systems of the Consulate. There he awaited his victims. The assassin fired two shots. The first killed the Duchess instantly and the second mortally wounded Minister Allard. Minister Allard, a former Solaris Champion, responded out of reflex . He fired a single shot at his murderer, killing the assassin. The events that followed are only speculation, but it appears that the minister was able to sound the fire alarm before his demise. When asked if the assassin was a member of the Thuggee cult, the First Prince responded with, "No Comment!" Speculation by various insiders points to the repression of the Thuggee cult on Highspire (See BattleTechnology #13) as a possible added motivation for the slayings. Prince Davion also stated that reprisals would be forthcoming. He would give no details on the matter. As of yet, there has been no word from Duke Kai AllardLiao, nor have there been any comments from the Capellan Confederation. Chancellor Romano Gloats Sian, January 6, 3052 In a prepared statement issued today, the Chancellor of the Capellan Confederation rejoiced, "The act of a single patriot has begun the cleansing of the blood of House Liao. Let all other imposters tremble. The mercy of the Capellan Crown is exhausted. Now its vengeance begins." The Chancellor graciously allowed a few questions as follows. Q: Yes, Ma'am, what exactly was your reasoning for ordering the assassination of your sister? A: The longer she lived, the longer she would be bearing whelps to threaten the stable and orderly succession of the Capellan Confederation. In addition, she and her brood supported Hanse Davion's false war, which is a ploy to divert the resources of his rivals against an enemy which does not threaten them. Q: I see. So you believe therefore that there was no true purpose behind your sister's support of the effort against the Clans invasion? A: Certainly there was a true purpose. Her purpose was to divert attention away from the illegitimacy of her St Ives separatists and toward a manufactured 'common enemy'. I know for a fact that her husband tricked her into supporting Hanse Davion with Capellan lives. Q: But, was it not correct that originally your sister was designated the heir to the Capellan Confederation and she resigned in order to limit herself to looking after St Ives? A: Originally, my father designated Candace the heir pro tempore, until he could see which of us children would grow up to be worthy of his title. During the Fourth Succession War, my qualifications showed themselves as outstanding. Candace had lost her chance and therefore decided to flee with her paramour. Q: But, didn't she leave the system initially because you had assigned death squads to hunt her down? A: It was not I, but the Maskirova, our loyal intelligence service, that made such a determination. (Ed Note: The Maskirova at that time was headed by Tsen Shang, Romano's long-time lover). Candace had proved herself unable to maintain a standard of behavior suitable to the head of our house. Q: And what, pray tell, was that standard of behavior which she had violated? A: In beginning an affair with Justin Allard, she was aiding and consorting with an enemy agent. I had clearly shown her several times that he was an enemy. After that, I had to allow her to set her own path. Additionally in 3013, she had an affair with Jaime Wolf. (Ed Note: In a youthful indiscretion that embarrassed them both in later years, the young Duchess Candace made an offer to Colonel Wolf and pursued him with such vigor that the Dragoons left the employ of House Liao.] I am convinced that it was by her persuasion that he set up that elaborate farce on Outreach. Wolf's agents Kai Allard-Liao and Ragnar Magnusson attempted to cast doubt on the military ability of my genius son, Sun Tsu! They are clearly a pack of madmen and traitors! Q: That being the case, referring to the death squads, had you not received information before that the Duchess and her consort had been assassinated? What source of information have you this time that the assassination has been successful? A: A priority message was brought to me this morning by Precentor Sian of ComStar, the head of ComStar within the Capellan Confederation. The message had been dispatched by Precentor New Avalon and sent with ComStar's utmost priority. The transmission was Precentor-to-Precentor; the two individuals are personally known to each other. An unimpeachable source, I'm certain you'll agree. Q: And what were your sources of information the other times you had received reports that your sister had been killed? A: Coded messages through various sources which I shall not reveal at this time - Fools, all of them. At least members of the Thuggee cult, with which I, of course, have no connection, choose to die if they are unsuccessful at their holy mission. Back to BattleTechnology 18 Table of Contents Back to BattleTechnology List of Issues Back to MagWeb Magazine List © Copyright 1992 by Pacific Rim Publishing. This article appears in MagWeb.com (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other military history articles and gaming articles are available at http://www.magweb.com