“Do we have any idea why they were staging these riots?”

“As a matter of fact, we do. We made another important arrest on the day of the election—a Senate page who was on KR’s payroll. He was caught trying to get into the Chamber of Paladins during the election.”

“Let me guess—with a bomb?”

“No, with an urgent summons from the Senate. The message reported out-of-control rioting in the streets, and demanded that Paladin David McKinnon be dispatched to quell the troubles.”

“Out-of-control rioting?” Jonah asked with a smile.

“They overestimated how effective they’d be.”

“Why McKinnon? Did they want to draw him out into a fight? Kill him?”

“Draw him into a fight, yes,” Emil replied. “Kill him, maybe not. He’s hardly the number-one enemy to the KR’s cause. No, our theory is that they wanted McKinnon to put down the rioting. They’d present token resistance, then back down. McKinnon would return to the chambers as a hero and be swept into power.”

“He would? Are we Paladins really that easily manipulated?”

Emil chose his words carefully. “Don’t underestimate the emotional effects of a military victory on a crowd, even a veteran crowd like the Paladins. Remember the applause for Paladin GioAvanti when she returned. Had she chosen, she might have used her speech to build support for herself, and could well be Exarch-elect right now.”

It’s true, Jonah thought. I was ready to vote for her—again.

“She chose to use her speech for your benefit,” Emil said, then corrected himself. “Well, not directly, but that was the effect. She described a person that everyone recognized as you. But the point is, had McKinnon returned and reported victory, it would have been him, not GioAvanti, receiving the accolades. He could have—he would have—easily turned that into victory.”

“Do you think McKinnon knew about this? Was he in league with KR?” Jonah asked, thinking uncomfortably about the anonymous messages he had received during the election.

“I doubt it. It’s not his style. I think KR thought McKinnon was electable, unlike Sorenson, and he’d create the right environment for them. He’s not as extreme as they are, but they considered him a step in the right direction. They also knew how trusted McKinnon was throughout The Republic, and thought he’d be perhaps the best emissary possible for spreading Founder’s Movement sympathies, even if it was in what they considered a diluted fashion.”

“You know, we almost elected him without the KR’s help.”

“I know. He’s a good man. He’s just…” Emil paused. “He’s a man whose beliefs could, at this time, be used for the wrong ends.”

“And mine can’t?”

“I suppose, to some degree, anyone’s can. But I agree with the sentiment expressed by Paladin GioAvanti—at this time, you are the type of man The Republic needs.”

“That’s what everyone keeps telling me,” Jonah said.

Silently, he considered his position. The new unit he had been assigned to lead was much larger than his last one—two hundred and fifty planets strong. Sure, he faced a more powerful enemy this time, but there was no question that he and his troops would hold the line for Devlin Stone’s dream.

Jason M. Hardy has been festering under the surface of the gaming and writing world for a few years, like a sneaky alligator, or possibly like gangrene. He has contributed to a number of role-playing sourcebooks and written one of his own, The Labyrinth of Oversoul. He also wrote two novels set in the Crimson Skies ™ universe, but they are available only in European editions. The Scorpion Jar is his first novel to be published in English.

He lives in Chicago with his wife and son.