cility, and my technicians are restoring it even as we speak. That is where the ships you have were built. The Kimdori can help you build those ships. Merely say the word, and we will retrieve the plans for the cruiser and destroyer class ships, and begin construction as soon as the base is restored. It _will_ require that a new biogenic plant be built, though. We lack the ability to build biogenic systems. But we can get the ships on their way to completion and refit them with biogenic systems once a new biogenic manufacturing facility is operating."

"Okay, where do I find the people?"

"Right here," she told him. "This planet might be owned by the Imperium, Jason, but these are _your_ people. They will support you. Teach them. Train them. They can be just as effective as a Faey military so long as they aren't close enough for the Faey to attack them telepathically. Put them in a ship, and they are both safe and effective."

"I never thought of that."

"They are not your only option, my friend. You are a charismatic and capable leader, both of humans and of the Faey. You should not overlook the _Faey_ as a potential military force. Commoners have no allegiances, my friend, only to themselves and the pay they are given for their service. Loyalty is the issue for you, but I am sure you could find ways to secure their loyalty. One of your most endearing traits is your ability to instill faith into others, my friend. Use that gift. Lure Faey commoners to come work for your house, using whatever means you can. Hire mercenaries to serve as your house army until you can build a true army of your own. It would only benefit you, for you will be hiring trained workers that can immediately benefit the house."

"I'll try."

"Very good. And there's one more thing, Jason, something that will help you in many ways."

"What is that?"

"You are the resurrection of the Karinnes, and that name still echoes through this galaxy, Jason. It is the legend of science and the memory of harmonious advancement, where races from all over the galaxy could find a place to come together and learn, a place where there were no factions, no enemies, only students of science. Reopen the Academy. Build it here, on Terra. If a Karinne builds it, the scientists from civilizations you've never heard of will flock here, to restore that legendary place of learning. With a new Academy, you gain access to new ideas, new technologies, you become a major player in intergalactic politics, and you become a _powerful_ voice within the _Siann_. And believe me, after what happened after the Karis Academy was destroyed, _no one_ would attack this planet without being ready to become hated and reviled for thousands of years. Even to this day, the Merranes have blood enemies in many races and governments for what they did to Karis."

"Like the Urumi."

"Like the Urumi," she nodded. "I think if they had it to do over again, they would not have been the ones forever attached to that stigma. They would have let some other house take on that infamy. Rebuilding the Academy restores the Karinne name in the galaxy, it brings you many new ideas and options, it opens new diplomatic channels for you as you deal with other governments, and it gives you a place where you can train _your own_ people to support the house."

Jason scratched his chin, pondering her words. It certainly would be advantageous. "Will the Kimdori help?"

"My friend, we won't _have_ to help. Simply announce that the Karinnes wish to rebuild the Academy, but lack the funding to get the project underway. You will have money _pouring_ in to help you. The Merranes have lived with the dark taint of their actions for over a thousand years. Give Dahnai a chance to atone, and she will jump on it."

"But I don't want to be tied to anyone, like I owe them for it."

"She would not expect it," she sniffed. "Jason, everyone in the galaxy understood that the Karinnes kept strict neutrality. Financing the Academy would bring them no favors from the Karinnes. It did not in the past, it will not in the present. Though you will publicly take sides in the Imperium, and the Imperium financed the rebuilding of the Academy, to them, that is an _internal_ matter. As far as the rest of the galaxy would be concerned, it would be restitution, atonement by the Merranes for past sins. And besides, after what happened to your ancestors, they will understand that the _new_ House of Karinne will not make the same mistakes as its foremothers. They will not care. Trust me."

"I do, Denmother. I may need your help with the plans, and finding someone to run it."

"I know of a Faey that would make an outstanding High Dean of the Academy," Zaa told him. "Her name is Ayuma Indarre, and she is one of _you_. She is one of the ones we considered for the task, but declined in favor of you. She was a Major in the Imperial Marines who specialized in the administration of the Corps, but she currently is employed by the Makati, administrating one of their smaller universities on Makan. She is a bureaucrat, but she is a _good _bureaucrat. She knows how to run a research operation due to her experience in her current position, and she is a Generation, so she is someone in whom you can confide about the true nature of the Karinnes and the Academy. I will give you her contact information, and you can extend to her an invitation to apply to operate the Academy.

"That does remind me, my friend. I will be sending the order to quietly make contact with the other survivors of Karinne, and bringing them to you. I will wait until after you get the Academy project under way, and then we will be bringing them to you. It is time to restore the House of Karinne, and that can only be done by reforming the house from its survivors. And you should institute a policy here to gather up the human descendents of the non-Generational Faey and fold them into your house. A swelling of house members will help put you in a position of strength.

"But for the other matters, I will make some inquiries and find you some people to advise you. Clearly, you will need a builder, and to consult the scientific community to find out what the Academy needs to function. I will see to it."

                                        * * *

And boy, did she. Jason had to agree with Zaa on every point. The only way to discourage the Highborns from civil war was to basically scare the piss out of them, make them see that they were going to have a major fight on their hands if they tried it. So, Jason decided to accept Zaa's advice and do what she suggested.

Firstly, after Dahnai sent him a message telling him he was permitted to return to court, he offered her a tour of the _Defiant_. He did so privately, but when the Empress went anywhere, everyone knew, and knew where she was going. So, the _Siann_ was watching and INN had cameras going to catch the Empress and the Grand Duke Karinne departing in an escorted dropship, and then it rendezvoused with the sleek, mysterious ship that had been fueling a firestorm of controversy for weeks since it appeared.

That was his public declaration. Now the _Siann_ knew that the mystery ship belonged to him, and his offer to let the Empress board it was telling them all exactly where his loyalties lay.

That was the public display. But the reality was different from the public image, and that reality affirmed itself as soon as the dropship was out of public view.

Dahnai was bitterly disappointed when she found out he wasn't even going to let her off the dropship. So, they sat in the landing bay for three hours, playing Queen's Swords with Dahnai's guards.

That was his private declaration to Dahnai. He would help her, but he would not give her _anything_, not even a _look_ at forbidden Karinne technology.

The dropship returned to Dracora, and Dahnai publicly thanked Jason for a wonderful tour of his amazing ship. She played it perfectly, and Jason could see the uncertainty in the eyes of the Highborn leaders. Now they knew, knew that that mystery ship with its formidable weaponry was a salvaged Karinne warship, and it was at Dahnai's beck and call. The mystery of the Karinnes wasn't something that most people knew, but the Highborns would know just enough to know that that ship was a wild card, know enough of their history to know that the Karinnes had technology they didn't share with the rest of the Imperium. Being in the highest ranks of the Imperium's power structure, they would have access to that information, and he was sure that if they didn't know, the Kimdori they would hire to seek out the truth would tell them just that.

It was played with a subtle hand, but the message certainly was not lost. They now knew that Jason had access to more of the lost Karinnes than a single research vessel, and he would use those resources in support of the Empress. They had no idea what else he had, what other technology or equipment he had managed to recover, but now he had to be taken into account in any plan they might hatch to take the throne.

After court, Dahnai invited him out onto the practice field, to return to training her in Aikido. He hadn't packed his training _gi_, so he was forced to wear a pair of shorts that Dahnai had had scrounged up for him, and nothing else. She wouldn't _let_ him wear anything else. She wore her skin-tight spandex workout suit, and after their last meeting, he had to take a moment to really admire her toned body. While he taught her, he told her about Zaa's idea of reopening the Academy, but passed it off as his own idea. Dahnai didn't know about the personal relationship between him and the Kimdori outside of his public friendships with Miaari and Kiaari.

_Wow, that's a _great_ idea,_ she told him honestly. _It would go a long way to healing some old scars between the Imperium and some other governments, too. How far have you gone with it?_

_I asked, uh, Miaari if she could look into gathering some people to talk about it. Engineers and scientists, you know, to see what we'd need to put into the Academy to make it workable, and the engineers who may build it there to work out the details. She's working on it right now. I'm not sure where I'm going to find the money for it, but it's something that I have to do. It's important, both for the present and to carry out my duties to the house. Restoring the Academy is a task I was given by my ancestors, and now that I've got Terra basically up and running, I can get to work on it._

_Well, I think it's wonderful. What will you need?_

_What do you mean?_

_Name it, and it's there for you, honey. Money, experts, materials, you name it._

_Well, I'm not going to commit myself to _one_ backer, Dahnai. I've got a press release all ready to go out when I get home, making my intentions public. I want more than _just_ the Imperium to know what's going on. Before it was destroyed, the Academy was a place where scientists from all over could come to research, and students from any race or government could come to learn. That's what it's going to be again. I want it to be a _community_ effort to rebuild it._

_Well, count this part of the community in,_ she told him immediately. _I'll talk to your Miaari, and have the best engineering firm on Makan put on retainer. When you have your summit, you'll have the best damn engineers in the galaxy there to work up a plan to make it happen._

_Wow, thanks, Dahnai._

_I'm not just doing it for you. If Merrane helps restore what they destroyed, maybe some people will get off our backs,_ she sent with a frown. _And I can see a light hand in there, Jayce. If you restart the Academy, hell, you're basically wrapping yourself in a suit of armor. People would think _real_ hard about going after you._

_Yeah, I thought of that too._

She grinned at him. _You're maturing _real_ fast, babe. I think in a few more months, you'll be as feared in the _Siann_ as Semoya Dorrane._

_I don't have much choice. It's learn fast or go down in flames._

_It's the best learning tool,_ she sent sagely as they bowed to each other. _I'm gonna look forward to this now._

_Why? It's no different than before._

_The hell it's not. After you beat the hell out of me out here, I'm taking you back to my room so you can make it up to me. I already ordered the guards out of my bedroom,_ she purred, giving him an open leer.

_And so you get to learn the first lesson all over again,_ he sent dryly. _Keeping your mind on what you're doing. Every time I catch you daydreaming, you're gonna regret it._

_Bring it on, sexy,_ she taunted, crooking a finger at him.

                                        * * *

Zaa had not been wrong yet to Jason's recollection, and in her advice to him, she maintained her perfect record. She had been beyond right in how people were going to respond when he went public with his plans to rebuild the Academy on Earth. Almost immediately, the Empress herself released a statement saying that the Imperium considered the restoration of the Academy to be a top priority for both the Imperium and House Merrane, and was funding the operation... and they would spare no expense. Though there was no outright apology in that statement, the contriteness of the wording made it clear that House Merrane was accepting responsibility, and wanted to make it right.

It got some attention from _outside_ the Imperium as well. Jason received messages from four different outside governments; the Alliance, the Skaa, the Bari-Bari, and a species on the other side of the Alliance called the Veruta. All of them said in their messages that they supported the idea of the rebuilding of the Academy.

With Kumi's help, they formulated responses and sent them off, but another one came in while they were doing so.

"Demir's sword, this one's from, shit, I have no idea who it's from," Kumi complained, reading the message. "It's from some government I've never heard of before. The Confederation of the Nine Colonies? Who the hell are they?"

_Don't ask me,_ Jason answered, taking it from her and reading it. _I'm kinda surprised, really. I didn't think so many would remember something that was destroyed fifteen hundred years ago._

_Well, hand me that handpanel._

He did so, and she hauled off and smacked him on the back of the head. "Ow!" _What was that for?_

_For fucking every Trelle-damned woman in the Imperium but me!_ she snapped. _Really, Songa? And the _Empress_? Shit, babes, I was in line first! Where's my chance?_

_Songa needed me, and you _don't _say no to the Empress. Besides, you're still in the doghouse, girl,_ he told her. _I'm not done with you yet over that naked picture._

_You can really hold a grudge,_ she growled.

_I have not yet begun to hold a grudge,_ he answered. _Now, where are we gonna find tables?_

_I hate you._

_Fine. Tables. Find. Go._

_Bastard._

_Count on it._

                                        * * *

The third issue, well, that was an issue, and it ran him afoul of Kumi, and also caused some unexpected problems within the _Siann_... and it gave him his first taste of dealing with the dark side of another house.

That house was Trefani, who basically owned a stranglehold on Faey mercenary contracts due to their deep involvement in organized crime.

It was a rather interesting situation. When Jason started looking for mercenaries to hire, again and again, he ran into this union of sorts known as the Soldier's Guild. It was an agency of sorts that pushed contracts out to mercenary companies, and Jason found out very quickly that mercs were a bit wary of taking contracts that the guild didn't touch in some way. Jason saw how this worked pretty quickly, and saw that Trefani was using a kickback scheme to make money off anyone who wanted to hire mercenaries, and were making sure that any mercs that didn't want to play their game had too many hassles to make a living out of it. They either joined the guild, or they got boned. And once they were in the guild, the Trefanis earned their percentage off their mercenary contracts.

Kumi had almost rebelled when he started looking at ways to get around Trefani and hire soldiers directly. "Babes, that's a _bad_ idea," she told him flatly. "You might do alright fencing with Dahnai, but she's civil. You're opening an entirely different _kaba_ nut when you start fucking with the Trefanis. They will put the hurt on you, and they won't care that you're the current favorite of the Empress in the _Siann_."

Jason blew Kumi off, but after a little more time, he realized that she was basically right. It was affirmed when Yila Trefani took him aside in open court and mentioned that she'd heard that he was trying to hire unguilded mercenaries, and she did not even _pretend_ to be delicate about the matter. "You won't find a single merc willing to take on a contract outside the guild, Karinne," she told him in an ugly tone. "And if you keep trying, someone might decide to offer out contracts _on_ you rather than _for_ you. Understand?"

"Why, Yila, are you threatening me?" he asked mildly.

"Keep doing what you're doing, and you'll find the answer to that question, Terran," she told him icily, then she stalked off.

"What was that about?" Weia Saenne asked curiously, walking over to him and watching Yila stalk off in a snit.

"I do believe I just did the one thing that you're not supposed to do."

"What is that?"

"Threaten to cost the Trefanis money."

She laughed. "That's usually not a good idea. They're one of the largest Minor houses, Jason. Nobody crosses them, because they find ways to make you pay without ever firing a shot. They have their hands into so many things; you'd be amazed how deeply they can fuck you when you piss them off."

"So, Yila has decided to do the one thing she shouldn't have done," Jason said with a narrow-eyed look at her retreating back.

"What's that?"

"Piss me off. If she wants to play a game of _chicken_, I'll be more than happy to take her on."

"What is this game, _chicken_?"

"It's a game Terran children play. The first one to flinch in the face of rapidly approaching danger loses. If she wants to put the screws on me because I'm threatening to get around her little monopoly on the mercenaries, well, I'll just go get my box of toys," he said, flexing his fingers in an ominous manner. "We'll see who flinches first."

Weia laughed. "Sounds like I need to get a seat and watch this one. It sounds very entertaining."

"It won't last long. I must ask you something, Weia."

"What?"

"I noticed Yila wears a pretty expensive dress. Is she one of the stuck up types? You know, one of the Highborn wannabes?"

"If you're asking if she would be very angry if you embarrassed her, the answer is yes, Jason," she answered.

"Oh, I don't _do_ embarrassment, Weia. That's kid stuff. My area of expertise is _humiliation_. Yila Trefani is about to get both barrels of it, right in her face."

Weia gave him a startled look, and laughed so hard she almost fell over.

The Trefanis were basically the mob, and Jason knew enough about the mob from movies, documentaries, and books to know that they were a combination of a light touch and a heavy fist. They moved with subtlety, but when it came time to get their money, the enforcers showed up with baseball bats. But it was also about _appearances_. The Trefanis had to keep up the appearance that they were above-board, and that was where Jason decided to attack them. They had legitimate businesses and legitimate interests, and those fronts for their real activities could only function so long as they maintained their appearance of respectability.

The day after court, Jason did three things. First, he called in Myleena and they spent an entire day and night building some new toys. Second, he called in the Kimdori to deliver them. Then, thirdly, he put up an open advertisement for professional soldiers to interview with House Karinne, and he _specifically_ stated that any mercenary company that was affiliated with the guild would not be considered for the jobs. And on that open posting, he offered a _very_ appealing salary, almost half again as much as a mercenary might make with another house. And without the guild there to take its cut, the mercenary would get to keep it all for herself.

The money burned Kumi up. "We're riding the border between black and red ink here, Jayce! We can't _afford_ to hire mercs at the salaries you've promised! We're almost broke!"

"Sure we can, Kumi. Part of the Academy budget appropriations includes security and defense. I can't defend the Academy without an army, can I? It's a valid expense. I've already asked Dahnai, and she said it was. We'll just attach the mercs' salaries to that blank check that the Imperium wrote for the Academy. The _Imperium_ will be paying them, not us."

Kumi was about to say something, but then she laughed. "Holy shit, you're right. Let me go fill out some contracts!"

Yila Trefani, naturally, heard about this almost immediately, and orders were issued. Trefani enforcers were out and about making sure no merc even _thought_ of going against the guild and trying to hire on, even going so far as to put people in the spaceports, watching for anyone going to Terra that wasn't a Suralle.

Yila never knew what hit her.

The Kimdori did their part perfectly. Their job was to deliver the packages in a way that made it impossible for them to be traced back to Earth, and make them appear to be real packages sent to real businesses for real reasons. They weren't, of course; they were all sent to the various front organizations the Trefanis used to hide their activities, fronts the Kimdori knew about and willingly disclosed to Jason. Going after businesses on Trefani-controlled planets was useless, so instead, Jason had the Kimdori target the most important front companies to Trefani illegal activities on Draconis, including the home office of the Soldier's Guild.

Every one of them got to meet the Friendly Puppy.

The Friendly Puppy was a rather fiendish little robotic animal, built like a puppy, with a big, floppy tongue, large ears, and an insufferably cute face and demeanor, covered in fake yellow fur. Jason had intentionally made them look like Odie from the _Garfield _comics. All the people who opened the packages thought they were adorable, taking them out and putting them on desks or tables. None of them had any idea just exactly what it was or who sent it, but they really didn't care, for it was so _cute_. Each Friendly Puppy also came with a little remote control that was a small black box with nothing but a single red button on it, a button that had an internal blinking red light, and _Push Me!_ scribed around it in flowing, cheerful letters.

Faey, being the intensely curious species that they were, could not resist pushing the button.

Doing so activated the Friendly Puppy. The first thing it did was fire off a striated tetryon wave that fried all moleculartronic memory in a 500 meter radius, wiping it by aligning all molecules in the boards in the same direction. Those who had panels or vidlinks on when pressing the button saw them freeze up, crash, and then die. But the Friendly Puppy wasn't _only_ about wiping the computers of the opposition. The robots engaged then, jumping down and running in circles in the rooms in which they were activated, barking with a high-pitched _yap-yap-yap!_, and then their programming activated to make them emulate the behavior of a puppy, doing all the annoying things that puppies did. They barked at small objects fiercely. They chased their own tails. They chewed on shoes and any paper they could reach. And they followed anyone around who moved, yapping incessantly for attention, though the Friendly Puppy was programmed not to leave the room in which it had been activated.

But nobody was around a Friendly Puppy for long, for while they did all these adorable things, a booming speaker in the robot's back fired off a message so loud that it made anyone within fifty feet of the puppy's ears bleed. That message, over and over again, was "THIS IS A FRONT COMPANY FOR AN ILLEGAL TREFANI OPERATION!" It repeated itself over and over endlessly, announcing to the world the secret within.

Attempts to silence the Friendly Puppy were in vain. The little robots were equipped with a Neutronium outer hull and were shock-resistant, which made it impossible to smack it with a heavy object to make it shut up. Attempts to shoot the Friendly Puppy with an MPAC or any other weapon caused it to emit a sudden high-pitched whine, like the building up of a power generator building to a crescendo, and then the Friendly Puppy fired a harmonic energy wave from both of its eyes and various emitters around its body, concealed by its fur, that gave it a 360 degree field of impact. It was one of Jason's unused ideas to use against Trillane. The harmonic energy wave caused ionic bonds in metallic elements to destabilize and come unglued; it was a design that Jason had seen in the Research and Development archives called a _metal gun_, a weapon that only attacked metal, leaving all other materials undamaged, but had never been pursued because it wouldn't work on Vanidrium and Neutronium, the two main metals of which modern Faey armor were made. The result was the metallic elements of the MPAC literally melting in the hands of the wielder, making the weapon useless, as well as any metal the wielder was wearing. And any metal around the room, too.

In the end, the Trefanis could not figure out how to stop the Friendly Puppies from generating their ear-splitting warnings, nor could they destroy them. So they were forced to bring in sound-absorbing shields and set them up around the buildings; they couldn't get the shields set up in the room, for the Friendly Puppy was equipped with sensors and would fire its metal gun whenever any plasma signature was brought within 20 meters of it, destroying its metal and rendering any equipment it contained unusable. That was how it was programmed. That made it impossible to silence the Friendly Puppy without sacrificing the building in which it was located by setting up the sound-absorbing shield from a distance.

In the end, that was what they had to do.

Yila Trefani stormed right over to him the next day, in court, as the Friendly Puppies were out there doing their jobs, and gave him a cold, evil look. "I _know_ you did it," she hissed.

"Did what? I've been too busy trying to hire soldiers for my house to get involved in anything, Yila. But, if I _did_ do anything, well, it certainly wouldn't be limited to just one thing. You can go talk to Maeri about that, Yila. Ask her what it was like when I was rebelling against Trillane and they had to deal with me. I have _lots_ of toys, and I've had nowhere to use them. I guess if I can't find soldiers to defend my house, well, I'll have to abandon that idea, and I'll have_ plenty of free time on my hands_," he said in an intense, low voice, looking her right in the eyes.

She glared at him a long moment, sighed, blew out her breath while looking at the floor, then looked at him with a grim kind of smile. "Alright, you've made your point. Call off your little pets, and I'll look the other way, this time."

"You'll look the other way any time I damn well feel like it, Yila," Jason told her in a growling voice. "I do _not_ take threats lightly or kindly. When it comes to Karinne, you'd better tell all your house that we are _hands off_. You won't try to bribe us, blackmail us, or play us, because I'll come back at you so hard you'll think you were fucked by a battle cruiser. If you _ever_ threaten me or my house again, you will find out how deep my toy box really is. You're not the only house that fights its wars without using guns, and I'm a hell of a lot meaner than you. Don't _ever_ forget that."

"You'd better rethink that statement," she said icily.

"Should I? You got a taste of my Friendly Puppies. How'd you like to meet my Hello Kitties tomorrow? I'm sure you'll find them _very_ entertaining, at least until they start shaking your buildings apart with their torsion shockwave generators. And if the kitties don't do it for you, I'm sure you'll just _love_ My Little Pony. Would you like to ride my pony, Yila? I can guarantee you, it will be a once in a lifetime experience."

She glared at him, then she actually _laughed_! "I don't think I have the ovaries to go that far. You win this round, Karinne. But you'd better keep an eye over your shoulder, because I think I found someone to keep my mind occupied."

"It's your hair, Yila," he shrugged. "You're going to look awful funny once you've torn it all out. And no hard feelings. You of all people should understand that it's only business."

Despite Yila Trefani's declarations, she actually didn't have the nerve to play chicken with Jason Karinne. Unlike House Karinne, House Trefani had much more to lose, and Yila wasn't willing to risk it. It was much more profitable to simply let the Karinnes go and stay out of the very dangerous Grand Duke Karinne's way than it was to try to milk their cut out of him. The resistance holding mercenaries from hiring on with House Karinne stopped, and things returned to some semblance of normalcy.

If only just. The brief spat between Yila Trefani and Jason Karinne showed the _Siann_ that the Terran who had seemed so frightened and looked a promising target when he arrived was not afraid anymore, and what was more, he was an intelligent, cunning man who could take the nobles of the _Siann_ on head to head. He knew how to play the game. He had locked horns with one of the most dangerous women in the _Siann_ without even batting an eye, and he had beaten her.

After the incident with the Friendly Puppies, the _Siann_ took Jason Karinne _very_ seriously.

                                        * * *

The fourth issue wasn't that hard to do. Thanks to the late Rann, God rest his soul, they already had a way to find the human telepaths, and that became the task of just about everyone else in the house. The Marines, Songa, Yohne, Myra, Meya, Fure, Temika, Ian, and Molly were given the task of finding all the human telepaths and bringing them to Foxwood, where Jason could induct them into the house, and also start them in their new school, a school run by the Marines on telepathy. The humans, Myra, Meya, Fure, Songa, and Yohne's job wa