"I believe we can start discussing the events, the other Elders can check the recorded logs to quickly get them up to speed. Oh, and Montoya? Go a little easier on the Synth Mary Jay. You look like you haven't slept in a couple of days."
Juan smiled at Montoya and took a greedy drink from his water glass to clear his throat.
"Right, about the independents. Whenever I am on patrol with my Titan, I always keep one eye on the bloated independents. They never seem to know exactly what is going on, political or economical. Don't get me wrong, I like the feeling of a battleship or two guarding our home, but when those commanding are irresponsible in their use of said armors, catastrophe can occur. Now, I have met a couple of these men, and have made some friendships. One in particular, Old Laowai, I have grow rather fond of."
Lucendez took a break and blew his nose, throwing the tissue into the fire.
"There is a grouping of independents you all may have heard of, called "[TT]". I trust you all have read the report by Theresa Chavez. If you haven't, I would suggest it. They would block the path of an Artifact smuggler. For what? A 2 million tax?! This is intolerable."
"The thirteen saloons that had lined the one street of Seney had not left a trace. The foundations of the Mansion House hotel stuck up above the ground. The stone was chipped and split by the fire. It was all that was left of the town of Seney. Even the surface had been burned off the ground.
Nick looked at the burned-over stretch of hillside, where he had expected to find the scattered houses of the town and then walked down the railroad track to the bridge over the river. The river was there."
