It never was easy to admit when you had the rug pulled out from under you. Moff Rübezahl's promise of the Corporate Authority had opened so many doors, letting just enough promise peek through that Emelie had let her mind become awash in it all. But the force of her imagination was nothing compared to the power of Imperial politics and it seemed overnight that her position as a good standing member of Imperial entrepreneurship was all but lost. It was unfortunate, but not a total loss. It had shown that Elysian Acquisitions was interested in a friendship with the Empire, not merely content to do what was best for their holdings, but to ensure that Cloud City and Bespin itself flourished. Not bad for a small company that had been relatively unobtrusive.

But Emelie had been going about it all wrong. Sure,the Moffs had power and prestige, but their scope was far too broad. She'd neglected the real source of influence in their little city among the clouds. If you wanted an ally here, there was only one name that should have ever come to mind: Tagge.

Her visit to the office of the Baroness Administrator was far overdue, in hindsight. Emelie, however, hoped the information held within the datapad neatly tucked away in a simple clutch she carried would more than make up for it.