STATS
Corina Ling-Raleigh is the eldest daughter of an Imperial noble family. She served four terms in the Line Branch of the Imperial Navy and is a graduate of the Naval Academy and Command College. She was awarded 2 purple hearts, 1 MCUF and 2 MCG's for her Naval service. She left the service with a final rank of Lt. Commander. Corina served as Regional Director of Ling-Standard for the Spinward Marches, based on Regina. She has been very active in social and charitable works since she arrived at Regina. Society pages tracked her engagement to Mark Bach, however that was broken off shortly before the wedding.
Corina was appointed Regent for Frederick William Aledon, heir apparent to the Duchy of Regina. She served in that capacity until the car accident involving her Alfrero Spider, which injured Corina and killed Frederick.
Corina began publishing The Democracia, a newsfax on Regina that specializes in local news and cutting edge fashion, sports and entertainment. Corina also incorporated the Foundation of Social Assistance on Regina, with the goals of "improving the lives of the common people".
Corina dated the actor Dirk Savage, while he was filming his latest movie on Regina. She was also appointed "Acting Governor" of Regina by the Imperium after the finalization of the treaty ending the Sixth Frontier War. She resigned her position as General Director of Ling-Standard, to run the Regina government. During her tenure as Acting Governor, it was revealed that she is the illegitimate daughter of Duke Norris Aledon.
Corina survived a third assassination attempt (a fire set in her apartment) with the assistance of Jack Armstrong, but discovered that it had been orchestrated by Mercer Black. In the ensuing power struggle: Corina decides that someone has to go (either her or Black), Corina then arranges a duel to the death with an unwitting Black (with the Sengi as referees). To the duel in the formal garden, Aguilon Park, Corina invited witnesses, people who have a stake in the outcome of this fight and the Regina media. The witnesses and Black all arrive not sure what's going on. Corina arrives and taking Black's arm, walks him into the circle of Sengi and then challenges him to the duel. The fight is very nasty, punctuated by two lengthy lulls when both combatants fall unconscious. Having blinded Corina and lopped off her right hand, Black is about to finish her off, when the power and lights are suddenly shut off. When the lights come back on, her body is gone.
Corina eventually awakes on a bench in Aguilon Park with a new face, eyes and a new identity - "Monica". She also finds a suitcase with clothes, new ID, a sterile gauss pistol and a ticket to the opera; but she declines this chance to try to kill Black again. Instead she contacts Jack and arranges to meet him on a Tukera Liner after it has left Regina for Jenghe. Corina sends Randi Kyle a "welcome to the family" and names Randi as the Director of the Foundation for Social Assistance.
After Corina meets Jack on the liner, she invites him to her cabin and explains that her interest in him is personal, not professional now; and that since she's no longer a Ling -Raleigh or his boss, they can have a life together. A torrid love scene ensues. Jack proposes and gives Corina his first wife's ring. In order to obscure their trail, they switch ships and have the Captain of the new ship marry them (now she's - Monica Armstrong). They plan to work as ship's crew until they find the right planet to settle on, where they can run a spacer bar and "Monica" can broker ship's trade. All seems to be going well until Corina and Jack are snatched, frozen in low berths and returned to Regina.
When Corina awakes she is being held captive by Commissioner Globber, who is apparently under the influence of a drug called Impulse. Corina succeeds in escaping, and with the help of Jack's former Ling Security team, frees Jack also. Corina's return to Regina is "noticed" by Black, who wants to make a "new deal" for the control of Regina. Corina learns that her family has manipulated events over many years and provided her with false information, in order to engineer her "success" on this planet. With Black's assistance Corina is bio-sculpted back to her original appearance and makes a flamboyant re-entry to Regina in the form of a public wedding to Jack. The Ling family, in the person of the matriarch, Grand Ma-ma Ming Na Ling -arrives at the wedding ceremony to congratulate Corina.
Following the ceremony, Corina makes a very public speech at the wedding reception, telling the people of Regina that she plans to challenge Collingwood's appointment as the Duke of Regina, based upon her connection to the Aledon family. Collingwood, under the influence of Impulse, can't stand Corina's triumphant return and dramatically blows his brains out (all over Corina) in the middle of the wedding reception. It is subsequently revealed that the Ling family (feel free to visualize "Borgia") had some involvement in the spiking of a wine shipment to Collingwood with the drug Impulse. Corina travelled to Jewell to petition the Archduke and the College of Peers, for appointment to the position of Duchess of Regina, which she did in fact receive.
Corina returns to Regina as Duchess of the planet, an enfiefment which will be extended to cover the rule of the subsector, after fulfillment of the traditional Imperial condition of ruling "a year and a day" or the birth of a child of her blood line. And wouldn't you know it, she also discovers she's pregnant. The question is, does the Flute Tree in the garden of the new ship do something more than sound pretty?
Following Corina's return to Regina, things assume their normal pattern: there's a planetary coup, the Solomani delegation and embassy is blown up, etc. At least she's used to the way things work here. She does decree that Regina's Senate should become an elected body; there are lots of vacancies after the coup. The election has it's own Regina flavor too.
On 34/1123, after a brief, somewhat cursory labor, Corina delivers a son, Jackson Marshall Armstrong, Jr. In her own business like way, she delivered an heir AND expanded her authority to the entire subsector, in under a year.
See the Barry Boone version of her life at: Queen or Pawn.