So Much Scandal
Corina has done nothing to disperse the clouds of misinformation surrounding her. There is not much on Regina that is beyond the reach of those acquisitive white hands, even the records of her prior military service. It would seem that she would have us believe that she rose, resplendent as the phoenix, as the Regent of Regina from the ashes of the Aledon family. And the picture of herself that she presents to the public, that charming picture of a Lady Bountiful dedicating her life to the humble folk, is not a millimeter closer to the truth than the most scurrilous of the stories that abound. The truth about Corina Armstrong has been obscured by greed and hatred, vanity and fear. Only after she is truly gone can a real biography be written, long after the fury and the fanfare are forgotten, and only one thing is certain of it- that the story will be even more remarkable than all that is known of her now. This story is fragmented because we are only beginning the process of reconstructing the truth of Corina’s past; more will be revealed over time.
The Lings are so inter-related and their estates so vast that they have come to regard their whole home planet as if it were a family estate to be administered, sometimes conscientiously and with benevolence, but always for their own convenience. They regard people on their property as their property and they are as convinced of their unassailable superiority as the mastodons must have been theirs.
But Corina’s real schooling for this rise to power was in her childhood home; this was a hard, un-tender nursery for the dreams of youth. She was taught from the beginning that life was a struggle for survival in which the prizes went to the toughest and the most unscrupulous; that she could afford to give advantage to none and that man was her natural enemy or a fool whom a clever girl could exploit. There was nothing known to her of tenderness between the sexes, much less of romance or even honest companionship. A wise woman simulated indifference or passion according to what best suited her ends.
Corina learned her lesson well. There was nothing about Corina, except perhaps her intensity and her tantrums of rage, to betray the dreams of grandeur by which she was obsessed. She spoke very little of the ambition that consumed her, for she could not bear to be held in ridicule, but she was sustained by the belief that one day she would be great and rich and beautiful. It was a family within which failure was not only not tolerated, it was not possible. The Lings are driven by the idea that death is infinitely preferable to failure. Corina sought a regimented life in the Imperial Navy: to have wanted to escape so fiercely, so desperately, she must have hated her life, her family, her very self.
Imagine her shock when her naval career is not only abruptly terminated by her medical discharge, but that she receives that discharge in such a public manner that she is sent to the Marches by her family to "redeem herself" or to lie low until the scandal abates. What better way to fuel the undying fires of ambition than to deprive someone of everything they hold most dear?
She came to Regina with the conviction that she would succeed. She had already that obsession of greatness that is impatient of the friendliest criticism. Her dreams of success were not so much an escape from life as the dynamo of her existence. Those dreams were her only satisfaction in a life that was sordid and disillusioning as she made the transition from Naval honor to mega-corporation profit/loss statements.
It was not by her application to corporate profits but by intrigue that Corina meant to succeed, not by study and self-improvement but by the manipulation of others; indeed, her upbringing had shown no other means of getting on in the world and she used her influence over men with a ruthlessness and energy that might have made her a corporate giant had she applied them to her business ventures.
The planetary disaster of the comet strike was one of those disasters which by sheer magnitude and suddenness shocks a whole planet into spontaneous acts of generosity; the supplies sent by the government were reinforced by private donations. In the emotional fervor of philanthropy that followed on the eve of the tragedy Corina saw a heaven sent opportunity for self-advancement; her emotions were in some degree and at least temporarily at least sincere; but not for a moment did she overlook the advantage to herself. Corina threw herself into the campaign for the refugees of Regina with all of the extraordinary energy of which she is capable. It was the first public exhibition of that compulsive and compelling drive of hers which made her elevation to our Duchess possible. It also led the late Duke Macaneil to have Corina appointed Regent.
It was a dreadfully precarious existence that would have broken the spirit of anyone less tough or unscrupulous. During her time as Regent, always with the certain (to herself) goal of her success in view she amassed a horde of acquaintances. It seems now that she must have a phenomenal gift for attracting the attention of influential men and making use of them. And once she had gained that attention she did not readily let go of her victim but pursued him until the last drop of usefulness had been squeezed out of him. First Mac, then Mark Bach and then Dirk Savage. It does not require a vivid imagination to speculate at the relationship between the fabled playboy Archduke Astridi and Corina; who could play a more crucial role in her elevation to Duchess?
But Corina had no affection to give to anyone; she could pretend love or passion or friendliness but perhaps the only real emotion she could feel was hate. To reveal her in full vindictiveness just recall her rivalry with the former Solomani Counsel Christopher Blaelok, which resulted in his expulsion from planet. It is doubtful if she felt any gratitude towards those who befriended her, for she discarded them quite callously when they could be of no further use.
Before we condemn her for these tactics, understand that the Regina Sector woman has been exploited just as much as the laborer and only in cases of great wealth or usual strength of character have noble women been able to escape from the position of inferior dependency to which the men in their families have consigned them. Women who have escaped such a fate are: the Empress, with her strength of character, and Cali Turner, former governor of Jenghe, with her vast wealth. However, far more usual in the Sector’s history are women who are slaves to the antiquated social mores of Regina; women such as: Ann Bach, Consort to the former Archduke Maximillian Delgado; Danerella Kalugin, wife of Admiral William Grey; Caroline Collingwood, wife of the late Military Governor of Regina; these women have been forced to take a back seat to their husband’s political lives in spite of their own not inconsiderable personal talents. This attitude towards women may be seen in Regina today when many of the opposition and the military disapprove of Corina not so much because of corruption and illegality she has encouraged but because she is a woman in a position of great power.
Reginans do not take readily to rebellion; those who live on port are in the majority too comfortable and well fed; those who are very poor are also very ignorant and live in places so remote, very often, that what goes on in the government seems to have no relation to their lives. Following Corina’s temporary exit from Regina as the result of her conflict with the security apparatus, things began to change. Since the people were demanding a reform and would not be satisfied without a political shakeup of some sort, it seemed to the officers under the command of General Ramirez a good moment to throw the old power base of the Regina Senate out, and to seize the reins of power themselves. But it was the weakness, the greed, and the mistakes of others as much as her own foresight and contrivance that gave Corina her opportunity. General Ramirez could not have had any conception of what was behind the smiling face of the man who was of so much use to them; certainly Regina Security Director Black himself did not betray his ambition. They were both mediocre men who understood nothing of the responsibilities of government and very little of the wiles of politics. Corina could play both of them as easily as a child plays with plasticine.
Ramirez declared that his action had been taken in response to the people’s demand; but, although it was true that the revolution was a popular one, the discontent of the people had been used as an excuse for a military coup planned well in advance. In time the country learned that a military coup paved the way not for a restoration of civil liberties but towards a military dictatorship. Ramirez opened the way for Duchess Armstrong's current fascist tactics. Backed by mega-corporation oligarchs who wanted at all costs to reduce the workers to their former state of servitude, Ramirez canceled the elections he had promised, declared a state of siege and began shooting any senator that might be troublesome in the future. In short, all of them he could lay hands on. Here one may see the start of a pattern which the Regina military have used with increasing and disastrous effect since Duke Macaneil. Making an excuse of popular unrest, the military stage a coup under the direction of a general who is not too unsympathetic to the crowd and then, with the pretense of free government, replace him with a man of their own choice (e.g.- Collingwood and Androchev).
The fact that Ramirez’s death coincides with Corina’s return, is a signal that no one who has survived on Regina can miss. The minions of Regina Security will enforce the will of the Duchess, be that arbitrary arrests in the middle of the night to drag their victims off to jail or worse.
Her speech regarding her new husband Jack, is of course, propaganda written for the most unsophisticated listeners. But it is no more fantastic that the stories of her enemies who have attributed her political rise to blackmail, assassination, erotic practices, and even witchcraft (e.g.- ritual cannibalism and curses). There is perhaps a simple explanation for their mutual attraction, for if not love there was certainly a passionate infatuation on his part and on hers a stronger motive than expediency. The bond is there and though it may have been strengthened later by their mutual usefulness- indispensability, you might say-it was forged in the common experiences of childhood. Who could understand better what it was to be a member of the Ling family than one of the loyal Ling retainers? You can’t come closer to marrying someone who understands the peculiar implicit family obligations, without marrying your own uncle.
"Towards a Better Future" — perhaps.
There is a boldness in Corina’s methods but no originality; unique as she is, she is not original. As she does in all her activities she seized upon and made the utmost use of circumstances already in existence in the structure of Regina society. On Regina Up Port it had always been necessary in any negotiation, whether it were a matter of renewing a passport or of getting a government contract for a million dollars, to employ a go-between who would at least expedite the matter even if he were not necessary for its actual achievement. Any company of standing had on its staff some knowledgeable little office runner who had a friend in the post office or a cousin in the police department and could get a package through the customs house in a trice or a driving license for his employer without the formality of a test; and among their directors there would be one suave gentleman whose business it was to know the right people in government and to whom and how the necessary contribution should be made- and this, in the case of large government contracts, was quite frequently to the lady friend of the official rather than the official himself. Corina has created a monopoly in this under-the-counter business on Regina through her "reform" of the police department. It is to her and to her alone to whom the suave gentleman must bow, and her creatures to whom the knowledgeable little office runners must go.
Corina is at heart an adventuress, like her father, and perhaps the insecurity of her position adds zest to her life. She appears to know however, that her future rests not merely on the Archduke’s whim, but on the stability of the government of Regina. A government that has had a turnover of eight rulers in the last eighteen months (not to mention the execution of virtually all of the members of the Regina Senate). To establish herself she must make herself indispensable to first the planet and then to the sector. She has thrown herself into this task with the wholehearted lack of hesitation or restraint, that is, perhaps, the secret of her success to date.
Although Corina’s ambition has been as obviously naked to the residents of Regina as her portrait by D’Aubisson, we have to admit that she is smart and shrewd. Regina politics have always been a pool in which small fishes should not swim. She may be good for Regina, once the internal blood letting has stopped. Until then, our advice is to keep your heads down and your mouths closed.