"I'm not going to put up with my subordinates going against my interests." "In this case, what can you do about it? Business is business." "You hold quite a bit of their paper, don't you?" "You know that. Most of our team's finances funnel through my hands." "We'll close them out. They've become too obsessed with their wealth. They've forgotten why the _Pedagogue_ was sent here. I'll break them, Jerry. They'll come crawling. Perhaps I'll send them back to the _Pedagogue_. Make them stay aboard as crew." Kennedy shrugged. "Well, Peter MacDonald's going to hate that. He's developed into quite a high liver--gourmet food, women, one of the swankiest estates on the eastern continent." "Ha!" Mayer snorted. "Let him go back to ship's rations and crew's quarters." A servant entered the lushly furnished room and announced, "Honorable Gunther calling on the Honorables Mayer and Kennedy." Martin Gunther hurried into the room, for once his calm ruffled. "On the western continent," he blurted. "Dean and Rosetti. The Temple got them, they've been burned as witches." Amschel Mayer shot to his feet. "That's the end," he swore shrilly. "Only in the west have the barons held out. I thought we'd slowly wear them down, take over their powers bit by bit. But this does it. This means we fight." He spun to Kennedy. "Jerry, make a trip out to the _Pedagogue_. You know the extent of Genoa's industrial progress. Seek out the most advanced weapons this technology could produce." Kennedy came to his own feet, shocked by Gunther's news. "But, Amschel, do you think it's wise to precipitate an intercontinental war? Remember, we've been helping to industrialize the west, too. It's almost as advanced as our continent. Their war potential isn't negligible." "Nevertheless," Mayer snapped, "we've got to break the backs of the barons and the Temple monks. Get messages off to Baron Leonar and young Mannerheim, to Russ and Olderman. We'll want them to put pressure on their local politicians. What we need is a continental alliance for this war." Gunther said, "Should I get in touch with Rykov? He's still over there." Mayer hesitated. "No," he said. "We'll keep Nick informed but he ought to remain where he is. We'll still want our men in the basic positions of power after we've won." "He might get hurt," Gunther scowled. "They might get him too, and we've only got six team members left now." "Nonsense, Nick Rykov can take care of himself." Jerry Kennedy was upset. "Are you sure about this war, chief? Isn't a conflict of this size apt to hold up our overall plans?" "Of course not," Mayer scoffed. "Man makes his greatest progress under pressure. A major war will unite the nations of both the western continent and this one as nothing else could. Both will push their development to the utmost." He added thoughtfully, "Which reminds me. It might be a good idea for us to begin accumulating interests in such industries as will be effected by a war economy."