FB: Ardaic, this is why you’re not in charge! You’re always looking backward. This list of one confirmed crime, two untried accusations of attempted murder and four more cases of suspected murder may still be important to SOME people, but what’s really important is to give Taro the chance to lead.

Today’s page is mostly about weaponizing continuity, but it’s also about showing Ardaic at his best. Though the narrative has by now turned on the nation of Gastonia, and though Ardaic embodies some of its faults, he also represents the Gastonian dream, one perhaps best understood as “justice through strength.” Unfortunately, wartime often means the fear of losing one’s strength, and that can be used to justify many injustices.

I doubt too many readers thought there was a serious chance Ardaic would haul Taro into irons by the end of this chapter, but hopefully you were at least interested to see how Taro’d get out of this.