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Independents. It involved plans to mine the outer belts of planetoids—a huge number of small<br />
bodies that orbited well beyond the realm of the three inhabited Worlds—mine them for the<br />
resources needed to create new Worlds, artificial habitations.<br />
The plan was to let the Worlds' Council oversee the mining and construction but assure<br />
themselves that each new World would become independent <strong>from</strong> the Worlds' Council's control,<br />
primarily through complicated legal agreements that gave independent consortiums of companies<br />
the right to claim ownership of not just the operations needed to construct them but, ultimately,<br />
total control of the Worlds themselves.<br />
Delva had attempted mediation efforts with these new corporate entities but was unable to<br />
convince the Territorial Councils of the dangers inherent in the contracts they were approving.<br />
Delva had also tasked Morna to institute a search for Mura. Delva was not informed by <strong>An</strong>glana<br />
that the location of Mura was known but she had told Delva of Mura's vast potential for aiding the<br />
Worlds' abiding peace if she could be convinced to submit to incorporation.<br />
~~~<br />
Mura sat with Haalii in their mountain hideaway. Mura had been becoming more restive and<br />
Haalii knew that the crowning action of her many-years effort could now be implemented.<br />
"Mura, we've discovered that your mother is searching for you."<br />
"To what end?"<br />
"We don't know."<br />
"Let her search. It can be another of her fruitless endeavors."<br />
"You know of the Worlds' Council's approval of the construction of three Created Worlds."<br />
"Yes."<br />
"You know of the plans of the Independent Movement for complete control over those Worlds."<br />
"Yes. Your point?"<br />
"I feel that you should reappear in the Worlds' affairs as the newly acclaimed leader of the<br />
Independents."<br />
"What?!"<br />
"Yes, Mura, the leader of the Independents. Not a leader who oversees and stimulates plans but<br />
a leader who infuses people with inspiration and the will to fight."<br />
"Fight..."<br />
"Yes, dear, we have the biggest fight of our lives approaching. You don't have to concern<br />
yourself with the details. You just have to use your influence to empower the mass of citizens to<br />
back the Movement."<br />
"A Cheerleader."<br />
"Yes."<br />
~~~<br />
Mura began her role of leader of the Independents by appearing before the Worlds' Council at a<br />
special hearing preceding the announcement of the beginning of the Created Worlds Project. She<br />
had not attended with the title of Leader of the Independents but her appearance had assured her<br />
that she could, within a short time, take on the title. What the people who had placed her in this<br />
situation didn't realize was that the sometimes recalcitrant but always, ultimately, pliable nature<br />
of Mura was radically changing, becoming a willing chalice for the potent liquor of power.<br />
As the unimaginably vast operations of the Created Worlds Project began to build three new<br />
planets in orbits between <strong>An</strong>gla-Palli and Beli-Pallos, Mura began to find a new calling in life—<br />
leading people where she thought they should go.<br />
The sudden death of Haalii while en route to a meeting with Mura was never attributed to<br />
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