"True enough... and heroism has that nasty side effect of people expecting you to do it again." Alistaire cracks his neck to one side, rubbing at his shoulder. "Can't have that."

Another minute's thought. "There is another power-base besides Shaw Industries we could tap. One that thinks just as little of your brother as we do. I think we have enough pieces to make a fresh start of it." He glances at Alisa's place at his side, quite sure Stephanie will understand his implication. "Shaws have always risen to the top there."

He sits back as he tries to reflect on his father. "He'll make a lot of noise and a lot of slander at first... some of it might even be true. Long run isn't his style. He'll adapt on the fly after he puts each wave of attack into motion. It's almost admirable. Almost."