What price happiness?

Sansha are attacking hisec planets. Closest has been Lustrevik so far, but no reason to think they couldn't come to Matar. Carinelle sent me a warning in case we hadn't heard.

There are echoes of history all around. The weather has been crap, with dark clouds for days and rain such that the common walk-ways are now mires of mud. I'm getting to wear a lot of the clan wool. The threat of ships from orbit coming to collect slaves makes the weather more symbolic; oppressive.

I told Nelle that it was all in hand, but seriously, an armoured assault force would be very difficult to fight off from the ground. The Republic fleet doesn't like people other than them to be aiming weapons capable of downing assault shuttles, and though most everyone carries a rifle, I'm not sure how useful that would be against a Sansha armoured marine.

But there's only so much you can do without hiding in a cave, and we're not going to do that.

Worse than contemplating helplessness has been being able to help. The people of the gathering mostly know me by sight now. 10,000 people who recognize me and greet me by name, and I know barely a hundred of them outside my clan.

Some have taken to walking alongside me when I'm walking to the tavern or a meeting, and telling me their great idea for how to corner the market in something or other, or produce a new thing that will aid the clans to greatness.

All they need is a little investment capital...

I don't know enough about most pitches to tell if it will work, and they're not my clan. Still, they are my people. I'm looking at one of my cousins to find someone with enough business sense to choose worthwhile projects, and maybe make a payoff, but mostly to be able to send these people to bother someone else.

Worse are the sick people, who are sure that some expensive medical procedure will help them. Worst are the parents who have sick children.

Some people are going to die no matter how much isk you spend. How much is it worth to find out if someone's child is one of them?

Matariki had the right idea at Paiho I think. She built a med-centre, and we both put isk in for medical training scholarships. Perhaps we could do that for other clans in Maa'Tushindor, but that doesn't help today's girl with the aggressive cancer, or boy with the congenital heart defect.

I've put some money aside for transport costs, and made arrangements for people to be able to visit our med-centre. That's probably the best I can do at the moment as far as helping the most people.

The aunties want to see Atamahara gain influence. Putting in med-centres around the lands of other clans would mean that other clans owed us favours, or at least would listen to our clan when the Maa'Tushindor had a decision to make. I think the aunties would be happier if they were the ones deciding where any med-centres went, but they'll take credit regardless.