(Revised).








Diamantina Ranch remained a sinister mystery to the Splinter Cell; none of them had been able to get access to the heavily guarded property, or to learn anything further about what its owner, crime boss Florian da Silva, was doing there. Florian offered to let the movie company film some of the Trail Ridin' Mama scenes on the ranch, but only in a small restricted area. The break the Cell needed came when Hans Richter, who was working under duress for Florian at Diamantina, contacted Claudia Hunter and invited her to visit him there. Claudia was eager to collect intelligence by cultivating her renewed relationship with Hans.

The chapter opened with a flashback to a time several months earlier (events of Chapter 8)...

Kell Temple, a member of the Diamantina elite security guard unit, heard gunfire while on patrol one night. It was coming from an isolated area where there was a small complex of cabins used sometimes by the guards. Kell stealthily approached the cabins, his pistol drawn and ready.

Kell came upon Hans, who was drunk, angry and shooting wildly at cans and bottles with a high-powered rifle. Kell felt sorry for Hans, having seen the brutal treatment he was being forced to endure from Faustino Carvalho, Florian da Silva's right-hand man. With great
patience, Kell talked the exhausted Hans into surrendering the rifle, and calmed him down enough to make him go to bed and get some sleep. Hans, although still reacting in a rude and sarcastic way, was touched by Kell's concern. It was the beginning of a cautious friendship.

Returning to the present...

Florian finally decided that Hans' initial term of punishment had gone on long enough. He released Hans from the arduous shooting training, removed him from the authority of the cruel Faustino, and gave him top security clearance to the restricted areas at the Diamantina ranch house and at Fell Industries, Florian's manufacturing facility in Flagstaff. Hans, returning to his Diamantina cabin from the factory one hot afternoon, ran into Kell, and the two went to Kell's cabin for a beer.

The conversation soon became awkward for Hans, because Kell expressed his belief that Hans was not who he seemed to be, that he was much higher up in Florian's organization than he would admit. This was true, but Hans could not reveal the extent of his involvement; he spoke carefully, trying not to hurt Kell's feelings, and as soon as he could, he directed the conversation into less sensitive areas. Hans talked for a while about Fell Industries and about his own family's metals manufacturing business, in which he was an executive. Kell was still a little jealous that Hans got top security clearance when he himself did not, and he perceived that his suspicions about Hans were probably correct, but he let the matter drop. In fact, he approved of Hans' reluctance to reveal information; that kind of secrecy was vital to the success of Florian's organization.

The mystery of the gunshots Max and Vicki heard at Waterfall Canyon while they were searching for fossils (Chapter 10) was explained. Kell had learned that it was a drug-running gang arguing among themselves, and that when the gang came onto Diamantina property, it was Hans who shot and killed two of them with a super-long range CheyTac rifle. He wounded a third man, who escaped. Hans confirmed that he was the sniper, and gave Kell the details.

Kell filled Hans in on what happened after Hans reported this incident to the main house: the others in the security unit went to the site and recovered the bodies, plus weapons, packs of drugs and a bag containing a quarter million dollars in cash. Since Florian did not traffic in drugs, this group was not connected with his organzation, and it was not known what would happen next. Kell felt, and Hans agreed, that the survivor might return to try to steal back the cash, which was turned in to Florian along with the drugs. Kell informed Hans
that Florian paid bonuses to the guards out of the cash, and that Hans deserved one too. Hans shrugged this off, with little apparent interest in the bonus. He said he was tired, and excused himself to go to his own cabin to take a nap.

Alone in his cabin, Hans gave in to depression for a while; it weighed heavily on him that he must stay at Diamantina, where he felt so out of place, and work off his debt to Florian. He took a shower, and in order to relax he sang a German lieder to himself, Schubert's Der Wanderer an den Mond (The Wanderer Speaks to the Moon). This caused him to
reminisce about his youth in Germany, when he and his brother Klaus studied piano and voice. He remembered his university experiences and the impulsive thing he did as a young man, the thing which caused him to be recruited into the crime organization, but he did not dwell on it.

Relaxed now, Hans stretched out on the sofa and began to think of Claudia, remembering how he kissed her the last time he visited Waterfall Canyon Ranch (Chapter 8). He mused about how he would leak information about the organization to her on his own terms. He was sure that he could prevent himself from becoming attached to her. He did not want to go through another emotional disaster like his affair with her sister Beth. True to his reckless nature, he was thinking more about the women than about what would happen to him this time if his treachery was discovered.

Background for the Western movie characters unfolded then, as Dame Kate worked to develop her interpretation of a new character in the Trail Ridin' Mama movie, the aristocratic Englishwoman Augusta Hardwicke. Kate imagined Augusta at age 17...

Augusta chafed at the restrictions imposed on a young Victorian woman of good family. Although well trained in the proprietries of a woman of her station, she preferred the company of working class people, who in her view had richer, fuller lives than people of her own class. She admired their honesty and lack of pretension, and made several close friends among the household staff at her family's estate.

Augusta was also something of a tomboy; she loved the outdoor life, and excelled at riding, shooting and archery. Strong-willed and indpendent, she craved travel, adventure and, most of all, freedom. She could not bear the thought that her entire life had been planned for her, that even her future husband would be selected 
for her by her parents.

Things came to a head as the London society season approached. The Season, lasting three months, consisted of a series of gambling parties, dinner parties, balls, charity events and social visits. Of particular importance was acceptance at Almack's Assembly Rooms, an establishment where the elite of society met weekly for dinners and balls; among other benefits, it provided access to the cream of the eligible bachelors.

Socialites had to present themselves to a committee of six women aristocrats who would determine, on the basis of their own whims, who would be admitted. Augusta found the whole process repulsive. She believed that her worth as a human being should not be defined by such shallow ostentation.

Unwilling to give in to societal pressure, Augusta made an ambitious plan to run away from home. Working secretly with her household staff friends, she had them sell her possessions to provide money and supplies for her escape and help her implement her plan. On the day the staff gave her the password that all arrangements had been made, she sprang into action. That night, she disguised herself in the clothing of a young man of means. She sneaked
quietly out of the house. She met a friend outdoors in the dark, and together they made their way on foot to the port of Plymouth.

Augusta's journey to freedom began as she boarded the packet liner Liberty Belle for a voyage to Australia. She took in the colorful scene at the dock as passengers, workers and vendors milled about. Then she made her way around the ship, observing the harsh conditions the steerage passengers must live in during their voyage: they were crowded together without privacy, sleeping in tiers of bunk beds, preparing their own meals in a common area, and doing all the cleaning of their facilities. Augusta, having wisely eschewed steerage passage, settled into her stateroom. It was small, but it was private, and all the necessities were provided. Passengers of her class ate their meals in the Saloon with
the captain.

Knowing how to behave and looking the part in her disguise, Augusta was able to pass as "August," an upper-class young man. In a conversation with another passenger, the New South Wales ranch owner Ciaran Hamilton, Augusta presented herself convincingly as a man
with experience in horsemanship, weapons and survival skills. Ciaran, having made several trips between Australia and England, described their route and the sea conditions they could expect. Augusta settled in for the three-month voyage.

The Western movie continued...

In Red Bluff, Arizona Territory, four of the local businessmen met to discuss their idea for bringing new business to the town: a shooting competition that should attract people from all over the region.  They were Obadiah Pendergast, owner of the General Store; Tobias Kelly,
owner of the Wild Card Saloon; Karl Dietrich, owner of the saddlery; and John MacTavish, the blacksmith who owned the forge. After some social conversation in which the unmarried members of the group were teased, the group got down to the details of their plan.

They did not want a free-for-all with random gunslingers showing up at the last minute. Instead, they wanted a formal competition, with advance registration, a timekeeper, and prohibitions on drinking before shooting. Karl, a German immigrant, suggested planning it along the lines of a Schützenfest, a traditional marksmen's festival that included other entertainment such as a dance; in the West, he noted, that would be a fandango. Cash prizes would be provided by businesses who would benefit from the large number of contestants, spectators and partygoers who would come to town. They decided to publicize the contest both by word of mouth and by distribution of handbills and posters.

Each of the four men assigned himself a group of other local business owners to bring in as sponsors of the contest. Karl volunteered to solicit funds from Odette DuPont, the brothel owner, an offer which elicited good-natured teasing from the other men. They agreed that Odette really should kick in some money for the prize fund, since she was sure to get new business from the event, but they decided it will be better to keep quiet about her contribution because Red Bluff had gotten so respectable.

Augusta Hardwicke, now a middle-aged, independent woman, was in Arizona; she had worked as a cowboy for years in various places. She still wore men's clothes, since it was most convenient for her lifestyle, but she did nothing now to hide the fact that she was female, and she had friendships with men. At a dinner engagement with a male friend, she revealed that she had heard about the Red Bluff shooting contest and intended to compete.

On her way to Red Bluff, Augusta stopped off in the town of Blunthorn, where she sauntered into a saloon and joined a card game with the locals. After she won the money of a disagreeable man, she got into an altercation with him over his poor treatment of an Appaloosa horse and a mule. Augusta intimidated the man into selling her the animals; she planned to take them with her on her journey as soon as they had been fed enough to regain their
strength. She bonded with the grateful equines right away, and named them Severus and Hermoine.

Back in real life...

Hans was patrolling Diamantina Ranch on horseback, searching the sky for miniature drones, which are small unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). Florian's enemies were sending them cruising over the ranch at low altitudes to spy on him with video cameras, and search for areas where he conceals any contraband valuable enough to be worth the risk of stealing. Sighting one, Hans shot it down with a Barrett long range rifle. He reported this to the main house, and confirmed that it belonged to the enemy.

The day arrived when Hans had scheduled Claudia's first visit to Diamantina, a visit that he had implied would result in the transfer of intelligence on Florian's activities. He had instructed Claudia to go there secretly. She was to ride alone on horseback through the remote area of Waterfall Canyon Ranch and meet him at the boundary.

Claudia was very excited about this trip, and she greatly enjoyed racing her horse toward Diamantina. She hoped to get Hans to talk and give her some vital information, but she was also looking forward to seeing him for personal reasons; she was attracted to him and no longer felt guilty about it, now that Beth had apparently gotten over him and was in love with Sam. Claudia wondered if Hans would try to seduce her.

When the two met in the wilderness, they spoke lightly to each other at first. Claudia noticed that Hans was armed with a handgun and a rifle. Hans led her into Diamantina. She was fascinated by the beautiful scenery and the wildlife, and understood why the movie company asked for permission to film there. It was more rugged than Waterfall Canyon, but with more varied and interesting features.

Hans became quieter and more serious as they rode deeper into Diamantina. After a while, he
informed Claudia that she was now on the part of the property that was forbidden to visitors; this
heightened her interest. Soon they approached the complex of isolated, rustic cabins, which appeared
to be deserted except for the one Hans lived in. He took her inside the cabin with the excuse that he
needed to get a different rifle.

Claudia's good mood vanished abruptly when she saw the interior of the cabin. It looked nothing like a place where Hans would choose to live; he liked luxury, refinement and beauty, but this cabin was plain to the point of shabbiness. More surprising was the fact that it was filled with guns, so many guns that Claudia could practically smell the metal: various assault rifles and handguns, many of
military grade, along with other weapons and equipment. But the most bewildering thing to her was that Hans seemed proud of all these weapons, even fond of them, especially the formidable CheyTac long range precision rifle. Although she knew he had been concentrating on improving his shooting skills and was working for Florian in security, still, she was disconcerted by this change in him.

The hard side of Hans was clearly evident now. Claudia had always thought of him as an artist who had little interest in guns except for self-defense skills; a crooked artist who dealt in forgeries, to be sure, but still someone who cared more for aesthetics than for the kind of
aggressive activity the assault weapon collection implied. She could not imagine Hans living like this, or liking it.  She tried to rationalize that something must have happened to change him. Claudia began to feel apprehensive, wondering what she was getting herself into, and acutely aware that she was alone with him in an isolated place where he had access to a large number of guns.

Hans had been watching her reaction, and was not surprised. He chided her and said, with a touch of sarcasm, that surely she must have anticipated something like this. Then he threw her off guard by making light conversation and joked about her movie role as Sarah Jane. He
 told her his friend Kell Temple thought she was beautiful and was dying to meet her, then suddenly became serious again, warning her to pretend to Kell that she was only an actress, and never to hint that she might be spying on Florian.

Eventually Claudia relaxed as Hans began to flirt with her, sitting close to her on the sofa and rubbing her neck.
He seemed to be charming and seductive now, more like the man she knew before; but then he reacted to a remark
of hers with anger and abruptly became cold and distant, frightening her. A few moments later he was teasing her and
smiling again. Claudia was even more unnerved, seeing how volatile he was, and was relieved when he said it was
 time they started riding again so he could show her something. She asked what it would be, and was startled when he  answered: robotics technology.

They rode deeper into Diamantina. Hans was preoccupied and kept looking upward for something. However, he turned the conversation to the topic of Beth and Sam, asking Claudia how they were getting along now; it was clear to him,
when he visited Waterfall Canyon and saw Beth, that both she and Sam were upset by his presence. Claudia replied that Sam was eventually able to control his jealousy, and that he and Beth had made up. Hans then made an ominous remark about Sam.

Abruptly, Hans changed the subject, pointing out a small drone and telling Claudia it was one of "ours," meaning one of Florian's own surveillance drones. Claudia asked if Florian was using drones to spy on Waterfall Canyon. Hans denied this, and explained drone technology to Claudia. He was evasive when Claudia tried to find out more about Florian's fleet of drones.

Suddenly Hans ordered Claudia off her horse, saying he had to shoot and the horse might throw her.  He aimed into the sky and hit a drone. The fragments fell nearby, and he asked Claudia to help him collect them. Needing evidence for the SSC, she stole a piece of the wreckage while his back was turned, and concealed it in her jacket.

Claudia was surprised when Hans casually called the main house right in front of her, reported the drone shooting and commented that the woman with him was a friend who wouldn't talk. She was even more surprised when he confirmed to her that the first drone, Florian's surveillance vehicle, had probably transmitted video of them to the main house when they were riding. But she was astounded when he told her that Florian knew who she was, that in fact he knew the identities of the entire SSC group at Waterfall Canyon. She accused Hans of being reckless and inviting danger by meeting with her. He agreed that it was his nature, but told her harshly that she herself was the same way, otherwise she would not be taking the risk of working undercover with him.

When she asked why Florian would tolerate Hans seeing her when she was a known spy, Hans replied that Florian just thought he had a weakness for women he could get in a dangerous way. At that point Hans apologized for getting Claudia involved, though he did not offer her the option of backing out of the arrangement. He cut her off by saying that he was tired, having pulled a full shift already that day, and that Kell Temple could escort her back to the Diamantina boundary.

Claudia did not want to be left alone with Kell, but she had to agree because she knew visitors were not allowed to ride unescorted on Diamantina property. On their ride back to the boundary, Kell flirted with her, but underneath it she could see that he was fishing for information about Hans' past. Claudia was evasive. She spoke carefully to him, having seen immediately that he was a tough character, and followed Hans' instructions to pretend that she was a girlfriend.

Kell left Claudia at the boundary, and she rode on alone into Waterfall Canyon Ranch, her thoughts of relief snarled with unhappiness. She could not sort out her feelings over the startling change in Hans. Had he always been like this, and she had just not seen it? She realized now that he was a disturbed and possibly violent man, and she was still convinced that something bad must have happened to make him that way.  She wanted to understand him and help him recover from whatever it was that happened, but told herself that she should just keep her emotional distance and do her job. Like him, she was exhausted now, and must seek calmness in the peace of the night.


***