I’d noticed a strong paramilitary presence ever since deplaning in Tenochtitlán—the international airport had been filled with Aztechnology Corporate Security guards, suited up in full combat armor and carrying the latest in personal high-tech weaponry. I was used to seeing guards with SMGs or assault rifles at airports—especially at those with a suborbital hub, a favorite terrorist target. But in Tenochtitlán, it seemed, there was a pair of them on every street corner. Back home, your average Star member carries a heavy pistol and stun baton. In Tenochtitlán, the policla on the beat is more heavily armed than a Star SWAT officer. Several of the cops had obvious cybermods, and more than one had odd-looking trinkets hanging from their heavy armor that I guessed must be the spell foci of a combat mage. They looked like hard-hooped fraggers, indeed. The sort of policía you’d avoid making eye contact with, rather than turning to for help when you’d been mugged.