Normally, my knowledge of BGC is pretty good, but I need some opinions on
a couple of things for a project I'm working on.

1 - Is it possible or likely that Linna has some Ainu blood?
	For those of you who aren't familiar with the Ainu: they are the
indigenous people of Japan, although the passage of time means that they
have mostly been assimilated and many of their traditions are either dying
out, or preserved mainly as a tourist attraction. There are very few
full-blooded Ainu left in modern times, although at one time they
dominated the islands of Hokkaido (in Japan) and Sakhalin (I forget which
country owns it).
	In the _Samurai Shodown_ games, Nakoruru and Rimururu are both
Ainu. The Ainu generally look closer to Caucasian than Japanese, having a
lighter skin tone and more European-looking facial features. Males are
also hairier than their Japanese counterparts, leading to their being
referred to as the "hairy Ainu." There are a couple of good books out
about the Ainu, but most of them are pretty old.

The reasons I suggest that Linna could be partly of Ainu descent:
	- She has blue eyes, and (if I remember right) a slightly light
	skin color than the other Knight Sabers.
	- Her family name, Yamazaki, translates as "mountain headlands,"
	which is (I think) appropriate to the Ainu of Hokkaido.
Other than that, it's just a feeling I have about the character. :)

2 - A significant part of the story has Genom covertly running a number of
Bu-55C attacks against supporters and members of a large covert
organization. Unfortunately, the Bu-55C operations are going to be rather
noticeable . . . so I *think* Genom would intend to cover their real
intentions somehow, for the sake of PR.
	Right now, Genom is using as cover the claim that one of their
subcontractors came up with a load of defective parts that are only now
proving to be defective as Bu-55Cs go 'rogue' to carry out their assigned
missions. (I should note that this isn't supposed to involve the OMS if
they have another way - which I *think* they would . . . )
	My question here is, would Genom fall back on the claim of
defective components, or would they have a better story? Or would they
even bother to claim that there was a problem?

That's it, at the moment. Thanks in advance for your help; I would request
that you reply by private e-mail, rather than sending it to the FFML.

				Tim Miller
					trmiller@mail.bcpl.lib.md.us