 A few days before his retirement from his tenure as Chief Leonard Burr's Secretary, Ned is given a last assignment.Burr orders Ned to negotiate with Sir Anthony Bradshaw, a venture-capitalist who had been enabled by former Circus chief, Sir Percy Alleline, to expand his financial empire while helping the Circus.However, after Alleline's disgrace and demise, Bradshaw began ferrying weaponry to various regions, such as the Balkans and Central Africa, to profit from the conflicts there.