Rocks in the machinery

Ah, this will make for a fine lesson or case study some day. So, here I am, 7 months into the contract (or three months from its end, depending on how you calculate it), and I've just experienced something brand new: an intense political struggle over who will own the program I'm about to develop. The woman who hired me has quit over the struggle; the decision-makeer who started the contract abdicated to the new person who's forced himself into the equation, and the other women who's on my committee has openly shown that SHE wants to do the program development for which I've already been hired. In essence, the Steering Committee has now imploded, and a power-hungry interloper has taken over, although he's had nothing to do with the project until now. I'm going to call it the "13th Fairy" case study, after the 13th fairy who was not invited to Sleeping Beauty's christening, and therefore casts the evil spell. This stakeholder was avoided in the past because of his dreadful manner, but now he's the one putting a stick in the spokes. I guess I have a hundred years to wait until this project wakes up again! :)