This blog is taking a break for a while to allow me to recharge my batteries and reclaim my enthusiasm for both the character and the RP world she inhabits.
"Season Two" will come later in the year (probably). Thanks for reading.
20120709
Enter the Montraxy
Earl Alad Montraxy stood and looked out at his fiefdom. The sky crackled with electricity as the tall spires of his city became submerged within the dark clouds. At lower levels, a thick grey smog covered the ground creating an illusion that the city floated upon a dank, miserable cloud. Fiery red furnaces burned at intervals across the vista, their enormity quite evident to all who gazed upon them. This was the industrial world of Killian, the "foundry of the stars", and home of the House Minor Montraxy.
In short time, he was joined by a bulbous, large man with short cropped hair. His dark trench coat ran to his boots, each step echoing around the chamber. His voice was gruff as he spoke.
"My lord, you summoned me."
"Indeed. If you would update me on the progress of our situation...?"
"Undercroft is responding well to the reconditioning. The purge has been completed and Miss Galewind is currently working on integrating the new memories."
"Very good. What form has she chosen for these new memories?"
"Pirate raid amongst others, your lordship, It is something Undercroft has experienced before - her own mind will fill in any blanks left by our reconditioning."
Alad turned away from the window. "Ah yes. Ingenious thinking.....and where is Grinch now?"
"Grinch?", Gulgus stiffened, "He's down in the lower levels of the city I heard."
"The red light district no doubt. He is as predictable as he is vulgar. I don't approve of his actions. He has caused that young woman no shortage of troubles and I am in half a mind to order his execution myself. His behaviour on Araxes was thoroughly contemptible."
"With respect, he isn't in possession of the facts and he is very effective at what he does."
Montraxy waved his hand dismissively "Yes, yes. I'm sure you're right....As he should be, it has taken a considerable sum of coin and no shortage of diplomatic wrangling to allow him to walk freely and discreetly."
"My lord, should I have Miss Galewind accompany you for a meal later this evening?"
Alad took a sharp intake of breath and lifted his regal head into the air. "I dare not set eyes upon her countenance for fear our entire plan will succumb to my feelings for that wondrous woman. It has been nearly twenty years since we sat together in this very chamber and sacrificed our love for the greater good of the Montraxy dynasty. I trust no-one more that my beloved Elena and she has devoted herself admirably to her task."
"Her feelings towards Undercroft...."
"...are unsurprising, Mr Machydon. It is entirely in keeping with her person that she should develop a bond with the woman she is sworn to protect. You would do well not to question her loyalty again. In another universe, that woman would sit alongside me as my countess and you would pledge your total unfaltering allegiance to her. It is my dearest wish that she may yet bring her gentile ways to this damnable world"
"Yes, my lord, I apologise."
"Back to the matter at hand....the situation has turned to our potential advantage. No-one could have predicted the Sovereign would reinvigorate the memory of democracy, least of all on Araxes. Elena did a wonderful thing coercing Undercroft into running for the Dawla. Her ingenuity knows no bounds."
"A plan that worked wonders until her greed took over."
"Perhaps. Greed is a powerful motivator Mr Machydon. It is why generations of my family have sat upon this world as ruler. No, we merely need to redirect her greed elsewhere. Elena's monthly reports clearly show that Undercroft is also compassionate, loyal and determined. We can use that to our advantage, yet. As it is, we mustn’t let her desire for personal wealth allow her to leave Araxes. You must understand, her life has been hellish, hellish I tell you and it has defined her character implicitly. Had I lived her life, would I have done anything differently?"
Gulgus waited a few moments looking out of the window. "What about the quarter ton of spice?"
The Earl looked up with slight disinterest "Mmm? Oh yes, the spice. Have it put with the rest. Oh, and Mr Machydon, I trust you'll ensure Mr Grinch is suitably.......recompensed for this work."
Machydon smiled, showing his broad yellow teeth, and having nodded with respect at the Earl made his way out.
In short time, he was joined by a bulbous, large man with short cropped hair. His dark trench coat ran to his boots, each step echoing around the chamber. His voice was gruff as he spoke.
"My lord, you summoned me."
"Indeed. If you would update me on the progress of our situation...?"
"Undercroft is responding well to the reconditioning. The purge has been completed and Miss Galewind is currently working on integrating the new memories."
"Very good. What form has she chosen for these new memories?"
"Pirate raid amongst others, your lordship, It is something Undercroft has experienced before - her own mind will fill in any blanks left by our reconditioning."
Alad turned away from the window. "Ah yes. Ingenious thinking.....and where is Grinch now?"
"Grinch?", Gulgus stiffened, "He's down in the lower levels of the city I heard."
"The red light district no doubt. He is as predictable as he is vulgar. I don't approve of his actions. He has caused that young woman no shortage of troubles and I am in half a mind to order his execution myself. His behaviour on Araxes was thoroughly contemptible."
"With respect, he isn't in possession of the facts and he is very effective at what he does."
Montraxy waved his hand dismissively "Yes, yes. I'm sure you're right....As he should be, it has taken a considerable sum of coin and no shortage of diplomatic wrangling to allow him to walk freely and discreetly."
"My lord, should I have Miss Galewind accompany you for a meal later this evening?"
Alad took a sharp intake of breath and lifted his regal head into the air. "I dare not set eyes upon her countenance for fear our entire plan will succumb to my feelings for that wondrous woman. It has been nearly twenty years since we sat together in this very chamber and sacrificed our love for the greater good of the Montraxy dynasty. I trust no-one more that my beloved Elena and she has devoted herself admirably to her task."
"Her feelings towards Undercroft...."
"...are unsurprising, Mr Machydon. It is entirely in keeping with her person that she should develop a bond with the woman she is sworn to protect. You would do well not to question her loyalty again. In another universe, that woman would sit alongside me as my countess and you would pledge your total unfaltering allegiance to her. It is my dearest wish that she may yet bring her gentile ways to this damnable world"
"Yes, my lord, I apologise."
"Back to the matter at hand....the situation has turned to our potential advantage. No-one could have predicted the Sovereign would reinvigorate the memory of democracy, least of all on Araxes. Elena did a wonderful thing coercing Undercroft into running for the Dawla. Her ingenuity knows no bounds."
"A plan that worked wonders until her greed took over."
"Perhaps. Greed is a powerful motivator Mr Machydon. It is why generations of my family have sat upon this world as ruler. No, we merely need to redirect her greed elsewhere. Elena's monthly reports clearly show that Undercroft is also compassionate, loyal and determined. We can use that to our advantage, yet. As it is, we mustn’t let her desire for personal wealth allow her to leave Araxes. You must understand, her life has been hellish, hellish I tell you and it has defined her character implicitly. Had I lived her life, would I have done anything differently?"
Gulgus waited a few moments looking out of the window. "What about the quarter ton of spice?"
The Earl looked up with slight disinterest "Mmm? Oh yes, the spice. Have it put with the rest. Oh, and Mr Machydon, I trust you'll ensure Mr Grinch is suitably.......recompensed for this work."
Machydon smiled, showing his broad yellow teeth, and having nodded with respect at the Earl made his way out.
20120704
Terminus
Seren walked down the steps of the Council Chambers, pulling the hem of her dress from the floor, and basked in the bright amber light of Mu Draconis' twin suns. To her left, she heard the Al Raqis marketplace bustle with people. The familiar cry of the water-sellers, the pottery makers and the thriving throng of humanity.
A familiar odour of cinnamon drifted along the breeze from the famous old bakery in the town. She looked to the north and saw the freighters and frigates coming and going from the spice facility. Looking straight ahead, beyond the immediate buildings and landing pads of Al Raqis, she saw the desert spreading out as far as she could see. She sighed, admiring the beauty of the desert dune crests, before readjusting the skirt of her dress. She looked at her timepiece and realising she had time to spare, decided to stroll to the landing pad where her ride was docked.
The day's Dawla meeting had been brief but she'd succeeded in getting the Araxian Freedom of Information Act past the first stage of approval. Consulari Jai Raghilda and Doctor Isaacs had both voted in favour of the act and in concert with her own vote gave them a majority. Delegate Gaffer and Gustav had yet to vote but even their unlikely opposition wouldn't be able to prevent the act going to the Laandsrat. She didn't know if the Laandsrat would pass the bill. She suspected they would.
After all, Seren was adept at playing the game. She often feigned stupidity. "Greater minds than mine..." was a common ploy. It invited others on board, massaged their egos, got them to do the dirty work. It worked in business, it worked in politics. The more people feel they'd been involved in something, the more likely it was to succeed. Her second tactic was to publicly belittle her opposition. In this case, the Laandsrat. Call them corrupt, call them a police state. Let them react. Put them in a position where refusal to comply confirmed the accusations. Either they'd pass the bill of their own accord or they'd feel they had to pass it to avoid public criticism. There was always a risk involved in this strategy. Always the possibility of blow back.
Seren passed by the bakery. The queue was extraordinary, no matter what time of day it was. More than once, Seren had to adjust her path to avoid the playing children who darted in-between passing artisans, mothers and guards. She came down the steps, past the Sinisterhood tower and walked through the Zenobian Quarter. The Medical Centre had become a familiar landmark on her way 'home' and she strode past the security team on the landing bay showing her credentials and smiled. She banked right, past the Asgardian representative's vessel and met with Elena Galewind who walked down the ramp of the Erinyes One.
"Hello Mistress, how did the session go today?"
"It was short. Very short but I finally got the act through."
"Many congratulations, mistress."
Seren nodded and joined her companion as they strode together up the ramp. She walked into the cockpit and flopped down into the co-pilots chair. Her eyes were shut tight, the sun illuminating her eyelids through the transparent metal windows. She heard Galewind take the pilots chair, running through the take-off procedure. A familiar sound of clicks and beeps, she heard the engines ignite.
"This is Erinyes One, requesting take-off."
"This is Al Raqis Command Tower, Erinyes One is cleared for take-off, vector 114,202,75 to 100,109,725 approx."
"Confirmed."
With that, the Erinyes thrust into the sky, the ornate towers of Al Raqis giving way to desert, then sky and finally stars.
"We received the Khaliifa's shipment of spice, mistress. It has been tested and quite carefully placed within the Persephone's central hold."
Elena could see the captain's reflection in the Erinye's view port. She was smiling broadly.
"Captain?"
"Yes?"
"It seemed you completed your objective."
"Yes, yes it does, doesn't it? That quarter ton of spice, invested wisely, is going to make us rich beyond our wildest dreams."
"And the Dawla? What are your plans there?"
"We got what we came for. To get rich. I did what I could. I'm a freighter pilot, how much can I do? Let others take the strain. I can't very well overthrow the Sovereign can I?"
"That would be unlikely....". Elena's face contorted as she banked the shuttle into the landing orbit at Highport Station, "...so what now?"
"Dock with Highport, attach the Erinyes to the docking clamp beneath Persephone and high tail it back to the New Paradigm."
"What about the charges?"
"With this much spice, I can buy myself out of that."
Elena nodded and saw from the Captain's reflection that she hadn't yet reopened her eyes. She allowed her finger to move to a button on the communications terminal and pushed it. Dipping her head, Elena smiled to herself and pulled a lasgun from beneath her jacket, concealing it within a fold in her sleeve. She read the text only display on the terminal before her.
"Very well done, Miss Galewind. Proceed." As they landed, Seren rose gingerly from her chair and patted her companions arm. Together they strode down the onto the landing platform.
As they came into the artificial atmosphere, Seren balked. Before her stood the very man she thought she'd never see. The man she thought she'd killed all those years ago.
Magnolious Grinch was alive.
She turned to run back to the shuttle and found herself pistol-whipped to the face. She fell back to the floor hard and cradling her head looked up to find herself face-to-face with a lasgun.
"Elena?"
"Get up."
Seren felt the shock hit her like nothing she'd felt before.
"I said get up."
The lasgun fired towards the ground, narrowly but purposely missing the Captain's left hand.
"What the hell are you doing?"
"I'm sorry Captain. Really I am but somethings are simply too important."
"Too important..?"
Two burly henchman lifted Seren to her feet and she came face to face with Grinch for the first time in years. The reddish face, dark beard and cruel eyes were instantly familiar. She spat at him. He laughed.
"That's the Seren I know. Impetuous as always." He unleashed a punch, catching her full in the face. Her vision blurred, the world drifted away momentarily before coming back in searing pain. She felt warm blood trickle from her nose. The next fist to her temple turned the world dark and she drifted out of consciousness.
"Put her onboard the Persephone and plot a course.". Immediately his henchman did as they were told and dragged her body across the concourse to the docking bay. Elena, meanwhile stood still, the only movement her heavily heaving chest.
"Don't feel too badly, Miss Galewind. You knew this day would come. House Montraxy will be most pleased with your work."
"What will happen to her?"
"She'll be reconditioned. She'll remember none of this, dear child, so don't worry your little face about it. Of course, were it up to me, the little slut would be mind-wiped and be put to work in one of my brothels but alas, powers greater than myself have a purpose for her."
Elena nodded and blinked a couple of times. She felt she wanted to cry but she knew the greater order of things. Oh, she hated this man with all of her heart.
"It's hard." said Grinch, "I can see that but you need to prepare. For all intents and purposes, Delegate Undercroft has left Araxes to conduct business in the Paradigm. No-one will know differently. Now, if you'll please..."
He gestured towards the gun, Elena paused and then nodded, handing the lasgun over.
"You did well, this day, Miss Galewind. Your dear Alad will be most proud."
A familiar odour of cinnamon drifted along the breeze from the famous old bakery in the town. She looked to the north and saw the freighters and frigates coming and going from the spice facility. Looking straight ahead, beyond the immediate buildings and landing pads of Al Raqis, she saw the desert spreading out as far as she could see. She sighed, admiring the beauty of the desert dune crests, before readjusting the skirt of her dress. She looked at her timepiece and realising she had time to spare, decided to stroll to the landing pad where her ride was docked.
The day's Dawla meeting had been brief but she'd succeeded in getting the Araxian Freedom of Information Act past the first stage of approval. Consulari Jai Raghilda and Doctor Isaacs had both voted in favour of the act and in concert with her own vote gave them a majority. Delegate Gaffer and Gustav had yet to vote but even their unlikely opposition wouldn't be able to prevent the act going to the Laandsrat. She didn't know if the Laandsrat would pass the bill. She suspected they would.
After all, Seren was adept at playing the game. She often feigned stupidity. "Greater minds than mine..." was a common ploy. It invited others on board, massaged their egos, got them to do the dirty work. It worked in business, it worked in politics. The more people feel they'd been involved in something, the more likely it was to succeed. Her second tactic was to publicly belittle her opposition. In this case, the Laandsrat. Call them corrupt, call them a police state. Let them react. Put them in a position where refusal to comply confirmed the accusations. Either they'd pass the bill of their own accord or they'd feel they had to pass it to avoid public criticism. There was always a risk involved in this strategy. Always the possibility of blow back.
Seren passed by the bakery. The queue was extraordinary, no matter what time of day it was. More than once, Seren had to adjust her path to avoid the playing children who darted in-between passing artisans, mothers and guards. She came down the steps, past the Sinisterhood tower and walked through the Zenobian Quarter. The Medical Centre had become a familiar landmark on her way 'home' and she strode past the security team on the landing bay showing her credentials and smiled. She banked right, past the Asgardian representative's vessel and met with Elena Galewind who walked down the ramp of the Erinyes One.
"Hello Mistress, how did the session go today?"
"It was short. Very short but I finally got the act through."
"Many congratulations, mistress."
Seren nodded and joined her companion as they strode together up the ramp. She walked into the cockpit and flopped down into the co-pilots chair. Her eyes were shut tight, the sun illuminating her eyelids through the transparent metal windows. She heard Galewind take the pilots chair, running through the take-off procedure. A familiar sound of clicks and beeps, she heard the engines ignite.
"This is Erinyes One, requesting take-off."
"This is Al Raqis Command Tower, Erinyes One is cleared for take-off, vector 114,202,75 to 100,109,725 approx."
"Confirmed."
With that, the Erinyes thrust into the sky, the ornate towers of Al Raqis giving way to desert, then sky and finally stars.
"We received the Khaliifa's shipment of spice, mistress. It has been tested and quite carefully placed within the Persephone's central hold."
Elena could see the captain's reflection in the Erinye's view port. She was smiling broadly.
"Captain?"
"Yes?"
"It seemed you completed your objective."
"Yes, yes it does, doesn't it? That quarter ton of spice, invested wisely, is going to make us rich beyond our wildest dreams."
"And the Dawla? What are your plans there?"
"We got what we came for. To get rich. I did what I could. I'm a freighter pilot, how much can I do? Let others take the strain. I can't very well overthrow the Sovereign can I?"
"That would be unlikely....". Elena's face contorted as she banked the shuttle into the landing orbit at Highport Station, "...so what now?"
"Dock with Highport, attach the Erinyes to the docking clamp beneath Persephone and high tail it back to the New Paradigm."
"What about the charges?"
"With this much spice, I can buy myself out of that."
Elena nodded and saw from the Captain's reflection that she hadn't yet reopened her eyes. She allowed her finger to move to a button on the communications terminal and pushed it. Dipping her head, Elena smiled to herself and pulled a lasgun from beneath her jacket, concealing it within a fold in her sleeve. She read the text only display on the terminal before her.
"Very well done, Miss Galewind. Proceed." As they landed, Seren rose gingerly from her chair and patted her companions arm. Together they strode down the onto the landing platform.
As they came into the artificial atmosphere, Seren balked. Before her stood the very man she thought she'd never see. The man she thought she'd killed all those years ago.
Magnolious Grinch was alive.
She turned to run back to the shuttle and found herself pistol-whipped to the face. She fell back to the floor hard and cradling her head looked up to find herself face-to-face with a lasgun.
"Elena?"
"Get up."
Seren felt the shock hit her like nothing she'd felt before.
"I said get up."
The lasgun fired towards the ground, narrowly but purposely missing the Captain's left hand.
"What the hell are you doing?"
"I'm sorry Captain. Really I am but somethings are simply too important."
"Too important..?"
Two burly henchman lifted Seren to her feet and she came face to face with Grinch for the first time in years. The reddish face, dark beard and cruel eyes were instantly familiar. She spat at him. He laughed.
"That's the Seren I know. Impetuous as always." He unleashed a punch, catching her full in the face. Her vision blurred, the world drifted away momentarily before coming back in searing pain. She felt warm blood trickle from her nose. The next fist to her temple turned the world dark and she drifted out of consciousness.
"Put her onboard the Persephone and plot a course.". Immediately his henchman did as they were told and dragged her body across the concourse to the docking bay. Elena, meanwhile stood still, the only movement her heavily heaving chest.
"Don't feel too badly, Miss Galewind. You knew this day would come. House Montraxy will be most pleased with your work."
"What will happen to her?"
"She'll be reconditioned. She'll remember none of this, dear child, so don't worry your little face about it. Of course, were it up to me, the little slut would be mind-wiped and be put to work in one of my brothels but alas, powers greater than myself have a purpose for her."
Elena nodded and blinked a couple of times. She felt she wanted to cry but she knew the greater order of things. Oh, she hated this man with all of her heart.
"It's hard." said Grinch, "I can see that but you need to prepare. For all intents and purposes, Delegate Undercroft has left Araxes to conduct business in the Paradigm. No-one will know differently. Now, if you'll please..."
He gestured towards the gun, Elena paused and then nodded, handing the lasgun over.
"You did well, this day, Miss Galewind. Your dear Alad will be most proud."
20120617
The Lightening of the Burden
It had been a chaotic and busy Laandsrat session. Seren had sat in the middle pew in the chamber as the light cut through the air from stained glass windows. The chamber had been a hectic cacophony of life with those unable to take seats standing at the back. It had been an important day - a new Great House had been inaugurated and the Asgard, a somewhat mysterious species, had taken their seat on the Laandsrat. The creature was short and grey with a bulbous head - the most alien....alien she'd seen in some time. She hadn't been happy and expressed it in no uncertain terms although she suspected no-one had heard her. Another outsider on the Laandsrat. She understood the reasons behind it. It allowed the Laandsrat to act unilaterally for the good of various factions within the Concordat and far, far beyond. And while they dealt with matters that spanned the stars, it would increasingly allow the Dawla to become the defacto planetary government. At least it would, if the Laandsrat didn't keep the lower house on a tight leash.
After that lengthy process, they had moved onto other issues. A missing navigator from the Spacing Guild Corpus. Major Arnold Gustav had arrived to give an update on the investigation. That's quick work, Seren had pondered, the news had broken just a few hours earlier at the Dawla session. Or had news of the disappearance been suppressed allowing the investigation to work unhindered?. Seren had never actually seen a Navigator before although a hefty percentage of her profits were channelled towards them so it came as a surprise when one of their number phased into the chambers in a cloud of spice smoke. The Laandsrat session collapsed into chaos and the Magistrate used her executive powers to eject the audience from the chambers.
Standing outside in the sandy courtyard, Seren stared at the large doors that led to the chambers. The courtyard bustled with people, some sitting, some standing, some talking, some smoking. Seren saw none of them, her focus was entirely on the doors. She knew something important was going on inside that chamber. She was a member of the government. That goddamn grey thing that had barely been on the council half an hour would know something an elected official did not. Unacceptable! She strode towards the doors with a purpose and as she reached the door, pushing it aside, she heard someone say "I wouldn't do that, Ma'am."
She span on her heel, casting her eyes across the crowd. Several people were staring at her and she hadn't recognised the voice. With an air of defiance, she walked away from the doors, raised her voice to make sure everyone could hear and said "And why not? I have every right. I will know what's going on in there by hook or by crook!"
She flounced to the ground, pulling at her dress to ensure a comfortable seat. It was then she noticed the Sister who appeared to be taking an interest.
"Delegate Undercroft", said the Sister, speaking from beneath her habit, "..would you care to retire to the nearby tavern?"
Seren stood gingerly, dusting herself off. She eyed the sister briefly and having allowed herself time to think responded positively. The tavern was busy when they sat and it was difficult to hear above the commotion. After a few minutes, they decided to go to the Colosseum and when they got there, sat on the stone seats above the arena.
"It is pleasant here", said the Sister, "...when there are no games." She cast her eyes over the arena then turned to Seren apologetically, "Forgive me, I am Sister Rose of the Nicomedian Sisterhood. I don't recall having introduced myself"
Seren had followed her gaze around the arena and eventually met it, smiling "You didn't but it's quite alright."
Sister Rose returned the smile and looking back out towards the arena said "I have read your campaign literature....this must be very frustrating for you, the lack of transparency."
"Yes....yes it is. I still have to push through the acts that will prevent...this from happening." Seren pointed her thumb in the general direction of the council chambers to clarify what she meant. "Just today, I'd prepared the Araxian Freedom of Information Act, but we ran out of time before I could present it to the Dawla."
Seren noticed a soft smile upon the Sister's face but it was tinged with a hint of sadness. "You will need allies. It is a building that you are creating."
The captain pursed her lips and nodded "That's an interesting way to put it." She sighed reflectively. "I don't know who to trust, I came into information that made me question people I work with."
"None of us are quite what we seem", said the Sister sagely, "Even you Delegate...some see a freighter captain but miss the politician." She paused to let the words sink in. "Cicero wrote: 'Confidence is that feeling by which the mind embarks in great and honorable courses with a sure hope and trust in itself'...perhaps you only need to trust yourself."
Seren straightened up and took a deep breath, letting it out slowly.When she spoke, she couldn't hide her pessimism, a sense of defeat. "Maybe....but the truth is I am just a freighter captain. I'm not the leader of an alliance or the commander of a vast army. I'm just a freighter captain."
"And isn't that your strength? You have no other agenda but your own. No master to serve but the people who elected you. No star to follow but that which burns in your heart."
Seren found she took great comfort from the Sister's words and wondered why she found it so easy to talk to the woman before her. Perhaps it was true that it was easier to talk problems through with strangers than friends. Or maybe it was because someone seemed to be take a genuine interest in her ideas without an ulterior motive. Whatever it was, she felt comfortable in the Sister's presence.
Turning to the sister, she nodded and replied "I know what you're saying is true but sometimes....sometimes it gets too much", and then with a hint of frustration, "I'm not respected, that's clear."
"Is there no-one you feel can trust?"
"My crew...perhaps, but beyond them, here on Araxes....I dare not turn my back for fear of finding a dagger in it."
"Ah", the Sister smiled wisely, "welcome to the world of Araxian politics.....tell me, why did you run for office? I know what your literature says...I mean beyond that."
Seren paused to think, expecting her trader/politician mind to generate a suitable public-relations type response but instead the simple, honest truth came to the surface.
"Someone thought I'd be good at it."
"And you have faith in their judgement?"
"I do, I've known them since I was a child, practically raised me."
"And this faith is solid, it has not changed?"
Seren paused and looked at the Sister, again realising she was taking a great deal of comfort from the conversation. "No", she said, "I don't think anything could change that."
"Then what has changed to shake you so?"
The captain sank back into her chair, looking up into the sky beyond the awnings and feeling the sunlight dance upon her skin. "It's just too hard, I can't do what I promised people I could."
"How will you lighten the burden?"
Seren jabbed a finger at the sky "I could run as far from this planet as I can."
Turning away, Sister Rose asked "Is that what is at the center of your heart?"
In response, the Captain laughed a humourless laugh. "A few years ago...maybe so. I still want to run but I don't think I could look myself in the mirror everyday if I did."
"Then you have your answer", the Sister spoke with clarity, tenderness and directness, "You must stay and fight."
They sat for a few moments, letting the words settle. After a while, Sister Rose stood and asked "Shall we return to the chambers, Delegate Undercroft?"
Seren looked up at the sister and smiled, saying thank you without words. She stood and they walked back to the chambers.
After that lengthy process, they had moved onto other issues. A missing navigator from the Spacing Guild Corpus. Major Arnold Gustav had arrived to give an update on the investigation. That's quick work, Seren had pondered, the news had broken just a few hours earlier at the Dawla session. Or had news of the disappearance been suppressed allowing the investigation to work unhindered?. Seren had never actually seen a Navigator before although a hefty percentage of her profits were channelled towards them so it came as a surprise when one of their number phased into the chambers in a cloud of spice smoke. The Laandsrat session collapsed into chaos and the Magistrate used her executive powers to eject the audience from the chambers.
Standing outside in the sandy courtyard, Seren stared at the large doors that led to the chambers. The courtyard bustled with people, some sitting, some standing, some talking, some smoking. Seren saw none of them, her focus was entirely on the doors. She knew something important was going on inside that chamber. She was a member of the government. That goddamn grey thing that had barely been on the council half an hour would know something an elected official did not. Unacceptable! She strode towards the doors with a purpose and as she reached the door, pushing it aside, she heard someone say "I wouldn't do that, Ma'am."
She span on her heel, casting her eyes across the crowd. Several people were staring at her and she hadn't recognised the voice. With an air of defiance, she walked away from the doors, raised her voice to make sure everyone could hear and said "And why not? I have every right. I will know what's going on in there by hook or by crook!"
She flounced to the ground, pulling at her dress to ensure a comfortable seat. It was then she noticed the Sister who appeared to be taking an interest.
"Delegate Undercroft", said the Sister, speaking from beneath her habit, "..would you care to retire to the nearby tavern?"
Seren stood gingerly, dusting herself off. She eyed the sister briefly and having allowed herself time to think responded positively. The tavern was busy when they sat and it was difficult to hear above the commotion. After a few minutes, they decided to go to the Colosseum and when they got there, sat on the stone seats above the arena.
"It is pleasant here", said the Sister, "...when there are no games." She cast her eyes over the arena then turned to Seren apologetically, "Forgive me, I am Sister Rose of the Nicomedian Sisterhood. I don't recall having introduced myself"
Seren had followed her gaze around the arena and eventually met it, smiling "You didn't but it's quite alright."
Sister Rose returned the smile and looking back out towards the arena said "I have read your campaign literature....this must be very frustrating for you, the lack of transparency."
"Yes....yes it is. I still have to push through the acts that will prevent...this from happening." Seren pointed her thumb in the general direction of the council chambers to clarify what she meant. "Just today, I'd prepared the Araxian Freedom of Information Act, but we ran out of time before I could present it to the Dawla."
Seren noticed a soft smile upon the Sister's face but it was tinged with a hint of sadness. "You will need allies. It is a building that you are creating."
The captain pursed her lips and nodded "That's an interesting way to put it." She sighed reflectively. "I don't know who to trust, I came into information that made me question people I work with."
"None of us are quite what we seem", said the Sister sagely, "Even you Delegate...some see a freighter captain but miss the politician." She paused to let the words sink in. "Cicero wrote: 'Confidence is that feeling by which the mind embarks in great and honorable courses with a sure hope and trust in itself'...perhaps you only need to trust yourself."
Seren straightened up and took a deep breath, letting it out slowly.When she spoke, she couldn't hide her pessimism, a sense of defeat. "Maybe....but the truth is I am just a freighter captain. I'm not the leader of an alliance or the commander of a vast army. I'm just a freighter captain."
"And isn't that your strength? You have no other agenda but your own. No master to serve but the people who elected you. No star to follow but that which burns in your heart."
Seren found she took great comfort from the Sister's words and wondered why she found it so easy to talk to the woman before her. Perhaps it was true that it was easier to talk problems through with strangers than friends. Or maybe it was because someone seemed to be take a genuine interest in her ideas without an ulterior motive. Whatever it was, she felt comfortable in the Sister's presence.
Turning to the sister, she nodded and replied "I know what you're saying is true but sometimes....sometimes it gets too much", and then with a hint of frustration, "I'm not respected, that's clear."
"Is there no-one you feel can trust?"
"My crew...perhaps, but beyond them, here on Araxes....I dare not turn my back for fear of finding a dagger in it."
"Ah", the Sister smiled wisely, "welcome to the world of Araxian politics.....tell me, why did you run for office? I know what your literature says...I mean beyond that."
Seren paused to think, expecting her trader/politician mind to generate a suitable public-relations type response but instead the simple, honest truth came to the surface.
"Someone thought I'd be good at it."
"And you have faith in their judgement?"
"I do, I've known them since I was a child, practically raised me."
"And this faith is solid, it has not changed?"
Seren paused and looked at the Sister, again realising she was taking a great deal of comfort from the conversation. "No", she said, "I don't think anything could change that."
"Then what has changed to shake you so?"
The captain sank back into her chair, looking up into the sky beyond the awnings and feeling the sunlight dance upon her skin. "It's just too hard, I can't do what I promised people I could."
"How will you lighten the burden?"
Seren jabbed a finger at the sky "I could run as far from this planet as I can."
Turning away, Sister Rose asked "Is that what is at the center of your heart?"
In response, the Captain laughed a humourless laugh. "A few years ago...maybe so. I still want to run but I don't think I could look myself in the mirror everyday if I did."
"Then you have your answer", the Sister spoke with clarity, tenderness and directness, "You must stay and fight."
They sat for a few moments, letting the words settle. After a while, Sister Rose stood and asked "Shall we return to the chambers, Delegate Undercroft?"
Seren looked up at the sister and smiled, saying thank you without words. She stood and they walked back to the chambers.
20120615
Serendipity and the Major
"No, no, no...that is connected to the green pipe not the blue one!"
Elena Galewind looked down from her harness where she hung from the 'Seph's hull. She knew, of course, that the Captain was entirely wrong. The green pipe led to the sewage tank. The blue pipe led to the coolant system.
"Are you quite sure, Captain?"
Seren spread her arms, palms up and shook them."Well, yes! You just try it you'll see."
Elena turned back to the open cavity in the side of the hull, rolled her eyes, and connected the cable to the blue pipe regardless. It was then she heard the Captain's voice addressing someone out of sight.
"Can I help you there, friend?"
"Delegate Undercroft?"
"Aye that's me."
"I am Major Siamendes with the Special Investigations Unit. Alliance military. May I have a moment of your time?"
The captain eyed the Major up and down with a mild look of distaste. Uniforms. They were like a rag to a bull as far as the delegate was concerned. The major stood looking back, smiling pleasantly enough. That's how it always started, of course. Every time.
"Special investigations unit, eh? Alliance....." Seren paused, pursing her lips, "Bit out of your comfort zone out here, ain't ya?"
"I am used to travel" said the Major, "I am investigating a number of threats made against citizens of the UAP by a group known as the Jade Congregation."
Seren put her finger in the air, ready to make a point. "Aye, well...I did recommend to the Consulari you get involved sooner but there's some non-intervention policy or something. Anyways...", she said about to mean the opposite of what she was said, "...not my position to complain about the inadequacies of the Alliance...."
Non-plussed, the Major queried the comment with a questioning "Get involved?"
"Well, the late Ms. Moonkill was one of your lot...wasn't she?" Seren dabbed at her sand covered trousers and squinted at the Major in the bright sun, "Anyway, I'm sure you're probably aware that it wasn't just members of the UAP having trouble with this lot. Apparently the whole Dawla got an earful."
The Major confirmed that she knew,"I was informed that you and other members of the Beit Dawla received threatening letters". She paused and then said "Shall we find a place to sit and chat?"
Seren twisted her mouth momentarily, side glancing at the Major. "Sure, why not? Council chambers be okay?". A subtle reminder to the Major, were it needed, that she was dealing with an elected member of the government.
The Major smiled in a way the captain found disconcerting and said "That would be fine."
Seren nodded briskly, wiping her hands on a cloth from her pocket before shouting to her first officer "Yo Elena, I'm heading to the chambers. Be done by the time I get back".
Elena nodded that she'd understood the secret message she'd heard many times before. Be ready to take off at a moment's notice.
The Captain had a profound distrust of law enforcement and authority. It was something that ate at her during Dawla meetings. There wasn't a single person on that council that she trusted and she had the same misgivings about the Major walking alongside her. The same misgivings she had about Arnold Gustav. They were narrow-minded, focused on one particular brand of thinking, indoctrinated by that world view. She'd seen it here and at home. Home. There were skeletons in her closet that she couldn't risk being discovered and now this pesky major was here. She hoped her nerves didn't show. As they approached the Council Chambers, she realised they hadn't spoken for the entire journey and that the investigator had probably wondered about that. So she spoke, abruptly.
"Top floor, Major"
"Thank you."
They sailed through the doors that led to the Dawla, past the Consulari's expansive office and climbed two flights of stairs. The musty smell of cinnammon touched her senses again, that familiar smell of Araxes, as they walked along the corridor to the dark end office with the plaque - Delegate Serendipity Undercroft.
She motioned for the Major to sit down and sat in her own chair staring intensely at the Alliance officer. She steepled her fingers in front of her face and when she caught the Major's attention, smiled.
Seren leant forward, pushed a hidden button on the desk and a spring-loaded draw ejected upwards. She reached inside, rummaged and removed a crumpled sheet of spice paper.
"This turned up in my internal mail a few weeks back. I guess you'll want to see it."
"Yes please. It could be helpful", said the Major who took the document and scanned it intently. The captain noticed a flicker of a frown.
"When did you first hear of the Jade Revolution?"
Abrupt. To the point. The pleasantries were clearly over.
The captain leant back in her chair and gestured with her hands. "The first time was probably when I got that letter. Apparently they'd had some problems with the terminals down in the chambers but that was before my time in office."
"And when did this letter arrive?"
"Two or three weeks ago, heck it could have been a month. As you can imagine, I get a lot of mail"
"Of course, how did it arrive?"
Seren leant forward, gestured to the desk. "I found it here on this very desk. Normally the mail arrives electronically or a clerk from the basement brings it up from the post-room. I can't say how it got onto my desk."
"Have there further threats to your person or property?"
Seren sniffed dismissively "From these Jadist clowns? Not that I know of. But that's a busy landing bay. If I were being watched I couldn't say with any certainty that I'd know about it."
The Major looked on, clearly mulling over what was being said. "Have you arranged for increased security?"
Seren leant forward more, arching an eyebrow, face half turned. "I haven't. Do you think I should, Major? Is the risk that grave?"
"They warn they will watch your actions from afar....", the Major paused momentarily, "....but it is the reference to the crypt that would concern me. They have proven they can get into your offices...."
The Captain's mind suddenly raced but the Major continued "Were you making repairs to your ship when I arrived?".
Leaning back, she nonchantly explained "One of the coolant pipes got damaged. We're not sure how."
The Major nodded, "Standard repairs...or any signs of possible tampering?"
"Lots of junk gets pushed up in engine flow, it's par for the course." said Seren, noticing the Major was again intently looking at the letter.
"Did you know Jade?"
Ah, here we go, thought the Captain, trying to establish a link. Not guilty, Major.
"I bumped into her once or twice. I have to say I found her so be....someone I'd have liked to have known better. Why do you ask?"
"Your letter", the Major gestured, "..some of the other notes have contained personal references. This letter focused on your political platform. See?". She leant forward, indicating the passage. It read:
"Aye", said the Captain, raising her hands in annoyance, "I noticed Major. Good grief."
"This is important", said the Major firmly, "Might I keep this letter. I would like to have the paper tested."
Seren nodded "Well sure, I certainly don't want it."
The Major continued her questioning. "You mentioned that you would have liked to have known Jade better. Why is that?"
"Oh, I see where this is going..."
"Oh?"
Leaning back in her chair, the Captain said with a certain degree of anger in her voice - "Yep. Sure. I liked Jade. She had some bright ideas and you know what? Yeah, I found I was surprisingly upset when she died....I've been quite vocal in my support for her views so...."
She caught herself mid-sentence, realising she might inadvertantly open herself up for suspicion. She glanced at the Major who looked on and nodded.
"She was a genuine soul." said the Major before looking again at the letter.
"If you wanna throw suspicion on anyone, Major, you might think about Mr. Gustav."
The Major continued on her line of inquiry. "First, the present threat..."
"Threat?"
"The Jade Revolution..." the Major paused and then said "Do you think Mr. Gustav is involved...in what happened to Jade?"
"I don't know about that.....He works for one of the biggest security firms on the planet, we already know he'd sell his granny for a profit. And hey...", she firmly placed a pointed finger on the desk, "he's the security guru around here and they're running rings around him...so what do you think?"
The Major twisted her mouth in thought. "Honestly....there are a number of people who would benefit from Jade's death."
Seren leant back in her chair, clasped her fingers together and said "I wouldn't know. I'm just a dumb, humble trader, Major."
Smiling, the major commented "But with ideas of democracy and freedom...according to the Jade Revolution. Tell me about your political platform, Ms. Undercroft"
Seren sighed warily and prepared her mouth to speak. "I have lofty dreams of ending the wars that persistently cause harm to the people of this world. I'm advocating total transparency of the government and want to put the people before the factions who will stop at nothing to bleed this planet dry."
"Go on", the major urged.
The captain gestured widely with her arms. "Have you seen what's going on out there? The Magistrate basically sold the planet out to all and sundry. What right do the people of Botany Bay or the Federation or your precious Alliance have to sit on our government and decide our fate?"
The captain looked sternly at the major who had been listening intently. For a moment, Seren thought she'd heard someone shuffling around in the office next door.
"May I see your campaign literature, anything that details your election pledges?"
Seren looked at the major momentarily before nodding "Sure, I probably have it around here somewhere". As the captain rummaged around the innards of her desk, the Major had another question to ask.
"Do you follow the writings of any specific political scientist or philosopher?"
The captain paused and looked up, searching the major's face for a clue. Why that question?
"I was never much for politics, Major. Which is kinda funny since I ended up as a politician.". She rummaged a bit more and then made a point. "Of course, if you're hunting down certain political types....apparently that happened on Earth quite a bit back in the day....no comment."
The Major smiled back at the captain in a way no doubt meant to be pleasant but that Seren yet again found disconcerting. "I am hunting, Delegate Undercroft, but not for you."
Seren pulled several leaflets from a draw and wiped away the dust. She handed it over to the Major who said pleasantly "May I keep these?"
The captain laughed sarcastically. "Sure, I got a ton more sitting in the printers."
"Thank you", the Major said standing, "I will not take any more of your time. Thank you for your help."
Lifting her hands and almost shrugging, the captain replied "Any time, Major. I'm sure you know your own way out."
The Major smiled and left the office the way she came. For a moment, Seren sat there. Then she picked up her pen and threw it across the room. "Goddamn Alliance, sticking their oar in, too late as usual!".
Elena Galewind looked down from her harness where she hung from the 'Seph's hull. She knew, of course, that the Captain was entirely wrong. The green pipe led to the sewage tank. The blue pipe led to the coolant system.
"Are you quite sure, Captain?"
Seren spread her arms, palms up and shook them."Well, yes! You just try it you'll see."
Elena turned back to the open cavity in the side of the hull, rolled her eyes, and connected the cable to the blue pipe regardless. It was then she heard the Captain's voice addressing someone out of sight.
"Can I help you there, friend?"
"Delegate Undercroft?"
"Aye that's me."
"I am Major Siamendes with the Special Investigations Unit. Alliance military. May I have a moment of your time?"
The captain eyed the Major up and down with a mild look of distaste. Uniforms. They were like a rag to a bull as far as the delegate was concerned. The major stood looking back, smiling pleasantly enough. That's how it always started, of course. Every time.
"Special investigations unit, eh? Alliance....." Seren paused, pursing her lips, "Bit out of your comfort zone out here, ain't ya?"
"I am used to travel" said the Major, "I am investigating a number of threats made against citizens of the UAP by a group known as the Jade Congregation."
Seren put her finger in the air, ready to make a point. "Aye, well...I did recommend to the Consulari you get involved sooner but there's some non-intervention policy or something. Anyways...", she said about to mean the opposite of what she was said, "...not my position to complain about the inadequacies of the Alliance...."
Non-plussed, the Major queried the comment with a questioning "Get involved?"
"Well, the late Ms. Moonkill was one of your lot...wasn't she?" Seren dabbed at her sand covered trousers and squinted at the Major in the bright sun, "Anyway, I'm sure you're probably aware that it wasn't just members of the UAP having trouble with this lot. Apparently the whole Dawla got an earful."
The Major confirmed that she knew,"I was informed that you and other members of the Beit Dawla received threatening letters". She paused and then said "Shall we find a place to sit and chat?"
Seren twisted her mouth momentarily, side glancing at the Major. "Sure, why not? Council chambers be okay?". A subtle reminder to the Major, were it needed, that she was dealing with an elected member of the government.
The Major smiled in a way the captain found disconcerting and said "That would be fine."
Seren nodded briskly, wiping her hands on a cloth from her pocket before shouting to her first officer "Yo Elena, I'm heading to the chambers. Be done by the time I get back".
Elena nodded that she'd understood the secret message she'd heard many times before. Be ready to take off at a moment's notice.
 |
| Al Raqis Council Chambers and Magistrate's Court |
The Captain had a profound distrust of law enforcement and authority. It was something that ate at her during Dawla meetings. There wasn't a single person on that council that she trusted and she had the same misgivings about the Major walking alongside her. The same misgivings she had about Arnold Gustav. They were narrow-minded, focused on one particular brand of thinking, indoctrinated by that world view. She'd seen it here and at home. Home. There were skeletons in her closet that she couldn't risk being discovered and now this pesky major was here. She hoped her nerves didn't show. As they approached the Council Chambers, she realised they hadn't spoken for the entire journey and that the investigator had probably wondered about that. So she spoke, abruptly.
"Top floor, Major"
"Thank you."
They sailed through the doors that led to the Dawla, past the Consulari's expansive office and climbed two flights of stairs. The musty smell of cinnammon touched her senses again, that familiar smell of Araxes, as they walked along the corridor to the dark end office with the plaque - Delegate Serendipity Undercroft.
She motioned for the Major to sit down and sat in her own chair staring intensely at the Alliance officer. She steepled her fingers in front of her face and when she caught the Major's attention, smiled.
Seren leant forward, pushed a hidden button on the desk and a spring-loaded draw ejected upwards. She reached inside, rummaged and removed a crumpled sheet of spice paper.
"This turned up in my internal mail a few weeks back. I guess you'll want to see it."
"Yes please. It could be helpful", said the Major who took the document and scanned it intently. The captain noticed a flicker of a frown.
"When did you first hear of the Jade Revolution?"
Abrupt. To the point. The pleasantries were clearly over.
The captain leant back in her chair and gestured with her hands. "The first time was probably when I got that letter. Apparently they'd had some problems with the terminals down in the chambers but that was before my time in office."
"And when did this letter arrive?"
"Two or three weeks ago, heck it could have been a month. As you can imagine, I get a lot of mail"
"Of course, how did it arrive?"
Seren leant forward, gestured to the desk. "I found it here on this very desk. Normally the mail arrives electronically or a clerk from the basement brings it up from the post-room. I can't say how it got onto my desk."
"Have there further threats to your person or property?"
Seren sniffed dismissively "From these Jadist clowns? Not that I know of. But that's a busy landing bay. If I were being watched I couldn't say with any certainty that I'd know about it."
The Major looked on, clearly mulling over what was being said. "Have you arranged for increased security?"
Seren leant forward more, arching an eyebrow, face half turned. "I haven't. Do you think I should, Major? Is the risk that grave?"
"They warn they will watch your actions from afar....", the Major paused momentarily, "....but it is the reference to the crypt that would concern me. They have proven they can get into your offices...."
The Captain's mind suddenly raced but the Major continued "Were you making repairs to your ship when I arrived?".
Leaning back, she nonchantly explained "One of the coolant pipes got damaged. We're not sure how."
The Major nodded, "Standard repairs...or any signs of possible tampering?"
"Lots of junk gets pushed up in engine flow, it's par for the course." said Seren, noticing the Major was again intently looking at the letter.
"Did you know Jade?"
Ah, here we go, thought the Captain, trying to establish a link. Not guilty, Major.
"I bumped into her once or twice. I have to say I found her so be....someone I'd have liked to have known better. Why do you ask?"
"Your letter", the Major gestured, "..some of the other notes have contained personal references. This letter focused on your political platform. See?". She leant forward, indicating the passage. It read:
We have monitored your election pledges and find that you have failed totally in your attempts to fulfill your doe-eyed objectives.
"Aye", said the Captain, raising her hands in annoyance, "I noticed Major. Good grief."
"This is important", said the Major firmly, "Might I keep this letter. I would like to have the paper tested."
Seren nodded "Well sure, I certainly don't want it."
The Major continued her questioning. "You mentioned that you would have liked to have known Jade better. Why is that?"
"Oh, I see where this is going..."
"Oh?"
Leaning back in her chair, the Captain said with a certain degree of anger in her voice - "Yep. Sure. I liked Jade. She had some bright ideas and you know what? Yeah, I found I was surprisingly upset when she died....I've been quite vocal in my support for her views so...."
She caught herself mid-sentence, realising she might inadvertantly open herself up for suspicion. She glanced at the Major who looked on and nodded.
"She was a genuine soul." said the Major before looking again at the letter.
"If you wanna throw suspicion on anyone, Major, you might think about Mr. Gustav."
The Major continued on her line of inquiry. "First, the present threat..."
"Threat?"
"The Jade Revolution..." the Major paused and then said "Do you think Mr. Gustav is involved...in what happened to Jade?"
"I don't know about that.....He works for one of the biggest security firms on the planet, we already know he'd sell his granny for a profit. And hey...", she firmly placed a pointed finger on the desk, "he's the security guru around here and they're running rings around him...so what do you think?"
The Major twisted her mouth in thought. "Honestly....there are a number of people who would benefit from Jade's death."
Seren leant back in her chair, clasped her fingers together and said "I wouldn't know. I'm just a dumb, humble trader, Major."
Smiling, the major commented "But with ideas of democracy and freedom...according to the Jade Revolution. Tell me about your political platform, Ms. Undercroft"
Seren sighed warily and prepared her mouth to speak. "I have lofty dreams of ending the wars that persistently cause harm to the people of this world. I'm advocating total transparency of the government and want to put the people before the factions who will stop at nothing to bleed this planet dry."
"Go on", the major urged.
The captain gestured widely with her arms. "Have you seen what's going on out there? The Magistrate basically sold the planet out to all and sundry. What right do the people of Botany Bay or the Federation or your precious Alliance have to sit on our government and decide our fate?"
The captain looked sternly at the major who had been listening intently. For a moment, Seren thought she'd heard someone shuffling around in the office next door.
"May I see your campaign literature, anything that details your election pledges?"
Seren looked at the major momentarily before nodding "Sure, I probably have it around here somewhere". As the captain rummaged around the innards of her desk, the Major had another question to ask.
"Do you follow the writings of any specific political scientist or philosopher?"
The captain paused and looked up, searching the major's face for a clue. Why that question?
"I was never much for politics, Major. Which is kinda funny since I ended up as a politician.". She rummaged a bit more and then made a point. "Of course, if you're hunting down certain political types....apparently that happened on Earth quite a bit back in the day....no comment."
The Major smiled back at the captain in a way no doubt meant to be pleasant but that Seren yet again found disconcerting. "I am hunting, Delegate Undercroft, but not for you."
Seren pulled several leaflets from a draw and wiped away the dust. She handed it over to the Major who said pleasantly "May I keep these?"
The captain laughed sarcastically. "Sure, I got a ton more sitting in the printers."
"Thank you", the Major said standing, "I will not take any more of your time. Thank you for your help."
Lifting her hands and almost shrugging, the captain replied "Any time, Major. I'm sure you know your own way out."
The Major smiled and left the office the way she came. For a moment, Seren sat there. Then she picked up her pen and threw it across the room. "Goddamn Alliance, sticking their oar in, too late as usual!".
20120528
"Only the dead have seen the end of war."
News of the Ta'Seti invasion of Araxes pierced the silent contemplation Seren Undercroft had indulged herself in like a raucous, unwanted guest. She'd allowed herself a brief vacation, away from the pressures and stress of Araxian political life and had been watching the sunset on the family's adopted home of Nena from her seat on the farmhouse's veranda.
"Captain, word comes of Ta'Seti invasion on Araxes. You're to stay off-world until the threat has been defeated."
The voice came from her erstwhile companion, Elena Galewind, the Cognitive who had no doubt already analysed the various paths and repercussions of the conflict based on the information available to her. She spoke with a certainty but Seren knew that was Elena's way. The conflict was far from certain victory for the Araxian forces.
Of course, the invasion had been coming. The Ta'Seti were dying and needed the spice to formulate a cure. Their allies, the Myrmidons were thrustful and direct in Laandsrat sessions. The Ta'Seti must not be allowed to die and they would seize the planet if necessary to prevent their extinction.
The Magistrate, along with others in the Laandsrat, had agreed to help. But the price was steep. The Ta'Seti required 75% of all spice produced on Araxes. A staggering amount!
For the first time in office, Seren had felt utterly lost. This was the archetypal no-win situation. Refusal to deliver the spice would result in the potential invasion of Araxes and possibly involve the Imperium in a long and bloody war. The Ta'Seti were dying and no force stronger than the will to survive. Countless millions could be lost.
But to give the Ta'Seti the spice, to save a people from extinction, would have profound consequences within the Imperium itself. Production would have to triple in an attempt to avoid the social and economic fabric of the Imperium tearing itself apart. The price of the spice might increase many times over as the people's panicked and began to hoard their supplies whilst the production levels took time to increase. It would be pushed out of the reach of the poorest members of society, pushed out of reach of all but the biggest trading companies. The monopoly would re-emerge, stronger than ever and the Houses would rally to position themselves to take advantage.
Seren had, like many others, chosen to vote against supplying the Ta'Seti with their cure. She had said, with a brutal coldness that shocked her, that this was merely nature's way of telling the Ta'Seti their time was at an end.
And now the consequences of their actions had been apparent.
The battle had raged in the southern districts of Wadi and Evangeline. The Ta'Seti had arrived in their huge battlecruisers, dropped their soldiers deep within the desert and began the surprise surge against the Imperium.
The resistance forces on Araxes had been prepared for this eventuality. Whilst the government talked in their committees, they had prepared for the war. The newly appointed Defence Minister had formed an unison of forces. The United Systems Directorate, the SSFS, New Gaia's Colonial Rangers and many others had pushed back against the threat, standing their ground, proverbial shield-to-shield against the oncoming horde.
When the battle was over, the war logs began to filter through. Most were only available to people with special clearance. The battle had been won. The Ta'Seti threat had been averted, pushed off the planet in one final, colossal show of strength. There were rumours that some cryptographers had managed to decode a Ta'Seti interface and accessed their archive.
There was talk of battlefields deep with dead bodies, some charred, some dismembered, some destroyed beyond recognition within mangled wreckage.
Of course, Seren thought, there were no winners. Casualties were heavy on both sides. For all the jingoistic rhetoric, there were hundreds of ruined lives. Not just soldiers but their families and friends.
And for the Ta'Seti. Their future looked dark and uncertain. They faced the notion that the days of the Ta'Seti may soon draw to a close, a civilisation consigned to history scholars and archaeologists of the future.
Perhaps, she thought, we've merely made our enemy even more dangerous.
"Captain, word comes of Ta'Seti invasion on Araxes. You're to stay off-world until the threat has been defeated."
The voice came from her erstwhile companion, Elena Galewind, the Cognitive who had no doubt already analysed the various paths and repercussions of the conflict based on the information available to her. She spoke with a certainty but Seren knew that was Elena's way. The conflict was far from certain victory for the Araxian forces.
Of course, the invasion had been coming. The Ta'Seti were dying and needed the spice to formulate a cure. Their allies, the Myrmidons were thrustful and direct in Laandsrat sessions. The Ta'Seti must not be allowed to die and they would seize the planet if necessary to prevent their extinction.
The Magistrate, along with others in the Laandsrat, had agreed to help. But the price was steep. The Ta'Seti required 75% of all spice produced on Araxes. A staggering amount!
For the first time in office, Seren had felt utterly lost. This was the archetypal no-win situation. Refusal to deliver the spice would result in the potential invasion of Araxes and possibly involve the Imperium in a long and bloody war. The Ta'Seti were dying and no force stronger than the will to survive. Countless millions could be lost.
But to give the Ta'Seti the spice, to save a people from extinction, would have profound consequences within the Imperium itself. Production would have to triple in an attempt to avoid the social and economic fabric of the Imperium tearing itself apart. The price of the spice might increase many times over as the people's panicked and began to hoard their supplies whilst the production levels took time to increase. It would be pushed out of the reach of the poorest members of society, pushed out of reach of all but the biggest trading companies. The monopoly would re-emerge, stronger than ever and the Houses would rally to position themselves to take advantage.
Seren had, like many others, chosen to vote against supplying the Ta'Seti with their cure. She had said, with a brutal coldness that shocked her, that this was merely nature's way of telling the Ta'Seti their time was at an end.
And now the consequences of their actions had been apparent.
The battle had raged in the southern districts of Wadi and Evangeline. The Ta'Seti had arrived in their huge battlecruisers, dropped their soldiers deep within the desert and began the surprise surge against the Imperium.
The resistance forces on Araxes had been prepared for this eventuality. Whilst the government talked in their committees, they had prepared for the war. The newly appointed Defence Minister had formed an unison of forces. The United Systems Directorate, the SSFS, New Gaia's Colonial Rangers and many others had pushed back against the threat, standing their ground, proverbial shield-to-shield against the oncoming horde.
When the battle was over, the war logs began to filter through. Most were only available to people with special clearance. The battle had been won. The Ta'Seti threat had been averted, pushed off the planet in one final, colossal show of strength. There were rumours that some cryptographers had managed to decode a Ta'Seti interface and accessed their archive.
There was talk of battlefields deep with dead bodies, some charred, some dismembered, some destroyed beyond recognition within mangled wreckage.
Of course, Seren thought, there were no winners. Casualties were heavy on both sides. For all the jingoistic rhetoric, there were hundreds of ruined lives. Not just soldiers but their families and friends.
And for the Ta'Seti. Their future looked dark and uncertain. They faced the notion that the days of the Ta'Seti may soon draw to a close, a civilisation consigned to history scholars and archaeologists of the future.
Perhaps, she thought, we've merely made our enemy even more dangerous.
20120419
For the people, for freedom!
"Freedom for most people is something sacred, and many have been willing to sacrifice their lives for it. It is not just another word, for we measure the health of our democracies by the standard of freedom" - Ancient Earth Politician.
Seren ran her finger along the tablet, whispering the names slowly as she read. The Laandsrat had been expanded and the factions, whether they were corporate, nobles or militaries were empowered more than ever before. Never in the recent history of Araxes had the position and inalienable rights of the individual been as weak. She glanced silently out of the view port of the Persephone, her eyes surveying the majestic towers and structures of the city until her eyes reached the Council Chambers. Democracy and freedom. They'd been the bywords of civilised society for the ancients but had been trampled underfoot by the corporations who had seized power of the people. Society had collapsed back into a feudal system - a system of aristocrats and great houses, giant corporate entities, vast religious doctrines that covered thousands of worlds, colossal military forces, all of whom sought to control the spice, to enslave the peoples of the Imperium to their causes, to fool them into believing their way was the only way whilst trampling the very same people underfoot.
Outsiders had come. The Alliance. They were as bad as the Imperium. They didn't tell you what to think, they told you how to think. Their society presented itself as clean, pure, enlightened. They were nothing of the sort. The Independents on the fringe told a different story. They'd lost the Unification War. They called themselves Browncoats and they strove for the very freedoms dreamt of for the Imperium. So many had died for the cause and lost. So many. On Miranda and elsewhere.
20120409
The Shrouded Stranger
Elena Galewind stood on the Splintered Rock landing platform looking out towards the dune sea. The horizon seemed to have moved and where the sky would normally have touched the ground, a vast dusty orange cloud crept along with a menacing procession of murky waves. Dust storms were not unusual on Araxes. The dry air, wind and vast expanse of sand lent itself to the phenomenon. The desert-borns, she knew, would be holed up in their seeqs. Air traffic would be temporarily suspended, the people in the city told to go indoors, to fasten up their homes as the storm approached. It would pass and the people would return to whatever they were fixated on before. The klaxon had yet to sound so she stood and admired the beauty of it, using her staff as a measuring tool, calculating its trajectory, height and ferocity.She was lost in thought, her mind imbued with the calculations. She didn't detect the dark, draped and cloaked stranger who emerged behind her.
"Greetings."
Startled, she turned round, suddenly thankful for the staff in her hand. She adopted the defensive pose without thinking. In a blink of an eye, her thought processes sprung back to life, assessing the danger. Cloaked, masked, male, no visible weaponry, a piercing red light emitted from a mechanical eye.
Elena straightened, her hand still grasping the staff tightly should she have to use it. "Greetings to you, sir."
"What is that pole you're holding" he asked, examining it closely.
"A ceremonial air staff, it is issued to many of my Order. A primarily defensive weapon."
"And what is your Order?"
Elena pondered the question, tried to foresee the different paths the conversation could take depending on her answer and the motives of the individual.
"You're a curious one", she said finally, "I suppose it does no harm to tell. I am an Adept of the Cognitive-Mentis Order. What are you?"
"I, I am but a soldier. Please, tell me more of your Order, enlighten me."
Again, she pondered the question. She harboured suspicions that he was more than just a soldier. Certainly, her Order was hardly a secret but the universe was a changed place. The Concordat was vast and it's borders touched the realms of others with increasing frequency. She chose the careful approach - "I fear you would find it a rather uninteresting story. Certainly combat is not one of our finer points although some come to the Order later in life having honed their skill in other areas."
The stranger spoke again, his voice slightly muffled by the dark cloth mask around his face - "I study more than just combat. As the ages passed, I have studied many things and harnessed many things".
An esoteric response in kind, she thought.
"I can tell from your attire", she began, "that you have an eclectic history. You do not appear to be the standard soldier common to these parts."
"Well analysed.". A curt response.
"What am I to make of the eyepiece?". She sought information upon which to make a hypothesis. The stranger was being vague. Perhaps the eyepiece will put me on the right path.
"Ancient technology. A memorable device."
Memorable or memory. She didn't hear above the growing winds. "Interesting", she asked, "I presume by the name it records what you see?"
"That's one of its features. It also displays a radar from the results of various scans. Sound, sight, infra-red, satellite."
The information was good but still too vague. She couldn't pinpoint a specific technology, race or planet.
"A useful device to have....why do you hide your face? To protect you from the sand or to protect your identity?"
"Let's just say it's for the sand."
"Understood". She accepted his abstruse nature for now, the wind was whipping up and the sand was starting to gently peck her face.
He gestured to her staff - "You talked about your staff. What exactly can it do?"
"As I said, it's a primarily defensive weapon. It can project a super-concentrated burst of air to disorientate an opponent. Failing that, it makes a useful melee weapon."
"How does it work? Technological or.....other alternatives?"
Finally, she thought, I detect the person behind the mask. Alternatives to technology mean a belief in mythical or fantastical powers. Elena replied "Technological. We are a scientific people not beholden to the wild superstitions of others, like the Sinisterhood."
Elena noticed the man stiffen. Agitated perhaps. "Through my years, I have studied both. And I can tell you such things are far more than superstitions. Superstitions do not destroy armies."
A simple claim to rebuke, she thought. Scientific, logical thought would prevail. "That rather depends on the army. A primitive race of spear throwers would tremble in fear at 'Gods' with laserguns."
"You lack realisation.".
A firm and strong rebuttal implying she lacked the knowledge to comprehend the matter at hand. Something she was unaccustomed to. She raised an eyebrow but was interrupted before she could respond in kind.
"I have learnt of a true power", he intoned, "greater than any other."
"Tell, what is this power? Can it be studied in a laboratory?". She heard the scorn in her own voice.
"It can only be studied through experience. I do not know of it's word in our tongue."
Damnation, this man has a propensity to be utterly unfathomable.
"You will learn one day." he said before turning away and striding away across the platform as mysteriously as he had arrived. Elena held her hand up to her face, protecting it from the sand which peppered her skin like tiny fragments of glass. You leave on a riddle.....a disconcerting fact to be true...but I'm rather good at solving them.
[Featuring "Gordon Freeman"]
20120401
Seren and the Sardar
Delegate Undercroft's first encounter with the His Grace, Sardar Kumar Sri Rai Sahib Khanzadeh, the 633rd in line to the Imperial Lion Throne had been thoroughly unexpected. She had been walking through the citadel on the Rock to cast her eyes over new office premises for the PTC and had wandered in, quite by accident, on the Margrave Princely Count's chamber.
She'd frozen and for a few moments completely lost the ability to communicate in any meaningful way. Had she have chosen a first meeting with His Grace, it wouldn't have been after barging into his office. After what seemed an eternity, she regained her composure and apologised to His Grace for intruding in such a manner. She planned to make a dash there and then - perhaps he hadn't recognised her, why would he? - but it turned out that, yes, in fact he had.
He accepted her apology, explained that he had been lost in thought and apparently hadn't even seen the copper-haired young woman enter the room until she'd spoken.
"You are one of those democratic people aren't you? Populist....I can't think of the correct word?"
"Elected, your grace?"
"That's the word!"
Seren hastily tried to remember the correct protocol expected when in the presence of an Imperial figure and His Grace sensed her awkwardness. "No Curtsying or bowing, just avoid direct eye contact." She quickly diverted her eyes to the floor. She rather enjoyed her head on her shoulders and wouldn't want to lose it for such a minor intransigence. Actually, she wasn't sure what the punishment was but decided she didn't want to find out.
"I'm Delegate Undercroft of the Beit Dawla, your grace."
"I'm sure it's a pleasure to meet you" said the Margrave Princely Count in as regal a manner you might imagine, "I've lost track of the fellow who handles my appointments. I sent him off on an errand to donate my bathwater."
"I'm sure the great unwashed will be thankful" Oh, you sycophant.
"What do you want Delegate? I'd offer you a chair but I've discovered they don't work. This planet is built for damnation!"
Seren laughed nervously - it was genuinely funny but she was unsure if she was allowed to laugh in his presence. Galewind hadn't gone through this with her during her pre-election training. His Grace looked at her oddly, as if making a mental note of something.
"Are you here for official business or is this a social call?"
"In truth, " Seren confessed, "I didn't expect to find you here your grace but since I am here, may I enquire about the investigation into the Ta'Seti invasion?"
"It's not so much an investigation - I am looking at the feasibility of a planetary defence force. The local factionalized militaries act like disorganised militia.", he paused and made a direct point, "Said planetary defence force would be bound by the authority of the local governing body of course. The forms must be obeyed! The Imperium might ask for the occasional enforcement of a warrant, all according to the forms."
"I've heard rumours that you'd met with the USD leadership?"
"It is true", His Grace exclaimed, "They are usually on hand during any untoward invasion. Unlike the proper invasions where you have acts of parliament and formal declarations of war."
Seren nodded in agreement, "Indeed, their recent actions in defending the planet are worthy of our thanks and praise.....", she paused before continuing, "it seems people's fear of the Imperium is diminishing and attacks are becoming more common."
His Grace seemed to become stern "The Imperium's objective is to continue this experiment of limited autonomy...the factionalized militaries cause some difficulties. If the Imperium mobilises here, self rule will evaporate."
The words seemed to linger on the air. If the Imperium mobilises here, self rule will evaporate.
He continued, "The Imperial servants have done an admirable job but this is a glaring embarrassment. The Chief Magistrate cannot even prevent members of her own council from from raising arms against the local infrastructure. Adjunct Lieutenant Werribee's experiment in deregulating spice prospecting has increased production but also increased vulnerability."
Seren wasn't sure what His Grace meant in reference to the Magistrate, so she took a guess.
"There are certain elements on the Laandsrat who seem to have a conflict of interest, yes. The Myrmidons have sworn allegiance to the Emperor but seem to do nothing to prevent attack by their allies, the Ta'Seti.".
"We have developed a simple method to determine when the Myrmidons are making erroneous statements" declared His Grace, "...they speak." He continued with an air of aloofness. "If not them, it will be someone else. Barbarians making undeclared wars. It is unseemly."
"The government is doing everything in its power to avoid hostilities your grace. We want to avoid martial law if at all possible."
"I would hope you would not need to declare martial law. The planetary defence force should be subordinate to the local governing body. It would be on you to ensure oversight"
"With your permission, I will raise the issue at the next available Beit Dawla meeting, your grace."
"Of course, it would be of great convenience. I have not had the pleasure of reacquainting with the Chief Magistrate. I am told she is back from the....". His Grace seemed to hesitate before completing the sentence, turning to her with a regal twist of the head and emphasising the word,".....spa."
Seren nodded. Curious.
"As it is", he continued, " you should feel free to contact me anytime with news. My door would always be open if I were to have one.". His Grace was perturbed as he looked at the gaping hole where any person could just wander in off the street, "How do they live like this? It's madness! Nice views though"
Seren nodded again. She felt she'd been doing a lot of that during the conversation. "Thank you your grace. I'm not quite sure about the absence of doors myself. Perhaps the locals haven't worked out how to open them yet?" Perhaps the locals haven't worked out how to open them yet??!! Applaud yourself Seren - the condescending award of the year is going home with you!
To Seren's relief, her communicator headset clicked into life. She was needed urgently to sign some documents at the council chamber. "My apologies, your grace, I'm being called away. Please do enjoy your stay on our humble world."
It took quite a while for the the delegate to remove her head from her hands as she replayed the event over and over in her head. It hadn't been the ideal way to meet His Grace but perhaps it hadn't been as bad as she'd imagined. She'd almost inadvertently called on the planet to be put under martial law and questioned the loyalty of leading members of the Laandsrat but other than that, hey. Her headset clicked into life again. She still hadn't signed the paperwork at the council chambers. She took the headset from her head and put it on the instrument panel in front of her. In the corner of her eye she noticed a crate of Blue Sun beer. The paperwork can wait, she thought, as she cracked open a can.
She'd frozen and for a few moments completely lost the ability to communicate in any meaningful way. Had she have chosen a first meeting with His Grace, it wouldn't have been after barging into his office. After what seemed an eternity, she regained her composure and apologised to His Grace for intruding in such a manner. She planned to make a dash there and then - perhaps he hadn't recognised her, why would he? - but it turned out that, yes, in fact he had.
He accepted her apology, explained that he had been lost in thought and apparently hadn't even seen the copper-haired young woman enter the room until she'd spoken.
"You are one of those democratic people aren't you? Populist....I can't think of the correct word?"
"Elected, your grace?"
"That's the word!"
Seren hastily tried to remember the correct protocol expected when in the presence of an Imperial figure and His Grace sensed her awkwardness. "No Curtsying or bowing, just avoid direct eye contact." She quickly diverted her eyes to the floor. She rather enjoyed her head on her shoulders and wouldn't want to lose it for such a minor intransigence. Actually, she wasn't sure what the punishment was but decided she didn't want to find out.
"I'm Delegate Undercroft of the Beit Dawla, your grace."
"I'm sure it's a pleasure to meet you" said the Margrave Princely Count in as regal a manner you might imagine, "I've lost track of the fellow who handles my appointments. I sent him off on an errand to donate my bathwater."
"I'm sure the great unwashed will be thankful" Oh, you sycophant.
"What do you want Delegate? I'd offer you a chair but I've discovered they don't work. This planet is built for damnation!"
Seren laughed nervously - it was genuinely funny but she was unsure if she was allowed to laugh in his presence. Galewind hadn't gone through this with her during her pre-election training. His Grace looked at her oddly, as if making a mental note of something.
"Are you here for official business or is this a social call?"
"In truth, " Seren confessed, "I didn't expect to find you here your grace but since I am here, may I enquire about the investigation into the Ta'Seti invasion?"
"It's not so much an investigation - I am looking at the feasibility of a planetary defence force. The local factionalized militaries act like disorganised militia.", he paused and made a direct point, "Said planetary defence force would be bound by the authority of the local governing body of course. The forms must be obeyed! The Imperium might ask for the occasional enforcement of a warrant, all according to the forms."
"I've heard rumours that you'd met with the USD leadership?"
"It is true", His Grace exclaimed, "They are usually on hand during any untoward invasion. Unlike the proper invasions where you have acts of parliament and formal declarations of war."
Seren nodded in agreement, "Indeed, their recent actions in defending the planet are worthy of our thanks and praise.....", she paused before continuing, "it seems people's fear of the Imperium is diminishing and attacks are becoming more common."
His Grace seemed to become stern "The Imperium's objective is to continue this experiment of limited autonomy...the factionalized militaries cause some difficulties. If the Imperium mobilises here, self rule will evaporate."
The words seemed to linger on the air. If the Imperium mobilises here, self rule will evaporate.
He continued, "The Imperial servants have done an admirable job but this is a glaring embarrassment. The Chief Magistrate cannot even prevent members of her own council from from raising arms against the local infrastructure. Adjunct Lieutenant Werribee's experiment in deregulating spice prospecting has increased production but also increased vulnerability."
Seren wasn't sure what His Grace meant in reference to the Magistrate, so she took a guess.
"There are certain elements on the Laandsrat who seem to have a conflict of interest, yes. The Myrmidons have sworn allegiance to the Emperor but seem to do nothing to prevent attack by their allies, the Ta'Seti.".
"We have developed a simple method to determine when the Myrmidons are making erroneous statements" declared His Grace, "...they speak." He continued with an air of aloofness. "If not them, it will be someone else. Barbarians making undeclared wars. It is unseemly."
"The government is doing everything in its power to avoid hostilities your grace. We want to avoid martial law if at all possible."
"I would hope you would not need to declare martial law. The planetary defence force should be subordinate to the local governing body. It would be on you to ensure oversight"
"With your permission, I will raise the issue at the next available Beit Dawla meeting, your grace."
"Of course, it would be of great convenience. I have not had the pleasure of reacquainting with the Chief Magistrate. I am told she is back from the....". His Grace seemed to hesitate before completing the sentence, turning to her with a regal twist of the head and emphasising the word,".....spa."
Seren nodded. Curious.
"As it is", he continued, " you should feel free to contact me anytime with news. My door would always be open if I were to have one.". His Grace was perturbed as he looked at the gaping hole where any person could just wander in off the street, "How do they live like this? It's madness! Nice views though"
Seren nodded again. She felt she'd been doing a lot of that during the conversation. "Thank you your grace. I'm not quite sure about the absence of doors myself. Perhaps the locals haven't worked out how to open them yet?" Perhaps the locals haven't worked out how to open them yet??!! Applaud yourself Seren - the condescending award of the year is going home with you!
To Seren's relief, her communicator headset clicked into life. She was needed urgently to sign some documents at the council chamber. "My apologies, your grace, I'm being called away. Please do enjoy your stay on our humble world."
It took quite a while for the the delegate to remove her head from her hands as she replayed the event over and over in her head. It hadn't been the ideal way to meet His Grace but perhaps it hadn't been as bad as she'd imagined. She'd almost inadvertently called on the planet to be put under martial law and questioned the loyalty of leading members of the Laandsrat but other than that, hey. Her headset clicked into life again. She still hadn't signed the paperwork at the council chambers. She took the headset from her head and put it on the instrument panel in front of her. In the corner of her eye she noticed a crate of Blue Sun beer. The paperwork can wait, she thought, as she cracked open a can.
20120323
Botany Bay : Good Business Is Where You Find It.
With a pulse of light, the Persephone punched its way out of slipspace. The ship shook with the change in speed, hurtling forwards and banking right. In the cockpit, the instruments flickered with each shudder as the crew, Seren Undercroft and Elena Galewind fought the controls to regain command.
The rough re-entry to normal space had momentarily disorientated the captain. The stars were swinging past with the ship's drunken swagger and she hadn't expected this level of turbulence. Years of experience helped determine the cause. One of the tail blades of the ship had buckled under the stress of slipspace flight and it had thrown the ship dangerously out of control. A momentary lapse while she assessed the situation and decided the best course of action.
Galewind, sitting in the co-pilots chair, was already a step ahead. She too had been surprised by the re-entry, the rough swaying and manically dancing stars - it upset her equilibrium terribly and she could feel the beginnings of nausea. However, her rigorous mental training began to kick in - she calmed and allowed her in-depth knowledge of the Persephone's blueprints and structural elements to inform her of the problem. The tail blade of the ship was damaged, probably as a result of the difference in pressure between slipstream and normal space. They needed to level the ship and she began to fire the starboard and aft thrusters moments before the Captain issued the command.
Amid a flurry of flashing lights and klaxons, they eventually regained command of the the ship, easing it onto an even keel and bringing it to a controllable speed. Seren looked across at her companion, who by now was analysing both the flight plan and the damage reports. "Bit rough, wasn't it?"
"It was a little more turbulent than my initial analysis suggested. The simulations suggested the Persephone would be quite capable of surviving the trip with the additional structural reinforcement."
The captain nodded and lent back into her chair, reaching for the bottle she'd left next to her chair. She grasped at thin air and immediately knew that the bottle was probably sitting in the cargo bay by now. She sighed and looked out at stars she'd never seen before. "Any idea where we are?"
Galewind's fingers danced across the co-pilot's instruments. "Running astrometrics and checking for navigational beacons now...." There were a few moments of silence as the navigational computer analysed the constellations and tried to match them up to known star charts. Seren watched her face intently trying to anticipate what the news might be. She saw Elena's eyebrows rise.
"The journey was successful. Astrometric charts indicate we have indeed arrived on the outskirts of Nova Gaia."
Seren began to laugh, shaking her head. "We'll never do things the easy way will we? What's the damage?"
"The left aft blade is showing damage, analytics are saying it appears to have warped and is off-camber by a considerable degree. It's repairable, probably with what we have on board."
"How far are we from the Botany Bay colony? Are we going to be able to get there?"
"One moment...", Elena fingers danced on the instruments again, "About twelve hours at a moderate speed. I recommend caution until we reach the orbital station."
The captain nodded. Longer than wanted but at least they'd get there. Dropping out of slipspace in such a way could have left them marooned light years from civilisation, deep in the black. "Tell you what. Why don't you go and get your head down for a few hours. I'll come and get you, you can relieve me?".
Elena nodded, stood up and headed down to the makeshift sleeping quarters in the cargo bay. All these years being a trader and she still hadn't bought any bunks.
She absently swept away imaginary dust from her tunic and trousers. The outfit was new and she felt a little self-conscious, the same way she felt at the Beit Dawla. There she'd made the decision to gradually tone down the formal look she'd initially adopted and she'd started to feel more comfortable. However this was her first official visit on government duty and she felt she had to look the part. Grey tunic with grey trousers, cut to flatter but maintaining an air of quiet dignity. Seren checked the time and began to walk The colony itself wasn't far and she enjoyed the gentle stroll, wishing that her friend had been able to join her rather than clambering into a space suit armed with a neutron hammer.
Lane reached into a cabinet and retrieved a storage unit, opening it on the counter. "Have you seen this before?". She offered the unit and Seren took it, peering in and examining it closely. "No, what is it?"
Seren's brow furrowed "Harjel? Never heard of it. What does it do?". Lane smiled and began to explain. "It's very useful. It's a biogel, a waste product of the Har, a type of coral. It can't be compressed and it's a natural antibiotic. It can't become infected with any known pathogen.". She lent on the cabinet. "It's very useful in exosuits, to absorb shock and cushion the user. In this state, its also supersaturated with oxygen, yet its stable"
The rough re-entry to normal space had momentarily disorientated the captain. The stars were swinging past with the ship's drunken swagger and she hadn't expected this level of turbulence. Years of experience helped determine the cause. One of the tail blades of the ship had buckled under the stress of slipspace flight and it had thrown the ship dangerously out of control. A momentary lapse while she assessed the situation and decided the best course of action.
Galewind, sitting in the co-pilots chair, was already a step ahead. She too had been surprised by the re-entry, the rough swaying and manically dancing stars - it upset her equilibrium terribly and she could feel the beginnings of nausea. However, her rigorous mental training began to kick in - she calmed and allowed her in-depth knowledge of the Persephone's blueprints and structural elements to inform her of the problem. The tail blade of the ship was damaged, probably as a result of the difference in pressure between slipstream and normal space. They needed to level the ship and she began to fire the starboard and aft thrusters moments before the Captain issued the command.
Amid a flurry of flashing lights and klaxons, they eventually regained command of the the ship, easing it onto an even keel and bringing it to a controllable speed. Seren looked across at her companion, who by now was analysing both the flight plan and the damage reports. "Bit rough, wasn't it?"
"It was a little more turbulent than my initial analysis suggested. The simulations suggested the Persephone would be quite capable of surviving the trip with the additional structural reinforcement."
The captain nodded and lent back into her chair, reaching for the bottle she'd left next to her chair. She grasped at thin air and immediately knew that the bottle was probably sitting in the cargo bay by now. She sighed and looked out at stars she'd never seen before. "Any idea where we are?"
Galewind's fingers danced across the co-pilot's instruments. "Running astrometrics and checking for navigational beacons now...." There were a few moments of silence as the navigational computer analysed the constellations and tried to match them up to known star charts. Seren watched her face intently trying to anticipate what the news might be. She saw Elena's eyebrows rise.
"The journey was successful. Astrometric charts indicate we have indeed arrived on the outskirts of Nova Gaia."
Seren began to laugh, shaking her head. "We'll never do things the easy way will we? What's the damage?"
"The left aft blade is showing damage, analytics are saying it appears to have warped and is off-camber by a considerable degree. It's repairable, probably with what we have on board."
"How far are we from the Botany Bay colony? Are we going to be able to get there?"
"One moment...", Elena fingers danced on the instruments again, "About twelve hours at a moderate speed. I recommend caution until we reach the orbital station."
The captain nodded. Longer than wanted but at least they'd get there. Dropping out of slipspace in such a way could have left them marooned light years from civilisation, deep in the black. "Tell you what. Why don't you go and get your head down for a few hours. I'll come and get you, you can relieve me?".
Elena nodded, stood up and headed down to the makeshift sleeping quarters in the cargo bay. All these years being a trader and she still hadn't bought any bunks.
* * * * * *
Seren stepped off the shuttle and onto the rich green grass of the Botany Bay colony. She allowed herself a moment to take in the beauty of the landscape. The rich colours almost seemed too much, overpowering and more vivid than she remembered. The fragrance too seemed exaggerated, the flowers and shoots of grass were splendidly redolent. She surmised that she'd been on the desert planet too long.
Seren passed through the main gates of the colony with little fanfare, showing her trader card to the sentry manning the main gate. For the most part, the colony looked much the same as it had on Araxes but felt a little brighter and at ease with itself. The central courtyard bustled with activity, market traders selling their wares and fire-eaters entertaining the crowd as they swallowed fire. She passed the Coral Essex hotel, a known haunt for the more promiscuous space traveller and continued towards the Sol Cantina. The round door swished open as she approached. Almost exactly as she remembered it.
Atop a dancing platform in the centre of the cantina, Seren noticed a petite female, her dark hair framing a remarkably attractive face, attired in a pretty yellow dress that swayed elegantly with her movements.
Seren ventured, "You wouldn't happen to know where the medical bay is would you?"
Without stopping her dance, the female smiled and said "Are you hurt? I can show you if you'd like?"
"I'm not hurt. I'm here on a trade mission. I was told to give the medical bay a quick look over. If you wouldn't mind showing me?"
The petite female smiled and shook her head "Not at all. Follow me."
After what seemed a labyrinthine walk, they eventually came out into the medical bay. Even without medical training Seren could immediately tell that the bay was well equipped and highly technological. Clearly a lot of work and money had been well spent. Seren asked if the medical officer or colony chief were available and the woman in the yellow dress told her she hadn't seen the medical officer recently although the colony chief would probably be available later. After Seren's thanks, she excused herself and left the captain to her own thoughts. Nothing worse than a well-laid out medical bay when you're trying to sell medical equipment.
She used her limited medical knowledge to make notes about the capabilities of the bay and after half an hour ventured back down to the cantina, which by now was considerably busier. She analysed the room. Well-armed female to the right, near the bar. Keep a watchful eye on her. The Yellow dressed female is on the dance platform - talking to herself. Odd. Confused looking female on the far couch. Seems disorientated. None of my business.....Ah, over there. Administrator Lane.
Seren coughed and offered her hand. "Hello there", darn, very professional Undercroft, well done, "I'm Seren Undercroft, I've come to do some business. Consulari Raghilda has dispatched me on a trade mission."
They shook hands and exchanged pleasantries. They chatted for a while and Seren felt her awkwardness drifting away. Her previous experiences in trading had frequently involved a less-discriminate sort of clientele - the sort that looked over their shoulder nervously and went quiet in the company of authority. Now she represented a planet and she felt the pressure, crushing her natural style into a pedantic uninspiring drone. Regardless, it seemed to do the trick. Administrator Jubilynn Lane clearly saw the benefits of mutual trade and offered to show her something extraordinary. They walked together to the medical lab.
Lane reached into a cabinet and retrieved a storage unit, opening it on the counter. "Have you seen this before?". She offered the unit and Seren took it, peering in and examining it closely. "No, what is it?"
"Harjel"
Seren's brow furrowed "Harjel? Never heard of it. What does it do?". Lane smiled and began to explain. "It's very useful. It's a biogel, a waste product of the Har, a type of coral. It can't be compressed and it's a natural antibiotic. It can't become infected with any known pathogen.". She lent on the cabinet. "It's very useful in exosuits, to absorb shock and cushion the user. In this state, its also supersaturated with oxygen, yet its stable"
Seren lifted the unit to her nose and sniffed at it absently. Jubilynn indicated with her hand to give it back and Seren did so. "You can't drown in it", she continued, "because with difficulty, you can breath in it. But it's even more useful than that."
She poured the contents of the unit onto the counter and the harjel began to spread across the surface. Not quite as fast as liquid but unusually fast for a gel. She gestured to the mass, "It has some non-Newtonian fluid dynamics as you can see, but even better...". Jubilynn pushed a button on the side of the storage container and an electric flash illuminated the gel momentarily leaving it frozen in place: solid. Seren's eyes widened in amazement "I've seen non-Newtonian liquids before but never with these additional properties".
"If you apply a charge to it", stated the administrator, "it changes state to a solid. Very useful to seal a wound in the field or a ship's hull in orbit."
Seren nodded, examining the mass. "There's been plenty of times when something like this would have come in useful. Can I take a sample of this away with me?". Jubilynn nodded and said "I'll have a crate of the auto-injectors loaded onto your boat. Anything after that, we'll have to negotiate pricing"
"That's generous of you" said Seren still examining the mass.
"Generosity is a long term investment" Jubilynn exclaimed, smiling and reaching into her belt, "Here's 200cc of harjel and a device to activate the charge. The ungel solution is in the bottom part because if you use it on a wound you'll want to get it off eventually. There's a data stick with some instructions in the crate with some training materials. But I wouldn't think about ingesting it and then getting shocked".
Seren smiled and raised her eyebrows "Yeah, I'm guessing that'd be a pretty unfortunate thing to happen.". Suffocating in such a manner would be an unpleasant way to go, she thought.
"Generally", stated the administrator, "I don't suggest it's use ingested, as I said you could breath it but it becomes more viscous around 90 degrees. Bacta is still a much better medium if you need breathable fluid in one's lungs however." She nodded to the large tanks to the rear of the medical bay, "I'm sure we can come to terms on this or other items?"
"Generally", stated the administrator, "I don't suggest it's use ingested, as I said you could breath it but it becomes more viscous around 90 degrees. Bacta is still a much better medium if you need breathable fluid in one's lungs however." She nodded to the large tanks to the rear of the medical bay, "I'm sure we can come to terms on this or other items?"
Seren smiled and nodded confidently "I'm sure the Consulari will be delighted with this and will certainly want to return the favour and drum up more business." Jubilynn nodded "We have an extensive supply of other devices...RMKS, IRMSS..."
"RMKS?" Seren interrupted.
"Robot medical kits, surely you've seen knitters."
"Ah, yeah. Right I understand. Different names in different places I guess.". The administrator smiled and tapped her data-link "I'll send over a list of some of our inventory." Seren nodded and noticed the uplink with her own receiver. "That's great, thanks."
"Well, if you don't have any other questions?"
Seren smiled and shook her head, "No, no. I've taken up enough of your time. A pleasure to meet with you.". The administrator nodded and headed out of the room before pausing and saying "I'm heading back up. If you need anything, I'm available on the Cortex. Jubilynn. Two N's."
The captain nodded and waited while the administrator left the room. She touched her finger to her earpiece, the biometric imprint immediately opening a link to the earpiece in Elena Galewind's space helmet. "Hi, the trade mission is a success. I'm going to spend the night down here, make sure you get some rest up there. Expect a consignment of crates courtesy of Administrator Lane. How's the 'Seph?"
"Repairs are satisfactory, Captain. Congratulations on a successful encounter. We should be able to make FTL to the slipspace point and launch successfully from there."
"Fantastic. Oh, but you'd better plan for us to come out of slipspace early. I'd rather spend a few days extra travelling than colliding with something when we emerge."
"Confirmed."
"Night Elena, good work. Seren out."
20120315
The Secrets of the Sand
The captain strolled down the landing ramp on the Persephone into the humid air of the Splintered Rock Landing Platform. She was thankful that her clothes were loose fitting and for the faint breeze that coolly blew at her skin. The ramp raised back into the hull once she'd reached a safe distance and she glanced across the desert, the heat haze rippling in the distance. As she turned into the sun, she lifted her hand to her face and noticed the silhoutted figure walking towards her. Female. Unarmed. Dressed in khaki desert tones, loose shirt, shorts.
"Greetings" came an amiable voice.
"Hello there" said Seren. They'd spoken almost simultaenously and smiled at each other.
"Is that your ship?"
Seren glanced back and began to stroke the landing strut next to her. "Yep, it's the Persephone."
"I love it. Where did you find it?"
"It's been in the family a long time. It's a GS YV-330. It's had some work done to it but I wouldn't be without it."
"May I see inside?"
Seren pondered briefly. It wasn't the first time someone had asked to see the inside of her ship but she didn't make a habit of letting people aboard. However, she didn't sense a threat from the woman who gave off the air of being highly educated. She nodded and gestured for her to board the ship. After a brief tour, they settled upstairs in the command cockpit.
"Really fine, simple, efficient. I like that".
Seren smiled, "Yes, it's a lot smaller inside than people think. It's been my home for so many years."
"I have been in a ship for quite a long time myself."
"I love flying the space routes. It's in my blood."
The stranger smiled and hummed gently. "I feel the same about the desert."
"Oh, you're one of the desert born?" Seren sensed an opportunity.
She confirmed it with a smile, "Indeed."
"I should probably introduce myself", Seren began, offering her hand, "I'm Seren Undercroft, Delegate of the Beit Dawla".
"Oh, you're of the Beit Dawla?"
"For my sins, yes I am."
"I am Tah Sha Ree", the stranger announced, "of the Hoto Nagi. I am an historian, archaeologist and medivac when needed."
Seren paused momentarily. She knew the name but couldn't place it. Tah Sha Ree. She'd heard it recently, but where? And then, in an epiphany, she realised the name had been in the Laandsrat transcript that had arrived on her desk at the council chambers. She'd taken time to read it - it was the first such transcript of her term.
"Oh, yes. I read about you earlier - in the Laandsrat transcript.". Tah seemed astonished. "They were discussing your archaeology work in the desert."
"And what were they talking about?" asked Tah searchingly.
Seren reached into her pocket and pulled out her tablet. "Let me check for specifics, just a moment."
"I didn't even know that the Laandsrat had any interest in my work".
Seren finished scanning the tablet display and briefly summed up : "Formerly of the Misrim, you previously ran for the Dawla yourself it seems and they suspect you stand a good chance of election should you find something valuable in your search."
Tah walked around the cockpit area, clearly surprised at the Laandsrat's knowledge of her affairs. "Yes, I am originally of the Misrim although I don't think I will run for the Dawla again. Besides I'm at the point where I feel my discoveries will mark a major breakthrough".
Seren lent back against the hull and nodded "Perhaps that's why the powers that be are taking an interest."
"Possibly." said Tah with purpose, "but I'm not certain what I will discover will be good for them. You know truth and power are so often in conflict."
"That is very true, especially where the Laandsrat are involved.". Tah nodded in agreement and said "I'm still not sure what I will find in my work and I need to think about it quite precisely. I don't have enough elements to say anything about it."
Seren nodded and realised the opportunity was at hand. "Tah, I would like to make a request of you, if you would be kind enough to help? It will be entirely up to you. We, in the Beit Dawla do not entirely trust the Laandsrat. How would you feel about reporting back anything you discover to us?"
Tah looked searchingly "Well....I understand....but I'm a scientist and I'm not used to telling things that I am not certain of. A discovery, to be valid, needs to be sustained by very solid proof."
Seren nodded again. "I'm sure I can convince the Beit Dawla to help you in any way we can. I will leave it you to think over. I'm sure you already have the full support of the Hoto Nagi"
"I'm not a politician, I'm a scientist.", Tah announced firmly and Seren realised that maybe she'd been a little too obvious, "I suspect the discovery may be akin to a 'nuke' in the system. I fear for the consequences."
A wave of concern flooded across the Delegate. Her gentle probing of the archaeologist had uncovered something she hadn't expected. "I understand your concern, I'd be worried if you weren't." She paused before asking "What do you think is out there?"
Tah explained "I'm not just working in archaeology and history. I'm also quite orientated in astrometrics and my discovery, I suspect, is split into two parts tied down in archaeology and astrometics. Our system is very particular. What I can tell you is that we are in the midst of a yet unknown phenomena. Again, it's the same : I don't have enough elements to tell more."
Seren thought for a moment and bit her lip gently. "Still, I'd be very interested if you can pass on anything you discover. It could be in the best interests of the planet."
Tah nodded "Well, I may think about it when I am able to bring in some solid evidence."
"We'd be eternally in your debt."
Tah paused and said "I can seem too prudent but you see, I'm a desert born and I'm used to being treated badly."
"I know the desert borns have been treated poorly on Araxes. It's the same for many throughout the Empire."
"We don't forget that. Especially me, an historian."
Seren nodded and glanced out of the viewport into the darkening desert sky. "Times will change....eventually".
(Special thanks to Tah for letting me duplicate our roleplay session here.)
"Greetings" came an amiable voice.
"Hello there" said Seren. They'd spoken almost simultaenously and smiled at each other.
"Is that your ship?"
Seren glanced back and began to stroke the landing strut next to her. "Yep, it's the Persephone."
"I love it. Where did you find it?"
"It's been in the family a long time. It's a GS YV-330. It's had some work done to it but I wouldn't be without it."
"May I see inside?"
Seren pondered briefly. It wasn't the first time someone had asked to see the inside of her ship but she didn't make a habit of letting people aboard. However, she didn't sense a threat from the woman who gave off the air of being highly educated. She nodded and gestured for her to board the ship. After a brief tour, they settled upstairs in the command cockpit.
"Really fine, simple, efficient. I like that".
Seren smiled, "Yes, it's a lot smaller inside than people think. It's been my home for so many years."
"I have been in a ship for quite a long time myself."
"I love flying the space routes. It's in my blood."
The stranger smiled and hummed gently. "I feel the same about the desert."
"Oh, you're one of the desert born?" Seren sensed an opportunity.
She confirmed it with a smile, "Indeed."
"I should probably introduce myself", Seren began, offering her hand, "I'm Seren Undercroft, Delegate of the Beit Dawla".
"Oh, you're of the Beit Dawla?"
"For my sins, yes I am."
"I am Tah Sha Ree", the stranger announced, "of the Hoto Nagi. I am an historian, archaeologist and medivac when needed."
Seren paused momentarily. She knew the name but couldn't place it. Tah Sha Ree. She'd heard it recently, but where? And then, in an epiphany, she realised the name had been in the Laandsrat transcript that had arrived on her desk at the council chambers. She'd taken time to read it - it was the first such transcript of her term.
"Oh, yes. I read about you earlier - in the Laandsrat transcript.". Tah seemed astonished. "They were discussing your archaeology work in the desert."
"And what were they talking about?" asked Tah searchingly.
Seren reached into her pocket and pulled out her tablet. "Let me check for specifics, just a moment."
"I didn't even know that the Laandsrat had any interest in my work".
Seren finished scanning the tablet display and briefly summed up : "Formerly of the Misrim, you previously ran for the Dawla yourself it seems and they suspect you stand a good chance of election should you find something valuable in your search."
Seren lent back against the hull and nodded "Perhaps that's why the powers that be are taking an interest."
"Possibly." said Tah with purpose, "but I'm not certain what I will discover will be good for them. You know truth and power are so often in conflict."
"That is very true, especially where the Laandsrat are involved.". Tah nodded in agreement and said "I'm still not sure what I will find in my work and I need to think about it quite precisely. I don't have enough elements to say anything about it."
Seren nodded and realised the opportunity was at hand. "Tah, I would like to make a request of you, if you would be kind enough to help? It will be entirely up to you. We, in the Beit Dawla do not entirely trust the Laandsrat. How would you feel about reporting back anything you discover to us?"
Tah looked searchingly "Well....I understand....but I'm a scientist and I'm not used to telling things that I am not certain of. A discovery, to be valid, needs to be sustained by very solid proof."
Seren nodded again. "I'm sure I can convince the Beit Dawla to help you in any way we can. I will leave it you to think over. I'm sure you already have the full support of the Hoto Nagi"
"I'm not a politician, I'm a scientist.", Tah announced firmly and Seren realised that maybe she'd been a little too obvious, "I suspect the discovery may be akin to a 'nuke' in the system. I fear for the consequences."
A wave of concern flooded across the Delegate. Her gentle probing of the archaeologist had uncovered something she hadn't expected. "I understand your concern, I'd be worried if you weren't." She paused before asking "What do you think is out there?"
Tah explained "I'm not just working in archaeology and history. I'm also quite orientated in astrometrics and my discovery, I suspect, is split into two parts tied down in archaeology and astrometics. Our system is very particular. What I can tell you is that we are in the midst of a yet unknown phenomena. Again, it's the same : I don't have enough elements to tell more."
Seren thought for a moment and bit her lip gently. "Still, I'd be very interested if you can pass on anything you discover. It could be in the best interests of the planet."
Tah nodded "Well, I may think about it when I am able to bring in some solid evidence."
"We'd be eternally in your debt."
Tah paused and said "I can seem too prudent but you see, I'm a desert born and I'm used to being treated badly."
"I know the desert borns have been treated poorly on Araxes. It's the same for many throughout the Empire."
"We don't forget that. Especially me, an historian."
Seren nodded and glanced out of the viewport into the darkening desert sky. "Times will change....eventually".
(Special thanks to Tah for letting me duplicate our roleplay session here.)
20120126
Ariadne's Thread
Ariadne's Thread : the term used to describe the solving of a problem with multiple apparent means of proceeding - such as a physical maze, (eg: that of the minotaur) a logic puzzle, or an ethical dilemma - through an exhaustive application of logic to all available routes. It is the particular method used that is able to follow completely through to trace steps or take point by point a series of found truths in a contingent, ordered search that reaches a desired end position. This process can take the form of a mental record, a physical marking, or even a philosophical debate; it is the process itself that assumes the name.
* * * * * *
The screen flickers into life with layers of green, gold and red text swimming across the surface. We see a torso, a green shirt and brown trousers over curved hips, midriff peeping through the two garments . A slightly muffled female voice, not in optimum mic range says "You're the one with the head for figures. Go over the dockets again and make sure we have all the paperwork. I'm not buying that a ton of our cargo grew legs and wandered off on it's own and you can tell that idiot warehouse clerk I said that!"
The female sits down and the lens of the camera refocuses. She has a small cup with a rich, brown transparent beverage which she sips, leaning back into the chair.
"Captain Seren Undercroft. Create New Log - Nyce - a "y" not an "i", tag it and connect it with Fall, Ariadne, Beit Dawla and Moonkill, Jade".
Time to update the diary on events here on Araxes....
A week or so ago, I attended a function held by Lady Ariadne Fall. The evening was successful, not to mention eventful but I'll come to that in a minute. People were talking and there were varying degrees of networking going on between various groups and interests.
The party proceeded at a steady pace and we were making merry. Lady Ariadne was her usual elegant self, she began polite conversation with everyone and the discussions were interesting, if not very informative. That was all about to change however....
The Lady Ariadne called the party to attention. She wanted to discuss documents that had arrived on her desk. The documents, she claimed, directly implicated the Myrmidons and their leader, Athena Prime of involvement in the death of former Beit Dawla delegate Jade Moonkill. An assassin's contract. I remember it clearly, the sharp intake of breath, the moment of silent shock where the people wondered what to say next.
The Lady Ariadne called the party to attention. She wanted to discuss documents that had arrived on her desk. The documents, she claimed, directly implicated the Myrmidons and their leader, Athena Prime of involvement in the death of former Beit Dawla delegate Jade Moonkill. An assassin's contract. I remember it clearly, the sharp intake of breath, the moment of silent shock where the people wondered what to say next.
Lady Ariadne is an incredibly intelligent, intuitive and some might say cunning woman. She knows how to shape her words and timing to achieve the most impact : this was no exception. Of course, it sparked a heated debate. Accusations were thrown around and I won't deny I was involved in quite a bit of it.
Of course, things are always much more complicated than they seem. Take the Lady Ariadne. She's a member of a ancient sect upon which layer upon layer of superstition and myth have been added to the point that no-one really knows what they're capable of or what their aims are. Some people call them witches, that they have special insight and powers of influence. They say they're good at making you see things their way although whether that's a mystical, psychic ability or if they're just skilled negotiators, I can't say.
However, I will say that she speaks in a very delicate way that makes you hang on every word and that's a skill many people would yearn for.
I reported the incident to the Consulari in a private com-link discussion and brought the matter to the Beit Dawla. Looking back, I can't help but think I argued Lady Ariadne's case more strongly than I intended. I suggested that, if Lady Ariadne's evidence is correct, the Myrmidon Order's former Beit Dawla representative Skymet may be implicated in holding up the investigation. By all accounts, Skymet is an honourable and noble type - but you would have to think her loyalties lie with the Myrmidon Order above all else.
I know that it's entirely possible that the Laandsrat are trying to shift the blame to someone else to cover their own backs. Landing that haughty bunch in the slammer was a major achievement for the the late Ms Moonkill and they weren't best pleased. No, not pleased at all.
She takes another sip from her drink, then another before draining the glass entirely.
I don't know if we'll ever get to the bottom of this mystery. Probably won't pull it off in my time on the Dawla council but I'm assured we have top minds working on it.
In the meantime, I have my working relationship with the Saif Al-Azaadi to think about. Officially she's designated as my deputy but I don't think of her in that way. I don't think of myself as her superior and neither does she. We're working on an alliance for the mutual benefit of all free traders on Araxes.
Beyond that, there are rumours of new legalisation regarding traders, the issue of terraforming the planet (oft tried, I hear the Guild won't have it) and it isn't as though I don't have my own business to run. Elena has a brilliant mind but she lacks the edge to push deals through.
We need to get the Persephone back up in the air. I've had her sitting on Araxes for far too long and the extra work for the rest of the fleet is unfair. Whilst I'm making a good sum of Solari from my role in government, I need to think about what will happen afterwards - I can't lose valuable contracts. Once Elena has located the missing stock, I've told her to depart
Actually, I hear her coming now. Okay, we'll leave this there.
Terminate log, encrypt save and transmit.
Of course, things are always much more complicated than they seem. Take the Lady Ariadne. She's a member of a ancient sect upon which layer upon layer of superstition and myth have been added to the point that no-one really knows what they're capable of or what their aims are. Some people call them witches, that they have special insight and powers of influence. They say they're good at making you see things their way although whether that's a mystical, psychic ability or if they're just skilled negotiators, I can't say.
However, I will say that she speaks in a very delicate way that makes you hang on every word and that's a skill many people would yearn for.
I reported the incident to the Consulari in a private com-link discussion and brought the matter to the Beit Dawla. Looking back, I can't help but think I argued Lady Ariadne's case more strongly than I intended. I suggested that, if Lady Ariadne's evidence is correct, the Myrmidon Order's former Beit Dawla representative Skymet may be implicated in holding up the investigation. By all accounts, Skymet is an honourable and noble type - but you would have to think her loyalties lie with the Myrmidon Order above all else.
I know that it's entirely possible that the Laandsrat are trying to shift the blame to someone else to cover their own backs. Landing that haughty bunch in the slammer was a major achievement for the the late Ms Moonkill and they weren't best pleased. No, not pleased at all.
She takes another sip from her drink, then another before draining the glass entirely.
I don't know if we'll ever get to the bottom of this mystery. Probably won't pull it off in my time on the Dawla council but I'm assured we have top minds working on it.
In the meantime, I have my working relationship with the Saif Al-Azaadi to think about. Officially she's designated as my deputy but I don't think of her in that way. I don't think of myself as her superior and neither does she. We're working on an alliance for the mutual benefit of all free traders on Araxes.
Beyond that, there are rumours of new legalisation regarding traders, the issue of terraforming the planet (oft tried, I hear the Guild won't have it) and it isn't as though I don't have my own business to run. Elena has a brilliant mind but she lacks the edge to push deals through.
We need to get the Persephone back up in the air. I've had her sitting on Araxes for far too long and the extra work for the rest of the fleet is unfair. Whilst I'm making a good sum of Solari from my role in government, I need to think about what will happen afterwards - I can't lose valuable contracts. Once Elena has located the missing stock, I've told her to depart
Actually, I hear her coming now. Okay, we'll leave this there.
Terminate log, encrypt save and transmit.
20120112
Taking stock of the situation.
Seren sat back in her new chair within the council chambers. Her office was small and without natural light, save for the entrance where a beam of sunlight from the landing cut across the darkness. There was a faint cinnamon-esque tincture that she immediately recognised as the spice, Raqismanna. There were other odours, the smell of beeswax on the desk, a waft of floral scent she didn't recognise and others she put down to the age of the building. She surveyed the desk she'd just laid out. To her right, a small curiosity box she'd picked up many years ago and yet had never found use for and the holo-monitor she'd picked up on her last trip home. She'd had problems with it up at the Highport Station - Rettian and Araxian power couplets weren't immediately compatible and it had taken a while to complete the conversion process. Still, other than a few visual glitches it seemed to be working satisfactorily.
To the left, the computer terminal. She anticipated that she'd be spending a lot of time with the touchpad and had taken a few moments to get acquainted with it. A classic Rettian vase-lamp sat beyond that. It used a flammable substance to illuminate the room. Archaic in a time when various forms of electricity existed but she preferred the gentle glow to the harsh bright lighting systems she'd experienced elsewhere. Even on the Persephone, she usually had the lighting dimmed preferring the light from the stars and instrument panels to the unrelenting glare of artificial illumination. Although the room was dark, it wasn't something unusual and she found the lamp light comforting and intrinsically right.
She flicked the monitor on, danced her fingers across the terminal and pulled up the other Beit Dawla delegates. She didn't have access to their personnel files but she'd made a few notes along the way. A suspicion nagged at her. She knew all of them, bar the native Willard Deerhunter and as the natives were known to keep to themselves, that didn't surprise her. Of course, during the election process, it would have been natural to meet the fellow candidates but something still gnawed at the back of her mind.
Baronetess Jai Raghilda Lordhunter was someone Seren had encountered on and off for a few months. Initially she hadn't thought anything of the petite, unassuming but elegantly attired lady she first met at the bar at the Water's End. They'd spoken casually and drank together. It was only in the coming months she learnt she was a Baronetess and Consulari of House Zenobia and the Zenobian Trade Consul. The last time she'd met Jai was on a personal invite to the Zenobian Consul in Al Raqis. It had been a warm autumnal evening, or at least was passed for autumn on Araxes, and Seren had enjoyed the stroll from the Persephone's berth, through the thinning crowd of Al Raqis to the Consul building. Jai had been watching her from the roof and beckoned her up. She proposed a trade of goods, Seren had agreed and they'd shuttled up to Jai's vast frigate in orbit. Once there, Jai had given her a thorough tour of the ship and what stock she had available.
It had been something of an epiphany. Seren had glanced from one side of the ship to another and estimated how many trips she'd have to make in the Persephone to carry the same load. The answer was more than she 'd care to admit. In fact, it had pricked Seren's ego more than she'd thought and when the Consulari had asked how big her hold was, she had exaggerated. She remembered Galewind's perplexed look the following day when the goods were delivered to the landing platform. They'd had to hire storage space in the city until such a time they could ferry the goods offworld. But something else had troubled her. Half way through the tour, the news had broken that the Highport voting terminal had been tampered with and there were suspicions of vote rigging. It struck her as more than coincidental that she was with the Beit Dawla's appointed chairperson at the time it was announced. She'd considered the possibilities. One, it was pure coincidence. Two, was there a conspiracy to implicate her as the vote rigger? Plenty of people had seen her leave orbit with the Magistrate appointed leader of the Beit Dawla and the Laandsrat was still suffering from a credibility issue following their imprisonment. Three, someone was trying to get her off world when the story broke to protect her from the controversy. And four, her ego was getting the better of her again and she was jumping to all sorts of conclusions.
Dave Gaffer she knew as a competitor. Vulture Gear and Shipping had emerged recently onto the Araxian scene and had certainly made an impact securing contracts that Seren herself had been keen to get her hands on. Initially he'd had the backing of the CFTA (subsequently the SFTU) but internal strife had lead to them parting the ways. Waypoint X had closed down but there wasn't necessarily any correlation between the two events. In any case, Gaffer was a skilled negotiator with a pool of contacts across the Imperium and the Federation. During the Black Pox Blockade, he's managed to secure special dispensation to ferry medical goods to and from the planet, something she'd wished she'd done herself. Since then, she'd heard he'd taken on a position as professor at one of Starfleet's academies and was splitting his time between there and his trade business on Araxes. He led a busy life and could clearly juggle his responsibilities.
Arnold Gustav she'd met only recently. He ran the Kaden Personal Security company. They'd first met at the Reverend Mother's function at Nyce. Unexpectedly, he'd managed to circumvent Seren's distrust of the military. He spoke openly and at great length and displayed a tactful, thoughtful approach to defusing the Myrmidon's suspicions on their arrival. That was reassuring. He'd also suggested that Persephone Trading could make use of his services. She'd been unsure of how to proceed but suggested he look into the protection racket that was currently causing problems to a few of the traders on the 'Rock. Hopefully they might be able to get Gulgus off her back long enough to figure out what he was up to. Since then, they'd met a few times. Once in the Oasis Winds Tavern where she'd let slip she knew something she shouldn't. He hadn't liked that and began to interrogate her albeit in the nicest possible way. Most recently, he'd found her on the Persephone itself after she'd woken from a brief nap. He'd warned her that the information she knew could be potentially dangerous to her and although she was dubious, she had no reason to doubt his sincerity.
Captain Sisko she had known longer than anyone. They'd first met when he mistook her for a former colleague with whom she had a striking resemblance. Galewind didn't like him. When she'd ran scans, the computer had been unable to identify his DNA and that troubled her. Seren had put it down to a computer fault and hadn't thought any more about it. Since then, they'd met and chatted a while over the occasional drink at the former colony beyond the deep desert. They'd had the occasional falling out, the Narstrom Incident has shocked her but it had been a complex affair and Seren had softened her views since then. As it was, the colony had since been reclaimed by the sands and they hadn't spoken as much recently. Sisko had been having a rough time. The UFS had disavowed his organisation claiming they were impostors and terrorists. In the following months they'd run into problems with one of the many militias, the SSFS. When he entered into the running for the Beit Dawla she'd been surprised but she was satisfied he knew what he was doing. She didn't know much about the situation with the SSFS but she made up her mind she would ask him and find out what was going on.
That left the native, Willard Deerhunter. She didn't know anything about him at all but he was a native and suspected he might make a good ally. She would need to talk to him and discuss his position and see if there was a mutual benefit of them working together or if they were destined to argue across the chamber.
In truth, she still couldn't believe she'd won a position in the Beit Dawla. She knew that it was going to limit her trading capabilities. It was bad politics to spend most of your time offworld, she'd thought. For that reason, she'd given the every day running of the Persephone to Galewind who would fly the trade routes in her absence while allowing Seren to conduct business deals around her role with the government.
She flicked the monitor off and lay back in her chair listening to the hustle and bustle of the city outside. Without doubt this was a major change in her life and she wondered where it would lead. Then she remembered Ms. Moonkill and sighed, looking up to the ceiling before putting her feet up on the desk and opening the bottle of rum she carried in her belt.
She flicked the monitor on, danced her fingers across the terminal and pulled up the other Beit Dawla delegates. She didn't have access to their personnel files but she'd made a few notes along the way. A suspicion nagged at her. She knew all of them, bar the native Willard Deerhunter and as the natives were known to keep to themselves, that didn't surprise her. Of course, during the election process, it would have been natural to meet the fellow candidates but something still gnawed at the back of her mind.
Baronetess Jai Raghilda Lordhunter was someone Seren had encountered on and off for a few months. Initially she hadn't thought anything of the petite, unassuming but elegantly attired lady she first met at the bar at the Water's End. They'd spoken casually and drank together. It was only in the coming months she learnt she was a Baronetess and Consulari of House Zenobia and the Zenobian Trade Consul. The last time she'd met Jai was on a personal invite to the Zenobian Consul in Al Raqis. It had been a warm autumnal evening, or at least was passed for autumn on Araxes, and Seren had enjoyed the stroll from the Persephone's berth, through the thinning crowd of Al Raqis to the Consul building. Jai had been watching her from the roof and beckoned her up. She proposed a trade of goods, Seren had agreed and they'd shuttled up to Jai's vast frigate in orbit. Once there, Jai had given her a thorough tour of the ship and what stock she had available.
It had been something of an epiphany. Seren had glanced from one side of the ship to another and estimated how many trips she'd have to make in the Persephone to carry the same load. The answer was more than she 'd care to admit. In fact, it had pricked Seren's ego more than she'd thought and when the Consulari had asked how big her hold was, she had exaggerated. She remembered Galewind's perplexed look the following day when the goods were delivered to the landing platform. They'd had to hire storage space in the city until such a time they could ferry the goods offworld. But something else had troubled her. Half way through the tour, the news had broken that the Highport voting terminal had been tampered with and there were suspicions of vote rigging. It struck her as more than coincidental that she was with the Beit Dawla's appointed chairperson at the time it was announced. She'd considered the possibilities. One, it was pure coincidence. Two, was there a conspiracy to implicate her as the vote rigger? Plenty of people had seen her leave orbit with the Magistrate appointed leader of the Beit Dawla and the Laandsrat was still suffering from a credibility issue following their imprisonment. Three, someone was trying to get her off world when the story broke to protect her from the controversy. And four, her ego was getting the better of her again and she was jumping to all sorts of conclusions.
Dave Gaffer she knew as a competitor. Vulture Gear and Shipping had emerged recently onto the Araxian scene and had certainly made an impact securing contracts that Seren herself had been keen to get her hands on. Initially he'd had the backing of the CFTA (subsequently the SFTU) but internal strife had lead to them parting the ways. Waypoint X had closed down but there wasn't necessarily any correlation between the two events. In any case, Gaffer was a skilled negotiator with a pool of contacts across the Imperium and the Federation. During the Black Pox Blockade, he's managed to secure special dispensation to ferry medical goods to and from the planet, something she'd wished she'd done herself. Since then, she'd heard he'd taken on a position as professor at one of Starfleet's academies and was splitting his time between there and his trade business on Araxes. He led a busy life and could clearly juggle his responsibilities.
Arnold Gustav she'd met only recently. He ran the Kaden Personal Security company. They'd first met at the Reverend Mother's function at Nyce. Unexpectedly, he'd managed to circumvent Seren's distrust of the military. He spoke openly and at great length and displayed a tactful, thoughtful approach to defusing the Myrmidon's suspicions on their arrival. That was reassuring. He'd also suggested that Persephone Trading could make use of his services. She'd been unsure of how to proceed but suggested he look into the protection racket that was currently causing problems to a few of the traders on the 'Rock. Hopefully they might be able to get Gulgus off her back long enough to figure out what he was up to. Since then, they'd met a few times. Once in the Oasis Winds Tavern where she'd let slip she knew something she shouldn't. He hadn't liked that and began to interrogate her albeit in the nicest possible way. Most recently, he'd found her on the Persephone itself after she'd woken from a brief nap. He'd warned her that the information she knew could be potentially dangerous to her and although she was dubious, she had no reason to doubt his sincerity.
Captain Sisko she had known longer than anyone. They'd first met when he mistook her for a former colleague with whom she had a striking resemblance. Galewind didn't like him. When she'd ran scans, the computer had been unable to identify his DNA and that troubled her. Seren had put it down to a computer fault and hadn't thought any more about it. Since then, they'd met and chatted a while over the occasional drink at the former colony beyond the deep desert. They'd had the occasional falling out, the Narstrom Incident has shocked her but it had been a complex affair and Seren had softened her views since then. As it was, the colony had since been reclaimed by the sands and they hadn't spoken as much recently. Sisko had been having a rough time. The UFS had disavowed his organisation claiming they were impostors and terrorists. In the following months they'd run into problems with one of the many militias, the SSFS. When he entered into the running for the Beit Dawla she'd been surprised but she was satisfied he knew what he was doing. She didn't know much about the situation with the SSFS but she made up her mind she would ask him and find out what was going on.That left the native, Willard Deerhunter. She didn't know anything about him at all but he was a native and suspected he might make a good ally. She would need to talk to him and discuss his position and see if there was a mutual benefit of them working together or if they were destined to argue across the chamber.
In truth, she still couldn't believe she'd won a position in the Beit Dawla. She knew that it was going to limit her trading capabilities. It was bad politics to spend most of your time offworld, she'd thought. For that reason, she'd given the every day running of the Persephone to Galewind who would fly the trade routes in her absence while allowing Seren to conduct business deals around her role with the government.
She flicked the monitor off and lay back in her chair listening to the hustle and bustle of the city outside. Without doubt this was a major change in her life and she wondered where it would lead. Then she remembered Ms. Moonkill and sighed, looking up to the ceiling before putting her feet up on the desk and opening the bottle of rum she carried in her belt.
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