2nd post
GRAND MEETING HALL, WARDEN QUARTER,
TOR VALUM, KESTRI (AUTUMN OF 877 ABY)
'Barry! My, my, you look absolutely dreadful.'
Wheezing with head shaking in reply, Erskine no doubt found the outburst to be funny enough, but naturally thought there would be a more proper greeting before it landed unexpectedly well; showing that the Lord-Regent was in need of a good laugh, despite still being in relatively good spirits that day, the rigors of the warrior's lifestyle still had their perpetual challenges in the back of his mind. Then after offering head-bowed nod of appreciation, the Lord-Regent drew index and middle fingertips to his eyelids, using the same hand to point to his ear as their attentions returned to the matter at hand. Both sides were already having a back and forth over the issues at hand, dealing out much in the way of conjecture on the matter of who-did-what-and-why, and though there was much the Lord-Regent could offer on the matter of Shai Maji's assassination attempt in particular, Barran would keep his mouth shut in observance as they continued.
Though there was one in attendance he was watching in particular.
Romul Saxon carried something of a similar reputation to that which Erskine Barran had retained for decades by then, and in the former's position as reluctant ruler, the latter could see something of his own reluctance in the way Saxon carried himself. And when the Enclave's leader eventually began his input with a simply-stated
,'Let it be reminded that the relationship between the Enclave and Empire has been one of tepid commerce. There has never existed a military pact that the Mandalorians would be obligated to honor,', the Empire's own watched on keenly as Romul's eyes darted pointedly to Lord Ignacious, growing increasingly intrigued by the situation as it developed around him, watching on whilst his Mandalorian counterpart was seen showing more irritation with every passing moment.
'As for Ilum, there was no sanctioned Enclave military action on the world. Any Mandalorian who fought with, or against, the Empire that day did so of their own accord.'
Whilst Saxon might have viewed his opening statements as attempts to shrug off the situation at hand, Barran did not, as the Empire's leader saw other behaviours and compulsions beneath the surface, and in the likes of which the Lord-Regent suddenly found himself feel a level of irritation quite similar to that of the Warmaster. In Lord Erskine's mind, Romul was either quite naïve, or quite complicit, and the old Woad was almost completely unsure as to which assumption rang truer than the other.
Other people in his situation would not have minded such confusions, but the old man wasn't like other people, and when the Warmaster continued
,'Shai Maji until recently was a captive of the Maw, enslaved by Sith sorcery. Under those spells, she still may be, but regardless of the matter honorable warfare on the battlefield is no offense. If the Empire wishes to take her, you may certainly try.', this only served to further-muddy the water with even more questions raised on the matter. In Erskine's mind, Romul had more of a right to know than anyone else in the Mandalorian Enclave, and had more means of getting to the bottom of the matter than any Imperial could at that point, made all the more difficult for the Imperials by the recent breakout of total war between the Empire and the Galactic Alliance in recent months, though all knew there were no such difficulties for the Enclave in this regard.
Though fortunately for Saxon, Barran knew his counterpart was almost completely ruled out as a suspect, ruling out all as suspects but the Galactic Alliance, people of whom the Lord-Regent hoped would be uncovered by operatives within the Hex Inc. conglomerate, people of whom Lord Erskine believed would be quite easy for the likes of Braxton Holst to uncover. But just like the Warmaster's attitudes were rubbing the Lord-Regent the wrong way before, his comments on Shai Maji were certainly not scoring any points with the old Woad either.
'Let us not bandy words. I am well aware of why you are here. Ilum was a stain on the pride of the Empire, and because of Mandalorian presence there, you seek redress. But I have no soft words to offer. Mandalorians are free to take up arms with whom they please, and many have fought for the Empire under the Aurodium Sword program. But if the Alliance is to make a better offer, then I will not stop them from joining their side. It's all a matter of coin.'
A quiet, though still audible snort of derision escaped Lord Erskine's nostrils, and in the humourless expression that remained, the old Woad reached into his pocket for his datapad - ready to meet any financial demand at a moment's notice.
'Perhaps the Empire is lacking as of late?'
This time, the Lord-Regent's laughter finally sounded something akin to hilarity, and though his face beamed in the spirit of good humour, the pupils of Barran's eyes had drawn so small that the cold, murderous blue of his irises were on full display for all to see. And when the laughter finally died out wheezing in his throat, Lord Erskine lifted his gaze lifted to meet that of Romul's once more and replied
,'Oh, I'll get to that last matter. Rest assured, Warmaster.... But first, I'd like to take everything you stated from the very top and work my way to the last matter from there.', calmly resting the datapad on the conference table with the wire-transfer application primed and ready.
'You talk of there being no pact between the Empire and the Enclave, but neglect to mention the fact we're all bound by obligation to fight the Maw together, and neglect to talk of the decades worth of personal ties between our peoples.... In this, I can only assume you've been twiddling thumbs under a rock in all that time. As there is much and more in the way of complication that has arisen as a result of forgetting these vital facts.'
Getting into the swing of his gift for oratory, the old Woad held his head high and proud as his gaze met those of Imperial and Mandalorian alike in defiance, reminding all that despite his affiliations, there were ample reasons to be disappointed in both sides of the increasingly bloody dispute between powers. Though in the most important points of his statements, Barran's gaze would return to that of Saxon's as he continued
,'And on the matter of Ilum, you're right, but you fail to mention the GA senators who were most likely to have sanctioned and funded their contracts.... Shame, as these same people made yours look like proper idiots in this matter. Though fortunately for you, Senator Holst here can run some damage control on that matter.', briefly turning his gaze to wide-grinning opportunist sitting to his right.
'At least this one knows when it is most-fortuitous to be greedy, a matter of which you an' I will discuss in depth later.... Matters to attend to here after all. So get yer head in the game, Brax! Heh! We're almost there, mate.'
However, instead of scanning the room to gauge everyone's reactions once more, the Lord-Regent's eyes darted straight back to the Warmaster, silently holding his gaze for a moment or two as he weighed his words with great care, making sure he wasn't in any way misunderstood in his amble. Inhaling one last lungful before continuing, Lord Erskine savoured the tension just a little more before exclaiming
,'As for the matter of Shai Maji, both you an' I owe that woman an apology, an' then some.... What she's gone through is by no fault but ours, yet her clan, both the Quartermaster and the Warmaster and myself have done nought but drive her into the arms of the Maw - doesn't take much to radicalise that after what we've allowed to transpire.... I deserved that shot to the gut, but thats not for anyone to pass comment on here today. None but Shai Maji herself, UNDERSTAND?!?!', with eyes staring more wildly than before.
'Which brings me to that last matter of yours.... Name your price - the exact number that keeps you out of my war on the Galactic Alliance. Ya know, saying as I'm on Kestri an' all, you should know of my propensity to spend ridiculous sums of money in Midtown by now. Surely!'
Sliding the datapad across the table towards Saxon, Barran then leaned back and awaited his counterpart's next move, very much reading the tension of the situation as it developed.
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