Bridgeable Gaps (Lucien)

[Ashin Varanin]

[member="Lucien Cordel"]

CORDEL ESTATE
ANNAJ

Lord Cordel's Annaj premises were nothing next to his holdings on Skye and Zaadja, the worlds he'd governed since the founding of the Fringe, but Cordel was not a man to accept substitutes. What his Annaj estate lacked in absolute control, it made up for in taste; he'd spared no expense. Without an aide, and unarmed, but wearing the black uniform of a Fringe Grand Admiral, Ashin was escorted inside by a footman, then led to Cordel's study by a butler. In a Sith Lord's place of power, one could never be too careful nor too polite -- polite, as opposed to obsequious. She tucked her dress uniform's cap under her arm as she entered the study.

"Lucien," she said with a nod. Though their jobs had drawn them apart, they'd been close allies once upon a time. "Thank you for seeing me on short notice."

 

[Lucien Cordel]

Lucien looked up from his paper work. [member="Ashin Varanin"] 's request to meet him , he thought she had thrown him to the wolves , although mayhaps she had comforth to humble him anew. "Leave us " he said to his butler a sharp tone for a sharp man. "Lady Varanin charmed as ever" he responed putting down his files "As much as I appreciate your gratitude recent events have rendered me somewhat bellow the privillage of turning down powerful people"

He gestured for her to sit by his fire before rising to join her "Would you care for a brandy ... Now how can I be of service " would you like to put a new knife in my back he thought to himself, although he wondered wether there was room there. Prehaps he was being over skeptical maybe this was an olive branch, maybe he would take it .

 

[Ashin Varanin]

[member="Lucien Cordel"]

She took the offered seat.

"I thought of offering you things, titles." She said it apropos of nothing. "Buying you off, as it were. Arbiter, Grand Admiral, perhaps another world or two between Zaadja and Skye. I entertained the notion for maybe half an hour, before I realized it was beneath your dignity and mine.

"Fundamentally, Lucien, you may have aided and abetted the problems Sivas caused us all when she assaulted the minds of the entire royal court of Lipsec, but the greater portion of her sins were elsewhere. You may have been something of a loose cannon in your dealings with Lipsec's royal family, and the entire Council should have been consulted before you acted against the sovereignty of a Fringe member nation, but at the root of the matter, you were filling your role. That's perhaps more clearly understood in hindsight; reports keep coming in.

"There's no going back from what's transpired, but I want to emphasize that in your case, your retirement from the High Council, while something of a fait accompli, is an honorable one. You remain the governor of Zaadja and Skye, and the new High Council and I are united on that. Your sovereignty will not be disturbed, and you'll continue to receive the same security briefings as the current High Councilors, so long as you don't share them with anyone, regardless of their former security clearance status.

"And then there's the matter of your role going forward."

 

[Lucien Cordel]

Lucien smiled "I'm flattered" he lied as he began pouring his brandy "But Jared ... I assume it was Jared any way has given you at the very least mistaken information based upon incomplete reports and at worst he has hide the truth from you , he knew of Mine and Andra's plan month in advance and wanted a lead role, I have evidence if you want to see" he took a gulp of brandy "You betrayed me when you made me a fool in public and fired me without once asking me for my side ... I think the least you owe me is to hurt Jared ... Isn't it strange that Anya fenn is under his protection after all she did and that he didn't summon Arbiters to The capital when that Kark storm began ... He is playing you and when your back is turned he'll move against you ... I might have overstepped the line but I'm not as reckless or as distant as I trust he implies" a sigh escaped him "I had lipsic investigated I still was , I didn't usurp a monarchy and Andra didn't curse a blood line she didn't even permanently curse the king ... Her threats were empty and mine was to bring justice on the heads of the guilty , hardly an treasonous thing to say "

He lent back Ashin spoke of his role going forward but what was that. A small chuckle escaped him " My role going forward , you offer me empty prizes , my sovereignty has already been questioned the helix saw to that, the security information is useless if I'm gagged, Lady Sivas whom I'm sure you are referring to is one of the only people left who I can trust, how long do you think she'll stand by me if she learns I can be bought with dust ... Come now Lady Varanin I'm afraid my staying with you will require more solid foundations " he put his glass down "I don't want this , I'm sure you don't either all I want is my credibility back and the backing of the council to have Andra and my son leave the fringe unmolested should they choose too ... Can we negotiate terms ?"

[member="Ashin Varanin"]

 

[Ashin Varanin]

"Sivas can leave when she chooses, under my protection or alone, so long as she never acts against the Fringe or gives what she knows to those who would. Standard conditions, no frills. She may have no self-awareness or concept of proportion, but her treason was the result of poor judgment, not malice." She adjusted herself in her seat, perhaps uncomfortable at the blatant, blunt denunciation -- You betrayed me.

"Let's talk about Ovmar, then. About two hours ago, I accused him of playing me. I told him he knew that a move against Shorn would prompt a massive overreaction from Sivas -- mind controlling around forty Fringe citizens in the capital, for purposes of hunting a fellow High Councilor -- and he knew that Adair and I would choose the side of whoever hadn't made public trouble. I haven't shared that conclusion with Adair yet, though I'd imagine his reaction will be in line with your hopes. I suspect you'll also find satisfaction in the news that, as of one hour ago, Jared Ovmar no longer controls the security of Annaj.

"I surmised he'd played me...but now you say there's proof. I'd like to see it as soon as possible."

 

[Lucien Cordel]

"The actions just outlined by my lady prove he is playing you ... I have proof he was in on lipsic In the beginning and kept silent " lucien stood up "... It's times like these I thank my lucky starts my P.A keeps recordings of all my key meetings" lucien lent out of his study door "Get me tape ZA421 (the link on skype) the Lipsic one " a few minutes later he had the recording "this is a meeting held between me, Andra and later Ovmar , yes me and Andra were primary conspirators but Jared was privy to all our plans and even wanted a leadership role ... I'll let you see for yourself . " Lucien pushed the projector and the footage played out . Lucien lit up a cigar "I trust you don't mind" he said gesturing with his now smoking cigar" he would snub it out if she did. "That's the best proof I've got , it's not much but ... Well we must all play the hand we've been dealt" the time had come to be humble the olive branch was before him. "Jared has made a career playing people , he has begun playing you now " 'you ' being his deliberately chosen word one could show humility and still twist the knife.

The news that Jared had been dirtied amused lucien and a poorly veiled smile crept onto his face. However the fact remains Jared was still a high councillor , taking Annaj was not yet far enough it was like taking of Lucien's it would leave Jared humble but still very much a ruler "it's a start , we shall see what Lord Adair has to say "

He finally came to Andra "I can deal with those conditions , if I have my way she won't cause the fringe trouble , I'll give her a mikhail the means to go far out of the spot light and I will suggest she take it"

Lucien was still wary of trusting [member="Ashin Varanin"] . He didn't want this to go the same way as it had with Meret . She had humbled him , then raised him again only to humble him to a greater extent, he couldn't let that happen again.

"Before you came to see me Lady Varanin I was planning to leave the fringe, I didn't want to I still don't this meeting has gone someway to changing my mind, we have established a way to let you sever ties with [member="Anders Sivas"] semi-amicably and let me keep my ties with her but the fact still remains that I have been defamed and my credibility is in tatters so how can you help me fix that problem?"

 

[Ashin Varanin]

"This tape exonerates you. It does nothing for Sivas' excesses, but she's welcome to adjourn. As for your credibility, this evidence will restore it so far as the High Council is concerned. Your reputation with the royal court of Lipsec is, sadly, irreparable. Your honorable retirement is sufficient for the general public." She leaned back in the chair, pondering.

"The main issue is, and always has been, the network of sovereign planetary leaders and star clusters' kings that make up the bulk of the Fringe's power. Their displeasure, as much as Ovmar's maneuvering, is the reason the Lipsec and Annaj incidents provoked such a strong response. We're a coalition of kings, and kings fear to lose their power. They fear to get the same treatment the royal court of Lipsec got. Disclosure of the king's plot against the Fringe, if that's what it was, should reverse this entirely." She snorted. "And potentially make Sivas feel less persecuted, though that's a side benefit. No, Lucien, your credibility only suffers if you stay retired. Take a new position in the Confederation, one that makes it clear your retirement from the High Council was voluntary, in the service of something new.

"Emperor Zambrano and the Lipsec incident have convinced me that the Fringe needs a more visibly central role for the leaders of its planets and star clusters -- people like Zambrano and you. The Fringe needs tighter cultural and economic ties, better coordination between private military forces...your elite guards, and the Blackblades, as iconic Fringe military units. Think of the imperial precedent -- the Moffs."

 

[Lucien Cordel]

Lucien smiled he could subscribe to an empire with him as a powerful man "I can accept that, I take it you and Lady Jacobs will be the empresses so I ask only for an opportunity to earn a place at your right side as a hand of the empresses , as far as I can tell your qualm with my actions were that I didn't tell the council and that I wasn't fast enough to sweep it under the rug before it escalated, were we an empire I can assure you such mistakes would not happen again" he smiled genuinely for the first time in days "but that is talk for another day " his reputation in the key places was back on track lipsic meant less to him than the beggars in the alleyways below, lipsic was meaningless. Lucien could pledge fealty to the Varanin, spencer administration he had never really wavered in his loyalty to them, from the day he watched from a Sith ship as the shadow council usurped the throne of the Sith empire to the present day.

Satisfied with the compensation he had the time came to pay the price " such generous terms are never going to come free and it would be an insult to both our intelligences to pretend you didn't come here to get something from me , so Lady Varanin what is the cost of my redemption?"

 

[Ashin Varanin]

[member="Lucien Cordel"]

"You've hit the nail on the head, Lucien. Though I, personally, am content with the throne on the Chimaera's bridge, and I have no qualms with Adair as our head of state. And if we're talking price..." She leaned forward and rested her elbows on her knees. "You've already paid me. All I came for was to remind you why the Fringe has been worth your loyalty, to reconnect with an old ally, and to have my apology accepted. An end to this situation, and dignity for dignity, one adult to another."

 

[Lucien Cordel]

"Then we are even, It is good we are firm allies again " he said " before you go , I need you to bring the situation on sabrene and val'halla to the council, in addition to the details and terms I gave tonight,they are both without a permanent leader now , I was running them as a high councillor and I want to continue to run them as a permanent leader so the council needs to make a ruling on the matter though" he returned to his desk looked at his paperwork then looked back to Ashin "I've just noticed you look different did you do something with your hair?"

 

[Ashin Varanin]

[member="Lucien Cordel"]

"Sabarene isn't, strictly speaking, in our territory...but close enough. Sabarene and Val'halla -- I'm not on the High Council, but I'll send them your recommendation and request. I've had no complaints out of either world, and considering one is run by militant Echani expats and the other by mainly militaristic superstitious men, 'no complaints' is as good as we were going to get." For the first time in what felt like a very long time, she smiled and meant it. "And yes. I did something with my hair."

She rose. "Thank you for your hospitality, Lucien. I have...errands." Like exonerating him to the High Council; like dinner with Spencer; like preparing the Fringe to face its next enemy.