Private Paying Respects and Making Assessments

[Charles Castex]

It was cold, unusually so… not that it bothered him… it had simply been a long time since he visited an ice planet such as the Eternal Empire’s capital world. Not that it seemed to affect the inside of the palace. Charles had to admit he would have preferred to have the Empress come to him. To his own flagship, aka his home ground because despite the fact she had taken them in… she had yet to do anything to earn his trust. She like his former master was just an air of mystery that in this case he knew even less about, and that lack of knowledge was dangerous to the Tomb Fleet’s safety. He couldn’t protect his men against that which he knew nothing about, nor was willing to trust their lives in a major battle until he knew exactly who was making the choice about wither or not they went to war.

If anything, he could respect her choice about holding court in the strategic command rather than the throne room with its ornate ceremony and blind spots that any would be assassin could use. Sighing softly, it didn’t take Charles long to eventually reach the room he was looking for, but given his typical nature he was slightly early for his appointment. So the Admiral just leaned against the nearest wall… admitting that he felt somewhat… open in this place. No that was not so… he had his normal implants… his saber… and his holocrons, but there was something else out of place. What it was he couldn’t put his finger on, but then again this was the seat of the Eternal Empire… a place steeped in the dark side… so it was to be expected. Then again there was always the chance that the feeling was less trepidation and more so… excitement?

Ingrid L'lerim

 

[Ingrid L'lerim]

Lady Ingrid L’lerim Ragal Terassi Vandiir
Eternal Empress of the Eternal Empire, Lord Commander of the Wardens of the Shroud
The Red Witch, The Night Queen, Lady Stuztala, Head of the House L’lerim, CEO of the HPI Consortium, Archon of the Primyn Group​

Location: Wulfngard, Kalidan
Equipment: The Soulsabers (hidden) | Hersir Imperial Uniform | Viper Mk. I Skinsuit | G1 OmniLink | The Last Gift || Empyrean gland
Tag: Charles Castex

[ Out of Control ] ​

Ingrid was in her office at STRATCOM HQ. Since Tubrok didn't like it when she worked from home, she came to Wulfngard again. Here, the assistants told her that one of the former ZU admirals wanted to talk to her. She agreed to the meeting. Even though months had passed, it still hadn’t gotten any better; all that remained was pain and icy emptiness, which she did not want to dim for a moment. But it didn’t matter, even today it was just the job, nothing else. After Charles arrived, two soldiers escorted him to Ingrid's office.

The office was the office of a soldier, not a ruler. After all, she considered herself a soldier rather than an empress. Never, for a single moment; this has not changed since. How would she have done that when she felt better at Netherworld than here. And here was her other husband, and her sons, one of Tubrok’s, the other from Adrian… not helped. It didn't help that she killed Runi, nor that she was reconciled with Telis again. Everything was so insignificant.

So the office was quite empty, with old-style wooden cabinets inside, with paper books on them, a desk at the end of the office, behind it there was Ingrid's chair, a few chairs in front of the table. That's all. The office had no window and apparently i.e. a single exit, what was the entrance. As usual, Ingrid wore a military uniform without signs, as always. When Charles arrived, she first greeted the man with a salute (through whom they were soldiers), and then if the man was walking closer, she also held out her hand for a handshake.

"Welcome, Admiral! What is the reason you asked me for an appointment?" asked in her usual cold, military voice.

 

[Charles Castex]

As he was guided into the room it took one look at the woman before him to realize that she was the cause of his feelings. Normally this would have been a time that Udezi whispered a warning into his ear, but the Sith Spirit found it unnecessary. Charles let his eyes quickly roam the room, coming back to run over Ingrid in a manner like he did any subject of study. Cold… Calculating… not a hint of warmth stared down from the abyss of the male’s two dark eyes. He had to admit he was not sure what to make of her and if he should consider her an ally or a threat. The thought of the later almost made him reach into his lab coat to bring one of his scalpels to his side to fiddle with, but he resisted the urge. Instead he respectfully returned the salute, and stepped forward to take her hand in a handshake…

A smile spread over his feature under that black mask, as he gripped her hand tighter than normal. A simple test really to see what her grip strength was or even if she was not the type to rise to such a challenge after all. To the Admiral every response or reaction was just an answer to categorize. He would let go though when she finally did, not wanting to be too obvious… oh no that would be no fun. The game had just started, the test had just begun… no need to spoil it so soon. He could appreciate that she got straight to the point, and normally Charles would have been happy to do so, but it was a little more complex than that. What he wanted to know was not simply something that could be obtained from an answer or a conversation… it also need observation,

”I believe if I gave a simple answer such as the desire to thank you for taking us in face to face, or to put a face to the name of our Empress on a more personal level then you might call this a waste of time. Good thing for you Empress I am also not someone who likes to have his time wasted, and so I will get to the point of why I am here.” Moving slowly around her the tall man, moved to sit down at one of the chairs in front of the table and crossing one leg over the other before looking over at the Empress, ”What I am here for is both as a Admiral and a researcher all in one you might say… with the subject being none other than yourself. In the most respectful manner possible I assure you.”

Slowly steepling his fingers in front of his face a soft chuckle echoed from his lips, ”I believe I made it clear when I joined the Eternal Empire that the Tomb Fleet do so under me, and so my men spill blood because I wish it. Given that we have not spoken for any length of time, I just want to get an impression of the person who is going to be ordering me to tell my men to go to their deaths. I do not want a repeat of what happened with the ZU and its weak leadership that caused it to fall apart Empress… an event that could leave my men vulnerable. I do hope you understand the reason for my visit more clearly… it is nothing against you, but I am the type who prefers to judge things like this for myself…”

 

[Ingrid L'lerim]

Lady Ingrid L’lerim Ragal Terassi Vandiir
Eternal Empress of the Eternal Empire, Lord Commander of the Wardens of the Shroud
The Red Witch, The Night Queen, Lady Stuztala, Head of the House L’lerim, CEO of the HPI Consortium, Archon of the Primyn Group​

Location: Wulfngard, Kalidan
Equipment: The Soulsabers (hidden) | Hersir Imperial Uniform | Viper Mk. I Skinsuit | G1 OmniLink | The Last Gift || Empyrean gland
Tag: Charles Castex

[ Out of Control ] ​

Ingrid's eyes were blue, but they were also cold, with no tenderness or kindness in them. Just a frosty look that belonged to a ruler, or just a high-ranking soldier. She reciprocated the handshake, strongly and firmly, maintaining eye contact throughout, not showing for a moment that a stronger handshake would have been uncomfortable or disturbing for her. Even if it had been so, she would not have shown any sign of it. One of the first lessons she learned in her life. Never show weakness; not even one. When Charles sat down, the woman walked back behind the table and sat down in her chair.

As usual, she kept making eye contact all the way through, her face and her movements not telling her what she was thinking while the man was talking. She knew exactly that such meetings were also part of her duty and were included in her day. So she would have either sat here alone or just with others. Neither was a better option than the other, because in neither case could she tie up her time with really important matters. Mean, what she judged it to be.

"Me? I’m not such an interesting and exciting topic; even if you believe it, Admiral."

Her voice was cold and military as usual. She nodded at the man's words, then spoke in the same voice she had done so far.

"I don’t boast about my abilities, my achievements, and I don’t tend to beg others. If you arrive for this, you will be disappointed. If you want to get an overview of these things, I suggest you find out through the independent media and make a decision based on it."

Currently, the Empire was on more stable legs and had a better judgment across the galaxy than before. Not to mention that during L’lerim’s reign, expansion also accelerated. So the downside could be only the war with the GA, but before that, Tacitus was at war with the Sith Empire. Nothing more.

"But I can promise you something, Admiral. If you betray the Eternal Empire, you will have the same fate as any traitor and deserter. Alongside with your people."