Star Wars Roleplay: Chaos

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Quid pro Qou

Lucien had heard talk that [member="Elias Truden"] had been in conversation with [member="Jared Ovmar"]. Lucien was as ever very suspicious of this development. Recent events had left him somewhat jaded. To this end he had summoned Elias to talk with him. Lucien wanted to get to the bottom of what was going on.

"Morning Mr. Truden " lucien said as Eli entered "you've been a busy man"
 
I had been put in charge of ICE at the hands of [member="Darell Irani"]. The news were still something I had been struggling to get used to. One moment a small-time worker, the next a CEO. In a sense it felt like skipping the entire ladder or chain of command, but it was understandable that [member="Lucien Cordel"] would be curious of this development.

“Indeed I have, Lord Cordel.” I closed the door behind me and took the liberty of finding myself a seat in front of the man. “It’s not every day you wake up and find yourself in charge of a big corporation.”

“I would have come earlier had it not been for my schedule being jammed full of meetings and similar obligations as of late. I am sure you can understand, Lord Cordel.”
 
Lucien rolled his eyes as [member="Elias Truden"] sat down, how far he had fallen and in how little time, he received some consolation in Elias using his proper styling but it trifled in comparison to the deep and entirely unjustified feeling of injustice he felt in his gut. He needed a brandy, a double brandy. Elias seemed awfully pleased with his new promotion and rightly so and lucien supposed such a person could be useful in the long term but did he really need to be so smug. "Indeed it was quite a shock when you handed in your notice, you have done well for your self ..." Lucien responded as he moved over to his drinks cabinet pouring a double for himself and a single for Eli. "Drink this ... Mind that it's stronger than I believe you'll be used to but it's a popular tipple amount those of the class you've stumbled into " he said sliding the glass of brandy over to Elias.

Brandy always made lucien more hospitable and he now felt able to stomach Eli's new step up. That was until Elias pointed out that more important people had come before lucien . It was not what was said but it was what was heard ... At loath to appear alcoholic lucien adopted to deploy a cigar in preventing a outburst "Quite" he finally said after a particularly long drag ,almost choking on the word.

"Whilst I'd love to make small talk I'm certain neither of has the time so I'll get to the point , do you know why you were given iron crown?"
 
There was something lingering in the air, I didn’t need the force to tell these things. A sense of, well quite frankly I couldn’t really tell what it was but it was there. Perhaps that was one of the things the force was good for, but there was that small spark of tension in the air. I hadn’t really considered my approach to be the most unfitting, but I never really cared about my entrance to begin with. A bit smug? Perhaps, but I had been given a shot at the life that was taken from me after so many years of servitude to others.

I was sure [member="Lucien Cordel"] would understand why I made the decision I did in the end.

“I was given Iron Crown because of a few connections I made during the ‘Rapture’ as one of my colleagues so aptly calls it.” I personally called it the Netherworld event just like many others. “I helped [member="Darell Irani"] build the spaceport on Eriadu and he remembered me.”

“It all boils down to random dumb luck in the end, really.” I took my first swig at the drink. “Why? Did you know the previous owner?”
 
Lucien understood exactly why Elias had acted the way he had, in his shoes lucien would have and indeed had acted in much the same way. Why would one be the servant when they can be the master, just because lucien empathised it didn't mean he had to like it. Deep down he was impressed with Elias but his recent rise also demonstrated just how far behind lucien was ... The tension stemed less from Eli and more from circumstance had [member="Elias Truden"] been raised but a few months before lucien would be far less , prickly.

Lucien chuckled "Your Naive if you think you were given Iron crown due to dumb luck " lucien snubbed his cigar "You have been bought Mr. Truden and a time will come when you will be required to pay the piper , that piper being Lord Ovmar . " lucien lent back "I still know the current owner , a large majority of crown shares were owned by the high council my self included but the majority are Ovmar's " it seemed Elias was yet to understand the gravity of his situation "You've just been pushed into a political shark pit and it seems you've been given a life line don't lose it ... It's easier to do than you think" Lucien had watched it happen many of his apprentices had been rising stars but now were rendered inconsequential .
 
A political game. The idea that I had turned into yet another pawn in a grand strategy for something beyond me had run through my mind on occasion. My position didn’t exactly come at a a small cost. Free time had become a luxury that would only last ever so long and except for that I had Mister Irani keeping tabs on me fairly regularly. At least since the recent events at the South Systems Bazaar. Never talk to people without permission, it was a hard lesson learned.

“I don’t doubt you, Lord Cordel.” The reply finally came. “My position has its perks but the ulterior motives, while unknown to me, is quite obviously there.”

“The man keeps a tight enough rein to let me know he is always there, yet loose enough for me to act on my own. I am not without my qualms at his way of operations but my name is already on the dotted line.” The second swig at the drink numbed the edge. It was as good of a sign as any that it was time to slow it down. “I appreciate your concern, Lord Cordel, but my role in this is not alien to me.”

“But you know, there is this one thing that still confuses me. I figured the Lords of the Fringe would be a pretty tight-knit group. What am I missing here?”

[member="Lucien Cordel"]
 
Lucien smiled Along politely, he was of course pleased that Elias was of confident. He could only hope he could Mach it in skill, Lucien doubted [member="Elias Truden"] would disappoint. Something peaked lucien's interest "Your on a tight leash , does your benafactor know your here?"

Lucien laughed , he almost forgot how nice it was to be outside the mire of politics. From outside the fringe still looked like a becon of harmony "It used to be , however after the withdrawal of Ashin and Spencer and the increase of beurocracy we became more divided up at the top and it's coming to a head now , I don't know what will happen but I know things will change" he drank more brandy it seemed he had more of a resistance to it than Elias .
 
“Trouble in paradise?” I let the drink twirl around in my glass as I cursed my lightweightedness. “And yes, I would not be surprised if my employer has someone who followed me here. He’s a bit overbearing in his ‘love’ sometimes.”

“So back to the Fringe and the trouble you mentioned.” Trouble or trouble, he had merely mentioned that things were not the same as before. “Are you saying that things are deteriorating to a breaking point? I mean, my time with Andra didn’t leave me much time with the behind the scenes information as much as the state of the military.”

“Which seemed to be doing good, last I checked.” Second sip of the brandy. “Is this change a rumor or just a gut feeling of yours?”

[member="Lucien Cordel"]
 
If elias had been followed trouble would come to Lucien and such things couldn't be allowed to happen. Lucien stood up with a smile "overbearing indeed" he coughed a little then stepped from behind his desk "You will forgive me but I must step out a moment" he said before making a move for the door. Lucien left [member="Elias Truden"] alone for mere moments whilst he gave orders for the grounds to be searched, it may have been poor social etiquette but it was nessisary.

When he returned Elias returned to the trouble "indeed things are deteriorating but you won't see the military suffer both sides need it too much" the military would be a defining factor in the coming days if they stayed true then there would likely be no change "Andras removal was only the beginning she had made her self far too troublesome you can't win without the military and andra bled democracy" Lucien wandered how andra was she had gone somewhat dark

Lucien had lived through two dramatic changes of power, both times he had been too low in the social ladder to do anything about it ... However he was high enough to have observed the signs. Stagnation breeds rebellion and stagnation had set into the fringe a long time ago , then there were the merc attacks on the outlying territory they would make the common people scared and scared people make dramatic choices.

"I Confess it is just a gut feeling but it is a gut feeling based off a rather long political career , you can put money on it change is coming" Lucien warned before finishing his brandy, he was tempted to give Eli water and release him from having to finish his own glass but Lucien figured Eli had to learn to stomach things he didn't like.

"However I didn't ask you here just to warn you , I want something from you?"
 
I enjoyed the solitude. It was the moments such as these when the lack of noise, sound, or anything that broke the silence that made it all so much more bearable. The sound of silence and the ringing of my ears. Some would have called it torture, I called it a dream come true.

Eventually [member="Lucien Cordel"] returned. Things didn’t look as well internally as when I left it. The two theoretical sides of this fight needed the army which in all honesty made me wonder if I had simply ditched one point of my life where I’d be in the middle and jumped into another. Destined to be ever the middle man it would seem.

I tilted my head up and down in agreement with what he said of Andra. She had been quiet lately, it felt like way longer than six years since I had last heard from her. Which really just further begged the question what she had done to call for an exile of this length. Perhaps I would never truly know.

At least the change was just a gut feeling, as comforting as it was. Which perhaps made Lord Cordel’s question for a favor all the more foreboding.

“What kind of favor?” I leaned forward in my seat. “I am not in a position where I can hand those out as freely as I’d wish anymore.” I tilted my head in an apologetic shrug. “Not even to former bosses, I'm sorry.”
 
Lucien liked to reminisce sometimes, for a short periods but he was always careful to return to reality swiftly , it did no good to dwell in by gone times. Lucien could see the confusion in Eli's mind over what Andra had done. The short answer was upset Jared Ovmar but such a simple solution ignored the wider context. There was a reason why Lucien was here and Andra was never not. In the end Lucien made many of the mistakes Andra did but in the end he played the game of politics better.

It had taken Lucien a long time to notices but the elias before him now was a changed one. It was as if his innocence was gone and Lucien couldn't tell wether the change was a good one. This elias was a ruler not one of the ruled thus certain tactics were called for Lucien would treat this new [member="Elias Truden"] as he treated the other politicians he knew with calculated decency. Elias seemed reluctant to commit to carrying out any favours. Such a reaction amused Lucien.

"The two things I need from you Mr.Truden are very simple, the first will lead to the secound... " Lucien webbed his fingers " Above all else I need to know that we are still on the same team , I want your loyalty and in return you shall have mine but that is something I already had , I called you here to ask you to either convince the board to open up iron crown shares or to point members of the board with extra shares in my direction ..."

He let the request hang in the air for a time then finished off with a sigh

"I have however taken up too much of your time I should allow you to return to your work, I'm sure I will have the answer to my request very soon " which was Lucien way of telling Elias to leave.

Of course Lucien had parting words but they were best saved for as Elias was heading out of the door.
 
I was in the middle again. Old life versus new life in a game of favors. Loyalty and shares in Iron Crown, both were things I couldn’t just hand out freely. The man was my former employer but the acquisition of my loyalty still depended on what it was that he needed me to stay loyal about. I had my reservations on some things but in the end even then that was circumstantial.

And with the shares I could always point him at [member="Darell Irani"]. Actually, yes, I could just do that instead. He was the majority holder, if anyone had access to stocks and shares it was him.

“There is a man I can send your way, goes by the name Darell Irani. I can’t promise anything, but I’ll try to have him arrange a meeting with you at some point to discuss the possibility of getting you a few shares in ICE.”

It didn’t take a smart man to realise I was eventually asked to leave. I nodded my head.

Getting up from the seat I put the glass on an end table by the door. His new assistant could probably take care of that for him. “Well, unless there is anything else then I say it’s been a pleasure, Lord Cordel.”
[member="Lucien Cordel"]
 
Lucien nodded "I do hope this man has the brains to match his station , send him to me ... Then trust to hope" Lucien smiled , a false smile but a smile all the same "After all if that meeting goes bad I may be forced to employ drastic measures to meet my aims " Lucien added just loud enough for elias to hear. As [member="Elias Truden"] Got up to leave Lucien lit up a cigar " The pleasure was all mine Elias ... Do give my regards to that sister of yours"

Lucien span his chair to look out onto the ground of his little slice of control "Do feel free to remain in contact , I do so enjoy seeing people rise to such heights as you ... " he added. Shortly after Elias left his replacement entered to collect the used glasses such a droll creature "Have someone keep a discrete eye on him , I have developed something of a soft spot on him " Lucien said, focus never leaving the outside "and see that our meeting is purged from my records , If anyone speaks of it after the purge inform me ... You are dismissed "
 

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