Caper Vapor
30 May 2023Marigold Ipswitch
Caper Vapor (This document was created over a year ago for personal use. The conclusion was drafted but never created. However, I have been given reasons to make this publicly available as is, so enjoy.)---------------------------------------
Veles Entertainment District – Hausdorff City – Qi Lisu
The large tube like promenade of Hausdorff’s entertainment district was a ghost of it’s normal self. The many shops and recreational centers were devoid of customers. Just a few hours from now it would become tightly packed, as the Santorum Mining Stadium would soon release it’s thousands of occupants currently holding their breath as the Purple Lancers and Electrum Eagles kept nearly all of Hausdorff’s local citizens enthralled with their powerful plays and strategic defenses. Until a victory was achieved, all of the shops were either closed or containing only a token employee cleaning and straightening their wares to get ready for the return of the promenade’s usual crowd.
The round curvature of it’s ceiling and the absence of the usual disruptive chatter made the lively conversation between the two people walking down the promenade all the more haunting and alien sounding from the echo.
The mustachioed man shorter than the woman beside him was somewhat portly, but spry in his step. The older woman walking beside him, used to a lighter gravity, looked focused and slightly strained as she tried to maintain perfect posture and graceful movements despite her lanky stature. She did not bother to look down at her companion, the two comfortable with having side by side conversations.
“I’m still not sure I quite understand how we landed on this ‘laser tag’ obsession,” the woman said with a touch of disdain. “It was only a month ago they were chasing ‘Extreme It’. Do they not grow bored of this constant chasing of the flavor of the month?”
“Well mistress Lara,” the man said in a booming yet careful tone, “it is good for business, or so they say. They tend to need new equipment, infrastructure and furnishing regularly to conform to the latest trends in sport. It gets the gears of the economy turning. It is probably why those AAHC fellows managed to sneak their way into this place so easily.”
“Mm, yes. I suppose we should consider that fortunate,” Lara made a bitter sneering frown not needing to hide her true feelings on the matter with so few around to judge her for it.
The man was quite aware of his mistress’ opinion on the matter and decided to take her literally despite her sour tone. “Yes, mistress Lara. Though I know you wish you were back at home in H.I.P. 39330…” he said trying to placate her mood with sympathy.
Much to the servant’s surprise, this made Lara scoff instead. “I would rather have been given charge of infrastructure development in somewhere other than this… This back water federation gutter! Moving to a different system is not what agitates me Daedalus.”
“M-my apologies, lady Lara,” he stammered.
“It is not your fault.” She sighed, her tone still dripping with disgust. “Are you that cunning witch from that gaudy mockery of an Imperial faction who somehow bent the ear of the Emperor herself to let this be a competition instead of bending to her majesty’s benefit completely? Are you that foolish knave from the Imperial Society that looked upon my genius work in Pyemmatsety and decided that here is where my abilities would ‘shine’? No.” she huffed, and flicked her wrist quickly to open her purple laced fan. It was not particularly hot or stuffy in the hallway, but the motion gave her some way to move the frustration out of her body.
Daedalus relaxed a bit. It was clearer now that this was just another one of her venting sessions. “Your talents definitely shine here, lady Lara,” Daedalus cooed. “Although they are not decorated in a way that appreciates your value, I admit.” He had been in her service for 8 years and knew an opportunity to restore himself in her good graces after a misstep when he saw one.
“It is true,” she continued fanning herself. “If this situation were made your way, you would probably have at least put us in Grudi where they have a history of Imperial culture to actually appreciate the increases in infrastructure efficiency... But here these hyper competitive federal meat heads barely give a gliding-possum’s droppings that their commute times have been reduced and their health care portals are no longer in shambles.”
Daedalus nodded. “Yes I definitely would rather be in Grudi than here…” Daedalus paused briefly trying to find a way to direct the conversation in a productive direction. “That being said mistress, their competitions celebrating the vim and vigor of man are within the Imperial spirit are they not?” Daedalus knew this was the best point in their conversation to bring up a part of his true opinion. He had found the station quite to his liking, other than the change in his mistress’ bouts of agitation.
Lara inhaled deeply, about to go off in a rant at the notion that the locals of Qi Lisu could qualify as anything like ‘true’ Imperials, but instead sighed, quelling her exasperation.
“You are right, I suppose. And you do seem to be more fit than you have since we moved here.” She looked down at him with a calm expression, slowing her steps to show her servant that she was now mollified. She was glad that Daedalus made his opinion subtly and indirectly apparent, instead of being a yes man hiding his true opinion beneath the surface.
“As have you, my ladyship,” Daedalus now looked up at her with a small smile both in relief and appreciation of her measured demeanor in spite of her wrathful venting. He did not mind that she required he dress up his opinion in guise and maneuver around her wrath in this manner. It was the fact that he was allowed these hints of dissent that kept him from leaving her employ. If anything he found the challenge of leading her to his conclusion without persuading her in a manner outside of his station a cure for boredom in an otherwise boring job.
The gentle moment was punctuated by a raucous cheer from the crowd as they passed the entrance to the stadium proper causing Daedalus to chuckle.
“Still, something about this whole situation… bothers me.” Lara closed her fan relaxing into a more serious and thoughtful tone. “Everyone knows that a corporate faction of the Empire’s job is to clear away federal competition. They are supposed to bow down to the governmental factions once they take control in organized space… And yet here we are in a war with the federal faction anyway and the bulwark of local support going to… The imperial corporation? It just simply isn’t proper.”
Lara scoffed and stowed her fan into her purse before continuing. “If it weren’t for AAHC making such an effort to help campaign for us I’d be more suspicious that we are still lacking in popularity comparatively. What was governor Bernard even thinking of coming here in the first place. I assume they had seriously planned to move in here as a core system, given that they had bought myself and the other heads of departments the usual large amount of real estate on the station. Yet it seems as if there is no chance we will even have a chance of keeping ownership of the system…. Something doesn’t add up.”
“Well, while you might find it strange…” Daedalus spoke gently knowing that if he said what he was about to say too firmly it would set off his mistress onto another rant. “Might I suggest that it is simply that they just… Really are corporate Imperials at heart?”
Lara rolled her eyes. “Your attempts at humor continue to lack an audience Daedalus. Though I suppose I should take your suggestion seriously. It is not as if AAHC does not run a portfolio of systems… They just do so in uncontrolled space… Where they belong.”
“Well. If you do not think the heart of a Qi Lisuian is naturally Imperial, then perhaps it has something to do with AAHC’s earlier temporary take over of Hakkaia out of the blue?” Daedalus said holding his chin in his fingers as the gears of his mind were turning. “They continue to claim they weren’t responsible for that little fiasco, blaming it on foreign commanders. And while they provided ample documentation it still seems suspect now that all of this has come into play.”
“Perhaps…” Lara sighed. “They had documentation for their pilots participating in favor of the Marquis as they are obligated to, however, so that seems like an answer with missing pieces all the same.”
“Well, for the sake of your prestige ladyship, may I suggest we do some digging?”
“And what do you mean, by we, Daedalus,” Lara stopped in her tracks to look at him with a questioning eyebrow.
“I mean, that if you would allow me, I might know someone who could hire a nobody to do some digging for us without raising suspicion. After all, we don’t know if this is some sort of ploy by Governor Bernard to get you to make a faux paw and give them leverage for deeds unknown. We cannot assume you are in their favor if they shoved you to this place after all.”
“Well, I am a step ahead of you there.” Lara smiled with a hint of pride. “I had set up a shell company filled with a local team and some bureaucratic staff for exactly this sort of job when we moved here. The sport requires a large amount of niche gear so I thought it would be easy to mask expenses connected to my estate if we ever needed to grease some palms.”
“You, of all people, invested in a team?” Daedalus looked genuinely surprised.
“Well, sort of. I had a feeling that it would eventually take off after the ‘Extreme It’ craze. Apparently this laser tag fad took more favor with the crowd, but the sport is still healthy enough to hold tournaments last I checked….”
“Wait,” Daedalus now looked even more confused. He took it upon himself as a hobby to keep track of the trends of the station but couldn’t think of a team sport that fit the description. “What niche sport?”
“Caper. It’s a scenario based sport that requires about as much set up as Laser Tag but since there are safe cracking and obstacle scaling components they need much more gear…”
“You invested… In Caper.” Daedalus chuckled giving his mistress a large grin. “Mistress Lara… That sport has dramatically risen in popularity recently for that very reason. They can reuse a lot of the same courses as Laser Tag and since all of the elections and wars have made money a bit thin... It was a very natural though unexpected progression. You are in luck. It should be easy as can be to get a team for an upcoming sport like Caper into the next Lada Gallery soiree.”
“Very well, it sounds like we have a plan. Take whatever actions in my name you must,” she waved at him now lost in thought as Daedalus pulled out his tablet starting his work on the matter right away.
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Midnight Mercs Headquarters – Restaurant District
A gangly yet well dressed man slunk away out the door, not bothering to even close the door, his face filled with distress. Mildred Alewife rolled her eyes and hit delete on yet another useless resume. Her small brightly lit office had a subtle lingering aroma of something vaguely musky and floral causing her to wrinkle her nose.
She hated doing interviews. Most of the applicants were the typical Qi Lisuian variety, always trying to push hard and appear as if they were more accomplished than they really were. She was getting quite good at dealing with them by this point, in her opinion, but they all had their own unique musk that left her nose desensitized to anything useful for weeks after. If it was a local custom she was unaware of she would very much like to wring the neck of whoever started the vapid trend.
Mildred opened the next application for filling the newest slot in the Midnight Mercs Caper roster. They already had a team that worked well together but out of the blue the captain had asked for her to hire someone to fill a little used role in the game, Impersonator. Mildred had no idea why she wanted such a bench warmer level position, and one that paid well for that matter.
Mildred spotted a dirty blonde man peeking into the room out of the corner of her eye. “Next please,” Mildred said waving not even bothering to acknowledge the man in the bright white suits existence, instead staring at the list of requirements captain Morgana had sent her for the position.
The man offered Mildred his hand with a bright shining smile.“Hello there, madame. I’m Brad Summers. You know. THE Brad Summers? Big Brad? I'm here to apply for the henchman position with your CEO?”
Mildred knew this was the type of man she would be willing to hit with any blunt object in the nearest area to shoo him out of her office if it weren’t for the fact that his resume ticked off every box captain Morgana had given her.
“It’s Impersonator specifically,” Mildred pursed her lips. Did he even study for this? “Previous experience?” Mildred asked in an overly sarcastic tone.
Brad smoothly used the hand now rejected for shaking to instead comb back his greasy sculpted hair, smoothing out a small wrinkle. “Well nothing in the game of Caper per se, but I'm a good follower, I was a linebacker for the Mighty Mesas for the last 3 years, coach said I was really reliable.”
Mildred was already starting to adapt to the man’s demeanor. She had decades of secretarial experience under her belt, but Brad was a rare breed. So blindingly honest that you couldn’t help but let him roll with the otherwise stupid approach he was going for. “Anything else?”
“Well, first of all they fired Coach, then the new guy didn't like me, said I was a 'suck up'... then there was the issue with the fight... but that guy had it coming, he was talking bad about new Coach…”
“Figh-” Mildred was about to ask but Brad took a deep inhale to continue his story.
“But then they decided I had to be put on 'Disciplinary Probation', and I tried to tell them that I was just trying to support Coach's vision, and that OTHER guy was getting in the way…" Brad looked her dead in the eye still smiling to check if she was listening.
“Uh huh…” was all Mildred could manage.
“So after all that mess I went around for a while trying to help out my uncles, which went pretty good but they don't have THAT much work right now, so they suggested I find someone else to follow around…” Brad finally sat down in the small chair in front of Mildred’s desk. “And actually that sounded like a good idea to me, y'know, being a loyal kinda guy, and then I saw the ad online...”
“Uh huh…” Mildred cringed now realizing that if this was ‘the real Brad’ that he might actually be stupid enough for the job.
“But just when I was getting myself settled in, those bastards at the Mighty Mesas cut me off the system! Something about 'end of my post-employment privileges', without even telling me I'd technically been fired! I was on probation!"
Mildred sighed opening the acceptance form. “Income pre henchable?
“I KNOW RIGHT?” No longer smiling, instead in exasperated catharsis. The first hint of emotion on his face other than his plaster-like smile in the entire interview.
Mildred realized he wasn’t quite getting that he was getting the job. “No sir. Income, before you became henchable.”
“Oh... right... uh... before or after taxes?” Brad asked meekly.
“Before….” Mildred sighed.
“Here let me uh, just send it to you directly. Wait… Does that mean I-”
“Yes Mr. Summers. Unfortunately. Welcome to the team as our newest and only Impersonator.”
“Great, of course. I won’t let you down!” Brad beamed with enthusiasm. Mildred was surprised that the man managed to have an even stupider grin when he was genuinely happy.
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Svetovid Recreational – Hausdorff City – Qi Lisu
The halls of Svetovid Recreational, Hausdorff City’s largest gymnasium, echoed with thunderous clatter. Shouting, balls colliding with boards and walls, and rapid stampede like movements of their human occupants in the myriad of rooms resounded in a cacophony. Unlike most commercial blocks in the star port, there were no real attempts to insulate for noise beyond the material of the walls themselves and air to save on money. The inner walls of the gymnasium were often torn down and reconfigured to best suit the needs of tournaments, crowds and the cutting edge in new sports. It was the price paid to satiate Hausdorff’s need to follow intense trends in competition so closely. The native population of Qi Lisu took their games with an intense devotion. A fact that kept the two occupants of squash court F-12 inside their court for after match small talk, for what little good it did to dampen the sound of other competitors.
“Damn, it’s still noisy though” Gregory spoke as loudly as he could without yelling.
“Ack, Greg, you don’t need to yell I am right next to you,” Siam tapped his ear reminding Gregory that he had cybernetic implants that allowed him to exclude background noise. A blessing for someone who flew a ship as noisy as a Hauler.
“Right, sorry. I forgot since you were speaking loudly,” Gregory rubbed the back of his head mildly embarrassed.
“Ha sure, no problem. It’s just me griping again though,” Siam brushed his sweaty dirty blonde bangs aside and looked down at Gregory, a half a head taller than his squatter more compact compatriot. “I was just saying that with all the political showboating by the top three factions, we really just haven’t been able to get a break.”
“I haven’t really noticed. Ever since I’ve joined A Fashion for You’s logistics department, things have been relatively steady,” Gregory responded as he began doing post-match stretches. His musculature and physique were in peak shape and flawlessly symmetrical. Almost mistakable for an Imperial if it were not for his more typical Qi Lisuian face. “What do you think of it otherwise though?” Gregory asked curiously as Siam started putting away his own equipment.
“It’s honestly a load of waste. Things were slower and less profitable when Interstellar was in power, yeah. But it’s not like those H.I.P. Imperials know what they are doing. We didn’t need new infra. We don’t need regulation updates. We don’t need improved social safety nets. But all those losers seemed to be eating that shit up…. For like a week until they realized it means higher taxes.”
“It’s kind of weird right?” Gregory parted his legs into a split before leaning forward, head tilted upward to still be audible. “What idiot in the Imperial’s patronage decided to not localize their bureaucratic strategy to keep their new support from fading quickly. And more importantly, why the hell are they doing things that legitimatize their main corporate faction by sending them first and then usurping stuff. That’s nonsense power play stuff right?”
“Sure is…” Siam sighed and folded his arms waiting for Gregory to finish. “But why are you working for them directly anyway if you think they are so suspect.”
Gregory hopped up from his split and rolled his arms briefly before packing up his own equipment. “Pays good. And honestly, I’ve been sick of the Qi Lisuian approach to fashi-”
“Yeah I know all that Greg, but you are usually way more…. ‘Morally discerning’ than the rest of us, to put it nicely. I know you wouldn’t be working for just anyone to get ahead.”
“Ah well, you know I guess I just believe them?” Gregory shrugged.
“Ok, but why?” Siam frowned at the non-answer.
“Well… They are just kind of crazy. I mean they were founded by exactly the sort of guy I think would get along with any Qi Lisuian. Going off on his own to found his own company since he was sick of regulations. Making it big. Big enough to eventually have their own star port.” this caused Siam to nod approvingly. “And everyone I’ve met in the company exhibits that same weird energy you know. Like that commander, Marigold, or even my boss Eva. They all are definitely imperials but… They seem more like the kind of people to omit something important to the picture, not lie to your face like a Qi Lisuian would you know?”
“Yeah I get that I guess,” Siam slung his racket back over his back, causing Gregory to hurry up his own packing. “I just can’t stand the thought of not being an independent contractor, but hey if you think they are the type to omit rather than lie…” Siam thought for a moment and smirked. “Hey what do you think they are omitting then.”
“Huh?” Gregory slung his duffel bag over his shoulder, signaling he was ready to leave.
“Like, ok let’s say they aren’t lying. And enough locals that originally aligned with them realize the same things you just said, enough to throw back in their support with them. If you WERE their boss, for example, what would YOU be omitting to make the most of this. And more importantly why all this fussy mess with the H.I.P.”
Gregory looked at Siam, stunned at his insightful but disconcerting question. “I… I don’t know… I guess I’d probably want to appease some of the old money hags? But… Can’t you just like, pay off Zemina or whatever her name is.”
“Ha, I really doubt you could pay off a Tourvald to stop being a tight ass Imperial.”
“Maybe that’s… Why then? Hmm… I guess I’ll have to think on it more… Sheesh Siam, didn’t expect you to be the one to be politically insightful… And after beating me in a match to boot. I guess your on a roll today.”
“I’m always on a roll Greg. I’m above the rest,” Siam posed haughtily.
“Hah, whatever you say. Don’t hit your head too hard getting into that Hauler of your’s.”
“That’s not funny Greg,” Siam grumbled at the slight.
Gregory’s eye’s widen confused at the genuine sounding disgruntlement from the usually thick skinned Siam.“OH. Sorry Siam, I didn’t think you-”
“You could make me feel better if you bought me some custom seats with those big Imperial pay days of yours,” Siam laughed.
“Sure Siam,“ Gregory rolled his eyes sighing in relief. “But I’ll need to put in an order for freight to haul them all the way up there to you. You know someone that could do that for me?” Gregory said mockingly shielding his eyes looking straight up as if looking into the stars.
“That’s the spirit!” Siam laughed slapping Gregory on the back as the two exited into the raucous halls.
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A Fashion for You – Corporate Headquarters – Hausdorff City
Gregory’s ears were still ringing, hours after leaving Svetovid Gymnasium. The eerie quiet of his office made the contrast even more intense. The ‘war’ that broke out between Qi Lisu Interstellar and H.I.P. Imperial struck Gregory as surprisingly good for business. Still new to the job he was unfamiliar with how popular the flight suit arm of A Fashion For You’s was in times of conflict. ‘I guess things are getting busier after all…’ he thought to himself as he started drafting up delivery plans to fill the various requests from AAHC’s outlet on the station.
A pink haired woman in an elegant fuchsia dress suddenly appeared in his office doorway immediately grabbing Gregory’s attention. “Good day Greg. Busy?”
“Well, you are the boss, Eva. I’m as busy as you say I am,” he smiled briefly at the woman who now walked towards him with elegance and intent as if she were gliding towards him. It always made him feel nervous as he was used to Qi Lisuians walking in a brisk jostle with little concern for anything around them.
“Ah, such a good answer,” Eva sat in the chair in front of Gregory’s desk. “Yes, I continue to not feel mistaken in hiring you.”
“Glad you think so.” Gregory gave her a feigned smile. “What can I do for you?”
“Honestly? You are already doing everything I could ask for,” Eva slipped into the chair opposite Gregory. “I suppose I’m just bored. No meetings today… Unless you count my overtime at the Gallery Viewing with a gaggle of diplomats and elites the higher ups have made mandatory the past few weeks…”
“Mm hence that gorgeous dress.” Gregory said, his boss giving an approving nod. “I don’t know. It’s not terribly much. This job was a lot more automated than I had anticipated… All I have to do is what. Clear the occasional paperwork and approval for various invoices and occasionally inform the marketing team of possible undersold inventory and opportunities?”
“When you put it like that it sounds dreadfully boring,” Eva said with a blank expression.
“I…. It’s just not very involved I guess,” Gregory hazard to give a real opinion while still being tactful enough to not offend his employer. “It is a decent amount of problem solving. But the answers just feel like they are already there you know?”
“Hmm. Yes I could see that,” Eva nodded with another small approving smile. “Life is indeed much more complex than your job gives it credit for. For example the answer to ‘should Qi Lisu belong to Amarishivaru Advanced Holdings Company’. This is an unanswered question and yet it directly affects everything about A Fashion For You’s standing and reach in the sector, and yet not even I could tell you what the true solution is.”
“Ha, well. I can’t really complain if it was.” Gregory leaned back in his chair.
“That is good to hear.” Eva leaned in her blue eyes piercing sharply into him. “But tell me, why?”
“Uh,” Gregory’s chest tightened at being put on the spot. “is that legal to even ask me?”
Eva laughed leaning back into her own chair. “You are a sharp one Gregory.”
Gregory laughed nervously and focused on his monitor, trying to steady himself with the work he was doing before Eva had walked into his office leaving the two in silence for a short while.
“Hmm, yes. I like this idea.” Eva suddenly said aloud. “Want to make some extra credits?” she asked Gregory causing him to swivel his chair back to facing his boss.
“It depends. What is the job and for how much?”
“Well, I could use a dancing companion tonight. And given our conversations I’m sure you would hold your own in small talk with the diplomats there. You would be surprised how hard it is to find someone who can do both.”
“What makes you think I can dance?” Gregory looked at her skeptically.
“Oh I don’t, but I’m sure you are decent enough at faking it given how athletic you are. And even if you aren’t, you certainly know your limits enough to not make a fool of yourself. A rare trait I might add.”
“Uh… Sure I guess I don’t have anything else planned. But how much?”
“Hmm about 300 credits?” Eva said as if it was an afterthought.
“What? That sounds” Eva looked at him sternly. “Great. It sounds great.”
“Hmm, yes, you’ll do fine. Keep that up,” Eva said, standing up. “20:00 sharp at the Lada Gallery. Don’t be late, and do wear something representative of our brand would you?”
“That goes without saying Eva,” Gregory said confidently as she spun around causing her draping sleeves and skirt to twirl as she glided away.
‘This sounds like a set up,’ Gregory mused to himself. ‘I can’t believe I agreed… Then again saying no would probably be just as bad of an answer.’ Gregory frowned as he now found himself with a deadline for wrapping up the last of his work to get ready for the ‘gallery viewing’.
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Lada Gallery Vestibule – Hausdorff City
Daedalus was dressed in a dark green suit, twirling his large grey mustache out of boredom as he waited for his gala companions. According to his mistress’ contact in her shell company, their newest employee was hired just in time for the gala a week before. He had no experience with the sport itself, which made it all the easier to focus the Impersonator on intelligence gathering and having a deep understanding of both Imperial and Qi Lisuian social conduct and decorum when in a high society gathering.
“Sorry to make you wait Sir Cuperton,” came a deep yet feminine voice behind him. As he turned around his eyes were drawn first to the familiar face of the man he had scene in the pictures sent to him by his contact, Brad Summers, a man who looked exactly like his resume picture, almost as if he was made of flat cardboard. Beside him was a shorter pixie cut brunette woman.
“Morgana Silversten?” Daedalus asked.
“Captain of the Midnight Mercs yep,” she offered her hand Daedalus.
“You can just call me Daedalus madame” he said shaking her hand gently.
She smiled at this, “Well Daedalus this is Brad Summers-”
“Big Brad if you like,” he grinned offering his own hand which Daedalus squeezed not so much shook.
“Mr. Summers. Yes, I have read about your exploits in and out of the arena. I’m surprised your still in a circuit… Of any kind honestly.”
“Well, I figured this sport is a little less intense on the body you know. Sure you have to run and climb, but it’s more about brains and finesse,” Brad said in a reassuring tone.
“Mm. How well does he play captain,” Daedalus looked at Morgana who now took the lead towards the Lada Gallery entrance.
“Well, he seems to handle being an Impersonator quite well I guess,” Morgana said with a somewhat disinterested tone. “But that comes up in like 13 or 14 percent of scenarios so I am betting he’ll have plenty of time to get up to a more professional level.”
“Well hopefully he takes today’s live run to heart,” Daedalus eyed each of the security guards at the door quickly and thoroughly. AAHC, HIP Imperial Society, and even Qi Lisu Interstellar all had a hefty amount of security in place at the door.
“I won’t let you down Daedalus,” Brad said enthusiastically.
“Mr. Cuperton,” Daedalus corrected.
“Oh uh, right, sorry,” Brad said sheepishly. “You Imperials like your stations clear. I remember.”
“Always assume that if station is unclear between two parties that someone like yourself, an outsider, is at the bottom of the rung,” Daedalus said firmly. “You are here to ingratiate yourself, Mr. Summers. The people here run the galaxy. You just happen to live in it.”
“They are with me,” Morgana spoke to the Qi Lisu Interstellar security officer.
“Alright then, open wide everyone,” the guard pointed a device at Morgana’s eye letting her in quickly afterward. The others quickly followed after them.
Lada Gala was wide open, with a ceiling higher than even the entertainment district Promenade itself. It was filled with a labyrinth of sculptures, water features, and a dazzling array of colored lights.
Morgana had only been to the gallery once before for a similar soiree and was drinking in the scenery.
“Er Mr. Cuperton….”
“Yes, Mr. Summers?”
“You said ingratiate…. I assume you mean to my objective list?”
“Yes. Why?”
“Well one of them was, Governor Xitlali Bernard if I remember correctly. Isn’t she like, the head of Hausdorff right now?”
“Yes, Mr. Summers. I assume you were told this in training,” Daedalus now looked at Morgana.
“Yeah, she might have mentioned that it’s just that I uh. Like, do I have clearance for that?”
Morgana twirled around smiling at Summers. “Well let’s just say Brad, that the game of Caper makes certain doors easier to open than they might first appear. Just shmooze the people on the list we went over and everything should go fine. Really. “
“Uh… Well if I have clearance then I guess I’m not as worried…” Brad said nervously.
“I’ll swoop in to save you if I notice something off,“ Morgana winked at Brad before offering her arm to Daedalus. “Hey, Daedalus, you know how to dance?”
“Of course,” Daedalus said with a smile taking Morgana’s arm. “Although I’m quite used to not being in lead due to the height difference of my usual partner.”
“Hehe, we’ll see how it goes. That’s the fun of a long night event like this,” Morgana said before the two left for the large open dance floor.
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Lada Gallery Vestibule – Hausdorff City
Gregory made his way down to the Lada gallery in a suit he had been waiting for a good excuse to wear for quite a while. It was from the newest collection from A Fashion For You that released a few weeks after Amarishvaru Advanced Holdings Corporation had taken governmental control of Qi Lisu. The sienna brown suit was deeply imperial in its design, with a tight fit and subtle emphasis that helped show off the wearer’s healthy and proud physique.
Although it was deep brown and imperial design sense, the outfit was neatly tied together by a typical blocky yet elegant red and white mosaic pattern reminiscent of a snowflake, lining the diagonal collar and sleeves. The pattern was typical in Qi Lisuian formal wear but was generally worn along the breakline of the jacket or center of the shirt in a much less revealing and much more straight cut manner. It was the piece that made him fall in love for the brand he was now an employee of.
Gregory adjusted the diagonal cut of his collar to look slightly more symmetric. He had only gotten to wear it a few times before, as he was normally working or at the gym. The silk and cotton blend of the fabric made it feel oddly light on his should and did not feel stuffy at all despite it’s tight fit. Still Gregory kept fusing with it out of a slight nervousness as he reached the entrance to the Lada gallery.
It was easy to find Eva in the crowd due to her her deep pink hair, although she seemed to have settled on a teal version of the exact same dress she had been wearing earlier in the day. He ceased his fusing with his outfit and began striding towards her through the crowd.
Eva broke out in a smile as she noticed Gregory approaching her “My, my, MY mister Fenton. Wherever did you get such a stunning outfit.”
“Ah it is from a little boutique that has recently become popular madame. A Fashion For You.”
“I see, my compliments to the designer then,” she chuckled.
“You never struck me as self-congratulatory Eva,” Gregory smiled at the joke.
“Oh dear, you do not know me well just yet. Come along now, the doors have been open for a little while now.” Eva waved for him to follow close behind her to minimize any possible issues with the various security agencies at the door.
Gregory was used to being around a lot of muscle but he normally steered clear of security. Up close the power suits they wore were intimidating, but he found it quite interesting how many parallels in their design to some of the military flight suits A Fashion For You sold. He surmised this was probably due to the fact that sometimes those in-flight suits would also need to wear the same armor for various reasons.
“Hold still please,” came a female imperial voice from right in front of the pair. A female security guard of a similar uniform he had been staring at was already pointing a strange looking device before Gregory could register it happening. A bright green light flashing quickly zipped along his eyes causing him to blink futilely in a daze. If it weren’t for Eva tugging his hand, he would probably have been stuck outside the gallery.
The light of Lada Gallery was a warm yellow. It felt almost alien as most of the lighting on Hausdorff was bright white.
“Alright my wallflower.” Eva continued guiding Gregory deeper into Lada Gallery as she spoke in a commanding tone. “I hear there is some… Diverse diplomats here today.”
As Gregory was swept deep into the relatively open wooden floors of Lada Gallery, dozens of otherworldly colorful sculptures caught is.
“This is the dance floor,” she motioned her hand in a grandiose sweeping fashion. “You would do well to spend some time here… If you have a good enough knack for dancing, perhaps that fetching outfit of yours will attract a certain Patron… A charming round faced woman with too many people vying for her attention… Her name is Madame Governor Xitlali Bernard to you.”
Gregory nodded. He had heard the name before on the news. She was the ‘leader’ chosen by the Imperials to formally govern the Qi Lisu system. But he was always too busy to really get an understanding of who she was or what she was like.
“As for the rest of your night.” Eva pressed close to his arm so she could talk quietly, causing Gregory to freeze in place. “If you want anything to eat or drink a servant in one of our classic white uniforms will be easily waved down. Just try not to get too tipsy. Any information at all you can glean would be a great service to our company.”
Eva chuckled quietly noticing Gregory’s discomfort. “You’ll have to get accustomed to this just for the night. We can’t be speaking too loudly lest we be overheard by the rabble. Besides it is better to establish this contact earlier in the evening rather than later since-”
“Ah! Madame Evaline Gladestone,” came a bright imperial voice from behind the pair.
“Charles.” Eva said flatly.
“Found a new bauble, have we?” The grey-haired man was shorter than Gregory and Evaline, but his physique and posture were immaculate for a man his age. Gregory immediately concluded that he was either an old money noble, or someone trying very hard to appear as one.
“Hmm, I suppose you could call him that if you wished to be rude.” Eva glared at him.
“Oh, dear. Well do introduce me then,” Charles said with a beaming smile.
“Gregory Fenton, senior logistics officer for A Fashion For You,” Gregory bowed only slightly as if they were equals. He studied imperial mannerisms in the past to know that while this was a ‘bold’ move, it would only be seen as mildly impolite as Gregory did not know the man’s title or station.
Charles did not make any displeasure known, however. “Baron Charles Duggit.”
Gregory bowed slightly deeper this time. “A pleasure sir.”
“Well, he seems like a well behaved bauble at least. Shall we have a dance madame?” Charles asked, offering his hand to her.
“Better now than when I have more wine,” Eva rolled her eyes taking Charles’ hand. Gregory was curious to see how the dancing would work given their size differential, but a tap on his shoulder caused him to spin around.
“Wine sir?” the short blonde haired imperial woman smiled up at him, a full glass of white wine already in hand.
“Uh, sure. Thanks.” Gregory grabbed the glass causing the woman float away to the next guest. “I really should learn how to do that,” he muttered to himself. He turned back around to see if he could spy Eva and Charles again, but the dance floor was now full as the string quartet began playing an elegant waltz.
Gregory shrugged and made his way to the gallery. Based on what Eva said, he had free enough reign to do whatever he wanted until she came to rejoin him. He wasn’t a man of art, but the complexity and level of thought that went into the hue saturation and lighting of the various sculptures caught his interest. He could appreciate mastery when he saw it. Slowly he gawked and glanced at various pieces with shallow approval as he made his way through one of the many gallery hallways.
One sculpture in particular caught his eye, causing him to linger long enough to see the lighting color and angle change causing the main subject, a woman in an elegant pose her hand outstretched towards one of the fruit trees in a fantastical looking garden, to change in expression almost completely. He studied the statue for some time to confirm that nothing moved, and the effect was achieved entirely through skillful lighting and sculpturing work. The face itself expressed both happiness and fear depending on if the light was yellow or blue. His eyes caught up in the woman’s beauty began wandering to the other parts of the sculpture once he noticed that the shadows of the various flora surrounding her seemed to cast ominous or inviting shadows which accentuated the piece even further.
“This was always one of my favorites from Verdante’s work,” came a crisp yet invitingly bright female imperial voice beside him. Gregory turned to look in her direction. She was wearing a slightly older dress from a Fashion For You’s maiden collection. A bright white dress with elegantly draping sleeves and a subtle frill along the collar. It was relatively modest for an imperial dress, but it suited the woman well.
“Ah, is that the name of the artist? I didn’t even know some of the techniques here were possible. It makes me regret not knowing more about art,” Gregory said with an earnest forlorn tone.
“I guess sculpture isn’t exactly what Qi Lisu’s art scene is known for. It is a shame,” Luxia returned her focus to the art. The light from sculpture illuminated her own facial features in a way that Gregory found hauntingly beautiful.
“You are not from around here then I take it?” Gregory tried to keep the conversation going. A little company in a sea of strangers couldn’t hurt.
“Hmm? Me? No. I’m not from anywhere near here,” she said before turning to leave to another piece. Gregory realized this immediately and kept in step with her as she did not seem to mind his company so far given her facial expressions and demeanor.
“Ah, H.I.P…. or Amarishvaru?” he asked, feeling embarrassingly uninformed of the various star systems his company resided in.
Luxia gave him a confused glance, but her eyes were soon drinking their fill of a metal and glass sculpture that used water and light as its main medium for conveying it’s meaning. “No nothing like that. I’m a commander. This is by Ciel Del Cruz, by the way. She’s quite the glass worker. You might notice how some of the lights give reflections of different colors despite the glass looking relatively clear. That’s due to an interesting trick of refraction etched into the glass on a microscopic level. Very cool stuff.”
Gregory merely nodded, appreciating the lesson. “I see… That uhm… Sounds like a lot of work…”
Luxia chuckled. “Not in the way you are thinking. She doesn’t etch the entire piece, that would be expensive. She plans where the lights should be pointing and at what wavelength.”
“Ah, that makes more sense…” Gregory said still trying to admire the art with the new information given.
Luxia began walking away somewhat more briskly this time. “So who do you work for then or are you more of a freelancer?” Gregory asked.
“Hmm? AAHC,” Luxia answered matter-of-factly.
“Ah. I’ve recently started working for them,” Gregory said now racking his mind for any commanders he could think of that he might have heard about matching her description.
“So I’ve noticed,” Luxia said with a slightly teasing undertone.
“Oh, you know Eva?”
“I would hope so. I’m supposed to be having drinks with her later tonight,” Luxia said, suddenly stopping at one of the many servants who seemed to be waiting just for her. Luxia asked for juice and was quickly given a glass of red liquid, the servant quickly fading back into the crowd to serve other guests.
‘That is weird. Does she go to these often?’ Gregory thought to himself. “Well, it’s not quite like what you are thinking. I work for A Fashion For You.”
“I see,” Luxia’s drew slightly closer to him as if her curiosity about him increased. “Interesting. How are you liking it?”
Her gaze was now intense in a way Gregory was not used to. She seemed to be even more friendly than before and yet as if she was staring right through him, looking for something else.
“It’s fine, I guess. The work is easier than I would have thought. Everyone is very personable and easy to work with. Well… Mostly easy to work with.”
“I see. Does the work culture suit you?”
“I’m not sure what you mean, exactly, but yeah I guess.”
Luxia nodded approvingly to him. “Things have been quite interesting lately. It is good to know that we are getting some local citizens working deeper in our business. I doubt Eva would have taken you if you were just some entry level.”
“Senior Logistics,” Gregory answered her unasked question causing Luxia to nod approvingly again.
“I am quite a fan of some of some of the patterns moving into Qi Lisu has brought us. Although I tend to like that pattern on your outfit in blue and on… Slightly more ‘local’ looking things I guess. As you can guess as a person working for A Fashion For You, I’m not as out there in my tastes as some Imperial designs can get.”
This caused Gregory to laugh. “It’s quite fine yes. I’m glad someone has a use for our drab and boring fashion, but I for one have taken quite a liking to many of the things you corporate Imperials have brought in. We have a strong culture in Qi Lisu, but it’s monotonous.”
“Hmm, I see. Well, I am certainly glad to hear that. It’s sort of hard to tell how the local population is taking the weird politics going on. Especially since Qi Lisu Interstellar seems to be heading towards a collision with H.I.P. imperial…
“Well, I don’t really agree with it. Whenever a Federal and Imperial faction clash it’s always more expensive,” Gregory said with a stern expression. “I have friends that could get caught up in the nonsense after all.”
“Yes, this was sort of inevitable, however, when H.I.P. took control from ‘us’…” Luxia said almost lost in thought before she perked up again as if remembering something important. “I think I might be needed elsewhere but thank you for the insight.”
“And thank you for yours, I’m glad to know a little bit more about the art in this gallery.” The two shared a pleasant smile and bow before the commander disappeared into the sea of people wandering the halls of the gallery.
---------
Lada Gallery – Hausdorff City
Brad Summers for the first time in his life, had the faintest of inklings that he was not where he was supposed to be. Alone in a sea of chattering people, having a good time, elegance surrounded and engulfed him like a snake. The room was not particularly warm or stuffy, but Brad Summers adjusted his collar.
Brad remembered his objectives and began scanning the crowd for them. He had a knack for faces. He could look at a face once and find it in a crowd. It was why his father said he would make a good diplomat someday. As he searched the crowd in the alien-like landscape of elegance and refined culture, he remembered this and felt his usual amount of confidence return to his body to get his legs moving. ‘In a way’, Brad thought to himself, ‘this is my way of fulfilling my destiny.... Or at least as close as a person like me can manage.
Brad Summers’ mood improved quickly as he spotted Agave Withersome. A woman with an artificial green and cyan coloring that blended into a majestic swoop. Brad thought she would be the most interesting of the three people he was supposed to ‘shmooze’ on, as the captain put it. After all anyone with that much style deserved his attention in a way he could relate to.
The woman was sipping wine, admiring a particularly vibrant and shimmering water feature and seemed to not yet have company. The perfect time for Big Brad to make his move.
“Ah, Baroness Agave Withersome, so glad to see you,” Brad smiled at her and stood next to her.
“Ah, yes…” she looked Brad up and down. Brad was a fairly muscular fellow due to his previous occupation and his suit accentuated that. It was more imperial than Brad was used to, but Morgana had gifted it to him and told him to wear it for the night saying it was one of his necessary outfits for certain Caper scenarios. “Well?” Agave demanded, approving of the man’s figure enough to give him the time of day.
“Brad Summers, Baroness Agave Withersome,” Brad bowed to her lightly. A baroness was not a rank that demanded much else other than his respect. Or so captain Morgana had instructed him as much.
“Baroness or Lady Agave are fine, young man,” the baroness took a sip of wine. “I’m surprised you know my name and title despite not being an imperial.”
“Well, ma’am. Other than your gorgeous hair style. I have heard many things about your charitable works in Pyemattsety. Good work, you do. I have a cousin living in McKay Settlement. Your charity is felt with great appreciation in the Summers’ household. Yes ma’am,” Brad grinned at her. He felt bad for lying to her. She seemed like a kind enough lady. But it’s what the role of Impersonator was all about.
“I see. I am glad to hear that,” she said before snapping her fingers. A servant clad in an elegant white uniform placed a wine glass in Brad’s hand before disappearing as quickly as they had appeared.
“Golly,” Brad stammered in surprise.
The baroness smiled at this. “Well, Mr. Summers. You know about my work. I’ve begun doing just the same on this station as well. What of you.”
“Ah, well, I’m part of team Midnight Mercs,” Brad explained, purposely leaving out what sport it was on captain Morgana’s suggestion. “Our team is a favorite to win the upcoming tournament next month.”
“I see. And you are… The captain I would presume?” she said, taking the last sip of her wine.
“Well, it’s a team sport, madame,” Brad laughed, managing to hide some of the butterflies trying to leave is stomach. He had been instructed to tell his objectives whatever would make them feel most at ease or favorably of him, but he had already lied to the baroness once and did not wish to lie more.
“Ah so modest,” Agave said as she handed an empty glass to a passing server who immediately filled it for her with more of the velvet red liquid.
‘Ingratiate yourself Big Brad,’ Brad thought to himself.
“As modest as your generosity, er, Lady Agave,” Brad grinned brightly with what he thought was a bold and brave face.
“Hmm, yes, you are very good at buying your time with me,” Agave now seemed slightly more distant to Brad as she stared into one of the art pieces. The captain had taught him that this sort of moment was the easiest for an Impersonator to influence the outcome of a conversation.
“Really though, Lady Agave, your generosity is deeply felt. Even though the Imperial Society held power here for only a moment.”
“Well, I would be lying if that was the plan,” the baroness sipped from her glass her emotion slowly fading from her face.
“What was that?” Brad tried an uncomfortable encouraging smile. He could tell that the topic was not a pleasant one for the baroness, but it was the only reason he was there, so he pushed.
“It’s nothing really. Just noble politics I’m afraid. Something a person like you wouldn’t understand.”
Brad wasn’t sure what to say. In the practice runs with the captain she said that he’d have to ad lib. But he was never sure what that meant. “I wouldn’t say that Lady Agave. You see when I was the linebacker for the Mighty Mesas 3 years in a row, old coach said I was reliable. Good team player. Good at following the plan. But then they fired old coach and new Coach had bigger ideas. He got creative. I liked what he had to say even-”
“You are being quite kind, but I would hardly compare-”
“I promise you, Baroness,” Brad said to her warmly. With no one around the Baroness was unable to overcome Brad’s chatty exuberance. “Point is new Coach knew what he was doing even if it didn’t always play to my strengths. But some of the other guys decided I was being a suck up for following new Coach. So, I tried putting some sense into him. Now, yes you are right I don’t understand a lot of the ‘noble machinations’ but does that sort of story sound familiar to you Lady Agave?”
Lady Agave stared at Brad as if he had just told her a tale from out in the black. “Who…. Are you?”
“Brad Summers, Lady Agave,” he smiled his bright white grin.
“I see… Do visit one of my charity auctions. I’m sure you would be as interesting there as you are here. Now if you’ll excuse me. I think I’d like to sit somewhere. Good night ‘Brad’,” the baroness gave him a small smile and a wink before waltzing off into the now thick crowd.
--------------
Lada Gallery – Dance floor
Gregory found himself gravitating to the dance floor. Not necessarily to participate, as he lacked a partner, but to get a better idea of the motions. The current music was upbeat, although a little too predictable for his taste. It was now using modern instrumentation to produce superficial warbles and instrument changes making it sound somehow cacophonous despite the predictability and blandness of the tone. ‘Perhaps the predictability is what makes this ‘allowed’ as a piece in such high company.’ Gregory thought to himself.
“What utter drivel. If they are going to play something modern, they might as well use a proper mixer,” a young white haired man standing next to Gregory uttered out loud.
“Could nobles even muster modern dance techniques?” Gregory replied.
“What are you, a Fed? Of course they can. Every imperial worth their salt keeps up with modern trends in dance,” The man crossed his arms in a huff.
“I just never seen one do it properly,” Gregory shrugged.
“Why I -” the man turned to look at Gregory. For some reason he smiled. “I see. Yes. You are right. It’s my job to educate you is it not? Hahahaha,” The man laughed running across the stage. The music coming to a halt as the man approached some of the musicians.
Suddenly a tune from a popular vocaloid began to play. Gregory was not used to hearing the synthetic voice without seeing the brown and white haired avatar on a screen, but he recognized Tiaramisu’s music from anywhere as her records were popular even among Hausdorff City.
Much to Gregory’s surprise, while most of the crowd on the dance floor shifted to a younger composition, many of them were imperials and they were executing the choreography for “Sweetness of My Heart” perfectly. The white haired man who started it all was now at the center of the stage, his movements the most graceful of any on the floor.
Gregory laughed and joined a minute before the final repetition was complete. While he fumbled to match the pace of the group as he was jumping right in, his quick reflexes allowed him to catch up quickly. He hadn’t danced to a vocaloid song in almost a decade and by the end of the song he found himself nearly out of breath, grinning.
After a moment of silence, the music returned to something more formal and the white haired man strode right up to Gregory’s spot at the side of the dance floor.
“Well, do you feel educated about us imperials now?” The man grinned even if his tone was dripping with sarcasm.
“Quite pleasantly so, but how did you manage to convince them to play an idol piece of all things,” Gregory now took a moment to admire the man’s boyish face, his skin nearly as fair as his hair was white. He looked quite young and yet spoke with the tone of authority of decades of experience.
“Well, I’m actually the owner of the Gallery, Daniel Gallahad if you could believe it. Besides conductor Chasam is a fan of Tiramisu so I just told them someone didn’t believe there could be imperial fans of her favorite artist, let alone ones that could dance.”
“I-I see. Well, I hope you didn’t take it as an offense,” Gregory frowned uncomfortably. “I just never have seen an imperial dance to something so outside the uh, atmosphere of a soiree like this. Gregory Fenton, chief logistician for a Fashion For You by the way.”
Daniel nodded approvingly at the name of Gregory’s employer. “None taken. I was relieved someone took my bait. I was growing rather annoyed by that piece they were playing earlier. It makes the gallery look like we have no taste.”
Gregory merely nodded not knowing what to say.
“Judging by your footwork you yourself are a fan?”
“Yes, well, at least I was years ago. Still, “Sweetness of My Heart” is hard to forget. I got to watch a performance of it when I was younger,” Gregory admitted. He would have been embarrassed to admit something like that to such ‘important’ company, but Daniel Gallahad struck him as someone proud of his own appreciation for the vocaloid.
“Daniel, what on earth was that all about,” came a grinding oppressive voice from behind the two of them.
As Gregory turned around to see who it was, he found himself face to face with a familiar face surrounded by an ample amount of security.
“Oh, come now Talia you can’t tell me that wasn’t memorable in a positive way,” Daniel Gallahad pursed his lips.
“Stick to the script we pay you for Mr. Gallahad. We can’t be having security thrown off guard tonight. Do you not have rare pieces on exhibition that need more careful attention tonight?”
Daniel Gallahad narrowed his eyes. “With the utmost of care and precision taken to keep them safe, yes Governor.
“See to it that it stays precise,” the governor for a moment paid attention to the person standing next to the owner of Lada Gallery.
“Who is this?” Xitlali’s eyes lingered briefly on the detailing on Gregory’s suit. “You don’t normally take feds in company, so I assume they are important, and I am just forgetting who they are.”
“Oh him? He’s no Fed Governor, he’s A Fashion For You’s newest logistics officer. Isn’t that right Mr. Fenton.”
“Oh, uh, yes that is right,” Gregory bowed to the Governor deeply.
“Ah, Eva’s newest bauble. I see,” the Governor sighed. “Well, try not to run him too ragged Mr. Gallahad. I might need to speak with Eva later tonight.”
“Yes, Governor,” Daniel Gallahad bowed less deeply than Gregory had, but deeply, nonetheless.
“Hmph, some people have no taste for whimsy,” the owner of the gallery grumbled. “Well, now that you’ve been scrutinized approvingly by the big boss, I guess you can help distract me by letting me give you a tour of my establishment? It’s the least I can do for subjecting you to my whim.”
“Wouldn’t that be subjecting me to even more of your whim ‘Mr. Gallahad’,” Gregory smiled politely.
“Of course!” Daniel clasped his hands together smiling. “You catch on quick, and Daniel Gallahad or Daniel please, mister does not suit me in the slightest.”
The two drifted away from the dance floor into the labyrinth of Lada Gallery, causing many heads to turn and whisper.
--------------
Lada Gallery
Now Brad found himself alone once again. ‘She was nice. I wonder what her perfume was,’ Brad thought to himself walking forward with a slight strut in his step. He wasn’t sure if he got the information the Captain wanted, but he followed everything he told her what to do and in his opinion with flourish.
The crowd was starting to make a little more sense to Brad as he meandered through the various aisles of the gallery. Most of the sculptures and paintings had huddled cliques of three to five people, while most of the traffic seemed to be between wide open space in the center of the gallery used as a dance floor and the various table set up like a restaurant usually with much larger and mingling groups. The gallery provided every mode of having a variety of different conversations with varying privacy levels. To Brad it felt very imperial as much of it seemed for the display for others. Why people would want to make deals at a party instead of a business room sitting down face to face eluded him. Though he had to admit he was having a lot more fun this way.
Finding his next target proved to be difficult. The Qi Lisuian businessman had a very distinct figure. Durante Vladinov was slightly bulbous, mildly balding, but most importantly wearing fine golden and orange silks. “It shouldn’t be this hard to find an orange in a crowd of imperials”, Brad muttered to himself.
Brad was about to go browse the various food tables in a hope of finding the man there, when a beautiful woman in a plain though elegantly cut white dress caught his eye. What was even stranger, was that unlike everyone else crowding around the various art displays she seemed to be alone, and judging by her pensive expression, looking at the statue for her own enjoyment as if interested in the art itself.
‘The businessman can wait,’ Brad thought to himself as he made his way to the woman’s side. The statue was fantastical. Brad would have sworn it was some form of computer-generated image. A woman made of stone looked nearly life like from the yellow and blue lighting despite being made of pale white marble. Her hand was outstretched as if ready to pluck the gem like fruit on the short stubby tree in front of her. It was as if a garden was put on display.
“Huh, I wonder if those are real,” Brad thought to himself out loud in an attempt to get the woman’s attention.
“Some of them are dried and preserved with a thin coating, but most are just fake,” the woman said matter of factly in a soft imperial accent.
“Who’s work is this anyway,” Brad asked now looking at the woman from his side. ‘That’s it, just gotta be smooth Brad’, he thought to himself.
“Verdante,” she said not bothering to look at him.
Brad inwardly panicked, not expecting such a flat deflection. He wasn’t really a connoisseur of art. The fruit itself looked extremely detailed, clearly made from some sort of glass or gemstone. It looked like one of the fruits his ex-girlfriend’s family used to eat. “Well, they did fantastic work. The uh… Rambutans? Must have taken them a lot of work to get all the greenish red hairs to flair correctly while not looking too straight and organized. Still, it’s weird that it’s all alone, usually they come in clusters...”
“Is that what that is supposed to be?” the woman now looked at him. “Interesting… The statue changes a lot, but something feels off since I last visited…” the woman’s voice trailed off now lost in the statue again.
“Brad Summers,” Brad offered in one last ditch effort to get the woman’s attention.
“Luxia Harmony,” the woman answered now looking at him. “Did you need something Mr. Summers?”
“Uh… No not really. In truth I was looking for a Qi Lisuian businessman… But well, I can’t find him and you seemed far more interesting,” Brad said with a feigned blush.
“Hmm. What is his name?” Luxia asked.
“Durante Vladinov,” Brad found the woman’s gaze to be quite piercing. It felt like she was seeing right through him. He darted his eyes scanning the crowd not wanting to stare at her directly.
“I see. Well, you are in luck, my betrothed is quite familiar with him. I bet I know where he is, too, come along,” Luxia turned around quickly causing her somewhat drooping sleeves to glide through the air as if they were ribbons.
Brad couldn’t tell if he was relieved or not that she wasn’t single but found himself struggling to keep up with her walking pace. Luxia weaved through the dance floor causing Brad to dodge many of the waltzing couples, uttering a few apologies along the way due to some near collisions.
By the time he made it through Luxia was already have way across the chandelier lit main hallway currently used for dining. She seemed to have stopped talking to someone at the table who, judging by the golden orange suit, was his target.
“There he is, Durante, this is Brad Summers. He said he needed to talk to you and looks like he could use a glass of your dessert wine if I’m not mistaken,” Luxia flashed a smile at Brad and disappeared into the crowd quickly.
“Well, come sit. I was due for some entertainment anyway Mr. Summers” the man waved his hand to beckon Brad to sit at one of the empty Chairs next to Durante. The table was surrounded by various men and women all in matching green and lavender dresses and suits chatting quietly among themselves. Some of them looked like Qi Lisuians, but others looked neither Imperial nor local.
“Brad is fine Mr. Vladinov,” Brad smiled taking the full wine glass at the empty seat next to the portly man leaning an elbow on the table to sit sideways so as to be facing the man now busy shoveling a bite of meat pie into his mouth.
“Then you will call me Durante. Even,” Durante declared. “Now what would a … hmm, young athlete, need to do with some poor sob like me.”
“Oh? You’ve heard of the Mighty Mesas?” Brad liked the overall demeanor of the man. He seemed friendly, welcoming, and willing to put you into bankruptcy if you didn’t sign more favorable terms and conditions. All things Brad could respect in a man of Vladinov’s status.
“Know you? You lost me 30 million credits, ha. What a rousing game that was. It’s a shame they switched to that new coach. Your team was doing well before the change in management.”
“Yes, I did like coach. He was a good tactician,” Brad said cheerfully. It wasn’t every day he got to meet a fan from his old career.
“Well, ‘Big Brad’ what can I do for you. You want a sponsorship?” Durante asked before biting into another fork full of pie.
“Well, I’m currently going to be playing with the Midnight Mercs. They seem pretty well sponsored, but the team seems pretty solid. Captain Morgana has been a great mentor. I’m already feeling like a natural Hench.”
“Caper, huh. Well, that’s a lot more brainy of a game for a man like you,” Durante laughed causing some of the ‘audience’ in front of them to chuckle as well.
Brad sipped some of the wine. It was sour enough to cause his lips to pucker but hit the center of his tongue with a soft flooding sweetness afterwards that made his mouth water. “Ha, well you are right. I’m not really the brains of any operation, but I’m good at listening to a plan and adapting.”
“That you are yes,” Durante nodded approvingly of Brad’s response.
“I was actually more interested in you. You see I feel sort of embarrassed to say this, but I’m a fan of your work,” Brad said now recalling the script the captain had given him to rehearse time and again in front of a mirror.
“Oh? That’s… Interesting. What does an athlete have to admire about my works,” Durante wiped a little bit of the pie off his flat nose with a napkin, now looking at Brad with attention.
“Well, I know you’ve always had a knack for getting the deal and out maneuvering your competitors. Gotta say you are better than even my old quarter captain Nate at that,” Brad smiled as he remembered punching Nate in the face since he was instructed to ‘genuinely smile’ as he gave this ‘spiel’ as Morgana called it. “And every move you make seems to have the most well-placed press. Gotta respect that too. Very important in athletics. It’s how we get support.” This caused Durante to nod subconsciously.
“And more importantly. You seem to be making moves against the imperials that think they now own the place with an almost calculated efficiency. A person like you making calculated decisions with what seems to be a large amount of support from commanders… That means you are investing in my home station quite seriously, right? We all benefit from team players like you Durante.”
“Now hold on a second with that last part, Brad. I will have you know I’ve been making great efforts to work with all corporations and governmental interests. You don’t get big by playing favorites,” Durante said slightly scowling now.
“Ah, apologies, Durante. I guess I just have been feeling a bit worked up about the whole thing lately,” Brad said now frowning.
“Hmm, yes, I suppose things have been getting people worked up. Still, you gotta feel sorry for those HIP Imperials. They made such large investments in updating infrastructure, only to have AAHC take back up control of government. If Qi Lisu Interstellar weren’t so suddenly popular with commanders, I doubt things would have played out that way.”
“Kind of weird right? It’s sort of strange seeing competition between a government and corporate Imperial enterprise. Usually, they defer to the government like dogs,” Brad said feeling a bit silly talking this way. It was hard to read Durante’s expression, but it seemed vaguely perturbed.
“Still all this competition feels very much like Qi Lisu. It was honestly sort of boring before the Imperials came and shook everything up,” Brad, said now off script.
“Now you have said something I can agree with,” Durante flashed a perfect toothy smile, his empty pie bowl now replaced with a banana split with three differently colored scoops of ice cream adorning it like a crown.
“This wine is divine by the way Durante, I’ve never had anything quite like it,” Brad took another sip.
“Oh yeah?” Durante said somewhat dismissively. Now Brad was sure the man was thinking intently about something he had said. “I’ll be sure to send some to these Midnight Mercs of yours now that I know you’ve moved on to a new team as a little show of support. Try to win back my 30 mil aye?” Durante chuckled.
“Absolutely!” Brad raised his glass toasting no one before drinking the last sip.
“Well, I’ll just say that I hope the competition in the real world is just as victorious for you sir. I’m looking forward to watching your game as much as you may be interested in watching mine,” Brad said with a wink.
Durante nodded approving of Brad once more before he began shoveling a bite of the teal ice cream onto his spoon.
Brad was about to sit up and thank Durante for the small talk and support until he felt a heavy hand on his shoulders. A security officer in a bright white Imperial power armor was looming over him.
“Brad Summers, her ladyship would like to speak with you,” Came a grim voice among the otherwise jovial atmosphere.
Durante continued eating his split as if everything was completely normal and the lavender and green guests at Durante’s table seemed to be totally absorbed in each other’s company all of a sudden.
Brad stood up the hand not leaving his shoulder. ‘Ladyship?’ Brad thought to himself in confusion. ‘Who could they mean…’ Brad was roughly guided and surrounded by the guards in power armor.
He was quickly spirited away and frisked to search for any potential threats before being shoved into a private room in the gallery Governor Xitlali Bernard staring out the window overlooking the empty depths of Qi Lisu’s star system.
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Lada Gallery
Daniel’s tour of the Lada Gallery was long and winding, but just as enjoyable if not more so than Gregory’s previous ‘tour’ from the commander earlier. The man new exactly how to talk to someone about the arts at any level of experience in a way that would most effectively inform them.
The winding tour finished on the upper level of the gallery offering the two men a view overlooking the dancefloor and the various party goers. Only security staff and themselves were allowed on the upper floor of Lada.
“Well, I am truly lucky I got a tour. I do not think I’d have been able to visit here in different circumstances,” Gregory gazed at the motions of the dancers, now waltzing to a slower tune echoing in the large colorful dome ceiling.
“You seem to have a sharp enough mind for the arts, I am somewhat surprised at how under educated you are,” Daniel eyed the two guards under his employ nearby, jerking his head in a motion to leave them be before he leaned on the railing beside Gregory.
“Well, honestly, it they teach some of it in the schools here, but it’s largely focused on how would you call it… I guess nationalist art for lack of a better term. Most of the art here comes from so many places and cultures. The ideas are varied and exploratory,” Gregory mused.
“Ah is that it. Although judging by your outfit, you seem to at least be proud of where you come from to some degree,” Daniel’s gaze wondered towards the various nobles ignoring his art pieces using them as places to loiter causing him to frown.
“Of course, I am. Isn’t that how modern society works? We have the major powers, to be sure, but the under current is one of humanity diversifying and swirling in our own little ponds connected only by culture and information from galnet. Without those we’d be mere aliens to each other would we not?”
“Hmm, aliens. Yes, I suppose that’s how it must seem when a new faction moves into a star system they’ve never been in before,” Daniel said wistfully.
“Well, it’s what drives me in a way. I like mixing the old with the new. It makes things interesting and alive. Leave Qi Lisuians to their own devices for too long and their strong man machismo runs them dry of fun or elegance. Leave an Imperial to their own devices for too long and their structures and ideals suffocate any change causing stagnation.”
“Haha, maybe you really are a corporate Imperial,” Daniel smiled, before the sound of heavy boots caused the two to turn around.
“Mr. Gallahad, Mr. Fenton, your presence is requested by the Madame Governor, immediately.” Came a stern voice from one of the white power suit clad guards. The two Lada Gallery guards nowhere to be scene.
“What an interesting day,” Daniel muttered. “Sorry Gregory, but I have no idea what this is about.”
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Lada Gallery – Gallahad’s Office
Xitlali Bernard was small woman, but an overwhelming presence. Her posture and movements immaculate. With a mere swivel and search of the six people in front of her, she seemed to have an exact idea of where her gaze was most needed.
“Mr. Gallahad? Now that’s even more of a surprise,” the Governor paced down the line up of the various members of her assembled ‘audience’.
Brad Summers had taken to fidgeting his thumbs in the furthest corner of the room, having been the first to have been wrangled into the room. He was ‘supposed’ to meet with Xitlali, but this was not at all what he imagined the circumstances would be like. Even more to his discomfort, Morgana and Daedalus probably did not know where he was.
Luxia Harmony seemed the most composed, returning the gaze of Xitlali with calmness, almost as if she was happy to see her.
A man dressed in a Federation style red three-piece suit seemed serious and attentive but somewhat disinterested in the company over all.
Eva the ‘audience’ member closest to the door seemed both relieved and confused when Gregory and Daniel entered the room, the door shut loudly behind the entering group.
“One of you here may know why you are all here right now, so let us survey some guesses shall we?” The Governor spoke warmly despite the serious atmosphere. “Mr. Summers, perhaps?”
“Oh me? Gosh no. Do I look like a man who knows why he’d be in any given place?” He chuckled at his own joke holding his hands up as if caught.
“You look like a distraction, sent by much bigger game,” the governor said curtly giving him a glance that made Brad’s face shrivel into silence.
“What about you, commander. I’m surprised to see you today,” Xitlali’s gaze lingered on Luxia ‘s own piercing eyes.
“Well either we are about to be informed of a conspiracy to overthrow some form of government or established political rules, or someone stole something from the gallery,” Luxia said in a tone as if this were the only logical answer.
The governor nodded.
“Well, don’t look at me like that governor, I just assumed you wanted to have tea finally,” Eva frowned at the possible insinuation by the governor that she may be affiliated with any of the options Luxia listed.
“I just assumed you wanted to discuss terms of H.I.P.’s retreat from Qi Lisu,” the man in the red suit quipped.
The governor glared at him, before turning to face the window instead.
Gregory felt oddly tacked on among the line up. He thought of walking to Eva but the guards were still surrounding Daniel and himself for the most part. “Well, it can’t possibly be the ‘overthrowing the government’ option given Eva and I like our jobs and AAHC would have told you if that were happening. We’d be in jail in that case, so what got stolen?”
Xitlali looked at him for what Gregory felt like the first time. “Intelligent enough Mr. Fenton. What do you feel must have been stolen?”
Gregory thought quietly for a moment. “I have no idea. I would guess… Something from one of the statutes? We’d all have been on lock down if an entire piece were missing right?”
“Hmm. I see, send them all for individual questioning,” the guards immediately began grabbing their nearest suspects. “Including Mr. Gallahad,” the governor added with a smile as she looked at the now angry owner of Lada Gallery.
To Be Continued...