Emerald Repatriation Society: Formation (pt1)
30 Jun 2023Vasil Vasilescu
Things had been going well bringing refugees fleeing the Thargoids to Emerald. Stefan and his team handled the applications and vetting of citizens wanting to take advantage of Octavia’s generous gift of transport and accommodations. Elena’s team secured the planetside lodging for approved citizens through her connections with several Imperial Trade Guilds. And I managed the task of transporting Stefan’s approved citizens to Elena’s housing.I had contracted a half dozen luxury charter services to transport people to Emerald from the rescue ship, Imperial Sanctum, which was in orbit, and I, along with bulk cargo contractors, rescued citizens from damaged stations, brought them to the Sanctum, and then took slaves back to the damaged stations to help with repairs.
It was all going smoothly, with several hundred people a day being brought to Emerald. But when Octavia called me to a meeting at the family’s summer villa, I knew the numbers disappointed her. I had my suspicions why and already had a plan in motion to deal with it.
We met in one of the villa’s cloistered gardens, a place of meandering stone walkways with statuary and off-world plants meticulously maintained and arranged to project conspicuous wealth. We spoke by the central fountain, the soft whisper of arcing water falling into the collecting pool at odds with Octavia’s direct, admonishing tone. She made it clear, without hiding her frustration, that more people needed to be brought to Emerald, that she demanded faster progress, and that it was embarrassing to have so few arriving for such great effort.
I let her rant for five minutes before I finally decided I had reached my limit. “Stop!" I barked. She raised an eyebrow like a mother surprised that her child had the audacity to talk back to her while being disciplined. “Stop this little show of yours and tell me what you really want.”
She glared at me, incredulous that I doubted her. “I want to give citizens a fresh start, Vasil, because it is our duty. Perhaps if you had not spent your life avoiding responsibility, and had remained here, you would know what duty is.”
“Octavia, If I did not have a sense of duty, I would have ignored you summoning me from Colonia after all this time. Yet, here I am,” I calmly explained. “You have two choices. Tell me the truth so I know how to best serve the family... or continue hiding the truth and not getting what you actually want.”
Her demeanor changed, becoming colder and more practical. She realized I knew that her publicly stated goal was not her private goal, and there would be no convincing me otherwise. “Okay, Vasil. I want to become a Patron, and eventually even a Senator. I cannot do that with the number of citizens I now represent as a Client.”
“So, this high-minded notion of serving displaced citizens by bringing them to Emerald is just a cover for your ambition?”
“Have no doubt that we are serving them. If they choose to lend support to the client that has provided relief, then that is their choice.” She waited for me to reply. When I did not, she asked, "Do you disapprove?”
“No. Very few people do something for nothing. Even charitable acts can provide some form of reward.” I sighed. “If you had told me this from the start, we would not have spent so much money for the returns we are getting.”
A rare, amused grin crept into her lips. “Charity is not profitable, Vasil. At least not what you consider profitable.”
“It can be. Like the Emerald Repatriation Society.”
“The what?”
“The ERS. A charitable organization, of which you are the director. Its purpose, to give displaced citizens a new start on Emerald.”
“And how could this possibly help,” she asked, unhidden skepticism knitting her brow.
“Charitable organizations can accept donations.” The skepticism began to melt away. She knew this meant spending less of her own wealth. “Donations are a way for most people to help without getting involved. For the very wealthy, large donations can mean elevated social status among their peers, again without having to do any work.”
Octavia narrowed her eyes at me. “This is not a new idea of yours. I suspect you’ve been giving this thought for some time now.”
“Already implemented it,” I said. “The necessary paperwork is waiting to be filed with the Imperial Charitable Services Bureau. All that remains is for the charity’s Director to sign the Articles of Intent. There will be a significant outlay of initial funds, but I expect to recoup those funds once a few wealthy donors get on board.”
“That solves the problem of money, but what about bringing more people to Emerald. That is the ultimate goal.”
“Why limit operations to Cemiess? There are nearly a dozen rescue ships, each with thousands of imperial citizens on board. The only way to get the numbers you want is to use numbers to our advantage. The more places we get people, the more people we get, and the potential for more people to declare you as their Client.”
Ocatvia said nothing for a few moments, looking at me while she considered what I had said. I held her gaze, the soft gurgle of the fountain the only sound until she finally spoke. “See to it,” she said, and with that imperious command, the Emerald Repatriation Society blossomed to life in a carefully curated villa garden.
(Part 2-->)