Emerald Repatriation Society: Stalling for Time (Pt10)
05 Nov 2023Vasil Vasilescu
(<--Part9)For a month I avoided the question of what to do about Elena. Unlike Octavia, I was not certain that Elena had leaked information about ERS funding a war in Hixkaramu. Though Elena had openly opposed Octavia’s decision to secretly fund the Imperial-aligned faction, I did not believe Elena would intentionally endanger the reputation of the ERS or of the family. Or, more likely, I did not want to believe it.
Elena was the only one to support me when I made the decision to wander the void, and she was the only one to see me off when I finally left. “If this makes you happy, then I am happy for you,” she told me. I remember her smiling as she said it, and how much those simple words meant to me. She still has the same, warm smile and kind heart, undiminished by the many years since that day on Mackenzie Station. However, I know that a kind smile offers no proof that Elena did not leak the information.
During the trip to Achenar with Octavia and several high-value donors, Octavia had asked me to come up with a plan. She did so in that way of hers that was so subtle and polite that it became more of an order and a threat to not be ignored. After the trip, I ensured I was too busy with the repatriation efforts in Hixkaramu to devote much thought about how to handle Elena. I justified it to Octavia by there being too much work. There were people to rescue, contracts to negotiate, supplies to deliver, and special taxes (bribes) to be paid. I suppose one benefit if the Tribeb Imperial Party had won the war would be that such “taxes” would not be tolerated under Imperial Law.
As it was, little else had changed in how we did business in Hixkaramu. Thanks to ERS not providing direct financial support to the Tribebs there was no backlash from the public or the Hixkaramu Independents. Official records showed that all ERS provided was free medical supplies. If the Tribebs sold those supplies to fund their war, ERS could not be blamed and our reputation as a charity helping war refugees remained intact. As far as I was concerned, there was no problem.
Octavia, on the other hand, could not let it go. She saw leaking the information as a personal betrayal of her and the family.
Octavia, while irritated that I had not yet offered advice on how to handle Elena, acknowledged that my efforts were returning repatriation to the levels they were before the rescue ship, Imperial Sanctum, left Cemiess for Hixkaramu. I had hoped this would appease Octavia long enough for her anger to cool and her problem with Elena to simply ebb away.
I should know better than to rely on hope. Hoping is the same as gambling when you don’t know the rules of the game. After a month of me stalling, Octavia decided to win the game with a short message.
Vasil,
I expect you to be at the alpine villa in three days. Do not disappoint me.
-Capul Familie Octavia Vasilescu
I knew Octavia’s pride and sense of family honor would not allow her to let the leak go unpunished. It was now a matter of tempering her response to meet the severity of the problem. Maybe I could convince Elena to admit fault in an effort to mitigate Octavia’s judgment. I did not know what punishment Octavia would hand out, but I did know that because of my stalling and not wanting to deal with the problem, that it would be worse for Elena. And now I only had three days to make it right.
(Part 11-->)