Emerald Repatriation Society: (Pt16)
24 Dec 2023Vasil Vasilescu
(<--Part 15)
I avoid Octavia’s private ERS fundraisers when I can. The private dinner parties are more about her political maneuvering than actual ERS business, so Octavia usually tolerates my excuses for not attending. There are times, though, when an invitation is more of a summons, like the terse message I received during one of my stops at Mackenzie Relay.
Vasil,
There will be a meeting of the Honorary Board at my alpine villa. Date and information to follow. Do not be late.
So, there I was, a week later, my presence at this dinner party having been commanded by Octavia. Its primary purpose was to formally introduce Katarzyna as the newest executive board member and Sir Halston DeVey as the newest member of the honorary board. There was also to be a vote on the acquisition of a new ship for ERS by the honorary board. I did not understand why the honorary board would be voting on funding for a new ship. Octavia lets the honorary board vote only on items of little importance to ERS operations, like choosing the decorator for a field office. It allowed them to legitimately say their decisions are helping guide the charity. If Octavia was allowing them to vote on major funding, she had something planned but I did not know what it was.
Throughout the evening I did my part as a member of the family and the ERS Executive Board. I’m not fond of these events, but the trader in me is more than capable of putting on a show when it is required. At events like this it is often more about how you carry yourself than the substance of your conversation. Small talk during hors d’oeuvres and polite dinner conversation was easy enough for me. I also sprinkled in a few stories about rescuing citizens from damaged star ports. Slightly embellished, of course, to make them more entertaining to the donors.
Stefan was there with his starlet du jour, lapping up the attention he received for having her on his arm. She was a young, unknown actress Stefan had hired to be in ERS fund raising commercials. Absolutely the most stunning person in the room, but also the kind accustomed to an easy life purely due to her looks. I had not bothered to remember her name. Stefan would set her aside once she began to bore him and she’d not be seen again at any ERS functions or in any more ERS commercials.
Kat, charming as ever, chatted with guests and made them feel welcomed, much like Octavia was doing as the hostess. Only, Kat was genuinely warm rather than playing the part because etiquette demands it.
The center of attention, though, was Sir Halston DeVey. Donations from the wealthy elite had increased ever since Octavia gave him a position on the honorary board. No doubt, the high value donors had hopes of being invited to ERS events where Sir Halston was present. Being closer to one of Princess Aisling’s courtiers meant being that much closer to a member of the Imperial Family, and Octavia understood certain people were willing to pay for that opportunity.
After dinner, we went to the East Reception Hall for drinks. I had managed to separate myself from everyone and I was looking out over the valley when, in the heated window’s reflection, I caught Octavia glancing Kat’s way then to me. With a smile, she excused herself from her current conversation and came over to me. Along the way she lifted a drink from the tray of a serving slave with all the effortless grace of a practiced socialite.
She stood beside me, gazing out over the snow-covered valley and rugged mountain peaks that had belonged to the Vasilescu family since Emerald was first terraformed. After a small sip of her pear martini, she said to me, “No sense staring across the valley. The lodge is a hundred kilometers away and she is probably not even there, anyway. Elena, I mean.”
“I thought we were not supposed to speak the name of disowned family members.” It was one of the unspoken rules of an abdicare to treat the disowned person as if they had never existed; to purge them from memory the way they had been purged from the family.
“Sorry, I forgot. Don’t tell anyone. It will be our little secret.” Octavia turned to face the room, smiling like the gracious, beautiful hostess. “I wanted to have this party at the lodge, but she and Alex transferred ownership before Sir Halston could secure an Imperial Seal for the Abdicare et Recuperare order. Apparently, they transferred it to one of their children.” She looked to me, cocked her head to the side like a curious dog hearing a sound for the first time. “You... you wouldn’t have any idea how that happened, would you?”
I looked her in the eyes. “No, I would not.” One useful skill I perfected in my years as a trader is lying with a straight face. "Bad luck, I suppose."
Octavia considered me for a moment, her lips slightly pursed. She was suspicious but had no proof that I had informed Elena of the impending Abdicare et Recuperare. “It does not matter,” she said with a half shrug of a shoulder and another sip of her drink. “There were other, more valuable properties seized by the recuperare. Besides, Katarzyna is working out very well in our former sister’s board position. You know, she had the brilliant idea to use executive slaves to fill her vacant staff positions. She said it was for cost savings and ensuring loyalty to the charity. But I don’t suppose you know anything about that, either.”
“Nothing at all, Octavia.”
“I don’t know whether I should act surprised you had nothing to do with it, or disappointed that you believe I cannot see a bit of your thinking in that plan of hers.”
“Maybe you should try a little of both, Octavia. Too much disappointment causes worry lines around the eyes.”
“Oh, progenitor cells and good doctor can take care of the lines, and I have the best of both. So, you told her what to do.”
“No. She came to me for advice. I gave her a few suggestions, but she is the one to make the decisions. She’s smart, Octavia, and wants to do the best she can for you. The fact that you scare the hell out of her only undermines her confidence. That will hold her back, meaning you, and the ERS, will not get as much use out of her as you could.”
“Well, she was confident enough to present your suggestion for the new ship. I thought it might be too ambitious, but the long term bene--”
"I never suggested commissioning another ship."
“Oh?" said Octavia, one auburn brow arching quizzically. "So, you really have no clue why we are here tonight.”
“I thought it was to flaunt your new board member, Sir Halston. And some business about the honorary board voting on a new cutter.”
“Not a cutter, Vasil. A fleet carrier.”
It took my brain a moment to fully register what she had said before the financial and logistical nightmare of operating a carrier crashed through my thoughts. I gripped Octavia by her upper arm and tugged her closer, speaking low so no one else could hear. “Are you insane? You can’t let the honorary board vote on an expenditure that could bankrupt the charity.”
Octavia’s eyes shot down to my hand, then, filled with annoyance and challenge, they met mine. I did not let go. She pulled her arm from my grasp and hissed, “Do you think I’d let these people tell me how to spend the money they gave me for their seats on the board? I let them vote on things of no consequence so they can say they are helping direct the charity. But voting on this will make them feel even more important and loosen up their wallets more.” Her features softened, so anyone looking our way would have no idea we were in disagreement. Her hushed tone, though, remained indignant. “They will vote whatever way Sir Halston does, and he is voting for the carrier.”
“How can you be certain of that?”
“As luck would have it, I recently became the owner of a seaside property Sir Halston has been wanting for the past few years. Elena would not sell it to him, so I gave it to him.”
I knew the property. The beach villa was where Elena and Alex were married. Elena would never have willingly given it up. Promising Sir Halston the property was probably how Octavia also managed to get the abdicare sealed so quickly. “Damn you, Octavia. You are a manipulative, self-serving cunt, you know that?”
“Of course I do,” she said with an overly sweet smile and patted me on the chest. “And you, dear brother, are the only person who can get away with saying that to my face.”
“Octavia, Vasil!” It was Sir Halston’s wife, Helen, with her over-affected Imperial accent and under-developed chin. “I hope I am not interrupting.”
“Not at all,” said Octavia, instantly becoming the warm, congenial hostess once more. “We were just discussing whether or not the vote later tonight will be in favor of the carrier.”
Helen leaned closer, whispering like conspirator revealing some huge secret. “Don’t worry. Hal loves the idea. I am sure things will go just the way you want them.”
“I hope so,” said Octavia, who then looked to me. “Don’t you, Vasil?”
I just nodded.
“Anyway,” continued Helen, “I have not had a chance to tell you how much I love this place. The decor is spectacular and the views even more so.”
Octavia knew exactly what Helen wanted. “We still have some time before the vote. I can give you a tour if you like.”
Helen's face lit up. “I’d love that!”
Octavia set her drink down, politely excused herself and went off to engage in the Imperial tradition of nobles flaunting their wealth to one another.
Later that evening, just prior to the vote being taken, Kat explained to everyone her plans for the carrier. In keeping with Imperial standards, the carrier would be run similar to a tourist mega liner and could accommodate up to 50 thousand people in berthing more like luxury hotel rooms than the cramped, common dormitories on the rescue ships. The carrier would act like the Emerald Repatriation Society’s own rescue ship, only it would not be constrained like the current megaships. This carrier would go wherever it was needed, whenever it was needed, transporting a literal city of people to resettle anywhere in the Empire.
Kat closed her presentation by saying, “We will not treat our fellow Imperials like refugees, no matter their social class. We will always respect them and never waiver in our commitment to our fellow citizens or to the Empire. There are still so many who could benefit from the aid we provide and that is why you must approve this project.”
She looked to me when she finished, a relieved smile on her face that everyone, particularly Sir Halston, seemed as passionate about the carrier project as she was. I gave her an approving nod. The vote passed with 100% approval. She had no idea the vote was just a show to make the honorary board members feel important.
I was not going to tell her. She would only become disheartened if she knew the truth. Encouraging Kat to live up to her potential is currently in the best interests of the charity, Octavia, and therefore, the family. Kat had taken my advice about dealing with Octavia, but I had no idea she thought on such a grand scale.
(Part 17-->)