Lord Cosgrave stood across from General Branson in her aide’s office. The general had called her here for a private chat, and Lord Cosgrave was glad she had accepted the meeting.
Crossing her arms and nodding, she said, “This makes a lot of sense actually. Over the past 15 years, we’ve had a steady drop off in local essence crystal production. There was no reason to assume embezzlement due to the fact that no one had increased production of any trade goods.”
“I’m not seeing a connection.” The general frowned in confusion.
“You’re not thinking like a noble,” she replied.
Holding up a finger to punctuate each point, Lord Cosgrave said, “We have shipments that are heading south, while being hidden. We have a raid with Islangur weapons in a place there shouldn’t be any Islangurs. We also have a circumstantial evidence of a Noble house being involved. What do those facts in conjunction imply?”
Answering her own question, she said, “It leads to the very real possibility of that young man being correct. Either someone is hiding an essence crystal smuggling ring, or they are using those crystals for something else. Essence crystals in those amounts could power wards or run the production of any number of illicit goods. It’s also possible that someone is planning a Noble War. Regardless, this is evidence of an illegal operation in my domain and I have grounds to call for the Populators.”
The general was surprised. That was a bold move for the City Lord. Calling for the Populators had real consequences if there wasn’t anything for them to find. However, looking at what they already uncovered, it WAS enough to merit their involvement. They’d been called for in the past with less evidence at the time.
“All right, but let me make the call to the capital. We don’t know if your staff can be trusted. While I’m doing that, You should speak with Dalton. If this is just a smuggling ring that got out of hand, then the Populators will be enough….”
Lord Cosgrave finished the general’s statement, “But if it is a play for the position of the City Lord, the Populators will have to sit out until the conclusion. Afterword, the winner could petition for the Populators to leave and come back at a later date to investigate. Holding the title of City Lord could buy them time to remove any evidence of wrongdoing. Good point. I’ll arrange with Dalton for a quiet increase in the keep protections. My children should be safe at the Center.”
“The Center isn’t off limits in a Noble War. But I suppose we cut off their ability to get men into the city. In any case, your safety is paramount and the keep should be unassailable if Dalton is ready for them,” said the general, offering his opinion.
“I’ll talk to my children, they can make up their own minds. This will be a good experience for them. They are adults, and they need to start making their own decisions,” Lord Cosgrave said with a dismissive wave of her hand.
-----
Standing by the couch, David seemed to want to take charge of the situation. Taking the tone of a teacher giving orders, he said, “Well Mr. Walker, you just go through what Mr. Salvatore sent you, and I’ll be here to answer any questions.” He then sat down and placed his pad and pen neatly on the coffee table. When he was settled, his link lit up and he closed his eyes.
Nero shook his head in exasperation, then looked around for a place to sit. Like a Dad finding a parking spot open near the front of the lot at Home Depot, his eyes found Nick’s desk. ‘That works,’ he thought.
Walking over, he admired the large, high quality, executive chair. He ran his hand over the rich dark red leather, and admired the brass studs. ‘Fancy,’ he noted with pleasure. Dropping his satchel on the desk, he sat down and made himself comfortable.
Opening his link, he looked for Nick’s ping that he had only glanced at earlier in the morning. He idly wondered how long pings stay in the Thought-hub. Focusing on the message, he saw it was an official looking notice, with a nice letterhead and bunch of titles. ‘From the office of blah, blah, blah. We look forward to working with… Your responsibilities will include… nope… not important… there!’ Nero noticed some links. It seemed that you can place attachments, or at least references to other documents inside a ping. There was a proposed schedule, a recommended reading list for personal growth, a diet plan, and an authorization for the offices of the center to use his intake testing data for scientific research. There was not, however, a contract of any kind. Nero wasn’t going to fall for that.
“Hey David,” he said, bringing the young man out of out his link.
“Yes? What can I help you with?” David stood up and walked over. Noticing that Nero was using Mr. Salvatore’s desk, David couldn’t resist frowning, much to Nero’s amusement.
“I don’t see a contract agreement for Nick sponsoring my education, or anything else we talked about in return for my data,” Nero pointed out.
“A contract? Mr. Salvatore has already arranged the work-associate position for you through the Center. He is currently your advisor, and I’ve personally sent you all the information on magic you requested. Was there something else to the agreement that I wasn’t made aware of? Why would you need a contract?” he asked with a hint of confusion.
Nero shook his head. “No, everything is looking great, and he’s lived up to his end of the bargain so far. But what about tomorrow? If I sign this now, and he decides that he already learned what he needs from me, what’s to stop him from firing me? Next thing I know, I’ll be mopping floors in the arena and developing an ulcer from the remedial classes that I’ll be transferred to. Or maybe without his backing, the army will decide that I was interesting enough to forcibly enlist. Six months from now I could be covered in mud on the front lines of the war, fighting for a country that I hardly know. Is that what you want?” Nero asked incredulously.
Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.
David looked shocked. “And somehow all that will happen if you don’t have a signed contract?” he asked with disbelief.
“It could,” was Nero’s reply. “With a contract guaranteeing my job and benefits until I graduate with a degree… or I think you call it a focus or branch or something, I won’t have to worry about my future. Come on David, I am giving an all-access pass to my data for SCIENCE. I should make sure that I’m covered in case of unforeseen events, that’s just simple logic.”
David scrunched his face and replied, “It seems like demanding a contract to ensure that Mr. Salvatore keeps to his word is unnecessary and insulting. However, you make a good point considering unforeseen complications. What would happen if he were transferred? Or if gods-forbid something happened to him. I can’t argue against you seeking to protect yourself from eventualities outside of your control. I’ll draw up something using a standard ‘exchange of services’ contract. We use them for hiring contractors. Give me a few minutes.” He then closed his eyes and activated his link.
Nero was happy with the development. As he was about to go back into his link, his concentration was broken when a piece of paper started coming out of Nick’s desk. He watched as page after page came out of a thin line just above the pad that provided a work area. ‘An in-desk printer! Awesome,’ he thought.
David opened his eyes and reached over to collect the pages. “I’ll need you to tell me exactly what the deal was, just so there are no misunderstandings. Now that I think about it, you’re absolutely correct to ask for paperwork concerning the agreement. ‘Precision is professionalism’ after all, and there is no reason to avoid paperwork, even if it feels unnecessary. That type of thinking only leads to mistakes. Good thinking Nero.” He leaned over with his pen poised to write, then patiently waited for Nero to dictate the terms of the deal.
Nero was conflicted. On one hand he felt like he successfully swindled a great deal for himself by giving away what he felt was very little. On the other hand, unfortunately, was a happy David who was looking forward to doing paperwork. Even worse, David was congratulating Nero on his attention to detail and complimenting his work ethic. ‘Way to suck the fun out a victory,’ thought Nero.
“Well the deal was very simple. I’d let Nick use my intake testing data for a paper he wanted to write, and then allow him to observe and test me during my future star usage. Mrs. Salvatore made sure to include a guarantee of ethical people making sure he doesn’t kill me or anything. In return, I get a job with no responsibilities listed as his lab-assistant, free room and board at the center, access to classes and any instruction I want, and some spending money for clothes and stuff. Just write in whatever you think is fair, as I don’t have any idea how much anything costs,” Nero said while holding up his fingers to count out the points. “Yup, that’s everything.”
David had stopped writing, and was staring at Nero. “That’s what he agreed to?” he asked.
“Yup,” Nero said with a smile.
“OK, I’d want that in writing too. How did they get this by the ethics board for the Research Center, not to mention the oversight committee for the Center’s educational directorate?” David asked.
“No idea. That’s not my responsibility. Check my contract,” Nero replied while sporting a wide, toothy smile and leaning back in the chair. He would have put his feet up on the desk, but he was too short, and the desk was too tall. He had to settle for placing his hands on his stomach to signify his victory.
David finished writing, and stood up. “It will take some time for me to get this signed by parties representing the Research Center and the Center’s education department. In the meantime, maybe you should take the day. You should return to the dorms and get some personal development done.” He started off toward the door. Pausing, he looked back at a smug Nero and said, “You’re not playing a joke on me again, are you?”
“Nope, that is what Nick agreed to. Mrs. Salvatore was on the ping-call thing while we were discussing it. You can get one of those people who can tell when someone’s lying to check my story if you want,” Nero offered happily.
“Right. I’ll confirm with Mrs. Salvatore, and let you know as soon as I have the contract ready for your signature,” he said.
David’s shoulders were slumped in defeat, as he opened the door and left.
Enjoying the feeling of doing business from behind Nick’s desk, Nero chuckled a the sight. He did not envy the hoops David would have to jump through to get that completely legitimate contract signed. Putting the poor man’s pain out his mind, Nero focused on his own paperwork.
Looking around the really nice office, Nero decided that there was no reason to walk all the way back to the dorms, this room suited him just fine. He went and got himself a fresh cup of coffee and some more cookies. Sitting back down in Nick’s comfy chair, Nero clapped his hands loudly.
“Time to get to work,” he said to himself.
Opening his link, Nero started using the desk to print out all the attachments that Nick had sent him, along with a combat class list that Captain Angelton sent. The printer was just as intuitive as everything else had been when it came to the link. Nero must have printed out 50 pages. He looked under the desk, but couldn’t see where all the paper was stored. Eventually, he gave up his investigation. Shrugging, he decided to ignore it. For all he knew, it created them out of the essence in the air. Looking around the room at all the wooden bookshelves, walls, and furniture. Nero surmised that if there was a wood essence, this place would be chock full of it. Maybe he could identify it.
Closing his eyes, he reached out to the room. With his studies last night, he could feel the heat in the air. There was very weak wind, and plenty of moisture. One of the spells he studied was for cleaning dishes; it used ‘purity’ which was apparently pretty common. He could almost recognize it. ‘How do people do this. There are so many ‘flavors’ just intertwined and floating around. I get that ‘magic is everywhere’ but this is ridiculous,’ he thought. Nero was doing HIS version of essence meditation, which was much more violent than how it was described in the book.
Typically, a person would open their mind, and allow the essence to flow through their psychic field, and around their body. By feeling the essence flow, they will be better able to recognize the innumerable essence types. Nero, however seemed to like to rip an essence flow apart and then scrutinize the strands with his mind. He thought it was a much more efficient way to learn how each type of essence felt.
He had developed this technique the night before. Unfortunately, he hadn’t remembered the lessons learned from his practice’s aftermath. He should have remembered that this kind of practice made the essence in room become slightly violent. With his eyes closed in concentration, Nero didn’t notice the air being affected. As the essence in the air shook, he continued practicing, completely unaware that his recently printed papers were flying all over the place.
Several hours later, Nero was still immersed in his essence training. Without warning, the door to the office opened. Nick walked in like he owned the place, which he did, and stopped dead at the site of a small essence storm centered on Nero. ‘Why is that little shit sitting in my chair?’ was his first thought. Looking over the storm with his psychic field, he realized that Nero was just tearing through the ambient essence without rhyme or reason. “What the hell are you doing?” He asked loudly.
“Huh?” Nero’s concentration broke, and he opened his eyes to see Nick standing in front of him. Nick was staring at the papers still floating in the air. “Crap, I forgot to use a book as a paperweight again,” Nero muttered.
“Don’t worry Nick, I’ll get this cleaned up in no time,” he said loudly. Hopping to his feet, Nero started picking up the papers while mentally reviewing all the types of essence he totally, almost recognized.