(And now, a brief bit of fiction to give a sense of the setting. Enjoy.)
Affairs of the Empire
Quaestor Mecilles walked through the narrow hallways slowly, a slight limp obvious in his steps. The gods, he thought to himself, hate soldiers, especially those who live too long. A sigh escaped his lips. He had fought against so much in his time, and for what purpose? The Alliance continued--the House of Ithur remained powerful enough to give even the Emperor a pause--corruption continued to flourish. He glanced out a small window. A pair of the natives of this planet Tellus stood outside, busily cleaning. Look at them. he thought. They seem so--so unremarkable. He recalled the description of the natives that he had read before coming here. "Primitive, and superstitious, they have yet to prove a significant threat to the Legions." Looking at the pair out there, nervously cleaning up the courtyard, he had a vivid picture of how true that was. They never stood a chance, he thought quietly. Thinking that steeled him, and he continued forward determinedly. I may not be able to win the war, but at least--at least I can win a few battles...
He reached the Governor's Chambers quietly, his expression pensive. Two Weren Legionares nodded as passed, stomping their spears in the ground in tribute. Mecilles wondered briefly if he could trust them. In theory, all Legionares were loyal to the Emperor above all, especially Weren--however, the Governer had had twenty years to imprint himself on the troops. I may have no allies here, he thought to himself, and then cursed that he had not brought Jeldis. He offered his aid, but I refused him. But what was I to do? He is young and untested, and what I do here today is dangerous work... He entered the Chambers, and felt the gun at his side. Still, I am not unprepared. And I have won more with less...
The decor of the Chamber was sumptious, to say the least. The walls were covered with frescoes, tapestries and statuary--some native, others imported. Iedrelle has done quite well for himself, Mecilles thought to himself. His gaze flickered over the room, looking for Tellus's errant governor. He did not seem to be in. A young Mechalus girl was busily cleaning off a small dinner table. Briefly, he wondered why Iedrelle would have a Mechalus as a menial here, and not a Tellan, and then shrugged it off. Most likely, he can trust a Mechalus, but he cannot trust a Tellan. Mecilles was not surprised at that, but still he found it uneasy. He glanced at the meal--it was high quality, but surprisingly sparse. Mecilles shut his eyes, considering things. He is no fool, this one. Arrogant, yes. Evil, certainly. Cruel, beyond a doubt. But not foolish.
His thoughts were interrupted by the rustling of curtains. Glancing over, he saw Iedrelle entering the room. "Quaestor," said the Governor in dulcet tones, "I am sorry to keep you waiting. I had just finished my meal, and afterwards, it is my custom to enjoy the fresh air on the balcony." Iedrelle gave a sweeping bow. "I am most honored to have you with me."
Mecilles stood stiff. Careful now. You must give away nothing... "I am honored to be here," he stated. "You have run this colony well..."
Iedrelle smiled. "It virtually runs itself," he stated emphatically. He took a map out of his sleeve, and unrolled it upon the table. "We have barely scratched the surface of the enormous mineral wealth this planet has to offer. And the rest of this solar system!" A faint smile played on the Governor's lips. "I have entered into negotiations with the Vrill Consortium to terraform some of the more inhabitable worlds in return for a some mining rights. If they work out, I may be able to quadruple the output of this colony--and that is a modest estimate."
Mecilles stared at Iedrelle quietly. "And what of the natives...?
The Governor gave a dismissive shrug. "Hardly worth the effort. We have a few pockets of resistance, but hardly anything to get worried about..." He pulled out a small light stylus, and shone it on the map. "This group of islands--here...this smallish continent--here...and this mountainous region--here...are about the only significant forces of resistance that this world has produced... That and some underground movements..."
Mecilles looked at the areas the Governor had outlined. So...very small, he thought quietly to himself. "I've heard that they possess...mindwalkers..."
Iedrelle laughed mockingly. "They do in fact possess a few with psychic capability--not many--and most of them are relatively unschooled. I suspect what latent abilities they possessed have been triggered by the recent influx of so many of our Academians--the so-called "proximity effect", if you will recall..."
Mecilles gave a learned nod, still staring at the map. "And to what--purposes do you propose we turn the natives...?"
A smug smile came over Iedrelle's features. "My researchers and I remain unsure. At the moment, Cthurgeon S'senles is working with genetic manipulation, seeing how they handle various--adaptations. Over all, we are somewhat surprised by the races--mutability..."
"Indeed," said Mecilles calmly. He had seen S'senles's work, as well as its results. Neither had been particularly calming to his old nerves. "You mentioned a trade agreement with the Vrill earlier..."
Iedrelle gave a slight nod, and then turned away, feigning abashment. "Perhaps I went beyond my authority in doing that, but the deal--it was right there before me...'
Mecilles dismissed his talk with a deferential wave of the hand. "There is no wrong in that. The Consortium is, despite the occasional bit of hostility, an old ally." Mecilles smiled calmly. "No, there is nothing wrong in dealing with the Vrill. As opposed to, for example, dealing with the Sylix."
Iedrelle stiffened somewhat, and gave a nervous laugh. "Quaestor, I fail to see the relevance--"
Mecilles smiled at him. "Don't you, Governor?"
The Governor frowned ferociously at that. "Quaestor Mecilles," he snarled, "are you accusing me of treason?"
Mecilles gave a harsh laugh. "I am not accusing you, Governor--I am stating the facts. You are dealing with the Sylix Dominion, selling them raw materials in return for technology. "
Iedrelle turned away. "Absurd! Why--"
Mecilles shook his head. "It is not absurd, Iedrelle, and as for why, that is simple. You are not running a colony here--you are beginning a kingdom. Or perhaps, even an Empire. You are not altering Tellans genetically to make workers--you are doing it to create soldiers. You are flooding the planet with Consortium mercenaries, and Vargr." Mecilles regarded Iedrelle calmly. "So, tell me, Governor, where were you planning on letting it end? Here? Or on the Imperial throne...?'
Iedrelle snarled. "An old fool like you could never understand one like myself! You are too bound to that pius young weakling Cathdrides..."
Mecilles smiled. "Cathdrides is young and he is pius, but he is no weakling, Iedrelle. He sees power-hungry men such as yourself for what they are--a cancer rotting away our Empire. When he hears of this, you will be dismissed, what you have done here will be disbanded, and this colony will know the true benefits of the Empire's dominion--not whatever twisted variation you have brought. So I ask again, Iedrelle--where would it have ended?"
Iedrelle glanced up at him. "You will never know, old man..."
It was them the shot struck Mecilles from behind. Fortunately, his robes absorbed most of the impact. Twirling, he saw the Mechalus girl that had earlier been cleaning Iedrelle's table. A trained assassin, disguised as a servant...a clever move... Mecilles drew his gun, the reflexes of a thousand battles coming to the fore... when he was cut down from the side. As he fell, he saw the long, thin blade held in Iedrelle's hands. He glared up as his blood leaked from him.
"You bastard..." the dying Quaestor muttered.
Iedrelle laughed at that. "As a matter of fact, yes." He walked away, staring fondly at the blade before him. "Remarkable little weapon, isn't it? They are made in the east, through a special tempering process. Primitive, but quite effective." He turned to the Mechalus. "Vetrell, make certain to leave his body somewhere prominent. As a representive of the Emperor, he no doubt proved a tempting target for the various Resistance cells. Most likely, they'll be tripping over themselves to claim responsibility..."
"You'll never get away with this," Mecilles spat out. "Someone will notice I never left this room--and my assitant already sent my report!"
Iedrelle smiled. "I'm afraid I have you outflanked on both those matters..." He turned slightly. "Jeldis...!" As Mecilles watched with disbelieving eyes, the young Quaestor stepped out from behind a tapestry.
"What is it, sir?" he asked Iedrelle, grinning.
Iedrelle waved towards Mecilles. "The business we discussed earlier has come up..."
Jeldis smiled. "Of course sir. I will do it immediately." He glanced Mecilles over, briefly--and then his entire form shifted into that of the older man's features.
Mecilles started. "An--Academy spy..."
Iedrelle smiled at him coldly. "You do not think I'd enter into something this risky without allies, do you?"
Jeldis nodded. "By serving Governor Iedrelle, I satisfy both the Academy, by gaining your death, and myself, by gaining the position, of Resident Quaestor..."
Mecilles shut his eyes. He would have wept, if he'd thought it would do any good. "Go on then." he heard himself muttered. "Imagine you have won. But a crime is always revealed, in the end, no matter how hard you try to conceal it. You cannot kill or corrupt every Quaestor..." And with that Mecilles Karil died.
Iedrelle watched as Ventrell hoisted the old man's body over her shoulder, and walked out of the room through the secret passage that had been created, no doubt, by some paranoid Tellan prince years before. There was a slight bloodstain on the floor where the Quaestor had fallen--Iedrelle had no doubt it would be gone in the morning. "The things one must do to achieve greatness..." he muttered to himself, as he walked out onto the balcony.
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Well, any thoughts? I'm dying to hear your opinions...