Green Light

Posted on Thu Nov 24th, 2022 @ 9:28pm by Duchess Aurelia Orsini & Endia
Edited on on Thu Jul 13th, 2023 @ 10:34pm

Mission: Historiae Terrae Et Imperii
Location: Imperial Intelligence Headquarters
Timeline: Date 2371-07-11 at 1300
3109 words - 6.2 OF Standard Post Measure

ON

The balmy California July weather was a welcome change from the rigidly controlled temperatures on the Luna colonies. The sun was warm but not oppressive and a cool breeze was on the air; truly a perfect day. Heading toward the massive circular building was an attractive but mostly nondescript blonde woman. She wore a simple black tailored pantsuit with a soft blue charmeuse blouse underneath it. Simple gold hoops adorned her ears and her shiny black pumps tapped along the pavement. This was a trip she had made many times before over the years, always being careful to never leave a lasting impression. She checked in with the appointed individual and was escorted by another through the building. Always the same people, the ones who knew how to forget and keep quiet. She didn't try to speak with them, this wasn't a social call for their like. She was here to see one person in particular.

After a solid five minute walk, they finally arrived to their destination, and her escort opened the door so she could enter into the office first.

Stepping inside, Cecelia Cassiel smiled warmly. "Dear Nolan, it has been too long."

The office was all glass and metal and let in so much sunlight, one almost felt as if they were outside. Though the windows were designed to dull the brightness of the sun and protect the eyes, light still fell between the patterns of metal-frame to the floor below. An easy and moderate breeze blew in through the open glass doors that lead to a balcony, which itself provided an overview of the circular building complex. It was sleek and fascinating. The room itself was an oval with a desk on one side, and an unlit fireplace on the other. Though it wasn't lit, flames were presented on sleek screens on a band around the middle of the room. Above the fireplace, a screen was lit up with the an INN (Imperial News Network broadcast). An image of Prince Giuseppe walking from a meeting in New York City to his car played.

Before the screen, a man sat in a blue pin-stripe suite, a cigar burning between his lips, and his steely grey eyes pasted on the screen, hard and focused. He had seen many things with those eyes, and his mind was full of secret knowledge. As the doors opened, he grinned and spoke, his eyes still forward.

"And yet, I'm sure we've never met under better circumstances, hmm?"

"Not that I can think of, no." She agreed with a light, airy chuckle and walked forward toward the desk. She briefly glanced to the monitor at Giuseppe dipping into the car and shook her head just a bit. Poor useless boy. He was a laughing stock now and truthfully she was surprised Antonius tolerated it, but she was also fully aware that there was likely some sort of grand plan behind it all that the man sitting in his high backed chair in front of her had in mind.

"You've been well?"

"I've been as I've always been, Lady Cecelia. Watching...waiting." the man said, waving toward the chair right beside him. He put the cigar back in his mouth and took a puff. Then, removing it, he looked at her, his hard face neutral as he appraised her. He was always observing. "The Imperial Intelligence Service is like my child, but she is an unwieldy one, as difficult to manage as she is to understand. A hand in every pot, a place in every plot. You look quite well."

"I am, and Lady Cecelia no more in a few days time." She said and moved to take a seat next to him. She gracefully crossed her legs and placed her folded hands on her knee. "I know you do love your children - even when they are difficult." Turning her head, Cecelia looked to him with her warm brown eyes.

"Speaking of children, I was sorry to hear about your daughter Revana."

"Oh, difficult children...thank you for your condolences." he said, not showing any visible emotion. "There has been no trace of that ship...the one that took both of our daughter's out of our care..and that, my old friend, is a good sign. Better then finding debris in orbit of Trill. They may very-well still be alive. And they are both survivors."

"That they are, and I do trust my beloved girl to do her duty." Whereas any mother would be reasonably emotional over the loss of their only daughter, she too showed no emotion. That detachment had been necessary long ago. "We will see them again I am sure."

"Yes." he said, not sounding as sure, but sounding equally as disinterested emotionally. "In the meantime, I believe it is time for our work of decades to finally come to an end.

"It has, yes." She said and gave a pleased sigh like one would slipping into a warm bath. "It has been far too long... and yet earlier than expected." Cecelia smiled then, showing much more animation and interest in this topic than the one of their daughters. "Everything is prepared. Have you sent word to the Emperor for his blessing?"

"I have, and received it. His Imperial Majesty hasn't spoke to me directly on the matter, but that isn't surprising. We very seldom discuss business. That is left to private missives." He answered, reaching over and picking up a letter off the table, handing it to her. One it was a request detailing the specified operation. Beneath it, the Emperor had scrawled a single-word response and then affixed his signature. It read:

Fiat
Antonius Augustus

Taking the document, Cecelia's warm brown eyes ran over it and she smiled. "Excellent."

She handed the letter back to Nolan and gave him a smile. "Is there anything that has come up in the past week that we may not have accounted for on my end?"

"Ivers' son is lost with our daughters. He won't be a concern for us as was once anticipated. Are you ready? Is your son? Blood will be spilled and, in the end, you will get all the credit." Nolan asked, puffing his cigar. His answer hadn't been complete, of course, but he had told her what he felt she needed to know, as always. He wasn't in the habit of speaking his mind.

"Ivers' son won't make it home and he was never a concern. I have full confidence in my daughter to do what she was trained to do. It is unfortunate she will not be available for sealing an alliance once we are reinstated, but we will have to make do." Sighing, Cecelia shook her head. "We are ready."

"Good. The agents are in place, long of years servants to the Ivers family now. They will let you in, they will ensure that everything is perfectly situated for you. They will call the police dispatch when the deeds are done, and the cameras will arrive."

"Very good." She gave a pleased smile. "So many years invested in this for us, Nolan. It will be good to see it come to a close."

"My thought is that it's only just starting." Nolan said, a pleased almost-smile on his face. He reached over and his hand found to top of hers. They had grown close during this tragedy, or as close as he allowed anyone to get. Three divorces indicated he wasn't exactly one for intimacy. "You are very strong and your victory is certain. I will make sure of it."

"I know you will and I thank you for that." Cecelia's other hand moved to rest on top of Nolan's hand. The touch was familiar and warm, but nothing past that.

"What will you do now that Revana is gone?" While it would have been a prying question that was searching for weakness from many, it Nolan would know that this woman was asking out of concerned curiosity and nothing more for him or from him.

"I shall press on." he said, resolutely, a tone and expression of absolute certainty. "She was never a perfect child, God knows her race gets in her way in more ways than one, but she was so very eager to win my approval, whatever she may say. I will press on and have forty more years in me. There is no emergency or reason to be concerned."

"No, there isn't, but it is a setback and I know those are never well received." She gave his hand a sympathetic squeeze. "Will you try to have another child to raise and train up? Or will you pick from your closest associates?" It wasn't like this day in age him having another child was out of the question, the physical act didn't even need to be performed after all.

"I have no interest in raising children, only training top men. You know that." he said, raising an eyebrow. "I'm a terrible father, an excellent coach. So I will keep my eyes open for those I might recommend to the Emperor when I can no longer peform my duties and test them thoroughly."

"Dear, dear." She chuckled. "You wouldn't have to raise it, heaven forbid. You could just teach it." Smiling, Cecelia shook her head and seemed content to let the subject of a true born child go. "I'm sure you will find the perfect fit... though what will you do if Revana does return?"

"I will search carefully and give her some time." he answered. "But, if she comes back late and I have already raised someone high....well then...I will have to choose."

His smile was unmistakable at that, dark and full of mirth that never boiled over into laughter.

"Nolan," Cecelia chuckled, "at least try not to look like you're looking forward to that particular prospect, hm?" She squeezed his hand and shook her head slightly, clearly amused. "You'll make it work in the end. You always do."

"When I was a young man, a challenge like that was all I needed." he said in response. "Adversity is the force that shapes the coal into the diamond, and then man into a superman."

"What makes the superman into a god?" She asked idly, flipping a bit of her blonde hair back over her shoulder and looking up to the news broadcast on the monitor once more.

"Only Emperors become gods, madam." he said simply, eyeing her in that way only he could eye people, smoke flowing evenly from the end of his cigar.

“Oh come now. Don’t look at me like that.” Cecelia laughed softly and waved her hand. “I was only joking.” It seemed she was truly only having a bit of fun. “I am truly looking forward to being in my cousin’s presence again.”

“Just making sure.” He responded, considering the nature of her joke. He enjoyed it but one could barely tell unless they knew him a she did. “I believe His Imperial Majesty feels the same way. Having family around him he can trust is very important right now. You’ve seen the situation with Prince Giuseppe Angelo and the Crown Prince. Anyone with half a political mind knows that there must be a…reshuffle happening behind closed doors.”

“Yes, there must be.” Cecelia agreed and glanced up to the monitor again before going back to Nolan. “I do wonder why… not that dear Giuseppe was the brightest of boys. I hoped he would grow out of that.”

“The Court might be less…murderous than in the past, but that is only because of shrewd management. The Emperor has consolidated power, as you know, and I believe he is looking to ensure the effort isn’t waisted on an unworthy heir.” Nolan said, standing up and taking a few steps toward the center of the room. On an exalted platform was a glass oval of a conference table that matched the contour of the room. He picked up a tea pot and filled two cups sitting on saucers. He also served in honey and milk. “Antonius dreams of a restored Empire. Giuseppe Angelo cannot deliver on that dream without knocking over the house of cards.”

“No I imagine not. He always was a brutish boy that thought the fist would fix any problem.” She took the tea when he offered it, adding both honey and milk while she mused. “Paolo is so young though. Not even remotely a man. Poor boy, so much pressure at such a young age. I pray to the gods for longevity for my cousin. For all our sakes.”

"If he ascends soon, it will be up to a Regent. The Emperor has been very secretive about that plan though. I don't even know what he plans." he said, his frown deepening as he brought her a cup and saucer and went back for his own. The Court Chamberlain was skilled at making sure that no one employed by the Court was on his payroll. He could always sneak a mole in, but being discovered would be disastrous. All in all, it really wasn't worth it. He spoke with the Emperor every day and he didn't have the complex so many spymasters had, to rule the whole thing. "Perhaps it will be the Empress. She knows where all the dirt is, she knows the political players. She and Ramsay would be able to hold the whole thing together. Or, perhaps a council...to keep one person from becoming too powerful."

“The council would be the safe bet.” Cecelia pointed out and paused briefly to sip her tea. “My dear Cosima doesn’t enjoy conflict, she has always been afraid of being disliked… which is strange in our society.” She shrugged slightly. “Enemies abound.”

"Perhaps, but only the clever ones. He's done away with all the others." Nolan said, lifting his own tea to his lips. "So, my dear, how do you plan on worming your way into the fold?"

"I never worm, Nolan, that is very undignified." Cecelia said with a bit of derision in her voice for the very notion. "I will give my cousin my unquestioning support as I always have - both him and his father before him. You know we were all quite close after all, but it has been some time and I know he will need a show of loyalty. The question is what."

"You leave the worming to people like me, who do it with style." He said, his expression neutral as he experienced the taste of his tea mixed with the lingering aftertaste of the cigar. "They Emperor is very good at letting people know what he wants from them. It's his greatest strength. It's his greatest weakness."

Cecelia just smirked at his comment about worming and shook her head. The man certainly did have a talent, though he had lost quite a bit of respect from many over the years as he continued to nurture his half breed daughter. Cecelia for her part had much more important things to worry about, and the problem seemed to have taken care of itself. Unfortunately it had taken her own daughter with it, but some things just could not be helped in the end.

“I hope my cousin will attend the celebration we will have when we are returned to power.” She then looked over to Nolan. “As I hope that you will. Come enjoy your victory.”

“I don’t enjoy parties and they don't enjoy having me there.” Nolan said, his jaw seeming to tighten without any corresponding anger. “I make them all terribly nervous. Like they think I’m there to have them framed for murder if they misspeak to me.”

"I won't beg, but you know the offer is there. Appearing at a party now and then is good for the image you know." She pointed out and simply smiled even in the face of his tightening jaw.

“I’ll be there if it really means something to you.” Nolan said, his expression neutral. “And I’m sure His Imperial Majesty will find the time to attend as well. He is fond of you, after all, and is delighted to see you returned to your rightful place.”

“I do hope so.” Cecelia gave a wistful sigh and looked away to some distant place in her mind for just a moment before returning. “I would love for you to attend the party, Nolan. You wouldn’t have to stay the whole time of course, but it would simply be nice to have someone there who has always known; who has always called me Aurelia.”

Nolan watched her, studied her in the way he so often did. But, in the end, he didn’t nod or shake his head, but just responded with that same stone cold hardness.

“Then I’ll be there.” He said evenly, meaningfully, not not emotionally. He reached into his breast pocket and pulled out a letter with her name on the front. “Open it after you take back what’s rightfully yours.”

For her part she seemed ever unbothered by Nolan’s lack of expression in face or voice. She simply reached out to take the letter and inspected it before putting it away. “Alright. Who is it from?”

“It is from me.” He said simply, without any other signs or symbols.

“Finally confessing your undying devotion?” She teased and then immediately laughed pleasantly at her own joke. “I’ll be sure to read it. Thank you.”

“Despite the satisfaction that might give you, you’ll have to wait and see.” He said, his lips tightening into his version of a smile. “Now, if you don’t mind, I have around 14 people waiting for a meeting in the lobby. Running the most effective intelligence organization in history is hard work, and the Empire is ascendant.”

“May it always be.” Cecelia sighed wistfully and smiled. “It was wonderful to see you again, darling. As always.”

“Give my best to your family.” He said, taking hold of her arm more boldly than was typical for him and giving her a kiss on the cheek.

The kiss on the cheek was returned in kind and she gave Nolan’s arm a squeeze. “I will be sure to. Now, enjoy your day of making the world go round.” She gave him a playful wink and released him. Stepping back, she took one more near appraising look at him and then finally turned to leave the office and tackle the final preparations for the days ahead.

END