It has been an exciting few weeks. I think everyone except for Reid, who is out of the city, will want to be present for this session.
Those who have topics to introduce should feel free ...
Paige will arrive early after spending the latter part of the afternoon meditating on the steps to the Tir and casting Fortunes. She's dressed in traveling clothes, split skirts and the like. She has no topics to offer, but takes a glass of Jerod's scotch upon arriving. By the time dinner rolls around she'll call for another bottle if he'd like some.
Having dealt with some semi-important problems (as opposed to the fully important ones that everyone else is dealing with), Jerod arrives about on time and immediately collects a glass of scotch. There are a couple of bottles on call if they are required, though the really good stuff he's stashed away for himself...:)
Vere settles quietly in a chair with a cup of tea and silently watches as his Cousins arrive.
Solange is already in the room when everyone else starts arriving. She's sitting next to her father. [In retcon, Gerard later declared absent.] She looks very somber, and a little drawn, as if she hasn't been sleeping well. She has a sheaf of papers in front of her, and it looks like it's just plain water in her glass.
Once everyone has arrived, she looks to Gerard. "May I go first?" she asks.
Assuming she gets permission, she speaks from her notes, outlining the situation in Garnath that everyone's seen described on the public list already -- escalating conflict, Venesch's findings at the inquest, a suspicious fire in the Wind Grove settlement, Rangers and settlers both going armed, the patrol on duty at the time of the incident being unavailable for questioning, even -- if Brita passed the information on to her -- the divided sentiment among the Rangers.
She then lays out her proposed solutions:
"First of all, we need to prosecute both the Ranger responsible for shooting the settler at range, and the settler responsible for the Ranger's death. To that end, I suggest that we issue a writ for the members of the patrol to appear before the inquest, and if they do not comply with all speed, that they be subject to fines for obstructing the Crown's justice."
"Second of all, the Crown should indemnify the residents of the
Wind Grove settlement for their losses in the fire, and the Ranger
patrol that
"Third, the settlers of Wind Grove should be required to assist in replanting the areas beyond the bounds of their settlement that were cleared in error."
"Furthermore, it is no longer viable for the Rangers to continue to operate as an independent armed force. This may have been reasonable when Prince Julian was there to lead them, but under the present circumstances, it is not. It can be argued that since we have received no plea for surrender from the enemy, Amber is still at war, despite the absence of the Black Road since the Sundering. The Rangers have served as Crown troops during time of war on earlier occasions. I suggest that they immediately be issued Royal badges and required to wear them, and that their pay be drawn directly from the royal treasury, rather than the current arrangement in which their pay comes from my 'personal funds' with the understanding that I will ask Prince Julian to reimburse me on his return. They can go back to being an independent semi- military group after our family has returned with the word of our victory," Solange says grimly, as if daring anyone to say "what if they don't come back?" She sweeps the room with a stern look before continuing, "Right now we need to have them under closer control."
"Once their status as Crown troops is confirmed, we need to clarify the limits of their powers when it comes to enforcing settlement borders and preventing illegal incursions and poaching. As Crown troops, they are bound to protect the subjects as well as the Royal forest. I would like to make it clear to them about avoiding the use of lethal force. I don't much like the reports of the settlers carrying scythes and billhooks with them even when they're not mowing or clearing brush, but the Rangers' arrogance has done nothing to help the situation. Let them wear leather jack or light mail as a defensive measure, and let them carry bird bolts and nets in their gear if they feel they need use force to effect an arrest. They've been carrying boar spears and axes even though the monster incursions are down, and I don't want to hear that they've had to use them on settlers."
"To make sure they abide by these rules, they need a full-time commander, preferably of the family. I propose that we appoint Brita to this task. She's been working with them since she arrived, and they've accepted her well; she's already been organizing the training for the new cadets. She also knows far more about warfare and weapons than I do, even if I were able to be present all the time, instead of leading trade expeditions like the rest of us who can walk through Shadow. Cousin Brita can't lead the ships; this would be an ideal position for her. I have great confidence in her abilities."
"Does anyone have anything they'd like to add?"
As for topics, Jerod will put forward the need for more autonomy within the various groups by those people in charge of certain areas, so that people are less likely to feel like they're being run by committee. He will also suggest that the first person to receive this new autonomy will be Brita...who he recommends as the new full- time commander of the Rangers pending the return of Prince Julian.
Beyond supporting the appointment of Brita to the position of leading the Rangers on a full time basis, Jerod doesn't have anything to add.
Brita sounds an excellent choice, Vere gives her appointment his full support.
If Brita is at the council [later decided not]: "Thank you for your votes of confidence, Solange and Jerod," Brita says with a slight bow in their direction. "I would be honored to help in this manner. I agree with Solange that the Rangers need more cohesion. Being Crown Troops will hopefully give them a more directed purpose as well as provide a more definitive chain of command," Brita bows to Gerard," and accountability."
Paige concurs. She also seems rather distracted, shuffling through her Fortunes, cutting the deck reshuffling, and cutting again.
Folly, seated next to Paige, puts her hand on Paige's arm and gives her a quizzical look, but doesn't say anything.
Paige smiles at her violet minstrel and gathers the cards one last time, cutting them and looking at the card before she wraps them in green silk and returns them to the travel pouch on her belt. The shake of her head says, _Just me over-reacting._
"Is there something on your mind you'd like to share?" Jerod asks.
Vere catches Paige's eye and smiles, nodding his head very slightly.
"I had hoped cousin Reid would've been here this evening to discuss the warehouse thefts and food hoarding. I discovered some information that might've been of use to him." Paige says.
"It seems a few of the nobles were involved, and I've discovered where they've stashed much of their take. With the concerns in Arden, I've not had a chance to recover any of it, as of yet, nor even speak with Reid on it." Paige tosses back the rest of her drink, but doesn't pour another.
"Reid contacted me concerning that situation." Jerod says. "He advised me of the location of a warehouse on the North Shore which held food stores pilfered by Jewell, Laurel and Bliss over the last few years. Given the seriousness of the situation, I arranged to have some soldiers ready to go and retrieve the stores and advised the Regent accordingly. He issued me a patent to deal with the situation as I saw fit.
"We recovered the stores in question and the three individuals are currently in custody. I came here to report that situation and to advise the Regent that unless there is some objection from him, I intend to seize their business records immediately for a more detailed examination of their operations."
[Paige]
"And what do you expect to find, cousin? If we start seizing records
and prosecuting life-peers, whether guilty or not, we risk turning the
Court against us. Already there's unrest due to a number of us
infringing on their society, add Folly's empowerment of the masses and
our property initiatives and you've already got a rather unstable
politic."
Paige pauses in thought a moment before continuing.
"So now they see us issuing Crown badges to the Rangers, hmm, sounds like trying to militarize what's been for centuries a semi-military group. This is all just in my role as Devil's Advocate, mind you... So, we this Council, through the Regent control most every aspect of their lives. Their homes through the property initiatives, their safety by the Navy and the Rangers, their livlihoods in many cases due to the current restrictions on trade, and in the end the very food they eat. Now we're going to start prying deeper into their personal lives? I'm glad the patent's yours, cousin. I suggest you tread carefully." Paige shrugs, "And as I'm sure you will find, I must absent myself from any decisions on the matter, as I have had personal business dealings with them at the club."
"Government acts in every matter that affects the people, in every shadow I've ever travelled to." Jerod says. "So your arguments don't really raise a lot of concerns for me unless said government is corrupt. And I'm not interested in their personal lives...just their criminal ones. If that's what concerns you so much..." and he leaves that open.
"Fuck you," Paige spits back. "You have no right..."
"How is any of this different from the control that Oberon exerted over them?" Vere muses.
Paige laughs darkly, "Because as Martin can tell you, we're not Oberon, and they know it."
She rises and now refills her scotch, tosses it back, and heads toward the door. "If there's nothing else, you'll excuse me..."
"I'd be curious to know why you thought it was more prudent to quietly attempt to let them return the stolen food and not report it to Gerard." Jerod asks. "Your solution, while perhaps very nice for your friends...does nothing to dissuade them or others from doing the same in the future. There are already steps being taken to crack down on those within the Rangers who would act as rogues. Why should the same not be done to the nobles who defy the Regent's edicts? The word is already out of the returned food - action must therefore be taken or the people will have further elements for discontent. Or are you saying that Laurel and Jewell should they be given special consideration, because you know them?" Jerod asks.
Paige's eyes flash and she turns back to Jerod, hate in her eyes, venom in her voice, her hands balled into fists. "You arrogant little..."
Vere also rises, and moves to stand between Paige and the door. "Please, Cousin," he says, "Stay and explain your thinking on this, the reason for your actions. I for one believe that personal knowledge of the persons involved gives one a better knowledge of how to act. Judicial objectivity is well and good for a government that neither knows nor cares to know its subjects on a personal level. Are we not better than that? Should we not strive to understand the underlying reason for problems rather than merely addressing the symptoms? Your knowledge is needed, your reasons for acting as you did are vital. Please."
Obviously reining in her anger Paige stop, bites out, "Simple enough, cousin. It's easier to ask forgiveness than permission. If not concerned with the border issues, I would've taken my actions and presented them to Gerard a fait acompli already. Obviously, I have not had the time to do such. I've been trying to help quell problems instead of making them by digging through people's laundry."
Cambina rises also, and stands at her chair. "Cousins, Jerod, if I may say a few words? Three Life Peers stand accused of Treason. Three men King Oberon singled out to reward for their service to Amber. What we do now in this matter will have long-term consequences on the Regency and potentially on the crown. We have to consider carefully what we will gain and lose by any action we take. We also need to consider how our actions will reflect on our focus as a government. Would we be serving the crown best by forcing it into the courts, where it could fester for years and not satisfy anyone?
"If they are defiant, yes. In this we should not tolerate defiance. But I don't think we have received it. If they are cooperative and penitent, we should be merciful. We do not want to teach the lesson that there is nothing to be gained by throwing oneself on the mercy of the regent.
"However, if they hire a good attorney, they could sink us. The accused lords can certainly afford the fees that Sir Octave or Lord Peal would charge. Here's a case that I could make:
"First: There is nothing in the law that says where the Lords have to store foodstuffs.
"Second: If there were, the Lords were unaware of it and violated it unwittingly.
"Third: The Lords considered their remote warehouse more secure and placed goods that were neither perishable nor immediately necessary in it.
"Fourth: They did not profit from this.
"Fifth: It was a valuable prudent, and patriotic act that would have protected some of the city's food supplies from another warehouse fire.
"Sixth: This is a vendetta by members of the Regency Council to smear them because they were opposed to the Regent's edict on club ownership.
"I'm not convinced we can nail them to a wall without hitting ourselves with the hammer. Even if we think they're guilty as sin, I think we should find them guilty of bypassing administrative procedures, slap them on the wrist and bar them from Crown contracts for a year and a day, and let them be grateful for our mercy."
Cambina looks at Jerod. "That's what Father would have done.
"I'm going to get a drink now, and think about what I want to say about the settler/ranger problem."
She walks to the sideboard and makes herself a drink.
"For such a precise monologue, it seems you're making an assumption concerning what I'm intending to propose for punishment." Jerod says to Cambina. "I think you might want to wait a bit and hear what I have to say before you decide that you know what I'm going to say. I believe my current statements were that I wanted to see their books for a detailed investigation. That's what I said...and that's all I said." and he looks at Cambina with a very direct gaze that tells her he doesn't appreciate her behaviour. "Kindly don't project where you think I'm going until you've got a much better idea.
"As for what we do...that can be decided when we find out how cooperative they're likely to be. So far they're under arrest in their quarters and isolated from each other. That means they're stewing...they don't know what the others are saying, or not saying. We let them get nervous for a little while and then see how they're behaving.
"Does that meet with your approval sister?" and the sarcasm could only be ignored by a deaf person.
Cambina looks at him quizzically for a moment. The implicit "It's not always about you, Jerod." message is probably only clear to those with above average water scores.
Ossian sits comfortably in his chair with both of his hands behind his neck, smiling: "We night have to decide what is more important; if the court likes us or obeys us.
"As for my opinion in this case; are you sure that they are under arrest? My impression was that we were guarding them against attacks from angry townsfolk. They have been hiding food away, after all. We also have to take care of the food, of course." Ossian grins. It is obvious that he is not entirely serious.
"Of which we have more than we should," Vere interjects. He then smiles and shrugs, "But that's a separate topic which I will get into once we've handled this one. Assuming that the Council meeting shall not disintegrate into family arguments having nothing to do with the matters at hand?" He raises an eyebrow questioningly, pointedly not looking at any particular member of the family.
Martin, who looked like he might have had a comment or two after the Ranger discussion, but was slow to speak up, nods.
He turns back to an actual discussion of the issues. "Cambina's right that there has to be some benefit to having thrown themselves on the Crown's mercy. Otherwise we'll never get anyone else to do the same. But on the other hand, we also need to make an example of somebody who was hoarding food."
Shuffling Vere's extensive reports on the matter until he find the correct page, Martin continues: "Now, I see that we've got a half-dozen warehouses at least that have come up significantly short, and that probably means hoarding and smuggling. If we're going to investigate people's dealings, we need to start with them.
"As for Bliss, Laurel, and Jewel: Paige, we still need to hear from you why you didn't bring this to the Regent or the Council, and what you promised them, before we make any decisions."
[It's obvious to me that Gerard isn't at this meeting, even if he called it, because he should have swatted at least one of you kids upside the head by now. Maybe he has the killer sore throat from heck like me.]
"Yes," says Vere, "Before we go into any side issues I wish to hear exactly what Cousin Paige discovered and what she has done. The Council exists to support each other for the common good of Amber, so please let us refrain from either expressing our support or lack thereof for her actions until we have actually heard what those actions were, and her reasons for them."
Cambina concurs. "I agree, lets finish building this railroad before we decides who shall be on the train and who shall be on the tracks."
Folly has been listening with half an ear while scribbling on a scrap of paper. At Vere's words, she stops and looks up to hear Paige's response.
Paige has been hovering at the door, ready to bolt at a moment's notice. "As Cambina pointed out, such a case could never be won by other than the heavy hand of the Regent and that only makes us enemies in the Court. I discovered exactly what I said I did. Two life peers and a notable merchant, all business partners of mine, hoarding food. What did I promise them? Nothing. I put the fear of the Regent into them and convinced them to stop any further hoarding. I didn't even give them the option to return the food. I was going to return it myself, so as to not start the rumors that are already flitting about."
Paige breathes deeply, fighting the urge to let this devolve into exactly what Vere suggested. She takes care not to include Jerod in her field of vison as she continues. "I had hoped to return the food to the people, not those who felt the need to hoard it. While minor, it would've been a beginning, a visible slap on the hands. I would've then brought the issue before the Regent and the Council for consideration. I'm not some maverick trying to undermind the order here. I wanted to control the knowledge of the situation."
Finally meeting Jerod's eyes, "For well over a year people have harped on myself and even worse on poor Folly as to 'presenting the right image'. Perception is power in the Court, Jerod, you of all should know that. I wanted us to be able to control those perceptions and make decisions on how to handle Jewel, Bliss and Laurel before we took actions, not after the fact looking like children scrambling for direction."
Despite Paige's comments (and her simmering rage), there is no sign of concern in Jerod (as opposed to his response to his sister). He's pretty much in "Court mode" at the moment.
"I'm quite aware of the power of perception. I've listened to a great number of people mentioning things like that. Fortunately for you, and Folly, I've not been one of those people perpetuating it." Jerod replies. "I think however you took this situation upon yourself to prove to everyone here that you could control it...without having to appear to be asking for help...to avoid appearing weak. The fact that you wished to provide Gerard with a fait accompli...your own words...seems to indicate that."
"I took this situation because I saw it needed to be handled, nothing less nothing more, cousin. If I appear weak to you, I assure you it's only because you can't see past your over inflated ego." Paige is on a tear now, stoked with more fire than any except Martin have seen.
[Jerod]
"As it was...things got out of control. You didn't bother telling anyone what
you were doing. Since you knew the perpetrators, I wouldn't have expected
anyone...least of all me...to interfere with you handling it. You know the
three involved...you'd have had an idea how best to deal with the situation.
Instead, Reid moves into the case. He's comes from a time when merchants had
private armies and Oberon had to take extreme measures to bring them under
control. He sees an obvious sign of treason and reports it to me and advises
that we need to deal with it. Not having heard anything from anyone else, and
since most everyone was busy with the border situation, I took it to Gerard. I
was prepared to wait but I knew he'd want to know. After that - things
escalated."
[Paige]
"Things got out of control because you decided that pilfering that
took years in some cases needed to be addressed immediately, another
feather for Eric's little boy's cap before his aunts and uncles
return, to prove his worth to them as he never could to his father. As
people keep reminding me, most of the peole in this room can live
forever. The immediate issues are those brewing on the border, where
this Council should be concerning itself. Not ambushing each other
because they think someone else's lips might be getting too close to
their sacred spot on the Regent's ass!"
[Jerod]
"Simply put - you should have told us. Had I known, it would have gone no
further and you'd have had your chance to deal with it. I didn't know - so I
made the mistake of taking it forward to Gerard. Now I get to look bad in
front of Gerard and the others for jumping the gun. Gerard also should have
known. Now he looks bad for committing me to arresting those three. You ask
for trust in handling your affairs. You should have equal trust in us that we
will let you to do what's right. If you cannot handle that level of scrutiny,
you need to rethink your position on this Council." Jerod says.
"You're right, I can't handle this level of bullshit. The scrutiny I've never had problems with, cousin, I am an exhibitionist. I think you've made your opinion readily apparent, unfortunately for you, we're equals here," Paige turns for the door with purpose. "I leave it to the Regent and the Council as a whole to accept my resignation."
This time it's Martin who gets up and moves to block her. Paige is pretty sure that she has a choice of sitting back down or being sat back down forcibly.
Paige is the daughter of a Prince of Amber and walks where she sees fit. Unfortunately Martin's the son of a Prince of Amber. He grabs her about the waist even as she tries to dodge him, knowing her movements better than she does it appears. Lifting her over her shoulder he walks back across the room. Paige pounds on his back to no avail. "Martin, let go of me! Eep!" she yells as he and dumps her uncerimoniously back on the couch beside Folly.
If she starts to get up again, Martin points at her once, in a "don't do that" fashion.
[Think Matt Damon from the boardroom scene in _Dogma_ for a moment.]
"That's enough from both of you," he says. "Will all of you stop baiting each other for just five minutes? Christ, I'm glad Gerard's not here -- he'd be putting half of us over his knee for a paddling.
"Paige, when you've had a few minutes to calm down, you'll remember that we have a food crisis on our hands here in the city. Nobody is starving to death that I know of, but there are a lot of people eating really thin. Ask Folly if you don't believe me."
"And these people..." she starts to interrupt, but Martin rolls on.
"Jerod, it's pretty obvious that Paige has screwed up, but the only person who can decide whether or not she belongs on this council is Gerard, not you," and then he turns back to look at Paige, "or, for that matter, you."
Paige shoots Martin a look with the same attitude she had on walking out the door a moment ago. "If it's forced membership, ask Vialle to give me Uncle Corwin's old room." _In the basement._
Martin looks unimpressed by the bluster.
He gives Cambina a look that everyone at the table can read as _stop hassling your baby brother_.
"Now if we can all stop casting blame for how we got in this stupid mess, we can figure out how the hell to get out of it without looking any more like idiots than we already do. Can we get anything on any of the other potential hoarders so we can throw the damn book at them, and give something to Bliss and his cronies for spilling, even if it didn't get to Gerard in a timely fashion?"
"Yes, they had already stopped their actions and had an agreement with a member of this Council to return the food, not to their own stores, but to the people. Unfortunately, apparently that member's word is no good, so she has nothing more to offer." Paige says defiantly, but High Waters will sense she's listening.
"That member's word would have been better had she acted with the council and not outside of it," says Martin. "Vere? Ossian? Cambina? What do we have on the rest of these people? What about Rebus? Lord Call? Master Carver?"
Vere has listened to and observed his cousins with a look of mild annoyance on his face, something most of them have probably never seen before. When Martin says his name he recovers himself, and becomes completely impassive again.
"We have a great deal of circumstantial evidence," he says, "A half dozen warehouses short of food and no good excuses, indeed foolish excuses that just make them look worse. We could certainly swamp them with data," he gestures to the immense stack of assembled paperwork, "and keep them tied up in court for the next several decades. I agree, however, that this would be a foolish waste of time, and a squandering of our extra-legal authority. In my opinion Cousin Paige handled the situation correctly."
He meets Paige's eyes, "However, based on the information he had, and the way Reid handled the situation, I also agree with Cousin Jerod that he acted in a proper fashion. This is an important example to us all of the importance of sharing information, and trusting each the other members of the Council to allow us to act in our own spheres of influence as we see fit. Otherwise we run the risk of getting in each others' way." He gestures towards himself, "This is a failing of my handling of the Paresh situation, I should have brought it to the Council immediately instead of waiting to gather more information."
"So." Vere returns to his seat and folds his hands. "Let us discuss the situation. I still wish to understand exactly what Cousin Paige has told them, not to argue with it but merely so that I know where we currently stand. If possible, I would prefer to come down more harshly on anyone we can pin this on who has not thrown themselves on the mercy of the Regent, through his agent Paige."
Paige shakes her head a bit, but after a hard look to Martin, she sighs and responds. "To elaborate on what I explained already, I first heard of the possibility of smuggling and theft like everyone else, during one of these meetings. Knowing that the aforementioned notables had been in involved in the Princess's Charge incident that spawned the "Member Ownership Edict", and knowing they were accessable to me, I aproached them. Fortunately they were easier to bluff than Cambina is," a small smile for her cousin. "My first fear was true 'smuggling' which implied that one of this Council was backing these men or we had a security issue. They admitted to the hoarding and while in itself a moral travesty, was not against the law, strictly speaking, as Cambina's spoken to. I convinced them that I would speak to the Regent on their behalf, but never promised leniancy."
"I purposely left said promises vague, so as to have room to take what step were necessary. They all ceased their actions it seemed and to the best of my knowledge, mad no action to recover any of the hoarded goods. I felt that they had dealt fairly, though not asking mercy, they neither denied the accusations I made. I know not what stories they provided when Reid or you may have questioned them, because I told them to speak of it to no one."
She gets up, smiles anticipating Martin's reaction and turns, instead of toward the door, to the sidebar and pours herself a glass of water. "Care for some?"
Vere smiles quietly and rises to get more hot tea for himself. "Well within the powers of your position, and a good solution in my opinion. I feel that it is not too surprising that someone would try this. Were the food situation more dire than it is, I would be more inclined to view their crime in a more serious light, as it is it is merely opportunistic and selfish to an extreme. I might still be inclined to treat them harshly, but I do not know them, and defer to your judgement of them. Now that their actions have become more public knowledge how do you propose to deal with them? Oh, and a possible mitigating factor, and something that I was intending on bringing up later but that might be appropriate to mention now, is that the examination of the current food situation had produced evidence that food consumption has continued to decrease since the Sundering. Food supplies are still tight, but even after taking into consideration all the imports and the limited emigration out of the city we have more food than I was expecting." Vere settles back down and takes a long sip of tea.
"Cousin Cambina and I have no explanation for this fact, and would appreciate any theories that anyone might have."
Paige looks thoughtful as she hands Folly a glass, much calmer now. "Unconcious probability control by numerous Pattern initiates all focused on the same problems?"
Folly, too, looks thoughtful as she accepts the glass. "Or maybe the Shadowpaths didn't get lost, they just got rearranged, and these Paresh people have found them and are importing food. Or maybe one of that lot has figured out how to multiply food by prayer, or however it works in all those religious stories. Maybe enough people have lowered their food intake, either on purpose or as a result of stress, so that it has actually made a difference. Maybe -- though I admit this seems the least likely possibility -- you counted wrong." She smiles at Vere. "Shall I keep going? I could keep this up for a while, but my guesses will keep getting weirder."
Paige smiles taking her seat next to Folly, joining in the speculations, "Now that we're not connected to a Primal place, this Shadow can't contain the proportions of Substance we have here, so it's slowly draining away. The population changing, too?"
"When was the last time we did a census of people?" Martin asks, rhetorically.
"Anyway, the issue isn't the mitigating circumstances, but what to do with their cabal and then the others, who persist in their lies," Paige reminds the others.
Vere nods his agreement. "The decrease in consumption is an interesting factor, and something that may become clear in the future. Merely a piece of data I wished to share, as part of the new policy of keeping one another informed. I agree that it should not affect the current discussion."
[Martin]
"I still haven't heard from the people who did the census what they think
we can get on the other hoarders. Jerod? You willing to play bad
cop? Solange? Folly? Lucas? We need all the ideas we can get here so we
can get back to worrying about Wind Grove and the Ranger mess."
[Lucas]
"I'm in a poor position to offer opinions on this one, I feel. I've
spent little time in the city, and hence do not know how best to deal
with issues there."
Jerod will agree with Martin's suggestion. Jerod will also go along with the Council's recommendations on the matter barring some major objections.
"Find another bad cop for this mess," Solange says. "I'm already booked for that job with the Wind Grove and Rangers problems, remember?"
Vere smiles fondly at his sister.
Ossian pushes himself into a more straight sitting position: "I can be the bad cop if you want me to. Espescially since I have no good relation to destroy with any of the hoarders, after going through their warehouses.
"My impression is that we are trying to stop something that has been "common practise" when we stop this hoarding."
Vere nods. "I believe Cousin Ossian is essentially correct. While I would not say that it has been common, I think that it has been more widespread than we had imagined. Upon reflection I find that I am growing less concerned with it as a criminal matter. Our nobles and merchant princes are enterprising and resourceful, we should not be surprised that they have tried something like this. Perhaps we could issue an actual edict against such hoarding, making it a clear and definite crime, and let it be known that now that we are aware of it we will be watching for future occurrences, and that they will be treated as crimes. Perhaps further there could be a rumor started that certain members of the Council were unhappy that the perpetrators got off so leniently this time, and are watching for future violations so that they can take out their frustrations and make an example of the violators?"
Martin shrugs. "It's not like that would be untrue," he says.
"I think if we suggest that hoarding and smuggling aren't prosecutable crimes, grabbing all the merchants and doing a census of the warehouses is going to look pretty bad. But I'm willing to take a minority recommendation to Gerard to have Jerod and Ossian look further into the matter and find out where the rest of the missing food has gone if the Council's determined to go the other way."
Perhaps tired of standing, Martin goes and sits down by Solange, leans over, and says quietly, "I still have a couple of thoughts about Wind Grove and the Rangers, once we're done with this topic." _If we ever are_.
"All I've got," offers Folly, "is vague impressions and unsubstantiated concerns. As far as we can deduce from the information we have, nothing illegal has necessarily happened -- yet." She glances at the paper on which she has been scribbling. "When food goes missing, it's at the hand of the owner, right? So, technically, no one is stealing anything; and we don't yet really have evidence of other illegal activities we can nail these guys for.
"I'm worried, though, about the why of the hoarding. Are these guys trying to create an artificial shortage to drive up prices, all the while keeping themselves well-fed on the stockpiled food? Are they trying to gain power by controlling the food supply? Do they have some other plan for the food they've pilfered? If so, is it in support of a cause that will harm Amber -- provisioning some foe, for example? I am also deeply troubled, for reasons I don't really understand, by the idea that these Paresh people might be connected. Maybe that's just my irrational fear of insane religious fundamentalists, though.
"It would be terribly convenient if we could get one of these guys to rat on his cronies so we'd know the whole story. Paige, do any of your acquaintances who are involved in this seem like the type to buckle and spill the story in exchange for leniency? Otherwise, I'm with Cambina -- until we can piece together more information, we don't have much justification for meting out anything other than a slap on the wrist."
"What you're pondering might be better understood if we looked at it from the idea of whether they were engaged in a conspiracy." Jerod says. "As opposed to the actual crime of theft. You mentioned you're concerned about the why. That's where the conspiracy angle comes in. And why we probably won't get hard evidence and a big paper trail with lots of convenient clues or a smoking gun. It's all amorphous.
"Although, you also asked whether one of them might be likely to break. Old Man Bliss is pretty much pissing his pants in fear about what might happen to him. Laurel and Jewell I'm not so sure about - they seem more likely to point fingers first. Bliss is a good point to start. Especially if we keep him away from his two comrades while we're questioning him. If we get useful information from him, we can use it to tear apart any defence the other two make if they're not cooperative, and we don't have to tell them where we got the information from either."
Paige, though it obviously pains her to do so, agrees with Jerod. "Yes, Bliss is the weak point. He caved first when I threatened before. One might assume there was further issues. Their stores were to the north, the same direction as our cultists. Coincidence?"
"Bliss might have some kind of obligation or debt to the other two." Jerod says. "If we can find out what that is, we can neutralize it. Or better still, take charge of that obligation so he owes us."
"More likely that he figured the life-peers to hang him out to dry as the Crown's scapegoat." Paige offers. "I'll play his friend if you play the hard ass. Seems apporpriate and not all the tension between us will be play acting. Also gives you some oversight on my handling of the issue." _Truce, for now?_
"I think your handling of the issue doesn't require any oversight from me. In this case, I'll follow your lead as good cop." Jerod says, offering the point, even as he reaches for the scotch bottle. "Truce."
"And that comment concerning the cultists worries me more than they did before. I think it might be prudent to set up some observation on the warehouse to see if anyone comes looking for the stores. Though if word's gotten out as far as it has, they might have already found out. Assuming they are involved."
[Paige]
"Damn it, I hate working on rumor and shadows. Fine then we tell the
Regent, that we're still investigating the problem, and would like his
opinion on punishment, before we doll it out, and that we're offering
leniency to those who cooperate. Suggested punishments? Loss of patent
is the furthest extreme, more reasonable is loss of Crown contracts
for say a generation, or a year and a day for those shown leniency?"
Jerod agrees with this. "Patent loss should be if one of them is being incredibly unreasonable, like being defiant in the face of punishment. I don't think anyone will get like that, but if they did, I'd say strip them and give their patent, and businesses, to one of the families that's taken a hit since the Sundering. The other suggestions are more reasonable under the circumstances."
Ossian leans over to Vere, whispering, smiling: "Obviously the prospect of me making the investigations was scary enough to make those two collaborate"
Vere smiles and murmurs back, "Perhaps you should do a painting of this historic moment."
"Jerod in a fog has already been done." Jerod says. "He'll have to figure out how to explain Jerod in a blizzard...in a chamber of the castle...and not in the winter." and he smiles just a little.
"Let's save the thought of commemoration until after we've finished solving the problems, okay?" says Martin.
He turns back to Solange. "Now, on Wind Grove: I think your solution is generally on target, but there are a couple of things I think we need to clarify.
"First: I think putting Brita in charge is our best bet for handling the Rangers -- they're going to be pretty upset with you and you're the only other one of us with significant experience with them. I think Brita will kick their butts on the field, and they respect that. But I think running the Rangers is a pretty significant job politically. Are we sure she's ready for that, and are we all sure what we expect from her, and what Gerard will expect from her? Because I think we've just seen an example of how not defining what job we expect people to do has bitten us in the butt."
"Second: Telling the Rangers that Brita's only for the duration of the war, which is implied by your comments, Solange, is going to put her in a weak position. The Rangers are likely to stonewall and want to leave things for Julian to solve when he gets back. Making Brita permanent commander will solve this problem, but it may start people thinking that we don't expect Julian to come back. And he may not be pleased with Brita when he does. Has anybody got any useful thoughts on how to get around either of those problems?"
"Are we truly militarizing the existing Rangers?" Jerod asks. "Or just giving them the appearance of it? If we are militarizing them, that of itself can take care of the problem."
[Cambina]
"Right, we might be so busy dealing with a hostile, out of control,
militarized band of Rangers that we don't have to worry about how they like
it. I don't understand why you all think we can just tell them we want
them to be different and expect them to start being different. What
happened to all my cousins who were saying how we had to go slow on the
docksides and with political reforms because people don't want to change?
"Isn't the Ranger problem that they don't want change? So we want to force more on them when they're fighting what we've already done?"
Ossian turns his head directly towards Cambina: "Actually, we need something to change. If we do not change anything, the Rangers will expect their new leader Brita to rule as Julian did. She cannot do that; she might be a better leader than Julian, who knows, but the Rangers will still want her to be him. However if we change the situation for them, they cannot compare anymore."
[Cambina]
"What if we put Brita in charge, have her get the Rangers together, and ask
them how to solve the problem?
[Ossian]
"That should be up to Brita, to decide, I think."
[Cambina]
"Or is the plan that we bungle things badly and when the King comes back he
becomes beloved by cleaning up our messes?"
Solage has been visibly wincing at Cambina's objections, and, at this, rests her face in her hands, elbows propped on the table.
"I'm not so sure asking the Rangers how to solve the problem is the best solution." Jerod says. "I think it's also one of the reasons why we're where we are. We took an organization that was run like a military troop, cause Julian did run things that way tried to run it by concensus from a distance. That we got as far as we did before we had significant problems is more a testament to Solange's efforts rather than anything else." Jerod stops for a moment to rub his temples before continuing.
Solange takes her head out of her hands long enough to give Jerod a grateful smile.
His return smile is brief, but it says quite a bit...something along the lines of "Hey...if I can figure it out, it must be bloody miraculous".
"If we militarize the Rangers, then we need to do more than just put badges on their shoulders. Cambina is right that they're resisting change. But we can't go along with what they want either - cause they want it the way it was, and that's not happening. We need to give them a new leader, and a new mission. Amongst all of us, the most reasonable choice is Brita. If Brita's a good commander, she'll solicit the opinion of her subordinate commanders. Then she can take their opinions and make her own decisions. And kick asses to get the job done. But if we put Brita in charge of the Rangers, they can still stonewall because she's not Julian. I think instead we need to change their mindset. Make them Crown troops - pay them as Crown troops, train them as Crown troops and discipline them as Crown troops. And because they're stretched thin, recruit more to give them better coverage. It's a lot to ask, but I think its necessary if we're going to deal with this problem.
"I know there's a lot of resistance to this military idea...we don't want to create problems for the future king. Well, not to be too blunt, but the future king can deal with his problems...or the future queen with hers when they get here. If they can't deal with it, they're maybe not fit to be in charge. Right now we've got our problems and we're supposed to fix them." Jerod says. "This will be a lot of work for Brita and anyone who helps her, but I think it can solve both of Martin's concerns. One - by making them Crown troops, we take away the initial resistance. They're working for the Regent now...and the Regent puts Brita in charge of them. They've got a leader who can personally train them, give them a mission instead of job, and take care of their concerns at the same time."
"As for Julian when he returns...well, there are ways around that. Some of the Rangers might not want to become Crown troops. We can provide a way out for them when Julian and Benedict return. For sure they're not coming back with their units at full strength - they'll have taken casualties and will need trained people to fill their ranks. Those troops under Brita's command who wish to return to Julian can do so...freed of their crown obligations without prejudice. IF they served without incident, of course. Those who wish to stay in the army, and I think there will be some, can do so under Benedict."
"Does it solve all our problems? Nope." and he sighs and takes a drink. "But it can solve a couple of our major problems. Some people are going to be unhappy about the situation no matter what we do. But we can deal with smaller stuff later."
"That sounds pretty good," Solange comments. She's looking around apprehensively, waiting for someone to poke holes in this latest suggestion.
"Sounds like a plan," says Martin. "Any other comments? Vere? Solange? No? Then I guess we can adjourn with our recommendations to Gerard settled."
Martin looks at Vere. "I hope the minutes of the meeting will omit certain irrelevant expressions of high emotion that do neither those who expressed them nor the Council at large any credit." He does not look at either Paige or Cambina.
Vere nods without any trace of emotion.
Paige nods to Vere and sticks out her tongue at Martin.
As the various Cousins are leaving Vere leans over to Ossian and says, "Could you and Worth handle Fleet affairs tomorrow? I have some other business to attend to."
[Ossian]
"No problem at all, dear cousin."
[Paige]
"It seems we need to visit Old Man Bliss, cousin," she says to
Jerod. "No time like the present, eh?"
Folly puts a hand on Paige's arm and says quietly, "Come by later? I have a... an artistic question for you."
Paige walks toward the doors, smiling, and momentarily takes Martin aside. "Thank you." She kisses him on the cheek and heads for the doors. "So where do you have him closeted?"...
Jerod finishes his drink and rises, pulling at his uniform jacket as he walks towards the door. "In his quarters." he says. "They're all being kept in their quarters, under guard, upon the pleasure of the Regent. That's the wording I used at least."
Last modified: 1 Jan 2002