Sime~Gen Roleplaying: District Controller's Office Scenario
Episode #3: Summary of Errors (3/11/99)
Mulla tramps through the labyrinthine corridors of the Capitol Sime Center, still in her worn traveling uniform.
Mulla tells herself, with a certain smugness, that Arat ordered her to report promptly on her return, and so she can hardly justify taking the time to wash off the horse hair and change, can she?
Mulla smoothes the smugness from her nager as she nears Arat's well-insulated office, then signals in front of the closed door.
Jeniard gets up and opens the door.
Mulla is somehow not surprised to find Arat's pet sycophant hanging around.
Jeniard is a First Order channel, about 30 years of age, wearing glasses and a studious expression.
Jeniard looks surprised when he sees Mulla.
Jeniard: You're back!
Arat looks up.
Jeniard moves back to let Mulla in.
Jeniard tries to hide his ~~burning curiosity~~
Mulla tromps in, tracking a bit of manure she stepped in when she dropped her horse off at the stables.
Mulla: Yes, I'm back.
Mulla: And I've come to offer my report, as ordered.
Mulla: ~~ tired, chilled Gen feeling the aftereffects of a long ride ~~
Arat, normally a stickler for detail and discipline at the best of times, wears a severe and strained expression at the sight of the dirt.
Arat's nostrils twitch at the telltale tickle of horse sweat and horse hair.
Arat is not fond of her nager either.
Mulla thinks with some justification that it didn't take a Donor to handle that particular errand.
Mulla: So, you wanted any information Naros could provide about a Hajene Darrel from Bender Cove.
Arat doesn't ask her to sit down.
Arat: Yes, what did you find?
Arat: ~~polite~~
Mulla: He's gone bonkers, and he's there.
Arat looks surprised.
Arat: He's there? At Naros?
Mulla: Apparently. Under the circumstances, I felt it prudent not to interview him personally.
Jeniard watches Mulla avidly, wondering if she....
Mulla eyes Jeniard, having heard some interesting rumors about....
Arat's expression of surprise alters to incredulity.
Arat almost asks why she didn't feel she should interview Darrel personally, then catches the glance between Mulla and Jeniard.
Arat's nager turns ~~~windchill factor -75~~
Jeniard looks down.
Mulla: It appears there were a few minor complications that weren't in the letter you received from the Bender Cove Controller.
Mulla: ~~ wry ~~
Arat raises an eyebrow, and waits for an explanation.
Mulla: He's apparently phobic about First Order Donors. Which is why I decided not to seek him out.
Arat, who has never been accused of having a sense of humor, looks at her deadpan.
Arat: You didn't feel you could handle the situation.
Arat appears to be of the opinion that any First Order Donor should be able to control a Second Order Channel so masterfully that such a phobia could only exist outside of their presence.
Mulla stiffens, tightly controlling her ~~ anger ~~
Arat probably, by extension, thinks Mulla has been sloughing off on the job.
Mulla thinks she'd be a much better Donor under a Controller who would allow her to study further, instead of wasting her time and skills sending her to slog through snowstorms on clerical errands.
Mulla: I wasn't sent there to interview the man, only to find out what Naros knew about him.
Arat's eyes narrow.
Mulla: ~~ sullen ~~
Arat: ~~extreme disapproval~~
Mulla thinks, he's mad at me--so what's new? Ever since that tea....
Arat: The fact that he was physically there should have suggested a change of tactics.
Mulla: Naros is willing to take on the chore of treating Hajene Darrel's phobia and retraining him to be a useful channel.
Arat dismisses that with a flick of a hand and tentacles.
Arat: That will not be acceptable, of course.
Arat: I would like a full written report as soon as possible.
Mulla shrugs.
Mulla: Of course.
Arat clearly is disappointed in Mulla's performance.
Jeniard murmurs something about the mail and slips out of the office.
Mulla has the distinct impression that nothing she writes will be taken seriously, except as it can be used against her.
Mulla wonders why she still bothers to try.
Mulla: ~~ futility ~~
Arat studies Mulla's expression and nager, his own displeasure fairly obvious.
Mulla wonders what sort of "discipline" Arat will find for her this time.
Arat: Why do you think I chose you for this task? [asks at last]
Mulla: Because I was available?
Mulla thinks that sounds a bit less accusatory than "because you always give the nasty errands to me".
Arat's expression suggests his opinion of her has dropped a notch or two as a results of her response.
Mulla thinks, shen, here we go again.
Arat: Well then, if there is nothing else, you may go.
Arat has clearly decided the conversation is a loss.
Mulla decides to try one more time.
Mulla: I thought you would be glad at a chance to get Naros to work for the Tecton.
Mulla: And to get rid of a potential disaster at the same time.
Arat chooses his words carefully.
Arat: Perhaps. However, that decision would be up to me, and should have been based upon careful study of the situation.
Mulla: I used the best information Naros could provide. I have here Sectuib Riyyh's assessment of Hajene Darrel's condition.
Mulla removes a letter from her shirt pocket and hands it to Arat.
Arat's expression sours at the mention of Naros' Sectuib.
Arat accepts the letter, and scans it.
Arat: [the letter says essentially that Darrel is unstable and that the exact nature of his problem is not yet clear, that further examination is in order. This is prefaced and followed by a good deal of pleasantries and up-suckeries]
Mulla: I'm told that Hajene Darrel went into a full-blown panic attack at the sight of Sectuib Riyyh's Donor.
Arat handles the letter with fastidious distaste as he returns it to her.
Arat: I am disappointed with your handling of the situation. When you learned he was there, you should have sent a courier requesting further instructions.
Arat doesn't add that he thinks Riyyh has handled her magnificently.
Mulla kicks herself for not thinking of that; at least that would have given her another week or so of comfort, good tea, and Riyyh.
Mulla wonders if this means that she's going to be sent back to Naros to deal with the situation "properly".
Arat: I will determine what to do about it once I've received your full report.
Arat: Which will be tonight?
Arat's tone implies it should definitely be tonight.
Mulla: Yes, Controller Arat.
Mulla had hoped to have time to rest up after the long ride.
Arat: Very well.
Arat gestures his dismissal.
Mulla slumps, turns, and leaves the office.
Mulla drops by the mail room to pick up her accumulated correspondence before starting the report.
Jeniard is lurking in there.
Jeniard: How did it go?
Jeniard is renowned for being Arat's stooge, and unsafe to confide in on the subject of Arat.
Jeniard doesn't expect her to say anything he'd have to repeat to Arat... he's more interested in news of Naros.
Mulla: About what I'd expected. Maybe when he reads the report he'll understand why I felt it was important to leave Hajene Darrel at Naros, at least for a while.
Jeniard makes a noncommittal noise.
Jeniard has, over nearly 2 decades of being Arat's hanger-on, learned that Arat makes his own decisions and only after getting the details.
Jeniard wouldn't lay bets on Mulla's theory holding much water with Arat in any case.
Jeniard: How was Naros?
Mulla: Naros? Covered in snow. Rather cozy, actually, if you didn't have to ride in it.
Jeniard licks his lips.
Jeniard: How was Riyyh? [casually]
Jeniard: [too casually]
Mulla unconsciously licks her lips.
Mulla: ~~ sensuous memories ~~
Jeniard's eyes widen in something between surprise and satisfaction.
Mulla: He's an... interesting man.
Jeniard: Was he... cooperative?
Mulla smiles slowly.
Mulla: Very. But you'd know that.
Mulla gives Jeniard a meaningful look.
Jeniard zlins carefully for passers-by.
Jeniard: That was a long time ago.
Jeniard obviously retains some fairly vivid memories of the encounter in question, though.
Jeniard: Was he in good health?
Mulla: He was... very active.
Mulla: And very hospitable.
Jeniard sighs.
Mulla: Not to mention cute, particularly for a guy his age.
Mulla winks.
Mulla: Don't you agree?
Jeniard blushes unexpectedly.
Jeniard: I haven't seen him in years. [admits]
Mulla nods knowingly.
Jeniard had been chased from the room by a jealous Arat during the few brief chances he may have had at conferences and the like.
Mulla: But I expect you haven't forgotten his... personal approach to hospitality?
Jeniard: Oh, no.
Jeniard: I still haven't lived down the mistakes I made because of it, either.
Mulla: Mistakes?
Jeniard grimaces at the memories.
Jeniard: Never agree to go to Naros on important business.
Jeniard: You won't come back with what you were told to.
Mulla: You won't?
Mulla is starting to grasp that she might have fallen into a trap.
Mulla: You mean you got... sidetracked... as well?
Jeniard: Naros deserves its reputation for difficulty and obstruction. It's just so difficult to see that while you are there, because everybody is so... accommodating.
Mulla sighs.
Mulla: Very accommodating.
Mulla: Why are they so difficult?
Jeniard: I don't know, it's been this way since far before my time, or yours.
Mulla: They seemed so open, so cooperative.
Jeniard sighs wistfully.
Jeniard: Yes.
Mulla: What happened when you went there?
Mulla: ~~ sympathy ~~
Jeniard: Well, as you may be aware Naros has many outreach programs in this area.
Mulla nods.
Jeniard: It's their main line of justification when it comes to retaining channels and Donors that are badly required by the Tecton.
Mulla: I've heard something to that effect.
Jeniard: At one point, there was a program called "Project Lovinghands" which used Naros-trained Third Order Donor-channel teams to entice tax protesters into coming out of hiding. 1
Mulla: Tax protesters?
Mulla: But how could they expect to get a transfer, without paying taxes?
Jeniard: The transfer was donated by Naros, as a charity. [explains]
Mulla: Oh, I see.
Mulla's eyes widen.
Mulla: They have that much extra selyn?
Jeniard spreads his hands.
Jeniard: Well, it's a little difficult to know, but they were also taking donations on the streets.
Jeniard: That was another program, "Health for Life".
Jeniard: Health for Life tried to get non-compliant Gens to donate for personal health reasons.
Mulla: Ones who weren't attracted by the money?
Jeniard: There were always problems with where the selyn was going, and whether Naros reported all of these Gens to the Tecton or let some of them slip through unrecorded.
Jeniard: Naros insisted they were being honest, but balked at having Tecton supervisors assigned to their teams.
Mulla: You make them sound like a House of rogue channels.
Jeniard: No, no, it's nothing like that.
Jeniard: This was only 15 years after Unity, after all, and they are Householders.
Jeniard: Many of these programs were post-Unity evolutions of programs that had been in place before.
Mulla: I suppose there were a lot of irregularities in the early days.
Jeniard: That also. [dryly]
Jeniard: At any rate, when Arat became City Controller in New Othwol, one of his first assignments was to do something about Project Lovinghands.
Mulla: So you were sent to investigate any irregularities in the program?
Jeniard: It was a matter of obtaining data.
Jeniard: The Tecton wanted hard numbers on how much selyn was dispensed, where it had come from, and the names, addresses and identifying characteristics of everybody who received transfers.
Jeniard: It hadn't come to having Tecton inspectors on hand, not then, not yet.
Mulla: And Naros refused to let you have the data? Why?
Jeniard: Riyyh explained it very kindly.
Jeniard: [rueful]
Jeniard: He said that the purpose of the program was to ensure the wellbeing of those who were not being served by the Tecton, and that revealing their personal information would prevent people from trusting Naros' services.
Jeniard: I am sure Arat himself would have had no difficulty with him, but I found him quite persuasive.
Mulla thinks this sort of approach has a familiar ring.
Mulla: You ended up feeling that it was for the good of everyone, the Tecton included, for the authorities to remain ignorant of the particulars of the program?
Jeniard: I think it was more like I left there with my head in the clouds and thinking Riyyh is a very nice man.
Mulla frowns.
Mulla: Yes. He is that.
Jeniard: And only realized how badly I failed as I walked into Arat's office and saw him, and remembered that there is a real world, also.
Jeniard: Telling him I had failed him, and why, is one of the hardest things I've ever done.
Jeniard seems ashamed, and yet he doesn't seem to be implying that it would have been possible to do otherwise.
Mulla nods gloomily, as her arrangement with Riyyh about Hajene Darrel suddenly seems less reasonable.
Mulla: You were had by an expert. And so was I.
Mulla: ~~ shame ~~
Jeniard pauses for a moment.
Jeniard: The "being had" part wasn't so bad.
Jeniard smiles sheepishly.
Mulla: Well, no.
Mulla: That part of was rather nice, actually.
Jeniard thinks that's the part that got him in the most trouble with Arat, though.
Mulla also has a ewe-like expression on her face.
Jeniard: Well, don't hold your breath waiting to get sent back there again. I can guarantee it will never happen.
Jeniard speaks from sad personal experience.
Jeniard: If somebody else has to go, he'll find somebody who wants to prove themselves so badly they'd do anything to succeed.
Mulla nods sadly.
Jeniard shifts his mail in his hands.
Jeniard: Well, I'd better go back.
Mulla nods.
Mulla: And I'd better get to work on that report.
Mulla: How do you spell "grovel"?
Jeniard laughs, and slinks out.
Note:
1) Arat was City Controller for New Othwol, a small city at the farthest extent of the 53rd District, on and off for many years before becoming District Controller. Jeniard has been his assistant the entire time and move upward in rank with him. [return]