Sime~Gen Roleplaying: District Controller's Office Scenario
Episode #202: Ambush Reported (4/27/00)
Morca spots her quarry on the street ahead of her and darts between two groups for the... well, not kill. Quite.
Morca: Hajene Jeniard!
Jeniard hears something that sounds suspiciously like his name being called.
Jeniard looks around, then spots Morca.
Jeniard: Oh, shen!
Morca closes in on her prey, grabbing him by the elbow before he can duck away.
Jeniard sighs.
Morca: I would like your opinion on recent events.
Morca is ~~ determined ~~ to get it, too.
Jeniard: Which events are those?
Morca starts walking Jeniard over to a convenient bench.
Morca: Why, the aftermath of these riots, and other recent events.
Jeniard: Look, I don't have a lot of time.
Morca: It won't take long.
Jeniard finds himself sitting on the bench. Which is not, as it happens, very convenient for him.
Morca sits, forcing Jeniard's elbow to sit with her.
Morca: Now, to start with, why did Arat really allow himself to be roped into this mediation business?
Morca: It's not the sort of thing he's done before.
Jeniard has been rehearsed for this question, so he is able to answer pretty straightforwardly.
Jeniard: He was upset by the attacks on the 53rd District Offices.
Jeniard: The Sime Center had to be closed temporarily, and there was vandalism as well.
Morca turns a cynical look on Jeniard.
Jeniard is telling the truth; Arat was upset, and there was vandalism, etc.
Morca: And this inspired him to take the part of the ones responsible for the destruction?
Jeniard: No, it inspired him to write a letter to the papers.
Jeniard: Urging compromise and an end to the violence.
Jeniard is pretty sure Morca already knows what order these things happened in.
Morca: I read it. Knowing what I do about SWAT, I can't believe that it alone was responsible for their insisting on him as a mediator.
Morca: And Arat has never been known for his plebeian sympathies.
Morca: So, why him?
Jeniard is glad Morca seems to have accepted his explanation for Arat's motives.
Jeniard: I can't really speak for them, of course. I haven't met any of them.
Jeniard: But I have my theories.
Morca raises an interrogative eyebrow.
Jeniard lists some wild ass theories he thought of for this very purpose:
Jeniard: They may have picked somebody they thought they could never get, in order to appear willing to settle without having to actually compromise.
Jeniard: They may be under a mistaken impression as to the amount of influence he has in Norwest; after all, they do seem to be placing an unusual emphasis on gaining employment rights there.
Jeniard: Perhaps they were truly ignorant as to his past and his reputation, and simply based their decision upon his letter. Emotions were running rather higher than logic, at the time.
Jeniard finds that people whose emotions are running higher than their logic tend to get into ugly scrapes when they tangle with Arat, but that's neither here nor there.
Jeniard: I really can't tell you.
Jeniard: I would like to believe they chose him because they carefully considered their options and he seemed the best man for the job.
Jeniard would like to believe that but can't, since he knows the truth.
Morca: Hajene Jeniard, I wasn't born yesterday. To your knowledge, did Arat have any contact with SWAT members before the riots?
Jeniard: No.
Jeniard can say this with perfect seriousness, as Arat didn't tell him.
Jeniard isn't an idiot either and thinks he knows how it must have happened, but he's not going to volunteer that.
Morca smells something evasive about Jeniard's answer, but can't quite put a finger on it.
Morca makes a note to go interrogate some of the SWAT people; they are likely to be a bit easier to work over than a channel.
Morca: There have been a number of other very strange aspects to these negotiations, as I'm sure you know.
Morca: For instance, that they happened at all.
Morca: How much of a role did Controller Arat have in convincing the two parties to talk?
Jeniard: None, actually.
Morca: Oh?
Jeniard: Apparently it came down to a fistfight of sorts on the street, after the bombing of the Department of Works.
Jeniard: It turned out the two people involved both had enough influence to arrange for negotiation.
Jeniard can't really see why Morca is asking him this, and pretending she doesn't already know about it, as it must be all over the place even though it wasn't printed.
Jeniard understands there was no shortage of eyewitnesses.
Morca prefers to get her subjects into the habit of answering truthfully before she gets to the ticklish subjects.
Morca: It appears that his role as mediator has had some personal repercussions for Controller Arat.
Morca: This business about going to the Snake Reservoir, for instance.
Morca: Would you care to comment on it?
Jeniard grimaces.
Jeniard: It sounds like it is going to be a terrible place to work.
Jeniard can say this in complete personal honesty, without any attachments to either the circumstances of how it was arranged, or anybody else's opinions on the matter.
Morca: Yes, it does.
Jeniard: I don't see how Arat is going to survive it.
Jeniard: They may have to transfer him back.
Morca: It's not the sort of place Arat has ever allowed himself to be assigned before, certainly.
Morca: Why did he allow it this time?
Jeniard considers.
Jeniard: Masochism.
Jeniard has rather strong opinions about the whole Snake River Dam idea, as can easily be seen.
Morca has heard a bit about Arat's excesses in that direction.
Morca: I have also heard that the situation between Arat and Regional Controller Neptude has been worsening.
Morca: How much of a factor was that in Arat's agreement to go to the Snake Reservoir?
Jeniard: I don't think Neptude tried to pressure him into it, if that's what you mean.
Morca: Did someone else?
Morca watches Jeniard for signs of evasiveness like, well, like a shark.
Jeniard: Seruffin said the Gen Territory Government wasn't very flexible on the subject.
Jeniard: But Seruffin just asked Arat to go, and Arat said yes. It was handled professionally from what I've heard.
Morca: And what of this recent tension between Neptude and Arat? What was the cause of it?
Jeniard isn't about to badmouth either Neptude or Arat, not to a reporter.
Jeniard pussyfoots around the real answer, which would be completely unacceptable of course, and says only, "They disagreed on some points of management."
Morca: What points would those be?
Jeniard believes the real answer is that Neptude has been writhing with inadequacy since 1) his "rehabilitation" of Arat went nowhere, and yet 2) Arat persisted in running the 53rd District better than him anyway.
Jeniard: Well, I'm not at liberty to go into those details with a reporter, I'm sorry.
Jeniard could have summarized it as, "the lousy Donors Neptude kept sending him, and all those be-shenned rogues", if he didn't care about little things like his head still being attached to his body after it came out in print.
Morca: I've heard, for instance, that Neptude assigned Arat a Donor who almost killed him.
Jeniard waves that away.
Jeniard: There is always some risk of injury on the job,.
Jeniard: Individual incidents shouldn't be blown out of proportion - or taken out of context.
Jeniard thinks, for example, out of the context of the privacy of a Tecton office.
Morca: So the Donor in question was fully competent for the assignment?
Morca has heard otherwise.
Jeniard: Look, I'm not sure precisely which incident you're referring to, but Arat hasn't been assigned anybody outside of normal Donor pools besides Nick, and Nick has performed well.
Jeniard doesn't know which incident it is, but since all of the incidents involved Pylor, it isn't hard to guess which Donor she means. Not that he'll volunteer that either.
Morca: The incident I'm referring to was Arat's most recent collapse, while assigned to a Sosu Pylor.
Morca: The assignment would have been made by Controller Neptude, would it not?
Jeniard: I am really not at liberty to discuss that sort of detail.
Jeniard thinks she will have to be satisfied with that, since he can't get any closer to a "yes".
Morca: Were Sosu Pylor's mistakes in handling Arat responsible for his collapse?
Jeniard: It is possible, yes.
Jeniard wonders how he is going to get out of this.
Morca is glad to have gotten at least that much of an answer, at last.
Jeniard tries to scope out a good escape path, but the crowd is exceptionally heavy on the sidewalk today.
Morca really prefers interviewing subject like Hero, who can be lured into confidences.
Morca: I understand that Controller Neptude recently assigned a relative of his to the 53rd District.
Morca: A Hajene Lexus, his nephew.
Morca looks Jeniard over carefully for a reaction to the name.
Jeniard obviously knows who she means.
Jeniard: Yeah.
Jeniard doesn't have any really strong emotions about Lexus now that he doesn't have to deal with him personally anymore.
Morca: What was his assignment in the 53rd District?
Jeniard: He didn't have an official assignment, he was posted there just to learn.
Jeniard: Although he did help some, in an administrative capacity.
Jeniard means "administrative" in the "boring clerkwork" sense.
Morca: And what sorts of administrative work did he perform?
Morca: Routine paperwork, or did he handle specific problems as well?
Jeniard: It was pretty routine.
Jeniard almost smiles as he remembers being able to pass off the truly wretchedly heavy duty number-correlation and other mind numbingly pointless work to Lexus.
Morca: How, then, did he end up assigned to the same Sosu Pylor who had just caused Controller Arat's collapse, by some accounts?
Jeniard: He wanted him. Pylor was available. The assignment was made.
Jeniard thinks it didn't necessarily happen in that order, though.
Morca raises an eyebrow.
Morca: I see.
Morca: And Controller Neptude agreed to let his nephew--on whom he dotes, I'm told--take on a Donor whose performance had been so... spotty?
Morca: Or was it Arat who made the assignment, for reasons of his own?
Morca has some ideas about reasons Arat might have to do Neptude an un-favor.
Jeniard shrugs.
Jeniard: It was a perfectly ordinary assignment.
Jeniard thinks, aside from how it happened.
Jeniard: Pylor could handle Lexus easily.
Morca: I'm told that Lexus is now back working with his uncle, and that the circumstances surrounding this were not exactly "perfectly ordinary".
Morca: What happened?
Jeniard: He and Arat did not get along.
Jeniard is inclined to leave it at that.
Morca leans closer; this is the stuff of which stories are made.
Morca: What did they disagree about?
Jeniard: It just wasn't a good personality match.
Morca: What specific incident sparked Lexus's departure?
Jeniard: I am not at liberty to discuss that.
Jeniard: But it was a protest on Arat's part that led to Lexus' removal.
Jeniard: They did not get along. [adds]
Morca looks at Jeniard in a measuring fashion.
Jeniard knows from experience that most people who know Arat at all are willing to accept the "they didn't get along" explanation for a lot of things.
Morca has, alas, been able to get just enough information to be pretty sure that it was more than that.
Jeniard definitely looks like he wishes he wasn't there, but is resigned to machete-ing his way through what he can't avoid.
Morca: I'd heard that Arat was protesting an attempt by Hajene Lexus to pressure one of the rogues in his rehabilitation program?
Jeniard: I wasn't there.
Morca: You are, however, one of Arat's primary assistants, and that sort of thing can hardly escape being common knowledge.
Morca: Which rogue was involved?
Jeniard: Why should I tell you?
Morca smiles sharkishly.
Morca: Because if you don't, I'll draw my own conclusions.
Jeniard thinks he'll be damned if he'll drag some innocent Sime's name into the limelight just because a bitter old hag like Morca likes the thrill of the hunt.
Morca: And they won't be to the advantage of your precious Hajene Arat, if all I have to go on is Lexus's version.
Jeniard: I won't release confidential information about patients.
Jeniard: I doubt Hajene Lexus would, either.
Jeniard thinks, if he knows what is good for him.
Morca: You overestimate his ethics.
Jeniard shrugs; he's still not going to spill.
Morca: But if patient confidentiality is involved, that means it wasn't any of Arat's presumed successes.
Morca: That leaves, hmm, Hajene Snake, for one.
Morca looks at Jeniard to see if she guessed correctly.
Jeniard gets a funny look on his face as he tries to imagine Lexus "pressuring" Snake.
Morca understands that Snake has caused quite a bit of trouble since her capture.
Morca: Hmm, I suppose not. Lexus isn't known for his courage.
Morca: That leaves Sosu Pylor, but I can't imagine Arat caring what happened to him.
Morca pauses to see if Jeniard will comment further on Pylor.
Jeniard raises an eyebrow.
Jeniard: Arat does his best for all who work under him.
Jeniard: He is an extremely moral and dedicated individual.
Morca: I'm sure he is.
Morca: Who else is there?
Morca considers for a moment.
Jeniard looks bored with the line of questioning.
Morca: Aha! How about that singer who was brought in for illegal transfers?
Morca: Was it her?
Jeniard: I don't see why you're wasting your time. I am not going to tell you.
Morca's upper lip twitches with frustration.
Morca: Well, then, perhaps you can tell me who will succeed Arat as 53rd District Controller, when Arat leaves for Norwest Territory?
Jeniard: That has not yet been decided.
Jeniard: Or if it has, the information has not yet been made available.
Jeniard 1) doesn't know about Riyyh any more than Arat does, and 2) probably wouldn't yet even if Arat knew.
Jeniard would probably have said the same thing even if he had, since it is only a temporary arrangement.
Morca: There have been a number of candidates making the rounds of the gossip mills.
Jeniard: Naturally.
Morca: Hajene Tiarala. Hajene Lexus.
Morca: Not too surprising; they're logical candidates.
Morca: However, in the past day or two, I keep hearing persistent rumors of some involvement by Sectuib Riyyh ambrov Naros.
Jeniard looks rather skeptical, for obvious reasons.
Jeniard: I wouldn't put my money on that. [dryly]
Jeniard thinks aside from the obvious issues of incompetence and lack of availability, there is the Arat issue. Nobody would be quite sure how Arat would react, except that it might be quite volatile.
Morca: Oh, but the proprietor of a certain tea shop swears that Riyyh spent considerable time speaking to a Tecton channel who matches Controller Seruffin's description quite closely.
Jeniard: Oh, please. Riyyh talks to everybody.
Jeniard: They were probably talking about his son.
Morca: Which one?
Jeniard looks at her in exasperation; there's only one son of Riyyh's that is famous enough, and high level enough, that he'd come up in conversation with Seruffin.
Jeniard: Or something.
Morca: The bits of the conversation that the tea shop owner overheard were quite suggestive.
Morca: About the advantages of such a position to Seruffin, who won't have to rearrange his current assignments in other Districts, and to Riyyh, who would have an excuse to stay in Capitol.
Jeniard: Whatever you say. I still think you're barking up the wrong tree.
Morca takes a close look at Jeniard, and decides that he is probably telling the truth.
Morca is rather skilled at distinguishing evasive-type denials from genuine ignorance, having had a great deal of practice.
Morca: I have heard that Hajene Snake Farris and Nick Reckage have left Capitol.
Jeniard: Yes.
Jeniard: They were part of the advance team they talked about in the papers.
Jeniard hopes Morca at least reads the legitimate papers.
Morca: A rather odd choice of leadership, considering that Hajene Snake has been kept under close guard since her capture.
Morca: What assurance does Controller Arat have that she won't go rogue again?
Morca: Particularly when he sent her former Donor with her?
Jeniard would like to say "none" just to zlin her reaction, but only sighs.
Jeniard: A Controller must make judgment calls based upon his experience and his knowledge of the personnel.
Jeniard: Arat appears to feel that it was the right move, and I support that.
Morca: Is it his daughter he trusts? Or is he relying on Reckage to keep her in line?
Jeniard: I cannot say.
Jeniard actually knows that Arat believes he knows both of them enough to know what pushes their buttons, but he's not going to trot out the details for Morca any more than he'd toss a nobody like Lalique to the press wolves.
Morca: Well, then, can you say whether you will be accompanying Arat when he departs for the back edge of nowhere?
Jeniard: Yes, I will.
Morca raises an eyebrow.
Morca: That easily?
Morca: What sort of bribe did Arat offer Seruffin, anyway?
Jeniard: I am not aware of any bribe.
Jeniard thinks that in this case, anything would be welcomed that would keep Arat alive in an environment as unsuited to him as lava is unsuited to fish.
Morca: Come now, you know that Arat has a history of taking the most... unusual measures, when you have been separated.
Morca: And now, Seruffin simply assigns the two of you together?
Morca: After the Tecton has made such a production out of "normalizing" your relationship?
Jeniard: I do not know why the assignment was made, but I am pleased by it.
Morca gives a nasty, sharkish smile.
Morca: I'm sure you are.