Sime~Gen Roleplaying on IRC: Snake River Dam Scenario
Episode #176: No Way to Run a Show (6/3/01)
Alain Ro sits at the sunniest table in the Narosian tea house, notebooks piled around him.
Alain Ro has put aside his historical research notes for financial ledgers.
Alain Ro was alarmed by what he has discovered about the volatile political situation among the Dam laborers and the fragile emotional state of the Controller.
Borgmann scurries into the bath house and makes his way to the tea room.
Alain Ro has decided to make sure the money invested in the Dam project is sufficient to ensure its success.
Alain Ro finds money is a nice wedge to gain entry to all sorts of information about the debtors.
Borgmann pauses at the tea room entrance, like a mouse making sure the area around his hole is clear of hawks and cats.
Borgmann is probably more concerned about weasels, however.
Alain Ro awaits the arrival of the IDAS chief with a status report on the Gen relief efforts.
Alain Ro looks up from his accounts to see Borgmann quivering in the doorway.
Alain Ro: N'vet Borgmann!
Borgmann holds the thick status report in front of his face, although despite appearances he is not actually gnawing on it to make bedding.
Alain Ro: Come, have a seat.
Borgmann scuttles over to Ro's table.
Borgmann: Thank you, Professor Ro.
Borgmann is a career bureaucrat, and therefore good with titles.
Borgmann: I have brought the report you requested.
Alain Ro beams.
Alain Ro: Thank you.
Alain Ro: Your alacrity is appreciated.
Borgmann blinks at the display of teeth, and the accompanying nageric brilliance.
Alain Ro pushes the plate of delicious Narosian tarts towards the Sime.
Borgmann is too well mannered to actually groom his nose, but he somehow manages to give that impression, even with his hands in his lap and his tentacles sheathed.
Alain Ro: Perhaps you would care for something to eat? Or some tea?
Alain Ro suddenly remembers that the red ones are strawberries.
Alain Ro: Uh, watch out for the red ones. I don't think they'd agree with you.
Borgmann notes the poisonous strawberry tarts on the plate he was offered, and his eyes widen.
Alain Ro: ~~embarrassed~~
Borgmann: I'm really not very hungry today.
Borgmann pushes the deadly plate back towards Ro.
Borgmann feels an uncomfortable mixture of ~~alarm at the casual brush with death~~ and ~~secondhand embarrassment from Ro~~
Alain Ro fusses with the teacup and lifts the pot to pour.
Alain Ro: Some trin then. This is the Spring Blossom blend. Narosian.
Alain Ro fills Borgmann's cup, attempting to distract the Sime from his gaffe.
Borgmann relaxes a bit as Ro's embarrassment ceases to pound at him quite so strongly.
Alain Ro refills his own cup and sits back down.
Alain Ro: Relax. It really is a lovely spring day.
Borgmann nods, sipping a bit timidly at his tea.
Alain Ro sips his tea, appreciating the good smells from the kitchen and the charming decor. Borgmann's visage is not quite so charming, but Alain Ro decides he will not let that destroy his appreciation of the good things that are at hand.
Borgmann: The details are in the report, but were there any particular questions you had?
Alain Ro: Well, let's see what we have here.
Alain Ro takes Borgmann's report and begins to slowly peruse it, comparing it again the original estimates in the proposal.
Alain Ro: It looks like the number of Gens was lower than originally estimated, but that the costs of feeding them were higher?
Borgmann: Yes. Some Gens refused to stay in our compound: I gather they feared letting any government authority track them so closely.
Borgmann: Some of them were able to find... alternative employment elsewhere.
Borgmann: This created a secondary market for Gen-suitable food, and kept prices higher than if we had been the only market.
Alain Ro rubs his chin.
Alain Ro: What kind of employment? These were indigent criminals in a strange country.
Alain Ro frowns.
Borgmann: Crime is an eminently portable profession, and the start-up costs are minimal.
Borgmann: ~~ wry ~~
Alain Ro: So they turned to smuggling.
Alain Ro: Very good.
Alain Ro: Why wasn't black market inflation figured into the original proposal?
Borgmann: Yes. Most of the staples we purchased in advance, but there were certain items which we were forced to purchase at the going rate, which proved considerably higher than estimated.
Alain Ro: Fresh strawberries, for instance?
Borgmann: Sectuib Riyyh tells me that fresh fruit is essential for Gen health.
Borgmann is willing to take a channel's word for it.
Alain Ro hopes that the Narosian culinary extravagances have not squandered resources.
Borgmann: The strawberries have been particularly popular.
Alain Ro examines the books again.
Alain Ro: And it looks like the return on selyn donation payments has been far lower than projected.
Borgmann: Sectuib Riyyh's original proposal was based on the assumption that the IDAS would confiscate all donation payments, which is against the law. We are allowed to charge a fixed rate for room and board, which we did, as you see.
Borgmann wishes that the fixed rate came closer to the actual costs of housing Gens in this particular location.
Borgmann: And of course, the children could not donate at all.
Borgmann: I could not let them starve, and truth to tell, I didn't inquire too closely as to whether their parents were our Gens or renSime workers.
Alain Ro nods.
Borgmann is not at all apologetic about this particular bending of the rules.
Alain Ro: This is a rather grey area of the law, I believe. Did the room and board assessment approximate the standard donation pay scale?
Borgmann: We used the standard IDAS determination. It is somewhat less than the average donation payment, although quite enough to cover the expenses of keeping a Gen, under normal circumstances.
Alain Ro: But the inflation made your costs far higher.
Borgmann: This, I am sure you understand, is not a normal situation, as little food is produced locally.
Borgmann: Exactly.
Alain Ro: And the Gens who took their donation money and tried to find accommodations elsewhere... how did you handle them?
Borgmann: Most of them didn't come to us in the first place.
Alain Ro rubs his chin harder.
Alain Ro: I thought the in-Territory government wanted the illegal border crossers kept under surveillance?
Borgmann's spine stiffens just a bit.
Borgmann: Professor, if you can figure out a way to keep several thousand people "under surveillance" with a staff of eighteen, please explain it to me.
Borgmann: We did as much as we could -- far more than I would have dreamed possible last fall, actually.
Alain Ro: There is a thriving subterranean economy, then. And a substantial group of people owing allegiance to neither government.
Borgmann: There always is.
Alain Ro thinks that they keep things better organized in New Washington, but bites his lips before the comment escapes.
Borgmann: For the most part, only those who have something to lose are loyal to a government.
Alain Ro thinks that the in-Territory citizens ought to be far more concerned about this aggregation of criminals than any phantasmagoric Gen invasion force.
Alain Ro: Then it is important that citizens have something to lose, is it not?
Alain Ro: It looks like your group succeeded in getting food and shelter for the Gens who applied for aid.
Alain Ro fixes Borgmann with a piercing stare.
Borgmann: We did, if not always in the organized fashion I would have preferred.
Borgmann has a fetish for organization, but understands that sometimes it isn't possible.
Alain Ro: Honestly, how many do you think fell through the holes in the safety net?
Borgmann: There weren't many who starved, I understand. At least among those who stayed in the renSimes' camps. I don't know how many of the smugglers froze to death, trying to get goods in.
Borgmann: Of course, the sorts of people who would refuse our aid are not the type to report deaths to the authorities.
Alain Ro: If you had it to do over, how would you organize things better?
Borgmann: I would bring in the supplies much earlier, including not only staples but also the fruit and other high-cost but essential items.
Borgmann: And I would want a larger and more reliable staff.
Borgmann can't fault the Narosian volunteers' enthusiasm, but directing it was much like herding cats. Or perhaps rabbits.
Alain Ro: I understand that in her youth Hajene Wise Snake was involved in efforts to provide services to the underclass in Bender Cove.
Alain Ro: Did you consult with her at all?
Borgmann's eyes widen, and he shivers like a field mouse in full view of a predator.
Alain Ro notes the reaction.
Borgmann: No. I don't get any closer to her than I absolutely have to.
Alain Ro: And why is that? She seems to be quite... original.
Alain Ro has found that renSimes usually dote on superlatively skilled channels.
Borgmann: She's insane. And vicious. And whatever her official "rehabilitation", she's still a rogue. I can't decide whether she has a plan of her own for this area, or whether she just wants to bring down the Tecton here and dance on all our bones.
Borgmann is obviously more than a little terrified of Snake.
Alain Ro compares this version against what Snake said to him last night in his chambers.
Alain Ro: What plans do you suspect her of formulating?
Borgmann: I wouldn't venture to guess what's going on in that twisted mind. Whatever it is, it's going to be trouble for the rest of us.
Alain Ro: What actions of hers threatened the Tecton?
Alain Ro saw rage and resentment in the young channel, but her possessiveness about Arat seemed to counterbalance the image of a total anarchist.
Borgmann: I've heard that she's involved in the smuggling. And she didn't want any of the Gens here to leave, this spring.
Borgmann: She precipitated the whole fiasco of Reverend Plum's arrest, although to be strictly fair, Josef gave her a lot of help with that.
Alain Ro winces.
Alain Ro: Yes, that is another matter I wanted to discuss with you.
Borgmann: She does what she pleases, and no one can control her. Not her Donors, or even Controller Arat.
Alain Ro: She hinted to me that she had some kind of hold over him. Any idea what that might be?
Borgmann's tentacles emerge to cling to his teacup, as his worst suspicions are confirmed.
Borgmann: You think so, too?
Alain Ro shrugs.
Alain Ro: Well, out-Territory, family members always always exert "undue influence" on each other.
Alain Ro: It's why we've moved towards a government of laws and not of lineage.
Borgmann: I don't think anyone would want to claim Hajene Snake as family.
Alain Ro: Yes, and Controller Arat is not a man for sentiment.
Alain Ro: Though he is motivated by loyalty.
Alain Ro: It's hard for me to tell.
Alain Ro: But you agree that he defers to her more than her family ties and status would warrant?
Borgmann: I haven't seen them together, but it is true that Hajene Snake does not seem to fear any consequences when she acts counter to his orders. Father or Controller, she doesn't believe his opinion matters.
Alain Ro: If she does not obey her Controller, she is a rogue by definition. Or an independent. Whichever terminology you prefer.
Alain Ro sips his tea thoughtfully.
Borgmann: Yes.
Borgmann shudders again. As an out-Territory immigrant saved from life as a junct by the Tecton, he finds the thought of opposition to it threatening and frightening.
Alain Ro remembers the Audnes legacy that he has been researching. The breed has never been amenable to control.
Alain Ro: As a rogue, she was quite a successful entrepreneur.
Alain Ro: Developing services in a niche market. I think that was how she put it.
Borgmann: You've spoken with her?
Alain Ro: Yes, briefly.
Borgmann wonders how anyone could exchange two words with her, without knowing exactly how insane -- and dangerous -- she is.
Alain Ro has dealt with many insane and dangerous people throughout his long career. These things are relative, and must be evaluated in context.
Alain Ro: She did not consult with you about providing services to these indigents. Do you think she has taken independent action?
Alain Ro imagines that the local woods are probably full not only of Gens but renSimes who want transfers and supplies off the books.
Alain Ro figures that with a Controller to screen her from official oversight, Hajene Snake could build up a nice little franchise.
Borgmann: I've heard rumors that she's mixed up with the smugglers. And it would certainly explain some things, if she were.
Borgmann thinks, for instance, her insistence that the Gens not be resettled outside of her range of influence, reducing her market for goods.
Alain Ro nods thoughtfully. It would certainly fit within the context of Snake's previous life choices.
Alain Ro: What would be the Tecton's reaction to a channel engaging in such activities?
Borgmann: They would demand that Arat stop her immediately, and deliver her to Capitol for discipline as soon as she could be replaced.
Alain Ro: And the reaction to a Controller who condoned or even abetted such a rogue?
Borgmann: Controller Arat would be disgraced at best, and retired from duty at worst, depending on how fully he was deemed to be a participant in her activities.
Borgmann personally has been careful not to mention what are, after all, only rumors in his reports.
Borgmann has gone to some trouble to avoid finding out if they are just rumors, or the truth, as well.
Alain Ro frowns. Now this does not match his image of a channel who is so constrained by authority he keeps quiet even in the face of flagrant personal abuse by his superiors.
Alain Ro doubts Arat would willingly take this kind of risk to his career and his very survival; not for any reward or promise.
Borgmann: Of course, if he was disgraced, he wouldn't be trusted with the sort of work schedule he really requires.
Borgmann: Slow or fast, he'd be dead either way.
Alain Ro: If those are the risks, I can't imagine why the Controller would allow such a thing under any circumstances.
Alain Ro: There is something missing from the model.
Alain Ro thinks but there is nevertheless definitely something odd going on, even if he hasn't got the details pinned down.
Borgmann agrees, but unlike Ro, he has no wish to find out the answer.
Borgmann: Perhaps Controller Arat accepts the risks because he has no choice? Or because the alternative is worse?
Alain Ro wonders if it is serious enough to endanger the Dam project. If the Plum affair is any example, it is a matter for serious concern.
Alain Ro: Well, this is idle speculation.
Alain Ro: Let's look at what we know.
Alain Ro: I would like details from you, N'vet Borgmann, on this business about Minister Plum.
Alain Ro: The trial is rapidly approaching and could cause political embarrassment if it is not handled right.
Borgmann: The details are simple enough. I had been warned by my superiors that a Gen Distect fugitive might try to cross the border at the Dam site, taking advantage of the confusion.
Borgmann: I passed the information along to my customs officials, and when Josef tried to cross without papers, he was arrested.
Borgmann: It took several days for his case to be brought to me attention. I investigated, and was able to confirm his identity due to our former acquaintance.
Borgmann: I was about to order the guards to release him when he pulled out a hidden razor blade and tried to cut my throat.
Alain Ro: And that is the crime he is charged with?
Borgmann: Yes.
Alain Ro: How was Wise Snake involved then?
Borgmann: Oh, she stole his identification papers. And his selyn. It was Josef's truthful insistence that he hadn't donated, combined with his low field, that made the guards suspect that he had given an illegal transfer, instead.
Alain Ro frowns deeply.
Alain Ro: How has she been disciplined for that action?
Borgmann: She hasn't been, to the best of my knowledge.
Borgmann: That is, of course, a separate issue from Josef's attempt to murder me.
Borgmann: IDAS has a very strict policy of prosecuting those who attack its officers. Given our mission, and the sorts of people who prefer to cross borders "informally", you can see why this is necessary.
Alain Ro: Yes, I understand that.
Alain Ro: However the Church of the Purity may not view the matter the same way.
Borgmann: Perhaps not. However, there are not likely to be many of their members on the jury when Josef is tried.
Alain Ro: However, there will be many beating the drums in the press if he is convicted.
Alain Ro: And it could affect the Dam Project as a whole.
Alain Ro: Is there any way this matter could be negotiated without a formal trial?
Borgmann: If Josef had waited until I was off duty, or at least not surrounded by dozens of witnesses, perhaps something could have been done to avoid a trial.
Borgmann: Goodness knows, I've been trying all winter to find such a solution.
Alain Ro nods.
Alain Ro: Whatever the outcome, it will be detrimental to inter-Territorial relations.
Alain Ro: Do you think Wise Snake may have deliberately engineered the situation to strike against the Tecton hierarchy?
Alain Ro, as a master manipulator, sometimes sees conspiracies even when they aren't there.
Borgmann: From what I have been able to determine, she wanted to see what would happen if Josef were allowed to preach for a few days. She had no way to know that he would try to murder an IDAS official.
Alain Ro snorts.
Alain Ro: A CoP Minister confined by Simes and forced to donate? That was utterly predictable.
Borgmann shakes his head.
Borgmann: You're wrong. Josef would never have tried to murder me if I hadn't been his personal friend.
Alain Ro rubs his chin.
Alain Ro: You think he would have gone quietly to the Collectorium if you weren't there?
Borgmann blinks in bewilderment.
Borgmann: Why would we have taken him to the Collectorium? He was already low field.
Borgmann: We would have taken him back to the ferry, so he could continue his interrupted journey back to Salmonton.
Alain Ro: Exactly. His selyn stolen by a rogue channel protected by Tecton officials.
Alain Ro: And I understand his sanity is in question. The Church of the Purity will claim that donating drove him mad.
Borgmann: By the standards of this side of the border, he was never truly sane, even before Hajene Snake got her tentacles on him.
Alain Ro laughs.
Alain Ro: I have no doubt of it.
Borgmann: Also, at the time he attacked me, he didn't believe that he was low-field.
Borgmann: So if he had simply allowed me to release him, as I intended, he would have suffered nothing worse than a few days' halt in his travel plans.
Alain Ro: I have been trying to get permission to talk with Plum and assess the situation for myself, but he is confined on a locked ward.
Alain Ro: What tack do you expect him to take with his defense?
Borgmann: You will have to ask his lawyer about that. As the prime witness for the prosecution, I am not privy to such details.
Alain Ro grants that Borgmann may have the facts right, but truth is not always the determining factor with a mob; the rumors about the Gen invasion are good evidence of that.
Alain Ro: You want to see your personal friend punished, then?
Borgmann hopes that Plum will have the sense to let his lawyer overrule his preferred defense: that murdering Simes is not a crime, and that Borgmann should have allowed his throat to be cut.
Borgmann: Of course not.
Borgmann looks like an indignant, middle-aged, balding mouse.
Alain Ro: You want to see justice done?
Borgmann: Professor Ro, I have no wish to see my friend in prison, other things being equal. But they're not. I also have responsibilities: to my staff, whose safety depends on the prosecution of those who attack IDAS officials, and to my adopted country, which took me in as a refugee, educated me, and gave me useful employment.
Borgmann: If Plum manages to convince an in-Territory jury to acquit him, no one will be happier than I.
Alain Ro shakes his head, with a wry smile.
Alain Ro: You know that will never happen.
Borgmann: So be it, then. I will not act to undermine the rule of law that protects all of us.
Alain Ro: You want to make a public example of a law-breaker.
Alain Ro: I understand that. I even commend it.
Alain Ro: I just draw your attention to the context.
Alain Ro: This trial will not just be about an assault on an IDAS official.
Alain Ro: The forces are gearing up on both sides of the border with accusations and counter-accusations.
Borgmann: Professor Ro, I'd much rather the whole incident had never happened. However, if Plum's case is handled in secret -- if our government refuses to follow its own laws and procedures just because it's inconvenient to do so -- then it will no longer be worth preserving.
Alain Ro shakes his head at Borgmann's naivete.
Borgmann: If nothing else, I hope the trial will help to separate what actually happened from the rumors that have circulated.
Borgmann: And clarify the issues.
Borgmann is particularly eager to set to rest the rumors that Plum was imprisoned in order to force him to donate, rather than for attempted murder.
Alain Ro has seen that the Tecton already sidesteps its laws and procedures for convenience, from Arat's politically motivated assignments to Snake's free pass for roguery.
Alain Ro is amazed that anyone who has been in government service as long as Borgmann doesn't understand how things really work.
Alain Ro suspects the IDAS official's idealism will be costly to the government for whom he is pinching pennies.
Alain Ro: Your faith in the system is quite touching.
Go on to Episode #177: Drug-Dealing, Snake-Loving Bastard
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