Fic: Spin Recovery, Part Fifteen
Jan. 2nd, 2008 02:28 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
jeriendhalPG. Now I'm going ot have to figure out what Vulpine uniforms look like. Time to bug Peta again, I suspect.
Rufus slid into his seat at the dinner table as the second course was being served. “Sorry about being late, Mother. I was unexpectedly delayed,” he said.
“So I was informed,” his mother replied coolly. “What by?”
“Breaking up an angry mob.” He took a sip of his soup. “Well, an annoyed one, at least.”
Bethany smiled in amusement. “Rufus, what are you going on about?” She seemed to have forgiven him for his drunken arrival back home a few days before. Of course it probably helped that she had slept through the incident.
“There was some poor vixen from the surveying firm Mother had hired, surrounded by a group of very irritated locals. It turns out the home of a young lady I was escorting back from the clinic happens to be on that parcel of land the House is interested in mining. After I identified myself, they were willing to listen to me and let her go on her way.”
His mother let out an annoyed hmph. “That won’t do at all.”
“Yes, well, about that. This doesn’t seem to be a case of them wanting an increase in the usual compensation. They seemed genuinely angry about the mere idea of being moved from their homes.”
“It is a difficult situation,” his mother admitted. “Historically speaking, there has been less oversight of that section of House Brushtail’s properties than is usual. The land is all rocky hills, completely unsuitable for farming or industry. The Vulpine that chose to settle there as we recovered from the Subjugation were… iconoclastic.”
Rufus raised his eyebrows. “They aren’t part of those lunatics in the Vulpine Democratic Movement are they?”
“Nothing so awful,” she answered. “The original settlers had been participants in some of the worst fighting during the Dominion War. Once peace had finally been won, they wanted nothing more than to retreat to somewhere quiet, to commune with the Holy Den Mother’s creation and heal their shattered souls. In return for their service, our ancestors granted them unusual independence from oversight. So long as they paid their rents, they were otherwise left alone, aside from the standard community services being made available if they chose to use them.”
“I noticed that,” Rufus said. “They aren’t even connected with the main power grid.”
“They’re not all hermits,” Bethany added. “Actually that area usually provides the highest number of re-enlistments in the military from House Brushtail’s population.”
“I think I noticed that too,” he said. “So, we’ve got a group of subjects that were granted more autonomy than is usual, who aren’t particularly happy about having it rescinded.”
“I’m perfectly willing to allow them resettle on another parcel of Brushtail land with the same agreement,” his mother noted. “I just don’t want them to be there. Part of the reason that they were given the land in the first place is that it was considered a poor revenue producer. Getting land rents was the only likely source of profit at all. Now with the possibility of creating a Sevenium mine, it could become a major House asset.”
She considered him for a moment. “You said you actually got them to listen to you?”
“Well…” he hedged. “I think they were mostly surprised that someone had confronted them directly. Once I announced myself they were more than willing to disperse and let that poor surveyor go on her way.”
His mother tapped her soup bowl authoritatively with a spoon. “Very well. You were looking for something to occupy your time, Ru Ofanius. I believe we’ve found a worthy task for you. I charge you with speaking directly to the commoners in that region and convincing, with charm if possible, with authority if not, that it would be best for them and the House that they take the compensation offered them and vacate their homes before major excavations begin.”
“Given the situation, that’s a rather tall order,” Rufus said, after considering it for a moment. “Are you, um, certain you wish to give me this much responsibility?”
She smiled. “I’ll never know if you’re worthy of it if I don’t test you, my son. Besides, even if you fail, we won’t be any worse of than before.”
“A point, madam. Well, I had already set up a dinner date with Hazel, the young woman I was giving a ride to. I suppose with this I can charge it to the accounts as House business now.” He brightened. “Actually, maybe I won’t have to. Didn’t you say you were going to have a dinner party soon?”
“Oh, yes. We’re having the Softpaws over next week,” Bethany told him.
“Perfect, I’ll invite her as well.”
His mother looked at him with disapproval. “This is a party among peers, Ru Ofanius.”
“She’s a former naval pilot, injured in the line of duty,” he said with determination. “It’s perfectly appropriate for a farmer noble house to show respect to soldiers who defend the Holy Den Mother’s realm. Besides, if we make a good impression on her, it will work in our favor when we negotiate with her neighbors.”
“A point,” his mother conceded. “Very well, invite her, Ru Ofanius. Let’s see what kind of impression we can make.”
TBC
Rufus slid into his seat at the dinner table as the second course was being served. “Sorry about being late, Mother. I was unexpectedly delayed,” he said.
“So I was informed,” his mother replied coolly. “What by?”
“Breaking up an angry mob.” He took a sip of his soup. “Well, an annoyed one, at least.”
Bethany smiled in amusement. “Rufus, what are you going on about?” She seemed to have forgiven him for his drunken arrival back home a few days before. Of course it probably helped that she had slept through the incident.
“There was some poor vixen from the surveying firm Mother had hired, surrounded by a group of very irritated locals. It turns out the home of a young lady I was escorting back from the clinic happens to be on that parcel of land the House is interested in mining. After I identified myself, they were willing to listen to me and let her go on her way.”
His mother let out an annoyed hmph. “That won’t do at all.”
“Yes, well, about that. This doesn’t seem to be a case of them wanting an increase in the usual compensation. They seemed genuinely angry about the mere idea of being moved from their homes.”
“It is a difficult situation,” his mother admitted. “Historically speaking, there has been less oversight of that section of House Brushtail’s properties than is usual. The land is all rocky hills, completely unsuitable for farming or industry. The Vulpine that chose to settle there as we recovered from the Subjugation were… iconoclastic.”
Rufus raised his eyebrows. “They aren’t part of those lunatics in the Vulpine Democratic Movement are they?”
“Nothing so awful,” she answered. “The original settlers had been participants in some of the worst fighting during the Dominion War. Once peace had finally been won, they wanted nothing more than to retreat to somewhere quiet, to commune with the Holy Den Mother’s creation and heal their shattered souls. In return for their service, our ancestors granted them unusual independence from oversight. So long as they paid their rents, they were otherwise left alone, aside from the standard community services being made available if they chose to use them.”
“I noticed that,” Rufus said. “They aren’t even connected with the main power grid.”
“They’re not all hermits,” Bethany added. “Actually that area usually provides the highest number of re-enlistments in the military from House Brushtail’s population.”
“I think I noticed that too,” he said. “So, we’ve got a group of subjects that were granted more autonomy than is usual, who aren’t particularly happy about having it rescinded.”
“I’m perfectly willing to allow them resettle on another parcel of Brushtail land with the same agreement,” his mother noted. “I just don’t want them to be there. Part of the reason that they were given the land in the first place is that it was considered a poor revenue producer. Getting land rents was the only likely source of profit at all. Now with the possibility of creating a Sevenium mine, it could become a major House asset.”
She considered him for a moment. “You said you actually got them to listen to you?”
“Well…” he hedged. “I think they were mostly surprised that someone had confronted them directly. Once I announced myself they were more than willing to disperse and let that poor surveyor go on her way.”
His mother tapped her soup bowl authoritatively with a spoon. “Very well. You were looking for something to occupy your time, Ru Ofanius. I believe we’ve found a worthy task for you. I charge you with speaking directly to the commoners in that region and convincing, with charm if possible, with authority if not, that it would be best for them and the House that they take the compensation offered them and vacate their homes before major excavations begin.”
“Given the situation, that’s a rather tall order,” Rufus said, after considering it for a moment. “Are you, um, certain you wish to give me this much responsibility?”
She smiled. “I’ll never know if you’re worthy of it if I don’t test you, my son. Besides, even if you fail, we won’t be any worse of than before.”
“A point, madam. Well, I had already set up a dinner date with Hazel, the young woman I was giving a ride to. I suppose with this I can charge it to the accounts as House business now.” He brightened. “Actually, maybe I won’t have to. Didn’t you say you were going to have a dinner party soon?”
“Oh, yes. We’re having the Softpaws over next week,” Bethany told him.
“Perfect, I’ll invite her as well.”
His mother looked at him with disapproval. “This is a party among peers, Ru Ofanius.”
“She’s a former naval pilot, injured in the line of duty,” he said with determination. “It’s perfectly appropriate for a farmer noble house to show respect to soldiers who defend the Holy Den Mother’s realm. Besides, if we make a good impression on her, it will work in our favor when we negotiate with her neighbors.”
“A point,” his mother conceded. “Very well, invite her, Ru Ofanius. Let’s see what kind of impression we can make.”
TBC
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2008-01-02 08:58 pm (UTC):-D I'm glad it's being updated lots! I gets my Rufus fix.
no subject
Date: 2008-01-03 02:05 pm (UTC)