Chapter 1: All These Wayward Children [The Ties that Bind]

Kaji-Oni

Kaji-Oni

Senior Member
You have all been summoned by the surviving members of the family to attend the funeral of the late Count Grantham on the family’s ancestral home world. Hundreds of mourners arrived from the across the subsector to pay their respects to the late Count. The funeral was a lavish affair held in the largest cathedral on the planet, with the planetary government observing a day of mourning for the occasion and thousands of locals turned out to the ceremony. The eulogy recounts how Count Grantham was a kind and gentle man who always sought to please and protect the members of his family.


After the burial you are notified by the staff members that you were bequeathed something in the Count’s will and that you must meet with the estate manager immediately in accordance with the will. In turn, an air car is sent for each of you to bring you to the office of the estate manager. When you arrive the receptionist takes you to a large conference room and he asks if he can get you anything. The conference room is large and richly appointed with mahogany paneled walls, portraits of the previous Counts, and wide windows which give you a spectacular view of the city below. A few minutes later the receptionist arrives with your food and drink and the estate manager comes with him.


Mr Sylvester Dumont, the estate manager, holds a small manila folder in his hands and takes a seat at the head of the table and as he sits he lets out a sigh. He puts a hand on his graying temples for a moment to massage them.


“I am sorry for the rush behind this, we normally wait a few days to begin discussing inheritance to give you all time to grieve but the Count’s will was very explicit about contacting you immediately after his death” He lowers his hands and opens the manila folder. “As some of you know the family’s finances were not in great shape when the Count passed, he left you something, but most of the estate will be sold to settle his debts. Now shall we begin?”


Sylvester takes a moment to clear his throat, and begins reading the will.


“To my lovely grandson Ethan Blake, it was a misfortune that the accident occurred and robbed you of your parents, as you are the last of my direct descendants I bequeath to you the County of Grantham and all the rights and responsibilities that are commensurate to the title. To my grandnephew Aldric I leave to you my home on Haxby, although the home is small location is everything and it should assist you in your corporate career. To my third cousin Ativesa, I leave to you my favored air car and a pension, on condition that you stay close to the other family members as I fear for your safety. To my great niece Alexandari, I bequeath to you a small art gallery on Haxby as well as the courtesy title of Baroness Argyle. This title should help you in your charitable work and establish you as Heir Presumptive to the County of Grantham. Finally, to the ever loyal Joren Throop, you have served the family faithfully for some years and you shall be rewarded. I leave to you my hunting lodge and gear. Finally, there is one asset left to give you all, that is my old yacht Cleopatra, she is a venerable ship and I would like it to be shared among the present family members. It is yours to have on three conditions. First you must take Joren with you to serve as your butler. Second, you must keep the crew with you. Each and every crew member has been a loyal servant to the house and I would not stand to throw them out onto the streets as unemployed persons. Lastly, you must do whatever is in your power to restore the honor and power of this family. Through generations of mismanagement we have fallen from grace, please do not allow us to be cast aside into the dust bin of history, do your ancestors proud.”


Upon finishing the reading of the will, Sylvester sits back in his chair and waits for all of it to sink in and for your responses.
 
Mother had never liked the Count, but when Dari arrived at the funeral she realized she actually knew the old man. She had come here once when she was 8 or maybe 9. He had been a little younger but old men didn't change much in appearance once they reached a certain age. Then she had been back once when she was 14 or maybe 15. She remembered sitting in the Hall and playing the piano for hours as her mother and father did whatever they did when they visit her Great Uncle. She had written her first song then, as bad as it was.


She had formed her first band shortly after that visit. The Carbines. They were horrid. Galen wanted to sing rock ballads and thought he was god with guitar. Hobey was sweet and good to look at, but as a drummer he couldn't keep a beat for more than 2 minutes. It was partly why she wrote such short songs that could be riffed through like lightning, so that they could get it done before Hobey fell apart. Saxo was the only one she kept when she formed the Noobs. This place was pretty much where it all started then.


When she heard that there was something left for her in the will, she imagined he might have remembered her determination at the piano and was going to give it to her. She called Shu to come into the meeting with her, just to record and make arrangements to move the piano if needed. When it was announced that she was now a baroness she nearly choked on the very air she was breathing. You are farked! And awarded a gallery on Haxby. You are beyond farked! And Heir Presumptive. So far beyond farked that the light from farked wouldn't reach you for a hundred years!


She waited until Mr. Durmont finished and in a small shallow voice as she slowly managed to catch her breath, "Are you sure this was meant for me?" Of course it had to be. No one else was named Alexandari. Her mother had misspelled it at the hospital and before long it was official. "Baroness and Heir Presumptive?" her voice was quiet, quite the opposite of what she was known for on stage where her rages and screams had driven crowds into a frenzy.


Something in her mind was creaming to be let out. Something that needed control over the situation. Something that was screaming about ledgers, billets, tariffs, deeds. But first things first, because someone had just thrust her into the role of nobility. They were going to start calling her 'Her Ladyship.' Totally outrageously farked!
 
The last time Ethan had seen his Grandfather was, naturally, at a funeral. His parents always kept in contact, indeed, Ethan had spent his summers at the palace when he was a child, but his Grandfather always seemed distant. A caring old man, but distant. They would occasionally talk to each other through messages after Ethan had gone off to pursue his "career" of being an idiot, and Grandpa was never quite happy with the way Ethan was making his way through life.


Of course, things started to change pretty rapidly after the "accident." Ethan had realized that he was the only one really and truly left in his immediate family. While his Grandfather may have seemed distant, he was still always there for him, and it was then that he gently scolded Ethan into getting his life together. Ethan checked into detox the next day, and vowed to make his family proud. And also, naturally, to exact vengeance.


But first, it was time to deal with the issue before him. He knew his Grandfather was in ill health, and he had even spent the past few months handling the monetary affairs of the estate in his stead. He knew what was in the will, his Grandfather had to make sure the family fortune, or rather, what little was left, would continue on. "Well, Alex, don't start plotting for the title already!" Ethan chuckled to himself. He knew his cousin would be absolutely terrified. She never had a mind for the intrigue of nobility. She preferred the transparent lights of the stage.


"I do hope we all realize the gravitas of the situation. What Mr. Durmont failed to mention was just how small the estates are. The old man had a lot of debts in life." This part was undoubtedly, terrifyingly, true. The ship was the most valuable single piece of property in the will, and the former glory of the Grantham name was reduced to a palace and a few vacation homes."We need to keep everything together, and pool our resources. It's going to be difficult, and Emperor knows our family has it's issues, but we have a chance at restoring our position if we work together." All that talk about gravity had started to churn his stomach. Behind that steely demeanor, Ethan felt the flutter of nervousness. There really was no one left but him - the last of the Blakes. Am I really ready for all this?
 
Aldric almost missed the funeral. The message had taken time to filter through the maze set up around himself so by the time he landed he had just enough time to take his seat as it started. The service washed over him as he tried to remember when he last saw his great uncle. It must have been after graduation. His family had returned to the family's estates as a vacation and reward for Aldric before he moved on. The Count spent quite a while with the family. He remembered everyone thought well of the aging Patriarch but, in his youth, he had more important things to consider than the old relative. From there his career in corporate espionage kept him away from the family during the intervening years.


Aldric was greatly surprised by the message of inheritance. Certain it was a mere formality he took his seat and watched his relatives as Sylvester read his great uncle's will. Then his name came up "...I leave to you my home on Haxby, although the home is small location is everything and it should assist you in your corporate career..." A home? To myself? He hadn't even know the Count had really known about his choice of profession and did his best to conceal the sense of surprise at the gift. It only grew when the Cleopatra and the mission was added on. I had been looking for something new... Deep undercover work left little time for roots to grow in any one place and now a place to call home and what seemed like an interesting opportunity. He smiled as ideas began rolling through his head.


He nodded along as Ethan spoke, "I had heard as much about the estates. But the real question is, when do we start?"
 
Sylvester puts down the manila folder and presses a recess on the table, after a moment a hole opens in the table and a glass of scotch on the rocks rises from it. He takes a drink and puts it to the side. "Yes your Ladyship, the title of Baroness Argyle is a subsidiary title of the County and is reserved for use by the heir. You will retain its use until his Lordship sires an heir to displace you in the line of inheritance. Your grandfathers notes here state that he hopes you can use the gallery and the title to help your charitable endeavors, and that he donated the families musical instruments to an afterschool program for disadvantaged youth."


Sylvester turns to Aldric with a smile on his face "As to when you begin, that is up to you but the ship is waiting for you in the space port. When you are ready I suggest you take a tour and see if there are any changes you would like to make"


A vid screen comes to life in a panel behind the estate managers head, showing the receptionist "Sir sorry to bother you but the foreclosure personnel are here. They said that the last few checks bounced and they are coming to repossess the office furniture and evict us" With that announcement all of the color in Sylvester's face disappears, he gets up and begins scrambling through his papers. "That cant be right I am sure I switched the money around the accounts to cover us for atleast another week. Can you lock down the elevator to stall them?" The receptionist arches his eyebrows "Sir, I dont think that will help and it will only aggravate the situation. We should comply with their demands"


Sylvester rubs his temples in frustration, gulps down his drink and takes a seat "I apologize for this situation everyone, and if you do not have any more questions then I believe this meeting is over. Here are all of the relevant documentation that you need, the keys and titles to the inherited properties, tax forms filled out in triplicate. Now if you would please exit through the secret exit, I can save you the embarrassment of being caught in an eviction. It wouldnt look good upon the family name." He quickly presses a few buttons on his chair and a wall swings open revealing a secret exit. "Go quickly, and good luck on your journey"
 
"I would ask why, exactly, we have a secret exit in this office, but then I'd rather have plausible deniability on my side." Ethan made towards the exit and made his way towards the Cleopatra. Not sure how I feel about that name... Ah well. I hope my servants are on the ship. I should probably tell them to get on the ship... Ethan made sure to tell his servants where to meet him, and the crew on the ship to prepare for flight, and started to think about where, exactly, they ought to go next.





This whole business of rebuilding the family name isn't all that easy... is it.
 
Aldric smiled at his cousin, "Everyone should have at least one secret exit from his office." He gathered his briefcase and made for the exit, stopping only briefly to turn to the lawyer, "Who built this? I might be in need of a discrete contractor before this is all done."
 
Dari found herself wondering what this would all mean by this time next year. Would she have poured all of her funds into lost venture with no hope to recover any of it, or would she be sitting pretty as a baroness in her own right after reclaiming her good standing of her family relationship. She would have to go over the books just to see if things were a dire as they seemed or if any of this was salvageable.


And then they were moving, vacating the premises as apparently the family lawyer was about to lose his own office in this affair. "First thing I would do when setting up an office like this would be to have a discreet entrance in and out. I commend your forethought." Of course she didn't absolve him of the need to provide complete information about what they were inheriting.


"Mr. Durmont, I assume you were able to transfer the ownership records already. And I will assume that when we get to this boat, we will have the accounting ledgers available." She had a staff and she planned to use them. Shu followed Dari from the room and her floating comm robot came along with her. "Should I have my driver bring the car around? "
 
Joren was sorry to see the old man go. While he hadn't served as long as his father, he still felt a deep respect for the Count. And what was that about leaving Joren his lodge and equipment? He would have to see to it that it remained in good condition for when a rightful Family member had use for it, in that case. Surely the Count simply intended for him to remain as Keeper of the Grounds. Then again, the Count never let me forget that bloody knighthood. This may be him fulfilling his threat to see me landed. Wily old bastard, it's the exact sort of thing he'd do. Still, if nobody else knows that maybe I can give it back to the Family in a few years.


Joren is brought back to the moment when he hears of the debtors coming to evict the Family from this office and bristles momentarily. He waits for the order to defend the holding, whether with force or influence, yet it never came. Mildly disappointed, he nonetheless recognizes the secret passage and habit took over.


Things are not as they were. My grandfather still tells me about when he and the last Count defended Tryhold against other bidders by literally fortifying it with beam-nests and rocrete. Still, the Family continues and Joren would not see his duty disgraced simply due to the disarray of the Family. "This way, please. The secret exit can be confusing the first time." Joren guided the assorted nobles through the passage with the practice of years, as the Count had used it from time to time as well. "Will you be requiring me to drive you to the port, or would you prefer to use your more familiar driver, my lady?"
 
Sylvester furrows his brow and begins entering commands onto a holographic display that appears above the conference table. "Mr Perseus, your comm has been updated with the relevant discrete construction firms. I hope you can prove a better haggler than my father." He smiles at what may have been his last joke, then snaps to address Dari's concerns. "Yes your ladyship, the ship will contain a record of all of the estates records and you can peruse them at your leisure."


In the distance you can here the sound of gunfire and a door being kicked in.


"Oh Hericide Financial, why must they always choose the violent way! Joren, there is a car waiting at the exit, please take them to the ship and off world post haste."


As soon as you all enter the secret exit Mr Dumont waves his hands again and the bookshelf closes behind you. You navigate through the winding passages with the help of Joren and arrive at a concealed exit which leads into a garage. There is a small box on your side of the exit which contains the keys for an airvan, as well as a tracking chip to find the vehicle that the keys belong to. As you enter the garage you notice that it has a good view of the office building about a mile away. You see corporate security vehicles cordoning off the premises along with a few VTOL craft hovering in the area. As the scene unfolds a large explosion rocks the neighborhood as Mr Dumonts office is destroyed by an explosion. Flames begin to engulf the floor and emergency crews scramble.
 
"Hmm... Something tells me this isn't a normal eviction..." Ethan knew his family never left the legal gray area when it came to business, but he couldn't help but be surprised that a company would blow up an office building rather than repossess it. Ethan began to look up Hericide Financial and whatever records the family had with them.


"We might want to avoid whomever was responsible for this for a while. The old man had debts, but I wouldn't imagine them collecting like this..." We should probably go to Haxby... it's wealthy and industrialized and we apparently have property that isn't exploding there...





Ethan made a point of avoiding explosions. Horrible gruesome death was simply unpleasant as a concept to him. He made his way towards the airvan with the others, thoroughly intent on sketching out a plan to rebuild the family fortune - starting first with some healthy market manipulation and trade runs.
 
"You might be thinking that those debts were to normal bankers. Something tells me that those were less reputable loan sharks." He just hoped that the family's employees got out before things went bad.


"Joren, you should drive. I'll have my driver meet us someplace discreet after we are safely on board Cleopatra." She had only heard stories about the ship, but they were fabulous stories of grandeur, and excess. It had made her parents jealous of the wealth of the family that they were only peripherally included in.
 
As soon as the firing started, Joren discreetly positioned himself between the Family members and the source of danger while he waited for the car. "Of course, sir. I will get you all safely aboard the Cleopatra as swiftly as possible" As the car arrived, Joren scanned it over for bombs, damage or other danger and opened the doors for the Family to enter. "The Count spoke at length about my driving skill. You have nothing to fear"


As he shut the door and got into the driver's seat, his charges secure, Joren immediately set off at significantly faster than the legal, or reasonable, maximum speed. Of course, he was usually saying Slow Down You Maniac but they don't need to know that either. Never crashed, that's what matters, innit?
 
Dari pulls Shu into the limousine behind her as the robot drone follows. They slid across the seats so Dari and Shu are facing each other. "Call Amy. I left Anton in the lobby. Head over to pick up Garver and meet us at the spaceport. Then call my secretary at the nightclub. I'll need her to collect the ledgers of the new gallery I just picked up. Need to know the financial state of that. Then call Carlyn and let him know that I have inherited the title of Baroness. He will probably want to make a press release about that. Then call the hotel and have the concierge pack my things and get them ready to ship. Destination to be determined."


Immediate business out of the way, she took a deep breath as she let Shu do what she did best. She engaged the robot drone and started quietly speaking to the people on her list. Dari turned to the rest of the group, ignoring the speed that they were driving. She had a professional driver of her own, she knew better than to comment on his performance.


"That didn't go well." Somehow she found herself in the position a little beyond her reach. Somehow, she was supposed to help manage the remaining parts of a count's estate. "I hope that the staff aren't owed any back pay. I spent half my liquid credits getting the clothes for the funeral. I am not going to be much financial help until I can figure out what is going on."
 
Aldric had heard of such tactics but was still surprised when the building blew, "I would suggest our first order of business be to relocate any remaining accounts with a slightly calmer set of lenders." Still, driving away from the scene brought back memories. He checked the continence of his briefcase and sat back to enjoy the ride to the port. Mentally he began composing some of the many messages that would have to be sent out in the near future.


"Joren, I would be interested to hear where you got your licence when we stop."
 
"Something tells me that those 'lenders' aren't going to transfer their accounts, unless they get paid off. My guess is that the interest rates on some of those loans might include a few kneecaps, a few left hands, and maybe a first born." Dari had stayed well away from those types when it came to recording contracts. So many were willing to foot the bill when she was starting up, but she took the safer route to avoid problems that they were now faced with.


"And Joren, I understand that you are in service to the House of Grantham. Very honourable profession. I always admired how the serving class were able to distinguish themselves by the reputation of the House they served. If only a businessman could have that same sense of self-respect. You are a rare breed." She glanced over at Ethan... her sousin in some manner. She remembered him from her youth when she was 8 or 9, he was two years younger than she. Little Ettie she had called him then, as he called her Alex. She was hoping to talk to him in private at some point. She wouldn't embarrass Ettie in front of the rest of the family.
 
"I will have you know that my license was personally issued to me by the Chief of Traffic and Safety Himself. You have nothing to fear" Joren reassures his passenger, fitting through a tiny gap in traffic. Of course, that was only because I won the license in a game of poker. And it was on a different planet. No need to bother them with such trifles, I'm sure. Besides, what kind of cheapskate bets a driving license?
 
Dari, your staff is hard at work on the tasks you assigned them


You approach the starport of the planet on the edge of the capital city. Its gleaming towers sparkle in the afternoon soon, from this distance you can make out the silver sheen of the Cleopatra waiting outside of the families private hangar. The crew prepping it for your arrival. As soon as you breathe a sigh of relief your airvan shakes, shots have impacted its hull. In the distance you see a hericide gunship opening fire upon you, lights activate on your van and the shield generator roars to life. A small concealed canon unfolds itself from the rear and a holographic control panel appears in the cabin.


transport_gunship_by_shimmering_sword-d38w3xw.jpg



OOC: Joren or a replacement driver I will need you to make a drive check, someone with gunnery or jack of all trades can use the canon to fire back. Since the assailant didnt fire warning shots, radio you to surrender, or any similar actions you can defend yourself freely.
 
Anton had talked about getting a Razor 1K installed on their normal travel boat. He talked about how it would provide defensive fire from pirates or other overly aggressive people. He had meant the paparazzi, but Dari didn't want the publicity of having shot down one of the photographers and had vetoed the idea.


Still, that hadn't stopped him from pulling out diagrams and tech sheet to explain how it all worked. When no one else in the van moved to take the gunnery seat, she sighed and dropped in. How hard could it be, after all. It was just a gun with a trigger, just like anything else. Anything else, as long as you ignored the targeting sensors, the HUD, the OPD command system, and the turreted tracking array.


"Okay, lets just fire back to let them know we aren't taking this lightly. Someone want to get on comms and let security know we have an unannounced pirate on our ass." She flicked on the auto-lock system and fired off a shot at the gunship.


[dice]1019[/dice]
 
Aldric opens his briefcase and removes a highly modified pistol and a wafer. Sliding the wafer into the back of his neck, he accesses the data given to them by the lawyer and puts in a call to the Cleopatra, "It looks like we'll be coming in hot Cleopatra. We have a gunship on our tail and we would appreciate any support you could have ready for us when we arrive." Calmly he rolls down the window and takes a seat half in and half out of the van on the door. The pistol comes up, aligns with the pilot, and barks once.


[dice]1130[/dice]
 
The van's cannons roar to life firing a hail of bullets at the pursuing gunship. Dari is unable to keep her aim steady and her shots fail to connect with the craft. Aldric levies his pistol and strikes with the precision of a trained assassin, piercing the canopy of the craft and covering its interior with arterial spray. The gunship begins to violently descend and crashes on an empty street bellow, allowing you all to make a hasty escape.


As you arrive at the space port you see the Cleopatra out of its hangar, it is a large and sleek silver craft that gleams brilliantly in the sun. As you approach and the glare reduces you notice that the crew of the Cleopatra has the ship prepared for immediate launch. The hangar doors of the yacht open providing amble space to park the van. Once you land the hangar doors close behind your vehicle and you can hear the engines of the ship roar to life, and feel the inertial dampeners kick in as the ship takes off.


In the hangar three men dressed in servants livery stand at attention. An older man with a hooked nose and peppered hair steps forward, nods to Joren, and opens your car doors helping you out of the van. "Is everyone alright? We received your orders to prep the ship and soon after detected gunfire on our sensors."
 
"We're quite fine. Apparently whoever wanted us dead was too stupid to install armor in their gunships. Just in case, ensure that the weapons are ready to be activated at a moment's notice, in case there's something waiting for us in orbit." Ethan was not a fan of this situation, it had been quite a while since he had been involved in anything like a gunfight, and he was not pleased to be in one now, particularly so soon after the death of his Grandfather. He asked one of the servants for a strong drink, and then began looking over what was on the cargo and personnel manifest of the Cleopatra. "Oh, and set a course for Haxby, I'm sure there's something we can find there."
 
After flying them there in mostly one piece, Joren entered the ship first and discreetly checked for any traps or ambushes. Finding none, he stood to the side, keeping an eye on these new servants. He gave them the universal servant glance for "I accept that you are probably not a threat, but I called dibs. Back down, I'm the butler here" with a subtext of "I have killed things literally bigger than your extended family put together with a small rifle"


You know, I never realized how versatile the Servant Glances really were. I guess being the only one around means I don't get to use it that often. Still, I'm sure I didn't mess up the meaning or anything.


Joren bowed politely as the nobles entered one at a time, welcoming them as though he had been here all along.
 
"That was me. I wasn't sure how sturdy the gunship was, but it has been taken care of. Though we should probably still be wary. If they were willing to risk that ship who knows what else they will try." Not used to being bowed to Aldric shuffled past took a seat for the inevitable rough passage from the atmosphere. This will be a very different life.
 
"Nice shot, by the way." She wasn't exactly sure how he had managed to hit the driver, but something had to be said for skill over power. She disembarked from the van. The stories about the Cleopatra had been told in her family, but she had never been aboard. She had heard all sorts of stories and rumours. Fountains in the entryway, swimming pool in the exercise room, sauna, bowling alley, skeet shooting range. Some of them had to be false.


"Nice driving, Mister Throop." Her entourage she called by first name, but her servants at her homes asked to be called by Mister, Missus, and Miss. Shu followed her from the flier already working on getting flight arrangements to Haxby for the rest of her team. She didn't bother to follow Dari through the receiving line.


Dari however didn't have much of a choice. She would greet the servants as they were presented to her one by one. "Ethan, we need to figure out how to approach this. If we have people willing to kill us rather than try to collect, we have to assume that there might be even more dangerous people out there. . I am not so sure your family had all the best dealing, and some of the more dubious loans might not be on the books, per se."
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Users who are viewing this thread

Total: 4 (members: 0, guests: 4)

Similar threads

Sora No Kami
A vicious dance with death (RP 1x1 based on the song "My R") TW: Self-loathing, Suicune
Replies
1
Views
93
Sora No Kami
Sora No Kami
Back
Top