2009-07-24, 15:53
Darius’ Quarters, Gulfonodi RE-AW HQ annex.
Darius glanced once more at his terminal, rife with information boxes, scrolling inventory lists and personnel reports, before returning his attention to the three people in his room.
“It seems we are almost there,” Darius said. Dienna Helgaard, brushing her red braided locks back behind her ears, nodded with a smile. “Are you sure you are ready now?”
“Hah,” she laughed with the slightest hint of nervousness. “It’s been almost a year since you came to my workshop on Mor Koral with this idea, and I dropped about half a dozen of my best tools on the floor while you told me what you wanted to do.” Darius adorned a rare genuine smile as he recalled the strange mix of dread and jubilation evident in her mannerisms. For several years before this, he had been aware his venture to space on the capsuleer program had sparked keen interest in many of the young and old. Before this the only clan members to see space were the Koude family warriors who inevitably joined the Republic Marine forces or the Republic Fleet.
“And now?”
“I still drop the odd mug here and there.” She laughed. The other two in the room sat in separate corners with casual expressions on their faces, letting the two clan members finish their banter. “But yes, I am confident enough to do this.”
“Good, because of all who seemed most likely to pass the capsuleer training I chose you for a reason. Your background in engineering is exemplary and your enthusiasm was more likely to get you through the training than anyone else. Not to mention your entrepreneurial spirit lending you to this task.”
Dienna smiled in appreciation at the compliment.
“So, when do we finish this?” she asked.
“Begin,” Darius corrected her without skipping a beat. “We begin in the next few weeks.” Dienna seemed to bubble up even more as he finished speaking.
“Right, well I had better get back to Matar and round up the last of the staff.” She turned to the moody Vherokior in the corner. “You will be in position tomorrow to move them, right?”
“Hmm.” Came an unenthusiastic reply, accompanied by a simple nod. Dienna losing none of her zeal to the Vherokior’s brooding, nodded deeply to Darius and headed out of the room.
“You always were the lady charmer, Haq.” Said the other Brutor woman in the room, once the door hissed shut.
“Shay’la,” said Darius, addressing the woman. “Are you still happy with your role in all this?”
“Of course. Security. Wow.”
“Yes, at least you will be doing something. I still owe you after all and I said you would always have a place in my clan.” Shay’la simply nodded.
“I’ll be fine, and thank you.”
“Investments?” Darius said, now turning to Haquole Joso, the morose looking Vherokior.
“Well, you don’t have that much to invest anyway. But I am keeping an eye on the ones we already have. Shame about the loss on FRPB a while ago. I would be lying if I said we have made up for it with the EMFI shares you have. Personally I would rather drop them entirely because they make next to nothing.”
“So why do we still have them?”
“Because right now if you really want to have some kind of investment for the sake of it we have no better choices for a small capital. It is just not building itself to make it worth reinvesting in anything of significant size. And that is if you could afford the minimum outlays in the first place.”
Darius sat back and nodded to himself.
“OK, I am not up for locking money away for the sake of it but I would rather lock it away than spend it because the principal is sound at least. Maybe we can start adding to it as time goes along again, now you can get more focus on that in the near future. But if you see any trouble, dump them for whatever you can. I am not looking to lose more money.”
Darius fell silent giving Haquole the hint that his part of the meeting was wrapping up. In many respects, Haquole and Darius were alike and when they were done talking they were well and truly done. Haquole nodded tersely to Darius and Shay’la and left to prepare his transit orders. Shay’la stayed behind a moment longer and stared at Darius.
“Yes?” he said finally.
“You have grown to trust him.” Shay’la remarked.
“You don’t?” asked Darius. Shay’la shrugged and raised the corner of her mouth into her usual cheeky smile.
“I didn’t say that.”
“If neither of us trusted him he would not have been given the chance he has had, Shay’la. I would not have let him within an entire system of any of my assets.”
“Quite.”
“So why did you ask?”
“... Research, production, and that investments thing...”
“Investments are always good. I just can’t handle them myself. I’m an old and displaced fighter now who knows little of anything else.”
Shay’la regarded Darius a moment, and shook her head.
“You know I didn’t mean that part.”
“I see.”
“And while on the subject; Dienna.” Darius raised his head from his screen again.
“What about her?”
“Do you trust her? She is a Helgaard after all, and while I admire your reasons for hi...”
“My reasons are my own.” Interrupted Darius. “Yes she is a Helgaard. But she is not that Helgaard.”
“Exactly what I was going to say.” Shay’la said, now rising to her feet. “And this is the problem. You have gone out of your way to keep a strong position after what Khas did to the Clan, so he can barely move under the weight of your exhortations towards the Helgaard families. That does not mean it is a good choice though.”
Darius sat back and stared at Shay’la, rolling her words around in his head. He knew she did have a point about his picking Dienna out of many among his people who wanted to train as a capsuleer.
“I take your point, but she was still the best choice besides my other motives.”
“And the shares you discussed with Haquole?”
“A precaution.”
Shay’la flashed her cheeky smile towards Darius once more and nodded.
“Glad to see you have it in hand at least. I’ll head to Ammold and start final scouting on a facility.” Said Shay’la. “At least take that job off of Dienna.”
“OK, let me know when you have done.” Shay’la nodded once more and left the room.
Darius glanced once more at his terminal, rife with information boxes, scrolling inventory lists and personnel reports, before returning his attention to the three people in his room.
“It seems we are almost there,” Darius said. Dienna Helgaard, brushing her red braided locks back behind her ears, nodded with a smile. “Are you sure you are ready now?”
“Hah,” she laughed with the slightest hint of nervousness. “It’s been almost a year since you came to my workshop on Mor Koral with this idea, and I dropped about half a dozen of my best tools on the floor while you told me what you wanted to do.” Darius adorned a rare genuine smile as he recalled the strange mix of dread and jubilation evident in her mannerisms. For several years before this, he had been aware his venture to space on the capsuleer program had sparked keen interest in many of the young and old. Before this the only clan members to see space were the Koude family warriors who inevitably joined the Republic Marine forces or the Republic Fleet.
“And now?”
“I still drop the odd mug here and there.” She laughed. The other two in the room sat in separate corners with casual expressions on their faces, letting the two clan members finish their banter. “But yes, I am confident enough to do this.”
“Good, because of all who seemed most likely to pass the capsuleer training I chose you for a reason. Your background in engineering is exemplary and your enthusiasm was more likely to get you through the training than anyone else. Not to mention your entrepreneurial spirit lending you to this task.”
Dienna smiled in appreciation at the compliment.
“So, when do we finish this?” she asked.
“Begin,” Darius corrected her without skipping a beat. “We begin in the next few weeks.” Dienna seemed to bubble up even more as he finished speaking.
“Right, well I had better get back to Matar and round up the last of the staff.” She turned to the moody Vherokior in the corner. “You will be in position tomorrow to move them, right?”
“Hmm.” Came an unenthusiastic reply, accompanied by a simple nod. Dienna losing none of her zeal to the Vherokior’s brooding, nodded deeply to Darius and headed out of the room.
“You always were the lady charmer, Haq.” Said the other Brutor woman in the room, once the door hissed shut.
“Shay’la,” said Darius, addressing the woman. “Are you still happy with your role in all this?”
“Of course. Security. Wow.”
“Yes, at least you will be doing something. I still owe you after all and I said you would always have a place in my clan.” Shay’la simply nodded.
“I’ll be fine, and thank you.”
“Investments?” Darius said, now turning to Haquole Joso, the morose looking Vherokior.
“Well, you don’t have that much to invest anyway. But I am keeping an eye on the ones we already have. Shame about the loss on FRPB a while ago. I would be lying if I said we have made up for it with the EMFI shares you have. Personally I would rather drop them entirely because they make next to nothing.”
“So why do we still have them?”
“Because right now if you really want to have some kind of investment for the sake of it we have no better choices for a small capital. It is just not building itself to make it worth reinvesting in anything of significant size. And that is if you could afford the minimum outlays in the first place.”
Darius sat back and nodded to himself.
“OK, I am not up for locking money away for the sake of it but I would rather lock it away than spend it because the principal is sound at least. Maybe we can start adding to it as time goes along again, now you can get more focus on that in the near future. But if you see any trouble, dump them for whatever you can. I am not looking to lose more money.”
Darius fell silent giving Haquole the hint that his part of the meeting was wrapping up. In many respects, Haquole and Darius were alike and when they were done talking they were well and truly done. Haquole nodded tersely to Darius and Shay’la and left to prepare his transit orders. Shay’la stayed behind a moment longer and stared at Darius.
“Yes?” he said finally.
“You have grown to trust him.” Shay’la remarked.
“You don’t?” asked Darius. Shay’la shrugged and raised the corner of her mouth into her usual cheeky smile.
“I didn’t say that.”
“If neither of us trusted him he would not have been given the chance he has had, Shay’la. I would not have let him within an entire system of any of my assets.”
“Quite.”
“So why did you ask?”
“... Research, production, and that investments thing...”
“Investments are always good. I just can’t handle them myself. I’m an old and displaced fighter now who knows little of anything else.”
Shay’la regarded Darius a moment, and shook her head.
“You know I didn’t mean that part.”
“I see.”
“And while on the subject; Dienna.” Darius raised his head from his screen again.
“What about her?”
“Do you trust her? She is a Helgaard after all, and while I admire your reasons for hi...”
“My reasons are my own.” Interrupted Darius. “Yes she is a Helgaard. But she is not that Helgaard.”
“Exactly what I was going to say.” Shay’la said, now rising to her feet. “And this is the problem. You have gone out of your way to keep a strong position after what Khas did to the Clan, so he can barely move under the weight of your exhortations towards the Helgaard families. That does not mean it is a good choice though.”
Darius sat back and stared at Shay’la, rolling her words around in his head. He knew she did have a point about his picking Dienna out of many among his people who wanted to train as a capsuleer.
“I take your point, but she was still the best choice besides my other motives.”
“And the shares you discussed with Haquole?”
“A precaution.”
Shay’la flashed her cheeky smile towards Darius once more and nodded.
“Glad to see you have it in hand at least. I’ll head to Ammold and start final scouting on a facility.” Said Shay’la. “At least take that job off of Dienna.”
“OK, let me know when you have done.” Shay’la nodded once more and left the room.