“Honestly, I don’t know why you insist on meeting in an endless line of coffee shops Okran.” The grey eyed woman said as she sat down awkwardly on the low bench, trying to keep her skirt a decent length with one hand as she clutched her bag in the other.
“Because this is Oxford and besides, this is a tea house.” Okran Radsley retorted with his characteristic charismatic smile.
It had no effect on her.
“Report. Did they take the Alpha or the Gamma?”
“Flew to Port Oasis, unless Quinn is being extra sneaky, I’d say he went to see Doctor Chambers.” Radsley answered while he delicately poured her a cup of mekonkese green tea. The pot looked comically small in his ponderous hands.
“Congratulations, as you had expected. I still believe you should pursue the Matoux angle to keep all our options open.” She sipped her tea and gave a rare nod of approval. “incidentally, well done on identifying Jacobi.”
“High praise Lorelei, I’m honoured.”
“Please don’t speak to me in that tone. I’ll admit I had my doubt about your assets at first. But the way they handled their interactions Morris and then Thebes and then digging up the lead with the Comptroller, I have become very supportive of your choices. Don’t forget who authorized you to go after the Emergency Housing Units.”
“Tone?” Radsley set his teeth and leaned in. “You have been nothing but disparaging and unreasonably demanding of me throughout. The only damned reason you’ve come around is because we have leverage on them and you feel safe now.” He was breathing heavily through his nose and given his size most people would have reflexively recoiled but she stayed as cool and impassive as her grey eyes.
“Really Okran, I wonder what kind of operation you think we’re running here? You may choose to trust your assets on a tactical level but do not expect me to place any trust in these Badlanders on a strategic one. Now, tell me how you will proceed?”
Radsley took a deep breath and leaned back into his chair which creaked a little. He warmed his cup of tea before he spoke. “I’m going to make them wealthy, if my information on Quinn is right, he respects a deal and is loyal to good business. We’re cutting out the Comptroller’s transporter, this will allow us to use my man.”
“What if this alienates the Comptroller, you aren’t ready to stir that nest.” Lorelei said critically..
“I know that dammit!” He took another breath to steady himself and lowered his voice again. “I reckon if the Comptroller doesn’t find out then we also prove we can do some heavy lifting and raises our stock in his eyes. Maybe he starts sending us some more work and doesn’t watch our dealings so closely.”
She sipped her tea again and set her empty cup down. After a moment of thought she looked pointedly at the empty cup and so he refilled it. Radsley watched as she took it into her delicate claws and brought it to her blood-stained lips.
“Very well, incapacitate the transporter and deliver him to me, I’ll see to it he’s placed in a rehabilitation spa for a few weeks and emerges from a newly recovered drug dependency. That should give you some operational leeway.”
“Thank you Lorelei.” Radsley said, exhausted.
“You should take Gropius Day off Okran,” Lorelei said as she got up to leave, “you looked tired.”
Heavy Gear Roleplaying Game
Thursday, April 24, 2014
Koreshi Chronicles - Chapter VII: Operational Leeway
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