Alterations of Tactics, P4

[m_k_tksa 0]

Alternations of Tactics, Part 4

Daise'Erei'Riov Morgana t'Ksa and Lannisal t'Ksa

 

 

Thrump, thrump, thrump, thrump...Thrump, thrump, thrump, thrump...Thrump, thrump, thrump, thrump

 

Cursed with drumming fingers, she should have brought something to do while she waited. Remaining patient when waiting for others when she was angry or aggravated was not her strongest skill. The longer she waited, the more impatient she grew, the more her temper threatened to break free. She was all ready stressed from the ceremonial plans, all ready having difficulty managing her emotions after the failed kidnapping attempt on Talon. Now this?

 

Thrump, thrump, thrump, thrump...Thrump, thrump, thrump, thrump...Thrump, thrump, thrump, thrump

 

With her free non-drumming hand, t’Ksa reached under her uniform collar to pull out the glass and metal pendant around her neck. She fingered absentmindedly. The pendant served two purposes in keeping the maenak calm. First its construction by tr’Aieme’s very talented rinam reminded t’Ksa of Maec and his voice of reason urging her to na over-react, to keep calm or simply be herself.

 

The second was the small tracking device contained within, a lifeline that she could trigger if ever she was in trouble. Camouflaged within the glass artistry by t’Aieme, it was given to her by tr’Rylov to help ease her fears after tr’Valdrin’s initial conversation with the maenak about her dishern maenak’s defloxo addiction. She had na worn begun to wear it until after the kidnapping attempt on Talon. While she thought the incident was an isolated io (for whoever would want lowly maenak who had na degree of influence beyond the walls of the medical bay?), she had begun to wear it as more of a personal security blanket. She knew it was useless unless she activated it - but it did make her feel better, stronger.

 

Thrump, thrump, thrump, thrump...Thrump, thrump, thrump, thrump...Thrump, thrump, thrump, thrump

 

She looked up to see her younger rinam finally breeze through the doors of the cafe. Lannisal took a brief look around the crowded room before finally spotting Morgana at a table in the back. Juggling several packages, t’Ksa sat down in front of t’Ksa and grinned. “Jolan tru!”

 

“What is this?” Morgana showed her rinam the ISD screen.

 

Confused by the lack of small talk, preamble or curtsy, she glanced at the screen. “A message board.”

 

“Na. What is this?”

 

Lannisal sighed heavily, then began her story of how she’d been wronged by S’Bien. Morgana let her rant, knowing this was the only way to gain her cooperation later. It took a great deal of self control for t’Ksa to na yell at her rinam, even with the public setting they were in. At the end of her explanation, t’Ksa simply, albeit sharply, responded:

 

“Au will remove it. Now.”

 

“I will na!” Lannisal pouted. “Why should I?”

 

“Because....” t’Ksa could na say ‘because I told au so’ to her rinam. So she used other tactics. Far exaggerating the situation if only to get her rinam to do the right thing and perhaps get her under control. “Because what au have done has far reaching consequences. Ios that do more than just sooth au’s wounded pride.” When her rinam looked as if she was going to object to her comment, she barreled over her. “Ie, au’s pride. This is na about honor, this about au’s stinging pride. As a result, au have called attention, unwanted, to a member of my crew.”

 

“I have to work with these people, Lanni. I have to live with these people. I have to trust these people. I depend on these people with my life. The impression au have left is that io of the members of my crew can na do their jobs. A member of my own House. My own family has done this. To my own crew. To announce to all of ch'Rihan that they are na competent to protect me or the Empire. Do au have any idea the damage au have inflected on the Galae itself?”

 

“I do na expect au to fully understand, as au have never served beyond the required conscription period and it was planetside at that. But this....this....”she waved a hand over the ISD. “this is serious and I need au to remove it, now.”

 

“But au saw what he did, didn’t au?” Lannisal pouted once more.

 

Morgana was begining to wonder if her exagerations were enough. Apparently she had na yet convinced her rinam. “Au should have brought it to my attention. That is my problem to deal with, na au’s. Of course, that would have meant au would have to tell me what au were up to,” She sternly stared at her rinam. “The only saving grace is that he was na the io to release the crew manifest to au. He would have suffered a far far far more painful consequence than the io he is enduring now.” she scowled, remembering Kalicia’s part in this fiasco, “As it is, I have my own rinam to blame for that io.”

 

“I’m sorry, I only wanted to surprise au. To make sure we invited all those who are important in your life.”

 

“Oh stow it.” Morgana pushed the ISD at her sister. “Save me the platitudes. Au will take down the site, now.”

 

“But he--”

 

“I don’t care. Remove it. Now.”

 

“It’s not fair! He shouldn’t have--”

 

“Lanni, now.” Morgana pushed the ISD at her rinam. “Or I will have it removed for au.”

 

“But--”

 

“Na buts. Now.”

 

Something in Morgana’s tone of voice gave Lannisal pause. The Daise’Maenak was deathly serious about the removal of the offending messaging board. Rinam or na, it would be removed io way or another. Lannisal hesitated, then snatched the ISD away from her rinam. After a few moments of tapping, swiping and poking, the offending site had been removed. “There, it’s done.”

 

“Hann’yyo.” Morgana took the ISD from her rinam, then typed a few commands into it on her own to make sure her rinam had truly deleted the site. Na that she didn’t trust her rinam, but, well, she didn’t trust her rinam. When she was satisfied that S'Bein's name was na longer being used in vain by her younger rinam, she then moved on to another topic, another list, another conversation that the two rinams needed to have.

 

“Now, about these arrangements for the ceremony....” Morgana began.

[KhreRiovtRex 0]

Wonder if if her sister has it backed up for later!?