Miguel entered the Chambers, the logs showed no one but Sky had been here for some time. He walk through the main chambers, looking up at portraits, pictures of Men, many of who were not long dead, men much wiser than he was. As he walked around the room, he looked at all those men, Elder Alexander, Elder Farquar, Elder Maniaco, and lastly and most recently Elder Costello. Costello's portrait had been moved here from the front room where the current Elders Portraits are help, as he hadn't been seem or heard from in many months. Miguel hoped to be able to move Joe's back into the front chamber soon enough, not knowing what happened was the worst part.
Miguel walked to a panel on the side wall, looking into it, it seemed to scan his eye and a small door opened up in the wall. Walking in Miguel sat down at a small terminal, it was the computer that ran the security and authorization systems for the Building. He started working, removing old authorizations and adding new ones. Checking his list, a few new additions had to be made, first Ors and Adrian, the newest Centurions, next a few new faces, Alexa Cordova, Asno Muleo, and Ivan Carnicero , All of the Omega Pirates Guild to join Gentle. Finaly, of course, Old Ben needed acsess, as much as he would probably never agree with the rest of the coucil, he still had a place here.
Nothing was final yet, but Miguel liked to stay ahead of things, and wanted to get things in order before they needed to be in order. Things were happening, Miguel wasn't sure yet how it would turn out yet, but he was damn sure going to be ready for it.
The sound of those footsteps were brisk and full of confidence. The perpetrator, that was filling this long empty, and once silent corridor with the sound of his footsteps became visible as he turned the corner. Asno walked the last 6 yards of the stone tiled corridor and arrived at the door. The door.
He'd gone through it once before, panicked about some crisis he'd thought was important but turned out to be nothing. That was years ago, but as he stood in front of this door again, he started to get nervous again. He stood there for a moment, reached in his pocket for his ID card, and flashed it across the scanner, which was responded by a little green light turning on.
"Sir, before you enter, I'm going to have to check you for weapons." The guard looked nervous as he said this. Amused, and comforted that he wasn't the only one nervous, he gave the guard a friendly slap on the shoulder and a wink, took his sword out of belt, handed it over, and told the guard to go ahead with the search.
After just a few seconds the bugger had found it, a small little laser pistol with an LCD screen, that Asno kept on his body at all times. Ah well, he'd have to go without it for just a short while. "Good job" he winked at the guard.
Asno straightened up, took a deep breath, as he made sure his uniform was perfect, not too neat but not too scruffy either, and walked through the door into the council, expecting to make his grand entrance into the Elder Council, and be welcomed by the other Elders as their equal....
The room was empty. A bit dissapointed, he sat down at a chair and looked around the room, waiting for the others to show up.
His footsteps echoed the long hallway and his long and practically useless cloak dragged trough floor as he stepped towards the closed doors with a bouncer outside of them, dressed and armed. His standard corsair issue combat boots made the last step just few few centimeters in front of the bouncer before he mumbled
- Lemmein..
The bouncer recognized him from the end of the hallway already but the mere presence of Ivan in front of him triggered all the rumors he heard about him at the same time. He tried to resist, to not piss him off and look at his scar that run deep from his jaw down the neck to his chest.
- Now. - He growled looking at bouncer again.
- I'm going to have to check.. - bouncer chose not to finish the sentence, He took his own id card and slipped it trough the scanner. The light went green and he stepped out of the way for the Cadiz legend to pass in.
- Smart move boy.
Ivan walked in the room looking around it and then upnodding Asno as he leaned on the wall near his seat.
- So where's everyone man?
A fireball burned through Crete's atmosphere as the wingless cockpit of what used to be an M10 Titan streamed through the sky. The pilot was fairly certain he was going to die in a docking ring accident, ironically not by the hordes of Outcasts that followed him nor the hazards of traveling through Jumpholes at cruise speed.
The stabilizers kicked in and the Titan started to slow down. The Council Chambers were situated on a hill right beside the Boozer's Lounge and of course, the spaceport.
Unfortunately the Titan had several stabilizers missing and couldn't slow down completely, instead streaking across the front courtyard and slamming into the stone wall that surrounded the Chambers. The Corsair inside blew his plasti-steel cockpit window and jumped out, quickly changing from his regal black outfit to a more fitting tan and steel Corsair one.
Strolling quickly and importantly across the green courtyard, the guard quickly recognized him as an Elder and rushed to assist, but before the guard could say anything, Juan threw his keys to the bulky Corsair.
"Don't scratch the paint. I've got a meeting to attend."
The guard looked bewildered and confused. Obviously respecting his Elder's wishes, he started preparations to have the Titan hauled away.
Meanwhile, Juan walked quickly down the corridor and let the computer scan his eye.
"Greetings Elder Juan Lucendez. The Council awaits you."
A guard appeared and checked him for weapons, finding none, he opened the door seeing two more people in the room.
Apparently, he was early.
"The thirteen saloons that had lined the one street of Seney had not left a trace. The foundations of the Mansion House hotel stuck up above the ground. The stone was chipped and split by the fire. It was all that was left of the town of Seney. Even the surface had been burned off the ground.
Nick looked at the burned-over stretch of hillside, where he had expected to find the scattered houses of the town and then walked down the railroad track to the bridge over the river. The river was there."
Miguel Sephardi walked out into the corridor, sliding the hidden door closed behind him. Before he entered the Chambers, He stood up tall, and straightened his uniform. That done, Miguel walked into the Chambers, seeing Asno there, he walked over and gave an overly formal bow. "Welcome Elder" he said, looking up with a big smile on his face, Sephardi winked at Asno, knowing the formality would annoy the man. Miguel had fought with Asno many times now, and trusted him with his life, but more than that, like Asno's boss Gentle, Miguel had become genuinely fond of the wily pirate.
Miguel then looked over at Ivan, a man he had not yet met, but had heard much about. Nodding at the pirate, Miguel strode over toward Juan at the door. "Elder, you know that wall is over 500 years old don't you? What is it with you and destroying parts of the council chamber? You know it's me that ends up having to take care of fixing it." Miguel said playfully. "Just don't go after the door, I have just finished the security upgrades, and I really don't want to have to replace the doors...again." Miguel had spent 3 months installing and upgrading the security of the Council Chambers, due to the fact that the Coalition was not the Corsairs typical enemy, and they were much more likely to use terrorist tactics, than try and take the Corsairs in a fair fight.
Having said his greetings, Miguel walked over to the console near the door and checked the status of the systems. "Well, everything seems to be working properly. I had to re-write all the programing. For some reason, I used the code from the computers in the recruiting office, and the system interface became...well....mean, but it seems I got it worked out. Elders, I will leave you to your business, I will be outside the door if I am needed." With another formal bow, Miguel left the main Chamber, and took up his position with the guards.
Laowai did'nt own any kind of uniform that could be called formal. However, he had brushed up his first captains uniform and polished what metal it still possessed. Damned if he was going to look like he hadnt at least made an effort.
He had set foot in the council chambers only a few times before, and sat on the council in session only once, yet since that time, his voice had carried weight and the combined Elders had included his name now among those who would hold permanent seat among them. Elder for sure, given the life expectancy of most Corsairs he was older than many of the "Elders" now sitting, yet he was not sure if this position was now a blessing or curse.
However, after spending a life of being on the outside, and never deviating from the old code that his father had taught him, he would be damned if he wasn't going to step up to the position now. Approaching the guards he produced his ID, newly stamped with the council passcode. The guards eyed him suspiciously, as they had every time he had entered this place - a Kusari looking man in a Corsair uniform still rubbed them the wrong way. Scanning his card however the guard raised his eyebrows.
"Is there a problem?" Laowai asked. The guard handed the card back quickly and snapped a salute, "No Elder, you may pass of course".
"Elder" the term still sat uncomfortably in his own mind but he enjoyed the guards discomfort - Corsairs of his type had been the bane of his existence since the moment he had set foot on Crete as a boy.
He checked his sidearms with the aide at the foyer and proceeded down the hall to the entrance of the council chamber. Politics of late among the Corsairs had been messy, heated, hasty even, yet the solemnity of this moment was not lost on him. He was passing into a place where only a few were granted entry, and even fewer held seats - the history of his people hung from the walls of this place, and he could not help feel a little humbled that he would now sit among them.
As one of them.
He hadnt informed his sister yet, he knew she would not know how to respond.
He entered the room, noting the familiar faces of those already gathered here. Bowing his respects he took up the seat that was indicated as his by the aide. He knew most of these men considered him old fashioned, and a thorn in their sides most of the time. Yet, he respected them all, and he knew, sitting among them, that he had in his years of service, earned their respect also. Seating himself, he thought of his father; "Finally old man, i can honour you, finally, i will serve the code from which you never swayed"
"Miguel! I do apologize, but it was a docking ring accident. Besides, I thought I was late."
"So I hear we have a couple of new Elders? From the looks of things, the OPG seem to more represented.
...
Cretan whiskey! Excuse me while I indulge, it's been a couple of weeks."
Juan moved to the table and poured himself a drink.
"Anyone else need some? Asno?"
Lucendez eyed old Ben coming into the room.
"Laowai?"
"The thirteen saloons that had lined the one street of Seney had not left a trace. The foundations of the Mansion House hotel stuck up above the ground. The stone was chipped and split by the fire. It was all that was left of the town of Seney. Even the surface had been burned off the ground.
Nick looked at the burned-over stretch of hillside, where he had expected to find the scattered houses of the town and then walked down the railroad track to the bridge over the river. The river was there."
A woman dressed in a worn out Corsair flightsuit walked softly along the dim-lit corridor.
Turning the corner she was noticed by the guard, or bouncer or whatever the man's position was, standing there: "Greetings, E-"
"Save yourself the formalities. Just let me in." - she cut him off quickly, and gave him a look that would have killed a lesser man.
He didn't even try to check her for weapons or anything that might cause harm. Propably because he was afraid she'd cut his hands off.
*CLICK* The door slid open and revealed the impressive hall, everything in here was an example for the finest Corsair craftsmanship, from the chairs to the paintings of the Corsair Elders that decorated the walls. But she had no eye for such things, they simply held no great role in her life. What she did have an eye for was the people whom she would meet here. Some of the people she had gotten to know already, be it in space or on the ground, some she had only heard of.
"Ah hell," - she muttered to herself - "time to get things done." - and walked in... to notice Asno stare at her like as if he had seen a ghost.
"What's so special capitano, never seen someone come back from the dead?"
"You were dead?" Asno was confused. And when Asno was confused he needed whiskey to make the feeling go away. He joined Lucendez and poured himself a whiskey while making small talk.
He stood there, still leaned on the wall instead in his seat with his hands crossed on his chest. He smirked when the third OPG member came in and upnoded her lightly. Besides that, he kept to himself for now. Maybe there's something other on his mind than a council.
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