It was a conference room deep within the hall of Parliament. There were access points -ident scans, retinal scans, any manner of detection devices. It was probably the single most well-secured room in 34 Tauri.
Around the table sat the members of the Parliamentary Security Council and off to the side were a handful of key staffers, including the General Counsel and one former General Counsel brought in as a consultant.
The General Secretary rushed in and sat at the head of the table. “Ladies and Gentlemen. Glad you all could be here today – blah blah. General, the situation seems to be getting worse. There are more and more reports of security incidents on the rim planets and it is spilling over to the border planets. If we do not get this under control, it will be …. most unpleasant. And the situation on Araxes. We need to have more of an official presence.”
The Secretary looked to his left. There sat General Tullius Rex, Commander of the UAP military.
“General – direct the Monitor Division to take control of the Zenobian consulate on Araxes. It is time for more federal oversight. While they have proven themselves to be capable, until we have full extradition of criminals, it needs to be commanded by someone with a broader view. The states cannot manage such an undertaking. If the Zenobian Prydyn protest, remind them that their charter to run transport of spice was granted with a low-tax liability and that may be rescinded at any time. Same goes with their other transport operations.”
“Yes, Sir. I will review the officers in that division and make an appropriate selection. If there is one from Zenobia, it will make it less… problematic,” General Rex replied. He made notes on his datapad to contact the Colonel in charge of that division and ask for recommendations for an officer to oversee the transition of the Zenobian consulate to federal control.
“Good. Now, be sure that they understand that we want them to re-introduce the extradition legislation in both the Laandsrat and Beit Dawla.”
“Mr. Secretary, if I may,” a man tall with grey-black hair stood up.
“Mr. Tereshchenko. Before you give us your fine analysis of the situation, let me say that I am honored that you accepted our offer to consult. Your expertise on delicate… legalities is most appreciated. Until those traitors found Miranda, that was quite a piece of work. Health concerns and whatnot. Brilliant maneuvering and legal interpretation in the aftermath. But, we will be more careful with our other endeavors. ”
“Thank you for your praise and confidence in my work. Mr. Secretary. As I was saying, the extradition legislation failed miserably the first time. It will be important to look at the reasons why the other Great Houses did not support the measure. It may also require you to communicate – Head of State to Head of State – with either the Imperium or Magistrate Joan al-Jofar – and be prepared to offer some concessions or items that appear to be concessions. The people of Araxes are independent and do not like any external influence or control. In reading reports and transcripts of their legislative meetings, the locals prefer to either wait out the ‘offworld invasions’ or flat bribe them to go away with money and spice.”
“I would agree with my colleague, Mr. Secretary,” Daniel Xiao – the man currently serving as General Counsel stood up. “We must also apply discreet pressure to UAP citizens living and working on Araxes – reminding them that their first duty is to protect and even expand our influence.”
“Careful, Dan. The locals sound like suo-shee Browncoats. We don’t want to sound as though we are plotting a take over of the Imperium. Aggressive diplomatic relations – yes. But I do not want to engage in a full-scale war with them. It would be foolish and stupid. We need to better consider how to turn things to our advantage. Kimaya – work on a press release that outlines why we need this extradition bill. Building up popular support locally will filter through as people transact business with Araxes. It will also give our legal representatives something to work with in their legislature. Find out for certain if I need to send messages to the Magistrate. Work on them just in case and make them especially compelling.”
“Yes, Mr. Secretary,” Kimaya Liamano replied “Dahng ran.”
“Onto the rim planet issue. Reports from Special Investigations Unit and anecdotal comments from the heads of security contractors indicate that there has been a spike in reaver and criminal activity out of the Burnet Quadrant. If we can extradite the wanted felons from Araxes, then they won’t make such a home in the rim. Kimaya, add that to the statements that go to the rim planets. Encourage the local population to be good citizens and report such activity to their local law enforcement officials.”
‘Yes, Mr. Secretary.”
“If I may recommend an increase of patrols, Mr. Secretary,” General Rex said.
“Good idea.”
——————-
Follow-up confidential, secured communique weeks later.
“Since Jade Moonkill was a UAP citizen, that is another angle to use to press for the extradition treaty. Surely the Magistrate will want to ship any of those criminals off-world for prosecution and punishment.”\
— OOC note: I was inspired to write this after reading Pepper’s blog post. I do not want to take credit for a story that belongs to others; only wanted to add a bit of spice and something to talk about in RP. —
UAP Press Office 