as written by barney_fife and Ronin
Some time later...
The sun was slowly setting, casting a Fiery glow across The Langaran sky. Miles Hagan was lounging on the beach of his vast a state nestled upon Knight Island. His private tropical retreat on the Aries ocean. In his left hand was a drink mixed with ambrosia, pineapple juice, and a little bit of distilled spirits. In his right hand was a book. Sitting on a small coffee table, lay down by a paperweight or several purchase orders from the office of imperial affairs. These purchase orders were in relation to several highly classified projects that the empire was undergoing at the time. One such purchase order, was for unspecified quantity of heavy metals and reactor components that were being shipped privately via courier to Valore. Everything has been approved by Miles, and kept purposely from Dominic's attention.
Miles Hagan lounge quietly as the sun slowly set, is I set upon a Reverence class carrier looming in the distance.
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"You almost look like you're actually in retirement," a low, inflected voice resounded behind Miles.
Dominic Hagan walked up alongside his father, loafers in hand. He looked out into the ocean and the setting sun, the sea breeze tousling his hair. His eyes were dark and rimmed with heavy circles.
"Good book you're reading?"
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"Only in death does duty end." Miles replied. "According to the Ministry of Information, that is." He said, setting the book down on the table beside him. The title read 'My Triumph My Mistakes'
"I don't imagine you came all the way out here just to see your old man, Dominic." Miles said, making a face. "I had to lay low for awhile of course, after Mollem got thrown out, the Quorum was trying to go after the last vestiges of his regime." He said, shifting in his lounge chair.
"So what is it that I can help you with? You finally run the company into the ground and are coming back to ask me to bail you out?"
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"Actually I was reviewing purchase histories following the clusterfrak our Westeria HQ just went through on Valore," Dominic began, "and ... wouldn't you know it? It seems certain departments of my company have misplaced some serious resources." He turned to his father, eyes flashing to the coffee table. "So I do some digging, hop through more than a few stumbling blocks that were obviously put in place to hide the ordeal, and guess what I found? Someone authorized the purchasing of equipment for projects that certainly aren't in the official Tech Con utility lineup, and requisitioned the time of some of my top researchers and engineers."
He quirked a brow. "Know anything about that, dad?"
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Hagan frowned, heaved an audible sigh, and then his frown deepened even more. "I believe those Terrans have a saying... curiosity killed the cat." He said, taking a sip of his drink before he set the glass down.
"The Imperial Government requisitioned several corporate resources under a black file order given to me by the IIA. All i know is it's something big, and really secret." Hagan said, slowly pulling himself to his feet.
"Stay out of whatever that rabbit hole is if you know what's good for you, you get yourself in trouble I won't be able to help you. Grand Confessor Kesslee warned me that you'd likely be snooping around. He told me if he caught wind of you asking too many questions; you'd be put to death." Hagan said, putting his hand on Dominic's shoulder.
"I implore you; whatever this is, stay out of it. It's for your own good, and the good of this company." There was a look of visible concern in Hagan's eyes, fear for his son almost. Whatever the Empire was doing, it had come down unusually hard on Hagan, a man who had typically been allowed a great deal of leeway in the Imperial Regime.
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"We can't just work under the table with our own government, dad," Dominic shook his head, "putting guns in the hands of soldiers is one thing, but this ... this is something else entirely. It's not business." He groaned. "Zeus, the IIA? Really dad? Do you have any idea how jeopardizing this could be to Tech Con if it got out?"
He looked hard at his father, brows furrowing. He understand that Miles want to protect him, but also knew that he couldn't back down if his own company was funding intergalactic terrorism. "Fine. Don't tell me. Don't clue me in on what's going on." He pointed sternly at his father. "Instead, you fix it. Call off the construction. Tell the Empire 'no'. If you can handle this yourself, I won't need to do a damn thing."
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Miles chuckled, and that chuckle inevitably turned into a laugh.
"Tell the Empire 'no'. Listen to yourself." He said, before he made a face and looked out at the Reverence in the distance. "Dominic, this isn't some contractor offering Tech Con a contract." He said, turning to face his son. "This isn't some bid, some thing that Tech Con willingly drug itself into. I was visited by the Confessors, they gave me a black file order.." He said, picking up the file and shoving it at Dominic.
"Under penalty of death..." He said, gesturing to the text on the file. "If I told them no, I'd have been put to death, and Tech Con's assets would have been seized anyway. This isn't Terra, this is the United Aschen Empire. Here we do what our government tells us to do, for the greater good." He then reached out and grabbed Dominic by his Collar.
"Anything short of that is heresy! A crime against the state! A death sentence!"
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Dominic let himself be grabbed, meeting his father's eye without flinching. What reflected in the face of the son was not anger or outrage, but sadness.
"I remember a time in this country when the thought of being put to death for 'heresy' was as laughable as state-sponsored 're-education' camps," Dominic replied, "a time when Miles Hagan was his own man and couldn't be forced to do anything he didn't want to." He shook his head. "I guess those days are over." He turned away. "I love my country, dad. I love my people. But can you look me in the eye and tell me that the governing powers of this Empire are serving the citizens of our nation and not themselves?" He shook his head, sighing ... before letting the issue drop.
"I'm trying to salvage Valore. Whatever you're doing, keep it on the down-low. There are still Aschen citizens and Tech Con employees on that planet, and I'm going to negotiate with the TNG to get them off-world." He glared at his father. "I don't need your pet projects making noise and messing it up."
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He let go and shook his head. "This Empire was built to serve and protect the people, something it still does." Miles said with a frown, letting Dominic go.
"Black File orders have existed since the days of the Old Confederation and the LDA, I'm no stranger. Nothing's really changed, Dominic, it's just a lot more brazen now. I remember the days when you refused a black file order, and an LDA Agent killed you discreetly in your own home." Miles said, shaking his head.
"They captured and executed the chief of security." He said, handing Dominic a report from the Imperial Navy. "Took her hostage and executed her, before launching an all out suicide attack against the Imperial Fleet, 800,000 Aschen died that day. The people want revenge, and I suspect given the nature of what the empire requisitioned, is that revenge." He said.
"Valore was an excellent business opportunity, but too many people would rather see the planet obliterated."
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Dominic received the report, surveying the information with furrowed brows. He looked up at his father. "I'm not trying to salvage business with Valore, I just want to get our employees off the planet."
He read the name on the file. Cally. Dominic knew her personally. Had the TNG really executed a hostage? "I've been getting reports about it all week, but no two stories are exactly the same." He looked up at his father, confused. "Revenge? What sort of 'revenge' are you talking about? Why wouldn't Prince just take outright military action against the Terrans?"
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"He's concerned it will attract unwanted attention from the Shade Dominion, He also doesn't want to make Mollem's mistakes. So they're planning something big and covert. I don't know what it is or when it'll happen, but it'll be big, and they're saying it will be the final nail in the TNG coffin, destabilizing the entire region politically." He said, moving back to his lounge chair.
"Get our employees off the planet, but don't let the TNG know about it. I can't stand to have any more employees executed. Smuggle them off if you have too. Just don't do anymore digging regarding this business with the Empire requisitioning Tech Con assets, the Confessors were very clear."
Miles nodded. "Prince has assured the people that once Celion and the TNG are dealt with, the Party can back off and be much less imposing."
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Anger flashed over Dominic's face, but he swiftly repressed and nodded. His dad was just trying to protect him ... and barely knew anything about the ordeal in the first place. He nodded. "Alright. I'll stay out of it and focus getting our employees off of Valore."
He moved to leave, but stopped short. He turned back to his father. "Dad." He waited until he was looking at him. "I own Tech Con." His voice was absent of any iron or rage - it was a simple, focused monotone. A statement of a fact. "Whatever you do with your money and your people isn't my business. But Tech Con is. The lives of the employees you endanger with your projects are my business. The funds that you usurp from my assignments are my business. If you want to work with me, fine." He shook his head. "But don't go behind my back and frak around with my business. You built it, and I respect you for that - but you gave it to me." He glared at his father unblinkingly, eyes cold and frostbitten behind circles of black.
"Now let me run it."
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Miles grunted slightly. "I'll let you run it when I am not worried you'll do something to get the Government to rip the company out from under you and have you put to death for Heresy." He said, sipping his drink.
"Your beliefs don't exactly coincide with the Party." He said, opening his book back up.