Outer Olympus

Outer Olympus: Chapter 32

It was 8:32 PM, eleven minutes after the impact at Outpost Raven and January Jade was on the edge of a panic attack. She had been expecting it to be a stressful night, having to keep tabs on important people as they wined and dined, fixing faux paus, mending burning bridges, and bearing the indignity of noble condescension. Explosions, infiltrators, a mystic duel, and then a catastrophic train crash had not been on the list of things she had prepared for. And now, slightly tipsy from the champagne she had consumed throughout the night, January was sitting at the Magistrate's personal holo-table for a strategic level discussion with two of the most influential people on the station.

Second Lieutenant Ezekiel Banks represented the stations Enforcer Garrison and Security Apparatus. Specialist-Major Ramnousia Vestal represented the VISOR anti-insurgent task force. And finally, Chief Coordinator January Jade represented the Magistrate's Office. All three of the organizations heavily involved in the ongoing security crisis.

"Where's the Magistrate?" were the first words spoken, which wasn't a good start. Vestal was impatient, angry, somehow putting on the air that she was the one most aggrieved by these events, which made January want to scream. She hadn't even been here! She was off hovering around on the Burning Oracle instead of being on the station. January swallowed these thoughts, and responded professionally.

"The Magistrate is running damage control," she replied evenly. Vestal scoffed.

"He's out reassuring his donors and dilettantes everything is fine instead of dealing with the crisis? Typical. If the Magistrate's office isn't ready to seriously engage with the situation, you needn't waste your time on this call, Miss Jade." That was supposed to be Coordinator Jade to her. Vestal's impatience with Malcolm's politics had clearly caused her to lose all respect for his office, and had only summoned her here as a formality. It was infuriating, to be treated like she could be nothing more than Malcolm's pawn, not remotely considered for her own strengths. Part of her was tempted to hang up on the call like Vestal suggested. She curtailed that instinct. Vestal wasn't some unstoppable juggernaut who could steamroll everyone she wished. She wasn't the first person in power January had been disrespected by, and wouldn't be the last.

"Specialist-Major, may I speak plainly for a moment, free of the veneer of politics between our two agencies?" Ramnousia Vestal grinned widely, chuckling a bit to herself. As January predicted, this woman who was tired of playing games with Malcolm was vulnerable to this request.

"By all means. I wouldn't want to waste any more of our time on pretense." The spymaster replied. January wasn't sure if she would have been able to follow through with this plan if she was completely sober. But she wasn't, so here goes.

"Magistrate Paradigm is currently occupied making sure the most influential people in the city don't panic and think the station is in crisis. If you would like some more of his bluster and empty words, I can schedule you a meeting with him later tonight. But if you would like to leverage the power of the Magistrate's office into concrete action, I am the one you want to talk to." She delivered her speech stone-faced, without a hint of the anxiety clawing at her brain. Lieutenant Banks, who had talked to January countless times and never thought of her as anything but a friendly pencil pusher, was stunned by the speech. She would have preferred he didn't see her disrespect the Magistrate, but if he wasn't going to speak in this little head to head he'd have to remain a bystander. Vestal, however, reacted much differently. That acidic smile of hers, that look of contempt and disrespect she had for January, vanished in an instant. For all her authority and status, Ramnousia Vestal was not a noble, nor was she even from a particularly wealthy family. She was a cutthroat operative who had risen through the ranks through competence and results, and now suddenly no longer saw January as an obstacle but a kindred spirit; another woman who had puppeteered the people more powerful than her to accomplish her goals. Vestal probably wouldn't have guessed that the moment VISOR arrived at the station January had read her entire file, memorizing every detail of the woman's career in case anything could ever become relevant.