Laermont
Member
Inky = Lux
Mewn = Laermont
Mewn = Laermont
For the hub of bounty activity in Terminus - and all of Hiemis, by extension - the main Impraevitas office was rather plain. The building stood resolute and unassuming, a tall brownstone wedged deep in the heart of Terminus’s Dioecesis district, bordered by well-kept grass and rows of colorful flowers behind a chest-high black iron fence. Lines of tall, reflective windows marked the building’s first floor, with several lancet arches laid into the stonework, decorating the upper stories of the brownstone’s facade.
Two benches bracketed the office’s main entrance, a set of swept cobble steps leading up to a pair of impossibly-tall wooden doors below an ornate transom window. It could have been anything, really. A post office. An apartment building. Any of a dozen generic government offices that kept Terminus running through cohesive effort and cabinets full of paperwork.
The building boasted four floors. The first remained open to the public at all hours; Impraevitas associates stood behind tall counters, handling the steady flow of citizens looking to petition a bounty, hire a direct contractor, or any other basic Impraevitas business. Behind a wall of frosted glass and wood frames sat several broad desks for more important, confidential, or otherwise private meetings. The first floor’s polished marble floors and vaulted ceiling lended it a spacious, regal air.
It was an aesthetic missing from the office’s upper floors. The second, third, and fourth floors of the Impraevitas building held both the guild’s private bounty records - all neatly organized and filed away in tall, movable metal shelves - and the offices for Impraevitas contractors and salarymen. The Impraevitas had a truly impressive, impeccable filing system in place: each bounty sorted by region, city, year, month, and name. Despite best efforts, however, the upper offices smelled distinctly of old paper and dust.
The Impraevitas office’s basement remained strictly off-limits to anyone without specific Impreavitas clearance. In the building’s concrete foundation lie the Impraevitas’s most confidential contracts and information - manilla folders with coded labels, full of information some people would pay a fortune to get their hands on.
Lux sat at his second-floor desk, head bent over his work. The same work that had kept the Impraevitas in business for decades. Bounties, criminal charges, contract-killings, information to be sold to the highest bidder - all of it reduced to rote paperwork. Fingertips pressed to his temple, Lux filled out the latest of his forms, signing and dating to confirm the contract was closed. Terms, filled. Target arrested and awaiting sentencing.
“Ah, uhm, Lux, sir?”
“Mm?” The redhead’s gaze shifted up from his work and latched onto the mousy young receptionist before him.
“Sorry to interrupt,” she said weakly, “but you have a...guest?”
Somewhat reluctantly, Lux set down his pen. “A...guest. Would you mind elaborating, a little?”
The receptionist - Marie-Lee, if he remembered correctly - winced at the dry, amused tone. “Ah, y-yes. A tall demvir gentleman, sort of a...stately air about him? He said you would be expecting him to call on you.”
Right. Laermont. The Inspector. Lux glanced aside, at a bound manilla folder tucked beneath several other reports at the edge of his desk.
“Ah, that’s right.” Lux stood, rubbed a hand over his face. “Yes, thank you, Marie. I’ll meet with him now.”
The receptionist nodded. “Understood, sir. I’ll take you to him right away.” As she watched him tuck the manilla folder under one arm, she added, “Conference Room Four is unbooked for the day, if it’s to be a private meeting.”
Lux tilted his head her way and flashed her a small smile. “How astute. Thank you again.”
As the young laicar woman led the way back downstairs, Lux thought of the folder held under his arm. The dossier Laermont had provided - as promised - was quite...
Well.
It was a lot. Lux had requested information on a banker and a potential assassination plot. What he’d received was much more complicated. To be fair, at least half the information in his folder came from his own sources; he’d been having the Inspector followed whenever it seemed prudent, and doing so had certainly turned up some interesting connections...and led credence to Laemont’s own information at the same time.
And yet, Lux still found himself skeptical. For good reason, he felt. It wasn’t the sort of information one blindly accepted.
As Lux and the receptionist entered the Impraevitas office’s lobby, Lux’s blue-green gaze unerringly fell upon Laermont. The demvir’s hulking form and unique, refined appearance made him quite easy to spot, especially standing alone in the middle of the foyer.
“Quaestor,” Lux greeted, politely businesslike. “Thank you, Marie, you can leave us here.” He waited, passive, until the receptionist was back at her post before returning his focus to Laermont. “Good to see you again. I thought I might not, for a little bit there.” He offered the demvir his hand for a shake.
The massive bronze-colored hand of the demvir enfolded Lux’s extended hand, careful not to crush it in his powerful grip. “I tend to keep my appointments when I make them, Lux.”
The detective waited, watching his companion, expectant for what might happen next. He nodded at the office space. “I wasn’t sure what to expect, but this is quite a serious operation.”
The demvir’s impassive faceplate was useful, showing no expression. His eyeplates swept over Lux. If he’d had recognizable features, a querying expression would be written across his face.
Lux’s expression remained politely neutral; if Laermont’s grip was too strong (or too light), it didn’t show on his face. Divested of his typical outerwear, Lux felt more than ever the size discrepancy between them. Even for a laicar, Lux was slight - closer in height and weight to an enlil than most laicar men his age. Next to demvir, he surely seemed tiny.
“It sure is,” he said as the demvir released his hand. “The Impraevitas is responsible for the vast majority of bountywork, freelancing, commissions and contracts in Terminus.” He tilted his head, and with a thin smile, added, “That is to say, it isn’t as though the Impraevitas is my operation. I’m just a contractor.”
Laermont’s unreadable faceplate moved briefly as he looked Lux over. He managed to project polite doubt as he spoke. “Judging by what I’ve seen of you, Lux, you aren’t just anything. You run deep, I think.”
Something flickered in his eyes at that, but before it could coalesce into a readable emotion, Lux turned his back on Laermont. “Anyway, we’ll want some privacy for our conversation, I suspect.” He gestured for the demvir to follow him. “This way, Quaestor, if you’d be so kind.”
Lux led Laermont through one door and down a hall lined with rooms, each hidden behind heavy wooden doors with frosted-glass windows. Engraved metal plates numbered each door along the hall. The redhead opened the door to Conference Room Four and stepped inside.
“Soundproofed, and they lock from the inside. Good for confidential conversations,” Lux explained, holding the door for Laermont to follow. His pale green eyes tracked the demvir unerringly, folder still tucked under one arm.
The hulking, bronze coloured frame of the demvir detective towered over his much slighter companion as he followed Lux into the room, shutting the door behind himself and suddenly having the room become unnaturally quiet as the door clicked once.
A solid, round table occupied the room and Laermont gingerly took a seat at a chair dwarfed by his size. No ominous creaks could be heard so he settled into it, sweeping his eye plates over Lux. “I see you came prepared. I assume that is a file on me? Let’s hear what you’ve got.”
”It’s a file on you,” Lux agreed as he rounded the table. He dropped the folder on the table and pressed his fingertips to its neatly-blank surface as he took a seat across from Laermont.
“A file on you,” he repeated, “but not only you, Quaestor. This is a file on Quaestor Laermont, Quaestor Calvinia, Professor Eduard Tersius, Professor Craxtus, and Aeria Luxus.” The redhead’s fingers tapped lightly against the manilla folder as he spoke. “A file on an incident involving the TorBru Corporation, and a file on several clandestine meetings at The Spinning Cog.”
Finally, Lux pulled loose the tether holding the dossier shut and flipped it open; his eyes, however, stayed on Laermont. The contents within were surprisingly sparse, several pages of cramped notes written in code in addition to the information Laermont had delivered to Lux’s desk not too long after their initial meeting.
“It is,” said Lux, slowly, “a file on an alien intelligence you refer to as The Outside Ones or the Others, and the danger they pose.” Here, Lux leaned forward, pressing a hand to his temple. He remained quiet, thinking - but held up a finger to stop Laermont when he made to break the silence.
“...I would like to hear what you’ve got, Quaestor. When I reached out to you, it was with an offer to help you procure custody of Tythus Midrash. A simple favor, something we could easily write off as a private contract. This?” His hand fell, again, to the papers between them. “This is trouble. You’re trouble, Quaestor,” he said, matter-of-fact. “Several of my contacts in the Lupanar district have gone dark, and we’ve only met once. Well. Twice, as of the moment. It isn’t that I didn’t expect the fallout, but...”
Lux shook his head and leaned back in his seat. “I’m curious; what, exactly, are you planning? And what are you wanting from me, that you would share this?”
Laermont sat, immobile, his faceplate unable to show any emotion. It seemed as if everything he radiated was full of studied neutrality. “The Outside Ones were not meant to come into this, but events rather forced our hand. I apologize for your being drawn into the situation. However, we are where we are and I will give you the explanation you seek.”
As if internally composing his thoughts, he sat quiet and still for a moment before speaking again. “We have to stop the Outside Ones before they are allowed to take control over the minds of a good portion of Terminus. Their ties to TorBro Corporation are allowing their plans to accelerate. Tythus Midrash is one piece in the puzzle.”
Another pause ensued as the massive metallic man’s eye plates met Lux’s gaze. “I would ask no more than your help with Midrash. I will only say that all of us will be in awful danger if we don’t stop TorBru and the Outside Ones. I will give you time to consider your response if you wish…”
His statement rose quizzically and then he fell silent, watching Lux impassively from behind his affectless faceplate.
Lux stared back for a moment, suppressing a frown. There was little point in trying to read the demvir, though - hardwired, as he was, with an excellent poker face.
It would be easier to betray Laermont. Setting the man up, selling him out to the highest bidder - it might not even be too difficult. The man was clearly some level of desperate, though his unmoving faceplate hid it well. It's likely what anyone else in his family would have done. That or cut and run before things got complicated.
The thought made Lux sit up straight. "No," he said, a little sharply. "I've already thought plenty, Quaestor, thank you. I'll help you with your banker, as agreed. In exchange..."
The redhead looked off to the side, clearly mulling over his next words. "...In exchange, I would like you to consider trusting me." This he said while still studying the polished floor. "A tall ask, I know, for people like us. And yet..."
Lux shook his head. Exhaled. He met Laermont's gaze as he said, "Well, let's start with the obvious. Can you tell me how Midrash connects to these Others of yours?"
The gigantic bulk of Laermont sat like an ancient statue in front of Lux, solid and unmoving, but he managed to radiate tension. His voice still didn’t waver when he spoke. “It is an indirect connection. His connection has more to do with TorBru’s shell companies and how they’re being used to fund the programs that relate to the Others.”
Steepling his massive metal fingers in front of him, he kept talking in calm tones. “Midrash is a key piece in helping TorBru funnel money to their communications program. In their greed, they are threatening the existence of life on Araevis. That is why I seek the assistance of the Impraevitas.”
His eyeplates rose to meet Lux’s gaze. “I can’t overstate how important your help would be. Now that we’re talking, please ask me whatever you wish. It is only fair now that I have drawn you into my confidence that you have the full picture.
”So you want Midrash in custody for...what? A confession? Leverage?” Lux frowned. “If he’s currently so important to TorBru, why assassinate him?”
The detective sat impassive for a moment before replying. “We wish to assassinate him because there’s little else we can do. It is more than likely that he’s being controlled by the Outside Ones. If so, they’ll destroy his mind as soon as we capture him, rendering him useless as an information source.”
He continued grimly, “As long as he remains alive, the money supply will keep flowing to TorBru. The Outside Ones want to grow their influence and power and so they have every incentive to keep exploiting Midrash.”
Finally he sighed and shook his head.”It is not my ideal course of action, but at the moment we need it done and done properly. Will you still take the job, Lux?”
Lux’s eyebrows rose and his eyes widened, faintly, at that; then ingrained habit smoothed the expression off his face. “You want to...kill him?”
He paused.
“You want to kill him?” The redhead studied Laermont with new intent. “Last we spoke, I was under the impression you were looking to stop someone else from assassinating Tythus Midrash in order to take him into custody. I believe you told me at the time that you suspected a Black Cats assassin, specifically. So what’s changed between then and now?”
“The calculation has changed.”
Laermont took a breath and went on. “It seems that we may have need of the Black Cats’ assistance in dealing with TorBru. I also hadn’t reckoned on the nature of Midrash’s ties to the company.”
His voice was serious now. “The truth is that I hadn’t realized how dire the threat to Araevis is from the Outside Ones. Normally I’d bring Midrash in, but I can’t take the risk that he’s been got at, as I said before.”
The detective’s voice held a hint of sadness now. “Unless you can think of a way to put him out of commission that won’t kill him, I am at a loss for options.”
“Hm.” Lux considered Laermont, his blue-green stare piercing and unyielding. “Well. Let’s shelve Midrash for the moment. We can return to him when I have a better idea of the...scope of things. Now, you said you are considering seeking the Black Cats’ aid. In what capacity, exactly?” Nothing outwardly changed in Lux’s demeanor, and yet there seemed a new sternness to his tone. “Additionally, I’d ask that you tell me what, exactly, transpired the day you and your associates entered the TorBru Corporation offices. In your own words.”
The hulking detective held up one finger, ticking off a point on it. “I suppose that perhaps ‘aid’ might not be quite the right word. We are seeking to, if possible, use the Black Cats to disrupt TorBru’s activities in certain less...salubrious segments of the city. I am well aware of the inherent risk involved in this plan, but the situation is untenable as it is.”
He took a breath, arranging his thoughts in order before he continued speaking. “We initially made a raid on the facilities owned by TorBru from which The Outside Ones are operating. We found an extensive communications array that was being used to amplify the Outsiders’ psychic signals. We were captured and detained by TorBru there.”
Laermont sighed. “It was a stalling tactic by the chairman of TorBru, as he knew he had no legally binding way to hold us. It gave him enough time to clean up the facility and move the Outside Ones to another location.”
He concluded, “Now you see what we’re up against. They’ll use all their power and clout to prevent any action being taken. Meanwhile the Outside Ones will gain more and more control. We are stumbling into Armageddon. This is why I am so willing to resort to extreme measures.”
Armageddon.
“Right.” Lux suppressed a sigh. Far be it from him to accuse others of dramatics, but...
The redhead pressed two fingers to his temple. “So these Outsiders use some method of psychic relay to control minds. And you know that these signals can be amplified using communication technology. Necessarily, this indicates their range isn’t infinite. And also, necessarily, if these signals can be amplified, it stands to reason they can be disrupted. Jammed.”
Lux tilted his head, studying the list of names on the sheet of paper before him. “Aeria Luxus is listed as an ingeniarius, so I’ll assume these are all thoughts that have already occurred to you.”
The hulking, bronze-skinned demvir inclined his head in a nod. “Naturally. It occurred to me almost as soon as I knew the problem’s dimensions.”
“Right. ...Well, here are my thoughts, Quaestor.” Lux sat forward, palms spread flat on the table’s surface. “Why bother with Midrash at all? He’s a single banker. Even if he is solely responsible for funding TorBru - which I doubt - would removing him from the equation really give you breathing room? At best, it would be a hiccup in the money flow to TorBru and these Outsiders. And whether Midrash is willingly helping them or being controlled, I can’t see what would stop them from exerting their influence to replace Midrash with someone else the moment he is removed from the playing field.”
Shaking his head, Lux continued. “If these Outside Ones are a hydra, then those they can control via psychic signals would be their heads: constantly multiplying, and theoretically infinite. You don’t kill a hydra by cutting at its heads, however significant they may be.” Lux paused. “...Particularly when, in this instance, these heads represent people who may be unwilling civilians. If I’m to be a part of this, then I’d rather not be assigned to what is, essentially, a weak stalling tactic.”
There was a pause, seeming to extend for longer than was strictly necessary, before the Quaestor sighed and his eyeplates met Lux’s gaze. “Your reasoning is impeccable. I have let panic and fear take hold, blinding me to the truth of the situation.”
“Mm. I wouldn’t call you blind. To use another analogy, it’s difficult to ignore a pawn when it’s threatening your most valued pieces - even if it’d be better, tactically, to do so.” Lux shrugged. “It’s easier for me, as an outside observer, to look at the chessboard and see what might be done.
“Now, you want to ‘use the Black Cats to disrupt TorBru’s activities’, which is a rather vague idea. You should know from our initial meeting how I feel about seeking the Black Cats as an ally, so I’d like to ask: Are you?” Lux’s gaze flit up, locking on Laermont’s once more. “Seeking them as an ally? Or do you have a different plan in mind?
Laermont replied before Lux could continue. “As I said earlier, we are using them as a disruptive influence. I have no interest in any direct cooperation with them, rather I wish to...nudge them in certain directions.”
Something eased, slightly, in the redhead’s shoulders as he nodded. “Good. I thought that might be your plan, but... Well. In that case, I will leave you to it. Moving on, you spoke of the Outside Ones being transferred from their current location. If you know they’ve been moved, have you put forth efforts to track where they’ve relocated?
The detective nodded. “I have people working on that right now. They seem adept at cloaking themselves, but I believe their discovery is only a matter of time.”
Lux settled back in his chair, folding his hands in front of him - again, thinking. “On the bright side,” he said flatly, “if they avoid detection this strongly, they may be easy to kill if you can avoid their psychic relays.” He leaned forward rather abruptly, reaching into the inside seam of his jacket and extracting a nub of a graphite pencil. On the back of one of his dossier pages, Lux jotted something down. “I’d like to look into existing countermeasures against mental attacks. Certain Castus and Aquila spells are known to shield against, weaken, and cure psychic afflictions.”
Laermont nodded his huge brass-colored head in agreement. “That is another superb plan, Lux.”
His note made, the pencil vanished back into Lux's jacket, and he returned his attention to Laermont. “Regarding that, what are your current plans to interrupt the Outsiders’ signals? I’d assume you have your engineer on it, but...well, as I wasn’t invited to your meetings, assumptions are all I have. It leaves me in an unpleasant position, at present, as it seems to me that jamming their psychic signals is the best countermeasure against these...things.”
Flashing blue eyeplates met Lux’s eyes again, making direct contact. The metallic mass of the quaestor’s body radiated a sense of purpose as he spoke again. “It is being dealt with now as well. There are still...questions about what else they can do, but that’s our primary attack plan.”
The detective spread his gigantic hands on the table, in an opening gesture. “You have helped focus my mind, Lux. I am wondering if we might arrange a meeting with the others on my team and the Impraevitas? They may benefit from using you as a sounding board. I certainly have.”
“All things considered,” said Lux, “I think meeting with your team directly would be the best course of action, yes.” He exhaled faintly - not quite a sigh. “Again, however, I’d like to keep our interactions as...covert...as possible. Since no official contract or commission has been filed, I’m working with you outside of the scope of the Impraevitas.”
Lux tilted his head. “That and, regardless of the circumstances, if it’s discovered that I'm working with a Quaestor at all, it could be bad for business in the future.” A wry smile quirked his lips. “No offence.”
Laermont radiated the sense of a smile himself. “None taken. I’ll have an anonymous message delivered to you setting out the date and time for the meeting. No one on my team will breathe a word of it to anyone. I assure you.”
Rising from the table, he gave Lux a courtly bow. “Until next time then…”