Blood on the Crown [Florian]

[Brenner Dornkirk]

"Blood on the Crown"
10 Glade, 122 Steel
(Continued from "Free")

It was not a long commute from the offices of the Grand Marshal to the offices of the State Department. Though Brenner's first visit to the former had been very recent, he bore an odd, perhaps even undue, sense of familiarity with the former. It had never been a regular or routine stop for the young Air Commander, but his memories of the few visits that preceded his recent rise were quite vivid. They had represented landmarks of acknowledgment and opportunity in a life devoted to the State. Only a few days in office, and Brenner already felt quite at home in his new workspace though, as he stepped into the lobby, he was forced to remember that redecoration was in order. His eyes fell from an antique coat of arms to the Lysanrin awaiting his arrival. The facility's ample security hadn't admitted Albrecht into the offices proper as word of Florian's new posting had not yet spread beyond Her Esteemed Excellency's office. It was about to.

"Undersecretary Albrecht." The First Minister smirked at the opportunity to address the Lysanrin by his new title once more. He knew it was a point of pride, as well it should be, and it also bound them twain. Brenner had vouched for Florian's advancement and thus was invested in his success. After all, it reflected upon him. He imagined the Undersecretary would feel the same, quid pro quo, which was a useful and very much deliberate outcome of the choice to promote him.

Glancing to the security contingent, he instructed.

"Gentlemen, this is the new Undersecretary of Domestic Relations." He withdrew a stamped writ from Astrid Kelgarde and displayed it, "Have him added to the approved list and inform the facility manager that he'll need a badge and an office in the corresponding department." With a sharp not, he turned back to Florian and placed a hand on the small of his back leading him beyond the checkpoint and up one of the staircases flanking the rear of the high-ceilinged lobby area.

"Come along, then. We have work to begin." The meeting with Kelgarde had left him with a great deal to unpack, but he knew his priorities and so he would tuck away the problems he couldn't immediately address in favour of those he could.

[Florian]

Florian had left the office of the Grand Marshal and wandered to the offices of the State Department. He didn't know how long Brenner would take for the rest of his meeting with Kelgarde, but he was slow to avoid any awkward confrontations that may have arisen from his presence. Luckily, the only awkward confrontation was with the security for the offices themselves. Obviously they didn't know his new title or position — he barely recognized it himself — but instead of directly antagonizing the security he simply stared at the interior design and ignored them. He felt it was a bit out of character for himself, but he was still stunned by the fact that Kelgarde had discharged him just so that Brenner could hire him. It happened quickly enough that he knew she had already had her mind made up when they walked in. So what was it for? Did she really just want to know why he came back?

He did not have long to dwell on those thoughts. Once Brenner arrived it was simply a matter of his explanation and suddenly he was being ushered in. The look on the faces of the security caught Florian off-guard and almost made him feel prideful. With the furrowed brow and face of confusion on one man he felt his ego grow just a touch. He was goiing to have an office, and a badge, and a title. It was a bizarre turn of events, and his thoughts again drew back to Kelgarde. She seemed to know what she was doing, which meant that his little request had more strings attached than he could have originally imagined. He didn't have long to dwell on that either as the Dornkirks were a handsy bunch and he was being physically pushed towards a staircase.

"We do." Florian said. "Where do you want to start?"

[Brenner Dornkirk]

When they were halfway up the stairs, Brenner cast a sidelong glance back down to the guards who were now whispering amongst themselves.

"I ought to have warned you that not everyone will be pleased with your ascension, Albrecht, but I suppose you probably know that better than I..." He trailed off as his mind meandered back to the conversation that led to this turn of events. Florian had been thorough in detailing the trespasses he had brooked in and by Zaichaer. A few murmurs from disgruntled humans were far from the worst he would endure, but now that he was a prominent figure such slights would become more commonplace.

"Recruitment." He replied promptly to the question, withdrawing his hand from Florian's person as they reached the top of the steps. "This way." He just turned and stalked ahead rather than gesturing.

"Not overt recruitment, but the subtle sort. What I would like to do, Albrecht, is to stir nationalistic sentiment amongst all Zaichaeri citizens who are susceptible to such things. I have a good grasp on the human majority- Their wants, needs, buttons and triggers- but my frame of reference for the non-humans remains woefully lacking." They rounded a corner, and Brenner marched down a long hallway that ended in high double doors made of dark wood and studded with brass, flanked by two guards who immediately moved to open them upon seeing the First Minister.

"I know it will be an uphill battle with many of them, but I wonder whether you might give me a sense of their morale as it currently stands." They stepped into a large anteroom with comfortable seating and a secretary behind a desk, who stood and moved to open the door to Brenner's inner sanctum with a nod and an utterance of 'Your Excellency' as he strode by her.

"What can you tell me?" Before them was a broad, row of floor-to-ceiling windows that overlooked the Presidium and much of the greater city beyond.

[Florian]

"I saved mens' lives and they spit at my feet. I am fully aware that many —most —will not be pleased." Florian shrugged. He felt both awkwardly out of place and confidently out of place. He recognized that in the eyes of many he did not belong, and that that sheer fact made his existence polarizing. He would be living in the thoughts of men he had never met and never would meet and they would form their own opinions about him regardless of what he did, and that only served to feed his confidence that powerful people had their own reasons to keep him close. He knew too much. He had seen too much.

Florian ran a hand through his curls and walked up to the floor-to-ceiling windows. The Knob felt so far away, and his life there even further. "It's not good. In a state built on the foundations of human superiority and ingenuity, you can't expect anything else. Nonhumans keep the city running and receive no acknowledgement." He started, staring at airships in the distance. "Worse, they are actively discriminated for it. For many, they have no real citizenship, and nothing is stopping the Order or the military from killing the people that upset them. Or, if they're killed at all, if there is any investigation it's mishandled." He spoke from his own experience. How his own mother could have been killed and the killer still be unknown was beyond him, unless they were military or Order themselves.

"There is an anti-Zaichaer sentiment. It's difficult to be pro-Zaichaer when the state permits so much harm against us. Hopelessness and helplessness pervades the neighborhoods and streets of the Knob and the East End. Many live here because they were born here and they have no way of leaving. Some, like me, join the military for a chance at a better life and are harrassed and hazed and have little to no chance of advancement. I know my first day on the Noble Gambit was ended bruised." Florian turned to look at Brenner. "If we want recruitment, we have to start promoting the nonhuman people that are already in the military to positions fitting their skills and efforts. They're passed up for humans that are less qualified but are human. Would you want to fight for a state that did not give a single shit about what you did for it? That left you no chance for a better life unless you were very lucky?"

[Brenner Dornkirk]

"You, mein kleiner Schmetterling, are in the unenviable role of a symbol." Brenner noted, as he rounded the broad, mahogany island that was his desk. He pulled out the high-backed chair with its burgundy leather upholstery that might have been a throne in another realm, and seated himself- The active Zaichaeri cityscape serving as his backdrop.

"And part of our campaign must be to highlight the sacrifices you've made on behalf of Zaichaer. Of course not all of them..." He tipped his head to one side and leaned forward to place his elbows on the desk mat, which was fashioned from the same burgundy leather as the upholstery and framed in brass. "Needless to say our little foray into the Warrens remains classified, but your service on the Noble Gambit must be promoted." He pursed his lips, "Unfortunately, we must also exploit your trauma at the hands of the prior regime. Not only because it helps fortify our own position, but because you did not give up on the State. You've gone above and beyond the call of duty in a way I would warrant most humans know they would not. That sort of sacrifice is well worthy of note and..." He cracked a smile, "I must say, that line about this being your home that you delivered back at The Grand Marshal's office was rather a masterstroke. Keep up that kind of talk, and we'll have the humans eating out of your hand within the season." He opened a drawer on the left and fished around for a moment.

"Scheiße... I'm still figuring out the set up here." He scooted back to check a drawer on the right. "Ah, here we are." He withdrew a notebook and opened it to the first page, then reached to withdraw a pen from its clock-based stand, and began to scribble a few notes on Florian's explanation.

"I take your point." Brenner acknowledged, "We must lead by example, not just rhetoric. I'll take it as a favourable sign that Her Esteemed Excellency accorded me the right to place you in your current position. I can tend to the civilian matters, but we'll need to coordinate with her or the High Command about making the military accountable. She understands, as well as we do, that morale will be of paramount import in the days to come."

[Florian]

"What does that mean?" Florian looked at Brenner. "That you just said. Schmetterling. I thought it was an insult at first, but..." He scrunched up his nose and smiled. "I don't speak Kathalan." He turned his gaze back out the window. The city stretched beyond. He hadn't been lying to the Grand Marshal. Zaichaer was his home, even if he had wished it could have been most anywhere else.

"I tend towards the truth. I didn't lie to her; Zaichaer is my home, whether I like it or not. It is why fate has seen it fit to lead me back." He folded his hand behind his back, his attention drawn to the various shapes of airship. "What I endured from Dr. Constantine may even have to be sanitized if it's going to be public." Florian had an uneasy grimace on his face. "But if you think it will help, well, I am in no position to argue." He had already told the story to a few people, but it was a daunting prospect to display one's trauma for the world to see, to further a political agenda. But he had agreed to it, and he took Brenner to know what he was talking about when it came to riling people up for a cause.

"There are base needs that are not being met. If the military is seen as a favorable way to meet those needs, for men and women to provide for their families, it becomes a more appealing option. If you can marry that with the idea that the new regime sees all citizens as people, beyond a divide of human and nonhuman and the layers between. But that would require centuries of racism to be eradicated, and I don't have such high expectations." He shrugged. "But steps forward can make enough of a difference."

He stepped back from the window and walked in front of Brenner's desk. "What do I need to do in these coming days?"

[Brenner Dornkirk]

„Wie schade! Und mit einem so kathalischen Namen!” Brenner tsked. “That is to say it’s a shame you don’t speak Kathalan, when your name clearly originated from the tongue. Florian and Albrecht are both very traditional Gelerian names.” He noted, chiding albeit softly.

“Anyway, a Schmetterling is a butterfly.” He sniggered, “I can see how it sounds pejorative to an ear trained to hear in Common terms, but it is merely a reference to the tale you told me of fluttering wings and shifting priorities…” He trailed off.

“In point of fact you are in every position to argue… at least when we are in private. I will not brook being publicly undermined, but one of the reasons I saw fit to promote you to this position is that you are no mere sycophant. You are opinionated, but not unreasonably so. It is a weak minded wretch who needs to surround himself with only yes-men. I need to be challenged in private before I make my ideas public.” He sounded almost encouraging.

“Indeed. Our work will not be a fast and easy panacea for such deeply ingrained biases. We won’t cure bigotry overnight, but we will pave the way. We will render open racism to be socially unacceptable. Anathema.” He smiled faintly, “In the short term our goal is to do enough to dissuade revolt amongst the non-humans while the State is engaged in a foreign war in a way that doesn’t foment revolutionary notions amongst the human population. If we are too quick and too strident, we may lose the majority and that could be just as risky.

“I would charge you with finding other non-humans who have made remarkable sacrifices for Zaichaer. I am not opposed to highlighting tales of their mistreatment that will prove, for lack of a better term, humanising to our mainstream population. Do you think you could find such stalwart souls and convince them to promote the cause of their peoples’ advancement in Zaichaeri society?”

[Florian]

"My mother's name was Albrecht." Florian shrugged. "Ava Albrecht. She named me something a bit more Zaichaeri, but I picked Florian for myself. If she spoke it, I don't know. I was raised only on Common." The notion was not one he had considered before; if his mother was Gelerian, she had never mentioned it. The further her death was, the more questions that seemed to be raised, especially when holding the memory of the now-long-destroyed letter she had given him. That Brenner had been calling him butterfly was a bit comical, and almost sort of sweet, but he still thought it was odd that he would be the cause of such shifting priorities.

"I never could have forseen that my stubbornness would end up benefiting me." He chuckled. "You're right. Moving too quickly wouldn't bode well for the longevity of the process. I don't imagine it will be long before it's common knowledge that I'm... working here now and I don't think that will make many particularly happy, even if they accept it."

At Brenner's request of finding others who had sacrificed for Zaichaer, Florian looked back out the window. "I'll talk to Franky. He's not native to Zaichaer, but if he knows anyone... willing to be displayed like that he would know. I think he knows about everything in the Knob. Heard he's got a newspaper running..." He trailed off, and then looked back at Brenner "He's got a bar-tavern sort of deal down there. It might be worth setting up a meeting between you two. If anyone's got their finger on the pulse of the East End it would be him. He knows many people. It would be worth befriending him."

[Brenner Dornkirk]

Brenner shrugged,

"There's really not much distinction between Zaichaeri and Gelerian nomenclature. It all comes from the same source and there are some who believe we are destined to reunite... Personally, I am concerned the Imperium has grown overly reliant upon witchcraft to work in concert with its technology, but at least they engage in regulatory practises, unlike Kalzasi. And one cannot but be in awe of their ambition..." He trailed off. The Imperium was a major and immediate point of concern for the First Minister. One of his main duties in the coming months would be to secure their support and to see that they retain a personal interest in Zaichaer's victory. They were cousin cultures, after all, and neither would be benefited by a powerful Kalzasi.

Brenner answered Albrecht's chuckle with one of his own. It had been a little bit of Florian's stubbornness and a lot of his timing. He'd fair fallen into Brenner's lap at rather a pivotal moment, and when his mind started to shift toward war preparation mode, the Lysanrin had been right in his eye line. It was only after he saw the youth as a token that he invested enough attention to mark his other merits.

Brenner pursed his lips. An immigrant who knew everything about the Knob and had a newspaper running? It had to be the one he'd addressed with the Grand Marshal.

"The Knob Free Press, I presume?" He arched an eyebrow. "Their inaugural printing produced a rather incendiary portrayal of my actions at the pid-..." Brenner caught himself, realising that he probably shouldn't use racial slurs anymore- Even against the dreaded Avialae. He corrected: "...at the prince's reception." He tilted his head,

"Though I believe I may have benefited somewhat from the implications... At least amongst certain circles." After a moment's consideration he nodded. "Very well. Set it up."

[Florian]

Florian nodded. "I don't know the name of the paper, but he's located in the Knob, so I can imagine it's one and the same." Brenner's self-correction in reference to Prince Talon was unintentionally hilarious, though Florian managed to keep a straight face. Stopping yourself from using slurs was certainly an attempt at something, but it was shallow at best. He was certain Brenner would simply think them rather than say them out loud.

"You want me to bring him here, or do you want to go there? It would be good to see him. We have a lot to catch up on..." Florian trailed off his rambling again. "What day, then?" He didn't have really any concept of how busy Brenner could or would be; but surely it was very. He didn't miss the Knob, per se, but it was where he grew up and he liked Franky the few times they had interacted. He almost wanted to bring Brenner down there to see him a touch out of his element. There were humans in the Knob, but they were not like the humans here.

"I'm still not great at writing with my left hand, so it may be best for you to write an invitation and I can deliver it to him. I want to see him personally." Florian had to wonder what Franky would think of his new position; he hadn't spoken much about where he was in life before, other than the matters of love and death. It wouldn't stay a mystery for long, at least.