01-11-2021, 09:42 PM
There was an energy building at the Consulate. It was only beginning of course. But already, a momentum was building, an inertia of growth and expansion that seemed like it would last for a long time. His schedule was nothing but meetings- with bureaucrats and lawyers, law enforcement and retired military, researchers and developers, accountants and human resources. Add to that the other Consulates as well as every and any group- small or large- that his Consulate would touch was now in his purview.
It was exhilarating, the potential power all of this meant.
It was exhausting, the amount of responsibility he carried.
He was not a fool. Delegation to those he could trust was key. "Trust" was an interesting word. Some, he trusted because they felt a loyalty to him. Others were loyal to the work. Still others were merely loyal to the empire. By far, the majority were loyal to their own self-interest. In a way, that was easiest, as counter-intuitive as that might seem. People whose self-interest was foremost were easier to control and predict. Ascendancy had been right to create a ruthlessly capitalistic paradise, rewarding those who did best in that regard.
Selfishness was a baseline and predictor. As long as they could prosper doing his work- and as long as the price for betrayal or ineptitude was harsh- the majority would hew the line. Those others, those more idealistic, could be trusted with more responsibility. But with that dependability came a line in the sand. He had to keep track of where everyone's was, to make sure those who were more beholding to scruples faced lesser challenges to their faith.
Hard work, to be sure. Sometimes he came home exited and unable to sleep. Other days, he barely ate.
All of which was to say that when the Ascendancy's message came to him, he more than jumped at the chance. An opportunity to use the Force in combat appealed to him beyond words. The part of himself he had thought of as Malik still craved, still needed to satiate his hunger- for justice, for violence, for...power in its rawest form.
And so dressed in black relaxed cargo pants and a dark long sleeve shirt under a black canvas coat, he accompanied him. His lightsaber was clipped to his belt. He itched to pull it out and use it, to see the blade come to life of its own accord with a single touch of the power.
When the car stopped, he exited with Ascendancy and listened to the speech. The threat to the city was real and worth doing. But even if it hadn't, he would have been here. Sanctioned destruction and mayhem was not something he normally had, unlike Vellas, he thought sourly. Then again, Vellas did not have an ocean of information flowing through him either. It was only slight compensation, though, at the moment.
After a moment, he let himself shift into hunter mode, what he had always thought of as Malik. Giving him free reign- or rather, giving himself permission to be what he wanted to be- he was ready. He looked over the group. Allan he knew from his few visits to the facility. And Nox had come into his sphere a few times as well. Ascendancy deigned to allow the man leadership, which was fine. Only a fool did not recognize the need to follow those with more experience. It would not always be the case, but for now, in this instance, it was fine. Carpenter, one of the Rods, looked rough. Not necessarily physically. But there was a tiredness to the eyes. It could be useful to know why.
He nodded when Ascendancy finished his little speech, ready to go. He found his lightsaber in his hand and a smile touched the corners of his mouth.
Yes, this definitely beat sitting in meetings.
It was exhilarating, the potential power all of this meant.
It was exhausting, the amount of responsibility he carried.
He was not a fool. Delegation to those he could trust was key. "Trust" was an interesting word. Some, he trusted because they felt a loyalty to him. Others were loyal to the work. Still others were merely loyal to the empire. By far, the majority were loyal to their own self-interest. In a way, that was easiest, as counter-intuitive as that might seem. People whose self-interest was foremost were easier to control and predict. Ascendancy had been right to create a ruthlessly capitalistic paradise, rewarding those who did best in that regard.
Selfishness was a baseline and predictor. As long as they could prosper doing his work- and as long as the price for betrayal or ineptitude was harsh- the majority would hew the line. Those others, those more idealistic, could be trusted with more responsibility. But with that dependability came a line in the sand. He had to keep track of where everyone's was, to make sure those who were more beholding to scruples faced lesser challenges to their faith.
Hard work, to be sure. Sometimes he came home exited and unable to sleep. Other days, he barely ate.
All of which was to say that when the Ascendancy's message came to him, he more than jumped at the chance. An opportunity to use the Force in combat appealed to him beyond words. The part of himself he had thought of as Malik still craved, still needed to satiate his hunger- for justice, for violence, for...power in its rawest form.
And so dressed in black relaxed cargo pants and a dark long sleeve shirt under a black canvas coat, he accompanied him. His lightsaber was clipped to his belt. He itched to pull it out and use it, to see the blade come to life of its own accord with a single touch of the power.
When the car stopped, he exited with Ascendancy and listened to the speech. The threat to the city was real and worth doing. But even if it hadn't, he would have been here. Sanctioned destruction and mayhem was not something he normally had, unlike Vellas, he thought sourly. Then again, Vellas did not have an ocean of information flowing through him either. It was only slight compensation, though, at the moment.
After a moment, he let himself shift into hunter mode, what he had always thought of as Malik. Giving him free reign- or rather, giving himself permission to be what he wanted to be- he was ready. He looked over the group. Allan he knew from his few visits to the facility. And Nox had come into his sphere a few times as well. Ascendancy deigned to allow the man leadership, which was fine. Only a fool did not recognize the need to follow those with more experience. It would not always be the case, but for now, in this instance, it was fine. Carpenter, one of the Rods, looked rough. Not necessarily physically. But there was a tiredness to the eyes. It could be useful to know why.
He nodded when Ascendancy finished his little speech, ready to go. He found his lightsaber in his hand and a smile touched the corners of his mouth.
Yes, this definitely beat sitting in meetings.