From: "Amit Sabnis" To: "Kathie Care" ; "Mikhail" Subject: Tat'iana and Satyavrat Scheme Date: Monday, September 04, 2000 11:43 AM Dune III - Sunday, September 03, 2000, 9:43 PM ---------------------------------------------- Oak Salon -- Rastanyev Embassy (Kaitain)(#2056Rnt) The Oak Salon is a small comfortable room. The walls are paneled in light hued oak and the ceiling painted to imitate them. Glowglobes in brass sconces shed soft golden light about the room. In the northeastern corner of the room, is a large fireplace crafted from white marble. Red-Orange flames crackle softly within it shedding a soft circle of light and warmth around the salon. A large and comfortable looking couch covered with a royal-blue fabric sits in front of the fireplace. The remaining corners of the room are small alcoves, each with a comfortable looking royal-blue couch and matching chair. Small bronze braziers filled with red hot coals rest in a corner of each alcove serving to provide a comfortable warmth. A large oak table around which sit three royal-blue velvet covered suspensor chairs stands in the centre of the room, ideal for those that wish to catch up on a bit of reading or sit and converse idly. Players: Tat'iana Exits: Etched Doors leads to Balcony of the Phoenix -- Rastanyev Embassy (Kaitain) Oak Slider leads to Third Floor Hallway -- Rastanyev Embassy (Kaitain) At the table, Tat'iana sits comfortably, her pose relaxed. With elbows propped upon the table, she contemplates an ornate egg on the table before her. The Oaken doorway slides quietly to the side, revealing the form of Satyavrat. He carries his usual portfolio, with two papers in particular sticking outside of its leatherbound covers. He bows as he steps into the room, and, still standing, gently asks, "Does m'Lady have a moment?" Tat'iana lifts her eyes slowly from the egg, blinking away her reverie. With a slight nod, she indicates one of the empty chairs. "Of course, please, be comfortable." Tat'iana snorts. "Ivanna... Ivanna Humpalot." [sorry, had to leave that in there] Satyavrat nods and moves across the room, passing the flickering flames of a nearby bronze brazier as he pulls himself into a floating suspensor chair. He sets his portfolio lightly on the table, rapping his fingers against the oak for a few moments. At length, he says, "M'lady wished a brief explination of matters concerning the Harkonnens last night." A flat statement, not a question. "I am here to attend on m'Lady's wish, as well as to discuss a recent...escalation in the problem." Tat'iana indicates the egg, with a nod of her head. "From his Imperial Majesty. It was sent this morning from the Palace." She does not wait for comment on the gift, but continues on, "From the beginning, please, m'lord Devhapti. I will need to know every possible thing about these people, and what they want with you." Satyavrat's eyes and nostrils flare at the egg. His curiosity is obviously piqued, but...an order is an order. "Of course, m'Lady," he says slowly, drawing his attention away from the bejeweled gift of Imperial Favor. "Matters of recent interest began with the death of the former Harkonnen diplomatic attache, a Lady Etta Karposzev," he says, beginning slowly at first but soon warming to the subject. "I knew her in a professional capacity, and I also shared a loose friendship with her, as we were counterparts in two similar systems. When she died, then, I decided to travel to the Harkonnen Embassy to privately pay my respects." He sighs at this, perhaps still disturbed by the attache's death, or heartily regretting such a visit. "I was met and entertained by one Lady Sylvie de Biencourt, a recently arrived Baronial concubine. It is my discussion with her that spawned our present situation." He lets this sink in before continuing, wanting to survey the Lady Rastanyev's reaction along the way. The lady, for her part, sits back in her chair, back straight, no longer of a relaxed nature. Business, being the nature of this meeting, befits a business poise. Her expression remains absolute neutral -- not even a blush touches her cheeks at the mention of the concubine. She nods briefly, then asks, "This concubine, I am curious... is she of the Bene Gesserit then?" Satyavrat blinks for a moment, taken aback. "I...I had not considered this, m'Lady," he admits. He pauses in thought, then says, "No...no," he repeats, more firmly this time. "The Baron has a hearty dislike of all the Bene Gesserit wi- sisters." Musn't forget our dear Anya was educated by them. "Come to think of it, she was actually given to him contractually...some dispute or another concerning a House Minor. Actually, that was mostly the subject of our discussion. She was...unaccustomed, let us say, to the Family Harkonnen and life on Kaitain." He sighs again, this time a more regretful sound than before. "As I had been in a similar situation, I commisserated with her, and advised her to continue looking forward." He taps his hand against the table lightly. "The advice was...well received," he says simply. Tat'iana nods once more, slowly, her expression thoughtful. "And then what happened?" she asks suddenly, leaning forward slightly. "Then," the diplomat says hesitantly, "I received this. After the Harkonnen fete." Satyavrat removes a small folded note from his portfolio and places it face up on the table before you. You read: "It may seem selfish of me, under the circumstances, to regret we weren't able to have that dance at Lady Ulricke's party, but I do. If we had, I'd have asked you if you liked my dress and showed you my pin from the Harkonnen School. Later on, if we happened to meet in the salon, perhaps we could have found an intimate corner to ourselves...but it's only speculation now and I just wanted you to know that you still owe me a dance. "Sylvie." Satyavrat sighs as you look it over, adding morosely, "The Salon was the location of the evening's orgy..." Tat'iana reads, and re-reads the folded note. Quickly at first, her eyes scanning the document. But she reads the paper once more, slower. Her jaw clenches, but otherwise... her face remains neutral, bland. She pushes it away from her, and waits in silence for you to continue. Satyavrat swallows, the sound breaking the sudden silence. He collects the note, carefully replacing it in his portfolio. "I did not speak of the note to anyone," he confides. "In retrospect, it was a foolhardy action. But while I had no intentions of...of 'dancing' with the Baron's concubine, I also had no desire to so thoroughly embarress her. Thus, when I was invited to the Embassy of the Family Harkonnen by the Baron himself, I did not know what to do. As a sort of symbolic precaution, I requested the presence of Lord-General Aleksei. Greatfully, he agreed." "Hindsight is 20/20," she murmurs, comfortingly. "I am sure you did what you felt honorable at the time, m'lord. You place too much guilt upon your shoulders. Please, continue." Satyavrat's tense expression partially melts into a greatful smile. He acknowledges this kindness with a slight nod of his head, and continues, "I'll not go into the specific details of the...discussion I had with the Baron presently. However, there was a very implicit threat of violence...and he clearly knew of the Lady's note. It was still sealed when I received it, of course, so either he was bluffing as to knowing its contents, or..." The diplomat pauses, eyes slipping momentarily to the ground, and then back up to the face. "Or he knew what she wrote before it was sealed. This might have been a pre-planned affair." Tat'iana lets slip the blank facade, and leans forward to rest her arms on the table. She taps her nails on the table's surface, a wrinkle forming in her brow. "I don't understand. The Baron's cocubine initiated the communication. Why... why would you be blamed for it?" Satyavrat's smile becomes slightly wry at mention of this. "M'lady...I am a diplomat and a servant of the House Rastanyev. I am also...not of high birth. The Lady de Biencourt, however, is. Were this situation to have proceded without any undue influence from the Baron...which it might have...I would still be held at fault. The excuses would be many...that I seduced her, that I sought to take advantage of her..." He shrugs; merely a fact of life. "And were I not careful, the consequences would come to bear on this House as well. The Baron is friendly to us, after a fashion...but I doubt he would hesitate to send any of the Great Houses to an early grave if presented the option." "And yet... you did not respond to the correspondence. What then, should you have done? Put the lady's attentions aside, and been accused of being a brute?" Tat'iana blurts, her mind moving over the puzzle pieces quickly. "This is obviously a situation crafted by the Baron. You would have been damned regardless of what action you took. But, now I need to know what the Baron did say to you in your audience with him." Satyavrat's eyes flick from left to right as he follows your train of thought eagerly. "Yes," he says quietly. "Yes, I see. The conversation." He picks himself up, and his brow furrows as he remembers. "The Baron began with the usual pleasantries...but things quickly became more sinister. He said that he was happy relations between our Houses were being kept open; had I not received a note with the Baron's own seal on it? I deferred, saying that I do not personally receive mail." The diplomat looks at you frankly, as if to avoid accusations of falsity. "Since the lockdown of Kaitain, all our mail has indeed been screened closely." He nods to emphasize this, then continues on. "I told the Baron as much, and he seemed to take offense that we would screen something bearing his se-" Satyavrat cuts off abruptly. "He must have known that it bore his seal. He obviously has had some influence in this matter." Tat'iana nods slowly, smiling icily. "The Baron wishes to bring scandal upon our house, and implicate us. The question... is why." Satyavrat's eyes twinkle as his own lips twist into a smile to match your own. "Indeed...the Baron demanded of the Lord General to know what happened to the note. Truthfully, Warmaster Aleksei replied that he had forwarded the note to me without opening, as it did bear the Baronial Seal." A slow shudder makes it's way down Satyavrat's spine as he begins to ponder the games being played within games here. "The Baron asked what I thought of the note; I replied as diplomatically as I could, saying that I found it quite an apt warning, per those so patriotically given by the Harkonnen to the Landsraad." His eyes flick up to regard you with a sly smirk. "I do believe the insult carried in that statement eventually hit the man. Continuing, however, the Baron pressed for my reply; I answered that the warning was accepted. The man seemed smugly satisfied, and after making a few comments on poisoned wine, dismissed me." Tat'iana narrows her eyes at the tabletop, and sighs from deep her in throat. "The Harkonnens will not unnecessarily threaten a person of this family, or this house. I will not stand for it!" She looks up, signs of her temper completely hidden. "His Imperial Majesty has taken note of the affair, and has offered his assistance. Lord Devhapti, rest assured, if it comes to a point where that assistance is needed, I shall press that we accept it." Satyavrat's back straightens instantly. "His *Majesty*?" he asks, confounded. His eyes flare open, his jaw nearly drops, and his black curls jump as his head is knocked back in surprise. "I...m'Lady...such assistance is always welcome, but..." The man breaks off again. "His Majesty has taken note of the affair? How did this come about, m'Lady?" His eyes jump slightly in realization, and he hastily adds, "If I may ask?" Tat'iana smiles smugly, and sits back in her chair. "He overheard what I said to Master Nestor last night, at the coronation ball." Again, her gaze wanders towards the egg, and she sighs once more, a small smile pulling at her lips. Satyavrat takes this in slowly, running a hand through his hair for a moment, and then running it back in the other direction to smooth the thick locks out. "In that case...m'Lady knows that I was invited once again to the Embassy by the Baron, yes?" He waits briefly for a positive response, then quickly removes a second note from the portfolio. "I received this early this morning," he explains. In the same handwriting as before, you read: "Dear Sir, "It is in your own best interest to stay away from the Harkonnen Embassy. Forgive me. "Sylvie." Tat'iana nods, and looks over the note quickly. She pushes it back with a grimace. Crisply, she says, "I will speak with Mikhail. Something is most definitely afoot. You will not go to their embassy without myself, or Mikhail, to accompany you. If they call for you, stall them. I will be needing your assistance in the coming days, anyways. It's time I saw Kaitain, and had formal introductions to the other noble houses." Satyavrat's chin ducks in a quick nod of his own. "Of course. I shall compose a note presently explaining cause for delay, and send it should they begin to grow restless. For public proof, I should be seen about Kaitain, attending either m'Lady or the Right Honorable Earl as much as possible. Given the impending convocation of the Landsraad congress, as well as m'Lady's recent arrival, such a display should not be difficult to create in a believable manner." He opens his portfolio and begins scribbling down several notes in a neat outline of thoughts. "Does m'Lady wish to discuss these details presently, or shall I wait upon m'Lady's later pleasure?" Tat'iana lifts her shoulders in a slight shrug. "It would also do well if you would be the one to accompany me to the Imperial Palace, when my brother is unable. I will not have my reputation questioned for unchaperoned audiences with His Imperial Majesty. We can discuss such things now, if you've the time. I am at your disposal." Satyavrat responds with a slight blush at both the mention of such audiences and the Lady's increasing familiarity. He allows himself a smile as he says, "Then let us begin to compose the preliminary steps we shall take presently." He looks up for a moment to locate a servant standing attentively in an alcove, beckoning with one hand as he writes down one final note in his outline before flipping to another clean white sheet of paper. "Would m'Lady like any refreshment? Mid-afternoon is m'Lady's customary tea, is it not?" Tat'iana smiles, the sudden warmth flooding her face quickly. She dips her head in a quick nod, "Indeed it is. Today, I am in a mood for a small bit of mint in my tea, as well." Her eyes stray to the paper, and she waits to see what will be written. The servant dips into a curtsey at the Lady's request. When Satyavrat does not look up, she simply assumes his standard order and goes off to retrieve the items presently. Satyavrat, in the meantime, is too busy glancing at his notes to notice the Lady Rastanyev's suddenly rosy cheeks. "We must first discuss which Houses m'Lady wishes to call upon," he says presently. "Obviously, House Harkonnen shall wait; but we must choose carefully so as not to offend any of the other Siridari. There should also be an explicit order to our visits, one in which the Harkonnen naturally falls into a later standing." "You should note that Atreides has expressed an interest in courting me," she adds quietly. "Though, given the incident with the na-Duke, perhaps it would be a better show if they, too, were placed last on the list." Satyavrat nods quickly at this. "The standing of House Atreides in the Imperial eye is...fading," he says in explination. "His Grace the Duke Praxton has been taking *many* anti-Imperial stances in the Landsraad Congress, and it has been solely the influence of his Lordship the Earl which has kept the High Congress from taking a blatantly anti-Imperium stance on many an issue." He wrinkles his nose in distaste, then, and adds, "As to the na-Duke...the man is out of favor with practically everyone on Kaitain. I've heard whispers that he has been sent back to Caladan, rather unceremoniously at that." Tat'iana raises an eyebrow slowly, her mouth opening and closing in surprise. "It certainly must have been unceremonious... as well as hasty. I'd not even received a farewell message from him!" Satyavrat's eyebrow spikes. "Really?" he inquires. "Then perhaps his departure is merely...impending. Somehow, I doubt that the na-Duke would let an opportunity for correspondance with a comely Lady slip through his fingers like that." A shade of bitter annoyance colors the diplomat's voice as he speak of this Atreides scion. Looking up, he explains, "I'd met him previously, at a dinner with the Family Harkonnen, actually. The man is...of loose morals, so to speak." Tat'iana nods briefly, then sniffs quietly. "I do not care to associate with anyone so disloyal. His questionable morals only further remove the man from the list of those whom I would consider." Satyavrat acknowledges this with an approving nod. "M'lady is quite sensible," he says as the serving woman returns. In a rustle of deep blue skirts, she deposits a hammered golden platter on the low table, then pours two cups of tea. Adding sugar and milk per the noted preferences of her patrons, she quietly mixes the cups and deposits them in front of Tat'iana and Satyavrat. The former smells briskly of mint, while the steam arising from the latter is laced gently with a tropical, fruity scent. "The sensibility was not easily acquired," Tat'iana notes with a wry grin, plucking her cup carefully from the table. She cradles its warmth in her hands, holding it below her nose to allow the scent of the mint to float up into her face. "Ask my honorable brother sometime. I am sure he will tell you the horror stories of my tree-climbing days." With a careful sip, she tentatively tastes the hot beverage, and returns it to the table to wait for it to cool. The diplomat cracks a smile at the thought of the Noble Born Tat'iana Rastanyev and her brother the Right Honorable Earl of Garrashu rattling around in some enormous Garrashu tree. He picks up his own cup of tea and quaffs a large gulp of it before setting it down again. "Indeed? I shall remember to do so," he promises sincerely. Glancing back at a rough list he has composed of Houses Major, Satyavrat bites his lip in thought. "I would normally suggest House Bajazet as a first choice," he says, switching back to business without warning. "However, the Harkonnen loss on Malarca Secundus is still fresh in their minds..." The diplomat makes some non-sensical humming noises as he peruses the list. "The Moritani?" he says suddenly. "We've not had major diplomatic contact with them in quite a while," he muses. "And they *are* close enough allies of the Harkonnen that the Baron could not accuse us of taking sides..." Tat'iana nods slowly as she listens. "If there have been no close contact with the Moritani, then all the more reason to visit them soon. We should seek to bring in these loose threads. Mikhail will no doubt need them eventually." Satyavrat nods, slowly at first, and then with more speed. A smile spreads over his face. "The Moritani," he confides dryly, "Were conspicuously absent at the Coronation, you know. And the Harkonnens were there in full array." He lets these hints hang in there as he lifts his mug once more to his lips. His smile broadens as he begins to flesh out a pattern more fully in his mind, letting you do the same on your own. Tat'iana purses her lips as she thinks, then shakes her head. "Don Marco was there... and only him. The Harkonnens, the whole lot of them, attended. Though, I did not see them bestow any gifts." "They did so, although out of turn," notes the diplomat. "However...it is doubtless known that you and the Emperor are...familiar with each other, at the very least. And it is similarly common knowledge in the Landsraad the House Rastanyev stands for the Imperium where the Houses Alvstad and Atreides favor personal priveladges. "This being known," Satyavrat concludes triumphantly, "Would it not be accepted as quite ordinary that the Lady Rastanyev was calling upon those Houses that did not attend the Coronation Ceremony as they ought?" Tat'iana shares the triumphant smile with the diplomat, nodding emphatically. "And if the pattern is so obvious... His Imperial Majesty and his well-informed advisors will also take note, and therefore.... " she trails off, letting the suggestion dangle. Satyavrat grins eagerly, reaching for a small sugared tart on the table before him. "Precisely," he agrees. "Such a pattern would place the Houses Moritani, Alvstad, and Venhei towards the top...then Houses Bajazet and Ginaz. House Atreides," he pronounces, jabbing the air with his tart, "May safely be disregarded until the fate of the na-Duke is known. House Harkonnen will be as close to the bottom as we desire, seeing as how the Baron and his Family, as well as several advisors, were in attendance." Tat'iana nods, picking up her tea to sup from it. "Done, then. I trust you will make the necessary appointments?" Her attention wanders again to the elaborate trinket on the table, and she touches the top of it, opening the egg to peer inside of it once more. Satyavrat notices the Lady's wandering eye with a grin, which he quickly hides behind his cup. "Of course, m'Lady. No doubt the Count Moritani himself shall receive us...or at least one of his closer advisors. I shall contact their Embassy today, if possible." He writes this down, noting as he does so, "We should also begin to let rumors leak into the appropriate channels concerning our 'work' for His Majesty. Discretely, of course...but they would not suffer for our delicate push." Tat'iana sits back in her chair once more, tea in hand. She sips at the sufficiently-cooled beverage, letting the silence hang in the air comfortably.