Interlude 139 - 140: A Precarious Balancing Act
NorCal CBT
Interlude 139 - 140: A Precarious Balancing Act
Date/Location:
October 3064 / Great X, Arc-Royal Defense Cordon (Class B)
Estate of Countess Viola Widmark, 30th October, 11:47 Local Time
Miss Black watched the coniferous forests of the countryside near the drop port pass by the window of her ride–a civilian vehicle the Duke had chartered after they arrived on Great X. Duke Hildebrandt sat next to her in the car’s back seat, cradling a narrow box in the crook of his left arm.
“The Countess…” Miss Black said without taking her eyes away from the view outside the car, “you mentioned you knew her?”
“Yes,” the Duke replied, “but that was some time ago. Back then she was just Freifrau Widmark. Gräfin is a relatively new title for her.”
“How did you meet?” asked Miss Black.
“My last assignment before retirement was overseeing supply chains to the Draconis Combine front in the War of 3039. At the time, Great X was a waystation for the LCAF and I spent a couple years here or on nearby worlds facilitating requests from units involved in Operations Winterschnee and Sturmhammer. During that time I was introduced to Graf Widmark and his daughter, Freifrau Viola Widmark, as part of my duties. Viola and I became fast friends, and I spent many evenings at parties hosted here at their estate.”
“It sounds like the two of you were close…was there ever anything more than friendship?” Miss Black inquired.
The Duke blushed slightly and straightened up in his seat as he cleared his throat. “There was never any impropriety in our relationship. She is an honorable noblewoman who would never sully herself for the sake of personal passions,” he stated matter-of-factly.
“I see…” Miss Black responded.
The forested road the car had been winding through opened into a large clearing with a white mansion nestled in the center of it. While nowhere near as large as Duke Hildebrandt’s mansion back on Zhongshan, it was still an impressive structure. The car pulled up the building’s front, where a servant waited to greet them and open the door of the car for them to get out. As they exited, a middle-aged woman with blonde hair, brown eyes, and fair skin came out to meet them, flanked by two more servants. Her cream-colored dress faintly rippled in the light breeze outside, and a gray fur coat wrapped around her.
“Herzog Hildebrandt zu Zhongshan,” she said calmly as she approached, “it is good to see you again after so long.”
The Countess’ expression was a mix of emotion. Miss Black could see both sadness and joy, like she was trying to hide the pain of a wound with a smile.
“Surely you can waive the formalities with me, Viola?” the Duke asked with a grin. “I’ve brought you a little gift–some of my finest stock from my winery back on Zhongshan,” he continued as he handed the Countess the narrow box he had been holding.
“Danke, Herzog, but…things have changed since your last visit,” Countess Widmark replied before pausing a moment to regard the Duke with her pain-filled eyes. “I am afraid there’s only time for business today.” She took a moment to regard the box. “Won’t you please enjoy this with me?” she asked.
“I see…” the Duke replied as his grin faded, “of course I would love to share it with you, Gräfin, but before that, please allow me to introduce Frau Schwarz–she is the mercenary colonel I mentioned in my message to you. It is thanks to her and her soldiers that I am here today,” the Duke said as he motioned to Miss Black, who bowed before speaking.
“I am pleased to make your acquaintance, Gräfin.” Miss Black smiled.
“As I am pleased to make yours, Frau Schwarz. Thank you for bringing Herzog Hildebrandt here safely,” Countess Widmark replied. “Please follow me,” she continued as she turned back towards the mansion, “we have much to discuss.”
The Countess led them through a large, elegant foyer and down a carpeted hallway before bringing them to a parlor room full of exquisitely carved and luxuriously upholstered couches and chairs. They took seats at a small table with four chairs of dark wood and cream-colored fabric arranged around it. A servant brought out three wine glasses and the bottle of wine from the Duke’s winery which had been opened beforehand and poured a glass for each of them before retreating from the room. At the Countess’ request, the Duke recounted the recent ordeal he and Miss Black had faced with Clan Jade Falcon while she listened intently, occasionally taking small sips of wine from her glass. Once he had finished, she closed her eyes for a long moment in thought, then spoke.
“I am glad that you have survived such terrible hardship, Herzog, and while I can appreciate the emergency nature of your departure from Zhongshan, your presence here makes for…a complicated situation.” She paused for a moment, clearly choosing her words carefully. “Großherzog Morgan Kell will be displeased to hear that a number of Loyalist nobles have taken refuge within the Arc-Royal Defense Cordon, because it will give Katrina Steiner an excuse to bring Loyalist forces to this world–a move that would surely incite conflict even with the Jade Falcon incursion happening so close by.” She paused to take a breath, pressing her lips together as she did. “I do not wish for my planet to become a warzone. Because of this, I cannot allow you or your fellow refugees to stay here longer than two months. Furthermore, I must ask that you and your fellow guests not communicate with the Lyran Commonwealth Armed Forces in any way and refuse any assistance from them while you are here. Those looking for protection or escorts must use mercenaries for those purposes. I am happy to help facilitate transit to any world outside of the Großherzog’s domain, and you are welcome to stay until the rest of your fellow visitors have left,” she finished with a sigh.
The Duke stared long and hard into his glass of wine, as if the red liquid inside might hold some insight into how he should respond. He sat it down on the table, looked deeply into the Countess’ eyes, and replied plainly, “I understand, Gräfin Widmark. I would never want to be a burden to you or your world. Please let me know if there is anything I can do to be of service in these difficult times.”
“There is one thing, Herzog Hildebrandt,” Countess Widmark replied as a look of realization came across her face. “I may be able to placate Großherzog Kell for a while if you can help me with a pirate menace that has been a thorn in my side for the past few months. With the Comstar 198th Division gone to fight in this damned civil war, I’ve had little with which to fight them–many mercenary units are seeking fortunes elsewhere and I have yet to find a group that can deal with them. If I could ask the borrow of your Frau Schwarz and her soldiers–”
“Of course,” the Duke replied immediately, cutting her off in the process, “and I shall pay the fee for their services as well. Consider this my way of repaying you for your hospitality.”
The Countess showed a genuine smile for the first time since meeting the Duke and Miss Black. “Thank you, Klaus…” she said as she laid a hand on his. “I am sorry things can’t be as they were.”
“It’s quite all right…Viola. I completely understand,” the Duke replied quietly.
After watching them stare at each other for an awkward amount of time, Miss Black decided to break the silence. “So, Gräfin Widmark, what can you tell us about these pirates?” she asked as she took a drink from her wine glass.
“Well, they seem to be led by some ruffian calling himself…SplatZap,” the Countess replied.
Miss Black nearly spat out her wine.