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Author Topic: To Own One (2009)  (Read 3271 times)

Offline Myroria

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To Own One (2009)
« on: August 17, 2014, 03:34:49 AM »
Serebursk, Federal District, United Empire of Novmir
June 19, 2009

Ezra Hambleton, a very wealthy man of good stock, was in the dumps. Cradling his head in his hands, elbows on his rosewood desk, he listened to his lawyer discuss Important Matters concerning the pending bankruptcy of his investment firm to him.

"They're not happy, Ezra. Havelock is suing us for 'intentionally breaking our trust by placing money into hedge funds it knew would fail'. That Hambleton-Nash was borrowing twenty lots for every one lot put in. Is this true, Ezra?"

"No," Ezra moaned through his hands.

"Ezra, look at me." Ezra lifted his head out of his hands and looked at his lawyer, red-eyed and pale-faced. "You can tell me. I'm your lawyer."

"I didn't think people would be making a fucking run on our bank, Charles, Jesus!"

"But you didn't have the money,"

"Of course not, Charles, no one does!" Charles sighed.

"You know, some retiree from Prydainia is suing us too. He lost five-hundred thousand lots, Ezra. He's seventy-four years old, for Christsake."

"What, are you trying to guilt me? You think I don't know I fucked up? You're not a banker, Charles." Charles shook his head and perched his reading glasses on his nose, looking back down at a paper in his lap.

"We're at twenty-nine lots a share. A year ago we were at - "

"A hundred and twelve, I know, Charles. I thought you were here to give me legal advice about this Havelock lawsuit?"

"I just want you to know how deep in the shitter you are, Ezra."

"Well, you don't need to remind me. Listen, can we do this later?" Charles shook his head again and stood up.

"If you need time, sure. But you seriously need to start thinking about the future. Everyone's been talking about it, and I heard the Feds are building a case against you and Nash. You have a wife and two kids, Ezra, you need to make sure they're being taken care of if..." Charles paused. "If you spend a few years in jail."

"Yes, I know, Charles!" Charles sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Just give me a call when you're ready to discuss this." he said, reaching for the door.



Floresque, Duchy of Floresque, United Empire of Novmir
August 30, 2009

"I'm so glad you could meet with us today, Your Highness." Charles said, extending his hand.

"It's no problem at all, Mr. Utkin. You can dispense with all the regalia; I don't even think my father would want you calling him Your Highness. Thank you, as well, for making the trip out here." Silas Havelock was the fifth Silas in a line of Havelocks going back at least to the Great War - each one the firstborn son of the Duke of Floresque, the second-in-command of the entire nation next to Emperor Frederick. Like every other member of the Havelock family, Silas IV was both a banker and extremely wealthy - though for the past ten years now "banker" and "extremely wealthy" were virtual synonyms in Novmir. A muscular man of average height, Silas IV clearly spent some time - perhaps too much - in the tanning booth, and his business suit, which was tailored almost perfectly, was clearly this season's fashion - though overall, he seemed to lack that certain sprezzatura and thus couldn't help but appear somewhat stuffy.

"I wish we could have met under happier circumstances, Mr. Havelock;" Charles began.

"Oh, yes. I'm very sorry to hear about Mr. Hambleton. And the treatment the news gave him - I feel for his family. No one should have to suffer from those hounding journalists - especially so soon after the death of a family member. Please, please, take a seat." Silas said, offering a chair to Charles. The conference table, an enormous, almost monolithic wooden mass, was entirely empty except for a pitcher of water in the center and the two men.

"The rest of my party will be along shortly," Charles said, easing into his chair and putting on his reading glasses.

"Of course. I think our legal team is on their way as well. I have to admit, I never thought your team would bump the sale price up to ten lots a share. We were firm at two. But I suppose in Novmir, if you don't like the buyer's offer, just sue them, eh?" Silas laughed loudly but it was clearly a bitter laugh. "Oh, here comes our legal team! And yours right behind them! Funny how that works, huh? Those lawyers congregate like rats. Present company excluded, of course." Silas leaned back in his chair at the end of the conference table. Charles laughed nervously.

"That's what they say,"

"So tell me," Silas began, leaning forward in his chair. "Where did Ezra attach the rope to? I heard he pushed the ceiling tile up and attached it to a hot water pipe, but that couldn't have been very stable. Not stable enough to hold a man of his size,"

"I - what?" Charles began, taken completely aback. The door to the conference room swung open and a gaggle of lawyers began to enter.

"Gentlemen! Please, come in!" Silas exclaimed. "Let's do some business!"
"I assure you -- I will be quite content to be a mere mortal again, dedicated to my own amusements."

Offline Letonna

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Re: To Own One (2009)
« Reply #1 on: August 19, 2014, 05:58:10 PM »
Bella Stelver was in a good mood considering the stress put on her. She was head of the Parliament special interest committee on exports. Business had grown, especially in exports, exponentially in the past 10 years. Everything from luxury furniture, craft beer, all-terrain vehicles, and pharmaceuticals. She was in charge of mapping this data, making predictions, and proposing adjustments for the parliament in regards to taxes.
This alone wasn’t her only responsibility. Officially, she was an elected parliament member from Ghrel in North Western Letonna, near the border with Myroria. Unofficially, she reported directly to the Emperor, advising the inner circle where money and good are going abroad. She was what people in the political sphere would call an Imperial Loyalist, someone in the inner circles pocket. She knew she was considered a pawn, however it was a give and take relationship. Somehow she always was reelected with a large portion of the vote.

She had only good news to report to parliament’s session today. Goods and services were still leaving the nation at a favorable rate, business across Letonna was booming. Unemployment was low, public services were well funded, and citizens were for the most part content. Nobody seemed to care what was going on in government because it appeared that it was actually functional. Appeared being a key word.

She gathered her papers and notes. She had her secretary make some pie and flow charts showing revenue raised from taxation, as well as expected private sector growth for the next fiscal quarter. She walked through the Letonese Parliament building halls where Parliament would be starting soon. She found her seat, and shuffled through her papers waiting for the session to begin.
 
   “How is your morning Bella?” PM Alfred Ingrim whispered to her from the next seat.

   “It’s going well Ingrim.” Bella said with a cold emotionless tone.

   “Now now, there’s no need for such hostility. We’re all on the same team right?”

   “I’m not going to look the other way on your districts blatant disregard for export taxes. You’re lucky I’m not also on the Fair Labor Committee or else I’d bust your benefactors for illegal exploitation of Neustrian Laborers.”

Ingrim put on a face of shock and disgust.

   “Why I never heard such lies. None of us in Kelner are above the law. I merely represent some reputable businesses who think the taxes are a bit to extreme and unfair. Our consumers think so too. Novmir importers have threatened to go through the damn Myrorians because of a more favorable exchange rate and cheaper shipping.”

   “They might go to them, but they’ll be back. If it’s one thing they’ll learn and learn quick is business there is to political. You’ll have to wade through the bog of red tape and fee’s before you can make out ahead.”
Ingrim grunted and was about to respond before a bell rang signifying a start of the session. There wasn’t much on the agenda for the day. There was going to be a report about possible leasing of funds to support a more modern sewer system in Southern Letonese cities, and another report from PM Jevrin Ves, urging the laxation of fishing restrictions in the northern seas.

Finally, it was her turn to go to the podium and present. She was just gathering her papers when her phone buzzed. She told all her aids never to text her unless it was of absolute importance. The text merely said “Cancel Novmir. Possible crash? Financial instability.” She cursed under her breath. She would have to water down her presentation. She had originally planned to include a briefing on increase of exports there, and possible diplomatic relations between the two nations. 

    She began her presentation. She started off by saying there has been a large increase in trade from Southern Letonna; the beer exports there were doing especially well. Next, she said in the past two quarters, nearly 4 Billion Len had been raised alone just from shipping out of Letonnasburg, going to fund help fund new schools and subsided housing for the poor.  She concluded her report that the tax rate should remain the same for the upcoming fall, while an emphasis on strengthening relations with importing nations like Novmir.

   Bella thanked the speaker for the time allowed, and was about to step from the podium when a voice yelled out “What are you going to do when the bubble bursts?”

It was Ingrim. He must have caught a glimpse at her cell phone. “That piece of shit” she thought.

   “Uhh, well, our economy is strong enough to survive any minor hiccups in Novmir. They may be a large financial partner, but we have many more trade arrangements than just them alone. Some industries may have some minor fall in sales, but it’s unlikely for any financial disruption to last more than a few weeks. “

She went to step down but Ingrim yelled out again.

   “And what will you do if this isn’t some minor hiccup Bella? These taxes will be the death of so much growth. We need business to be competitive. YOU will be the one to drive this nation back 30 years. YOU’RE going to kill our economy, YOU’RE-“

   “That’s enough Ingrim. You’re silenced for 5 minutes.” The speaker said with firm tone followed by a wink to Bella.

   Ingrim may be been shut up, but the damage was done. All along the chamber, Parliament Members were whispering to each other. It would likely lead to a vote of no confidence in her, and she would be replaced as committee head, she thought to herself. She hung her head low as she made her way to her seat. Ingrim didn’t look at her, but he had a sly grin on his face. Her phone buzzed again. It was a text from that last person she wanted to hear from. Empress Helgla. It merely said “We need to talk.” She closed her eyes and leaned back, and let the ensuing headache take over.

Offline Gulliver

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Re: To Own One (2009)
« Reply #2 on: October 04, 2014, 03:15:17 AM »
Alphonse Pembroke ran a finger up and down the seam of his pants anxiously in the back of the limousine, swaying occasionally as the vehicle found a bump in the country road. He had tried looking out the window, but had only managed a few minutes before giving up and drawing the blinds. The journey was one he had made before and there was only so many times one could enjoy the scenery of the same fields of poppies and stands of birch trees. He had only managed a few minutes before he drew the blinds. Safely ensconced in his small sphere of privacy, a mixture of morbid fascination and lingering shock kept drawing his eyes to the copy of The Old Prospect Journal beside him.

“Ezra Hambleton Found Dead in Home” proclaimed the headline. Accompanying it was a photograph of a still living Ezra Hambleton. The article that followed only briefly touched upon the still unclear circumstances of his death before recapping what everyone who paid attention to these sorts of things already knew full well: that Hambleton’s investment firm had crashed along with the fortunes of its investors like Alphonse and that now, seemingly impossibly, things could only get worse with the man’s death.

Alphonse had lost track of how many times he had reread that article, replayed the moment when the House’s accountant had broken the news to him, how many hours of sleep he had lost worrying about this. For all the pomp and circumstance, House Pembroke’s finances were under the gilded veneer quite flimsy. When family politics had driven Alphonse’s ancestor Emperor Maximilian to shift the title of Duke of Macovy from the main Pembroke family line to a cadet branch, stretching from his second son down to Alphonse, the immense wealth of the imperial household had not followed. A free flow of gifts and patronage had compensated for this in the past, but with each passing decade the imperial branch of the house seemed to grow more aloof and stingy.

Not that Alphonse could entirely blame them. His father and grandfather had both been notoriously indiscriminate in their spending. When the damage they had wrought was combined with the current fiasco things looked grim. There were enough liquid reserves that his family was not in danger of being put out on the streets. Yet the blow to the house’s prestige if the damage was not controlled promptly could be immeasurable, and on the Ducal Council they lived and breathed the stuff.

His reexamination of the article was interrupted by the limousine turning, slowing and coming to a halt, something Alphonse knew meant they were at the final checkpoint. A moment of muffled conversation from up front was followed by another minute of motion and turns before things came to a second and final rest. The door was opened by some unseen footman, and Alphonse swung himself out of the vehicle. There he promptly found himself face to chest with who knew how many pounds of fur and muscle that some enterprising tailor had managed to fit into a three piece suit.

Alphonse still was not certain what whim had possessed to hire a Hemlander for a butler, but to his chagrin he honestly could not say he was surprised by it. The man never seemed to realize how serious these things were. This was the sort of thing people talked about. Alphonse didn’t object to hiring Hemlanders as a whole, but they ought to be things like gamekeepers, out of the way and working where their feral instincts to their advantage. Not working the front of the house where they might chew up some poor guest’s dress.

The beast—or “Sasha” as his employer’s family had taken to affectionately calling him, presumably, Alphonse assumed, because his actual name was some humanly unpronounceable sequence of barks and howls—gave a stiff half bow and growled out his best greeting. “Welcome, your highness, His Majesty has been expecting you.”

Alphonse returned a thin and insincere smile. “And yet he isn’t here to greet me in person as usual.”

Sasha’s expression didn’t change as he continued his part of their polite charade. “I’m sorry your highness, but the Her Majesty is very adamant about tea with the family at two sharp. I have already seen to preparing a place for you to join them. If you would be so kind as to follow me.” He gestured towards a garden path that wound through a planting of flowerbeds and around the corner of the manor.

“How thoughtful of you,” replied Alphonse as graciously as he could muster, and let the butler lead him down the path he already knew full well.

The sounds of the pair’s feet trodding on the flagstones soon mixed with those of light conversation and silverware clattering on china. Another corner, and they walked out onto a garden terrace, in the middle of which stood a wrought iron table covered by an umbrella and heaped with an array of sweets and tableware. Three figures were seated around it, a man, a woman and a young girl. They were chuckling at some just missed joke when Sasha cleared his throat and interrupted.

“Excuse me Your Majesty, but may I present Duke Alphonse.” The diners all looked up, and the man got up with a cheerful smile.

Emperor Fredrick could have easily passed for Alphonse’s twin. The two would have looked virtually identically if he had not grown a neat mustache and wore glasses while Alphonse remained clean shaven and without any vision problems. Their male lines may have split generations ago, but since the two branches of the house had danced around each other, passing daughters between each other through intermediary families. As a consequence, Fredrick was not only Alphonse’s second cousin but his fifth as well, and who knew how many beyond that since lost to time.

“Thank you Sasha,” began Fredrick with a quick nod to the Hemlander before turning to Alphonse.  “Al, we’ve been wondering when you’d show up. Here, have a seat and make yourself at home.” He pulled out an empty seat in front of an untouched spot, just as Sasha had promised. Alphonse accepted the offer with a mumbled word of thanks.

“It’s so good to see you Alphonse,” said the woman with smile when he had sat down. She nudged the girl sitting next to her, who had so far been too engrossed in her current slice of cake to say a word. “Sabine, say hello to your uncle.“

“Hewwo Ungwe Awwonse” she mumbled through a mouth full of cake. This immediately earned a reproachful frown from the girl’s mother, but Alphonse intervened before she could be chided.

“It’s good to see you as well Sofia,” said Alphonse with a smile, this time sincere if weak. “And you as well Sabine. I was told to expect the entire family.”

“I’m afraid the other three are still off at school right now,” answered Sofia “If you’d visited next week they’d have been here.” The exchange of pleasantries was interrupted by a Sasha, still looming neatly at beside the table.

“Do you require anything else, Your Majesty?”

“No, everything’s fine for now,” replied Fredrick, retaking his seat. “Thank you Sasha, you can go now.” The butler gave another of his trademark stiff bows, and padded off. When he had gone, Fredrick turned back to Alphonse, pushing a bowl of chocolate truffles towards him. “You must be hungry after the drive, help yourself to anything.” Alphonse simply frowned.

“I’m sorry Fredrick, but I can’t say I’m hungry. You know why I’m here.”

“What, that business with Hambleton?” Fredrick shook his head and tutted. “Terrible, isn’t it? I met the man once I think, perfectly amiable. But the rumors flying around about it, now those are something! Just yesterday I heard that the ceiling pipe actually broke and—”

“Fredrick!” Sofia intervened with a sharp cry of alarm. “I don’t think this is an appropriate topic to discuss in front of Sabine.” Sabine for her part seemed more interested in the marzipan fruit she had moved on to after finishing her cake than the conversation around here.

“Sonya, she’s 12 now, almost a teenager! She has has to grow up some—” began Fredrick with a dismissive half wave of the hand before he caught the expression on his wife’s face and caught his tongue. “I’m sorry, you’re right,” he said and placed a reassuring hand on her knee. "Listen, I think it’s about time for Sabine’s violin lessons anyway, and I know you need to see your seamstress about your dress for the gala in Wolchegrad. How about we call it a day for afternoon tea and you can take care of that while I talk to Al about this?”

Despite the doubt on her face Sofia placed her hand on his and nodded. The two exchanged a chaste kiss before she got up, and daughter in tow, walked up the terrace steps and into the house. Once he was sure they were out of earshot Fredrick resume speaking immediately.

“Now, where was I? Oh right, the pipe. I heard that it broke and—” Alphonse snapped.

“Dammit Fredrik, this isn’t something to gossip about over tea like a couple of debutantes! Do you realize how serious it is?” Fredrick blinked a few times. The shock of the sudden outburst was plainly imprinted on his face. When he found his voice again the a bit of the vim was missing from his words.

“I’ve heard some people lost quite a bit, yes, but I’ve already checked with my accountants and our accounts are quite secure.” Alphonse closed his eyes and tried not to audibly sigh. What had he been expecting after this man had all but ignored his attempts to speak seriously with him remotely for a week?

“It’s not your accounts I’m worried about, everyone already knows those are fine. And it’s not just ‘quite a bit’, for some people it’s more like ‘everything’ or damn close, including me.”

“Including you?” Fredrick’s eyebrows rose. “You’re Duke of Macovy, a Pembroke, surely one sunk investment won’t ruin you?”

“Not financially no, but…” Alphonse clasped his hands in front of his mouth and exhaled, recentering himself. “Fredrick, half the Ducal Council is in an uproar over this. Some of them are even starting to whisper about a wider panic. I know you get reports, but I don’t think you can fully appreciate how serious this is without seeing them arguing about it firsthand.”

Over the course of the argument Fredrick’s cheerful expression had been fading, and was beginning to approach a mixture of confusion annoyance. “I’m sorry I can’t attend every meeting in person, but I’m the Emperor, I have a very busy schedule.”

“Yes, you are Emperor, and you need to start acting like it. It’s been a whole week and you haven’t done anything to stop these rumors.”

“I’ve already spoken with the very best from the Imperial Academy’s Faculty of Finance, and they’ve assured me there’s no danger of a wider panic—”

“People still need to hear you say that Fredrick, not a crusty professor no one’s ever heard of!” Alphonse’s exasperation got the better of him a second time as his voice rose again. He regretted it when he saw the expression on Fredrick’s face. Despite his attempts to maintain his composure, the Emperor looked all too much like a guilty child who’d been caught doing something he knew was wrong. May God bless and keep the Emperor—far away from someone who might see this. “Look Fredrick, I’m sorry—” Fredrick interrupted the apology with a dismissive wave and sigh.

“No, no, you’re quite right,” he said, followed by a mutter of “you’re always right.” There was another sigh and a period of silence as he drained the last dregs of tea his cup. “God Al, I do try you know. Everyday I try and it never seems to be enough. Sometimes I feel like this country is headed nowhere good, and there’s nothing I can do to save it, and it frightens me.” He bit his lip and then shook his head. “Sometimes I think Old Max should have switched whom he gave which crown so you’d be Emperor instead.” Alphonse cringed.

“Don’t ever say that, Fredrick, you know as damn well as I do that it’s nonsense.” He only half believed what he was saying, but said it with full conviction in his voice. “People need to see the strength in their Emperor right now. And the best way you can do that is to issue the statement that all of the Imperial Academy’s best agree, there’s no wider panic coming.” Fredrick nodded. His mouth was smiling again, but his eyes were drained and defeated.

“Yes, of course. It’ll be my very first order of business for tomorrow. But right now, now that Sonya and Sabine are gone, I think I’d like a stiff drink. Will you join me?”

“Gladly,” replied Alphonse, “I think both of us would benefit from that.”

Offline Letonna

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Re: To Own One (2009)
« Reply #3 on: October 07, 2014, 12:29:30 AM »
“It’s a time bomb. Their economy is built off loans, debt, and IOU’s. Once one of those falls through on one end, the whole things collapses. We’re best off pulling out before it gets too bad.” A thin man with black slicked back hair said, sipping his coffee.

“I don’t know if it’s time to do anything so drastic yet. We still have two new drugs planned to be released there soon. Regardless of any ‘crisis’ we should still do well.” a man at the head of the large conference room table said.

“But what if it’s just the beginning of a financial crisis. People aren’t going to be concerned with a new drug as they are saving every cent in their bank account. It will be a recession of massive proportions. Novmir is big enough to drag us down with it.” Another man said.

“We should privatize our assets in the Serebursk Market. Delay the release of the new products. When it stabilizes we can move back in.”

The room erupted in a roar of unorganized debate and attacks, complete with pointing, yelling, and vague accusations. The man at the front of the table merely covered his face with his hand, leaned back, and let the headache ensue.




Bella Stelver looked at the front page paper of the Letonnasburg Daily. “PharmaLetonna to Withdraw from Serebursk Exchange, Delay Release of New Drugs.” She stared at it, because unless the Empress or another member of the crown addressed her first, she was forbidden from eye contact. And although she was allowed to talk at anytime, it was often best to wait until the other person is ready, especially when they are displeased.

“Do you really think it will happen?” Emperess Helgla said calmly, twirling a pen between her fingers, looking directly at her.

“Well, we aren’t sure. It may just be a hiccup in their economy. A financial powerhouse like Novmir is bound to have slight up’s and down’s from time to time.”

“Oh Bella, you know you aren’t talking to some goon from the Parliament are you? I can see through your thin words.”

Bella was silent. It was true. She had wanted to to keep her true thoughts on the Novmir situation to her self.

“Well, in all honesty my Lord, I feel they are long overdue for it. They have been borrowing and lending more dramatically in recent years, and it’s going to catch up to them sometime when the interest comes to be too much. The fact that even large corporations are feeling it, and not just in Letonna, is worrying. There have been whispers that trading firms and large corporations all over Cefnor have been proceeding cautiously.”

“And, what would you do if you were me, in this situation?” She asked, still twirling the pen.

“I would make a public statement that everything is stable for the time being, and there’s no need to panic. Urge people to continue on, business as usual.”

“How curious. This advice goes against what you think will happen. And why is that Bella?”

“We can’t start a panic. If we let the public know our vulnerability, or don’t say anything at all, then they are at risk to act dramatically. Same with corporations. If it happens, then we should act accordingly, but in the mean time, we can’t pull the fire alarm just yet, per say.”

“Hmmm, well said. I’ll consider what we’ve discussed Bella, you’re dismissed.”

Bella rose from her seat and walked out of the office, closing the door slowly. She was glad she spoke her mind, but she still didn’t feel better. She was nervous about what could happen, and how fast it could happen.