With that, I gestured for Meres to lead us out. A silence spread over the crowd when we came out of the Domus. No one seemed to speak as we crossed the open area between the house and the Guard cordon. A path was cleared for us through the barricade, and a small escort of guardsmen fell in step with us through the crowds.

The second we stepped through the gap in the gap in the barricades, the silence was brutally shattered. Reporters and curious nobles immediately launched into a barrage of questions. Woodcut carving atronachs' eyes flashed as they speedily took our images for their masters and mistresses. They were held back by our escorts, but I could practically feel Cassie's eyes scanning or possible breaches. I kept my own eyes on Meres, one wrong word from him could destroy the narrative I was building.

Thankfully, he did as he was told, and the blush faded into a mask of grim stoicism in the face of the crowd. He was smarter than I gave him credit for. We loaded ourselves into the carriage and Cassie took the reins. Once we were out of the eyes of public scrutiny, Livia dropped her faint act and extricated herself from Meres's grasp and scurried over to my side. Half exhausted, still half terrified, the girl curled up against me. Too physically and emotionally drained to cry, she just rested her head on my shoulder.

I wrapped an arm around her. It was hard, at moments like this, to remember that she was only four years younger than me. For me, bloodbaths, assassins, intrigue, and betrayal, this was part and parcel of my existence. Livia, looking wan and innocent, almost childlike, nestled against me, seemed decades younger by comparison. Had I been like that once, I doubt it, this was my trade practically from birth, and Mother never tried to shield me from the dirtier aspects of politics.

Meres seemed like unsure as to what he was supposed to do at this point, and in the end he settled for a kind of seated military attention.

The ride was relatively quick, my villa was a short way outside of the city. One could best describe my villa as a very well decorated and very discreet fortress. The walls surrounding the compound may have been covered with ivy, but they were three feet thick and any intruder would find the vegetation had a tendency to bind and sometimes strangle uninvited climbers. The large open lawns that separated the buildings were well-kept by a small army of gardeners that were as well trained with a blade as they were with a hoe. And they would find plenty of other surprises lurking inside the buildings

The gates swung open as we approached and closed behind us as we passed. We pulled into the stables where a small battery of servants awaited us. A few stable hands took a hold of the horses, and another opened the carriage door and helped us out. Cassie was quick to take Livia into her arms and guide her away. She caught my eyes, we'd talk once she'd settled things with Livie.

My Steward, Evelda, stood beside me with a glass of wine. "Welcome home Ma'am, will your guests be requiring medical attention?"

"No Eve, but please see to my dress, I'm afraid the Disciples proved to be quite messy." As we entered my main foyer, I peeled off the blood soaked dress. Meres, though he didn't say anything, turned a new shade of red and dropped his eyes to the floor. A young maid took the dress and another one immediately offered a silk robe.

"Yes, we have made preparations in anticipation of your arrival." I took the wine from Evelda, one of my allies in the crowds must have sent a messenger.

"Are Cimen and his people on this?" The wine was a fine vintage from Stros'Mkai, one of my favorites. Eve knew what I needed after a bad day.

"You've probably already figured it out, but yes, Cimens is ready to brief with their first thoughts." Cimen was my Head Analyst, he and his people advised me based on acquired information.

"Yeah, he wasn't exactly subtle on this was he. If it wasn't so out of character, I would've known it immediately." It was so obvious, even my housekeepers were figuring it out.

"Sal and the operations teams are already working up responses." Salunus headed up my security teams, they were a special century in the Vi Tempestatis.

"Tell him not to bother, we're keeping this under the table." Another servant handed me a small packet of documents that I began to skim over. "Has the Count of Leyawiin sent anything?"

We were nearing my study. "Yes, his Grace sent a love letter confirming his affection and promising his vote on the aqueduct project." Eve waved a paper, presumably the letter, in front of her. "He also sent a hundred silk scarves."

I chuckled at that, "Have Asste draft a response, and distribute the scarves to anyone who wants one." I scrutinized one part of the packet, "Are these the latest numbers from the exchange?"

"Yes ma'am, also General Apinus would like to schedule a meeting for tomorrow night."

I took another sip of my wine. "Send Favera, have her tell Apinus that I'll smooth over that whole debacle with the Ministry of Defense, but he had better guarantee me the arms contract for the Seventeenth Legion the next time it comes up."

We reached my study, "Give Officer Meres and I a few minutes alone Eve, and have Ko'lani organize whatever you haven't told me into a memorandum for after this." The crowd of staff parted for Meres to step forward, he looked more flustered than ever with the lithe young women surrounding him.

I stepped into my study and dropped into my chair behind my desk. I a sense of comfort slip over me, like a warm old cloak. This was my bastion, I would challenge anyone to attack me here, both literally and figuratively. To continue my metaphor, they would get, and have gotten, smashed against the walls. "Close the door behind you Officer Meres." I set down one packet and picked up another. "Or should I say Captain Valerio Meres, Second Century, Fifth Cohort, Thirteenth Legion."

"You have my personnel jacket." Meres took the seat on the opposite side of the desk.

"It doesn't take much to get into the Legion Archives." Especially when your father is a general.

"I you don't mind me mentioning, your staff has a very interesting uniform." The blush was back; it was really rather amusing.

"By which you mean the thigh length skirts, the lack of sleeves and straps on their dresses, and the mile of cleavage." The blush grew, "Many of my servants have taken up the worship of Dibella, our bodies are something to take pride in, not be ashamed of." And of course the one point I always have to make, "No, before you ask, it's not an enforced dress code."

"Let me get straight to the point. Tomorrow the broadsheets are going to describe your daring rescue of Lady Livia Cerona. Then the Minister of Justice is going to appoint you deputy." I was going to make the most of my investment.

"And why is that?" Meres could see where the wind was blowing, but he was going to make me say it.

I allowed my smile to become a smirk, "Because I'm going to make it happen."

Meres was quiet for a long moment, "No."

That gave me pause, "Excuse me."

Meres was rock steady though, "My lady, with all due respect, I'd rather not be collared, no matter how pretty the leash."

This was surprising, "I beg you reconsider. Wouldn't you like to give your family a life of wealth?" Not exactly subtle, but it was his weakpoint.

Meres didn't even blink, "I'd rather be able to look my wife and my daughter in the eyes at the end of the day. Letting you through a perimeter is one thing, but if I took this job, I'd belong to you." He stood up, "Follow through on your promises, or don't, I'm happy to have been able to help Lady Cerona, but I won't be anyone's pet."

Interesting, I leaned forward, steepling my hands. "Well, I can't say I'm not disappointed, but I respect your decision. One of my maids will show you out."

"Good evening ma'am," and with that he was out the door and gone.

A few minutes later my personal secretary came in. An Argonian, Stares-At-Scrolls, or Scroll for short, she took the papers off of my desk and replaced them with a fresh set. "How did your meeting with the guardsman go Mistress?"

I picked up the new papers, the latest intelligence on Challa Trading House's impending collapse. "Interesting, not how I'd hoped it would go, but still interesting." I looked up, "Give my thanks to the Intel office for coming up with that dossier so quickly. Send a few bottles down to them and give them the night off."

"You are too generous ma'am, should I have a letter drafted to send to the Minister of Justice?" She flicked her tail back and forth as she spoke, it was a nervous habit and it had tripped more than a few of the other staff on multiple occasions. She'd been listening at the door.

I leaned back and rested my head against the back of my chair, "Yes, tell him that Meres is our next Deputy Minister of Justice. Also, have a message sent to the Vicis asking Alonza to hire Officer Meres's wife. And I'll speak to the High Priestess when I go to the Temple tomorrow about getting his daughter a scholarship to the Imperial University."

"Of course ma'am, may I ask why though? He refused your offer." A small grin spread across my face.

"Yes he did, and that's part of the reason I'm still going through with it. He's too honor-bound to refuse." A man as incorruptible as a saint, with the sense of honor of a knight-errant from a fairy tale. If I couldn't give myself an advantage here, I would take the opportunity away from anyone else.

"What's next?"

...

This one's out a bit late, sorry about that guys, school got in the way again.

Once again, I'm playing pretty fast and loose with the way politics in the Empire works. But like I said, this isn't a Bioware game, I don't have a codex to work with and, as far as I know, none of the books in the games go into any real specifics.

We're back to the normal schedule next week.

R&R people.