Posted by Civilian Jewel Stone (Detective Chief Inspector MCD) in The Price of Freedom

Posted by Civilian Vashkilu (New Arrival) in The Price of Freedom

Posted by Civilian Elias “Eli” Trenor (New Arrival) in The Price of Freedom
Posted by… suppressed (23) by the Post Ghost! 👻
Her father had taken exactly the longest amount of time they had agreed upon to get back to her. It was a power play. She might be his delicate flower, but she was still just a thing to him. A beautiful thing but still just a thing. Vash was patient though. She wouldn’t let his near procrastination rush her. He would be hoping she was so desperate for an answer she would agree to his terms without reading.

Eli moved into the room quietly kissing Vash on the head and giving it’s the usual loving rub, “Daughter” he said with a smile and then sat down out of site to listen to the conversation.

Vash grinned up at him. “Papa,” before turning back to the screen.

That would work on a lesser being not on her. When the comm came through she took it in her quarters and called Papa to come be with her. He wanted to know, and it would be better for him to hear it first hand. She knew he would stay to the side and just listen. Like her, he had infinite patience when needed. She left the door unlocked for him and then sat in the chair.

Vash waited a handful of minutes before answering the comm. Just long enough to make her father begin to wonder before realizing he was getting offbeat. “Father. You look satisfied today,” she greeted the screen

Vashkilu, New Arrival

“I am, I have such a great plan and offer for you, I have sent it over to you just now, you look radiant and well kept my flower.” he said his eyes suggesting that he was less than honest about the deal. He motioned his hands,. “Tell me how you are?” he said trying to distract from the contract.

Elias “Eli” Trenor
Medic

She pulled up the contract immediately with a few taps on the PaDD in her lap. She knew that tone. He always thought he was smarter than her, more cunning. And he was those things, but she had learned from him and from others. She began to read on the screen where it showed next to his face. She smiled brightly. “I am quite well Father. We have been busy. The twins make excellent use of my skills. It has been profitable for all of us. I enjoy the challenges they provide,” she said with a cryptic and sly grin.

Vashkilu, New Arrival

His eyes narrowed, “I suspect the boone has just not made it’s way to my account yet?” he suggested, after all she was still his, but she had never failed to pay him not once, she was too smart for that. The contract was filled with clauses none of them out of the ordinary but deep with in there was one that would slip them up.

Vash smiled, “Now you know I can’t very well pay you when I haven’t been paid. I get pad twice in a galactic month. Those dates are in the lease contract you signed with the twins. Your boon will be sent in three days.” He was trying to set her off guard, make her worried she’d violated a contract.

*The Releasee shall continue remitting a residual tithe of ten percent (10%) of all earnings and acquisitions until such time as the Syndicate, through its appointed authority, issues formal Release from the Holding Contract.

Failure to comply with the required payments—whether by omission, delay, concealment, or refusal through any means—shall constitute a breach of duty to the House and to this Trustee. Upon such breach, all privileges granted under this Contract shall be immediately forfeit, and the Releasee shall revert without contest to the original terms of Binding as established under Articles 43 and 91 of this Accord.

Such reversion shall be recognized as lawful and final under the customs of the Syndicate and the rights of the Father over his Daughter as acknowledged by Orion tradition.*

Mezerc (ELI)

Her eyes flashed, “Father, we did not agree to this during our negotiations last week.” On his screen the section was highlighted. “It is also against Orion contractual law for you to demand I continue to pay you after I have been released of your service. I can offer it and you accept, but you can not request or demand it.”

Vashkilu, New

Mezerk squinted at the screen a look of shock on his face that was perfect, but he was a good actor. “Im regretful my flower, Marquis, that slimy Ferrengi is trying to get me introuble with the Syndicate ” he said rubbing he’s hands. “He will be flogged mercilessly” he said reaching down and deleting the subsection. “There no harm done” he smiled

Mezerk

Vash smiled, looking a little scary, “Add 20 lashes for me.” Her father wasn’t going to flogg the man… well that depended on if Marquis actually wrote this for him and didn’t hide it well enough. “You should check all your contracts. It would be a travesty for your empire to fall because he has been doing this without your knowledge.” It was a hidden insult, but her father had opened himself to it by saying the Ferengi had done it without his permission. No head of a house should be unaware of the machinations of their employees or slaves. It was a grounds for legal removal. “Perhaps I should double check my current contract and that of the twins?” she mused slyly. “I will need to examine this more fully for anymore hidden illegal clauses before I sign.”

Vashkilu, New Arrival

Merzerk eyes narrowed briefly catching the insult, but she was right to take the opening and in a sense was proud that she did. “Very well, I will grant you twenty four earth hours to accept, and then the penalties mentioned at the end will take effect” he noted. The Penalties were daily percentage increases to the buy out starting at 20% and working up 20% per day with a cap of 500%. “Do not take to long my flower” he said then the screen went dark, she thought she caught a scream leaving his mouth just as it ended.

“That went well.” Eli noted sitting down next two her.
Mezerk

Vash laid her head against Papa’s shoulder. “It went alright. I’ll need to go through this line by line, and double check the original Orion against the trade common. Often they hide provisions in ‘mistranslations’. 24 hours isn’t long. I don’t want to sign and make a mistake, but I’m not willing to let the penalties take effect.” She shook her head as she sat up, pulling the contract up on her screen, making sure it was large enough they could both read easily. Line by line she read through carefully.

Vashkilu, New Arrival

He leaned into her, his orion was pretty good, but not perfect, after several hours they were digging through a rather large addendum, why did they always think things could be hidden in the long parts. “There” he pointed at the screen. “That looks wrong, it’s in past tense not present or future.” he said drawing her attention.

Elias “Eli” Trenor
Medic

Vash leaned forward to stare at it. She hadn’t gotten quite that far yet. It was odd wording. Her expression took on a nasty glare. She read back a few lines then read the section aloud. “The slave having been granted her freedom to have chosen her own training, has now chosen to continue to execute that training for the future and in to perpetuity payments to her master for his generosity.” She cursed in several languages. Eli could feel, for a moment, the boiling anger inside her. “He’s fixed it so that if I sign this, I not only pay for my freedom but then willing stay his slave for life.”

Vashkilu, New Arrival

“Well I’m sure you don’t want to take it to the syndicate, but maybe call him in the middle of the night and wake him?” he said with a snort, though we should finish first so we can get a final revision in place and get on to dealing with the syndicate.” He noted.

Elias “Eli” Trenor
Medic

Vash made a note of it, wrote the correct wording. “This is all part of a standard contract. They altered it thinking I wouldn’t check.” She started making a list. She would send them all to her father in one go. They kept reading.

Vashkilu, New Arrival

Soon it was 4am OED time, but they were done, had gone through the contract multiple times, man were there rats nests in it. He streched and yawned. “I’m going to bed” he said standing up. “Go sit in my ever empty bed” he said chuckling

Elias “Eli” Trenor
Medic

“It doesn’t have to be empty, Papa,” Vash said as he left. She wasn’t sleeping. She put in a call to her father, right then. Demanded that the house steward wake him. She could have called his private signal, but she wanted to wake him and annoy him.

Vashkilu, New Arrival

“My bed has been empty since before we met, and I’m afraid it will stay that way” he said. “This old dog is a lost cause I’m afraid.” he was not sure he wanted someone in his bed, thought made him anxious.

Vash hugged him tightly. He was not a lost cause, he just needed the right person. That was a discussion for later.

He came to the screen looking rather annoyed, then his face lit up. “Oh it is you my flower, I, have you signed the contract?” he asked eagerly

Elias “Eli” Trenor

Vash did not smile at him, she didn’t speak, she simply transmitted the list of errors, the sections highlight in glaring red. She waited a moment for him to be sure he saw it. “What is this father? When did you stoop so low as to be so sloppy and common to do this? I expected you to put up a fight, but this is beneath you.”

Vashkilu, New Arrival

He looked at her and then off screen again, “I had no idea, I was too busy to write it myself, and” he looked off screen again. “I’ll review it and get back to you” he said then the screen went black.

Elias “Eli” Trenor
Medic

Well that wasn’t good. The threats against her father, were more dangerous than she expected. She waited, impatiently, but calmly for him to get back to her.

Vashkilu, New Arrival

Eli looked at her, she looked confused or almost worried. “What was that about” as he said it the she got a message with the new contract.

Detective Chief Inspector MCD, Jewel Stone

Vash sighed, “I called him out about the errors in the contract. He claims he was too busy to write it himself. He seemed very upset over it.” Though she knew it was for himself and not her. She turned to the computer and tapped to open the attachment. “Let’s see what he has to say now.” She slid her chair over to make room for Eli beside her.

Vashkilu, New Arrival

It took them a long time to fine tooth the contract again, but this time when they had finally finished it looked solid, she would be free and clear from him at the price discussed. “Well, now that that’s settled, we have to go present to the syndicate” he said with a sigh. “See what there price is” he palmed her head and kissed the top of it as he had been doing for some time now.

Elias “Eli” Trenor
Medic

Vash read over the contract with him and then grinned, “I have enough. He doesn’t know it. How long should I wait before paying him?” Her eyes danced. She’d saved every slip, traded every jewel and luxury for Latium and squirled it away. She sold, bought, resold, traded, until she had a nest egg her father knew nothing about. “I can’t speak to the Syndicate until I’ve paid him.”

Vashkilu, New Arrival

Eli smiled and moved over picking her up off the floor in a big bear, dad hug. “You are going to be free soon.” he looked at her, “Can he change his mind before you pay him or after?” Eli knew that for syndicate contract once the money transferred and the obligations where met that was it, but he had no clue on family contracts. He spun her around.

Detective Chief Inspector MCD, Jewel Stone

Vash shook her head, “No he can’t. It’s iron clad once signed. He signed it and so did I. Unless a new contract is signed.” She hugged him tightly, laughing a little. “I need to get to a deposit currier. I will give them the Latium and they will guarantee it. That the full amount is there and then guarantee the transfer to him.”

Vashkilu, New Arrival

“One down, daughter, one to go” he said. He was a little worried the Syndicate was not as easy to escape from, her dept to them was substantial. The twins would let here go, and want her not to pay, but she would insist and they would take the bare minimum, enough that it would not be scrutinized. Once the settled and everything was done, Eli would return every last cent to her, as inheritance, and about a thousand times more.

Detective Chief Inspector MCD, Jewel Stone

She could feel his worry. “Don’t worry Papa. It will be alright.” She stretched up, having to jump a little and kissed his cheek. The next day they were at a seedy little back colony. There was a deposit courier there however. Vash checked their credentials and within the hour her deposit was verified and her fathers acceptance was returned, verified and the contract complete. All the appropriate documents were delivered and certified and then submitted to the Syndicate.

Vashkilu, New Arrival