07-03-2018, 05:58 PM
The man's response seemed to defuse some of Ivan's tension. He studied him, thought about his words. He didn't seem to be in Yun Kao's pocket.
That bitch spider was playing her games with everyone it seemed. And probably was making enemies right and left. He stepped back, let the power drain a bit- he still held on though, just in case.
Still, it was a possibility. There had been the Consul. He'd hoped to find and talk to him. But the more he'd seen of the guests at this ball, the less he liked the idea. He doubted anything would change. The guy reeked of ambition. He was the mini-Ascendancy. Very likely, both of them knew full well the extent of corruption in the CCD.
It made a perverse sort of sense. Governing an empire was work. You needed all kinds of tools, all kinds of leverage, he imagined. The sharks at this ball swam and circled, all looking for weakness, for advantage. Of course they would need corrupt DA's and police and lawyers. And others.
The carrot and the stick, a nudge here, a push there; a favor done for one, a threat to another. Puppet masters.
Ivan was fucking tired of being a puppet. It angered him how easily he had been led along by the nose.
He had strings to cut. Beginning with Yun Kao's. "Alright. Maybe we can."
He put out his hand. "Ivan Sarkozy."
That bitch spider was playing her games with everyone it seemed. And probably was making enemies right and left. He stepped back, let the power drain a bit- he still held on though, just in case.
Still, it was a possibility. There had been the Consul. He'd hoped to find and talk to him. But the more he'd seen of the guests at this ball, the less he liked the idea. He doubted anything would change. The guy reeked of ambition. He was the mini-Ascendancy. Very likely, both of them knew full well the extent of corruption in the CCD.
It made a perverse sort of sense. Governing an empire was work. You needed all kinds of tools, all kinds of leverage, he imagined. The sharks at this ball swam and circled, all looking for weakness, for advantage. Of course they would need corrupt DA's and police and lawyers. And others.
The carrot and the stick, a nudge here, a push there; a favor done for one, a threat to another. Puppet masters.
Ivan was fucking tired of being a puppet. It angered him how easily he had been led along by the nose.
He had strings to cut. Beginning with Yun Kao's. "Alright. Maybe we can."
He put out his hand. "Ivan Sarkozy."