Private It's Dangerous in the Lion's Den

[Loreena Arenais-Valhoun]

Lori sat in her room on the edge of her bed, nursing a cup of hot chocolate in her hands. She had tried to fall asleep, but it was no use. Not ever since the Sluis Van trip. So much had transpired there that it gave her a horrible feeling. So many thoughts and situations ran through her mind. Politics wasn't something that she was good at yet. Dorthea Dobson was teaching her, however. But it was a slow process. There was a lot to take in, and their spare moments to study were sparse.

She sipped her hot chocolate and looked to the door that joined her room to that of her husband Rex Valhoun . They were never forced to share a room, yet for appearances, they needed to look united and together as a couple. So ocassionally having them walk out of the same room was beneficial towards that. He was in there. She could feel it. And although they didn't yet share a bond, it was certainly growing. At least for her part.

Lori hoped that he was awake too. So she got up from her bed and walked over to the door, hitting the chime to let him know that she wanted entry. "Rex? Are you there? I can't sleep...."

 

[Rex Valhoun]

The Heir hadn't been sleeping well. His AC unit was busted and the few engineers within The Fleet were busy tending to much more important matters such as a faulty shield generator on The Unity, and an unstable engine on one of the civilian ships. So The young Heir took one for the team so to speak, trying to sleep in the room-temperature room. He didn't even need blankets, even the sheets were too much, so instead he simply slept in his clothes. It was a good habit anyways, because he would be ready for any emergencies that presented themselves during the night.

So when Loreena paged him, he was already wide awake. He quickly got up and opened the door for her, and stepped aside so she could enter. Meanwhile he turned on a dim light so things weren't too dark.

He wasn't exactly sure what to say, he wasn't often spoken to at night. He decided on a simple, caring question. "Are you alright?"

 

[Loreena Arenais-Valhoun]

Lori nodded a little as she walked in, still cradling her hot chocolate while Rex Valhoun turned on a dim light. It was good that he was awake, for his voice didn't sound sleepy at all. "I'm okay for the most part. I just have a lot on my mind and I wanted to talk to you about it all." They needed to be able to work together, afterall.

She noted the temperature in his room and lack of sheets or blankets. It was warm and a bit stuffy. "Should we go into my room where it's cooler? We might be chatting for a while...Or we could go for a walk in the...no, nevermind. That wouldn't be safe." Lori was confident that there were spies everywhere among the crew. Even cameras. Yet she had Arla sweep their rooms earlier and had found no traces of cameras or mics, which was a good thing. Here they were safe. At least for now.

 

[Rex Valhoun]

Rex replied with a simple "Sure."

He assumed she was going to say "ship" but changed her mind. He wasn't sure what she thought was unsafe about the ship, but he was no stranger to paranoia. His father was always worried. Rex however, was far from it. He knew how to look out for danger, and he always had a good sense of judgement regarding the danger of a situation. It was almost natural from his time in The Wilderness.

He then wondered what was keeping her awake. If she thought the ship was unsafe, surely that was part of if not the reason. Paranoia could keep one up night after night. He searched his mind for what could be scaring her, and a few things came to mind. First was Arken Dobson. The man had been arrested by Rex's father just days ago for a heavily disputed reason...and apparently he was blaming Lori partially for his arrest. Rex didn't know the true extent of Arken's influence, and so he dismissed the danger that he posed to Loreena.

His second thought was one of Andreus Veinstein's subjects...Red. Apparently Red had bad blood with Loreena and was involved in Arken's arrest as well. Red was an expert at assassinations and sabotage. Rex couldn't blame Loreena if that was what was keeping her up.

"So, what's going on?" He asked plainly.

 

[Loreena Arenais-Valhoun]

Lori led Rex Valhoun through the door and into her room. The temperature was cooler and moreso at a normal and comfortable setting.

She sipped her hot chocolate and turned to face him as he inquired on what was on her mind. And for half a second she tried to figure out just where to start. But Lori was pretty good at just blurting things out, and so she did. "I can imagine that you heard about the....situation on Sluis Van that got Arken Dobson arrested. Well, it all started when I saw Red there. He used to be my friend until he betrayed me and suded with the Eternal Empire, calling me a terrorist and then later attacked my wedding with a bunch of others where plenty of innocent people died. I could have tried to kill Red, but instead I restrained myself and just punched him in the face instead. Well Arken pounced on that and tried to arrest me! It all went downhill from there, but our Father had Arken arrested instead. I thought that I'd be taken away too, but I wasn't." She paused to have another sip of her drink before continuing. "My worry is about Arken himself. He hates me, wants control over how much credits MandalArms can make, and as Dorthea says, he wants to eat me alive, so to speak. Trying to arrest me after a simple punch just shows how quick he is to have me put away. And now that he's in prison...." Lori paused again as she collected her thoughts. "....I fear retaliation. He told our Father that he was making a big mistake and I'm sure that he sees me as someone that's gotten in his way. So I've been worrying about just what his retaliation will be. He has a lot of influence throughout Elysium Empire. I just have a bad feeling about it all and it just won't go away."

Lori met his eyes, trying to read him. "What do you think? What are your thoughts on Arken and his game?"

 

[Rex Valhoun]

Rex listened to Loreena explain her worries. Sure enough they were about Arken Dobson. He nodded as she explained the brawl, raising his eyebrows in surprise when she said she punched Red. He couldn't imagine Heath was happy about that. The man was a perfectionist, and a brawl erupting at an important meeting, in front of some of the most important people in The Empire, was certainly not a good look, and most definitely wasn't part of Heath's plan.

Loreena feared retaliation from Arken, and wanted to hear what he had to think about the situation. "Well..."He thought in silence for a moment, then explained his point of view, "...Arken can't do much from prison, and if my father is truly handling things, which is certainly a surprise to me, then I would say you don't have much to worry about. I would be more worried about my father backing down under pressure. Even if all he does is hesitate, things could reverse themselves very quickly. I'm sure you've seen now that Heath isn't always the best leader. He can be indecisive, and it has caused problems for us before. I don't have access to our reports usually, but he seems to have kept us from too much trouble, but I think things could certainly be better. What I mean is, when I take over, I think our people will see that we have much more potential than what they may currently think."

His answer had been iffy. It shifted a bit from Arken, to Heath, to Rex's plan. Maybe it wasn't a great answer but it was what he thought of the current state of The Empire, and everything was tied together, as usual in politics....

 

[Loreena Arenais-Valhoun]

"I don't think that being in prison will lessen Arken's influence. Nor would it be punishment for him. He has followers everywhere and Dorthea said that it was only going to make matters worse for us in his quest for power."

Lori wasn't sure if Rex Valhoun would back her up or not, and so she planned to ask him about that. "It could be decades before you take over. Heath is still young and in good health. If you were in is position, what would you have done? Would you of sided with Arken and have me taken away in shock cuffs for a simple punch? Or would you have done as your Father did?" She needed to know where he stood, especially when it came to her. Afterall, they were supposed to be a team Yet right now she just felt as though he cared little at all.

"Arken has a lot of people under his wimg in all sectors of the Empire, while I have so very little. Are you unsder his influence as well? Or do you stand on your own?"

 

[Rex Valhoun]

"I would have arrested you both."

It was the easy answer. Both were involved in the fight, both were to be held accountable. If Arken was trying to be sneaky, he deserved it, meanwhile Loreena couldn't be punching people whenever she felt like it.

"And maybe I'd have the Subject arrested. There's no place for terrorists that can switch sides every time the wind blows. Of course, the arrests would all be temporary. No serious crime was committed..."

He hoped the response wouldn't irritate Loreena. Obviously she wanted him to side with her, but he couldn't pick sides so easily, at least not when he wasn't there. Had he seen the event unfold, maybe his reaction would be different. But from the view of an outsider, the call was easy. Every day he grew more loyal to this Empire he was set to inherit. He believed in it. Chaos was everywhere, and chaos led to suffering, and more chaos. The Empire could be great, so much greater than it has been. Arken was a dealer of Chaos and Corruption. Rex was no fan of the old man and his family. But if he allowed himself to simply arrest one of many in a fight, he would be no better than The Dobsons themselves. That was what he believed, and that was what he would tell Loreena if she questioned his answer.

 

[Loreena Arenais-Valhoun]

Lori nodded a little as Rex Valhoun let her know that he'd of had her arrested as well. In truth she kind of expected Heath to have done so. But he only had Arken Dobson arrested instead. The addition of arresting Red came as a surprise however, and a welcomed one. "Red deserved what he got and he knew that. He didn't retaliate at all and I should have done worse, but I held back. Still I....learned my lesson and will do my best not to repeat it."

She finished her hot chocolate and set the cup aside. Although Rex had answered one of her questions, he had failed to answer those in regards to Arken Dobson . "And what about the Dobsons? What are your thoughts on them? They have a lot of people in high places and plenty of sway over the Council. I have been the target of propaganda before, and branded as a terrorist by people that have commited genocide and killed innocents. I'm quite certain that Arken would seek to do the same....I don't want to be alone here, Rex. I didn't accept this marriage to be left by myself." She clenched her jaw a little, thinking back on Heath's original proposal in regards to her duties to the Empire which were at first, very minimal at best. Yet she had them changed so that it was more than just her name and company that was up for grabs. She wanted to be a part of it all too. "Have you any inclination to work with me at all? Or would you rather that we just go our separate ways?" Of course she didn't want to leave. But what would be the point of staying if she wasn't wanted by anyone but an influential old man that wanted her locked up? It certainly didn't make her feel good about this arrangement.

 

[Rex Valhoun]

"My father created a mess. The Dobsons should have never been allowed to go so far. But I still firmly believe that, with Arken in prison, there's little they can do. But what would you have me do? I am not the king, I am the heir. My father is king, and he is indecisive...we haven't done anything except let things get out of control. His arrest of Arken has only created discontent with our people."

Rex hoped Loreena understood how powerless he was. Even if The Dobsons were a threat from prison, there was nothing he could do. It would just be one more thing on his father's desk that would be ignored. As time went on it became more and more clear that Heath was incompetent. His strength was speaking, and keeping people content, but his lack of action was killing The Empire. If they didn't move forward, they would move back. Things were stagnant...and Heath was too afraid to act.

The last military move was attacking The Agents of Chaos, and it had been a major victory. But since then, apart from some pirate fighting over Mandalore, there was nothing done militarily.

Politically a few minor changes...replacing the foreign seat on the council with a Mandalorian one...and adopting an official and obvious policy regarding The Bryn'adul...were the only accomplishments. The last major change in The Empire was adopting an official currency, which had welled their treasury with the now minority currency: Galactic Credits. It was a huge change and it had been excellent, but since then, nothing.

Instead Heath had allowed The Dobsons to manage finances because he was too lazy or too paranoid to replace them with someone else. Now the parasites had far too much control.

But again, there was nothing Rex could do about it. Loreena had more influence over The Empire than he did. Perhaps not among the people and foreign nations, but certainly on the political and economic side of things.

 

[Loreena Arenais-Valhoun]

Lori didn't think that Arken Dobson couldn't do much while in prison. Dorthea Dobson warned her as much. And for once she wasn't the naive one when it came to the Dobsons. It was Rex Valhoun . "Arken has people everywhere, Rex. He's probably sitting pretty in his cell right now, just counting down the minutes until he's let out early for pulling some strings." She was sure that they could count on that.

But none of it was Rex's fault. And she didn't as easily blame Heath for it all like he did.

"You are not the King, no. But you are the heir. And one day you will be King. Your Father will need to know that the Empire will be left in good hands. So it's time to show him. Don't just wait." Lori chewed the inside of her cheek as she mulled a few ideas over in her head. "The Dobsons are corrupt. Most of them anyways. So....what if we have them investigated? See how far that corruption goes and exploit it? Dorthea can help with that. The people will side against corruption. They always do. We just have to remove the fear of retaliation from them so that they can speak out freely."

It was a good plan and one that she hoped Rex would side with her on. Either way she'd go it alone without him. Rex didn't answer her when she asked him if he wanted to work with her or just go their separate ways. His answer here would probably answer that for her. Heath had given her a few responsibilities, but what good were they if she wasn't wanted? But at least she'd get rid of the Dobsons first.

 

[Rex Valhoun]

Rex nodded as Loreena suggested an investigation. It was a fair offer and something he could probably have done. It'd also reveal a lot about The Dobsons, and Heath. If Dobson was truly a threat from within prison, Rex could prepare for it, and if Heath was truly as weak as Rex thought, it would be exposed and maybe it'd give Rex a shot at taking over. He didn't want to, yet, but he needed to step up, for the good of The Empire.

So it was decided. However he had one concern, "Very well. But if Dobson is so powerful, do you truly think you can trust Dorthea?"

It seemed logical. A familiy so powerful would have eyes and ears everywhere. To trust a member of that family seemed unwise. Regardless it did sound like Dorthea could be a valuable asset, even if she wasn't to be trusted...

 

[Loreena Arenais-Valhoun]

"I...."

Rex Valhoun had agreed to the investigation, which was great! It meant that he was wanting to work with her. At least for a little while. However the question that he posed wasn't what she had expected. Sure she had thought of the veey same question early one, especially during their first meeting at MandalArms. But there was something about Dorthea Dobson that set her apart from Arken Dobson .

"...I believe that I can. At least for right now. Who knows if her father would turn the pressure on her so much that she'd be left with no choice but to obey. For now though, she is defiant and you can see the hatred that she has for him in her eyes. The eyes don't lie, Rex."

There were so few in the Elysium Empire that Lori could confide in or trust. And the last thing that she wanted was to have that number decrease even smaller.

 

[Rex Valhoun]

"Alright, fair enough. I'll see what I can do in the next few days, until then you should get some rest, and try not to worry."

He gave a brief smile, but mentally he wasn't so relaxed. He needed to keep Loreena happy, for the good of The Empire, and right now she wasn't happy. She was worried about The Dobsons. He hoped Loreena wouldn't always stress over things like this. If she did, his life would be just as stressful as he would need to keep her happy ad thus deal with anything she wanted him to deal with.

But that was all the future. For now there was a plan in place, and the issues were distant. He would be foolish to assume Loreena is always this way.

"Is there anything else on your mind?"

 

[Loreena Arenais-Valhoun]

His words were one thing, yet his smile was another. It was brief, but it was there and it provided her with a little bit of comfort.

And although she wanted to be held for a moment, she wasn't going to force Rex Valhoun to do so. Asking him to would do just that. Plus it gave her the chance to be rejected as well.

That wasn't what she needed right now.

"No, no I think that's it for now. Thank you. I should be able to sleep a little easier."

Speaking of which..... "Your room is rather hot. I can imagine that'd be hard to sleep in. Would you like to stay in here for the night?" Her bed was king sized, so it wasn't as though they'd be on top of eachother or anything. Besides, they were married. Something so simple like sleeping next to eachother should be easy.

 

[Rex Valhoun]

Rex didn't know what to say regarding her question. It was good that the room was dimly lit, for it hid his now blushing face. He wasn't entirely opposed to her offer...it would be nice to sleep in a cool room, and it would be good to get used to something so common in marriages. However he wasn't comfortable with that...yet. He had never shared a bed with anyone before. It was quite possible that the worry of waking Loreena up, would keep him awake. And then there was the obvious worry of what could happen later.

He inhaled a deep breath of the cool air, then exhaled, "I...suppose so. If you prefer, I can sleep on the floor..."

It was a legitimate offer. He could sleep anywhere, it was temperature that bothered him, not the area he slept. He had slept on beaches, in trees, and on cave floors before. The carpeted metal ground of The Utopia was no concern, and it would prevent any uncomfortable situations that sharing a bed could present....

 

[Loreena Arenais-Valhoun]

Lori raised a brow at Rex Valhoun 's offer. "The floor? Well I....I guess if you really want to. But the bed is big enough that we wouldn't even roll into eachother if you're worried about that. We could even create a buffer with some pillows, if you'd like." She gave him a small smile, half imagining them creating pillow forts as younglings and battling it out.

However they weren't younglings. They were married adults just getting to know eachother. And so of course she put in a safety net for them both, this way they could get used to eachother little by little.

So many hated the fact that Lori was in an arranged marriage and all had looked to her for signs of distress so that they could 'free' her from it. Yet she kept telling them to let it all be. Hopefully one day they won't keep pulling her aside and ask her about it....

 

[Rex Valhoun]

He had already considered the idea of a pillow separating them...he hadn't suggested it but now that Loreena had, it was a good alternative. "Alright, a pillow wall works. I've always liked walls, they keep the bad things out and are a sign of a planetary nation's territory and prestige." He smirked "Of course I'm not sure that this pillow wall will be quite the same."

Maybe The Elysium Empire would build some walls when they finally conquered a planet. It'd be useful given their low numbers. If he remembered his course over the state of the galaxy correctly, The Bryn'adul had massive walls around their structures. Sure, it was more primative than a shield but it also had some pros...a shield could be put around the wall, the wall could have weapons on it, so on and so forth.

Walls had always protected him in The Wilderness, though those walls were nothing but sticks and stones stacked in a somewhat defensive way.

Of course he hadn't mentioned walls completely without reason. Loreena had experience in engineering and trap-building. It could potentially be a good conversation starter so they wouldn't be laying there uncomfortably in bed...

 

[Loreena Arenais-Valhoun]

Lori nodded in agreement and began gathering some pillows from the sofas and chairs to set them up on the bed, talking as she did so. "Walls are great. As well as shields and tunnels. We used them a lot when my family ruled Commenor. And I protected hundreds of people in our underground bunkers when the Sith lay siege over the planet and tried to capture and enslave us. Of course if they caught me my fate would have been different, but that's all overwith now. I'm not on their radar or anyone's but the Eternal Empire, I think. And of course the Dobsons..."

But on the ships she had no escape tunnels. All that she had were her own ships. But she couldn't just flee the Elysium Empire if Arken Dobson came after her. She had to stay to fight him if necessary.

Lori climbed into one side of the bed, letting Rex Valhoun claim the other. "Thank you for watching over me tonight. I promise not to be so demanding of it all the time." They each had their own things to deal with and she couldn't be selfish and ask for anyone to fawn all over her. That wasn't what this marriage was about, afterall. And that was something that she had to remind herself of.

 

[Rex Valhoun]

Rex helped set up the pillows as Lori spoke. She jumped right in on the wall conversation, which was a relief to Rex, who no longer felt stupid about bringing up such a random topic. She also taught him some history, his favorite subject, involving Commenor when the Sith were besieging the planet. It reminded him of the Bryn invasions he had studied. It also made him think of the troubled history of Mandalore, which had been besieged multiple times.

Then Lori thanked him and promised to not be so demanding. Rex didn't think she had been too demanding, everyone had concerns about things, and she seemed to have The Empire's health in mind just as much as her own.

"Don't worry about it, really, it was no trouble. It's good that you brought your concerns to me."

Then Rex climbed into the bed on his side of the pillow fort. Maybe he'd get some sleep now, with a cool room that wasn't like a weapon ventilation room...