These were interesting days for Olterian. Setting in his spacious and tastefully decorated office, Olterian was leaning well back on his chair. He lifted his right leg and placed it on his desk. The left leg followed, and he crossed it over the top of the right, and then settled its weight upon the first-positioned leg. His mind drifted off into subjects that kept revisiting him over the last few weeks.
He was still heavily into the usual concert and event promotion, the Nenseru Woods concert which was fast approaching and he had loose ends to see to in the days leading up to the concert, he was reconnecting – after all these years – with E’sphara, and finally he was engaged in what can only be described as surreptitious skulduggery.
“Skulduggery, har!” Olterian’s mind challenged itself over what it knew as his improper conduct 20 years before. Had he been more adventurous, more appreciative of what E’sphara was trying to accomplish, perhaps he would have made a difference back then. Instead, he was faced with a second chance, with an issue where second chances are rare. And so he was now part of The Five.
Each of The Five was tasked with keeping their senses attuned for issues and happenings which might be of concern to their cause, or threaten the safety of llhaesa. Olterian’s sources were many and varied, and he had spent a lifetime of acquiring information obtained simply by way of innocent interaction, a comment rendered by another without his ever asking a direct question. His mind was trained to pick up on hidden or not obvious information; this was one of the things which made him so good at his chosen craft.
Nenseru Woods was less than two weeks away, and some sources were indicating to Olterian the government might be paying close attention to what unfolds at that concert. “Small wonder” Olterian silently pondered. He saw what a more moderate government had done to E’sphara long before, and llhaesa was a powder keg many times in magnitude of E’sphara’s activism, up against a ruthless chief of government. In his view, this would not end well, but he was committed this time, and committed he would stay.
Llhaesa was young, idealistic – and she was not careful. Hers was the right position, and so she felt it was ok to make that position known to the world, no matter who in opposition might find their toes beneath her feet.
This concert was a perfect setting for information gathering by their opposition. There would be operatives everywhere, looking for the smallest pieces of useful information. Already, Olterian had received information indicating llhaesa was developing a relationship with the Khentavra’s daughter. This was the sort of information operatives would find interesting, and if Olterian knew, it was only a matter of time before the government did as well.
Olterian knew he was being harsh in his evaluation and criticism – he was looking at this from the point of view of what was likely to happen given the set of facts before him. On the other hand, he had never met anyone quite like the musician, not even E’sphara. People were right to clamour for llhaesa in leadership, for hers was the full package of what one might wish to see in the head of government in a time of crisis, where there was a need for change, age be damned. If and when it got that far, Olterian would encourage the young woman – as best he could – to embrace and accept the position. He just had to work like hell and see to it llhaesa made it through to that point unscathed.
Two days before, Olterian sensed someone was following him, and he did catch a brief glimpse of someone before the disappeared from sight. He was not involved in anything else which might warrant such observation, and so he concluding it was because of the pending concert – and perhaps his secret arrangement with The Five – was an easy connection to make. He hoped The Five were still way off the government map, for they could accomplish much if no one found out about their association.
“OK” Olterian moved to shake off his contemplative funk “time for me to get some work done.”
