Capital City, Osiris: Town Hall
Apr. 8th, 2010 07:43 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
The timing of the press conference and his announcement had been carefully planned.
Later that day, waving to the cameras and media captures filming for the evening's newsfeeds, Gabriel and Regan Tam had left Londinium on the first stage of their trip, prior to beginning the outward-arcing tour towards the Border and Rim. The first stop, of course, is Osiris -- the planet that Gabriel Tam represents in Parliament, and the location of the Tam family estate.
Home, in other words.
Still, even a brief vacation at home has its obligations and opportunities, and Gabriel is Osiris's member Senator on the Council of Seven, after all. The first town hall open meeting had been scheduled to take place in Capital City, the evening after their arrival.
He'd seen to it that his security personnel had been informed prior to the announcement as a courtesy. It should have given them plenty of time to arrange matters, and in fact it had.
However, that was before anyone had realized that the Senator would see fit to make a point of declaring his clear confidence regarding his personal safety and security. As a consequence, unbeknownst to Gabriel, hidden cameras trained on all entrances and exits from the venue have been hastily activated in order to keep track of all attendees, each of whom is undergoing an automated ident-scan.
One can't be too careful, after all.
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Date: 2010-04-09 01:58 am (UTC)And since he's quite sure that he's never casting a vote for Gabriel Tam to save his life, clearly it's only morbid curiosity that brings him into the heart of downtown (where he feels like that to fit in he'd best be wearing a three-piece suit, which is why he's cheerful in denim and a shapeless, battered corduroy jacket) and through the security checkpoint to a seat by the wall of the house. (Stage right.)
He's got no intention of opening his mouth or announcing his presence (or, for that matter, to tell Simon that he came). He's just here to watch the spectacle.
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Date: 2010-04-09 02:38 am (UTC)No one had doubted it for an instant, then or now.
As a result, when the facial recognition program running in conjunction with the identity scanner bleeps an alarm and flashes up a screen titled LLEWELYN JORDAN, the tech at the monitoring station is on the comm to the nearest floor guard before the report even finishes scrolling.
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Date: 2010-04-09 02:48 am (UTC)The tap on his shoulder, and the suit the tapping finger belongs to, would suggest that maybe it's not clear to everyone else exactly why he's here, either.
Jordie aims a glance at the stage, and allows himself a momentary wry smile. "Flash your identcard upon entry and suddenly the whole 'verse is your friend," he says, cheerfully enough. "What can I do for you?"
As soon as the words are out of his mouth, he pauses for a fraction of a second, letting the realization hit him: he's missed being a pain in the pìgu at events like these.
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Date: 2010-04-09 04:57 am (UTC)By now the last of the stragglers should be making their way into the convocation hall, and in five minutes the introductions will begin, and in seven Gabriel Tam will cross the stage to the podium.
It's all very well timed, which is why the small group made up of staffers and media representatives moves together with Gabriel into the corridor, en route to the stage's side entrance.
They get all of six steps in before the security team swoops down to block the way, causing Gabriel to look up from his speech notes in surprise.
"What's going on?"
"Sorry, Senator, there's been a disturbance."
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Date: 2010-04-09 05:04 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-04-09 05:21 am (UTC)The crisp edge to his tone slices neatly through the air, causing utter silence to descend among security and staffers alike. Ignoring Mark Jiang's frantic gesture of protest, Gabriel strides through the small crowd and straight up to the security personnel detaining the tall young man he doesn't quite recognize, but who for some reason looks vaguely familiar.
"I'll have an explanation as to why you're detaining this man. Immediately."
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Date: 2010-04-09 05:28 am (UTC)And a little surprise, too.
The chief suit says something (very stiffly) in as much jargon as possible about his permanent record making him a probable security risk.
Jordie immediately, and visibly, stifles a grin.
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Date: 2010-04-09 05:45 am (UTC)Perfectly even, utterly controlled, and coldly furious.
Gabriel turns to the stranger.
"You're free to go, sir, and I hope you'll accept my personal apology for this inconvenience."
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Date: 2010-04-09 05:47 am (UTC)Now that's one for the scorecard.
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Date: 2010-04-09 05:52 am (UTC)Meanwhile, at the other end of the corridor, an event coordinator dashes into the hall and waves desperately at them. Mark Jiang says, rather urgently,
"Senator, please-- we're running out of time--"
"All right, Mark. I'm coming."
He turns his attention back to the work at hand, and the small procession continues on its way.
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Date: 2010-04-09 05:57 am (UTC)By all appearances -- which is the point, isn't it? -- he seems to take in everything Tam says like a sponge. A very critical sponge. His gaze doesn't waver.
Which is the point. He's positive they're still watching him, regardless of what Tam said to them, and he's expecting further trouble. It's the kind of situation that makes him want to get a little truculent.
But just a little.
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Date: 2010-04-16 04:41 am (UTC)Once it's over, he withdraws to the room backstage to speak with a few individuals while he waits for the crowd to clear.
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Date: 2010-04-16 04:44 am (UTC)For now, he'll settle for waiting for everybody to exit the aisle -- and how convenient it is that he's on the end, where he can put his feet up on the seat in front of him, pull out his datapad, and check for new waves.
And while he's doing that, he'll also verify his rights courtesy of the VFD node (and you'd better believe that Jordie has that bookmarked for easy access), and prepare a few talking points for when the suits approach him again.
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Date: 2010-04-16 04:56 am (UTC)He's watching the screens depicting the flow of human traffic out of the hall when he spots the man from earlier. Stifling a sigh, he calls the attention of the same team members who'd overreacted before to the continued presence of this particular individual.
"Since we have the opportunity at hand, let's go over this again. What's the correct response in this scenario?"
...
Five minutes later, one of the security team members approaches Jordan, trying not to grit his teeth or let his face show anything but a professional demeanor.
"Sir?"
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Date: 2010-04-16 04:58 am (UTC)"You rang?"
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Date: 2010-04-16 05:01 am (UTC)It's clear from the perfect blandness in the invitation that he's very much hoping Jordan will decline.
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Date: 2010-04-16 05:07 am (UTC)"Isn't that interesting," Jordie muses -- and makes his movements clear: he's sending a textwave. "Well. Just let me inform my nearest and dearest of my current whereabouts -- because you really can't be too careful, can you -- "
And snaps his datapad shut. "So now that they know exactly where I am and who I'll be with." Another smile -- this one pleasant. "Are you going to demand another scan before he begs for my vote due to your team's actions which may in fact be actionable? Or can we just proceed so I can get on with my evening fomenting riot and corrupting the youth?"
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Date: 2010-04-18 02:55 am (UTC)He murmurs something into his wristcuff, then gestures with deliberate politeness for the annoying bastard to proceed. "If you'll come with me, please?"
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Date: 2010-04-18 03:04 am (UTC)It's easy enough, if he puts his mind to it: while he doesn't expect that he's going to be taken outside, he'd be an idiot if he didn't at least think about it.
(He did actually send the wave to his aunt and to the head of the Fremont clinic he works in, weekends.)
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Date: 2010-04-18 03:32 am (UTC)He taps on it with his knuckles, in a quick and distinct pattern, then opens it and stands back.
The room is almost empty, at this point. Gabriel Tam is talking with a tall, gray-haired woman and her husband, his assistant hovering attentively at his side.
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Date: 2010-04-18 03:35 am (UTC)He slips his hands in his pockets and looks with raised eyebrows at the suit.
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Date: 2010-04-18 03:47 am (UTC)Gabriel says something, and the couple laughs. One after the other, they shake hands with him, then turn away with Mark, who leads them to a side door.
He watches after them, then turns and walks across the room, straight toward the mismatched pair.
"Xiexie," he tells the guard, with casual dismissiveness. "I'll take it from here."
Without waiting for an answer, Gabriel offers his hand to Jordie, smiling.
"Dr. Jordan. I'm glad you could join us this evening."
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Date: 2010-04-18 03:57 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-04-18 04:20 am (UTC)The other man looks distinctly unhappy, but withdraws to the other side of the room as Gabriel returns his full attention to Jordie.
"To speak with you." A beat. "That is, if you have the time?"
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Date: 2010-04-18 04:35 am (UTC)He realizes, distantly, that he feels extremely uncomfortable. Almost nervous. It's not fun any more, he thinks.
Time to get truculent.
"Because I don't think you'd have pulled me back here after what happened out there if you didn't already know I have the time. Frankly, I'd be surprised if your people hadn't already determined what I had for dinner, and while I'm always up for trading recipes, I find it difficult to believe you'd have any use for me other than the method to my Nuevo Mexico red."
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