lifetothefullest | [IC Inbox]

{Ohno, where is this going? He remembers Maketh had said she'd been doing her planning with Hux, so he has a distinct idea of what this might be about, but not why Hux is contacting him.]

I am, yes.

You are? How so?

[He really hopes Maketh isn't making more foolish decisions. This is what gets you blown up by Tarkin, Maketh.]

[He's going to give a careful answer here, but a truthful one. It's just not the whole truth, by any means.]

She and I met when I first arrived, and we've spoken about the Guard.

I see.

[He doesn't believe that's the whole story but that's not important for the moment.]

Tua is determined to carry out retaliation against someone without the proper planning. She failed to listen to reason so perhaps your more emotional approach may work since that's what she's allowing to get the best of her here.

[...This is definitely not what he's expecting, considering Maketh had said she'd been planning with Hux. But maybe he'd changed his mind when he realized it was too risky, and she just didn't want to admit that when they'd spoken.

But he isn't sure how to respond to Hux; he could say that he's already spoken with her and the subject is--hopefully--resolved, or he could pretend like he hasn't already tried to convince Maketh of anything and agree to do so. The former has the advantage of being the truth, but would likely indicate that he and Maketh are on much more familiar terms than he'd implied. The latter would probably end the conversation more quickly and reveal less, but lying is always a risk and if Hux finds out down the line, he'd surely wonder why Lance bothered hiding the truth.

There's a short delay while he decides how to respond, and eventually he decides to go with a later risk rather than an immediate one.]

I'll try to speak with her. Is there anything you can tell me about the situation that would be useful to know?

[Might as well see what Hux says about the situation while he has the chance.]

I'm sure she'll be able to disclose as much information to you as she believes is necessary.

[In other words, he's not going to make it easy on Lance.]

She's useful to me alive for the time being, so I expect you'll be able to assist in some way.

[Always so helpful, Hux.]

I'll do what I can.

[Not letting people end up dead is an important part of his job, and for as badly as his conversation with Maketh went he's pretty certain everyone involved is still alive for the moment.

He could leave the conversation there--and he's tempted to--but since this is through text, he feels a bit braver than he might've otherwise.]

Do you two know each other well?

[He's gotten an impression of what Maketh knows of Hux, and is aware they're from the same world, but he'd like to hear Hux's take on things.]

I will hold you to that then.

We are 30 years apart in galactic history but we share an Imperial background in terms of our training and worldview so I know her well enough.

[Great, that isn't ominous at all.

And okay, he knows all that, but he'll pretend it's new information and at least with Hux telling him he doesn't need to hide that he's aware of it in the future.]

What does an 'Imperial background' mean, exactly?

We both have Imperial military training and experience in the Imperial military. It comes with a certain mindset and methods in order to survive in that environment.

It's not something that can be fully explained or understood by someone who doesn't have the same experiences we have.

And so there is a bond of shared experiences between you, if nothing else.

[Just as he'd gotten from Maketh.]

Yes, despite the fact that she was executed for treason against the Empire.

[That would be more shocking if he didn't already know that, albeit not the reason for it. That's interesting.

It's also interesting that Hux would just volunteer such information, and Lance gives it a few minutes before he replies to make it seem like he needed time to process.]

What do you mean by treason?

She failed in her duty to the Emperor. That is taken very seriously. As I said, we are separated by over 30 years and I don't have access to the necessary files, but it honestly doesn't matter.

Either she betrayed the Empire by working with the rebels or she failed in her duty by being weak enough to let herself be eliminated. Mistakes can have deadly consequences.

Only one of those scenarios would actually constitute treason.

[And considering what Maketh has said before, Lance is guessing it leans more toward the mistakes side of things although he could be wrong.]

Both involve failing as an officer of the Empire. There is no place for weakness that can be exploited-

[Okay, he just can't resist saying it at this point, partially because this is text.]

It is incredible to me how much this Empire you both work for seems to waste resources. Not to mention the moral implications, but from a purely practically standpoint that could not be a more inefficient system.

How is it inefficient?

The Empire held control over thousands for star systems and for that to be possible, officers and military officials have to be held to a high standard

People inevitably make mistakes. If every experienced officer that does something wrong is executed rather than being able to learn from what they've done wrong, less and less experienced individuals are brought in to replace them.

An experienced officer knows how to survive mistakes or mitigate the damage.
But having weak officers who cannot do that are ineffective at best and detrimental at the worst when it comes to their duties.

Officers have to learn fast, there are no safe environments and those who cannot adapt quickly are culled quickly. That ensures officers who obtain the ranks of general, admiral, moff, etc are capable and have strong positions that they forged.

[That sounds like a whole lot of bullshit justifying as far as Lance is concerned, and once again he's glad for text because he can go ahead and roll his eyes and feel self-satisfied about it.]

It's entirely possible to end up with experienced, capable generals and other officials without murdering those that are less so.

[Demotion and firing both work.]

Technically, the official policy from the Emperor makes murder illegal but officers still find ways to eliminate each other. And the man who had Maketh killed certainly wasn't going to face any consequences because he had so much favor with the Emperor and High Command.

Accidents happen in training or are just part of life. I can't count how many 'accidents' I managed to avoid over the years.

You're arguing semantics.

[He didn't hear anything in there that actually refutes the point, although some of it is useful for other reasons.]

And you're naive. It's almost cute but it's dangerous in reality.

Report back to me when you speak to Tua. I at least want to know if she's dead.

[He's heard that before, and there's absolutely no way he's reporting back to Hux on anything.]

Sure.

[That's all he bothers with in response, and doesn't mean it in the slightest.]