WHO: Lucian Carlyle, Prince of New York & the Primogen Council WHEN: June 23-24th WHERE: A Boardroom within the Tower WHAT: The Priomgen finally meet to discuss the develops concerning SchreckNET. WARNINGS: None STATUS: Complete
It was the second day that the Primogen Council and the Prince had met and they were no closer today to reaching a consensus than they had been the day before. At this point they were just rehashing the same arguments over and over again and the fact that Lucian was sitting there looking bored only seemed to make those who were against it stick to their arguments even harder. It was clear there’d be no persuading the Prince from the course of action that he had chosen, inside it came to trying to win the council over as a whole in order to take action.
“If you had came to us from the start then we could have advised you on what a foolhardy plan it was to even think of bringing the Kindred back online, let alone do it,” Sethius Dragomir, Primogen of the Tremere, stressed once again. “And to drag Caldwell into without the rest of us knowing. You used his youth and nativity against him for your own purposes.”
That just caused Caldwell to sink further into this seat. The Nosferatu Primogen had tried arguing at first about how the Kindred needed to step back into the next age and stop being afraid of things like the Second Inquisition finding them out. This wasn’t thirteen years ago. They had new encryptions now then they did then. They were arguments that seemed to fall on death ears since even the Primogens who seemed like they could be swayed to the Prince’s side of things were displeased with Vincent at the moment for not only knowing but going through with it all without mentioning to the rest of them.
“Age has nothing to do with and you know it you old bag of bones,” Marceline shot back. “Your blood magic can’t account for everything as much as you’d like to think it does otherwise wouldn’t have Sheriff Lazarus found who was behind the attack on the network by now?” The Toreador raised one carefully sculpted eyebrow in question.
That caused the Malkavian Primogen to snap out of the dazed look she had been sitting there with through most of the conversations. “The fact that it was attacked just goes to show that Sethius is right. It’s far too dangerous to allow. All it’s going to do is bring ruin down upon this city.”
“Do you know this for certain,” the Ventrue Primogen spoke up, having been quietly watching the others bicker for a while now, “or is this just speculation on your part?”
Maya shifted in her seat under Alex’s gaze. As the youngest of the Primogen and a Malkavian, she felt like she had something to prove. “I’ve seen things but it’s hard to tell what is now and what is then and what is to come. Things are shifting and changing within the city. We can feel it in the weave of the web. It draws in those who would not be here otherwise.”
That just caused the Ventrue to draw in a breath he didn’t need so that he could let out a sigh. Why he had expected a straight answer from a Malkavian was beyond him. “If you ask me, the attack on the net just helped to show Caldwell and the others where a weakness in the system was so that they could fix it. No one else should be able to get in without them knowing about it. Right?”
The Nosferatu was quick to nod his head in agreement. “Of course. And in theory, having the Kindred more connected by the network means we should hear and know of any threats faster than if we had to keep depending on the old means of communication. One message can reach hundreds of Kindred quicker than by word of mouth.” It was part of the sales pitch that Lucian had thrown to him when he had pitched the idea to Caldwell in the first place but the rest of the Primogen didn’t need to know that part. Even if Maya was looking at him curiously.
The arguments for and against continued on for a while longer with insults being thrown in at each other though mostly that was on the Toreador and Tremere's part. It was clear that Sethius and Maya would not be moved in favor of it while Caldwell and Marceline seemed in favor of it. It was only Alex Caine, the Ventrue Primogen, who currently seemed like he could be swayed as he considered both sides.
Finally, the Prince had his fill of listening to them all go on like a bunch of nagging hens fighting over some speck of food that they had found. Lucian raised his hand and the room fell into silence.
“Until you can all come to a unanimous agreement or can bring me actual proof that it is a danger to us—” his gaze fell on Maya for a moment at that “—SchreckNET will remain up and operational.”
Before the arguments could start up again, Lucian got up and left the board room. The Primogen Council was to advise him, not tell him what he could and could not do, and until they could actually agree on something he wasn’t going to listen to them drone on any longer. If they wanted to continue to sit there and rehash it all out then so be it. He didn’t need to be there for it. If they decided to discuss how best to remove him as Prince then so be that as well. He wished them luck if that was that was a course they would decide on.