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knowmyplace

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From:

knowmyplace

Iago looks up, bright and cheerful, from where he's sitting on deck with a book in hand. He's checked his communicator, of course, and really sees no reason to reach out to someone who may or may not care, but he gets his answer soon enough.

"Ah, there you are. I was wondering if you might find yourself here."

From:

packhounds

"I wouldn't want to be anywhere else," he says, just as cheerfully.

"You are Iago? I would hate to get that mixed up." After all, if anyone has paid attention to the network, he happens to have someone who looks exactly like him. These things might happen to the unwary.

From:

knowmyplace

"And you are Mikodez?"

He smiles. "Forgive me if I don't believe that straightaway."

From:

packhounds

"I am." He grins. "I can't even be annoyed if you don't believe me or my brother would complain I doubt his acting skills. Family is a great gift." True enough to make a good joke.

He grins. "So I have no choice but to prove myself by asking if you'd like to play a game. A board game." Since 'playing games' in a more general sense is really just another way to describe social interaction.

From:

knowmyplace

He sets the book aside. "What sort of game?" he wonders, intrigued.

From:

packhounds

"I thought we could play one from your world. I still have very little context for them, so it's a good place to start."

From:

knowmyplace

"I only know card and dice games," he admits. "But I do have a deck of cards."

From:

packhounds

"The board games all have instructions, we can learn them together." He gives Iago a pained look. "People were obsessed with card games in my school. You could barely go a couple of hours without someone trying to pull out a deck. I had to leave a classroom through a window and hide on the roof to get a day of relief."

From:

knowmyplace

He laughs. "Well, none of that, then. I did learn Battleship, but I don't like it. Should we venture to the library?"

From:

packhounds

"Lets see what they have on offer," he agrees. "There must be a lot better than Battleship."

From:

knowmyplace

"What have you found?"

From:

packhounds

"There was Cluedo, Mysterium, Backgammon, Risk... these are just some of the ones that were unfamiliar to me," he adds.

From:

knowmyplace

"Those don't even sound like real words!" he laughs. "Except Risk. What is that?"

From:

packhounds

He grins. "According to the back, it's a game where we pursue world domination. Only one world, but I always enjoy strategy games that understand there's always a little luck."

From:

knowmyplace

"Only one world?" he laughs. "That's a little shortsighted, but I suppose we can try it."

From:

packhounds

"Next step: the universe. I suppose one world is a place to start."

From:

knowmyplace

Iago follows a half step behind and to the side, his hands behind his back. "And what would you do if you controlled a universe?"

From:

packhounds

"Oh, I would never try to control a universe. It would involve far too much work of the type I don't like. The trick is to split things up so someone else handles making laws and so on."

From:

knowmyplace

"Mm, and what would you do? Control the people who make the laws? Seems like the same work, only filtered through someone stupid."

From:

packhounds

"See? You've put a pin in why I would have no interest in controlling a universe, and I don't find fighting very entertaining so I wouldn't accidentally find myself with one." If he did he would have to take responsibility, so it's to the best that he'll leave that for soldiers.

From:

knowmyplace

"We can call it my youthful ambition," Iago says with a chuckle. "That makes it so I would enjoy the challenge."

Not that Mikodez looks any older than Iago, but he has a wisdom to him that makes Iago wary of making assumptions.

From:

packhounds

"That gives you a far more reasonable excuse then some people I've dealt with."

The normal modifications of the Hexarchate have given him a youthful appearance, but he has the weight of experience to his side. Not that he isn't still called young by some of his colleagues. It's one of the less creative insults, and most of the insults aren't what he'd call creative.

"What would you do with a universe, or would you simply wish to win it?"

From:

knowmyplace

"Delegate people to run it the way I want, as you said. Ensure they dont betray me. And when they inevitably do, well, it's a good way to set a precedent."

He smiles. "It is a bit like running the Barge, but on a larger scale, I would imagine."

From:

packhounds

"I wouldn't say the Barge is anywhere near as organized. Not to say the universe is easily organized, but you have to higher standards when you don't have the 'advantages' of this ship."

The sudden and yet inevitable betrayal is just a basic understanding of how these things work, and another reason Mikodez is fine just running one sixth of a giant space empire. He can keep a handy list of likely betrayals.