Ogreness, Black Lake-book5

Chapter 23
~

When I joined Nuel at the pavilion, she blathered about the folk in the Hamlet being in a froth. There were a few humans at the Inn who packed their bags and headed out, anticipatin’ reprisals, she said. Humans think of us ogres and trolls as the emotional ones, but I think they’re the blackest pots snuggled up against the fire.

With one cuttin’ glance at me, Doke called us to order, though we might not have even had a quorum yet. There were ogres with concerned looks on their faces luggin’ up the path still.

Doke turned back to me. “I didn’t see ya at the Inn at lunch.”

Hmm. Where was this new antagonism comin’ from? “Had some phone calls to take,” I said.

“And what genius did ya gather?” Doke grimaced, lips crawlin’ up one tusk, down the other.

“I had a long conversation with Zug, son of Ozir.”

“Ozir’s his grandpa,” a bull in the back called. “Papa’s Eimr.” Family hierarchy is important in the ogre world.

“My apologies to Eimr,” I said. Chuckles vibrated. “Zug said he was ready to retire.” I summarized most of the conversation. “The bull has agreed to remain in authority, and participate on a committee to address—”

“Ya’re suggestin’ takin’ this out of our hands?” Doke shouted, maybe a little unhappy, considerin’ his round face turned crimson.

“Exactly. We need to get professionals who deal with societal issues as part of their daily routine. We’re businessmen. Not even politicians. Respected uncles at best. We need a softer hand.”

“A softer hand?” Doke shouted.

I said as calmly as I could, “Though I have some ideas where we as a council could influence—” I waited a five-count, until Doke notched back his head. Tacit acknowledgment to keep going.

“For example. We’ve always crammed ogre-ness in their faces,” I started, not missin’ the grimaces that spread around me. “Ogre Industries. Ogre Motors. Ogreware. Ogre Oil.

“They call us a monopoly, but what we’ve done is monopolize racism.”

I expected that to drive an eruption, and waited. I looked around at my peers, seein’ only acceptance, and a little confusion.

“They want to break up Ogre Industries. I’ve had a team of lawyers workin’ on options for eighteen months. I wasn’t really ready to present the board with a recommendation, but I’ll share the premise of our plan with ya all today.

“Which is to slice the dickens out of OI as a single entity,” I continued. “But partner, merge, take over human owned companies with their own footprints in each industry. They can’t hate us, blame us as a race, if the new companies have a chunk of humans on their boards.”

“Lose our, our—” Doke stammered.

“We stop thrustin’ ogre superiority down their throats, end the monopoly nonsense, bring us in line in the business world as a whole.”

“That is quite the undertakin’,” a voice murmured from the back.

Ah. A genius among us. I nodded, long. “But we have to do it. If the council supports it, assertively, the board will go along. Especially once they see my team’s full proposal.”

An ogre to my right stood. Doke gave him a nod.

“We hold a great deal of pride in what ya call our ogreness. What do the clans in the Range get for givin’ up so much?”

I hadn’t anticipated exactly that argument. I was thinkin’ of the problem, thus the fix in terms of business. And in what the Northerners would accept. But the bull had a point. I wasn’t sure I had a great answer for him.

“Peace,” I finally said, after prolly more thought than most expected.

The bull didn’t look happy, but he sat. Stern expressions flowed around the open-air chamber, maybe as they each thought about the opposite of peace. I shared Zug’s summary of his spreadsheet, readin’ from my phone. The repression and anger would only get worse, if we didn’t do something.

I stood. “I move that we form an external committee of professionals to investigate, evaluate, and propose to the council non-business-oriented means to deal with the growin’ storm.”

Some of the hate on Doke’s face maybe eased. I erred not expressin’ up front that the council would remain the decidin’ force.

A second mumbled softly. The sergeant at arms, after a glance at Doke, opened the floor for discussion.

A bull stood. I sensed the tension spike in every ogre’s shoulders. “I’ll tell ya one thing. No committee with no authority to do anything, will ever be worth spit.”

I sucked in air. I didn’t expect that. The bull’s argument would prolly tick Doke off.

“Explain that,” Doke growled. Yeah. He wasn’t big on releasin’ his authority.

“Who ya gonna get to join yar little committee?” the bull argued. “Investigate and propose. Yeah. That’s gonna go far with some bright egg over at the campus.

“I’ll tell ya,” he continued, “I would snort, someone asked me to investigate and propose. Now ask me to help make something better, I’d step up. But don’t tie my hands.”

“So ya want us to grant them a budget and close our eyes?” someone asked.

“Given guidelines,” another voice added.

We were gettin’ somewhere.

~ Nuel ~

What?

Ike finally opened his sealed lips and something not totally inane flowed out. These fools are actually, maybe, on to something. A metal shaft left over from anger I had directed at Ike remained lodged in my chest though.

Thus far it was all talk.

Let’s see them accomplish something.

~