A. Sordidus

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Director **Apeiron Sordidus**, aka Discount Axa Ximander, formerly of House Lyra, was a Member of the Board of Directors in the A.C.R.E. Corporation . He was in charge of the Department of Accelerated Collaboration and Repression Exertions, which handles Corporate Merging and Co-operation with Contractors. After House Eridanus took over ACRE, he fled and went into hiding.

## Appearance and Personality

A slender man of average height and weight, usually wearing a blue suit. His skin colour could be described as Mediterranean, paired with short black hair.

Due to his heritage and work at A.C.R.E., the Director is overly polite, eloquent and in general well-spoken. Some, however, can see that he is wearing this a disguise, behind which are arrogance, belittlement and devious plots, which manifest in theatrics, pathos and the use of irony. He uses honeyed words and tries to work out exactly what the Opposition wants to hear, to lull them in, while working behind their backs already at a ploy to further the agenda of A.C.R.E. and his own.

Due to his childhood and teenager years, he is generally distant to others (especially to nobles of House Lyra and psychics), always suspecting something behind a compliment or remark, thus his only real "friends" are fellow Directors at A.C.R.E., whom he treats with respect and politeness.

He will however, never share stories about his Life before A.C.R.E. and even if, be very tight-lipped about it.

## Early Life

Director Sordidus tries his best to ensure that his life before becoming a A.C.R.E. Director is as forgotten as possible and so not much is known even by other Directors. The reason lies in his upbringing:

Apeiron Sordidus was born into a prestigious family of known telepaths, for which they took great acre and pride in. Unlike his siblings, he did not how any signs of MES at birth and even after waiting for a few years, he didn't manifest any psychic abilities. In the eyes of his family he was a failure and a stain upon their heritage, so he was put aside, treated with apathy or disinterest by his parents who focused more on his gifted siblings.

Soon, still a child, he was send to another family homestead to live out of the eyes of the public, while his own family didn't mention him anymore to uphold their reputation.
During these lonely times, while being cared by servants, he took interests into reading the vast family library or occupy his mind with other things to pass the time, since his family didn't expect him to do anything.

This continued for years and nearing his 16th Birthday, he was visited by an unnamed family member, a Great-Uncle, who explained to him that their family every so often produces a child without MES, which is then given away or put out of the public eye to maintain face.
His great-uncle was the same has him, no psychic, and thus spirited away. But he made something out of himself and joined A.C.R.E., becoming a Director and living the high-life.

Now the Great-Uncle offered this to young Apeiron, to leave his family behind and join A.C.R.E. as an Assistant to his Great-Uncle. Starved for affection, his Uncle had no problems convincing the young man of this and his family didn't put up resistance, being glad to be rid of him.

The years that followed were those of travel, honing skills and learning new ones. Under the guidance of his Great-Uncle, Apeiron developed and adapted to all the tests and trials that were laid before him, becoming one of the raising Stars in A.C.R.E., soon laying down his noble Status and becoming a Director.

However, it was then that his Great-Uncle and Apeiron took a travel far away, from which only Apeiron returned, claiming his Patron had gone missing. Oddly, the Board of Directors didn't press for a search or tried to answer to many open questions and the explanation of Apeiron was excepted. Soon afterwards, the young man cut all ties with the noble past, abstaining from nobility and joining A.C.R.E. as an Director, taking over the Office of his Great-Uncle.

With that step he also changed his name to Apeiron Sordidus (it is a mystery as to how he was named before and what his family was called).

## Director of A.C.R.E.

As a Director, his Office was responsible for the Department of Accelerated Collaboration and Repression Exertions, which handles Corporate Merging and Co-operation with Contractors.
Director Sordidus oversaw this Department for more than 12 years.

The usual work centered around the investigation of potential rivals and their assets, as well as writing recommendations on how to handle them. His Office was also initiating Talks and Negotiations with other factions or groups, in tandem with other Directors, to debate agreements or favours between A.C.R.E. and the other party.

One of the more secret responsibilities was, in case of a threat, to scan the social structure of an (potential) enemy, identify the internal factions and develop plans on how to turn them against each other or ensure that they don't turn on ACRE.

To achieve that the Director worked closely with the DCI and other Intelligence-related Departments, ensuring his tasks completion with every tool of the trade available, be it blackmail, coercion or assassinations.

## Wanted War-Criminal

After it become clear that a peaceful solution could not be found between members of The Houses Minor, The High Church of Messiah-as-Emperox, and ACRE, the Board of Directors voted on how to proceed and Director Sordidus was one of the advocates for a quick first strike by ACRE against the Houses Minor Council to ensure a quick victory over the Empire.

This however, turned out to be a dream in the months to come, as the war dragged on with each side not giving any leeway. Though ACRE had leveled Diomikato, nearly crippling House Aquila, they would fight on with reinforcements arriving soon. With a stalemate developing, once again ACRE need a bold plan to turn the tides and thus the plan to torch Orpheus was conceived.

Together with Velan officials and UPC Assets, ACRE planned to destroy all confidence in the Houses Minor Council by making an example of Orpheus. To this end, ACRE send several Brokers, Speculants and merchants to push the infrastructure of Orpheus to its brink and dismantle the Lyran Goverment. While details of what happened during "The Trial" are still unconvered, effectively the tactics deployed caused food shortages, damaged the communication and power structures as well as disrupted the local financial system, sending thousands of inhabitants into starvation with an still unknown number of deaths.

The "grand" plan failed in the end. Lyra survived and Vela was the first the pay the bill for the genocide on Orpheus with reinforcements of the empire making their way to Demnoph.

In the shadows a small cabal of Directors together with the Leaders of House Eridanus made a deal to prevent the complete destruction of ACRE, merging the two entities once again to the old Eridanus Imperial Bank. The cost were reparations and concessions to the Empire factions together with sending hundreds of Directors into the arms of House Crux to be punished.

This didn't sit well with Director Sordidus, having been one of the architects of the war plans, so he fled with but a few loyal employees and assets into deep space. House Crux is still looking for him and suspects him somewhere in the outer northern edges of the known sector, beyond Echo. At least Sordidus ensured they would believe that...

## In Hiding

With his trust utterly shattered in his fellow directors, Sordidus hid well before the ever watchful eyes of the Crux and everyone out for the high bounty on fled Directors of ACRE, needing some time to think.

In those weeks of resignations and betrayal, he thought a lot and came to a conclusion: This war ended unsatisfied for everyone involved and now the sector would be at the mercy of the High Church. So a new war must happen, this time to the bitter end.

To facilitate such events, Sordidus spread some false information and had a trusted confidant take on his appearance to fool his pursuers into thinking he was hiding at the northern edge.

Now Sordidus would undergo some change of his appearance himself and then make his way back to the core to look for a new job inside the empire. With some favors and blackmail, Sordidus, or rather Axa Ximander, let himself be hired by the Imperial Bank of House Eridanus climbed the ranks soon enough. Very soon afterwards, he recieved the Title of "Discount", with the help of old connections, bribery and blackmail, so he could soon move to the next phase of his plan: Marrying into a Noble Family.

When one gives up his noble title, it is lost forever and a noble will always be more worth than any other person in this society, which was a problem for Sordidus as he need a high position within the new Imperial Bank to have enough influence events as he wanted, so he used the Eridanii-Traditions to his advantage and married into a noble Eridanus Family.

After researching, using PRISM Dossiers and ACRE documents, Sordidus found the perfect canidate: The Imper-Family, a Eridanus Family, struggling with Debt, but keeping it secret as to not be socially ostracised. Soon Sordidus started talks with the Family and offered them money and information to take care of debt and rivals, in exchange he would recieve the hand of their daughter Adela, who was recently elevated to the position of a Triffox.

The Family accepted after some further negotitations and didnt question the wealth of the Discount , so Triffox Eridanus Imper Adela and Discount Ximander Axa were married, to the dismay of the young woman, as she soon discorvered that she didn't love the man her family made her marry, but she did as she was told for the good of the family.

Now Sordidus had the access he wanted and could started proceeding in his plans, though he was unsure about his new wife. If she started to get curious, it could become a problem for him, so the best course of action would be to slowly make her an ally in his plans, as to at least protect himself.

For now everything worked as he hoped...

## Miscallenous

* He has fondness of good food and what would border as an addiction to Lyran iced tea.
* Member of the prestigious Crea Orbital Club.
* Loves to hate House Lyra and hates to love them.