Mordena Embassy of Baden

Navarch Lawrence stood to his full height at the interruption, his bodyguard pulling to attention beside him. "You're early, Kendrick."
Representative Aiden Kendrick glanced at his watch, frowning. "I am? I was told one thirty. It's currently one forty five."
<That's a lie,> Ambassador Vallick reported telepathically, settling into her chair.
"I'll have a talk with Scheduling," Jake answered wryly, leaning against the corner of the Ambassador's desk. "Sort out what happened."
"It's no trouble at all." Kendrick smiled. "Though perhaps we can talk now as I'm already here."
"That you are." Jake nodded with a good natured grace. "What business brings you to our Embassy?"

— Hands of Destinee, Book 2: Destinee's Call

Originally the house Shane Lawrence purchased after settling on Baden with Jake, upon the Lawrence's resettlement onto Janikk the Mordena successfully negotiated with Baden leadership for approval to convert the building into the primary Embassy of the Mordena. As the Mordena grew so did the Embassy's influence, drawing visitors from across Vazdimet. Always conscuous of their impact to those around them, the staff at the Embassy have spent no small amount of time improving the quality of life of the Lawrences' former neighbors, in addition to their official duties.

Purpose / Function

Serving as the Mordena's primary location for dealing with the remainder of the universe, the Mordena Embassy at Baden sees a large variety of visitors, each seeking information on or assistance from the mercenary organization. A constant parade of reporters, diplomats, and hopeful clients can be found within on any given day, seeking an appointment with the on-duty representatives. The currently-appointed representative, Ambassador Larsenia Vallick, has become a common and popular figure among the locals, as has her chief of security, Commander Acer Mazzard.

Architecture

Shane tugged irritably at the stiffened collar of his black shirt, fingers brushing the red enameled Mordena triangles he had pinned carefully to his lapels. The room was stiflingly hot. On normal days this was the receiving room for foreign diplomats, with two plush sofas, a large dark wood coffee table, and a potted plant that didn’t seem to mind the distance from Janikk. Today, however, the familiar furniture had been removed to accommodate the sheer number of bodies that had crammed in, all hoping for a piece of him. All that remained of the receiving room was its ornate panelled walls, lovingly carved with his pick of Janikk’s flora and fauna.

— Coming Home

The bottom floor of the Embassy contain the expected receiving rooms and formal meeting rooms, each heavily decorated with ornate dark-stained wood paneling and comfortable, expensive-looking furniture. A private section contains a well-arranged kitchen with a large walk-in freezer, carefully stocked and staffed to provide meals for staff, residents, and occasionally visitors.
The middle two floors give way to offices for Embassy officials, the decor shifting to favor function over form. Higher ranking officials retain the wood paneling, but whereas the first floor maintains a dark, imposing atmosphere the offices focus on brighter, more welcoming color schemes or even adopt the color adaptive lighting commonly found in the Mordena's Grand Armada.
By comparison, the Embassy's top floor remains homey and comfortable. This is the realm of Embassy security, containing the barracks and personal weapons lockers of security personnel. Navarch Jake Lawrence's private office is also located on this floor, complete with bed for nights spent planetside. The room doubles as a secondary security office, with cameras monitoring not only the full interior but also the Embassy's surroundings.
A heavily armored and Shielded basement, added after the building's construction, houses Security's primary office and full weapons arsenal. A separate section also contains long-term food storage, a small but efficient kitchenette, and a bunker designed to house all non-military Embassy personnel in case of planetary bombardment.

History

Though extensive renovations had been done since the days he and Jake had called this place home, Shane could still see the bones of the old house. These prying people in overpriced suits weren’t just intruding on his time, but his memories too.

— Coming Home

Originally Jake and Shane Lawrence's house from the years they resided on Baden as unknown refugees, the Embassy has since been expanded to encompass the entire block of row homes and renovated to suit its new purpose. Despite this, many of the characteristics of the original house have been retained. The current Embassy kitchen was designed by Shane himself, with the added freezer replacing the neighbor's kitchen. A worn wooden door still leads to the original backyard, now growing an assortment of plants from Janikk, completely enclosed in reinforced and Shielded glass for security purposes.

Type

Embassy

Parent Location

Baden City

Owner

Shane Lawrence

Ruling/Owning Rank

Grand Navarch

Owning Organization

Mordena

Characters in Location

• Ambassador Larsenia Vallick
• Casey Mazzard
• Commander Acer Mazzard
• Elisabet Mazzard
• Lisa Mazzard
• Mate Sam Ellis

Further Reading