Log:Falleen Echoes: The Rise of House Xzehur - Part 1
Great House Intrigue! Game of Thrones in Space! Part One.
OOC Date: June 6, 2021
Location: Falleen
Participants: Zyrette, Saturi, and Khalim
The Basics: Zyrette's ancestral house, once a Great House of Falleen, was brought low during the world's years of Imperial occupation. Zyrette has chosen to aid her house in restoring its name and reclaiming some of its prestige. To do so requires allies, and a plan...
Location: Xiatar Spaceport - Falleen Throne, Falleen
Zee's family has been quietly maneuvering into a more powerful position. Pawns have been shifted across the board, and more powerful pieces have been put into play. Whiles Zee was no pawn, it was more likely she was perhaps a space bishop, or knight. Her parts in all this, has been to quietly use her contacts beyond the Falleen control system, and try to acquire more monetary support. And if in so doing, it undercuts some of her family's rival's? All the better.
At present, she waits at the Starport with Khalim. She's sent a communique to Saturi, requesting a meet with the Pantoran 'rockhopper.'
Zyrette looks calm, as they wait, pausing as a pair of worker drones roll past, before explaining to Khalim, "The belt in question has been mined for years by a particularly well favored House. It's been learned that their mineral rights contract is up for renewal. It is hoped, that with Captain Saturi contacts and influence, my family might be able to purchase those rights out from beneath them."
Waiting alongside Zyrette, Khalim nods at the explanation. Not all belts held value, the Mirialan knowing all too well - given his professional history hunting such treasures out in the deep - that the ones that do are held closely and change hands rarely.
"If anyone can help shift this dynamic, it will be Saturi. I know how to find them. She knows... everything else." A small smile drifts across that pear-hued face as he adds, "Maybe I could give her a run for her money plotting and charting a belt, but... I don't know."
The pair continue to wait as ships come and go, the bustle of Falleen Throne's primary spaceport never quite slowing down.
The Pantoran's bespoke chiffon dress is all of the solace that Saturi is going to receive whilst walking about the warm surface of Falleen. As she approaches both Khalim and Zyrette, she really begins to question if she should hire out an engineer to design a portable cooling unit just for her.
"Good...mo..evening?" The greeting is intentionally ambiguous. She hadn't bothered to check the local time upon her arrival. Her only cue is the dimly lit horizon. It's either about to be day or about to be night. The woman breaks into a formal bow on her arrival. It's a tradition and it won't go without performance if it can be helped.
"I spent most of my transit studying Falleen legal documents." She straights out, standing up at an attention. "The system in which mining rights are handle is...different." A pause. "But, I think we can work with it."
Zee smiles briefly at Khalim. "Well, I am sure I will need to lean heavily on both your combined knowledge and experience." She smooths a hand over the fashionable, but functional jumpsuit she wears. Falleen fashion seems to fall into some sort of gamut between sensual functional, and couture. "This is, admittedly, a bit beyond my own expertise." By the standards of her people, Zee, at 36, was still quite young and this, was certainly a bit of responsibility.
She spots the Pantoran, a bit of blue among shades of green quite easily. Here at the space port, in one of the few places off worlds are common. Even still Khalim and Saturi both, are two of the few readily seen aliens.
Zee approaches Saturi, returning the with a sort of practiced ease. As the other woman speaks, Zee listens. She's chosen this local intentionally. With so much movement and traffic, someone stopping, to listen to them will stand out. There is a brief expression of relief at Saturi's words. "Ah, well it looks like we've contacted the correct source for aid. Aside from financial backing what is it that you require from us? We want to make certain as much of this is above reproach as possible." Because, the best way to steal something from someone else, is to do so legally.
"Mostly beyond mine as well, but we've got intelligent friends to fill in the gaps." Khalim seems to think on that praise of Shadowport for a moment, before clarifying with a deadpanned, "Well... a couple of them."
Spotting blue among green at pretty much the same time as Zyrette, Khalim raises a hand in greeting. Saturi's bow, the Pantoran's personal formality familiar by now, is meet with a nod and a quirk of a smile. "It's good to see you, Saturi. Nobody else has your head for these things." For the moment the Mirialan listens, paying attention to the Pantoran's observations, Zee's questions, and, to be frank, he's perspiring as well - if only lightly. Mirial's climate is about as different from Falleen's as Pantora's.
"Financial backing?" Saturi appears surprised. She must have misunderstood part of the initial message. "I don't need, nor want your credits." Her feet shift about, weight rocking back and forth in a slow sway. "If anything, you need to find a way for Zhu Yan to pay me." It's as if she is trying to find a way to throw the 'shadowport's captain' under the bus. "Joking...well." She lets the thought trail to a quiet death.
"I'll be able to launder as many credits out of this as I need." The woman taps her chest softly. "I intend, unless otherwise directed, to convince our unfortunate victims to hand over the rights on their own volition." Golden eyes run the length of Zee, then Khalim. "There aren't too many legal loopholes to jump in here. Your system of government is....similar to what Pantora's was not long ago."
Zee nods. She motions absently with tapered fingers as the illustrious Zhu Yan is mentioned. "I'm sure that can be arranged. It wouldn't take much to get Yan to pay out in some for or another a word from Eriu would be sufficient. She nodded again, as it seemed the Pantoran had a plan for the scheme to fund it self. So much the better.
Zee paused as she took note of Khalim's perspiring countenance. Neither of her guests looked overly, comfortably. "Would you both prefer if we moved somewhere more. climate controlled?" As was typical with most space ports there were cafes, cantinas, and the like, all catering to off world clientele.
Saturi's surprise at mention of financial backing isn't missed, though the intent may have been lost in translation along the way. "I think financial backing more along the lines of, costs incurred in the course of this project." Mention of laundered credits receives an understanding nod. "One advantage of a monarchy is really... just how easy it is to make one credit become another."
Zee's notice that both Pantoran and Mirialan are at least marginally afflicted by the humidity - though to be fair Khalim seems more or less fine, being a fan of tropical climes and beachy environs in general - is met with a gesture towards a nearby airtaxi stand. "Chixur's?" he asks, knowing Zee is very well familiar with the storied, ancient meeting hall turned ritzy tavern. "They have some privacy options as well."
"I'm not going to object to somewhere with cool air." Saturi responds with a laugh. She glances about the area, wondering what direction this Chixur's might be in. "We can go into heavier detail about what I think might work as a plan of attack." Her gentle sway comes to a stop with a click of her feet. "And, better yet, you may let me know if it's entirely foolish." The woman's gaze flickers about. "This is a...different place to live."
Location: Chixur's Rest - Falleen Throne, Falleen.
Zee nods, and leads the way out of the starport proper and to Chixur's rest. The cafe/Restaurant is a favorite of visiting off worlds, and natives alike. Zee pauses at the hostess, directing the flow of guests. Leaning briefly against the podium, Zee speaks in subdued Falleen. There's the brief exchange of credits, that Zee attempts to make look natural, but the credits slip from her hand and clatter against the podium. Oops.
None the less the hostess scoops up the money and leads them to one of the smaller, side chambers. The decor is as elegant here, as in the main mezzanine. The hostess makes she there is plenty of serving ware, and holo menus, before taking her leave. Zyrette peers at her companions. "So far the plan seems sound, and simple enough. By the contract out from under previous owners before they can renew contract and swindle them into paying our expenses.." Perhaps a slight over simplification.
Following Zee's lead, Khalim leaves the greasing of palms to her. This is Zyrette's domain, and the Mirialan, to be honest, is still quite a bit out of his depth when it comes to navigating some of these aspects of Falleen social custom. It's not just the credits, but who's handing them over, and where within the pantheon of fuedal one-upsmanship they sit.
Finally within their private chamber, Khalim takes a seat at one side of an opulent greel-wood dining table. "Paying our expenses, but also... ideally paying a political price. Losing this contract will hurt other houses too, that depended on access." A grin is sent to Saturi, "I think there are three sharks in this room, and this ocean has a lot of fat fish."
"Well, that's the general idea..." Saturi follows along, trying to blend in as much as she can given the enviroment. She is significantly less interested in the food and more invested in the drop off in temperature. "And, I could be wrong, but this area of space is a little more volatile than some more...regulated...systems." Her pauses indiciate that she is trying to tiptoe around negative descriptions. "I am worried that just because we have a legal right to the minerals...that, that it doesn't mean we have actual right to them. If these people become angry and feel entitled to it, they may be willing to burn security resources to maintain it."
De Jure vs De Facto
"Considering I am going to be personally involved and using my property, I don't just want to seize authority over some mining rights." She admits. "I have enough problems with less-than-happy factions already." As she sits, she almost exclaims. "I want these families to be under the impression that they are receiving the better end of the bargain. If that's not possible, I want them to be fractured in their opinion."
Zee considered Saturi a long moment. She weighed her words carefully. "It is true that the leading Houses of Falleen are often in flux. That said though we are strict adherents to law and protocol. We will happily reduce an opposing house to naught but ashes. However, it must be done within the word of the law. But it is true, our laws to allow from a a bit of political maneuvering. Also, for as ancient as our culture is, a lot of our traditions were halted with under Empire occupation. I think the one unifying motivation among most Falleen is to avoid FO notice. We have no desire to become occupied once more. However, I do believe generally most claims an rights claimed in our space are mostly adhered to by other ruling bodies." She wasn't sure if that answered Saturi's concerns or not. Before she could ask after that fact, or com link bleeped rudely. She glanced and sighs. "I'm being summoned. Most likely to inquire after our status. Please feel free to order whatever you like, it will be family's tab."
Zee considered Saturi a long moment. She weighed her words carefully. "It is true that the leading Houses of Falleen are often in flux. That said though we are strict adherents to law and protocol. We will happily reduce an opposing house to naught but ashes. However, it must be done within the word of the law. But it is true, our laws to allow from a a bit of political maneuvering. Also, for as ancient as our culture is, a lot of our traditions were halted with under Empire occupation. I think the one unifying motivation among most Falleen is to avoid FO notice. We have no desire to become occupied once more. However, I do believe generally most claims an rights claimed in our space are mostly adhered to by other ruling bodies." She wasn't sure if that answered Saturi's concerns or not. Before she could ask after that fact, or com link bleeped rudely. She glanced and sighs. "I'm being summoned. Most likely to inquire after our status. Please feel free to order whatever you like, it will be family's tab." Primarily her cousin's tab but who was quibbling? She rose with a bow that matched the depth of Saturi's habitual gesture and then pressed her cheek to Khalim's. "Thank you Captain Saturi, Khalim." And then she stepped out!
Saturi's concerns make sense, and Khalim considers her words carefully, leaning in with an elbow propped atop the luxurient wood table. Zee's response, attesting to the legally principles nature of Falleen culture, is partly an answer, but the Pantoran's underlying concern isn't, to Khalim's ears, fully addressed.
"Here, on Falleen, the law is as much a part of Falleen culture as the Monarchy. In this system, the same. In systems under strong Falleen influence, the same." Khalim's dark brown eyes track back to Saturi's gold, holding them for a long moment. "You've mentioned this system is... different. I assume it's outside of conventional Falleen influence. Maybe it's a system not even connected to what we might consider Falleen political boundaries. That means there's likely to be factions involved, maybe not even Falleen?"
There's a moment of quiet, Khalim nodding a time or two as his gaze drops to the table, in thought. "You both make good points. No Falleen house is going to want to be seen directly contradicting Falleen law. But a belt... out there... leaves a whole lot of room for problems." Khalim looks back up to Saturi. "Are you thirsty? I'm really thirsty of all of sudden." He pulls up a menu, and begins scrolling.
"I refuse to drink out of someone else's wallet." Saturi remarks with a stern face. It's a joke, but she pauses before making it clear. "Especially from someone that has promoted me to the title of /Captain/." She laughs whilst giving a look about. "That said..."
"That's what I was trying to convey. If I'm going to do this, I don't want /just/ legal protection." The woman leans forward, ready to express her bold conviction. "I want them to be so happy with the arrangement that they -pay- me to steal the rights from them. Or at least, someone is going to want to pay me for it...and not anyone I like."
Mentally, she returns to her 'That said...' from before. "Do you think that some of the other Falleen would appreciate a free drink?"
Khalim laughs, a genuine sound, at Saturi's reluctance to drink out of another's credit line, and again at her bringing up of Zyrette's reflexive use of the title /Captain/. "It's an honorific," he explains, knowing it's unnecessary but voicing it anyways. "A respectful reflex, much like your bow." His grin takes on an impish aspect as he adds, "You notice /I/ don't warrant a Captaincy? Unfair." Joking as well, very obviously. He concludes with a grin and a simple, "She likes you for some reason. Maybe one day she'll like me too."
Then it's to the details, and the Mirialan nods. "I understand. I think, correct me if I'm missing the general direction here, but... we make them want to leave. We make it difficult for them to imagine continuing their operation. Too expensive? Too much waste? Too many casualties? Pirates? Whatever the reason, they think they're giving Zyrette's house a busted sabacc hand, and are happy to take whatever scraps they're given."
Question of sharing some liquid with other Falleen is met with a nod. "I think that's always a wise choice on Falleen. Only one of us may be green, and he's the wrong shade, but liquor is liquor. Especially when it's good."
The Pantoran gives a silent and affirming nod to Khalim's assessment. She appears to listen carefully to his assurances that alcohol is a social lubricant. "I have a plan." The blue woman rises and pops out from the private table. Her blue hand motions to the wait staff, hoping for them to go over. "How well can you keep a secret?" Saturi whispers back into the curtains, hoping that Khalim can hear her.
"I need the most expensive, most recognizable, best tasting bottle of liquor that this establishment serves." After placing the order, she quickly interjects. "Correct, two...two of them."
As the waiter leaves to go fetch the drink, the asteroid miner pops back in with a impish grin stretched across her face.
The Mirialan leans back in his chair, as Saturi rises and crosses to that point where she's just about outside their little private zone. A plan. He'd suspected something had already been assembling itself in that azure-hued head of hers.
At her question, Khalim squelches a grin and replies, "Secrets are our trade, are they not?" Shadowport was a bastion of secrets. That grin escapes, "I'm at least a second year apprentice at secret keeping."
Uri's return, two bottles of something that are almost certainly presented in the form of crystalline decanters - this is Falleen after all - being distributed beyond, is met with a curious grin, curious with its own matched impish thread. "Ok, now I'm really curious."
"Prying into the unknown can be /very/ dangerous." Saturi warns as the alcohol is acquired. She examines the drinks with a quiet hum, moving towards the exit. "With me." Her voice almost barks with an order. To her, it's an expectation. How rude?
The blue woman approaches the center of the rectangular hall. She scans every person at each table in a predatory manner. Near the west wall, a Falleen man can be seen in a half stupor. If it weren't for the classy environment and his formal wear, one might assume that he had a drinking problem. Because he is clearly 'well-funded' it's obvious that he 'has the will to stop at any time' and is just 'enjoying himself'.
Her approach refined, even more so than normal. It's a practiced elegance that is difficult to replicate without hours before snooty dignitaries and social elites. "Excuse me." She interjects towards the man with a bow. "I am Dr. Saturi Kavan." Her palms clutch at the very expensive alcohol. Judging by her demeanor, she isn't ready to surrender them. "I'm the owner of Kavan Unlimited Industries, a private corporation that extracts and refines rare minerals." A flaunt of wealth is made with a nod to her apparel. "I'm a leading geological researcher. You may have heard of me before."
"Would you mind if we could share an experience with you."
Seeming to understand that Saturi may be on the verge of re-entering the mezzanine, Khalim scoots his chair back and is in fact in the process of standing when that near-bark is given. 'With me'. And he does fall in alonside Saturi, though remains quiet, observing, uncertain exactly where she's going with this demonstration.
As the pair maneuver their way to the side of that well-along-the-way Falleen gentlemen, the Mirialan regards Saturi with a side-long glance full of curiosity, and... a slight hint of reservation. He's not an expert at careful navigation of Falleen culture, although his long-term exposure to Zyrette and her native Falleen influences does perhaps make him at least marginally capable of, well, at least recognizing trouble if it shows up.
As Saturi regales the intoxicated Falleen man with her credentials, and that bit of display of wealth, he turns more fully towards her. There's a glass sheen to those amber almond-shaped eyes, but also a predatory glint that's almost certainly not missed by either Pantoran or Mirialan. To Falleen males in particular, males of other species are often little more than annoyances, tools, or obstacles, females... well... The Falleen slurs while hoisting himself more upright, "I'm a fan of experiences." What begins as a Pantoran-aimed leer shifts into clear desire, for a bottle, as he notices what's clutched in Saturi's hands. It's very clear what interests him the most.
"Excellent." Saturi responds with a smirk. She rotates to face Khalim for approval, stating, "Excellent." again for her own benefit. Her hands keep a strong grip on the two bottles as she slides into a free seat. The vessels of liquid intoxication are intentionally presented in a manner so that they are always present. "This is my associate." A nod is given to Khalim. "He is the chief executive officer of Ener-see. A company worth a quarter quadrillion credits. They produce terminals that harvest the energy of system stars to turn into usable fuel for planetary governments."
"You are graced by our presence and should feel honoured by our request." The Pantoran 's body language signals that she is a practiced actor and manipulator...either that or she is diluted enough to believe that one would be enlightened by her proximity...actually...it could be both.
"We are looking for someone who knows a great deal about the asteroid belts in orbit of this system's star." One of the bottles is /half/ offered as a reward. "And even if you might not be said person, maybe you would be willing to help us out?"
"We are working on a project to design a photon collector in orbit of Falleen. The asteroid belt will be needed for local materials. It's a cost saving plan."
At her description of Khalim, the Mirialan responds with a nod. "That's correct," he says, in support of the Pantoran's wildly woven tale. "We're here at the request of the Royal Family, in support of one of their most favored houses." Why not take a big lie and make it bigger. The bigger the lie, at times, the easier it is to swallow.
The Falleen makes best effort to listen; Saturi's presence - despite her being neither green nor reptilian - is very much a magnet for the man. "I am of House Kran," he slurs. "A favored house." Is it really? The man says it flatly, perhaps his previous drinks have truly paved the way for this conversation. "We have been granted agricultural rights, not mineral." His words continue to slur, but are spoken slowly, as if he is choosing them more carefully in the presence of these somehow Monarch-approved outsiders. "House Xad, I believe, earns from mines. Even beyond Falleen, I think." Hungry amber eyes shift between Pantoran gold and that half-offered bottle. Surprisingly, ignoring the woman holding them beyond her purported station, and the treasure she carries.
A muted glare is shot in Khalim's direction as he brings up the royal family. She wants to say something, but it would give the entire thing away. It's clear that the Falleen before them isn't impressed by their fancy titles and flaunted wealth. Golden eyes realize that he is truly interested in the reward nestled in her alien clutches.
"You honour your house by drinking with us." The bottle is released into the center of the table, free from the blue witch's possession. "And, you must understand, thought House Xad may own mines, they might not be involved in the business of extracting resources from asteroids. Planet based mining is entirely different."
"Nonetheless, unless you know who might be involved in orbital mining too, we would sincerely appreciate if...well...share a drink in introduction to this House Xad." Her glance is cast to the lighter green man beside her. "House Xad and House Kran, enjoying each other's company in the presence of foreign opportunity."
Khalim catches that glare, muted as it may be, and realizes he may have overstepped the boundaries of their game. Clearly Saturi is the operator here, with a far more intuitive understanding of the ebb and flow at work. The Mirialan telegraphs a very subtle nod in reply. He understands.
As the bottle is released, and as Saturi begins reeling the Falleen man into her web, Khalim can only marvel at her transformation. This was no 'Rockhopper' at work here. This was someone, and something, very different, and unexpected. The Mirialan does focus though, nodding in approval at the suggestion of House Xad and House Kran mutually benefiting from the presence of foreign opportunity. "I think at the very least, House Xad would be familiar with who has the rights to, and who operates, the system's belt mines."
The assertions are continued, injected in an unabated fashion. "I'm glad that you feel comfortable enough to arrange for an introduction." She pauses to speak fact, "You understand how attention is difficult to come by outsiders like ourselves." before laying into the narrative further. "Luckily, everyone involved is benefiting from your superior reasoning and social skills. Not everyone would be as adept at knowing who to meet." The false compliments don't stop. "With our incredible product and your insatiable presence, our friendship has no limits."
Saturi flashes an upset look, seeking assurance. "We are friends right?" The second bottle of alcohol is surrendered to the center of the table. "Friends empower each other by knowing what each other need."
"When would you like to drink with House Xad?"
Saturi's reeling the Falleen in, and it's a rapid reel. Her statements, the narrative of their deception, come in staccato fashion, giving the drunken man little time to separate her statements, or assemble his misty, intoxicated thoughts. That glass behind his eyes has deepened, and he simply stares for a moment, as that slowed mind works. Finally, a slurred, "Yes. My superior reasoning, and my social skills. You need them."
But Saturi isn't finished. There's the reel-in, and then there's the lift out of the water. And she /lifts/ with that look. That upset lilt, seeking reassurance. 'We are friends right?' And, for a moment, that predatory glint returns. For a hint of a moment, the Falleen senses the weakness of an alluring, azure-hued Pantoran. Perhaps if he'd been two drinks in, or even four. But he was... very much done for, and he loses that instinctive response as quickly as it had returned as that second bottle is deposited. "We are friends," he says, surrendering not to his more base natural instinct, but to his need for that precious liquid. "We should drink together tomorrow. House Kran. House Xad." That slur is defeat, though he doesn't recognize it. "And yourselves. Honored guests."
