Silver Hotel, VIP Lounge
14 hours ago, The Snark said:"Elder Ben Ying. Thank you for seeing us. Time is valuable and we're honored to be considered worthy of yours." Should she bow? Probably not, they're sitting down and there's not that much room in the booth. She settles for a deep nod. "As you've correctly surmised, I am Rhonda 49199, and this is my colleague, Todd 49186."
"It's the gravity," Todd says, attempting to sit up straighter. "Imperial standard G is hell on my posture."
Rhonda resists the urge to roll her eyes at him. "I'm told you're already familiar with our investigation into the raid on New Kildora, Elder Ying? Our business today is related to that. We understand you like to keep abreast of current events, both those reported in the mainstream media and those... a little more off the beaten track. The Kildoran incident is just the latest in a pattern we've been looking into."
Todd picks up on the thread. "It's the perfect frame job, if you think about it. Who's going to bother digging deeper when the obvious suspect is a known axe murderer? Except it's out of character for the Reign of Blood to deny responsibility; normally the Bloodlord would just say 'yep, we did it, come at us if you think you're hard enough'. And sure enough, when we start poking around, the evidence doesn't really fit. Whoever was behind the attack didn't have access to real sanguimancers - which is damn near unheard of for a Khylokian raiding fleet. But that leaves the question: if it wasn't the Reign of Blood, who was it?"
"There are between forty and forty-three Elect active in Tekhum, depending on how you reckon it. There's also the Pan-Tekhum Worker's and Trader's Union and the Basu-Rahman Group, who are influential enough to contend on the same playing field despite not having the Emperor's official stamp of approval. And of course, there's the Empire itself. I've gone through them all, and while there's some I can't rule out for sure... I believe there's another player in the game."
He lays a tablet out on the table, scrolling rapidly through news articles, photographs, and other documents. "2039. Eydis dei Fiori is captured; the Fiorid press blames Grigialfheim insurgents, but the Velafloan defense coalition surrenders without any reference to the events. Over a year later, a ransom demand comes from a third party, demanding military hardware and state secrets - the former of which is paid with ships sourced from the Khylokian Reign of Blood. The link is clear."
"From here on out, the trail gets murkier. There's a possible connection to the old Veehran Triangle conspiracy - this was before my time, but the Todds who debunked that story found triangle iconography at a number of sites spread out across the planet, suggesting a common cause. We haven't seen anything further on that front, but I'm keeping an eye out for the insignia."
"Lastly, I've marked the Bironian Civil War as a potential point of interference: it's tough to find reliable info on that period, but between Yanji Argon's assassination, his 'miraculous' return from the depths of Badal," Todd is absolutely the kind of guy to deploy finger quotes, "and the death or disappearance of nearly every Bironian leader over the next few years, it's clear there was a lot of shady business going on. Some of these are solved cases now: Kazi of Sodium ended up wearing the Black Butterfly, and I'd bet good money that Treasure Boyin was offed on Alchire's orders. You probably know more about this than we do; maybe you can shed some light on it."
"So how 'bout it, Mister Ying? What's your professional opinion on all this?"
"We'd welcome a fresh perspective."
Sitting down and leaning back into the stool that conformed to their Biarbu body-type easily, Ben Ying ensured that the privacy screen was active while they contemplated a response. "As a local citizen of Badal, this one is of course familiar with many of the issues that plague the Bironian Bulwark. It is of some significant interest to Society leadership, not to mention there's a certain level of - perhaps grim - entertainment in it for our Nests. To try and explain Biarbu views of exterior politics as interior amusement would be a fruitless endeavor. Just know that our views - our perspectives - are quite different."
"And also know, Brother Todd," the blue eyed Biarbu stared at the man in the leather jacket, "that Treasurer Boyin was very much not removed by the current Chairman's orders. It was simple mutiny, and nothing more. You are respected amongst the Biarbu for being inquisitive and trying to understand the flow of fate. The Treasurer was not respected. He would not have understood that sometimes fate - and inconvenient Treasurers - require a... push. Because of that push, this one is currently pleased with the direction that the current Bironian Bulwark is heading, even if it is a bit more volatile then some may like. Again: our perspectives would likely differ."
Tail feathers fluttering behind themselves, Ben Ying nodded slowly, thoughtfully, "This one tells you all of this not to offend your sensibilities, but to agree with you: you need a new perspective. Though this one today is nothing more than a humble hotel owner, there are greater viewpoints that the Biarbu can see, at times. Your suspicions regarding the Khylokians is accurate. The Biarbu Society watches them eagerly. They attracted our interest some years ago, and now hopefully the Bloodlord better understands what that means. What happened in Kildora does not fit with what we know about them, which is why we are pleased to hear that you hope to exonerate them."
"Which, it would seem, brings us to your inquiries. You suspect someone of the same level of play as the Elect causing interferences - moving pieces not meant to be moved - but the way you phrased it... seems to suggest it is not the Elect. That's... an interesting idea. And a delightfully scary one.
"The stars in the sky do not care if there are clouds, but the one trying to see those stars certainly does. One wonders now: is this new player trying to move the clouds, or change the stars? The former requires patience. The latter requires miracles. And miracles require effort."
"Effort. Well. That requires money. As the ancestors say: Even Ophon needs to eat."
7 hours ago, Kythia said:Iago nodded along and chuckled to himself. Within his mental map, Sansar was a vast and differerentiared place - the deserts and mountains of Chonkia, the frozen wastelands along the north the dense foresty of Coedd and its near neighbours, the lush rainforest of the Reserve...and so along while everything else in Tekhum occupied a mental box labelled "not Sansar". Of course he knew, if he thought about it, that there was more in "not Sansar" than in "Sansar" but sometimes his internal biases did seep through.
If another Elect allows the visit then that, to me, would fall outside the scope of our agreement. We would, as a - ha! - professional courtesy usually inform you of any invites that conflict with Biarbu interests and would appreciate the same but the very nature of our visits mean that may not be feasible in all cases and we wouldn't want such a notification enforced by treaty - even one so informal as this. But yes, you have understood fully.
As to your final point, you are quite correct. A bit of unintended provincialism there, please forgive me. Errr, this one would be honoured by your overlooking of his mistake. Let me put this together then:
The Biarbu will, excepting direct invites, refrain from both proselytism and subterfuge on the surface of Sansar. Coedd will, excepting direct invites, refrain from both both proselytism and subterfuge off the surface of Sansar. In the case of direct invite by a member of the elect, Coedd will consider it a sign of friendly relations if the Biarbu notify them of such actitivites but accept this may not always be possible. In turn, in that same spirit of friendly relations, Coedd will by default notify the Biarbu of such activities off the surface of Sansar, with the proviso that this may not be always possible.
Should it become necessary for the Biarbu to work on the surface of Sansar or for Coedd to work off its Sansar, an offer will be made to the other party to perform the task requested. If that request is refused - with the understanding that doing so doesn't invalidate the agreement in the future - it shall be understood as permission for the party to work outside their normal field of influence.
I think that covers everything?
"Delightful. There is but one more concern that comes to mind: the sharing of information." Ben Ying's gaze does not leave the Coedd messenger. "This one does not speak of such things that can be found in the Arkhive. No. Instead, it is a matter of professionalism. Should the Coedd desire to work outside the confines of Sansar, but remain within the confines of the agreement, by your own suggestion, you will be required to inform us of the job you want done. If the Biarbu decline the job, it would be unprofessional to take action to hinder the completion of that job; including warning those whose interests directly run counter to the task ahead. And we would expect the same level of respect from the Coedd, were the roles reversed on Sansar."
"This of course, seems obvious."
Ben Ying's plumage flattened itself as their long neck leaned across the table. "Agreements such as these, though, often require the obvious to be stated. If for no other reason than to provide the challenge to find what else wasn't said. So be very sure you are happy with how things are worded. The Coedd have invited the Biarbu to dance. And Fate ever so loves a show."
Black Bird, Table 1a, Casino Floor
So many Black Birds in such a short time. Sha Ren's talons ticked against the table, summoning their supervisor to come look. The larger, darker plumed Biarbu's name tag read 'Mar Lan' and their eyes were a bright green. Leaning over the dealer's retracted wings, the pit boss glanced at the table, nodded, and was off to continue to survey other guests.
"Honored guests, you have received so many blessings already. Here is hoping that your providence remains!"
So saying, Sha Ren turns over their face down card: the 8 of comets. Sha Ren then deals themselves another card.
BlackBirdDealer3
The four of stars. Not enough for the Dealer to stop.
BlackBirdDealer4
The ten of edicts, leaving Sha Ren with well over twenty one. "The Dealer's fate is overpowered by your own. Well played."
Grabbing all the cards, it takes a moment for Sha Ren to pay out all the winners.
(COE +1000)
(ELD +250)
(LSP -150)
(CUS +600)
The Boarding-Walk
Yun Chi was encouraged to take a break. While the Biarbu hated to look like they were retreating, the producer in their ear reminded them they had not eaten in several hours. As the food was free - for Yun Chi! - it made sense to lazily fly along the Boarding-Walk, looking for something to eat. And perhaps find someone to talk to that wasn't chirping in their ear...