Hypatea Hype [Morning 1]

[Hadrian Martikova]

"Emcas was it?" Hadrian said shifting the bottles in an open container. "What you have, or what you think you have is precisely nothing. Threats of a holding cell do not worry me. Or if I might be more direct, I was rather expecting it upon my return. Impounding of the ship would at best be a set back, at worst a diplomatic incident. A hands on investigation would, at this juncture, amount to little more than pissing in the wind."

He resealed the crate and moved onto the next.

"You said... frank, and direct?" Hadrian sneered, "I will offer both in spades. I. Do. Not. Trust you. I do not trust your mistress. Nor do I care that you do not trust me."

He popped the next container open.

"That said," he sighed, "if we work together I can return to Caladan and you and yours will have one less set of craven murderous interlopers to worry about by the end of our journey together." More bottles shifted. "If you want to bridge the chasm between us tell me about your home. Since we seem to have time before your lady either joins us, or your police arrive to detain us."

[Emcas]

''You may say that we hold nothing...but what do you hold if you have even less, merchant?'' Emcas was back holding a stone cold stare, returning his attention to his bodyguard

''I already have given you a piece of information one might deem valuable. Your employer might either not see it's value or simply demanded even more out of greed but have you more sense then him? What do you have to say on this matter?''

In all the exchange so far, Emcas did not seem to care about the actual content of their crates.

[Hadrian Martikova]

Hadrian chuckled,

"Look at you! Dodging my question with all the art of a man wielding a mace." He lifted up yet another bottle to the light momentarily. Then assured replaced it like the others. "Don't you dare call me greedy when I have been thrice as generous and twice as forthcoming."

He was indifferent to Emcas' role at this point.

"I assume you've no intention of bridging the gap in trust? Shall I start first? I could tell you about my home until I'm blue in the face. Or red from tipsy as I generally prefer to drink when homesick."

[Sister Shinah]

Shinah knew - conceptually, if not literally - that everything had a price. Even, especially, silence. The Reverend Mother was doubtless tallying her junior's passivity during this meeting, but the price to be paid from letting Cordana socially dogwalk all over Xanthe had value on its own to be collected, maybe, in the future.

Besides, it was what the audience expected from the encounter. Who had ever heard of a junior sister bucking the hierarchy and the grand plan and doing something like, say, having a child of the gender other than what the Sisterhood demanded from her? Unthinkable.

[Kannon]

Xanthe of course had long learned, both from her mother's teachings and life's example, the structures and vicissitudes of the Sisterhood's modus operandi. Cordana was by far not the worst of them, usually even a moderating influence on Salomea, judging from several past visits. What she nevertheless despised about any interaction with a Bene Gesserit was that unassailable thorny feeling that whatever your prior agendas would have been, the cherished ones, the noble ones, the self-fulfilling ones, they emerged petty, blemished or irrelevant the moment they happened to be somehow incongruent with the secret grand plans of the Sisterhood. It was like being a child again, clinging to your favourite toy, and receiving a nanny's stern gaze with the words: Don't be selfish, dear. Even as being selfless felt like drowning.

But there were silver linings, or even real takeaways. The confirmation that Cordana was here because of Pankratos. The vindication that the arrival from Caladan was way more than it would otherwise seem. She truly hoped now that Emcas would succeed in establishing a working relationship with them.

She gave Cuyler a small parting smile. Claiming the semi-conclusion in her exchange with Cordana, she looked at Shinah.

"What are your interests with me then, Sister?"

[Laila Bridger]

''I already have given you a piece of information one might deem valuable. Your employer might either not see it's value or simply demanded even more out of greed but have you more sense then him? What do you have to say on this matter?''

"I think that the piece of information you have offered has a ways to go to outweigh the power disparity here, particularly as its utility to us is contingent on factors we don't yet know enough about. We have, in addition to this piece of information, received inquiries whose answers have evidently not satisfied, and what my employer has offered has gone unremarked. He has answered your query about our purpose here by broaching the subject of removing other interlopers from Harmonthep."

She kept her expression carefully neutral.

"More than I might have ventured under the circumstances, had it been my place to speak. My question about your lady's intent earlier was, in part, rhetorical, but now that he has volunteered that much, I will rephrase the question into a statement. We all have our masters. And just as you wish to guard your lady's secrets, trust and believe, we have our own responsibilities. Our freedom to discuss them on five minutes' acquaintance is... limited."

She leaned back against a bulkhead, watching Hadrian go through the bottles.

"We have matters on Caladan we would much rather be pursuing. And we find ourselves being probed with questions which, were we to answer them to the wrong person, would ruin any chance of our returning to do so."

She glanced back to Emcas.

"If you trust us and prove to be in error, you have allowed two people you can easily identify and who cannot possibly blend in with the local population, with one knife and one personal shield between them, onto Harmonthep. If we trust you and prove to be in error, we die. Do you perhaps understand Mister Martikova'ds reticence?"

[Emcas]

Emcas listens carefully at the bodyguard's words. His visage shifts and appears to relax, somewhat satisfied by her performance.

''You hold well under pressure and that is good to know considering what may come. You might want to help Mister Martikova get a better grip over himself as there are some terrible sharks in these waters who will smell blood. These sharks might not be under the guise you expect...but you'll know them by their lifeless eyes.''

He shrugs

''Either he should enjoy more of his own products...or less of it. At any rate the smuggling label will impede any business you have here, my lady can try to remove it but others might take notice in the meantime. Make a story out of it. He likes to speak so let him craft a story of woe to woo the wealthy: Harmonthepians loves their tragedies.''

[Hadrian Martikova]

Hadrian stands up and stretches his back. "Pankratos you mean? Laila dear, could you help me with this next crate?"

The only thing he cared to comment on was the Shark thing. Everything else was fruitless mockery and self indulgence. He did give Laila a look that hopefully read as 'stop translating.'

[Kannon]

[Hadrian: optional Streetwise or Underworld at Average]

[Hadrian Martikova]

(Checks out different planet. But if this was Caladan...)

Streetwise (Avg): 1eP+2eA+2eD 1 failure, 3 advantage

[Kannon]

There was something off with him pinging in the PTOLOS registers. He could swear the last run had been done by the book. He could not pinpoint what though.

[Utilising Advantages]

[Sister Shinah]

"What are your interests with me then, Sister?"

"Education, Lady Xanthe. As well as to offer what advice and counsel as I may be able to in our coming days together."

While Cordana could affect a warm conviviality like a cozy fire that penetrated layers deep to assuage even practiced conversationalists, Shinah's attempt was as comforting as a light emitting diode.

"I imagine there is much we can learn from one another."

[Laila Bridger]

Helping with a crate was exactly what she wanted to be doing, so she got to it.

[Kannon]

"You have a vivid imagination, Sister."

Xanthe could match that warmth. Presently, she looked back at Cordana.

"Shall we all meet again in Nikeion, Reverend Mother? I will secure spots with a good view on Pankratos' performance."

"I think I can find our own way around if this is your meaning, Xanthe." Cordana seemed comfortable to scale down the pressure.

"Unless you give me some time and space to wrap up the matters here first, Reverend Mother."

"Ah, the official business you spoke of. I'd rather talk with your mother first before I truly need to pause for rest, or for the show."

"I expected as much."

"Did you." Cordana chuckled. "I guess it's not too bad being predictable. A known among unknowns."

Xanthe exhaled, and smiled faintly, strangely relaxing. She left it unsaid whether Shinah should go as well, or stay.

[Sister Shinah]

"Lady Xanthe." Shinah said by way of demonstrating her intent to depart with the Reverend Mother.

There would be time to re-engage later.

[Emcas]

''Mmmh'' it seemed the merchant could not stand not being in control, it was a shame as the warrior had the best instincts between the three of them

''He does fit the description in a very literal sense. Assume what you must'' he glanced at the crates ''Are you done?''

[Kannon]

A moment later, after some more pleasantries, the Bene Gesserit were gone. Xanthe felt relief, but instead of giving in to the need to sit down, she turned around to account for elements in her field of vision and focus on next steps.

[PCs still in the area can engage her.]

[Hadrian Martikova]

He laughed as they let down another crate. "I know you're only pretending to be a customs official Emcas, so let me help you. First I inspect the cargo, then I hand it off to you to test, inspect, and stamp. That process takes quite a bit longer, you see. So we'll have plenty of time to continue this pointless round robin of insults, threats, and what have you. For now I've work to do."

The only hope for the immediate future was to wait for Xanthe to rejoin them. That or meet up with her elsewhere. And while he worked his mind raced over every inch of the past couple of deals. If there's evidence and an active case against him. Where did it come from? Everything... every inch of the last four exchanges were by the book. Not a single foot wrong at any point until long after clearing atmosphere. Which means it had to come from Chilon's side.

"In the mean time. Shall I tell you of my home? Since you're so terribly reticent about yours."

[Laila Bridger]

"Perhaps lady Xanthe should oversee the remainder of this inspection."

Before you two lock horns and go over a cliff.

"I'll just go get her, shall I?"

[Emcas]

"That seems wise, miss Bridger"