Allevard,
Rajani smirks at your response, a glint in her dark eyes visible even in the holo, but answers professionally,
“1g burn, acknowledged. Locked in, ready to execute on your mark, Sai.”
“Captain!” Alchea, another of your bridge c…
Bai,
“Of course, Mistress.” Jun says as you rise from your chair. “Soyinka Nobu appears to have completed his discussion with her Highness, the Princess, Mistress.
Xuan’s rooms are an extension of your suite so surely he will emerge into the com…
His expression is carefully composed and smooth. It is a mask you recognize and his eyes are far to expressive. He’s upset. Perhaps that he blundered so badly.
He bows again. “As you wish. My most profound apologies, your Highness. I will destroy …
I had rather we been alone, but if everyone is headed that way in any case, perhaps it is best we meet up with them. I say as much to Vignette as I help her people prepare her vehicle. It is, of course, in appropriate for Vignette herself to do any…
The smile falls at your cautious reaction, clearly he thought he was teasing.
He bows, dropping his gaze.
Please forgive me if I have given offense, Highness, where I intended to amuse. The poem was included in the data pack they sent us abou…
They've kept the com line open to you, Captain, so you hear what's happening for the most part. Rajani narrowed the channel to you and the engine room and you hear her speculation to Jek about whether your saboteur is still aboard, before she respon…
He nods, fingers flying over his own interface. “Will do.”
“If they were still on the ship, they would surely know what we’re doing and take steps to interfere or trigger it early. I don’t know. It seems terribly elaborate and expensive for s…
Jek and Robynne
You’ve successfully contained the growth, it’s trying to figure out your construct, thinking it’s a part of the ship it hasn’t seen yet. You can keep ahead of it for a while. You have maybe half an hour to an hour before it overwh…
His mouth quirks at your move to hold him at bay. He gives you what space he can, only caressing with those eyes.
“Indeed…” He says in that sensual voice and still not looking away. “perhaps I shall say something like…oh… ‘my heart expires with…
Bai,
Your distraction succeeded brilliantly. The timing was only slightly off, the IC’s tripping Mr. Bezier’s alarms before being distracted by your subrafuge and he’s sent a subroutine to investigate. It’s good quality, too, probably self-written.
“Acknowledged. Crewman dispatched, Sai.” Rajani replies after a moment. Her slightly insubstantial holographic form looks up at you. She’s working from engineering keeping an eye on the interdiciton of the device.
“Two options for making port, Ca…
He rises, setting his drink aside and closes to an intimate distance where you get the full effect of those eyes. Taking your hand gently into his warmer one, he raises your knuckles to those beautiful lips and ghosts a kiss across them without brea…
Jek,
You carefully set up the construct as a honeypot node to attract the intelligence, keeping an eye out for intrusion countermeasures that these things are lousy with. After all, they wouldn't be effective if they were too easy to take apart ri…
Robynne,
Terci is waiting at the door of engineering, holding out your kit for you when you approach. She keeps her eyes down.
"I'm sorry about earlier, Sai.... I should have been better prepared."
Tell me something about the bridge, Allevard. What's the layout like, and how many crew are usually working with you in a given moment? You usually man the pilot station yourself, don't you?
Which of your bridge crew just rubs you the wrong way m…
Bai
His code and instincts are quite good, he's setting up a construct to distract it and delay the node growth while he goes after the rest. But you note the activation of intrusion countermeasures that's going to make the job especially difficult…
“I will, Highness, because you wish it.” He sips his drink. “Though to use this contact to relay a message to you… I assumed you would eventually return to Aso. I thought… well to communicate it is only natural for a suitor to write to his beloved.”
“…”
I stand there at something of a loss. It takes me a moment to realize that my hand coming to rest at my throat has already given me the answer. I slowly reach back to lift the cord over my head, pulling the pendant out of my shirt.
I look…
I look up at Wotcee, feeling sad for his suffering. I turn from Vignette toward the stairs.
“That is very brave of you, Wotcee, but I need you to stay here and look after your mother for me. She needs to know that you are safe and well to help her…
Peshkov looks impressed at your codebreaking.
"Clever" he says, sharing a look with Rajani which you carefully don't see.
Sounds like a plan Jek, Let's see you face Adversity +Interface
He pauses a moment.
“First… you needn’t fear betrayal. And I can be truly discrete, if necessary, Highness. My title, riches and suites are but means to serve my people, and I hope the people of the Empire as a whole… if I were convinced of the wi…
Your commanding mien has its effect. Though she still isn’t happy. She straightens her spine even more, if that’s possible.
“Very well, Captain. But you can be sure both that TXR will hear from Her Grace about this disgraceful incident and tha…
“No.” My response is instant and firm. I must look as if she just asked me to down a glass of red water. “No.” I say again more softly, forcing myself to calm. “I would not have him take such a risk. I will do well enough, and mayhap all the better …
There’s an uncomfortable chuckle from a nearby crewman at your story, which cuts off suddenly. Rajani probably turned her glare on the crewman. Peshkov stands by, watching the data stream, ready to help.
The infiltration is hardly even a challenge…
Bai,
The only hint of a response to your teasing is a barely unusual modulation in its ambiguous voice.
“I was able to monitor the party for its entire duration, Mistress, and was able to confirm with reasonable precision that in terms of ancie…
Xuan,
Nobu gracefully takes the chair you indicate, watching you pour the liqour, his eyes drifting up to the painting that dominates the space. His eyes shift back upon your question.
“I would say that it seems I should not have been so concern…