“I understand...” Eanne nodded. “Well, in my humble opinion everyone should pay some taxes and no one should be exempt. After all, everyone living in the Empire benefits from the Empire's rule, therefor they should all contribute at least a little bit to maintaining said rule. Leaving any one group exempt from taxes could be – and probably will be – viewed as blatant favoritism. As for who should pay more and who less – well, that depends on the things you wish to focus on. What are your priorities – both in the short term and in the long term?” She inquired with a smile after sharing her initial thoughts on the issue.
The disciples all seem enthusiastic about the prospect, Jeryn grinning lewdly at his mistress' comment before heading out to investigate the slums. Inside the apartment building, the female inquisitor opens her mouth to reply, but before she can, she feels a voice telepathically worming its way inside her head. Let her in, Jycere. The voice is clear and loud, the sign of a skilled telepath, and Vizelle gets the impression that it was broadcast into the mind of everyone within a small radius, rather than specifically into hers. The female inquisitor, evidently known as Jycere, holsters her weapon, and with a sigh, opens the apartment door. Heading through the threshold, Vizelle is assaulted by the scent of burning flesh, and heading into the ramshackle apartment, she sees the cause: Human prisoners lie shackled to beds against the wall, tortured with branding irons. Above the victims stands the inquisitor, a tall and thin figure who radiates psionic power, and has the same sadistic twinkle in his eye that Vizelle does. She guesses from the aura of power around him that if push came to shove she'd be able to defeat him in a matter of pure psionics, but that it wouldn't be a walk in the park. Spoiler: The Inquisitor "Vizelle the Black." He says, voice low. "A pleasure to make your acquaintance." He smiles, putting down his tools. "It seems we have a shared goal."
Carius nods in agreement with Eanne's assessment. "Well put. As for priorities, it's hard to say for right now. I'm not the soldier my father was, so we won't be needing to finance the wars of conquest he embarked on. Still, we should put money into the military to defend ourselves. I'd like to put a great deal of money into improving the lives of the everyday citizen, as well."
"Fufu, what a nostalgic scent." Vizelle cooed as she caught the smell of burnt flesh. Recalling some of the sorcerers' that tried to get in her way. And once she sees the inquisitor, she smiles. "Greetings, Valleus. I'm flattered that someone outside the order actually knows that title." She replied, not really minding the tortured individuals. "And indeed, we do. I do hope we work well together." She added as she moves around to survey the room. "I don't suppose you have additional information on the twins? Since the inquisition is involved, demons must be a part of it then?"
Eanne nodded in agreement. “A strong military is necessary even if you do not plan to start any wars, else the Empire will likely be seen as weak. In fact, some likely already consider it weak, if the Invasion of Ietra is any indication. As for the regular citizens, in the long term that will likely pay off, as the improved lives of the citizens will likely lead to them paying more taxes. But in the short term it will be quite costly with no immediate effect, so it needs to be balanced carefully with all the other needed expenses. Still, it should be possible to at least start and give the common people a sign that their new Emperor cares about them, making them less likely to rebel and more likely to be patient.” She shared her thoughts on the matter, before asking another question. “You said there will be a meeting with the various groups soon. Can you tell me more about that? Any particular people I should know about?”
With the party dying down, Vivian let out a yawn ans began to leave unless stopped. There was a lot to be doing and her time was better spent on important things, like developing drones for rapid planet colonization, rather than say, cowtowing to some grossly overinflated egos.
There is much I know, my dear. Again, the voice penetrates her mind, this time only audible to her. Vizelle feels, though, that he's only broadcasting words, and not trying to control her. Being a telepath herself, her mental defenses are such that she'd feel any attempt at intrusion. "The inquisition came across your twins not long ago. They'd made a deal with a small demonic cult to obtain a certain book, and betrayed and massacred them, stealing the book instead. Despite the fact that it was in the hands of demon worshippers, I don't believe it to be demonic in nature. Instead, I think it is some sort of ancient tome written in the pre-imperial era. Still, since demon worshippers had it, it likely has some attachement to evil." Looking around the room, Vizelle sees little there besides the torture victims, only some plasma weapons on the other side of the room.
Carius listens intently to Eanne's advice. "Thank you for that. I suppose there's a good deal of merit to what you're saying. As for the meeting, it's taking place between the leaders of various factions, with the stated intent of finding some compromise on the tax issue. Among the attendees will be Duke Chenobog of Vryansk, who leads a cabal of nobles, a representative of the Trading Guild named Aurelios, a Bishop of the Church, and one of the Research Institute's spokespeople, a scientist named Isabella." He lists off the attendees from memory.
Raising an eyebrow as the inquisitor once again "whispers" into her mind, Vizelle decided to play along, confident in her abilities. How flattering. And yet, I know next to nothing about you... shall I take a peek? She replied, using her own telepathic abilities, while giving him a grin. And with nothing of interest in the room she listens to Valleus' explanation. "I see. Well, them cleaning up a few cultists should have made your jobs easier, yes?" She teased, "But I understand. Such knowledge is dangerous to come by. But, do tell, why are you here torturing those, when you could already be there, retrieving the book?"
Vivian's nonchalant attitude earns some sideways glances, but she's allowed out without issue. Thinking about better things she could be doing, she comes up with some options: - Vivian's drone project has stalled recently, as she finds that she needs a power converter, a piece of pre-imperial tech, to make the prototype efficient to produce. Fortunately, she knows where to get such an item. Unfortunately, it's in the hands of one of the Holy Church's preachers, who has declared the item heretical. Given that he hasn't destroyed it, this likely means he's willing to hand it over, but not for free. She could go see the preacher, and try to negotiate for the item. - Hapshant Viraxo, a brilliant scientist and one of Vivian's mentors, has recently contacted her out of the blue, offering her a position helping research his mysterious new project. Viraxo has a history of making revolutionary discoveries, but he's also been expelled from the institute for a lack of safety and restraint in his unorthodox version of the scientific process. - Vivian considers possibly going on the White Noise mission without notifying the Emperor. The prospect of a massively developed, but uninhabited planet could lead to valuable finds, though she might bump into anyone who officially took the mission anyway. - A group of Vraill mercenaries have recently returned to the capital after a campaign on the front. She could possibly see about getting them to join her retinue. - Calca, a cyborg acquaintance of Vivian, is putting together a technology gathering expedition, and has invited Vivian with her. These expeditions tend to be dangerous, but often result in massive hauls of technology.
Elena puts her finger to her chin, as she looked at the list. "Information is a vital part of the rule. If your highness allows me," She turned to Emperor, and fell on her left knee, with her right hand over her chest... heart. "I would ensure that Madame Dubernay is firmly on your side, sire."
“I see... I've heard the names, but never met any of them in person, as far as I'm aware. Do you know anything about them? Or rather, do you have someone who knows about them? Knowing ahead of time about the kind of people we're dealing with will be helpful and I assume you have servants who have investigated them. And also, when and where is the meeting taking place?” She asked more questions as she thought about the task at hand. If I am not mistaken, Duke Chenobog of Vryansk is married and has multiple children, but that's about the only reliable thing I've heard about him...
The inquisitor gives a small grin, before getting back to business. "Oh, these?" He points to the victims. "These are part of a...side project." He shrugs. "I came back to the capital to report on my progress and replace my previous acolyte, and stumbled on a group of heretics on the way."
"Oh? A hobby then?" Vizelle cooed, not really interested in a bunch of heretics, unless they were serving her. "Well, either way, I think we should start heading towards our destination, yes? On the off chance the twins can manage the ritual, the more time they have, they higher their chance of success." She then went straight to business, her curiosity about the book reaching an all time high.
The options she had to weigh weren't easy. All of them pretty important, and neglecting one would mean missing out on something good. As much as the drone project was something she wanted to rush development on, being helpful to the church in any capacity wasn't too appealing. However, weighing the calculations and risks in her brain, she ruled it wasn't ideal to focus on yet. Expanding the empire's borders would need lot's of military power to keep them defended which the Terran's didn't yet really have. As much as she wanted to see what her mentor was up to, something genius, yet dangerously stupid, not doubt, she was still relatively new here and getting caught in the act of something questionable wasn't something she had the influence to shrug off accusations yet. That meant it was probably better not to do things under the radar as well and risk getting mistaken as a tratior or enemy. As much as expanding her own personal guard would be useful, Pure homeworld Vraill aren't known for getting along with their foreign born counterparts, which, she figured would make up that outfit. It was hard to imagine that many pure Vraill in one planet to compose a whole mercenary outfit. And really, even the humans here would be a safer bet then expecting loyalty from them. That left the cyborg's proposal...that might be something. Besides, if she had any decent findings, she could offer...something to the church. Maybe. She doubted they were going to destroy the core she needed. They probably knew that was important to the Institute too and were planning on trying to leverage negotiations in the first place, even if they didn't know what it was actually worth or why. A technology gathering expedition could be something. She really doubted any empires having anything her homeworld didn't have, but better,....but...they were making a lot of determined strides...it was...cute, to say the least. Deciding that might be an option, she issued a command to her servitor to send her acceptance of the invitation.
"The meeting should be taking place at some point in the next few days. As for the people, I have some data slates, yes." He nods, having a servant bring them over. Reading through them, she gets some idea of who she's dealing with. Spoiler: Baron Chernobog As Eanne suspected, the Duke is married, with several daughters. The language the dataslate uses to describe the man is neutral and non-judgemental, but his record speaks for itself. Born into the family of a mere planetary baron, Chernobog ruthlessly rose up through the ranks of the nobility, gaining money and power along the way. Undeniably talented, he's also entirely without scruples or beliefs. Even Eanne's brief read through about the man shows that he's been part of at least a dozen political factions, all of them diametrically opposed ideologically. It isn't hard to get the sense that Chernobog is the kind of man primarily driven by personal profit. Spoiler: Merchant Aurelios Aurelios seems, to Eanne's eyes, a strange pick to negotiate a trade deal. The man got his start as a common sailor aboard one of the grade Guild trade ships, and made his way up to the rank of captain, and then company owner, through his skill and willingness to do jobs so dangerous that no one else would even consider them. Boldness, however, is where his strengths lie, according to his record. Most of his wealth comes from risk, going to unexplored corners of the galaxy to find incredibly rare trade goods, and occasionally from plundering other ships. Where his record shows him performing common mercantile tasks such as trade negotiations and contract disputes, they're not his strength, especially since Eanne knows that the Trading Guild has economic geniuses who could be better placed for such actions. Spoiler: Bishop Lysandra A child of one of the Terran Empire's powerful noble families, Lysandra was sent to join the church at a young age due to an abundance of children in her family, and quickly gained entry into the priesthood upon becoming an adult, due to her family connections, as well as an innate charisma. Gaining a reputation for being easy to work with, and with record church attendance rates, her selection as a bishop was practically inevitable. Her record indicates that she has a record of being a peacemaker, not taking sides in the constant factionalism of the Holy Mother Church, and often mediating disputes, trusted because of her nonpartisan history. It isn't a stretch to imagine that if the church is sending someone like this, instead of a hardliner, they're willing to compromise and deal, at least to some extent. Spoiler: Professor Isabella Isabella's record is not as complete as the others, given the Research Institute's tendency towards secrecy, but she's known as an inventor of some renown. It's hard to guess why she was picked, but Eanne thinks it may be to show off her inventions as an example of why the Institute is valuable.
As Eanne reads her data slates, Emperor Carius comes to sit with Elena. "Yes, a good idea. From what I understand, she was an important source of information for my father. Since his death though, she hasn't been reporting in at all. She's still active, managing her brothels, I'm told, but she hasn't made contact with any of our agents at the allotted times." Elena detects a hint of a blush as the young man mentions brothels. "I'll have a data slate brought to you." He signals a servant, who brings Elena one of the rectangular panels. Spoiler: Madame Dubernay As the emperor said, Madame Dubernay was a key spy for Agamemnon II. Her origins are entirely shrouded in mystery, with some claiming that she originated as a common street prostitute, some claiming she's the heiress to a disgraced noble family, some saying she's secretly an alien, etc. Despite having been on the scene for years, she hasn't seemed to visibly age a day, though whether this is due to biomancy, technology, genetics or some sort of alien power is entirely up to speculation. What is known is that for the past five decades, Dubernay has served as Constantinopolis Secondus' 'queen of the night', owner of the most exclusive brothels and clubs on the planet, and has expanded her business to other planets as well. Her businesses give her access to massive amounts of information, and she's established herself as a dealer in that information, setting up networks in most major factions, and the other two human empires.
"Indeed. I've already taken the liberty of preparing a vessel." He signals his acolyte, who gives a look of disgust, before finishing off the tortured heretics with her plasma pistol. As the woman gets to work, Inquisitor Valleus begins to walk out of the building with Vizelle. As they walk, heading out into the slums, the sorceress sees people shrinking away, even crossing the street, to avoid the inquisitor, and Vizelle's minions fall in line, Jeryn ready to make his report on the area, but waiting patiently until called upon. We must talk, though, about the book. The inquisitor's words enter Vizelle's mind. My orders are unambiguous. It is to be destroyed.
Vivian's robotic servant skitters away into the streets of the capital, loaded with her response to the offer. As Vivian crosses the canal separating the palace from the city, heading out to see and smell what the massive ecumenopolis has to offer, she passes by a group of drunk naval officers when she sees the servitor return, broadcasting a hologram. Vivian sees the form of Casca projected in front of her, the elf explorer even more technologically augmented than the last time Vivian was with her. "Long time, no see, Viv. You're just in time, we were about to leave without you. We've found a pre-imperial site out on the fringes of human space, and it seems to be untouched. I'll tell you more when you get here. Come down to the spaceport. You'll know where we are. We're taking the Borealis." Vivian's familiar with the ship, part of the Institute's exploration fleet, a good mix between speed and firepower, and with ample research facilities and tech storage vaults. "Feel free to bring your power armour boys, as well." Casca's image dissipates.
Not bothered by the sight of death, Vizelle follows Valleus outside. And seeing Jeryn, she motions for him to join his fellow disciples, sending a telepathic message to report later. Just as the inquisitor once again starts their own telepathic chat. Interesting. And here I was hoping to read it first. Well, we'll just have to see who gets to it first. Or did you have something else in mind? After all, why else would you bother to tell me. She grins as they chat directly to each other's minds, while they make their way to their vessel.
