Heading into the finer parts of the district, out of the slums, Vizelle finds herself entering an extremely elegant looking establishment, that at first glance could be mistaken for a high class social club rather than a brothel. Nonetheless, a look at the men and women on staff, and how erotic their figures are, quickly reveals the place's true purpose. A pretty girl at the front moves to talk with Vizelle and see her to a table and partner, but she's dismissed by a person Vizelle recognises. Vizelle recognises the courtesan from when she delved into the memories of a freighter crewman. "Ms Vizelle?" She smiles. "Please, my mistress is waiting for you upstairs." She gestures for Vizelle to follow. "Would you like anything while you're here? A drink? A companion?"
"I feel that the servants likely have an inkling of what's going on." Van Dorn admits. "But they're intelligent enough to keep their opinions to themselves. They always have."
Elena hummed, as she thought for a moment. "At some time, you can arrive with a few more skilled and rebellious females. They would be reconditioned." Elena said after a moment. "If all is well, you shall continue securing your position." She said as she disconnected. Elena sat down and sighed. After a moment she realised she was for the first time in a long time, free of duties. She could rest. She sat down and started looking through the order's database. It was high time to start preparing her successor.
Examining the database, of the sisters of the Order, there are only a few with the necessary experience and clout required for leadership. Among them are: Spoiler: Sister Vera Devoted, kindly and professional, Vera was once considered an obvious choice for successor to the Order. However, she was recently kidnapped and brainwashed by Ingrid, the emperor's treacherous confessor. Though her mind has been utterly scoured to ensure that every last hint of corruption has been purged, and that her devotion to the Jade Rose hasn't been shaken, her prestige among her fellow sisters has heavily damaged. At present, she is taking the most dangerous and unpleasant duties, as penance for her betrayal. Spoiler: Sister Bel Bel is, simply put, a genius. She possesses a keenly analytical mind, capable of understanding all manner of complicated information, and formulating successful plans in extremely short amounts of time. Along with her intelligence, she has been gifted with powerful psionic abilities. However, before joining the Order, she was part of a penitent cult, that taught that taking any pride whatsoever in her beauty or her mental talents was a sin against the gods. Like every other candidate, brainwashing has ensured that her devotion to the Jade Rose is absolute, but her upbringing has left her with an intense shyness and inferiority complex. Spoiler: Sister Jude Though all sisters of the Rose are inherently loyal, Sister Jude's loyalty rises to the level of fanaticism. She's a strict disciplinarian, with a commanding presence that makes her a natural leader, as well as good situational judgement, and decent psionic abilities. Nonetheless, she has a tendency to delve into sadism, and there are those who question her mental stability. Spoiler: Sister Ferz Ferz was born into an order of warrior nuns, who were wiped out stopping a demon invasion on the planet of Larida. As an infant, she was the only member of that order not present on the battlefield, and thus survived. She was adopted into the Jade Rose, and has become one of the greatest warriors in the order, thanks to the combat talents inherent in her DNA. Brave, devoted, and an unmatched warrior, Ferz has gained the support of many of the more military minded sisters. That said, she's the youngest of the potential candidates, and her detractors claim that she's too headstrong and brash to lead.
As Elena looked through the candidates, she sighted. She has removed Jude from the equation. The woman was a good subordinate and leader of small teams, but not entire Order leader material. Bel, would be good if her shyness complex was removed... perfect even. She would need to work on that aspect of her. Ferz... she was too young... too brash... she would need to be tested. Vera... Elena sighed. She would be kept as a third in line. With that in mind, Elena set the successions: First successor, Bel, second successor Ferz, third Vera. She leaned back in her chair... She would need to assign some missions to the three, to test them...
"Mm. A little of both would be wonderful." Vizelle grins upon seeing the familiar courtesan. She keeps her eyes open as she follows the woman to Lorena.
Thinking on it, she knows that there are always smaller missions for the order to complete, such as combatting heretics and demons, converting unbelievers, recruitment, etc.
The woman smiles and snaps her fingers, and in the blink of an eye, a waitress has arrived, handing Vizelle a delicious looking drink as they walk. "Would you prefer a man or woman?' The pink haired courtesan asks. Heading upstairs, they head to a private office, where Lorena awaits, wearing her trademark fur coat, and little else. "Ah, a pleasure to meet you." The madame smiles. "In person, at least."
"I'll decide after I've spoken to Lorena." Vizelle grins, examining her drink, and taking a sip if it looked safe. Once she finally meets Lorena in person, the sorceress smiles. "And to you as well." She replied, looking around the private office for any signs of cameras, recording devices, or stealthes voyeurs.
Spoiler: Awareness Roll D100: 35 Checking the drink, she decides that it looks and smells normal, and is rewarded by a truly delicious flavor as she takes a drink. Looking around, she can't spot anything awry. "So, you're taking over the district, I believe?" Lorena opens. "Ambitious of you."
"Indeed I am. And trust me, I won't stop there." Vizelle grins, "Besides, I've already conquered a planet of my own." She cooed, taking another sip of her drink. "So then, onto business, before the pleasure." She hummed, "I offer you the same position you have now, with a chance to grow bigger. Along with a safe haven for your girls, should they wish to retire from their current profession."
"A safe haven? The planet? Interesting." Lorena raises her own drink to her lips. "Very well, we know what we want from one another, let's talk practicality. It's one thing to be ambitious, but another entirely to tear down a criminal empire. How do you plan to unseat Markus?"
"Fow now, I plan on headhunting his lieutenants. You, and Jett in particular. As for Kratt Vile. Well, he will be made an example of. I've no need for torture in my organization." Vizelle hummed, "After that. I will slowly, carefully, and precisely dismantle what's left of Markus' group."
"Kratt is...well..." Lorena chuckles. "I can't say I'll be sorry to see him go. Jett, however, is an interesting one. He likes to act like a goofball, a lovable fool who wears his heart on his sleeve, but he's much more intelligent than he appears. Once you've killed Kratt, though, Markus won't sit still. You're prepared for his retaliation?" She crosses her legs, examining Vizelle carefully.
"Of course. As I said, I plan on making a statement with Kratt's death. For someone ruling his men with fear. I simply need to show them that there's more to fear from a psionic." Vizelle grins. "As for his retaliation. Yes, we're more than ready for it." The sorceress gave a confident reply, licking her lips as she could already feel chaos that would errupt.
After some thinking, Elena started giving missions. Ferz - to fight gurellias. A headstrong person like her would need to adapt, or she would lose. Bel - she would receive a hospitality of Van Dorn servants - a few days should be enough to rbea her out of her shell. Vera - she would be sent on diplomatic mission, a difficult one. She would either thrive or drown. Hmm... a conversion of newly conquered princedom domain should do. After some thought, she decided to include Jude. Jude - she sent her on diplomatic mission - that would require her to be anything but sadistic.
“One of Samodiva's moons. If there was ever any doubt I need to go home, it's gone now.” Eanne sighed. “Well done.” She congratulated the engineer before leaving her to her work. “I wonder if the person behind the kidnapping is also involved with the pirates?” Eanne looked at Bec. “Let's go see if Zakira has anything she wants to say...”
Lorena is silent for a few moments, before she smirks. "Well, what's our first step?" She extends her hand.
After a few moments, she receives confirmation that the four women have all received their orders, and will be heading out on their various tasks.
