(Sure.) As predicted, the admiral of the XVIth is hesitant about obeying Elena's orders, but given the magnitude of her success, he can't exactly say anything against her, so they go about implementing her orders. Spoiler: Brainwashing Roll D100: 9 (Crit Fail), 25 (Fail), 80 (Pass) Heading to the conditioning room, she sees that the pirate is still resisting, her willpower incredibly impressive. The dreadnought's second in command also manages to resist. The captain, however, is under the spell of the Jade Rose, her brainwaves showing that she's well into the initial stages of indoctrination.
"Alright then, we'll split up. Jeryn, Halipha, and Alexandros, you three will be negotiating with miss Zhou Liba to our side. I'm sure you can convince her to see how much better it would be to be under my rule, yes?" She said with a smile, "Rikkert, Verner, and Iona you three will be hunting down Zhou Wen, try to be discrete and bring him to me, alive." She added, "I will be dealing with miss Zhou Xi Fei. Fufu. A feisty woman like her will be needing my personal touch." She grins, "Any questions?"
“Yes, I am lady Eanne Winterwood, of house Winterwood, a member of the Emperor's Council. A pleasure to meet you.” Eanne introduced herself and bowed politely to the bishop. “I hope I am not interrupting anything...”
Elena chuckled as she observed the women, enjoyed their moans, smelled their sex fluids. It reminded her of her own time in those machines. She licked her lips and walked to the captain, she moved her hands over the woman's breasts and started whispering into her ear. "How do I find the prince?" She asked as she pinched the woman's nipples, and scanned her mind, making sure the answer was true.
Heading through the district, she quickly finds the place, a large and rowdy casino filled with various games of chance, a stage for performances, and a well stocked bar. A few people ogle her as she enters, but she's left alone. Xi Fei isn't on the main casino floor.
The woman signals to a servant to bring over the drink, which she then puts in front of Xavier. "Ah, you're getting to know your surroundings? I hope you like it, this is quite a lovely planet."
As she enters, Vizelle hides her psionic presence as she looks around. And with her prey out of reach, she decides to gather attention to herself. Buying a few chips, the sorceress looks for a table to join with the most players.
The captain moans out, stimulated to the edge. Beside her, the second in command cries out "N-No...Ma'am! Don't...Don't give in!" It's unclear whether the captain has understood her subordinate's words, though. "I-..." She moans. "He moves...from ship to ship, aah! To...To avoid assassination..." So far, Elena detects no lies. "But, ugh, he likes to spend time with...ooh...women in the fleet... Brings them...to wherever he's staying..."
She sees a table filled with an eclectic bunch of humans and aliens, playing a game of dice. Letting her put down her chips, the dealer begins the game.
Elena smiled. "Good." She kissed the captain, her tongue probing her lips. She then turned to the supervisor. "Continue working on them. Pirate is not that important, so you can go all out on her. Be creative." She said as she left. She went to her cabin and went to work, waiting for the outcome of the strategies she ordered to implement.
“Well, you have probably already guessed the reason for my visit... Shall we talk about it here, or go some place else? I'm fine with either option, so whichever is more convenient for you...” Eanne left it to the bishop to decide where they would have the conversation.
'Yes, something like that,' Xavier said, nodded to the other servant as thanks for the drink, 'First impression are quite positive. I'll see where it takes me.'
After several weeks of waiting, Thrax delivers Elena a report. Spoiler: Space Combat D100: 1+20 ('Entertained' Thrax)+15 (Captured Enemy Admiral)=36 (Fail) In space, things have, for lack of a better term, been going to hell. Knowing that they are outmatched in a straight fight, the enemy have begun using hit and run tactics, fleeing before Elena's ships can force a confrontation. Luckily, the enemy have been poorly coordinated without their admiral, and Thrax managed to stop the XVIth Fleet before they walked into a massive ambush, averting disaster, but it doesn't change the fact that progress in space has been non-existent. Spoiler: Ground Combat - Ietra III D100: 81 (Pass) In better news, the militia, Jade Rose troops, and spec ops sent down onto the partially occupied planet of Ietra III have done well. Emboldened by the reinforcements, the legions there have rallied, and pushed the enemy off of the planet. Now, only Ietra IV is still occupied by enemy ground troops. Spoiler: Negotiation Roll D100: 62+15 (Major Victory)=77 (Pass) Through spies and intermediaries, several enemy captains have indicated that they're willing to meet with Elena and discuss terms.
"We might as well have it here." She claps her hands to get the attention of the labourers. "All right, everyone, fine work. Take a break." The men and women filter out.
"Well, if you can think of anything you'd like, anything at all, don't be afraid to let me know." She smiles. "I can't go representing my planet poorly, right? I'm Felicia, by the way." Tasting the brandy, Xavier notes that Felicia isn't wrong. It's excellent.
