Verner meets her as she reenters the VIP, supplying her with drinks and massages in equal measure as she reads through the book.
Sitra smiles at the first line, and blushes furiously at the mention of spanking, before nodding. Chernobog stands. "I have some calls to make. I'll leave you two alone to talk." He walks off. Sitra nods at the question "Me? I'm not interesting, really. I'm just a widow, I don't do anything exciting like Amara or father."
"I'd love to, mother." Verner nods, eager to obey her wish of becoming stronger. "Whenever you wish." His well practiced hands relax the muscles of her back, and the wine warms her chest. Examining the psionic information, she finds images here and there of other books, teaching other abilities, but doesn't see any specific locations she could use to find them.
“Nonsense, everyone is interesting in their own way! You should not underestimate yourself like this!” Eanne denied Sitra's claim. “Though you likely hear that often enough, a young and pretty lady like you probably gets a lot of attention – whether she wants it or not. So I won't force you to tell me if you don't want to. But if you want to talk I'll be happy to listen.” She gave Sitra a warm and reassuring smile and waited to see her reaction.
Xavier put his arm around Ulie as she leaned on his shoulder. It had been a good long while for him to just relax with someone watching a vid, he chuckled, 'Not too bad a vid. I like the heroine, she's got spunk.'
Eanne very much enjoyed listening to Sitra's stories, the young lady turning out to be quite skilled at telling them, and giggled as well when she heard the end of the story. “That must have been quite an awkward scene... wish I had been there to see it.” She paused to catch her breath and leaned closer to Sitra. “No, I am not one of your father's 'friends'. In fact, we met only today, and for business reasons. Though, as it turns out, we do have a common 'friend' - a pretty young woman... ” She admitted. “As for me, I am the current head of my house and I'm trying to do my best – both for my family and for the people that serve us. Far too many nobles think that because they are nobles they are better than everyone else and don't need to care about the common people... such a foolish notion...” she shook her head. “Anyway. I enjoy various things: Music and dancing, reading, art... though I must admit I am no good as an artist, so I prefer to look at paintings. What about you? You mentioned that you love art and music. Anything in particular you enjoy?”
Yannika endeavored to keep her mouth shut at the heresy of the woman's words. It was true the sister had come to Lave V on the charge of heresy, but to hear a former sister cast aside her vows so readily, it was shocking.The heretic priestess chuckles, the pleasant sound reverberating across the snow and bouncing against the cliffs as they approach a fortress of some some kind.
"Pardon me, I'm from the Church of the Holy Mother, not the Holy Mother Church. Perhaps we could have chosen a name that was less confusing. We worship the Holy Mother, our martyred and resurrected lady." She smiles. "I do not claim to be part of your church any longer, and I'm all the more happy for that fact."
The gates of the fortress open before them. "We did notify the governor, as well as the archbishop of this sector, even a cardinal. Nothing was done, even after the Holy Mother was murdered." She frowns. "Arch sorcerer Valdor may have proclaimed our Mother's divinity, but he was far from the only one. You'll meet him soon. Maybe even the Holy Mother herself, if you're very lucky. They will be better equipped to explain what happened than I."
The 3rd Fleet has a long and storied history spanning centuries of service, some of which Elena has heard without even needing to look it up. Researching it, she sees that the fleet has battled almost every enemy the Terran Empire has ever faced, from human threats to xenos. Despite lacking large capital ships, relying more on fast cruisers and escort vessels, it has a history of punching above its weight, with well disciplined crews and a disproportionately large amount of firepower. Looking at the last mission, she sees that the fleet has just returned from a multi-year long mission on the very fringes of Terran space, dealing with wave after wave of pirate incursions, spread thin to deal with scattered attacks against colonies. Finally, they've been relieved, and are enjoying some peaceful downtime for the first time in a long time.
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Looking at the commander, she sees that his name is Vice Admiral Arminius Thrax, and that he's a veteran with decades of service. Thrax, from what intel she can gather, is a gruff, no nonsense kind of commander, who values results over all else. He's apparently got a reputation for, if not outright disobedience, then a severe lack of tact. He's been reported several times for speaking out of turn and insulting higher ranking officers when he feels that they're acting 'like damn fools'. Whilst he never did anything that could get him too badly punished, his career suffered for it, and he was made admiral only recently, later than a man of his age and service record normally would.
After a few minutes establishing a connection, Elena sees a hologram appear in front of her, displaying an older man with the bridge of a ship visible for a few feet behind him.
He looks at her, or at least the hologram of her that's being projected onto his ship. "I didn't expect to be contacted by the church today. What do you want?"
"I-uh..." She yawns. "I don't know. I'm comfortable here, but I don't want to cause any rumours."
Sitra blushes as Eanne mentions the shared 'friend'. "Really? I never thought someone like you would ever have to pay... Never mind." She gratefully lets Eanne change the subject. She listens with interest as Eanne talks about the problems she faces in her role, before answering. "Oh, I'm interested in dancing too, at least a little bit. I'm no good, though."
It takes a while for the drug fuelled orgy to end, but eventually after a few hours the disciples are all clothed and in the VIP, awaiting Vizelle's command.
"You may meet him whenever you like. Now, if you wish." Rhaiya nods. She gives the names, two clergymen Yannika is familiar with, but never met. The Church is a truly massive organisation, after all.
"Apologies, ma'am, but no. I've just been offered an assignment to the Prendergast Sector, and I intend to accept. They deserve it after all these years." Elena is familiar with the Prendergast Sector, a region of peace and prosperity with little violence. It's logical to assume that this assignment is more an opportunity for the 3rd Fleet to rest after years of pirate raids. "Was there anything else?" He shrugs.
Ulie gulps, looking more awake now. "I-uh, you know..." She stutters. "Rumours that you and me... You know..."