T'risa raised an eyebrow at the statement "It's hard to say Admiral. On the one hand, before my time in service to CASAR I was an Imperial spy, dedicated to serving the Empress and the Tau Imperium, saving it from all enemies foreign and domestic....and then, I left the Empire, become a Colonial Marshal, and far from being concerned only with Tae and upholding law and order in that environment, we started an intergalactic war with an implacable enemy." T'risa smiled "They say the quality of a person can be determined by the enemies they make. The enemies we have would seem to indicate we are the highest quality sentients in known space." T'risa giggled, hating herself for giggling. "However, our mutual friend is right. I have grown considerably. We all have. Friends old and new alike. The battles in our future will only be won through blood. Diplomacy is not something she understands and the only time she's ready to bargain is when she feels threatened. She's no intention of keeping her word."

Alex says nothing and blends into the background. He looks around to see if the servants have arrived.

" I have heard that maxim once or twice." Etzuhn replied, with a slight lift of one  feather the Quetzl version of a quirk of the lip.

"Our enemy is old and unpredictable. her leadership has rekindled the Q'sa in a very short time. But we believe that her instability will be her greatest weakness." He replied with little further comment on the enemy.

"please introduce me to your crew, they seem to be an unusual group, to say the least." The Ambassador asked as he motioned to the crew."I have grown to expect that among humans, but your crew seems to have refined unusual to an art form."

Once the show had ended ken found himself somewhat uneasy.   While this wasn't his first rodeo,  stuff like this wasn't his strong suit.

With little hesitation he looked for the nearest bar to get himself a drink...

"I'd be delighted to introduce you to them. Each and every one of them unique and talented." T'risa brought the Commander over to meet her group. "You've probably read the background reports of some of those that are around me. Sadly M'kira is occupied on another task that I've set for her and won't visit this area while it is ongoing. I'm afraid I cannot tell you the nature of the task, let us just say that it might be an unpleasant surprise for the Q'sa." she nodded to Kendrick "This is Kendrick Johnson. Former military man, turned investigator. It's a tragedy to say this, but unfortunately where we're going there is a sufficiently high probability that there will be a ridiculously large amount of killing. His talents are eminently suited to our job. I pray that it's his talent for discovery that would be most in use."

T'risa motioned for Lynn to come join the group. "And Lynn Winters, of course, our engineer. You may know we've recently purchased a vessel for our expedition. Lynn has been leading the efforts in conjunction with our contractors to have the ship prepared for our rather unique needs. I'm pleased to say that we've advanced significantly on that time scale. I'm very happy she chose to join our band."

T'risa frowned as she looked around the hall. She leaned closer to the commander. "If you could excuse me for but a moment." she left the commanders side, heading directly towards Alex. "There's someone I would like you to meet, Alex. You've been requested to meet the Blood Gutton."
She headed back to the commander, gesturing towards Alex with a flourish "Alex, another gifted warrior. He's a psychic, I think perhaps best described as a telekinetic, using his talents for war. It is fortunate as that is one of the areas I've been found to have no talent." she smiled as she introduced the psychic.

Alex follows the lead instructions. When introduced he nods to the Blood Glutton. He quietly assumes a natural posture.

I am honored he says quietly and he watches the Ceremony.

"Ambassador."

Lynn curtsies to him, holding the edges of her dress as she does so.

"A pleasure to make your acquaintance."

T'risa brought Poppy, Elsbeth and Balkiir over in a small group. "And of course the rest of us have worked together for some time now. Poppy, our resident...well, troubleshooter and drill instructor might be the best way to describe her. Also perhaps morale officer. Elsbeth and Balkiir, I wouldn't dare describe this pair separately. I would have thought facing SHE once in a lifetime would be horror enough for anyone, but these three are choosing to face SHE for the second time. I think that says enough about their strength of character, talent and ability."

It took some effort to get Elspeth attention Till Balkiir stepped up and put a hand on her shoulder. "Down girl,"

Take it easy on our hosts" He actually seemed rather pleased with her intensity, and the way she had performed.CBalkiir was intensely competitive by nature, so he was smiling rather broadly as he retrieved Elspeth.

" Nice to meet You You're eminence ." Poppy replied with a smile" Yep, trouble shooter, it makes trouble I shoot it.....and keep everyone in fresh food, clean clothes, spare parts, and all that..adnnnnddd there is that who immune to Evil Jedi mind tricks thing. Love what you've done with the place nice look...ommmmmpppffff..." She let out a startled yelp as Balkiir covered her  mouth with his hand from behind stopping the impending nonstop ramble anyone who knew Poppy could see coming.

After the drill cadence or dance precision, Tal will go over to where he had left the cane and pick it up, putting the sword back with it mate.   Feeling really out of his element, he'll keep a close eye on both Alex and T'risa.   When Alex was summoned he thought he should go over to T'risa as well, but hung back watching the proceedings.

When it was safe to move forward into the group, Tal will go forward and pay his respects to both the Ambassador and Admiral.   "Your Grace and Admiral, sir, I'm Tal Atvar",he'll say with a flourish of a bow before stepping back and letting T'risa and the others continue with the conversations.
This message was last edited by the player at 22:56, Thu 05 May 2016.

Kendrick nodded to both T'risa and the Commander.  There wasn't much that needed to be said as he took a sip of his drink.  He'd lost track of his friend and at this point was just trying to avoid any sort of embarrasment.  It had been far too long since he had attended anything formal and hoped the the evening would not linger too much longer.

"A pleasure to meet you" he said firmly

"I have reviewed all information available on your group, and your previous operations." Etzhuan nodded as he accepted nd returned the greetings." Even your engineer has a reputation for being highly skilled at their duties. So I am pleased you have joined forces to assist the local systems. There are quite a number of issues that need  to be addressed and limited numbers of capable personnel to address them fully."

However that we can discuss fully a little later, Please enjoy the hospitality of my people, food and drink from several cultures are available, we are well aware Quetzl cuisine can be a bit...daunting at times."

A young Quetzal approached with small hand carved stone cups, almost the same size, and  volume as a saki cup. a deep red fluid filled the cups to the halfway point. Beside each cup was an equal portion of something deep brown and smelling of  cocoa. The ambasssador took a cup of the liquor and raised it slightly.
"M'poc, and choclate, traditional drinks for such occasions... Please join me in a drink, to celebrate this night in proper fashion. To Your health and success in all you endeavors.

OOC: Quetzal drinks and food tend to be potent and spicy, think a combination of Carribean, Mexican and Thai with a bit more kick.

Elsbeth stood unblinking and unmoving for a long moment after the lead Quetzl had stepped back, yielding the floor.  Her training as a bodyguard had honed her muscle memory to the point where she could hold her position for an uncomfortably long time; she'd entered a sort of fugue state where her perception of time collapsed in on itself.

And with the dance over, and T'risa's mental directions receding into the background, the genetic engineering that had spawn the young Praetorian took over for a moment.  Luckily, the tall blue Valkiir that was Balkiir was a fellow CMC Marine and knew which shoulder and where to tap Elsbeth in order to not provoke an attack from the thin, knife-wielding ex-gladiator turned Marine and then deputized by the Marshal.

"Of course, Friend Balkiir." she intoned as the long, thin Valkiir kindjal found its way back into its sheathe with a flourish.  Both hands free once more, she turned briefly to touch the fingertips of both hands to her forehead and bow in the direction of the Queztl leader and his troupe that had shown such courage and courtesy in their display.

Elsbeth inclined her head to the grand Quetzl emissary when she was formally introduced.  She seemed a touch wide-eyed and tongue-tied, as most who knew her in such social situations knew she was want to do.  Thankfully, the group was offered drinks which she could hide behind.  And equally fortuitous was the fact that the cups were sturdy and made of stone, anything less solid might have been inadvertently shattered by the young Praetorian in a nervous moment.

Her thin fingers drew the cup up her burgundy lips, allowing her to take in the sweet and spicy mixture in its full glory.  She tried to cover the sputter that accompanied the burning sensation the liquid provoked in her throat with a slight clearing of the throat.  Nothing had quite prepared her for the melange of contrasting flavors.  Elsbeth swallowed hard; a light, raspy, "Wow..." escaped from her lips when her voice eventually returned.

She hovered close to both Balkiir (and thus, Poppy), just off the shoulder of T'risa.  She'd didn't expect real trouble to rear its head near the Marshal at this point.  But, old instincts died hard.  And if there was anything that the last three years had taught her, it was that trouble always seemed to swirl around them; the Quetzl commander had been extremely charitable when he declared that the group was a refined form of 'unusual'...

" Okay that has a kick." Balkiir took the drink nd downed it in a single shot.then took the second cup and downed the chocolate, seeming to enjoy the rich slightly bitter taste of the unsweetened drink. With a nod to the server, he set the cup back in place."Cuts the burn nicely..."

He seemed unaffected by a shot that would have caused an almost immediate, and disorienting rush of adrenaline and endorphins in most Valkiir, and Tau women." Better keep that combination away from the kids, we'd have to drag them out by the heels.

He put a hand on Elspeths shoulder in a familiar gesture to offer some support in a situation he knew was a bit awkward for her.

T'risa remembered her classes on the food and drink of other cultures. She remembered the Quetzl class with some reticence. The O'maeda palate was used to more complex food, the Quetzl one was a direct frontal assault on the senses.

T'risa helped herself to some of the Quetzl food, making sure she tried it. They might not be insulted if she didn't eat any, but it showed them she was willing and open minded enough to try.

A few seconds later the tears started streaming from her eyes. "I think I'll join you in that drink Ambassador, but M'poc for me. Chocolate has...side effects on O'maeda and Valkiir physiologies."

" It has an enhanced effect on Quetzal as well, not as intense as O'madea, or Valkiir, but noticeable." The ambassador smiled his frill rising in humor as he downed the M'poc as if it  were spring water."it seems only Tae, and Valkiir males are not similarly affected."

He motioned to a number of bowls containing slices of some fruit deeply colored in shades  of red and yellow.If sampled the burn of the meal is reduced to a mild warmth and the complexity of the spices, meats and vegetables are revealed." Chi,noletl Is excellent at cutting the intensity of some of our more potent dishes.You'll discover that our food has many layers...a bit like politics and  war."

"If you don't mind mixing business and pleasure I am happy you came along, I need the assistance of someone outside of my chain of command, with access to investigative skills, and experience in such matters."

As he spoke he glanced toward Kendrick.alex and Tal..."and if my sources are correct some of your crew have already begun to inquire on the subject."

Poppy squirmed gave Balkiira soft kick in the shin, then extracted herself. Sliding up next to Lyn she smiled and grabbed a pair of drinks off of a serving tray." I think that's my cue to find  something to do other than talk the feathers off our host......"

She surveyed the surroundings, "Food, Music, and  a target  rich environment of pretty, pretty people. Care to join me and take advantage of it  all? They are gonna be talking all night, wasting a perfectly good party."

"besides I need to butter you up and see if you know anything about cybernetic installation... you are about as close to it gets as a medic in my case.  And if you can install a few mods I picked up in town it would be cheaper than the boutique..those guys charge an arm and a leg, and their hands are always cold...brrrrr"

She was almost dancing in place as she spoke until she took a big bite  of something paused looked wide eyed then began to tear up downing a glass of beverage..."my fattttthhhh ittth numb...hepl..."

At the mention of food, Tal' stomach did a low rubble because he hadn't ate much the entire day and was rather hungry.   When the exotic drink with the chocolate chaser was brought by the wait staff, he eagerly accepted the drinks for two reasons; one he didn't want to offend the host and two because he had never had M'poc before.   The fact that he wasn't much of a drinker spoke volumes because he downed the chocolate drink first than the M'poc.   The first drink had some of the intended effects over the M'poc but it was both the sharpness of it and the sudden reaction to the Ambassador's statement that Alex and his efforts hadn't been so clandestine in investigating the destroyed ships.   The fact that it, made him sputter a none intelligent noise and look away from the circle of conversation was clearly evident.

Louis came over with Poppy leading him through the servant's entrance. He spent much of his time in the tank getting prepared to be around so many organics. His nose crinkles at the thought Poppy doesn't understand she seems to enjoy bio films and residue. Louis does want to see and be seen by others. His craving for attention and appreciation exceeds his fear that some psionic brain fart will contaminate him.

He wears his flowing wig, high heal shoes and a fine looking blade at his side his antibacterial makeup and gloves emaculately protecting him while looking fabulous.

Louis noticed Alex wearing a Zoot Suit to the event with a frown but during the fight the low baggy pants and whirling tails and tie and high shoulders actually went well with the bright humming energy sword.
He approaches with the servant and hands his teacher a drink while the servant offers the tray to all.

Alex smiles his big welcoming smile when he takes the drink and recognizes Louis.

Good evening Master  He says
You can call me Al- Alex begins but Louis interrupts him with a look
This is a formal occasion.
He the. Tilts he's head pleadingly as the Blood Glutton seems to turn toward Alex.

Alex beams, surprised to see his new charge here the fellow looks so strained for a moment just as the Blood Glutton says something about business and looks at him, hmmmmm...what does he know of our investigation so far?

To the blood glutton.

Business? Of course friend, but before we begin I have one more pleasantly if you will permit?

<Blue>You may know I am a teacher among other things - I have been most fortunate to gain a new charge, this is Louis DeSoleil, he has generously accepted to join us on our journey as scientist focused on the technology and culture of the enemy, that we may develop countermeasures as we go.

Louis bows elaborately and says
Your Excellency, High Commissioner Pipiltin Etzhuanhuanca-Blood-Glutton.  I am Doctor Louis Quatorze Soleil and I am most honored for making your acquaintence on this my second day since leaving my youth and pledging support to this mission. I will endeavor to earn my place among these heroes. I beg that at some moment of convenience this evening you will deign to share with us your tale of earning your name in the Quetzl Ilhuicac-Yaotlahueliloque

Alex is a little surprised and then realizes he shouldn't be as Louis bows and backs just out of the way so the Blood Glutton can choose to continue his discussion or reply to the new chberoid as fits his demeanor.

"I'd not heard that Quetzl had the same reaction to chocolate as the O'maedan and Valkiir? It's rather curious. In any case, I'm sure the Tae and Balkiir will enjoy the food." T'risa enjoyed the slightly more subtle food. "Please compliment your chef. This is still too hot for my preference, but now there are no tears in my eyes and the spices truly bring out the flavours."

T'ris smiled proudly at the blood Guttons comments "Indeed, it seems as though the team is more than capable of working on their own initiative. Sometihng of which I am inordinately happy."

The Admiral returned  each greeting with a polite bob of his crest and a formal nod. Smiling a bit in The manner of a polite host.

"It seems that Chocolate is by nature a fairly potent narcotic, that For some reason does not affect Tae or Male valkiir...

They are the exception, not the rule. I have heard it leaves  Cesti in a stupor from even a small taste...For generations, the Quetzl have exported it quite readily, mostly as a medicinal resource..with a bit of recreational use intended as well. Fortunately, it is not prone to causing unpleasant dependence in its regular users. It is a shared release from stress for many peoples, So we are happy to supply it."

He replied casually. He turned and motioned for the group to follow him as he spoke leading them toward a small room off to te side of the main reception area. Two Quetzl in full combat armor and armed with modern  infantry plasma weapons stood by the door. They were of a far more reptilian cast than most Quetzl heavy plates of bony armor on their faces and neck. They stood out like draconic gargoyles in a children's library among the brightly dressed party goers.

It is good to meet you all and I would be happy to entertain any questions, or spin any tale you wish when the pressing matters of  duty are addressed.

"I have heard of your crews initial investigation into the disappearance of several ships. I asked a certain Leader of the Street groups to inform me immediately if anyone began to ask questions. She of course, was happy to oblige..as long as she  felt there was no betrayal of confidence.

In this case, she felt we SHOULD be aware of shared points of interest in the matter.The Admirals voice  was not spoken but relayed telepathically to all by some means. Including a very tight encrypted channel to the internal communications  systems of the Cyberoids.

Valkiir are not the most sophisticated sorts when it comes to matters of dubious legality. However, they are quite adept at putting interested parties in touch with one another when it serves their purposes.

It has come to our attention that some group is funding these operations. A group with no ties in any way to the normal criminal elements common to civilized groups. Even the highly proficient Telepaths and precognitive agents of the Intelligence section have not been able to trace anyone who might be  involved...or have access to the information needed to expertly target key cargoes and personnel. We have stuck a wall of silence in this matter so profound it has caused great concern"

The attack are not sufficient to cause large-scale disruptions to our defensive preparations, but it is taxing our efforts to prepare for the attack many anticipate in the near future.

Feel free to reply without words, my assistant is quite capable or relaying thoughts to me while we are in close proximity...

OOC: the mental voice is cold, absolutely emotionless, and has no inflection, or  emotional seepage. Anyone who is used to such forms of communication has the distinct impression there is no sentient mind involved in its transmission.

the signal to the Cyberoids is also strange.  Usually, the internal communication network is sealed, and autonomous used for relaying diagnostic data during examinations and maintenance.Only a very high-level Administrative AI could access it , break the encryption  and use it as a short range communications system. and that would be an AI with near planetary Access levels and a very specialized set of algorithms the sort that few  outside the cyberoid community would even know exist.