"Ah, thank you, 'Bravo'. Good to make your acquaintance," the half-elf responds, looking him up and down, just as she is about to enter the ship.
When Bravo mentions his real name, Elisys very carefully keeps her face neutral and quickly looks to the side under the pretense of studying the ship. It's hard to see whether she's blushing, amused, exasperated, or perhaps a combination of all.
"Nice to meet you too, Lexie," she replies when inside, making a curtsy in the direction of the voice/image. "As Krizen said, my name is Elisys - Elisys Lyre. I am... a medic of sorts, assigned to assist you all. My preferred type of approach is avoiding direct confrontations and seeking more... 'creative' and less dangerous solutions to problems. I should probably admit that I am not very experienced though, and that if we leave Apostae, it will be my first time off-world. Still, I hope to learn a lot from watching you more experienced Starfinders go about your business!"
She smiles at her collective teammates, then takes a moment to admire the ship's systems and puts her baggage somewhere at the side. "Now, what was that about angry AI virus and an... artefact? It seems I have a lot of catching up to do."
When Elisys mentions the artefact, she brings her right hand over to her chest area for an instant, but then lowers it immediately. From either coincidental knowledge or intense training you received somewhere on (near-)human body language, you know this is a subtle sign that a female human is uncomfortable about a certain subject, the same way a male human might subconsciously hover his hand around his neck area on uncomfortable matters. That Elisys breaks off this natural movement herself seems to indicate she is aware of these mannerisms, but wasn't quite quick enough to completely evade notice. Unless, of course, you are reading into things too much and that this was a fluke...
Bravo doesn't really pick up on Elisys' cues or tells, but then his training never really focused on that.
"So you're local? That's good, someone who knows Apostae is exactly what we need. Let's start this briefing at the beginning: Earlier this month, Krizen and me, along with some previous crew-mates who've moved on to other projects, were sent to investigate a derelict starship in the Diaspora that allegedly predates the Gap. Among our finds aboard the ship was a crystalline data-drive that, when inserted into the Lorespire's computers, released Unity, a sapient malware with delusions of godhood. We prevented Unity from taking over the Lorespire's computers, but it managed to seize control of a few local robots on Absalom Station, rewriting their code to worship it and attack people. Among the data we found after securing Unity were coordinates that we figured were probably more crystal-drives containing copies or fragments of Unity. We're following this information to try and track these artifacts down so we can keep Unity locked down, before some poor, curious loser plugs one into a computer that doesn't have the Starfinder Society's more advanced security programs. One of these was found in the shop of Vurg ul-Thontas, an antiquities dealer here in Nightarch. We met Vurg, bought the artifact at a decent price, especially when we informed him of the danger the artifact presented. Then Vurg invited us out for drinks to celebrate and...I'm ashamed to say...we had a few too many and got ambushed by a gang of drow led possibly by one Ilyania Zeizerer, who took the artifact containing Unity from us and disappeared into the city. We need to pick up the trail, find these drow, and secure the artifact containing Unity before they plug it in some computer that lets it escape."
Krizen lifts his eyebrow at Bravo's succinct summary. Well Bravo, if soldiering doesn't work out you might have a career in oratory. Speaking purely as your companion in this adventure, lets hope soldiering works out...
Krizen wonders at the strange and jerky movements of the woman, but assumes it's just a natural element of her personality and thinks nothing of it. At least this one isn't trying to pat his head!
|
Nalun smiles at Elisys No Madame, we have not met. Historia gave me your name. I apologize for the slight subterfuge. I prefer to greet newcomers as if I do not know them...seems a better Beginning that way.
When the AI introduces itself Nalun replies Greetings LEX-13. The Cycle brings us together.
Nalun listens carefully to Bravo
Indeed Master Vizetelly. I don't pretend to know much about malware, but a Virus that pretends to Godhood. That could be...problematic.
Where do we begin?
"Y-yes, 'problematic'," the blonde half-elf repeats, shaken from her incredulous gaze by Nalun's words. "A sentient malevolent malware virus thinking it is a god . Spread out over multiple parts of the galaxy already. And the best solution the society had against against something like that is... us? Part fresh recruits, part the same people who released it in the first place AND THEN lost a piece of it to alcohol?" Elisys mutters nervously, sweatdropping. "A-ah, sorry about that last bit, that was probably mean. I suppose the Drow would have taken it anyway, and you might have gotten hurt if you hadn't been... what is the term? Smashed? Hung over? ...Anyway, I'm sure we all prefer having you in once piece. And thank you for the rundown, Bravo. I just... wish someone had laid it on me a bit more gently, haha... ha."
She shakes her head, then sits herself down on a nearby chair and rubs her temples. "Right. First day on the job, instant intergalactic crisis. Okay. I'll admit I was kind of hoping for something a little easier and less dramatic to ease into the motions."
Then she jumps up and enthousiastically balls her hands. "Well, no matter! I've totally got this! WE have totally got this, right? ...Right?"
Elisys throws a questioning glance at everyone else. "At least... I assume there is some kind of plan for what to do about the missing pieces, starting with what to do with the one here on Apostae? What were you planning on doing about it before I arrived?"
She cocks her head to the side for a moment, scratching her chin with a gloved hand. "And one other thing, Bravo. How do you know the name of this Drow? Did she contact you to pay a ransom for it?"
Bravo shrugs.
"Soldiering not working out is why I got into the Starfinders in the first place."
He listens to the new crew-mates and nods.
"I don't even know if we had that much to drink in the first place. Memory's a little fuzzy, but given we apparently did make efforts to try and get away from them, we may have been drugged in preparation for the ambush."
"As for the name, one of us somehow managed to pry off a cybernetic leg from one of the drow before we blacked out, and Vurg mentioned that it resembled one attached to Ilyania Zeizerer. Given they haven't buzzed us on the comm and Vurg survived the night too, I imagine they plan to keep it. Given they knew what they were looking for, I suspect they know what's inside it and have plans for Unity...which means we REALLY are in a race against time, since they might not just release Unity by accident, but may be planning to release him deliberately."
He crosses his arms.
"Not gonna lie, the situation is bad, and we ARE new to the Starfinders, but The Society's lost a lot of members in that Scoured Stars incident, so we're the only Starfinders they've got to deal with this sh!t. Whether we've got this or not, we're gonna make it work. No one else can."
"First thing we need to do is trace this leg, see if Ilyania Zeizerer really is the drow we're looking for, and then we begin tracking her down."
Elly takes in Bonar's no-nosense militaristic speech, gradually calming down, then nods and straightens herself up. "Right. That seems like a good idea. I suppose that means we're looking for someone or some place doing these kinds of augmentations. Can I see the leg? Maybe I recognize something about it."
While going through her wristcom on possible relevant data, she adds: "We should probably think ahead about how we're going to do this if it is true that they're not looking to sell it. If they're a band of thieves with a headquarters, we can either attack directly, which does not have my preference, or do something more covert. In example, I could probably disguise most of us as drow and talk us in under the guise of wanting to join her gang, or something. If you are all good at staying unnoticed or making convincing distractions, we could probably sneak in as well."
Elisys certainly recognizes Ilyania Zeizerer. She was the oldest daughter of the Zeizerer family, but was ineligible to inherit their vast wealth due to her status as a bastard. She worked as muscle for the family to seek to prove her worth. However, when a pulse mine blew off her legs and one of her arms, she was cut out completely. As such, she's faded from the public eye and drifted into the lowlife.
There are several bars that she is known to frequent. First is Yilhane's, an odd establishment run by an exiled resident of Aucturn. Second is the Roost, run by a small cult of Shax with a propensity for birds. Third is a classic drifter's dive bar called Haln's Place.
Elisys suddenly stops reading from her datapad and recalls a lesson recently given to her by her mentor on notable Drow aristocrats. Her eyelids narrow in concentration as she begins to speak. "...Hold on, I do know about this other Drow. She was the oldest bastard child of the wealthy Zeizerer family and..."
She continues to share all that she knows on her. When finished, she grins. "So, three possible places where she is known to visit, each of them bars. If they just managed to catch something valuable, chances are they'll be celebrating. Maybe it's time to use their own tactics against them and set a trap? Any preferences on where to go?"
"...And before I forget to ask, do we have any funding available to help us? What is our budget for dealing with all this?"
She then gasps. "Oh, right! If you're not locals, you may not know thay house Zeizerer is the ruling Drow house. Their network and holdings here are very extensive."
She looks around furtively, then continues in a whisper: "She was cut out of the family some time ago, but chances are they still keep tabs on her. I would recommend against overtly opposing her family as much as possible though, and trying to keep our identities to ourselves just in case."
She then frowns. "Actually... Lexie or Historia, surely the society has a contact person with the Zeizerer family? Maybe they would be willing to share some information or assist us if we simply impress upon them how dangerous this thing is that one of their former own has stolen and how easily it could backfire on everyone here, including the family..."
"So many options... what do you all think we should do?" She asks, pacing back and forth while spewing ideas.
Nalun nods thoughtfully at Elisys
I think the option least likely to cause conflict would be to contact the family. They may not appreciate their scion attempting to free a trapped virus god.
Bravo raises an eyebrow.
"Maybe I'm a cynic but I don't think that's a good idea. If Ilyania is planning on using Unity as some sort of weapon yeah, her family's likely the one she's going to point it at, but I imagine the other Zeizerers would do the exact same thing in her position, meaning any help they give us would probably come with the catch that they get the artifact once it's found. I think we need to keep this low-key so we have the best chance of not just stopping Ilyania from releasing Unity, but also making sure some OTHER power-hungry idiot doesn't get their hands on it next."
Elisys frowns. "Bonar has a point. On the other hand, if house Zeizerers betrays us after we contact them officially through the Starfinder Society, that would at the very least damage their reputation to outside parties. Regardless of the culture, no one will do business with you if you habitually betray your own partners. I'm not sure if they believe that is worth it, considering it also risks the highly powerful virus AI breaking out on them. ...Then again, it's true that these are Drow and that we should always be mindful of the chance of betrayal. We could maybe sidestep this by not telling them how dangerous the item is, but rather claim it's an historical trinket they stole from us... which would also lower the chance they'd help us. Hm. I suppose it would help making a decision to know more of our standing with them at the moment."
She considers it for a moment, then adds another inquiry to Lexie and Historia. "To Lexie and Historia, aside from my inquiry about our funding and budget, what is the Society's current relation with House Zeizerer? What is your calculation for the chance of treason depending on how much of the truth we give them?"
After finishing her command, she watches the 'processing' bar on the interface progress. "For the record, I'm fine with either option," she tells the rest of the party while waiting. "Even if we don't ask for help, I could simply disguise a few of us and talk us a way in since we know where to find her. We could also always try locating their base by asking or bribing around or following them after they leave a bar, hopefully drunk, and then just sneaking into the base to steal it - we could do lots of things in the low-profile approach, too. What do you think, Krizen?"
Lexie responds, ”The Society’s relationship with House Zeizerer is...transactional. Without sufficient financial incentive, they are not likely to provide assistance, especially in dealing with Ilyania. That said, the resources of the Society are stretched thin. Many of our most profitable operations were crippled by the Scoured Stars incident.”
"Which is why they sent us raw recruits to deal with a potentially Pact-Worlds-ending artificial intelligence," Bravo comments dryly.
"Think we should start casing the bars Zeizerer frequents, listen to the rumor mill. A day's passed, so the underworld may already have some buzz about her needing her leg replaced. We follow those rumors, we can start narrowing down which establishment to focus on. Sound good?"
"Sounds like a good start," Elisys agrees. "If we're going to ask around openly, I do however suggest that everyone present when this piece of unity was stolen wears a disguise. This is a drow settlement, and if you don't remember anything about the attack I don't want to run into any of her men seeing their known victims openly asking about her, while you yourself are unable to recognize them. That is a trap for us waiting to happen. "
"If I understand correctly, that means Bonar and Krizen. I'll also do myself, since this is a society ran by Drow women, and having one might help. I can disguize Bonar easily. Krizen might be a bit more difficult, but I'll try. Any objections? And does everyone agree that we're going to ask around under the guise of a buiseness proposal that is joining them?"
"So how are we gonna do these disguises? Are we talking makeup and costumes, or full-on magic?"
"Makeup and costumes. I don't need magic to pull off a convincing disguise. I do hope you have some spare clothes though, something you weren't wearing yesterday when Ilyania's men saw you. Otherwise, we might need to do some shopping. I have a few different ear extensions and enough makeup to turn the both of you into Drow as it is, probably. Krizen excluded, of course, but we can simply change his hue and outfit him differently. That will probably fool most humanoids."
Elisys briefly smiles at Nalun over the compliment, choosing to interpret his strange sentence as that he instead meant he hoped it wouldn't come to blows.
"All right. So essentially, we're doing Bonar's plan with the added safety net of disguises, and improvise from there. If there are no objections, I'll start on myself first. This will take a bit of time; I suggest thinking about how we're going to handle things at the bar and doing some last minute purchases for other party members if any are needed."
She looks around for a lockable room, at at least something giving her privacy while she dresses, taking her suitcase with her. Then she holds for a moment. "Um... Lexie, there is a private room with no surveillance inside somewhere on this ship, right?" she asks, mildly embarassed, and trying not to look at either of the men.
Krizen frowns as the plan begins to take shape, nervously running finger-claws through his fur. Erm... I'm not so sure about this. I don't think you can really disguise me very well with my fur... which I'm not shaving off! The barbarity of such an act... Krizen shudders at the thought, visible waves rippling through his fur.
As the plan progresses, and the talk shifts to dying his fur a different color, his ears twitch back and he calms. Dyes... dyes are acceptable. I can bear that.
After Elisys finishes her transformation of herself, he nods in approval at her skill. Alright, miss Lyre. I place myself into your talented skillset. Just... nothing purple. Please.
After about an hour of sounds of shuffling inside the dressing room, hissing from spraypaint/spray makeup cans and the occasional muttering from Elisys, she re-emegeres as a completely different woman.
Now clad in an outfit of mostly dark-leather, visibly armed with both a baton and a knife, her hair dyed drow-white, her ears extended and her skin a perfect match for the average drow purple tone, she looks nothing like her previous self. The leather looks as if it could do actual duty in a fight, and she seems to wear herself with more confidence than before - the very image of a rugged combatant. The only thing that still seems the same are her golden-coloured eyes, and, if you really squint, you think you also see a very faint hint of her natural blond hair mixed with the more typical drow white. Whether that latter bit is on purpose, a slight oversight or simply your imagination is impossible to tell.
"Well, this was the best I could do," she comments upon re-entering the scene. "I think it will suffice. If there was one persona I have a lot of practise in, it's this one..."
The disguised half-elf appears lost in thought for a moment, but shakes herself out of it. "Ah, no matter. So... what do you think?" she asks, gesturing over the outfit. "And who wants to go next?"
"I think it's solid camo. Would have fooled me, probably," Bravo replies. "I probably won't make a good drow. Too broad-shouldered unless I'm disguised as a drow bodybuilder. But there's lots of half-orcs here, so I suppose I could play your bodyguard?"
The party heads out for Haln's Place. If they though the part of the orc quarter that Vurg lived in was rough, they were sorely mistaken. Haln's Place is barely marked, a shabby sign reading Haln's. Though not quite a hive of scum and villainy, criminals and lowlives seem to be abundant. A shifty-looking gnome stands in a small room, seeming like it could've been a coat check once. He says in a high pitched voice, "Hand over your weapons, and I'll give you your claim ticket." He gestures to a plasmathrower behind the counter, "Things get hot in there, it's your ass that's gonna fry."
Bravo, now with fake prosthetic teeth, green painted skin and hair died dark and messy, snorts.
"I only disarm if the boss tells me to disarm. Right, boss?" he says gruffly.
His armor's decorations have been obscured or removed and he carries himself with the mercenary slouch of a person who's ready for action but doesn't really want to be there, rather than standing up straight like he's used to.
Krizen shrugs and hands over his pistol, drawing it from its holster. I'll want that back in the same condition I handed it over, that clear? Krizen does NOT draw the starknife from its sheath at his back; with a thought he can call it to his hand, so he is not concerned about handing over his ranged weapon while in a crowded bar.
Elisys raises an eyebrow at the gnome, then let's out a single snorting laugh and grins. "Amusing!" she comments to the gnome. "And no; no disarming anything or anyone unless I say so, pet. You should have known that by now. I've only instructed you on this exact matter seven times in the last two days," she answers Bravo, facepalming and sighing afterwards.
"Yet, since I am in a good mood today, I don't feel like making a fuss over either issue," she continues, looking between the gnome and the disguised human. "Here is my knife. I prefer to keep the baton as I tend to use it mostly to beat in the faces of desperate and overreaching drow males too agressive to be amusing. I am assuming I can defend myself If I am attacked or forcefully harassed, yes?"
The gnome man leans on the counter, his hands on the plasmathrower and locks eyes with Elisys, "All the weapons, or you ain't comin' in."
"Yes, boss."
Bravo lays his hunting rifle, pistol and knife on the table, his face impassive. His knuckles were more than enough...assuming everyone else followed the same rules.
Elisys sighed and laid the baton on the table. There was a line with being too agressive or haughty in playing a role, even a drow, and this was probably it. "Fine, whatever. I'll be expecting your intercession if someone inside tries anything funny. Let's go, boys - good drinks don't empty themselves."
"You lettin' me drink on the job, boss?" Bravo asks, not entirely in jest.
"So long as you don't repeat what happened last time," Elisys replies, grinning. "I don't want you quite that smashed, but I reckon our run has been good enough for a couple to celebrate."
The bartender, a rough-looking vesk, says to the group, ”What’ll it be?”
Bravo looks the bartender in the eye.
"Milk."
”We got cow, buggalo, and klagax. Last one’s alcoholic.”
Krizen recognizes klagax as a viperlike predator from the twin moons of Burgap-3, a system within the Azlanti Star Empire.
Krizen's ears perk upwards at the bartender's words. You have klagax milk? I'll take a glass of that.
Krizen makes little contented noises as he sits back and sips his drink, never expecting to find something from his past at a place like this.