Akh whispers to Guess? "You could also lie and say you have a fancy new life-extension technology that you're willing to give up, one that will let this elf guy outlive the other guy, maybe that would convince him to give up on the barge? We could make a brochure. Rich people love brochures."
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"Mom used to have her little helpers that made her feel young, and she's been around for at least two of "the sixties". Pretty sure those were mostly opium and caffeine though. These guys are probably against that and polluting their DNA by cutting off the tata boxes. No wonder they're keeling over from old age like it's the dark ages. "
"hey I'm pay..intered by the hour. If you want me to spend four hours thats up to you but SOME of us have to have a life and sleep. And trust me you do NOT want me drinking tea after 11. "
Guess? whispers, "Ix-nay on the arcasm-say. Just play along for the crowd, yes?"
"Mom used to have her little helpers that made her feel young, and she's been around for at least two of "the sixties". Pretty sure those were mostly opium and caffeine though. These guys are probably against that and polluting their DNA by cutting off the tata boxes. No wonder they're keeling over from old age like it's the dark ages. "
"Actually, they may be okay with it. Taelarinis has already sunk significant funds into researching methods to extend his life. I'm guessing some of those methods will involve DNA manipulation."
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"I AM that was perfectly in cha..you forgot I'm not actually your intern again didn't you?"
Guess? whispers, "Ix-nay on the arcasm-say. Just play along for the crowd, yes?"
"Errrr... maybe?
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Akh, Guess?, Jaraduk, and Del masterfully clean their tea implements the old kasathan style. Teamaster Haloru nods approvingly at each, sparing just a small glance of disappointment towards Melissa as she dunks them in the wrong order. "Now class, next the water is heated in a small stone teapot over an open flame until it’s about to boil before being poured into teacups. Traditionally this flame would be built on a bed of dried animal dung. For the benefit of your noses, and the lack of local herbivores on station, we'll just use instaflame-packs." He passes those out. "Now, dried tea leaves are whisked quickly into the water and stirred constantly for 2 minutes."
Stir stir.... wait.... stir stir.... wait.... stir stir.... wait....
Akh murmurs "No dung! That's not very authentic, is it? I'm certain there are some herbivores on this station right now." He looks around the room for any particularly malnourished looking Kalistocrats. It's hard to tell. All Kalistocrats look kind of malnourished to his eyes now that he knows their secret. He deftly stirs at a steady cadence.
Akh murmurs "No dung! That's not very authentic, is it? I'm certain there are some herbivores on this station right now." He looks around the room for any particularly malnourished looking Kalistocrats. It's hard to tell. All Kalistocrats look kind of malnourished to his eyes now that he knows their secret. He deftly stirs at a steady cadence.
"Don't you worry. I'll arrange to have some dung delivered to your room later for the full, authentic experience!" says Guess? while whisking away, mimicking all the subtle stirring nuances of the teamaster.
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Del (thankfully) avoids gagging at the thought of heating her tea over dried dung. She tries not to let it distract her, and instead focuses on making the best pot of tea she can.
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Del, Akh, and Guess? perfectly drop their leaves into the heated water while Jaraduk and Melissa scald theirs. The teamaster spares a smile for each of you, "hmmm, some naturals we have here. Or perhaps you have done your research! How respectful..." He moves back to the head table and picks up a wooden spoon. "Finally, a wooden dipper is used to add drops of a sweetener —which is typically honey, but..." he pulls out a jar of agave syrup. "This adheres to the local temple's guidelines instead." Each of you get your own small jar, to accompany your tea.
Del happily takes the agave and stirs it in just so...
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Akh had been bracing himself for the teamaster to substitute honey for some kind of flavorless dust that vaguely remembers it might have once been near something sweet, but is instead pleasantly surprised to see the agave syrup. It seems even some Kalistocrats could not resist. "Yes. The honey is critical." he intones as he exerts all his will not to lick the syrup out of the tiny jar.
He stirs several drops in. Perhaps some ritually important amount. Perhaps just enough to satisfy his taste buds.
"Mmmmm... Syrup...." says Guess? as his sweet tooth takes over his actions - possibly adding too much syrup to the tea.
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Akh and Jaraduk know that exactly 12 drops of syrup should be added, one for each month of the Tempering. With the absolute silence in the room, they aren't able to warn the others. Del, who often got reprimanded growing up for this same offense, poured a whole spoonful of agave syrup in her tea. Melissa's cup was done the ysoki way, about 50-50 syrup and tea. Guess? fumbled with one of his holographic hands, accidentally adding one to many drops. Teamaster Haloru walks around the table, examining everyone's creations. His nose wrinkles in distaste as he smells the over-sugared content of Del,Guess?, and Melissa's mugs. He lays a hand on Akh's shoulders, smiling broadly. "Now that you've prepared your cup of tea, some a bit better than others, time for snacks! Take some time to mingle and enjoy the euphoria from a historically brewed cup of kasathan tea." You take the opportunity to speak with Taelarinis, who is quite interested in the performance of Akh. He gives "Estriar" a bit of side eye. "Your kasathan friend must have been orphaned, he certainly doesn't know the ways of the ships."
After the ceremony ends, Teamaster Haloru approaches Melissa with pursed lips. "My dear, I commend you on your good-faith effort and participation." He smiles softly. "Please, I see you care about the kasathan way of life. Return to the Chrysalis Teahouse for instruction. In the meantime,” he says, “please accept this gift, so you might practice as often as you wish.” Haloru gives Melissa an antique kasathan tea set worth 750 credits. Melissa imagines that a gift such as this would put her in Taelarinis' good graces.
Guess? speaks humbly to Taelarinis, "The tea ceremony was quite the calming, zen experience, was it not? In fact this simple act has expanded my mind and brought a couple mutually beneficial ideas to mind...
"It's no secret that we're both interested in the upcoming treasure ship auction. It would, obviously, be of great benefit to me if you were to drop out.
"In return, I have a couple of potential solutions to the problem with Zlanai you had mentioned earlier.
"One, we could set up a poison pill structure such that once he obtains, directly or indirectly, say 20% share, then shares are immediately created and distributed to other shareholders. This will prevent Zlanai from ever obtaining a controlling interest and frustrate all future attempts to acquire your company! I happen to have at my disposal some of the best mergers and acquisitions people available to get this set up!
"Or two, we've developed some new tech to further extend lifespans. And our tech has shown effectiveness with elves. The longer you can outlive Zlanai, the less likely he'll ever manage to acquire your company, yes? And of course there's also all the other benefits that come with living longer!
"What do you think? Shall we make a deal?"
Guess? smiles ear to ear in his friendly yet slightly unnerving way.
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Akh looks desperately around for the mentioned snacks, but sees nothing that properly impresses him. He despairs for a moment, then composes himself to float over to Guess?. He settles into a position floating right behind Guess?'s shoulder as he addresses Taelarnis. "Please tell me you agree that the honey is critical. Tea isn't the same without it." He shakes his head. "Oh, Estriar, are you telling him about the life extension soup? We can't share any details, but if you're feeling like your telomeres are getting a little hairy, you might end up feeling relieved if you take Mr. Estriar up on his offer."
He shares several other life-extension buzzwords as Guess? does most of the talking.
Del resists the urge to roll her eyes as she sweetens her tea perfectly. Really, no taste at all here—none! She almost follows Akh to the snack table, but knows she'll be disappointed with nary a cupcake in sight. Instead, she sticks to the fringes and keeps an eye out for anything else that might be of interest to the team.
...And is as useful as she always is.
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Guess? easily makes up for his faux pas with the tea sweetening in his conversation with Taelarinis. "Extending our life span, and more importantly our consciousness', is so critical for our religion." He speaks for several minutes with Guess? on the topic before Akh comes over from the very meager snack table that was mostly filled with "temple blessed low carb saltines". Akh inserts himself at the proper moment, adding more credibility to the offer. Del, unfortunately, is as out of place at the uptight kalistocrat party as she was growing up. Taelarinis is clearly enjoying the conversation, but isn't fully convinced. "Have you spoken with Zlanai? She's a tricky one, constantly poking into my business and working hostile takeover angles with my investors. Made it quite difficult to do business."
Del's eyes widen. "Certainly not to be... eaten?!" she whispers in surprise. She takes a step back, not wanting to mess up Mel's offer to Taelarinis, while wracking her brain for suitable substitutions to engine grease in a medication...
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Taelarinis nods in appreciation. "Well, that is a bit out there... but perhaps that's what I need to get an edge on that witchwyrd. It's certainly not something she would try. Alright, send over the recipe and I'll drop out of the auction. Gives me more time to plan my next move..." You head back to Estriar's apartment, celebrating another rival gone. You tick off the people:
-Estriar (yourselves)
-Eline Reisora (not bidding, just attending)
-Lord Ralvarion Harrington III (bad omens)
-Kantir (beat in a duel)
-Taelarinis (bribed with eternal life)
- ???
- ???
- ???
That leaves only three more rivals to be identified, based on the preparations of the auction. But something is itching in the back of your mind, like you're forgetting someone...
The verthani spies! Ixander said that they were going to attempt to convince the winner of the auction - if they couldn't win it themselves - to give them a rather sensitive data module aboard the treasure barge. You convinced them to throw their support in with you, so they are another rival knocked off the list.
While you're proud of that realization, you feel like there's even one more person you're forgetting...
You make it back to the apartment, where the anacite butlers remind you that your next appointment is a reservation for a private banquet at Prixe Mari, a restaurant on the station, 4 days before the auction. (In two days.) You decide to use the time between now and then to search for more rivals.
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Bluff, Life Science, and Medicine! The perfect combination for a life enhancing con.
at those rolls and starfinder tech levels we might only be exaggerating a bit rather than a full on con... but don't tell guess he'd just be disappointed.
check out the block chain on the local bitcoins and see if anyone was moving around a fair bit of money
2 is definitely a reroll rather than a d6....
Before, with Taelarinis...
Jaraduk, who's until now been more of a silent attendee to Estriar at the tea ceremony, speaks up with a bit of a tangential question for their now-conned un-bidder.
Say, while you were still planning on bidding, what other bidders concerned you? That is, who might you have been strategizing around to succeed?
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Hmm, seems like we're remembering everyone. Who could the othger three be?
With bidders dropping left and right, maybe there's social media chatter or statements from would-be bidders...
Also... what's to stop Eline from catching the bug while in attendance. What are the odds she'll suddenly see it as an opportunity to save face after letting a research prototype ship walk out of the door? Del, do you think we ought to check on her and confirm her non-participation somehow?
Before, with Taelarinis...
Jaraduk, who's until now been more of a silent attendee to Estriar at the tea ceremony, speaks up with a bit of a tangential question for their now-conned un-bidder.
Say, while you were still planning on bidding, what other bidders concerned you? That is, who might you have been strategizing around to succeed?
Guess? figures there's no harm in trying and furthers Jaraduk's tactic. "That's a good point. Surely you've done some amount of research into who the other bidders are, yes? How about sharing some knowledge now that we've shared a bit about longer living?"
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"You know guys, those couple of spies were also planning on bidding themselves. But they're now out of the picture also. So that actually leaves perhaps one more bidder we haven't yet identified? Let's put our heads together and see what we can track down, yes?"
Guess? decides to take a different approach this time and taps into his forensic accounting skills to identify any individuals with a high enough net worth that would consider bidding.
"After they've realized that they can't pull a fast one on us, having failed several times - yes! Their probability of success is higher with us than against us." muses Guess?.
"Do you think those two count as one bidder or two bidders? Because I think they were working together so it'd be one, right?" Akh swirls about the apartment before remembering he's supposed to be a particularly intelligent form of furniture in front of the anacites. He stiffens up and drapes next to the sofa in a way that encourages people to take a seat.
"Estriar, maybe we could talk to those verthani again. They could have learned more while we were tea-ceremony-ing."
"Hmmm... I guess if she has the money..." Del muses aloud, giving thought to her sister's motives. "I suppose she might be here to make contacts. Otherwise, seems like she should have more important things to do, doesn't it?"
Del spares a bit of time looking into her sister again, to figure out what she's up to.
Del gives some thought to the places and hotspots that are popular on the station, trying to identify locations the bidders might be spending their time.
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"Hmmm... I guess if she has the money..." Del muses aloud, giving thought to her sister's motives. "I suppose she might be here to make contacts. Otherwise, seems like she should have more important things to do, doesn't it?"
" Like hiring more mercenaries to kill us? Shouldn't she be bolts deep on the Oliphant IV or at least II by now? Especially with the test notes we've been sending. "
"Then again she's management. They don't actually have to DO anything just maintain the appearance that the place can't run without them. They can hit up a conference and pretend they're still running the place with a few boilerplate emails. "
She hmmms... "If you wanted I could check the local dating sites and see if she's up there. And.. you know. Run a background check on her potential matches. It's not stalking if its publically available data right? maybe double check their psych profiles this time..... "
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Taelarinis frowns at Jaraduk. "No, I focus on my business primarily. Don't have a mind for politics outside of protecting my own interests. My name was pulled for the auction, so I thought I'd give it a shot."
You meet back up with the verthani duo, who confirm that they had a ticket to attend the auction. They had no chance of winning, but hoped to ingratiate themselves to the winner at the event.
Del looks up her sister, who has been struggling against some downward pressure at EJ Corp after her screwup with the Oliphaunt. Del knows that her sister is an avid Qabarat ribbon-dance fan and notices that there is a performance 2 days prior to the auction. While Eline hasn’t publicly indicated interest in the White Wind treasure barge at all, she might have her eye on other valuable items also scheduled for the auction or her attendance wouldn't make sense. Whether it's the auction, the performance, the networking on the kalistocrat station, or a combination of the three that brought her here is unknown.
It takes you all searching for the rest of the day, but eventually Melissa picks something up. While in the vicinity of the bank on Fortune’s Heart Melissa is able to intercept a notification of a large bank transfer from one of Zlanai’s tertiary accounts to her main one—enough to potentially win the White Wind barge. Yes, that Zlanai that you just heard so much about over tea. The next morning, you call up your buddy Taelarinis and ask about her weaknesses.
The elf is more than happy to help bring Zlanai down. Zlanai still holds a grudge against Taelarinis and will fall for a proposal to stage a hostile takeover of Taelarinis’s conglomerate. The conglomerate is too large for Zlanai to take over by herself, but your crew can try to persuade her that they’ll purchase an equally large number of shares, allowing their combined effort to win a majority and fire Taelarinis from his own board. If you can convince her to commit her liquid wealth to the scheme, she can’t participate in the auction.
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Del shrugs. "Eline does have horrible taste in partners. I suppose that happens when all you're concerned with is how big their credstick is—and what they can do for you. Can you do your computer..." she waves her hands and wiggles her fingers in what you're pretty sure is a pathetic imitation of hacking "...thing to make sure she matches with someone not horrible? You'll have to use the kalistocratic match-matching site. She won't mingle with anyone outside the faith." Del pauses, then chuckles and shakes her head. "Actually, that's probably the problem right there. Someone... less... I don't know! I trust you to figure it out!"
When Melissa gets her lead on Zlanai, Del tries to think of anything she recalls about her. Had they met..?
...Nope, isn't ringing a bell!
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Jaraduk suddenly becomes fascinated by the possibility of influences Eline's dating matches. He wonders if he can't get a certain gym owner from back on Absalom station here in short time. Surely a business owner has alot to offer! But, probably not in the cards timeline wise.
Earlier, at Melissa's suggestion Akh nods sagely "Now you're getting it."
He's not really knowledgable about Zlanai beyond what was shared at tea, but that doesn't stop him from suggesting "What if we did a 'playing both sides' offer to Zlanai. We suggest she can outlive Taelarinis, and then trade our life-extension soup prototype to both?" He thinks back to the opened can of Lampbell's he'd left in the microfridge what felt like ages ago at this point. Maybe long enough that the microorganisms with could have spontaneously turned the beverage-meal into an immortality elixir. It seemed unlikely, but then again almost everything since stealing the Oliphaunt had seemed unlikely.
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Del shrugs. "Eline does have horrible taste in partners. I suppose that happens when all you're concerned with is how big their credstick
"
Melissa tries so hard not to laugh she snorts a spare O key out of her nostril. What do you want she's literally 11.
Someone... less... I don't know! I trust you to figure it out!" [/b]
"Yeaaaah I can do the computer..." she waves her fingers "Thing but someone else is going to have to handle the dating thing. Thanks to big Sis' reputation I couldn't date on planet. or the next one over. She was there like, a WEEK and everyone was scared when they heard my last name. Ever seen a ysoki run the 40 in 4 seconds flat? These little legs have to MOVe to make that kind of time. "
... apparently they remember her from the tea ceremony and its very hard to garner any information when the waiter hands you a sippy cup.
Computers to find Reisora's dating profile
Not rerolling that. = 38.
Sense motive?
.. to be fair she DID say she was bad at that part before rolling...
"I've reached out to Taelarinis and he'll definitely play along if we find a way to con Zlanai into thinking she can takeover Taelarinis' company by committing all her auction funds to buying Taelarinis' company shares instead. We'd just have to convince Zlanai that we'd also spend the same amount of funds to buy shares, then together we'd join forces to fire Taelarinis from the board."
Responding to Akh, "Maybe the life extension thing will also work on Zlanai. I suppose it doesn't hurt to offer that option as well.
"Seems like we've got a plan! Shall we reach out to Zlanai?"
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"Finding the right guy for Eline, hmmmm??? Tho Melissa can't handle that aspect, I can certainly figure that out, Del! I'm one hundred percent, no, one hundred and ten percent certain I'll find the PERFECT fit for your sister! BONAFIDE!!! Whaddaya say???"
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"Finding the right guy for Eline, hmmmm??? Tho Melissa can't handle that aspect, I can certainly figure that out, Del! I'm one hundred percent, no, one hundred and ten percent certain I'll find the PERFECT fit for your sister! BONAFIDE!!! Whaddaya say???"
"I know she's tried to kill us but what has she done to deserve that?"
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While most of the group struggles to come up with something to do against Zlanai, Melissa and Del are successfully hatching a plot to get Eline something she can be passionate about other than ruining your lives. They're not totally sure what will happen next, but they're confident her Ember profile will be a lot more useful now.
With one day between you and the private banquet, you reach out to Zlanai. "An opportunity to take down Tael? I'm in. Meet me for coffee." Much to Del and Akh's disappointment, the "coffee" served at the local shop is made with some sort of translucent bean that is approved by the church. The hot concoction served to you tastes more like stale bathwater with a shot of espresso than coffee. A blue figure in golden robes approaches your table. "So, I should start with the fact that I don't trust you. I saw videos of you in that masquerade with Kantir. Don't know what the point of that was, but it was so obviously staged, it practically looked computer generated." She scoffs, then sits down. "But, I have an eternity to look forward to. I can afford to waste a few minutes on the off chance you have something useful." She slurps her 'coffee' and gives out a slight moan of delight. "Perfection... So, you have an investment opportunity better than the Wind?"
In preparation for the meeting with Zlanai, Guess? asks Taelarinis to put out unconfirmed rumors that Estriar is interested in procuring a significant interest in Tael's company. This should feed back to Zlanai and make Guess?'s bluff more convincing.
Speaking with Zlanai, Guess? states, "Of course you don't trust me! I haven't given you a reason to trust me yet. But don't you worry - I will!!
"So look, it's no secret that I'm interested in the ship auction. That was made very clear and public during the match with Kantir. In fact, that's one reason to trust me - I went public! I'm not hiding. So you know I'm not completely full of lies and deceit."
Guess? grimaces and rubs various body parts, stating, "As for whether that event was staged, well, believe you me, although the outcome was pretty certain (I mean 5 vs 1? Amirite?!?), the fight was very, very real. I've got various bruises and contusions that would argue against your staged fight claim!"
Guess? stops rubbing himself (!?!?), leans in closer, looks Zlanai directly in the eyes and speaks with earnest seriousness, "But enough of that. It's also no secret that you are very much interested in ousting Taelarinis from his own corp and acquiring it for yourself. I believe THAT is an opportunity that appeals to you far more than a trifling ship, correct?
"Well, opportunity knocks on this fine day, my new friend. You may have heard rumors that I'm looking into acquiring significant equity in Taelarinis' company. Those rumors are true. Neither you, nor I alone have enough resources to purchase a controlling share. BUT together, we can!
"I've run the numbers. Together, we can purchase 51% of the company, oust him from the board and, with my support, install you as the new chairman. In exchange, you drop your auction bid for the insignificant little ship. Besides, like I said, I've run the numbers. You'll need to commit your former auction funds to this bold, bright new venture!
"What do you think? Any questions? Fire away!"
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"I have heard those rumors... and it is not an interest. It does not APPEAL to me. I. Will. Be taking over his insultingly insignificant little hobby corporation. And he will rot in nothingness for all of his ever after." Zlanai smiles and falls for Guess?'s deception, but she isn't convinced in the plot just yet. "So you've somehow estimated what I was willing to put towards the auction?" She purses her lips behind her silken mask. "That aside... what do you get out of this? Are you in the auction?"
Not wanting to ruin Guess?'s finely honed arguments, but also expecting some treachery from Zlanai sooner or later, Akh spends the dinner meeting hovering over the table like a post-modern art fixture. While Guess? does his thing, Akh keeps an eye out for any individuals listening in. It seems likely that, now that its widely known that Estriar will be taking part in the auction, other auction-interested parties would want to keep an eye on him.
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Replying to Zlanai, Guess? raises an eyebrow, "Why yes. I am indeed in the auction. I would have thought that clear given the public bout with Kantir with him dropping out of the auction being the stakes. But given your skepticism of that event, it's understandable that you're not convinced that I'm necessarily in the auction.
"So yes, I'm taking part in the auction and your exit to pursue an opportunity that will curse Taelarinis to rot in nothingness will be of great benefit to me. We will both obtain something of great benefit from this deal.
"And while I understand your species is long lived, had great patience, and has no problem playing the long game, you also know that when opportunities are present, they should not be shunned, correct? Surely this is a lesson you've picked up over your long life thus far?"
"As for your finances, please allow me to discuss a few of the finer points!"
Guess? busts out a projector out of nowhere and immediately dives into a financial presentation illustrating how Zlanai and Estriar together can pull Taelarinis' company out from under him. Estrair's participation in this venture is all faked, of course but Guess? presents it all as convincingly as possible.