Session V

"A bloody hand, and I the arm behind it."

Players Involved: Silence, FBH, cameo by Shrike

Return to Ascension Isle: Legacy

Crimson light sparkles as Aranitha casts a glamour and morphs into a handsome young gentleman and takes Alice's arm.

"Aww I was going to show of my maid to the others." Alice pouts.

"Oh fine." Aranitha says, "A moment then." She changes into the black and white dress of a house servant, "I suppose not even a fairy prince can compare to that man of yours."

"The Cordinal for one," Alice says with a sniff, "is real."

Alice and Aranitha wake after a night in the Emerald Castle. Jonas is off at his own house in the Unity District (and having a very bad night with lots of horrible nightmares), while Lilly is fretting about her mum, Loran, and Chrysanth, so the little mistress of the house is rather distracted at the moment, leaving them to fend for themselves. Outside the resident refugees are starting to get fires going and soup boiling for breakfast. Alice has a maid dress her in a red and black frilly dress isntead of a suit, and after some discussion Aranitha is convinced to dress as her lady's maid, using some minor shapechanging to hide her eyes and ears.

Before departing, Aranitha gets the lowdown from the local Librist revolutionary, Chey Hexum, who informs her of increased street violence in Wards 5, 6, and 7. Word is that last night there was an attack by the Drummers on Ingria Samelrand herself. In response to this attack by the Red Brigades (she scowls) the Ward athorities have been cutting food rations until the perpetrators are handed over. That means no breakfast for many, and there's a serious danger of food riots. The inmates at the death camps are reportedly also starving, but then most of those in the camps are now slave workers from across the island who've been deemed at end of life, and due for enlightenment.

The return of Chrysanth, provides the two women with more details on last night's events, although filtered in a somewhat cryptic fashion:

One of the servants pokes her head around the door. "You hear that, m'lady? The lady Chrysanth is back, and isn't the little miss of the house in a fine state."

Alice turns on her heel and heads inside to check on the engineered monster, with Aranitha saying her goodbyes to Chey and following.

"I wonder if being shot in the head improved Ingria's manner," Alice says. "She is a pity case you know, insane."

Aranitha judiciously says nothing.

Perched on a sitting room chair, her lavender hair catching the morning light, Chrysanth sips tea; "Your cousin has uncovered a Purifier Coil." She says, "Where is the ticktockman?"

"What's a purifer coil?" Alice asks.

"The engineer would be more suited to explainign such matters. Suffice to say, it is dangerous." Chysanth says. "The wages of sin are often death."

"You don't know either." Alice says.

"I have absolutely no idea what you just said." Aranitha says, "And we haven't been introduced." Forgetting that now she's dressed as a maid, not a Fey Princess.

"This is the Lady Chrysanth de Caritas." Says Lilly with a frown for Aranitha, "She's important, and you should be polite to her."

Aranitha curtseys, "My apologies."

"Your cousin has gotten it into her head that the Lord-General is her enemy." Chrysanth says to Alice. "Also some swine in human clothing tried to assassinate her."

"Anything else?" Alic asks.

"The milk in the laser tower is notably less fresh to that here." Chrysanth says. "I imagine you get it directly from the merchants, Lily?"

Alice and Aranitha look at each other. "Let's go." whispers Aranitha.

Alice and Aranitha excuse themselves as Lily tells Chrysanth all about the deals they have with the farmers on Highwind Avenue. It's Raflesday, so everyone's heading back to work and the streets of Ward 8 are crowded as they make their way to the magrail. "Red Hand Terrorists strike again in Zeta Ward, read all about it! Read all about it!" Shouts a news stand vendor, "Governor's ball interrupted by prophecy! See the latest interpretations of Madame Gikka, the goblin seer!"

"So a purifier," Alice says as they walk through the bundled crowds. "I wonder if this has something to do with what the Artemis Frost wanted."

"What's a purifier?" Aranitha asks again.

"I dunno," Alice says. "But knowing my centem, its probably something large, will explode and turn people into mush."

"Gosh." Aranitha says, then narrows her eyes at Alice. "You're some kind of augment?"

Alice flashes her pass at a Constabulary checkpoint, "I suppose, there was enhancments done here and during when I was in the womb."

They board the Noble carriage of the train. It's got much nicer furnishings than the trail carriages Aranitha has previously ridden, with a carpet and plush chairs, as well as underway service. A significant difference from the leather straps and standing room only in the last carriages. The train rattles along, heading south to the ward boundary. It clatters from the bustling Theta Ward, into the positively overflowing Eta ward. Things look a lot grimmer here, with entire streets and alleys of shanties and tent towns. There are less people hurrying to work, and more people huddled against walls trying to stay warm. Alice Alice Samelrand doesn't break her cheery smile as she stares out at the pols. As they pass Junon drive, approaching Yojimbo, her earpiece crackles, then beeps twice, letting her know she's entered coms range of a Ghost's observation post.

The train rattles on, approaching the Zeta Ward boundary wall. "Our fair city has seen better days." Alice muses. "I wonder what the camps do for the air quality. All that ash can't be good for the lungs I'd think." Smoke is rising in the distance from the camps, and as they race over the boundary wall on their elevated rail, they see the wall has actually collapsed in several places. Aranitha runs through a calming mantra as she sees the camps. And then Alice and Aranitha are being assaulted by the signs of the red light district, Ward 6's "Rose Way," set up to cater to the masses of soldiers garissoned here, the greatest concentration of force in all the city. A massive billboard advertising relaxing incense is being torn down by workers. It's had a huge red fist painted over it. The train rattles to a stop, and Alice gets out and and streeches as Aran comes behind her and surveys the scene. Troop trains are continually arriving and departing, disgorging companies of soldiers from the night shift just getting off work.

Outside the massive train station they can see a towering building with golden statues at its corners, and a flashing sign neXen - the Next Generation in Entertainment. Beyond it, kilometers distant and through the low hanging smog, they can see the horns of Ingria's massive laser tower, overshadowing all the intervening buildings at some 150 stories tall. Alice heads for the neXen tower, where the party never stops. The door phalanx of glass doors opens to a bar, and then beyond that to a massive internal gallery with plants and a waterfall. The outgoing nightshift is already making itself heard, but none of them are nearly so drunk yet as to bother an obvious noblewoman, not even that young above-himself Jibrilite Captain, who's currently busy telling an entertainer how everything's so much better back in Jibril. "If one of these pigs make a move on you, can I hurt them?" Aranitha whispers.

As Alice scans the interior, she is approached by a young man wearing the crimson colours of a Samelrand house servant, rather than the gold of the neXen employees.

He bows, "My Lady Alice?"

Alice does not immediately recognize him. Benny? Barry? Burt? "Yes. . . ?" Clearly the man wants to talk, and a decisive choice must be made. "Attend me Burt."

"Barry, m'lady" He says, with a frown. "Have you come after word of the Baroness, m'Lady?"

"Of course."

"She lives." he says, his expression unreadable. "Although badly wounded. Will you be going to see her?"

"Yes."

"Then before you go," He says, "There is someone you must see. This is important, if you'll follow me, m'lady?"

Alice follows, but the man's manner is all wrong. There is a hatred behind ever curt "m'lady." Alice's intuition tells her this is clearly a trap. He leads them through swinging doors to a secluded hallway, dimly lit with light fixtures turned low, and then Alice draws her gun and places the muzzle against the back of his head. *click* He freezes.

"So who do you work for Barry?" Alice says, coldly.

The man is sweating, but he glares up at Alice defiantly. Voice only shaking a little, he says, "Your time will come, parasite. No matter what you do to me, there'll always be more of us."

"Laying odds its the Reds." Aranitha says, quickly searching him for weapons and finding none.

"Is it the Reds Barry?" Alice asks.

"Lickspittle, lackey." He hisses at Aranitha. "Whipped dog of the crown."

"Nah. You got it all wrong." Aranitha says, and reverts her shapechange, her ears lengthening, and her eyes turning to vertical slits that gleam an inhuman amber in the light of one of the fixtures. "You just tripped over someone elses op, boy. If you actually want to help your cause, not to mention live another sunrise, you'll make some ammends."

"Isn't this getting complicated." Says another voice. Shadows of an Umbral veil fall away, and there's a dark skinned woman in a long fur coat, high heeled boots, and a long green silk dress standing there, with a SMG pointed at them. Four men in earth toned trenchcoats and significantly less well dressed also materialize behind her.

Alice pulls Barry in front of her as a human shield.

Aranitha doesn't move, "Nice dress. Isn't that a bit fru fru for a group for the common people?"

The newcomer looks Aranitha up and down, her eyes glowing faintly green. "A Zenith Knight? Well, aren't you far from home."

"Milady is discerning." Aranitha says with a bow.

"And Alice Samelrand." The woman says, "The exiled eldest."

Alice can play the name game as well. "Fate's hand," She says. She's heard of the Rafaelan assassin named Malaika. "I don't know if I should thank you or hate you for flubbing your shot last night."

One of the men behind her, wearing a long coat and holding an antique SMG hisses, "No favours to you, Samelrand bitch. You're like all the rest."

"Please, son. Ladies are talking." Says Malaika.

"Can we go somewhere that's not one door away from a place full of security forces?" Aranitha interjects, nodding her head to the door behind them, through which scores of Constables and Crusaders are enjoying themselves. "If we're going to chat."

They relocate to an unused games room, the Red Brigadiers fidgeting with their weapons, Alice still holding her gun on the servant, but Aranitha and Malaika take seats opposite each other in apparent unconcern. The Rafaelan picks up a deck of cards left lying in the end table and begins to shuffle them expertly. She confirms their suspicions; she has indeed been hired by the Red Brigades (for a VERY large amount of money) to assassinate Ingria Samelrand, and to finish last night's job now needs access to Samelrand Spire. The intent was for Barry Anrod to find a suitable noble subject with appropriate

"You have access to House Samelrand. We need that access." Malaika says. "I suppose, if you value your life, I could offer you that in return."

Aranitha snorts. "Are you serious?"

Her bluff called, Malaika reshuffles her cards. "No, not really. Fuck this. Look, this is a complete mess Sten, you and your boys get out of here." She cocks her head. "Lady, how bout you let poor Barry go, before he pisses himself."

Alice lets the servant go, and then moves to the corner with a view of all the exits as the men shuffle out, glaring at Alice. The leader in the trench coat and the tweed hat (Sten Malaika called him?) gives a suspicious backwards glance at the assassin as well.

"They're all so intense." Malaika says. "But they're new to all this revolution stuff. We had centuries to become all jaded and cynical on Rafaela."

"Well a little enthusasm's not misplaced until it makes you try to take on a Zenith knight, even if she is in a maid outfit." Aranitha says. "Our main interest here is the death camps and the laser tower."

"Mine is getting paid." Fate's Hand says glibly. She cuts the deck, and flashes a card to them, the Ace of Spades.

Alice considers the defences of Samelrand Spire. An old Republic Laser megalith, built to withstand stratodyne bombardment, and guarded by thousands of soldiers and a squad of super soldiers. And all protecting a paranoid madwoman. Fate's Hand or not, she doesn't fancy Malaika's chances. "Well your best shot is this." She says. "Wait for her to get better and try again, unless you have a army ready to storm the fortress"

Malaika considers Alice for a moment. "Pick a card." She holds out the deck.

Aranitha's eyes glow red as she turns on Anja briefly to check for tricks, then selects a card. She turns it up - the Ace of Spades.

The death card, Alice thinks.

Malaika smiles, "Looks like we're of like mind here."

Aranitha has an idea. "Can we pay this lady while she waits for your crazy sister to stick her nose out, Alice?"

Alice considers the idea, "Would you be interested in a new employer?"

"Depends on the contract." Fate's Hand says.

But she doesn't get any further because the Red Brigadiers have clearly been listening at the door, and with a crash Sten kicks it in, howling perfidy. "Treacherous bitch! I warned them you'd betray us. Can't trust any jungle monkeys." He reacts poorly to Malaika's contemptuous; "Oh, put that down before you hurt yourself." And fires a burst into the ceiling to convince her of his seriousness, without considering the consequences. Alice cooly draws and blows the SMG from his hands with a single shot before he can draw the trigger.

"Now now." Alice says, "Don't play with old guns like that, unless you want to be shot."

The pistol shot echoes down the hall, and in the lounge the young Jibrilite captain's ears twitch, and suspecting some of his men might be up to no good he moves a dancer off his lap and rises to take a look. On opening the door to the game room he finds Alice Samelrand bulseying playing cards being held up by a terrified Barry with a series of trick shots. Alice is lining up an over the shoulder shot whith a mirror when he bursts in. She would have preferred the cards be held by Malaika rather than Barry's trembling hands, but - (Malaika,"Not that I don't trust your aim, but these fingers are worth more than your fancy clothes."). The Captain grits his teeth. "My lady Samelrand, this really isn't the place for. . . that. You're disturbing the constables. Please use a Cloister in future." He shakes his head, and as he shuts the door Aran hears him mutter under his breath. "Batshit crazy, like all the rest."

Alice holsters her pistols as he leaves, to Aran's approval. Fate's Hand is rather less appreciative of the thoughtless Sten, slamming him against the wall once the Captain leaves, and making her displeasure known in no uncertain terms: "If I EVER see your ugly snout agin, I'm putting a bullet in it, and I'll take the cancellation fee." She hisses. "Understood?" She slams him against the wall, "Understood!?" He gasps assent, and chastened, the Reds depart. To improve her day, Malaika gets Alice to buy her a drink.

"Just want to enjoy this last bit of Jibrilite opulence before it's all gone." Malaika says, stirring her martini as they sit at a crystal table lit by an flickering internal blue flame in the shadow of the fountain.

"Urgh. Now I have to go back to pretending I'm a maid." Aran grumbles.

"Thought you knights were all just servants to the Throne." Malaika says, popping an olive into the side of her cheek suggestively. "Isn't that just a maid in fancy armour?"

"If either of you were dragon souled you might have a case there." Aranitha has had enough of this Rafaelan's snark, and decides to leave the two of them at the bar and do a little reconnaissance of her own.

Alice tries to learn more about the assassin, but Fate's Hand isn't in the habit of revealing her life's story. She got where she is now; "By hanging out with bad men after making all the wrong choices." And then she grins. "Not that I've stopped that, mind you. I just get paid for it now." And she's asking for a lot, more than Alice has (Alice doesn't choke on her drink when Malaika names the figure), but maybe Jonas can pay the assassin's fee. She might be useful, and in any event if she's working for Jonas it might keep her from causing more trouble for the Ghosts.

"I can take a contract on the side." Fate's Hand says. "Won't cancel this one though." She means the hit on Ingria. She looks at Alice. "You may say you hate her, but blood's still blood. We understand that on Rafaela."

"I don't hate her." Alice says. "I don't hate anyone. She's just a broken thing. So go ahead."

Alice tells Malaika a little of Ingria's story. Her madness, and how Leliel for some incomprehensible reason picked her to lead House Samelrand rather than killing her.

"Strange that." Malaika says. "The Chosen aren't in the habit of mercy, least of all the Chosen of Night. Aren't. Weren't, if your Zenith friends are to be beleived. It's a new world." She looks at her watch. "And those chucklefucks are late for it-"

And then all the lights go out, and the fountain collapses in a spray of water. There are frightened shouts, and the crash of dropped glassware, and the Alice hears a distant explosion, feels it through the Golden neXen palace's heavy walls.

"THERE we go." Says Malaika and downs the last of her drink.

"I am taking this is not part of the entertainment." Alice says.

"Well, not *theirs.*" Says Fate's Hand wryly.

Malaika departs, and Alice considers her, wondering if Jonas will pay her price. She's sure they'll meet again, no matter what, and her fingers itch for a moment. What would it be like to fight her? But duty first. Tapping her hidden earpiece she checks in with the Ghosts. The loss of all local etheric power has dramatically increased radio range and reception, and she gets through to the nearest OP.

*beep beep* There's a connection, weak but readable.

<<Any station, Centurion.>> Alice identifies herself, <<Sounds like a war outside. Sitrep?>>

<<Centurion, Filis 3. Riots breaking out across Zeta and Eta. Started when the breakfast food ration was refused. Reds helping it along.>> The OP reports. <<We're holding firm at OP 12, currently in no danger. Over.>>

<<Moving on with my op.>> Alice says. <<Over.>>

<<Will notify Trickster.>> Says the OP, <<And good luck.>>

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