~~~ IC ~~~

::Everyone has arrived back to find An finishing a conversation with your new friend. Budi has left to go do preliminary investigations about the gargoyle, so everyone is here to discuss their findings::

::except Budi, obviously, cause he's not here::

::Vasili nods to An, but continues to give the newcomer a wary eye.::

::leans against the inside wall and rubs his stubbly scalp with a sigh::

::wanders over to take a seat in the sun, apparently oblivous to Vasili's distrust::

Anybody hungry? ::comes in with more expensive sushi-like food::

::it's about midafternoon snack time, right enough::

::grunts::

So, the deacon and I went and saw the scholar. ::sets the tray down:: That stone from the vision, if we're right, turns out to be a hell of a thing.

::grunts again::

::wonders if this is the "shut up" kind of grunting::

Is that so? Please go on.

::cocks his head to the side listening::

turns out there was a little artifact some emporor back in the day used to circumvent jumpgates. Seems like we might need it. ::motions for the Doc to fill in the details::

So, ::eyes the chair budi usually sits in:: You remember, during the emperor wars, supposedly, V. had the ability to travel without jumpgates?

::Vasili nods::

That was one of the Philosopher's Stones. ::says it resolutely. Cuz he talks about philosophers stones all the time, and always gets that 'doc is ranting' look, even though they think they hide it well.:: One of the more... militarily significant stones, I daresay.

and my guess from the vision is that its about the only thing able to stop the spread of the flames.

::holds up his hands:: Makes sense to me. ::breaks chopsticks and rubs them together:: If we had some thing like that. Between me and Budi. An. We could be a top power, with like one ship. The strategy, would all change. ::stops short of laughing maniacally::

yeah. its sposed to be a factor allright. two problems. first, no one knows where it is, and i HATE that. second, the moment anyone finds out we have it, if we do indeed turn it up, we will have the biggest bullseye in known space tatoo'd on our faces.

::Vasili has a "what else is new?" look on his face::

That's why we first secure exclusive knowledge of how it works, and I bet that part isn't easy. Then we take it to the emperor and say "We're your men." I mean. ... as soon as we do something highly visible and heroic with it, once. ::clearly ignoring the "where is it" factor::

Well, before we begin planning heroic deeds, it might be prudent for us to know all our enemies. I was able to do some research into the Vulture heraldry.

Oh? Right. The, vultures. ::nods::

Well, if dreams are to be believed, the hidden player in all of this isn't likely to be friendly. The vulture is the calling sign of the Kurgans.

::shakes his head:: Kurgans.

Ah! ::smacks his temple with the heel of his hand::

figures ::spits out a window in disgust::

((You spat out an entire window? What did you eat?))

Figures indeed. I don't know a damn thing about Kurgans.

((House? ))

((*nods* Guess so.))

((i was hungry. and it had fiber))

Well. Stands to reason, right?

Well, I can't claim to know the inner workings of their society, but what I know is that they are barbarians of the worst kind. Heretics and infidels that eat their own young if the winds incline them so.

If, uh, the Hazat fell, it wouldn't be surprising to see the Kurgans pick everything over. ::clears his throat:: Yes. Quite. And I've heard people talk that kind of trash on Criticorum about people from Grail.

Except in that case, it is false. For these people it is true.

((::still wonders if cultural exchange with the desert cannibal thingies would have been possible. ))

So they say, but the Hazat quake in fear when they think no one is looking.

::shrugs:: Ok.

So that may complicate matters. ::Vasili leans back to listen to the reactions and plans::

well, we know the stone has SOMETHING to do with this situation. we don't know what. we know that the kurgans, as seen so far, are likely to make a large grab for hazat territory. ...but we don't know what the globe did. the stolen globe, anyone know what it was for? what it could do?

Made pretty lights and gave a feeling of contentment, mostly... I'd assume that if it was taken it was just because it's a symbol of the Hazat, not because it had secret weapon abilities

i wasn't thinking weapon. i was thinking detection. no one knows where this grail thing is. so meybe someone figured out a way to track it? not saying it was the kurgans, might not even be the globe, but way i figure it, someone found a way to hunt down artifacts. seems a likely presumption in any case.

The kurgans obviously are spacefaring. They use jumpgates normally. The intimidation factor of a strategic advantage like gateless jumps *would* be a secret weapon. :muttering, so's not to derail more pertinent conversation::

::has this creepy presentiment of An's dark side teaming up with jack-booted jackovans to create the nazi horde of mystic power::

((Not it!))

((not is!))

((for whatever it is!)

::that really is a creepy presentment.. creepy.. creepy.. creepy::

::An Quits, goes home::

::but An is home. And it's just not the same as he left it::

::agrees::

::decides to stay and listen::

::looks at the sushi he'd been about to eat. Doesn't eat it.:: So. Who wants to collect a horde of powerful artefacts? Who has the kind of, covert ops people, and the ambition?

chances the jakovians are teaming up with the kurgans?

::Realizes they never actually saw Grigori's body::

That could really be any major player.

True.

would explain the sudden rush of drugs onto the planet.

Wait, what explains the drugs?

::realizes that he burned grigori to cinders at his feet, and then kicked off his smoking head, just before burning down the building the body was in:: if the jakovians are working with the kurgans to take down the hazat, it might explane why so much selchaka is flooding to this planet.

they are dosing the local defenses.

::realizes you did not!:: Oh. That would make sense. Still. It seems weird? ::shrugs::

That would make a lot of tactical sense. Hard to control, though, unless you had people making sure the supply went in the right direction.

yeah. why would the two be teaming up in the first place even? something to think about, but no real proof behind the theory yet.

((so Bill... remember that time when you killed Dr. Grigori, but it was during the big An/Maria/Dark twin scene.. and I missed that line of text.. and then Martel burned him to death once I was paying attention again?))

((so in actuality there was a Dr. Grig stumbling around with a throat that he barely managed to keep from being totally slit open, bleeding to death, who then got grabbed by the hair, doused with chemicals, and immolated))

((he's dead jim))

((sorry.))

((He burned him to death?I thought he threw him in the tank?))

((he did... so he would burn faster))

((oh. Okay. I missed the immolation part.))

((<-- prone to stupidities ))

::prone to irrational fears of creepy doctors::

((sokay, I missed the throat slitting part))

((but you both killed him, so you both win))

((We split the XP? What level were we, respectively, at the time? ))

((i win! avestite for teh win!))

Okay. So. Who's got ideas about developing a methodone distribution network? Cuz, that would royally suck.

((Can't stop laughing))

::hears himself say something vaguely out of character even for himself. Covers it with a bite of sushi::

::glances at the strange old dude, who's here, I thought::

::aka prejun::

What?

Like (local name for sushi)?

well, we could always threaten the drug dealers into co-operation. but somehow i see that as not working so well. maybe the military? my point being we should abuse an existing distribution network as opposed to creating our own.

Eh

Lan, the doctors share info and meds among each other, right?

Well, we're working on ideas here. Do you have anything constructive to add, sir?

Well, more or less, yes.

::not extensively.. like every apprenticeship system, Physiks are prone to factionalism even within the same guild::

I mean. There are in-groups, and out groups. I'm... wokring on being part of the in-group, locally, at least.

Sounds like you're working in the right direction. You do seem to get bogged down in the big picture

Damn, they keep long hours, though, here. What are we doing about Maria?

Don't let that fool you.. they get to take a lot of naps during the middle of the day

ok, point made. what should we do immediately? start methadone production certainly.

What's Methadone?

stuff that counters selchaka, apparently. lan can tell you more.

It doesn't really counter it. It just substitutes on the dependency, and has fewer side effects.

How do you make it?

Than selchaka. To say nothing of green selchaka. Well, you need a lab.

How nice of a lab?

Nothin', terribly fancy, really. A few cooking processes, have to measure ingredients pretty precisely.

With what do you make it?

Depends to some extent on how reliable the purity of your ingredients.

Gimme an example

Well, you can use certain kinds of widely distributed medicines, in certain acid baths and other reactions. It depends on what you start with. There're a few options. I'd have to sit down and weigh the costs and supply factors involved.

And you wind up with a drug that's kinda like the drug you're trying to get people off of, with fewer side effects?

I mean. You can take cough syrup, battery acid, and a few other common substances and get a dirty version of it. Right.

You're REALLY going to want a patron who can get you out of trouble BEFORE you start working on that

A *lot* fewer side effects, than the green stuff. ::hates the political crappola that still goes on with what is otherwise sound medical science:: I suppose that's true. ::puts his hands in his pockets.::

I can just see it now "You don't understand Count, we weren't creating a rival drug, but an antidote that is similar to the drug!"

good call. don't want to get strung up as a scapegoat for making all the selchaka.

With the enemies you fellas have, you don't wanna give them any extra rope to hang you with

That's because people don't damn well understand medicine or addiction. ::grumbles:: The hazat around here are gonna have to learn one way or another.

Could be. But they do understand how to put you in front of a wall in a blindfold and have soldiers shoot you.

We can't just very well go to them and say, "Your army is smoking the Selchazzit. Put me in charge." Ok, ok. Anyway. What are we doing about Maria? I mean, other than making An look really, really marriagable?

delay any potential wedding? ::yawn:: listen, guys, i was up all night, so ima go pass out. wake me up if the jakovians attack though, k? ::slumps up to the sleeping quarters:: ((night all, i gots a firepersons exam tomorrow, so i must nappy before work))

I... ::clears throat:: Is there some reason to believe they're gonna attack?

((Night! ))

((Night! Go mix it up with the roomie!))

((nah, he does that tomorrow when negativity won't spoil his testing.. and when I'm out of aggro range))

((Hehe! ))

You know, I was really married at city hall on Criticorum, myself. But it's true that marriages for wrong reasons would be against the Pancreator. So, like. It should be a concern.

((right.. so... anything else or is that enough for the night?))

((I got nothing else, really. High end chemical talk is out of Vasili's head.))

((Yeah, just waiting on budy))

((Or should I say Budi))

((le sigh... I guess we'll try again some other time, after I plan a really cool scene that does not in any way rely on Budi...))

~~~ OOC ~~~