20211120 Lady Kerplokin's House

After tea and some interesting meetings with the Jedi and Knights, we visited Lady Kerplokin's house.
 
[Tommy] So'Zen Al Saba is exhibiting an alternate personality claiming to be Doctor Zachary Stavin. He wanted his 'memory crystal' to help with his (swiss cheese) memory. He had some publications and his doctoral thesis at the University of Mrsst published online at the local city library.
 
When I showed everyone the med glove scans I took of the 'bugs' which attacked a few days ago, he recognized the purple crystals as Satestone or Slatestone crystals. The Choni Tech Augers on Chalcedon use them to focus.
 
He had translated the hieroglyphics saying that there were THREE obelisks which point the way. A prophecy maybe? "Shift Rings. Make Rings. Maker rings pay homage to the Stars. What can Make can Destroy. The three pillars show the way."
 
He referred to the Troopers discovered transforming knuckles as the ShipWave Ring Gauntlet. The Doctor is still looking for his EyeRock, which is related to the Gauntlet.
 
Captain shot down the assassin's escape vessel and recovered an ID visa for B'terf Inger, an old associate Mentat, plus the Comm link he had been using. I could not get much biological DNA to verify his identity, (I might need a Bene Gesserit database for that.) but I did download the encryption key and comm address of the (formerly orbiting) ship to whom his last message went.
 
A food vending droid came to the door. After some concern that it might be a bomb or poison dispenser, I found it was legitimately doing its job after I had reactivated some of the non-critical city utility functions. It was operated by the Chalcedon Area Utilities. I got the serial number in case I might need it again.
 
We spoke of Almon's sinister plans. Vanya told me of his distraction on Port Nevermore of printing cybernetic Reavers to attack the town. That was a distraction allowing him to steal a holocron crystal containing the mind of Sith Erin VonDromas from Ferin the Collector. This 'person' was skilled at Sith Alchemy, which likely has been working 'with' Almon ever since.
 
General Kerplokin and Lady Kerplokin proved well prepared for any skulduggery as Chancellor Kantor walked in and Dr. Stavin escaped out the watercloset window. They have sand-storm-shields that can be rolled down over the windows and doors. The Chancellor's security team caught up to her about 2 minutes later.
 
Soon the Chancellor told us of a theft by a local warlord Erenn Baize who stole a whole tanker of precious potable water, and food and weapons. He refers to himself as VorBlaize and dressed and acts the part. He and his pirate clan (the most powerful of many warlords on Chalcedon) supposedly adhere to Vorlopolo's Law. The General and others had the idea that he could be useful as part of a diplomatic attache to the Tapani Empirium. The Chancellor is not ready to offer him the full-powered ambassadorship, but ready to have him on the team representing Chalcedon. With Emperor Gregor arriving within the month, Blaize may actually be perfect for the job.
 
I put out some electronic contacts to legal specialists and investigated the documentation and technicalities of assigning Blaize to the position such that Blaize and his entire clan must swear fealty to the current Chancelor and all future chancellors after her if they are to retain their titles and powers.
 
We start rumors immediately saying that Erenn Blaize is one of the names on the short list, then we put out an official news report naming no names but saying that a delegation from the Tapani sector is coming within a month and the Chancellor has a short list of possible people to represent Chalcedon for negotiations.
 
We took the shuttle from the Night Hawk piloted by Davish Tam, and Captain Kolene had her Medusa X-wing as a military fighter escort, which formed our diplomatic convoy as General Kerplokin and his entourage to visit VorBlaize and negotiate his employment. His fortress looked like it might have originally been some sort of monastery. And lo and behold, there was another monolith.
 
The doorman referred to the place as The VorBaize Estate. We were invited in. I introduced the General, having some experience among my past with Danar Vorpaderan. While the General shmoozed with VorBlaize, I remarked to one of his trusted guards how the architects and skilled stonemasons of Port Etmar would enjoy being contracted to help restore the castle to glory. Doctor Stavin earned some good faith with his earnest desire to study the ancient obelisk and perhaps translate any hieroglyphics to be found on it. VorBlaize commented on the odd crystals on the tip almost like windows which catch the light of the sunrise. Captain Kolene earned some credit among the security guards. And Vanya posed as the demure padawan.
 
Negotiations over a fine light meal and drinks ensued. Kerplokin started small, with a request to return the booty taken from the Chancellor in exchange for the Chancellor's forces moving on the other warlord enemies of VorBlaize. VorBlaize latched onto the idea that the official government forces and his own would battle all other warlords into oblivion or surrender. The General seemed to feel fine leaving that implication without verifying for certain. Vanya was not. After a quick fact check with Reese, she could not allow a fake claiming the title of Vor to start a war, certainly not with the acquiescence of the fledgling planetary government. She confronted him, " I am Dame V.N. Isadora of House Melantha, pledged to Emperor Gregor of the Tapani Sector, Knight of the Imperium, and I will not stand for a small time warlord to claim the title of Vor, dress in the colors of the Emperor, lay false claim to his lineage, and declare war on the very people such a legitimate Vor would be dutifully protecting," or words to that effect, followed by, (and she makes a very Jedi twist in the proposition here,) "when you have so much potential to eventually grow into the sort of leader you now feign to already be," or some such like that.
 
Very moving.
 
The counter argument came not from Blaize, but from Captain Kolene, who said, "Bogeys coming in hot at 9 o'clock and twelve o'clock. Battle Stations!" which was unrelated to Vanya's argument, but did seem to win over everyone's attention. Even Vanya had to say, "Let's put a pin in this and come back to it after we handle this." Blaize quickly said that he had a counter argument but no details to reinforce the veracity of his claim.
 
On the other hand, he did show good leadership and care for his troops. It was not inconsistent that he was the largest of the Chalcedon warlords as he commanded his men and accepted the assistance of the Chancellor's delegation. Someone identified the assailants as the slavers, the rival warlord clan called Chan Tilles, who dispatched mechanised calvary to the East and winged paratroopers from the North.
 
So'Zen emerged and flourished his two lightsabers to defend the obelisk as Doctor Savin's personality seemed to go dormant at a thankfully appropriate time. I calculated a likelihood that some troops would attempt to breach any cavern under the obelisk, hunt for information on the location of the third obelisk predicted, and give the intel directly to Almon D'Joy, who I expect orchestrated the timing to roughly coincide with a thundersand storm approaching. (Presumably his troops, the rival gang, were expendable to his plan and only the information was of value.)
 
With Blaize's blessing, I climbed the stairs to the Tactical Support and Sensors controls to take control.