Dinner with Empress: Expedition Prepares to depart
(1) Kaori walks into the fine dining restaurant that seems to have replaced the Bam'E Dangeon hangout almost by magic. The maitre'd bows. "Good evening, Madam Jo. This way, please."
Kaori bows back. "Myeong Mai be with you." She's never met the man, and is interested that he knows her name, and that "madam" is more appropriate as an archaic formal greeting than "miss."
Three of the six chairs at the table he leads her two are already taken. Kaori bows to Yun Hee, nods to Ikki Touson, and smiles upon identifying one of the occupants in particular. " Captain Maggie - it's good to see you!" Maggie almost feels like a breath of home after life in the imperial palace.
"Myeong Mai be with you" the Empress says. "Kaori you look very nice today." She pauses for a moment "Today is going to be a momentous day."
Captain Maggie Magdalena says, "Good to see you too Kaori." Like the rest of the party, she's also in evening dress, something Kaori hadn't guessed that she owned, although hers is topped by a fedora that gives it a rakish touch.
Kaori touches her hair self-consciously. "It's a long, long time since my hair's been long enough to put up," she says, acutely aware of the untidy long bits at the front that still aren't long enough to be captured and tamed by the bun.
Empress Yun-Hee says, "Just if anyone maybe wondering what happened with the Tavern. I used my authority to move Crisha out of here and gave her group a warehouse in town not too far way, We have no idea when she will return so I look forward to her reaction."
Kaori smiles a little ruefully. "Likely she won't say a word - and won't say it very, very pointedly." She looks around. "Was anything interesting found during the renovation?"
Baroness Touson: glances around " oh I do hope no bodies were found in the walls of ceiling."
"I'm thinking more of things in the electronic line...or maybe the assassination equipment line..."
Yun-Hee says, "Well, I do believe Crisha just likes to put on the tough act."
(2) Kaori shakes her head. "There's genuine toughness there. Some acting, too, but she is genuinely tough."
In an implacable tone, Yun-Hee says, "She will know where the power actually is when she returns. I believe she is well under control."
"The question is still where she wants the power to be," Kaori says. "Perhaps she'll seem under the Olenji Cycrim Throne's control when she returns - but that doesn't mean she will be, or that she'll choose to stay that way permanently." She looks around and sighs. "I hoped John would be back for this dinner." The leap in thoughts may seem abrupt, but in fact is very natural.
Empress Yun-Hee looks around the table then says "Captain Maggie, how is your ship doing? The Magellan? Seems not that long ago it was re-commissioned."
Captain Maggie: "Been readying the ship for the journey. All stocked up and provisioned."
Empress Yun-Hee: "That is good to know Captain. After we finish dinner here the expedition will travel to your ship and prepare for the trip. The destination is to remain classified until they are all onboard"
"I'm packing more than usual - not just shipwear and my carrylab, but travel clothes for a whole different century," Kaori says. "I'll bring the carrylab up myself, but I've already sent the two packs aboard."
Captain Cleopatra Gama enters the restaurant, elegant in black, with the usual short full bob that echoes her first name. "Greetings. My apologies for being late. Am I too late to join the Empress's dinner?" she says to the maitre-d'.
Kaori looks up and waves. "Captain Gama! Myeong Mae be with you."
Baroness Touson, hearing the name announced, says, "Glad to see you made it, Captain Gama."
Empress Yun-Hee: "Yes be seated we are just having the pre meal wine and chat so you not that late"
Kaori asks Gama, "Have you met Captain Magdalena of the Magellan?"
Advisor Cleo: "I believe we did meet. She presented me with Salvage cruiser. Greetings to you all and my apologies for being late. May I sit?"
Captain Maggie smiles, looking up from under the brim of her hat. " I do hope the cruiser is meeting your needs."
Empress Yun-Hee: looks over at Cleo "The message I received from Admiral Merc seem to indicate she did not know you already had visited here"
Kaori looks at Gama with a slight smile. "That doesn't surprise me in the least." She glances at the sixth chair. "Who else are we expecting?"
Advisor Cleo: "Has Doctor A'Deb mentioned that she would be here?"
Baroness Touson: " I did see her at the reception earlier but I think she met someone there. We aren't expecting her tonight."
"I still need to talk to her myself," Kaori says. "I suppose there will be plenty of opportunity on the voyage, but I would like to get a feel for her first."
Advisor Cleo: The voyage. Ah, yes, the voyage. Where will we be leaving from?
Captain Maggie: "I had Admiral Kim set up a teleport to the ship near here. We can head up from there."
(3) Empress Yun-Hee sets down her wine gladd. "I do have a announcement from High Priestess Sung. We have both agreed this expedition will be a great final test for Kaori. So when she returns she will graduate from being an acolyte and be a Myeong Gai Priestess."
Kaori almost drops her glass. She manages to keep shock from her face, but it may show in her words. "That's - surprising. Very surprising. From Chamsae to Priestess should take years."
Baroness Touson smiles. "Congratulations." She lifts a glass of wine in celebration.
Advisor Cleo claps. "Kaori. I congratulate you in advance. They couldn't have chosen the more capable student."
Speaking from experience, Empress Yun-Hee says, "Nothing like on the job training. This will be a challenge and it take months to complete. the investigation on Naeya."
Isabella Ingram appears at the entrance to the dining room Her sharp eyes quickly find the Empress's table. She takes stock of who is present and nods internally - her sources are good. Avoiding the maitre'd, she walks up to the table. "Good evening! Empress, forgive the intrusion, but this restaurant - Please let me congratulate you. It's beautiful."
Baroness Touson says, with a total lack of surprise, "If you are not meeting anybody tonight, please have a seat and join us."
Kaori sets down her wine. "Ms. Ingram. How interesting to see you here."
Empress Yun-Hee turns and smiles. "Take a seat Bella, I was hoping you show up. I have a proposition for you"
The reporter sits down readily, reflecting that her sources may not be as sneaky as she thought - at least not on her own behalf. "A proposition?"
"Yes, we will discuss this over the meal. We are about to start the main course."
Isabella counts the chairs - six. Clearly she was expected. She starts to chuckle.
Kaori smiles sedately, silently thankful for the distraction from the surprise news of her impending promotion. "Yes," she says to the reporter, in answer to the unspoken question.
Captain Maggie, a bit more innocently, says, "It's good we have room for one more."
The wait staff begins serving the salad course.
Advisor Cleo takes her dish and nods lightly to the Waitress.
"I'll ask what you're saying yes to at some other time," Bella says. She puts a napkin on the lap of her lace-appliqued dinner dress, and picks up one of the three forks, hoping it's the right one.
Kaori picks lightly at her salad - it's exquisite, but the announcement is interfering with her appetite. Advisor Cleo eats hers with more alacrity.
The maitre d' approaches. "My ladies. I hope that your meal is satisfactory so far."
Captain Maggie: " Thank you, yes."
"I am honored, my ladies. Waitress see to it that they have everything they want." He bows to the Empress, who he's been forbidden to call by her title tonight, and backs away slowly. He walks over and talks quietly to the waitress, asking if everyone has the proper utensils - perhaps he's noticed Bella's fork selection challenge.
A bit defiantly, Isabella plunges the chosen fork into the salad. "What surprises me is how quickly this establishment was set up, and staffed. Amazingly good organization."
Kaori glances at the wait staff. She checks their emotional traces quickly, and finds clear signs of dedication to Yun-Hee and her imperial privacy - a contradiction in terms if ever there was one, but necessary now. She catches an instruction to stay away except when necessary for service, and awe at proximity to greatness. Invisibly, she relaxes, and picks at another leaf of exotic greens.
Her mind stays on the surface of the wait staff's thoughts, however, and she finds herself smiling as she feels the Maitre'd whisper to their waitress, " Tell your supervisor that the next time the Empress comes for dinner you have to wear more formal wear. Even though she's relaxing, she's the Empress and you are to dress more formally. Never mind. Don't worry about it now, just carry out your duties."
Kaori smiles internally, distracted from her reflections by the man' evident stage fright. She picks up one of the edible flowers on her plate with her fingers and toys with it before popping it into her mouth.
Empress Yun-Hee looks over at Ms. Ingram and says, "Now for my proposition. First, is calling you Bella ok?"
(4) Isabella swallows - nothing wrong with her appetite! - and nods. "Yes, please do, Empress."
"I need someone not so obvious to monitor the expedition. You would be paid well to send regular reports back to here. The details will be given you after you board the Magellan. So you need to agree without knowing the details."
A smile tugs at the corner of Isabella's mouth. "You speak of the expedition as though I know what you're talking about."
Empress Yun-Hee replies, "I have been notified that you are a very good.. what they say, snoop. So if my sources are correct, I am sure you got some indication of what is going on."
Isabella takes another forkful of salad. "Were they my sources, or your leaks?" she asks nonchalantly. "Perhaps it's not surprising that I heard of the expedition - but you expected me here, which should have been a much harder call."
Empress Yun-Hee smiles and looks around the table slowly then takes a couple bites of the fish with which the waitress has smoothly replaced her empty salad plate.
Advisor Cleo smiles at the Empress.
The maitre'd quietly instructs the waitress to refill the glasses as she finishes distributing the fish course.
Kaori lets the waitress take the salad at its halfway point, and receives the refill of wine with a feeling of gratitude.
Having finished the salad, Advisor Cleo wipes her mouth daintily with a napkin.
Empress Yun-Hee turns her head slightly around to see if any wait staff is close by
The Maitre d' notices the Empress's watchfulness and then he gestures for the waitress to step back out of the earshot. He also does the same, walking off to check the kitchen.
Baroness Touson muses, " the Empire does have its sources, especially some that are not seen. "
Empress Yun-Hee: looks over at Bella as if she is waiting for a response.
Kaori picks at her fish as she watches Bella's emotion-scape.
Advisor Cleo tucks into the main course with relish. On Gama 6 Colony ship, they had to get used to eating synthetic meat. This is so much better.
Bella takes a bite of the fish. "MMM...oh, so good." She looks at the Empress. "Of course I am very interested," she says. "But what restrictions will there be on what and where I can publish? Assuming you're asking what I think you are -"
The Empress says, "I will give you the authority to publish for the Throne, so that means you have my backing. The only restriction I ask is it to be honest and truthful, not editorials on what one may believe. But if you do need to speculate make sure you clearly say it is not something on which you have verified evidence. So no agendas, just reporting."
Bella shrugs. "That's my job - just reporting. CPN would have my visa pulled if I did anything else. But what does it mean - to publish for the Throne? Am I not to submit to CPN - which, after all, does sponsor my visa in the Empire?"
Baroness Touson takes up the thread. "Bella, what the Empress is saying is that anything you submit to CPN must be also sent back to Cyhnon. It will be sent on a direct channel to Admiral Kim."
Isabella Ingram swallows another bite. Finally she says, "All right, as long as that's clear, I would be very pleased by any invitation you may offer me." She eats one of the roasted tomatoes that decorate the fish plate. The extravagant flavour confirms that it's been naturally grown.
Yun-Hee says, "Then Bella, you will travel on the Magellan as the reporter of the Royal Court. Your travel, accommodation and meals will be paid in full by the Empire."
Isabella Ismiles, blissfully, at both the present food and the apparent promise of interesting expense-free work. "Thank you for the opportunity, Empress. I accept, gladly."
Advisor Cleo says, "I suppose I should have to petition for the city manager to pay for both the doctor's and my passage on this voyage."
Kaori sets down her fork. "You're travelling with us all the way?" she asks. "Not in one of your own ships?"
Advisor Cleo: "What's the surprise?"I wasn't aware that we were allowed to use our own ships for this mission. It would make it much more reasonably priced for us to do so."
Kaori smiles. "I'm glad if you'll be with us aboard Magellan. We still don't have enough information to plan intelligently - but I am hoping Maggie will be able to help me decode some of what we need, and we'll be able to study it together."
Captain Maggie says, "There are some decoders on the ship. I think they will help."
(5) "That was the High Priestess's expectation," Kaori says. "I am hoping for a lot more information on the society of Naeya - and something that will link up the bits and pieces I've received into a comprehensible dataset."
Advisor Cleo says, "So then the doctor and I will be riding with you?"
Kaori looks at Maggie again. "I believe it would make sense."
Advisor Cleo: "Is the ship docked nearby? That's right. We're going to see it after dinner."
Captain Maggie smiles.
Empress Yun-Hee briefly turns and looks at the wait staff. "Coffee, you have coffee ready?"
The maitre'd gestures for one waitress to start pouring coffee as the assigned waitress begins removing main course plates and offering a choice of a delicate fruit-garnished panna cotta or a robust cherry pie. Isabella smiles as the panna cotta replaces the scanty remains of her fish.
Majordomo: Quietly discusses how the meal is going with the waitress staff.
Kaori looks at the Empress. "Is Bella to accompany us to the planet, or will she remain on the station? Red hair, pale, pale skin - that doesn't seem to be part of the local genome, from the photos I've seen so far."
Empress Yun-Hee: "Will everyone want to finish their dessert or should we take a trip to the Magellan now? I would like to see it while it is in orbit while it is here."
Isabella closes her eyes as she takes a second small spoonfull of the panna cotta. "This is heavenly. I'd rather not waste it."
Advisor Cleo says, "Speaking of the local genome. It does bring up the matter of my brown skin. Will it fit in?" She looks embarrassed that she's almost finished her cherry pie.
Kaori looks carefully at Gama. "It's darker than average, but I think that's better than lighter than average, given the ambient solar radiation that the planet apparently receives."
Baroness Touson says, "Whether Bella will go to planet Naeya or not will be explained on the Magellan."
Kaori looks again at Bella. "People don't travel far on Naeya - not what we'd call far - but strong tans are necessary. You'd be a walking ad for skin cancer there. It's OK to diverge from the planetary norm - who would know? - but not OK when it's a health risk."
Bella stabs a blueberry. "I have my anti-rad shots."
Captain Maggie, who's also rushed through pie, says, "Please excuse me, I should be going back to finish preparing for departure."
Seeing the others rise, Bella hastily though regretfully finishes and does the same.
Kaori leaves her own panna cotta mostly untouched.
The maitre'd bows to the Empress. "Was the meal satisfactory?"
"Yes, the meal was exquisite. Give your staff a bonus"
"Thank you, my lady." Turning away, he orders the staff to begin collecting dishes and cleaning up.
The telepad is in a small, innocuous office only steps away from the restaurant. One by one, the party beams up to the ship.
Captain Maggie is waiting. " Welcome aboard the Magellan. Enjoy your stay. " She smiles.
"We're only here for a look, aren't we?" Bella asks. "I was going to ask how long I should pack for."
Gama looks around herself, studying the walls and the controls.
Isabella follows the captain and the acolyte onto the bridge, where the empress is already standing. "Nice."
[16:54] Captain Maggie: " Kao, you have been here before. Would you help with the guests to look around?
Empress Yun-Hee: "After I depart you may leave orbit Captain Maggie. Safe journey and calm seas"
"Hold on!" Bella says. "All I have with me is this dress! I don't even have my full-function padd with me! We're leaving NOW?"
Empress Yun-Hee: smiles "You will be fine Bella"
"I thought the doctor would travel with us, too?" Kaori asks in a less frantic tone of voice.
"Oh yes. Doctor A'Dab?"
"Doctor A'Dab, yes."
Empress Yun-Hee: "After I leave the Magellan may leave all departure checks are complete. if the Captain has time you may be able to go collect some belongings."
Advisor Cleo Gama: I too need to collect my equipment. And Dr. A'dab Is probably under the impression that we were leaving tomorrow."
Kaori says, "That's important, then. But I would like anyone who debarks now to be accompanied by someone trustworthy - no walking alone. Bella may have had help to find out about dinner, but most of what she's heard is just good research. Others could have found out some of the same things."
Captain Maggie: " departure time can be delayed till tomorrow so everybody can finish preparing."
Advisor Cleo Gama: "phew...that's good. I would hate for A'Dab to be left behind. She was so looking forward to the mission."
Kaori nods. "Then perhaps we should all teleport down to the palace. Bella, we can give you a guard there to take you to your flat and back."
Advisor Cleo Gama: "Will I not be permitted to return to Gama six and make final preparations for departure?"
"Oh, if you're not going into the city, that's a different matter. That's where we might encounter people who are too interested in where we're going. I know you manage your own security well." Kaori grins at Gama.
"Oh good. Yes, the city manager has put a blackout on all information regarding this for anything outside the city. And the refugees are quite happy, so long as their bellies are full and they have no one chasing them with guns. I will return tomorrow with my full equipment.
Kaori adds, "Remember - for those of us who will be landing on Naeya, clothing needs to cover us. Women generally wear long skirts, although there are women merchants and protectors who wear long trousers. Necklines are low only if a woman's a noble, or a prostitute - fabrics are what we'd think of as rough - and natural. Leather, wool, linen. I've grown my hair out for real because nanites aren't part of the culture."
Advisor Cleo Gama nods although she's a bit distracted, getting some message on her personal comm.
Kaori says, "Bella, you asked if you were going to Naeya. My understanding - " she's shamelessly checked the Empress's surface thoughts on the matter - "is that you will be staying on the station, or perhaps going as far as the Gamma refugees' space-city. But it never hurts to be ready for contingencies."
Advisor Cleo Gama says, "I've just talked to the ship. It seems that doctor A'dab cannot be located. She may have been on an extended mission. Under the circumstances, perhaps we should take a shuttle and meet you along the route. What do you think?"
Kaori says, "We have until tomorrow to decide. Captain Maggie, what time do you want to depart?"
Maggie answers, "We will depart once everybody is on board that is going. I would like that to be sometime between 12 and 3 pm."
"Noon, then," Kaori says. "Gama, if you and the doctor are both here at noon, that's good. If not, then talk to Captain Maggie as early as possible about a rendezvous."
Captain Maggie: " that be good."
Advisor Cleo Gama: "Understood. I have already sent the message on to Doctor Adab. Hopefully she will be able to receive it. Now I must get back to the Gama 6 colony ship and make preparations. I hope to see you all tomorrow."
Yun-Hee says, "I must go.I am not sure if I will be able to say farewell tomorrow or not but I hope you all have an uneventful trip."
Kaori chuckles. "Somehow I suspect the opposite."
