Jenai Sung is waiting in the imperial palace's reception hall when Kaori Jo leaves her chamber. "Myeong Mai be with you. Kaori how are you doing? Please take a seat." There's a short pause as her acolyte complies. "I need to warn you to not get too close to the Press briefing admiral Kim is having today. Her Scarlet Guardians have arrived"
Kaori raises an eyebrow. "Oh? But I thought being Myeong Gai was a protection from any interest they might have in me?"
"I am always careful around them," the high priestess admits. "I have never been able to come to trust them."
Kaori sighs. "It sounds as though we're all in need of that telepath-proofing device Crisha Ra has."
"Have we spoke of Crisha recently? Seems I may have missed something."
Kaori says, "She invited John and I into her shop. She says her Bam'e Dangeon path was native to Aerok before Myeong Mai - which sounds forbidding, considering what a mess the old ways made of Shylzani."
High Priestess Sung: "The only one I know of that could block telepath enquiring in their mind was Empress Hae-Ri. I expect she has passed the ability onto Empress Yun-Hee and her apprentice Sunhi Kim."
"Yun-Hee is terrifyingly easy to read sometimes," Kaori says. "If the Empress has given her any way of blocking, it would be a good idea to give her some training in using it."
"Crisha Ra - Do you know the origin of that name?"
"John mentioned something - but only half a vague memory, I think. He did tell me what Shylzani Bam e'Dangeon meant. Black dagger."
High Priestess Sung: "I will tell you more of the story of the Bam'e Dangeon when we are away from here. I tell you, if she thinks or considers herself Crisha Ra of The Bam'e Dangeon it is bad news."
"The sign above her shop says, 'Wisdom of the Bam E'Dangeon. Return to Shylzani Ways. I think I should learn as much about them as you know, and then we should find out about today's new version."
High Priestess Sung nods. "We will go to the isle of the Ancestors soon. It is a place out of the reach of any of the watchers."
Kaori Jo finds herself smiling. "I've visited it a few times lately. Meditation goes well for me there. In fact -" She's been playing with the wedding ring on her left hand, and suddenly pulls it off and replaces it on the right hand. "Seonsaengnim, I should tell you that I have finished thinking myself as a widow. I will always miss him - but my mediations have taught me life's too full to look backwards so completely whenever I'm alone."
Scarlet I am here
Isabella Ingram arrives early at the Imperial Navy's headquarters, wanting a good look around before the press conference. The elevator takes her to the third floor. She steps off it, turns right to check out the press room, and halts, in a bit of shock. She makes a note - "Scarlet Robe Priestesses return to City" - shudders a bit as she counts five of the red-clad figures, and continues her look around.
She quietly turns a corner that she likely shouldn't, and grabs the chance to sneak a quick photo of Admiral Kim at work. Unsurprisingly, she finds herself ushered hastily out of the Admiral's study by a guard in heavy protective clothing - no telling whether it's a human guard or a synth. She wanders back to the atrium outside the elevators, and finds a stern-faced woman in a green dress occupying one of the chairs. She grabs coffee from the urn set out for reporters, and sits across from her. She takes a sip and grins. "Better than expected," she murmurs - coffee so often makes a natural conversation starter. She looks across the coffee table at the other woman, uninhibited by the sternness of the face. "Bella Ingram, Central Planets News Service," she says. "Haven't seen you at a scrum before - are you press?"
Crisha Ra looks around slowly as if she did not see the woman take a seat across from her
Isabella waits, her interest increased by the bit of play-acting, and takes another sip. "Kim serves better coffee than Verne ever did," she says. "I hope it lasts. Oh, there she is -" Shae Kim emerges from her office and takes position behind the podium, a scarlet guardian on each side. Bella bolts the rest of her coffee and walks rapidly back to the journalistic mob, the stern woman forgotten for the moment.
The admiral looks around at the assembled press. Without preamble, she says, "Good day, Shylzan residents and guests. We have been getting reports from merchants traveling to and from Cyhnon of ships of unknown origin appearing briefly then seem to just vanish. So far we have not learned much about these ships. First Question."
Murmurs of disappointment spring up around the room - that's barely news at all! Isabella waits for a break in the stream of questions that inevitably bursts from her competitors.
Lia Sai (Reporter): Have you learned or have any hint of where they are from?
Shae Kim: Not yet ... next question
Jin-Shu: Is it true that you are having problems with your staff because they are loyal to Admiral Merc?
Shae Kim: Not the focus of this briefing. I assure you the Empire's Space Fleet is loyal to the People of the Cycrim Empire.
Jess (Reporter): Is it true you have lost multiple ships to these mystery ships and have no answer to their advanced Technology??
Shae Kim: Next question
Lia Sai (Reporter): I heard your ships have not been able to identify even if there is any life signs on the mystery ships
Shae Kim: We are asking all our allies and those we do business with to report if they have any contact with these ships. We will pay one million Cycrim credits to the crew whom achieves a first contact encounter with one of these ships. They must be able to provide credible evidence with pictures and communications with the ship or ships. This should include pictures of the inside of one of the ships and their crew
One of the Scarlet guardians begins to shake in a way never seen before...
Shae Kim is still speaking. "This is the picture of the latest appearance of the mystery ship. When it appears you still only get the message "We are Unity." That repeats. Then they vanish.
The shaking guardian falls to the ground, unconcious, her concealing robes bundled around her.
Shae Kim hears the thud, looks at the priestess's fallen form, and quickly turns back to the press. "This ends our briefing. Thank you for your attention."
Isabella has noticed the shaking out of the corner of her eye - and can't help but jump as the scarlet guardian falls. She leans forward, intending to take a picture, but the other scarlet priestesses quickly surround their sister.
Thwarted, Isabella looks around and realizes the woman in the green dress has disappeared. There's a push from behind. "The press conference is over! Everyone leave, now," someone in uniform orders. Bella and the rest of the press gallery are herded down the staircase and out onto the street.
Bella finds herself standing, frustrated, in the midst of a little mob of fellow discontented journalists. The guards who've herded them outside position themselves in front of the doors, still not talking, and implacable in their refusal to let anyone back in. An ambulance lands on the roof, and a large portion of the press take pictures of it. A few moments later it leaves, and people start to drift away.