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Post by guinuspiggus on Jun 21, 2018 5:38:32 GMT
[ Oto Syrano | Temple of the Hancho | Restricted Zone | Augustus Station ]
Syrano folded his hands over the surface of the water and watched Parma. His lower set of eyes blinked slowly, his upper two maintained steady contact. His skirts continued to flutter, but some of them slowly reversed the direction in which they did. The freshwater was annoying, but he was able to push the irritation to the back of his mind. This was business, just like he used to do. He had to pretend to be pleasant.
It seemed all Parma would like is information. He didn’t say what he was going to do with that information, but Syrano could guess. The man and his people were cornered. Just like a failing small business, Syrano could assume their tactics were about to turn aggressive. Sure enough, Parma admitted. Perhaps he knew he was transparent.
“Tist-Hancho Parma, I’d be more than happy to offer you what I know.” He answered back. “As you know, I’ve made it a point to associate with our...guests.” He nodded, using a more polite term. He would remain neutral in this. “I made this choice, seeing that I could not afford to align myself against them.” He gestured to himself. He was large, relative to the tiny Lienati, but he was fragile.
“Blessedly, they typically do not greet me with aggression. I’ve had a few names my way, an inappropriate request or two to explore my anatomy, but on the whole, I cannot say they’re here to fight. Surely, they would not expect any sort of battle...”
“...However, they adapt readily to new situations, and like your kind, they’re capable, and numerous. And...it’s my understanding that more will be arriving as of this day. They are...how is it said, a Union? Their ships are stronger and their people are trained. Personally, I’ve never seen land-dwellers such as they. I am rather loathe to upset them.”
Here, he pauses, letting his words sink in. Time to switch up the direction of this negotiation.
“That said, I understand your plight. I’ve done what little I can to steer the other land-dwellers away from you and dearest Claudius, but they’re thorough. They leave no sands unsifted. It is...heartbreaking to see your people’s claim shrink so much. Indeed, I remember a time when I would awake to hear children just outside my tank.” He disliked when the children would make such noise outside his tank, but he tried not to let that on. He used to tolerate the children because they were Lienati, privately he is glad that he has silence now.
“You know my position on the matter of war, dear Tist-Hancho, and I’m afraid the only news I can bring you just reinforces my stand in the matter. It simply isn’t safe to battle. You may find yourselves with a quick succession of victories, only to be brought low the moment the rest of the...Union individuals arrive.”
“Now, you take this advice with the understanding that I am by far the least tactical individual you have in your arsenal. Battles and warfare are very far out of my realm. But, as much as it pains me to say it...Claudius is right. To be at war would be to genocide yourselves.” He did not like Claudius, but his strategies were more often sound than not. In a given safety situation, he would more likely side with Claudius’s suggestions.
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Post by Absinthe on Jun 21, 2018 7:34:30 GMT
[ Hancho Parma | Temple of the Hancho | Restricted Zone | Augustus Station ] As Syrano spoke Parma was silent. His violet eyes never left the form of his guest. He knew much of what Syrano said, though to hear it confirmed did leave his mind troubled. He was not a warlord by nature. Indeed the Lienati had never been to war. The weapons they did have served only as a defense from the more aggressive wildlife in some areas of the station. For much of his life he had been a far more peaceful creature, his role as Honcho had been to settle disputes among the Lienati and to make decisions based off of the input from his advisors, not the least of which had always been the great Claudius. But since the arrival of the Interlopers things had been quite different. Survival had been key. He had sacrificed the Lienati's ability to roam the station freely in exchange for their safety, but more and more this was becoming an impossibility. Though not many knew it, with the main thoroughfare taken much of the Lienati's former berry gathering spots had been cut off from them and if his scouts were correct the berry-bearing plants in the areas now controlled by the interlopers had been cut down. This meant there would be a shortage. There already was, but he had made it known that this information was not to be spread. Their options were to go deeper into the dark areas of the station, where the more dangerous creatures had lived and where they were now confined thanks to the interlopers, or to confront the interlopers and reclaim their territory. Both options seemed dangerous. He knew he would lose much of his tribe either way and such a sacrifice was not an option he could take lightly. In fact, if he had it his way he would go back to the way things were when there were no interlopers at all, not even Syrano, who had been made Joshi Shōgakusei. It was not that he wished to lose a friend and advisor, but rather that since the arrival of Syrano things had only ever gotten more complex. And Parma had never been fond of complex things. " Syrano, my people have never been to war," Parma said after a moments thought. " And I am loath to be the Honcho who takes them to war." He paused and ran a digit along his jaw in thought. " But I cannot stand by as we are pushed deeper and deeper into dangerous territory. We must either draw a line in the sand or flee." He glanced around the vine-covered walls of the temple and shook his head. "I do not think either option would be good for my people." He paused and considered things, letting things sink in for a second. His instincts told him that Syrano was right, that if they fought they would be wiped away. If these 'Union' people were advanced enough to change the very shape of the station, they were advanced enough to wipe the Lienati away. And if they fled deeper into the station, a temporary solution at best, they would be forced to leave behind that which they had spent generations building. He needed another option. " Is there a way we can trade something with them so they will let us keep that which we already have? Perhaps allow us to trade with them for food and resources?" Parma asked. His tone was grave. He did not like the idea of dealing with them at all, but given his choices, it seemed this was likely his best option. At the very least it might make it possible to solve several problems while keeping his people, his culture, as intact as possible. If they had to fight or flee he knew much more would be lost.
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Post by guinuspiggus on Jun 24, 2018 0:01:34 GMT
[ Oto Syrano | Temple of the Hancho | Restricted Zone | Augustus Station ]
“I can say that I have successfully negotiated for and retained my tank and the outer storage area. It is untouched, undisturbed. I can only hope it remains that way with the new Union individuals, but if they are as open to an agreement as the Octavious group, then I don’t expect to lose it anytime soon. With that in mind, I think you should be able to do the same...” “The problem is, your kind are...far more interesting than I, at least, to the other land-dwellers.” He says, looking over the webbing between his fingers and cleaning off algae. That would always irk him. “I worry that in exchange for the amount of territory you would like, and with your unique status, you would be asked to give far more than just a rundown of your dietary habits and digestive system.”“They have plenty of food and resources. They can create more out of nothing. It’s...incredible, really. They want for nothing. There is no drought, no famine...all the diseases that once brought them death are mere annoyances now...though...” He put a finger to his chin, both his eyes turned away as he pondered. “...I do think I have an idea. They seem to struggle with periodic outbreaks of fever-pox. Now, what was a mild cold for me appears to be worse for the land-dwellers; humans especially seem to do poorly. Looseworm also seems to be making it’s rounds again, if the bathrooms are any indication...” He privately felt thankful that the parasite wasn’t able to make his digestive tract a home; he was just too alien. “And, to make matters even worse, I overheard sickbay discussing the plight of a young woman who appears to have Sakovian Shingles. As interesting as it would be to see them struggle to find the cause of that one...I think if you wait until the shingles spread, say, a week or two, you’ll find yourselves in prime position to strike. Your natural medicines and knowledge would have you become the saviors of the station.”
"But you must strike quickly, and with tact." He continued, with a grave look on his face. He knew Parma was not the kind for business tactics, so he wanted to impress on the Lienati the importance of making the move at the right time. "It won't take long for them to find a cure for all these things. Your advantage comes only when they're so swamped with patients, and so baffled by the Sakovian Shingle's cause that they feel hopeless. If you dally too long, you'll find yourselves back where you are now, short your chance to break the market, so to speak. Too early, and your help won't be nearly as valuable."
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Post by Absinthe on Jun 27, 2018 5:29:09 GMT
[ Hancho Parma | Temple of the Hancho | Restricted Zone | Augustus Station ] His news was not exactly what Parma was hoping for. It seemed to him that any people so powerful that they had conquered the ability to travel from place to place in the void was more than strong enough to defeat the simple ailments of which Syrano spoke. Of course, it was also likely that any culture so powerful would not have come into contact with such illness as those in a long time. " Then you advise that we wait until they are in the midst of dealing with a medical crisis to both reveal ourselves and offer our aid in said situation?" Parma asked running his paw over the fur of his chin. It was likely a safer option than any other form of direct confrontation, and it would leave him and his people in a much better situation to negotiate with the interlopers on a more equal footing. He would, at least for a time, have a valuable piece of insight into how to tend to these diseases. Of the three diseases, Syrano had made reference to the Lienati had either found a direct cure for or a method of easing the symptoms of all of them. Though these methods of treatment were specific to the Lienati, a clever enough individual could adapt them easily enough, or at the very least they would provide insight in methods that had worked in the process of treatment already. " It seems, perhaps, that we may have a resource they may find useful, however, it is a very finite resource. We can aid them in their medical troubles only to the limits of our own knowledge, after that more than likely we would have little more to offer," Parma said with a scowl. He did not like being on such unequal footing with these interlopers, but his people were as they were. They had learned to survive on this station without changing it so much, clearly, this was not the way of the interlopers. " We must secure the existence of our people and a future for our children. We may be forced to leverage our position of knowledge to allow for that."
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Post by guinuspiggus on Jun 29, 2018 13:14:09 GMT
[ Oto Syrano | Temple of the Hancho | Restricted Zone | Augustus Station ]
The power imbalance did worry him, but...not on a personal level. After all, he’d seen smaller, weaker organizations rise and fall under himself just like this before. The Lienati could lose this, but if they did, it would be because of their own weakness. The resistance to change was a liability in the modern world. At the very least they were clever enough to use what little assets they had. As far as Syrano saw it, fate would decide whether they would survive.
The thoughts went through his mind after Parma was done speaking and before Syrano started, filling the silence for the time being. “Yes, a troublesome situation indeed...Even in their hour of dire need, they might not think your help valuable enough...” He placed his fingers to each side of his chin as he thought, his slightly translucent webbing flaring up as if to cover his mouth. Fate would decide whether or not they lived or survived...but fate, he’s not that squeaky clean. He takes bribes, plays favorites. “...I’m afraid that’s all I can offer you today, unless you had further questions for me?” He sounded so polite. If only that smile matched his manner. Parma may recognize the smile, or he may not. On the fish-man before him, it could mean a great number of things, and he was usually willing to share exactly zero of those things.
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Post by Absinthe on Jul 4, 2018 5:55:14 GMT
[ Hancho Parma | Temple of the Hancho | Restricted Zone | Augustus Station ] For a long moment, Parma considered this. In truth, he was not comfortable with the idea of making contact with the interlopers at all, but he was running out of options. He needed to find a way for his people to survive and not to risk anything more severe happening to them. And time was short. " Thank you Syrano, again you have proven yourself a valuable insight," he said, at last, his small paw running along his whiskers thoughtfully. " You have once more given me a great deal to think about, though I fear this time I will be forced to make a decision at a time scale that is not to my people's best interests." His tone was grave, yet thoughtful. Parma was not the sort to rush into anything, despite his long-standing desire to confront the interlopers, that was more bluster than anything else. He needed to appear to be a strong leader, a leader unafraid to take action, but clearly, his people were facing an opponent of much greater power than they. There was no way he could think of to maintain their way of life and to engage with these interlopers in any meaningful way, and it would be equally impossible to simply not engage with them. " I would like you to notify me should anything happen regarding the interlopers that may be of interest. Claudius can get a message to me and if you prefer to meet in person simply ask Claudius to tell my personal guard to bring you here," he said feeling they had reached much the natural end of their conversation. " Would that be acceptable? For now, as I fear I cannot truly trust Claudius's input on this matter, I need you to be my emissary to the interlopers."
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Post by guinuspiggus on Jul 4, 2018 17:27:49 GMT
[ Oto Syrano | Temple of the Hancho | Restricted Zone | Augustus Station ]
That Parma trusted him enough to make him emissary was expected, but still a delight to hear it. Moreover, it allowed him a little more control over the situation. If he played his hand right, he’d have the station at their figurative knees for the Lienati. He also felt quite powerful; he was trusted over Claudius. The station AI wouldn't hear the end of it.
“I would be honored to serve you, esteemed tist-hancho. Your terms are entirely acceptable. I will do what’s in my power to aid you and your people.”
He would have to plan. Some wine and some alone time in his tank, he’d have a plan before the end of the day. He wasn’t a strong or agile person in this world of land-walkers, but he was not weak either. He would get what he wanted.
“I suppose it’s time I head out, then? I assume your personal guard will be kind enough to see me out as always?” He began to sit up in the tub, but standing up was not within his capabilities. He could pull himself over the edge of the tub, but would need help once on land. His body thanked him greatly for removing himself from the horrid freshwater. “My personal thanks to them; they’ve become quite delicate. There shouldn't be any bruises this time.”
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Post by Absinthe on Jul 7, 2018 5:11:11 GMT
[ Hancho Parma | Temple of the Hancho | Restricted Zone | Augustus Station ] With a gesture of his furred paw, Parma's personal guard came and lifted Syrano. They had gotten used to handling him and knew where to grip and hold for the surest grasp without causing injury, or at least so much as possible. " I will look forward to our next meeting and hope you can bring me some news of the interlopers and we may further our plans," Parma said as he reached out and took the hand of Syrano in his two paws and pressed his nose to the smooth skin of the alien. Then with a nod, his guard placed the blindfold over Syrano's two sets of eyes and they moved out of the main chamber of the palace. Once more the journey back t the water storage tank Syrano had taken up residence in was swift. The Lienati guards were able to move quickly while still hardly jostling Syrano at all. They moved through less accessible parts of the station, narrow passages that a standard size humanoid could not have walked through easily, but with Syrano balanced on their small shoulders they had plenty of room to navigate easily. They did not enter the water storage area through the main door or even their hidden door, instead, entering through a door in the upper walkway. The day had begun and many of the interlopers would be about soon, and they would not risk being seen if they could avoid it. They moved along the walkway and in a quick movement removed Syrano's blindfold and dumped him into the water. They were gone before he could emerge to see them leave.
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Post by guinuspiggus on Jul 8, 2018 3:25:21 GMT
[ Oto Syrano | Temple of the Hancho | Restricted Zone | Augustus Station ]
Parma’s nose was...an interesting texture. He’d never felt anything quite like it back at home. Every time he did this, it always struck Syrano how alien these land-dwellers are. How they’d never be really alike... As before, he wrapped his skirts around his legs in preparation for travel. He did what he could to pull himself out of the tub, and the Lienati from before were there to help him before he hit the ground. Being blindfolded was a pittance to pay for the speed and efficiency of being carried, not to mention his chances of being hurt plummeted to near zero. He was quiet the way there, possibly the best behaved hostage they’ve ever had to take. It didn’t strike him as rude to be dumped in the water, but rather supremely pleasing. The murky depths were just warm enough and filled with enough nutrition and saline that it felt invigorating. He surfaced once more and removed the blindfold from his face. He seemed alone. He probably wasn’t. Though, the Lienati forgot one thing… He looked down at his wrists. They were still tied from the journey to the temple. He did not have a means to untie them. The best he could do now was stare down at the expertly-done knots and hope he found something sharp to cut them off with, before someone came in and asked who bound his wrists like that. “...Hm."
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Post by Absinthe on Jul 13, 2018 7:15:02 GMT
[ Tyrian Bull | Water Tank | Deck 02 | Augustus Station] attn: guinuspiggus The man sat on the edge of the tank. His fine leather shoes had fine silk socked tucked into them and sat beside him. His deep blue soft cotton pants were carefully folded up close to his knees and his rich chocolaty skinned feet hung down into the cool water. In his hand, he held a wine glass, filled with carwyl, clearly having been taken from one of the many bottles littered around the tank. Though human in appearance he sat with an inhuman quality to him. Some aspect that was too smooth, as if he had been carved from a fine block of stone in the very position he sat in. Yet he did not sit entirely still. There was an elegance and grace to him, but also a harshness. Impossible to voice, yet totally inhuman when seen. " I must admit I did not think it would be so quick," the man said with a faint smile as he lifted the glass to his lips and took a sip. He spoke to the open water, knowing that his voice would carry into the depths well enough and his very presence would demand the attention of the being who he had just watched be dumped into the murky water. His gaze never left the place where moments before there had been ripples, even though now the water was quite still. " If I am not mistaken your meetings with the Hancho, Parma, do tend to be a fair bit longer than that. He must have kept it short, or not felt like ranting and raving today. Perhaps that is for the best. Today is, after all, an auspicious day for him and his people. Even if they don't know it yet."
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