Space Oddity

[Brian]

Aliester grunts, his expression souring.  "Enemies everywhere," he mutters, stalking his way to the elevator.  Once everyone's aboard, he begins to explain, "As it happens, I would hope that his majesty only has a few enemies, and they simply happen to employ a great number of agents.  I can tell you  more about that, but information from the Chuch lands that isn't from their monthly representatives is rare to the point of not even existing.

"Mr. Shuker here," he says, nodding at Nathan as the elevator begins to descend, "would have been our best bid at finding anything out, were it not for his mishap."  Catherine looks alarmed at this, and gives Nathan a querying look.

"Regardless," Aliester continues, after a tiny pause, "your information on Windhurst is undoubtedly more recent than our own.  I expect to gather more information from Colonel Riggins on the subject later."  The Colonel in question remained in the ornithopter, but is waiting at the bottom when the doors open.  "You have, I trust, been working hard to compile your report?"

"Of course, your worship," he says, bowing slightly.  "I'm afraid there isn't room for the entire party aboard the ornithopter, and I recall your request to have Simmons brought with us; I was going to offer to retrieve him and return to the palace later.  Some of my papers are still aboard the Starflare."

"See to it," Aliester says dismissively, striding through the hallway and to the street.  In the meantime, the colonel's seat has been filled with a large steamer trunk (which Tim recognizes from his room).  Other than that, there's exactly enough seating for everyone.  Aliester gestures -- there's a faint crackle of electricity, and then distant sounds all drop away.  "But back to the business of His Majesty's enemies.  They operate through any number of lesser lords, minor nobles, wealthy merchants ... all of them intent on the same thing.  Removing His Majesty from power.  Why?  I can only speculate, and the inspector is much better at it than I."

Holmes coughs, nods, and says, "It seems to me that the ones who would benefit most from the loss of the Spark would obviously be the Church.  Still, their own communications here are limited, unless they have some other way to send messages to one-another that we're unaware of.  So it obviously takes some cooperation with Anabarans willing to betray their king ... but no one wants to voice such an opinion openly.  All praise the king, even while making political moves to try and destabilize his position.  As it is, the return of the Starflare proves the existence of the Spark, and the legitimacy of his claim.  So much can shortly be lain to rest."

Aliester nods, as the Ornithopter rises again.  "Ideally," he adds, "sending the cowards traitorous rats running like the beasts they are."

[Rezantis]

"Hathoway is your link," Nathan states forcefully, "and I don't just say that because I don't like him.  If you interrogate the thugs who murdered my maid, they'll be able to tell you that Hathoway sent them.  I overheard them talking - he told them to find something.  Not what, just that they'd 'know it when they saw it'.  I'm certain I know what they were looking for.  When I came back through the portal I brought an artifact back with me, and I'm told that I was close to raving with paranoia that someone would find it and steal it."

"I can't prove it," he says, frowning as he thinks this through, "but as far as I can tell from my notes, the Creator left a behind detailing how to use the gates.  I think that what I brought back is that message."

[Carthrat]

"I heard of something like that," interjects Tom. "There were supposedly a stone of some kind left behind the 'Creator' that left behind such a message- monopolized by the Church, I think. Quincy knows more about them than I, however."

[Dracos]

Dracos shrugged his shoulders, listening more than contributing to the discussion, eying quincy slightly and purposefully staying silent for now on answers.  "We don't know much really...about your ways either.  I think this is a shame truly."

Dracos

[Brian]

"Fascinating," Aliester rumbles, tapping his fingers on the armrest of his chair.  Holmes nods wordlessly.

"It's ... curious," Quincy says slowly, nervously.  "I....  I had heard that the Message Stone was held in the High Church.  Why would it be in Windhurst?"

"Assuming it's the same stone," Holmes adds.  "I would like to take a look at it, at some point, Master Shuker."

"Indeed," Aliester agrees.  The ornithopter begins to descend, lowering itself gracefully to one of the pads on the great, crystal-spired palace.  "We have rather much to discuss, all told.  The first order of business, of course, is going to see the siblings Maus properly dressed and shown to His Majesty."

"Joyous," the girl sitting next to Tim mumbles.

"Indeed!"  And then the ornithopter sets down, and the doors are opened.  The wind is curiously still; in fact, some of the men on the landing pad are muttering and pointing to a totally slack wind-sock.

[Halbarad]

Tim's enthusiasm is about equal to Catherine's, although the only real sign is a quiet sigh.

The men at the windsock at least provides a minor distraction for the moment. "Is there something wrong with the windsock over there?"

[Bjorn]

"The wind will not blow today," Bjorn explains.  "It wanted a rest."

[Brian]

Aliester and Holmes both raise an eyebrow at this.  Aliester shakes his head and says, "First things in order, and that means making you presentable.  This way."  With that, he leads the way into an elevator.

Attendants salute sharply at every turn, and after going down a handful of floors, Aliester leads the way down a hallway.  Nathan recognizes it; his guest quarters are around here somewhere (or, quite possibly, this corridor happens to look nearly identical and actually is somewhere else in the palace entirely).  Still, he indicates various side-doors for separate people, putting Catherine and Tim on opposite sides of the hall at the very end -- which opens onto a balcony looking over the city.

Tailors are summoned, and everyone is given a chance to clean up.  "Enjoy yourselves; the king will not be expecting you for at least an hour."  With that, Aliester vanishes to arrange things, leaving Holmes in the corridor to answer any questions.

[Bjorn]

Bjorn rubs his hands together briskly.  "So," he says, "I think things are going well."

[Rezantis]

"I really, really want to set you on fire right now."

[Bjorn]

"What?" he protests.  "We're all together, we know what we need to do, we've got allies, and none of us have been framed for murder.  Yet.  What do you have to complain about?"

[Rezantis]

"They all think you're insane.  They already thought I was insane."

[Bjorn]

"I'm not insane.  I'm a spirit of war possessing a witch doctor.  That's an important distinction, you understand."

[Rezantis]

"That sounds like a fairly concentrated form of lunacy to me, but I suppose I'm no expert on the topic."

[Bjorn]

"It's my cover story," Bjorn says seriously, "and it's turning out to be very useful so far.  I'm not Bjorn Christianson, witch doctor; I'm a spirit of war summoned by Bjorn to lead his people to freedom from the threat of the Church.  Which means I don't have to try and fit in, I don't have to hide any of my powers, and anything I have to do I can pass off as 'inspiritation of the spirits.'" He casts an appraising eye at Holmes.  "To my surprise, though, no one to date seems much put off by this behaviour.  Which makes me wonder how often this sort of thing happens."