Lucius was no great fan of the Imperial Cult either, so it came as no great revelation that Raphael felt prejudiced. Still, he didn't need to be liked. He had job to do.<br/><br/>"We have an understanding then."<br/><br/>He borrowed the bottle, and took a small swig of the foul, burning liquid, before handing it back to the priest to drink on it, after the ancient Imperial custom.<br/><br/>Feeling the issue to be satisfactorily resolved, he forged back into the topic at hand. Geld, it seemed, wasn't the buffoon he made himself out to be. The man's words held a lot of sense. He turned his attention to the desperado.<br/><br/>"Geld, was it..?" He'd caught the name a little earlier when Raphael had proposed the mark 1 plan. "You raise some excellent points. We would be fools to allow an advantage slip away from us. Right now, the more we can learn without revealing our presence, the better. However, I believe we should refrain from making contact with Catullus Gluteus Porcinus, until such time as we have established a basic background. We need to know which questions to ask.<br/><br/>Perhaps, Raphael and Castella could pose as bereaved family members, and demand an audience with the captain of the Arbites, and press him for information. Meanwhile, Macharius and myself will attempt to gain access to the arbites database, provided it is not analog(paper). Aurelia and Geld pose as guards, and remain ready to lend aid where needed. I understand you are something of our local contact, Geld? You must have heard a few whispers. Enough for Rapahel to play his role convincingly..?<br/><br/>As our drunken friend mentioned earlier, we'll also need to organise a base of operations. I have made arrangements for my own accommodations, but a shared location ought to prove valuable. Perhaps something that should be arranged before our visit to the Arbites? We'll need to collate leads, and discuss our next steps; reaching out to contacts, investigating the starport, tailing suspects of interest... and I doubt this bar will continue to suffice for long."