12874/Law & Order: SVU (Shi'ar Victims Unit)

Law & Order: SVU (Shi'ar Victims Unit)
Date of Scene:	29 September 2022
Location:	Shi'ar Cruiser B'rynal
Synopsis:	The X-Men return to the orbitting Shi'ar cruiser to answer questions about the Starport assassination. While the information Michael and the team has seems to scrape at an uncomfortable, hidden conspiracy, the lead investigator resists giving Emma a free hand in doing her own investigation. Worse, Tabitha is held for further questioning due to suspicious circumstances at the Starport. Rogue continues to hate space.
Cast of Characters:	Jean Grey, Emma Frost, Rogue, Michael Erickson, Tabitha Smith

---

Jean Grey has posed:
As a Shi'ar diplomatic shuttle fled the Atlantic Spaceport after the bird-on-bird assassination of one of their diplomats, the X-Men gave pursuit in their fancy new SR-X prototype space Blackbird. A harrowing trip into the atmosphere, a bird robot joust, some technocolored lasers, a psychic battle, and one narrowly averted city-destroying antimatter torpedo later... they caught up with their suspects.

Only for the mama Shi'ar ship to arrive and lock up everyone.

Aboard the cruiser B'rynal, the SR-X and diplomatic shuttles alike were tractored into the large landing bay, met with an impressive array of Shi'ar troopers and a half-dozen assorted Imperial Guardsmen, some familiar, some new. Both crews were politely 'disembarked.' What happens to the Shi'ar crew is unknown, but the X-Men were taken to a small waiting room...

...and then released.

"We have compiled basic scan data taken of the recent attack, including the unauthorized discharge of weapons within your planetary atmosphere. After consultation with the relevant authorities... you will be released back to your planet. Please do not depart the Sol System until we have completed our investigation. You may be called back here to testify and give evidence."

And just like that, it was over. The Blackbird makes it back in one piece. No one is in space jail. Yet.

It's some weeks later when they receive that 'summons.' To the X-Men, it is conferred via Professor Xavier himself, who has been in communication with his 'Girlfriend from another Galaxy, you wouldn't know her,' the Majestrix Lilandra. Michael receives it directly via his own communicator. Regardless, everyone makes the trip the same (and much easier than last time) way: via transporter, appearing together on a fancy arrival pad with a technician looking on from his control panel and several plain troopers waiting. Presumably, they're back on the B'rynal. The Captain doesn't greet them this time, but rather a pair of Shi'ar in yellow uniforms. "Welcome aboard. I am Investigator Kalar."

Emma Frost has posed:
Oh, how lovely. This is going to be worse than the time they'd been put through those annoying murder mystery team building exercises. Or those escape rooms. Emma Frost tended to find these sorts of things irritating. But.. She had gotten involved this far, and it would behoove herself to see it through. And now they would have to figure it out based on what the Shi'Ar Inquisitors had been unable to.

She would arrive with hte rest of hte team, having forgone her usual pick me up in the morning to ensure she had her full focus over. "Thank you for having us. We're happy to lend all the aid that we can here." She's focused. "What do we have to work with here? And how much have you been able to glean together over on your end?" And why need caffeine when you can be instantly teleported however far across the galaxy they'd come?

Rogue has posed:
Rogue had grumbled. A lot. A lot of grumbling.

The day they were detailed, she just stood in that waiting room with her hands in her bomber jacket's pockets, her dark lensed aviators on, and a big wad of strawberry bubblegum being blown while the Shi'ar space nerds talked to them.

POP! Her gum had gone.

This time? Rogue is dressed in a black bodysuit with padded piping down the shoulders and the outside of her arms. The suit is half-zipped down to her chest, and she's still wearing her black aviators. So much grumbling.

Once they arrive, her black gloved hands have their thumbs hooked under her black utility belt, on either sides of the circle-surrounded silver 'X' that sits just below where her belly button is covered up. She's got the majority of her weight on her left booted foot, while her right extends out a bit to the side.

She has words for these people... Jean had heard them. 'This is not their land. This is -our- land, and they don't got any rights t'tell us what we can and can't be doin' in it.'

But she'd just been told to play along, see it through to its conclusion, and 'don't cause a war'.

So Rogue just stands there, her two-toned hair parted on one side, the long brown and white locks draping down the right side of her face.

She just stares... from behind those black aviator glasses...

Michael Erickson has posed:
    It's been a long time since Michael saw a yellow uniform - a Shi'ar one, anyway. He knows them well, as does he know the men and women who wear them; after all, once he worked in concert with Investigators as a military interrogator himself, one of many duties he had between his field years and Earth. Packed a lot of stuff in those years before his long exile on Sol-3. He doesn't wear a uniform himself when he comes on board the B'rynal, choosing instead to wear something from his closet from yesteryear - a black Yohji Yamamoto suit from 1982, something he wore while part of the security detail of a forgotten German pop star. The bShi'ar wear, down to a broad shoulders and tapered waist mimics the uniforms that the Shi'ar wear, down to a broad sash belt. Weirdly enough he rather matches Rogue's proto-New Wave look with her asymmetric part and aviators.

    << Hail to you, Investigator, >> he offers to Kalar, this time his mein far more grave and businesslike than the sass he gave the now departed Sub-Minister. No time for messing around. Chooses High Shi'ar, the language he was raised in, the terse, sharp syllables of his aristocratic upbringing clear. He may not approve of what the Empire did, but there's a new Majestrix. No point in embarassing his parents further with more snarkery.

Tabitha Smith has posed:
The catch and release of the Space Blackbird maybe kinda got a big up Tabby's butt. Mostly in the form of maybe a little more paranoia that something is up.

But at least the next meeting thingy, teed up by the bigwigs at the school and the Prof's main squeeze from further away than Canada meant they could see things coming this time.

So fronting up as an X-Man, she even busts out the X-Suit in it's clingy shiny black faux leather with yellow padding at the chest and sholders almost passable as a motorcycle catsuit with yellow boots and kneepads. A belt with a circular X logo on it securing a few pouches because sometimes you need to carry stuff and pockets would just wreck the sleekness anywhere but via a belt.

Her own rayban styled glasses and red lenses on her nose.

There is a snappoint at Rogue. "Yeah, we got enough trouble with assholes doin' that here as it is. No need to import bullshit!"

The others get a shrug of her shoulders. "I wonder if Jean and the Prof might be getting conned into throwing us under a bus. They're gonna be pissed if it is." she adds.

Jean Grey has posed:
"Please don't cause a war," was definitely Jean's parting remark to Rogue as she waited for the fancy transport beam. A kiss on the cheek to send her off! GOOD LUCK WITH THE ALIENS OKAY BAI!

Aboard the cruiser, once everyone has been introduced (Michael's formality is returned, albeit curtly), the team is led from the transporter room, out into a long, shiny sci-fi hallway. They will traverse a variety of these, giving a sense of scale to the vessel. And while it's not the first time several of them have seen the inside of a Shi'ar ship, the circumstances give the experience a feeling of its own. And for those space virgins, well. It's a heck of a trip.

En route, Kalar maintains a talkative and easygoing demeanor. "We are in a somewhat difficult situation," he answers Emma. "The bulk of the crew has denied knowledge in any conspiracy, maintaining that they only followed orders. To a degree, this is plausible. Loyalty is valued in the Empire," did Michael get a side glance?! "And many members of the Navy and Guard alike followed the usurper D'Ken without question, until the Majestrix was able to claim her rightful place, with your assistance." There are many layers to that sentence, and to his tone, underlining the very shifting loyalties he describes.

"Those on the bridge have claimed they were hijacked by a radical agent of a rebel faction. An agent that, also unfortunately, has not been located after departing the ship during your pursuit." Aside from the formal greetings, it is here that Michael again has his attention, a conspicuous glance although no outright declaration. "We are hopeful you may have more information, or be able to help in some regard. We are also aware that one of you," Tabitha's outbursts are ignored for this spotlight, "was in close proximity to the assassin and would hopefully be able to shed some light on those events as well."

They're all eventually led to something like a conference room. So far, no one is being split up and questioned. A good sign, right?

Emma Frost has posed:
So, said agent had managed to get away in the neck of total deniability and of course no one wished to question everything. "How much access are you willing to give us to the.. Personnel and what level of.. Interaction are you willing to tolerate?" Emma would request over first to the man greeting them.

"Because that will make gleaning things much more efficient, the more you give. Given the circumstances, however, I can understand. But.. If there is a rot which runs deep, it's best to know what it is and how far it spreads so you can root it up and sear off everything that it infected. Purge the boils."

Emma leaves the 'don't make a war' bits to Rogue. And the 'diplomatic niceties' over to Michael. Emma's mostly focused on phrasing things in a way that hopefully will make the captain all the more accomodating to dealing with things quickly and efficiently.

After all, issues can always be put down upon those irritating Earthers getting caught up in things and the rest of the crew having to handle cleanup, after all. Emma would put the offer up and over daintily.

If Kalar had read her file at all, he would likely understand what 'interactions' and 'tolerate' was in reference to. And in the end.. Was not 'efficiency' the ballmark of any sort of civilized, bureaucraticized society?

Rogue has posed:
Rogue has not been on a Shi'ar ship since she wasn't involved in the space side of things in the last major event. So she is that kind of virgin here today. As they wander through the hallways,m she looks around, peers down directions at intersections that they are not being directed down, but otherwise stays up with their escort.

"Ya know... One way t'solve problems like all'a this, is if you'n your people just... stayed the hell outta our space." The Southern Belle offers the Shi'ar before adding a sweet as tea smile for them.

She glances toward Michael then, reflecting his visage back at him in the lenses of her aviators. "Cept you a'course, you're alright." She tells Bird, with a little grin coming and going quickly.

But then, her knee-high black leather boots impact quietly on the ground leading through the doors to this Shi'ar conference room area. Rogue spares a glance toward Emma, and Tabitha, then back to the Shi'ar person, as she walks right past them with a little stare given on her way by.

She lets Emma, the far more able diplomat here, do the talking for the time being as the Belle just slowly walks around the conference room, maybe seeing if she can push any buttons by exploring a little bit...

Michael Erickson has posed:
    In this situation, Michael could start a war all his own - but he's a polite fellow, and he's going to be nice. And look! He gets the Rogue Smile, which produces a tiny crack in his otherwise grim facade in the form of a flickering smirk back at her. Then, of course, he returns his attention to the Investigator. "Factionalism is the name of the game here, Investigator," he says to the man in the yellow uniform, switching over now to English for the benefit of his fellows - though the sharpness of his alien accent is there, making him sound weirdly...something. European. You can take the boy out of the Empire, but...

    Michael continues. "I spoke to the assassin. And fought their associate in the air. This is...delicate."

Tabitha Smith has posed:
The switching loyalties thing gets a frown. "Those dudes like following the last guy on the throne and then switching to the new hotness. That's like serve the thrown, not the one sitting on it. Can't hate on that." Tabby points out as she movs about.

The blonde's eyes looking about everywhere in the corridors, often like she might just be casing the layout for later use. Doors, turns, what may or may not be surveillance stuff, which crewmembers are more security types than most folks. As if the place was a bank and not a space ship.

"There's that whole switching sides cause the man on the throne is too toxic but people have their heads up their cloacas to risk their own stations so you gotta do the right thing on your own because you're serving the throne and making sure an asshole isn't abusing it. How many folks gonna think maybe D'ken was good for them and their own power and maybe taking the current Majestrix off the seat might get them back on top." she points out. Tabby got Mike's back clearly if her wording might be absolutely horrible.

"And hey, I thought she was cute, she went in to the bathroom. It's a food court, sometimes people get a bad serve of Thai food and you spend a little longer. Maybe if I could have read her mind or didn't get my telepathy fritzed out  I'd a been able to stop her but I'm new with that power set." she actually pouts and folds her arms when she's looked at by Kalar.

Jean Grey has posed:
"Respectfully, you are not here to conduct an investigation," Kalar answers Emma. "We are aware that you possess useful talents in this regard, Miss Frost, but to leverage foreign agents in the process would violate several codes. The Guard has dispatched a high-rated telepath to carry out mental probes," he goes on to add, "but regarldess of who performs it, this form of investigation is both procedurally and legally difficult. Compared to Earth, telepathy is broadly-known in our society, and every member of the military undergoes basic defensive training. What is found in someone's mind is difficult to establish as true fact."

Rogue's suggestion earns a somewhat patronizing smile. "Under existing frameworks, it is... actually quite difficult for you to claim this area of space as your own. Your species has not established unified government, after all, and the majority of your space architecture is privately owned. Moreover, my briefing suggests that at least one other planet in the system is known to house intelligent life. So there may be multiple claims." His voice is sweet, tolerant, like he's speaking with a child. "This is why the treaty talks are important. It is the Majestrix's wish to sponsor your designation for certain independent world protections, but this requires adhering to prior standards..."

Ah, where's that bird law expert when you need him?

Once they have all found places inside, he sits down at the table. "Yes, of course, you are both correct that the situation at present has certain... unpredictable elements," he acknowledges, smoothly, as both Michael and Tabitha lean on the internal frictions. "Nonetheless, it is important to focus on these individuals, if they have acted out directly. You spoke with both the assassin and the agent aboard the ship? Please, do elaborate," he encourages Michael.

Tabitha, on the other hand, gets a question from the second Shi'ar, who had followed along behind Kalar quietly to this point. "You saw her enter the sanitary facilities adjacent to the dining area. Is this the first time you saw her? Did anyone else," and he looks around the table, "Make prior contact with the assassin? Did you see anything unusual, prior to the attack?" He's very direct.

Emma Frost has posed:
Emma Frost would go to fold her arms together and just smile, "Your soldiers do -not- have the capability to hold out from me. And what I can pull out can of course be confirmed by.. Others." She would make a gesture over at the others present. "What we can pull togehter then you can act upon." As those whom actually encountered the assassin would go on, and in turn ask questions, Emma would go silent. Musing over..

"May I?" This being sent over to Michael and Tabitha. Presuming they would give their assent, as the two would explain what they had seen and happened, Emma would start to display them over to the team. Recreating the experiences as telepathic illusions, giving as much sensory data as possible that the two would bew illing to share.

And of course she's also keeping a very subtle attention over on Kalan himself. Very, very subtly and hopefully unnoticed as she would watch him telepathically.

After all, what easier way could there be to hide an assassin than to have the one in charge of the hunt of said assassin in on things?"

Rogue has posed:
"Ah." Rogue states while staring at something in the conference room that leaves her back to the Shi'ar escort. She reaches her hands up then, removing her glasses as she turns around to face the table, face the others, and face the Shi'ar who was giving her that condescending smile. "You're one'a them 'One World Government' types, huh?" She asks, letting her eyes roam around the room as she folds the black metal limbs of her shades together, then slips one of those limbs down inside of her half-zipped bodysuit, allowing the aviators to hang there in front of her bustline.

"That checks out." She says, now looking to the Shi'ar, still smiling the same way back at them. "This big ol' fancy ship'a yours does rekk of 'Built by Slave Labor'." She quips before pulling out a chair unceremoniously and sitting down on the edge of it, womanspreading, and placing her gloved hands together atop the table, lacing her black clothed fingers together, her green eyes just staring at their Escort now. She glances to her companions, then back to him.

"In my experience, any government is damn near incapable of tyin' their own shoes, it's not a real surprise that yours is unable t'track spies, assassins, and other riff-raff likje the ones we were handlin' before ya butted in."

Michael Erickson has posed:
    Michael chooses to wave off Emma's request for probe, crossing his legs as he takes a seat himself - oddly delicate compared to Rogue's butch fuck-you act. "The important thing here," he says, "Is that the assassin was an agent of the Prodigal. Not a surprise, here, given that Deathbird's been passed over yet again for the Throne, just as normal. But her choice of assistants..."

    Michael leans forward, fixing his gaze on Kalar. "It was a Raptor that left the shuttle. I fought it off. But...it was, undeniably, a member of the Fraternity. You can see the problem now, I think."

Tabitha Smith has posed:
There is kind of a nod when Kalar tries to shut down Emma's probing and stuff. But when permission is granted to link minds with her, Tabby nods her head and gives that consent. She might be a novice at the power but Emma is far from new.

"Space is big. You just won't believe how vastly, hugely, mind-bogglingly big it is. I mean, you may think it's a long way down the road to the chemist's, but that's just peanuts to space." If Hank was here he'd probably quote something fancier than Douglas Adams. "And I'm sure those native to our whole star system. It's Mar's right, are we still calling it that or what are the Martian's calling it? It's their place? And why does everyone not on Earth us Terrans when no body on Earth calls it Terra? If I knew the preferred name I'd use it! And yeah, nobody on the red or blue dust balls wouldn't like you getting up in their shit either." she points out as she kicks back in her own seat. She even kicks her feet up on the table with hands behind her head as she makes herself comfy.

"I don't think I saw her before at least not in detail. I was mostly helping work on out own awesome spaceship. I came out cause I got like super hungry and I get a little wierd when my energy levels get too low or too high. But what happens in a conscious mind doesnt always reflect what the subconsious sees right. Emma hon! You're back on." she says with a grin to the other blonde woman.

Damn she can talk a lot!

Jean Grey has posed:
"I do not doubt your abilities. Please be assured that the Guard has sent one of their best, and that she should be able to gather comparable information, without the legal difficulties your involvement would cause." Of course, it probably isn't a huge surprise that a foreign government wouldn't be thrilled with the idea of setting Emma loose to gather information on her own.

The investigator doesn't give much away himself, as Emma observes, at least in terms of his surface level thoughts. There is a great deal of suspicion, of course, and beneath the easygoing veneer, a more serious and hard-edged professional. One who takes this all very seriously, and is certainly somewhat wary of the X-Men themselves.

"Oh, far more than one world," he answers Rogue. "The Majestrix rules across thousands of stars. And as many species join together in that order." He cuts short, but Emma can feel the clap-back he wants to come back with, that his professionalism holds him quiet. Instead, he just spouts the friendly line from the brochure!

However, all this banter chills a bit as Michael continues. "The Fraternity is considered apocryphal, akin, in your tongue, to a sort of fairy tale." Though, as he says this, Kalar makes a gesture, and his assistant reaches forward to press a button on the side of the conference table. It's not clear if it's anything they should be worried about! "Do you have... any proof to back up this claim?"

Tabitha, since she asked, is corrected: "Ma'aleca'andra, in the local tongue."

The assistant, rather than Kalar, continues with her in parallel: "Our records indicate that the assasin was part of an engineering detail assigned, among other duties, with offering technical assistance, per the provisional treaty, in the adaptation of Shi'ar technology. In particular, on your prototype vessel. She was able to travel with the power cell through station security because she was scheduled to work in your hangar. You didn't have any prior contact with her?" It is definitely a repeated question.

Emma Frost has posed:
Of course there's suspicion. Emma's vanity would be hurt if the man had none. Her reputation had to precede her, after all. Or at least Rogue's would. She would tap over at the side of her arm, listening over. <<What is there that we can get them to give us as far as things for our own research? I'd rather not have to be wholly reliant on them for records on this sector of space and the incident. Thoughts?>> That would be sent over along the rest of the team. As Kalan goes into professional monologue mode out of pride, Emma takes note of it and just -smiles-.

Then she goes to listen over to Kalan talking over about the ship. That has a glance given to Rogue. If only Henry were here to go into so many unnecessary, confusing details to have the man back off in surrender to the clearly superior knowledge. "And yes, I believe that we can." Emma goes to get her quip in over as the alien asks about the Society.

Emma takes a few more moments to probe the surrounding area while seeing how anyone about reacts to what the others are going tos ay.

Rogue has posed:
A big smile is just sent to the Shi'ar and his response for her. "Sounds like a lot of space for fat t'be cut off. Likely rife with corruption too..." Rogue tells him in response before she just backs off for now, hearing the others delving in to details and what information they have about it all.

She's just the pilot.

Her phone is produced from 'somewhere' and the Belle leans back in the chair, her legs come to fold over one another at the knee, with the protesting sounds of the black leather bodysuit moving against her form within as she does so. Her eyes drop down to the phone...

And the Tik Tok dance music starts to quietly play from her device. She 'thinks' to Emma. <"I got nothin. The X-Bird was already done by the time I started readin' the flight manuals.">

Michael Erickson has posed:
    "They already know of the Raptors," Michael says, fixed on his own interaction - Emma's voice is heard in his mind, but he doesn't quite reply yet. "When D'Ken's death squad came to try and kill the Phal'kon and her family, at least one was on the site of the last battle." A beat, there, as Michael looks between the others before returning his attention to Kalan. "I destroyed that one. This one was stronger. It departed the shuttle to attack their spacecraft, and I engaged it so they could continue pursuit. It was not, however, working solo. There was, at least, some agreement among the Fraternity there. Perhaps there might be fragmentation among them, too - after all, the 'good of the Empire' can be many thing to many people, as our history has long shown."

    << He knows more than he's saying, of course, >> he offers to the rest via the telepathic chain. << But at least he isn't ignoring things out of hand. >>

Tabitha Smith has posed:
Tabby frowns though she does look over at Emma. <<Don't we like have a right to representation, even as a witness? That's what we are right just witnesses? But i've been arrested enough times to feel like maybe we're not witnesses. But they think we might be in in this crap.>> she beams her worries to Emma and Rogue if she's allowing the mind chat.

There's some hints Tabby is despite her own outbursts taking things seriously. One is Tabby hasn't so much as taken a peep at where those glasses hang. Most of any snark and ire has been aimed at throwing off Kalar.

"Ma'aleca'andra." she repeats a bit till she hopefully has it memorised. "So shortneting it. Logical. Even if there's like some discrepency because we kinda named it after some old war deity. Funny thing out our earthen fairy tails and myths, A lot of them turn out to be true." she states and snappoints at Kalar.

Jean Grey has posed:
"The details of the unauthorized conflicts initiated by the usurper D'Ken have all been classified," the investigator protests, and strongly enough that Emma will have no doubt that he means it, that he's equally in the dark here. Or at least, that efforts are being made to keep him there.

Everyone there that night might recall (even if it meant little to them at the time) that none of the Imperial Guard proper fought that battle, but rather a more covert kill squad, all led personally by Davan Shakari... and his powerful (and clearly human!) mutant slave.

Someone who was powerful enough to 'kill' Jean, to provoke and then briefly overcome the Phoenix Force.

The reparte with Rogue is long-forgotten now. Just as she's stopped pretending she cares about the discussion, reverting to the depths of TikTok, the investigator has clearly abandonned some of his own aloof manner. In fact, he's stopped asking questions and sits there, his lightly-feathered brow knitted in serious, deep thought.

After a few moments? He says nothing. Or at least, nothing directly on the topic of Michael and his mirror duel in the sky over the Atlantic, dropping the topic entirely. "It seems there is no more serious evidence to collect or testimony to gather on your part. We are issuing a formal request for a full download of all flight data, telemetry, and other sensor records from your vessel, although these should only serve to confirm our own high-orbital scans."

Tabitha, who has kept silent (or at least, limited herself to mental discourse and flippant commentary), finds Kalar's assistant repeating himself. A little more sternly: "Please confirm whether you had prior contact with the assassin during your work on the prototype space vessel used by your team." Her instincts and experience with legal trouble seem on point, because by the second time, everyone can hear it in his tone.

Emma Frost has posed:
Emma Frost would fold her hands over together, "In that case.. Might I also suggest a reconsideration of your refusal earlier? We've already shared something tangible that you were unaware of. And we have resources here which clearly cover areas that you don't have access to. So we can hopefully cover more ground.." By letting her start to brainscan people of the crew. Then glancing over at Rogue. <<What are your thoughts over on this darling? And how goes your game? I hope that it's entertaining. It's not the same without your repartee in the midst of these maniacs.>>

Emma goes to watch over at the man and his talking to Tabitha, seeing over if the girl would need some intervention run. Then a glance would be given voer to Roguew ith a 'handle this if you can please darling' expression on her face over while Emma would wait and see for how Kalan would reply over to her 'request'.

Rogue has posed:
Rogue swipes past one dance video, and the voice of some guy asking questions that make no sense while set to the music of Halloween can be heard from her phone. She smirks at what Emma says in to her head, but doesn't react to it. She just keeps her eyes on the display.

At the Shi'ar asking about the assassin, Rogue continues to keep those green eyes on the Chinese spyware app.

"No." She says. "I never met, nor saw, your criminal murderer who came to our planet and caused a buncha bullshit trouble. I would've happily stuffed her ass inta a jail cell, like you an' your ineffective law enforcement system should have done long before she ever came to 'our' land."

Another swipe, another dance video comes up. Rogue turns the phone to show the blonde girl dressed all in white to the White Queen. "She looks like you." Rogue says quietly while the girl's butt bounces up and down on the video screen.

Michael Erickson has posed:
    Michael considers that before clearing his throat. "You will forgive me, Investigator," he offers. "I did not mean to cause you...operational discomfort. Fairy tales, they are inconvenient things at times." He falls silent, then, a thin, polite smile settling on his face - while projected to the others his mental voice takes on a tone of arch amusement.

    << I think that it might not go amiss to speak with the Majestrix on this situation. Do you think that the Professor would pass on a request for an audience for me? >>

Tabitha Smith has posed:
The insistance of the Shi'ar assistant gets Tabby frowning back at him. "Hey it's a big spaceport. I spent a buch of time helping work on the ship. Hand me this too, no, that tool. Turn your head, cough." she rattles on with a more deliberately annying smirk at the guy.

"My consious memory of her like only goes back to like the food court. And I didn't follow her in. I just tried to get myself some food. Then, blam. Folks getting offed and we're chasing and I had the worst damn headache all damn day." she explains and pinches the briidge of her nose.

"So if that's not enough. I say bring on yout onboard telepath. Hell, even bring in some of your fave interrogators. My daddy could probably hit harder than them. I've had boyfiends who could." she points out. "And I enjoyed that!" she maybe kinda taunts the poor guy stuck with a crappy job.

Jean Grey has posed:
Emma's attempts at tit-for-tat negotation draw a sterner look from the increasingly serious Kalar. "The scale of these requests is not in concert. Despite your friend's protests of jurisdiction," and again, he acknowledges Rogue even if she's trying her best to pretend not to be in the room, "this incident involved the death of a Shi'ar government officer at the hands of a Shi'ar rebel militant. By my every examination of your own legal codes we have authority in the matter, particularly as those fleeing the scene were apprehended in territory outside of /any/ recognized Earth legal framework."

IE, space.

"We have every right to conduct our investigation as we please, and no obligation to expose a citizen to mental intrusion from an alien agent. Accused though they may be, the crewmen you wish to scan have rights under our system of law!" Such passion! And it echoes in his thoughts, as well.

"If you will not cooperate with your own data, so be it. We will contact your superior with a protest. In the meantime, you are all free to go-"

And one can almost imagine Rogue leaping from her chair, brimming with desire to be the first one out the door...

"-With the exception of Miss Smith." It is at this moment that the doors to the outside cooridoor snap open. Unsurprisingly, there are several Shi'ar troopers there, in their typical armor. A step or two up the surprise level, there are a pair of Imperial Guard standing by as well. Both of them are familiar to most of those here. Smasher and Oracle.

The assistant rises to smile at Tabitha. "We will be happy to take you up on the offer." There's definitely some good cop, bad cop energy between the two of them. Meanwhile, the good cop goes on, "Ah, yes. We will require her presence for additional questioning. The Shivarn'n Halanau - your leader - has been informed, per our prior negotiations."

Emma Frost has posed:
Emma Frost would fold her hands over then and go to close her head over and let out a sigh over, looking over at Michael. These were his particular brethren after all. If anyone could break through their mundanity, it would be he . "Then it behooves us to cooperate after all." She would go on. "And what we do have is a good trajectory of the ship while it was going out of the system. We can extrapolate from that.. I presume that your own sensor data will be able to further analyse the route they took from that and see where they might have ended up, and from there follow up?"
    She's not exactly -sure- how faster than light travel works, but a ship fleeing the atmosphere at maximum speed is likely going to keep the trajectory relatively straightforward if not intercepted. Why waste all the fuel and energy to have to alter course that much if one didn't have to? That was hopefully a level of physics that had some consistency in this cursed world of post scarcity technological societies.

Rogue has posed:
Rogue leaps from her chair, brimming with desire to be the first one out the door.

She does pause at the sight of the people outside it, the ones who've apparently come for Tabitha. The Belle looks over to the Boom, and waits for a second before looking back to the ones here to interrogate her.

Rogue starts to walk toward them, slowly, one boot after the other, until she pauses directly in front of them...

Her green eyes search each of theirs, before she raises her slim pointed chin at them just a little, while her breathing evens out, the sound of that black leather bodysuit creaking quietly against her muscled curves.

"Find out if she's been goin' through my underwear drawer too, while you're at it, will ya?" The Belle asks, before she just steps around them and glances over her shoulder to make sure Emma, and the Bird are coming with her back the way she remembers to the microwave room, or however it is they got here...

Tabitha Smith has posed:
The guards come in and when Kalar decides that the others can all be on their way, Tabitha can only beam a bright grin.

"These guys here to show my friends the door, or me. Rogue, chill. I got this. Just tell the fam, and get me some icepacks, a sixer, my bong and a shit load of bacon. I'll be home on my own time okay! I'll call if I need a lift" she states and keeps the playfully flippant. Despite the fact that the Belle was clearly warning them.

"None of it fits. And give Jeepers a hug." she adds with a grin.

There's a flash over the mind link. The blonde staying seated for now. <<Space jail might be fun for a bit but at least wait till there's a kangaroo trial before busting me out. I may have to meet you half way on the escape.>> she adds and smirks. Whether or not Oracle picked any of that up she can't tell. But Tabby knows legal bullshit is pretty much universal.

Jean Grey has posed:
Despite the fact that he's here to arrest her, Smasher only has grins for Tabitha. "Yo, Boom-Boom! Sup girl? Look, don't worry, no one's going to beat you or uh," he looks at Oracle, "what do humans-? Oh, right!" Then back to Tabitha: "We're not gonna waterboard you or anything! Oracle just wants a peak, you know. Everything's gonna be cool." He gives her a big thumbs up. "Just so long as you guys keep cool... yeah?"

The last as he sees Rogue stalking toward them. They have pretty good data on the X-Men by now, and no doubt they know what she's capable of, so there's a moment of tension that doesn't defuse until the woman just storms right past them without a word. Smasher breathes out a sigh of relief. He hates brawling with hot chicks.

"I am glad to hear that you will cooperate," Kalar declares, likewise with a sense of genuine relief. It does seem like they half-expected this to turn into a brawl. So perhaps this is a win for civility and diplomacy, for not starting wars. "Your teamate will be well-treated, under all protections of Shi'ar law and Intergalactic procedure." Which, again, seems to be spoken with a sense of genuine pride.

At last, he looks to Emma, frowning slightly. "We were able to tractor the disabled vessel before it drifted out of reach. However, I regret that we cannot find better terms for cooperation. Nonetheless, I do appreciate your offer, and will keep your zeal in pursuing the truth in this matter in mind."

Once the group is all escorted out, Tabitha toward one direction in the hallway and the rest the other, Smasher's chalk-white counterpart will offer Emma in particular a smile. <<Hello again. Looks like this time it's my show.>> Yep. Still competitive, the two white-themed telepaths...

After this, the main group is led back to the teleporters. The team assembles on the pad and the technician starts to power it up. Three. Do they worry? Is being de-materialized and flung through space ever really SAFE? Two. Surely, there's no chance of foul play and them all just being scattered into atoms. One. What could go-

They vanish from the pad.

...

And then they reappear at Xaviers where they left. Did it feel like that 'instant' was a little longer than last time, somehow? Nah. That's just a little of the 'ole space madness sinking in. They're home, and safe. All but one, anyway.