They have reached the Empty Tank entrance. A massive Eliksni bouncer type guards the door. BOUNCER (in Eliksni): <<Cover charge. 5,000 glimmer. Each.>> ODDISH (hands hjim a tank of ether, responds in Eliksni) <<Perhaps this will do instead.>> The bouncer accepts the gift and waves them in without comment. They head to a table in the relatively quiet corner, one of the ones without an ether bong (fatal to humans). Because this is a clandestine affair, they are also a good ways from the huge servitor that's putting out ether, and the fighting pit where several Eliksni are betting on a battle between a warbeast and a thrall. Malex produces a cigar, and passes another one to Oddish. ODDISH (lights up): "You're a bad influence on me." MALEX: "Well, it's not like we can get lung cancer." ODDISH (puffs): "True." MALEX: "Where are your associates?" ODDISH: "They know I'm here, and they know I have ether. They'll be along." MALEX: "Speaking of ether, I'm surprised that Zavala let you keep that servitor. Word is he really has it in for you." ODDISH: "He complained rather loudly, but since I'm under Ikora's authority, that's all he could do. Blue schmuck did manage to completely ruin my weapons project, though." MALEX: "Weapons project?" PEACEMAKER: "Didn't you hear? The Anarchy grenade launcher was his design." MALEX: "I heard it was pretty effective, if you used it right." ODDISH: "It is that. But, I designed it as a way to disable and capture servitors and Fallen drones, so that we could reprogram them. Zavala stepped in and had Banshee amp it up into a lethal weapon." MALEX: "You wanted to capture more servitors?" ODDISH: "That or build our own. Consider how the Fallen treat their underlings, hacking off their arms and starving them, and making them slave away for their kells. I think if we had an ether supply, we could make them a much better offer." MALEX: "Well, it didn't work out that well for the Awoken, did it?" ODDISH: "Maybe not. But the Hive are spreading through the system like a cancer. The Vex are still turning our moons into machines that do Traveler-knows-what. The Taken have crowned a new sovereign. And I just don't trust Calus, having seen how he treats the Vex, Hive, and even Cabal who are supposed to be his vassals. Ghaul was a genocidal maniac, but he understood honor." (he sighs and shakes his head) "Given all that, I think we need all the allies we can get." MALEX: "But the commander doesn't think so." ODDISH: "Zavala's entire playbook consists of going to war and killing things... problem is, it's not always in our best interest. You heard about Kargen, right?" PEACEMAKER: "I did. He was a tech-head Cabal psion, made a lot of trouble for the Vex awhile back." ODDISH: "He had them on the ropes. If Zavala hadn't had him eliminated, Nessus might be devoid of Vex by now." SIGMUND: "As it is, they've recovered quite nicely." ODDISH: "Exactly. No one questions Zavala's courage, or his resolve. But... with the Speaker gone, we've entrusted humanity's future to a man with less creative thinking ability than some preguardians I've met. Makes me nervous." He is interrupted by the arrival of several Eliksni. One of them has a slight limp, and a couple more of them have faint facial scars, the sort of thing that a Titan's fist might inflict. They don't look very friendly, but if any of them are armed, they've got them stashed the way Oddish and Malex do. ODDISH: "Ah, our guests have arrived." (switches to Eliksni) <<Welcome, gentlemen. Have a seat.>> Part 3: https://www.bungie.net/en/Forums/Post/253063101 Oddish's Index Page: https://www.bungie.net/en/Forums/Post/228589572