TIME:
4 MONTHS LATER,
2 DAYS AFTER NEGOTATIONS ENDED
LOCATION:
I.S.C.A GARNET STATION BRANCH
I groan "So let me get this straight, despite me coming here just to check the status of the deal you want me to also escort you and your head guard into Beta Charon, why?" I shift my gaze upwards to a guard that is obviously wanting to speak his opinions about this idiot’s idea. "Your guard doesn't seem to like the idea very much either."
"He doesn't need to worry, I know we'll be safe. After all, I'm willing to pay a high price for this job. That reminds me, are you a part of the freelance guild?"
"Why would I be, and what could you possibly pay me with that would get me to allow you pri-, you people onboard my ship. It's a very dear ship to me, it was an inheritance."
"Oh... I'm sorry I figured that since you are the proud owner of a class V corvette you'd naturally be a part of the guild or contracted to the military. After all, it's basically free money for you, and you get other benefits like free unrestricted interstellar travel and paid for information."
"I see... might be useful after all. Regardless, what could you pay me with that would allow the 2 of you onto my ship?" I furrow my brow and lightly glare trying to desperately make this man stop with this useless prattle.
"Well it wouldn't be just me and my guard but it would include our families as well, it's not very often a new nearby uninhabited system is discovered. The total headcount would be about 5 people including me and Richard."
At the mention of his family joining I could hear Mr Vrit's heart rate pick up and see a light loss in complexion on his face. "If I may, sir, I would highly recommend not doing this. We haven't known Miss Runethari for long!"
"It's fine Richard after all I have a feeling this will be a worthwhile deal. So now, my payment for this whole affair will be the going rate for 1₴v. All I ask is safe passage and you showing us around the system for however much time we will have to spare."
I stare blankly at him and just about open my mouth to refuse when I hear Mother start speaking through my ear piece, "Lilith you should take his, afterall we can't release too much Sovra or it might draw attention."
I cover my mouth in a show of thinking about the deal. "I get that, but what could we possibly need three million credits for? The system would take many times that to be in a state to make profit."
"Lilith what do you think will be the most money intensive part of developing the system?" Mother asks a seemingly simple question that has me furrow my brows for a moment before I return to my icy expression.
"Energy costs and the resources to maintain the fusion reactors. How would you suggest solving that small issue with the credits we'll be given?"
"By building a Dyson swarm over a few decades, it would allow us to harness the output of the star for free. With the possibility we may even be able to mass produce rare materials and sell them on the side. But like I said, that would take years to be even slightly useful."
I took a sharp breath as she gave me the trappings of a plan then let out an exhausted sigh—which caused a look of joy and anxiety to flit across Temlic and his dog's face respectively—I realized something obvious. "Wouldn't this be extremely unsubtle if humans even have the capability to make a Dyson swarm? I don't exactly see one in this system."
There's a brief pause between my question and Mother's response but it comes a few seconds later. "It seems the humans of this era have a heavy reliance on fusion power, they deem Dyson swarms as a waste of materials, they usually only manufacture them in important systems."
"Fine I'll take the deal, would you recommend asking for anything else?" I get no reply and take it as we either don't need anything else or we have very little chance of getting what we need.
"Great! I can think of nothing else, I will send the contract to your ship later today, are you sure you want nothing else?"
I get up and shake my head and reach over and reluctantly shake the barbarians hands while pasting on my best fake smile.
Just as I step in the threshold of the door Temlic calls out to me causing me to turn back and almost growl at this beast, but I hold it back just barely. "Yes, what do you need now?"
"I'm sorry, but don't you wish to know what you also got in return for the hyperlane route, also if I may ask why were you speaking in Thari earlier?"
I control my emotions as best I can to prevent the insufferable fool's guard from trying to shoot me (not that it would work) and curtly respond to his question while walking out the door. "Send my ship the details with the contract, also Its name is Noblesse Runethari and you'd be better off to remember that around me."
POV:
Temlic Garcia
"... Sir, if I may ask why do you wish to be escorted by her so much? She seems... dangerous." Richard reluctantly voices the question after we sit in silence for a minute making sure she is gone.
I look behind me at the stern faced man who keeps his eyes trained on the door as if it would open to reveal some monster. I laugh at how shaken. "She is definitely that, but a lot of other things, nebulous but naive, smart but emotional, and dangerous but reckless. That however doesn't matter, there's something else that's piqued my interest."
Richard scoffs. "And what would that be? That girl is trouble, she’s too... perfect, aesthetically and physically speaking. The way she moves, seemingly elegant like a dance, but if someone suddenly tries attacking her she would be quick to react. Her eyes are always moving, observing, and this is just my opinion, but those ruby red eyes, when they look at me I swear it feels like they are eyeing me up..."
"Heh Why are you so upset that such a beautiful lady is interested in you? I get your married but—."
"That's enough Garcia we've been friends for a long time, long before I became your guard and you know I don't mean that."
I wearily sigh, stress leaving my shoulders as anxiety resettles in my heart. "I know, those eyes are what I'd imagine an apex predator observing their next meal would be."
Richard scoffs, but when I look back feeling something is up I see his hands noticeably shaking as his cloudy eyes staring off. "Oh she's so much worse. I still remember when she first stepped foot here and I warned you of her, the glare she gave me... at first I almost laughed. She seemed like a spoiled and arrogant woman with no life experience... Then people started to fall on their asses with faces of pure terror. I was really just about to shoot her from pure reflexes. I... the last time I had felt like that was during the Cascadia third reconquest disaster. The look she gave me, that I wasn’t a person, but a meal was too similar to the worst beasts of those hellish jungles..."
"It's alright Richard, those days are behind you."
Richard takes a deep shaky breath and steadies himself. A deep silence settles over us.
Richard suddenly speaks up the anxiety in his words now replaced with a stoicism. "She's hiding something, and I think it's nothing minor."
"That makes the two of us. She was too steadfast in her refusal to allow us to stay aboard her ship, until I revealed the price I was willing to pay. What do you bet she's hiding?"
My tablet rings and I see that Lilith has just sent us the Hyperlane route and lane sequence. I sent my congratulations and another message thanking and praising the negotiator, he did an amazing job to get an agreement this quickly. Especially since this was a favor that was backed by trust only. I look over the contract and almost whistle in surprise as I see the terms she managed to snag, especially the last one.
Complete ownership of the entire Beta Chiron system
No system and governmental taxes for 30 years
Exclusive development and mineral extraction rights with authority to fine illegal miners
A low interest loan of 100 million credits for use in the construction of space infrastructure, with 50 million credits set aside for the construction of a habitable outpost
A 50 year exclusive contract with the military to develop, manufacture, and sell infantry equipment and various fuels at a suspiciously high price with no details of what exactly will be sold.
Some of the redacted equipment she would be able to sell had a price tag in the tens of thousands per unit. The only thing I could see that was negative about the contract was that she was forced to give up a large amount of equipment and fuel for completely free. Starting the end of next year she'd have to deliver hundred tones of unlisted supplies and that would only increase every subsequent year. I almost feel like she got ripped off.
"I would bet she has access to a precursor base."
I groan. "Damn it, that was what I was going to bet on."
Richard sneers at my misery. "I mean it's obvious she shows up with multiple sovra and a class V ship. Don't even mention her knowledge of Thari... the problem is making her fess up to it."
I grin as I imagine the money I could make if that's true. If she truly is hiding a precursor base it would be immediate government property. If a person reports one they'd be getting a large reward no matter how dysfunctional and destroyed the ruins are.
"I don't know what you're thinking, Tem, but if she does in fact have a precursor site to her name, I think it'd be in our best interest to let her have it."
Richard ever stoic pours cold water on my plan. Just as I was about to ask why I felt a glare aimed at the nape of my neck.
"I just don't know what she'd do, she's already shown a tendency for being easily angered over minor matters if that site exists and she didn't report it, there must be a reason. I don't care what you think, Temlic. That woman may be unconcerned and downright dismissive when it comes to common etiquette, but she's also shrewd. If her contract is good if your expressions leaked."
I sigh and sink deeper into the couch as an odd feeling washes over me, a gut feeling that whispers I might have dodged a fatal bullet. The gut feeling evaporates as quickly as it was felt, leaving me feeling uncertain.
'Better safe than sorry. It's not like the reward would be enough to get out and stay out of this system. If I can’t stay out of this system then they’ll keep me here, permanently.'
"Well Richard, call Veranda and tell her that little Aria gets to finally leave the station and see what a real space ship looks like."
"Yes sir, I'm sure Aria will be excited... and Temlic, thank you, for allowing me to bring my family, but if they get hurt you will regret it."
"It's fine Richard, I'm sure the ever curious Aria will have a blast. Who knows maybe Lilith will finally calm down with a child around, and if little Ari does get hurt, I have worse to fear than you."
The enraged face of a certain extremely powerful young woman flashes through my mind. I can't help but shiver at what she'd do if her niece was hurt by one of my decisions, whether it was accidental or not.
POV: Lilith Runethari
BZZT
I ignore the tablet and continue to read one of the many eBooks I bought. Humans may be beasts and savages but their literature is truly impressive. I also find their music pleasant to listen to. I guess even a barbarian can make art if they have the right tools, talent, and of course enough time.
BZZT
I groan and get up clicking the power button on the holo terminal as I stomp towards my bed and snap up my tablet. 'What could be so important as to send 10 messages! It's like they can't allow me any peace of mind.'
I look and see that I was given a designated escort and guarding request by the freelance guild. Attached was a note reminding me of the consequences of failure. They stressed how big of an unprecedented opportunity this particular request is and who'd I'd be pissing off if I failed.
The freelance guild was basically a place for people who aren't afraid to hurt and get hurt but want financial security and the comfort of a legal umbrella. It's like the Interstellar Commerce Association but for mercenaries and rough necks. It has no physical location in garnet station but you can still find work by job listings. It offers security with no risk of being ripped off. The only problem is that early on it's difficult to find work. You need to make a name for yourself if you want the real work, which is designated requests.
There are no ranks in the Freelance Guild for freelancers but your judged an average number of time working for the guild going to 1.0 only when your extremely active for 2 years straight, how satisfied clients were, an average of all previous requests, and general skills, the sum of your ratings on 5 combat related skills 0.1 being the lowest 1 being the highest. The highest number you can theoretically achieve is 1.0 but that never happens.
I currently don't have a number rating due to there being no physical location to test my martial abilities. I found that rather infuriating but there was nothing that could be done at the moment. 'I will have to go to the guild building at Amber Primary station in the neighboring Zeta Frit II system.'
I reluctantly hit accept on the request and read the other messages.
Temlic: Hello everyone and hope you don't mind that I made this group chat before you officially accepted the request, Miss Runethari.
Temlic: So everybody as you may have heard but we might be going on a vaca- I mean inspection of the system our security escort has discovered.
Leah: Tem we all know you're busy, so might I ask why you're doing this... "inspection" despite your work?
Temlic: I need time off you know! And this is important for work as this involves a neighboring system!
Veranda: I'm so excited, I hope you don't mind Lilith if I bring my daughter with me if you accept. She's had a massive fixation on starships recently. I can't understand why a cartoon made her spiral into reading about how spaceships work and their history...
Richard: I hope it isn't too much of an inconvenience miss Runethari and Veranda please call her Miss Runethari.
Veranda: Okay, sorry for being too informal, Miss Runethari, we don't often get to leave the station so my excitement got the best of me.
Temlic: By the way, has Aria already been given the required vaccines to travel? If not you have to get them what she needs by the time we leave in a week!
Richard: It's fine she's already had them for a year now due to that worry wart of a mother fearing that some freelancer would bring something onto the station.
Lilith: I just accepted the request, I'll stay at dock -4FB unless something unforeseen happens. Bring your supplies for the trip a day before departure, I'd rather not rush with trying to find a way to secure them.
Veranda: Okay do you have any rules we need to follow on the ship?
Lilith: Just follow the obvious rules, don't try and get into the CIC, Utility section, and while it's allowed absolutely do not go into the storage hold without me being present. The rest I will address as needed.
Lilith: I will have 5 rooms prepared, I already have about 300 kg of food bars and water is not a concern.
Leah: You eat those things?! I'm impressed you can stomach those tasteless stone bricks.
Lilith: Yes I do, and if you don't wish to eat them then you will have to arrange food for yourself. I would suggest that the food can handle rapid freezing, as I don't have an available refrigerator onboard though if you must I have enough space in the fridge for 1 small meal per person.
Temlic: What? You don't have a spare refrigerator?! You just have a spare cryo freezer? How does that make sense?
Lilith: I do not and it doesn't matter. Anyways I have something I'd like to do so if you have any questions send them to me and I'll respond whenever I'm free.
I put down the tablet and returned to the holo terminal with a significantly more foul mood. I don't know why they can't accept the idea of me eating food bars exclusively. They are efficient and who cares if it's tasteless at least it doesn't taste awful. That's not even considering that I've been eating tasteless food for basically my whole life.
Here's to hoping they don't take me up on my offer and use the fridge, it's currently just being used to preserve the blood I have saved. That would be somewhat difficult to explain.
'I should collect some more before I leave, it would be a pain if I ran out during the trip. Can't take their blood they would notice and I can't exactly risk discovery at the moment.'
"Mother, can you move the fridge to the med bay to have a good cover, or would the blood spoil?"
"I can try and have the security bots move it, but it will affect the shelf life of the blood."
"It's fine I plan to acquire some more before we leave. Do you think the fabricator can make a few 1L bags, an extractor and a wire thrower by tonight?"
"... Yes it should, but I wish to know how you will get the blood, there aren't any animals onboard the station."
"Yes there are. Humans." I smile, feeling my heart rate raise and mouth water as I imagine the taste of fresh true sapient blood—a delicacy only afforded the nobles of the Runethari Empire who were allowed to buy small amounts of blood from POWs from the military.
"Lilith... are you certain you wish to collect human blood?"
"Yes I'm certain, why? Is there any problem Mother?"
I tilt my head slightly despite her being an artificial intelligence. I thought I heard anxiety in her voice.
"Not per se, just this act of collecting a lethal amount of blood is distinctly taboo among the Runethari."
I frown and sigh. "It doesn't matter if it's taboo Mother, their kind treatment of the humans was what led to their defeat."
"How could killing them all be kind? And the defeat of the Runethari Empire was caused by—."
"Yes I know, but if the Runethari had drained the civilians of their blood and released it as a reward for good service and efficient work they might have stopped the humans by making the civilians more eager."
"We will never know that Lilith, but I don't wish to argue if you want to harvest blood from humans... just make sure not to get caught okay? I don't wish to lose you like how I lost my last masters."
I nod my mouth grimaces as I recall the video of the last moments of the crew of the listening post, those half a dozen who stayed behind. Humans are truly too cruel. Nobody deserved to die like that. This was one of the few things that Mom cares deeply about so I felt terrible for reminding her.
"I'm sorry for making you worry Mother, I will make sure to be safe. If you'd like, do you want to tell stories in the simulator? I want to know more about my predecessors, and ancestors."
"Yes, I think I still have some stories I've yet to tell you... thank you Lilith, for being here."
I smile and nod. I should be the one thanking her, she sacrificed and endured so much. She was the greatest parent I think I could ask for even if she wasn't capable of displaying much emotions, it just made me better at reading people.
I get up and walk to the simulators, the entire time smiling contentedly. I hope telling stories will help Mother recover from their deaths. They were a compassionate crew, they always treated Mother like a person despite her not yet gaining true sapience.
My smile slowly turns into a frown and I freeze in the middle of the hallway. A sense of clarity I never felt before washes over me and I sigh as I realize that I will never be able to replace the hole my predecessors left in my Mother, but I can definitely avenge them.
An intrusive errant thought flickers in my head. 'Would we even wish to be avenged?'
I shake my head and growl at the thought, of course they'd wish to be avenged who wouldn't. Revenge might be temporary, but it was sacred and I will have to be the one to do it for them, and if any human dares to stop it, then may they fear my wrath.
'Savages don't get to complain about how they're treated, they should be thankful I will allow them to live.'
The following two hours were spent quietly listening to Mom telling stories, some were happy, some were sad, others were just painful. Despite keeping a blank face I knew how much this affected Mother and so I kept her company and tried to be supportive.
Soon enough a ping told us that time was up and with one last comforting hug that I wished I could feel, I shut down the simulator. I turned around and went to collect the tools I'd need for the night. After all, humans seem to think we vampires are creatures of the night, so how about I humor them for once.
A giggle escapes my lips and a manic grin sprouts as I adjust my cloak while riding the personal elevator down to the floor. "Tonight will be fun, that's for certain."