[i]Somewhere in the Terminus Systems...[/i]

Nadene's alarm was soft and soothing, like birdsong through an open window. She woke easily, reaching out with one elegant arm to quiet the alarm before sitting up with a stretch and a yawn. The room was coming to life around her. Inlaid lights within the ceiling were brightening slowly, easing her eyes out of the darkness. Across the room, a soft whirring could be heard as her closet shifted the day's outfit towards the front. Her vanity opened slowly, uncurling a complex of array of shelves like a lotus flower, each one laden with scents, lotions and powders. 

The carpet was soft on her bare feet as she swung out of bed. Even as she moved to her closet, she had her omnitool open as she scrolled through her new notifications with a quick flick of her wrist. She'd only been asleep for four hours, as was her custom, but a lot could change in four hours in a galaxy like this. The clothes she'd chosen for the day were simple, functionally trimmed and absolutely spotless. She slipped into them quickly glancing into a nearby mirror to make sure everything was straight before moving on. The next stop was the vanity; her expert hand picked out a few jars of powder and a tube of lipstick from the vast selection of cosmetic supplies before her, which she applied with even and efficient movements that spoke of many years of practice. A few dabs of perfume, and she was done, stepping out the door in record time. 

The hallway outside was quiet, her own footsteps muffled in the thick white carpet as she paced towards the bridge. A few of the [i]Abbadon's[/i] crew were around and about, but each of them stepped aside as she passed, some with careful silence and others with cautious nods or smiles. One of the more recent additions to the crew couldn't even gather the courage to look at her, instead keeping his gaze focused on the floor. Nadene hardly acknowledged any of them, her own eyes directed either ahead or at her omnitool. 

The bridge was an artfully designed room, sleek and modern. The chairs were plush and soft, the majority of them focused around the large wooden conference table that spanned the center of the room. Athican had remembered her tea, she was pleased to see. The steaming cup was placed on one edge of the table next to a datapad detailing some of the most recent market reports. Nadene grabbed both of them without stopping as she strode onwards towards the cockpit. Sayth was in the pilot's chair, of course, and she was goofing off...of course. Sayth herself was lounging carelessly in the reclining pilot's chair, her feet propped atop a nearby console. In her hands was a game controller, clicking softly as she manipulated the buttons, eyes fixed upwards. Nadene didn't have to follow her gaze to see what she was looking at; The cockpit's sweeping panoramic windows were obscured by a digital projection of virtual colors and shapes, flashing in time to overly loud and cheery music. 

[i]A puzzle game,[/i] Nadene realized as she watched silently, sipping her tea. [i]Looks like a good one, too. Wonder if it's uploaded onto the ship's mainframe, could be a good distraction during my meeting with that elcor banker later on today. I swear that guy actually tries to use boredom as a negotiating tool.[/i] She took another sip and cleared her throat. Sayth jumped in her seat at the noise, hurriedly tossing the controller away into a dark corner as she scrambled to shut the game off. "Sorry boss, sorry boss, sorry boss." The young Salarian said that phrase so much, it could've been her catchphrase. 

Sayth tapped a button, and the digital projection disappeared, revealing the wide expanse of stars all around them, as well as the gas giant looming above them. A majestic sight, to be sure, but Nadene only had eyes for the five pirate ships arrayed in a stretch before their bow, each of them undoubtedly bristling with all manner of weapons locked onto their coordinates. Nadene sipped at her tea, unperturbed. "He's still here, huh?"

Sayth was still settling her nerves, trying her best to look professional. "Uh, yeah, totally. I mean...yes. None of his ships have moved an inch since you went to bed. He hasn't tried to raise us on the comms, either. At least, not since you told him to, uh...'fuck off' earlier." The pilot looked up at her employer with uncertain eyes. "If you don't mind me saying so, you have a really weird way of negotiating."

Nadene just smiled. "It's all about playing to your audience, Sayth." The "audience" in this case was one Varus Daxinum, self-proclaimed pirate lord of the Terminus Systems. In truth, he was little more than a criminal that had gotten lucky, but he had almost ten ships at his command, and that meant his regular raids throughout the lawless reaches of the galaxy had made him a decently wealthy man. He'd come to this backwoods system to negotiate a trade deal with her: a relatively simple contract involving the offloading of raided goods. Varus had been too paranoid to board the [i]Abbadon[/i] and had instead insisted to negotiate over video comms, which had made it all too easy for Nadene to hang up on him when he'd proposed terms that she'd found insulting. "Just wait and watch. I'd say it won't be longer than an hour now, and then he'll be calling us up again, with better terms. I guarantee it."

Sayth didn't look particularly convinced. "How can you be so sure?"

"Because Varus is a pirate, and pirates aren't known for their patience. I've left him stewing in his own juices for a few hours, and by now he's surely wishing he was somewhere else, filling his coffers with someone else's well-earned credits. Every minute he wastes here, failing to intimidate us, means more profit loss. And he knows it." Nadene was listing off facts with a casual air, as if all of this was obvious. The majority of her attention was on the datapad she held, even as she continued. "He doesn't dare leave, either. After all this waiting, and after his whole bridge crew saw the way I told him off, leaving would make him look like a coward. He's nothing without his crew's respect, so his pride means he has to stay here and play the game with my rules."

"Soooooooo...why doesn't he just blow us up and [i]then[/i] leave?"

Nadene scoffed. "And lose the biggest opportunity he's ever had? Varus is stupid, but he's not [i]that[/i] stupid. He's been raiding indiscriminately for months, which means a lot of surplus on material goods that he can't get rid of in Council space without raising a lot of questions. He needs us. And that means we’re winning this negotiation, no matter how many weapons he has pointed our way.”

"This shit is too complicated for me." Sayth said with a slow shake of her head. "Think I'll just stick to flying the ship. Less to worry about."

Nadene patted her pilot on the shoulder as she finished off her cup of tea. "You'll learn, kid, you'll learn." She turned to leave, but found her passage blocked by Athican, who had slipped into the cockpit with his usual quiet fare. 

"Ms. Rilana, this one has obtained some very sensitive information. This one believes you should have a look..." The Hanar was trying to push another datapad into her hands, but Nadene just yawned and pushed her own datapad and her empty cup into his grasping tentacles instead. 

"In a bit, Athican." She replied with curt formality. "I think I'm going to go take a shower before our 'client' decides to finally man up and make contact." She tried to move past him, but found a tentacle blocking her path. 

"This one [i]really[/i] thinks you should take a look at this."

With a frown, Nadene took the datapad from him and began reading. Her eyes skimmed the words...and then suddenly lit up, ablaze with excitement. She turned back to Sayth, an eager smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. "Fire up the engines, Sayth, we're getting out of here. And get me in contact with Varus, I don't have time to wait around for him grow some balls." 

Sayth made the proper connections, and soon the window screens flickered into focus, revealing the fuzzy image of a barefaced Turian. "Finally ready to make a deal, bitch?" Varus asked with a cocky smile. "After all this waiting you've put me through, I'm thinking I might have to adjust the intitial offer. Something a little lower...3 million credits sounds about right..."

Nadene gestured dismissively. "Cut the bravado, Varus. I really don't have time for your bullshit right now. 8 million credits. That's the deal, let's get it done."

The pirate was obviously rattled by her assertiveness, as if he hadn't learned anything from their last conversation. "Now you listen here, Asari. I'm not settling for anything more than-"

"8 million is what you're settling for. I told you to cut the bullshit. I've been polite, waiting around while you did your little show of power, acting all cowed by your big scary guns, but the truth of the matter is that you're in no real position to argue. Alliance moving in on your territory, Siame industries disrupting your raids, and you're stuck here, not even able to sell your own goddamned merchandise. You really think you're scary?" She cocked an eyebrow in amusement. "The only thing scary about you is how damned stupid you are to think there's any other resolution to our conversation right now. So let's cut to the chase. 8 million credits." She smiled, sweet as sunshine. "Do we have a deal?"

5 minutes later they were through the relay. Nadene checked the credit transfer on her omnitool, satisfied. Then she began drafting a pair of messages. It was time to meet, to plan, to [i]drink[/i]. It was time for Riptide to set itself in motion.