@Golden Spiral
Asallia's quiet nostalgia ended at the mention of the military conference. A sharp, almost painful grimace flashed across her face upon remembering but only for a moment. Her composure returned with a smile and it vanished as quickly as it appeared. The smile that replaced it should have been forced and fragile, but looking at Sheena the Princess couldn't help but smile. Though to others her sister's words were cold and blunt, Asallia had known her too long to assume what others might. She knew what her sister meant. Even with their differences, Asallia felt calmer knowing she would be near.
"Of course I'd desire something so wonderful. My schedule might not be much of an obstacle in the coming days depending on how things go and who listens to me..." Resting her gloved hands in her lap Asallia looked on as Sheena turned her back and began to leave. Just as her smile began to shrink, Sheena's parting words came.
And the Princess laughed.
The door had closed and her sister had left by the the time Asallia regained control of herself. Her exhaustion and weariness still pushed down on her, draped across her mind and body like a lead blanket. Yet her chest was filled with a warmth that hadn't been there before and Asallia finally felt awake.
"...Thank you Sheena." Asallia said to the empty room.
Standing up from the couch Asallia walked to her bed and bravely faced the large, imposing closet near it. As she reached her hands out to open the closet and begin the arduous process of making her 'presentable' for the ceremony, she stopped.
"He should go." The thought came suddenly, like a bright light snapping on in a dark room.
"The military conference won't be for some time. I don't really have anyone else to send and it wouldn't be--appropriate for me to attend. Even if I did, some might refrain from speaking their true minds. But if he went then he would say whatever came to him. Discussions are only fruitful if they reflect what we actually want...yes. Yes, I think he will like to go..."
@glwgameplayer
Lycoris felt herself entire body tense up at the question.
It was simple, innocuous, a borderline platitude of small talk. Or it would have been to anyone besides her.
Spending the last two months avoiding every living being she could, Lycoris had came to the realization that others involved with the expo could very well ruin her. As she was she wasn't a threat, but if she got a chance to throw her hat into the ring once more Lycoris had no doubt she could upstage many of those attending. Even if that was her own arrogance speaking, Lycoris didn't feel it was much of a stretch to assume that others might be afraid of her. And when fear was involved, it was all the more tempting and
possible to ruin someone.
Her throat tightened and her mind raced to come up with a lie, to simply shut down the conversation.
Yet-
"Just uh, you know, trying to salvage the molten burning wreckage that is my reputation and career." Lycoris let out an awkward laugh as the words left her mouth. Inside her head half of her mind was aghast at the words that had left her mouth. She was exposing herself, giving out precious information that would leave her vulnerable. Yet the other half of her mind was...pleased.
"I'll be talking with the governor about getting involved with the expo. If all goes well I might actually be able to participate." An almost alien sense of release came the more she spoke.
"You know how big this expo is for people like us. Engineers, researchers, entrepreneurs, if it isn't a complete disaster due to planning it'll be the talk of the tech industry for years to come. Anyone involved is going to get a lot of recognition and people who actually present something will have a lot of opportunities going forward."
“How did he die?” The question came as the two slipped into a dark, cramped alleyway that cut between two towering tenement complexes. They had put good distance between themselves and the scene of the crime, but both knew they couldn’t afford to be lax. Yet in the middle of the alleyway Laika stopped dead in her tracks and hesitantly looked over her shoulder.
“Your ‘uncle’ I mean. He was with me from the start. Did I ever tell you that? Finest ship engineer I knew.” Standing behind her Cathrida blocked what little light poured from the street into the knife wound of an alley. Her front was cast in shadow yet even in the darkness of the alleyway, the darkness of the hood pulled down over her face, Laika could still see her eyes. Both her real eye and artificial ‘eye’ shared the same, orangish glow that penetrated the shadows.
“He was...stabbed.” Laika admitted.
“I found him in the street outside our apartment. He was so drunk he didn’t even realize how much he was bleeding until he was dead.” A small, grim chuckle came from Cathrida as she lifted her head back.
“That sounds about right. Uprill always drank like someone was coming to cut his legs off. Did you find out who did it?” Laika hesitated.
“Yes.” Cathrida locked eyes with Laika.
“Are they dead?” The girl swallowed hard, her chest tightening as she opened her mouth.
“No.” Cathrida cocked her head, displeasure apparent as one of her eyes shrunk into a narrow knife-like slit. Laika shifted on the spot, hands closing and unclosing, she looked down at the ground staring at the dark concrete beneath her boots.
“I went asking around and I learned he got drunk at a bar. Really, really drunk. Someone said something to him as a joke and he attacked them. He broke a bottle, the other person pulled a knife and--” Laika swallowed and forced herself to look Cathrida in the eye.
“You told me not to get in trouble. That I needed to wait here on the habitat. To keep my head down and get ready for when you came back. And I did that. But Uprill--he acted like you were dead. The news was everywhere for a while, saying you’d been killed, they even showed footage over the public wires. It was months later but he seemed pretty convinced.” It was difficult to see Cathrida’s expression, but her eyes remained unchanged as Laika spoke.
“But I knew you weren’t dead, I knew it. So when I learned who killed Uprill I didn’t do anything. Because I didn’t know for certain I could do it without getting in trouble. And I wanted to say that I did what you asked me to when you finally came back.” Shoulders hunched, crumbling under Cathrida’s unchanging gaze Laika looked down at the ground a blank look on her face.
“I’m sorry.” Laika muttered.
Seeing Cathrida’s arms slide out from beneath her cloak from the corner of her eye Laika stood, bracing herself for what was to come…
Then she felt a hand press into the top of her head, softly ruffling her messy brown hair.
“You’ve got nothing to apologize for.” Cathrida said plainly,
“If anything I’m the one who should apologize for taking as long as I did to get here. But it's kinda hard to go anywhere when you can’t breath on your own.” Laika looked up in surprise and Cathrida cracked a smile
“I told Uprill the same thing I told you. If he was an idiot and got himself killed in a bar brawl then he only has himself to blame. You did the right thing, Laika. You’re the only one I can trust now.” The girl could only stare in disbelief as a weight lifted from her shoulders. A smile of her own came to her face as she straightened out, standing tall and beaming.
Turning around Laika continued down the alley and out into a smaller street, Cathrida following close behind.
“Still. Did Uprill tell you anything? Did he take you anywhere?” Cathrida asked, but Laika shook her head, glancing around a corner before moving forward.
“No. He’d disappear for long periods of time, but he’d always come back after a couple of days drunk and really smelly.” “Hmmm. That’s a good sign.” Cathrida muttered
The two continued to walk through the tight maze of streets until they came to a dead end. Sandwiched at the very end of the street, pressed up against one of the walls of the habitat, was a tall narrow building with filthy glass windows and a batter sign hanging by one chain into the street. The sign read “The Grand” and Cathrida couldn’t stop herself from smirking at the irony.
Laika approached the door, before stopping and turning back.
“Captain, are we going back to...how things used to be?” Laika asked, barely catching herself from saying the p-word.
“No.” Cathrida said firmly.
“There’s an expiration date on our...previous line of work. You can thank Zern for that. No, we’re going into a different business. One that will soon become quite popular...” Laika’s hesitation faded as Cathrida’s eyes seemed to gleam and her smirk stretched upwards into a full unbridled grin.
Turning back around, Laika pulled open the door and the two stepped inside the bar.
As the door opened Denzel looked up from his drink to see two new faces to the Grand. Well, one and a half new faces. He had a vague inkling he had seen Laika before, not to drink herself but maybe to come retrieve a drunken friend or member of the family. Aside from that her orange jumpsuit and rough looks told him more than enough. She was another abused worker from Venus, and in that way she fit in just fine.
The cloaked figure was a complete mystery. The only reason someone would dress in a dark cloak would be to hide their appearance. To Denzel that meant one of two things, the person why shy or disfigured and didn’t want the odd looks. Or the person had something more… important to hide. Like their affiliation.
He didn’t like it.
Denzel leaned back against the bar and placed his left hand into his pouch. The movement looked casual enough, but his fingers were lightly gripping his brass knuckles. If the situation arose he could pull out his knuckles and unsheathe the knife in a second. But he didn’t expect it to come to that.
Laika and Cathrida stood at the entrance to the dimly lit bar, the smell of cheap electronic cigarettes and cheaper alcohol hung in the air.
Both looked around, seeing almost no one besides the barkeep. The few customers present were tucked away into booths or huddled at tables, sipping at their drinks or leaving them untouched as they spoke in low whispers. Cathrida turned her gaze towards the bar and the swarthy skinned man sitting at it.
“That’s the Crusher.” Laika whispered.
“He’s caused a lot of problems for Zern, at least lately.” “Just the man I want to meet…” Stepping forward Cathrida paced across the room, taking a seat at the bar directly beside Denzel. Laika sat beside her as the barman approached, his expression as flat as most of the beer he poured.
“What will it be?” He asked, practically in monotone.
Cathrida slipped her black, nanocarbon laden hands from her red cloak and pulled her hood back.
“Anything without blood or teeth, preferably.” The barman went rigid as recollection and clear understanding of her words spread across his face.
“I-I’ll just check the back then.” He asked, skittering out of sight as Cathrida against the bartop and turned her eye towards the man beside her.
“Mr ‘Crusher’ is it? I hope I don’t need to introduce myself, my reputation usually precedes me. Or used too." “No need for introductions. As one thorn in Zern’s side to another, I’d say it’s an honor to meet you ” Denzel sat up straight and his relaxed expression was replaced by one of focus and attention.
“I assume since you picked me out of a crowd and called me by name, you’ve been looking for me. Might I ask why?” “My cabin girl knew you by name. That might not mean much anywhere else, but in regards to the Mekon Movement that means everything.” Cathrida smiled, her eyebrows perking up as she continued.
“There’s something I need to get from the surface of Venus. Something very important for my continued ‘work’ here. Normally I’d just be a matter of quietly stealing a landing craft and going from there. However my arrival here was anything but quiet. It's only a matter of time before Zern comes to investigate and once they figure out who I am they’ll drop the hammer on this place.” Cathrida tapped a finger against the bartop for emphasis, nearly stabbing her sharpened digit into the cheap synthetic wood.
“You’re with the movement. You know people, very angry people who want to do something. So I want you, and any other warm bodies with a mobile suit you can find, to come with me. I’m not sure how long it’ll take to get what I need. So when Zern comes knocking I want a merry band of mobile workers waiting to greet them.” “Hmm…” Denzel took another sip of alcohol as he considered her proposal.
“I am entirely supportive of anything and everything that sticks it to Zern, and by extension pretty much everything you do. I only have one objection.” “I had a previous engagement.” Denzel absentmindedly traced the outline of the patrol route he had memorized on the table.
“A lovely date with an under-protected warehouse full of Mobile worker parts that would have been a big help to the movement. The plan was to strike hard and fast while a large portion of the military has their big” Denzel spread his arms
“Yay the nobility is here to be condescending bastards party.” “I might be willing to split my forces to try and get both, but that would be a gamble. I would prefer to perform one mission or the other. Of course the boys are willing to fight Zern whenever or wherever, but I prefer to know what I’m fighting for. Measure the risk and reward.” Denzel leaned forward against the table and fixed Cathrida with a piercing stare.
“So before I make a decision tell me about this item of yours. Or at the very least, tell me how it would hurt Zern, or help us.” Cathrida paused, glancing to Laika who looked on with interest, before looking back to Denzel.
“I don’t want to show my hand just yet. What I need to get is very important and will make my job, your job, and the rest of the Mekon Movements work much easier.” Reaching out across the bar, Cathrida picked up the filthy glass the bartender had left on the counter.
“That’s probably not a satisfactory answer, but let me ask you this: What does the Mekon Movement need?” Cathrida looked to Denzel, rolling the glass over in her hand as she spoke.
“If you’re practical you might say guns, parts, mobile suits, but those only allow you and your people to act. It's not the end goal, not what you really want.” Laika watched as Cathrida’s grip over the glass tightened, so gradually that she could see and hear the cracks beginning to appear in the beer stained glass.
“But I know what you want. What you’ve all been hungry for, hoping for, fighting for. How? Because I want the same thing. Once I get what I need from the surface of Venus, I’m going to join the Mekon Movement. And when I do, I'll be able to lead you towards what everyone floating above this orange ball has craved for years.” With a simple flex of her wrist the glass all but exploded in her palm and Cathrida’s eyes went wide, gleaming.
“A chance to make Zern suffer! A chance to strike a blow that they will never forget. A blow that will show the rest of Venus that they do the very same thing…” For a moment Denzel stared impassively at Cathrida, before he cracked a smile “I didn’t expect a ruthless former pirate captain to be so... optimistic about our chances. But I guess it only makes sense, even as a pirate you were one to shoot for the stars. Fine, when we go to the hideout I’ll tell everyone about our change of plans.”
It was almost like someone flipped a switch in Denezl’s head. The calculating stare seemed to fade away, being replaced by a vague friendliness.
“I’ll show you to the hideout once we are done here. I’d propose a toast, but…” Denzel’s eyes scanned over the shards of glass all over the counter
“Oh well. Cheers.” Denzel raised his glass and drained it.
“As much as I like the title, “Crusher” It gets a bit stifling getting called that all the time. You can just call me Denzel.” He presented his hand for a handshake.
“If you have any requests about what to call you, or what not to call you, now’s the time to tell me. Same for if you would like to introduce me to your ward over there” Denzel glanced at Laika.
“I’m optimistic because I have a plan. I’ve had a long time to think about what to do, and this is the first step.” Cathrida’s near manic grin remained on her face as she reached out and clasped Denzel’s hands. The inner, almost fibrous palm of her cybernetic arm was warm while the nanocarbon plating of her fingers was cold. Just a gentle squeeze was enough the man’s large, strong hand aching.
“Call me Cathrida and this--” “I’m Laika.” Laika said firmly, finally chiming into the conversation. “I want you to get the word out through whatever channels you can. We need to leave as soon as possible. Whoever gets to this hideout of yours when we show up will be the ones that come with us.” Cathrida turned from Dezel and glanced back to Laika.
“Did you prepare a mobile worker?” “Yeah. It's not very well armed, but I did my best. We can pick it up once we make our move.” “Good girl.” Cathrida said and Laika beamed at the compliment.
“I already sent a message to a certain Mekon supporting radio broadcaster about half an hour ago. By now the broadcast has already been made, and the gang is already gathering in the hideout. Once we arrive all we have to do is explain the plan to them and set off. So, lets go.” Denzel stood up from the bar and left a small amount of money next to his glass, enough to cover for the alcohol, and hopefully for the broken mug as well. He very much didn’t want the barkeep at his favorite hangout to be ambivalent to him
“Come on, I’ll show you the way. There are a couple shady streets along the way but that’s fine. I know all the shortcuts and workarounds.” 
veenknight343
