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| >> Campfire Creative >> Fiction >> Action/Adventure >> ID #1730472 |   |
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| [Introduction] This is pretty much just for ldyphoenix and I, as we go back in time to figure out what the heck happened between those two lol. |
 Wiskers  Nikko steered the unruly little vessel into the docking bay, and signed "himself" into the database. Of course it wasn't really him. What idiot used their real IDs? He unbuckled himself, with some difficulty seeing as the catch was stuck, and stood, hitting his head on the roof in the process. Nikko swore. Loudly. And in multiple languages as well. This ship was not up to snuff. Disregarding the fact that it had only one closet sized cabin, which pretty much meant no crew members other then himself (something he'd convinced himself was alright), the fact that it was about the size of three minivans roped together like some crazy raft, or even that every time he stood from his chair he banged his head on the ceiling. No, the worst thing about it was that it was slow. And freaking ugly. No races or beauty contests, that was for sure. "No matter." He'd told himself as he'd set the course. "I'll be leaving with enough credits to buy a bigger, better ship. A crew even." And some DS, a small voice inside his brain had said. He ignored it. Yes, he'd come to make his fortune. How exactly it was going to happen however, was currently unknown. Nikko slipped the blaster into its holster, splashed some water in his face and shook his head a few times. "Lets do this." A few moments later, he was out and into the bustling, scum ridden halls of Weathercock Station 4. And to perfectly honest, it was his kind of place. His first stop would be to meet his contact, the one he'd been pointed to from his home world. The one who would supposedly, set him up. He hadn't even met him, and he already didn't like him. No one gave help for free. No one. Nikko eyed the small bar under the neon lights and vids flashing commercials, that was situated to one side of the main station. He rechecked the card he had in his pocket, now fairly wrinkled but still readable. Yup. This was the place. Nikko stopped a moment, and quickly took in the surroundings, and everyone who was sitting at the bar. There was dancer on the counter, two middle aged barmen who looked human enough, an old man who appeared to have had one (or three) too many drinks, and a very rat-faced young man who was drinking deeply into whatever it was that was in his cup. Thats him. Nikko nonchalantly took a seat next to him, and ordered a drink. The bartender looked at him... and then complied. Great place, he was liking it more and more by the minute. The young man didn't look at him. "You must be Ralin's kid." He said after another sip. Nikko felt a twinge at his mothers name. "Thats right." The man scratched his head. "What you doing here?" "Look." Nikko said. "I'm not here to talk about my life. I'm here because someone said you could help me. Someone seemed to think you had connections. Personally, I have my doubts." "Hey, hey." The man said, defensive, and finally looking at him. Yuck, he was ugly. "No need to get tetchy. I owe your mom a favor." "I'll bet you do." Nikko thought, disgusted. "And besides-" He continued. "I'm a man of my word." "So." Nikko took a drink from his glass. "What do I need to know." The man laughed, a very unpleasant thing indeed. "Well, first off, don't trust anyone." "Don't worry, I don't." Nikko said, getting a twinge of satisfaction from the annoyed look on the mans face. He really was a rat... "Second, know your suppliers." Nikko's head snapped towards him. "What did you say?" The man smiled, showing dirty teeth. "Its alright, I know your 'sitch little boy. And I can point you to the cheapest in town. Or we could work out some sort of deal." He seemed very self satisfied, in a way that made Nikko want to punch him. He resisted the urge. "I don't deal with-" Nikko started, then stopped himself. He was feeling very unlike himself at the moment, uncomfortable. "Anything else I need to know? Otherwise, thanks for nothing." "Well, you should know who's boss." Seriously, if he followed that up with "I'm the boss" Nikko really was going to punch him... "The Armada's run this place. If you want to survive here, you either work with 'em or stay outa the way. Cause if you cross 'em... well." He didn't finish, letting it sink it. "Armada..." Nikko racked his brain. The name sounded familiar. Then he noticed Rat Man was staring at him. "Uh, yeah. It is thanks for nothing." Then he got up from the bar, and informed the bartender that his "friend" would be paying for his drink. And before the weasel could say anything about it, he was gone, lost in the crowds. He was not going back to that guy. Ever. "Ugh." Nikko shuddered. His mom had the worst taste. But taste was never really the thing, it was the credits. And if that wasn't bad enough, she wasn't even expensive. The thought ran through his mind that maybe, just maybe, he shouldn't have been so rude. Seeing as rat-face was the only dealer he knew on his place. But he didn't even want to think about what kind of "deal" it would have been. So now he was in a new place, alone. Then, as he started to walk, he began to notice how many things were branded with large letter A's. Armada. Nikko stopped dead. "Huh." LdyPhoenix Vayle Armada found herself sitting through one of the most boring dates in all of mankind.Her date, if one could call it that, kept waxing on and on about the growth of his credit portfolio. Between the perfectly sculpted blond hair and barely compressed sneer on his effeminate face, she had yet to find one interesting quality to make the evening bearable. Unfortunately, he was as dull as brick, and prettier than her to boot. Even the most compassionate soul would have a hard time coming to terms with that. If it weren't for the fact that her father had specifically ordered her to have dinner with one of his key shareholder's sons, Vayle doubted she would have shown up in the first place. As it was she sat as prim in her seat as possible, daintily cutting into the gourmet baked chicken on her plate, calling on her self-control not to throw the plate into his face. “This isn’t the most lavish place in the world,” Carillon stated as he brushed a finger under his graceful chin. “But I thought you would enjoy the intimacy it provided.” Vayle raised a brow as she bit into a piece of seasoned asparagus. “How quaint of you.” And trivial… So when the one of her bodyguards stepped out from the corner to hand her hologram from her father's office, she did her best to not jump for joy. Instead, she dabbed her linen napkin at the corners of her mouth, before politely excusing herself from the dining table. To his credit, he did stand as she left the table. But that was all part of the game. She and Carillon were born in to a society that played by very specific rules and guidelines. If you didn’t play, there were troubling consequences. Being the daughter of one the most powerful men in the verse, she knew that fact first hand. For as long as she could remember, the head of the Armada fortune had been grooming her to take his place when he could no longer hold control. Much of that training had been in self-control, to strike before another has a chance to attack, to follow through on your word – threats and promises alike. To never surrender. Sometimes, when she gave herself a moment to think about it, she thought of her brothers. If only things had gone differently. If only they hadn’t… The hologram pad felt weighty in her palm as she discreetly stepped into one of the floating restaurant’s dark corners. A perfect pixelized version of her father popped up before her. The message was brief and devoid of any emotion. She was to handle a small problem at Weathercock Station 4 with one of the business owner’s –an inn’s keeper- not paying his dues. Infliction of pain was to be avoided, but was not out of the question if they did not cooperate. Satisfied, Vayle deleted her father’s transmission from the holo-pad and handed it back to one of her bodyguards, telling them they would be leaving in a few minutes so to prep her personal vessel for departure. She could tell from the face of her head of security, Simmons, that he was not pleased with her going on her father’s request with only one guard. However, he knew she could not be budged. How could she expect her father to respect her if her guards did all the hard work? As etiquette dictated, Vayle went back her dining mate with the most sincere smile she could muster. “I’m sorry Carillon, but I will have to leave early. A sudden emergency had occurred and I must take care of it.” As she went to life her purse from the back of her chair, a soft hand clamped down on her wrist, bringing her to stop. Vayle didn’t know whether to be annoyed or amused. She signaled her guards to no interfere. “We’ve barely finished the second course. Surely, you can stay for one more.” “I’m afraid that is just not possible.” Carillon’s hand tightened. “You little bitc-“ “Carillon, this is most unbecoming of you. Let me fix that.” Vayle grabbed three of the fingers of the hand holding her wrist and slowly bent them back to meet his wrist. The rosy color of his complexion faded to stark white as he gasped for air. She leaned in closer, the picture of companions sharing a secret as she whispered into his ear. “You will tell your father that we had a lovely dinner, but you feel that we are not a suitable match. That will settle the dealings our fathers’ had for both of us.” Carillon nodded furiously. “And if I should hear from our close friends that anything unsavory happened between us, it will not be my father’s wrath you’ll have to worry about. Do we understand each other?” “Yes,” he gasped. Slowly, she released her grip on his fingers. Carillon snatched it back and held it closely to his chest. “I know why they call you an ice queen behind your back, Vayle.” “Ice queen?” The words struck her heart, the fact that her so-called friends truly hated her, but she took them deep within herself, giving her hurting companion a cold smile. “What an intriguing moniker. I’ll have to use it myself.” The click of her high heels followed her all the way to the port where her personal vessel was docked. Simmons had assigned a big and bulky man in an ill-fitting suit to take the controls while she changed in the back. Nodding to the concierge to note her satisfaction, she stepped inside the luxury craft, her mind entirely focused on the mission at hand. Vayle stepped out onto the docking port of a dilapidated station. For a moment she let her disgust show on her face. Luckily, she had changed her ebony satin evening dress for black slacks, buttoned-down shirt, stylish boots and her newly purchased cheongsam that concealed several daggers and throwing stars. Vayle needed every advantage she could get walking into such rough territory. Not everyone was smart enough to recognize an Armada when they see her. She spotted the inn and suppressed a smile. This could be interesting, she thought. Signaling her guards to watch the ship, Vayle walked on to complete her orders. Wiskers Nikko took another sip from his drink and sighed. He was sitting in a booth in an old inn with his feet up on the table. The place was run down. And it was the best, most expensive lodgings available. But he didn't worry about the cost; he'd swiped some ones credit card on the way in. He used a finger to move pages on his data pad. It was a thin, translucent thing that could access public knowledge as well as... not so public knowledge. Currently, he was looking up everything there was about the so called power house of the station. The Armadas. Apparently Mr. Armada, one of the wealthiest businessmen in the 'verse, owned almost the entire station. He also owned its security force. Which explained why most small businesses had to pay protection fees. His office was on one of the top levels, and apparently very well fortified. Not to mention built like a maze. He had a small (which for him, was a twenty room suite) living area in the station, but also owned many properties including a large estate on the nearby moon Swallowrock. His public reputation was one of shrewd business and cold elegance. His private reputation, was a bit different. Basically, he didn't like losing money. People who cheat him tend to disappear... permanently. As for family, his wife was dead. Killed in an apparent accident, although it was rumored to be more. There was a small footnote about sons, but no real information about them. And then there was his daughter. Nikko leaned back and took a farther away view at the picture on his pad. She was... really pretty. Though she seemed cold and hard as well, sharing the same cool grey eyes as her father. He looked up her records. She was a planetary debutante, attended many very expensive and high ends schools before eventually becoming tutored. She had straight A's, was certified for flying interstellar as well as earthbound crafts, and even, it appeared, knew how to shoot a gun. So... she wasn't your typical prissy rich girl. But they were all basically the same. He did find her name interesting though. "Vayle." Nikko looked up, hearing the name he'd been reading spoken out loud. It was the inn keeper who'd said it, and it seemed that all other tenants has suddenly disappeared. "I-I wasn't expecting you today. H-how is your father?" "He would be better if you'd made your payments on time." There she was. In this very inn. She didn't even have a bodyguard... bold. He decided to watch a bit. He hadn't been notice as of yet. "I-I mean-" The man attempted rational thought. "Things have been hard, e-everywhere. Perhaps I could have a few more days-" Vayle sighed softly, and finished the distance to the counter where she used her slim fingers to absentmindedly trace circles on the fake wood. "Now, Roland. You know thats not how things work." The man gulped. "I guess we're just going to have to find some else to take the managements position." "What?" He asked, seeming angry. "I've worked here for fourteen years! I have a family to feed." "Well." She said, straightening. "You probably should have thought of that before, huh." She flicked off the dust her fingers had accumulated resting on the counter and turned to walk out. "The new employee should arrive tomorrow. You have till then to leave." "No." The man murmured. "You should be more worried... about yourself-" Nikko saw the man move his arm slowly behind the counter and emerge with a gun. Almost as quickly, he'd pulled out his own blaster, and shot him through the chest. Leaving a smoking hole in his body, and in the wall. Vayle turned quickly behind her, saw the man, then turned to him. She looked surprised. Nikko lowered the gun. "Sorry." She just looked at him and he shrugged. "Well, you were going to fire him anyway..." LdyPhoenix Vayle looked at the fallen body of her father’s former innkeeper with a mild sense of shock. He wasn’t the first dead body she’d seen nor the most wounded. But there was something faintly disturbing about looking down at the corpse of someone she had been speaking with just moments before. “Nice dagger.” It took her a moment before she realized the blade of the dagger was still in her hand, a reaction from the flash of the blaster. She knew she was fast, but the boy who had killed the innkeeper had been faster. Vayle didn’t know whether to be thankful or annoyed. Gathering her thoughts, she made a show of tucking the blade back into inside the lining of her cheongsam. “It wasn’t necessary to kill him. I had the situation under control.” He shrugged. “From my point-of-view, that’s debatable. No need to thank me.” Vayle lifted a brow in barely-veiled contempt. “I wasn’t going to.” Much to her chagrin, the boy laughed. The urge to say something indelicate rose the longer she remained in his presence. “In polite society, it is customary to introduce one’s self.” He leaned back against the bar, his arms crossed over his chest; apparently unfazed by the person he had just killed laying only a few feet away. “What’s in it for me?” Sighing, Vayle changed tactics. She was running out of time. Vayle unbuttoned her coat and walked closer to the boy. Something shifted in his demeanor but he purposely stayed in the position he was in. Standing only a few inches apart, she reached up as if to brush her fingers against his cheek. His eyes widened slightly, pupils flaring. Taking satisfaction in his surprise for a moment, she lingered before reaching into his hair and ripping a few strands out by the root. “Ow!” Taking the dark strands of hair, she placed them in the small side compartment of her pad and waited for the results. It beeped seconds later. No valid information. Intriguing… Vayle smiled serenely at his glower, acting as if she had something. “Was that so difficult?” “I don’t usually slug girls, but for you…” He rubbed the sore spot on his head. “The name is Nikko.” “My name is Vayl-“ “I know who you are, Armada.” His sour expression soon turned charming, calculating. “After everything we’ve been through, I believe you owe me a favor. A ride would do. I bet your ship is premium.” Vayle looked at him incredibly. Was he serious? Someone cleared their throat near the entrance of the door. Vayle continued to glare at Nikko before turning to Simmons’ imposing figure. “Is everything alright, Miss Armada?” “Fine,” she replied in a clipped tone. “You can tell my father the situation has been dealt with and that we’ll need to look into hiring a new innkeeper. Have one of your men dispose of the body.” A small whimper came from a crack in the dilapidated stairs just left of the bar. Vayle glanced up to see a little girl clutching a ragged bunny under her arm. Tears were pouring down her angelic face. Something in Vayle’s chest constricted at the sight but she did not let herself react, forcing herself to watch impassively. Suddenly, the little girl was picked up from the stairs and cradled in her mother’s arms before ushered back up to the rooms. Her father, she thought as she stared back at the dead body. The image would always stick with the little girl no matter how much she tried to push it away. Death, Vayle knew, had a way of haunting the mind. The pain rarely faded. “I want all the information on the innkeeper’s family. Make sure nothing happens to them before I come to a decision about what to do with them.” What would she do with them, Vayle had no idea. Her father had always pushed a firm, bottom line – no remorse. Yet she could not let what had happened stand without some form of compensation. If her father found out…there would be a world of hurt to pay, and she would be the debtor. The situation was something that needed more contemplation, and she could not do that with Nikko watching her every move. “And Simmons…keep this quiet for the time being.” The head of security look back with a blank expression of his face before nodding. He would do as he was told unless her father instructed him otherwise. There was always a risk. Vayle turned her attention back to the boy who called himself Nikko. He stood back against the bar like he had all the time in the world. A smirk played on his lips as if he knew exactly what she was thinking. It was an unnerving thought to dwell on, and an insolence that could not be born. She stood as straight as a rod and gave her best “ice queen” impression. He thought she was a rich and spoiled verse debutante; that a little charm, arrogance, and supposed “debt” would smooth the way for greener credit pastures. Inwardly, Vayle smiled. He had no idea what he was getting himself into. “You want a ride? Let’s go.” Wiskers "You want a ride? Let's go." With that Vayle turned sharply and walked out of the inn, her security man lingering to look Nikko up and down a moment. Nikko just raised an eyebrow at him and he turned to leave as well. Nikko's charm and coolness escaped him for a second. He looked from the grip of his pistol tucked into his holster, to the man laying dead on the floor, to the stairs where the child and mother had been frozen. He'd been in almost this exact situation before, but it hadn't been an inn. It had been his mothers 'place of work', and the dead man on the floor had been his father. Too make things worse she'd sold him out. This kid wasn't going to forget. Ever. Awkwardly, Nikko threw a few credits on the bar, almost like he was paying for a drink. He was paying for a life. When he finally emerged from the inn he spied Vayle waiting impatiently. He was surprised she'd actually stuck around. "Are you ready?" She asked with icy politeness, motioning to the nearby space dock. "You know." Nikko smiled as he passed her, getting his face very close to hers. "I would think someone would be a bit nicer to the guy who just saved their lives." He could practically see steam coming out from her ears. Hah! This was going to be fun. Vayle typed in the code and the big metal door unlocked. She stepped inside and Nikko followed, being watched very closely by her big bodyguard. When the ships doors opened they were in a cool, carpeted hallway. One that was actually big enough for human beings. "Shall I set the course to-" Her bodyguard began, but she interrupted him. "No, Dex, I'm going to fly." Vayle said, smiling at Nikko with thinly veiled disdain. Dex glanced between them and then ducked into another room on the ship. "So, where are you headed to." She asked. Nikko wasn't really paying attention. He was too busy checking out the ship. It was cool and exquisite and cold, just like it's owner. "What does this thing do?" Nikko asked, stretching up his arm and lightly brushing the ceiling with his fingers. "360?" "410." She said cooly. "Now, where do you want us to drop you off." Though the hallway was a comfortable size for a ship it was still small enough for him to the cross the distance and corner her. "Am I that bad of a houseguest?" He smiled. His proximity threw her off for a second, just like she'd done to him at the inn. She opened her mouth to say something and stopped. Nikko grinned wider, and she ducked around him. "If you consider a rat to be a guest in anyone's house." Vayle said, walking toward the cockpit. Nikko laughed, and followed her. "Oh? Really that's the kind of treatment I get?" "I'm afraid so." Vayle sat in the lightly tanned leather captains chair, and began to startup the ship. Nikko casually took the seat beside her. "That's unfortunate." Vayle made a dismissive noise in her throat. The ship was jolted a little when they pulled out from the dock. Under her own cool and calculating demeanor Vayle appeared to be unsettled. "Don't steer so hard." Nikko said gently, lightly placing his hand on hers. "Ships are amazing things and if you treat them right, they can outperform anyone else in the sky." She looked into his eyes... and slowly slipped her hand out from under his. "Ms. Armada." The big guy, Dex, was standing there holding a holo-pad and blocking the rest of the hallway from view with his girth. "Your father called for a report and I gave it to him." Vayle's jaw tightened. Nikko looked from her to her bodyguard, confused. "He desires your company at the estate on Swallowrock to discuss the incident." "Very well." Vayle said, turning away from Dex and focusing on the myriad of buttons and lights at the helm. "Tell him we will be there shortly." The guard nodded and disappeared back down the hall. "I guess wherever you were planning to go will have to wait." She said. ---- A silent hour or so later, Vayle landed the craft on the black tarmac of their own personal landing pad. Swallowrock was the terraformed moon to a nearby mining, planet Gates-1, and was completely owned, not surprisingly, by the Armadas. It was inhabited only by a small army of household staff, some exotic birds and animals brought in for ambience, and occasionally, by the Armada family themselves. Even from the sky Nikko could tell the estate was massive. He really hit the jackpot here! Though it had been almost eight PM at the Weathercock Station 4, a nearby sun was shining on this side of the moon, and it was presumably sometime in the late morning here. Their arrival was met with a flurry of activity. Even before they un-boarded the ship they were surrounded with staff. Mr. Armada was just about to sit down for breakfast and they were to join him. Vayle ordered some nervous, thin old lady to take Nikko to one of the many guest-rooms so he could clean up. She went to her own to, presumably do the same. The thought of eating breakfast made his head spin a bit as an hour-and-a-half ago he'd just eaten dinner. Granted, it wasn't a very good one. Still, space travel could confusing thing for one's body. Nikko looked around the fantastic room, overflowing with rugs, paintings, curtains, that had to be worth more than his ship. He absentmindedly grabbed an apple from a silver bowl sitting on a marble table and bit into it. You didn't get much fresh fruits and veggies out in the black. He walked out of the open door and stood on the balcony, a soft breeze caressing his face. Below he spotted a gardener trimming some sort of flowers. Nikko shook his head in disbelief. Was he ever out of his element. And to think, just earlier today, he'd been a newcomer in one of the seediest places in the 'verse and now he was a guest at the Armada's. Talk about change of fortunes. "Excuse me, sir?" Nikko snapped out of his revery and looked behind him. He had to shield his eyes from the sun to see inside the room that was much darker to him out in the day. A maid was standing in the doorway, uncertain. "Breakfast has started." "Oh." Nikko said. "Right." He'd almost forgotten. Nikko followed her through the extensive hallways and eventually came to a beautiful sun room. Three of the four walls were made entirely of glass, allowing for a breathtaking view of the well manicured grounds of the estate. An ornate silver and glass table stood at the center, and two people were already sitting at it. Vayle had changed into a dress but it seemed like it had been an afterthought. Her eyes seemed vaguely reddened. The man at the head of the table, was instantly recognizable as Mr. Armada. He had the same cool grey eyes as his daughter, and though wearing a friendly smile, still seemed somewhat sinister. An unwelcome chill, mixed with his usual defiance, hit Nikko. "Ah." Mr. Armada stood as Nikko was ushered in. "So you're the one who saved my daughter. Mr-?" "Reth." Nikko said, not moving forward. "I see." Mr. Armada said. "Please, have a seat. Lucy's made her famous fruit pastries, something I assure you is worth trying." Nikko sat down across from Vayle. "She didn't need much saving." Nikko said. "She's quick." "Yes, she is." Mr. Armada smiled again. "But you were faster." Another maid or servant, Nikko couldn't decide which although he was leaning toward the latter, came in with a silver dish. She served Mr. Armada first then wen't clockwise around the table. "It's a shame Roland had to die, he was a good tenant." Mr. Armada sliced the steak that was on his plate and ate a piece. "And I never expect him to pull something like that. But it's our job-" He gave Vayle a piercing glance and dabbed his mouth with an embroidered napkin, "-to expect the unexpected. And never let our guard down." Vayle just took a sip of water from the crystal glass sitting in front of her, and Nikko noticed a blue bruise on her wrist, like someone had been squeezing it. Hard. "So, Mr. Reth." Mr. Armada said, gazing at him seriously. "Are you interested in being employed?" © Copyright 2010 Wiskers, LdyPhoenix, (known as GROUP). All rights reserved. GROUP has granted Writing.Com, its affiliates and its syndicates non-exclusive rights to display this work. |
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