With the keys to the cage (part 2)

Posted on Fri Jan 1, 2016 @ 6:04am by Civilian 'Key Holder' Yolanthe Ibalin & Civilian Ricardo Draxx

1,817 words; about a 9 minute read

Mission: Pangaea (Wrap up)
Location: Verex III, Orion Space
Timeline: MD09 1800

::OLD::
She headed off , heading away from the auction hall as the crowds were pressing in. The spot between her shoulders was starting to feel exposed and vulnerable. She was sure she was being watched.

::NEW::

A shoulder bumped her. In one move she had caught the offending hand, pulled it's owner off balance and rolled him over her hip so he crashed to his back on the ground and had drawn the cats claw and pressed it under his chin with other.

The orion boy who looked up at her was young. Perhaps 17 by human standards. He was yet to pack on the muscle of an adult. "Err," he began, then realised that talking could lead to bleeding.

"Why are you-?" She began then realised there was a lack of weight in her inside pocket. She put a hand into her coat to confirm, pinning the boy with a knee. The bag with her latinum was gone. She breathed a sigh of relief. Just a pick pocket.

She patted him down and found the bag in the pocket of his pants. She took it back and let him up. "Fuck off. If I see you again, I'll cut you." It was a lie. But the boy looked like he believed it.

He ran, relieved. She watched him go then turned back towards Boks store.

It was more of an office. Plush furnishings and a desk surrounded by samples of every type of weapon most of which she had never seen before.

"Bok?" She called out.

The Ferengi totted out and a big grin adorned his face as he looked her and down. "You have me at a disadvantage," he stated eying her hungrily.

She was glad he couldn't tell she was rolling her eyes. Ferengi were all alike. "I need a Bi Pulse 7000. I was told you could hook me up."

"WHO told you I can hook you up? And if I could, what's in it for me?" he demanded.

"Ricardo Draxx." she replied promptly. "And I have latinum. lots for a fast answer. Not so much for a slow one."

The Ferengi looked somewhat unhappy despite the prospect of some Latinum. Draxx obviously had something over him. "He's done some jobs for the boss in the past. I suppose ..... We can trust you." He said begrudging holding his hand out for his payout.

Yolanthe frowned. she didn't like giving money for nothing. She handed over a strip of latinum, and shook the bag with the rest. "You get this when I get what I came for. I'm not giving you cash up front."

"This way," he lifted part of the shop counter up allowing her to come into the back room. "Prototypes," he pressed a button and what looked like a display cabinet transformed and then presented her with several models of gun.

She hesitatated, unsure what to do or say. "I didn't ask for a prototype. I asked for a Bi Pulse 7000. Do you have one or not?"

"Who's this?" another male voice rang out. A human came into view. Larger, much much larger than Draxx but with similar colouring.

"Draxx's new chickadee," the Ferengi stated. "She wants a weapon."

The other man laughed.

"Scanned her from the back Bok. Your an idiot. She's got wire in her hair and at least one weapon on her I could determine. She's not after one of our weapons. She could just ask Draxx to get her that. If in fact you DO know Draxx at all. Besides she's not really his type. Not bimbo enough for sure," he circled her then set his eyes boring into her.

"What are you really after?"

Yolanthe had jumped when the human had appeared at her back, and cursed silently. She had let her guard down. She also didn't like how big he was. The ferengi she could handle no problem, but the human would be harder. And then the pair of them were surrounded by weapons, and this was extremely tight quarters. If even just one of these prototypes was able to fire, she was in big trouble.

She glanced down at her hands, and her heart sunk again. The shift was tiny so small she could barely see it. She was sure it was a change invisible to the others, who had never spent a lifetime examining the nuanced shifts of shade in another person's skin. But the blue was getting lighter.

This was not good. She was supposed to have at least another hour. That's what the man had said when he'd sold her the drug. Two good hours, rising to four if she stayed calm. It had barely been one.

Her hand slipped back and she threaded her forefinger through the eye of the Cat's Claw dagger.

"Draxx pointed me to you. I paid him to bring me here. I came on his crappy ship with its horny gorn pilot, and put up with him swaggering around with his shirt undone. I am definitely not one of his 'bimbos'. I came to find the man who could sell me a Bi Pulse 7000, and in return, I can offer you latinum, and plausible deniabilty."

She kept her eyes on the human, calculating the various ways she could take him, and hoped he would take the latinum and send her where she wanted to go before this got really nasty. She didn't want to kill.

"I'm telling you now darling. You raise that thing behind your back and try anything there will be hell to pay. I have another 2 men back there and should you manage to get out of here alive a contract will go on your head faster than you can say the words Bi Pulse 7000 again. Bok raise the Hexidecimal and get confirmation on this. Take a seat," he demanded at Yolanthe. "I like Draxx. Done a lot of business with him. For a pirate and a smuggler, sorry ..... "privateer" he ferries my stuff no problems. If you check out then we will talk."

She ignored the chair. If there were two more men she didn't want to waste time standing if she had to run. But she released her grip on the knife.

The face of Poppy appeared and for the first time in the days since Yolanthe had met her she spoke perfect federation and then was addressed by a different name.

"Lucy. I have some woman here claiming Draxx sent her and not saying particully nice things about you all,"

"Orson, a pleasure as always. She is our job, although the Captains out finding some more business to make this trip more worthwhile as we speak. What did she say?" the Gorns face twitched. As close to a smile as a Gorn could.

"Crappy ship, your horny and Draxx is wandering around shirtless," he reeled off amused.

Poppy/Lucy laughed out loud. "Oh you would know about horny Orson. Well shes one to talk. Draxx says shes the most awful cold fish. Sounds like the Captain but not on this trip. His shirts been firmly in place. However Yolanthe, you bitch about this ship again and we personally, will have words. She's legit Orson if not a pain in the arse. We all thought she would do a better job buying a gun and getting a name than this."

"Thanks Lucy." Orson indicated to Bok to cut the transmission then rounded on her again.

"So who exactly are you after miss cold fish?"

Yolanthe felt her temper flaiir at the names, but that was quickly squashed when she saw the blue lighten another fraction. Bleeding Ancestors, she needed to be done with this and gone. "Do you really want to play twenty questions?" She also didn't want to risk anyone tipping Torm off that there was someone coming to get him. "I want to find Torm Marikmar. I want to buy a very special gun." Because it will be the last one he ever sells She kept that to herself.

"I have done business with this man. He is not a man to tick off. It better be a decent amount of latinum and if our names ever get into his public arena as having sent you there then I will come for you personally," Orson stated.

"Do you want the latinum or not?"

"Yes but you better be good to your word about your plausible deniability. And your going to need a ship to take you on another trip. So I think your probably going to have to be nice to a certain Captain and Gorn who's ship you recently insulted. Few people here would take you on this trip," the human stated. "I think possibly Draxx is your only decent chance. He clearly see's some worth in you and is after something to aid him."

Worth. In this place the thought of her worth made her flinch and the blue of her skin definitely looked greener to her.  The human didnt seem to notice as he waffled along. Was there a species of male any where in the galaxy that didn't shut up? "Just tell me where." 

"He owns a moon near Siva 6. His main operation is there. Latinum," he indicated the table. "And I will transmit exact coordinates to you."

Finally! she managed to stuff down the urge to punch the air in triumph. She dropped ten strips down without hesitation, and saw her hand was a several shade darker than it had been. She snatched her hand away, shoving into her coat pocket. Even if he went back on his deal it was close enough for her to find Klia on her own if she had to.

"Thank you." She pushed past him, heading for the exit before the drugs in her skin gave up completely.

She stepped out into the street, and the door had barely hissed shut behind her when she realised there were people waiting for her. Two burly Orion males were lounging directly across the street from the door, and straightened up when she appeared.
A quick glance around and she spotted someone with at least a little Klingon in his blood propping up the corner to her left; two more orions at the right; ans she couldn't see them, but at the side of the weapon dealers shop there was a shadow dropping out into the street.

Six. Six people. She knew she could take anyone of them, one on one. Her sense for a winner told her that she wouldn't even break sweat. If it was one on one. But six together?

Probably. Possibly. It had been a long time, and she wasn't exactly at fighting weight anymore. Would they be dumb enough to come at her one-on-one? Hopefully. If not, this was going to hurt.

::TBC::


A JP between

Yolanthe Ibalin
Owner, The Box of Delights

&

Ricardo Draxx
privateer

 

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