One would think after centuries of evolution, politics would evolve with it. Evolution stinks.
A quiet figure, covered in cloak and shadows of the corner, sits and listens to the ramblings of the man across the table. As the man goes on, gloved fingers wrap around the glass of whiskey, and mind drifts to other places.
806 A.S.
A cool breeze came in the balcony window of the House of Proulx family estate as Odette stood looking out over the grounds. Long brunette hair whips around her face as she watches Royal Navy storm the grounds and into her father's home. The door to her chambers fly open, and a handmaiden, close to her own age, runs across the room. She grabs Odette's arm "We must go, come!" Pulling the young Comtesse behind her. Screams fill the corridors as they run to another chamber and slam the door. Odette stands transfixed at the door as the hand maiden looks hastily for the secret door. Masonry grinds across the floor as the secret door opens. "Comtesse...Comtesse!...Comt..."
Present Day
"....tar...Katar, hello?"
There is just a touch of movement under the cloak's hood. "Hm? Oh, non, non." Dismissing whatever he has said with a wave of the hand. The figure takes up the glass and downs the whiskey in one long drink. "If zis information you 'ave given moi is good, zen I will see zat you are properly compensated."
The man looks a touch concerned. "Are you sure you are alright? You didn't seem to be listening to a thing I said."
"You will find zat I can do a great many things at once, if I so deemed it. Now go, I will 'ave ze credits sent to you promptly." Once he has gone, the figure pulls the datapad over and begins reviewing the information. "Time to find someone who has like ideals as mon self."
“I will hurt you for this. I don't know how yet, but give me time. A day will come when you think yourself safe and happy, and suddenly your joy will turn to ashes in your mouth, and you'll know the debt is paid.”
― George R.R. Martin, A Clash of Kings
Epernay Station, Champagne
Even sleeping, the figure keeps covered in cloaks. Having paid to get a few hours of undisturbed rest. One arm hidden under a pillow, the other still holding a datapad. Every few moments, body flinches, as if reacting to something.
806 A.S.
"Comtesse!" The hand maiden runs over to Odette, grabbing her arm. Shots and pounding ringing in their ears as the Royal Navy begins taking the door down. They both run into the secret tunnel and shut the masonry made door just as the Navy make it through the wooden one, locking the masonry door. They remain quiet a moment as they hear the soldiers in the other room.
An eternity seems to pass when they hear the soldiers finally leave. The hand maiden takes a torch off the wall and lights it. Odette just looks pale as she is led along the tunnels. "Audienne, what is going on?"
Young Audienne, Odette's life long friend and hand maiden, stops at a fork in the tunnels. She keeps her voice softly as they can still hear the muffled screams, shots, and clanking of blades. She examines the rocks on the wall, as if looking for something. "Ze vicomte, 'e 'as gone before ze King with allegations of treason against votre père in 'is pursuit for power. 'E says ze Comte 'as sided with ze Council et given ze Council military plans. 'E says 'e 'as proof. "
Odette looks even more pale than before. "Non! I do not believe it!" Audienne finds a mark on the wall, and heads down the left tunnel. "Mon père is loyal to ze Crown."
There is a sigh from the young maiden. "Does not matter now. Ze King..... Votre mère et votre père.... they are dead. Ze military showed no mercy."
Odette stammers at the news, her breathe leaving her body, and she collapses against the tunnel wall. Audienne stops, listening for a moment, then giving her attention to the young Comtesse. "Listen, votre père made sure I was ready for this. 'E 'ad me study these tunnels, 'e trained you for years to handle a blade and ship. You 'ave to follow me now."
Tears flowed down the cheeks of Odette. "Mes parents..."
Audienne mutters something and slaps Odette "Forgive me, but you need to listen to me." She grabs Odette's arm and pulls her to her feet. They quickly make their way through tunnels, the air growing colder the deeper they go. Finally they come to a small room with supplies, cots, and the like. Audienne takes Odette to a cot to sit down. This far down, the massacre overhead is mute now. She gets water for Odette to sip on as the young maiden begins her work.
"Ze Comte is a valiant man. I do not believe ze allegations of ze Vicomte. But 'e 'as wanted votre père gone for some time." She takes out several items from a chest, lastly being a velvet wrapped item bound with leather and a sealed letter. "I was told you are to 'ave zese."
Odette puts the water down, and takes the wrapped item and letter, immediately recognizing her father's writing. Breaking the seal, she opens it and begins to read, tears falling once more as she reads the letter aloud. "Ma fleur parfaite, if you are reading this, then darkness has fallen upon our House. I have instructed Audienne on how to escape the planet. I know you will want revenge, and nothing I say now will stop you. So take this gift, and use it well. Soyez bien, ma fleur, et être en sécurité."
Odette puts the letter aside, and slowly unbinds the velvet, undoing the folds. Now in her hands, a Katar, a centuries old family heirloom, won by a long dead ancestor in the Sol system, and imprinted with the House of Proulx. Even after all this time, it had been kept pristine with its care. "I will find a way, père."
Present Day
A touch was felt, light on the figure's leg. Before eyes even open, a glint of metal is shot out and a Katar pressed against the other's throat. "Merde, Audienne! What 'ave I told you!"
The other is frozen. "You told me to wake you if I have learned anything." Slowly the katar is pulled away and sheathed somewhere under the cloak. Audienne hands a datapad over, the image of a Redemption on the screen. "We need to find the Lionness of Brittany. Or, you do atleast. Her capitaine has as much disdain for the Crown as you do. They might be able to help you."
"Merci, ma amie. You will stay here should I need you again?" The figure climbs off the cot, fixing the cloak, and taking both datapads.
"Oui. As I always do, to feed you intell. Ze Perimo is resupplied and ready when you are. 'Ow will you find this capitaine?"
An unseen smirk of a smile. "I have an idea. Now go before you are seen with me."
A nod and the female slips out of the room and away.
A glance at the picture of the Redemption once more. "Oui, time to find an ally atlast."
“When one woman strikes at the heart of another, she seldom misses, and the wound is invariably fatal.”
― Pierre Choderlos de Laclos, Les Liaisons Dangereuses
Present Day
Space can be a very cold place. But when one is full of anger and revenge, no amount of cold ever touches their skin. Same can be said about Katar. The Perimo, Latin for Reaper, sits in a quiet spot in the Provence system. Her pilot sits back, watching the radar for the occasional rogue GRN ship known to fly through as a short cut. More likely a pilot who snuck off to get his jollies somewhere. Pilots were idiots and thus predictable most times. The Perimo waits, like a snake waiting to strike, her pilot intent on the radar as she guzzles from the bottle of spirits in her hand. Then for a brief moment, her thoughts sway.....
806 A.S.
Odette still stared at the Katar in her hands. Suddenly it was covered by a stack of clothing. "Put zese on. We need to get you off this planet wi'out being noticed."
The young Comtesse snaps back to reality and takes the clothes. "An' jus' 'ow are we to accomplish zis?"
Audienne starts changing herself into a set of clothing put aside for herself in this venture. Once the dress went off, she started binding her chest to flatten it, then cutting her hair. She glances in the mirror, looking at Odette behind her as the young Comtesse began to change. "You should cut your 'air too, non?"
Despite the circumstances, Odette laughs "Hahahaha.......NON." Adamantly stately. She starts changing as well, A more male style than the gowns she is quite use to, "Now 'ow are we to get off ze planet?"
Audienne fusses with her now short hair. "Votre père has 'ired a freelancer to take you to Maine. From zere, 'e 'as a ship stored there for you. After zat, 'e did na tell me wha' you were to do."
Odette gives a nod as she slips on the black leather gloves. "I 'ave a pretty good idea wha' I wan' to do. It will jus' take time. Time et planning. Zen I can repay ze Vicomte for 'is treachery."
The young hand maiden pulls on the threads of a young commoner male of Gallia. "La meilleure vengeance n'est pas d'être comme votre ennemi."
A sigh is heard as Odette fixes the Katar to the waist of her back. "I intend to be something far far worse, Audienne. He brought 'Ell into ma life, I will bring 'Ell into 'is world." She wraps a black cloth around her face like a bandit mask then takes up a deep black cloak, and flings it around into place and clips it. She draws the hood up and it covers her face in shadows. Her silhouette in the room that of a rogue of ancient earth. "Leh's go."
Audienne takes the torch back up, and leads Odette along more tunnels, deeper into the ground. Twists and turns, inclines and declines til they manage to make it to a sewer system. From there, they hugs the walls til they come to a ladder and slowly heads up. Audienne lifts to covers slowly and looks around. Its deep into the night and no one walks the streets. Far off, they can see the remains of the fire of House Proulx estate. Audienne helps Odette out of the hole, and they replace the cover. Quickly they run for the shadows, hiding between buildings as they make their way to the spaceport, dodging patrolling military as they do.
Coming up to the port, they find a man leaning against the hydraulic arm of the cargo hold door, smoking a cigar. He glances at the 2 figures running toward him "Dienne?" The girl nods. "Then welcome to the Androxia. Get in. We gotta jet... like now." He shoos them inside and closes the cargo hold. "Buckle up, kiddies. We are headed to Ecommy Base." With that, the Firefly takes flight.
Present Day
The pilot jerked back to reality when the Perimo alarms started going off. "Merde" The pilot drops the bottle, and sets engines. A lone GRN had found the Perimo, and the firefight begins.
“Perish the universe, provided I have my revenge!”
― Cyrano de Bergerac
Present Day
Unlike other fire fights, this one was alittle more brutal than others. Obviously this GRN pilot was not as sloshed as the others that snuck back this way. She was about to tractor in the pilot when it is quickly swiped out from under her. "Ya need ta be faster than that. An' while you're at it, drop your rum as well."
"Merde" the pilot mumbles and flips frequencies. "Zat is ma prisoner you are taking. I demand you 'and 'im over now."
"Oh, a feisty lass we have here. Perhaps we can make an arrangement?"
The pilot rubs her forehead "Meet me on Frejus Base, et we will discuss zis deal."
"Girlie, you won't be sorry. Follow the Trucido."
The pilot doesn't bother to wait, setting course for Frejus Base, following the Trucido closely incase they decided to change their mind. The pilot waits a few minutes after the Trucido docks before docking the Perimo. Once the engines are cut and the hatch opened, the cloaked figure departs the ship, and finds a gruff, older man waiting. The pilot walks over in an angered stride. "I wan' ma cargo."
He just smiles "Lets go find somewhere quiet to discuss terms." Departing together into the base.
813 A.S. Remoulins
Seven years pass by, and she has gathered every piece of intell she could. She had hired herself out to the Brigands and Council, growing her reputation with each. For now, she was joined in the Council's attack for Languedoc. But she did not rest well. As the Comtesse was now hard to find, Katar was now making herself known, a rogue pirate that seemingly came from no where. Yet her revenge had yet been sated. Now she needed to find like minds as hers. Where one person could make a prick, allies could make one bleed.
Harris Cromwell, pilot of the Trucido, left the quarters, still buckling his belt. "I'll have your cargo transferred over, lass. Don't worry, we'll meet up again." departing ways.
After long moments alone, Katar leaves the quarters, and heads for the Perimo. She checks the hold and finds her prisoner there. Heading for the cockpit, she stops, and looks at an empty corner and growls. "Merde! 'E took all ma rum!" She runs to the pad, "HARRIS!" But the Trucido was already gone. She storms back into the Perimo in a hail of cursing that made some of the workers there back away slowly.