Something collided with Sarah's forehead. Huh. Odd. She hadn't seen any insects in the garden yet. Maybe she'd just missed them. Oh well. Hardly worth opening her eyes over. Still half-asleep, she raised an arm to swat the insect.
Another flick. This was a very determined insect. She wondered if the Zoners bred them that way to stop loitering.
"Erg." Hardly the most elegant noise, but it was the closest thing to 'go away' the small section of her mind that was properly awake could manage. Finally, her ears got in on the action, reporting that if it were indeed an insect next to her, it was breathing rather heavily for something of that nature and it would probably be for the best if she were to check. Thoroughly annoyed by this point, she conceded, and a single eyelid flicked up.
"Hey. The liner bit me. Who do I call to have it sued?"
A solitary green eye watched Jeremy for a moment, before the eyelid lazily slid closed again.
"Complaints desk, level two. Just hit the airlock and keep on going. If you reach the geode, you've gone too far."
Sarah slung her legs back out to the ground from where she'd tucked them under her body, heaving herself to a sitting position, eyes closed all the while. Hands fumbled for her satchel for a moment, before retrieving it from where it had fallen next to he seat. An eyebrow sneaked up her forehead.
"You know, I'm a little surprised you turned up." Finally, her eyes clicked open, answering a questioning glance from Jeremy. "Baffin's not your usual style. Not enough things blowing up." An easy grin settled across her face. There were few people that smiled as frequently as Sarah McFarlen.
Jeremy was wearing the same design of jeans he had last time they'd met. At least, Sarah hoped they were the same design. The same pair would be worrying. Cleanliness wasn't exactly her forte, but at least she changed. Perhaps the jeans were the Order's equivalent of a uniform. It would certainly explain all the clothing stores on Manhattan, and validate a half dozen conspiracy theories at the same time. She opened her mouth to comment on it, only to be cut off by the crackling of speakers.
"Mister Hunter, Mister Dirk, Pope Sturgeon, Miss deSonne and Miss McFarlen
Please make your way to the Zerach Garden Conference Room.
Fellow Templars will escort you here"
As if on-cue, a pair of robed individuals stepped into view, navigating the vast garden as easily as their own backyard. With a start, Sarah realised that it probably was. They hung back at a fork in the path, evidently waiting for Jeremy and Sarah to come to them. They were nothing if not polite.
"Someone's quick with names." She observed to Jeremy, sliding to her feet. Years of working in the camped engines of large ships had leant her an odd sort of grace, and there was no discernible point where she stopped sitting and started standing. She simply was.
The figures still stood at the fork, waiting. Strange calls from complete strangers were rarely good news. They were; however, always interesting. Sarah shrugged, slinging her satchel over her shoulder and turned to glance at Jeremy.
He'd seldom visited Agoras or biodomes of any sort, unless he had to. The spectacular biosphere before his eyes made him regret that fact. As far as he could see, trees and plants of innumerable hues, shapes and colours bloomed, in contentment. For someone born on barren Crete, it was a sight as strange as it was pleasing. However, he had not come here to admire the sights. There was a deal to finalize.
The man he was dealing with was a hawk-nosed, sleazy looking fellow of the gutter rat variety. It was a facade, the man was one of the more powerful gun runners in the Tau systems. Their dealings went way back, to a time when the rock fields of the Omegas were his home, and the smuggler had just begun to crawl out of the nest of wrath and mindless destruction that was Cadiz.
Old friendships never came in the way of business, this was an unwritten agreement between the two. Deals made with the underworld were questions of trust, cash transactions and the honor system. All three of which were in short supply. Several times, one of them raised their voice in anger, forcing the other to back down and reconsider the proposal.
After a few hours of this, an agreement was reached. A shipment of various small-arms and illegal mods would reach Freeport 9 in four weeks time. Around the same time, Room 317 on this very freeport would be quietly stocked with credit cards, the payment he had exacted. Neither man was happy with the arrangement, it would have to do.
As the smuggler left, Santos Bolevara felt tired. It had been a long time since he'd dealt with the seedier elements of society, and it was just as vicious as ever. His mouth was parched, and longed for a drink. He'd nearly made up his mind to go find the bar when a figure caught his eye.
What is Jeremy doing here...?
The ridiculous blond hair would be recognizable anywhere. At least he was dressed in Civilian fashion, for which Bolevara gave him credit. He waited by his table, watching.
Hunter immediately walked up to a table and said something to a woman, apparently asleep on the table.
Chasing Tail...should've known. His lips curled into a smile, he observed quietly as the two conversed, the woman grinning regularly, her face lit up. They were soon interrupted by an announcement, summoning some people to the Conference room, where-ever it was. He heard no callings for Andres Tevez, which was his assumed name for now. Hunter (who had not assumed an alias) and the woman were called, however.
He shrugged mentally and made a note to call Jeremy out on this later.
“Greetings Mr. Sturgeon, thank you and your companions for the warm welcome!” he bowed politely. “Let me introduce ourselves, I’m Quiron Lacroix and this is Dirk Danger. We will represent the Phoenix during this meeting. We apologize that our leader, Mr. Burton won’t participate, but he is very busy right. We have too much on our plate since the increased alien activity in the Omicrons and he couldn’t afford a visit to Baffin right now.” I hope we will finish this soon, every gun is needed at home. "Anyway, please lead the way Mr. Sturgeon.”
As they walked through the main archway, a beautiful view caught Quiron’s eye, a slice of nature in the middle of the space. He instantly filled up peace. He even recognized some of the plants are from Gran Canaria. Maybe they brought the flora from my beloved birthplace. “I must admit you have done an incredible job here. This place serves its purpose.” he said as they were walking through the pathways. “I hope the TAZ are doing well during these hard times. We don’t receive too much news in the Omicrons about this sector of Sirius, but the few which actually reach us are disturbing. The Gallic aggressors are at the doorstep of Baffin, which is the shortest way to Liberty from the Taus.”
Theo's attention was caught by the comm. He stood, seeing that the woman at his side had not been awaken by the voice. He smiled and headed to the main archway, where he saw the two Phoenix delegates standing.
Quirion, you honour me with your kind words... Excuse me for a second.
He took a little intercomm device from one of the inside pocket of his robes. He turned it on and soon his voice was heard all over the Zenarch.
Pope Bretonnias has made a mistake, the only people that are needed in the conference room are him and the Phoenix delegation. The rest of you please excuse us for this confusion. Miss de Sonne, you can come too if you want.
The three men walked the stairs up to the conference room, opened the door, and there was the Pope waiting for them in a room full of chairs around an apple shaped table.
Quirion, Dirk, I give you Pope Bretonnias. He and I were the ones who summoned you here. We have a request to make to you. But please, have a seat.
Hunter grinned, following Sarah. "How have you been? Hopefully not throwing tables at anyone recently. I might get jealous." He joked.
Catching up quickly, he kept walking until the correction was made. He slowed down a bit, sighing. "Good old Bret, making a mistake. Gotta love him." He said. "Maybe I should party crash, just to say hi to an old friend..."
He laughed. "Joking. And I'll be filing a lawsuit with the compensation of one hug for making me fly next to a rabid liner, ma'am."
"How have you been? Hopefully not throwing tables at anyone recently. I might get jealous."
"Tables? Oh, no. Wouldn't dream of it." She smiled. "Tables are very last year anyway. I'm an ace shot with cutlery now. And I'm great, thanks. Been dodging rocks and running cargo, you know, the usual. How about you?"
Speakers crackled a second time, withdrawing Sarah's summons. Nearby, the two Templars glanced at each other, united in confusion for a moment before withdrawing as inconspicuously as they could. Considering the robes the pair wore, 'inconspicuous' was a very loose term. Sarah shot them a glare as they retreated back to the garden's entrance. She'd been looking forward to learning what, exactly, the meeting was about. Having the opportunity to find out snatched off her like that only intensified her curiosity.
Of course, there was the problem of the Templars. Sarah very much doubted they would let her anywhere near the meeting. Surely there had to be some other way...
"Good old Bret, making a mistake. Gotta love him. Maybe I should party crash, just to say hi to an old friend..." Sarah nodded absently, eyes scanning the trees. Had to be something...
Pipes and sprinklers hung in a maze over the garden, easily within reach from the fronds of a nearby palm. They extended out to cover the entire garden, almost level with the... Was that a viewing port? She could have sworn a robed figure behind the glass window turned away as she watched. When there was no further movement from the room, she returned her attention to the irrigation system. Temporary, no doubt, but the wires holding the pipes to the ceiling might be strong enough to support a slender human, particularly if the pipes were empty. As her clothes were still dry, it seemed likely that the pipes weren't likely to fill in the immediate future.
"Jeremy. You'd tell me if you had a fear of heights, right?" She muttered, half to herself.
A few stones at the base of the palm would be fine footholds, and her height would make up for the rest. How hard could it be? Climb the trees, and make her way to the window. People never looked up anyway. She took a pace toward the garden, then froze.
"Wait." She turned back to face Jeremy. Head tilted to one side, with her brown hair hanging loosely, she resembled a parrot. "What did you just say? You know these people? Can we get in?" Admittedly, she had some brief interaction with the Phoenix before her expedition, but she doubted it counted for anything. If Jeremy knew whoever was at the window, then perhaps she wouldn't need to go climbing after all.
"Joking." Well. There that idea went. Maybe he hadn't heard her. She coughed. "And I'll be filing a lawsuit with the compensation of one hug for making me fly next to a rabid liner, ma'am."
"Oh, really?" Sarah gave a wry grin. How could she ever have thought this man an assassin? "I'll have to call my lawyers. It'll be boring, I'm sure. The case could drag on years."
Quiron and Dirk stepped into the spacious conference room, taking in the sweet incense that wafted and perfumed the room. 'Quiron, Dirk, I give you Pope Bretonnias, He and I were the ones who summoned you here. We have a request to make to you. But please have a seat.' Dirk and Quiron exchanged glances. 'The Pontiff himself' Dirk mused to himself 'This really WILL be a memorable visit'. “Kallisti Holiness, It is our most esteemed honor to have been summoned to your presence,” Said Dirk, who had been practicing the greeting for 3 days “May the Goddess guide us through this meeting.” Dirk and Quiron gave a cordial bow and took their respective seats. “We await your request with much anticipation.....”
Jeremy backtracked in the conversation a bit.
"And no Sarah. I couldn't get in. The Order's is the Order's and TAZ's is TAZ's. I can't exactly party crash. Besides. Doing so could get me killed. Not by TAZ, mind you."
He then crossed his arms. "Only if someone is carrying a sword bigger then them, sweetie. Then I get violent in the name of self preservation." He then walked after Sarah, who had stepped away already. "And no need for lawyers; a hug isn't exactly Vice Admiral Baker's panties, right?"
The robed figure kept his back towards Dirk and Quiron, looking back towards the gardens until he lowered his head as Theo announced him. With a deep sigh, he lowered his arms to his sides, only to reach behind and cup his gloved hands.
"Gentlemen. Last week my daughter Licentia celebrated her 2nd birthday. She's just like her mother in almost all senses with my intelligence. She's speaking full sentences now and asked me about where she was borne. I showed her a holo-vid on Planet Gaia. But when she asked about wanting to go there, I told her no. And then kept asking why we couldn't. I simply could not answer. Do you know why I could not take her to her planet of birth?
He kept himself still after he spoke. His words feeling steel upon as he spoke to the trio behind him.
-"If we do not learn at least one thing a day....Our minds turn to stupor"- Kyle Sparrgrove -2005
Dirk and Quiron exchanged a puzzled look. After a almost uncomfortable silence, Dirk tried to give the best answer he could. "The Gallic Royal Navy?" Dirk asked hesitantly, "I think you'll need to explain a little further, eminence..."