"Offended by a dossier that is based on speculations? Oh please. It was a good read, if nothing else other than that." She showed a faint smile before leaning back.
The waiter arrived a bit later, with a bottle of sake, and two ochokos. As it was placed on the table, Nicole could see her reaction, which wasn't exactly the one she expected. " My my... you are willing to take this risk? I'm not exactly good with drinks. My attitude towards people tend to change, when I'm under the influence of alcohol."
"A careful observer? I'm listening. What are your observations about me?" Her curiosity made her lean forwards again, waiting for her answer.
She refused the cardamine injector. " I'd rather not repeat myself." She refers to her statement with alcohol.
" Well.... There are a few things you could do for me. Or, rather that could be done, later on.... As for the meeting.... To pass time, to meet you in person, to get something I want.... a little bit all of them." She says in a calm tone.
" To get my daily dose of killing.... maybe to achieve a bit of respect towards me..." She says, smiling.
Nicole injected herself a very small dose of purified Cardamine and closed her eyes in ecstasy. She breathed deeply and slowly opened her eyes. They were shining dangerously and it took a while before the Professor focused on her interlocutor.
- How? Why? When? Those questions do not matter anymore. You belong to the cast of damnati, outcasts deprived of any social grounding who exist entirely outside of any norms or conscience. Whether it was burning hate, deep anger or simple survival instinct that brought you there - it does not matter anymore. There is no more turning back for you.
Nicole made a pause during which she sipped her milk dry and subconsciously touched another Cardamine injector. When she realized that, she smiled and returned to her monologue.
- Lost in the world in which only death is certain you desperately try to find yourself. A Kusarian, a thief, a killer, a Liberty Rogue, an independent criminal - but each time you failed to find the equilibrium. That is why you came to me. I managed to win a measure of your respect and you hope, consciously or not, that I will help you find your way. Did I miss something?
" You know, I don't have to be reasonable all the time... that can make your moves predictable, am I right?" In the end, she did take the sake bottle, and one of the ochokos, in which she have poured some sake, and drank it in one swig. " I never intended to turn back... There is no need to tell me the evident. " Her friendly tone slightly changed. The smile on her face was no more, but her eyes still had a calm feeling in them, besides the usual craziness.
"Amazing, Nicole. I'm glad that you have managed to put the pieces together.... But you did miss two things...." First, the smile came back on her face. "Not only my future is what I'm curious about.... but my past...." Then, with the smile, the friendliness disappeared, at least for the next few seconds. " I don't appreciate when someone probes my mind..." From under the table, a short barreled gun appeared, which resembled the flintlock pistols from the history of Sol. She starts to slowly spin it around "...As far as the light goes, it's alright....but the darkest corners... are to be left alone. If you take a wrong step, who knows what might lurk from the darkness." It seemed as if a completely different person have surfaced.
The gun lands on the table, further away from them. She reaches for Nicole's hands, then slowly to her face, with gentle movement. "....I'm astonished by your way of thinking..." The smile comes back, bringing the friendly attitude back.
Freeport is a very strange place where an Outcast can sit in front of a Corsair, a Junker in front of a Hogosha or even a Lane Hacker in front of an Ageira. A neutral ground where any party can meet and discuss a possible business. This unnatural aura of peacefulness and harmony is achieved by nothing else than an elaborate system of sensors and hidden neutralizers. A nanosecond after a hypothetical Freeport's guest takes out a weapon the central security system analyzes the move patterns and establishes threat levels. Usually immediately afterwards several closest hidden guns are aimed at this hypothetical guest and continuous movement analysis is performed until the threat level is set to low. If a sudden move or twitch happens it can instantly trigger a response - a deadly or paralyzing salvo from several hidden neutralizers. While in the past mistakes were sometimes happening, the software being upgraded for years is running now with nearly 99.87% efficiency. Ames Research Station's security system runs with 99.94% efficiency - simply because the Lane Hackers frequently visit the station and do not want to take any chances. When Kurumi Saeki pulled out the weapon, Professor Hunter instantly focused her eyes on a nearby set of neutralizer guns. When Kurumi put the weapon down and was about to touch her face, Lane Hacker did a simple but incredibly fast Jiu-jitsu catch that slightly twisted Kusarian's wrist and put it back on the table. Quickly afterwards Nicole put her both hands on the table as well, however, they remained in a defense-ready position.
- It's a bit too early for that, Saeki-chan.
Nicole commented Saeki's attempt to touch her and waited out Kusarian's possible retaliation. When it did not occur she checked her tablet and read movement analysis results from central security system.
- Apparently your stunt lacked 1.5% of aggressive weapon behavior model to trigger a security response. I must say you are a gambler that has little regard for her life. I like it. You remind me of someone. He was the most proficient factotum I ever had. His complete disregard of any danger paired with supreme survival skills made him a perfect tool for the Lane Hacker agenda. Often sent on near-suicide missions deep inside danger zones, surrounded by multiple hostile ships, he always managed to accomplish mission's objectives and escape. The story did not end up well though. I believe that his performance is what caused his hypercritical superiority complex which made him to disregard his fellow Hackers and conduct mindless bloodbaths of civilians and military personnel alike. Eventually, he turned on the professorship itself. I had no other choice than to order his capture and perform an extremely invasive brainwashing paired with limited lobotomy. Initially, the results were promising but with his wild nature being eradicated he lost most of the usefulness to us.
Nicole Hunter made an effective pause and injected herself another dose of Cardamine. She felt a new influx of energy going through her body. Her voice became stronger and her smile more tricky.
- Nikolai Diavolo was a wild beast. Animals such as himself are astonishing creatures earning well deserved praise and respect. However, in every culture that acknowledges usefulness of such creatures, when they start to bite their own, they have to be put down immediately. I already know you're one of them. The only question is whether you will bite your own.
" So this is how pain feels like" She said in a hollow voice, while staring at the empty space next to her. She clearly wasn't paying attention to her surroundings. Her expressions showed eerie calmness.
Then, she slowly focused on Nicole's hands, looking back at the empty glass later on. " Did I do IT again?" Her tone was as cold as ever. Her eyes slowly wandered to the weapon on the table. Another minute passed, till she regained her usual self, which was followed by a quiet, but creepy laughter.
" Feel free to lower your guard. None of US has a reason to attack." She put the emphasis on the word "us". She pulls out another pistol, which looks exactly like the previous one. She puts this one next to the other one. Then finally, a short dagger appears. She licks the blade, then carefully places it next to the rest of the weapons. She stands up, and walks to Nicole, then takes a seat next tp her.
" Calling me an animal? You would have to be way friendlier to do that...." She turns her head towards her, while also moving a bit closer to her. "....As for biting my own...... I never really had anyone to turn to..... so I appreciate that I have someone now...."
- Everybody deserves to have someone who can understand him. I think I understand you... both. And I believe that this understanding can be a base for a mutually satisfying friendship.
She gently took one of Kurumi's guns holding it strangely with only two fingers and away from the trigger. She looked at it, admired its delicate hand-made adornments and put them back on the table.
- A true friendship requires trust which is earned through loyalty and sincerity. If you remain loyal to me, I will protect you from the wrath of people you shouldn't have crossed in the first place. If you remain sincere with me, I will provide you with shelter and resources to allow you continue your current life style. If you earn my trust, you will definitely notice it. So, Kurumi Saeki, shall we become friends?
Nicole extended her hand to Kurumi and smiled again.
"So you think you can understand me? Even I can't understand myself sometimes." She falls silent for a few minutes, and she picks up her knife from the table, playing with it, until she somehow cuts her finger. A creepy grin can be seen on her face, as she licks the blood from the scratch.
" Loyalty shouldn't be a problem.... As for being sincere.... that won't be a problem either.... I highly appreciate that you have agreed to meet me. You seem to be a person I can trust. Actions speak louder than words. You'll see."
" I'd love to continue this lifestyle..." She stares at her extended hand for a moment. She would shake her hand, but the cut on her finger is still bleeding. She smirks, and kisses her hand.
" Which reminds me.... I have a certain gunboat in my posession. A Blood Dragon one. So to say, it's a family jewel...... She's not in the best condition. The Junkers couldn't really fix it. Should I just give it back to the current dragon leadership?.... or maybe your engineers would like to take a look at the vessel?"
Nicole Hunter did not seem to be especially interested in the gunboat, but she suddenly fell silent when a report from Mission 34 landed on her tablet. She swiftly glanced over it and her tone changed.
- Actually, I do believe we have a use for it. If you do not need it, we will be happy to buy it from you. Once the ship is transferred to Cochrane we will assess its condition and send you appropriate amount based on our evaluation.
She swiftly glanced over remaining reports and her smile disappeared.
- Dear Kurumi, during our conversation here several issues requiring my attention have surfaced. I am afraid that as much as I would like to continue this pleasant meeting with you, it is imperative for me to leave as soon as possible. I wish to say that I am glad we had a chance to get to know each other better. I am sure that this is not our last meeting and I am sure we will stay in contact.
Nicole extended her hand to Kurumi and smiled again.
It's been a long time. How have you been? Probably much busier than I was. Laying low can be quite pleasing, especially when it involves quite a lot of torturing. That always entertains me.
It was more than enough of it though. So, I'm thinking about coming back. I don't have much to start with though. A Greyhound is all I have left. But, since I do not wish to continue as some exotic rogue, nor as some independently useless pirate, I was considering to somehow change my identifications to Lane Hackers. Of course, my first thing is to ask you, whether it's possible.
I'm already indebted to you, so I'm not exactly sure how I may be of service to you.
It is a great pleasure to hear from you again. I am happy that you are still alive and that you wish to join our ranks. Your background has been checked already several times. I know that you do not wish to join our inner circle yet, which would require from you to complete additional induction procedures, therefore, all you have to do is to come to Cochrane Depot to be injected with a new neural transponder. It won't hurt... much, I promise.
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