During the rest of that day, they finished their tour with a visit to the Gallente-designed research station, located at one of the outer planets of the small system.
Shisei, who oversaw the operations there, was his usual inscrutable but courteous self and patiently explained the complex reverse engineering processes of Sleeper technology. They had met Keram and Sylera earlier in another hangar bay back at the Caldari tower. The two unequal Amarrians were engaged in a heated argument about personal values when Cedrien and his visitor intruded upon them.
Sylera excused herself, thankful for the interruption, but Keram tagged along for some time and entertained Nevire with his rough witticisms and outrageous yarns. Only Sandrielle was nowhere to be found. According to her staff officer – a stocky woman of Mannar descent – she was outside in Empire Space, meeting with contacts of her network.
'That woman, Sandrielle.' Nevire broached the subject when the two former companions were sharing a bottle of spiced wine while winding down in Cedrien's rarely-used private quarters at the Gallente tower's very top. 'You keep coming back to mentioning her. Are you two …'
'No!' Cedrien interrupted her and quickly put the glass down from his lips. 'No.' he repeated more quietly. 'It is just … she is a very … fascinating person.' he sipped from his glass in contemplation, and then he continued. 'I have never met anyone who is at the same time so ruthless and so caring.' He set down his glass and looked out the wide viewport towards the roiling mass of the red giant outside. 'When she came to us, she did so with a personal appeal to me. She told me very personal things about herself, more than anyone else here knows. Still I always have the feeling I know hardly anything about her.'
Nevire regarded him softly when he looked back at her 'So she has not stolen your heart yet?' she asked with a sweet smile on her face that warmly reminded him of the young cadet he met so long ago.
'Only one woman has managed to do that in the last fifteen years.' he confessed and allowed himself to fall into the depths of her sensuous eyes.
She touched his cheek and caressed his well-trimmed beard. With her other hand she touched his wrist and slowly made him set his glass down. Nevire slid her hand from his cheek to the back of his head and pulled him closer. She leaned over the small table until their lips met.
***
Although night and day have little meaning in the depths of space, it was now the part of the shift-cycle where most personnel was off duty. Apart from some skeleton crews interspersed through the large Gallente-designed construction, everyone had retired to their quarters, and only the most essential emergency lighting was active.
Nevire noiselessly walked down the concourse to the shuttle bay. Despite the many detours, turns and elevator rides they had taken on their progress through the station, she had remembered every detail about it's layout. As she had expected, she found the smooth, winged hulls of three Gallente shuttlecraft there, gleaming under the minimal lighting.
She walked up alongside one of the craft and engaged the status console. The security level was light. The simple access token she had 'borrowed' from Cedrien was enough to unlock one of the small ships and make it ready for undocking. She knew enough. The path was clear. Now all she needed was her cargo. She turned to leave, preparing to return to the quarters where she had left Cedrien in blissful slumber, when she unexpectedly found herself facing another woman on the bay's walkway.
'Can I help you with something Ma'm?' the other one asked.
Even without the accent, Nevire could have told that the other woman was Gallente. Tall, with dark hair severely combed back from her face and gathered into a long ponytail. An oval face of slight olive tan and large, almost-black eyes. She wore undefined combat fatigues, and her whole demeanor reflected the single-track mind of a professional fighter. Nevire also noticed the plasma pistol strapped to her thigh.
'I just couldn't sleep and walked around a bit.' she displayed an embarrassed smile. 'I think I got lost.' she replied in native Gallente to the stern-faced guard.
'What were you doing at the docking console there?' the other woman demanded to know in the same language and took a few steps in her direction, the right hand resting on the catch of her weapon's holster.
Nevire noticed the strong border-zone accent. Probably this woman was a veteran of several skirmishes with Caldari ground-forces. In all likelihood she was well trained and quick, even though she was not the youngest anymore. Nevire guessed she would have to be about as old as she herself was, judging from the pronounced lines on the other woman's face. 'I better not risk anything here.' She calmed herself and carefully inflected her voice, following a well-acted yawn.
'Oh, I was just idly looking at it. If you would be so kind to guide me back to captain Roucellis' quarters …' she strategically chose the right way to supply the correct triggers for the probably quite simple mind of that soldier.
To Nevire's surprise, the other woman took a few steps back, and in the dimness of the sparse illumination, it seemed for a moment as if her features would rearrange themselves subtly. Despite herself the Ainaillian opened and closed her mouth when she realized who she was facing.
'You are very good. That sort of control of the facial features is hard to achieve.' Nevire admitted. At this point there was no need for the charade anymore.
'You are not bad yourself.' Sandrielle replied. 'If you hadn't given yourself away by misreading me, and applying the wrong psycholinguistics and tone, you would have had me fooled.'
'So now that we have acknowledged our respective skill, what will happen next?' Nevire asked with a smug grin.
Sandrielle looked over the other woman carefully for any sign of threat. She only wore briefs, one of Cedrien's dress shirts and flat, soft-soled shoes. No sign of a concealed weapon. If she had similar training to her own, though, she didn't need a weapon to be lethal. At this distance, however, Sandrielle had the advantage of a firearm. Slowly she drew the plasma pistol and leveled it at the other woman.
'I suggest we start with you telling me what your plans with the captain are.' she said once the weapon indicated it's readiness.
Nevire laughed with what seemed to be true amusement. 'With Cedrien?' she made a dismissive sideways flick with her wrist. 'Nothing but talking about old times and getting between the sheets with him. He's a bit out of practice, I have to say. You women here don't take good enough care of him.' and she gestured toward Sandrielle.
The gesture caught the Gallente woman's attention a second too late. It just came so natural with the situation, and the implant weapon was too well concealed. Sandrielle heard the slight cough of expelled air at the moment she felt the prick in her right shoulder. It was too late to pull the trigger by then. Already the poison had numbed all the nerve-strands which would make that possible. She tried to wrest the gun from her numb fingers with the other hand, when a second needle embedded itself in her left arm. She felt her senses faltering.
'You are the one I really have plans for.' were the last words Sandrielle heard before she hit the ground and lost consciousness.
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