Halfbreed Ch. 08

"Elves are deceitful and two-faced." Lashvara retorted. Allynna scowled at the Orc.

"Sure." The Veiled One shrugged again, "-But they're also paper pushers to the core: dot every line, cross every T. It's quite convenient for our organization, really. The more red tape there is holding back businesses, the more they need people like us."

The Veiled One leaned forward, her mask flashing green and purple as an artifacted Orc male's face leered at them. "-So ask yourself, native: why, in this instance did they decide to ignore their uncompromising commitment to the bureaucratic process?"

A long silence fell. "-Because they found something unique, valuable, or terrifying enough to make them break character. Lo and behold: they found all three."

"...What do you mean?" Lashvara asked, "What could a race as small and undeveloped as my own possibly offer the most powerful species in the galaxy?"

"You already know the answer." The Veiled One said. She reached up and flicked at the center point of her chest, near her neckline. Lashvara's eyes turned down to stare at the mushroom around her own neck. Her face went pale.

"No..." Lashvara said, her voice losing its strength. She sounded almost frightened. The Veiled One's face formed into a cheshire cat's insufferable smile. Lashvara let out a deep growl. "Why should I believe anything you have to say? How do we know you're not the one behind all this?"

The Veiled One considered her for a moment. "...Because if I was to blame for the original theft, I'd have been more thorough, and you'd be dead already." The two shared a tense silence. "The Shield Generator did not end up in a Maeles Aelor facility on Charity by chance. I merely took advantage of an opportunity once it was already in cold-storage, I did not divert the delivery itself."

"Then who did?" Lashvara said, her hands clenched. She was struggling to keep her composure.

The modulator rumbled. It took a few seconds for Mike to realize the Veiled One was laughing. "You want answers? A reason for the theft? I can give it to you, and it's in the exact same place I'm headed."

"Fignet's storage facility." Mike murmured.

"Precisely." The Loupian said. "It's funny the kinds of secrets you learn about a company when you're rifling through its innards. Fignet - the grimy little runt - was the least of the crooks in that cadre."

"What kind of secrets are you talking about?" Lass asked.

The Veiled One shook her head, the mask turning into a green and red snake-head. "I will not tell you, Lashvara of the Voaten. I can only show you. You three are coming along for the job."

"Us?" Mike said, incredulous, "Rob an Elven weapons company?"

"We need access, but Fignet can only get us through the first layer of security." The Veiled One said, her face shifting to that of a teal-colored octopus blowing blue bubbles. "By now he is likely persona non-grata at his own workplace. An Elf can get us in the door, and seeing as our organization currently doesn't have any spare Elves lying around..."

"Ignoring the criminal and ethical ramifications of our actions in this theoretical heist," Allynna said, "Neither of us possess the necessary skills to effectively infiltrate a secure Elven facility."

"Hm." The Veiled One hummed, looking from Mike to Aly and back again.

She snapped her fingers. An underling walked up and handed her a manilla folder. With her long fingernails she casually peeled it open, flipping through the pages.

"...Mike Koller, twenty eight. Born on the Colony world of Aryine in the Freihenn system. Quite the arrest record: multiple counts of burglary, theft, petty larceny. Several examples of you successfully breaking advanced Elven security systems to steal valuable goods... It appears you're still wanted on Arneya III - under a different name, of course - on an outstanding smuggling charge." The Veiled One's body language was so still she almost looked like a statue. "That colony is supposed to be locked down tighter than the moons of Bastion. How'd you pull that one off?"

"I cracked a few codes and broke a few hearts." Mike said, shrugging. "Anyone with ten minutes of hacking experience and a good smile could have done the same." His eyes hardened. "...How do you know about all this?"

The Veiled One shrugged, "We do not forget old business associates Mr. Koller, regardless of what part of the galaxy they're in now." Her mask glanced in the direction of Aly, "And as for you: you don't have to know anything. Just say what we tell you to, and don't break character."

"What exactly are you doing there? What's the take?" Mike asked, "If we're breaking into this facility, you could at least give us the details."

"You don't ask what we're doing there. It doesn't matter to you in the slightest." The Veiled One said, bouncing her leg on her knee. "You're paying me back, not the other way around. I'm giving you something very few people get from me: a second chance."

"Sure," Mike shrugged, "But taking a job with a 0.5% survival rate is not a lot of chance in the grand scheme of things. What's the situation in the facility? What about the guards? I'm not going to jail for murder just because you want the latest shipment of Nvryyan flex-beds."

"Kid," The Veiled One said, "I don't care if the facility's filled with Illphen shit. I told you what you're gonna do, and you're gonna do it."

The two stared each other down. Mike blinked first. He sighed and clucked his tongue. "Fine. What's the gig?"

The Veiled One seemed to relax just a bit in her posture. "I need to get past a T-4 Aelor bulkhead door with an advanced encryption lock, and it just so happens that a talented splicer has dropped directly into my lap."

"Hopefully not directly." Mike joked. The Veiled One tilted her head.

"There will be guards at the facility, you can be assured of that." She said, the modulation in her voice carrying a dark undertone. "But that is where my crew comes in. We will deal with any security threats inside the facility if they come up. We've got an Elf, an Alibi, and the clearance to get into the deeper levels. Assuming everything goes fine? You won't have to fire a shot."

"Lashvara." Mike said, glancing in her direction, "Thoughts?"

The Orc's eyes were grim. "Were it any other circumstance, I would die in this room attempting to stop this abomination of justice. But..." She sighed, "I am no longer acting for just myself. If what she says is true, this threat is an attack on my people's very existence. I care far less about an aliens' Senate vote than that."

Mike nodded, understanding only about half of what she'd just said. "...Allynna?" He asked, matching eyes with his Elf.

Her lip twisted into the slightest of frowns. "...I will do as you command, Captain." She said. He could hear the strain in her voice.

Mike sighed. "Fine." He said, extending his hand to shake the Veiled One's own. The Mob boss took a long look at his hand, then reached out to grab it. Her grip was tighter than his, the muscles clenching as she shook the hand firmly. He felt the nanoweave fibers of her dark gloves press against him, the slight chill of her lower body temperature making it feel wet and clammy.

"When do we leave?" Mike asked.

The Veiled One's mask formed a cheshire cat's red smile. "Now."