The Pact of the Masters

[Yoshida]

The slick frame of Democritus was carefully crossing the asteroids inside Kuryo Cloud. It stopped a few clicks outside Poena Outpost, in Kepler system, waiting for its guest to arrive. The person onboard activated the ship's cloaking device once it was in position before running another system check to make sure that the yacht would not encounter any problems from the intense radiation.

Several minutes later a small spacecraft of Kusarian origin appeared on the scanners. The man activated the Spyglass Scanner and verified that it was the ship he expected to arrive. Unaware of the yacht's existence the ship was simply hovering around.

Are you alone?

A male voice was transmitted in local frequencies, seemingly out of nowhere. A few moments later the other ship responded after the familiar sound of lighting up a cigar was heard.

Very much so.
Excellent. Let's begin.

The man said and he deactivated the cloaking device of his ship.

Oh there you are.
Ms [Ames], I believe we have not met before. In person at least.
No we haven't. A pleasure.
I have many names but I am commonly known as Goro Yoshida.
Good to finally meet you, Mr. Yoshida.
Would you like to come onboard my yacht?
Of course.

She quickly initated the docking maneuvers to moor with the yacht. Once the process was complete, the engines of the Kusarian spacecraft were deactivated and a woman with bright red hair emerged from the small hatch of the cockpit. With a twist, she gracefully landed on the floor. The Lane Hacker was patiently waiting by the entrance. He was wearing a luxurious black suit with white shirt and a black tie. When the woman approached him, he removed his hat and inclined his head in the gentleman style.

Welcome onboard the 'Starlight' Ms [Ames].
Fine pleasure to be here, Mr. Yoshida. Here.

The woman made an animalistic grin before nodding back. Then she pulled a small wooden box containing cigars, from the pants of her jumpsuit.

Cretans. Call it.. A gift for your kind reception.

Yoshida smiled and accepted the gift.

Thank you my dear. Would you like to give you a small tour?
Why, of course.

The woman said and smiled back. Her hair shimmered against the light and she removed the top part of the flight suit, exposing her scarred arms and tattoos. She definitely knew how to attract the eyes of those around her. Instinctively, she scanned the luxurious interior of the yacht noticing the baroque style blending in with modern ones. Mr. Yoshida obviously didn't mind the cost.

You can leave your belongings here, you don't need to take with them with you.
She eyed the docking bay. Well, all I got is this here flight suit... And [my Ship].
As you wish.

Yoshida said and walked towards the elevator. The doors automatically opened and he entered, followed by the sound of [Cathy]'s combat boots.

Second level.

He said and the elevator silently and swiftly started moving them to the second level. [Cathy] with a quick hand removed a cigar from one of her pockets and looked at Yoshida.

May I?
Of course, Ms [Ames].

The Lane Hacker said even though he abhored inhaling smoke. Once the doors opened he gestured to [Cathy] to step out first.

Thank you kindly.

She nodded and light up the cigar as she exited the elevator. A gallery of sorts expanded in front of her eyes. Digital tables were placed on each side of the hallway and some of them projected holograms while others contained and protected items of seemingly important value.

This is the top level, Ms [Ames], which contains a very interesting collection.

They started walking together on the hallway, briefly checking and commenting about each item presented in the tables. The lightning of the room was very weak, in fact most of it was coming from the digital tables.

This is a small piece of a Jump Gate. It is believed that this technology is coming from the aliens.
Hmhm. The female mumbled. Like them Alien gates in Minor?
Yes. In fact the aliens use the same technology in order to facilitate their own space jumps. I am sure you now realize why Ageira is so overprotective with its technology. It's not just a matter of exclusivity.

At both sides of the room, large windows were placed through the entire hallway and they revealed the dark matter storm raging outside the yacht. The occassional thunderstorms briefly illuminated the hallway in an unearthly and unsettling manner. [Cathy] walked towards one of the window and looked outside.

That's somethin' they would not want out of their reach. Ahhh, Kuryo.
That's why they have made those White Boxes. Even with our technology and former employment in Ageira, we cannot open every box. Most attempts fail.
She raised an eyebrow. A puzzle you fine gents can't crack? That must be an hell of a box.
Ageira recruits the top 1% of Liberty's university graduates. They are literally Liberty's intellectual elite. They are not an easy opponent Ms Ames. Quite the contrary.
Hmm. Her face turned sour as she turned around. Never was the puzzle breaker myself. Never really had the chance. My speciality is people. And what makes them tick.

Yoshida accepted her comment and pointed towards an Ageira white box carefully lying inside one of the tables.

Sometimes brutal force is not successful. This one requires other keys in order to unlock its puzzle.
And? She kept watching the cloud and the discharges outside. What's in the puzzle box?
Outdated trade lane parts, Ms Ames. Trade lanes support the neuralnet of Sirius. The neuralnet contains information. And Information equals power. So you realize that our occupation as information brokers is not accidental at all. There is also something I left inside for you. At the end of this walk it may be yours.

Yoshida said mysteriously. The duo then walked a bit further. Holographs projecting leaked documents from major cyber attacks of Yoshida could be found in a number of tables. Further in, [Cathy] noticed a metallic plate inscribed with W.F.Cody's name and logo and nodded visibly.

I remember this.
You remember Mr Cody? He was the world's largest codename and equipments dealer.
Yep. After all, getting guns was somethin' standard in my ol' business.
Well... he was my biggest hit. The biggest hit in Sirius' history.
She chuckled. Hardware-wise? Yeah, it was.
If I wasn't famous enough, this extortion made me a legend Ms [Ames]. Over 4 billion credits worth of equipment were stolen... I kept this metallic plate used in his shop as a reminder of my achievement.
Hmm. Good hit no doubt. She exhaled some smoke.

They continued to inspect the collection for several more minutes. [Cathy] was particularly interested in the Azurite A6 samples and the three ancient scrolls protected under a heavy case which belonged to the ancient civilization called Dom'Kavash. After chatting about them with Yoshida, the Hacker eventually led her to a window.

Do you notice something outside of the window Ms [Ames]? Except the ever-going dark matter storm of course.
She looked again at the Cloud I know it very well, Mr. Yoshida. Kuryo. You know what it means, love?
Yoshida chuckled at the question. I am quite knowledgeable in Kusarian actually. Kuryo has a number of meanings.. such as sorrow, regret or despair.
I've been in this cloud more time than I could count. [Cathy] remarked.
And you are also speaking Kusarian Ms [Ames]? I am impressed. But there is something outside of our windows. You need to pay close attention in order to notice it.
Eh. She grinned. Poena, you mean?
No.
Pity. 'Cause I can tell you somethin' 'bout Poena.
I would love to hear it afterwards. So what do you see?
Well, 'part from the broken lanes and death.. All I see is home, Mr. Yoshida. As I said.. I got a long story with this cloud.
The broken lanes. Do you know their history, Ms [Ames]?
Yeah. Somethin' 'bout the Kuryo cloud being formed and laying waste to them. There was an old lane runnin' from gate to gate. That's 'bout it.
You are well informed, I am once again impressed.
As I said.. This here.. She waves her hand to the window. T'is home for me.

---

"There are those who lack ambition. Who lack ability. But if you possess both then it is your role to reign over this world."

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