With a soft click, the cargo lift pulled up to the landing pad, engaging its magnetic locks. At the same time, the maglocks on Ilryn's shoes turned off, causing her to float upwards as she stepped off platform. She drifted forwards for a short moment, before entering the gravity field and hitting the ground without a sound, continuing to walk without pausing.
At that same time, Jai heard the sounds of footsteps coming from behind her in the cargo hold. Arriving at nearly the exact same time as Ilryn was Captain Ventralis along with XO Quan and the rest of the ship's garrison.
The two set of soldiers met at the base of the cargo bay ramp, nearly sandwiching Jai's group between them. The tension between their expressionless captain and the smiling Ilryn was palpable, radiating off of them in waves as they stared each other down. Despite the captain being more than ten centimeters shorter, she didn't seem any less imposing.
"Sera. It's so good to see you." Ilryn broke the silence with a voice that was charming, yet demanded to be heard.
"Likewise, Ms. Sethe. Did you acquire the equipment?" Captain Ventralis asked, her expression stone cold.
"Geez, you're no fun, Sera." Ilryn pouted, her smile turning sharp. "Of course we were able to pick up those toys. Effortless for someone like me."
"Customs gave no trouble, then? Our people must have handled it efficiently." The captain replied scornfully.
"Oh, probably. who can say? It's just that, why would you need to smuggle something like that? This isn't your usual style Sera. You play things by the book, stick to the shadows. The Sera I know would never stoop to doing something so... flashy." Her hands press to her knees as she bends down to reach Captain Ventralis' eye level, her smile long gone. "So. What's changed? Something from our mutual friend you wanted to keep from me?"
"There is an update." The captain admitted. "Courier channels were insufficiently secure to notify you, encrypted or not. You will be briefed after you are settled."
"Oh! Of course." Ilryn straightened up as her smile returned. "I should have known, it was all so simple. How silly of me for being worried he'd forgotten the terms of our arrangement."
"Our agreement is not at risk, Ms. Sethe. Your record justifies continued investment." Captain Ventralis offered Ilryn a professional smile. "Have your subordinates see to their quarters. My personnel will handle the equipment."
"You be honest with your intentions, Sera. I won't be offended if you want to check the goods." Ilryn crooned before shooting a glance in Jai's direction. "And who's this charming little ornament you've picked up?"
With a shock, Jai realized Ilryn was asking about her
"Ms. Ulrik, our latest Pilot."
"I like her." Ilryn said, looking Jai up and down before licking her lips. "Much better than those living corpses you usually hire. Every psion should aspire to be a warrior worth remembering. It's sweet really. Seeing the next generation follow in my footsteps. Wouldn't you agree, Ulrik?"
Saying that, Ilryn's eyes met Jai's, staring intensely into them.
"I'm not like you." Jai blurted out, unable to withstand the pressure and fighting not to shrink in on herself. "I'm not a warrior."
"Oh, but you are a killer." Ilryn laughed. It was a beautiful sound. "I'd never mistake a fellow alumnus of the academy. You must have been very, very expensive."
Behind Ilryn, her team was already moving past her and onto the ship. As they did, Jai caught a glimpse under the hood of Ilryn's dog. It was only a brief look, but that was long enough for Jai to see that whatever was under there had long since stopped being human, if it ever was in the first place.
Noticing where Jai's gaze was fixed, Ilryn smirked.
"Mm. Normally I wouldn't bother with someone so fragile, but if you ever get tired of Sera's leash, I'd be delighted to take you in." Ilryn's smile distorted as she spoke, causing Jai's arm hairs to stand on end. "I could use a Pilot. Just keep it in mind."
With that, Ilryn left together with Captain Ventralis, tearing the disturbing image of her bloodthirsty smile out of Jai's mind, once again leaving nothing but pale grey eyes. The memory was so vivid it was almost like she could still see them staring at her, though they seemed more white than grey now.
With a jolt, Jai realized she really was looking into someone's eyes. Taking a hurried step back, she realized that an impossibly tall and thin man was standing right in front of her, bending down so his murky white eyes were staring directly into her own. Where Ilryn's spindly features harmonized, this man seemed monstrous.
His thin-lipped mouth was slightly parted open, allowing his long blond hair to drift into it from under his hat, part of a full uniform. A bright red Concordance officer's uniform decorated with medals that hung down from it.
The two continued to stare at each other for a moment, with neither of them breathing. Jai because she was far too on edge, and the man because he no longer had eyelids. Twitching, and acting mostly on muscle memory out of shock, Jai raised her left hand in front of her face like a knife, giving the uniformed man a Concordance salute.
Slowly, the vacant stare turned into a long, open mouthed smile. The uniformed man returned the salute wordlessly, then turned. Still hunched over, he followed Ilryn into the cargo bay of the Iron Raven.
"Star, sorry 'bout that Jai." Neera's voice came from somewhere behind Jai. "You always forget that creep after a while. Creepy motherfucker."
A few meters away, XO Quan was directing the garrison in unloading the crates on the cargo lift Ilryn had ridden to reach the Iron Raven. Most of the boxes were standard deep space transport containers, but four stood out in particular. They were unmarked and incredibly sleek. Judging by how much trouble the soldiers were having carrying them once they entered the gravity field, they were exceedingly heavy as well.
Noticing that Jai was still in shock from her encounter with both Ilryn and the uniformed man, he left the others and walked over to her. Seeing that she hadn't responded to his approach, he lightly patted Jai on the shoulder.
"You holding up in there, Pilot?" He asked, his voice warm with concern in a way that made Jai feel sick enough to snap out of her fugue. "Meeting the Gutter Saints isn't pleasant, but they're all bark no bite."
"I'm fine." Jai said, just short of snapping, before calmly brushing the dark-skinned man's hand off her shoulder. "Just startled."
"Glad to hear it." Quan smiled. "That said, I need all three of you to clear the area. We're moving sensitive cargo and there no room for spectators. Get back on board and wait for the captain to announce shore leave."
"Hah? But I ain't done yet." Neera griped, crinkling her nose in annoyance.
"You are now, Neera. Put it out and pack it up." Quan's face scrunched in a way that made it clear there wasn't going to be any further discussion. "And next time you smoke, don't do it near the cargo bay doors. The smoke will drift inside. Expect a formal notice of your pay getting docked."
"But I-" Neera was cut off by a glare that forced her to pinch the cigarette out. "Tch. Fucking buzzkill."