The glittering neon lights of the various shops and establishments of Arsius Station passed by in a kaleidoscopic array of colors, reflecting on Priya Patel’s face. She gazed out the window of her private hovercab as it sped through the upper spires of the station, high above the throngs of people having to use the moving sidewalks down below. She sighed, looking away from the window to focus on her glass of champagne. She swirled it lazily, watching the golden fizzy liquid sway and churn as she let her thoughts run free.

  What's so special about that pilot? She wondered, as an image of Cam Ket filled her mind. He was cute, sure. But Fletcher wouldn't have sought out her... services, for cute. No, she was used to the high value targets. The GAC CEO's with loose lips and a weakness for legs. A.R.M.S. merchants with deep pockets and a penchant for infidelity. People with power. People who's money and influence could change the trajectory of entire systems. People who were worth everything.

  From what she could tell, Cam Ket wasn't worth much.

  She sighed, leaning back in her seat, resting her chin on her fist, contemplating. She'd worked for Fletcher for years, using her looks and charm to set up deals and contracts from all sorts of marks, whether that was through her usual method of... diplomacy, or through the much more straightforward method of blackmail that her employer preferred. That in of itself was another reason that left her in a state of perpetual confusion. Sure, she wasn't foolish enough to think she knew Fletcher on a personal level, but she knew him well enough to know when his instructions were deviating from the norm.

  This is a job I want handled delicately.

  She could hear his voice playing back in her head as she recalled his instructions.

  Do NOT extort, or force him. I want him content and happy, no matter what it takes, make sure it's done delicately.

  Priya always had a knack for manipulation. Even from her youth, convincing her parents that her siblings were the ones responsible for something that she'd done, to the utilization of her other assets as she grew into womanhood. Free drinks, lavish gifts, vacations to far off worlds... Anything she could ever want was just a conversation away. All she had to do was smile and bat her lashes, then name her price.

  Fletcher had been the one to introduce her to a different kind of gift. Influence. Why ask for diamonds, when you could have the owner of a diamond mine in your pocket? Why ask for a nice hotel room, when you could have a real estate mogul simply give you a condo in the upper spires simply because he could? Why control a king, when you could control the ones who made him king? It was something more valuable than any glittering jewels or trivial knickknacks, and more addicting than any designer drug.

  So what influence did he gain from a mere Alpha Class on the lower side?

  "Just what are you up to, fletcher?" She said softly, taking a sip of her wine, turning her gaze back to the window.

  "Call for you, Ma'am," Her drivers over the intercom broke her from her thoughts, "It's Mr. Kahl."

  "Thank you, Lukas," she said back, knowing he could hear her, even through the black privacy window that separated the two, "You can patch him through."

  A second later, the flicker form of Fletcher Kahl appeared in the center of the cab. Even as he was now, diminutive and low-resolution from the quality of the travel-sized holotable built into the vehicle, Priya still felt a jolt of intimidation run up her spine when he set those eerie black eyes upon her.

  "Were you successful?" He asked, his voice muffled and distorted by the breathing mask that ran from his lower jaw to the bridge of his nose.

  "Have I ever not been?" She asked, falling into her usual habit around powerful people; flirtation. She offered a sweet smile that didn't reach her eyes as she waved a hand up and down her body, "I mean come on, who can resist this?"

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  "Answer the question, Priya," Fletcher said, not quite at a growl, but certainly nowhere near friendly.

  She gulped, dropping the act as she nodded, "Yes Sir. I was able to make contact and establish a connection."

  "Good..." He nodded, pressurized air hissing from his mask as he did so, "Any hiccups? Anything you feel like sharing?"

  She chewed at her lip, trying to recall her interaction with the Alpha Class pilot with as much detail as she could.

  "He's smarter than I thought he'd be," She said, "Or maybe he's more observant. Most targets are usually thinking about getting my clothes off instead of figuring the specifics about why I'm wearing what I was wearing. He was the exception."

  "Was he suspicious about your intentions?"

  "Initially I believe so, yes," She said, "But with a little more... persuasion, I was able to assuage his concerns long enough for him to agree to come along."

  "You'll have to be more careful from now on," He said, crossing his arms, "Don't let your confidence get in the way of doing what I need you to do."

  "I understand Sir," She nodded, "I'll be sure to keep that in mind going forward."

  "Good," He said with a curt nod, "If that's all then I'll-"

  "Mr. Kahl?" She squeaked, pushing through her nerves to interrupt the Omega, "I was wondering about something..."

  Fletcher didn't say anything, he merely sighed, arms still crossed as he looked at her. Silence fell over the cab now, save for the whooping wind outside the hovercar, and Fletcher's labored breathing crackling through the projection. Priya chewed at the inside of her cheek, as it felt like a hand of fear wrapped it's way around her heart, squeezing it in a way the left her feeling suffocated, she quickly tried to recover, speaking a mile a minute in an effort to save some face, as well as her own skin.

  "I'm SO sorry sir, I didn't mean to be so blunt or interrupt, it's just that-"

  Fletcher held up a hand, forestalling her from groveling further.

  "You want to know why him, don't you?" He asked.

  She nodded slowly, speaking softly as she responded, "Yes Sir."

  "Did you read the file I sent you?"

  She nodded again, reaching towards a pocket sewn into the seat in front of her, pulling out her datapad. She turned it on, navigating to her files and opening the one marked *C. Ket*. Cam's file popped up on her screen, with her eyes drifting over the specifics. She wasn't sure *how* Fletcher had obtained a completely unredacted version of the man's biography, and she wasn't about to ask. Instead, she merely stated her case.

  "I can see that he's relinquished. Or... at least he was. Some form of nobility from an EarthGov sector before he came here. Alpha Class... Erm...Other than that, I can't really see what he has to offer."

  "Then you're not looking hard enough," He said.

  "I..." She paused, taking a breath with a nod, "I'm sorry, Sir. It's usually easier for me to see these things."

  "It's fine." He said, "There's no need to apologize. Your curiosity is to be expected, and your ability to question my intentions is to be commended."

  "I..." She began, intent on explaining why she had questions, but, failing to see the point in doing so, settled for a simple nod, "Thank you, Sir."

  "Truth is," He began, "It's not who he is, but what he has that interests me. You could say that I'm... curious."

  "And that curiosity is worth all of this?" She asked. She hadn't been lying to Cam when she said that she wasn't cheap. Even for the few days that Fletcher had her on retainer, her tab had already reached a quarter of a million silver. To her shock, he nodded, not even hesitating.

  "To me... it's worth everything." He said, "Is there anything else?"

  She blinked, still trying to absorb his revelation, "Does this... curiosity mean that I'll finally be meeting you in the flesh tonight?"

  "What do you think?" He asked, cutting the transmission feed before she could respond, leaving her in a confused uncomfortable silence.

  As she sat there, staring at the spot that Fletcher Kahl had been standing in only a few seconds prior, Priya Patel made a new assessment about her target.

  Cam Ket was worth a lot more than she could have ever given him credit for.