EPISODE 3: THE FIRST GATHERING PART 3
Ostra was an interesting planet, deep within the territory of The Wheel. The third from its sun, it was nearly entirely composed of water, save for two relatively small continents and many small island chains. This unique environment made for a wonderful vacation destination, and Wheel citizens both rich and poor flocked often to its beaches and luxury resorts. The planet’s capital was Jazeera, a jewelled city rising up out of an island off the coast of one of the two continents. Ostra’s “Diamond Island”, as Jazeera was called, was an extremely profitable tourist and cultural center, kept mostly free of crime by the city’s vast police forces – a restrictive but necessary measure. The planet’s Lord was benevolent and life on the “paradise planet” was largely carefree.
The tourism industry was no doubt the biggest money maker on Ostra, but good cash could be made in the buying and selling of private islands, of which there were no limit in Ostra’s archipelagos. It was on one of these private Islands that former Admiral Landover found himself today.
Suffice it to say, it was hot. Ostra enjoyed tropical weather across essentially the entire planet all year round and Landover, having just arrived, had not had time to change out of his bridge coat. It remained stuffy, even though medals and chevrons no longer adorned it.
He stood at the present moment on a beach on an island kilometers away from any major settlement. The port his shuttle had landed at had no terminal or security of any sort and was little more than a cleared section of forest. The shuttle’s crew remained on the ship as had Landover trudged to his destination. He had spent much time and considerable sums of money to get the information he had. Not many people, even in the underworld, wanted to deal with a disgraced Admiral.
The sound of surf on sand was joined by the shrill squawks of birds farther inland. The sun was just beginning its slow trek downwards from its throne at the top of the sky, but the temperature did not show any signs of dropping. Landover noticed at once all of this and none of it, as his gaze was currently trained on the woman lounging on a beach chair a ways to his front.
The woman was definitely young, likely in her middle twenties. Her hair was long and black, let down, but by the waves and layers Landover saw in it he could tell she normally wore it tied up in some manner. She wore a simple black two piece swimsuit, a pair of sandals on the sand next to her chair. She was tanned, and her body was toned, quick and strong muscles visible faintly beneath her skin. A thin but long scar adorned her bare midriff. Her eyes were closed, but she was not asleep.
He stood, and she lay, for a little while.
“Aren’t you hot?” The lounging woman spoke up. Her voice was gentle, but with a sharp edge to it. Landover raised an eyebrow.
“A little.” He replied.
“Why are you here?” She asked.
“As if you don’t already know.” He answered. “It wasn’t easy finding you.”
“I went on vacation to take a break. I didn’t want to be found.”
“Tough luck.”
She opened her eyes and sat up, twisting to face Landover.
“Not many people want to deal with a disgraced Admiral.” She said.
He shrugged. “People want to deal with money.”
Her face hardened.
“You are Cassiopeia.” Said Landover. “You were named after the mother of a sacrifice.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Nothing. A Relic of the past. Is there anywhere else we can talk?”
Cassiopeia stood, slipping into her sandals.
“I have a bungalow not far from here. We’ll eat lunch.”
Landover nodded.
---
Cassiopeia’s bungalow was a strange structure. Set on a hilltop overlooking the beach, it was built in a style both akin to modern architecture and the design of native cabins in the books Landover had read long ago. They were sitting on the patio, the sun still bright in the sky but slowly weakening. She had quickly prepared the two of them a light meal, but it seemed only she was interested in eating it.
“Cassiopeia.” Landover said.
“Cass.” She retorted. She had tied a colourful sarong just under her shoulders when they had made it to the bungalow.
“I know that you know me.”
“I know of you.”
“Then tell me, what do you know of me?”
She looked up from her food, then took the fork out of her mouth and set it on the table.
“I know you fucked up, your ship was destroyed, and your entire crew was slaughtered. I know you’ve been stripped of your rank expelled from the navy. I know why you’re here.”
“Why am I here?”
“You want to take me on as your Hierophant. You fear you’ve made some enemies in powerful places and you want Cass to keep the bugs off. You’re a paranoid old man, your mind is slowly slipping, and you feel like you’re going mad from loneliness.”
She went back to eating. Landover, sixty-one years of age, smirked.
“Close. It hasn’t been that long since I was exiled.”
Cass issued a questioning grunt.
“I’ll let you in on a secret, Cassiopeia.”
“Cass.” She mumbled, mouth full of food.
“I’ve come here because I want to take you on, yes. After all, you’re the best there is.”
“Damn straight.”
“Good enough to request to be released from your Lord and have it approved. Good enough to even rise to Hierophant at your age in the first place. But asking you to waste your talents on the frivolous fears of an insane old man would be a grave insult.”
Cass had finished her food while Landover’s was untouched. She was listening to him, but Landover couldn’t tell if her interest was real or feigned.
“The Grandmaster of the Wheel has given me a second chance.”
“Those don’t happen very often.”
“No, they don’t. I need to hunt down and capture a captain of the DSC, and return him to the Grandmaster for judgement.”
“Only one man?”
“Yes.”
“And this is why you are cutting short my vacation?”
“Yes.”
“You want me to return to a life of subterfuge and murder?”
“Yes. You will assist me in finding and apprehending this man, and any other tasks I need done along the way.”
“Do you have a ship? A new crew?”
“No, but I will.”
“Will you have any support from the rest of The Wheel?”
“No, and I won’t.”
She closed her eyes, silently contemplating. Landover was emotionless, as his years in the army had taught him to be. The silent was pervasive. When her eyes finally opened, even Landover was taken aback, for in them he saw a vision of insanity.
---
The shuttle took off, its skeleton crew manning the cockpit and the engine room but not much else. Landover sat on the small bed inside his quarters, his elbows on his knees, considering his next move.
The door slid open.
Cass had wasted no time in gathering her belongings and returning to the shuttle. She was now clad in the bridge coat of a Hierophant, her hair tied into a topknot in the back and hime cut in front. She wore a devilish smile on her face.
“What’s our first destination, Lord?” She asked with only a twinge of sarcasm.
Landover sat up straight and turned to her.
“Cass, if you enjoyed your work so much, why did you really retire?”
She shrugged, rolling her eyes in obvious annoyance to his answering of her question with another question.
“Every murderer needs to take a break, once in a while.”
“So then, you were planning to return from the very beginning?”
“Yes, I was. What of it?”
“What were you waiting for?” Asked Landover. “Why hide yourself, alone on that obscure island?”
Here, Cassiopeia smiled once more.
“Just waiting for Mr. Right.”
:OO pretty awesome won't lie
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