Chapter 32: Midnight Hunting Party, Part 8

Bridge

Outskirts of Pirate's Pier

"Phoenix 1-0, this is Dragon Queen, how copy?"

"Dragon Queen this is Phoenix 1-0, all clear on the opposite bank. No heat signatures detected outside of those who are s'posed to be there."

"Understood. Keep me informed."

"Yes ma'am."

Leaning back in her seat, Ursa closed her eyes for a moment to catch up on some sleep. It had been a long day, starting off with impatient customers demanding the whereabouts and status of their shipments as well as trying to get others to settle their accounts in a timely manner, lest they find themselves on the wrong end of an asset forfeiture at best, or an outright hostile takeover.

Once done, she received concerning news regarding developments up north. Apparently the intel given by the FNIA and the suspicions of head office regarding the loyalties of their northernmost branch were all but confirmed when they attempted a hit on a NWT ID safehouse in the early hours. Thankfully the assault was repelled, however her eldest daughter had been admitted to the hospital as well as her Water Tribesman paramour. At least the latest report she received was that it was minor injuries and would be discharged in a few days was some relief.

Then the call came from the Sankan Palace to meet the Terra Triad boss to discuss how the swap was going to play out, which took an agonizing amount of time as understandably, he was loathe to give up his men, some of whom were apparently vital mid-level figures within his organization that maintained the day-to-day operations. Regardless, contracts were signed, deals were inked and the last thing anyone wanted was trouble.

For her part, meeting with the poppy, marijuana and coca plantation owners on Makapu the day before to inform of the change in management as well as visiting said plantations were a logistical nightmare unto itself as despite the relatively short distances, the Mountain Mistress of the Agni Kai was damn sure not going to be riding in a cigarette boat, despite its obvious advantages in speed and agility in outrunning an Earth Kingdom Coast Guard cutter. No, one had to project strength as Chin had only just about been able to keep them in line by feeding some of the more opinionated individuals into the volcano.

Then again, the islanders were very aware of just how sought after their plant based produce was in the socialite parties and college campuses across the major cities of the globe, from Caldera to Republic City to Ba Sing Se. Granted, by the time it reached said places the heroin and 'party powder' was cut to hell and back with ingredients as benign as flour and sugar to rather potent combinations like komodo rhino tranquilizer or cactus juice powder. Still, discerning individuals with money to spend demanded the best of the best, of which the plantation owners were more than willing to cater to.

Thus it was a long day of negotiations and tours of facilities were conducted by men with rather rotund figures yammering on with boring statistics meant to dull the mind and distract the clueless. Unfortunately for them, Ursa was more of a straight shooter and to their disgust, a woman to boot. After some head knocking, some stiletto whipping and a renewed promise to feed them bit by bit to the volcano without anaesthetic in front of their families, she concluded her tour of the plantations, safe in the knowledge that her managers would ensure that they knew this management had a zero tolerance policy for nonsense.

On the relatively uneventful journey back, save for a minor incident involving a sleepy radio operator, some faulty wiring, a live torpedo and a school of tiger-rays that somehow did not rouse the Earth Kingdom's Coast Guard, a messenger pigeon bearing a scroll from the Sankan Palace, telling her the HVI swap was to go down tomorrow night. Which meant another late night going over planning with her vanguard chief, a petite, straight shooting former FN Marine that hid a mass of scars and tattoos under her dress, as well a mouth that would make any sailor worth their salt blush or faint in shock.

A sudden jolt soon shook her out of her slumber and she blinked her eyes to break off the last vestiges of sleep. Taking a deep breath, she stepped out of the vehicle flanked by two bodyguards, one standing watch while the other helped her put on a kevlar vest under her dress shirt just in case things went south. Not that they wished for such things, but better to be safe than sorry. Two trucks were parked, tail end facing the bridge with one being empty and the other one packing a nasty surprise in the form of a jerry rigged rocket pod.. Lastly, a sniper team was set up overlooking the whole exchange.

On the other side, Chin stood with his contingent of ex-Dai Li and former Earth Kingdom troopers, looking none too happy that his mid level management was in one stroke, eviscerated and their replacements were not completely up to speed. Both of them stared down at each other, just itching for the other side to try something just so they'd have an excuse to take out the other's leader in one fell swoop.

Finally, just as the tension was at its limit, the arbiter from the Sankan Palace arrived alone in a nondescript looking vehicle. Despite her apparent vulnerability, both sides knew there were hidden men all around them. Then again, she might be calling their bluff. With the Sankan Group, nothing was ever as it seemed.

Pausing for a moment to loosen and retie her hair, she observed the two sides staring down each other, the tension that had been briefly relieved by her arrival steadily building back up as both sides had every right to be suspicious of each other. Satisfied her hair was done up, she nodded slightly in Chin's direction, who stepped aside to allow the six men to cross over to the other side, their days of living the good life coming to a sudden abrupt halt. Once the men had been loaded into the truck, Uraa beckoned her agents to move forward with twin briefcases, one containing six million taels, the other briefcase another two million in uncut gemstones.

Cautiously, Chin and one of his guards moved to the center where Yi Ching stood, as did Ursa, Placing the first briefcase on the hood, each bundle was counted and the case itself checked for any false bottoms, which might conceal an explosive surprise. Satisfied the briefcase and its contents were cleaned, the second briefcase was opened and its contents inspected, in case said gems were nothing more than skillfully shaped glass. With an imperceptible hint of a smile on his face, he closed the briefcase and nodded back, indicating he was most pleased with this payment, as it were.

Technically, Ursa didn't have to bring anything to the exchange but showing up empty handed was considered bad taste and she did not wish to give him any pretext, however flimsy to go to war with her over some perceived slight. In any case, six million taels was more than a suitable blood price considering the carnage she had wrecked on Chin's enforcer arm, in her opinion. Deal concluded, both sides left under the arbiter's watchful gaze, eager to get out and away from each other's presence. In short order, both sides soon sped off into the inky darkness, the only illumination the stars and the headlamps of the vehicles.

As the small convoy approached the outskirts of town, the co-driver in the lead truck felt a shiver down his spine as he observed a man silhouetted against a window observing them for a few moments, before disappearing behind a wall. Before he could pick up the intercom to give everyone a heads up, the ground in front violently exploded with the force of a thousand suns, the intensity briefly blinding him and the driver, who instantly slammed the brakes and pulled the vehicle into a sideways position, knocking everyone in the back about and giving them a pounding headache.

"Phoenix 2-0, what's going on? Phoenix 2-0, come in!" was the plea from the tail end.

"Ah shit, some fucker tried to blow us up! Get the-" Before he could complete the transmission, a narrow band of light briefly split the darkness. Seconds later, the lead truck burst into an orange and red funeral pyre, as the explosion set off the diesel and rockets stored in the back. As parts of human and machine rained back to earth, Ursa's driver slammed the gas, as well the tail end truck and the two sped off, breaking all traffic laws and some that hadn't even been written yet along the way in their desperate run to the more brightly lit and populated areas of the city center.

Back on the building, the man merely watched impassionately at the burning wreck, the occasional pop and crackle emanating from it as flesh sizzled while unburnt ordnance cooked off. Turning his gaze back on to the bound and gagged occupants of the room, he merely mimed putting a finger on his lips, before exiting the premise. As he left, the metal prosthetics echoed off the bare concrete walls.

Back on the docks, Ursa was barely restraining herself from outright beating the HCI to death with her bare fists when the man showed up along with some SAD personnel for close protection. As he approached, something felt off to her and she whispered to her own detail "I don't like this, get ready for action."

"Let's skip the pleasantries and get to business." she spat when the man was in front of her.

If he was taken aback, he didn't show it, but answered "Very well. Did you bring it?"
"A little worse for wear but nothing too intense. They're all in one piece, despite your best efforts." she shot back, digging her nails into her palms to calm herself down.

"What are you trying to imply? I do not understand your last statement." he replied, perplexed.

"Don't play coy with me. You damn well know what you did. In fact, where's your SAD playmate?"

"She's back on the home islands, supervising the next cadre at the Institute. But seriously, what exactly are you implying?"

"How fucking convenient. What I am saying is that you tried to double cross me and wipe out the HVTs with a combustion bender and get out of not paying me. Sound about right to you?"

"A combustion bender isn't exactly subtle."

"Not the point. Give me one reason why I shouldn't give you a one way ticket to the bottom of the Mo Ce."

"Because it wasn't me."

"Bullshit."

"I swear to Agni I didn't hire a combustion bender just to save a few million."

Narrowing her eyes, she reluctantly motioned to bring forth the men from the back of the truck, where they were handed off and marched unceremoniously aboard a small vessel. As the last man stepped aboard, she asked him "Where's my payment?"

"Well, about that, I-" Before he could finish his sentence, a surprisingly strong grip wrapped around his throat and he felt nails dig into the sides as he was slammed so hard into the railing he wondered if she'd cracked some of his vertebrae from the impact. Predictably, guns and combat stances were presented as both sides stared down the other.

"If you don't give me an acceptable answer I swear to Agni I will kill you even if it's the last act I do." she growled, as he feebly pawed at her hand.

"C-Can't breathe, please."

Loosening her grip just slightly, she barked "Speak."

"A-accounting s-said no, s-someone else h-h-hired co-combustion bender." he squeaked.

"Who!"

"I-I-don't know."

The grip on his throat tightened further. "I swear on Agni and on my life I really don't know, all I know is the DI sanctioned it." he quickly spilled.

"How can I trust what you're saying?"

"L-et me go and I-I - tell you." he wheezed, as he felt himself slowly blacking out. Pulling back her grip, she let him drop to his knees on the wooden gangway, panting and gasping as a rush of oxygen filled his starving body.

"I expect you to be in my office tomorrow morning at 9. Also, my price has just increased from a million yuan per person to three million per person. I also expect the full amount to be in the account when we meet tomorrow.

"T-that was not what we agreed on."

"Agreement? Pfft, there was only might, maybe, perhaps and considerations when it comes to dealing with scum like you." she retorted. Briefly, she considered kicking him to emphasize her point but decided against it, given how on edge everyone was. Getting into the car, she told them to drop her off back at her mansion instead of the office.

"Pardon my language, but you look like hammered shit. Shall I call the Comet to make the necessary arrangements?" her seneschal commented when she blew past the doors.

"Yes please." she replied as she began to shed her outer clothes, tossing them in the seneschal's direction.