Chapter 2; Initiate

"I've lived long enough to care about one person, and that happens to be yours truly. Certainly, I might be able to care about somebody else, but the odds of this happening aren't very large. I'll give you a few reasons why.

            'Number 1- First of all; I don't need a partner or comrade. Those few whom I call friends are just the few people I turn to when a problem arises that I can't fix and have no other choice but to consult with them. You won't find many of them. One to each planet I've been to; maybe not even that, either.

            'Second reason- if it ever comes to it, I would not be comforted to have one around. I'm not the social type. I drink my drink alone and I do my jobs alone. I'll avoid any jobs that require the hiring of another wingman. I don't like to share, also, so don't count on giving any charity, either.

            'Third- I'm used to being alone, and it's not so bad anyway. You can do things most others would never find out about… erm… meaning very little in my case.

            'Fourth- Well, from one who has never had a partner, I don't know why this would matter…but I don't like having blood on my paws. The death of anybody could be turned against me.

            'There's another reason, a final one and the one reason why I don' want to have a partner- I just don't want to care. It alleviates a lot of miseries. No one can hurt you if you don't care. The act of being amoral in these situations isn't hard… I don't want to be hurt. Nobody does. You should understand this, then."

            ~Kajex Firedrake, in response to a former employer's question on why the jaguar would not take a partner.

Kajex awoke the next morning with a yawn that would have split his head from the ears, had he not gotten the full of it and stopped before such a thing could happen. Sunlight filled the cockpit of his ship, and he scratched his fur on his cheek, trying to get himself fully conscious. A shake of his head and he was fully awake, alert, and ready for the day. The proceedings from the previous day gave him a bit of a groan, as he knew hat he would have little time to be ready before he'd have to go see Tarry for an announcement he had wanted to make.

He got out of the seat, which was laid back for sleeping. Being one to sleep mostly on his side, the seat had been comfortably arranged so that he could do so without feeling odd, or that he was sleeping on a rock. Pulling the seat back in its standard upright position, he went to the back of the cockpit and opened a small drawer, packed neatly with rows of clothing, enough to last one a month. His onboard droid computer had been replaced with a quick cleaner, which had been more convenient (and less noisy). Whatever sets of clothing he had in the ship were all clean, and were of only two types- cargo jeans and long-sleeved white shirts. The only thing that ended the whole outfit was a red vest hanging on the wall. This was also cleaned regularly, as his was the clothing that set him out from many others.

He set up the cockpit shield to his ship and took out his clothing. He was dressed still in the former day's clothing, and so a shower was needed. Tarry had set it up so that where his ship was parked, on the Northern side of Tarry's building, there was a public shower room nearby. He took out his clothing…. yet before he left, as if in afterthought, he reached for his blade and blaster, concealing them within the bundle of clothing he had with him now. He then left the ship, turning once more to see the still-damaged wing, hoping that, by the end of the day, Tarry would be as good as his word and have had the wing repaired in good condition. The deal was a repaired ship if Kajex decided to come to a small hearing and heard out what Tarry had to say, then make a few more decisions after that. For the love of his ship, Kajex was willing to bear anything. The Arachnid had been his pride and joy, the first ship he had gotten and, as he had vowed, the ship he'd want to die in.

A bright sun filled the sky as Kajex walked out of his ship. The twin-spires of a nearby tower poked into the blue sheet above him, which was peppered with white, amorphous fluffs. These were the headquarters of the faction Kajex had been working for, till yesterday, and yet, for some odd reason, Kajex had been allowed to stay within the grounds of it- something that usually was never done, and if it was, never insisted. Thus, Kajex found comfort in that he had brought his weapons with him, just in case.

He made for the showers, noticing that there were quite a few people walking about. It was only 5:00 in the morning, and not anywhere near the first rush hour of the day. The showers, he supposed, would be normally populated when he got there, if everybody was up and working like this each day. He checked his bundle once; to make sure his blaster still had a full charge on it. When he was satisfied, he returned it underneath his arm and walked a bit quicker.

Once he had reached the male showers, he moved his bundle to the side, leaving the handles of both his weapons out enough for him to grab them if they were needed. He then stripped down and walked in. There were already several others around, one of them more noticeable than the others, and that was because it was the same large lizard that Kajex had seen the last time. It looked like he had been there already for a long while.

Kajex blinked at him, noticing that the reptile was indeed incredibly tall, towering over the jaguar by a good foot and a half. He said nothing, turning on one of the nozzles and becoming immediately soaked with warm water, but he flinched and moved back in anticipation as he saw the reptile move towards him. The feline immediately moved backwards and growled more in anxiety rather than anger.

The reptile blinked, then smiled somewhat. "Calm down, small cat, I have no reason to hurt you. I just noticed… you're the one that consulted with Tarry earlier, right?"

Kajex blinked, much as he had done only minutes before. He became confused all of the sudden. "Erm… well, ah, yeah, I guess so."

The lizard laughed yet again. "Remain calm, Mr. Firedrake, my intention is not to hurt you. I wished only to greet you into the corporation, that's all."

Kajex relaxed some, but only because confusion was beginning to take place. "Wait… what do you mean by 'greet me into the corporation'?"

The lizard paused, hesitated as if Kajex had made a foolish mistake, then mused to himself. "So… he hasn't told you then, eh?" Kajex shook his head and the reptile shrugged. "Ah, well, I expect you'll know what I mean when you talk with him later today. He makes his point clearly, even if he does tend to use a rather odd accent and speaking manner. Don't worry about it until you meet him, then."

Kajex was about to respond against that, but instead broke off, muttering a "Yeah… sure," and then resuming his shower.

The reptile moved his location a bit closer to Kajex's, which, in light of the circumstances, was understandably very uncomfortable for the jaguar. He kept calm, though, as the lizard spoke. "My name is Diego Sanchez, by the way." The lizard extended a claw to Kajex,

The feline, in turn, took and shook it. "Kajex, if you didn't know it. My last name you seem to know."

"There are actually few here that don't know about it. Rumors of your escape flight have been circulating, making you look like the popular one here. And yesterday, the kid that you took, sliced on the arm and took hostage for a while- she was our best mercenary in the corporation. She got reprimanded sorely because of the fact that she had unexpected an attack from you. You've caused a bit of a scene around here."

"Yeah… that's what I'm used to," Kajex answered truthfully. "I usually find ways to conceal myself afterwards, but it seems I'm stuck here, now." He reached for a bar of soap and lathered, simultaneously making casual conversation. "What kind of corporation is this? It seems like a legal, legitimate operation, despite the fact that you hire mercenaries and smugglers for some missions."

"Actually, you could say that. You've only seen the one side of the business. In reality, we're shipbuilders and legally modify any types of star-craft that needs to be. Of course… we have our competition, and that requires the use of…" Diego trailed off into silence, looking down a bit.

Despite the fact that he was not one to get info, Kajex was curious. "What?" He put the bar of soap down.

Diego shook his head. "As I said, you'll find out soon enough, when you speak to Tarry. All you need to know right now is that we're not blind to the fact that there are civilians housed here." He looked at Kajex, frowning. "You troubled us greatly yesterday. We had no intention of harming anybody, but when it happens, the best we can come up with are some excuses. There's more to it, I think, but that you'd have to get out from the squadron that saved your tail."

"You mean 'almost scrapped it', right?" answered Kajex, scoffing. "Well, in any case, it may not matter." He rinsed himself off, then reached for the same bar of soap. "By the way… this girl I held hostage…"

"What about her?"

"What's her name, anyway? She tried to put a bolt into my head, and I want to be able to keep an eye on her, make sure she doesn't do it again." He lathered once more, quickly this time.

Diego paused, a bit amused. "You'd want to keep your eye on everybody that was in the room at the time, I think. Trigger, as we call her, wasn't the only one to pull a blaster on you. I would have gladly blasted your kneecaps had you not pushed that guy into me. As it was, I didn't think I could hold myself from pulling the trigger. She's one of the coldest mercenaries you can meet, but as a person, she ain't that bad."

Kajex shrugged. "Whatever. So she's nice, mean, hates me, fears me; it doesn't matter anymore. I'd still like to keep an eye on her and make sure she doesn't try anything else." He rinsed himself off for the last time, turning off the water.

"Then I'll help you out on it, also," Diego said, turning his own nozzle off and withdrawing from the shower.

The jaguar blinked, eyes off of the lizard for a moment. Then he stirred, following Diego. "Hold on a sec- what do you mean you'd do that? Why would you want to keep an eye on somebody else for me?"

"You'll find out, soon."

Kajex sighed. "And what's with all the secrecy? You seem to know something that I don't. I don't need to know right now, but why is this still being kept from me?"

Diego only shook his head, drying his scaly hide with a towel. "I don't know why it must be, but I do know that, nevertheless, it should be kept from you. Every pilot here has been notified and has promised to keep this quiet. So, I wouldn't expect any answers from anybody else."

He waved it off. "Ah… fine. You keep your secrets then. It's not as if you'll be able to keep them secret for long, anyways." He reached for his bundle, taking out the clothing and weaponry, yet keeping the weaponry concealed at the same time, as well. He dried himself off. "What's your job, anyway?"

"Security," Diego answered. "I stand guard for Tarry all the time. However, you should not underestimate him. He's a crack-shot with a blaster, if he has one, and deadly when he needs to be. I've seen him work." He looked away. "And he's taught me to find weapons on all persons that any prove threats… much like the medium sword and custom-made blaster you have in your clothing." He hid his smug smile.

Kajex frowned, then growled. "Hey, what makes you think-"

"I'm not going to confiscate them, if that's what you think. For one, I have a feeling that you won't use them. Secondly, there's no reason to use them anyway, not even to kill Tarry. Third, I know you know not to underestimate anybody. And what I've said about Tarry has probably given you some warning. And lastly," he said, no longer being able to hide his grin, which he gave with narrowed eyes, "I'll be right with him, just to make things tough for you. You may not see me in the room, but I'll be there."

Kajex sighed. "Fine, then. You can trust me not to pull out a blaster then."

"Indeed," Diego replied, slipping on his flight-suit. "Well… it's close to time. I'll need to be running ahead. I'll see you later, hopefully." He extended a claw.

Kajex blinked once more, then gave a half-smile, shaking it. "Right. I'll see you later, then."

The lizard nodded, then walked off.

Within a few minutes, Kajex himself was out of the shower, fully clothed, awake, and more than impatient. He jogged quickly to his ship to stick the clothes in it, then scrambled out. Before he left, he stuck his sword and blaster in their respective cases. He would take no chances when the odds were against him. He had listened to Diego's warnings, and believed them, but he wasn't willing to leave his weapons behind simply because he would be slower than any of the bodyguards Tarry would have around, which was unlikely. He had been, as far as he knew, the fastest with any weapon, to date.

The streets around the towers were crowded around this time, making the trail to the tower long and hard to get to in a straight line. His patience started to become thin by the time he got to the tower. Many of the people seemed to be headed in the same direction as he was. Getting inside moments later, he spotted a secretary, and a long line in front of it. He walked straight up to the secretary, making some of the people within the line frown and growl at him. He ignored, and spoke to the secretary.

"Excuse me, ma'am, but Tarry Dulles is having a meeting and I'm expected to be there within a few short minutes. I don't suppose you could direct me to his headquarters?"

The secretary, a female bat with white hair, nodded and looked at a few of the screen-pads she had open. "I see. Hold on a moment… Kajex Firedrake, is it?" Kajex nodded. "You're to go to any one of the four elevators and take it to floor 55. Mr. Dulles has you on his schedule, and has asked me to give you this," she said, handing him a code card. She smiled. "Slide that into the slot next to the keypad to gain access to those upper levels. I'll notify him that you're coming."

Kajex nodded, muttered his thanks, and walked away towards the nearest elevator. Fortunately, despite the number of people that were present, nobody was using it, allowing him solitude for a moment. He entered and slid the code card through the slot next to the keypad, then waited as the elevator doors shut.

The whirring sound of the elevator started, and the lift moved upwards at a high rate. The glass view-port on his left suddenly burst into the open, showing the surroundings of the tower from a high view. Kajex couldn't help but smile a little - it was a view that he was both used to and loved very much; as much time as he spent in a cockpit, he would never grow tired of it. Ships lifted off and landed, and the people below became like insects, then became smaller, reminding Kajex of grains of dirt.

The elevator stopped suddenly with a bit of a jerk, causing Kajex to be roused from his reflecting. He turned as the doors opened, revealing a pair of tall doors, both opened at the center. He stepped forward, his boots clomping onto what looked like an obsidian floor, and his steps echoed in a large hallway. There were no other doors, as far as Kajex could see, and this indicated the only point of entry would be through the doors before him.

As he approached, the doors opened, and his eyes became aware of a floor not unlike the one he had been stepping on. There was a large window in front of him, and before this window was a series holovisions and computer screens, flickering with multiple images. There was little noise coming from them, only small voices within the screens and holographic projectors. As he walked forward, the doors shut behind him, and another set of footsteps could be heard, these quicker and not as loud. Tarry stepped into view, a smile on his face.

"Very welcome you are, yes?"

Kajex rolled his eyes. "You've been using this accent for a while already, Tarry. Did you think I'd fall for it as your real voice and manner of speaking?"

Tarry blinked, a bit surprised.

Kajex laughed. "You're a worse actor than I thought. I hope you didn't think about speaking like that all through our conversation."

Tarry blinked again. "How did you… when-"

"It was obvious when I met you. Either somebody would have gotten incredibly annoyed enough to put a bolt into your head or you just did that to get a reaction out of me. Trust me, you're not the first, and I expect you won't be the last, either."

Tarry sighed, then spoke with a normal voice and common accent. "Alright, then, Firedrake, you've found something out about me, then. I'll give you that." He grinned. "I guess it gets annoying as hell when somebody speaks to you like that for long periods of time, eh?"

Kajex nodded. "You can only guess. Now, to our discussion, Tarry?"

The rodent moved to a chair to the side, behind a desk, and offered one to Kajex. "First, a few questions, my friend. I'd feel better knowing a little about you."

"It depends on what you'd ask," Kajex said, a little skeptical about what the mouse's motives were. "Some things about me are my own business."

Tarry nodded. "Fair enough. First off- who exactly are your parents?"

Kajex froze in place, blinking in surprise. There had not been a single person in his life that had asked him that. He hesitated before answering. "My… parents?" He shrugged. "I dunno… I've actually never met my folks at all. As far as I know, I was an orphan at St. Paula's sanctuary, on Keitraz. No one has been able to tell me who I am, actually." He considered going on, then shook it off, and frowned. "What business is it of yours, anyhow? You planning on something I might not have liked?"

Tarry laughed. "I could, you know. But if I was like every other crime lord, I'd have had all my bodyguards fire upon you from their posts now. But, as it is, you're no a threat to me at all, and my questions were not meant to offend anybody at all. I apologize if it has."

"It has," Kajex said bluntly. "But what's with the question, in any case?"

"I wanted to know if your family, if you had one, was aware that you were a mercenary for hire at such a young age. I must say, the deeds you have done for other of my associates and enemies are indeed astounding, but one must have been learned in the practice to have done so well, wouldn't you say?" He didn't allow Kajex to answer. "But onto another question. I'm correct in saying that you are currently unaffiliated with anybody?"

Kajex nodded slowly. "Yes… I prefer to remain on nobody's side, since nobody seems to be altogether on my side anyway." He narrowed his eyes. "What are you thinking about, anyway? This had better not be for any hiring into your corporation, Tarry, because I might as well say-"

"I know well what you would say, Kajex," Tarry said, interrupting. "And I don't blame you. To be on a side is to be an enemy of another. It makes you become a target, something for somebody to aim for. You have skills that allow you to keep from getting your own head tagged for a bounty, but to become part of something means to forfeit an easier living and have more skills necessary to keep from being blown away."

Kajex nodded. "You understand my feelings on this matter well, Tarry. But your point hasn't been pointed out. What is it you wanted me to come her for?"

Tarry paused, sizing up the jaguar closely, before continuing. He turned to a screen and hit a switch on his desk. The image of an old male tiger showed up.

"About three weeks ago, Levicorp, our industrial rival, sent out a group of fighters to stop a chain of our supply convoy. We sent out our own squadron, Halo Flight, to deal with these fighters, and leading them was Commander Kenneth Parish. During the battle he was killed, and his squadron and daughter were left with having to say goodbye to a good soul." He turned to Kajex, turning off the screen and looking at Kajex closely again.

"He had started out much as you are starting out just now, young pilot. He had no care for anybody else, had very few people to all him a comrade, much less a friend. It was not until I was able to convince him to work for me that his ideals changed. Perhaps not his intention, but they did."

Kajex sighed. "I have no need to change my attitudes just now, thank you very much. I would rather you let me go on this subject. I think I know what you're going to ask me to do." He sighed. "So… say it, and free me from the subject as soon as you can."

Tarry nodded. "In a moment. Now, Kenneth was perhaps he greatest star-fighter pilot we had anywhere in our corporation, and his death became a heavy blow to us. In addition, many of the civilians onboard the supply convoy were killed. We have declared an industrial war with Levicorp because of this. They have already done this numerous times, though it was difficult to prove whether they had done so. In any case, because of this war, we need to find whatever pilots we can to be able to help us. You're one of the pilots I was hoping would join and help us."

Kajex sighed in frustration. It took him long enough to say it. "I knew it. You were going to try to recruit me into a death-trap of a war. I'm ashamed of you, Tarry- you say you know me, and yet you don't realize I'm not one to join." He scoffed. "I've heard enough, then. I'll be on my way." He got up and started to leave.

Tarry only shrugged, kept talking casually while he was turned away. "Ah, well, I figured you wouldn't join us. I know you're not afraid at all, but the risk of life would be too high, even for the amount of credits I could offer." Though no one could see it or suspect it, Tarry used peripheral vision to see the feline's actions as he said this, watching for the reaction that he would get.

Kajex froze, turned on the heel of his left boot and spun around slowly. "What was that?" he asked, curious.

"Not much," Tarry said, shrugging. "I had only said that the amount of credits I was going to pay wouldn't be near to the worth of your own life. You should live it out, of course, the way you should. I understand fully that you can't be forced to join us. I was going to pay you, of course, but, it is your life on the line, something you can't gamble with"

Kajex sat back down, a bit more interested. "I suppose I shouldn't… yet what's a life without cash for the bare minimum I need to live?"

Tarry considered, then nodded. "I suppose. But you already expressed your unwillingness to join our faction, so what else could I do to prove you?"

"What is it that you had in mind for me?"

Tarry leaned forward. "Halo Flight is the best unit I have up to date, but even their next best pilot is in no position to be the commander. I have not found a single person- avian, amphibian mammal or reptile- that even comes close to qualifying with what I had in mind. The ships we're using are thought of as too weak, also, leaving me with very little other options. I was thinking about the R-41 Starchaser series, but no one has approved…"

Kajex blinked, then considered. "Understandable. They're old, and they don't have much speed behind them when they're recharging weaponry."

"That is true," Tarry said, smiling at Kajex's knowledge of the ship, "but they seem to forget that my business involves the modifications of such fighters. Our ships are top of the line afterwards, with beam weapons if desired. It is simply a job of finding one who might take it and use it. And seeing how you are knowledgeable in such vessels, I thought it'd be a good idea to ask you to join us."

Kajex thought about this long and hard, before answering. The risks he would take, the new life he would have- no amount of money, he wagered, would be worth trying it out at all. Perhaps it'd be esily adaptable, perhaps not, and one would never know until they tried. The sum of all these factors came into his head, however, came out to a possibly positive outcome. He finally spoke. "What benefits do you have in mind?"

"Say I give you the slot to fill in with your own piloting skills. Say that I throw in 10,000 as a 'welcome-to-our-group' fund, and then 2,000 for every mission you complete. I can give you as many assignments as you wish, and you may turn them down or fill them out. I will provide you with shelter, protection from any who might wish to kill you, anything our intelligence can pick up and would be useful to you in combat. Say also that I'm willing to give you any ship at your disposal, and tweak it in any way I can without blowing it to slag. And finally, say that any modifications on your own personal vessel will be free, whether or not you decide to stay with us." He paused, seeing that Kajex was thinking of this carefully.

The jaguar continued his train of thought for a moment, then looked up, a sharp glance in his eyes. "How long would I have to stay for?"

Tarry smiled. "I would only require one week from you. If you don't like the way things are going, you are free to leave. If you feel you wish to stay, however unlikely as it seems, then you may, for as long as you wish. No strings attached."

Kajex pored over this new set of information, then looked up for a final request. "If I did… there'd be one condition."

"I'm listening," Tarry said.

"No attacking any civilians, employed with the enemy or no. Deal?"

Tarry nodded, stuck out his paw to Kajex.

Kajex considered a final time, then nodded, shaking paws with Tarry. "Very well. You have your pilot, then, Tarry."

The mouse smiled. "Excellent, Kajex! Now, I would expect you see you tomorrow at around 10:00 in the morning, to make sure you get some good rest before the day. You will need to meet up with the flight group and be introduced. You will find your ship fully repaired, by the way, when you return today And I will make sure you are fully compensated for the 10,000 from your last mission and the 10,000 from this new offer. You will find me to be as good as my word."

"I hope so, Tarry, for your sake," Kajex said, rising. "I'd be very unhappy if you didn't fill out your side of the bargain."

"You won't need to worry- until I die, everything I say goes." He smiled, then took a look at his watch. "And now, if you'll excuse me, but I have an hour to get ready for my next meeting. My weekends are always trashed. I wish you a good evening, ahead of time."

Kajex nodded. "You as well. Is there anything I should know for now, though? Nothing for me to do until you contact me?"

"No, there'll be something. I've gotten 4 of the 6 pilots that'll be joining you in flight, when you take on a mission. Not all of them have arrived, but most have agreed. By tomorrow at noon, we should have them all together at the hangar bay on the 20th floor of this building. I only require you to show up and be introduced to the pilots there. One of them will be there as your Lieutenant Commander, she will get you started with the team. Trust her, she knows what she's doing."

Kajex nodded. "Alright then, I will. I'll see you later, then." Tarry gave a nod and the jaguar left, leaving the rodent to his own affairs.

As he boarded the elevator, Kajex blew out a sigh, both tired and anxious. He had no idea what he had just gotten himself into, and this was never a good thing. He could only wait until he knew for sure what he was doing, before he could make assumptions.

Kajex… What have you gotten yourself into, boy?…