Aaron Black- well I try my best xD in the meantime, do read my other dark eldar story 'Of fate and Emperor' I think you will like it! :D
"Lord Adrian..." Adrian heard someone behind him as he held a wine cup in his hand, Corvina's hand in his other. The couple turned around to see a middle aged noble, a dozen meters or so behind him stood a angry woman, presumably his wife.
"My Lord..." Adrian said politely, nodding in acknowledgement as he eyed up and down the noble who had one cybernetic eye.
"I know this is... unorthodox but... If I may be so crude to ask a favor of you? Of course you will receive a favor in return." he said and Corvina remained silent as she eyed her captain. Adrian took a sip of his wine, tacitly and casually proceeding with the... back scratching.
"That depends my lord. What sort of favors are we speaking about?" he asked. The noble smiled.
"I take it you are familiar that... unfortunately your kind can be on a bad reputation... Some call you pirates, other xenophiles, but Im not one of them. I do know, however, where you can get three voidships for a very very low price." he said with a smirk. Adrian couldnt resist raising his eyebrow. Even if he talked about mere escorts, Adrian was eager to have a fleet of his own, his intense personal ambition driving him forwards, especially after that blasted Inquisitor took one of his transports illegally.
"And the... counter favor for this information?" he asked carefully.
"A dance... with miss Savora." The noble declared, with a smile, nodding towards the woman who stood less than a dozen or so meters from him. Adrian couldnt help but smirk, even if this noble was bluffing and actually didnt know any such information, why not?
"Of course." he said politely. "Im sure my brother will not be heartbroken. Be warned though... Savora is a... tough lady to get to." he said and Corvina smirked next to him, so did the lord who was infinitely pleased.
"Lord Bering!" The noble said as he approached the couple. "I have negotiated with your brother. There has been a change of plan and I will have the honor of dancing with miss Savora tonight." he said, trying to contain his excitement and arrogance. Bering rose his eyebrow.
"Of course! If Lady Savora would agree to that!" Bering said casually. Savora herself tried to contain her indifference and inborn disgust with these mon'keigh.
"My Lord... I honestly do not know whether to praise you for your bravery or to scold you for your strength! While I do enjoy the company of strong men, I am not so easily tamed, I assure you!" she said, striking a elegant lady like posture. Oh how the fool drooled after her.
"My Lady!" he began. "I can assure you my intentions are honorable." He protested. "But I simply couldnt help but indulge myself with your presence." he explained with a bow as the room went silent. On the high balcony a figure emerged. The man was dressed in elegant, golden ceremonial robes and he held a staff of some sorts. People applauded and the noble whispered to her. "Master Sosic, the third in line behind the planetary governor." he said and she nodded.
"Dear friends!" he began as Savora assessed his age and condition. "It is a rare thing indeed for us to be honored by a visit from a rogue trader. Indeed! It is a rarity that we get much communication out of our sector these days!" he said looking at Adrian and the rogue trader bowed as he felt the gazes upon him. "So dont let me interrupt your procession, let us be graceful hosts to our guests who can inform us on the state of our great Imperium from beyond our small region of space." He said, bowing slightly as the people applauded. He retired himself and the music started. The noble bowed and offered his hand, she responded in kind and took it into her own. She didnt need any lessons in mon'keigh dances, as her elegance and unnatural agility were enough to out dance this fool.
"Forgive me, my lord, but I have yet to have the honor of your name" she said as they danced to the tune. The noble was good, but even without training it was obvious she was a better dancer. They casually had a chat as they danced, Adrian and Corvina nearby and listening in as the rest of the nobles danced.
"Please forgive my ignorance." He pleaded. "I am Lord Edward of the third pendulum line, first of his name." he said making a slight bow in his dancing as if to make up for his mistake. "I own a small forge district in the city." he continued. "Mostly chem products." he explained. Savora was interested but refused to show him that.
"Oh really?" she said, casually looking away and towards Edward's wife. "Your... companion is furious..." Savora feigned ignorance.
"She thinks my intentions..." Edward rolled his eyes as they danced. "Are less that noble." he explained himself. She smirked, deciding to drive the claws further in.
"Well..." she began as he spun her around, an awkward feat simply because she was taller than him by a head but their combined grace made up for it. "I would say something about how its not kind to compare women based on their looks and... minds... but Im sure your lordship has his right for private thought." she purred and giggled as he blushed. Still she allowed him no respite. "My ears could not help themselves but to overhear your conversation with Lord Adrian. What are these ships you offer?" she asked. He was taken aback but he gathered himself pretty quickly... for a mon'keigh.
"My lady is wise indeed!" he declared. "Your pointy ears are both fair and sharp." He said. "But to the matter at hand. A local rouge trader, who operated within this sector, came to our planet three standard solar years ago." he explained as they danced away.
"go on." she said. He obliged, smiling that he had something to offer her.
"Now, he and all of his senior officers disappeared. A formal inquiry has been carried out and all that but... his three ships were left anchored here unfortunately... In any case, after two years of his person missing, he was declared legally dead." He explained.
"How come no one has claimed or bought the ships already?" she asked as the tempo picked up. Once more he swung her around and enjoyed himself as he took a deep breath of her hypnotic perfume. She smiled as she had him under her heel.
"Well... there was a fierce legal battle between two branches of the family for the ships. The planetary governor intervened and gave all three ships to a very old noble man called Rydan." he explained, fully under her effect. "The thing is Rydan is fully aware of how much the ships are worth. He is old, has no heir or immediate family and he openly stated that he wants to sell the ships to the highest bidder." he said making a small pause. "But the thing is... there are some extra details." he added.
"What details." she asked as the climax of the dance came.
"Well... in the verdict of the planetary governor the owner HAD to still employ the crews and remaining officers of the old rogue trader... so old Rydan now has a extra leak in his finances and expenses. As luck would have it, the two branches gave up, since they couldnt have the ships for free, they didnt want to spill the amount of money necessary to buy them." he said as the dance came to an end and he held her in his arms. She purred as all those older nobles which didnt dance applauded the practitioners. When she parted with Lord Edward she passed by his wife.
"Your Ladyship has... quite the extravagant makeup to go with her unique physique." the woman said, hiding her poison underneath the small decorated fan she was using to cover the lower part of her face.
"Why thank you, my Lady. I was just talking to your husband and... if luck would have it I may sell some of the recipes for my makeup. He does after all own a chem plant doesnt he?" she asked and immediately the tune of the woman changed. As soon as she heard that she could have a fraction of her beauty the woman instantly became friendly towards Savora, even if it was false friendliness.
"Oh indeed! I will try my best to persuade him to accept." she said and after a few other minor exchanges she moved on. The rest of the night was not as eventful but she was still taking notes mentally. Finally the after party stopped and the crewmembers returned to the ship. Almost immediately as they were on board Adrian confronted her.
"WHAT WERE YOU THINKING!?" He confronted her, Savora merely raising her eyebrow as he tried to keep his voice down but he failed. "Knocking out a noble and dragging him onto my ship like that!" He said in a hushed tone as only the key officers were now in the room.
"What ELSE could I do?" Savora shrugged innocently. "He recognized me for an Eldar." she explained. "he could have raddled us out and while your warrant COULD protect you from execution a scandal would still occur in the best case scenario." she said and Adrian calmed his tits down. "Not only that but he made a grave mistake of showing his mark to me and while I am sure he had other accomplices inside the room this way at least he could not report back if there werent other cultists inside." she said and Adrian rubbed his chin as she proceeded. "Not only that but I figured out a way to get those precious ships you want at a discount!" She declared and Adrian's eyebrows rose, as did his interest. Bering smirked besides him as the rest of the people listened in. "But that can wait. Podric, did you do as I asked?" she asked the Arch militant and the man nodded, not having the usual disgust he had towards her.
"Indeed, the heretic is all locked up, Selena is watching him!" He declared, standing tall and proud. Adrian exhaled and held his face in his hand.
"Lets just get this over with." he said and the company moved to the brig. The ship prison was stereotypically dark but spacious enough to house at least two or three dozen people.
"Captain!" Selena said, her eyes flickering with warp energy. "I have kept him unconscious, but merely staring at the mark is causing me headaches!" She said pointing to the man's covered chest. Adrian nodded as he looked at the heavily restrained man.
"Wake him up." he casually said and Selena obliged.
"What..." the old creature coughed. "Where am I?" he asked as he came to, horror on his face evident as he saw his surroundings. Still, it came as a surprise to them as the man laughed.
"What so funny, heretic?" Adrian asked, his eyebrow risen as his stern face looked at the man.
"The changer of ways has no more use for me! He betrayed me! But all is good! Soon this world will be ours!" he said with great vigor, his usual old age not at all present in his voice as he spoke. Savora rolled her eyes.
"That chaos god of your didnt betray you. You were just stupid enough to confront an Eldar, worm." she told him with zero emotion. He hissed at her.
"Who is your master, heretic?" Adrian asked. When the man refused to answer he nodded to Selena and Amanda. "ladies, you know what to do!" he declared. Amanda nodded and took off her bandage, opening her third eye as Selena focused her psychic might on the poor mon'keigh as well. He screeched and screamed as the energies hit him, his flesh contorting.
"FINE! ILL TALK! ILL TALK!" he said. Well that was easy... thought Savora as she sighed. There wont be a good, fun torture for her. Oh well, she fed on enough strong emotions today to last her several days. Adrian merely looked sternly at the shivering man... who just pissed himself. "I do not know his name!" he said and screeched as the two women readied themselves. "I PROMISE I PROMISE!" he said and Adrian rose his hand to stop the two. "We call him the cardinal! He must be really close to the planetary governor if he plans to take power by assassination as he speaks! In fact he was there with us! At least thats what other cultists whispered!" he confessed.
"Where? At the ball?" Savora asked and the man screeched a barely recognizable 'yes'. Turning towards Adrian she didnt want for him to ask for her advice. "I heard there is an ordo malleus Inquisitor in the sector." she said and as Adrian was about to say something, his mouth open, she turned to Lucian. "Astropath! Contact him!" she said.
"But your a xeno! I dont think an inquisitor would-" Adrian protested but Savora cut him off.
"Would care that much about some rogue trader following his warrant." she said and he frowned at her. "I can bet that the Inquisitor whos after you and is your rival is most likely a ordo hereticus member... or a very puritan ordo xeno member. Dont worry, I AM educated in these manners, for while I am a Lady I am not some fragile flower." she said getting into his face, teasing and taunting him "I am a rose with poisoned thorns." She told him and kissed the air in front of him. Adrian blinked and the few women in the room blushed. She turned away from him "Besides... would you rather leave this system to its doom and prove that Inquisitor right about you?" she asked and he frowned, baring his teeth. Oh she hit a nerve did she? "If you love this Imperium of your do your best to save the system and the sub sector human!" she told him. "Ill be waiting for you in your quarters so we all can discuss commerce!" she purred and left as he was still a bit pissed. Still, when she left he chuckled through his anger.
"That woman will be the death of me..." he said, turning to the astropath. "Lucian... scour the warp for the Inquisitor... tell him everything." he told the man who nodded and who proceeded to enter a deep meditative trance.