CHAPTER FOUR
SPACE - UNKNOWN LOCATION - Yondu's Mothership
The first week and a half after her failed escape attempt, Eyien had managed to settle her business with Fay via the net, requesting xir to go to Knowhere in her stead, to start working on every possible lead xe could find. She might have been stuck with the Ravagers for the time being, but she certainly hadn't forgotten what had led her there; whoever had rattled her out to the Nova Corps needed to be found and dealt with. She had no love for loose ends hanging around.
Fay had assured her that xe would do whatever in xir power to come up with a name, and had even offered to launch a rescue effort once it was obvious she would not be able to leave anytime soon. Eyien had declined, knowing that xe, however skillful, would be no match against a full Ravager Clan.
She was also kind of committed to her new plan, oddly enough. The fact that she had failed the first time had only fueled her determination to come out on top. Plus, it didn't hurt that she was enjoying Kraglin's company; she had forgotten how entertaining it could get when one had a friend around. And so, as long as she stayed far from any other Ravager, she was feeling ok. Only Yondu's presence tended to make her weirdly uncomfortable, at times; on one hand, she found him rather interesting – and even mildly attractive, in all honesty – but, on the other, the fact that he knew about her yaka arrow was enough to unnerve her whenever he was near.
By the time something of interest could happen, Eyien had memorized the whole layout of the ship, studied – and copied – every single access code possible, and was steadily going crazy with both inaction and claustrophobia. Yes, the ship was big enough not feel trapped, but at the end of the day she still was a prisoner, and was not allowed to leave the base at any moment. It had been a mere week, and already she missed breathing fresh, un-recycled air.
The ship was dirty, old, full of untrustworthy, unwashed mercenaries, and she had never missed a bath tub so much in her entire life.
She was in the process of polishing her yaka arrow – an exercise in futility, really – when a knock came to the door. She hurried to put away and hide the weapon before she punched in the access code and the metal panels slid back in place. On the other side of the now opened door, Kraglin was looking at her with a raised eyebrow and skeptic eyes.
"Did you change the access code to your door?" he asked.
Eyien grinned in return.
"Of course I did. Couldn't risk one of you unwashed barbarian barging in" she replied matter-of-factly.
"Hey, you were an unwashed barbarian too, once!" he huffed, his chest puffing out in self-defense.
"Please, I knew how to work the shower!" she scoffed back, assuming a mockingly offended face.
Kraglin chuckled, but noticed how she hadn't denied her mercenary past; maybe being on board again had started to rub off on her, after all. He hoped so, at least. There was nothing like working on a job alongside the Tracer.
"Yet here you are, still wearing the same clothes as a week ago" he pointed out, settling down on her bed as he watched her fiddle with something in her bag. They had given it back to her some days before, and he had not been surprised when, out of it, she produced a number of electronic devices. It was a given that she wouldn't go around without her toys.
"Excuse me, but I had to leave Xandar on a rush; didn't really have time to pack my things on the way out" she explained, zipping the duffle bag close.
She had already managed to wash her clothes once or twice, but the lack of a fresh change was one of the reasons she was starting to feel restless.
'Civilian' life had really changed her in the years, but she was not going to complain.
"What happened exactly? It's not like you to do sloppy work" Kraglin thought out loud.
Eyien sighed and straightened, her hands resting on her hips.
"Thank you. I did a job involving the Nova Prime and got screwed over in the process. Someone must have rattled me out to the authorities, because they were able to track me down where I was staying at. I had to get out quickly, which is why I stole the ship in the first place. I was so on a hurry that I didn't even think to install a jamming device on it…" she told him, the very thought still unsettling. She was still very much pissed at herself for that little error, but the thing that grated on her more than anything was that Fay had been on radio silence since their last communication over three days before.
She was literally itching for answers.
"And you have no idea on who might have done it?"
She shook her head, her long bangs swinging left and right with the movement.
"Not really. My clients all come to me through secure channels, but I never had one dissatisfied with my work. No, this is either competition or someone who will benefit with me behind bars" she reasoned, one hand nervously running through her short hair. She was struggling with the idea that one of her clients could have sold her out, because that meant that she hadn't done her job properly, and that was unacceptable to her. After all, one of her most advertised features was her precision and perfectionist nature, she would never leave a traceable trail behind, not unless she wanted it there.
Nothing else made sense to her.
"And I suppose you are already working on it?" he asked innocently, testing the waters.
He was getting at something, but he was going rather slowly.
"Of course I am. It would have been quicker if you guys hadn't virtually kidnapped me, but I'll manage" she added nonchalantly, as if the fact that they were going to give her off to Stakar was of no relevance to her. And it really wasn't, she still was determined to get the hell out before it happened, but they didn't really need to know that, did they?
"My bad, would you prefer to be rotting away on some prison-asteroid?" Kraglin asked, annoyed, as he settled more comfortably on the bed.
"Yeah, because going back to Stakar is just peachy" she scoffed at him, arms crossing over her chest.
"I'm sure that if you prove your worth to Yondu he'll consider letting you stay with us" the Ravager threw there casually, shrugging his shoulders. He was not looking at her, his eyes focused on a loose thread pocking out of the covers.
"And you think he's going to pass an opportunity to get back in Stakar's good graces? I doubt it" she countered, switching her weight from one hip to the other.
"Don't tell him I told you so, but the Captain has a good heart. I'm sure you can work out something with him, last I heard he had taken quite the shine on you" Kraglin confessed, switching his eyes back up to gauge her reaction to his words.
He frowned when he noticed that Eyien had practically frozen where she stood, her eyes open and her mouth ajar. Her muscles seemed made out of stone.
Why did she look so distressed at the idea? Wasn't it good that Yondu had taken an interest in her? That way she had leverage on him, leverage she could use to get out of their agreement. He would hate to see her let herself be used as pawn in Ravagers politics, especially because he had been one of the many that had supported Yondu when he had decided to keep Peter instead of giving him back to his father, meaning he was fine with the way things were as of the moment.
At the same time, Eyien's head was raging with the knowledge that she had attracted the man's attention to the extent that he was now interested in her! It was pretty obvious that it was her arrow's fault, since he found out about it he had tried to question her about it more than once, but she had no intentions on giving in on the subject. She was not going to share the story behind it, nor she was going to ask him for help with it. But, despite her reservations, the more rational part of her knew she needed to earn his trust in order to get off the damn ship, so what better opportunity?
She was displeased when she came to that realization, but her face quickly molded her features in a cheeky smile, her uncertainty and panic secured behind a solid door.
"Has he now? Was it my undeniable charm or my incredible sense of humor that endeared me to him?" she asked smugly, successfully deflecting Kraglin confusion at her earlier reaction. As predicted, the mercenary snorted in amusement at her joke, quickly forgetting her faux pas.
"Whatever the reason, he requested your specific help for a new job that came in. Which is why I came by in the first place, actually" he explained, raising from the bed once he remembered the reason behind his visit.
"What's it about?" she questioned, already frowning in suspicion at the novelty.
"Come with me to the bridge and we'll be briefed" he replied, his feet already moving for the door.
Eyien groaned a little inwardly, but ultimately followed him out, aware that she may has well have already stumbled on her chance to get the hell out of there.
The bridge was almost empty when they entered, save from the two pilots and two Ravagers Eyien did not recognize; the two men were talking with Yondu about something, but he dismissed them as soon as he noticed them approach, waving Eyien and Kraglin to where he was standing next to a holo-table.
"So, I got wind that an artifact I've been looking for has finally resurfaced on the market" Yondu announced once they made it over. He was looking at a picture of a book floating in front of him, and Eyien arched an eyebrow at the sight.
"Didn't picture you for a reader" she commented off-handedly, crossing her arms as she stopped next to the table; the picture she was staring at looked mildly familiar, but she couldn't say for certain why.
"This ain't a normal book, it's an actual Kree sacred text" he explained, immediately peeking her curiosity.
"I thought it was impossible to find those outside the Empire! Also very illegal to have one" she said, and it was clear she was more interested in the idea than worried about it. Messing with the Kree was something she was not very keen on doing, especially after Ronan, but the thief inside of her was already rubbing her hands in anticipation.
"That's correct. This one is something I personally stole, got taken from me years ago, disappeared. It's the first time I hear about it" he said, hands gripping the edge of the table.
She was itching to know the story behind it, but a glance at his tense stance made her rethink it. If he wanted to share the details, he would; or she would coax them out of him eventually.
"I'm assuming you want it back, right?" Eyien asked, and when he nodded, seemingly still wrapped up in his own thoughts, she continued. "Where is it then?"
"Yeah, that's why you're here, lassie. My contact just heard rumors of an auction taking place somewhere. I need you to find where it's going to be, and get us in" he elaborated, eyes turning to look at her.
Eyien huffed.
"Is that it? I can do it with my eyes closed" she said, rolling her eyes.
"Then get working, I ain't got all eternity" Yondu snapped at her, making her flinch.
"Geez, fine. You'll have a location and invite in an hour" she deadpanned before storming off of the bridge.
Exactly an hour later – and Eyien had timed it that way, just too be petty – the door to the bridge opened again, and she found Kraglin and Yondu deep in conversation still standing next to the table.
"Alright gentlemen, I've got good news, and bad news. What do you want first?"she announced, making a very clichéd entrance. The two men cut off whatever they were talking about abruptly, and both turned in her direction.
"Some good news would be welcome…" Kraglin sighed, a hand rubbing circles in his temples, trying to banish the headache that was steadily building itself in his head.
"As you wish"
With a swipe of her forefinger on the pad she was holding, a map appeared in front of them, floating on the holo-table.
"The auction is going to take place in three days in Yhita, on the planet Astra. It's been hold by a Mr. Arklyt, a renowned collector of black market's artifacts. While he isn't as well known as The Collector, he has a reputation of dealing only with wealthy people. And here's where the bad news comes in" she explained, taking a pause for effect as another image appeared on the table. "There is a fee of five thousand units only to get in, which is actually no problem since I faked the deposit for us three, but the invite is quite clear: black tie required" she finished, already mildly cringing at the prospect of bringing those two shopping.
Their reaction was not what she'd expected, and she watched in confusion as the two men shared a glance at each other, and then at their clothes respectively.
"Do we have somethin' clean in the stash?" Yondu asked after inspecting his own gear.
"We should have a couple outfits, yes" Kraglin replied, contemplating what was left that they could wear.
"You're kidding right? You'll never get in like that" Eyien cut in, eyeing the both critically.
When they turned to look at her, she was staring back with a glare.
"Why? What's wrong with our clothes?" Yondu asked, and Eyien felt the universe drop on her.
Fucking mercenaries… she cursed in her head, sighing in defeat.
"The fact that you have to ask should tell you all you need to know" she groaned, exasperated. Why hadn't she stolen the ship of some wealthy, well dressed and refined lost prince? She would gladly play the part of the pet if it meant getting off that blasted ship…
"Well, she's not exactly wrong, Captain…" Kraglin finally conceded in her favor, self consciously looking down at his clothes.
"Fine! I expect you have some ideas, lassie."
Well, that went better than I anticipated…
"As a matter of fact, I do" she started, already typing away on her pad as she continued speaking. "We are going to stay at Yhita's Grand Palace, and I'm bringing you two shopping. The auction will take place in Arklyt's villa, just outside the city; we just need to settle how we're going to retrieve this book of yours and set in place a way out, and we're good" she explained, all the way pulling up information on the holo screen. When she was done, she couldn't avoid the devious smile painting itself on her full lips; they were going to do this her way, she was going to have fun, and then she'd leave them in the dust and no one would be the wiser. It all checked out.
"This is going to be…interesting" Kraglin commented, his voice holding a note of slight preoccupation that only fueled Eyien's enthusiasm.
"Look at the bright side, you'll get to shower!" she added sarcastically, earning a glare in return.
Yup, definitely fun!
YHITA - ASTRA
"Come on, would you please get out of there?!" Eyien breathed out in frustration for the tenth time in twenty minutes.
"Uh uh lassie, I ain't going nowhere dressed like this!" Yondu yelled back from inside the room, again.
Eyien was quickly reaching the end of her patience, and they hadn't even left the Hotel yet.
The trip from the Mothership to Astra had gone pretty smoothly despite the absence of any real privacy on board of Yondu's personal ship – yes, the very one she had stolen – and they had managed to come up with a pretty decent plan to 'obtain' the relic undetected. Eyien had contacted Fey, and even though xe hadn't been able to give her any tangible information on their ongoing investigation, xe had been very useful in setting up contacts on xir home world. A man named Xander had picked them up at the space port, escorted them at the hotel without asking any question, and was to return to drive them to the villa where the auction would take place. Eyien didn't really need directions, but she had agreed that having a man on the outside would be useful.
With that taken care of, she had proceeded to buy them all clothes via the net as they travelled, making sure that the two tuxes and her dress would be delivered directly to their rooms. Everything had gone pretty smoothly, up until the point they were to leave.
"Kraglin, get your Captain out of this room or I swear I'm going to shoot the door down!" she growled, her foot tapping nervously on the wooden floor with the plateau of her shoe.
Next to her, Kraglin sighed in defeat. He was wearing the same outfit as his boss, a black and white tux of the latest fashion, with a black jacket fastened on one side of his chest, black trousers and black formal shoes. While he was far from used to be dressed so formally, he had been born and raised on Xandar, and for him it was not so alien a look. Yondu, on the other hand, did not have that privilege, and the moment he had seen himself in the mirror, the mercenary had refused to get out of the room. He felt utterly ridiculous, and he didn't understand why they had to go through the whole charade to get to the book. It would have been easier to just storm the place with gun blazing – or whistling, in his case – and be done with it. But Eyien had insisted on doing it her way (she had been very vocal and very persuasive, actually), and now he was drawing the line.
"Captain, please come out? We need to be going" he tried, but received only silence in return.
"That's it, I'm coming in!" Eyien warned him, extracting the portable keyboard from the clutch she was holding in her hand.
"Lassie, don't-" he started, but his threat died in the air; before he could even finish whatever he was about to say, the door opened with a satisfying click.
Hacking into hotel security was easier than stealing candy from a baby, literally.
The elegant double door opened onto the living space of an expensive suite that mirrored her own, and Eyien lost no time in barging in, hills clicking on the parquet as she searched the room for the annoying man. She found him standing in the middle of the room, hands firmly placed on his hips, and the most sour expression she had ever seen on a man's face. He was downright brooding, his red eyes flaming and his mouth downturned in the worst of grimaces. His cheeks were also a shade darker than normal, and she was startled to realize that he was quite embarrassed.
But Eyien's attention was quickly shifted elsewhere as she noted just how right the fabric clang to his shoulders and stretched on his chest, the cut of the jacket complimenting his silhouette in a way his leather uniform, however tight, never could. The trousers were also a perfect fit, cutting just right on his ankles, showing off the intricate design of the shoes.
At the sight, her stomach turned on itself, and she swore she felt her pulse flutter for half a second.
"Ah, would you look at that; you actually look presentable!" she teased, defusing whatever tension had start to build in the room, and pointedly ignoring the butterflies in her stomach.
"I look ridiculous" he seethed, crossing in his arms in defense.
"I admit it is an odd look on you, but you do look rather fetching. Those scars of yours make you look like a scary criminal mastermind" she chuckled, taking a step forward in his personal space. He froze as her hands came up to fix a button that had come undone.
"There. Now try only grunting in reply when people talk to you, and you'll be perfect" she said, smiling quite cheekily at him.
She took a step back to admire her handy work one last time, and as her eyes swiped his figure, she remembered she had one more thing to finish his outfit.
"Here, put this on and we are ready to leave" Eyien prompted, fishing a pair of rounded sunglasses out of her purse. It was another pair she had bought at a random stall on a whim, and it was on another whim that she had tweaked them to suit a very specific task.
Yondu frowned slightly at the accessory, but slipped the glasses on nonetheless. He couldn't avoid his surprise once the lenses where propped over his eyes and the world completely changed colors.
"Where'd'ya find this things?" he asked, clearly pleased with the small gadget.
"I made them, of course" she replied dismissively as she passed the golden string of her purse over her shoulder. When she turned to leave the room, her dress shifted along with her, barely brushing the floor but not quite touching it. As the two men, she too was dressed for the occasion; and even though she was usually one for pants rather than skirts, she knew how to chose a proper dress. The one she was wearing was the color of ivory, floor length, with a not overly wide skirt and a geometrical play over the chest made with hard fabrics cut in stripes that came down in a downward triangle from the back, crossing with an horizontal line just under her breast and an x over it under the neck. It was simple, yet original enough to stand out in a crowd, which was her end goal. Also, it was the perfect length to hide the arrow she had strapped to her tight as a last resource.
When she reached the corridor, she stopped to wait for them, turning just over the shoulder to stare at her chaperons.
"Hurry up, gentlemen, we have a relic to steal!"