Chapter 14: Business and Pleasure
"I am one good looking mercenary prince." Leon confidently announced while admiring himself in a mirror. He was cheerfully taking in the sight of himself in his suit while his brother shook his head in amusement as they both prepared to depart their suite to join their parents and sister before heading to a high class gathering of Illium's elite.
"Glad to see you're excited about all of this." Lucas replied in a somewhat sullen manner. "I can't stand these things."
"Cheer up, it's not like we'll have to actually rub shoulders with any of those pompous jackasses." Leon assured him. "That's Pop's job and he only signs deals with the least arrogant million and billionaires. Anyway, Elle's gonna be there. We can hang with her and avoid all the lame ass etiquette garbage."
"I guess you're right. Just make sure you stick close by. Elle has a habit of getting a little too 'friendly' and doesn't seem to appreciate the fact that I already have a girlfriend." Lucas explained.
"Oh Big Bro Dynamo, you and your lady troubles." Leon playfully mused. "If you're not careful, you'll end up like Pop."
"You know, I've thought about that. Sometimes I worry about the old man. I mean, think about it. Mom…it hurts to say it but she won't come close to living as long as we will. In a few centuries, we might actually have a new stepmother." Lucas pondered.
"Maybe we'll manage to come up with a few more medical breakthroughs. If we can give thirty extra years of youth to Zaeed, we can definitely come up with something to-"
"A hundred and fifty." Lucas solemnly interrupted. "That's the limit for an ordinary human and only if they're lucky. We all know how strong Mom is, so if we assume that she'll make it that far and add the thirty extra years we can give her now, that means she'll live to be a hundred and eighty. Maybe two hundred if we're really lucky. Two centuries. That's how long we'll have with her, minus where she's at now." he quietly explained.
"Damn it, I hate thinking about this." Leon snapped before releasing a sigh and taking a seat next to his brother on his bed. "I wonder if Pop thinks about it too."
"You know he does." Lucas stated rather frankly. "Why else would he pour so much effort and resources into researching how to lengthen a human lifespan? It damn sure wasn't for our benefit or the Vorcha's. Those poor bastards are only ever going get twenty years and there's nothing we can do about it. According to Virgo, superhumans can kick around for as long as krogan, maybe even longer. And with Red-Med and the other medical innovations we've made, it'll be pretty hard for someone to actually kill us outright. But ordinary people…that's another matter entirely."
A brief silence passed between the brothers as they both took a moment to consider how brief and fragile human life truly was. "I guess I'm the stupid one." Leon finally confessed. "Falling for one of our godfather's daughters, knowing what the consequences will ultimately be. Maybe I'm too much like Pop."
"Leon, we can't choose who we fall in love with. Just ask Liv." Lucas replied sympathetically.
"You're right about that. Then again, you're usually right about everything Mr. Perfect." Leon joked in an effort to ease the mood. "Well, regardless of what happens I think we can all agree that Virgo will always be there to look after Pop."
"So will Taya. But they aren't the ones who concern me." Lucas replied in a serious manner.
"That damned asari assassin." Leon sighed in exasperation. "That woman sends chills down my spine and not in a good way."
"Zelia claims she knows Dad better than anyone, that they're 'connected' in a way no one else can understand." Lucas explained.
"Bullshit, she's just an obsessed stalker and I'm glad we only risk running into her on Omega. The way she's always eyeing us is just eerie. And have you seen the way she stares at Liv, Layla and Sasha? If looks could kill." Leon lamented. "I heard she even got into it with Angelica once and Pop had to step in. Angelica. I mean, she's the calmest person I know other than you. Can you imagine what it would take to piss her off?"
"I don't have to, she told me." Lucas admitted. "Apparently Zelia suggested that she get used to the idea of calling her 'mommy' in the future. Angelica was NOT amused."
"Great, fucking great. That head case is gonna be a plague on all of us, isn't she?" Leon grumbled.
"I wouldn't be so sure about that if I were you. Or have you forgotten who our sisters are? Virgo and Taya hate her too, so I wouldn't count on her getting too close." Lucas assured him. "And if anyone's closer to Dad than Mom, it's those two. Taya's even melded with him before."
"In order to save his life but good point. You think Miss Crazy knows about it?" Leon pondered.
"Probably, if you think the way she looks at our sisters is bad, you should see the way she glares at Taya. Frightening doesn't even begin to describe it." Lucas replied with a serious expression. "They're probably gonna try to kill each other someday. I just hope Taya wins."
"You and me both." Leon quietly agreed. "Just forget what I said before, you're not even close to having the kinds of problems that Pop has." he humorously added causing them both to laugh.
A minute later, there was a knock at the door. Both brothers rose to answer it and were met by the pleasant but also slightly awkward sight of their mother and sister who were both dressed in a pair of exquisite and expensive evening gowns. The Den Mother of the Terminus Wolves was wearing a lavender number with split that ran up the leg while her daughter sported a red, more low-cut dress that highlighted certain areas of her body that quickly unnerved her brothers.
"Dad's gonna go apeshit." Lucas promptly announced after looking them over.
"And our knuckles are gonna get a good workout before the evening's done." Leon added while imagining all of the gawkers that he and his brother were going to inevitably have to lay out once they arrived at the party.
"Your father will be fine. He'll be too busy being mesmerized by me to pay any attention to much else." Tess informed them while smiling.
"We didn't need to hear that." her children all groaned.
"Oh grow up, you three are almost adults now. And there are eight of you. How else do you think big families get started?" Tess teased.
"Mom, please stop. I'm begging you." Leon pleaded.
After taking a moment to chuckle at her children's discomfort, Tess led the way from her sons' suite to an elevator at the end of the hall where a squadron of Blood Fangs was awaiting to escort the group. That particular floor of the hotel had been reserved exclusively for the Terminus Hunter and the security was quite stringent. Every room that wasn't being used by the Hunters was being utilized by a Fang division whose sole purpose was to ensure their safety. Mal may have been training his children to set out on their own someday but that didn't mean he wouldn't still take proper security measures until he saw them off.
A few minutes later, the family found themselves outside the main entrance of the hotel where their patriarch was calmly awaiting their arrival with another squadron of Fangs while shooting the breeze with his synthetic friend near a trio of shuttles as he prepared to depart for a concert performance.
"Rap, seriously? I'm not knocking the song, TED. It's actually pretty good and it'll definitely be a big hit at your show later. I just didn't expect you to dabble in it." Mal playfully mused.
"When I made the decision to pursue music as a medium for my personal expression, I vowed to experiment in all facets of the art. Humans in particular seem to have a vivid array of styles. The diversity is fascinating and incredibly satisfying to delve into." TED cheerfully explained.
"Whatever makes you happy, buddy." Mal pleasantly replied before turning his attention to his newly arrived family. "It's about time you all…" he quickly stopped himself after catching sight of his wife and immediately swooped in to embrace her while planting a kiss on her lips.
"You're in public, damn it!" Leon complained.
"I can't help but wonder if this is part of our punishment too." Lucas irritably pondered.
"Yup, this definitely entitles me to a shopping spree." Olivia stated plainly while imagining all of the goodies she'd be forcing her father to buy during their planned outing for the next day.
"Alright, fine. I think we've embarrassed you enough." Tess happily stated after parting from her husband. "Down tough guy. We have business to take care of, remember?"
"Willard and his friends can wait. Actually, maybe they should. We've got an entire hotel floor to ourselves and-"
"Forget this, get in the shuttle old man!" Leon commanded.
"I'd do what he says if I were you." Lucas sternly added.
"Really? And who's gonna make me?" Mal asked after walking over to the boys and facing them down. "Last time I checked, I was still the Alpha Dog in this pack and undefeated. But if you two wanna team up with your brothers again and give it another shot, I'm always ready."
"One of these days, Pop." Leon muttered while backing down.
"We won't be children forever, Dad. Someday you'll realize that." Lucas added while also relenting.
"I already do." Mal replied with a trace of sadness before placing arm around both boys. "Come on, let's get going before the caviar is all gone." he joked.
"Mal! So glad you could make it!"
"Willard, always good to see you." Mal cheerfully greeted before shaking hands with one of his oldest clients and business contacts.
It had only been a few minutes since he and his family had arrived at the gala that was currently taking place in the enormous garden of one the largest private estates in Nos Astra. The owner was none other than Willard Rowen, a millionaire industrialist and chief shareholder of the ExoGeni corporation. He also happened to be one of the first high profile clients that Mal had ever taken.
"Tess, you're looking more beautiful than ever." he politely added before kissing Tess' hand. "And so is your daughter. The boys have grown a great deal as well. They're nearly as imposing as their father." Willard laughed. "How old are they all now?"
"A painful sixteen and closing in on the next benchmark." Mal humorously responded. "Teenagers…trust me Willard, you wouldn't want to have to deal with this crap more than once."
"Mal, I'm afraid I'm quite familiar with your plight. I experienced a great many headaches during Laura's adolescence and now Eleanor's just turned sixteen herself-Ah, speaking of the troublemakers, there they are now!" Willard cheerfully exclaimed before waving his daughter and granddaughter over from a group of investors.
"Mal, Tess, I think you both remember my daughter Laura and the rambunctious heiress of our family-"
"Lucas! It's about time you got here! I've been bored out of my mind!" Eleanor shouted in delight before pouncing on her reluctant friend and embracing him.
"Elle, this is embarrassing and disrespectful to your-"
"Oh blah, blah. Grandpa doesn't care and neither does mom." Eleanor quickly cut in. "I haven't seen you three in months." she added before hugging Olivia and Leon as well. "Come on, now that you guys are here, I can finally have some fun." she cheerfully added before leading the trio away while practically dragging Lucas.
"I'm sorry about that Mal, Eleanor will honestly be the death of me." Willard lamented.
"Don't worry about it, I'm sure she'll remember to properly greet us later." Mal joked before turning his attention to Laura Rowen. "So, how are things Doc? I heard orders for the Weather Comm are through the roof thanks to all of the frontier colonies that have been popping up recently."
"Are you including yours?" Dr. Rowen casually inquired. "No matter how many times I picture it…to think, that scruffy mercenary who rescued me all those years ago could've achieved and built so much-You're a fearsome man, Malcolm Hunter and a shrewd one as well."
"Is that admiration I hear? Sounds like that icy scientist that I met all those years ago may have finally warmed up to me a little." Mal quipped.
"I doubt it." Tess disdainfully remarked while eyeing the woman.
"And then there's you. Personal experience has taught me how ruthless you can be, so I'm not surprised you could act as an effective queen ruling over the most brutal denizens of the galaxy." Dr. Rowen scoffed. "You must be so proud." she added in falsely innocent tone.
"You know, I happened to bring an old knife of mine along. You remember the one I'm talking about, don't you? It's stashed in the shuttle we came in. I could show it to you, for old times' sake." Tess calmly countered while narrowing her eyes causing the doctor to pale slightly.
"What do you say we get down to business?" Mal quickly cut in while placing himself between his wife and Dr. Rowen. "I think we've got a lot to discuss, Willard."
"I agree. Laura, be a dear and gather our VIPs. It's time we made a few introductions." Willard sternly requested.
"And this is the part where Lou dislocates the guy's shoulder without alerting anyone. Notice how he carefully covers the idiot's mouth to keep him from screaming without drawing any attention to the situation. Now he's whispering the usual threats, you can tell by the sweat gathering on the poor bastard's face and the urine stain that's forming on his crotch. Now the moron's going to excuse himself and run off to change his pants or more than likely leave altogether." Olivia pleasantly narrated as she and Eleanor observed her brother while he 'persuaded' an annoyingly persistent and unsurprisingly arrogant socialite to steer clear of his sister while Leon ran interference with the other nearby guests. The two girls then laughed while standing beneath an ice statue that had been sculpted into the shape of an asari goddess and enjoying glasses of strawberry lemonade.
"So it doesn't bother you when they do that?" Eleanor asked.
"No, why would it? If I had the vaguest interest in the pathetic losers who hit on me, then maybe it would be an issue. But since I don't, my brothers are more than welcome to clean house." Olivia replied nonchalantly.
"They can't all be losers, what about the guys on Cartagena? The ones…the ones who are like you." Eleanor hesitantly inquired.
"They're all boring too and some are worse than boring. I've actually had to bruise my own knuckles a few times. The truth is most men outside my family just don't impress me. There are a few exceptions though." Olivia explained.
"Like who?"
"You're being awfully nosy, you know that?" Olivia teased.
"It's only fair. You already know who I'm pining for." Eleanor replied while gazing at Lucas.
"If I actually told you to give up on him, it would only make me a hypocrite. But I can't take sides Elle. Rain is one of my best friends and she and Lou have been close since we were all in diapers. Still, I can't blame you for falling for him. He and Jordy are the sweetest out of all my brothers." Olivia sympathized.
"We first met here you know. Two years ago. I had snuck away from my usual security detail and gotten lost in the commercial district. I almost got myself killed by a few Eclipse initiates when Lucas showed up. He was unarmed but still managed to take down a trio of bloodthirsty asari gangster wannabes without getting a scratch. His team of Vorcha didn't even have time to lend a hand. And then when it was all said and done, he scolded me. He scolded me as if I were his own family and didn't stop even when I started to cry. After that, he dried my tears and carried me home." Eleanor explained warmly. "Maybe I won't ever catch him but I'll never stop trying or loving him."
Olivia took a moment to stare at her before smiling. "You and I have way too much in common."
"And as you just heard from my colleagues, it's as we all feared." Willard stated in a dire tone. "These brazen attacks on my holdings have only ceased due to your intervention, it's one of the reasons why so many of my associates were eager to meet with you and sign their own security agreements. With so many of us expanding our enterprises beyond Alliance and Citadel Space, it just makes sense. Unfortunately, the miscreants who are plaguing us have decided to form their own partnerships and I'm afraid the resulting unions have made them far more formidable."
"Yeah, I've had a few of my people looking into that too." Mal replied. "Something's definitely not right. I've wiped out every half-assed pirate league that's formed during the past few years but they just keep coming back. Now the Forgotten and the Yahg Marauders are getting involved. There's no way this is a coincidence. It might be time for me to start calling in a few favors from my associates."
"Pardon?" Willard asked after doing the smallest of double takes. "Mal, it's a well known fact that you and Aria T'Loak control the largest areas of the Terminus Systems."
"And who do you think controls the rest?" Mal calmly countered. "Plenty of it plays host to pirates and criminals. The Quarians and the Geth have their territories and my Vorcha have theirs. Aria's got her own domains but Omega is her biggest stronghold. But there are other factions out there, Willard. Guys who aren't eager to be famous and just want to conduct their business as usual. If our pirate friends happen to be disrupting them too, then I'm willing to bet they'll be willing to hear what I have to say at the next meeting."
"I'm sorry, the what?" Willard asked in confusion.
"Don't worry about it." Mal replied dismissively. "For now, my Wolves and my Fangs will keep things in order. We can't have you or your friends going bankrupt, can we?" he joked.
"I haven't had a profit loss since the day you returned Laura to me." Willard confessed. "I'll always trust your judgment, Mal. And perhaps someday, the judgment of one your heirs." he fondly added while observing his granddaughter laugh with Mal's children across the party as they all danced together.
"I think it's about time my beautiful wife and I showed them how it's done." Mal suddenly announced before strolling over towards his wife who was busy closing deals with several newcomers.
"You're all even better than the last time we went out dancing together." Eleanor stated in between breaths as she and her friends took a break from the dance floor.
"It runs in the family." Leon bragged.
"Apparently it does." Eleanor agreed after taking notice of her friends' parents as they took to the dance floor themselves.
What immediately followed was the most phenomenal and passionate display of rhythm that anyone present had ever seen. The King and Queen of Cartagena were in perfect sync and their bodies seemed to merge as the orchestra in the garden increased the tempo which only served to urge them further. Their performance quickly drew the attention of everyone present and before long the entire party seemed to be entranced by the scene. The couple had the dance floor to themselves and ample room to take their moves a step further which culminated in several maneuvers that would've likely been dangerous for a novice and illegal in certain parts of space for a minor. After finally finishing the dance with a twirl into her husband's arms, Tess and Mal took a bow as the party erupted into a tumultuous applause.
"He really is the Alpha Dog." Lucas stated in admiration while joining the applause with his brother and sister.
Sometime later, the Hunter family found themselves at the front of the Rowen estate awaiting their rides. "Here!" Mal quickly barked before tossing a credit chit at Leon while carrying his wife. Afterwards the couple initiated an intense display of public affection that quickly annoyed their children. "Your mother and I need some time alone so go see a movie or something. Actually, make it three. Do some sightseeing too. Or go check out that concert that TED is throwing. You know what? No curfew, knock yourselves out." Mal commanded after finally coming up for air while pawing at his wife's dress.
"Don't listen to your father, I want the three of you back at the hotel by-"
Tess found herself unable to finish her order after Mal found his way to a certain spot on her neck causing her to release an embarrassingly loud moan.
"Alright, we get it!" Leon shouted indignantly.
"This isn't happening. This is all a bad dream and in a few minutes I'll wake up in my bed with no memory of this horrifying nightmare." Olivia struggled to convince herself.
Lucas simply buried his face in his hands while shaking his head, at a complete loss for words. A moment later, their collective discomfort ended when the shuttles finally arrived.
"I want all of you chaperoning my pups and send word to the others to secure the floor before we get back." Mal quickly commanded after his Fangs arrived. "Fox, keep an eye on them." he added after an attractive woman with long dark hair and enigmatic eyes to match departed one of the recently arrived shuttles with a squadron of her colleagues.
Afterwards, the husband and wife quickly boarded one of the other aircrafts and departed, leaving their children thoroughly mortified. "I can't wait to move out." Leon finally stated in agitation.
"It's at the top of my 'To Do List' too." Lucas quickly agreed causing Fox to chuckle.
"I'm guessing our King and Den Mother are planning to enjoy themselves-"
"Fox, don't." Olivia warned her, resulting in even more laughter from the other Fangs.
"What the hell are we supposed to do now? I wouldn't be trying to go back even if Pop hadn't ordered us out." Leon stated in frustration.
"I'm getting a serious headache." Olivia complained. "This whole thing reminds me of that incident that happened when we were kids and we accidentally walked in on them-"
"We swore we wouldn't mention that again. EVER." Lucas sternly interrupted before releasing a sigh as their Fang entourage once again erupted into laughter. "Maybe it's time for a little bit of payback." he suddenly mused.
"What do you mean?" Olivia asked while eyeing him.
"I mean Dad left us with his credit chit and basically a free pass to do whatever we want for the next few hours. I say we take advantage of his 'generosity' and hit a few clubs." Lucas proposed.
"Do my ears deceive me?" Leon asked in shock. "Is Big Bro Dynamo actually suggesting that we abuse our parents' trust?"
"I'm just recommending that we do what Dad asked and amuse ourselves for awhile. He threw a few ideas and I'm choosing to ignore them. Are you guys with me or what?" Lucas replied while giving an uncharacteristically mischievous smile.
"Lou, you know we are. Right Liv?" Leon eagerly agreed before turning to his sister for her consent.
"Have you both forgotten about Fox and the rest of our Fang escorts? You really think they'll go along with this?" she asked while glancing at their lead chaperone.
"What do you say Fox? How about you and the gang let us treat you to a night on the town courtesy of our Pop?" Leon charmingly suggested while twirling his father's credit chit on one finger.
The woman simply stared at her charges before smiling. "You have no idea how similar you three really are to your parents. Mal assigned us to follow and protect you. However, he never mentioned intervening in your leisure plans."
"You really are the best Fox." Leon chuckled before turning to face the rest of their retinue of bodyguards. "You heard the lady, let's hit it!" The cheers that followed would erupt many more times before the night was over. The Hunter Triplets were about to hit the town.