"Honor is earned, not given. So earn it." - Lord Shaxx
It took a few days, but Meren had finally worked out the last of the kinks. After a few delicately-worded messages, the plan to rendezvous with one of the Spider's associates - to slip away unnoticed to the Tangled Shore - had fallen into place.
When she had asked the Spider for an escort he had been quick to oblige. Too quick. Meren was certain that he would give her grief about it later, but she hadn't seen any other way around it.
She had initially considered contacting Heavy again. The flamboyant Titan had managed to keep her secret before. But after floating the idea by Variks, it had suddenly seemed like an ill-advised plan.
"You are reckless," Variks had said.
And Variks had been right. It would have been reckless. The Spider preferred to operate in secrecy, and it was for the better that she not bring Heavy along again.
Meren carefully selected two texts from her collection. The stack had already started to dwindle. Most of her things - books included - had been left at home in the City. If the Spider meant for her to play librarian, she wouldn't be able to keep up with his voracious literary appetite for very long.
Stashing the books in her satchel, Meren next considered the Eliksni weapon. Variks had insisted that she take it, and she knew better than to argue. The hand cannon was heavy as she strapped it to her hip. But it felt secure in its holster. Somehow, Variks' sidearm made her feel a little more confident. Meren pulled her cloak around herself before setting off.
Velia ferried Meren to the Prison - passed her off to Variks. The scribe, in turn, guided her to the Prison's lowest docks. Variks said little on their way down. He seemed unusually pensive. It wasn't until they reached their destination - Deck 0, Bay 2 - that he spoke.
"You remembered your weapon?"
"Of course," Meren answered simply.
"Good."
Standing side by side, they waited. Variks' mandibles clicked softly. He seemed more apprehensive than she felt. Meren had already survived two encounters with the Spider. Why should this visit be any different?
A sudden thump announced her escort's arrival. Servos whirred to life as the Prison's docking sequence initiated. It took a moment before the hiss of atmospheric equilibration signaled that the process was complete. Bay 2's access hatch slid open.
An Eliksni figure strode through the umbilical to meet them. It took Meren all of a second to recognize Arrha. Adorned in spines and armed to the teeth, he inclined his head to her politely.
"Greetings, Meren Hale, the Professor."
His words came as a jumble of English and Eliksni. Her name sounded strange, and he grated out her title the best he could - their language had no other word for it. From beside her, Meren caught a rumble of a growl from Variks. Arrha's gaze shifted immediately from her to the scribe.
Little Arrha crossed the distance between them to square up against Variks. There was familiarity there, Meren sensed. The scribe stood remarkably still, meeting Arrha's gaze.
The two Eliksni stood roughly the same height - Variks with the slightest advantage. Perhaps Arrha wasn't so little, at all. It was only the Spider's commanding presence that had made him seem small in Meren's eyes.
"The Professor, why do you associate yourself with this beggar?" Arrha spat.
The Spider's lackey was remarkably bold. Variks bristled and his claws tightened around his staff. The Prison of Elders was his domain and Arrha's words had been a blunder.
"You should choose your words more carefully, Arrha," Variks seethed with great restraint.
Arrha shifted uncomfortably and took the smallest of steps backward. Meren wasn't going to wait to see how this played out.
"We shouldn't keep the Spider waiting," she intervened.
Variks nodded once, slowly. Arrha seemed to be in agreement and turned to retreat back through the connector. Meren glanced at Variks. She wanted so badly to ask what all that had been about.
"We will discuss it later," he growled, anticipating her question.
"I look forward to it," Meren replied as she strode forward to follow Arrha onto his ship.
The ride to the Tangled Shore was quiet. Arrha seemed flustered, and Meren wasn't eager to push her luck with yet another strange Eliksni. She was content to gaze around the cockpit at the array of alien displays and sensors. All of it hurt her head, but it didn't seem to bother Arrha. His four hands moved nimbly over the controls.
When they reached the largest of the Shore's asteroids, Arrha didn't land on the surface. Instead, he piloted the ship around to a gaping cleft in the rock face. The Eliksni flipped a couple of switches, requesting landing clearance. Meren looked out through the cockpit as they entered the hanger nestled in an enormous underground cavern.
Arrha powered the ship down before escorting Meren out into the bay. The Spider's hanger bustled with activity. No less than fourteen ships were docked, most offloading cargo. Eliksni scurried throughout the cavern, tending dutifully to their work. A few stopped to gaze at her, and the realization slowly dawned on Meren that she was the only human here. Suddenly Variks' insistence about the sidearm didn't seem so silly.
Meren paused to watch the hubbub with interest, Arrha at her side. He seemed to be in no rush, and she wasn't either. Only when she had seen enough did he motion her forward, guiding her through the hanger. Around them, the Eliksni continued about their business, unbothered. At least not until Arrha spoke.
"Make way," he growled, "the Professor is here to see the Spider."
At his words, half of the Eliksni in their proximity flinched away. Some chirped in distress. Others stopped dead in their tracks to stare. What the hell? Meren herself almost froze, but she managed to remain in step with Arrha.
Arrha tittered to himself. Meren gave him a questioning look. "What was that about?"
His reply came full of mirth. "The Spider told them 'Professor' means 'Killer of Wolves'."
The jest seemed truly hilarious to Arrha. Variks would have a laugh at it too, she was sure. But Meren wasn't certain she found it funny. She hadn't killed anything, and this ill-gotten reputation wouldn't serve to make her any friends amongst the Eliksni.
Arrha continued. "But I know this is not true, the Professor. You have not killed anyone."
The way Arrha addressed her was unusual - spewing honorifics as if she was Eliksni nobility.
"No," she replied bluntly, "I haven't."
What else had the Spider told them? The Eliksni around them were all so quiet now. Eliksni behavior was undeniably strange, but this was odd - even for them. And that was saying something.
They continued through the hanger past piles of Häkke crates, stacked one on top of another. Arrha steered them around several steel cases bearing the Omolon logo. Every single box Meren saw seemed to contain weaponry of one sort or another. Just what, exactly, was the Spider doing?
"What do you get out of this, Arrha?"
To her surprise, the Eliksni answered immediately.
"The Spider once paid in Glimmer." He began, "I had no use for it. Things are different now."
"How so?" Meren prompted.
"The Spider changed his payment," he chattered, "We are paid in Ether, now. One kilogram for one day of work."
Meren raised her eyebrows. It sounded like her Servitor was being put to good use.
Arrha continued. "Even if sick or injured, the Spider still pays."
They exited the hanger, continuing deeper into the Spider's lair.
"He sounds like a very generous employer." She mused aloud. "What's the catch?"
"Ca-chh?" Arrha didn't seem to understand the phrase.
"Drawback," she tried.
Arrha just looked at her. Still nothing. Meren ground her teeth for a second before trying in Eliksni.
"Disadvantage." It was the closest word there was.
"No disadvantage," he offered, "Not since Servitor arrived. Thanks to you, the Professor."
For a moment, she wondered how he knew that she had anything to do with the Servitor. That's right, she recalled, it was Arrha. He had been the one sent all the way to Earth to retrieve it.
"You helped too," she reminded him.
He tilted his head. "I recovered it. Yes."
"How did you get it out?"
"Scorch cannon," he replied matter-of-factly.
As soon as her brain registered what he had said, Meren snickered. The mental image of Arrha up in the mountains melting the Servitor out of the snow was too much. And with a scorch cannon, at that.
The Eliksni just looked at her, puzzled. "Took a long time. So much strange ice."
Strange ice? Meren wondered if she had interpreted his words correctly. Or maybe Arrha had just never seen snow before.
She didn't have time to reflect on it. They were practically at the Spider's doorstep. Arrha stopped at the audience chamber doors. They opened, and he bowed slightly, gesturing her inside.
Meren had barely crossed the doorstep before the Spider was accosting her.
"Professor," he boomed, "you certainly took your time in getting here."
Meren crossed the audience chamber to stand respectfully before him. The Baron was cozied up on his throne like always, but his attention seemed to be elsewhere. Between his claws he held a lifeless Ghost, twisting it slowly in one direction and then the next.
"Bah," he growled at the thing in his claws before shifting his focus to her. "Couldn't find your own ride?"
"It presented a bit of a problem, yes."
The Spider grunted. "Maybe try showing some ingenuity."
Meren's face displayed her displeasure. "You should have just sent Arrha to pick up the book. It would have saved us both time," she retorted, "So much for ingenuity."
"Now, now," the Spider sat back in his chair and steepled his claws, "You make it sound like you didn't want to come say hello."
She really hadn't. And she wasn't eager to prolong the visit, either. Wasting no time, she pulled back her cloak and reached for her bag. But a dark chuckle from the Spider made her pause.
His eyes were fixed on her hip. "Well, this just suddenly got interesting."
Meren's hand stopped halfway into the bag. In pulling her cloak back, she had put the hand cannon she carried on full display.
"Trying to show some teeth, Professor?" The Spider growled.
Shit. How was she supposed to explain this? She was a mild-mannered human professor. But then it struck her. No, here she was apparently a fierce warrior.
"It seems only fitting for the 'Killer of Wolves', don't you think?"
His eyes bored into her for a long moment. Meren stood still and waited to be reprimanded. No rebuke came. Instead, the Spider laughed.
"Fitting, indeed," he chuckled, "Who told you? Arrha?"
Meren nodded, hand still buried in her satchel.
"That was supposed to be our secret," he chided Arrha.
Little Arrha hung his head. "I am sorry, the Spider…"
The Spider dismissed Arrha's apology with a wave of his hand. He wasn't truly upset.
"As much as I enjoy the pleasure of your company, Professor," he drawled, "I'm a busy Spider, and I think we've strayed from the original intent of your visit."
Meren understood his meaning. He didn't like to be kept waiting. She pulled the pair of books from her bag. At that the Spider took notice.
"Two?" His eyes glittered. "What have I done to deserve such generosity?"
Meren crossed the distance between them to offer up her gift. Without hesitation, the Baron leaned in to accept the books. He studied first The Great Gatsby, turning it over slowly to examine the binding. His demeanor changed when he next looked at The Siege of Twilight Gap: An Anthology. She knew he had seen her name - along with other authors' - embossed in tiny gold letters along the spine.
Meren grinned. "Perhaps you'd like to fact check that second one for me, Baron."
"Do I look like a scholar to you?" He rumbled.
The Spider opened the pages slowly. He drew a claw slowly down the page, reading a few lines.
"All so very wrong," he pandered, before snapping the book shut. "Nevertheless, your human perspective might prove to be enlightening."
His response was enough for Meren. Though the Spider tried to act aloof, his eyes betrayed the slightest hint of interest.
"Now, to your payment," the Spider rumbled.
Meren hadn't expected anything in return. Her debt was still outstanding. By offering payment for services rendered, it seemed he intended to keep it that way.
The Spider continued, "You said yourself that you have no use for Ether. What did you do with the last ration, I wonder?"
Meren opened her mouth to reply, "I-"
"Spare me the details. I wish I hadn't asked," he sounded bored, "What will it be? Glimmer? Weapons? Secrets?"
His eyes seemed to glow brighter at that last word. Meren perked up.
"No," the Spider stroked his chin, "Perhaps, for you, something more...sentimental."
Meren would have preferred the secrets, but she wasn't going to argue. That was only likely to get her nothing at all.
"Arrha," he boomed, "find something suitable for the Professor."
Arrha bowed and scurried off. It wasn't but a moment before he returned, clutching a fabric bundle in his claws. He held it out to her, and Meren took it gently. The cloth unfurled in her hands.
It was a cloak - dusty red with a ruff of grey fur around the collar. This was Eliksni handiwork. As she examined it, she noticed the white heraldry emblazoned on the back. It wasn't that of any noble House. The design bore a resemblance to a spider.
The Baron was watching her with great interest. Arrha momentarily reclaimed the gift from her hands, before draping it over her shoulders.
Atop her own cloak, the combined weight of the fabric was heavy and stiflingly warm. But Meren stood up straight. She only hoped that she didn't look as ridiculous as she felt.
"Look at you." The Spider clapped his hands together. "You're a proper Wolf Killer, now. Smell like one, too."
Meren did her best to bow beneath the weight of the cloak. "Thank you, Baron."
The Spider grunted in reply. He motioned for the door, lifeless Ghost clenched in his claws. "Go on. Get out of here. I have more pressing business to attend to."
He said no more. Meren was dismissed. Arrha chirped at her and she turned to go. She trudged after him, the warm weight of the cloak on her shoulders.
Meren and Arrha stepped out through the audience chamber's doors to freedom. But no sooner had they had crossed the threshold than Meren stopped in her tracks. Another Eliksni stood in the anteroom, blocking the way.
"Watch yourself, Misraaks," Arrha bristled at the Vandal.
The Vandal blinked timidly at them, stepping aside. He was armored in all the regalia of a noble House, but Meren didn't get a good look. Gazing at her for a moment, the Eliksni quickly bowed his head.
Meren, Killer of Wolves returned the gesture, inclining hers in response. Misraaks tilted his head and blinked slowly at her, but then the Spider was shouting from the adjoining chamber.
"You are wasting my time, Misraaks!" The Spider bellowed.
The Vandal scurried past Meren and Arrha. She caught a glimpse of his tattered grey cloak. It bore the mark of the House of Wolves. The doors closed behind him.
Arrha led her back to the Hanger, then. The Eliksni they passed didn't balk at her this time. They just stared. She wondered what they thought of her now - draped in the cloak of House Spider, Variks' weapon at her hip. It seemed absurd, even by Eliksni standards.
"The Spider is pleased with you, the Professor," Arrha offered.
But his words didn't make Meren feel any better. It just meant it was only a matter of time before she would have to appease the Spider again. And she was quickly running out of books.
Arrha dutifully returned Meren to the Prison. The docking sequence initiated, and the pressure equalized before it was safe to leave the ship. Arrha chirped a farewell after her as she withdrew through the connector. She would be seeing him again soon, she was certain.
She stopped and waited at the closed access hatch. Meren smiled to herself and straightened the Spider's cloak. What was Variks going to think when he saw her like this?
When the hatch finally slid open, the scribe was right there waiting. Meren had expected no less. But as soon as she saw him, she could tell something was wrong. Her face fell.
Variks stood, hunched down like some hunted thing - his lower claws tapping anxiously together. He didn't greet her. Instead, he looked her up and down once, blinking in dismay.
Meren furrowed her brow. "What's wrong?"
He shushed her. "Quiet, yes? Come quick."
Meren had no idea what was going on. Variks had seemed just fine hours earlier. When she didn't move, he grabbed her upper arm and pulled her through the doorway. Past Bays 3 and 4, his mechanical upper claws dug in almost painfully as he dragged her through the loading docks.
They had reached Bay 5 when Meren caught the softest echo of footfalls. Suddenly, Variks' urgency made sense. He had inevitably heard it long before she had. Meren couldn't be seen down here on the restricted docks - especially not looking like this. The whole situation would bring both of their loyalties into question.
Variks stopped. A row of empty transport pods stood adjacent to the loading bay. Connected to the rest of the complex via a system of vacuum tubes, they efficiently ferried prisoners from the docks to any one of the Prison's many cellblocks.
"Variks?" An unfamiliar voice rang out from somewhere behind them.
Variks made a guttural sound of dismay. He glanced at the row of transport pods, then back at Meren. She held his gaze for a moment - her stomach knotted at what she saw there. Variks' eyes were filled with fear.
"Variks!" The voice was closer, and more stern this time.
The Eliksni pushed her into the nearest pod. Meren didn't bother to resist. There were no other options. They were out of time.
"Yes, your Grace?" He croaked in response.
It was the last Meren heard as the hatch hissed shut - sealing her in. Variks' fist hit the activation panel, sending the pod hurtling away.
AN: Thanks to Keltoi for the edits!
