Underway

Posted on Wed Feb 12th, 2025 @ 9:52pm by Lorenzo "Lo" Balyard

Mission: Outside the Box
Location: Ludheiser Cove, Krakau III
Timeline: current

ON

Lo Balyard has never seen such beauty in an otherwise ugly place.

He stands against a railing on the wooden deck of the mansion at the apex of this hidden and secret location, a beach town behind a mountain overlooking a sprawling ocean. Perhaps “town” isn't the right word, Lo thinks. Perhaps “community?” Though there isn't much of that either. On Ludheiser Cove, everyone is out for number one.

The current and longest-running proprietor of the mansion is Warotog, a very old Broot who had fled here, the third planet of the Krakau system, from the planet Delavi after a scandal that ruined his reputation and culminated in his banishment. Were it not for a wealthy nephew stepping in on the matter, Warotog would have been publicly executed in front of his entire family.

Warotog will never see anyone in his family again, but he takes solace knowing his dishonor is not their own. As a disgraced Broot, the status of his kinfam, the outer circle of a Broot's closest and trusted friends, is nullified and he is denied the honor of being part of anyone else's.

The Cove is not a place where luxury comes easy, and Lo can see right through the utopian image the place has upon first look. The view from the private train upon arrival makes the place look like a nice seaside resort. It is anything but. Everyone has a constant need for help. No one goes around spreading goodwill and generosity. That gets you killed.

There are job opportunities everywhere. Some jobs are easier to obtain than others, but not all of them are paid through credits or even latinum. Favors more than anything are more valuable. Need a place for the night? Do someone this or that and you can sleep on their yacht. That power is temporary. The next day the guy might end up giving you his yacht. A day later you have lost the yacht and are selling the shirt off your back for a few peanuts. Anyone with power can be toppled in an instant in Ludheiser Cove. Even, Lo knows, someone as powerful as Warotog. Sometimes, people knock you down just because they can.

Lo finds the constant state of disorder the kind of challenge he is more than up for. He will be sorry to leave. Here, people gain respect through fear. Lose that fear, you lose everything. Lo thrives on fear. Causing it, having it, he doesn't care. Fear is what keeps him alive. It makes him appreciate every lucky break, every meal, every gasp for air and blink of eye. It is what he loves about the “Neutral Zone,” and it's why he considers it home.

For most of his life, Lo has been a loner. A man without a planet. He doesn't care or know where he comes from. He has no family. He has never had friends. He identifies as asexual, craving no physical intimacy or intimacy of any kind. Women, men, they are merely tools. No love or attachments. There's just survival.

Despite all of that, Lo does not believe himself a sociopath. A sociopath cannot feel anything. They can barely derive pleasure out of killing someone. Lo is not a murderer, in that he does not ever kill for pleasure. He considers himself a mercenary, not an assassin. If you want someone dead, find someone else. Killing should be a means to an end. Necessary if it's the easiest way out of a situation. Granted, Lo has been in dozens of such situations. He doesn't like it, but he doesn't lose sleep over it.

As he takes a moment to breathe the sweet ocean air upon leaving the mansion, he is approached by one of Warotog's Ferengi associates.

“We've wired the first twenty-five million credits to your account, and will pay the remaining seventy five million upon delivery of the item,” says the Ferengi, flashing a set of disgusting pointy teeth.

“Thank you,” Lo replies as he verifies the transfer on his PADD.

The Ferengi quickly adds, “As always, we will tax point-one-percent of your profits as a service fee every sixty days. Please allow a five percent deduction fee on all credits converted to latinum. Thank you for choosing the First Bank of Ferenginar!”

Lo is aware he is receiving the remains of Warotog's piddly wealth in a private cove. The old Broot gave Lo more information than he needed. Warotog is making a go for broke attempt to get revenge on the people responsible for Warotog's banishment, and the murder of the very nephew who had once saved his life.

Nonsense, thinks Lo, as he contemplates the objective from here.

There is a decommissioned starship that could be made into the most powerful weapon in the universe. It had been orbiting Krakau a few days ago. Warotog couldn't seize the opportunity, but he knows where it's going, and now Lo knows as well.

Twenty-four hours later he has an able crew and is departing the wayward planet at warp two in a nice, completely refurbished Klingon Bird of Prey, tracking the peculiar warp signature of the USS Pandora.

END