057: A Demanded End – Five
Seeing the Quanvengier was just as intimidating the second time around, the organic armour of countless slain Leviathan protecting it from the ravages of conditions in the galactic core.
"Welcome back, Pelekys. Forwarding docking coordinates now." One of the flight controllers came over the comms.
"Confirmed." Nevara replied, deftly bringing the ship in to demat range.
Leaning against the chair where Rhea was sitting, Malakh asked, "Are you sure you're up for this?"
Rhea groaned, rolling her eyes dramatically, but her smile was fond as she looked up at Malakh. "We aren't about to perform a gymnastic routine! I can handle a bit of walking. If anything, it'll do me good. I need to get these new muscles up to par with the rest of me, y'know?"
Nevara let out a snort of laughter at that.
"Besides, I'm technically a key piece of evidence. With our luck, I don't show up, and the Briddbragnan gets off on a technicality or something." Rhea joked.
"I won't let that happen." Pryseia assured her, guilt and resolve clinging to her like a frost.
Before anyone could say anything else, the scenery displayed on the view screen abruptly changed from the kaleidoscope of colours in the galactic core, to the warm golden glow of the interior of the Quanvengier as they were dematted inside.
"I'm serious, you need to slow down, or rest, or head back for any reason," Malakh said, hands on Rhea's elbows as the human pushed herself out of her seat, "Just say the word."
Rhea cupped Malakh's face with both hands, tilting it up so she could place a chaste kiss on her lips.
"I'm not going to push myself," she said quietly, "But I'm not staying behind either. None of us are. Lauter fucked us all over, so Vi? Hop in a drone, you're coming to testify too."
"I'll meet you at the port personnel ramp." Viatrix replied.
"Now get your ass over here," Rhea said, motioning at Pryseia, "If you're gonna act like any of this is your fault, then you can come and be a crutch for me."
Abashed, Pryseia ducked her head, but when she moved over so Rhea could get an arm around her shoulders, she shot her a small smile.
G'wisin Baak was there to greet them when they descended the ramp, the usgaisjan giving them a wry grin. "You've been doing well for yourselves. Would that it were better circumstances we were crossing paths again."
"A sentiment we can agree with." Pryseia returned.
Turning, G'wisin led them over to a small shuttle, and had them off into the depths of the Quanvengier moments later.
Like the rest of the buildings within the Quanvengier, the courthouse they were brought to was extravagantly decorated, a confusing mix of styles that had Elytra almost overwhelmed at the visual noise of it all. Glare had been waiting for them inside, the baithaizan's seemingly permanent smile ticked down into a frown.
"Well I'm certainly glad to see you up and moving," they said once they were near, giving Rhea a nod, "I reviewed the broadcast, that was a nasty hit you took."
"It was very nearly a fatal one," Rhea told them, handing over a data pad, "Records of the operation used to save me are on there, and if there's worry of tampering, I'll undertake whatever examination needed."
"I doubt that'll be a necessity, but I appreciate your willingness to cooperate. The other party to this incident has failed to do so." Glare said, motioning for them to follow along.
They were led into a smaller room, thankfully not quite as filled to the brim with elaborate ornamentation as the foyer had been. A large, raised stand was across from the entrance to this circular room, with amphitheatre-style seating ringing the rest of the wall space, filled with a surprising amount of people, who momentarily broke off from their conversations when Glare entered with the crew of the Pelekys in tow.
They led them up to a stand in the centre of the floor space, nodding up at the crowd in the stands, some of whom were returning to their quiet conversations, while others openly stared in curiosity. Thankfully, there were empathic dampeners in place, as Elytra was sure she'd be overwhelmed with this many people having their focus directed on all of them.
"They don't see a lot of disputes like this here on the Quanvengier. Most are between two crews under two different Corsairs. Kith attacking Kith is rare enough, but to attack those under the same roster as you? Scummy behaviour, even from Lauter." Glare grumbled.
"They've had a vendetta against us since the day we stepped foot on this ship, it seems," Pryseia said with a frown, "I've no idea what we could have done to provoke such ire."
Glare made a grumbling, clicking noise in the back of their throat as they leaned against the railing of the stand. "You were new, plain and simple. In the grand scheme of things, the Briddbragnan was one of my more recent crews, and they've gotten aggressive with every subsequent crew I've taken on. Those crews have stuck to operating as far away from the Briddbragnan as they can, only crossing paths with Lauter and their ilk at Kith outposts."
"We had one such encounter ourselves at Amanhecer Station, and the Briddbragnan attacked us unprovoked not long after," Nevara said, nodding at the data pad, "We've included all our scans on the incident."
Glare sighed again, opening their mouth to speak, but an odd chiming noise sounded, and the people in the stands immediately stopped speaking. A door opened up beyond the raised stand along the wall across from them, and three people who were clearly officials of some sort filed out, quickly taking their seats.
"Judges Byrgenferhth, Mitsuishi, and tor-Kellako presiding," the meleten judge introduced their human and apiarian compatriots, "Over the dispute between the Pelekys and the Briddbragnan. Corsair Glare, you have the floor."
"Your Honours," Glare gave the judges a respectful nod as they rose out of their lean, clasping one of their set of arms behind their back, while their other held the data pad Rhea had given them, "With the evidence provided to me by the crew of the Pelekys, I would like to have the Briddbragnan and all her crew removed from the ranks of the Kith of the Void, stripped of all the benefits and protections therein."
What followed was unlike any court proceeding Elytra had ever witnessed, though the bulk of her experience came from watching entertainment media rather than the real thing. Glare laid out all that they'd brought with them - recordings of the unprovoked attack they defended themselves against, the broadcast where they attacked them unannounced, the severity of Rhea's injuries - with the judges asking clarifying questions from the crew of the Pelekys as the need arose.
Unexpected were the witnesses called - various Kith who lived and worked aboard the Quanvengier who witnessed the unprovoked hostilities of the crew of the Briddbragnan towards the crew of the Pelekys, the Quartermasters who'd stopped Lauter from starting a fight aboard the ship, the mechanic Elya from Amanhecer Station who confirmed that the damage done to the Briddbragnan and her mechs had all been to disarm and not destroy, and even Captain Saiwa of the Sudoxe had sent a recording in to speak on the character and professionalism of those serving aboard the Pelekys.
After an hour that felt much, much longer than that, the judges huddled up to deliberate amongst themselves, only for Judge Byrgenferhth to raise a hand and say, "In light of this plethora of damning evidence, and in conjunction with complaints levelled against the ship and her captain over the years, exacerbated by the contempt they have shown both the Kith and this court by their failure to answer our summons, we hereby agree to have the Briddbragnan and all her crew exiled from the Kith of the Void, effective immediately. Quartermaster vessels will be sent out immediately to see to the return of any and all Kith property, and a bulletin will sent out to all Kith crews to provide no aid to the Briddbragnan, unless it is to aid in their capture or destruction. Their access to Kith accounts is being suspended as we speak, and a bounty issued for their apprehension, dead or alive. A sum will be forwarded to the Pelekys in recompense for damages sustained, the rest defaulting to Corsair Glare. And so this session is adjourned."
The chiming sound rang out once more, and the judges exited the room, the crowd in the seats soon following.
"And that's that," Glare said as they turned to face them with a grin, handing Rhea back the data pad, "I must say, this was a long time coming!"
"If Lauter and their ilk were such an issue, why hadn't you gotten rid of them sooner?" Nevara asked as they all left the court themselves.
"Cuz this is the first time they've done something bad enough and publicly enough," Glare explained with a frown, "Aside from annoying the piss out of any Kith crews they'd deem as their inferiors, they kept themselves to themselves. They've never tangled with any of the larger, more dangerous crews, sticking to cargo snatching jobs for the most part, only taking mercenary contracts sporadically. Their broadcasts were nonexistent, prerecorded uploads as infrequent as an eclipse, though their dues were always paid on time. As such, it was easy to forget that they even existed half the time."
Rhea scoffed at that, "Lucky us, then, to catch that schmuck's attention."
"We'll get them sorted, don't you worry," Glare barked out a grim laugh at that, "And if they do decide to cross your paths again, no one will bat an eye if you blow them out of the stars!"
Since they were on the Quanvengier, they took full advantage of the ship's facilities, getting in repairs, stocking up on supplies, and picking up other odds and ends that were luxuries more than necessities.
Well aware of her own limits ("Unlike some people." She had directed that pointed accusation at Pryseia), Rhea had tapped out on the outing early, Nevara happily accompanying her back to the Pelekys in order to not have to deal with the crowds on the Quanvengier.
And that was how Pryseia and Elytra found themselves on either side of Malakh while she stared intently at one of the many display cases of a jewellery store they'd come across, arms crossed and her tail twitching as she stared intently at the pieces before her.
"I know that there are some human marriage customs where they will exchange rings," she said, more talking out loud to herself than to either of them, "But I haven't had a chance to do research into if that's something done where she's from, or what type of ring would even be appropriate for that."
"Well, she does like rings," Elytra pointed out, "So she'd probably be thrilled with whatever you pick out for her."
"Do you know what size ring she wears, and on what finger?" Pryseia asked.
Malakh smirked at that, saying, "I am acutely aware of the dimensions of all of Rhea's fingers."
With the way that Pryseia snickered at that, Elytra could only assume it was some innuendo that went over her head.
"What of deorviran customs?" Pryseia asked as her laughter trickled away, "You know as well as I that she would be overjoyed to receive something that has deep meaning for you."
Malakh's smile went soft, her eyes glistening as she said, "A necklace, a pendant specifically. The style of chain, the shape of the pendant, the gemstones used, they've all got very strict designs to follow. It's not something you can just pick up from a jewellery shop."
Pulling her data pad from her jacket, Elytra began looking up local shops, saying, "Then let's see if there's any deorviran jewellers here, and maybe you can get a custom piece made?"
Taking in a shuddering breath, Malakh said, "Yeah, okay. Yeah. That- I like the sounds of that. I still do want to get a ring for her, though, just in case."
After talking with the human proprietor of the shop they were in, who had smirked as if they were in on some secret the entire time, Malakh ended up deciding on a ring that looked like a circle of leaves, which was apparently a historic symbol from the country Rhea had been born in back on her homeworld. The band itself was a coppery orange coloured titanium, each leaf set with a rich red ruby. As they made their way to the deorviran jeweller, Malakh's hand kept drifting to the pocket in her jacket where she'd safely tucked away the box the ring was stored in.
When they entered the shop, the grey furred artisan they sought looked up from the piece she was in the middle of working on, gave Malakh a knowing glance before saying, "A vedja pendant, then?"
"Yes." Malakh confirmed, voice thick and eyes bright.
The jeweller had a design drafted in shockingly little time, from the box link chain to the intricate pendant set with gemstones, all in copper titanium and ruby once again. Working on another piece as she was, the jeweller told them that it would take until the next day for her piece to be completed, and Malakh was more than happy to wait for it.
"There's still the repairs happening, and we can always see about getting some more upgrades in," she'd rationalized breathlessly as they made their way to one of the food markets within the Quanvengier, "Plenty of reasons to stick around that won't draw suspicion!"
"Your demeanor is the most probable cause of what will draw suspicion, especially from the party you least want the scrutiny of." Pryseia pointed out, her voice nothing but fondness.
"You're right, gotta lock it down." Malakh said, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, "I'm not going to blow this surprise."
"Of course you won't," Elytra said, bumping her shoulder affectionately, "Now let's see what we can bring home for dinner. I don't know about you, but I'm starving!"
Turning so abruptly that it had Nevara reaching for her sidearm for fear they were under attack, Rhea made sure that Pryseia, Elytra, and especially Malakh were out of sight before she leaned over and hissed, "Would you be pissed if we made a short detour before heading back to the ship?"
"No, what is it?" Nevara whispered back, "Are we being followed?"
"Followed?! What are yo-" Cutting herself off, Rhea looked horrified as she grabbed Nevara's arm. "No no no, I'm so sorry! Nothing bad, I just… I wanna get Malakh something."
"Ah. That explains that." Nevara grinned, poking at Rhea's suddenly flushed cheeks.
Batting her hand away, though she was grinning herself, Rhea asked again, "Stop. So is that fine by you?"
"Of course," Nevara told her with a roll of her eyes, "I take it you have an idea of what to get her?"
Rhea let out a groan at that. "Kinda? I was going to do more research into it, but I ended up being unexpectedly indisposed for a hot second there, so I'm not entirely sure about what to get her. Where I'm from, a ring is traditional, and I have ideas about that, but I know that deorvirans use necklaces, but everything about them is meaningful in some way, so I don't want to fuck that up."
"Perhaps we can find someone here who could assist in that regard?" Nevara suggested, "The Quanvengier seems to possess no shortage of specialized shops."
Nevara's prediction ended up being proven true, as they tracked down a deorviran jeweller who made custom pieces in relatively short order. It was a relatively small display room, the walls lined with display cases showing an assortment off jewellery, with a counter across from the entrance that was part register and part work desk. The grey furred woman smiled when they entered, saying, "Welcome to Aefre’cyssanbeginnanwidk's. I'm Aefre, are you looking for something to take right away, or a custom order?"
"Definitely a custom order," Rhea said, caught somewhere between nerves and excitement, "Although I'm probably going to need more than a little guidance about what to get."
Aefre motioned them over, "Of course, what type of-"
The woman cut herself off, a look of stunned recognition on her face as she said, "Oh. You want a vedja pendant."
Rhea couldn't help the laugh that escaped her, eyes bright as she said, "I don't know why I keep forgetting deorvirans are literally built to clock that."
"It's rare amongst our own people, shocking to see it can cross species, but congratulations are in order, regardless," Aefre said as she pulled up a design program on the surface of her work table, "Now, let's begin with the chain."
Settling on choices for the necklace was easy once Aefre explained the significance of each element, and in no time at all Rhea had settled on a box link chain with an intricate pendant set with deep brown diamonds, the metal all gold tinted titanium. Aefre had begun work on the piece before they'd left the shop, promising that it would be done before the end of the day.
Stepping outside the shop, Rhea had sighed happily, her eyes shining.
"Vedja?" Nevara asked after a moment, her curiosity finally getting the better of her.
"Yeah, it's a deorviran mating bond type thing," Rhea explained, her smile growing wider, "Basically her and my biology linked up."
"Knowing the affection the two of you have for one another, that isn't surprising," Nevara said with a little smirk, "I take it this is a new development?"
"Yeah, a little before Pryseia came back with Elytra from Iromay."
"That is the only thing I'm shocked about," Nevara scoffed, "I would have assumed you'd been bonded long before that."
"That I think we can blame on the Thalatte." Rhea grumbled, "They had those of us with hormone based fertility cycles on hormone suppressants, so until all that shit got flushed out of our systems, we technically didn't have the ability to form that type of bond. Ugh, doubly annoying, because after being out of the loop for so long, readjusting to how my cycle affects me emotionally has been a struggle!"
"I'm continually thankfully that my species is not built like that." Nevara joked.
"And you should be!" Rhea laughed, "This shit sucks! But anyway, you alright if we make one more stop? I want to get a ring for her as well."
"Only if you think you're up for it. I can see you beginning to flag." Nevara told her.
Bumping into her affectionately as they walked, Rhea said, "I'll be okay for a quick stop. I have more of an idea what I want to get when it comes to rings."
They ended up finding a human run jewellery store not long after, the proprietor offering Rhea effusive congratulations, helping her to settle on a beveled, gold titanium band set with a ring of brown diamonds running along the centre of it.
"Alright, now we can get back home," Rhea said once they stepped out of the shop, smiling fit to burst and clutching the ring box to her chest, "I need to have a nap, partially because I'm exhausted, but more because I am losing my shit about this internally and I need to calm the fuck down before I blow the surprise!"
That got a little laugh out of Nevara. "If you're still out of it by the time Aefre contacts you for pickup, I can retrieve the piece for you."
"I appreciate it. And thanks for today, it means a lot to me." Rhea said, pulling Nevara in for a side hug as they walked.
"Of course," Nevara said as she returned the embrace, "The two of you mean a lot to me as well."