The secret of the Hesperus (Part 1)
09 Mar 2024Haraldsen
Victoria hummed lightly as she smiled at her own image, running a hand gently against her lips in a thoughtful gesture, a long moment passing until the holos faded as the office's door swished open. Looking back over her shoulder, a hint of a grin playing at her lips, the woman regarded a familiar figure striding quickly towards her as a low, chilling laughter began to escape from the new arrival's lips."Goddess of the Void," her visitor murmured as she settled comfortably in a seat facing the desk and studied Victoria with curious eyes, "Azimuth is looking more beautiful than usual. Seems like a few strings of fate were pulled to complete some of my business dealings lately," the female voice confessed as Victoria slowly swivelled the chair and locked eyes with the caller, a knowing grin tugging at the corners of her own mouth, "So? You're saying, I managed to do it, right, Haraldsen?" she murmured under her breath, smirking slightly.
"You're saying that," Haraldsen replied, arching an eyebrow in mild amusement, "without your influence, all this," she waved her hand around, "could not have been possible. And I appreciate your efforts on the matter, just a shame I can't repay your company. Though," a slight chuckle left the woman's mouth as she uttered the next words in a low, dangerous whisper, her eyes and demeanor changing ever so slightly to a more intense, sinister countenance, "someone already has paid for this. I hate to be reminded of my indebtedness or your... intervention. In return," she mused, reaching in the inside pocket of her coat to produce a small object, placing it carefully atop the desk. "Let it serve to remind you that your enemies have many faces and eyes."
Victoria's slender fingertips reached over to grip the object and inspect it under her gaze. A seemingly harmless gold coloured data orb, "Curious. This looks very much similar to those used by Azimuth Biochemicals...". She tilted it before turning the item between both hands curiously once more. "And it bears the mark of the Scriveners," she mused out loud as her eyes darkened and flickered to Haraldsen's. Her features froze for a brief second before the veil of pleasantness slipped back over, hiding her emotions, the woman's eyelids fluttering to half mast as the corners of her lips curled upwards, "I had not expected you to... ally yourself... with the Scriveners clan."
Her features visibly darkened, the warmth in the tone of her voice fading noticeably. Victoria leaned her elbows against the desk, studying the orb in her hands intently. Haraldsen's piercing blue eyes pinned her motionless, studying her reaction as the woman's thin-lipped, insincere smile faltered a little. Finally, Haraldsen lowered her eyes to glance at the golden data orb briefly.
"We have helped them in the past to clear out... irregularities," Haraldsen noted with a shrug. "Their efforts are now limited to certain... convenient forms of aid. I am merely collecting on an old favor of an even older acquaintance," she explained, pausing and furrowing her brow slightly, her gaze searching Victoria's face as a tiny, secretive smile appeared again. Then Haraldsen looked away as her slender shoulders shook a little in a quiet chuckle. "Besides," her voice rose barely above a whisper, a strange, mesmerizing look settling across her features, "the mere presence of the data orb gives one a lot to consider and think upon. It's common knowledge that the Scriveners cannibalised the Hesperus in order to reuse their parts. But," she breathed with a sly smirk, "I did not consider they were in possession of data as vital as what that orb promises. This data orb has been removed from the dead body of security officer Major Umaru. Its secret was lost to your predecessors. Maybe that is what Pharmasapien was after when their sleeper agents hijacked the vessel and started to massacre the crew." Haraldsen murmured, lowering her gaze to focus on the data orb Victoria still held in her palm.
"Mmm," Victoria mused as she glanced downwards at the precious little prize. Clasping the orb between her hands, the woman stared down at it and gently caressed it as though the golden object held immense power. In a sense, it did. It represented an incredible opportunity, indeed. This could be the breakthrough she had worked so hard for. "So, I take it that you are once again offering a piece of knowledge to the one who is willing to embrace its potentials."
Haraldsen grinned wolfishly at that. A dangerous glint appeared in her eyes as she watched Victoria's every movement carefully, looking on with a shadowed, mysterious expression as the woman tilted the artifact a little to make a reflection on the surface glow dimly. "Secrets are only worth something to those who keep them," Haraldsen breathed cryptically. "What is it you desire, Victoria?"
Her grip tightened almost imperceptibly, a steady, cool confidence setting her eyes afire as a faint smirk touched the edges of her lips. "Anything in this world can be attained by simply asking, Haraldsen... or claiming it," she murmured, a long, knowing smirk settling across the woman's features as her lips curved dangerously, "with sufficient force."
A brief silence stretched between the women, broken at last by a faint, pleased sounding laugh from the visiting woman as a gleam of recognition lit in her eyes. "Indeed," Haraldsen mused.
"Mm hmm, and fortunately," Victoria remarked in a silken whisper, her hand tightening its grip upon the data orb as her eyes locked with the visiting woman's, "I am prepared to seize everything I can with every last fiber in my body. Every...thing." She pronounced the last word in a cold whisper, eyes burning, staring steadily at the visitor.
Haraldsen chuckled delightfully. "Then I suppose the old saying is true: those who desires possession, first need to seize the treasure within their grasp, and take it for their own." A meaningful gaze filled her eyes, fixing unblinkingly upon Victoria.
"Those who achieve what they desire rarely stop there. That's what you should remember, Haraldsen," Victoria laughed as she toyed with the data orb a little longer. "When greed and determination finally give rise to strength...and when," her lips curled in a wry, triumphant smirk, "to conquer is the only way," Victoria purred. Her head raised as she stood and leaned forward slightly. The gold of the data orb seemed to shimmer with life between her fingers, emitting a radiance which momentarily enveloped both women and seemed to burn itself into the room's memories as a soft, tantalising and mesmerizing light.
Haraldsen said nothing at first, merely casting her a thoughtful glance. Giving a noncommittal nod, she walked to the door and paused, gazing over her shoulder. "Don't lose your precious thing," Haraldsen warned cryptically. "Considering the fact that Pharmasapien was very good at what it became notorious for - planting sleepers at rival megaships and destroying them from the inside out, but not good enough at its claimed main objective of alien technological discovery to really have that as part of its legacy, maybe it was only a puppet that was steered at Azimuth Biochemicals to take it down. To win, you need an ally who can look after your rear. Take care."
"How wonderfully philosophical of you, Haraldsen. Is it not that," her gaze trailed over her desk thoughtfully before resting upon the object within her hands, she paused as Haraldsen began to exit the room, "it was always the way to keep one's allies... close? Until next time, dear friend."
An unreadable expression washed over Haraldsen's face and lingered for a short second before the woman finally broke eye contact and slid out the door. Before Victoria could see any more of her retreating figure, the cold steel barrier slid shut. Only silence and the occasional hologram now kept her company, though it would seem as though something had transpired - and for the first time, Azimuth looked to possess something... valuable and immensely interesting again. For certain, the data contained within the ancient, valuable object she currently examined with great care and curiosity would not fall short of any expectation. Such wealth of information encased within a small data orb. So full of mysteries and yet to be unravelled. This is what made her life worth living, and she intended to savor and revel in each and every second of it.
After all, Victoria had an idea about what could be contained within the data orb. She knew what had happened all those years ago, but she also understood the risks and was willing to take them if necessary. For if there were ever any truth to those old legends, it would be worth the cost. The Hesperus had been carrying a precious information: somewhere in the vicinity of the Barnard's Loop, Azimuth's deep-space probes had returned interesting readings. As soon as Azimuth Biochemicals had learned of the discovery, it dispatched a special task force to investigate. The Hesperus had been en route to Barnard's Loop when it was hijacked by a group of Pharmasapien agents who attempted to seize control of the ship. During the struggle, most of the bridge and security personnel was killed or seriously injured. Then the rest of the crew, hundreds of people, was brought to the cargo bay and executed. The data orb Victoria held in her hands now had been recovered when the Scriveners examined the corpses.
According to official logs, the main mission of the Hesperus was to carry out a survey and provide escort service to a xeno archaeology research team which was tasked with examining a guardian ruin. That in itself was amazing enough, but Victoria heard about another, unofficial version of their mission. Allegedly the deep-space probes discovered the remains of an unknown type of ship, presumably of Guardian origin. The gigantic vessel was heavily damaged, but the discovery held significant potential for research purposes. The Hesperus had been sent out to perform a detailed survey of the newly located site. This unverified story circulated among top level executives at Azimuth, all with their own theories about the purpose and destination of the Hesperus.
Her fingers brushed lightly across the orb’s surface, caressing the object. Bringing it to eye level, Victoria gazed intently upon the smooth surface as if this allowed her to look right into the past. So close... She breathed in deeply before releasing the air slowly from her lungs as she set the orb down gently on her desk. Now was not the time to dwell on past failures and disappointments; those days were gone. And besides, with all the recent news coming from the fringes of the galaxy about defeating a Thargoid Titan, the timing could not be better... Azimuth desperately needed an advantage over the competition, and it seemed about time to take the war to the Thargoid homeworlds.
However, all she heard about was nothing but speculation at this point. Yet, if there was truth to it... a slight shiver ran through Victoria as she gazed intensely down at the orb's gleaming surface, imagining herself exploring a Guardian mothership wreckage and its interior, witnessing firsthand discoveries beyond any dream. No doubt the discoveries could be well worth any danger or sacrifices made.
But first, the details hidden away within this data orb needed to be unlocked to learn more about this.