The Serpents and the Skulls, Chapter 1.3
24 Mar 2017Michael Wolfe
It doesn't seem too long ago, does it? When we would sit here and look out across the stars together, passing a bottle and a joint between us. You would tell me about your daydreams of becoming a queen, an empress of your own domain. I would smile. Ah, it was easy for us to laugh back then. How times have changed. How close have you come to achieving that dream... and yet how much is still out of your reach.
I turn my chair away from the viewport to face her. The woman standing before me resembles nothing of the girl I once knew. Gone are the leathers, the dreadlocks, the dull vacant gaze and intoxicating scent of onionhead and perfume. Here stands a woman in an expensive, tailor-fit suit; jet black hair swept back; her dark eyes alert, harbouring a ruthlessness and malice forged by the legacy of her father, which she embraced so readily.
"Morgan," I greet her.
"DeVerre," she replies curtly.
There used to be familiarity and warmth between us. In many ways, we were more father and daughter than she and Rabat ever were. She learned to trust me, to confide in me. Which has served its purpose. Since discovering the truth about how Rabat treasured her, she has no more need for our bond. I suspect she will soon have no more need for me. Her father taught her well about dealing with those whose use has expired.
"How are you?" I ask, taking two tumblers and pouring us each a good measure of Eranin Pearl.
"Good. The last of the HIP ‘96 resistance have been exiled to Vishkyamu and Locke's men are interrogating-"
My hand waves, silencing her.
"I asked how are you," I sigh, pushing a glass forward and gesturing for her to sit.
She blinks. Seemingly, this isn't a question many people ask her anymore. It's good to see that it catches her off guard.
"I'm fine, of course," she replies, her tone matter-of-fact as she takes a seat.
Of course. I have no doubt that she believes she's fine. But there are whispers that suggest otherwise. She mumbles, sometimes in full conversations, with someone- or something- unseen. That's an interesting development; I hadn't expected her mind to unravel in such a way.
I swirl the golden spirit around in the glass, raising it to my nose to appreciate its spicy undertones.
"I notice that your own circle grows. Your pets, Apollonia and Idris; there's a contrast. And your enforcers, Locke and Aune. Quite an in-crowd."
She says nothing as she takes a sip, her eyes narrowing slightly. The reminder that I keep an eye on her associates unsettles her.
"As your allies grow in number, so do your enemies. Even if the Gold Crew agrees to the annexation, Von Steuben isn't going to let your last encounter lie. And this very council-" I cast my eyes across the vacant seats around the boardroom table, "-do you think they're content with you taking the seat at my right?"
She raises her chin in haughty defiance. "My allies are absolutely loyal. I can summon entire fleets with the snap of a finger. There aren't many who can stand in my way now."
Her implied threat is overshadowed by the stupidity of her arrogance. But I let it go. Better for her to overestimate herself and stretch her neck out further.
“The very reason we just invited a serpent-armed savage into our boardroom is because there is always someone who can stand in your way. Never forget that.”
A look of impatience washes over her face. “The same band of savages who harbor von Steuben. She was my father’s enemy, which makes her my enemy. Nothing about that changes, no matter the outcome of the negotiations.”
I take another sip and lean toward Marra, seeing the same vengeful fire that had once danced in her father’s eyes.
“Do you not destroy your enemies by making them your friends? By binding them to you, by making them throw their assets and lives into the fires of your ambition?”
A slight sneer crosses the young woman’s face. “I prefer to destroy my enemies by destroying them. And that was almost poetic. Working on your statesmanly rhetoric, old man?”
I allow myself a chuckle- the first in weeks, I realize- and reach out to lightly trace a thumb along Marra’s new hairstyle.
“We’ve all found ourselves changed by success, haven’t we? Overcoming one challenge simply prepares us for the next.”
Marra turns away, not from my touch but from the way I’ve gently reminded her that she, too, is a different woman than before.
“I have the feeling,” she says evenly, “that you’re about to come to the point of keeping me after council.”
I step next to her and silently watch the coming and going ship traffic for a moment before continuing.
“When this annexation goes through-”
She glances at me. “If.”
“- when it is done, you are to forego any act of vengeance on this von Steuben woman. Too much is at stake.”
Marra’s body tenses as her lips purse together. She’s no longer staring at the ships or even the blackness of space itself.
“You expect me to lick the twat of the woman who killed my father?”
I exhale. I hadn’t expected Marra to be reasonable about this, but-
“I expect you to take the long view as befits a consiglieri. You’re not running guns for the Kumos any longer. You are the second in command of Black Omega, and the welfare of the firm takes priority over your private desires.”
A scowl crosses the woman’s face, her anger causing her to tremble. “Yes, boss.”
Without waiting for a dismissal, Marra turns to stride out of the boardroom, heels clicking in a staccato rhythm. I swirl the amber liquid in my glass and finish it in one fiery pull.
It won’t be today, and it won’t be tomorrow- but one day, that woman will decide that she answers to no one. Just like her father.
The door closes behind her, and I turn my gaze back to the endless line of ships coming and going from Clair Dock. To the beating heart of the empire which I have built. That empire that countless enemies have tried and failed to stop.
And on that day, we will see if she truly has the blood of a Morgan in her veins.
OOC: This log had a special writing guest: Marra's real-life hubby himself! If you enjoyed reading, please message Marra to pass along your appreciation for his insight and work! Thanks for being a part of this, bud!