And by popular demand, chapter 3
Please C&C,
--Komodo
****************
One week later. . .
Ayeka nodded in satisfaction as the Vice President of Noa's Transport
Division, what the humans would call a trucking company, finished her report.
"Excellent, excellent," Ayeka said smiling at the faces gathered around the
table. "I am most pleased."
"Thank you Lady Ayeka," they chorused.
"You're all more then welcome." Ayeka replied and turned to the Vice
President of Finance. "Authorize a two percent bonus for all employees and a
four percent for those of us who are in this room as a thank you for all
their hard work."
"Yes Madame President."
"Is there anything else?"
"No Madame President."
"Then I'll see you all at the regular meeting next week," Ayeka said as she
stood.
Tenmark watched as Ayeka carefully packed her bag while speaking quietly with
Ryoko as her secretary, a pleasant faced Juraian named Koachi stood nearby.
As he watched the three women turned and headed for the door, chatting
amicably.
Suddenly, Koachi pulled a small dagger and turning, plunged it towards
Ayeka's face. Ryoko was suddenly there, knocking the blade aside.
With a dispairing little cry, Koachi pulled a second dagger and plunged it
into her own side. Moments later, she stiffened up like a plank and fell over.
For a moment, Ayeka stood still then she seemed to shake herself and started
issuing orders in a rapid fire fashion. When done, she announced that she
would be in her office.
***************
"What the hell is going on?" Ryoko asked as Ayeka entered her office and sat
her desk where she began typing.
"Be quiet," Ayeka snapped, "I have to concentrate and I don't have much time.
I'll explain in a minute." Ryoko shut up, her curiosity much stronger then
her distaste for being told what to do.
"There." Ayeka said with satisfaction after about an hour had passed.
"Well?"
"Koachi was being forced to assassinate me."
"How do you know that?"
"She's a gentle person who couldn't harm a fly. She also has a husband and
three small children, all physically disabled, one of them is also mentally
disabled."
"So you're making an assumption."
"Many of what I have done here is assumption," Ayeka sat down in her chair.
"However, there was also a large amount of money deposited into the account
she shares with her husband. Enough for him to take care of the children and
himself for the rest of their lives. Fortunately, Noa also takes care of its
own. Though they weren't before, the family is now on full benefits and under
protection of Noa security."
"Not bad. Now what?"
"Now we teach her murderer a lesson," Ayeka said grimly.
"Am I going to like this?" Ryoko asked.
"I think so. The deposit was made by a courier on behalf of one Graird Bonea,
a well known philanthropist and art lover. However, according to Galaxy
Police, he's a known murderer and drug lord."
"I am going to like this," Ryoko purred. Ayeka handed her a scrap of paper.
"This is the location of one of his factories. I want you to go out tonight,
find some individuals who can keep their mouths shut and don't ask questions.
Take them to that factory and level it. I don't want even a tiny bit of it
standing."
"No problem. So what was all that typing for?"
"I had to act quickly to protect her account and family before Bonea got to
them," Ayeka pinched the bridge of her nose before she continued. "If he's
depraved enough to force an innocent woman to do his dirty work, then he's
certainly willing to freeze them out of their own money." She smiled a sad
smile. "Now, come with me. I want to personally speak with the family."
***************
The small apartment where Koachi lived with her family was a simple, but
neatly kept three bedroom in a less then elegant section of the city. Her
husband, a plain faced man with a visibly deformed left side eyed the armed
guards as he placed the cup of tea before Ayeka.
"I apologize for the quality of the tea, Princess," He said with a smile,
"Koachi. . ." He trailed off, tears forming in his eyes.
"Please, call me Ayeka, and the tea is fine." She raised the cup to her lips
and sipped it. "I've found that a properly made cup of tea owes a great deal
of its flavor to the person who prepared it."
"You honor me Ayeka," He said as he placed a second cup of tea before Ryoko.
"If I may, what exactly happened? The police won't tell me anything and the
guards won't let us talk to anyone."
Quickly, Ayeka explained to him what had happened.
"Bonea. . ." He growled when she had finished, his eyes flashing with hate.
"Excuse me?" She asked.
"Before she got the job, she was a. . ." He trailed off for a moment and then
seemed to strengthen his resolve. "She was a prostitute. We met when I. .
.sought her services."
"Go on," Ayeka prompted gently.
"We started talking and I convinced her to start over, go to college. We
thought Bonea wouldn't notice her that. . .that she was too low on the ladder
to be missed if she left. We got married as soon as she graduated from
school. We were so happy when she got the job with you, we had plans and now.
. ." He shook silently, his obvious grief threatening to overwhelm him.
"You will have those plans fulfilled," Ayeka said as she moved to sit next to
him and laid her hand on his shoulder. "I promise. As of this morning, you
and your family are on full benefits. I will arrange for your children to get
the education and medical care they need."
"Ayeka. . ." He started and she smiled.
"Just say 'thank you.' Its more then enough."
"Thank you, thank you, a thousand times, thank you."
"You're more then welcome," Ayeka said as she stood up. "Now, if you'll
excuse me, I have to deal with the police. Doubtless they'll have questions
and its better that they bother me instead of you." He nodded mutely as he
escorted them to the door.
"Bonea will pay." Ayeka vowed as the door closed behind them. "He will pay. I
want you to bring his organization down around his ears. Destroy every single
one of his buildings. Find a hacker, destroy his accounts. Ruin him."
Ryoko's grin was savage.
"With pleasure."
***************
It was nearly sunrise by the time Ryoko returned.
"Easy as pie," She grinned as she sank into one of the guest chairs. "Man,
that was fun." She pulled out a bottle of sake and drank deep. "Been years
since I did that."
"I'm glad you enjoyed yourself." Ayeka said, her eye on the com system.
"What're you waiting for?" Ryoko asked as the com bleeped.
"Incoming call. Private frequency, audio and visual."
"From?"
"Graird Bonea."
"Put it through." On the screen a fat man, balding, sweat gleaming on the
rolls of fat that was his neck appeared.
"You little bitch!" He screamed, "I'll kill you!"
"You will address me as Lady Ayeka."
"I'll do no such thing!"
Ayeka's eyes narrowed and Ryoko felt the faintest flicker of Juraian Power as
Bonea clutched his chest.
"I hate repeating myself." Ayeka said quietly.
"Why you little-" Bonea started to say and clapped his hand to his face as
his right eye exploded.
"Are you prepared to be civil now?" Ayeka asked pleasantly. He nodded mutely,
fear on his fleshy face. "Good. Now, here are my terms. You will leave
Saradin immediately. You will take no one but family with you and you will
never return."
"You can't make me do that!" Bonea screamed then his voice went higher as his
face twisted into an expression of extreme pain.
"The thought of you reproducing disgusts me by the way," Ayeka said as she
poured herself a cup of wine. "So I did something about it." She sipped from
the glass reflectivly. "And as for your earlier remark, I can and I have. You
are finished on Saradin Bonea, I suggest you cut your losses and leave."
"Why?" He gasped out.
"An professional assassin is one thing, forcing an innocent woman to do your
dirty work is something else."
"But she was just a-" He started to say and then broke off as Ayeka's eyes
narrowed speculatively.
"You're learning," Ryoko threw in from her seat in the guest chair.
"I could have easily killed you the minute you appeared on screen Bonea,"
Ayeka said quietly. "But as melodramatic as it sounds, death is far to good
for you. There are four people in this city suffering because of you. So you
will suffer along with them."
"Y-Yes Lady Ayeka."
"Good. You have fourteen hours until sunset. I suggest you make good use of
them." With that, she pressed the button and the screen blanked.
"You," Ryoko said as she raised her glass in a toast. "make me so glad you're
my friend."
"Thank you," Ayeka said, returning the toast.
"One question though, if you could do that, how come you never did that to
me."
"It takes concentration and you made me too mad to be able to concentrate."
"I do tend to do that to people," Ryoko admitted grandly.
"Secondly, Tenchi never would have forgiven me and considering your origins,
I couldn't be sure it would work."
Ryoko started to make another comment but was interrupted by a knock at the
door.
"Come in!" Ayeka called.
"Excuse me, Lady Ayeka," said the security officer who entered. "But there's
a Galaxy Police officer here. She says she's primary on the Koachi case and
she has some questions."
"Of course. Show her in."
"Yes Ma'am," the officer said and then stepped back as a woman dressed in
black pants, military dress boots, white sweater and long, light blue coat
entered. Her blue black hair was tied back and a red earring glimmered in the
light.
"Kiyone," Ayeka said as she came around the desk, genuinely pleased to see
her. "How have you been?"
"Tolerable," Kiyone admitted as she clasped hands with Ayeka. "I heard you
were on Saradin these days."
"Tenchi felt Ryoko and I were best suited for what has to be done here."
"Hey Kiyone!" Ryoko called from her chair.
"Please, sit," Ayeka said as she resumed her own chair. "Where's Mihoshi?"
"Got married, if you can believe it," Kiyone said, shaking her head.
"Somebody married that ditz?" Ryoko asked. "Who's dumb enough to do that?"
"My brother, apparently. Mihoshi dragged me to an auction and that's where
they met." Kiyone removed her coat before she sat. "They hit it off
instantly. I will never understand it."
"Love is a mysterious thing," Ayeka pronounced as she set poured Kiyone some
tea, remembering the other woman's preferences against alcohol. "Now, what
can I do for you?"
"Just some follow up questions." Kiyone took out a notepad and pencil and set
up a recorder. "Now what, in your own words, happened this morning?" Speaking
in short, brief sentences, Ayeka related the events of the morning. Kiyone
listened without comment.
"Well that's concise enough," Kiyone said when Ayeka finished, "and you have
no idea why Miss Koachi would want to kill you?"
"None at all I'm afraid."
"Very well, thank you for your time Lady Ayeka," Kiyone said as she shut the
recorder off. "Now, corporate smoke screen aside, what the hell are you two
really doing here?"
"Tenchi placed us in charge of Noa."
"That's a load of crap Ayeka. I checked into Koachi's background before I
came here. She was a prostitute, and she worked for Graird Bonea, a known
criminal mastermind. Last night, a group of people led by a flying woman with
green hair torched most of his buildings and he himself was spotted not five
minutes ago checking into a hospital for treatment of a crushed eyeball and
damaged genital organs. I'll ask again Ayeka, what are you both really doing
here?"
"What needs to be done," Ayeka said firmly as she stood up. "If you'll excuse
me, I intend to attend Koachi's funeral and I'd like some sleep before I need
to leave."
"Of course," Kiyone said as she stood up. "It was nice seeing you again."
"Likewise," Ayeka replied as she escorted Kiyone to the door.
"She's gonna be trouble," Ryoko noted as soon as the Police officer had left.
"Kiyone knows us both and she knows something is up."
"It can't be helped," Ayeka said and yawned as she glanced out the window at
the sunrise, "We'll just have work around her."
"Yeah, well, I don't know what else you have planned, but I'm going to get
some of that sleep you mentioned. Besides, I think you want to be awake when
that mysterious friend of yours calls again."
"Good idea," Ayeka said.
They were almost to the door when they heard the soft beep of the com.
"Incoming call. Private frequency, audio only."
They traded looks.
"No way," Ryoko said quietly, "No freakin way. . ."
"From?" Ayeka asked.
"Unknown."
"Put it through."
"Timing is everything, don't you think so Ayeka?" Came the voice.
"I've heard it to be so," Ayeka said carefully. "What can I do for you?"
"Oh nothing much, I simply wanted to thank you for getting rid of Bonea for
me. He was beginning to annoy me."
"I'm glad to be of help."
"At this point, I'd bring up the bisnuess opportunities I mentioned when we
last talked, but as you told the good detective, you need your sleep. Good
night."
"Transmission terminated by caller."
"No way," Ryoko repeated. "No freakin way. . ."