Who: Dalia, Rezek What: Dinner and a job When: Evening, before leaving for Verbena Where: Zhang's estate on Newhall Rating: TBD Status: Ongoing
The Nekhbet was ready to go, fuel cells and food stocked in its galley. They didn't need much more than that to keep them afloat, but a job always came in handy and blowing off contacts was bad for business across the board. People like Zhang xiansheng had a reputation in their world and upsetting one link would mean triggering a chain reaction that could turn the hand of Fate against you. As little stock as Dalia put on word of mouth and the fickleness of destiny, she couldn't pass up an opportunity to see her coffers just a little less empty--even if she'd had a brief flicker of doubt about leaving her gun behind. Docking on Newhall had cost them time they could've spent on a salvage operation or two out in the black. They had to make the layover count somehow.
And then there was the wine Rezek had promised. And the chance to see into a lion's den without having to break in, for once. Her interest in the opulence of backwater barons was mild, at best, but one had to wonder how a man like that could keep the Alliance in the dark about his dealings. One could only speculate, she figured, if one was so inclined to do, that for every guard who searched her and Rezek at the door there would be fifteen more crawling the grounds, waiting for someone to step out of turn. Zhang had his very own little terracotta army and that kind of power meant something when the nearest Alliance space-station was light years away.
They were motioned inside through tall lattice doors, kimono-clad boys scurrying to open the next set ahead. As pompous as Zhang's domain was and as much as Dalia rejected the sight of it instinctively, she had to admit security was impeccable. With detectors in the walls and enough staff that the servants were dispensable, it would be enough to seal up the long entryway and gas troublesome guests before they could even come within range of Zhang himself. That, at least, was what she would have done, if so inclined.
Her gaze slid to Rezek as they passed into a long courtyard, beautiful, scrubbed stone steps stretching out before them. "Bit dramatic," she commented as a figure veiled in red stretched out both arms in greeting. Zhang, she guessed. He looked every bit as over-confident as she'd imagined he would.