Eyes of the Stranger

"Look. We have some important business we think you can take care of."

"Well then, isn't it always?" Elizabet replied, nonchalant. "It always is, and it always gets done regardless." She carried an air of indifference in her tone, but also a tone of arrogance. "It's the money that tells me exactly how important."

"Well in your terms then, this is not worth your time. However, I may have an exception to the rule." The man stated. "We have cargo. Worth hundreds of millions. We'll pay you ten percent easy." The man looked smug.

"Well, with that much isk involved... I'm almost afraid to ask what I'm moving around. But I won't." Elizabeth crossed her arms. "What's the size of the cargo? We talking a Bestower's worth, a Providence's worth?" She threw out questions rapid fire.

"Two trips in a Providence should satisfy the needs of the job."

"Two?!?!" Elizabeth exclaimed. "You can't be serious!"

"I am dead serious." The man replied, smirking. "Is it too much for you to handle? If so, I can always find someone else to do it for me."

"No. We'll get it done. Although now I need to know what I'm moving, or at least the legality of it." She replied, regaining her composure. "And if we need to provide colleteral."

The man smiled, then started laughing. "No need for colleteral." Elizabeth's mouth opened, in shock and confusion. It must have shown because the man's laughter only grew louder and more boisterous.

... "We want you to move a few million veldspar."

"Well, if that's what you want, then we'll do it." Elizabeth replied, finally realizing her slack jaw and fixing it. "If you'll send me a contract?" She started walking away, intent on finishing the job as soon as possible. "I'll get started on it right away when it's formalized." She started walking to out of her golden tan quarters, those typical of Amarr stations and down the hall towards the landing pad where her pod sat, open and inviting, before she turned around.
"Excuse me," she said, as she realized something, and walked back to her quarters and out of the hall. "For being such a terrible host and walking off. Allow me to offer you the use of my place until I return, and make yourself at home."

The man replied quickly, "No need Miss Zateki, I'll just be leaving." He started walking away.

"Oh wait!" She cried out, forgetting an important detail she normally never missed. "Sir, what's your name?"

"Tassemet." He replied as he opened the door into the station and left.

Elizabeth quickly took off her clothes as soon as the man was gone, and near sprinted down the hall to her pod, the cold air of the station giving her goosebumps, the metal floor chilling her feet to near numbness. As she plugged the neural jack into the back of her neck and settled into her pod, her last physical feelings were of the pod doors closing her into blackness, and the warm sensation of the life-providing goo being pumped into her pod. As the external camera bots took over her sight, artificial sound was piped straight to her brain, and her pod left the station, she mentally thouht to herself, "Damn! I forgot to drink my coffee!"

As the pod flew out of the hangar bay and into space, a lone robot in her quarters sensed her thoughts. It scurried to the table picked up the still hot cup before making its exit again.

Just Another Day

The lone bestower slowly and quietly approached the station, and after requesting docking permission, was tractored into the docking bay, the ship releasing blue jets of flame as the thrusters assited with aligning the ship to the hidden hatches that lead to outside the ship. As the ship sat floating above the landing pad, a lone pod jettisoned itself and made for the nearby captain's quarters.

As she processed herself through physical and nanochemical scrubbing, and got dressed in her regal outfit fit for one of the amarr nature, she took the time to pin up her blonde hair in the braided bun she normally wore. As she stepped out of the decontamination zone and onto a catwalk overlooking her ship, she shook her head at the dock drone awaiting her.

"I'm going to be here for a few hours, please, unload the ore in the cargohold and move it to my hangar. Also, have the ship inspected for any damage. I think I might have taken a bit of fire from those damn rats that call themselves pirates nowadays. Oh. And also, bring me a holopad, and a hot cup of coffee with cream and sugar. All this flying has made me want some caffiene that isn't from a booster." The drone rolled away, blinking lights in acknowledgement.

Elizabeth glided gracefully over to the couch and sat down on it and consulted the hologram projector on the table and checked to see that her orders were followed, which she noticed were. Amarr stations... I love being home, She thought to herself as she glanced up from the cargohold readout of her Bestower, named Lilly II, and around at the draub colors of the quarters. She especially liked the majestic pillars and statues which paid tribute to their gods and religion. Then she reached up to the base of her skull and itched around the metal plate that was her pod link. That, she didn't like, as she once again thought of the first day she tried to walk. She found it more for her fancy and for pure enjoyment, walking on legs that she knew she had. However, being a spaceship pilot, tractor beams were her hands, thrusters her real legs, and lasers her weapons. She perferred being suspended like a child in the womb, in her liquid goo that was her pod, the interface that ran down her back connected to machines as advanced as man was old. But, there were times that warranted her stepping out of her protective comfort, like when money was involved, especially when money was involved.

The station door buzzed. "Yes?" she replied in her clear alto voice.

"You have a visitor, he says you were expecting him." Said the montone robotic voice.

"Yes, yes I was. Let him in." She got up out of the couch and quickly walked over to the door, not wanting to be seen as a rude host. Just as she got there, the door slid open with a hiss, and a white man, large and intimidating, with blue eyes and peachfuzz for hair, walked through in his cargo pants, quafe t-shirt, jacket, and combat boots. Around his feet buzzed a small robot which Elizabeth recognized as a delivery drone. The delivery drone went to the table and placed down her coffee, hot and steaming, and then made it's departure. The man on the other hand, hung by the doorway.

"Well, hello," said Elizabeth, nearly stammering at his impressive eyes and disarming smile. "How can I help you?"