Capítulo 54: Chapter 51: Dinner Date.
I was lying in my room. I mean, I should have probably been on the bridge as we docked, but it wasn't like I was actually helpful. Helmsman could handle it easily enough. Which meant I could just lay down and do nothing in my poor excuse for pajamas. I still felt a bit stiff from my injuries, but I was willing to hold out until Father gets himself settled.
His strength had been growing at a prodigious rate since the operation. It wasn't difficult. And it had little to no complications, which worried Doc. It worried me a little as well, but I didn't need to worry about crazy Saiyan clone armies anytime soon. Unless I just jinxed myself. Still, I knew just how insane it was getting to Super and if I could at least hit that then no other Saiyan would be able to beat me.
It did bug me a bit that I was essentially useless when it came to the daily operations of the ship. Not that I was going to sit through lectures and actually learn. Coming to terms with the fact that I can't do everything is a must for a well rounded person. I wasn't really planning to do much while we were docked. Maybe use the gravity chamber a bit to loosen up. I could use some food though…
The intercom cut in.
"Rettas, you got mail." I blink confused. "Doc? I have mail?"
"Yes, specifically a gift from the Pirate Baron himself."
I groaned and worked my way out of my bed. I glanced around the captain's cabin. A nice piano in a corner, some new furniture was placed inside along with a television. Odds and ends thrown about. A perfect example of a bachelorettes room, and just as messy. I stretched and made my way to my door and opened it to see a metal box.
Curious I bring it in and throw it on the bed. The thing opens with a hiss revealing its contents. A round thing that springs to life and plays out a familiar voice.
"I've received a new job you may be interested Rettas. Care to meet me for dinner?"
Under the item was… clothes. Specifically, a form hugging dress. I pulled it out, noting the dress came down to my ankles. A pair of leggings and high heels. I was curious why he gave me this. Was there a dress code for dinner? I looked it over and at the bottom was a small invitation with the address on the station, along with a final note.
"Feel free to wear whatever, but I wasn't sure if you had any nice dresses."
Personally, I didn't care too much, but looking over the dress and testing it made me think. Dressing up occasionally could be fun. I didn't need anything overt like makeup or anything to enhance my looks. My body was perfect, and I drooled at the thought of seeing myself in this dress.
My own narcissistic thoughts won the day as I put on the dress, it even had a convenient slit for my tail to poke through. I also grabbed some jewelry that we managed to keep from the cruise ship hostages. A simple necklace, a pair of clip on ear rings and I was golden. Walking in heels was difficult, but I had it down with my impeccable sense of balance. I strut around the room a bit checked myself in the bathroom mirror. Totally not nearly tripping a few times as I did.
I was hot. If before I looked like a punk. I now looked like a picture-perfect aristocrat, well except for my hair. It could do being longer, but even then, it gave me the femme fatale look. I checked the time before practicing how I walked and moved. Ramping up the natural predatory grace I already held into something truly befitting my new attire.
By the time I had to leave for dinner I was walking like a tiger on the prowl. Every step fluid and with purpose. I walked with an effortless grace through the halls to the hangar and got a good many looks as I did. A few people forgot themselves and fell over or tripped over their own feet.
Once at the hangar I took a smaller transport to the station proper. The transport was led to a smaller less apparent docking yard where I was dropped off and led to somewhere. The station air smelled nice and clean and nothing like the recycled air and grease of the previous place. The walls were gleaming and well lit. A far cry from the conditions of the previous station, though I may have just been in a VIP section.
I was led into the interior of the station before stopping at an elevator. It ascended speedily, but without any sensation of it even doing so. Once it did stop and open, I was greeted with the sound of classical music, a bright chandelier, tasteful art, and a plush carpet underfoot. I was then led into a dining area where a large round table was set up where a familiar face was seated.
The man, the Pirate Baron himself looked at me, nearly spilling his wine as he saw me. He was nicely attired in a silver suit, a kind of crystal flower on his breast.
"Well, I'll be… And I thought you couldn't look any more rapturous Rettas." He said with a tinge of awe.
"I thought it'd be nice to play along. Not often I get to wear something so, formal." I was almost curious to know if this was a power play, or if he genuinely wanted to see if I would wear the dress? Meh, I wasn't going to think hard on it.
The dress was perfectly fit, and with my tail wrapped around it like a belt made for a good fashion statement, or so I thought. I sat down opposite of the man as food was brought out. Neither of us spoke. It smelled delicious, perhaps even better than my own chefs. I kept my cool watching the dishes, waiting until they had all passed out before eating a bit of something fancy.
Just that one bite, it sent a jolt through my tongue and down my spine. Despite myself I moaned as the flavor filled my palette. With my first swallow I felt it dissolve in burning energy.
"Good, isn't it?"
"Definitely. Good. What's the occasion?" I mutter with a flutter of my eyelashes.
"Oh, just apologizing for ruining our dinner last time. I also figured I could give you a real dinner with all the best ingredients and the best chefs." He said coolie and ended with a wink of his own.
"It's definitely good. In fact, I think my own personal chef could learn a thing or two."
"Truly? Then how about I ask if they'd be willing to pay him a visit?"
"I think he'd like that. He seems obsessed with making the best food and he is making serious progress."
"All good chefs are always improving and never settling for just good enough."
I gave an appropriate response as I slowly dug in. Enjoying every bite and burst of energy as it nourished my body and soul. I even drank wine that complemented the meal perfectly adding to the flavor. Pirate Baron giving me small tips on how to make it even better, small additions or which bites of what to cycle. A natural gourmand he was. When I said as such, he went quiet.
I didn't slow of course, rather, I'd even fight him if he tried to get me to slow down. I just about ate half the tables worth of food when he finally spoke.
"You know, I wasn't always the Pirate Baron." I chewed on that, literally and figuratively. "Though, I don't suppose you'd care."
I shrug after swallowing.
"I feel it's the prerogative of the rich and strong to talk about their achievements."
I take a moment to sip some wine and enjoy the sensation on my tongue before swallowing.
"I mean, like normal people focus on procreating to create a legacy by carrying their names or bloodline forward. Instead, the rich and powerful face the unique position of peddling with true immortality. No matter how many descendants you have or how well you train your kids to take over. Eventually all this wealth will fade, even your name. Commoners don't have that luxury, but for the rich they face that unique burden perhaps more so.
Which is why. I believe it is only right for someone strong or rich to make the attempt for their names and deeds to be remembered by, shall we say gloat? I mean, if you can't even speak well of your achievements who will?
Plus, who'd naysay a rich guy."
He chuckles.
"True immortality?" He asks after taking a small bite of his meal. His shoulders relax just so as he sips at his own wine.
I swirl the wine in my glass before finishing it. Eyeing him as I do, tasting the words on my tongue like the wine I had just drank.
"Mm… A man once said, so long as your name is on the lips of one person, so shall you live."
"Fascinating." He said folding his hands together on the table.
"Which essentially means, gloat away. Not like I'm going to stop you. After all, eventually you'll have to hear my name everywhere, and next time we meet, maybe I'll be the one gloating." I give him me best eyebrow waggle.
This time he laughs a good amount. "Anyone else would say you were overreaching, but your name's already on quite a few people's lips.
"Like our shadow overlords?"
He smiles but doesn't respond. Plates are picked up and replaced with another round of different foods. Even the wine is changed out for another flavor. He eats a few bits of the new food, clearly cherry picking the good stuff as he sips his wine.
"When I was a kid, pirates were a chaotic lot. Pirates would form factions and push for kings resulting in mass death and destruction of pirates. Shortly after becoming a pirate myself, I decided I wanted to change that. Slowly, but surely over the years I destroyed my opposition and created the framework for the current pirate organizations. We are not united, but I made sure to provide ample opportunity for my fellow pirates to achieve their true goals. Fighting against the system governments and generally doing as they please, within reason of course."
"Does this make you the de facto king?"
He scoffs.
"No. Which is why I call myself the Pirate Baron. I never wanted to be royalty. I just wanted to provide the services and bases necessary for pirates to actually have a chance. I only got this far though because of the friends I made. My surrogate daughter, a young spitfire who now goes by Jolly Roger. A girl with a simple dream to helm the greatest and fastest fleet in the known universe.
The Front, a child soldier who found themselves on the wrong side of a conflict. Who now provides the bulk of pirate land invasion and boarding operations. Then comes my closest friend, a man I knew since I was just starting out, Industrio."
He looks lost in thought.
"In fact, the job I have for you comes from Industrio himself."
"Oh?" That surprised me.
"I'm surprised too, but I suppose he wanted to inspect the new addition to our little group. To see if you were truly worth the effort."
I don't stop eating but look at him in curiosity.
"You see, our little group has near everything we need to make a difference, save for one thing. Our combined forces cover most of the civilized space. However, we lacked one necessary ingredient to claim the unclaimed territories. Rather, we lacked the individual strength to face off with the sects in those areas."
I swallowed hard.
"Cultivator sects?"
"Indeed. In fact, last time we tried to establish bases in that area we were beat back by people on swords flying in space of all things. And Even if Front utilizes mostly cultivators in his forces… It still doesn't compare to those hidden monsters in their sects."
Color me intrigued.
"Industrio, is a bit of a pessimist. Yet, also a dreamer. He surrounds himself with machines and rarely interacts with people. It makes sense considering what happened to him. A normal mine worker working for a big corporation when they decided to downsize. Well, nobody told him or the other miners. The shipments of food and materials simply stopped.
Industrio at the time had sealed himself away as the miners began murdering each other. Only coming out once the dust had settled and began fixing up the station all on his own. Cleaning out air filters, repairing bots, even mining in dark tunnels by himself. His only comrades or friends being bots through those years. Every sound in those dark tunnels echoed.
He told me once that he began to hear voices in the tunnels. Eyes watching him in the dark. A figure standing just out of sight waiting to pounce. He wasn't sure if those were hallucinations or if that thing did exist. But over those years he had steadily rebuilt the mining station and retrofitted it into a mobile mining base.
From there he built up his fleet of ships. Mining planets on the edge of civilized space or finding new worlds hidden within civilized space. After all, our universe is massive and every few years a new planet is discovered in previously already scouted areas. Many times, he faced threats either by inhabitants of the world or explorers.
The mission he specifically had in mind was that he discovered a planet. The planet itself is hardly special, covered in jungle and ocean. Its inhabitants, however, are the closest thing to cultivators we've seen since we last tried entering their territory. The inhabitants themselves are a strange tree humanoid hybrid who are capable of empowering themselves through the local plant and animal life.
He was planning to simply ignore the world despite the rich metal deposits it holds. However, when he heard about your prowess and when I asked for the best equipment and gear. He delivered. Now though he wants to see what you can truly be capable of."
I continued to slowly eat. Thinking. "A test then? Sounds fun."
"Fun you say?" He says with a knowing smirk.
"I mean, the moment you mentioned cultivators I had the sudden urge to go pick a fight with them."
He looked at me with astonishment.
"I don't think your near strong enough to face them."
"Not yet, but one day I will be. One day soon I shall be a Super Saiyan! Then the whole universe will hear of my name and speak it in reverence and awe!"
He stared a good minute before settling into a full-bodied chuckle.
"I should have expected that from you! I'll tell him you're looking forward to seeing what he has in store for you."
"Good, ah, but… what of our shadow overlords? Any news?"
"Only that you exceeded all of their wildest predictions."
He then frowns.
"Frankly, I heard about what you fought. Or rather I managed to pick up snippets. If any of those creatures had made it to a planet, well… I don't think they could have handled it."
"Maybe, maybe not. Those things had a limited life span."
"Did they? Still… it bothers me."
"Does it? Then how about a little deal."
"A deal you say?"
"Mm… See, these people jerking our chains around think to use us like cheap hunting dogs. But we're not just hunting dogs. Would it be possible for you to lean on your resources and locate their center of operations? When the time comes, I'd love to give them a piece of my mind. Personally."
He doesn't laugh. Instead, grimly looks at me, his hands folded on the table.
"I don't think you understand who these people are."
"I don't, but isn't that why I'm being tested? To see if I can handle them?"
His eye twitches.
"Rather, I think I can do it because I believe I can."
He snorts. "Really?"
"Definitely. And if you don't believe I can, well why don't you believe in the me that believes you believe in me."
What a tongue twister… I managed to get it off without stumbling over my words as well. He silently mouths my words before going silent.
"You know what. I think I will." He looks at me seriously. A glint in his eyes.
"Rettas, prove to Industrio, prove to us all how capable you are."
I smile.
"Why stop there? I'm going to show the whole universe at the very least."
Both of us begin chuckling until we both begin laughing madly. The servers give us weird works but work quickly and silently as the desserts are brought back. He promises to forward the information to my Helmsman, and I end up leaving with a doggie bag of extra food.
Back on the ship I make my way to my room only to see Father standing just outside my door. He gives me a strange look.
"Want some of the extras?" I offer. He looks tempted, but… "I'd actually prefer a spar. It's been a while."
I glance him over. His power was much stabler. His body still shifting and churning, but more like raw ore then purified iron.
"Sure, let me get changed." I walk into my place, chuck off the dress and throw it onto a chair. I change into a skinsuit, not bothering to throw on my boots as I walk out without any foot coverings save for the suit itself.
With a shared look we moved into the closest sparring area. One set aside specifically for me and Father to fight in. Every surface reinforced to an absurd degree so that we can get close to all out. We take our places across from each other. Both taking each other's measure.
The fight ends quickly. Father still unused to his body, his body still needing to be forged. I didn't hold back as I beat him down. His superior skill preventing fatal wounds. Still, bones crack. Flesh quaked. His normally flawless movements were a hair off. Like a fine-tuned engine given an extra gear it never used before.
By the time we stopped he was kneeling in a pool of his own blood. His eyes burning into me as I breathed.
"It's intoxicating isn't it."
I speak.
"That feeling. That burning in your blood. The feeling of your body altering and changing under the blows and fists of your opponent. Like metal being forged under a smith's hammer. Every hit you make, and every hit returned sending bursts of dopamine to the brain.
In the midst of the fight everything becomes easier. Every blow suddenly becomes so clear in your mind. The way your energy flows and how it moves. As if every second was like a gate slowly opening in your mind as ideas begin to flood in. It no longer becomes the battle, but about that sensation of improvement, pushing yourself further and beyond until the point of collapse, no, beyond even that. To the point far beyond your limits, that point that lies just on the very precipice of life and death.
Even then it yearns, calls to you to take that leap. To go further and further.
To not just stop at the precipice, but to run past and leap over that ledge. To fall, and fall… just to see what lies beneath."
He takes a shaky breath in and out as I speak. Each word carrying a fervor that I could feel matched by him with every slithering word. It was intoxicating. Addicting. All consuming. A small chuckle left his lips between bloody hacking coughs.
"I was a little concerned about this operation, but now? Now I'm glad."
He stands shakily, wiping the blood on his lips.
"Because, I think I understand you a bit better. As my student and, as my daughter."
I blush a little, but don't make a scene.
"Rather, I think I look forward to finally being able to train you sweetie."
He says with a small smile.
"Mm, iron sharpens iron, father." I crack my knuckles in emphasis. "And I will sharpen you." I let those words slip out, the moment right, unwilling to be filtered. He laughs, even as it causes new flecks of blood to appear on his lips.
"I look forward to it. Now, would you be a dear and escort me to the med bay? I can't feel my anything."
And I do just that.
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