Login

The Smuggler and the Princess

by DocDelray

Chapter 10: The Corellian Connection, Part One

Previous Chapter Next Chapter

This felt safe. This was a rare and nearly forgotten feeling for the fashionable Unicorn as of late. Ever since all this new and far more dangerous chaos had been forced upon her, Rarity had felt anything but out of harm's way. She was no stranger to these kinds of situations; however, being so far removed from her friends and allies and surrounded on all sides by cutthroats and killers put a new spin on things. But something made her feel so relaxed and protected.

As she breathed in through her nostrils she was treated to the dull but soothing scent that clung to fabric rubbing against her cheek. The feeling of something weighty draped around her shoulders brought a happy sigh from the mare. Rarity nuzzled her cheek against the form she was propped up against. She had become completely lost in the content feeling that filled her breast and began to spread throughout her entire body eliciting a deep sigh. It was rather surprising how comfortable the chair she had fallen asleep in had become in the night.

Her eyes cautiously began to open, finding her vision dominated by what looked to Simon’s chest. Further investigation showed her that her forelimbs were wrapped about his torso while his arm had been draped around her shoulders. A touch of red seeped onto her face after as she quickly realized what she had been nuzzling and cuddling into.

With her conscious mind slowly beginning to return to her, it started to register with her that the first rays of daylight were upon her. The dull blue light of the world she was upon had trickled through the windows to stretch its grasp across her. Rarity quickly buried her face to escape the azure radiance that teased and pestered her. Something was pestering her in the back of her mind though, something that just didn’t feel right. Like a soft wind, Rarity remembered something very important about the planet she was on. She was on a world covered by thick grey clouds, how could there be a bright blue light filling the room?

With a bit of reluctance, she slowly turned her head to find a tiny figure she had honestly hoped not to see again anytime soon. There standing on table surface was the holographic representation of the Cathar gangster that still brought a touch of fear to her. His sharp, feline eyes practically glared into her eyes while a bemused smirk sat upon his lips.

Sitting up right against the chair and a deadpan stare affixed to her face, Rarity’s hoof smacked Simon’s chest. The smuggler quickly sat up with a start, his hand making a quick beeline for his holstered pistol. Upon seeing the image of Serif staring up at him, he awkwardly holstered the weapon and sat up in his seat.

“So, you two got a good night’s sleep, I hope.” The alien gangster’s tone was dripping with sarcasm.

Rarity and Simon quickly went into a stream of excuses, pointing and gesturing towards each other. Serif’s grin grew as their voices began to bleed into one another until they started to become one big long list of explanations. With a content smirk, the Cathar leaned back in his high backed chair as he listened to them try to explain the scene he’d just walked in on.

“Yes, that’s all very cute,” Serif stated as he held his hand up to draw them to a close. “Now then, you, girl, would you mind leaving us? I have things to discuss with my friend.”

An angry glare filled Rarity’s eyes as she narrowed her vision on the smug gangster staring back at her from the hologram. She could little to keep the quickly boiling anger in her eyes under control as her mouth begged and demanded to retort. However, she never got her chance.

“Her name is Rarity,” to her utmost shock, Simon of all people had spoken up to defend her, “and as of that incident on Orrikall, she’s currently my partner. Anything you need to discuss with me, you can say in front of her.”

“Hah, you working with a partner; now that’s a good one,” Serif snorted. “And on top of that a woman now? Look, Simon, would you just get your rocks off already and get rid of her, preferably before she starts getting in the way!”

“I beg your pardon!?” Rarity snarled at him.

“I don’t recall speaking to you, woman,” Serif shot back at her.

Rarity’s eyes became a razor-sharp glare directed towards the smug alien’s hologram. Her teeth began to grind against each other as the anger and hate began to swell in her chest. She quietly prayed to Celestia that she could get her hooves around his blasted neck. Oh, how nice it would be to crush his spine to dust. But these, were not the thoughts of a civilized lady.

With a deep breath, Rarity brought her anger under control and forced herself to her hooves. “If you’ll excuse me, Simon, darling, the air in here has become more than a bit putrid.” She growled before trotting away to one of the adjoining rooms with her nose turned high in the air.

“Your way with the ladies never ceases to amaze, Serif,” Simon grumbled after the mare took her leave.

“Tch, and when’d you start getting so soft?” The gangster asked in retort. “Besides, I’m just watching out for you, or maybe you’ve forgotten every other time some woman’s screwed you over?”

“You gonna lecture me or do you have news on the bounty?” Simon snapped at him.

With a sly smile, Serif leaned back in his office chair. “The damnedest of things, the Bounty Hunters Guild seems to have lost that pesky price on your heads. Looks like you’re both in the clear for the most part.”

“And Vrax?”

------------------

The Ubese criminal slammed his fist into the holo-projector with a guttural roar. Sparking wires and broken metal were left behind in the wake of his rage.

-------------------

“He was less than happy to hear the news,” Serif replied. “He wants you both dead, in a big way.”

“What else is new?” Simon snorted. “Guess there’s no chance you could get him to back off us then.”

“About the same chance you have of teaching a mynock to eat cookies and cream.”

“Good to know all those credits and clout can’t stop one overly violent psychopath,” Simon grumbled with a roll of his eyes. “So what’s the plan from here?”

-------------------

“Thank Celestia,” Rarity breathed out as she watched the deep grey skies fade and give way to the impossible black of space. “What an absolutely dreary place that was.”

“Jeez, Princess, you act like we were there for weeks or something,” Simon grumbled as he and the droid, R8-Z7, went about the tasks required for space travel.

“I don’t expect you, of all people, to understand the finer points of caring for and maintaining one’s mane, Simon.” Rarity quickly retorted as she settled into her seat adjacent to the pilot’s chair. “But, we can cover proper grooming techniques another time, darling. So, what wonderful exotic place are we off to now, and what happens to be wrong with this one?” she asked with a healthy dose of feigned excitement. “Is it dotted with massive pools of lava, or is it covered with tons upon tons of garbage?”

“You’ll see soon enough, Princess,” Simon replied.

Rarity watched with a touch of eagerness as the view outside the ship went from the dull thick grey clouds of the world to the surprisingly bright blue sky above it all. She watched the bright yellow sun of this dreary world uselessly claw at the thick wall, seeking to reach the ash-coated ground. High above the world, she could see the bright streaks of objects plunging down to the planet, tiny comets that painted the otherwise lifeless looking orb. It wasn’t long before the black wall of space overtook her view.

Across the sea of the ink, she could make out the frail, skeletal remains of once mighty leviathans that had waged war across this system. There was a strange but morbid beauty to look upon this world and its sea of broken ships. Try as she might, she couldn’t tear her eyes away from the massive skeletons that spoke to her of powerful warships that raged and did battle across this star system. Wonder and fear curled inside of her as their ship slipped its way through the hollowed corpse of one war ship.

In time, they had broken free of the field of dead ships and the Meaningless Venture finally made the jump to hyperspace. Rarity found herself let out a breath she hadn’t even known she was holding. A nudge to her side drew her attention back to the world within the cockpit.

“Hey, Princess, you alright?” Simon asked with a nudge to her side.

“Why, of course, Captain,” she replied with a wide smile and bubbly tone. “I believe I shall retire for a brief rest until our next destination. Do be a dear and wake me upon our arrival, Simon.”

“Fine, whatever; just watch it with giving those orders,” Simon warned her as she left the room.

-------------------

Vrax sat glaring daggers through the visor of his environmental suit’s helmet at the shattered remains of the communication console. The pain that tore at his clenched fist and across his arm was easily smothered by the bright flames of rage that swelled in his breast. He could feel the uneasy gaze of his underlings on his back, forcing him to cobble together some form of self control. That’s when it hit him.

“So, what do we do now, boss?” one particularly brave henchman spoke up.

“For Serif to spend the credits needed to buy off the Bounty Hunter’s Guild, tells me two things,” Vrax said after a long calming breath. “Firstly, the crate that Ortell stole from us after we’d rightfully stolen it from him is still in play. And secondly, that there is more at stake here than the monetary value of the crate’s contents.”

Vrax leaned back in his chair as tapped the armrest in thought. “We can’t make a move against them, not out in the open at least, not without Serif and his Hutt connections coming down on us. So, we’re going to follow them as closely as we can without getting spotted, let them do all the leg work, and then swoop in, kill everyone, and take whatever it is Serif’s after for ourselves.”

-------------------

With a tired yawn, Rarity adjusted her coat as she made her way towards the gangway of the ship. Simon was already there dictating a list of orders to the droid who happily chirped and whistled in reply. The thick stench of ozone, burnt metal and engine fumes filled her nostrils snapping her back to reality as she trotted her way into the dimly lit hangar bay.

“So, Simon, darling, what grand adventure are we on this time?” she asked with a happy ring in her tone.

“Nothing too crazy I’m hoping. All we need is that information and we’ll get off this rock.” Simon replied as he waved off the astromech and headed towards the main lobby of the space port.

“You don’t know already?” she asked while she kept pace beside him.

“We’re dealing with a contact of a contact,” Simon replied. “These are people who don’t want to be found and quite honestly I’d rather not find out why. Either way, we’re going to get the info we need from this contact and get on our way as quickly as possible. Rather not stay on this planet longer than we have to.”

“A planet that makes the great Simon Ortell uneasy,” Rarity commented with a wry smirk. “My, my, this must truly be a wicked place.”

“Not on the surface at least,” Simon grumbled as they headed towards the exit.

Upon exiting the space port, Rarity found herself nearly floored by what laid before her. A clear blue sky stretched out above her, dotted by white streams of fluff and the warm glow of this world’s radiant sun. A cool comforting breeze swept through her hair bringing with it the intoxicating scent of clean fresh air. Across the horizon she could see rolling hills and snow capped mountains where scant few towers of metal and glass rose up to challenge their dominance over the heavens. Lush fields of green grass and collections of vibrant trees painted the landscape with life.

“Yo, Princess, what’s the hold up?” Simon snorted as he nudged her side.

“Oh, I’m so sorry, darling. It’s just, well, this place, it’s just so beautiful here,” she gushed with her eyes riveted to the sprawling landscape. “Certainly a far cry from the last one, or that dreadful desert world we stopped on.”

“Yeah, well, welcome to Corellia. Now don’t let your guard down around here, alright,” Simon warned her as he continued to stride onward. “This place might look pretty and the folks might come off as friendly, but that’s only so they can kill you without you knowing who did it or where it came from. Besides, we’re going to be dealing some nobleman, meaning some ancient stuffed shirt with a pampered lifestyle and will probably treat us both like we’re beneath him.”

-------------------

“Simon Ortell,” was the jovial greeting he and Rarity received upon their arrival, “it is so good to finally meet you in person!”

In the grandly decorated main hall of the rather lavished manor they had trekked to, the pair found themselves met by the lord of the house. He was a fairly youthful human male, perhaps barely into his twenties with a lithe build. His face was closer on the gaunt side but somehow managed to maintain a strong pride and confidence. Deep blue eyes sparkled with joy while atop his head was a head of very well kempt auburn hair. The nobleman was dressed in a suit of finely pressed dark blue material that seemed to skirt the line with shifting fully to being black.

“I am Malrick Casval Kalreen the Fourth, welcome to my home! Please, come in and make yourselves comfortable.”

“What was it you said earlier, darling?” Rarity asked the smuggler snidely.

Malrick quickly took a knee before the mare. “Oh, and who is this enchanting creature you’ve brought into my home, Ortell?”

With a soft smile, she offered her hoof to him. “I am Rarity of that planet Gaia, a pleasure to meet you Lord Kalreen.”

Taking her hoof in his hand, he placed a kiss atop it. “Please, my lady Rarity, the pleasure is all mine I assure you, and do call me Malrick should you deem me the honor and prestige of your melodic voice. Ah, Rarity, such a lovely name for such a breathtaking treasure, truly our world’s meager sun does your radiance little justice.”

His honeyed words cause a deep red to break through her pristine white coat. “Oh my, you certainly know how to speak to a lady, Lord- I mean, Malrick.”

Loud and forced coughing from Simon brought this back and forth to stop. “Yeah, if you don’t mind, Malrick, we are here for more than a social call.”

Malrick gave the smuggler a faux look of hurt, before nodding in agreement with another wide beaming smile. “Yes, of course, that little matter of directing you towards my clients. I suppose we can put off pleasantries till after the deeds are done.”

Simon caught the disapproving look the Unicorn was shooting him, with a roll of his eyes he shrugged off her disdain. “Yeah, so, where do we find these clients of yours?”

“Now, now, now, let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves,” Malrick advised as he took a seat in a large lavished couch. “I plan to give you the information you need, in good time; however, there is a small matter I could use your help with.”

“And what would this ‘small matter’ be, dear?” Rarity asked while settling into a across from him.

“A very simple task, really,” Malrick waved over a sharply dressed female alien with a single ornate glass of ruby liquid. “I want you two to attend a party.”

“Oh, well that certainly sounds lovely,” Rarity beamed happily. “And what is the occasion?”

“An old rival of mine, Kinaris Xardos, is celebrating having beaten me out on a contract with the Galactic Alliance,” he stated happily while he sipped on the fragrant drink on hand. “Now, normally I would be more than willing to congratulate and wish even the most hated of enemies all the best upon beating me fair and square. However, there was nothing fair about how Kinaris went about swiping that contract out from under me. That brigand stooped so low as to blackmail me into giving up and letting him win.”

Rarity let out an audible gasp at this news. “My word, such a lowly act.”

“Oh, I know, I was so hurt by his actions,” Malrick replied with a sigh. “As you can imagine, I have no intentions of letting this go unrequited, which is where you two come in. You see, he’s currently keeping the datapad with the information he has against me locked away in a safe in his study. I would appreciate it if you two helped me get it back.”

“And if we refuse?” Simon asked.

“Then I imagine it will become much harder for you to find the people you need to,” Malrick replied coolly and even. “You must understand: I would prefer not to try and force you both into this position, truly I don’t. However, I am a businessman and I must have some way to come out of all this ahead of when I started.”

“As a businessmare myself I completely understand, dear,” Rarity replied with a smile. “Now then, just how are we supposed to get this datapad you desire so badly?”

“You don’t have to do much, my dear,” Malrick assured her from behind the rim of his glass. “All I need is for the pair of you to place a jamming device, no bigger than a pen, in the same room that the datapad is being kept. A professional of mine will take care of the heavy lifting from there.”

“Alright, so, how do we even get into this party?” Simon asked with a clearly rising annoyance in his tone.

“That, I’m afraid, is something you two will have to figure out, but I recommend you do it quickly,” Malrick informed them. “This party is the most opportune time to steal the information I need since the security forces will be too spread out keeping an eye on all the party goers. Now then, it would be best if you did not return here, lest we tip Kanaris off to our plan. You will find the device waiting for you on your ship as well as a full dossier on the man in question. Once your task is completed, I will contact you in a few days with the coordinates.”

-------------------

Research... he hated research. Simon slumped into one of the large couches of the ship’s common room, datapad in hand as he glazed over all the information Malrick had provided them with. He poured over every single detail of the building’s layout, their security systems and the caliber of guards they employ. In the end, Simon Ortell came to one glaring conclusion.

“This is impossible,” he grumbled as he tossed the datapad onto the table in front of him. “The man lives in a freaking fortress with his own private army to protect himself, not to mention top of the line security measures.”

Z7 began beeping and whistling his addition to the conversation before Simon’s hand came to rest atop his metal dome of a head. “Yeah, that might work Z, but it’d take me way too long to slice their entire network. On top of that, if one node goes down then the whole thing gets alerted.”

“Perhaps you’re looking at this all wrong, Captain,” Rarity commented from the second couch across from him. “You’re trying to do this like a heist.”

“It is a heist.”

“Don’t you remember what Malrick said? He has somepony to take care of the stealing; all we need to do is get inside.”

“Okay then, Princess, how do you suggest we do that?” Simon snapped at her.

A confident smile slid across the mare’s face as she rose to her hooves. “I feel like a spot of local fare, Simon. Care to join me?”

“Are you serious?”

“And why not, sitting here and moping about has done us little good; besides, this is the first place we’ve come to that I find remotely pleasant,” her magical aura engulfed her horn and then sides of Simon’s jacket before he was yanked to his feet. “Come on, Simon, it’s a beautiful sunny day outside, don’t spend it cooped up in your ship.”

“Ugh, fine, if it’ll get you off my freaking back. So where do you wanna go?”

“One of those lovely servant girls told me about a café that apparently serves some of the most amazing sweetened treats on this side of the planet.”

“You gotta be kidding me, you wanna stop researching our target and go get some pastries?”

“And you don’t?”

There was a long pause for a moment before the smuggler’s shoulders slumped in defeat yet again. “Gah, fine, but only ‘cause the fresh air might make it easier to think!”

The fashionable Unicorn happily clapped her forehooves together with a wide smile. “Wonderful!”

-------------------

Rarity was starting to get used to the attention. The fact that she was from an alien race that was just starting to be seen outside their own star system tended to attract more than a few glances her way. To her surprise though, these always seemed to be nothing more than passing curiosities for the most part. This at least gave her ample time to enjoy the warm beverage and pastry the green-skinned waitress had brought to their tiny outdoor table.

Rarity took a moment to bask in the melding of hyper-modern buildings and around her and the lush green fields and mountains in the distance. “Oh, I absolutely must bring the girls here after we’ve settled this whole mess of ours.” She mused.

Simon, however, looked to be less impressed with their surroundings as he sipped on his cup of caf. “Level with me, Princess. Why the sudden sweet tooth, and why come all the way out here? We must have passed like five other cafés on the way.”

“Well, Captain, like I said before, I was told how they claim to be one of the best on this planet. Having a very talented friend in the pastry business back home, I simply must see how the treats off-world stack up.” A sly smile curved up her muzzle. “However, there was more to my choice in location.”

Simon followed her gaze to find someone he hadn’t expected to see. He was a tall well-built human with strong chiseled features that seemed impossible without some kind of manipulation of genetics. Sandy blonde hair was perfectly combed into place matching the perfectly fitted and well pressed attire that managed to clad him. But what made Simon’s eyes go wide, was the fact that he’d seen this man before. This man, sitting just a table away from them and drinking a cup of caf with his datapad in hand, was Kinaris Xardos himself. What’s more, he was all alone.

With a wide friendly smile, Rarity rose from her seat and strode over towards him, ignoring Simon’s silent protests. “Good afternoon, may I borrow your sweetener, sir?”

Kinaris didn’t even look up from his datapad as he flatly replied. “And what’s wrong with the one on your table?”

“Well, for starters, it doesn’t help me come over here to start a conversation with you,” she said while slipping into the chair across from him.

“You have about two seconds before I have my bodyguards drag you away from this café, so I suggest you make this good.”

“Making something good is just what I do, darling,” Rarity stated confidently as she sipped on her drink. “You see, I’m a seamstress, it’s my job to make everypony else look their best, including you.”

Kinaris paused for a moment, a curious brow raised at the alabaster alien sitting across from him. “You have my attention.”

“Allow me to introduce myself I am Rarity, a fashion designer and dressmaker on my home world of Gaia. However, being famous on one single world hardly seems fitting when I could become known galaxy-wide.”

“You’re an ambitious woman, I’ll give you that,” he said with a smirk as he set his datapad off to the side. “But I deal more in shipping cargo and managing factories, what does any of this have to do with me?”

“I’ve heard that you’re about to hold a party, dear; one that I’ve been told will be attended by a number of the galaxy’s most influential people. What better way to make a name for myself then to get the host of this party to wear a one of a kind outfit designed by me just for this event?”

“A charming offer. However, I already have an outfit designed by my personal tailor. So I’m afraid-“

“Please dear, you don’t think I’m going to simply give up that easily,” she said with a playful smirk as she magically lifted her cup to her lips. “Tell me, Mr. Xardos, are you betting man? I’m willing to literally stake my career that I can design an outfit far superior to whatever you have already. What do you say?”

“Let me get this straight: You’re going to just give me a new, tailor made outfit for this party. And all you want in return, provided I chose your creation over the million-credit clothes I have prepared, is the recognition for having made the clothes?”

“If you feel you can offer better compensation, then by all means, be my guest. But for the most part, getting my name to the galactic elite, is worth far more than the price of any suit.”

Rarity watched patiently as Kinaris visibly turned this proposition over in his mind. His eyes bore into hers but Rarity clearly gave him no quarter: She held her ground and refused to shy away from him as she awaited his decision.

“Alright then, Ms. Rarity, you’ve got yourself a deal,” he stated offering an open hand which was soon met with a dainty hoof. “You have until the day before the party to prove you aren’t just talking a big game.”

“Excellent,” she happily stated as his powerful hand lightly gripped her hoof in a shake. “I shall begin work immediately then. Come along, Simon,” she called out before leaving the café and heading towards the main streets.

“Just like that- don’t you need my measurements?”

“Not to worry, dear: The entire time we’ve been talking I’ve been taking them. I told you I was the best on my home world didn’t I?”

Simon quickly caught up to the Unicorn who still continued to exude confidence as she trotted along the sidewalk. The confused and dumbfounded look on Simon’s face brought a bemused smirk to Rarity’s lips as they continued down the road.

“Did… did all that really just happen?” Simon finally asked.

“I believe it did,” she replied in a cheerful tone. “Honestly, Simon, you really must work on your people skills.”

“Tch, you lucked out, that’s all,” Simon replied indignantly. “I still think it’d be easier to break into his place.”

“But now we have a chance to walk in through the front door.”

“Yeah, fine, you got a point there,” Simon reluctantly relented. “So what happens now in this master plan of yours?”

“Very simple, Captain Ortell: we go shopping.”

Next Chapter: The Corellian Connection, Part Two Estimated time remaining: 1 Hour, 46 Minutes
Return to Story Description

Login

Facebook
Login with
Facebook:
FiMFetch