Lykanthropy
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Ignition Broker: Chapter 12 Withdrawal
🕑 Added 2024-11-09 16:12:20 +0000 UTCChapter 12
Withdrawal
“The only thing worse than having power is suddenly losing it, it is that lingering memory of power that makes you forget your principles, makes you chase that next high.” – Former Federation Space Corp Sergeant from his deposition hearing.
It was hard to describe the exact moment when Arla’s recently acquired powers overtime ended. From an outside perspective it might have seemed like a slow gradual process.
But that was not the true way it felt for Arla.
To her, someone that was experiencing the power of the ability to see and manipulate the past, while also realizing the potential impact on the future, to have that turn off suddenly was like losing part of herself.
There was no other way to describe the sensation. One second she was fully herself, and the next she was missing a vital component that had seemingly always been there. A part that she knew now where it existed, as if it was a missing muscle or a missing limb, but one that she also knew would never respond to her gentle probing again.
“I see that the power you acquired has already worn off?” Mr. Fortuna stated, his eyes glowing their golden hue filling the three-person cockpit as they made their way forward in the boundless recesses of space.
Worse, while she could pilot this ship, she still required Mr. Fortuna’s navigational skills to help guide them to their military academy.
Only now did Arla realize what type of trap this was. Worse, she had failed Marcon’s teachings.
“Rule number nine,” Arla muttered to herself as she realized that she had allowed herself to be made a target of a con.
“What was that?” Mr. Fortuna asked, his tone speculative.
“Nothing, just noting that this was all well played. Even now you have made it so I am a stationary target for whatever sales proposition you have already set up,” Arla stated, her voice calm as she bought time, at least by letting the man speak out his con and profess his arrogance to the universe she will have time.
Right now, Arla was focusing wild Spirit Infusion around the cockpit, the would hopefully lower the ability of Mr. Fortuna from being able to accurately predict his future, while it would also allow for Arla’s countermeasures to start charging lest she need to activate them in a hurry. This meant that while she was down and clearly behind in the negotiations here, she still had her own form of leverage that she could apply to these negotiations.
“Come now, no need for the hostilities. Let me guess, Sleep? No Paralysis runes? Very clever. No we do not wish to make you feel like you are cornered. Quite the contrary, in fact we wish to enter into a business arrangement with you as equals,” Mr. Fortuna began.
Hearing that Arla just used her periphery to allow her to see off reflective surfaces that she had placed throughout the cockpit so she could accurately see Mr. Fortuna’s face. Then quickly shifting her gaze the other way, she saw looked towards the daughter.
For her part the daughter was either an exceptional poker player, or legitimately had no clue as to what was actually happening around her. All the daughter seemed to be saying with her face is, what are you doing father?
With the silence in the cockpit nearly deafening, Mr. Fortuna continued his well crafted speech. Likely one that he had been preparing just for this exact moment, a time when they would all be forced to sit around and have nothing better to waste their time with than possible future business arrangements.
“Perhaps formal introductions are in order. While I originally introduced myself as Mr. Fortuna, I am in fact Dr. Urisiah Hylinch, and the person to my right is my true biological daughter Lyria Hylinch. A few facts to make sure are expressed here and now. We are currently on the fastest direct route to the Military Academy in Maralla. In fact, keeping on this heading will lead you to clusters and noted star charts that will take you straight to the Academy. In fact, coming up a few star clusters ahead, you will start to notice semi-familiar formations that you will no doubt be able to use to direct your way towards the center of the Federation without too many issues.”
Hearing this, Arla’s ears perked up, as she realized this almost sounded too good to be true, which meant it was a con.
“You are no doubt believing that this is too good to be true, that I am giving up the leverage that I have over you. That being that you need me to get to the Academy. However, that is not the way true partnerships are formed. That is also not the way I want my daughter’s most trusted friend to think of her, while at the academy.”
“Father?” Ms. Fortuna, or rather Ms. Hylinch, if the man’s comments were to be believed cut in.
“Relax, she is the most trustworthy person you will find while at the Academy. Whether you choose to acknowledge that fact or not is not of my concern. That said, I will still need you to at least keep a cordial relationship with her, as I intend to broker a deal with her.” The man, formerly Mr. Fortuna, continued.
The more he spoke, the more uneasy Arla felt. For she could not detect any falsehoods, or any hidden intentions. From everything that Arla was seeing and hearing, this man, Dr. Hylinch, was telling the truth.
“What kind of deal would you broker with me?” Arla found herself asking, if only to see where this con job would go.
Already, Arla could see that the man was correct. The red star cluster to the left was the Nebulon cluster from the back side, meaning they were on a fairly major pathway towards the heart of the Federation, just as the man described.
This meant that, should Arla want, she could jettison the two into space, knowing that their bodies would not be found before they died. Even then, they would be noted as likely lost to the Harbingers.
Seeing the familiar setting, it was clear that Dr. Hylinch felt that by distracting her early enough, he would buy himself and by extension his daughter more time. The fact that she would get along with the daughter was something she could attest to, for there was a future where she was summoned specifically to work for this daughter at the outskirts of space. Remembering those future visions, Arla realized that then the commander had gone by Commander Hylinch, which seemed to further the claims of this man.
It was odd, knowing that she would be in a partnership with Commander, at least that is what the words she said at the end seemed to imply.
Focusing her mind Arla remembered the vision. She went into her room and there she saw the daughter, a slightly older and more athletic version of the daughter, but the daughter nonetheless. That was when the daughter said, “I was wondering if you wanted to be my partners, again?”
There was also a semi-playful banter that she had with Arla, implying that they were friends.
Had Arla not felt the power of being able to see traces of the past, she might not have believed the powers of the future. But they were there, ready for her to see and feel them.
“The deal would be simple, and I will explain the marketing mechanism to you. Though you must forgive me, I felt a live demonstration would have been easier to comprehend. Thus, the chicanery with inadvertently letting you gain the unstable version of my own S-Ranked Prophetic Powers. From which I was able to impart a portion of my power to you, which when you first consumed the sphere felt like it would be with you forever. In fact, even right now, you can no doubt feel the void left by having the power awoken within you, only to then slowly have it fade away. No doubt you can prod around in your mind and feel the vacant spot right now, likely feeling for the spot the way someone would use their tongue to check for a missing tooth. This is the power we will offer, and as partners we will make a killing.” The man, Dr. Urisiah “Fortuna” Hylinch stated.
Hearing him talk, Arla could see how this was a set up from the start. Though she did have to wonder.
“Wait, you set this up, knowing that we would face a Behemoth?” Arla asked, wondering just how crazy the person who was offering a business deal with her truly was, and mentally preparing the paralysis runes just in case.
“What? No, I knew we would be stopped, I knew you would survive. But I assumed it was just a typical Harbinger fleet, not one with a Behemoth, that said, congratulations. No doubt this will have a lasting impact on your future,” He stated.
With that Arla paused, realizing that the man was still reading the future, no doubt somehow finding out about how her Cerusian System. A system that still seemed to be activating within her mind.
Cerusian System Activating… it is imperative that you do not go unconscious during this time, while updates are being applied to your mind.
Seeing the message that was still loading even after a week, Arla wondered what the system would require from her in the future.
Part of her inherently wondered if having the Federation System already active in her mind would cause a conflict and would thus explain why her Cerusian system was now taking its time to load.
Then as if reading her thoughts, or perhaps reading a future where she finally expressed her thoughts, the man Dr. Hylinch, responded.
“Don’t worry, both systems will be able to operate. It will just be that your Cerusian System will not be able to affect your body, which is what the long boot process you are experiencing currently is related to.”
Hearing that, Arla wanted to know more, but was soon cut off by a gesture of the man’s wagging finger.
“Ah-ah-ahh. I need to tell you of our future business venture, before we get closer to the Academy,” Dr. Hylinch pressed.
Hearing that, Arla felt that she couldn’t refute the claim, particularly as he had given away information for free. Then once she realized that, she realized that this too could be part of the con, which likely meant that this con, whatever it was, would be huge. So huge in fact that this man would want to build up plenty of good will with her, even going so far as to give up his perceived leverage in an attempt to make her seemingly more amenable to this venture.
Seeing the signs, Arla couldn’t help but feel impressed by how elaborate the entire trap was. Being this deep in the trap, Arla wondered what could possibly be the business venture that would start this long chain of events.
“Go on,” Arla stated coldly.
With that the Doctor smiled widely, causing the shading of his golden hue created from his wildly glowing eyes to dance about subtly in the cockpit.
“First let me explain the balanced partnership. I want to be equal partners with you, 50-50. Know that in this you will only have to produce one thing, and I will deal with the exportation, distribution, sales, and everything else associated with this process.”
“Sounds like a book deal?” Arla quipped.
“Almost, and this will be a royalty-based business. But as you saw before, the effects of having a power are impressive. Know that the higher the grade of power stone you get, obviously the higher the price. For the power of the stone that can be produced depends on the capacity of the individual creating the stone. Thus, the stone you got from me, transferred a copy of my S-Ranked power to you. What I want from you is to make those same single serving samples that you received from me, for your primary power.” The man said.
At that, Arla paused, realizing this was the risk.
Here is where the issue came. But before Arla’s mind could wander, the man continued his sales pitch.
“See the problem with your power the way it is currently, is that it is too fast. It is over in a second. There one second, snap your fingers, thereby altering the life of the recipient forever and for what? A partial shared experience? A one-time payment? What I am asking is something far more lucrative, and economical. What is better than a permanent power increase that you only have to purchase once, rather than one you have to purchase repeatedly,” the man stated.
Hearing the idea behind the business venture, Arla had to give the man credit.
So far, his entire demeanor had been agreeable, but then again this was a trait of ‘Cogs. They could see the future, see what words and approaches worked, and which ones didn’t. In a way, Arla was jealous, as they were the conmen that she wished she could be. While she could pretend and strut like someone who agreed with people, it was always just an act. For deep down, she knew a mutt of not one but two space faring civilizations she would have a hard time fitting into either.
“In fact, with my model,” the man continued as more and more familiar star clusters came into scanning range, before passing my quickly in the deep recesses of etherspace, “you will sell a minimum of two tablets per purchase. One to ignite the base power to the maximum, and one to experiment with awakening an alternate power. Then even a third tablet if one would wish to get that second power up to maximum.”
“What’s this?” The formerly quiet daughter, Lyria Arla believed her name was, asked, suddenly excited.
“Yes, you too my dear Lyria could benefit from this as well, particularly with your initial evaluations. For you could join as a certified S-Ranked Healer, if you so chose.” The man said, and with this, even the daughter who had up until this point done everything possible to stay out of the conversation suddenly found herself sucked in. Such was the charismatic nature of a ‘Cog businessman who knew he was in charge of the negotiations.
Still despite everything, Arla found herself questioning the situation.
“So how much exposure would I have in all of this?” Arla asked, realizing that money ventures aside, the easiest target to take down would be the mixed race half-blood who was attempting to become a true Federation Citizen.
“Glad you asked, for you would just be in charge of the creation, the absconding, hiding, and exfiltrating the substance from the Military Academy would be up to Lyria here,” the Cog continued, “in fact, if this is agreeable to you. I could propose a test of loyalty on our part, right now.”
Hearing that, Arla felt that there was a definite twist coming, but as far as she could tell, this was not for her. Still, she had to press, for this entire process was intriguing, at least from a future business perspective.
“I will walk you through the power creation process right now, and your first customer will be Lyria here.”
“What?” Lyria demanded.
“Come on, you already owe her two for fully Igniting your primary power and letting you join the Healer Corp with your second power. Now, you will be bonded at the hip, with her being your supplier and needing to maintain your S-Rank induction. An induction that you will naturally spark by your now S-Ranked Energy Disruption. Come on, you know a power that is that far off the scales will be easily read. Then when you only register with a B-Ranked power, you will be caught as a dual affinity. So it is either go in as an S-Ranked Dark Energy user, or follow your dream and be a Healer, an S-Ranked Healer.”
Hearing the man speak, a sudden look of dawning comprehension crossed Lyria’s eyes as she suddenly realized the truth of the man’s statements.
“You bastard! How dare you!” Lyria spat venom at her father.
“Calm down, calm down. You knew the only way you could get in was due to your Energy Disruption, that is still the case, even though you have become a Healer. Now I’m just offering a way that the two of you can form a mutually beneficial relationship built on trust and cooperation. With this venture, both of you will require to fully trust the other in order to succeed. Also, with you being the first recipient of the substance, you will always be able to maintain your fix and continue with a vaunted career as an S-Ranked Healer.”
“A ranking that will be fraudulent.”
“No it won’t, so long as you two can continue to get along, so what do you say?” The doctor pressed, asking his daughter. His glowing eyes seemed to stare into and through the daughter, before she finally deflated slightly, a sign she acquiesced.
Again, either she was the best liar in the universe, or she had no poker face. This was a concern for Arla, but right now, Arla really only had one question.
“And as for you?” The man with glowing golden eyes pressed.
“Just how much are you looking at selling these for, and to whom exactly?”
“Glad you asked, for the price will change based on the market, but I think the first batch will go towards fellow recruits in you class. Recruits who will all just miss the cutoff, without external assistance…” The ‘Cog began.
And like that, Arla knew she had a business plan was one Marcon could only dream about, making this whole exchange both tenuous, and enticing.
Seeing her apprehension, the distributor, Dr. Hylinch seemed to smile, “would you like a second power orb, so you could see how this will play out? I could tell you that it will be very lucrative for both our families, but I figured seeing it with your own eyes might help you make your decision faster.”
With that, the man held out his left hand and seemed to concentrate, as the glowing golden hue of his eyes slowly faded, while a much brighter sphere appeared in his hand.
Seeing the process, the entire thing seemed simple and Arla was fairly certain she could already do that. If not, she could get it within a few tries.
With a moment’s hesitation, Arla paused as she wondered if she wanted to try the dose again, or if she wanted to trust her own instincts.
Her mind told her that this would work, but would likely further reinforce that blatant cavity in her mind. The cavity that tingled with its existence, but did not seem to go away. Just seeing the marker, Arla realized this was not only a test for herself, to see if she could quit, but also proof as to how powerful this opportunity would be for others.
Seeing the outstretched palm and orb, Arla smiled.
“No, I think I’m good. Shall we begin with the signing of the deal now?” Arla asked.
And like that, Dr. Hylinch, AKA Mr. Fortuna smiled a golden hued smile as all his plans seemed to finally come together on the future he wanted.
“Yes, let us begin, and know that all products consumed by my daughter will be purchased at full price and rewarded to you properly. What do you say to ten?”
“Ten?”
“Ten Thousand Credits for this first dose for my daughter, each hit will be based on the market needs and of course your ability to produce without being caught.” The man said, as he pulled back the created orb and placed it into a pouch on his side.
And like that, the partnership of the Ignition Broker Enterprise truly began.
Comments
Lykanthropy
So she will still have a permanent connection to the older patients. She will also have at least a temporary connection to others while they are under the influence. There might be more depending on how this all goes. But school will be a minor facet of what is to come. Also, thank you for reading.
CherMi
Thank you for the chapter. Uuuh, I really didn't expect this. How will this work with Arla having a permanent connection to her patients? So far they paid her through it and she couldn't harm them, I dunno, it seems like a significant thing for the ignition power? And now they make that connection go away after a time, along with the effect. The other concern is of course that she is caught right now. This is exactly what Marcon shielded her from, when she would get enslaved by someone. This "equal partnership" is sketchy at best, because she still can't intentionally harm them, and they have all of Arla's secrets. Honestly, she needs to get out, but I don't know how. Hopefully the Cerusian system will be invisible to precognition, like harbringers are, then maybe she'll get something to help. Pity to see the precognition power go, I was down for a war arc. But I guess there'll be a school arc instead.
