Recap: In the last installment of this story, Lien Harcrow, was told by Mr. Voight to assassinate a politician, Taron Kint; when questioned about the reason behind it, Mr. Voight told Lien that it was due to some of his policies which revolve around Free Space negotiations and the fact that Taron is in support of independence movement around Confederation space. Even though Lien didn't like the idea of it, he also knew that his own life may be in danger should he refuse.
< A Favour Repaid - Part 1 | A Favour Repaid - Part 3 >
"Are you ready yet?" His wife, Tessa Harcrow, called down to Lien who was sitting in their bedroom.
The room was moderately furnished, with some of the most flamboyant items money could buy; it wasn't his plan to spend so much on any of it. Tessa would often ask him about particular items, and in an effort to satisfy her and keep her happy, of course, he would oblige, knowing that when she asked him about something she liked, it was more of a request.
"Yeah." He called back. "I'll be out in a minute." Lien's voice trailed off, as he stared down at the small white pill laying in the palm of his hand. It had a small black dot in the centre of it, and the echoes of Mr. Voight's words swirled through his mind. "It is untraceable."
He had a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach as he stared at it. Wanting to flee, to get away, leave it all behind and forget the entire thing. Give up the house, the speeders, all of their possessions, the life they knew; all they had grown accustomed to. How could he do that? There was no way of him convincing Tessa to leave it all behind, and if he left without her, he would condemn her to death at the hands of one of Mr. Voight's servants; another person indebted to the man, no different than Lien. A desperate fool, trying to hold onto the status quo.
"Your wife works as a personal shopper." Voight told him. "A friend of mine is her top client. A good friend who is yet to repay a favour." It was a thinly veiled threat; a possibility; a way of Mr. Voight getting what he wanted by any means. It was clear to Lien that nobody could reach the heights Mr. Voight had, without being capable of things that the average person would not be.
A weak stomach is the one thing that holds most people back. It was a weak stomach that held Lien back; he could have climbed the ranks higher during the Free Space Invasion, but he wasn't able to switch off the quiet and ever-present voice in the back of his mind. "This isn't right. We shouldn't be here." He would often tell himself. Lien avoided every opportunity to bear his teeth; avoided every ruthless act even when he knew the right people were watching him. Instead, he backed away, kept his head down, and hid in the shadows until everyone forgot he was there. Behind him were many others, waiting in line for an opportunity to climb the hill of carcasses. Of course, he did what he was told, but never more than he was ordered.
He was thirsty when he signed up. Hungered for battle and a chance to prove himself. The training was great, and he enjoyed the comradery among the other cadets; they were all in it together. But, when he joined the war, he wished for peace, and when it came, he was glad he was still alive.
Looking in the mirror, he saw a stranger stare back at him. Lien wasn't old, but he wasn't young either. Sometimes he dreamed of being back home with his parents and wished for an easier time; back when the hardest decision he had to make was what he wanted for dinner. The lifestyle he lived now was enjoyed by his parents too; his way of repaying them for all of the care they gave him as a boy.
"Are you ready?" He heard Tessa once more, and the door opened as she finished asking. Lien quickly shoved the pill into his pocket, hiding it from his wife.
He stood up and slowly turned around, and as he did Tessa's inner personal shopper came out in her expression. It wasn't a wince, but he could tell she wasn't overly impressed. She was wearing a dress, black with streaks of a dark green colour, and over that was some fur. Her makeup was modest, and while she looked good without it, he was blown away by how beautiful she was.
"Is that what you're wearing?" She asked, staring him up and down.
"What's wrong with it?" Lien turned to look in the mirror. His outfit was casual, but with a formal twist. A stiff collared red shirt buttoned up, with a black jacket over it and plain black trousers.
"We don't really match, the red doesn't fit the pallet." She responded as she stood beside him, adjusting his collar.
They both stared in the mirror, he thought they looked good, but she shook her head.
"Do we need to match?" He asked, feeling like he was little more than an accessory to her.
"Put on a green shirt." She responded as she walked back to the door. "I'll be waiting downstairs."
After a quick change, he was leaving the room, making sure to double-check that he still had the pill in his pocket.
Tessa approved of the new colour. It wasn't long before they were in the hanger which housed his collection of vehicles. They walked through the room, looking at luxury speeders of all makes and models, and while he had one in mind, an A-54, black with streaks of red, originally designed as a racer, but right before it reached the finalisation it was changed to a cruiser. He rested a hand on the cool steel, and Tessa shook her head.
"What? Why can't we take this one?" He asked, and as she was about to open her mouth he shook his head. "Let me guess, it doesn't match?" She started to laugh and instantly turned to walk to a speeder a few spaces up. The Heriotic B-class 19-T3 was black and green, not a bad model, but not the one he wanted. Without trying to complain, he hopped in and they were leaving the hangar.
The night sky was amazing, and the city seemed to be full of life, constant streams of lights coming and going. They joined the stream heading in, and out of the corner of his eyes the lights from the buildings made for a nice distraction from what he was about to do; regardless of it being against his will, guilt wrapped him and the sick feeling in his stomach got worse, only exacerbated by the occasional laughing and small talk made by Tessa. She had no idea that tonight wasn't going to end well.
The restaurant seemed to be full, within there was some soothing music playing, and the chorus of people talking made for music of its own. They were greeted by wait staff, who instantly ushered them inside and past the line of people waiting to be seated.
"Mr. and Mrs. Harcrow, your table is waiting for you, right this way." A young woman said as she walked them into the main dining area. "I would be remiss if I didn't say that I'm a big fan of your show Mr. Harcrow, I find the way you speak with your guests so respectful and I watch it every week." She said eagerly and Lien would be lying if he pretended he wasn't flattered by the comment.
"That's very kind of you to say. Thank you, I enjoy making each episode." He replied, unsure what else to say. For a brief moment, he felt at peace and comfortable.
Soon, they were at their table, standing in front of Taron Kint, and his wife, Allyson Kint, they both stood up to greet them. Instantly, Tessa made note of Allyson's outfit, and the two of them spoke like they were old friends. Taron shook Lien's hand.
"I'm glad you could make it, tonight is going to be great. I have been here many times before, and the food is amazing, as is the service." Taron said with a smile that only seemed to grow with each word spoken. A big man; he had a large frame and was much taller than Lien, with short dark hair with more than a few greys.
"Thanks for inviting us." Lien replied, looking down at the cutlery on the table, perfectly arranged. "I have eaten here before, but only a few times."
Within moments of sitting down, one of the wait staff was over and took a drinks order. Soon, those drinks were gone, and as requested by Taron, another round was brought over as he stated that they hadn't decided on what to have. They were all chatting like old friends after the second drink, as hard as it was to look the man in the eye, Lien did all he could to smile, nod, laugh, and joke.
The food came, and while everyone ate theirs, Lien played with his; picking away at as much of it as he was able to force down. Near the end of the main course, he wished that the food would go down as easy as the drinks.
At one point he was asked if everything was okay, but all he could do was put the lack of appetite down to a big lunch, much to the amusement of Taron Kint.
They continued to talk as the plates were taken away, and while they did, Lien stuck his hand in his pocket and held the pill tight.
His secret.
