Chương 420: Book 7 - Chapter 16 - Destiny

Although the guards gave us a suspicious look as we approached, they simply stepped aside and let us pass once we reached the door. While the yacht had an impressive exterior, it was nothing compared to the extravagance on the inside. The hallways were lined with real hardwood panelling engraved with a variety of reliefs. Plush curtains bordered the windows, and tasteful paintings hung at regular intervals.

I actually stopped and stared at the first one because although I'd seen display panels projecting art and even the occasional printed replica while storming through some upper-city buildings, I'd never seen a real painting before. There was an actual texture to it, which made me want to reach out and touch it, but I resisted. I didn't know how expensive they were, but something told me that even the cheapest painting here was worth more than most corporations made in a month, if not more.

"Uhhh… Do you know where we're going?" I asked Sharron as she turned down one of the practically identical hallways, leading further into the ship.

"I let Claire know we were coming, and she sent me a map of the ship," she replied, before pausing and looking back at me over her shoulder.

"By the way… you might want to stick close. She did mention that some areas of the ship are off limits and the security system will engage anyone found trespassing, so watch your step."

"What type of security system?" I asked suspiciously.

"She didn't give me any details," Sharron replied, "but considering that she not only went out of her way to mention it but also marked off-limits areas on the map, it's probably not something we should treat lightly."

"Wouldn't it just be easier to lock those sections off?" I asked.

"They probably do, but since they host other samurai, they probably still have to warn everyone. There are quite a few samurai who don't exactly respect personal boundaries or personal property," Sharron said.

"You make it sound like we're a bunch of thieves and vandals," I grumbled.

"Remind me again, where did you get your initial startup funds after becoming a samurai?" Sharron smirked.

"That wasn't theft, that was reappropriation," I said.

"That company promised to pay for an emergency shelter for the district, claimed they'd paid for it, then pocketed the funds. I completely intended to use that money to finish what they started, but I just didn't have to after meeting Barricade."

"I know," Sharron said, patting me on the back.

"I'm not blaming you for anything. I just wanted to point out how easy it is for us to do shit like that sometimes, and like I said, not everyone respects personal boundaries." The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

"I wonder if they've had any 'incidents' with other samurai before now," I muttered.

"Last time I visited, they did say that the local samurai had split into squabbling factions."

"So? We have our share of opposing factions back in Calgary, and they've managed to keep things civil. Why would things be different in Seattle?" Sharron asked.

"I'm not sure, I just got the impression that the situation might have been a tad more sensitive. Last time I checked, there wasn't anyone paranoid enough back home to track visitors with Class II artillery cannons the instant they came into range," I replied. Sharron paused.

"Wait, did that really happen?" she asked.

"It wasn't a huge deal. Nyx told me that the Strato Carrier would have been able to shrug off anything that Samurai threw at us, and as soon as it happened, I maneuvered the ship out of range, but the fact that it happened at all…"

"Yeah, that's a little concerning. I knew the situation in Seattle was a little unstable, but I didn't realise it was that bad," Sharron said, shaking her head.

"You had far more important things to worry about, like making sure your head remained firmly attached to your shoulders. Besides, it's a local issue and it seemed like if outsiders tried to get involved, it would only make the situation worse," I said.

"Maybe things will improve now that the Mars fleet is back," Sharron suggested.

"I'm not sure why it would," I grumbled.

"I'm sure that yes, some powerful samurai could step in and force everyone to play nice for a while, but it probably wouldn't be a permanent solution. The factions would just go back to squabbling as soon as they left. I saw the exact same thing happen a hundred times in the undercity. If things got out of hand, the police would roll into a neighbourhood, lock down the area, and break up the gangs, but as soon as they left, they'd go right back to fighting again." Sharron raised an eyebrow.

"Are you really equating samurai factions to undercity gangs?" she asked.

"I guess? Sort of? I mean, even though the power levels are vastly different, the motivations would be the same, right? People don't like being oppressed, and as soon as they think they can get away with shit again, they'll return to their previous ways," I said.

"Like, fuck, look at the Corpos. Every time we've caught them doing stupid shit, they back away, apologize, then immediately go do something equally stupid somewhere else. Everyone does. It's human nature."

"I have no idea whether I should chalk your opinion up to a pessimistic outlook due to your previous social status or incredible insight into the state of our current system," Sharron muttered.

"Honestly? Doesn't have to be mutually exclusive. I can be insightful while simultaneously yelling 'fuck the system' out the window," I replied casually.

"I guess that's true," Sharron snorted.

"And just so you know, when I said maybe the situation in Seattle would improve now that the Mars fleet was back, it wasn't because I thought some powerful samurai would come and force everyone to play nice for a little while."

"Oh, really? Then what makes you think the situation could improve? New tech?" I asked as Sharron walked up to a fairly ornate set of double doors. She knocked on them before finally turning around to look at me.

"Did you really forget who else was up on Mars with me?" she asked. I just stared at her blankly for a second.

"Benedict?" She rolled her eyes, and when a call of 'enter' echoed out from the other side of the door, she pushed it open, revealing a very fancy meeting room. The room was large, with huge crystal windows lining the walls on three sides and a huge hard wood meeting table in the middle. There were a surprising number of people there, most of whom were split into a couple small groups gathered around one of the portable holo displays, quietly discussing tactics with each other.

Alise and Claire were standing across the table, with their backs to us, talking to a third person. I only managed to get a couple steps into the room before the twins turned, and I got a look at who they were talking to. I immediately froze. I would have recognized that pale white hair and light blue skin anywhere.

"Well, well, well, look who it is, my favorite pint-sized bear commander. It's been awhile Teddy, how have you been?" she asked with a frosty smile. My brain was going a mile a minute, and I wasn't quite sure how I should feel about this development, but I decided that at the bare minimum I should be polite, so I returned the smile.

"Welcome back, Hel. It's been awhile."