Asking for favors

Life in the Marganetz mining colony was so delightfully dull.

Mirroring the rest of the Jupiter Sphere. While Zeon revolutionaries and imperialist Earth Federation fought between each other with the ferocity of a thousand lions, the ever-mercantile Jupiter adopted a 'wait-and-see' approach. While certainly prudent and risk-averse, it was also oh so very boring. And boredom was poison for the mind. Boredom made reasonable people do unreasonable things, just so that to make things change. A terrifying change was a change, none the less.

Ayla was in her office. Every once in a while, when not preoccupied with wasting time, she actually dealt with some of the internal and external matters regarding the little piece of space rock she inherited from Father. It involved reading reports, dealing with minor complaints, reading correspondence, and accepting invitations to yet another luxurious assembly, which she was supposed to be a part of. "How dull..." - she said, resting her cheek on her hand, as she held a piece of paper in front of herself, reading through hand-written lines. Only aristocrats used paper for communication these days. Even though notoriously slower and more expensive, it projected status. And seemed old-fashioned, too. It was then, when the commlink in her room bleeped to life.

It was one of her underlings, the chief of her communications array. Mark... or... something.

"My lady, there is a communication message coming to you."

The woman's eyes sparkled a bit, in excitement, as she threw the letter away. 

"For mee? From who?"

"They did not specify. They introduced themselves as... Marina."

"Marina whoo?"

Ayla's tone was sickeningly sweet, and it made the man on the other side of the line sweat a little. He did realize his own bout of incompetence, as there were a few quiet commands and tumbler clicks coming from the communications room, before he reported back.

"It's former EFSF Commodore Marina Von Witzland, contacting you from one of our ships, the Athens. Shall I patch her through?"

The grin on Ayla's face grew wider, as she inched on the edge of her seat.

"But of course! Why did you not say so, dear? Go ahead and open a secure channel." - the woman ordered. And as Mark went to work, she sat back, and straightened out her fancy red and gold dress a little, wanting to look her best for the 'audience'. Soon, the screen bleeped into life again, establishing a two-end communication with a videofeed.

"Marina, dear. So good to see you~ It has been quite a while since we last seen each other. My... you've grown." - she chuckled, bringing a hand to her mouth. Most pleasant and accomodating. And most curious of what this was about.

Ayla kept a polite smile, seeing the woman appear on the other end of the screen.

She's... old. A less than impressed thought crossed through her mind, as she listened the EX-commodore dispense with the pleasantries. Such a lovely etiquette, so many falsely compassionate words. It would have been endearing had it not been so blatantly obvious. The woman wanted something from her. And... considering she and Ayla did not keep in touch for over a decade, the only reason for this communication was that she must have wanted something. And scraping the very bottom of the barrel. Running out of options, mmm?

"Ah yes, Earth-made cognac is my favorite. I am afraid they do not make it here quite as good as they do back at the metropolis. I would pay with a few years of my life for a bottle of Armenian." - the lady chuckled, pressing a finger to cover her lips.

This situation was certainly unusual... And much cut-away from the norm, when compared to her droll and samey days as the head of the Mao family. In fact... Marina might just be the catalyst to make this swamp of dull intrigues and pleasantries lively again. The fingers slowly slid down to her chin.

"It is certainly enough to bribe me for a meeting. Oh, but I missed you so. And have been very envious of you, as of late. You are the prime star of the Federation! The brave crusader to smite the weapon of mass destruction off the face of Mars! No doubt there are many promotions waiting for you back home, ex-Commodore."

A smile crossed her face, becoming a little longer.

"No doubt there are so many stories you could share with me..."

Marina would from behind herself hear the door open and then close. Citrio the so-called prince in exile floated on in coming to a rest next to Marina."Couldn't help but overhear your conversation from outside. Hope you don't mind me eavesdropping~" he said a tad playfully before looking to the screen. He had rested on some of the equipment that was a part of the communications station."Catching up with some old friends eh?" he asked in a curious fashion."I like the idea of a meeting. I can bring something special along as well." Citrio said putting his finger and thumb to his chin in a thoughtful manner."Ayla? Sorry for being rude. It is me Citrio." he said with a smirk. Citrio did not have a complete idea as to what this meeting could be about. But if anything Marina had a plan, and no doubt it was a plan to acquire help. Things had progressed much quicker then Citrio had wished for them too. Jove was going to come back to a complete mess without a doubt. Oh, but he had one last thing in mind before they left this sphere entirely. But before that, he wanted to see what Marina had in mind. Could be fun.

---

Not too long after Citrio would have arranged for them to take a ride on his shuttle. The asteroid belt from his perspective when looking out a window looked surprisingly empty. All the distance between celestial bodies all as worlds grow smaller and smaller behind them. Yet, he knew the further the went the closer he grew to his home. This was perhaps the closest he had been indeed in a very long time. The shuttle quietly propelled itself through the void and eventually, the asteroid mining station would come into view. Growing ever larger in appearance as they approached. The pilot of the shuttle would request permission to dock as Citrio and Marina awaited to arrive. Upon being granted permission the shuttle would dock with the station and after a momentary lurch, Citrio would unbuckle himself from the seat. With a stretch as he floated up, he would give a slight push from his seat and float down towards the airlock. The airlock worked to equalize pressure with the station and would then eventually open.

Marina decided to bring young 2nd Lieutenant Natalia Petrova along with her and Citrio. " Listen, we'll have you stay over with our guest to help us coordinate our efforts. Ayla is a friend of mine so make sure to be polite." The blond eyepatch wearing woman would instruct the perky red headed girl knowing she was well behaved and soft spoken precisely the reason she decided to bring Natalia along with them.

On their way to the inning asteroid base they meet up with an escort which immediately gave Marina some ideas. Ayla's mobile suit fleet was in a dire need of upgrades and while disowned by the Federation the people over at Anaheim Electronics still owed her a few favors. When the airlock hatch opened, Marina and Natalia would be the firsts to come out into the mining asteroid living quarters. Inside it was like a colony complete with a breathable controlled atmosphere and plant life to improve the oxygen quality. There was a manor built inside where no doubt their host awaited them. Marina would have Natalia carry the bottle of Armenian Cognac around wile she walked up to Ayla, hugging the purple haired woman.

" So good to see you, this is my courtesy gift for you." Marina knewi t would be rude to show up empty handed so she gestured at the young girl, knowing Ayla mind could fill in the blanks.

The shuttle would be met by a small escorts of RGM-89 Jegan Ds. These were not top of the line suits, but a sturdy enough design to age gracefully. They emerged from a belt of ever-moving small and large asteroids, to guide the craft through them. And, as the shuttle carefully followed the suits, it became obvious as to why they needed them in the first place. 

Marganetz mining colony was located on a side of a very large asteroid, a good half of which was destroyed by an internal gas detonation. The red flare of the remains of deposits burning still were visible from far away. The approach to the asteroid facility was very meticulous and incredibly dangerous even for small vessels such as shuttles. The astro-charts had to be updated every 8 hours in order to navigate transport ships to and from the base. A couple of engineering mobile suits were floating here and there, and the larger space debris also housed automatic beam guns on rotatory platforms, set to fire on anything that did not have the proper transponder codes. Nevertheless, the facility was always profitable, despite the difficulties. It mined rare metals used in electronics, mobile-suit, and ship construction.

Soon, the shuttle would pass into a much more open area in front of the space globe that covered the living space of the colony, and the mine within it. Both were located in a chasm, making it a long approach. The free space in front of it acted like a space docking ring, to help maintain and repair transport ships. They were often damaged by the asteroids, even with all the necessary navigating precautions. Inside of her luxurious mansion within the colony, Ayla Mao was waiting for her guests. 


"Ah, you have arrived!" - the woman approached, clasping her hands together, wearing her ever-present soft smile on her face, looking over the three guests standing in the lavish hall. Marina, in her militaristic fashion, prince Citrio, who was possibly the prettiest one in the party, and the cute red-haired officer with a bottle of cognac just for her... And perhaps more. Ayla inclined her head lightly.

"Such a delight to meet you here. I did not have any visitors outside of the usual suspects in years. Thank you for the very lovely gift." - the woman's eyes scanned over the girl holding the bottle, remarking the beautiful piece of work that she was... and took the bottle, cradling it in her hands. 

"Please, come with me. I had a dinner arranged in my quarters. You must be famished from having to live on ship rations for so long. You too, my dear. Would you care to join us? I know the names of all present, but not yours." - the woman chuckled, mentioning Natalia, and making a notion to follow. In her office, which was larger than some apartments, there was a large table waiting already, filled with all sorts of imported foods, from fruits to special dishes. And alcohol. The head of the Mao family gently placed the bottle she was given on the table, intending to share it with guests.

"It has been a while since I've seen you, my dear prince. Such a shame you had to go. You keep curious company, I must admit."

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(OOC: I am very sorry for not reacting to your previous post, dear Seeker. I forgot to refresh my page from yesterday and was unaware that you posted.)

Natalia looked back up toward Ayla as she thanked Marina for the gift, a smile still on her face as the woman looked at her. She certainly didn't mind staying with the purple-haired woman. She stood upright again after she took the bottle from her, remembering what Marina had told her while they were on the shuttle here.

Even though she'd come with Marina and Citrio for this meeting, she was sure the three of them would have dinner together. So it was a pleasant surprise when Ayla invited her to eat with them. "Thank you, my lady. It would be my pleasure," she said with a smile, following the group into the woman's office. She was going to introduce herself more properly, but she couldn't help being a little distracted by the food that had been laid out for them to eat. It had been quite a while since she'd seen such a wide variety of food, and drink as well. It all certainly looked quite a bit better than rations. She looked back at Ayla, giving a polite bow again. "I'm sorry I didn't introduce myself sooner. My name is Natalia Petrova."

Once she'd introduced herself, the redhead quickly quieted down so she wouldn't be interrupting the conversation that had started.

"You are too kind, my dear prince. This is the least I could do for my guests. Here in the Jupiter Sphere, hospitality is usually extended for weeks, with all sorts of entertainment provided in between. What you see right now is merely an appetizer, by our standards."

Ayla listened to Marina's story with the obligatory 'my condolences' look on her face, even after the woman had explained that her situation was basically her own fault. That realization made the woman chuckle. This kind of honesty was refreshing, almost endearing, even. When the most unassuming member of the party introduced herself, the woman replied with a slight nod. Oh, she would love to spend some time with that one, preferably in private. But right now, there were more ... pressing matters to attend to. 

"Ahh, such drive, to risk it all and start a war in exchange for a chance to shine. I admire that, even if I could not understand it. Since birth, I was given all the power I ever needed, and perhaps even more..." - the woman poured some of that cognac into her special glass, and took in the aroma. Letting out a pleasant sigh. "So wonderful, you could almost catch the scent of a wooden barrel it was made in. This bottle is older than the entirety of Jupiter's independent state. If independent in name only." - Ayla took a sip, and felt the liquid go down, making things warm in her chest.

The offer that Marina had given was met with polite interest. As she accepted the tablet, she browsed through the technical specs and right to the general appearance sections, a smile appearing on her face.

"Lovely design. I do like the touch of gold. It is my favorite color." - Ayla said, as if discussing a dress and not a war machine, putting the tablet aside. "Support is a very expansive term, however. I wish to learn what is it exactly you want from little ol' me. It is not every day a pair of pariahs shows at my doorstep with intriguing offers. I could make an educated guess that it has something to do with our lovely Citrio's return. Are you seeking to make peace with your father, young man? While you look lovely in stockings and expensive lingerie, I do not think the old man would approve. That... was why he cast you out in the first place, wasn't it?"

A bit of a mischievous smile appeared on Ayla's face.