The places I have been and things I have seen, he thought to himself. Well, not entirely to himself rather the consciousness within his mind that ran his body. The Cadian Order, once thought to be exterminated from the galaxy's list of residents had been reborn thanks to a curious Betazoid on a forbidden planet. The planet housed the Cadian Order's Ji'Lok, or archives and the souls of each Cadian Master since the Formation.
Cade, which wasn't his real name, sat in the 'hut mi' position, meditating. The Betazoid was a full telepath which made Cade's work a world easier. Having the ability to read minds certainly came in handy when assassinating a target. Cade didn't have to use his weapons when his mind worked just as well.
Lately it had worked too well. A squad of Betazoids had been hot on his trail ever since the end of the Zanderan war. Cade had fought in that war as a behind-the-lines warrior for the Strategic Strike Force. While not a major player in the war, Cade accomplished every task he had been given, which included the capture of a Breen man-o-war, the rescue of an admiral with access to particularly sensitive information, the elimination of a Vulcan traitor seen selling secrets to a Vorta; that little adventure had left Cade drained both mentally and physically as the Vulcan had been a student of the renegade Sybok.
Cade knew that he needed a breather. There had been a target of his that possessed a several acre parcel of land 50 miles away from Serenity City in the Briar Patch. Since the dead diplomat/pedophile had no further use for the land, Cade had assumed ownership of the land thanks to several strips of latinum and a very good forger on Ferenginar. Cade planned to build a home and offer his services to the highest bidder. If one dealt with beings outside the influence of Starfleet, then one needed to deal with the little Ferengi bastards.
"Mr. Cade, we have reached Serenity City," said a woman's voice. It was the flight attendant, who was gorgeous by human standards. Cade was oblivious.
"Excellent." Cade smiled, not opening his eyes. "Notify the purser that I will require a personal transport fit for rugged terrain to these coordinates." Cade held up a piece of paper, which the woman took from him.
"At once, sir," the attendant took the paper and hurried away.
Cade opened his eyes, which held no irises, rather two white organs, which glowed a deep red or icy blue depending on his mood. Cade put on a pair of solar spectacles and stood up. A young boy involved in some mischief crashed into Cade's muscular leg. Cade immediately helped the lad to his feet. "Careful, boy!" Cade smiled. "Next time I may not be there to cushion your impact."
"Thanks, mister!" the lad smiled, then raced off. Cade watched him run, a wistful look on his face. The X-shaped scar on Cade's right cheek relaxed for a moment, then went taught as Cade was all business again.
It was time to begin. Cade made his way to the transport exit. There he was met by an extremely fat human, who was munching on a sandwich the size of a Galaxy-class starship.
"Grint!" shouted Cade. The behemoth almost dropped his food, which would have caused the fat bastard some difficulty, Cade thought with dark amusement.
"Yes sir!" Grint barked, causing three of his five chins to quiver.
"Is everything ready?"
"Indeed." Grint handed over a pouch, which was liberally coated with grease from his hands. "As requested, a bank account under the name Mr. Salmonius Cade, deed to the property as discussed, supplies and provisions for a month in addition to the usual precautions, weapons..."
"Tell me about the weapons." Cade ordered.
"As we discussed, sir." Grint said nervously. "Blades, several knives, a laser pistol, an anti-matter disruptor, some explosive filler, DET cord..."
"Very good, you imbecile!" Cade sneered. "You will secure a residence for you and make yourself known in Serenity City's social circles. I want it to be known that I am here. I want everyone to know I am here, including Terminus!"
"I... I'll... see what I...I...I can d...d...do!" Grint stammered, now clearly afraid. Grint turned and lumbered away.
"Jackass!" Cade snorted. Oh well, good help was hard to find so he made use of the fat bastard. Selmonius Grint was a worthless lump of human flesh that had more underworld contacts than Al Capone's bookkeeper. If there was a slimy operator within any of the four quadrants, Grint would find him. Consequently, Cade kept him on his payroll. Grint had been bounced from Starfleet by Marcus O'Connell, a man Cade respected as a warrior, but cordially detested as anything else. O'Connell had offered Cade a position within Special Unit Six, a covert action unit with no official support. Cade had told O'Connell where to shove his offer.
"Time to do what must be done!" Cade said in an ominous tone. He took the code list for the ATV he had requested from the transports purser then mounted the ATV. The engine came alive with a roar. Cade smiled a cruel slit that exposed his teeth in a feral expression of savage amusement. Cade twisted the throttle and the ATV roared off, the anti-gravity repulsors struggling to maintain their synchronicity with the propulsion unit, which was sending danger signals to the CPU of the machine, indicating that the pilot was either a child on his first run or a loony on a day pass from an asylum.
After 30 minutes, Cade brought the ATV to a stop in front of a luxurious log cabin. Cade parked his vehicle then climbed the stairs and opened the doors to his new home. The cabin was furnished with luxurious furniture. A padded easy chair faced the fireplace. Cade liked to reflect in front of a fire. Other pieces included a hutch that displayed various artifacts Cade had collected in his travels, and a sofa pilfered from the James T. Kirk Collection in Riverside, Iowa on Earth; a planet Cade detested. Cade had bought the piece using Grint as his agent, then stole it from a warehouse when he learned that other pirates had designs on his property. Grint had been hurt, but too damned bad.
Cade immediately stripped down to his skivvies then began to practice the Cadian veriaq, a kata of movements designed to refocus the mind, replenish his soul, and prepare for the next encounter with an enemy. "Moregh ji vel mirkashi" Cade chanted. An enemy is to be respected, not feared. was the literal translation of the chant. Cade leaped and seemed to stick to the wall, crouching like a predatory spider waiting for prey to land on its web. Cade suddenly sprang from the wall and into the dining area, landing on the table with the grace and agility of a cat. A long sword suddenly flashed into view. Cade began to move the weapon very rapidly, describing great arcs and lines in the air. So fast was the sword moving that the blade hummed as it moved.
"Cade?" asked Grint's voice.
Cade bounded from the table and leaped towards Grint, who shrieked in terror as Cade pinned the fat man to the floor and held the sword at his jowly throat. "What did I tell you about INTERRUPTING ME!?!" Cade bellowed, his face inched from Grint's.
"N...N...Never to..." Grint blubbered.
"Correct. The next words out of your sewer had better be worth my time or I will be repossessing all of the latinum I have paid you."
"Terminus wants a peace. He will meet you in Serenity City when you are ready." Grint swallowed.
Instantly, Cade was on his feet. "I will meet with him in four hours. Arrange it." Cade raised his shades, exposing his glowing red eyes. "Now go!" he whispered.
Grint hauled himself to his feet, then left as fast as a blubbery whale could run. Cade looked towards the city from which he had come. "It's time to finish this!"
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