Space Bunnies!

Chapter 9: The Plaza

As Kai traveled the skylift to planetside, he remembered his contractor had a particular set of rules; one, anyone 'she' met with would never know her actual name, two, only one person was allowed to meet with her at a time, not that Kai would ever bring Bodi within 200,000 miles of her, and three— a contract is a contract, and it must be completed. Break a contract with 'Ghost,' and you'll be the next target on her list. Kai was terrified of her because she always seemed to know far too much about him than he did about her. She took an interest in all of her independent employees and she made it a point to know them personally. She offered a wide range of jobs, from being a farm hand on an alien ranch, to bounty hunting jobs... like the one that Kai was here for today.

Usually for the less dangerous jobs, she would contact her 'employees' remotely, the way that Kai usually met with her, because she preferred a certain amount of... anonymity, but for today, Kai would meet her in person. He was one of the shortest ones in the skylift. Everyone else was about nine feet tall of course, but while he wasn't the tallest he was undoubtedly the most colorful. As they all rode the cramped elevator to planetside, many individuals stopped off at different levels to meet their families before continuing their journey. Today almost all other passengers had stopped off before the final stop, leaving Kai, and another individual to ride down to the port that would actually allow them to access the terminal that allowed them access planet-side. They approached the Omeocoon with a mechanical drone, his arms rested at a slightly bent angle, and his form showcased that of a robotic feline, his material was composed completely of metal. That was to be expected with a Chiptonian; a race of 'furry' looking robots. They were known for their mysterious nature, just like the Omeocoon. This one was all purple and sported a black bow tie as if to symbolize his higher status.

"Once you leave this elevator, you will proceed to the Daughtler-Hirabayashi Industrial Corporation lodging plaza, you will wait three hours and then proceed to the bar on 22nd street, the mistress will see you then. Oh, and enjoy the scenery on the way. A room has been prepared for you in the hotel, she will meet you at 2100 hours." The Chiptonian talked ahead but his eyes aligned to gaze at Kai, they were purple to match his body, and he patiently waited for Kai to respond. The Gel-Bunny nodded as the lift doors closed and the elevator continued to the ground floor. Chiptonians were cold and precise. Unlike the many robots floating about the galaxy, they were not for private use, so they skipped the emotion and personality chips to prioritize logic, this was Kai's first one. "I require a verbal response, Mr. Kai." The Chiptonian stated, his eyebrows furrowed in anticipation and Kai jumped slightly and the straightforwardness. "I understand," Kai responded simply. As the elevator paused with a pleasant bing, the doors actuated open, and the next crowd flooded in and forced Kai out. "Wait..! How do I find?" But sure enough, the doors closed, and the lift took off, this time upward toward the ship port, leaving Kai alone in the bustling Corp plaza. The last time he was on Devana, he was on the outskirts, but in the Capital is where all of the celebrities and high-level tourists came for their business trips. It was also the headquarters for one of the most powerful and sophisticated megacorporations in the entire galaxy. Smaller companies were also present here, the main names being, 'Jetson Private HoverCrafts,' and 'Skyline Interplanetary Industrial Concern.' All companies that were owned by Daughtler-Hirabayashi(these were the companies that gave DH-i the megacorp designation.) It was not uncommon for a large company to buy an entire planet like Devana and then build a mega city as headquarters, and it was certainly ironic that one of the most technologically advanced companies would build on such a barren world. But if you have all of the universal credits in the universe, the sky is quite literally the limit. Kai never thought that he would see this place.

And he certainly didn't think that he would be staying overnight, he wasn't quite excited about that, because Bodi would be alone... Kai thought that maybe a call to say goodnight would be appropriate as soon as he was settled into his room. But then again, perhaps some time alone would bring Bodi to his senses, he was still angry about that bug. Seeing the massive skyscrapers that lined the west side of the city, Kai realized he was immediately lost. But that wasn't a problem, as an explorer he was never truly lost, just taking in the sights... Bode would've loved this, they were explorers first and foremost. And if Kai had known he was going to stay in the central plaza, then he would've insisted Bodi accompany him, and Bodi certainly would've been the luckier brother because didn't have to meet Ghost, he could've stayed in the hotel or gone window shopping in one of the stores. Kai was even in awe at the sea of holographic advertisements as he made his way down the sidewalk with everyone else during the six o'clock rush hour, their personal robots in tow with bags in their graspers as their owners shopped for various non-essentials during their stays in the plaza. All of the people here were businessmen and women, and 90% of them were tourists like Kai. Of course there were the one percent that lived in the city permanently, but to live in one of the penthouses, one needed to be richer than a god. After that, they needed the proper status. The outskirts were usually hot, this was a desert planet after all, but in the city... It was quite comfortable. As Kai made his way down, he moved past Daughtler-Hirabayashi Industrial headquarters, a building with 250 floors and 59 sublevels, contained in a seamless, all-glass, torus-shaped enclosure that looked like a landed starship. There were no visible beams or supports, giving the illusion of a completely solid structure. Kai had to stop and crane his neck and take a look at this sight. 'Should've brought your camera!' Kai yelled at himself as he watched the building in awe.

Just then, an all-silver robot moved over on treads, it appeared as if he'd been issued a tourist unit. Omeocoon were partial to robotics, viewing them as distractions and unessential spy machines... but he would've rather had a guide assisting him than the alternative of getting lost in the plaza. "Greetings Mr. Kai. I am S9-B4. I will be your guide during your stay in the Daughtler-Hirabayashi plaza." Its spherical head lowered as its graspers clasped together and came into what appeared to be its version of a bow. Cute. He spoke with a proper Essex accent. And appeared to be much more emotional than the Chiptonian in the elevator. Likely because these were one of the bots that had their personality chip switched on to make their guests more comfortable. "You will be staying in the escalade suite at the top of the auberge spire, and there appears to be one meeting on your itinerary with Ms. Technical-Error." Kai raised an eyebrow and tilted his head in confusion. No doubt the work of his employer redacting her name from the system to maintain a mysterious status until it was time to actually meet in person.

"If you'll follow me this way, the time is 1800 hours and your meeting isn't scheduled until 2100, and I'm sure you must be exhausted from such a long journey, when we arrive a hot towel and a foot rub are waiting for you. I can even shine your boots if you wish. Not only do they appear to be quite uncomfortable, they look worn, we simply must remove them when you get to your suite, I insist." S9 said, he rotated and headed in the direction of a smaller, much less impressive building. The corporate hotel. Kai stuck his foot out in his line of sight and looked at one of his boots, "Wait, what's the matter with my boots?" The robot continued ahead and Kai shook his head to snap himself back to reality. He ran to catch up with his guide, "Are you the newest model?" Kai asked out of curiosity and S9 nodded in confirmation. "My line of service units was released three months ago, only the best for our escalade penthouse occupiers. The S9 series offers many new improvements when compared to older S8, such as a new cooler which allows me to draw in 50% more air, and a high-performance processor that allows me to sound much more organic than ever before." That explained the contractions, Kai could not remember ever hearing a droid use a contraction in a sentence. The droid stated as he led Kai to the sidewalk. His treatment and experience almost made him forget that he was here for a bounty-hunting mission.