Ascending | ✔

Chasing the wind

"Success!" The Chief Distributor trilled, much to Chaya's confusion. She had been called in by the former just minutes ago and found him practically dancing upon his desk.

"Is something the matter, Chief?" Chaya asked, her voice guarded.

"Matter? Why I guess there is something the matter! Thanks to the efforts of you and your squad, I've gotten a promotion!"

Chaya's gaze darkened. "I see." Mooching off the work of others... typical. "Congratulations, I suppose. What's your new position?"

The Chief waved his hand. "Nothing as shiny as that, Captain. However, I've gotten more privileges assigned with my current position." He cleared his throat, as if realizing just how unprofessional he was being. "Anyway, now that we've got that settled... You've been relieved of your duty as the prisoner's guard."

"Oh. May I ask why?"

The Chief's naturally saggy face twitched slightly in indignation, but he answered anyway, "Lady Kafara has successfully apprehended her Vessel."

At that, Chaya's interest perked and she leaned forward in her chair. "Vessel?"

Almost immediately, the Chief Distributor paled. "Y-You...!" He smacked his jowls. "Son of a gun...! That was sensitive information... I wasn't suppose to reveal anything like that. I feel like I've spoiled everything now."

"It's fine, Chief," Chaya said, pretending to examine her nails. "But I advise you to tell me everything you know about this Vessel... Otherwise, I just might let it slip to Lady Kafara that you've been blabbing behind her back."

There was a loud bang as the Chief Distributor slammed his meaty fists on the table. "I am your superior, you arrogant little - "

"You've been drinking again," Chaya cut him off, noticing the bottle of foreign alcohol kept behind a stack of important looking papers. A cruel smile made its way onto her face. "What a disgrace... Wouldn't want the Lady to revoke those privileges, do we, Chief?"

When the Chief deflated, the saiyan knew she had won. "Good. Now tell me everything, Chief."

"Curiosity killed the saiyan," the Chief feebly warned.

"And satisfaction brought it back," Chaya countered without missing a beat. "The info, Chief."

Sighing, the Chief made himself comfortable in his chair. "I don't know as much as you think, child." He was starting to sound more like his sober self again. "But... you of all people should have guessed by now that my dark lady's only goal in her long-lived life is power. She has yearned for it since the day she was hatched. It is part of her nature."

Hatched? Now that's interesting. Her species looks more mammalian than anything else.

"For a while now, my Lady has been doing all that she can to gain more and more power," the Chief continued, visibly sweating. It was commonly said that Kafara had eyes and ears everywhere, and the Chief knew that his quarters were unlikely to be an exception. Chaya, however, believed in no such thing, and, as such, beckoned the alien to speak once more. "From what I've heard from her personally and from the Head Technician Niifa, Lady Kafara has been having them build an inter-universal transportation device. I don't know the details. But what I do know is that Niifa and her team had nearly completed the machinery when the Lady ordered them to put their project on halt and focus on something else."

"Which was?" Chaya pressed.

"I don't know. Mind you, this is rather recent, and I haven't spoken to the Head Technician since she received that new assignment. She's been working day and night on it, along with her team. If I have a penny for every time I heard Moblit complain - "