pNPC Nacien Rixx - Take Your Pick

[Alora DeVeau]

((Kapitol City, Sannin VII)) 

There was a distinctly relaxed feel in Kapitol City once the news of the destruction of Terra Prime reached the city’s wary ears.  Almost celebratory – almost.  But Sannin VII was a bit too jaded to celebrate the defeat of another petty tyrant at the hands of Starfleet.  At least openly.

That wasn’t to say that mugs were not lifted to Terra Prime’s demise and the opening back up of the tradeways.  That was good news for everyone on the planet and it was worth a drink at least.

Nacien Rixx, too, was pleased.  The drama of the Trinity Sector had played out, with a few highlights along the way. Not in the least was the crossed paths with the time travelers, which was perhaps the catalyst for many things.  The brush with the chaotic tachyon energy opened his mind for a moment to the vast realm of possibilities.  Futures that could be, would be and would never be.

It made him think about the future once again, instead of wallowing in the ennui of a too-long life lived in exile from his people.  A life that started to see the people around him like ants in a farm that he could shape and mold for his entertainment.

Which was lonely.  He had long since disassociated from any meaningful relationships and taken the backseat role of a puppet master.  Never really backing one side or the other, merely moving pieces to see how things played out.

Sure, with each move someone was hurt.  That was the way of things.  When something gained, something else lost.

But with a future one started to think of personal paths.  And a personal path required some sort of connection to others beyond the role of the chess master.

It was a terrifying thought. To become connected to someone or something again.

But, as in all the things he did – it was go big or go home.  And on StarBase 118, he connected, briefly, to the minds of thousands of people.  A distraction.  A momentary hold.

And then he released them and there was chaos.  And he rode the wave.

It was the most invigorating thing he could remember doing in the past fifty years.  All those minds.  All those fragile little possibilities and fears and delusions of grandeur.  He had expected them to be dull and laughable, and yet they were so full of fire and brightness.

And for the first time he realized that these tiny little transient things were not a tiny low pinprick of light that quietly burns out of sight and mind, but instead tiny little transient bonfires, each flaring with hopes and dreams before getting snuffed out by the march of time.

It was mere coincidence that me met another exile of his own species soon afterwards.  But it reinforced the decision to consider if he had a path for the future, and if so what that path was.

And now he craved that presence.  He wasn’t ready for a connection yet.  But he enjoyed the presence of someone else like him.  And so he had left a suggestion, buried in their conversations to come back.  He hoped she had unraveled it consciously or unconsciously.

And then there she was.  He could sense her as she landed and drifted his way towards her.

Rixx: ~Well, as the small folks say, fancy meeting you here.~

There was a quick of humor to the thoughts.  Familiar thoughts and a familiar presence, even though his appearance had changed from a rugged, muscular human freighter pilot into something that felt more natural for him.  A slender man with dark hair, clean shaven, unassuming.  

Rixx: I wonder, did you come here for a meeting?

That sounded like a typical greeting on Sannin VII.

Aristren: I will leave that open for your interpretation. 

Interpretations were vast and varied.

There was a heaviness to her thoughts.  Clearly what happened on Miranda VII was dangerous.  Nacien Rixx had, for a long time, not given much thought to danger.  Because he hadn’t given any thought to the future.  He had an exceedingly long life, doomed to spend it all cut off from his homeworld and everything he desired.  So each new day was just another mark in the endless slog of time.

But now that he was starting to think about the future, the concept of danger became more tangible.

Rixx: That is always a dangerous prospect.  Never let someone else define your actions for you.

His dark eyes twinkled a little.

Aristren: Perhaps these are my investigative skills. Perhaps it is fate. I am certain it is not the former, so it must be the latter. 

Fate.

A concept Rixx had put very little stock into in the last few hundred years.  He believed that his own hand could control worlds – and if applied right it could.

But that was a rather selfish point of view that did not take in any sort of wider scope.  There were always things that happened outside of one’s machinations or control.

Rixx: Perhaps it is a bit of both.

Aristren: ?

He looked around the busy square – he was sure she could sense the relaxation of the general population.  The almost but not quite celebratory nature of the day, the genial feelings resting under the placid pink sky.

Rixx: It is hot, you look parched.  Perhaps you will join me for a beverage?

Or perhaps to go somewhere quieter.  With fewer eyes.

Aristren: ?

Rixx: I do know a place.

He started through the crowds, past the embassy district and into the commercial center that was adjacent to the embassies.  It was filled with nice, quiet establishments that catered to diplomats and business people.  Places where private conversations were the norm.

Arsitren: ?

Rixx: One of the perks of an independent trade town is that everyone wants to do business in a quiet secluded place.  And the businesses want to cater to that, because latinum makes the world turn.

Aristren: ?

He gestured to a side street and filled in the details telepathically.  There was a place that catered to sweets and teas, a place that catered to fine cocktails, a place that catered to bracing breakfast beverages and savory cakes, and a place that was eclectic and just catered to people who wanted an interesting place to be left alone.  All of them had private conversation spaces.

Rixx: Take your pick.

Aristren: ?

~*~
tags/tbc
~*~

pNPC Nacien Alasafor Rixx
Rodulan Puppeteer
Unaligned

[Nestira Aristren]

Rixx has become one of my favourite characters, and I find myself refreshing my inbox every few minutes when I know one of his sims are due. I think it's a great example of turning a somewhat faceless adversary into an actual (if morally grey) person. What I really enjoy are the changes he experiences in this midlife crisis of his, and the opportunity to explore the culture and customs of Rodulans as a species.