by R. E. Graham
"Perhaps not anymore Captain, but you have," Cyrus said coldly.
The fireteam officer radioed back to the lead Carina as the other troopers in the room aimed their rifles at the remaining captain. Each of the Republic cruisers opened fire on every ship in the flotilla, except for the Sunrise.
Someone was banging on the blast door outside of the bridge. All but two of the troopers headed for the door. The fireteam commander waved his hand over the door panel, and the door slid open to reveal a stunned man in orange overalls. He spotted the murdered captains, but before he could do anything, he was shot multiple times. Before his body fully hit the ground, the troopers were moving through the corridor and beginning to clear the nearby rooms.
Yonni could hear gunshots ring out. His mind swirled trying to figure out what to do. But there was nothing. He had come to the meeting unarmed, per Tyoto's order. All that was left was to cooperate and hope to be spared.
He looked back to the holotable to watch as each of the ships in his new home were obliterated, along with his own vessel. The Silverbolt fired a volley from its main capital grade laser turrets that gouged deep into the smallest ship in the flotilla. The bridge and crew of that ship didn't stand a chance as they were incinerated from the deadly bright green beams that bore right through the hull. What once was a beautiful piece of technology, now erupted from within and consumed itself in an explosion that quickly was snuffed out from the harsh vacuum of space.
The Captain's fist trembled and shook at his side.
"The thing is Captain, that we are still a nation of laws. People like you feel that you have the privilege to do as you please, regardless of who it hurts in the process," Cyrus said as he stepped back to avoid getting Tyoto's blood on his boots. "My job is simple, find those responsible for the death of the Senator."
"No one in this cluster was responsible for that attack!" Yonni shouted angrily as his rage consumed him. "We are innocent."
The two remaining shock troopers on the bridge were ready if the other man made a wrong move.
"Innocent? This coming from a man who was part of an attack on Inferno that left over twenty civilians dead and a small girl raped?"
Yonni instantly recalled the event in his mind, and his posture weakened slightly. "You have no right to have killed all of these people."
"Me? No, I have the right to take life. That is my role as an inquisitor. To judge the innocent from the guilty, and you dear Captain are as guilty as they come. Your very presence in this cluster and with the approval of the council convicted everyone from that very moment." The Inquisitor's voice seemed to boom loudly in the blood covered bridge. "I need information, and you will tell me what I want to know right now, or the remaining members of this flotilla will be killed."
With everything still spinning in his mind, Yonni gave up. He shrugged signaling his complete surrender and willingness to cooperate. "What do you want to know?"
Cyrus spun on his heel and walked to the other side of the holotable. His appearance became illuminated by a shiny blue as he reached over and set his pistol down on the projector itself. "I want to know who operates out of this sector? This flotilla has recently traveled throughout the area, and you of all people must know something about those responsible for the attack on the Senator."
"I swear to you Inquisitor, I don't know nothin'. Please, spare us," Yonni begged as he watched as more and more of what remained of the ships were shot by laser bolts.
"Come now, my dear Captain. Where was this demeanor when you raided that colony outside of Marie two cycles ago? Intel on that attack is a little sketchy, but I do believe there was a report about a six-year-old girl that was molested along with her younger sister by your people."
"That was a long time ago..." the Captain started to say before Cyrus slammed his gloved fist in the holotable with such force the shock troopers were startled.
"Not so long ago that those children have been forgotten! One of them was left broken, and the other hasn’t spoken a damned word since." He pointed a steady finger at the other man. "You will not stand before me and plead for mercy when you refuse to acknowledge the atrocities that were committed by your crew."
"Please, I beg you. We weren't involved in the attack on the Senator. We're just traders now. Piracy was a lifetime ago. I don't have any information for you."
Cyrus pursed his lips in thought before he reached over and grabbed his pistol. He raised his arm at the one-eyed Captain. "Then what good are you to me?" Two shots rang out from the Inquisitor's, and Yonni fell to the ground gurgling on his own blood.
As Cyrus rounded the table and headed for the door, both of the troopers followed two steps behind him. The Inquisitor fired his pistol into the Captain's right knee as he passed by, which caused the dying man to scream out in agony. "Goodbye Captain."
Each of the shock troopers returned to the corridor to escort the Inquisitor off the Sunrise. Their trip to the small shuttle was quiet except for when a man tried to attack them before he was gunned down. Just as the shuttle cleared the last remaining cluster ship, Cyrus contacted Tribune Aries.
"Yes Inquisitor?" the battalion commander said plainly.
"You may finish off the flotilla Tribune."
"It will be done."
Cyrus didn't even bother to look out the window as the Sunrise was sprayed by a stream of laser bolts from all three of the Carinas. Seeing as how most of the crew was dead, the ship sat peacefully still as it was dissected from the piercing lasers until it was cut in half.
The door to the bridge of the Silverbolt opened briskly, and Cyrus abruptly stepped inside. Tribune Aries continued to monitor the holotable at the center of the room. Unlike any of the ships that were in the flotilla, the bridge of the Republic cruiser was much bigger.
"Were you able to ascertain the information you needed, Inquisitor?" the Tribune asked as he spotted the Lawman approaching him.
"Negative Tribune. No matter. There are fewer criminals in the ‘verse, which means we made a difference today. Set a course to Destiny," Cyrus said as he placed his arms behind his back. He surveyed the bridge and noticed that many of the crew were glancing up at him and then would look away.
They don't approve of my decision to attack the flotilla.
Aries happened to notice the Lawman inspecting his command staff and spoke up above the dull roar of the room. "Rest assured Inquisitor, we are with you."
Cyrus tilted his head to the side as he turned back to the Tribune. "I do not doubt your loyalty commander. Sometimes we must dirty our hands to preserve law and order. It is unfortunate when citizens side with thieves and murderers, but justice must be served. "
The Tribune nodded approvingly.
"A Senator of the Corre Republic was slaughtered in cold blood. Our mission is more than seeking justice, it is also to demonstrate clearly to every rogue group in this nation that the government will no longer tolerate open dissent." He turned on his heel and called out to the Tribune as he exited the bridge. "Please notify me when we near our destination. I need to do some research on what we could encounter next."
Chapter 11
Cycle: 434 Month: 2 Rotation: 16
Corre Republic Space
Prefecture: Siimon
Planet: Destiny
Location: Samson, the capital city
The comm's officer's head shot up as he spoke. "Inquisitor, we have a request for communication from the Destiny garrison HQ."
"Put it through on the main screen Warrant Officer," Cyrus said as he placed his arms behind his back and turned towards the large digital screen that was built onto the "front" of the bridge. The rotating logo of the 12th DSST was replaced by an image of a stern-looking man with short cropped hair.
"Colonel Felix, I am Inquisitor Cyrus. I would like to request both of us along with the Governor to meet shortly after we arrive on world."
The mercenary leader leaned back in his chair but kept his eyes locked onto the image of the Lawman. "The Gov
ernor is away on a personal trip for several more weeks. As you can imagine, my plate is full at the moment. I'm a busy man Inquisitor. Perhaps another time."
Cyrus smiled but not nervously. Aries noticed the show of emotion, but something felt off to him.
"I do apologize for the insistence, but I am on a mission directly from Prefect Seneca to conduct an investigation into the death of Senator Servius."
"Servius? Isn't she from Paradiso?" the Lt. asked as he sat up. "What would that have to do with you all the way out here?"
"It appears that she, along with her family, was attacked by a group of raiders. While it was staged to look like an accident, we have strong evidence to suggest that she was murdered."
Felix didn't say a word but maintained his gaze.
"As troubling as it may be, I am obligated to inspect the nearby planets for potential harboring of pirate groups."
Felix's eyes lit up with surprise then feigned anger. "Inquisitor, I may be a mercenary, but I take it as my duty to protect this world and her citizens from raiders. We haven't had a raid here in three cycles."
Cyrus rocked on his heels and smiled once more. "This isn't personal Colonel. Simply protocol. We should arrive on the surface within the next thirty minutes which means I should be on base within an hour. I wanted to give you proper time to prepare for our arrival."
"What if I were to decline your invitation?" Felix asked as his face became more serious.
"That is an option, but I would recommend against it since it possibly could be seen by my superiors that you are withholding information that may be critical to my investigation."
Aries looked up to the screen and studied the mercenary officer.
"Aye. Wouldn't want there to be any misunderstandings," Felix said as he looked off-screen. He glanced back to the Inquisitor. "I will be waiting for you in our command center in the capital."
"Splendid. Thank you, Colonel," Cyrus said as he nodded to the camera positioned over the screen.
Felix's face turned a little sour just as the feed was cut and the screen went back to the rotating image of the Republic's logo.
The Inquisitor looked over to the Tribune. "What are your thoughts?"
"Judging from his interaction just now, I feel he has at least one or two secrets that he wouldn't want an inquisitor on world."
Cyrus nodded agreeing. "I would appreciate it if you would join me for the meeting with the Colonel." "As you wish," Aries said as he stood up straighter.
"Oh, and please have Beta pike on standby."
"Do you anticipate combat?" the Tribune asked, a little caught off guard.
"No, not yet. There have been some unconfirmed reports that there could be a group or two of pirates operating out of Destiny. We won't know if the Colonel is dirty until it is too late."
"Aye."
"Preparing to commence re-entry," said the navigation officer.
Cyrus walked over to an empty seat and began connecting his harness. Tribune Aries picked up a microphone from the holotable and pressed a key to broadcast his voice throughout the entire ship. "This is Tribune Aries. We are entering Destiny's atmosphere. Get to your stations and lock down."
He set the microphone down and then walked up to the captain's chair to buckle himself in.
Only the Silverbolt descended to the surface of Destiny. Its hull began heating up from re-entry. The other two Carinas in the small fleet maintained an orbit around the planet but were ready to descend at a moment's notice.
By now, all of the crew were seated at their stations and were secured by their harnesses. Cyrus' mind wandered on the upcoming meeting with Colonel Bo Felix, leader of the planet's mercenary garrison force, as the bridge crew went about their jobs.
Colonel Felix…a man who is loyal to nothing than to the almighty cuso bill. He clearly as some sort of information he isn't open to sharing, but I don't have time to look too deeply into things here.
The Silverbolt rocked as it entered the atmosphere for several moments before it eased. Cyrus glanced over at Aries as he called out orders. The short communication with the Colonel replayed through the Inquisitor's mind.
It is true, there haven't been any logged attacks since he took command of the mercenary force. Is that because of him or because he has been bought off? Guess we'll have to find out...
Since the Synthetics led by the Collector ravaged much of the Corre Republic in the machine war, the Republic had made use of mercenary forces to garrison worlds away from the border. There just wasn't enough enlisted soldiers nor funds to train troops to garrison every Republic held planet. Long ago mercenaries were assigned the relatively easy mission of maintaining order and to display the strength of the Republic. Unfortunately, the plan had failed and actually had caused a great deal of dissent on many worlds.
This had become especially evident in the most recent economic recession. While the mercenaries were sure to be paid, many citizens found it difficult to have what they needed. Destiny was one of the worlds hit the hardest by the economic upheaval, and it honestly was a testament to the Colonel that things hadn't spiraled out of control.
Cyrus had read over many files that detailed the uprisings that began in Destiny's capital, Samson, and had spread out across the world. The previous Colonel had been killed by rebels, but Felix was able to maintain peace shortly after he was promoted. Things had been quiet on Destiny ever since.
About an hour later Cyrus exited an armored car along with Aries and two other officers. The Tribune and the other two shock troopers were armed with pistols on their hips. Despite Aries being an officer, he had always felt it relevant to remain armed. They had been on many classified missions, and you never knew who was out seeking revenge.
The Razor Claws' mercenary forces had been given clearance to utilize the government military compound to operate out of. Cyrus had noticed a flag pole at the entrance for the headquarters which flew the traditional Corre Republic flag and below it was the teal and white flag for the Razor Claws. The stark difference between the dirty and tattered Republic flag compared to the clean Razors' one was readily apparent.
He also spotted how lax the security appeared around the perimeter. Only one guard was stationed at the entrance to the base, and it seemed everyone was much more interested in watching the new arrivals than it looked like they had a duty to perform.
Aries too scanned the area and noticed all of the eyes directed at them. He scowled at the pathetic excuse for soldiers that surrounded him. His two shock troopers must have felt similar as their faces matched their commanding officer’s.
A man dressed in combat fatigues approached the group. “Inquisitor Cyrus, I am Fro. The Colonel is waiting for you in his office.”
Cyrus nodded and gave a small smile. “Please, lead the way.”
The walk through the command center's structure had been as poor of an example as the outside condition of the compound had been. While things were in order, it definitely did not have the pristine cleanliness that either the Tribune nor the Inquisitor had come to expect from any official government-run facility.
They took the lift to the fifth floor where the Colonel's office had been established. Protocol for border worlds was stringent that any commanding officers' offices or quarters must be stationed underground in case of invaders. Things in the Inner worlds, the sphere of planets within the Republic between the Core and Border worlds, was very different indeed.
Two armed guards stood outside the Colonel’s personal office. Both mercenaries eyeballed the group of men led by Fro as they passed by and entered the mercenary commander’s room.
Colonel Bo Felix stood at the sight of the visitors. The two shock troopers stopped near the entrance of the room while the other two men continued onward. Fro stepped off to the side as Felix saluted. Only the Tribune returned the gesture. Instead, the Inquisitor tucked his arms behind his back and put his chin up high.
Trying to not allow the insult to get to him, the Colonel motioned f
or the two old leather chairs in front of his desk. “Please, won’t the two of you have a seat.”
Cyrus made the first move and pulled out his chair to sit, then Aries did the same.
“Quite a view you have here Colonel,” the Inquisitor said as he looked to his right. As both Fro and Felix followed his gaze and looked to the window, Cyrus carefully attached a thin metal cylinder beneath the edge of the desk. It stuck tightly, and he slowly pulled his hand back, but not before Aries noticed the motion.
The compound had been positioned deep within the capital city to quickly react if invaders had made it this far into the inner worlds, but the view of Samson was very ethereal.
"Thank you, Inquisitor," Felix replied as he pulled his uniform tight, trying to not readily display the wrinkles in his teal jacket.
“So, Colonel, as I began to say earlier, I am conducting an investigation into the death of Senator Servius. Tribune Aries here along with his battalion of shock troopers are my escort until my job is completed.”
At the mention of shock troopers, the Colonel seemed to look uncomfortable in his seat. "This must be a dire situation then, Inquisitor." He glanced briefly over at Aries to see his face set like granite.
"It is indeed. The death of a senator is a grave matter, and the Prefect is pulling out all the stops so that we locate those responsible."
“I see. Well, as I mentioned previously, Destiny has been free of invading raiders for over three cycles.”
Cyrus held up his right index finger, the leather in his gloves squeaking as he did so. “Yes, but what about raiders that could be living on Destiny?”
Some of the color in the Colonel’s face began to drain. “Living here?”
“Precisely,” Cyrus said with a grin.
“I don’t follow Inquisitor. We would know if we had raiders using Destiny as a base of operations.”
"I would think so as well, which leads me to believe that there is a possibility that if they are using this world, that they are bribing one of your people to remain in the shadows."
