by R. E. Graham
Felix swallowed hard. “Please excuse me. I have been fighting off an illness this week. The air here is rather dry and messes with my sinuses.” The mercenary commander reached over and took a drink from his glass of water that sat atop his desk.
Both Aries and Cyrus remained silent as the Colonel drank the entire glass of water with loud gulps. The Inquisitor remained patient until the empty cup had again been placed back on the top of the wooden desk.
"Colonel, is there a possibility that pirates are operating somewhere on Destiny?" Cyrus asked as he leaned forward.
The mercenary looked directly into the Inquisitor's eyes. "Not only is it not probable, but it's also not possible. We monitor incoming and outgoing transport vessels pretty closely. As you know, Destiny isn't exactly an exporting sorta world, so we don't have a heavy amount of traffic coming nor going, but we do perform standard space traffic control protocols," Felix said as he looked back and forth between the two men.
Aries crossed his arms while Cyrus leaned back in his chair. “Were there any ships that have arrived within the past six rotations?” the Inquisitor asked.
“I’m sure we have had our fair share, but if you would like, I could transmit over the data for you to look over.”
“That would be lovely,” Cyrus said as he stood up. He pointed with an open hand to the Tribune. “If you would be so kind as to send those to my companion here on our Carina, it would be most appreciated.”
“Ab…absolutely!” the Colonel said as he shot up, nearly knocking his chair over. “We’ll get them together and send them within the hour.”
"Make it in ten," Aries said with his gruff voice before he stood.
Felix hesitated for a moment as he processed the comment. "Yes, we can do that. Ten minutes it is. On your way out, please provide Fro with contact information and we will take care of it promptly."
Cyrus smiled widely. “Thank you for your time, Colonel. With any luck, we will be on our way shortly.”
Felix nodded, and the four men exited the office with Fro close behind. As the door shut, he sank into his chair and let out the deep breath he had been holding. He massaged his forehead as his head began to throb.
Chapter 12
Cycle: 434 Month: 2 Rotation: 16
Corre Republic Space
Prefecture: Siimon
Planet: Destiny
Location: Samson, the capital city
Aries pressed the earpiece he wore in his right ear. “Confirmed.” He looked over to Cyrus as they rode in the backseat of the armored care heading back for the Silverbolt. “We just received the data you requested.”
The Inquisitor looked down to his gauntlet which displayed a stopwatch counting upwards. “Took them twelve minutes to transmit our request. That was a good move getting them to send it sooner, Tribune. That way if they were looking to hide anything, maybe they were sloppy.”
The battalion commander allowed himself a tiny smirk. “Do you feel any different about the Razor’s after meeting with the Colonel?”
Cyrus shook his head. “No. Quite frankly, I don’t care for mercenaries. I understand their worth for the inner worlds, but any man that prioritizes money over the well being of the state is not to be fully trusted, ever.”
The armored car continued to make its way through traffic until they came to a stop at a light. Up ahead, in the line of stopped vehicles, the passengers of the armored car could overhear several drivers honking aggressively.
"Seems we may have some time on our hands," Cyrus said as he pressed several buttons on his electronic gauntlet. A hologram projection of the data they just received projected over his arm. The Inquisitor then flung the image with his hand sending the information to the vehicles built in holo system.
Aries retrieved a datapad from his cargo pocket and began to scan through the files while Cyrus used the hologram.
“It seems most of this checks out,” the Tribune said with a less than enthused tone.
“There must be something in here,” Cyrus said as he continued to scroll through the data.
“What about the bug you left in his office?”
The Inquisitor looked a little surprised at the question. "Ha, you saw that? I've met men like the Colonel before. I don't trust him. Alas, I have been listening to his conversation since we left, and he hasn't said anything of importance."
Aries also continued to scroll until something caught his eye. He went back to the previous line of information and read it carefully. “I may have found something.” The Tribune flung the display of his own datapad to the projector. As it transformed into the different display the Inquisitor also carefully read until he noticed something strange.
“It looks like a shipment in Cavan has two sets of data entered too closely in the entry logs to be actual,” Aries said as the vehicle again began to move slowly down the road. Traffic continued to be backed up for blocks.
“Good catch. It certainly does look like the information that was originally transmitted from the ship that arrived does look doctored.”
“Is that enough evidence for us to look into? Couldn’t it just be a clerical mistake?”
Cyrus nodded as he scrolled through more of the data. "It certainly could be some small slip, but I believe it is enough of a link to investigate. If nothing else, maybe our little visit to the town of Cavan will shake the tree, and a present will fall out."
“Do you have intel that there are confirmed pirates on Destiny?” Aries asked as he surveyed the stopped vehicles around them.
“Nothing more than rumors. Destiny hasn’t been big on the map for generations. This recession has hit them even harder than most other worlds.”
A very dingy man holding a piece of a box walked along the waiting traffic. His sign said, "Hungry." Aries spotted the homeless man and scowled, while Cyrus felt a twinge of sadness at the sight.
"Desperate times make people do desperate things, Tribune. While it doesn't appear very likely, we do need to spend the necessary resources to check Destiny before we continue on our hunt."
“What are your orders if we encounter pirates here?” Aries asked as he continued to look out his window.
“We will treat them the same as we did the flotilla. They will all be destroyed.”
Chapter 13
Cycle: 434 Month: 2 Rotation: 16
Corre Republic Space
Prefecture: Siimon
Planet: Destiny
Location: Outside of Cavan
From above the small town of Cavan, it appeared to be a very peaceful place to live. With only a couple dozen buildings, including homes, it was rather tranquil considering how far from any significant roadway it was.
The small shuttle from the Silverbolt loaded with shock troopers, and Inquisitor Cyrus quickly flew overhead of the inhabitants and landed in the middle of the town's only intersection. Several citizens covered their faces as the dust blown out from under the was sent flying.
The rear ramp of the shuttle touched down, and the shock troopers in full body armor burst out and set up a perimeter. Up above, the lone Carina opened its rapid deployment door on its underside and Beta team’s pike, consisting of three Sierra WarMechs and a Hunter, hot dropped onto the outskirts of the town.
Bright flames shot out from the jumper packs of the two-story-tall mechanical monsters just before they slammed into the ground. Each landed with enough of a thud though to rock the town’s structures. There wasn’t anyone alive in Cavan that didn’t know about the 12th’s arrival.
An older man with gray hair exited the town’s only bank and held his hands up as the shock trooper infantry aimed their rifles at him. “What is this all about?” he asked with an angered tone. His bearded look helped to extenuate his flaming eyes.
Cyrus wasted no time and rapidly approached the man. “I am Inquisitor Cyrus.”
“I’m the mayor of these parts. Mind telling me why in the void you are deploying soldiers into my town?”
Several other peop
le that were outside when the shock troopers were deployed were being told to freeze. Soldiers positioned themselves to be ready to act if anyone attacked. The pike of WarMechs moved into the streets of the town and scanned the buildings for activity.
Some people peeked through windows trying to figure out what in the world was happening.
“You see Mayor…” Cyrus gestured as if he didn’t know the other man’s name.
“Mayor Long. Rae Long.”
“Ah, Mayor Long, you see there was some incorrect data several rotations ago from a transport vessel that uses your town as a harbor,” the Inquisitor said as he smiled at the older man before him.
“You mean to tell me that you troubled my entire town over some data typer that made a mistake?” the Mayor asked getting increasingly angrier.
“Well, that isn’t entirely accurate. You see, my associates and I are conducting an investigation an incident to a ship that was attacked nearby. It is suspected that the attack was conducted by pirates.”
The Mayor looked in shock. "So, some random ship was attacked from another world, and you raid my people?"
I wonder if he’ll call my bluff…
“I understand why that may be confusing. But the thing is, we are looking into all pirate activity in this prefecture, that includes the use of your town to conceal criminal activity.”
Long's face started to get a little pale, and he began to sweat. "I…I don't know what would give you that inclination."
Off in the distance, the Inquisitor saw a man in a green plaid shirt jump into his wheeled car and peel out down the street. "Well, I would say that the man driving off would be all the evidence I need that there are pirates here."
The shock troopers formed up on the Inquisitor as one of the Sierra’s of Beta team stepped in front of the racing car. The man inside tried to block his face as the car careened off of the WarMech's heavy foot and crashed hard onto its roof.
“I want everyone in the town brought out into the…” Cyrus ducked for cover as shots rang out from a nearby window and sent a puff of dirt into the air near him.
His helmet formed from the back of his neck and encapsulated his head. He drew his pistol and searched for a target, but a fire team of shock troopers had already located the threat. They fired their automatic rifles into the second story window of a small house until the siding of the window crumbled to the ground.
“Bring them out. Bring everyone into the center of town! And I want whoever that was trying to escape brought before me,” the Inquisitor shouted to the soldiers.
Mayor Long watched in disbelief as the members of his small town were corralled into the center of the town.
“Oh, Mayor,” Cyrus said as he turned to the older man. “I would like you to stay right here by me.”
Screams rang out in the town as its residents were forced to obey. One particular woman shouted expletives at two troopers as they dragged her outside. She kicked and screamed while a man started firing his own rifle at one of them. The attack knocked the shock trooper on the right over as it hit his chest plate but did little else. In seconds multiple soldiers opened fire and shredded the attacker's chest while the downed trooper stood up unharmed.
The surviving men, women, and children of Cavan were all gathered together into the intersection just as the man from the wrecked car was dragged over to the Inquisitor. He was forced to kneel in front of the Lawman. His face looked absolutely terrified.
Cyrus turned to the man, and his helmet came apart and combined together into a small shape at the base of his neck. He grinned at the situation. "Now, I imagine you have information that would be very helpful to me."
The man shook his head as if he was a frightened animal.
“Do you know anything about anyone in the town belonging to a band of pirates?”
Again, the scared man shook his head.
Before Cyrus could ask another question, the shock troopers fire team officer received something over the radio. He turned to the Inquisitor. “Sir, several of my men located a basement filled with stolen goods.”
“Have they? How do they know they are stolen?” Cyrus asked genuinely curious for the answer.
“Several of the plasti-crates have identification on them saying they should be on Marie.”
The Inquisitor looked down to the man on his knees, and he looked even more terrified than before.
“Mayor Long, do you know him?” Cyrus asked as he kept his eyes locked on the unknown man.
"Well, I uh…"
Cyrus interrupted the town appointed leader. "I apologize, that was a silly question. He lives here in the town with you in which multiple citizens have opened fire on my men. Clearly, you know who he is."
The color in the Mayor's face left, and it turned very white. "Please Inquisitor, you have to understand…"
“What? That you are harboring fugitives of the law?!” Cyrus barked as his head spun so that he could glare at the Mayor. “Piracy is a level two criminal offense. Do you know what that means for you and your town Mayor?”
“Pl…please sir, have mercy on us,” Long begged with his arms outstretched. “After the last recession work has dried up for us. It is so hard to…”
“To what?” Cyrus asked, again interrupting the Mayor. “Things are so difficult that your only alternative is to assist those that would take and steal from those who do have? What sort of a ‘verse would we live in if we didn’t have laws? What then would separate us from the animals?”
The Mayor didn’t know how to respond. A man within the crowd shouted loudly. “Do you think we wanted this?”
Cyrus turned his attention to the gathering of the townspeople but didn’t spot who was fighting to be heard.
“Who said that?” he asked as he walked over to the group and surveyed the people. Then he spotted him, a very tall man with an intense look that was staring at the ground.
Cyrus pointed to two shock troopers then to the man, “Bring him forward.”
The crowd moved out of the soldiers' way as they headed for the man. He didn't try to run, but he did pull his shoulder away from the first trooper who touched him. Despite his lack of cooperation, they nudged him up to the front.
Cyrus gestured with his finger, and a trooper carrying a small scanning device moved up and grabbed the man's arm. He scanned his right hand then stepped back to the Inquisitor.
“Dande Keets,” Cyrus said as he read the bio of the scanned man. “Says here that you were a freighter captain several cycles ago. Is this still the case?”
Dande did not answer.
The Inquisitor smacked his lips then continued reading aloud. “Oh, this is interesting. Looks like you had a pretty colorful history when you were younger. Multiple counts of theft and illegal transportation, among other run-ins with the law when you were younger.”
“That was a long time ago,” Dande said as he kept his eyes still on the ground.
"I imagine those skills came in handy though when you became a raider," Cyrus said as he inspected his gloved hand and flicked away a smudge of dirt from it. "Do you know what the verdict is for those that harbor and assist pirates, Mr. Keets?" He allowed the question to linger in the air for a moment before again speaking. "Death."
Dande’s eyes quickly lifted as the answer registered in his mind.
Many of the people in the crowd became terrified. One woman cried out while several parents hugged their children close. The Mayor closed his eyes and started to pray.
"I need information, Mr. Keets," the Inquisitor said as he looked about the crowd. "Several rotations ago a ship was attacked not too far from Marie. Have you or your compatriots traveled there recently?"
It was apparent to anyone that could see Dande’s face that the man struggled with answering. He thought about his sister and what could happen to the town if he answers incorrectly.
“I…no, we weren’t.”
Cyrus placed his arms behind his back. “So, you are telling me that you have no k
nowledge of the attack on Senator Servius’ ship?”
“No, I don’t know nothin’ ‘bout no senator.”
“In your network of contacts, do you happen to know who may have been responsible for the raid?” Cyrus asked as he stood up straighter and rocked on his heels.
Dande shook his head begrudgingly and again lowered his eyes.
The Inquisitor looked around the townspeople and pursed his lips. “Does anyone have any information on a recent attack on a Hydra ship near Marie?" He waited for several moments, but no one said anything.
“Okay.” Cyrus took a deep breath. “Well, if none of you have any information for me, then by the authority of the Corre Republic, I deem you all guilty of piracy.”
Dande burst forward at the Inquisitor but was gunned down by a quick-reacting trooper to his left. His dead body slammed hard into the ground next to Cyrus' boot.
He turned to the fire team’s officer. “Kill them all and destroy the town.”
As the officer gave the order, the townspeople freaked out. Some attempted to flee, while others tried to shield their children with their bodies. All were slaughtered.
One of the Sierra’s opened fire on a house up the street using its massive 14D cannon for an arm. A bright flame burst out from the barrel of the weapon as the large round shot out and blew apart a huge portion of the home. It then fired two more times until the house was entirely destroyed.
Each of the other WarMechs in the pike began opening fire on the outskirts of the town as well. The carnage was so loud that it vibrated the ground beneath violently with every attack.
Mayor Long rushed over to the Inquisitor. “I beg you, please sir, spare us!”
Cyrus’ eyes burned with passion. “You sentenced yourself the moment you protected criminals.” He drew his own pistol and shot the old man in the head.
This must be done, for the good of the Republic…
Chapter 14
Cycle: 434 Month: 2 Rotation: 16
Corre Republic Space
