by R. E. Graham
The dropship’s ramp shut, and the ship lifted off.
Chapter 31
Cycle: 434 Month: 3 Rotation: 1
Outer Rim Colonial Alliance Space
Planet: Ko ‘Bac
Location: In the system
The journey to the Onyx homeworld left everyone, including Captain Tarvus, feeling very anxious. They hadn't heard from Deimos or from any of the other ship captains that escorted them along the way. The radio silence wasn't helping the crew feel at ease.
They had been given coordinates to a raider hop point which brought them much closer to the world in the system than where typical visitors or traders would be. The public coordinates to a world were always referred to as the primary HOP point. Explorers, with the aid of a limited navigational artificial intelligence, could locate and identify other points that were much deeper within a planetary system. These destinations were kept secret but sometimes were sold on the black market.
It was standard procedure for most worlds that if a ship was spotted that didn't travel in from the primary point that it was probably there as a raider or for war. However, seeing as how Ko ‘Bac was the Onyx homeworld, the crew had figured that the pirate organization had been able to skip by that little detail with the local government.
Mikhail felt that before they landed, they needed to have one last meeting together in the hangar to make sure everyone was on the same page. They had about an hour before they reached the atmosphere, so they needed to be quick.
“Any idea what this could be for?” Jax asked as he sat in a rolling chair.
“All we know right now is that we are being escorted to meet with Lord Horsh.”
“You know that this is probably a trap, right Cap?” Hern asked with too much enthusiasm in his voice for Mikhail’s care.
The Captain looked around the hangar and saw several other crewmembers were nodding in agreement. Rhonda and Joker were stern-faced while Poli appeared to be the most frightened.
All of them had heard the stories of Onyx and the other Five Skulls branches. None of them were looking forward to arriving at their destination.
I need them to stay calm so that things don’t fall apart once we get there.
“Right now, we have nothing to worry about,” Mikhail said reassuringly.
“Do you think they linked the loot we sold them back to that senator’s ship?” Nina asked as she rubbed her right arm with her left hand nervously.
“We haven’t heard of any reports on the stream about that, so we shouldn’t assume that Onyx knows more.”
“But what if they do know?” Jaymes asked curiously.
“Well, then I will take care of it,” Mikhail said confidently.
Hern stood up angrily. “Dammit, I didn’t come all this way to get gunned down on some scummy planet. If things look bad, I say we shoot our way out!”
“What will that help Hern?” the Captain asked with a taste of bitterness in his tone.
The ship’s gunner was defiant as ever. “Cause…I don’t want to go out with a laser to the back of the head.”
Mikhail noticed Poli look even more worried.
Okay, enough is enough.
“I get that everyone is worried. But I swear to you that we will all make it out of this, no matter what happens. We will get home.”
Rhonda stood up tall and made sure to look around the hangar at the rest of the crew. “If the Captain is confident, then that is enough for me. We do this together, and we do it smart.” She looked over at Mikhail and nodded.
He returned the gesture and turned back to the group. “When we land I want Jaymes and Jax to be with me.”
Hern almost looked insulted, which surprised the Captain to a degree. “I need you and Rhonda to be here on the ship in case things get ugly. If something happens to me, Nina you’re in charge.”
“Yes Captain,” she replied reluctantly.
“Alright, let’s get to work. Joker, guide us in. I’m going to get ready for the coming meeting. Let me know if anything looks suspicious.”
“Yes Cap,” the pilot said as everyone got up and went to their stations.
The ride to the surface had remained as quiet as anyone could have asked for. Mikhail’s mind raced thinking about what could happen in his meeting with Yondo. He didn’t want to bring it up, but he had hoped that maybe they were meeting with him because he was interested in bringing their group into his fold.
What would I even say if he asked me to join him? Would I want to be affiliated with Onyx or any of the Five Skulls? Once we are, we can never go back.
As the Only Hope landed on Ko ‘Bac, Mikhail focused himself on the task ahead.
My goal is getting all of us back home. I’ll do whatever it takes.
He undid his harness as he sat in the hangar bay along with Jaymes and Jax. The three men stood in front of the loading bay door as it slowly lowered itself.
None of them said a word as the eerie pale daylight of the planet’s star began beaming into the hangar as the door opened further and further.
Oh poosh…
Mikhail felt a tightness in his stomach at the sight of no less than thirty armed men and women. They wore various clothing of black and silver, and all looked intense.
Jaymes leaned over to whisper in Mikhail’s ear. “Quite the greeting party Cap.”
“Yeah, no kidding,” the Captain said as a very large mad stepped forward.
The other pirate had various piercings in his ears and had several rings around his fingers. He wore a wide black hat. It partially covered his face, but it didn’t hide the scars on his skin.
As the man continued to step up the ramp and approached Mikhail Tarvus, the Captain asked, “Deimos?”
The other pirate’s voice boomed as it echoed through the hangar. “Captain Tarvus, I am a bit surprised that you didn’t try to fight us back at Destiny. I had heard that you and your crew were foolish enough to take on other opponents when outnumbered. I was hoping for more.”
The Captain looked up at the large man who easily stood a head taller despite being on the decline of the ramp and smirked. “Yeah, well, maybe we aren’t as stupid as you think we are.”
The other pirate stared while Poli carried a small crate of parts. Her foot got caught under a bundle of cables running along the floor, and she fell spilling the contents of the container with a loud mess. "Frick, dammit! Who put these cables here?"
Mikhail didn’t turn around to look at his crewman, but his expression did weaken. “Well, not…all of us.”
“Indeed. Captain Mikhail follow me,” Deimos said as he extended his arm back where he had come from.
The Captain started down the ramp and Jax, and Jaymes followed. He looked to his right and realized that despite the other pirate ships that were parked in the empty field there was only one small building. It looked like it was decades old but seemed really out of place out to be in the middle of nowhere. It had no sign but still appeared like it was some kind of business building and not a personal residence.
Many of the Onyx pirates glared at the three men.
“What’s their deal?” Jaymes asked Jax who just shrugged.
Deimos led them up to the wooden building but twisted back to them before he went inside. “You are about to meet with Lord Horsh,” he said as he eyed each of the visiting pirates. “You will show the utmost respect, or you will end up buried in the field.”
“We aren’t here to be rude,” Mikhail said coldly.
The Onyx pirate stared at the Captain and then headed for the door. Another pirate opened the door for the large man, and the others followed behind.
Inside the building was very different than what was on the exterior. Each wall looked like it was made of metal and had various pieces of art spread about on the murals and sculptures on display.
Many of the pieces had the precious stone onyx somehow worked into it.
I think Yondo is taking this whole onyx thing a little too far…
; Several men played some kind of card game in a room off to the right. The table looked like it was loaded with cash and tokens. One man screamed in anger as another smashed his fists in disappointment.
To their left was a shut door. Deimos walked deeper into the building and into a much larger room. Expensive black furniture decorated the space while the floors were made of the most beautiful marble with strips of onyx throughout it. In the very middle of the room sat a little old lady with a cane on her lap in a creaky old rocking chair. She seemed very much out of place in the room.
Deimos walked right up to the old woman then stopped. Mikhail and his men came to an awkward halt because they didn't know where else to go. Several other Onyx pirates moved up behind them, and the visitors looked around uneasily.
"If you could, sweet mother," Deimos said with a surprisingly gentle tone.
The little old lady nodded then stood up and handed him her cane. She then left the room with Mikhail and the others watching this all happen and becoming very confused. Deimos slid the rocking chair over then pressed the cane straight onto a natural looking swirl in the marble floor.
Mikhail could feel a slight rumble through his boots as a ring appeared around Deimos and a section of the floor in front of him slid down.
“Follow me,” the tall pirate said as he stepped down the hidden staircase.
Each of his steps thudded against the thick metal stairs. A dim light illuminated the walkway as the other pirates followed him down.
Mikhail noticed that the walls of the hidden passage were stone, but the area still smelled musty. They continued for another minute or so walking down flight after flight of stairs until they arrived at a door. Deimos stepped up and used the cane to press a circle off to the side of the door.
“Cap, I don’t like this,” Jaymes whispered as the door slid open.
The interior of the hidden room was even more impressive and luxurious than the rooms above. However, this one had a throne-like seat at the back of it with a man adorned in jewels sitting upon it.
“Captain Mikhail Tarvus, please, enter,” Lord Yondo Horsh said loudly.
Mikhail stepped into the room confidently and held his head high. He noticed the two men on either side of him, and not to mention the massive door on his left that looked like a vault.
“Thank you for your invite to for us to meet, Lord Horsh,” the Captain said as he came to a stop. Jaymes and Jax stayed two steps behind.
“Who are these men you have brought with you?” Yondo asked as he looked them both over.
“Jax is my overrider while Jaymes is one of my riflemen.”
"It is a powerful thing a captain and his crew. You and I understand that it is challenging to replace capable men as not all are made equal."
Jax and Jaymes glanced briefly at one another.
Lord Horsh opened his arms to the room. "Each of these men with me here has proven themselves, again and again, to be loyal and more than anything…able to get results." He stood up from his throne and allowed his fur cape to unroll and touch the polished floor. "You see, any animal can be loyal. What is hard to find is a person who can get the results you seek."
Mikhail looked to the right at the two men, but they appeared to be relaxed up against the wall. He turned his attention back to the Onyx leader as he listened intently, unsure of where the conversation was heading.
“I know about your…situation on Destiny, Captain. I understand that you did not choose this life but have embraced it nonetheless.”
Where is this going?
“I also know that you visited my man Otto on Noire and that you unloaded some stolen items belonging to a particular Senator!”
Yondo's demeanor became very angry at the men on either side of the room rushed Jaymes and Jax. Before he could react, Deimos pulled out a handgun and aimed it at Mikhail. The overrider was punched in the stomach and doubled over while Jaymes tried to resist. He got pistol whipped for his trouble. With both subdued, the Onyx men pinned Mikhail’s two to the floor.
“What is the meaning of this?” the pirate captain shouted.
“Meaning?!” Yondo howled.
He held up a remote control and hit a button. Overhead a holoprojector had been built into the ceiling. It activated and instantly formed an image of Otto the Weary along with a room of armed men. What was immediately apparent though was that the other men in the projection were not the pirates he remembered. Mikhail then recognized that the man standing in front of the holographic pirate was actually an inquisitor.
"This piece of garbage found Otto because of you!" the pirate lord growled as he pointed a shaking finger at Mikhail. He hit another button on the controller, and the hologram video began to play.
“So, a pirate and his crew visited me a few rotations ago,” Otto began. “They came with all this loot that they said was hot. I asked them why they didn’t go someplace else because Noire is a bit out of the way for them and the Captain said they didn’t want to deal with the Rubies.”
“I need a name,” the Inquisitor said coldly.
“Mikhail Tarvus. He operates out of Destiny. I’m not sure of the town though…”
Yondo paused the footage and glared at the pirate captain with a strong inner rage. “He died because of you!” he had become so angry that he spat when he spoke.
Mikhail’s mind had wavered away from the here and now.
The Inquisitor knows how to find us…Leesa! I have to get to them.
He looked up at the enraged and powerful man, and his eyes begged to be freed. "I am sorry about Otto. But please, Lord Horsh, please release us. The Inquisitor will know how to find our families."
“Oh, I’m going to let you go. I didn’t bring you all this way to torture you…well not physically.”
Mikhail was confused and frantic as he thought of his family. “Yes, I will pledge my loyalty. I’ll do anything, just please let us rescue our people.”
Lord Horsh took a deep breath, and he smacked his lips. "Before I do, we have another issue to resolve. I lost Otto, and he was essential to me and my operation…" he paused and drew his own pistol. "…and now you are going to choose which of your men dies."
“What?!”
Jaymes tried to get up but was punched in the head. Jax was still gasping as he fought to breathe again.
Yondo flipped the gun in his hand and extended the grip to Mikhail. “Now, choose.”
“You want me to shoot one of my men? Not a chance.”
"You will if you want to leave this room. Otto died five rotations ago. There's no telling where that Inquisitor is now."
Am I already too late to save them? What choice do I have?
Mikhail’s chest burned with stress as he slowly reached out his hand to grasp the pistol’s grip. Deimos shook his head signaling to the captain that he would shoot him if he tried anything.
Can we fight our way out? Can I take that gamble? What am I going to do?
He slowly turned and faced his two men that were still held down by the Onyx pirates. Yondo waved his hand, and the four-armed men stepped clear. Jaymes and Jax's faces looked very worried about what was going to happen next. They both slowly stood.
“Cap…” Jax started before he stopped himself.
The gun shook in Mikhail’s trembling hand.
How can I choose? I can’t kill one of my own men! They trusted me. I told them we would all get home.
"Choose!" Yondo roared. "Choose, or you all die here and now."
Mikhail finally broke. “I can’t do it!”
“You will, or I will burn what remains of your town to ashes once that lawman is done! You have ten seconds. Ten. Nine. Eight.”
I have to get out of here. I have to get back…
“Seven. Six.”
His eyes looked back and forth at Jax and Jaymes. He had met Jax shortly after the Loaner Crash. Without a doubt, his expertise with electronics and security systems had been a lifesaver for him and the crew. Jaymes, on the other hand, ha
d been a friend of his since they were children.
“Five.”
I can’t die here…
“Four.”
Jax looked absolutely terrified, while Jaymes’ face looked hardened.
I won’t die here…
“Three.”
The rifleman nodded to his captain and puffed out his chest.
“Two.”
“Raaaaah!” Mikhail screamed as he forced himself to aim the gun right at Jaymes’ head and fired, killing him instantly.
Tears welled up in Mikhail’s eyes as his ears rang from the gunshot. Suddenly the weapon felt very heavy as Mikhail’s hand became limp and the gun dropped to the floor. It clanked as it hit. He fell to his knees as he watched the blood beginning to pool around his dead friend.
Deimos continued to aim his own gun at Mikhail’s back as Yondo stepped up and gripped the weeping man by the hair.
“You will walk out of here and return to your people because I don’t want that lawman to come sniffing around me any longer. If you do survive this, then you belong to me. Do you hear me?!” Lord Horsh shoved his head as he released him.
Emotions whirled through the Captain’s mind as his dark deed felt like a heavy burden on his shoulders.
How am I going to look my crew in the eye?
Jax looked around the room and noticed that the men were standing back so that they could leave. He moved up to his Captain and tried to help him up.
“There’s nothing you can do for him. We…we gotta go.”
Try as he might, the overrider couldn’t get Mikhail to budge.
“Cap think about your family. We got to get back before it’s too late.”
The thought of his wife and son pulled him back to the here and now. He stumbled up to his feet and looked back at the pirate lord. Yondo stood firm as he glared back at the other man.
No matter what it takes, I am going to kill you for what you made me do…
"Don't forget Mik, if you survive this, then I own you. I'll be on Dusk waiting for the good news."
