by R. E. Graham
"Focus on capturing mechs and mech parts along with any weaponry that is useable. Small arms, capital guns, whatever we can take with us."
“Lord?” Deimos’ face looked confused.
“We are going to need weapons for future raids, won’t we?” Mikhail asked as he handed back the datapad.
“Aye,” the pirate captain said hesitantly.
“We’re going to need to go someplace that will be out of the Republic’s reach, at least for now.”
"I would suggest we head for Ko'Bac lord. That is where Yondo preferred to operate out of, and it is where the Onyx headquarters is located."
“That small house you took us to?” Mikhail asked not feeling very impressed by his options.
“No. There is another facility that we use for repairs and other means. It is away from prying eyes though, so it should be a good choice for us to get repaired.”
The pirate lord nodded. “Good. Take us there. We have a lot of work to do Deimos, best we get to it.”
“Lord,” the comm’s officer said abruptly.
Mikhail turned to the man and tilted his head up. “What’s your name?”
“Gyy Deeds, Lord,” he said as he stood nervously.
“Nice to meet you. Anyhow, what is it?”
The pirate was sort of thrown off by the conversational introduction but shook himself out of his stupor. “We are being hailed by someone in the capital.”
Deimos looked over to the pirate lord, but Mikhail turned to the main screen.
“Put them through.”
Gyy pressed several keys, and the screen went from black to display the mercenary leader of the Razor Claws sitting in his office.
“Lieutenant Felix,” Mikhail said with contempt in his voice.
“I am surprised to see you alive Captain Tarvus,” the Lieutenant quipped back. “But, I am glad for it.”
“Sure, you are.”
“Did you not receive my message on your way planetside?” Felix asked genuinely seeming confused.
“Why are you contacting me?”
Felix adjusted himself in his seat and smirked at Mikhail’s tone. “I can only imagine that you somehow were successful in dealing with the Lawman and all of his…associates. Not quite sure how, but clearly you are full of surprises.”
The pirate lord crossed his arms and puffed out his chest. “That is correct. Likewise, I can assume that because you weren’t part of the assault he either left you in the dark or he suspected your involvement with Largo.”
Not wanting to show that he was correct, the mercenary changed topics. “Look, it won’t be too long before the Republic notices the Inquisitor hasn’t reported in. I have drone footage of the area. The fighting must have been very intense.”
“It cost us more than was right,” Mikhail said somberly as he recalled the losses of those he knew.
“Indeed…regardless, I am going to be expected to send troops to survey the area in order to keep up appearances.”
“And you are requesting payment of some kind to look the other way?”
“Garrison protocol lays out rules that we are to dispatch a recon unit within several hours of an Inquisitor going missing. We are then to respond by sending troops to regain control of the region if there was an armed uprising. However, I could lose track of time for the right amount of salvage.”
Captain Deimos had never had to deal with a dirty mercenary before and gave Rhonda a strange look. She shrugged and put her hand on her hip as she watched the conversation unfold.
“That would be helpful for us. I will be sure to overlook a WarMech for your trouble.”
“Make it two,” Felix countered.
“One, and ammo.”
“Done. You have six hours before we have to send out the recon team.”
Mikhail nodded and gestured for the signal to be cut. The screen went black, and the pirate lord looked to Rhonda and Deimos. "Leave one of the Sierras your teams find. Preferably one that has no chance of being repaired.”
“Yes, Lord,” Deimos said.
“I am going to leave the ship in your hands,” Mikhail said as he took a step forward. “I have to deal with a…personal matter.”
The large pirate bowed his head, and Mikhail along with Rhonda left the bridge.
The last few hours had been hectic. Upon leaving the Midnight, Mikhail borrowed one of his new crewmember’s ATVs and drove to the gravesite. Mikhail checked on his wife’s grave to find that Patrix had Finished filling it in. He felt like his heart had been ripped out of his chest when he saw that the old ground chief had already dug graves for the other crewmembers from the Only Hope. Their bodies, or what was left of them, had been placed nearby with blankets covering them.
The Chief was covered in dust, and his hair was very unkempt from all of the physical labor. Mikhail had sent Rhonda to help the recovery efforts while he assisted in burying everyone else. His back ached, and his hands were blistered. Memory after memory replayed through his mind as he mentally wandered away from the task.
As they flung the rest of the dirt in for Joker, the pirate lord wiped his sweaty hands on his now ruined pants.
“Chief,” he said as he realized his mouth had become very dry from the digging.
The other man continued working silently. Not even so much as glancing up.
“Patrix…Patrix I want you to come with us.”
Instead of responding, the Chief just continued working while Mikhail walked over to him.
“There’s nothing for us here anymore,”
Patrix slowly looked up and locked eyes with Mikhail. It was apparent that there was an enormous amount of pain going on inside of his head. Dirt covered the left side of the Chief's face while a scabbed over injury decorated the other side.
“We are coming up with a plan to get back at the Republic for what happened here. I could use your help. There’s plenty of tech that needs fixin’,” Mikhail said above a whisper as he kicked at a pile of loose soil.
“Hasn’t there been enough death?” the Chief asked as his lip quivered.
The pirate lord clenched his jaw and looked off to the horizon. “No, not nearly enough. I lost everything that I loved today. All that’s left is a handful of people who feel the same pain as me.”
Patrix seeing that the graves were done tossed his shovel to the ground. It bounced once before it rested off to the side of the many graves.
“I don’t know what I’m feelin’,” the Chief said as he looked at his weary hands. “All I do know is that what happened to our town was wrong.”
Mikhail saw the opportunity to win over his old friend and moved in quickly. “Exactly Chief. We need you. Please consider it.”
Patrix nodded then wandered off.
The pirate lord let out a deep exhale as Rhonda walked up behind him. Her own boots grinding the gravel beneath her.
“We’ve gathered up whatever was in the best condition,” she said as she stopped beside Mikhail.
Both of them watched as the exhausted Patrix vanished behind a pile of wreckage that once was someone’s house.
“Alright. I’m gonna head back to the Midnight and check on things. Could you try convincing Patrix to join us? He would be a tremendous help in getting all this tattered gear back to working again. Not to mention, we can't leave him here in all this."
“I will,” she said as she gave him a slight smile. “Um…were you able to…find Coral?”
Mikhail lowered his head in regret. “The ship that the Lawman said he was on is totally destroyed. We don’t have enough time for me to look for him.”
“I’m sorry,” Rhonda said as she lowered her voice.
“I was able to get to my room on the ship and found a toy of his that ended up in my bag from home. I uh…buried it next to Lees.”
A chilly breeze came through and blew some of the looser dust off of the pirate lord. He patted his clothes to free more of it off of him, then clapped his hands together. The memory of his family felt
so distant which he thought was weird. It hadn’t been that long since he saw his wife’s face, but he was struggling to remember what she looked like.
I’m such a terrible husband…
He noticed that Rhonda was watching him, and he cleared his throat. "Talk to Patrix. Afterward, find me on the Midnight.”
“Yessir,” she said above a whisper as Mikhail walked off.
His dirt-covered boots crunched the sporadic gravel with every step as he straddled the ATV. He pressed the ignition button and the engine roared to life. A small cloud of exhaust shot out the muffler as he revved the throttle and peeled out.
The ride back had been less than desirable. An overwhelming wave of emotions felt like it smacked him right in the face. As he drew near to the Midnight, he spotted one of the salvage crews hauling a very large WarMech back. It appeared as though one of its arms had been ripped off leaving twisted metal behind, but otherwise, it looked like it was in decent shape.
He pulled up alongside the crew and called out, “Hey, what mech is that?”
One of the pirates looked at him strangely then one of the other men stepped forward to speak. “It’s called an Arbalest, Lord. It is a real fearsome beast. We found enough spare parts we think we can get it all patched up.”
“Excellent work boys. I will find you later. Got a special gift for you.” Mikhail revved the engine again and continued on his way leaving a spurt of dust behind.
The one speechless pirate looked at his companion. “Who was that?”
“Are you stupid Claud? That was the new lord.”
“Him?” Claud asked pointing over his shoulder with his thumb. “He’s way too nice to be a pirate lord.”
“Yeah well, he said he had something for us, so I don’t care.”
Mikhail Finished the rest of the ride and slowly drove up the ramp. He parked the four-wheeler next to another one and killed the engine. Men and women of Onyx were working tirelessly to secure all of the salvage they had pilfered while a crew continued Finishing up repairs on the outer hull.
One woman was carrying multiple Republic long barreled rifles while another pirate dragged a plasti-crate by a rope. Mikhail shook his head at the ridiculous effort but was still impressed at the pace the crew was working at.
I need to remember to talk to Deimos about meeting the crew. There are way too many faces for me to recognize at this rate.
“Captain!” a familiar voice called out.
Mikhail looked for the one who shouted for him and finally noticed Jax making his way through the hustle and bustle of the hangar.
“You are gonna want to see this!” the overrider exclaimed with some excitement.
Some good news right now would be excellent.
“Lead the way,” he said as Jax took off back into the crowd.
The overrider stopped in front of a tan colored tarp that covered up some large object beneath it.
"Okay, what is it?" the pirate lord asked baffled entirely as to what it could be.
Jax’s grin grew even wider as he yanked the tarp to the side revealing three power armor standing upright.
“Are those what I think they are?”
“Yes, it is!” the overrider said enthusiastically. “We recovered three fully operational Centurion power armor and even found a forth that we can use for parts.”
"This is an incredible find, Jax," Mikhail said as he stepped forward to admire the protective battle suits.
Citizens of the Republic knew about Centurions and their capabilities, but not many had seen them up close. Visually they were incredibly menacing with their man-like facemasks.
“These are gonna be a huge help in any future raids.”
Mikhail nodded as he examined the blackened "eyes" of the helmet. He tapped his knuckle on the shoulder pad and realized it was solid metal.
“I want a report on what these things can do and include notes on any sort of modifications you think you can make. I want to take full advantage of them.”
Jax looked like he had been given a massive bag of money. His excitement was clearly emanating from him as his eyes sparkled in the bright overhead lights. "Yessir! I will get right on it."
The pirate lord looked at all three-power armor once more before he headed for the bridge. He found that he had been distracted from thinking of his family by the possibilities of the Centurion suits. Which in turn made him feel guilty for not feeling worse.
Got to keep moving. I will mourn later. We have to get off world…
Chapter 3
Cycle: 434 Month: 3 Day: 11
Corre Republic Space
Prefecture: Siimon
Planet: Destiny
Location: In orbit aboard the Midnight
The local sun was beginning to set while Mikhail watched on the bridge of the Midnight as the damaged fleet of pirate ships lifted off. As the battered transport rose, he got a good look at what was left of Largo. He could clearly see the gravesite on the border of the destroyed town. A lone person stood among the wreckage, and the pirate lord felt a deep regret.
Patrix, why wouldn’t you come with us?
Rhonda stood beside him and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. “There wasn’t anything I could say to him. I’m sorry.”
Mikhail shook his head slowly. “It’s not you’re fault. He is suffering just like we all have. I Only Hope he finds peace someplace else.”
As both of the wayward pirates looked back to the screen, they each wondered if it would be the last time they would ever see that dust ball of a world. Something in the pirate lord though told him that fate could bring him back once more.
The Razor Claws had been confirmed on the long-ranged sensors, but by the time they would reach Largo the fleet would be long gone. Lord Onyx had been sure to leave behind some salvage, but it wasn't much. Anything that had any hope of being operational again was loaded up in one of the ships. They had even stripped any useable pieces of armor plating from the downed Carinas.
Crews of technicians worked quickly down in the Midnight’s cargo bay to inspect all of the loot they had secured. Everything had to be processed of what level of repairs it would require, or if it was at least valuable enough to sell. The rumor mill was in full effect as each member of the four remaining pirate ships learned of the death of Yondo Horsh.
Mikhail knew that to gain control of his new fleet that they needed to see him and know who he was. When he entered the bridge, Deimos stood up straight from his captain's chair. "Lord on deck!"
Each of the other crew stood as well and stared at their new lord. Many were unsure of what to think of this mysterious man. At first, he had been the reason they ventured all the way to Destiny, and now he was their leader.
So many new faces. This is going to be a tough job. Better get started…
He nodded to the room as he stepped up to Deimos.
“Lord,” the pirate Captain said as he greeted his officer.
“Deimos, I want to thank you for being in charge of things back on Destiny while I took care of some personal matters.”
Deimos nodded. “You are very kind, Lord.”
Mikhail looked about the bridge deciding if he was going to do his idea or not. “Yeah, I need to do it…” he whispered to himself.
“Lord?” Deimos asked not hearing him clearly.
"Oh, nothing. Gyy!"
The comm’s officer perked up hearing his name. “Yes, Lord?”
“I want to speak with the fleet.”
“Aye, aye.” After a moment the pirate established a link between the seven ships in the fleet and gestured when it was ready.
Deimos pointed to a microphone on the side of the captain’s chair. “You can use the mic there.”
Mikhail sat in the seat and noticed immediately how comfortable it felt. Its expensive black leather squeaked as the man’s weight settled in place.
No wonder Yondo was always sitting around.
Leaning over to his right he retrieved the small black microp
hone and examined it for a brief second. He cleared his throat and triggered the button on the side as he held it up to his mouth.
The speakers throughout the ships squealed as the connection was made followed by a silence that got everyone’s attention.
"This is Lord Mikhail Tarvus. A lot has happened in the past twenty-four hours, and I am sure that many of you have questions. Perhaps you are wondering just who I am or what is going to happen now that we have beaten the Republic. Will they come after us? Will we go into hiding?"
Mikhail tried to be discreet, but he noticed that the crewmembers he could see at their stations on the bridge all appeared to be listening very intently.
This is a crucial moment. I need them all to buy in.
"You may have heard that Yondo Horsh agreed to help me take the fight to the Lawman that destroyed my home town of Largo. At this point, it may seem like I took advantage of the moment and killed Yondo in cold blood." He paused for dramatic effect and looked directly at Deimos before he spoke again. "That's because I did."
Gyy and the other crew were now totally captivated by the speech.
"What many of you don't know is that back on Ko'Bac I met with Yondo. Due to circumstances outside of my control, he felt as though I was responsible for the death of Otto the Weary and other Onyx members on Noire."
Deimos clenched his jaw as he listened carefully. His palms began to sweat as he wondered if the new lord would blame him for what happened that day as well.
“It was there that the bastard made me choose which of my two crewmates to kill. I vowed that moment that no matter what happened that I would kill him.”
As he continued his speech, Mikhail maintained eye contact with Deimos.
"What's done is done. I have made things right, and now I am the lord of Onyx."
The words echoed throughout the Midnight as each of her crew stared at one another.
“I’ll make this simple. If you follow me, you will be rewarded. I bless those who obey but will gun down anyone who stands against me,” Mikhail said as his tone changed from neutral to menacing. “Things will become clear in the coming weeks, but for now this is the fleet’s standing order. We are to repair and ready ourselves for what is to come. Some of us are survivors of different crews, while others managed to make it through the battle mostly intact. Regardless, from now on I want everyone to look at this fleet as one organization instead of different ships all vying for their own power.”
