by R. E. Graham
"Um…" Mikhail said as he was perplexed who would be reaching out to him directly.
A small digital keypad appeared on top of the table, and he pressed "enter." The table projected and its Onyx map shaded pixels morphed into the face and shoulders of the overrider.
“Jax?”
“Hey Cap…I mean, Lord. Sorry, got to get used to that.”
Yeah, so do I…
“We just received a message from Dusk.”
“Dusk?” Rhonda asked as she walked over to the table so that Jax could also see her.
“I guess you are being summoned to attend a meeting with the other lords. The encrypted message said that it was mandatory. I can forward it to you if you’d like.”
Mikhail shook his head. "No need. I figured that when they found out about Yondo that I would need to revisit Dusk. Did they give a timeline?"
“They said the meeting was going to convene in five rotations,” Jax said as he read something out of view of the projection.
“That should be fine. I’ll have to speak with Deimos to get a better idea of what to expect. Last time I met with them I was just some random guy,” the pirate lord said as he thought about his next few steps.
“Yeah, before you killed one of them,” the overrider joked.
Mikhail smirked. “Yeah, exactly.”
Chapter 6
Cycle: 434 Month: 3 Day: 18
Corre Republic Space
Prefecture: Siimon
Planet: Gallirae
Location: Prism, at the Prefect’s estate
A long black hovercar approached Prefect Haines' personal home. As the vehicle came to a stop under the overhang of the large residence the servant exited the building. He stopped short of the car as the passenger door was harshly opened.
“Welcome to Gallirae my Lord,” the servant said as he bowed.
Redbeard stepped out of the car, and it rocked slightly as it hovered in the air. He was a massive man and was built like a tank. His broad shoulders flexed as the pirate lord of Ruby stretched from his long ride. A scar ran from the right of his face down until it disappeared beneath the dark red colored beard that amplified his fearsome appearance.
“Prefect Haines is waiting for you in his office.”
“I’m sure he is,” Redbeard said with a grizzled voice.
Instinctively he looked over the man standing before him assessing if he was a threat. He snorted in disgust at the sight of the skinny looking fellow.
The servant not wanting to appear insulted extended his arm towards the door. “Please, follow me.”
Each step of the pirate lord's heavy boots clacked against the granite floor. As the incredibly crafted wooden front doors swung open, Redbeard noticed the two men in professional looking attire that were waiting for them.
“Lord, please hand over any weapons you possess,” the man on the right said.
“The Prefect doesn’t trust me,” Redbeard mocked as he tilted his head to the side.
While the guards were not exactly small men, they were clearly not as big as the pirate lord was. Redbeard reached into his jacket and carefully drew a long pistol. He handed it to the guard on the left, grip first. Then he knelt down and pulled two knives from his boots and one from his thigh.
The servant’s eyes bulged at the sight of the brutal and jagged look of the knives. He knew full well that this was a man who didn’t carry such weaponry for show. As he adjusted the tightness of his buttoned-up shirt, he imagined how many people must have died at Redbeard’s hands.
“Oh, one more thing,” the pirate lord said as he yanked another pistol, this one small than the other from his back.
The guard on the right didn't seem too impressed and kept his face like stone. His eyes were hidden behind the sleek black glasses he wore. He nodded to the servant clearing the pirate for entry into the rest of the home.
Redbeard followed behind the sickly-looking man. He looked around the foyer and halls they passed through with pleasant thoughts of pillaging the residence of its belongings.
Every one of the lords of the Five Skulls originated from the ranks of lowlifes, thugs, or other criminal routes. Val Henders was no different. He had made his mark as a professional hitman for the previous lord over Ruby. He worked his way up the ladder until he had his opportunity to take his lordship by smashing the head in of the man who at one point had been his mentor.
Redbeard was known throughout the ‘verse as being a savage man that was not to be double-crossed. Still, some men felt they could get one over on him and had to be made an example of.
As the servant walked up to another sealed door, the pirate lord tugged on his jacket and grinned.
“Showtime,” he whispered to himself.
“Lord Henders,” Prefect Haines said loudly and clearly as the door opened.
The Prefect sat behind his personal desk with two chairs positioned in front of it. One chair was vacant, and the other was unoccupied as Arcanum Lin stood up.
Redbeard strolled boldly into the room and eyed the interior decorating. “Nice place you have here,” he said as he continued towards the desk.
“This is Arcanum Lin,” Haines said as he pointed with two fingers towards the other man.
“An Arcanum? My oh my.”
Lin bowed his head slightly then stood tall. “I haven’t had the pleasure yet of meeting you Lord Henders.”
Redbeard’s grin widened. “No…you haven’t.” He switched attention towards the Prefect. “I really like the way this room is organized. Kinda has that homey feel.”
“Why…thank you,” Haines said genuinely appreciating what he thought was a compliment.
“I especially like the little birdies. Nice touch.”
The Prefect glanced over to the small display stand that Redbeard pointed at. Atop the stand sat a bronze sculpture of a majestic bird gripping the tail of a dragon it was fighting. Behind the dragon was another bird swooping in with claws outstretched.
“If you please, I did not bring you all of this way to discuss art.”
“Is that what you call it?” Redbeard said mockingly as he plopped down in the seat obviously meant for him.
The Arcanum glanced at the Prefect then sat down as well.
“Lord Henders…” Haines began.
“Please, call me Redbeard,” the pirate lord said interrupting the leader of the Siimon prefecture.
The Prefect, on the other hand, was not amused by the coy behavior of the thug sitting across from him.
“Several weeks ago, a senator was attacked by a rogue group of pirates during a raid. She was unfortunately killed along with her family. An Inquisitor was sent with several companies of DSST to investigate.”
“That’s quite the group to hunt down some stray crew of raiders,” Redbeard remarked as he made himself comfortable in the very expensive chair.
Seeing that Haines was about to lose his temper the Arcanum spoke up with his usual smooth tone. “We were informed by the Inquisitor that he had located the home base of the pirates on Destiny and was awaiting their return.”
The pirate lord cocked his head to the side and made a flipping motion with his left hand. “So, then what’s the problem?”
“The problem is that the Inquisitor along with every shock trooper was killed,” Haines said as he leaned forward.
Redbeard’s face changed to look very confused. “You’re telling me that one crew of pirates managed to do all that?”
Haines glanced over at Lin who was busy pulling up a holographic image from his gauntlet. “We have footage of the aftermath of the battle from drone images, but we are waiting to get video feeds from the WarMechs that were on the ground during the fighting.”
Redbeard carefully looked at the images as they cycled through a slideshow. Multiple mechs were nothing but scrap while bodies of Republic shock troopers laid across the ground partially covered in the reddish dust of the planet.
“That is impressive,” the pirate said without t
hinking.
That was the remark that finally drew out the fury of the Prefect. "No lord, what that is, is a tremendous flop. The media on Destiny has already been streaming footage of this failure, and it is making rounds through other worlds as we speak!"
"Looks like more than one little crew of pirates was involved though," Redbeard said utterly unphased by the older man's discontent.
The Arcanum wanted to keep the conversation productive, so he interrupted the other two again. "From some of the wreckage we have reports that confirm that members of Onyx were involved."
“Onyx? Unlikely. Yondo doesn’t have any claim on Destiny.”
“Are you sure of that?” Haines asked the pirate lord.
Redbeard got very serious. “Positive. He is a fool of a man, but he would not dare to attack the Republic head on. Especially not if he knew a lawman was involved.”
“Strangely, we located his body among the dead,” Lin said as he scrolled through the images and displayed one of the deceased Lord.
“Hmm,” Redbeard said as he nodded. “Well, guess he was there.”
“What we do not have is the confirmation of the man and surviving crew of the pirates the Inquisitor went to Destiny for in the first place,” Haines said as he stood up and moved toward the window.
“What is his name?”
“Mikhail Tarvus,” Lin said as he changed the display to show the man’s official Republic file.
Redbeard read over the file then looked back over to the Prefect. “I still don’t understand, what does this have to do with me?” the pirate lord asked as he crossed his arms.
As he kept his gaze aimed to look through the window, Haines spoke louder so that the other two would hear him clearly. "We have reason to believe that the captain of the pirates that killed the Senator is now the new lord of Onyx."
Redbeard’s ears perked up. “And how would you know that?”
Since the Prefect didn’t speak up to share the information the pirate lord glanced over at the Arcanum who locked eyes with him.
“Ah, I see. You have a snitch in Onyx.”
Lin casually looked away as Redbeard pointed a finger at him.
“You arcanums are spooky people. But I have similar info.”
Haines spun around feeling further agitated. “Then why wouldn’t you have divulged that sooner?”
“Because I only knew that Yondo was dead. I didn’t have much else. Thanks to you I know much more of the puzzle.”
“This entire incident has spiraled way out of control,” Haines said as he returned to his desk. “I want you to eliminate this Mikhail Tarvus.”
The pirate lord uncrossed his arms as he leaned forward. A look of disbelief was on his face. “You want me to assassinate a fellow lord of the Five Skulls?”
“Is that a problem?” Haines asked.
Redbeard shook his head. “Only that it is illegal for one lord to attack another.”
Lin almost laughed. “Illegal?”
“You are a pirate,” the Prefect said stating the obvious. “What possible moral code would hinder you from doing whatever you saw fit?”
“The same one that restricts you,” Redbeard said impishly to the older man.
“I need this taken care of.”
The pirate lord crossed his arms again. “And I need something extra to even consider it.”
“You already receive an extensive compensation as a privateer…”
“Ah, but this is different.”
"You work for me!" Haines roared. His face became bright red. "As it is, I have already looked the other way as you have expanded operations onto Bronze and Volt."
“That is necessary so that I can adequately poke and prod the UoS as you have requested,” Redbeard retorted.
In his rage, the Prefect smashed his fist onto the table like a toddler not getting their way. Just as he pointed an angry finger at the pirate, the other man hopped up and glared menacingly back which startled the Prefect somewhat.
“Going against another lord brings problems to my door that you couldn’t possibly understand!”
Haines’ resolve wavered for a moment, so Redbeard pushed on.
“I am willing to do it, but I require a bigger payday for my troubles.”
“How much would it cost?” the Arcanum asked calmly before the Prefect could respond.
Redbeard played with his beard while he thought. “I’d say that I will need fifty million cuso and a pardon for a bounty Hunter I know.”
Lin watched the Prefect for his response as he merely nodded his head.
“Done,” the Arcanum said as he too stood up.
“Pleasure doing business with you boys,” Redbeard said as he headed for the door.
“Oh Val,” Haines called out.
The pirate lord turned back around with a big smile on his face. “Yeah?”
“Do not fail me. Get rid of him.”
Realizing he didn’t want to push his luck, Redbeard gave a sarcastic bow then left.
“Bah, pirates…” the Prefect muttered as he dropped back into his desk chair.
“Prefect, are you sure you can trust him?” Lin asked as he tapped his finger against his leg.
"Trust? Of course not! However, he is a man that is motivated by money. I have no issue with securing funds. It is a small thing to transfer the payment so that he Finishes what Inquisitor Cyrus failed to do."
The Arcanum paused for a moment before he asked the question gnawing at his mind. “And what if he fails as well?”
Haines steepled his fingers together. "Then we will send a hit squad after Mikhail."
“Why not just do that now and avoid the risk of using Redbeard?”
“You have much to learn Arcanum. Redbeard is an animal on a leash. He sometimes has to remember his place, and right now I want him to get rid of this problem. If it causes tension between the other lords, then that is not my concern. One way or another, Mikhail Tarvus is as good as dead.”
Chapter 7
Cycle: 434 Month: 3 Day: 20
Outer Rim Colonial Alliance Space
Planet: Ko’Bac
Location: Onyx Headquarters
The pirate lord had spent the next two rotations learning as much as he could about Onyx and its operations on its worlds. He had met with several key players in his organization including Breena Crane, operations director for the Onyx headquarters, Kali and Henry Doda, a husband and wife team that oversaw the financials of Onyx, and Jax to discuss upgrading the Midnight with some of the tech that they used successfully on the Only Hope.
Needing to endure one more critical meeting he had called Daena Wer to his office.
“Please Major, have a seat,” he said gesturing to the empty seat on the other side of his metal desk.
The mech pilot pulled out the wooden chair and sat quickly. “I like what you have done with the office,” she said as she looked around.
Gone were many of the frivolous displays of wealth leaving the room much more bare and simple.
“Thanks. Yondo had some tastes that I just don’t agree with and felt that an office is for work, not to show off.”
Daena nodded at the statement and genuinely seemed like she believed his response.
"Anyway" Mikhail started as he leaned forward, "we have quite a bit to discuss in the near future, but right now I just want to touch base on a few matters."
“Lord?”
“Firstly, how go the repairs on the WarMechs?”
She repositioned herself in the seat obviously looking uncomfortable by the question. “Regrettably it is not proceeding as quickly as I feel it could go.”
“What does that mean?” Mikhail asked clearly not a fan of the answer.
“My pilots and I are assisting where we can, but it seems the techs aren’t…motivated the same.”
The pirate lord’s head tilted to the side confused by her remark. “What do you mean exactly? Please speak plainly Major.”
"Yes, Lord. Well, frankly, Toni is
slackin'. He has several techs that are doing slow work, and I really want the mechs back up and running."
“As do I,” Mikhail said as he tapped the fingers on his right hand on the desktop. “Do you feel they are slow by choice or by exhaustion?”
“Personally, I feel it is both. I served in the UoS when I was a cadet and I can spot the difference between a slacker and a determined person.”
“I wasn’t aware that you came from the Union. How did you get involved in Onyx?” Mikhail asked as he relaxed in his chair, rocking back and forth.
"Due to some…circumstances… I was discharged from the service. My only goal in life was to be a mech pilot. Without that, I was lost. Eventually, I met Yondo in some weird chain of events, and I was given a new ride."
“Interesting. Well, I will look into things with the techs. I can’t have anyone holding anythin’ back. We need to be at full operational capabilities immediately.”
Daena nodded emphatically. "I agree Lord and thank you. Besides that, I do have a matter to discuss with you if you have a moment."
“Go ahead,” Mikhail said as he maintained his eye contact with her.
"We lost several pilots in the last battle. It seems to me that we can get back up to a company of WarMechs again, but I need more bodies for them."
The pirate lord took a deep breath as he thought then exhaled for a good two seconds. “Well, how do you normally locate new mech pilots?”
“That’s the thing. Since I have been here, I have worked with the same group of jocks. Only had one guy flake out but Yondo picked who was gonna replace him. I just wanted to ask what you wanted our protocol to be,” she said as she crossed her arms in a non-aggressive manner.
"I feel that this decision should rest on your shoulders, Major. I can give you the standards I want to be met, but you have actual experience piloting and leading fellow pilots in combat. I don't," Mikhail said as he held his hands up. "My preference is to trust you to do your job correctly and interfere as little as I can. Only making suggestions when I feel I need to."
"Yessir. I can take care of this," she said, excited to be trusted.
