Revelations- Rain of Fire

by R. E. Graham

  “Is something wrong?” Samantha Henders asked with a very tired voice.

  “No, go back to sleep,” the pirate lord said as he leaned over and delicately kissed her forehead.

  As his wife rolled back and fell asleep, Redbeard slid out of bed and slung on an obviously expensive robe. He tied it shut with the velvet colored belt.

  The pirate lord quietly crossed the bedroom and waved his hand over the door panel. It silently slid open, and light from the hallway spilled inside. After stepping out of the room, he waved his hand over the door panel on the outside hall and smiled lovingly at his wife.

  Lord Ruby was a mighty man on Frost. While it was a border world with the Union of Stars, he had been able to coerce the local government to look the other way as he set up shop. He had built up multiple staging points just along the edge of the Republic so that he could transport the illegal narcotics that Nadia Tymus manufactured within her realm.

  After being hired as a privateer over ten cycles ago by upper-level officials in the Republic, he had been very busy expanding his domain. This brought with it even greater power and money than he knew what to do with at times.

  Before being a pirate lord, Val Henders had been a mechanic on a pirate ship. He eventually had an opportunity to move his way up the ranks by becoming a hitman. As he became successful, he was noticed by the previous Lord Ruby who became a mentor to him. That was until he took the helm of Ruby for himself.

  In a seemingly opposite direction, when he was younger, his ultimate dream had been to start a family. However, he discovered that he was incapable of having children. Samantha had always wanted a baby, but she was content to love her husband regardless.

  He headed left down the hall. A small surveillance room on his right was being operated by one of his oldest associates, Yat Grose. Seeing the pirate lord up and out of bed at the late hour caught his attention.

  “Lord!” he said as he hopped to his feet. “Is…it everything alright?”

  Redbeard held out his hand to calm his henchman. “I am just heading to my office. Please be sure to keep an eye on the cameras for the next few weeks.”

  “Lord?”

  “Just taking precautions for Sam’s sake.”

  "It will be done, sir. Aye, aye," Yat said emphatically.

  Redbeard nodded then continued on his way. After another two minutes of walking through his huge home he arrived at his destination. He stepped inside and shut the door behind him.

  Many men and even some women had made a point to threaten him along the way to the top. Coming from nothing meant he had to struggle extra hard to get where he was today. He had met men bigger, deadlier, and even more powerful than he was. Mikhail Tarvus though was not one of them.

  What a pathetic little man, thinking he even stands a chance at making a go for me. I could snap him like a twig with my own bare hands.

  He examined his calloused hands then clenched them tightly. Afterward, he crossed the office and sat behind his brilliantly crafted desk. He sat in his leather chair and then picked up a stress ball he kept on his desktop. Squeezing it brought him the tiniest of pleasure, and he absentmindedly played with it as his left hand worked the communicator.

  Before he pressed "Call" on the digital screen, he leaned back in the chair and thought some more.

  Am I being overly cautious? Does Mikhail pose any threat to me? I mean, how could he even get a ship through the blockade?

  He rapidly crushed then released the ball over and over again as his mind mulled over his options. Going against his defiant nature, he pressed the button to connect to Cinder, his right-hand man.

  It rang only twice before the pirate answered. Redbeard could hear the other man clear his throat as he held his own device up to his ear.

  “Yes, Lord?” Cinder asked as if he were wide awake in the middle of the night.

  “We may have a situation. I need you to come by.”

  There was only a split second before the pirate responded. “I’ll be there in ten.”

  Redbeard ended the connection and held the communicator up as he continued squeezing the stress toy.

  He had remained in that exact spot just letting his mind go wild. Thoughts of what Mikhail could try or even what his targets would be were a mild concern, but he still couldn't get past the Republic's blockade up in orbit above the frigid planet.

  A knock at the door thrust him from his inner thoughts, and he sat up in his chair.

  “Enter,” he said with his booming voice.

  Peter Skuttle, otherwise known as Cinder, stepped in and approached the desk.

  “So, I just got a call from Ko’Bac from an informant. Turns out that the bounty Hunter I sent to hit Mikhail failed.”

  “Does Mikhail know of the connection between the hitman and you?” Cinder asked as he took a seat in one of the chairs opposite of his lord.

  Redbeard nodded but smirked. The other pirate was confused, and Lord Ruby could tell.

  “What is your impression of Mikhail Tarvus?”

  “Mine, Lord? Well, I ain’t too impressed as it were. I bumped into him on Dusk back when Yondo was still breathin’. He had a scared look in his eye that reminded me of a weak man.”

  "That's interesting. I was told that in fact, he does know about the bounty Hunter and my connection. Turns out he actually is very upset and has announced his plan to kill me."

  Cinder allowed himself to share a hearty laugh. "Onyx may be second largest in the Five Skulls, but no one has the firepower to get through the blockade up above us. It keeps the UoS out after all," the pirate henchman said boldly.

  The Union of Stars was known throughout mankind’s domains as being a steady rival against the Corre Republic. Despite having far fewer worlds, their technological advancements combined with their military prowess had made them a very formidable foe on the battlefield. So much so that the border of the Union was some of the most heavily defended worlds in the entire Republic.

  Massive War Carriers were stationed at every border world from Volt to Leo. Both nations had arrived at a quiet stalemate between the two, but the tension was still very much alive. Just more under the surface. Relations had improved in the last few decades to the point that traders from Republic worlds could once again enter the UoS. This is one of the reasons that Ruby was able to expand quite so rapidly. Union citizens were anxious to experience goods from the Republic as it had become illegal for so long to trade with them.

  Recent cycles had again shown that the rivalry between the two powerful nations was still present as demonstrations for and against the Republic occurred on many UoS controlled worlds. Some in the media mocked the peaceful protests of Union citizens, but they just didn't understand the difference between the two peoples. Republic citizens lived under an entirely different government and hierarchy than the smaller nation did. Time would tell if the peace they had enjoyed for so long would last, or if the drumbeat of war would sound again.

  “Lord, are you worried about Mikhail?” Cinder asked with a curious tone to his voice.

  Redbeard tossed the stress ball down onto the desk and glared at his right-hand man. “Not in the slightest. My only concern is that he may do something stupid and try to strike one of our operations to get our attention.”

  “I don’t know if that guy is all that bright.”

  The pirate lord’s eyebrow arched. “What makes you say that? Have you had some sort of indication as to what a man like he would do?”

  “Well no, I was more just sayin’.”

  “Well keep the stupid comments to yourself,” Redbeard said fuming at the conversation. He looked up at the ceiling to collect his thoughts.

  “The problem with a man like Mikhail is that he is reckless. I wasn’t there when he first came to the council to speak to the other lords. But from what I heard he was some skinny chump that has somehow convinced Onyx that he is in charge.” He exhaled loudly from his nose then rocked slightly in his chair.

  “Couldn’t
we just send another hitman or two to Finish the job?” Cinder asked as he opened his hands trying to offer a good solution.

  “I could, but his security is going to be extra tight now. Carlo completed blew that chance. What a fraggin’ wuss.” The pirate lord glanced over at his henchman. “You know, some people’s reputations completely are false.”

  That got a chuckle out of the other pirate. “You remember that guy I whacked on Benson like two cycles ago?”

  “Yeah,” Redbeard replied as he waited for the point to be made.

  "Ha…well he was supposed to be some big Union assassin, and the fella didn't even know how to properly jab with a knife."

  The pirate lord allowed himself to grin at the story as he recalled the events of that memory. “I should’ve sent someone from the inside. But I was worried if they got caught that someone would track them back to me anyhow. Then this freakin’ guy spills the can anyway. Gah!”

  “What do you wanna do about things here?” Cinder asked as he leaned back in his chair.

  Redbeard thought for a moment then shook his head. “I’m not worried about this guy. If he wants to make a move, then go right ahead. I’m not goin’ anywhere. Besides, he’ll never be able to get through the Republic boys in orbit.”

  The right-hand pirate nodded enthusiastically. “Not a chance, lord. Not a fraggin’ chance.”

  Chapter 14

  Cycle: 434 Month: 3 Day: 27

  Outer Rim Colonial Alliance Space

  Planet: Ko’Bac

  Location: Onyx Headquarters

  Mikhail had been very busy since sunrise meeting with some of the ship captains to discuss their position in the organization. Even though he enjoyed using theatrics to motivate his people, he wanted to speak one on one with those that did wield considerable influence in Onyx.

  Even though he had been a vocal opponent at first, Marcos had come around and spoke very highly of the pirate lord and his rough plan. Captain Hilda Korge of the Fini also confidently shared her dedication to him. The Kilroy still needed a new captain after Mikhail shot the last one. All of the other captains except for the Midnight had voiced their support. That left Deimos, who he had not seen since the group gathering.

  He was going to make a particular point to locate the remaining pirate captain, but for now, he wanted to revisit Rhonda and check up on her. Nightfall was beginning to set in, but it was still early enough that he figured she would not be asleep.

  As he entered her hospital room, he was surprised to find Jax also there.

  "Hello, Cap…I mean Lord," the overrider said as he attempted to correct himself.

  Mikhail waved away the correction and permitted himself to smile at the two of them. "I'm actually glad to see you, Jax," he said truthfully.

  “I heard you put on quite the show,” Rhonda said as she remained slanted in her bed.

  The pirate lord scratched the side of his head as he recalled carrying around the skull of the bounty Hunter and angrily pointing at it. “Yeah, I kinda did. Felt I really needed to show how serious I am.”

  “Wish I could’ve been there,” the Duchess said as she smiled at the pirate lord.

  I wonder if she remembers what she told me earlier. Or was it just the drugs talkin’?

  "So, do you have a plan to get to Redbeard?" Jax asked as he fully turned to face Mikhail. "I mean, from what I hear his base is on Frost, and that is a border world. The Republic will certainly have a heavy blockade there. Lots of PLOWs and more."

  “Well,” Mikhail started as he took a couple of steps forward. “I have the basis of a plan but was hoping to run it past you to make sure things make sense.”

  The overrider looked shocked by the statement. “Yo…you want me to help with the planning of a major operation?”

  The three of them knew that Mikhail in the past had always designed his plans on his lonesome. It was quite the shift to considering asking anyone else for input.

  “Things are changin’ Jax…and I can’t do it all on my own.” He glanced at Rhonda to see her reaction but had trouble reading anything from the woman’s neutral face.

  “Well, yeah, I’d be happy to,” Jax said as he smiled widely. He placed his hand on the back of his head and suddenly felt very good about himself.

  Mikhail spotted a lone chair off to the side against the wall. He walked over and grabbed it and sat down beside the bed so that they could speak quieter.

  Jax sat down at the chair positioned behind him and put his elbows on his knees as he leaned in.

  “Alright, so the way I see it, Redbeard is gonna be sittin’ pretty in his base.”

  “Do we have confirmation of that?” Rhonda asked as she joined in the conversation again.

  “Not yet, but I bet we can get some,” Mikhail said confidently.

  Jax, on the other hand, was not quite so assured. "Let's say he is on Frost though, how are we goin' to get through the Republic's ships?"

  "Well, I thought we could capture one of Redbeard's transports and just fly it in under the radar. Surely if his main operation runs out of Frost, his ships have to travel in and out all the time. He probably has someone paid off in the military which is why he set up there in the first place."

  “Makes sense to me,” the Duchess said as she looked at Jax.

  “We are goin’ off a lot of ifs here. I think we need more intel before we can just head on in,” the overrider pointed out cautiously.

  His feeling of self-pride at Mikhail’s comment was now gone and had been replaced by a sense of dread as the conversation continued. Jax was the type of man who saw life as extremely dangerous and always out to mess you over. A strike at the heart of the strongest of pirate lords was not going to be his strong suit.

  “Jax, I know this can work,” the pirate lord said as his voice got more serious. “What I need from you is a way to make it work.”

  “That’s like asking for the impossible,” the overrider remarked as he sat further back in his seat.

  “You are like a miracle worker, I am sure you can do it.”

  Jax let out a deep sigh and smacked his lips. “Give me a rotation to think of some ideas…I’m not promising anything, but maybe there is a way.”

  Mikhail's face lit up, and he strongly patted the other man's leg. "Thanks, Jax!"

  As his mind began to race thinking of all sorts of alternatives and possibilities, the overrider stood up. “Well, if you’ll all excuse me, I have some thinkin’ to do.”

  “Bye Jax,” Rhonda said as she partially waved her left hand as he left.

  The pirate lord turned his attention now to the person he really came to see. “How are you feelin’ now?”

  “Well…meh,” Rhonda admitted with a short laugh. “Those meds they had me on earlier were something else. I was all kinds of loopy.”

  Mikhail swallowed hard.

  Then maybe she really doesn’t remember after all…

  “Yeah, they say that stuff can make folks say all sorts of stuff.”

  The Duchess’ eyes got really wide. “Oh no, did I say somethin’ stupid?”

  “No, not at all,” the pirate lord said as he swatted away her concern. “But…do you remember me comin’ to see you?”

  "I do. I also remember that we were talkin' for a bit, but then it gets all fuzzy."

  Mikhail nodded nervously. He felt a mix of emotions like a whirlwind in his mind. The loss of his wife was still obviously fresh, and truthfully, he hadn’t really given himself much time to process her death. Or Coral’s for that matter.

  Knowing now was not the time to bring up any sort of relational feelings he stood up and placed his hands partially in his pant pockets. “Well, I’ll leave you to healin’ up. Just wanted to see how you were doing.”

  “I appreciate it Mik. Really…I do.”

  Maybe she does have feelings for me then? Gah, get it together. You just had a fraggin’ assassin try to blow your head off. Your concern right now is trackin’ down Redbeard and payin’ him back plent
y for what he’s done!

  “Don’t mention it,” Mikhail said as he smiled at the injured woman.

  He exited the room and instantly noticed Jole standing right outside the door. The bodyguard nodded at him, and the two walked down the hall.

  “I need to speak with Captain Deimos. He might be able to help with the planning of the comin’ attack.”

  Over in the repair bay, Skarr Sarius stood in front of the only Goblin WarMech on base. He stared at it with a real sense of pride. The night before the Major had told him that he would pilot the old UoS mech seeing as how he did so well in the simulation with one. This was his first opportunity to break away and examine it after the celebration.

  While it still needed to be painted after all the extensive repairs on it, the ex-mechanic was ecstatic to finally be given his own mech. Granted, it was still owned by Lord Mikhail, but in his mind, this was his.

  I finally did it…

  The joyful moment was interrupted by a rather grumpy man.

  “Well, would you look at this? The wayward son has returned.”

  Skarr turned around to see Toni and two other technicians gathered together. The Master Tech looked hungover, and his speech was somewhat slurred.

  “Did I…did I interrupt somethin’?” Toni asked as he covered his mouth sarcastically.

  “No, I was just coming down to check on my mech.”

  The Master Tech looked to the man on his right. “You hear this poosh? This little punk thinks he has what it takes to be a mech jock. Pfft…”

  Skarr clenched his jaw. He knew Toni’s true feelings toward mech pilots.

  “Look, it don’t matter what I have to say on the matter. You’re a pilot now. Congrats,” the Master Tech said as he held up his hands and shuffled off.

  The ex-mechanic watched as the three men wandered off into the bay. He looked back up at the Goblin one more time and still felt the same level of accomplishment as he did before. No one was going to take away his new position. Especially not some old drunk.