by R. E. Graham
Chapter 15
Cycle: 434 Month: 3 Day: 27
Outer Rim Colonial Alliance Space
Planet: Ko’Bac
Location: Onyx Headquarters
After a lengthy search, Mikhail was finally able to track down the remaining pirate captain he needed to speak with. The last place he had to look was on the Midnight itself, and there was Deimos on the bridge of the very ship where the rogue pirate became a legend.
“Lord,” the pirate captain said as he stood when he saw Mikhail and Jole.
It seemed odd to Lord Onyx that the bridge was empty except for its captain. He realized that Deimos had been holding his pistol and pointed at it from across the room.
“Did somethin’ happen?”
The Captain looked down and realized his gun was not holstered. He quickly slid it back into place on his thigh and shrugged.
“There…was an incident.”
“What does that mean?” Mikhail asked as he slowly walked deeper into the bridge but not directly toward the Midnight’s commander.
“This morning I discovered that Gyy Deeds was making an encrypted call in the navigation room.”
That got the pirate lord’s full attention. His tone immediately got darker. “Who was he speaking to?” He figured he knew the answer, but the question needed to be asked anyhow.
“Redbeard, Lord,” Deimos said as if ashamed.
Mikhail tilted his head to the side as if holding back an intense rage. “Where is he now?” he asked through gritted teeth.
"Dead. I shot him on the spot once I realized he was a traitor." He was especially specific to really annunciate the last word of that sentence to distinguish himself from the likes of Gyy if Mikhail ever learned the truth of his bloodline.
The pirate lord appeared to struggle to collect his thoughts to inquire further. "Well,…how much did he tell Redbeard?"
“When I came across him, I overheard him say that the bounty Hunter failed and that you were coming for him.”
Mikhail was indeed not sure which was better. Letting his adversary know that his scheme had utterly failed, or to live in fear that he would be a target at some point in the future.
“Lord, it may not be my place to say it…” Deimos started before he stopped himself.
"Speak your mind Deimos. You have been very helpful to me, and I do value your thoughts."
“I…I don’t think it is wise to attack Redbeard.”
That answer annoyed Mikhail more than anything else that could probably be said right now. His resolve to take the fight to his fellow lord was unwavering.
“I’m not changin’ course, Captain,” the pirate lord said strictly. “All that is needed now is for the chips to fall into place. But we are headin’ to the same destination either way. I will kill Redbeard.”
“Yes, I believe you will,” Deimos said with a twinge of sadness in his voice.
Mikhail recalled that he had meant to speak with the Captain about his friendship with Redbeard after they left Dusk, but he had forgotten entirely to. Now was as good a moment as any.
“How do you know him?”
Deimos looked up at his Lord and placed his hands behind his back in hopes his posture would not further betray him. He wasn’t sure how discerning Mikhail was nor if he could get away with lying to him.
After a quick decision, he elected it was probably not smart to further piss the pirate lord off if the truth were uncovered. It was better though to maybe mislead him at least a little.
“I knew Val Henders back before he was lord of Ruby. Back before I was even the captain of the Midnight.”
“Did the two of you work together or somethin’?” Mikhail asked as he began to walk the border of the bridge while maintaining eye contact with the large man.
“No, Lord.”
"Then tell me, if you didn't work together how you would have had an opportunity to get so close? He sure seemed awfully glad to see you on Dusk."
Each step of the pirate lord’s boots on the grated floor of the bridge echoed in his mind. He did not want to admit the truth of their history together. Even though he was a pirate, he had decided long ago that his word meant everything. Once he swore allegiance to Mikhail after he killed Yondo, his life was forever entangled in the Lord’s future. He just never imagined events to play out like this.
“We…grew up in the same town.”
“Are you friends then?” Mikhail asked, his voice raising considerably at needing to play this word game.
“Not quite.”
“You both sure looked like old friends to me. What are you then?”
“Lord, my allegiance is to you…”
The pirate lord’s anger was increasing rapidly. “Who is he to you Deimos? Answer me!”
“He…” the Captain trailed off again fearing what would happen to him now if Mikhail knew.
Jole watched the pirate captain closely for any aggressive movements. Right now, Deimos was obviously displaying that he was in a relaxed neutral position and not looking to fight.
Mikhail, on the other hand, had enough. He stomped up to Deimos completely unworried about the Captain lashing out at him. "Who is he?!"
“He’s…my brother, Lord. He’s my brother.”
“What is your last name?” Mikhail asked feeling incredibly foolish.
“Henders,” he answered as he looked down.
It had totally escaped Mikhail to check the last names of any of his people for a connection to Redbeard himself. Seeing as how Deimos had been given him such great assistance since the start, he didn’t even question his loyalty before this moment.
“How can I trust you Deimos?” the pirate lord asked as he was worried about how his plan would fall apart now without the Midnight’s help.
“Lord, I gave you my word. I swore my allegiance,” the Captain said as he found renewed energy to recommit himself.
“How can you go against your own flesh and blood? You know what I mean to do to him.”
“I do, Lord. I do.”
Mikhail took a step back to think. He knew that the Midnight was critical to any of his plans. On the other hand, how could he very well fully trust that his enemy's own brother would side with him in a conflict?
“Lord, he made the choice to attack you. That strained my connection to him,” Deimos said as he continued to implore his Lord.
“Why though? Why would you even consider choosing me over your brother? What am I to you that you would do such a thing?”
The Captain clenched his jaw as he thought for the right words. “Growing up, my father told me that a man’s word meant everything. That without it a man wasn’t a man, and he was better off dead. I see no point in trying to convince you not to do what you feel is right, and I must honor my commitment.”
Mikhail lowered and shook his head. “You’re probably a better man than I am. Alright, you’re still on the mission.”
"Thank you, Lord. How do you plan to get past the Republic's ships guarding Frost? It will not be an easy task."
“Oh, don’t worry about that,” the pirate lord said as he looked back up and grinned. “I got a plan.”
The Captain lowered his head and nodded. “I’m sure you do. I will help however I can.”
Mikhail raised his chin before he started to head for the door. He stopped short of it, and Jole hesitated unsure of what was going on.
The pirate lord turned his head halfway back to Deimos. “Don’t hide information from me again, Captain. Next time, I may not be so gracious.”
Chapter 16
Cycle: 434 Month: 3 Day: 28
Outer Rim Colonial Alliance Space
Planet: Ko’Bac
Location: Onyx Headquarters
"No offense intended Lord, but that plan is stupid," Captain Marcos of the Gally said boldly. "Don't get me wrong, flyin' one of Redbeard's own ships onto the surface is a great idea, but it's a tad harder than that."
Mikhail massaged his face. A group had been brought
together in the pirate lord’s office to discuss their options. The glass from the shot-out window had been cleaned up, but the blood stain from Thomas and the black plastic anchored over where the window had been was a constant reminder of the attack.
Deimos sat beside Tendra Spines, the newly confirmed captain of the Kilroy. The new captain seemed overly eager to prove his readiness of his recently acquired role.
“Lord, the Kilroy will be ready to do whatever you ask.”
Marcos glared at the youngest captain with obvious contempt. “Well, isn’t that great?”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Tendra asked picking up on the other man’s issue with him.
“We are tryin’ to come up with a plan to assault one of the most fortified worlds in the sector.”
“Do you have an alternative suggestion?” Deimos asked as he folded his hands on his lap.
The other captains, Doen of the Blue Sun, Mondo of the Silver Tongue, and Sen of the Dead Lift, all remained quiet in the verbal exchange.
Marcos pursed his lips and narrowed his eyes. “Yeah, I got one. How ‘bout we don’t just blindly rush in guns blazin’?”
“That wasn’t quite the plan,” Mikhail pointed out.
“With respect Lord, Frost isn’t exactly Destiny or Marie. You have to have more subtlety to even have a halfway decent shot.”
Hern had enough of Marcos and his dancing around the conversation. “Are you sayin’ that you are backin’ out of supportin’ the lord?”
Understanding very well what would happen to him if he openly verbalized his hesitations, Marcos was very quick to squelch anyone’s concerns of his loyalty. “Woah now, I am not sayin’ that. I am with the Lord and want to get revenge on the bastard that sent the bounty Hunter.”
Mikhail’s eyes glanced up at Deimos to see his reaction.
He is like stone. Maybe he really is with me on this.
Jax had been leaning up against the wall while the captains and the pirate lord were sitting in a semi-circle near the holotable at the center of the room. He tilted his head when an idea popped up.
"So, which is the harder task?" the overrider asked the group. "Is it harder to capture one of Ruby's ships or for us to fake our way in?"
Marcos scoffed at the question while Deimos answered it literally. “I would say there is great difficulty in locating one of Redbeard’s ships in the first place. Capturing it won’t be as hard as being in the right place to snag one.”
Captain Korge nodded her head. “I agree with Deimos. We all know how to capture a ship, the problem is finding one we can spring a trap on before it hops away.”
"I am positive I can take care of that. Lord, didn't you say that Redbeard has a deal set up with Lord Topaz?" Jax asked confidently.
“Yeah, sounded like he was buying up large amounts of some drug from her and then shipping it around the Union,” Mikhail said.
“Well, now we know roughly where one of his ships will be. All we have to do is pinpoint a pickup and intercept it,” Jax said as the details were clicking together in his own mind. “I can probably even rig up some overrider missiles so that we can disable the ship but only for a few minutes. That way it won’t look as suspicious in case someone is watching.”
Korge and Deimos looked over at Lord Onyx for his approval of the plan. Marcos, however, was still not convinced. Doen and Mondo were content to just lay low while Sen bounced his leg anxiously.
“So, you mean to tell me that now we are gonna try a ship boardin’ in Topaz space?” Marcos asked aloud.
“He does have a point, Lord,” Deimos said. “It is expressly forbidden of a lord to openly attack another lord. There is great risk in trying to board a Ruby ship inside of Lord Nadia’s realm. She may see it as a sign of war against her as well.”
“Then we need to be extra careful and do our job quickly,” Mikhail said as he stood up and leaned on the holotable.
A projection of the worlds the various branches of the Five Skulls operated on rotated slowly. The glow of the hologram illuminated Lord Onyx’s face in different shades of colors.
“Redbeard will not be expecting us to do something so risky. Jax’s plan sounds as good as any. We just need to find a planet that isn’t as heavily protected by the UoS so that we don’t have as many prying eyes watching.”
Marcos shook his head but made the decision to not speak up any further. The other captains were on board with the plan trusting their Lord to lead them wisely.
Mikhail observed everyone’s reactions.
“Be careful of who you trust,” the voice said softly into his ear.
Marcos could end up being a problem for me. Though I would rather have his backing. I’ll deal with him if he steps out of line.
The captain of the Gally stood up and left the room not having any idea that his life could hang by a fragile thread. He grumbled to himself as he headed down the hall. Right now, the only thing on his mind was getting drunk in the mess hall. Tomorrow would have plenty of work to do, tonight he wanted to blur out the stupidity surrounding him.
As the other captains cleared the room, Mikhail turned to the overrider. "They didn't really seem eager to join in the assault."
“Screw ‘em,” Jax said as he crossed his arms.
The comment got a small chuckle out of the pirate lord. “It isn’t that easy my friend. Things are happenin’ so fast, I don’t think any of us are having time to adjust.”
“I don’t see things slowing down though either. Redbeard made a big play to take you out. I still don’t get why though.”
“What do you mean?” Mikhail asked as he leaned against the holotable’s edge.
He had been so busy caught up being angry that he actually didn’t even stop to think of what the rival pirate lord had to gain. That realization alone made him feel very foolish.
But is it wrong to be angry when someone tries to kill you?!
“I did some research and came across the three rules you guys have to follow. The lords are expressly forbidden from targeting one another. So, what does Redbeard get out of instigating you out of the blue?”
Lord Onyx shrugged and shook his head. “I really don’t know. Come to think of it, I’ll be sure to ask him when I meet with him on Frost.”
The cold way that the pirate lord made that last comment stuck out to Jax. “You say that as if it’s like meeting a bill collector or somethin’.”
Mikhail exhaled through his nose. “No, it’s just that I have made up my mind and this is the path we are on. Nothin’ is going to stop us. We will pay back Redbeard for what he has done, and what he tried to do.”
Chapter 17
Cycle: 434 Month: 3 Day: 30
Outer Rim Colonial Alliance Space
Planet: Ko’Bac
Location: Onyx Headquarters
Skarr Sarius carried a heavy bag of grain on each of his shoulders as he moved through the obstacle course. Three other recruits kept up with him while a heavier set man, Byson Stimple, struggled to close the distance as he fell behind.
“Come on you lazy saps! I wanna see a hustle!” Major Wer shouted at the new WarMech pilots.
“Piloting a mech is more than just buttons and sticks. Your body has to be in peak condition if you don’t want to get yourself fragged!”
Mariah Glade breathed heavily behind Skarr as the two rounded a large poll at the end of the course. Teed Broseph, easily the most in shape of the recruits, led the pack and kicked it into gear. He nearly ran the remaining length of the course and dropped the sacks of rice down onto the dirt ground. A puff of soil blasted out from under both, and he held his buff arms up high.
Skarr's mind began to get fuzzy, but he was not about to quit. He had wanted to be a mech jock for so long, and now here he was, living the dream. What he didn't take into account was the physical component that would be so vital in the Major's eyes.
“Come on you bastards. Let’s get it done!” Iso Toan called out as he teased the newbies as they neared th
e end of their objective.
Skarr and Mariah reached the Finish and plopped their sacks onto the ground. The female pilot placed her hands on her knees as she leaned forward to catch her breath. Kat Johnson finally crossed the spray-painted white line on the ground and nearly fell over when she hefted the right sack then the left.
Seeing Byson still struggling to reach the end, Major Daena jogged over to the out of shape pilot.
“You gotta do better than this Stimple. I can’t have you passin’ out in combat. Dig deep. Find the strength. Reach the end.”
Despite still trying to breathe adequately, Skarr motioned with his hand toward the last pilot. “Come…on Byson. You can do it.”
“What’s the point. He shouldn’t even be here,” Mariah said as she stood back up straight.
Her forehead was covered in sweat, but it didn't take anything away from her appearance. Skarr would have been attracted to someone like her, that is if her personality wasn't quite so vial.
“Just give up!” she shouted as she cupped her mouth to amplify her volume.
“What are you doin’?” the ex-mechanic asked irritated at her ridiculous behavior.
"He shouldn't even be here. Being a pilot is hard, and his big fat ass is gonna get someone killed eventually."
“That’s a sucky attitude,” Kat said in between tired gasps. “I remember him scoring well against you the other rotation.”
“Yeah, well, everyone gets a good shot eventually,” Mariah said remarking how the heavy-set man was able to shoot out her mech in the simulators.
Byson clearly was running out of steam. His pace had significantly slowed, and he was now barely getting anywhere. Taking it upon himself, Skarr half jogged over toward his fellow pilot.
“Come on Byson…don’t quit man. You can do it.”
Major Daena kept an eye on the young man but remained quiet as she kept pace with the other recruit.
“I…don’t think…I can,” Byson said wearily.
“Do you want Mariah to be right? You got to do this for yourself. You’re a mech pilot now. Find the strength.”
