Quest for Vengeance: (AP Paranid Start) DID .

[Sabrina Bergin]

Vengeance:

Celine left her rooms intending to confront Karl about that but found his rooms deserted, puzzled she turned her attention to the display he had left running and studied the information he had been gathering.
There was not much she could make sense of even after a few mizura of study instead of staying with one line of enquiry Karl had branched of seemingly at random to follow other information tracks for no good reason, no doubt the opened whiskey bottle was the cause of that she thought.
Finding his rooms empty Celine walked down to his office surprised that she had not guessed he would be here only to find him fast asleep in the small bedroom at the back of the office. She almost woke him but guessed that he had not been asleep that long and was obviously too tired to have even stripped of his clothing. She close the door to the room gently and returned to his day office where he had again left his terminals open. Celine frowned at such carelessness but then realised that on this ship Karl had little to fear from people looking at what he had been doing. Obviously he had found something of interest in what he had been researching, his information traces went off in a multitude of different directions again for no clear reason, to her it looked a jumbled mess if any of her aides gave her a report in that condition he would be seeking alternative employment sezura after doing so.

Of course Karl was not preparing a report she accepted as she sat down in his chair and began trying to make sense of the information he had put together. She gave up in disgust after a few mizura. Karl obviously used some sort of mental shorthand in his note keeping and there was no real pattern to be gained from the information he had been gathering unless you knew which part of the information he was concentrating on. Giving up she left the screens active and returned to her rooms irritated at not knowing what he was up to. It was as she was making herself a meal that she realised how much that hurt her. A couple of tazura ago she would have been able to follow his reasoning without effort and know where he was without having to search for him. That was a sobering thought as she ate her meal wondering at the sudden loss of that ability.

Had they drifted that far apart already she finally asked herself as she contemplated her own future over a large coffee. On a whim she called up the financial reports she had been studying on her own company and accessed the executive level files that showed Nial’s most recent actions. Odd one might think that he had cancelled a lot of the proposals she had suggested at the last board meeting. He was battening down the hatches she realised perhaps anticipating a reaction from her which was telling. He had also scheduled a board meeting that he might have expected to allow him to gain total control over the company again she found it interesting that she had not been notified of it. That Celine found offensive as it indicated clearly that he had hoped to sidestep her possibly hoping she would not be able to attend. Time to change that she thought as she began to make plans of her own. Her Plans made she wrote a short note for Karl and placed it on her coffee table before going to bed tomorrow she decided she was going to take control of her own life again.
Karl had woken early and in disgust at himself took his time to bathe and change his clothing before he went to the bridge. A quick scan of the display’s showed they were ready and he waited for the others to take their places on the bridge.

“Tina clear all moorings and prepare for departure, I have laid in a series of jumps and station calls I need expedited in quick succession”.

“I have the sequence enabled sir” Tina responded activating the undock sequence and sending a heads up to the station master of their intended course before looking at her display then frowning as she turned to Karl. “Sir I have a request from Celine for a jump and go to Aladna hill do you want me to make that jump first”?

“Make that Jump first Tina then follow through on the sequence I have laid in” Karl said without any visible reaction as though he had anticipated it.

Tina said nothing ignoring the questioning looks she got from the others, As a matter of course she posted the amended jump sequence wondering how they had failed the woman so badly that she sought to hurt them this way, had her duties not demanded her presence she would have confronted the woman and protocol be damned, which she realised was exactly what Celine intended to avoid by doing this now. No doubt she had already gone to the docking bay and was just waiting for the jump to complete before she left without so much as a goodbye. Her anger rising she thought that the crew at least deserved better than that but Karl’s solid presence and apparent acceptance of what Celine intended left her no choice but to do as she was ordered.

As they arrived in Aladna Hill Tina glanced to Karl but he seemed indifferent to events as they felt and heard the Venti cut loose from its bay. Frank tracked it as a matter of course but Karl ignored that and told Tina to begin the jump sequence as stated.
Tina shrugged to herself and initiated the jump sequence, the woman had made her choice and at least it resolved an immediate problem, she was still concerned with what Karl had planned for once he had failed to tell any of them what his immediate plans were which meant he was either making it up as he went along or that what he planned next might give them cause to question him as if that would ever happen.

[Sabrina Bergin]

Vengeance:

Sorry yet another DP.

[Sabrina Bergin]

Celine allowed the Venti to drop back as the Phoenix pulled away from her she waited for a moment anticipating a message but it never came with a heavy heart she set course for Light of heart as the Phoenix vanished in a burst of light that stung her eyes painfully dry from the tears she had already shed. The gate came up quickly and she braced herself as she passed through forcing herself to relax a little in what for a change was safe space. She had people she needed to see and not much time before she had to be back at OTAS for that meeting. It would be interesting to see Nial’s reaction to her attendance, not as interesting she suspected as who she chose to join her there.

The stock exchange was a familiar sight and she almost felt as if she was coming home as she moved into dock. She sent a message ahead to Janne her aide to have her rooms ready and to arrange a meeting that evening for her. It was with some impatience that she found herself wandering up and down the dock till Janne arrived.

“I am so sorry Celine I was expecting you in the VIP arrivals lounge I have a transport coming and your rooms are being readied but what in Gunne’s name are you doing in that get up? I thought you were some sort of mercenary”.

“Sorry Janne I should have warned you” Celine admitted as she stowed her helmet in the open cockpit before sealing it up.

Janne said nothing to that as she took in the scorch marks along the hull of the Venti indicating that Celine had been involved in combat she had heard rumours of course but kept those to herself for the moment she would discuss them with Celine once they were in a secure area. She pressed a stud on her headset that announced the arrival of the transport which was followed a moment later by Pico and Ban arriving dressed impeccably in business suits but carrying enough firepower on them to take out a squad of marines if need be.

Without speaking they took up position on Celine making no comment on the flight suit she was wearing and with quiet but alert efficiency they escorted her to the waiting transport which was being driven by one of their team. The journey to her penthouse apartment was swift and she soon found herself back in her lounge where she ordered drinks and snacks before asking everyone to wait whilst she got changed. She took the opportunity to have a quick shower before changing into what she regarded as her normal office wear a casual skirt and high necked top that was wonderfully light.

Happy with her appearance she returned to the lounge where Janne had set up a list of documents that she had placed in order of priority for her to look at whilst Ban and Pico were at different points in the room that gave them a clear view of the entrances and exits not that anything was likely to be able to penetrate her defences to get this far into her apartment.

“Right to business” then she said taking a sip of her coffee and making a note to get some Sonra sent in to her stores anticipating the howls of anguish from Lenka her chef over having such a base coffee in his larder. “Now first order of business I’ve looked at these” she said handing Janne a pile of the folders and “I see no need to do anything for the moment. Firstly I anticipate that Nial is going to make some sort of attempt to gain control of the company at the upcoming meeting. Celine waited for Janne’s outrage at the suggestion to subside before continuing.

“Obviously I do not intend to allow that to happen instead I want this done now” she said giving Janne a data cube and waiting for the woman to take the hint.

Janne pocketed the data cube and looked to Celine before leaving the room taking her folders with her. Celine was a little disappointed at the woman’s eagerness to be gone no doubt to rush of and send a report to Nial. It was a shame she had given Janne countless opportunities to be honest with her but she had clearly made her choice as to who she thought might win such a battle.

“Do you want her detained” Ban asked his expression one of disgust at Janne’s behaviour.

“No let her go Ban she will tell Nial exactly what I want him to hear”.

“We heard rumours about Neptune Celine that a man died” Pico said his intense eyes on her.

Celine was stunned and suffered a momentary flashback to that moment the cold hard walkway surface and the weight of Kayle as he had pinned her to the ground shielding her with his body as the screams and shouts had echoed in her ears. “Kayle saved my life” she said simply unable to keep the loss out of her voice as she told them of that night.

“Knew the man” Ban agreed “sort of thing he would do, him or any one of Caleb’s crew, didn’t know you rated that level of protection what are you into Celine, what’s the threat level”?

“Not her Reaver” Pico said cryptically which gave Ban pause

Celine was stunned that her most trusted body guards knew something had happened in Neptune and more that Pico had implied unreservedly that Karl was the man Caleb and his people as Ban had put it were there to protect. Clearly she lacked the information needed to work it out so she asked Ban straight out for his take on the situation feeling a cold stab of fear that Karl was in such danger, she had not seen beyond the attempt on her own life never for a moment considering that was a secondary concern to whatever Caleb’s people had been tasked to do.

“Privacy field” Pico said moving to take post at the door

Celine activated the field and waited on Ban who seemed to be struggling to tell her what she needed to know.

“Celine what I am about to say is mostly guess work but even so must not leave this room people have been known to disappear when they have spoken of it is that understood”?

Celine nodded starting to feel uncomfortable an icy coldness gripping her spine

“Celine a while back me and Pico we opted out we were being side lined as being too old to be effective marines, but I tell you this we were in the top ten percent of our class. So we had a choice of going back to training the fresh meat or looking to the civilian market for people who needed our skill set. Anyways as soon as we touched base at BHS we got an offer from some people to work for them but we turned it down because your father had hired us already.
Those people are the ones Caleb works for everybody who is anybody knows who they are of course the best of the best. If they are warding Karl that man has got enemies you or I never want to meet ditching him may just have saved your life. As for Caleb’s team as far as I hear only the very best work for him which means his employers have decided that Karl is more important than just about anything else going on in the verse about now which is why I have to ask you again what are you involved in if we don’t know we can’t protect you.

[Sabrina Bergin]

Celine was stunned at Ban’s question it shattered her confidence in her own safety and posed the question of how much she could tell Ban about Karl. That posed another question for her despite their intimacy and her supposition that she knew all there was to know about him there were obviously things about Karl she was ignorant of. The peace initiative on behalf of the terrans had come about after the attempt on her life and long after Caleb had joined the Phoenix. Whatever it was that had attracted such protection had occurred about that time yet by Karl’s own admission he had been a lone survivor of the attack on his family less than a Jazura before then. Nothing of that could be doubted which begged the question of why he should so soon after become a target for people that invited the protection afforded by Caleb and his mysterious employers.

“I am at a loss Ban there is nothing that I know of which would suggest anything that would make Karl such a target.”

“That leaves us with a problem all the same though if people are targeting Reaver they may try and get to him through you. I am afraid we are going to have to restrict your movements till we have this facility secured”.

“Ban I have to be at a meeting in Legends home in a couple of days regardless”

“We’ll think of something Celine Ban assured her”.

That something turned out to be a form of imprisonment Ban totally restricted her movements and screened everyone who tried to contact her directly. Which was the reason she was now having the evening meal she had planned for later in her apartment though she could make that work for her she realised as she waited for the man she considered the most likely to be willing to work with her.
Ban showed him into the lounge when he arrived and Pico smoothly arranged drinks for both of them then seemed to blend in with the furniture.

“Celine you are looking well it’s a pleasure to see you again though I must admit to being surprised at the invitation, I take it that I was not invited for social reasons”.

“You are as direct as ever Tomes why don’t we take a seat and we can discuss that”

Tomes took a seat warily he had good reason to be wary of her motives he had long been a thorn in her side at board meetings but that was why she had chosen him as the man to do what she knew had to be done.

“Let’s get straight to the point then Tomes you are aware of the emergency, meeting Nial has called”?

“How could I not be the boy has got himself in a right state for no reason that I can see.”

“Let me explain that for you Tomes my beloved brother tried to have me killed and he failed now he hopes to act before I can retaliate”.

“Then he is a fool to have failed in the first place and an even bigger fool to think he has a hope in hells chance of succeeding any better in the second he is no match for you Celine though I find it surprising you have not taken a more direct approach”.

“I will admit I was sorely tempted Tomes but I promised a friend of mine I would find a more suitable punishment for him.”

“This friend of yours is a remarkable person then Celine, I remember you being much more intemperate in your youth”

“I was I suppose but that brings me to the reason I asked you here I have a proposal for you”. Celine laid it all out for him he listened in growing disbelief as she explained her reasoning to him.

“That is a staggering proposal Celine but why me? We don’t exactly see eye to eye on most things”.

“That the biggest reason right there Tomes, you are a pain in my ass most of the time but you are an honest pain in the ass”.

“I’ll take that as a compliment then Celine you know I believe I am looking forward to this board meeting after all”.

The evening went by much more smoothly once they had got the business side of things out of the way they became much more comfortable with each other which would be a help in the days to come.
The arrangements for the trip to OTAS were complex and Celine had Ban running oversight on everything reasoning that where he had tried and failed there was no reason to suppose Nial would not try to arrange her absence from that meeting again.

Janne paced up and down the cabin impatiently glancing at the ships time display it was unlike Celine to be late ever and they were getting perilously close to their stated departure time. The door to the Cabin opened and she breathed a sigh of relief as Pico sat himself down.

“About time Pico what the hell kept you”?

“Celine had some last minute arrangements to make Janne now I suggest you sit down we undock in less than a mizura”.

Janne just glared at him but he was right as she felt the ship undock and begin moving out from the station. Instead of stopping a short distance from the station to make a jump the transport increased speed and changed direction.

“What the hell is going on”? Janne asked rising to use the intercom.

“That will be those last minute arrangements I told you about Janne now I suggest you sit down or would you rather I shot you where you stand? The thing about Celine is she doesn’t like people who break her trust especially those involved in her attempted murder so we are going to speak to the local Defence commander who wants to speak to you about that and other things”.

Pico watched the realisation that she had been caught sink in on the woman’s face as she looked at the gun he held trained on her. She didn’t break down in tears as some might which was a blessing. He had no pity for her though, people who broke oath had no place in his world. He was mildly disappointed Celine had not allowed him to take care of her, he wondered how she was getting on her passenger had seemed a bit put out with her earlier.

Celine settled back in her seat as she powered up the Venti trying not to laugh at Tomes discomfort as he struggled to find a way to squeeze himself into the gunner’s seat behind her.

“Wouldn’t it have been easier just to use the transport”? Celine he moaned as he finally got himself strapped in.

“Possibly Tomes but I don’t want Nial to see me coming and the look on his face when we walk in is going to be priceless”.

“If you say so Celine alright let’s get going and I’ll try and keep my breakfast to myself if you can avoid any rash manoeuvres”.

“I’ll do my best Celine promised as she punched out of the dock and went at full throttle for the jump point switching her weapons to live.

The ships auto jump sequence engaged once they were at the minimum distance from the station and a second later they were falling through the wormhole. It took a fraction of a sezura for Celine to orient herself and head straight for the OTAS station. Instead of announcing herself and demanding priority she waited patiently to be given a docking assignment.
As soon as the ship was tied down she released the Canopy and Helped Tomas to climb out of the cockpit before stripping of her flight suit and retrieving the business jacket and satchel she had stowed behind her seat. Tomes took a moment to straighten his own clothing before joining her side as they made their way to the elevators. Ban appeared out of nowhere to take position on them his manner making it clear he would be displeased if anyone interrupted their passage. The security people at the company entrance practically fell over themselves to make sure her progress to the board room was unimpeded.

Nial stood up as Celine strode into the room and walked straight to the head of the table, His face whitening as he saw Ban giving him a long cold stare from the doorway the phase pistol he wore in a shoulder holster clearly visible.

“Celine I didn’t know you would be coming” he finally managed to say.

“I certainly hoped you wouldn’t Nial but since I am here I might as well let you all know that there is going to be a change of management. As of this morning Ladies and gentlemen I have exercised my right to resume full control of my voting proxy. As you might gather I no longer trust my brother to run things in my stead.”

Tomes walked down the table handing out the legal documents that had been witnessed by a magistrate in Light of Heart before they had left that were properly recorded and sealed.

“You can’t do this to me Celine Nial spluttered I have the majority shareholding in the company”

“You did have, past tense Nial Mr Kayean here was kind enough to sell me his block of shares yesterday the transfer of which is also legally recorded in the documents in front of you. So you Nial are fired as of now I will have your personal property crated up for collection. You have a simple choice ladies and gentlemen you can support Nial out of a sense of loyalty or you can keep your jobs except you Ms Choram I would rather not have Nial’s mistress on my board”.

“That’s your choice of course Celine but you might want to reconsider it I am excellent at what I do after all and your brother is as you have so clearly demonstrated expendable”.

Celine saw the look of shock on Nial’s face and the swift surge of anger following that remark she smiled as she indicated the woman should stay Nial however she signalled for Ban to escort from the room. Once he had been frogmarched out Celine sat down at the head of the table and waited for Tomes to take the seat next to her before speaking again.

“Let us begin then Ms Choram you will be on probation for the moment, impress me and your ambitions may be fulfilled, be warned though my brother has a spiteful disposition and I think you have just lost any goodwill he might have had towards you. Mr Tomes here will be the new CEO effective immediately after this meeting. If you have any problems adapting to the coming changes it is him you will have to speak to If you study the second folder he has given you he has listed a series of changes in policy we will be implementing over the next Mazura. Please study them and we shall discuss them in greater detail".

The meeting went surprisingly well after that and some revisions were made to the schedule of changes she had put forward. Most of the people present were realists and knew that Celine would push through the changes she wanted no matter what they thought of them but some actually welcomed the change of direction sensing that it would provide much needed employment in this and surrounding sectors.
The meeting ended on a positive note and she extended invitations to all of them to join her that evening at Feldon’s arguably the best restaurant in the sector.
Ms Choram however waited till the others had left obviously wishing to speak to Celine in private. Seeing that neither Tomes nor Ban showed no sign of leaving she gave Celine a list she had compiled.

“You might want to check these people out Celine they worked closely with Nial I don’t know exactly in what capacity but I doubt it would be anything he would want looked at too closely".

Celine looked at the list recognising some of the names as belonging to people Karl had been studying on the Phoenix. This was proof positive of Nial’s involvement with the people who had arranged the attempt on her life. How deep did the rot go she wondered?

[Sabrina Bergin]

Karl waited for Tina to complete the docking sequence before he left the bridge he knew that Reece would be heading straight down to the cargo ramp to help Della load up the containers that were waiting to be loaded on board this was a quick cargo stop and he knew that as soon as it was complete Tina would take them out to the jump point and on to their next destination. He went into Celine’s rooms and found the note she had left him which he opened only after he was in his own quarters. He read it then put it back in the envelope and put it in a desk drawer before he made himself a coffee and began looking at the plan he was still developing. He had little hope of his intentions not being guessed at so speed was of the essence. He placed his orders and had the ships ordered so they would be ready in plenty of time that would necessitate a trip to Legends home ship yard to make sure they could be jumped to the equipment dock in Light of heart as soon as he had crews for them.

He had considered asking Traders to help with the start-up but that would take them away from their regular customers and he anticipated some form of reprisal once the stations were built. He would have to warn any crews he hired of that possibility which was why he wanted those ships to be as well equipped to defend themselves as possible.
That would involve further jumps and a lot more expenditure and for a moment he wished Celine was here to help out with that but she had chosen to go back to her life so he had to make a note of his proposed expenditure before he bankrupted himself fortunately he intended to do a lot of work across all the races over the next Mazura which should generate the necessary funds.

Feeling the ramps close up he headed back to the bridge where Illsa was speaking to the stationmaster and confirming their departure the man was in a hurry to clear the berth they were using which meant he had a lot of supplies coming in a point Karl made a note of estimating the next time it would pay to call in here again as being a mazura or more from now.
He handed Tina a list of stations he wanted to dock at after they had completed their initial drops and then told Tina to do a full sector mineral scan of the asteroids in the sector.
Tina nodded and asked if he wanted her to do that in the Perseus which would save time he realised wondering why he hadn’t thought of that himself. He gave his agreement and asked her to be ready to undock as soon as they reached Aladna hill. She switched primary control back to him then went aft.

Karl got the green light to undock and took the Phoenix away from the nearby traffic before initiating the jump getting a com alert from Tina that she was ready to undock on his word just as the countdown began.
Karl kept his speed down as he locked on course for the nearest power plant and gave Tina a go to launch which she did smoothly though he could have done without the close proximity flyby she gave the bridge as she accelerated away from them. He knew she was enjoying herself and he had to admit she’d had little opportunity of late to take the Perseus out on a flight so he chose to ignore her high spirited prank as he turned his attention to the station they were now locked onto a docking approach with.
He kept his dealings with the stationmaster short and sweet and reached a fair price for the crystals the man needed Karl undocked as soon as the credits hit his account and moved onto the next station on his list. That was his routine for the next couple of stazura till he had sold all his cargo and shifted a lot of goods for customers who contacted him directly Tina docked the Perseus in the late afternoon and loaded up the results of her scan mission before heading below to grab a meal and a rest. Karl figured she had the right idea and after he completed the current cargo transfer he docked at the Outpost so they could all get some down time. Whilst he was there he also bought some weapons for the ships he had commissioned and posted a crew requirement list based on the ships completion dates. When the weapons arrived on dock Della came down to give him a hand to load them but she looked dead on her feet after shifting so much cargo earlier that day so he sent her back on board and did it himself it was only four containers and they would be dropping them off as soon as they hit the shipyard in Legends. That done he was starting to shut down his office when Caleb came in and explained that he wanted some of his people to stay on station to get some specialist training which he had worked out could be completed whilst Karl was doing his bouncing around the verse.

“That’s fair enough Caleb I was wondering though what your peoples intentions were as regards the future”.

“I can only speak as to my own intentions Captain as you know I intend to remain aboard if you will allow of course I believe Misha is of the same mind. The others I believe are of like mind though I have asked each of them to give your kind offer due consideration before responding to it”.

“That is good to know Caleb but I was more concerned with your employers wishes in this matter”

“I believe he will be amenable to the suggestion as you know both my own and Misha’s anonymity has been compromised and it is uncertain how long our current mission will last”

“That of course prompts me to ask what that mission is exactly Caleb”

“That question is both easy and difficult to answer Captain, as you are aware our employers were concerned at the disappearance of the trader ships from the verse our mission was to give you what aid we could to attempt to reverse that decision”.
“In that you have succeeded Caleb which leaves the question why the mission is still ongoing”.

“That is the difficult part I referred to Captain my understanding is that we are to continue to assist you whilst the possibility of a lasting peace exists though I have received no specific instructions in that regard”.

“That is a comfort to me Caleb, should your people feel they have to return to their other duties it is of no moment they will ever be able to call the Phoenix their home. As to this training do as you see fit in this matter and let me know when I should return for them”.

[Sabrina Bergin]

Once they were all rested Karl called the crew to their stations and made a jump to light of heart where the Mammoth was waiting at the shipyard for Karl to complete the purchase of the stations he had chosen to be the basis of his industrial complex in Aladna.

The cost of the stations was a huge expense that Karl would have to recoup sooner rather than later. Once he had given the Slaner the Captain of the mammoth the locations he wanted the construction crews and materials dropped off at Karl immediately jumped for Thuruk’s bard where he began the first of many transport missions that pushed the ship and crew to their limits. Karl kept them working for nearly two tazura before he called a halt to the endless series of flights and dismissed the crew telling them he would jump them back to Aladna whilst they got some rest. Karl dimmed the lights as he made the jump once he was sure the crew had all turned in and arrived at the west gate of Aladna to be confronted by a raging battle going on ahead of him the Transport he had hired was under attack by a score or more of pirate M3 and M4 fighters, hitting the combat boost Karl moved to take on the pirates attacking the beleaguered transport. That appeared to be what the pirates had been waiting for as soon as he moved to engage them the majority switched their attention to the Phoenix and within moments the nights sky was lit up with explosions as the turrets began taking out the massive number of missiles that had been targeted at them.
Karl threw the ship through a series of evasive manoeuvres as he tore through the main group of attackers. The shields began to fail as he shattered the first wave and turned the ship about for a second pass launching the Mk II drones he gave the shields a brief respite before engaging the enemy again. Uncalled for the crew ran to their posts still dressed in their night clothes as he rammed a nova that tried to get a head on firing solution on the Phoenix. The pirates took even more damage as Reece took control of the turrets and began selecting individual targets with deadly precision. Frank and scot added to the devastation as they began launching missiles in salvos that saw the pirates begin to break of their attacks and begin running but one lone pirate in a falcon got through the mammoths defences and launched nukes at close range that broke the back of the transport and destroyed him as well. They watched in horror as the Mammoth broke apart as a series of secondary explosions ripped it apart from within, they could see bodies being thrown out of the ship as it broke apart littering space with debris.

Karl watched the horror unfold before his eyes without speaking instead he initiated a jump to Hatvikah’s where the lead pirates were making their escape through that gate. The crew needed no instructions as they jumped into the sector and began firing on the pirates as soon as they cleared the gate. None survived that transit but Karl was not done he checked the gravidar and found other targets and began chasing them down. He showed no mercy ignoring desperate pleas from the pilots to be spared as he chased after them, turning their ships into charred slag as he passed. It went on inexorably from one sector to another till they came to Brannan’s triumph where a large Argon and Paranid task force were busy destroying every station and ship in the sector.

“Sir I have a message from the Argon fleet commander he is asking us to clear the sector” Illsa called out as they watched the destruction being carried out across the entire sector.

“Acknowledge” Karl said his voice ice cold as he turned to Tina, "jump to Family pride then straight to the outpost in Aladna Tina I have work to do”.
With no further word Karl left the bridge his anger obvious to everyone it was so intense.

Tina initiated the jump and was not surprised when as soon as they entered the sector Karl took the Perseus and headed for the shipyard. Reece Illsa and frank all looked to Tina as she watched her fighter accelerate away from them but she said nothing as she initiated the jump feeling her heartbeat slow down gradually till she lost the rush of adrenaline that had kept her focussed until now. Karl was not done she realised as the jump field engaged and took them elsewhere. Instead of docking though Tina took the Phoenix to the south of the sector to give support to the rescue teams that were scouring space for survivors of the attack on the mammoth, where they could they retrieved the bodies of those who had died and transferred them to waiting transports to be taken home. It was not a pleasant task but it had to be done. Tina had the others rotate out of the bridge to get changed and take rests as necessary as they did what they could to help.
She sat back in Karl’s command chair as the rescue craft sifted through the wreckage taking position above them in case of another pirate attack and keeping passing traffic clear of the area. To the north she noted someone had taken advantage of the situation as a Split transport entered the sector and placed construction unit on the asteroids she had scanned just a few days before. Karl was going to be pissed about that, she knew he’d had plans for those asteroids and whilst she had not been privy to them she knew whatever he had planned had been lost with the mammoth.
The split transport made two trips in and out of the sector and it was on its second arrival in the north of the sector that it was attacked by pirates without thinking about it Tina accelerated hard towards its position. Sounding the alert alarm to get the others back on the bridge.
Karl watched from the back of the bridge as the last of the station construction units were dropped into position it had taken two days of hard work but it was done.

“What now” asked Hrt t’gal the Captain he had hired with his crew in family pride?

“Now we jump to light of heart and I arrange transport home for your people Captain as promised”

“You mean to sell the ship for salvage this is not wise Reaver, this is a fine ship I will buy her from you”
The man was serious Karl realised as he tried to shrug of the bone numbing tiredness that was threatening to send him to sleep where he stood. “You can’t afford her Hrt or you would have bought her as I did at the ship yard”

“This is true for a new ship Reaver but I can pay more than you would get in salvage and it would be a crime to sell her for scrap this ship speaks to me Reaver I will buy her off you”.

“Alright make me an offer” Karl agreed sympathising with the man’s desire to preserve the ship it was brand new despite the glaring lack of shields and weapons.

[Sabrina Bergin]

“I can offer twelve million”

Karl considered it and he suspected that the Split had offered every credit he could amass to make that bid but it was not enough he could realise thirteen or fourteen is he sold it outright but he saw more than that in what the Split asked of him which demanded he act for more than monetary gain.

“Your offer is fair he agreed but if you invest so much of your wealth in this ship it would cripple you Hrt to make this ship pay you need to have funds to purchase stations to gain wealth. I have a counter offer if I sell you the ship will you build a complex such as this in legends home, I will pay for the stations if you will waive your fee. Do this and I will ask only ten million for the ship half now half later”.

“How much later”? Hrt asked clearly shocked at the counter proposal Karl had made it would allow him to equip the ship properly and buy much needed weapons.

“Shall we say when the ship is fully equipped and you have the funds to spare” Karl suggested knowing the man would not refuse such an offer.
The Split seemed shocked at the counter offer and a rare smile showed itself as he clasped Karl’s wrist.

“Done and done” he announced “You make a generous bargain Karl I will build your complex what of you”?

“I will return to my own ship for now contact me when you are ready in Legends and I will join you there, it has been a pleasure working with you Hrt”

“When you join us there you will attend the ship naming I trust”? Hrt asked

“I would be honoured” Karl agreed knowing that to refuse would be an insult but not relishing the prospect of what would likely be a rowdy affair Split ceremonies usually involved a large amount of wild feasting singing drinking and fighting. “I will go to my ship then Captain, we will meet again in Legends” he promised the man taking the lift down to the hanger bay several levels below the bridge. The Hanger was deserted so Karl had to prep the ship himself but that took only a few Mizura to top up the oxygen tanks and power up the ships systems. Karl was moving the ship to the launch platform when Hrt told him over the com that they were under attack.

“Alright Hrt take the ship to legends I’ll take care of them” he promised hitting full thrust that pushed his Perseus clear of the Elephant and powered up his weapons.

“We will fight Hrt announced over the com Split do not flee battle”

Karl groaned to himself the man was a Split and even though the TL lacked shields and weapons he would not flee the coming battle. Karl ignored the Nova’s coming at him instead targeting the Buzzards that had decided to choose him as a target and moving away from the main pack of fighters so that he could deal with them individually.
Launching his drones he swung the Perseus to meet the first which had come within range ahead of his fellows it was a mistake Karl made sure he had no opportunity to repeat as he drained his weapons banks into the fighter before pulling clear of the explosion that followed as its core overloaded littering the sky with debris. The hammering on his shields told him that he had another hostile in range and he spun the Perseus end over to catch a glimpse of the M4 as it went by him launching a pair of silkworms before diving hard for the west gate. To give himself distance from the heavies that were inbound. His drones were doing a good job but it was not enough once the shields had recharged he swung the ship about and switched to wasps to take care of the light fighters, or at least distract them.
That left him a chance to attack the two Nova’s that were leading the heavies that were trying to get position on him. These pilots were not amateurs he realised as they came at him together. He had speed on them and a better weapons load out but one of them had PBG’s which were a pain if they got close He made a close pass targeting the Nova with the flame throwers whilst his shields flared as his wingman tried to get a good lock on him then he threw the Perseus high and wide to let the shields recharge and check how his targets were doing. They were still on his six but their shields had taken a severe pounding their hulls also showed damage so Karl felt confident to go after the most heavily damaged one.
Too late he saw the Nova launch a missile at him as he was closing in to complete the kill and his world vanished in a glaring bright light as it exploded ahead of him.

Tina was fast closing on Karl’s position when she saw the explosion without
considering the consequences she altered course and rammed the remaining Nova that was moving in on the now badly Damaged Perseus. Before swinging about and moving to close on the Perseus before the remaining Pirates could get close. Getting as close as she could she had Illsa try to contact Karl but he was not responding. That was when the Captain of the transport that was moving towards them contacted them.

“This is Hrt t’gal I am captain we will assist” the man announced simply as the heavy transport moved towards them.

“That would be appreciated Captain we are unable to dock our fighter and would ask if we could land it on your ship by remote”

“Of course but be advised our medical facilities are sparse”

“We will beam Captain Reaver aboard our ship Captain that will leaves us free to deal with the remaining hostiles” Tina replied.
Tina cut the com link then ordered Scot and Frank to switch to Wraiths to deal with the remaining Hostiles then alerted Misha and Caleb before beaming Karl aboard as soon as she got confirmation he was aboard she took remote control of the Perseus and set it to auto dock on the transport.

[Sabrina Bergin]

Credits: 23,000,000

Stations: (Including best buy bets sell freighters)

Ore/Sil complex Aladna (1 x Mercury SF - 1 x Mistral)

Ore/Sil complex Legends (1 x Mercury SF - 1 x Mistral)

Ships:

Hyperion + Venti Perseus Docked (Player)

Cerburus 40% (Stolen & Parked in Empires Edge awaiting Sale/Repair)

8 x Marines in training all 50+ in fighting.

Ix Mistral Sector Trader Empires edge.

Note all ships fully equipped with weapons and max shields.

.

[Sabrina Bergin]

The disposal of the remaining pirates did not take long that was one of the benefits of having a good stock of wraith missiles on board.

“Alright that seems to be the end of it, people” Tina announced “go below and get freshened up”. Illsa send a com to Captain T’gal and thank him for his assistance we will recover the Perseus at his convenience”.

“Copy that Tina he replies he will transport it to Legends shipyard for us”.

“That’s something at least I’m going to set us on an automatic patrol Illsa I need to check on the Captain”. Tina left the bridge to go below dreading what she might find waiting for her. She found Misha waiting for her in their small medical bay whilst Caleb was busy operating on Karl in the treatment room.

“How bad is it Misha”?

“Not good Tina he should really be in a fully equipped hospital but he refused to leave. He was lucid long enough for me to give you this and to tell you to follow his plan. As to his injuries they are severe enough he has multiple fracture and he was badly burned. That’s why he needs to get to a hospital sooner rather than later Tina”.

Tina accepted the access key to his office safe and put it in her pocket then glanced through the window where Caleb was dressing those burns in gauze gel bandages. “I will follow his wishes in this matter Misha, Karl will accept no less. Please let me know when he regains consciousness again and accept my thanks for both yourself and Caleb’s efforts”. Tina went back up to the bridge level refusing to let her concern for Karl distract her.
She was well aware that Karl was working to a very tight schedule but he had not discussed his plans with her which she found annoying. She suspected that if his plans were not adhered to it could undo all his work to date. Her primary concern now was to find out what that schedule was and to ensure it was adhered to. She opened the safe and removed the envelope with the data cubes and sat down at Karl’s desk to study them on his terminal.

Several cups of coffee later she shut down the terminal and returned the data cubes to the safe. Karl’s plan was fraught with difficulties, speed was the factor he was relying on to outmanoeuvre their enemies. By having all the pieces in place before they fully understood what he intended was the only way he could be certain of success even so he was taking a terrible risk and had spent vast sums of credits before acting. That was why it was necessary to keep the momentum going if Tina failed to keep to the schedule of events he had set in motion then the whole thing would collapse under its own weight. That meant that they would have to recover the Perseus only after they had carried out the detailed second stage of his plan. She set the alarm in the Day cabin and got her head down knowing that come the morrow they would be making a series of jumps over the next few days that would tax them to the limits of their endurance. The timetable he had devised could not be altered already across the verse Ships were making their way to prearranged coordinates and they had to be there to meet all of them when they arrived.

Tina was on the bridge when Reece bought her a fresh coffee and a breakfast roll in the morning he made no comment on the fact that she was sat in Karl’s chair for which she was grateful. She had woken earlier than she had intended and had made a few alterations to Karl’s plan which would involve more work but would provide some slightly improved assurance of its success that Karl had not anticipated as being necessary. Tina finished her coffee as the others took their places and explained briefly what they would be doing for the next few days she had thought to keep that knowledge to herself as Karl had done but this was her family and she owed it to them to let them know why they would be pushing themselves so hard.

“That’s a pretty punishing schedule Tina, Karl devised it knowing he would have you there to give him a chance to rest up some are you sure you are up to it” Reece asked bluntly?

“We are about to find out Reece we have to keep to the schedule or the whole thing will collapse. I’m hoping I’ll be able to get some shut eye in as we go but I am not counting on it so let’s get started”. A moment later the Phoenix jumped out of Aladna to get to their first scheduled rendezvous.

Celine was furious and she made no effort to hide that fact from Ban “What do you mean you can’t find her that’s one of the most noticeable ships in the known verse Ban someone must have seen it”?

“That’s what you would expect Celine but I suspect they are keeping moving by the time we get a sighting report and check it out the ship if it was the Phoenix is long gone with no indication as to its intended destination. We have made discreet enquiries amongst his regular contacts to no avail they seem to be as mystified by his acts as we are. One thing we do know is that whatever he is doing he intended to do it without being subject to the scrutiny of others. I it possible he is going after Nial”?

Celine considered that possibility, it was galling that her brother had managed to elude the surveillance she had been keeping him under and it was telling that he had disappeared just before the battle in Aladna hill that had left the Perseus being transported to the Federal ship yard here for repairs. She had seen the reports on the damage it had sustained during that action and was not surprised to learn Karl had sent terse instructions for it to be repaired regardless of cost. That she admitted was the real reason for her anger he had made no effort to contact her whatsoever, perhaps he had gone after Nial despite his previous statements to the contrary. So much for his precious laws she thought then froze as she considered what could make him choose to violate those laws he was so proud of. Tina Celine realised she must have been in the Perseus during that attack in Aladna hill if she had been badly wounded or perhaps killed then Karl would go after Nial and his co-conspirators regardless of the cost to himself and his crew would do the same.

She sat down shaking visibly as that possibility filled her heart with dread and sorrow it explained so much the damage to the Perseus that made it almost certain the pilot had been if lucky severely wounded or most likely killed given the amount of damage it had suffered, his sudden inexplicable disappearance and silence he would hardly be eager to let her know he intended to kill Nial. She quickly explained her reasoning to Ban who could only agree with her assessment.

“We have to act Ban that list of people Nial was working with I want them questioned and I don’t care what it takes I want answers, find out where my brother has gone and if he had any part on the attacks in Aladna Hill I want whoever was responsible found and punished”.

Ban gave her an approving nod then left the room to carry out her instructions he had made plans for this eventuality but he’d had little hope that Celine would ever take the gloves of and let him act freely to ensure her safety. As soon as he had left the room he sent the coded instructions that would signal his people to act Celine would have her answers far sooner than she might have anticipated.

[Sabrina Bergin]

Ban landed his Nova in the hanger deck where a skeleton crew secured it before two of his people took his cargo down to the holding room. Ban glanced around the hanger deck counting the number of ships here so he was the last arrival as had suspected he might be on the flight here. He looked across the deck to the Pilots lounge where Pico was waiting for him in the pilots lounge smoking one of those damn cigars of his, Ban was fairly sure he did that on purpose knowing Ban’s aversion to smoking.
Stretching himself he walked across the almost empty deck and entered the room shrugging of his flight suit whilst he gathered his thoughts.

“You’re late Ban did you have any problems”?

“None I couldn’t handle Mr Keppel’s body guard was actually quite good so I had to take care of him first or I would have had security all over my arse. I assume we have all of them”.

“All but the Teladi Yoganis she obviously bolted before we got the go ahead signal from you”

“She’s no great loss Pico she was just a procurer I doubt Nial would have told her anything of consequence anyway”.

“Probably not Pico agreed stubbing out his cigar which is why I had our Ms Giorno pulled in as well”.

“She wasn’t on the list Pico”

“I have to ask why that was the Ban she was already running when I caught up to her which meant she was important enough to be told to leave the sector someone did not want her speaking to us”.

“Or perhaps Nial was going to have her killed out of view Ban finished for him” sensing that was the mostly likely fate that awaited her. It also meant it was possible they still had someone within Celine’s organisation working for Nial.

“Alright what’s the score here Ban how far can we go, is Celine likely to change her mind and rescind the order she gave you”?

“Not this time Pico she didn’t say outright but I think they killed one of Reaver’s crew in that last attack someone, she knew and liked”.

“Well if it finally opened her eyes to the danger her brother posed then perhaps that someone getting killed did us a favour” Pico finished callously.

“Perhaps Pico, so let’s go and start getting Celine her answers”

Ban led the way down to the next level where the prisoners were being kept in separate holding cells. Unlike a standard security facility Pico had gone to great lengths to make this place ultra-secure as evidenced by the internal sentry lasers and shielded access ports to this area off the ship few people had been here before now and those that had never survived to relate what went on here even Celine was unaware of its existence. The interrogation room was just that and no one on being bought there would have any doubt about what they faced the room was sparsely furnished and was almost sterile. The lack of carpeting would tell any professional that this room was designed with but one purpose as would the array of equipment that was clearly displayed on the walls around the room.

“Alright bring the first one in Pico I assume the medic is standing by”

“Don’t worry Ban none of these bastards are going to die until we want them to” Pico assured him as he left the room to get the first of them.
What happened over the next couple of stazura was not pleasant to watch

Ban had no sympathy for his victims, Pico had learnt his knife skills courtesy of the Split who had once subjected him to such tortures. They had also taught him that the use of drugs were mostly counterproductive since it gave the victim the illusion that at heart their torturers were actually civilised and that if they could endure then they might live the only medications they received were those designed to keep them alive and aware of what was being done to them. Pico quickly demonstrated there was no chance of that the only option his victims had was to end their suffering sooner rather than later. To prepare his victims there was a holding cell with a clear view of this room where the next prisoner would be held until it was their turn it was a refinement Pico had added and it proved remarkably effective. By the time they were getting close to the end they had produced a detailed if incomplete picture of what Nial had been doing and just how far the rot had spread Ban also had a new list of people they would be speaking to over the next few days. Some of those names on the list actually surprised him but he had learnt long ago that given the right incentive most people would do anything you asked of them.

Only Janne retained any semblance of dignity as she was led into the room and fastened in to the chair. She looked a mess with her hair and clothing in disarray and her face was heavily bruised the marks more visible due to her ashen complexion she had tried to escape her captors hence the marks. She did not beg for her life as her predecessors had knowing her fate was already decided. Ban recognised that look in her eyes that told him she knew there was no hope and had resigned herself to her imminent death as much as anyone could.

“Ask your questions Ban I won’t try and lie to you I assume you know enough already to be aware if I attempted to” she managed to say in a voice that lacked any semblance of hope.

“What do you hope for Janne leniency”?

Janne actually managed to supress a choked bark of amusement at that suggestion as her eyes turned to Pico who stood waiting to begin.
“Hardly that Ban we both know what comes next Yoganis managed to warn me before she left that Nial had put a price on my head. I would prefer a clean death rather than what I might get at the hands of one of his associates that’s why I was getting ready to run I just left it a little late". She managed a small rueful smile at that before turning her attention back to him, "a stun blast to the back of the head would be effective and preferable Ban, we’re both professionals so I know that’s all I can ask for”.

Ban nodded his acceptance of that and asked his questions she answered them candidly in a flat monotone voice as she detailed how she had been recruited specifically to monitor Celine’s actions and to relay that information through a chain of intermediaries back to Nial. She also gave details of her recruitment and training by the Argon secret service prior to her leaving the forces a couple of Jazura previously when Ban asked her where she had been trained. By the time he had finished his questions they had a far more complete understanding of Nial’s motives and long range plans than they could have hoped for but that changed nothing it was a shame to waste such a talented professional but he had little choice she had seen too much of what had gone on here. She was professional enough to know what was coming next and she closed her eyes as she saw Pico move towards her his gun drawn The last thing she heard was the whine of the capacitors charging behind her but even then she did not protest her fate.

[Sabrina Bergin]

.
Ban entered Celine’s office where he found her standing with her back to him looking out over the sector. He knew what she was looking at of course the sudden appearance of the new complex in the north troubled her and he knew she suspected that Nial was at the back of it somehow. Ban had checked out the corporation that was registered as the owner of that complex and the one being developed in the south of the sector but then he had run into a wall. To his own mind he doubted Nial was involved he suspected that perhaps the Split were that Elephant was a regular visitor to this and surrounding sectors and he had checked the Captain Hrt t’gal back to family Pride where he had found the man to be a respected member of the Split business community who had worked as a transport captain till he had retired and bought his own ship. Ban suspected that Nial’s involvement was more likely to be in the new complex’s that had been built in Avarice which produced space weed. There was also another complex being built in the east of the sector no doubt funded by the weed complex, what was being built there though was uncertain and his sources had been frustrated in their attempts to get any answers from those involved in the project.

“Still no news she asked” without turning from the view port.

Ban had anticipated the question it was always the first one she asked him this time though he had a different answer than the one he usually gave her.“The Phoenix is scheduled to arrive here in a stazura Celine I assume they intend to retrieve the Perseus, as I said it was always the most probable means of finding them”.

“Any idea what they have been up to Ban”?

“There are a lot of rumours Celine by all accounts Karl has been taking ships my sources in Yaki space indicate he has sold three corvettes and a missile boat as salvage there. The Phoenix has become a regular visitor to those sectors of late and I suspect that is where he has been hiding between his raiding forays”.

“I can’t believe he’s gone pirate Ban”

“As far as I can tell Celine he’s actually targeting pirates or those who have long been suspected of collaborating with them, some of them were known associates of Nial either way the Yaki are giving him recognition and free access to their facilities. They hate pirates almost as much as he does. I can tell you one thing though once Karl has dealt with a local pirate problem a free trader will arrive in sector and get the economy moving again he’s been sighted in almost every sector in the verse and when he arrives in system pirates are now moving on rather than face him he’s turned that ship of his into one hell of a weapon Celine he’s practically a one man naval attack force all by himself. All the major races are lending him support and cheering him on that’s why it’s been so difficult to get a line on him they are actively discouraging enquiries”.

“So how do you know for certain he’s coming here”?

“That Split TL Captain told me actually Celine it seems Karl is to be the guest of honour at a function at the OTAS Shipyard this evening”.

“I want to be there Ban make it happen Celine said simply” dismissing him.

Ban didn’t take offence Celine had been on a hair trigger for Wozura now, but he fully intended to make sure she was fully covered later and had some of his people who were Split put on standby for CPQ for the evening. He also alerted Pico aboard their HQ ship to have a full intervention team put on standby and alerted the local sec-defence to be on a higher level of alert than usual. There was no reason to suspect the Phoenix might be targeted whilst it was in system but he saw no need to take any chances. Pico was with him as the Phoenix entered the system and under the guise of being a local militia patrol Ban did a close pass of the ship and ran a full scan on it then swore as he pulled away to study the results the ships scan had revealed nothing at all which meant somehow Karl had acquired some pretty sophisticated countermeasures. Ban was also uncomfortably aware that the ships turrets were actually targeting him as he moved away from it which showed that his crew were also on a state of high alert despite being in a core sector. He hit the com and sent out the standard you’ve been scanned message and only then did the turrets operator’s turn their attention elsewhere.

The Phoenix docked at the shipyard where its massive shields would protect it better than anything else in the system so Ban docked a short while later and went down to the gallery that overlooked the bay where it had been assigned a berth. He recognised Caleb who was clearly guarding the access way to the ship whose hatches had remained closed clearly they were not taking cargo on board here. That was frustrating Pico had been ready to get on board posing as a customs inspector but as the hatches were staying closed that opportunity would be denied them. He signalled to Pico it was a no go and stepped back from the rail as Caleb turned towards him.

“Tina this is Caleb be advised we are being watched” Caleb reported as he assessed the threat level.

“We expected as much Caleb” Tina replied unable to keep the undertones of anger out of her voice at Karl’s insisting they dock as soon as they could rather than holding position of station as she had wanted them to.

Caleb smiled at that Tina had worked as hard as anyone and then some over the last few Wozura it was no small thanks to her that Karl’s plans were now all in place and even though Karl was still not fit for duty he had of late began to assume more of her workload than she was willing to allow and whilst he had been listening to her advice a lot lately on this subject he had been determined.

He agreed with her that attending this function was an unnecessary risk but Karl had insisted on being here and Caleb suspected his insistence on being here had more to do with Celine than he cared to admit. She knew they were here of course he had spotted Pico dressed as a customs official and suspected the half glimpse of the observer he had seen on the gallery above was Ban his partner two of Celine’s closest most trusted and dangerous people. Caleb gave no indication he had identified the pair and would wait until he was back aboard before letting Karl and the others know.

Kellar relieved him a while later and he didn’t even get out of the access corridor before Tina was at his side wanting to be told what he had seen. “Tina I am not going to repeat myself so just wait till I can speak to Karl”.

Caleb briefed them on what he had observed and what he knew of Celine’s people based on the dossiers he had studied of them. Of the two Pico was reportedly the most dangerous Caleb suspected that Ban was the one to watch out for, he seemed to be the one who made the decisions regarding Celine’s security and was perhaps the one they should be more wary of. Caleb briefly went over the security arrangements he had prepared for the evening and Tina was pleased when Karl relented enough to agree to join them only after he and Misha had the chance to check the venue out.

[Sabrina Bergin]

.

Celine was on edge as she waited at a table at the back of the hall somehow Ban had managed to get her invited as a guest and she had arrived uncharacteristically early to ensure she didn’t miss him. The party was a far cry from what she had expected it seemed the Split could restrain themselves on occasion though perhaps that was due in part to the fact that this party consisted primarily of one extended family was the reason for that.

“They are on their way” Ban told her quietly as he got the reports from his people watching the Phoenix that a number of the crew had left the ship he was also told that there was still a guard at the access port it seemed Karl had learnt the value of rigid security protocols as well of late no doubt Caleb had seen to that. A short while later a Split who had been warding the door approached the high table and spoke to Hrt t’gal who actually left his table to greet his guests in person even Ban was rendered speechless by that it was a sign of the greatest respect a Split was known to offer to anyone other than his acknowledged patriarch. He returned moments later leading Tina and her crew mates to a place of honour at the table closest to his own. Ban had to physically restrain Celine from rising to her feet at that point. He knew well the reason for her distress but for her to make a scene at this point would be taken as a grave insult by every Split in the room.

Tina must have noticed something because as soon as she had been shown to her seat she spoke briefly to Hrt t’gal before walking directly to their table her anger at Celine's presence here clearly evident.

“Celine you are looking well" Tina said holding back the words of reproach she wanted to use, "Ban I assume Caleb described you accurately”.

Celine did not reply to the greeting she was in shock and Ban could feel her arm trembling as she took in what she was seeing. For Tina to be here meant that Karl must have been in the Perseus.

It took only a moment for Tina to realise her very presence was the cause of Celine’s distress and she cursed herself for not anticipating it, of course Celine would have expected her to have been flying the Perseus when it had been attacked. “He’s not dead Celine” she said quickly to end her unnecessary suffering. “He will be here shortly but Celine he is not as he was you must not embarrass him here”.

The words were like hammer blows to Celine as she took it in he was alive but changed so how badly had he been injured.

“He was burnt Celine he will recover in time but only after he allows himself to be hospitalised for the time necessary for the surgery to be carried out”. Tina answered the unspoken question Celine's eyes asked of her.

“He could have let me know he was alive at least Celine” managed her voice barely a whisper her voice trembling.

“How could he Celine you parted ways in dramatic enough fashion despite the honour he granted you by naming you his lady, our codes forbid he should seek to confront you directly to question your decision in this matter but you knew this why else would you have left in the manner you did Celine”?

“I don’t understand if he truly loved me he would have contacted me Celine” responded her puzzlement evident.

“How can you doubt his love Celine it was because of his love for you he has thwarted your brother’s plans at every step and hunted down your enemies. He built those complex’s here to give him reason to come here in the hope that you might relent and approach him? I tell you plainly Celine though it is not my place to do so that should you remain here seated at this table when he arrives knowing he cannot approach you he will take it for the rebuke it must be. If this is not your intent I beg you to leave now he has been hurt enough”.

“Of course I don’t want to hurt him Tina” Celine snapped angered that she could be suspected of harbouring such intentions but the urgency in Tina’s words prompted her to action “We are leaving Ban” she announced trying to avoid drawing any more attention to herself than she already had. “Tina tell Karl I will speak to him later”.

Tina fell in beside her as they made their way to the entrance had Celine understood nothing of what she had said she could not pass on her words. As they reached the entrance however it was already too late Caleb was approaching the doorway helping Karl walk into the room. Karl on seeing Celine started to smile then remembered himself averting his eyes he moved to step aside as protocol dictated when she did not greet him.

“Oh gods Karl look what you’ve done to yourself” Celine cried out rushing forward to embrace him.

Caleb struggled to support the couple as Karl staggered under the unexpected weight of Celine but Karl recovered himself well enough.

“My Lady I am afraid you catch me unawares I am not at my best I admit but would you do me the honour of allowing me to escort you this evening” he asked bravely offering her his one good arm.

Caleb moved aside as he felt Celine step into support Karl on his uninjured side. Tina stayed with him as the couple slowly entered the room ahead of them. As they approached the table that had been prepared for them Hrt rose and stepped forward and carefully clasped Karl’s hand and wrist well aware of his friend’s wounds then gave him formal welcome giving him a serva kai as one Captain to another Karl returned the greeting which brought forth a resounding roar of approval from all the Split males in the room. Hrt guided the couple to the table next to his own and made sure Karl was well seated before he turned to Celine his confusion evident fortunately Tina saw that and stepped forward to intervene.

“Hrt may I introduce Lady Celine of the Phoenix she thought to greet Karl here and did not wish intrude on your festivities”. Hrt was no fool and he knew there was much that was not said, that the formalities had been met was good enough. The rest he would find out later shaking his head at the strange notions humans had regarding their women.
.

[Sabrina Bergin]

A Brief Respite:

It was Ban who adroitly explained the reason for the roar of approval for Celine’s benefit he knew enough of Split customs to have guessed the truth of it, “I take it Karl that you have just formally ceded the TL to Hrt hence this celebration”.

“You assume correctly Ban he has been a good friend to us of late the complex’s in this sector are the least of what he has done for us to date”.

“How many complexes have you built exactly” Karl Celine asked

“There is one in Aladna hill and three in avarice and one other in Preachers refuge” Karl admitted “Hrt my lady has a question how many stations have you delivered for us in total”.

“Ha Karl it is sixty three to date as I am sure you are well aware, why do you plan more “?

“I do and it is you I will speak to when the time comes my friend, for the moment though I have presumed to give you a present to honour your ship and the works you and your family have done for us to date”.

“You have paid us well enough Karl what need have I for gifts for doing my work as contracted”?

“Would you accept it then as a gift to honour your ship and our friendship”?

“Ha as ever you make it impossible to refuse, name this gift then Karl my woman warned me our dealings would be ever such when dealing with traders”

“It is a fitting gift for a Split ship crewed by a Split family Hrt it is a turbo boost unit even as we speak it is being fitted”.

Hrt was clearly touched by the gesture and he took a moment to reply “Do you suggest we are tardy in our tasks?”

“Hardly that my friend but I know that it will make yours the fastest Large transport to travel the stars”.

Hrt stood and spoke briefly to his family in his native tongue which resulted in yet another deafening roar of approval at which Hrt demanded more fire wine be brought to the tables in the room.
Celine was relieved to learn that the complex’s that had been built of late belonged to Karl and not Nial as she has feared but she was unhappy with the weed complex he had built in Avarice and told him so.

“It was a necessary evil and it was the key to destroying Nial’s plans in this and surrounding sectors Celine, until recently he was the major supplier of space weed here and elsewhere by selling it at basically cost price we have deprived him of a source of income and we do not sell it to anyone directly they have to come to us in a Teladi sector where it is legal and it also enabled us to finance the food and ore production facilities that have restored stability to economies both here and elsewhere that have been the victim of his manipulation of local markets” Karl explained.

“There is more you should know Celine but that is information I will share only aboard the Phoenix as Ban is aware our shielding is proof against any form of invasive scans”. Karl finished making it clear he would discuss the matter no further here.

Ban was not happy with that condition he had gone to a lot of trouble to increase Celine’s security of late and he was reluctant to let her out of his sight perhaps Karl saw that given what he said next.

“Don’t be alarmed Ban you can come aboard with Celine if she chooses to do so” Karl said as he sipped at the wine Hrt had placed in front of him “unarmed though” he added almost as an afterthought. “Now enough of business” Karl announced “this is Hrt’s night and we are being rude I have explained that I will be leaving earlier than the rest of the crew so we can give it a few mizura then I will make my excuse’s and we can continue this discussion elsewhere”.

Ban looked to Celine for some clue as to her wishes but it was clear she was still recovering from the shocks she had been subjected to so far and that she would board the Phoenix with Karl regardless of his advice. Then again Karl had answers that might fill in the blanks for him that was the bait he was being offered he realised recognising that he was being played. Caleb he noted was watching him carefully and he had no doubt he would act in Karl’s interests or his own but not necessarily Celine’s so he had little choice but to follow her lead in this, he was not happy with the situation but then again that was what he was being paid for was it not. He discreetly sent the stand down signal to Pico hoping the man was paying attention all too aware of Caleb’s almost casual seeming scrutiny.

[Sabrina Bergin]

Celine was struggling to come to terms with the fact that Karl was sat right next to her his presence had filled a void in her she had not suspected. When she had seen Tina enter the room earlier she had assumed the worst and had panicked when she had understood the implications of her presence here.
He was not dead the words kept repeating themselves in her mind constantly distracting her so much so that she was barely able to pay attention to what was going on around her. She looked to Karl and saw the only visible signs of the wounds he had suffered the almost plastic sheen to the skin around his neck and felt a chill at what those scars implied. When she had rushed to embrace him earlier she had felt his reaction to her embrace she had hurt him then albeit unintentionally and cursed herself for not being there for him when he had needed her.

Slowly as the mizura passed she regained her composure somewhat and listened to what was being said around her. The Senior Split had apparently bought his ship of Karl and was discussing building more stations. They needed to talk he couldn’t just go building stations and complex’s at will without seriously impacting local economies, that was what Nial had been doing if he wasn’t careful he would incur hostility from the local industrialists and corporations. She sensed Bans concerns as to the terms Karl had made clear were the only ones he would accept for discussing the matter in any more detail than they already had. There was also something else Karl was keeping hidden from them and he seemed quite pleased with himself at having done so, no doubt he assumed his enemies were equally oblivious to what he was doing.
That led her thoughts down another path a reference to the fact he had been taking ships that meant he was using boarding tactics which meant he was using highly trained marines to carry out such operations and she knew well where Caleb’s teams had been since the last time the Phoenix had been in this quadrant. Were they training those people for Karl then, it was certainly possible. That just left the ships he was using to carry out such attacks Ban had said the Yaki were giving him unprecedented use of their facilities is that where he was hiding them. They would definitely have to talk if she could figure that much out so could Nial.

[Sabrina Bergin]

There will be a short Hiatus due to a game glitch that has required me to go back a fair ways game play wise so I will have to redo some of what I have done so far to bring the game back to where it was. I still have a couple of chapters written I will post shortly.

Apologies Shaun

[johneh77]

I think this is my new favorite X story. I hope you will continue! I love the whole idea of trader clans I may plagiarize the idea if I ever get around to writing one of these myself.

Oh and I wish someone would mod in chicken farm stations were you can adjust production of either eggs or poultry. I have always wondered why Argnue don't produce leather as a byproduct too.

[Sabrina Bergin]

Thanks for the praise I will be returning to the story in the new year.

[Sabrina Bergin]

I have now recovered the game after a lot of faffing about involving a hard drive that refused to be recognised by my computer. I will now be able to continue and I Hope you enjoy reading as much as I like writing about Karl and his crew.

"Caleb We will leave now" Karl announced making it clear to all at the table it was not a request.

Karl rose and spoke in fluent Split to Hrt who replied briefly and ordered a group of warriors to escort Karl and his party to the dock. Celine found herself being led By Karl from the room startled at the speed with which they found themselves once more aboard the Phoenix. Ban and Pico were with her when they arrived and without being asked they surrendered their weapons to the Guards waiting in the main access corridor of the ship.

Karl led Celine and the others to his stateroom the Guards remaining at the doorway when they had entered the room. Karl seated Celine then took his own chair indicating the others should make themselves comfortable.

[johneh77]

Waiting anxiously

[Sabrina Bergin]

More coming I just have to get Microsoft office sorted out thanks for your patience.