047: The Tools of Acquisition – Two
The Necupole world of Miasferr, where the auction was going to be taking place, was located in a system that was absolutely lousy with planets that had breathable atmospheres. The Necupole Plutocracy had been so spoiled for choice when it came to setting up colonies in this system that half the habitable worlds weren't even settled, as there had been something minor about them that bumped them down the list from the rest of the options in the system.
It was on one of these uninhabited worlds, a small thing on the edge of the system that the locals had named Cazorini, where the crew of the Sudoxe had set up shop.
After they'd come out of subspace, the both of them running their own stealth systems, the Sudoxe had pinged the Pelekys a landing zone, and the two ships silently came in for a landing.
The base itself was nothing more than a prefab structure they could pick up as easily as they dropped it off, an assortment of equipment with which to spy on the surrounding system, as well as even more equipment to mask their activities. The interior had been decorated with the customizable Kith panelling in order to make it look like something a little more permanent and lived in, though as Captain Saiwa let Pryseia, Malakh, Rhea and herself through the single hall that ran through the place (Nevara staying back on the ship with Viatrix, as the thought of socializing with so many strangers is so confined a space had her exhausted), Elytra could tell that it would look a lot more impressive once the lighting for filming was switched on, rather than the bright lights that made everything easier to see.
Most of the doors had been left closed but not locked, and a couple of the Sudoxe's crew peeled off into them as they went, but one room had been sealed shut with a thick bar welded across it, and Elytra felt a powerful echo of dark emotions as she passed it by. A shiver raced down her spine with the certainty that, whatever had happened to the Sudoxe's missing crew member, it had happened in there.
Slightly in front of her, Chela turned to catch her eye, nodding slightly. As a koleopteran, she could feel the emotional echo coming from that room, and by the feel of grief rolling off her, Elytra realized with horror, she had been in the room when whatever had happened, happened.
"My sister, Husan, and my hacking expert, Guthan," Saiwa introduced the two other deorvirans that followed them into a situation room filled with consoles, displays, and tables brimming with information relating to their current mission, "We've been masterminding this whole thing with- with the time we've had on our hands. They can fill you in on more details."
Elytra didn't need a zymeth's telepathy to know that "time" hadn't been what the captain had been planning to say. The ripple of pain from the Sudoxe's crew was telling enough.
Guthan, her fur striped with light and medium brown, her mane much darker, swiped a hand across the display on the table in the middle of the room in order to bring up a map of their target.
"The Aaur Niikaschlde Centre is heavily guarded, more so than you would expect," a tap of her finger brought up an overlay detailing the defences on the place, "This is because the organizations behind this auction are all arms dealers, and the warehouse itself is used to store many of their more expensive items. The interior of the place, on the other hand, is lightly defended, entirely due to the fact that they don't believe that anyone could overcome the exterior's defences."
"Meaning getting out will be easier than getting in." Malakh said as she studied the map.
Pointing a finger at her, Guthan said, "Precisely. This is where your human friend will come into play."
"You said you've already got IDs in the bag?" Rhea asked.
Husan nodded. "Yes. We'll need to get some pictures of you once you've altered yourself to look necupole, but we can do that closer to the day of the auction, so you won't have to be stuck in that state overly long. I've also developed a biological agent that will mask the differences in your human genetics in order to trick whatever bioscanners they have in there into thinking you're fully necupole, I'll just need a genetic sample from you so I can tailor it to your code rather than-"
She cut herself off abruptly, jaw clenching and eyes welling with tears, and Elytra was struck by the wave of sadness and anger that suddenly sloughed off the other woman.
Saiwa sighed heavily, looping an arm around her sister's shoulders as she said, "I'm sure you're aware by now that we're down a crew member. The details are too fresh, but all you need to know is that they got themselves killed due to something they'd been lying about for years."
The emotions that statement brought out of the Sudoxe crew were so strong that Elytra was momentarily lightheaded from it. Across the table from her, Chela staggered slightly, and Furista was quick to place a hand against her back.
She then turned to Pryseia, saying, "We'll have to come up with a reason to write them out of our narrative in a way that will preserve their character, as they were to be headlining this broadcast."
"We will gladly render whatever assistance in that regard as we can." Pryseia promised.
Saiwa nodded at that. "It's appreciated. We'll need to work your crew into the narrative as well, since we're going to be working together and all, so if you're amenable we can figure out the details of that now?"
"Now's a good a time as any," Rhea said, smiling sympathetically, "We had our own brainstorming session while on our way over, so hopefully we'll be able to whip up something that works for both our crews in short order."
"Captain, we've got a lock on Saint's signal. It's been days since we lost contact, do you think…"
"It was a reconnaissance run, and Saint's our best. They have to be fine."
Captain Sharp, the dark furred leader of the Sudoxe crew torn down a dimly lit corridor, gun in hand and a ferocious snarl on her face. One turn, then another, before she came skidding to a halt in front of a sealed door. She hastily pulled a small device from her jacket pocket before slapping it against the door's surface.
A display blinked to life on it, and numbers began to cycle on screen too fast to track, before coming to rest, one by one. As the last number fell into place, there was a bright "DING!" from the device, and Shapr pocketed it before the door slid open before her.
Inside, a broken and bloody body lay face down on the floor.
"No. No no no no…"
The gun tumbling from her hand, Sharp scrambled over to the figure, gently turning them over. It was a gruesome sight. Completely unrecognizable, the figure's face had been smashed to a pulp, lacerations covering their chest, all of them crusted over with long dried blood.
Red blood, the blood of a human.
The blood of Saint.
Chest heaving with emotion, Sharp held her crew mate's body in her hands, shock writ large across her features.
She didn't have long to mourn, for a sinister laugh rang through the room.
Captain Sharp had her gun in her hand an instant later, standing to level the weapon at the open door of the cell as she demanded, "Show yourself."
A screen on the far wall of the cell blinked to life, showing the image of a pink and purple koleopteran in a designer suit smirking from the seat of her desk.
"Well well, I hadn't expected it would be Captain Sharp herself who would come to pick up the body, otherwise I may have left more surprises in store."
Lowering the gun as she turned to face the screen, Sharp growled out, "And what accursed name do you go by?"
The koleopteran laughed at that. "Names are for friends or business partners, and you aren't either. For now, you can simply refer to me as… the Shareholder."
Sharp let out a mirthless laugh at that, shaking her head in incredulity. "I'm going to refer to you as dead soon enough, for what you've done to my crew."
"Deliver all the threats you like, you'll never find me." The Shareholder said with a confident sneer, "And if you try to do so, you'll meet the same fate as that Saint of yours. Now, I have more important matters to attend to. Have a pleasant flight back to your merry little band."
And with that, the screen went dark.
Captain Sharp stood staring at it for a moment, her shoulders rising and falling with her tightly controlled breathing. Eventually she holstered her gun, then bent to pick up her fallen crew member's body.
Once the shuttle dematted into the Sudoxe's cargo hold, the rest of the crew came running over. Even if they hadn't had any koleopterans on their crew, they could also sense that something had gone horribly wrong.
Verge, the reddish blonde deorviran gunnery chief, was the first to reach the shuttle as the door swung open. She took a step back when Sharp stepped out, looking haggard.
"Captain, what happened? Where's Saint?"
Sharp just stared at her for a moment, jaw clenched tight, before she stepped to the side. Lying on a bench within the shuttle was a sheet draped form, a bloody hand hanging limply out from under it.
Verge went completely still, while gasps and cries rang out from the crew gathered behind her. Averral, the normally jovial, brown furred hacking expert, was stone faced as she stepped next to Verge and asked, "Who did this?"
"She called herself the Shareholder. I want her found. I want her to pay."
"I'll see what I can find." Averral said with a nod before heading resolutely off to do what she does best.
Stepping inside the ship, Verge easily gathered up the body of her fallen comrade in her arms, marching it past the gathered others. The green carapaced koleopteran Claret nodded to Sharp before following after Verge.
The captain watched them go for a moment before she turned to her crew.
"We will make sure to take our vengeance in blood for this."
Dusk on an alien world, the horizon bleeding gold as the sun was forced from the sky.
The crew of the Sudoxe stood gathered around a burning pyre, a humanoid shape in the centre of it.
Stepping up next to Sharp, Averral whispered, "I have found some information on the Shareholder, but it's not good."
"I'll hear it anyway." Sharp said without turning away from the pyre.
"Sounds like she's done a lot of dirty dealings, enough so that she's gone to great lengths to keep herself hidden. I can't find out anything about her through my normal means."
"Why do I have the sneaking suspicion you've found other means, then?"
"You know me well, Captain. I've set up a meeting for after… after all this."
Sharp turned finally, giving her a slight nod.
"Thank you. The sooner the Shareholder pays for what she's done to us, the better."
Back on the Sudoxe, her crew gathered around her, Sharp motioned from her captain's seat for the main viewscreen to be activated.
The glitching image of a red, double headed axe briefly appeared, before it gave way to a severe bridge, a blue skinned deupazing sitting crowned upon her throne.
"Captain Sharp." The woman greeted her coolly.
"Queen Kaizoku," Sharp returned with a brief nod, "Averral tells me that you may be able to help us."
Queen Kaizoku frowned at that, tilting her head back slightly, "This is not an act of charity, but rather a mutually beneficial arrangement."
"How so?" Sharp asked.
Queen Kaizoku glanced at something off screen, jerking her head slightly in summons. A hooded figure came into view a moment later, their face obscured behind a foggy helmet, only their bright white eyes piercing the gloom.
"You seek vengeance…" Madame Augury's voice came out as a whisper, yet could still be heard by all gathered, "Something was taken from you… someone… and you would see this loss paid back in blood…"
Sitting forward in her chair, Sharp said, "I would. The perpetrator of this wrong, she remains hidden to me."
"But not to me…" Augury hissed, "Not for long…"
Augury's head tipped back then, her hood filling with light as her eyes flared, and she was pulled down into a vision.
…the Shareholder at her desk, smirking as machinations spun around her…
…an office in a building, in a fortress, on a world defended by things no normal ship could get through…
…a compound of gold hiding tools of war…
…a sleek ship powerful enough to punch through any defences…
…a Storlayacas laying in wait, its eyes momentarily flaring gold…
Augury stumbled forward as she came back to herself, a shudder wracking her body before she spoke once more.
"Your quarry… your Shareholder… she has hidden herself away beyond an iron curtain that your ship will not be able to force aside…"
Verge snarled from her seat at the gunner station, demanding, "Then what good does that do us?!"
"I said your ship cannot make the journey… another can…"
"And you know where this ship is." Sharp stated.
Augury nodded once at that. "It lies in the halls of opulence… alongside our own target…" At this she turned to the Queen, "It would be mutually beneficial to collaborate on the liberation of what we seek."
Queen Kaizoku gave Madame Augury a long, searching look before she glanced back in Captain Sharp's direction. "A temporary alliance, then."
"Agreed." Captain Sharp said, tilting her head back slightly, "We should meet in person to discuss the details."
Queen Kaizoku motioned to something off screen, and a moment later the ship's pilot, Claret, touched something on her console. She turned to Sharp, saying, "We've just been given coordinates, Captain."
"I expect to see you there promptly." Queen Kaizoku said before the line went dead.
"Set course." Captain Sharp said, still staring at the screen, "Let's see what the Pelekys can provide."
A small world on the edge of a heavily populated system. The coordinates were empty when the Sudoxe arrived, and so as was their custom, they dematted a simple command centre onto the surface.
No sooner had they set it up then a ship emerged from stealth, parked directly in front of their structure. Captain Sharp walked out of the structure in time to watch a ramp descend from the front of the ship, and the Queen and her court descend from within.
"Impressive stealth capabilities." Sharp said as they approached.
"A necessity in our line of work, as you are well aware." Kaizoku said with an arch of her eyebrow.
Sharp let out the briefest of laughs through her nose, then nodded for the newcomers to follow her inside.
They made their way to the heart of the structure, to a room filled with empty screens and displays, a bare table at the centre of it all. Several of her crew were standing around, eyeing the crew of the Pelekys warily.
"Show them what we have." Queen Kaizoku said, and the Queen's Red Left Hand stepped forward, bringing a hand up to briefly touch the cruel looking device attached to the side of her head.
All around the room, the screens were suddenly filled with schematics, the information so densely detailed that it would take weeks to decipher. Stepping up to the table in the middle of the room, the Hand tapped a finger against it, activating a holographic display of a planet surrounded by an all encompassing satellite system of weapon platforms.
"We've tracked the Shareholder to a small world along the rim, close enough to Bernetigan space to keep accidental discovery to a minimum," the Hand told Sharp and her crew, "The defences she's put up are built to keep out anything smaller than a planet buster, but that's a flaw as much as it is a strength. A ship small enough and fast enough could punch through those defences before they even have a chance to target it."
"And just where might one find such a ship?" Chapel, Sharp's younger sister, asked as she stepped up to the table.
Another tap from the Hand and the holographic display changed to show a sleek looking vessel, heavily modified to the point that it was impossible to tell what it started out life as. "There is one currently about to go on auction. Until that day arrives, it sits in a highly defended warehouse."
"So we break in and take it?" Claret asked.
"Only if you wish to follow the path of the Saint…" Augury whispered.
Verge made to lunge at the seer at the mention of her fallen crew mate, but Captain Sharp clapped a hand against her shoulder.
"No break ins, then. So what do you suggest?"
Chancellor Bathory stepped forward, towering above everyone else in the room as she said, "We get invited."
Captain Sharp frowned at that, but motioned for her to continue.
The Chancellor stepped up to the table, casually moving the Hand aside with a hand against the small over her back, the other reaching out to tap against the screen on the table. The holographic display vanished, and on the surface of the table the blueprints of a warehouse appeared.
"Both the ship you want, and the mech we seek, are being kept in the same heavily guarded warehouse. We'd have to level the place to bypass the defences preventing us from entry, but that would damage our prizes, and we can't have that. In a few week's time, there is to be an auction held in the warehouse, our targets among the items that are to be bid on. Bidders will be welcomed inside in order to get eyes on what they'll be throwing their money at, and so in order to sneak in the people needed to lay claim to what is ours, we'll need someone to usher them in unseen." Bathory explained.
"Then who shall we send to be this distraction?" Captain Sharp asked.
A slow smirk curled Bathory's lips as she touched the screen again, the holographic display returning to show a pale, humanoid woman.
"It's in Necupole space, so there's only one option for who's going to be the decoy."
The hologram shifted, the woman mimicking Bathory's pose, obscuring her from view.
No, not obstructing her - recolouring her.
Blonde and pale, Chancellor Bathory looked strikingly necupole.