Chapter 47

The party carried on through the night, with many people enjoying the festivities and celebrating their victory over the hated Confederacy. While most people partied, one group only partook in the barest minimum of the wild night that was happening. This group was a scout group of the pirate ship, Peregrine, which had been tasked with locating the crew of the Darkstrider and to await further orders.

“How long do we have to watch these idiots drinking themselves into a coma? I say we stop waiting and grab them now!” said one of the men as loudly as he dared.

“Hsst! Not so loud, dumbass!” the leader of the group told him as a couple of others gave the man a cuff upside the head.

“Why are we waiting? We know that we’re to grab them and their ship, which is entirely possible now! I mean, when are we going to find a better opportunity than now?” the first pirate scoffed.

“The timing might be good, but it’s not like this group is a bunch of fools! Only an idiot would think that we could grab them away from all the people cheering for them and wanting to buy them drinks!” the leader told him, reminding him that this group was the center of attention. If they tried nabbing them now, that would make them the center of attention and they were told to avoid detection at all costs.

“Besides, it’s not like they are leaving anytime soon! They’ll be here for a while yet, so we have some time to form up a plan!” the leader went on, earning some nods for this line of thinking.

“Maybe we should get ourselves out of here. We’ve been sitting for too long and it looks like a couple of waitresses are getting suspicious,” came the voice of another pirate.

“Good point. Let’s go, before we invoke more than simple suspicions,” the leader stated, giving a pointed look at the loudmouth.

Looking chagrined, the loudmouth moved with his friends and they left the Black Kettle, making it look like they were leaving for another place to party. The group huffed at their lack of orders and while they could have tried to snatch the crew of the Darkstrider; they knew that their respective pirate lords would have their heads. So, they meandered around the streets, while staying close to the bar where their quarry was busy partying.

“Boss? I think we got company,” one of the men stated as he saw another group of ragtag individuals heading their way. Some of these people, a few of the pirates recognized, and the leader smiled when they got close enough to see them clearly.

“Stand down, boys! Looks like we got ourselves some reinforcements!” the leader said with a smirk, as he saw that this group, mostly women, were ones he knew personally. This was one of Lady Zarkazh’s crews, and it was a good omen that the most prominent pirate lady was sending them some aid!

“Becka! Good to see you here! I take it you’re our reinforcements?” the leader asked, smiling at the woman.

“You could say that,” the woman told him. “Come with me. We have much to discuss.”

Nodding, the leader gestured to his men, and they followed, making sure to appear as though they were enjoying the festivities. Some of the men were, to an extent, while still keeping an eye on things. They finally arrived in a large alleyway, far enough away from the main party that no one paid them any mind.

“So, what did you want to discuss, Becka?” the leader questioned.

“Your surrender,” came another voice. Out of the shadows of an adjoining alley walked Daphres Matarn, flanked by her lovers. From out of other little hiding places, additional pirates popped up, showing the men of the Peregrine that they were surrounded.

“Wait, what the fuck is this?!?” the leader demanded, with some of his men fingering their weapons.

“This is a change of command and orders. You and your men will follow us and the orders of the pirate lady, Zarkazh. We are taking command of the situation now and if you refuse, then we will shoot you,” Daphres told the men, who were looking around desperately for a way out.

“We follow the orders of the pirate lords, Tubal, Garlan and Raanech! Your ‘lady’ Zarkazh is the lesser of the pirate lords! We don’t follow her and never will!” the leader rebuffed, looking ready to call his men into action.

“Then join your lords in oblivion!” Daphres retorted as she drew her silenced pistol and fired.

The entire ambush team then opened fire with silenced weapons, gunning down all who fought against them. Zarkazh’s women gave no quarter to those who tried resisting, ensuring that who fought back were killed. There were a few who surrendered, but they were less than half the crew, which was less than ideal. Still, it would do as the pirate ship could function with half a crew.

“I assume your boys’ desire to live ranks higher than your loyalty to your lords?” Daphres questioned as she walked among the dead and the survivors with her pistol raised.

“Yes ma’am! I’d rather live and enjoy what life has to offer, than die for some misbegotten lord who doesn’t treat us all with respect,” one of the men of the Peregrine told her.

“Which lord?”

“Tubal. The man is a swine who doesn’t know his ass from his mouth. There are days I swear they are one and the same, spewing nothing but shit!” the man stated.

“A convenient answer. How can I be certain that this mindset is genuine?” Daphres questioned, cocking her head to one side as her finger danced on the trigger of her pistol.

“I could try making some shit up, but that will probably see me with my head blown off. I’d rather tell the truth and keep it and the truth is, I’ve been pissed with him for some time,” the man told her.

“Really? Over what?” Daphres asked.

“Swag that was taken from us, as a ‘tax’. A lord who would ‘tax’ his own men and take only the best of our booty, leaving us with the dregs? It has gone on for too long!” the man told her.

“A sentiment echoed by many a man in Tubal’s service. Would you serve Lady Zarkazh instead of Lord Tubal, then?” Daphres asked.

“Without question! I’ve heard good things from those in the lady’s crews. If a tenth of what I’ve heard is true, then it will be a far cry better than serving Tubal!” the older man said.

“Wise decision! Do the rest of you feel in a similar manner?” she queried, wondering if she would find other like this man.

There were a few who answered her honestly, and she listened to them all. There were a few who were a little off in the answers, but she gave them the benefit of the doubt. They all hated Tubal, this much was clear. But whether serving Zarkazh was the better option, that remained to be seen. Once they got a taste of the life that Zarkazh offered them, they would turn and pledge her their loyalty, she was sure of it.

“Very good. For now, you men are to keep watch of things here in town and keep me and my crew appraised of any developments. Now, find out what you can about this crew you have been tasked with observing, but have yourselves some fun! No sense in living if you can’t live it up now and then!” Daphres told these men.

They all looked at each other before turning to look at her. Did their new boss just tell them to go and ... have fun? Some of them shrugged and did just that, heading back for the party that was taking place, eager to get themselves some free food and booze. The others looked at her in question, wondering if this was some sort of trick.

“You gents look like you haven’t had a proper shore leave in a while. Go on, avail yourselves, but keep a watch on our quarry,” Daphres told them.

Seeing that their new captain gave them permission to mix business and pleasure, the rest of the crew of The Peregrine left to join their friends. Some of Daphres’ crew looked on in question, wondering if their captain had lost her mind.

“Are you sure that’s truly wise, captain?” Dominic asked. “For all we know, they could try deserting us and taking off to do their own thing.”

“That will be difficult to do, since we already own the Peregrine,” Daphres told her lover.

“What? When?” Khale questioned.

“Right after we located the watch crew, I dispatched a secondary team once we latched onto their signal and triangulated it. Raylee and her girls narrowed down the location to within a few hundred feet. I should be expecting a report from her at any moment now,” Daphres stated.

Not even a few seconds later, Daphres’ holocomm buzzed, and she answered it. On the holo stood a moderately attractive human woman in her thirties. She smiled up at her captain as she spoke.

“Captain Matarn!” Raylee said in greeting.

“I would assume that you and your girls found the Peregrine?” Daphres inquired.

“That we did, captain! We tried going in with diplomacy, getting the boys to let us aboard. But some of them were a little antsy and got trigger-happy,” Raylee replied with a shake of her head.

“Casualties?” Daphres questioned while remaining impassive.

“A few of ours got shot up, but they’ll be all right. The infiltrators that Zarkazh had placed aboard did their job well. They blocked off access to the ship’s essential systems and prevented them from gaining access to the armory. Because of this, those loyal to Tubal and the other pirate lords quickly gave up. They knew they’d be dead soon and would rather live than not,” Raylee reported.

“Excellent news! Sus out those who you think will turn against Tubal and offer them a place among our ranks,” Daphres instructed.

“Very good, captain. And the rest?”

“Dispose of them. Let them be an example to those who may harbor any semblance of loyalty to the other two Pirate Lords,” Daphres told her.

“Understood,” Raylee replied before the line went dead.

“You see? Our new ... crew members won’t be getting off this rock anytime soon. Not without our say so at least,” Daphres said to her assembled crew, making them all nod at her cleverness.

“What of them neglecting their duty in watching our quarry? Lady Zarkazh will string us up by our bits if we fail to keep an eye on them or lose them,” Dominic reminded her.

“This is why some of our own are already out there, mingling with the locals. Should these men fail, then ours will not,” Daphres told him as her crew busied themselves with cleaning up the mess of bodies.

“So, now what do we do?” Khale asked.

“You two will help this lot with cleaning up this mess. Once you’re done with that, then we can find a place to lay low until we get new orders,” Daphres ordered, directing her men to get to work.

They grumbled a bit, but knew they had to pull their weight along with the rest of them. As they moved along, Daphres reset and redialed a number with her holocomm, moving to the next phase of the plan. She activated the encryption key to ensure anyone who intercepted it would hear and see only white noise. Once the encryption was complete, she hit the dial button and straightened up. Her contact picked up on the third ring.

“Captain Matarn! Good to see your face!” said Jolena Sortani, smiling at her compatriot.

“You as well, Captain Sortani!” Daphres replied with a grin.

“I assume you have an update for me?” Jolena questioned.

“Yes, I do! The crew of the Peregrine has been subdued and we now have full eyes on what’s going on here at Prodosia!” Daphres told her friend.

“Well done! I hope that Tubal and Garlan’s men didn’t give you too much trouble?” Jolena questioned.

“Nothing we couldn’t handle. Caught a good portion of them by surprise, so they didn’t see it coming,” Daphres informed her.

“Very good! Hold position and hold to your current orders until everything is finished. I will call you when it is done,” Jolena told her subordinate. With that, Daphres ended the call and went back to directing her crew. They were doing a pretty good job of things so far and the captain inspected the kill zone, pointing out any bits of blood that stuck out.

“How’s it looking, boys?” Daphres queried as she watched her crew finish with the cleanup.

“Looking much like it did before! Could have left it and no one would have been the wiser,” one of the crew members stated with a scoff.

“Not with this crew running around! Better to be safe than sorry kids!” Daphres told them and several nodded soberly. Their captain had proven that time and again that as long as you got the details right and cleaned up your messes, there was nothing that could or would stop you.

“Now that we’re finished dealing with all of these dead assholes, what would you have us do?” Dominic asked as he ambled up with Khale.

“Well, these louts will find us a spot to hunker down for the moment, along with some booze to drink after a hard days’ work,” Daphres stated loudly, which earned her a cheer, as booze was always a welcome thing.

“Then,” she continued, “You and Dom here can see about getting me drunk enough to take advantage of me.”

Jolena smiled as the call ended and she stood up, ready to carry out her assignment. While she had been initially sent to whip the men here at the hidden base back into fighting shape, there was another reason behind her visit. Quite simply, when the word was given, she was to take the base by storm and kill any who resisted the will of Lady Zarkazh.

She had already been given the order, but was instructed to wait to execute it until she received an update from Daphres. Now that she had, she was clear to begin her stage in the grand plan. Jolena tapped her vambrace, sending a signal to every member of her crew that the purge was about to begin. Drawing her weapons, she stepped out of the lavish office and into the corridor, where several of her most loyal crew members waited.

“Ready to go?” she asked the women assembled.

“More than ready, Commander! Been waiting for this since the moment we set foot on this damned hunk of junk!” one of her bodyguards stated.

“You’ve all behaved yourselves admirably since our arrival. Now, you may show these ... men ... just how you feel about their incompetence and idiocy,” Jolena told them with a predatory grin.

“With extreme prejudice?”

“Extreme prejudice!” Jolena told them.

Grinning, the group followed her lead down the corridor, going from room to room systematically. They found more than a few men who were in their quarters at this hour, making them easy kills. Some had sued for mercy and, depending on how the men were towards Jolena and her crews, were granted that. Those who were spared were rounded up and locked away in a storage closet, so they wouldn’t cause trouble.

“Well, that’s the command level. The other teams are already doing their jobs down on the lower levels,” one of the Takharian women, Salizza, told her.

“Have our teams positioned themselves by the docks and berths?” Jolena asked, hoping that no one had tried to get on a ship.

“Wait one!” Salizza said as she tapped her earpiece, listening for confirmation. A toothy grin lit her face, making the woman look quite bloodthirsty in that moment.

“That’s affirmed, captain! We hold the docks and each berth, so far!” the Takharian woman responded.

“Good news! Let’s get down there and help with reinforcing their position!” Jolena told them, and the women all cheered, ready to take down any who opposed them.

Joseph Briggs and Michael Philips ran for their lives, doing everything possible to outdistance Jolena’s hunters. The pair of men were lucky in their circumstance, as they had been walking around the station’s corridors chatting with each other when the attack came. Seeing their friends gunned down in cold blood told the men all they needed to know about the situation. It was a coup.

They figured it must be Lady Zarkazh who was behind it, as everyone else who was being killed served either the lords Tubal or Garlan. They were hustling hard to the communications center, hoping to rally the men against this incursion. The moment they arrived, the pair quickly ducked behind some nearby crates, getting out of sight.

“Fuck us all to hell!” Rat-Faced Mike growled, cursing their luck.

“Seems like Zarkazh has been planning this for some time! How the fuck do we get out of here?” Briggs groaned as he saw that Jolena’s women now controlled the communications center.

“You still have those contacts in the Federation?” Mike asked.

“Yeah ... why?” Briggs inquired.

“Then that means we may have a chance at taking this shit back! No sense in throwing away our lives in this fight! Zarkazh has won this one!” Rat Face growled as he started to scoot in the opposite direction.

“How the fuck are we going to get out of here? They’ve probably got the berths and docks covered!” Briggs complained, knowing how well disciplined Zarkazh’s crew were.

“Not all of them! If we hurry, we might be able to reach the ship I squirreled away before those women do!” Rat Face countered.

“Ship? What ship?” Briggs asked, his eyes alight with hope.

“One that I pulled out of the defense fleet for ‘maintenance reasons.’ Figured with how shit was going once Zarkazh’s women showed up, I’d need an out sooner or later. I hate it when I’m right about shit like this!” Rat Face griped.

“Well, what are we waiting for? Let’s get out of here!” Briggs enthused.

“Follow me and don’t fall behind. You fall behind, you get left, got it?” Mike asked. Briggs just nodded, and the pair then made their way through the corridors and into the bowels of the base. They took lesser used corridors and eventually found their way to the small hangar where Mike had parked the ship. When they got there, they were greeted by an unwelcome sight.

“Shit! Can’t we catch a fucking break?!?” Rat Face groaned as he took in the force of women and men trying to breach the hangar.

The men that Mike had gathered to leave based on their mutual dislike of Zarkazh’s crews were holding, but barely. Nearly half of them lie dead or wounded and the rest of them weren’t much better off. They were hiding around a corner, peeking out at the pair of teams that were shooting at Mike’s men. Both men pulled their weapons, knowing this was going to be a fight if they were to get away.

“You got any grenades?” Briggs questioned.

“Just two. Why?” Rat Face asked, holding them up.

Briggs grabbed them both, activated them and sent them flying over to where Zarkazh’s crews were hiding. There was only time for them to utter an expletive or two before the explosives went off, sending some flying while others were killed instantly. Briggs then broke cover and fired at anyone who was still standing, dropping them quickly. Mike was right behind him, taking out anyone that Briggs missed in his initial volley.

“Fuck, man! Here I thought you were just a desk jockey!” Mike commented as they surveyed their handiwork.

“Not the time to make snide comments! Let’s get in there and get out of here!” Briggs snapped. Seeing his point, Rat Face put up his weapon and rushed through the entry to the hangar, hoping enough of his men were still alive.

“Boss? That you?” came a weak voice.

“Yeah! We took down those fucking cunts like nobody’s business! We still OK to fly?” the man asked.

“Yeah, but some of the boys here aren’t in great shape! Even our pilot is hurt bad!” the man replied, clutching a wound in his side.

“Anyone who’s alive, get them on board! Leave the dead,” Briggs told him.

“Who the fuck are you, man?”

“Someone who is a pilot and will get your scrawny ass out of here if you stop asking stupid questions!” Briggs almost roared. The man was shocked at this outburst, but just nodded and did as he was told.

“Nicely done!” Rat Face commented as he moved to get his men to their feet.

They didn’t know how long they had, but the group intended to make every second count. Hustling as fast as they could, each pirate helped those they could to get aboard and nabbed what weapons they could find. Rat Face raced to the nearby control center and set about getting the hangar doors open. Briggs got himself aboard the ship and hurried to the cockpit, getting the ship ready for launch.

“It’s done! The doors are opening! Everyone, get your ass aboard! We’re leaving!” Mike crowed as he bolted out of the control room. Just as he did, he heard shouting and screaming as several more of his men were gunned down. Turning his head while he ran, he saw that more of Jolena’s hunters had found them. Eyes widening in fear, he dashed as fast as he could, just reaching the door before Briggs sealed every entry.

“Hang onto something, boys!” Briggs shouted as the ship’s engines fired up and flared to life, pushing them forward. Small arms fire rattled the frigate’s hull, but it could take the hits with little damage and they pressed on. The doors were open just enough for the ship to pass through and Briggs gunned it, zipping right out of the hangar.

“We’re out! We’re clear!” Mike exulted, thinking they had escaped.

“Not quite! Got several ships bearing down on our location! Tactical, you got anything for me?” Briggs called out.

“A whole wing of fighters just launched from the Morrigan! They’ll be on us in fifty seconds!” the tactical officer told him.

“Get our shields up! If we don’t, then this is going to be one short trip! Computer, how long before we have the necessary hyperspace co-ordinates to jump?!?” Briggs barked, while putting the pedal to the metal.

“Sixty-five seconds, before hyperspace jump is possible,” came the detached robotic voice.

“Shit! Mike, this thing have any guns?!?” Briggs called out, hoping they could at least defend themselves.

“Not many, but they all work!” Mike hollered, heading over to one such turret as the fighters screamed in on their position.

Briggs cursed mentally, but knew that this was the only way they’d get out alive, so he went with it. He made sure to point the ship in the correct direction, or they’d be flying out in Wild Space. With Wild Space, which was largely uncharted, anything could happen which would see them dead. The angle which he was pointed at lined up with the route he needed to take out of here, and he pressed the engines as hard as he dared.

Moments later, he felt the familiar impact of laser fire rock the ship. He saw a few panels fall off and exposed wires spark as the ship held together, barely. The man took a quick look at the readout and groaned, seeing that their shields were at thirty percent and falling. More shots were fired from the incoming fighters, and they pelted them with more blasts of energy.

“Fuck!! Computer, how long before we can make the jump to hyperspace?!?” Briggs panicked, seeing their shields dip below ten percent.

“Hyperspace jump ready in three ... two ... one.”

“Aw, fuck this shit all to the depths of the bottom most hell!!” Trista Mohrkan cursed as she watched the frigate complete the jump into hyperspace.

“The captain won’t be pleased with this,” her second in command agreed.

“Might as well tell her right now,” Trista grumbled, not wanting to be the bearer of bad news. She opened the comms line and rang Captain Jolena Sortani. She picked up on the third ring, the hologram of her face staring at Trista.

“Tell me that you and yours have prevented that ship from getting away,” Jolena hoped, thinking that Trista’s wing had done just that.

“My apologies, ma’am, but I cannot report that. That ship ... it got away,” Trista responded.

“Damn! This is unexpected and has forced our hand. I can only hope that our Lady is ready to go now. If not, then we’re all dead,” Jolena growled, not liking this outcome.

“The ship in question looked like it was ready to make such a break like it did. Do you think the pilot planned this?” Trista wondered.

“Of that, I have no doubt! Have your ships continue to do a full sweep of the area! Once that is done, report to ... Hurtha, for punishment,” Jolena told her with an evil smirk.

“Yes, ma’am!” Trista told her before the line went dead.

“Well, it could have been worse,” her second in command told her.

“How?” Trista asked.

“How what?”

“How could it be worse? I have to be that woman’s toy for a full twenty-four hours! How could that be worse?” Trista growled.

“You could have wound up being the toy for more than one of the harder officers aboard any ship! Tell me you haven’t forgotten what happened to poor Helena?” the woman questioned.

Hearing that made Trista shudder involuntarily, as punishments that involved service to more than one officer in the fleet were often far worse than just one. Even if that one woman in the fleet was the most arrogant and ungrateful twat in the entire fleet.

“You’re right. It could be worse.”

“Please ... let me ... die...” the man begged as Droga, one of the Takharian women with scales of green and gold, with a shock white under belly pressed her foot to his groin. She was applying a fair bit of pressure down there. Not enough to rupture his balls, but close enough to where he was begging for his life.

“Not until you tell me who was on board, and what their plan was,” Jolena told him.

“Go ... to...” he started, thinking he could get them to back off.

“Boss, please let me take my foot off. Crushing his balls will do nothing to get him to talk,” Droga told her.

“Oh? What would you suggest we do, then?” Jolena asked lazily.

“Let me try using an ... alternative means of persuasion,” she said with a toothy grin. Unlike Salizza, Droga looked more Draconian than human, especially when it came to her teeth, which were sharp as razors. Jolena cocked an eyebrow, then smirked before speaking her mind.

“Don’t devour them all at once and make sure he at least has something left to piss out of,” Jolena remarked offhandedly. Droga then giggled happily, removing her foot and producing a knife to cut the man’s pants open. His eyes bulged, and he then started babbling incoherently, fear gripping his mind.

“I’m sorry, but what was that?” Jolena asked, putting a hand to her ear.

“What do you want to know?!?” the man asked in abject terror, having put two and two together with what Droga was going to do to him.

“Who escaped, and how long have they been planning this?” Jolena demanded.

“Michael Philips is the man who had that ship brought in here. Many of the men sided with him because they felt women shouldn’t be coming here and telling us how to do our job,” the man replied.

“What was his endgame?” Jolena asked, curious about this man’s plans.

“To take the ship and get out, so he could do whatever pirating he pleased, without anyone telling him what he could or couldn’t do,” the man replied, hoping he’d get to keep his balls.

“I see. So, he fostered no loyalty to Tubal or Garlan?” Jolena questioned, certain they were getting the truth from him.

“Hardly! The man was all about doing things his way, under his rules, with no one holding his leash,” the prisoner told them.

“Well, that’s something, at least. But the bad news for you is that you won’t die,” Jolena told him with a predatory grin.

“Why not?” he asked, thinking he would finally be granted release.

“Simple. You have proven that you not only stood against us, but are also ... malleable to some extent. Let’s see just how malleable you are. Salizza! He’s all yours!” Jolena told the Takharian woman.

“Wha—what are you going to do to me?!?” the man gulped, fear powering his voice.

“Relax, human! I’m not going to kill you, or devour you like Droga there would. No, you will be my pet,” the woman smiled, her teeth more humanoid than Droga’s.

“A—pet??” he croaked, wondering what this entailed.

“Yes! Jolena has been promising me one for some time now! Having seen what you are, you’ll do,” she smirked as she produced a collar and leash from a satchel on her hip and fastened it around his neck. The man looked up at the woman in horror, thinking this was the end of the road for him.

“Trust me, there are far worse fates than being the pet of one of my bodyguards,” Jolena told him.

Giggling to herself, Salizza scooped the man up off the ground and walked away with him, humming a merry tune. The rest of the ladies got to work in tidying up the mess and tossing the remaining bodies into space. As they did this, Jolena walked to a small room that no one was in and pulled out her holocomm. She then dialed a number on it known only to her and kneeled before the device.

“Yes? What is it?” came the voice of Lady Zarkazh. The human woman was a sight to behold to anyone who looked upon her, but Jolena averted her eyes out of respect.

“The station is secure, my lady, as is the operation on Prodosia. You are clear to proceed with the final stage,” Jolena reported.

“Excellent news! Any issues I should be aware of?” Zarkazh demanded.

“A couple that are minor and, from what I can tell, will have no bearing on the plan,” Jolena stated. She then outlined the events of their coup, telling her of those who got away. Zarkazh’s jaw tightened, but these men who eluded her best hunters would be men to watch for in the future. If they were resourceful enough to escape a woman of Jolena’s caliber, then they would have to be dealt with.