Chapter 13 - Desmon Ontellus

Callahan Vorknor’s Base

Lentan, Strythan Nebula

Monday, 17 September 3488

            “Business is looking pretty good for you,” Tobias commented as he and Aves followed Vorknor and Mashiyo down the long corridor. The place was much more populated than Aves would have imagined a pirate’s secret hideout, all manners of dangerous looking sapients flitting to and from various labeled rooms and corridors at each side. Some of these beings sported the patchwork uniforms and colors of those involved in Vorknor’s organization, but many still went without. The place felt more like a seedy hyperlane-side space station than a pirate’s base, a waystation where undesirables stopped to replenish supplies and rest. “You’ve established your own little colony, it seems.”

            “It’s been a lucrative couple of years,” Vorknor admitted. “With the roundup of Jetty Conrad’s outfit by your precious Talosian friends,” He turned a playful eye on Aves, who returned a sour look. He knew he was supposed to be playing ‘Talosian outlaw’ but couldn’t stop his frustration. He hadn’t ever heard the name ‘Jetty Conrad’, but the name itself conjured up images of all sorts of slippery types. “The folks haven’t had anywhere to congregate. I was more than willing to offer my base as a substitute.”

            “Aren’t you afraid that one of the militaries will find you here, too?” Tobias asked.

            “Absolutely not,” Vorknor admitted. “We’re much too far outside of anyone’s borders for them to project enough power to threaten us. Nobody’s big enough, save the Union and Talosians, but at this point they’re both focused on their own internal issues. Besides, even if someone could jump in any sizeable fleet – a near impossibility thanks to the nebula, mind you – we have enough ships and weaponry on hand to rout anything smaller than the Sixth Fleet.”

            Aves let out a scoff. The Union’s Sixth Fleet was the Border Defense Force, and while smaller than the much larger First, Third, and Fifth fleets responsible for wartime action, the Sixth still carried a deceptively large amount of firepower. “You seem awfully confident in your strength,” Aves said. This time he caught the unexpected eye of that Zygerra Mashiyo, a strange coyness in her gaze which set Aves with not a small bit of discomfort as he chafed under her unrestrained beauty.   

            “Hey Napht, I’m gonna be honest. I’m not all that enamored with the way your friend talks.” Vorknor said.

            Aves frowned. “Likewise, buddy. I haven’t exactly had the best experiences with pirates in my past.” As he considered his days with the Talosian Rangers, he caught several of Vorknor’s bodyguards itching for a weapon.

            “That’s awfully big talk for someone asking for my help.” Vorknor replied, cooly. While the man sounded annoyed, he didn’t stop their trek to wherever it was taking him.

            “I think what my friend means,” Tobias was quick to interject. “Is that your victories over the past few years have made things a bit harder for our end of it. Anti-pirate laws aren’t exactly good for smugglers, either.” His eyes reprimanded Aves to behave. 

            Vorknor was silent a moment, before his annoyance exploded into a knowing laugh. “We’re a poor, misunderstood people, us pirates.” He said. “Perhaps a little of our hospitality will change your mind.”

            They rounded a corridor and came to a door, guarded by two more cobbled-together drones. Both robots made an awkward jerking movement as Vorknor approached, raising one hand in what was likely supposed to be a salute. They made room for the entourage, as the door slid open for Vorknor, revealing a staircase. Ascending it and shedding the last two of their guards, Aves and Tobias came to a large lounge, painted in a deep red and decorated in all sorts of gaudy artwork and trophy pieces. From the hints of damage on several of the pieces, Aves imagined that they had been ill-gotten gains from the pirate’s raids. Indeed, he recognized several valuable pieces of Talosian make, one containing the crest of the Loyalist Clan Sato.

            At the far end of the room was a long, tinted window, revealing a top-floor view of a much larger room below. The room had the look of a military mess hall, and was the size of a small hanger, packed with patrons. At one side of the hall was a long ceiling-to-floor windows which revealed a sweeping view of the volcanic surface of Lentan beyond, while another wall held a large bar currently manned by a bartending drone and a long-tentacled Aquish. The water-dwelling sapient wore the species’ specialized suit which covered most of its body, allowing the being to dwell on land while keeping its body in the argon-rich liquid which it needed to survive. Nine tentacles – not shielded by the suit – extended out on all sides from its amorphous form, allowing the being a great degree of gripping power which made it excel in such roles as bartending.  

            “Please, have a seat,” Vorknor offered, motioning to a series of leather seats surrounding a low table near that window. “Can I get you anything to drink?” He moved over towards his own bar, a smaller yet still well-stocked version of the one down below. No bartender worked this one, the pirate a master of his own domain.

            “Nothing for me,” Aves replied. He’d learned long ago never to accept a drink from an enemy.

            Tobias nodded. “I’ll have whatever you’re having.” Vorknor gave him a sly grin, grabbing a half-full bottle of Targell Ale. Aves wasn’t sure if Tobias’ ease made him feel more or less comfortable with the arrangement.

            Aves and Tobias took opposite chairs in the indicated position, Mashiyo stopping just shy of the bar. She took one of the stools, still holding her poise, a look of disinterest in her face. Other than the four of them, the room was empty.

            “Now that we’re alone,” Vorknor said, his back to them as he poured the drinks. “I was wondering if you two could help me solve a little mystery of my own.”  

            Aves exchanged glances with Tobias, neither of them particularly enjoying the sound of that. Recalling the tale of the drug shipment fiasco told the night before – the one which Vorknor was supposed to know nothing about. Hoping this had nothing to do with that event, Aves scanned the room, trying to identify any avenues of escape. Only the window and door which they had entered were visible, which meant that they were effectively trapped.

            “We’re hardly detectives,” Tobias replied, cautiously. “If you need something investigated, you might want to try your luck at the local constabulary.”

            “I am the local constabulary, so that doesn’t exactly help,” Vorknor replied with a grin. He slid a small glass of some clear liquor down to Mashiyo, carrying the two tall glasses of the Targell Ale over to the seating area, placing one down before Tobias and keeping the other. “No, I think this one you’ll be able to easily clear up.” Vorknor took a seat and a sip. “I would like to know why Starlancer contacted me to order a meeting as soon as possible and didn’t even have the common decency to show up herself. I had to move a lot of things around to make this work, and I’m still not sure I want to help you.” Aves slowly exhaled, letting his adrenaline drop.

            Tobias took a long pull of the beer. “We could really use your help, Callahan. We’re tracking a runaway from Novaterra, and have it on good authority that a potential suspect is staying at your little…” He motioned towards the window, and the mess hall. “Rest stop.”

            Aves caught Mashiyo cross her legs, folding her hands on her knee. She leaned back against the bar. A coy look came to Vorknor’s face. “That’s an interesting little bit of information,” He said. “I’m not sure I know what you’re talking about.”

            “Of course you do,” Aves added, impatiently. The truth was written all over the pirate’s face; he wasn’t fooling anyone. “The kid’s a Dorylaetian named Desmon Ontellus. Supposed to be some student from the Pershing Technical Institute.”

            “And what’s your source on that?” Vorknor asked, innocently.

            “A friend of yours named Sammy Fisk.” Tobias added. “I believe he’s the one who sent Ontellus out here. Kid said he was being followed and needed somewhere to lay low.”

            “What’s this about?” Vorknor asked. “What’s supposed to be so important about this – alleged – guest of mine?”

            “Come on Callahan,” Tobias said, dismissively. “We’re on a job for a client. You know we can’t reveal too much information. We do have a reputation to keep, after all.”

            “As do I,” Vorknor replied. “If I was harboring someone as a favor to a friend, it wouldn’t do to have me turning him over to a hostile party who may harm him.”

            “We aren’t the ones who want to do him harm,” Aves interjected. “That would be the people following him, no?”

            “Maybe that’s you,” Vorknor interjected. “Maybe your client is the one who wants to take him out, and they’re having Starlancer do their dirty work for them.”

            “I thought you were supposed to know Judith Rigby well,” Aves countered. “Do you think she’d get involved in something like that? She can smell bullshit a mile away.”

            Vorknor gave him a dangerous look. “I once saw that woman cut a Freelysh’s tentacles off one by one to get him to give up the location of a mark she was looking for. And that job was because the mark’s wife wanted him dead so she could marry his best friend.”Aves’ breath caught in his throat at the mental image of that, and he clammed up. Tobias, however, didn’t even seem to flinch at the accusation.

            “Judith Rigby would be the first one to admit how much of a wretched and detestable person she was in days long ago. She’s more than made up for the cardinal sins of her past, and then some.” Tobias replied. “But you’re avoiding the real topic at hand. You and I both know you have Ontellus somewhere around here.”

            “And I said you’re going to have to give me more before I confirm or deny that.”

            Tobias sigh. “I can’t give too many specifics or names, but here’s the situation: we’ve been hired by a client to locate his teenage daughter, who went missing last week. There’s a lot of evidence to suspect a kidnapping, and currently your friend Desmon is our prime suspect. The girl was supposed to have vanished with a mysterious boyfriend, and Desmon fits the profile.”

            “Not to mention Ontellus was paid a lot of money to do whatever he did.” Aves added, his mind still haunted by what Vorknor had said about the Captain.

            Vorknor was silent a long moment. “What’s in it for us if we let you speak with this Desmon Ontellus?”

            “Other than the satisfaction that you helped return a young girl to her family?” Tobias asked, matter-of-factly.

            “Yeah,” Vorknor replied, without missing a beat. “Besides that.”

            “Rigby says that she’ll owe you one.” Tobias said.

            Vorknor laughed at that. “Starlancer? ‘Owe me one’? That’ll come with a series of exceptions longer than a death warrant from a Ruutharii Prophet. The favors I’d like to call in violate most – if not all – of your Ten Commandments.”

            Tobias grinned. “Nobody’s asked us to violate the fourth commandment, yet, so that’d be a first.”

            “Is that the adultery one?” Vorknor asked.

            “Honor thy father and mother,” Tobias corrected.

            “Ah,” The pirate replied. “Then maybe not that one.”

            Aves rubbed his face. The hope had been that their earlier threat – the one about the weapons deal on Ventil IX – would not only have gotten them through the door with Vorknor, but also served to get him to agree to helping without much fuss. Clearly that wasn’t working, and he was wondering if mentioning that fact would serve to break through their loggerheads, when an unexpected voice spoke up.

            “We will let you speak with him.”

            The sweet voice was so startling, that Aves did a once-over of the room, as if expecting that someone else had joined them. It wasn’t an intruder from without, however, but instead Mashiyo who spoke up. He was again struck by how soft and mild her voice was, a marked difference from Vorknor’s boisterous tone.

            Vorknor turned a severe eye on his number two. “We will?” He asked.

            She nodded, neither phased by her boss’s look, not by his question. “Sure we will. We don’t owe Sammy Fisk anything. Besides, what’s Fisk giving us to keep this guy sheltered?”

            The pirate frowned, sourly. “Nothing.”  

            “We agreed to do Fisk a favor, but if we’re weighing how helpful he’s been over the years versus how helpful Rigby has been…” Mashiyo trailed off, her implication clear.

            “It’s no contest that Rigby’s been more reliable,” Vorknor grumbled, albeit reluctantly. He returned to his guests, the doubt vanishing almost in an instant. “Well, I suppose that settles it. The pretty lady gets her way, as usual,” The two lovers exchanged a sly look.

            “Much obliged,” Tobias said, as he and Aves shared a private sigh of relief.

            “Zygerra, my dear, would you be so kind as to bring our friends down to our Dorylaetian guest?” He stood, making his way to the window which overlooked the hall. “It seems our skittish little friend is just finishing his dinner.”

            “Certainly,” The woman replied. She and Aves then locked eyes – or more properly, she had made the concerted effort to look at him – and again he felt that electric shock hit him at the inscrutable dissonance in her face. That strange fusion of innocence with coquettish confidence was unlike anything he had ever seen before, and something he found utterly alluring. She gave him another smile. “Just this way.” She stood, taking her time with the action, and only following through when she decided to avert her gaze from Aves. When he came back to himself, it was because Tobias had stood, and had turned a severe eye on him. Vorknor was still looking down to the hall and took no notice of anything.

            As Aves scrambled to his feet, Tobias leaned in and whispered: “You’re playing with fire, Takayama.”

            The use of his family name was enough to get his head right, and Aves quickly looked across the room, hoping that neither Vorknor nor Mashiyo heard the name. They hadn’t. “Don’t use that name here!” He whispered back to Tobias. They were halfway to the door, Mashiyo already through and Vorknor making his way back towards the bar.

            “Then keep your head in the game and get that goofy look off of your face.” Tobias continued, keeping his voice low. Then, as if trying to add insult to injury, he added: “Xanthe was right, you do get distracted easily.”

            Aves frowned. “She doesn’t know what she’s talking about!”

            Tobias clapped him on the shoulder. “There we go. That’s the Aves I need here.” Aves compressed his lips and gave his companion a disapproving look, but didn’t respond.

            They followed Mashiyo back down the stairs and to the hallway, where the two robotic guards again raised their metal arms into that bad imitation of a salute as the woman passed. As they followed close behind Mashiyo, Aves did all he could to avoid watching her walk. Her regal gait matched everything else about this Talosian princess, yet he forced himself to focus on Tobias initial warning.

            “So how is Judith Rigby doing these days?” The woman asked. “It’s been what…two and a half years since we last saw you face-to-face?”

            “Mephibosheth, right.” Tobias replied, Aves recalling that had been a battle between the Nicodemus and Vorknor’s forces.

            “For what it’s worth, I was one of the few who insisted Callahan leave you alone,” Mashiyo replied. “I tried telling him that you weren’t responsible for what happened to Hendricks, but…” She shrugged. “You know how Callahan can be.”

            “I do.” Tobias replied, simply. Aves studied his companion, only then realizing the short, clipped tone he was using in conversation with the woman.

            “I’m sure the Captain would appreciate that you voted not to blast her ship to space dust.” Aves added, struck by Tobias lack of gratitude on the matter. That got him a sideways look from the man.

            “Callahan can be a bit irrational when he feels slighted. It’s nothing personal, he just wanted to know who gave the tip to get Hendricks boarded.” Tobias didn’t respond.

            “I’m sure it could have been any number of suspects,” Aves offered in his partner’s silence.

            “Why?” Mashiyo asked. “Because we’re pirate scum and everyone is out to get us?” Her voice was suddenly serious, casting him off-kilter.

            “Well…” Aves began, finding himself very warm and unsure how to reply to that. The identification of herself with the ‘pirate scum’ in question came off as highly irregular, and Aves couldn’t help the fleeting thought that no woman like this should be wrapped up with any sort of pirate scum.

            Aves ultimately didn’t need to respond, as the woman laughed. It was a light, carefree laugh, and Aves found himself weak at the sound of it. “I’m under no illusions that there aren’t plenty of other criminals looking for a slice of Callahan’s enterprise. I imagine it could be one of the Syndicate organizations. Fluffy Guttor comes immediately to mind. What do you think, Tobias?” The man crossed his arms, and Aves saw his expression harden like it did when they were about to go into battle.

            “I suppose it’s something Fluffy could be involved in.” He commented, simply.

            “Who’s Fluffy Guttor?” Aves asked, frowning at the strange name.

            “He’s the head of one of the organizations which make up the Syndicate.” Mashiyo turned a look on him and must have detected something in his face, because she raised eyebrow at him. “You do know what the Syndicate is, right?” The private look Tobias gave him was to be sure he said he did know the Syndicate.

            “Of course,” Aves replied, trying to find his voice and his confidence. “I just don’t keep up on the who’s who of key players.”

            “That’s probably for the best,” Mashiyo replied, seeming to accept the explanation. “The reign of most organization heads are about as long as the Felxaran attention span. Sleyvar Gruntherson notwithstanding.” There was a brief pause, then she added: “Here we are. Give me one minute, I’ll bring Desmon out to you.” Aves had to look up to see that they had returned to the main hallway, the one which resembled a covered city avenue with its neon signage and traffic flow of beings. The wide door they now stood next to had a sign which resembled a bowl of food, indicating it as the mess hall, presumably the one which they had been above a few minutes prior.

            Mashiyo entered, leaving Aves and Tobias to wait. Almost immediately when the woman disappeared into the mess hall and the door shut behind her, Tobias turned a frustrated look on Aves. “You need to get a grip.”

            Aves scowled. “What are you talking about?”

            Tobias jabbed his thumb over his shoulder, towards the door. “Zygerra Mashiyo is like a flamethrower. You don’t handle it properly, it’s going to burn you.”

            Aves scoffed. “Oh, come on. We deal with these underworld types all of the time.”

            “Not like her,” Tobias was quick to add. “Callahan Vorknor’s just like all of the rest but she…” His eyes narrowed. “She’s one of the dangerous ones.”

            “Her? Dangerous?” Aves asked, unable to keep the amusement from his voice. “Really?”

            “She’s a master manipulator,” Tobias added. “That whole bit back there about Mephibosheth? She plays a friend, but that was just her way of trying to suss out if we were the ones who tipped off the authorities.”

            “Well, did you?”

            Tobias looked surreptitiously left and right to make sure nobody was within close earshot, then nodded. “Of course we did!” He said, lowering his voice. “And I’m sure she suspects that.”

            “That’s why you were giving her short answers then?”

            “Now you’re catching on.” Tobias replied. “And your little flub about the Syndicate didn’t help things.”

            “Flub?” Aves asked. “What flub? I thought I handled it pretty well.”

            “You don’t work in our world as long as we have and not know the names of the Syndicate heads.”

            Aves rolled his eyes. “And that was her attempt to call my bluff, was it?”

            “Exactly.”

            Aves huffed a sigh. “Where does all of this come from? Sure, she seems a bit intense and definitely sharp, but she seems like any other Talosian debutante from back home.”

            Tobias gave him a dangerous grin. “And that’s how she disarms you.” He did another look to make sure they had no eavesdroppers and brought his voice still lower. “I don’t quite know how Vorknor hooked up with her, but the rumor is that she was the daughter of a great Talosian lord who was taken for ransom after pirates hit a starliner. She ingratiated herself with these pirates who were – like yourself – taken with her charm.” Aves grumbled at that. “She planted the idea in these pirates’ heads that her family kept vast stores of wealth at their palace, and that it would be easy to steal. One thing leads to another, the pirates fall for both the woman and the gold, and they try and effect a robbery. Something goes wrong, and the next thing you know, both her entire family and all of the pirates are dead. Who do you think inherited the money?”

            Aves found himself staring at Tobias in silence before he realized the story was finished. He shivered, the implication of who had orchestrated such an event was plain. “That’s just a story, though,” He offered, unsure.

            Tobias shrugged. “Wouldn’t put it past her.”

            Aves recalled the sweet-looking Mashiyo and shook his head. “That sounds like something Callahan Vorknor made up to give his new girlfriend some air of legitimacy.”

            Tobias gave him an incredulous look. “Maybe. Why don’t you ask the Captain about it?” Their discussion was cut off when the door to the mess hall opened. Standing in it was the woman herself, Zygerra Mashiyo, with a skittish Dorylaetian man at her side.

            “Desmon Ontellus,” She said, matter-of-factly, nodding her head at the man. “He’s all yours.” The Dorylaetian – definitely matching the vagueness of Sammy Fisk’s description of a short man with deep blue skin and short hair of light brown color, a hint of fiery red in it – stared at them suddenly, his burgundy eyes widening. His thick eyebrows sank into an expression of fear as he began licking his lips nervously.

            “Wh…what’s this about?” He asked weakly, eyes flicking from Mashiyo to the two men.

            “Good evening, Desmon,” Tobias said politely.

            Ontellus’ gaze on the woman intensified. “Fisk said that you would protect me!” He cried, his voice raising just enough to catch the interested stare of a couple passers-by

            Mashiyo shrugged. “Fisk didn’t give Vorknor anything to confirm that deal, and charity only goes so far. Besides, our guests here won’t hurt you.”

            “N-no, you don’t understand!” He insisted to the woman. “There are people out to get me, and you led them right to me!”

            “Relax,” Tobias said. “We aren’t…”

            “I won’t let you take me out, I won’t!” Ontellus interrupted. Without warning he turned and bolted back into the hall. Mashiyo didn’t move a muscle, only crossing her arms, frowning after him.

            “I presume you two can take it from here?” She asked.

            Aves exhaled, rubbing his tired eyes. “Never a minute to catch my breath with this crew.” It was much too soon to be playing this game again.  

            “There another way out of there?” Tobias asked Mashiyo.

            She turned to observe the fleeing Ontellus, and the way in which he was going. “It looks like he’s going to try to go through the kitchen,” She offered, thumbing over her shoulder. “He’s most likely going to use the side exit. It’s back down the hallway we just came from, four doors past Callahan’s lounge.”

            Tobias immediately started heading in that direction. “I’ll head him off there, you keep an eye on him in case he doubles back!”

            Aves sigh. “Fine.”

            “Good luck.” Mashiyo offered with a wink, as Aves went to chase after Ontellus. His reply got caught in his throat, and he stammered something garbled as he ran into the mess hall.

            “Focus,” Aves muttered to himself, as he tried to find where Ontellus had gone. The hall was about as wide as an Imperial parade ground, currently filled with tons of dangerous-looking types grouped around long tables, some chatting conspiratorial, some raucously yelling with all the gusto of drunkenness. A couple of tables were distracted by something off to their right, and Aves only had to follow their gaze to catch sight of the brown and red head, bouncing its way towards the open kitchen, right where Mashiyo had indicated. Despite the headstart the man had Aves found it easy to catch up with him, ignoring the stares and calls of beings as he passed. Ontellus hazarded a look back, and tried picking up speed when he recognized Aves.

            “Stay away from me!” His voice came over the room, making it as far as Aves and then getting subsumed into the general noise of the hall.

            “We’re not trying to hurt you, you idiot!” Aves called back, not sure if Ontellus caught it. In truth, while they weren’t here to do anything but get information from the kid, if it turned out he was the one who had lured Euphemia off to her possible kidnapping, then Aves figured he probably did deserve to be roughed up a bit.

            A beep came at his ear, and Aves was quick to hit the button on his wrist to engage the audio channel. “Status?” Came Tobias’ clipped voice.

            “Still heading towards the kitchen,” Aves replied between breaths. “You?”

            “Almost there,” Tobias replied. Ahead of him, Ontellus grabbed hold of a wine bucket standing next to a table occupied by a mix of Parfful and Vorrishi bounty hunters. The bucket, along with the three wine bottles inside, tumbled to the ground with a loud crash, sending ice and wine into Aves’ path.

            “Hey!” Hissed one of the Parfful, standing and immediately drawing his gun. “Get back here and clean this up!” His demand was after the kid, but once seeing that Ontellus wasn’t going to listen and was too far away to even hear, he turned his attention on Aves. “You!” He called, two of the Vorrishi standing too. “Your friend just ruined our evening!” He wasn’t pointing his weapon at Aves, but instead waving it wildly around with the attitude of someone who had way too much to drink that night.

            “I don’t have time for this,” Aves muttered. As he ran, nearing this group of bounty hunters, he reached a hand down to his belt, gently unclasping his sword, sheathe and all.

            “Come again?” Asked Tobias in his ear.

            Barely five meters from the bounty hunters now, Aves held the unclipped sword close to his belt, looking as if it was still clipped. The anger in the Parfful’s face was rising, and the movements of his weapon were starting to even out.

            “I’m talking to you!” The Parfful shouted. “Not another muscle, or I’ll…” his threat died in his mouth, as Aves ran past him, bringing his sheathed sword up in a clean arc as he did. The weapon smacked into the Parfful’s gun hand, knocking the weapon clean out of the drunk being’s unsteady grip, sending it skittering across the floor and under another table. Aves ignored the curses and shouts as he kept focused on Ontellus.

            “Everything okay back there?” Tobias reiterated.

            “It’s fine,” Aves replied. Ontellus had reached the kitchen, shoving his way past the service bots working the food station. Aves followed him through the door, very nearly on their target. “It’ll be a lot easier for all of us if you stop running!” He called.

            “No!” Ontellus shot back, giving Aves another look. “No, I won’t!” The kid returned his focus to front, though not in time to catch the foot which materialized out from behind the nearest refrigeration unit. The kid tripped over it, stumbling forward and coming to a crashing halt against an oven. Tobias appeared from behind the refrigerator.

            “You were saying?” He said to the kid. Aves was quick to hurry to Ontellus’s side, grabbing the dazed Dorylaetian by the collar while he was still fumbling to figure out what had happened.

            Aves shook him. “And unlucky for you, I’m really not in the mood to screw around today.”

            Ontellus’ burgundy eyes lit up with fear. “P-please don’t kill me! I- I was just in it for the money; I don’t know anything!”

            “Like we said,” Aves grit out. “We’re not here to kill you, stupid.” He let the kid go, standing.

            Ontellus stared at them anew a moment, as if weighing his options. “Then what do you want from me?” He asked, wearily.

            “Euphemia Sethell,” Tobias replied, a certain edge to his countenance that Aves didn’t recognize. “Tell us about her.”

            Ontellus’ eyes widened. “H…how do you…” He hesitated, deciding to swap tactics to deflection a moment too late. “I don’t know anything about that. I don’t know where she went.”

            Aves grinned. “How do you know she’s missing? We didn’t say that.”

            “Th-the news…” Ontellus attempted, realizing his mistake much too late.

            “It’s not public knowledge.” Aves said. “That’s something that only her father and a select few know about.”

            Ontellus dropped his shoulders. “W…well, who are you then? FedSec? I…I’m really cooked, aren’t I?”

            “Yes to the second, no to the first.” Aves replied.

            “You can consider us a pair of concerned citizens, looking to reunite a father with his daughter.” Tobias offered. “As it turns out, you’re our prime suspect.”

            The kid chewed on that for a good long minute. “I…I didn’t mean for anyone to get hurt, I promise!” He gave them an entreating look. “Honestly, I just really needed the money!”

            Tobias crossed his arms. “So you agreed to kidnap a seventeen-year-old girl?” The derision was plain in his voice, and Aves still seemed to sense a newfound tenseness in his partner’s character. Not so much the military seriousness that they shared when going into danger, but something…else.

            “I didn’t kidnap her!” Ontellus was quick to retort. “I was just supposed to get to know her and…” He swallowed. “Bring her to a specific place. But she went with me willingly!”

            “Did she?” Aves asked. “I find that hard to believe.”

            “It’s the truth!” The kid insisted. “Look, the guy who Fisk put me in touch with, he just told me to start attending some specific ant-war rallies, and to get close to Euphemia. He didn’t tell me why, and he told me to await further instructions!”

            “So you started dating her.” Tobias said. It wasn’t a question.

            “We hit it off well!” Ontellus said, wincing. “She and I have had similar…difficulties with our families and were really able to connect over that. I…think she fell pretty hard for me after that, and we soon started dating.” A ghost of a smile came to the edges of his face. “I think I was beginning to fall for her too; she’s really an amazing girl.”

            Tobias leaned in. “The fact that she’s seventeen is only a slight problem, I presume?” He practically spat the words.

            Ontellus recoiled at the implication. “Hey, I’m only twenty-one, it isn’t that large of a gap.”

            Aves scoffed, suddenly getting a hint at why Tobias was becoming so frustrated with this guy. “And I can just about guarantee that defense won’t hold up in court.”

            “We didn’t do anything…you know…” Ontellus swallowed hard. “Physical. I mean look, we…” He stopped suddenly, because Tobias’ fist suddenly came flying at him, making contact with the middle of his face and causing the back of his head to smash against the oven. Aves stared wide-eyed and slack-jawed from his partner to Ontellus, who was now clutching at his face.

            “I think I could do without the picture, thank you very much,” Tobias said, an uncharacteristically Javyar-like icy edge to his voice.

            Ontellus let out a stream of curses, as his eyes filled with tears. “You broke my nose!” He exclaimed, the stuffy tone of his voice confirming that.

            “And that’ll break a lot more than that in a Union supermax prison, I can guarantee you that!” Tobias shot back. “Now, where did you bring Euphemia?”

            “Damn it,” Ontellus breathed, removing his hands from his face to reveal a very-much swollen and bleeding nose. He touched it and cursed again, turning a fury on his attacker. “What’s the matter with you?”

            Aves, still somewhat dazed with the sudden explosion of emotion from his even-keeled partner, forced it away for the sake of the job. “What’s the matter with him? You’re the scumbag who got involved with a teenager and helped stage her kidnapping.”

            “I told you, I didn’t…”

            “Mean for any of that to happen, yeah. We heard you the first time.” Aves said. “Fact of the matter is, someone wanted Euphemia Sethell, now she’s missing, and you’re the one stuck in the middle.”

            “He just told me to bring her to Cygnus V, that’s all I know!” Ontellus insisted. Aves and Tobias exchanged glances.

            “CygFive?” The latter said. “That’s where you brought her? You brought a young girl to Cygnus Five?” THh derision was plain in his voice.  Cygnus V was the armpit of the galaxy; a massive planet-wide city not unlike Novaterra, though which was run by the Syndicate and catered only to crime and vice. If there was anywhere in the galaxy one could kidnap the daughter of a senator and then disappear into the background without anyone bothering to ask questions, Cygnus V was the place.

            Ontellus nodded, struggling to stem his bloody nose with his hand. Aves grabbed a rag from one of the tables and threw it at him. “Euphemia and I started talking about getting away to see some of the galaxy. She needed a break from her family, and me from mine. Around that same time, the man who hired me got back in contact, and told me to bring her to Ziggy’s Casino on Cygnus V and await further instructions.”

            “What happened when you got there?” Aves asked.

            “I don’t know,” Ontellus replied, wincing, though whether at his nose or the memory was unclear. “The guy told me to leave her next to a very specific slot machine, then excuse myself and wait for further instructions. When a half hour passed without any contact from him, I went back and she was gone. Then the agreed-upon amount was in my bank account, so I assumed the job was done.” His eyes fell. “I really do hope she’s okay. She’s a nice girl.”

            Aves saw Tobias’ jaw tighten and his fists clench, but he made no move. “Tell us about this contact. Describe him.”

            “I only met him once, but he was Human; older, with nasty scarring down the side of his face, and I’m pretty sure he was blind in one eye. His hair was mostly gone, and what was left was gray.” Ontellus said. That indeed matched the description given by Javyar from Fisk and Pendrood.

            “Any other identifying clothing? Method of speech? Accent?” Tobias continued. Ontellus shook his head to each of those, before settling on the last.

            “He did have a very specific accent. I want to say it sounded like he may be from the Bragat Sector.” Aves considered that. The Bragat Sector was one of the Union’s border sectors, having only been established in the last hundred years or so. In that time the Bragatish settlers had developed a very distinct frontier accent.

            “What about these two people who were following you?” Aves asked. “What can you tell us about them?”

            “Not much,” Ontellus admitted. “There was a Dorylaetian and Vorrishi who I kept seeing at several stops both when I was leaving CygFive, and when I was stopped on the way back to Novaterra. I wouldn’t even have noticed, if not for the Dorylaetian woman’s cybernetics. They were…strange.”

            “Strange how?”

            “They didn’t fit right,” Ontellus said. “Like, she was missing one arm, and the cybernetic one looked like it was made for a Proximan. Both her legs were missing too, and she seemed to take some effort to get around. Normal cybernetics that I’ve seen let the user walk just like normal.”

            Tobias squinted. “Unless she was using whatever they had left over at a military hospital.”

            “You think she could be Union military?” Ontellus asked, a new fear coming to his eyes.

            “Retired, possibly.” Tobias agreed. That was something worth thinking about.

            “Anything else you can tell us?” Aves asked.

            Ontellus shook his head. “That’s it; I promise!” Studying the Dorylaetian’s face, Aves didn’t catch any hint of deception. He turned to Tobias.

            “What do we do with him?”

            “Please don’t leave me here,” Ontellus whined. “It’s clear that this pirate won’t protect me, and if those two show up, I’m dead!”

            “If you come with us, you’re going to prison, and that’s a promise.” Tobias said.

            Ontellus took a deep breath. “I suppose it’s either prison or death, then?”

            “We can’t take him!” Aves insisted. “We only have the two fighters.”

            “The Arrowhead can seat two.” Tobias said. “Not comfortably, but it can.”

            “Oh no,” Aves countered, seeing where this was going. “I’m not bringing this kid with me.”

            “Well I don’t want to and I have rank here, so consider it an order.” Tobias replied. He reached down and yanked Ontellus to his feet. “Come on; clean yourself up. We’re going for a trip.” Aves grumbled but said nothing. At this point, he would probably collapse from exhaustion anyway, once they were in hyperspace.

            For his part, Desmon Ontellus seemed to have accepted his fate. He walked with the step of a dead man who knew he was facing double-digit years in prison yet didn’t protest nor complain as Aves and Tobias led him back out though the mess hall. Several of the patrons who had noticed their chase earlier watched the man hauled out like a prisoner arrested by the authorities, but seemed to quickly lose interest. Even the table of Parfful and Vorrishi bounty hunters whose wine had been spilled seemed to have forgotten the event, having received several more bottles to enjoy.

            One person in particular who did catch Aves’ eye and did seem somewhat more interested in them, however, was a singular blood-red colored Freelysh, seated alone at a table near the corner. The being was reclined in his chair, carefully scanning the room as he drank from a thick tankard. When Aves and Tobias had appeared from the kitchen, he was amongst the beings who had taken notice, however unlike the others, his attention had been retained by the trio.

            Aves leaned in towards Tobias’ ear, where Ontellus couldn’t hear. “Freelysh, in the corner. He’s had eyes on us for a while now.”

            “I saw him too,” Tobias confirmed.

            “Could that be one of Vorknor’s people keeping tabs on us?” That seemed the most likely scenario.

            “Maybe,” Tobias said, warily. “Stay sharp.” For that, Aves didn’t have to be told twice. They exited the mess hall, losing sight of the Freelysh as they came to the main corridor of Vorknor’s fortress. Retracing their steps back to the elevator for the landing pad, Aves kept his eye out for other threats, but didn’t see anyone else.

            “You guys’ll talk to the cops for me, right?” Ontellus asked, as they walked. “Tell them I cooperated?”

            “If we’re called to testify,” Tobias said. “We may consider it.”

            “But I’d encourage you to use those ill-gotten gains of yours to hire a good lawyer.” Aves put in.

            Ontellus was silent a long moment. “I didn’t mean for any of this to happen, I swear. I just needed some money, and Fisk said he could hook me up. I didn’t want Euphemia kidnapped.”

            “What did you think was going to happen?” Tobias asked. “Your contact wasn’t paying you six figures to make a romantic connection.” He practically spat that last bit out. The kid didn’t say anything further.

            Reaching the elevator, they returned to the landing pad where their two VX-25s were still sitting, unmolested. Aves led Ontellus to his, privately grimacing as he mentally prepared himself for the long flight with a passenger inside of an already too-cramped starfighter.

            “As soon as we’re out of the atmosphere,” Tobias called over, as he climbed into his fighter. “Try and see if there’s a long-range comms array we can use to contact the Nicodemus.”

            “Copy that,” Aves replied, sourly. He brought his chair up a few centimeters to allow Ontellus to strap into the collapsible jump seat behind him.

            “Could you move up just a little bit more?” Ontellus asked. “It’s a bit cramped back here.”

            Aves flicked a switch, and the canopy slid closed. “That’s the best I can do. I’d get used to it if I were you.” The next switch turned the ship on, as diagnostic information began to appear on his heads-up display as the engines began to whine. He put his flight helmet on just in time to catch Tobias’ grainy voice in his ear.

            “This is Zealot-3 of Strike Force Zealot, ready to depart.”

            “Copy that, Zealot-3. Please stand by, the boss would like a word with you.” A few seconds passed before Vorknor’s voice came over the channel.

            “You’re leaving already?” He asked.

            “That’s right,” Tobias said. “We found what we’re looking for, and we’re taking him back with us.”

            “The kid still in one piece? Mashiyo said he decided to run.”

            “Mostly,” Aves replied. “Save a broken nose.”

            “I trust I can consider my part in all of this finished, then? My favor to Starlancer is complete?” Vorknor asked.

            “Sure, Callahan. Thanks for your help.” Tobias agreed.

            “See you soon.” Vorknor replied, the channel going dead. The fighters now sufficiently powered, Aves engaged the anti-grav thrusters, allowing the fighter to start lifting from the pad. As he angled the nose towards the sky, he began searching for the nearest long-distance comms communicator to make their call.

The fighter streaked back across the cloudy Lentan sky, entering the clouds just as Aves caught something on his scanners. He had to do a double take just to make sure he wasn’t seeing things, but his initial sight was accurate. There were six fighter-sized blips on his rear scanner, indicating they were closing fast.

            “Three, do you see what I see on scanners?” He asked, steadily.

            Tobias was silent a moment. “Copy that, Seven.” Came the serious response. “Six incoming fighters, and I have a feeling they aren’t friendlies.” The clouds started to give way to an orange flame which burned from around the shield, indicating they were beginning to escape the atmosphere. The light of the planet became the stars of space.

“The incoming fighters have weapons at full power.” Tobias offered. From the readout which appeared on Aves’ display, he confirmed that all six fighters did indeed have their weapons systems engaged as they quickly closed the difference. Aves made sure all of his own systems were active.

            “Terrific,” Aves muttered. An indicator appeared on his heads-up display on the cockpit window, indicating a region of space several hundred thousand lightyears out.

“I’ve synced up our jump-out point, we just have to reach it. You ready for a fight?” Tobias asked.

            Aves grinned ruefully. “Two on six? I’ll take those odds.” At the sound of that, Ontellus became restless behind him.

            “What’s happening?” He demanded.

            “Someone doesn’t want us to leave here in one piece,” Aves replied. “I’d strap in tightly, if I were you.”