Chapter 40 — Eclipse of the Sons — Retribution
**Shout out to the one the only Dutchman who made the Sons of Kessel come alive in Gray and Unchained and is a champion of collaboration - the first section is for you!**
Part 1
Bortl
The stench reached his nose quickly as he cowered beneath the desk – he had soiled his new Rancor Leather trousers – meant to be a statement of pride and strength – ferocity - now they dripped with the exhalation of his terror.
The Nic’Rhon – the daemon God had come for him.
The Underwater-Delights Pleasure house was used to police raids, but Hondo made sure he was informed of the Quantill City Police raids well in advance so he could send the product hosts and hostesses out for the day – prostitution might be legal but slavery was not.
These were not Police.
A fist grabbed at his throat and lifted him up, he closed his eyes best he could feeling the slurry of his own excrement go down his leg.
“Talk Crolute…where is Hondo?” the voice wasn’t the daemons, it was somewhere behind him.
He couldn’t! the Nic’Roh would steal his soul through his voice to feed to the nyx’m’h within the Hellspont!!
Despite himself his mouth moved!
“Heeee….in daa palace…off Natamee Swamp…only been dar wunce…” something pushed into his head taking the images of that gathering of fellow managers to celebrate record profits…
“Got the location?”
The Daemon nodded, Bortl was dropped to the floor.
Behind the shadow monster was another man with a scarred face and a handful of his ‘indentured workers’.
“He’s all yours…”
Simbi, one of his best ‘hostesses’ he had enjoyed many times over strolled up with one of the toys clients liked to use on her…”Remember this…”
<<<<>>>>
Hondo
“A brilliant coup indeed!” Ozrym the Hutt groaned over the comm,
“On time and under budget,” he swilled a glass of Blossom Wine as his harem rubbed bubbly lotions into his bristly furs
“A Qaurter of the Mercenaries ran away or were blown apart before it was over, forfeiting their fee…
“Wonderful! Wonderful…ah…a shame about Bomma though…poor Jobla, what a terrible name day present…” the oleaginous figure sighed
“Do we know if their leaders were killed?”
“My Agent Surge did not find Keison himself…” Hondo grunted as a slave scrubbed too hard – his back was sensitive…
“But given the damage to the station he must’ve been destroyed…As it stands Boos is assembling a force to pursue the riff raff remnants.”
“Wonderful! You must join me this summer on Spira, we can celebrate you success over the Sons, and stealing a march on Xithar!”
Hondo did his best not to vomit at the thought of the Hutt getting oiled up on sunny Spira.
“Much to be done first Ozrym, the Black sun thanks you for your support,”
allowing US to hire and pay your otherwise out of work mercenaries to destroy an enemy that you Hutts couldn’t get your fat rears together to wipe out!“A pleasure a pleasure…tootle-oo!”
<<<<>>>>
Jarys
“The
Karintha is designed to fly in over a thousand different atmospheres – deep ocean trenches are no trouble, we dive down, get in range, one shikkar torpedo and we head to Vulpter,” she paused not finishing her sentence out loud but hammering it in Jarys head
<and they get off MY ship> Despite having plotted like Aethenaea, fought like Aertemisaea - the lack of privacy with 23 Sons of Kessel meant they couldn’t complete the third task and make love like Kiraea was Aephrodaea herself.
Before they had been together it wouldn’t have bothered him, but now he was locked to her – needed her hormonal infusions or would start the irritating withdrawals like he had from Cilina so long ago.
“Too many slaves there, Hondo’s Harem is a by word for excess round Arkanis Sector…” Mumbles…
Mmbri replied…for want of physical connection Kiraea was pressing close mentally mangling his ability to keep her disdainful title for Mmbri out of his head.
The Psadan was stony about losing Xoar, his last connection back to Wayland.
Still waters of grief run deep.“We need to make a statement…show the slavers we might be down…but we’re still coming for them…tell our brothers and sister out there - when they hear about our defeat they might despair – they need to hear we’re still coming for them.” Keison burnt cold as he strategized the media around this disaster.
“We can’t do that with a bomb…we need to get right in there and slice him up.”
<We don’t have the men…> Komo grunted behind his battered tusks <or weapons>.
Since reaching Ando they’d acquired medical and food supplies for the Outsiders…erghh Kiraea…but only a few weapons from the death stick dens and brothels they’d raided to find the exact location of Hondo’s palace. The
Karintha had a stock of 6 rifles, 6 blasters, grenades, Bows, arrows and knives…but the ultra-dense Blackstone was simply too heavy for most Sons to lift them let alone aim.
“Hondo would have weapons…” Kiraea noted…seemingly resigned to assisting them to get to Hondo and by extentsion the kidnapped clones.
“He would but how do we get to them,” Mmbri asked
“You don’t,” she leant over pointing a finger into his forehead
“I do,” in a salacious twist she stretched her arms over her head and down flexing herself in ways that made even the most distant of humanoid species in the cargo hold aroused.
Keison looked at him for answers with a slightly red tinge to his scarred cheeks.
“She’s good at infiltration, recon…can break into anything…the only problem then is us getting in there in force…”
“I have an idea for that…” Keison added “Can you get their security down?”
“Am I the sexiest being you’ve ever seen?” Kiraea smiled wickedly.
<<<<>>>>
Kiraea
It was like a womb…tight, cramped, she was balled up in the foetal position – waiting to be born.
The HUD counted down…5…4…3…2…
WVVVOOSH
The
Karintha’s torpedo tube birthed her a second time.
Through the ink of the deep Ando oceans she could feel motion she couldn’t see in her vestibular systems - both her skull and pelvis – apparently humans only had the one system making their ability to balance competing movements between the head and body difficult – So imperfect!
She used the aether to form a protective shield before her pushing away any larger aquatic life forms as the water resistance began to slow her movement.
It was quiet here…distant…as though nothing else existed but her and the blackness…
Was this where Yorna was, alone in the dark – was she frightened, sad…at rest.
How could anyone who died fighting be at rest…
Kiraea didn’t like it here anymore…the dark, the moaning mammalian creatures, pressure building against her armour and through to her bones as the kinetic energy wore off…she didn’t want to end here away from her Home, People and Goddesses.
Slowly the lights of the mansion under the ocean began to resolve in the distance…blobby and curved suited to turning the force of underwater currents away, there were at least three main docking stations. She slowed to a running pace, keeping her form as streamlined as possible directing herself to the base of the structure. Hopefully they would detect little more than a mid-sized fish.
Reaching one of the enormous duracrete foundation legs she climbed her way up, her air was at 64%...it didn’t matter much she could switch to anaerobic respiration for hours.
Clambering over the curved surfaces following the shatter-point she found what she was looking for…a perfectly concealed – to normal scanning equipment at least – circular hatch – the Safe rooms escape pod.
She smiled as she placed the detonator beside it…
No one leave this party without MY say so.Returning to a maintenance hatch deft use of the aether pried it open from within, a small EMP charge shorting the area, a blip on security sensors she had used dozens of times stealing starship plans and industrial secrets for the People.
Disconnecting the energy field she slid in.
<<<<>>>>
If sometimes Kiraea seemed irritable, obnoxious and loud – it was because she spent so much time when she was working utterly still and silent.
Coming in through the desalination facility and sending the two staff to go for a swim in one of the tanks, she was pressed into a thin groove in the wall as a bored patrol wandered past.
They were all Quara Aqualish, the five fingered kind who though making up only 10% of the population, dominated the other Aqualish lineages by being better able to use off world technology.
Slinking out silent steps brought her through the crisp white corridors, decorated with Blue-silver family banners. The fabric was quite nice, she’d have to get some for Adaea to make dresses out of.
Through the cool white corridors, into and out of maintenance hatches and crawl spaces she left behind a series of micro-EMPs, timed slicers and a gaggle of dazed Aqualish, variously falling asleep, deciding now was an excellent time to lock themselves in the refresher, or stumbling around singing bawdy nautical tunes as though drunk to distract the stationed guards.
Like a shadow she moved through the facility, getting the layout, determining numbers and patrol routes, armaments and chain of command. A dozen times she was within an arms hair of one of the tusked beasts, her stilled movements and subtle aetheric misdirection, the minimum effective amount, allowed her smooth and easy access everywhere.
There were 214 beings, about 40 maintenance and cleaning and serving staff, a handful of guests coming and going via the main dock, a harem of 25 slaves, 68 Hondo’s personal guard, the remainder various Black Sun thugs, pimps, mercenaries, assassins, accountants and information analysts.
Five were spies for other Vigo’s or the Hutt’s, a sixh was a member of the Bothan Spy Net, and a seventh especially duplicitous fellow was in fact was spying for three Hutt’s two Vigos and someone named Bobo the Bith.
It took an hour to work out where and in whom to plant the barbs.
Tugging on an Aqualish bowel made him vacate his desk long enough to slice and send a back dated holo-mail – but not fast enough to avoid a stinking mess on the floor to the refresher.
Formenting a tiff by convincing Kelba that Urgna was sleeping with his boyfriend got her into the loading room long enough to place a hastily but accurately forged invoice.
Stealing a bottle of Agavinol, forcing a rapacious thirst on the Dock master soused him enough to force his jittery flustered second in command in charge.
After nearly four hours of careful placement and planning, two dozen moments she felt irritated and wanted to just kill an Outsider, three times hanging upside down pinned up by the aether on the ceiling above conversations that didn’t seem to end, and one instance coming across what was on the blue-prints a storage cupboard, but was now used by two of the cleaners as a kinky bondage dungeon that gave her way too many ideas, she was finally ready.
Gaur, the ‘quartermaster’ equivalent – who had a terrible habit of scratching himself constantly from a rash he’d picked visiting the Underwater-Delights Pleasure Palace Jarys had raided - had ordered three cases of rifles and light armour to the back-dock where shipments of equipment were brought in to the functional slightly mouldy storage areas - a few levels under the main dock – the nicer area for Hondo’s guest to arrive to fresh sushi platters and their pick of sex slaves.
Meanwhile Second Dock Officer Yarn already flustered at being responsible for anything was dealing with confusion regarding a shipment of Aurgyna fish coming in he hadn’t heard of – there were holo-mails from months ago ordering it, a piece of flimsy with the invoice…The 2IC of Security a burly Aqualish name Frum just shook his head and closed his for glassy black eyes at the dysfunction as the gaudy red submarine approached.
“Let it in…” he wasn’t go to be responsible for turning away Hondo’s favourite Aurgyna fillet.
The dock opened up, a shimmering blue energy field kept the black water at bay as the transport passed into the first lock, the water draining it moved into the second. Satisfied all was in readiness Kiraea slipped out to begin the real work.
<<<<>>>>
Surge
[Initiating Reset……..>>>> Online]
“Finally!” – Auditory Input designation [MASTER]
“Much too expensive to waste…well done, now the Black sun is mine for the taking, no one can deny my pre-eminence…default protocols,”
Surge rose from the repair bench noting his surroundings as he disconnected from the diagnostic equipment. There were four entities, MASTER, Authorisation Level 2 Jol Boos, Authorisation Level 3 Hun Daar designated [Technician] and Command Golmo designated [Allied Unit].
He commenced default protection protocols about MASTER as he left the workshop.
“Already paid for itself ten times over, I tried finding another template but all I could find was a few damaged females…not worth the price…we must consider how to communicate this more formally to the Black Sun at large, the others will try and take credit…” MASTER began speaking to Jol Boos
“Vigo the matter of the remnants…”
“I thought you might prefer to celebrate Boos,”
“The job is no yet finished Vigo, I came only to return Surge to you,”
“Focused on finishing the job, good, see to it, but keep it in house for now, we don’t need more mercenaries claiming they ‘saved the day’ for our fleet,”
[Establishing Security Link >>> Entering Credentials X********3 >>> authorised >>>Integrating Palace Security Control>>>>
>>> Analysing Data
Anomaly Detected 15:13
Anomaly Detected 15:25
Anomaly Detected 16:02
Anomaly Detected 16:09]
“Security Anomalies Logged” He spoke use the auditory projection system so MASTER could hear.
Boos perked up
“How many and when?”
“4 in one Hour”
“Vigo perhaps we should move out, it is possible the Sons…”
“The Sons are a spent force….Surge investigate,”
Boos nodded, “Allow me to leave a detachment here to add to your forces, and be careful around your harem, we know the Sons still have spies across the syndicates…one might try something in desperation,”
[MASTER >>> Bio status – increased levels of adrenaline]
“Very well…keep me up to date on the pursuit…but make sure to enjoy your gift, overworked staff are under forming staff Jol,”
Surge ignored the conversation satisfied, he had a new Objective
[Objective 1: Investigate Anomalies in Palace Security]
<<<<>>>>
Kiraea
Left leg over right she squeezed her thighs together as she leaned backward to grip the one behinds head and twisted the beady eyed head around too quickly for its neck to take.
The one she was strangling with her legs buckled under her weight. With a deft twist she flipped up and around snapping its neck and rolling into an uppercut that shattered tusks and eyes of the third.
The fourth was still aiming his blaster in the slow way all Outsiders moved…except a few annoying species…by the time he had a good line on where she had been she was behind him cracking his skull in with an elbow.
A back flip over the console she locked down the security control room.
“Vorynx this is Minx, Cave is clean.”
Smooth and easy just like Maynard always said she added the aether to her typing as she broke the system, disabling the Deadman triggers and fail safes with the aether, hard locking some doors, opening others.
A twitch in the back of her head, she didn’t even turn as the refresher door opened and the stunned Aqualish stepped out – she simply slammed his head into a bloody smear on the wall.
The Commander lay at her feet nursing his broken legs.
“Time to talk tusk face…No…” she almost said ‘no offence Komo’ for the Aqualish in the Sons…they were growing on her…she didn’t like it.
“unnnhhh…” it grunted
she scrawled out the orders onto a pad of flimsy.
“Read these out in you most commanding tone” her mind pressed.
<<<<>>>>
Surge
[Audio Input – General Channel – vocal Analysis >>> Golmo >>> Commander >>> Authorisation Level 2]
“All general patrols report to South East Hall for celebration of our glorious Vigo’s success against the nefarious Sons of Kessel – all staff also invited,”
Something about that seemed…anomalous
[Scanning room bookings…>>> SE Hall Booked 16:30-17:30 {Party Time}>>>
>>> Accessing Mess provisions>>> no Special Kitchen orders>>Anomaly]
Surge activated his internal Comm
“Commander Golmo – request confirmation of Prior Order”
>>> no input
“Repeat Commander Golmo – request confirmation of Prior Order”
[Audio Input – Command Channel – vocal Analysis >>> Golmo >>> Commander >>> Authorisation Level 2]
“Confirmed party is just starting come on down for a drink comrade!”
>>>analysis>>>Responses indicates lack of familiarity with SURGE system>>>syntax choice ‘comrade’ inconsistent with [Commander] Vocabulary patterns>>>anomaly
[Objective 1 Updated] Reach Command Centre and Investigate Anomalies. >>>Proceeding.
<<<<>>>>
Keison
He stank of Aurgyna fish…they all did…only Komo didn’t seem to mind…the fish being an Aqualish delicacy and all.
“Are you eating it!” Trill called out
<issh good> the Aqualish mumbled out
Keison would’ve shaken his head had it not been stuffed between oily scales.
“We set to get out!” Keison whispered
Jarys sent meaning directly to his mind…it was a weird feeling like a pillow pushed onto your face…only marginally less disgusting that the fish in his nose.
The hold rattled as a ramp or docking clamp was put in place…
<NOW> the meaning hit all their minds at once. Light flooded in as the fish flopped out onto the ferrocrete. They all pulled their blasters, Komo fumbled a little, Trill barely avoided tripping over. Jarys landed gracefully no doubt using his sorcery.
Keison looked around…but there was no one…the only Aqualish was Komo…a few crates of weapons and armour open waiting for them.
“Where are the guards…” Trill inquired moving to check the contents
“Up there,” Keison followed Jarys finger – above them tied with a chain along the ceiling cargo rails were six unconscious or dead Aqualish hanging upside down.
“Which of the six Hells did that Minx come from,” he slapped Jarys shoulder as Mmbri opened up the other four cargo pods to release the rest of the team,
“And are there any more?”
<<<<>>>>