The Jeweled Fang was a ship in a league of its own. It was a sleek, well-run vessel that combined the modern visage of a lean, mean, vicious destroyer, with a decadent layer of classical pirate aesthetics. The golden age of piracy was well represented in slick, morish and beautifully rendered glory; oil-treated wood lining the floor, glass lanterns blinking softly from the walls, hanging ropes and plunder hard-earned adorned the ship's surface, along with colourful tapestries and oversized paintings that concealed the industrial workings of the ship. The air carried a slight hum of rum and salt, not enough to sting the nostrils (for those who had them) but enough to lure the soul into believing that, just for a moment, it may well have been a different time period altogether.
But it wasn't a case of aesthetics over function; the corridors were kept clear, and panels of importance were easily accessible. It was roughly twice the size of Seeth's Minitaur, but still firmly in the destroyer size class of ship; big enough for a hundred people to live and work on comfortably, a few hundred for transport only. The floorboards which overlaid the corridors were a far step away from the usually clinical metal or ceramic plating that most ships adorned. However, Wex's steps did not elicit the same organic creak from the wood that the rest of crews' did.
Wex led them all down the main corridor, which ran most of the length of the ship, passing by a well-stocked kitchen, mess hall and a training room. The ship was nicely busy, with a sparse array of crew in each room. Wex's priority appeared to be quality over quantity for his crew, as all of them appeared comfortable and adept at whatever task they were performing. It was a remarkably relaxed and calm atmosphere, far beyond what anyone expected from a space pirate destroyer.
Finally, they reached the end of the long corridor, marked by a short set of stairs and a pair of heavy, wooden doors. The doors lead into a large, circular room, the more attentive of the group noting that it was nestled directly in the centre of the ship. The navigation office was plenty large enough to fit everyone comfortably. A large table was placed in the middle, with a series of holo-projectors above it used for displaying 3D maps of sectors. The walls were lined with faux-glass panelled windows, currently lit up with graphics of a wild, thunder-driven ocean. The storm water splashed up against the glass, and faint flashes and crackles of lightning sparked in the 'distance' but the actual purpose of these holo walls was to display the ships local environment via its external sensors. There was a rectangular nook opposite the door, containing a heavy wooden desk and a pair of full-wall shelves, displaying more archaic items such as glass bottles, a globe, and rolls of paper maps. There were several seats dotted around the room and a few around the table, including an oversized bean bag tucked in the corner. There was even a small breakfast bar, evidently fitted as an afterthought, but cosy all the same.
"Come on in, make yourselves at home. I feel like we have plenty to talk about, so settle down and I'll ask the cooks to whip up some grub." Wex addressed the gang casually, confidently and with a smile. Somehow, a room full of near strangers on his ship didn't seem to phase him at all.
It didn't take long for everyone to settle, following in Tivy's excited lead as she quickly nabbed the already-oversized bean bag with a joyful hop. The gang chose to stay relatively close together, taking up the top side of the room and moving the stools from the breakfast bar slightly closer to the middle of the large room. Seeth leaned back against one of the walls, opting to stand with her arms folded, positioned so that she had a clear view of everyone, and the door. Plasia stuck close to Diego's side, shyly hovering close behind him. Ceri, Hammond and Diesel already had their favourite spots in the room and didn't hesitate to take them; Hammond climbed up into a rope hammock strung across a far corner of the room. Diesel sat on a sturdy wooden stool close to the door, his eyes scanning the room and taking a quick head count. Ceri and Wex both perched on his desk directly, with Ceri resting against the wood, leaning ever-so-slightly into Wex. The captain however, pulled his coat off, draped it across the back of the desk chair and hopped up onto his deck, one of his legs kicking up high and resting on the wood, the other dangling off the side.
Jace entered the room last, and took his place a comfortable distance away from everyone. He politely placed himself opposite Diego's crew, close to the navigation table, his hands clasped tightly behind his back.
The light chatter that had started to build inside the room fell to a hush as Diego stepped forward, crackling his knuckles one at a time as his thoughts collided inside his head.
"I think… I think it's time for a review of what the hell we're doing, where we're going, and who's on-board. This is more aimed at my lot, but it'll catch everyone up regardless." Diego cleared his throat and glanced to his sides, catching both Seeth's and Plasia's eyes. "Several months ago, I responded to a call for help that Oxyi put out. People had been going missing, and we investigated together. During that… uh… investigation, we discovered a group who now call themselves the Rewritten." He turned to address Wex directly. "We'll give you the specifics later, Wex. If we're going to travel together, you and your crew should know everything we do about them."
Wex nodded in affirmation but stayed quiet.
"Anyway, long story short, we all escaped together on a DA ship and were mid-way through making our way to a Warlocks of Detromus outpost for assistance, but things went wrong and I was detained by the DA, for lack of a better term." He shot a steely glare towards Jace. "Now, we're six or seven months on from when we first discovered the Rewritten, I've still not managed to contact the Warlocks, and the Rewritten have only grown stronger since then. They have access to some sort of super-class ship and tried to snatch me directly from within DA territory. It seems I made… quite the impression, and they'll stop at nothing now to track me down."
"She's obsessed with you. Dangerously." Plasia said softly. "I-I was back with them, briefly. Moltezz... She's after you, Diego. Really after you."
Diego's face softened as he turned to look at Plasia. Her words revealed far more than perhaps she intended. A furious blush overtook the Controller as felt her chest flush with warmth at his gaze.
We'll speak later, Plas. Everything will be okay, I promise.
But Diego turned back to carry on addressing the room after only a brief pause. "Then this is only going to get more dangerous. Moltezz is an ultra-class psyker with immense potential, and she's going to scorch anything that gets in her way. Anyone close to me is going to be at risk."
"I second that." Jace interjected, forcing his shoulders straight as he felt everyone's gazes of varying degrees of disdain land upon him. "Moltezz is a known and highly dangerous quantity. She launched an assault on a DA space station close to the border where, regrettably, Plasia was being illegally detained. They pulled her from the station and in doing so, killed thousands of DA citizens. She destroyed the whole station and its hab-barges in one foul swoop."
"Moltezz attacked the DA?" Diego asked, his mouth agape.
"She did. Along with a few others. But it was her that dealt the majority of the damage. Your assessment of her is in line with ours."
Diego struggled to maintain his neutral composure. Moltezz had attacked the DA. Thinking about it, she'd attacked the DA too all those months ago, as he and the others had escaped from the dungeon. A feeling of satisfaction was spreading through his chest, which quickly churned with guilt; Moltezz had killed thousands of innocent citizens, this was not a time to feel pride! And yet, he couldn't shake it. A part of him was in awe. He hated Moltezz. She was a tyrant. A monster. She'd hurt two of his most favourite and important people in the entire world!
And yet, he couldn't deny the elation he felt at the mention of her name. It was difficult to tell if the feeling was lifting him higher, or dragging him down.
He blinked hard, and forced himself back into the room, where Jace was still speaking.
"Although, there is now a twenty-million die bounty on her head, dead or alive, which is likely why so many mercs are here."
The rest of the room suddenly mirrored Diego's guise, and their jaws dropped as one.
"Twenty million dies?!" Wex blurted out. "Oh yeah, that explains the mercs. I wouldn't want to be in her shoes right now. If its an 'or' bounty, those fuckers will just play battleships until she goes down."
"I wouldn't bet on them winning." Jace shook his head. "Then again, I'm sure some of those ships have nuclear payloads. They might just bombard the dreadnought until it collapses."
"Maybe the first ten ships won't win. But for that price? They won't stop coming. She's dragging mercs from several clusters away, even some of the terra-corps will turn their heads for a price like that." Wex added, stroking his fingers down his chin.
"Either that, or they'll just end up feeding themselves to the Rewritten, which is not what we want. This place is turning into a war zone and we need help. Lots of help." Diego continued, seemingly unphased by the bounty reveal. "My plan is still to go to the Warlocks. I know where the closest outpost is from here. If Seeth is in agreement, I want to take the Minitaur out there and rally whoever I can. Moltezz and the Rewritten need to be stopped." Diego turned then to face his friends sincerely. "But this is where I need to ask you all the question. You've already done so much for me and this cause. When I met most of you, you were just trying to survive, and escape imprisonment. Months on, your dedication and loyalty is something I treasure greatly, but I need to ask you, are you still in? This is only going to get worse. You don't need to decide now, but it would be better if you decided before we head off to the Warlock outpost. Please think about what you want. There is zero shame in calling it quits here and trying to resume something resembling a normal life."
"Are you kidding? Hell no, Diego!" Trent stood from his stool, puffing out his chest proudly. "I'm in this until the end! I didn't make it this far only to waddle off with my tail between my legs. Moltezz and the Rewritten need to be stopped."
From the beanbag, Tivy laughed nervously. "Y-Yeah. We're in this together!"
"No chance I'm leaving now. If the Rewritten isn't backing down, then neither am I." Oxyi said, with the same level of determination as Trent, but managing to remain firmly planted on her stool.
Geralt and Venner said nothing, both looking significantly more unsure than the others. Seeth and Plasia meanwhile remained steadfast. For them, it wasn't a question that needed to be considered.
"Thanks guys." Diego smiled. "That… means more to me than you probably know. On that note though, after speaking to Wex, he's offered to join us on that journey to the Warlocks outpost. In return we'll help him look for his missing crew member. I'm all for that, unless anyone has any objections?"
Oxyi's ears pricked at that.
"God, is there anywhere where people aren't going missing these days?" She laughed awkwardly. "S-Sorry, I'm not downplaying your case, it's just this is how this all started, you know?"
To her surprise she got a chuckle out of Wex, who smirked at her awkward humour. "It does seem to be a bit of a theme at the moment. We're looking into the disappearance of a close friend of mine. Chalia Neighorn. She's a quartz elf who functions as a private investigator. She was supposed to be staying aboard my ship, as she feared she was being targeted for a case she was working on. Something big. She left my company to get some belongings from her hide-out, and never returned. I followed what ship emissions I could and it dragged me all the way down from the top side of the cutlass trench all the way down here, through Baron territory. But the trail has gone cold."
"Forgive my ignorance, Captain." Jace asked politely. "But do you mind me asking how you've ruled out death? You've travelled a significant distance without discovery, might there be an error earlier in your investigation?"
"Death is easy to find, Commander." Wex replied smoothly. "Leaves traces and a body, usually. There also wouldn't be a reason to conceal a death like this. If Chalia knew too much about something, leaving the body would be a stronger message. But Chalia was just… gone. Her belongings were still at her hide-out, her ship was idling, waiting for her return. There was a brief sign of struggle, but no overt violence. They didn't take her valuables, they didn't search her things or data. Someone snatched her and as far as I can tell, they fled straight down the trench. And I mean straight down the trench. They didn't stop for snacks or fuck about. They had a destination in mind. But the trail dipped at a crossroads called Vigilance Astute, and I'm chasing my tail right now."
"I know of Vig Ast." Jace said thoughtfully. "It's a highway for a few different gangs and factions, including the Guild, the Barons, the Black Lance, and the ORG sometimes. Even we use it from time to time. Could be any number of perpetrators."
"Huh, I wasn't aware the ORG could be involved. That's not good. But anyway, that's the long and short of it. We're here to find Chalia. Any assistance would be fantastic, any ideas, I'm all ears, seeing as my original suspicions have turned dry. I thought it was another not-so-friendly pirate crew called the SilverFish, but I reckon I'd have bumped into them by now if it was them."
The room went quiet for a few seconds as everyone digested the information, before Seeth spoke up.
"We'll assist, Wex. Any way we can."
"Thanks Lockblade. Means a lot." Wex smiled at her. "I reckon we stand a better chance at sorting all of this stuff together. All of it."
"A-At least we managed to solve one mystery." Oxyi spoke again, shuffling her stool forward. "Back home, people were disappearing in boatloads with no trace, no clues to follow. I remember being torn up about it for months. It's the not knowing that crushes you most. Took Diego arriving to finally figure it out!" Oxyi laughed shyly, her gaze darting between the brothers.
"So… Were you two enemies at some point then?" Wex asked with a cheeky grin, flicking his finger between Seeth and Oxyi.
"Yeah. We were." Seeth's voice prickled with shame. "She went through hell to stop us too. She turns into a real badass when you back her into a corner." Seeth turned to look at Oxyi, her trademark cold expression softening as a gentle smile crept across her lips. "I can't imagine fighting her now."
Oxyi blushed slightly at the Controller's words.
"Yeah, don't sell yourself short, Oxyi." Diego added. "You'd been trying to solve a large-scale disappearance by yourself!"
Oxyi laughed awkwardly, shrinking back into her seat as her face reddened. "Y-Yeah, thanks guys." She replied quickly, trying to brush the compliments off. "Y-Y'know, I was actually surprised when you showed up, Diego. That note you had, that was one of the first ones I sent out, right when people first started disappearing.." She sat back thoughtfully. "Crazy how much has changed since then."
"Tell me about it. Who'd have thought those twelve months I spent in that fucking factory would have ended like this. I'm… glad it did though." Seeth's voice trailed off, a strange taste of bitterness, mixed with hope, sat heavily on her tongue.
"Yeah. Me too. I -"
Suddenly, the lioness froze, cutting herself mid-reply. The words caught in her throat. An uncomfortable shiver trickled down her spine. "Wait… H-How long?"
"Twelve months…" The urgency in Oxyi's voice pulled Seeth from her thoughts. "That's how long me and Leech were planetside before Diego showed up."
"D-Didn't you all arrive together?! Or was Moltezz… early or something?" Oxyi croaked hopefully.
"No, we were first…." She glanced quickly at Plasia, who glanced back with the same concern that Seeth was starting to feel. "Plas and Moltezz came afterwards…" The lingering smile dropped from Seeth's face as realisation shuddered through Oxyi's body.
"I-It… It didn't start with you."
It was as though an old wound was suddenly torn afresh. Those months of watching the townsfolk disappearing, her friends and allies leaving her behind. Day after day with no answer and no help until it was only her, forced to man that stand by the landing pad, as there was simply no-one else left… She remembered the sheer frustration and terror that plagued her every evening, and there were never any answers.
"What didn't?"
"The missing people! The first people to disappear!" Her hands clapped around her neck as she struggled to remember the details, the very first occurrences. "I-It was just like your friend, Wex! The first people just disappeared! Nothing stolen, nothing looted! Just gone! And it was months, months before Seeth and the others appeared! Holy fuck… Holy fuck!" It wasn't them. The Rewritten might have been responsible for most of the disappearances, but they didn't start it…
Just as Oxyi looked like she was going to start to panic, Wex called out to her.
"Hey. We're gonna fix this, okay? We both got people to find. We're gonna find them, right guys?" Wex nodded to his crew who all agreed with him firmly, including a morse code beat of "Y-E-S" from Hammond. "You got Lockblade on your side, a princess of a czarite who brought a damn battleship in tow and some of the finest ladies and gentlemen on this side of the trench, my dumbass and oh, my dumbass big brother. If anyone can find them, it's gonna be us."
Oxyi looked up to see Wex's kind eyes and charming smile, as disarming as it was dangerous. Despite the adrenaline coursing through her, his sharp crimson eyes cut straight through the panic clouding her brain.
Oh fuck… it runs in the family apparantly…
"That's usually my job but… what he said!" Diego laughed, resting his hand on Oxyi's shoulder. "We got this, hun. We'll sit down with Wex later and see what else you can remember about those who went missing pre-Rewritten. We'll have time on the journey to the outpost."
"I'll search our records for anyone who's gone missing under similar circumstances upon my return, and forward anything I find over." Jace added, also turning his attention to Oxyi. "We'll find your missing people, miss. I swear upon it."
As she started to calm down, Oxyi suddenly found herself in the gaze of three rather fetching men, all promising their assistance. And Oxyi suddenly found herself almost starting to panic, for a completely different reason. Luckily, the conversation continued on around her.
"That would be helpful, Commander." Wex flicked his hair out of his face as he turned towards Jace, shuffling his butt forward on the desk. "Maybe there's a pattern we can establish."
"I'll see what I can do. If I may continue, the reason I wanted to speak to Diego and his companions will now be relevant to anyone who travels with him, so I should offer it to everyone in the room."
"Go ahead." Diego agreed, his gaze still remarkably cutting when aimed at Jace.
I suppose I've earned that. Stare away, Diego.
"As I mentioned earlier, Plasia was detained illegally by one of the DA's divisions, who we believe has links to an underground group known as the Dynasty. One of my roles within the Royal Military Division is to contain and thwart these accelerationist groups, but the Dynasty have proven to be remarkably illusive. They've remained quiet and hidden, up until very recently where they've displayed a spate of activity. This activity includes the capture and detainment of yourself, Diego." Jace began a slow walk back and forth as he continued his speech. "I had those involved with your capture fired and imprisoned where appropriate, but my interrogation of those responsible held nothing of value, which brings me to Plasia. I believe she was detained primarily by the Dynasty, and was being used as an item to further their goals. I cannot speak to their objective, nor their reach, but Plasia is now a surviving witness to their crimes. I expect she will be targeted by them."
"T-Targeted? Like, for capture again, or…?" Oxyi stammered.
"Distinctly more lethal, I would imagine. Explains the battleship escort, I suppose." Wex murmured, his eyes flitting between Diego and Jace.
"Have you come on-board only to propagate DA politics and tell us that Plasia might be the target of an assassination?!" Diego growled, leaning his hands onto the navigation table. "After having us both locked up, now we need to worry about daggers in the dark from the DA on top of everything else?! Is your shitty empire capable of doing anything other than ruining peoples lives?!"
"Yes." Jace replied, raising one eyebrow slightly. "Would you rather me say nothing? I was not the one to target you and I am doing everything I can to put it right. While everyone onboard this ship remains affiliated with yourself and with Plasia, they put themselves at risk. There's only so much more I can do, and part of that is on you. I could assign you a guard detail, but I doubt you'd want that?"
Diego shifted his glare away and said nothing, in angry agreement.
"Exactly. Which means I need to alert you to the potential threat. I'm going to do everything in my power to find the people responsible for this and bring them to justice, but that doesn't mean I should avoid uncomfortable conversations purely for my convenience. I've given Plasia the maximum amount of -" Jace casted a quick glance towards Wex before looking back at Diego - "compensation without bringing lengthy paperwork into the mix, seeing as reuniting you both was her top priority." Better not announce the amount in front of pirates, just in case. "It's no life changing amount, but it's enough for supplies, light transport and weapons, whatever she chooses to do with it. Beyond that, my hands are tied unless you cooperate. I can't make you stay under my protection. I can't escort you until it's resolved. I can't neutralise the threat - yet. I… I don't even know if they will come after you. But it's a possibility. And that means I owe you the courtesy and respect to inform you."
"W-Will they attack the rest of us?!" Tivy squeaked, pulling her dangling antennae over her eyes.
"I'm honestly not sure. They've previously been incredibly selective over their targets, but the fact that both Plasia and Diego are here is a sign they're getting over-confident, and this has rendered them somewhat sloppy. But, before this becomes something I didn't intend -" Jace turned his attention more towards Diego's anxious-looking crew "- please don't let my words stress you. I want you to be alert, not scared. If I were more worried, I would have tried to insist, fruitlessly I can only assume, that you come with me into a safe house. But I'm more than certain that Seeth, and an ultra-class psyker himself Diego, could handle them. If they know they're coming."
A silent, tense few seconds followed then as Diego and Jace stared each other down. Eventually, Diego seemed to relax and glanced away, pushing himself away from the navigation table. A wave of relief passed over Jace as the lizard gave him a subtle nod.
"Good. Finally, and I cannot stress this enough, please do not mention the Dynasty to anyone else involved in the DA. It would be far safer if you only talked about them to me, and only when it is safe to do so."
The room nodded in silence, the weight of Jace's words feeling heavy on their shoulders. If just knowing about these people made you a target, it was something to take seriously. But just as the room started to get too heavy -
"- Ultra-class?! I can't believe it!" Wex suddenly announced with a great grin on his face. "I always teased you that your defensive psyonics were such a lame power to have! While everyone else was slinging fireballs and lightning bolts at each other, there was you just standing there with your little orange shield. Not only do I stand corrected, but you actually made it to ultra-class?!"
"Turns out making everyone you care about bulletproof is actually quite useful." Diego snickered back, seemingly more at ease now. "Well, we appreciate the heads up, Jace. We'll keep you informed."
"Good. Please do."
"On that note, I suppose I should ask… Jace, there was something we'd appreciate your help on, if you wouldn't mind?" Diego asked. The politeness in his voice was forced, but it was there.
"Of course." Jace seemed somewhat surprised, but pleased; this meeting had gone far better than he'd anticipated so far. "How can I help?"
"Better if I show you." Wex replied, hopping down from his desk. "If the rest of you want to stay here for food while Diego and the Commander come with me? We won't be long."
In their respective corners, Hammond up high and Tivy on the beanbag began two separate happy little food dances, both critters clearly overjoyed with the news.
"Sounds good! Guess we'll catch you in a bit!" Oxyi's casual-enough farewell quickly turned into an awkward one, as a furious blush overcame her; Jace, Diego and Wex all turned and smiled at her at the same time as they made their way out of the room. "BUH-BYE BOYS!" She half-announced, half-squealed with a little twiddle of her fingers and an unconvincing smile, and remained completely stuck in the motion until the three men had left the room.
Everyone was staring at her.
"You're so smooth, Oxyi." Venner finally laughed, playfully shoving Oxyi as the sound of a rattling dinner cart approached from outside the door. "Buh-bye boys!" She mimicked as Oxyi groaned and buried her face in her hands.
"Hey!" Tivy yelled, standing up from her beanbag. "It's not her fault she's hopeless around hot men!"
"Tiv! I don't think Oxyi appreciates being called out like that in front of a bunch of strangers!" Trent pretended to scold her from across the room, struggling to hide his own smile.
"H-O-T M-E-N" Hammond buzzed out, followed by what sounded like a laugh from his wings.
"Knock it off, Hammond! Pressure gets to us all sometimes." Diesel said, an undertone of sass to his otherwise low, gravelly voice.
"Hey, a hell of a lot of testosterone just swaggered out of the room! Did you see the way Diego and the Commander were looking at each other?" Ceri pretended to fan herself with her hand. "Wasn't sure if I should be popping a boner or popping a bullet."
Oxyi peeked through her fingers at the pair of them, who were now standing next to each-other. "O-Oh yeah?" She said, her face still a warm shade of pink. "Does that sort of thing happen around… here… a lot?"
Diesel smiled knowingly. "Don't worry, you're not the first girl to fumble themselves in front of Wex." He looked pointedly at Ceri, who stuck her middle finger up at him in response.
"Fuck off," she grinned. "Like you didn't when you met him."
"Never said I didn't." Diesel replied back, nonchalantly.
"O-Oh, so, are you and Wex -" Oxyi started, "- or are you and Wex..?" her voice trailed off, looking at Diesel. "S-Sorry! I probably shouldn't be prying." She said, embarrassed. But Diesel chuckled, a soft rumbling sound from deep within his chest.
"Captain doesn't bat that way unfortunately. And no, he's not seeing anyone right now." Diesel winked at her, and Oxyi could feel herself burning up again.
"That's not why I asked!" She blurted out.
"No idea what you could be implying there." Ceri teased, then siddled towards her, wrapping her arm around the lioness' shoulders. "Anyway! Ignore the boys! It's wonderful to meet you, Oxyi. Anyone dedicated that much to fighting for the lil' people is a friend of mine."
"M-E?" Hammond asked, his mandibles somehow curling into a cheeky grin.
"No, Hammond. I meant nomads!" Ceri huffed. "Not little shits like you!"
Before the bickering could continue, the food trolley finally arrived, pushed along by two of Wex's cooks. Silver platters and plates were quickly unloaded onto the navigation table and breakfast bar, revealing a nicely varied array of food. It was all well cooked and nice enough, but it was obvious that Wex's cooks were used to cooking for lots of people, and lacked the personal touches that someone like Tivy would put into the food.
Hammond quickly climbed down from his hammock as both him and Tivy dived straight for a plate full of their respective foods, both licking their lips without a thought in the world as they perched themselves up on the breakfast bar next to one-another.
Seeth and Plasia hung back for a moment as everyone else followed in the critters' stead and crowded the trolley, allowing the others to grab what they wanted first. As the two of them waited, an overwhelming wave of emotion suddenly overcame Seeth, and she turned to face the sapphire Controller.
"Plasia… I just wanted to say, I'm really glad you're safe. I wasn't… I…" Seeth struggled with the phrasing as she tried to figure out the best way to say what she wanted. "I should have done more. I had no idea what you were going through until Jace told me the Rewritten had come to get you, I didn't even know if you were still alive, and…" She inhaled sharply, and Plasia quickly threw her arms around the girl's muscular shoulders, pulling her in close for a hug.
"It wasn't your fault, Seeth. I'm glad you're safe too." She smiled warmly as Seeth returned the hug.
"I'm so sorry they had to do what I couldn't." Seeth whispered. "I… I want to try harder from now on." She pulled away from Plasia so she could see her face, but still held gently onto her arms. "I want to actually try and get to know you. Honestly, I never expected ending up - or being okay with - a three-way relationship, but I think…I think we're going to work this out."
They stayed close for a few moments, both feeling a little lighter as they finally broke away.
"I'd really like that." Plasia smiled. "I think we can do this, too."
They moved to get some food together, Seeth's plate mostly consisting of meats, Plasia's an interesting-looking multicoloured salad, a small smile adorning both their faces. They were different, for sure. And life was weird for the pair of them, definitely. But weird didn't have to be bad.
But just as they sat down and Seeth went for her first bite, an ear-piercing high-pitched scream shook the room.
Followed by what almost sounded like an apple being bitten into…
Followed by a heavy and sustained dry heave.
A ghostly white Tivy scuttled away from the breakfast bar, abandoning her plate of veggies as she clutched her mouth. Everyone panned over to see Hammond sinking his mandibles into a lightly seared cattle heart, happily munching away without a care in the world.
Tivy weaved her way around Plasia's and Seeth's legs before eventually bumping into Trent and burying her face straight into his crotch, rubbing her face into it with all the might she had.
"Good meat not bad meat!Good meat not bad meat!" Her muffled voice cried out, as Trent guided her over to the beanbag, the fox's face flushed red with embarrassment.
"I-It's okay Tiv, let's get you away from that…" He rubbed her on the back and pulled her into a cuddle as Diesel surveyed the room, still on high alert.
"Is everything okay?" He asked, shooting daggers at Hammond who appeared completely unphased.
"It's fine. She's just… bad around meat."
*
Wex, Diego and Jace continued to the engineering bay, despite Diego nearly turning on his heels upon hearing Tivy's scream. Thankfully, a quick message from Diesel to Wex's phone confirmed it was a false alarm, and they continued on through Wex's ship until they hit the lowest level, where the ship opened up into a larger bay.
It was fairly typical as far as destroyer-sized engineering bays went and the few crew members that were around all gave Wex a nod or a thumbs up upon seeing him arrive. They motioned towards the door and he nodded back. It only took a few moments for the crew to pack up and head out, leaving the three men alone.
There was a partially deconstructed silver pod in the middle of the bay, surrounded by ladders and idle tools, and three blanket-covered bodies on the far side, away from the hustle and bustle on the floor.
Wex quickly brought Diego and Jace over, snapping his fingers to activate the ceiling-mounted spotlights.
"I assume both of you have seen dead bodies before?" Wex asked as his claws gripped the corner of one of the sheets, pulling it back to reveal the lifeless body of the white dragon. His skin has been put back across his stomach, his dignity somewhat restored, whatever that was worth to him at this point. "Sorry fella." Wex grimaced slightly as he lifted the cut flap back, over the dragon's face. "This was how we found him. Strung upside down, bolted to the wall of the escape pod by his shins. I assume you'll know more about this than me, but I've asked around, and it seems he was an agent of a DA group called the Solar Seraphim? Someone around here recognised his uniform."
Jace stepped forward, his face hardening as he took in every detail. "'Your Move,'" he murmured, then swallowed hard, trying not to gag as the smell of burnt fatty tissue hit his nostrils.
Wex and Diego shared a glance.
"Do you know what this is?" Wex asked, cautiously.
"I do." Jace replied slowly. "I've… never actually seen it before, though."
The dragon's stoic demeanour trembled, the commander humbled by something great and terrible. This wasn't just a dead body, this was everything he'd had been told never to look into. This was the haunting secrets of an empire that had done everything in its power to bury the bodies of anyone who asked too many questions. This was the Dynasty, fangs bared and its nightmarish idology on full display.
"What does this mean to you?" Wex asked, surprisingly calm, taking a step back and leaning against the wall.
Jace remained silent for a few more seconds. He cleared his throat as his eyes drifted up towards the ceiling, as though he were asking a higher power for permission to proceed.
Or checking that none were listening.
"This… This is… Gods, I don't know where to even start. This is… an execution, obviously. I've never seen it in person, and there's no public record of such a thing… but I believe, from what I've been able to piece together, that it's a method used by the Dynasty, and their predecessors."
"I'm assuming it's not typical, then? You wouldn't see DA soldiers doing this on the regular or anything?"
"Never." Jace replied quickly.
"You seem uneasy, Jace." Diego commented, a patronising edge in his voice. "Considering how very forthright you were about a possible assassination attempt earlier. Different when it's one of yours?"
Jace pulled his gaze away from his kin, and narrowed them at the komodo instead. But he quenched the heat that was rising in his chest, and swallowed the rage that had been building - perhaps for longer than he'd realised.
"No, Diego. Not one bit."
Jace's attention flickered again back to the body, as Wex pulled his skin back and replaced it over his belly.
"Not to press you too hard, Commander. But there seems to be a lot of uncertainty in what you say. You mentioned no public record, what about private ones?" Wex asked, ignoring the continued tension between Jace and Diego as valiantly as he could.
"Those are mostly gone too, thanks to Grey Wall. Trying to find anything past three-hundred and fifty years ago is borderline impossible."
"Grey Wall?" Diego asked as he folded his arms. "Could you elaborate, for the non-draconics in the room?"
Don't snap back Jace, don't rise to it… Gods I sound like Belle. Jace swallowed his pride and nodded, but something balled in tight in his stomach as he went to speak.
"You need a drink, Commander?" Wex asked coolly, noting the pause. "We got water, or something harder if you'd prefer."
"No, no. I'm fine. This is… difficult to comment on. There are consequences for speaking about it within the DA."
His own words seemed to have a stronger effect on Jace than he expected; finally, he was free to speak his mind. Those consequences couldn't reach him here. He felt the knot in his stomach shift suddenly.
"Operation Grey Wall was - is - a mass censorship campaign that was successfully launched by the DA around three hundred and fifty years ago. It censored our empire's history, all our acts and deeds and obscured all family trees and lineage. Simply put, anything pre-Grey Wall is practically impossible to find, and you'll get into serious trouble for prying too much. The sanctity of the Wall is taken with the utmost gravatas and, whilst light questions are tolerated, trying to actually find any solid information can result in… well… I'd rather not say. But the second any line of questioning reaches the Wall? You stop." Jace affirmed gruffly, a hint of frustration to his voice. "It seems like even people who pre-date the Wall can't even remember what happened prior to it, and those who do pretend they can't."
Diego and Wex shared another look, this once laced with disgust.
"So… they covered up everything they did?" Wex asked, still cautious.
A flicker of curiosity crossed Jace's face as he examined the two brothers. "I know of… some things…" Jace replied tentatively. Despite himself, he found his throat raw and dry at the mere suggestion of the conversation. "Operation Red Ditch. The Golden Years. The Amber Recession. All things I would suffer greatly for, if mentioned within the wrong company. The mere mention of Grey Wall makes anyone in the know shrivel away; you start talking about the Ditch and it's a guaranteed one way trip." The commander shifted on the spot, like he was shifting a great weight from one shoulder to the other. "Of course, these days it's not quite as black and white as that. There are those even within the Royal Family who want the Wall torn down, but as it stands, not enough to change things. Hell, it's one of the reasons why officially, Solar Seraphim agents such as our unfortunate friend -" Jace gestured to the deceased dragon "- are known as an extremist group to the DA government. One of their core tenets is to bring Grey Wall down. No way can that be tolerated."
"What was Operation Red Ditch?" Wex asked.
Jace opened his mouth to reply, then hesitated. He growled in frustration at his own cowardice, his own conditioning.
"You have our word that nothing you say here will reach anyone in the DA." Wex pushed gently. "We won't jeopardise you."
"...I only know a little about it." The commander sighed. "The Wall is well-maintained and hard to breach… But it was a 'civil war,' from the few documents I was able to see. Unfortunately, even those stunk of political gerrymandering, like they'd been put through the spin-cycle multiple times. My estimation was that it was closer to a slaughter, or a pre-emptive strike against a civilian population. But they were proud of it, and it 'worked,' supposedly. They achieved what they wanted."
"Do you know roughly how long ago Red Ditch happened?" Diego asked, his gaze flicking between Wex and Jace.
Jace thought for a moment. Considering Theo's age…"I'd say around five hundred years ago? Give or take."
Both Wex and Diego felt their spines bristle, adrenaline filling their thumping hearts. They finally had a name for the day that had taken everything from them:
RED DITCH
"On that note, Diego, one of the reasons I believed you were targeted by our strike teams erroneously, is because you might have pre-dated the Wall. May I ask if that's true?"
"I don't just pre-date your Wall, Jace. Me and Wex survived Red Ditch."
Jace felt a crack appear in his formal veneer. Holy shit, okay… that explains a lot. He thought to himself, feeling a whirlwind of questions forming. "You were both there?!" He asked, as calmly as he could. He could feel his heart racing, but he wasn't entirely sure why. "The Wall is very secure regarding Red Ditch. Do you mind if I ask what happened? A first hand perspective willing to be shared is… exceedingly rare. If you are willing, of course."
"You'll have to forgive me and Diego for our slightly abbreviated version of events, considering it was the most traumatic day of my life, bar none." Wex stated with an air of disdain. "But the Draconic Empire, as it was known back then, rounded up everyone who wasn't a pureblood draconian, such as us coralith komodos, who are reptilian - And they fucking killed them all. It wasn't a civil war, it was genocide. They ambushed us out of nowhere and murdered millions, maybe even billions of us. And not just us coraliths either. I don't know how many thousands of species' died that day."
Jace's gaze rose to the bay ceiling, where it stayed for what felt like eternity with the brothers' eyes boring into him. I'm talking to two witnesses of some of the largest crimes ever committed in existence, and what's worse, I think they might be blaming me for them. At least, subconsciously. Part of him wanted to snap back proudly, accuse them of lying or exaggerating. This was the empire he'd dedicated his life to, after all. The idea he'd been working with people responsible for Red Ditch made him feel more than just a little queasy as all the feelings mixed inside of him.
"I'm sorry." He uttered quietly. "That's… worse than I thought. No wonder Grey Wall is taken so seriously." He took a few seconds to gather his composure. Soon enough though, the commander resumed the conversation with a slow exhale. "Your story should be known. Those who committed these atrocities should not be able to hide in plain sight. Do you know what triggered it? What made them suddenly attack?"
"Not sure, personally. I was too young to be soaking in the politics of the time. Whilst we appreciate the thought, Commander, that can be a conversation for another time." Wex replied softly; eager to keep the conversation useful, he turned back towards the corpse. "This type of execution was used heavily by the Draconic Empire during Red Ditch, so would it be safe to say we're dealing with the same people?"
"From what I know, yes. Or people mimicking their ideology. The Grey Wall has made it impossible to associate people with anything. Either way, it looks like the Dynasty has its roots in this stuff, regardless of who is running it now."
"Well, thanks for that." Wex replied coolly. "We appreciate the honesty."
"I told you, I'm here to put things right. I meant it. Speaking of which, Diego, if you're pre-Grey Wall, it might explain why the insurgent groups within the DA military sought you out in the first place."
"I suppose it would." Diego huffed. "With what you've explained about the Wall, having someone with knowledge beyond it and unafraid to speak would be disastrous."
"Exactly. But only to those in the know… they'd have to know about it, to know you might be an issue. Few people know coralith komodos even exist, nevermind why they're so rare." Jace pondered, rubbing his chin. He froze suddenly, unsure of the words croaking in his throat before they suddenly lurched free. "I… I tried to use you to catch the Dynasty, Diego. When you were taken in after Barru X, I fast-tracked your case and placed trackers on your profile, alerting me to anyone who might have searched for you after you were sold. I could have pulled you out of the endenturement program entirely, but I left you in as bait. My hope was that the Dynasty might have followed up after they went to all that effort to snatch you. But they did not. No-one looked into you, so not only was my trap wasted, but it came at your expense. I stole six months of your life for nothing, and for that, I can only try to atone."
Diego looked off into the distance, avoiding Jace's eyes for a brief moment.
"You know Jace, knowing that you were doing it to catch the people who took mine and Wex's family away… I dunno… makes me feel a bit better about it I guess?" Diego shrugged, his shoulders slumping slightly. "It's just… I don't know how to feel. I've been everywhere today, it feels like."
"That's understandable. I just wanted you to know, I didn't take the decision lightly. And perhaps knowing that the Dynasty is becoming more present every day, might add some much needed context to why I made such a terrible decision."
An awkward silence filled the void for an emotional few seconds, this had turned out to be much more difficult than any of them imagined. Diego didn't quite know how to respond. But eventually, the lizard broke the silence as he turned his attention over to the other two bodies, still covered.
"Who's under these two sheets, then?" He asked softly, padding over to the tables.
"Ah, the two unlucky victims. Not sure who they were, but they were executed in cold blood." Wex sniffed, shaking his head in disgust. "Still strapped into the pod, they never even got a chance to move. Defenceless."
"Precisely the Dynasty's MO, according to your recollection of Red Ditch." Jace spat as he moved to view the other bodies, and Wex pulled the cloth off of them.
No sooner had the fabric hit the floor, Diego let out a pained howl from between his lips. He fell briefly to his knees, then scrambled back up, leaning over their corpses as his body twitched from his ears to his toes.
"KATIE?! DARIN?!"
The room fell silent as Wex and Jace watched Diego struggle with his emotions, fury shook through his muscles and they tensed across his entire frame, but his eyes were squeezed shut, cold tears forming in the corners of them. Wex rushed over to help his brother as Diego clawed at the sides of the table.
"They… They… Why?! Why would they do this?!" Diego wailed angrily. He snapped his attention over towards a pile of metal scrap a few paces away and snatched a thick bar of steel frame into his hands, squeezing the metal tightly. "Y-You're not using this, are you Wex?!" He asked, trying to remain polite as his feelings overflowed.
"N-No man, you do what you want with it." Wex spoke, his face wrought with concern for his pain-stricken brother.
Diego held the thick metal tube horizontally in front of him and in one furious, defiant motion, bent the metal in half with an accompanying, pained roar. No psyonics, just sheer anger and pain poured into the screeching metal which caved immediately to his fury. He tossed it back onto the pile with a loud clank, his chest rising and falling with a near-insatiable rage.
"Diego, who are they? How do you know them?" Jace asked urgently, doing his best to ignore the sheer display of strength Diego he'd just witnessed.
"T-They were friends of mine. Fellow slaves. Of the Thornscales." Diego's anger receded enough for a moment, just to allow him to speak a short sentence at a time. "I… I arranged an escape. Via the Seraphim. They were going to pick me up the day before the Rewritten attacked. But I gave my place to these two. They had it harder than me. The Thornscales would beat them. They would make them do things that a brother and sister ought not to do to each-other. They would humiliate them. So I made them go instead of me."
He approached the closest table, housing Darin's still body. The little equine still had a bloody bandage wrapped around his ankle, the bruises across his body only made worse since his heart had stopped beating.
"I should have been on that pod." Diego swallowed loudly. "M-Maybe I could have done something. I sh-should have -"
"Diego. This is not your fault. You are not responsible for the crimes committed by the Dynasty!" Jace all but commanded the komodo, then immediately regretted his interjection as Diego whipped his head around to face him, more furious than ever.
"I SHOULD HAVE BEEN THERE TO PROTECT THEM!" Diego snapped, hammering a fist on the table with a loud bang. "That's what I do… that's all I can do…"
"And what would have happened to the rest of the people on the planet, if you had left the night before, Diego?" Jace reminded him, with a gentle but firm tone. "You saved a lot of lives that day by holding the Rewritten back at our moment of need. You are not the one to blame here. Please, do not discredit yourself like this."
"Yeah, your moment of need." Diego hissed from between bared teeth. "It's always about you lot, isn't it?! Who was there for them, in their moment of need?!" Diego lurched angrily at the table, where his friends had been laid to rest. "Where was I?! Protecting the Draconic fucking Empire!"
"The Commander's right, bro." Wex said, a little hesitantly. He glanced over at Jace, who's eyes had hardened over once more. "Look, I don't want to push any buttons here, but it sounds like these poor people were fucked no matter what. If you'd have left the planet without them, the Rewritten would have gotten them. If their keepers didn't first."
"Why does it always feel that no matter how much I win, the fucking Dynasty always get their pound of flesh?! Theres always another fucking… dagger… waiting." Diego's words were slow, and heavy. He looked utterly defeated now, his head hanging low as he gently stroked Katie's cheek with a single finger. "I let you down… I promised you'd be safe and you weren't… I wasn't there to help you when you needed me most… I couldn't protect my family from these people, and I couldn't protect you either."
Wex moved to comfort his brother, to place a hand against his shoulder, but Diego interrupted him.
"Sorry… I'm just… Can I have a minute?"
Both Wex and Jace nodded solemnly and stepped away, turning their backs so Diego could have a few seconds to himself.
"For what it's worth, Captain Harley, this was all before my time." The commander looked uncomfortable; for all his seeming resilience, a guilt with no comprehensible source was eating away inside of him. "And I do not condone any of it, then, or now."
The komodo was silent for a moment. He was staring at Jace, as though trying to gauge exactly how trustworthy the dragon was, and how sincere… After a few seconds though, he seemed satisfied. He folded his arms and leaned back slightly against the doorway. He looked somewhat guarded still, but more comfortable now in the other's company.
"Just Wex is okay, Commander."
"Jace. Just Jace." The corner of the dragon's lips twitched in the attempt of a smile.
"So… You said you used my brother as bait, but no-one took it?" Wex asked after a moment, with a raised eyebrow.
"Yes. That was the plan."
"Looks like you've found out why. They already had eyes on him. You're telling me they just happened to know the exact pod to attack?"
"Perhaps… Although, Diego didn't leave. If they had eyes on him planet-side, they wouldn't have had anything to report. Unless Diego and the Seraphim were both very careless, which I doubt."
…
"Unless… the Seraphim is compromised as well…"