Episode 113, Beyond the Rim
06 Oct 2024Ryuko Ntsikana
Episode 113, Beyond the Rim
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As suddenly as they had begun, the dissimilar attacks stopped. The Coterie, having wreaked havoc across the systems, had withdrawn, moving deeper into the core worlds. They were flush with credits, and each member was off to pursue the mission of upgrading their small fleet. Meanwhile, Meredith returned to his routine of running transport missions, hauling in more Tritium for the carrier before its next jump.
The neighboring factions were anything but pleased. Keeping a cautious eye on Ryuko’s carrier, now just one system away, they maintained the presence of three of their own capital ships, wary and vigilant.
Tzafrir found the whole thing rather amusing. Ryuko's wild, reckless campaign through the rim was as unpredictable as it was brilliant. However, they'd never formalized any kind of mentorship. Still, Tzafrir understood exactly why Ryuko had positioned his carrier where he did. Just within a quarter of its jump range lay Thargoid territory—hostile and volatile. Any mass assault by human capital ships would drive Ryuko straight into the Thargoids' reach, a move as bold as it was calculated.
It was a move worthy of an old-fashioned standoff. If the neighboring factions decided to chase him with a small fleet of carriers, they’d be walking straight into the Thargoids’ crosshairs. The aliens, still reeling from the damage inflicted on their motherships, wouldn’t pass up such a target.
What amused Tzafrir even more was that Ryuko and Tara were nowhere near the carrier. The two had bolted into the hinter regions, more than a thousand light-years beyond the rim, supposedly scouting for biological discoveries—or at least, that was the official story. In reality, both were taking a moment of calm before Ryuko’s next move.
The whole situation, in its way, was darkly entertaining to Tzafrir. But he knew the chaos wouldn’t last forever. Each of Ryuko’s moves had a specific purpose, a timeline in which everything would unfold. Sooner—rather than later—all the excitement would reach its inevitable conclusion, and they would return to the true reason for their presence in the bubble.
Zaria, Lianna, and, surprisingly, Contessa Svetlana had each taken Ceri under their wing, helping her adjust to her new life aboard the ship. It was a world of comfort and stability—a far cry from the one Ceri had known. The word home felt as alien to her as Thargoids were to humans.
In the presence of the refined and dignified Contessa, Ceri grew increasingly guarded. Of everyone onboard, it was Svetlana who seemed to understand her best.
Ceri had only ever known the name her captors had given her, forced into servitude for their pirate crews. To them, she was less than expendable—treated as an object, an animal, her existence defined by the cruelty of others. Only through sheer inner ferocity, forged over years of abuse, had she managed to rise through the ranks. And now, she found herself in a place that might as well have been a child’s fairy tale—fictional, unreal. Every small kindness was met with suspicion, weighed heavily against the betrayals of her past.
Contessa Svetlana, with her elegance and grace, knew all too well what was tearing at Ceri’s soul. The young woman’s unease was palpable, but Svetlana had seen this before. By offering her presence, she hoped to show Ceri that there was another way—that not all from the life she had known were monsters. There was dignity, even in darkness. Svetlana knew it would take time for Ceri to heal, and she was prepared to be there at each step, should Ceri allow her.
Ryuko turned from the alien plants, his mind half on their value and half on the bigger picture. Sure, they’d make fine additions to the ship’s botanical garden, but what mattered more was being here—first to land, first to catalog. The frontier wasn’t just in space; it was in people’s minds, too. The small things could add up to something much bigger.
Tara’s voice cut through his thoughts, laughter in her tone. “Ryuko Ntsikana, pirate-turned-explorer. Never thought I’d see the day. What do you think your old mentor would say about all this?”
Ryuko closed the Scarab’s cargo container, grinning as he approached her. “Who knows?” he said. “I think he'd care more about results than the method. Profit is profit.”
Tara gave him a sidelong glance, her expression a mix of amusement and curiosity. “You’re a strange one, Ryuko. You didn’t free those prisoners for some noble reason, did you?”
He leaned against the Scarab’s frame, looking out at the rugged moonscape. “Noble? No. I’ve got no illusions about what I am. But those prisoners—some of them are going back, with ships in their hands, and chaos is going to follow. Why wouldn’t a reasonable pirate profit from that?”
There was a beat of silence between them before Tara shook her head with a smile. “You’re not just a pirate anymore, are you? You’ve been thinking ahead.”
Ryuko’s grin widened. “A pirate who plans is still a pirate. I’ve learned a few things along the way.”
“Your companion is getting creative,” the ethereal voice echoed within Tara’s mind. Her neurological matrix processed the statistical probabilities of Ryuko’s next move, calculating his likely objectives based on his recent goals and patterns of behavior.
“Notoriety?”
Ryuko glanced at her, his smile widening.