Shadows in the Rift - Prologue
28 Mar 2017Jellicoe
Serabrov Terminal looks shabby and ill maintained from the outside and looks, in this case, are not deceptive. This system should be a beacon of prosperity for the whole sector from the exploitation of the mineral resources in its extensive ring systems, indeed the Federation had once built a city on the planet below to service the mining boom it confidently anticipated. Then the pirates had moved in. The Purple Partnership and Dominion League had made the system so ungovernable that whichever bean counter in his comfortable office on Mars made these decisions concluded that even exclusive rights to the systems considerable resources did not make a pacification operation cost effective and so HR 6421 and all its potential riches had been left to the criminals and any others courageous or desperate enough to brave them. All of which had also made HR 6421 the perfect base for the fledgling Children of Raxxla, close enough to the core to keep an eye on the endless machinations of the galactic powers while far enough away to avoid attracting attention, the pirate infestation also helped keep any prying eyes well away from the growing but secretive organisation, and grow they had. Helped by their leaders wealth and the efforts of their pilots the Children had gained control of Serabrov Terminal, and had made it if not always a pleasant place then at least a safe one. Times though were changing, and the capture of their leader had forced this group of explorers and mystery chasers to take more direct action, thus the Children's recent exploits in Cemiess and Eotienses had begun to attract the attention of the powerful, the kind of attention that would not be put off by a system infested with pirates."To what do I owe the honour of a visit from one of our illustrious consuls?" Asked a hard looking man in a red suit that was garish even by Imperial standards. Wilber Bernard was indeed a hard man, he was also that rarest of creatures from the Empire in being a self made one. A miner by trade he had made his fortune in the Prism system, digging Tantalum, always working the most dangerous seams for the purest ore and the richest yields, his business had grown until he lost it all when insurgents had briefly seized the system but worked his way back up following Lady Kahina Loren's reclamation, only to lose everything once more in the chaos following Kahina's disappearance when his mining contracts were 'acquired' by some aristocratic crony of Denton Patreus. Thanks to his mining knowledge and ability to get things done Salomé had appointed him to manage the Children's activities in this system with the priority of keeping the ore flowing for whatever project she was working on, which now made Wilber Bernard the governor of this station, which in turn with Salomé currently in an Imperial prison made him arguably the most powerful man in the Children of Raxxla. I half smiled at his attempts to affect airs and graces as he made great play of sampling his wine, his craggy face and shaven head combined with his tattooed neck and gaudy clothing to give him the look of a gangster rather than an administrator. Only a fool though underestimated either his intellect or his decency.
"I thought I'd drop in for a bit, been away too long." I replied sampling my own wine which was excellent, one of the advantages of having the LOSP for near neighbours was a plentiful supply of first class wines.
Wilber laughed loudly, seeing right through me. "Who've you pissed off this time?" He asked between guffaws.
"Ever heard of an Admiral Sleer?"
"Can't say as I 'ave. Fed?"
"Yes."
"Don't do things by halves do you lad?"
"There's more to it than that, she tried to capture me because I'm one of us, she thinks I know something. Any idea why a Federation Admiral is targeting us?"
Wilber's brows knitted, his craggy face looking both thoughtful and concerned. "Erimus is going to brief the other consul's in the next day or so but as you're here you may as well know; we've got a lead on the Rift, the Gap and Conflux too as it'appens and whatever's out there the Feds don't want us finding it. 'Appen this Sleer thought you'd know what we've got."
I chewed my steak thoughtfully. "So what have we got?"
"Three system names, one in each area. Don't ask me what's there or 'ow we got em, I'm just a miner that stuff's for you flyboys but we think there's something there and whatever it is the Feds don't want it found."