Episode 122, Branding Iron
03 Nov 2024Ryuko Ntsikana
Episode 122, Branding Iron
Orang System
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Tzafrir nodded with approval as he read the reports streaming from the Tjakiri system. Regional news was flooded with coverage of the lawsuit filed against the ruling faction for its botched raid on a peaceful tourism facility. What had begun as a single commander’s legal action had ignited a full legal quagmire, with patrons of the facility and its ruling faction all joining the suit.
As the ruling faction’s dependence on outside support became an open discussion, Gary Winkler, head of Black Omega, saw his chance. Seizing the opportunity, Black Omega struck at the weakened non-native faction that had long suppressed them, turning the tables and exploiting the absence of their former ally, now entrenched in defending itself in court and in the media.
Across from Tzafrir, Zaria’s lips curved in a subtle smile as she studied her data tablet. “Looks like your protege is making a nice nuisance of himself.”
Tzafrir grunted, nodding. “He does have a way of seizing the opportunity. The question now is how best to test Lianna and Jabir once these events run their course.” He pondered a moment.
Zaria shrugged. “He has them paired with the Coteries. This melee alone will round them out nicely—if they survive it.”
“If they survive it,” Tzafrir mused, fingers tapping lightly on his tablet. His expression darkened, a plan beginning to crystallize. “Perhaps going against someone familiar might reveal more of their limits.”
Zaria’s gaze sharpened. “What are you thinking?”
Tzafrir remained silent for several moments as he finished typing a message. “If he still lives,” he said slowly, “perhaps a visit from Scyles Kostya.”
Zaria let out a low, approving hum. “Interesting choice. A psychotic with an axe to grind against Ryuko and anything connected to him—or anyone else for that matter.”
“Precisely why he’s destined to fail,” Tzafrir murmured, his expression neutral. “But first, we’ll see if he’s even still alive. If he is, then a discrete trail should be arranged.”
Estrellas de la Mirage (Fleet Carrier)
Pegasi Sector MS-T c3-14
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Captain Akio leaned forward in his chair in Ryuko’s office, reading the continuous stream of updates across the wall monitor. The headlines covered every detail of the lawsuit’s fallout, while the war between the two smaller factions earned only a cursory mention. Talking heads on countless media channels filled the feeds with their opinions on the scandal; no speculation, though, had struck close to the truth.
With Ryuko and Tara away gathering and engineering new modules, and the Coteries busy pirating and looting anything of value, the carrier’s comms were jammed with requests. Every news entity and wannabe influencer demanded quotes, interviews, and anything they could use for coverage. Akio chuckled, knowing that Ryuko would shut them all down. He didn’t care about recouping his losses; he cared about leveraging this debacle to keep the ruling faction out of the war. In the end, Ryuko would ensure Black Omega’s victory, weakening their rulers’ credibility—and then he would brand his old pirate mentor's legacy in a way far more enduring than any fleeting headline.
Python class ship
Arikaras System
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Ryuko busied himself with the ship’s navigational computer, programming in its next flight path as Tara watched the repair limpet shuttle back and forth, sealing the thruster damage left by the packhound missiles. She’d seen her companion interdict and plunder countless vessels in their time together, but usually for cargo, not raw materials like the mercury and polonium this Keelback had mined from a volcanic moon.
This was new for Ryuko. Usually, he left his targets to handle their own repairs, relying on their distress beacons for rescue. Yet here he was, restoring the ship he'd stripped, even to the point of mending its thrusters. She tilted her head, curiosity piqued.
“The mercury and polonium will suffice for several modifications, once they’re exchanged,” she observed. “But what I’m curious about is why you’re repairing their ship.”
Ryuko glanced up, a cheeky grin spreading across his face. “Even though this ship belongs to a rival pirate clan, I want to build a reputation with them.”
Tara tilted her head farther, a habit when something didn’t align. “But this region has nothing to do with your goal. Why here?”
“A lesson from my mentor,” Ryuko replied, eyes flashing with recollection. “Perception is a conditioned response. I have eyes on me from the lawsuit I filed. Tracking this ship is straightforward. Those who want to understand me will see me here, snooping for motives that don’t exist.”
Tara’s eyes widened as his intent settled. “They’ll draw the wrong conclusions,” she finished for him. “They’ll think they understand you and come up with conspiracies that only confirm what they want to see.”
Ryuko’s smile broadened a rare glint of satisfaction in his gaze. “Exactly,” he said. “When people see what they expect, it frees me to do what they don’t.”
Tara tilted her head the other way, studying him intently. “But if they find out you’re a pirate, it could backfire on the lawsuit. I don’t understand why you would risk exposing yourself.”
Ryuko nodded as he completed the final entries on the navigational computer. “True, it’s a risk. But think of it this way: they won’t just discover that I’m a pirate. They’ll uncover ties I have with the very faction I’ve chosen to support, and from there, they’ll dig until they reach the Pegasi Pirate Wars. They’ll trace back to the clan I was with, the split—the dagger in the back that cost us so dearly.” His eyes darkened, a flicker of something deeper and colder. “They’ll learn it cost our leader—my mentor—his life.”
He leaned back, a gleam of satisfaction barely masked. “And once the story has spun through every media and gossip channel, one question will light the whole affair: why. And that’s where their position crumbles.”
Tara processed the information as a chuckle escaped. Whether through programmed response or evolutionary development, she did not know. A strange warmth flooded her circuits, though she couldn’t yet name the feeling. “So, this is what you meant, weeks ago, about pulling the rug out from under them.”
Ryuko inclined his head, his gaze fixed on her eyes. “Yes, and once the full story surfaces, they’ll be left without a leg to stand on. The death of my mentor, by their own act, will flood through every airwaves, through everyone’s thoughts, and they will be faced with a truth they can’t escape.”