Page 22 of Star Claimed Omega
Santi unrolled a digital manifesto onto the centre slab.
‘Let’s dispense with the pleasantries. You’ve been running shipments across three air lanes, all explicitly flagged for civilian transit. You’ve neglected paying customs duties, paid no dock taxes, and masked your cargo manifests with forged Alliance tags. That constitutes a triad of major felonies. Five, if we include graft and black site labor.’
Oriel scoffed, his voice laced with patronizing disbelief. ‘You mobilized all this Signet might for a consignment of powder and simple confectionery?’
‘Let’s not play that game, amigo. You and I are well aware you’re playing delivery man for mafia bosses and pirates such as theRed Skulls.’
Santi’s eyes darkened; the playful tone vanished. ‘That ‘candy,’ you’re carrying iskokolaced with heaven knows what kind of chemical filth. That has led to over two dozen fatalities a week across the flotilla. My medics are scraping destroyed lungs off their beds, Oriel. I’ve also disarmed a man crazed on your spiked product who was threatening to slice apart a seven-year-old child inThe Sombra’scauseway. Shall I go on? I’ve got afokktonmore cases I can share.’
Gavriil grimaced, his discomfort evident, as his cigar was held suspended halfway to his mouth.
‘So what’s your demand? You seek retribution? A fee? A share of our fleet’s profits?’ Oriel’s tone was dismissive. ‘This seems like nothing more than political theater.’
Santi tapped his wrist comm. ‘In a manner of speaking. Here is a little spectacle he prepared earlier.’
The side panel behind him illuminated, displaying a live feed of a vessel mid-journey,The Azure Princess, racing past an asteroid belt.
‘That’s one of my auto-piloted cargo ships,’ Oriel sputtered, his silver eyes dilated with disbelief. ‘How did you locate it?’
‘How did we find it, given it was running dark? We’re resourceful. According to Miral’s intelligence, that ship is packed from nose to tail withkokobricks stored in refrigerated holds. Does that assessment align with your current perception of events?’
Oriel’s mouth dropped open, then snapped shut. His face flushed a deep, unhealthy red, his eyes flashing with frustrated fury.
Santi leaned forward. ‘Remember those fireworks I promised?’ he rasped, tipping his chin to both the Dons. ‘Here they come. Miral, please illuminate this party.’
The ops room stilled.
On the display, Signet drone interceptors, planted days earlier by Miral, initiated their sequence, firing thruster flares from positions latched onto the hull of Oriel’s craft.
The Azure Princesswas forced into a sudden, drastic change of trajectory, accelerating through the dark toward the silent, hungry gut of a nearby black hole.
Onscreen, the vessel was pulled in without ceremony, twisting and stretching, its hull warping as it achieved high entry velocity.
A final, almighty flash of light, and then, seconds later, the barge was swallowed by the darkness.
Gone forever, no sound, not even a sensational explosion, just a simple deletion.
Oriel lunged forward, his eyes wild with financial devastation. ‘You, you insanekinai! That was my damn month’s payload! Eight million schills. I had financiers, investedindividuals awaiting this freakin’ windfall,fokk! You’ve rained down ruin on me.’
‘You mean the Lombardis, andThe Red Skulls,and their preference for violence. I’m well aware that thwarting them means a contract hit on you,’ Santi rasped, unconcerned. ‘However, you shouldn’t inflict pain and suffering unless you’re prepared to receive it.’
Gavriil’s cigar fell from his slack lips.
His hands opened, a gesture of almost prayerful resignation. ‘What the hell do you expect us to do? We’ll both be executed before dawn if word of this reaches our backers. Are you satisfied now?’
Santi slowly recrossed his feet on the table. ‘Nada.’
Oriel twisted back to face him, his tone hoarse, laced with pure, raw fear. ‘What thefokkelse do you want? You’ve cleaned us out, so what more?’
Santi leaned in, dropping his voice to a conspiratorial murmur.
‘I am offering protection to you. This means Signet patrols for your vessels if you maintain clean shipments. Nokoko. Only legitimate produce and food from our hydroponic farms for the rest of the flotilla, all routed through the Wildlight passages. The deal stipulates absolute adherence to our agreement. You will declare your drops and pay tax. You will dismantle all your illegalkokoand chemical labs. Fail to comply, and we’ll hollow out your entire supply chain piece by piece. Leaving you trading outdated tech in Cybele’s bazaars like every washed-up smuggler in the fringe.’
Oriel trembled, then spat on the floor. ‘This is tyranny.’
‘This is the new standard,’ Santi corrected, his tone lethal. ‘The Syndicate failed to regulate you. The Accord is fractured and crumbling. We are neither of those. We are the fangs thatmaintain the peace and ensure the innocent survive in this flotilla.Claro?’
Gavriil swallowed. ‘It’sfokkin’clear. I’ll sign.’
