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The Second Slaver: The Ruin of Essence
A Story by: Mantrid Brizon.
Prologue
“It’s not always easy to be a younger brother…” James Woods began. He sat in his Captain’s chair aboard the Zebrina, looking out into the void of space from his place in the bridge. His favorite slave girl, Erica, sat on the floor beside him. “I had to make many hard decisions. To an extent, my life was drawn for me by my brother, but much of it was my own doing…” Erica sat next to him and gently caressed his right hand. James sighs as he looks on at the squadron of eight IMG ships blocking the Zebrina from entering the Tau-37 jump hole. “I made many choices that led me to here… And would you like to know something, Erica?” He asks, as she looks up at him. “I wouldn’t have it any other way…”
He sits back in his chair and places his left hand over Erica’s as he sighs. “Captain, we have an incoming message from the Bannockburn!” a crewmember yells out. “Are you ready James?” George Woods says over the intercom. “I certainly am, brother.” James replies. Letting go of Erica’s hand, he leans forward in his chair, gripping the edges of the armrests, and adjusting his position. James clears his throat, and then says. “Alright men… Activate Zebrina’s weapons.”
James lowers his head and takes a deep breath, preparing himself for the battle to come. His mind races, as he contemplates all of the choices that led him here, to this very moment. How did he end up the Captain of the Zebrina? How has he come to face a squadron of IMG fighters? How indeed…
Chapter 1: Dreaming in Daylight.
It was the year 813 A.S. and James Woods was living on Planet Pittsburgh with his new bride Nicole. Only nineteen years old and recently married, he was working an honest job as a private contractor. He had come a long way, along with his older brother George. They started by working in the boron mines for Deep Space Engineering and making local deliveries for shops, saving every credit together to purchase a pair of affordable freighters. Their dream was to one day take to space, see real profits, and build their own trade hub. With their IDC K-FR-2303 “Sunburst” ships and EVA suits, they had been making runs within the New York system.
They had already made a good deal of credits and were putting larger groups out of business by underbidding on contracts selling inferior quality goods at high prices, and working day and night. James desired a “real” life for himself and his wife; a life of leisure, quality food and clothes, expensive homes, and of course, accounts overflowing with credits. He knew George’s ambition would help him achieve that goal. George had saved and was preparing to purchase a new CT-49X “Gull” transport, with James agreeing to purchase an identical ship.
The investment was steep, but it soon paid off. Taking local contracts and staying within the core of Liberty space, the Woods brothers were gradually building their accounts. By 814 A.S. James’ wife Nicole was pregnant, and they were looking for a new home on planet Los Angeles. The credits were coming in, but not as quickly as James would have liked. He needed more, and he needed it soon.
George, not weighed down by a growing family, was branching out and taking his Gull transport and crew out ever farther. In the past four months, he had since explored trade routes in Bretonia, Kusari, and the Independent Systems. He had been keeping in regular contact with his younger brother, and soon contacted James, wishing to visit him at his new home. He had been contracted to take luxury food to planet Los Angeles from planet Cambridge, and wanted to share the fruit of his labors.
James eagerly waited for his brother to come. He had been trapped making only local runs, as Nicole regularly needed his help and attention. Struggling to pay his ship’s small crew, and to even make his house payments, he was hoping George would be able to help him through his financial hardships. Once George arrived and delivered his cargo, James met him on the airfield. To his surprise, George wasn’t standing before a CT-49X anymore, but a BK-65 “Serenity” transport.
“What happened to old reliable?!” James asked, shocked.
“I have a new old reliable, and it’s not as old as the last one.” George replied with a smile.
“Well it’s certainly better looking… I’m glad to see you brother. We have a lot to catch up on, these past few months.” James said.
The Woods brothers went to a cheap bar, where George bought the drinks and shared stories of the vast profits to be made, if only James would leave the relative comfort of Liberty space. “Credits are there for the taking, if only you’ll reach out and take them…” George began. “It’s not as hard as you might think, once you finally make it through. Manchester, Kepler, or Galileo… All you need to do is go for it.”
James sat with his drink and thought for a moment. “It’s not so easy. I have a wife, and she’s pregnant. I can’t do what you do.” George chuckled to himself and ordered another drink, not even half finished with his first. “Of course you can. The only person stopping you is you. Take her with you, or leave her behind. I’m only showing you what you need to do to end up with everything that I have.” As soon as George finished talking, he downed his drink, handing the waitress his glass, along with a slip of paper.
“What was that?” James asked.
“What was what? The note with my contact information on it?” George said with a smirk.
“You seem different, George. You weren’t always this… Assertive.” James said, sitting back in his chair.
“I’m awake, James. I’m finally enjoying my life the way that I want too, and you can be too.”
The Woods brothers sat in silence in this cheap bar, as George finished his drink. He looked at James, who was deep in thought. He considered joining his brother and venturing far away from Liberty space. He certainly needed the credits, and it would bring them closer to their goal. With a sudden lurch forward, he grabs his drink and downs it as fast as he can. Slamming the glass on the table, he looks George in the eyes and says the words, “I’m ready…”
Chapter 2: Waking in Twilight.
Nicole wasn’t happy when James told her what he intended to do, and James wasn’t going to change his mind. They were behind on their payments, and had been since the 3rd month.
“This has to stop, Nicole! I can’t live like this. We’re about to have a baby and we run the risk of foreclosure. It’s all I can do to keep my ship and my crew.”
“Don’t yell at me. I just don’t want this to come between us.” Nicole tearfully replied.
“Then give me a better option. What should I do?” James asked.
“You could contract out to a company.” Nicole replied.
“And be given a small salary? Work harder just to risk losing what I already have anyway? That’s not much of a plan.” James mutters.
“It’s better than losing our marriage over credits.”
With that, James flies into a rage. Slamming his fist on the kitchen counter-top and sliding it across, he breaks an entire set of dishware. “Don’t you ever say that to me again! The only one who can’t handle the pressure is you! I won’t let you hold me back like this. I can make my own decisions, and I’m doing it for the good of my family. You better learn to live with it…” James growls, as he points his finger at Nicole. Unable to contain her emotions, she places her back against the wall, slumps down to the floor and cries.
James grabs his coat and heads off to the airfield. Boarding his ship, he contacts his crew, then George. George doesn’t contact him verbally, but sends him a list of cargo to take, and a written message. ‘It’s finally time we work towards our destiny. Soon, we’ll have our own trade hub and be rich beyond our wildest dreams. I like ‘Oberon’ for a name…’ James sits back, his hands lightly trembling. He had never been so forceful with Nicole before, but for some reason, he enjoyed it.
As James’ crew boarded, loaders were prepping their cargo. James soon launched his ship and found his brother waiting for him in the void of space. Together, they made a series of runs, traveling into farther systems then they had before. Within a few months, Nicole gave birth to a daughter, and James wasn’t there. James simply told her what to name his child as he tried to find a profitable route to take him back to home to meet little Sasha. James finally returned home by late 815 A.S. when Sasha was almost 6 months old.
With the profits he had made, he desired to bring his wife and child with him, and to purchase a much larger ship that they could live on. He purchased a BK-65, just like his brothers, and soon moved his wife and infant daughter into their small quarters, whether they wanted to or not. He sold their home on planet Los Angeles and used the profits to purchase cargo for the next run. At first, Nicole was extremely unhappy, and wouldn’t have physical contact with James, but one night, after sampling a large quantity of whiskey that he was transporting, James forced himself upon his wife.
Violated, humiliated, and greatly depressed, Nicole at first contemplated suicide, then the murder of her husband. However, after a few days, she came to a dark realization; with nowhere to go and no credits to her name, or any family besides her only daughter, her best option was to grit her teeth and bear it. Forcing herself to be pleasant, strictly out of self preservation, and she would no longer refuse her husband if he came to her with his needs. She soon grew use to the routine of James’ new life dominated by profits.
This life of theirs would last for over two more years until Nicole, now pregnant again, finally threatened to divorce James if he wouldn’t allow them to live on solid ground. As they were already scheduled to dock on planet Manhattan, James new that she would more than likely go through with her threat, and decided to give Nicole this one victory. Having saved millions of credits, he didn’t see the harm in it anyway, and purchased Nicole and Sasha a luxury home back on their preferred planet, Los Angeles.
Still hungering for more, though, he continued life the way he had for the last three years, and no sooner had they finished moving in did James abandon his wife and daughter. The cold void of space became James’ home, and he enjoyed his time aboard his ship far more than any luxury home he could afford. George, at James request, would pay regular visits to his family, to make sure they were still there, and to remind them what might happen to them if they should leave. George was more than happy to help his brother rule his own life, and after making sure Nicole knew her place, would take the time to visit the bars and pick up women.
In mid-818 A.S. when Nicole was five months pregnant, she discovered that she was to have a son, or at least that’s when she told James the news. Excited that he was having a son to carry on the family name after him, he gave his word to Nicole that he wouldn’t miss this child’s birth. He made a strict contracting schedule, leaving himself time to make it back home when his son was due. Roughly three months later, and after making a few more millions, James was true to his word, and returned home, where he spent the next few months with his wife and daughter. “I always keep my promise, Nicole.” He said after she opened the door to greet James into their home.
Sasha was beginning to talk, and it somewhat bothered him that she didn’t know she had a daddy, but he decided to try and make it work. He did, after all, love his children. Shortly after James’ return, Nicole went into labor and gave birth to a healthy baby boy, whom James named ‘Kane’. With Kane’s birth, James changed his routine, and continued to live with his wife. Their marriage seemed to be healing rather quickly.
Their lives returned to normal, and James began making short runs in Liberty space while living with his wife and children. George’s visits grew further and further apart until he eventually disappeared entirely. This is the way it remained for over a year and a half, until George unexpectedly returned with an interesting proposition.
George called his brother to meet him at a local club, and against Nicole’s wishes, James went. James arrived to find George sitting at a table with a man he had never seen before. George waved him over to the table and greeted him, before ordering two drinks.
“Who’s this?” James asks.
“Oh, this is just a friend of mine I made while cruising through space one day. His name is Jonathan Irving. Jonathan, this is my younger brother James.” George replies, introducing the two. “He was actually just leaving.” George adds, as Jonathan excuses himself. “Now for the reason I called you here.” He continues, as the young waitress returns, setting their drinks on the table. “I’ve been keeping tabs on your travels, and with what I’ve been making and what I think you have earned, we have more than enough to start our trade hub in Cortez.”
James sat surprised. Leaning forward, he thinks for a moment, then replies, “How much do you think we have?” George smiles and hands James a piece of paper from his inner overcoat pocket. James grabs the slip of paper to see a list of estimates, as well as George’s own account status. His eyes nearly bulge out of his head when he sees what the projections are, and they aren’t far off. “Does 800,000,000 credits sound about right?” George asks, sarcastically.
Chapter 3: The Fog of Avarice.
James knew that they could finally make their dreams come true; creating a trade hub, a Freeport, for all of those who wish to trade and meet without house rules. James was wary though, as he was finally reconnecting with his wife and daughter, and he has a newborn son to look after. “I don’t know if I can do this right now, George.” James began. “Nicole just had our son, and I’m not sure my marriage can more pressure right now.”
George sat back and looked at James with a blank expression. “Have you given up drinking too?” He says as he finishes his. James sits in silence, as George reaches across the table and grabs the glass, taking it for himself. “This is what we always wanted, James. Ever since we started working as kids, selling stolen candy to other kids and delivering orders for old lady Sampson’s store, this is where we were going. We never forgot that, or at least I didn’t. You find a cute girl, glue a ring on your finger, and suddenly you don’t want to be successful.” George rants, downing James’ drink as fast as he can. “Contact me when you want to get serious, brother.”
As George gets up and leaves, James sits in silence, his mind racing with all of the possibilities, and consequences. The waitress approaches with the bill, and leaves it on the table. James reaches over and grabs it. “That son of a bitch…” James mutters, looking over the 941.00 credit bill, for two luxury meals, and dozens of expensive drinks. James pays the bill and returns home, where he sits on the couch. Asking Nicole to sit with him, he grudgingly tells her what George had said to him.
Nicole, barely able to contain her anger, stands up and threatens James with divorce. “Don’t we have enough credits?! What the hell do you want, James?! You can’t own all of the credits in the world. I can’t be with a man who will put money before his family, and this isn’t even your dream anymore. I NEVER hear you mention it. You’re just chasing after your f***ing brother. A real man knows when he’s done enough for his family. A real man doesn’t need to live through his brother!” Nicole barks at him.
Suddenly, James stands tall and smacks Nicole across the face, dropping her to the floor. He stands over her and screams, “Don’t you dare talk that way about me, or about my brother. Without me, you’d still be some little whore on Pittsburgh, earning your credits in the boron mines or on your back.” Grabbing her, he lifts her up and shoves her onto the couch. “Without me, you’re nothing. Without me, you wouldn’t have these two kids. Without me…” James says balling up his fist as his face flushes red. He slowly steps back and grabs his coat, before leaving as Nicole breaks down and cries.
Returning to his ship, he contacts George. “What is it?” George asks over the com. “I’m ready to do this. This IS our dream, after all.” James says. George turns off the com, but sends James a set of coordinates. Flying out to the waypoint, he finds George’s ship floating in the Roatan ice cloud in the Cortez system. The com channel opens and George’s voice says, “This is where I think we should build.”
The Woods brothers contact a builder who constructs the base core, and soon they spend their time bringing crew, supplies, and building materials to their new base, ‘Oberon Starport’. In less than a week, they had a fully functioning core 1 base, complete with shields and storage modules, and were well on their way to having a trade hub. In late-820 A.S. the Woods brothers were hard at work on Oberon, and this is the first time that the words “Slaver’s Union” were ever spoken, by George.
“Do you remember the old Slaver’s Union?” George asks.
“Vaguely. They use to be active when we were little kids back on Pittsburgh.” James replied.
“Ever wonder what it would be like to be one of them?” George asks with a little smile.
“I guess I never really thought about them. Why?” James returns.
“No reason…”
They continue building up Oberon, and for nearly a month, their short trade runs kept the base alive. As the New Year approaches, they prepare to upgrade their base to the next core level, as James’ family becomes increasingly distraught by his distance. The effort he is making to fulfill this dream drives a new wedge between him and his wife. James returns home for the New Year to find that he missed many of his son’s firsts.
“This has to stop, James. You can’t keep doing this to us. We don’t deserve it and you know it.” Nicole pleads with him. “We have more than enough money. Let your brother be and stay with us. Your children are the only ones you really owe anything too, and I don’t want to lose you.” James sits and listens, feeling pulled on two sides. He tells Nicole that he’ll think it over, and spends all night awake, ignoring George’s messages and updates on Oberon.
Meanwhile, George brings far more crew than are necessary to the base and begins to mismanage the base as his struggles to keep control. His brother won’t respond to his requests for aid, and he is feeling the pressure of trying to fulfill his hopes and dreams crushing him. James struggles to write to his brother, deciding to side with his wife and children.
“George, We’ve been chasing this dream for a long time, and I’m still willing to, but not at the cost of my family. My daughter doesn’t always remember who I am, and my son is going to grow up the same way. If I don’t fight for my family, I won’t have one anymore, and at the moment, I can’t imagine a life without them. If you can manage this alone, I’ll be there when it matter.”
As George reads and drinks, he decides to try to salvage what he can from the disaster that he has created. He offers to bring a large quantity of the crew back to planet Curacao and pay them off for the error he made hiring them all. Enraged, the crew begins to mutiny, causing George and his own crew to flee to his ship. With Oberon’s crew just outside of his ship and trying to break their way in, George opts to abandon the station and flee. Drunk, angry, and with no real idea what to do, he never contacts James, who believes all is well.
Once James discovers the fate of his brother George, and the fate of Oberon Starport, he does indeed come to his brother’s aid, preventing him from facing criminal charges, at great expense to both of their accounts. George, now a broken and creditless man owning a TTR-1130 Pilgrim Liner dubbed ‘Bannockburn’, leaves for the Edge Worlds. James, with nothing more that he can do for his brother, and little left in the way of a retirement because of him, continues to work honest routes near his home, where he returns every night.
Chapter 4: Walking in Darkness.
For over six months, James continued his life with relatively the same routine, until he received another surprise communication from his older brother George, requesting to meet him on their old home, planet Pittsburgh. James, without telling Nicole, decided to see where his brother had been. He was quite surprised to see that he looked healthy, well dressed, and came complete with armed bodyguards.
George shared with his brother the details of his new job. He was a private contractor, as they were before, but now he had reformed the Slaver’s Union. George had begun a solo crusade against everything that was holding him back, including laws, morality, and especially poverty. George desired a franchise, and James had an opportunity to enter in on the ground floor. This may very well have been James’ last chance to join his brother in something grand and important. This could very well change both of their lives.
James hadn’t been happy with how his life had been since Oberon, and perhaps long before that. As James sat, listening to his brother, he started to realize that what was eluding him his entire life wasn’t a desire for credits. He thought it was, but what he really desired was power, and this was his chance to finally reach out and seize it by the throat.
Returning home, James grabbed his blaster and broke the news to Nicole. “I haven’t been happy for a long time, Nicole. I’ve been chasing something for as long as I can remember, and I always thought it was success and wealth. This is what I really want to do. This is what I’ve been looking and waiting for, and we’re going to do it as a family, or I’m going to kill you. That’s a promise…”
“James, what the hell has happened to you?! You’re not the man that I married!” Nicole cried out to him. James turns and chuckles in frustrated anger. He swings back towards her and pistol whips his wife. As she falls to the floor, his children start to cry. James holsters his blaster in the back waistband of his pants. “This IS the man you married. You just never saw it before… And don’t question me…” James replies, grabbing his wife by the arm and lifting her up off of the floor.
Packing a few bags and under James’ careful supervision, the Woods family gather what they can and head for James’ ship. James’ crew is already prepping for launch once they arrive. They launch, with basic cargo loaded, heading for planet Malta in Omicron Alpha. Terrified, Nicole and her children spend the trip hiding in the Captain’s quarters. James sits in the Captain’s chair, as his pilot follows his brother’s lead, heading through systems that James had never seen before.
As their ships landed on planet Malta in Omicron Alpha, James sat in his Captain’s chair, biting his nails. His nervousness was palpable. Walking down to the airlock, he opened the doors. As the ramp lowered, George stood with his guards, watching him. James closed his eyes, repeatedly squeezed his fists, and taking three deep breaths said “This is who I am. I can do this. This is who I am…” Opening his eyes, he placed his hands in his coat pockets and walked down the ramp.
“Are you ready to do this, brother?” George asked.
“As ready as I’ve ever been, George.”
As they met the merchant and sold their cargo, George patted James on the back. “He’s my new recruit, and we’re going to need a full hold of the good stuff. The orange stuff…” He said. Smiling, the merchant waved his hand over the card reader, saying “Insert your credit chit here, kind sir.” Chuckling, George inserted the credit chit as the screen showed the brother’s the bill. James was shocked that George had just paid over 5,000,000 credits for cargo.
As they walk out of the office and towards their ships to await the loading crew, George places his arm around his younger brother’s shoulder. “This is only the beginning, James. You’re going to quadruple that amount in your first run, and just you wait until you see exactly what we’re bringing back to our Outcast friends.” George says. “You’re about to become a very rich and powerful man, little brother. Together, we’re going to bring back the Slaver’s Union, and all of Sirius will fear and admire us…”
As the Woods brothers boarded James’ ship, they talked about the future of the Union, and George shared his aspirations. George talked about his dreams of a permanent home base, a large space station, or even the discovery of a habitable planet out in the reaches of space that they could rule. After an hour, James remembered his family and excused himself.
He walked to his quarters, pulling a keycard from his pocket. As he pressed the button on the wall panel to open the door, it flashed red and beeped; it was locked from the inside, exactly as he anticipated. Using the keycard, he slipped it into a small slot to the right of the panel, overriding the door. As it slid open, Nicole lunged at him with a shard of broken glass, stabbing him in the left bicep. James let out a yell and shoved Nicole to the ground as she screamed like a banshee. George hears the commotion and runs down the hall towards James’ cries of pain.
As he reaches his brother, he sees him falls to the ground, struggling to fight off his own wife with only one good arm. George tackles Nicole and as they fall to the ground, he grabs her throat with his right hand, raising his left. With a balled fist, he punches Nicole in the face, once, then twice. His silver ring of a gargoyle’s skull cuts her face. Sasha and Kane scream in the background as James sits up and crawls over to them, holding his left arm with his right hand.
James tries to comfort his children as George deals with his hostile wife. As he holds his children close, blood running down his arm, he turns to George. “That’s enough!” He yells, as George turns to him. With a blank look, he simply stands up. “As you wish.” George replies, kneeling back down and wiping the blood off of his hands and his favorite ring with Nicole’s own shirt. Walking into James’ quarters, he picks up little Kane. “We can’t risk taking them back to Liberty space with us. We’ll need to leave them here.” George says.
James nods his head and looks up at George. “Where will we take them?” He asks as he stands up, holding his daughter Sasha in his arms. “There are apartments here. We can find you one, and a Maltesian doctor to treat Nicole’s face.” George replies. Just then, several crewmen who heard the scuffle run up to the Woods brothers. George hands little Kane to one of the crew and asks him to follow. The crewman looks at James, who simply nods his head.
George grabs one of Nicole’s arms, and pulls her up, draping her arm over his shoulder and carrying her. The other crewman walks to the other side and grabs her other arm. As they walk off of James’ ship, Nicole’s feet drag on the floor plates, her head slumped forward. “Will she be alright?” James asks. “Concerned, brother?” George replies. “I just need her to take care of myself and my children.” James answers. “She’s only unconscious. She’ll wake up with a bad headache and a swollen face. No real harm done.”
George takes a moment to board his ship as James and his crew waits just outside. After a few moments, George returns and informs them that he not only found a nice apartment for them to take James’ family, but that he also found a good doctor and hired a few mercenaries to watch Nicole and the children while they were gone. James, thankful, gives his brother a hug with his one good arm. “Thank you for all you’ve done for me.” He says.
Hours later, after the doctor has treated James’ arm and Nicole’s face and the mercenaries are left guarding James’ family at their new, already furnished apartment, James and his crew board his ship with a cargo hold full of Cardamine. Eager to earn his first real profits in a long time, James commands his crew with a vigor he hadn’t had in years. The flight back to Liberty space was quiet and uneventful, as many hadn’t realized the Slaver’s Union’s was now reborn. Luck, or perhaps fate was currently on their side.
As they landed on planet Manhattan, George introduced James to his contact as both his brother, and his newest recruit. They departed for planet Pittsburgh as quickly as they had arrived, and George, once again, introduced James to another contact. An old woman with a vaguely familiar face who owned a large article of land on Pittsburgh, and the rights to a dead mine.
“This is where I collect my stock.” George begins. “She gathers them from all around Liberty. Some are tricked by fake job offers, some are kidnapped by corrupt LPI officers, and others are just runaways that no one would miss. She likes to hide them in old bins inside her mine.” He explains to James. “Liberty Police kidnap people?” He asks George in shock. “Of course they do! They are just as corrupt as we are, or at least the ones I know are.” George answers with a sly smile.
Chapter 5: A Slave and a Lover.
As George made a deal with the old women, whom he called ‘Mrs. Simpson’, James eyed some of the stock, opening the slots to their bins and peaking inside. In one of the crates was a young girl. Something about her appealed to him. Perhaps it was her form, or how meek she appeared curled up inside her crate, but James was compelled to speak to her. “Hello there.” James begins. A true hint of compassion fills his voice. “How old are you?”
The girl looks up at the eyes peering in from the open slot. She blinks as her eyes adjust to the light that illuminates her small cage. “I’m 21, sir.” The young girl answers. James thinks for a moment, and then asks “So you were born in 800 A.S.?” “Yes sir.” The girl sheepishly answers. With the light entering the crate, James can see her more clearly. She is a Kusari woman, barely 5’1” tall and 100 pounds and not underfed or mistreated. Her long black hair, though knotted and dirty, still holds a light sheen to it, and her deep brown eyes mesmerize him.
“I want this one!” James cries out, turning to George and the old woman.
“She isn’t for sale to just anyone. She’s a high prize. A Kusari women in Liberty, with a small figure like hers, and an attitude to match. She could bring millions as a concubine to the right man.” Mrs. Simpson answers.
“She’s right, James. We’re not here for one expensive slave girl. We’re here for workers to take back to our business associates on Malta.” George adds.
“I don’t care. I ne… I want her. I’ll pay whatever you ask.” James answers.
George takes a step forward. His blank face starts to show mild frustration and anger. Turning to the old women, he leans in and whispers something to her. She shrugs and pulls up a set of old keys. George walks towards James, turning and passing him as his overcoat flutters behind him. “You owe me for this one, little brother.” He says as he passes by. Mrs. Simpson walks up to the crate and unlocks it. “This is your new master now, girl. Serve him well, and do whatever he tells you.” She says to the girl.
The Kusari girl simply nods and crawls out from the crate. As she stands before James, wearing a simple dress, she looks at the floor. “I’m here to serve you, Master.” She says. As he looks her over, he places a hand on her chin and raising her face to look at his. She turns away her eyes. James gently caresses her face as Mrs. Simpson looks on. “Pfft. Children…” She mutters as she walks away. “Look at me, girl. What is your name?” James asks.
She turns her eyes to meet his, and is surprised to see that he doesn’t appear angry, but compassionate. “I’ve had many names. My real name was lost as I was an orphan in Liberty.” She answers. James pats her on the shoulder and asks if she ever had a name that she liked. The girl thinks for a moment as James begins to walk, wrapping an arm around the girl. “I was once called Erica in an orphanage. I liked that name.” She says as they walk out of the old mine, towards the airfield. “Erica it is then. I’m James. I’m a Captain for the Slaver’s Union.” James says.
As their ships are loaded, James treats Erica very well. After allowing her to wash and eat, he gives her some of Nicole’s clothes, even though they are slightly larger than her. James’ pilot follows George’s ship as James and Erica spend the entire flight talking privately in the ship’s galley. James shares his past, his wife, his children, and his actual feelings to Erica, and gives Erica the choice to be a crewmember, or to be something more.
Erica sees something in James that’s sincere, and even though he is married with children, she decides that it must have been fate that brought her to him, as it was clearly nothing she had ever decided of her own free will. This was an opportunity to have something she really wanted, and she wasn’t going to let it slip through her fingers. As their ships land on planet Malta, George returns to the merchant to sell their collective cargo, with both his and James’ manifests in hand. James, along with Erica and a few of his crew, now armed with holstered blasters and Needler rifles, head to his apartment. James has every intention of introducing Erica to his wife and children as his new mistress and helper to the family.
His plans change, however, when they find a guard shot dead in front of the apartment door. Entering inside, James calls out to his children, finding only more dead guards. He studies the scene before calling George. Moments later, George and his guards arrive and he studies the scene. George orders everyone to wait in the hall of the main room as he walks through.
It soon becomes clear what has happened. The mercenaries exaggerated their talents. As one of them sat facing away from her for some unknown reason, Nicole drew his blaster from his side and shot him in the back of the head, killing him instantly. As the other guards came in, hearing a body fall over onto the floor, she fired wildly, killing two more of them. The fourth and final guard at the door was shot at point blank range in the forehead, probably pleading for his life. Nicole then kept the blaster, gathered the mercenaries credit chits, and fled with the children.
Considering what George had paid them, he assumed she had roughly 200,000 credits or more at her disposal. Enough to barter passage back to Liberty space, at the very least. “Do you know where she’ll go?” George asks, as James holds Erica close. James thinks for a moment and replies, “There is one place she could go. The only relative she had left was a half-sister who lives on Pittsburgh. I don’t know where she lives, but I know her name.” George smiles and begins walking down the hall. “That’s enough…” He says.
Returning to the merchant, George purchases another hold full of Cardamine for both ships. As he returns to James and their tiny fleet, he pockets a second chit containing 1,500,000 credits; the cost of freeing Erica into James’ care. The brothers board their respective ships and head back to Liberty space, where they deliver their cargo as intended, before making their way back to Pittsburg.
Chapter 6: On the Hunt.
Upon landing, George contacts Jonathan Irving. As he and James wait at the landing field, they see a beautiful Democritus luxury liner land in distance. Walking towards it, George scolds James, “This Captain is a personal friend of mine, and the next to be in the Slaver’s Union. He has many useful talents, and I don’t want you speaking during this meeting, unless he asks you a question. This is a very delicate operation, brother. Understand?” James simply nods his head, as the ramp lowers to meet them.
James looks over the ship and sees the name “Animus” emblazoned on the side. They board the ship, where Jonathan greets them and begins questioning James. Her full name, her relatives name, her description, the children’s names, ages, and descriptions, etc. James obliged, answering every question to the best of his ability. Shortly after, Jonathan shooed them out of his office. As they left the Animus, James felt a genuine sensation of nervousness as he contemplated seeing Nicole again.
“Don’t worry about her. He’ll find her soon enough. Let’s conduct business as usual, and have a few drinks. With any luck, we’ll hear back from him tonight.” George says, reassuring his younger brother. They visit Mrs. Simpson again, who marvels at how Erica looks with James. George excuses James and begins talking numbers with the old woman.
James leaves with Erica and spends the day with her, enjoying a restaurant, then taking her shopping for new clothes, what little they could find on planet Pittsburgh. A few hours later, James decided it was time to meet with George and wait for news from Jonathan Irving. As he and Erica enter the bar that he and George use to live near during their youth, he sees George at a booth, sitting with Jonathan.
Walking over to their table, he pulls out a chair for Erica, and then seats himself. “Good news, Mr. Irving?” James asks as he clasps his hands together and places them on the table before him. Jonathan Irving sits back and smiles, slowly nodding. “Well?!” James asks as the excitement swells within him. Jonathan stands up, pushes in his chair, and pulls up a piece of paper from his pants pocket. Placing it on the table, he slides it towards James, before quietly walking out.
James opens the slip of paper to see an address, directions from the bar and airfield, and a printed photo of Nicole with Sasha and Kane. James looks to George, his face flushing red with anger and anticipation. “Head back and have the crews prepare both of our ships for takeoff.” James says, handing George his master keycard. Getting up, James motions to Erica who follows him like a loyal pet. George laughs to himself as he watches them leaving, raising up a small glass to his lips. “Have fun.” He says to himself before taking a drink.
James holds Erica’s hand as he reads the directions, his heart beating faster and faster as his pace quickens. He can hardly contain his anger as he approaches the small house where his wife is hiding. Spotting a small alley, he and Erica hide themselves. Turning to her, James looks down and stares deeply into her eyes. “Fate brought us together, Erica. I rescued you because I saw something in you. I want to love you, and I may already. I trust you with my life, and I want you to know that you aren’t a slave to me.” He says, reaching into a pocket and pulling out a compact blaster.
Erica looks down as her heart races. Her mind swirls with the dramatic possibilities, but she makes her decision in a nanosecond. “Fate did bring us together, and I’m not your slave, but you’re still my Captain, and soon to be my lover.” She answers, looking back into his eyes. “I go where you go. We’ll do this together.” Smiling, James draws his own, larger blaster. They step out of the alleyway and kick in the door to the small house.
Screaming, Nicole turns, dropping a plate she was holding. Her half-sister dashes out of another room, holding a small blaster. Before James can react, Erica shoots her multiple times in the chest, killing her. She falls to the floor, coughing up blood. Erica runs up to her and shoots her in the face three more times, then picks up the blaster from the floor. Nicole keeps screaming, and James flies into a rage. He pistol whips her to the floor and stands over her.
“Do you remember my promise? Do you, whore?!” He screams.
“Y-yes. I remember you promise. But please, for our children. Please…” Nicole begs.
“I’m not a liar. Consider this your divorce…” James answers.
With a smile, he pulls the trigger on his blaster. He fires once, looking down at her fresh corpse. He fires twice, and then again, until he simply stops counting. He riddles her body with holes and leaves her skull unrecognizable, until his blaster’s cells begin to die. As he occupies himself, Erica searches the house, finding the crying children in the room.
She starts to call out to James, but hesitates. These children might overshadow her in his life, as they were the entire reason for this hunt to begin with. Looking around, she sets the blaster on a table near the door and finds electrical cords attached to a small lamp and an old alarm clock. Pulling the plugs from the wall and yanking the cords out of the appliances, she approaches the children.
Breaking a small children’s chair by pressing hard against the floor, she retrieves two legs. Taking the cords and the chair legs, she lunges at Sasha, wrapping the cord around her throat to garrote her. Placing the leg between the cords, she twists it to strangle the little girl. Dragging her to the bathroom, she loops and hangs the chair leg on the towel rack, before doing the same for the toddler, Kane.
James, having distracted himself with Nicole’s body for the last five minutes, turns to find Erica missing. Looking around, he finds Erica crying on the floor of a room. “What’s wrong? What happened?!” James cries out, falling to his knees to comfort her. Erica points to the bathroom, where James stands up, and his mouth drops open as he looks in sheer horror. His children are hanging from a steel towel rack by their throats, motionless.
Running towards them, he struggles to get them down as he cries. “Kane! Sasha! Oh, God no!” James sobs. Erica gets up, grabs her small blaster from the table, and walks up to James. “Master, we have to leave now. Please, it’s not safe!” James shakes his head. “Not like this. I’m not leaving them. Grab that sheet.” He says, trying to come to his senses. Erica does as she’s told, and the two of them wrap their bodies up in the sheet. Looking out in the backyard, James finds a wheelbarrow and some bundled junk. Carrying his children’s bodies out back, he sets them into the wheelbarrow and covers them with the junk to disguise the shape of their bodies.
The duo rush back to the airfield, doing their best not to draw attention to themselves. Somehow, they made it back to James’ ship without arousing any suspicion. As his crew began loading the bodies, James looked them over. Stopping a crewman carrying his daughter Sasha, he pulled the sheet away from her face. Tears streaming down his cheeks, he apologized to her corpse, gently stroking her cheek. It was then he decided to freeze them in Cryo-Stasis pods, to memorialize them forever.
Chapter 7: Aftermath.
Erica grumbles in frustration as James loads the bodies into the Cryo-Statis pods. Gently grabbing his shoulders, she coaxes him away from the pods and back to the bridge, helping James sit down in the Captain’s chair. Heading back to the galley, she brings him a bottle of premium whiskey and a glass, helping him drown his sorrows. James obliges, drinking glass after glass, as his crew pilot his ship back to Malta. As she had hoped, he lost himself in the bottle, and soon, she hoped, he would lose himself in her body.
As the hours ticked by and the bottle emptied, Erica helped James up, holding onto him as he walked her to his quarters. There, they spent the remainder of their flight consorting with each other, repeatedly. James didn’t seem to care about his late wife or his children anymore, and that’s exactly the way Erica wanted it. While he was in this state, at the mercy of the alcohol and her seduction, Erica cooed in his ear.
“It’s time to let them go, Master. You need to move on, and spend your life with me. Their memory will only hurt you and hold you back.” She began. “Do it for yourself. Do it for me, Master.”
James looked at her for a moment, trying to put what little thoughts together as he could. After a moment, he reached over and pressed a button on the intercom. Calling out to his crew on the bridge, he demanded no less than four of them assemble at his quarters. Within seconds, they were standing before his door. Looking around at each other, they heard shuffling noises from inside. Suddenly, the door slides open, and a nude James stands before his crew, a nude and sweaty Erica laying on her side on the bed in the background.
The crew all turn their heads, apologizing to their Captain, before James raises his left hand to silence them. He brings the whiskey bottle to his lips with his right hand and swigs down the remainder. He drops the bottle to the floor and looks over his crew as he begins to sway. “Sir?” A loyal crewman asks. James looks to him, and after a moment simply says, “Jettison the bodies…” before pressing the button on the wall panel and closing the door.
The crew did as they were told, and without hesitation, jettisoned the bodies from the cargo hold as they passed near the sun of Tau-29, the gravity slowly pulling their bodies towards it. James slept the remainder of the trip, and half of a day docked on Malta, only to awaken to George sitting in a chair in his room, watching him. Startled, James nearly falls out of bed, but steadies himself and sits up.
“I see you’ve had a busy night.” George began. “Where are the children… And why is she already in your bed?” He asks, pointing to Erica’s sleeping body, her back turned to them. James looks over and grabs his head, struggling to remember exactly what transpired the last few days. George pulls a hand to his face and turns away as James gets out of bed and hunts for clothes. “I see you’re indisposed. I’ll wait for you on the bridge. Don’t worry about the cargo. I’ve already made all of the necessary arrangements.”
George stands up and leaves the room, leaving James to dress. As he finds his clothes, he takes the chair that George left and begins to weep. George sits patiently in a chair at a control panel, tapping his fingers. After what seems like hours, James finally comes down, Erica awake and fully dressed by his side. He takes his Captain’s chair and looks to George, tears still streaming down his face. George looks genuinely concerned and sits up.
“What happened, brother?” He asks.
“They’re all dead.” James says, his head lowering down as he sobs.
“Tell me what happened…” George says with a stronger tone.
“I found them and Nicole’s half-sister came out with a blaster. Erica saved my life and killed her. I killed Nicole, but it was too late. She already killed my children to spite me. She hung them from the towel rack be electrical cables wrapped around a chair leg.” With that, James broke down into tears and was nearly inconsolable.
George looked over to Erica, who knelt down by James’ side and began holding his hands. Erica looked over to George. Their eyes locked as George stared through her. His grey iris gave her a cold chill, but she controlled the urge to shudder. She turned her head back to James. Somehow he knew, and she hoped he would never tell.
“This is terrible news.” George begins, standing up and approaching his brother. He places a hand on James’ head to comfort him. “Don’t worry about work for a while. Stay here with your companion and rest. I’ll take care of business until you are ready.” He says, looking to Erica. As George turns to leave, Erica gets up to see him out. As she follows, she stops him at the airlock.
“You know, don’t you?” She asks. “I only did what I had to…”
“Don’t you dare tell me what you had to do, little girl.” George growls while trying to control his volume. “My brother might be a lovesick fool hypnotized by your body, but I, I assure you, am not. I will only keep this secret out of the sake of his sanity, but do not try to manipulate him, or myself. You belong to James…” He continues, turning to face her directly. He leans in and whispers to Erica, “Don’t think that I will forget that destroyed my niece and nephew, and don’t assume that I will forgive you either. You’re only still alive because of my good graces. Try anything this devious again, and I’ll throw you into the void of space personally.”
George stands upright and turns to walk away, giving Erica a final glare. She trembles with fear as he walks away, as though she had just awoken naked inside of a freezer. She presses her back against the wall and lets out a few tears, before regaining her composure and going back to James.
Chapter 9: Reconstruction.
George, true to his word, took over the entire business, even temporarily commanding both ships, as James and Erica lived on Malta in their new apartment. James’ recovery was steady, but slow, and he did not regain complete control of his mind until a few short months later, when Erica became pregnant with his child. James, now with something genuine to live for, came to his senses rather quickly.
With Erica by his side, James took control of his ship and resumed his business with his brother George, who was hard at work building up the Slaver’s Union. He had since created the naming motif of ghost ships, and at this point, he had found two more Captains; the first, a man named Harvey Crippen, joined the Slaver’s Union with his ship, the Ourang Medan, and the second, a man named Michael Cost, with his ship the Governor Parr. He was moving towards a greater goal of preparing a new space station to act as their home base, and he had formed the basis for a system of government called The Presidium.
James, not wanting to be overshadowed, took to the stars and worked for the Slaver’s Union as hard as he could. In very little time he had changed ships, and then again, until he was finally using his current ship, the Zebrina. He brought Erica with him and they lived together aboard the Zebrina as he made a name for himself as the second slaver of the union. Finding his own contacts and traveling back and forth between Malta and Liberty space, he built millions of credits, and a reputation for ruthlessness.
In the new year of 822 A.S., Erica gave birth to a healthy baby boy, which they named Dallas, and James was quite the proud father. This did not prevent him from keeping his family aboard his ship, or from continuing his work with for the Slaver’s Union, however. If anything, he became more loyal, a fervent member of the newly founded Presidium, and a strong willed ambassador for the union.
All was well for a time; however, in the year 823 A.S. after the first Zebrina was caught by {343} ships, claiming to be a part of the Kusari Exiles fleet, James was forced to abandon his ship. His beloved Erica, and son Dallas, fled in an escape pod. James himself was taken prisoner. He could only be held for a few weeks, as James was soon able to escape, killing dozens of prisoners, a few guards, and an entire family, whose ship he hijacked on Freeport 6, in order to return to Erica and Dallas.
Erica was quite understanding, and even proud of James’ escape, the seduction of a female guard aside. This was simply life in the Union. James, however, did not wish to experience the torment of almost losing his only son again. While aboard Lagos Depot, as George was christening Michael Cost as the third and final Presidium member, James pulled George aside to ask him to be Dallas’ god-father. George was honored, and advised James to leaves Dallas on either Lagos or Malta, where he would be safe, hinting that Malta would be the best choice, and James agreed.
During another series of runs taking workers back to Malta, James opted to leave his son behind. He did not bring Erica however, as she had developed a fever and was being treated in the med-lab on Lagos Depot. James desired to leave his beloved Erica behind as well, so that she would never again face the threat of death, and although she wasn’t pleased with his decision, stuck by him. James made the return trip back to Lagos with Cardamine, and except for a small squadron of IMG scout ships patrolling a base some distance away; he didn’t encounter a single soul.
Once back on Lagos, he stayed a solar day until Erica was healthy enough for travel. Impatient to bring her back to their home on Malta, he opted to leave immediately, even though he had reported the scout ships to the other slavers when he first arrived. George and Michael both warned him that there was a powerful base nearby and that he should take ships with him as escorts, but James declined. He opted instead to rush back to Malta, so that he could reunite his family for good.
Frustrated, George allowed James to leave, although Michael expressed his concerns. James sat in the Captain’s chair, with Erica sitting on the floor at his right side, as they launched into space from Lagos Depot. James’ tension was building. He had planned his official marriage to Erica for weeks, and once they landed, he was going to surprise her with a wedding. ‘Why stop with just a proposal when I can give her the entire wedding as a gift?’ he thought.
The Zebrina travels quickly and safely through the Independent systems, though Erica can’t shake her nervous feeling in the pit of her stomach. James, sensing her tension, holds her hand and assures her that everything will be alright. As the ship enters into Tau-23, scanners show no signs of ships, but James becomes uneasy as well. He orders the helmsman to traverse space, heading directly for the Tau-37 jump hole. They are so close to home that James can almost feel himself in bed with his future bride.
Chapter 9: Falling Through Hell.
As they come within twenty clicks of the jump hole, they are suddenly cut off by a squadron of eight IMG fighters. Firing a cruise disruptor, the IMG ships deactivate the Zebrina’s cruise engines, leaving her slowly drifting through space with only her conventional impulse engines.
“Well now… What do we have here?” A voice says over local radio frequencies. “It appears that we have a Slaver, and with a full cargo as well. Perhaps we’ll free them, or perhaps we’ll keep them for ourselves?” The voice continues. “Either way, if you don’t halt your ship and deactivate your engines and shields, we’ll be forced to fire upon you.”
James hesitates while he thinks. After a moment, he stands and approaches a section of the control panels. Reaching over the shoulder of a crewmember, he lifts a plastic guard and presses the small grey button underneath. “I’m Captain James Woods of the Slaver’s Union. I demand you move your petty fleet and let us pass.” He says in his most threatening tone.
The radio remains silent for a moment. “We’d rather not.” The miner replies.
“Then perhaps payment is in order? A toll of sorts?” James adds.
“No… Charge weapons men. We’ll give you a moment to think reflect on your life.” The miner finishes, before terminating the link.
James releases the grey button, slowly closes the plastic cover over it, and then returns to the Captain’s chair. Sitting, he begins to reflect, holding Erica’s hand. As he sighs, he leans back, smiling at the thought of all that he’s accomplished in his life, and his time as a Slaver. As the IMG ships prepare to fire, a ship uncloaks at Zebrina’s port side. It’s the Ourang Medan! “This doesn’t seem like a fair fight.” Captain Harvey Crippen says over the local channel.
James sits up and orders his men to charge weapons, rushing to the control panel, lifting the cover, and slamming his palm on the grey button. “It’s good to see you, Captain Crippen!” Harvey laughs over the com. “Likewise. I’m not alone though.” He replies. “Incoming!” The IMG pilot shouts. Suddenly, within range are two more ships, the Governor Parr, and the Bannockburn.
“Mr. Cost convinced me not to allow my only brother to die in the cold of space alone.” George Woods says over the radio.
“He didn’t take much convincing.” Michael Cost adds.
“It’s good to have you all here.” James says.
The Bannockburn sits to the port of Ourang Medan, and the Governor Parr of the Zebrina’s Starboard. As their ships all charge their weapons, James looks back at Erica. “Now where were we…” He begins, looking at his crew. “Oh yes… Fire!” Zebrina fires first, and soon the other Slaver’s Union ships follow. The IMG ships scatter.
The Bannockburn flies with a strange swaying motion as she fires at the fighters. An IMG fighter’s shields fail before it crashes into the Governor Parr’s starboard-bow. The IMG ships refuse to surrender the Zebrina, and continue their assault, targeting her systems. The Ourang Medan destroys a light fighter that charges towards the Zebrina’s aft, and the Bannockburn slays two light fighters as well that swirl around Zebrina’s bridge.
With the IMG ships numbers cut in half, the lead fighter intensifies his assault, and calls out for aid from a nearby station. The Slaver’s targeted the weakest ships first to decrease their numbers, and although they weakened the IMG force, they only forced the heavy fighters to evade instead of fight. As the transports struggled to score enough hits on the heavy fighters, a single IMG ship approaches from a distance.
“Is this all they could spare?!” A terrified voice cries over the radio.
“I’m a bomber. I’ll do my best.” The pilot replies.
“Target the Zebrina!” The miner yells.
The bomber fires long range torpedoes. Realizing the immense danger they are in, James orders the crew to fire at the bomber and increase the shields’ strength. “We’re already out of shield batteries!” a crewman calls out. James grabs Erica and runs down towards an escape pod. The Bannockburn and Ourang Medan both target the bomber; the inexperienced pilot flies in a straight line and is soon destroyed in a magnificent cloud of debris and flash fire, but not before launching two more torpedoes.
The first two torpedoes strike the Zebrina’s bridge, depleting her shields and smashing out the windows. The crew screams as they are sucked out into space. The computer recognizes the breach and seals the bridge automatically. Reverting to its’ base programming, the Zebrina’s computer flies the ship towards the Tau-37 jump hole with impulse engines as the turrets fire automatically at the nearest targets.
James and Erica stumble as the force of the torpedoes ripple through the Zebrina. James tries to shove Erica into the escape pod, but she turns, causing James to push himself in. She stands at the door of the pod, hesitating. “Get in, now!” He yells to her. He grabs her wrist with his right hand, bracing himself with his left. Suddenly, the final two torpedoes strike the Zebrina, tearing into her midsection. Living slave, not placed into Cryo-Stasis pods, pour out of the cargo hold and into the void of space.
“James!!!” George yells as he watches from the bridge of the Bannockburn. Aboard the Zebrina, James struggles to hold onto Erica. The tear in the hull is visable to them as Erica is lifted off of her feet and pulled towards the void. James pulls her with all of his strength towards the pod. As she slips in, the pod door, on a time, slams onto James exposed left arm, severing it above the elbow.
James screams in pain as he lets go of Erica and grabs his bloody stump. Erica cries out and holds the stump with him, applying pressure to stop the blood. James points to a small medical kit inside of the pod. “Band...” He chokes out as sweat beads on his forehead from the pain. Erica opens the medical kit to find a single med-statis band, among other small articles. Applying it to James arm, she activates the band, which quickly closes off James’ wound, saving his life, for the moment.
The pod ejects into space and spirals out of control. Already prepared to rescue the pod, Harvey Crippen made sure the cargo hold was empty and depressurized. As the Ourang Medan prepares to enter position, the fighters target her and start to bring down her shields. The Bannockburn continues the fight, as does the Governor Parr, both firing at the same targets. They make short work of a heavy fighter, but the damage is done. Her shields taken down, Ourang Medan is forced to flee or risk being destroyed.
Her starboard engine fails and begins to tear off of the hull, as George Woods demand that Harvey Crippen escape. Following his orders, Captain Crippen orders the cloak activated, as the nanobots struggle to maintain the ship. As her cloak activates and her cruise engine fires up, she heads to Cali base for repairs. The remaining three IMG fighters decide to flee, as their shields take more and more damage. George Woods order the crew of the Bannockburn to give a brief chase and secure the area, as Michael Cost turns toward the slowly shrinking escape pod.
The pod drifts through space at nearly the speed of a ship under conventional power. The Governor Parr slowly catches up and flies just ahead of the pod. Shutting down the engines and allowing his ship to drift at speed, Michael Cost orders the ship to be slightly tilted, and the fighter bay opened. Once in position, the Governor Parr slows ever slightly, allowing the pod to gently drift into the fighter bay. As the doors creak shut, the bay is pressurized and a team of medics and security personnel rush to rescue James Woods.
The crew of the Governor Parr opens the pod to find Erica, sweating and nearly hysterical, hovering over and unconscious James. Whisking her out of the pod, the medical staff secures James to a gurney and takes him to the med-lab. Michael Cost’s bloody lab, used mostly for experimenting on Slaves, is quickly washed and the table sterilized. Surgery on James is performed immediately, although they are unable to save his left arm; they remove the shattered humerus and remove the excess skin and muscle tissue, leaving only the socket of his left shoulder usable.
Michael Cost, already experimenting with cybernetics, brings out a new left arm and prepares it for installation. After multiple hours of surgery wiring the electronic nerve endings to James’ tissues he is sedated and left to rest. The battle long over, the Bannockburn and Governor Parr reach planet Malta, where the Outcasts take over James’ medical care.
After a week in a medically induced coma, James awakes to find Erica, and his son Dallas, waiting for him in the hospital room. Looking around, he sees George standing near the window, looking out, with Michael Cost and Harvey Crippen playing some sort of board game just to George’s left. “Hello there.” James croaks weakly. Everyone in the room turns to him as he speaks. Erica leaps at him, hugging and kissing him, as Dallas giggles, sitting on the bed.
“I’m glad you’re back, brother.” George says. “Mr. Cost here saved you life.” He adds. Michael cost takes a small bow.
“I tried, at least. Because of you, my Ourang Medan spent three days on Cali being repaired…” Harvey Crippen says sternly. “But it was worth it to bring you back alive.” He continues, his tone softening.
James smiles and looks down, then notices a strange sensation in his arm. He nearly jumps when he sees the metal arm of a skeleton jutting from his shoulder. “What the hell happened to my arm?!” He cries out. Dallas begins to cry, startled by James’ yell. Erica grabs baby Dallas and coddles him.
“Michael did all that he could. He’s actually a pretty competent doctor.” George says, standing to the right of James’ bed.
“The Outcast doctors were rather impressed.” Michael begins. “We can dress it up with synthetic skin, or at least we can to your hand. It will even be warm to the touch. In time, the rest of your arm will appear normal as well.” He finished.
James brings his hand up to his face; turning it over repeatedly, he admires the gleam of the metal skeleton in the light. Slowly closing his fist, he looks at his three slaver brethren. Smiling, he says, “I like it…” With baby Dallas calmed down, James reaches out his right arm to him. Erica hands him over, and smiles, as James holds his son. Looking down, he kisses his head and brings him closer, grateful to have his family back. “When I return to space, you have the option to stay here, or come with me, Erica.” James says, looking up to her. As his eyes close, he cuddles with his son and whispers, “I can’t wait to welcome you to the Union…”
The End