Master of Fate

[Niccolò di Lupia]

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"To be an Outcast is to be more than human, and less."

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Niccolò di Lupia allows the words to run through his mind, hearing them echo softly in the quiet cabin. More than human, and less. Such is the legacy of Cardamine. Strength, speed, longevity, heightened reflexes. More than human. Hated, reviled, hunted and cast out. Less than human. Few would treat with their kind. Only those touched by Cardamine in some manner would.

Cardamine. The sole weapon of the Outcasts that had no match. Only they controlled its supply, and only they could enjoy it's full and potent effects. All others were slaves to the addiction. An addiction controlled entirely by Malta. But even in this, the Outcasts were less than human. Less free by birthright. The same substance that made them more, also shackled them.

Niccolò smiled as the Saint Mark broke free from the nebula, her target directly ahead. They'd been shadowing this convoy for days, waiting for the correct moment to strike. A moment that had finally arrived. Niccolò could feel Vesco's eyes on him, waiting for the order, waiting to act. Always faithful, always obedient, Vesco would wait for permission to die if a star were to fall on him. And Niccolò would expect no less. Such was the way it should be. More than human, and less.

The bridge is quiet, a silence born from professionalism and discipline. The crew mans their stations, waiting for the inevitable order. Fighters are lined up and ready in the hanger bays, their pilots climbing into cockpits and adjusting the oxygen and cardamine levels to their individual combat preferences. One of them would be Maria de Santangelo, a pilot he had pulled from death in a rare act of mercy, before binding her to his will.

The Outcast transports ahead of him finally seemed to notice the Saint Mark's arrival, and their escort fighters attempted to hail the bridge as the Sarissa bore down on them. Their attempts going unanswered, their hails become more frantic as they realize the battleships path will cut directly through the convoy. And none of them knew just how much danger they were in as the predatory ship approaches ever closer.

This deep into the Taus, a missing convoy would be blamed on the Crayterians or the Gauls. Few would suspect foul play, and no witnesses would be left behind to spread the word. It wasn't the first time that di Lupia had resorted to such extremes to resupply a dwindling cardamine store, nor would it be the last. His debtors on Malta may have been scattered and made irrelevant, but there were few places as secure as the Saint Mark. Here, of all places, he knew he was in control and master of all he saw. If that meant resorting to drastic measures to prevent a reliance on the political groups on Malta, then so be it.

More than human, and less. His hand raises, before falling in a chopping motion. Vesco reacts immediately, barking an order and the hull quivers as the crew respond, devastating weapons tearing into the outmatched convoy, fighters launching straight from the hangers into knife-fight duels with the overwhelmed escort pilots.

Outcasts are legendary for their speed, their reflexes and their skill. But few Outcasts have honed those skills against their own, and the difference it makes is telling. As the retrieval teams scour the destroyed convoy, they silence any survivors and reclaim the valuable cardamine aboard for the Saint Mark's stores. Niccolò remains silent as they complete their work, watching as a gallic fighter which had made the mistake of interfering in the past was set adrift amongst the carnage, it's worn and damaged hull the final disguise to their ploy.

"More than human, and less."