Elsewhere in Onyx...

A cloud made its presence known, peaking over the highest ride of the Northern Dorsale. Light wind pushed it a little further until its brownish grey mass could be seen by every citizen whoe called the valley city home: those that wished to look up. Some did, mostly the young for they saw the carefree phenomenon less and less. Others never averted their eyes from their work, after all, time was money and no one was paid for daydreaming. The smallest number of those that dared gaze upon the sky were those whose age held three digits at least, the ones who could remember when clouds drifted low every day before the sky took on its brownish hue, before clouds foresaked the people and deigned to stay above the smog. For them, a tear fell in silent salute.

I hate this place. I can't believe I'm actually staring at a cloud. Major Trondheim shook his head and turned from the window, ignoring the capital city and the haze that hid the corporate towers at its heart. Languishing in his assignment he tried to concentrate on his work but as soon as he reopened his ears, he wished he hadn't.

" This is maddening! He was just killed, like some commoner. Think of the filth that would do that. But if he was first, who next? Me, that's who!"

Trondheim sighed and plopped his thin frame into a chair by the office's single window, looking exhasperatedly towards the rotund figure pacing to and fro by his desk. " Why do you think you're next, Your Excellency?"

" Why else, you blithering idiot? I am the Governor of Desitus! This world imports the most raw materials in the sector and manufactures the most goods: scanning equipment, repulsor lift engine parts - frell, Major, the RDC headquarters is here! I was put here to control things and he'll come get me next -"

I would be so lucky.

" - I'll cut him off before he does. Major, bring in the garrison troops to the capitol, all of them. Those civilian police, bring them in as well. This city will be so safe by the end of the week that no one will dare touch me."

" The civilian police, you want us to bring them all into the capitol? That would cause law and order to break down. The death toll due to crime is already high here; pulling our troops and the native police would make that number skyrocket!" Trondheim was no longer sighing, no now he was standing much taller than his corpulent boss, his face red with the sheer idiocy of the statements that had bubbled forth.

" That doesn't matter. If I die then they have no hope anyway."

Trondheim gritted his teeth and strode from the room, leaving the Governor to his musings. Maybe I will get lucky and this assasin will come here next. This idiot will die and I'll get reassigned!

The Harvest Moon lulled slightly as it drifted in deep space, in that large empty nothingness between worlds, stars, and trade routes. It is a place that few would stop, if ever. Slowly, something bundled came out from the ship. It slowly floated away, slipping into the darkness. Then another, then another.

It was in that emptiness that the crew of the Harvest Moon met their unceremonious end, left to drift in a land of lifelessness for all eternity. While all this weighed heavily upon the head of Barry Millet, Sha’tek merely nodded for a job done and slithered away to the Captain’s room.

Barry watched the last of the corpses drift away with a slight shudder, considering his own fate should his reptilian overlord find that his usefulness was expended. Getting back to his Six persona, he made his way back to the bridge and connected his datapad up to the comm. He had yet another job to do. Now, he was supposed to do some studying on the happenings on Desitus.

It was an unremarkable world. The planet was a wasteland that was converted into an industrial center for the Onyxian Commonwealth. There was some damage by saboteurs while the Coalition withdrew, but the Imperials had already patched up most of the damage. Basically, your ordinary industrial wasteland, nothing out of the ordinary.

That was, until Six finished looking at the straight info on the planet and began to look for news on the world.

The new Imperial Governor of the world, Tranus Artax, had recalled all the units on the planet to the capitol. Everything. Civilian and military. Six just kinda tilted his head a bit as he began to read the reports on what was going on. The order was given right after Sha’tek had killed Governor Bradford. Was Sha’tek’s plan working? Had he already scared some of the Imperials into a deranged paranoia where they were willing to tear themselves apart?

There were stories from all over the planet of people rioting, of gangs taking bloody control of the street, and of the businesses on the world paying for personal groups of mercenaries just to protect their interests. If Sha’tek managed this level of paranoia with one dead governor, Six was afraid of what a second could do.

“So Governor Artax…” Six muttered as he began to click away at the datapad, working his way around firewalls and backdoors, using a variety of custom written scripts. The Empire was always so ready to just to and kill the problem, very rarely actually fixed the situation that allowed the problem to arise. It may work with dissidents, but it doesn’t work too well as a network security philosophy.

It took nearly half of an hour of delicate walking, but eventually Six had access to the records he needed.

“You should’ve been finished by now.” The raspy voice of Sha’tek came from behind.

Six actually jumped out of his chair, crashing around a bit before falling on his ass. “GHOST OF FUCKING PALPATINE! Don’t sneak up on me like that! How the fuck can something as big as you move that quietly!?!”

“I don’t have need to make foot falls.” Sha’tek retorted simply, not showing much in terms of emotion as his eyes focused on the screen. “You’re just too used to bipedals. Tell me about the next target.”

“Well, the guy you’re after is named ‘Tranus Artax’.” Six muttered as he rubbed his side, retaking his seat before the monitor. “Well, you managed to bring fear since this guy’s summoned every law enforcement officer on the planet to his personal defence.”

Sha’tek smiled slightly at that. “Cowardly Imperials. But I don’t think I’ll be able to fight all of his guards before he gets the chance to run once more. Tell me more about this ‘Artax’.”

“Uhm, a minor bureaucrat. He’s had several investigations for corruption and embezzlement but against him but he’s come out clean each time. As for family… Well, the guy’s wife died about seven years back, from sudden heart complications. He has one kid, a son.”

“Tell me more about his offspring.” Sha’tek said with a hint of interest entering his voice, as he slinked closer to Six. The small human sunk a bit more into his chair as the large beast stared over his shoulder at the screen.

------------------------------------

Captain Daniel Prestor cautiously minded one of the glasses at the Drunken Rancor, looking out across the room. The Rancor was always known for its rough and tumble customers but with the near fall of organized government, things had gotten even worse. The ruffians of Cheapside were nearly running the place. Things were getting tense around the city.

Some of the criminals chased out of Nar Shaada by those knuckleheads of the SS found a new stomping ground in Imperial territory. Daniel got a bit of a laugh as he thought about how frantically those boys were running around trying to 'weed out corruption' and their own bullshit buerracracy kept fucking with their order.

“How sweet it is.” Prestor said as he downed his glass of rum. Business had been good for him more than most. Now that his type had a foot in the door, they were getting out whatever Onyxian hardware the Imperials hadn’t gotten yet. Those Onyxians had fine taste for things that go ‘bang’, and a smuggler of Prestor’s skill was moving freighters of the stuff.

Prestor’s prideful thinking was interrupted by a large thud as a Gamorrean in rags was tossed through the door. The smuggler’s mood was soured when he saw that red armoured Mandalorian brute who’d been picking fights with the more rowdy members of the bar. He didn’t mind the fact he was weeding them out, but the man’s hours upon hours of boasting and gloating was annoying.

Once more, the man started on his nightly ritual. “You are not worthy of being a Mandalorian. You’ve obviously forgotten your warrior roots! When the Basilisks would rain from the sky you’d be lost and confused on where to put that axe of yours. Pathetic what they’ve done to you.”

“Clean yourself up, and come to me when you believe you are WORTHY of Mandalore’s attention.”

And see the skies will be stained red when we conquer you and blah blah blah. The Mandalorians had been broken for years and the most they’d be doing is raiding some backwater system. With a small laugh to himself Prestor took another hit from his drink. But unlike every other time where the Mandalorian just did his bit and left, a new face to the Rancor came forward. A beast the likes of which Prestor hadn’t seen in some time….

“Silence.” Sha’tek growled at the Mandalorian, not seeming aggressive but more annoyed.

“You think you ar-” The Mandalorian was cut off by Sha’tek’s claws digging into his throat. The look of shock on the Mandalorian’s face was nearly priceless as the man desperately tried for a weapon before falling to the floor.

“Your challenge is answered and met.” Sha’tek snarled at the Mandalorian bleeding to death on the floor of the tavern, before slithering back to his corner of the bar. Most of the patrons at the bar just watched the beast. A very small man with an incredibly pale face was waiting at Sha’tek’s seat.. Not even leaving his drink, Daniel stepped around the pool of blood towards the beast.

“So we meet again Sha’tek. I didn’t think you had the balls to be in this sector after that stunt you pulled back on Generis. People in my circles say Desaria himself has called for your head on a platter.” Prestor said, just plopping down in a seat without any thought or invitation. The small man’s face got even more pale, and began to make some frantic motions with his arms as if to encourage him to run. Sha’tek’s eyes narrowed on the small man for a moment, before he reached into his bag and tossed fifty credits on the table.

“There’s the credits owed for your last job to me.” Sha’tek said simply enough, before motioning his blood stained claws towards the smuggler. “‘Six’, this is Daniel Prestor. Associate of the mercenary group the ‘Black Nebula Legion’. And I do not have ‘balls’. My anatomy is different than how you apes work, we inste-”

“Listen man, er, lizard, it was just a figure of speech. Too much information. WAY too much.” Prestor interrupted, just shaking his head a bit. Sha’tek glared a bit at him, and if not for his association to the BNL, Prestor knew he’d get to enjoy some of Sha’tek’s famous hospitality. For a guy without balls he loved waving his dick around. “SO, what brings you to my neck of the woods? Hiding low? Getting supplies?”

“Going after my next target.” Sha’tek said in a dead serious tone that was offset by Daniel’s sudden outburst into laughter. Sha’tek raised his brow as Daniel hit his hand on the table.

“Well, good to see that Ludge hasn’t levelled you out.” Daniel said with a grin as he sat back in his chair, taking up his drink and taking a sip of the foul tasting stuff. But he raised his brow when suddenly Sha’tek put another credit chip on the table. “You know, you’ve got nerve to ask me to help you out in this. Going to have half the Empire chasing after you, and not too many people would give safe harbour to those crazy enough to work for ya. Heh. So what job do you need done?”

“I need you to get in contact with some mercenaries near Kuat. The Governor’s spawn is going to be returning from their Academy to his brood. I need the spawn in order to draw out his parent.” Sha’tek said simply, reaching into the sack he had sitting on the seat next to him. He held up a datapad, before placing it on the table. Daniel took it and looked over it, in pure disbelief.

“HA! You don’t ask for much, do ya? Who the fuck other than you would be crazy enough to do this job?” Daniel said, giving the datapad a quick once over before dropping it back to the table. “It’d be suicide mission.”

“Fifty thousand credits up front, with a hundred thousand when the job is done.” Sha’tek said flatly, pointing towards the chip. Daniel gave a quick sharp whistle. He didn’t know that the lizard had that much in his personal funds to throw this kind of credit around. “I want people who have skill enough to get the spawn here. This should be enough for them. You’ll also find a fee for yourself.”

“And me to smuggle them back in?” Daniel said with a knowing smirk on his face.

“Good to know we have an understanding.”

With a slam Daniel finished off his drink in a gulp and slammed the glass on the table. “Oh what the fuck. Kidnapping? Killing? Smuggling? Nothing new. I just want to see the look on Desaria’s face when you’re done.”

Desitus, you’d have never seen a more wretched hive of scum and villainy.

It was a planet in an occupation zone with no police or enforcement anywhere but one city. In the week Sha’tek had been hiding on the planet, the place went from bad to worse. He had been concerned at one point of there being Imperial spies on the lookout but even they knew to keep out of the new streets of Desitus.

Any business without a personal guard of mercenaries was being pillaged. Any woman found outdoors was raped. Any man without a weapon was murdered for whatever he had. It was a brutal ‘justice’ on the streets as former supporters of the Empire found themselves at end with the dissidents loyal to the Onyxian Commonwealth. Lynch squads without any molestation from the authorities were getting their ideal of justice. Most organized crime left, seeing no way to keep business in line and keep profit.

Fires raged without proper teams to contain and douse them. Food was quickly being acquired by those ruthless enough to take it for themselves and force others to earn their keep from them. Riots raged. Order was dead on most of the planet.

It was a bloody massacre out there.

And Sha’tek smiled.

They spent centuries debating and working and plotting their society. A grand machine of gears and cogs. And yet one thing is removed, the whole machines shudders, strains, and breaks in such short order.

Sha’tek found it a pity he couldn’t partake in the madness. It had been so long since he’d been in a truly glorious bloodbath, but too many on this planet would lash out at him. The spineless cowards that would hide behind law enforcement wouldn’t cease trying to destroy him to return ‘order’. Rogues would seek to sell him for a reward. Before he had the advantage of his connections in organized crime, but when the organization left crime there was nothing to latch to. It was as unpredictable as a dying racnor, slashing at anything that presented itself.

But soon, it would be end game. Soon, it would be time to put this miserable blood bath behind him for something greater. For a challenge worthy of him.

The dark hovel they’d been hiding in was far too simple for most anyone to take interest in. It was just another one of the various slum hovels that lay at the roots of the cities. Everyone’s eyes in this chaotic time turned to the rich houses and apartments which scraped the heavens.

“So, you think he’s going to pull through?” Six asked quietly from the other side of the room. The slicer had his nose buried in his datapad the past week, tapping the data streams to make some sense of the chaos on the planet.

“He will or his skull will adorn my armour.” Sha’tek stated, not moving from his position. “Daniel loves his life too much to forfeit it to empty promises.”

They were supposed to arrive that day at some point. It was only noon, but Sha’tek’s manner didn’t exactly make Six feel like waiting much longer. He wanted to at least be back on the move again. Sha’tek’s constant glaring at the door just made him feel uncomfortable.

Slowly, time ticked away. Sha’tek’s gaze firmly locked on the door. Six couldn’t decide on what was more unsettling. What they’d already done, or what they were going to do.

Then silence was split with a loud crash as the door came shuddering open, nearly kicked off its hinges. Six was just looking up as Sha’tek had his foreign weapon ready in hand as a group of large figures stood hulking outside. The one tossed forward a large sack the hit the floor with a loud thud.

“Sha’tek, do you great everyone like this when half the galaxy wants your head?” Came Daniel’s familiar voice as he came past the small group of thugs with a smile on his face. Sha’tek’s weapon lowered, though he kept it firmly in hand.

“The spawn is still intact?” Sha’tek asked, looking at the motionless bag suspiciously.

“Sha’tek, have I ever given you faulty product? Well, other than that one time…” Daniel said with a bit of a smirk as he opened up the large duffle and revealed the beaten and bruised figure of a young boy, no older than twelve summers. “See? Still breathing and with all appendages. Sometimes things just get a bit… bustled about in delivery. A couple of the boys have some old troubles with the Empire. You know how they get…”

“I do not see the pleasure you humans get in abusing things that cannot defend themselves.” Sha’tek said with no level of insult or disgust, just stating, as he gazed over the child carefully. “When shall it regain consciousness?”

“We gave him some tranqs to get him down here quietly. About two more hours. Maybe more. Maybe less. I generally don’t kidnap… kids. Was expecting maybe the governor would deploy the police and his garrison when news reached him that his son was missing.” Daniel said as he gave the child a fast once over. “Don’t know whether it’s all the commotion on the streets or if he’s walled so far in or what. But I’m sure if he finds you have this kid he’ll come with everything he’s got.”

“And that note, I leave ya to it. I want to get as far between me and this before the blasters start firing. Hope you know what you’re doin’.” Daniel said as he got up, giving a quick non-chalant salute to Sha’tek. “Pleasure doing business as always.”

“Indeed. Be sure to keep nearby, I might have further need of your services later.” Sha’tek said as the group left them, with a very devious look dawning on Sha’tek’s face. Six look at him with a raised eyebrow, wondering exactly what was going through his head.

“Contact the Onyxian resistance. Tell them… we have a bargaining chip for their struggle. And have you prepared configuring that device I requested you to make?”

" I knew it! I knew it!"

That tiring mantra had been repeated so many times over the last two days. A kidnapping was a horrible thing, and the kidnapping of a child so much more vile, so much more loathesome still. When the news had come, Major Trondheim was aghast. Who would kidnap a boy of twelve? His concern had begun to ebb when the news was brought before the Governor. His Portliness saw the crime not as the foul abduction of his only son but a threat to his power. And since then, he had made himself into a visionary, supposedly predicting all manner of assaults on his personage.

And now...I feel nothing. I want to, I know a child is out there, but -

" I knew it!" The rotund Governor left his office and brought his musings into the antechamber where a small desk and a few computers were crammed together in the mockery of a workspace Trondheim called home. And with that, the Major's final sanctum was pieced, assaulted, and sullied.

" Yes, Excellency?" the Major asked with all tact he could manage.

" Major - call me the Chiefs of all Police agencies in the capital. The garrison commander, Intelligence - everyone! I want money spent - no, thrown! - to informants! Give them whatever they want, but get my son back! Then, then this threat will go away. We'll crush them once and for all!"

Cryptic, the Governor spun around and marched back into his office. Trondheim sighed, and picked up the comlink to summon the military and law enforcement heads of Desitus. Such a plan was bound to draw results, but those results would be purchased with whatever money remained in the planet's coffers. Then, when the son was returned...

Being rid of such a fool would be easy anywhere else, but here, with the son of the Emperor's Grand Vizier....maybe I will get lucky and he'll get what his son hopefully will not.

Despite the chaos of Desitus, there was order hidden in certain sections and sectors.

Drysdale, one of the cities that dotted Desitus’ surface, was one such place. Part of the Industrial sector had become a rallying ground for former Onyxians on the world. It was started by a small group of former members of the army banding together to protect each other, but it grew. They began to become a symbol on the broken room, drawing many of the disenfranchised on the world.

The paramilitary resistance was known as Creighton’s Militia in honour of its leader, former Major Darryl Creighton. A number of his former men had returned, but largely his current forces were rebels and sympathizers with little to no formal training in soldiering.

There was more than just a bit of bustle around the small office building that had been converted to a make shift headquarters. Sha’tek had created quite a stir with his successful assassination of an Imperial governor, but many wrote him off as just lucky.

And now he’s offering a gift at their feet.

Sha’tek had captured the only son of the governor of Desitus and was offering it to them as a bargaining chip with one simple request. He wanted Creighton’s Militia to do more damage. He offered him a few of his contacts so long as they swear to exploit it to kill more Imperials, destroy more stockpiles, and cause some havoc and destruction. Not just this wishy washy stuff caused by the chaos on the world, but organized strikes.

“So… he’s offering a ticket for striking against the Empire, in exchange for striking even more against the Empire?” Major Darryl Creighton pondered as he stared critically at his aide-de-camp, Lieutenant Darcy. “There has to be more to this. A creature like him could not have done all this without some sort of plan.”

“What if his intentions are honest? What if he’s part of something greater? There are rumours of a wider Onyxian Resistance.” The lieutenant said as he looked through a ledger, containing various facts and tidbits of information. “Sha’tek has been known to strike at Imperial targets for far less money than most of his calibre charge. He may just dislike the Empire, sir.”

“And there’s also rumours that a number of the warrior races have banded together, and are beginning to strike into civilized space on our doorstep. What if he’s with them and is only trying to soften all of us up for an attack from them? We cannot base strategy on mere rumours, Lieutenant.” The Major said sternly, as his gaze turned to a screen on the wall. It showed Desitus in its current state, much as it was.

They were not in that great of a position. If the Imperials ever organized and pressed forward, his men lacked proper training yet to fight Imperial Regulars. He knew a number likely joined his cause for safety from the bandits and would likely either surrender or worse betray him once things looked rough.

He had to admit, the governor’s son was a useful bargaining chip. It could give them a chance to keep themselves from being overrun in fear of hurting the child. If he could keep his location secret, then they’d be hesitant to attack their bases. It is a small advantage, but it could be key.

The local Governor being as he was would likely sally forth all his troops in an offensive from the capital to attack. If he could get some men in the capital, when the Empire launched their offensive for him those covert teams could attack their caches. He knew he had some men with the skills. Even a few former White Knights to command the teams.

With their supplies destroyed, and the son as a bargaining chip, they might just concede defeat. And if Sha’tek intended to fulfill his promise of killing more Imperial officials, it just might be that extra little bit of chaos needed.

It’d be a risk, but it could just pan out. After all, sometimes one must be a pawn before they’re a queen.

“Very well. Organize a retrieval for the boy and give Sha’tek our thanks. I shall organize where the boy shall be kept. When we have him safely secured away, alert the local Imperial governor and tell him our terms are simple.”

“The Empire leaves Desitus, and never looks back.”