The other members of Elpano's crew watched in stunned faces tinged with overwhelming fear and silence as their leader lay helpless. A shocking sight when he was held captive by the seemingly resurrected Ubel and a boy no less. Panic surged through their ranks as they realized they were facing a threat unlike anything they had encountered before. Ubel surveyed the scene once again before him.

"Wait… I just remembered that you’re the guy who tried to buy my ship back in the restaurant!" Ubel realized too late, he assumed that they were just assassins sent by local crimelords to kill him.

His golden eyes scanned Elpano again and strangely this time around, he felt or sensed no jamming measures. He decided to ignore it as he realized Elpano’s true identity.

Elpano was also a pirate. He commands a group who call themselves Dreadlords. But what he couldn’t understand yet was their motive. Ubel was confident that these men didn’t just try to kill him for his ship but for something else also.

"Now, let's talk about why you're so keen on taking me down, shall we?"

Ubel started to exert his control over Elpano's crew’s cybernetic bodies. With a mere thought, he manipulated their limbs, forcing them to rise to their feet and stand before him like a puppet on strings. They all had eyes widened in horror as they realized that they were no longer in control of their own body. They tried to struggle against the invisible force that held them captive, but it was futile.

Ubel's mastery of Neuromancy was far beyond anything they had ever encountered before.

“I could just interrogate all of you, one by one for information but… that’s too boring so let’s play another game,” Ubel said with a sinister grin. “I ask questions, you answer and Elpano will tell if you’re telling the truth or not. If you lie, I will immediately make you suffer a very excruciating slow death. If you tell the truth, I will let you go. And you Elpano will be my lie detector but seeing that a lie detector may also lie, I’ll tell you in advance that I know if you’re lying to me I will not kill you, but I will make you suffer even worse.”

They all nodded at his instructions.

“First question! Why are you attacking me?” Ubel asked, then turned to one of the two he had put side by side. “You first!”

“A-ah...Ah.” It seemed that this man was still hesitating to answer and kept glancing at Elpano as if asking for his approval. Ubel realized that he had to make an example first.

“Pip piiiip! Times up!” Ubel loudly said, playfully role-playing an alarm sound. “It seemed that I forgot to add another rule! Silence means lying to me so that’s that. Bye bye mister!”

Then the man convulsed suddenly, falling to the ground and twitching every second, sending waves of stinging pain every second while electrocuting the man with his implants.

“Next! Oh yeah! You’re joining us too!” He looked around and found four of Elpano’s crew still paralyzed on the ground. He controlled their bodies and let them stand side by side with the first ones earlier.

“I’ll ask again, wh-”

“You took our prize!” one of them yelled the answer before letting Ubel finish his question.

“Huh?” But Ubel now got confused with that revelation, though he grinned moments later as an idea suddenly formed in his mind. But he wanted more information. “Is he right Elpano?”

Their leader nodded vigorously, confirming his words, much to the relief of his crew.

“You answered the question correctly! You’re now allowed a small rest, but I will be back for you if the rest of them don’t answer my next questions so wait for now.” Ubel made his body sit on the ground.

“Next question! What is this prize that you were referring to?” Ubel asked.

“Boss wanted to take over the Munda’s fleet!” Another one rushed to answer again. Probably wanted to follow the fate of the previous colleague.

“Now that’s interesting… was he right Elpano?” Ubel strengthened his grip on Elpano’s neck.

Their boss nodded again.

“-obsessed in taking Munda’s pirate fleet… How is he related to Munda and his crew?” Ubel asked again.

“Boss was formerly the vice commander of Munda!” Ubel listened intently to Elpano's crew's revelation. His expression suddenly went unreadable to those who were terrified of him and started to fear what would happen next. But in reality, Ubel was still trying to process the information. The mention of Munda's name piqued his interest, and he couldn't help but wonder about the connection between the two and suspected their rivalry.

"So, you're Munda's little assistant in the past," Ubel mused, his tone laced with intrigue. "And you've been vying for control of his fleet all this time."

Elpano nodded weakly, his breaths labored as he struggled to maintain consciousness.

“What happened then, that caused your boss to get kicked out from the fleet?”

“We also didn’t know! We were abandoned and left behind when we were sent to board one of the target ships. Only to realize too late that it was a trap because the freighters we were attacking were owned by a Private Military Company under UGTR services.”

“So that’s what happened. But there’s something very strange in all of these.” Ubel mulled at their information. He tried to arrange every detail they gave him.

Then he realized one thing.

“How did you know that I took over Munda’s fleet?” Ubel asked this question as he knew that Munda and others never docked on any station and would only trade with others out in space. Making Ubel suspect that there’s something else at play.

“We were... given information.”

Although Ubel didn’t react much like their previous information, they still saw his brow twitching after hearing their final revelation.

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

“Interesting… however, this is both disappointing and annoying to say at least. I didn’t expect all of you to answer truthfully.” Ubel then released the control he had over the rest of Elpano's crew.

Their captor was silent for several seconds until he opened his mouth again which they feared would be announcing their death sentence.

“If I was some kind of twisted righteous or vengeful person, I would probably betray my words and kill you all. But… unexpected encounters like these, make me feel truly alive and anticipate what was to come.”

Before they could even comprehend the development of their dire situation, Ubel’s next words astounded them.

“So off you go now,” Ubel said while still restraining Elpano in his grip.

“What?”

“I said you can go.” Ubel himself was instead surprised at the reluctance of his previous prisoners. He almost laughed at their opposite reaction in releasing them.

“Really?”

“Y-you’re not going to do anything to us later?”

They asked him for confirmation, probably traumatized by his capability to control their bodies with ease.

“Nope! Now go shoo! Before I change my mind.” Ubel said, making a shoving gesture.

They didn’t even leave any words and rushed out to escape that place. All of them ran in different directions, leaving only Elpano, Ubel, and the still-writhing crew in the corner of their eyes.

Then Ubel probably noticed the last crew, groaning in extreme pain, he rolled his eyes in annoyance and released him also. The man was coughing and breathing deeply in each cough as if to catch his breath and relief.

“Off you go also!” Ubel told the man as the poor sod struggled to get up from his knees and weakly walked out from that place. After seeing the last of his crew disappear from his eyes, Ubel turned his attention back to Elpano.

“So you’re the next eligible candidate next to Munda.”

"Yes," he admitted, his voice barely above a whisper due to the grip strength of Ubel. "But I never expected... someone like you... to come along and... disrupt our plans."

Ubel's eyes narrowed thoughtfully as he considered Elpano's words. It seemed that there was more to this rivalry than met the eye, and he couldn't help but wonder about the dynamics at play between the two former pirates.

"And what were those plans, exactly?" Ubel inquired, his voice tinged with curiosity. "What were you hoping to achieve by taking control of your former commander's fleet? You have a better track record than Munda with your current crew."

Elpano's gaze flickered with a mixture of defiance and resignation as he struggled to form his words.

"Power… with numbers," he confessed, his voice hoarse with emotion. "Control... dominance... over the entire sector. The fleet, even... if it was left to its ruin by Munda, once fixed to their full might… The fleet is... power itself. And with Munda… Munda out of the way, I saw an opportunity to seize... control... and establish myself... as their new commander."

Ubel regarded Elpano with a cool detachment, his mind racing as he considered the implications of his words.

"And now that your plans have been thwarted by my arrival," Ubel remarked, his tone laced with amusement. "What do you intend to do?"

Elpano's eyes drooped in despair, any shining motivation with a defiant spark was already gone as he already knew he lost.

"I'll... give up," he declared, his voice filled with a sense of defeat.

Then Ubel’s finger suddenly formed into a sharp knife and pierced Elpano’s neck. The latter was helpless from Ubel’s abuse.

Ubel's eyes widened with a predatory gleam as he delved deeper into the digital vaults of Elpano. His fingers danced across the virtual interface with practiced precision, extracting every last morsel of information he could find.

"Jackpot," Ubel muttered under his breath, his lips curling into a satisfied smirk as he uncovered a treasure trove of assets and resources. Among them were several ships, including three fighters. Two interceptors and a captured Colonial Frigate, all ripe for the taking.

He was about to transfer the access codes to himself but then realized something that stopped him from continuing.

“Nah, I’ll give them a chance to humor me later.” He decided to let them have their ships.

The boy smirked after realizing that he was still the same old man who preferred to spare NPCs in his game, not because he was feeling chivalrous or righteous… but because he wanted them to challenge him one day.

A bad habit that he, himself was aware of but refused to throw it out.

Because for him…

...it increases the fun.

“It’s no fun to be alone at the top,” he muttered to himself.

Ubel shook his head and decided to take his attention elsewhere and sift through the countless data, uncovering hidden caches of digital credits and valuable virtual commodities that had been stashed away by Elpano online. Ubel didn’t take any chances and immediately transferred the assets to himself. His mind is already racing with plans for how to best utilize his newfound wealth.

Then he found something else.

Certain contacts and a very great offer that was given to Elpano, and probably what motivated him to steal the fleet from Munda. Satisfied with what he salvaged, Ubel closed the interface took back the nerve-invasive link he inserted to Elpano’s, and let his cybernetic upgrades heal his body.

"Please... please let me go too," Elpano pleaded, his voice strained with desperation as he fought against Ubel's control. "I'll give you all of my credits, just please..."

“Pfft. Hahahahahaha! I already took them, don't worry.” Ubel's laughter echoed through the alley, cold and devoid of mercy. However, much to his surprise… Ubel released his hold on Elpano's body. Allowing the man to collapse back to the ground. He spared one last glance at his handiwork, a grim smirk tugging at the corners of his lips.

Elpano finally felt that he could finally control his body again.

“Don’t misunderstand, you’re still going to pay me for two bottles of wine.” the boy told him.

“W-what do you want me to do?” Elpano asked.

"I want you to come with me. I don’t want to drag you in my grip so you will be walking with me instead. And by the way, if you fucking run… I will kill you this time, Slowly and painfully where you will see your skin and flesh melting in front of your very eyes." His voice dripped with deadly threat.

“I-I won’t!”

“Holy shit, I forgot my schedule. Fuck.” Ubel realized with a start that he had lost track of time. He glanced at the digital display in his vision, cursing under his breath as he saw that he was already late for his scheduled rendezvous at the docks.

"Time to go," Ubel muttered. He turned on his heel and strode purposefully out of the alley.

Despite the chaos and violence that had unfolded, he felt a sense of exhilaration. A primal thrill that he knew he would never be able to replicate. Elpano meekly followed, the man who previously mocked Ubel and belittled him was turned into a traumatized and broken man.

They arrived back in the car that had been waiting for a long time.

"Welcome back, Mr. Ubel." The robotic voice of the car greeted him as he slid into the plush leather seat. "Shall we proceed to the docking bay?"

Ubel nodded curtly, his mind already racing ahead to the tasks that lay ahead. Then he saw the reluctant Elpano.

“If you don’t want me to control your body again, you better not tempt me.”

“Ah! Yes! I am sorry!” Elpano quickly followed Ubel inside.

“Is he your new companion?” The car system asked, seeming to become cautious when Elpano entered the car.

"Yes, he’s with me. Anyways, let's make it quick," He replied, his voice brimming with urgency.

As the car hummed to life and began to navigate through the bustling streets of the station, Ubel's thoughts turned to the implications of his recent confrontation.

"Man… this is why I always loved the Underworld."

The car accelerated and went back to the skies of the station, leaving dust and dirt behind.