“The princess escaped that spoiled idiot. Pay up,” Malachai said.
Dorion scoffed, “I never agreed to that wager. Considering you told her to escape, it's not surprising. Even if you didn’t she probably would have found a way. The girl is clever. She may have actively charmed me, but I think she snared you, too” Darion commented, “The diamonds and latinum are fakes, I’m assuming the gate codes are as well.”
“Somehow I’m not surprised,” Malachai said, “We’ll get paid one way or another. I’m sure his Highness won’t be dumb enough to refuse payment. Not with the leverage that we have on him. The other contracts will be put on hold” He looked at his partner, “She did no such thing.”
“Uh-huh. Halcyon won’t be happy about that. They’re her favorite kind of contract.”
“I’ll make her happy another way,” Malachai responded, “But I do hope that we see Kiera again. She was right, these survival bars are much better than the ones that we have been using.”
Darion shook his head, “Told you that she has you ensnared. Speaking of, Halcyon is finished with her job and is requesting pick up. It’s been a while since we’ve been to the Corellian Regime.”
“It has, although I do want to stop by The Imperial station first. Zax has a bottle of Jinxing Xho Eclipse, and a bottle of the Rose Blonde for us.”
-[]-
Amadeus stepped out from his balcony to find Jassok waiting for him. The Warlord fell into step beside his friend and Emperor, “The Republic continues to occupy Edios. They’ve made no move to claim the rest of the system, and the Empire’s Reach has arrived and started construction of the gate. According to our spies it looks like they are strip mining the planet and have enslaved the population. The Imperial Republic seal is nowhere to be seen, but the ships are unmistakable. Everything points to a Senator operating with the Emperor’s knowledge.”
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“That doesn’t sound like Caligula. We need confirmation it is the Republic and not some mercenary guild or pirates using Republic Ships. It would be terribly far from home and bold to have a presence in my Galaxy for the Republic. Claimed or not. Have a spy attempt to make contact with a planetary leader. If they request to Join the Empire then we will intervene.”
“Edios was settled by a group who didn’t want to belong to the Empire or any other power, but it will be done, sire.”
Amadeus shook his head, they both knew that Jassok, Amadeus’ oldest friend who knew him before the Empire was founded, didn’t need to use any titles, “Do we know who kidnapped Kiera?”
“No, the contract that we were supplied was through a man identified as Belial. Eustace Farbargton was to pay the mercenaries one half of their fee. How this Belial benefited is unknown. I speculate it might have been an attack on you,” Jassok said, “We both know that this is not the man who killed your parents and ravaged seven worlds, but the name is significant. The boy knows nothing, but has confessed to the murder of his father.”
Amadeus slowed, he hadn’t heard that name in over a century. He wasn’t much older than Kiera when that monster killed his parents and millions of others, including Jassok’s wife and child. They had massacred the man’s followers. Belial’s only child was allowed to grow to adulthood before he, too, was executed. Amadeus was a much different man in those days, a tyrant.
“Throw the boy in Tartarus. The treason alone is enough to send him there. Continue to press Farbargton. I want to know how he contacted this Belial and everything he knows about him. Once we find him, he’ll lead us to the mercenaries. With as skilled as they are I wouldn’t be surprised if the Black Hole Society has returned.” Amadeus frowned at the thought; they had already struck at his family twice before. He thought he had destroyed them both times.
“By your will, sire,” Jassok said.