Always a Price

2002 short story by Louis Turfrey, Mark Newbold and Paul Squire

Thirty-eight years after Episode IV – A New Hope

The Garyra Station sat gleaming in the distance, a silver fleck on a velvet backdrop, as the Mon Calamarian cruiser powered down and lay silent.  On her bridge her hooded, armoured commander nodded towards his pilot, commending him on the piloting skills that had brought this huge vessel so close to the station without raising any proximity alarms with a well-timed micro jump from outside the system.

   “Prepare my shuttle and inform the station of my arrival.”

With that he left the bridge and boarded the small shuttle that manoeuvred gracefully towards the station, its modified thrusters allowing it to rotate about its own axis. Two hundred metres, then one hundred and fifty metres, then a hundred metres separated the shuttle from the welcoming entrance to the station.  And then she docked.

Ryath Centaur looked out of his observation window, squinting against the darkness and noting the distant black outline of the Mon Cal cruiser.  He frowned. It’s wise of Lomona to invite the head of the Raven Corporation to the station, but why would he turn up in a kilometre long attack cruiser? Why not keep his movements low key and informal? Its black painted bulk partially obscured the sight of the planet below, a view that Ryath liked.

The door creaked and opened as a figure entered.  There was a clink of glass and the sound of liquid pouring.

   “Jan.  Good of you to knock.”

Jan Lomona grinned as he took hold of both glasses and handed one to his long time friend, son-in-law and business partner.

   “Good of you to remove the lock from your drinks cabinet.  Going senile or feeling charitable?”

Ryath smiled.

   “A touch of both I think.”  Despite his humour the look of concern on Centaurs face was unusual and Lomona knew why.

   “Don’t worry Ry.  I know this guy.  You can trust him.” He gave his smuggest grin and Ryath shook his head, moving to stand behind his desk and straightening his tunic.

   “I wish I shared your confidence. I don’t trust people that hide behind blacked out monitor screens and secret organisations.”

Jan had to smile again at the irony of the remark.

   “Yeah, right.  You’ll work for them quickly enough though.”

Ryath frowned again, remembering past jobs he had completed as a mercenary-for-hire for the likes of Glann Cipple and others. He brushed the thought aside; That was the past and Cipple was dead.

There was a knock at the door and one of his aides entered.

   “Your next appointment is here to see you, sir.”

Ryath nodded and waited as the cloaked and armoured figure entered the room, stooping to clear the door. Two of Centaurs Iron Claws followed, their weapons trained on the dark figure. Lord Raven, joint head of the shadowy Raven Corporation turned and motioned towards the two men.

   “In the interests of security my identity must remain secret. Ask your men to leave the room.”

There was an air of command and inflection in the voice that Ryath noted, but with the armoured helmet obscuring any features, Ryath was unable to tell whether or not he knew the identify of the speaker.  

   “They remain.”  Ryath inclined his head.  “My security measures. I’m sure you understand.”

Raven looked at Lomona and folded his arms across his chest.

   “You told me that I could trust this man.  I don’t sense any trust in this room.”

   “Trust goes both ways,” interjected Centaur.  “And we’re on my ground.”

There was a distinct ripple of tension in the air, and Jan could sense a stalemate forming.  He looked at both of his friends and frowned.

   “If you can’t take Raven’s word then take mine.  We’re meant to be working together in this.  How are we going to get anything done if we can’t show a little faith?”

It was Ryaths turn to cast a frown.

   “Faith?  Faith is for fools.  I don’t know this man.”

   “But I do.”

Lomona and Centaur stared at each other for a few long seconds, years of friendship and familiarity marking the stare, and obstinance on both parts melted into understanding.  Ryath glanced at his two guards and nodded for them to leave. 

Jan stepped back and smiled warmly as he moved back towards the drinks cabinet.

   “Anyone for Vineau?”

   “So I am offering the Iron Claws the use of three carriers, four heavy attack frigates and twenty support ships. That includes one hundred and fifty unmanned SSJ Stealth fighters, fifty per carrier.”

Ryath sat back and looked at the impressive list of craft in front of him.

   “I take it this isn’t the whole of your fleet?”

Raven smiled, the large canines clearly visible and extending downward.

   “Correct.  Let’s just say I wish to maintain the defence of my own organisation. More can be made available if required, but I need the rest of my fleet for now. There is something I need to retrieve.  But I will be making another vessel available to you shortly.”

Ryath looked out of the port to see a white vessel cruising into view, five kilometres from the station.

   “I believe you remember the ISD Constance?”  He turned to view Ryaths expression.  “Impressive, isn’t she.”

Ryath nodded and looked at Jan as a broad A-desandian grin spread from one side of his face to the other.

   “You knew about this, didn’t you?”

Jan nodded his head, barely able to suppress his mirth.

   “Well, I gotta have some secrets, don’t I?”

Nias Derril paced nervously about the polished floor of the docking bay. I wonder how Ryath Centaur will take the news that me, an apparent traitor, is commanding his newest attack craft? Well, he’ll soon know, his shuttle’s docking now.  He watched from the cavernous docking bay as the shuttle approached followed by a brief glow of ion thrusters as the pilot brought the shuttle to rest. There was a faint clang as the ramp lowered and Nias took a deep breath as he watched the steam billow, masking the exiting passengers.  He stepped forward to greet the trio, led by Lord Raven.  Lomona and Centaur exited side-by-side, the smoke parting for them like a wraith.  Jan stiffened for a moment, memories of being aboard Star Destroyers coming back to him. He’d been pulled aboard these vessels and boarded by Imperials too many times to mention.

  “Welcome aboard the ISD Constance sirs.  My ship is your ship.”

Ryath regarded him for a moment and nodded firmly.

   “Nias Derril?”

Nias nodded in response, unsure of what the broad ex-Imperial was about to say.

   “Yes.”

   “I presume you have a state room prepared for us.”

Nias faltered for a second and regained his composure.

   “Of course.  This way.”

Centaur lowered his wine glass onto the gleaming table and eased back into his seat, eyeing Jan closely as the A-desandian sank his drink.  He had heard much during the last hour, the majority of which was of little consequence.  He was fast becoming irritable but surely, he reasoned with himself, Raven must be coming towards his point soon?

Centaur interjected Derril’s technical ramblings and raised a hand to speak.

   “Raven, I understand that you are entrusting the Iron Claws,” he paused, “me, with a sizeable war fleet.  This ship alone,” he waved his hand vaguely about him, “must have cost millions to refit.”

   “It must,” noted Raven blithely.  “I don’t keep track of all our outgoings.”

Nias eagerly leaned forward and Lord Raven deferred to him.

   “This vessel was refitted and modified to provide full close quarters support. She can hold her own against a Ki-Ki battle platform, and her inherent shielding inadequacies have been erased and upgraded. Turbo-lasers and ion cannon have been upgraded or replaced.”

Lord Raven chose to break in at this juncture.

   “And the keel of the ship has been reinforced.  She’s strong enough to ram another warship if so inclined.”  He eyed Ryath closely as the Iron Claw leader narrowed his eyes.

   “Why would you want to reinforce the keel so it can ram another ship?”

Lord Raven smiled and looked at Jan, who in turn glanced at Derril.  The cloaked man stood and moved towards the view port that afforded him a vista of the stars.

   “I have my reasons.  I told you earlier that I have need of my fleet to retrieve a certain item that was lost.”

Centaur nodded.  Raven continued.

   “That item is another starship.  A Victory Class Star Destroyer, to be precise.”  He paused.  “I assume you’ve heard of the VSD Deliverance?”

Ryath kept a neutral face and acknowledged in the affirmative.

   “Of course.”

Lord Raven raised an eyebrow beneath his mask as he looked again at Nias and then at Lomona.

   “The VSD Deliverance joined the Raven Corporation, commanded by an ex-Imperial, Mendip Khan.  The Ki-Ki stole her from us.”  He snarled at the memory of his lost ship.  “I have need of her again.  And with this fleet I have provided you, I intend for you to steal her back from the Ki-Ki. A small price to pay for the generosity of my donation”

Ryath blinked and couldn’t help notice the look of innocence that descended over Jan’s face.  He clasped his hands behind his back.

   “The VSD Deliverance.  You want us to retrieve her?”

   “I do.”

Ryath nodded again, uncertain of what to say.  He knew what Lomona was thinking, as surely as if he was whispering it into his very ear, and turned back to Lord Raven.

   “I need to confer with my senior command staff on the Garyra Station.  May I use your communications room?”

Lord Raven nodded and motioned towards a side door.

   “By all means.  Take your time.”

   “Ry, this is crazy.  We’re talking about the fragging Raven Corporation here.  If I changed from boxers to briefs they’d know about it.”

   “Jan, half the women in the sector would know about it.”

Jan cocked his head in agreement.

   “True enough, but you take my point.”

   “No, but half the women in the sector probably have.” 

   “Knock it off, I’m being serious.”  He lowered his voice, confident that Raven hadn’t bugged the small briefing room he and Centaur occupied, but not willing to bet against it either.  “Correct me if I’m wrong, but the Ki-Ki took the Deliverance, renamed it the Sword of Justice, stuck it on the front line during the Battle of Zelon and Mendip Kahn rammed it with a Super Carrier to take out its interdiction field and destroyed it.”

Ryath nodded in agreement with Jan’s accurate knowledge of recent history.

   “Correct.”  He looked around the room, eyes flushed with thought.  “But clearly the Raven Corporation doesn’t know that.  After all, the only ship they had present was the SSC Intrepid and Khan used that to destroy the VSD.  They must think that the Deliverance and the Sword of Justice were two separate vessels and not one and the same.”  Ryath waited for Jans next words, which were clearly not forthcoming.  “So?  What do you think?”

Lomona looked at Ryath as if he was asking the craziest question in the galaxy.

   “What do I think?  I think we take the Raven fleet and kick some Ki-Ki butt.  It’s not our fault Ravens information is wrong.”

Ryath nodded briskly, Jans assertion matching exactly that of his own.

   “Alright, speaking hypothetically, what if the Raven Corporation learn that the Deliverance was destroyed over Chancai?  What then?”

   “Look, you know as well as I do that Raven wants that ship at any cost.  Would Raven give us this fleet if they thought the Deliverance was already space dust?”  Jan shook his head.  “I don’t think so.  They want that ship, and now that’s to our advantage.”

   “Agreed. So, we pledge to get the ship back.  Then what?”

Lomona stood and reached down to retrieve his glass of Vineau as his old friend stood to join him.

   “We make like the birds and wing it.”

Another hour passed, laced with hard questions and harder language.  Clearly Lord Raven was more than slightly perturbed by Centaur not eagerly accepting his fleet or his terms, and for his part Centaur had become angered by Ravens brash assumption that he would blindly take on such a mission without giving it serious thought.  Ryath stabbed in again.

   “Why give the Constance to me and not the S.D.F?”

   “Because as bravely as they have fought these past years I don’t trust Tannis Rixx.  He’s an ex-Janos Executioner, and despite what I have heard about him I don’t truly believe you can override that manner of conditioning and training. You, despite your Imperial background and the fact that we don’t know each other, I already trust. I know from reputation that your word is your bond, and if you say you will do something then it is done.”

Ryath inclined his head at the compliment as Jan watched both of his friends closely.  Centaur turned the conversations tide again.

   “You’ve sat on the fence for years, watching both sides, passing information to us and the Ki-Ki.  Now Chancai has fallen you’ve opted to join our cause.  Why?  What made you finally choose a side?”

Raven turned slightly, away from Ryath and Jan, as if deep in thought.

   “If I asked the same of you Centaur.  If I asked why you turned your back on the Empire.  What would your answer be?”

Ryath gave a shallow frown.

   “I left the Empire out of revenge.  I had an agenda to follow, one that wasn’t conducive with serving in the Empire.”

Lord Raven nodded.

   “Then our reasons are different but we have our motivations nevertheless.  My motivation is profit.  Money.  I have seen an opportunity and decided to grasp it.  The Ki-Ki is practically bankrupt after you and Jan robbed the Bank of Zelon, and so Setnin can now afford my services.”  Raven turned back to face them.  “But I digress.  You asked why I chose to assist you and not the S.D.F.  The S.D.F. have become a committee, and committees are prone to inaction. I cannot be sure that they won’t use my vessels ineptly and allow the Ki-Ki to figure out my purpose. I have spent too long building up my forces in this sector to allow a disorganised army to destroy years of work.  As well as that, if the Ki-Ki captured this craft then they would know of my involvement and that would not go down well with the Galactic Alliance. I have too many business ventures throughout the galaxy, and they don’t need close scrutiny.”

Ryath placed his hands on his thighs and pumped himself to his feet, straightening his back, his face a grim mask.

   “You’ve made a prudent choice Lord Raven.”  Ryath Centaur glanced across at Jan, whose face was a picture of determination.  He nodded at his son-in-law and friend and turned back to Lord Raven.

   “You’ll get results.  I promise you that.”

Always a Price

2002 short story by Louis Turfrey, Mark Newbold and Paul Squire

Thirty-eight years after Episode IV – A New Hope

Histories – The story of the Raven Corporation finally making more than a gesture and taking sides in the Ki-Ki/Setnin War.  By having Lord Raven Daemon Garr arrive on the Garyra Station, their move to the Setnin camp is complete.  Using his friendship with Jan Lomona to facilitate the dealings, Garr now moves out of the shadows and into the arena with the other players.  But an oversight on the Raven Corporations part may have repercussions that stretch far beyond this initial agreement.

Cast of Characters

Lord Raven

Ryath Centaur

Jan Lomona

Nias Derril