Snake Among the Shadows

The hologram on Scarlett’s table buzzed for over five minutes. Her mind was still in a haze from the previous night; a couple rounds of Violent Moruqs turned into an unplanned celebration. Captain Malachai met Scarlett at the Spotted Egg with the rest of her payment, the equivalent of thirty thousand dramtas in gold.

With a throbbing head, Scarlett answered her hologram.

Vante: Good morning Scarlett, or should I say, good afternoon.

Scarlett: You're full of japes today, aren't you?

Vante's black hair had remained the same since taking over his former master's operations, but allowed a thick stubble on his face.

Vante: Captain Malachai informed me about the favour you did for him. Nice work. But as favours go, they always have to be returned. Or in this case, he'll need another one.

Scarlett: I don't follow.

Vante: I'm afraid our esteemed friend is in a bit of a bind. Literally. He is being held captive on UCP – 397.

Scarlett: 397? That's an uncharted planet. Who has him?

Vante: A powerful group. They didn't elaborate, other than asking for a ransom. However, I'm sending you with Malachai's First Mate, Raven, he'll meet you at the Spotted Egg tonight. I've advised him to take as few guns as possible; the less people that know, the better. Do what needs to be done. No parameters, just one hundred thousand dramtas waiting for you, but that's between us, Raven and his men need not know about that.

Things were happening faster than Scarlett wanted. It was only the other day that Captain Malachai spent an hour, at most with Scarlett at the Spotted Egg before leaving to attend to his affairs. The thought of him being captured did not cross her mind. Still experiencing the ill effects of the Violent Moruqs, Scarlett forced herself from her chair to splash cold water on her face.

Her leather one piece suit was given an upgrade since her fateful battle with Captain Andre the Widowmaker, her former captain turned traitor. The suit was able to stop most calibre bullets and lasers from smaller guns, but sleek enough to allow Scarlett maximum flexibility in her movements. She had Garry the Irontooth, Digstown's famed weaponsmith, build her a bigger gun vault, one that could blend in with her apartment.

First Mate Raven sat in a darkened corner when Scarlett arrived at the Spotted Egg; she read the agitation on his face. “Raven,” Scarlett greeted, “any updates on the captain?”

He waited for Scarlett to sit. “Same demands, they're asking for one hundred and fifty thousand dramtas. They want us to bring the funds on a memory stick for easy transfer, only then will they release the captain.”

“Any idea who, they, are?”

Raven slipped his hand in his tunic and pulled out a wrinkled parchment. Scarlett studied the image, a rearing cobra with daggers as the fangs, turning the parchment upside down and back. “Who are they?”

“The Cobras are a secretive bunch, but powerful.” Raven looked around, as though he was being watched. “They control the narcotics in the Delki and Baz planet systems and have been known to ransom high-level targets. If the ransom isn't met, the target dies.”

Her head was swimming with the details provided by Raven; Scarlett knew it was too late to back out. Even if she wanted to, Vante's words rang clearly in her mind. As favours go, they always have to be returned. “How much time do we have?”

Raven drained his ale. “We meet back here and leave in two hours, Scarlett. Get some rest.”

Aboard the Malevolence that was attached to the Red Star, Scarlett, Raven and two other pirates from Captain Malachai's crew; the hulking pirate Silas. His blond hair was shaved on one side, revealing a nasty scar. Cold green eyes, pale face with a thick handle-bar moustache summed up his physique. The second pirate was Malachai's quartermaster, Moxley. His black eyes never missed a detail, his sharp mind even less. His thick long brown hair and neatly trimmed beard was a hit with the ladies wherever he went.

The four sat in the mess going over their rescue plan. They established that paying the ransom was not an option; Raven did not trust the Cobras to honor their agreement, Scarlett, however, had a much lower opinion about them. “With that much money, the Cobras would rather slit our throats than hand over the captain.”

Raven scratched his pointy beard. “The only other option would be to hit them before they betray us, and to do that, we need to know if the captain is alive and where on UCP – 397 he's being held. The tricky part is to not alert the Cobras of our presence.”

“My craft is equipped with a cloaking device and advanced infra-red.” Scarlett said. “Not only will it pick up Malachai's heat signature, it will also send back a detailed image.”

The speaker startled everyone on the Malevolence. Approaching Zuttumon air space. Approaching Zuttumon air space. “Gear up, lads!” Raven bellowed. “Scarlett, as soon as you find the captain alive, call for us.”

Navigating the Red Star, Scarlett inched closer to the uncharted planet. Her craft's cloaking device would shield her from enemy lookouts and radars, shifting all the focus on the Malevolence. UCP – 397 did not have a capital city, it was made up of large tent settlements and clusters of houses, surrounded with electrified fences. Activating the infra-red, Scarlett hovered over a large settlement. She saw silhouettes of people in a large tent; a family it appeared, but moved on when Captain Malachai did not register. Scurrying animals and other beings native to UCP – 397 popped up on her monitor, her search so far turned up nothing.

Gliding her craft deeper into the uncharted planet, Scarlett found another cluster of tents. Their size indicated someone of wealth; the set up seemed too comfortable. Sleek crafts, four in total, were parked off to the left. Hmm, looking to make a fast escape, eh?

The Red Star's infra-red monitor was blaring, the heat signature inside the middle tent telling her all she needed to know; Captain Malachai was alive, surrounded by five of his captors. Cautious about communicating with the Malevolence, Scarlett switched to a secure channel predetermined before take off from Kalas.

Scarlett: Red Star to Malevolence, come in.

Raven: Go ahead Red Star, tell me you have some good news.

Scarlett: He's alive. I repeat, the captain is alive. Request permission to board?

Raven: Dock your ship next to ours.

Nothing was said for the next few minutes, only the beeps and ticks from the ship's cockpit. Each trying to come up with a plan to save Captain Malachai without anyone dying.

“Have the Cobras contacted you?” Scarlett asked.

“Not long after you entered the three-nine-seven,” Raven said. He played a message, the voice altered, stating a day and a time for the drop off. “As a precaution, I brought along the ransom money on a memory stick, as per their demands.” He noticed Scarlett's alarmed expression. “Have no worries, as I mentioned in Digstown, we have no intentions of paying.”

“What's our next move?” she asked.

Raven picked his next words carefully. “The Cobras are expecting only me. But if we are to save the captain, then speed is important, along with the element of surprise.”

UCP's moon had moved to the east of the the planet; timed right, it would be dusk on the uncharted planet. Raven's pirates boarded the Red Star, using the ship's cloaking device to get into position. The team landed in UCP's dense forest and made the rest of the trek on foot. Led by the sharp-eyed Moxley, Scarlett, armed with her cristas, MAG-17 and Condor handguns, and Silas crept along the tall grass, maintaining a visual of the captor's tents.

Stopping fifty feet short of the tents, Moxley retrieved a pair of binoculars from his pack and flicked a switch. “I can see them as clear as day,” he said. “The captain has some bumps and bruises but seems to be one piece. Either way, they'll pay.” Moxley held up his hand, indicating to everyone to lower themselves. “Raven hasn't arrived yet but we got movement.”

No sooner did the team drop to their bellies when one of the captors, a skinny being with greyish skin emerged from the tent. At first glance, Scarlett did not recognize him. The being turned a quarter of the way, as though surveying in front of him. The hairs on the back of Scarlett's neck stood up, the agitation written on her face. She hissed a slew of curses.

“What's wrong?” Silas asked in a whisper.

“Something's not right,” Scarlett said under her breath. “What's he doing here?” Silas and Moxley looked over at Scarlett, perplexed. “That's Viktor Lenko,” she finally acknowledged the two, “of the Canthophis Order.” Viktor was seen boarding his ship, until it left UCP-397.

Moxley was still processing what Scarlett said when Silas, who had gone a shade of pale spoke in hush tones. “That's bad,” he croaked. “If they're involved, then we need to tread carefully. Did your infra-red pick up any other hostiles?”

“None, just families and other settlers to the planet.”

“Look alive people,” Moxley rasped, “Raven just landed.”

Two of the captors, a tall being with weathered, red skin, with long tentacle-like hair of the same colour and a burly, bald man dressed in furs and leathers emerged from the massive tent. From Scarlett's vantage point, she could see Raven's face darken, while the two captors rattled something about a change in the deal.

“Silas and I will handle the scum in the tent,” Moxely said. He scanned the tents with his infra-red binoculars. “Think you can take of the other two?” Scarlett drew her MAG-17, switching it to silent mode. She crept along the tall grass, careful not to alert the captors of her presence.

Things happened faster than Scarlett had anticipated.

The two captors talking to Raven pulled out guns just as he was reaching for his, aiming at his chest. The muted sound of gunshots was heard near the rear of the tent. Scarlett aimed her MAG-17 at the tentacle haired being, putting two rounds in his neck and head. The bald headed man spun in Scarlett's direction, giving Raven the precious seconds he needed to eliminate him. Both rushed the tent, trigger fingers at the ready.

They found Malachai's captors sprawled on the plush rug. The huge man to the captain's right took a round to the back of the head, blood matted his long black hair. The second was on his side, trying in vain to drag himself away. His skin paled as he bled out. He looked up at Raven and was about to curse, only to be interrupted by a wheezing cough. “You fucked up,” was all he was able to mutter. A feral grin was plastered on his face when the captor eyed Scarlett. “That price on your fiery red head would've made me rich.” No more was said after Raven splattered his brains all over the rug. By then Moxley and Silas had entered the tent.

Although battered and bruised, Captain Malachai looked up with swollen eyes, grinning. “What took you so long?”