Selling the wrong slave

Posted on Fri Jul 9th, 2021 @ 7:38am by Kyle Cragen [Reece] & Commander Arrianna Salannis an Vantar & Lieutenant Commander Malakai Starr [Taylor] & Consul Josephine Carlyle-Cragen

Mission: Darkness Rising - A Phoenix Lalor Sub Plot
Location: Cragen's ship
Timeline: MD - 15 1800 Hrs
2475 words - 5 OF Standard Post Measure

Kyle Cragen suddenly recieved a hail from a business associate he once done plenty of business with. The Associate was Andromeda Xu. She bought a lot of his inventory, but now Andromeda was calling him because she was displeased.

Bishop alerted Cragen that Andromeda Xu was calling and she demanded an immediate audiance with him.

A few beats later, Cragen entered his audience chamber, signalled for Bishop to open the channel as he sat in his large chair.

Ms. Xu appeared on the Screen. "Mister Cragen... It's good to see you again."

"Ms. Xu," Cragen replied pleasantly. "To what do I owe this honor?"

"Ms. Xu" Bishop replied pleasantly but formally.

"Tell me, Mister Cragen... did you happen to sell this woman as a slave?" Cragen was shown a picture of Arrianna also known as Flossi.

Bishop recognized the picture instantly. It was indeed Flossie but Xu was angry and he suddenly got a bad feeling about the nature of the call.

Cragen's mood darkened upon seeing Flossie's image. She had been sold. To his newest enemies. "Actually, yes, yes she was. Unfortunately, the sale did not go quite as planned, and she was basically stolen from me. Why do ask?"

"You Fools...." Andromeda noted. "I am terminating all of my business with you. You just sold the Fourth Princess of The Alindari into Sex Slavery." Andromeda mentioned. "When they learn of this, the Alindari will be enraged. They'll hunt you relentlessly. Effectively... The Alindari are a race of Scholars that were evicted from their home world by the Borg. They have a new homeworld in the Typhon Expanse... and have since put their impressive academic institution into researching weapons against the Borg. An Alindari frigate is comparable to a Klingon Vor'Cha Class Assault Cruiser. And you just made enemies with them by selling the cousin of their Empress... And her lover... Into slavery." Andromeda mentioned.

If Cragen was disturbed by this news, it did not show on jis face. "Ms. Xu," he began after a few beats, his voice deadly calm. "While I appreciate the stress you feel by this news, as you did not purchase her, you have nothing toworry about. As you have been shown, my customer's true identities are unreachable by any but me. This is why I give each customer a code name to use. I am the only one who knows each customer's real name. Not even Bishop here, my number one, has that information. Not is any of it on any computer to be accessed. I hold all of that information up here." He tapped his head.

"And before you bring up telepaths, you should know, I am an El Aruian, and my mind cannot be read." He took a breath and paused. "As for the Alindari. They do not frighten me. Do you wish to know why?"

"And why is that, Mr. Cragen?" Xu noted. "What I see is you antagonizing Empress Alena Althir IV She is far more shrewd that anyone realizes, and is not as Naïve as she seems."

Cragen ignored the things Xu had said about the Alindai queen. "I do not fear them, because the Borg do not fear them. The Borg assimilate and take over their worlds. My people, however, the Borg do fear us. We cannot be assimilated and that is something that the Borg fears more than anything else. That is why the Borg Queen sent a massive armada of over ten thousand cubes to completely annihilate my species. However, as you can see, we are still here. We are a race that knows what patience truly means. We don't need massive fleets of ships to show strength. We simply out live our enemies and then take what they leave behind, should we so choose."

He took a breath and then continued. "You and I have a long, successful, business relationship. If you choose to end that relationship, I won't stop you. However, know this...when you die if old age, I will still be here, as syrong as I am now. And, with thay strength, I will absorb your small enterprise into my empire. An empire that I have been growing since long before your great-great-great grandparents were even born. So, bear that in mind next time you contact me and threaten to do something stupid."

"Fool.... The Borg do not fear anything. They do not understand those kind of emotions. And the Alindari. Their Imperium once spanned as much space as the Federation at its height. They have been knocked down again, and again, and again. over two centuries.. Amazing Kyle Cragen... You make so many enemies in a single day, and you do not even realize it. The Stellar Dragon with have no further business with you." Xu closed the transmission. "And we have long memories too."

Bishop turned to face Cragen. "It will be a... inconvenience to lose Ms Xu's business, sir, but not one which we cannot cope with."

Cragen looked annoyed. "What Xu fails to understand, is that just because I do not possess a flotilla of battleships, I am just as deadly." He reached over and pressed a control on the arm of his chair.

Somewhere, in the far reaches of space, the ship on which Xu was traveling, became a cloud of vapor, as the jeweled necklace that he had given her twelve years prior, exploded with an enormous amount of energy.

"Contact Xu's competition. I believe she and I will have a much more productive relationship." He stood and started to leave the room. "Take care of it, Bishop, and I will reward you well." He then exited to audience chamber.

"Yes sir. I'll get right on it." Bishop assured him as he was already in the process of contacting Xu's competition one Sierra Montgomery aka The Black Widow.

After Cragen left, he made his way back to his private chambers, where Sephine was waiting for him. He was finding it more and more difficult to be away from her. As he walked, he pulled out a communicator. "Bridge, Cragen. Contact King Pallus on Erisia. Then pipe it to my private chambers." He deactivated the unit and put it away. Perhaps it was time to go to ground for a bit, reassess and plan his next step. He didnt make it this far by being sloppy. He wasn't about to start now.

Sephine was lounging on the couch, dressed as he liked while she read a book on temporal mechanics. Josie maybe gone, but Sephine was still a scientist and one who was interested in time travel.

The doors opened and Cragen strode in. There was an air of anger surrounding him. As soon as he entered, he ordered the doors to lock and then he went straight to his desk, not even looking at Sephine yet. After he sat down at his desk, he activated his comm scrambler, to ensure no one could hear what was about to be said, then he opened the waiting channel. He was greeted by a young boy, clearly a junior aide to the king. "Inform his majesty that Lord Kyle Cragen wishes to speak to him." As Cragen did hold a title from old England, having been knighted by King James I, in 1605, in recognition of his actions in stopping the Gunpowder Plot. He was later made a lord and granted land that he still owned to this day.

The aide reappeared. "Transfering you now Lord Cragen" And the screen blanked and then cleared. Pallas appeared on the screen.

"Lord Cragen. What a surprise."

"Your Majesty," Cragen dipped his head respectfully. Though the Lalor king was a fool and a coward, he still has his uses. Cragen had been using Erisia as a secondary home, ever since Starfleet began to hunt him. He had had an impressive compound built in the southern mountains that resided in the King's territory. A simple deal had been struck, when Pallas had become king of his family's land, Cragen would provide him with suitable concubines and his compound would be kept secret and secure, even from the Starfleet presence on the planet.

"It is good to see you are in such good spirits. I take it, the recent delivery exceeds your wishes?"

Pallas grinned. "Indeed Lord Cragen. Your merchandise was of top quality. Even the Slave guild and other underworld guilds here could not do better."

Cragen dipped his head again. "That pleases me to hear that you are pleased, Your Majesty." He then paused, feeling tired of this game, but, knowing he had to play things correctly with this buffoon. "I do have a request, Your Majesty. I need to return to my private compound, in the Tra'vilin Mountains. Would your grace be able to distract the Starfleet presence over on the far side of the planet, long enough for my ship to land and become shielded from their sensors?"

"As I am about to kick the federation out, that should be no problem" Pallas said. "When will you be arriving?"

This news suprised Cragen. "At current speed, The Saxon Lorde will be dropping out of warp, in position to use my approved glide path, in sixteen hours, forty-seven minutes. If I may ask, how and why are you expelling the Federation embassy from your soil?"

"They made me a promise and they did not deliver." Pallas said. "They promised me my siblings and basted niece and nephew and my traitorous mother, and yet none have been delivered. 16 hours... they will be loading up by then."

Interesting, Cragen thought. If he could find the missing relations, it might solidify his place in the Lalor kingdom. "If I may, Your Majesty, once I have rested from my recent journeys, I might be willing to look into the matter for you? Provided, of course, the reward is substantial and worthy of the chase?"

Pallas nodded thoughtfully. "It would be. The targets are," he flipped images up on the screen.

"My twin sister, Penelope Phoenix Lalor, a captain in Starfleet until they arrested her and sent her to New Zealand." The woman in a starfleet uniform had silver blue eyes and raven wing coloured hair. "My younger brother Kyian," This image of a man in an Erisian Military uniform, he had brown eyes and the same raven wing coloured hair. "He has Some Military Training, and this is my youngest sister, Miran." A teenager appeared on the screen. Long brown hair and amber brown eyes were her dominate feature."Teenager, corrupted by Penelope. Oh and My mother. Kiana." Here a woman with Raven hair and blue eyes appeared, an older version of the captain. "There are also two infants, a boy and a girl, my twin's illegitimate children. You know what we do to bastards here Cragen. My Twin and her children are sentenced to death. As are Kyian and my mother." He looked at the man. "The rewards are very much worth it."

Cragen looked at the images, as he listened to Pallas babble on about honor killings or some such nonsense. After looking at the images again, something struck him as familiar about his twin sister, Penelope. He would have to think more about it later, though. For now, he needed to relax. "While I will promise no results, Your Grace, I will make it known to all of my associates, that these individuals are to be captured alive and returned to me. Upon that day, I will contact you, regarding the aforementioned reward."

"And my appreciation for that will be very vast Lord Cragen." Pallas said with a grin. "I shall also order my planetary guard to let your shuttle land without incident."

Cragen nodded again. "Then I shant take up any more of your precious time, Your Majesty. My pilot will send out an arrival signal on the agreed upon frequency when we are about to drop from warp. Until then, Your Grace." He then closed the channel before he had to fluff the idiot's ego anymore by acting like his subordinate. Standing from his desk, he moved over to the bar and made himself a very strong drink.

Sephine had waited until his conversation was over and now she calmly put the book down and stood. She watched him pour his drink and waited. She knew, from years of experience, not to intrude when he was like this.

After downing the first drink in a single gulp. He made himself another, just as strong. Unfortunately, with his El Aurian physiology, it was near impossible for him to ever get drunk, especially not on the weak spirits that the rest of the universe seemed to prefer.

Once the second was made, he turned and, finally, noticed that Sephine was watching him. "I'm sorry, my love. I've been distracted by everything that has been going on, ever since the attack, that I have been neglecting you." He sighed and moved over to sit in his large chair, positioned next to the sofa that she was on. He dropped his large, heavy frame into the furniture, a few minor squeaks sounding in the old wood. He seemed like he had a million things on his mind. After taking a sip of the new drink, he took another breath, then looked up at Sephine, a small grin trying to fill his features.

"How was your day, my love? Did the doctor stop by to give you your shots, to keep the fever away?"

"My day was very nice. Yes, they stopped by, And I know you have a lot on your mind, and to do. You have not been neglecting me. I have been researching." she smiled.

"Oh?" His curiosity peaked. "Researching what exactly, sweetheart?" He opened his arms, hoping that she'd come curl up in his lap.

She took his que and sat on his lap and curled into him. "Temporal mechanics. Time Travel if you would."

"And why are you studying time travel?" He gently nuzzled and kissed the right side of her neck as she spoke.

She shifted and sighed "To see... if I can use it to help you."

"Help me how, my beautiful wife, I have all I neex with you here in my arms." His voice was an honest whisper as he continued to kiss her. He put his drink down, blindly, on the small end table that was next to his chair. Once free, his right hand moved to gently rub up Sephine's left thigh.

"Help keep you safe" She said softly. "Help you win.." She shifted. "You may be able to use it to protect us"

Pulling his face from her neck, he looked her in the eyes. "I love you Sephine Cragen."

And the funny thing was, he really was starting to.

OFF