Project - Prometheus Ch. 35

"It does make a certain sort of sense, I suppose," Aesha mused.

"We should probably call my uncle and let him know what went down," Willem reminded the cat-girl. Using her arm rig, Taal'ani made a call to Daved, hoping he was still in the station. He picked up on the third ring and his holographic image came through clearly.

"Didn't expect to get a call this soon! You found a lead?" Daved asked.

"Is this line secure?" the cat-girl asked.

"Always. What did you find?"

"Several leads, all of which are very promising. Also, you might want to gather a group of your best and most loyal Deputies for a raid on the hideout of the Smashers," she told him, before giving the man the details.

"Damn! Sounds like you've had a busy day! I'll put the call in and get things rolling," Daved assured her.

"You might want to keep certain Deputies out of it, Uncle," Willem told the man, before giving the names of the Deputies in question.

"Why is that?"

"Just know that they might be involved in some dark shit. Trust me, the less you know, the better," Taal'ani stated, before killing the line.

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Sargol sat in his underground hideout, one of three, taking stock of the situation he was managing. He went over the detailed dossiers he had of each person from the Darkstrider. Inari, he already knew well, and Priya, while he hadn't met the woman before today, was easy enough to get info on. Natalya and Taal'ani were a bit more difficult to find out about, but it wasn't anything he couldn't manage.

The real issue was the others, as he'd done some digging and could find virtually nothing about the rest of the crew. Especially Alexander Dragic, if that was his real name. Sargol had been in the information business a long time, and he knew when someone's story was fabricated.

Whoever had done it though, had done one hell of a job on it. The backgrounds and histories of Alexander Dragic, Kasumi Tanaka, Shazza Madrani, and Doctor Korsa were believable at first glance. A deeper look at them though, proved that their histories were falsified, albeit quite convincingly. Even he was fooled at first, if he was being honest with himself.

Sargol hadn't risen in the ranks of Confederate spy ops by being stupid or by taking things as they were presented to him. There was always a deeper meaning and level to people, if one cared to look that deep into them. It was this level of curiosity and insight that had seen him rise within the Confederacy. With any luck, his assignment here would be soon completed.

Sargol was planted on Prodosia many years ago, volunteering for the op here. It was deep cover, with little to no oversight and the freedom to complete his objective by whatever means necessary. It was an opportunity that Sargol jumped at, eager to get away from the constant government oversight of his superiors. While the man's results were unquestionable, his methods attracted far too much attention.

The man thought that this was a way for his superiors to make use of him without having to deal with the fallout of his actions. While the thought of that grated on his nerves, this sort of assignment suited him just fine. With the latitude to do whatever he wished, Sargol couldn't have been happier.

He was pleased with the progress he'd made, bringing some agents to mingle among the people of Tanith's Gully. It had been problematic, as new settlers and people looking for work often avoided the Abandoned Frontier. Especially Prodosia, as it had the reputation of being the toughest shithole in the galaxy. His agents couldn't go anywhere in the town's hierarchy, but that problem was soon handled.

A world like this had plenty of opportunists, and all he had to do was find the correct ones. It had been a hard go at first, but soon enough, Sargol had found those willing to side with the Confederacy. Despite their role in the war, these folks were more than willing to betray their own people and ideals for the promise of personal gain. No matter where you went, everything was for sale and everyone had a price.

Sargol was also happy with the progress he'd made with the Shadow Dancers, thinking they'd become quite useful. Their reputation was well earned, as they were very good at what they did. They'd also helped him find and eliminate Federation and UCW agents, looking to reach out and rebuild relations here.

Some of the mercy groups and mercenaries that had shown up were on the Feds or UCW's payroll. Sargol had done all he could to ensure that these groups were robbed and given the message to not come back again. The Confederacy had already earmarked these worlds for their own conquests, and he'd be damned before anyone ruined all his hard work.

The crew of the Darkstrider though, they were an enigma. He could find no direct affiliations to the Feds or the UCW, which stumped him. You didn't get a ship as fancy or as well equipped as theirs without some serious government funding. Not to mention access to some high grade tech, like those Sentries the group had. Tech like that he'd have to get his hands on somehow, as he was sure his superiors would want it.

He just hoped that the Shadow Dancers had done the job he set for them and stripped the ship down. The man rubbed at his face and his hand, which were bruised from his encounter with Alexander Dragic. He had to admit; the man was fearsome and not one he should engage in a fair fight. If he was going to fight him again, it would be from a position of strength and not weakness.

As he mused about how well of a job the Shadow Dancers did in robbing the group, he heard an Aetheric portal open up behind him. Turning, he was looking to see the group he'd sent to rob the Darkstrider show up with his cut of the loot. Only it wasn't. In their place stood Matthias Renauld, with a grim look on his face as he stepped through. This couldn't have been good, not if it was just Matthias himself who was coming to see him.

"Sargol, we need to talk. Now," Matthias told the man, with a deadly growl in his voice.

The portal closed behind him and Sargol just nodded, gulping quietly. Sargol had been around the galaxy and seen things that most folks couldn't imagine. But seeing someone wield power like that, power that couldn't be harnessed or controlled by someone like him, terrified the man. The Confederate spy took a deep breath and hoped that he'd come out alive from this encounter.

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And this is where chapter 35 ends! The plot thickens, as more people look to try to take that which does not belong to them! With enemies around them, and only relying on trails of bread crumbs to follow, it will be a difficult task for the crew to solve the problems of this world! What will happen at the meeting with the Children of the Wolf? Will Taal'ani and her group catch the dealer before he goes to ground? Will Matthias kill Sargol and be done with him? Or will the snake slither out of trouble and live another day? Tune in for when chapter 36 drops to learn more!

Anyway, thank you for taking the time to read my work and I hope that you've enjoyed it! I'm open to constructive criticism and will seriously consider any suggestions made about various story arcs. Please rate and comment on my work down below and ask me questions if you wish, as I love hearing from my fans! If you like what I write, don't be afraid to follow and share with your friends, though your views, ratings and comments are enough for me.

In the meantime, this is C.H. Darkstrider, signing off to grab a beer and some quality time with the wife! ;) You will attain whatever you most desire, as long as you believe in yourself. Cheers!