Chapter Ninety Two - Capture

Author's note; Didn't end up with a time skip after all.

Aldon Krause might have only been in his seventies, still youthful as far as Imperials were concerned, but he looked like a man nearly twice his age.  The past four years had aged him.  Dealing with corrupted politics, the stability of his own reputation, the search with Jezmi for his boys and the never ending problems his sister sent his way was wearing him thin.  One such problem was sitting opposite him now.  Did Haellen think that just because he had shown little interest in the women she threw at him, he would be interested in a man instead?

Although he internally was scowling, his expression remained neutral and cold.  Haellen sat beside him, flirting with her husband and beside that man was the husband's younger brother and Aldon's latest suitor.  The dinner in between them looked unappetising.

It had taken Haellen no time to replace Jariden in her life, barely a year after the man had walked away from her, his sister was introducing him to a new beau.  They had married in grand splendour three years ago.  Her husband was on the board of several industries including Bodenstein Industries and Chang Enterprises. His younger brother, Dusktin had just finished university.  He was a small man with slightly feminine features, making Aldon wonder what happened to Haellen's schemes regarding his lack of heir.  Had she accepted that even if they were lost, the twins were his sons?

Aldon pushed aside his thoughts and listened to the boy speak about his degrees.  The conversation was very boring.

His phone chimed in his pocket and he noted that it was Jezmi with her latest update.  She usually sent him a text once every two months, though they seldom said anything more interesting that "Nothing yet."  He glanced at the latest message, before losing his grip on the phone.

"The Sabine has been found.  On way to intercept."

Tears sprang in his eyes, causing silence at the table as they stared at the man who had retained his cold demeanour throughout the whole meal and now looked on the verge of breaking.  "Is everything alright?" The younger brother asked.

Aldon nodded.  "Please excuse me," he said, unable to regain his mask completely as his eyes were rimmed red and the corners of his lips were curved softly.  "I just received some good news."

"It must be amazing, then," the boy thought aloud, his heart racing and face flushed.  He had always thought that his sister-in-law's older brother was handsome, despite the coldness and slight weariness he usually expressed, but he positively glowed at that moment and even looked more youthful.  His black eyes had turned warm and his skin luminescent.

"Do share," Haellen pressed, eager to hear what had her brother so happy.  She was an overbearing woman, but she did want some form of happiness for the man, she just preferred that it was she that caused it.

Aldon's smile dropped and he turned away from her gaze.  His eyes lost the warmth and had the boy who worshipped him wondering why.  "It's nothing of importance," he said dismissively.

Haellen's features froze, her eyes slightly narrowed.  She was not stupid.  She knew what was going on between him and Jezmi.  She sipped her wine to cover her disapproval.  It seemed she needed to get involved herself and stop this senselessness.

A few seconds later, Aldon received another message; the border with the Alliance was under attack.

*****

The Imperial Space Fleet was made up of twenty regiments, but they were not all of the same size nor did they have the same levels of importance as far as the military were concerned. For example, there were two regiments assigned to protecting the borders and these were considered of greater import than those within the regiment 'borrowed' by V.I.P's as extra security measures. The regiment that protected the Imperial Palaces and Imperial family were considered more important than those who chased pirates.

When Jezmi resigned her commission, an even greater portion of her original budgets were placed elsewhere and the admiral who claimed her position could only cover the use of twenty of the original fifty ships. This admiral was not as tenacious as Jezmi Welhaven, so the twenty ships were reduced to randomly stopping and checking ships on certain flight paths with heavy traffic. The regiment became a joke amongst the military, but the ones who laughed the most were the pirates themselves.

Still, although Jezmi and her ship had been reassigned to another regiment, the one covering internal security around heavy populated planets, she did not stop her underlying quest to get her nephews back. She had been in the military for nearly three decades, was fairly respected and owed a lot of favours which she was not afraid to call in. It allowed her to cast a wide net, which eventually allowed her to ensnare that big fish.

"Captain, what the fuck do we do?" Song gulped, her hands hovering above the controls. They had lead a merry chase, or so they thought, but instead had been herded like a deer into a trap. Now they were encircled by military dogs with no apparent escape.

The Captain laughed and rubbed at his stubble coated chin. "She's good," he said with slight admiration mixed with annoyance.

"She's hailing us, Captain," Swab mentioned as he lazily bit into an apple. "Yada yada yada, gimme the twins, etcetera, etcetera."

"What do you say boys? Wanna go with your aunt?" The Captain asked them.

"Do we have to?" Luck asked. The twins were sitting either side of the Captain, Luck always wanted to sit on the bridge when they were playing with the military ships.

The Captain ruffled the young man's hair, the kid might be sixteen, but he was still so cute! Both boys began to run their hands through their silver white hair to neaten it. "Of course not," he replied. "But she's provided us with this much entertainment, let's hear her out first."

"Okay!" Luck beamed. Law rolled his eyes heavenward. Swab opened a communications channel and Jezmi's smug face appeared on the ship's main viewer.

"You finally found reason," she said, congratulating herself, proudly. She had finally got this bastard by the balls.

"Reason? What reason?" The Captain asked. "I just wanted to see your pretty face. Yeah I'm done now." The woman flushed and a few sniggers were heard coming from both bridges.

"Hold on!" Jezmi demanded. "You are surrounded, you cannot escape this time. So release my nephews and return them to their family."

"You make it sound like I am keeping my sons hostage or something," The Captain drawled.

"Well aren't you?" Jezmi exclaimed. After all, he refused to return them to her, their blood related aunt. "And stop calling them your sons!"

"Just enlighten me," he said, ignoring her last sentence. "How did you get a trace on us?"

"That was easy," Jezmi crooned smugly. "You should suggest to the pretty boy in your crew to be careful who invites him over for a drink. You never know what might be snuck into a glass of whiskey."

The Captain glared at Swab for a moment, who did his best to look shamefaced. "Luck, Law," he turned to both, one after the other. "Here's the deal. This woman claims to be the sister of your long deceased mama, heaven's rest her soul."

Jezmi's eyes lit up as she addressed the boys. "That's right. I've been waiting a long time to meet you and bring you to your ancestral home. There we'll provide everything you need, delicious food from all over the galaxy, a stable environment to live in and the top tutors so you can catch up with your education and follow which ever career path you choose!"

"I'd rather be a pirate, like mum was," Law said, feeling like teasing this woman. Her plan for them was too boring. He'd lived that sort of life before... several times.

"Me too!" Luck chimed in.

Jezmi managed to hold her smile, despite the slight irritation in her eyes. "Your mother was not a pirate, she was the wife of a military politician, your father, who also wishes to meet you."

Law clutched his chest, dramatically and turned to Captain Maerlon. "You lied to us?" His black eyes sparkled with mirth.

"I didn't lie, exactly," the man replied. "We made her an honourable pirate in death, seeing as she helped us out of a sticky situation. Call it, in recognition for services rendered."

"So cool!" Luck cheered, totally not getting the joke.

Law shook his head, tolerantly, before turning to face his aunt. "Look, don't take this the wrong way," he said, "but we don't know you nor the man you say is our father. We do know the crew of this ship and they were the ones who raised up since we were babies. There might come a time when we want to know about our blood relatives, but right now, we want to stay with our family."

"And you?" Jezmi turned to the other boy, her hope dwindling.

"I'm staying with Law," he replied and then added; "And Zee."

"What about me?" The Captain messed up his hair once more.

"And the Captain," Luck grinned and both boys felt the need to straighten their hair once more.

"And there you have it," Captain Maerlon shrugged. "Although, even if Luck had replied otherwise, the twins cannot be separated. It would kill them."

Jezmi frowned, anger apparent on her face. "I won't agree to this," she said finally. "It's in their best interests to return with me to their family, not swan about as pirates. If you do not do as I say and return custody, then..." She was about to threaten them with an arrest, but was not able to complete her sentence.

"Captain!" One of her bridge crew yelled out at the same time as Sly aboard the Sabine.

"Something really weird and fast is coming this way!" Sly finished.

"Show me," Maerlon demanded, dismissing Jezmi from his view. In the distance was something that moved through space, he couldn't exactly call it a ship, he couldn't exactly claim it was not. It was as if a giant, deformed, black meteorite with it's own black rings of debris had decided to take a detour and speed through space.

Aboard Jezmi's ship and the other military warships, they were receiving alerts that something massive had crossed the border, nearly wiping out the fourth regiment, who had moved to stop it. Their missiles were inaffective, swallowed whole by the mass and failing to detonate. Their lasers pierce it, but it simply seemed to regenerate. And it's own attacks were projectiles made of whatever the sentinel was made of, wearing down their shields until gone before eating their vessel's walls!

Quickly the other ships apologised to Jezmi, for this clearly took priority. They moved to intercept it. Jezmi cursed and broke off communications with the Sabine, who were not slow in fleeing.

"Don't die on us," the Captain sent her a last message as they retreated.

Author's note; I almost thought I would have to edit a few past chapters to make this work, but I think I have wiggled out of that for now!