November 2941
Stanil Gedion's Office Building
Terra System
"Mr. Gedion, your son is here to see you," the secretary announced over the office building comm system.
Stanil Gedion choked a bit on the Whiskey he was sipping, "My son? Oh yes... uhm... just a moment... send him up," he replied, clearly flustered by the unexpected arrive of his son, Relen Gedion.
Gedion and Matthias nodded politely to the secretary and entered the elevator.
"You ready for this?" Matthias inquired as the doors shut and the elevator began to rise. Gedion nodded affirmatively.
They left the elevator on the 217th floor and approached the door to Stanil Gedion's office. The two men glanced at each other one more time. There was no going back now. Gedion twisted the door to the knob and they entered the room.
Stanil Gedion was stood looking out the window, whiskey glass in hand.
"Hello son, I wasn't expecting you back so soon," Stanil said dryly.
"Were you expecting me back at all?" Gedion replied, trying to mask the years of bitterness.
Stanil turned to reply, but was caught off guard by the presence of Matthias with his son, as he hadn't noticed someone else was him. Stanil opened his mouth to speak, but Gedion cut him off.
"Let me introduce you to a friend of mine. His name is Matthias Stormfury," Gedion announced, then waited for effect.
"Am I supposed to know who that is?" Stanil arrogantly replied.
"You know, you probably should have asked Ruiz more questions before taking the job, you didn't know who you were really going up against," Gedion calmly replied. Stanil's eyes widened and he took a step back.
"My friend here is the head of Ballistic Logistics, and a former owner of a certain base on Spider. Does that ring a bell?" Gedion continued.
Stanil couldn't do anything but stammer.
"I... I... I... it was just a job, you can't think... can't take it... personally that..." he tried to spit out.
Matthias tapped a button on his mobiglass. Moments later, the glass window behind Stanil shattered as the five BL spec ops soldiers rappelled down the side of the building and burst through the window. Stanil spun around in shock, throwing his whiskey glass against the wall and shattering it. The five soldiers surrounded Stanil with their weapons at the ready.
"Wha... wha... what's going on here?" Stanil fearfully inquired.
"Let's call it... a corporate takeover," Matthias replied with a grin.
Gedion headed to Stanil's desk and pulled up the computer terminal.
"I'm going to need your access password," He said to his father.
"But..." Stanil protested. One of the soldiers shoved him with the side of their laser rifle.
"Fine, fine," Stanil conceded, leaning in to the terminal and punching in his access code.
"Now, let's see what you've really been up to..." Gedion said, beginning to search through his father's protected files.
"Contracts with pirates... brokering deals for stolen goods... You've been amassing a fortune brokering contracts between legitimate contacts and pirate organizations," Gedion accused his father.
"Its just business!" Stanil argued. One of the soldiers roughed him up again with the butt of their weapon.
"Oh well look what we have here! Seems my businessman father has a large personal hanger on Gen..." Gedion observed, still looking through the files.
"All legitimately purchased! I've done nothing wrong!" Stanil continued to protest in vain.
"Let's see... oh here is a problem, looks like your bank account reads... 0. Says you made two large transfers recently... one to Ballistic Logistics and one to me," Gedion turned to his father and grinned mischievously.
"Why you little brat! I'll kill you!" Stanil rushed for Gedion but was detained by the soldiers.
"I have what we need, let's go," Gedion said, closing up the terminal and nodding to Matthias. The soldiers threw a hood over Stanil's head, wrapped a strap around his waist, pushed out of the broken window and were pulled back upwards. Gedion and Matthias walked to the window as the cargo bay on the Constellation Zephyr closed behind the soldiers and Stanil.
The two men exited the office, took the elevator back down and smiled cordially at the secretary as they walked out the front door.
A few hours later, they landed on Gen, the 4th planet in the Terra system, which was largely made up of military installations and swanky private residences. Gedion provided Valdine with the access codes to land at his father's hanger and she piloted in the Zephyr into an empty landing bay.
They exited the Constellation into an absolutely massive hanger full of almost brand new ships.
Gedion and Matthias looked at each other and smiled.
"Should have brought more guys" Matthias joked.
There were a Merchantman, a Reclaimer, a Caterpillar, a Gladius, a Gladiator, a 350R an old Avenger and other civilian ships. At the far end of the hanger, a tall object poked its head just above the top of a Merchantman.
"Is that what I think it is?" Matthias asked, wide-eyed.
"Only if you think it's a Khartu-al, because it's a Khartu-al," Gedion replied with a laugh.
The soldiers removed Stanil from the Constellation and brought him out before Gedion and Matthias, removing his hood. He gasped for air and squinted as the bright hanger lights hit his eyes.
"So, does anyone have a coin?" Gedion asked knowingly, walking towards the soldiers and his father with his hand outstretched. "Well, I know you don't," He joked as he passed his father.
Matthias took a coin out of his pocket as Gedion walked back over to him.
"We're going to play a little game," Matthias began. "I'm going to flip this coin once for every ship you have. If you guess heads and it comes up heads, then you get to keep that ship. If you guess tails, then we get to take that ship."
Stanil gasped. "That's not fair! You've already took all my money!"
"Come on dad, your lucky we are even giving you a chance," Gedion cut him off.
"Let's begin." Matthis flipped the coin in the air and caught it, placing it on the back of his hand. "Well?"
"Heads!" Stanil shouted.
"Oh... I'm sorry. That's incorrect. Gedion, how about you go first, since you've provided us with the entertainment, and we'll alternate, which ship will you take?" Matthias asked with a certain showmanship.
"Tough decision... but I'll take the Khartu-al," Gedion said and smiled.
"Ah, knew I shouldn't have let you go first," Matthias playfully kicked himself for losing out on the unique ship. "Ok, round two," he said and flipped again.
"Tails!" Stanil guessed.
"Oh... wrong again. Sorry friend. I guess I'll take... the Merchantman," Matthias thoughtfully chose.
"No!" Stanil protested helplessly.
And the game went on.
A coin flip. Heads! Incorrect. A Reclaimer for Gedion.
A coin flip. Heads! Incorrect. A Caterpillar for Matthias.
A coin flip. Tails! Incorrect. An 350R for Gedion.
A coin flip. Heads! Incorrect. A Cutlass for Matthias.
"Oh, I'm afraid the game must stop here, we don't have enough pilots to take the rest of your ships," Matthias informed the group. He nodded to the soldiers to signal to them their next order. They promptly bound Stanil's hand and feet and sat him down on the landing platform. Matthias issued orders to each of the soldiers as to which ship they were to fly back to Ballistic Logistics base. They took off with the ships, and Valdine followed in the Zephyr, leaving Gedion and Matthias alone with Stanil.
"How is this possible? It's not possible! How did I guess wrong every time! You're lying!" Stanil fussed like a baby who had lost their favorite toy.
"It's over dad," Gedion said as he walked over to his father, pulled out his laser pistol and pointed it straight at his head. Stanil squirmed awkwardly backwards trying to get away, but there was nowhere for him to go. Gedion kicked him flat on his back. Their eyes met as fear and tears welled up in Stanil's eyes.
Gedion pulled the trigger, searing a scorch mark on the ground right next to Stanil's head, even burning a few hairs.
"Consider us even, for everything," Gedion replied, turning his back on his father for the last time. He entered the 350R and powered up to leave.
Matthias approached Stanil and glared at him for a moment, then leaned in closely, grabbing Stanil by his collar. "You should know, the only reason I'm not going to kill you is because Gedion asked me not to. But that was a one-time offer. If it even looks like you are getting back into the pirate business again... well, let's just say I think it's best if you stick to local politics from now on." Matthias threatened. Matthias released him and started to walk away. He paused after a few steps.
"But's not right to leave you totally penniless. Here," Matthias said, flipping the same coin that had robbed Stanil off all his ships towards Stanil, hitting him in the chest and landing on the ground next to him.
Stanil reached down and picked up the coin with his bound hands. On one side it had the Ballistic Logistics Rocket Logo. He turned it over, revealing the same.
"You bastards! You cheated me! There was no heads or tails! There was no head or tails!" Stanil shouts continued as the canopy to the Cutlass closed around Matthias. He powered up the engines and blasted off, leaving the hanger behind.
In space, the convoy of ships formed up.
"Did you give him the coin?" Gedion asked over the comm.
Matthias didn't reply, but just smiled.
"Drove him crazy didn't it?" Gedion asked rhetorically. "So what's next?"
"Well, I might have another mission for you, if you are interested," Matthias asked.
Gedion laughed heartily.