Project Prometheus

Dagan Min's ship,

The Steadfast

, had just jumped into hyperspace, with three other ships of his group following along behind him. They had just left behind the Voleskar hyperspace waypoint, making their way to Drahl'tothen station. With what he knew of the situation of what they needed to help Zuzanna, that was the only place that had everything the

Darkstrider

crew were searching for.

"So, how long before we reach the next leg of our journey?" Dagan questioned.

"Nearly seventeen hours, sir. I would recommend that you get yourself some rest and relaxation. We still have a long ways to go yet," the XO of

The Steadfast

told him.

"Agreed. Pass the order along that everyone is to rest when they can, and attend to their duties where required. We have a long journey ahead of us," Dagan stated.

"Very good, sir," the XO said in agreement.

"You have the bridge until my return," Dagan stated, feeling very weary at that moment.

"Yes, sir!"

Dagan then retired to his cabin, which was just a room away. Stepping through the door, he then turned and locked it, knowing that he would need some rest. It had been a busy twenty-four hours, having pulled up stakes from the world of Prodosia. While it had been a wrench to let go of some of the investments he had made there, he had still made a good profit. Selling off what he owned on the world to his former crew was far more preferable than selling it off to people he didn't know.

"Hello, Dagan. Busy day?" Kris asked the man, her almond-shaped eyes on him the instant he walked into the room.

"You have no idea, Kris!" Dagan sighed as he walked over to the bed he now shared with her and Tawny, the Latina woman who was sitting opposite Kris. The pair had been playing a game of chess, one of the many things they hadn't enjoyed growing up. Both women turned to face the man now, as he sat down to think.

"Dagan, I think it is past time that you explained yourself," Tawny told him, fixing him with a serious gaze.

"Ladies, please, now is not the time!" Dagan argued, but his voice was weak and without any force behind it.

"Now is the perfect time! From what I understand, we will be in hyperspace for a while before the ship requires your attention again! Both Tawny and I would like to know why we are running from a potential enemy, rather than standing our ground and fighting!" Kris told the man, standing her ground on the matter.

"Let's also not forget the promise that you made to us about speaking the truth! How you would not leave anything out, by lie or omission!" Tawny rebutted, supporting her fellow tribe mate.

Dagan knew they had him dead to rights, with his own words, no less! The man sighed and knew that he'd have to tell them the story of what happened. It had been a wound that cut at him in his weakest moments, when he felt he had nothing. Though he had much to his name now, it wasn't always so, and it was those moments he would sometimes return to.

"Very well. Since you insisted on coming along with me, and wish to be close to me like this, then you have every right to know. Finish or pause your game, and I will speak of what you wish to know," Dagan told the women tiredly.

Kris smirked and made her next move, which put Tawny in checkmate. Tawny gawped at her friend and then back at the board, shocked that a single move could end a game she thought she was winning. She looked at the board with a scrutinizing gaze and saw that Kris had won fair and square. Tawny then knocked over her king piece, showing that she conceded the game while Kris smiled in victory.

"You really are picking up that game quite quickly," Dagan commented approvingly, having seen what tactics Kris was employing.

"Well, I was always told that I had a mind for seeing things that could transpire in a battle. I guess that extends to these... tactical games?" Kris replied, still unfamiliar with some of the terms that were used in the wider galaxy.

"With enough practice, you could well become a great tactician! Possibly even a master of the game!" Dagan stated, glad to see that these ladies had much in the manner of untapped potential.

"I don't doubt that she will! Now, tell us of why you are being chased and why you feel the need to run instead of fighting this... pirate queen," Tawny told him as she put away the chess pieces and board.

"For that, I will have to go back to the days when I was a young man. When I was wide-eyed and eager to see the galaxy and everything it had to offer me. Back when I still had hair," Dagan chuckled dryly.

"You, with hair? I couldn't see it," Tawny told him with a slight smirk on her lips.

"Well, I did have hair, and it looked good, but that's not the point of this story. The point of it was how I have become the man I am now, and it all started with my first job. You see, as I was eager to get out into the galaxy, I took a job on a merchant ship. We were shipping goods to various ports across many worlds, and I would see many various and exotic locales wherever I went!" Dagan started, getting into a storytelling mode.

"I've seen and been to places all over and in many different empires! Salaagh V, Eden's Dawn and I even had been to Veldhern once, back when it was still a whole planet. I was living a good life and had a plan to one day run my very own shipping business! It wasn't long after that is when I met... her. Zerafima Khazarin, the woman who would one day become my wife," Dagan told them.

"Wait, you have a wife?!? You're married???" Kris asked, gawping at the man.

"I was, but not anymore. I will get to this point in the tale, as long as there are no more outbursts?" Dagan asked, fixing both women with a glare at being interrupted like this. Kris and Tawny looked chagrined and let the man continue with his story.

"When I first met her, like many a man, I was smitten by her good looks, strong will, complex intellect, and easy charm. The more I spoke with her, the more I fell in love with this woman and, as I said, I was not the only man who desired her. But I was the only man who she allowed to get close to her, to learn more about who she was at heart. It wasn't long after this that I learned she had come to care for me as I did for her," Dagan went on.

"When it came to getting her attention, that was more than a little tricky. Many had tried to do what I had, and they all failed. Wooing her was more than an ordeal in itself, as she was exceedingly picky about who she gave her time to. I would later learn that she never wasted time with those who weren't going to help her in making her way forward in life. She would only associate with those who would propel her forwards, not hold her back," the smuggler captain continued.

"How it is and why she chose me will always remain a mystery to me. But I believed that in me, she saw someone who would not only help elevate her, but a man who would stand by her, no matter what happened. That I would be the man who would be everything she ever wanted or ever needed in her life. And for her, I was. Or, at least, I tried to be," Dagan said.

"Eventually, we did it. We finally got our own ships and started a shipping and merchant business together. It was tough at first, but after enough time -- sweat, blood, tears and sacrifices -- we made it work. Soon enough, we would have a business that was not only profitable, but respectable."

"Over time, every deal we brokered would not only net us a new client, but others would hear of our business and wished to employ us to move their goods. Our prices weren't the lowest, but we were the most honest shipping group in the sector. Sometimes, clients would come from several sectors away to seek our business, because of the integrity we had," Dagan stated as he got a faraway look in his eyes, as his mind hearkened back to better days.

"But, like many good things and good days, it would all come to an end. This end came in the shape of an old friend who I believed would help us in expanding our business. Little did I know I would be making the worst mistake of my life that would not only see the end of my business, but the end of Zerafima and I," Dagan said in a tone that spoke of regret.

"At first, all seemed well, and Brad was a good fit for our business. He helped propel us to the upper crust of the shipping business, to where we had wealthy clients begging us to ferry their merchandise! We had secured lucrative trade deals that would see us all insanely wealthy inside of another decade's worth of hard work! For a time, it seemed like everything was going the way we wanted it to!" Dagan said with an air of hope.

"While it seemed like I was helping a good friend out of a slump, little did I know he envied me and all that I had. My business, my finances, and even my wife were all the things he coveted. His plan was to supplant me and muscle me out of the business so he could take the life I had worked so hard to build. Unfortunately for him, things didn't go as he had planned," Dagan continued, as a smug smirk played across his face.

"Unknown to him, Zerafima and I had already taken steps to ensure than anyone in the business couldn't do so by any legal skullduggery. So on paper, there was nothing that Brad could do take the business from us. When that idea failed, he then resorted to a more... scorched earth tactic to see me fall. If he couldn't take my life for himself, he would then see it burned to the ground, as no one could be better than him."

"Our business would start encountering irregularities in the goods we shipped. Parts of our shipments would go missing, and even at times, entire ships from our fleet would just disappear! We did everything possible to recover what was lost, but could never find what became of it! What we would find was only scraps of what was once ours, which put the business and my marriage on the knife's edge," Dagan sighed.

"When things started to go downhill for us, is when Zerafima and I started fighting constantly. Sure, we fought, like every other couple does, but we would always make up afterwards. This... it devolved to where it was like we were at an all out war with one another. As we fought, the losses mounted, from ships hit by pirates, to clients losing faith in our business," Dagan went on, painting a picture of what had happened.

"In the end, we were down to our last client and the only one who had not deserted us despite our hard times. Because of our failing business, it was down to the three of us, me, Zerafima, and Brad. Down to our last ship, we had to carry out the delivery ourselves, or suffer utter ruin. We had to succeed by any means possible, no matter the cost."

"At first, the journey was going well and without any issues or problems. It was on our third leg, out in deep space, that we were attacked by pirates. I had heard of this group before, as they were making a name for themselves as feared raiders. They boarded us and attacked, doing what they needed to, to keep us at bay as they took what they could."

"While we weren't in the best position to do so, we fought back. They must have been expecting us to just lay down and die, as we caught them by complete surprise! We killed several of them and quickly drove them off our ship, putting the fear of the gods into them! Once any pirates were dead or driven off, we sealed the hatches and detached from them, hurriedly making our way to the jump point," Dagan told them.

"We knew that this was the end of our business and while we did have a fight over it, Zerafima and I mended things. We had seen that things weren't going to be the same as they were before, but with the two of us, we would find a way forward. It was after that is when we decided to settle up what we could and step away from the shipping business," Dagan stated with a sigh.

"Zerafima and I had let ourselves drift apart from each other, letting the success of the business get in the way of who we were. We vowed to work on each other, to become better than we were, as our love for one another was strong. There was no way we were going to give each other up without a fight. Sadly, that would never come to be," Dagan went on.

"We arrived at our final destination to put in for repairs and to deliver what we had left, which wasn't much. Before we could even dock with the station to deliver what we had, we were intercepted by our client, aboard his ship. We were docked with them and when they saw that most of their cargo, which had been entrusted to us, was gone, they took us prisoner," Dagan growled as he remembered the audacity of his former client.

"Why did they do that?? Take you prisoner?" Tawny asked, genuinely curious as to why this was.

"The man in charge called it 'restitution' for their lost cargo. How we would be forced into indentured servitude to pay off our debt. He went on about how he wasn't sure what they'd get for me, but Zerafima, as she was, would fetch a high price. She wasn't having that and tried fighting, but even a woman as fierce as her couldn't defeat such odds," Dagan rumbled, still angry about the situation after all these years.

"After we were taken, we were separated, to keep us from planning an escape. We were then brought to the client, one by one, to face... interrogation. It was... most unpleasant," Dagan stated, shivering at the memory of such physical and psychological torture.

"After that first session, I knew I needed to find a way out. Lucky for me I am a slight man and it made escape for me that much easier. The ducts on that ship were more than large enough to accommodate me. So, once I got the local duct grating loose, I climbed in and made my way through the ship," Dagan said with a smile.

"As I was figuring out which way I had to go to get to my ship, I found myself in a section of ductwork that was close to the client's cabin. It would be at that moment that I would learn the truth about everything," the bearded man growled, his anger rising at the memory.

"It was then that I learned that the entire time Brad had been helping me with my business, had all been a clever ruse! He only took the job I offered as a means of taking everything I had. Then, when he figured out that he couldn't just take it, he then resorted to burning it to the ground. All the missing merchandise, the trouble we had with pirates, all of it was orchestrated by him!" Dagan rumbled, as the bitter tang of betrayal still enraged him.

"Brad, of course, couldn't do this by himself, so he called up one of his underworld contacts to help him carry this out. The man in question was the man known as Tubal, who would soon after be known as a pirate lord. Out in the galaxy, pirate lords are like their own entities, often with a large fleet backing them up. Even modern governments like the UCW are hesitant to cross blades with a pirate lord," Dagan sighed.

"Why is that?" Tawny wondered.

"Simple. Challenging one pirate lord is akin to challenging all of them. Especially if they are unified enough to where the Pirate King or Queen declares a full raid on any one sector. Facing the might of seven great battlefleets, all intent on plundering, looting and taking whatever they want, is no small undertaking!" Dagan told the women.

"If these... pirate lords are so powerful, why don't they make such raids a regular occurrence?" Kris wondered.

"Because, more often than not, they are at each other's throats, always vying for supremacy over each other. At least, that is how it was. But, going back to my tale, Brad had gone on about how I had been a silly, trusting dupe, who had taken him at his word. How I did not even suspect that he had ulterior motives until it was too late! I only wish I had trusted my gut more during those days," Dagan lamented.

"It was then I heard about how their plan to take everything from me, Zerafima included, had worked so well that I fell into a sudden and complete rage. I damn near screamed at them to face me, as they were a bunch of cowards who hid behind their lackeys! How they would not take anything from me without a fight! Thankfully, I kept my temper in check and my mouth shut and kept moving, determined to free Zerafima from her cell," Dagan went on.

"I don't know how it happened, or how they discovered I was in the ducts, but soon enough, an alarm was sounded and they all went looking for me. They were stabbing any exposed ductwork they could find, trying to find me as I kept moving. Eventually, I came out of the ducts and found myself in an empty cabin."

"A pirate walked in a minute or two later and we fought, each one of us seeking to do in the other. I got lucky with pulling the knife at his belt and slitting the man's throat so he could get no warning off. Once he was dead, I took his weapons and armor and made my way out into the corridors. As it just so happened, the room was located right next to the airlock that led to my ship!" Dagan chuckled at his sudden turn of good luck.

"While I did have this, it was short-lived, as other pirates spotted me and opened fire. I returned fire and tried to gain ground, but there were too many of them. I knew that if I didn't run right then and there, then I would be back in a cell at the mercy of these pirates. Maybe even dead, since I was of no further use to them. So, I made the most difficult decision of my life and left Zerafima behind, in the hands of those pirates," said as tears formed in his eyes.

"Once I was aboard, I managed to get the ship decoupled and set my thrusters to full power as I flew away to freedom. Thankfully, I still had several hyperspace jumps pre-calculated before we were captured, and was able to jump away before they could even get their ship pursue. I had my life and my freedom back, but I left behind the most important woman I had ever known... and it hurt," Dagan said, as he sobbed.

"It was right after that day that I swore I would do everything in my power to find Zerafima. I didn't care what happened or how long it would take, but I would find her and save her from the clutches of those... men," Dagan breathed, doing what he could to control his emotions.

"So, it was then that stepped into the criminal underworld and became a smuggler for hire. I took my business acumen and put it towards making a profit by any means necessary. I knew all the laws that were in place, so I knew of every way I could skirt the law and no one could come after me. And I got good at it. Very good," Dagan stated as he continued with his tale.

"At every opportunity, I asked about Tubal and Brad, but mostly, I asked after Zerafima and if anyone had seen her. I had heard that she had become a plaything of Tubal's, so I started devising ways to try to get to him. But I found that locating anyone willing to speak of anything personal about the man was more than difficult. I would learn that gaining information about a pirate lord was risky business for the seller as much as the buyer."

"So, I figured the only way to find Zerafima and get her away from Tubal was to do so the hard way. Using what knowledge I could find and what resources I could gather, I started building up my crew and capital to where I could have my own fleet of ships. It wasn't much at first, but I was gaining ground and making progress in that direction. Fate, it seems, has a cruel sense of humor," Dagan sighed.

"It was during the point where I had amassed enough capital to buy a fifth ship and look around for good men and women to crew it. I had just completed a smuggling job for a client and was on my way to meet them. Imagine my surprise when I saw the client was none other than my dearest wife, Zerafima."

"She had changed, become harder, stronger, and was even running her own pirate crew now! The moment she saw me, there was shock on her beautiful face, but it was quickly replaced with rage. She drew her sidearm and opened fire, winging me good. My men dove for cover and a firefight erupted, with us against them, all of us trying to survive," Dagan stated.