“Tuann don’t carry wands,” Kira shouted back.
They carried en-blades.On occasion,zuipis.Sometimes other weapons.
Wands, though?Not a thing.
Graydon quirked an eyebrow.“Is that what matters right now?”
“If she’s going to insult someone, the least she could do is make it accurate.”
“You’re right.How could I not know that?”
“Can we focus on the mission?”Dylan demanded in a display of impatience.
“We never stopped.”Kira stroked a finger along the scorpion’s back and the base of its tail.“Will you show me what Jin left for me?”
“Gladly, Kira.”
The scorpion scuttled to face away from her.The gems that she thought of as its eyes became mini holo-projectors displaying everything Jin had done in the past few hours.
“Jin never fails to impress me,” Raider murmured, sounding somewhat awed.
He was a genius.A mad, chaotic genius who was now in very real danger.
Because while everyone else was running around trying to figure shit out, Jin had actually done it.He’d found Belladonna’s headquarters.Not only that, he’d managed to trace a good portion of their leadership as well as provide a direct link to the Tuann rebels.
“Is this enough to prove Roake’s case?”Kira asked, staring at the hologram of a Tuann.
She recognized him from briefings she’d sat in with Harlow.The flaxen-haired Tuann on screen was the former marshal of House Dethos.
His House was one of the rebellion’s engineers.They and their Overlord capitalized on the growing discontent among Tuann over the monopoly of the major Houses, using it to turn others to their cause.Their Overlord died during the first attack but his marshal seemed to have taken up his cause.
“It’s a start.”A slow, predatory smile crossed Graydon’s face as he studied the information.“A very good start.”
Kira released her breath.
Roake was safe.Thank the Mea’Ave.
Now to ensure Caius, the children, and Jin enjoyed the same fate.
Kira quickly scanned the rest of the information.
Apparently, Belladonna had been around for over a decade, making it one of the longest lasting pirate clans Kira knew of.Perhaps because until about six months ago, they’d made every attempt to stay small, only doing odd jobs every now and then.A theft here.A con there.Mostly penny ante stuff.
Then about the time Kira entered Roake, things changed.
Suddenly, there was an uptick in activity.They gobbled up a lot of the smaller clans, forcing out or destroying any who resisted.
Belladonna went from being a two-bit clan to one whose size and activities rivaled the big three.
There were signs of them trying to muscle in on the station itself.They started collecting protection money from businesses, infringing on other clans’ territories.Those who wouldn’t pay were driven to bankruptcy or suffered mysterious accidents.Their owners were missing or dead
Interestingly, many of those businesses traced back to the same group of shell companies.All named after deadly plants.
Cat Three was included on that list.As was the Red Rabbit.
“No wonder they hit the hotel hard,” Kira murmured.
It wasn’t just about capturing the Tuann.It was about dealing with whoever was behind these shell companies.
