Game Pawn Blues

Fortuna's Grace hummed along its trajectory, barrelling through its white-streaked hyperspace lane, its bridge crew unaware of what was happening in the shadows.

Xion sent his metanoids to work once more.

They consumed a steel bar he wrenched free from a bulkhead behind him.

Next, he had them fashion a weapon, turning the metal into a blade.

As they worked, he established a neural link to his silent stealthed companion in the skies nearby.

Mirage, I'll need you on standby to patch me to the Supreme King of Iccythria, His Highness K'Sumi Hinata Alamaq of House ALMQ. Tell him a Sable Rider needs to talk with him. If he refuses, involve Kainan and have the King of Rhesia persuade him to take my call.

Will do.

The Rider also used the sheared metal to create a rudimentary earpiece, which he handed to Katya.

‘Place in your ear in case we're separated and need to remain in touch. The metanoids inside have created a signal link to receive sound in my neural node. I'll be able to listen when you speak, and you'll hear me, too.'

‘Sante,' she whispered, placing the unlikely devices in her ears.

‘Ready?' he rasped. ‘I'm fokkin' primed to get this over and done with. So stay here, don't make a peep.'

He turned and studied his marks.

The three D'Hanna brothers were assembled at the control panels, watching a celebrity holo and laughing.

They'd also been imbibing in generous grog bottles as if celebrating like all their chicken had come to roost.

He couldn't wait to dissuade them of the fact.

Easing from the gloom, blade in hand, he moved with a predator's grace, his steps silent as he closed in on the unsuspecting trio.

Korin, Kiros, and the K'Zito were too engrossed in their revelry to detect him.

Xion neared them, his grip tightening on the hilt of the weapon he had crafted with his metanoids.

He had only one chance to make this work. So with a deep inhale, he lunged forward, his movements a blur of speed and precision, blade flashing in the overhead light.

His hands reached, wrapped and banded around Korin, the makeshift implement hovering above the eldest D'Hanna sibling's exposed throat.

The room went silent as two other brothers jolted in shock.

Korin struggled with a muffled cry.

‘I suggest you listen close if you want your sibling to live,' Xion growled.

Kiros and K'Zito growled and made threatening lunges but were repelled when Xion's meta eyes flashed, and the blade at their elder brother's windpipe sunk deeper, and he yelped.

Xion sensed Katya on the sidelines. Her eyes were transfixed on the unfolding drama.

‘You think you can fokkin' waltz in here and threaten us?' K'Zito spat, his bravado returning. ‘You have no idea what you're playing at.'

Xion's grip tightened on the knife, a glint of steel in his eyes. ‘Try me.'

‘I will.'

With a smirk, K'Zito pulled out one of his laser weapons and pointed it at Xion.

His weapon crackled with energy, ready to unleash a devastating blast. But before he could strike, a cry cut through the chaos.

‘Stop!'

Xion turned as Katya raced toward Xion, her face caught in urgency and desperation.

K'Zito roared and, turning an elbow to the side, hit her at full tilt. She flew into the air backwards from the impact, landing in a crumpled heap on the cold metal floor of the bridge.

The Rider jolted at the sight, a surge of protectiveness welling up within him.

Fokk. She was as much a victim of this freakin' fiasco as he was.

He was about to lift his blade off Korin's neck and power to her when she knifed and sat up straight, obstinacy burning bright in her eyes.

Atta girl.

There was a flurry of movement from K'Zito, who strode to her and thrust his weapon into her temple.

Xion froze.

Katya's gaze locked onto his, a silent plea shimmering in her eyes.

Her face paled, and her fear was palpable. Xion focused his eyes on her, trying to keep her and him calm.

‘Let her go,' the Rider's steady timbre cut through the tense air with a sharp edge.

Her younger brother huffed, his eyes glittering with malice. A cruel smile twisted his lips as he taunted, ‘Release Korin, or she dies.'

But Xion saw through the facade, tagging the dread and insecurity that lurked beneath the surface.

‘The only one letting go of anything is you of your freakin' stupid idea,' Xion repeated even though every fibre of his being screamed at him to act, to lunge forward and take control of the situation.

The collateral damage, however, would be Katya's life, and he'd no wish to witness her suffer. ‘Fokkin' get that weapon off her. Otherwise, scarface will be a kind name for Korin when I'm done.'

Xion's eyes locked with Katya, and he raised a brow.

He kept his blade on Korin at her nod, pressing deeper until a red line formed under the sharp steel.

‘Enough!' the elder D'Hanna growled, his voice hoarse but filled with steely resolve. ‘Let her go, brother,' he commanded his younger sibling.

The room fell into a tense silence, the only sound the hum of the ship's engines and the crackle of electricity from the weapon in K'Zito's hand.

With an inhale, nostrils flaring, baring his teeth in a hiss, he obeyed and lifted his firearm away from his sister.

Katya breathed a sigh of relief.

She scrabbled away from her treacherous sibling, leaving Xion wondering what kind of fokked-up-fisty-cuffs-toxic kin-folksituation he'd been mired in.

We are go.

With his blade still at Korin's neck, the Rider activated the neural link Mirage had made available.

A holo image flickered onto the Fortuna Grace's screen before him, which the Sable AI had also hacked.

The man onscreen exuded an air of superiority, from his glowing, jewel-encrusted dark skin to his groomed and styled silver hair.

His eyes were cold and calculated, like a snake ready to strike. They sat close together on a fleshy face framed with an opulent gold collared jacket.

A thick gilded chain around his neck and rings on every finger. He held his chin high, looking down at the lens with a haughty expression, his eyes sharp and piercing.

He steepled his hands, revealing fingers adorned with jewels,

His posture and demeanour exuded an air of royalty, and his disdain for those beneath him was palpable.

A man's steely gaze met Xion's curiosity and overbearing wariness.

‘You dared call?' the regal man murmured with a subtle sneer.

His voice was deep and commanding, laced with contempt and entitlement, dripping with arrogance and superiority.

‘Your Highness K'Sumi Hinata Alamaq of House ALMQ of Iccythria, I presume?' Xion said.

He'd never encountered the man, but a ping from Mirage assured him that he was addressing the right individual.

The fleshy face nodded, the jewels in his face flashing, and the massive emeralds in his ears bobbing.

‘My name is Xion Sable—one of the Sable Riders. I come to you in need of your assistance,' Xion began, his tone firm yet respectful. ‘As you know, the Sable Group is tasked with maintaining security across Pegasi, and we often liaise with the heads of the planets to make it happen. This is such one case.'

His Highness K'Sumi Hinata Alamaq leaned forward, his expression solemn. ‘I understand, Rider. I'm listening.'

Xion went on. ‘I'm on a ship belonging to a clique of criminals. The man I have at my blade is their ringleader. They took me hostage, and I believe they're attempting to return to Iccythria on a nefarious mission, which I suspect may threaten the stability of your realm. I've been tracking them from Eden II to Enia, where I witnessed their criminal activity and burglary of a significant artefact. While I have no exact knowledge of their final plans on your planet, I can assure you they don't mean well. '

After a moment of contemplation, the royal nodded.

‘Sante, Rider, for reaching out to me.'

A slight smile appeared on the royal's face as he slowly drawled on. ‘And sante, House D'Hanna, for bringing him to me.'

Xion's body locked, and he slow-blinked. ‘What did you say, Your Highness?'

‘I just shared my appreciation to the family. They did as I asked and are delivering you to me.'

A chill ran down Xion's spine as awareness dawned as he tagged the smug looks on the faces of the D'Hanna brothers.

It'd been a set-up all along, an orchestrated trap to lure him into the hands of a King he'd never met.

For a reason that they'd yet to lay bare.

He shook with rage, mind racing, ego bruised at being caught out and up shit's creek without a paddle.

The ALMQ monarch's holo face loomed more prominent, his eyes boring into Xion with an intensity that sent shivers through his core. ‘I heard you fought a little, Sable Rider,' the Supreme Sovereign said, his voice echoing in the control room. ‘But not enough.' The King chuckled, stroking his chin with his pudgy jewel-loaded fingers. Tsk, I'd expected more from you, given your reputation.'

Xion clenched his jaw, eyes locking on Katya.

Standing and nursing her bruised arm, her face looked as shocked as he was. Relief hit, confident she'd no idea about her monarch's involvement in this caper.

The bridge was filled with a blinding light as the holo view showed a dozen Iccythrian vessels converging on Fortuna's Grace.

‘My gendarmes now surround you,' the King murmured with self-satisfaction through the screen. ‘You will follow them back to base where Xion Sable, you will surrender to me. It's all for a good cause, you'll soon see.'

What charitable rationale would that be?' Xion drawled, tamping his fury.

‘Helping me retain my throne.'

Xion sucked his teeth. ‘Why would a humble Rider like me be useful to a King like yourself?'

K'Sumi's smile widened, his eyes glinting with amusement. ‘You're more key to its retention than you know. But don't let that worm get into your head; you are also a pawn in a much larger game, and I hold all the chess pieces. So step away from that poor man and get with the program.'

Xion's grip on the dagger at Korin's neck tightened, his muscles coiled with tension as he contemplated taking them down.

Until a slight hitch of breath came from behind him.

Katya.

With a suck of his teeth, he backed off, lifting the blade away from the elder brother's throat, narrowing his eyes at Korin, warning him not to retaliate.

‘Don't blame the scions of House D'Hanna,' the King rumbled, tagging the sneer on Xion's face. ‘They had insurmountable debts to pay back to the crown. Their father had no way of paying them back. So, we came to a mutually beneficial arrangement. They lured you from Eden II, got what we needed on Enia, and now we're on the home run.'

The revelation hit Xion like a physical blow.

More puzzle pieces fell into place, painting a picture of betrayal and manipulation that cut deep. He'd been gamed from the start.

Xion's lip curled with scorn. Fokk, if he'd let this play out how they wanted.

He may have been outmanoeuvred and cornered, but he refused to go down without a fight.

Xion created a silent neural link. Mirage?

Here. What do you need me to do? We're outnumbered in terms of firepower. I can call Kainan, and he can deploy the Sable fleet.

Nada, he warned. It'll surely kick off a regional panic, so hold off for now. Let's see what K'Sumi wants.

A spark of defiance ignited in his eyes as he met His Highness K'Sumi Hinata Alamaq's smug gaze.

‘Well played,' Xion growled, his voice laced with venom as he turned to face the royal's holographic visage. ‘I may be just a pawn in your game, Supreme King, but even pawns can become dangerous when pushed too far.'

His Highness chuckled.

The sound grated on Xion's last nerve.

‘Oh, I do love a good threat,' the Royal crowed. ‘But remember, in this conflict of power and deceit, only the strongest survive.'

‘Ain't that the truth,' the Rider murmured.

Privy to the banter between her own King and Xion, Katya's eyes widened in horror as she realised the extent of her kinfolk's fokkin' treachery.

She swung her eyes to two-faced siblings and, for the thousandth time, asked herself how they'd been born from the same womb.

Her eyes locked with Xion's for a moment, and she was beset with guilt at her naivete and fury at their helplessness.

Minutes later, Fortuna's Grace was boarded by a group of hard-faced Iccythrian royal sentinels.

Her brothers handed over control of its navigation to the gendarmes.

With a heavy heart, she witnessed the monarch's sentinels cuff Xion.

He sliced one look at her and then dragged his mocha-jade eyes away.

The party fell silent as they gave in to their new normal, and Fortuna's Grace was guided towards the crimson and purple shattered skies of Pegasi's most tumultuous planet.