Taking Space 2

- Black Market -

"Over the course of this week I was accused of having had contact with a survivor of the Lionhearted. Some of you will be quite surprised to hear that these accusations are true, though it is not at all as the media would have you believe. You see only a sort while a go my life was a wreck and I was on the fast track to becoming an intoxicating substance abuser. It is at this low point in my life that—"

Adolph waved his hand dismissing the hologram of Albert as the recording finished and started again for the sixth time.

He leaned back into his chair and steepled his hands in front of him. The lionhearted or rather what was left of them had responded to his move.

And it was a rather bold response, one that seemed extreme in fact it was so extreme it had the entire galaxy buzzing with news of it. He wasn't quite sure if it was a masterful strategic move or one born of naivety. Certainly, at first glance one would conclude things were as they seemed. The legendary figures known as the Lionhearted all died leaving behind their technology and a single guardian to a family of miners that were now feebly trying to use that technology to honor their memory. Thus, he was inclined to believe this move was the latter. The weird nonsense with the capital class construction vessels in its own way proved it.

But he knew intrinsically things were not that simple and he be a fool to believe they were.

Masterful, or glaringly stupid either way he now knew without a shadow of doubt that Vilex was working with them. One of the many questions that plagued him though was to what end? Vilex was a calm calculating character that like to stick to the shadows, these Lionhearted survivors were blatantly flaunting themselves out in the open. The two did not mesh.

A small flashing red button appeared over the top of one of his papers, drawing him out of his thoughts. He unsteepled his hands, leaned forward, and tapped the button.

One of his agents dressed in plain clothes appeared on the screen over his desk. "Sir, he is ready for interrogation," the agent said.

Good it was time to get some answers. He nodded at the man and close the connection, then stood up and walked around in front of his desk.

"Display," he commanded.

A hologram of an older gentleman with a recently bruised eye, on his knees with his arms stretched out between two poles filled the air in front of him.

As his hologram formed on the other side the prisoner's eyes grew wide with surprise.

Adolph smiled. "I see you know who I am, so I am willing to bet you know why you are here, and what I want from you."

The man swallowed hard and nodded.

"You want to know more about the miners I used to buy my ore from," Marvin answered.

***

Stephanie floated weightlessly in the middle of Zions now finished massive command deck with an array of holographic controls in front of her using the seamless three sixty view the newly finished command deck supported, to navigate the Hildred asteroid field. "All right the rest of the way is cleared," she told Catherine.

Catherine nodded, and the new set of capital class construction vehicles made their way through the giant spherical graviton induced bubble of protection to the dimensional door.

The dimensional door flared to life briefly and the construction vessels floated on through and into the asteroid field they were currently at.

"All right giving control to Zion," Catherine said.