The Fractured Empire: A Tale of Downfall

Chapter 34

(Easily...ten hours later...)

"So...you're telling me this is Antonin Djarek's heir?" Jackson inquired in an all-too calm tone, reclining back in his desk chair while me, Alannah, and Raina sat before his desk.

"Yes," I confirmed, "And for the love of god, Jackson, let me fucking explain before you fly off the rails."

"Oh trust me, I'm going to fly off the fucking rails," he assured me, sitting forward in his seat to regard me with a sharp glare, "You were sent after Djarek's heir, and you fucking brought them back? What the hell is wrong with you?"

"For the record, Jack, Raina helped my crew take down the individuals who were actually trying to take over the Federation!" I snapped back, feeling my jaw clench involuntarily, "Let me explain myself before we get into this pissing match."

"Fine. Just know that I'm not above blowing the bitch's brains out."

Raina was surprisingly calm even while abuse was being hurled her way. Fucking hell...

And so, I quickly explained everything that happened and why I wasn't able to update Jackson on everything that had happened until now.

"So that's why you have markings on you," he mused, studying Raina, "Your old man experimented on you? And here I thought Vincent Horner was the only guinea pig Djarek tinkered on."

"Ah, Horner. I thought the bastard died a long time ago," Raina murmured, "He was my bodyguard when I was a little girl–he was actually a decent human being back then. However, being close to my father t-tends to not be a wise idea."

"I could believe that," Jack murmured.

"I know y-you don't trust me, and you have every right not to. However, please know that I hate the Federation with e-every fiber of my being," she continued before fishing in one of her pockets and throwing a scuffed up credit shiv onto the table, "There. Y-Your promised money. I put the bounty on my own head to get myself killed, but Cylus decided to deal with the men who wanted to use me. Since I was the target and client, it would be unfair if I didn't pay you."

Jackson's eyes bugged out as he studied the shiv. "H-How much is on this shiv?"

"One million creds," Raina confirmed, her voice turning cold, "As listed on my bounty."

He struggled to find his voice. "...You genuinely hate the Federation?"

"Wh-What more do I have to prove?" she demanded, shooting to her feet, "My father threw away my mother like a simple piece of rubbish, and the Federation took everything from me! I was used in my father's experiments, tossed aside like a ragdoll, and left to rot in some unmarked cell until someone decided to see if the ravens had paid my corpse a visit. I wasn't the Grand Chancellor's daughter in the eyes of the UTF. To them, I was just another asset–another worthy sacrifice in their eyes. If you want to kill me, fine. Not like I have anything left to live for in the first place."

Before he could do anything, Alannah rose to her feet and embraced her. "Please, calm down. I understand you are mad and upset, but don't say that. There is always something to live for. Maybe you haven't found it yet."

After several moments of silence, Raina finally caved and started sobbing into my wife's shoulder. All the while, I remained seated and regarded my boss with a cold glare.

"If you're too far gone to feel empathy, Delacroix, how about I put it this way: we have the Grand Chancellor's daughter. Think about the people we could lure out of the wood works by saying we'll hand her over if they pay a ransom. Now, rather than paying the ransom, we could eliminate them."