Josiah Axion sat behind his desk holding his head in his hands. First the White Star and now this…

Why were the Gods doing this to him?

The network was down, everywhere! His stock took a nose dive for no reason and then… poof! His techs told him that the entire Federation was down, something about a “clock”?

All reservations, orders, arrangements for excursions… everything… paralyzed.

Not that it really mattered. After the White Star and that assassination attempt jokingly called “journalism” by that Sterling bitch, their business was ruined. Their insurance was claiming that the ship was being used for illegal activity and they were refusing to pay out. Their lawyers were going at it but he had recently been told that they would likely not win. It seems that the entire galaxy has a soft spot for children.

Billions gone… billions… And no way to make it back!

They slashed their fares and then slashed them again… and again… They were almost a “budget line” now. Unwashed masses gorging themselves on the all you can eat complimentary buffets they had to install on many of their ships.

Disgusting.

Then the plague hit and with the travel prohibitions on humans even that went away. He was pandering to the fucking xenos now. Thank the Void Gods that he had managed to get exceptions for his human crew but he was still having get rid of a lot of them because they made the xenos “nervous”. His ships had turned into zoos!

And now, he couldn’t even reach half his fleet. With the network in shambles, everyone was using hyperspace relays for everything! The lines were clogged, even frequencies reserved for shipping and navigation were swamped!

It was a disaster.

He couldn’t even reach out to the “shadows” anymore. The second the news about Bruce was confirmed, Jessica blackballed him! Every “informal loan” he had was called in that very day. It damn near broke the company!

But they survived. They survived the scandal. They survived their income shortfalls. They had survived all of it.

They survived it all, only to get slammed with this.

It wasn’t fair!

There was a knock on his door and Clarise, his secretary nervously walked in.

Ah, beautiful Clarise, always a bright spot in his day.

Clarise shifted uncomfortably as he undressed her with his eyes. He loved her timid nature, her weak protestations…

She knew she loved it, not that it mattered. He owned her. He made that perfectly clear the last time she tried to run.

“S-sir...” she stammered. “Shania Abebe is here to see you, sir.”

Who?!?

“Did… Did she say what she wanted?”

“No, sir,” Clarise said quietly. “She just said that she wished to speak with you.”

“Well, don’t make her wait, moron!” he snapped. “Send her in!”

“Y-yes, sir!” Clarise yelped and sprinted for the door.

Oh Christ above, Shania, the heir apparent for Abebe Limited, and of course the Wraiths, one of the most powerful of the Confederacy of Sol. People liked to talk about the Black Angels, Dragons, or the Red-Teeth (when they still existed) but the Wraiths…

Where the others were savage, the Wraiths were power. Real power, real wealth… instant death... It was said that they were second only to Jessica Morgan herself.

The door opened and Shania entered the room.

Josiah tried not to stare. She was, in a word, stunning. Even at over a hundred years old she was absolutely gorgeous. As his eyes wandered down her long, lean frame they came to rest on the twin pistols that she wore on her hips.

Swallow pistols, he noted, signature weapons of practitioners of “The Diving Swallow”, a martial art that incorporated pistols the same way that other arts embraced the sword.

So they are wearing their weapons openly now? he thought. That was in blatant violation of the law, but then again, who was going to stop her? The world had tipped right into the shitter. He thought things would be better here on Kessup, where their reach wasn’t as strong but even here they walk completely unopposed it seems.

“Ms. Abebe!” he said warmly as he rose to meet her. “How is your father?”

“In a word, busy,” Shania said in a pleasant tone of voice. “My father has accepted a position within the newly formed Forsaken government as one of Ms. Morgan’s ‘cabinet’.”

“Oh?” Josiah asked. “What is he in charge of?”

“Justice,” Shania said with a slight smile. “He is ensuring the safety of our citizens and the continuity of the rule of law.”

“The Forsaken have laws?” Josiah replied.

“Oh yes,” she replied smiling a bit wider. “We do. A society is nothing without rules…” she said, “And consequences...”

“Well isn’t that civilized of you,” Josiah said skeptically.

“Quite,” she replied. “Since my father is otherwise engaged I have assumed leadership of Abebe Limited and our other ventures.”

“Other ventures, huh?”

Shania raised her eyebrow.

“If you could stop ogling me for a moment, I have business to discuss.”

“Oh! I wasn’t… I was just admiring your pistols!” Josiah said defensively as he wilted under her disapproving gaze.

“As part of our ‘other ventures’,” Shania said calmly, “I have been tasked by Ms. Morgan to procure resources for the Forsaken in preparation for our ongoing struggle for the very survival of our people.”

“I would love to help but, as ‘Ms. Morgan’ quite aware, I’ve been blackballed, unjustifiably so, and my business has-”

“That includes, among other things,” Shania said, her smile fading, “ships.”

“What?” Josiah asked in alarm.

“Yes, ships,” Shania said as a little smile played across her lips despite herself. “We are prepared to buy out your entire business,” she said as she pulled out a tablet. “I think you will find the terms quite generous.”

Josiah took the tablet and after a few seconds looked up at her in disbelief.

“ONE CREDIT?!? What the FUCK are you playing at?”

“The Wraiths do not ‘play’, Mr. Axion,” Shania said calmly.

“Get out! I don’t give a fuck who you are. You won’t walk in here and take what I’ve spent my lifetime to build!”

“If you wish,” Shania said with a smile. “But there is one other matter I came here to discuss, one of significant import not only to me but to Ms. Morgan as well.”

“Make it quick,” Josiah snapped.

“You might not be aware,” Shania said, her eyes sparkling, “but the Forsaken movement isn’t just concerned with ‘porkies’. We are for everyone ‘forsaken’ by the Federation, everyone… Like those poor children on the White Star.”

“I already told you that I had absolutely nothing to do with that! Now leave before I call security!”

“I really think you want to hear me out, Mr. Axion,” Shania said with a smile. “Jessica Morgan considers the victims of Bruce’s Emporium to be a shining example of what it means to be ‘forsaken’. They were forsaken by the Federation. They were failed by the Republic… And they were brutalized by Axion Lines. So, Ms. Morgan has given them dual-citizenship and has provided for their care in the Republic.”

“How nice of her!” Josiah snapped. “Now-”

“She has given them support,” Shania said, cutting him off, “but what she really wants to give them is justice. Justice is important, don’t you agree?”

“And we have cooperated fully with the authorities!”

“The people on their client list, all of them, are now being detained by the Forsaken and after receiving due-process they will be found guilty and receive our version of ‘justice’,” Shania said with a smile. “Do you remember what we used to do to kid-touchers, back in the day, Josiah?… Do you?”

“And… And they deserve it! Those filthy animals ruined my business! They deserve whatever you do to them!”

“I’m glad you agree,” Shania smiled. “There is one tiny… problem… one we hoped you would help us with.”

“After barging in here and making this joke of an offer you dare to ask for my help!” Josiah yelled reaching for his intercom.

“Who is Nathaniel Goodboy?”

Josiah’s blood froze.

“Who?”

“Nathaniel Goodboy,” Shania replied with a gleam in her eye. “Turns out that not all of the names on the client list correspond with actual individuals. Some of them appear to be aliases, Nathaniel Goodboy for example.”

“I… I have absolutely no idea who that is?”

“Oh well, I figured it wouldn’t hurt to ask,” Shania replied. “It doesn’t really matter. We will find out and when we do there is absolutely nowhere they can run, nowhere they can hide. It doesn’t matter if they are in the Federation, Republic, Empire…. Hell, they can even run to the Collective. We will find them and what awaits them when we do… It’s bad, Josiah. What we used to do to child molesters, that was because that was the worst thing we could do back then. Today,” Shania said with a pleasant smile, “our abilities have increased. Ever hear of Zombie?”

“Zombie?”

“Yes, Zombie,” she replied. “It was an attempt to create a highly addictive euphoric. And it is! Unfortunately, it had a few problems that prevented its distribution. It is highly addictive, totally addictive actually. Someone is hopelessly hooked with the first dose. The problem is that it causes irreversible brain damage, rendering someone highly susceptible to suggestion. It makes them, for all intents and purposes, a zombie. When under the influence, which they always are, they will do whatever and I mean whatever someone tells them to. Seriously, you can hand them a knife and tell them to slice off their own genitalia and they will.”

Josiah just stood there frozen with fear.

“We Wraiths hate waste, Mr. Axion,” she said calmly. “Why maim or kill someone when you can get some use out of them. There are many jobs that must be performed and not all of them are… pleasant… or safe… or even survivable, such as processing transuranic elements for dirty bombs or ‘assisting’ in plague research. Rehabilitation through service. I can assure you that anyone who finds themselves in one of my father’s penal service battalions will think twice before signing up for another stretch, not that the zombies get a second chance, of course. For them, it’s a life sentence.”

“Uh...”

“You know what the really messed up thing about Zombie is, Mr. Axion?” Shania asked. “The individual is still ‘in there’, perfectly lucid, just unable to disobey, unable to stop. They will be fully aware as the radiation consumes them or as they act as a guinea pig or whatever other unpleasantness befalls them. They will be completely conscious as they take the knife and slowly slice off their own testicles, one by one, and then sever their penis, which will definitely happen, Mr. Axion.”

Shania smiled and reached for the tablet.

“Well, I’ve taken up enough of your time,” she said pleasantly. “I’ll just take this offer and-”

“Wait!” Josiah cried out in a strangled voice, tears in his eyes, as he grabbed the tablet. They knew! It was obvious they knew! He would lose his business, his life’s work, but he would live! He could survive!

“The Forsaken appreciates doing business with you,” she smiled as he signed the offer.

“Take it! Goddamn you! Take it all!” he said as he wept.

“Thank you,” she said as the took the tablet. “Oh, there is something else that I wished to talk to you about.”

Josiah collapsed into his chair, weeping.

“I was wondering if you would be interested in making a small donation to the cause,” she smiled as she pulled out a ledger. “I had your secretary write out a series of checks for you. All you have to do is sign.”

It was everything that he had… everything…

“You bitch!” he cried in anger and despair… Then with sobbing shuddering breaths he started to sign.

“She was exceedingly helpful in helping to discover your net worth, by the way,” Shania smiled. “I couldn’t have been nearly as thorough without her. Very promising young woman. I’m taking her with me.”

Josiah was incapable of speech. He only sobbed as he handed over check after check after check.

“So generous!” Shania exclaimed. “Your love for your fellow man is truly commendable.”

“Fuck you!” he sobbed. “...fuck you...”

“The wages of sin, my friend...” Shania replied. “The wages of sin is poverty… no… That’s not right… What was it again?” she asked as she drew a tiny spray bottle from her pocket.

“But… but… I did everything you asked. I GAVE YOU EVERYTHING!!!”

“And what did you think you were buying? Absolution? Forgiveness?” Shania laughed. “We don’t do forgiveness. You didn’t buy an escape. You bought mercy,” she said as she released a cloud of vapor in his general direction.

He immediately stiffened in his chair, his eyes bulging.

“Binary agent,” Shania said in a matter of fact tone. “Each component is in itself completely harmless. When they combine, however...”

Josiah started to shake uncontrollably. The pain… Oh the pain...

“The first component was delivered in your morning coffee, courtesy of your lovely secretary,” she said as she watched the shaking get worse. “You really should treat your people better.”

The potent nerve agent started to paralyze Josiah’s entire body, including his heart. It almost immediately started breaking down into water, carbon dioxide, nitrogen, and just a tiny bit of phosphorous, completely undetectable.

But not before it did its job.

Josiah’s heart simply… stopped. Considering his age and the stress he was under it wasn’t that surprising, really.

Shania turned and walked away.

As she exited his office, Clarise stood there shaking.

“Is he… Is he really gone?”

“Quite.”

“And… and I’m coming with you?”

“You know far too much to leave here, silly,” Shania said with a smile.

Clarise’s eyes widened in terror.

“Relax,” Shania replied in a friendly tone. “We don’t waste. I’m in need of a secretary and you are a secretary. Besides, blood in.”

“Blood… in?...”

“It means you just joined the Wraiths, full member.”

“Really?!?” Clarise said with an excited voice.

“Really,” Shania replied. “Let’s go... phantom.” she said as she headed for the door.

“Yes, ma’am.” Clarise enthused as she followed.