Act 1, Chapter 8: Sold Out
THE COLONEL'S OFFICE,
OMEN KEEP.
"Captain, you aren't the first one to bring the Flame Dragon up as a major concern needing an immediate solution. A Dark Elf woman who goes by the name of 'Yao Haa Dushi' made an unexpected visit here to the Keep requesting that we kill it to 'save her people'. Now, I've had time to consider this Flame Dragon ever since its existence has been made apparent to us by the Koan Elves who had fled their homes to seek shelter here from it. I wasn't sure then if it would be worth the resources and time to hunt and put down something that may have been responsible for a serious but once-off attack. However, with Ms. Haa Dushi bringing her tragic situation to light and the subsequent strong implication that this Flame Dragon's hunting grounds overlaps and includes the Keep here, I've decided it would be in our best interest to put it down before it causes us detrimental operational setbacks and severe losses of life", Landry explained before taking a sip of coffee.
"As such, I've made a promise to Ms. Haa Dushi that we would eliminate this Flame Dragon, in exchange for her providing any intel relevant to finding any more captured New Ephyrans, but if she couldn't, she'd directly assist us in finding them, which brings me to why I've asked to see you today; you and your team's second rescue mission"
"I understand but just one more thing Sir before we move on; what's the plan to deal with the Flame Dragon?"
"The plan hasn't been finalized yet but on the General's orders, it can't be gone through with anyway until Damon finishes with an important project he's currently working on. So, for now you and your team will focus on your upcoming rescue mission. Damon's project should be finished by the time you've completed your third and final rescue"
"Understood, sir"
"Your second rescue mission will be the recovery of any and all New Ephyrans currently being held by slave traders, all located in the slave market of Sadera's commercial district"
"Do you know which ones?"
"According to all the intel Piña could gather without raising suspicion, A number of competing slave traders came forward to buy the New Ephyrans that the Imperial Army had left over from selling to Sadera's nobility. One of them managed to buy nearly all of those New Ephyrans, the remaining are being held by one or more other slave traders. It'll be your team's job to find which ones have the New Ephyrans", Landry explained.
"Whatever the case may be, your team will unfortunately not have all the map data critical to carrying out your upcoming mission. The commercial district itself is apparently too confined and population dense for our Cloaked Watchers to go deep into for accurate and reliable area scans. Despite this, you still have the map data of Sadera as a whole to work with, just not enough detail to allow you to plan for this mission with surgical precision"
"So, what's Plan B then?"
"As per her previous agreement with me, Ms. Haa Dushi will guide your team directly to your objective, with everyone involved with the rescue being in disguise of course. Once at the slave market where our people are, you will simply 'purchase' any and all New Ephyrans being held there with the money provided to us by Sage Cato El Altestan"
"Wait, We found Cato in a rickety old shack in a small village in one of our earlier missions, how could he possibly have that kind of money? Wouldn't it have been easier to just ask Piña for the money? Considering that she's got access to the Royal Treasury?"
As it turns out, courtesy of Mr. El Altestan, the scales of the wyverns we took down during the Keep defense to repel the Imperials and their vassals, are worth quite a bit of money, so it's a good thing we kept the wyvern corpses for study. Anyway, we came to an agreement with him; he would sell the scales to a buyer and divide the money between us and himself in a fifty-fifty split. Suffice it to say, we now have more than enough money to buy those New Ephyrans out of slavery. As for turning to the Imperial Princess for the funds as an option, even if she did manage to procure funds out of the Royal Treasury to help us buy back the New Ephyrans, it would definitely raise suspicion and run a very high risk of compromising Piña's cover"
"I understand, Sir"
"This is the overview of the expected plan for your upcoming mission", Landry stated as he handed the COG Captain a set of documents pertaining to the mission's parameters.
"The much finer details can be discussed with the rest of your team and Ms. Haa Dushi. As we speak, she is waiting just outside the Mess Hall for you. Any other questions before I let you go, Captain?"
"No, Sir"
"Very well, Captain. You are dismissed", Landry said as he stood up from his desk and saluted the Captain, with the Captain promptly returning the gesture before exiting his office.
JUST OUTSIDE THE MESS HALL.
"That must be her", JD thought as he spotted a Dark-skinned Elf woman patiently waiting outside the Mess Hall.
"Yao, Colonel Landry said you were waiting for me here?"
"Sir James Dominic Fenix?"
"Yeah, that's me"
In response to this confirmation, Yao knelt before JD with her bowed in reverence.
"I, Yao Haa Dushi, am at your full disposal! Do not hesitate to issue orders to me and I will carry them out without fail! Whatever it takes to save my people!"
"Yeah, yeah, sure, just get up and quit making a scene", JD urged in embarrassment as he frantically gestured Yao to get up and lower her voice while a few COG personnel within earshot overheard and stared in amused confusion.
"Really hope this doesn't start being a thing…", JD thought to himself, remembering how the Koan Elves reverentially bowed to him after telling them they could stay at the Keep.
"Forgive me, Milord", Yao apologized sincerely as she bowed.
"Please don't call me Milord…"
"As you wish"
"Well, anyway, the meeting for the upcoming mission won't be for a little while so why don't you get yourself something to eat at the Mess Hall while you wait", JD suggested.
Yao simply nodded in agreement.
"Alright, I'll come get you later when the meeting is about to begin"
MESS HALL,
OMEN KEEP.
"It is only a matter of time until the source of my people's suffering is put to an end for good", Yao thought to herself with a hopeful smile as she received her tray of food.
"I'm not sure if I can find a seat, much less a table…", Yao stated in slight concern as she noticed how packed the Mess Hall was.
Eventually finding a vacant spot at a partially occupied table, she seated herself and set down her tray and was immediately greeted upon doing so.
"Ms. Yao! Nice to see you again!", Tuka greeted cheerfully.
"Good day, Tuka. I take it is one of your days off work?"
Tuka simply nodded as she continued to smile.
"If you don't mind me asking, are you up to anything today?", Tuka asked.
"Yes actually. A little while from now, I shall be called upon by Sir Jaydee to attend a meeting regarding the rescue of his people who are being held in Sadera's slave market. I will be guiding Sir Jaydee and his team through the city's business district to get there"
"I wish you the best of luck with that!", Tuka stated supportively.
"Your encouraging words are very much appreciated", Yao said before she resumed eating.
Shortly into her meal, a few seats at her table became vacant and a short old bearded man donning a wide-brimmed pointy hat and robes approached.
"Mind if I sit here?", the old man asked.
"Of course, Sage Cato!", Tuka responded.
"Much obliged", Cato said as he set down his food-filled tray and took a seat, leaving his staff propped upright against the table.
"How are you today, Tuka?", Cato asked.
"I'm feeling great today, thanks"
"And yourself, Yao?"
"I can say the same"
"I take it your agreement with Kurnul Landry is still in effect?"
"Absolutely"
"Good, because that pesky reptile burnt down Coda, and my humble little abode there. That beast needs to punished"
"Never have I agreed more with any other statement than that one in my three centuries of being alive", Yao commented, with Tuka also nodding in agreement.
"Those poor villagers…they were not so lucky as father, myself and the rest of my people were…", Tuka said in heartfelt sorrow.
"According to Sir Jaydee, they could not confirm whether or not they actually perished. For all we know they could have gotten out in time before the village was destroyed. If they did perish, may their souls find peace in the afterlife"
"Sage Cato, do you have any plans yourself?"
"Why yes, I do actually. I intend to return to Rondel soon to write up new scrolls and tomes based on all the new knowledge that the Kaug have graciously granted me in exchange for granting them my knowledge of our world. Speaking of scrolls and tomes, I am relieved beyond words that I made the decision to bring all the work I had in Coda to here. The thought of having to recreate decades worth of research…it scares me…"
"I have never been to Rondel before, what is it like?", Yao asked out of curiosity.
"Asides from the occasional fatal mishap that happens with certain kinds of experiments and fellow scholars constantly being at each others throats over academic topics, it's quite a nice place"
"Are up to anything else yourself, Yao?", Cato asked.
"I will be going to a meeting soon regarding the rescue of the Kaug's people from the Saderan slave market by purchasing them", Yao explained.
"I think you would be interested to know that you and Sir Jaydee's colleagues shall be liberating them with funds I procured"
"It must pay really well to be a respected Sage who has worked in Rondel for years", Yao assumed.
"Assuming one can consistently sell their published and peer-reviewed works, then yes that is true, which I can fortunately say from experience, but in this case that is not where I procured those funds. You see, the Empire and its vassals have tried to purge the Kaug from here on two separate occasions. Unsurprisingly, both times they failed miserably and in both attempts, many, many wyvern were slain. The Kaug kept the wyvern corpses for study but only considered their monetary value once I made them aware of that fact in one of many knowledge-exchanging interviews I have had with them. Not long after this revelation, Kurnul Landry asked me if I would be willing to sell the scales for them and split the money made, evenly, between myself and for Sir Jaydee's rescue mission, the details of which he understandably did not divulge for security reasons"
"It makes sense", Tuka stated, giving it some thought.
"Indeed. Anyhow, I agreed to the proposition and even told him that he could keep all of the money the deal would make, since for me, having been taught the Kaug's understanding of reality itself was more than enough payment. However, he insisted on going through with his extremely generous offer of dividing the money, and with no sign of him changing his mind anytime soon, I gave in"
"Where did you find a buyer for the scales?", Yao asked.
"Rondel, of course. The Kaug brought me there and back in an absurdly short amount of time using one of their horseless wagons. Such marvelous contraptions, yet as a man of learning, it pains me that they are keeping the knowledge of how they work a secret but I suppose it makes sense, as with many other things they refused to reveal to me, you would not want to risk such knowledge being circulated and end up being found and used by the wrong kinds of people, but I digress", Cato explained, taking a drink of water before continuing.
"Wyvern scales have many useful applications, most notably as high quality catalysts to create certain potions, elixirs and magical solutions of exceptionally high purity and I just happened to know someone in Rondel who had too much money but not enough wyvern scales. After some haggling, the deal was made and my Kaug escorts and I returned here to the Keep with bags upon bags of gold and silver, so much gold and silver. The money was handed over to the Kaug's financial experts who divided it up, with of course half going to me and the other half towards funding Sir Jaydee's rescue mission", Cato finished explaining.
"Even if it's only half, you still must be quite wealthy now", Tuka assumed.
"The likes of which to rival the coffers of an entire noble family? No. The likes of which to fund a few dozen grand projects and experiments I have been only able to dream of doing up until now? Absolutely. Now, I believe there has been enough talk. Shall we resume eating?"
Tuka and Yao agreed, at which point all three resumed having their meals.
MEANWHILE,
BAIRD'S LAB,
OMEN KEEP.
"So, you just steered clear of the Flame Dragon on your way back to the Keep?", JD asked.
"Yeah, I used up most of the Kestrel's ammo dealing with the ones chasing you back to the trucks. If I did attack it with what little firepower I had left, it would've pissed it off at best", Sturm explained.
"If you did have enough ammo, would you have been able to put it down, then and there?", Del asked.
"I probably could've hurt it quite a bit, but considering it's surprisingly high level of agility for a creature of its size, it would've, in all likelihood, just mauled the Kestrel I was controlling right out of the sky before I could really do some real damage. Anyway, what did you need to see me for?"
"It's about Jack", JD stated.
"What seems to be the problem with him, Captain?", Sturm said as he eyed the bot in question.
"His team cloak malfunctioned several times and just stopped working at all by the time we were gonna exfil", Del explained.
"Really? That needs to be fixed right away. Jack, get yourself into your maintenance station, I'll be with you shortly"
The bot complied with Sturm's order and docked himself to the aforementioned station, awaiting repairs.
"Did you lose anyone because of those malfunctions?", Sturm asked with great concern.
"Thankfully, no", JD answered.
"I don't know what I'd do if you did…In any case, I'll be sure to get it right this time. I'll be doing thorough hardware and software diagnostics, all necessary repairs and extensive testing before I give him back to you guys, so it will be a while"
"Define 'a while'?", Del asked.
"A couple of days, a week at most"
"Can we at least borrow another JACK unit while Jack's getting fixed?"
"Not possible right now"
"What? Didn't Baird say the latest JACK models were being be mass produced? Shouldn't there be a bunch of spare JACKs we can borrow? We'll even take an old model if you got one"
"Given some of the more resource-intensive projects DBi have done and have undertaken recently, especially the big one Baird is leading, materials have become scarce to say the least. We had to scrap and recycle all unused JACKs, new and old, just to keep ongoing projects afloat"
"Shit, looks like were not gonna have Jack with us for the rest of the rescue missions", JD thought to himself.
"It's fine. Take as long as you need to get him fixed and working right. I think we can manage without a JACK unit for a little while", JD responded.
"Mission briefing is gonna happen soon", Del reminded JD.
"Which reminds me, I need to go get Yao", JD thought to himself.
"Will there be anything else, Captain?"
"No, that's it but we gotta get going though. We'll see you later, Sturm", JD said as he and Del turned to leave.
"Jack will be right as rain once I hand him over back to you, trust me. IRIS, let them out, will you?"
"Of course, Brian", the AI complied as it opened the lab's steel doors for the two officers to exit through.
MESS HALL,
OMEN KEEP.
"As always, the Kaug never disappoint when it comes to getting people fed", Cato stated in satisfaction as he finished up his meal.
"I still can't believe I can have meat everyday, I almost feel a little spoiled", Tuka commented, remembering how meat was only eaten on special occasions in her former home at Koan Forest.
"It only just occurred to me but, how do they preserve their meats? Whatever it may be, it definitely doesn't involve salt, otherwise the taste of all of their meats would indicate that", Yao uttered in curiosity.
"Another wonder that the Kaug have refused to elaborate to me", Cato stated in disappointment.
"They could be using preservation magic", Tuka suggested.
"The Kaug have exhaustively claimed everything they do involves no sorcery, at least not in any form I'm familiar with…", Cato responded, considering the possibility that it could be a previously undiscovered type of sorcery he had unknowingly been witnessing.
"Many established theories within their supposedly non-magical fields of 'Kemistree' and 'Fizicks' are practically flawless in explaining what gives rise to all sorts of natural phenomena, but how exactly they manipulate, alter or otherwise take advantage of them to suit their needs, I don't fully understand. I did consider complex contraptions as a potential answer, since it initially made the most sense. For example, their horseless wagons, on the surface at least, are just essentially metal boxes attached to a metal axle with wheels, so it can be considered a purely mechanical contraption at that level, however, if one were to look deeper as I have had, it stops looking like a cleverly made, intricate contraption and starts looking more like a heavily enchanted contraption, in which purely mechanical means are only a small part of its overall inner-workings", Cato hypothesized.
"So they rely on enchanting their contraptions for them to work as needed?", Yao asked.
"It appears so, but it shouldn't be…"
"What do you mean?", Tuka asked.
"Enchanting an object leaves clearly visible markings on it that indicate what sort of power it is imbued with. I haven't seen such runes on any of their contraptions…Any kind that I can recognize! I must conclude that a previously undiscovered school of enchantment magic is what makes such advanced contraptions possible! Rondel is where I must be if this very promising hypothesis is to be further investigated! Not to mention I also have to write up a more up-to-date explanation on what truly distinguishes magic from non-magic based on my recent findings for a tome I had put off working on for so long! Now I must gain Kurnul Landry's approval to leave before I start packing my things!"
Almost without warning, the excited wizard picked up his staff, adjusted his hat and waved a quick goodbye before leaving the Mess Hall at a brisk pace.
"I don't think I fully understood what he was explaining to us…", Tuka stated.
"I don't blame you", Yao responded, feeling the same.
Hearing footsteps approaching her table, Yao turned to look who it was.
"Yao, you ready to go? Meeting's on now", JD informed her.
"Of course! Lead the way", Yao stated as she stood up and followed the COG Captain out of the Mess Hall.
Now alone at the table and done with eating, she wasn't sure what she was going to do, until she saw her father collecting empty trays from other tables.
"I should give father a hand with these, even if it is my day off", Tuka thought as she got up from her seat and started clearing her table of its empty trays.
SPECIAL OPERATIONS BRIEFING ROOM,
OMEN KEEP.
"Everyone, this is Yao", JD stated as he introduced the dark elf to Recon Team Delta.
"It is a pleasure and an honor to make everyone's acquaintance. I look forward to working with you all and Master Jaydee"
"Oooh, you made her call you 'Master'? I didn't know you were into that sort of thing, Captain", Mac teased, getting a chuckle out of the other Gears present.
"Yao, don't call me Milord, Master or anything like that, alright? Just call me JD. As for you Mac, say another word we'll see how you like cleaning every vehicle here at the Keep with nothing but a toothbrush, for a month. That goes for everyone else", JD warned in a dangerously low tone as he stared daggers at Mac then to the other Gears in the room.
To this not-so-subtle and stern warning, the former Hivebuster along with the other Gears didn't test their superior officer's patience any further.
"Anyway, she'll be working with us for this mission. Given that she's got a lot of experience with the layout of the Imperial Capital's commercial district, she'll be helping us with moving around in there so we can find whichever slave trader at the slave market there has the civvies on for sale, so we can just buy them and get them back home. No need for an elaborate plan to break them out"
"Hope no one buys any of them before we get there…", Dillon commented.
"If someone has or some people already have, there's nothing we can do about it, at least not right now", JD responded, being honest and realistic about how things would turn out.
"Where did you get the Imperial money for this op?", Sam asked.
"The wyverns we killed defending the Keep, they're covered in scales that sell for a lot", JD explained, feeling that was enough of an explanation and further details weren't necessary especially since he wanted to cover the more important aspects of the mission as soon as he could.
"Good to know we can just buy them out of slavery but are we really going to be lugging around huge bags of coins? Doesn't seem too discreet to me", Tai asked.
"It's gonna be a bitch to try and pay with exact change too…", Dillon added, thinking of the hassle of rummaging around huge bags to find specific denominations of coins.
"Everyone here will be carrying their own small pouch containing only Suwani coins, which will definitely be more than enough to buy our people's freedom and bribe our way out of trouble if we have to. Carrying around suspiciously huge bags of money and paying in exact change not required"
"I take it Suwani are extremely valuable then?", Tai asked.
"Yes, very much so, and it's also the rarest type of Imperial coin in circulation as Suwani are really only ever used for either massive investments or purchases", Yao explained.
"We aren't just gonna walk in there in full armor, are we?", Dillon asked.
"Nope, we'll be going in burlap robes for this shopping trip", Del answered.
"Hey, where's our Chief Sarge?", Mac asked, just now only noticing the Grub Killer's absence.
"Carmine got transferred across the Gate, back home, to fill in for the Arms Instructor role for the COG's Heavy Weapons Division. Turns out the last guy who had that position got into a fatal mishap during a Mortar demonstration. Whether or not the transfer is temporary, I don't know. Either way, he won't be with us for this and the next rescue op", JD explained.
"Speaking of weapons, will we be bringing any?", Tai asked.
"Just Suppressed Snubs and knives", Del answered.
"Is Yao gonna get a Snub too?", Dillon asked.
"No, Keep Command doesn't trust her enough to carry and use a gun, at least for now anyway. No offense, Yao", JD responded.
"None taken. I completely understand"
"Guns? That must be what they call their metal limbless crossbows...", Yao thought.
"Besides, she already has her sword and dagger, not bad choices for confined spaces where we can expect a lot of close encounters", Del added.
To this, Yao simply nodded.
"So, who's filling in for Carmine while he's not here?", Dillon asked.
"Yao is; the other reason for her being here besides acting as our guide for this mission", JD explained.
"If I can be of use or aid, do not hesitate in issuing me commands to make that so", Yao stated to Recon Team Delta as she bowed reverentially.
"Wish Baird was like that when we got married", Sam jokingly commented.
"Speaking of which, how's that working out for you two?", Del asked.
"Did Baird ever get that tattoo he was always too scared of getting?", JD asked with a smirk.
"Asides from occasionally threatening to kill each other in creative ways, yeah, I'd say our marriage as a whole has been pretty good, and no, he's still too afraid to get that anniversary tattoo"
"I'm so happy for you two regardless", Del stated.
"Sweet of you to say, Del. Thanks", Sam responded with smile.
"Now, let's have a look at the map", JD stated as he switched on the holographic planning table and brought up a 3D display of the Imperial Capital.
Yao recoiled slightly at the sudden appearance of the hologram.
"Yao, is something wrong?", JD asked.
"No, nothing is wrong. It's just that your…'map'…took me by surprise", Yao explained as she continued to stare at the holographic render of Sadera in wonder and awe.
"So this is the sort of power the Armoured Mages wield…", Yao thought to herself.
"To compose realistic maps using light itself and conjuring them up when needed? Is there anything these people can't do?", Yao thought to herself further.
"Okay…Sam, Mac, you two will get us here at the drop-off point by personnel carrier truck and we'll walk the rest of the way from there", JD stated as he pointed to where he deemed an appropriate location for the drop-off point on the holographic map.
"Both of you will pick us and the civvies up at the drop-off point as well when we're ready"
"New place, same plan", Sam summed up in response.
"Yup", Del said nonchalantly.
"As for getting into the city…Hmmm….Yao, which of these points of entry has the heaviest amount of security", JD asked as he pointed to several gateways along a specific section of the city's border wall.
"Here, at the gateway that leads directly in and out of the commercial district", Yao explained as she pointed to a specific gateway.
"Because of course it does…", JD thought in frustration.
"However, the heavy security is there to mostly ensure that the commercial district is protected from bandit invasions. Provided we don't do anything that might draw the attention of the Imperial guards there, we can still simply get in through that gateway without any issue as it is otherwise open to outside traders and merchants wishing to conduct business in the city"
"And where in the commercial district can we find the slave market?", JD asked.
"The slave market can be found here", Yao stated as she reached out and pointed to a specific location within the commercial district on the holographic map, all while noticing her finger passing through the holographic render as if nothing was there.
"It's not solid…", Yao uttered in realization.
"It's a hologram", Del explained.
"Hawl-lah-gram?", Yao echoed in confusion.
"Images and other depictions of things created using light projected through specific ways", Del explained.
"I see…"
"So it is composed of light, projected light but not some form of 'sculpted' light? Hmmm…", Yao pondered still in awe at the capabilities of her people's would-be saviors.
"Technology is quite something, isn't it?", Mac added.
"Tek-nawl-la-jee? Is that what their sorcery is called? I've never heard of it before", Yao thought to herself.
"Anyway, as Yao was saying, we gotta look around here if we want to find the civvies", JD said as he gestured to where Yao previously did on the holographic map.
"Alright, so to recap; from the drop-off point on foot, we'll enter the city though that gateway straight into the commercial district, and start looking for whichever slave trader in the slave market there is holding the civvies", JD indicated on the holographic map by using a finger to trace a general path starting from the drop-off point, through the commercial district gateway at the city's border wall, and ending at where the slave markets are.
"Once we find the New Ephyrans, we buy them and quietly take them with us back outside the city to the drop-off point, where we exfil"
The COG Captain took a few moments to consider what else needed to be mentioned with regards to the mission but felt he'd covered everything important.
"Any questions?", JD asked as he looked to each person in the room.
"Are we still taking Jack with us even though this isn't a stealth op?", Dillon asked.
"No, not even if we wanted to. He's getting repairs for his malfunctioning team cloak at the moment", Del explained.
"Any other questions?"
With a combination of silence and some head shaking to say 'no' being the responses, the COG Captain switched off the holographic planning table.
"Let's get those people back home", JD stated, adjourning the briefing.
MIDDAY,
COMMERCIAL DISTRICT GATEWAY,
JUST OUTSIDE SADERA.
"This is it then?"
"Yes Sir Jaydee, this is the entrance to Sadera's commercial district"
"Alright, take point"
"Take point?"
"It means 'lead the way'"
"Of course"
The burlap cloaked dark elf with the similarly shrouded COG personnel following close behind, all walked calmly into the bustling and noisy commercial district.
"Yup, this is definitely the center of business of Sadera", Del stated as he took note of all the stalls selling a variety of goods, ranging from but not limited to produce, fabrics and animal products and the equally diverse and abundant customers coming and going to make purchases and to browse.
"Ughh…definitely smells like it too", Dillon commented, wishing he'd been allowed to keep his helmet for the mission.
"This way", Yao ordered as she led the team through the bustling masses.
While Yao confidently led the Gears, the latter couldn't help but take in the scenes they were passing by as they navigated through various turns and up and down stairways, of the poorly illuminated, unsanitary and borderline claustrophobic urban environment.
"Reminds me of Outsider markets from back home, kinda…", JD stated.
"Yeah but they weren't nearly this cramped or filthy", Del added.
"Are we close to the slave market?", Tai quietly asked Yao.
"Actually, we are here now", Yao stated quietly as they all passed under a distinct entrance that divided the conventional markets to the slave market.
"I know a slave trader who tends to mostly sell human slaves, we can try him first", Yao stated quietly as she scanned the area for quickest and least riskiest route.
"Sir Jaydee?", Yao asked as she didn't get a response.
She turned to see all of the COG personnel frozen in place, mouths agape at a nearby scene that petrified them, some much more than others.
Close by, women and girls of various ages but all non-human, could be seen and especially heard, being held in place by stocks, pillories and other means of restraint, as they were being mercilessly violated by many vulgar, unwashed men who had paid a fee to do so.
"I'm...sorry", JD uttered quietly with grim but stoic acceptance, remembering that his mission parameters only allowed the rescue of New Ephyrans only. After taking a moment to stomach the extremely harsh reality of needing to leave the poor women and girls to their less-than pleasant fates, he quietly ordered his team to get moving.
"I think I'm gonna throw up…", Del stated as he barely held back his breakfast.
"What…the…fuck…did we just see…", Dillon asked in quiet horror.
"Pay-to-Use Sexual Relief Outlets, although your shock and surprise is understandably justified, given your people's strict and absolute condemnation of slavery and anything similar"
"The fact that you can say that with a straight face…", Dillon commented, still shook by what he had witnessed and barely keeping himself together mentally.
"If it's any consolation, I felt that way decades ago when I first discovered this place"
"Wait, your people don't have slaves. Why would you ever need to be here?", Del asked.
"I always had to get through here to reach the blacksmith market, to purchase and repair arms for my fellow tribesmen and tribeswomen whenever I needed to do so"
"Yikes…"
"Tai?", JD called for the Islander's attention.
"Yes?"
"Did what we just see not bother you in the slightest?", JD asked, wondering how a sight that would perturb even the most stoic hardly had a visible effect on Tai.
"Evil people and evil acts of all kinds are inevitable. One must always make an effort to counter them but when one is unable to, it all comes down to acceptance and moving on"
"You Locust War Vets really are a different breed...", Dillon commented.
"Are we close to any slave traders?", JD asked.
"Yes, there is one close by. We can start with him first if you wish"
"Sure, let's go"
"Is that him?"
"That is him, Sir Jaydee"
"He's got a security detail", Del stated, taking note of all the guards stationed around the immediate vicinity.
"All the slave traders here have been given some Imperial legionnaires, to act as security against theft and vandalism of their stock, by the Imperial Emperor himself. In exchange for the security, the Emperor gets a cut of all the slave traders' profits", Yao explained.
"My sincerest apologies for not mentioning this earlier today in the meeting, Sir Jaydee. Had I brought this to light then, it could have determined if an alternate plan was possible", Yao stated in shame, remembering how her awe and wonder at the holographic map completely distracted her.
"Don't worry about it. I wasn't going to deviate from the original plan anyway. This is how Landry wants it done" JD responded.
"Come on?! Won't anyone buy this one! She is perfect in figure, experienced in many forms of carnal pleasure and most importantly of all, utterly and absolutely obedient. Anyone who buys her in the next hour will also get her young virgin daughter for free! How can any of you say no to a deal like that?", yelled the man that Yao confirmed to be the slave trader.
"I'd like to buy those two. I've been looking for decent used and unused fuckholes", a well-dressed man stated as his bodyguards on his flanks remained alert and watchful.
"Excellent! Come, let us discuss the terms and price of the woman and her daughter" the slave trader stated as he and the potential customer exchanged words amongst one another.
Every fiber of JD's being wanted nothing more than to ammo dump his Snub into the slave trader and the snobby-looking man, but knew full well he had to set aside his personal feelings for the sake of the New Ephyrans' freedom.
"While he's talking to him, let's have a look to see if he's got any of the New Ephyrans", JD ordered.
The incognito Gears started looking for New Ephyrans by uttering terms only Serans would know such as "Thrashball" and "DeeBee Industries" to see if it would illicit any reaction from the human slaves in chains. Much to the Gears' extreme disappointment, none of the humans in chains understood the significance of the terms.
"None here. Yao, where to next?", JD asked.
"There is another slave trader close by"
"Alright, let's get moving then"
"This bunny warrior's deadliness is only matched by her skill in the bedchamber! Need your property and life protected but also wish for a convenient outlet for sexual relief?! Well, look no further as she will provide all of that, all for a very reasonable price!"
"Don't any of these 'traders' have pity for the people they put on sale?", JD asked.
"No, they merely see any sentient human-shaped being capable of being trained to serve as desirable stock to make a profit from", Yao explained.
"Of course they fucking don't. Why did I even ask?…", JD thought to himself, remembering how all the half dozen slave traders they had previously and fruitlessly checked didn't so much as bat an eye, let alone flinch, at handling and gratuitously selling people with the same level of care as dealing with feisty and rebellious cattle.
"Alright people, just like last time", JD ordered as he gestured for his fellow Gears to start searching for New Ephyrans. Once again, the exclusively Seran terminology being uttered to the few humans in chains produced no distinct reactions of recognition.
"No luck here. Yao, let's move on to the next closest one", JD ordered.
Yao simply nodded and began leading the way.
"Let me go! You fucking pig!"
"Now is that anyway to thank the person who saved you by purchasing you out of being left at the mercy of those less-than-kind Imperial soldiers who had captured you?"
"Thank you? Thank you?! I'll fucking tear your eyes out and feed them to you! I swear on the Allfathers, that'll be the first thing I do when I get out of these chains!"
"Allfathers? Shit. JD, she-"
"Yeah Del, I know. Let me do the talking"
"Excuse me, can I buy that one?"
"Oh finally, a customer. You want to buy this unruly bitch? She's been a pain to handle ever since I acquired her from the Imperials"
"Yeah, I do"
The slave trader negotiated a price with the incognito COG Captain and the latter didn't waste any time handing over the Suwani to buy the New Ephyran woman.
"She's all yours, enjoy! Good luck with taming her though"
"Treat me like he does and I swear, I'll-"
"Ma'am, we're Gears", JD explained with a reassuring smile.
"Gears?…does that mean…"
"Yeah, you're going home"
In response to this confirmation, she hugged the COG Captain with tears of happiness flooding from her eyes.
"We'll take you back to Sera, but first we need to look for others like you here"
"Not yet! My son! Please, that bastard also has my son", the New Ephyran woman quietly pleaded.
"Okay, just stay here with them and I'll go get your son", JD gently asked.
"Dillon, check up on her but don't administer first aid here if she needs it. Only do that once we're out of here. Got it?"
"You got it Captain", Dillon complied before seeing his superior officer return to the slave trader.
"Ah, back so soon? Wish to make another purchase?"
"The woman I just bought, did she also have her son here?"
"You want to buy her son too?"
"Yeah"
"The little shit is practically useless. Are you sure?"
"Yeah, I'm sure"
The slave trader pondered for a moment before making his response.
"So I take it you have a taste for young boys then as well as mature women?"
On the inside, JD so badly wanted to introduce the inside of the slave trader's cranial cavity to his boot, but as a result of the absolute necessity to not compromise his and his team's cover, he had to restrain himself and play along, but not without great difficulty.
"You could say that"
"I can't believe I just fucking said that…", JD thought to himself.
"Interesting. I have not met many customers with such a wide range of taste such as yours. Well, I'm not one to judge. What my customers do or do not do with the slaves they buy from me is of no concern, so long as they pay for them in full. Speaking of which, let us discuss the price for the boy, shall we?"
"Yeah, let's settle a price"
After a quick negotiation, a price was chosen and JD promptly paid. With the boy now secured, the COG Captain brought him back to his mother.
"My baby!"
"Mommy!"
The mother embraced his son and kissed him on the cheek and kept telling him that they were finally going home.
For the first time in this mission, JD smiled, and so did his fellow Gears.
"Honey, we're not going home just yet, okay? The nice man and his team have to rescue all the other people here from New Ephyra, like us, do you understand?"
The boy nodded in understanding.
"They're still some humans here, so let's have a look before we move on", JD ordered.
In contrast with their success in securing the woman and her son, no other New Ephyrans could be found yet again, although because of the former, the latter didn't hurt the COG Captain's morale nearly as much.
"Yao, where's the next trader?", JD asked, now sounding more hopeful.
"There is only one more we can check, follow me"
"New stock from a new world! You won't find slaves this exotic anywhere else so get them now while you still can!"
"New world? JD, You thinking what I'm thinking?", Del asked.
"Yup, let's go and verify that claim", JD responded before signaling his subordinates to start searching.
Sure enough, the discreet verbal test caught the attention of a large number chained or caged humans.
"This one guy has everyone else we're looking for here", Del stated.
"He does and he's about to be sold out on them", JD added.
"Ah, good sir! I see my stock has caught your attention. I take it you are interested in purchasing some of these ones from beyond the Gate at Alnus? If you are, I'd recommend these ones specifically since-"
"I'll buy all the ones that come from beyond the Gate"
This request for a massive bulk purchase that comprised nearly all of the slaves in stock caught the trader off guard to say the least.
"All of them?", the trader asked in visible delight.
"Yeah, all of them"
"Of course! Of course! In fact, for your extreme generosity of purchasing so much of my stock in one go, I'll give them all to you for a significant discount! How does that sound?"
"Sounds good to me"
"Excellent! Now let us discuss the terms and price of this sale"
A LITTLE WHILE LATER,
CLOSE TO THE EXFIL POINT,
OUTSIDE OF SADERA.
"JD, I'm pretty sure he scammed you. His 'discounted price' was higher than what you would've had to pay for if you bought the same number of people, not to mention the added 'handling fees', which I'm pretty sure he made up. I'm definitely not saying I care about the money more than our own people but still, a scam is still a scam, especially when a lot of money is involved", Del commented.
"Del, I honestly couldn't give two shits that I probably got ripped off and paid with every Suwani we had. We've got everyone we came for, well, the ones who made it long enough to be saved anyway", JD responded, remembering having seen a not insignificant number of chained or caged humans, some who may have very well been New Ephyrans, so close to death that saving them would've amounted to nothing more than a futile effort. Mercy killing was out of the question as doing so could've drawn unwanted attention to the rescue team, compromising their cover and complicating the rescue effort to a potentially fatal degree.
"Exactly", Tai concurred.
"Sam, Mac, we're closing in on the exfil point and ready for extraction. We've got people to bring back home", JD notified via Tac-Com.
"Congratulations on another mission accomplished, Capitan. We'll be right there", Sam responded.
"Fair play, Captain! And by the sounds of it, you're not getting chased either! Today really is a good day!", Mac added.
"Yeah, it was a good day, at least where it counts"
"What? Something happened?"
"Never mind, we'll see you and Sam at the exfil point"
"We'll be there", Mac responded.
Some time had passed before the rescue team and their charges reached the exfil team and once they did, JD ordered for the New Ephyrans under his team's watch and care to sit on the grass and relax while they wait for the extraction trucks.
"Dillon, you can administer first aid now if you need to", JD stated.
"Wilco"
"So, one more rescue mission after this?", Tai asked.
"Yeah, one last liberation"
(Achievement Unlocked)
(20G - Living Expenses)
(Read Chapter 8)