Insulted Du

"Two natural weeks, thirty million Confederacy Credits or two million Umojan Citizen Points, in cash."

Without a negotiating table, the pirate captain and the leader of the Korhal rebels, who had recently become known to the citizens of the Terran Confederacy for his rebellion, spoke face to face on the empty mooring platform, with many Power Armor warriors standing behind each leader.

Only a small fraction of the pirates aboard Jackson's Revenge possessed modified Power Armor, a result of their dealings with their unpredictable fellow pirates, the Kel-Morian Pirates.

These pirates' Power Armor was adorned with sharpened fragments of ship armor, their Gauss Rifle featured bayonets nearly a third the length of the barrel, and mechanical prosthetics were visible on various parts of their bodies.

In contrast, the Sterling Guard behind Augustus clad in dark gray Power Armor with golden wolf head insignia, were far more disciplined. They were calm and silent, their disciplined movements seemingly as one.

The Sterling Korhal IV saw Augustus as their only hope for saving their home planet and were willing to give their lives to protect the leader of the Revolutionary Army.

Captain Jackson's mechanical prosthetic eye on the left side of his face radiated a captivating scarlet light. Several deep, bone-revealing scars marred his broad forehead. His thick, greyish-brown mustache and lip were trimmed to a sharp, long shape, and his wide-brimmed, high-topped captain's hat bore the insignia of the Confederacy Navy's dragon wings and anchor.

This captain, whose reputation was as foul as his persistent body odor, had many titles that were both praiseworthy and controversial. His crew called him Jackson IX, the pipe-smoking tyrant, the overlord of the Koprulu Sector, and the light of Terrans.

"Bank transfers and checks are not accepted, but we can accept equivalent amounts of rare crystal ore as payment. If you have high-purity crystal, the business will be much easier to negotiate there." Captain Jackson said, puffing on a briar pipe. His thick naval commodore's overcoat pockets were filled with even more pipes and tobacco boxes of various kinds.

"I intend to employ this ship and everyone on board long-term. In addition, my men can provide you with fuel, weapons, and upgrades to the ship's armor and weaponry," Augustus. "Based on this, I request a 50% reduction in commission."

"Dealing with rebels is a huge risk," Jackson exhaled a large, round smoke ring. "I bet the Confederacy Navy is right behind you."

"Yes, Duke's Alpha Squadron is currently searching for us." Augustus did not mince words or try to hide anything on this issue; he stated it directly.

"In that case, I think you should pay more." Jackson didn't react much, but the crew behind him became somewhat restless when they heard Duke's name.

During peacetime, with no war to fight, Edmond Duke always kept his eyes on Jackson's Revenge, and many of his medals were earned for killing pirate captains or chipping inches off the Revenge's steel plates with heavy cannons.

Although most of the crew members on this pirate ship are no longer the original Confederacy Fleets soldiers, they still deeply resent the Alpha Squadron's pursuit and interception.

"Unless you prove you're worth more than I'd pay," Augustus insisted. "Even if my old friend Hill vouched for you, I couldn't guarantee you wouldn't just disappear with the money."

"No, I won't vouch for it," Glare Hill said, waving her hands repeatedly.

"Deal made, guaranteed by Glarell Hill, because he's someone we both trust." Jackson glanced at Tychus beside Augustus: "You pay first, then we'll sign the contract."

"Both steps can be done simultaneously," Augustus. "I will deliver it using rare crystal ore."

"I like people like you," Jackson said. "So, besides fighting the Confederacy Navy, what else do you need us to do?"

"You can add this ship to your Fleets now. Whether it's a flagship or a wingman, the Jackson's Revenge is perfectly capable."

Jackson proudly pointed to his battlecruiser, as if to prove that it was worth the price Augustus paying.

"But this ship looks like a complete wreck." Tychus showed no mercy to these desperados, and went on to point out another, even more incisively:

"This piece of junk glued together, can it really fly?"

No matter how furious Jackson and his crew were, no matter how magnificent their ship once was, Jackson's Revenge now looked like a warship cobbled together from scrap metal, completely unrecognizable. The insignia below the bridge windows and on the propellers had clearly been repeatedly covered by new insignia due to the many changes in captains.

The Leviathan -class battlecruiser, which had already entered service in the early days of the Terran Confederacy, was regarded as a disgrace by the Confederacy Navy. Jackson's Revenge, his original number, and the reasons for his defection gradually became secrets that could never be made public in the archives.

Because it had been harassing passing merchant ships near the main trade routes of the Terran Confederacy for many years, many merchant ships had witnessed the roar of the Jackson's Revenge and recognized it as the Leviathan battlecruiser currently serving in the Confederacy Navy.

The Confederacy Navy eventually admitted that one battlecruiser had indeed gone missing during a mission, but claimed that all the crew members had been lost, so the Jackson's Revenge was now just a ghost ship drifting aimlessly in space.

Astute media observers quickly concluded that the battlecruiser had either fallen into the hands of a group of outlaws or was controlled by some supernatural force.

"Kid, we've seen far more main-sequence stars, neutron stars, and white dwarfs than your rotten, walnut-sized head could possibly imagine!" One of Jackson's helmsmen stormed toward Tychus.

The pirate, dressed in a tattered sailor's vest and wearing a blue and white striped turban, was not wearing Power Armor. As everyone watched him charge toward Tychus Finley, who was standing next to Augustus with his hands behind his back, they were not surprised to see the latter easily swat him to the ground like a fly, almost cracking his head open.

The conflict ceased, and Captain Jackson, feeling deeply embarrassed, clearly didn't want to escalate the situation. There were three Revolutionary Army battlecruisers on the space station, and if he wanted to leave safely, he had to prevent the conflict from escalating further.

"Enough, Tychus, be kinder to our friends." Augustus what Tychus was up to: he wanted to provoke conflict, wipe out the pirates inside the space station, and seize Jackson's Revenge.

Although now is the best time to eliminate this group of pirates, Augustus does not want to escalate the conflict with them.

"This is a signal tracker from the Terran Confederacy." Augustus handed Captain Jackson a sophisticated device disguised as a music box. "Activating it will lure Edmond Duke's Alpha Squadron."

"It sounds like a magic flute that summons rats." Jackson took the signal tracker.

"What I need you to do is take Alpha Squadron to the edge of the Koprulu Sector, as far away from the main world of the Terran Confederacy as possible."

"But Duke really that easily fooled?" Captain Jackson couldn't believe that such a small gadget could have such a big effect.

"It will be useful, at least for a period of time, and that will be enough for me," Augustus said with a smile. "Based on my understanding of Duke."

"He'll definitely fall for it."