Elinor
Elinor stood at attention along with Sub Lt Pilgrim, and Lt Fairhart in the Crown Prince’s ready room. The room was filled with those see knew. Captain Mutton, the ‘Skreap’s’ XO officer, Commander Zax, and Lt Commander Webb. Commander Drake stood next to the Crown Prince along with Lt Victor Vault, and the old private Vance Oakheart.
The room was filled with those that the Crown Prince trusted with his life, those who were often with him day and night, and Elinor felt like a child at the headmasters office after getting caught in some trouble.
“Are you sure?” Crown Prince Osmund asked as his eyes fell on Lt Fairhart.
“Yes ser, we’ve run the tests again, and again,” Lt Zaria Fairhart said.
“Ensign Grimmhart,” Crown Prince Osmund said, and looked to Elinor. “Your the one who made the connection, your sure you haven’t made a mistake?”
“No ser,” Elinor said. “I mean yes ser,” she said quickly. “There is no mistake. Every one of those ships I’ve been able to trace back to the Osgar System in the last six months or less. More than half the dead we have been able to identify also have links to the system itself.”
The Crown Prince nodded his head as he looked at her. “And this video, your sure it’s not a fake?” he asked her.
Elinor shallowed, and nodded. “Yes ser, I mean it’s in rough shape, it’s taken me over a week to rebuild it, but I’ve been able to confirm it.”
“No one else knows what you discovered?” Crown Prince Osmund asked.
Elinor shook her head. “No one outside this office ser. I reported it to Sub Lt Pilgrim as soon as I was able to play the recording.”
The Crown Prince looked from Elinor to the Sub Lt who shook her own head. “As soon as Ensign Grimmhart brought it to my attention, I brought it to Lt Fairhart,” she said quickly.
“And I reported it to the Lt Commander,” Lt Fairhart replied quickly.
“Do you know what this means?” the Crown Prince asked the three of them, but none of them spoke. He let out a sigh, and folded his hands under his chin. “The Fabian Order of Drala, you have all heard the legends, and stories. Sadly, as you have witnessed, they are no legend.”
“But ser,” Elinor said, and she felt as though she were watching her own body speak. “There has to be a mistake. I mean how can a Bishop order the deaths of that many people? How can a Bishop be in control of a pirate fleet operating within the very borders of the Commonwealth?”
“You recall Bishop Benton Redbeard of Rustberry Ensign?” Crown Prince Osmund asked Elinor.
“Yes ser,” Elinor said, and recalled the arrest of the Bishop, and several other members, many of them part of the Fabian Faith.
“What better place to hide than in plain sight?” Crown Prince Osmund asked. “What better protection than that of the Fabian Faith?” He let out a sigh. “Rustberry was a stronghold of the Order until we removed that threat. It was classified of course, but you serve on the Command Deck, you heard the orders.”
Elinor looked at the Crown Prince. It wasn’t rare for a Bishop to grow in power, and think that he was above his own liege lord, be it in the Commonwealth, Walhaz, Kaledon, or even across the Dralan Trade Route in the Kingdom of the Salians or other Fabian nations. Still, she didn’t know how she could argue otherwise. She saw the video. The Bishop of Osgar was involved with the pirate fleet, had in fact given them orders on ships to attack, and to depose of the crew once the ships were looted.
“The Fabian Order of Drala sees it as it’s duty to defend the whole of Drala from heathens. It will stop at nothing to ensure that goal,” the Crown Prince said, and starred at Elinor. “Throughout most of it’s history, it might have been peaceful, and served the Nebula with good intentions. Perhaps there are still members that do, but there are others…” he let out a sigh.
“Captain Mutton,” Osmund said, and looked to his XO. “Have the ‘Skreap’ prepare to leave for the Osgar System.”
“Yes ser, of course,” the captain said.
“This is highly classified,” Osmund said, and turned his attention to Elinor, and her commanding officers. “Speak of this to no one. Good work, but this is a dangerous discovery. Even here on the ‘Skreap’ there are spies, and I will not have another ‘Ansgar’ on my hands,” he said and looked at Elinor.
“I’m alive here because of the action of your father, and those in this room. The Order would gladly have us all killed if they could. You are to speak to no one about this,” Osmund told them.
“Yes ser,” the three replied.
