Hilda
The messenger boat had found them in the Halesworth system after arriving in the Grimm Hearth System. It arrived shorty after the capture of the small pirate base with orders from King Oswald himself recalling Hilda and her crew back to the Bastian system for the royal wedding.
Hilda had cursed at those orders, but knew she couldn’t ignore them. She could however delay them for as long as possible.
The Fabian Bishop had turned out to be the Bishop of Grimm Hearth itself. The computer banks on ‘The Jade Grip’ had confirmed that. Bishop Becca Fyre had been transfered to the dreadnought with the other survivors of the attack on the base, but kept separated from the rest.
Hilda had watched several interrogations of the Bishop, and even questioned her herself. She was surprising well suited against everything they could throw at the Bishop. Even when her teeth were removed the Bishop refused to give any more information than she had when Hilda first met her, which was next to nothing.
Drugs, VR, and other tactics all proved useless. Hilda had to relent to her Chief Medical Doctor Commander Yawn, and had the teeth replaced. The Bishop had only smiled at that, which had brought Hilda to a rage. She found torture distasteful, but like most thing it had it’s place.
Hilda had tried the carrot to no avail. The Bishop had confirmed that she was a member of the Fabian Order of Drala, but she still did not fully understand what that meant. IT was clear before the Bishop was found that it had to do with the Fabian Faith, but to what ends or means she still did not know.
Bishop Fyre refused to tell more, just demanded that she would only speak to the King, and she would await arrest and trail until such time. She likely would never have okayed the torture if the Bishop had not been so cocky. The last straw had been when bishop had laughed and wondered aloud in front of her crew if the king enjoyed ploughing Hilda or if she had already been replaced.
That had been a mistake Hilda knew. She never should have fallen to the bait, but she couldn’t have denied it had made her feel better.
“When do we leave?” Lt Idunn Vault asked as they sat in Captain’s Ready Room on ‘The Jade Grip’.
“Leave?” Hilda muttered and looked up from her desk at the young woman. She shook her head. “Not yet, not to Bastian anyways.”
“Than where?” the Lt asked.
“Grimm Hearth,” Hilda replied and turned her eyes back to her computer screen.
“Grimm Hearth,” Idunn asked confused. “But the king…”
Hilda raised his head again to look at her aide. “The king has ordered that we return to Bastian for the wedding. That gives us time to continue the investigation.”
The Lt paused and thought for a moment. “You think the System-lord is involved?”
“Perhaps. As likely as anything right now,” Hilda told her aide. “All we know right now is that the Bishop of Grimm Hearth is involved, and that she wants to see the king. I don’t intend to do what she wants.” Hilda was silent for a moment before she continued. “I need you to do something for me.”
“Anything,” Lt Vault said quickly and without a moment of doubt.
“Good. Don’t involve anyone who you don’t need to, but I Want all mention, all video, anything that links the Bishop to being alive gone. Put her name in the list of KIA, and lock her up in a secure cell. I don’t want anyone to know she is alive until I get answers,” Hilda told her and watched for the Lt’s actions.
“Yes Ser,” Lt Vault said, again without doubt. “Already at least a dozen know about her, and will need that many just to maintain security, but most the crew to trustful, and we can keep contact with her to a minimum with some Bots.”
“Good,” Hilda said again and smiled. She was glad she had accepted the young womans offer of service. In truth the Lt was older than Hilda, but her young age did not seem to bother the Lt, and she had proved a very useful resource. “See to it before we leave the Halesworth System.”
