Another Line in the Ledger

[Sayne]

Act 1 - Building an Empire

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The Reagent Yacht moored to Buffalo--an odd sight, to say the least. Its gleaming panels stood in stark contrast to the dark, rocky texture and muted colors of the station--not to mention the dirty, barely held-together Rogue and Junker ships that frequented the dingy outpost. The only vessels that came close to competing with the yacht’s elegance were the scattered Outcast ships lurking nearby.

The mooring hatch opened with a hiss as Blake prepared to disembark. He exchanged a few brief words with the pilot before stepping off.

"Keep to Erie as we discussed. If anyone asks for your flight logs, give them the ones I already programmed into the ship’s computer. Those should be enough to dissuade any would-be spies trying to ascertain our whereabouts for a while."

The pilot nodded and returned to the cockpit, sealing the door behind him. Blake adjusted his suit jacket and stepped through the mooring clamp into Buffalo. Tommy followed close behind--hands shoved in his pockets, posture slouched as always. Two guards flanked the Rowan brothers as they made their way toward the area of the station that the rest of the Hollow Crown frequented.

Blake hated this place. The other Rogue crews occupying the station were rough, but they knew to steer clear of the Hollow Crown. Recent attempts to take over their crew had been met with brutal consequences--swift, vicious, and final. They might be smaller than most, but what they lacked in numbers they made up for in ferocity and cunning. That cleverness, that ability to outthink and outmaneuver, was what truly set them apart.

Still, it didn’t stop others from trying. After his father’s death, Blake had needed to move fast and strike decisively to ensure no one dared challenge his claim. He’d once feared that Tommy might make a play for leadership himself, but his younger brother’s stint in prison had made that impossible.

He was thankful for it. He didn’t want to kill his brother, even if duty might have demanded it. As for Sasha...

Well. They didn’t talk about her.

The four men reached their small corner of Buffalo. As Tommy entered, a cheer erupted from a cluster of Rogues. They clapped him on the back, ruffled his hair, and shoved a drink into his hand with grins all around. For the first time since leaving Sugarland, Tommy smiled--a real smile--as he bantered with his old friends. Blake watched the scene with a carefully neutral expression, studying the group from across the room.

"Sir." one of the guards said, nodding toward an older woman seated alone in a nearby stall. She was immediately out of place among the grime and rust--a woman who oozed class.

"Keep watch." Blake murmured, scanning the room as he moved toward her. The guards gave curt nods and turned outward, forming a quiet wall of muscle between him and the rest of the bar.

The woman regarded Blake coolly over the rim of her glass as he sat down opposite her. She was in her late forties--perhaps early fifties--but carried her years gracefully. Her maroon sundress was loose and elegant, her jewelry expensive and dangerously conspicuous for a place like Buffalo. Still, the other crews gave her a wide berth. No one dared cross this woman--not with the Hollow Crown protecting her. Blake regarded her with a cool expression for a moment before finally speaking.

"Hello, Mother."

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I've lost people who meant the world to me...and I'm still doing just fine.

I'm coming for everything they said I couldn't have.