Another Line in the Ledger

[Sayne]

Blake had sat on the key for two weeks without making a move to uncover its secrets. He’d been busy shoring up smuggling routes, meeting with Junkers to handle the “last mile” hauls, negotiating with other Rogue groups for operational clarity, and juggling a dozen other matters that required his direct hand.

Heavy was the crown.

One quiet evening, alone in his small room--half office, half bunk--he picked up the key from his nightstand and sat on the edge of the bed, staring at it with intent. It was simple, nondescript--just a locker key. Four numbers were stamped into the metal: 7435. No doubt a serial to match its paired lock. Where that lock existed was another matter entirely. His father had taken that truth to the grave.

Blake frowned, turning the key over in his fingers, feeling the teeth, searching for anything; any hint of what it might mean.

He pulled out a compact terminal and scrolled through the old logs and notes his father had compiled over the years. Aside from a few vague mentions of a contact in one of Manhattan’s shadier districts, Hargrave had rarely visited the planet. That was Manhattan out--truthfully, he was thankful that the planet was eliminated from his plan--searching an entire planet for one locker was not something he enjoyed thinking about. The place he had frequented, however, was Beaumont. A natural hub with material flowing in from Kusari, moved through New York, distributed across Liberty. Beaumont made sense.

Blake flipped the key once and tucked it into the inner pocket of his jacket.

He left his quarters and headed toward the Hollow Crown’s hangout. Two guards melted out of the shadows to fall in beside him. Without breaking stride, he issued his orders.

“We’re moving to Beaumont. Chuck, get ahead of us and secure three civilian fighters. Nothing flashy, something that blends. Make sure they’re coded to Freelancer. I don’t want attention. Joel, find my idiot brother, make sure he’s not causing trouble, and drill it into his skull not to start anything with anyone. I’m not cleaning up his mess today.”

Both men nodded and peeled away.

Blake entered the Hollow Crown pub, slipped behind the bar, and opened a concealed hatch. Inside were IDs and stacks of currency--Liberty, Sirius-wide, and the kind used when questions weren’t meant to be asked. He gathered what he needed, sealed the hatch, and slid one of the bartenders’ rubber anti-slip mats back over it. Then he made his way to the landing bay.

Three ships were already idling on the pad, engines humming. Chuck was overseeing preflight and clearance signatures. Joel, on the other hand, was holding a thrashing Tommy by the collar.

“What the fuck is your problem, guy? Let me go!”

Blake approached. Joel released Tommy at the exact moment Blake grabbed him by the front of his jacket and hauled him close. Blake was not known for displays of aggression--Tommy froze in shock, his protest dying instantly. The key, his mother, the memory of his sister…all of it had worn Blake thin.

“Listen here, Thomas,” he said, using the full name with cold precision. “It’s past time you grew up, or I’ll throw you into the deepest pit of Sugarland and lose the key. Stop acting like a child and get your head straight. Things are moving--I need you sober, alert, and not jacking off with your idiot friends. If I die, you’re the only one left to lead the Hollow Crown. And I’ll be damned before I let you run it into the ground. Start acting like a Rowan--not some run-of-the-mill Rogue.”

He shoved his brother back and turned toward his fighter, which was just finishing its clearance cycle. As the pad rotated toward the launch vector, Blake glanced back. Tommy stood there motionless, eyes wide, torn between anger, shame, and something like resolve.

Blake hoped his words had cut deep enough. He doubted it. Thomas was immature--but fire either tempers steel…or destroys it. And Blake could not afford to lose another sibling. Moments later, his ship lifted from the pad. The trio of fighters slipped into the black, bound for Beaumont--and the mystery Hargrave Rowan had left behind for his son.

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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.