The Eristic Illusion

[Cadmus]

Mooring Fixture, Malta, Omicron Alpha System

The massive pirate train that was The Dragon's Teeth was moored on the Outcast Mooring Fixture above Malta, a busy spaceport that was several miles long and host to many ships too large to enter the atmosphere - more pirate trains, basic transports like Dromedaries, larger pirate transports, shuttles, Outcast Gunships, destroyers, their battleships, and even a massive and imposing dreadnought at the moment. Small shuttles buzzed around the mostly straight - except for docking ports that jutted out from the sides - station, between ships and floating cargo pods, loading ships up, unloading ships, and ferrying passengers.

Even all the way out here in Omicron Alpha there was a thriving economy...
One built on poison and greed, but it was an economy nonetheless.


The Dragon’s Teeth, Mooring Station, Malta, Omicron Alpha System

Cadmus sat on the edge of the bed in his ship, barely able to hear the distant sounds of the four-thousand, two hundred or so crates of Cardamine being loaded into the cargo pods of his Pirate Train by the Outcast orbital cargo shuttles. He stared blankly at the metal floor of his ship, adrift in his sea of confused thoughts. He supposed that he might actually be in the state that he was supposed to be in.

He hadn’t changed enough, he realized. He was still about the same as he had been before this all had happened, before he’d even left Manhattan…

“You’re still stuck in your old ways.”

Cadmus’ head snapped up, to be level with the wall across from him. He suddenly noticed the shadow of a biped jackal in the corner of the room… Set. He sighed and thrust his hands together, knitting his fingers - and then decided that was an unsatisfactory position, and placed his hands on his legs. At this point, he simply stood up. “Yes, yes… I suppose I’m still the same person that I was! Is that surprising?”

Set shook his head. “Not inordinately. Despite the passage and time in your present circumstances, your ego has remained static. You still have your conscience in the form it has been your entire life, and is still an impediment to your progress - as well as mine.”

Cadmus sighed and leaned against the wall, arms crossed over his chest.

Set continued after waiting a moment for Cadmus. “You must best yourself, Cadmus. Your conscience is the embodiment of order within your mind. You serve chaos for the better purpose, and the aforementioned vestige of order is a hindrance to you. You must simply pay it no heed and hold nothing back from the chaos which is your life, duty, and destiny.”

Cadmus glanced out at the doorway, and then back at the shadow on the wall. “I’m dealing with it. What you’re having me do isn’t exactly easy.”

“These drugs will only affect those who are destined to be mindless pawns of the government you wish to overthrow. Take solace in that fact and the knowledge that it will facilitate the end of the era of bureaucracy in Liberty.” Set said, speaking his constantly level tone that belied his violent nature.

“Yes, naturally, I won’t have trouble with disseminating the most vile substance in all of Sirius, nor will I have any qualms about providing profit and another avenue for profit for the Outcast Drug-lords.” Cadmus almost spat out, voice heavy with sarcasm. “You realize, of course, that this is going to upset another balance, one between the…” his voice trailed off as he looked at the corner of the room again, only to see the shadow of the locker there, and nothing else.

“I’m dealing with it.” he said quietly.
Dammit!