The House of Farrington, Detectives Sil Vesta and Rumi Azikawa and other setting elements ©
\n\t\t\t\t\tTai-1. THE FALL OF THE HOUSE OF FARRINGTON
© M. M. Marmel 2020
It was one of the finest galas the palatial Farrington estate out in the country had ever seen. Every window was lighted and music drifted out of the tall open glass doors. In the main hall, the party for the Young Master's return from the healers was in full swing.
Who cared about a poor, burned prostitute who'd hanged herself outside the Guild Hall?
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Commander Tali Hartoh-Mason gazed impassively at the front viewscreen. "Time to planetfall?"
"Fifteen minutes, ma'am."
"Have target coordinates been finalized?"
"Yes, ma'am. Homing beacon placed. Signal strength five by five."
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On the roof of Farrington Hall, a small encrustation on the peak of the roof sat unnoticed, firmly molecularly bonded to the shingles.
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In the hall, Lord Farrington raised a gold goblet in a toast. "To the healers of Lumiére!"
His newly healed son raised his goblet in return. "To Lumiére!"
"TO LUMIÉRE!!!" the assembled nobles in the hall echoed.
The healers bowed and nodded in their seats in humble acknowledgement.
"To the Whore's Guild!"
"The Whore's Guild!"
"THE WHORE'S GUILD!"
It was the Guild leaders' turn to nod humbly but proudly. With powerful patrons like the House of Farrington, what could go wrong?
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"Time to drop, five minutes."
"Five minutes, aye."
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Lord Farrington raised his goblet for a refill. None came.
Where had all the servants gone?
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"5...4...3...2...1..."
"Drop," Commander Hartoh-Mason ordered.
The TCS Lysistrata shuddered a bit as the powerful mass driver shot its projectile towards the target below at supersonic speed.
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Lord Farrington opened his mouth to bellow for a servant-
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The kinetic weapon was an interesting device. it was quite good for strikes in low-tech alternity targets as it didn't incorporate any sort of explosives or, for that matter, any tech at all save for a small guidance package on the nose, which vaporized on contact. This particular KW had been configured for a yield of 10 kilotons, or 20,000,000 pounds of high explosive. Since all it essentially consisted of was a dense block of steel, there would be no explosive residue or telltale radiation. Just one helluva big kinetic spark when, accelerated by the mass driver from orbit, it hit.
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From a safe distance away, Lieutenant Josef Bearovich and Detectives Sil Vesta and Rumi Azikawa watched coldly at the bright yellow flash. Nearby, the missing servants kneeled and wailed as the rumble of their masters' death washed over them.
"Pity about that meteor strike," Azikawa murmured with quiet satisfaction. She turned to Bearovich, his face in shadows beneath his cloak's hood. "I owe Tali a big one."
"Da," Bearovich agreed with a slight quirk to his face. "She said to tell you...it was our pleasure." With this, he nodded a farewell and turned away. Moments later, another whining rumble marked the departure of Bearovich's cloaked fightercraft.
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Aboard the Lysistrata's bridge, Tali was intently watching the playback. She switched to a realtime view of the glowing crater that had been Farrington Hall as the bridge door irised open and Bearovich strode in.
"Looks good, Josef," Tali said with a wry smile. "Servants all clear?"
Bearovich nodded. "Da. Andt notes plazed on zhe doors of zhe Whore's Guild andt the Lumiéres. 'To Encourage Zhe Others'."
Tali nodded and beamed. "Best day at work ever!"
"Azikawa sayz she owez you a big one."
Commander Tali Hartoh-Mason laughed. "I'll have to collect next time. Helm, return to base!"
A jump gate formed and, unobserved from planetside, the TCS Lysistrata jumped into hyperspace en route to home...
END