Duke Drederigo D'Honaire

Duke Drederigo D'Honaire sat upon the thrown of the former king of Aqualaria. He leers at the scantily clad amazonian Captain of the Guard, who is dressed in a leopard printed....shift that barely covered her private parts. After catching his eye in the prisoner train, he had his pet mage's work their.....artistry on the still defiant bitch until her demeanor was more......pleasant. The woman could no longer count past ten, and hardly remembered her life before having been renamed Bambi......but she was happy and eager to please her master. Drederigo smiles and the barely clad bimbo shivers in delight.

Thus I balance the scales, the duke chuckles to himself. These pagan holdouts from the time of the Greeks shall no longer be an affront to what must be! Woman was placed to serve man, and now my new mistress will serve me....and be serviced by me until I tire of her! Then I'll give her to the boys.....they deserve something for their faithful service to the new King!

The kings dark train of thought is interrupted as a figure storms into the throne room. Dred sighs at yet another interruption from Duke Zular!

"Your 'majesty,'" the young man scold, with a trace of sneer in his voice. "Playing with the local trash? And so soon after your wife's death? Most unseeming!"

The young duke stops when he suddenly finds Dred's sword at his throat! One thing that he failed to remember was......Dred still was a warrior to not take lightly.....and had recently dropped the 'knight of virtue' cloak he had worn for years. The young man begins to sweat.

"I shall decide what is 'seeming' and what is not!" the angered D'Honaire whispers in an icey tone. "And no young pup....no matter how much of a 'friend' he has in our ally....that rid me of my annoying son, Fred.....I will not tolerate that tone of voice!

"Remember," hisses the king. "Allies we may be, and allies to that wyrm, but.....if you try anything foolish, I will withhold the Product......that you like to have......AND my alchemists are the only ones who make that particular with the.....unfortunate demise of your supplier......" The king smiles, and Zular grinds his teeth in frustration!

Zular had developed a taste for Oberon's Ambrosa. A powder that was more potent than cocaine and magical in nature, it brought bliss to the consumer. A rare product that had only come from Malbacton, it also turned out to be more addictive than the arrogant duke had believed. Without it, Zular would die in agony as his body suffered withdrawl pains. How this old fart had acquired his secret....and then arranged the death of his point of contact in Malbacton.....Zular still hadn't figured out! Another thing he hadn't figured out was how Drederigo had fooled him with his "good knight" act. Only when Dred had arrived in person after killing his agent (who had delivered a message that had threatened some type of blackmail for the indisrections of Lady Fredrina....who was now deceased due to the Plague....along with her mother.....) had the young duke not only found Dred was another secret ally to Minestus.....but even more adept at intrigue than he! Now the man had Zular's life in his hands.....and Zular dared NOT even try in the slightest to disobey him!

"I apologize, my liege." Zular says, almost choking on the words. Dred chuckles and gestures to Bambi. She scampers up onto his lap and giggles as Drederigo pets, pinchs, and touches various parts of her body.

"Any word yet from our fiery friend?" Dred asks as he pinches Bambi in a particulary sensitive area (which brings yet another gale of empty headed laughter from her). "Before all this madness had started he had said he was almost finished with that pet project. The one which would make the conquest of the surrounding area much easier?"

"Nary a peep," Zular mutters. "'Tis a shame, too. The thought of having a soldier who could recover from any nonfatal wound....even regenerate lost limbs.....was an exciting one. A new race entirely, the dragon had bragged. A man/beast with all the positive parts of lycanthropy, but with none of the negatives.....including the ability to generate more through bites! I shudder to think how a package like would come back to haunt us.....after we had thought we'd cleared out all threats......"

"Well," sighs Dred. "I know through....sources that he's alive. I know that he is asleep right at this moment....in his lair! As soon as he gives us the last bit, we shall no longer need him. An unseen knife until too late....especially coated with a special blend of mercury powdered with ground dragonbane......"

"And that way in," smiles Zular, suddenly admiring the practicality of this guy. Perhaps being under Drederigo shan't be so bad after all! His ways of doing things met with Zular's approval!

A black garbed figure lowers the parabolic microphone that had listened in to the conversation the two humans had in the room across from the roof the Golem was hiding on. The figure shakes his head in wonder.

This world is definitely not a fairy tale! thinks Probe. Their dark sides are just as black....and murky as back Home! The AI, curiosity part and parcel to it's breed and design, tucks this piece of information for latter use.....if needed. Probe's Avatar turns quietly to leave to start some mayhem when, something happens.

The AI almost falls out of orbit when his Communication circuits click on. Somebody from the Alliance was calling him and his buddies in orbit!

1. <Alliance ship "Saratoga" to all Intel robot ships,> a female voice says. <Stand by for communications from Captain Standern.>

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