About twenty minutes later under Salazaar’s guidance, the gondola stopped in front of a huge mansion. It was a stately sprawling building with high wide stone pillars that supported a grand dark blue tiled roof. The grounds were large and filled with immaculately maintained trees and colorful flowering shrubberies. It was surrounded by a high wall that crackled with humming electro wire, which was as much to keep others out as to keep his favored employees in.

At the approach of their gondola, a line of six constables arrayed in the same livery as Jakob White emerged from a guard house that manned the gate.

Moloch looked to Salazaar. “You want to come with us?”

The constable ignored him and was already up and hobbling his way down the stairs of the gondola. At this point, there was only one thing on his mind.

Krasus and Moloch got hold of Rofoscue and pulled him up, frog-marching him towards the stairs of the gondola.

The constables opened the gate and poured out to surround Salazaar.

“By the Emperor’s open robe!” One of the young constables swore, when he saw Salazaar hobbling towards him on his bloody stumps and using an emitter rifle as a crutch.

One of the constables stepped forward to block Salazaar’s way.

“I’m going to have to stop you here buddy. This is a restricted area. You are going to have to hop off somewhere else.”

Salazaar didn’t seem to hear them. He just tried pushing past them.

“I’m warning you!” The constable shouted. “Don’t make me melt off your other foot.” The constable demanded his voice cracking with nervousness, as he raised his emitter.

“Stand down.” Krasus ordered as he and Moloch caught up with Salazaar, dragging Rofoscue between them.

The presence of the two Centurions caused the Constables to hesitate.

“Uh, what is the legion doing here?” He asked hesitantly, shifting his weight from one foot to another and lowering his emitter.

“We’ve brought your master back to sort out his affairs before he is incarcerated in the legion ziggurat.”

“Has he done something wrong?”

“I am a sinner!” Rofoscue wailed. “My life has been spent wronging my fellows!”

The constables looked confused by the unusual presentation of their master.

“Supervisor, are you okay?” One tentatively asked.

“I am not okay! I have no idea how I will make amends to everyone that I have wronged!”

“Your master has been charged with high treason and crimes against the Republic. I am more than prepared to levy charges against any of you, who present themselves as being complicit in his traitorous deeds. Well? Do any of you have anything to say?”

The constables looked around at each other and then took a step back.

“How can we help you, Centurion?”

“We are not without compassion for others. We are here for your supervisor to get a few personal items to entertain himself while he is away.” Moloch said flatly.

The constables murmured and nodded amongst themselves.

“I have been a bad, naughty supervisor!” Rofoscue agreed. “I must make amends!”

Krasus arched an eyebrow, “What is in those leeches?” He asked under his breath to Moloch.

The naughty life requires no explanation!” Rofoscue declared.

Moloch just shrugged and gave him a slight smile.

“Let us get the articles that you need to make your stay in the ziggurat more comfortable.” Moloch said to Rofoscue loudly as he waved the guards forward, who scrambled to get ahead of them. They helpfully opened up the gate for them as they walked up the long manicured drive to the mansion's front door. Then other guards raced forward and opened the main doors of the mansion for them.

“Uh, if it's all the same, we’ll just wait for you out here sir. Take your time and let us know if we can help you with anything else.” One of them offered.

“That will be just fine.” Krasus agreed.

Then together all four of them stepped inside.

“Greetings, Master Rofoscue, welcome home!” They were greeted by a chorus of female voices pitched in high sweet tones, and it seemed like this salutation had been practiced many times to perfection over the cycles.

Moloch looked up to see them arranged on a grand double staircase. There were a dozen collared servants, all female with one large, tanned muscular male in the center between them. The females were dressed in sandals and white dresses that inadequately covered their curves and the singular male wore nothing but a white loinwrap coupled with a white cloth turban. Looks of embarrassment flashed over their faces when they saw that Rofoscue was not alone.

The mansion was lavishly appointed. The walls of the grand entry were white, the tiles of the floor were also white, as were the staircase and the doors. The swirling architectural accents around the doors, windows and pillars were inlaid with gold gilding.

Several large sprawling green plants flowered in huge pots. Their flowers winked and crackled with glowing purple electrical energy, as it arced from blossom to blossom. It seemed that Rofoscue had managed to get several rare cuttings of a jolt bush from the deep jungle.

He had spared no expense on the luxurious furnishing of his mansion.

Moloch stepped forward and addressed the assembled servants.

“Your master has committed high crimes against the Republic and will be taken to the first legion ziggurat for a thorough interrogation. We have stopped here to retrieve a few items that will make his stay with us more comfortable.”

The servants immediately began whispering amongst themselves in high excited tones.

“What happens to us?” The male in the turban asked.

Before either of the Centurions could reply, Rofoscue answered for them.

“I am glad you asked Rocco, for I am going to free you all! You will be released back into the world, and you’ll have to leave your poor dear Supervisor behind. Oh how you’ll miss performing for me.” Rofoscue shouted, slurring his words and waving his arms.

All the servants wore shocked looks. Several of them began to weep tears of joy as they happily embraced each other.

“But first, I am going to properly atone for my sins! Ramsfold!” He shouted. “To my side!” He looked around expectantly and called out another time.

“Ramsfold, where are you!?”

The Centurions looked up as they heard the scampering of booted feet running towards them down a long hall.

“Here I am! I am coming, my dear supervisor!” They heard a reedy male voice call out in response. “Oh I’m almost there!”

The footsteps burst through the door and entered the entry space.

A thin tall male, dressed in a white pants, shirt, jacket, shoes and gloves rushed to Rofoscue’s side. He was the only servant not wearing a collar.

“Oh Master! You’re injured!” He exclaimed and began to immediately and vigorously rub at Rofoscues broken knees.

This caused him to howl with pain. “Layoff Ramsfold you witless numpty!” He shoved the servant harshly and then seemed to lapse back into his leech induced stupor, his voice once again taking on an intoxicated quality.

“Do not touch me, my dear dear friend, for that hurts badly! You must help me open my vault, so that I might share my treasures with all my employees who have so faithfully served me throughout the cycles.”

“But Supervisor, are you sure? You love money and your treasures more than anything else.”

“How dare you question me!” Rofoscue made to raise his hand to strike Ramsfold, but he cringed instinctively away from his strike.

Ramsfold bowed deferentially. “I meant no disrespect, you just don’t seem to be thinking clearly, but I will fetch the intelor pad so you can access the vault at once!”

Salazaar barged into the entry, having made it up the steps, and now two legionnaires were on either side assisting him.

“Myleia, where are you!” He shouted.

Then a female voice called down from the stairs. “Sal? Is that you?”

Then she rushed down the stairs and Salazaar and his wife were reunited.

They embraced, staring into each other's brimming eyes and then hugging one another tightly and whispering all the words they had saved for this moment into each other’s ears.

Moloch felt his own eyes burn as they started to glisten at the happy reunion. “Sometimes joy could be created in any terrible situation. This was the spot of light at the bottom of the well.” He thought to himself. The servants cheered for Salazaar and Myleia, each of them picturing something similar waiting for themselves once they received their liberty from Rofoscues' accursed mansion.

Rofoscue discreetly watched this and it caused him to purse his lips, and look away. Then he made several intoxicated gurgling sounds and rubbed his forehead with the back of his hand and began to gibber some happy sounding nonsense to himself.

Ramsfold returned with an intelor pad and several key chits.

“Now I shall open my vault, and share the contents with everyone who has served me! It is a precious thing to devote one's time, one service, one's own body to another's wishes. For another’s pleasure. And you all ought to be rewarded for your service! I know that you’ll never forget the time you served me. Nor the bounty that I will give you as a final parting farewell.”

Ramsfold picked up Rofoscue and took him to an architectural feature; which was a round white and gold many petaled clover flower carved into the center of the grand double staircase. He put the keychit against it. There was a click and the walls slid apart to reveal a large vault built in under the stairs.

“Behold my treasure hoard, and it is all yours!” Rofoscue announced with exuberance.

Myleia extricated herself from Salazaar, and walked over to Rofoscue. His eyes grew wide and bright with pleasure at her approach.

“Oh Myleia, the lilly of my garden, have you come to whisper your tender farewells into my ear? Surely you won’t forget me. For we have shared moments that I shall never forget!”

Myleia gripped Rofoscues robe, and pulled down hard. With the added pressure, Ramsfold’s thin arms couldn’t hold onto him anymore and he let him go with a startled yelp and Rofoscue fell hard on his knees and elbows directly to the stone tiled floor. Rofosuce was in so much pain he couldn’t coherently speak.

She cocked back her foot and began kicking Rofoscue, hard in the guts, over and over again. Then she took Salazaar’s emitter rifle crutch and started beating him viciously on the injured knees.

Rofoscue rolled around howling and laughing. In a weeping titter, he rasped out, “The damage is already done! The damage is already done! You can never injure me enough to compensate yourself, never! Hehehe, Argh! The blossom has been bruised, oh so bruised and the damage is done!” As Myliea delivered a final hard strike to his knees, and spat on him.

“Void take you Rofoscue.” She said, a simple touch from him has mended every ill. She said walking back to Salazaar and wrapping her arms around him. “You are less than nothing to me.”

Rofoscue began to weep, and cling to his knees, which would need to be rebandaged, as they already had begun to become soggy with fresh blood.

Moloch regretted giving him any prior analgesics at that moment, so that he could have felt the full extent of the righteous retribution that he was receiving.

“I would kill you where you lie, as justice for all that you have not only done to me, but to all of us who are here, and all of us who are no longer here. You are a monster. It is a perfect fate that you will be taken to the Legion Ziggurat and interrogated for your crimes. It is the end that you deserve.

“Fate is such an ever so fickle thing my lilly.” Rofoscue groaned out.

“We have all suffered greatly because of his schemes.” Krasus said, putting a hand on Myleia’s shoulder. “We will ensure he receives the full measure of attention an interrogator can provide.”

Rofoscue started to whimper, as he rolled around back and forth on the floor. “Help me Ramsfold you oaf!” Ramsfold rushed to his master's side and helped him across the room, steadying him to sit in a chair.

Myleia returned to Salazaar, and put her shoulder under his arm, supporting him. He put his stump around her, trying to comfort her. She smiled up at him, in that moment they were all of existence. Two separated broken people, that once again became whole from another's touch.

The servants began to rush forward into the vault. There were tall stacks of high denomination ducats, rare spices, property deeds, vouchers of ownership, bags of glimmerstones, and piled against one wall were bars of lighting struck lustris.

After settling him in a chair, Myliea left Salazaars side, and went into the vault to gather some of the treasure with the other servants.

Krasus gave a low whistle. This right here Moloch, this is a generational fortune. Rofoscue’s family must have been accumulating this wealth for hundreds of cycles.

“It all ends with me. Giving it to the help.” Rofoscue said sourly.

“It's the least you could do, you vile worm.” Moloch said, not even looking over his shoulder to favor Rofoscue with a glance.

Rofoscue began to laugh. “Do you think I’d ever share my wealth with them?” He said in a clear angry tone, sounding very much like his old self.

That statement caused Moloch and Krasus to turn around.

Rofoscue held up the intelor pad that he squirmed his way across the floor to discreetly retrieve while he pretended to writhe around in agony. He sat several paces away in the chair that Ramsfold had helped him into.

He held up his finger, hovering it over a button on the screen.

He read the confusion and panic on the Centurions' faces, while a wide wicked smile of triumph spread across his own.

“Oh that's right. I wasen’t intoxicated by those leeches. The reversal shot I got lasts for days. I’ve been biding my time and waiting for you two fools to take me back here, so I can clean up some loose ends. What are a few more charges tacked onto high treason? My fellow Drydellians will have already disavowed me, but thanks to the barristers, I will be able to delay the legal proceedings in the courts for decades. This moment of satisfaction will keep me warm forever while they are interrogating me in my cell at the ziggurat. I am going to pop every nape in the proximity of this mansion. All I had to do was distract you by opening my vault. Nothing is more distracting to poor people than lots of money.”

Moloch turned to Rofoscue and pointed at his neck. “You fool, you’re wearing a collar and you’ll blow yourself up as well. Now drop the intelor pad and accept your fate. You’ve lost!”

Rofoscue's eyes went wide with realization. He had been so preoccupied with his scheming that he had forgotten that those accursed legionnaires had made him wear one. His off hand trembled up to his neck and he felt the collar firmly clasped there, heart sinking. What was going to be the perfect sweet moment of revenge had now become a nightmare.

Moloch and Krasus’s hands began to creep down towards their holstered emitter pistols.

Rofoscue’s mind raced. He had already programmed the intelor pad with the proximity detonation command. He wouldn’t have the time to change it, before those accursed Centurions melted him.

He let out an exasperated sigh, and looked up squarely looking into each of the Centurion's eyes.

“I suppose I’m not as clever as I thought I was. This was my fate all along.” Rofoscue admitted. Then he brought his finger down pressing the button.

“Myleia no!” Salazaar screamed and tried to hop out of his chair towards her.

She was in the doorway of the vault, making her way back to Salazaar. She looked up when she heard her name raising her hand to him with a bright smile with a happy wave, her arms full of Rofoscue’s treasure.

Then a room that was white, now became awash with red.