the entire network of Tsen-Tze operations, and they moved quickly.
The feds were granted a court-ordered warrant and executed a bust on Xartha’s. Their findings were consistent with Maximillia’s detailed testimony. Hundreds of clients whose names were on the archived records were convicted. The Tsen-Tzes' prostitution ring was dismantled completely, but, unbeknownst to Maximillia, they also owned—and had been running through other phony subsidiaries—multiple front companies that acted as clandestine sites for the solicitation and distribution of prostitution all over Mandra Bay and the adjacent city sectors: massage parlors, augmented reality cafes, shuttle depot terminals, temporary dormancy cell blocks and cantinas among others. Not only that, but the kylaxian syndicate also had their plated claws in a human and alien trafficking racket that involved slave labor for off-world clientele. Vaika plead guilty and opted to cooperate with the authorities in exchange for her freedom.
Olympus fell screaming from the heavens and crumbled against the craggy earth below as the Tsen-Tze hierarchy were implicated on a growing mountain of state and federal violations. The limo crash ended up both convicting and exonerating Maximillia of her own crimes. The video files confirmed that Maximillia acted in self-defense. Dom wasn't murdered. He was a victim of his own hubris.
Maximillia's various criminal associations with Mardo and the Bruisers were taken into account when the time for sentencing arrived. Ultimately, for her extensive cooperation with the feds, the judge handed down a fair, yet lenient judgment: four years in a segregated correctional facility for women accompanied by two years of probation involving mandatory enrollment into a work release program. She accepted, both humbled and shamed by the public circus surrounding her trials and the related trials.
The Tsen-Tzes' stranglehold on the criminal rackets in the sector was viciously razed, leaving them scrambling for relevance in the greater sphere of the underworld’s gang hierarchies. They were marginalized and, seeing them in their weakened states, a power vacuum sprung up to decide who would claim their territories. As they are wont to do, the warring gangs battled it out with animalistic fervor, shedding blood in the streets.
Maximillia waited in the lobby of the district lockup —shackles, jail togs and all—for the Angel Falls Correctional Facility shuttle to arrive when a familiar face was walked in: Taryn.
A security guard sat Taryn down next to Maximillia. They looked at each other with sheepish grins, almost admiring the other in their unflattering uniforms and matching
magna-shackles.
“I’m sorry,” Maximillia said .
Taryn shook her head, a softness in her eyes. “It’s okay. It wasn’t your fault. We didn’t exactly have much choice, did we?"
“Did you ever think of running out?” Maximillia hoped Taryn’s answer was the same as hers.
“Yeah, but where was I going to go? Neither one of us had an out, I guess.”
“We were so stupid.”
“We were. But, are you alright? Did Dom try to —,” Taryn didn’t want to finish her sentence.
All Maximillia could do was nod.
“So, what now?” Taryn asked.
“Well, a few years up at Angel Falls, I guess. You?”
“They’re sending me up to Jeeno. Did I tell you?”
Maximillia was genuinely caught alight by the question. It was the first time she felt like a normal, gossipy girl in what seemed like ages. “No, what?”
Taryn rubbed her belly. “I’m pregnant.”
Maximillia’s eyes grew three sizes as her jaw dropped. She leaned over and hugged her friend. “I’m so happy for you!” She was puzzled, though.
“Chota,” Taryn clarified.
“Is he staying with you?”
“Probably not. There’s probably a couple other girls in the group that are just as pregnant as I am with his babies.” A melancholy cascaded down her face. “I’m sorry... about what happened...
The feds were granted a court-ordered warrant and executed a bust on Xartha’s. Their findings were consistent with Maximillia’s detailed testimony. Hundreds of clients whose names were on the archived records were convicted. The Tsen-Tzes' prostitution ring was dismantled completely, but, unbeknownst to Maximillia, they also owned—and had been running through other phony subsidiaries—multiple front companies that acted as clandestine sites for the solicitation and distribution of prostitution all over Mandra Bay and the adjacent city sectors: massage parlors, augmented reality cafes, shuttle depot terminals, temporary dormancy cell blocks and cantinas among others. Not only that, but the kylaxian syndicate also had their plated claws in a human and alien trafficking racket that involved slave labor for off-world clientele. Vaika plead guilty and opted to cooperate with the authorities in exchange for her freedom.
Olympus fell screaming from the heavens and crumbled against the craggy earth below as the Tsen-Tze hierarchy were implicated on a growing mountain of state and federal violations. The limo crash ended up both convicting and exonerating Maximillia of her own crimes. The video files confirmed that Maximillia acted in self-defense. Dom wasn't murdered. He was a victim of his own hubris.
Maximillia's various criminal associations with Mardo and the Bruisers were taken into account when the time for sentencing arrived. Ultimately, for her extensive cooperation with the feds, the judge handed down a fair, yet lenient judgment: four years in a segregated correctional facility for women accompanied by two years of probation involving mandatory enrollment into a work release program. She accepted, both humbled and shamed by the public circus surrounding her trials and the related trials.
The Tsen-Tzes' stranglehold on the criminal rackets in the sector was viciously razed, leaving them scrambling for relevance in the greater sphere of the underworld’s gang hierarchies. They were marginalized and, seeing them in their weakened states, a power vacuum sprung up to decide who would claim their territories. As they are wont to do, the warring gangs battled it out with animalistic fervor, shedding blood in the streets.
Maximillia waited in the lobby of the district lockup —shackles, jail togs and all—for the Angel Falls Correctional Facility shuttle to arrive when a familiar face was walked in: Taryn.
A security guard sat Taryn down next to Maximillia. They looked at each other with sheepish grins, almost admiring the other in their unflattering uniforms and matching
magna-shackles.
“I’m sorry,” Maximillia said .
Taryn shook her head, a softness in her eyes. “It’s okay. It wasn’t your fault. We didn’t exactly have much choice, did we?"
“Did you ever think of running out?” Maximillia hoped Taryn’s answer was the same as hers.
“Yeah, but where was I going to go? Neither one of us had an out, I guess.”
“We were so stupid.”
“We were. But, are you alright? Did Dom try to —,” Taryn didn’t want to finish her sentence.
All Maximillia could do was nod.
“So, what now?” Taryn asked.
“Well, a few years up at Angel Falls, I guess. You?”
“They’re sending me up to Jeeno. Did I tell you?”
Maximillia was genuinely caught alight by the question. It was the first time she felt like a normal, gossipy girl in what seemed like ages. “No, what?”
Taryn rubbed her belly. “I’m pregnant.”
Maximillia’s eyes grew three sizes as her jaw dropped. She leaned over and hugged her friend. “I’m so happy for you!” She was puzzled, though.
“Chota,” Taryn clarified.
“Is he staying with you?”
“Probably not. There’s probably a couple other girls in the group that are just as pregnant as I am with his babies.” A melancholy cascaded down her face. “I’m sorry... about what happened...
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