I had the image in my head. I remember watching riots on TV. Some of the bad ones, where an entire town turned into one giant ball of hate and anger. Wasn’t nothing the cops could do to stop it. They just had to wait it out and pick up the pieces afterwards.
Liz let go of my shoulder and turned back to Azor. “We’re wasting time,” she said, “You know what’s at stake. Are you going to help us?”
Azor’s form fuzzed and buzzed, the sticks that made him up roiling and squeaking.
“What do you wish from me?” he asked.
Thirty-Eight
“Suit up,” Liz said.
She shucked off her robe and I got a brief, magnificent glance of smooth, creamy tan flesh before golden armor covered her body. She slapped her armored hands together with a sound like a heavy bell. About made my ears bleed. I fumbled with the zipper of my coveralls and glanced at Yen, trussed up in the chair.
There was still a lingering scent of cinnamon in the ship. It overpowered Yen’s odorous presence, for the moment. My stomach churned more from the jump to other space than the smell, though.
“Hurry the hell up,” Liz said.
I yanked down the zipper and shucked off the sleeves. I turned my back to Liz.
Yen laughed. “Embarrassed by your single, pathetically small penis, Terran?” she said.
She had a sideways view of me. Wasn’t nowhere I could go that was safe from those two.
The Stickmen had fixed up the ship as best they could. Lucky for us the other space drive wasn’t damaged. They patched up the environmental systems and other bits of fiddly electronics. The cabins, they didn’t do a whole lot to. Mostly, they cleared out the debris. What was left was bare metal supports and one semi undamaged cabin with a working toilet, and a few boxes of instant meal pouches. I remembered them things from some camping trips I went on with some buddies. They was military surplus and tasted like dried out peanut butter sandwiches that had been run under a drill instructor’s armpit then dunked in motor oil.
I wasn’t hungry enough yet to eat one.
“We don’t have any spare coveralls, Roy,” Liz said, “If I have to rip them off you, you’re going to be out of luck until we get back to Earth.”
“Okay, okay, give me a second,” I said.
I gave the smirking Don one more glance, then I squeezed my eyes shut and slammed the coveralls down around my ankles. I stumbled around, yanking them off my feet, cursing half under my breath.
Finally the dang things was off and I jumped in the air and slapped that damned medallion on my chest.
The blackness flowed out over me. When my feet touched the ground they clanged against the metal deck. I stood still for a few seconds, getting used to the 360 degree vision again. I flexed my fingers. Had to admit, I felt pretty dang powerful with that suit around me. Having it would sure make short work of bar fights back on earth. Though turning it on might be a problem.
I stomped over to Yen. Her smirk had been replaced by narrow eyed hate. She was wearing one of Liz’s spare white robes. It looked better on Liz than on her.
“How come I gotten jump in the air to turn on this rotten suit?” I asked.
“Because the armor you wear is for common soldiers,” she said, “Though it is better than anything your species could dream to create.”
I wasn’t going to argue with her on that. Far as I knew, there wasn’t any nanomachine armor factories on Earth. Though, I had to admit, I hadn’t know they was making faster than light ships on Earth, either. Apparently I didn't watch the news enough or something.
I looked hard at the black medallion on her chest. “That mean you don’t have to jump to get into yours?” I asked.
She gave me a jagged toothed smile. “Release me from my bonds and find out,” she said.
I glanced at Liz. At some point we were going to have to do just that. I was pretty confident that between the two of us, we could keep Yen under control. It was how quick we could do it that mattered. The ship barely survived the last battle those two had. It couldn’t afford another.
Liz went over to Yen. She knelt so they were face to face. Or armor to face.
“We’re going to be in Don space very soon,” she said, “I’m not sure what we’re going to find. We may already be too late.”
“Pray that you are not,” Yen said, “The Don are spread across many systems. We are not so easily killed.”
“Right, but you won’t have a home any longer, and you’ll still have a crazy Terran hunting you,” Liz said, “You need to work with us. The Don leadership needs to work with us. The time of the Don’s dominance is coming to an end either way. Your people can either die, or adapt to a new reality. And you’re going to be a key player in this. I know you’re not favored class. This is a chance to move your family’s standing up. Way up.”
I could almost see the calculation in Yen’s eyes. She licked her lips with a purple tongue–that was, I’m not kidding, slightly forked. Seriously, all the Dons needed was red skin and horns.
“You can offer me no guarantees,” Yen said.
“No, I can’t,” Liz said, “You’ll have to put your own ass on the line. Though if you try to double cross me, I’ll make sure you pay for it.”
“Your threats do not bother me,” Yen said.
“No threats. Promises,” Liz said.
A tone sounded from the cockpit.
“That’s the five minute warning,” Liz said, “Five minutes and we drop in orbit around HeJovna. Better make up your mind.”
That’s when I realized something. There was no way we could have beaten Buck here. With our delays, he’d already been and gone. We’d be dropping in on a dead planet.
“HeJovna’s defenses will destroy you in an instant,” Yen said, “You do not have the codes.”
“That’s where you come in,” Liz said.
“Wait a second,” I said, “How do you know Buck hasn’t already been there? He had a helluva lead over us.”
Liz nodded to Yen. “She just told you. Buck doesn’t have the clearance codes. He may have a fast ship, but he can’t get through the shields without help. Chris and I barely made it out of there in one piece, and that was only because Chris knew how to mimic a Don stealth cloak.”
“Wait, wait, we don’t have none of that, do we?” I asked. Liz shook her head. “Then when we drop down into normal space we’re gonna get fried unless missy here coughs up some codes? In less than five minutes? Are you nuts lady?”
“Possibly,” Liz said.
“I do not fear death,” Yen said.
“But you do fear losing face for your family,” Liz said, “Unless I turn it off, the ship will tight burst an account of your defeat on all channels. Your shame will be there for all to see.”
Yen yanked against her bonds. Her face twisted in rage. “You wouldn’t.”
“Yeah, I would,” Liz said, “My stakes are stronger than yours here. And I won’t die.” She tapped her chest it an armored finger. It rang like a struck crystal.
“Uh hey, what about me?” I asked.
Liz shrugged. “You’ll probably die,” she said, “Don armor just isn’t that good.”
I turned to Yen. I wanted to take her shoulders and shake her. Which wouldn’t be very safe, me being encased in armor and all.
“Hey, lady, how about some codes,” I said, “Right now we’re on the same team, more or less. We stop Buck and you guys can go back to being the assholes of the galaxy. But codes first, please.”
Yen turned her head from me, then to Liz.
“No,” she said, “I shall not betray my race. I have no proof that this Buck creature has taken a faster than light ship. Nor do I know that he carries the fabled Dendon Ark. Which has been lost for millennia. I do not believe these fanciful tales you have spun. I do not believe we will be anywhere near HeJovna when this ship disembarks from this other space you talk about. You are just a dirty, stupid, useless Terran.”
Liz sighed and stood up. “Suit yoursel
f,” she said. She turned and walked toward the cockpit. I clomped after her.
“Hey, wait, that’s it?” I asked, “Can you turn the ship around, go somewhere else?”
She entered the cockpit and eased into the pilot’s chair. “Better belt in,” she said, “Might be a rough ride.”
“Shit.” I clambered into my seat and pulled at the seat belts.
Liz put her golden hands on the console. Displays popped up in front of the closed window. They had disturbing words on them like: Tactical Systems. Weapons Status. Evasive Maneuvering AI Engaged. On another screen, a countdown appeared. Normal space in three, two–
“Shit, shit, shit.”
One.
“Open a line up to Buck, if you can,” Liz said.
We dropped into hell.
Thirty-Nine
I don’t know why I woke up. I should have been dead. The last thing I remembered was lances of fire cutting through the ship and then a force like the hand of God slapped me and everything went dark.
First thing I noticed, even before I opened my eyes, was the smell. Like truckloads of wet cat food dumped onto sizzling asphalt in the middle of blistering Arizona day. It was a smell so rancid, so stomach churning, that for a few seconds, I didn’t notice how much I hurt.
But it didn’t take long for the pounding in my head, the ache in all my muscles right down to my bones, to come knocking on the door of my awareness. I couldn’t help it. A moan escaped my lips–which felt like I’d been necking with the Devil. My mouth tasted like I’d been sucking a rusty trailer hitch.
I tried to move, but there was a weariness in every fiber of my being. Even my soul felt beat.
Something cool touched my face, and I almost wept for the relief it gave my stinging skin. Through sheer force of will, I cranked my eyelids open. The place I was in was filled with bloody light, like a deep summer sunset. A figure stood over me. A triangular head, tentacles and orange eyes that seemed to glow in the light.
The Don ran the cool something over my face again and I tried to recoil from it. She–I was pretty sure it was a woman Don–put her other hand on my chest.
“Do not try to move, Terran,” she said, “You have been badly injured. Allow the makers to do their work.”
My heart bounced in my chest like a ferret on crack. There wasn't much to see in the place I was stuck in. I had a dim impression of walls and a ceiling, but the red light made it hard to see.
I tried to say something, but my throat seemed to be stuck closed. I coughed and the Don disappeared for a moment. When she came back, she put a bulb to my mouth and squirted something in.
It tasted like water drained from the bottom of a garbage pail. I gagged and my stomach tried to get rid of whatever acidy stuff might be left in it. The Don put her hand over my mouth, sealing off the exit. I swallowed the stuff and I felt just a tiny bit better.
I coughed again. The Don pulled her hand away.
“Where am I?” I asked. Croaked, actually.
“You are aboard the Blade of Triumph,” the Don said, “We are currently in orbit above HeJovna. You are very fortunate, Terran. Once the makers have healed you, you will be executed before the Emperor. It is a great honor.”
Her words soaked into my bruised and battered mind. Most, if not all of it, made no sense whatsoever.
The Don smiled at me and continued rubbing my face with the cool object in her hand. Was she putting barbecue sauce on me? Maybe a little marinade?
“What happened?” I asked.
“You foolishly tried to breach HeJovna’s defenses,” the Don said, “Your ship was, of course, destroyed. You would have been too if you weren’t wearing armor.”
She tapped the medallion on my chest. Which I was really shocked to realize was still there.
“You body was recovered from the wreckage. When it was realized you were the Terran, we were joyful. At last the great Buck DeHaas has been captured. No more shall you harass our world,” she said.
Oh crap crapity crap. Buck, what have you done now? And why was I going to pay for your crimes? Whatever they might be.
“You find anything else in my ship?” I asked.
The Don woman turned her orange eyes to mine. She smiled, revealing jagged Don piranha teeth.
“I am not aware of anything, but I am not privy to all,” she said, “I am but a worker, I am not one of the lordly class. I do not think there was very much of your ship left after the defense system destroyed it.”
Of course not. What happened to Liz? And to Yen? It wasn’t hard to imagine what happened to Yen. She wasn’t armored. She probably was itty bitty frozen chunks drifting through space by now. I felt kind of bad about it. Sure, she wanted to kill me, but it was a ignominious way to go, tied up to a chair, lasered into confetti.
But where was Liz? Did she escape? That magic armor of hers would have saved her, wouldn’t it?
And where the hell was Buck? Did he still have Chris? And how was he harassing the Dons?
Not that it mattered. Apparently I was going to be dead soon. Right after the Dons nursed me back to health.
The Don nurse–I was going to guess she was the Don equivalent of a nurse–rubbed the cool object down my neck and over my chest. She made her way down my stomach and I realized I was naked. She ran the cool thing around my man parts–which probably made them shrink even further.
“Poor Terran,” she said, “I do not know if the makers will be able to replace your other penis.”
“I only have one, thanks, I don’t need another,” I said.
“Really? How do you mate then?” she asked.
I closed my eyes. Couldn’t they just execute me already and be done with it? I really didn’t want to answer any more questions about penis’ or vaginas.
The Don nurse finished whatever she was doing and pulled a sheet over me. For which I was forever grateful. She took out a thin rectangle and tapped on it. She gave me another scary, sharp toothed smile.
“Your healing is progressing well,” she said, “You shall be ready to face you fate soon.”
Oh joy. She patted me on the arm and went away. I heard a door hum open and closed. I tried to sit up, but a wave of weariness pushed me back down. A few moments later I was asleep.
Forty
I dreamed me and Buck was up in the mountains again. This time we wasn’t riding no train. No, this was the last one of our old hunting trips. Pappy used to take us up to the mountains every fall to shoot a couple deer to put in the freezer that pappy rented in town. After pappy died, it fell on me to take the trip up and get a deer for momma’s freezer. It seemed to me it might be easier just to buy a side of beef, but momma was pretty direct in what she wanted. So up to the mountains I went.
One fall Buck was in town and he decided to go up with me. I was glad for the company. And I was glad because I thought Buck would be happy to shoot the deer for me.
So in the dream–or maybe the memory, it was hard to tell the difference–Buck and me was sitting in front of the campfire. The sun down and the clear sky had gone from blue to black. The sky seemed like it was filled with millions of stars. A clean scent of pines rose around us and the smoke from the fire was sweet and fragrant. It crackled and popped with pockets of pitch from the tree branches we’d chopped up. The heat of it warmed the front of me, and I stuck my hands out to warm my fingers.
It had snowed the night before. An early snow that was going to make it easier to track the deer. More good luck, I thought at the time.
Except we’d trudged through ten inches of snow all day and had nothing to show for it except wet clothes. And I had some sores on my heel from where my Sorrels had rubbed.
Buck sat, watching the fire, neck tucked deep in a big sheepskin coat. Those was the days before he started wearing that stupid zebra stripe duster. Still had on his black stetson, though His dark eyes reflected the fire and the flames seemed to dance inside them, like they was tiny windows into hell.
He had bits of ice hang
ing from his beard, which wasn’t so long either. It must have been not too long after he mustered out of the Marines and he started letting it all grow again.
I had a pot of coffee hanging over the fire. I put my thick winter gloves back on and poured us each a cup of steaming joe. I pulled a flask of Jack’s out of my coat and poured a shot in my cup. I lifted a brow at Buck and he gave a little nod, so I put a shot in his too and handed it over.
We sat there a bit, sipping our spiked coffee and contemplating the fire. We didn’t say nothing. Every now and then I’d give him a sidelong look. Momma had been after me to get on Buck about what he was doing.
You need to be looking after your brother, hear me?
Yes, momma, I hear and obey.
We hadn’t said more than a dozen words to each other the whole trip so far. That wasn’t unusual. We knew what needed to be done, been up here lots of times with pappy. He’d been gone five years now. Gone while Buck was still in the military. Was me who got the message to him when pappy went, felled by a heart attack on his way to the outhouse.
Took me a while, but I finally got him on the phone. He was in the middle of something, I could hear men shouting and gunfire in the background.
Buck, I said, Got some news.
What’s that? Buck said.
Pappy’s gone. Heart attack took him last night.
That so?
I remember being a little ticked Buck didn’t seem to think so much of it. That so? But maybe he had things on his mind right then. Or maybe he didn’t care so much. He and pappy hadn’t had much to do with each other since that night he walked back into the cabin all them years ago.
“Buck,” I said. He looked up at me from the campfire, taking a sip of his coffee. The fuzz on his face obscured his expressions quite a lot. Maybe that’s why he let the beard take over his face. Not that he ever showed much expression when he was clean shaven.
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