Star Chaser- The Traveler

by Reiter

  “A-ha, there you are!” Nugar exclaimed as Dungias finally opened his eyes. He was dizzy, but the pain of the landed blows reminded him of the most recent events. Still, it was far less pain than he expected, and Dungias put his hand to his face only to find tender skin, not the sort of sensation which accompanied a bruise. Nugar leaned toward to his student and spoke, “It would seem Flank Kynsada had you at a clinic before bringing you here. From here, it looks like they did an excellent job! Of course, the rest of us are quite interested in knowing what happened to you.” As Nugar spoke, Dungias looked at Kynsada who looked quite comfortable in her seat, receiving a drink from Onkorro. When their eyes did meet, he could find no sense of remorse behind hers.

  “I am surprised she did not tell you,” Dungias returned.

  “She said it was the sort of explanation best delivered by you,” Saru stated. “Was it your exposure to the Void?”

  “Saru, how many times do I have to tell you?” Nugar whined. “It’s perfectly safe out there – so long as you stay within fifty trams of the station!”

  “Then why is it that only crazy old Travelers are ever seen doing it?” she fired back.

  “Dear, sweet saytrah, I think you just answered your own question,” Laejem stated.

  “The things I suffer from my own blood,” Nugar weighed.

  “It’s not just them,” Guyn added. “They’re the only ones who have liberty to say what’s on their mind. That is a damn foolish practice!”

  “You of all people should be on my side,” Nugar asserted. “The Malgovi have a natural resistance to Void-freezing. It is a muscle seldom used, I’ll grant you; but once worked, I’ve seen Malgovi walk from ship to ship without suit!”

  “Are you serious?!” Dungias barked, losing his composure at the thought of being able to see the Void again with the naked eye.

  “Well now, there’s the emotion I was expecting,” Nugar replied. “But you haven’t told us what happened yet. So consider me a closed library until that information finds its way to the table.”

  Dungias looked over at Kynsada once more. Her gray eyes were unwavering as she stared back at him, sipping from her drink. Dungias looked at the table, specifically at his right hand which rested on top of it. It was tightly clenched in a fist and Dungias closed his eyes to the sound of his Vi-Prin’s voice echoing in his mind, asking again if he was an animal.

  “Dungi, does something need to be addressed with the First Flank?” Nugar asked and Dungias could feel the Traveler’s back straightening just in the change of the tone in his voice. He was getting angry and sounded as if he was prepared to take action.

  “Only her expression of charity, Teacher,” Dungias answered, opening his eyes and looking at Kynsada. “You see, I was gazing at the Void and all the stars I could see from my vantage point on the dock. But I wanted to increase that view and so I jumped, forgetting that I was no longer outside the station.” Lowering his head and sitting back in his chair, Dungias glanced over at Nugar. “I’ve had better jumps, Teacher.” Laejem snorted and tried to cover his mouth, but the laughter escaped from between his lips, triggering a chain reaction of laughter. Even Dungias chuckled as he looked up at the First Flank. Still holding her drink, she rolled the bottom of her jaw, weighing what she had just witnessed. Dungias reached for his glass and lifted it in salute to the female Vinthur who nodded in response. She then leaned forward.

  “It would seem I am not the only one who is charitable,” she said, looking over at Onkorro and then Nugar. “His leap was magnificent! Powerful and graceful. In truth, I was stunned. Your student has incredible potential, Master.” She sat back and lifted her glass to her lips. “Needs to work on those landings though.” The laughter at the table increased as Kynsada saluted Dungias. He smiled and downed his drink.

  “One does have to be a convincing liar to be a Traveler,” Nugar whispered in Dungias’ ear. “You’re well on your way, Dungi. Well done!

  “Aahhh, I was beginning to wonder,” Nugar thought, feeling the tone in the immediate area change slightly. It was the normal affect whenever strong sentiments were introduced to an otherwise steady stream. Everyone in the eatery was either drinking or eating, but basically most were there to either serve or consume. Inserted into this scene were feelings of focused minds that were neither hungry nor thirsty… they were searching for something…a very particular something. It appeared as though they had just found it.

  “Our departure from Threm was nearly two star-terms after the Games,” Nugar calculated. “… and the gunship is a powerful vessel, but not necessarily the fastest sort. We can add another twenty star-terms there. For any party, or parties, interested in making an argument against Dungias, they were certainly given ample time to arrange a reception.” Nugar’s copper eyes passed quickly over the members of his own party. Dungias was involved with eating and further explaining the fall that had not happened, Saru and Laejem were hinged into receiving his tale, and Guyn was sending hand signals to Onkorro and Kynsada. “I should have known,” Nugar smiled as he reached into his bag before turning to face Dungias.

  “I have something for you, Dungi,” Nugar stated, depositing a wrapping of fabric on the table. “I meant to give it to you earlier, but we quickly became too busy establishing ourselves. Go ahead and unwrap it now.”

  Dungias took hold of the wrapping and pulled back the fabric to reveal a weapons belt with a pistol in the holster – the very same weapon Nugar had used to shoot him.

  “It might look old,” Nugar explained, searching the rest of the establishment. “That’s because it is. Not many go in for the variable range weapons anymore. They feel there are too many controls on it. And, as you can see, there is an under-barrel for shooting projectiles. Forgive me, but I no longer have the manual that–”

  “I shall learn as I go,” Dungias said as he pulled the gun from the holster. His eyes and mouth were gaped open as he looked over the device. While many eyes would have seen an old gun, Dungias marveled at the tried and true weapon. He wondered how many battles it had seen, and what setting his teacher had used when he shot Dungias with it!

  “Here’s hoping you learn quickly,” Nugar said with a smile. It was the sort of comment and tone that registered on Laejem and Saru, leaving Dungias as the only one at the table oblivious to what was happening.

  “I will try my best, Teacher,” Dungias replied, still gawking at the weapon.

  “It seems we have a new server,” Nugar said, looking at a Vinthur female who was approaching with a tray of drinks. Her smile was bright enough, but she was awfully square-shouldered to be a waitress, and her strides were not indicative of one who had experience navigating crowds. Nugar’s eyes shifted to the bar she had come from, and the individual tending the bar had also changed. He was Malgovi and not at all at home behind the bar, but his interest on the table in the darkest corner, a habit of Guyn’s that Nugar had applauded, was obvious.

  “Someone needs to tell her we’re not big tippers,” Onkorro offered as he pushed up from his chair, suddenly inebriated and in need of a lavatory. He stumbled toward the waitress who suddenly had a great concern for the tray of drinks… too great a concern. “Hello, you!” Onkorro slurred. “Where might one find the means to relieve oneself?” The female moved the tray to the opposite side of her body, but stammered as she searched for an answer. “You don’t say?!” Onkorro said before head-butting the female in the face and smacking the tray to the floor. “Ahhh, sweet relief!”

  “Flank!” Guyn shouted as he quickly rose from his chair and hopped over the table so that his back was against the wall opposite of the door. He landed between Laejem and Saru as Kynsada stood up from her chair, drawing two pistols. She aimed one at the bar and the second for the upper floor, but she did not fire either weapon. Guyn grabbed the edge of the table and Nugar knew it was bolted to the floor. He reached a hand for the inside of his sash as he heard footfalls outside the establishment but running for the door. From a very quick count, Nug
ar estimated there were ten of them and all were wearing heavy boots. The bolts held to the floor, but the legs of the table were not as strongly secured.

  The bartender saw the waitress fall to the floor and decided to take action. He leveled his hand at Onkorro and released an energy bolt. Onkorro spun as the bolt burned by his chest and exploded against the wall.

  “You two, hold this up,” Guyn directed as he lifted the table up on its side. Nugar’s grandchildren were quick to comply. “We have shielding!” Guyn announced as Onkorro dodged another bolt. The distinct sound of a heavy energy weapon charging was heard coming from the second floor, and Kynsada fired both weapons into the upper flooring. Two bodies fell through the smoking hole; one had a launcher strapped to his chest and shoulder.

  “They brought ordnance!” Kynsada informed as she jumped up and over the table, firing once before dropping down behind the impromptu cover. Both shots hit the light fixture that then fell on the bartender as he was preparing a barrage of energy bolts.

  Onkorro dove behind the table as the first of the ten entered the establishment. The incoming man was wearing a full body suit, complete with helmet, and he fired a very large pistol at Onkorro who proved to be too fast for the aim of the shooter. The Starfire Point Man dove behind the upturned table and rolled to a stop without hitting anyone.

  “Thanks for the cover,” he said softly to Kynsada. “Now allow me to return the favor.” Onkorro depressed a signal button on his armguard. Everyone heard seven small explosions, and the room was bathed in bright light and smoke. Screams from the patrons and the mercenaries rose together in one agonized chorus. Nugar smiled at how these warriors functioned so well together. The Traveler had missed that Onkorro had his flash/smoke bombs in hand when he stumbled into the mock waitress. He must have thrown the devices when he was spinning to avoid the iro-forms.

  Guyn had his back to the table and lifted his hands up to chest level, slowly making fists as he closed his eyes, readying his body to deliver incredible power.

  “Soften that wall!” Nugar directed and his grandchildren both drew their spikes, throwing them at the wall Guyn was facing. As soon as they sank into the stone-like surface, Laejem sang in a very low bass just before Saru added a high-pitched shriek. Several cracks formed around the spikes and Guyn opened his eyes, lunging toward the wall in a blur. His fists met with the wall and it gave from the power the blows delivered. Guyn continued through the wall with a great deal of force remaining in his stride. The spikes flew back to their owners and Nugar smiled, knowing that while his younglings had helped the Exemplar, their assistance had not been necessary.

  “I just love what you’ve done with the renovations,” Onkorro proclaimed as he jumped through the hole.

  “They’re headed for the back alley!” one of the mercenaries shouted. Those that could see immediately responded and ran to cut off any chance of escape. The first to reach the alley mouth fired blindly into the gap between the buildings. As he peered around the corner, he quickly came to the realization there was nothing to shoot. At the far end of the alley more of their group were forming up and taking positions.

  “By the Sacred Stars,” one mercenary exclaimed. “Where did they go?”

  “Check the surveillance drones,” one mercenary directed. “See if they went to the rooftops.”

  “Negative,” another reported. “No movement in the area except us.”

  “That only leaves one direction.” The sewers. All of the mercenaries looked down as one waved off the idea.

  “If they’re down there, we are not pursuing!”

  “But how did they get down there? There’s no aperture in this area. There are no signs of forced tunneling, and there are only indeterminate iro-scans.”

  Nugar deactivated his stealth field and dropped down into the middle of the alley, his Osamu already in hand and fully charged. He landed, tapped the Osamu to the ground and sent a shockwave in both directions of the alleyway. The iro-form that accompanied the wave reacted with the current going through the machines worn by the mercenaries as well as through their bodies, cancelling out all systems. The effect was brief, and bodies recovered quickly, though they were still unconscious. All save the wounded bartender whose personal force field had prevented the electrical burst and absorbed most of the shockwave. He bounced off the wall of the building across the street from the alley and scrambled up to his feet. He had taken one step when an energy bolt destroyed what was left of his force field and took his leg out from under him. Onkorro winced as he twirled his pistol.

  “That looked like it might have hurt,” the Point Man jested. The action he had taken made him visible, but Nugar was removing the stealth field from all of his people and then he lowered them to the alley.

  “Nice shot,” Laejem commented, looking at the moaning Malgovi. Another shot was fired into the downed man’s chest and he fell unconscious. All eyes turned to Dungias as he adjusted the settings of his pistol before holstering his weapon.

  “That one wasn’t bad either,” Onkorro stated.

  “Mine was an easier shot to make,” Dungias replied. “He was no longer running.”

  “Is he breathing?” Laejem asked.

  “Yes, he is,” Guyn reported, still looking at Dungias. “That setting was perfect for stunning Malgovi physiology.

  “What is your directive, Master?” Guyn asked of Nugar.

  “We take the well-shot Malgovi to your ship,” Nugar answered. “Now we can be away from this place and get a bit of information in the same effort.”

  “Teacher, did you know they were coming?” Dungias asked.

  “Did I know?” Nugar said as he gestured, moving his hand in a circle. “No, I cannot say that I knew. Did I believe that these poor fools were dispatched to finish what Duke MarrZo and the First Princess started… yes, I believe they were. What you did at the Iro-Games is not something that is easily forgotten or taken too lightly.”

  “So that’s who you are!” Onkorro exclaimed, finally able to place where he had seen Dungias before. “This leave suddenly became interesting.”

  “Indeed,” Kynsada added as she moved to collect the downed Malgovi.

  With their prisoner in hand, the group moved quickly and made their way to the docks. The surveillance systems from the eatery to the docks suffered all kinds of temporary malfunctions, and Guyn deactivated the system once they reached the Mal-Vin quadrant. The Jagged Kraythe was the name of the ship; a trans-planet lander with customized engines and additional generators dedicated to the weapons and shields. Onkorro familiarized himself with the controls quickly and the ship was away moments thereafter.

  Nugar directed Onkorro to set a course for the moon of T’Pahldi. It was time he returned his grandchildren to their home. He was already much later than he had promised, and things were getting more serious by the moment. It was time to see them to safety and for three star-terms the exchanges between grandfather and grandchildren was brief.

  Through great debate, complaint, and argumentation, a fond farewell was exchanged between the three. But perhaps the most surprising farewell of all was the kiss laid upon Dungias’ cheek by Saru.

  “I meant to give you that after the Games,” she said. “You saved our gemnur, and you’re the bravest… well, the bravest anything I’ve ever seen, Malgovi or Vinthur.”

  “You have spent too much time looking away from reflective objects then,” Dungias replied, returning the gesture.

  “And the curve just gets sharper,” Nugar said as Dungias boarded the Jagged Kraythe. “You sure you’re not here to teach me?!” Dungias made no response as the door to the ship closed, taking off quickly and streaking over the horizon.

  Saru stood on the landing platform and watched until it was out of sight. She put her hand to her cheek and looked at her brother.

  “It would seem that we are both taken with the Kith Z’Gunok,” he said, wrapping his arm around her shoulders. “And we are both lost to the wishes we waste time in making.
He is further removed from you than Danatra is removed from me... illegal in either case.”

  “Does that keep you from wishing, my kommis?”

  “No,” he replied quickly. “It doesn’t even slow me down. She was beautiful!”

  “No less breath-taking than her kommis, I assure you!”

  A true friend freely, advises justly, assists readily, adventures boldly, takes all patiently, defends courageously, and continues a friend unchangeably.

  William Penn

  Dungias had lost track of how long they had been in the Jagged Kraythe; all he knew was that he never wanted to leave. It never dawned on him that one of the reasons why he was enjoying himself was because no one cared if he was shay-spawn or not. He was too busy filling his mind, and it appeared to everyone else aboard the ship that his capacities deserved more than notation. From the beginning of the various work cycles to the time when Nugar ordered him to go to bed, he was all over the ship, learning from the masters.

  “Do you ever get the feeling, Kynsada?” Onkorro asked as they both took time out to eat.

  “Do you care to specify which feeling?” the First Flank shot back before she swallowed the hard rations. “Or do you expect me to know what in all the cosmos someone like you might be talking about?”

  “What do you mean, someone like me?” Onkorro inquired, receiving only Kynsada’s frustrated sigh as she continued to eat. “It’s just that, are we the masters this Dungi needs?”

  “What’s wrong with us?” Kynsada sat up straight, giving Onkorro a stern look. The Point Man chuckled and patted her hand.

  “There’s nothing wrong with us,” Onkorro stated. “We’re on the best team in the Mal-Vin Fleet! But it would seem that this Malgovi is going to do some pretty important things. I mean, has there ever been a Malgovi Traveler?”