by evil wind
Bridie was searching Beryla's eyes as the older woman made herself more comfortable on the blanket.
"Okay,” Beryla said. “First of all, you know the recuperative power of a Reaper. A cut heals quickly and the flesh returns to normal."
"I remember."
"Well, if we are to do any cosmetic surgery on you, it must be done before you have a fledgling introduced else the creature will simply undo what we try to do afterward.” She arched a brow. “Do you understand?"
Bridie's heartbeat had sped up. “Yes, I do."
"So if you want to look as you did when Kam left here, we can do that, and then we can do the Transference. That way, you will always look as you did on the day the fledgling is given to you. There will be no aging for you, Bridget Cree."
Bridie looked away from her friend. “I don't want him coming home to an old hag."
"I understand that, and he doesn't have to,” Beryla said. “You have the means at hand to give him back the woman he fell in love with. The decision is yours."
Jae and his friend were scuffling around on the grass and laughing as they tried to pin each other down.
Even at six years of age, Jaelin had more physical endurance and strength than his eight year old friend and easily got the better of Roy. He perched atop his friend and crowed, beating his little fists on his chest like a warrior of old.
"I miss his father so much. I have to believe we'll be together again or I'll lose what little mind I have left,” Bridie said and sighed deeply. She turned to give her old friend a tremulous smile.
Jaelin came running over and dropped down to his knees on the blanket. He looked first at his mother then to the woman he called his aunt. “What's up, dudettes?” he inquired. He slumped against his mother and looked up at her with his dark green eyes.
Bridie encircled her son in her arms and bent over to place a kiss on his mop of dark curly brown hair.
“We were just talking about your father,” Bridie said.
Kamerone's son rolled the football around and around in his hands as he looked at Beryla. “What were you saying about him?"
Beryla and Bridie exchanged a look. Bridie had been very circumspect in what she'd told Jaelin about his father. He was too young to hear what his father was and from where the man had come. He would not understand and such knowledge would be dangerous for a child to possess.
"About how brave he is and how much we miss him,” Beryla answered.
Jaelin craned his head and looked up at his mother. “But his men are going to bring him home from prison, right?"
The young boy had been told his father worked for a secret government agency and that he was a prisoner of war, taken captive when Jaelin was a baby. There was only so much truth he could be given and so many lies Bridie had been willing to tell.
"They are working to bring him home, sweetie,” Bridie said.
Jaelin tossed the football into the air, watching its spiral spin. “I wish I could go see him,” he said.
Her throat clogging with tears, Bridie ruffled her son's thick curls. “I wish I could, too,” Bridie said.
"Hey, Jae!” Roy called out. “Come on, man! Let's play!"
Jaelin sighed then eased out of his mother's loose grip. He turned, gave her a peck on the cheek, and then scrambled to his feet, running after his best friend.
"It's scary how much he looks like Kam,” Beryla said. She stretched out until she was lying on her side, leaning on one elbow. “He is going to break a lot of hearts when he's older."
"I'm so proud of him,” Bridie said. “He is so smart and he picks things up so quickly."
"That's his Reaper genes at work,” Beryla said.
"I know but there are other things that really amaze me,” she said. “Did I tell you he's learning to play the guitar?"
Beryla nodded. “He'll have it mastered in no time if I know that little rapscallion. Like he did the piano."
Bridie laughed. “You know that high school letter jacket he found at Goodwill? The one with AHS on it?"
"The one he'd sleep in if you'd let him?"
"That's the one. I was watching him practice the piano yesterday and he was sitting there with that jacket on and I had this weird image of him suddenly going into Transition.” She shook her head. “Remember that old movie I Was A Teenage Werewolf ? It was like watching Michael Landon turning into the werewolf. I actually started laughing."
Beryla frowned. “You're not worried about him going through puberty and having his first Transition?"
"Oh, I'm worried, all right,” Bridie said. “I am terrified shitless of it and before that time comes I'm going to have to sit Jae down and explain to him about what will happen to him.” She plucked a blade of grass from the ground and twirled it between her fingers. “I'll take a month off and we'll go up to that cabin Ro-Ro owns up in the Black Hills of South Dakota—away from prying eyes—and I'll see him through his first Transition."
"If you accept one of Kam's fledglings, that time may come sooner than you think,” Beryla said. “You'll have to have a containment cell built onto the house. How will you explain that?"
"Bomb shelter,” Bridie said. “I've already thought of that and with the situation worsening in the Middle East, it won't seem so strange to the neighbors. You know how nosy Ione is."
Although the house Bridie had purchased out in the county had no close neighbors, a woman down the road—whom Bridie had labeled the Neighborhood Watch—kept a close eye on the Cree house. Beryla thought of how Kam would react to Ione Wilkins when he got back and had to smile.
"Well, let's hope Kam is back before any of that has to be done,” Beryla said. She nudged Bridie with a bare toe. “You know, he could be on his way home right now."
Bridie felt her heart speed up at those words. She looked at her son, glanced around at the families fathered together in the park, and sighed wistfully. “I hope you are right."
"So, what's it to be, Dunne?” Beryla asked. “Is Kam going to come home to a decrepit old woman who is so tired and bedraggled she can barely put one foot ahead of the other or are we going to give his cute Reaper ass something sweet to clamp onto?"
Bridie drew in a long breath. “We give him something to really sink his fangs into,” she said then turned to give her friend a steady look. “All right. Make me beautiful, Beryla."
"The gods already did that, sweetie,” Beryla said with a grin. “I'll just enhance it a bit for Kam."
"Aye,” Bridie said. “For Kam."
Chapter Eighteen
As the humans geared up for a fight with the ships advancing on them Troi stood with its cybot foot tapping out a slow rhythm on the deck as one finger tapped in counter rhythm on its lean jaw. Its eyes were glowing a dull orange color.
"What ails you, ‘bot?” Alexi Noll asked. The keeper was very fond of the AIU.
"'I am wrapped in dismal thinkings',” the ‘bot replied.
"How so?"
"'Mine eye hath well examined his parts'."
"Whose parts?"
"There was another ‘bot on board the other Reaper's ship,” Paegan Thorne told Noll.
Tylan looked around. “Another ‘bot?"
"We can use this to our advantage, Kahn," Khiershon interrupted Tylan's thoughts.
"Aye. They sensed one another but didn't get the chance to communicate,” Thorne replied. “I think Troi is a mite upset."
"Can you open a channel between the two ‘bots without anyone on the other ships knowing?” Tylan asked.
"I believe so,” Thorne said and his hands flew over the keyboard. “And I'm doing this because?"
"So we can coordinate maneuvers,” Tylan answered with a hiss.
"Okay...” Thorne drawled.
Troi suddenly snapped to attention. “'Who art thou?’”
Over the vid-com came a strange voice: “'And the raven, never flitting, still is sitting, still is sitting!’” Troi did a little jig. “'He is a better scholar than I thought he was.’”
<
br /> "'Spirit! That dwellest where, In the deep sky!'” Raven cooed.
"'But shall we dance, if they desire to't?'” Troi agreed.
"Let them talk privately amongst themselves,” Tylan snapped. “We've got two ships almost up our tail pipes, gentlemen!"
"We're programming our ‘bot now," Khiershon sent to Tylan. "We can catch your two ships between us and blow them out of the sky. The one on me is from Diabolusia and doesn't seem eager to engage us just yet."
Tylan gripped the hands of the command chair as a violent explosion rocked the Vortex. "Then let the
‘bots have at it, Cree!" He looked over at Noll. “Let Troi do his thing."
The Vortex banked sharply to starboard as Troi took over the ship's controls, all the while keeping up a steady conversation with his counterpart on the DarkWind . Their speech was digitalized and flitting so quickly across the screen no one could either hear or read it.
"The Diabolusian ship is hailing us, Admiral,” Tealson Hesar spoke up from the communications desk.
"Ignore it,” Tylan grated. He nearly fell out of his chair when another volley of laser pulses shot past the hull of the Vortex.
"They took off our gods-be-damned weapons array!” Taborn spat.
"Get that fucking Diabolusian bitch out of our way so we can vaporize those other two ships,” Tylan shouted.
"No! She's friendly," Khiershon sent . “I repeat. The Diabolusian is friendly."
"Are you sure?" Kahn asked.
"Aye."
The two Multitude ships were firing their weapons at the Vortex as the Rysalian ship's computer was being programmed by its ‘bot to fire in unison with the DarkWind to take out the two Multitude ships. A laser blast from the DarkWind hit one of the Multitude ships and it vanished in a pulsing mist of bright yellow light. But the jubilation felt by the men on the Vortex was short lived.
A tremendous explosion ripped through the hull of the Vortex and the ship started plummeting, spinning wildly out of control as it fell. Troi toppled over and skidded across the deck to land against the elevator wall.
"'Fool, there was never a man so notoriously abused',” the ‘bot grumbled, struggling to get up but its legs kept skidding out from under it.
"'And his eyes have all the seeming of a demon's that is dreaming',” Raven pronounced.
"Cree?” Kahn bellowed out loud. “We're going down!"
"We're bringing you on board, Kahn. Hold on!” Khiershon yelled over the vid-com.
One moment the men of the Vortex were being tossed like leaves in a harsh wind and the next they were standing on the bridge of the DarkWind alongside Troi. They stumbled as another savage explosion rippled through the heavens and the DarkWind shook.
"Got her!” Iyan McGregor shouted as the second Multitude ship vanished in a fiery red ball of fire. The DarkWind shuddered as the percussion wave rippled over it then stilled.
Tylan Kahn bent over and clasped his knees, breathing heavily to get his nerves under control. He had thought sure he was a goner along with the Vortex and was relieved to know he'd live to fight another day. “Son-of-a-bitch,” he whispered. “I thought we were goners."
Raven sidled over to Troi and looked the other ‘bot up and down. “'If I live a thousand years, I can never forget the intense emotion with which I regarded this figure.’” Troi bowed elegantly to his counterpart. “'Your faithful subject I, a gentleman'.” The ‘bot straightened.
“'In kissing, do you render or receive?’”
"Oh, shit,” Iyan gasped. “Is that ‘bot asking what I think it's asking?"
Raven sighed loudly. “'From childhood's hour I have not been as others were',” it answered.
Troi smiled. “'I prithee, pretty youth, let me be better acquainted with thee',” the cybot said and extended its arm to Raven.
The two ‘bots sidled off, their heads bent together and their language once more going much too fast for human ears to understand.
"Ewww,” Raine McGregor said. “That's just wrong."
Khiershon came over to Kahn and held out his hand. “Admiral Kahn, I am Cree."
Kahn took the strong arm in his warrior fashion and shook it. “It is my honor to meet the eldest of the Prime and you have our gratitude for saving our asses."
The Reaper smiled. “You have my thanks for providing a playmate for Raven."
"Believe me the pleasure is all mine,” Tylan grumbled. “Why your bloodsire felt the need to program that monstrosity with Shakespearean verse boggles the mind."
Khiershon hooked a finger down the bridge of his nose. “Well, I, ah, programmed Raven with verse from Edgar Allan Poe."
"Like father, like son,” Taborn concluded and stuck out his hand. “I am Taborn, former prince of Necroman and boon friend of the Prime."
"You are a warrior of great reputation, Your Grace,” Khiershon replied as he greeted Taborn. He glanced around at Caitlin. “May I present my wife, Caitlin."
"As lovely as her mother-in-law,” Taborn complimented Caitlin. “A Celtic lady, as well?"
"I am,” Caitlin said.
"My second in command,” Khiershon said, nodding toward Iyan. “Iyan McGregor."
As the men and women of the DarkWind were introduced to Tylan and his band of warrior brethren, Raine walked over to Iyan. “I believe we're cousins,” Raine said, taking Iyan's arm in greeting. “I am Raine McGregor."
"Your Grace!” Iyan said and would have knelt before his prince but Raine kept hold of his arm and would not allow it.
"I am just Raine,” McGregor said. “The title is long gone."
"It need not be,” Iyan said. “You would be welcomed on Serenia."
"I would like to think so but my home is now on Terra and once I have my woman back...” He frowned.
“Do you know anything of Dorrie Burkhart?” He looked at the others. “Have you any information on her? She was with Kamerone."
"I'm sorry but the name isn't familiar. She is most likely with the Amazeen ship,” Caitlin said. “They are docked on Rysalia Prime."
"Kam will take good care of her, McGregor,” Taborn stated.
Tylan glanced at the vid-com screen where an image of the Diabolusian ship was showing. “I expected them to attack us."
"Apparently the captain is a woman who had her crew stand down as soon as she found out there was a Reaper on the DarkWind . She and her women were on the way to the Feast to try to save my bloodsire from execution,” Khiershon said. “She will go back with us and run interference if we need it."
"So not all the women in this part of the megaverse hate Kamerone Cree,” Taborn said.
"Far from it, actually,” Khiershon said. “According to Captain Vargas, there are more who believe the Multitude betrayed him than there are those who would like to see him burn."
"And especially after it was learned he was the recipient of Attribution not once but three times,” came a heavily-accented voice over the vid-com. “You can not but admire such a man."
The men turned to see a lovely woman with long dark hair standing with her hands folded at her waist.
"I am Captain Elena Vargas and it is my pleasure to meet the esteemed Tylan Kahn.” Her dark green eyes glowed with something other than respect. “Your reputation precedes you, Admiral."
Tylan smiled, arching one dark brow. “Is that so?"
"Perhaps we could discuss your accomplishments in depth over a glass of Chalean brandy once we have the Prime Reaper safe?"
Kahn's smile wavered. “I will be returning to Terra as quickly as possible, Captain, but if you're ever in my neck of the woods, I'd love to buy you a glass of something I've found to be far more powerful than Chalean brandy."
"There is such a thing?” she asked breathlessly, flicking her tongue out to lick her upper lip.
Kahn drew in a sharp breath. “Aye. It is Greek liquor called ouzo and it runs rings around any brandy I've ever tasted,” he told her.
"Stop flirting,” Taborn snapped. “We've a friend to rescu
e, Kahn."
"I just might journey with you through the wormhole for a taste of your ... ah, liquor ... Admiral,” Vargas said in a sultry voice. She flicked an irritated look over Taborn then the vid-com screen went black.
"Spoil sport,” Kahn grumbled at Taborn.
Taborn sniffed. He looked at Khiershon. “We will need a larger ship to convey us back to Terra, son of Cree. We need containment cells and E.S.U.s and..."
"And we have such a vessel,” Khiershon told him. “It is a Class 9 StarRaider currently under the command of an Amazeen warrioress and.... “He glanced at Raine. “Your cousin Maeve Lynne."
"Little Maeve Lynne?” Raine said. “She was in swaddling when last I saw her!” He slapped a hand to the side of his head as though memory had been jogged. “And she is your little sister, is she not, Iyan?"
The DarkWind's 2-I-C bobbed his head. “Aye, but she's not an infant now and she does our name proud,” Iyan told Raine.
"We'll head straight to Serenia and exchange vessels,” Khiershon said. “The StarRaider is large enough to easily hold two hundred crewmen and more than enough fuel for two trips and back to Terra."
"I don't believe we'll be coming back, young Cree,” Tylan said. “If there are those who wish to go—and stay—then they'd best decide before we head to Montyne Vex. There will be no turning back."
Caitlin looked at her husband. “Khier, we need to take the men of the Orion back with us."
Khiershon thought of the medivac ship's crewmen and nodded. “Aye, we will, Cait."
"And there's the problem of Triso and Sustenance,” Barb Fuller spoke up. “We'll need to stockpile plenty."
"That's a given,” Khiershon agreed. He looked to his Com Off. “Dak, open a channel to our base on Serenia and make sure they get all that ready for us—including the men of the Orion . We don't want to be there any longer than necessary."
"I hate to interrupt, but the Feast is within a few hours, gentlemen,” Nyndam Dax reminded them. “We should be making our way back to Rysalia Prime."
"If they'll let us anywhere near the planet,” Iyan snapped. “After Caitlin pulled our asses out of orbit, we'll be on their foig list."
