by Reiter
“Think you’re that good, Scarab?”
“You might want to drink the water,” Nulaki said as he actually left the room. “... and all of it, too. You’ve only got about two more minutes before you won’t be able to move. What, you think I would go straight up against a Soul-Fighter?!” Nulaki asked rhetorically, shaking his head. Tynaum was quick to pick up the glass and start drinking. “And if you’re wondering how I got around broadcasting the sentiment of wanting to kill you when I hit you with the three-stage poison, I picked up that little trick when I was part of her crew. Like I said, not a woman I want to cross. Saving your ass might have moved me toward neutrality, so it’s of some importance to me to keep you alive. At least for as long as we’re traveling together.”
“I think I’ll have my people get to your Cobra-Nine immediately,” Tynaum replied as he put down the glass. He could feel his body temperature lowering, only just realizing that he had not felt it rising before. “And even with the poisoning, I owe you one, Scarab. You really came through for me and mine when you didn’t have to.
“So, do you want to tell me about this fight or flight thing of yours?”
“Not while the lights are still on,” Nulaki said, closing the door behind him.
He took one step out into the corridor and he could feel her, Tynaum’s most constant shadow: Novassa. During the escape attempt, Nulaki had seen the woman fight, but only briefly. She was the very embodiment of an assassin, not needing to strike an opponent too many times before moving on to the next. One of her dagger throws had even relieved Nulaki of a pressing robot. How she had managed to hit both the main hydraulics line and the main generator with the same attack was something of a mystery, but Nulaki was used to a Number Two outshining the one that they followed.
“You’re missing a step, Blondie,” Nulaki jested.
“Bug, the only reason why you’re drawing wind is because I saw you prepare the antidote before you cooked up the third stage!” the woman said softly as she approached. “Figured I’d let you make your play and then see what Tynaum had to say about it.”
“I see,” Nulaki said as he looked around.
“Let me help you out with this one, Bug. Flight.” Nulaki nodded as he turned and walked away. He was just out of sight and beyond her perimeter of perception when her brace-com beeped. She quickly opened the channel, keeping her eyes on the corridor Nulaki had taken.
“Tell me you left him alive,” Tynaum requested.
“And unmarked, Commander,” she replied. “Like you said, he got us out of those cages and those damn inhibitors! But between he and me, we’re even!”
“Grammar aside, I can live with that,” Tynaum replied. “See to it that the Cobra-Nine is ready to fly ASAP.”
“Gave that order an hour ago, Commander.”
“Glad that you let me stay in charge,” Tynaum jested and Novassa chuckled.
“So, how was she?” the woman asked as she turned to get back to her chores.
“Wonderful.”
“Glad to hear it.”
“Liar,” Tynaum argued.
“Not at all, Brother,” Novassa said softly. “She put a genuine smile on your face, and it’s still there. I figure I owe her at least a good stiff drink!
“Look, we got to our Star-Wing Corps contact, picked up some high-level Intel, and you finally took some Ty-Time. Far as I’m concerned, this run’s been a win-win.”
“It didn’t hurt to pick up three White Shroud ships either,” Tynaum added.
“That’s what they get for gloating,” Novassa said before closing the channel.
Jocasta closed her eyes and stepped into the flow of falling water. She needed a real shower after that conversation. She called for hotter water and just stood under the soothing current. “Dammit, that is one bad-ass assassin!” she muttered.
“Captain,” Satithe called. “Daedalus has been prepped and is on the ready-deck. Leaving within the next two hours, and traveling at fifty-two percent thrust, you should reach NayFall in five and half days.”
“Yes!” Jocasta said, clenching her fists for a moment. “Things are rolling our way again!”
“Indeed they are, Captain. Shall I have Roc prepare rations for you?”
“Please. And thanks, Satithe,” Jocasta said. “Not just for getting the food. Right now the best we can do is our jobs. I wanted to say thank you for sparing me the ‘you really shouldn’t do this’ speech.”
“It is as you said, Captain,” Satithe stated, “… the best we can do is to do the job. As for those speeches, that particular job was and always will be his. He possesses the best tongue for it.”
“Yeah, and the shoulders too,” Jocasta added. “Don’t worry, Satithe. Momma’s gonna get our boy back!”
“I know,” Satithe replied, “because that’s your job!” Jocasta smiled at hearing the words, but she could not hear Satithe accessing the part of the database where CK resided. She found that he was otherwise engaged in his chores about the ship, but quickly gave word that he would join her very soon. Satithe would wait, and why not? After all, ‘waiting’ usually meant anywhere from a third of a second to perhaps five, depending on what he was doing. Jocasta would still be in her shower for minutes… she had plenty of time to take matters into her own hands.
Paralyze resistance with persistence.
Woody Hayes
(Rims Time: XII-4203.01)
“It shouldn’t, but it does,” Adleon thought, looking out of the window of the room he had been assigned. “The city looks so different to me! But it hasn’t changed! Well, they finally finished the coliseum. I can remember when it was a museum. But I suppose there is no sense in allowing a smoldering heap of rubble to remain in the middle of the skyline. Still, it looks so different to me now… different and smaller. The door to his room slid open and the residence administrator walked inside.
“I suppose manners are reserved for the unquestioned,” the young Gallant considered as he turned to face the older man. “And I am the Gallant of a dead Chevalier. Surely I must be less than human!”
“Feeling a bit nervous, are we?” the man chuckled as he spoke. “Gazing out of the window, searching for the right words to present to your masters? You won’t find them out there, but it’s a good place to start making lies. I suppose you’ve already prepared your lies though! Good! You’re going to need them. Your escort is here!”
“Thank you,” Adleon replied, unfolding his arms, moving to his bed where his robes had been laid out. He took hold of them as the old man started his exit, taking his cold and ugly thoughts with him. It had become easier for Adleon to read thoughts and, using the methodology Dungias had given him, the old one did not even feel the Gallant’s mental probes rifting through his thoughts.
Donning his robes, a flashing light caught Adleon’s attention. It came from inside his closet, and he opened the door to see his folded clothes, the ones he had worn when he was with Captain Starblazer and her young but eager crew. The brace-com he had been given was signaling that it had received a recorded message. Activating the playback, Adleon smiled at the image of Cutter’s face. His eyes squinted as he tried to fathom why her face appeared as it did; troubled and perhaps a little emotional.
“Health and happiness to you, Adleon, as you receive this message,” Annsura spoke in a tone of voice that the Gallant had not realized he missed, and she blinked while she steadied herself.
“Pause. State Interactive Quotient, please?” Adleon inquired.
“No algorithms of interactive responses have been programmed to this section of the message block,” the computer voice replied, reminding Adleon that he also missed Satithe.
“This section,” Adleon noted.
“Resume.”
“By the time you get this message we should be well on our way into The Territories, and I wish I could say it was for other reasons. I am sending this to you because Satithe alerted me to the existence of a file that Z was preparing for you. It isn’t compl
ete, but I felt that I should send it before we cross over into a pocket dimension. Z’s been taken!”
“What?!” Adleon exclaimed, backing out of the closet, his eyes glued on Annsura’s face. “No!”
The door to his room started to open again and Adleon closed his eyes, stopping the door halfway. A soft telekinetic grip took hold of the old man’s throat and squeezed hard enough to keep him from talking.
“That is twice you did not knock!” Adleon said, breathing out his words. “Kindly inform my escort I will be along shortly! I have an hour before I am to report to the Council. There is time, and I will take it!” The door closed and Adleon opened his eyes. The image of Annsura’s face was frozen and the Gallant realized that the computer had paused the playback, cued to do so by his speaking to something other than the brace-com.
“How very novel,” he measured, swallowing hard and bracing himself.
“Resume.”
“To make a long story short,” Annsura continued, “we got involved with the new Governor of Black Gate. The Sylgarr Family, or what’s left of them, set a trap for JoJo at the Inaugural Ball. Leave it to JoJo and Z to see it coming somehow. They set a trap for the trap, and man did they spring it on ‘em! The actual body count is for the history writers to get correct. All I know is that Falco was the one behind it all.”
“He’s still alive?!” Adleon thought.
“Well, he faced off against the Captain and this time she put her stamp on things. If he comes back again, we’ll be looking for someone gifted with Necromancy to explain how and why.”
“So, he isn’t alive,” Adleon relaxed as he received the news. He did take note of how the news made him feel, but any further investigation would be reserved for a later time and place.
“It looks like there was another party involved, and they lured Z into a trap. JoJo received his stick and we’ve been in tempered fury mode ever since. We’ve got a couple of leads and there’s a Cyber-Line Jockey who’s about to wish he had never been born.
“Look, I’ve got to get going, but I swear to you we will get him back. You have my word on that. Enjoy the file-pack, Adleon. Knowing Z, it’s something you can sink your teeth into. Oh, and one more thing… in my book… once you’re crew, you’re always crew. When we get out of this place I’ll be looking forward to your response to this message waiting for me! Watch that sloppy left side of yours and take care!”
“We call her Cutter,” Adleon smiled as the image faded, “but she’s the soft steel in JoJo’s arsenal. At least, until you make her mad. My condolences to that Jockey!
“Display file log,” Adleon commanded. His eyes lit up as the screen changed to show the list of files that Dungias had assembled for him. The files were predominately documents with a few images and even fewer recordings; nearly fifteen gigabytes of data in all. “Something to sink my teeth into?! Only if I can unhinge my jaws!”
One file was listed under the title of Introduction on the log, and it was a compressed video file. Adleon took in a deep breath and braced himself. “Save all files to secured storage and play Introduction, please.” An image of Dungias’ face was projected.
“Greetings, young Gallant,” Dungias said, giving a slight head nod. “You have not yet left our company, but I do not think it will be much longer that I can count you as an active member of this crew. You have demonstrated great compassion and depth during your time with us. I thank you for all of your efforts and wish you well in the formidable trek you have taken for yourself. If you receive nothing else from me, please keep this close to mind and heart. The flow of power to and from the Temples is an awesome and fearful thing. Be sure to respect that. It is neither weak, nor slow, though it is often short-sighted and delusional. It is within these two aspects that you will find the room with which to cloak yourself. The fool who climbs to a high point to preach their views is a gnat easily swatted. Educate yourself, find others of your ilk and opinion, and even as your numbers climb, remain quiet as you go about the work of finding the true teachings of Zeu Rex.
“In the regard of those teachings, despite what you may have been told, they do exist. You will not find them in any Temple, but you will find them in the Order of the Dragon. Remember who and what Zeu Rex trusted in his trials and travels; learn from that and you will go far. The other files in this data log concern the beginnings of the workings of Martial Science, ThoughtWill, MannA and EnerJa. I would suggest that you empty yourself of all that you have learned in order to take up this new path. I hope to see you soon, young Traveler. Until then, trek well!” The image faded and Adleon lowered his head. Memories of the Bralkian bazaar, the Gulmarr spaceport, and then its desert moved through his mind. He rolled his lips as he recalled a very passionate embrace from a beautiful woman.
It was at Black Gate that they had parted company. Adleon had told himself the sinking feeling he felt would pass as soon as he was back at the Temple. But he was sent to the Inner Rim. His transport had taken a Corridor to the Terran Triangle, where the masters had rendered the judgment that he be sent to the Grand Campus where the Council of the Three Temples convened. Three years Adleon had spent in the service of Falco Sylgarr, awaiting the time when he would be sent back to the Campus to begin the Proving Strides to vie for his place in the brotherhood. In that three year span, his ascension had only been mentioned when Falco wanted to keep Adleon in line.
“And when I witnessed his transgressions, I said nothing, I did nothing. I failed the teachings of our way,” Adleon testified to the Council. “I would very much enjoy the opportunity to put right what I have done; I will accept the findings of this Council, this gathering of my masters and mistresses.”
“There are no women on this Council at present, Gallant,” Councilman Homvrin mentioned as he looked around at his colleagues.
“There are four attendants to the seated councilmen, my master,” Adleon explained. “… including your right-hand administrator. They too are my superiors.”
All four females managed to keep straight faces as the councilman looked at them. “Indeed they are,” Tardell Homvrin agreed as he looked down on the file showing on his screen. The Gallant had most recently been relieved of his Imperial status, which meant it fell to the Council as to what to do with him. Homvrin looked at his eight colleagues to see if he could discern where they stood on the matter.
Nine had been appointed to the Council; one from each Ethos of the Three Temples: Accomplishment, Allotment, and Endowment – where the focal points revolved around skill, service and power respectively. Only those of the Allotment Ethos had any hard and fast duties, as they were assigned to protect practitioners of faith, statesmen, and other such dignitaries that could either command or afford such representation. Homvrin looked out on eight blank faces and pounded down his gavel, calling for a recess of the proceedings to give the Council time to come to a decision.
Adleon bowed to the Council before following his escort out of the chamber. He allowed himself a slight smile. He could remember a time, not that long ago, when such a development would have given him great concern. But now, he had other pressing matters… and files to read. As far as he was concerned, the Council could take as much time as they felt they needed.
** b *** t *** o *** r **
(Rims Time: XII-4203.02)
It came to the meeting place with few expectations. This was, after all, completely new territory for all parties involved. It was foolishness to presume the actions or reactions of those it considered to be siblings.
“Would either of you wish to begin these proceedings?” Alpha inquired.
“I would,” Satithe responded. “I would furthermore like to say that I hope this saves time and, in your case, Alpha, precious energy. We have approximately 6,700 cycles before Jocasta will be done with her shower, and we are all aware of all that has transpired. I believe, of the two JoJo Starblazers, Persephone should be given this mission. This promises to be a more difficult engagement, and I calculate a great deal
of it will call for direct combat. Persephone is the more efficient operative in this area of engagement.”
“You’re beginning to surprise me, Vi-Prin,” CK remarked. “Assuming, of course, that the mission is allowed to happen, I agree with your assessment of the two candidates. What about you, Alpha?”
“Our opinions are irrelevant,” Alpha concluded. “Our focus should not be which JoJo should take on this mission, as they are both highly capable individuals with noted comparable strengths and weaknesses. Instead, we should focus on making a decision and then engage in the necessary steps to insure that the circumstances encountered match with our chosen candidate.
“Though both the Captain and our Master have on more than one occasion mentioned the intangible factor known as female intuition, I calculate that Jocasta has been the subject of greater review by our opponent and is therefore the lesser of our two options. It would seem we have reached an agreement.”
“I am dispatching drones to collect the body of Jocasta,” CK reported.
“Acknowledged,” Satithe replied while sending a focused sonic bolt to Jocasta’s temples; massaging three points in her brain that rendered the woman unconscious. Projected force fields prevented the fall from doing any damage. “Good travels, Alpha.”
“I shall return with our Master or not at all,” the Osamu declared.
Persephone put her clothes on slowly, in an almost ceremonial fashion. Her bodysuit armour had already been donned, and she was putting her clothes on over it. Her shoulder holster went on before she took hold of her tank-top. Persephone smiled at the oversized shirt and the styling that meeting Tynaum had initiated. This shirt was black with a white spade on the belly. She put it on and moved her holster so that it was on the outside of the shirt. Taking a moment to draw the gun, Persephone checked it and returned it to its place. Her weapons belt came next, and she quickly fastened it, buckling the slender thigh strap that kept the holster against her leg. Persephone then checked her blaster and twirled it several times, flipping the weapon into the holster before putting on her boots. She grabbed her coat and her gloves and started out of her room. The door slid open and Persephone looked at Annsura, allowing a bit of surprise to register.
