by Reiter
“Don’t worry, Goldie. We’re going to cook some, but I’m not gonna let you burn!” She could hear the thrusters firing to correct the attitude of Daedalus. Persephone reminded herself that Satithe was the auto-pilot system on board and she could trust Z’s computer with her new baby. When Daedalus’ engines cut all thrust, Persephone looked at her hand, through her Heads-Up Display, and how tightly it was gripping the controls.
“Oh, this has to stop right now,” she thought, flexing her hand before retaking hold of the controls. “You know better! You’re no good to him all bunched up, JoJo. Remember, you’re the wildcard and this is just another walk in the park.
“Are we atmospheric?” she asked.
“Affirmative,” Satithe replied.
“Launch Icarus and engage pre-programmed course.”
“Acknowledged.”
The doors underneath them opened and the thrusters fired. Icarus dropped down out of Daedalus and Persephone put the sky-bike into an immediate nose dive without having the engines fire. The doors on Daedalus closed and the star-fighter’s engines roared as he started to climb.
Persephone smiled. “So that’s what he sounds like when he’s pulling away. Got to mark that sound down.”
** b *** t *** o *** r **
Whyrmwood Peaks was what had been given to the magnificent Garrison House of NayFall. It was a mountain range crafted by some of the most noted InvokeRs and MystiCs of the age when the Territories were first taking shape. The House name of Vyllynthe had been present then and, thanks to Hurdran, it was still a prominent fixture ages later.
“First Seer of the Skies, what is your report?” he asked as he walked up the winding stairway to the Viewing Decks. Large consoles made out of glass and shaped crystal were in front of clairvoyants, each with their own viewing crystal, as they monitored the skies, the ground, and the seas of the barony.
“An exercise in futility, my Duke,” the young female reported. “It would seem that a spacecraft, armed with a stealth field generator, breached our atmospheric boundary.”
“Really? Where did this occur?”
“Approximately four leagues south by southwest of Metredan City. Perhaps it was the pilot’s hope to land their craft in the forests. Whatever their intentions, they must have detected our Wind Stryders and flew off outside the boundary.
“There was, however, something else,” the female Delman continued, looking away from Hurdran.
“Something you hesitate to report?” he guessed as he leaned on the side of the console.
“Please, my Duke,” she pleaded. “… there are not many of my kind in this capacity. I would hope you could–”
“Complete your report, please.”
“I thought I detected something being dropped from the spacecraft,” she said. “… when the second group of fighters reached the area, they didn’t see anything.”
“They didn’t see anything,” Vyllynthe repeated as Hillgray made his way up the stairs. “Did you not already mention that the ship had a stealth field our sensors could not see through?”
“Well… yes, Duke Vyllynthe.”
“Look back through the vision and search for heat trails,” Hurdran suggested as he stood up. He turned to face Hillgray and took in a deep breath, tucking his thumbs into his girdle. “I think we might have had a stroke of incredible fair fortune.”
“That does not bode well,” Hillgray grunted.
“How can you say such things?!”
“You seem to forget who and what we are, my friend. We were bred to foil foul fates, good tidings only means a bigger fight is looming. You say good fortune, I see Fate making a rather poor attempt to lull us asleep.”
“Duke Vyllynthe!” the First Seer called. “I found something!”
“As I was sure you would, my dear,” Hurdran replied, giving the Delman female a bright smile. “Let me look upon it, if you would be so kind.”
Taking hold of his hand, Fahmul closed her eyes and sent her vision to the mind of Duke Vyllynthe. A heat signature, indicative of a very powerful engine, burning at what he hoped was its maximum capacity, pushing a vehicle straight down.
“You were right, good Seer, they were using the forests… just not to land. Despite the obvious capacity of the machinery necessary to make such a heat trail, we know that it was dropped from a fighter-craft, so it cannot be too big.
“And should truly not be able to move so quickly… not unless it is unmanned,” Vyllynthe thought, trying to keep worry from registering on his face. A sliver of realization aided in the effort. “… but the extraordinary ability of the machine narrows the field of possible pilots.
“We can make the assumption that the craft is now making its way to Metredan City,” the Olasson Duke concluded. Alert the city guard and return to your normal scans.”
“The city guard, sir?” Fahmul asked.
“Metredan City would prefer to handle its own affairs, Seer,” Hurdran said as he turned to leave. “And we shall let them.”
After giving a fellow Delman a reassuring smile and nod, Zyzo Hillgray turned and walked to the left side of his friend and brother-at-arms. The time they had shared in various adventures had grown past the War Pathman’s ability to count. So, he waited until they were away from the hub of the Whyrmwood Peaks facility before he would say anything.
“Out with it, wand-shaker!” Hillgray barked.
Hurdran Vyllynthe blurted out laughter, stumbling to the side of the corridor before he looked at Hillgray with surprise in his eyes. “Wand-shaker?!”
“Out with it!” he insisted. Vyllynthe knew too well the cost of making his friend wait any longer than he had. In Delman terms, Hillgray had displayed the patience of a Grandmaster Monk.
“It would appear that I was right, and that rather gifted warrior we observed at Black Gate is here at NayFall.”
“That much we knew already,” Hillgray stated and Vyllynthe came to a quick stop.
“We knew this already, did we?” Hurdran asked. Hillgray looked confused for a moment and then remembered. He held up his finger and nodded.
“I told Ukara!” he confessed. “There are times when I get the two of you MannA-moths confused.”
“Spare me the poorly constructed insults and… out with it!” Vyllynthe demanded. Hillgray laughed before he could answer.
“It would seem our blue man had a second round with that fellow we saw ordering those manned bots about,” Hillgray stated. “And this time he didn’t walk away. They took him captive, but that was all any of my agents had uncovered. I had no idea they were coming here. And I was right about that wench!” he asserted, pointing at Vyllynthe. “Fate, trying to lull us asleep!”
“We must collect Ukara,” Vyllynthe said as his mind turned over the events. A very fast and well-piloted craft could very well be a motivated pirate in search of a fellow crewman… one that Vyllynthe just learned had been captured. “And we must gird ourselves for an encounter.”
Hillgray roared his support of the statement. “But we should take some care. Anyone good enough to bring down blue-hide will not be an easy opponent.”
“Of that I am sure, my friend,” Vyllynthe said as he started walking again, only more quickly. “But we shan’t be going after him.”
“What?! Why not?”
“Because if he is here, and I have the belief that he indeed might be, I can say for sure that our prize is not! And where it is… that is where we need to be! Though it is not within my range of perception, I am sure Ukara managed to mark both the blue-skinned man and his ship.”
“What makes you so sure?”
“Because she is more ruthless than either of us,” Hurdran answered. “She has to be to keep up. You know how hard it has been for us to keep a third.”
“Indeed,” Hillgray agreed. “Do you know in two more seasons she will have outlasted my brother?!”
“Oh, Zyzo,” Vyllynthe said with genuine concern. “I’m so sorry. Those were poorly chosen words.”
“I truly wish you would stop referring to the Jeelah in such a fashion,” Vyllynthe shot back. “They are a very impressive and proud people. How would you like it if they were to call the Delman stumpy?”
“It would probably lead to a fight and–”
“And there is where you would find your resolve,” Vyllynthe sighed. “Yes, yes, yes, I believe I have heard that once or twice before.”
“No less true now than the first time I said it,” Hillgray bellowed. “What you should say is the Jeelah are a very entertaining people; always mewing and scratching about.”
“Yes, I am sure to Delman flesh their claws are good scratchers,” Hurdran noted as his mind went back to the opportunity that had landed in his lap.
“The woman and the blue-skinned man are not on the ship,” the Olasson Duke considered. “That does not, however, guarantee an easy time of things. Just easier.”
** b *** t *** o *** r **
“Goldie, let’s not be shy with the holding,” Persephone stated as they continued to drop. “Now’s the time to think about getting that free feel.
“And that’s not what I expected,” Persephone thought as she watched several winged horses fly high overhead leaving sparkling lights in their wake. Persephone could feel the side of Goldie’s helmet in her back as his arms tightened around her waist.
“Attaboy! Now… watch Momma burn the sky! You know the story, Icki-baby. You’re not supposed to fly too high… so let’s get you a little lower to the ground!” The main engines fired and Persephone could feel the gravity field form around her and Goldie. Taking a moment to look at the HUD, she could see that Icarus was at three-quarters the speed of sound and increasing. She cut back on thrust; a sonic boom would have worked against her intentions of an undetected entry. In less than ten seconds she was under the limit of conventional scanning systems, beating the appearance of four star-fighters by three seconds. “Slow pokes,” she called them as she turned toward the spaceport.
“Now that is what I call flying,” Goldie said softly. “Thanks for letting me come along.”
“It’s all part of the plan, Goldie.”
“Don’t give me that,” he argued. “JoJo Starblazer doesn’t do anything she doesn’t want to! The only reason why you listened to Cutter was because what she had to say registered, on some level in you, as making sense.”
“Think you got me down, kid?”
“No one has you down,” Goldie replied. “Z observes from a distance, I enjoy from being up close.”
“So now I’ve got two of you to deal with? Crapstacks, this thing gets more sour by the minute!”
** b *** t *** o *** r **
The passengers of the ship began to stir, Arjhaka was among the first. Her head came up from the floor and she looked around, finding Qeldrun standing in front of the statue.
“Is there a problem, Master?” she asked, quickly getting to her feet.
“I think we can assume that while we are in the presence of this creature, the answer to that question will always be yes,” Qeldrun said calmly. “I was simply contemplating killing him now and having you make another stature for the purposes for the trade.”
“I’d have to make the statue out of material that would reflect scanning waves,” Arjhaka quickly offered. “I don’t think we have anything aboard that will suffice, but I know I do at the estate.”
“Then I must contemplate the matter a little further,” Qeldrun said before taking his leave. “Stay with him, Arjhaka. Should anything unexpected happen, destroy it! The rest of you, come with me.” Qeldrun walked out of the room followed by his mercenaries.
“He was testing me,” Arjhaka whispered.
“I concur,” the voice found her mind. “… and let me caution you on speaking your thoughts aloud when aboard a ship.”
“I must earn his trust,” Arjhaka said, looking at the statue. “… and the moment you are no longer a factor in his life, the sooner I can do just that.”
“In the words of my Captain, ‘good save’! Now try something along the lines of voicing your wish to destroy me.
Arjhaka put her claws to the cheek of the statue and let them slowly drag down to the chest. “I could tell him you tried to break free, and that I had to end you! That would alleviate him of much concern.” The doors opened and Qeldrun walked quickly toward Arjhaka who shrank away from the statue, turning her face away from Qeldrun.
The recently dismissed Professor took hold of the Jeelah female and turned her face to force her to look at him. When their eyes met, she purred. The reverberation in her throat moved through her body and his hand. He closed his eyes at the sensation, but only briefly. He brought Arjhaka to him and pressed his lips upon hers. The softness of her wet lips and the roughness of her tongue made for a rather moving experience, and Qeldrun allowed his passions to flow. His mouth fell to her neck and her hold on his shoulders tightened. Soon she was massaging the back of his head and neck. Qeldrun moaned at her touch but jumped when she bit his shoulder.
“Aahh,” he said as she jumped. “Easy, my dear. Your people might be biters, but among my kind, the biting is softer… much, much softer,” he said as he put his hand to the wound and found that he was bleeding.
“Forgive me, my lord. Your touch surprised me… I lost control,” Arjhaka said as she looked down at the floor. Qeldrun lifted her chin and smiled.
“We shall revisit this matter at a later date,” he said softly. “For the moment, I will need you to make contact with your estate. We will need an escort from the spaceport.”
“Arrangements will be made immediately,” Arjhaka said, touching the side of his face. Removing his hand from the wound, Arjhaka licked where she had bitten the man. “There, that will help with the healing.” Arjhaka turned and as she mewed loudly she leapt from the floor, landing in the corridor. She was out of sight at the next leap.
“I have never seen her move in such a fashion,” Qeldrun admitted before he looked at the statue. “And I thought you were going to be nothing but trouble. I had forgotten how the Jeelah respond to feats of power. Capturing you has definitely changed her opinion of me.
“Now, if you will excuse me, I have to make contact with some very special individuals and some of my agents in the field. While the chances that any of your people made it to NayFall ahead of us are less than likely, there is no replacement for proper planning. Don’t go anywhere?” Qeldrun snickered as he patted the face of the statue. He continued to laugh as he walked out of the room. The sound of the ship and his laughter was louder than the sound of the crack that formed just under the statue’s right arm.
Dungias looked at his right arm and he could see that light had broken through the shadow that had covered the entire garden. A content smile stole across his face as he tossed the last of the weeds into the robot he had built. It had taken some time, but the garden was no longer overwrought with choking vegetation. The representatives of his doubt and hesitation had been uprooted. Like all weeds, there was a chance they would return, but such was the purpose of the robot: to seek, remove and mulch weeds as they appeared. No one was ever without doubt, but a strong mind understood it, embraced it, and used it to its advantage.
Now that there was light in the garden and Dungias closed his eyes and set about the task of communing with the Stars. Only when he had been named Star Chaser had the ascension
been so fast and so powerful! This council and its convening chambers, however, were very different from anything he had ever seen. The chamber reminded him of the Sacred Stars of his home system, though this place held more focused power.
Clad in ring mail armour covered in decorative living amethyst crystals, one female Star stepped forward. Her face was slender, quite lovely, and framed in onyx-studded blonde hair that reminded the Traveler of his beloved Queen. “Thank you, Star Chaser,” she said with an endearing smile forming across her face. Dungias felt warm and very much welcome. “Thank you for not making us wait too long!”
It is hard to fail, but it is worse never to have tried to succeed.
Theodore Roosevelt
(Rims Time: XII-4203.04)
Persephone pushed hard, forcing the man’s face into the wall. He dropped his gun and his blade before the ball of her cane struck the back of his head. For him, the world went black and his body slid down the wall on its way to the floor. With her back to the unconscious man, Persephone dropped the small circular disc, and she was afforded the opportunity to look across the street and gauge how Goldie was faring. He was in the middle of jumping up, lying out flat with his back facing the ground, and locking an arm bar on the man who was swinging his fist at the young swordsman. Both of their bodies hit the ground, but Goldie’s opponent definitely took the worse fall and his arm was quickly hyper-extended. The man’s mouth was opened but he didn’t make a sound.
“Kid’s having all kinds of fun with that sound scrambler of Z’s,” she thought. “These two make ten little troublemakers someone hired to give us a reception.” Persephone checked the time and nodded. “And everything’s going along with Tank’s plan.
“Think of the crapstacks I’m going to have to eat if this goes smoothly,” she muttered.
“Glad I could spare y–” a pulse of electricity passed through the body of the man who had thought he had gone unnoticed by Persephone. She smiled at how well Deolun’s power trap worked.
