by Reiter
“So glad to hear that you’re open-minded,” Silnee said while staring at Siekor. His reaction to her words made her long to go back in time and actually say what she had been thinking when the Captain took her leave. “… and I wasn’t going to ask something stupid like ‘are you sure you want to do this’, but I wanted to suggest that you at least have someone else in here with you when you make your play.”
“Noted and appreciated, Tolip,” Llaz said softly, patting her forearm. “But I need you leading Team Beta should this go sour.”
“Oh, don’t worry, I’ll be there.”
“They’d have to get past Team Alpha first,” Siekor added. “I think they showed our guests that we’re not push-overs.”
“Silnee, could you excuse us for a minute?”
“Not a problem, Captain,” Silnee replied.
“Llaz!” the acting captain quickly retorted. “Dear God in heaven, it’s Llaz!” Silnee smiled as she withdrew from the room. “Smile all you want, I’m serious!”
“She’s got a point, you know,” Siekor said as the doors closed behind Silnee. “You’ve got a knack for this sort of thing. You’d make a damn serious officer!”
“Yeah?” Llaz asked, putting down his tea cup. “Then what’s with the attack-dog back-guarding?! You do realize that you just pissed off one of the Captain’s favorites. She’s a girl, and a damn fine pilot. JoJo loves her ass!
“Look, I get it,” Llaz continued, sounding like he understood Siekor’s point. “… they get on my nerves too! But you’ve got to be soft and sweet before you can go sour and expect to still be standing when the dust settles.”
“Just how long do we have to eat it from JoJo?” Siekor asked, looking around the room. “How long before we get our shot at the light?”
“Look, having an ambition to be a spacer, or even a pirate, doesn’t mean we have to be on JoJo’s ship in order to get it done,” Llaz stated. “But I’d rather have her as an ally, or a reference, than an enemy. You take a look at the people who have stood against her. Mind you, some of them didn’t know they were standing against her, but they all share the same description: done! Black Gate wasn’t that long ago, man… and the lackey who befriended her is now running the place! How good would it be to step off your own ship and see him smiling at you?”
Siekor thought about it, but only for a moment before he smiled and looked over at Llaz. “Like I said, she’s right. You have a gift for this stuff.”
“It’s not a gift,” Llaz admitted. “It’s fear, pure and simple. I’m scared to death of handing back the Xara-Mansura, or any of her crew, in a lesser state than when JoJo Starblazer set off for NayFall.”
“To say nothing of Z, right?”
“You just had to say it, didn’t you?” Llaz sighed. “Because I’m not sure which one scares me more.”
“That’s easy for me,” Siekor stated. “Z wouldn’t have needed the Brain Trust to think up a plan of attack.”
“Yeah, but with that intellect comes restraint and methodology,” Llaz returned. “You never know what’s coming off JoJo’s hip. All you can be sure of is that she won’t miss and more than likely, you won’t even see her pull!” Siekor found he did not have a response to the point and decided to use the moment of silence to leave the room. Llaz turned to see that Culshee and Amos were still in the room. The woman looked like she wanted to be somewhere else, and the man had eyes of steel for Llaz as if he was both surprised and proud of the exchange he had just witnessed. “Sorry folks, that’s the end of that show,” Llaz said softly. “We will now return you to our normally scheduled line-up. Next up, the utter destruction of the young and ambitious.”
“Sounds like a good show,” Amos replied. “I could subscribe to that one.”
“Get it quick,” Llaz said, taking the remote from Culshee. “No telling how long it will be broadcasting.” Llaz looked at the device, especially the button that would cue the injectors. “Thanks for the set-up, guys.”
“Anytime, Captain,” Amos said as walked out. Culshee smiled and nodded her support to Llaz.
“Satithe, if you would please secure the room.” The floor shuddered as the locks were put into place. The lights dimmed for a moment as capacitors were charged. “Is everyone in position?”
“Everything is ready, Captain,” Satithe reported.
“Et tu, Satithe?”
“I am equally guilty in possessing the opinion that you are indeed a good crewman and perhaps an even better leader.”
“Glad to know that you’re not perfect,” Llaz jested as he leaned against the wall.
“Far from it,” Satithe replied. “But, in all fair comparison, I am at least accurate. Being Captain, after all, does not mean you have what it takes to be right… you simply have to possess the courage and the wherewithal to be wrong. That, and the hope you will be allowed the opportunity to make corrections and improvements.”
“That actually sounded good, Satithe,” Llaz commented. “I can use that.”
“As I said before, I try to be accurate.”
“Might want to work on the arrogance though,” Llaz replied.
“Consider it noted.”
“Right along with this,” Llaz said as he depressed the button. All three bodies jumped awake at the same time and Llaz was impressed with the ability of the medical crew. “Please recognize that you are restrained,” Llaz stated in a clear and strong tone, tossing the remote to the floor. He turned to face the Delman and said the word for hello in their tongue. He did the same for Vyllynthe in the Olasson language, eventually saying ‘Good day’ to Ukara.
“I suppose that is a matter of perspective,” she replied.
“Good point,” Llaz agreed. “Why don’t we see if we can come to a more mutual perspective.”
“While we’re chained?!” Hillgray yelled.
“Fry him!” Llaz ordered and electricity coursed through the neck manacle into Hillgray’s body. He cried out in pain, grabbing at the restraint. “Increase amperage twenty percent!” Llaz ordered, coming away from the wall. Hillgray lost control of his body and fell to the floor, screaming. “Power down, Satithe,” Llaz said after a few moments.
“You son of a–”
“Fry her!” Llaz said without even looking at the woman.
“This is not going smoothly,” he thought. “But no one ever promised smooth, did they?” Llaz thought back to the Witch in the desert and his head lowered.
“Power down.” Hillgray recovered much more quickly than Ukara, but Llaz decided not to speak until she was able to hear him.
“Apparently not all of the Delman have the wisdom of Nardrook,” Llaz commented, causing Vyllynthe’s brow to rise. The heroic Delman figure was well known and celebrated for having a cool head. It was under his leadership that the many tribes of the Delman had been united as one people. It was a union that had withstood the test of time. “Because here we are, arguing over ripples when it was you three people who threw the rock into the water in the first place.”
Llaz began to pace. He folded his arms and kept his eyes on the floor. “She may not look like much, but this ship is our home! For some of us, the very first home of any worth in the short span of our lives. You people came into that home without so much as a knock at the door or a note tied to a rock thrown through the window.”
“That fault is mine,” Hurdran admitted, receiving the eyes of his companions. “My brethren would follow me into the Pits of Chaos if I asked it of them.”
“Good to have family,” Llaz remarked.
“Indeed it is, and I have wronged my brother and sister.”
“Wronged, my short beard!” Hillgray boomed. “We came of our own accord and we all share whatever fate that comes of it.”
“You can forget trying to split this little party,” Ukara warned. “You’d sooner split this ship.”
“Interesting,” Llaz said softly. “Yet another assumption. You know, for older folks, you people sure do have a lot to learn.
“Release restraints,” Llaz ordered and the shackles fell to the floor. The three looked at themselves and each other before looking at Llaz who sighed and shook his head. “All restraints, Satithe.” Another shackle fell open. Tonka came from its holding cell and assembled around Ukara’s body.
“Satithe, if you can spare it, could you please have a drone bring our guests their things.”
“I have dispatched Drone Six to see to your request, acting Captain Llaz.”
“Please hold on to that ‘acting’ part,” Llaz muttered and Vyllynthe smiled, having heard the words but more especially the sentiment the young man had attached to them. “Where were we?”
“You were about to hear and hopefully accept my apology,” Vyllynthe replied. “In my haste to do what I considered to be a good deed, I lost sight of the bad deeds I was about to visit upon you and yours.”
The doors to the brig opened and Teela walked into the room. Whatever coolness Llaz had prepared was lost when he turned to see the young woman approach. It looked as if someone had taken old and very large bones, sculpted them, and painted them black, stretching them over Teela’s body, binding them at the joints with thin silver chain. Several lengths hung from both shoulders and around the neck of the suit. They had also been draped down the center of the silvery-white cape that hung from small, silver, black diamond-eyed skulls at the shoulders.
“Mage armour,” Vyllynthe gasped and Llaz turned to look at the Olasson before looking back at Teela.
“It would appear that you were right,” Llaz commented. “He does know what it is.”
“It would seem that way,” Teela said, smiling at the acting captain. She did not know how long she had been in the armour, holding the battle wand, and she did not care. The sensations that rushed through her body just in wearing the armour were nearly indescribable. “What else can you tell us about this, Duke Vyllynthe?”
“Very little, I’m afraid,” Hurdran replied. “One of its defenses is to not easily be read.”
“But that does bring us to our next item of this discussion,” Llaz inserted. From his tone, Teela easily recognized she had overreached and stepped back away from the prisoners almost immediately. “You’re royalty!”
“Yes, and I believe I can anticipate where this is going,” Hurdran quickly stated. “The Jeelah are citizens of NayFall, yes, but they are an entity unto themselves. My position carries very little influence with them.”
“You want to apologize, Duke Vyllynthe, we need to see whatever influence you can muster!”
** b *** t *** o *** r **
Qeldrun held up his hand, creating an orb of pure light to illuminate the area. The first thing he saw was Vatere on his back, bleeding profusely from his broken nose. His light died when Vatere’s thrown body crashed into his chest; a feat that seemed unlikely, given the mass of the power suit. Wora moved to replace the lost light, but Lady Olyairon prevented her.
“No,” Arjhaka whispered.
“But should we not aid the one you called Master?” Wora inquired. Arjhaka looked down at the goggles and was relieved that she could no longer feel Qeldrun in her mind.
“Whatever I called him… whatever I did for him… I did not do willingly! We must assist this woman, as she has most cleverly aided me.”
“If I must choose between Terrans, I too choose the woman,” Wora replied.
“If that is the case,” Satithe transmitted through the goggles, “… quickly remove all of the Jeelah from the immediate area! And our apologies for the destruction!” Arjhaka nodded to her fellow Jeelah and the two of them quickly went about the work of escape.
Free from Qeldrun’s mental grasp, Talthwynn could hear the sounds of struggle and quickly noticed none of the wailing voices sounded female. He dropped to his hands and knees before he opened a channel on his wrist-com. He reminded the mercenaries who was paying their contracts and ordered them to apprehend both Qeldrun O’Zhar and JoJo Starblazer.
“Doesn’t anyone have a damn flashlight?” Talthwynn shouted.
“Flashlight!” Persephone thought as she grabbed a man from behind. The combination of her grip on his shoulders and her sweeping his feet from behind made it easy to slam his head into the floor. “That reminds me, I need to talk to Shotgun!
“You okay over there, kid?” she asked, hearing the sounds of a man choking.
“Almost there!” Goldie replied, straining as he spoke. The man he had in a triangle formed by his legs was struggling to get free so that he could breathe. Goldie remained persistent and strong enough to maintain his hold and render the man unconscious.
Persephone took a step back and though she could not see, she could feel something pass in front of her face as she heard a man grunting. “Oooh! Someone’s got night vision!”
“Damn straight, pirate!” the mercenary said, making another effort to punch Persephone. The overhand right was deflected wide of her face and Persephone retreated two steps.
“Come on, asshole, give me a sound!” Persephone thought. “I already heard you speak, so I’ve got your height. Just give me a step.” She smiled when she heard the footfall of the man advancing. “This one’s for Alphie!” Persephone lunged toward the man, landing a powerful front kick to his sternum. The man grunted loud enough for her to get an exact location on his head. She reached forward with both hands and removed his headgear as she threw him to the floor.
“And now I’ve got night vision,” Persephone said as she spun around, slinging the headgear into the face of another man. “Hmmm, sounded like it was pretty solid state!”
“Did you save anything to use as a lock pick?” Goldie asked as he made his way to her.
“Way ahead of you, kid,” Persephone smiled as she reached out and took hold of the young man’s arm. The headgear had cracked with the impact against the head of the man. It was easy to pull a sliver of the construct and use it for on the lock. She pulled Goldie down to a kneeling position and turned him around to feel for the restraints. She heard another arrow scream into the room, but this one carried an explosive with it. “Cutter, please tell me you’re ahead of the schedule.”
“Well, now that you’ve got your head down… Tandem, you’re a go!” A volley of energy bolts and two arrows flashed into the room. Persephone grinned that she now had a little more light to see what she was doing.
The restraints fell with a clatter as both of their bodies were tackled to the ground. Persephone rolled with the force of the attack, but rolled out from under the body that had struck hers. She was up and on her feet, ready to fight, realizing that suddenly there was next to no room to fight and a steady light with which to see. She could no longer hear the clatter of chaos nor weapons’ fire.
“Where the hell am I now?” Persephone said softly.
“Easy!” Agatha cried, holding up her hands. “Don’t swing! I got your stuff!” she said, gesturing over to two piles of weapons, armour, and clothing. Goldie was close by, looking down at the piles. “We’ve got sixty seconds.” Persephone smiled, recalling the last time she had to dress this quickly.
“Good to see you, Murder,” Persephone said as she depressed the command to don the body armour. “Where’s Mayhem?”
“She’s holding my weapons belt and we’re inside the holding pouch.”
“Helluva plan, eh?” Persephone chuckled.
“What? Placing us in stasis in your belt pocket? Yeah, remind me to lay a wet one on Tank when we get clear of this.”
“You do right by my Tank, damned evil genius that he is!”
“Done,” Goldie announced. Persephone now had three men she hated for being able to dress faster than her. She donned her coat and nodded at Agatha.
“Lay down and go fetal,” Agatha directed as she got down on the floor. “We might have to talk to Z about the dumping process.”
“Talk to Z indeed,” Persephone thought as the pocket dimension was opened and she rolled out onto the floor. Reaching into the special pocket on the inside of her b
elt buckle, Persephone took out the temple pods for her virtual goggles. As light stretched around the front of her face, she could see clearly in the darkened room. “Almost there, you big, blue–”
“Grayethorn!” Persephone could hear the man named Qeldrun O’Zhar calling out as a faint blue glow shone from his eyes. Her virtual goggles registered a significant amount of ThoughtWill coming off the man as he screamed, and Persephone’s hand moved quickly to her blaster. She could see an arc of energy flowing from the man to the statue. She could also see several apertures start to form. Most were foiled once the arc of ThoughtWill passed into the statue.
“I just had to go and think almost, didn’t I?!” Persephone thought as she sighed. As her hand took hold of her weapon, an iron grip closed around her wrist. She gasped in shock, as she had not felt the approach of anyone to stand so close to her. Shock became fright as she turned to look up into the black eyes of a seven-foot tree, shaped like a very tall and muscular man, covered in blue vines.
The wotree had known better than to trust a talking mammal, but the prospect of being able to read from one of the great tomes of MajiK was too great to ignore. He would have no part of O’Zhar’s escapades at Black Gate, but he had given the DreamCasteR a minimal rapport through which he could be summoned once the prize was in The Territories. O’Zhar had taken his time in calling the Tonnogard warrior, but it had been made instantly clear exactly what was the source of the delay. He had assembled a score of his troops to come with him, but something had interrupted the ThoughtWill link and it seemed to have emanated from the statue in the room.
“It is interesting the things that interrupt our ambitions, isn’t it?” the creature bellowed, sounding even more powerful than he looked. Persephone smacked her bracer down on the fingers of the creature. Bark flew from its skin as the creature snatched its hand away, hurt and enraged by the act.
“Tell me about it,” Persephone ribbed as she set herself to move.
