by Reiter
Agatha smiled as she nodded, backing away. “Riff-raff?! Okay. I see how things are going to be.” A ladder lowered down the side and she took hold of it. “Then again, maybe I don’t. Screw it. Not going to find out anything from down here.” Agatha screamed when she looked down into the cockpit. She could hear the engines powering up.
“Mayhem? Is that you?”
“That’s Miss Mayhem to you, and make sure you smile when you say it!” Marlene said as she powered up flight systems. “Babe, you’re not going to believe this. We’ve got blasters, solid beam weaponry, missiles, bombs… this bad boy even has shields! Get in, I’ve powered up your chair!”
“My chair… has power?”
“The Golden Feather,” Silnee whispered as she walked up to the small, sleek spacecraft that was the same color as Z’s eyes. The first thing she was drawn to was the look of the construct. She took a moment to look at the other two ships and take in their flavor. She smiled at how each ship seemed to match perfectly with the people intended to use it.
“I suppose I should at least give the man benefit of the doubt,” she thought. “Can’t really say that he nailed it two times, but completely missed with me. It’s just a little… unexpected.” She touched the hull, halfway expecting the seamless hull to ripple at her touch. She was surprised to find it warm though, and while it was a hard surface, it was incredibly smooth.
“I think it fits you perfectly,” a female voice spoke to Silnee, causing the young woman to turn around. Silnee pressed her back into the starship and reached for her blaster. “We’re in your head, Sil,” Annsura said calmly as she approached. “You’re not armed in your mind. And what would you do if you were? Shoot me?! Is that where we’re at now?”
“You’re not real!”
“Sorry, sister,” Annsura smiled. “That you could have gotten away with while you were still the property of the Slaver’s. We’re several Djinn, a pack of TCs, and gods know how many InvokeRs passed being able to think we know what can and cannot be real.
“I don’t have much time,” Annsura shared. “I may not be with you, but trust me, there’s still work to do once you cross over. Not that I’m saying you should be in a hurry to get here. Let’s just say that whole ‘rest in peace’ bit is for the birds. Trouble exists on both sides, it’s just different troubles. And it’s your troubles that are the focus here.”
Silnee stammered, trying to find the right words. “I wasn’t ready,” she finally managed, “… none of us were.”
“Hard to be ready for the unknown, Sil,” Annsura pointed out. “But if it means anything to you, I left with a clear conscience. I did what I had to, and now you’ve got to get around to doing the same thing. Which means getting over the fact that I’m not there, and especially the guilt that you know you still have feelings for Olkin.” Silnee’s eyes gaped wide open and Annsura nodded. “Yeah, you got it by me when I was with you, but the view from this side is so very clear. I can’t say if Olkin will ever be able to reciprocate, that’s another issue. I’m here to help you with yours.” The image of Annsura started to fade before returning and Silnee bolted forward, reaching out for the woman. She was amazed when her hand did not pass through Annsura’s body.
“I’ve got to get going, Sil,” she said, smiling at one of her closest friends. “You’ve got to get back to being Silnee. All you’ve ever talked about was being a pilot. Well, now someone’s gone and made you a ship. What are you going to do, Tolip?”
“Make you proud!” Silnee cried.
“Too late. Best you can do is make me prouder.” Annsura faded and Silnee fell to her knees crying. Her mind raced through the memories, starting with the restraints of being a slave. She had not said much to Annsura then, but she remembered seeing her brought in. Silnee still wondered how so few men had managed to shackle the woman who would come to be called Cutter.
Silnee wiped her eyes and laughed as she recalled the fight in the hangar. Mel, Olkin, and Silnee had taken on Annsura and barely managed a victory, thanks mostly to Mel and his craftiness. She remembered wanting to kill the woman when Z brought all hostilities to an end. He had also been the instrument through which a friendship was born.
“And we were in the simulator then too,” Silnee thought as she stopped crying and stood up. “But Z’s not on board this time. My girl was right… really can’t put a flag in what can and cannot be real. Not around here.”
“Okay, people, this is Control and I am all set,” Pristacia’s voice came through loud and clear and Silnee spun around quickly, walking toward her ship. She walked by the placard and ripped away the word ‘golden’. She lifted her brace-com, called for her goggles and linked them to ship she was boarding. “Are you guys ready to launch?”
“Cruel Intentions is ready to launch,” Agatha replied.
“Trident is ready to go,” Deolun added.
“Feather is ready to fly,” Silnee reported and Pristacia keyed up a simple flight plan. She was sure they would all complain, long enough to make sure they had been heard. Then they would go about the business of telling their fellow crewmen what Z had made for them.
“Thanks for the assist,” Pristacia said as she watched the ships begin the simulation.
“It was my pleasure, Princess,” Tuitonn replied. “But some would say–”
“Don’t they always though?” Pristacia interrupted. “She’s eager to fly again. Maybe… just maybe she’ll get around to being truthful to who and what she wants. Someone’s always going to say something about how she got there. The moment their opinions equal life or death, I’ll be ready to hear them out!
“After all,” Pristacia concluded, “… we’ve all still got the same problems… we just have a different way of looking at them. My personal mantra these days: vive la difference de point de vue!” Tuitonn merely floated there without making a response and Pristacia chuckled, remembering she was not talking to the First Mate. “Long live the difference of perspective,” she translated.
“Indeed!” the small orb replied. “Now, if you will excuse me, I am needed elsewhere on the ship.”
“Please, don’t let me hold you up,” Pristacia quickly said, opening the doors to allow simpler passage for the floating orb. “And thanks again for all that you’re doing. With any luck, the Captain will be handing you your crew name. It’s a bit overdue from this chair.”
“Very much appreciated, Princess,” Tuitonn replied as he moved to take his leave. He did not think it would be so soon for that particular rendezvous with Fate, but the timing was not his to make. “The Captain has had a lot on her mind as of late.”
“Amen to that, brother,” Pristacia sighed as she turned back to the controls. “Speaking of… I wonder how our sticks will react to a singularity! That’s still keeping it simple, isn’t it?”
Be honest, brutally honest. That is what’s going to maintain relationships.
Lauryn Hill
(Rims Time: XII-4203.12)
Yawning and stretching awake, Ephaliun realized that he had been knocked out and sat up quickly, seeing that he was in sleeping attire and in a rather comfortable bed.
“Damn, almost to the second!” Jovasor said, looking at his brace-com. “For someone who’s not a physician, the man is a special kind of spooky.”
“I take it you’re here to keep me from going off and killing that bitch?!”
“I’m not a keeper,” Jovasor explained. “But you’re under strict orders to say in bed. And, I was curious as to whether Z was right about how long it would take you to come to,” the young doctor explained. “Oh damn. He did get it right. I forgot about the give-take margin he mentioned.”
“Yeah, you got to watch that with Z,” Ephaliun muttered as he got up out of bed. The moment his body was away from the mattress, there was a pulse of energy that came from under the bed that stunned Ephaliun, causing him to fall.
Jovasor sighed as he got up from his chair. He lifted Ephaliun’s feet and placed them under the covers. “No
t a keeper, but I am the only one here who can deactivate that stunner under the bed. Now, knowing how the device works, I know you can hear me. Z wants you two to have a nice sit-down conversation about what happened aboard the scout ship. Until the two of you agree to have this discussion, you’re confined to quarters. Welcome back to Black Gate. Too bad you missed out on the DerFae. Man, was that an experience!
“It’s a no go from this side of the house,” Jovasor reported into his brace-com.
“Not doing any better in the west wing,” Teela replied. “And the injectors are working just fine. I figure she’s got about another four doses before we need to switch posts so you can refill the machine.”
Jovasor shook his head before acknowledging the update. He walked out of the bedroom, closing the door behind him. Across the hall, Teela came out of the room and smirked over at the doctor. She shrugged her shoulders and looked both ways down the corridor before she leaned in to whisper at Jovasor.
“Why does he want us to lead them into thinking that we’re in an estate?” she asked.
“From what I have gathered, it is mostly for Ephaliun’s benefit,” Jovasor suggested. “The last time he was at Black Gate they stayed at an estate house.”
“The more expensive the surroundings, the less likely they are to act foolishly and destroy things in their rooms,” Dungias said as he stepped out of the stairway and into the corridor. He walked in between Jovasor and Teela, proceeding directly to his room. “And I appreciate the two of you watching over them for the time we have been here. I have nearly concluded our business here and we will be leaving sometime tomorrow, late morning. If you would like, why don’t the two of you go out and enjoy an evening in Black Gate.”
“That sounds just capital!” Jovasor said before he turned and smiled at Teela. “I don’t suppose I could interest you in accompanying me?”
“Just give me a moment to get changed,” Teela smiled, giving a slight curtsey before she spun on her heels and walked to her room. Jovasor watched until she closed her door; he then turned quickly to look at Dungias who had just emerged from his room.
“Now what do I do?!” he asked in a very harsh whisper.
“I would try going out and having a good time,” Dungias replied. “If you have need of me, I will be on the roof.”
“What about Dugger and Rahneece?”
“I have their bio-signs on my brace-com, Doctor,” Dungias answered, feeling the need to move more quickly. “… if there is an emergency I cannot handle, I will alert you.” Reaching the stairs, Dungias engaged the Star-Stride along with Pax’Dulah and ascended fifteen flights in four bounding and blurry lunges. He opened the door to see a small air-car landing on the roof of the hotel. The engine was still powering down when the door to the passenger seat opened. Dungias easily recognized the form of the Governor’s guardian and she walked quickly over to the Star Chaser to embrace him as she would any other brother she loved and had missed.
“It is good to put eyes to you once again, strong spirit,” she said softly in his ear as he wrapped his arms around her body. She closed her eyes; the winds atop the roof started to blow harder, and Dungias could feel soft and warm hands touching him, though it was not his skin that received the contact. For a moment, it felt as if he were in the company of the Stars.
“Likewise, good soul of the Great Mother.” J’Raldri stepped back from their embrace, a smile of surprise on her face. Isaiah stepped out of the air-car, pleasantly surprised by the reactions of his L’Konno Warrior to the one called Z.
“What do you know of the Great Mother?” the L’Konno woman asked.
“Some time ago, I visited the Valprun Valley,” Dungias explained. “I ate of the gray berry and danced in the yellow clouds. The Great Mother came to me and gave me the name D’Yekvo, but I have not been able to translate it. What name did she give you?”
“J’Raldri,” the woman replied, barely able to speak. She knew the meaning of the word and she also knew why the blue-skinned one had yet to find its purpose. J’Raldri knew that much of the culture of the L’Konno would never be recorded to any database. It would instead forever be carried by the Spirits and they chose their Wind Whisperers who would then receive the inscriptions into their hearts and minds. “I was given my name and then given my path. That is why I stay with this one,” she said, pointing at the Governor of Black Gate as he approached.
“She says it like she’s serving time,” Isaiah Gundryss whined. He smiled brightly as he walked up to Dungias. He threw his arms out from his sides and the two men embraced. “Here is a vote of gratitude that is long overdue, Z.”
“No, Lord Governor. The information I forwarded to you about your Keeper was of no trouble to accumulate.”
“That’s all well and good, but I was referring to when you saved my life!”
“It is a good life,” Dungias replied, “… one of great purpose and greater potential. When will you be taking your leave of Black Gate?” Isaiah stood there with his mouth open for a moment before he chuckled and stepped back.
“I wasn’t planning on leaving anytime too soon, Z.”
“I see,” Dungias replied as he looked over and walked toward the vehicle in which the Governor had arrived. “That is… unfortunate. I am sure you have your reasons.”
“The guy’s adorable, but you can never get anything out of him,” Isaiah said to J’Raldri who covered her mouth as she smiled. The Governor stepped around his guardian and friend to walk with the Star Chaser. “Something on your mind, Z?”
“I suppose the best response to that inquiry is ‘undoubtedly’,” Dungias answered as he approached the edge of the roof. “My perspective was not solicited–”
“I would argue it is,” Isaiah countered, setting his brown eyes on the gold pair in Dungias’ head.
“The potential paths for this place do not trek with your own,” Dungias stated. “Are there many things you can bring to Black Gate that it sorely needs? The answer to that inquiry is blatantly obvious. But Black Gate… it lacks something vital for any hope toward sustained success.”
“And what is that?”
“It does not want to be saved, Isaiah,” Dungias declared. “The barons profit too much from the element that swarms to the safety of this station. It basks in the shadows, and you are a creature of light. You can shape some of the shadows… but eventually, either they or you will have to be removed.”
“Say something!” Isaiah thought. “Tell him where he can take his blue-skinned philosophies!”
“No matter where that place is, it will not change the truth, Lord Governor.”
“You know, I am beginning to see why JoJo is the way she is,” Isaiah stated. “… but this is not why I wanted to meet with you. I’ve come by some information. I didn’t want to try and beam it directly to JoJo and run the risk it would be intercepted, but it’s fair to say that it’s of vital importance and it could make JoJo change her plans about how long she wants to be in The Territories.”
“What is this information?” Dungias asked.
“It looks as though there’s about to be an inter-baronial conflict,” Isaiah declared. “Nemus and the Pearl Barony look to be the players in this one. and by conflict I mean open aggression.”
“Of course,” Dungias thought. “It would have to be the Pearl Barony!”
“The Tonnogard, the treelike citizens of the Iolite Barony, are beginning to form their ranks. Apparently there was an attack on the Royal House and the King was killed. According to my sources, the heir to the throne is not a font of knowledge or discretion. He has openly declared war on the Pearl Barony and he hasn’t even been crowned yet!”
Dungias looked down at the floor tiling and considered his options. “The Tonnogard are known for their fairly exclusive society and even more for their ability to wield the Energies… all save MannA. What reason could they have for declaring war on the Pearl Barony?”
“Because they believe it is the Dragons who are keeping them
from mastering MajiK,” Isaiah explained. “Just beyond where the Star-Wing Corps make their base is the gateway that leads to Cloud Keep, the home of the Dragons. And somewhere in the heart of the keep is the aperture that leads to the Realm of Dragons. But that’s not the worst of it.” Dungias looked up from his considerations and turned to face Governor Gundryss. “The Dragons have a lot of enemies, but only one of them has a barony all their own that they can mobilize and gird up to aid the Tonnogard; that would be the citizens of Lutaeus, the Calcite Barony. We’re talking about problems that got started before you and I were born, Dungias; thousands of years ago! Now, because the people of the Calcite Barony are a little harder to keep track of–”
“As shape-changers tend to be,” Dungias added.
“… I cannot say for sure if dignitaries of Lutaeus or Nemus have met yet.”
“This is one occasion where the need for the Tonnogard to be left alone works against them,” Dungias quickly concluded as he started for the stairs. “Thank you, Lord Governor. You were right, this is very important information, though I doubt it will change JoJo Starblazer’s mind about anything!” Dungias stopped just shy of the door and looked back at the Governor. “If I were in the market for a Jockey, where in Black Gate might I look?”
Isaiah Gundryss did not bother to take the standpoint that Jockeys took up residence inside The Territories. This was no time to be political or try to appear to be clean. “The Bowels,” he said plainly, quickly following up that answer with, “… but it’s not the sort of place I would send a friend… especially the kind that likes to take on things like this alone! You brought crewmen, Z. Use them!”
“Speaking of advice, you may wish to call out your full militia,” Dungias said without stopping. “Call it a hunch.” He was inside in the next stride and before the door could slide closed, Isaiah watched as Dungias jumped over the railing of the stairway and dropped into the building.
