by Reiter
“Serve!” Another wide swung hook landed against Llaz’s jaw, and this blow knocked him out of Cilrus’ grasp. He spun around as he fell; his arms made failing attempts to prevent him feeling a hard fall.
“Whoa,” Jocasta said as she walked up on the event. “… looks like I all but missed a serious throw-down.”
“Get ready to receive a new Cutter, Captain,” Olreye said excitedly. Jocasta looked at the man as he watched the contest, shadowboxing and smiling too brightly for her tastes.
“Calm down, Olreye. Besides, this fight isn’t over yet.”
“All but, Captain,” he argued. “All but!”
“Yield, boy,” Cilrus panted, looking down on an opponent that was barely moving. “… while you still can.” Llaz made no response save to gather his hands under his chest. Cilrus walked over, grabbed Llaz by the belt and the shoulder, and lifted the stunned crewman from the floor. Cilrus screamed again, but it was not his battle-cry. Llaz’s right elbow had shot back and found the sternum. His left elbow bashed against Cilrus’ face and the gladiator staggered back.
“You want me to yield?!” Llaz hissed, spinning around and landing a haymaker to the face. Cilrus backed away three more strides but he did not fall. “And here I thought you knew me!” Llaz yelled before lunging forward, grabbing Cilrus’ shoulders and jumping up, lifting his knee up into the sternum. Cilrus wailed in agony and dropped to his knees. He groaned as he tried to get up quickly, grabbing for Llaz. Llaz caught the wrists of either arm, the two men glared at each other.
“Hold for a moment, Llaz,” Jocasta said as she lifted her cane.
“Captain!” Olreye barked, scandalized by the interruption. The tip of Jocasta’s sword nipped the man’s previously wounded ear and he grabbed the sided of his head, falling to the floor.
“Take note I did not say ‘please’ before. Calm the hell down or you’ll find my steel getting closer to your skull.
“Llaz,” Jocasta said in the most normal of tones.
“Captain,” the young man panted his reply as he glared up at Cilrus who definitely appreciated the cessation of punishment.
“What’s all this, please?”
“Resolving an issue among the crew, Captain,” Llaz replied. Jocasta had to keep from smiling.
“Specifically, man,” she pressed and the change in her tone told everyone in the room that the time for levity had passed.
“I accepted a challenge from Cilrus for the position of Second Mate,” Llaz explained as he released his hold of Cilrus’ wrists.
“But CeCe can’t be Second Mate,” Jocasta stated.
“I can’t?” the gladiator panted. “Why not?”
Jocasta shrugged and spoke matter-of-factly. “Because, you’re my Enforcer! One of the conditions posted to me by Z before he took his leave of us. It seems that after recent events, the Captain can’t go anywhere by herself anymore. He feels that is when we get into the most trouble. I can’t say I agree with him, but the man is seldom wrong… so, to that point. We are about to put to planet and when we do, CeCe, you’re my shadow.” Jocasta turned and faced Silnee though she still spoke to the large gladiator. “… so go get yourself some sim-time and get up to speed on how I operate.” She stepped toward the young girl and looked her up and down.
“Tolip, how goes it?”
“Clean and green, Captain,” Silnee replied.
“And my Pinion Group?”
Silnee thought for a moment, speaking in a clear voice. “Individually I think we were all a bit ahead of the game. As a flying unit, we’ve got a lot of ground to cover.”
“And how about Princess?”
“She’s a lot like this fight, Captain: an unexpected surprise.”
“You’re my Flight Leader, Tolip,” Jocasta declared before she started for the door. “By the way, Llaz, you’re supposed to have a shadow too. I expect you’ll be picking Siekor?”
“Negative, Captain,” Llaz answered, wiping the blood from the side of his mouth. “With your permission, I’d rather have Siekor as a Team Leader.”
“The crew is yours, Llaz,” she said as she left the room. “Carry on.”
“Are we done here, CeCe?” Llaz asked, looking up at the muscular man. Cilrus looked back at him and realized he had seriously underestimated his opponent. Truth be known, he should have had more than Llaz in the tank, but the repeated blows to the sternum made it hard to breathe, hard to move, and his body was burning a lot of energy.
“We’re done, Boss.”
“Then get Olreye and have LeRoy take a look at the two of you,” Llaz ordered. “Send me a notice the moment you’re cleared.
“As for the rest of you… work details await!”
“Yes, Boss!” Mel answered in a very loud and proud tone. One by one, the crew started to leave the Rec Room… save for Silnee who brought a chair to Llaz after everyone had departed.
“Why don’t you take a load off?” she offered.
“If you really wanted me to take a load off… you would’ve brought me a mattress,” Llaz said as he dropped down on the chair. He sighed from relief of the strain he had taken off his legs. He rubbed his jaw where the most powerful of Cilrus’ punches had landed. “Damn if she wasn’t right!”
“Who was right… and about what?”
“The Captain,” he replied. “… about Z seldom being wrong. We haven’t sparred too many times, but the last time we went at it, he hit me pretty damn hard. It felt like he had driven his fist through my chest! When I could look up and speak, I told him I thought it was over the line. He said, ‘it is not matter of being over a line, but the establishment of one. You have been hit very hard and you survived it. Any blow you receive that is softer is under that line and you need not worry or wonder if you can contend with its power’. Cilrus is big, strong, and all kinds of nasty–”
“But he didn’t hit you as hard as Z,” Silnee concluded as she put her hands on his shoulders and began to massage them.
“Not even close,” Llaz sighed, “but I didn’t want him knowing that. Don’t get me wrong, those shots hurt! For a second, I couldn’t see five centimeters in front of me. But I knew I could deal with the punishment… just didn’t see that Cilrus needed to be in on that realization.”
“Speaking of realizations, there’s one big, strong, and nasty ex-gladiator who’s found a new region of respect for our Cutter. And he’s not the only one. You surprised the hell out of me!”
“Did a pretty good job on myself too,” Llaz stated. “And if there’s new respect for a Cutter to be found, find it for Annsura. She taught me how to fight like that. Made me drill with her every single day and review it in the simulators for at least ten minutes on Scholar Mode.”
“Ten minutes?!” Silnee asked and Llaz nodded. “On Scholar Mode that’s like…”
“About three hours, give or take,” Llaz defined. “It would get up to five or six if I didn’t have to rewind to make sure I didn’t miss a move. It was an experiment of hers and after those results, I think I might be picking out a few of the crew to take a few classes.”
“You have anyone in mind?”
“I don’t see why we should go beyond the first triumvirate that ever mixed it up with Annsura,” Llaz answered. “You, Tank, and Cupid know how to work well with each other. I think we should keep that going.”
“Why don’t you put Thom in my slot?” Silnee requested. “I just got pushed up to Flight Leader and I think my Scholar time should be put toward that.”
Llaz thought about it for a moment. He did not think Silnee’s new position was the only or most pressing reason for her request, but there was truth in what she had said. She was Flight Leader now, and needed to get her head clear. He nodded after a few moments. “Good point. I’ll think about Thom. I’m leaning more toward Princess though.”
“You sound like a man who is playing favorites.”
“I’m a man playing to what I know,” Llaz shared. “Hearing Cilrus say ‘to the hilt’ hit me hard
er than any punch! And I could hear Olreye rooting for me to lose! Thanks for keeping quiet, by the way.”
“It was a little difficult to keep quiet,” Silnee admitted. “… I figured that would be the way you would want it. I think all of the old guard knew.”
Llaz chuckled. “Old guard.”
“Hey, it might only be a few days difference, but what happened at the Gulmar System changed my life!”
“That’s one reason why I’m looking forward to this port of call the Captain is headed for,” Llaz said. “We had the opportunity to train under Z for weeks and it made a big difference! If I can get some down time with the crew–”
“You’ll only find more problems,” Silnee said as she walked from behind the Second Mate of the Xara-Mansura. “Nothing’s changed, Llaz. We made a decision to be with the Captain.”
“Sounds like there was more regret in that voice than declaration,” Llaz monitored. “And don’t even try to hide under what happened to Annsura with me. We all miss her; some more than others, but that voice sounded like someone who was reconsidering a number of things.”
“Just how many hits are you willing to take for her?” Silnee asked.
“As many as I have to,” Llaz quickly replied.
“It was that sort of thinking that got Annsura killed.”
Llaz stood up and checked his mouth for blood once again. He was going to need some time in the infirmary, but he believed he could wait until the med-techs were done with Olreye and Cilrus. “Yes, it was, thank goodness. Because she saved a lot of lives with what she did.
“Have you ever thought about what would have happened if that weapon had hit that mountain range?” Llaz posed, looking at the young woman. What Llaz had read concerning Silnee’s performance in the first Pinion Project training session had eroded, maybe it had gone away for good… or maybe her resolve only applied when she was flying. He did not know nor did he care to inquire – answers in that vein would not address the problem. Silnee needed to move on or be taken out of the rotations. “Or are you too busy trying to dig up ways to be fucked up by this whole thing?!”
“You don’t get to talk to me like that!” Silnee yelled.
“Oh really?” Llaz countered without raising his voice. “Don’t like it? Take a number! Because while you’re all jumbled up, going up and down the emotional rollercoaster of your self-indulgent perspective, you skipped something: Cutter was good to go! She had zero complaints about what was happening. None! Who the hell am I to argue that she was wronged if she didn’t bear a grudge?” Llaz gave a soft cleansing breath and decided to remove himself from the room. He got to the door and stopped. It was as if he could feel and hear a very good friend, urging him to finish what he had started. He smiled at the notion, having something of a soft spot for Annsura, thinking that she would have never given herself enough room to have one. The smile faded though, and he looked back at Silnee. “You’ve got until the Captain touches down at the Garnet Barony.”
“Before what?”
“Before I tell Cupid what the rest of us already know. That is, if he doesn’t already know himself.”
“You can’t do that!”
“Can and will, Tolip,” Llaz assured. “You’ve got a choice on how he receives the word, Silnee. I suggest you look into it and make a decision. Make a damn move!”
“And what if it’s the wrong move?!” she cried.
“Welcome to our world!” Llaz said before leaving. The doors started to close behind him. “But at least you would have taken your shot!”
Silnee wanted to scream, but she knew it would not get her anywhere. Besides, Llaz was right. She was not necessarily mourning the loss of a very good friend. Yes, it still hurt for Annsura to be missing from all of their lives, but she had died a hero’s death, a glorious death if there ever could be such a thing. It was a passing that had defended life. Nothing could have encapsulated Annsura any better than her final act. It was the people she had left behind that were the central point of Silnee’s problem.
“Computer, what is Olkin’s current location?”
“Olkin is at the weapons range.”
“Of course,” she whispered as she walked out of the Rec Room. “Where else would Cupid be? Probably perfecting that sweet shot of his.”
** b *** t *** o *** r **
Jocasta sat in the chair behind her desk and looked at the view of her virtual monitor. Dungias had managed to mount optics around the borders of the Observation Deck’s massive window and she could take a gander anytime she wanted without fear of walking in on a moment or having someone walk in on hers. Here she could sit with a glass of rum and relax with her thoughts and feelings. She activated the recorder and smiled. “I can just imagine you sitting there, listening to this playback and wearing that stone face of yours. Once again, you were right… Llaz is doing a great job, but he was challenged anyway and, as you predicted, I stepped in to protect him. Honestly, for my money, neither one of them would have walked away pretty, but cool-ass Llaz was more than holding his own. If I didn’t know any better, I’d swear I was watching a white-haired, chocolate, male Annsura taking it to that giant of a man. The only thing he was missing was the experience of knowing not to stand so close to a man-eating machine, especially after it’s been hurt.” Jocasta took a sip of rum and savored the flavor of the libation. “In other news, I’m about to land in the Garnet Barony and we’ll be dumping the newly acquired baggage. It’s not a popular decision, I know, but I can’t say I care enough to change my mind.
“Is that wrong, Z?” she asked, looking at her glass. “Here I am, pushing everyone to get on with things and the main reason I’m dumping these Jockeys off is that they remind me of him and how he took my Cutter. Ugh, I can hear you now… telling me that we all have ways to deal with the problems of the day, and that I can always recruit someone else. Besides, the Prism Baronies is one place CLJs are allowed to flourish.
“And if I keep talking into this thing, I’ll never be able to send it,” Jocasta concluded as she got up out of her chair. “No matter where you are… no matter what you’re doing… know that you’re missed. I am without my best friend, my best hand, my best reason. I’ll press on, because the last thing I want to give you is reason to lay that golden glare on me! So this is JoJo, signing off. Show no mercy, First Mate, no holding back, and get back to our ship as soon as the Stars will allow.
“Computer, load recording and data files to the portable storage device and commence launch.”
“Data pod is sent,” the computer advised. “Estimated time to Black Gate Hub, thirty-nine hours.”
“Good enough,” Jocasta remarked before she finished her glass of rum. “Computer, what is the location and physical status of Llaz?”
“Crewman Llaz is leaving the infirmary,” the computer replied. “He has been cleared for duty by Medical Technician LeRoy.”
“ETA to the Garnet Barony?”
“Six hours, forty-seven minutes.” Jocasta nodded as she licked her lips.
“We do this right, that gives me four hours for a good nap.” Jocasta grabbed her cane and walked out of her Ready Room. It was time to cash in a rain check.
** b *** t *** o *** r **
Once more the process of ascension to a celestial consciousness was rapid, but it did not stop with just the mind of the Traveler being elevated. Dungias could see his projected form and it held both presence and texture. Dungias pressed his lips together, already repulsed by the time that would eventually come: when he would have to depart from The Territories. The Void had such a cleaner feel here, sweeter and more fulfilling. He did not look forward to departing from the region.
Looking about, the chamber remained unchanged. The attendants he had seen on his last visit were still present. They did not all possess pleasant resting faces; they seemed pleased to see him return.
“You assign this region and these Stars too much credit, kind soul,” Fadym-Fiera said as light twinkled in her soft amethyst eyes. So
many voices spoke inside of hers and they all echoed, filling the chamber with their sound. “We are not aiding in your efforts to reach us. If there is any marked improvement, it comes from the Traveler. But perhaps that is best saved for another discussion. Your strong mind affords you the boon of folding our time here into the passage of events in the realm where your body now dwells. We should not squander that advantage on simple words.”
“Humility, it would seem, is something I both practice and observe, gracious Mistress,” Dungias returned, bowing to the female entity and her compatriots. His voice now echoed, though nothing like what he had heard. “Though I fear I must take exception to your perspective.”
“Oh?”
“I cannot consider any word passing from your lips as simple,” Dungias explained, and the female entity smiled.
“Then refer to me by name, Traveler, and while I am eager to speak with you again–”
“Many here hold to that desire, Traveler,” another entity spoke. He was the only one holding on to a weapon – a stone-poled, crystal-headed war spear that resonated with its own sentience – and it glimmered, agreeing with its master’s statement. Dungias looked at the flowing field of silver stars that made up the creature’s hair, though he wore it more like a mane.
“… we must be about the business that brings us all together. Our sister Eesa is most eager to share words with you, Traveler.”
“And with that single statement, so many of my questions are answered,” Dungias thought as he nodded in acknowledgement.
“We will give you this chamber so–”
“Forgive me, Mistress, but there is no need for privacy as far as I am concerned,” Dungias interrupted.
“I agree,” Eesa said as she made her way out of the darkness at the far end of the room. Dungias could not feel a wall behind her. The darkness was some sort of aperture, and he was given another reason to like the Chorus of The Territories. “The news I bring is not something which will be contained to the Stars outside this pocket dimension, despite its magnificence.
