by Reiter
“Shit!” Sally said, tucking and rolling under the attack. Ephaliun sailed over her, landing hand thrusts to the neck and sternum of the second woman, and then rolling past her. Sally came out of her roll prone, but with her gun drawn and ready to fire. With Deidre as the only visible target, she did not pull the trigger. She tried looking around the choking woman that was staggering toward her. “Son of a bitch,” she whispered as she moved back from Deidre with her back, hips and legs.
“Surprise!” Ephaliun whispered as he phased through Deidre, hitting her in the face with a sharp back-fist. Sally gasped, but she did not fire. Her gun was knocked out her hand by a surprisingly powerful downward hammering fist. “Ah ahh aahhh, no shooting!”
“Fine by me,” Sally hissed, kicking her leg out and sweeping the feet out from under her opponent.
The two combatants rolled in opposite directions and Sally got to her feet as fast as she could. Her body flew back under the power of his turning back-kick that stomped into her armour. The strike to her gun was, apparently, not the hardest he could muster. Her body flew back to the console and she bounced off of it. Her left arm came up, blocking a hand thrust meant for her neck. Her head butt found his face, as did her right hook. He spun with the power of the blow and his foot crashed against the side of her head. She spun as she fell, but he caught her short of hitting face-first on the metal floor.
“No need to muss the pretty mug,” he said softly before thrusting his fingers to the side of her neck. Her eyes flared open as she lost feeling of her body. “Don’t panic,” he said, closing her green eyes. “Don’t lock up. Just swallow hard and let your body do the rest. Keep your eyes closed and stay away from the controls.” She could hear him push off from the ground, feel the wind his movement left in its wake. Her sensei did not churn up that kind of a breeze. “And from where I’m standing, Troop… it’s Garrick’s loss!”
Ephaliun came running out of the control room at a full sprint. “How am I looking on time?”
“Well, even with that rather interesting distraction, you’re still thirty-eight seconds ahead of the curve,” Rahneece reported. “Bambi’s got eyes on Z.”
“Everything going good?” Ephaliun asked as he jumped over the railing of the catwalk. He dropped five meters and landed on the wall which was at a slant. Sliding down the incline, he came to the lip and a very long drop. Ephaliun hit the lip, twisting his body as he altered his center of gravity. His body carried over the twenty meter gap and his hands caught the lip of the wall at the far end.
“Clean and green on this end,” Rahneece reported. Breathing out with the collision his body had with the wall, Ephaliun pulled himself up and started running down the corridor. “And that little jump shaved off all kinds of time. Nicely done!”
“And where is he?”
“Bambi’s got eyes on him.”
“You said that already,” Ephaliun said as he came to the door to the storage room where he had placed his pulse generator. Nothing like the one Dungias had used to gain entry onto the Adrian Gunship, this unit fit like a backpack and could be used over and over again. “Is that because you have eyes on him too?”
“Yeah, me… SAK and Doc,” Rahneece admitted. “He made it back about two minutes ago.”
“Son of a bitch!” Ephaliun cussed as he phased through the hull of the Corridor Station. Using the gravity field his boots were generating he ran along the outside of the hull until he jumped once more, landing inside the Kulri-Kraythe. The large door closed behind him and quickly pressurized the chamber. The lights flashed green for a moment and Ephaliun knew he could remove his helmet, forming it into a headband.
Ephaliun had just entered the main body of the ship when he heard the engines engaging. The ship shuddered for a moment and then tilted to the right side, but it quickly came back to level. “That man does not miss a teaching moment,” Ephaliun whispered as he lifted his brace-com, accessing the intercom. “Easy on the controls, Doc. Think of that control stick as a scalpel and not a dick!” Ephaliun smiled at the sounds of Teela and Rahneece laughing.
Using the knowledge he had gained from Aldrees Branthan, the Commander of the gunship Hard Charger, Dungias had gained the knowledge of the existence of the First Pointe Corridor Station and how it was not yet fully operational. The Ardrians were in the stages of expanding their territory. They had encountered a few problems in a nearby solar system with a race that was not a member of the Interstellar Amalgamation. While Aldrees had never seen one of them, like most Ardrians, he believed they were ugly savages. Their solar system was claimed by the Ardrian Government and the construction of the Corridor Station had begun. Poor financing and a lack of proper personnel had brought everything to a grinding halt, leaving only a skeleton crew behind to guard the facility. Every now and then they would test fire the equipment… and on this occasion, the Kulri-Kraythe was inside the beam.
Arriving at Anvil, the heart of Ardrian Territory, the stealth field remained functional though Satithe was still making repairs to the emitter relays. It was a fairly simple exercise to pilot the Kulri-Kraythe through the inner shafts of the main station where they had arrived and find a corner away from the main workings of the facility. In their corner of solitude, the crew of the Kulri-Kraythe functioned in a low-sound environment, going about the business of putting the finishing touches on the scout ship repairs. Though the hull was still an eyesore to Dungias, the ship was functioning at sixty-three percent of its full potential. For fifty-one hours the Malgovi Traveler soaked in the silence, eventually giving the order to dislodge and enter the heart of the Corridor Station.
Attaching itself to the belly of an Ardrian cruise liner, the Kulri-Kraythe readied for a piggyback ride. The Pomp & Circumstance was a high-end touring cruise-liner bound for Black Gate, celebrating the graduation of a number of academies. The cadets were bound for the noted space station for countless rounds of gambling and various other vices. With the assistance of a booster receptor Dungias had attached to the cruiser’s computer bay, Satithe was able to alter the information feed between the cruise ship and the control booth of the Corridor Station. The mass of the ship showed correctly to the control booth, though it was quite different from the numbers sent by the cruise ship itself. The cruise liner was eventually launched for a nine-day voyage to Black Gate.
From a tactical point of view, with the growing number of pirates in the open territories, one could not consider Dungias a fan of long-range Corridors. However, the notion that pirates would engage against an enormous ship filled with Ardrians was not something that gave him reason for concern. During his very brief time aboard the cruiser he could attest to the fact that even vacationing Ardrians were armed and armoured. Also, there were three squadrons of fighter-craft in the holding bays along with four gun-shuttles. Dungias was fairly certain no one would breach the Corridor and mount an attack on the ship. The only mystery might be the relaying stations receiving a pulse well ahead of the expected time. Even that would go unchallenged. There would be no way a technician could open a channel and warn the next station of the approaching pulse. The pulse would pass by the following relay station before the communication could be received from the former station.
With Black Gate in view, Rahneece turned to look at Dungias who did not look relieved to see the massive station. She decided that he had his own reasons which would be discussed when he thought the time was right. “It took us four and a half days to get to the skeleton Corridor Station,” she said.
“Closer to five,” Dungias returned.
“That was genius, by the way,” Rahneece claimed. “I don’t know how you came up with that one.”
“A lesson I learned from my Master as well as the Queen of my people: always try your best to keep a few surprises in store,” Dungias replied and the young woman laughed, nodding at the wisdom of her teacher’s words.
“I bet my Master could whip your Master’s ass!” she said, sounding like an arrogant child. Dungias surprised ev
eryone by bursting into laughter. He put his hand to his mouth, but the laugh was genuine and hearty.
“Oh, hell no!” Ephaliun said in protest. “No way Star beat me to it! Damn you, woman!”
“I didn’t mean for that to happen,” Rahneece said in her defense.
“Maybe that’s why it was so funny to him,” Teela hypothesized.
“That along with the lunacy of the image, Bambi,” Dungias admitted before giving another chuckle. He could see himself squaring off against Nugar. They circled each other several times before deciding to have tea and daring each other to chart some unknown region of the Stars. “Thank you, Star. As it is often said in Terran culture, I needed that.”
“To start over,” Rahneece asserted, “two days on the Hard Charger, five to reach the tacky, non-existent Corridor Station where Kulrithe took all day to handle a couple of girls!”
“Whoa there,” Ephaliun inserted. “When they’re Ardrian, kindly refer to them at leatherneckettes!”
“Two days to the Anvil from there,” Rahneece pressed on over Ephaliun’s glare and the giggling coming from Teela and Ulios. “Two days of quiet whispers and farts waiting for the optimal ride. Five days to the Lanfiah System where we had a three-hour wait and a four-day shot to Black Gate which is now in visual range. It is the twenty-sixth of Lentmonzant, damn near the twenty-seventh, local time. We might not be clean, but all systems are reading green.”
“Well done,” Dungias stated. “Prepare to lower the stealth field. There are a number of things I must tend to before we return to the Prism Baronies. Make use of my account and rent an estate house.
“We need to dock at Black Gate,” Dungias declared in a tone that implied a strong sense of urgency. He got up from his station and started out of the cockpit. He stopped at the door and lowered his head. “I place you each on your word. Do not follow me. Satithe, suspend all surveillance measures on me. Do not question me, and do not venture more than thirty minutes away from the estate house. Acknowledge!”
“Yes, Teacher,” Teela answered first, quickly tucking her bottom lip under her teeth. There was so much she wanted to say, but she had never Dungias talk the way he had.
“Thank you,” Dungias said, turning to look directly at Teela. His eyes then moved to the pilot’s station.
“As long as you know of my argument against your wishes, you have my word,” Rahneece said as she piloted the Kulri-Kraythe toward Black Gate.
“Noted, Star.” Dungias then looked at Jovasor who nodded without saying anything. “Kulrithe?”
“Whatever this is, it feels like it’s got you unhinged,” Ephaliun commented. “If that’s the case, get back to being our Z and handle your business!” Dungias was surprised by the young man’s words.
“Thank you,” he softly. “More than you know, you have my gratitude! Ulios?” The QuiQami sighed in frustration, hoping that he might somehow be overlooked. He nodded as he began to grumble.
“Star, the ship and crew are yours!”
“You’re putting her in charge?!” Ephaliun asked.
“She made me laugh,” Dungias said plainly. “There is no telling what she can do!”
Ephaliun looked away for a moment, considering his teacher’s statement. “It’s scary how accurate that statement might be. Well, Jovasor, looks like we’re back at your favorite stop.” Alpha absorbed the sound as Dungias broke into laughter once more.
“Potentials abound!” Dungias thought as he composed himself. He approached the rear of the ship and put his hand to Alpha, connecting his mind with both Satithe and CK. “Look after them for me.”
“We shall attend to all matters, Master,” Satithe replied.
Without breaking stride, Dungias phased through the floor and hull of the Kulri-Kraythe. His skin turned black immediately as the cold of outer space took hold of him. Dungias maneuvered himself within the atmospheric envelope around the gigantic station. He ran along the wall as his skin slowly returned to its normal blue. It was a first for him, but given the circumstance, it seemed very fitting. Pushing off from the surface, Dungias took flight around the top of the station. The Traveler was distracted for a moment by the sound of thunder that seemed to shake Black Gate ever so slightly. He doubted anything of the tremor got through the Inertia Fields, but he had an idea as to what could cause thunder to happen in a vacuum. He closed his eyes and allowed himself to fall into the sensations that this flight delivered. It did not take his mind long to engage in an ascension.
“Star Chaser,” Eesa called to him, relief registering in her voice. “You and your friends are well?”
“We have survived what I can only conclude were the efforts of the other Stars,” Dungias replied.
“So it was. I did all that I could,” Eesa explained as relief slowly became regret.
“Do not let your heart carry it,” Dungias asserted. “Such is the way of things. If anything… in life, and even in death, Saru is more than a remarkable woman. What she gave, she gave out of love, and that is something I regret and cherish; the latter clearly outweighing the former. Also, she did not take that action to make our hearts heavy, but our burdens lighter. In that stride, let her effort have its place.”
“The one I sent upon a quest comes back with the artifact requested and a lesson of great wisdom,” Eesa replied as another rumbling of thunder rolled over the station. “It would seem that my brethren are eager to prevent your delivery. The old laws and the Stars of The Territories keep them at bay.”
“They have already made a strong attempt to prevent this moment,” Dungias stated. “I have you and Saru to thank, for they did not fail in their attempt; we were simply able to survive it. With respect, I will keep such matters to myself for as long as I can.”
“No one needs to know everything,” Eesa said, appearing beside Dungias and the two of them flew together. Dungias smiled in response and then slowly rolled to where the front of his body faced her. “And there it is!” Eesa said, looking at the pocket dimension the Traveler had created inside his belt. She knew she had access to remove the star pod and she did so carefully, fading out of sight as soon as her hands were clear of the pocket. Dungias leveled out but he soon lost sight of Black Gate as it lost sight of him.
“The Celestial Chorus,” he thought, looking out over all of the dim stars. There were thousands of them, but he could feel nothing of the normal sensation of such a place.
“At last!” Khiea cried as she appeared, her hands glowing with the power of a star, ready to remove the Star Chaser from existence. As she drew back her hand, her siblings appeared, though they looked as eager as she to destroy the Traveler. “You have caused enough trouble, Malgovi Traveler!”
“Hold!” an old, soft, and gentle voice commanded. The light in Khiea’s hand, as it came forward, faded before it could extend beyond her body.
“Who dares?!” Khiea cried, looking for who had acted against her.
“Just a simple shepherd,” Cosmos replied. The star pod had been opened, and Eesa had given of herself to commune with the essence that had created the Stars. The expression of the universe had taken the form of a man where his clothes were black but his skin was outer space. “A shepherd who has been summoned to look upon a flock that has gone too long out of my sight.
“But first, we must have a full attendance,” Cosmos said, giving light to everything that could hear his voice.
Dungias awakened in the middle of the lowermost deck of the Black Gate Station. He was down on his right knee, a glowing Alpha in hand and the floor tile around him charred black… and he felt brand new! “Alpha, are you well?”
“It has been fully restored,” Eesa said as she entered the room. “Even the injuries it would not mention to you have been healed. Also, the gift of Time that Nes intended to give to you has been granted to Alpha, Satithe, and CK… three-quarters of the Star Chaser. The gift granted to you, however, comes with as much exigency as it carries elation.” Dungias frowned at the female form as he stood up
from his kneeling position. He twirled Alpha, sliding it into its sheath on his hip, and waited for the explanation the Star was straining to deliver.
“Dungias, I have reached inside of you and burned away an inhibitor,” Eesa stated. “It was buried in your deepest mind, disguised as one of so many thoughts. It moved with the speed of the others, often changing its shape and depth, making it all but impossible to detect. Simply put, it was a mechanism that would usher itself into your conscious mind at one specific time: whenever you engaged in the Jump-Stride.” Dungias’ frown grew more stern as his eyes began to glow slightly.
“How long has it been there?”
Eesa took in a deep breath before speaking. “Reading the light from the time of your birth, it was placed in you on the second occasion your Vi-Prin sought to hide her knowledge in your mind.” Dungias locked his eyes on Eesa’s as his hands became trembling fists. “It was a PsyondaR who has since gone to the Grey Realm, but he was acting under the direction of… a Malgovi woman.”
“Who?!”
“The First Star Traveler,” Eesa replied, “the very same entity responsible for the manner in which my brothers and sister were awakened. It was intentional they were tainted, easy to manipulate. Though I cannot say what her endgame was.”
“Is,” Dungias corrected. “To have initiated such measures, I doubt we have seen the entirety of her plans. You are sure it is not a doppelganger of some sort?”
“I can see when Isse assumed her station,” Eesa reported. “This is a different entity. She is Malgovi, and she is a Traveler.”
“Then she might well be the First Star Chaser,” Dungias concluded.
“The problem in your mind has been corrected,” Eesa stated. “And given all the work you have put into perfecting the ability, I am sure you will now find your Jump-Stride as simple as walking.”
“That will come as a comfort,” Dungias remarked. “Forgive me, Lady of the Chorus, but are we done here?”
