by Jay Toney
"Nathaniel, I've been able to piece together enough of the Prometheus's log information to figure out what happened with its crew and riders. The ship wasn't abandoned like we suspected. The riders were launched on some type of reconnaissance mission. How many ships and where they were deployed has been permanently deleted from the records.
The ships crew didn't die by suicide. They were poisoned by one or more members of their team. They never got a chance to complete their mission. That is why the carrier still has five riders docked with it. Obviously, they weren't able to return and pick up their patrol ships."
This new information cleared up a few mysteries, but also added new questions. Who was the Crimson Tide monitoring, and why were they monitoring them? What exactly was their mission and where did they deploy their ships? It was doubtful that we would ever find the answers.
It was close to dinner time. Nugget had already left the bridge to be with Astrea. It was time to check on Demeter and Athena. We took the elevator down to our suite and entered the playroom. The table was gone, but the simulation was still running. Amber and Jewel were busy watching the sunset and our children.
Athena and Demeter were gone. Persephone and I stepped through the portal into her mother's home. Both of the goddesses were passed out on divans Demeter used to furnish her home. I picked up Athena and carried her into Demeter's bedroom, and put her on the bed. Persephone dragged her mother into the bedroom. Surprisingly, she didn't wake.
"Help me get her onto the bed and undress them."
I picked Demeter up off of the floor and laid her on the bed with Athena. Persephone didn't waste any time removing her mother's dress. "Don't just stand there, help me." I felt weird but did as Persephone said. I helped by removing Athena's dress. "Don't forget her undergarments." Now I was embarrassed. I use to dream of moments like this but now that it was happening it was nowhere near as fun as I thought it would be.
Persephone stood back and admired our work. I didn't know what she had in mind, but their waking together naked wouldn't be a good start to their new relationship. It would probably piss them off.
Persephone wasn't done yet. She summoned her stepsister. "Aphrodite, would you mind giving my mother and Athena a little nudge? Demeter has been without a companion for far too long."
"My, you are a wicked child. Your as mischievous as your stepsister Atë. You know I can't resist the temptation." Aphrodite bent over each one of the sleeping goddesses and gave them each a kiss. "No one, god or mortal can resist my kiss." She gave Persephone and me a wink then she vanished.
"We had best get out of here before they wake. They will each fall in love with the first person they see."
"Why did we undress them?"
"To add to Aphrodite's irresistible charm. We will not see them until very late tomorrow."
****
The stations fear of our military ships was outweighed by the number of credits a refit of one of our vessels would bring their economy. Especially after finding out it was our largest ship and five of the ships docked to it. We were given priority clearance to approach the space station. The Prometheus was directed to a repair dock, outside of the space station, that was large enough to handle the size of the carrier. The rest of us moored our ships a few kilometers from the station at designated mooring stations. Tenders were dispatched to start servicing our ships.
Persephone sent over the blueprints and all of the specifications for the upgrades we needed for our newest ships. The dock chief reviewed the information. He didn't understand most of it but he could follow instructions. He began negotiations with Nugget. Nugget did all of our bargaining. He wasn't happy until he got the best deal possible. This time around his heart wasn't on negotiating the price. He talked back and forth with the dock chief and came to a swift agreement. He agreed to pay 20% more than the dock chief's original asking price.
I knew he was nervous about the prospect of getting married again. This was going to be his sixth marriage. I thought he would be used to it by now. We were going to be here for nearly three months waiting for the refits and testing to be completed. He and Astrea were scheduled to be on the first shuttle to the space station. She didn't trust Nugget and wanted to marry him before he got cold feet and disappeared. Even if Nugget went into hiding, it would only take Astrea minutes to find him. He was doomed. Astrea didn't want a ceremony. She was content to be married in the station's offices. All she wanted was to be legally married to Nugget, by whatever the local customs stipulated, so she could give birth to their children.
Astrea saw Nugget as somehow being stronger and more virile than the gods. After all, he did something they couldn't do. He got her pregnant without his string of life and merging with her. No god could do that to her. She wasn't about to let Nugget get away from her. They would be married within the hour and have plenty of time for their honeymoon afterward.
Athena moved in with Demeter, adding her house to Demeter's making it even larger. It was already larger than any palace I ever saw. We hardly saw them now. Aphrodite's charm did the trick. They even looked happy on the few occasions we saw them.
The garden simulation was still playing. Amber and Jewel added a picnic table and patio furniture to the simulation. They were spending a lot of their time in the garden when they were not needed on the bridge.
I was long past ready for a vacation and intended to enjoy myself on the space station. Amber and Jewel were content to stay aboard the ship. It was hard leaving them, but no argument or any amount of pleading changed their minds. It was going to be just Persephone and me. Instead of waiting for an opening on a shuttle, we took my private launch to the station.
****
We had been here for over two months and would be returning to the ship soon. So far I hadn't killed or maimed anyone. That was a miracle considering that the people here were human.
Not every day was a holiday for us. We spent a lot of time in the station's archives searching through the records. We still couldn't find the location of the Sol system. When we asked the local people, we got the same answer from everyone, "Earth and the Sol System were best left lost and forgotten." No one was interested in their heritage. None of the people we questioned could even tell us what happened or why the Earth was forgotten.
On our final night, we entered what the locals called a karaoke bar. There was plenty of drinking and the people seemed to be having a good time. One patron after another took turns singing on a small stage. Some of them had good singing voices, most were awful. With the amount of drinking that was going on, I don't think the audience cared. They applauded everyone.
"Come sing with me."
"I can't sing."
"You have a part of me within you. Trust me, you can sing."
Persephone started gathering power within her. I didn't know what she had in mind, but it was sure to be spectacular. She led me onto the stage. All the lights went out and the karaoke screen went blank. The words that were on it were replaced with a view of the planet Spicer before it was attacked by the Crimson Tide.
"You all call that caterwauling singing? We will show you singing."
The spotlight illuminated us. All murmuring and talking stopped as music started. At first, it was just loud enough to hear, like a whisper from across the room. Then it got progressively louder and we began to sing:
"My lover is a starfighter pilot
He blazes trails across the sky
Tells me about all the women he meets
Getting as many as he can get
My lover is a starfighter pilot
He knows all the girls in every port
He's better than any other hero
I cradle his picture each and every night
I raise my drink to you
But I stay sober waiting for your return
My lover is a starfighter pilot
He blazes trails across the sky."
At the end of our song, there was no applause. The audience was stunned int
o silence. The lights came back on and the karaoke machine restarted. No one else got on stage to sing.
One of the patrons grabbed Persephone's ass. He squeezed it hard and pulled her to his lap. "I'll be your lover. I will show you a good time tonight."
Before I realized what happened, my sword was in my hands and his head was at my feet.
"You're a natural when it comes to summoning. I can see there is little I need to teach you about it."
The patrons in the bar were not happy with the way I killed one of its regulars. Friend or foe didn't matter. We were strangers, outsiders. They attacked, pulling swords, daggers, and blasters from concealment. I tried defending myself but there were too many. I was overpowered, disarmed, and beaten. When the authorities arrived, they found me left in a pool of blood. Some of it was my own, but most wasn't. My body was bruised from head to toe after being repeatedly kicked by the bar's patrons.
Only one body was found, the body of the person who assaulted Persephone. Only one weapon was recovered, my sword. Either the patrons took the other weapons with them or the police covered it up. Persephone and I were the only two left in the bar when the authorities arrived. We were taken to a holding cell, where my body was dumped on the floor. They didn't bother calling a doctor. I would either live to stand trial or die sparing them the expense of bringing me before a tribunal, then executing me.
My bruises healed and I regained consciousness. "It took you long enough. You need to learn how to heal much faster."
"That was fun, let's do it again."
"It was, and I promise we will. First, we have to get out of here."
"It won't do any good to just return to the ship. They won't let us go until they are satisfied that I am dead."
"That will take to long. The trial can last months."
"It won't. I'm more concerned with getting my sword back."
"There is no need to worry about that. Your sword has tasted your power and knows its master. Where you go, the sword will follow but you must give it a name soon."
"Name my sword?"
"Yes. Every sword crafted by Hephaestus has its own unique personality. Everyone is given a name. My sword's name is Storm."
We were brought in front of a panel of three judges for a hearing to determine if a trial would even be necessary. The prosecutor said, "Your honors, Nathaniel and his companion, from parts unknown, stand before you guilty of murder, battery, and destruction of property."
"Kane, you cannot call the accused guilty until after we judge him, even though he probably is. You know the rules. Where is his defense?"
"George spent last night at Charlotte's. I doubt we will be seeing him before lunch break."
"It's no wonder he is always broke. A night at Charlotte's probably cost him his entire weeks credits."
"Your honors, while Charlotte's sounds like an interesting place, one I would probably enjoy visiting, I am the one on trial and I am in a hurry."
"Your honors, I move that we skip the trial and execute them."
"I second it."
"You shut up! Kane, How many times do I have to remind you that we must have a hearing first. Bailiff, grab the first person you see to defend him. I don't care whether it is a lawyer or not."
A young man, probably still in his teens was ushered in by the bailiff and escorted to the defense booth. "All right let's hear what happened."
"Your honors, the local patrons in Charlies' karaoke bar were enjoying a night of drinking and singing. For no reason, the defendant killed Tom in cold blood. He didn't even have the decency to challenge him to a duel. Immediately after beheading Tom, the defendant and his companion attacked the rest of the patrons, causing serious injury and damage. We were able to identify 50 different people they injured by the blood samples taken at the scene of the crime. Fortunately, the patrons were able to subdue him until we arrived."
"Who all was involved?"
"We haven't been able to get a match on any of the blood samples yet."
"Be sure that you do. We need to keep a record for all of the innocent people he hurt."
"Yes, your honors."
"George, your defense."
"Clearly my defendant was only defending himself. The patrons got angry, probably from his bad singing, and attacked him."
"What proof have you."
"My defendant is bruised from head to toe. He couldn't attack. He couldn't even defend himself. After the boys put him down, we all put the boots to him. We left him in a pool of blood."
"You were there?"
"Only long enough for a quick drink or two with the boys."
"Let's see these bruises. Bailiff, cut away his shirt."
The bailiff took a long dagger from his belt. It wasn't an ordinary looking knife. It had a curved black blade with a double edge. It was serrated near the hilt for cutting or tearing flesh after the victim was stabbed.
"Hey, this shirt is a gift from my wife!"
"Hold very still unless you want to get bloodied."
The dagger's blade was sharp. It easily separated the cloth of my shirt from my skin. Exposing my bare flesh to the tribunal."
"It looks like you had more than a few drinks with your friends. He doesn't have a single bruise on his body. We don't need to move on to a full trial. We have seen enough. They are guilty.
Do you have anything to say for yourself before we pass sentence?"
"Just two things. I thoroughly enjoyed myself last night and plan on a repeat performance. Before you three pronounce our sentence remember you all have families. We have escaped from slavery in the mines before and will again. When we do, we will take great pleasure with hunting down your wives and children, one by one, and killing them."
"Nathaniel!"
"There will be no chance of escape for the two of you. The sentence is death. I'm sure the other judges will agree."
"We concur. Make the execution quick."
"Bailiff take the prisoners to the airlock. Give them two minutes, to pray for forgiveness or beg for mercy, before opening the doors. They won't need any longer than that."
The bailiff and four guards escorted us through the back door, in the courtroom, to the execution chamber.
"I was hoping it wouldn't take this long. I have things to do and places to go. Is there anything I can do to speed things up?"
"In a hurry to die, are you? You two will be dead soon enough."
I turned and kneed the bailiff in the jewels. "How about now?"
He pulled his dagger from his belt and stabbed me in the gut. "Don't worry, you won't have time to bleed to death." He twisted the dagger before pulling it out of me. Bright red blood oozed from the open wound. One of the guards opened the airlock door and we were shoved inside of the chamber. As soon as the door was closed and sealed, he opened the outer door, ejecting us into space and presumably our deaths.
Persephone and I materialized on the bridge of our ship. "See I told you it wouldn't take long."
"What kept the two of you. I thought we might have to leave without you."
"I killed someone for grabbing Persephone's ass. Then we got into a bar fight and had to wait until we were found guilty by a tribunal and executed before coming home. You are looking much better now. You even have your color back."
"Being married to Astrea isn't as bad as I feared it would be. Other than the fact that we are married and she is pregnant only one other thing has changed. She can't get enough of me now. You may be right. I think she is the one for me."
"I'm glad to see the old Nugget is back."
"Watch it with that old stuff."
"Is everything ready?"
"The refits are complete. All testing and simulations checkout. I can't believe how much it cost us. They got our technology, which they can use to make a profit, plus they got 350 bricks of silver on top of that. That's 84,000,000 credits. What was I thinking when I made the deal. That is way above what they were originally asking for the refit."
It didn't ma
tter, truth to be told I was glad to be rid of some of my silver. I still had ten pallets of silver, all of my gold, platinum, and gems. I still hadn't even bothered take a look at what we stole from the Drax. It was too much to count. That didn't even take into consideration that I could replicate any currency we needed and as much as I wanted. No matter what happened, I would never go broke.
I had a few new problems bothering me. I needed more qualified people for our new ships. It took the full complement of crew from the four ships that docked with the Prometheus to put together a skeleton crew for it. We needed crew members for the Prometheus and its riders. I also needed seven more ship captains. There weren't enough qualified people to choose from that I could promote to captains, at least not without replacements.
"Nugget let's get out of here. Send someone to bring my launch back and set course to Beta Chamaeleontis. Let's give our new friends a show. Go to hyperspace when we are 15 kilometers away from the station."
The Chameleon
The blue dwarf of Beta Chamaeleontis and its planets shown on our forward viewscreen, but that wasn't all we saw. Dead ahead of us was a battle between two unknown fleets of starships. It was too late to cut our transponders and drive plumes. By now we were already spotted.
So far the two fleets ignored us. To them, we were just four dots on their tactical screens flagged as unknown targets. We continued decelerating towards them. Amber struggled with her sensors trying to gather helpful information.
"Captain, I've identified the ships as best as I could. One group consists of a destroyer and two frigates, the other group has Three frigates and two smaller ships. I'm still trying to make sense of their transponder signals. They don't make any sense."
"Captain, they aren't responding to our communication hails. They are receiving, they're just ignoring us. Their fleet-wide communications are being scrambled and purposely garbled."
"Nugget, continue closing and get our shields up.
Jewel, sound condition yellow, all hands to battle stations. Get Red on the comms."
