by C. M. Kane
He really is gorgeous when he’s angry, hell, he isn’t too shabby when he’s happy either, she thought as she eyed him surreptitiously. A picture of his dark eyes staring into hers popped into her mind and she started to blush furiously. She decided then and there that the flirting option Latrissa had mentioned was definitely going to be put back on the agenda. She smiled to herself in anticipation; this was definitely going to be interesting if they somehow managed to find a way out of the current mess they were all in.
Radnor had already contacted both Zeus and Ares and put them on the com-screen to listen to what Tae and Loki had found out, they were now looking at her expectantly. Tae started her de-briefing, she briefly told them she found Loki injured in a cave. She didn’t give any detail of the injury, nor of how she helped to fix it. She was, however, very aware of both Loki and Vulcan watching her intently as she told her story. She recounted being separated from Loki and going off with Latrissa the Minotaur’s seer, and of how she had given her a reading. Then she told them what she had told her, as well as her own personal take on what the seer had meant by her cryptic words. She decided to leave out her last more personal advice, which had been meant for her, and her alone, it had no relevance to the others.
After she finished Loki explained the new arrangements he had made with the Tore. He told them that he had agreed to the gods having them back in their service if, in exchange for this concession, they helped gather the Felice rock with them. They had also agreed to act as guards against the other creatures on Tartarise as they worked on collecting it. After he finished explaining about the Tore he told them of the help that was given to him and Tae by the Forest Stalker flock of harpies, and of how they would be getting his men and equipment back.
Zeus sighed heavily in disappointment. ‘Damn it! I had thought, given Tae’s description, that we would be facing Orion and Khopesh class ships similar to our own, knowing we will have to face more like the Ouranos is very concerning, especially given what happened last time. I also think Tae is right with her thinking about Latrissa’s reference to them being blind, it makes sense that she would mean they are not alive like Brightmoon. Having said that, I really don’t understand how this could be both their biggest weakness and their biggest strength? Damn it, if we have to face a fleet of those things it certainly changes the whole equation, for the worse.’
Tae bit her lip feeling guilty. ‘I’m sorry, Lord Zeus, but I could only tell you what I saw in Cassandra’s original vision. Perhaps they intend to send their older ships through first, as cannon fodder so to speak, just to see what they’re up against, after all you’ve been gone a hell of a long time, and they might think that you have a lot more advanced ships than those you left in. Once the initial ships are destroyed and we’re been softened up a bit, they could then send in their heavy artillery to polish us off,’ she finished.
‘A sound battle strategy,’ said Ares, ‘and one I’d definitely put down to Hyperion. With what you have told us about Hera sending those instructions on how to build a portal device, I doubt whether he’d be able to give up the chance to teach us a lesson. Of course he wouldn’t be sure if it was a trap or not, so he would send his weakest ships through first, just as you have surmised. This will allow him to not only gauge our strength, but he could also get rid of some Titans he may see as current or future threats.’
‘Yes,’ said Zeus looking enraged at the thought, ‘it’s exactly what the bastard would do,’ he turned to look at Tae. ‘Hyperion was one of the Titans most brilliant battle commanders. He’s fearless, brilliant–even by our standards- and utterly ruthless. As to our own ships, well, we have of course improved the weaponry over time, but when we first arrived here our main concerns were survival, reorganizing consistent food and water supplies alone took centuries. We also had to make repairs to our existing damaged ships. For that we needed a work force, so those that were able to set about exploring planets for suitable species, something that we could mould into our own image and help to develop at a vastly superior pace than would be normal in nature. Creating the different races took several millennia by itself. After a while we simply became content as we were, our ships have been kept in good repair, and gradually those few Titans who were onboard our ships in service have been given ships of their own that we have now built. Obviously, we rather naively, thought we were safe,’ he sighed. ‘Once again you come to our aid when you are most needed, Tae, I shudder to think what would have happened with-out each of your timely interventions. We have definitely been blessed to have you in our lives, although for how long those lives will continue to last, considering your latest news, I can’t say.’
Tae smiled in genuine pleasure at the praise, apart from Brohan, she wasn’t used to males praising her for anything. She found she liked it; an impulsive naughtiness seized her and she said cheekily. ‘Well in the mean time do you wanna let Lord Vulcan in on that. I think it’d be really nice if he stopped trying to throttle me for trying to help.’
‘He did what?’ Zeus asked looking directly at Vulcan.
‘A small misunderstanding which I have now sorted out with him,’ said Loki quickly. ‘He now knows never to touch Tae again,’ he added, unable to stop the threat from creeping into his voice as he glanced over at the seated god.
Zeus looked startled, as did Ares, at Loki’s words and tone. Vulcan just sat there looking at Loki with a strangely thoughtful expression on his face. Tae in the meantime was once again secretly thrilled.
‘Alright, if we’re on a tight schedule then make as many Felice bombs as you can with-in nineteen days. I want to leave us a decent doorway before they intend to attack. Once the bombs are made I’ll take them all through. I’ll deploy a couple across the portal so at least they can’t use that one again. I’ll then proceed straight to where the ships are gathering and attack. If they’re above a dead planet as you say, then they could only be situated at Gaia. I think they’ll still be using it as a gathering place for the fleet because it’s traditional. When I get there I’ll try to take out anything else I can, before they take me down I’ll have the Olympus’ main star drive engines go critical, the resultant explosion should scatter whatever Felice is left onboard through-out the area. Hopefully it will also take out some of those who are left and give the rest of you a fighting chance.’
‘Good idea,’ said Loki, ‘ it’s a pity you’ve just picked the wrong ship.’ Zeus raised his eyebrows and Loki continued. ‘Zeus, we both know it must be Brightmoon who goes. If something happens over there, which is more than likely, this ship is stronger and faster than anything else we’ve got. She’s the only thing that could go toe to toe with another ship like herself, and I’ll be betting Hyperion won’t be in an Orion class cruiser. He waited a long time to get the leadership away from Cronus, but he’s pretty much cut from the same cloth.’
Zeus went to protest but Loki held up his hand and continued. ‘Zeus; we can’t expose our own ships by taking them over there. At least here you have a slim chance with the bottleneck you’ve created at the portal. Over in the Titans realms you will be cut to ribbons, and from the sounds of it, there’s most likely a fleet of dreadnaughts over there just waiting for their orders to attack us, and as I’ve already pointed out, I’ll lay odd that Hyperion has the biggest baddest one of them all. You know him Zeus, and you know I’m right!’
‘He’s right, Zeus, that’s exactly what I was thinking,’ said Ares adding his voice to that of Loki’s. ‘It must be Brightmoon, and if she’s alone she might be able to take them by surprise; they would never expect a lone ship to attack them. If anything, they would expect us to throw everything we had at them, besides, if Brightmoon goes alone it may cause them to pause. They may just think we have a fleet of them as well as our older cruisers, just as they do, the Captains of some of the other ships could hesitate.’ He paused for a moment before adding thoughtfully. ‘Besides, I’d like to believe that there are many more that want our way of life, rather than following the old ways,’ he f
inished.
Zeus stared from Ares to Loki for a long moment. ‘Then I’ll take Brightmoon through.’
Loki’s eyes narrowed in anger. ‘Like it or not, Zeus, this is my now ship, you yourself gave her to me, if anyone takes her through it will be me!’ He said arrogantly.
Zeus sighed and smiled sadly. ‘Then start your planning, my friend, and for all our sakes, make it a good one. I’d like our realms and all we have created to survive, and I’d also like to see you return to us if it’s at all possible. In the mean time I’ll send more men to help with the collection of the Felice, we need to get as much done in as quick a time as possible if we are to have any hope of winning.’
Loki nodded and turned to Tae. ‘I want you to talk to the ship, explain in minute detail what is going to happen as soon as we have the buzz bombs fitted. You’d best resume your duties immediately, go join with Brightmoon, explain as best you can what is in our futures. Try to keep her calm and in the right frame of mind so that she is ready when we need her. You’ll also need to contact the Olympus and get all the star charts for the realms of the Titans. I will need this ship to know every possible short cut and deviation she can in case we need one, and don’t forget to take into account interstellar drift, the charts will be a little out after all this time.’
Tae nodded and stood.’ Immediately, My Lord.’
‘And, Tae,’ he added suddenly. ‘If you come up with any of your bright idea’s, please don’t hesitate to let us know. We all know how clever you are, and a fresh perspective just might give us an edge. If you can think of even a slim chance to defeat them then we need to hear it.’ Tae nodded solemnly and left.
Loki watched her leave the room then turned to Vulcan, ‘I will shower, change, and gather some more of our men and supplies, along with the other warriors that Zeus will be sending, we will leave for Tartarise at the planets dawn to organize the collection of more of the Felice.’
He turned to Radnor, ‘You will set up a shuttle service to run as it’s needed, so we can change shifts and collect the Felice as its mined. I’ll also need a schedule set up in the Medical Bay so our warriors can have a small dose of de-aging nanites used on them when they return from the surface, because after two days of inert health nanites, their going to be years older than when they went. Once we start, the bombs can be fitted as quickly as we obtain the ore.’
He turned back to Zeus and Ares, smiling sardonically, ‘I shudder to think what would have happened with-out Tae’s intervention. Once again she has saved me, and in doing so has given us all a fighting chance. I’m beginning to think the Universe might just be in favor of us retaining our grip on our realms after all. I’ll see you both on the front line,’ he finished.
Zeus and Ares nodded. ‘I will inform Odin and the others of what’s happening, I’ll expect he’ll be contacting you forthwith.’ said Zeus. ‘Vulcan you will join your own ship when you reach the front line, until then you are to do as much as you can to fit these bombs,’ he finished before both he and Ares signed off.
Vulcan had simply nodded at Zeus’s command; he then sat in silent contemplation as Loki turned to Brohan and Radnor. ‘You two will organize the men and equipment and start shipping everything we need to the planet immediately, and please tell the Tore what we are doing, just in case they wish to come, and also for any advice they may have regarding the ore.’
Brohan and Radnor left the room to begin their duties as Loki turned back to Vulcan. ‘How many bombs do you think we can make in the allotted time before you leave us?’ he asked.
‘I have no idea, I just pray it’s enough,’ said Vulcan shrugging; ‘besides, I’ll be going with you.’
At Loki’s surprised look he added, ‘whether you believe it or not you might need me, and after what happened today I’ve proven that if something happens to Tae, Brightmoon might actually listen to me. I think we are going to need every small advantage we can get in case things don’t go according to plan. Besides; if there is even the slightest possibility that you will be fighting Hyperion, then you’re going to need more than Zeus’ command or a few Tore to get me off of this ship,’ he said, his eyes narrowing dangerously. ‘You know he sliced me to ribbons when I was a young, all because I dared to want to be a tech instead of a warrior,’ he said bitterly as he unconsciously touched one of the long scars running across his chest.
‘Well I fully intend to be there laughing at him when he finally dies. I want to look into that bastards eyes and smile, I want him to know that I was instrumental in killing him, and no-one, NO-ONE, is going to deprive me of that pleasure!’
‘You sound as if you’ve been thinking on this for a while,’ said Loki as he watched the play of emotions on Vulcan’s face.
‘Do you know why you bit her and attacked me with your fangs fully extended?’ asked Vulcan, changing the subject abruptly as he ignored Loki’s question.
Loki felt his face flushing in embarrassment. ‘I was scratched by a harpy and was still feeling the after-effects of the poison, that’s all. I had no idea what I was doing for a short time.’
Vulcan grinned devilishly as he shook his head. ‘I thought not; your mother was originally from the Lakendra province in the polar district of Gaia wasn’t she?’
Loki nodded. ‘What has my mother got to do with this,’ he asked, intrigued despite himself.
‘Everything,’ replied Vulcan, who was now grinning openly at him. ‘Did you know that her people are far more susceptible than the rest of us, to an affliction that can surface after times of great stress? Say, like nine hundred years in a sleeper whilst semi conscious? They have a tendency to fixate on things, whether it is wishing to fight an enemy, possessing a long desired weapon, or bedding a woman they are attracted to. It seems their baser instincts, like explosive rage, or dropping fang and biting when angry or sexually excited, become the norm with them, especially as their fixation grows. This continues until the recipient of those feelings finally completes what-ever it is he or she is fixated on.’
‘You’re talking about Bartha syndrome,’ said Loki. ‘I don’t … I mean I can’t …’ he stopped, his eyes widening with dawning realization.
Vulcan leant back on the chair watching Loki’s pale shocked face with delight. ‘So, it looks like you’re stuck doing Vampire impersonations for the foreseeable future, unless of course you and the lovely Miss Tae find time to do the deed. Don’t fret, it won’t kill you, you’ll come to terms with it eventually. On the bright side, I guess this will teach you a lesson for tossing me across the room and drawing your swords on me.’ Vulcan hoped up and walked out of the room whistling jauntily, whilst Loki stared after him with wide shocked eyes.
Chapter 24
Tae went straight from the meeting to the bridge, not even bothering to change from the clothes she had been given by Latrissa; there were just too many things she had to do first before she even thought of changing into anything more suitable. As the turbo lift door opened and she entered, Captain Settria pulled her up short.
‘Lieutenant Rames, I wish to have a word with you about your recent behavior,’ she began angrily.
Tae had no time for another lecture, she needed to speak to Brightmoon to make sure she was alright, and then she had to start downloading all the star charts for the Titans systems from the Olympus. Besides, she’d already been balled out by Vulcan, and she had her orders, the Captain was just going to have to wait.
‘I’m sorry, Captain, but I’m afraid it’ll have to wait. I’ve been told to join with Brightmoon immediately by Lord Loki, and as he is our god, that’s what I’m doing, so if you’ll excuse me,’ she said as she hurried passed her and slipped onto the star seat.
Captain Settria took a step towards her; she was outraged at being dismissed so summarily by a subordinate, especially in front of the entire bridge crew. She opened her mouth to start to berate her, just as Tae’s vid ball lowered itself directly in front of her face and opened its weapons ports. The Captains eyes widened an
d she stepped quickly backwards away from the chair. She had a strong feeling that Brightmoon was just itching for any excuse to pay her back for the unfortunate panel incident.
‘I will be talking to our lord about your behavior, Lieutenant, and it will be my strong recommendation that you be removed from your post,’ she said in angrily.
Tae ignored her useless threat and closed her eyes, she immediately felt herself slipping into another state of being as she joined with the ship. Her first order of action was to contact the Olympus and begin downloading all the information they had on the Titans realms. Tae had had an idea about how she might be able to get a little more information, so she had Brightmoon contact all the other ships at the front line at the same time. She realized there was a strong chance that Thanatos and his explorer group might have collected a little more data than the Olympus and the others, and at this point in time anything extra might be useful, no matter how meager it was. It was her job to make sure that no stone was left uncovered, no matter how insignificant it might look. As she waited for the replies to start coming in she allowed Brightmoon to explore nearly everything that had happened to her down on Tartarise, but when it came time to open her mind about what had occurred in the cave Tae hesitated.
She found that she didn’t want to share the most intensely intimate and confusing time of her life with her. She knew if she let the ship see, then both Brightmoon and herself would relive every moment of what occurred, as if it was actually happening again. Tae wasn’t prepared to share quite so deeply with her friend, not with this. It was hard enough for her to come to terms with what happened, let alone trying to explain all the nuances in her emotions to the dreadnaught. Besides which, this was private, it was between herself and Loki.
She could feel Brightmoon pushing questioningly at her memories, knowing that she was holding something back. Tae ignored the subtle pushes and closed her mind firmly, before quickly guiding her onto what Latrissa had told her, along with her experience at her reading. Brightmoon allowed it for the time being, but Tae knew the ship was like a hungry dog with a bone when her curiosity was aroused. She knew it wouldn’t be long before they’d be returning to the subject of the cave and her encounter with Loki.
