Maranta

by Frank Carey

  "Damn, elf. You know how to make old Xura proud," she said as an escape pod emerged from the floor while a door opened in the ceiling above it. She carefully placed Harmon's unconscious body inside, hitting the launch button before stepping away. She watched as the tiny ship took-off through the ceiling, carrying Harmon away from the destruction about to befall the complex.

  "So, he's your new project. Where did you find him?"

  Xura looked at a group of people standing around the console. "Lying on an airfield where Jurzik had left him for dead."

  "What a boring fop, that Jurzik was. I'm surprised the Wraith could stand being near him," one of the group said.

  "Did you get a read on the intruder?" Xura asked.

  "Yeah," a woman said. "You were right."

  "Damn, I hate being right," Xura replied.

  "What now?" another group member asked.

  "Head back and analyze the data. I need to know where the next incursion is going to take place. Good job, Pauly."

  "Thanks, they said in unison, tipping their non-existent hats as they disappeared, one by one. Once they were clear, Xura followed them, just as the complex exploded.

  Chapter Eighteen

  "Nooo!" Marta screamed as she and Royce fell backwards into the hallway beyond the door. She watched in horror as bullets ripped through Harmon, before the doors slammed shut, cutting off the scene. Jumping-up, she activated her weapons and aimed them at the entrance, but before she could rip a hole through the door, sirens sounded while strobes flashed warnings up and down the corridor. "Major, Captain, scanners show an energy overload building beneath this building. Mr. Aymar seems to have activated the self-destruct," Zon yelled over the noise.

  "Captain, we need to leave now!" Royce yelled as he grabbed her and pointed her in the direction of the exit. She could see the Asgard survivors running ahead of them with Zon in the lead while Regus and Sana took up rear flanking positions.

  Aerith broke free of the group and ran up to Royce and Marta, yelling, "Where's Dad? We have to save him."

  Marta raised her visor and looked at her daughter, her eyes filled with grief. "He's dead. He died saving our lives."

  Aerith looked stunned as Marta hugged her, then reared back. "You let him die. You've always hated him," she screamed before breaking away and running down the corridor to rejoin the group.

  "Self-destruct in tee-minus twenty minutes and counting," the computer voice said in Standard, a bonus supplied by Harm.

  "Captain. Marta! We've got to go!" Royce yelled as he grabbed Marta and threw her down the hallway.

  When they all made it outside, they were greeted by the sound of distant explosions. "Sana," Royce yelled, "Sitrep!"

  "Sir, the bots are exploding underground and in orbit. It must be part of the self-destruct sequence. Septar reports all orbital assets have been destroyed. We are free and clear to navigate."

  Royce pressed a control on his wrist and moments later, the Conquistador flew over the trees to land next to them. "Cpl. Stal, status of our patient?"

  "Mr. Mauro is on the mend while the rest of the survivors are A-1, sir."

  "Very good. Everyone get aboard and strap in. Take-off will be a little abrupt.

  "Sirs, sensors show a massive energy build-up below the complex is reaching a critical level. We have eight minutes to vacate the premises," Sgt. Zon reported as she hurried the survivors up the ramp and into the ship.

  Without warning, a large bot landed next to Marta. Before it could attack, a pair of blaster beams lanced out and slagged it. Marta turned and saw Tannith and Aerith standing at the bottom of the ramp holding smoking pistols. "That was so me," Aerith said as she blew smoke from her pistol's emitter.

  "No way. Definitely me," Tannith replied.

  Marta looked at the two of them and smiled at the thought that two mere civilians just saved an armor-clad Elf Marine. "Thanks. Now get inside before something else shows up."

  When everyone was on board, Marta closed and sealed the hatch. Turning she found Tannith standing, blocking her way to the cockpit. "Where the hell is Harm?" Tannith demanded.

  "He's not coming," Marta replied. "Everyone find a seat and strap in. The captain is a little rusty with take-offs." She removed her helmet and stowed it in a cupboard.

  "What the hell do you mean he isn't coming?" Tannith yelled, grabbing Marta and lifting her, power suit and all, off the ground.

  "Tannith, it's OK," Aerith said, placing her hand gently on her aunt's shoulder. "He's dead. He saved us all."

  "Tannith glared at Marta for a moment before slowly lowering her to the deck. Aerith walked her over to a seat and helped her aunt strap in.

  Seeing everyone secured, Marta joined Royce in the cockpit. She was visibly shaken by Tannith's rage and her daughter's pain.

  "You OK?" Royce asked as he holstered his weapon.

  "I'm fine. You were going to shoot your cousin?"

  "Yes. I've seen the damage an enraged elf female can inflict. Don't worry, it's set to heavy stun."

  Royce pushed the throttles to their stops and pulled back on the wheel, propelling the freighter on a vertical trajectory out of the atmosphere. He looked over at Zon who held up her hand and did a silent five-count. When she hit zero, the windows lit up as the ship lurched when the shock wave from the explosion below hit it.

  "What the hell was that?" Penny asked as she gripped her armrests.

  "The complex just self-destructed," Marta replied. She turned and watched Tannith bury her face in her hands while Aerith held her shoulders. "I'm so sorry."

  Tannith's head snapped up as she let loose with a string of epitaphs in ancient elf which caused Aerith to recoil in shock. Before Marta could respond, Royce calmly replied in the same language as he took the ship out of the atmosphere and set course to rendezvous with the Septar. As Tannith listened to her cousin, her anger receded. She and Aerith both put their hands to their mouths in shock before hugging each other. Even Sana was moved by what Royce said.

  Composing herself, Tannith said, "Marta. I am so sorry for the things I said. I didn't realize..." She and Aerith both unbuckled and quickly walked over to hug Marta battle armor and all before returning to their seats. Marta looked at Royce with head tilted and eyebrows raised. "What the hell did you tell them?" she asked.

  "You were married to the big goof for over a decade and you never learned any elf?" he asked.

  "I was busy," she replied.

  "I told them about the vision and how he saved not only the survivors but the two of us as well. You think all this vision stuff is silly, but to elves, this is Hand of God stuff."

  Marta leaned her head back and tried to empty her soul of the conflicting emotions she was feeling. She looked into the cabin and saw her team and the survivors all safe. Counting Harmon and Jemtah the pilot, they had only lost two of their own. As ops go, this number could have been a lot higher. She turned forward and watched the Septar grow in size as they approached. She would be glad when this journey was over.

  ###

  "Well that could have gone better," someone said. Harm opened his eyes and found himself sitting on a crate in a storeroom of some kind. Around him were metal walls covered in glowing script. Standing off to one side was Xura. She was wearing a jumpsuit with some kind of fish embroidered on it.

  "So this is the Great Beyond. I have to admit I expected better decor," Harm said as he played with the bullet hole in his shirt. He noted there wasn't a matching one in his chest.

  "No, silly, this is a storeroom on Venecia. I thought the change in scenery would do you good," Xura said as she sat down next to him. "How are you feeling?"

  "I feel surprisingly fine for being shot. Well, did I pass the audition?"

  Xura smiled an enigmatic smile. "Yes, with flying colors. Congratulations."

  "Except that I'm dead. I doubt I could survive a fusion plant overload, especially with a bullet hole in my main heart."

  "Damn, you're a worry wort. Trust me, all of t
hat has been taken care of."

  "So, what now? What about this fourth task I'm supposed to complete?"

  "All in due time, sir elf. You have a lot left to do before you go off and save the League."

  "Save the League? I'm sorry, but you must want my ex-wife and two cousins. They're the ones who specialize in League-saving. I just drive a freighter."

  "And blow up inhumane weapons of mass destruction, stop megalomaniacs from taking over the League, not to mention saving innocents from certain death..."

  "And lest we forget, killing a shipload of innocents."

  Xura put her hand on Harms shoulder, filling him with a feeling of calm. "Now sleep and heal for we have a great deal of saving to do," Xura said as Harm lay down on a crate and fell into a deep sleep. Xura chuckled as the room faded to nothing around them.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Marta, Royce, Aerith, and Tannith sat in the lounge staring out the window unable, perhaps unwilling, to say what was on their minds. Unable to tolerate the strained silence any longer, Royce walked over to the bar and ordered a particularly foul smelling concoction, so foul that it visibly smoked in its steel cup. He walked back to where the others were silently sitting and sat down while taking a long draught from the armored tankard.

  "What the hell is that?" Marta asked as she wrinkled her nose at the concoction.

  "It's called a Unicorn Fart," Aerith said. "It is known to cause blindness in at least five League species. It's popular at elven frat parties...at least that's what I've heard," she said self-consciously.

  "Right..." Marta said with the hairiest of eyeballs aimed at her daughter.

  "What the hell are you thinking?" Tannith asked. "Someone as brilliant as you attending one of those... Those... Functions?"

  "Hey, I can handle it," Aerith countered. "Royce taught me how to fight..."

  "Don't drag me into this. I just wanted to have a drink to toast my cousin. He just died, and I thought I would give him a proper sendoff. You three go ahead and argue, or be silent, or use blasters on each other, just let me have my drink in peace."

  The three women stared at the big elf. "And they call me a freakin genius," Aerith mumbled. "You played us, cousin, didn't you?"

  "A little. Now, are we ready to talk about what happened?"

  "You mean on the planet?" Tannith asked as she tousled her niece's hair.

  "No, I mean the last twenty-odd years. Except for Aerith, the three of us have tried to compartmentalize Harmon. I made him a screw-up, Tannith took care of him, and Marta made him into a project. Only Aerith accepted him as he was. Now he's dead. We're going to have to deal with that without benefit of a vision to guide us."

  Marta reached over and took a gulp from the tankard. "Oh, is that poisonous to humans?" she asked after choking on the foul fluid.

  "No, not that I know of," Aerith said. "Mom, lighten up a little, OK."

  "Right," Marta said with a thumbs up between fits of coughing. "I'll admit I was tough on him, but I had a daughter to protect. Aerith, I couldn't condone your becoming involved in his business be it smuggler or hacker or whatever..."

  Aerith pulled something from her pocket and rolled it across the table to her mother. It was an emerald green hacker ball. "My handle is Esmeralda. I've been hacking since I was twelve, when you got me that computer system for my birthday. Remember that incident when the office lights of the Council building took on a pattern of someone sticking out their tongue when the Goranthi Delegation arrived for a meeting?"

  Both Marta and Tannith dropped their jaws.

  "I am my father's daughter, and I plan to stay that way," Aerith said. "I may even buy a ship with my inheritance."

  Tannith looked out the window. "I miss Harmon. I've missed him since he disappeared after the divorce, and I miss him more now that I got to see him for a few minutes while he argued with that thing in the hamster ball. He was amazing. Was he always like that and we missed it, or did he really change when he died the first time?"

  "Can't really say," Royce answered. "All I know is I hope to any god listening that Harmon finds the peace he was looking for..."

  Alarm klaxons sounded as the PA system blared, "Intruder alert! Intruder Alert. Set security level three. Capt. McMurphy and Major Aymar to the Bridge."

  "Tannith, you and Aerith stay here, where it's safe," Marta said as she kissed her daughter and hugged her sister-in-law. She and Royce ran out the door as guards appeared on either side of the lounge entryway.

  ###

  Harmon opened his eyes and stared at a ceiling far above him. Sitting up and looking around, he saw the Conquistador parked nearby. He looked down and saw he was in some kind of medbed/life pod. He stopped and listened to the ticking of the engines as they cooled. He realized he was in one of Septar's landing bays. He was alone.

  "What the hell happened?" he asked out loud, but no one answered, so he got out of the pod and stood next to it while he got his bearings. He looked down at his shirt and saw bloodstains centered around two holes. Hesitantly, he pulled his shirt away and looked at his chest, but saw no holes, just two circular scars. "That's right, the bot shot me. Where the hell is everyone?" he asked as he walked away from the pod toward the nearest hatch. Left behind in the pod was his forgotten hacker ball.

  The hallways and corridors were dark. Harmon realized it must be the ship's night, when it was run by a skeleton crew as the others slept. He walked up to a comm panel and was about to call the Bridge when he stopped. He needed to be in the forward lounge. He didn't know why, but he had to be there, so he changed direction and headed forward as alarms sounded around him.

  ###

  When Royce and Marta ran onto the Bridge, they found their team waiting for them. "What's happening, Captain?" Royce asked as he and Marta strapped on pistols and knives.

  "Security scans found this next to the Conquistador during the last patrol," Liz said, pointing to the main viewer. An image appeared. A life pod sat in Landing Bay three, next to The Conquistador. The pod was open and empty. She zoomed in on the pods interior. "What the hell is that.”"

  "It’s Harm’s hacker ball," Royce said. "Long story short, Harm used it to destroy the complex."

  "So, is Harmon alive and walking around the ship?" Liz asked.

  "No. That's impossible," Royce said unequivocally. "I saw him take two rounds in the chest just as he described seeing in his vision... Wait a minute..." Royce tapped controls on the console. The image zoomed out so he could see the entire pod interior. "That's a damn medbed, an advanced one at that. I retract my previous statement. I think that crazy elf may be alive."

  "How?" Marta asked. "There was no medbed or pod in that room, just equipment racks, consoles, and that damned hamster ball."

  "I don't know, but we need to find out who was in that pod." The captain flipped a switch. "Attention the ship. This is the captain. Set security condition two. All weapons to stun. I repeat set security condition two. All weapons to stun. The intruder may be Harmon Aymar. Approach with caution." She turned off the intercom. "Can't go and kill Harmon a third time, now can we? The big question is where he is now..."

  "Ma'am, the security team guarding the Aymar's is on the horn."

  "Go for Capt. Benson."

  "Captain, this is Sgt. T'gal. Mr. Aymar is here in the forward lounge. We investigated a noise, and when we returned, we found him inside with his sister and daughter. They're just talking, ma’am. Ma'am, should we take him into custody?"

  "No, standby and keep him from leaving or hurting them, but let them talk. We're on our way. Captain out," Liz said. "Let's go."

  The captain headed out the door flanked by two security guards, with Royce and his team. When they reached the forward lounge, they found the guards waiting for them. "Report," she whispered.

  "He's still inside and all entries are sealed. They're just talking and hugging a lot," T'gal reported.

  Liz looked around and saw security posted at points along the corridor. Satisfied, she nod
ded to Royce, "Well, go see if it's him."

  Royce looked at Marta and said, "After you."

  Giving him one of her now famous looks, Marta walked in followed by Royce and three members of the team who took defensive positions along the back of the room. Seeing his team set, Royce signaled Marta to proceed.

  Chapter Twenty

  Marta and Royce ran out of the lounge, leaving Aerith and Tannith alone. In the hallway outside, two guards kept careful watch.

  "What the hell is that all about?” Aerith wondered as she poured the two of them more tea. Aunt Liz said that dad was addicted to this stuff, both hot and iced. “What is it again?" she asked her aunt.

  "Earl Grey. They've added oil of bergamot, which gives it those citrus notes,” Tannith replied as she sipped the hot brew.

  "I remember so little about him, and what I do remember is nothing like the person we saw in the control room. I wish I could have gotten to know the new Harmon Aymar," Aerith said while staring out the window at the planet below.

  "As do I, niece, as do I," Tannith agreed.

  "Hello?"

  Tannith and Aerith looked up and saw Harmon standing there, not sure what to do or say.

  "Daddy?" Aerith asked in shock as her tail formed a question mark.

  "Harmon?" Tannith asked before launching forward and grabbing her brother in a hug. "Oh my God, you're alive. How is this possible?"

  "Daddy?" Aerith repeated, still in shock.

  Pulling away from Tannith, Harm slowly walked over to stand in front of his daughter. "Hey, sweetie. Yes, it's me, though I have no idea how or why this has happened. You OK? I know it's been a while..."

  She grabbed him around his neck and hugged him, cutting-off his air supply in the process. He didn't care.

  "You died down there. Mom saw you die," Aerith said between sobs.

  The three of them sat down as Harm tried to explain, though he had no clue as to how he came to be aboard the Septar. "Yeah. I think I did die. My control of the bots slipped when your mom tried to get me to leave the room—she has that effect on me, you know. I felt the bullets hit and the last thing I remember was hitting the self-destruct button."