by Justin Sloan
More mumbling, but finally Carma nodded. “I’ll do what I can.”
“That’s all I can ask of you.” Turning back to the Shadows, he raised the eyebrow over his good eye and considered how to approach them. Finally, he said, “We will go to the Shadow Worlds after returning the Arzanian men to their planet and ensuring none of them will be forced to help the Scrapulent again. When this trip happens… where will your loyalties lie?”
“Praks enslaved us, took away our freedom.” The Shadow turned to his comrades, looking them over, and then back to Hadrian. “In the Shadow Worlds, that’s all we have. There is no leader, no one who calls the shots. It’s agreed upon that we do not maraud each other, do not pillage fellow Shadow Worlds or their members, and Praks broke this pact. We can tell you we will be against Praks, if it comes to that.”
“We need more from you,” Hadrian stated. “A great war is coming, the likes of which this universe hasn’t seen for a very long time. If you sit on the sidelines, you might see more of this enemy and their attempts to enslave you. However, if the Shadow Worlds join the alliance, even just long enough to fend off the Great Deceivers, I promise the alliance will stay out of your way. Fight back when you attack our ships? Naturally. But never attempt to enslave you or force you to make our weapons.”
The Shadow considered this, whispered a bit with his companions, and then turned back to Hadrian. “How is it that you expect us to speak for our people, considering that the Shadow Worlds has no leader? We are made up of numerous races, many of us considered by you to be space pirates, marauders, bounty hunters. How can you ask us to team up with you, when there is no central hub that can agree?”
“I have considered this. I’m not asking a central hub, I’m asking you. When you have agreed, the next step will be to work with each captain, each ancient house among the Shadow people, and do the best that we can to work out a deal. Is this something you can help with?”
More quiet conversation followed, with much waving of hands, and then the Shadow nodded. “You saved us, and as much as we might be criminals, the old saying is true about honor among thieves. We have honor, and we owe you. Plus, the idea of being enslaved again is high on our not-to-do list, so… you have yourself a deal. We’ll do what we can to help in this regard.”
“Wonderful.” Hadrian smiled, hands behind his back. “Now for my part. The Scrapulent known as Saraleigh, if she is still alive, will be caught and dealt with. From here we travel first to Carma’s land, then the Shadow Worlds. There’s a little matter of the Guardians to be dealt with, if we can learn more of that issue along the way. And at some point my team and I must return to Entono Fos Prime to deal with an issue there. There will be trying times ahead, but I am relieved to see that you all are with us. With your help, we will succeed.”
Ferder’s groans of pain woke Samantha, and she lay there for a moment with her eyes closed, listening. It had been one of the most difficult missions yet, Samantha thought, the way the snake woman had gotten into her mind. A weaker person would have likely been lost in that mental magic forever, but not her. Samantha had refused to give in, and thanks to the powers Hadrian and Napalm had shown her, she had escaped.
And thanks to Ferder’s intervention.
She frowned, wondering about the craziness of the universe. She had dealt with time manipulation, mind control, and giant space dragons. She couldn’t imagine what else could be out there waiting to blow her mind.
Right now, though, she knew she needed time to recuperate. She meant to see this whole thing through, and be there at the end when they shoved their victory in their enemies’ faces. Having her body ripped open along the way probably wasn’t optimal.
Moving carefully, she realized the pain wasn’t so bad now. She opened her eyes and pushed herself up onto her elbows to have a look at her side, and saw Dex with his robe wrapped around her, purple patterns glowing on it.
“Not me,” she muttered. “Help Ferder.”
Dex’s hood shifted. He cannot be helped with my healing. Eyes do not heal like the flesh.
That sent a pounding terror through Samantha’s mind. If his eyes were beyond help, was he blind? If so, it was because he had been helping her. It was effectively her fault that he might never see again.
When Ferder turned in her direction, she bit back a gasp. His eyes, once blue like the water, had a layer of purple on them, much like the veins of the Scrapulent.
“It’s not so bad,” Ferder said, his voice hushed. “Dex stopped the pain.”
Unfortunately, I fear this is worse than just pain and blindness. Dex stepped to Ferder, holding a hand over the man’s eyes. This is a strange power of the Scrapulent, something I have only heard rumors of. The only way to remove it would be to kill the Scrapulent who put it there. In this case, their goddess, Saraleigh.
But didn’t she die? Samantha protested. How… how could anyone have survived the damage we left behind?
I wish I knew, Dex replied. Perhaps I am confused, perhaps the stories are wrong. Or, she might have lived, and Ferder will be effectively blind until we find and defeat her. It’s worse than that, though.
He paused to begin applying gauze around Ferder’s head, covering the eyes. I sense a connection. It’s possible she can see what Ferder would have otherwise been able to see, so I must cover his eyes.
Ferder nodded. Apparently Dex was letting him tune into the conversation.
“Do what you have to,” he replied. “As long as I get to go with you guys when you bring her down.”
“You will,” Samantha assured him, wishing she could reach out and take his hand. But she wasn’t sure she should be moving quite yet. “We’ll find her, and I’ll tear her head off for what she did to you.”
“To both of us,” Ferder replied. “I’d like to see her pay for the pain she put you through as well.”
Samantha chuckled. “That’s right. She’ll pay for what she did to both of us.” Turning to Dex, she added, What’s the damage here?
Flesh heals fast, under my care, he replied. You will be up and about in no time.
She laid back, closed her eyes, and let him work his magic. She was ready for some downtime.
Some calm before the storm.
15
The Noraldian
Only two days had passed before Samantha felt she would be able to walk around again. She wanted to be sure she got a chance to talk to everyone before reaching the gate that would take them to Carma’s planet. Hadrian had explained that they were going a different route than normal, so as to avoid any pursuers if the Elders were still after them.
She sat up, wincing only slightly. Checking the wound, she saw that the skin had healed and only left behind a thin line of red, thanks to Dex and his healing robes. She wondered if the internal healing had gone as smoothly, considering the discomfort, but was happy to be alive at all.
Excited talk came from outside. As Samantha stood, the doors slid open. She became suddenly aware that she was only wearing her training clothes, and felt a moment of panic, her mind imagining an enemy attack.
She pulled back, but it was just the Shadows, their purple faces wrinkled with excitement.
“What… what is it?” she asked.
“At Hadrian’s guidance, we’ve created something.” The lead one, whose name she had learned was Worsan, held out a pair of sunglasses. She was certain she’d seen them on Kwan before. They now had small devices around the temples, and the lenses glowed a slight red.
“They’re not exactly my style,” she said, trying to look grateful. “But… thanks?”
Worsan frowned. “No, not for you. Him.”
Ferder rolled over in bed. He had a cloth over his eyes and the pain had left him, but he was still lost in despondency. A low grunt came from the back of his throat, one that Samantha interpreted as a lack of interest in any gifts.
“Trust me, you’ll want to try this one,” the strange Shadow said. He stepped forward and put a hand on Ferder’s shoul
der. “May I?”
Ferder shrugged, but didn’t reply. Worsan took it as an agreement, so he placed the glasses on Ferder and then stepped back, smiling. At first, nothing happened. Then, a choking sound came from Ferder and he sat up instantly, grasping at the glasses. Samantha startled, leaping over to yank the glasses off.
But she stopped. He was gripping the glasses tightly, and she could see his eyes moving excitedly on the other side of the red lenses.
“It’s… amazing.” He turned to Samantha and smiled. “Sam? That’s… you?”
“What’s happening?” she asked.
“They’ll only let him see shapes, outlines, for now,” Worsan answered. “It adjusts as he becomes more comfortable with it, as his mind and the nanites begin to cooperate.”
“You… kinda lost me.”
“Small computers, in a way.” Worsan moved in and made sure the glasses were on correctly, then smiled. “You see, they work through this section here, communicating with his brain waves in a way that lets him see what they see. I mean, that’s the simplified version. It’s kind of like the biotech in your suits that adjusts to your skills, upgrades per your preferences. In this case, he should have something close to full sight again. It’s just a matter of time.”
“I suddenly find myself loving the Shadow Worlds,” Ferder stated, turning and giving Worsan a hug.
“And I find myself regretting this,” Worsan said, pushing his way out of the hug. “Word of warning—the thing you call a hug is just one step away from reproducing on my planet, so…” He motioned over his shoulder to where the other Shadows stood in a mixture of blushing, chuckling, and looking horrified. “You hug me again, water-boy, I’m going to take back the glasses.”
“Right, sorry.” Ferder stepped back, then smiled and leaned in to give Samantha a hug. “Should I leave a tip jar for the show?”
Worsan chuckled. “Glad to see your sense of humor has returned.”
Samantha didn’t care if this was close to porn in the eyes of the Shadows, she was so happy for Ferder. Even if he could only see outlines for now, the prospect of him being able to see again thrilled her. It also helped wipe away most of the guilt she felt at the idea that it could be somewhat her fault he had lost his vision.
When she pulled back, she ran a hand through his blue hair and nearly forgot herself, staring at his smile. His eyes widened and his cheeks turned a slight purple, almost like the Shadow beings.
And then she realized it was getting a bit weird.
“I, er, should check on the team,” she said, suddenly pulling back and brushing past the other Shadows at the doorway. She paused, briefly, and turned back to Ferder. “I’m happy for you, really.”
“Thanks, Sam,” he said, cocking his head in her general direction.
She imagined he couldn’t make her outline out so well in the doorway with the others, so she simply waved and walked off, anxious to get some food without being waited on like a helpless baby.
The hallways felt strange, even after only two days of not walking along them. No one was around, and even in the mess hall she was by herself as she found an energy bar and decided to give some of the food from Napalm’s planet a try. They all had sections where Hadrian had ensured they would be able to eat what they were comfortable with, but the minute the red gruel touched her lips, she knew it wasn’t for her. Her mouth went numb, and for a moment she wondered if her tongue would ever work again.
Working her mouth to try and get it to move while scraping at her lips with her napkin, she turned to see Napalm walk in.
His fiery eyes glanced down at her tray of food and then back up to her, and he burst into laughter.
“You might have thought to ask me first.” He sat next to her, pulled the tray over, and devoured every last bite. When he smiled at her, his teeth had a red glow to them. “It doesn’t have the same effect on me, or not anymore, anyway. Funny how on my planet this stuff is used to punish kids when they speak out, but as an adult you crave it all the time. Gives me the kick I need in the morning, like you Earthers and your coffee.”
She opened her mouth to reply, but only a groaning sound came out.
“You know, I could get used to this.” He laughed and then glanced around. Spotting something on the food shelves, he held up a finger. “One sec, I’ve got just the thing.”
When he returned with a handful of black pellets that resembled rabbit droppings, she shook her head fervently. Based on her first experience with food from his planet, combined with the image of a rabbit and that association, the last thing she wanted was to experiment further.
“Fine.” He shrugged and popped two in his mouth. “Doesn’t bother me that you can’t talk. Hey, maybe I can get some stuff off my chest and take this opportunity to have a good listener. I was passing by Carma’s room earlier, and happened to see her in there with a couple of the men from her planet. Well, at first I was going to just keep walking… I mean, it wasn’t a very appropriate image, if you get my meaning. And then—”
Samantha grabbed the pellets and shoved them into her mouth, chewing as she held her hands to her ears. The numbness vanished instantly!
“For the love of God, what makes you think I want to hear this?” she shouted, then held a hand to her mouth, laughing. “I can talk! And that stuff didn’t taste so bad. Like licorice, even.”
“That’s what it is,” he replied with a quizzical look. “I mean, it’s slightly different from what you have on your planet, but basically it’s the same thing. Only, chewed up by creatures similar to your bats and then spat out to create nests.”
She cringed. “I just ate bat spit?”
“No, not bats. Creatures similar to your bats.” He smiled, then popped a couple more into his mouth. “Delicious, no?”
Considering that she agreed, but was grossed out, she just looked away, found her water, and chugged the whole thing. “Remind me not to experiment with your food ever again.”
“Found a new zest for life and thought you’d explore?” he asked. “I get you. After the incident with Carma—”
“Nope, still don’t want to hear about it,” she shouted as she stood and ran for the door. “Keep your stories to yourself in that regard.”
She wasn’t sure where she was going, but knew that his stories were best avoided right now, especially since she was feeling a tad queasy. When she turned down the hallway toward the training room, she saw Agathe and Voira walking her way. At first she was about to turn and head back, but they spotted her, and she realized that doing so would be even more awkward.
It wasn’t that she was still annoyed with Agathe, just that she didn’t really want to deal with her right now. The Acome woman was too moody for Samantha’s tastes, though she knew her attitude hadn’t been the best lately either.
“Sam,” Agathe called out with a wave, then hesitated as if not sure about something. Voira nudged her forward. “I mean, hey, Sam.” Agathe put her hands behind her back, stopping as Samantha reached them and paused with a nod.
“Training?” Samantha asked.
“We figure, with you out of commission, we better be at the top of our game, right?” Agathe smiled.
“So, are you calling a truce? Now we’re friends?”
“Always the blunt one,” Voira chimed in with a laugh.
“You were destroying them back there,” Agathe admitted. “It was fun to watch… Got me thinking that, yeah, why the hell were we bickering? I hardly remember.”
“It was because—” Samantha started, but Voira raised an eyebrow and she put her hand over her mouth, realizing that stating the issue wasn’t going to help here. “Ah, right. Me neither.”
“So… friends?” Agathe stuck out a hand. “Is this what you do on your planet?”
“It’s one of the things.” Samantha shook her hand with a smile, then pulled back and glanced over to the training room doors. “You all are just finishing up?”
“You want to toss us around already, right after
making up?” Agathe asked with a smirk. “Apparently Earthers have a funny way of doing this whole friendship thing.”
“You show me some of your moves, I show you some of mine. I promise not to break anything.”
Agathe and Voira shared a worried look, but then nodded as one.
“Why the hell not?” Voira said, and they turned back with her to the training room. In there they found Dex meditating, which seemed to be his general state of being ninety percent of the time on this ship. Carma was working up a sweat against several mechanical training dummies.
“Let’s hit the mats,” Samantha suggested, already moving over and taking up a grappling stance. “Who’s first?”
“How about we make it fair,” Voira suggested, then pulled Agathe over next to her.
“It’s sweet that you think so highly of me. But if you want to make the odds really fair, you might want to invite Carma over too.”
“I heard that,” Carma called over as she slammed one of the training dummies back with an elbow. “You know I’d take you in a blink of an eye, little girl.”
Samantha laughed, knowing it was probably true, but having fun with her nonetheless. “Fine. When I’ve spanked these two, you’re next.”
“Keep it PG in here,” Carma replied, glancing over just long enough for the training dummy to catch her in the leg with one of several protruding rods. “Ouch!”
She stepped out of the training area and came over to the edge of the mats where the two Acome women were starting to square off against Samantha.
“Let’s see what you all can do,” Carma said. “I’ll ref.”
Samantha nodded, then moved around the other two, careful to keep them in a line so they couldn’t flank her on either side.
It was funny how, just a few days ago, she could have almost imagined these two coming at her in a real attack. At least one or two dreams had even made that seem a reality, and she could still see the image of herself stepping forward and bringing the palm of her hand up into Agathe’s nose.
