by Dorian Dawes
“You don’t seem ready to leave the planet yourself,” Bluebird noted.
“Money or not, I want to know what’s inside that temple,” Talisha said. She gazed at her gauntlet, then clenched her fist. “I’d like to know more about the Valran. Figure out my legacy, I guess.”
Bluebird smacked her on the back. “A worthy quest for a fine warrior. I’ll accompany you. What about you, Sheriff?”
“Not a sheriff anymore,” Rogers corrected. He sighed and shrugged his shoulders. “Thought about trying to get off this planet. Not sure where I’d go. I’ll hang around a mite longer I guess. What’cha think, Cyrus?”
The wyvern turned slowly around to face them. “So long as I get to kill more people, I’m in.”
Rogers turned to Bluebird and Talisha. “See what I mean by how creepy that guy’s getting?”
“I’ll keep an eye on him,” Bluebird said, brow furrowed.
“Still, having him on our side is gonna make things a bit easier,” Talisha said. “The Red Fleet won’t be as easy to bamboozle. If the rumors about Ching Shih are true, she’s a ruthless and calculating opponent.”
“Thank you for the compliment,” an amplified voice boomed over the desert.
All of them looked in the direction of the speakers to see a fleet of ships and schooners decloaking several feet in front of them. They were ambushed on all sides by red sails. Talisha had heard of such technology but had never seen anything like a fleet of a hundred vessels suddenly materializing before her. One of the schooners drifted closer. An old Chinese woman stood on the bow with her hands wrapped behind her back. She stood tall and imposing with her armored robes billowing in the wind.
“I assume I warrant no introduction,” Ching Shih continued. “You’ve slaughtered my allies. You will take their place, or you will die.”
They were led aboard Ching Shih’s schooner at gunpoint by several long-barreled, high-precision rifles. It wasn’t the first time Talisha had been taken prisoner. The rising surge of adrenaline within her had to be controlled, not suppressed. Adrenaline was useful for keying her focus, allowing her mind’s eye to take snapshots of important information. She’d chosen to bide her time and ride this out, see where things took her. She hoped Bluebird and Rogers would be smart enough to do the same. They seemed to be following her lead.
Cyrus was the only one she worried about. That wyvern body he’d acquired could let him do some massive damage on the Red Fleet, but they outnumbered him a hundred to one. He’d be destroyed in minutes. Even now he looked like a cornered animal, growling at the ship’s cannons aimed in his direction.
Ching Shih’s personal guard were nearly as threatening as she was—warriors in golden power armor illuminated by red neon lights around their chest and helm. In one hand they carried powerful lances with small blasters at the tip, and in the other, shields made up of a crackling electric barrier. There were only the four of them, an elite squad that kept her surrounded with their impenetrable might. Two moved to disarm the new passengers. Ching Shih stopped them with a raised hand.
“No,” she said. “They are allies. Not prisoners.”
“Sure as heck feels like it,” Rogers said. “No disrespect intended.”
Ching Shih bowed solemnly. “Security precautions. You are dangerous folk.”
“Would we still be alive if we weren’t?” Talisha raised an eyebrow.
She smiled. “Of course not. You would have been shot instantly. Come into my quarters. We’ve much to speak about.”
“What about our other metal friend?” Bluebird gestured to Cyrus.
“My office is impressive, but it’s not that big. He’ll have to wait outside.”
“I like her sense of humor,” Bluebird whispered to Rogers.
Rogers shrugged. “You do have a fondness for big jokes.”
Bluebird’s cheeks puffed from having to contain a hearty guffaw. What released was an undignified squeaking sound as air spilled out the sides of her mouth. Talisha buried her face in her palm. There went her last hope of matching Ching Shih’s imposing dignity.
Ching Shih beckoned to them, drawing to her captain’s quarters at the edge of the schooner. “Hurry, my crew has a celebration planned for the evening. I won’t want to keep them waiting.”
“Celebration?” Talisha raised an eyebrow.
Ching Shih’s fingers rubbed the hilt of a sword tucked into her scarlet sash. She licked her lips, and locked eyes with each of her guests.
“This is a special night for us,” she said. “And I am feeling generous.”
Two of her guards remained stationed outside, while the other two followed them into Ching Shih’s chambers. Along the walls were decorative weapons and various banners and silks. A suit of ancient Chinese armor was displayed regally in a glass case on the right side of the room. Just adjacent to it was a small prayer shrine and Buddhist altar.
Ching Shih gestured to a set of chairs around a table. “This room is only private during times of meditation and prayer. Any other time it is a place for me to seek council among my most trusted advisors. That you are even allowed to look upon it should be taken as a sign of great courtesy. See that you reciprocate.”
Talisha nodded, taking her seat. “Understood.”
Ching Shih waved her hand over the table as the lights in the room dimmed. Lights shimmered over the table’s surface, creating a holographic representation of the planet. She pointed to a massive satellite orbiting the space around the planet.
“You should be familiar with the Plymouth Corporation,” she said. “They hired you to get them access to the Valran Temple. Given that Blake Snidely is no longer with you, it’s safe to assume that’s no longer on the table.”
“You do your homework, that’s fer sure,” Rogers said breathlessly.
Ching Shih continued, “What you are looking at is a representation of a cloaked satellite they’ve had circling the planet for some time now. When the IGF became aware of the Valran Temple, so did Plymouth. This is their final solution should anyone but themselves enter the temple, a doomsday weapon capable of destroying all life on this planet.”
“Do you have access to its design?” Bluebird asked, rubbing her jaw.
“We have detailed blueprints,” Ching Shih said, flicking her fingers across the image to change the display to that of a schematic. “Do you know something I should?”
Bluebird stood and reached across the table. She pointed to the weaponry at the center-end of the satellite. The circular shape for funneling vast amounts of plasma was unnervingly familiar to her.
“It is the same design as Ethel, my plasma cannon,” she said. Her jaw locked. “I am certain of it.”
“If Plymouth really does own Ingle, that’d certainly make sense,” Talisha said.
“This goes beyond that,” Bluebird fumed. “Securing the rights to produce that cannon for Ingle’s paramilitary division was my last assignment for the Sapphire Knights before everything went to hell. They never once produced any cannons. Mine is all that exists in galaxy.”
“Agda Valencia,” Ching Shih cooed, reclining in her seat. “I thought you looked familiar. You don’t look like your old picture anymore with your hair and facial scarring, I must say. You were a war hero, if I recall. I’m sorry about your wife.”
“They killed her,” Bluebird fumed. “Dragged her into the streets and beat her to death.”
Talisha stared, open-mouthed. “Big Blue…I’m so sorry.”
Bluebird had drifted into her own little world, eyes glazing over. “Ingle’s higher-ups feared my reputation as a war hero would fuel Sascha’s political career. There were multiple death threats if she didn’t divorce and denounce me to the public. She was originally against it, but I made her go along. In the end, while on assignment, my own squad attempted to assassinate me. That was when I found out what had happened. That’s when I came home to find her butchered just outside our house.
“Corporate greed destroyed my life, and ended hers,
” Bluebird said through angry tears, her shoulders shaking. “And these cowards are at the heart of it!”
She pounded her fist on the table, leaving a sizable dent in its surface. Two of the guards motioned forward, but Ching Shih waved them off. They returned to their positions.
“Plymouth’s crimes against humanity are innumerable,” Ching Shih said in a quiet voice. “Their weapons have devastated entire worlds. Their wars have earned them endless profits while destroying countless lives. They make even the horrors of the IGF look saintly. It is for this reason that they must be destroyed.”
Talisha stared as the pirate’s words dawned on her. “That’s what this is all about,” she said. “You’re not interested in the temple at all. This is about revenge.”
“You aren’t listening!” Ching Shih bellowed, rising swiftly to her feet. “It is about removing a threat to every man, woman, and child in the galaxy. That very same weapon destroyed our planet, our livelihood. It decimated our people. Imagine what they would do with the technology of the Valran.”
“They already have a planet-destroying weapon. How much worse could it get?” Rogers said. “Not to belittle anyone’s pain here, but they seem pretty untouchable.”
“Plymouth demands absolute secrecy in order to maintain its hold on the galaxy. If dragged into the public eye, they would be forced into open conflict with every armed force they’ve attempted to strong-arm and blackmail over the years.” Ching Shih sat down once more and flicked through the projected images. “They are mobilizing their fleet upon this planet in light of Snidely’s failure. The IGF has also begun to arrive in this system.”
“They’ve been monitoring the planet,” Talisha said. “Of course they’ll be here. Everyone is after that temple.”
Ching Shih drew up a detailed plan of a projected battle between three large armies, “Plymouth believes I have the means to enter the temple, which means that the Red Fleet will be the first to draw their forces, but once the IGF see them attempting to break into the temple, they will surely join the conflict.”
“You want us to break into the temple for you,” Bluebird said. “Uncover what’s inside while you keep the outside forces distracted.”
“It’s a win-win situation,” Ching Shih explained. “Provide a service to the galaxy by decimating a corrupt militaristic force and destroying a vile shadow corporation, then we profit off ancient alien technology.”
“Yeah we made a similar deal with Melanson’s people early this evening and it didn’t go so hot for anyone.” Rogers shook his head. “Not sure I like cutting deals where this temple is concerned. I’d like just as much to clear on out of here.”
“You don’t have a choice in the matter, robot.” Ching Shih said threateningly. “Melanson and his raiders were going to be my task force assigned to infiltrate the temple. You killed him. Now you will take his place.”
“I assume that means you have the key?” Talisha asked. “Melanson didn’t have it on him.”
Ching Shih raised an unconvinced brow. “He never gave it to me. Wasn’t the trusting sort. Wonder why?”
Talisha rolled her eyes. “He insisted you took it. Given the circumstances, I’m inclined to believe him.”
“Undermining my alliance with him was not in my best interests,” Ching Shih said, frowning. “I didn’t let him on to that, of course. It would have been bad business. My people did leave a tracker on the key. It’s how I was able to find you. You’re lying to me.”
That last bit was added with a flick of her talons. Her body language had shifted. She’d adopted a parted stance, as if readying for combat. Talisha watched one hand dip below the table, likely ready to draw her blade.
“I am not lying, I swear it.” Talisha’s voice rose an octave. “There’s nothing I could take from you. You are holding all the cards in this negotiation.”
“That’s what Melanson thought and look what happened to him,” Ching Shih snapped. “You’re a clever one, Talisha Artul. What’s more you’re as ruthless as your mother. I’d be foolish to treat you as anything less than a threat to my enterprise. Where is that key?”
The two guards stepped forward, brandishing their lances. Bluebird whirled around, hands locking around their weapons. Talisha retrieved her blaster from her hip and stood, her cannon aimed at Ching Shih and her blaster at the guards. Ching Shih’s sword was drawn in an instant.
“Aw heck with it!” Rogers yelled.
He reached beneath his poncho and slammed a large black pyramid onto the table. All weapons relaxed as every eye darted sharply to the object. Talisha stared first at the pyramid, then turned her look of confused betrayal onto the cowboy.
“What’ve you done, Rogers?” she whispered.
Rogers collapsed in his seat, slamming his hat next to the pyramid. He wiped his brow and shrugged his shoulders. He never looked more human than in that moment. He seemed utterly exhausted.
“How many folks got killed over this thing?” he said. “Sure seemed like a lot. Now, I’ve seen some pretty bad humans in my time, but lately, seems to me like y’all just can’t be trusted with this shit. You’ll end entire worlds over it. I thought maybe we oughtn’t open the temple. Stop folks from killing each other.”
Ching Shih sheathed her sword. She walked around the table and snatched the pyramid in her grasp. She turned once more to Rogers and laughed in his face. He looked away, unable to meet the harshness of her gaze.
“You really are sentient,” Ching Shih mocked. Her smile vanished. “Capable of human ignorance and arrogance. Your programming is something else, cowboy.”
“Jefferson died…” Talisha’s words were quiet. “And you could have stopped it.”
“I’m not sure it would’ve,” Rogers said. “You saw the look in Nergal’s eye. He wanted blood—just like everyone else in this room, even you. All you humans wanna do is kill each other. I was just foolish enough to think that you needed this friggin’ rock to justify it.”
He looked at Ching Shih.
“Might I be excused?” he asked, grabbing his hat. “I’ll fight in your battle. Ain’t gotta spend extra time convincing me, I ain’t got no choice in the matter. I’m just another weapon to you people. It’s all I’ll ever be.”
“Show him to a cabin,” Ching Shih instructed one of her guards. She smiled as Rogers was escorted from her quarters. “Penchant for melodrama, that one. Probably learned it from all those old Western films.”
Bluebird slumped into the chair, propped her elbows on the table, and dug her fingers into her hair. “I am very tired. It has been a long day.”
Ching Shih sighed. “Very well. You may go for tonight. Talisha, I’d like a chance to speak to you privately before you depart.”
“Yeah. Sure. Whatever.” Talisha laid a weary palm against her forehead.
Bluebird gently touched Talisha’s shoulder before sauntering out of the cabin.
Ching Shih directed her guards to leave them. She and Talisha sat across from each other in apprehensive silence. Ching Shih had her hand coiled around her face, staring at Talisha, appraising her. Talisha wanted to turn away from those eyes. “What do you want?” she asked.
Ching Shih stood. “Do you know how I was able to take the refugees of a fledgling empire and forge them into the galaxy’s most feared criminal enterprise?”
“If I say yes, will you get to the point?”
Ching Shih turned her back on Talisha and stared at the suit of armor on the opposite end of the room. Her voice took on a withered tone, ill-suited for a terrifying space pirate. It sounded more like a reminiscing grandmother.
“Information, Miss Artul.” She returned to face her with a somber expression. “It is the only currency that matters. When you venture into the temple tomorrow, I want you to keep whatever technology you find, or better yet, leave it there to rot.”
“But you said?”
“My people are expecting a treasure trove of guns and jewels,” Ching Shih muttered, rolling her eyes. �
��But introducing something new like that to the galaxy changes the game. If we carry bigger guns, so will our enemies. We may not look it, but we are a fragmented people. An escalation of armaments would destroy us.”
Talisha squinted. She struggled to understand this woman’s motivations. “So what is it that you really want?”
“I’m no fool,” Ching Shih said, pacing about the room. “The galaxy is on the verge of a new arms race. Our only chance at survival is by choosing our role within the new era. I want everything you have on the Valran Empire: their history, their language, their religion, and culture.”
Talisha cringed. “I don’t even have access to all of that with years of information stored into my helmet. Why would I give it to you?”
“I’ve nothing to bargain with,” Ching Shih admitted, her shoulders slumping. “I could threaten your life again, but I’ve a feeling that’d get redundant. I’m going to do something I’ve never done in my life. Talisha Artul, I humiliate myself before you. I’m begging you…help us.”
Talisha stood quickly. “Excuse me?”
Ching Shih laughed. “I’m sorry. You must think me a silly old woman. You might be right.”
“I don’t understand how knowing more about the Valran will help you,” Talisha said. “People have begged me for this shit before, lady. Some were just trying to manipulate me.”
“Do not insult my pride,” Ching Shih snapped. She calmed a bit, taking a deep breath. “I’m sorry. Let me explain myself.”
“Yeah.” Talisha folded her arms over her chest. “I think you had better.”
“That temple is opening,” Ching Shih said, leaning against the table. “If not us, then Plymouth or the IGF, or someone else. Other temples will be found. Information about the Valran will become high in demand. If my people can control the flow of that information, we can retreat to our own private corner to hide from the oblivion that will come to the galaxy.”
“You really think it’s going to be that bad?” Talisha murmured.
