by S. W. Gunn
Placing her hands on his shoulders she then said softly, “I’ve always wanted one. Plus this one looks nice, unlike most of them.”
Jarron took a step forward and away from her. She was causing him to be quite uncomfortable.
Stating firmly Jarron said, “We have no intentions of staying. We were on our way to Terra and we plan to continue there.”
Yurian stood and announced, “Well I guess we are at an impasse. I suspect we could fight here and now but it would probably end in my ship being torn asunder.”
“Perhaps we could come up with some sort of agreement?” Mael asked.
Elyse stepped between Jarron and Mael before saying firmly, “No.”
Mael laughed uproariously before reaching out with a hand to run her fingers softly through Elyse’s hair before saying, “Who said I was talking about him?”
Jarron flushed before pulling Elyse away from her and saying, “Enough games.”
Yurian rose up from his throne as he stated, “Indeed. Enough games Mael. Perhaps we could exchange your freedom for something a little more valuable?”
Cautiously Jarron responded, “Such as.”
“We’ll start with you telling us the whole truth and then go from there.” Yurian stated.
“What more can we tell you?” Elyse asked.
Taking a step closer to Elyse, Mael reached out with a hand to stroke Elyse’s blonde hair once again.
Mael then said, “Look at you. So lithe and delicate. Most human women are clumsy and slow, ugly even. Many of which are stocky, almost fat. Yet here you are, a human who seems so similar to humans and yet not quite right.”
Getting irritated Jarron declared, “Speak plainly.”
Yurian interrupted, “We want to know what she really is.”
Jarron guessed that Elyse must have finally had enough of the two Magial and their unusual behavior because she just announced, “I’m half Eal’tain.”
Mael clapped her hands excitedly before declaring, “I knew it. Just did not seem right.”
“So…” Yurian asked, “When you told us you visited your father, you meant your Eal’tain father?”
Elyse nodded. She did not seem pleased to have shared this information with them. Jarron tried to warn her. There was no reason for them to know so much personal information about her. Jarron’s mind spun with possible ways to get out of their current situation. It was not looking good. If Mael was equal or more powerful than Elyse then Yurian was absolutely right, it would turn into a massive battle that would probably end up killing them all. A sneak attack or straight up running would not work, at least not until the Keg was fixed. The longer they stalled the more likely Hain would get the ship running well enough to get away.
Deciding to stall more Jarron asked, “Well you know all about us, tell us about you.”
Yurian said, “I suppose fair is fair. We’re siblings, born of a very ordinary family. I am a year older than Mael.”
“But one a focal point and the other a person with the Gift?” Elyse asked.
Mael interjected, “Weird we know. Back home people like my brother and your friend here are quite rare.”
“I am one of three.” Yurian stated.
“And since we were together for so long before anyone knew what we were we had long since bonded.” Mael added.
Jarron was curious so he asked, “How did you find out?”
Mael cackled evilly before answering, “I wanted a sweet treat and after my mother said no I took it.”
“Took it?” Elyse asked.
“It is the Magial way.” Yurian added.
“Yes,” Mael answered, “I used my powers to take it. My mother learned not to say no to me.”
“It was not long afterwards that we were taken by the Magial Hegemony to train.” Yurian said.
Jarron nodded. He had heard that the Magial Hegemony was aggressive and despotic. He wondered how much of it was the truth and how much was Union propaganda. He had seen so much more than the average person would ever come close to and much of what he had seen did not measure up to the stories being spread back home. The Eal’tain seemed to be very friendly to those they associated with but just wanted to be left alone. He already suspected that the Magial were purposely not like that but sometimes people do not change their ways, even without knowing it. Heck, these two Magial seemed very unusual but overall not bad.
“How did you end up in charge of this ship?” Elyse asked while looking at Yurian.
“Its amazing what people will do when they know you can have them tossed through a wall. Unlike you soft humans, we Magial respect real power. We are on track to someday challenge for the right to rule on the Council.”
Jarron was already seeing some of the cultural differences between the Magial and the Eal’tain. He was not entirely sure how the Eal’tain ruled but he got the impression it was based on merit from being in charge of something. Yurian was openly stating that the strongest ruled the Magial. It was a bit of a contrast, even more so with the Galactic Union where the representatives in the senate were elected by each member planet. The Premier herself was an elected position where each planet voted for who they wanted and the representatives of each planet would vote for the Premier. Jarron’s history was very fuzzy, honestly he never paid much attention in school, but if he remembered correctly the constitution of the Galactic Union was based on the old human government named the United States of America. Jarron just nodded at Yurian.
“The Eal’tain are weak. They let a group of elites rule over them without those elite earning a thing. They just were part of a family that ruled before.” Mael energetically stated.
Jarron did not know much about the split between the Eal’tain and Magial.
He decided a good stalling tactic would be to keep them talking about the Eal’tain so he asked, “I was wondering how the Magial and Eal’tain split. Neither are really very talkative with us.”
Yurian answered, “Its quite simple. Our first leader, Variel, got tired of the Eal’tain way. The Eal’tain are passive, not taking what is rightfully theirs. They try to mask their emotions, to remain calm. We Magial, under Variel, tired of this. Why hide your emotion? It is part of who you are. Why not take that which you can, strength is the true measure of a being. The weak are meant to be ruled and we Magial rule our domain with a firm hand. You asked about the neutral zone earlier. We have decided to move our borders and if your Union wishes to stop us they must prove they are strong enough to do so.”
Jarron knew that the Union was no pushover. They fought off both the Magial and the Grokmal at the same time. The combined might of the humans, Kalan, and Brumkin made for a strong force. He guessed that the Union was probably the most powerful known group in the galaxy.
Elyse asked, “Why didn’t you just take over the Eal’tain?”
Yurian frowned. Jarron knew that he cut into a sore spot. Surely if they were such great warriors they could have defeated the Eal’tain.
Mael interrupted, “Because at the time we decided that we had enough of their rule, we numbered maybe a few million. The Eal’tain outnumbered us by so many that it would have not been an honorable battle.”
“Strength must be measured in its application. We are not mindless Grokmal who throw themselves like cattle to the slaughter. We simply left Alathia.” Yurian commented and after a slight pause continued, “But enough social hour. Let us figure out how we get past our current impasse.”
“And what would you propose?” Jarron asked.
“We want to know about the Eal’tain and their defenses.”
Jarron was more than a little stunned. The time they spent with the Eal’tain was mostly in the village that Elyse’s father lived in. They saw nothing at all when it came to anything military at all.
Elyse was the first to respond, “We really didn’t see anything to do with a military.”
Jarron quickly added, “They were pretty secretive.”
Yurian frowned before saying, “U
nfortunate. If you have nothing to offer on the matter then we are still at an impasse.”
Getting desperate to find a way to escape their current situation Jarron asked, “How do the Magial deal with this sort of thing?”
Mael answered, “The strong dominate.”
“We cannot have a duel here.” Yurian stated before continuing, “I was placed in charge of this vessel as an opportunity to prove my leadership. I have always been quite skilled at leading people. All focal points are uniquely skilled. What are you skilled at?”
Jarron was very hesitant to share information about himself. He felt that they had exposed themselves an awful lot more than he was comfortable with. They had probably stalled long enough for Hain to get the fold machine and engines up enough for them to limp away.
Caving in Jarron admitted, “I’m a pilot.”
Rubbing his hands together Yurian stated, “I’d love to see you in action. I wager it would be a sight to behold.”
The thought that it could be a trick popped into Jarron’s head immediately. If they could split Jarron and Elyse up then they would have their only possible advantage taken away from them.
“I don’t think that is a wise idea.” He stated quickly.
“And why is that?”
“I can’t leave Elyse and my friends alone.”
Rubbing his chin for a moment Yurian stated, “I suppose you have a point. Perhaps I could entice you with an offer?”
“Such as?”
“If you defeat my best pilot in a space duel then we will let you and your friends go.”
“How do I know you would hold up your end of the bargain?”
Without even thinking about it Yurian responded, “I’ll let your friends aboard your ship hold my sister with them until the match ends.”
“And what happens if I lose?”
“I’ll still let your friends go but you and Elyse stay with us.”
Jarron frowned. He was not really sure this was a risk that he should be taking. He had a lot of confidence in his piloting skills but the Keg was pretty beat up and would not be able to fight off some ship designed for fighting.
“I don’t think the Keg is ready to be in a space battle.”
Giving out a hearty laugh Yurian responded, “Oh we will have you duel our best pilot in one of our fighters, assuming you can fly it.”
Assuming you can fly it? Jarron knew damned well that he could fly anything put in front of him. Maybe Yurian was taunting him.
Elyse announced, “He can fly anything.”
“Maybe, let us find out. What do you say to my offer?”
Jarron looked at Elyse as if to ask if he should risk it. She nodded firmly at him. He had no doubt that she was more than willing to trust him. He trusted her just as completely. It was still quite a concern either way.
After a long pause to consider everything Jarron answered, “Fine. We agree. Either way my friends leave unharmed.”
“Of course.” Yurian answered before continuing, “Let us go to the bay. We shall drop my sister off with your friends and then we will get started.”
Mael commented as they started walking, “I hope your friends are as interesting as you two.”
Jarron chuckled to no one in particular. He suspected she was about to be very disappointed. Hopefully she would behave well enough to keep Hain from blasting her right on the spot. It would make their escape a bit more difficult if he did. Mael chatted almost constantly as they walked back to the docking bay where the Keg was sitting. Feligrin met them at the hatch. After explaining everything to Feligrin he took Mael with him. Jarron could tell that Feligrin was not very excited about the situation but Mael seemed ecstatic to meet Feligrin. Jarron guessed that the Magial had not encountered too many Brumkin. He had no doubt it was probably the same for Kalan as well. He guessed that at least Mael would have a good time. He and Elyse followed Yurian through the variety of hallways until they arrived in a much larger hangar bay. There was about fifty pilots who snapped to attention the second Yurian entered. Jarron had little doubt that he ran a tight ship.
Once they were fully in the bay Yurian called out loudly, “Which one of you thinks he can defeat this human in flight?”
All of the Magial responded excitedly in their tongue. Jarron had no doubt that they deeply underestimated his abilities. As Tiberius had said, Jarron was probably the most skilled pilot in the galaxy. Jarron did not want to feel pride in it because it was as much to do with being a focal point as much as his own love of flying that was the reason why. After the Magial negotiated with each other for some time they finally chose the Magial who would face Jarron. The man was wearing a jumpsuit with the same dagger logo that was on the others chest. He had short cropped dirty blonde hair and dark green eyes. Jarron guessed that he was about the same age as he was, although he had to admit that he had a hard time guessing the ages of the Eal’tain or the Magial. Heck, Elyse’s father looked like he was in his mid-thirties.
“We’ve got several fighters. I’ll let you go out and get some practice flying it since you’ve likely not flown anything like our ships before.” Yurian said before turning to Jarron and asking, “Which ship would you wish to use?”
Jarron turned to look at the fighters in the bay to examine them. They all appeared to be the same. A sleek spaceship in the shape of a teardrop, these vessels were clearly designed for maneuverability in combat than the brute force vessels of the Kalan. The design reminded him of the Eal’tain ship he got to fly earlier but the design and color struck him as much more sinister looking. That might have been in his head however. He could not see any difference between them, they all looked highly maintained. One thing he knew about pilots, especially military ones, they went through a lot of trouble to make sure that their ships were highly maintained. Generally it was space bums like him and Hain who tended to worry less about the ship’s physical appearance than it running. Jarron randomly picked one of the ships. It looked very well maintained.
Yurian said, “A good choice. My pilots take pride in their vessels. Let me set the rules for the duel. I’d prefer not to see either of you die as it would be a waste over a frivolous bet. In this case all weapons will be set to half strength. At that level it would take a few shots to knock down your opponents shield. Knock out your opponents shields and you win.”
Jarron nodded. It seemed simple enough although he wondered if the Magial would play fair. He would just have to try his best to keep from being hit. Jarron pulled out his flying gloves, which he always kept tucked in one of his pockets. Slipping them on, he climbed into the cockpit of the fighter.
As he pushed the button to close the cockpit Jarron heard Yurian say to Elyse, “Come with me and we’ll watch the duel from the command center.”
As the cockpit closed Jarron took a moment to examine the controls. This ship was exactly like the Eal’tain one in how it was flown. It had four sticks and the setup of the indicator dials in the same locations as the Eal’tain ship from before. Jarron nodded before starting the ship up and quickly preparing it for flight. Like most small fighters it warmed up and was ready very quickly. A necessity for fighters who might be needed on a moment’s notice. Once it was ready Jarron pulled on the two primary sticks to lift the ship off before guiding it out of the docking bay. Once he was in open space, away from the Magial ships, he glanced around to see if he could estimate where they were. It appeared as though they had not left the spot where the Keg was pulled out of the fold. Jarron did not want to give away too much about his skills so he only slowly flew the ship around to make sure he got a gauge of its abilities. It appeared about the same as the Eal’tain ship, which meant it was going to be one fast moving space duel.
The comm buzzed with a voice that reminded Jarron of Yurian came through saying, “Are you ready?”
Jarron clicked the activation button on the comm before saying, “Yes.”
He felt his nerves starting to build. It had been a very long time before he was this n
ervous while flying. After a few seconds one of the fighters launched from the main ship that captured the Keg. Jarron flipped on the main shields and checked the settings for it and the weapons. He could not read the dials language but the dials were simple red, yellow, or green color digital indicators. Everything was green. Jarron spun his ship forward and at the quickly moving enemy ship. It was headed right at him. A direct attack plan indeed. He headed towards the ship but cut his engines in half. He decided to pull an old horseshoe trick to open with. Maybe he could put the Magial he was opposing off kilter right away.
Talking to no one in particular Jarron said, “Let’s see what you can do.”
Once the two ships got in range and as the Magial started to fire his weapons Jarron rocked his ship to the left slightly before giving the sticks a hard tilted to the right. He even shifted his hands to the other two sticks to force the ship to rotate horizontally as the ship began a half horseshoe turn around the Magial he was fighting. Jarron triggered his weapons to fire and scored a direct hit on the opponent’s ship before it flew out of range. Jarron quickly moved his hands back to the main sticks and was quickly found himself chasing after the Magial.
The comm again buzzed with Yurian’s voice as he said, “That was quite impressive.”
He continued to talk but Jarron ignored whatever he was saying to concentrate on his opponent. The Magial shifted upwards and spun in an attempt to get Jarron off his tail. None of it worked as Jarron was slowly getting closer. The man was quite the pilot. It was taking every bit of skill available for Jarron to keep up with him. The Magial attempted to use the same horseshoe move! Knowing that the best counter to the move was to pull up hard and then a turn onto the opponent for a shot at their cockpit. Jarron pulled up and spun to hit them with another shot at the Magial’s cockpit. The Magial expected this counter, which was quite hard to pull off, and instead of finishing the horseshoe turn pushed forward. It put the Magial out of range and allowed him the opportunity to turn quickly and get behind Jarron.
