“Let’s get a drink then.”
“Sounds great.”
“I was also going to ask you if you would like to grab a bite to eat. We could have drinks there?”
“Food and spirits sound good right about now. I need to take my mind off politics or I’m going to fly a shuttle right over to Tallis’ place and have a few words with him, which will not turn out well for the Assemblyman.”
Kason chuckled. “I know a new cantina called A New Hope that just opened up. I hear they have excellent food and spirits.”
“Lead the way, Captain Bender. I’m game, as long as there’s no loud music.”
“That, I can’t guarantee.”
Temin shrugged and they both headed off across the concourse.
“If you wanted, we could still take that shuttle to Tallis’ place after dinner?” Kason joked.
“Don’t tempt me, Reaver. I’m in no mood.”
∞∞∞
Clink.
“Here’s to a wonderful evening,” Droe said as her and Kason’s drinking glasses met. “You were right. This is a charming place.”
Kason smiled. “I was taking a guess. Kercy said I should try it out. So, I am.”
“Getting dating advice from a fellow Reaver?” Droe asked while taking a sip from her glass.
Kason set his wineglass down and placed his hands together on the table. “Is this a date?” he asked in a serious tone. “I don’t recall asking you out.”
Her cheeks turned red before she could catch the liquid going down the wrong pipe.
She choked and snorted, pulling the glass away from her lips and grabbing for a napkin as she tried to breathe.
Droe set her glass down.
She managed an embarassed smile while wiping away the dribble of red wine coming out the corners of her mouth.
Kason chuckled. “Did I say something wrong?”
“No, no. I wasn’t expecting your response. Excuse me.” She coughed again, trying to clear the warm drink from her throat. “You sure know how to catch a girl off her guard, captain.”
“Am I learning?” he asked.
“You’re catching on quick, Reaver.”
Kason just smiled at her.
Her eyes sparkled from the candle at their table and were echoed by the innumerable colored lights of the metropolitan landscape behind her through the cantina’s glass wall.
Evoke was in the distance, making for an incredible panoramic nightscape from the restaurant’s location.
Each of the city’s tallest structures that ventured above the skyline was awash in assorted colors.
The restaurant was located in the heart of a lake, and the illumination from the city lights reflected off the water, mirroring the stars above.
Each structure was a distinctive hue, spreading out in all directions, creating a tapestry of warm, mingled colors.
The reflection of shades met at the lake’s edge and merged, shimmering off the waters around the suspended restaurant.
“Are you looking at me or the pretty lights?” Droe said with a tilt of her head.
“Lights? What lights?”
She laughed. “Good to see you’re coming out of your shell a little bit, Kason.”
“You mean out of my R.A.S. suit?”
“Yes. That would make more sense.” She hesitated, then reached for her drink. “What is Shenta going to do about the vote on the Mount? I haven’t had a chance to speak with him since my return.
“Switching topics now?”
“I haven’t finished my first glass of wine so, yes, we are switching topics.”
“That’s fair,” Kason said with a playful smile. “The vote on the Mount is in two days. I don’t know if anything can be done. Is there?”
“It always comes back to Tallis,” Droe sighed, agitated at the knowledge of what her father was trying to do. “That man gets me so uptight. He doesn’t care about the citizens or the businesses he says he supports for lifting of the law.”
“Then why is he doing it if not for profit from all the new trade that will come from it?”
“Power. Pure power. You see, he will give the people what they want, the lifting of Marshall Law. The people will become wealthy from all the open trade and, with that wealth, they will praise him for it.”
“The true power rests with the Ordinance though.”
Droe snickered. “It’s a different kind of power, Kason. He wants the power of the people. The people love the Ordinance. Tallis loathes that. To get the power he wants, he needs the people to love him, not the military. He will get that love from the people from the vote in two days. The power will then begin to shift.”
“Yet another reason why I dislike politicians. No offense.”
“None taken. I dislike them myself. Looks like we have something in common.”
A hover-waiter came to serve them their main course.
“This looks great,” Droe remarked.
“Looks can be deceiving. Just like Mordon Tallis,” Kason quipped.
Droe picked up a piece of meat with her fork.
“We shall see.”
She took a bite, chewing and tasting the prime rib. “It’s even better than it looks, so your comparison is incorrect.”
Kason placed his napkin down. “So… it’s done, then. The vote I mean.”
“I don’t see how he can lose the vote with Otel and the others on his side. Parejas will try and hold it off, but without Rels…”
The Reaver took another sip from his glass.
“So…why did we start speaking about politics again?”
Droe sighed. “I know, I know. I changed the topic.”
“You did.” He smiled. “Would you like to go back to the original discussion?”
“And what would that be, Mister Bender?”
Kason leaned in to the table, looking deep into her eyes. “The pretty lights, of course.”
She glanced down at her empty wine glass. “I suppose you may now continue on about just how pretty they are.”
Data Cell 34
This forest area we came to rest in was alive with sounds of animal activity.
It was a nice warning system of sorts for the creatures that were pursuing us.
We should be safe here for now.
My galony snacked on fruit to replenish its energy.
As for myself, I wasn’t going to be caught off my feet again.
I’m making weapons.
The ground below us was strewn with sharp volcanic rocks.
I was near a pool of water ringed by trees of the forest. The opening canopy above the crystal-clear water made for a perfect mirror as the clouds above looked as they were moving across the water’s surface.
Rocks and boulders of all shapes and sizes could make for good weapons.
I was making spears and knives with the branches and vines that draped this along aging part of the forest floor. I would make two other sets for my partners, if they made it.
The branch my galony and I rested on was a perfect vantage point, looking over both the pond below and the sky above.
It seemed that our winged foes were more comfortable in open spaces and so, once again, the jungle provided a level of protection.
My galony grunted.
“Not now, big guy. I haven’t finished my weapons.”
I stood up looking around.
It would be too soon to use what I was making if they came now.
The reeking tree-hugger sniffed the air to his front and let out another grunt.
I now saw what he detected.
It was Mistuuk and his galony.
They were swinging in on the far bank, making their way over to us.
Nice to see the little guy.
With a final swing, his hairy beast leapt up to the branch below us.
“Hey, Rels.”
“Good to see you, buddy. Did you see Kayasa?”
“What?” the Cuukzen responded as he climbed off his galony.
“Have you seen Kayasa?”
“I saw her once, but…”
“But what?”
“She was being attacked by two of those flying things, Rels. I couldn’t get to her.”
That wasn’t good. It was hard to stay together with all the chaos alone without being at the mercy of these furbags.
She had been a tough assailant. In a way, she will be missed.
Time to move on.
“Hey, Mistuuk. Get up here and help me finish these weapons.”
“Coming, Rels.”
I wasn’t sure if these would help, but they’re better than nothing.
The flashing lights startled me as they popped up from below the branch I was on.
“Don’t do that, Blink.”
The hovering triangle just, well, blinked at me.
“Go over there,” I said, pointing away. “Mistuuk.”
“Yes, Rels?”
“Keep the bot away from me.”
“She just wanted–”
“Yes, I know. She just wanted to say hello, right?”
“Right, Rels.”
“Have her scan or something. Can she do that at least?”
“I’ll have her scan, Rels.”
“Great. Do that.”
At least we could put her to work. We needed all the warning we could get. These were unfamiliar lands. We were the intruders and amateurs here.
We sat on the branch for the next hour working on our primitive poking sticks.
Our galony ate berries, as did Mistuuk. I had a few myself while the bot flew around the tree scanning the surrounding area.
“Do you think we’re close to where we are going, Rels?”
“Not sure, but I do hear what I think is water falling in the distance.”
“I don’t hear it, Rels.”
“Just listen. It’s off in that direction.” I pointed to the east.
“Nothing, Rels.”
“And you’re the one with the big floppy ears. Still can’t hear it?”
“Nope.”
I just shook my head. “Anyways, I think we’re heading back to the river we started at. I hope we’re close. I can’t flip around the trees with these putrid creatures any longer.”
“They’re not bad, Rels. We’re still alive because of them.”
He had a point, but they still stunk.
My galony lifted its head off the tree branch from resting. I kept my eye on it, wondering if it sensed anything.
That’s when I noticed it.
No forest sounds.
“Mistuuk, when did the forest go quiet?”
He looked around. “I don’t know, Rels.”
“Not good.”
The second galony sat up, sniffing the air.
Blink’s lights started flashing.
“What is it?” I asked.
“Blink says she picked up a moving object across the water over there.”
I looked at the other end of the blue pond. A moving object came into view, along the tree line.
“Blink says its Kayasa, Rels.”
“Good, but that doesn’t explain the silence of the forest. Galony don’t make the inhabitants of these parts nervous.”
“Good point, Rels.”
“Here.” I handed the Cuukzen some of the weapons we made. “Take these. Put them in the saddle slots. Use them when you need to.”
These makeshift weapons would have to do. I made two short spears and two knuckle knives for jabbing.
The sharp stones would do the trick at short range. With no projectile weapons to keep them at bay, this was going to get cozy real fast.
“Keep an eye out.”
Kayasa’s galony got closer and I could see she was strapped in but not moving.
The galony swung up to our branch and landed. It was out of breath.
I went to her side, as did Mistuuk.
“Is she alive, Rels?”
She had some bleeding wounds on her back and forehead, but she had a pulse and was breathing.
“Yes, she’s alive.”
I unstrapped her and laid her down on the tree branch. “You just can’t catch a break, Kayasa.”
Her galony collapsed. It was injured as well.
“Mistuuk, tend to the galony. I’ll help her.”
“Got it, Rels.”
I began to wash her face with water and drip some on her lips.
She started to come to.
“Hang in there. I got you.”
“Where… where are we, Rels?” she asked with a hoarse voice.
“We’re…wait. Did you just call me by my name?”
She was struggling. Her eyes weren’t their usual focused selves. “Did we make it? Did we…”
She passed out again.
“I’m putting her on my climber,” I told Mistuuk.
I picked her up and placed her in the saddle harness of my galony, strapping her in.
It was just in time. As I lashed the last strap around her torso, an eerie screech came from above.
Over the pond, coming through the opening in the canopy, were three of those winged creatures.
Their piercing shrieks sent the hairs on my neck on end and a chill up my spine.
“Get to your galony, Mistuuk. We need to move.”
“What about her galony?”
“It’ll buy us time.”
That was the harsh truth.
The galony were agitated and nervous, ready to leap off the branch.
I hugged around Kayasa and grabbed a body strap, wrapping it around my waist. I would need to stay loose to use weapons.
“I’m in, Rels.”
I turned to see the creatures flying over the water straight for us.
Too close.
Time to leave.
I yanked on the reigns and the tree-climber bolted off the branch.
Mistuuk was behind, following along with Blink.
As we swung on our first branch, I got a glimpse of the creatures attacking the injured galony.
I cursed. Only one of them stayed with the downed galony. The other two continued to pursue us.
“Get ready!” I yelled out.
The galony were swinging as fast as they could through the forest trees.
Just our luck. Again.
The large trees here were more spread out than before and, with no foliage ahead or around us, the flying alien bats from Hell were giving chase.
They could move through these less dense parts with ease.
On every swing, I could see that they were getting closer.
I could also hear the rush of roaring water getting closer as well. We must be near the river.
I reached for a short spear from the pouch on the side of the saddle.
I held it ready.
Our swing rotated around a large branch with the galony releasing towards the next.
Its arms were outstretched, rounded claws ready to grab the next wooded offshoot when it hit us.
The creature struck the galony in mid-flight, knocking it off course and right into the side of the tree.
My shoulder brushed the bark as my climber fell to the forest floor below.
We didn’t plummet far when the galony grabbed the next outstretched branch and swung again, but the unknown creature struck once more, this time sending us to the soil down below.
The galony slid sideways and came to a stop against another tree.
It struggled to get up.
The creature landed a few feet away. It opened its maw of teeth and fangs.
I jumped off the straining galony and readied my makeshift spear and knife.
The creature lunged at me.
I parried with the spear.
Damn! I couldn’t have made this thing a bit longer?
I could smell its rank breath.
Way too close.
It jabbed like any large bird; hopping along the ground, furling its blue-green wings, and striking with its fanged mouth.
It was much lar
ger than I thought. It stood two meters taller than I was.
I put myself between my galony and it.
The winged creature wasn’t holding back its attacks either. They became quicker and more methodical.
As I moved around, I kicked a rock.
This winged creature tracked it, but was back on me in an instant.
That gave me an idea.
I didn’t have time to bend down and pick up a rock, so I kicked another one.
It tracked it for a split second, then it was back on me again.
Quick and agile.
I had another idea.
I reached down to my side and grabbed the knuckle knife I’d made. It had a handle to wrap my fingers and fist around, and it had some weight to it as well.
I flung the knife up near the creature’s side.
It tracked the knife, but lunged for it.
Now.
I charged and drove the spear into its side.
The spear went in.
The terror bird spun, knocking me down, with the spear sticking out from its side.
The creature tried to remove the embedded object with his fanged beak, gnashing at its side, trying to dislodge the very long thorn in its side.
I rolled and picked up my knife.
Getting up on my feet, I was ready to finish this thing off.
That’s when the second terror bird landed.
It caught the attention of the first wounded bird that had given up on removing the spear and turned back to me instead.
I didn’t like that look on their horrible faces.
Just my luck.
They lunged at me.
I prepared to parry at least one of them when
Mistuuk’s galony landed on top of the wounded bird, smashing it into the ground.
I dodged the second creature, slashing my knife at its elongated neck.
I moved behind two small trees.
The terror bird attacked again with a gurgling screech.
Not deep enough.
I moved between the trees.
It lunged right between them.
I grabbed it near the neck with my left hand and held it against the tree. With my right, I jammed the knife in its neck.
It pulled away and stumbled back..
Orange goo ran down its neck to the ground.
The terror bird stumbled backwards and right onto Mistuuk’s spear.
The creature screeched, falling to the ground in death throws.
“Nice timing, pudge.”
Annals of the Keepers - Rage Page 22
