by Skyler Grant
"As I said, unusual. I don't consider it a priority, but I am curious," Tamara said.
"Anything else?" Quinn asked.
"Anything we can do to help our growing criminal and spy networks is worth doing. Rena and Silver are both professionals, but could use our help. Ultimately, they and what they'll be able to do are our long-game now," Tamara said.
"What about our worlds?" Jinx asked.
"We've shifted the remains of the Vanguard into the defense of our colonies. We have a large supply of mana and the ability to refine it into mana crystals."
"All of which means they're in good shape. The Imperium could take everything we have, but they'd bleed for it," Kara said.
"If our organization grows, then many of those resources will be funneled back into the colonies," Tamara said.
"Is preventing a war still a priority in any way?" Dela asked.
Looks were exchanged around the table.
"The Divide is gone. Clan space intercepts Imperium in over one hundred systems. I hate the thought of war, but if they're insistent on fighting one I don't think we can stop them," Jinx said.
"But we can curb the worst excesses. One last string of big jobs to do just that, and then we go quiet," Quinn said.
"Let's start with the trap. It may not be as critical as the others, but I want to solve the mystery. Let's see who wants to talk," Jinx said.
8
Their response to the message bearing the Emperor's seal gave them coordinates for a system on the edge of Imperium space. It wasn't their final destination. As soon as they arrived they received a tight-beamed data burst from a nearby satellite.
Quinn sat behind the controls, Vess in the copilot seat. He'd been trying to give the dragoness more time in the cockpit. The ship didn't let her stretch her wings and fly like she was used to, and he hoped that flying the Bliss might compensate. So far she was having more trouble than he expected. Vess still thought of flying as if it were in the atmosphere, and in gravity, a matter of up and down. Space required giving up those perceptions.
"Another set of coordinates," Quinn said.
"This is like the swarm that spawned Mara," Vess said with a huff. "I do not like it, sneaking about."
Quinn sent the new set of coordinates to Jinx operating the runic sphere.
Space flickered and warped. Quinn died young in this might-have-been, catching a round in the throat on the first job he ever pulled.
The new coordinates took them beyond the edges of the Imperium, beyond the Runestone network.
When reality was restored they found themselves in orbit around a water world, an island chain studded around the equatorial belt.
A small space station was in orbit, an Imperium design, although according to sensors exceptionally well-armed.
A landing beacon led them into a small docking bay and Quinn guided the Centauri Bliss beside a sleek-looking gunship.
They got another message and Quinn hit the comms. "They've given permission for four to come aboard. They're insisting one be Jinx."
"If it is a trap they're being awfully polite about it," Tamara said over the comm.
"Tamara, Quinn, and Mara. The three of you can see a lot. Heavy hitters hang back and be ready in case we need an extraction," Jinx said.
They gathered in the cargo hold, Ilsa looking on with interest as they double-checked their weapons. Her beasts sniffed at them.
They'd each prepared for a fight in their own way.
Tamara was dressed in the height of Imperium fashion, the black straps offering countless windows to her flawless flesh beneath. Quinn went in an armored trenchcoat with pistols at his waist. Mara appeared casually dressed, a button-up shirt showing a lot of flesh. Quinn was certain she was armed with enough to stop a small army. Jinx was in her usual Queen of Thieves attire that left her runes exposed.
They lowered the ramp and made their way off the ship.
There was no army waiting for them, just a beautiful blonde in a pair of shorts and a tee shirt. The woman looked to have only recently gotten out of a pool or a shower, her hair still damp and the tee clinging to her body. There was a single rune curling along her ribcage, glowing a pale blue.
"Hi," the blonde said with a sunny smile. "Viktor isn't available at the moment, but he's asked me to see that you're comfortable until he arrives. I'm Helena."
"Hurry across the length of the Imperium and wait," Jinx said wryly.
Helena flashed them a wry smile. "We didn't expect you to come so quickly. Follow me."
The station was luxuriously appointed, and unusually warm. They were led into the center of the facility. In most space stations it would be home to a marketplace. Here the area was filled by a large pool basking under a convincing artificial sun.
There were a dozen other women here, either in the water or lounging by the pool. None were more dressed than Helena, and some considerably less. They were also all beautiful and all wore runes, none less than one, and the most Quinn counted on anybody were three.
Quinn found the entire thing very strange. Order magic ran in the genes, and generally that meant those who used it were not able to use the genetic manipulation that others could. The wealthy and non-magical of the Imperium were often as perfectly sculpted as Tamara, the human body turned into a work of art. Nobles were another matter. For all their power, nobles were far more representative of humanity.
"Who are all of you? Really," Quinn said.
Mara let her gaze drift over some in the pool. "I can answer that, at least in part. Our tour guide is Helena DuChamp, that brunette near the end of the pool is Yanna Sen, the blonde at her side is Gemma Pool. How am I doing?"
"Quite well, not that I'd expect any less from a former member of the Athenaeum," Helena said.
"You are both very impressive to each other. How about letting the rest of us in on the secret?" Quinn said.
"The Emperor was a man who mixed business and pleasure. Outside of his children, the only apprentices he took were also his lovers. Drawn from the most beautiful and intelligent of the noble daughters of the Imperium," Mara said.
"I've never seen this many runed in one place."
"Then you've never seen a gathering of the assembly of Lords," Helena said, rolling her eyes. "Most of the heads of house have at least one rune, although many choose to hide it."
Helena lead them over to a table near the pool and motioned for them to have a seat.
"So what does this mean?" Quinn asked Mara.
"Too soon to tell. They say Viktor is coming. That's the rarely used first name of our fallen Emperor. As we know though, that seems unlikely," Mara said.
"I know you've got questions. Be patient. You're not under threat here. Swim if you'd like, or I'll be happy to get you drinks, although I know Jinx here is expecting," Helena said, and glanced at Quinn, "Can I see them?"
Quinn knew what she meant and he pulled back his sleeves to reveal the runes glowing on his forearms.
"Pretty, and pretty painful I bet," Helena said, before bouncing to her feet and running for drinks. It seemed they had time to kill.
9
Several hours passed. Taki had called in via their comms to let them know a shuttle had landed.
None of them were so foolish as to get drunk, not here, not amongst those who might be enemies. Still, Helena and the others were surprisingly charming. They really were another Centauri in their own right. These women had been together a long time, some of them for many centuries. The only thing that remained to be seen was if their missing member truly was missing.
"Welcome. I hope I didn't make you wait too long," said a young man approaching their table. His features were vaguely familiar, but that was all. The man looked more like the Emperor's son than Emperor, at least a decade younger than the figure Quinn had seen on holos.
"Much longer and you'd be peeling us off the floor," Helena said, delivering a kiss to his cheek.
"There isn't a trace of magic in him," Jinx said, lookin
g Viktor over.
"But quite a lot of technology," Tamara said.
Viktor said with a grin, "With good cause. Viktor Octavius, in a manner of speaking. Former Emperor of the Imperium, and an admirer of your work—for all you've made a total mess of things."
"How is that possible?" Jinx asked.
Tamara's stance shifted and she went from looking formal to ready to brawl as Tourmaline took over. "By stealing my technology. I recognize it."
"The galaxy is filled with immortals of different types. While my magic offered me immortality of one kind, I knew it was limited. Your archiving technology offered another means. I totally stole it," Viktor said, sprawling into a seat.
"And the lack of magic?" Jinx asked.
"Implants required a non-magical host. Fortunately I still had samples of my genome from before I attained my powers. I could acquire them again, I have ways, but have chosen not to," Viktor said.
"Given the company you keep, you may be who you say you are. I don't see where it really makes any difference. What do you need from us?" Quinn asked.
A brunette with three runes brought over a beer and Viktor accepted it gladly.
"Need? I need nothing. But I did want to meet those who had so shaken the Imperium I took so long building."
"Do you know what they're doing? The Triumverate? Do you know the horrors they are unleashing?" Jinx asked.
"Horrors of my creation, my design," Viktor said, before taking a swig from his beer. "Although they almost seem to be the product of another man. I spent so many years fearing what magic would do to the Unshackled that I never questioned what it was doing to me."
"You're saying it made you as monstrous as it made them?" Quinn asked.
"Monstrous, no, it doesn't work like that. I became more of what I always was. Protector, warrior, engineer. The Imperium I built is like a mighty engine and even with my passing it continues on."
"It almost fell apart. Everything almost fell apart. Do you have any idea how close it came?" Jinx said, growing heated, her runes flaring dangerously.
"Because that machine demanded the strongest it could find. The most driven, the most powerful. The noble houses have always played their games sorting out the strongest among them. What was playing out was simply this happening on a grand scale," Viktor said.
"With how many innocents paying the price? If you were still alive, you could have done something," Jinx said.
"So could you. I would have never expected Opalia's heir to regain her abilities. The throne hungered for you and yet you wouldn't sit. Are you really going to condemn me for making the same choice?"
"What about the rest of you?" Quinn asked, with a look over to Helena. "You have a rune and some of the others have more. You were his wives."
Helena said, "The Imperium took our children. Took our husband. Took our lives. There was talk, a lot of talk, about what we still owed it—if we owed it anything. At first we were grieving, but then we were simply ... done."
Quinn didn't know how he felt about that. On the one hand they were planning on doing something similar—walking away. Yet, there were differences. They'd built the Imperium, and when you built something, you had some responsibility for what happened to it, for the things that it did.
"Do you get to just go away like that?" Quinn asked.
"Who is going to stop us?" Viktor asked with a shrug, "I'm not here for the guilt trip. Trust me, I get enough of that already. We're going soon, me and mine. I thought that before we went we owed you and yours a few answers. If you've got any questions to ask."
"I'm certain we have a great many. If you're serious about answering them, you'll let us bring more than four aboard," Tamara said.
Viktor let loose a low breath. "I've no objection to any but the Unshackled. I can't risk infection."
"We've defenses against that. I'm wearing a dampener. Kalisa's latest ones are powerful enough to shield even her," Quinn said.
"Kalisa," Viktor said, and for a moment his gaze looked wistful. "I knew her once, a very long time ago. Perhaps it would be good to see her, one last time. If you'll allow Anya aboard your ship to study the technology and take some readings, I'll consider it. The others are welcome aboard, we've room."
"We've a lot we need to be doing," Jinx said. "Time is tight."
Mara said to her, "A few days won't hurt anything, and this is an opportunity we won't have again. We should take them up on their hospitality."
"Always a spy," Viktor said, sounding more amused than angry.
"I don't like it. I don't like him," Jinx said.
"And those judgmental tones are so like Opalia," Viktor said.
Quinn and Tamara exchanged a look and each gave a tiny nod to the other.
"We'll accept your invitation and stay a few days. We do have questions," Tamara said.
10
A restful night, and the next day was a busy one. Jinx was soon taking lessons. Kalisa had always done her best in teaching Order magic, but amongst Viktor and his family there were those who had been using it for a very long time indeed.
Sand had countless questions about the nature of her own creation and modification, while Mara had questions about Imperium communication codes and secrets.
Quinn didn't have as much to occupy his time, but this station they had built for themselves was at least an excellent vacation spot. The pool was warm, the artificial sun bright, the girls pretty, and the drinks both endless and of the highest quality.
Oddly it meant he spent some of his time with those least welcome—their prisoners. Viktor and his family didn't mind them being loose, and with the family busy and the ship docked, nobody was interested in pulling guard duty.
Bravo and Ilsa had taken to the local dress code easily, Bravo with a green bikini that nicely matched her eyes while Ilsa had gone for nothing at all. Quinn was doing his best not to focus on either fact and was failing rather horribly.
"This is going to make for one heck of a report," Bravo said, sipping at a brightly colored drink. The three of them were seated at a table near the pool.
"You're that certain they won't kill you?" Ilsa asked.
"If they were going to kill me they'd have done it already. You too. That they're keeping us prisoner is just them trying to get comfortable with the idea of us. They'll probably propose any day now," Bravo said.
"I'm think we're full," Quinn said.
"Does it matter, when you're interested? And you are interested," Bravo said with a teasing grin. "Do you know how much training I have in picking up even minor movements of your eyes?"
"He has given no signs. This man is little like my husband outside of appearances," Ilsa said.
Quinn knew that Bravo was just trying to get under his skin. It was something she seemed to delight in, pushing his buttons. Unfortunately, knowing that she was doing it didn't mean it wasn't effective.
"Is there any point to this?" Quinn asked.
Bravo reached behind her back and a moment later slipped her top off. Like most of her, her breasts were flawless with large pale nipples. Bravo trailed her finger in her drink for a moment before moving it to one of them, dabbing a single drop. The nipple hardened in response and Quinn failed once more in his efforts not to stare.
"Tell me you want me and maybe I'll stop needling you, for today. Tell me that you fantasize about me and I'll stop," Bravo said.
"Of course he wants you. He is a man and you are an attractive woman. You pretend to be a huntress, but your prey does not even move," Ilsa said.
"Oh, parts of him are moving, I guarantee it," Bravo said.
It was true. Quinn couldn't even blame the presence of his wives for any state of arousal, none were in the pool.
Quinn thought that Ilsa was right, Bravo was enjoying the thought of being the huntress. It fit what he knew of her. Mara was mostly a spy, and occasional assassin. Bravo had those reversed, and it was truly astonishing the number of might-have-beens where Quinn saw her put a knife into him. Stil
l, sometimes turning the tables worked best.
Quinn let his eyes linger more boldly. "Yes, Bravo. I want you. I am hard as a rock right now thinking about you. It doesn't mean I have any interest in marrying you."
Bravo didn't look particularly cowed by the admission. Instead her lips curved upward in a smile. Leaning forward she drew in a deep breath making a further display of her breasts, before tapping at a tablet on the table, opening a comm.
"Tamara, I'm here with Ilsa and we're busy torturing your husband with our breasts. He seems very taken by them. Does he have your permission to jerk off?" Bravo asked.
"You don't have to answer that," Quinn said, the strain showing in his voice.
"No touching and keep it public," Tamara said, before killing the comm.
Bravo grinned even wider and leaned back, taking a sip from her drink, "Well, there you go. She knows you want it too, and she knows this place has been driving you a little crazy."
"You think I'm going to whip it out right here and offend our hosts?" Quinn asked.
Bravo shrugged and leaned forward again to tap the tablet once more. "Helena? Public sex acts, yay or nay?"
"If you don't mind an audience, we don't mind a show. Cleaning it up is on you though," Helena said.
"Ball, your court. You can run away and I'll laugh. Sit and suffer, and I win. Do something about it and we both win," Bravo said with a shrug of her perfect shoulders.
"Perhaps you are more huntress than I thought," Ilsa said to her, and looked over at Quinn, intrigued.
Quinn kind of loathed that smug file on her face, and was kind of turned on by it. It didn't help that Bravo was right, she'd backed him into a corner. Whatever he did here, she scored a victory. So really, it was what did he want to do? While he wasn't proud of it, that he had no doubt about.
Quinn rose from the table so that he could strip off his shorts. He'd been doing a bit of swimming earlier.
