by Skyler Grant
Quinn felt the faintest hint of connection growing through his magic. A sense of a tangled weave connecting all of these women.
"Let's try this ..." said the Wynn atop him. "You perceive these might-have-beens. These other universes. Any of the other seven of us might have crawled atop you. We have no hierarchy. But somewhere else, right now, your hand is on a different one of our runes. Can you find that reality? Sense it?"
Quinn reached out. It was surprisingly easy to do.
In this reality one of the Wynn's had a rune on her left knee. Shifted just a few links away from his current reality that one was atop him.
Wynn began to rock her hips and let out a breathless sort of gasp. Two of them did. They were connected now, linked through that other universe.
"Another," Wynn said.
In another reality Quinn kissed the rune at the base of a Wynn's neck and shoulder. And suddenly they were three, another woman on the bed gasping.
"Keep going," Wynn instructed as her hips sped up still more.
A rune on one ankle, at the small of her back, upon her left buttock. One after another Quinn found versions of himself in nearby realities and linked with them, linked with the other Wynns.
In a way they suddenly became a tangle of limbs that spanned more than just two people. It spanned nine in this room. Sixteen in other realities. It was intoxicating, dizzying.
Wynn's nails dug into his shoulder and she leaned in. "I know you are enjoying it, but focus. Go further. These are too close, and I can feel the sickness in them like there is in you."
The other versions of Quinn he was linked to were all here in his position, all here for the same reason. Further. Further. Quinn met a Wynn in a bar and their bodies tangled in the backroom atop a stack of boxes. Quinn was married to her, intimate with one of her versions. Elsewhere he was her private pilot, finally yielding to temptation in the back of a shuttle.
"Now give them a little of your illness. Just a little," Wynn breathed in his ear.
It was easy to do. Quinn had done something similar countless times before, drawing from other realities.
A tiny bit of the rot that consumed him, enough for their bodies to easily fight off.
Wynn screamed in ecstasy and buckled atop him. The bed was suddenly filled with writhing forms. Quinn's was one of them. In a way he was eight of them.
39
Quinn took a seat in the stands next to Tamara. This part of the station was busy and boisterous. This was where most of the fighting was taking place and there seemed to be a lot of fighting.
Old grudges, contract negotiations, simple displays of strength. There were a lot of reasons. Currently the fight was between two runed men, one wielding a pair of double axes and one a massive two-handed sword with a curved blade.
"How are those weapons possibly okay when killing anyone is forbidden?" Quinn asked.
"See the Unshackled off to the side? The woman with golden eyes and five runes. Helfra the Golden Shield is what they call her. I gather her abilities kick in just as someone is about to die," Tamara said.
"I wonder how people get all these nicknames," Quinn said.
"How did Jinx wind up the Queen of Thieves? It seems common enough that I doubt it is a coincidence. Perhaps magic forces people into having one. I'm surprised you don't," Tamara said.
"Don't give anyone any ideas," Quinn said. "How has Jinx been doing?"
"So far undefeated in six battles. Two pushed her pretty hard."
The superior reach of the sword wielder proved advantageous, a massive swing being stopped by a shimmering golden barrier as Helfra called a halt to the match and declared a victor.
"How is all this going?" Quinn asked.
"We've already had a lot of offers. Everything from places in war bands to trading for mana crystals or intelligence from inside the Imperium," Tamara said.
"We actually doing any of that?"
"The long game remains the long game. We need friends and there are friends to be found here. Still, I am holding back a bit. The more Jinx wins in these contests, the stronger our bargaining position becomes," Tamara said.
Jinx was up next. In her Queen of Thieves outfit she did cut a striking figure. The clothing wasn't armored although was made out of hazard cloth, which made it incredibly resilient, and Jinx had further enchanted it.
Quinn recognized her opponent entering the other side of the arena. It was Kalisa's friend, Talla, one of the Unshackled.
Unlike the last combatants, neither Jinx nor Talla held any weapons. Quinn knew that Jinx didn't need one. He'd seen her punch through armor plating with her Order magic at full power.
"Do we know what Talla does?" Quinn asked.
"A few things, according to Kalisa. That outfit she wears is some sort of intelligent alien metal. In addition she has abilities in energy manipulation," Tamara said, leaning forward.
The two began to circle each other. Silvery metal flowed over Talla's hands and she lunged forward. With a brilliant flash of silver light she vanished from sight.
Jinx blocked, her runes glowing, although an instant later a silvery fist caught her on the chin, Talla having shifted her pattern of attack while invisible and delivering a powerful uppercut.
Jinx seemed barely fazed, although a thrown punch at Talla was dodged with ease.
Quinn really hated to watch Jinx fight. It always looked like she was losing, and really she was. A skilled Chaos magic-user was faster than her, harder to hit than her, and they could land the most improbable of blows and get away safe. Jinx on the other hand was just an immovable object, waiting for that one moment an opponent messed up. If that moment came before Jinx weakened, she won. If not, she'd be slowly battered into submission.
"How did your experiment go? I hope it was good for something besides just gratification?" Tamara asked.
"I'm surprised you said okay," Quinn said.
"Are you? Thanks to Kara you are well able to keep your wives satisfied despite having so many. Also thanks to Kara you are perpetually craving even those outside the family." Tamara shrugged. "That said, I'm against such liaisons simply for pleasure. Which this wasn't."
"It wasn't, and yes it helped. The woman has multiple versions of herself that she juggles. With some help she got me able to juggle versions of myself a bit. While she didn't cure my condition, I think I could manage it now even without Jinx."
Jinx had finally managed to get a punch in on Talla, by predicting her move catching her as she charged while invisible. Silver rippled at the site of impact as Talla was flung backwards through the air. She nimbly twisted in flight though, rippling silver along her body seeming to act almost like a gyroscope and redirecting the force as she landed in a crouch.
"She's good," Quinn said.
"Her silvery armor offers her quite the advantage over most Chaosians. Talla can both keep her runes bared for full magical power while still being shielded against a hit," Tamara said.
"How would Tourmaline beat her?"
Tamara shifted, her form becoming more relaxed as Tourmaline took over.
"If they can go invisible, you know they're going to try hitting you where you're weakest. It seems like a strength, but it is a disability in a way because they get too clever," Tourmaline said with a grin. "I think our girl sees it. See how Jinx is leaving her right side open? We've taught her better than that, she's tempting her."
The arena exploded into disorienting flashes of silvery light. A flicker of motion as Talla appeared, fist again covered in silver and going for a punch to Jinx's unprotected side. Tourmaline was right, Jinx was ready. A hand caught Talla's fist and instead of throwing her away, this time she held her.
Jinx squeezed and the silver along Talla's arm rippled as it tried to force her away. Jinx's other hand came back, runes glowing as she punched at Talla's face.
Silver flowed protectively shielding her against one hit. Two.
With each blow the total silver coating Talla seemed to be getting smal
ler. While never fully dressed, now she was naked but for a silvery mask and a lone gauntlet. Jinx struck again and this time instead of meeting silver her punch found gold.
The match had been called.
40
"This seems like a really bad idea," Dela said.
"I didn't make the rules," Quinn said.
The moot had gotten them a job offer, of sorts, one that Tamara and Jinx had both thought worth following up. Quinn could see why.
The system they'd just jumped into was technically in Imperium space, although on the far Rim. When the Divide had fallen it had left the small farming colony open for invasion and Quinn gathered it had taken all of an hour for it to surrender when the first clan ships had arrived. A lot more had arrived since then.
Quinn couldn't even count how many vessels were currently occupying the system, thousands, certainly. They were loosely found in clumps, ranging from some no larger than a dozen ships to those containing hundreds. Clans, clans all interested in having a piece of the Imperium. Clans all waiting to come to some sort of agreement how to split the prize.
Quinn found a place well isolated from any of the other ships for the Centauri Bliss. Once they were secure he set an alarm on the sensors in case any other vessels go too close and called the family together for a meeting.
Melody was back in fine form with dinners—she was still over-compensating after the kitchen had been down. Dinner was seven different layers in a casserole, each of mixed meats and vegetables from different worlds.
"We are in position. From what I see I'm estimating around three thousand clan vessels out there. Quite the invasion force," Quinn said.
"One of three war bands that the clans have formed to crack the Core worlds wide open. The smaller clans are focusing on the lesser defended Rim worlds," Jinx said.
"There any reason we're with this one?" Quinn asked.
"You didn't get a chance to meet her, but she was there. Mahara," Kalisa said.
"We killed her," Quinn said.
"We killed another version of her. This is ours, back from the edges of space when word reached her of the Divide being breached. The greatest war leader of the clans back for the fight," Kalisa said.
"This one is different. Her power is still destruction, but it is muted," Jinx said.
"So we're all on the clan side now?" Kara asked.
"You want to be best friends with Kadello instead?" Jinx asked.
"You know I want to stab that xenocidal slime," Kara said.
"Me too, and we took our swing and it failed, so we're moving on. The Centauri Bliss has mobility like nothing else in clan space and we have an unmatched understanding of Imperium ships, communication codes, and noble houses. We're a valuable commodity and everyone knows it," Jinx said.
"And they're willing to pay accordingly," Tamara said.
"How much?" Quinn asked.
"Two percent of anything taken in the invasion and of any conquered world for twenty years," Tamara said.
"Doesn't sound like that all that much," Quinn said.
"Given we don't have to risk any of our forces, it is a generous offer."
"Not that generous, given how many lives and resources good intelligence can save," Bravo said.
"The Core worlds also aren't even close in terms of resources available compared to the Rim. Even a few Rim worlds will make us unbelievably wealthy," Tamara said.
"And if the Imperium falls all that wealth might actually be good for something. I get it," Quinn said.
"It also saves lives. Long battles catch a lot of innocents in the crossfire. I thought for a long time we could stop a war. Now I'm just hoping we can make it as quick and painless as possible," Jinx said.
"We putting this to any kind of vote? Because I'm still in favor of going, and going now. Kadello kicked our tails. Why stick around for a round two?" Taki asked.
"Anyone else feel the same way?" Jinx asked.
"I just met all of you and you almost died. I don't want to lose my new family," Ilsa said.
"We've all along said if we do anything more, we'd have a set line. A real exit point. Right now that seems to be getting fuzzy," Quinn said.
"Kadello is behind pretty much everything terrifying going on with the Imperium. Taking him down is our goal," Jinx said.
"How are things shaking out with Barr dead? We had any word from the Imperium?"
"I always have word from the Imperium. Our network got knocked around, but is active. Kadello and Vixana are getting married," Bravo said.
"Are they ... a thing?" Quinn asked.
"We don't think so. It is merely a consolidation of power. Vixana is becoming the lawful ruler of the Imperium, God Empress and absolute authority. In return she's giving Kadello absolute control of the military with an unlimited budget."
"See? Give Kadello a little time with that setup and they'll be no stopping him," Jinx said.
"I don't know if it will be that easy. Wives are complicated and Kadello might find his life a lot harder than he expects," Quinn said.
Kara threw a roll at Quinn's head.
"Maybe the clans can't do it. We saw another universe where a war never ended. Where it went on for centuries. It could happen here. Worse things could happen here," Jinx said.
"We don't fight him ourselves, not again. We do this, we bring the clans to him and we're done," Taki said.
"I agree. I feel we should do something, but that is it," Dela said.
"It is pretty much what we had planned anyways," Tamara said to Jinx.
"I suppose it is. I can agree to those terms. We guide them through the Core and we let what happens, happen," Jinx said.
"I don't like not getting to kick his ass ourselves. But as long as we're getting paid for something," Kara said.
"I'll plot us a route to Imperius then. Those clan ships need to go by Runestone," Quinn said.
"I'll help. I have some idea of current tactical deployments," Bravo said.
They had a plan, they might even survive it.
41
The next two days saw three systems conquered. The scouting of the Centauri Bliss hardly seemed necessary, yet still they did the best they could to provide some honest value.
The course Quinn and Bravo had put together for approaching the Core was a winding and irregular one, designed to avoid any of the major Rim powers.
It was a strategy that so far was working. Each of the worlds the fleet had come to was administered by a governor or minor lord, often with less than a dozen ships at their disposal. When the number of clan ships became evident their surrender quickly followed.
Quinn hoped they kept proving that wise. There was no way such worlds could resist this fleet. The Imperium could and no doubt would, but that was a problem for the future.
It was on day three that the lights aboard flickered. They pulsed a series of seven flashes, then three, then seven again before going out entirely leaving the ship lit only by emergency lighting.
Quinn was in the cockpit at the time and he hit the ship-wide comm, "Is this Kadello? I thought you'd found a workaround for his power-shorting technology?"
"This isn't Kadello," Tourmaline answered. "Everyone, I want you to stay in your rooms. There will mercenaries and they'll be good. This is Nova—she promised once she'd be coming for me, she finally is."
Quinn remembered Nova, another of Tourmaline's fellow immortals from the clan side of space. She had helped them once, but Nova wanted to die and thought Tourmaline one of the few women in space who might be able to kill her.
"We're on a ship full of badasses. I'm pretty sure we can handle some mercenaries," Quinn said.
"This is between her and me. You listening, Nova? I'm sure you hacked our comms. One on one, just us. In the hold," Tourmaline said.
"Agreed. My people will hold their fire," Nova said.
Quinn made his way out of the cockpit, racing through the halls towards the hold. Most of the family was already there by the time he arrived. So
were mercenaries, a dozen or so armed in some sort of gray armor and with thick, bulbous-looking weapons.
Nova looked as she always looked. Chalky white skin, flaming red hair, and a body-suit that was both skin-tight and lightly armored.
"We don't have to do this, Nova. We're about to go into one massive fight against a man that kicked our combined asses," Tourmaline said.
"You got your ass kicked?" Nova said with an arched brow.
"Not exactly. I was out of control at the time."
"Then it doesn't count. You're like me, Tourmaline. You just keep going and screw the expiration date. It's going to take someone like you to put me down," Nova said.
"Like most of this crew couldn't kill you with an arm behind our backs," Kara said.
"You think so," Nova said, smiling with a mouth that seemed to have a few too many pointed teeth. "I've met Yek, since the Divide came down. Heard they were tough. They weren't tough enough."
"She doesn't joke and she doesn't boast," Tourmaline said, rolling her shoulders. Tamara had been in control and the outfit was a bit fancy for a death fight. She grabbed a tee from a locker and began to change.
"Then let me do this," Jinx said.
"Never killed an Order mage. Killed others. Your runes are your strength, your weakness. Disrupt them and your own magic will tear you apart. You'd be fun, girl, but you're not what I'm looking for," Nova said.
"Nova has killed everything there is to kill," Tourmaline said.
"You told me once it was a bioweapon that made you immortal. What did it do to you?" Quinn asked.
Nova gave a wry smile. "Who said it did anything? Gave me this skin and didn't kill me. It was just the first thing to give me a real try and instead it just made me stronger. Everything makes me stronger."
"Choice of weapons?" Tourmaline asked.
"I'm the one challenging you. You pick. They call me Death on some worlds, you know. The ageless pale one that comes to steal life away," Nova said.
Quinn was already trying to think of what he might do. He figured of all the people on this ship, he might be the one best able to neutralize Nova. Not kill her, perhaps, but he could take her somewhere she'd never be able to return.
