by Reiter
“That you did, Captain.”
“We need more crew?!” Silnee asked. “Captain, we’re not pulling our weight?”
“Easy, Tolip,” Jocasta quickly said, trying to calm her people. “Right about now Z’s got the Xara-Mansura about eighty percent automated.”
“Ninety-three point six, seven, seven percent, Captain,” Dungias corrected.
Jocasta’s eyes rolled in disgust. “… and we could stand to get a few more hands about to give Sati a break so she can concentrate on other systems. You guys are doing the do, there’s no two ways to look at that. What we need is more people like you and about…”
“Three months,” Dungias stated.
“A season in space to get everyone on the same page before we take our show on the celestial road.” Jocasta looked around. Only Annsura seemed to understand, which was actually better than she had hoped to fare with her initial explanation. She remembered the wagon and started to shake her head. “Because I’m not taking lightweights to Black Gate!”
Dungias quickly accessed his brace-com to emit a force pulse that masked the sound of the gasps and commentary that sprung up after Jocasta called out the portal to the Prism Baronies. “Like the sort of lightweights who cannot remember to keep their voices down when we are on reconnaissance maneuvers!” Dungias strained without raising his voice. The area fell silent, and according to his readings, the wind in the encampment was louder to those they were watching.
“So, are we all over ourselves now?” Jocasta asked, receiving emphatic nods to the affirmative. “So glad to hear that.”
“I’ll be damned,” Nulaki whispered. “I know when to turn!”
“And when is that?” Jocasta asked.
“First we have to split up because I think I know what caravan this is, which means the four carts of mercenaries we see here will be mirrored at the other end of the encampment.”
“Are we about to step on major toes here, boss?” Ephaliun asked.
“Professionals don’t really concern themselves with that, Dugger. But we need to wait until nightfall to make our move. In that time, the bigger party will backtrack and then turn due south. We can meet up at the river.”
“Far be it from me to argue with a professional,” Jocasta said as she looked again over the hilltop, “but the people you have assigned the term mercenary to don’t look like they could handle a half-stacked kitchen clean-up crew! Who cares if they call for back-up? By the time they arrive we’ll be long gone!”
“On soft-footed caballions, Captain,” Nulaki pointed out. Dungias found himself nodding at the information that was about to be shared. “They’ve got hard-hooved horses down there, and this is hard terrain now, remember? Our mounts can handle it, but those horses would run us down like nobody’s business. Now you’re talking about sixty to eighty losers with projectile guns and crossbows. How does that kitchen-crew look now?”
“Pretty much mopped,” Jocasta replied. “Which means you also have a plan. Got it. Who do you want with you on this run?”
“No offense, Dugger, but I’m picking Z to go with me on this one. And let me tell you why.”
“He’s a freakin’ division of Ardrian Marines all by himself!” Ephaliun claimed. “Everybody knows that.”
“Plus, I need you to lead the other group and get them to the rendezvous point,” Nulaki added. “Not sure how much training the others have with nighttime maneuvers.” The conversation between Ephaliun and Nulaki continued, but only those two were able to hear each other.
“Did we just lose our goggles?!” Olkin said softly. Annsura quickly tapped his arm.
“That explanation isn’t for us,” she whispered. “Dugger’s still trying to find his place.”
“What are you talking about? He’s Nulaki’s number two!”
“He’s Nulaki’s chauffeur!” Mel returned. “The sooner he gets wind of that, the better off he’ll be. Tolip could use a wingman.”
“You tellin’ me it’s only a one-way information bridge at work here, Tank?” Jocasta asked as she walked by the group to mount her caballion. “Keepin’ info to yourself only to complain about the outcome later. Who does that help, man with the plan?” Jocasta also believed that Ephaliun was in a very bad place, but she wanted to see what this new crew would do in order to resolve the problem… providing nudges, as needed, every now and then.
** b *** t *** o *** r **
With only the sound of the river to break the silence, Jocasta decided to turn in for the evening. Watch assignments had been made, though the woman had thought she would never have an opportunity to use Scimitar’s old straw trick in her life, and she was hard pressed to keep from laughing as the fixed lots were drawn. There was nothing else to do other than wait. With all of the materials aboard the two wagons, it had been easy enough for Mel to make four tents. One for the Captain, one for Z, Nulaki and Adleon, and two for the remaining crew. Despite how unfair it had seemed, once Annsura suggested one for the guys and one for the girls, there was no turning back. Jocasta opened the flap of her tent and caught Llaz in her peripheral vision. He was at the edge of the river, smoking a cigaro he had bummed off of her a couple of days ago. A moment of consideration, and Jocasta closed the flap of her tent behind her, walking around it to sit down beside Llaz.
“Llaz,” she greeted him.
“Captain,” he replied in a tone of voice that made Jocasta think of other things the two of them could be doing. No one had any business with a voice that low and smooth. “It’s a beautiful night. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a sky so big before.”
“One upside of being on an underdeveloped planet…”
“And the only one,” they said together before laughing.
“Good one, Captain,” Llaz chuckled.
Jocasta sat for a moment, looking up at the stars and noticing how the view no longer had the same sweeping impression it once did. She had seen the stars from a perspective she did not know if she could ever revisit. Her current view was pale in comparison, but she would not mention it.
“I find myself in a bad place, Llaz.”
“How’s that, Captain?”
“I gave an order… one that I believe was a good order to have given…”
“But now you think you should go against that order,” he suggested.
“Bingo.”
Llaz nodded as he took a drag on his cigaro. He blew out slowly, weighing his options. “I suppose if I just offer up what the Desert Witch said to me, you wouldn’t be in such a spot.”
“It would sure make things simpler,” Jocasta agreed as she looked at the young man.
“Careful what the Captain calls you,” Llaz revealed.
“Excuse me,” Jocasta replied.
“Yeah… that’s what I said,” Llaz returned. “She said, ‘have a care for what the Captain calls you next’. Then she showed me my history – something I wish was more of a short story, instead of the chunky angst biscuit that it is.”
“Angst isn’t something I’ve seen coming out of you, Llaz.”
“I appreciate that, Captain,” Llaz said with a smile on his face. “You know, my mother only gave birth four times and yet I am the youngest of ten.”
“WHAT?!”
“Three sets of triplets and me,” Llaz nodded. “Imagine being considered some sort of freak for being born normally. When I got bullied, it wasn’t kids at school, it was my siblings. They accused me of eating my other two siblings, or just outright killing them in the womb. It sounds stupid… because it is stupid. That didn’t slow them down though. When it got to the point where they couldn’t get a rise out of me with the things they were saying, they took more direct routes.”
“Whoa, nine on one?! All the time?! Please tell me you ran away from home after you took a club to those little bastards.”
“Not quite,” Llaz said, offering the cigaro to Jocasta. She shook her head ‘no’ and he took another drag off of it before separating the burning shredded leaves and pocket
ing the remainder. “I was at the Slavers’ Den… but I was a familial acquisition.”
“Your family sold you off?!”
“From what I was told, they got a pretty good deal for me,” Llaz continued, looking out into the water. “You know, I did everything I could to stay out of their crosshairs. I got into things I knew they hated. I took up ballet; I was on the Dance-Cheer-Pep Team.”
“Dance-Cheer-Pep?”
“Don’t judge me.” Llaz said, sending Jocasta into another round of laughter. “Name me any other place where it’s okay to put your hand on a girl’s ass and take a good hold.” Jocasta stopped laughing, considering the advantage Llaz had just mentioned. “See what I mean?”
“Do you see what I meant?” Jocasta asked. “When I told you about your name and why?”
“I thought about it over the past few days. You might have noticed.”
“You mean when you couldn’t decide whether you wanted to wear your collar up or down? Yeah, I saw that.”
“Thanks for not mentioning it,” Llaz said, seriously appreciating her discretion.
“I see you finally came to a decision,” Jocasta noted.
“I did. It just hit me too. You said I didn’t need a name to be a pirate. Not your exact words, but that’s what I came away with.”
“Pretty much on the mark,” Jocasta confirmed. “But what does that mean to you?”
“It means I don’t have to stress and strain trying to be something I’m not,” Llaz replied. “I’m cool pretty much the way I am.”
“And the sudden interest in smoking?”
“That’s where you’re in a tailspin, Cap,” Llaz said. “I’m not doing things to be cool, I’m doing the things I’ve always been able to or wanted to do. I just stopped doing them because…”
“You fit more into the crowd if you didn’t do them,” Jocasta finished for him.
“Pretty much. You know that Tolip got the highest marks in our class on the pistol range, right?”
“I was there for the finals. Your shooting’s pretty tight, though.”
“I can shoot rings around her, and I have. You remember when she said–”
“This time it’s mine,” Jocasta said, instantly recalling the moment. She had observed that was not the normal bragging expression, but Llaz had hugged her after she won. He had looked genuinely happy for her. “You were holding back.” Llaz nodded to the affirmative. “Don’t do that… ever… again!”
“Believe me, Captain, the next person who beats me will have to earn it. I guess I need to talk to Z and see if I can get some harder work assignments.
“I’m glad you’re seeing things more clearly, but don’t press it,” Jocasta suggested.
“I don’t follow.”
“Llaz, you fooled me because, at the time, I wasn’t doing my job,” Jocasta said as she stood up. “You fooled the others because their eyes aren’t sharp enough to spot you. Not yet. But don’t think for a moment you pulled anything on the blue man. Note the two-gun rig; no one else is wearing one.”
“Yeah, but we all had two-weapon training in the simulators,” Llaz said.
“Sure, because you know for sure and for certain what everybody else was doing in their simulator sessions. I forgot you were a telepath and not just making assumptions,” Jocasta smiled. “Sweet dreams, Llaz.”
“We didn’t go over what she said about my future,” Llaz pointed out.
“No, but you gave me your past,” Jocasta replied. “I figure I have the gist of where you’re going now.
“And now we move away from the cool wonder,” Jocasta thought as she monitored the movement of the three people moving just outside the range of the torchlight. “And two of the three move with me. Good!” The soft song of a shaped stone sailing through the air sent Jocasta into a backbend and the missile passed over her face... coming from a direction where she had not heard any movement. “Nut-crunchers!”
“Take them!” a heavy and low voice cried as Jocasta heard leathery wings flapping over her head. She never saw the flying body, as she was tackled from behind. Her back gave as she had been trained to move, and she tucked into a ball just before hitting the ground, rolling out of the grasp of her attacker.
“Hold or die!” one man cried as he jumped from the back of a flying creature. He landed in a practiced roll and came up ready for combat. He held a triple-decked crossbow. “I will shoot you, legless one,” the man warned as he looked at Silnee and Pristacia, whose head was down. “Put up your hands. Both of them!” he shouted, looking at Mel.
“I can’t!” Mel said, sounding panicked. “My back!”
“Bah!” the man spat, walking forward and kicking Mel in the chest.
“Surrender, Captain, or we will kill your people,” the man who tackled Jocasta ordered as he took a low-crouching battle stance. These people were jumpers. They appreciated speed and agility. “Lay down your weapons now!”
“Guys?” Jocasta said, locking her eyes on her opponent.
“Princess,” Mel muttered and Pristacia lifted her head to look at the man closest to her.
“Please don’t hurt me,” she cried, looking up into the eyes of the man. His weapon lowered slightly as he gazed at the young woman. There was something about her eyes that pulled him in, making him want to help her.
“What’s up?” Mel asked, lifting the hand he was using to prop himself up; a hand that had been covering a weapon. It was a large-barreled energy rifle that lifted the man off his feet. Small bits of bone and ash were the only things to return to the ground. “Light ‘em up, Cupid!”
An arrow shot up into the sky from the other side of the river. It flashed with a bright white light, illuminating the entire camp area. They were surrounded with at least twenty people and a dozen large bat creatures… and that was just the count on the ground!
“Cutter!” Mel cried and two energy pistol shots were fired. One bolt bored into the chest of the man closest to the seated three, the second brought a flying creature and its rider crashing to the ground. Mel then fired his rifle again and two more attackers fell dead. Silnee quickly drew her pistol and fired, hitting the wing of a bat creature that was trying to get off the ground. An arrow found the neck of one of the attacking men as five of the raiders rushed the area where they thought Olkin was positioned.
“You were saying?” Jocasta asked, twirling her cane. “Come get some hurt, baby. Momma’s got a fresh batch waitin’!” The man yelled before lunging forward with his stone-blade slashing for Jocasta’s chest. She stepped back to avoid the attack and lunged forward, smacking the man’s arm with her cane. He dropped his weapon as a spin kick clipped his chin. He turned his back to her and Jocasta landed a dropkick to the base of his spine. The man staggered forward, trying to reach where he had been struck. He fell to his knees and then to his chest.
Jocasta landed on her hands and rolled to one foot and one knee, swinging her cane in front of her face and deflecting a crossbow bolt. She leaned to avoid another and rolled to dodge a third. She came up with her blaster drawn and took to firing. Her gunfire mixed with Llaz’s as he came up from the river, spinning smoothly and shooting. They stood back to back and fired their weapons.
“I need a step up!” Llaz cried.
“Show me something, dancer!” Jocasta said, lowering to one knee and shooting to her left. She could feel Llaz jump up off her back. “Man’s got some ups!” she thought as she watched him put his shoulder into one of the bat-riders. The enemy rolled off the back of the creature and Llaz was its new master. “And that’s not a bad idea!” Jocasta looked to her right and took a step to her left. She then hopped to her right and jumped up. She could see the look of wonder in the rider’s eyes as she landed a front kick to his face. He was off the animal in the next moment and Jocasta took hold of the reins.
“How’s about making yourself useful, Gallant?” she cried as she fired at one of the other riders and he fell to his death.
“Aye, Captain!” Adleon cried a
s he teleported to the back of another of the flying creatures. He drew his En-Blade and locked eyes on one of the high-flying attackers. At the sight of the Gallant and his drawn weapon, the raiders took to making a hasty retreat.
“Will you look at this madness,” Jocasta thought as she pulled on the reins. “Me and my people are tearing these fools such a new asshole, but they press on. One glow-stick shows up, takes a pose, and they head for the high ground. Whatever!” Jocasta turned her flying mount back to the camp and then across the river. She had to check on two of her people especially.
“Are you okay?” Olkin asked as he offered Annsura a hand up. She was quick to take it as she pushed a corpse off of her body.
“Thanks to that last arrow I am. Nice shot, Cupid.”
“I almost didn’t get it off watching you go!” Olkin exclaimed. “That must have been six on one!”
“I’m more interested in lucky number seven,” Annsura said softly. She hadn’t released Olkin’s hand and she pulled on his arm, bringing him in for a kiss. Olkin pushed her back, surprising both her and Jocasta who watched from the tree line.
“What’s wrong? Am I not Silnee enough for you?”
“No,” Olkin replied as he reached to his side, drew his gun and fired at a man who was slowly lifting his crossbow to get a hopeful shot off on the young woman who had soundly beaten him with only a sword and a knife. “I just prefer you unmarked!” Olkin made a slow approach and Annsura smiled.
“That makes two of us.” Though slower and gentler, there was no less passion in their second embrace, and Jocasta smiled.
“Get ‘em, Cutter!” she whispered before leaving the trees.
She flew her mount back to the encampment, but she could see movement in the distance and it made her smile. She landed her new mount near the fire and tied the reins to the wagon.
“Report,” she commanded.
“All save two are present and accounted for,” Mel said. “I was about to ask Llaz to look for Cupid and Cutter.”
