by Reiter
“I can tell you something in confidence, can’t I, Nugie?” Jocasta had asked of Nugar after one of their sessions, weeks into the training regimen.
“Trust is a fickle commodity, Jocasta,” he had replied. “It is often a difficult thing to invest. But I know how you like the short and sweet answer, so I will simply say: it’s your call, pirate!”
“I know that I want to be the Captain of my boat, but–”
“Being Captain of a boat and being leader of its crew are two different things, yes?”
“You know, the more time I spend around you, the more I like Z,” she had remarked.
“Then multiply our time by a factor of a thousand if you want to be on equal footing in that department. But we should get back to your question, or should I say your fear. After all, that is what we’re really talking about, isn’t it? How to go about being master of a boat you cannot sail alone while feeling comfortable knowing you might send one of your crew to their deaths! That is an intriguing concept.”
“Anytime you want to get helpful, I’m right over here,” Jocasta had muttered.
“The fact of the matter is that whether you are beside the crewman who dies or ordering the crewman that dies, you’re not supposed to feel good about the loss of a piece of perfection! For isn’t that what life truly is? It is one inarguable hint toward universal perfection.”
“So what about the pieces of perfection I can’t wait to squash?” Jocasta had quickly inquired. “Because you have to know that some of these classes are going to the effort. You can forget that ‘learning to fight so I won’t have to fight’ bullshit! Soon as I get back in my gear, I mean to act in a way that isn’t necessarily acceptable.”
“Listen to what you just said and recognize that you are fighting for the right to live,” Nugar had argued. “You’re learning how to fight to start fights, Jocasta! There’s a rage inside you, fighting to get out. The moment you signify yourself and burn bright in the sky, others will come to try to extinguish you. If anything, we are teaching a star how to burn!
“Your rank matters little, Jocasta,” Nugar had continued, getting back to the question. “People are going to die, and one day that will include you! Dare to shine brighter than the stars! Outshine them all if you can! Shine so bright I can see you from my home. Shine, Jocasta!
“As for your point of concern,” Nugar had said, lowering his voice. “… lead as you would want to be led. So long as you try to grow as a leader in the same manner you grow as a woman, you will do as well as you can.”
“Hold!” Jocasta ordered. If this was the day she was to bury her Princess, it would be only because she gave the woman the same wide berth Jocasta demanded for herself. “Let the woman play her hand!”
“You’re right!” Pristacia exclaimed as she put her hand to her face and looked up at the Djinn. “I don’t even know why I tried to lie to a god, but I didn’t want you to refuse me.”
“Refuse you?!” the Djinn said, planting his hands on his hips.
“I’ve read the words of the masters,” Pristacia said as she made her way up to her hands and knees. “I know the risks, but I don’t care. If I meet my end in the rapture of your embrace, then so be it!”
“Ho boy!” Jocasta thought as she breathed in through her mouth.
“You are a fool!” the Djinn said, grabbing Pristacia by the hair and lifting her up to her feet. She shrieked in delight, slapping her hands down on the bare flesh of the Djinn, kissing the center of its chest.
“Yes, Master!” she whispered, breathing hard and clutching at the arms of the Djinn. “I am a fool! But an instant in your light will give me the wisdom of the ancients! Share your power,” Pristacia huffed as she let her eyes drop slowly over the Djinn’s form. “… and your seed with me, Master. Take me!”
“So glad that I’m female right about now,” Jocasta thought as her eyes squinted at the sight of Pristacia climbing the Djinn to force her mouth onto its. “… and wearing a sufficient bra. Hell, the playback of this might even get a rise out of that blue-skinned wonder of mine!”
“I will take this one to our chamber,” the Djinn announced. “We are not to be disturbed!”
“Wait, Master,” Pristacia said softly, stroking the face of the Djinn. “Let me bring Ginger along to chronicle my ascension.”
“So be it!” the Djinn said before pointing at Silnee. “You will accompany us now!” The Djinn took a harsh grip of Pristacia’s arm and glared at Silnee as it breathed out slowly. Red smoke jetted from its mouth, enveloped Silnee, Pristacia and the Djinn, taking them into the folds of MajiK before circling the immediate area and flying into the mine. The two remaining Djinn looked at each other. As one shook its head in disgust, the other looked into the entryway and then back at its brother spirit.
“It is not as if we are not able,” he said.
“Then go and satisfy your thirsts,” the third scoffed, waving off its colleague. “While our brother samples Hope, take the one called Ginger, and make sure both are dead before you return!” The other did not respond before transforming to smoke and flying into the mine.
“Princess, Tolip, heads up!” Mel communicated. “You’ve got the one with you and one inbound. He’s got his sights set on Ginger. Remember, these are Minor Djinn, which means you need to find their power center. Once you whack that, it should take at least an hour for them to regenerate!”
“Satithe, disengage everyone from the party line,” Jocasta directed. “You stay with those girls and join us up if things go ugly. Well, uglier at least.”
“Understood, Captain,” Satithe replied. Though her voice was not as clear as in her normal broadcasts, it was a marvel the computer had found a way to communicate through a perpetual storm and keep tabs on the crew of the Xara-Mansura. Also, hearing Satithe’s voice allowed Jocasta to breathe somewhat easier.
“Okay, cue lost boyfriend,” Jocasta commanded.
“Hope!” Tiebault cried out as he approached the mine. “Hope, where are you?!”
The remaining Djinn heard Tiebault and quickly flew to cut him off from getting any closer to the mine. Tiebault decreased his gait and turned around so that the Djinn would see his back as he backpedaled toward it. Jocasta smiled as her goggles registered the linkage to the ammo pack.
“You are not permitted here,” the Djinn declared, increasing its size before it spoke. Jocasta looked on with her goggles and it was clear to see the MannA that had been applied to make the Djinn larger. “Leave now and I will permit you to keep your life!” Tiebault turned and leveled Jocasta’s shoulder-holstered pistol at the Djinn.
“I get the feeling me keeping my life’s not the issue here,” Tiebault hissed as the Djinn looked at the gun and smiled, folding its arms.
“You will have some issue firing projectiles that are not enchanted at me, corpse!”
“I doubt it,” Tiebault said as he fired a single round. The head of the Djinn snapped back as it lost its confidence and sense of superiority. The head wrapping flew from its body and unraveled as it swayed on the wind. Remembering what Mel had told them about the Minor Djinn, Tiebault broke into a run and dove, taking hold of the wrapping before it could reach the ground. Fully extended to make the catch, he had to roll when he hit the ground. The Djinn faded from sight and Tiebault came to a stop wearing a highly jeweled vest and silk pants with fine leather boots. As instructed, he put the cloth to his forehead and it wrapped around his head, forming a bright red jewel over his forehead.
“Nice shot, T!” Agatha cried as she burst from her place of cover. Marlene ran right behind her, but looked left and right as her pilot charged to embrace Tiebault. Agatha jumped up and Tiebault caught her, but quickly put her down and pushed her away.
“Get the Captain’s rig,” he commanded, pointing at the pile of his clothes that had been removed from his body. “Either get her go-ahead to wear it, or get it back to her, pronto!”
“I’ll go with Number Two, if it’s all the same to you,” Jocast
a said as she jogged up, carrying her long coat, toward Agatha. The pilot quickly tossed the woman her weapon and holster, and Jocasta did not even break stride as she donned her gear and adjusted it to her body. “That was a damn fine sho–” an explosion of red gas burst from the mine. Screams of anguish echoed over the immediate area as smoke-formed torsos dispersed and ascended.
“No she didn’t,” Jocasta aired, almost unable to speak at all.
“We got ‘em!” Silnee called over the brace-com, slightly out of breath. “Tank, start the countdown!”
“Roger that,” Mel said, shaking his head and barely able to keep from laughing. “We are at fifty minutes and counting! Be on the lookout for the other guards!”
“I’ve got them pinned in their barracks,” Silnee reported and the sounds of her gun firing could be heard.
“Adleon, Cupid, Llaz, get in there, take the girls their rigs and lend a hand,” Jocasta ordered. Llaz bolted for the entryway as Olkin ran to Mel who was already retrieving the weapons belts from Panzer. “The rest of you need to grab mining equipment and start with our withdrawal from this rock bank.” Jocasta’s brace-com sounded off as one of the lights on it flared.
“Aye-aye, Captain,” Agatha shouted before she ran to fetch some of the equipment. She made three steps when her body lost all sense of itself and she fell to the sands. She was not alone as light shone down on everyone outside of the mine. All save Annsura, Tiebault, and Jocasta fell almost immediately. Tiebault looked at his vest which was now glowing, staving off the effects of the MajiK. Jocasta dropped her cane as she stumbled back into the waiting arms of Vobis Slonn.
“The Sylgarr Family would like a word, Captain!” Vobis closed his eyes and a flash of bright white light carried him and his prisoner back to the Gulmurr Imperial Embassy. The spell faded with the light and Annsura fell to her knees as Llaz came up from the mine.
“What happened?!” he shouted.
“Llaz!” Annsura called to him. “It was Vobis. That damn InvokeR took the Captain!”
** b *** t *** o *** r **
It had been too long since he had seen the city. Nulaki was happy to be back at a place that fostered so many good memories. Eventually each image would bring him back to the moment at hand, but Nulaki was able to take the happiness for what it meant, leaving the sting of the present to contend with itself. He had made his way through the underground city quickly and quietly. The city mirrors had not yet caught the sunlight over the horizon, so it was still fairly dark. He had time to handle a very personal matter… provided certain things had not changed.
“And some things don’t change,” Nulaki thought as he saw the Lady Kebsham preparing her push cart of flowers. She had to be nearing two hundred years by now. Not that it mattered; Nulaki was sure she was going to outlive everyone in this city. He greeted the woman and was touched to see a very warm smile form on her face, but the elation did not remain. His face, however, remained unchanged. “Have I grown so cynical?” he thought. “Then again, my discoveries and development of Chi happened after I left this place… plus there were the lessons I received from Sanjen.
“I’ll be damned!” Nulaki concluded as he relied on his training and experiences. No, he had not grown cynical… not as much as he had actually grown more sensitive. His mind started recalling how those in power, who did not live in the immediate area, had always seemed to know what was going on in the neighborhood. An old lady and her cart of flowers would be the perfect eyes and ears for them, leaving only the mystery of how she got information to those stations. “Well, it isn’t as if I’m here to watch grass grow,” Nulaki thought as he engaged the scanners in his goggles. “Yep, what a difference a Z makes!” He could see emanations of ThoughtWill coming off the woman’s body. “But shouldn’t it be coming off of her head?!” Switching to X-Ray, Nulaki was glad that the goggles protected against mental probes and that he was walking away from her. The source of the ThoughtWill was a life-form inside Lady Kebsham’s body. Nulaki powered down the goggles, taking his purchased bouquet to the place he intended to leave it.
“I often wonder what you would think of me now,” Nulaki said as he knelt in front of the headstone, his wig removed, as Nulaki preferred to be bald, clean, for times like this. “But then I keep hearing your voice telling me that it never mattered what you thought of me, just what I think of me. And if that’s the case, Sensei, I have to tell you that for the past thirty-four months, I’ve been having the time of my life! I’m not even in my prime and I’m doing more than I knew how to dream of when I was first learning from you.
“Life hasn’t been easy,” Nulaki continued, reflecting over the events of the recent months. “You were good enough to teach me that before anything else. And believe me, you’re still always right! I wish we had covered more about what it was like to be out on my own… and definitely more on when I should run and when I should fight… not that I’m being given a choice this time around.
“Isn’t that right, Brother?” Nulaki spoke in a louder voice without looking up. “Or did you really think you would be able to make a silent approach on the one who had to help you with your stealth. How are you, Bennie?”
“That is not my name!” Benoro barked, instantly realizing he had been drawn into making a loud retort. He closed his eyes, acknowledging where he ranked in this matter. He had been sent, like some servant, to collect Nulaki. The Manchu had detected his approach to Borheem days ago and had advised everyone to be expecting him. Thessare had sent more of his students out to intercept him, but somehow Nulaki had avoided all of them. Only about half of them had made it back since Thessare recalled them. Everyone knew the fate of the emissary Thessare had sent off-planet, and it was clear that while Nulaki was not considered as skilled as some of the others, he was to be feared. Thessare, thusly, had sent someone to this location that he did not mind losing.
“Take it easy, Bennie,” Nulaki said as he got up without using his hands. “I’m not here to kill you. That’s Thessare’s methodology.” Nulaki turned to face the Terran he had shared bunk-beds with for nearly four years. When Nulaki left the Master’s abode, they had both been teenagers. Now they were in their late twenties, and life had taken very different paths for them. Nulaki was still taller, but Benoro’s body was incredibly well-defined. Nulaki had removed more than his wig to visit the grave of his Sensei, and Benoro once again looked upon the silver eyes of is one-time brother, though they did not look the same as he remembered. There was something more to them, and Benoro stepped back, feeling something coming off Nulaki that reminded him of their teacher. “Believe me, if I do kill you, it will be the by-product of circumstance.” Benoro remembered very well one of their teacher’s more memorable sayings, and he bowed to Nulaki. The Fazbred returned the gesture and Benoro turned to lead him to the dojo.
“Farewell, my Master,” Nulaki said softly, bowing to the grave before turning to follow the young man. After a few strides, Nulaki walked beside Benoro. In this world, such a placement conveyed many things. Nulaki did not consider Benoro his enemy or his lesser. They were brothers once again, and without speaking they walked to the dojo.
“You’ve maintained the garden,” Nulaki remarked as a man, dressed much like the emissary Nulaki had met on Zhok-Tarr, opened the doors of the front gate. Nulaki stopped and looked at Benoro who quickly lowered his head in shame. “But it seems that is all that’s been kept. How many are we?”
“Counting the two of us, there are four,” Benoro said softly.
“The other two are younger?”
“Yes, they are.”
“Go, Benoro!” Nulaki commanded, reaching to his brace-com. “Collect the two and whatever you will need to find a safe place for them. When you find that place, begin your teachings and send word to me. I’m giving you a com-link channel to a man named Tehdi. He will know how to get word to me.
“Go now,” Nulaki said as it looked as if Benoro was about to speak. “This is no longer our master’s house. It’s been
infected!” Nulaki walked through the gates and stopped just inside of them. The large doors were closed and barred; Nulaki took note of the man who had closed the gates and the half dozen who had taken to various places throughout the courtyard. “This may be a waste of time,” he said to the people closest to him. “… but we have no argument. If you leave, I will not hold any grudge. If you remain, there is a good chance you will never leave this place… not as a member of this realm.”
“You frighten no one, thief,” one of the men replied as he folded his arms.
“It’s not about fear,” Nulaki said before walking forward into the main building. Opening the double doors, he entered inside.
Nulaki remembered the main chamber of instruction very well. It had been the birthplace of so many realizations and even more dreams. Nulaki looked at the four large columns and wondered if his blood could still be found in the wood and stone… though his blood now seemed to have much in the way of company.
“Nulaki Conadier!” Thessare called out as he stood up from the chair that belonged to the Keeper of the school. “At last!”
“Dwatheem Thessare,” Nulaki returned the greeting. “You have not changed.”
“But I have,” Thessare argued. “I am much more than the student you used to spar with.”
“More delusional, perhaps,” Nulaki said as he looked around the room. “But you’re not alone here, are you?”
“He knows we are here,” the Manchu announced as he stepped out of one of the columns. “His awareness is stronger than I expected.”
“You might want to keep a running tab on that list,” Nulaki suggested as he flexed and stretched his shoulders. “It’s about to get longer!”
Hunro panted and coughed, stretching his lungs for air as his body started to fail his ambitions. He thanked gods he did not believe in when Dungias finally stopped and signaled for everyone to squat low. Ephaliun took in a deep breath and blew it out sharply. He was only somewhat winded and ready to press on. Siekor appeared to be unfazed by the running and jumping from rooftop to rooftop.
