by Reiter
“What?! That was funny!”
“There’s nothing wrong with your delivery,” Siekor whispered. “The only thing that’ll make Murder smile is a stick all her own. Neither one of yours qualifies!”
“I see,” Dungias replied, looking at the young man. “No, I do not believe I will need to look elsewhere for an adequate training officer,” Dungias said as his group mixed with a number of students on their way to their respective classes. After a few strides, the Traveler moved to the front of his group and turned off the main walkway. “I like the look of this bridge,” he remarked as he made a detour.
“Speaking of bridges,” Mel said, taking a hold of Kryltane’s arm. “What can you tell us about the architecture?”
“Uh, not much really,” Kryltane replied. “I do know it’s Olasson just from the smooth and curved walls. They also build in what seems to be a harmony with nature.”
“Speaking of nature,” Silnee said, pulling the top of her goggles down below her eyes. “Girls, do you see what I see?” Both women of Tandem turned to look in the direction Silnee was facing. In the yard, under one of the large willow trees, a group of topless men were in the midst of a Tai-Chi kata.
“You know, I can help all of that find Zen!” Agatha estimated.
“Mind if I help?” Marlene asked.
“You know how we move: I set them up!”
“And I knock ‘em down!” Marlene returned before the two slapped hands and then bumped forearms. They laughed as they performed the time-honored ritual, and Siekor looked away from the demonstration, having seen it too many times in the past.
“Hey, where’s Z?” Siekor asked.
“Don’t look for him,” Silnee said as she smiled, laughing with Agatha and Marlene. Surprisingly, they maintained their smiles and kept looking back at the exercising men.
“So Tank and Tolip are on the same page,” Kryltane thought. “And they’ve been with the ship longer than any of the rest of us.” The young man started remembering the last time he had gone strolling about with a member of this crew. The incident had weighted heavily on his mind the entire time he had been on the mend and touring the Xara-Mansura. “I’ve already learned that being too slow in this group can get you shot, so…
“Of course, there are some who say that the Delman were forced to do most of the work back when the Olasson occupied their region of the Outer Rim,” Kryltane said, gesticulating toward the architecture.
“Really?” Mel returned. He was glad Kryltane was going along with the tide of things, but he now questioned if the latest addition to the crew was leveling with him.
“Really!” Kryltane insisted. “Some of the earliest records of the Olasson spoke of a time when they occupied the entire Outer Rim!”
Speaking to Tank and Tolip, Siekor asked, “Can either one of you tell us what’s going on?”
Silnee opened a channel to everyone in the grouping. She spoke by barely moving her lips, straining her neck and shoulders to get one last look at the topless men as the group’s path took them out of eyeshot. “You guys aren’t up to tactics just yet,” she explained. “… but it is part of the Basic Training package, so it’s coming soon.
“Simply put, when you’re off, you’re on! That means, whenever you’re off the ship–”
“You’re on your toes,” Siekor finished. “And that has to do with this walk how?”
“Z told us where we were going before we left the spaceport,” Silnee stated. “… the eastern courtyard in front of the Library of MajiKs. Tank and I accessed our city maps to place a marker on that location. Z then told the driver to drive around the campus, which meant he wasn’t taking the most direct path to the rendezvous. That doesn’t mean he smelled rotting fish, it’s just him using some old tricks that his instructors taught him.
“We’re on alert for two reasons. The first one came when Z mentioned architecture out of the blue. The second one hit when he made us take an unnecessary turn northward. The meeting location is east of where we are now. Something’s up!”
“And he didn’t say anything because he trusted you guys to handle that,” Siekor reasoned out. “Now I see why you guys win so many of your fights. You move like a Special Forces Unit!”
“I think the Captain would say that a band of pirates is a Special Forces Unit,” Kryltane added.
“So what’s our next move?” Agatha asked.
“We wait,” Silnee replied. “There’s no telling what he might be detecting. This is a college campus that covers everything from martial arts to spell-crafting. Somebody like Z is bound to come across something that makes him uneasy. We just have to be ready.”
“Then let’s do this flank the right way,” Siekor suggested. “Why don’t you girls go back to look at the guys while the three of us continue to compare these buildings to our dicks! That way we keep a tactics person to each team and you guys can call it.”
“I’m good with that, Tolip,” Mel supported. Silnee grabbed Agatha and used head gestures as if she was trying to keep it from the guys. The redheaded woman smiled and nodded before they started to creep away. Agatha grabbed Marlene’s arm to bring her along.
** b *** t *** o *** r **
His strides were long and graceful, like every other facet of his life. Even the way his cape fell around his left shoulder was elegant. The way he turned to pace back the way he had come, combined with the wind, forced him to put a hand to his long, fine brown hair to move it out of his face. His bronze eyes swept over the courtyard, seeing only the young and slightly nervous Amosse standing alone. His pacing path took him in front of his comrade who was the picture of relaxed and collected.
“If he’s the punctual sort, he should be arriving at the campus right about now,” Hillgray stated as he flexed his shoulders under his armour; his left hand fidgeted with the longest of his jet black beard braids. He lifted his brace-com to communicate to the rented souls to notify them that they should be at the ready.
“Some things, my friend, are best kept to thyself,” Vyllynthe said softly, patting the Delman Warrior on the shoulder. “You can make such an observation and remain calm. Can you say the same for this band of mercenaries we have opted to employ?”
“In truth, the only thing I can say about this rabble is that they can count credits!” Hillgray returned as he cast his gray eyes on the courtyard. “Fate is a stingy mistress. We have a ship of our kinsmen waiting at White Gate! Then this fanged fool business starts, and the priests hold our barge at bay.”
“We must all bear the weight of our blood, my friend,” Vyllynthe returned. “The only thing stronger than Delman backs or bones are their beliefs! The discovery of the Governor being an Upyri is most unsettling. I am surprised a more formal protest was not issued.”
“I’m sorry, did you just give him something else to whine about?!” Ukara asked, shaking her head. The bridge over the courtyard was not a comfortable place for her, but she was not one to argue. The alcove provided the cover she needed and she would contend with the height in her own way. Her dark green cloak remained wrapped around her shoulders as strands of near-burgundy hair blew in her face.
“That is the problem with Terrans,” the Master War Pathman snorted.
“Whittled it down to one, did you, Hillgray?” the woman smiled, as did Vyllynthe. The sturdy figure chuckled as he looked back over his shoulder.
“I must be a Delman before my time!”
Ukara’s smile faded as she stood up straight, slivers of metal fell from her helm to form goggles in front of her eyes, enabling the woman to see in the direction opposite of where she was facing. “Much like our anticipated guest, it seems. My Tonka’s spotted him. Funny, he’s coming from the west, but the main entrance of the campus is southeast of here.
“Thank you, Tonka,” she said softly, patting the formed mechanoid in front of her face.
“Crafty and careful,” Hillgray remarked as he turned around and looked over the other side of the bridge.
“More than that,” Vyllynthe said as he closed his eyes. “I can see him, but I cannot hear his mind. Not even the slightest echo of a passing thought.”
“Well, it’s obvious he’s trained of the body,” Hillgray estimated, looking at the build of the approaching individual. “Mayhap he has a mind to match.”
“If his mind matches those shoulders, we might be in for some trouble,” Ukara measured. “Tonka can’t get a reading on his mass… it’s fluctuating!” A soft beep came from Hillgray’s brace-com. “Now one of our so-called lookouts chimes in?! Money well spent there, Vyllynthe.”
“And she says I complain too much!” Hillgray muttered.
“You do!” the woman asserted before she smiled. “You’re just not the only one.”
“They are young, Ukara,” Vyllynthe stated. “Perhaps you remember what that is like.” With his eyes still closed, Vyllynthe turned his head and frowned. “… but they are not the only ones watching. Stand ready, my friends!”
“He’s almost reached Amosse,” Ukara noted as she closed her eyes and moved out from the alcove onto the bridge. Her breathing was uneasy and she held on to the railing for dear life. “I-I-I’ll get us c-c-closer… ear-wise.” As the goggles fell back from her face a small cylindrical device extended from under her sleeve and just past her hand. Suddenly all three could hear Amosse talking to himself. His back was facing the large figure that was slowly approaching.
“What is taking him so long?!” Amosse muttered before looking at his wrist-com. “Dammit, he’s not late. I’ve still got three minutes.” The young man closed his opal eyes and shook his arms, forcing himself to try and relax. “Relax, Amosse, relax. This is just another day in your life. Just relax!”
“I find that picturing soothing imagery in your mind aids in that regard,” Dungias noted, causing the young man to jump as he turned.
“Gods, where did you come from?!”
“The womb of my mother,” Dungias answered. “And before that, the Stars.”
“A most interesting response,” Vyllynthe projected to his two friends, establishing a rapport in their minds.
“Teela and Bantar are not present,” Dungias remarked. “I was so looking forward to seeing them again. Teela was going to tell me the results of the meditation techniques we discussed when last we spoke.”
“What? Oh, right. Uh, they couldn’t make it,” Amosse said nervously. “As for the meditation, I think she fell asleep again, Dungias.” There was a moment of silence as the large man made certain decisions.
“I understand why they sent you, Amosse,” Dungias said calmly. “Bantar is far too unpredictable, and Teela could not be trusted to carry out this endeavor in the manner they would have preferred. She would have tried to warn me somehow. The people behind your fear; are they currently holding your two friends? If the answer is yes, shrug your shoulders and scratch your head as you tell me how many there are.”
Amosse looked up at Dungias with fear in his eyes. The gold eyes he looked into, however, had none of the same fear in them. Just concern, confidence, and a rage held tightly in check.
“You can trust me, boy,” Dungias thought as the courtyard grew silent. He had already noticed that there were absolutely no students in the courtyard or the front of the library. Implausible did not begin to describe the scene. It had been the emanations of fear and tragic concern coming from Amosse which had drawn Dungias out into the open.
Amosse swallowed hard as he blinked his eyes clear of the tears that were starting to form. Scratching his head and shrugging, he spoke. “The Professor’s the only one I know by name or face, but he’s got four ugly bastards with him. The biggest one’s got Teela and Bantar.”
“It will be all right, Amosse,” Dungias said, putting his hand on the young man’s shoulder.
Vyllynthe gasped at the sensation, and Hillgray took hold of his friend’s collapsing body. The Olasson man could not see. He could not trust the slurred, echoing, and various sounds he heard. None of his senses were accurate, and his mind nearly lost all of its focus. Normally in times of backlash, Vyllynthe was afforded time to brace himself, or he at least expected it to strike him.
“Vyllynthe!” Hillgray thought with hopes the rapport was still functional. “Are you all right?”
“I am well enough,” Vyllynthe panted as he slowly cleared his mind. So much information had passed through the connection the large stranger had made with the student. His head ached from the intensity of emotion that came with some of the pictures. “Dismiss the watchers now, while we still have time!”
“Hey kids,” Ukara said into her brace-com. With her eyes closed, she was able to sound calm and even slightly affectionate. “First one back to the student center gets double the cred!”
Seeing the man Amosse called the Professor, and all that he had done to his students, Dungias quickly took to the memories of his wife and their arboretum. The anger at the one who would use children as his easily expended tools fired furiously through the Traveler.
“Ease yourself, Star Chaser, but only so much,” Cihpares warned, and Amosse gasped at the speed with which Dungias took hold of the young man’s shirt.
Eight students jumped from places all around the courtyard and started running as fast as they could westward. The birds flew from the trees with the way they started their sprint, and Dungias was able to eliminate potential threats from the scene as he focused on the ones that remained.
“Stun them both, Harold!” a voice commanded, and Dungias dropped to his knee, pulling Amosse down to a kneeling stance as well.
“Wrong direction,” Hillgray thought as a man in brown and black heavy body armour appeared in the courtyard, walking out from under a field of energy that bent the visible light spectrum around him. Behind him, anchored into the grass, was a small but powerful energy relay device.
The armoured man took a kneeling step forward, and a slender rod extended from the forearm of his gauntlet, touching the ground. A field of electricity flashed over every stone in the courtyard. Dungias released Amosse and stood up; his cloak opened to reveal he had a hold of his Osamu. Electricity crackled all over his body, but neither he nor the boy were affected by the field in the least. “Then again, perhaps not.”
“Go inside the library, my friend,” Dungias directed, and he was relieved that he did not have to give the order twice. Amosse ran quickly up the stairs as Dungias turned to face the man in the robot-armour. He took a step toward him and stopped. “Two more,” he whispered, receiving the awareness of the Star-Stride before squatting low. Another man in a power suit matching the first appeared just to Dungias’ left, swinging a pole-arm that passed over Dungias’ head. The short-range teleportation was afforded by the relay device, and Dungias wondered if it had tripped an alarm on the Black Gate Watch. The entire facility was rigged to inhibit teleportation, save for the means they sanctioned.
The Traveler jumped up and took hold of the shoulder of the man who had just missed him. He could hear a ball and chain passing under his body as he swung up to stand on the shoulders of the pole-arm wielding man. From the contact made with the suit, Dungias knew the man’s name was Errol. He was the sole pilot of the suit.
“He moves like one of your kind, Vyllynthe,” Hillgray projected.
Errol swung his pole-arm to remove the unwanted passenger, but the neck of the weapon was caught as Dungias jumped from his perch, swinging around the end of the weapon. Again the ball and chain passed under him, but this time it wrapped around the pole-arm. Dungias and Alpha returned the absorbed energy from the electrical barrage, along with a measure of their own intensity and anger. Sparks flew from both suits as Dungias landed between them. He leveled Alpha so that it was parallel with the ground. Gravity bursts from either end knocked the two men to the ground. Dungias dropped to his knee again and a flash of white light burst around him. When it faded, the Malgovi Traveler was nowhere to be seen.
Retracting his stun-field prod, Harold looked around in a circle
, but he could not see their target. He was soon joined by his employer, Professor Qeldrun O’Zhar, who walked ahead of him, tapping his fingertips to his lips as he chuckled. Another teleportation brought a fourth man who was decidedly the largest, towering over two hundred and ten centimeters in height. Stumbling in front of his pushing hands were two more students of Atsildylweer College; one young man and one young woman.
“Oh, this is a most worthy opponent for an even more worthy prize!” Qeldrun stated, quite delighted with the situation. “And I thought this was going to be simply another boring pursuit!” A loud, cracking noise drew the man’s attention and he fixed his burnt orange eyes on one of the downed men. Smoke and a hissing sound came from the suit as the pilot pulled himself free of the armour. “Vatere, dear man, are you all right?”
“I’m fine,” the man said. “But the servos in my suit are fried! There’s still power to the suit and the weapons, but that thing’s not moving until those servos are unlocked.”
“Same here, partner,” Errol said as he also ejected from his suit.
“Ukara, is that a simple feat to perform with the proper surge of energy?” Vyllynthe asked.
“No, it isn’t,” she returned emphatically. “Not… at… all!”
“And we both fell backward,” Errol continued. “We can’t even get to the weapon housings to detach them.”
“Well don’t go crying to your mamas,” Harold snapped. “I’ll turn them over for you.” A bright flaring of light drew their attention to the far corner of the courtyard.
“Projected light,” Ukara explained. “… but only of the illuminating sort. What was that?”
“A diversion,” Hillgray replied as he tapped Vyllynthe on the arm. “… from a very crafty and quite careful individual.”
“It would seem that the current steward of the tomes is a very capable individual,” Vyllynthe commented. “We should be on our way!”
“The fight is just getting started!” Hillgray argued.
