by Reiter
“You are under no obligation to tell me, Goldie,” Dungias explained. “But you also cannot prescribe where I will and will not place my concerns. That is my choice.
“And since I am not one to banter,” Dungias quickly followed, cutting off a very much expected response. “… I will say this: it is the Captain’s choice that you are here, and in my dedication to her, I will not question it. But make no mistake, should even your presence bring any undue harm to this woman, her ship, or her crew, my choice in life will be to end yours!”
“You don’t even know what I am!” Goldie stated.
“I did not know what a Star Chaser was when I took the trek to become one!” Dungias shot back. “I had no idea what it would mean to me or my people. At the risk of being inaccurate in my estimations, I think destroying you would be a simpler task.”
“I guess I need to keep my word then, huh?”
“A most advisable course to take.”
“As we are both something of the Stars, we should make a pact. You keep my secrets and I will keep yours… like the secret that there are two JoJos in the room.”
“That is a pact I can make, though it may not have gravity for much longer,” Dungias shared as he activated the holding chamber for Jocasta, switching it out for the one holding Persephone. “This one should be allowed choice as well.”
Dungias completed the process of reviving Persephone and waited for her to come to her full faculties before he spoke. He knew that without loading the memories into her mind she would be more disoriented, and she would not recognize Goldie.
“Z, what’s going on?” she asked, putting her feet on the floor.
“A resolve,” he replied. “One that has taken too long for me to find.” Dungias pulled a chair next to the edge of the bed and sat down. As much as he wanted to hold her hands for this, he would not reach out for them. He put his forearms on his knees and set his hands to receive her grasp.
“This will be made simpler by wearing your goggles,” he began, and Persephone wasted little time donning them. “Satithe, show her.”
Persephone winced in pain as she closed her eyes. The pain quickly subsided as she absorbed the information of who and what Z’Gunok Tel Dungias was and why he had come to the Rims. She leaned forward and grabbed his hands tightly. It took only minutes to see the lifetime she and Jocasta had put together; how Dungias had come and gone, making short visits and definite impressions in their lives. She opened her eyes to look at him before lifting one hand and punching Dungias in the face.
“That’s for that bar fight in the Terran Triangle,” she hissed, retaking her grip of his hand. “I lost a lot of money because you showed up all brown and green – and female – and beat my ass!”
“You mean the money you were going to spend on your forged application to the Interplanetary Amalgamation?” Dungias posed rhetorically. “The money you were going to spend to become a Maggot?!”
Persephone nibbled on her bottom lip while remembering the fight and the decision she had made just before getting into the competition. “Yeah!” she admitted, looking at the floor. “Yeah, okay, I guess I had that ass-whooping coming!” She looked at the hands she was holding and improved her grip. “So you got us out of those tubes and took us to another dimension to get us remade, because we weren’t free-minded enough to suit you. You could have had six bad-ass super-drones backing your play in the Rims. Think about it, Dungias. You would call the shots and six serious Lieutenants would have never questioned your word. Instead, you spend years running all over the place keeping a personal tab on us for as long as you could. And given who you are, that’s pretty long.”
“Success or failure in an endeavor comes second to how that point is achieved,” Dungias stated, closing his eyes. Persephone released one hand long enough to take hold of his chin and lift his head. He opened his eyes to look at her.
“And you’re sitting here… on pins and needles… because you think you’ve wronged me somehow.”
“Persephone, I–”
“Father, shut up!” she interrupted. “That’s right, I said Father. You’re more of a father to us than our so-called creator ever was. Yes, you made some decisions and you programmed my head, but I’ve got to ask you something. Is she mapped over me… or are we a composite of both of us?”
“You would be surprised how alike the two of you already were,” Dungias answered. “There are noted differences, of course, but you are both the hawk and the falcon. Both birds of prey and at certain times a master hunter; at others a master aerialist. But at your respective centers, she roots herself within the arts and you are more aggressive and quicker to make decisions.”
“So... short version of that is, ‘yeah, baby, you’re both a composite,’ right?”
“Yes,” Dungias grinned.
“If you can cover us for the better part of seven years, I can watch baby sister’s back for seven more,” Persephone declared. “Mark it down, Daddy. You’ve got until then to do whatever it is you have to do and then you load me into me… plus any kick-ass stuffs she manages to fall over in the process.”
“It shall be done,” Dungias said as a tear started to fall from his eye. Persephone wiped the tear away from his left cheek while kissing the right. She took a deep breath and looked around the room. When she saw Goldie, she snickered and shook her head. “So, who sent you?”
“Powerful fools have dispatched me to find you,” Goldie answered plainly. “After what I was told about you people, I half expected to find a group of power-mad, energy-wielding adventurers with not a lick of sense among you. Instead, I find an Affiliate who doesn’t know what that term means, and two high-end clones who have been redesigned to have full lives. I am quite used to my so-called masters not knowing what they’re talking about, but seldom are they this far off base.
“May I ask you a question, Persephone?” he continued.
“This seems to be the time and place for it,” Persephone replied.
“These seven years,” Goldie mentioned, “… you’re giving them to Dungias, not Jocasta, aren’t you? I mean, by fact of who and what he is, the years will go to Jocasta, but that’s not who you’re giving them to, are you?”
“Is that your question?” Persephone asked.
“What wonderful differences!” Goldie muttered and Dungias found himself nodding in agreement. “My question to you is, why?”
“Do me a favor, Z, and let him see the playback you just gave me,” Persephone requested. “If he still has that question when he’s done, tell him.
“In the meantime,” she said, rubbing her legs as she thought some things through. “… I need to forget this little talk; it will only get in the way of things.” She looked at Dungias who gave a slight nod.
“I concur,” Dungias spoke just above a whisper. “Go to sleep, my child. I look forward to your awakening.”
“And you better be there!” Persephone snapped, pointing at Dungias. “No offense, Sati, but no damn holograms or false projections. You do whatever you have to do to be there! Father, I mean it. You promise me!”
“You have my word, my daughter,” Dungias said just before putting her to sleep. “And should I fail, I promise you… the blindest eye will be able to mark the place in the Rims where I fell!”
“That’s some promise to keep!” Goldie said.
“Minor compared to the one that brought me to the Rims, Goldie. Now, if you will be so kind as to watch over her. When she awakens, she will recognize you as the boy she met at the spaceport.”
“And what of her emerging talent?” Goldie asked.
“Telepathy is only one room in the House of ThoughtWill,” Dungias shared. “She has taken residence in the house, and telepathy is a common chamber. I will simply show her to another room. She has demonstrated incredibly sharp instinctive skills, what she calls a ‘twitch’. She does not know that is the result of her brain’s ability to process information combined with elevated sensory perception. Perhaps I wi
ll put this growing energy toward improving that ability.”
Goldie smirked and shook his head. “That should make for better sparring sessions. I think I’ll let the two of you share some personal time,” he said as he started for the door. “With your permission, I will take a ferry back to Black Gate. There is a man with whom the Captain was going to have some disagreement; something to do with credits owed by some of her latest acquisitions. I believe I can resolve the matter.”
“Do you require any assistance?”
“I’ll move faster alone,” Goldie quickly replied. “Could you somehow input that this was her idea?”
“I still do not know what you are, and that is a rare circumstance,” Dungias stated. “But it is also of little consequence. Can you tell me what you want with her?”
“Which her do you mean?” Goldie asked, flashing a devilish grin. “I think I was sent to this place for you, Dungias. They know of you, but they don’t know what you are or what you’re trying to be.
“Still, more to the reason for you inquiry, there’s something about Jocasta; something that calls to me. I’d like to know what that is.”
“I can appreciate that.”
“Know this, Star Chaser, your warning did not fall on deaf ears.” The sound came from Goldie’s mouth, but it was not the sound or demeanor of young person. It was aged and powerful, reminding Dungias of a judge of a court in the Realm Astral. “Perhaps I can be of use to you.”
“How so, creature?”
“I cannot very well answer this unspoken riddle if any harm befalls her,” Goldie replied. “So it would behoove me to assist you in keeping her alive.”
“Then do be so kind as to tell me when you have resolved your quest of knowledge,” Dungias requested.
“When you have been alive as long as I have, Malgovi, you learn not to rush things.” Dungias looked into the creature’s eyes and he knew while the overall form may not have been genuine, the peculiar orange eyes were true to the creature. Dungias had studied much in the Rims, but a fiery orange eye color matched nothing he had encountered. He would not speak it, but the Traveler was very curious to find out more about the creature calling itself Goldie, masquerading as a youthful Terran. “What would be the point in doing that, anyway? It is not as if I have any plans past visiting this Nealbrun.”
The Romans thought of themselves as the chosen people, yet they built the greatest army on Earth by recruiting warriors from any background.
Amy Chua
(Rims Time: XII-4202.29)
“Ease up on the roll,” Persephone instructed. “It’s unnecessary.”
“But we’re upside down,” Silnee stated.
“If you undo your straps, are you going to fall out of your seat?”
“No, but–”
“But nothing,” Persephone interrupted. “That’s one reason why I wanted to spend some time with you here. I’ve noticed this tendency in your flying. Whether you’re in or out of a gravity-based field, you approach your piloting with a mo-sphere frame of mind. You gotta build a switch, Tolip. It’s a switch that’s only off when you’re not in or on a moving vehicle. The moment you’re on the move, that switch needs to be in either the one-pull or no-pull setting.
“Now let me say that this is just classroom crap. You’re flying fine. Getting from A to B is not an issue with you. But, your approach to piloting will get you killed in a firefight. While you’re being concerned with rolling to be upright, someone is locking in on your position. If you’re in formation, yeah, it helps to set a specific north or up-point, just to keep from having a nut-crunch moment when someone yells ‘pull up’. But remember, when you’re in space, there is no up… it’s all space. Got it?”
“I think so,” Silnee said as she took her hands from the roll thrusters controls. “Captain, can I ask you a personal question?”
“I was wondering when you would get to whatever was on your chest,” Persephone said as she sat down in the seat furthest from the control board. She had promised her First Mate she would at least review the data files he had put together on the new recruits. Her brace-com projected both the picture of the candidate as well as their files. Persephone knew Dungias did not like the way she had put off meeting with them, but she did not want to meet them when she was off her game. The voices in her head had been bad enough, and she was glad that Dungias had been able to find the means to quiet them, but the communiqué she had received from Gundryss had sent her into a rage. To be so close to The Territories and be kept from them because of bureaucratic red tape was simply infuriating. “You’ve been kind of funky for a few days now.”
“Does Z not like me?” the young woman asked.
“Sweetheart, there are times when Z doesn’t like Z,” Persephone replied. “You want to give me where this question came from?”
Silnee sat at the controls feeling flustered, not sure what she should say. “Satithe, pause, please.”
“Belay that request, Satithe,” Persephone said sharply. “Increase speed of program by fifteen percent, please.”
“As you wish, Captain,” Satithe stated.
“It is often said that you can’t serve two masters,” Persephone said as she looked at the file of a man named Jovasor Cole. She smiled at the notion of having a medic with the initials JC. “You need to pick which master you serve first. Because don’t think for a moment that I’m going to wait for you to maneuver and then answer me. In fact, you might want to just take all the bullshit out of thinking of what to say and just say what’s on your mind… and watch your port side,” she warned as she hit a thumb control.
“Shit!” Silnee hissed as her hands moved quickly over the controls. Persephone heard the collision warning sound, but there was no flashing red light in the simulator. Silnee had managed to avoid the meteor that had come out of the nowhere called Persephone’s remote control.
“You were saying,” Persephone pressed.
“He never measured me for a seat,” Silnee cried out as she took her ship into another tight turn.
“That you know of.”
“What?”
“Whenever the subject deals with Z, you need to add the phrase, ‘that I know of’ when making declaratory statements. Saves time. It also leaves you room to be thoroughly embarrassed sans any humiliation. He never measured you for a chair that you know of. With the amount of time you spend in the simulator, Tolip, I’m surprised you haven’t given birth to its child! And on top of all of that, when you have a question about Z, do you know who you should be talking to?”
“Z,” Silnee said as she readied her craft’s weapons.
“Bingo! You know who you need to talk to when you need to know something about me?”
“I need to come to you with it,” Silnee said.
“Nope, same person; you need to take that to Z too. Whenever you want to talk about someone, take it to Z!”
“Captain,” Satithe called. “We are being hailed by the Black Gate Control. It seems the Governor of Black Gate wishes to speak with you. The signal is audio only.”
“Bridge Z in on this and open the channel. Put it through to the simulator room, Satithe, and thank you.” A slight popping sound was followed by a soft musical tone as Dungias’ face appeared in one of the monitors. “This is Captain JoJo Starblazer.”
“This is Governor Isaiah Gundryss, and though this is pathetically short notice, allow me to speak to you in this season of firsts. I would like to invite you to a celebration of my inauguration.”
Persephone smiled, looking up from her data pad. Her eyes squinted and she scratched the back of her neck. “So the Barons all got together and said maybe the guy who told us about the blood-feeder, and took care of his nests, should be the one we trust to run Black Gate! I guess there are times when one can find intellect even in politics.”
“My personal opinion is that it’s always there.” Isaiah replied as the doors to the simulator room slid open and Dungias walked into the room. “Perspectives come an
d go, but the truth always remains.
“Each and every member of your crew is also invited,” Gundryss continued.
“We are receiving documentation, Captain,” Satithe notified.
“Read the fine print,” Isaiah added. “… I would prefer this to remain a festive occasion.”
“My people know how to contain themselves, Governor,” Persephone smiled.
“All I am asking is that the term ‘dressed to kill’ remains in the domain of fashion,” Isaiah stated.
“Put me down for three,” Persephone replied. “And don’t worry; we’ll check our weapons and our attitudes at the door. See you later this evening, Governor, and congratulations.”
“Lord Governor if you please, Captain,” Isaiah offered. “See you there. Gundryss out.”
“Connection terminated, Captain.”
“Thank you, Satithe,” Persephone said, shaking her head. “Something does not feet right about this.”
The audio line popped again but this was from an internal source. “Well then, I might have something that will make you feel better,” Siekor said with a smile to his voice. “The gateway to The Territories will be operational within the hour!” Persephone would have loved to smile at the news. It was, after all, the news she had been waiting to hear. But as she started to pump her fist, with Siekor and Silnee also expressing jubilation, her eyes examined the face of her First Mate. While he was hardly ever one to visibly express joy, there was a distinct turn to his brow when he had bad news to deliver.
“Maybe I should meet the crew,” she muttered. The raised brow and nodding head of Dungias confirmed her suspicions. She smoothed the hair where she had been scratching and then looked at the floor. “Make it so, Z,” she ordered and he withdrew from the chamber.
“Did we miss something?” Silnee asked.
“Captain, are we supposed to get Z’s permission to be happy?!”
“Check your trek, Mister Siekor,” Persephone said, clapping a hand down on Silnee’s shoulder and ushering her toward the door. “It’s an ugly party that gets crashed by the surprises you didn’t see coming. While that is a very human trait, I’ve yet to see anything sneak up successfully on that Malgovi.”
