by Skyler Grant
"You're pretty good at this. Not being said because I'm mind-controlled. I may not be able to kill you, but I don't have to be nice," Bravo said.
Quinn had hoped that some of the ships which had accompanied them might catch up to the Centauri Bliss. It would have been nice to go forward with some cover. Unfortunately, the clan ships seemed to have largely finished them off and were starting to follow the Centauri Bliss into the Vigilant forces.
He didn't have any more time to waste.
Quinn hit the comm. "We've an Unshackled closing and Mahara has almost reached the planet with the Imperium hot on her heels. I'm going to try beating her there. I don't want to burn any more fuel on our main guns. If the station opens fire I want to hit their weapons with our missiles. Priority is keeping our engines and shields up. We lose either, we don't make it."
Speed alone wouldn't be enough. Any automated system could pick up on speed and estimate a trajectory. Even the standard, automated support for novice gunners made use of that. If they had to rely purely on their shields they'd never make it.
Quinn opened himself up to the possibilities, to the might-bes. Let the tapestry of other realities wash over him, projecting as far out as he could manage.
It wasn't just avoiding a single shot he needed to get right. It was the angle of approach, and when to begin evasive maneuvers, and how much speed to give things initially.
In the multitude of possibilities one approach did seem best, the station gunners a bit slower to catch on to an approaching ship. It bought several precious seconds. Quinn used that angle. A series of sharp maneuvers kept the pursuing swarm of fighters from getting a proper lock.
There, in several seconds it was almost certain station weapons would begin to fire. Quinn tapped out a command to release their missiles. The Centauri Bliss didn't normally carry these, but they'd picked up three and Jinx had done her enhancements on each warhead. They might not pack the punch of the nuclear bombs that Bravo's people were throwing around, but they were sufficient to pose a real threat to the gunners manning those stations.
Instead of firing on the Bliss, the stations targeted the approaching warheads as Quinn kicked in the afterburners to full power.
The planet was growing larger, as were a sun and moon, one to either side.
One of the missiles found its target and a turret exploded. The other two were downed before reaching theirs.
The station also had a lock.
The amount of fire that a station could fill space with up close was insane. It became too much for Quinn's magic to keep up, and even too much for his piloting skills to avoid everything. All that he could do was evasive maneuvers as best he could, and hope the shields were deflecting some shots rather than absorbing them.
The instrument board flared red as the shields weakened and then collapsed.
The ship shook violently as armor was stripped and systems started to go down. Life support, internal lightning, and just as they hit the planet’s atmosphere, the controls. The incoming fire had stopped, but they were falling, crashing to the surface.
44
Ship-wide comms were out but they still had their wrist comms. Quinn hit his and called, "I've lost sensors and controls."
"That is because engineering is on fire. A lot of things are on fire," Sand said.
"I don't have the mana left to fix us. The shuttles returned just before we got the worst of it. They'll fly," Jinx said.
It wasn't what Quinn wanted to hear, but it was far better than the worst-case scenario.
"We're crashing, people. Get to the shuttles and abandon ship. The Centauri Bliss has survived rough landings before and we’ll put her back together," Quinn said.
"I expect you'll be leaving me to die," Bravo said.
"We don't work that way," Quinn said with a sigh. "Don't suppose your suppressor routines are still operating with the ship down?"
"Afraid not," Bravo said with a wry grin as she bent down to pick up the knife. She sheathed it. "I can be as stabby as I want. Probably a good thing you aren't leaving me to die."
Right.
Quinn was hit by a wave of heat as soon as he left the cockpit, the corridors of the ship thick with smoke.
Bravo reached out and grabbed his hand. "Close your eyes and just follow me, the fumes are toxic and will choke and blind you. I've the expanded lung capacity and filtration for this. You don't."
It should probably be some sort of rule to never close your eyes on a super-spy. Quinn did it anyways, Bravo tugging him along.
Quinn knew this ship inside and out, and he'd have known if she was guiding him wrong, but she was playing this straight. When they stepped into the shuttle hangar he opened his eyes.
Two of the shuttles had already gone. Only the Whiskey remained, Taki inside the hatch, and she pulled them both aboard as soon as they got near.
The Whiskey had always been the more claustrophobic of their shuttles. Originally it was a gunship used by Kara, and she still used it as her backup weapons storage. Guns, swords, and the occasional explosive were everywhere.
Sand, Tamara, and Kara were in the rear compartment. Sand reached out to brush a hand across both Quinn and Bravo at their arrival, and Quinn felt a rush of healing magic. Not so intense as Jinx could manage, but it still took the stinging out of his eyes and lungs.
"Everyone else made it?" Quinn asked.
The Whiskey lurched beneath him as it launched.
"We thought it was important to get Jinx off first and make sure she had lots of backup. You two were the last to arrive and we weren't going to leave without you. Dela is doing the flying," Taki said.
"I wish I could say that I was surprised you decided to bring her," Sand said with a look at Bravo.
Bravo grinned back. "He's got a habit of saving those he probably shouldn't, doesn't he?"
Quinn said, "Whatever we and Mara's family have to work out, it can wait. From what I saw just before we came down, it looked like both Mahara and the Imperium were making it to the surface. Did any of yours?"
"Two. That is two people," Bravo said and for once sounded dismayed. "We lost a lot today."
"You aren't alone. That fleet must be a lot of what the Imperium had left. Why would they squander what remained of their resources?"
"You think trying to stop a threat that would exterminate the entirety of the Imperium is wasting resources? They were always going to be involved, and would want to be involved. We understand why you couldn't approach them directly, but it made sense for them to be here," Bravo said.
It didn't to Quinn. He made his way through those assembled to the cockpit to settle in beside Dela.
The shuttle was shaking violently and in the distance the Centauri Bliss was visible, angling sharply downward with a massive column of smoke behind it.
The planet’s surface looked to be almost entirely composed of rose quartz, although of some strange variety illuminated from within. Pillars and columns of it were everywhere and Quinn felt a thrum of mana. This whole world was radiating magical power.
"Figure out where we're headed?" Quinn asked.
"Oh, there is a big old party going on. There is this sort of magic cloud covering a section of the planet. Both Mahara and the Imperium flew into it and haven't come out, so Jinx followed them in. We're following them in too because I don't have any better ideas," Dela said.
Quinn stared at the trail of smoke in the distance from the Bliss, and he felt Dela's hand on his shoulder.
"Look away. I know you love that ship, but the important thing is the people inside of her, and we got them out safe," Dela said.
Quinn wasn't that worried about the fate of the ship. I mean he was, obviously, but it faded a bit in comparison to everyone else. Even if the ship were left a broken ruin, Jinx with enough magic would be able to put it right—that was what her magic was all about. There was no fixing something after getting themselves dead though.
The magical cloud was coming into view. It looked like
nothing so much as a vast hurricane filled with lightning.
"They flew into that?" Quinn asked.
"Every last one of them," Dela said.
"What about the Vigilant?" Quinn asked.
"Haven't seen a one of them since we entered the atmosphere. At least we don't have to deal with them. You want to take the controls?"
Quinn nodded and they switched places. He tried to match the wind velocity and angle before guiding them in. It didn't make a difference. The instant they entered the cloud there was a flare of light and the world went dark.
"
45
Quinn found himself outside the shuttle. He stood on a plain of pink sand, and in the distance a massive mountain rose, wreathed in storms and lightning. Paths led upwards lined with jagged protrusions of quartz.
Aine appeared beside him. "Bit overdone, isn't it? As symbols of enlightenment go. Oh look, power is fraught with danger. It’s your fault, of course. A lot like magic itself, takes its cues from you."
"We're nowhere real then, if you're here," Quinn said.
"Very real and very dangerous. Walk with me," Aine said, setting off and Quinn moved to keep up with her.
"What about the others? The rest of my family?"
"Those without any magic are fine. This place isn't out to hurt anyone that doesn't deserve it. Those with magic of some sort, well, there it gets complicated," Aine said, almost apologetic. "But don't worry about them. I know—stupid thing to say, of course you are going to worry, but this is kind of a you centered thing right now and being like you are, you aren't going to be able to help anyone."
"What is this place?" Quinn asked. If he was supposed to be seeing something enlightening, so far enlightenment just looked like stone and lightning.
"This is the sort of place that turns will into action. If you're worthy. If you're willing to pay the price," Aine said. "You know of two mages who used it in the past. Both rulers who reshaped the galaxy."
"Opalia and the Emperor," Quinn said.
"Opalia brought order to chaos at the cost of her line being brought down by one greater. The one you call the Emperor split the universe in two, buying a thousand years of peace, but at the cost of his life and that of all his progeny."
"Did they know about those costs?" Quinn had never heard that side of the story, and never heard of this place.
"Yes and no, they knew the price, but not always when and how they'd pay it. I know that makes no sense," Aine said, and the surroundings around them rippled and changed.
They were on a rise now on a forested world. Below was a force of what looked like Imperium Marines, wearing red armor inscribed with runes. A figure ran towards them from the woods, a cape billowing behind her as she threw fire and ice in their direction. Sand was looking different, and the outfit could almost be one of Tamara's made mostly of straps and buckles, carefully placed to allow the multiple runes marking her flesh to be exposed.
The soldiers raised their weapons and opened fire, but she was among them now, fists punching clean through even enchanted armor and bodies were sent flying. They rarely stayed down though, and through the cracked helmet of one Quinn saw green flesh. A Yek face looking back.
"What is Sand doing?" Quinn asked.
"The wrong question. Look," Aine said.
It took Quinn awhile to see it. The almost feral grin she wore, the light in her eyes as she threw fire. This wasn't Sand, it was Kat.
"What am I looking at?" Quinn asked.
"Something that should concern you, but you don't understand magic enough to fear the right things. Order magic makes you more of what you are, what you decide to be. It allows you to build yourself. This woman you have helped to be raised from the grave views herself as the villain of her own story. The one who wasn't and isn't good enough."
"You are here to play marriage counselor?" Quinn asked.
"We are here because you care about her. The one you call Sand is perhaps humanity’s greatest achievement with the potential to be a real force of good in the galaxy, and a real force of change for magic itself. But Kat is like a virus she has been infected with that could corrupt Sand," Aine said, looking Quinn. "We're more concerned by the shock-troopers. An entire race enslaved and turned into tortured machines of murder, not your specie’s finest hour."
Quinn remembered shock-troopers having been mentioned on the other side. It hadn't meant anything to him then. Was it another of the Emperor's contingency plans even now being made real? Kara wouldn't stand for that. And what was being said about Kat—she wasn't a virus, but she also hadn't been right since being brought back from the dead.
Emotional shock after shock had hit her, Quinn knew that. Up until now he'd mostly been giving her space, hoping for Kat to get better, but if what Aine was saying was true, that had risks. It was important to make sure Kat was a part of the family, and had others close to her. It was important to make sure Kat knew she wasn't the villain.
The surroundings flickered and for just an instant Quinn saw Jinx fighting Selina. Blue and red runes were flaring as the two charged at each other.
That sight faded.
"You're playing games with me, or this place is," Quinn said.
More flashes, almost dizzying. Mara hanging by her wrists from restraints, and Bravo driving a knife into her midsection over and over again. Melody, her body disassembled as the pieces were thrown into an incinerator. Arkstone surrounded by a massive fleet, the combined fire turning the surface molten as whole cities melted beneath the onslaught.
"It is. We are. There are problems you need to put right, there is one we need to put right. Magic recognized the conflicts inherent in your race and manifested to suit them, but the results are tearing you apart. They are tearing the galaxy apart. The way things are going right now Jinx dies here. It seems that Order magic is extinct, but it eventually returns with a terrible fury, in no small part due to your family."
Aine snapped her fingers.
They were now in some sort of vast amphitheater, a pillar of light in the middle burning brightly.
"This place really is as subtle as a hammer," Quinn said.
"Again, blame yourselves. To my race this would have been a lagoon fed by waterfalls. We're not cheating to have you here, we couldn't. You're worthy, you can step inside and save the day. We want that, officially I mean. I personally don't, I wish you'd hop universes and run away."
"Why? What is the price?"
"Find out, if you dare," Aine said with a weak smile. "It sucks though. This place is never free."
If the alternative was Jinx dying and mass slaughter, whatever the price was seemed worth it. Quinn stepped into the pillar of light.
46
Quinn didn't know what to expect, but he thought that stepping into a magical power vortex should somehow be painful, agonizing. Instead it was almost soothing, and perhaps for the first time since he'd gained it, the mark on his arm stopped hurting.
Then a moment later there was the jolt of his own power so much stronger than he'd experienced it. Realities loomed on all sides of him. He wasn't the only Quinn here, others stared back at him and they felt close enough to touch. No, they were close enough to touch. It would be easy to cross the barrier.
There were more important things though, there was Jinx. Shifting his attention he found her, and things were bad.
Selina might have more runes, but she hadn't won this fight—neither of them had. Selina was sporting a rather massive fist-shaped hole in her shoulder, her runes flickering madly as her flesh tried to heal itself from a fatal wound. Jinx was sprawled face-down nearby, still alive, but Quinn wasn't sure for how long given she seemed to be missing a lot of her skin. Barely even a flicker from her runes, they'd been unmade just as she'd been unmade.
Quinn didn't know how to fix this. As vast as the power surrounding him was, and it was amplifying his power, that didn't help here. Or did it?
Quinn had struggled with his role as a pilot before. Ferrying his
family into danger, he'd tried to look at himself as their protector, and while to some degree it was true, this wasn't a time for self-deception. Quinn had married some of the most formidable women in the galaxy—the most formidable. It was his privilege, his honor, but his own role wasn't without strength.
To be a pilot was in some ways to be a bridge. You connected people to places, you connected people to each other. Quinn was the thread running through this family, and it was nothing to be ashamed of. It was who he was, what he was, and in this moment it was who he needed to be.
Selina had the magical power left to heal herself, but not the ability. Jinx had the ability, but not the power. Quinn reached out and formed a bridge between the two.
Both women screamed and began to thrash violently. Selina's runes began to move along her flesh, they almost seemed to slither. Red serpents crawled from her and slid across the ground towards Jinx where they poured themselves into her broken runes.
For a moment Jinx's flesh was lit by a combination of red and blue light, then sparks began to fly and there was the sound of sizzling flesh as the red was slowly consumed.
Jinx's blue runes were restored but red fragments remained, warping and twisting themselves they crept along her skin until they formed two new runes. At least Jinx had skin again. Crawling, she moved over to Selina and stared at her.
Whatever magic remained in Selina seemed gone, and after several long moments Jinx brushed fingertips to her shoulder, the flesh reforming.
Then it was Quinn's turn to scream.
The action had broken something inside of him—no, freed something.
Quinn knew who he was. That momentary burst of certainty, of absolute conviction, wasn't so momentary after all. Pilot, bridge, connector of things, and his magic, all badly needed a connector.
A second rune was forming on his flesh, on the opposite forearm. If his first one had ached this one was pure agony—both were now pure agony.