by Jack Archer
They trudged through the blinding snow that gathered near their shins and made very slow progress. After a few hours, a dark shape appeared in the distance, and they all whooped, happy to finally get a break from the cold. As they approached, they were able to make out more details. It was a huge garage that could house the Ocelot. They tried the door, finding it open.
“That’s dumb luck,” Rystar muttered, and they filed inside, keeping their helmets on. Once inside, they saw an empty open space with one office near the far wall partially hidden behind a column. Cobalt crept to it and peeked inside, giving them the thumbs up when he had determined it clear.
“How long do you think we’ll have to wait?” Kyran asked as they brushed the snow from their suits.
“Couple hours at least,” Cobalt said with a shrug, and Kyran and Rystar groaned. “Be patient, you two.”
Rystar was anything but patient.
Several hours passed, and Rystar thought she heard a soft snore coming from Kyran at one point. Finally, the garage door banged and began to open, and the three of them jumped from their seats, pulling out their guns and hiding behind a column.
The Mach 4.5 was far smaller than its Mach IV counterpart, only slightly larger than the Krimson Princess. It rolled in the garage on the Land setting, its massive wheels already melting the snow on them from the friction. It stopped with a squeak, and the garage door rumbled shut.
The door of the Ocelot opened, and two Horoths came clambering down, hopping with ease to the floor. They began to speak in their native language. When it was clear there were only two, Cobalt and Rystar emerged from their hiding place and trained their guns on the Horoth.
Instead of holding their hands up, which would have been the smart thing to do, they reached to their sides to grab their own guns. Both Rystar and Cobalt let off shots, hitting the Horoths square in the chest, and they fell to the floor, dark purple blood pooling underneath them.
Rystar’s stomach clenched. She shook her head to get rid of the encroaching nausea. Killing wasn’t something she enjoyed doing, even when necessary. She helped Cobalt with the bodies, checking them for keys and ID passes before they tossed the bodies out back and buried them in the snow.
Back inside, she turned to face the Ocelot, and her eyes went wide, able to take it all in now.
The white-gold shone at them in the dim light of the garage, its tinted black space shield impossible to see through from the outside. The wheels had deep treads and lifted it up about 7 feet from the ground, and its carefully balanced wings shot out behind it like a majestic bird.
“She’s beautiful,” Rystar sighed.
“She should be yours,” Kyran said, putting a hand on her shoulder. Rystar turned to him, an enormous grin plastered on her face that he couldn’t see, but she hoped could sense all the same.
They all climbed up the short ladder and into the Ocelot, finding more than enough room for the three of them before taking off their helmets and snow suits, leaving the space suits on underneath. Inside was a wide room, fit for a couple of Horoths, the beige interior of the walls and center console brand new and smelling like fresh leather.
“Damn, how new is this thing?” Rystar asked, running her hands over the captain’s chair, not a scratch on its beige covering.
“Not sure, but we better get out of here while we can,” Kyran said, hopping in the left seat. Cobalt took the right, and Rystar sat in the center, using the keys to start the engine and letting her hands hover over the console.
“Okay, this is a little different,” she chuckled, sweat breaking on her forehead. The console lit up. A 3D graphical interface sprung from the screen, a holographic representation of the garage appearing. She tilted her head and watched as the garage door began to light up and held out a finger to touch it. The ship shuddered, and a voice sounded in the cabin around them.
“Garage door, open,” it said in a lovely, sing-song voice.
“That’s going to be annoying,” Kyran said, rolling his eyes.
“I think it sounds nice,” Cobalt said with a shrug.
Using the knowledge she had of the Mach III and from Lupe piloting the Firehawk, Rystar managed to put the Ocelot in reverse, and a camera came up, the snowstorm outside visible on its screen. She pulled the throttle, and they bumped into motion, the Ocelot grinding slowly into the snow. When it was fully out, she touched the garage door and watched it slide shut.
Damn, this thing was impressive.
She turned the throttle and the humongous wheels turned underneath them, twisting in the snow. Pushing down, they turned right and moved forward, clear of the garage and the holographic illumination changed to rough terrain, gliding past as they barreled forward through the storm.
“This ride is smooth as hell,” Rystar commented as they approached the hidden door of the bubble, blowing past it in search of the spaceport. “Let’s see if we can call Lupe.”
Hands flying over the console, she finally decided to just talk to the ship on a whim.
“Uh… Ocelot?” she tried, continuing forward to the spaceport.
“Wewtu na wo ping,” the voice around her echoed.
“Shit, it’s in Pak’uian,” Kyran chuckled and stopped at Rystar’s look. He coughed and furrowed his brow before speaking again.
“Um… lilm nub… pʼolch Terran,” he stuttered. A moment passed before the ship’s Virtual Interface spoke again.
“Language changed to Terran,” it said, and they all breathed a sigh of relief.
Rystar cleared her throat and raised an eyebrow at Kyran. “We need to change your ownership to me. Can you tell me how to do that?”
“Please enter authority code,” it said, a numeric pad opening at the bottom of the console.
“Oh,” Rystar said, pulling out the Horoth’s pass she had dug out from their pockets. She flipped it over and, with a sigh of relief, saw a scribbled number on the back of it, punching it into the numeric pad.
“Authority code accepted, please state your name and faction,” the voice went on.
“Rystar Umara, Earth,” she said, looking over to Kyran and raising her shoulders.
“Think it’s okay to use your real name?” he asked under his breath.
“Probably shouldn’t have,” Rystar muttered, biting her lip. “But if it’s not pinging out to the galactic network, it should be fine.”
“Connecting to the Galactic Internetwork,” it said, the numeric pad disappearing.
“Damn,” Rystar mumbled.
“Error,” the computer said after a moment. “Rystar Umara, faction: Earth, status: deceased. Please enter a different name and faction.”
“Deceased?” Rystar cried.
“Hey, that’s a good thing,” Kyran said, placing a hand on her shoulder. “Whoever tried to kill you thinks they succeeded.”
“Until now,” Rystar said darkly. She tapped her foot on the floor for a moment and spoke again. “Kyran Skylock, Chantakor.”
“Connecting to the Galactic Internetwork,” it said again, and they rode in silence for a few seconds. “Permission granted. Welcome to the Mach 4.5 Ocelot, Kyran Skylock.”
“Pleasure’s all mine,” Kyran said in that particular drawl of his. Rystar elbowed him in the arm.
“It’s still my ship,” she warned, and Kyran huffed. She laughed and widened her eyes at him. “You already have one!”
“But this one is so nice,” he whined but smiled, and some of the anxiety plaguing Rystar’s mind melted away.
“Ocelot, open a communications channel to DSV Firehawk, ship code P4-846231,” Rystar asked into the console.
“Opening communications channel to DSV Firehawk,” the ship replied as a pleasant ring wafted through the air.
“Oh, that’s nice,” Kyran said, head bobbing along with it.
“DSV Firehawk, state your name and intention,” Lupe answered.
“Lupe, it’s us,” Rystar said. “We got the Ocelot and are on our way to you now. Open the ship hangar so we
can get inside.”
“That’s amazing!” Lupe cried, and she heard Shea whoop in the background. “Opening up the hangar, see you soon.”
The comms channel closed, and the three of them plowed on through the snow until they reached the ship hangar and were granted clearance. Rystar held her breath the entire time, but the numbers on the Horoth’s passes seemed to work. For now.
They found the Firehawk with its own hangar open, and they rolled up it, parking in the place where the Gloriosum used to sit. Rystar powered down the ship. They headed to the door, filing out one by one as the Firehawk hangar closed and Lupe and Shea came running from the door.
“Holy crap, look at that thing,” Shea breathed, his eyes raking over the Ocelot.
“She’s gorgeous,” Lupe agreed, setting their hands on their hips and looking on in wonder.
“What are you gonna name her, Umara?” Kyran asked, throwing an arm over her shoulders. Rystar nodded her head and took the Ocelot in, hoping to keep her for a long, long time.
“Cataclysm.”
Chapter Nine
Rystar Umara: Yimesotwa
With the new information Ji’lan held, the Ya’ados formed a new trust with the Sustri and joined forces, their numbers overwhelming the tiny base in the Underground. Ji’lan sat in his chair, drink in hand like always, and swiped through his tablet as Rystar, Na’gya, and Kyran sat on the couch opposite him.
“So our plan is…” Rystar checked her tablet for the instructions Ji’lan had sent to her and the crew via a secure channel, taking a drag from her Cortijet, “…kick their ass and take their base.”
Ji’lan let out a hearty laugh and slapped his knee. Not for the first time, Rystar wondered how many drinks he’d had. She supposed at this time of night, and considering the circumstances, she couldn’t blame him.
“Sounds like a memo I’d give out,” Kyran chuckled.
“Don’t be ngalm,” Ji’lan said and poured himself another drink. “I would never send out real instructions over any channel, no matter how secure it is. As your Enzo taught me, nothing is 100% safe.”
A sad smile appeared on Kyran’s face, and Rystar was glad that they were on their way to rescue Enzo the following day. Makeer had lent them two Horoth guards to take with them to keep up appearances on their new ship when they picked up Enzo.
The message had been fabricated and sent to the warden at the Tahi Prison. So far, they hadn’t encountered anything that would indicate the Horoths were onto them. Tonight, they would celebrate, tomorrow they would kick ass.
“Are you sure you cannot spare a body for me tomorrow?” Ji’lan asked after a moment to Rystar.
“For what?” she replied. “I don’t think you ever asked.”
“My apologies, then,” Ji’lan said, bowing his head. “The Sustri and Ya’ados are uniting forces tomorrow to take over Chure while you are rescuing Enzo.”
“That’s a big deal,” Rystar said, her eyes widening.
“Yes, and I would be eternally grateful for any extra firepower you could lend us,” Ji’lan said.
“I will stay with you and fight,” Na’gya said almost immediately, sitting up straight on the couch. Ji’lan smiled and held his drink up to him.
“Spoken like a true Ya’ados,” he said, “I am grateful our fates brought us together.”
“Kyran, Shea, and I will be going to Tahi tomorrow,” Rystar interjected, “so I’m afraid we can’t help you. Cobalt might be up for it.”
“I’ll ask him now,” Kyran said and swiped on his tablet to message Cobalt.
“Another formidable ally,” Ji’lan said with a smirk.
“He says anything to get him off the ship and into battle,” Kyran read off, chuckling and putting his tablet away. Ji’lan shook with laughter that ended with a sigh, fixing them all with a sad stare.
“Are you sure you and your crew cannot stay with us beyond this?” Ji’lan asked.
“We have to get Na’gya to the Hoop,” Kyran said, shaking his head. “Or else we would stay here with you and fight.”
“I presume the farms will be easy to take back, but we are going to need some help with the Sluirossi,” Ji’lan said. He scratched at his head and set his drink down.
“Help from who?” Rystar asked, raising an eyebrow.
“It’s getting late,” Ji’lan burst out, and Rystar rolled her eyes. She hated mystery. “We must have a good night’s sleep for tomorrow’s events. Please keep in contact, we will want to know what happens with Enzo, and I am sure you will want to know the status of our takeover.”
“Absolutely,” Rystar said, standing up and holding out her hand to take Ji’lan’s. He shook it, and Kyran’s and Na’gya’s in turn before crossing the room to hold the door open for them.
They exited and made it back out to the Underground, weaving through the throngs of people that never seemed to thin out, no matter how late it was. As they got back to the ship, Rystar bid goodnight to Kyran, who jetted straight for his room, and she found herself in the locker room alone with Cobalt. She steeled herself for another dead-end conversation until she jumped at Cobalt’s low voice.
“He’s extra sad these days,” he said, setting his boot on a bench and untying it. He cast her a quick glance before focusing on his shoes again. “Without Enzo, we are all dead in the water, it seems.”
“I miss him, too,” Rystar admitted, taking her coat off and stowing her gun in a locker. She eyed Enzo’s locker, unused for over a month now. “We’ll get him tomorrow, I promise.”
“Don’t make promises you can’t keep,” he grumbled and set his shoes in his locker, stepping towards her with care.
“I tend not to,” she said, closing the door to her locker and turning around to face him. An actual brick wall, he stood almost a half foot above her, reddish-orange eyes roaming over her face delicately. Rystar tilted her head and returned the gaze, sucking in a breath when his lips parted.
But nothing ever came, and she let out a sigh as Cobalt walked backward from her and towards a door near the back of the locker room. He held up a hand, signaling his departure. “Nätsítnï arnë, Umara.”
“See you tomorrow,” she called after him and leaned back against her locker, taking out her Cortijet to puff on it. Rystar had assumed Cobalt held no interest in her, but as time wore on, it seemed the opposite was true. The lingering looks, the random gifts of guns. She’d been so caught up in how Kyran and Shea and Na’gya felt about her, she had basically forgotten about the rest of the crew.
And now Enzo was gone.
She sighed and pushed away from the locker, carrying her coat out of the room and towards the elevators.
Makeer met them at the airlock first thing in the morning.
“And by first thing in the morning, they meant ass crack of dawn,” Rystar huffed into the receiver of her tablet. Lupe sighed.
“I’m not happy about it either,” they said with a yawn. “But it’s time to get our asses up and moving. Enzo can’t wait anymore.”
“Roger that,” Rystar said, sitting up and stretching.
“Who?” Lupe asked.
Rystar snorted and hung up, running a hand through her hair and taking a second to wake up, Enzo be damned.
Shoving herself into her clothes, she sped to the bathroom to freshen up before pulling on her boots and exiting her room, running into Na’gya in the hallway. “You ready?”
Na’gya’s face went a paler shade than normal, and he took in a deep breath but nodded, wings fanning out behind him with pride. “I’m confident we’ll take over Chure today. With the Sustri at our side, finally, I believe we’ll be able to hold it.”
“I know you’ll do it,” she said, laying a hand on his shoulder and squeezing. With a tight smile, she shook her head. “I just wish we were there to fight alongside you.”
“Enzo is more important,” Na’gya assured her and motioned for them to start walking down the hall. “You’ll do well on that mission today.”
; “Thanks for the support,” she said, loading onto the elevator and pressing the button for the kitchen. It opened. They saw Lupe already serving breakfast to the rest of the crew, and they joined them at the table. Two cups of coffee were pushed in front of them, and Rystar nodded her thanks, taking the coffee and sipping on it.
“Took your time today, sweetheart,” Kyran said, pushing a bit of hair from his face and sipping on his own cup, empty bowl in front of him. Rystar shrugged and thanked Lupe as they set a bowl of what looked like hot cereal in front of her.
“What’s this, Lupe?” she asked, taking her spoon and dipping it gently into the bowl.
“Found it in a Terran shop the other day,” they responded, leaning against the counter and picking up their bowl of food again. “Supposed to be some kind of wheat cereal? I don’t know, it doesn’t look appetizing to me. Hope I made it right, though.”
Rystar took a bite and sighed, the tastes of Earth coming back to her. She shoveled another bite in her mouth, and Kyran chuckled.
“Well, I think you did a good job, Lupe,” he said, draining his drink and setting it on the table. Kyran leaned forward and clasped his hands together, addressing the crew as they fell silent. “Today’s a busy day, folks. Rystar, Shea, and I will be taking the Ocelot and the two guards Makeer sent us and rescuing Shea from the Tahi Prison. Na’gya and Cobalt will be joining Ji’lan in his conquest to take over the Chure bubble. How he plans to do this, I have no idea. I’m sure it’ll be fun.”
“We’re ready,” Na’gya said, thrusting his chest out and letting his wings splay wide. Kyran smiled, a genuine thing appearing on his face, and touched two fingers to his temple in a salute.
“Let’s get up to the bridge and meet with Makeer then,” Kyran said, pushing himself out of his chair and hanging back a moment to address Lupe. “You make sure this thing is gassed up and ready to go. We might need to make a quick getaway.”
“Will do, Captain,” Lupe said, nodding and setting their bowl on the counter.
“Let’s go,” Kyran said, waving them all to the elevator. Rystar pushed the last few bites into her mouth, groaning at having to leave so quickly. She was able to wash it down with a final sip of coffee and make it to the elevator before the doors closed.