by Reiter
“Make that eleven,” she said softly as she turned and dropped to one knee. She picked up the disc she had dropped and drew her knife from her boot. The man’s eyes flared as she flipped the weapon around in her gloved hand.
“Your problem, my wannabe sparing friend, is you’re still conscious.” Persephone quickly placed the blade between the man’s legs as she took hold of his neck with her free hand. “Which means you can either give up the goods…” Persephone flashed an evil smile as she looked down at the man’s crotch. “… or you can give up the goods!”
“They hired twenty of us,” the man rushed to speak and gasped as he could feel the edge of the blade pass through the fabric of his pants.
“No, that’s what you’ve been told to tell me,” Persephone whispered. “You’re gambling with your ability to procreate here. ‘Course, I’d have to be a sharp shooter to hit it on the first swing. But since you and I are basically alone here, I think I’ll just keep stabbing until I see tears and smell Kot!”
“Thirty-one!” the man strained to speak. “Including the fucker who’s listening to us right now.”
“We’re blown!” she shouted, calling for her goggles and running for the mouth of the alley.
“Jump!” Goldie said as he stepped out on the sidewalk. His goggles had just formed and he was making a turn to his right and looking at the corner of the sidewalk and the alley Persephone was in, her left-hand side. He threw his head toward the ground and performed a no-hand cartwheel as a laser blast just missed his head.
Persephone did not break stride, but jumped as high as she could as she came running out of the alley. She could hear a low and deep voice grunting as metal passed under her body.
“Axes?” she said as a large single-headed axe was imbedded into the alley wall. She accessed the view of the street from Goldie’s perspective. “When the hell did we okay axes?!” Persephone landed hard on her heels and jumped again, bounding for the roof of the two-story building on the opposite side of the street. “Photonic.” A laser blast missed her as she spun, drawing from her shoulder holster. She fired one shot and it had to turn slightly to reach its intended target. The rooftop perch exploded and the creature there screamed as it fell four stories to the street below. “Twelve.”
Persephone landed on the roof and dropped to her knee. The large axe passed over her left shoulder but as it flew by her, she could see it was slowing down. It made an arc away from her but started back to the street.
“Two at three o’clock,” Goldie transmitted and Persephone turned her kneeling stance into a roll. Three projectile shots struck the rooftop and started emitting a yellow gas. Persephone’s goggles quickly became a full face mask and she stood up, firing two shots at the second sniper position. She hit the spotter with the first shot, and the weapon of the sniper with the second. There was a burst of red coming from the back of the spotter and the double explosion of the sniper’s weapon took that man’s head off of his shoulders.
“Thirteen and fourteen,” Persephone whispered. “Dammit, we’re not even up to half and things are getting crowded!”
The large muscular man held out his hand for his returning axe. Goldie’s left-hand blade pierced into the man’s stomach; the second was thrown into the shoulder. The axe returned and struck the middle of the chest, pinning the man to the wall.
“Fifteen and a little less crowded now,” Goldie said as he ran to retrieve his blades.
“Tuck it, kid,” Persephone ordered as large male Jeelah came out of a store-front window, clawing for Goldie’s face.
“Prefer the high road,” Goldie huffed as he jumped up, putting one foot out to stop the attacking arm at the forearm, and his other foot swept hard across the man’s face. Goldie landed, after a spinning backflip, to realize he had knocked down his opponent. “… seeing as how you’re beneath me and all.”
The man roared as he slashed again for Goldie who hopped back just out of range before smacking the dark gray Jeelah and then winking at him. A well-timed back-bend moved Goldie’s face out of the way of a slashing attack and then he jumped to his right to avoid a downward stroke. As the Jeelah came around to slash for Goldie’s back, the young man ran toward the wall, took two steps up it to get him over the backslash, and flipped over. His left boot smacked hard against the face followed quickly by the right. With a broken nose, the stunned male Jeelah spun to the ground.
“That kid’s got moves all day long,” Persephone thought as she turned away from where she had been standing. An impact projectile just missed her and she turned to see three Jeelah had made it up to the roof and one of them was armed with a gun. The look of surprise registered on his face and Persephone fired just before her gun was struck with a whip and snatched from her grasp. The photonic shell exploded in the gunman’s chest and he fell over the side.
“What the hell is that?” Persephone thought as she could hear a strange soft whistling sound. It was in front of her, slightly to her left and fast-approaching. “Wait there’s two of them!” Another soft whistle sounded, but it was coming from the street, moving faster than the one on the roof. With her cane in her left hand, Persephone used it to deflect the strange dagger-like weapon that came from the street. Her brace-com took the impact of the second. Something wet splashed onto Persephone’s mask after the dagger struck. “Impact rounds, gas, and now poison… they want us alive. Legless, and perhaps armless, must also be acceptable.” She lowered the mask so that she could see more clearly.
“Shit, girl, mind on your work!” Persephone thought as she jumped up. The whip returned and wrapped around her ankles, pulling her feet out from under her, and she landed hard on her back. The other Jeelah jumped forward and landed on the roof just beside Persephone, pinning her left arm with one hand while driving his fist into her face. The back of her head bashed against the roof and she was stunned. She grabbed the whiskers of the male Jeelah with her free hand and pulled all but two out of the right side of his face. Screaming in pain, the Jeelah punched her three more times. She was unconscious after the second blow landed.
“Captain!” Goldie cried out before he was struck in the chest with an impact round. He was thrown back through the broken window and landed on the floor of the store. He was moaning and rolled over to try and get up. Another impact round hit him in the back and he was knocked out.
“Let Vidé know that we have ‘em,” one of the Jeelah ordered. “They cut into nearly half our numbers but we’ll be bringing them in alive, as requested.”
** b *** t *** o *** r **
With each of them facing in a different direction, Hurdran Vyllynthe, Zyzo Hillgray, and Ukara Curzakiov appeared to be ready for anything, including an empty chamber, which is what the Mech-Maga had been hoping to find for the transmittance.
“We’re clear,” Ukara whispered as she looked to the readout on her brace-com. “Tonka’s established an electromagnetic field around us while he tries to access the main computer here. Their ship sensors won’t be able to see us.”
“It’s not the sensors I’m concerned about,” Hillgray muttered as he took a tighter hold of his mace.
“What is he talking about?” Ukara asked.
“It would seem that we are not alone in this room,” Vyllynthe said as he looked around.
“Okay, now you’re catching it too,” Ukara commented. “This room is ten by twelve. We are pretty much taking up most of the room here.”
“Actually, that’s not entirely accurate,” Siekor said. “Lights, please!” As the overhead lights came up, Ukara quickly realized that the walls of the storage closet were only partitions, and when they faded from sight, she knew they had simply been holograms. Another light field had been erected around them; a field of black light. “Welcome to our Observation Deck,” Siekor said as his head came up above the wall of black light. “Normally we come up here to look out and about, but today, you’re the treat we get to take a look at.”
“Take a good look then, boy,” Hillgray spat
. “Mayhap this be the last thing you shall ever see!”
“Hillgray!” Vyllynthe said in a strained whisper.
“Oh yes, please do warn me about my manners after we steal our way aboard their ship,” the Delman countered. “Forgive me if I choose not to be a polite thief!” Hillgray took in a deep whiff of air, turned, and then charged toward the black wall. Ukara shook her head.
“Am I going mad, or does he have a point?” she asked.
“Zyzo always has a point,” Vyllynthe admitted. “That is part of his charm. See what you can do about this wall.”
Zyzo ran at a good jogging pace before leaping up and over the black-light wall. He landed on the other side, just a few meters from Cilrus Cliye. “Looks like I sniffed out the biggest one here!”
“Take a step up, little man,” Cilrus replied, readying his two gladius-styled swords. “I can barely see you!”
“It’s not your eyes I’m looking to hurt, fool!” Hillgray said, lunging forward and thrusting with his mace. Cilrus deflected the weapon with his blades, but he was too slow to keep the blunt end of the long weapon from coming around and scoring a strike against the ribs. Cilrus took a step back, and a hard swing robbed him of the blade in his left hand. He swung with his right, knowing he was off balance but hoping he could force the Delman to give ground. When his wrist was caught, Cilrus knew he was in trouble. Twirling the long-poled mace with one hand, Zyzo twisted Cilrus’ arm so that he was off balance and bending forward. The large man’s chest received a powerful uppercut swing. The former gladiator was lifted from the floor and thrown back two meters. Zyzo smiled, but not for long. Throwing his body to his left, Hillgray shoulder-rolled under a flying kick meant for the back of his head.
“Shit!” Feldspar said softly after he landed. He turned to see the Delman all too ready to receive his next attack.
“You like to fly, do you?” Zyzo chuckled.
As the image of the young man who had initiated the talking faded, Vyllynthe walked away from Ukara to get his bearings. While her energy signature was not the particular MannA-Sight he was looking for, the capacity of her reserves often distracted him from making accurate readings. He closed his eyes and extended his senses, searching for the place where these pirates kept what he sought.
A metal claw latched around his ankle, and before Vyllynthe could look down to see the object, he was snatched up from the floor. “Bread and butter,” a young man said as he dropped to the floor, apparently on the same cord. He thrust something on to Vyllynthe’s face as they passed each other. Hurdran could hear the metal workings of the device, and small arms locked around the back of his head. Then came the burn, the world-destroying burn. The Olasson Duke screamed out in torment.
“Whoa,” Ephaliun said as he reached the ground, quickly anchoring his end of the rope. “The Brain Trust knows their shit, don’t they?!”
“What did you do to him?” Ukara shouted.
“Not half of what I’d like to do to you, sweetheart,” Ephaliun quickly replied. “Done right, there will be equal screaming!” The burgundy-haired woman glared at the young man as piton and cable combinations shot from either of her shoulders. “Whoa!” Ephaliun yelled as he threw his body into a leaping, twisting spin. One piton passed over his right ear as the other flew between his legs. Catching the cable in the trap of his leg, he finished his flip, landing on one foot and one knee. He took hold of the cable and smiled. “Sweets, that’s not enough to make me whimper!” Ephaliun screamed as electricity ran down the cable and into his body.
“Sometimes you have to give it time, darling!” Ukara said, recalling the cable and pitons. She broke into a run and swallowed hard as she looked up to see Vyllynthe so far off the ground. Whatever that was on his face was burning him. She had never heard the Olasson InvokeR cry out in such a way.
“Trust Tonka and don’t look down,” she thought. “Suit me up, T!” In her fourth stride, Ukara was clad in a full bodysuit of powered armour that resembled the look and form of her body. She jumped up from the ground, took hold of Vyllynthe with her left hand as a blade extended over the fist of her right hand, cutting the cable very close to the metal claw at the ankle. She gasped as she felt herself falling. She could have initiated flight systems to slow her descent, but there were too many people in this room, and she would only be making herself a much bigger and slower target. A quick scan of the room told her that Hillgray’s back was to her. “Light burst, T!” Tonka released a pulse of super-bright white light. She could hear the cries of anger and pain as she landed on the floor, stumbling forward into a massive wall.
Feldspar did not like the odds he was facing and he did not want to fight the Delman. He found that he wanted even less to give his opponent any ground. He tightened the grip on his knife and glared at the broad-shoulder creature. He was blinded in the next instant, and mixed in with his own screams he could hear the Delman say, “Up and away!” Something hard hit him in the jaw and Feldspar knew he was flying. He was not conscious enough to feel his awkward and very hard landing. Zyzo would have preferred to have used his mace, but he needed that to deflect a sword… a single-edged sword held in a strong and very sure grip. As his punch sent the nervous young fool away, a foot found Zyzo’s jaw and turned his head with authority. Hillgray stumbled backward but he had enough presence to block a downward swing of the single-edged blade. He looked up to see a Terran with slanted eyes and a beige-like complexion. The Delman could have cared less for the color of his skin, it was the fury in his eyes that concerned him. Since when did pirates travel about with Masters?
Ukara placed her comrade down as scanning lasers shot from the side of her helmet.
“It’s silver!” she discovered. “There’s silver under the facemask!”
“Aww, you peaked,” Ephaliun said as he dropped a disc on the back of the suit.
“No!” Ukara said as she stood up, swinging for her opponent’s head but he was too fast and already into a dodge by the time she had turned.
“Afraid so, baby!” the young man said, holding up a thumb trigger.
“Tonka, shield for EMP!” Ukara cried out.
“So that’s his name,” Ephaliun said, tilting his head. “Shotgun, Deolun, you two got what you need?”
“Sure do,” Deolun replied. “Initiating stasis field.” The pod on the back of the power suit flashed with silvery-gray light and both Ukara and Vyllynthe were encased in the stasis field.
“Whoa, two for the price of one!”
“Dugger, move!” Deolun shouted and Ephaliun jumped straight up, feeling the grazing touch of a flying mace pass under him. The weapon struck the large wall, denting it, before it fell to the ground, reaching the floor about the same time as Ephaliun.
Another fast hand of iron creased Hillgray’s chin, but he was braced for it and did not stagger back. He had thrown his weapon, hoping to give Ukara some measure of assistance, but his target was too fast and nimble. The two-handed mace had missed, and Hillgray had paid the price. He was surprised that his opponent chose not to strike him with steel.
Hillgray roared as he swung his fist, missing poorly. His opponent said nothing but held up his hand, asking for a moment’s respite.
“Why?” Hillgray barked.
“Retrieve your weapon or allow me to put mine down,” Synh Dayami replied.
“You put that sword down and you may not live to regret it, Terran!”
“Dugger, if you please,” Synh said, holding out his katana. Ephaliun quickly ran well around the Delman and took hold of the blade. Hillgray attacked the moment it was out of Synh’s grasp.
The overhand left was smacked wide of its target and Synh took the time to assume a combative stance. Hillgray came around with a right hook that was blocked, though it took both of Synh’s hands to do so, and the Delman received a front kick to the face. His head snapped back and Synh stepped forward with a hand thrust that struck his shorter opponent in the face. Another forceful step forward, and Synh landed an elbow to t
he Delman’s jaw.
Hillgray’s blind hook landed in Synh’s chest and the Terran was lifted from the floor, landing on his back before back-rolling up to his feet. Hillgray shook his head clear of the cobwebs, and glared at Synh who was blowing air out of his mouth to contend with the pain in his sternum.
“Had enough, Terran?”
“You will not lose… any honor in my eyes… if you surrender,” Synh huffed. “I assure you no harm… will befall you… and I will speak to the Captain, personally, on your behalf.”
“This one is indeed a Master,” Hillgray thought. “… and in more than just the combative arts. He looks like a Terran, but he hits like a charging mount!”
“Forgive me if I must refuse such a kindly-worded invitation,” Hillgray snorted before he charged. Synh did not move as he blew out from between his lips. Hillgray swung his hand back, bringing it up and over his shoulder. His wrist was caught, twisted, and his body was put into a throw where it was driven down into the floor… a very hard floor.
“Aaarrgh!” the Delman cried out in pain, taking hold of the hand that had trapped his wrist. He pulled his hand free as he gave a sharp tug on Synh’s arm. His fist was used as a stand that Synh vaulted over. The Delman yelled in rage as he rolled to get up. Synh was tempted to time an attack on the Delman, as he did not want this one to ever touch him again. One blow had landed and Synh wondered if he needed to visit the infirmary. But he let the warrior get to his feet. A stun laser was fired into Hillgray’s back. He dropped to one knee as Synh looked up to see Jovasor with his weapon trained on the Delman. Seeing that the target was not yet stunned, he started adjusting the stunner.
“No!” Synh cried, reaching into his belt, producing a shuriken. His throw was fast, fierce and accurate, striking the brachial nerve in Jovasor’s right arm. Jovasor gasped as he dropped his weapon. He stumbled back before he fell down.