“An’ don’t you forget it,” said Swul.
“Okay, so that’s what we do,” said Zarim. “We’ll stay here the night and leave at first light, sound like a plan?”
Nods all around granted Zarim the approval of his crew. “Great, I’ll go tell Master Quand about our terms and see if he’s got a lead on where the next stone is.”
CHAPTER 7
“Dreyer! We could use a hand!”
The line was delivered with a slight snicker, the voice echoing in one of the many mine shafts that bordered the town of Corvil. Tanus Dreyer raised his goggles to his forehead, peering down at the foreman, Bowers, who waved him over. He stood and pushed through his fellow miners, not an easy task for a man of his frame. His denim pants and heavy shirt were nearly as dark as his skin, thanks to all the dirt and grime. A thick glove covered his right hand, but his left was a different matter altogether. In place of his left arm was a metal prosthetic, with a crude, bulky hand on the end. The result of his service.
“What is it, chief?” asked Tanus, once he approached the foreman.
Bowers knelt down and patted the lower corner of the rocky terrain. “There’s somethin’ stuck here, it’ll take forever to get to it with the axe, and I’m not about to clear the whole tunnel so we can use dynamite.”
Tanus moved beside him, squinting as he stared at the area. He blinked a few times, not quite sure what he was looking at. “Is...is that glowing?”
“Think so. Mind gettin’ a closer look?”
Tanus reached out with his metal hand and tried to tear at the rock, but it didn’t do much good. Whatever was there, it was buried very well. He stood and backed up. “Get clear, boss.”
Bowers did as he was told. The fingers on Tanus’ metal hand retracted into the knuckles and then the palm itself split apart and folded into the wrist. In the center of the stub, a long barrel emerged. Tanus checked the counter on his forearm, reading the current battery capacity, and tensed the appropriate muscles. A pulse-burst fired from the barrel, striking the area with a loud boom that caused the other miners to stare carefully at the stalactites above them.
Bowers leaned forward and shook his head. “Better, but it’s still in there.”
“Okay, going for two.” Tanus fired a second pulse, and the rocks shattered in its wake. The stone spun in the air, flashing emerald light through the tunnel before hitting the ground. Upon impact, the stone’s bright glow dimmed. Bowers and Tanus both stared at it in awe.
“That wasn’t a light reflection,” said Tanus. “You ever seen anything like that?”
“Can’t say as I have,” said Bowers. “Seems like some kinda gem or something. Giving off some sort of energy.”
“What should we do with it?”
Bowers pondered that same question himself. “Take it topside, we’ll need to check with the home office about this. That’s not the kinda thing I want just sittin’ around.”
“You’re the boss.” The barrel retracted into Tanus’ arm and his artificial hand reassembled itself. He used that hand to pick up the gem, cradling it carefully as he left the foreman and walked past his co-workers. They watched him with curiosity as he passed, their eyes focusing on the mysterious stone he carried.
It had been only a few days since the mysterious stone was discovered in the mines. But Tanus nonetheless was surprised to arrive at work and be called right into Bowers’ office. Once he entered the foreman’s trailer, he saw a tall man in the corner. The man wore a suit of a deep, royal purple color with gold trim on the cuffs. His coat was a cross between a formal tuxedo and an aviation jacket. A small cape hung over his right shoulder, attached by a braid of gold rope. His right arm rested atop the globe-shaped head of a cane, but strangest of all was the mask he wore. It was a leather helmet with goggles for eyes, and only his lower face was left exposed.
Tanus eyed the strange man carefully as he spoke to his boss. “You wanted to see me?”
“You are the one who found the stone?” asked the masked man.
“Actually no, I just pulled it free from the rock,” said Tanus.
“Was there anything strange about it?”
“Boss, who is this?” asked Tanus.
“I am a representative of the home office,” said the masked man. “My name is Fredericks.”
“And since when does the home office send guys in masks to come here?” asked Tanus.
The masked man reached up and removed the leather helmet. Beneath it, he possessed short blond hair and bright blue eyes. “Satisfied?” he asked. “The helmet is simply for protection from the elements. I flew here myself.”
Bowers chuckled. “You’ll have to excuse Dreyer here, Mr. Fredericks. You see, back in the day, he was a Dreadnought commander.”
An eyebrow arched upward. “Is that so?” asked Fredericks.
Tanus nodded. “That was a long time ago.”
Fredericks’ gaze drifted down to Tanus’ metallic arm. “That...military issue?”
Tanus nodded once more.
“I’d heard about experimental procedures such as this. First time I’ve seen one. Outside of active service, that is.”
“That a fact,” said Tanus.
Bowers pointed at the arm. “That little wonder has helped us more’n a few times in the mines. Helped us dig out that rock of yours, sir.”
“I will have to compose a letter of gratitude to the Emperor,” said Fredericks. “Now, if I could see the stone?”
“Of course.” Bowers nearly jumped from his seat. “Just follow me right this way, Mr. Fredericks.”
The foreman excitedly led the way from his office, with Fredericks following. Tanus lagged behind slightly. Bowers was no doubt hoping for a promotion, something to get him out of Corvil and back to civilization, back to his family in Serenity. Tanus, however, desired to remain as far from Serenity as possible.
“We keep some of the more valuable finds locked up good and tight,” said Bowers as he walked across to another trailer. He fiddled with his keys as Fredericks watched.
“You keep them behind a simple locked door?”
“Oh no, not at all.” Bowers unlocked the door and led Fredericks and Tanus inside. Once there, they came face to face with a large safe. “We keep ‘em in here.”
The foreman went over to the keypad and entered in the code for the safe. The light turned from green to red and the locks disengaged with a loud thunk. Bowers opened the safe and inside were a number of rare jewels, reflecting the light of the room back at them. Fredericks glanced over the shelves of the safe, his eyes scanning for his prize.
“I don’t see it.”
“What?” asked Bowers, his smile of satisfaction quickly turning to a look of confusion. He looked into the safe as well. “Why, it’s right—” he reached for the shelf he left the stone on, but it was empty, “—here.”
Fredericks sighed. “Is this a joke?”
“No! It was right here!”
“You are aware theft from the company is a highly egregious offense.”
“I swear, I—”
Tanus slapped his natural hand on Fredericks’ shoulder. “Hey, ease off. This guy’s aching for a promotion off this rock, he wouldn’t risk it. Especially after he called your people to let you know what he found.”
“And what of you, Mr. Dreyer?” asked Fredericks, staring at the hand on his person.
Tanus just shrugged. “I just do my job, I take my pay and I go home.”
Fredericks brushed Tanus’ hand away with an elegant yet forceful swipe of his arm. “A former Dreadnought is likely to have built up a number of connections during his time in the service, isn’t that so?”
Tanus folded his arms. “If you’re suggesting I had anything to do with this—”
“I’m simply exploring all available avenues, Mr. Dreyer,” said Fredericks. “How many knew the stone was in this safe?”
“Everyone would have, no secret what we found an’ no secret where we keep the valuables,” said Tanu
s.
“And how many men have the code?”
“Just me an’ Dreyer,” said Bowers.
“And neither of us are thieves, Mr. Fredericks,” said Tanus.
“Then it would appear we are dealing with individuals who are.” Fredericks grabbed Bowers’ wrist.
“H-hey, what are you—”
“Quiet, I have a theory.” Fredericks stared at Bowers’ fingers. Specifically his index finger. He rubbed that finger with his free hand and held it up to Tanus’ face. “Do you see what that is?”
Tanus squinted as he stared at the gloved finger. Flecks of white stood out against the dark cloth. “Is that—?”
“Powder. Someone sprinkled powder on the keypad, so they could see which numerals had fingerprints and determine which numbers were part of the code,” said Fredericks. “And it appears to be quite fresh. This happened recently.”
Bowers scowled. “I had the safe open last night, and the stone was still there. It must have been stolen sometime between then and before I opened the office this morning.”
“So there’s a chance they’re still nearby,” said Tanus.
Fredericks considered this. “If this is the work of an outsider they would require a ship. Corvil is quite small, they would have to leave the ship far from the mining outpost in order to avoid attracting attention.”
Tanus shut the safe and engaged the locks. “They may still be in town, you mean.”
Fredericks nodded.
“Good,” said Tanus. “I’m going with you.”
“What? Why?” asked Bowers.
“I help him, it shows the company we had nothing to do with the theft,” said Tanus. “And maybe you put in a good word for my boss so he can get back to his family in Serenity.”
Fredericks paused but then nodded. “Yes, I believe that’s an arrangement that can be made—provided we recover the stone.”
“It’s too hot,” said Ekala as she stared out the window of the inn.
“What?” asked Zarim from the bed. He held an old book in his hands, weathered from over-handling. He had picked it up at a used shop in town. “It’s balmy here. Corvil’s nice this time of year.”
“Wasn’t talking about the temp, Zee. I mean stayin’ here. Too hot, we’re runnin’ a risk.”
Zarim nodded. “Yeah, I know. But what choice do we have? We couldn’t bring the Excalibur too close and it’s not like I planned on the sky-cycle’s grav belt going.”
Ekala turned away from the window and sat on the edge of the bed. “Then we leave it. With those other jewels we took from that safe, we can get a new one.”
Zarim shook his head. “No way. That thing’s a classic, worth too much to just leave it behind. Besides, we got away clean. Even if they find it gone, they’ll look inside their own ranks first.”
A knock came on the door. “That’s room service.” Zarim leaned forward and gave Ekala a quick kiss on her cheek as he jumped from the bed and walked to answer. “Trust me, by the time they even begin to suspect someone in town, the grav belt will be fixed and we’ll be back on the Excalibur.”
He opened the door and found himself staring at two men. One was tall and thin, but appeared to be quite athletic and wore a purple suit with a cape and leather helmet. The other was quite large, with broad shoulders, dark skin, and a metallic arm.
“I beg to differ.” Fredericks announced his presence with a high kick that knocked Zarim from his feet.
Once the sky pirate got back up, he reacted quickly, reaching for his weapons on the dresser, but Fredericks was quicker. He held his cane up to Zarim’s throat and by activating a switch, the cane began to hum with energy as it began to glow brightly.
“Pulse sword,” said Zarim. “Nice.”
Fredericks smiled. “I’m inclined to agree. Now where is the stone?”
“Right here,” said Ekala.
Fredericks stepped further into the room, moving from the tiny foyer into the larger area. Zarim stepped back with each step forward his opponent took, his eyes still glancing at his weapons on the dresser. Tanus took notice of this as well, and raised his metallic arm, his hand sliding open to reveal the pulse cannon hidden within.
“Don’t even think about it, thief.”
“...Now that’s a neat trick,” said Zarim.
Fredericks glanced at Ekala, who stood on the bed, holding the Soulstone in her hand. Her eyes were hard as steel, not showing the slightest bit of emotion—no fear, no anger, just cool precision. He admired that. Clearly, she was a professional, more adept at this than her boyfriend, who seemed more invested in this on a personal level.
“This is just a job, okay?” she said. “Take the stone and let us go.”
“Ekala, what are you doing?” asked Zarim.
“Trust me, Zee,” she said.
“Zarim and Ekala, famed sky pirates,” said Fredericks. “I’m inclined to tell you, this is quite an honor, having the opportunity to meet you both. If only we had more time to get acquainted.”
“Just give us the stone and everything will be okay,” said Tanus.
“Sure, it’s right here.” Ekala tossed the stone and it seemed to move through the air in slow-motion. When she threw the stone, she also threw something else with her free hand, several smoke pellets that struck the wall and exploded in Tanus and Fredericks’ faces. She jumped from the bed, moving for the window after obtaining both her and Zarim’s weapons belts.
Taking advantage of the opportunity, Zarim twisted away from Fredericks’ pulse sword, delivering a knife-hand strike to the masked man’s collarbone. He snaked between Fredericks and Tanus, jumping up and locking his fingertips on the free-floating stone, then directed all his strength into a kick that knocked Tanus against the wall. Zarim jumped for the bed, bouncing on the mattress and then landed by the window beside Ekala.
“Next time, we leave the sky-cycle, got it?” she said before climbing out the window. She grabbed the ledge above, pulling herself onto the roof.
“You’re the boss.” Zarim followed her, climbing up to the roof behind her.
Inside the room, the smoke faded and Tanus gestured to the window. “Go after them, I’ll try to get to the roof from inside!”
Fredericks slid his cane into his belt and moved swiftly. He jumped through the window and grabbed the overhead ledge. He used his momentum to pull himself up , flipping in the air and landing onto the roof in a crouch. He drew the cane once more and activated the pulse sword again.
“This is the end of the line, my compatriots,” he said. “You cannot escape me.”
“Wanna bet?” asked Zarim. He and Ekala broke into a sprint for the roof’s edge with Fredericks giving chase. But before they could reach the end, the rooftop entrance burst open and Tanus aimed his pulse cannon at the pair of them.
“Not so fast,” he said.
“So what now, boss?” asked Zarim.
“Think you can take that guy with one hand?” asked Ekala.
Zarim shrugged. “Worth a shot.”
She slipped Zarim’s gun into his free hand. He opened fire on Fredericks, but the masked man waved his sword, slicing it right through the bullet. Zarim’s eyes widened. “Oh shit, I think I just realized who it is we’re dealing with, babe...”
“Yeah, an’ who’s that?” she asked.
“Templar,” said Zarim. The very long, quite creative stream of expletives that flowed from Ekala’s mouth made him realize just how much trouble they were in. Templar himself simply smiled.
“My, my, my, it seems my reputation precedes me. I’ve often speculated as to which of us would prove to be the superior swordsman. Care to try your luck, Zarim?”
“I’ll draw the big guy’s fire, you shoot that smug bastard!” Ekala jumped towards Tanus, hurling one of her boomerangs at his head. Tanus, despite his size, was quite swift and dodged it. But he wasn’t prepared as it swung around and struck him in the back. Ekala threw the second boomerang, but Tanus fired a pulse at it, stopping it dead in its
tracks.
“Got no more weapons, do you, darling?” he asked.
Ekala just smiled, her hand snaking behind her back and drawing her throwing knives. “Wanna bet on that?”
The knives flew from her fingers, and Tanus tried to shoot as many of them as he could, but missed two of them. He raised his metallic arm as a shield, the daggers striking it and bouncing off the frame. He took aim again and fired. Ekala back-flipped to avoid it, now trying to determine what to do next. She thought about a different route.
“So tell me, how much is Templar paying you?” she asked.
“What are you talking about?” asked Tanus. “Who’s Templar?”
Ekala chuckled. “Seriously? He’s only one of the finest thieves in the entire world! And the guy you’re working with!”
Tanus raised his cannon. “This is a trick.”
She shook her head. “No trick, handsome. All of us are thieves. Difference is, we’re after that stone for someone who can use it for good. Templar’s after it for...well, I dunno why he’s after it, to be honest.”
Tanus glanced over at Templar, watching him and Zarim fight. His eyes traveled back to Ekala. “How about we wait this one out for a few moments?”
“Fine by me.”
Templar definitely lived up to his reputation as an expert swordsman. Zarim fired several shots to open the battle, but Templar was able to either dodge them or expertly deflect the rounds with his pulse sword. Zarim tossed the gun away and drew his own blade and Templar smiled.
“Now we’re getting somewhere.”
The two men closed the distance between each other, their blades connecting with a burst of energy and sparks as steel met pulse. Zarim pulled away first and thrust at Templar’s ribs. Templar twisted, the blade narrowly missing Zarim’s back. He followed through with his movement, doing a complete turn and swinging his pulse sword from low to high, trying to slice Zarim from the waist to the shoulder.
Zarim bent backwards, and the pulse sword passed over him. He righted himself and kicked Templar in the chest and then moved for another thrust. Templar deflected with his blade, then jumped over Zarim and swung again. Zarim spun, parrying Templar’s blade with his own. The two men took a few steps away from each other, each sizing the other up, each taking a brief reprieve to catch their breath.
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