by Power, P. S.
He laughed. It wasn't clear if he understood the whole thing or not, but he shook his head a bit and snorted.
"Right then. I'll just get her on the handheld and suggest that she dine with us ragamuffins? Actually, I should try if nothing else. You're currently her second favorite nephew after all." He deadpanned that part, and explained dryly. "Dumas has the key to her heart, after all. Your cousin? I don't know if you've met yet?"
It was delivered exactly how it should be. Like they were really just talking. He nodded, since he had bumped into the kid. Twice in fact.
"Countier Second Thompson. We have met, in fact. I need to set up a visit with him soon. His brother, as well."
No one seemed all that easy or relaxed other than Tenet and himself. Not at first, but after a bit, the others either caught on, or figured that he'd determined there was no threat. Timon went first, and got his own communications device out, and hit a sigil. Nothing happened for a bit, until a woman answered.
Queen Tiera, from the voice.
"Hey, Tim. What's up?"
"Dareg and his newly hired facilities man are coming to visit for dinner, to discuss improving the lunar gardens? Alice was just talking to me about putting some better grow facilities on her ships, so we should drag her along for this. You in? We'll be there in... Call it half an hour?"
If there was a secret code in the words, he didn't hear it. In fact, the response was three individual claps, and a bit of laughter.
"Heh! Finally, one of you willing to actually help me? I can be there... Actually, call it forty minutes? At Marissa's? That, or we could try the new place? The Southern Coast. Carlos and Ken set it up. It sounds nice. They're focusing on seafood dishes, since that's popular right now."
Timon looked around and then crossed his eyes when no one indicated a preference.
"Carlos' place then? I think I can find it. See you in forty then."
When he hung up, he smiled.
"Some people you just have to be pushy with. Now, I think you can all fit in my craft?" He waved, indicating Gerent's ship, for some reason.
One which everyone got, except Will. It wasn't his jump ship, which meant that he was faking things. Hopefully not about the new restaurant, since it sounded promising. Good sea food was hard to find in the Capital for some reason. Possibly due to his lack of shopping or fishing, but it had been a while since he'd had any.
Dareg shrugged, like he didn't care at all. Will still wasn't all that calm seeming. Well, that wasn't right. He seemed all right, from his appearance, but still, there was something off. Possibly in the time distortions around him that the others weren't feeling, standing ten feet away like they were. More in some cases.
"Nah. Let's all take our own ships. The landing ports there need to practice having multiple ships in at once, and we have time. Oh... We need to chat, Taman. About getting some Tam-Comps for everyone?" He meant that, and people, slowly just started walking away.
Except of course Tor, Petra, Count Ward and Dorgal. The rest seemed to get that he had a plan, or again, that there was no threat. Tor nodded at him, which wasn't about there not being a threat, it was clear. He could feel the time distortions around the smaller man.
"Can I catch a ride with you? I should use my own, but I've been lazy that way."
As he spoke, the waves from Will got stronger. Enough so that the others all looked at Will suddenly, even if they didn't know what was taking place.
"Sure... Or, you know why don't you set up, too? You can get these people there directly, and I'll go with Will. I mean, dumping you lot on top of him all at once is a bit mean. You're all a little... Large. You know? Some people find that intimidating. Not Will, obviously, but I mean... Come on, why push him?" If anyone insisted after that...
Then they'd have to die along with him. Even doing that much had to be giving their hand away. The only thing would be if Will thought that the chance of killing Queen Tiera and all the others at once was worth more than taking them out right there. Short of spelling that part out however, there wasn't a lot he could do about it.
Tor...
Nodded, but looked sad. The real kind, not over some imagined slight.
"I remember being smaller myself. I..." He glanced at Dareg, which looked casual and held a wave of sent information.
It was like a wall, it was so solid. Telling Dareg that he knew his plan. That he agreed, and didn't have a better one. That he feared Dareg was going to die.
Which was the likely outcome, so he smiled.
"Yep. The meal will be hard enough. I need to go over the dining rules, which you all know, so, go. We'll be right there." He tried to look charming, instead of rude, and got a laugh and a small smile from Count Ward.
"Ah, I recall being your age. When the world was new and freedom called to me. We'll see you both soon then. Prince Dareg." He gave a half bow, which was polite of him, being the bow between equals.
Doing it back, he noticed that Will tried to copy it, going less far than they had. It looked uncertain, rather than rude, so everyone ignored it. Only, of course, they didn't.
"Call me Dare, Count Ward. Everyone else do that, too. I'm not used to having a title yet. So, let's head out? Use good take off protocols! Up and west ten miles. Every time. It saves lives. We'll go last. Big ships first after all. Come on Will, let's get this set up."
It didn't take long, since he didn't need water or anything for this trip. Not where they were going. Not even if the plan had been to really go to the Moon.
The real destination was very different.
Dareg needed to talk though, and make things seem real, so he started lying. A little.
"Tor... He's my father. I just found that out about two months ago. He... Really he's trying hard, and means well. I just... Before that I was just some kid, you know?" He waited in the craft for the others to take off and get underway. Going too soon would help nothing.
Will seeming far more relaxed again, nodded.
"That must be hard."
"Yes. I came here, a lot like you, I guess. Looking for work. Tam-Unit recognized me, a bit, and got in touch with some of the others. I had nothing before that. An old shirt that my mother had made for me, before she died. Falling apart shoes and trousers that wouldn't have lasted even to now, since I think I started growing finally. The thing is, everything I have now is thanks to that. I guess I worked for a bit of it, but... I wouldn't have this ship for cleaning up the ports. Even if they paid me full wages. Tim Baker gave this to me. Just handed it over." He snapped his fingers and smiled. "Like that. It wasn't even a thing to him. A month before that, I had to beg for a spot in people's barns, so I wouldn't be out all night in the rain."
That got a nod, as if this being had shared that kind of experience. Which was possible. Dareg didn't know his life, after all.
"So, it's hard, having Tor around all the time. The others, too. Did you see that group they had there? That's the third or fourth time they've done that to me. Tor keeps trying to put guards with me. I mean all the time. I keep telling him no, so he's gotten clever, trying to get Orange to set that up. She's... Not really related to me. Kind of cute, out of that outfit of hers. The latest trick is that she's supposed to 'tutor' me in fighting. So she asked me to join fleet. Only, I know it won't be real. They just want to keep me under the thumb."
The speech probably wouldn't make any sense to a commoner. Will nodded along, which could be a sign of that however. He didn't speak or give advice however, just sitting and watching the other craft move into the air. The orange Space Fleet ship went last, the others getting things close enough to correct to leave him feeling happy about it. The fleet vessel did it perfectly, but that was the job.
"Here we go."
Will didn't act like he was afraid. Really, he barely even acted like flying wasn't normal. Instead he turned a bit toward Dare, and watched him. Not the interesting world moving and getting smaller under him. Dareg was still amazed by the view, and was watching it more t
han Will was at the moment. There was no fear on the commoner's dark tan face when he looked over, either.
He was just looking at him. Examining him. When they got into orbit, the small man, who was still young, in appearance, chuckled. This time it was a bit more menacing in tone.
"You don't really think that you're fooling anyone, do you?"
Dareg could feel the sense of time distortion then, hitting him a lot more solidly than it had a few minutes before.
"No. Not really. They all know that I'm not one of them. I try, but I can't be part of their world. You know what that's like, don't you? Like no matter how hard you fight, or work, or struggle, you're always going to be the outsider. Not good enough. I mean, you're here to do what? Kill us all?"
He slid his hand under the control bobble and jumped instantly. The man next to him did look out the window then, the scene being very different. It was both sudden and shocking, since the world was blinding now. They were, after all, diving full speed into the Sun. The trick there would be to convince the vessel to keep going when he let go of the control unit. His shield darkened under the brilliant white light, but Will didn't have one of those, so instead of a half bubble of dimness in the air, he just seemed to be normal.
Burning, slightly, but not enough to make him scream. The flesh got red however.
"Well, this is a change. What gave me away?"
Dareg wasn't finished yet, having more to his plan, since a bit of burning might not do the trick.
"Oh... A lot. Your boots first. No farmer could afford those, even if he were rich for that sort. The stitching on them is perfect. Even the King's boots would have some errors. Then, you know, you don't show up to magic. There were some other things. I mean, you're wearing the face of the man that nearly beat me to death last month. The time distortions are kind of obvious as well."
The man half stood, and started to blur, as Dare shoved his body backward, desperately trying to tell his craft to keep moving, hoping they were close enough for gravity to catch them as it suddenly stopped moving anyway. This time he didn't stand and try to fight, and the man didn't follow him at super speeds, showing that it probably hurt for him to do that trick. Just like it had him, and the others.
The thing, unlike the other Bill, shifted form as they fought. Warping, and spreading in the air. He yelled as Dareg hit the wall of his ship, small at the moment, with his shield. Then, focusing, he tried to make it vanish.
Which didn't work. Not from inside his shield.
"You will all serve! Serve the masters and die!" Then, the blurry and distorted being came for him. Touching him easily, as if the shield wasn't there at all.
Choking him. Which he was at least capable of fighting against now. A bit, at any rate. Not that it mattered. He wasn't winning a fight with this being.
There was no air to breathe for him anyway, so he smiled, and nodded a tiny bit. Punches were also coming in, nearly unseen, battering him from all sides. That part was familiar.
Dare turned the shield off, and tried to feel the wall, moving back to touch it.
Will laughed at him, thousands of voices merging into one.
"You can't run from me!"
That wasn't the point, of course. Not that Bill was letting him move that far back. No more than a few feet, but it might as well have been miles. His feet however, were on the floor, and that was good enough. Using that contact, and feeling about to go down for good, blacking out, he turned the ship off. That caused his shield to kick on, but didn't push Will away, which it should have. That meant all the air flooded out, and both of them were gasping.
Also falling into the sun. So at least that part had worked. He'd been worried about that portion of his plan.
Dare's shield protected him, but the other fellow wasn't that lucky, and actually stopped battering him, the lack of air and the burning pain distracting him into letting go.
With a thought, Dare flew backward, blacking out still. His shield, being whole now, tried to make air, which, given that he had nothing on him except stone and magic, meant his body was going to be used to make it. He could feel his beard dissolving first, then hair, and the outer layer of his body. That gave him enough air to catch his breath, gasping from the abuse. His lungs burned, and his eyes felt a bit like they'd been being sucked out of his head, but he was still able to see.
He waited there, for a long time, to make certain Will was dead. His ship had been diving toward the giant orb of fire and were close enough for gravity to do the rest, so both Will, and the amulet his ship had been on, kept diving toward the thing, moving faster and faster. He waited until it was really clear that the being wasn't coming back, or managing some kind of trick to use against him.
It actually had one, it seemed, since a vast wave of utter darkness came at him somehow, visible as it drank the light around it. He didn't know what it was going to do to him, but he set up a jump, fast, and moved off to Harmony directly. Dareg was hurt, from the void and the beating, but he felt loads better than after the last fight. Using thought directly, not able to reach the amulet, he activated his healing device, hoping the strain wouldn't leave him too depleted again. It probably would, but it was better than healing the old way, and he really didn't think it would kill him.
The healing did hurt though. Badly enough that he nearly turned the amulet off to end it, as he floated above the Moon. Stopping himself took effort, and he nearly did it several times. After about ten minutes, nothing seemed to be happening anymore, so he turned the thing off with another thought. Then, feeling tired, like his life had been used up in the battle behind him, he got himself to the outer personnel hatch, and let himself inside.
That took a while, given the layers of airlocks required, but five minutes later he was able to walk into the main hallway, the air cool on his now bald head, and naked face. The skin on his hands felt soft and looked nearly pink, the outer layers having been removed for him, to make air. Even the fluff on his arms was gone. Reaching up Dareg could feel that he had eyebrows and eyelashes however, but kind of thought that the rest of his body hair had been used up.
His head was naked now. His black hair had been thick, black and long enough he needed to tie it back. Now that simply wasn't the case. Which was fine, Dare guessed.
"Now, where is everyone?" That part took him actual seconds to work out, his mind foggy from exhaustion. He was starving, too. Enough that it felt like pain to him, which came in waves.
Pulling out his handheld, he let out a shuddering breath. Parts of the event were fading he realized. He remembered most of it this time, since the fight itself had lasted only about a minute. If he had to talk about that, he was going to fail. The rest was as clear as anything, as far as he could tell.
This time he got with Tor directly, since he might be slightly worried about him. Almost as much as the jump ship that had been lost.
"Dare! You're alive! Where is..." The giant man was with other people. Parts of them were visible on the screen.
"Dead. I lost my ship. I had to fly it into the Sun. He... Wasn't like the others." Before he could explain, Tor, the wizard went pale.
"He was just a person? I couldn't feel him at all when I tried to check on a deep level. How..." He looked away, trying to figure that part out.
"Not that one. He was way stronger, and more powerful. When he died... I think that he did something that, if he were in a city would have killed everyone. I got away from it. Where is everyone?" It seemed a reasonable question to him.
Tor acted like it was some huge thing.
"We staged by the port, figuring that you'd both be coming here. I picked up what you intended... Gods, Dareg... I just found you. Be more careful than that!" He sounded a bit worked up, but Alice moved in and pushed her face in front of the device, being much smaller than the man behind her.
"Canton. Get over here." She stared at him and lit up a bit. "I love the new look. Much better. Now, come." She backed off and he shook his head.
; "Can we meet at Marissa's? That's halfway from where I am, but I need food pretty bad. I had to heal, and it was a lot."
They all agreed, since it wasn't that far, and he walked quickly, but used his feet, since it was too crowded to use his shield to fly. Even the low flying feature that was allowable there was a bit too risky for politeness. It was safe to do it, but bashing into people by mistake was still rude, even if they were required by law to wear a shield at all times. That was in case the air left, but it worked for rowdy individuals doing stupid things as well.
It was a goal of his to not be that kind of person.
The annoying ones that made life less pleasant. The sort that might show up to kill you, and all your new friends, for instance. He thought about things, not being able not to, while he walked. On the good side, he felt healthy this time. Rubbing his face he smiled, realizing that he still had his disguise amulet on. Hence Alice not being upset with him. She really didn't care for his real face.
As he walked he concentrated a bit and let his clothing morph and change. From the rather nice outfit that he'd had on, being what he'd fallen asleep in, to a loose flowing thing that was similar, but not exactly like, what he noticed on a man that had walked past. His had been a deep red, but Dare changed it to a more copper color. The man was probably a prostitute, but it was a good look for all that, and covered almost everything. There was a wide cloth belt, a sash, he thought, around the middle, but the rest of it flowed. His boots were the same but he made them hold a slight bit of copper as well, as far as color went. Then made them less shiny.
Hopefully it was good enough for dining out. If not, he could change it. When he got to the door, the man from before, Robert, was there, just inside. Waiting. Probably for anyone that came, since that seemed to be his job.