by Gini Koch
“The same way we avoid detection now. Longdaddy has some very advanced scientists who are quite loyal to him. They created a living organism that combined organically with those of us who continue to strive against the Diamante Families. The tad-biotic enhances our powers exponentially. It allows us to reach each other across the vast distances of space while helping to mask our activities and mental trails.”
I’d seen Longdaddy’s living computer system. It wasn’t hard to believe that the beings responsible for that could create an organism that did what Ciarissa described. “Doctor Wufren, is he part of this, too?”
She shook her head. “Fren opposes the Diamante Families for the same reasons the rest of you do, but he was never a part of the Espen Resistance. He self-exiled from Espen well before the Purge.”
Interesting. Yet another fact I hadn’t known. Roy might not know, either. “How many of you are there?”
“Not enough, but we do what we can. We are placed within certain organizations, on specific planets, within groups where our assistance is most needed.”
The light dawned. “That’s why you fly with us.”
She smiled. “I would fly with you even if I was not part of the Espen Resistance. I requested to be given the chance to join with Roy and his loyal retainers.” Her expression saddened. “I have lost many things because of the Purge and my planet’s refusal to help fight against obvious evil. I don’t want to lose your trust, or lose the family I have joined and love.”
Had to give one thing to the Diamante Families—they really brought a galaxy together, united under the banners of loathing, hatred, and revenge.
Maybe I should have continued to be suspicious, but I’d known Ciarissa a long time now. Having met Longdaddy, it was clear that we were all on the same side. Besides, I didn’t want to lose anyone or anything else because of the Diamante Families.
I hugged her. “I understand.”
Her body relaxed against mine, and Ciarissa hugged me back tightly. “I would prefer not to tell the others about any of what we have discussed.”
“Let’s get out of this situation first, and then worry about who gets to know what.”
“What situation are we in, exactly?”
Either she was faking it really well, or Ciarissa truly hadn’t been reading me and Bullfrog while we were gone, other than at a very high level. While I was ready to forgive her, there was information I needed to have in order to ensure our crew’s long term health and happiness.
“We’re here to save the day again. Per my intel, it should pay well. If we can pull it off. But we’re not going to pull it off until you tell me if Doven’s interest in you really is or isn’t returned.”
Ciarissa stared at me for a few long moments. “You would endanger an entire world for this information?”
“Yeah, I would. But I don’t think you would.”
She shook her head. “That is not like you.”
“Based on what I’ve learned today, you aren’t like you. Not the you we thought you were. So why does it surprise you that I might be different than you’ve thought?”
“Because I’ve seen your true heart, as I’ve seen the true hearts of all who fly with us. It is why I fly with all of you. And because of this, I know you will not risk the lives of innocents on a whim.”
“It’s not a whim. Doven and Roy are fighting because of you, and we can’t afford to have that. I need to know, right now, where your loyalties—romantic and otherwise—really lie.”
“My loyalties are with the Martian Alliance. I believe bringing back the true galactic emperor, especially as personified in Roy, will be what the galaxy truly needs. The Espen Resistance agrees with this—they want a return to the former rulerships, kingdoms, democracies, theocracies, and such that existed before the Diamante Families took over.”
“Good to know. And your romantic loyalty—is it to Doven, Longdaddy, someone else, or no one else?”
“Ah. You fly with the man you love, so you need to know if it’s the same for me?”
I rolled my eyes. “I’d fly with Roy even if I didn’t love him, and vice versa. You’re stalling, waiting for someone to come and interrupt us. But I have a guarantee of privacy, because Longdaddy understands what my price for participation is. So, stop dancing around the question and answer me—do you have romantic feelings for Doven like he has for you?”
She looked straight into my eyes. “No.”
“Fair enough.” I stepped closer to the Employees Only door.
Ciarissa joined me. “That’s it? No protests, no pushing me to give Doven a chance? No coercion in any way?”
“No. I just wanted to know. So I won’t encourage him to actually bird up and ask you out. I thought he was reading you wrong, but I guess he’s right—his love is unrequited.”
A quick look around showed that no one was really paying attention to us. I went to the Employees Only door. As promised, it opened right up. I stepped through, motioning to Ciarissa to follow me.
She did and we started down a hallway that looked a lot like the hallway in the Polliwog Palace that led to Monte’s office.
Ciarissa put her hand onto my arm. “You misunderstand me. I answered your specific question. I don’t have romantic feelings for Doven like he has for me. Our differences mean we can never feel exactly the same way about each other.”
“Oh, good grief. Stop being coy. I need to focus. Do you want to date and potentially mate with Doven or not?”
“I…would be willing.”
“Great.” There was supposed to be a hidden entrance somewhere around here. It was really well hidden. “Then, when we’re done with this, make the first move. He’s never going to. I realize you’ve probably been waiting for him to actually talk to you about this. I also realize, having met Mister I Advertise, that Longdaddy undoubtedly made a move within the first five minutes of meeting you. Doven’s not like that. He’s got all that rigid morality up in his feathers and he’s convinced himself you’re not interested. He’s as likely to make a move on you as I am to come on to Monte.”
“Oh. Uh, thank you.”
“Any time. We’ll worry about how to get you more rest so Doven stops stressing out about your exhaustion later. Right now, we need to roll on our part of the latest plan I wanted no part of, and I can’t get us out of this stupid hallway. There’s a hidden door around here. Any guess as to where it is?”
“Yes.” Ciarissa walked us a few more feet and then pointed down. “There is a stairway here.” She pushed what looked like a screw, and a portion of the floor raised just enough to be able to lift it.
“Of course there is. What a world, what a world.”
Ciarissa headed down the dark stairs. I went after her, ensuring the trapdoor was securely closed behind us.
“How many times have you used this path?” I asked.
“Never. I just knew what to look for.”
We reached the bottom. This walk wasn’t nearly as long or steep as those Bullfrog and I had taken during our Swamp Walk. I was going to sleep for a week once this caper was over. And demand that Roy give me leg rubs…So, maybe I wouldn’t sleep the entire time.
We came to a three-way fork in the path. A small arsenal was piled onto a wheelbarrow. Per what Longdaddy had told me, I knew to take the rightmost path. The curiosity to see where the other paths led almost overwhelmed me. Then I remembered that all roads led to either flies or Longdaddy’s lair, my legs hurt in any form I shifted into, and I didn’t want to stay on Polliworld any longer than we had to. I grabbed the wheelbarrow and made the hard right.
When we came to the next set of steps leading up, I shifted again. This time, I ensured that I was very recognizable.
Ciarissa’s eyes, like mine, had adjusted to the dark; I knew because she jumped. “Is this a wise gambit?”
“Yes. It helps that you’re disguised to look like you’re from Convent. We need to have someone to blame, and that blame can’t come back on any of us, on Longdaddy or
Polliworld, and not on Monte, either. This is the best option.” Plus, I was fairly sure Monte was betting on us using this gambit or something close to it. He wasn’t a stupid being in any way, and he knew us pretty darned well.
“They’re going to try to kill us the moment they see you.”
“That’s why you’re along. Feel free to exhaust yourself. I can carry you back to the ship if needed.”
“I didn’t hide my past relationship to keep something from you or Roy or the others. Roy doesn’t announce who he truly is and what organization he supports to just anyone, either. But until one of you met Longdaddy, there was no reason to advise that another monarch was closer to his throne than the Diamante Families might realize.”
“I’m not upset with you.” Anymore.
Ciarissa shook her head. “Yes, you still are, at least a little bit. I thought we’d already made our peace.” She sounded sad and worried.
“We have.” I sighed. “I need to be angry, because it’s going to help me stay in character. So, let me stay angry with you for right now, because it’s a fresh anger, so it’s easier to tap into and maintain. Once we’re back on the Stingray, I’ll be back to me. In all ways. Deal?”
“Deal.”
“Great. Then let’s go show everyone that the boogeyman is alive and well and seriously pissed.”
We took the various armaments Longdaddy had provided. We were both weighed down with a lot of firepower—me more than Ciarissa, but then, I could carry a lot in this form. And we were going to need to put on a very effective show for this to work.
The stairs led right to the back hallway behind Monte’s office, just as Longdaddy had said they would. I had to give it to him—he’d really set things up well. I wondered how much Ciarissa had told him about us, and figured a lot. So, Longdaddy and Monte were both counting on us doing exactly what we were about to do.
By now, Bullfrog should have told Roy what was going on, other than about Ciarissa, because I didn’t think he’d made the connection about her relationship with Longdaddy, or if he had, he hadn’t shared it with me. But either way, it was safe to assume the Stingray had left Polliworld very officially and that the Redeemer’s Will was going to return shortly, guns blazing.
It was dangerous, so dangerous, for me to do this particular shift. But there didn’t seem to be any other way. At least not a way that would leave everyone I cared about safe. Roy had no idea how dangerous a shift this would be for me, either, but I knew he wouldn’t like it, just on general principles. Which was why I’d ensured Ciarissa and I were already too far away to alter the plan before Bullfrog explained what we were doing.
Roy wasn’t really like Roman. Maybe a little like Roman—very male, very captivating, and a great leader. Okay, so Roy was a lot like Roman in those ways. But Roy would never intentionally kill an innocent, no matter what the cause or the cost. And should that happen, he’d never wave it away as the cost of war. Roy understood the cost of war, but he didn’t enjoy spending the money. Roman, on the other hand, felt quite differently.
For Roman, it was his way or the highway to Hell.
Longdaddy’s people were already in place and ready, he’d assured me of that, and I’d watched him send the message, which was why we had to ensure we timed everything right. Longdaddy had also verified there was no life on Orion’s Light. And I’d shared what I’d do to him if I discovered that was a lie. So all was set.
Ciarissa nodded. “Monte is alone, but all the surveillance is active.”
“Showtime,” I said quietly. In this form, my voice was deep, low, and had a very charismatic quality. I’d ensured I’d shifted everything, including matching Roman’s mind. I was able to do so because I’d known him personally. I’d known him better than anyone, and certainly better than anyone still alive.
Being angry with Ciarissa was helpful because Roman had been a very angry person. His voice hadn’t been the only charismatic thing about him, either. Hopefully I radiated his machismo, because if I didn’t put on a believable show, we were all dead.
But the time for doubts was over. I finalized the shift in my mind.
I looked around, taking in the scene. I wasn’t that old a man, but sometimes my life’s experiences made me feel ancient. My memory liked to disappear occasionally. It was a test—of my faith, my strength, and my conviction. I closed my eyes and centered on the beating of my heart. Ah, yes. I never failed this test. Because my cause was righteous and I could not, would not, be stopped.
Memory flooded back, as it always did. I was Roman the Redeemer, here with one of my loyal adherents to stop anyone from overtaking yet another defenseless world against its will. Orion’s Light would not fall into the hands of Diamante scum. Better they should burn in righteous fire than fall to the most evil and godless of empires.
“Tell our allies to begin.”
Ciarissa nodded. An explosion rumbled; the sound, and the screams, confirmed it was close by. More explosions, more screaming, both within the building and outside. The Redeemer’s Will must have made itself known.
We went to the office’s rear door. I contemplated knocking, but that wasn’t a frightening enough entrance. And this fool needed frightening. At the very least. I kicked the door in. The wood splintered in a satisfying manner.
I shoved Ciarissa back and to the side as I jumped out the way. Sure enough, lasers fired at us. I was used to guerilla fighting, however.
I tossed in a gas bomb, courtesy of our local allies. It was non-lethal, which was something of a disappointment. But agreements had been made and compromises were sometimes necessary.
I strode in to see a variety of Underground personnel on the ground and Monte the Leech gaping at me. Due to his nature, he was unaffected by the gas—his kind could simply absorb it through their skin and eject it later as excrement. “You…you’re alive?”
“You won’t be for too long.” I nodded to Ciarissa, and she concentrated. The bodies convulsed then went still. Enforced comas. They’d recover in a few days. If we didn’t blow this den of iniquity sky high first.
“What have I done?” Monte asked, looking around wildly.
“Guards are coming, as are both more Underground and Diamante Families enforcers. I have alerted the Redeemer’s Will.”
“You will not defile Orion’s Light. There is enough sin in this galaxy already.”
“S-Sorry. But, the plans are set. Casino City will be beautiful to behold.”
“Can you see Orion’s Light from here?”
Monte nodded.
“Show me.”
“The Redeemer’s Will has created a disturbance, adding to the existing explosions and chaos. There is panic in the streets, which has spilled into the casino. Guards and enforcers are delayed.”
He undulated over to the wall with the drawing of Casino City and pushed a button. The picture slid up, revealing a holoscreen. The rock named Orion’s Light floated in the center. “There it is.”
“Some guards and enforcers have made it through and will be here momentarily.”
I could hear the sounds of destruction coming closer. There were a lot of beings causing quite the ruckus. Good.
I set myself between Ciarissa and the door, guns ready. “You will agree to cease all plans for your defilement of Orion’s Light, or I will remove the temptation for you.”
The first of the Diamante Families personnel breached the doorway. I shot him dead, and the three behind him. “Toss your weapons into the room, or I’ll send you all to the fire!”
Some weapons were tossed in. So was a grenade. I picked it up and tossed it back. Because of my size, everyone always underestimated my speed and agility. To their detriment. The explosion was muffled by the bodies. No loss. No one in this den of iniquity would be worth redeeming, other than by blood and fire.
“If any of you still live, send a message to your employers—I will not allow Orion’s Light to be defiled. I will burn this world if you continue trying to extend your sin to others.�
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“A few still live, and they are running away. They know who you are, and their terror of you is much more than their terror of what their own masters will do to them. They will share your message.”
I turned back to the Leech. “You will cease all your plans with Orion’s Light.”
“Hardly. Look, Roman, can I call you Roman? Roman, this is a business deal.”
“Burn your contracts before me.”
“They’re in a safe place, Roman. I can’t access them at this precise time. Especially since I think you blew up my storage area.”
This I knew to be a lie. However, there were other ways. “Then prepare to have those contracts declared null and void.”
“No can do, Roman. They’re ironclad.”
I shrugged and looked at Ciarissa. “Then we go with Plan B.”
“Plan B?” Monte asked nervously. “What’s Plan B?”
Ciarissa was concentrating. I could tell by her expression and the look in her eyes.
“You’ll see.” Ciarissa nodded and closed her eyes. I picked her up in my arms. “I will let you live today, Leech, because there is a chance, however slim, that you may be redeemed. But if you try to claim another planet or moon as you have Orion’s Light, I will return and feed you to the fire.”
“Plan B is you leaving?” Monte asked hopefully.
I nodded toward the holoscreen. “That is Plan B.”
Right on cue, Orion’s Light exploded into a million tiny pieces.
“Guards!” Monte screamed. “Guards!”
“They are dead or gone.” I heard the sound of coordinated marching coming closer. The Diamante Families must have gotten themselves in order. “As are all who oppose their Redeemer.”
I strode from the room. Once out of the Leech’s sight, I ran the way we’d come. We reached the trapdoor and were down it quickly, even with my having to carry Ciarissa. We raced down the stairs, her still in my arms, and then down the dark tunnel.
Lily was waiting for us at the fork. “Come this way.” She turned and ran down the leftmost fork, and we followed.