Pride x Familiar

by Albert Ruckholdt

  Epilogue.

  (Simone)

  The car took me to a dock somewhere in Island Three.

  It was a rundown affair, with much of the machinery surrounding it in disrepair.

  But the starship that floated in the alcove was anything but junk.

  It was beautiful and looked brand new.

  Trident shaped, with sleek lines, and massive outboard engines. It sported a black hull with a gun-metal grey underbody, and stabilizer fins like those on an aircraft. It reminded me of a holovid image I’d seen once, of an ancient Terran aircraft called the Black Bird. There was a definite resemblance to it, but only a resemblance.

  I pulled my travel suitcase along behind me.

  I walked up to where the boarding ramp touched the dock.

  Two crew members awaited me, a young man and woman dressed in black shipboard uniforms. The man was a clear foot taller than the woman. They had a military air about them, which made me wonder just what kind of ship I was about to board.

  Their eyes took in my appearance. There was no animosity or challenge in their eyes. I felt like I was being scanned by Sentinel bots with a human appearance.

  They both walked up to me. The man offered to take my travel case for me and I thanked him for it.

  The woman asked in a perfunctory manner, “Simone Alucard Raynar?”

  I blinked quickly. “Yes, ma’am.”

  The woman nodded in acknowledgement. “You have everything you require?”

  I hesitated. “I was told me to pack for a month.”

  Again, another acknowledging nod. “Very good. The Seeress rarely comes into port at Pharos, so we keep a full inventory aboard. That’s not to say we don’t enter port elsewhere within the Hurakan Nebula. Nonetheless, I doubt there’s anything you won’t find aboard ship.”

  In my peripheral vision I saw cargo containers being loaded onto the vessel. Despite appearances at least some of the surrounding dock machinery was functional.

  Looking at the starship, I asked, “What’s her name?”

  “Ishtar.” I sensed a hint of pride in the woman’s reply. “Her name is Ishtar. She’s a deep space Pathfinder.”

  I rolled the name on my tongue. “Ishtar….”

  The woman half turned toward the ship. “Let’s get you settled aboard. The Seeress will want to see you before we depart.”

  A sudden bout of nerves held me back. I swallowed and asked, “How long—how long before we return to Pharos?”

  The woman’s matter-of-fact tone did not help my state of mind. “A month, maybe longer. It all depends on the Seeress. We go where she wants us to go.”

  “Longer than a month?”

  The woman neither shrugged nor smiled. “Like I said, we go wherever the Seeress fancies.”

  She turned toward the ship and began walking up the boarding ramp.

  The man stayed beside me as I struggled to get going.

  My mother’s words haunted me.

  Go find your answers, then hurry back. If Serenity gets her claws into him too deep, you may never free him from her. And I can’t do anything about the Avenirs’ plans.

  I started walking up the boarding ramp.

  You’re the only one that can truly free him from his past.

  I straightened my back and my posture.

  You’re the only one that can give him peace.

  As I walked into the starship, I gave the dock behind me one more look.

  Perhaps, you’re the only one that can change the outcome.

  Then I turned and stepped into the vessel.

  If only they’d let me see him one more time before I had to leave.

  No matter how determined I wanted to be, I was unable to quell the turmoil in my heart.

  # End Volume 1 #

  # To be continued in Pride x Meister #

  About the author:

  Albert Ruckholdt is a software engineer specializing in accounting and customer relations management systems, with an Honors Degree in Computer Science from Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia.

  He lives in Sydney, Australia with his family and two dogs, Lila and Saya.

  Pride x Familiar is his first eBook release.