by Adam DiSalvo
“Damon I must apologize I have urgent matters that need my immediate attention. And. I have drank too much.”
Damon glanced over at Serena.
“I see. She’s beautiful.”
“Its not like that. She’s a lead engineer at Genotech.”
Raffa took a step back.
"Serena, this is Sir Damon Prince. Nagus of Saint Julian’s Praetorians."
Serena reached out and shook Damon’s hand. His hand wrapped completely around hers.
“The slayer of the Hydralex. Nice to meet you in person Mr. Prince.”
“Nice to meet you as well Serena.”
Damon turned back to Raffa.
“There is no chance I can convince you to stay? The Duchess always has the best booze in Ur!”
Raffa took a deep breath and shook his head.
“I’m sorry Damon I will have to take a rain check. I can not delay any longer. There's a bird on the perch waiting for me.”
Damon looked at Serena then back again at Raffa. He let out a sigh.
“Alright. Well that's a shame. I hope the next time you’re on Pyra Prime you let me know! We’ll drink our way from the bottom to the top!”
“Sounds like an adventure! But forgive me please. I must leave.”
Damon embraced Raffa with a brotherly hug.
“May one day you hear the goddess.”
“Thank you Damon.”
“Good night Serena.”
“Good night Mr. Prince.”
Raffa and Serena continued their way through the party towards the exit. Imperial Guardians were posted everywhere. Their unmistakeable flashy gold and white armor was accompanied by their azukar. Their iridescent blue blades appeared like azure glass. The glow from the center of the blades was as beautiful as it was mesmerizing. AGR’s were secured to their backs.
“I never liked technology reproduced by the arc,” Raffa offered. “Especially weapons.”
“Sir you don’t seem to be taking this very seriously,” countered Serena as they approached the exit.
Raffa held his words as they passed by the sentries.
“Oh but, I do! Science can not reproduce technology made by the angels because they don’t follow the rules of physics. Pandora’s Arc is, unsporting.”
Serena laughed.
“You could be running for your life right now and you want to bitch about the arc?”
“Yes. But do you see my point though?”
The two made their way outside towards the landing pads. The evening air was crisp and cold.
“When we.”
Raffa paused and thought.
“When they—,” he went on. “Use the arc no one ever learns anything. It just copies whatever you put in it whole or shattered.” continued Raffa. “It's a crutch!”
“And a blessing” Serena added. “Follow me. This way."
Raffa scrunched his brow in disagreement.
“A lot of the weapons fielded by the heroes in the war against the Hydra were angelic weapons.” Serena explained. "We may have not have achieved victory without them.”
She shook her head.
“Why are we even talking about this?"
“I don’t think we achieved victory.”
“What?! Your degrees are real right, sir? You did go to school somewhere at least?”
Raffa laughed.
“Never mind. I don’t know what I’m saying. Which pad are we on?”
“47” replied Serena as she picked up the pace.
Raffa frowned.
“Serena, isn’t that our shuttle over there?”
Serena kept moving faster.
“Sir. I’m trying to not bring any attention to us. Please keep up with me. There’s been a slight change of plans."
Raffa kept looking over at the familiar ship. He stumbled.
“Serena I’m pretty sure that’s our shuttle over there. It says Genotech on it!”
“I know sir.”
“But, Serena look!”
Serena was almost jogging. She didn’t look.
“Sir. Please keep up with me.”
Raffa kept moving as he peered at the ship. The hatch opened. A figure in tactical gear appeared from inside.
“What the hell?!” said Raffa aloud while another figure exited his shuttle. “Who the fuck is that?!”
“Sir we’re almost there. Please keep up.”
They were running. A third figure appeared.
“What is that?! A fucking hit squad?!”
The three figures seemed to be watching them. They fanned out. Raffa made out one peering through something. Another was pointing. Raffa turned around.
“Come up the ramp!” cried Serena.
She was standing inside a very nice terrestrial transport. It was not the company vehicle. Raffa took a step towards the ramp as automatic weapons fire clattered up the side of the ship.
“Excuse me?!” Raffa exclaimed.
The emergency sirens on the landing pads blared in reaction to the gunfire.
“Raffa! Let’s go!” Serena shouted.
Raffa removed a pair of fancy glasses from his jacket and placed them on his face. He then reached to the small of his back under his jacket and removed a custom collapsable submachine gun. He aimed the weapon.
"Targets out of range” flashed in the view of his glasses. Raffa grunted.
“Thank you.” mumbled Serena under her breath as Raffa turned and came up the ramp.
He stopped next to her for a moment.
“Remind me to tell Whiterain Securities we no longer need their services.”
“Yes, fuck them Sir. I will sir."
The rattling of gunfire continued as the ramp and hatch closed behind them. They both made their way to the cockpit. From inside the ship the impacting rounds sounded like falling hail. Raffa began staring at Serena as she emergency started the engines.
“What?!” Serena barked, noticing Raffa’s stare.
“What do you mean, what?!” Raffa shot back. “Care to tell me who those guys are?”
“Why can’t you just ask me like a normal person?!”
“I am a normal person!”
“No sir. No you are not.”
They both strapped themselves in, steel hail still falling.
“Let’s fly!” Raffa yelled.
Serena engaged the main drive and the vehicle lifted off of the pad. The rain intensified.
“Ready to be holed out like cheese?” Serena joked.
Raffa turned to Serena as the ship continued to climb.
“You’re outta your mind,” he offered.
“You’d know, sir.”
The hum of the main drives replaced the chaos of the metal storm. A few stray tracer rounds chased up behind them but, they were soon well out of range. Raffa looked into the rear view screen to see the hit men base jumping from the platform. Serena glanced down just as the last assassin took flight, Imperial Guardians chased them to the edge of the landing pad, firing as they fell.
“How do you think they got inside?” Raffa asked, breaking a long silence.
“The things that come to your mind.” Serena replied.
“What?!”
“Didn’t you just want to know who they were?”
Raffa shot her a glance.
“No. Now I’m more interested in how they got into our ship,” jested Raffa. "And how you knew they were coming.”
“You’re not insinuating anything are you?”
“No of course not. I would have already shot you,” Raffa smiled.
Serena was almost offended. She laughed.
“A knight in shining armor came to the rescue this evening.”
Raffa wore a drunken confused face.
“No. Damon didn’t inform you.”
“Seriously? No, he didn’t. What the he—. Why would you think that?”
“I dont know I told you I’ve had a bit more than usual tonight.”
“No, it’s pretty usual.”
R
affa grinned.
“Maybe you’re right.”
“I don’t know who they were,” Serena explained, "But, do you remember that contact from three years ago?”
Raffa's interest peaked.
“She told us."
“She did, did she?”
“Same code name. Violet. I got her message just five minutes before I grabbed you from the hyenas.”
Raffa began to realize how much closer to death he really was. He leaned back in the co-pilot’s chair.
“What did the message say?”
“Get out or die. Use the ship you don't recognize. Violet.”
“That’s the old code name.” Raffa agreed nodding his head.
"Then your locator went dead and the haul breach alarm sounded on my PDC. I went to find you in the party immediately. I was worried you were already dead. Or worse.”
“Worse?”
“Yeah you know kidnapped or-"
“Or what?”
“Or I don’t know. You know what I mean don’t make me describe it.”
The rhythm of the drives was soothing. A deep calm settled in. They flew through the upper city's many spires and towers skimming along the cloud barrier. The city's golden glow laid out like a gilded road before them. Raffa brought the Palace of Therremos up on the rear view screen. The twin suns of Uruteth peeked through the concave crysteel sky barreir of Pyra Prime. The great pyramid. The light from the twin stars was cast down like a bridge of light upon the Palace. Pyra Prime was magnificent.
"Royalty reaps such opulence,” sighed Raffa gazing at the palace.
“Don’t get all poetic on me,” Serena replied.
Therremos sat at the center of Thermipoli on Eden deck, spreading out like a giant charybdis around the palace. Thermipoli was equally stunning. The edges of the city snaked out into a lush jungle paradise, complete with its own monitored and self sustained eco system. A massive artificial ocean lay beyond the jungle forest rimmed with white sand beaches. Flying over them one could get a notion of the size of the structure encapsulating them.
“Can’t I say fancy things sometimes?”
Serena held back a smile.
“You’re too smart for that sir and you’re not royalty. You can’t afford fancy words.”
“Can’t I?”
“Not if the budget is still too tight to give me a raise.”
Raffa sat up and adjusted his jacket under the restraints.
“Now you’re making me nervous,” Raffa revealed. “But, after tonight. Maybe."
“This cat and mouse game is getting serious.”
“Yes, it seems the cat is catching up.”
“The cat almost had you. Too many people knew you’d be at that party.”
Raffa smiled.
“Serena?”
Serena turned to meet Raffa’s eyes.
“Thanks."
Serena pitched the shuttle westwardly. The star ports built into the sky barrier appeared like tiny crescent moons sitting on the horizon. Eden deck was located in the top portion of the pyramidal space station. It would be a short fifty minute flight to the barrier at the western edge. Serena engaged the auto pilot and removed her restraints. Raffa did the same. Serena made her way to the lounge behind the cockpit. This shuttle was a luxury vehicle. Civilian and very fast. The lights at the bar winked on as she approached. Raffa grabbed a seat on a long couch next to the starboard side window. Serena poured herself a glass of cold water at the bar and lit a purple herb cigarette. Pyra Prime was a staggering size, hanging like a jewel in the blackness of space just outside the goldilocks zone of two stars locked in a shared orbit. The artificial jungle and ocean beneath the shuttle seemed to reach out forever beyond the edges of Thermipoli. Even from the windows of the shuttle one could not begin to grasp the vastness of the space beyond the star ports.
“I’ll be happy when we’re on a starship beyond the sky barrier,” shared Raffa, breaking the calm. “Is there a security detail available for us when we reach the western edge?”
“I contacted Lusio's Capital Securities from my PDC before I collected you. They’re expecting us on star-deck 189. Gate control has yet to be notified of our arrival.”
“Private shuttle 0030230078, we detected your unscheduled launch. Come in. This is Pyra Prime Flight Transportation Security.” a voice came over the intercom.
Serena shook her head.
“Well. I’m sure this’ll be easy to sort out.”
CHAPTER 3
LIGHT STREAKED THROUGH the window forcing Jaithen to squint his eyes. The light hum of the Alejandra’s engines whispered in his ears. He took a deep breath.
“I love artificial gravity,” he mused.
The light continued to fill the common area of his quarters, glinting off the glass tables and chrome accents of the furniture. The couches and chairs were upholstered in lush purple velvet and black leather. The room began to glow. Jaithen watched quietly as the marbled gold and turquois surface of Skylauren slipped into view. The serene landscape concealed the one hundred years of chaos gripping the planet. Jaithen turned his attention to another object looming in orbit over Skylauren. The shiny golden haul of the Imperial vessel was a sharp contrast to the Alejandra’s matte black finish. Like rain fall, drop craft departed the Imperial vessel and headed towards the surface of the planet.
“Chandra,” called Jaithen.
“Yes Captain?” replied a soothing artificial female voice over the intercom.
“Please prepare my primary STS craft.”
“Yes captain. The craft will be ready in five minutes.”
Jaithen carefully observed the Imperial vessel.
“Chandra, how many drop craft did you detect on sensors?”
“Twenty three, sir.”
The drop craft continued their decent.
“Has there been anymore contact from Violet?”
“No Captain. Her last message was received three days ago. It was sent from the surface of Skylauren. Her instructions were to rendezvous tod—“
“Yes Chandra, I recall her instructions,” Jaithen interrupted.
“Chandra is there any new data on what the Imperial military is doing on Skylauren?”
“I have been monitoring various criminal networks and there are rumors of strange vessels in orbit however, they are not Imperial but, are in fact private vessels disguised as Imperial vessels. There have been a few videos uploaded to the networks however, the network A.I.’s scrub them quickly.”
“Do we have any data that could corroborate this rumor?”
“I have decrypted one communication from an independent news source that suggests they are looking into the matter but, they currently have no further data. The blockade of Skylauren continues to be a complete success."
Jaithen's hair was trimmed into a high fade. Sharp features cast deep shadows upon his face as steel grey eyes pierced out over his high cheekbones. He wore a skin tight, black v-neck shirt underneath a protective armor vest that encased his upper body. His copper colored pants were fitted and his feet were strapped into black knee-high boots. An empty holster was strapped to his thigh. Jaithen brooded as he walked into his sleeping quarters. He removed a fancy black button up shirt with gold stitching from a drawer. Jaithen put on the shirt over his protective vest and buttoned it up. He then put on a black jacket.
“Captain. STS craft Drop 1 is ready for departure.” Chandra reported.
“Thank you Chandra.”
Jaithen walked over to a large floor to ceiling mirror. He turned his wrist over to look at his PDC unit he wore like a wrist watch from times forgotten. With a series of commands punched into the unit, the floor to ceiling mirror slid open horizontally revealing a small cache of weapons and various tools of subterfuge. He paused.
“Chandra. Continue to monitor that ship. Search for signs of the ship's manufacture and origin.” ordered Jaithen.
“Yes, Captain.” Chandra acknowledged.
Jaithen grabbed a pistol f
rom the wall and a few magazines and placed all but, one magazine into his belt. The remaining magazine he loaded into the pistol and placed the weapon into his thigh holster. He pivoted and crossed his sleeping quarters, headed back to the common area door. Golden ceiling lights came to life outside as the door opened. He exited into a long hallway with white granite floors. The walls were made of a deep green marble with gold accents in the molding. The floors were lined with pale baby blue lights. Jaithen started down the hall.
“Captain the vessel does indeed have Imperial markings however, the class of ship is civilian. It is a Singularium 1057 Cruise Liner starship,” explained Chandra.
Jaithen turned down another hallway as the golden ceiling lights followed.
“Is there any official record of the Imperial military purchasing any ships that match the one in query?” Jaithen asked.
“No. I can not find any official records of the Imperial military purchasing any ships of this type,” answered Chandra.
Jaithen came up to a large set of double doors and keyed in a code on the door's command panel. The doors slid open with force. Jaithen stepped out onto the drop deck, orange caution lights flashing. He hooked a small communication device behind his ear.
“Com-check Chandra.” requested Jaithen as he tested the mic.
“All green Captain.” indicated Chandra.
Jaithen smiled and crossed the drop deck to another set of doors. There he keyed in another code at the control pad. The orange lights near him turned red. The doors to Drop 1 snapped open. Jaithen stepped inside. The drop ships onboard the Alejandra were lavish. Purple and green lights lit up the posh interior. Jaithen moved down a set of stairs leading below deck and came to the cargo hold doors. The doors slid open and Jaithen approached a large glossy white case. He placed his hands on the case and opened it.
“Chandra, you never were able to extrapolate a purpose for this object were you,” sighed Jaithen.
“Sorry Captain, no.” Chandra apologized. "Other than it being magnitudes stronger than any other known substance, there is no other information I can discern from it. Not with my sensors at least.”
Jaithen closed the case and made his way up to the cock pit. He sat down at the helm.
“Close hatch. Prepare for drop,” Jaithen ordered as he punched commands into the ships navigation computer.