by Skyler Grant
"So this didn't go at all as we intended," Quinn said.
"Got what we came here for, though. At least Joline is going to be happy," Jinx said.
"When Kalisa sees how you performed she's going to be so proud too. Just think of what twisted combat regime she has scheduled for you next."
That thought made Jinx go a bit pale. "I hadn't thought of that."
"Maybe you can steal a break from training," Kara said, with a punch at Jinx's arm.
"No making fun of my lines—during the fight, I mean. It was a good line," Jinx said.
"Middling," Quinn said.
"Well, that’s your fault. Everything I know about corny lines in the middle of a fight, I learned from you," Jinx said folding her arms.
"You should just roar and punch. Works for me," Kara said.
"I wouldn't steal Kara’s lines. You can do better," Quinn said dryly.
This time it was his arm that got punched. It hurt. Jinx was getting stronger.
17
When they were ready to depart, Mara informed them she wasn’t going with them. A deal had been struck with Penny, of sorts, and to see it through she needed to return to her people for a time.
Quinn wasn't happy about that, but Mara had to settle this thing. If this would do it, then it had to happen. They were a threat to all of them and Mara was the only one that might bring things to some sort of peaceful compromise. Taki was going with her. If there was going to be a chance for her to get her implants, this would be it.
That left a smaller gathering than usual around the dinner table, although still crowded compared to how things had once been.
There were an absurd number of sausages for dinner. Jinx had made a request as the new Grandmaster and their pantry was now stocked with a wide assortment of foods from the coliseum complex.
"So we've got two more relics of the regalia. Do we take back what we have, or go after the others?" Quinn asked.
"Joline wants us back. I gather the political situation has changed a great deal while we've been traveling. Partly because of us," Tamara said, grimacing in distaste at a sausage on her plate.
"Is this a, ‘changed in a going to kill us’ kind of way? Because people keep trying that a lot lately," Kara said.
"We'd be foolish not to consider the possibility. We've killed two of the contenders for the throne, and Jinx has had two major exhibitions of public strength," Tamara said.
"I didn't ... I mean, I meant it, but ..." Jinx said, staring down at the table.
"This all really would be a lot simpler if you wanted to be Empress. I take it the answer is still no?" Tamara asked.
Jinx nodded, firmly.
"Simpler, she says," Dela said, rolling her eyes.
"At least we'd be shooting for a clear goal. And we'd know when we win. Instead of swimming for a shore, we're just keeping our heads above water," Tamara said, frustrated.
"So why don't you tell us what the situation is now?" Quinn asked.
"Joline, Kadello, and Vixana have come to terms. Once we deliver the pieces we have, between them they'll have the full set of Royal Regalia."
"With Joline having most of them. Kadello was the Emperor's enforcer, and Vixana the heiress, right?" Quinn asked.
"Precisely. According to Joline's people they've struck an agreement where Joline will be Empress, with the others her left and right hands. Vixana acting at her agent in civilian matters and trade, and Kadello taking over the military."
"Do you think they all mean it, or is this just a convenient pretense?" Kalisa asked.
"Kadello doesn't have a chance of gaining the throne on his own now. And Joline is more than happy to let him carry out his anti-alien agenda," Tamara said.
"Not loving that. What agenda?" Kara asked.
"Kadello felt the Emperor was growing soft in his old age. The extermination of hostile species was slowing down, and there was too much outreaching to make them proper Imperium client states after any conquest," Tamara said.
"Think he'll have a fight on his hands. Joline is fine with this?" Kara asked.
"Apart from the clans, Lexi is still out there trying to form a whole collective to bring down the Imperium. So I suspect Joline agrees with him."
"We held our own. We'll keep holding our own, but there are others not as strong," Kara said.
"The weak are there to be preyed upon. If the Imperium wishes to be a hunter, they will find they are not the only ones," Vess said.
"We're not even aliens. Humans made androids like me, and the Emperor still wiped us out," Melody said.
"Nobody is saying the Imperium doesn't have problems," Tamara said.
"Yet everything you do is trying to preserve it. Androids are welcome amongst the clans. Other species are welcome amongst the clans," Kalisa said.
"But what would happen if we just stepped back? If the clans fell upon the Imperium like it is now?" Quinn asked.
"Slaughter," Kalisa said, with a shrug. "Just as it will be if the Imperium puts up a better fight. All you are doing is changing the distribution of the dead. You aren't saving lives."
"Regardless. Most of us are of the Imperium and we wish to see it preserved," Tamara said.
"Do we? Because asshats who want to exterminate my whole species aren't really winning any points with me," Kara said.
Kalisa said, "You know where I stand. My agreement is I assist this family, and I honor it. But the Emperor tried to exterminate me and my people, and you seem to be doing all you can to see he has a proper successor who will do the same."
Jinx raised a hand for silence. "Maybe this is my fault. We know ... magic seems to be pushing me towards a job I'm not going to take. If I were, I could try to reform things, but since I'm not, we're thieves. We have people who depend on us, and we have a paycheck waiting."
"What is our paycheck anyways? I know the money component, but there was a lot more on there," Quinn asked.
"The Emperor's vault. It was where he stuck everything too dangerous to be allowed out in the Empire. Dangerous, but that he thought he might need one day," Tamara said.
"Interesting," Kalisa said, with a gleam in her eyes.
"How do you know about it?" Dela asked Tamara.
"Do you forget? I was a lawyer for the wealthiest and the most powerful in the Empire. They were forever finding something forbidden to use against their foes, and having it snatched away."
"You seemed to have a pretty big list," Quinn said.
"The Tourmaline line may also have had an interest in hoarding anything that was discovered. Supposedly they were stockpiled in our own vault," Tamara said.
There was that subtle shift of posture that showed Tourmaline had taken over.
"The bastards that took over my line used what I had stashed away. What the branch of the family on this side of the Divide did with anything they gathered, I've no clue," Tourmaline said, before shifting back.
"So what are we going to do with all that?" Quinn asked.
"You want my long-term plans?" Tamara asked.
"I'm sure you have them. You didn't put that all together for nothing."
"We've a presence on the Rim already. I want to build it, expand on it. Hope's Reach is just the beginning."
"If I'm not going to be Empress of the Imperium, I'm not going to be Empress of the Rim either," Jinx said.
"No, you're going to be the Queen of Thieves. You think the Imperium is unfair and cruel to some of its citizens? We'll offer them a possibility. You think they stymie development? We won't," Tamara said.
"And what of the clans?" Kalisa asked.
"I don't want them slaughtering the Imperium. I'd prefer nobody be slaughtered. But the most powerful Order mage alive is the Queen of Thieves. And we have an Unshackled too," Tamara said.
"They do respect strength," Kalisa said, thinking it over.
Jinx looked troubled, but said nothing.
"Then we don't want to stick around. We've done our part to see a strong Imperium is at ou
r backs. We finish this job, we get paid, and we get back to building our future," Quinn said.
That got nods along the table. Quinn had to give it to Tamara. She'd created a future that none of them disagreed with. Home was becoming something bigger than just this ship and the people on it.
"So back to the ‘people keep trying to kill us’ thing. Jinx has to seem a bigger threat than ever by now. We've got to be prepared," Kara said.
Quinn didn't disagree. In a way, royals were a lot like criminals. The closer to the end of a job you got, the more tempting it became to wipe out your allies and take the whole thing for yourself.
"We'll play it smart," Quinn said. "What does Joline need to get inside the vault?"
"The full set of regalia," Tamara said.
"We get our money first. She knows we have the remaining pieces needed, including the crown. That fight was broadcast out to the Imperium. Once we have our coin we've no choice but to trust them. We have a well-armed team get the rest our earnings and we bounce. They never lay eyes on Jinx," Quinn said.
"But you'll need me present. If you want a quick getaway that is going to mean using the runic sphere," Jinx said.
"No, at least not anywhere close enough, or for long enough, for them to take a shot at you. Neutral meeting spot for the first exchange. The second via a shuttle. You'll jump in for extraction at some point when they aren't expecting it."
It was a bit of a slapdash plan, but it wasn't a bad one.
18
The first exchange was such a sharp deviation from what Quinn was used to that it was almost shocking. Tamara signaled from Tenaxara, a third-stage development world at the edges of the Core that was also home to a full branch of the Galactic Bank. Within five minutes of reaching out to Joline's people, the credits had been transferred to the proper account and Tamara had quickly exchanged these for hard currency and was aboard the Tango. Two minutes later the shuttle had rendezvoused with the Centauri Bliss and they'd used the runic sphere to jump four systems away.
It wasn't all they'd hoped for. One third of the remaining three pieces of regalia, one third the pay. Quinn couldn't argue it wasn't fair.
It also meant the completion bonus part of their payment might be similarly reduced.
Joline was insistent that they make the final exchange at the site of the Emperor's vault itself. It was suspicious, and it was inconvenient for their purposes.
At least the vault wasn’t on the Imperium home world, but rather one of its moons. The moon of Ixli was surrounded by shipyards, defense stations, and was the main base of the elite of the Imperium military.
It was pretty much the last place in space you wanted to go, if you wanted to make a quick and quiet exit.
"I don't like this," Quinn said. The family had gathered around in the Whiskey. They'd decided on using the shuttle for this final stage of the plan. Stealth would be almost useless on Ixli given the power and number of sensors there. At least the armor on the Whiskey could theoretically buy the crew a few more seconds in an emergency.
"We'll be fine," Dela said.
"What she said," Tourmaline said with a savage grin and a back-slap to Kara. "We're a complete trio of badasses."
Picking a team for this one had been a mix between those able to deal with the danger, and making sure their payout was what it was supposed to be.
It turned out Kalisa had upgraded Dela with implants that were largely focused around her already formidable skills as an appraiser. Dela now packed a sensor suite inside her head that your average spy drone would envy.
Between Tourmaline and Tamara they had one of the family’s strongest combatants along with their best hacker. Not to mention a strong dose of diplomacy. That was wise when dealing with royalty.
Kara was sort of the opposite of diplomacy, but she was a nearly indestructible killing machine which was really useful when you expected to be backstabbed and betrayed.
"Just don't take any chances," Quinn said.
"We know what we're doing. Just be ready for a quick retrieval when we're done," Tamara said.
They could be sure of that much. The Centauri Bliss would be sitting ready, and they'd be monitoring everything Tamara and Dela saw through their implants.
With their newfound fortune they'd bought an old rusting hulk of an ore carrier. It was barely usable for its intended purpose, but what it did have was a hold more than roomy enough to fit the Centauri Bliss.
They wouldn't be chancing the lag times of laying in wait outside of the system. They'd be hiding in plain sight in the system and just waiting for their moment.
The next few hours were a flurry of activity—and a lot of doing nothing. Quinn had his place in the cockpit with Kalisa seated beside him.
"You never told me when first inviting me aboard I'd be watching an instrument panel so much," Kalisa said.
"Believe me, weren't something I planned. I'm amazed we didn't still shoot you. Still think we might," Quinn said.
The Whiskey had just finally made it through layers of security and was making a landing at a small pad. The royal crest was large on a wall as the crew disembarked.
"I'm the tiniest bit hurt, husband. Have I not honored every promise I've made to you?" Kalisa asked.
"You have, but you and I both know that won't keep. Can't keep. It's not a matter of if you do the unexpected, but how bad it screws us when you do."
Kalisa regarded Quinn and trailed her fingers along his arm. "You used your powers for the first time. Truly. It has troubled you. Tell me about it."
The group that had left the Whiskey was being searched. Their weapons removed. No sign of treachery yet, which was a positive. They had the crown with them, and guards could have already tried to gun them down. Quinn figured he had time to explain.
"I was being influenced by a drug. I reached through the might-have-beens to find a me that wasn't. Just for a few seconds, just long enough to have him do the things I couldn't do," Quinn said.
"Interesting," Kalisa said, and she meant it. "Usually a second generation like yourself inherits the ... methodology of the Unshackled who made them. That isn't mine."
Quinn spared her a glance away from the monitors. "So what is yours?"
"The pure untapped potential of science. The endless possibilities of any moment. I seize upon the sheer wonder of the universe and bend it to my will," Kalisa said, musing.
"I saw might-have-beens. Even when I was being ... made. There wasn't just one of you, there were hundreds. Maybe thousands."
"And you gave yourself absolutely to all of them? My, my, I am even more intoxicating than I gave myself credit for," Kalisa said laughing softly. "In all seriousness, it would be easier if you saw as I did. Your training will have to be like Jinx's, with me guessing what you see."
The group up on screens had been guided into a large antechamber. A stone plinth that seemed almost an altar was before one of the most impressive-looking doors Quinn had ever seen. Gleaming metal was carved with intricate runes, all of which glowed with a dull blue light.
Joline, Kadello, and Vixana were all there. Joline and Kadello were each accompanied by three guards and Joline by five.
"That is the vault? Why do the exchange right in front of it?" Quinn asked.
"You know that as well as I do," Kalisa said with a humorless smile. "Someone is going to betray each other. Possibly everyone is going to betray each other. Look ... look deeply and see what might be.”
Quinn knew she meant with his abilities, with his magic. It wasn't like that though, not for him. Perhaps Kalisa's possibilities showed her glimpses of the future, but his might-have-beens were more focused on the present.
Joline was saying, "We've all gathered to seal our agreements. We stand here before the Emperor's vault, the home of his darkest secrets, to seal the promise of our combined future."
"Your futures, Empress. We just wish to get our payment and go be on our way," Tamara said.
"Place your pieces of the regalia," Jol
ine said. One of her guards handed her the Imperial Scepter. It was set upon the stone and a glowing blue outline surrounded it.
Tamara cracked open the case she carried, the crown glistening with inset pieces of lapis. The gems began to glow as soon as it was laid on the plinth.
Vixana slipped the medallion from around her neck, a gryphon curled around a mighty gem, and when it was set down it too began to glow.
Kadello was the last, a wicked-looking longsword that didn't seem in the least ornamental, pulled from his side and placed on the stone.
A rumble grew, the blue light flaring. The runes on the vault door flickered and with a groan it began to open.
That was all Kadello needed. In an instant the massive man had retrieved the sword from the altar and in a single swing decapitated two of Joline's bodyguards.
"Into the vault," Tourmaline hissed at Dela, grabbing her hand and pulling her through the doors with Kara following. Dela turned as soon as they were inside, keeping an eye on the fight.
The floor was already littered with the corpses of four guards. Vixana's bodyguards and Joline's were fighting valiantly, but they seemed completely outmatched by Kadello and his men. Kadello’s martial reputation was well deserved. With each swing of that sword someone died.
It was predictable, really. It had been predicted. If they'd started killing each other before opening the vault, the plan had been for the team to get away. Otherwise, to rob as much as they could before making their escape.
Tourmaline was busy doing just that. She and Kara were filling sacks while Dela watched the vault entrance, keeping tabs on the combat. What there was left of it.
Joline had grabbed the scepter from the plinth, perhaps in some futile effort to defend herself. If so, it was too late, because Kadello charged her and plunged the sword deep into her midsection, driving it clear through her and giving a savage twist.
19
There was nothing Quinn could do, not yet. There was an emergency plan if everything went totally went to shambles—despite the risks, they'd drop Kalisa off and let her slaughter everything in sight until they had their people back.