by Reiter
“Captain,” Dungias said softly.
“Damn, he’s getting faster with it!” Jocasta thought as she stopped and turned to face her engineer.
“I would request that we establish a rear guard… just in case Cupid is off by an hour.”
“And you need four hours to do what?”
“Why, to amaze you, Captain!” he replied. “But I will need everyone off the carts and the materials cart emptied and inventoried immediately.”
“Llaz, get those freeloaders across the river. But be careful; even money says not all of them are weak and helpless… especially the ones in the heavier hardware. Set Tank and Princess to watching them. I need the rest of you to set up a northerly reception, if you get my meaning.”
“I sure do, Captain!” Llaz said with an evil grin. “What about the materials?”
“Leave that to me and Nulaki.”
** b *** t *** o *** r **
Princess stood up from her work. “You’re lucky the Captain wasn’t aiming to kill,” she said, closing the med-kit.
“That bitch shot me,” the large, muscular man hissed before receiving a punch to his sternum. Despite his incredible physique, the blow actually registered, and the bald man balled up in pain.
“That bitch is my Captain,” Pristacia snapped, masking her surprise at the effect of the gloves Dungias had given them. “One more crack from you and I’ll need a shovel, not a med-dose.”
“Certainly is inspiring,” one woman remarked as she combed her hand through her red hair. “… seeing such loyalty to one’s Captain. I think I might get teary-eyed.”
“Just as long as you don’t get in her way,” Pristacia replied with a smile. “That way you don’t get dead while you’re crying.” She turned and walked away. The woman cut her hazel eyes over to the one they called Tank who seemed all too eager to add to the body count he had started with knocking the messenger out of the sky.
“Whaddaya say, Marlie?” Agatha asked, still hand-combing her hair.
“Not now, Agatha,” Marlene said softly. “That’s a freakin’ energy auto-cannon that gimp’s got loaded to his hoverchair. And we already know he won’t hesitate to pull the trigger and mow us all down. This crew may not have numbers the way they should, but they’re tight, regimented. They almost come off like drilled soldiers. And you saw how that skinny bitch tapped Soft Bone. Someone went and taught Miss Pretty-Pretty how to hit.”
“I read you, Marlie,” Agatha replied. “So for now, we go along and hope we get along.”
“I’m seeing it, but I don’t believe it,” Nulaki said as he stood, watching Dungias, with his hands on his hips.
“What? You know what he’s building?” Jocasta asked as she tilted her head. All she could see was big, long, bowl-like devices. “I was thinking boats, but none of them look water-tight.”
“Then I won’t spoil the surprise. You know–”
“I know,” Jocasta quickly interrupted. “With his brawn and his brain I could go far.”
“Don’t forget, it also takes your lead,” Nulaki added. “Yeah, he’s a freaking Adonis genius, but without you to put him in the right place, that’s all he is. A lot of people are going to see him as the reason for the season and admittedly, he makes you come off smoother than Imperial silk… but Captain, please tell me that you can see the one thing that makes all of these people work the way they do.”
“You working your way around to an apology, Conadier?”
“That too,” he quickly answered. “I put my foot in it and I have us all in a jam. Over my shoulder, third from the end of the second row… her name is Delvettea Fwannin. She’s my half-sister.” Jocasta looked at him, surprised and immediately understanding. “We had the same father.”
“My sympathies on the ‘had’ part of that,” Jocasta replied, looking the woman over. “And I get it. So, can she climb walls like her brother?” Nulaki looked down and sighed. “I’ll take that as a ‘no’. Not too fond of being a mixed breed, is she?”
“She hates it, actually. I haven’t known her all that long, but she’s made that abundantly clear.” Nulaki looked up into a visage that confused him. “Captain?”
“Did you find her, or did she find you?”
“She found me, and I know where you’re going with this. I had our blood analyzed…by my guy!”
“And you determined she’s Fazbred,” Jocasta said after taking a moment and folding her arms.
“Yes! Down to the chromosome! What?!”
“Mr. Z,” Jocasta called out. “Did you hear any of this?”
“To date I have come across three different types of Fazbred who can alter their genetic code at will. The most difficult to contend with are the ones who then resemble the subject they have sampled,” Dungias explained as he continued welding plates into place.
“How does he do that?” Nulaki asked. “Work and spit genius at the same time?”
“Get used to it,” Jocasta quickly replied, waving Dungias to continue. “Keep it comin’, Z-Man.”
“From a very cursory overview of the one you call Delvettea, I would say she is the sort who can alter only a percentage of her code, but it would be enough to stand against the standard modes of analysis. Her left palm would be the one she uses, and she would need a skin-to-skin contact for at least ten seconds to take an adequate sample. The extraction would not be invasive and would be difficult to detect without equipment. The change, however, is not a permanent one, and eventually the subject would return to her authentic coding.”
“I used to sail along with one of those Z listed as the most difficult to contend with,” Jocasta added. “There wasn’t a bio-lock she couldn’t get past.”
“Princess, would you be so kind as to make that one bleed for me?” Nulaki requested, pointing at his half-sister, who started screaming. She thought about turning to run but the sound of Mel’s gun powering up locked her into place.
“Belay that request, Princess,” Jocasta said, drawing her knife. “I’ll handle this. Mr. Z, can you walk me through an analysis while you finish up there?”
“I can and will, Captain.”
The matter did not take long after Jocasta pummeled the young woman into unconsciousness. Dungias was able to finish his work and give Jocasta instruction on how to analyze the blood. The combination of the goggles and the chemistry kit made it a very simple matter. Jocasta showed Nulaki the results while asking how much he had transferred to the woman over time. She winced when Nulaki could not give an exact amount, but said it was well over a million credits.
While the mystery of how a would-be millionaire con-artist wound up in a Slavers’ cage was still teasing Jocasta’s mind, Dungias announced he was done with his work and that they would have to say farewell to the mounts and wagons. Jocasta checked the time and smiled at the fact that he had only taken three hours and forty-two minutes. Still, she would only call in the rear guard at the very last moment. She looked on with amazement as Dungias lifted the heavy bowls and flipped them over, storing the materials aboard the wagons on top of the first two, and the oil containers on the last two overturned bowls. After a very brief overview, Dungias chose four people and gave them very specific positions to take under the bowls. One by one, each and every person took to the river and swam under the bowls, taking their positions. Once the rear guard was recalled and everyone was strapped in, Dungias gave the order to push way from the shore. The current set them down river and Dungias pulled the first of three strings. Suddenly there was thrust and the inverted bowls started moving faster. Jocasta thought she could hear heavy footfalls, but the sound did not last long as the speed of the water increased.
Llaz had forewarned of a downgrade, and the water turned rocky. Dungias was able to bark commands to his chosen four who had rudders they could manipulate. It took a little getting used to, but the makeshift water-vessel righted itself and continued down river.
“You are a genius, Z,” Jocasta said, smiling at Dungias.
�
��Guard your ears then,” Dungias said as he donned his goggles. Everyone donned their goggles and Jocasta re-examined her grip.
“What’s wrong?”
“Llaz said we lose the river,” Dungias stated. “From his perspective, he could not say how far the river goes underground. All we really know is Eelrim’s Point is where the river can be seen above ground again and that is a small mining community just north of our destination, the township of Borheem.”
“How is this thing set for drops?”
“We shall have to see.”
Before she could say anything, Jocasta felt the water around and beneath her fall away, replaced only by air. Screams sounded off on all sides of her as she looked down. The goggles shifted their view so that she could see, but there was some truth to ignorance being blissful. It was a long drop to shallow waters and the party was only falling faster.
Jocasta screamed out her First Mate’s name as he used gravity bursts to keep the pods in formation and from reaching terminal velocity. One last burst was fired into the river and some of the waters came up to greet the falling bodies and pods, slowing their descent. They splashed down into the underground river, and a few minutes passed before the sound guard was no longer necessary. Dungias took that time to take a head count and verify that he had not lost anyone.
Silence took a cold grip of the river-riders, with only the sounds of water slapping against the pod walls rising up over their fearful breaths. Dungias reached for Alpha and slid his Osamu out through a hole he had made at the top of the pod. After a few moments, the sound of brace-coms accepting a feed echoed through the pods. Each device was being fed the view from Alpha and they could see in all directions. With Alpha also providing light, the outcries and whimpers of terror soon became soft crying along with the softer ooohs and aaahs of delight.
Most of the rocks had formed in the absence of light, so they were not of the normal variety seen. The stone was predominantly blue with pockets of crystal formations ranging from pink, to yellow, to red and even green. The life-forms seen were small, with pale skin and very large eyes that reflected the light like perfect mirrors. Dungias informed everyone that he had taken precautions in case any of the wildlife became either too curious or too hungry to resist an investigation of the pods. Not long after the small lizards were seen, electricity arched over the pods, striking bio-forms that had come too close to the makeshift watercraft. The largest shock was sustained for five seconds and a very long and broad snake-like creature swam away upstream. There were a few more jolts sent to curious creatures that either swam or ran away in great haste. Dungias recorded all of them, especially the wingless birds that could run atop the waters as if they were stepping on solid ground.
Pulling everyone from the river was an experience Jocasta was glad she was recording. It was late at night, which meant they had made excellent time, and the guards of the mines had never seen any people coming out of the falls, let alone in such great numbers. They went from being boastful and mannish to taking to points of cover as they realized they were outmanned by a score of six to one.
“Is there an end to your bag of tricks?” Pristacia asked as Dungias pulled her out of the river.
“I am sure there has to be,” he replied, setting her down on solid ground. “The question is whether we shall reach that end or not.”
“As ominous as that sounds, I am sure that will be a glorious day.” Pristacia went up on her toes to hug Dungias. “I just hope I’m there to see it.”
“By then, Princess, I am sure you will be a Queen!”
Jocasta joined Nulaki as he stood on the southernmost hilltop, gazing further south. She could see the lights of the township; soft torch and lantern light illuminating a very small patch of flat ground in the middle of rolling sands. To the east and south she could see rocky hills that led up into mountains that just barely deserved to be called such. She looked at Nulaki who seemed to be anything but the Black Scarab she had come to know. He was anxious, angry, and unsteady.
“I figure if we give Z enough charges and a tape measure, he could bring those mountains down on the township and bury it all just as quick as you please.” At her words, Nulaki burst into laughter and staggered forward.
“Do I look that bad?”
“Getting there,” she answered. “You know, there’s one serious advantage I hold in my own history,” she said tapping, the side of her head. “It’s all gone; my past. I’ve got no home that I can remember. No youth where I was inadequate, untrained or scared. My first memory is at the controls of an S-22.”
“A Mockingbird?” he guessed.
“Don’t make me fall in love with you, Conadier,” Jocasta warned. “Anyway, I was just gliding, engines cut and one with the sky. Then someone started shooting and I’ve been star-blazing ever since.”
“How long ago was that?”
“I don’t know… seven, maybe eight years.”
“You’ve covered a lot of space in a short time, Captain.”
“Yeah, ‘slow’ is a gear I hit when I’m unconscious,” Jocasta asserted. “But you’ve got to pull up and recognize something: this place forged the beginnings of the Black Scarab, but only the beginnings. You’re not the man you were when you left here.”
“You didn’t even know me when I left here.”
“You’re not the man I met on Zhok-Tarr either,” Jocasta stated and Nulaki knew he could not argue that perspective. He had changed, actually grown in the very brief time he had spent with Captain Starblazer. “Get it together, Conadier,” she said, slapping him on the back. “You’re needed.”
“I am?”
“People like you and me make life interesting,” she said without turning around “… or didn’t you notice? Whatever it is that has you jacked up, I’m sure it’s big… but I doubt it’s bigger than you.”
“I appreciate that, Captain,” Nulaki said, giving a bit of thought to a notion that had been itching at him ever since they left the desert. “Any chance I’ll be needed to help you handle that passion the Witch spoke of?” Jocasta stopped walking long enough to turn, look at Nulaki, wink, and resume walking away. “Damn, that was a sexy ‘maybe’!” he muttered before taking one more look at Borheem.
Jocasta made her way back to the group and pointed at Mel and then at the Living Key. “That’s your baby until I say different,” she directed.
“Aye, Captain.”
“The rest of you, it’s been a lovely trip, but just over that hill to the south, there’s a lovely little township, and I’m told it has lovely telnet uplink capabilities,” she said, looking at Dungias who nodded ‘yes’. “You should be able to place a call to those who care more about you than I do. So, with that, it’s been a real slice of heaven. Have a lovely little life.”
“What about food? Or money?” one of the newly freed individuals spoke up and Jocasta turned with her blaster drawn.
“Or we can bring all accounts to balance, which means each and every one of you owes me and my people for your liberation. Shall I start quoting prices, or is everyone going to develop a sudden case of logic and realize that gratitude is the freakin’ flavor of the moment?!”
“Thank you, Captain,” Agatha quickly said, raising her hand.
“What are you doing?” Soft Bone asked in a hush.
“Hitching a ride on the only thing going,” she replied before turning to face the Captain. “Thank you very much. I don’t suppose you can tell me if all of the holdings were used in the creation of our little escape boats?”
“Your weapons belts were the straps securing you into place,” Dungias said as he pulled the first of the pods up on shore. “That which was not used in the creation of the pods was stored on top between the oil containers. You will note that people pay for oil here, and you have well over thirty gallons left to you. I am sure a good trade would be oil for uplink time on the telnet. Lead productive lives; make wise decisions. Goodbye!” Jocasta covered her mouth as she holstered her blaster and
turned.
“Just a moment, Mr. Z,” Agatha pressed. “I realize your time is precious, but so are our skills.”
“And what makes you think we need your skills?” Jocasta asked.
“Absolutely nothing, Captain,” the red-headed woman quickly answered as she looked at Jocasta. “But you’re the first ray of light after a long and very dark and stormy night. I look at your people and I see a strong crew. I’m just asking if you’ve got room for those who are willing to pull their weight and a little extra.”
“Which belt is yours?” Jocasta inquired.
“The IA flyboy’s belt.”
“You a pilot?”
“I am. The woman behind me is my gunner. We come as a package deal.”
“Whoa, this is a first for me: a true to life Tandem,” Jocasta said. “There are a lot of ships that swear by them. Even pirates try to recruit them when they can.”
“The Akonsha Star was our boat,” Agatha admitted. “Our Captain is dead, and the asshole that slashed him made off with the Star. We ran afoul of some Imperials while trying to get a ride out of the Gulmar System, and we’ve been on the run ever since.”
“How many are you?”
“You’ve got five of the Star, Captain. There’s me, Marlene, Soft Bone over there, whom you’ve already met, Tiebault and Siekor.”
“Ballsy, including an idiot I had to shoot already,” Jocasta remarked.
“We’re crew, Captain,” Agatha returned. “Would you have us any other way?”
Jocasta snorted a laugh as she came down the hill. With Mel, and his charge, already positioned behind the group of freed men and women, Olkin and Silnee moved to her wide left and right flanks and it was all Jocasta could do to keep her head from swelling with pride. She walked up to the redhead and looked her over.
“How long have you been planning your approach?”
Agatha swallowed hard. Despite this Captain’s youthful appearance, it had been made clear to the fighter pilot that the woman had seen many stars, and she was not about to make any rookie mistakes regarding personnel. That could have been the reason why her crew-hands were so solid. “Truth is all you’ve got left to you, girl,” Agatha thought.