by Reiter
** b *** t *** o *** r **
“Seven days, Thanneus?!” Danavyn questioned as he closed the channel over which he had been talking. The tall, lean man walked into the office without notice, which was not uncommon, but it did whet Danavyn Veil’s appetite for information. “Your contact must be slipping.”
“That would be the least of the possible explanations, sir,” Thanneus replied. “My cousin is missing! No word, no message, and no signs of struggle. Our people had to use DNA scans to verify I had given them the proper address!”
“That doesn’t bode well, does it?” Danavyn remarked, thinking about the various potential answers to this particular riddle. “I will presume you engaged all necessary forensics.”
“All those I have contact with,” Thanneus replied. “I will need your permission to enlist any additional personnel.”
“Did you hear that, my dear?” Danavyn said in a louder voice. One of the wall panels dropped into the floor, revealing the Executive Safe Room. Thanneus knew it was there; he had been present the day it had been installed. What he was not expecting was the person he saw standing in the corridor.
“Pearl?!” Thanneus exclaimed.
“Hello there, cousin,” the young girl smiled, lifting her eyebrows.
“Job well done, my dear,” Danavyn said, getting up from his chair. “You have proven yourself quite capable. Anyone able to avoid the eyes of my man Thanneus is certainly deserving of the materials you have requested.”
“Requested?” Thanneus repeated, glaring at his younger cousin who shrugged her shoulders as she came into the office.
Danavyn chuckled, placing his hands behind his back. He walked over to the window of his office and looked out into the city. “Yes. You see, when she sent you the information which you then brought to me, she also sent you a devious little program that allowed her to use your brace-com as a surveillance device.
“Pearl,” Thanneus whispered. “Why did you do that?”
“If you want to get ahead, you have to go ahead, cousin,” the young girl answered. “And I figured this would be my chance to get around all of these rules you insist on playing by and make my move.”
“Pearl!”
“Oh get over it,” the young girl said, whisking her long, straight brown hair over her shoulder as she turned to approach the bar. “You mind, Silver?” Danavyn looked over his shoulder before shaking his head ‘no’. Pearl chuckled and helped herself to the bourbon. She took a glass intended for the imported beers and dropped in three cubes of ice. “I mean, look at it this way; it’s been, what, a week… and what do you have on this Casi woman that I didn’t give to you? Nothing! The Veil-man here needs me and I decided to show him just how much.”
“Speaking of the Casi woman,” Danavyn remarked as he turned to face Pearl.
“Oh yeah,” she said, putting down the glass she had filled nearly to the brim. She took out a small data-pad and keyed up the file. Placing the pad down on the bar, Pearl snapped her fingers and a holographic projection came up from the device. A three-dimensional bust of Jocasta Endigun was displayed.
“How quaint,” the man said, folding his arms. Pearl chuckled and did not see Danavyn cut his eyes over to Thanneus who held the gaze for a heartbeat before he looked to the floor.
“Casi Reddur, believe it or not, is not this lady’s name,” Pearl started. “She’s got like three of them that I could find, and I don’t think any one of them is the real deal.”
“So we still do not know who she is?” Danavyn asked.
“It’s a work in progress, baby,” Pearl returned. “Old Earth Humans didn’t get to the Rims in a day! But what I can tell you is that she travels around with this guy.” Pearl snapped her fingers again and the picture shifted to a bust of the Star Chaser. “And this guy’s only got one name. Zee-goo-nok… tell… Dun-gee-ass. The race is listed as Mal… Mal…Mal-gov something or other and there are like only two ever listed in the Imperial and IA databases. Unlike the others, this one seems to be doing more than just passing through. He’s a registered bounty-hunter with a number of bounties collected. Most of them alive and kicking.”
“Most?” Danavyn repeated.
“Only two of them were stiff when he turned them in,” Pearl reported. “Which is peculiar because all but one of them were posted as ‘dead or alive’, with no discrepancy in pay between the two.”
“Hmmm,” Danavyn said, turning back to the window. “Anything more?”
“The current nipple twist in Gulmar just keeps getting juicier,” Pearl gushed. “Not only is this guy involved, but the people he’s trekking with blew through a Brigade Blockade!” Thanneus’ head came up and he stared intently at Pearl who was expecting that reaction. She nodded confirmation of what she had reported. “One second the Bricks are launching missiles, the next – BOOM they are gone! The Bricks of course put them down as presumed dead.”
“And you don’t because?”
“I cross-referenced files at every Gate Station in the vicinity,” Pearl stated. “Not long after Gulmar fired missiles, the mother ship that this Dun-gee-ass owns, came in for a shot. The coordinates of where they were going was wiped off the system by the time I got to it, so I’d say these people are pretty damn savvy techwise, but the vid of that ship coming into the Gate Station is clear as crystal!”
“And is that all?” Danavyn asked.
“Other than the group you asked me to set up,” Pearl reported. “Jockeys one and all, and ready to do the do for you! You’ve got direct access, and they don’t know who anyone in this office is save the people who have them by the forest patches!”
“I trust you are not lying or withholding information from me?” Danavyn inquired.
“Not one keystroke, babe.” A soft beep came from Thanneus’ brace-com. Pearl turned to see her cousin look at his readout.
“She’s been mapped, sir,” Thanneus stated, lowering his arm. “She’s telling the truth.”
“Let’s induce a coma then,” Danavyn directed.
“What?” Pearl said, looking back and forth between the two men. She only completed the circuit twice before Thanneus tapped his brace-com and she collapsed to the floor. Another command brought robots to collect her body.
“Put her in storage,” Thanneus commanded before taking one more step toward Danavyn Veil. “May I speak?”
“You presume too much, my friend,” Danavyn said, turning and walking to his desk. “I have need of you and once you condition your Pearl, we will use her as well. She has shown us where we were weak, and she could very well do the same with other defense structures.
“I have never had a taste for Jockeys. Perhaps there is simply too much bad history. But, it would seem we will need to rewrite that history. That will be all for now, though. We both have much to do. Acquaint yourself with this group she has assembled and get them working.”
“Yes sir,” Thanneus said, taking one step back.
“And press whatever button you must to bring me more about these… bounty-hunters!”
“With the utmost speed, sir.”
“We shall see, my friend. We shall see.”
Be extremely subtle, even to the point of formlessness. Be extremely mysterious, even to the point of soundlessness. Thereby you can be the director of the opponent’s fate.
Sun Tzu
(IX)
Only the sound of Xaythra’s footfalls broke the silence of the over-sized room. She wondered if she continued the quick pace she had set only to maintain her sanity. It all seemed so preposterous, the tedious steps she was being made to take. She was a goddess! Even if she were not of the normal variety, she had followers, believers, priests, and the power of KaA was hers to command! Why was she constantly being made to feel as if she did not belong?! A loud, clunking noise overwhelmed the sound of her boots against the marble floor. She turned to face the gigantic doors which led into the interior chambers. A figure slowly appeared in front of the doors, wrapped in brown silk that was lin
ed in gold. While there were signatures of power all about him, and in ample magnitude, he was no god! He was just another go-between.
“Take great care before you speak, underling,” she said, her voice was saturated with disgust and rage. “Because I have had enough of these games.”
“I can assure you, great Mistress, we are engaging in no game here,” the man spoke as he lifted his head. He was comely, but he was not her Hanvashi. His eyes could not turn her ire.
“Then you are about to tell me what I wish to know,” Xaythra stated as the ground began to tremble, but only at her feet.
“Powerful one,” the creature bowed to her. “… I have been sent to offer you an apology.”
“An apology?” she asked. “For what?”
“It is not often that those of your significance are made to wait,” he stated.
“I would think not,” Xaythra replied.
“In this humble one’s existence, it has only happened once before, and that occasion dealt with the very same subject matter.”
“So, I am not the first to seek him?”
“By the heavens of all the gods, no! Mortal and immortal alike have braved these halls seeking that particular knowledge. It is my sad lot of service to be the one to come to you and say that while this information can be given to mortal seekers who pass the trials, no deity can receive this knowledge.”
“No deity?!” she asked. “This is madness!” The man in brown silk dropped to his knees as light shone from behind Xaythra.
“These so-called gods and their penchant for sweeping entrances,” she thought. She turned to see the source of the light. He was called Tarranos and he was the Lord of the Etasian Pantheon. Etasi was the ancient name of the Vohlterrans; it was so ancient that not even their most established mortal scholars knew of the name anymore. They had no idea why they called it the Etasian Pantheon, but who were they to argue with the gods?
“Well, if it isn’t the mighty Tarranos,” Xaythra said, looking upon the muscular form of the towering entity. “Have you come to administer reason to your Keeper?”
“His craft has been the keeping of knowledge, and so long as there is a Supreme Realm that is my domain it will always be! What you seek is not permitted to entities that are not of my pantheon.”
“And why is that?”
“Let me see if I can explain the concept to you, fledgling goddess,” Tarranos said as he drew closer. “I created this pantheon and placed the Tome Keeper’s Library within it. I then worked the feats of power, made the called-upon arrangements, and confirmed the necessary pacts for the library to operate as it does. You see, since I created the library, I am in a position to say how it will and will not function. It is almost embarrassing that the concepts you understood when you were two separate creatures were not carried over when you merged into this petulant, arrogant waste of cosmic power and station.”
“How dare you!” Xaythra cried, firing raw cosmic into Tarranos’ chest. He looked at the feat, as it did not affect him in the slightest, and slowly lifted his head to glare at Xaythra.
“You would stoop to use a light-based energy form on the entity that calls himself the god of light?!” he said calmly. “Normally, this is where I would thrash you; render you into a near senseless pulp. But it would appear you have already achieved that particular objective, so perhaps we shall walk a different path, you and I. Come, Xaythra, let us see if I can impart some understanding to match your incredible power.” Leading Xaythra away from the great library, Tarranos entered the Light Gardens. Vines and stems of living energy awakened at his presence and Tarranos smiled, stroking the first few flowers.
“You treat me–”
“It would be best for you not to finish that thought aloud, Xaythra,” Tarranos suggested. “You are making a petition for knowledge. You are an entity, an immortal, a goddess, and yet there is something that has happened and is still happening in the mortal universe that you cannot control. That is a landmark assigned only to those things which are incredibly special and equally potent.”
“All I want to know is where I can find the Legerian,” Xaythra pointed out.
“And here you are, the Mistress of Gravity, something which exists in all points of the universe. You can touch what it touches and it touches everything. But still you cannot find Austin.”
“You call him by his mortal name,” Xaythra noted.
“I call him by the name he has used in your presence,” Tarranos replied. “And yes, you would be right to make the connection that I know him quite well.”
“What is quite well?” Xaythra pressed.
“Let us say that I understand how aggravating he can be,” Tarranos explained. “… and like you, I too tried to erase him from the face of existence.”
“And like me you failed,” Xaythra added.
“Indeed,” Tarranos agreed. “That is another point where we stand upon the same ground. Where we differ is in the aftermath. You see, you are still looking to ‘even the score’, as I once did. But after my third attempt to destroy him, I realized what I was doing. In all the interplanetary chases and demonstrations of my power, I came to see that I was not coming closer to killing him… I was making him more powerful!”
“Perhaps you should have changed your tactics,” Xaythra suggested.
“I considered that too, but fate had already taken his family, as he was the sole survivor of his settlement after a season of interplanetary raids. For years he toiled his way through a very hostile environment. It forged him, Xaythra, and he came to a very frightening perspective. It was not until I too came to this viewpoint that I was able to truly understand godhood.” Tarranos stopped and turned to face Xaythra. He wore a slight smile as he took hold of her shoulders and gazed deeply into her eyes. “We are gods, Xaythra, and the power of our followers is immense! But who are the gods of the mortals that do not pray to us? They are their own gods! They resent us, and for good reason; we have established a system of feeding off of their lives, draining them of the power they do not know they possess when we could just as easily tell them of the secrets we have uncovered. But then we would have to share that power, would we not? For all of the failings of the mortals, we exceed them in every capacity!” Tarranos released her and stepped back, hoping his words had reached the core of her ability to reason.
“If what you say is true, then I am not looking for Austin. I am looking for a god who calls himself the Legerian.”
“Exactly!” Tarranos said in triumph. Xaythra looked down in contemplation. She looked out into the garden and then at Tarranos as a smile broke across her face.
“There is great wisdom to your words, Lord of Light,” Xaythra spoke softly. As her smile faded, so did Tarranos’. “Light,” she said softly. “Another item of power that is given far too much credit, in my opinion.
“Everything you said is essentially what Austin conveyed to me while I was his captive,” Xaythra explained. Tarranos looked down at his body, shocked that he suddenly could not move, could not speak, and could not act on his behalf. “And speaking of basics, did you forget that not even light can escape the gravity of a singularity?! You might have also forgotten that the form you present yourself within is comprised of flesh, and that is mostly water. It is interesting what was and was not conveyed as two entities merged to become me.
“Correct me if I am wrong… but if a deity dies in their home realm… they cannot regenerate and they suffer a true death. I am the perfect killing machine for you, Tarranos, did you realize that?”
“More times than I will share with you, Lady Xaythra,” Tarranos said as he placed his hand against Xaythra’s back. The duplicate of Tarranos gave an evil smile before it imploded. “… from the very moment I knew of your existence, actually.” Xaythra gasped as she realized why Tarranos had opted to come into this particular garden as each flower began to shine brightly. “I wonder if you can create a singularity more quickly than I can destroy your form. But before we proceed with our
little contest, look up and to your left.” Doing as she was told, Xaythra looked up and above the gardens. Standing on the lower balcony of his enormous castle was Tarranos, looking intently at the events unfolding in his garden. “I have forgotten more about light, especially coherent light, than you may ever learn, fledgling goddess. Remember the touch I made to the first few flowers, that was when the exchange was made… believe it or not, it was made… that’s correct… at the speed of light. The glimmer you thought was coming from the bud was the trail of my form leaving the garden.
“That is why you are called a fledgling!” Tarranos advised. “I realize that can be disconcerting, as I had to spend an age receiving the very same review. You are not worthy of my help, but I am going to give it to you, as light is often characterized with discovery! The moment you accept you are a fledgling… that is the moment when you will begin to grow out of that status. There is incredible potential in you, Xaythra, and I for one am mystified as to why it took so long to create you. But I fear you will not ever see the wisdom of my words, for you carry far too much rage. The sum is far less than any of its parts… again.”
“What do you mean ‘again’?” Xaythra asked.
“What?! By the one true Creator, you still do not know?! Away from me!” Tarranos boomed, pushing Xaythra into a sphere of light. She knew she was being cast out of the Supreme Realm, but she was also being shown something.
“Look upon this!” Tarranos commanded, creating the image of Freund, flying through space to come and speak with her. He had not reached her when she became aware of him. She had read over his form, judged him, and attacked, causing a young star to begin collapsing, and then she had placed that star inside Freund’s body. He had retreated and a flash of light took her vision to Freund’s inner sanctum.
The old blind one had struggled with the attack that had seemed most fatal to his being. But he did not fight the power trying to kill him… he transferred it. In the lower chambers of his castle, Freund had scores of empty power storage gems just waiting to be fed. Slowly, and ever so surely, he transferred the power of the collapsing star, especially its incredible gravitational aspects, to the storage gems. When the first gem reached its capacity, he locked it and started to imbue the next. When he had finally reached the point where he could manage the attack, six gems had been filled. One had been sent to the Black Assassins who had transferred fractions of the power to each of their warheads which were then fired on Tau Upsilon.