Starblazer- Through the Black Gate

by Reiter

  “I am afraid not, my friend. While I cannot perceive the cloaked stranger, I can definitely feel young Amosse leaving out of the rear of the library, in the company of his friends, feeling quite relieved that they have been returned to him safe and sound. We need to be away from this place.” With a wave of his left hand, the three figures were enshrouded in a soft yellow light that whisked them away to their room at the inn.

  The light faded as mysteriously as it had appeared, and there was nothing else to see. Harold moved forward quickly and turned over both suits. He stood up and turned to check the courtyard, stammering as he looked at Borsuth, the largest, and normally most capable, of their quartet. Seeing the startled look on the man’s face, Qeldrun turned to look as well. His smile turned to light laughter and he pointed. Borsuth turned to see that the two young people he had been guarding were gone.

  “Activate the trackers,” Qeldrun ordered as he shook his head in disbelief.

  “They’re reading just inside the library!” Harold declared and he led the charge inside the building. He opened the door, ready to engage the large stranger, but stopped and looked at the bench that was just inside the foyer of the building. One by one, each man filed into the building. Qeldrun’s smile faded as he looked at the two activated trackers tied into a bow-like knot with the four he had not even told his mercenaries he had bought and had placed on and inside the two captives. He knew the names of the students. He had read their academic files and knew what caliber of students they were. That did not give him any idea as to where he might find them.

  “Yes. A very worthy opponent!”

  I am a firm believer in the people. If given the truth, they can be depended upon to meet any national crisis. The great point is to bring them the real facts.

  Abraham Lincoln

  (Rims Time: XII-4202.28)

  The mezzanine of the Black Gate Spacedock was no place to stage a tearful reunion, unless the event called for trampling and being mercilessly bumped about. As Jocasta waited to experience the event, she concluded that she and Tynaum – as well as she and Adleon – had been very fortunate in receiving wide berth at their partings.

  “Then again, it could have been those idiots in white, toting all the major weapons and what not,” she thought. “Or, as our parting Gallant put it, that ‘please mess with me look’ he said I was wearing when I dropped him off. Either one of those might’ve had something to do with it.”

  She stood atop a wall, watching the masses rush past beneath her. She looked at her brace-com; for once the sight of it did not make her mad, time was passing faster than she had thought. Her detour to make inquiries regarding the mannerisms of an operator by the name of Nealbrun had Jocasta thinking that the latest additions to her crew were going to be more costly than the slaves she freed from Zhok-Tarr and the people from Gulmar combined!

  “Not even sure I like them yet,” she thought, looking up at the arrival board and smiling even brighter to see the ship she had been waiting for had finally docked.

  “Did your ship get in?” a soft, male voice called out to her. Jocasta looked around for the owner of the voice. “Up here.” The woman looked up to see a slender young man seated on a higher wall. He smiled brightly as he waved down at Jocasta. “How’s life down there?”

  “It sucks from time to time, but I get by,” Jocasta replied.

  “Not bad,” the young man said as he jumped, flipped three times and landed on the slender wall next to Jocasta. With her arms folded and still leaning against the spaceport, Jocasta nodded her approval.

  “Not bad yourself… eh, Blondie?” Jocasta said, looking at the long black hair on the young man’s head separated by a wide streak of golden blonde. She commented on the hair, choosing to say nothing about the rather exotic looking pair of short swords on his back.

  “Goldie, actually.”

  “My next guess.” The two stood for a moment, with Goldie gazing at Jocasta as she looked inside the spaceport.

  “You’re in charge,” Goldie said confidently. “I can tell.”

  “Got it all figured out, do you?”

  “Of course not! But I got you figured for being in charge.” The youth looked around for a moment as Jocasta continued to look at the people coming out of the spaceport. “You lookin’ for crew?” Jocasta laughed as she turned to face him.

  “Boy, you just come out with it, don’t you?”

  “Why waste time?” the boy asked, still smiling. “You’re either here looking for crew or you aren’t. I’m looking for a ship.”

  “Yeah? Good for you. Happy hunting.”

  “So far, I am happy. So, are you looking?”

  “Can’t say that I am,” Jocasta replied.

  “Why not?” Goldie asked. “If you’re doing something, you should be able to say you’re doing it!”

  “No!” Jocasta snapped. “I’m not looking for crew!”

  “See, now you’re lying,” Goldie said, losing his smile. “That’s disappointing. I thought you were something else.”

  “I am something else,” Jocasta replied. “You assumed something else good. Well, welcome to the real world, Junior.

  “And you’ve got quite a pair on you, calling someone a liar in Black Gate.”

  “I figure if someone doesn’t want to be called a liar, they shouldn’t lie,” Goldie returned, and Jocasta turned to look into the eyes of the teenager. Sky blue met fiery orange, and Jocasta came away from her leaning stance. It was clear that her ire would not sway the lad. She liked the feeling of integrity she received from their staring.

  “I can follow that,” she said calmly. “I guess you’re kind of throwing me off. See, I’m used to freeing slaves, imprisoning thieves, rescuing people so they can be handed over to blood-feeders, or getting young people shot in order to find my crew.”

  “Can’t rain all the time, Cap’n,” Goldie offered. “Sun’s gotta come out sooner or later.”

  “Is that what you are, my sunrise?”

  “I can be, if you trust me.”

  “Trust takes time, kid.”

  “Time won’t start ‘til you do,” he returned, and Jocasta snorted a laugh.

  “Who are you?!” she asked.

  “Goldie,” he replied, stepping forward and offering his hand.

  “JoJo,” she chuckled, shaking his hand and finding a surprisingly strong grip.

  “Don’t you mean ‘Captain’?”

  “Yeah, that’s what I mean, Goldie. Captain JoJo Starblazer.”

  “Wow! Now that’s what I call a name!”

  “And that’s what I call brown-nosing!” Jocasta replied.

  “It’s only brown-nosing if I don’t mean it,” Goldie said as he looked around Jocasta. “And I think your people are here.”

  “What?” Jocasta said, turning to look inside the spaceport. “How do you know who– well, I’ll be damned.” Jocasta put her hand down beside her foot as she squatted and used the top of the wall as a brace before taking the short drop down to the mezzanine floor. She cupped her hands around her mouth as she walked into the spaceport. “What the hell are you doing with purple hair?!” she shouted, and Thomasine locked in on her location immediately.

  “Okay,” Jocasta thought as she stopped walking. “… what am I feeling?”

  “That’s a very good question, Captain,” S’Vrili answered, and Jocasta turned back to the wall to see the Desert Witch looking down on her.

  “Okay, now this Goldie kid’s not so weird,” Jocasta thought.

  “A very good question. But don’t worry, you already have the answer!”

  Thomasine wrapped her arms around Jocasta and embraced her tightly from behind. As soon as she could, Jocasta returned the gesture. Neither woman could put their feelings into words. Thomasine simply repeated the word ‘Captain’ while Jocasta whispered the word ‘Thom’ over and over again.

  “Whoa!” an older male voice muttered. “I guess she really does know the woman.” Thomasine and Jocasta took a small s
tep back from one another, looking at each other with the same question in mind: what am I doing? When Thomasine broke from the eye-locked moment, she looked down as if she was embarrassed.

  “Makes me wonder if I was the only one asking that question of what am I feeling,” Jocasta thought. “And am I slipping? This girl was a street urchin, running with the latest bad fad she could find. She gets a taste of Z, a taste of us, and she leaves Gulmar to join us here at Black Gate. C’mon JoJo, doing that without having your own ship… yeah, that was trip and a half!

  “Hell yes, she knows me,” Jocasta said, taking Thomasine into another hug. “I’m just glad I know her!” Although surprised by the second embrace, Thomasine did not hesitate to return the embrace and giggled when the women separated again. “Well done, lady! Not sure what all you had to sail through to get here, but I’m grateful for the effort.” Jocasta put her hand under Thomasine’s chin and lifted her eyes so she could look directly into them. “I’m more grateful to see you, though.”

  “Not as happy as I am, Captain,” Thomasine replied. “But I wasn’t going to fall into the pit.”

  “What pit, kid?”

  “The pit the Witch told me I’d fall into if I didn’t bring you your crew!” Thomasine said.

  “Well, there’s nothing like a little incentive, am I right?” Jocasta joked and Thomasine laughed. She started to point to the people standing behind her, but Jocasta grabbed her hand and started to lead her away from the spaceport. There were too many eyes around and Jocasta did not feel comfortable with all of them. “Goldie, get a head count and then take up our rear.”

  “Aye, Captain!” the young man replied as he started counting and directing the people to follow behind Jocasta.

  “What the hell is wrong with you?!” Jocasta thought. “Did you just give a complete stranger your back?!”

  “You can trek from a chart,” the Witch called to Jocasta. Now she was seated on the crossbeam stretched across the walkway the young pirate captain was using to exit the spaceport. “You can chart from the Stars as well! But you’ve mastered both of these methods already. The time’s come for you to close your eyes and trek from your heart. Or, as your precious Z would say: find your Inner Star!”

  “How do I do that?” Jocasta asked.

  “Do what, Captain?” Thomasine asked.

  “Same way you do everything else!” the woman shouted as she laughed. “Start by starting!”

  “Smartass!” Jocasta muttered.

  “Captain?” Thomasine called to Jocasta. “Everything all right?”

  “Things are better than they were in the Gulmar System,” Jocasta smiled. “But the day’s still young! Give it time, Thom.”

  When Jocasta took the first step on the gangplank leading from the shuttle, she looked into the hangar and paused a moment to really take it all in and process what she was feeling. It was not simply a room on the Xara-Mansura, it was a chamber of her ship. Jocasta did not know where this wave of feelings and perceptions was coming from, but she did not think it would be prudent to deny them or delude herself into thinking that nothing was happening.

  “I should have expected some weird shit, seeing the Desert Witch again,” Jocasta considered as the bay doors opened. There was a slight but powerful gust of wind as the atmospheric shields kept everyone from being sucked out into outer space. A Black Gate Ferry entered the hangar. “Z! And boy, does he have a few things to tell me! Crap, how do I know that it’s him?!”

  “Because you have reached that point in your progression,” Dungias projected to her mind as the ferry landed. “And I do have a few things to tell you!”

  “My Ready Room, Z!” she commanded as the double doors slid open to allow Annsura entry.

  “Perfect timing, Cutter. I know you want to tell me about the crew additions you’ve brought aboard.”

  “You do?!” Annsura asked.

  “Take these raw recruits to the Mess Hall, start the induction process,” Jocasta directed.

  “Are they hopefuls or are they crew?”

  “Thom’s earned her place,” Jocasta said as she looked at the collection of people. “And Goldie’s with me. The rest are hopefuls. C’mon kid. I’m thinking about making you my Cabin Boy!”

  “Cabin Boy?!” Goldie shot back. “I’m the best blade you’ve got on board!”

  “Fine, you can be my Blade Boy then,” she settled. “C’mon, let’s go.”

  “Aye, Captain.”

  “Z, as soon as you are able, please!”

  “He’s not off the ferry yet, Captain,” Annsura pointed out.

  “Don’t worry, Cutter, he heard me,” Jocasta stated as she walked for the doorway out. “And I know it feels like I’m putting you off, but trust me, I’m not.”

  “Everything’s okay, Captain,” Annsura said as she turned her attention to the new faces coming off the shuttle. She was slightly surprised to see new faces coming off of the ferry as well. “Feel like I’m bringing up the short end of the stick with my two people,” she muttered.

  The doors to the Ready Room closed behind Dungias and he was immediately perplexed by the presence of a third person in the office. When his gold eyes touched upon the fiery orange of the young man, Dungias quickly removed his attention from him and walked to the center of the room. His eyes squinted as he watched Jocasta pacing in front of her desk.

  “Are you certain you want the boy here for this?” Dungias asked.

  Jocasta stopped pacing and faced Goldie. She pointed at the young man while looking at him intently. “Do you mean me any harm whatsoever?”

  “I would rather bleed than cause you harm,” he replied. Jocasta let her hand slap to her leg.

  “There you go, Z! And no offense, kid, but you’re not the top of my list right now.”

  “I’ve got no problem with that,” Goldie returned as he hopped up, spun, and took a seat atop the bookshelf against the wall.

  “Nimble little bastard, isn’t he?” she asked as she resumed her pacing.

  “At least,” Dungias replied before giving himself a breath.

  “And to make matters official, Goldie, this is Z, First Mate of the ship and the best man of the boat.”

  “Well, that First Mate part you can keep,” Goldie said, offering his hand.

  “How very gracious of you,” Dungias said, feeling the young man’s grasp. His face remained unchanged as the normal exchange facilitated by Alpha was delayed. When it did finally begin, the exchange was controlled and only so much was allowed to transfer to his Osamu. “In so many ways!” Goldie smiled as he sat back and Dungias put his eyes back to Jocasta. He could see the changes she was going through and how they were registering on her sense of balance.

  “You are going through a change, Captain.”

  “Because of the training?”

  “And all that has come with it, yes.”

  “Which training?” she quickly asked. “What you started or what I earned from Al-Nu-Chi Z?”

  Dungias was amused by the way she described her four teachers and closed his eyes at the similarities of her beginnings versus his own. It was a pain he would have preferred to spare her from ever feeling, but as he had been denied a place of normalcy among his own kind, so Jocasta had been denied the same. “I was forced to make so many decisions,” he thought.

  “Were you?” Cihpares asked and Dungias quickly noticed that the seated teen could hear her; a most unexpected development indeed!

  “Yes,” Dungias confirmed. “Just because the Stars had chosen me did not mean I had to become the Star Chaser.”

  “Don’t you mean a Star Chaser?”

  “No, Cihpares, I do not,” Dungias replied, squinting his eyes as he looked at Jocasta. “I was allowed to choose my fate, she will be allowed to choose hers. There is no path worth trekking if choice is not allowed to be the first stride!

  “I can remove it, Captain,” Dungias declared.

  “You can?”

  “Allow me to clarify. I can redirec
t your focus. A toned leg muscle need not be applied to a snap kick if one wishes to be a dancer. Though it should be said the muscle will always be allowed to aid in that endeavor.”

  “Do something Z,” Jocasta said with a clear tone of desperation in her voice. “No offense, but I like it better when I don’t follow every word you say.”

  “None taken, Captain. Shall we take the pole up to your room?”

  “Oh, this is going to lay me out?”

  “Most decidedly.”

  Jocasta turned and walked around her desk to the far corner of her Ready Room. She stepped onto the platform and it began its ascent to her room. Goldie jumped from the book shelf, cartwheeled over the desk and landed on the other side of the platform, smiling up at Jocasta.

  “Nimble little bastard,” she smiled. Goldie put his hand on top of hers and Jocasta sighed at feeling comforted by the touch.

  “Feel it and be done,” Goldie said softly.

  “Feel what?”

  “Feel the fear and be done with it,” he replied. “There’s no need to let fear keep hold of you,” he said as they came into her bedchambers. “The unknown always comes with fear. You felt it when you tried your first loop! This is no different. Actually, it is.”

  “It is?” Jocasta questioned.

  “Yeah, because I doubt you had that big one looking after your plane back then.” Goldie answered and Jocasta smiled as she put her hand in the lad’s hair and mussed it up a bit.

  She was asked to lie down in her bed and Dungias quickly put her into a deep sleep. He activated the scanning equipment above the bed and took readings of Jocasta.

  “You are not what you appear to be,” Dungias said calmly. “That much is certain.”

  “Is anything ever certain, Malgovi?” Goldie asked.

  “It is certain you have seen my kind before,” Dungias replied. “That puts you into a very special category. You have seen the passing of ages and with that in mind, I am left to wonder why you have chosen to be so close to her.”

  “For one who believes so greatly in choice, that is none of your concern,” Goldie replied.