by Reiter
“The Governor is safe,” Dungias said as he quickly exited the room. “I am ready for the secondary target.”
“As for the rest of you,” Thashurd yelled. “I’ll triple my original offer, and the one who brings me JoJo’s head can have my ship!”
“Offering credits you don’t have!” Pristacia countered. “We checked your accounts, TC! That cyber-job, jacked as it appears to be, was more than you had access to. I’m amazed you even managed the upfront funds to get these people.”
“What she talkin’ ‘bout, Chevalier?” one of the mercenaries asked.
“Stand fast!” one of the troops yelled.
“I’m not an Imp, boy!” another mercenary returned. “You don’t give me orders.”
“Come on, Thashurd,” Pristacia called out. “These men looked equipped. Bavrunn over there’s got Dimples on an open channel.”
“She knows about your Jockey,” one mercenary whispered to Bavrunn as the mercenary-captain’s eyes squinted. “How did she pull that one out of her ass?!”
“Don’t know,” Bavrunn said aloud, taking a step forward. “But that’s not the pressing point!”
“C’mon, Thashurd, shout out the account,” Pristacia pressed. “Then we can get to rockin’ and rollin’!”
“What is she doing?” Siekor muttered, keeping his head on a swivel, hoping to see everything.
“Her freakin’ job!” Silnee answered. “Stay sharp!”
“Baby, after tonight, you’ll swear sharp is spelled S-I-E-K-O-R!”
“I don’t hear numbers, Rusty,” Pristacia chuckled. “I’m sure Dimples is anxious to verify whatever you say!”
“Sir, let’s kill this trash!” one of the troopers yelled.
“The Governor is safe,” Dungias radioed. “I am ready for the secondary target.”
“Tolip!” Pristacia yelled, extending her right hand toward Thashurd who jumped up and back. Under the power of his robotic leg, he made it all the way up the seven stairs to the upper platform.
Silnee hit the switch that dislodged the wired frame from her body, and it fell to the floor. Upon contact with the flooring, the capacitors released their charge, arcing in all directions, but touching only those Pristacia had shaken hands with or had laid her right hand upon. None of the innocent guests or the mercenaries were affected, but the weapons of the troopers sparked and died. The electricity also arced to Pristacia’s extended hand where it collected before shooting across the floor in a bright beam striking the evading Thashurd, causing one half of his body to fail.
“Secondary target’s out the western wall, Z!” Pristacia said as she tapped her necklace. Her goggles formed over her eyes and she thrust her cane to the floor, kneeling behind it. A gravity pulse fired into Thashurd. He flew back over the orchestra pit and crashed through the outer wall.
“Yep, and he took the wall out with his armoured shoulder, so he’s still frosty,” Pristacia said. “And that leaves us with the lot of you.”
“Not all of us,” Bavrunn said as he backed away. “I don’t work for free! You tell your Captain she’s earned a mark of respect in my book tonight.”
“We still outnumber these three!” a trooper yelled as he charged. “Take ‘em!”
“Guys,” Pristacia said as she backed toward her friends.
“Jaws of Death!” Siekor yelled as he threw out his hands toward one of the charging men. The line of his dimensional pocket enveloped the man and in an instant he was gone. Siekor threw his head back as if he was being sated by some invisible force. He cackled as he looked around the room. “My demon master is still hungry. You’re next!” he shouted, pointing at one of the troopers who immediately turned to flee. Siekor threw the collection field, but at a deliberate slant, taking only the head and right shoulder of the man.
“I hear you, Master!” Silnee shouted as her collection field slowly formed around her hands. “They dared to raise arms against Starblazer. They shall pay with their souls!” It was all Pristacia could do to keep from laughing at Silnee’s rather wanting approach to acting, but the horror had already been sold and bought. There was too much screaming for anyone to see through what was really happening. As their enemies ran away, Silnee smiled at Siekor. “Pretty damn sharp!”
“Just trying to keep up with those legs!” he returned. “What’s the call, Princess?”
“Plan’s working so far,” Pristacia said as she looked at her brace-com.
“Is it, Princess?” a female voice asked.
“Left side low!” Silnee screamed.
Pristacia swung her left arm low as she spun around. An En-Blade sparked against her bracer and to its credit, it did not allow the blade-form to pass through it. The power behind the swing, however, sent Pristacia up into the air, over Silnee, crashing down to the floor, sliding five meters.
The blade spun about as the woman fan-faring it came into view. She was clearly a Chevalierra; broad-shouldered, well-trained, and wearing her battle armour. Her jet black hair and purple eyes shined in the light of the room. She was joined by two other Chevaliers. “You can scare troopers with that dimensional pocket trick of yours, but you don’t frighten us!”
“Just goes to show how much smarter the common man is,” Siekor said as he opened the pocket, hurling the collected pieces at the woman. She stepped forward, splitting the screaming man into two pieces as her weapon ripped through his light armour.
“Is that the best you’ve got?”
“Wall, Princess!” Siekor yelled as he dove to tackle Silnee.
Pristacia rolled over quickly, slapping the cane down on the floor with her left hand. She winced in pain as the gravity field formed around the rolling couple, but she smiled at the way Siekor had maneuvered things. The field was between Pristacia and the blast area. The four grenades he had directed Satithe to place on the bodies while they were in his collection bag went off. Chevaliers went flying.
“What’s with the tackle?!” Silnee complained.
“I’m wearing body armour,” Siekor said, getting up and pulling her up to her feet. “… you’ve got bare legs showing!”
“Oh shit!” Silnee exclaimed, looking down at herself. She slapped the activation button on her belt and was immediately wearing her bodysuit. “Even with this stuff on I can barely feel it!”
“Princess, you okay?” Siekor said as he rushed over to the young woman.
“That bitch damn near knocked my shoulder out of socket, but I’m good to move!” Pristacia lifted her left arm and Siekor quickly lifted her up from the floor. “We’ve only got one more charge.”
“Appreciate the shield,” Siekor said as he ushered her toward the double doors that led out of the room. “But we need to be on the move. That blast did not kill them.”
“How accurate,” the Chevalierra said as she landed, jumping from the place in the wall where she had been thrown. “You’re clever, but you’re still dead!” Extending her hand, the woman opened her mind to attack her three targets. There was a slight ripple that could be seen in the middle of the floor as she turned her head. The wall behind her cracked even more as it received the repulsed psychic assault she had launched. “Very clever,” she said, reactivating her en-blade.
“Guns only!” Siekor cried as Pristacia threw herself out of his arms, allowing him to draw his blaster. “Move as you shoot! She can’t protect her ass and focus something else at us at the same time!”
“I am going to kill this one,” Lidria thought as she deflected the incoming barrage. Two fairly well-trained shooters kept her on the defensive. She could hear her fellow Chevaliers pulling themselves from the debris, but she doubted they would have the clarity of mind to engage, as she had barely managed the feat herself. She breathed a sigh of relief as the pirates left the room; one last shot sparked against the top of her shoulder plate and she dropped to her knee in fatigue. She would wait for her brothers-at-arms, feeling fortunate that her initial attack had made it so that there were not three shooters firing at her.
“We’ve been sold an interesting bill of goods, my brethren,” she said as she collected herself. “These pirates are nothing like I’ve ever seen! One of them faced down Thashurd without a speckle of fear in her heart! All this, and we haven’t even drawn out the Starblazer woman!”
“Worse than that, sister,” one of the Chevaliers said as he cleared his head. “I can no longer feel our Mentor!” The man gasped as he felt his internal organs twisting and bursting inside of him. He looked down to see a black rod protruding from his chest. Unable to scream from the agony he was thrust into, he began to see images of his childhood, training, and his experiences as a Chevalier. It was as if they were being pulled from his mind as he died.
“You will sense him soon, young fool!” Dungias said as he dropped his stealth field and slowly moved Alpha out of the dying man’s chest. He took the pommel of the En-Blade from the Chevalier’s hand as he fell. “All you require is a shift in your perspective! The Grey Realm awaits you all!”
** b *** t *** o *** r **
Danavyn and Thanneus sat together, enjoying a well-prepared luncheon. The Sharp Shootist knew better than to bring forward any information before it was requested. Veil had a particular rhythm to how he did things. The invitation was for a get-together and a meal. It would be in poor taste to introduce anything new without first being invited to do so by the host.
“That was fine salmon,” Danavyn said just before wiping his mouth. “Conjured, you know. Not modified.”
“They’re conjuring fish now?!” Thanneus asked, holding his glass just in front of his face.
“I know,” Veil laughed. “I know. I said the same thing myself… until I had one. My mind was made up and I had to share it with you.”
“I am in your debt.”
“Hardly, my friend,” Danavyn replied. “We need not speak of debts between the two of us. Not when things are coming a head! Pieces are falling into place far sooner than I had dared to anticipate. But such is the way of life, yes?” Thanneus nodded, drinking his champagne. “This little lady question mark has opened doors in days when I thought it would take seasons if not years. I’m afraid I must admit some of the changes I was not prepared for and I am pushing to catch up.
“Speaking of question marks,” Danavyn said, leaning back in his chair. “… what have you learned about our mystery girl?”
“Unconfirmed… she’s not a bounty-hunter,” Thanneus reported. “That seems to be something she does to pay the bills. The sort of expenses one might incur on their way to becoming a pirate.”
“A what?!”
“She’s been picking up people left and right,” Thanneus stated. “A broken Slavers Den on Zhok-Tarr, and a caravan carrying pretty much the same cargo on Gulmurr. Sounds like she’s trying to put together a crew for the great big ship she’s got. And believe me, that thing can hold an army from what I hear.”
“But you can’t maintain an army on a handful of bounties,” Veil reflected.
“That’s true,” Thanneus quickly followed. “That might be why she’s at Black Gate right now.”
“And who do we have at Black Gate?”
“No one who’s willing to go near her,” Thanneus answered. “Turns out the Governor of Black Gate was an Upyri. That much has been confirmed. What’s up in the air is exactly where our girl fits in on the story.
“Just say the word and I’ll give this a personal touch,” he offered.
“A most gracious gesture, Thanneus, but your place is here… for the moment.” Danavyn propped his elbows on the table and touched the sides of his index fingers to his lips. “Black Gate. How goes the reconditioning project?”
“I’ve taken the liberty to rename the girl,” Thanneus reported. “Ruby is almost ready.”
“Ruby? Hmmm. That is a sight better of a name for her than Pearl, I suppose.”
“And from the looks of it, we’re going to be needing her. Our little group, one by one, all got jacked out of the Black Gate Grid by another Jockey team; one that the lot of them couldn’t contend with! Seems this team’s got their sights set on our girl too. All six of our people were given the boot, but not before one of them snagged a copy of the request for an Imperial writ.”
“Cut to the chase,” Danavyn commanded, brought away from his other considerations.
“The family name on the request was Sylgarr! It was granted, but we’re talking all sorts of back-channels had to be used.”
Danavyn stood up from his chair. He whispered, “And again this woman forces me to move more quickly!” He looked around, not really looking at anything that was on the patio of the manor, but reviewing his options. “Thanneus, get your things, a flight crew for my fastest ship, and at least a score of good blades and blasters. We’re about to go shopping for an Imperial alliance!”
If you stand up and be counted, from time to time you may get yourself knocked down. But remember this: a man flattened by an opponent can get up again. A man flattened by conformity stays down for good.
Thomas J. Watson
(Rims Time: XII-4202.29)
The wind blew through his auburn red hair as the conveyance flew high above the rooftops and streets of this level of Black Gate. It had seemed tactically wise to keep his base of operations on the move. His plan of action, however, was not faring as well, and Falco Sylgarr was not a happy man.
“We are receiving the signal to report to the rendezvous,” the pilot stated.
“What?!” Falco snapped. “Our second wave is dying, and he wants to go forward with the plan?!”
“We received the signal, my lord,” the pilot replied. “I requested confirmation… and we just received that too.”
“Casters!” Falco muttered through clenched teeth.
“I will try not to take that personally,” Constantia said, flaring her eyes at Falco who received another signal.
“You will receive it in whatever fashion you choose,” Falco snapped. “… but if you put your voice to me again in such a fashion it will not be my words that will concern you!” The readout on his screen was not encouraging. Seconds after the bio-signal for Thashurd was lost, one of the volunteer Chevaliers also faded from the screen.
“Damn!” Falco hissed.
“Easy there, little man, a season ago you could have persuaded me to cower from your anger. But time has changed greatly for you, hasn’t it?” Falco looked back to see Constantia comfortably reclined in one of the larger seats. There was something about her beauty that few men could argue, and as much as he wanted to choke the woman, he wanted even more to take her into an embrace and forget he had ever heard of JoJo Starblazer. “You shouldn’t even be standing right now. You’ll only tire yourself out before the curtain draws on your portion of this little tragedy.”
“Our ETA to rendezvous is three minutes,” Falco shouted.
“Shit!” Persephone said as Tuitonn allowed her to be seen. “That’s two hundred seconds too long for me!
“Hey sweetie,” she cooed to Falco. “… have you been dreaming about me?” She winked as Goldie also became visible just before his blades made with the pilot and co-pilot. He pulled the swords out of the backs of the chairs as the conveyance started to turn. Falco backed away from Persephone, finding it hard to believe she was actually there. “Looks like I’ve got to kill you quickly to–” Constantia took hold of Falco just as crystal wings burst from her back. When they opened and caught the wind, both bodies were swept off the conveyance and into the air.
“Well what shop can I go to and order that?!” Persephone said as she walked toward the back of the ship. Three guards approached her and she lunged forward in a dive, taking hold of the face of the center man, kicking the faces of the other two. She clawed the face of the center man as he tried to take hold of her wrists. The gravity field assisted grip was not meant for such soft applications, and the skin was ripped from his skull and he screamed in dire pain. Persephone landed, drew her cane from her hip, and swung in a wide arc, connecting
with all three men.
“Some of the differences between the two are not so subtle,” Goldie thought as he leaned to keep his footing. The pilot had fallen forward onto the controls and the conveyance was going into a dive.
“Where are we headed?” Persephone yelled as she applied the gravity fields in her boots and gloves.
“Looks like a rooftop!” Goldie replied.
“Probably fortified, but why take chances?” Persephone concluded as she reached to her back. “Let’s go!” she commanded before giving a sharp whistle. “Icarus!” Running to her left, Persephone jumped off of the falling aircraft. She spun halfway around and landed on her sky-bike. She put one hand to the controls while holding out her other hand toward her falling help. Goldie caught her hand and she swung him to the back of the bike.
“I’ve got eyes on her,” Goldie notified as Persephone turned the bike and engaged the engines. “Fifty-five degrees down, thirty degrees port,” he reported.
“Bingo,” Persephone whispered as she caught the legs of Falco disappearing around the corner of the building. She accelerated the bike while depressing the thumb switch to call Satithe. “Detonate device,” she commanded. The bomb she had left on the conveyance exploded and bits of blazing debris crashed to the roof of the building. She had been correct about the building. It was fortified and probably could have withstood the crash landing. Automated systems were triggered and freezer units were activated. Persephone leaned as she took the turn to the left. She was gaining on the winged woman, but she could feel an itch at the back of her neck. Taking the sky-bike into a very steep dive, she heard the whistle of the passing missile that struck the side of the building.
“Apparently they aren’t of the mind to make this simple,” Persephone said as she rolled the sky-bike, leveling off. More missiles failed to hit their intended target, and at the tops of the building she could see she was coming to the end of a hastily erected gauntlet. Turning off her current path, Persephone’s goggles flashed red. She was being tracked by a missile and she pulled the sky-bike into a tight turn as she lost altitude. The missile passed over her head, but was quick to alter course and avoid the other buildings.