by Skyler Grant
"Fine. I'll somehow figure out how to bang the fairy, then I'll bang you, and I'll bang the Elf. I'll just bang every stray we pick up," Banok said.
"Fantastic," Cleo said happily. "I'm so glad you're not weird about it. Vanwyn, we'll get you a room and a gun. I'll get us back to where you can do magical, strange stuff with a sun."
The day just couldn't get any weirder.
20
"This is just stupidly big," Nyx said.
The day had gotten a whole lot weirder.
Cleo was off showing Vanwyn how to pilot the ship. It had opened up a hole in Nyx's schedule and she'd decided it was finally time to get the whole lovers thing out of the way.
The result was that Banok was now naked in the bed with a fairy standing on top of him, staring at his manhood as if it were an engineering problem to be solved.
"Thank you?" Banok said.
Getting out of their clothes had seemed a natural first step. Apart from her tiny size Nyx really was a woman in every way, her chest actually large for her body. Almost despite himself Banok had found himself turned on, a state that was not helpful in the slightest given their immense differences in size.
"It's not a compliment, dummy," Nyx said, giving his shaft a solid kick.
"Don't do that!" Banok yelped.
"Stupid, too-big human. This thing is totally impractical, you know. I mean, I am perfectly sized, but you giants are just boasting," Nyx said, delivering another kick.
"This was clearly a mistake. I didn't know what I thought would happen," Banok said.
"I'll figure it out. I'll build something, you'll see. This isn't a mistake and I'm way more fun than Cleo will ever be."
Banok could do little more than stare down his body at the fairy. "Are you completely insane?"
Nyx wrapped his arms around his length, her legs joining them a moment later so she was pressed up tightly against it. It was a strange feeling, the sensation of that tiny form and those breasts pushed against a vein.
Banok took an unsteady breath. It felt odd, but not unpleasant.
"See," Nyx said, with some satisfaction, "Just because you're stupidly oversized doesn't mean I can't figure something out. Just because you're a dummy doesn't mean I am."
The fairies wings began to flutter, flapping furiously away in a manner that rocked the fairy in place and moved her up and down against him.
It again was strange, and almost familiar. Definitely pleasant—for all that it was strange. Perhaps Nyx really would figure out some solution that might work for her, as this current arrangement was one-sided.
Banok rested his head back into the pillow. "A little faster ... maybe."
"By which you mean you're now really hot for my fairy body and you'd really like me to continue," Nyx said, as her wings began to move so fast they were almost a blur.
"Something like that," Banok said, a little strained.
"Uh-uh. Say it," Nyx said.
Was the fairy jerking him off really getting this mouthy? In this case though she wasn't asking for anything but the truth.
"I'm really hot for your fairy body and I'd really like you to go faster," Banok growled.
Nyx did just that. It didn't take much longer. Nyx always looked a little smug, but Banok didn't think he'd ever seen her look quite so smug as she did afterward. Ship life was really going to get more complicated.
Banok didn't want to be there when Nyx woke up. There were also preparations he needed to make. Any magical ritual was more likely to be successful if you made the proper preparations.
The ship had a magical library, although it wasn't a large one. While most of the shipboard records were digitized, storing magical knowledge electronically had risks that made paper a far safer medium.
When Banok arrived he found Vanwyn was already there, the silver-haired Elf seated as she flipped through a heavy tome.
"You finished up the tour?" Banok asked.
"Hours ago. A good ship," Vanwyn said, slipping a bookmark into the pages and setting it aside. "Denwyn's "On Elementalism". You'll want to refresh your memory of it."
"Or read it the first time," Banok said.
Vanwyn stared at him for a long moment and said dryly, "Yes, or that. I can assist you. You'll need a summoning circle, to create the anchor points."
Banok took a seat across from Vanwyn. Although he didn't really have any cause to trust Vanwyn just yet, the knowledge of an ancient Elf was deep and something he'd be foolish to turn away.
"Elementalism was never my strength. I was a Tender for the Order," Banok said.
"We call them Singers. Those who understand the harmony of life and can help it to find new growth. A noble pursuit, but not one useful for war," Vanwyn said.
"I don't need reminding of that. Tell me about this ritual I'll need to do."
"The bonding of an elemental familiar is much like the bonding of any spirit. It is coming to terms. A sorcerer vastly more powerful than the spirit they seek will be able to dominate it totally. The ritual has almost no risk for them, but ultimately the gain is minimal for them as well," Vanwyn said.
"And how do you think my power levels will compare to the spirit I need to summon?"
"A star spirit? One also infused with the power of the amulet? You are the holder of an ancient power, but I am not certain which is greater. I would say you might go into negotiations with anywhere from a moderate advantage to a great disadvantage."
"All of which means ... what?" Banok asked.
"Your companion, Cleo, is the result of humans who long ago struck a compact with spirits. They offer their bodies as refuge and for a share of their experiences, in return for the strength, speed, and intellect that the spirit can offer them," Vanwyn said.
Banok suddenly had a thought, one which troubled him greatly.
"You said if I were intimate with Cleo, it would strengthen the spirit inside of her. But right now, it's that spirit which keeps her from feeling anything deeper than basic affection."
Vanwyn tilted her head. "Interesting. So you wonder that if you take her to bed, will you lose any possibility of truly having her love? The spirit will forbid it?"
"Something like that."
"Probably," Vanwyn said, after only a moment of thought. "You'll make the spirit stronger, and in some ways the human then loses that balancing act even while she gains as a result of that stronger spirit. I would say she is more likely to stay alive through things to come, but you are less likely to ever win her heart."
If it was her life or her heart, it wasn't even a choice. Not really. Banok would rather have a world where Cleo was alive, even if it was one where she would never return his feelings.
"Thank you," Banok said. "So, the ritual."
Vanwyn held up a hand. "What will you do with the knowledge I just gave you? About Cleo? I know, that isn't really any of my business, but I earned an answer."
"I'm going to take her to my bed as soon and as often as possible," Banok said.
"I would do the same in your place, for what it matters," Vanwyn nodded. "Now listen closely. The ritual is going to be all about keeping you alive. Until bound, the spirit could be destructive to both you and this ship. And the stronger the spirit, the longer the negotiations are likely to take."
"The summoning diagram does that," Banok said.
"It does in part. Its purpose is to both weaken the spirit in the moment and to defend against it. It will absorb any power the spirit expends trying to break free, temporarily trapping it, and store the energy in the crystals."
"And when the crystals grow full?" Banok asked.
"The spirit breaks free. Perhaps it bonds to you just as is hoped. Perhaps it kills you and everyone aboard this ship. Perhaps it simply goes back to where it came. That last is unlikely with a fire spirit," Vanwyn said.
"They're destructive?"
"Mostly. Fire can nurture as well, but even then it is a dangerous sort of nurturing. If you pull this off it will change you, just as Cleo's spirit
changes her."
"I'm not a particularly nice person to start with," Banok said.
"I've seen it when nice people go up against the rising tides of darkness. They inspire the tides of ruthless bastards who follow to avenge their deaths, doing the right thing," Vanwyn said.
"Then let's figure out what I need to become one very dangerous ruthless bastard," Banok said.
Vanwyn worked with him for the next several hours on designing a sigil and crystalline anchors. Knowing it was going to be a fire spirit was helpful. There were formulations to particularly dampen that type of energy. Crystal matrices that could better hold that kind of power. By the time they were done they had a fully constructed ritual room. Now it was just a matter of getting close enough to use it, and then surviving the encounter.
21
"This is a problem," Cleo said.
They'd returned to the system that once held Rockholm, and they hadn't found it abandoned. It wasn't Orc vessels, but rather human ones. The logo was everywhere, Baxtech. The owner was Baxter Williams, the man Klink had claimed originally sent them to retrieve the amulet.
They'd gathered on the bridge, once more keeping at the extreme edge of the ship's sensors. Even in the relatively short time since they'd left this system three new stations had been built in near-solar orbit.
They'd been watching the comings and goings of vessels for over an hour.
"They wouldn't need all this to try what we have planned," Banok said.
"Without the sort of power you have, conjuring the spirit of a star would be certain suicide," Vanwyn said.
"Indigestion," Nyx said.
"I really don't need to hear about what you've eaten lately," Cleo said.
"Not me. I mean, your sour attitude could be because I totally went first, because Banok has the hots for me and not some kind of tragic, second place, flat-chested catgirl. But! No, that's not what I'm talking about." Nyx pointed at the screens. "They're ejecting matter into the star designed to produce flares." She began bringing up some figures on a display. "Look at the scans from the cargo ships we've seen. It is all that makes sense."
"I am not flat-chested. Okay, so they're trying to get the star to throw up the amulet. Would that work?" Cleo asked.
"I suspect the amulet is still whole and intact in there. They might have even imaged the star and figured out where. If so, with enough time and tweaking of their process, maybe," Vanwyn said thoughtfully.
"You're either really good at pretending to know what you're talking about or you're almost as smart as I am," Nyx said.
"How close are you going to need to get for your ritual?" Cleo asked.
"As close as we can get. You'll want to be at about the same range as those stations they've built," Vanwyn said.
"They've got patrol ships. They might not be Orc battle cruisers, but we don't want to fight them," Nyx said, marking them on the system chart, little blips of red appearing in the system.
"We work the problem. We've done this sort of thing dozens of times before. Vanwyn, you're new here. At this stage we brainstorm, anything goes, and no shooting down ideas. Pretend we needed to rob one of the solar stations with only five minutes allowed aboard. How do we pull it off?" Cleo asked, leaning forward and looking between them.
"Go in during a flare. I bet they have safety protocols in play," Vanwyn said.
Cleo nodded approvingly and brought up a display, Vanwyn's idea scrolling onto it.
"They've got enemies. Must have. Start a shooting match and do it while they're distracted," Nyx said.
"I can try magically shielding us. If it worked against an Orc battle fleet, it might work here," Banok said.
"I hack their sensor net. They never even see us," Nyx said.
This went on for some time. Then they began to narrow their ideas. Some were quickly dismissed—finding an enemy willing to attack those in the system would be too time-consuming. Others were rejected with more argument. Vanwyn thought that Banok might lose any shield he created when he began to barter with the elemental, but Cleo was so enamored of the idea it took some debate for it to eventually be wiped off the display.
Banok thought the idea that they finally agreed upon was one of the riskier of the possibilities, but it was the one the others settled on.
Instead of continuing to hide at the outskirts of the system Cleo ordered Nyx to bring them in, a transponder broadcasting their identity and including a request to talk with William Baxter.
It took no time at all for two of the patrol vessels to maneuver into flanking positions on them, keeping the Catspaw in weapons range, but neither opened fire.
It was another ten minutes before they had a response. The hologram of a woman in a suit, somewhere in her mid-thirties.
"The Catspaw. It is unexpected to hear from your vessel. We thought you were likely destroyed along with the asteroid and Rockholm. What business do you have with Baxtech?"
"You know us. We don't know you. Who am I speaking with?" Cleo asked.
"Jena Fleur, Vice President of Special Operations. I repeat my question," Jena said.
"We were contracted by an intermediary named Klink to retrieve a special item for your superior. That item was lost on Rockholm. I suspect you're doing a retrieval mission for it even now. I want to get paid," Cleo said.
Jena flashed an unamused smile. "I assure you I have no idea what you're talking about. We sent you on no mission and you've nothing to offer us."
"Don't we?" Cleo asked, "We retrieved the amulet from the Fade. We've kept days of sensor recordings. Energy signatures, physical scans to assist in identifying it. This is data you won't find anywhere else, and it might shave months off your retrieval operations. That has value."
That was the bait.
Deception was always dangerous, especially when you were dealing with people that had their secrets and would kill to keep them. You not only had to make them think you had something valuable to offer them, they had to believe you had a good reason to risk bringing it to their attention.
Baxtech was spending a fortune on their operations in that system for something that might take a very long time to show a return. The sensor data really might help them—that was why it was good bait. Nobody else had what they had to offer.
"Transmit what you have and I can see if it is of any value," Jena said with an expression suddenly unreadable.
"You'd think nothing of shooting us out of space as soon as you had what you wanted. This is a black op' if ever there were one. We're discrete, but we want to walk away and get paid," Cleo said.
There it was again, be paranoid, be believable. If you were just the right amount of pain in the ass you could get someone to believe anything.
"What do you have in mind?" Jena asked after a moment.
"Two hundred and fifty thousand. We know you didn't get what you wanted, but we still put in the work. We meet in person and trade encrypted data-stores. Yours with our credits, ours with the data. Once we're out of system we exchange unlock codes," Cleo said.
Encrypted data-stores could be cracked, but even with the proper tools it took months. Exchanges like this weren't uncommon in corporate espionage, and that meant it should be comfortable for Jena.
"With no idea what you have? One hundred, you screwed up the job," Jena said.
"Nobody else has what we have and that makes it valuable. Two hundred and we scrub it from our logs. We want nothing to do with whatever you're involved in," Cleo said.
"I'll meet you in the middle. One fifty?" Jena asked.
"Done," Cleo said.
"You'll be escorted in. Don't deviate from the flight plan," Jena said, and the link was killed.
Cleo let out a low breath. "That was chancy. Banok, get in place to do your ritual. As soon as you're in range you can do your thing. Nyx, rig us a self-destruct. They try to threaten our lives, I want to threaten our lives even more convincingly."
Banok nodded and left the others to their tasks as he made his way down to
the ritual room.
It was already a strange feeling as they got closer to the star. There was a familiarity there, a haunting echo reaching out to his mind. Even with his brief exposure to the amulet, that connection was still there.
Banok had thought that the new power he'd gained might serve as some sort of insulation, but it only seemed to amplify his sensitivity to magic of all sorts.
An entire passenger suite has been converted for Banok's purposes. The circle on the floor was made of one layer of protective runes after another, circles within circles, all designed to contain and weaken the spirit's power.
The outermost rim had tiny crystalline shards placed at seven key points. Those Banok had made using his own magic, although Vanwyn provided guidance. They each held layers upon layers of earth magic, modeled in a way that only became harder and more durable in the presence of fire. They could hold a great deal of magical power now, but when introduced to the magical energy they expected, they would become more powerful by a thousandfold.
Banok took his place outside the circle, keeping an eye on a wall display that showed the ship's position. He didn't really need it. When they finally were close enough, he could tell—it was time.
22
Banok could feel the star out there. In a way it was almost like he was seeing it with his life-sense, of something cogent, powerful. If that was all there was, it would be impressive enough, but tangled with it was the amulet. Magical threats underlying the whole assemblage and with them something else, something dangerous.
It wasn't too late to back out now. No one would blame him if he did. But backing out would mean running and hiding, forever keeping the power of the Druids safe from whoever sought it.
That wasn't going to happen. Banok focused and willed the spirit to appear within the circle. There was a crackle of blue flame, brilliant, hovering in the air for only a moment before with a flare of light it changed.