Eighteen

[maderr]

Chapters are shorter than I had wanted them to be, but they're all still well over the required word count so I guess I'm doing all right. /fretting



Chapter Eighteen


Custom class ship #28922942, the Brilliant

"What a wonderful meeting sight," Karmikel glowered out of the one-way glass stretched across the front of the bridge, and the planet they were slowly approaching. "The ruined remains of a Zero moon. I'm really disliking this Alexander."

"You're only starting to dislike him now? The rest of it doesn't bother you at all?" Einn asked him, outraged.

"Of course it bothers me. I'm just saying - this doesn't help his case any. Why couldn't he pick a more attractive spot to double cross us?"

"I thought we were double crossing him," Faller said, standing on Einn's right, placing the Fornarian in the middle of the three.

"Does it really matter? Why are we even bothering with this? Wouldn't it make more sense to go steal back Cyan while they're waiting for us here?"

Einn shook his head. "No, because the second we're late they'll give the order to kill him, and we need more time if we're going to find him. If everything goes to shit here, Jade won't kill anyone until he knows what's going on."

"So we cause trouble here and then hightail it to Alexander's place? Sounds questionable at best."

"Well, you've had the past two days to come up with something better," Einn reproved. "It's not like we've got a whole lot of options. If we upset the order, it'll give us an opening."

"Just so long as you don't manage to get us killed here," Karmikel groused.

Einn rolled his eyes, "I've survived a lot worse than this."

"Only because Cyan shoved you out of harm's why," Faller muttered beneath his breath. He stared at Einn blankly when he turned to glare at him. "What?"

"Shut up, Lark."

"Hmph. You should be grateful he did it, if what even half of what I've learned about those Temperast things is true."

Karmikel frowned and turned away from the window to look at them, "I still find it hard to believe you guys fought one of those. They're extinct now."

"Not all of them, apparently. Creepiest fucking thing I've ever seen," Einn grimaced at the memory. "And nothing I want to see again. Hopefully the damned thing died in the fire. Though I'm sure his grace the Lord Alexander can get more - wouldn't put it past the bastard."

"Ship approaching," Henry spoke up suddenly in his deep voice.

"What?" the three men asked together, turning around.

Einn frowned, "How far away? What direction?"

Henry rattled off a string of coordinates, "Approximately twenty minutes away."

"How is it you're only noticing now?"

"Superior cloaking."

Karmikel sighed, "Any information available on the ship?"

Victoria took over speaking, as Henry vanished to see to other matters, "Merchant class vessel, lightly armed, serial number 00061225."

Einn and Faller went cold. "The Dragonfly," Einn hissed. "Those fucking bastards. I'm going to kill them."

"Not if I get to them first," Faller muttered. "What in the hell?"

Karmikel snorted, "I'm guessing they never intended for us to land."

"How do they eve know we're the ones they're after?"

"I can't imagine many ships come out to the ruins of Zero's second moon, and this close to the time of the arranged meeting."

"The Dragonfly is demanding to speak to the captain of the vessel," Victoria spoke up, a trace of laughter in her voice.

Karmikel shook his head, amused. "Take care of it, Vicky."

"Of course," Vicky fell silent as she and her partners fell to dealing with the pirate ship, opening the channels so that the three could hear the exchange.

Einn motioned to the three of them, looking at Karmikel in question.

Karmikel eyed him for a moment, then his confusion cleared. "They can't hear us, no. We can talk just fine."

"So no one has any clue that this ship is being run by three brains? That must be handy for you."

"It's great - these guys can even mess with heat sensors and all in IG ports, so it looks like the ship is fully manned."

"What about onboard inspections?"

Karmikel shook his head, "I've got the proper licensing to avoid such things. That and I seldom land in places where inspections would be necessary." He shrugged, "Not that it really matters - technically this ship isn't illegal. The matter was dropped, but no one took the steps to actually make it against the law."

"But it's easier if no one knows the truth anyway."

"Exactly. Maybe these three volunteered for it, but that wouldn't always be the case if more of these ships were to be built. And that doesn't bear--"

Victoria interrupted the discussion, "Captain and first mate of the Dragonfly boarding via transport in three minutes. Shall I direct them here?"

"No, we'll do this in the transport room. Be ready for an emergency though, Vicky. These people aren't to be trusted at all."

"So I gathered," Victoria replied dryly. "Appropriate measure have been taken. If you can keep them talking long enough, Henry and Charles will see to it the Dragonfly is disabled."

Einn was thoughtful as he pulled his stunner from its holster and thumped the power to it's second to highest level. "I'm more concerned with their being able to communicate with Alexander."

"Disabling communications is child's play," Charles interjected. "We've had years to perfect ourselves. We know what we're about, and we know the plan. Don't underestimate us. A ship we may now be, but we're human - not computers."

"No offense intended," Einn replied with a grin. "Just that old habits take a while to die." He fell silent and palmed open the door to the transportation room, even as two figures materialized on the transporters.

And froze. Then slowly, reluctantly, backed away.

Faller stepped forward instead, warning back Karmikel with a glare that brooked no argument. "I might've known you'd show up. Was Alexander too much a coward to come himself?"

"Lord Alexander's a busy man," Val said casually. "He doesn't have time to be picking people up."

"So he sends a scumbag and a monster?" Faller tensed, eyeing the black Temperast behind Val with trepidation. "Why isn't that thing dead?"

"The Temp? They're pretty hardy creatures. You should've been more thorough last time. Because you'll never beat it alone - and those two are useless now. And he's mighty hungry. So I suggest you stop being a nuisance and tell me where the Draconis and his little mutant are."

"Not here," Einn said with relish. "About as far from here as you can get. Did you actually think we were stupid enough to bring them with us? You forget - you're the dumbass. Not us."

"A pity then. Your lover is going to die now." Val reached up to activate the comm unit in his ear - and frowned. "What the hell?"

Victoria's voice echoed in the small room, "Communications successfully disabled."

"Enemy ship successfully disabled."

"What!" Val roared. "How is that possible?"

"Insufficient security measures permitted the overriding of Dragonfly computer systems by the Brilliant. Your ship is now under our command. I suggest you cooperate, Captain Val. Unless you and your crew want to end this meeting deceased."

"What the hell?" Val glared around for the source of the voice, "You have AI running your ship? That's even more illegal than the shit we're up to."

"There's no AI on this ship," Karmikel said. "Vicky, could we put an end to this? That thing is making me ill." Stepping back, he latched onto the backs of Einn's and Faller's shirts and dragged them with him. Val and the Temperast moved to follow, but the door slid shut and locked in place before they could make it.

"And here I thought I'd get a good fight in," Faller said, disappointed.

"Save it," Karmikel turned back toward the bridge. "People that damned stupid aren't worth wasting a bad punch on, never mind a good one." He sneered at Einn, "That's your precious Dragonfly? Even the Brilliant should have taken more than two minutes to hack into it."

"That was Lark's job," Einn glanced at his friend. "Without us to man things - because I highly doubt Val knows anything about running a ship or he would have had half the crew board us and attack rather than coming along with just the Temperast- the Dragonfly is worthless as a pirate ship. I'm amazed they haven't been caught yet."

Victoria was chuckling as she spoke up, "That will be rectified as soon as other matters are concluded to our satisfaction. Altering course and proceeding full speed for Planet Zero. Arrival in thirty five minutes, and we've been cleared for transport entry."

"So what are we going to do with Val and the Temp?" Einn asked. "We can't just leave them in the transport room."

Karmikel moved back to the glass, staring down at Zero as they approached it. "Wait a few more minutes, for them to pump air back into the room. Then we can go in and drag them out, lock them in the brig."

"And if they wake up in the meantime?"

"They won't," Victoria reassured them. "And once they're in the brig, we'll keep them sleeping. Though if our readings are correct, the Temp will likely die of starvation if he is not fed in three days time."

"Just three days?"

"Yes," Charles' voice appeared. "Temperast require great amounts of 'food' to sustain themselves. Normal bodies need food, nutrients and the like to live. Temperast survive on magics, and they burn through them quite quickly - especially if they're as active as this one obviously is. They literally live on the energy of others. And energy burns quickly. It is likely how they get it to listen to them - starving it, and providing it with food."

"I almost feel bad for it," Einn said.

"Do not feel too sorry for it," Charles said firmly. "A mere two thousand of them nearly wiped out an entire planet. I'm amazed there is one alive - and if there's one, there must be more. It would seem Draconis are not the only thing being experimented upon."

Faller made a face. "You almost sound surprised."

"More like disgusted really. At least researching how to make a Live ship never hurt anyone or anything. And the three of us volunteered for this last step. Scientists have to do things that most humans would steer clear from - but even for us there should be a limit."

Karmikel's voice was bitter, as he replied to Charles' comments without bothering to turn around. "It isn't the scientists that have been the jerks in all this - they do the dirty work, but they still need money and someone to pay them for the work. Hundreds of politicians around the stars are arguing right now about what's to be done with me. Not a single one of them have bothered to ask me how I feel. And back home far too many of my relatives are all too content to exist as fucking batteries. So as much as I hate the ones trying to rebuild us, I'm more interested in the bastards that are paying them to do it."

"Well," Einn said into the heavy silence that followed Karmikel's tirade, "Another thirty minutes or so and we'll be on our way to stopping one of the men at the top of all of it."

"We'll see. Just because we know Jade is involved, doesn't mean we can prove it," Faller cautioned. "Somehow I doubt he's that easily caught. Besides, this is a rescue operation. Not a 'catch the bad guys and save the day' operation. And you also seem to be forgetting, Einn, that so far as most of the world is concerned, we're also bad guys. So save the catching of other bad guys to the men that won't be arrested alongside him."

"Take all my fun away."

"You've never been inclined toward heroics before, why start now?"

"Because Karmikel sounds so damn morose, I had to say something to cheer him up before we all became glum."

"Are you making fun of me?" Karmikel asked in a low, unpleasant tone.

"No," Einn said. "You really did sound more downcast that you usually do. It affects the magics, thereby affecting me. So fucking cheer up before we both decide to plunge our heads into that glass and go on to a better, undoubtedly more boring existence."

"You think the afterlife would be boring?" Faller asked.

"Well," Einn said very seriously. "I seriously doubt I'd be allowed to do half the shit I do now. Which strikes me as boring."

"Oh, shut up." Karmikel rolled his eyes.

"Stop moping then."

Faller glared in warning at them both, "Save the fighting for later." He rose to his feet, "Victoria, is it safe to move our two guests yet?"

"Quite safe. And we'll be approaching Transport distance in approximately twenty-five minutes, so I suggest you do it quickly."

Karmikel sighed, "Has our contact been reached?"

"Winter has been reached and plans confirmed."

"Right then," Einn said. "Let's go."

Comments

[kiyoshi-chan.livejournal.com]

"What a wonderful meeting sight," Karmikel glowered out of the one-way glass stretched across the front of the bridge, and the planet they were slowly approaching. "The ruined remains of a Zero moon. I'm really disliking this Alexander."

Um... "meeting sight"? Did you mean "meeting site"?

"Hmph. You should be grateful he did it, if what even half of what I've learned about those Temperast things is true."

Extra "what", I think. And the "is" should be a "are"? Although I'm not sure on the second point.

"How do they eve know we're the ones they're after?"

"even" there.

"I can't imagine many ships come out to the ruins of Zero's second moon, and this close to the time of the arranged meeting."

The second part of the sentence sounds a bit unfinished. Maybe "especially not this close"? Or add something to the end to round off the sentence?

"So I gathered," Victoria replied dryly. "Appropriate measure have been taken. If you can keep them talking long enough, Henry and Charles will see to it [that]the Dragonfly is disabled."

"measures" should be plural. And should there be an extra "that" in there? Not sure about that one.

Einn was thoughtful as he pulled his stunner from its holster and thumped the power to it's second to highest level. "I'm more concerned with their being able to communicate with Alexander."

The bolded "it's" should be "its". And was that "thumped" meant to be "thumbed"? o_o; Guessing on that point, because I don't have a very good mental image of a stunner, so I can't actually tell.

Karmikel moved back to the glass, staring down at Zero as they approached it. "Wait a few more minutes, for them to pump air back into the room. Then we can go in and drag them out, lock them in the brig."

The bolded comma looks a bit... excessive.

"Do not feel too sorry for it," Charles said firmly. "A mere two thousand of them nearly wiped out an entire planet. I'm amazed there is one alive - and if there's one, there must be more. It would seem Draconis are not the only thing being experimented upon."

Firstly, wouldn't Karmikel object to Draconis being called "things"? And if you're going to use "things" anyway, it should be plural. :P

"Because Karmikel sounds so damn morose, I had to say something to cheer him up before we all became glum."

Should that "sounds" be a "sounded"? I think it works as a present tense too, but my grammar isn't that great. =_=;;

[/beta]

*SNRK*

"Only because Cyan shoved you out of harm's why," Faller muttered beneath his breath. He stared at Einn blankly when he turned to glare at him. "What?"

"Shut up, Lark."

*keels over laughing*

Have I told you lately that I love you? XD Because I do. <3

[kiyoshi-chan.livejournal.com]

Ah, just realised.

"Hmph. You should be grateful he did it, if what even half of what I've learned about those Temperast things is true."

The bolded "it" is a bit excessive, but it's not wrong or anything. You might just want to read through it and see?

[maderr.livejournal.com]

*cuddles* You're the best babe.

Aaaand I already have two short stories in mind once I'm done with Kidnapped. Maybe I can write them up for christmas, we'll see.

[kiyoshi-chan.livejournal.com]

Yay~ <3