VOLUME TWO: RIVALS AND RELATIONSHIPS
“Rise of the Jackal: a rival hunter spells trouble!”
Aseria Tolan expected a long line waiting to read the Tome of Treasures, so she was amazed to discover conditions to the contrary: the book was just lying there, unused. She picked the unremarkable-looking book up and opened it, breathing sharply as beautiful holographic pictures blinked to life. Since by that point in history, the only paper books were antiques kept in museums (or by deranged fans), it wasn’t unusual to see interactive three-dimensional images leaping out from the covers, but only a few civilizations could boast a quality this immaculate. The pictures were not hazy or monochromatic like the pioneering holos had been around half a millennium ago; these were so real that Aseria felt like she could touch and smell them.
“Now which trinket are we after today?” she wondered aloud. Not even the Tome of Treasures could respond to a question like that, but if she changed it to, “Please show me which artifact was researched last,” the image would switch to the last page that had been opened, thus leading her to figure out their destination. Rachel had apparently selected a location very close by, but Aseria was unfamiliar with the planet and the item it guarded. She made a mental note of it and then asked the Tome to look up anything pertaining to the worlds of Valar.
Ever since she was a child, Aseria had heard the story of the lost Dreadnought Valhalla, the “throne of heroes”, which was rumored to be hidden beneath the waves of Alfheim’s vast oceans. As the legend goes, Valhalla was a vessel that originated from an incredibly ancient, vastly superior race, and had been drawn to her home world in the hopes of communicating with Aseria’s primordial ancestors, who were perhaps the most advanced people in the galaxy at the time (their technology was on par with ancient Egypt’s). Somehow, Valhalla became trapped on Alfheim and ended up becoming a tomb for the thousands of warriors who were its crew, thus the name “throne of heroes”. Theories abounded concerning its validity, location, age, purpose, and contents, but since there was no scientific evidence of an actual vessel down in the depths, the entry for Valhalla was labeled UNCONFIRMED.
As she researched that familiar story, Aseria picked up sounds of a visitor. The footsteps were very familiar and she smiled quietly as she waited for those protective arms to wrap around her. She winced slightly as she felt her chest being squeezed: Lillianne had very strange ways of showing her affection.
“Couldn’t help yourself, huh?” Aseria closed the book, removed her friend’s hands, and turned to smile at her.
“I was just curious. Don’t tell me you haven’t stolen a peek yourself.”
“I thumbed through it. I didn’t expect it to have anything about Mu in it, but it seems I was wrong.” Aseria knew very little about Lil’s home planet, aside from the scant details provided by its sole native. Gaean legends mentioned it several times as a prehistoric, advanced city, lost in the cloud of time along with Atlantis and Shangri-La. Even the Tome of Treasures called Mu an “unconfirmed world that might have existed at one time”, but Lillianne swore to it and Aseria believed her implicitly.
“But it’s not much,” she admitted with a shrug. “Come on, we can fool around with that later. We’ve landed and I wanna stretch my legs. That means you’re going.”
“But what if I don’t want to?” Lil grinned dangerously; she had seduced people before with that wild smile.
“Who says I gave you a choice?” She quickly picked the squealing Aseria in her arms, placing one hand on her back and another on her rear, and carried her to the meeting room.
“At least tell me where we’re going!” laughed the elf.
“I have no idea; I’ve never heard of it. Some obscure world nearby. There’s some valuable bust there that’s worth about ten K in gold. I figured it was a waste of time, but I really need some exercise. You’re starting to look a little pudgy yourself.”
“What do you care?” Aseria pouted as she was placed down (Lil giving her rear one last squeeze). “You said you’d love me no matter what.”
“That’s true, but when I get you in bed, I don’t want you wearing out on me before I can work my magic.”
“Stop it,” she whispered, pushing Lil away. The pointed ears of the elf-people are incredibly sensitive and are sometimes regarded as objects of worship in sexual foreplay. Merely buzzing in a sultry voice or touching them suggestively can cause a pleasant reaction, so Aseria’s face was quite flushed.
“What’s the matter?” Lil grinned. “We’re all girls here, and it’s not like we’ve never slept together before.”
“You’re embarrassing me, and it’s inappropriate.” What began as playful bantering turned into a lover’s quarrel—except that neither woman would say she was expressly in love with the other. They had a complicated relationship and it only grew worse with the addition of about twenty other women, who shared their space and saw them interact every day.
Dr. Fujiwara greeted everyone in Amy’s place, and explained that Miss Miracle was not feeling very well. She was in agony because of her injury, and no matter what Fuuka tried, her efforts were never effective for long. She could relieve Amy of the pain for a few hours, clean the wound, and dress the bandages, but the cut refused to heal and the blood continued to trickle. She had never been so baffled in her whole life, and the only reason she didn’t express greater concern—aside from Athena’s awkward assurances—was that the injury was really not so bad, just a nuisance.
“We’ll be arriving on Olria soon,” Fujiwara said to the crew. “According to the tome, the treasure we’re after is the bust of the UCM’s very first director, Yade Sterling of Epitaph. It went missing three years ago in Fourth City and there’s currently a reward of 10,000G for it. While this may seem like a poor way to start this adventure, I believe that taking gentle steps early on will prepare us for future endeavors. This is also a good time for everyone else to bring up their own suggestions. For those of you who wish to leave, Kay and Tee Acheron will drive you to the bust’s last known location. They will be taking volunteers presently.”
“Ooh, ooh, me, me, pick me!” Shana exclaimed. “Epitaph is my home world! I know all about Mr. Sterling! Let me go, let me go!”
“I think I’ll pass,” Naja yawned. “Olria is such a backwater. I’m gonna go shed now, so if anybody interrupts—“
“You’ll kill them, we know.” Everyone groaned; Allegra had performed her task quite well, and Naja made sure they never forgot.
“Aseria and I are going,” Lil said. The dark-skinned elf smiled feebly. It was pointless to argue; Lil stuck to her friend like a habit. A breeze suddenly kicked up, battering and blowing around anything not held down fast (Chandra purred as several skirts were buffeted), and Rachel the genie appeared out of the little storm, crashing into the wall and falling flat on her face.
“Oww… Did somebody say we were going somewhere?” Vimmy was at her side at once, but not because she was concerned for Rachel’s health.
“Oh my, are you all right, that was a nasty smash you went through, yes indeed, but I’m glad you didn’t knock my hair off, did you break any bones, you seem to be all right, Mink dear, if she’s going with the team, perhaps you should follow her to make sure she’s, ahh, taken care of, I don’t want her to be in poor health, she’s a valuable crewmember, run along now, I’ll be fine right here.”
“You know she won’t grant you any wishes, master,” Mink sighed. She helped Rachel up anyway and made sure she was okay. Clumsy genies are not as uncommon as you might think—in fact, Rachel was almost a stereotype.
“Thank you, you’re very kind,” she said to Mink, who just nodded. “So who else is going? Do we count the Acheron sisters as two people or just one?”
“Count me in,” Eve said wearily. “I’ve had my nose crammed in circuitry for the past several hours; I need some sun. Just don’t expect me to get friendly with any of you!” Of course, the real reason she wanted to leave was to avoid Chandra, whom she felt oddly repulsed by, and to avoid Herut, who was no doubt ashamed of Eve’s fornication. But she was welcomed regardless and the crew set off since no more volunteers came forth (Chandra wanted to follow, but she also wanted to try and seduce several other women, and pleasure units are not very consistent with their conquests).
……
Shana Suing stared idly at her chatting companions as the Acheron’s vehicle tumbled and rolled across the Olrian landscape. This section of the world was dark and drizzly, thanks to an overcast sky that foreshadowed storms to come. The cities were grimy, polluted, wet, and overcrowded with grizzly, gnarled people, their stares cold and their greetings curt. It was a bleak, bleary world, but the weather probably contributed to this dystopian atmosphere. No doubt that on a sunny day, the best and brightest would be out to give the travelers a better impression of their world.
Self-portraits were not Shana’s style. She only saw herself one way, and that perception never changed, because only she saw herself for what she was; a painting would not really depict what others wanted to see. But she sketched everyone else once she was finished painting the landscape of Olrian. She doubted her audience would like this gray, empty world, but she wanted to record everything for posterity. First on her list was Rachel, the surprisingly bouncy and bubbly genie. She sat grinning and rocking in the car, eager for the adventure to start, her exotic clothes and roasted skin blatantly standing out against the pallor around her. She smelled heavenly but was not successful in making friends: most of the passengers were used to people staying out of their affairs.
Aseria and Lillianne came next; she grouped them together since it didn’t feel right creating separate entries for them. Lil’s eyes glimmered like bullion, two spherical treasures that hid dark secrets and wild passions, and her heliotrope mane, when not held up for prudence’s sake, slithered all the way to her ankles and could almost substitute as a robe (Shana was fairly jealous). While her attitude was prickly, selfish, and scathing, she was certainly pleasing to the eyes, boasting a voluptuous, seductive body, sculpted perfectly through years of vigorous martial arts training, milky white and glowing with radiance. Her favorite hobby, aside from talking down to others and clinging to Aseria, was dressing up and modeling her clothes—she was as vain as a peacock. She claimed that most natives of Mu looked like her, but she couldn’t prove this.
Aseria Tolan was as proud and beautiful and mysterious as the rest of her elvish kin. Her eyes were like oceans, deep and dark and deadly, and her hair cascaded to her waist (yet another person with enviable locks!); she was nearly a living waterfall. She was smaller and slightly lighter than her second-in-command, and despite her frail appearance and strategic knowledge, she was Lil’s match in combat and the two sparred fairly often (which usually included swapping sexual innuendo). Unlike Lillianne, her skin was quite black, but not unattractive in the least; she had a more honest beauty surrounding her and might have passed as “the girl next door” if she weren’t a Captain of the Sindar Special Defense Forces, one of the major branches of the UCM. She also dressed sensibly and professionally—to impress and not to seduce—but she quivered with a malicious light that pierced her kind appearance.
Eve Kasberry was the only person in the transport Shana could call a friend. She had already sketched her before but wanted to see if there was anything she missed. She had fair skin from working so many hours indoors, and her clothes—even the cleanest ones—were stained with oil, antifreeze, lubricant, and grease. She was quite muscular but not necessarily masculine; her single blue eye glowed with a feminine sparkle (the other had been lost in an accident and had to be replaced), and her face, when not scowling sarcastically or tight with concentration, was actually nice to look at. The whole of her left leg and her lower right leg were also artificial, covered with synthetically produced tissue (which came in handy when they were all fighting those Executioners). All of this made her a very intimidating character, but both Shana and Herut (and Chandra, to an extent) knew that behind this rough curtain was a good soul.
Mink had a simple, plain beauty about her, and in spite of her emotionless expressions, she was very receptive and friendly, eager to lend a hand and take care of anybody who needed her. Shana was glad that Vimmy appreciated and praised her gray-skinned servant so highly, although she still didn’t understand how the two polar opposites met, or got along for that matter! Mink was fairly tall for a woman and, except for the shade of her skin and her short, simple mop of white hair, she could easily pass for a human. Her eyes were dark but very gentle, her voice was steady and slightly husky, and she was much stronger than she looked. Shana beamed at her, trying to coax out a little smile. Mink’s lips twitched just long enough for her to capture the humble woman’s spirit.
The Acheron twins were much harder to portray. Shana wanted to make them look attractive and not freakish, but she had never painted conjoined twins before, and Kay and Tee were dicephalic: the two women merged so perfectly that they shared a single body but had two heads between them. They had very distinct personalities and tried to customize their appearance to avoid confusion: Kayleigh, the woman on Shana’s left, was soft-spoken and let her dyed-black hair grow long; Teleah, the woman on Shana’s right, was more outspoken and harsh, and had short dyed turquoise hair. There were surgical scars on their neck, chest, and back, indicating the sorts of troubles they had been through, but these were covered by a custom-made black flight suit that allowed each twin her own collar. The sisters were armed, but for the moment, their hands were steering the vehicle.
“Shit, girl,” Lil murmured as Shana displayed them. “You’re good! That’s some real talent right there! Aseria, check this out! Not even the Sindar could match this!”
“That remains to be seen,” she muttered cynically. The sapphire-haired elf flipped through the sketches mechanically and handed them back to the artist. “Impressive. Where did you learn how to do this?”
“I just practiced a lot.”
“You’re self-taught? That is impressive.”
“Plus I have a really good memory, and an eye for detail.”
“It shows. Well, I don’t mean to sound like a brat, but how much farther do you two think it is?”
“Keep your shirt on,” Tee grumbled. She looked back and grimaced: whoops, bad choice of words. Lil was grinning perversely. “Just hang tight. Keep in mind that once we reach the place, we’ll have to start searching for clues. Unless we’re too late, nobody’s seen this bust in three years.”
“I think the book would’ve mentioned it if the bust had been found,” Kay noted.
“Probably, but who knows. There’s the city, elf-girl! Lil, please tell me you didn’t—“
“No, but she tried,” Aseria muttered. Lil grinned and winked at the others, but not everyone thought it was so funny.
Because three years had passed since Fourth City lost its prized treasure, leads were dry, clues were scarce, and people had basically given up on finding it. A new bust was being made in the meantime, though there were groups opposed to the recreation. These fanatics insisted that the search continue—and if it could not, then all attempts at remaking the bust should cease in order to preserve its original memory. But these people were in the minority and so the new sculpture was underway. This led the travelers to scout out the locations of those against the recreation, but they had been searching hard ever since the artifact first turned up missing three years ago.
“We kept it in our museum, along with all the other pieces,” explained one of the members. “Once there was a time when we displayed all sorts of commemorative paraphernalia concerning the history of our galaxy, and Sterling’s bust was one of our most prizes pieces.”
“Did somebody take it?” Shana asked. The man rubbed his chin.
“That’s what we believe. Three years ago, we redesigned the UCM wing of the museum and had to move everything to an undisclosed location. We thought we had recovered everything when the construction was finished, but a few days later, we discovered someone had switched the real bust with a facsimile. We’re still not sure if it’s robbery or just a prank, but all this time has gone by and we still haven’t solved the case.”
“What does the bust look like?” He showed Shana a picture and she memorized its details perfectly. The galaxy had been a fairly lawless place for several centuries before the major powers banded together and formed a single unified military force, and Yade Sterling, who had been current ruler of Shana’s home world back then, was first elected to lead the organization. That had been centuries ago, well before the first rockets from Earth penetrated the heavens, so a bust of Sterling was naturally very valuable. Aseria suggested they examine the room where the items had been stored, but Olrian police and detective forces had already combed every inch of the room, and every other room they could think of. Security cameras had shown no interference and nobody had broken through security on that fateful night, which led most people to believe the switch happened before everything was moved out.
“We suspected an employee,” he continued, “but we performed tight background checks on everyone, and we’ve even searched their homes. Ah, here’s one of them now. Nanette, these people are asking about the Sterling bust. Could you take over for me please? Don’t worry, I’m not ducking out or anything!” He smiled thinly and left the crew to speak with this new woman. Shana and Eve were stricken by how pretty she was, and how warmly she treated them all. She looked everyone in the eye and was even able to charm Lillianne, though she was forbidden to approach Aseria. Only Mink showed no reaction, but inwardly, she was happy to be in the company of such a sophisticated lady.
“Before you start asking, I can guarantee that none of the employees were involved,” she said. “Even if one of us did steal it, why would we keep it since we’re so devoted to its preservation? Everyone here is against the bust’s recreation, including the curator. It’s everything or nothing with us; we won’t accept anything in between.”
“Sounds stubborn to me,” Lil muttered, though she raised an impressed eyebrow. Nanette glowed warmly and grinned.
“Yes, I know, but like I said, we’re all devoted. I’ve actually performed a little private research myself, and I was hoping I could have some assistance—if you’ll be so kind.”
“That’s what we came here for,” Aseria said. Everyone followed her except Rachel, who had been soaking everything up. She wondered if magic had anything to do with this disappearance, as doubtful as it was. She didn’t sense any on that world, but that didn’t always mean there wasn’t any at all.
……
Eve had been fascinated by Nanette’s presence ever since she first glided into sight, and she could scarcely rip her eyes away without yearning for another look. Many women aboard the Dauntless were beauties beyond compare, and quite a few had good, pure hearts, bursting with love—but Nanette seemed beyond all this as the majestic lion is beyond the common alley cat. She invited everyone to her home and gave them the tour of her investigation, but while they were busy piecing together these clues, she gravitated to Eve’s side, gave her a heart-stopping grin, and leaned forward to whisper:
“So, are you in it for the money or the fun? Or maybe you’re the bandit and you’ve come to confess.” Her eyes squinted as her cheeks glowed; she was a merry, sensual, attractive creature, nearly a goddess and yet humble and wholesome. She didn’t seem disturbed by Eve’s appearance and even appeared quite at ease. Eve had been deceived before, however, and kept her distance, suspicious of people who favored her for no reason.
“The first two, I guess. So is everybody this committed, or just you?”
“I don’t know. I’ve never been to their houses. But I believe them when they say they want to recover this bust. Olria was nothing until they decided to build that museum. It’s the only thing that keeps us from slipping back to the Silicon Age. I still can’t believe somebody would desecrate our only significant source of culture like this…but to tell you the truth, the bust isn’t the only artifact that was ‘misplaced’.”
“Oh yeah?” Nanette nodded.
“The museum has lost seventeen other items under different circumstances. Sometimes they’re recovered, other times they’re not, and once in awhile, we get a practical joker who sends us a fake. Compared to the Sterling bust, however, everything else is meaningless. He was the first director of the UCM.” She gazed at Eve again, and this time, there was no questioning her intent. She was obviously checking her out and even the jaded mechanic caught on. She physically backed away, her mind awhirl with doubts.
“Oh—uh—yes. So…you said you needed some assistance?”
“Yes please. I may have found the location, but it would be impossible for me to get there by myself, and anyway, if I brought it back without any witnesses, people would suspect me.”
“So why not get your friends at the museum to help?”
“One, nobody believes me. I was hoping you could have a little faith in me, Eve.” (Oh, how her ears burned when she heard that!) “Two, they’re all so busy with their own theories that they couldn’t help me even if they wanted to. Third…well, let’s just say that normal people wouldn’t be able to reach it anyway. Eve, I know this is forward of me, and quite sudden—maybe even a bit impolite—but you and your friends are the only people who can help me. You’ve got so much free time and you’re clearly capable of handling whatever life throws at you. I just need your faith.”
Asking Eve Kasberry to believe in anybody except herself was normally a fatal request. She understood the dark, selfish side of humanity all too well, and had seen what happened to people who were lulled by a similar song. Her own father was the perfect example of human scum: he appeared virtuous and caring on the outside, but when the doors were closed and the eyes were off him, he was a vehement isolationist, and even more xenophobic and racist than the Elshyrin. She had nearly been destroyed by his beliefs; there was no way she would be sucked back into that world.
“Look somewhere else, lady,” she muttered. “I’ve given up on faith.”
“Then at least come along and judge for yourself. Don’t people say that actions speak louder than words?” She caressed Eve’s hand and looked directly into her eyes. Eve cursed her attraction to pretty women and agreed to Nanette’s request. She wouldn’t even have to trust her; she could just be there keeping watch over the situation. Nanette thanked her with a smile, and touched Eve’s face with the sincerity and love of a saint. For a moment, Eve hoped she’d be kissed by this angelic being…but maybe it was better that she didn’t. It made the desire grow stronger still.
“So how did you find the location?” asked Shana innocently. Nanette had apparently forgotten about everyone else, and turned round to attend to them. Shana also liked this older woman and even had a little crush on her, not that Eve could really feel sore about it.
“Making contacts, exploring, asking questions, following clues… Three years of hard work, whenever I could. In the end, though, it’s just a theory. I can’t prove it, but…”
“Don’t worry, I’ll come along anyway! I’ve got nothing else to do, and this sounds like fun! Are you all with me?”
“Definitely,” Lil grinned—and that meant Aseria would be along for the side. Mink merely nodded, and Rachel bounced up and down. Only the Acheron sisters were skeptical, but Nanette wasn’t offended.
“I don’t blame you. I’ve tried to be scientific about this, but I can only go so far. The rest is merely a belief and a hope. You don’t have to come.”
“If you need a driver…” Kay started to say, but Tee interrupted her.
“Why not? We did volunteer for this job, after all.”
“Um, yes, we did.”
“Great. Come along and I’ll show you where I think it may be.”
……
The ocean did seem like a logical choice to dump a valuable treasure, so nobody was surprised when Nanette rented a submarine and gave her suggested coordinates to the Acherons. Shana instantly busied herself drawing the marine world and found it to be a delightful alternative to the drab surface (she even did Nanette’s beauty some justice). Lil was quickly growing bored and started to complain; Aseria assigned herself the difficult task of soothing her (she was the only one that could) and tried to balance the pure love she was sure she felt and the forbidden lust she wanted to conquer. Kay and Tee were left alone, as always, since Nanette seemed to favor Eve’s company, but they had her coordinates and they didn’t require any further assistance. Mink was her usual patient, stoic self, and kept Shana company since she seemed to appreciate the beauty of the natural world just as much.
“Can I ask you a question, Eve?” Nanette said. She spoke graciously and politely, like one who always considered the needs of others. Even her posture and body language gave the impression of tranquility and safety. Either she was trying to assure Eve that she could be trusted, or else setting her up for the biggest disappointment yet. But Kasberry was weak; she hadn’t felt this much attention lavished on her since leaving Chandra in bed, and she craved the genuine love and affection Nanette was no doubt willing to give her.
“I guess so,” she answered numbly. Again with the disarming smile…
“Are you afraid of me or something? You seem to keep your defenses up. I’m sorry if I’m prying; I just…like you for some reason. Call it an attraction.”
“Because I’m an infamous mechanic?” she snorted. Nanette grinned.
“I didn’t even know you were infamous. No offense, but I’ve never heard of you. You just seem…attractive. You’re not only beautiful, intelligent, and independent, but…there’s something that drew me to you. I’m not sure what it was.”
“These babies most likely!” she said, lifting her pants up and knocking on her mechanical legs. Nanette smiled patiently and shook her head.
“I’m not that kind of woman. I’m sorry if I can’t describe it better. So are you going to answer my question?” Eve sighed and uncrossed her arms. Only two people knew her as more than just a moody, distant mechanic. She wasn’t sure if she was capable of adding a third.
“I’m just not used to being around people,” she mumbled.
“But what about all these people here?”
“We just…work together. I don’t have that many friends—maybe two or three.”
“Think you could add another?” Eve actually blushed as Nanette scooted closer. This was different from being eyed by Chandra: a pleasure unit doesn’t know any other life than the one they were given, but normal humans have a choice, and if it was really Nanette’s choice to be in love with Eve…
“Miss Nanette, we’re here!” Kay called suddenly. What rotten timing.
“I don’t see anything,” Tee grunted. “You sure we’re in the right place?” Nanette sighed quietly and excused herself, leaving Eve to recover her racing heartbeat.
“Do you see that large pile of rubble down there? If my theory is correct, our thief hid it here after lifting it from the museum. You see, I believe they took off with it and replaced it with a fake long before the renovation.”
“It would be the most probable solution,” the twins admitted. They steered the sub as close as they could, and carefully reached its grappler arm out to brush away the debris. Boulders, chunks of coral, and the remains of a small boat were all piled together, most likely caused by an accident. Kay smiled faintly as she tried to guess how this could come about.
“It seems they ran into some trouble.”
“That’d explain why they hid it here to throw off the trail,” Tee added. “How’d you figure all this out, anyway?”
“I saw it on the news, of course,” Nanette tittered. “There was a story awhile back of a burglary. The report said the crook got away on a boat, but there was no mention of a wreck, so nobody bothered to check the seabed. But even if they did, doesn’t that pile look natural?”
“The perfect place to hide a smuggled treasure,” Kay said.
“But how did you know it’d be under this pile?” Nanette laughed gaily at the twins.
“My, aren’t we suspicious? Actually, even I didn’t know about the wreck; I just pinpointed these coordinates because I overheard the friend of a friend talking about hearing a disturbance. Most people thought it was a shark or a dugong, and it usually is. It may not actually be under this—“
“I found something,” Kay said. The twins had been picking away for awhile and uncovered a secret passage that had been blocked by the boulders. It was large enough for the submarine to pass into, and after puttering beneath the seabed for a moment, it came out in a cavern. A pocket of air seeped in through the winding labyrinth, so everyone got out to investigate. Nanette shivered like one who was anxiously waiting the unveiling of a terrific secret, and she took Eve’s hand for comfort. Eve attempted to smile and tried to be gentle, but with her rough hands… Nanette didn’t seem to mind, though, and grinned quite sweetly.
“Ooh,” Shana sang. “You’re holding hands already? You sure move fast!”
“Be quiet,” Lil sighed. “Public displays of affection are a lost art. Right, Aseria?” She reached out and smacked the elf’s bottom, causing her to jump. Rachel laughed while Mink just stood there, impassive as ever. Nobody could tell if she was amused or irritated. Once everyone’s nerves had calmed down, they made their way into a cavern and discovered quite a trove of treasures stockpiled there. Not only was the bust waiting for them, but there were manuscripts, medals, uniforms, scale models, holo-tomes, personal effects, and all sorts of items pertaining to the history of the military. Even the most jaded among them paused to soak all this in—one felt like sinking down and scooping everything up like grains of sand on a beach.
“This is certainly serendipitous,” Aseria murmured.
“Yeah, really. It’s like a ‘find one, get fifteen free’ treasure hunt. So Nanette, are we going to load all these up?”
“If you would, please. And be careful: we can’t replace anything here, no matter what the heathens think.”
“Get a grip, lady!” Shana chortled as they started loading. “It’s just a pile of junk. It’s not like these are holy relics or anything.” Loading everything onto the submarine was more difficult without Rachel’s assistance. Shana begged her to use her magic, but she declined.
“I only use it when I need to. You can carry these things yourselves—and I’ll help you.”
“That’s no fun,” she muttered. Eventually it was all packed up and ready to go. The trip back was considerably easier than the descent: Kay and Tee just had to surface and head towards the shore. When they docked, Nanette stood to congratulate everyone, even going so far as to give Eve a hug. Shana cooed mischievously and winked at them both; Eve rolled her eyes and quickly jerked back. Nanette’s bracelet was flung off her wrist as Eve tossed herself away, and since she felt guilty for rejecting what could possibly be her first real lover, Eve bent down to pick it up.
“Uh-oh,” Rachel said as Eve raised the bracelet up. “Bad move.” Nobody expected it to be rigged with sleep gas, and they had no time to struggle or escape before the toxins took their effect. Nanette calmly placed a mask over her face, pulled out a cell phone, and made the call she had promised several hours earlier.
“It’s me. The plan worked. Thanks for telling me about them. …I found everything, so come on over to my place whenever you like. …My cover’s probably blown, so I’ll need a ride out. …No, I just knocked them out. They’re all right; I’m not a killer. Besides, I think I might be in love with one of them. …Yeah, I know. I’ll be expecting you soon.” She bent down and stuffed a note in Eve’s hand, then held her breath, lifting her mask just long enough to touch her soft lips to Eve’s mouth. She only paused for a moment to see Rachel glaring at her, unaffected by the gas but not in any hurry to stop her.
“Can I help you?” she asked. The Ifritah just growled.
“They trusted you, you know. Evie’s gonna be heartbroken when she wakes up.”
“It’s nothing personal—and I didn’t hurt any of them. Just think of me as…a rival, nothing more. And tell that sweet Dr. Miracle that the Jackal says hello.” The woman who called herself Nanette opened the submarine door and loaded everything out long before anyone could wake up. Rachel sighed and fanned as much of the fog out as she could. She wanted to stop the woman, but she had to take care of the crew first—and besides, their rival had only succeeded for the time being!
……
Eve woke up in a nearby Olrian hospital, surrounded by people who looked vaguely familiar. She definitely recognized the serene, foxy face of Dr. Fujiwara, and moaned softly as Shana and Herut shared the task of tending to her. She numbly remembered hugging Nanette, then dropping something, then there was…well, there was a whole lot of nothing for a long time. But now she was awake, encircled by her companions, still quite unsure if this was a dream.
“Did you enjoy your rest?” Fuuka asked. “You slept longer than the others. They’re already onboard; Rachel called me down here once she carried everyone out of the sub.”
“Slept?” Eve moaned. Her mouth was dry and she whispered for a drink.
“Yes. You succumbed to an anesthetic that doctors use in operations. From what Rachel told me, the toxin spewed out of beads in a bracelet worn by a…well, I suppose it was a rival.”
“Nanette?” she groaned. Eve suddenly felt sick, and not from her prolonged sleep.
“It turns out that was a fake name,” Shana said. “She was actually working undercover in that museum for three years. She was the one responsible for stealing all those artifacts.”
“That’s impossible,” Eve whispered as she stood up. Her head swam as the blood swished around, suddenly stirred after such a long rest, and Herut gently placed her back on the bed.
“Maybe you should read her letter. She left it for you after knocking everyone out.” This was the same note the woman slipped into Eve’s hand; she unfolded it numbly and started reading.
“Eve—
“Try and be professional about this. I didn’t mean to harm any of you; I just needed someone who could drive a sub down to where I hid everything I stole for the past three years. Yes, I’m the thief, and your suspicions were true, but I’m not an evil person. I only steal to survive; I make sure never to harm anyone, unless they’ve got it coming. All those excuses I threw around were about me: I wrecked my boat and stored everything in that cavern, but a landslide blocked everything off. One of my contacts informed me that the famous ‘Dauntless’, captained by the legendary Dr. Miracle, was making port on this humble little world, and so I did everything I could to gain your trust—just so I could take all the treasures I had amassed and leave the world a little richer than when I came. It’s quite all right if you feel betrayed, and if you want revenge, I won’t stop you—nor will I resent you. I may have lied to you time and again, but one thing is certain: I was attracted to you and I have fallen for you. I hope we’ll meet again soon, beautiful Eve, even if we are on opposite sides. Until then, I’ll be dreaming of you.
“With sincerest wishes and fondest farewells, ‘Nanette’—also known as ‘The Jackal’.”
“We’ve got competition,” Eve muttered. Her only two friends in the world nodded.
“But I don’t think she’s bad. She really looked like she was sweet on you.”
“Yeah,” she sighed, crumbling the note up. “Just my luck. I always get the psychos, don’t I? Doctor, when can the ship leave?”
“As soon as you’re feeling better.”
“Then start the engines,” she grunted, hauling herself out. Of course, Eve didn’t realize she was wearing a hospital gown, but that didn’t stop her at all. Herut sighed as she made a “revealing” exit.
“Maybe she and Chandra would go together.”
Preview of next chapter
Athena: …Mm.
Mink: Hmm?
Athena: The next chapter…
Mink: Yes?
Athena: Seems we’ve made another enemy…
Mink: Oh, I see. That’s unfortunate.
Athena: Yeah…
Mink: Is she dangerous?
Athena: Seems that way.
Mink: Hmm. That’s a problem.
Athena: Yeah…
Mink: In the next chapter, everything’s been turned around.
Athena: “Breathless on Reversa: a new enemy in a topsy-turvy world”—it sounds rough.
Mink: Mm-hmm. Let’s be careful.
Athena: Yeah…
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