“Space Race: a great showdown!”
So much can happen in one day—indeed, it really only takes an hour to change something. Kaori Chuunaru was quiet and awkward as she followed her crew into the small space station orbiting the frozen Hagan 20. Social situations had not been hammered into her nearly as hard as they could have, and she ended up leaning off to the side, casually watching as everyone else had their fun. Oh, she knew how to carry herself in a more formal setting, and she wasn’t as harsh or direct as her actions would lead you to believe—but it was hard for her to let her hair down, mainly because she focused so much of her time on her duties. One of her subordinates she had a fruitless crush on brushed past her, smiled and offered a drink, and Kaori took it eagerly.
“So this is Lady Damascus!” She nearly retched and jerked her head to glare at Sati Yeriman, who had been pawing and sniffling around up until then. It was difficult to glare at her adorable face for long; she was bright, kind, and loving, and wore her heart on her sleeve.
“And just where did you hear that expression?” Kaori muttered darkly. Sati waved casually.
“From the friend of a friend, of course.”
“You should probably forget you ever heard that,” Eve said as she snuck up from behind, placing a steely hand on Sati’s shoulder. She grinned lazily at Kaori and used her finger like a gun. “Pow. Nice running into you, Chuunaru. How’s the suit working?”
“You did a good job,” she nodded curtly. “How’s your Zeta working?”
“He was great the last time I checked. I still can’t believe I left him with the boss.”
“From the look of your company, I’d say you forgot him in your haste. By the way, that bounty is still out for you.”
“Yeah, I know,” she drawled, removing herself from Sati, who made a beeline for Riene. “You can keep it for as long as you like and raise it as high as you want, but I’m still not joining up with you people. I’ve had my fill.” Kaori approached her rapidly and drew so close that her impatient breath splashed against Eve’s face.
“Don’t be so selfish, Kasberry. I appreciate your commitment to freedom and independence, but don’t let a talent like yours go to waste. The UCM can give you anything you want, take you to any world you like, give you the best equipment and funding, put you in the nicest house, give you the best crew…”
“But then I’d turn into a military shill,” she countered coolly. “Thanks for the offer, Kaori, really, but I’m gonna have to turn you down. It’s not that I’m not flattered, it’s just…putting a bounty on someone so you can force her back into your fold is really disgusting.”
“You know I didn’t have anything to do with that,” she snapped icily.
“I’m not saying you did. Our relationship is peachy keen as far as I can see. It’s the rest of the galaxy police I have trouble with.”
“Galaxy Police?” Fuuka chirped. Athena sighed and snuggled her close.
“Don’t eavesdrop, Fuu-chan.” Kaori ignored them and crossed her arms defensively.
“Why are you so antagonistic towards us? You were only employed half a year, Kasberry—that’s not long enough to make any enemies. Did we treat you poorly or not give you what you needed? Was it because of that attack?”
“Hell no!” she exclaimed, putting her hands on her head. Her mechanical eye scanned the room, noticing how so many people were starting to pair up. Sati had just kissed Riene in public, Shana and Mink were holding hands and whispering intimately, Athena was gently kissing Fuuka’s neck and shoulders while the good doctor blithely kept up a conversation, Naja had her arms around Lil and Aseria, and Yenae was busy tickling Alala’s ears. Even Amy was arranging something over a monitor feed. It made Eve feel envious, isolated, and lonely, but what good did love do for her? She had survived all this time without it, right? She sighed and decided to answer Kaori before she got impatient.
“I just didn’t want to be a part of all that. Don’t get me wrong, Kaori: I don’t really hate the military. I just hate the thought of losing myself in a group that size. I wouldn’t be anything more than a rank and file drone. I want to start my own business, be my own person. I don’t even care if I fail—I just want to try.”
“And so that’s your answer.”
“That’s my answer,” she said affirmatively. Chandra was wandering through the area around that time and came across two beauties engaged in a mysterious discussion. Since she was incapable of ignoring something so fascinating, she popped in, chirped at Kaori, and saved Eve a world of trouble.
“Hello! You’re the woman we talked to earlier, right? My word, you’re even more stunning in person! I think I already know who you are, but why don’t we make introductions anyway? I’m Chandra, the passionate one, a lover of love. What grace has brought you here?”
“Captain Kaori Chuunaru,” she stated. She blushed as Chandra batted her eyes and fought to keep her gaze. Kaori knew it was rude not to look people in the eye when they spoke, but it was tough to focus with the perfect vision of loveliness grinning before her. “Y…you’re a pleasure unit, right? Wait—you said your name is ‘Chandra’, right? Are you the same Chandra who ran away from her owner in Andromeda Prime—and stole his spaceship—and kidnapped a valuable repair unit?”
“Yes!!” Herut screamed, gesturing vividly. “She’s the one! That’s the dirty whore who ruined my life! You can arrest her now!”
“Behave yourself,” Valti said as she ruffled Herut’s dark hair. “The good Captain’s not here to make any arrests. If Shandra Hill didn’t do it, neither will Miss Kaori!”
“It’s against the rules anyway,” Kaori muttered as she brushed a particle of shame away. She was still thinking about her truancy concerning the attack on the Bloody Dove, and didn’t want to get mixed up in anymore moral dilemmas. She gazed at Chandra a second time and saw the innocence radiating in her eyes. Rules or not, she would never act against a woman like her; there were bigger problems in life besides a lesbian pleasure unit who committed grand theft.
“You mentioned something about a date, if I’m not mistaken. I would like to see what you had in mind, Miss Chandra. Perhaps you can alter my perception of your criminal record.” Dear sweet Chandra lit up so brightly that it was blinding; she squealed, latched around Kaori’s arm, and walked away purring and humming merrily. Eve rolled her eyes: that earlier sensation of isolation had just spiked. She grudgingly separated herself from her crewmates and started wandering around the small station, trying to adjust herself to the sporadic changes in gravity. Most of the station was behaving itself and kept people pinned down to the surface fairly regularly, but there were a few antechambers Eve had to float through, their walls studded with bars and latches to hang onto. She found herself half-hovering, half-walking into a cafeteria, and spotted an empty table where she could rest. Of course, being stuck in a crowd made her feel even more ostracized, but at least it wasn’t punctuated by all that fuzziness she left behind.
“Beautiful women shouldn’t sit by themselves.” The voice startled Eve, and she jerked around only to be kissed by two very soft, honey-sweet lips. Her heart jumped in arousal, surprise, and even resentment as she saw the Jackal in front of her, grinning sweetly and innocently, as if they had been lovers forever. Eve croaked, incapable of proper speech. That was probably for the best; words could not fit into this situation.
“Miss me much?” laughed the older woman as she sat down. “We keep running into each other at the weirdest places. It just goes to show that we’re destined to be together. I’m actually here to watch the race, but I had a feeling I’d see you here. I’ve got some money on that ship of yours, so don’t let me down.” Eve’s face darkened as she numbly traced circles on the table with her finger.
“I don’t actually drive it, I just…help put some of it together.”
“Which means you’re still an important part of the ship.” Quincy smiled and reached out to take Eve’s hand; she didn’t jerk it back. “So how much time do you have before you have to set out again?”
“We’re just stopping for the night. I think our pilots are planning to run the rest of the way to the finish line once we depart.”
“The night, huh? That doesn’t leave us much time. You know, there’s going to be a little dance in the zero-g room later today. I don’t know if that’s your thing or not, but I’m going, and I’d like you to be my date.” Eve smiled shyly and nodded her head: wish granted. And how serendipitous! She would have to show Lady Jackal she was not all thumbs and left feet: Eve could take charge and fluster other people as well. The rest of their day was spent as a dream; the whole night slipped them by as they made love and slept peacefully in each other’s arms.
……
“Damn it, I’m gonna be late! Why the hell’d ya let me sleep in like that?! SHIT! Oof—damn it, lousy friggin’ pants! Fuck this, I’ve gotta run! I’ll just put the rest on in my room! I gotta leave, Quince—and if I see you again, I’ll smack you so hard for keeping me up all night!”
The Jackal laughed out loud as she watched Eve struggling to get dressed and leave before her crew abandoned her. She had offered to give the fiery mechanic a ride, but apparently Eve’s sense of duty to her ship and crew took preference over everything else—not that it wasn’t an admirable trait! Once little Kasberry dashed out of the room, Quincy crawled over to the small articles of clothing her lover had left behind, picked them up, and breathed in their scent. An undershirt, socks, and a bra would make excellent trophies—and reminders that their night together had been real.
Herut raised an intrigued eyebrow as her hastily-dressed and windswept tutor burst into the ship, but chose to stay quiet and not ask any questions. She was probably better off not knowing, anyway. As Eve calmed down, Herut also spotted Riene and Chandra walking on clouds, and grimaced as she dared to imagine just what had transpired during that eventful night. Chandra’s story would be easy to decipher, but Riene was another matter. Did she finally get together with Rebecca, or had her dalliance with Sati borne fruit?
“Whatever,” she muttered as she went back to work. Aseria had volunteered to guide the Dauntless into the final stretch of the race, which was perfectly fine with the Acheron sisters: they were tired of being isolated in the bridge, and wanted to explore. A few of their crewmates still gave them uncomfortable looks as they passed by, though they didn’t mean any harm by it; the rest of the crew was more or less adjusted to their unique appearance. Fittingly enough, Valti greeted them the warmest and treated them like equals, probably believing that she would get along better with her fellow “freaks”. Naja also acted indifferently towards them, probably because a number of her own species had two heads, but she spent more time with Lillianne than the twins. They had a common enemy in Fuuka Fujiwara and became unlikely friends because of it.
But back to Aseria’s trials. The journey from Hagan 20 to the finish line on Centania was long, grueling, stressful, and exhausting. It pitted a pilot’s skill and stamina against the sheer emptiness and vastness of space: there were no further checkpoints, and unless somebody flew completely off track, there would be no celestial bodies to mark the passage of time or distance. When Allegra asked Herut for a comparison, the young mechanic answered that it would be like
going from Helios 8 (Neptune) to Helios 3 (Gaia) nonstop, with every other planet in between obscured by total darkness. Granted, nearly all modern vessels could make the jump, but it would drain nearly all their reserves if they didn’t pace things right. Aseria would therefore have to contend with monotonous distance, any rivals that would come their way, preserving fuel and supplies, and her own sanity before the end was over. It wasn’t a very assuring assessment.
“That pointy-eared fruitcake’s got enough screws loose,” the gunslinger exclaimed. “I heard Lil say she has sex with her own sister! Ugh! And that’s normal compared to the other things I’ve heard them do--witchcraft and demon-worship, summonin’ spirits and controllin’ the weather, even rituals to suck away your soul! I won’t even touch the Romanesque orgies they hold.”
“Orgies?” Chandra squealed. Allegra snorted and dismissed her with a gesture.
“Go’way. I’m disgusted just talkin’ about it.”
“And I’m sick of hearing it,” Herut grunted. “So we have to rely on her to win this race for us? I’d almost prefer Naja. She may be an obnoxious, selfish, egotistical, backstabbing tyrant, but at least you can count on her doing that. Couldn’t we get anybody else to finish this up? What about Amy?”
“That’s another thing, sug,” Allegra sighed as she leaned back in her chair. “I keep askin’ her why she never flies her own ship, and she just feeds me the same line over again: ‘Oh, you know, the Acheron sisters are doing a better job.’ I love that gal, but she could be a lil’ more proactive.”
“At least she gives us lots of freedom.” Herut cast her eyes to where Chandra was seen last and snorted. “Maybe too much freedom!”
“I do understand why you can’t tolerate that hussy,” Allegra sighed. “She just ain’t ladylike at all. I mean, it ain’t the whole Sappho-thing I’m against. Lord knows I’ve done things a hundred times more shameful. If she could just commit herself to someone and stick with them, I wouldn’t have no problem.”
“She’d still be annoying, even if she were a nun,” Herut concluded. She waved farewell to Allegra and went back to work: the Dauntless was going to need her full attention if it was going to survive this marathon.
……
Alala was doing everything she could for the crew, if only to prove to them she was more than just an adorable sex symbol, and while more people were beginning to respect her and see her in another light, she still felt like their perception was misconstrued. She knew deep in her heart that Yenae was one of the few people that really admired and understood her, but she preferred
to be in Miracle’s company. During one of her breaks, she timidly walked into Amy’s room and was invited to lay down on the older woman’s bed. Amy cradled Alala’s head in her lap and softly petted her startling silvery hair, sometimes touching her fuzzy ears. It was a sweet, serene feeling, and the young Felinis almost fell asleep several times.
“Kyrie’s trying to think of a way to make the ship go faster,” she reported numbly.
“Mm,” Amy hummed, “she must be bored with no engine to maintain.”
“I knew she’d know why we had to shut it off for this segment, and probably a few others knew, as well. Yenae’s actually out there trying to explain it for all those people who don’t speak scientist. I have to admit, as aggravating as she it, there’s a sharp mind in that empty head of hers. Don’t tell her I said that, okay?” Amy giggled and promised she wouldn’t. She knew about Yenae’s feelings (everybody did by that point), and was fairly certain that deep down, Alala was passionately drawn to the free spirit; she just hadn’t come to terms with it yet. The kitten yawned, stretched, and lazily waved her tail in the air.
“It’s almost too bad we can’t keep using the engines, but what’s the point? We’re already going as fast as we can, and we’re rationing our Lennethium. What do you suppose will happen once we reach the finish line?” Amy smiled sagely and stopped caressing for a moment.
“We’ll run into some familiar faces, and there’ll be a chaotic struggle… But in the end, we’ll cross that line. It really doesn’t matter to me what position we end up in; I’m just glad for the experience. I would like to hurry up a bit and concentrate on our next task.”
“That’s the one you promised to do with Naja, right?” Alala flopped around so she was looking up, and playfully batted Amy’s pigtails. “Why do you put up with that she-devil, anyway? I mean, sure, she’s got her good points, but come on! I’d rather hang around Yenae all day!”
“The Christian doctrine commands us to love all,” Amy answered firmly. “Some people are just more difficult to love than others. But deep down, I know that every living creature wants others to love them. Some are just inexperienced, or more unreceptive, or…not used to it. But there are things about Naja, and all of you, that I find very easy to love. In the end, she is very precious to me, because she has been given the title of ‘Dauntless’…and we were both made by the same hands.”
“Does this mean you love me too?” Alala squeaked. Amy’s smile was golden and warm.
“Yes!! You’re very easy to love.” Alala’s heart jumped, and she felt her eyes grow moist from the elation she was feeling. It seemed worth all the trouble, heartache, despair, and turmoil she had gone through in her life, just to hear Amy say those words. For once there was someone who loved Alala just for who she was, flaws and all, and that made her happier than anything ever had.
“I love you too!” she whispered. She sat up and touched Amy’s mouth with her own, taking hold of her head with gentle hands--caressing, kissing. Amy jumped back quickly, perplexed and
startled, her face red and her glasses fogged up. She noticed Alala’s hurt expression and tried settling her with a weak chuckle.
“Uh, I’m sorry…please don’t be mad with what I just did. It’s not your fault, it’s mine. People are always getting the wrong impression about me. I’ve told…so many people that I love them, and they always get the wrong idea. You’re not the first person--or even the first woman--that was misled. I’m really sorry. I just love you, Alala, the same way your mothers do. I care for you and I care about you. You’re a great friend, but I can’t be anything more than that to you. You really deserve better. Besides…and I probably should’ve said this right from day one…I’m really not a lesbian. There are women I love, but I can’t love them, not like that. Uh…is any of this making sense, or am I just rambling?”
Alala stared at the floor for a moment as she felt her heart being crushed once more. This was the third time it happened…but it was certainly the easiest to bear. Amy hadn’t been leading her on, and she had been so kind about refusing Alala’s offer. She wanted to keep loving Alala; she wanted her happy. The younger woman smiled sadly and slid her legs off the bed.
“Don’t worry. It’s my fault as well. I may have transcended the Felinis archetype, but I still have a…sexual side. And I…I get misled too. My heart is a fickle, foolish creature. I’m sorry for kissing you so suddenly.” Amy grinned wearily and took her glasses off to clean them.
“It’s…not the first time a girl’s kissed me. I’m afraid with this sort of crew, it may not be the last!” Alala chuckled and stared at her friend with renewed eyes; they sparkled like the phoenix whose potential is reborn and renewed after a cleansing flame.
“It wasn’t mine either. I think…I’ll go see if I can’t make myself more useful around here. If you keep sitting in that bed, your other leg will wither up, and soon your whole body’ll atrophy!”
“Good idea. I might take a dip in the pool. Thanks for stopping by to chat.”
“Thanks for putting up with me,” she grinned in return. Alala’s return to her duties had been amazingly punctual: the ship’s readouts were indicating that a swarm of competitors were crowding the spacious freeway, and it would probably be a no-holds barred fight to the bitter end. Not even the most dedicated race official bothered to flag anybody for aggression at this stage in the game; it would be like trying to intervene in a feeding frenzy.
“Zephyr and Renegade are ahead of us, and the Einlanzer and Mishkin have caught up. Distance to finish line is fifty light-minutes and closing. Raising particle shields and bracing for turbulence.” Aseria had locked, bolted, and barred the door to the cockpit; not even Lillianne would be admitted, not even if Aseria’s life was in danger. She required total concentration to control and guide the Dauntless through this gauntlet; it was already shivering in protest, and possibly fear as well.
“Two marks closing in from starboard,” Shana reported. “They’re opening their boosters to maximum. Our ETA is now at 48 and counting.”
“Fools,” Kyrie muttered as she popped the top off a soda bottle. “What’s the point of using your engines if you’re already at top speed? Don’t these idiots ever take any physics classes?”
“I could frighten them away with my reputation,” Yenae offered playfully. “Pirates and military dogs all tremble at the mention of my name!” Alala rolled her eyes.
“You mean ‘the Holy Annoyance’? There’s a reason you have that nickname!” Yenae gasped and threw her arms around poor Alala’s neck, squeezing her tenderly.
“Darling, did you just zing me? You’re finally warming up to me! I’m so happy!”
“GAAH, get your demon cooties OFF me!!”
“And now there are three from stern side,” Shana deadpanned, ignoring their shenanigans. “We’re running behind the Zephyr. It’s actually pretty quick for an older model.”
“Kyle’s got some of the best ships and pilots around,” Amy murmured. She pulled up a communicator that channeled into the cockpit and barked into it: “Aseria, activate Lennethium drive for seven point three seconds! That should give us enough of a burst to wiggle our way out of this mess! After that time has elapsed, decelerate until you reach coordinates 17-456-90.”
“You know about that?” Herut asked in surprise. Amy blushed humbly.
“I just learned about it from Kyle.”
“What’cha talkin’ about?” Valti said. Herut pointed to a spot on the monitor.
“You see that area? The screens indicate there’s nothing there, but if you hit those exact coordinates at a certain speed, an ether current will carry you off. If we can manage to link onto that current, we’ll gain a distinct advantage. It’s not an area that most outsiders know about.”
“You should’ve told us more about this system so we’d have an advantage!” Naja sneered. Herut returned her challenging gaze bravely.
“I’ve only lived on Centania. Whatever I learn comes from the commercial and private pilots whose ships I’ve fixed. Do you know everything about the Prayxus system?”
“Not everything,” she countered offensively. “But probably more than anyone here, ya little brat!!”
“That’ll be enough back there,” Aseria commanded. “I swear, I don’t even need a radio to hear you bickering! I have enough problems on my own. Shana, what’s the status of our adversaries?”
“Four have passed us now, and two are still neck-and-neck. We’ve got a clear path, though.”
“All right, I’m going to activate the Lennethium and set coordinates for the ether current. Herut, is it possible to see on my readouts?”
“Just fly there and the current will take care of everything.” Aseria grunted doubtfully.
“I’m not used to acts of blind faith.” Everyone braced themselves for the sudden increase in speed as the Dauntless moved beyond the spectrum of light itself and folded time and space around its path. Aseria had programmed the ship to move out at exactly 7.3 seconds, but something caused it to jump out prematurely; it span out of control and rumbled fiercely. Everyone screamed as Aseria fought to keep the ship steady—she would have no assistance in doing so—and after several gut-wrenching seconds, the vessel they had called their home became stable once more.
“Ow,” Yenae groaned. Mink and Kate helped her stand while Fuuka started going around checking to see if everyone was all right. The damage was minimal, but now they had no idea where they were, or what position they were in.
“S…status report,” Aseria hissed. Yenae blearily squinted at the controls until she could get a good reading.
“We were hit midway through the jump by an unknown class of missile. I’m guessing it was fired deliberately to catch us in the middle of L-drive and push us off course. We haven’t been thrown very far, though, so it probably wasn’t a direct attack. There are only two ships ahead of us, but the distance is not that far.”
“So who did this?” Shana asked. Yenae gave her a sour expression.
“Do you really need to ask? Ten to one it’s the same guy that’s been on our back ever since this race started. Shana, can you ID the Backdraft anywhere?”
“Well, I…oh, wait, here it is! Not too far away, I think, and catching up fast. Whoa! Hey, we’d better get moving! I think it’s about to fire again!!”
“Not if I can help it!” Allegra shouted. She dashed off to the main guns with Eve at her side, and nobody could stop them.
“Wait!” Yenae called. “I was just about to say we’d better check to see if they can fire! Oh, hell, forget about it! Aseria, evasive action! See if you can buy us some time while we get the weapons back online!”
“You mean they’re dysfunctional, at a time like this?!”
“Yeah, it must’ve been the shock of coming out of an L-drive too soon. Are we anywhere near that ether current?”
“Distance is two light-minutes,” Shana stated. “The finish line is at 32 and closing!”
“We’ll be fricasseed before then!” Kyrie shouted. “I’m gonna go see if I can get the engines moving! Becky, you’d better go check on our weapons!”
“I’m on it.” Everyone else scrambled to make themselves useful as the Dauntless soared through the heavens, racing not only against time and their rivals, but the looming embrace of death itself. Aseria really proved her mettle at the helm, and caressed the inky heavens like a celestial bird, or the messenger of gods. The first missile blew up thanks to Valti jettisoning the garbage, but two more ran out to replace it, taking advantage of the confusion and the ship’s sluggishness. Becky had her hands full trying to get the weapons back online, which was quite frustrating for the two gunners who were fuming helplessly in their seats. Shana and Alala were trying to reroute the ship’s power to its thrust, but didn’t want to sacrifice its shield energy in case they didn’t make it out in time, and Yenae worked with Naja to keep operations running smoothly. Lil was there to calm and encourage her partner, while the Acheron twins dropped hints and suggestions. Everyone who was not kept busy by this crisis—and there were very few of them—stepped out of the way and prayed for success.
In spite of their efforts, however, the Dauntless was knocked silly as one of the missiles struck home, and the second one went off to increase the blast. Valti, who took over monitoring outside activity for Shana, screamed that three more missiles were coming their way, and poor, dear Herut was left to wallow in anger as she reckoned what kind of damage all this would deal to the ship. If they managed to survive, she would probably be busy for months. As usual, she managed to blame Chandra for everything (Chandra, meanwhile, had thrown herself at the nearest woman and started smothering them with desperate kisses).
“Wait! Hold on a minute! The missiles have detonated prematurely!” Valti covered her mouth so it wouldn’t hang open, and double-checked her reading. “No two sides about it, ladies: those little merchants of death are as good as gone.”
“Duds?” Sharyn squeaked as she pried Chandra away.
“I don’t think so. They were…ah, there’s our answer! Incoming vessel, ID is Prince Mishkin! Becky, I could kiss that aunt of yours!”
“I’ll take you up on that offer,” came Shandra Hill’s voice over the transmitter. “In the meantime, you can leave this prick to my tender loving care. There’s a large bounty on his head and I’m going to claim it when the race is over.”
“Aunt Shandra!” Becky squealed from the weapons room. “I thought you were going after the Dead Roses!”
“First things first, Becky. Nobody raises a hand to my niece and gets away with it. Not even the Dead Roses are this bad. Stand clear, okay?”
“Copy that! Happy hunting!”
Derian squealed for mercy and begged the race officials to come to his aid as Shandra Hill pummeled him with blasts and sonic disruptors, but his cries were unheard. The crew of the Dauntless met with no further complications as they crossed the finish line and ended the race.
……
Amazingly, the crew placed third in rank despite all the recent trouble; only the Zephyr and Renegade had beaten them. That meant that the Ozmund’s legendary vessel could retire on a high note, that Naja’s bargain with Saki would be voided, and that the crew would be in the winning circle to take home a portion of the prize. Of course, because the aforementioned recent troubles had piqued their curiosity, the crew split up so they could finish their business with the pilot of the Backdraft. This left the twins, Naja, and Aseria to soak up their well-earned victory (Lyara would’ve bolted anyway); everyone else met up with Rebecca’s aunt in the pursuit.
Vimmy Fonester’s influence and wealth became indispensable once again as the petite entrepreneur bribed her way through miles of red tape and security officers (figuring that a portion of the earnings would go to her anyway). She discovered that the Backdraft had been forced to drop out of the race “through mysterious circumstances”, and was now recovering at the docking station. Vimmy hired several cabs, distributed comlinks, and sent the crew scattering, just in case their enemy decided to give them the slip. As she predicted, the Backdraft had been completely abandoned, and according to eyewitness testimony, a Pyrosian male had scrambled out and was heading for the rental lot.
“Ah, you see, the perpetrator is running scared, he would’ve left us if his ship were still in shape, but we really must thank Miss Hill senior, yes, she did a bang-up job blasting that thing apart, hmm, he’ll be on foot for awhile, we’d better send a team to the rental lots around here and intercept him, yes, I’ll keep making rounds on my side, I’m sure I can ‘convince’ many more people to divulge this information, what fun I’m having, I hope we catch him soon, I’d like to see this scoundrel’s face!”
“And I’ll whoop the tar outta him!” Allegra added. She grinned bashfully as Vimmy ended transmission and stared at her.
“Saying things like that makes you ladylike…how?”
“Aw, stuff it!”
Fittingly enough, Kyrie’s team caught up with their enemy first. Kate and Athena tackled him and pinned him to the ground, but he wriggled like a ferret and even scratched them. Fuuka came by, gasped in fright, and stormed over to avenge her beloved. Funny how a swift kick to the groin can calm somebody down.
“Good work,” Athena said, grinning sexily. Fuuka squealed happily.
“He had it coming. So who is he, anyway? Kyrie, do you know him?”
“Nope, I’ve never seen this guy in my life. Oh, quit whining, will you? It’s the least you deserve after everything you put us through! Hey, the cavalry’s here!” She waved her friends over as they drove by, and soon the entire crew, plus Shandra and a few military officers, had gathered around the disabled Pyrosian. Lillianne shoved them all aside as she crackled her knuckles and cackled malevolently.
“Time to bring on the pain!!”
“We need to interrogate him first,” said Amy as she held Lil back. “We have to find out who he is, why he was after us, and who he’s working for.”
“Hey, I’m cool with that! I never said I was gonna kill him. I just wanna wring him like a cloth until he’s told us what we need to know. So start talking!” She stepped on his ankle, crushing it instantly, and shivered giddily as their prisoner started to howl.
“Good lord, woman!” Fuuka barked. “Show some restrain! He may be our enemy but he still—“
“But nothing, bitch! And don’t you step in to defend her, either!” she glared at Athena. Derian suddenly broke out in a weak chuckle, and in spite of his pain, he seemed to inflate with pride.
“Do your worst, Mulian scum! I don’t care! Rip me up, chew me to pieces, dunk me in ice, suck out my blood… There’s no way you’ll get me to say anything! No amount of torture can compare to what’s in store for me if I talk, so you may as well kill me!”
“You son of a…!” Lil dashed after him in a rage, and had to be held back by five people, including Kate. Athena decided to approach things more calmly and drew her sword, resting it on Derian’s abdomen.
“We’ll take those suggestions of yours into consideration if we have to. I am afraid that very few of us are what the general population would consider to be moral citizens. I wouldn’t mind killing you at all.”
“And she’ll do it, too,” Fuuka warned him. “Athena looks calm on the surface, but if you get her angry, she’ll explode. There may not be enough of you left to torture after she gets finished!”
“It still doesn’t matter!” Derian laughed. “I’d rather be frozen in ice for eternity than face the consequences. Do you really think your torture tactics scare me? There’s not a single person alive that could get me to betray my Masters. You’re wasting your time!”
“You’re wrong,” Amy said firmly. “There is one way we can get what we need, and it isn’t through torture. We’re just going to ask politely.” Derian stared at her for a moment, then spat out in uproarious laughter. Amy was dead serious, though, and turned around to gesture to
someone who had been waiting in the background. She had anticipated something like this would happen, and came prepared by bringing a friend who solved problems like this.
“You all know Kyle Ozmund,” she said cheerily. “His ship won the race today. He’s graciously decided to donate some of his time to help us out of this mess. Thank you, Kyle.”
“Hey, cut it out. I may be a corporate shill but we’re still friends, Ames. I couldn’t turn you down if the whole universe was coming to an end. So what do you need me to do?”
“Ask him who he is, why he’s tried to kill us, and who he works for, please.” Most of the other women stood dumbfounded as the leader of the Ozmund Company squeezed through their ranks and approached the wounded Pyrosian. If Lil and Athena couldn’t scare him, and if he preferred to freeze rather than confess—a punishment no Pyrosian would willingly choose—what could this man possibly do? Alala asked this question and Amy quickly whispered before the process began:
“Well, you may not believe this, but Kyle’s always been able to get people to tell him the truth. It’s a kind of…specialty of his. Perhaps that’s how his business has been so successful.”
“Are you serious?!” Amy nodded and told her to watch. Kyle knelt down until his eyes were level with Derian’s, and he reached out to grab the red-skinned man by his horns.
“Tell me your name,” Kyle commanded in a strong, clear voice. Derian resisted only for one second before succumbing to the overwhelming urges building up inside him.
“D…Derian Kazcada!”
“There,” sighed Kyle, “now that wasn’t so hard, was it? Okay, next question: why are you trying to kill these women?”
“Several reasons,” Derian stammered. “Spite, fear, hate, vengeance…their treasures. He told me to steal their treasures when I had killed them all.”
“Who told you?”
“Master,” he sang eerily.
“Who is that?” Derian paused to consider it. Master had never revealed his true name.
“Master is…master!”
“Come on, tell us! Don’t hold anything back!” Lil screamed.
“I swear, I don’t know! Master never told me anything! I was just small fries to him, honest!” Kyle sighed and nodded his head.
“It’s the truth. I guess this means we can’t ask who you’re working for.”
“Master was my master,” Derian squeaked in horror, “but he had another master over him. I can’t tell you who that is!!”
“I’m afraid you’ll have to if we’re to learn anything,” Kyle said. “So who is this higher master? Are they in charge of everything, or is there someone even higher?”
“No…they’re the top seed. No one else is above them.”
“Do you know their name?”
There was an intermission so long that Kyle wondered if Derian even heard him.
“Yes,” he croaked at last.
“What’s their name?” he asked gently. Derian began shaking violently, and screamed so loud that distant passersby craned their heads and started crowding around. The police blocked as many as they could while Kyle endured the squalling; he asked three more times, but every time resulted in louder and louder protest.
“PLEASE, I BEG YOU, DON’T ASK ME THEIR NAME! I’LL TELL YOU ANYTHING ELSE, I SWEAR! ANYTHING! Ahh…don’t make me say it! Don’t make me say it! Don’t make me say it!! Don’t make me say it!! PLEASE GOD VULCAN, DON’T MAKE ME SAY IT!! KILL ME NOW!! KILL ME!!”
“Who the hell is this?!” Kyle demanded. Derian croaked helplessly. He was crying and shaking uncontrollably. His fists were clenched and his face was twisted. He couldn’t resist anymore. His voice came out shrill, frail, terrified, pitiful, and shaken.
“…Origin.”
A roar so loud that it pierced the sky erupted from the bowels of horror itself, and before Kyle or anyone else could stop him, Derian shot his hand out, buried his nails in his neck, and ripped out his own throat. Amidst the ensuing chaos, his final word hung ominously in the air, a foreboding menace and a grim foreshadowing of things to come.
Preview of next episode
Naja: So what happened? Did they get him? Shit, I should’ve been the one to clobber him!
Aseria: Weren’t you the one that wanted to be in the winner’s circle?
Naja: Oh yeah! And I totally deserve it, too! It’s too bad we only got third place, but I guess that’s not too shabby considering how many people were in this race!
Aseria: No, it’s not. You performed well. Maybe you do deserve this!
Naja: Hell yeah! Hey, wanna have crazy sex later?
Aseria: Why not RIGHT NOW?!
Lalalalalala, lalalalalala!
Kay: …Um…yeah.
Tee: Heheh, lesbians are so cool. Join us next time when we conclude the space race story arc and move on to something else! But what are we moving onto?
Kay: You know, sis, it really doesn’t matter. “Space Race: aftermath” should wrap everything up pretty well.
Tee: Heh, I’d like to be “wrapped up” myself—wink-wink, nudge-nudge!
Kay: …Um, yeah.
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