“Avatar: advent of the Night Hammer goddess!”
“Don’t look at me that way, Vimmy,” Mink said, unfazed by the Norgrim’s glare. “I told you that I was quitting, didn’t I? Your unscrupulous ways have pushed me far enough; I want to be on my own now. Don’t you remember me saying that? I’m no longer your personal assistant, Vimmy, so please don’t blame me for not picking you up.”
“Someone on this ship is to blame,” she snarled quietly, speaking slowly and carefully for the first time Mink ever remembered, “and I do mean to find the perpetrator responsible for leaving me behind on that world, oh yes my dear, and you’re my primary suspect, you know, I never imagined you could ever rebel against me, how utterly ungrateful you are, yes, especially since most Yuns would crawl on their bellies just to get a chance to work with me, oh yes, and lick the dust off my— ”
“That’s enough. You’ve made your point. Mistakes were made and people have apologized. It’s time to let it go.” Vimmy glared even more hotly than before, but her stares were useless now: Mink was too strong, too noble, and too beautiful now to be swayed by her former master’s moods. Her mind and body were united now; Vimmy could see it in her eyes. Mink was a whole new person, and she would never go back, not for anything.
“Ungrateful,” Vimmy muttered as she waddled away, “simply ungrateful, yes, that’s what she is, the nerve of that Mink of mine, and after all the good things I said about her…” As the door closed, Mink was finally released at last: Vimmy had severed the last cord. Her heart suddenly felt so full, her shoulders loose and light, and whatever doubts and questions were nagging at her mind were now gone, completely erased, leaving everything…clear and clean. So this is what it felt like to be her own person. It was…nice. The only real problem was what to do with so much freedom.
A faint smile crept on her mouth as a thought came to mind. She left her room silently.
……
“The Helios system?”
“That’s right,” Lyara said. “Even though Sharyn’s planet really doesn’t need our help anymore, I sort of feel obligated to go there and see her quest ended.”
“You’re doing all this for her sake?” Amy asked. Lyara smiled sadly.
“I guess that’s the sort of person I’ve become now. I…hope you don’t mind my selfish request.” Just as Lyara expected, Amy smiled joyously at her response and gave her a loving answer.
“We’re all entitled to a little selfishness once in awhile. But you know, this request really isn’t all that selfish. You’re doing this for the woman you love.”
“Yes,” she whispered meekly. Amy grinned and wiped her glasses.
“It’s a little out of our way, but I don’t see the harm. Actually…yeah, you know, now’s probably the best time for it. It should be that time now. …Uh, what was I saying?” Lyara couldn’t help but smile; the dear woman was spacing out and saying nonsense again.
“The Helios System.”
“Oh yeah, I was just thinking it’s about time we go there. I have family on Pluto, you know— Helios 9.”
“Oh? I’m envious. I never knew my real family. Sharyn’s all I have now.”
“So it’s not so bad anymore, then?” she said, eyes glittering with beautiful love. Lyara couldn’t help but blush, even though Sharyn was first in her heart. Despite how common, plain, and even silly she looked at times, there was something irrefutably attractive about Amy Miracle that had charmed the whole crew to her side. Even rogues like Lillianne, Aseria, Naja, and Yenae had fallen for her. “Good to hear it,” she continued. “I also have business on Perel— on Venus, you know, which is the second planet. And I’m sure plenty of the girls from Earth would like to return home.”
“I have always been curious about Gaea,” Lyara muttered.
“It’s not much of a surprise, considering the elves came from…uh, what were we talking about?” Lyara grinned helplessly and flicked Amy’s forehead, making the scatterbrained sweetheart wince. “Mmnh…so I guess that’s our next destination, huh? Well, I’ll go tell Kay and Tee, unless they’re not at the helm, in which case, I’ll have to ask Aseria. I have a suspicious feeling that all of our pilots are taking sexual liberties, though.”
“Can’t you fly the Dauntless? It is your ship, isn’t it?”
“Well, I didn’t buy it or build it if that’s what you’re asking. I suppose you could say it’s on loan. Anyway, there are these pedals you have to use your feet for, so…”
“Oh, right, I’m sorry. I’ve never actually seen the cockpit before.”
“Why not go there as a liaison?” she chirped, pushing Lyara in that direction. For a limping bookworm, Amy was surprisingly persistent, but then again, once you’ve stood up to the UCM with a band of pirates, survived on a hostile world with only a foul-mouthed harpy for a companion, and stared the Angel of Death in the face, there’s not much else that can stop you. Lyara burst in on the cockpit and blushed as she saw that the Acheron sisters were at the helm— utterly naked and in a rather compromising situation.
“Do you mind?!” Kay shouted. Tee laughed.
“Hey, just in time! Kay and I always wanted to have a four-way!”
“Shut UP! I was drunk at the time! I didn’t mean any of that!”
“Ahuh, sure.”
“Hey, watch where you’re sticking your fingers! Keep them on your side! YOUR side!” Their lover waved at her with three of her six arms.
“Hey, you know, if you’re not gonna join us or take a picture, would you mind leaving us and closing the door?”
“I just wanted to suggest a destination!” Lyara yelled, covering her eyes quickly. The worst part was that, despite how abominable it sounded, watching a two-headed woman make love to a six-armed woman was eerily arousing.
“Oh? Are we going…down?”
“Tee, shut uh…uh…UH…OH GOD, VALTI, WHAT ARE YOU…ooohhhh…”
“Helios!!!!” Lyara screamed as she turned around and bolted out of there. She made a beeline for the “cold” sauna and didn’t come out for some time.
……
If only the people from Earth had known how close they were to intelligent life, they might not have spent so many frivolous years searching for it— but then again, they might have just as well set out to conquer or wipe out the other civilizations, as they have before in history. Avatar was perhaps the closest “civilized” planet to the Helios system; it had evaded astronomers’ eyes for all this time because certain magnetic storms blocked them out from all receptors, acting as a sort of “stealth shield” to hide them until the Gaeans were ready for contact.
Humans were a bit disappointed to find out the first “aliens” they met were not the silly “little green men” they had always envisioned— neither the monstrosities of H.G. Wells nor the bulb-headed wormlike creatures from more modern perspectives— but other humans, in fact. Yet there was something comforting in this encounter, and something just as controversial. The religious shouted that it was impossible for other worlds to have men and women, while the scientists kept their hands behind their back, whistling smugly, pointing out that an interplanetary “farmer” could very well have seeded many worlds with their kin, and perhaps somewhere out in the universe, they all had a single, common ancestor— not a thing like the shuffling ape-men of archaeology, but recognizably humane.
Avatar was one of the earliest planets humanity visited once it became serious about space exploration (scarcely a hundred years earlier, actually), and for good reason. It was a diverse, bustling commerce world, where it was reputed one could find anything if one looked in the right places, and towers stretched all the way to the clouds. Those from every corner of the galaxy came to meet, trade, and create their life here, but not all dreams and ambitions are pure: Avatar also had its dark side, and Lyara knew that better than any other member of the crew. She sat quietly in her room as the Dauntless approached the small system: one would have to go through here to reach Helios, or else waste days on end going around. In a sense, she would soon be confronting her checkered past.
Not that the Acherons really cared. They were too busy trying to weasel their way through customs. A very impatient and nasally voice cringed at them over the transmission: “Unidentified ship, you are approaching Avatar space. Be advised that all vessels are required to undergo mandatory searches. Identify yourself and prepare to be boarded. This is not a request.”
“Kindly fuck yourself, control tower,” Kay murmured, focusing more on the course than the threat. “We have no business with you and no intention of approaching your planet. We’re on our way to Helios.”
“And we don’t take kindly to threats from small people,” Tee added, smiling at her sister. The person on the other end snarled.
“Bitch! I’ll give you one last chance to cooperate! Otherwise, we will open fire! We can carve our initials into the moon, woman, so don’t think you’ll walk away unscathed!”
“You must feel so proud of your meaningless accomplishments,” Tee crooned sourly. “But like I said, we have nothing to do with Avatar.”
“We’re not under any planetary jurisdiction anyway, so don’t think you can push us around,” Kay added. The person on the other end said nothing for a few seconds. Then came the chilling: “So you’ve signed your own death-warrants.”
“Sheesh, and I thought Naja had a stick up her ass,” Tee murmured as she sped away.
“It’s probably Lyara’s fault they’re so hostile,” Kay reasoned.
“Yeah? You think she pissed off the wrong person?”
“Maybe it was something she didn’t do. In any case— ”
Kay didn’t get to finish her thought; the Dauntless was starting to careen out of control. Their skill had helped them avoid the brunt of the blast from Avatar, but the shockwaves generated by it threw the ship into a loop. They were fighting to keep afloat, and it was thanks to the harnesses that nobody was dashed to bits as the ship rocked around. Rachel actually flew outside of the ship and helped deflect the second blast, splintering it into hundreds of smaller rays. Of course, it was impossible to dodge them all, and in spite of her valiant efforts, the crew was not very grateful.
“Well, I couldn’t deflect it, or else it’d just hit something else, like a planet or another ship, and if I absorbed it, I’d have to release it eventually. I’d rather not be on the ship when I let go of all that energy.”
“Okay, just shut up and help us out of this!” Rachel looked to her master for permission, but the poor girl was out cold. Since Amy had appointed no second-in-command, Rachel left the decision to the pilots, who ordered her to either repair the ship or cushion it, because it was hurtling straight for Avatar. Acting quickly, Rachel took all the ship’s water, transported it outside, froze it solid, and wrapped it around the plunging vessel, saving it from incineration as it fell through the atmosphere. Once they were in the sky, she called out a great gust of wind and battered the ship until it slowed down and landed, rather shakily, in a coppice. The trees were utterly ruined, of course, but now the Dauntless had good camouflage from Avatar authorities.
“Ow,” Kay winced, slowly rising to her feet. Even with Rachel’s intervention, the harnesses had squeezed the life out of the Acherons (and nearly everyone else), the Dauntless was tattered and torn apart, and everyone was disoriented and injured to some degree— but all alive and able to walk, at least. The ship was dark and dense with quiet, and with communications off and the power hiccupping, it was some time before everybody found everybody else and stepped out to assess the damage. Once more, all eyes turned to Eve and Herut for their expert opinion.
“Shee-yit!” Kasberry exclaimed, whistling loudly at the wreckage. “Is this the same ship? Tell me Rachel didn’t switch them somehow. Damn! I don’t mean to sound pessimistic here, people, but we might be better off buying a whole new ship! Even my old woman would be stumped.”
“Implausible, but not impossible,” Herut offered. “I’d like to believe that everything can be repaired, but a job of this magnitude will require more than we have.”
“If it’s money you need, that won’t be an issue,” Vimmy squeaked. It had been such a long time since anybody remembered hearing her act so meek that people doubted she had really spoken. “I mean, you know, I’ve got some money with me, and a bit of pull, too, if that’s what you need, I rather liked that ship, yes, I don’t want to buy another, I could stay here and help you gals buy the proper parts, indeed I could, and hire some labor if that’s going to be an issue, but oh, don’t expect me to work, why, these hands of mine are so delicate!”
“So it was her,” Aseria murmured. “Well, I really don’t care either way, but whatever we’re going to do, we should do it fast. That control tower didn’t exactly give us a warm welcome. Where’s Miracle?”
“Still unconscious, I’m afraid,” Fuuka sighed. Amy had gotten a nasty bump on the head that blacked her out, but Fuuka assured everyone it was nothing to worry about. “I think, however, that she would vote to keep the ship and repair it. It’s sort of become our home now.”
“Our home?” Lyara said, crossing her arms as she gazed at Avatar’s bittersweet familiarity. She obviously had mixed feelings about being here, and looked so enveloped by them that she seemed as distant as the stars. “How fortunate for everyone. This is the only home I’ve ever known.”
“Then you have some explaining to do, I think,” Kate said, gentle but firm.
“Yeah, tell us what’s up! Why the hell did we get blasted outta the sky? Was it something you did?”
“Well, in a way— probably,” she murmured ambiguously. Lil snarled.
“What kind of answer is that?! Gods damn it, you lousy pointy-eared freak, tell us what the fuck is going on or else I’ll break your face!”
“Don’t mind me,” Aseria grumbled, resenting the remarks. Lyara sighed deeply and appeared to return from her forlorn daze. She smiled, but only at Sharyn.
“Do you want the long story, or the short one? Either way, the person that shot us down was— or is— a member of the Night Hammers, my old gang. I recognized his voice immediately.”
“Yeah? So why’d your old gang buddy try to kill us? Didn’t put out?”
“I never had that many friends to begin with here,” she murmured, approaching her lover so she could draw strength from her. “I’m sure that by now, the few loyalists I had have been executed or exiled. It’s all Asara’s doing— she was originally our leader’s second-in-command. Let’s just say that when he passed his mantle to me, there was some…resentment.”
“Clearly,” Athena murmured.
“Hey, there was an Asara from Avatar at the Space Races,” Shana said— but of course she would remember a detail like that. “Is it the same one?”
“I have no doubts,” Lyara replied. “In this life, there are adversaries, rivals, people you don’t get along with, and flat-out enemies. Asara is the most dangerous kind. She will commit atrocities to maintain order around here; I’ve seen it happen.”
“Maybe you should tell us the whole story,” Allegra suggested. “I’m no mechanic, so I figure I’m not much good for anything else here. May as well keep me entertained.”
“It’s a very long story,” Lyara warned her, “and I doubt we have the time to hear it. But I’ll try and give it justice. Let’s cover up the ship first, though. Rachel, do you think you can hide our location?”
“It’s probably what my Master would want,” she reasoned.
……
One descended from the highest of all elves that migrated from Numinor after the Cataclysm had a heart as great and pure as the beautiful ocean, and she believed she could remain a pure maiden even as she set out to “find herself”. We all dream of a journey that will “define” us, but Lyara Tanith actually took one, sailing in a Valari ship away from the world of her birth into the vastness of Deep Heaven. Time and space brought her to Avatar, where she was gradually thrust into darkness, tainting her once-noble heart. Humanity, it seemed, had a distinct grudge towards aliens and outsiders— at least on Avatar they did— and while it rarely came down to actual violence, the silent oppression, which continued to stretch for years and tear away at the minority groups, eroded Lyara and made her a more cynical woman. After a few months attempting to ingrain herself into high society, she met with failure and poverty, and was forced into Lowtown, where she was forced into demeaning labor with little pay. This harsh lifestyle lasted a year, and it blotted out almost all of her innocence, leaving only a pinprick of light left on her hardened heart.
The gang attacking her suddenly, without provocation, was the final straw. She was still beautiful, even after living in squalor, and lecherous people had always had their eyes on her. One of them went too far one day, and might have raped her but for Valari pride and the innate strength her race possessed. He had friends, however, who surrounded her one day, forcing her to kill— and to retreat. The next few days were spent running and hiding; her wounds, exhaustion, and hunger took their toll until finally it felt as if she could manage little more than a feeble demise. But she clung on, and was found by another gang— the enemies of the people she had unleashed her vengeance upon, and thanks to her actions, her new friends.
Lyara had no other way to repay their generosity, and since she couldn’t afford making more enemies, she was forced to join them. Over the next couple of years, she rose in stature among her gang, the Night Hammers, proving herself time and again. She came to enjoy her life, and the camaraderie of her new friends, though occasionally she was called on to do things that upset her and troubled her conscious. For the most part, though, her new family was actually not so bad: they were far more moderate than their brutal rivals. They did extort money and do questionable deeds, but they also actually protected those who paid for that protection, unlike most of the other gangs. She soon became the favored member of the current leader, who shared her moderate view and disdained in the more atrocious acts some of the other gangs performed. He soon became like a father to her, and helped heal her battered soul the most.
Unfortunately, many months later, their leader was assassinated. Asara, the second in command and an accomplished but violent enforcer, was poised to take charge, but Lyara had gained a great deal of respect from many of the other members. Due to her standing with the former leader and her similar views, it was Lyara who hesitantly took leadership, aiming to clean Avatar of its filth and eliminate racial prejudices. Asara had wanted to conquer their world; Lyara merely wanted to improve it. The two had been bitterly fierce rivals up until then, but when their leader passed away, they became enemies.
Lyara continued her mentor's moderate leadership, and though it seemed to go well enough, trouble was brewing in the background. Asara obviously felt wronged on many levels: she was supposed to be the new leader, and not only was Lyara as soft as the previous boss, she seemed to be even more lenient with their "subjects". Asara had disagreed strongly with the direction the gang was heading when the old master was alive, and some even suspected she had a hand in the assassination, but Lyara was even “worse”, and it upset her greatly. She gathered many of her strongest allies in the gang and began plotting a coup, secretly subverting Lyara to the other members, second-guessing many of her more compassionate decisions and the fate of their gang should Lyara stay in power. Though Lyara had many friends in the gang, a great number of them were deceived by Asara's reasoning, fearing their apparent weakening would lead to their destruction.
A few friends remained loyal to Lyara, though, and thanks to their information, she remained aware that her grasp of leadership was growing tenuous. Unfortunately, there was little she could do to win them back: Asara had gained too much hold, and the coup was imminent. It was all she could do to escape with her life, thanks to the aid of her last friends. Having taken a sizable amount of money before fleeing, she boarded the first transport off-world she could find and didn't look back. She aimlessly drifted from planet to planet, falling into a mild depression, and occasionally abused substances to pass the days. Seeing Miracle’s advertisement took her back to a time when her innocence was still intact, to the grand images of seeing the galaxy and making a life for herself, and Lyara thought that, perhaps, this could be the first step back on that road…
……
Amy Miracle came around just in time to cast her vote: who would explore Avatar for the supplies they needed and who would stay with the ship, to protect it and attempt a repair. The former had fewer numbers, of course, and Lyara knew she would have to be a part of that group, but she had always felt that she would need to confront her bleak past at some point in time. It warmed her heart to learn that Sharyn would join her, and she felt like she could finally be rid of this history of hers and start anew.
“If the Hammers haven’t completely overrun Lowtown yet, we’ll probably find some parts there,” she explained. “Most of the dealers are cons, though, and they hardly have anything more than junk, but sometimes you get lucky. There are slightly more commercial shops in the Radio District, which is three kilos east and a few stories up, but I’m sure the Hammers have clawed out a chunk of it by now; Asara mentioned taking it over. Vimmy, you’d probably do everyone a favor by looking at the Pinnacle, the rich folks’ district. You should be safe there, but Kate and Allegra will take care of you just in case.”
“I’d rather it be Mink, that traitorous ingrate, how dare she abandon me at such a pivotal time, honestly now, is her personal freedom really that great— ”
“Okay, that’s enough ranting,” Allegra said gently. “You’re the merchant and we’re your bodyguards, and there ain’t no reason to go any further. We’ll meet y’all back at the ship in a few hours.”
“Take care— I mean it! Well, I guess that leaves us,” she said, turning to Sharyn.
“Aye, but is it wise for thee to be so conspicuous? After hearing thy tale, my concerns for thy well-being have weighed upon me.” Lyara smiled warmly.
“Believe me, I know how you’re feeling. But it’s time I stop hiding and face this. I left Avatar behind because I wasn’t strong enough to stand against my enemies, and because I wanted to reclaim that lost little portion of my soul that had been eradicated. You, my dear, have filled me up so fully, that I feel I can confront all the horrors of the world. Do not fear for me. I will not leave this world until I have corrected my mistakes. Will you…stay with me?”
“You needn’t even ask!” she insisted, grasping Lyara’s arm. “Thou hast been patient with my childish demands, and I must repay your kindness. Besides,” she added sweetly, “I am in love with thee— and it is different from all my previous experiences.”
“Ah yes, those. We’ll have to talk about them someday.” She smiled dryly, winked, and nudged her embarrassed lover before setting off into the depths of Avatar, Dante and Beatrice journeying to the Inferno. This was a rather apt metaphor, as the slums of Lowtown were dark, polluted, vile, overcrowded nests of vipers, rats, and wolves in human disguise. It had been about two or three years since Lyara abandoned her world, so she hoped she would go unrecognized as she and Sharyn wandered through the alleys and streets. Their mission would be ruined if some hapless vagabond noticed her face and told half the population about her unexpected return. Sharyn kept her hand on her sword and Lyara clutched a blaster, both women glaring suspiciously around every corner.
They came to a long and narrow marketplace, a fairly decent place to hide, even for people as conspicuous as they were (elves and green-skinned women in armor were unheard of on Avatar). There were no hiding spots, so they had to blend in as best they could, and not look like they were hiding from anybody. The two women nearly made it out of there, ignoring and being ignored, but a firm hand snapped out and grabbed Lyara’s wrist, pulling her down to the ground. A large pile of brown rags broke her fall, and another hand lashed out and covered her mouth. Evidently, the pile of rags was a man, and he knew Lyara’s face.
“Don’t speak!” he hissed. “You nearly gave me a heart attack, so don’t act so stunned. You, with the strange clothes, sit down next to me if you don’t want your friend’s neck snapped. Let’s not make a scene, okay?” Lyara stared firmly at Sharyn, giving her a nod. The warrior sat down grudgingly, quite agitated and ready to fight for her lover.
“Thou hast five seconds to explain thyself before your mortality ends,” she growled.
“Enough with the poetry, my dear— I’m not your enemy. I can’t explain myself here, so just get up slowly and follow me into that alley.”
“Do not take us for simpletons, wretch! I shall entreat you only once.”
“Do as he says!” Lyara said, urging Sharyn desperately. She wasn’t afraid so much as surprised and excited; apparently they both knew each other. After some uncertainty, the three of them found a more private area, and the ragged man released his hostage, breathing a heavy sigh of relief. Restraining Lyara had taken all of his strength.
“I always knew you would come back,” he said, slowly and weakly. “I won’t call you by name even now, but let’s just say that I’d kiss you if your bodyguard weren’t so jumpy. But all for a good reason, I suppose. You haven’t aged a day, old friend.” Lyara’s heart almost jumped out of her chest as the man removed his hood and gave her a frail, sad smile, like a candle whose spark has been almost completely extinguished. She sobbed and threw her arms around him.
“Daniel! My god, now I almost had a heart attack! Oh, Daniel…I think I will kiss you, bodyguard or not!” She placed her lips on his eye and caressed his face, happy beyond expression. Sharyn stood dumbfounded, and a little jealous— after all, she had no idea how many romantic interests her lover might have carried before they met— and made awkward introductions. Daniel bowed and kissed her hands frantically as Lyara explained who he was.
“This man is my blood-brother, the son of our master and my oldest and most trusted friend. He was the one who helped me escape this place at last. Oh, Daniel, just look at what she’s done to you! I know that you were never on very good terms with Asara, but— ”
“No, I did this to myself,” he muttered, scratching his head fiercely. “Had to go into hiding once you were gone. Don’t you worry, I’ve saved up a heap of our old earnings and managed to find some of the old clan. These rags and this dirt is for show; I may as well be dead to the rest. By god, old friend, you’re the answer to a desperate prayer.”
“Forgive me,” she began, but Daniel silenced her with a long embrace.
“You don’t got nothing to be sorry about, love. All of this would’ve happened with or without you. You just made things better for awhile, is all. Hell, I might actually be dead if it weren’t for you.”
“But don’t the others resent me?” she wondered. Daniel grimaced and drew away.
“Times have changed too much, friend. Avatar is in chaos now. The new boss has almost everything under her thumb, except for a few slices of the Pinnacle. Five months ago, she actually united most of the other gangs and led a revolt against the Capitol. You wouldn’t believe the casualties— people were being killed left and right. By her doing, I mean: our union lost only a few people. What a bunch of unnecessary losses, and I hear she laughed most of the way! She did things some of our enemies wouldn’t dream of! Anyway, they have it now, and they’ve built a fairly organized militia. She’s got the Capitol as her base and she’s drafting all these people into her ranks: you know, unemployed people, little kids with no food, desperate criminals, anybody with a chip on their shoulder. They also restricted most visitors from coming in— ”
“As we’ve seen,” Sharyn noted.
“Huh, well, you’ve seen that, then. But it gets worse. She’s like a dictator here, and…oh man, boss, we need you more than ever! All the other people who turned against her have been praying for a miracle, and…” Poor Daniel couldn’t speak anymore; he started crying and fell into Lyara’s arms. She held him for a moment before asking him a question:
“Daniel, I swear I’ll do whatever I can for you. I feel so awful for leaving, and I can’t help but think that this is all my fault. But I need to know: how many of you are there? How many turned away?”
“There was probably fifteen of us when you left,” he groaned, still sniffling with joy. “Whoever didn’t join her was killed or exiled. But now there’s about seventy. They’re that sick and tired of the whole mess.”
“Seventy?! The Night Hammers barely had a hundred members when I was leading them! How did they…”
“Like I said, Asara started recruiting, and most of the people that liked you only joined her because they were afraid. But now they’ve all had enough. Even some of our old enemies are calling for a reform. My dear friend,” he said, clasping her hands, “my only sister in this world…thank you so much for coming here. Whatever brought you here must’ve been divine intervention; it has to be. We’re all at our wit’s end!” Lyara took a moment to absorb all of this in private, then she felt Sharyn touch her, and was assured by her strength and love.
“Tell me, Daniel, do you know of any good mechanics?” This question took him aback.
“Um…uh, well, yeah, I do, but what does that have to do with…oh, wait, did your ship get shot down?”
“Right. I came here with a crew of twenty-three, including this woman here, and I’m sure I can convince most of them to help you out. Once all this is over, could you…” She didn’t need to say another word: Daniel was kissing her hands in thanks.
“Yes, yes, yes, yes. We’d pull down the stars for you— anything you need.”
“Then assemble everyone and meet me at… Meet me at ‘the Usual Place’ in an hour,” she said with a grin. “I’ll bring what help I can, and together, we… We can close a dark chapter on Avatar’s history— and on my conscience.” Daniel rushed away like a man come back from the dead, almost shrieking with happiness. Lyara then turned to Sharyn, wordlessly staring into her eyes.
“Do not even speak,” the lady whispered solemnly. “Thou knowest my answer.”
“Thank you,” she replied, kissing her softly.
……
Lyara didn’t really expect her fellow crewmembers to rally behind her, so when half of them declined, there were no hard feelings. She had to remember that, ultimately, this was her battle, and she was asking them to risk life and limb for no reward. Also, most of the people who joined her were her friends, more or less, and those that stayed behind knew they’d only be getting in the way. Daniel would be disappointed to learn that only a dozen or so would be coming along, but it was certainly better than nothing, and Lyara knew from firsthand experience that most of her companions could easily count as three or four people. Plus, they had a freaking genie on their side.
“I know just the tactic to help you out, too!” she squealed as they made their way to “the usual place”. “It’s so simple, I don’t know why I haven’t thought of it before! I can just smoke everybody out and suspend them in the air until the Capitol’s recaptured! It’s easy, it’s quick, and nobody gets hurt.”
“Ever stop to think they might be wearing masks?” Kate said.
“I can just loosen them. It’d be like untying a ribbon or a zipper. Watch, I’ll show you!”
“No need!” Alala squeaked. “I think we can use our imaginations!”
“Do it anyway,” Yenae squealed; “my imagination’s a little fuzzy.”
“That’s not what you said before,” the Felinis deadpanned. Lyara led the way quietly; she was trying not to let the situation slow her down too much. She still found it hard to believe she was really going to confront Asara and put an end to the longstanding coup. It actually made her feel a little excited. Like all fears, this one got a little easier once she actually started facing it.
The “usual place” for all the Night Hammers’ secret meetings had been converted to the resistance hideout, just as Lyara expected. This was the one place Asara had no knowledge of— or so she hoped— the one place where loyalists could gather in secret, and the only save haven on Avatar where they could talk freely. A guard demanded a password, to which Lyara answered: “Passwords are a childish anachronism, especially if the invader kills you.”
“Good to have you with us, boss,” he smiled, allowing them inside. The loyalists were nothing like the miserable creatures roaming around Lowtown: they were strong, grave, sharp-eyed people glowing with hope and intelligence. They stood up straight and spoke in clear, proud voices, and just from a cursory glance, one could tell they had good provisions, arms, supplies, and an excellent leader directing them. Lyara had a feeling that Daniel would be somewhere around the top of the pecking order here, but when she saw him emerge with his old Night Hammers uniform on— a solid black suit with a white hammer emblazoned on the back— she knew from his posture that he was top dog. He was drastically changed from the bum who wept on her shoulder: here was a man steadfast and wise, with his father’s spirit and his mother’s love. He smiled at Lyara and, as was custom for an underling, kissed her hands.
“Are you sure you should be doing that?” she murmured. Everyone cheered the moment he rose up and lifted her arms, though, and they all might have approached her to press grateful lips on her fingers, if Daniel hadn’t rung a loud bell.
“Yes, brothers and sisters, the rumors are true! Our prayers have been answered at last! Here she stands, her glory undimmed by the passing of time, her nobility and strength still as spectacular as they were in the old days, when Avatar was civilized! Her enemies tremble at the mention of her name! Her friends rejoice! Now, in our most desperate hour, a hero has come down to us— Lyara Tanith!!”
Daniel couldn’t have went on even if he wanted: the loyalists were cheering wildly. Lyara blushed and smiled faintly, wishing they wouldn’t make such a fuss. She stood up and scouted their numbers for familiar faces, and smiled lovingly as she recognized a few.
“Leonard, Nicholas, it’s been a long time. Harland, Christopher, Marshall, good to see you. Uriel, Sapphire, Mel, you’re looking healthy. I even see some of our old rivals here. So Asara has even brought together people who were once foes. The situation must be serious if that has happened— but it is said that great disaster is often the best way to unite people— and what an army we have.” They cheered again, and she waited for them to calm down. “But you think too well of me. I abandoned this world, searching for my own selfish fortune, when you needed me the most. I understand that I was too weak to do anything about it, and even though my face might not have changed since then, I am a better person for the experiences I’ve seen. Perhaps I went into exile so I could become stronger, more worthier of your admiration.” They cheered again. “Yes, it was a kind of training. And oh, the things I saw. I even found true love.” The cheering lasted longer, and they demanded to see her lucky lover. “That can wait another day. My arrival here was an accident, I’ll admit that, but I swear by my own honor that I shall not leave you again until Asara’s head hangs from the Capitol’s highest spire, and Avatar is free once more!!”
Some of the more sensitive people had to hold their ears— the yelling was that intense. When they finally calmed down, Lyara briefly introduced her crewmembers, and summoned all the leaders together. They explained that in the vacuum of power Lyara left behind, Daniel was the one who became their emergent leader, first by secluding them underground, then by slowly gathering their strength and forming alliances with other gangs. He insisted that he had “merely been holding the position for Lyara’s return”, and was happy to pass the mantle onto her. He then introduced his lover, who had worked alongside him ever since arriving.
“I was merely discovered by the right people,” she chuckled. There was something distinctly familiar about her, something feral and wild in her eyes that no amount of time or space could take away. She had a powerful, graceful build, a hunter’s eyes and curly blonde hair; she also had the scent of plains, forests, and jungles on her, even in this suburban squalor. One got the impression that she came from another age, or another world, or…
“Nalia?” Kate squealed. She approached the blonde and said, “Is that you?”
“Sister Katherine!” she exclaimed, giving the Heavyworlder a hug. Some of the other women nearly stumbled as they put the pieces together: this was, in fact, the heterosexual deviant they ran into on Amazonia, Nalia daughter of Nervasse the guard. The reunion was exciting, but had to be cut short.
“The stories I have to tell!” Nalia exclaimed. “But we can make an exchange later. I have thrown my lot in with these good people now, for better or for worse— and with a man whom no Amazonian could match.” She glowed warmly as she glanced at her lover; Daniel smiled firmly and the two clasped hands.
“You couldn’t have found a better man in all the universe!” Lyara said. “We really should catch up sometime— but it is said that duty must come before desires. Daniel, how inclined is the resistance to killing their foes?”
“Everyone we ever considered a friend is on our side,” he replied grimly. “Aside from a select few that have made their vows in fear, all of Asara’s people are our bitter enemies.”
“So much for your plan,” Amy murmured to Rachel.
“Guys, really, it’s cool!” she said. “I can save us all so much bloodshed!”
“Who cares?! They need to pay for what they’ve done!”
“Yes. Let them share in our suffering for once.”
“I like these people!” Naja laughed, but Aseria wasn’t so amused.
“Y’see, this is why I don’t like most humans. Why are they so barbaric? Do they really enjoy killing each other so much?”
“Asara’s people certainly did,” they replied gravely. Daniel and Nalia whistled for them to be quiet. Lyara was very thankful that two prudent minds were leading this bloodthirsty rabble.
“We’ll go with their plan!” he announced. “I know how you feel, every last one of you. I know I wouldn’t mind spilling a little of their blood as recompense. But I would not want our own people dying as well, and if we can conquer them without a fight, we should look to that choice first. Once Asara has fallen, Lyara and the leaders will decide the fate of her followers. Now I don’t want to hear anymore of this! We may come from gangs, but we won’t sink to their level! We are better than they are!”
The crowd murmured in approval, but it was clear the humility stung them. In the meantime, Lyara shared Rachel’s plan with Daniel and Nalia, who were both surprised at its simple ingenuity. They had tried using smoke and fumes as well, of course, but that usually backfired, and sometimes people died. But if a genie, who could not be killed through normal means, were the one to strike first…
“The enemies in the Capitol will be taken care of safely,” Nalia stated. “But they are only a third of Asara’s strength. The remainder will most certainly come in from behind and trap us. However, at least we know a frontal assault will be easy for us. O great Djinn who serves the all-wise goddess— ”
“Mistress Amy, actually.”
“O Djinn,” she resumed, “will you aid us when our enemy’s forces close in on us, as they surely will?”
“Oh, don’t worry! I just thought of a great way to protect you from them, too! But I’m going to have to destroy a part of the street to do it.”
“As long as no deaths come of it, we’re willing to make that sacrifice.”
“Hey, I’m an Ifritah!” she winked. “Killing’s just not my thing!”
“And what about Asara? How are we going to handle her?”
“You won’t,” Lyara said sharply. “I’m going to confront her. And I’m going to get the job done. But just in case I fail, I want the rest of you to form a perimeter around the Capitol and block off her escape. Destroy any means of transportation she may have and keep her quarantined inside the building. If I don’t make it out in two hours’ time…then do with her as you will.”
“I’m starting to feel excited,” the loyalists said. “Yeah, now we’ve got a fighting chance! I can’t wait for things to go back to the way they used to be! And Lyara’s going to lead us again! With Daniel and Nalia with her, we’ll really clean this place up! We’ll make it respectable again! I can’t wait anymore— let’s move out right now!”
“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves,” she said. “We need to make sure the rest of the area is safe from retribution. Even if we succeed, what will happen if her followers found out? Can I send a few of you— ” she said to her crew, “and about twenty of you— ” she said to the loyalists, “out to make sure everything is safe?”
“If you’re concerned about the ship, we can go back and protect her,” the Acherons said.
“No, the Dauntless will be fine on its own. Whoever isn’t here with us is there with the ship. You’re more useful in battle. Two heads are better— ”
“Ugh, finish that sentence and you’ll be shitting broken glass for a week!”
“Sorry,” she laughed. She resumed more seriously, “At the very least, we should take an hour to make sure we’re all prepared. Bring weapons, money, equipment, whatever you think you’ll need. Take this time to embrace your loved ones, and once you’re ready, move out in secret and surround the Capitol. Rachel will make the first strike; after that, close in and let nobody leave or come in. For freedom.”
“For freedom,” they repeated, as they went to work.
……
The de facto ruler of Avatar was a busy woman; she had no time to regard a small family, regardless of what her subordinates claimed. Even so, they were brought before her throne, a sniveling trio for her to pass judgment on, charged with treason and betrayal, among other things. The fact of the matter was that these people, and so many others before them, were not criminals— merely middle-class workers who were trying to get by on an increasingly lawless world— but because they did not swear fealty to Asara’s regime, they were branded as outcasts. Her subordinates felt it proper to at least give them one last chance, but Asara didn’t even want to entertain that.
“Humor me,” she grumbled after looking them over. The father crawled forth first.
“We’re just simple folks. We don’t want any trouble.”
“One of my men said you wouldn’t give him any discounts,” she murmured lazily. “Is this any way to treat your betters? Sign a paper swearing you’ll abide by my rules and you’ll live to see another day.”
“But I can’t! All of my rights, my possessions, my stores…they’ve been taken away! This is all I have left! I’ve lowered the prices as much as I could, but we barely have enough to live off!”
“Then I suppose if one of you died, the other two would be well off.”
“You can’t do that!!” he screamed, but Asara merely gestured.
“Do away with him. What about that woman?” The poor man was dragged away, kicking and fighting futilely, as his wife and child struggled to save him. He was taken behind a door, and after issuing one last cry, was never seen or heard from again. The woman sobbed uncontrollably but tried to hang on, if only for her son’s sake.
“Just take the store and leave us in peace! But spare my child at least— no matter what happens to me! Please, I beg you!”
“Consider it done,” she murmured, and her underlings captured the mother and dragged her away to join her husband. The child, barely four years old, squalled and squirmed as his parents were stolen from him, powerless to do anything else. Asara sighed wearily.
“You know, I’m really getting sick of that noise, and he’s starting to stink. You may as well get rid of him, too. I’ve got no time for this.” Her guards hesitated, however. This was a line they were not sure they should cross.
“Um, boss, pardon me, but he’s only a child— and he hasn’t done anything wrong. Maybe you could— ”
In the blink of an eye, Asara stood up, threw a knife into his chest, and shot him in the head, then sat back down with the same metallic nonchalance. “Have I made myself perfectly clear? Get rid of him. And clean up that mess. It’s starting to really reek.”
“Yes, boss!” they barked. Asara sighed and wished they would stop wasting her time like that. As her men dragged the dead body and the boy away, however, she couldn’t help but cover her nose and wince as the foul odor intensified. Could something that powerful come from a frightened middle-class child and a recently-dead body? Her eyes widened in shock as she realized what it was, and sounded the alarm.
“Smoke! We’re under attack again! They caught me in a bad mood today!” Asara ran for the weapons depository, barking commands to anyone who would listen, but the smoke was faster than her, and it forced everyone to run outside into clearer airs. Those that had gas masks put them on, but they were mysteriously whisked away from their faces and thrown out windows. Asara was panicked now: what kind of attacks were these? She heard shots being fired, but the noise ended prematurely, which worried her. Unless those damned turncoats were devising a very unorthodox strategy, her people would not have won so quickly— which meant…
“How could they lose so quickly?” she demanded. “Those traitors can’t have more people than I do! No matter— my reserves will be here soon. I just have to hold out until then.” She loaded herself with weapons, donning protective clothes that could deflect knife, bullet, and fire, and dashed to the elevator, which would guide her to the top. She called for a helicopter to pick her up and, once everything seemed to be in order, pressed the button. There would be no stopping her once the car door opened.
But then, a ghost from the past called out to her.
“ASARA!! Show yourself, Asara! Come on out here and face me! I know you’re hiding around here, Asara! Why don’t we finish what happened four years ago? ASARAAAA!!!! Can you hear me?!”
“It can’t be,” she muttered to herself. But there was no mistaking that voice: it had been the source of all of her hatred for as long as she could remember. It was the one person— the one creature she despised more than anything else. Finally, there would be something worth her time.
“Lyara!” she brayed, drawing a dull machete (you couldn’t relish a kill with a sharp weapon, now). “I’m over here! Somehow I never thought you’d have the stones to come back here! You ran away like a coward and now you’ll die like one, too! I’m over here!”
The Valari turned a corner and glared at her enemy for the first time in ages.
“You’ve gotten even prettier,” she muttered darkly. “How ironic that something so beautiful can be this sadistic. Is conquering Avatar what you had in store for the Hammers all this time?”
“Not Avatar, elf bitch,” Asara giggled venomously. The elevator suddenly opened and she slipped right in. “All of the galaxy!” The door closed long before Lyara could reach it. She would have to take the stairs or else wait her turn.
“Incredible!” Daniel shouted as he watched Rachel suspend his enemies in the air. “I wouldn’t believe it if I didn’t see it myself! All right, everyone, brace yourself for the main force! They’ll be here any minute! All squad leaders, report!”
“All entrances and exits have been secured, sir! The boss went in safely, but we haven’t heard anything from her yet.”
“Give her time. Lyara wouldn’t disappoint us now! What about transports?”
“We’ve confiscated everything we could and set fire to the rest. The only way out is through us.”
“No underground passages?”
“None we could account for.”
“She can’t have made any in secret,” Daniel muttered to himself. “What about air support?”
“Still no word! We’ve verified the status of the Renegade, though, so she won’t be going off-world. We’re keeping our eyes open for anything else, so if she makes a run for it, we’ll contact the Dauntless.”
“All right. Let’s wait awhile before we contact the boss. Wouldn’t want to interrupt her!”
“Aye, sir!”
“They’re coming, love,” Nalia warned him. With her sharp eyes, she could spot Asara’s main force from very far away, so they had plenty of time to prepare.
“It’s a lot larger than I thought,” Daniel muttered grimly. “All the same, we gotta defend this place. Hey, Rachel! Whatever great idea you had, now’s the time to pull it out!”
“I’m way ahead of ya!” she squealed. “Just stand back and leave everything to me! Uh, seriously, you may want to move back a bit— and hold onto something. I’m going to wait until they’re a little closer.”
“Don’t work too hard!” Amy warned her. Rachel laughed warmly, then soared into the air and started to work her magic. Once she felt the enemies were in position, she spread her arms out like she was evening a wrinkled shirt. The pavement responded in kind, buckling under the magical pressure as a deep, long canal was formed, swallowing Asara’s entire army. Rachel then thrust her arms up, creating a wall several meters in height that completely partitioned the army away from advancement or retreat. She had, in effect, created an asphalt cage for them, and just to make sure they couldn’t climb over it, she flew over the side and pointed her fingers.
“Now make it slippery!” she exclaimed, and the moisture in the air formed ice along the edges, making it impossible to scramble a single step. Finally, she performed the coup de grace and pulled their weapons out of their hands, rendering every last one defenseless— and except for a few bruises, totally unharmed. She laughed victoriously as they cursed at her. “Go ahead and scramble! You won’t be getting out of there until I say so! Is this a satisfactory revenge, Mr. Daniel?”
“Yes indeed!” he exclaimed, and everyone had a good laugh as they watched their enemies slipping and sliding. Even Sharyn giggled, though she had more pressing matters on her mind. She sheathed her weapon and turned to the Capitol, concerned about her lover. Being intimate with Lyara, the one person she cared about most in this world, had almost given her a sixth sense: now she felt psychically connected with her, and felt that her place was beside her love.
“Pardon me,” she blurted, making a rush for the entrance. “I must be at her side! Allow me through!”
“The boss said nobody’s to go in or out.”
“You don’t understand!” she exclaimed desperately. “I love her! I want to be there with her, even if it goes against her wishes! She’s calling for me!”
“Don’t stop her if she feels that strongly!” Nalia advised them. “No barrier can stop true love. It’s best to just let her through.”
“So are you the boss’s— ” They didn’t even get to finish their question: Sharyn burst right through, Gwen following at her heels.
……
The elevator seemed to take hours getting down to her level, but Lyara knew it would be faster than climbing the stairs. The Capitol was the tallest building in the Pinnacle— its zenith was literally nicknamed “the End of the World”— and scaling any more than five or six stories would be unthinkable. But her patience paid off, and the car came to whisk her into the heavens. Once she stepped outside, she saw two things that somehow relieved her: one, Asara was waiting for her in the wide clearing; and two, there were no transports there for her, not yet at any rate. Her enemy grinned savagely and gave her a mocking salute.
“I told them to delay a little just so I could see you one last time. That’s as good as you deserve anyway, you miserable filth!”
“Stop this right now, Asara!” Lyara growled. “I know we’ve never been on good terms, but surely there’s a line somewhere. All of Avatar is suffering! Don’t you have the least bit of sympathy for them? For God’s sake, woman, they’re living beings just trying to get by in life! Why would you want to increase their hardships like that? You had a responsibility and you destroyed it! Damn it, Asara, WHY?”
“Don’t you understand?!” she screamed maliciously. “I RULE THIS WORLD!! I am God! I can treat those people like bugs and nobody will raise a single hand against me!! I can make or break any law I choose! How dare you talk to me about fucking responsibility!? I can torch entire cities to the ground if I feel like it! But even that’s not enough for me! You were both so short-sighted all those years ago that I had to get rid of you! Yes— I may as well come clean now! I did kill our old boss, your soft-hearted surrogate father! I admit it and I’m proud of it!! My ambitions go beyond your asinine clubhouse for Cub Scouts! Beyond the Night Hammers! Beyond Avatar! Beyond all of the galaxy itself! I have seen the face of ultimate power, Lyara, and I’ve been promised a position of high authority in their ranks! Can you imagine what it would be like if I had all of creation at my fingertips?”
“Hell!!” she roared in response. “It would be Hell!” Then, suddenly, Lyara realized the full scope of what her enemy was saying, and felt that somewhere, she had heard somebody saying something along those same lines. “Ultimate power… Do you mean to say you’ve joined forced with…Origin?!!”
“So even you know about Origin!” she exclaimed, her eyes flashing wildly. “I’m impressed! And it looks as though you already have your answer! All of Avatar can go up in flames for all I care, Lyara! But Origin…ah! There’s something for me to wrap my arms around! But I digress. My ride will be here any minute, you know, and I’d hate to leave unfinished business behind! What say you and I wrap up our affairs, right here at the End of the World, as it was meant to be!!”
Lyara smiled grimly. “For once, we agree.” They drew their weapons— along with her machete, Asara also had a sharp switch that could rip apart the skin— and circled each other atop the world’s apex. Asara attacked first, thrusting with machete, switch, and shoulders, even snapping her teeth. Lyara only had one weapon, an indestructible elf-sword she had brought from her homeworld, though it offered little protection as Asara flailed at her, lashing her fingers and her hand until it felt like she was about to saw off the bone. She dropped the sword and picked it up with her other hand, rolling to avoid Asara’s powerful chopping. The machete was so heavy and dull that it wedged little marks in the concrete roof: one blow from that would certainly kill or cripple her, but the switch was no better. Already Lyara’s right hand was starting to go numb from blood loss, and she could barely bend her fingers without feeling pain. Asara kicked her hard in the ribs, lashing at her face and spilling blood.
“Oh…I’ve put a mark on your pretty face! Here, let me fix it!!” She lunged at Lyara, overflowing with hatred and ambition, slapping her with the flat of her machete. Lyara tumbled and flipped on her hands, screamed, tried to ignore the pain, faltered, scrambled on the ground, kicked her enemy in the knee, and swung wildly. She tore Asara’s vest and gave her chest a delicate scar, but still had no advantage. Asara hopped on her one good leg, wincing, her eyes burning with new fury. She dug into her jacket and pulled out a gun, firing with deadly aim. Lyara hastily pulled herself up and ran for cover; she waited for Asara to stop shooting before running back out, but was kicked hard in the chest: Asara had stopped on purpose to lure her enemy out. She swung again with the switch, but Lyara caught it and cut it apart with her sword. Her palm leaked red fluid, but at least her enemy had one less device.
No words needed to be exchanged between the two mortal foes. Asara simply pressed the attack with her machete, to which Lyara countered as best she could. While no device crafted by mortals could destroy her sword, it was not particularly powerful, and she felt herself buckling under Asara’s maddening strength. How could any living creature hold such fury?! How far back did those seeds of evil go? Had Asara always been this wicked? How did she know about Origin? Of course Lyara would never have an answer; that thought alone frustrated her. At last she felt her strength slipping, and her stomach almost collapsed as Asara struck her with the machete. She vomited and fell to her knees, a subject of her worst enemy’s whims. Asara slowly lifted Lyara’s chin up with the flat of her blade, tickling her, smiling cruelly.
“Oh, how long I have waited for this day!” she whispered, a look of unmistakable joy in her eyes. “To see you kneeling so defenselessly before me is more beautiful than anything I could imagine! You’re nothing more than shit to me, Lyara: a filthy, ugly, insignificant piece of pathetic bile! If only I could make you grovel at my feet, or lick the dirt off my boots, then I could leave this world happily! Yes, yes— I think I’ll make you do just that! But not yet. I’ll break you first, Lyara. I’ll bite your fingers and toes off, then I’m going to cut off your hands and your feet and feed them to my dogs! I‘m also going to break your kneecaps so that you‘ll never stop kneeling! I’m going to burn your horrid ears off, and rip out your eyeballs! I’m going to put leeches on your arms and your legs, and I’m going to pierce your breasts with rusty nails! Then, and only then, my little piece of shit, will I force you to slather your tongue over my boots! Get them nice and clean, you filthy excrement! That’s the only thing you’re good for, anyway! I may not kill you after all: I’ll just let you fester the rest of your miserable life! Yes, that sounds nice. Executing you wouldn’t be any fun. My ride will be here soon: then I can get to work. Any last words?”
Lyara was beaten, bleeding, and disoriented, yet she clung tightly to her senses, and managed to shift her hands so that Asara could not see. Despite her weakness, she managed to move just enough to accomplish her goal.
“Just three,” she rasped.
“And what are they?” she wondered. The proud elf looked into her eyes and grinned.
“Made you monologue.” She took the emergency dagger she had pulled out and thrust it deep into Asara’s throat with all of her strength. The vile woman gurgled and choked with horror and shock as she stepped backwards, her arms flailing, her life spewing out before her eyes, and took one last step over the edge, where she fell out of history and into the darkness where she belonged.
Lyara slumped and took a very deep, relieving breath. Finally, it was over.
“You never could figure out when to shut that god-damned mouth of yours,” she grunted. Upon further inspection of her injuries, she concluded she would be well enough to stand in a few minutes, providing her fingers weren’t too badly damaged. They would probably need to be cut off, though Fuuka would no doubt give a more hopeful diagnosis. Lyara’s insides felt awful, but the wrenching sensation would pass. Her face stung too, but that was the least of her problems.
“Damn, but what I wouldn’t give for a stiff drink,” she muttered. She heard the stairway door opening, and thought it was one of Asara’s people who had escaped capture. But no, this was a sight more welcome to her than all the doctors and drinks in the world: a green-skinned angel was coming for her, eyes overflowing with tears, her heart aglow with love. Lyara took her into her arms and held her, breathing in the warrior’s rich scent.
“S…sorry for the delay,” Sharyn whispered. She took Lyara’s bad hand and kissed it delicately. Her lips had more healing power in them than any anesthetic; Lyara felt like she could wrestle an alligator now.
“You sure do have the worst timing,” she smiled, nestling closer to her lover. “But better late than never. I’m glad you were the first one I saw.”
“Are you well?” she whispered, dropping her courtly speech. “Is she…”
“I’m okay. I just need some rest. It’s over now.”
“Thank God!” she whispered, weeping as their faces rubbed together. The final dying embers of the sun’s glow faded at last in the horizon, and all of Avatar lit up with an electric shine that reflected in their wistful eyes. Lyara thought it a fitting end to a long ordeal; she could finally say farewell to her past and start anew. Sharyn kissed her scars away and pointed at the beauty spread out before them.
“Look, my love! See how it glimmers?”
“Yes, darling,” she whispered breathlessly. “Be it ever so humble, there’s no place like it. Not in all the universe.”
The End of Volume Seven: “No Place Like It”
But stay tuned for Volume Eight!
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