“Sargasso: set sail for adventure!”
Lyara Tanith had been surprised to see a member of her own family onboard. True, Aseria was a Sindar and she was a Valar, but they could both trace their ancestry to a single source, which was more than most of the other women could say. They rarely interacted, though—mostly because Lil hogged Aseria’s affections, but also because Lyara couldn’t get a good emotional fix on her distant relative. Everyone onboard had their unique shades and she could pick them up with a bit of concentration, but Aseria was different, and Lyara knew better than to associate with people who didn’t show up on her “radar”. They met, spoke, explored the ship, and even ate together, but that was the extent of their relationship. Lyara kept her distance out of caution; Lillianne had nothing to do with it (on that note, Lil’s emotional shades barely even registered in her mind, which enforced her reason to stay away). How those two were connected was a mystery Lyara preferred not to solve.
Just as Alala had summarized her experience with several members of the crew the other day, Lyara thought about all the feelings and emotions that radiated from their spirits. She had learned to control this ability long ago—if she hadn’t, it would’ve driven her mad—so now she could filter and store them as necessary. But intelligent creatures could not be defined by one single though or emotion: they were like rainbows and water-crystals, or labyrinthine tombs of Valar long dead, or “living symphonies” that can express everything from darkest depression to highest exaltation. Even someone like Mink, who rarely broke her impassive expression, had a world of thoughts and experiences for Lyara to digest.
“Can’t sleep,” she sighed to herself. It was 0042 hours (12:42 am) and almost totally silent. The Dauntless emitted a very low, lulling, peaceful hum as it sailed through the heavens, and there was no activity going on nearby—Lyara’s room had several hallways surrounding it that acted as dampeners against sound (one of the reasons she chose that space). Sitting up, she discovered she was unusually refreshed and aware of her surroundings, definitely signs of an insomniac. Taking a cleansing breath, she got out of bed, put a robe on, and padded out her room in her bare feet; the floor was inviting and pleasant to walk on; the walls favored her with decorations and delights.
She remembered the nosebleed she got when she tried to gauge Dr. Miracle’s level of emotion, but the reaction hardly surprised her. An entity so indefinable and spectacular could not be expected to share the same level of personal feeling that other species did. But on that matter, just what was this creature called Miracle? Where did it come from? Was there a literal meaning behind the name? What was the extent of its powers? Lyara thought that Amy Blithe, Miracle’s sweet and innocent assistant, would know the answers, but she never got the opportunity to peer into her head. And just where was Lyara going now, in the dead of night? Did she hope to run into the limping girl, or some other sleepwalker? Was she just walking to cure her restlessness? Or was she being “led” somewhere by an outside force, maybe Miracle itself?
By now, everyone knew where Amy’s room was and could visit her when they pleased, though it would be impolite to ask her to return the favor. Sometimes the crew caught a glimpse of her, wandering around the kitchen or the lounge room, but she usually stayed in her quarters, a prisoner of her own handicap. Perhaps Miracle had taken pity on her and invited her onboard…or else she had been cursed by Miracle…or maybe Miracle had promised to cure her in exchange for her service. But enough speculating; Lyara’s midnight exercise had brought her to the hallway where Amy’s room was, and she stood poised to enter, uninvited, and interview the mousy girl. Yes—she would get to the bottom of this. The entire crew had questions concerning this girl and her powerful master—well, Lyara would be the one to answer them!
She only took one successful step before freezing in her tracks. A column of moving light was just ahead on the opposite side of the hallway, and it was approaching Lyara slowly. A strange, haunting tune drifted from the light—whatever it was, the beam seemed to be humming—and the nearer it came, the higher Lyara’s fears rose. The tip of this phantasm brushed against the ceiling, its long legs and arms waving in an eerie dance, the song suffocating her thoughts and breaking her nerves. Lyara had lived on a rough planet and had commanded some of the toughest dregs society had ever seen, so the sensation of fear was totally new to her. It felt like being washed with ice water—a paralyzing baptism of helplessness and horror. She never believed in the existence of ghosts before but was quite ready to change her mind. Just as the specter shuffled closer, almost near enough to touch—it reached its fingers out hungrily—her muscles finally remembered their strength and rushed Lyara back to her room, where she locked the door, buried herself underneath her blanket, and prayed that she would be protected from that ghastly demon.
……
Rebecca Hill may have been shy for a bounty hunter, but she was still a bounty hunter, taught and raised by her aunt Shandra. With her father the geneticist gone and her mother stuck working as a waitress, Aunt Shandra had been the only one available, and she had taken the young Rebecca under her wing quite willingly. But Shandra had been famous and strong; Rebecca was a mediocre imitator at best. The only things she could really do well were modifying weapons and cooking—and with Chandra hogging the kitchen, wearing naught but an apron, that only left Rebecca the option of repairing and upgrading the crew’s equipment.
What strange fate had thrown six of the most-wanted bounties right at her doorstep? Rebecca may have been a little naïve, but she was smart enough to realize, with Miracle’s advertisement worded like that, more than a few of her coworkers would sport a darker shade of gray. But six wanted criminals? What made things really bad was that she couldn’t do anything about it: she had promised Amy and Dr. Miracle that she wouldn’t start any fights, and Rebecca was a lady of her word. Once they landed on a planet, however, all bets would be off and the hunt would begin. But there she was, acting all gung-ho again: something was wiggling in the back of her mind, telling her that not everything was as it seemed.
Eve, Kate, Allegra, Herut, Chandra, and Valti were the criminals in question. Rebecca only really knew about them through reputation and rumor; she had mostly steered clear of them out of caution. She knew for a fact that Valti was a convicted criminal sentenced to the penal colony of Rennai 6, recently escaped (or set loose) to wreak havoc in the universe one more, but after seeing her in action on the comet, her perception was changed a bit. Valti Brignor may be an obsessive weirdo, but she was completely devoted and enthusiastic about her work, even going as far as risking her life for progress. She was also a very playful woman, and liberally used her extra limbs to play tricks on the others, pinching and tickling when her victims least suspected it.
Kate Shepherd had one of the smallest bounties among Rebecca’s six prospects, and despite her build, she seemed least likely to commit any sort of atrocity. Rebecca actually tried to befriend her in spite of her misgivings, but for the longest time, she was too intimidated to even get near her. Normal-looking women made her bashful enough, so she could only imagine how being around a colossus like Kate would affect her. She decided to investigate indirectly, and asked several of the more discreet girls if they knew anything. All they could say was that Kate had apparently lived a very harsh life on Utopia, and considered herself blessed to be away from it. The bounty came from a businessman who claimed she killed someone close to him, but there was nothing solid yet.
“I suppose I should go and talk to her,” she mused. “Shepherd seems like a decent enough person.” And of course, she added, I have to remember that sometimes, people are wrongly accused. Now I’m ashamed I rushed into all this without even thinking. Aunt Shandra would be so embarrassed.
On that note, Herut seemed like the last person who would have a bounty on her head. She and Eve got along very well; they were like sisters or friendly rivals who shared and compared ideas. Because they were nigh-inseparable, Rebecca got to speak with both of them at once. When she interrupted their discourse and penetrated their private world, both women looked at her like she was a disease or a bug, but only at first.
“Uh, listen, I think we all got off to a bad start. I know I said I was a bounty hunter and all, but I’m starting to think not everyone’s as bad as I thought.”
“No kidding,” Eve muttered darkly. She closed her eyes and whispered, almost in a threatening voice, “In my opinion, you’re chasing after the wrong people.”
“I know, I’m sorry,” she replied, not understanding the implications. “I don’t even know why there are bounties out for you two.”
“It’s all Chandra’s fault,” Herut said candidly. “I was just doing my job when she came along and stole the ship I was working on. The authorities got the wrong idea and put a price on my head. I would’ve left that tramp to suffer if I could’ve. If you want to catch her and turn her in, don’t let me stop you. In fact, I’ll even help.” She smiled eerily; Eve chuckled and ruffled her hair like a big sister would.
“Okay, that’s enough. Chandra keeps us fed and that’s reason enough to have her around.”
“She only came for the view,” Herut muttered tartly. She raised her eyebrow at Rebecca and explained: “She’s crazy about girls. Most female pleasure units don’t have that anomaly built into them, but Chandra’s programmer was a little twisted. I’d stay away from her if I were you. Otherwise, she’ll pursue you until she has you in her vile clutches.”
“She’s not that bad,” Eve shrugged. Herut snorted and resumed her work; the Dauntless had a few minor maintenance problems to work out.
“It seems she’s already ensnared you. Be very careful around her, Eve. That stupid whore is a veteran heartbreaker. I wouldn’t want an intelligent woman like you making the mistake of trusting her. Miss Hill, that goes for you as well. Stay away if you know what’s best.”
“Y-yeah,” she whispered. “Uh, so Eve…why is there a bounty on your head?”
“Nothing special,” she replied unemotionally, her mind off in another world. “The United Cosmic Military just wants my ass back in their ranks. Apparently they can’t get over the thought that a talented girl like me is wandering around wasting my skills.”
“I see.” Eve Kasberry’s name was renowned across all civilized corners of the galaxy; she was a celebrity and an idol, and it was no surprise the UCM was trying to get her to reenlist. Rebecca immediately understood why she distanced herself from the rest of humanity: it was the curse of being an icon; they had little privacy and little time to rest. Being a member of the Dauntless might have been a radical change for Eve, but here, she could at least relax and be herself for a moment.
……
Rebecca no longer felt it was necessary to hunt down any of the people with prices on their heads. It wasn’t as if they had all convinced her they were “good people” or “misunderstood”, she could just understand their situations to a degree. Many of them had been trying to do the right thing, or were just living their own life, when fate dealt them a bad hand and put them on the other side of the law. Some were even wrongly-accused or totally innocent. Rebecca herself once had people out looking for her; she remembered being the cause of a certain bigwig’s ire and was grateful she had gotten out of that in time. From her perspective, she shot him out of self-defense; from his, it was an attempted murder. How many other points of view needed to be explored before the journey came to an end?
She still hadn’t interviewed Allegra, but the excitable gunslinger was going off on a mission. The Acheron sisters had spotted the semi-civilized world of Sargasso, named after a sea in Helios 3, and a small team volunteered to explore and search it for valuables, Allegra being one of them. Rebecca did get the chance to tell her she wanted to talk, but she tried being as nice about it as possible.
“Well sure, sug,” replied the belle, her southern American accent refreshing. “I still haven’t made as many acquaintances as I wanted to, so I’d be glad to pay you a visit. In fact, why not come with us? I hear you’re one tough gal.”
“No, it’s all right,” she replied. “You have enough people going with you.” Kate was going along as well, saying she wanted to stretch her limbs and breathe fresh air again. The two swordswomen, Athena and Sharyn, were also tagging along, and that meant Dr. Fujiwara was following. They were about to descend the ramp when a copper-shaded person streaked by, shoving everything out of her way.
“Not so fast! Where do you think you’re going? Nuh-uh, not without me! I signed up for this damned cruise and I might as well get something out of it! You’re taking me and that’s final!” It was Naja Elapidae, civil and considerate as always.
“Oh my,” Allegra blushed. “Sounds like a beetle crawled up your backside.”
“Don’t even think about setting foot in that shuttle,” Fuuka hissed venomously. She glared daggers at the serpentine woman. Not one to be pushed around like that, especially by a frail little fox-girl, Naja rolled up her sleeves and marched over, lashing her tongue out like a whip.
“You did not just tell me what to do.”
“I most certainly did. Snakes are abominable creatures and should be slaughtered en masse.”
“You fucking worthless piece of shit,” she hissed, her voice low and deadly, “do you even know who you’re dealing with?” Athena stepped in between the two and glared icily at Naja. Half an hour ago, she wouldn’t have given her a second thought, but anybody who spoke to Fuuka like that was asking for it.
“Step away from my Fuu-chan if you don’t want to be cut down.”
“And who’s gonna make me, bunny-girl? You? Gimme a break! I eat your kind for supper! Yeah, that’s right—and I eat bitchy little fox-girls for breakfast.”
“You’re the only bitch I see here,” she replied coldly. Kate suddenly came between them and shoved them apart with her powerful arms.
“All right, that’s enough. You both agreed not to fight while you’re on this ship—“
“So let’s take this to the surface and settle everything!” Naja chuckled.
“Fine by me,” Athena said.
“You’re all about as ornery as weasels in a wiffle pot,” Allegra observed. “First of all, I don’t think it’s fair to talk to a perfect stranger like that. Y’all don’t know each other one lil’ bit; it’s ignorant to cast the rod before you know there are any fish in the lake.”
“Huh?” Naja blurted. Everyone else looked equally baffled, but luckily, a diplomat was passing by and decided to intervene. Rebecca’s cheeks turned deep pink as she saw Riene step in; she had a considerable crush on the older woman but couldn’t bear to be open about it.
“Excuse me. I think what Allegra means is that you shouldn’t discriminate based on appearance. Now let’s not go anywhere until we’ve settled this. Doctor, why do you hate Naja so much?”
“She’s a snake,” she growled, narrowing her once-gentle eyes. “I loathe snakes.”
“Um, okay, but is there any other reason?” She shook her head.
“See?” Allegra pointed. “I told her she was actin’ childish.”
“Allegra.” Riene placed an alleviating hand on her shoulder, and the gunslinger quieted down. “Doctor, if you merely hate someone based on appearance or species, I’m afraid you’re nothing more than a racist. Naja, you have every right to be angry, and that’s a perfectly healthy response in this situation, but that doesn’t justify violence. You might just want to stay here while they go.”
“Or they could stay here while I go,” she countered. Riene nodded.
“True. It’s clear to me that you will be unable to coexist, so those are your only options.”
“And you’ll have to nail me to the floor to keep me here,” Naja sneered, feeling triumphant. Athena just shrugged.
“Sounds good to me. Fuu-chan, where do you keep that emergency hammer?”
“Athena.” The warrior-rabbit was not a good person to cross, and Riene was really showing how gutsy she was by standing up to the intimidating woman. Fuuka saved Riene any grief by enveloping her companion’s arm and drawing her away.
“We’ll wait for the next one, then. Miss Hill, as I recall, you were waiting for the number of volunteers to decrease. Your patience seems to have paid off. Please take care of the others—and if you like, feel free to leave this venomous worm behind.”
“What’d you say, ya little cunt?!”
“Enough,” Kate said, holding her back. Naja was a powerful woman in every sense of the word, but Kate had brute strength in spades, and restrained her just long enough for Fuuka and Athena to disappear. Poor Rebecca looked ready to pass out from all the stress.
“Methinks this but a preview of troubles to come,” Sharyn muttered.
……
Even though the Dauntless landed on Sargasso, not everyone wanted to disembark and explore the world. Most of the crew was still getting their bearings, while others professed they would be happily occupied onboard with their own adventures. In the end, only six people left the ship to look around, taking a small transport so they could cover more ground. Naja had already started to throw her assertiveness around and made sure the other women respected and feared her. She wasn’t aggressive and arrogant just for the sake of being; she had merely been raised to be as strong as she could, to crush the weak—even if was her own family—and to become as powerful as possible, no matter what it took. Therefore she looked down on most races, and since the only things she respected were strength and authority, she didn’t have a high opinion of her coworkers.
Sharyn admired her, though, since their hearts were essentially after the same thing. Because she had not yet received her official title of Knight, she was eager to prove herself and sought to achieve greatness and glory, often at the expense of her unstable emotions. Whenever she was bolstered with confidence in her abilities, she always tended to rush in, believing everything would work out for her—but whenever she wallowed in doubt, she was too distracted by her feelings to be of any good. Even so, she had attracted Naja’s attention, and they formed the beginnings of a kinship as they explored the world.
“Anybody here know anything about this place?” Allegra asked. For all her bluster, Naja had very little knowledge about outside worlds, and Kate and Sharyn were even more uninformed. Riene closed her eyes and recited what she knew:
“Sargasso, third planet in the Arobless system, classified as a solid planet suitable for the majority of intelligent species, civilization level 4, and population estimated at fifty-thousand. Discovered in 2509 by a Gaian explorer who named it after a sea on Earth—not knowing that ‘Sargasso’ meant kelp in Spanish—it remained undeveloped for nearly eighty years, occasionally visited by wayfaring travelers. Reports indicate that in spite of its low population, Sargasso has fertile soil and adequate resources, though it could not compare to more modernized worlds. Because so little is known about it, there may very well be treasures here.”
“I’m impressed,” Naja said. “Do you have a little library in your head, or are you just that smart?” Riene turned red and laughed.
“Oh no, nothing of the sort—I just did a little research beforehand. I’ve been spending most of my time in Miracle’s library.”
“Oh. Well, that’s an admirable trait to have. I like someone who approaches their work prepared.” She smiled silkily; Riene felt her heart flutter. Naja’s ferocity and independence had made her an incredibly attractive woman on Jelrin, and it carried over very successfully when she traveled abroad. Riene was particularly drawn to strong women and was flattered that one of the Elshyrin elite found her attractive. Poor Rebecca observed all this with a tied tongue; she couldn’t bring herself to butt in and was shamed by her cowardice.
“Perhaps Gwen and I could be of some use.” Sharyn had been unusually quiet the whole trip, so when she spoke up, people listened. Nobody noticed the spherical little monitor droid floating at her shoulder, and they were surprised that someone so primitive could carry around a piece of advanced technology like that. “Gwen,” said the knight-errant, “we are seeking the treasures of Sargasso. I beg thee to lend us thy aide.”
NO, chirped the machine. Sharyn’s red hair seemed to frizz in irritation.
“Eh? Wherefore? This stubbornness becomes you not, Gwen.”
YES.
“Is that all this lil’ critter can say?” Allegra wondered as she cradled the floating orb.
YES, it replied, startling her.
“Not all that eloquent, are you? But why aren’t ya helpin’ us out?”
“Perhaps my kin instructed it too well,” Sharyn sighed as she called Gwen back. “My familiar hath but one task—to record and judge my actions so that my worthiness may be determined. We can interact with each other, and she may answer simple questions, but on the whole, I’m left to fend for myself.”
YES.
“That sucks,” Naja sighed as she grabbed the orb and played with it.
NO.
“Shaddap!”
NO. Riene laughed.
“Spirited little thing, isn’t it?”
YES. Kate gradually stopped the transport and raised a hand to silence everyone. There was a very large hole in the ground, almost big enough to drive in, and as the team got out to investigate, they could see a path that wound around the outer edge, like a spiral, descending so far down that they could not see the bottom, even with a light.
“I hath a negative sentiment concerning this scenario,” Sharyn whispered.
“A what?”
“A bad feeling,” Kate explained. She wanted to be the first to go down the hole—for surely this would lead them to an adventure—but Sharyn beat her to the punch, chivalrously leading the way with Gwen acting as a lantern. Naja was more than happy to let someone else get ahead of her—she knew whoever walked in front was usually the first one taken down—but she didn’t dare sacrifice her second-place position. The Elshyrin frequented canyons and mines kilometers deeper than this little scratch in the earth, so she was actually bored long before they reached the bottom, and the light of the surface was reduced to a single pinprick in the sky. Several members of the team experienced vertigo and acrophobia the deeper they went, and a few wondered if they would be buried alive. Naja decided that, for the sake of morale, she would have to be leader from now on.
“C’mon, stop being a bunch of toothless old women! You—the redhead with the sword! If you want to be a knight, you’ll have to face dangers a hundred times greater than this! And you, bounty hunter! Grow a spine and stand tall! Well, at least there are three people here who aren’t afraid!” Kate merely shrugged—to her, this suffocating darkness was child’s play compared to the horrors of her home world—and Allegra looked like she was actually having fun.
“You kiddin’? A real lady shows no fear. This reminds me of Mammoth Cave in Kentucky. Well Gwen, let’s get this show on the road!”
YES. Allegra and Kate bravely followed Naja, leaving the others behind to marinate in envy. Naja may have been the universe’s biggest bitch—and a powermonger—and a ruthless warrior—and a moody companion—but they couldn’t deny her spirit and determination.
“I have so much to learn,” Sharyn sighed as she followed her impatient familiar. Riene and Rebecca were glad it was so dark down there, because otherwise, they would’ve been ashamed to show their faces.
“Let’s not be left behind. Hold onto my arm so we don’t get separated.”
“Good idea.” This was no time to be flustered; the fear and thrill of the moment was too great.
……
Naja was in truth a very quiet, distant, moody individual, but she had a volcanic temper and did not tolerate any of the following (according to The Manifesto of an Independent Elshyrin Bound for a Higher Calling, which she wrote and published): incompetence, laziness, stupidity (“People are born ignorant, but they choose to be fools”), cowardice, weakness, misguided sympathy, inattentive behavior, and worst of all, optimism (“Nothing ruins a rational mind faster than the belief that everything is for the best”). On the other hand, she had great admiration for the strong and the superior, and had to admit that most of her new contemporaries were a good match for her, or better—especially Kate, whom she was infatuated with.
With darkness surrounding them, penetrated only by the feeble light given off by Sharyn’s monitor droid, it gave the six travelers time to reflect and think. The cavern moaned as the wind funneled in from above, its howls echoing through the emptiness until it gave the women the sensation of exploring through a monster’s belly. Sharp rock formations shaped like teeth strengthened the impression of being inside a mouth of sorts. It was dark and a little moist, but the ground was solid and the air was quite fresh, and no living thing scurried in that other world besides the travelers.
“How long do you think this goes on?” Rebecca whispered, not wanting to risk any noise. Of course, her feeble voice wouldn’t have brought the entire earth crashing down on them, but this didn’t comfort her concerns in the least. She was used to wide open spaces and bright, cheerful sunshine, so this was all a shock to her. Riene still had her hands around her arm, though, and even though she was still afraid, at least she was in good company.
“How should any of us know?” Naja grumbled. “It goes on as far as it goes on. Maybe a few more meters, maybe all the way to the other side of the planet. Don’t ask stupid questions.”
“I’m just saying that if we don’t find anything after awhile, we should give up and turn around.”
“That’s no fun!” Allegra whined. “We just got down here and now you wanna go back? Don’t be such a yellow-belly!”
“She’s got a point, though,” Kate said. “We don’t have the luxury of time here. There might be a mutiny if we dawdle too long.”
“They can all just keep their britches on and wait,” Allegra said sharply. “Someday they’ll be in our exact same position and then we’ll—why hello, I declare we’ve run smack into our destination. Here’s your treasure, Becky darlin’.” Allegra smiled proudly and presented the object they had apparently been working towards all this time—only rather, it was a golden door with a single enormous knocker. There were beautiful decorations carved into the gold, one of them resembling a blooming lily, another a swirling sun, one a rush of waves, and another an animal stooping to drink. It was, in total, a pastoral scene, etched forever on this portal, though nobody knew what it portended, and there were no other markings or messages. Sharyn caressed it thoughtfully.
“Perhaps this golden portal is the treasure, left behind by the race that constructed the path we’ve left behind. But should we take such a valuable item?”
“I say go for it,” Naja said.
“But then it’d be mine since I found it,” Allegra pointed out. Naja tensed up, ready to fight for her share of the prize…but she reasoned it wouldn’t be worth it, since she was bound to run into bigger and better prizes. It reminded her of the story where two foolish Elshyrin boys went into a fancy restaurant begging for scraps, only to find out later that all first-time visitors received a free gift basket. This door—if it could even be removed, let alone carried all the way back to the ship!—was beneath her, and so was fighting for it.
“It’s yours,” she chuckled, “providing you can carry it out.” Allegra gestured casually and pulled on the knocker with all her might, but with no success. Kate gently shoved her aside, gave it a timid yank, and the door tumbled into her arms. It was really more like a giant slab than a door; it had been put up to seal a hole, or so it seemed. Sharyn sent Gwen inside to investigate, but the little droid zipped back out after only a few seconds.
NO, NO, NO, NO, it droned. Sharyn snatched it out of the air, her greenish face pale with concern.
“Didst thou perceive a disturbance, Gwen?”
YES.
“A danger, a threat?”
YES.
“Perchance an abominably large monstrosity kept sealed here by yon golden portal for epochs, cursed by the Sargassoans to live in this underworld, now released by our careless hands to exact its vengeance pon’ the land?!”
Gwen took a moment to process this information.
NO. Rebecca wiped the sweat from her brow.
“Whew, I was concerned there for a min—“ Her eyes bulged as she saw an abominably normal-sized monstrosity kept sealed by the golden slab (and so on), and screamed out the most sensible thing anybody ever heard.
“RUUUUUUUUNNNNN!!”
YES.
“SHUT THAT THING UP, KNIGHT-GIRL!!” The mad dash for the surface felt like a blur. Riene fell behind at once, being the one least accustomed to running, but the thrill of fear spurned her to speeds she was unfamiliar with: she could feel the hot breath of the creature blasting against her back, and her skin crawled as she imagined those long, terrible teeth clamping down on her, ripping her apart. Allegra and Rebecca valiantly made sure she was not left behind, and even tried to fire at their pursuer, though it was too dark to tell if they were making any headway. The ground trembled as it chased after them, though, so it wasn’t defeated yet. Sharyn made it back to the spiraling passage first, and turned a very dark shade of green as she realized they would all have to climb back up with that monster in pursuit.
“Fly, fly! Milady, how art thou faring?” She reached out to help Kate, but the heavyworlder was as strong as the stories described. Even with that immense slab of pure gold in her arms, she had not slowed down in the least.
“A little winded,” she admitted as she placed the treasure down. She glanced up the hole and groaned. “This’ll be the end of me. We may have to make our stand here.”
“I am ready to defend you all.” She drew her sword, ready to fight, her concentration focused so sharply that her eyes glittered like daggers. She heard Rebecca and Allegra shooting—Riene was approaching the passage now, almost ready to crumble in exhaustion—and sheathed her weapon so she could be of better use. “Lean against my shoulder, milady. We shall climb this hole together. Lady Katherine, perhaps ye should endeavor the others for aid.”
“You mean ask them for help?” Utopians were hardly flowery conversationalists, and so like the majority of the crew, she couldn’t understand Sharyn’s odd language—but she got the gist of it, and she could see how her eyes implored. “I’ll be all right. It’s not heavy, just awkward to carry.” Naja suddenly rushed to join them, flustered and irritated. She stated she had tried fighting the creature, but she could not see properly in that light and had been overwhelmed.
“I kept bumping into shit and tripping everywhere!” she snapped. “It’s not strong, just brutal and stupid, and it takes advantage of the surroundings. Haven’t you hauled that thing up yet?”
“Easier said than done,” Kate grunted. Allegra and Rebecca were still fighting the creature, so Naja ordered Sharyn to get moving while she went to Kate’s rescue. She no longer wanted anything to do with the garish treasure and actually cursed it a few times as she lifted the other end, but she liked Kate and respected her abilities. Their destination was a microscopic speck of light in the sky, as distant and cold as a star, but even under the best circumstances, carrying a large golden slab up that precarious spiral would be fiendishly tricky. They had a beast to contend with now, and darkness, and the weariness that was beginning to set in everywhere. Riene was still trying to catch her breath, Sharyn trudged up the path carrying her, Allegra and Rebecca were fighting their enemy—in pitch blackness, no less—and Naja and Kate had to lug up the gold.
“We should really just throw this thing away!” growled the Elshyrin. The slab was as heavy as it looked, and even with Kate helping on the other end, it felt like carrying a piano.
“I heard that!” Allegra shouted—she was drawing nearer, which meant the fight probably wasn’t going well. “Do you really want to give up after all the trouble we went through?”
“It’s the trouble that bothers me!” she answered harshly. Progress was slow, but Allegra and Rebecca swept in to help, one taking the golden slab and the other helping carry Riene. The beast was too large to follow them up the path; it had to crawl very carefully and cling to the narrow surface with its claws. About halfway up, the team picked up their pace as Riene recovered, apologized for being such a burden, and the slab’s weight was distributed by everyone. They made it back to the surface, hurled the golden nuisance on the ground, and gasped for air. The brightness was overpowering; the openness was delicious; the freedom was magnificent. Even Naja smiled.
“You damn humans…you’ll be the death of me before long.”
“I seem to recall you insisted on coming,” Riene teased. Naja glared, but didn’t have the strength to fight. Before they could retrieve their prize and carry on with the mission, the creature leaped out of the hole, whining at the merciless sun, insane with rage and vengeance. The women could see it for what it was in the glory of the light, and a few gushed: it was like a bear and a raccoon and a sloth all at once, large and furry and just a little bit innocent-looking. Its coat was a very pale creamy-brown, and there was a dark spot around its two large doleful chestnut eyes that glittered in the sun. The beast had a stubby tail and a predator’s claws, and could stand on its hind legs, though it chose to run on its forearms. One felt that if it were a cub, one could cradle it in the arms and snuggle with it, but the adults were fiercer and could potentially slaughter dozens.
“It’s so cute!” Kate gushed. Naja drew a blaster and fired; the beast slumped over, its forehead smoking. Shepherd gasped and nearly ran over to nurse the animal back to health. “You murdered it!”
“Yeah? That was to pay it back for all the grief it’s caused us. Damn, what a friggin’ waste of time!”
“Lay off, would you?” Rebecca said quietly. “Nobody forced you to come along, and I know you had fun.”
“Don’t put words in my mouth, human.” Allegra couldn’t help but smile.
“Awright, that’s enough feudin’. Kate, you were a real help back there, so I want you to have this treasure.”
“But you found it first,” she argued. Allegra grinned and winked at her.
“Well yeah, but I figured you earned it. I only found it, but you helped carry it out.” Her face turned red and she smiled timidly.
“I…don’t know…but if that’s what you want. I’ve never had a treasure before.”
“Consider this the first of many, Miss Shepherd.”
“Uh, I hate to interrupt this flowery moment between you two, but…” Rebecca pointed behind them, shivering in fear. The creature was standing up again, now angrier than before. Naja cursed, threw her blaster away, and marched over to finish the job.
“You’ve pissed me off for the last time, you flea-ridden furball! I’m gonna show you what happens to people who cross the mighty Naja!” She thrust herself at the beast with all the speed and power her species afforded, baring a pair of infamous Elshyrin fangs. She plunged them into the beast’s neck and clung on tightly, a force of raw power that could bend steel bars and shatter concrete. The venom seeped into the beast’s bloodstream and destroyed it from the inside out. It groaned in pain, but Naja held fast until at last, the creature stopped moving and became still. The tender-hearted women felt sorry for it, even though it had been their adversary, but their job was complete and the treasure was theirs.
……
Since there had been no mutiny as Kate feared, the explorers were welcomed back to the ship and asked that their story be told. Naja didn’t like people gushing over her for all the wrong reasons, so she slinked away to the sauna, hoping that a nice long dip would cleanse her mind and soul. She was sure that Riene and Rebecca would feel the same way—how absolutely adorable shy girls were!—and maybe they would enter the hot tub as well, hopefully in the mood for a little…fun. Better still, what if Kate came by? Naja brimmed with anticipation as she let her imagination wonder. With a crew this mixed, any visitor would be interesting for a few moments, even the ones that would no doubt annoy her in the future.
“This is actually a nice bath,” she admitted with a smile. “Miracle may be obnoxious, but they sure do know how to spoil their guests. I just wish I knew more about them so I could learn where they got all that power.” She submerged once, twice, three times, soaking her glossy dark-brown hair. It felt nice to let it float so freely in the water; it was normally squeezed up tight in a little military-style ponytail. Too bad she would have to lose most of it in five days when she molted her old skin…
“Naja, you in here? Where’d that lil’ critter go? Naj—oh, there y’ar.” She emerged from the water just in time to see Allegra hovering above her, a bright smile on her face and a bundle in her arms. “Sorry to bother you like this, but Kate wanted you to have this, and she ain’t gonna take no for an answer.” She placed her bundle down next to Naja’s garments, unfolding the wrapping to reveal a chunk of the golden door they had pilfered. Naja raised her nose and snorted.
“I don’t want it, and I don’t want your pity.”
“Don’t you be startin’ up any trouble now!” Allegra pointed. “That woman split it up between all of us, and the least you could do is appreciate her generosity. C’mon, you were a big help back then. This is the least we can do to repay ya.” Naja still felt a little stuffy, and crossed her arms as she grudgingly nodded her head.
“It’s so ugly and small—more trouble than it was worth. But I guess if she wants me to have it so badly, it’s her loss. I dunno what I’d do with it, though, except maybe sell it.” Allegra laughed and winked.
“Attagirl. Well, I’ll be outta your way now. Sorry I burst in on you like this. I like your skin!”
“Don’t get used to it,” Naja warned her as she left the sauna. “I shed it twice a year and it’s about ready to go now. Allegra!”
“Yeah?” Naja stood up, completely at ease with her exposed body, and shouted out to the gunslinger:
“Word of warning, hillbilly: once I start shedding, it’s no more Miss Nice Naja. Make sure everyone knows so they don’t accidentally wind up on my bad side.”
“Will do, and thanks!” Naja returned to her bath and held the chunk of gold in her hands. She smiled faintly, chuckled, and put it away.
“There’s more to this crew than I thought. They’re not completely useless, I guess.”
Preview of next chapter
Naja: Ahh, I hope this voyage never ends… (sparklies)
Shana: Aww, that’s such a sweet thing to say! (hearts)
Naja: Actually, this place is a dump, but I’d rather be here than back at home!
Shana: Disillusioned expression! Aghast and speechless!
Aseria: The next episode brings us to our ultimate destination. What, already?
Naja: I don’t wanna go home! Waaaaah!
Shana: It can’t be that bad, can it?
Naja: If I go home, I’ll have to give up all this glorious HLS!
Shana: Shocked appearance! Determination to save Naja at any cost!
Aseria: Please stay tuned for what very well may be the final chapter, “Bibliopolis: the city of knowledge.”
Shana: I hope not!
Naja: Me neither! Sickened groan!
Shana: Sympathetic huggle…
Naja:
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