“The Real Voyage Begins at Last! Huh?”
Chandra rolled over in bed hoping that Eve was ready for more loving, but she woke up to an empty bed, cold and desolate and very unfamiliar. Usually those who fell under Chandra’s spell were only too happy to stick around, sometimes desperately clinging to her for more, more, more…and she always delivered; that was her job. But discovering that her latest lover had abandoned her came as a complete shock, and she laid there trying to reason why this would happen. Eve had wanted and needed her, right? She had accepted Chandra’s embraces and returned them in kind, burning with a fury she had rarely seen, even in the most amorous women. Certainly she couldn’t be feeling guilty, and it didn’t seem like she had second thoughts either. There was only one way to solve this problem, and that was by getting out of the bed they had shared. She wanted to explore the ship in the nude, as was her custom, but something told her to get dressed—an impulse she never usually obeyed. Chandra put her clothes on and went to look for Eve.
The Dauntless seemed dead to her now. It had landed in the Finelo spaceport according to Miracle’s proposed schedule, and as Chandra realized they were now at the end of their journey, the crew was more than likely in the large community room where Miracle had first appeared—and thus, Eve might be there too. Oh, so that’s where she went! She just wanted to get paid and be on her way. But did that mean she was tired of Chandra, or did she intend to bring her along? Chandra sincerely hoped it was the latter, and raced through the quiet halls. Normally the ship would be pulsing with beautiful women just waiting for her tender care, but now it resembled just another vessel, cold and sterile and lifeless. Everyone was in the room, even the enigmatic mastermind of the voyage, though now Miracle resembled a solid black orb, so smooth and clear that the blackness was now purity itself; white seemed almost evil now.
Chandra is here, Amy, spoke the orb, its voice predictably mechanical. The entire crew has made it. We must begin the farewell ceremony.
“Yes, thank you. Well everyone,” said the mousy brunette in a clear, nostalgic voice, “this is the end of the road. You have successfully recovered the treasure Dr. Miracle has been seeking, and now, no doubt, you want your money. We’re more than happy to deliver it to you—after all, you have earned it all. Time and again you have proven yourselves worthy of the title ‘Dauntless’, but now I’m sad to say that the journey is over. Please, take your compensation, and peace be with you.”
All this time, the crew had wondered just how they were going to be paid. With fifty-seven women onboard and a proposed 30,000 gold for each person, that would mean that Dr. Miracle would have to pull one million, seven-hundred ten-thousand (1,710,000) units of gold from somewhere, and unless the doctor was very rich or had a hidden stash… But just as soon as this question rested on the minds of the crew, the black orb spewed forth a cloudy, bluish haze, its smell like orchid and lilac, and out of this fog came 30,000 units of gold for each woman, each pile labeled accordingly. Mink hoarded two piles as Vimmy yawned carelessly; Rebecca and Kate savored their payment with a hunger that only the poor know of. So much for the journey, then.
A handful of women were already leaving with their reward, their hopes high and their prospects good, but a few stayed behind, brooding in their questions. Amy stared at them and asked them what the problem was, and Kate—bashful despite her appearance—stepped forth and questioned the two very generous people.
“I’m grateful…we all are…but I was under the impression that this voyage would last for a long time. I figured we’ve have to travel around the entire galaxy to look for this treasure. But now we already found it, and I was just wondering…is that all there is?”
“Um, yes,” Amy answered, “Miracle and I were after the Tome of Treasures. We have it now, so…”
“What a load of shit!” Lil groused, kicking the ground. “We came all this way and barely spent a week here! If that’s not a rip-off, I don’t know what is!”
Are you dissatisfied with your pay? boomed the orb.
“No, wait,” Amy said, interrupting her master. “I have not been completely specific. Originally I said you could come and go as you pleased; that freedom still applies to everyone here. I’m sorry if you got the wrong idea; we’re merely allowing anyone that wants to leave the chance to. Um—excuse me, everyone? If you want to leave the ship, you can, but if you want to stay, you may. Lyara, make sure everyone hears that, all right?”
“So we don’t have to leave?” A thrilling hope surged in the hearts of more than a few women there. Plenty had come for the treasures, but more were there for the fun and adventure, or to escape their troubled pasts. Having the option of staying gave them hope, but even then, several more left.
“I really don’t want to,” Naja muttered, “but if it’s a choice between here and home, I’ll stay here. But you and that bowling ball better keep me busy! The time of an Elshyrin is very precious; I won’t have you wasting it!”
“Not at all!” Amy assured her. Chandra clapped her hands and almost sang.
“Then I’m staying! I won’t abandon all these gorgeous women!”
“I guess that means I’ll leave,” Herut stated. Shana grabbed her arm gently and penetrated into her heart with soft glowing eyes; there was love and innocence radiating from her that rendered all words meaningless. Herut only had one reason for leaving, but her reasons for staying seemed to be stronger. She sighed; “Or I could just keep avoiding the slut.”
“Oh piss off, kid!”
“Now-now,” Amy giggled, wobbling slightly on her cane. “Everyone is entitled to their freedom. We’ll let those who want to leave, while the rest can stay as long as they choose. And just for a record, Dr. Miracle and I have an announcement for those that are staying.”
……
It didn’t even take half an hour for the crew to declare its intentions and slim itself down to size. Of the initial fifty-seven women, only twenty-two remained—thirty-five decided to call it quits and move on to other things. There were no hard feelings and little love lost between the two groups—in fact, more than one woman was glad to see her former comrade leave. Once the rest of the crew was situated, Amy invited them back into the gathering room, only this time, Miracle was nowhere to be found. She was now almost completely independent of her cane, only pressing the occasional weight against it. Only Fuuka and a handful of others showed concern; the rest were wondering what this big announcement could be.
“It seems we have more room now,” Amy observed with a smile. “Well, twenty-two brave women out of fifty-seven left! I feel quite honored, and I’m sure that my master feels the same. No doubt you’re wondering why I called you all here, or why I emphasized your personal freedom. You have chosen to stay with this ship even though your mission is complete, and for that great loyalty, you’ll be rewarded with some very interesting information.”
She took a breath and was prepared to speak, but before she could, Lyara stepped forth, pointed at her, and said, “You’re Dr. Miracle, aren’t you?” The crew was petrified momentarily as this accusation was thrown in the air, and their reaction was intensified as Amy blushed, smiled sheepishly, and admitted it.
“Yes,” she whispered, “I’m Dr. Miracle—Amy Blithe Miracle, doctor of theology and literature.” She even pulled out her driver’s license and degree, and they each confirmed Lyara’s suspicions. The unassuming, quiet, cheery Amy, pigtailed and bespectacled, wobbling around with one bad leg, had in fact been masquerading all along, and now the ruse was over, the jig was up, and the truth was liberating everyone.
“How did you know?” Riene whispered.
“More importantly, what was the point of this stupid charade?” Naja snorted.
“And if you’re Dr. Miracle, what the hell was that…thing?!” Kyrie squealed. Amy Miracle tittered, sat down on the nearest couch (her foot was starting to throb), and wiped her brow.
“Now-now, I’ll explain everything. First of all, Lyara, how did you know?”
“I can just read emotions very well,” she answered. “I couldn’t get a good lock on you for a long time—you kept us quite busy—but when I did get the chance, I sensed feelings of secrecy, doubt, suspicion, glee, and even some remorse. You were definitely hiding something… I really just guessed, but it seems my guess was right.”
“Seems so!” Amy laughed. “As for the purpose of this illusion, I’m sure some of you are aware of what curses come with being a celebrity. In order to successfully complete the retrieval of this sacred Tome, I had to disguise myself against all possible suspicion. Needless to say, with a presence like mine, it wasn’t very difficult. Nobody would believe I was the Dr. Miracle unless I had proof. Even so, I had some help. The being you saw pretending to be me is actually a dear friend of mine who was in on the act. If you’ll permit me to introduce you, I think you’ll find she’s quite a lively character.”
Since this would answer Kyrie’s question, everyone stood patiently as the fake Dr. Miracle appeared. The room shuddered, lightning flashed, and unimaginable fear and beauty permeated the room, just as it did when the entity first appeared—but now Amy was completely in control of the situation, and even rebuked the approaching phantasm with her cane.
“Who dares summon the all-powerful Mirac—ow! How dare you strike me, servant!”
“Doctor, you can drop the act now. It’s that time.”
“Oh, really? Sorry—I didn’t know. Ahem: brace yourselves, everybody!”
POOF!
This time the transformation was so quick and anticlimactic that it was comic. The Miracle impersonator required nothing more than a cloud of smoke and a silly noise to appear—and maybe a little thud as she landed right on her rear end. Of all the things that could’ve come from that unnecessary display, none of the women expected to see a girl roughly their own age and build, vaguely human but as far removed from humanity’s gene pool as the planets and the stars themselves. Her skin was a few shades darker than Chandra’s ochre shade, she had sassy eyes that darted and cut like knives, regal purple hair lashed in a bouncy tail, and very exotic clothes that harkened back to the days of Arabian harems. Her pointed ears were pierced, as was her belly button, her eyebrows, and even her nose, and she wore exotic jewelry and smelled like paradise.
“Ow,” she wailed, rubbing her sore bottom as she stood. “I keep telling myself I’ll watch out for that landing, but… Oh, hey, how’s everyone doing? So is this the crew? That’s totally neat! Wait, do people still say neat? Master Amy, you should’ve given me more time to prepare! I should’ve had a speech planned out and everything!”
“Calm down, sweetheart,” Amy laughed. “I think they’ll like you just the way they are. My dear friends, remnants of the crew of the Dauntless, brave souls gathered together under a single banner, it is my great pleasure to introduce my dearest friend and servant, the guardian who has been pretending to be me this whole time. Please welcome her as one of us.”
Name: Rachel Ifritah Jinniyah
Species: Genie (Efriti djinni)
Origin: Deep Heaven
Age: 15,500 (approximate)
“A genie?!” Mouths hung open and eyes bulged, and for a very good reason. Up until then, the women had all considered themselves educated people, or at least not gullible enough to believe that fairytale creatures such as genies existed (of course, elves, dwarves, giants, and evil stepmothers were all very real). But this feminine creature was hovering right in front of them, tendrils of perfume wafting from her head, her eyes glowing with a truly alien luster. They had all witnessed the transformation and could see that this perky, inquisitive entity was the result, but it was still hard to wrap the mind around.
There is one error people tend to make concerning genies, and it must be cleared now (Amy also emphasized this, and what she said more or less follows this statement). Genies (Ifrits or Djinn, as they’re formally called) are not normally benevolent creatures. Many are actually quite devilish and sinister, and to meet one would usually lead to an early and agonizing demise. They despise creatures with high intelligence and sometimes go out of their way to inflict strife on their victims, usually by making Faustian bargains. It is true, sometimes, that men and women can master these Ifrits and command them to grant wishes (usually one wish or a lifetime of wishes), but they must never be thought of as selfless, humble, servile creatures. But in rare occasions, such as the relationship between Amy and this particular Ifritah, they are benign and trustworthy souls who greatly respect their masters. As soon as Amy cleared this up—and as soon as she emphasized the fact that Rachel was not in the habit of granting wishes—things could proceed smoothly, even though plenty of women still stared.
I’ve felt this power before, Lyara thought to herself as she fixated her gaze. This is the same emotional energy I picked up from that ghost I saw. That would make sense, then: what I saw was just another form this Jinniyah takes. She must have been guarding Dr. Miracle’s door when I wandered there…probably guarding the “secret”, more than likely. Very interesting…
“Now that I have revealed these secrets, it’s high time I expose the nature of the treasure I hired you all to find. The Tome of Treasures is the most accurate record of valuable and rare artifacts in the galaxy. Painstaking research has been put into the location, appearance, estimated value—and in some cases, the purpose—of every conceivable treasure since the dawn of civilization. This means that what we have in our hands is a foolproof, absolute, accurate guide to every treasure in the Milky Way, including where it can be found, what it looks like…everything you could think of. Wrap your minds around that for a moment and you’ll begin to appreciate the security surrounding this manuscript, why I required so many specialists to retrieve it, and why only a tiny percentage was allowed to glimpse at it.”
“It also means we’re in a heap o’ trouble,” Allegra groaned. “I mean, we stole something that’s prolly worth trillions, wrecked almost half a planet gettin’ to it, busted up a pile o’ killer robots…”
“If you’ve got a problem with that, you can leave anytime ya want,” Naja muttered. Allegra fancied herself too ladylike to argue, so she just raised her nose and turned her back. Amy just smiled and weathered the storm.
“Don’t worry about the authorities. I’m sharing this gift with all of you. I barely did anything to earn it; I merely organized things and selected the people I thought would be the most useful. You all deserve the credit—therefore, you deserve to use this book however you please.” Now of all the wild imaginations in that room, Vimmy’s was perhaps the most intense. Already she was envisioning herself swimming in precious jewels and priceless artifacts, rich beyond the comprehension of mortals, perhaps wealthy enough to rival the Vicegerent himself. Just thinking about it caused her to jump and vibrate like a big purple doll; her hair suddenly fell off as she danced, revealing a very naked scalp. Most of the women gawked and guffawed, but Mink calmly reached down and affixed the wig back onto her master’s head.
“Don’t be staring now, a bald member of my society has far more advantages than you can realize, why just the other day I changed the length and color of my hair, and tomorrow who knows, I might sport locks spun from pure gold or hair that shimmers like a clear mirror, or I may choose to wear a rainbow that glows gloriously as I move, it’s all about fashion and style, that’s why I don’t understand people who keep their natural hair, it’s much more liberating to use wigs and go bald, you can change whenever you like, and we all do it where I come from, but anyway, tell us more about these treasures, Amy dear!”
“I think you look very pretty,” she replied gaily.
“Don’t encourage her,” Mink warned.
“I would like this issue to be clarified before we reach any rash conclusions,” Lyara stated. “What you’re saying is that this crew is free to look into this book, pick out any treasures we like, and tell you where to go.”
“Yes, that’s exactly what I mean.”
“Interesting.” Her eyebrows raised and the hint of a smile curled on her lips. “Most interesting indeed. Looks like staying here was a good idea after all.” But now a great problem arose that would no doubt affect everyone there. They all had their own ideas about treasures and how to prioritize them, and an encyclopedia of this magnitude offered so much freedom that it seemed overwhelming, as large and endless and intimidating as the universe itself. Even if every crewmember asked the Dauntless to find one treasure, that would be twenty-two treasures spread across the heavens (twenty-four if Amy and Rachel had any input). The enormity of the task silenced just about everybody, except those too giddy to shut up (like Vimmy).
“We can worry about all that later,” Kay said.
“Yeah! Let’s just pick one treasure and go there!” Tee shouted.
“Those that do not feel like going can stay here contemplating our next destination.”
“And those that go will have one hell of a hunt!”
“Sounds like a plan!” Shana chirped. Of course, now the whole crew had something new to argue about, so Amy asked Rachel to choose a location for them. The genie closed her eyes and pointed to a holographic image at random—and that was designated as the new destination. From such humble beginnings came the greatest treasure hunt of all time—and the true start of the voyage of the Dauntless.
Preview of next chapter
Rachel: Yahoo! I finally get to do the previews!
Lyara: How in the world did Amy score a hot babe—I mean, a ditzy weirdo like this?
Mink: You’re jealous.
Lyara: No, of course not! I mean, it’s not as if I want hot genie sex all of a sudden. No, wait—that came out wrong!!
Mink: Heh.
Rachel: Guys, can I please finish the preview?
Mink: Sure.
Rachel: Coolsies! The next chapter begins the true voyage of our courageous crew! What sorts of dangers and fortunes await them? A new enemy shows up next time in, “Rise of the Jackal: a rival hunter spells trouble!”
Vimmy: I wish I had a genie… (sniffle)
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