Episode XVI: Answering Questions and Questioning Answers
Ichi calmed her breath as she watched the remains of her foes leave, and with a stab of confidence in her heart, she turned around to join her comrades and sort out the messes made. When she entered into the main part of the Foundation, she could already hear her friends and allies cheering, many of them sounding as if they had fought just as long and hard as she. They all deserved to celebrate though, she figured, since some of them were completely unaccustomed to fighting.
With a ghostly smile, she made her appearance, eliciting the cheers and waves of her comrades. She could see Eien bouncing up and down with Kit helplessly locked in her embrace, and both Silvara and Miichi were giving Jack grins and pats on the back. Matthew, Xyphon, and Gerrand were already sharing war stories, and even Max looked amused as the spirits of the group rose. When Ichi came onto the scene, though, everybody let out a cheer.
“HOORAY!”
“Our leader must’ve chased those bastards away!” grinned Xyphos, who rarely showed such happiness. “And no wonder! Even the new Demon’s Twenty was no match for us!”
“Please, stop,” she managed with a humble smile. “We didn’t do this alone--we couldn’t have. We owe Captain Lazarus and his crew a big thanks. We never would’ve succeeded without their help!”
“Even I can’t argue with that!” exclaimed Silvara happily. Eien let out a snort.
“Ha! Never thought I’d hear you say that, Silvie! I should’ve recorded it for posterity!” The two girls stuck their tongues out at each other and continued celebrating with their friend of choice. Ichi actually let out a merry laugh, and gave them both a rub on the shoulders.
“Silvara, Miichi, I owe you both especially. Eien, I saw how you destroyed that piece of machinery; that was some real nice work. You all did well, though I don’t think we can let our guard down just yet. They’ll run away and lick their wounds, but they’ll be back when we least expect it.”
“Buzz-kill,” muttered Max. Ichi gave him a sly smile, which he actually returned. “Come now, Miss Ichi. Even I am in the mood to celebrate. Let’s not ruin this moment by talking about the future.”
“Here here!” agreed a few others. Ichi couldn’t help but smile, and placed a hand on her hip as she gazed right back at the unpredictable man. She “reluctantly” gave into his demands, and led them all back to the bar where she had first revealed the plight of the Resistance, this time with more cheer.
When Jack opened the door and ushered everyone in like a true gentleman, he didn’t expect that there would already be people waiting for them. Everyone stiffened as they saw the familiar visages of Asuka Honmisei and Bloodstorm waiting for them, reclining around a table and drinking casually. A third was in the room as well, sitting between the two mercenaries and smiling softly.
“Oh, crap!” spat Jack, reaching for his gun. “It’s the elf and the robot! I figured they’d be in on this! Looks like we still have a few bugs to exterminate!”
“Put your weapon away, Captain Lazarus,” murmured Asuka blandly as she sipped her drink. “I didn’t come here to start a fight, I came to help you out.”
“Help us out? What do you mean? The last time we knew it, you two were trying to take Mr. Rockwell away, and were pretty violent in doing so! So why the sudden change of heart?” Asuka ignored him for a moment as she swallowed down a large portion of her beer, and calmly took a breath before answering.
“It’s a very long story, Captain, and I’m not sure even I understand it all. But basically, you could call it that--a change of heart, I mean.”
“Huh?”
“Asuka can be a bit hard to understand,” replied the woman sitting between the two. She was a smallish beauty, a dancer of exotic origins who looked like she didn’t belong in a place like the Foundation, let alone near Asuka or Bloodstorm. She rose and introduced herself. “My name is Brinna Ptolemie, and Asuka is my bodyguard. Please, won’t you have a seat? We won’t harm you--in fact, we really just want to help.”
At first, nobody moved. It seemed that even those who didn’t know either of the mercenaries didn’t trust them much. Matthew Dark squeezed through first, introducing himself humbly and politely as always, then came Ichi, who made it clear that she was the leader of the Resistance and that any trouble would be handled by her.
“Scuse’ us!” piped a sudden voice from behind. The people gathered around the door parted quickly, noticing that two young ladies had snuck up on them while their attention was driven towards the half-elf and her cyborg companion. One was a short and gangly redhead, even smaller and thinner than Miichi, and the other was a well-developed but ordinary looking woman, clutching the smaller girl’s hand.
“Sorry,” smiled the taller one as they both squeezed through. Asuka nodded her head, and Bloodstorm waved his mechanical paw in the air.
“Heeeeeey, Booraykoo-kun! Tara! We were worried about’cha! We thought you had been eaten by the monsters!”
“Oh, Gawd, this one’s a piece’a work!” moaned the short redhead. She turned around and noticed that Jack and the others were still standing in the doorway, and invited them in with a smile. “Well, don’t just stand there like a bunch of trees! C’mon inside! Don’t worry, none of us’ll bite!” The taller one affirmed her friend’s assurance with a nod, and slowly, everyone else filed into the bar, taking seats and keeping their eyes on Asuka.
“So who are you two girls, anyway?” pointed Jack. They looked at each other and introduced themselves.
“Mah name is Lantariz Tornheart, the copilot of the ship that brought these three here.”
“Shellby Blake, an aimless traveler and musician.” Jack nodded his head and made a note to remember all their names. After everybody made introductions, pretty much all the other questions were focused on the half-elf and her leering companion.
“So why should we trust you, elf? You seemed pretty determined to fight all of us just to get at Mr. Rockwell’s mecha. Why do you think we’ll believe you now?”
“Actually, boss, they saved our lives!” piped Eien. Jack gave them a confused stare, but Kit affirmed it with a nod.
“They… they killed two of those Demon things right in front of us,” she whispered. “I saw it. And… and… those two girls were with them. I… I think they don’t mean us harm.”
“So they saved you even after what you did to that robot guy?” Bloodstorm chuckled madly, waving his hand right in front of his face.
“I told’em I’d pay them back, but they didn’t believe me! They were SO distrusting!”
“For good reason; you’re a freak,” muttered Asuka. Bloodstorm cackled and proudly agreed with her. The half-elf continued, filling in for all the unasked questions as she saw fit. “Listen, it’s tough to comprehend, but we really are on your side, as long as yours is the one that’s fighting the Demon’s Twenty. We’re going after the people, or person, who sent them after this pale woman here.”
“That’s great, but why did you attack Max Rockwell?” asked Ichi. Asuka snorted.
“I thought he had stolen a mecha, but considering who posted that bounty, I’ve reconsidered my venture. It was the same person who wanted me to go after Lantariz here, and also Ichi. Believe it or not, but you three are the cause of all this.”
“Yer talkin’ bout’ my mother, right? Bout’ Galaga Starik?”
“Galaga Starik?” parroted Jack suddenly. He had suddenly gone from observing to interested in only a moment. “You mean she’s your mother? The owner of the AUH slave trade business?”
“One an’ th’ same,” sighed Lantariz, hugging her knees close to herself. “It ain’t anything ah’m proud of, mind you. Even my paw don’t like her, and ah guess Suka don’t either. Ah guess ah don’t blame her; my maw’s a real rotten lady. Wanted to make me a slave, or else her successor. Ah don’t shine to either one o’ them, thanks just the same. The woman posted a bounty on me, though, and Suka here went out looking.”
“I had a change of heart when I figured out what was going on,” added the half-elf emptily. “I’ve been trying to cast aside my blind past ever since I rescued Brinna from death. I’ve caused suffering to too many people, and I’ve killed and slaughtered without a second thought as to why. I nearly had a relapse, but thankfully, a few good people slapped some sense into me. I want to amend for my foolish ways, and the only way I can see that happening is by joining forces with you guys and giving Galaga and anybody else working with her a one-way ticket to the river Styx.”
A pause.
“I see… I can understand the part about wanting to amend…”
“Boss?”
“It’s nothing,” he said. “Miss Asuka, Mr. Storm, I still don’t trust you completely, so you’ll have to forgive me if I treat you with some suspicion. But if you’re willing to help us get to the bottom of this confusion, then you’re welcome aboard.” He extended his hand carefully, and both the half-elf and the cyborg grasped it firmly. Of course, Asuka understood why nobody still trusted her, and didn’t expect them to immediately. She would have to prove her worth, something she was growing accustomed to more and more. Of course, Bloodstorm didn’t care at all.
“All right, so I think we’re all clear on why you were after Lantariz, and who set you up to it,” stated Ichi. “But what about me? And what about Rockwell? Who sent you after him, and the Demons after me?”
“It could be the same woman, though I doubt it,” offered Brinna quietly. She smiled meekly as attention was devoted to her, and carefully continued. “Uh… I mean… nobody would send somebody like Asuka or Storm just to retrieve a single stolen mecha. There has to be something important in it.”
“Probably that message,” muttered Max. Brinna tilted her head in confusion.
“Message? What message?”
“It’s not your concern, but that’s probably the reason. Ah… it all makes some sense now!”
“Why? What’s in that message?” asked Jack.
“I told you it wasn’t your concern,” he muttered bitterly. The boss grimaced and shirked away from the older man’s stare.
“Sorry. So that explains something. And Ichi’s powers are probably what the Demons wanted--I mean, she utterly cleaned some serious clocks back there in the battle!” Ichi hung her head and scowled despite her friend’s words.
“I would have cleaned more if they hadn’t gotten away…”
“So that’s basically the deal, eh?” sighed Asuka. She stood and stretched, scratching her pointy ears and her underarms wearily. “Starik wanted Tornheart back, Rockwell’s mecha has an important message, and the pale one has some special powers. Seems like a legit reason for capturing them, though I don’t approve of it. We’ve got to hit back or else get more information, so does anybody have any ideas? I’m only a warrior; I can’t strategize very well. Looks like the pale woman, Ichi, is in charge here. You got any ideas, lady?”
“All we’ve done so far is defend ourselves from their attacks,” she replied, shaking her head. “We destroyed the first Twenty and beat back the second, but we’ve never taken the initiative--of course, we really can’t, since we don’t know where they are.” Asuka hummed and frowned, seeming more disappointed than before. She had hoped that Ichi had taken some sort of offensive maneuver in the past--if nothing else, to discover the identity of the one who sent the DT after her--but was left with nothing to grab hold of.
“Well, this is a buzz-kill,” she murmured. “Lantariz, would you know where your mother is?”
“No, she’s always on the move to help protect herself better, and so are we. Ah never bothered to figure it out, anyway.”
“I wouldn’t suppose that any of us are psychic in here?” wondered Shellby. Nobody was, of course. Jack growled, crossing his arms as things seemed to get complicated once again.
“We can’t search for them, and we can’t just wait for them to come to us. If only we had one person among us who really knew what was going on…” Suddenly, as if on cue, a flash of light overcame the entire room and quickly vanished just as it came. People’s mouths gaped open and their eyes widened as they saw somebody emerge from behind the boss, somebody clad in black from head to toe, her eyes closed and her feet hovering over the ground. Curious, Jack turned around and let out a single yell as he was startled by the woman.
But after backing away and getting a better look at her, he couldn’t help but smile. The woman opened her eyes, two unusual glowing orbs of a mysterious hue, and mirrored the boss’ smile with one of her own. He stood up, chuckled heartily, and bowed like a country gentleman for the hovering lady.
“Keiko Yamanaka… It’s been a long, long, long time since I’ve seen you…”
“And you, Lazarus,” she said with a nod, “and you.”
---------------
Keiko Yamanaka, the renowned and semi-legendary Seventh Judgment, was a powerful person to contend with and even more powerful to comprehend. She was a woman whose background was thick with history, things that only a very small minority seemed to know about. On the surface, of course, she appeared as an ordinary woman, but beneath that cold, beautiful, deadly guise was a creature far beyond the imagination of normal humans.
Her face was beautiful, but not in human terms. She had an otherworldly look to her face (which was only human in appearance, not in essence), a strange, powerful, cold, stunning look that few could gaze upon. Her face was not fair but hard, hard as stone, but definitely beautiful, as one carves a beautiful statue from ugly rock. Her face was like marble: hard, cold, and usually stiff, but with definite art to it that both drew and repelled people.
Born over four-hundred years before the present era, Keiko had been chosen after her “first” death to ascend to the ranks of a Judgment, an overseer of dreams and nightmares, Heaven and Hell, angels and demons. She had been through the Dream Worlds, the secret sleeping grounds where all is seen and all is decided, burdened by the constant strain of keeping civil order in all the worlds. It was her duty to pose as a model for what morals should be, what is right and what is wrong, and reward or punish those who stray to either extreme, or else keep a sharp lookout on those wavering neither way.
Keiko had once lived as a poor girl who was mistreated by her cruel mother, but the powers that governed the universe saw a hidden strength in her heart, and placed her under the care of a sagely Judgment, whom Keiko gradually fell in love with. She learned how to fight, how to be merciless and relentless, and how to be tenacious even when the mood did not strike her. She was taught the ways of the Judgment, yet even they were not immortal nor were they invincible, and Keiko’s first love perished in time.
Grieving and temporarily inconsolable, Keiko took the mantle of Seventh Judgment and had since been vigilant over the worlds, striving to maintain sanity while keeping a loose hold on her own. The discovery of Eve, her second and current lover, as well as the warm friendship of the one known as The Informer, kept Keiko from becoming a maniacal force of uncontrollable nature, for it was from them where she learned how to be patient, compassionate, and lenient again.
It was strange, though, that the woman should keep her eyes closed all the time, except during times of personal need. Keiko could see everything at the present moment, every single occurrence everywhere, but controlled it so that her mind did not burst into flames. She saw the whole past as well, growing larger and larger like a balloon as time ticked forward, and witnessed every piece of history, both dark and pure. She even saw a little bit of the future.
A woman with such vision could only be the Seventh Judgment, and only a strong one to withstand such painful torture as near-omniscience. Humans oftentimes wish to have the same ability, but if they were ever granted it, their entire bodies would be destroyed and their minds would be sent into madness, for no human has the capabilities to know all of the past, all of the present, and any of the future all at the same time. Only the Ten Judgments could, and even then, it took one with a steel will from going completely insane.
So, Keiko gathered as many loved ones as she could, in order to prevent her own madness. Even so, nobody knew how the boss knew her.
“Perhaps you all have heard of the legendary Keiko Yamanaka,” said Jack as he pointed to the woman clad in black. The looks on their surprised faces told him that they did. “Alias, the Seventh Judgment. Now, before any of you start asking how I know her, let me say that it’s too long a story to tell. She was just a very big part of my past, a past which I have tried very hard to sever myself from, with the exception of all my old friends, of course. We go back a very long way, Keiko and I, though neither of us don’t look that old. You could say we’re about the same age.”
“But if she’s a Judgment, that would make her at least two centuries older than all of us,” pointed Matthew. “I should know; both my parents were loosely acquainted with them. If you’re referring to the age which you appear to us all, then yes--I could be led to believe that. It’s quite strange though, sir, that you are personally affiliated with one of them. They do not befriend the species they judge easily.”
“That is true,” noted Keiko, “but Lazarus and I… have an understanding. In any case, our relationship is not the cause of my arrival, though I am glad to see you. I also rejoice in meeting many of you for the first time, since I have been watching the lot of you for many years now. I did not expect a few of you to take the paths you walk right now, but I cannot know everything.”
“I hope you didn’t see anything you could later use against us,” muttered Max as he leaned up against the wall. Keiko did not move.
“If the need arose… but I am not a prosecutor. I have come to work alongside you, the lot of you. Both my superiors and myself agree that this will be the best plan of recourse.”
“I don’t quite get what’s going on,” noted Silvara. “Most of us are completely in the dark, even Ichi and boss. I mean, we have a few theories, but…”
“Fear not; I can clarify your questions,” she told them. Keiko cleared her throat, and dug her piercing dark eyes into Jack’s, who returned the gaze without looking away. She then swallowed, and began to reveal what she knew. “Though I do not claim to know the entire future, for it is as pliable as string and just as easily broken, I have seen many things that could very well start a chain reaction that would lead to a horrible catastrophe. Let me first clarify things by saying that the one known as Lantariz Tornheart has almost nothing to do with the grand scheme of things, save her mother’s obsessive quest.”
“Oh,” groaned Tara, sounding insulted. “Well, ah feel a whole lot better now!”
“I meant no offense,” apologized Keiko. “Personally, I have grown to like both you and Shellby quite a bit. You may yet contribute something, young lady. But no, there is a bigger scheme at hand, one that involves Ichi’s mysterious powers and the message that only Maximilian Rockwell has seen.”
“How do you mean?” he asked. She nodded at him first.
“I have seen two men, one the enemy of Matthew Dark, the other a man forced to make wicked alliances for his own gain. The first man, a tyrant named Grady Dorina, is bent on a mad quest of conquering this entire galaxy through any means, even going so far as to sacrifice his own family. He failed once, but this next campaign is ten times more ambitious, or so I fear.
“Ichi, take heart: it was he who organized that attack on your colony. That entire raid was for the sole purpose of finding one strong person who would be able to withstand his ghastly experiments that were intended to significantly augment the natural skills of a human. Only two people out of one-hundred survived, and you are one of them.”
“I… I can’t believe this!” whispered Ichi, who--if it were possible--would have paled from hearing the ghastly news. A few pieces of a giant puzzle began forming in her head, and as the true origin of her abilities came to her, she froze in paralysis but urged Keiko to continue.
“The other one is already under Grady’s control by his own free will, but you were spirited away from his labs by the Angel Resistance, who were following a few of the Demon’s Twenty around. They came back with you, and in a twist of blessed irony, used the powers ‘given’ to you by Grady against him.”
Ichi kept her silence for a very long time, and Keiko seemed unwilling to speak until she got a response. Finally, the pale woman whispered out something.
“…I see. But why…?”
“Do any of you know of the story of the Ice Djinn, Aisuna?” At once, Captain Lazarus spat out what he had been drinking, splattering the floor with water as he gagged and choked. Eien and Miichi helped him regain his poise, though they understood his reaction perfectly. They, too, had heard the stories.
“I thought those tales were just legends,” murmured Matthew thoughtfully.
“I assure you, they are not,” replied Keiko dimly. “I even saw the creature with my own eyes. She lives, having been freed some time ago by a man of simple greed. She is being guarded by a friend of mine, against the clutches of a man like Grady. But once her task is complete, she will return to the frozen North and slumber once again, and this is where Grady’s sinister plan will most likely begin.
“On his own, and even with his connections, the man has no way of reaching or freeing Aisuna from her prison. Not even the Thirteenth member of the Demon’s Twenty could release her. Only a tiny few people still exist with that power: Raynard Gelasso the necromancer, Rygar the Red, Dravin of the death-flame, myself (of course), perhaps a dozen others I shan’t mention, and Ichi.”
“I think I know where this is going!” hissed the white-haired woman sharply. “Grady wanted to find people whom he could augment, solely for the purpose of freeing Aisuna! And he found two, right?” Keiko grimly nodded her head.
“Two will be enough to perform the task, but he needs both of you. That is why he sent the Demon’s Twenty after you, and that is why he ordered them to bring you in alive and unspoiled. You have no worth in death, I’m afraid.” For a long time, Ichi and everyone who knew her paused to consider Keiko’s words. The Seventh Judgment had told everybody that she was not omniscient, but even listening to a theory was disturbing enough. Things had gotten very deep very quickly, perhaps too deep for most of the people there, but Ichi took it surprisingly well, after giving it a long thought.
“Okay, I think I understand now. But why does he need Max’s message?”
“I’m still hesitant to tell anybody what it says, and if I did, then we’d only be distracted,” said the quiet loner suddenly. Everyone paid him attention as he shifted his feet. “But I will say that contained in that message is a way to reach Aisuna--a map to the treasure, so to speak. Unfortunately, they do not need me to be alive in order to activate it.”
“So that’s what that bounty was about,” muttered Asuka. She growled, shaking her head in shame that she would be so blind as to not realize how much of a travesty she had almost caused. “Damnation… I almost helped that bastard…”
“It isn’t your fault, hon,” said Brinna as she put her hands on the half-elf’s shoulders. Asuka sighed sadly, frowning at Brinna as their eyes met. She felt so unworthy of the dancer’s admiration, and could not understand what she saw beneath that cold hard exterior. Asuka barely liked herself; what sense did it make for others to love her?
“Regardless,” she added, “I almost did something terrible. Damn it! Now I really wanna kill this bastard for what he did! Hey, Seventh Judgment, you’d better let me be the one who gives him the one-way trip to Styx!!”
“We will see what circumstances are given to us,” she replied quietly. Keiko took a deep breath, and once again looked at Ichi and Jack. “I have a vague idea as to where this evil man is residing, but we cannot move out now. You all have just gotten through a battle and are tired, and we need to develop a strategy. Also, I believe it is time we elect a leader for this operation.”
“Leader?”
“Yes,” she said. “We will need somebody with the skills to guide us, the patience to endure, the strength to fight, and the wisdom to discern through the thickest fogs. Lady Ichi, I bear you no ill will, but would you please relinquish your title of leader upon someone worthier of it?”
“You don’t offend me at all, milady,” smiled Ichi duskily as she shook her head. “I’ve been hating my role ever since I dusted off the original Demon’s Twenty. Of course, I did my work to the best of my skills, but I’ve been meaning to take a break. You want my chair?”
“No, not I,” replied the woman in black. “A Judger of men’s souls has great power behind them, but I am not cut out to be a leader--I never was, especially in my previous life. I would willingly serve the one who is most capable for this job, though…” Slowly, Keiko turned her head around, and since everybody else seemed to know what she was thinking, they all placed their hands on the shoulders of Captain Jack Lazarus.
“…Whuh? Who, me?”
“Yes, friend,” said Keiko, giving him a rare smile, “you. Who else would lead us?”
“Aww, Keiko…! You know how I feel about that! I already told you that I’ve been trying to cut off ties to my past life! Why else do you think I started my own business? So I’d never have to face any of that stuff ever again! And now you wanna pull me back in again?” The Judgment grinned and actually offered him a polite laugh.
“It seems that destiny has other plans in mind for you, friend. You must realize that you are the only one with the experience, Lazarus--you and nobody else. Besides, everyone here already admires you and looks up to you.”
“That’s right!” exclaimed Kit happily. “You… you’re a great boss! You’re… you’re so kind and patient, and… you really care about us! I… I’d be proud… to have you as a leader, sir.”
“Hey, we all would!” exclaimed Eien, slapping his back several times. “Cap’s a real awesome guy, the kind you can’t help but love! He lets us goof off and everything, but knows when to crack the whip! I’ll follow you no matter where you go!”
“And you can’t forget about me, boss!” smiled Silvara. “I know you better than anyone! I mean, I’ve been living in the same building as you for a long time!”
“No you haven’t!” he argued. “You told me yourself that you took a vacation!”
“Yeah, but I meant before that!”
“You didn’t even know me before that!”
“Well, I……… Aw, whatever!” For once, Silvara couldn’t retort with an argument, and simply let her boss and friend win. Miichi Zuroi chuckled politely and backed her coworkers up.
“You obviously have great skills, sir. I agree with everybody here. You’re the best man for the job!”
“And anybody who would take in a stranger like me, and then defend them, is worthy of my loyalty!” added Max. Asuka chuckled and joined in.
“You got balls, Jack, I’ll admit that. It takes a gutsy man to take on me and Storm. Consider us your swords and guns.”
“As long as I get to destroy something, I don’t care who’s the leader!” snarled Bloodstorm happily. Both Ichi and Keiko gave him warm smiles.
“Well, Captain, the vote seems to be unanimous. Would you really have the heart to turn down all these pretty young women, and these three strong guys?”
“I… I…” Jack sighed, and knew that he had been defeated. There was no arguing with the majority, especially when they were all perfectly right: he would definitely be the best leader out of any of them. “Oh… all right, all right, I’ll do it.” Everyone smiled, and a few of the girls who had known him longer cheered and even hugged him.
“But only on one condition!” he stated suddenly, holding up a finger to get their attention. Everybody listened. “I’m not doing this alone. Even the world’s greatest leaders had help. Keiko, Ichi, I’m counting on both of you to be my second-in-command. I trust you enough to take your council.”
“I have no objections,” replied Keiko. “But what of your employees? Will you not enlist them as your immediate subordinates?”
“Everybody here will be crucial,” he replied wisely, the kind of thing that a good leader should say. “Even if all you do is boost our morale, you’re gonna be a vital part of the team. Heaven knows that I’ll need a few pick-me-ups along the way.”
“Just consider it done!” grinned Miichi. “I’ll do anything you ask of me! Really, anything at all! I love to please, and I aim to work harder than ever for my ‘new’ boss!”
“This is so corny,” moaned Asuka, rolling her eyes. Brinna smiled and gave her bodyguard a friendly shove.
“Aww, you love it! Admit it!” Asuka chuckled lightly, and turned around to pat her copper cheek.
“Heheheh… no way, Ptolemie! I have better things to do than hang around with you losers! I’ll see you later.” With that, the half-elf wandered away, though she sounded anything but mad or annoyed. Brinna sighed and shook her head, giving the tall Bloodstorm a weary gaze.
“She’ll never admit anything if it makes her look like a softie--but I know she’s really worked-up about all this. She just wants us to think she’s all tough and cool.”
“Half-breeds,” sighed Bloodstorm, shrugging to himself as if the thought confused him. “What’re you gonna do? Hell, I’m glad I ain’t an organic creature! And at least I’m damned honest. Heh.” He grinned, which spread to Brinna as well. Both Lantariz and Shellby looked at each other before the entire group disbanded to rest up.
“I think our little adventure in space is just about to get more adventurous. Is it just me, or do we seem like we’re in way over our heads?”
“Shellby Blake!” exclaimed Tara in astonished awe. “Ah thought you were supposed to be the adventurous type! Jeez, girl, what am ah gonna do with you?”
“Oh, I’m sure we could come up with something…” she grinned mischievously. “…Preferably in the bedroom, where all my best thoughts come out!”
“Shellby!!”
Closing comments: And the plot sickens. Preview of next chapter: Kagai Shazou is not so informed, so he sends his bodyguard back to Galaga to get more information. Scarlet despises the perverted despot, but it’s a small price to pay, as she will do literally anything for her master…
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