Neko-laus 2 : Toy Tiger

The Power of Love

In the name of love you can do anything. I was going to bring a 120 ton space ship crashing down into the deep jungles of the Wild, my backyard as it were, because my Love asked me to. Was I stupid or what? What were the odds of survival? Was survival even possible? Then again, going out on your own terms has something going for it.

I ended up fucking up strapping myself into the seat. One of the crew came back and tightened up shoulder straps, untwisting belts and then dragging some webbing thing up to cup my crotch. In the end, I was sandwiched between two taller blonde Mages in the middle of the ship. The outer doors closed. Mags strapped on a helmet. So did Wendy. What the hell? I didn’t have…oh. The crewman came back plunked a helmet on my head then buckled and pulled it snug as if I was a faded Latent. I was going to punch him in the nose when he handed me a black bucket.

Mags busted out laughing. Everyone one in the ship froze and stared at him. Everyone that is except Wendy who started his own little bout of laughter. I narrowed my gaze and stared forward. Apparently everyone had heard about my lack of stomach control in these metal beasts. I firmed my jaw and looked straight ahead.

Ass. Both of you are asses. I thought pettily.

“Blackbird Four requesting clearance for launch. Cargo is secure.” A metallic voice sounded in my ears as I felt the ship begin to power up.

A green glow began to pulsate around the inner hull. This was different from the main ship, its energy was red, varying shades from the palest of pinks to a hard burning crimson. That planet that Mags and I handed over to the Empire the natural energy was a white blue. I didn’t understand the difference in colors. Was it intensity? Was the colour change the way the power was generated? Gently I reached out and caressed the green glow and was amazed at how it reached for me, tendrils snaked out from the main line stretching towards me. I retreated from the power line and the pulsing continued.

It was common to have a bout of nerves when deploying on a mission but that was for the other Divisions. While Mags and Wendy had been deployed on a bigger killing field they had never worked together since the Mage Academy and even I know there is a hell of a big difference between reading about something and drilling versus the real deal. There was a calm emanating from my bookend blondes. I don’t know if they were consciously generating a spell or unconsciously generating a bit o’ magic but both of them were overlapping their power like a shield over me. It was gratifying as much as it was insulting. Wendy alone out stripped my kill count, not that I was keeping score, but my killing was done face to face. I knew how to get centered and get into the zone. I could do it quicker and probably be a hell of a lot more effective in the beginning of the fight until the Mages found their spots and their Latents found power to channel. They were concerned for me, Wendy too. I hugged the black bucket to my chest and said nothing as I felt their power fall over me like a soft spring rain.

“Blackbird Four you are cleared for launch from bay 12. Final coordinates have been loaded to the navigation computers. Clear space and blue skies. Safe…” The voice trailed off.

“…safe journey and stay out of harm's way.” Mags finished. “We have clearance, move out.”

The stillness turned into a flurry of activity; maybe Mags had a presence like Grim after all. That comment wasn’t shouted. It wasn’t backed up with a physical threat. It was just a statement and that was taken as a command. The ship began to move. I shot him a sly look sideways but he was staring straight ahead. Huh. Impressive.

To me the inner workings of this black ship was akin to walking ants running around an anthill. I’m sure that each and every hurried movement the crew did was something vitally important but my stomach was beginning to flip flop on me. I didn’t think it was motion sickness because of whatever they shoved into my ear but the more the fact that I had felt trapped in a large ship but had learned to handle it but transferring into a decidedly small twelve person ship and being physically strapped to a seat with straps cutting into the underside of my jaw…

“Neko, breathe.” Wendy whispered at me.

I opened my mouth and took a few deep breaths only to hear a low whimper come from somewhere. It had to come from somewhere because it sure as hell wasn’t me.

“Neko!”

My chest flared to a warm ember. Mags caught my hand and entangled our fingers then held on tightly. I closed my eyes and tried to concentrate on something other than the face that soon we would be hanging in space in a small ship with nothing but a green power line functioning all aspects of the ship.

Humming sounded in my ear. That familiar haunting melody that was filled with just longing and sadness but also brought peace. Mags pulled my hand towards him and pressed it up against his thigh so now my arm touched him from the back of my hand to my elbow. Listen to the hum. Concentrate of the warmth against my skin on my chest and my arm. The sense of impending doom began to lessen – which was odd because we were moving towards impending doom at breakneck speed. The bucket was gently disengaged from my death grip and Wendy also interlaced fingers with me.

There was background chatter from the crew but I concentrated on the two Tigers who were trying to comfort their little pet latent. Everything was recorded on the bigger ship, so I had no doubt that the same thing was recorded on this death trap.

Wendy squeezed my hand and began talking. “I’m originally from Smokur IV – a small moon way out in the Gant sector. The Empire moved in two hundred years before and we welcomed them with open arms. First contact was more like Gods come down to greet the natives. They brought medical supplies and technology that made our lives easier. In return they wanted the crystals from the mountains. It turns out that those crystal veins that littered the planet are the core of the military grade processors for all the large war machines. Mages were stationed to defend our homes from the natural wildlife. It was an honor and a duty to try and serve the Empire. All children are tested at the age of five for Mage abilities. I was thrilled to be chosen. I was going to be a guardian. I was going to protect others the way the Mages had protected my people…” Wendy’s voice trailed off.

I wanted to lean into Mags but the way the straps held me in prevented all that. I would have pulled Wendy to me so he could rest but we weren’t going anywhere. The best I could do was keep my mouth shut because I was feeling nauseous and Wendy had taken my bucket away. I shifted my hand in his hold slightly and began to stroke my thumb up and down the side of his hand. It wasn’t much but it was most comfort I could show him at the time.

“I find out later that Mages are only stationed in areas that are of vital importance to the running of the Empire. The crystals are the purest quality and far out strip any other mining facility in the Empire. The mages we revered were only PM IVs. We thought we were blessed to have Mages protecting us and meanwhile they were the low level Mages that were usually cannon fodder. By that time, I knew I wasn’t ever returning to Smokur so I set out to get as far as I could. I turned my back on my culture and heritage in favor of the Empire. I guess I get what I deserve. The Empire has turned its back on me.”

Mags voice held a chiding tone but it wasn’t intended to be cruel. “Never knew you to be so maudlin, Grant.”

“Like you cared.”

“You’re the one who walked away.” Mags tightened his finger on mine to the point of pain. “Actually, everyone I have every known has walked away. I did tell you a little fib, Nicky since we are baring our souls. I remember the woman who sold me. I don’t bother to call that person mother because she wasn’t. She was a camp follower – a not so nice way to say she was a military whore. She wasn’t even sure who my father might have been until the ability began to manifest itself then she began to use me more like a partner in robbing marks than her child. She robbed the wrong man one night. I used to use my ability to fix the cards when she gambled. I knew nothing of volume or scale I just knew that if she won, I ate that night. He was a Mage – a Tiger, Rank 1 and he pinpointed me as soon as I started helping her. All he did was hold out his palm the next thing I knew my arm was in his hand and he was dragging me off to the base. It wasn’t until well after Academy graduation that I found out what happened to that woman and who my father was.” Mags voice trailed off.

“You don’t have to tell me this if you don’t want to.”

“I think that’s why I found you so entrancing, Nicky. You speak of your Mother with just reverence and love. You have Sergeant Pepper moving heaven and earth for you as an uncle if not a father.”

I snorted. “Fathers don’t take loan payments.”

“An uncle then. You can’t deny that Pepper does look out for you.”

“Wasn’t going to.”

“I have been taken care of only if I proved myself useful. My usefulness is at an end.”

“Our usefulness is at an end.” Wendy added his own sentiments.

“If this is you guys way of trying to cheer me up, it sucks.”

“At least you’re not wheezing and whimpering now.” Wendy returned. “I don’t know how the hell everyone can be so damned afraid of you when something as simple as this sends you into a panic.”

“Yeah, well I didn’t come with a chip in my head and plug in my ear.”

“Grant, don’t tease him.”

Three, two, one…Launch! The pressure shoved us back hard into the seats.

I’m not going to throw up. I’m not going to throw up…I’m not going to…I’m…oh god. I didn’t vomit. I passed out.

I heard Mags droning on in that same sore of montone voice that the vidscreen use when reciting facts on some boring documentary. “…research was spotty at best but Nicky is from the more unexplored areas of the planet. More unexplored because any troops that get deployed there get annihilated before the month is out. But the reports do say that there is little to no technology out in the Wild. It just makes it even more amazing that he isn’t freaking out and stabbing more people when the doors open…”

“I can hear you.”

“You going to barf?” Wendy held up the bucket.

Was I? My stomach at settled. I felt stupid. I panicked myself right into a faint. If I did that shit in the Shambles, I’d been robbed or left for dead under some trash heap unless I was hanging with my crew. My hands were sweaty. Glancing down I saw that both Tigers still had their hands intertwined with mine, oh, I guess I was hanging with my crew. A smile crossed my face.

I saw Mags flick his glance to me and a sly smile crossed his face as well. We were on our way to unavoidable death and here we were swapping stories, holding hands and now grinning like mad mages.

“Ready to work?”

I took a deep breath. “Just say when.”

I didn’t expect him to say ‘when’ so quickly. Then again, this was my second landfall and I really don’t remember much of the first one because I was in a panic and worried about Mag’s blowing us up with wild magic. The entire ship was enclosed. I thought it would be like the black beasts with windows but everything was sealed. Computer images showed the outside passing us. There was a rumble and a shutter and the black of space changed to the blue of home.

Lock on coordinates. Prepare for breaking thrusters. Leveling off…

“Kill external communications.” Mags pointed to a series of panels off to the front of us.

Child’s play. A quick power spike fried out the circuits. The smell of burning wiring began to fill the hold. The lights dropped to crimson and a claxon started.

Fire! Communications down with Central Command.

Mach 22. Breaking Thrusters engage.

We were tossed forward against our harness restraints as the ship lurched with the force applied to it.

Fire out.

Kill the siren.

Check back up communications.

Negative. The whole bank including backup has been fried.

Mach 18

Trajectory plotted, setting angle of descent. Locked on base camp.

Mach 16

Mags spoke quietly. “Engines. Keep the thrusters.”

It was sort of sad how well Mags and I worked together. He would point out the area and I would kill it. The crew worked to address each power failure in the ship but no matter what they did more and more equipment ceased functioning or burnt out. I had no idea what terms they were shouting back and forth to each other I just knew that Wendy was going to put a permanent crimp into my hand he was hanging on so tight.

Ground 10,000. Mach 5.

We are too fucking hot. Break. Damn it, thrusters!

Sluggish…switching to manual override.

We were thrown forward again hard against the harness. The crew that was moving around dealing with the power failures were tossed like dolls around the cabin. Some got back up. Some didn’t.

Ground 8,000. Mach 4.

Hull stress is reaching critical level.

Power to the shields.

“They get to Mach I, Nicky, kill everything.”

I nodded. I had thought of this before but it was risky. Then again Grim had said that they had scorched his citizen chip in his skull and he was there to kick ass and run the border patrol ragged. So many wanted it because it offered privileges. So far I haven’t been privy to any of the privileges that were coveted. To me, it was more of a leash on a cat collar. They were tags that could be tracked from the sky. It wouldn’t matter where they ran, it would be a beacon that couldn’t be turned off. I pulled my hands back from their grip as I closed my eyes. I didn’t know how much to give them. If we were going to die I wanted it to be in the crash, I didn’t want to be the one who killed the Tigers.
I flexed my fingers relishing the lingering heat of their touch on my flesh.

Ground 5,000. Mach 2.

I reached up cupping my palm about both Mags and Wendy’s neck. Mags turned towards me with a question in his eyes. I hit both of them with my own personal power. Their bodies began to jerk and twitch as if an electrical current was ripping through them, which I guess it was. I intensified it as I felt both of them try and fight against me then I narrowed the current and directed it at the base of the skull were the citizen chip should be. They both went limp at the same time. I cut the power. The cabin spun around me. I dropped back into my seat weak and dizzy from using my personal power. I just did a Fade on myself. Stupid but necessary. I just hung there in the harness and waited for my energy level to come back up.

Ground 3,000. We are off course. Sending out a signal flare.

I couldn’t stop the flare from deploying. Damn it.

Ground 2,500 Mach I.

Strap in. We are coming in hot and fast. Thrusters!

We lurched forward again. This time Mags and Wendy flopped like lifeless dolls. I grit my teeth and began pulling the power out of the ship. There was a central core were most of it ran so it was easy to re-route it so it blew itself out. I had to work to right myself in my seat.

“Well Mags, this was our only option. I’ll see you if we survive; if not, wait for me – I’ll meet up with you on the other side.” I ran my fingers along the back of my neck and found the thin scar that the implantation had left behind. I pressed hard searching for the hollow at the base of the skull where they said my Citizen chip had been deposited.

Impact in…

I drew my power to my finger tips and pooled it there. There was a chance I could Fade myself doing this. There was a bigger chance that I could melt my brain. But either way, I really wasn’t going to experience a space ship crash, not if I could help it. I spiked my energy hard to my finger tips and saw nothing.

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